Episode 12 – There Is Another – Part 3
Ahsoka Tano! Once a proud Jedi Padawan apprenticed to Anakin Skywalker, now the Empress of the new Sith Empire seeking to destroy her former Master and crush the New Republic! Through the power of the Force and with the spirit of his late friend and mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi at his side, Anakin Skywalker now looks back into the past to witness his former Padawan's transformation from Jedi Padawan to Sith Lord!
Coruscant
28 ABY…
Anakin had just witnessed Ahsoka's fall to the Dark Side and was taking a moment to collect himself. The experience had left him disconcerted and deeply saddened. Maris Brood had noticed this and cautiously approached him as he sat on the ground in front of the Memorial Wall, quietly contemplating what he had seen while bracing himself for what he would see.
"Master Skywalker?" Maris asked as Anakin turned his head slightly, signaling that he heard her. He said nothing as she approached.
"Is something the matter?" She asked. Anakin was silent for a moment before answering.
"Do you ever wish you could change the past, Maris?" Anakin asked, causing Maris to pause.
"In all these years, I don't think I've ever heard you call me by my first name." She said, not sure what to make of this.
"Answer the question, please." Anakin said as Maris gave a nod.
"Of course I do. Don't we all wish we could've gone back and changed the past?" Maris asked as Anakin looked up at the wall, every name weighing upon his heart as yet another person he had betrayed when he fell to the Dark Side.
"What would you change?" Anakin asked.
"You know what I would change." Maris said softly, placing her hand on her stomach with a pained expression.
"In a sense, we both would change something similar. You would wish your son had lived beyond the few precious moments you had with him and I would wish for my entire past to have been rewritten from the moment before I fell to the Dark Side." Anakin said as Maris took a breath.
"Is that what you're doing? Are you here dwelling on the past?" she asked.
"Not in the traditional sense. I am seeking answers to questions that can only be acquired through the Force. It is a technique I have only recently learned." Anakin explained as Maris gave a nod.
"Would you like some company while you do this?" Maris asked.
"I am not alone. They are with me even now." Anakin said, motioning to the wall of names. Maris could then feel a ghostly presence in the Force, the feeling that despite the scarcity of people around them, that there were hundreds if not thousands of people around them. She immediately understood and backed away.
"I understand. May the Force be with you, Master Skywalker. If you need me, although I doubt you will, I'll be here." Maris said as Anakin looked over towards her, Maris turning to resume her patrol of the Temple Grounds. As Anakin watched, he soon felt the presence of Obi-Wan return.
"Hers is one life that you did not fail, Anakin. She returned to the Jedi despite adversity and a brush with the Dark Side. Take comfort in that." Obi-Wan said as Anakin looked towards the wall where Obi-Wan's spirit now stood.
"It is Ahsoka's life which concerns me at present." Anakin said softly.
"Then my friend it is time you witnessed the most difficult part of Ahsoka's journey to the Dark Side. You will witness her final moments as Ahsoka Tano. Are you ready?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I will never be ready but for her sake, if there is hope of helping her turn away from the Dark Side, then I must witness what happened to her." Anakin said as Obi-Wan knelt down and placed a ghostly hand on Anakin's shoulder.
"Remember that you will not be witnessing this alone, Anakin. You are never alone." Obi-Wan said as Anakin began to enter a meditative trance, time beginning to reverse around him until he found himself outside of the Jedi Temple still, in the same place only damaged from Operation Knightfall…
17 BBY
45 Years Ago…
Imperial Stormtroopers patrolled the exterior of the abandoned temple, keeping everyone but only authorized personnel out. Deep inside the temple, Ahsoka Tano, newly turned Dark Jedi and Sith Apprentice, sat staring at the damaged Phase II Clone Helmet with blue markings on it. The front eye covers had been broken out of it and its transmitter had overloaded. It was Rex's old helmet, the one he had been wearing at the time the Emperor had killed him in orbit over Alderaan four months ago. Ahsoka had turned in her smuggler's clothes for a set of black robes that resembled the robes her former Master had worn prior to his injuries at Mustafar only solid black. She still carried her two green lightsabers at her side but that was all that remained of her connection to the Jedi. As she sat in the gloom of the darkened and abandoned temple, she heard a beeping sound coming from a transmitter nearby. She quietly reached over and picked up the transmitter.
"What is it Commander?" she asked.
"His Highness's shuttle is arriving." One of the Stormtroopers reported. The Stormtrooper had the voice of a Fett Clone. Ahsoka quietly set down the transmitter and rose to her feet. After a moment she sensed her new Master's presence approaching. Soon she saw the cloaked figure of Emperor Palpatine approaching from the main entrance. Ahsoka quietly dropped to one knee in respect.
"What is thy bidding, my Master?" she asked as Palpatine came to a stop near her, looking down at her with his cold eyes, a look of contempt on his face but Ahsoka wasn't certain whether this contempt was aimed at her or not.
"As expected, Lord Vader seeks to overthrow me." Palpatine said as Ahsoka glared up at him in anger, although the anger was directed at Vader.
"As you predicted." She said.
"He has taken the son of a Jedi Knight as his Apprentice. He seeks to replace you and betray me with this act." Palpatine said as he produced a hologram recording of Vader standing cross armed over a young human boy with short black hair, the boy no more than three years old. Ahsoka glared at the boy in anger, jealousy building in her heart as she saw the young boy taking her place as Anakin's apprentice. Palpatine was grinning inwardly, watching Ahsoka's anger towards Vader building.
"What will you have me do, my Master?" Ahsoka asked as Palpatine deactivated the imagecaster, placing it on a small table nearby.
"We will let Vader have his 'Secret Apprentice' for the time being. He will need time to train his apprentice, much like you will need to be prepared to face Vader." Palpatine said as Ahsoka bowed her head.
"I am eager to begin my training, Master." Ahsoka said as Palpatine smiled, gently placing a hand on the back of her head, between her montrals.
"Good, good. I can feel your anger, my young Apprentice. But I sense conflict within you. Your Jedi Training has prepared you well to wield a lightsaber and to use the Force, but your loyalties are what divide you. Your journey to the Dark Side is not yet complete. You must prove to me that you are ready to begin your training." Palpatine said before turning and walking away slightly, earning an angry glare from Ahsoka.
"I am ready now, Master." She said but Palpatine turned and glared at her with an angry snarl.
"No! You are not ready! Raising your weapon against me will not sway me as a Jedi seeking peace and a Sith seeking power would do both. You must release your anger on those who do not warrant it. To prove that you are capable of sacrificing those who hold you back." Palpatine said as Ahsoka looked towards him in contemplation.
"I know where I can do exactly that." She said as Palpatine scowled at her.
"Do what must be done, my Apprentice. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy." Palpatine said as Ahsoka glanced towards him.
"I will need transport." Ahsoka said.
"Speak to the Commander at the gates. I have tasked him to serve as your aid during this period. Your adjutant. I believe you know him already." Palpatine said as Ahsoka rose to her feet.
"I knew him once, in a different life." She said as she pulled a hood over her head and headed for the exit, leaving Palpatine to grin at her departure. Ahsoka soon emerged from the temple where a Stormtrooper Commander stood in uniform nearby, noticing her exit.
"Commander Tano, CC-2224 reporting for duty." The Stormtrooper said as he removed his helmet, revealing the Fett Cloned face underneath, his hair kept in a military style at regulation length. Ahsoka recognized him almost instantly as he saluted.
"Cody." She said with contempt.
"At your service milady. His Majesty has ordered the entire 212th Legion to be your private Stormtrooper force. We're to assist you in any way we can." Commander Cody said as Ahsoka turned to look towards a large black tower in the distance that was under construction, the tower intending to serve as Darth Vader's Palace in Imperial City. The sight of the tower made her scowl in anger.
"I need transport to Saleucami. Be discreet." Ahsoka said as Cody gave a nod.
"Yes milady. Right away." Cody replied, placing the helmet back on his head and hurrying off.
Saleucami…
It was harvest time on the Lawquaine farm. Shaeena and Jek Lawquaine were helping their mother Suu harvest their crop for the season. Cut was doing the same nearby, pausing to smile at his family. Suu took notice of his glances, taking a moment to smile back and blow him a kiss before continuing to load the crops onto a repulsor sled. Cut's smile widened as he smiled at his family. He then started looking around curiously for something, but more appropriately someone. As he looked he finally saw the person in question, sitting on the roof of the barn, peering off towards the moon with a hopeful gaze, was Ashla Tano. Cut sighed in sympathy for the youngling. She was six now, having been four years old when the Jedi Order was destroyed. Cut started heading towards the barn, walking inside, climbing up the ladder and joining her on the roof.
"You know, in my day we used to punish goldbricking by putting the offenders up on report and cutting their rations. Well there's no one to report you to and cutting your rations would be especially cruel given how little we have." Cut said as he sat down next to her. Ashla seemed unresponsive.
"We, uh, could use a hand with the harvest. We need to get as much of the crops collected and processed before they go bad. Then we can take a few days to goldbrick all we want." Cut said but Ashla didn't reply. Cut sighed, resting his arms on his knees.
"I get it. It's not easy seeing friends and loved ones die or become mockeries of the very things you cared for. I don't like what's happened any more than you do. If I-." "It's been four months." Ashla interrupted, causing Cut to fall silent.
"Ahsoka hasn't contacted me in four months. Last time I spoke to her was that brief meeting in town while we were purchasing supplies. Something's wrong. I can feel it." Ashla said as Cut grimaced.
"You know as well as I do that she can't afford to visit you too often. Her mere presence can put you, put us all, in danger. I know her absence hurts but she's only staying away for your own sake." Cut said as Ashla pulled her knees up close to her chest, her arms around her legs.
"Then why do I feel cold?" she asked, confusing Cut.
"Cold?" he asked.
"I've felt this cold feeling for months. I'm afraid of what's happened to Ahsoka. I've only felt this kind of cold once before, and that was…two years ago." Ashla mumbled.
"Look I…I don't know what to tell you. I don't know how that Force of yours works. But I know that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Ahsoka will come back to see you. You are her only sister after all." Cut said but this did nothing to improve Ashla's mood. Finally Cut stood up, dusting himself off.
"Well that's about all I can do. Come on, kid. Maybe some hard work will warm you up. It might at least-…" Cut said before spotting something on the horizon. A small shining silver speck in the distance. He quickly pulled a pair of pocket-sized electrobinoculars from his utility belt. He raised the electrobinoculars to his eyes, Ashla looking towards the speck now too, a look of curiosity on her face. What Cut saw made his eyes widen.
"Uh-oh." He mumbled before running to the edge of the roof, looking straight at Suu and the family out in the fields.
"SUU! INCOMING!" He yelled, Suu looking up towards him.
"WHAT IS IT?!" She asked.
"EMPIRE!" Cut yelled back. Suu quickly dropped her tools and grabbed the children, leading them towards the farmhouse. Cut quickly turned and grabbed Ashla.
"Come on, kid! We need to move! The Empire catches either one of us, we're all dead!" Cut said as they rushed down the ladder into the barn just as they heard the screaming of TIE Fighters passing overhead. They both rushed to a hidden door located beneath several empty containers, the door leading to a basement where a few simple amenities were stored. Cut's old Phase 1 Clone Armor was stored down there along with the confiscated blasters from some old BX Droid Commandos that had attacked his farm during the Clone Wars. The Droids had been sold for scrap in town long ago. There was a small computer terminal set up that was linked to a small series of cameras on the surface, allowing Cut to spy on what was happening from the safety of the basement. He watched as a Gozanti class cruiser in the solid grey colors of the Empire touched down right in the middle of the field of crops, earning Cut's ire.
"Great. There goes this season's crops." He grumbled as Stormtroopers disembarked, one of them wearing a yellow Command pauldron.
"Search the area! Round up anyone you find! Set for stun!" the Commander ordered as the Stormtroopers smashed down the doors to the homestead. The trooper that did so found the business end of an outland rifle shoved in his face. Suu was daring the trooper to act when she was shot from behind with a stun bolt as Stormtroopers broke in through the back doors to the homestead. Shaeena and Jek quickly hurried towards their rooms in fear.
"Get them!" one of the Stormtroopers ordered, a pair of Stormtroopers rushing up after the two Twi'lek younglings. In the basement, Cut was quickly realizing what was going on.
"This is a raid, not your common search!" He gasped, quickly grabbing his old DC-15A but Ashla was looking at the ceiling in fear. Outside, Suu, Shaeena, and Jek, now conscious, were forced to their knees in a line before the Commander, binders placed on all three of them with their hands behind their back. One of the Stormtroopers then approached.
"Search of the area is complete sir. We cannot find anyone else here." The trooper reported. The Commander then turned towards the boarding ramp to the cruiser, the TIE Fighters setting down in the fields nearby.
"Milady, we've secured the area but there is no sign of any fugitive Jedi." The Commander said as a black cloaked figure disembarked from the ship, approaching the Commander and the prisoners. Down in the basement, Cut was beginning to breathe heavily from anxiety. He was itching to run up there and help. The figure said nothing as its head looked around in silent curiosity.
"Milady?" Commander Cody asked as the figure looked towards Suu and the two young Twi'leks. The figure then knelt down to their level, pulling back the hood to reveal Ahsoka quietly glaring at them with a dark stare on her face. Suu and the children were all taken aback by this, even Cut and Ashla were stunned.
"Ahsoka?" Ashla asked, confused as Cut grimaced.
"No! Not her too!" he grunted, almost agonized by the sight of another Jedi having joined the Empire. Ahsoka was staring at the three still when she finally spoke.
"Where is Ashla?" she asked simply.
"She's not here. She ran away months ago." Suu said as Ahsoka sighed with a roll of her eyes.
"I see." She said before looking towards Jek. She then grabbed him by the arm and in a flash of green light, cut off his left lekku in the middle with her lightsaber, Jek falling forward, unconscious from the sudden attack as Suu cried out in horror, Shaeena attempting to run but was held down by one of the Stormtroopers. At this, Cut, enraged, ran for the ladder, climbing up and out of the basement faster than Ashla could blink. Cut burst out of the barn with his blaster raised.
"SCHUTTA!" he yelled, opening fire only for Ahsoka to deflect the shots. Cut was suddenly shot from behind with a stun bolt, knocking him out.
"What the-?! A Clone?!" Cody asked in surprise.
"No, a deserter. He's been here since before the Clone Wars ended." Ahsoka said as the Stormtroopers cuffed the unconscious Cut and dragged him over to kneel next to Suu who was trying to break free and tend to Jek but the Stormtroopers were holding her down, screaming out in Huttese as she struggled.
"Sir! There's a hidden compartment in here!" One of the Stormtroopers near the barn reported. Ahsoka quietly started to approach the barn. When she entered, she saw one of the troopers standing guard with a blaster pointed towards the entrance to the basement.
"Ashla I know you're in there!" Ahsoka called into the hole.
Silence.
"Ashla, don't make me come in there!" Ahsoka called.
Again, silence.
"Alright." Ahsoka mumbled as she stepped towards the door to the barn.
"Commander! Prepare to execute the prisoners!" Ahsoka yelled.
"Right away ma'am! Alright men, take aim!" Cody ordered, the Stormtroopers raising their blasters towards the three prisoners, Jek still lying unconscious on the ground. The Stormtroopers had already written him off for dead.
"WAIT!" Ashla could be heard calling, Ahsoka motioning to hold. She turned to see Ashla climbing out of the hole, the Stormtrooper by the hole immediately moving to cuff her but Ahsoka motioned to stop. Ashla looked up at her sister, tears in her eyes.
"Ahsoka, what's going on? Why are you doing this?" Ashla asked. Ahsoka looked to the Stormtrooper and motioned for him to leave. The Stormtrooper gave a nod, leaving the two alone in the barn.
"Ashla, what if I told you that I know a way to stop the Jedi responsible for the destruction of the Order?" Ahsoka asked as Ashla looked at her confused.
"You mean Master Skywalker?" Ashla asked, Ahsoka scowling at the very mention of his name.
"We'll no longer have to live on the run. We'll have food, clothing, and a new Master that will teach us to use the Force so that one day we no longer have to live in fear." Ahsoka said, Ashla looking confused still.
"A new Master? Ahsoka I'm scared. What's happening?" she asked, shaking in fear. Ahsoka quietly knelt down and put her arms around the sobbing Ashla.
"That fear will help you, Ashla. That fear will fade away and soon all you will need to fear is not becoming strong enough to do what needs to be done." Ahsoka said, Ashla furrowing her brow.
"What?" she asked softly.
"If only you knew the Power of the Dark Side. With our combined strength, we could put an end to any conflict, and bring order to the galaxy." Ahsoka said as she put her hands on Ashla's shoulders.
"Order?" Ashla asked.
"Join me, Ashla, and together we will destroy both the Emperor and Skywalker, and then we will rule the Galaxy as Sisters." Ahsoka said as Ashla looked confused for a moment before taking a breath.
"But…what about the other Jedi? Gungi, Zatt, and the others?" Ashla asked.
"Dead. The Emperor found them and had them all killed. The Jedi are now extinct. Only together can we make the Emperor and Skywalker pay for what they've done to us and the rest of the Jedi." Ahsoka said as Ashla choked on a tear, rushing forward and starting to sob into Ahsoka's shoulder.
"Ahsoka…what about those men? They're Empire right?" she asked.
"They only think we serve the Emperor. In order to kill the Emperor and Skywalker, we shall have to play the part of the Emperor's willing apprentices. To treat the Emperor and Skywalker like one would a poison, to use them so that we may learn the best way to kill them. I can't do this alone, Ashla. I know you crave vengeance as much as I do. Your fellow Bear Clan Younglings are all dead because of Skywalker and the Emperor." Ahsoka explained, her words getting through to the heartbroken Youngling. Ashla began to stop crying, her expression of sadness turning to anger.
"What do I do?" she asked as Ahsoka smiled and rose to her feet.
"We go to Coruscant where our new Master awaits." Ahsoka said as they started heading towards the cruiser. Cut, Suu, and Shaeena, all still knelt together. Jek had been dragged away, left for dead near the homestead.
"Milady, what do we do about the deserter and his family?" Cody asked, Ahsoka glancing towards Cut and the Lawquaines with a scowl.
"What we do to all traitors and those who harbor them." Ahsoka replied.
"Even the younglings?" Cody asked.
"The boy won't last long without his lekku. Kill them immediately. There can be no witnesses to our presence. Leave the bodies as an example to those who harbor deserters and traitors to the Empire." Ahsoka ordered as Cody saluted.
"It will be done milady." Cody replied as Ahsoka ushered Ashla onto the transport, listening as Cody gave the order to raise their weapons. When the order to fire was given, Ahsoka didn't even react, not even when she heard the blaster shots, her red and yellow eyes merely glaring straight ahead, her mind consumed with only one thought: Revenge against Skywalker and the Emperor.
…
About an hour later, farmers from a farm several miles away had seen a pillar of smoke rising from the Lawquaine homestead and had rushed to help. The farmers were mostly humans, neighbors of the Lawquaines, but with an adopted Twi'lek girl.
"Cut! Suu! Anyone!" One of the farmers yelled as they approached the homestead. Most of the crops had been burned away, the homestead and barn completely set ablaze, even the Eopie livestock had been slaughtered. As the farmers searched, one of them stumbled upon the scene of Cut, Suu, and Shaeena, all lying together on the ground, face down with fresh blaster holes through their backs, the binders still on their wrists. The farmer who found them almost instantly covered his mouth, holding back the urge to vomit in horror and disgust. The rest of the farmers finally reached him and were horrified by what had happened.
"Who could have done this?" one of the farmers asked before being shushed.
"Shh! Listen." The farmer said as they all fell silent. They could hear a faint moaning coming from nearby. They looked and saw Jek was lying face down on the ground between his parents, moaning in pain, still too unconscious to know what was going on.
"Jek! Jek he's alive!" one of the farmers said as they rushed to help the maimed boy. From 45 years into the future, Anakin and Obi-Wan both stood watching the scene with silent sadness. They said nothing but Anakin lowered his head in grief at Ahsoka's actions as the scene shifted once again…
On Coruscant…
Back in the Jedi Temple ruins, Ahsoka was screaming in agony as she was electrocuted by Palpatine in anger. Ashla was being held back by Cody and another Stormtrooper as she screamed, trying to get Palpatine to stop.
"You were instructed to kill her! Instead you bring her to me alive!" Palpatine hissed over Ahsoka's screams. Finally Palpatine stopped, his snarl still on his face.
"You cannot hope to kill Lord Vader with her holding you back!" Palpatine hissed as Ahsoka staggered onto one knee, bowing before Palpatine.
"I did not spare her out of mercy, my Master. She craves vengeance against Skywalker as much as I do. It was Skywalker who slaughtered her entire youngling clan. I felt it unwise to deprive you of another useful tool against him." Ahsoka said, breathing heavily as she caught her breath. Palpatine wasn't convinced however.
"And provide you with an apprentice of your own with which you could attempt to destroy both Lord Vader and myself! Yes, I still sense your hatred of me, my young apprentice. But in order to defeat either of us, you must decide which of us you hate the most: Me or Skywalker?" Palpatine asked as Ahsoka raised her head towards Palpatine with an angry glare.
"Skywalker, without a doubt." Ahsoka said as Palpatine's snarl shrank into a sneer.
"Good. As for your, sister…" Palpatine said, turning his glare towards the youngling who shook in fear of his gaze.
"If Skywalker is training his own apprentice, wouldn't it not be wise to have two of your own to confront him when the time comes?" Ahsoka asked as Palpatine turned his gaze back to Ahsoka.
"That cannot be done. There are always two, no more and no less. A Master and an Apprentice. That is what has kept the Sith alive for over a thousand years." Palpatine said as Ahsoka glared at him.
"Alive from the Jedi. But now the Jedi are extinct. What use is this rule when there is nothing left to threaten the Sith? Quite an antiquated rule for a new era." Ahsoka said, earning Palpatine's wrath. He raised his hands to electrocute her, causing her to flinch but she was surprised when nothing happened. She then heard Palpatine beginning to let out one of his creepy chuckles. She looked up to see Palpatine smiling at her while he chuckled.
"Very good, my young apprentice. Your wisdom exceeds your years. The Jedi are no more. What is there to stop us now? No more shall we be confined to the Rule of Two. Its purpose has been fulfilled. Henceforth there shall be the Rule of One. There can be many apprentices but only one true Dark Lord of the Sith. And you, Ahsoka Tano, shall be the first of these new Apprentices." Palpatine said as Ahsoka bowed her head to him.
"I pledge myself to your teachings, my Master." Ahsoka said as Palpatine closed his eyes with a grin.
"Good. The Force is strong with you. I foresee that you will become a powerful Dark Lord of the Sith one day." Palpatine said as Ahsoka looked up at him with determination.
"Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth…" Palpatine said, taking a moment to consider a proper name for her until he noticed her Akul Tooth headdress.
"…Akul." Palpatine said as Ahsoka bowed her head again.
"I thank you, my Master." Ahsoka said.
"Rise." Palpatine ordered. Akul did as instructed.
"Your Jedi weapon is but a relic of your past. Cast it aside and take up a new weapon, Lady Akul." Palpatine instructed, Akul taking both of her lightsabers and casting them aside.
"I already have a lightsaber to suit my new title." Akul said as she presented the Sith Lightsaber she had taken from Barriss on Onderon. Palpatine grinned at this.
"Your resourcefulness will serve you well, Lady Akul. But I am not yet convinced of your sister's loyalty." Palpatine said as Akul looked towards Ashla who was still being held back by Cody and another Stormtrooper.
"She is still young. In time she will become a very powerful Sith Lord." Akul said.
"Youth does have the advantage in that she has a long time to learn the ways of the Dark Side of the Force." Palpatine said as he started to approach Ashla.
"Guards, leave us." Palpatine instructed, the Stormtroopers leaving the room. Ashla looked up at Palpatine nervously.
"Do you fear me, young one?" Palpatine asked. Ashla shivered and nodded.
"Y-Yes milord." She replied.
"I sense much fear in you. But this fear will serve as fuel to spur you on to become more powerful. Do you wish to be afraid?" Palpatine asked as Ashla shook her head.
"No…I don't want to be afraid." She replied softly.
"Then I shall teach you to become more powerful so that you will not know fear. Your fear will turn to anger, your anger will turn to hate, and then your hatred will turn to power. Unlimited power." Palpatine said, almost awed by the very word 'power.' Basking in its meaning. Ashla dropped to her knees and then onto her hands in a bow.
"Please…teach me." She begged, Palpatine smiling down at her, kneeling down to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"My dear young lady. You will become strong in the Dark Side of the Force and then together, the Sith Order shall rule the Galaxy." Palpatine said as he rose to his feet, Ashla sitting up on one knee, looking up at him.
"Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth Vandal." Palpatine said as Ashla bowed her head.
"Thank you, my Master." Vandal replied as Palpatine turned towards Akul.
"What is thy bidding, my Master?" Akul asked.
"I am sending you to a more secure location. Lord Vader must not know of your existence. You will be sent to a vessel in a system of great importance to the Sith. A system known only to the highest ranking of the Empire and visited only by my prospective candidates for the title of Inquisitor." Palpatine said as he started to lead them out of the temple.
"Even Vader?" Akul asked.
"Vader is aware of the planet's existence. But it is highly doubtful that Vader will visit the system. I will see to it that he never has reason to go there." Palpatine said as they reached the exit where Cody and his men were loading an old Theta Class Shuttle. Palpatine's Lambda Shuttle was sitting nearby in the shadows.
"When will our training commence, my master?" Akul asked.
"Patience my apprentice. Your training will commence eventually. You will become more powerful than Vader and you will have your revenge. For now you must prepare yourself for your training. I will contact you soon enough." Palpatine said as Akul and Vandal both bowed to their new master.
"As you wish my Master." Akul said as Palpatine started walking towards his shuttle. Cody then started to approach the two.
"Lady Tano, your shuttle is ready. We're ready to leave when you are. The entire 212th Legion is yours to command." Cody replied as Akul glared at him.
"Ahsoka Tano is dead, Commander. From now on you will address me as Darth Akul and you will address her as Darth Vandal. Am I understood?" Akul asked as Cody saluted.
"Yes milady. I apologize for the misunderstanding." Cody said as Akul and Vandal headed for the shuttle, climbing aboard. Unknown to them, from 45 years into the future, Anakin Skywalker watched in sadness as the woman formerly known as Ahsoka Tano boarded the shuttle with her new Apprentice and watched as it took to the sky. Anakin lowered his head in sadness as Obi-Wan's spirit returned.
"Ahsoka might've disappeared here, but she still lives. You know this more than anyone." Obi-Wan said as Anakin looked up towards the sky.
"She claimed that I was not the reason for her fall and yet…" Anakin said as Obi-Wan placed a spectral hand upon his shoulder.
"She is as conflicted today as she was then. She felt betrayed and abandoned by those she once considered her family. Only you believed she was innocent of the bombing that disillusioned her towards the Jedi Order, and only made it worse when you betrayed the very ideals she held dear. She became vulnerable, despondent, and she gradually lost everyone she ever cared for, be it to death or to betrayal until there was no one left but herself." Obi-Wan said as Anakin looked towards him.
"I will not give up on her." Anakin said as Obi-Wan nodded.
"Nor should you, my old friend. I once believed that when someone fell to the Dark Side, that they were lost forever. I was wrong. Your redemption at Endor, proved to me that redemption was not impossible at all. I am not the only one you have proven wrong, Anakin." Obi-Wan said.
"Wrong, we all were. The Chosen One, you are."
"Master Yoda?" Anakin asked, surprised to hear the old Grand Master's voice. He turned to see Yoda's spectral form approaching him, walking with his cane even.
"The Prophesy misread, it was not. Full circle, it will come. But, ready to face your old Padawan again, you are not." Yoda said as Anakin knelt down towards him.
"Am I even capable? Am I wasting my time?" Anakin asked before feeling a tugging at his robe. He turned and saw a Togruta youngling girl standing in Jedi robes, smiling at him.
"Am I not proof enough?" Ashla Tano, the former Darth Vandal, asked with a smile.
"And am I not proof enough?" another familiar voice asked. Anakin turned and looked up to see Asajj Ventress before him in Jedi Robes, smiling at him as well.
"You have turned two hardened servants of the Dark Side, back to the Light. And you have not ceased in your efforts to continue doing so." Ashla stated.
"Your Apprentice, Galen Marek, a great Jedi he has become." Yoda said.
"Your compassion towards me in my final moments on Thule, made me feel loved for the first time since I fell to the Dark Side. To have been shown compassion by one who once felt the same burning hatred as I did in life, was incomparable to anything I had ever felt before." Ashla added.
"And you have not once given up on Talzin, and although she is still shrouded in darkness, the light is starting to break through for her." Asajj said.
"And although he is headstrong, Kento has become a very strong and very powerful Jedi Knight, much like his Master." Obi-Wan said as Anakin looked around at them.
"Then what is the next step? What should I do next? Where should I go?" Anakin asked, the world around him beginning to slowly fade from day into night.
"You must go to the Dagobah system. There you will find a cave that is strong in the Dark Side of the Force. What you find there will show you where to begin so as to prepare you for what is to come." Obi-Wan said as the spirits of Asajj and Ashla disappeared.
"A friend, you will find there. Help you, she will." Yoda said with a smile as he faded away.
"Remember, the Force will be with you, always." Obi-Wan said before fading away as well. Anakin looked up and saw he was kneeling before the memorial wall once more. He slowly rose to his feet, looking at the wall in reverence for a moment before turning and starting back towards the steps. Maris watched him depart quietly.
Later in the Dagobah System…
The Twilight II dropped out of hyperspace near the swamp planet, flying towards it. Anakin looked at the planet before him in silence as the yacht started to enter the atmosphere. Soon the yacht started to touch down on one of the landmasses, breaking through the canopy of trees, landing within the thick fog that blanketed the swamplands. The vessel touched down safely on firm ground, the ramp lowering into a shallow puddle but beyond that there was plenty of solid albeit muddy terrain. Anakin approached the foot of the ramp and surveyed the area, sensing the life that surrounded him. He quietly removed his cloak, tossing it towards the top of the ramp before starting to head further inland. He quietly sensed a familiar presence was nearby, watching him with intrigue. After a few moments of walking, he paused, sensing the presence close behind him.
"Have you come in search of me, Master Skywalker?" a woman's voice said. Anakin slowly turned to see a certain young red haired Hapan Princess, wearing a hooded cloak that had long since been stained with mud, twigs, and stray leaves although her face was still recognizable.
"The Force is with you, Princess Djo. Your survival is nothing short of miraculous." He stated as she slid back her hood with the stump of her left arm.
"The reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated but for a purpose, Master Skywalker. I apologize for my deception but I must insist that you not speak of my survival or location to anyone, especially Jacen." Tenel said as Anakin approached her.
"Does anyone else know of your survival…besides, Jacen?" Anakin asked, recognizing Jacen's lightsaber at her side.
"Grand Master Skywalker, Chancellor Solo, Grand General Marek, and my mother are aware of my survival. They are aware that I have survived but they know not where I am at present. I have been in self-imposed exile here since my 'death,' waiting for the right time to reveal myself." Tenel replied.
"Then I shall carry your secret. I come in search of a cave, strong in the Dark Side of the Force." Anakin replied as Tenel gave a nod.
"I know of the cave. It is indeed strong with the Dark Side of the Force. I have ventured inside only once and what I saw inside…" Tenel said, a conflicted look on her face. Anakin could sense concern yet joy from within her.
"Show me." Anakin said.
…
Almost thirty minutes of hiking later, Tenel and Anakin arrived at the mouth of the cave, the temperature inexplicably dropping the closer they got but both Jedi knew that it was the taint of the Dark Side.
"In there." Tenel said as Anakin started to cautiously approach the entrance.
"Your weapon, you will not need it." Tenel said as Anakin paused. He quietly unclipped his lightsaber and handed it to her, the Hapan Princess examining the lightsaber in her hand for a moment as Anakin started to enter the cave, dropping down through the mouth and into the cave proper. He began to slowly make his way past all of the gnarled roots of the tree above the cave, venturing deeper and deeper inside. As he traveled, he began to hear the sounds of lightsabers striking against one another echoing in the distance. He then heard what sounded like his own breathing echo from behind him. He turned but instead came face to face with what appeared to be his younger self but with the familiar red and yellow eyes of the Dark Side.
The younger Anakin proceeded to activate a red bladed lightsaber, the same one Anakin had wielded as Darth Vader. Anakin didn't have his lightsaber with him but stood ready to defend himself. His younger self proceeded to rear back with an intent to swing at him but the blow was blocked by the sudden activation of a blue lightsaber in the hands of a figure shrouded in a brown Jedi cloak who stood between the older and younger Anakins, standing in defense of the elder. Anakin Sr. watched as his younger self engaged the figure in battle, Anakin backing away to give them room only to bump into something behind him. He turned and immediately found that he had bumped into a sarcophagus made of stone and marble at the foot of a beautiful stained glass window made to resemble someone Anakin knew very well.
"Padme." He gasped, backing away, especially as the lid to the sarcophagus started to rattle and slide off to the side, revealing a young Padme, clad in black robes and activating a red lightsaber rise from her grave, glaring at him in anger. She started to swing at him with a snarl of fury only for her attack to be blocked by another blue lightsaber but this time Anakin recognized the wielder to be…
"Leia?" Anakin said, confused but surprised as he watched mother and daughter beginning to exchange blows. Anakin started to turn away but came face to face with a figure clad in dark robes, wearing a black mask with an hourglass shaped visor. The figure knelt down and held up a lightsaber to Anakin in both hands. It was Anakin's Jedi Lightsaber. The masked figure then looked up at him.
"I will finish, what you started." The figure said with a familiar voice as four more figures appeared in the shrouded mists behind him, all knelt towards Anakin. Anakin then heard the battles behind him suddenly end. He turned and saw that it had all disappeared save for the cloaked figure in Jedi robes. This cloaked figure was soon joined by the figure in dark robes but holding a lightsaber with a cross guard, the blade flickering between blue and red. The Jedi Robed figure looked at Anakin, raising a hand towards his hood. As he did, Anakin recognized the lightsaber in his hand. When the figure removed his hood, Anakin was surprised to see a familiar face beneath it, the face of the lightsaber's former wielder.
"Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked before hearing what sounded like the malicious laughter of Darth Akul from behind him. Anakin turned in time to see what looked like Darth Akul standing behind him and take a swing of her red Sith Lightsaber towards his face. Anakin raised his hand and shielded himself from the attack but when he looked back, there was nothing there. Only the cave remained. Anakin took a moment to process what he had seen before turning and heading back towards the entrance.
Outside, Tenel had been sitting in meditation, staring at Anakin's lightsaber as it rested on a stump in front of her. She then heard Anakin's familiar breathing and sensed his presence in the Force. She rose to her feet as Anakin emerged, pulling his lightsaber to his hand with the Force as he approached, clipping it to his belt again.
"Are you alright, Master Skywalker?" Tenel asked. Anakin slowly turned to look towards her, the young Princess sensing curiosity within him.
"I sensed joy within you earlier, Tenel Ka. What did you see that prompted such joy?" Anakin asked. Tenel's face slowly turned to a look of pure happiness at the memory.
"I saw…I saw my future…I saw, a child. A child that I will have one day." She replied, almost happy to the point of tears.
"And what else did you see?" Anakin asked as Tenel's smile turned to worry.
"I saw, Jacen, but he was…Jacen had fallen to the Dark Side and yet…he stood in defense of me, our friends, his family, and everyone we loved from a figure clad in dark cloaks like he wore in the vision." Tenel explained as Anakin looked away in contemplation. There was an eerie similarity to something he had seen and what she had just described.
"Master Skywalker?" she asked as Anakin looked back towards her.
"Your child. Did the vision reveal who the father was?" Anakin asked but Tenel smiled slightly.
"I believe you don't need me to answer that question, Master Skywalker." She said as Anakin noticed the lightsaber hanging from her belt and, recognizing it, smiled beneath his mask.
"As I suspected." Anakin said before they both started to set out back towards where the Twilight II was landed.
…
After a long silent trek through the swamp, Anakin and Tenel finally returned to where the Twilight II was landed.
"Master Skywalker, might I ask, what did you see in the cave?" Tenel asked as Anakin looked towards her slightly.
"I myself do not know. There are too many questions for me to answer. I need to meditate on them." Anakin said as he approached the ramp to the Twilight II but paused. He then turned back towards Tenel.
"Is there anything you would like me to tell Jacen?" Anakin asked but Tenel smiled and shook her head.
"Only that I am still well and that my thoughts dwell upon him frequently." She said. Anakin gave a nod.
"Then you should know that you are always at the forefront of his thoughts as well. He has learned to hide his true feelings well. May the Force be with you, Tenel Ka." Anakin said as Tenel gave a polite nod in return.
"And you as well, Master Skywalker." Tenel said before Anakin turned and started to board the Twilight II. Tenel watched from a safe distance as the old yacht took to the skies, disappearing above the fog.
Later…
The Twilight II dropped out of hyperspace near Vjun, headed straight for Bast Castle. There were scarcely any ships in the region as usual which satisfied the former Dark Lord. As the Twilight II started to touch down within the castle landing bay, the environmental shields raising to keep out the acid rainfall of Vjun, a squad of 501st Stormtroopers in Phase-II armor emerged to greet him. They stood at attention as Anakin disembarked.
"Lord Skywalker! Welcome back to Bast Castle, milord!" the squad leader replied.
"Dispense with the pleasantries Captain. No one is to know I am here and I do not want to be disturbed unless it is absolutely urgent." Anakin said authoritatively as he marched towards the turbolift.
"It will be done milord." The 501st Captain replied as Anakin stepped into the turbolift, the doors closing behind him. Up in the tower where Anakin's private quarters were located, Anakin emerged from the turbolift and headed straight for the meditation chamber. He sat down inside the chamber before entering a command on the controls inside. Instantly the ceiling of the chamber raised itself slightly, the meditation chair beginning to rotate Anakin around to face the back wall where a holoscreen was mounted. Immediately Anakin began calling up information on Darth Akul and her apprentices. A Hologram of Akul along with holograms of Akul's apprentices appeared before him in response. He then deactivated the holograms of Darth Fenrir, Talzin, Sheelal, Anjo and even Akul herself, leaving only Darth Stalker. Anakin leaned back slightly in his seat, glaring at the hologram of the Crown Prince of the Sith Empire.
After a moment he then turned towards a panel in his meditation chamber and opened it with the Force, revealing a compartment with three sunken cylindrical slots, two of which were empty but one was occupied and proceeded to partially eject a familiar lightsaber. Anakin reached over and pulled the lightsaber from the slot, looking at it in contemplation. It was Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber.
"Obi-Wan…why didn't you tell me?" Anakin asked.
"Even I did not know. It was hidden from me long ago." Obi-Wan's voice echoed softly throughout the chamber. Anakin looked at the lightsaber for a moment before finally deactivating the hologram of Darth Stalker, setting down the lightsaber in his lap, and then entering new commands into the controls inside the meditation chamber. After a moment, the holoscreen activated with a live transmission of Luke Skywalker in his quarters on Ossus, looking worried. He had sensed his father reaching out to him in the Force.
"Father? What is it? What's the matter?" Luke asked.
"There is another, Luke." Anakin replied, confusing Luke.
"Another? Another what?" he asked. Anakin proceeded to hold up Obi-Wan's lightsaber, causing Luke to look at it with a look of growing disbelief.
"There is another Kenobi."
End Episode 12
This episode was uploaded on May 4th, 2016 in celebration of Star Wars Day!
I'd like to report that at this juncture in the season, if you have not seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens by now, brace yourself because there will be spoilers.