Chapter 71
Jedi Trial
Ahsoka stood in front of the cave opening. It was dark and dank inside, but not much more so than the rest of Dagobah. What repelled her was not the smell of mud and decaying plants. It was the stain this place left in the Force. It felt cold and hot at the same time. It felt like anger, and fear, and hatred.
It felt like what Ahsoka felt when the men under her command were killed. It felt like what it felt like when she was expelled from the Jedi because of a crime she didn't commit. It felt like the fear and despair she felt when she was ambushed outside of Jabba the Hutt's palace, with an innocent, smelly Huttling strapped to her back.
It almost reminded her of the short time she spent on the planet Korriban, which had once been the home to the Sith Empire itself. The dark side of the Force was strong here.
"A Jedi knows no pain," she said, "A Jedi know no fear."
She took her lightsaber and handed it to Master Yoda. "Look out for this, will you? It took a lot of work to build it."
Her double sided saber floated over to the small Jedi, and it settled into the palm of his hand. He nodded to her, and hobbled over to a nearby root where he could sit and wait.
Ahsoka stepped into the dark.
"I'm not really sure what to expect," Ahsoka said.
"Expect?" The voice purred in her ear. "The Force doesn't really expect anything of us. Didn't your master ever teach you that?"
Ahsoka whirled around to see a pale figure in the shadows. "Ventress! What are you doing here?"
"Somehow, after all the fun we had together, I thought you'd be more welcoming." The woman, her skin a grey so pale that it almost looked white, stepped out of the shadows, and held her hand out. Ahsoka felt the Force wrap around her, nearly crushing her ribs, and lifting her into the air. "The Jedi betrayed you, just like the Sith betrayed me. We could have been a good team, you and I."
"I worked with you once," Ahsoka gasped. She pushed back through the Force, and was able to draw in breath. "Only because I had to."
"I could have just turned you in. But you had potential. We don't have to join their silly little Orders, you know." Asajj Ventress released her Force grip, and Ahsoka fell back down to the ground. "It would be fun, running with you instead of against you. No dark side, no light side, just us. Using our skills. Doing what we do best."
"Is that it?" Ahsoka asked. "Is that my test? I've had an ancient Sith Lord try to tamper with my head. There's not much you can offer to tempt me."
"There's only one thing to offer people like us, little Jedi," Ventress held out her hand to Ahsoka. "Freedom. The Sith desire power. The Jedi desire peace. We were both taken as children. Face it, little girl. We were both used up. Both of our Masters turned on us. Let us fall to the wayside. Oh, I know you don't really like me. But you are a lot like me."
"Maybe in some ways," Ahsoka said, "But not the important ways. I'm never going to be like you. The Jedi Order might have failed, but I'm still a Jedi."
"Really?" the pale woman's blue eyes narrowed. "So that year, gallivanting around the galaxy in a freighter meant nothing to you? The Jedi left you. Just like the Sith left me."
"My Master never gave up on me. Even when things were at their worst."
Ahsoka and Asajj stood still, staring at each other.
Ventress finally broke the silence. "Just remember, I gave you a chance. Freedom. It's in short supply these days."
Another voice came from behind Ahsoka. A choking, strangled voice. "Yes, it is. But it is always worth fighting for."
Ahsoka turned around to see another figure, standing in the dark. "Master Arana?"
In front of her stood Jedi Master Koffi Arana, looking just like he had when she saw him on the news holo recently. A blade was plunged into his chest, and attached to the blade was a mechanical hand.
The Jedi Master fell to his knees, and Ahsoka rushed over to him. "Master Arana, what can I do to help?"
"Stop... him." The Jedi said, and he fell over. His last words, barely a whisper, were, "Free the galaxy."
Ahsoka knew that this wasn't real. She'd already seen the Jedi Master's dead body. The holonews had said the name of the man who'd killed him, the right hand man of the new Emperor.
She could hear a hissing sound. It pulsed rhythmically. It seemed to come from all around her.
Ventress said, "Well, that's my cue to leave. I'm not here to fight against the Sith."
"Ventress, wait!" Ahsoka yelped, as the pale woman slipped back into the shadows.
The blade in Master Arana's chest quivered. The hand wrapped around it came loose from the blade. It floated up in the air, and Ahsoka turned to watch it.
"That," came a deep voice from the shadows, "is mine."
Out of the shadows stepped a nightmare. The mechanical hissing sound appeared to be its breath. A black cloak blended in with the shadow. A black gloved hand, the mirror image of the one floating through the air, reached out. The mechanical hand was placed against the stump of an arm, and with a flash of light, was welded into place.
"I know who you are," she said. The man towered over her, but his face was nothing but a blank helmet. The glassy eyes bored into her. "You're a Sith. You're the one who killed the Jedi."
The hulking figure breathed in and out loudly. "Yes," he finally replied. "I am."
"You're Darth Vader." Ahsoka knew this wasn't real. She knew it was a test. But it felt real. The cave walls seemed to be pressing in. She felt claustrophobic. She felt afraid. Truly, genuinely afraid.
A red lightsaber ignited in the mechanical hand.
"I killed them all. You are no challenge to me. Just a failed Jedi. Your Master couldn't protect you from your own friends within the Jedi Order. There's no one here to protect you now."
The dark figure took a step towards her. She took a step back. But there wasn't much room in the cave. Not much room to run, or to fight. The mechanical sounds of his breathing echoed throughout the cave, and the hum of his lightsaber made a constant tone between the breaths.
"If you will not fight, I will strike you down. And there will be one less Jedi in the galaxy." The saber extended out towards her.
"A Jedi knows no fear," Ahsoka said. "I will not fight you. I will not let you strike me down. I will do what I must, for the galaxy."
The dark figure raised his lightsaber. Ahsoka prepared to dodge under it.
And the lightsaber went out. The mechanical breathing was the only sound in the cave. "Perhaps," the deep voice rumbled, "you are ready to become a Jedi. When the time comes and we meet at last, we will see what kind of Jedi you truly are."
Ahsoka stepped out of the cave. She felt drained, in a way that she'd never felt before. For years, she'd trained her mind, body, and her abilities in the Force. There had been times when she went without sleep for days while she was on the battlefield. But now she felt emotionally drained. Master Yoda had been right when he compared this test to one more pass through the fire.
Master Yoda was waiting, patiently, sitting on a root.
"Find what you seek, have you?"
"I don't know," she replied truthfully. "I saw a lot. I felt a lot. I just know that I have to trust the Force, and myself."
"A beginning, you have. Much to learn, we all still do." Yoda stood up and hobbled over to her.
"No council do I have to confer with. But sensed you during your trial, I have." He handed her lightsaber back to her. "Confer upon you the rank of Jedi Knight, I do."
"Thank you, Master." She bowed her head and took back her lightsaber. She could feel the smooth metal surface of the stun stick body that she'd built her double ended saber into, and the rubber grips that helped her hold onto the saber in combat when she took it apart into two separate single bladed sabers. Inside, she could feel the crystals that shaped the blades through the Force.
"No celebration did I have planned," Yoda said, "so perhaps a few hours among friends over dinner will do."
"I would like that," she said, smiling down at him. "A night off from repairing the ship might be nice."