Chapter 3 - Through the Soul
Author's Note: This chapter was partially inspired by future plans for the CW which never made it to being animated. The only reason Sidious would ever go to the Jedi Temple as a Sith is if he was literally drunk on the Dark Side or something, so we thought experimenting with a version of that would be interesting. ;)
~ Amina Gila and Tirana Sorki
Ahsoka returns to consciousness painfully slowly. Everything doesn't hurt anymore, which is a relief, but she's still sore and achy from something she doesn't really remember.
She's instinctively expecting to feel an overwhelming power rushing through her, though, but she doesn't. It feels glaringly, achingly gone. She can feel the Infinity Stones close, though, and she instantly wants to be closer to them.
"Ahsoka?" she hears Anakin's voice calling her faintly, and she blinks a few times, until the room finally focuses around her. Anakin's standing next to her bed, expression tensed with worry.
"Master?" she rasps, voice sounding faint even to her. "What's... going on?"
"I pulled the Stone out of you," he replies, "How are you feeling?"
The Stone – right.
Wait. He took the Reality Stone from her? "Why?" she blurts, trying to sit up.
"It was killing you," Anakin tells her, "I did not know if there was a way to do it, but I had to try."
Killing her? But – All she can remember is the power of it and being away from the Stones feels even worse now. Even if that had been overwhelming. Her mind still feels foggy, though, likely because she's only half awake. "What now?"
"Obi-Wan and I found the Mind Stone. There are still two more out there. But you do not need to come – "
"No, no. I'll come," she insists, almost frantically. She has to.
Anakin moves closer, laying a hand on her shoulder, his concern obvious. "If you are up to it. You do not look well."
She shakes her head. "I'll be fine."
Ahsoka senses something suddenly, a sudden surge in the Force, like the Infinity Stones are being used. Anakin stiffens the same moment, tensing. "What –" she starts to ask.
"Something's happening," he tells her, moving towards the door, slowly, almost as if he's certain something is about to come through and attack them. Considering everything that's been happening, Ahsoka would almost be surprised if that didn't happen. "Stay here." And he disappears out into the hall.
"And you're just going to go out there?" Ahsoka asks, pushing herself up to a sitting position. She's exhausted, but if something is happening, she needs to be up, ready and moving. She's lived in that on the battlefield, but this is at the Temple. It should be safe here.
"I can sense something is wrong, Ahsoka. I don't know what, but it's important. Obi-Wan was... hurt earlier. I don't want something to happen to him again."
She feels a flare of worry. "What happened?"
"We encountered a Dark Side being that mind-controlled him." Her eyes zero in on the bruises around his neck. She hadn't even noticed earlier. They were well-hidden by his robes, but suddenly, she has a very bad feeling about this.
"He hurt you?" she guesses.
Anakin winces, hand raising almost self-consciously to his neck. "It wasn't that bad," he mutters, "He's the one that got hurt, after warning me repeatedly how dangerous it was."
Ahsoka frowns. "It's not dangerous," she argues.
He turns around, gaping at her. "Snips, you nearly died."
"Happens every day," she answers, shrugging one shoulder.
Anakin scrubs a hand over his face. "I think it's calming down now, but Obi-Wan is... I need to find him. And, Ahsoka, there is a massive difference between being in life-threatening situations, and you nearly dying."
"We had to get the Stone," she replies, "We can help people like this. Remember?"
"We thought that, but the farther we go, the more dangerous it becomes. I can only hope this won't all be for nothing."
"It's not going to be," she promises fiercely. "We only have two more to go, Skyguy. It can't be that hard to get them."
"But what then?" he replies, and she can't understand why he seems so... scared. Well, if she nearly died it's understandable, but still. Some risks are necessary, and they have to see this through to the end. If only it were easier for Anakin to see that.
**w**
Anakin knew something had happened to Obi-Wan, but he would never have imagined this. He heard the report from the Council, as they hastily got his idiot-of-a-master to the healer's wing. Apparently, he broke into the vault at the Temple, and they caught him before he could take off with the Stones, or whatever he was planning to do with them.
And then he tried using the Power Stone, throwing all the Council members aside, except he only injured himself seriously in the process. Very obvious burns cover his master's arms and robes, and Anakin knows they're serious.
He could have gotten himself killed.
First, Ahsoka and then Obi-Wan.
And he thought Obi-Wan was the only one who didn't want the Stones. Why is this happening? It doesn't make any sense. They need to... something. Just get rid of these, as soon as possible. They really are too dangerous. He thought of all people, after what happened, Obi-Wan would rather be three galaxies away from those things. But apparently, he was trying to steal them, and Anakin is seriously beginning to question the sanity of every single person he has ever known right about now. Including his own.
He comes into Obi-Wan's room as soon as he's taken out of the bacta tank – though he's not recovered enough to leave the healer's wing yet.
"Master?" Anakin asks, fear burning inside him.
"We must get rid of those Stones," Obi-Wan says – because that's still his first concern when he nearly died and is still recovering.
"You were trying to take them yourself," Anakin tells him, confused.
"No one else will do it," he retorts icily. Apparently, they're back to this again. And Obi-Wan might be right, but how is him taking them any different?!
The iciness in his master's voice is unnerving him after what happened when they got the Mind Stone in the first place. He crosses his arms, not as if it'll hide him, but this is... hard. So hard, and he's so, so tired. "I would have thought you, of all people, would want to stay away from them."
He shouldn't have mentioned it if the way Obi-Wan's expression tightens is anything to go by. "Keeping the galaxy safe is more important than my own desires," he snaps back.
"Master," Anakin tries, almost desperately, "You're not thinking clearly. If we can get this done with, we'll be able to get them out of here, and we won't have to worry about it. Trying to stop it will just prolong the inevitable and drag it out."
"You'll still stand for this?" Obi-Wan demands, "Even after what happened to Ahsoka?"
"There's no choice. I have to do this. You know that. We can end the war, end everything."
"Either way, it will be rewriting reality in a way it was never meant to be!" Obi-Wan yells. He might get angry frequently, but he rarely ever yells, and Anakin can't help flinching back.
"You've never disagreed with the Council so outright before," Anakin says, quietly, hardly above a whisper. He can't remember the last time he's wanted to disappear so badly before.
"Because this is the very first time the Council is taking actions that may destroy the entire galaxy," Obi-Wan throws back.
"Obi-Wan," he starts arguing, but stops when he sees the look on his master's face. He's not going to stop. He can't understand where this sudden strain in their relationship is coming from. "Please don't make this worse," he requests instead, shoulders slumping.
"That will be entirely up to you," Obi-Wan retaliates, "And whether you are willing to continue carrying out what you know will harm the entire galaxy."
"That future can be averted," Anakin argues, begging the Force that he be right about this. He thinks it is, but hearing Obi Wan say otherwise repeatedly is enough to make him start losing his courage. It's very hard to disobey his master outright, something he learned on Tatooine and has carried ever since.
"You may want to believe that but we both know that is not true," Obi-Wan argues.
"We have to try," Anakin repeats, hoping with everything he's worth that it's true. He wishes everything could go back to normal.
**w**
Ahsoka can't deny she's excited – despite how wary Anakin seems – when they head to their next destination. They step out of the portal, to find themselves standing on rocks, dark clouds hanging low overhead, with the only light from the occasional lighter-pink colored one. The place feels desolate and abandoned, but somehow Light at the same time.
She doesn't remember when she last felt somewhere so... Light, even if at the same time there's no life here. At least not except for one brilliant presence – aside from Anakin's.
She spins around, to see a green haired woman approaching them. In stark contrast to their surroundings, she's practically glowing with Light.
"Who are you?" Ahsoka asks, more than a little caught off-guard.
"I am Daughter," she replies, voice echoing strangely, "You come to search for the Soul Stone, do you not?"
"We did," Anakin responds, moving closer so he's standing between her and Ahsoka.
"For a normal mortal, the Stone can only be claimed through sacrifice," she says, an almost warning note in her voice.
"What do you mean?" Anakin asks, distinctly wary.
"Unless the Stone wills otherwise, you must sacrifice what means most to you, to be worthy of wielding its power."
What?
But... how are they supposed to do that?!
What means most to them? That would be what exactly? It's hardly something she's even thought about before. Never had a reason to, as a Jedi, but she already knows what the answer is. There's no one who's ever meant as much to her as Anakin, and... That is not an option. This is ridiculous. They aren't sacrificing or hurting anyone for the Stone. They're not dangerous or deadly like that. They're doing this to help people.
"How will we know if the Stone wills it?" Anakin asks, distinctly wary now. Likely, he's thinking along the same lines, because she knows he'd never dream of doing anything like what the Daughter is implying. Though for a curious moment, she can't help but wonder who it is that the Daughter's comment made him think of.
"I am meant to be the guardian of Light," she replies, "I am called the Daughter for that reason. I encourage you to think of the sacrifice you will make before you throw it away."
"We would never sacrifice life like that," Ahsoka retorts, "That's not the Jedi way." She'd do anything so they can take the Stone with her, but never that far. There has to be some other way.
"Your choice may be the wisest, but it is for you to decide. The Stone lies on that ridge beyond us," the Daughter says, "You may approach it, but you will not be able to take it if it does not desire it."
Well.
Okay.
Ahsoka instantly starts forwards, only for Anakin to catch her arm. "Stay back, Ahsoka."
"It can't hurt me like the Reality Stone," she counters.
"You do not know that," he replies, firmly.
She barely resists the temptation to push forwards anyway, instead grudgingly following Anakin as they cross the rocks to where the orange Stone is glowing in the darkness of the planet.
But she has no idea what's supposed to happen now or... anything, and now that they're standing right here in front of it, she can't help but reach out with the Force, touching its overwhelming power. It feels very different from the others – it feels living somehow.
She remembers clearly what it was like when the Reality Stone rushed through her, and suddenly, she wants to feel that again so much she can't stop herself anymore as she intertwines her presence with the Stone's feel.
She can hear Anakin calling her name, but it feels far away somehow.
The Stone feels like it's drawing her in, sucking her into its never-ending feel of... whatever this is, and maybe she could fight it and try to pull back, but she doesn't want to. The Daughter said she'd have to sacrifice what mattered most, but that doesn't seem true. The Stone is already calling her in, and that's all she wants.
**w**
Anakin has no idea what Ahsoka's doing, but he feels her reaching for the stone – even though he just told her not to – and then suddenly it's as though she's being sucked into it. He can feel her life Force flickering dangerously, before it's abruptly ripped right out of her. He feels it when their bond suddenly snaps, the abruptness of it nearly making him lose his balance.
And then she promptly collapses to the ground, motionless.
"Ahsoka!" he cries, sprinting forwards to catch her. Except when she lands in his arms, she's too heavy and light and empty at once. No, no, no. This – this cannot be happening. Not Ahsoka. Not his padawan. Please, no. He feared this the moment he was given her on Christophsis. He promised never to fail anyone again after his mother died but this – now – it's happening. Every one of his worst nightmares is happening as he feels his padawan, his sister's presence and soul ripped right from her.
And he doesn't even understand how or why this happened, because it shouldn't have happened like this. The Stone couldn't have stolen her life, could it? Not unless she was trying to... something, but it hardly matters now, not when he's holding her body in his arms.
Because she's really, truly dead, and he can feel and see it, as clearly as he knows he no longer senses their bond.
She's just gone, and why, why, why did he ever think that after what happened with the last Stone, bringing Ahsoka near any of them ever again was a good idea?!
He hadn't, but she'd insisted, and – the reasons don't matter. It doesn't change that this...
"I warned you of the sacrifice that could come of this," the Daughter speaks behind him.
"Neither of us asked for this!" Anakin protests, and he has no idea how he's even capable of finding his voice right now or even stringing together a remotely comprehensible sentence.
"The Stone would not have taken her, had she not been attempting to use its power," she replies. He warned her not to do it. Why didn't she listen? Anakin can't understand what's wrong with everyone lately – no one is in their right minds, not even him, because he can't shake the drive to find the Stones even though he should know better. He can't stop it, and he can't understand why this is happening either.
Why didn't he try to keep her away after she already nearly died? It shouldn't matter if he was disobeying the Council. He'd deal with their anger countless times over, no matter how severe it was, no matter anything they concoct, then this. Anakin can hardly feel anything over the numb shock gripping him and the crushing knowledge that he failed her.
And he's struck by the sudden knowledge that he would do anything in the galaxy to get her back.
"How can I reverse this?" he demands, desperately, because there's has to be a way to. Especially now when he has five of the Infinity Stones within his grasp, and he will not leave Ahsoka dead. He can't. She –
He can't.
"If the Stone will respond to you, you may bring her back on your own. As the Chosen One, it may be possible," she responds, "If not, you may have to sacrifice something else instead to restore her life."
Like his own?
He'd be willing to do that in a heartbeat, if it would mean Ahsoka was alive. He doesn't want to do that to her or Obi-Wan. For her to wake up alive and have to go back to the Temple alone to tell him that –
But if it's the only way, he'll do it.
He doesn't wait, laying Ahsoka's body on the ground next to him, and developing into the Force, reaching for the power of the Soul Stone. It responds to him instantly, just like the others did. He can feel how alive it is, as though everything living in the galaxy is inherently connected to this.
Probably because it's true.
He delves deeper, towards where he can sense Ahsoka's soul lingering. It hasn't dissipated into the Force, because it's attached to the Soul Stone, and Anakin reaches deeper, fueled by sheer desperation. She can't die.
He wraps his presence around hers and pulls, begging the Force that this work, begging the Stone to let her go.
Her body jolts slightly when Anakin pulls her back. He falls forwards, hands bracing on the ground to keep from going face-first into the rocks, but Ahsoka is... she's back. He doesn't even try to stop himself from leaning forwards, pulling her into a tight embrace.
She seems almost surprised, but reaches back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Thank you," Anakin says, looking up at the Daughter.
"You must go," she replies, "Leaving the Infinity Stones in the same place can cause great danger."
Obi-Wan was saying the same thing. Anakin stands, still holding Ahsoka in his arms. He can't bring himself to let go. He only nods, drawing the Soul Stone to his hand and stepping through the portal. Ahsoka doesn't object. She must be tired, but all Anakin can think about is how this is the second time he's left these things while carrying her, and that this could have been the last.
The final time he took her anywhere.
He leaves the Soul Stone with the rest and portals them to Ahsoka's room before closing it behind them. He knows it's technically superfluous usage of the Force, but he doesn't care. He can't imagine walking there right now, and his mind is too muddled, too exhausted to do anything else.
"What happened?" Ahsoka asks finally, lifting her head a bit to look around. "Why are we here?"
Anakin just shakes his head, unable to speak. He presses his face against her montals and just holds her, trying to focus on the warmth of her next to him, tries to remind himself that Ahsoka isn't going anywhere, and she's not cold and dead and... she's not gone.
She's right here, even if she feels far away. It feels like if he lets go, he might never see her again.
Anakin can't bring it in himself to let go of her. He just... needs this right now.
"Are you alright?" she inquires.
"I don't want to talk about it right now," Anakin says, and they both know it means he's not going to talk about it. There are some things in war that can never be discussed, not until months later, if even, and they all know it.
It's still mid-day, but Anakin is completely worn, to the point that he wouldn't even care if he spent the rest of the day sleeping. Ahsoka's bed – like all other Jedi ones – are made for one person, because they have no need to share, but they squeeze in together anyway.
He tries to just listen to Ahsoka's breathing beside him.
He doesn't remember falling asleep, but when he finally wakes, it's fairly close to evening. He still has a mission, and Anakin finds himself staring at Ahsoka's sleeping form for a few minutes before finally accepting that she's still alive.
Carefully, he disentangles them and stands. He should go, finish this when no one else is around. He doesn't know what the Council will do with them after Anakin has... tried balancing the Force, but he won't wait. If they're all back where they came from, no one will have to worry about them anymore. Without the Space Stone, finding the others will be nearly impossible. Even if the Sith are able to locate some, they will never find the rest. Anakin was only able to find the Space Stone because the Force willed him to, clearly, and he can still feel the nudges to... finish this.
And he will, except he'll do it alone, so no one else has to be hurt because of him.
Except the thought of returning to that room practically paralyzes him with fear. Ahsoka nearly died twice – technically, she did one of those times – and Obi-Wan was hurt by those things. He hurt Anakin. Anakin knows it wasn't Obi-Wan's fault, and Anakin doesn't blame him, but he... can't deny being afraid to see him again.
Obi-Wan has never willingly hurt him, and he would never do it now, but that fear is constantly gnawing at him. Something is wrong, and he doesn't know what. It's not about the Stones exactly, it's something else, but everything centers on them lately, so there's probably some connection.
All he wants to do is go back to where Ahsoka is and stay with her, but he shakes that urge away. He can do that later, once everything is alright and this is over. Now, he needs to get back to the rest without being stopped or questioned. He should've finished when he was there, but he couldn't.
It's probably a good thing he didn't, because if he had, some way or another, she'd have been hurt, possibly permanently. He should have protected her from all of it. She is his duty.
He's practically wandering through the Temple halls, blindly, with no real destination in mind. He feels a strange sort of bone-deep exhaustion that he can't shake or be rid of. He stops to lean against a windowsill, staring blankly out across the surface of Coruscant. Ahsoka is here, but it's like a part of his mind is stuck at the point in time in which she wasn't, and he can't feel anything outside of that. He's had to stop himself from reaching for her repeatedly through the Force, at risk of waking her, as it is.
That, Anakin suspects, is why he didn't notice someone sneaking up on him until it's already too late. Somehow, they drugged him, and he didn't even sense danger. He still doesn't, even as he feels himself slowly fading from consciousness.
This shouldn't be possible. Except it's happening. Somehow. How in the galaxy did someone manage to kidnap him from the Jedi Temple? Who could need him so desperately they came all the way here?
**w**
Anakin is gone.
The news is all over the Temple already by the time she awakens in the morning and is excused from the medbay again, because Anakin insisted she had to be checked up to make sure she was alright. And now, he just disappeared, and no one knows what happened to him. He didn't take the Stones either, so she has no idea what could have happened.
It's still jarring to think that she... died. It didn't really feel like death. It felt... blissful. Not what she always imagined it as, but maybe that's what being one with the Force is like. It's still a little unsettling to know it happened, though.
Because of the Stones. Maybe this once, Anakin was right that she needed to stay away from the Soul Stones. She still wants to be near them, though. She'll just be careful this time. But most of all, she needs to find Anakin somehow because how could he have literally disappeared from the Jedi Temple?!
He's been captured before, yes, but never here. And she won't deny that she's scared.
It hardly helps that there's some important Senate meeting today, and a number of the politicians are over here at the Temple, so the Council is otherwise occupied. Obi-Wan is gone too, or at least he's not answering his comm. Ahsoka finally heads to the closest area to the vault that she can, just letting herself feel the Stones.
And it's then that she suddenly senses the Dark Side.
What?
Something's wrong, she can feel it, especially with how hyperaware of the Force she is when so close to all those Stones. Cautiously, she creeps down the hall, towards where she senses the feeling coming from. There's no one in this part of the Temple, so she's all alone here, and that's what doesn't make sense.
An uneasy knot tightens in her as she steps around the corner, jolting a stop at the dark-robed figure at the end. His hood is pulled too low over his head for her to recognize him, but she can clearly feel the Dark Side in him, even if he's shielding well.
"Who are you?" Ahsoka demands sharply, reaching for her lightsabers. He's no Jedi. He's –
If she didn't know better, she'd think he was a Sith, but how could a Sith be in here?! Is that what happened to Anakin?!
No, no, no. That's not possible. A Sith – this Sith – can't have kidnapped him from the Temple.
"What are you doing here?" she demands again, when he only takes a few steps closer.
But somehow, she has the sinking feeling she already knows. He's after the Stones, isn't he? And she knows she isn't strong enough to fight him off alone.
The Sith raises a hand, unleashing a sudden blast of blinding lightning on her. She activates her lightsabers barely in time, crossing her lightsabers in front of her to deflect it away. The intensity is nearly enough to throw her off balance, and she struggles against it, heart pounding. How is a Sith here?! How is that even possible?! And if she doesn't stop him, he'll get to the Stones and then the galaxy will be doomed. And she doesn't know where everyone is, but she doesn't have a way of warning them either. Some of the lightning is crackling past her blades, sparking near her hands but she fights back against it anyway, because she cannot give in. She cannot.
And she knows with increasing panic, that she can't keep this up. It's too much, and –
There's a sudden shift in the Force, just as suddenly, the Sith lets up his attack.
Someone's coming, she realizes with a flare of hope, past her hammering heart. The Sith spins and sprints down the hall. Ahsoka instantly gives chase – stupid or not. She can't lose sight of him. She can't.
He's much too fast, though, quickly losing her as they race through the halls, and when she finally skids to a sharp stop, it's because Master Windu, and a few other Council members, who obviously sensed the disturbance are in the hall.
What.
If she didn't know better, she could have thought she just imagined the whole thing, except she can still feel the lingering traces of the Dark Side in the hall, and Anakin's glaringly missing presence stands out most of all. They must figure out what's going on immediately. How did the Sith find out about the Infinity Stones in the first place? They must have contacts inside the Temple, because this is not well known, and it's...
And that prospect is terrifying.
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