Chapter 83 – Fortress Inquisitorius

Author's Note: I think some people mentioned they wanted to see a fight between two certain people? *evil laughter intensifies*

But maybe not necessarily the two people a lot of others hoped to see fight. Yet.

Also, I totally understand why no one likes Athea and I can't blame any of you. I think the ending she's going to get is fitting, so hopefully you'll all agree. :)

To Pjo crossovers: Yes and... it's complicated. ;)

To Nbj: Thanks. :)

Thank y'all so much for reviewing! :D:D:D 💖💖💖

~ Amina Gila


Anastasia is strapped onto one of the interrogation chairs that the Empire uses. She's still in her armor, though her helmet is off, and the First Sister is standing in front of her, one hand raised in a way that Ahsoka knows is a telltale sign of a mind-probe.

Athea.

Ahsoka hasn't seen her since her trial.

The rage that floods her was unwelcome, but not unexpected. "Athea Shan," Ahsoka intones icily.

The Inquisitor drops her hand, reaching to pull out her lightsaber. "Ahsoka Tano," she replies, turning around. Her face is hidden by a mask, distorted, but Ahsoka knows what she sounds like. "We have been waiting for you for a long time."

"I'm glad I gave you something to look forwards to," she snaps back.

"Perhaps you should have thought twice about returning," she continues. "No matter. You will be destroyed here."

"Then come get me," she replies, raising her lightsabers.

"It would be my pleasure." The Inquisitor spins her lightsaber around and lunges forwards. The force of her first blow drives Ahsoka backwards out of the cell, into the hall. She lets her – the fight needs to be in a more open space.

They trade blows in a blur of white and red, and it's so jarring to see Athea,of all people, like this. Ahsoka already long since accepted the news, but the last time she knew her was as a Jedi Master at... her trial. Athea was one of the only ones standing up for her. She doesn't understand what changed.

Ahsoka forces the stray thoughts from mind, throwing all her focus into the fight. She's nothing like the other Inquisitors, Ahsoka realizes quickly, as Athea nearly takes her head off for the second time. Athea is powerful. She was a Jedi Master,after all. Ahsoka has grown enormously over the years too, but still, their skills are almost matched. She doesn't care to wait and see who'll come out on top if the duel is extended.

Ahsoka slashes at Athea again, blade grazing along her arm, before diving out of the way when the Inquisitor goes for her again. The end of her blade stabs into the wall instead, and Ahsoka blasts her back with the Force, hard enough that she hits the wall at the far end.

She doesn't wait, spinning and racing back to Anastasia's cell. "Are you... okay?" she asks, moving to free her. She has no idea what Athea's been doing to her, after all. Has she seriously been torturing her own daughter?! And Ahsoka has a very hard time believing that she didn't know who she was.

"I could be offended Marr didn't even think it worth his time to come here in person."

"He's a little preoccupied with the cameras," Ahsoka replies, "Come on!"

Danger – though not strong – twinges in the Force as they take off into the hall and go in the opposite direction Athea is. Maybe Marr's dealing with a little more than she thought.

Anakin wouldn't hurt him, though.

He wouldn't. Right?

She'll have to just trust that Marr will be fine, because they need to get out of here, and if nothing else, lead Athea away. If the three of them have to fight Vader and Athea together, she'd prefer not to know who'd come out on top. For now, it's time to run.

**w**

Ahsoka and Anastasia are on their way out, and Marr already senses... Vader. Anakin. He's here. He will be coming, and they need to make a fast escape before the fight that is sure to occur breaks out. Marr does not want to fight him, and he... can only hope they will be able to pick up where they left off. He doubts it, though.

Something about Vader's presence now feels more... lost and broken and darker.

The moment Marr is certain Ahsoka has a clear exit, he and BD leave the room, heading for the nearest outside exit. It's hard, because they're currently underwater, and he can't fly out with his jetpack through water.

And he senses Vader's dark presence rapidly approaching. It's... not good. Maybe. As long as Anastasia is out safely, there should be nothing to worry about. Anakin wouldn't hurt him, and Marr doubts that has changed over all this time.

The Darkness is drawing to Marr himself. Fear is licking at him, fear of losing his family and his sister. He draws on it, letting it flood and fuel him. It's been a long time since he actively tapped into the Dark Side, and he knows how dangerous and blinding it can be, but he'll be careful. He's done this many times.

Marr takes off down the halls, BD perched on his shoulder, winding his way rapidly and stealthily towards a lift he can utilize. Unfortunately, the security here is insanely good, as if they've dealt with prison breaks before, and it's not easy for Marr to stay out of sight. Stormtroopers or droids are positioned everywhere. There is not a single place unguarded.

The temperature itself is almost dropping as he moves, and – and he knows Vader is out here, looking for him. Does he want to talk, or... is it something else? The Rebellion could certainly use his help, but somehow, Marr doesn't think he has any such intentions. He was adamant that the Empire was the only way, and that likely hasn't changed.

Unless he found Leia.

But that probably means Sidious has, too.

Marr is distracted enough he nearly walks right into one of the droids patrolling the area and catches and crushes it with the Force before it can attack. Security will pick it up, but it won't draw attention as fast as a shootout.

It's minutes and two turns later that he sees Vader standing at the end of the hall, waiting for him.

"Anakin," Marr greets him slowly, moving out into the center of the hall. There's still some distance between them, and Marr isn't sure enough to close it yet.

"You should not have returned," he replies, ominously. He seems... resigned, and there's a touch of something like sorrow.

"What is it?" Marr asks, while BD beeps in sudden trepidation.

Something in Vader shifts the slightest bit, and his helmet tilts slightly. He's thinking, considering. Planning something. "Join me," he requests. "Together, we can destroy the Emperor. We can bring peace to the galaxy together."

"If it were that simple, you would have done it already, wouldn't you?" Marr queries, quietly. He has no doubt this will be as emotional as their first encounter, and it won't be simple for either of them.

"I had no reason."

"Seeing people suffering isn't enough?"

Vader's presence flickers, then flares with anger. "I am not the person you want me to be," he snaps. "Anakin Skywalker was weak. I destroyed him."

"I don't believe you," Marr replies, firmly. "You care for me and Ahsoka, and for your daughter."

He can feel Vader's conflict, the way his uncertainty is tearing him apart. He also senses it the moment the Sith reaches a decision, how it settles into something determined and dark. "You should not have returned," he answers, drawing his lightsaber.

For the first time, Marr catches sight of the cameras. They're being watched, aren't they? Of course. Sidious probably found out what happened last time, and he is not happy. It makes him sick to see the sheer amount of power he has over Vader. "Alright," he says, deflating somewhat. "Let's make this quick."

It's just for show. He understands that, and he can do it. It's best if they can figure out how to fight together, anyway. Both have changed, and they need to refamiliarize themselves with each other.

Marr moves forwards first, the Darksaber humming in his hands. But, for the first time, he finds himself missing his old lightsaber. He hasn't used it in years, but something about this feels as though it's... outgrowing him. Or maybe he's outgrown it. Maybe he's changing and becoming someone that it wasn't meant for. He doesn't know, but he'll concern himself with it later. It's fine with him – once the war is won, he has no desire to remain the Mand'alor.

Vader makes the first strike, clashing their sabers together. Marr shifts back, cutting down and Vader blocks it. This is Anakin, he knows. It... it's not a real fight.

Or so he tries to tell himself, but when Vader attacks him the first time, actually attacks him, he finds himself stumbling to regain his bearings. That hasn't happened for a very long time. Kallus and the Grand Inquisitor may have defeated him, but they caught him off-guard.

He hasn't faced someone this deadly since... well. Since Anakin.

But this is Anakin, so the point is moot.

They trade blows with rapid fierceness, Marr mostly looking for a route past him. But the only option will be if he runs or flies, and he doesn't have the space to do that right now. Vader is firm, unmovable, and that makes it unnecessarily difficult. "Why are you doing this?" he asks, stepping back, circling around him.

"If you will not join us, then you will be destroyed," he replies, and their blades clash together again with a crackling hiss.

Marr doesn't want to do it, and that makes it harder. He doesn't want to hurt Anakin and looking at him for the sake of exploiting weaknesses – and by the Force, there are so many – makes him sick. The controls for his life support, whatever all they entail, are in plain sight. It wouldn't be easy to break through is defenses to damage it, but if someone did, somehow, it would kill him.

He can't do that; he can't.

He slashes at Vader again, who blocks it with enough force that it nearly throws him off balance. Right. Never get in a strength competition with a metal limb.

Marr ducks back, raising a hand and throwing him a short distance down the hallway. He skids back, catching himself almost immediately but nearly falling. The slow way he stands up might have looked a little more menacing if Marr hadn't suddenly realized how difficult it is for him. Seriously, what happened to him? Or is his armor that heavy? Goodness, who designed it?! Was it intentionally made to weigh him down?

He shouldn't have gotten momentarily distracted, because the Force flares in warning, and something detaches from the wall behind him, flying at him.

He ducks out of the way, only for another piece of debris – property damage, Anakin?! – to hit him square in the face. It hardly hurts through his helmet, but it throws him off-guard enough that the next few pieces of metal send him stumbling backwards.

Seriously, this is ridiculous. He activates his jetpack, flying out of the way and at Vader again, firing a couple times with his blaster just for good measure to avoid being thrown off course mid-air by more debris. Vader deflects the shots easily, swinging up to meet his blade. A Force push slams him into the wall, and he barely dives out of the way as the red blade narrowly misses where his helmet was seconds ago.

A slight prickle of unease twists in him when Vader comes at him again, not slowing down for a moment. He's not – they wouldn't actually hurt each other, would they? Not unless there was no other choice. Marr doesn't want this, and he can't imagine that Vader does either. But...

But this doesn't make sense. He's not holding back, not at all. No matter what Marr tries to tell himself, it doesn't stop the traitorous whispers of what if he is really trying to kill you? that nags at him.

He knows how to fight Dark Siders, though, and he draws on all the Vaapad training he's ever had as he backs away from the Sith, looking for some opening to get past him.

He manages to hold his ground for several moments as they trade blocks furiously, ducking under Vader's lightsaber and circling around behind him. Finally, he's positioned towards the direction he needs to go, but he'll never have the chance to run right now.

The Sith spins around, red blade cutting at him in a blur. Their blades clash into a brief saberlock for a moment, and Marr shoves him back. "I know you don't want to do this," Marr says, moving forwards. He's trying to calm him down, but if anything, it seems to have the opposite effect. He acutely senses how a fierce, blinding rage wraps around Vader.

"I did not want any of this," he snarls. "I did not want you to betray the Empire. You will never succeed."

"Vader –" he argues, or rather tries to.

"I did not want him – them – to take me apart and rebuild me into this – this thing," he continues, stalking forwards, "And yet, it has given me power."

"What good is all the power you wield?" Marr asks, both hands tightening over his hilt. "If you can't help anyone? What good is it, if it's not enough to free yourself? Only love can do that."

Vader needs someone, well, stubborn. Someone who can devote themselves solely to him, someone who refuses to let themselves be pushed away. Marr knew that before, but it's far more obvious now. And in truth, he doesn't know if he can be that person. He has a family, and admittedly, he's more afraid of losing those he has left, all of them – Vizma, Bo, Ahsoka, Anastasia, Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Ezra, Zeb, Korkie – than he is of bringing his old one back together.

The only person he knew who can be that person is Obi-Wan, who is too stubborn and blinded by Jedi beliefs – or is it guilt? – to help him.

Unless Luke and Leia can take that role, and with a jolt, Marr realizes he has absolutely no idea what to do. He's not going to stop trying to help Vader, but he can't do it alone.

Vader swings at him again, and Marr backs away, considering. He needs to run, but he hardly has a moment to breathe, with the red lightsaber swinging for him constantly, forcefully. He flips backwards, firing at him several times, but Vader lunges forwards, blade slashing through the end of his blaster. Marr blocks the next blow with the beskar of his arm, hastily backing away before it can start melting.

He – he really is trying to kill him, isn't he?

Pain cuts through him, deeply, and for an agonizing moment, he wonders if this is anything like how Anakin and Obi-Wan had felt when he'd attacked them on Mortis for no apparent reason. He doesn't have time to sort through his mess of emotions, though. For now, he needs to stay alive.

**w**

Vader doesn't want to do this, but it doesn't matter. If Theseus is dead, Sidious can't hurt him. And he will hurt him if he lives, Vader knows. Theseus is... has come close to thwarting his master's plans, and Sidious is happy with neither him nor Ahsoka.

If Theseus had been with him on Coruscant when everything fell apart, would he have sided with the Jedi or with Vader? He tries not to think about it – it's the past, and it doesn't matter but he wonders, anyway.

How would it have been if he had more than the First Sister with him all these years?

And what if Obi-Wan –

No. It doesn't matter.

Obi-Wan is a traitor to the Empire, and he will die for it, as they all must.

He senses Theseus's desperation and determination as their duel continues, but Theseus is slowly backing away now, slowly falling into the Soresu that Obi-Wan taught him years ago.

Fighting him is hard. Once, a lifetime ago, Theseus was the one person Anakin had been certain he would always have at his side – Theseus was the only one who never betrayed or hurt him, for as rough as their relationship started as.

This is for him, Vader reminds himself. Death is a mercy. One he himself has long craved.

Also, one that will never be granted, for he doesn't deserve it.

But Theseus doesn't deserve what will happen to him if he survives. If Vader doesn't end this, Sidious himself may capture him eventually, and...

It will be a mercy,he reminds himself against as he presses his attacks. Theseus is skilled, but Vader is still forcing him more and more onto the defensive. That this is a true fight is impressive, though.

"You have grown stronger," Vader remarks.

Theseus doesn't reply, maybe because he hardly has the space to breathe, as Vader forces him back down the hall, slashing at him repeatedly. Theseus is using the Dark Side strongly, far more so than he ever did when Anakin knew him. He's... changed a lot, too.

And then, Vader finds the opening he was looking for. He doesn't hesitate.

"Do not hesitate. Show no mercy."

He stalks forwards, raising his lightsaber as Theseus tries to drag himself to his feet and collect his dropped weapon.

Images flash through his mind of all those who he's killed. Endless numbers and faces, blurred on top of each other knowing he'd been the one who ended their lives. And Theseus will know the same – but he will be gone and at peace in the Force.

He's your brother. Your vod.

He will do it – he must.

And he remembers, with a flash, seeing Ahsoka's body lying still and motionless and dead at his feet, remembers feeling her body and knowing the heat will fade from it soon. (Theseus had been there, watching, when life was breathed back into her.)

He remembers how it had felt to know his padawan was gone. (He remembers the stricken, broken look on Obi-Wan's face on Mustafar as Anakin's life slowly ebbed away.)

No. It doesn't matter.

Vader's grip tightens on the hilt, and he moves closer, but it's – he's about to end the life of one of the only people who cared for him. Who he cares for, even now, far more deeply than he thought possible before seeing him again. Vader draws the Dark Side around him, letting his pain fuel it – it's constant. Ceaseless. It never ends, in any shape or form. He's been in constant pain since he Fell, and it... has made him stronger. It grew worse after Mustafar. Even more so after... after Obi-Wan left him again.

There is nothing and no way out.

His daughter. Leia. He can't let Sidious hurt her. She is his hope and future and –

She is his only hope, if Theseus refuses to join him.

Theseus himself has a daughter, he remembers hearing. She disappeared recently, but she's made a name for herself despite her age. (Niece – family. Family is important.)

What would it do to her if she knew her father died? And, not to mention, where is her mother? "Your daughter," he finds himself saying, "Does her mother still live?"

"Yes," Theseus answers. His expression is unreadable through his mask, but Vader feels his confusion, "She does."

"Good. There will be someone left to raise her."

He slashes his lightsaber downwards, and Theseus flicks his hand out, stopping it with the Force. Vader himself does that, but seeing another doing it is... unexpected, to say the least. "Why?" he asks, but he sounds betrayed. "Anakin, tell me. Why are you doing this?"

"Death is a mercy," he answers. (Because there is nothing left in him capable of showing mercy – if his very own master wouldn't.)

"What has he done to you?" Theseus asks, shakily. "Anakin..."

"He's gone." Anakin is gone, and Vader needs to finish this.

"And yet, I sense his presence right in front of me."

"Still the heart of that weak Jedi remains." The memory of Sidious' lightning burns through his mind, a glaring reminder of why he has to do this.

"The one you knew is gone," he repeats, pulling back the lightsaber and swinging it again. Theseus lashes out with the Force, throwing him back.

Before Vader has the chance to force himself upright again – it takes frustratingly long with the armor – Theseus throws the Darksaber at the window, slashing it across it before pulling it back to his hand. The glass fractures, beginning to shatter instantly.

Once it starts, it only escalates, as water starts pouring through the opening. Vader turns, instantly reaching out with the Force to block it as the window shatters completely. Theseus stands up, moving down the hallway before he stops to look back. "Anakin..." he starts. He says it in the same way he once did, years and years ago. (He says it in almost the same tone Obi-Wan always uses on him.) "Are you..." He trails off, hesitating.

Vader widens his focus as the water pressure increases across the windows on that side of the hall, holding it back. Theseus is looking at him, his presence a warring mix of confusion, betrayal, and fear. (It hurts, far sharper and hotter than the blade Obi-Wan ran him through with, but there is no other choice.) "I'm sorry," he says, at last, "For what it's worth. And I wish I could have been on Coruscant, to help you when it happened, but that won't change the past."

"I am not angry at you," Vader tells him – and he's not. Why would he be? Theseus survived, and that was what mattered most. He would rather be alone, prefer knowing that Theseus – and Ahsoka – were out there, safe, than have them somewhere Sidious could hurt them. But he sees it now, that they won't stop fighting, and that... they will have to die.

"Then why?"

"Death is a mercy," Vader replies, his focus never faltering, for all that he wishes it would. He doesn't want to... anything. But Leia. There's still Leia, and he will find her. She is what matters, and he will... they can destroy Sidious. Perhaps Theseus is right. Perhaps they are meant to destroy Sidious together. He doesn't ask or voice it, because it's traitorous, and – and he can't fail his master again.

"I wish I could have saved you." The Force rings with the truth of it, and... Vader doesn't know what to say to it. Not even Obi-Wan cared enough for him – or Anakin – to either kill him or stay with him, but Theseus does. He's not lying. He is not manipulating, either, because Theseus never did that. He may have had a way with words in his own right, but it was different.

And unable to help himself Vader turns to look at him. Sidious was right. There is – still – the heart of Anakin Skywalker here, because Vader doesn't want to hurt him. And if he were to do so, if he did kill him, that would be the one thing Vader could never forgive himself for. "Then run," he orders, "And don't look back."

Theseus must have sensed the truth to it, too, because he does. The blade in his hands hisses off, and with a final look back he runs.

Vader watches him go.

He doesn't know why he suddenly feels so numb.

**w**

Marr doesn't stop running until he reaches the lift, and he doesn't stop to think until they've successfully made it back to the ship and made a break for the surface. They need to get into hyperspace as fast as possible before the Imperial fleet gives chase.

Ahsoka knows what happened immediately. She doesn't ask, but he can see it in the way something in her tenses and softens at once when she sees him. Anastasia is here, and Marr vaguely hears her making some sort of snippy comments in the background while he rips off his helmet and drops it on the floor next to him, panting. He's just... not really here.

Anakin just –

He –

What?

"Are you alright?" Ahsoka asks him, from the co-pilot's seat.

Mutely, he shakes his head, trying to regather himself. He doesn't know what else he expected. Obi-Wan warned him that Vader was... a bit unhinged at times, but he never would have expected him to go that far. Not Anakin.

What happened to him?

"I saw Anakin," Mar tells them, and he sounds distant. Faint. "Or Vader. Whichever he is. Or both."

"I saw our Mom," Anastasia replies, loudly. "She's lovely, isn't she?"

Marr snorts, glancing up when BD runs over to him, beeping. It's relieving to know they're all worried for him, in a way, but it doesn't change that...

"We fought," Marr continues. "I broke the window and left him holding it, after he..."

"I thought he didn't want to fight us," Ahsoka argues, frowning.

"He didn't. Something happened. Something changed. He almost won."

"Oh," Ahsoka breathes, faintly. She obviously knows what he means.

"I should have known. Obi-Wan warned me that – about that, but I didn't believe him." His mind feels scrambled, muddled, and he wonders if he's going into shock. It wouldn't be surprising. That was Anakin.

That was Anakin, and he was my brother and one of my best friends and he just tried to kill me, and I have no idea why.

"Something happened to him," Marr repeats. "Something changed. He doesn't want to do this, but he... doesn't seem to think he has a choice."

"There's more going on than we realize," Ahsoka replies, squeezing his hand. "We won't know unless we ask him."

That's the trick, isn't it?

"I don't know where to start," Marr admits. It's not something Vader would just say either. Maybe what's most concerning is how he does seem to truly believe that 'death is a mercy'. Force, what has he been through to even believe something like that?

His mental state is clearly even worse than Marr ever thought, and he needs someone else's help in all of this. He had his entire family, in the end, when he'd Fallen. Maybe that's what Revan was trying to tell him.

Vader needs... more than just him. The people who could probably help him most are Obi-Wan and his children, but someone is a little too stubborn to do so, and Marr doesn't know what he could ever say, especiallynow, that might change Obi-Wan's mind. He needs to just to take this one step at a time.

Probably starting by dealing with how they got into the whole mess with Anastasia being captured in the first place. After that's taken care of, he can figure out what to do about Vader.

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