Chapter 76 – Twilight of the Apprentice

Author's Note: I've been waiting for this chapter almost since the start of the fanfic. :D Hopefully everyone will enjoy it as much as I did. Also, prepare for everything to become mostly AU-ish from this point onwards. ;)

To Nbv: Yeah uh... we're still updating. If you don't know what to say in a review, maybe tell us what you liked most in it or what your predictions are? xP

To Guest: I totally get that. Lol.

To robin valencia: Yeah, very true. Athea's fate is really sad, but then, it's supposed to be. This wouldn't be SW without some tragedy. :')
Ahhh I completely agree! We love the young Theseus so much and absolutely prefer him! Tbh, if we didn't know how the story ended, it would have been very hard to do the later half, given that he's an adult now. xD

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

~ Amina Gila

Vader knew that one day he would see Theseus again. When he heard about the Jedi on Mandalore, he had no question as to who it was. He wanted to see him so much, but he knew if he found him... At that point it couldn't have been a peaceful meeting. He was on a mission to kill or capture the Jedi on Mandalore, even if he knew he couldn't bring himself to do either. He wanted to avoid Theseus and Ahsoka all these years for that reason, so he wouldn't be forced to hurt them.

He knew this moment would come eventually, but it seemed like little more than a dream. (Or maybe a nightmare, if it had been under other circumstances, where he was here with someone other than Athea.) The first person he's seen of his... family in the past sixteen years. (Except for Obi-Wan, only six years ago; he shies away from the memory.)

Theseus looks so much older now, Vader could hardly recognize him, if not for his armor and Force-presence. He's nothing like the boy Vader once thought of as his little brother. He's a full-grown adult now – he's in his thirties?! – and... Vader saw none of it. Years and years ago, Anakin had been foolish enough to believe they would spend the rest of their lives together, too. Vader knows better.

Theseus seems at a complete loss for words. Which... isn't surprising, especially not when Vader can still pick up on the other's very turbulent emotions. "Did... you do what I asked you to?" Theseus asks him finally.

He remembers that, and the mention of it makes his anger flare with the betrayal it always does. It always hurts to think about, even now, so many years later. "He was a traitor, like the rest of his Order," Vader cuts back sharply.

"Is he alive?" Theseus asks.

Vader knows the answer to that, of course. He would have felt it, even from across the galaxy, if their bond broke. It holds firm though, but he won't tell him that. If the surviving Jedi don't already know, he won't tell them – he won't give them support. "We need not be adversaries," he answers instead. If Theseus doesn't listen to him... Vader knows what it will mean, for both him and Ahsoka. (He can't do that though. He can't hurt them.) "If you surrender, perhaps the Emperor will show you mercy."

"The Emperor," Theseus replies, and somehow, even now, Vader can see how the gears are turning in his mind – he's not a boy anymore. He should stop thinking of him in those terms. "He betrayed all of us. He is deserving of death."

"Do not walk this path," Vader warns him sharply. Of course, he should have known that Theseus would try something so ridiculous. He always has been a dreamer, but now, it will only bring his death. "It will only lead to your destruction."

"It is only with Sidious's destruction that our family will find peace."

He resolutely ignores the flare of... something inside him. It doesn't matter. "I have no family." He has nothing, except for his master, and that's something he's been reminded of over and over. He wants more, sometimes, but it's no more than a dream, and one he never ceases to suppress.

"You are Anakin, aren't you? I sensed it." Vader can't see his face, but he can sense Theseus's emotions anyway, the way they come and go, and now, there's a deep, smothering grief crushing him, something echoing the loneliness that Vader himself feels, though it's different with Theseus of course – he hasn't been alone all this time. Seeing him again is bringing back so many emotions that Vader has been content to ignore for years, but now, he can't deny the deep, aching yearning tearing him apart. Theseus is here, and Vader can sense Ahsoka not far away.

"That name has no meaning to me," Vader replies, anyway. He tries to reach for the Dark Side, for his anger, but there is none.

"Then why am I not dead?" Theseus asks, "And why did you care to find me?"

It's not until then that he feels his first flare of anger. Theseus wanted this, but he's looking into the past, searching for someone who died years ago. Anakin is gone. He may well have never been there.

"Anakin was my brother," he continues, "And if he's not still there, at least on some level, why would you offer me a chance to surrender? I'm Mandalorian. We don't do that." He reaches up, pulling his helmet off and holding it against his side with his right arm. "And now I'm asking you. You saved me more times than I can count. You offered me a chance to come back, to find a home when no one else did. I want to do the same for you."

How easy it would be to give in, to take his hand and let him pull him out – but no. It's unrealistic. It's impossible. There is no way back. Vader accepted that years ago. He is where he belongs. There is no place for him in the galaxy, except at his master's side.

Vader accepted long ago that wasn't the same as Anakin, but now that he's confronting those from his past, he doesn't know how to handle it. It was easier with Obi-Wan, because he was the main trigger of what caused the...

No. He was only Vader. That's all there ever was.

"I will not betray my master," he replies sharply.

"Sith always betray one another," Theseus responds. There's a slightly... haunted look on his eyes now. That's the same look Obi-Wan had when he saw Vader again. "That is how it is. What holds you back? To what do you owe him loyalty for?"

There are countless reasons for it, most of which he would never give voice to. Sidious knows them all, of course, but it's not a topic he would ever speak of with anyone else. "He is my master," he repeats instead. "I owe him loyalty until he shows sign of weakness."

"What happened to you?" Theseus asks. The completely lack of tact doesn't even surprise him. "Did he do this to you?"

His anger flares at the mention of it. It's been so long. Vader has become well accustomed to this, and he'd forgotten that Theseus and Ahsoka would have no idea what to expect.

Theseus must have sensed it because he backtracks just as quickly. "Sorry. That was insensitive of me. I just didn't expect this. We're glad you're alive, at least. I don't think we can ask for anything more."

It's the movement behind Theseus that Vader senses before he sees, and for how he knew this would happen – had even seen it in a flash when he went through time, to bring Padme back – he isn't ready. Ahsoka is standing there, fully grown, her lekku far longer than he remembers them being. The marks on her face have shifted again, much like last time.

"Hello, Master. It's been a while."

"I don't believe it! How are you? Where are you? Are – are you okay?"

He can still see that moment distantly, as though looking through the eyes of another, but he remembers the relief, the confusion, the fear.

"Anakin," she says. Her voice sounds different, too, older and more... something. She's changed, too. They all have. None of them are the same anymore. There is no going back to them, and there never will be, so why is there a part of him that craves to?

**w**

"Ahsoka." His voice sounds different, deeper, but she can't deny the strange sort of... almost-affection he says it with. That was how Anakin would speak to her a lifetime ago, with so much gentleness. Sometimes it felt like he treated her like she was something breakable, but now she sees that it was more something valuable, something which he, and only he, could cherish. What she wouldn't do to have that again, but he is a part of her past. She has long since accepted that Anakin is gone, that she would have to spend the rest of her life without him.

Suddenly, she hardly knows what to say.

"It was foretold that you be here. Our long-awaited meeting has come at last."

"I can't say I expected it to be under these... circumstances," Ahsoka replies carefully. Truly, she doesn't know what to think of him. He's a Sith now, and...

"We need not be adversaries," Vader offers, "The Emperor may show you both mercy if you tell me where the remaining Jedi can be found."

She might remember everything Marr has been saying, but that doesn't stop her instant flare of anger and betrayal. He's been hunting the Jedi, the people of the very same beliefs he raised her in. "There are no more Jedi," she replies, with maybe a little more steel than she intended, "You and the Inquisitors have already seen to that."

"You know Sidious would never do that," Marr replies, "And you know we would never agree to that."

"If you joined the Empire –" he begins.

"Anakin," Marr cuts in, then winces for some reason, "Or... whatever you want me to call you now. How can you not have seen what the Empire is doing to the galaxy? It's destroying it." His tone is surprisingly not accusing.

"The Empire restored order to the galaxy. There is no other way."

"Perhaps," he agrees, grudgingly, "But Sidious will destroy everything. This... it's destroying my people. Maybe an Empire is necessary, but not one led by Sidious."

Vader is silent for a moment. "I will not betray my master," he replies finally. "You underestimate the power of the Dark Side."

The power he has over you, you mean, Ahsoka realizes with growing horror.

"What could he give you that we can't?" Marr argues. "We are your family. What else could you ask for?"

"You can come with us," Ahsoka offers, even if she knows it's not that simple. If he could walk away, wouldn't he have already? Maybe. She doesn't know what his mental state is anymore.

There's another pause of silence, not an instant denial, and it makes her dare to hope for a moment that maybe Marr was right. Maybe there's far more of Anakin left in him than she feared.

"I cannot," Vader replies, "I... cannot betray him."

He firmly believes that, and maybe it's just that... he's too scared. Force, how has Sidious been treating him? Maul said he was groomed, and... She thinks she can definitely see that now. She knows a little of the effects of it now that she's in the galaxy. She knows how it destroys independence, and that's what everything about him screams of. "Not alone you can't," Ahsoka counters, "But if we helped you –"

"You will fail," he warns, ominously. This is getting nowhere, and she doesn't know what to do change his mind. Silence falls between them for several long moments, and she can practically see the gears turning in Marr's head. He's trying to think of something, just as she is, but she doesn't know what.

"I don't know what happened when you Fell," Marr begins, quietly, "But..."

"It does not matter," he replies sharply, an obvious indication he has no interest in talking about whatever happened.

"I wasn't asking that," he counters, "But you are not as alone as you think you are."

Oh. Oh. He's talking about –

When Vader doesn't reply immediately, Marr continues. "I don't know if you know this, but your child... She's alive."

**w**

It feels like the galaxy itself stilled around him. For years, Vader had wondered... but he never pursued the possibility, because it would mean Sidious would find them, and he had no way of knowing. In the moment, the most he can manage is a strained, "What?"

"Your daughter," Theseus repeats, "Her name is Leia... but I assume you already knew that."

His daughter. She's alive.

Of course, he knew her name – he and Padme had discussed it, planning a name whether it was a boy or girl. There was once a time when they had foolishly thought they would be able to raise their child in peace, and everything would be perfect.

Years ago, he accepted that both Padme and their child were gone forever, because despite everything he did, he still wasn't strong enough to save them. If Obi-Wan hadn't... done what he did, they could have lived. He accepted it though and knowing that what he believed for sixteen years was a lie is not something that he can easily process.

But Leia. She's alive.

Where is she? Who raised her? Is she alright?

"I know the balance between the Light and Dark. If you let me, I will show you. Let me help you, Anakin, as you once helped me."

What is his end goal? That's the question. Vader has been used too many times by too many people to know it must be something. It's not a difficult thing to figure out, either. "The boy you knew is dead," he snaps. "Anakin Skywalker was weak. I destroyed him."

"Is it that hard to believe someone might want to help you?" Theseus asks incredulously. "I know you've been a Sith for years, but have you truly forgotten everything?" Something about the tone grates on him, probably the horror and sympathy.

"I do not need help," he retorts, his tone somehow conveying his annoyance.

"You may not be the person we used to know, but I can't believe he's entirely gone, either," Ahsoka declares.

He was right – they are only here for Anakin, for someone they can and will never find. He died a long, long time ago, at the hands of a man he once foolishly trusted. Maybe it's partly a mix of the memory of that which snaps something inside of him, and he lashes out with the Force, shoving both of them back – not hard enough that even lose their balance, but still.

"You are as stubborn as he was," Theseus grumbles, "And I know you know what's right, even now. The Dark Side can't cloud that, even if you're denying it to yourself. I'm not asking for you to do this for me, or for Ahsoka. Only for Leia. She deserves to know the person her father is – and used to be."

And Theseus is as stubborn as ever – that's one thing he always was. (Him and Obi-Wan both. Padme, too. Is Leia?) "There is no other way it can be."

"Then we'll be waiting," Theseus replies. "We'll be waiting for you when you come back. You still have a family. You always will. There are people who love you, even now. I know who and what you are. I can give you time. I've waited for sixteen years."

He feels honest, but Vader can't believe that. He has nowhere else to go. Even if he were to leave Sidious – the only person who stood with him for years, his master would find him and bring him back. There is no way out, not without destroying those trying to help him. He doesn't deserve their help, though. Nothing they say or do will change who he is or what he's done. If only it were so easy to make Theseus accept that.

"Where is my daughter?" he demands, instead of asking any of the other million questions in his mind.

"Safe," Ahsoka promises. "She was raised with a loving family. She will remain safe unless Sidious finds her."

Looking at them is hard. It reminds him of a lifetime he used to live, of another time far, far away. He longs for it, but it will never come back. It's gone, like everything and everyone else.

That, Vader knows without a doubt, is true. He will never let his master near his child. Ever. It is true, he knows, that Sidious is not... a good Emperor. If he were, there wouldn't be so much resentment. There will always be rebels, but the numbers are far greater than they should be. For all that he would like to... destroy the Sith Master, he knows it's impossible. Vader has long ago accepted that it's no more than a fantasy, and he's spent the last sixteen years trying to prove himself to Sidious. The Emperor is too strong for them to kill him. Unless...

He looks past the others, to the holocron in the center of the temple. Unless this is the answer.

Theseus follows his gaze, finally pulling his helmet back on. It hides his face, but that means nothing – Vader can still sense the flow of his emotions as acutely as he always has been able to.

"No," Ahsoka interrupts, "We are not using this. There's no telling what it might be capable of."

"If Sidious died..."

"No," she snaps. "It could destroy the entire planet for all we know. If we take more innocent lives than not, there is no victory." She may have left the Order, but she is still every bit of the Jedi she once was. Perhaps even more so than many others.

"I hate to say so, but I agree with Ahsoka," Theseus says. "There must be another way. Many lives will be lost, either way."

He has become so accustomed to being told that it doesn't matter, if it's to benefit the Empire, but this... it's different. It's not for the Empire or Sidious. It's for his daughter. (She'll probably hate him, anyway, but he's so tired of being alone.)

**w**

Marr looks back at Vader again. He... doesn't know what to think about any of this. He knew Anakin was dark now, and that he was... different, but that didn't prepare him for what he feels here. It's like he's been completely broken, through and through. He's lost the fight he once had, likely from so many years of being trapped alone with Sidious. Marr doesn't have any personal experience whatsoever with the Emperor, but if the Empire is anything like him, he's beyond brutal.

Marr does his best to hold back the question he wants an answer to most – how in the galaxy Anakin ended up as a cyborg. Did Sidious do it? He can't think of anything else. He hadn't meant to blurt out the question earlier, but he was so caught off-guard. He doesn't know why he didn't realize – Kanan told them already. How much of Anakin is left in that... thing?

On second thought, he doesn't think he wants the answer to that.

So much has gone between them, but it still feels like... they're coming home. The surviving members of his family are piecing themselves back together, and that's what matters most. He may have been a Jedi once, but he's Mandalorian now. Nothing matters more than family. It's something Marr has always valued – and that's even more true now.

"We need to remove the holocron," Ahsoka declares. "Maul wanted to use this Temple as a weapon. I can only imagine for what. We can't let him use it."

"I'll get it," Marr replies, "But the Temple will collapse. We'll need to leave." He glances at Vader again. He still isn't clear on what he's planning. "Vader, are you... What are you going to do?"

"I will return to my master," he replies. Marr can't help feeling the flare of pain that runs through him. He doesn't understand this strange, twisted sense of loyalty. It's unnatural, and there's too much fear in it for his liking. It answers all Marr needs to know about how Sidious treats him.

He doesn't think he actually wants this, though, and if there's a hope that Sidious will be destroyed, maybe Vader will join them then. Maybe. If there's anything of Anakin still in him, Marr knows he would do anything to protect his daughter.

He eyes Vader for another long moment – a strange aching inside of him that he wonders if it will ever go away. Somehow it almost feels even worse now that he's seen Anakin again – before heading to the holocron. Ahsoka steps up next to him, and they reach into the crackling electricity, pulling it free.

A surge of electricity runs upwards, crackling violently, and for a moment, the floor almost seems to tremble. They need to leave. Now.

And that will mean... That he and Anakin (or Vader if that's really what he prefers to be called; if it is, he won't deny him that) will go separate ways, and he doesn't know when they'll see each other again. They will eventually, but he doesn't know when.

Maybe Vader is reluctant right now, but Marr will bring him back from the Dark Side. He won't give up until he does. But first... they have to kill Sidious. It feels like something has shifted in the air, a strange sense of determination filling him that he didn't have before. He had ideas on how to deal with the Empire, and now... He's going to put a lot more serious work into it. They need a concrete plan. One that will work.

He crosses the platform, stopping a short distance in front of Vader. It's frankly ridiculous how much Vader towers over him now. All things considered, he isn't really taller. It's just his helmet makes him look like he is, and his armor is... intimidating, to say the least.

They're about to part again, and Marr knows what he wants to do, but after so many years... "Can I touch you?" he asks awkwardly, hesitantly.

There's a pause of absolute silence, except for the crackling electricity and the respirator.

"Yes," Vader answers, at last, sounding... almost as uncertain as Marr himself is feeling right now.

He steps forwards before he can rethink his decision, wrapping an arm around him. He carefully avoids bumping into any of the lights and buttons on his chest – he doesn't know what they could possibly be for, and frankly, he doesn't know if he wants to.

The Sith is shielding well, but... Marr thinks he would have stopped breathing if he was physically capable of it.

He remembers again what it was like to hug Anakin, the few times they did. This time it's... different, but no less meaningful. He can't really feel him, thanks to the armor separating them, like a permanent barrier between them, and right now, that almost feels poetically appropriate.

There's another pause of silence before he feels Vader's arm touch his back, with just enough force that he can actually feel it through his own armor.

There are so many things he wants to say in that moment as a surge of emotion hits him, but he's too choked up to find any words anyway, and maybe that's for the best. No words could... say more than this.

After a long moment that feels like a century, Vader's grip loosens a little, and Marr finally pulls back. "Neither of us are who we used to be," he says quietly, when he finds his voice, "But I..." he trails off. He doesn't know what to say. Maybe he's already said enough.

"You must leave," Vader says, after another pause of silence, and Marr gets the feeling Vader doesn't want to leave any more than the two of them do, but the place is going to be collapsing soon.

"Until next time," Ahsoka says, a certain fierce determination in her eyes that Marr doesn't miss. She's determined to help, too, as much as he is.

Vader only inclines his helmet slightly without replying, and Marr finally turns, heading back the way they came. If they're going to get out of this, they'll have to move fast.

Every step away feels almost like he's abandoning Vader, though, never knowing when he'll see him again, and after a moment, he pauses again, looking back. Vader is still watching them, silhouetted by the electricity crackling behind him, and somehow that looks startlingly appropriate.

Marr wants to say something else, but he has no idea what. "Vader, I – Just stay safe." It sounds so stupid the moment it leaves his mouth, but he has no idea how to put any of what he wants to into words.

There's another heartbeat of silence, almost as though he doesn't know how to talk to him. Maybe neither of them knows how to talk to the other anymore. "Do not do anything foolish."

He thinks those words alone could have made almost made him cry, for how much they remind him of the last conversation with Anakin. Maybe that was intentional. "I won't," he promises. (Because telling Vader he's taking all the foolishness with him is about the cruelest thing he could possibly say, even if it was just a joke.)

"We'll see you again," Ahsoka promises.

Marr ingrains the image into his head one last time, before he turns and runs, refusing to look back or he knows he'll never be able to leave Vader behind.

Final Notes: If you want to join our Discord to receive updates or just hang out, here's the invite link, and please delete the spaces! :) discord . gg / nqSxuz2

You can find us on tumblr at fanfictasia (which is our more serious blog which does have controversial posts on it; I won't be offended if you choose to block it, promise), and disastertriowriting (which is our fun blog with crack posts or incorrect SW quotes; we also advertise our SW gift exchanges on there)

And! We have a YT channel for tributes! Please delete the spaces in the link. :D youtube channel / UC_g1M5rSCxJUzQCRS29B6pA

Finally, if you're interested, you can submit a SW gift fic request via the following form (delete the spaces): forms . gle / rmXWtRomMMaULuPa6

NEW: We've just opened a SW Anakin-clones fic request form as well. :) (delete the spaces): forms . gle / SC5gBdwhXpTNJidr7