Chapter 1 - Discovery
Plot: In the aftermath of Mortis, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Rex crash land on a mysterious planet. What they discover is far beyond their wildest dreams: a planet-sized machine, capable of resetting reality itself, and which has already been used to rewrite history. There, they find themselves beginning to question everything they once thought they knew.
Author's Note: This is a gift for Superstary56 on ao3. :) I hope y'all enjoy it!
Also, this is for the square "parenting" on the 501st Bingo. :D
We'll be posting weekly on Tuesday.
~ Amina Gila
Ahsoka pushes herself up with a groan, and the shuffling sound implies she's unstrapping herself. "Another crash," she deadpans, "Why do we always crash?"
"You alright, kid?" Rex queries, twisting around in his seat. It's heartwarming to see how much he's stepped forwards from his initial wariness, now willing to take care of Ahsoka. He's a clone, was raised as a soldier from birth. Anakin can't imagine such a life, and he hardly knew how to help his men see that they're so much more than just soldiers, numbers, meant to die. And yes, maybe they were made to die, but they will always mean more to Anakin. They always have.
It had been hard for Rex to adapt to Ahsoka, but he's taken on the role of something mostly brotherly, but with just a streak of something more. Technically, Rex is younger than her, but he's still accepted it as his role to protect her.
Anakin pushes himself to his feet, steadying himself with his hands on the controls, swaying a bit. He'll be fine momentarily, just a bit shaken up and breathless from the crash.
"I'm fine," Ahsoka assures, standing and rolling her shoulders a bit.
"That," Obi-Wan grumbles, standing from the seat behind Anakin, "Is what I would like to know."
"We haven't crashed since Mortis," Anakin points out, "And that wasn't entirely something I could control."
"You were heading right for a giant tower," Obi-Wan gripes. "And you weren't moving."
That's fair. Anakin would've reacted, too, under those circumstances, no matter who was flying, because it's instinctive. Doesn't mean it'll stop him from teasing his former master, though. "And that crash could've taken us right through the tower," Anakin tells him, dryly. It had certainly slowed them down a lot in going to rescue Ahsoka.
He still can't forget when they had found her, when she'd turned around for the first time, and he saw her eyes were yellow.
He almost lost her there, more than once, and it's – it's hard to think about and remember, but he can't look at her anymore without remembering it.
Obi-Wan huffs but doesn't argue the point.
"What is this place?" Ahsoka asks, leaning forward to look out the viewport.
Anakin doesn't know, either. He's never seen a place like it before, though he can sense – just like Mortis – that there's something important about it. It has... some kind of great galactic significance, but the strange part is how empty it feels.
Ahsoka moves to the panel on the wall, checking the scans. "The atmosphere's breathable," she announces, "And I'm not picking up any life."
Rex sighs. "I don't like the looks of this."
"Me either," Anakin agrees. He doesn't. It feels wrong, and it reminds him too much of Mortis, even if it doesn't have nearly the same feel in the Force. It's... it's empty and dark instead of brilliant and light. "The planet itself feels... unusual."
"Yes," Obi-Wan agrees, "I don't sense anymore life than I see. Planets shouldn't feel this empty."
"So," Ahsoka asks, turning around, arms crossed, "What do we do?"
Anakin hits a few buttons on the controls, setting a ship-wide diagnostic scan to check for damage. He doesn't know how bad it is, or if they'll be able to take off right away. "We'll have to go outside to assess the damage," he says, no matter how reluctant he is at the mere thought of lowering the ramp.
"We must be cautious," Obi-Wan warns, as they head for the ramp.
The sky outside is dark, overcast. The clouds are an almost smoky color, letting very little light slip through. It feels... it's not strong with the Dark Side, as Anakin would expect on sight. It's like Obi-Wan said; it's empty.
The ground feels like stone, and it stretches endlessly in every direction with no other features, except a few occasional tower-like structures rising from the ground.
It looks vaguely mountainous, Anakin thinks, though there's still something about it that screams all wrong.
"There really isn't anything alive here," Ahsoka asserts, scanning the area. "What's wrong with this place?"
"I don't think anyone's been here for a long time," Anakin supplies, because he feels a strange level of heaviness lingering in the air. Whoever was last here was... depressed. Hopeless. And it feels ancient, layer on layer.
"That shouldn't be possible," Obi-Wan objects, "The planet itself should have transformed the energy of people here centuries ago."
"Unless," Anakin replies, sudden realization dawning, because for as outrageous as it sounds, it makes so much sense, "It's not a planet."
"Then what would it be?" Ahsoka queries, taking a few steps towards one of the pillars, "And what are those?"
Neither are a question Anakin can answer. This place's very existence is a mystery, one that he'd be more curious to unravel if not for Mortis. He doesn't know what they could encounter here, though he... doesn't sense any danger.
"We should leave," Obi-Wan objects, warily.
"What if this is something the Separatists made?" Ahsoka points out.
It's a legitimate concern. "Rex, what do you think?" Anakin asks.
Rex looks up; he's been checking the damage on their ship. "Could be a new weapon," he concurs, cautiously, "Or they could have some type of... operation here. I think we should check it out, sir."
"Then let's go," Anakin concedes. They're probably right. If this is something dangerous, they need to know about it. It's their duty, and for as hard as that is, that comes before everything.
Obi-Wan gives his grudging agreement, and they start moving.
Ahsoka approaches the pillar first, frowning as she inspects the small writing on it. "I have no idea what this says," she announces, "And it's tiny. Can you read it?"
"Not enough to understand," Anakin tells her – she's right. It's not something they understand. It looks ancient, as everything about this place feels. Like something made long, long ago and forgotten.
"It looks older than any of the ancient prophecies Qui-Gon had me translate," Obi-Wan adds, which... probably means they'll have no way of knowing what it says. But it couldn't really be from the Separatists, unless only droids have been here. It's possible, and either way, they need to know more.
Everything about this place screamed of wrongness from the start. They were jerked out of hyperspace – which they miscalculated entering somehow – by what the charts were picking up as a black hole, but it was... actually a planet. Something is definitely amiss here.
Ahsoka steps closer, running a hand across the stone.
"Wait –" Anakin starts to say, because they don't know if that's a good idea, but it's too late.
Red lines spread rapidly across the stone structure, practically glowing, and the rocks beneath suddenly give way. Rex yelps as they start crashing downwards, and Anakin catches himself with the Force. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka do likewise, and Anakin turns to help Rex up the moment they've landed.
"What was that?!" Ahsoka exclaims, panting, looking around. Now that they're beneath, the light is even dimmer, and they're surrounded by a distinctly earthy scent. They're underground now, and Anakin can feel lingering traces of... something down here. Life, ancient, but people have been here before. He senses their presences, lost and hurt and lonely and angry and... everything that's dark.
Considering how this entire planet looks like aftermath of destruction of some kind, and considering how barren it is, that's not surprising.
Rex flicks on the light on his helmet, shining it around, but it's not enough to see far. They're in a tunnel of some kind. He draws his blaster, just in case.
Obi-Wan pulls out his lightsaber, using it to light the way, and Anakin and Ahsoka do likewise.
And then, they start walking. Anakin has no idea where they're going, but the most he can do is try to remember how they got down here so they don't get lost. It's a while before they suddenly reach a place the tunnel widens, branching off. But right in front of them is a door with a label on it.
It's more writing he can't read, and Obi-Wan goes in first, pushing the door open.
It swings, which is unusual – the galaxy outdated doors like that a long time ago.
It opens into a massive compartment of some kind. There's a platform right beyond the door, and then a vast expanse of... What look like thousands of enormous tubes, each of them containing a being of a different species.
"What is this... thing?" Ahsoka asks, instantly stepping out onto the platform. Anakin and Rex exchange glances and follow.
"It reminds me of the cloning facility on Kamino," Anakin admits, "I've been there once, when we were there for the battle."
"Yes," Obi-Wan agrees, "It does."
"They're all different," Ahsoka notes, approaching the edge of the platform to get a closer look.
And... that is a good point, because none of them are alike. It looks like someone collected an individual of every species they could get their hands on – whether sentient or not – and Anakin has no idea how or why or even when this happened.
He's almost certain he sees a Dug and a Rodian and is that a Hutt?and –
"Is that the Zillo beast?" Rex asks incredulously, helmet tilted towards something way up.
Anakin follows his gaze, and yes, it is. He saw that thing once, and he never wants to see one again.
Ahsoka shudders. "Why would someone ever want to clone a Zillo beast?"
"It's living, too," he reminds, though he has no idea. It's probably not even connected with whatever's happening here, but he could be wrong.
"This is from millennia ago," Obi-Wan says, "The galaxy didn't have this technology back then."
"Bigger question," Ahsoka objects, leaning against the gray railing at the edge, looking down.
Anakin follows her gaze. There is... he doesn't even see an end to this thing. It's massive, and there are numerous structures inside, each with jars to contain similar sized species. It looks infinite, both up and down.
And he could almost swear he sees a Bantha up above them, across from a teddy bear-like creature that he's never seen before.
"There must be a central database to this... collection," Anakin concludes, finally. "We should find it." There's no other way whoever built this could've kept track of what was here.
They slip back out into the hall and keep moving, stumbling onto another door not much further down which looks a little... different. It leads to a lift, and the controls inside – surprisingly – despite looking very old, are quite useful.
There's a central floor button, and Anakin hits it, assuming that's where they need to start.
"Are we inside a planet?" Ahsoka queries.
"Yes, we are," Rex replies. They sound equally unnerved by that.
When the lift finally stops at the end of the very long ride down, it opens into an expansive room with a towering ceiling. The room is covered in layers of dust, but the regret, sadness, and pain in the Force – though years old – stand out the strongest in here.
On the far side is an ancient looking computer, and on the floor next to it is a... human skeleton?!
"What?" Ahsoka squeaks, eyes wide as they cautiously approach.
His death must've been long ago, but Anakin can still feel the traces of it, the way he always can feel people's last moments in their... bodies, afterwards. All he can sense is pain and resignation – not fear, as though the man was killed.
He approaches the computer cautiously, powering it up.
**w**
It whirs like it's dying as it turns on, and Ahsoka just hopes it's not going to do anything stupid, like unleashing those creatures, because they don't need another Zillo situation. Not now, not ever.
"There are... six files here," Anakin observes, "Instructions, and several... recordings."
"What do these instructions say?" Obi-Wan asks, warily.
"It's... meant to repopulate the galaxy in case of mass destruction," Anakin says, glancing back, a worried frown on his face, and Ahsoka freezes. That would explain why there are so many species here, but not who made it, when it was made, or where it's from. The technology here is so recent and so ancient at once, and it doesn't make any sense. And, more than that, it's scary.
"Couldn't be Separatist," Rex concludes, though the ancientness of it was already making that clear. But who built it and how they turned a planet into this – if it even was a planet before – she has no idea.
"There is evidently a function to wipe all memory of a catastrophic event, galaxy wide?" Anakin continues, an obvious note of alarm in his voice.
"What?" Ahsoka yelps, "How's that possible?!" There's no way a machine could do something like that. That doesn't make sense.
"It offers no explanation."
"I don't think we want to find out," Rex points out.
Not really, but she'd like to understand how that would even work. Assuming it can actually do that. Either way, the sheer strangeness of this reminds her increasingly of Mortis, and she doesn't like it. Feeling incapable of doing anything without jumping at shadows is getting very exhausting.
"The first video is dated before any known calendar," Anakin says, as he turns it on. Seriously, how old is this thing? There've been known calendars for millennia.
Instead of a hologram, it's a 3D image, the way people videoed things eons ago. Literally.
The human woman it shows is dressed in... battle clothes of some kind, several scars on her face that look to be from fighting. She looks tired, worn, and some strands of her dark hair are going gray. "My name is Luz," she says, "And I come to right the damage wrought to the galaxy by the war between two beings that call themselves the Son and Daughter. They have destroyed everything in their paths. Countless entire planets have been lost to this destruction. I believed there would be no end, until a being called the Father interceded."
Ahsoka stills at the mention of the Ones. Mortis was only months ago, and everything that happened there is still too fresh. She doesn't really remember being possessed but she still did things. She could see it in Anakin's eyes, in the way he was so... jittery sometimes. They fought, and she didn't hurt him, but she could have. It doesn't bring fond memories.
"Oh, so they are real," Rex remarks dryly.
"Unfortunately," Obi-Wan grumbles.
"I did not create this machine," Luz continues, "The Father guided me to this place, led by the Force itself. He told me the Force itself had to intercede before the galaxy was entirely decimated. Even if he could contain his children, it took a long time to contain the other beings who were siding with each of them."
"This thing is... older than that?" Ahsoka asks. She knew there was probably something in the galaxy before the Ones, but not like this. No wonder it feels so old. It predates everything they've ever known.
"I don't know what this place is," Luz says, "I don't know how many times it has been used, if at all." Somehow, the knowledge that this has been used is entirely different than the concept that it could be.
"But now, I intend to use it once more. The galaxy has no other recourse, to recover from the damage. So many species are entirely extinct, even the Wookies, Gungans, Togrutas, and –" She goes on to list a number of others, but those are the three that catch Ahsoka's attention the most.
Wait – Togrutas went extinct millennia ago?! That means... they – she – only exists now because of this machine? Taken from the DNA of the one that must've been in that giant storage room? Does that mean the Togruta is technically her oldest ancestor?!
Anakin must've sensed her freaking out, because he reaches out, touching her shoulder, and she shifts closer, subconsciously pressing herself to his side.
"I will use this to restore the galaxy to what it was once," Luz goes on, "No one will remember the Ones or the war between them, except perhaps as legends. I hope this will give the galaxy a chance to recover, and no cataclysm like this will strike again." With that, the video ends, leaving everyone in a momentary stunned silence.
"Is this real?" Rex asks, totally mind-blown.
"The Force here indicates, yes," Anakin replies, "And I sensed no deception in her." That's frankly the most unsettling part.
They found a machine that can literally rewrite history, and Ahsoka has no idea if that's more terrifying or ridiculous, because that shouldn't even be possible.
"It is true that legends of the Ones are scarce," Obi-Wan admits. "This would explain why."
Ahsoka suppresses a shudder. "I don't like this."
"Me either," Anakin agrees, squeezing her shoulder. "But I – I think we should try to find out more. This is important, and with as hidden as this place was, I... think the Force sent us here for a reason."
Why is not something she wants to think about. This machine is – it shouldn't exist, and it's against everything Ahsoka has ever been taught. Nothing should be able to bring back something that's gone. That's not how the Force works, or at least that's what she was always taught.
"Yes," Obi-Wan agrees, "We should finish these... holos."
"It'd be less weird if they were holos," Ahsoka mutters. Instead of technology from another eon.
Anakin pulls up the next one, which is also 3D like the previous. It shows a Togruta man, who looks tired and worn as well, almost like his body is withering away. He must've been badly injured, and Ahsoka instantly has a bad feeling about this. "My name is Hunter," he begins.
"That isn't a Togruta name!" Ahsoka yelps.
"We're talking about something from a million years ago, kid," Rex tells her dryly, and she has to grudgingly agree.
"The Force guided me to this machine. I didn't believe it would work until I tried it myself," he continues. Wait, he used it, too?! How many times has the galaxy been changed with no one remembering? "It surprised me to learn Togruats were extinct in the past, but many species were in danger of being wiped out yet again, even Twi'leks, Duros, and humans."
"Humans?" repeats Anakin, surprised.
"All humans are clones?" Obi-Wan echoes, and they look at each other, then at Rex.
Ahsoka immediately counts herself lucky for not really knowing any other Togrutas, because she has no idea what that would mean for them.
"Invaders from beyond this galaxy came in and were destroying it. They were from an Empire ruling multiple galaxies, with technology of the likes we've never seen before. It was severe enough that Force users from all across the galaxy gathered together to perform a ritual, creating a barrier to block off anyone else from entering this galaxy. The ritual nearly killed them, but..." He trails off sighing.
"It was worth it. The barriers should hold, so long as there are Force users out there to guard it. It cut off the invaders' army, and we were able to destroy them, but not without massive losses. I'm going to use this machine now to bring back all the species that were extinct and erase the memories of these invaders. Even if they are gone, everyone is living in fear that they will return. Instead of rebuilding, they're creating increasing supplies of weapons to defend themselves. This is not living at all, and I believe without question that the galaxy would be better if no one but those who must protect the barrier remember this invasion."
She doesn't know what part stands out more – that there's apparently an intergalactic Empire that tried to destroy theirs so long ago, or that... this barrier presumably still exists since no time in known history has there been any cases of people entering from outside the galaxy.
"That explains some things," Obi-Wan remarks, "We have always wondered why we cannot travel beyond our galaxy."
"Does that mean these Force users must still be around?" Ahsoka objects, frowning.
"I don't know, Snips," Anakin replies, "Maybe. That doesn't seem likely, though it's possible."
"If there are, they have never been heard from," Obi-Wan says.
Ahsoka doesn't know what to think about this, but admittedly? She's growing increasingly unnerved to keep watching, but considering how serious all this is... it seems like something they should get a full picture of, so they can take this to the Council. It must be important somehow.
**w**
Obi-Wan doesn't really know what to think about any of this. To say it's disturbing would be an understatement. Such power shouldn't exist, because it's not something any person should wield, but... there are very few records of its activation. That doesn't mean anything, though. For all they know, the entire galaxy could have been rewritten, and they wouldn't even know it.
It's crucial that this information not fall into the wrong hands, because it could be used to weaponize as much as to do anything beneficial.
"Next?" Anakin inquires, and Obi-Wan nods to him, watching as he pulls up the next file.
This one is a Gungan, which he's slightly surprised about. He looks tired, just like the others, but instead of the bone-deep exhaustion and depression that the others radiated, he looks just as angry.
Anakin glances at Obi-Wan, expression tight, though neither of them speaks.
"Mesa Arty," he begins, "How many times the galaxy be destroyed before thisa stops? Duey bombad Force factions dat call themselves Jedi and Sith started bang-bang conflict and destroyed da galaxy."
Ahsoka inhales sharply beside him, and Obi-Wan just stares. This predates the time of the Jedi and Sith. It's not significantly earlier, but it's still prior.
But a war between them destroying the galaxy?! He can't imagine how it could ever have gone that far, unless the Sith were causing the destruction intentionally.
"Theysa both destroying everything standing between eesa other. Theysa not stop, no matter whosa in the way, until the other issa entirely gone. So many species issa gone now. Mesa use this bombad machine to bring them back,and destroy all head-thoughts of dah Jedi and Sith. Messa hope thesa never be re-discovered."
The rest of the recording leaves Obi-Wan feeling even more shaken and at a loss for words than the beginning.
"No one knows how the Jedi and Sith first formed," Anakin reminds, faintly, "The... abandoned Temples were simply discovered."
Yes, he remembers learning about that. No one knows their true history. Everyone always assumed it was lost to time, but this says something entirely different. That the war between them was destroying everything.
And if Arty is to be believed, it wasn't just the Sith. The Jedi were, too. Obi-Wan can't imagine that, but that the galaxy was destroyed enough to be rewritten afterwards means there... might at least be some truth to it.
That doesn't inherently have any meaning on what the Jedi stand for now, seeing that the original organization was entirely destroyed, but it doesn't change the... history of it, either. And Obi-Wan really doesn't know how to feel about that. It's just as possible that Arty was misinformed, but he... he needs time to meditate on this. It's disturbing, either way, especially because it isn't as though there aren't people in this time that feel the same way, only they blame it on the government instead of the Jedi.
Anakin pulls up the next video, turning it on. This one is finally a holo, from several thousand years ago after the Jedi and Sith were discovered, or rather... re-discovered.
"I'm Yasha," the green, female Twi'lek says. Something about the darkness of her Force presence immediately makes Obi-Wan on edge, given that this could be... anyone. It would not be good if Dark Side users of the past have found this and re-written the galaxy before. "And I'm a Sith, or at least I once was. I... changed as I came to realize that both the Jedi and the Sith are wrong. My master used the Dark Side to create a virus that would bring the dead back to life in the form of an undead army to fight for him. It got out of control, wiping out species across the galaxy. We found the cure, but not before it was too late."
"Sounds like something a Sith would do," Ahsoka comments darkly.
"Yeah," Anakin agrees, but he sounds half-hearted, more uncertain than anything else.
"I'm going to bring back all the extinct species, and make them forget that they were lost, but I won't make everyone forget the event itself," she continues, sighing, "I do not want people to forget this, so perhaps it won't happen again. Arty was right that the Jedi and Sith should have been forgotten, but I'm going to make things right. I understand now that both sides of the Force must be used. If you only use the Light, you will become apathetic and closed-off from the world around you. If you only used the Dark, you will be consumed by it, becoming obsessed with its power, uncaring how many people are hurt along the way, even ones you care for. In order to find balance, the only way is to use both sides. With this behind us, I will leave and try to create a new Force Order that uses both sides, one without war and conflict. May the Force guide me."
The hologram ends at that, leaving Obi-Wan feeling even more unsettled than before. What she's saying obviously isn't entirely true because the Jedi aren't apathetic. They're not. They're very existence is to help others.
Though he can understand why she would try to find a balance point, given all the destruction from the ceaseless war. That doesn't mean trying to do that is any more likely to bring peace. Is it?
"She's speaking of the Zombie virus," Anakin realizes.
"Yes," Obi-Wan agrees, "I suspect so." Little about it is known, because it's from so long ago, but they learned about it at the Temple. The damage it caused was clearly severely downplayed, though.
"What she's saying about the Force doesn't... make sense," Ahsoka objects, sounding hopelessly confused.
"No," Obi-Wan agrees, "It doesn't." It's against everything they've ever been taught.
"I thought Sith couldn't use the Light?" Anakin asks, confused. "But she wasn't Dark anymore, either."
"Nothing since we've landed on this planet makes sense," Obi-Wan declares flatly, which is the absolute truth.
Ahsoka snorts.
"What's the last one?" Rex queries.
"I'll check it out," Anakin replies, opening it, "And it's from far more recent times."
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