Chapter 35 - Ghosts of Mortis

DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P

Author's Note: Thank you, loldelegate! :)

To the Guest (who reviewed chapter 28): Oops. I forgot to answer this in the last chapter. Lol. Anakin doesn't have a crush on Padme, because he doesn't even know her. There's absolutely no reason for him to have a crush on her. It would be extremely weird and awkward, and also, he's a Jedi. Jedi are taught from childhood that romantic relationships are wrong, so it's not something they think about. If Padme was around his age, it would probably be different, but she's like 10 years older. Lol. And as for Padme ending up in a relationship… she's extremely devoted to her work, and I know of no one who would be understanding enough to stay with her, seeing how she'll choose the Senate first over her husband/boyfriend. And like I said in an author's note later, we'll be building up Anakin's relationship with a couple people and see what fits best. :) Also, statistically, it is actually worse for people to have multiple relationships; it makes it harder for them to commit to someone later in life. If Anakin ends up with someone, it will be permanent, and I highly doubt that person will end up being Padme. :P Sorry for the long speech. Lol. But thanks for reviewing! :D

~ Amina Gila

She may not want this, but Anakin chose this. He ignites his lightsaber, blocking Ahsoka's blades as she swings for him. She won't hurt him if she has a choice, but she has to defeat him, for now. They've sparred plenty in the past, so she knows how he fights. She knows his weaknesses. She just needs to use them to her advantage. Of course, Anakin knows her fighting style very well too, but that was before she embraced the Dark Side.

It fills her with a power like she's never felt before, and she can't believe she's denied herself this all of her life. He may be the Chosen One, but he's still just a padawan. She can defeat him.

They're blades clash furiously, a blur of green against blue. It hurts, but this wasn't her choice. Anakin is mostly defending himself right now, but he's still holding his own against her. Neither of them are gaining ground on the other.

Their blades clash into a brief saberlock, and she shoves him back, cutting down sharply. He's quick to block it with one blade, swinging for her head with the other. She takes a step back, then goes at him again with renewed intensity. But she's not getting anywhere, and it's frustrating.

They don't have time for this. Once Obi-Wan and the Father get here, she hates to admit they aren't going to stand much of a chance. Unless she can talk some sense into Anakin, but that wasn't working.

Behind them, the Son and Daughter are smashing up everything, but she pays them no mind, keeping all her focus on the duel. Anakin throws her back with the Force, and she lands a short distance away, flipping through the air back at him again. He ducks out of the way, and her blades stab into the ground next to him.

He shoves her back again, and she's ready to charge when a massive ripple suddenly runs through the Force, only steadily growing in intensity. "Noooooooooo!" cries the Son, stumbling away from where the Daughter is lying on the floor. He turns into a bird, flying out the window without looking back.

What – what?!

This wasn't – what? She stumbles back a step at the shifting in the Force. Anakin spins away, running to the Daughter's side, but it's already too late.

She's – she's dead. Gone.

The Force feels – all this time it felt in harmony in a strange sort of way Ahsoka never knew – a way it really doesn't feel in the rest of the galaxy, but now it just feels wrong.

Force, what has she done?!

She just –

Why did she think joining up with the Son was going to help?! Maybe he would have helped her, maybe but that doesn't mean... What did she do?

"Anakin..." Ahsoka deactivates her lightsabers, slowly approaching him.

He looks up sharply, expression guarded, wary.

Because she attacked him. Why did she do that? She'd been so certain in that moment that joining the Son and embracing the Dark Side might – might make everything work out after all, since she apparently isn't the Chosen One, but this isn't how it's supposed to be. The Daughter wasn't supposed to die. And if the Son did that, then how does she know if what else he said was or wasn't true?

She can't deny that the Dark Side is filling her with a power like one she's never felt before, but it also – it totally blinded her perception of everything. Why did she just attack Anakin? And they got the Daughter killed. They disrupted the entire balance of the galaxy.

"I –" Suddenly, she doesn't even know what to say. She just... used the Dark Side, she still is, and she tries to let go of it as much as she can, reaching for the Light. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" he asks, moving to stand up. His face is still mostly blank, and he's keeping a pointed distance. "Why would you? Did he... do something to you?"

There's nothing she can say, other than the truth. "The Son said he would help me," she replies, "If I don't have the power of the Chosen One, I – I didn't know what else I could do." Because if she's not, she doesn't know if she can do it all alone. She already has been making a difference, though. The Son had told her as much, that she needs to keep doing what she has been, except with his help, but now... It's all so confusing suddenly, and she needs time to think about it.

"Why do you have to do anything?" Anakin asks instead. "Aren't the Jedi doing enough?"

"If they were, the war would be over!"

"Maybe this was meant to happen. We can't control the future, Ahsoka!"

"Then what are we supposed to do? Nothing?!" She slides to the floor next to the Daughter, feeling completely worn out. The Daughter is dead, and... What are they going to do now?

Anakin kneels near her, though his expression is still... wary. "We already have been doing whatever we can," he argues.

He doesn't understand, Ahsoka knows. He's... young. She can't fault him for that. But she doesn't know what to do from here either. Drawing on the Dark Side did give her more power than she could have imagined, but it also clouded her judgment and made her act irrationally, so she doesn't know what to do. She can talk to Palpatine, maybe. Assuming the Jedi don't have her arrested as soon as she's out of here. Now that she's thinking about it...

"What now?" Anakin asks.

"I don't know. I... wasn't thinking."

Anakin touches her with the Force, cautiously. "You... let go of the Dark Side," he observes, hesitantly.

"Yes. I – I don't know what I was thinking," she repeats, for the third time. "I didn't mean to attack you. I thought... I thought the Son would help me."

Anakin breathes out quietly, expression still strained. She did just betray everything they both believed in, after all.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asks, a little worriedly.

He shakes his head. She feels suddenly like she's talking through a wall to him now, and she doesn't like it. And suddenly she just wants to – to be Ahsoka. In truth, she doesn't think she knows what that means anymore. Ever since she became a Knight, everything has been about... what she can do for the galaxy. (Proving to herself she's able to help it, that she's... able to be the Chosen One. Now, she doesn't know.)

Slowly she scoots over to Anakin, laying a hand on his shoulder. He doesn't pull away, slowly looking up to meet her eyes, almost searchingly. He's – he's her little brother, and if there's anyone left in the Order she wants with her, it's Anakin. She – and she almost lost him.

"I'm sorry," she says again, leaning closer, wrapping her arms around him. He melts into the hug immediately, returning it tightly.

She thinks he's still on his guard though, and it hurts, but it's hardly a surprise.

She doesn't have time to say anything else, before she hears sudden movement in the doorway. They look up sharply as the Father and Obi-Wan step into the room.

Ahsoka hastily disentangles from him, standing up. She doesn't know what's going to happen now. If Obi-Wan finds out... No, she has no interest in talking to him about any of it right now. She has no interest in hearing any more of his boring lectures.

"What's going on?" Obi-Wan demands, hurrying forwards. Anakin eyes Ahsoka worriedly for another moment, before looking to his master.

"No," the Father breathes, his eyes falling on the Daughter's motionless form, but from the look on his face, Ahsoka thinks he already felt her death. He moves across the room, kneeling next to her. "I thought by bringing you here I would... But I have destroyed everything. As the balance on this world crumbles, so shall war escalate in the galaxy. As my son has descended to the Dark Side, so have the Sith gained strength."

No, no, no. An icy, chilling fear grips Ahsoka. "We'll stop your son," she says, determinedly.

"No, you must go now. He needs your ship to leave the planet. You must leave before he can take it."

"But what about you?" she objects, frantically. If she has a chance to make this up, she can't just give it up, can she? (Or will you only mess things up further? A voice in her mind mocks.)

"I will mourn all that I have done, and all that is yet to be."

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asks again.

"I got here with the Daughter, and we... fought," Anakin answers, evasively. Or at least Ahsoka knows it's evasive, but Obi-Wan won't. Is he not planning to tell him?

"Come then, we should go," Obi-Wan advises.

**w**

Anakin thinks that maybe he's still in a shock over what happened, because he can't wrap his mind around it. Ahsoka Fell and attacked him, but now she's... just back to Ahsoka again. Maybe the Son was really controlling her, at least to a point. He doesn't know. It doesn't make sense.

Maybe he should tell Obi-Wan about it, but he doesn't know how. He doesn't know how he can bring himself to say that Ahsoka betrayed everything Obi-Wan taught her, that she... No, he can't. Besides, the last thing she needs is even more scrutiny from the Council. Anakin knows how much it frustrates her, and he thinks it would only make how she acts worse. Maybe. She seems pretty stable now, so maybe just blaming it on the Son will be simplest. It does make sense, after all. The moment he was gone, she started acting like herself again.

He's about to follow Obi-Wan out of the room when something shifts in the Force, and a far too familiar bird comes flying in the window again. He transforms back into the Son, unleashing a blast of lightning on the Father before he can stop it, throwing him across the room.

"You've stood in my way long enough, old man," the Son yells, as the Father falls, dropping the dagger.

The Son's expression changes, twisting with sudden fury, and he reaches for the dagger, trying to call it to him with the Force. Obi-Wan tries to pull it back, but the Son is obviously the stronger. Anakin has no idea what it even is, but he knows he can't let the Son have it. He reaches out, yanking it towards him, ripping it free from the others, and it lands in his hands.

"That can kill the Son," Obi-Wan tells Anakin urgently.

"Come. We still have a chance to escape the planet," the Son declares, turning to Ahsoka.

"I'm not doing anything with you," she spits, eyes burning with fire.

"Don't do this, my son," the Father interjects, slowly climbing out his feet.

"You cannot stop me," he retorts. "You're not strong enough."

"I may not be, but he is," the Father replies, and all heads promptly turn to Anakin.

What...?

The Son laughs, and a blast of lightning shoots from his fingers, straight at Anakin. Ahsoka jumps in the way, igniting her lightsabers, deflecting it away. The Father throws the Son back, and Ahsoka charges at him, only for him to block her lightsabers with the Force, ripping them away and throwing them aside, then lifting her into the air by the neck.

Obi-Wan reacts instantly, running towards the Son, but he throws Ahsoka at him instead, and they both go tumbling to the ground. The Father moves to block the Son as he launches another blast of lightning, and Anakin finally springs into motion. The two are too caught up in a lightning battle to notice – or so he hopes – as he sneaks up behind the Son. He has to do this. This dagger is the only thing that can kill the Son and he has to do this if they're ever going to get out of here.

The Father's Force shield gives way and both him and the Son go flying. Anakin throws the dagger before the Son can turn, and it stabs him in the back.

And Anakin feels... he doesn't even know, as the Father goes to his side instantly, looking grief-stricken. Yes, he's the one who told him to do it, but the Father just lost both of his children within less than an hour of each other. "So you have b-betrayed me, Father," the Son wheezes.

"I saw no other way," the Father replies sadly. "I love you, my son."

There's no response, but Anakin can feel the Son's presence fading out, dwindling to nothing, and he doesn't know what to think about it. It's easiest not to think at all.

For a long moment, no one moves. "Go now," the Father says, finally, "It is done, and now I know what role you play."

"Which is?" Ahsoka asks, warily.

"He is the Chosen One. He has restored balance to this world. Stay on this path, and you will do it again for the galaxy."

Maybe the cryptic warning should make them feel better but Anakin just... he doesn't know. He's apparently the Chosen One and he has no idea what that even means. Ahsoka seemed to think it meant ending the entire war singlehandedly, but that can't be what it's supposed to mean, can it? Obi-Wan didn't seem too concerned, so maybe he doesn't need to be either, but he doesn't know.

And the Father's other cryptic warning about the war only growing worse, and the Sith gaining strength... He doesn't even want to think about what that will mean for the future. And does it also mean it's all on Anakin to restore the balance?!

They haven't even made it back to the ship when there's a sudden shift in the Force, and he feels the planet start crumbling around them. There's a brilliant flash of white light, and then... nothing.

When Anakin opens his eyes again, they're... in space? "What..." he slowly pushes himself up.

"What was that?" Ahsoka splutters. "How did we get back out here?"

Obi-Wan frowns, looking around. "I don't know, but we need to report to the Council as soon as possible."

Anakin nods. Yes, they do. He exchanges a silent glance with Ahsoka, and he knows they're thinking of the same thing. That one part of it... maybe for now, Anakin will leave unknown.

**w**

Maybe it should feel like it normally does after being back from a mission, but it feels like a different world now. It feels... Everything Ahsoka thought she knew about herself is gone, and she doesn't know what to think now. Now that she's thinking about it, all this time she's been fighting the war, everything she's done was because she thought she was the Chosen One.

The Force would guide her to her destiny, right? That was her role after all, and she always thought that because of that she had to know what she was doing. But now...

She doesn't know what to think anymore. She's completely at odds with the Council and all the Jedi really, and there's a small part of her that suddenly questions if that's really how things ought to be. If maybe she... But no. The Council was being unreasonable. Everything she's done has only been for the Republic, to help win the war.

Whether she's the Chosen One or not, that's still her duty, and she still wants and needs to do it. There's only one person she can go to about this, so she does.

"I don't know what to think now," Ahsoka admits, "It's... everything I've ever done has been about that." She didn't realize how much it affected her until right now, when all of that was taken away.

It's almost relieving that she doesn't have to do it all on her own now, but still. It also feels almost unfair.

"You do not need to be the most powerful Jedi ever to make a difference," Palpatine points out, touching her shoulder. She didn't used to know what to think of that and sometimes she still doesn't, but she's used to it by now. "Even if you are not the 'Chosen One' you still have great skill. You are still one of the most gifted Jedi I have ever met."

"Thank you, your Excellency." He's the only person who ever compliments her, really, and it means a lot, especially right now. But still, she can't shake the questions from her mind.

"I can tell there is more bothering you," he observes.

"Yes. I... thought the Force was guiding me," she confesses, "Now..." She still thinks so, but she doesn't like the other questions that are abruptly starting to surface.

"Why would you think differently now?" Palpatine challenges, "You do not need to be the 'Chosen One' to follow the Force, do you? You must trust your instincts. You do not need the guidance of the Jedi Council. In time, you will be invincible. I told you this before, and I still believe it. It was not because of your power."

Hearing as much definitely helps. She'll need more time to think about it, but talking to Palpatine always makes her feel like she has some direction when she actually does occasionally need help. Maybe she's not the Chosen One, but that doesn't mean she needs to change what she's been doing, does it? She can still try to make a difference. She can still try to do what no one else has been.

But there's one other thing that's really throwing her off right now, and she doesn't know what to do. Because she knows what she did on Mortis was a mistake, and that had been... She was relying on her instincts, then, or thought she was. To be fair, she was – and still is – thrown completely into turmoil on hearing she wasn't the Chosen One at the time, but...

"There's... something else," Ahsoka begins, hesitantly. She needs to talk to someone about it, and she obviously can't tell the Jedi. "I know you may not understand much of this, but when I was on Mortis, I... started using the Dark Side."

Obvious surprise flickers across Palpatine's face. "Why?" he asks.

"I was speaking with a... being of the Dark Side. I thought he was going to help me, and he encouraged me to embrace the Dark Side. He told me it would give me power. And it did. I – I've never felt like that before. But... then I was a little caught up, and I – made mistakes, because of that."

"Was it because of the Dark Side or because you were off balance with what you just discovered?" he asks.

"Both, I think," she admits. It had been out of desperation upon hearing that she wasn't the Chosen One, and she's still trying to figure out how to handle that.

"The Dark Side is nothing but a part of the Force, is it not?" he asks.

"Yes...?"

"Why would the Force create something that is inherently 'evil'?" he asks, "Good is a point of view. It is how you choose to use the Dark Side that should matter."

Ahsoka blinks, something in her instantly twisting, demanding that she protest – even if a part of her almost wants to agree. But after what she nearly did, she can't just agree. Palpatine doesn't understand the Force, he reminds herself. He would have no way of knowing this. "I... can't presume to understand all of this," she answers, carefully, "But I know my judgment was clouded after using it."

"But what is that or the circumstances?" Palpatine challenges, "Your instincts have yet to lead you astray. You have done more for the galaxy already than any of the Jedi have. If something else might help you, I see no reason to dismiss the possibility entirely. If you made a mistake with it once, I imagine you have learned enough not to repeat it."

"Are you saying I should use the Dark Side?" Ahsoka asks, frowning.

"Of course not, my dear," Palpatine assures, "I am merely saying the Jedi have been wrong in the past, and exploring all of your options with reasonable care is... not something you should refuse to do, merely because it goes against the Council."

**w**

Obi-Wan doesn't know what to make of how he's raising the 'Chosen One' again. It's a bit overwhelming, and he doesn't think Anakin is taking it as well as he is. In truth, it doesn't change anything. He's raising Anakin the same way he raised Ahsoka, and in so many ways, it makes more sense for it to be Anakin. He is... far truer to the Jedi. Ahsoka is, quite simply, arrogant.

The more he tried to teach her otherwise, the worse it seemed to become. Although... hopefully it's a her problem, not an issue because she thought she was the Chosen One and therefore knew best. He has no desire to handle that attitude again. He doesn't want things to become like that between him and Anakin – for Anakin to change like that. He doesn't think that will happen, though.

"Questioned I did, if truly the Chosen One, she was," Yoda murmurs.

"I did as well," Obi-Wan admits. He had never understood how the Chosen One could be like that, if they're supposed to be bringing balance to the Force and destroying the Sith.

"I find this development... disturbing," Windu says.

"Would it not be a benefit if Tano does not have this power?" Shaak Ti objects.

"Yes," Windu replies, "But it also means we have little reason to believe she will realign herself with the Council."

"If she continues down the path she is on, we may have to take steps to... neutralize any threat," Mundi points out, "It's a greater risk for more and more Jedi as this war goes on."

Obi-Wan knows what he means, and it chills him to the core. Yes, Ahsoka might be a little – okay, very – out of line sometimes, but that doesn't mean... "She has yet to do anything drastic enough to require us to take... extreme action," Obi-Wan argues.

"Perhaps not," Windu replies, "But we must be prepared."

He isn't happy how no one objects to that – or how much he himself agrees.

**w**

Frankly, Anakin has absolutely no idea how Ahsoka was able to stand it for one day being called the 'Chosen One'. The Council talked to him briefly, and they're all acting like he's... some sort of special all-powerful demigod or something. And he hates it.

He has no idea what it means to have a destiny like that, and he doesn't want it. It's – what does that even mean? Why can't he just be normal? Not that he ever has been normal. He's never fit in, and maybe this is why. Although Ahsoka never really fit in either.

Obi-Wan is adamant that it changes nothing, so why is everyone acting like it does? He is suddenly frustratingly far more stressed than he was before, like he should be doing something, doing better, though he doesn't know how or what that means. If he needs to "save the galaxy", he doesn't think he's doing that.

He just needs to trust in the Force, and maybe that's where the problem comes in. He can't shake from his mind the memory of his vision, he can't stop remembering the dead bodies all over the Temple floor, or the Father saying "so shall war escalate in the galaxy" and "so have the Sith gained strength."

He doesn't know what to do. He hasn't told anyone about it yet, and he can't quite explain why he isn't. He doesn't know how, just like about what happened to Ahsoka.

"Everyone is saying I'm the 'Chosen One' now," Anakin says, almost frustratedly, when Palpatine asks what's bothering him.

"That bothers you?" he asks, kindly. Anakin still can't understand why the Chancellor gives him this kind of attention. He... likes it, but sometimes it's... unsettling. Strange.

"I don't know what it means," Anakin says, miserably. Really, what does Palpatine know of these things anyway? But sometimes talking to a non-Jedi is... Ahsoka says it helps. Maybe he can see what she means. "It feels like... they expect far more from me now, but I don't know what."

"Why do their expectations concern you so much?"

Anakin blinks. "What?"

"I thought Jedi were trained to follow the Force and their instincts. That should be all you need to do."

Maybe that would work if Anakin had that much trust in himself, but he doesn't. Wouldn't that make him arrogant, if he thought he knew better than the Council?

"Ahsoka seemed to think it meant she... had to end the war on her own," Anakin says.

"Ahsoka only wants to make a difference, and she has – more than any other Jedi. She has chosen to follow her own path, and perhaps you need to do the same."

Anakin doesn't really know what to think of that. The vision of the Order falling already shook him to the core, and now he can't help but wonder...

When he leaves, it feels like he has more questions about the Order than he did before.

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