Chapter 63 - Visions
Author's Note: Things... are going downhill. But then, you probably already guessed as much. ;)
~ Amina Gila
Ahsoka has had visions before, though the last time she had one, it was to see her mother's death. And that's where she is now, dreaming of something she already knows is one of her worst fears.
She sees a throne room somewhere, with glass windows overlooking a city she doesn't recognize, though she could swear it's familiar.
"I will help you," Anakin says, facing two familiar figures – Savage and Feral. The Sith who are attacking Mandalore, who he was sent to stop.
The image ripples and shifts into something, and though it doesn't look dark at first glance, Ahsoka can feel the darkness radiating all around. Something happened here, something bad, far worse than anything that's ever happened before. It's not something she knows anything about, can predict or be prepared for, or – or anything.
She sees Anakin, standing amidst an endless rows of clones – her boys – who are shooting at him. With live rounds. They're not training. They're not trying to stun him. They're trying to kill him.
Ahsoka jolts awake at that, heart hammering as she looks around her room. Sometimes, it's still jarring to wake up in all sorts of places, but she's at the Temple in her and Anakin's apartment now.
She misses him.
Something is going to happen to him.
Maybe something already is. All the way here on Coruscant, Ahsoka would have no way of knowing if something went wrong. Did he join the Sith? And the clones decided to kill him for it? She's simultaneously horrified and outright sick at that. Rex was so close with Anakin. Why would he turn on him?
That was Rex. He was always loyal. How could something happen to make him turn on Anakin? And if even they were willing to do something like that, who can she trust?
Not as though Ahsoka's ever been very good at trusting anyone.
**w**
Jinx and O'mer are standing somewhere on a cruiser, but the sheer wrongness in the Force is what stands out the most. He can feel the overwhelming dread, the sudden death in the air, right before the clones standing around the two of them suddenly raise their blasters and start... shooting?
They scramble to pull out their lightsabers, deflecting the shots away. Several of the clones fall, smoking holes in their chests, before a stray shot catches O'mer's arm. He stumbles, and several more shots hit him before he goes down.
"O'mer!" Jinx calls, desperately.
Anakin jerks awake, heart pounding. What was that? He's had visions before, warnings about people close to him, and – He knows that's what it is. It's a feeling that's always there in visions. It's entirely different than just a dream.
But why would the 501st be trying to kill Jinx and O'mer? It doesn't make any sense. He has no idea if O'mer survived that or not, but he already has the sinking feeling that he knows. And it's no better that they were killing the clones, even if he knows they were just trying to defend themselves. Anakin doesn't understand what's happening. He still remembers the clones chasing him down when he was being framed, and he... can't imagine something like that would happen to all of them. That doesn't make any sense. But whatever this is, it's something imminent or he wouldn't be dreaming of it.
Omega stirs next to him, probably sensing his distress. "Anakin?" she asks, propping her head up on her hand when she realizes he's awake. "You okay?"
He mutely shakes his head, heart still racing. O'mer could be about to die. Or – or something, and he has no idea what to do.
"I had a vision," he replies, slowly sitting up. He reaches for his lightsabers instinctively, ready in case there's any immediate threat, though he senses nothing. He took them with him when he left the Order, though he hasn't used them at all since. He couldn't, without attracting needless attention.
"A vision?" she echoes, eyes widening, "What did you see?"
Next to them, Shmi is also stirring. She always seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to him, because she soundlessly sits up next to them.
"It – it was of O'mer," he replies, shakily. The image won't stop haunting him. That can't be about to happen. But he's never had a vision that hasn't happened, some way or other, and that means...
Shmi lays a hand on his shoulder and he leans into it. "Of him... getting hurt?" she asks.
"Worse," he whispers. It felt worse, even if he didn't see that part clearly. "And it – it was the boys who did it."
"What?!" Omega hisses, though still careful to keep her voice down.
"I don't understand it, either," he answers, helplessly.
"I can't imagine the clones would do anything like that," Shmi replies, "There has to be more to this than you saw in your vision."
"Yeah," Anakin whispers, "I hope so." He doesn't understand. It doesn't make sense for them to do something like that – they're friends, and they've always been loyal to each other. That's literally what it means to be a clone.
"Before anything goes that far, we should notice the signs that something is going to go wrong," she adds.
He really hopes so, because he's never had a vision before that didn't happen.
**w**
Ahsoka still can't shake the image from mind. It's been a while, hours, but she can't stop thinking about it.
Ahsoka hasn't had a dream so vivid, or oppressive, since her mother's death. She's terrified of something like that happening again. She didn't see Anakin die, but there are many other ways he could be hurt, and he's one of the only people Ahsoka cares about. She has friends, she has Kitster, but Anakin is different. He's special. Always has been.
She's not really surprised when Palpatine catches her uneasy state of mind when she's sent to speak with him again.
"I received an intelligence report that General Grievous was discovered hiding on Utapau," he says.
Ahsoka nods distractedly, listening, but not really. "That's good."
"Is there something upsetting you, my dear?" Palpatine asks.
"It's not something anyone can help me with," Ahsoka replies shortly, crossing her arms.
"Perhaps merely speaking of it will help," he offers, and that sounds so much like what Kitster would often tell her. He'd try to get her to open up, but Ahsoka never really had a reason to. Considering this is Anakin in question, though, maybe she should try.
"I don't know who to trust," she admits finally, "I used to think the Council would do the right thing, but when have they? Ever?"
"I will admit I am concerned about the Council's goals in the war's end," Palpatine says, leaning forwards.
That catches Ahsoka's attention right off – she's been so worried about Anakin that she never thought about anything else. She hadn't even considered that the war was so close to ending, and she has no idea what will happen later. "What do you mean?" she queries, sitting down across from him.
"Ahsoka," he says seriously, and he's always serious, but her gut still flips a little at the importance of it, "You must have noticed the same thing I have come to believe."
"That the Council is making one mistake after another?" she guesses.
"I fear their intentions," he replies, "I believe they may be intending to seize control of the Senate."
Ahsoka practically gapes at him. She – okay, she can definitely imagine Mundi deciding to do something so outlandish if he thought it was for the greater good. How did she not think of that a long time ago? All the power she tried to get the Jedi, so they could do more, of course, they're going to use it for their own gain. "I haven't," she says, "But I – I think you're right."
Did the Jedi Order get Anakin killed because he was willing to help a Sith? Is that what her vision was trying to show her?
"I sense a great darkness," she continues, "I know that's not always the sign of something bad, but it may be."
"Darkness may be a new beginning," Palpatine replies, and Ahsoka nods.
Change always comes with destruction. That's what the war has done to the galaxy. What matters is what will come out of it.
"I don't know what to do," Ahsoka admits, "If the Council is really planning to take things this far, we... have to be ready." But she doesn't know how.
"I have feared this for a long time," Palpatine responds, "If they try something, it will be after Grievous' defeat."
"Strategically, yes," Ahsoka agrees, "That'd make the most sense."
"I expect they will attempt to remove me by force, and establish their control instead," he goes on.
"I won't let them harm you," Ahsoka vows. Palpatine is one of the only people she actually trusts to do something for the Republic, and she won't let the Jedi do anything to him.
"Ahsoka," Palpatine says, solemnly, "I have known you since you were a young girl. I know that you have always sought a life greater than what the Jedi are offering you."
"I have," she admits, because it's the truth, though she doesn't know quite what to think about the sudden turn in the conversation.
"The Jedi don't trust you, Ahsoka. They see your future. They can't control you the way they control all their other members. You must break through the fog of lies the Jedi have created around you. Let me help you to know the subtleties of the Force."
She's about to express her agreement, because she knows the Council has never trusted her in years, until the full extent of what he just said catches up to her.
He just – What?!
"How do you know the Force?" Ahsoka demands, incredulously.
"My mentor taught me everything about the Force... even the nature of the Dark Side."
She freezes, heart rate picking up. All this time, Palpatine's been a Force user – Dark Side user – and no one knew it? "You know the Dark Side?"
"Ahsoka, if one is to understand the great mystery of the Force, one must study all its aspects, not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Jedi. If you wish to become a complete and wise leader, you must embrace a larger view of the Force," Palpatine replies, entirely unperturbed, "Be careful of the Jedi. They fear you. In time, they will destroy you just as they intend to do to me and the Senate. Let me train you."
For a long moment, she can only gape at him. He knows the Force. And somehow, he's hidden it all this time. And he... apparently trusts her enough to tell her this. According to the Jedi, she ought to take this straight to them, but using the Dark Side isn't a crime. This doesn't mean he's guilty of anything, even if all the alarm bells are going off in her mind, remembering what Dooku said about the Sith in control of the Senate.
Every time Ahsoka talked to Dooku he didn't seem to have any connections with Palpatine, though. He could've been hiding it, of course, but that's certainly not the impression she got. Maybe this Sidious isn't even real. It's not as if she would know.
But what she does know is the very real threat the Jedi could pose to the Republic, and the fact that they've never once trusted her. If they were planning something extreme, they'd go out of their way to make sure she didn't find out about it, probably even if it meant ordering the clones to turn on Anakin.
"Only through me can you learn a power greater than any Jedi," Palpatine presses.
She knows what he's asking, and she –
She already Fell once briefly, on Mortis. She hadn't even been thinking then, and she'd attacked Anakin, and – But there's no chances of that, this time. She needs to be stronger, if she'll be able to stop the Jedi. If she'll be able to protect Anakin from them.
And yes, she's about to turn her back on everything she's been taught her entire life, but she doesn't agree with what the Jedi have become anyway. It – it still feels like betrayal, like she doesn't know what she's about to step into, which is true, but... She already knows what choice she's going to make. This isn't something she's going to be able to stay neutral about, either.
"I... accept," she replies, evenly.
She's just agreeing to learn the Dark Side. That doesn't mean she's outright turning against the Jedi, even if she's betraying the teachings they hardly follow themselves.
To tell the truth, Ahsoka doesn't care overly much about that anymore. It's not as if the Jedi haven't completely abandoned their ways already, too. The Council certainly has. They're supposed to help people, and they're not.
Maybe if she learns the Dark Side, she'll be able to do more than she already is.
**w**
It's not until Obi-Wan's left for Utapau to deal with General Grievous that he has a chance to call Anakin. He wanted to before, but Anakin's in battle, and he can't risk distracting him. But he needs to check up on his progress.
"We're still trying to track down Savage and Feral," Anakin reports, "There's been no sign of Maul. I confronted the two briefly, and they said they caused this in the hopes of luring me out here alone."
A chill runs through Obi-Wan. Why would they ever want that? Maul nearly used Anakin against him once, and he knows how much danger the boy could be in from the Sith. He didn't want him anywhere near them alone, but there wasn't much choice. "Do not confront them alone, Anakin. I don't trust what they want with you." They wouldn't have started a war, if it was anything good.
"I'll be careful," he promises. "How are things back on Coruscant?"
"We won the battle," Obi-Wan replies, "It's still unknown if Komari died in the attack but I'm being sent to hunt down General Grievous."
"So... that means the war should be almost over," Anakin says, hopefully. There's a weighted look in his eyes though, that makes Obi-Wan think something is bothering him. Now probably isn't the time to ask about it, though.
"It should be," he answers, with a little more surety than he feels. The Council is still suspicious that the Chancellor is up to something, with how much power he's been amassing. And the way Ahsoka's been sticking to his side for the last couple days. Something about her seems a little different, colder, and he doesn't know what to think of it.
"Have you spoken with Ahsoka?" he asks, finally.
Anakin frowns. "No. Not since I left. Why do you ask? Is something wrong?"
"I don't know," Obi-Wan admits, "She's been... unusually distant. I think something is happening, but she won't let on."
"I can talk to her," Anakin replies, "To see if it will help."
Obi-Wan nods. "You –"
There's a sudden noise off range of the transmission, and Anakin glances over at something he can't see. "I have to go," Anakin says, "There's been an attack."
Unsurprisingly.
"Go then, and be careful, Anakin," Obi-Wan replies.
"I will," he promises again, and they exchange one final, long glance before Anakin ends the call. Obi-Wan doesn't know why he has the feeling he won't see him again before... everything is different.
**w**
It's late afternoon now, as Bo-Katan, Rex, Anakin, and the other padawans make their way through the palace, discussing the situation on Mandalore. Unrest is growing from the Republic occupation, and they need to find the Sith soon, or they'll have to pull out. Anakin's stuck close with the other three padawans since this morning, both because of his talk with Obi-Wan and because of his nightmare of O'mer. At least if he's near him, he can... try to protect him if something happens. Maybe. And Obi-Wan isn't wrong that in a fight to the death with the Sith – though, he doesn't know why it would go that far – he could lose.
Except then, Anakin suddenly senses the Dark Side, and it feels close. "I think they're close by," he warns, hand moving for his lightsaber hilts.
They head into the throne room, stilling when he sees Savage and Feral standing at the front of the room, by the throne.
Bo-Katan whips out a blaster instantly, shooting at them.
Savage Force-throws her across the room, nearly right back out the door she just came in.
"We asked you to come alone," Feral says, eyes narrowing as he regards the other Jedi.
"You think we'd be that foolish?" Barriss speaks up, sharply.
An explosion rings out outside, lighting up the horizon. The battle must be picking up heat again. "We'll handle things here. You should deal with that," Anakin says, eyeing Bo-Katan and Rex. They both hesitate, clearly unhappy, but finally move for the door.
The brothers don't speak until the doors close, leaving them alone with the Sith. This wasn't how O'mer died so he doesn't need to worry, but that doesn't stop the panic clawing at him, knowing that could be about to happen.
He doesn't know when it'll happen, much less what will happen, but that makes him no less terrified.
"Weren't all of you thrown out of your Order?" Savage asks, finally. Or maybe, he's trying to nudge them to react a certain way.
"We chose to leave," Anakin replies, evenly.
"What does that have to do with why you're here?" Jinx demands.
"You were motivated to leave by the hypocrisy of the Council," he replies, "All of us have been tools for greater powers."
"That's why we were hoping you could help us," Feral speaks up.
"Help you?" O'mer echoes, incredulously.
"Our brother was captured by his old master, Darth Sidious," Savage replies, and Anakin can keenly sense their fear, "We have been searching for him for a long time, with no traces."
"You want to find this Sidious, too," Feral adds, "If you help us, we can deal with him together. We'll have our brother back, and you will have your chance at killing Sidious."
That... was not what Anakin was expecting to hear. Sidious has had Maul all this time? It's no wonder the two are so desperate now. There isn't a reason not to help them – they haven't caused problems for anyone for the most, until now. "Who is this Sidious?" Anakin queries, "You must know."
The two hesitate, for a brief pause, exchanging glances.
"The Chancellor," Savage replies, "He has hidden right in front of the Jedi for years without their notice."
... What?!
How –
Palpatine is the Sith?!
Anakin might not know him that well, but he always respected him, and Ahsoka looked up to him so much. She seemed to respect him more than she did anyone in the Order, and suddenly, the dark path she's been on for years makes so much more sense. He's old enough to see now that because of her life, she's never once been given what she needed in her life as a Jedi, and so she went to Palpatine instead. And that –
Force.
Maybe Obi-Wan really is right that something's going on with her, though Anakin can't imagine what, but it scares him. All this time, Ahsoka's been close to the Chancellor, and he knows no one's immune to being manipulated.
"That's impossible," denies Barriss.
But Anakin knows it is, no matter how much he doesn't want to believe it.
"Come with us back to Coruscant," Anakin requests, taking a few moments to recollect himself, "We need to take this to the Council."
"No," Savage objects, sharply, "They will imprison us and kill our brother when they reach him."
He... can entirely understand their fear. It's not an entirely wrong assumption either, because he can see the Council doing that, even if... it's not necessarily entirely fair. But they don't have much choice right now. "I will speak to them," Anakin assures, "If we want a chance at taking out Sidious, when he has concealed himself from the Jedi for years, we... should not go alone." It's way too risky, especially when there's countless legal problems that could arise from going in to kill the Chancellor. The Council has to be informed, first. "The Jedi's focus is going to be on Sidious, not on you."
The two exchange glances, almost as though conferring without words.
"We'll come," Feral replies, "But we need your word that you won't turn against us."
They... have the right to be distrustful. "I agree," Anakin replies, "But you need to end this war and pull out of Mandalore." The senseless destruction caused here is still on them, regardless of the reasons they did it.
"Very well," Savage concedes.
That... went better than expected, but he still has the feeling the real fight is only beginning.
**w**
Killing Grievous went a little better than Obi-Wan expected. He's managed to escape every other time. It's hard to believe he's finally gone. Maybe the war really is about to end. The thought feels almost entirely unreal.
He temporarily leaves the clones to deal with the rest of the battle, calling in to the Council with the report. Except, none of them even seem relieved by the news – he can sense the tenseness from everyone.
"We have uncovered concerning evidence," Fisto explains, before he can ask about it. Only half the Council members are even on this call; the rest are busy with various battles right now.
"Komari is evidently still alive. She has not returned to reclaim rulership of the Separatists, but she released an address to the public," Mundi reports, and Obi-Wan has an immediate very bad feeling about this. He feared she survived, but somehow, he's certain the worst is yet to come. "The Chancellor is Sidious."
What?
They all knew the Dark Side surrounded him, and with how much he was collecting more powers, it was obvious he was up to something sinister, but hearing he's actually the Sith they've been looking for this entire time is still a shock.
He's also the very person who's been encouraging Ahsoka to take the path she's on, from what Obi-Wan's seen. He's the one she always goes to, to get around the Council. How much does Ahsoka know? Has he been manipulating her this entire time? Does she know something more than what she's told them?
He doesn't know, but he has a very bad feeling about this. The possibility of Ahsoka Falling has never seemed quite so real as it does now.
"We're going to remove him from office," Mundi asserts, "We're taking a strike team to deal with him at once."
The uneasy feeling inside of him only grows. He knows they're walking a very thin line right now. Anything could go wrong, if Sidious has escaped their notice all this time. "I'll return to Coruscant as soon as I can." Dealing with the Sith is what matters most right now. Either way, Obi-Wan can't shake the feeling that this is going to go very, very badly.
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