Chapter 70 - Twilight of the Apprentice

Author's Note: This was not inspired by Malachor, I don't know what you mean -

~ Amina Gila

"Something about this isn't right," Padme says, standing in the cockpit of the Rebel ship as it streaks through hyperspace.

"Was something amiss in their peace request?" Anakin asks. Reaching into the Force, he doesn't have a good feeling about it. It feels like something's going to go wrong, but he doesn't think this is going to end in disaster. Doesn't speak for how many people could die, though. Is this a trap? That doesn't seem too hard to believe with how frequently the Separatists pulled off things like this. Sidious's death doesn't mean the end of the Sith, or corruption. It's hardly even a beginning.

"If Mina was going to offer this, she should have long ago."

Anakin can feel her bitterness. Mina was her friend, so it's not really surprising.

But then he remembers what Lux was saying about her, and... "Lux told me something," Anakin begins, "He said she has been different, even on a personal level. I believe the Sith may have done something to her, and... now that Sidious is gone, it may be broken, but that is merely speculation."

He can sense her alarm and hope at once. "What could he have done to her?"

"I don't know." And they don't have time to talk about it, because the Rebel convoy of ships for the peace talks is about to arrive.

They come out of hyperspace minutes later, over the planet chosen for the talks. There's a couple Imperial ships already waiting, and they look like regular Senatorial ships, even if they obviously have guards on board. Nothing seems amiss, but everything is too quiet, too peaceful.

The ships beeps, indicating an incoming transmission, and a hologram of Mina appears when they answer. Surprise flickers her expression when she sees Padme there. "Senator," Mina greets cordially, "It's my pleasure that you were able to make it."

Something's wrong with her. So much for the hope that Sidious' death broke the control. He can feel the Dark Side around her, but when they're mid-transmitting, it isn't a good time to warn Padme of that.

"Mina," she replies, "I was hoping this day could come far sooner."

The scanners on the front of the ship start flashing suddenly, indicating a massive ship is about to come out of hyperspace.

Mina's mid-replying but Anakin doesn't pay attention to it. He knows what's about to happen only a split second before the Malevolence comes out of hyperspace right behind them, effectively cutting off any quick escape route. They can't go back out the way they came.

The pilots scatter, sending their ships in every direction. There's no way the Malevolence is here to accompany Mina. The ion cannon is charging up. They're never going to be out of range fast enough.

Anakin scrambles for the controls, taking the copilot's seat before anyone can protest, accelerating the ship forwards. But it's never going to be fast enough. The purplish-white burst of energy envelops all the rebel ships behind them, and he speeds ahead, trying to avoid the energy blast but it's not fast enough. It hits them too, the surge of electricity crackling through the whole ship. He hears a faint sizzling on the controls as it shorts them out, and the ship jolts to a stop, floating helplessly through space.

"It was a trap," Padme breathes, afraid and angry at once.

"Mina's still being affected, if that means anything," Anakin replies, breathlessly.

The ships are out of power. They're trapped here, and the Empire's about to kill them. There's nothing they can do.

Except then, a tractor beam locks onto his ship instead, pulling them on board.

The Malevolence isn't shooting the others down. Why do they want them alive, unless... it's so they can get the location of the Rebel base?

It's standard protocol to delete all the hyperspace jump information as soon as they get to a new destination, and he doubts most of the ships had time to do that yet. They didn't jump straight here from their home bases, but still. And there's also countless people they could try torturing the information out of.

At least Shmi and Obi-Wan aren't here. That's the only real comfort Anakin can take in the situation. But some of the clones are here, for security.

He has to do something fast. He's not going to just sit around and wait for the Empire to destroy everything they've spent all this time building. This is not going to be the Rebellion's last stand. Or maybe it will be, but if it is, they're going to win.

Rex, Cody, and the Domino Squad are here, and Anakin can see them already assessing the situation. "We need to take this thing out," Anakin says, turning to them.

"You have something in mind, kid?" Cody asks.

"As soon as we get on board, we'll break away from the rest of the group. If everyone else scatters, it'll make the droids' job more difficult, but don't get yourselves injured needlessly." He pauses, mind whirling. "We need to get to the main reactor and blow it up. I can hotwire the hyperdrive. There won't be anything left of the thing. Maybe we can overheat the ion cannons, too. Then we need to get all captured Rebel personnel off the ship before it blows."

"If we dressed in stormtrooper armor, if there's any on board, we should be able to move about freely," Rex points out.

Anakin nods. "I'll take the bridge and the hyperdrive. You can take the explosives to the main reactor." At least, he can hope that will work. Now would really be a good time to have brought some other Force users here, so they wouldn't strictly need comms to communicate.

Predictably, that's the very moment Anakin feels a familiar Force presence nudging his shields.

Ahsoka.

She's here.

Of course, she is.

Maybe that's why she didn't order them all killed – because she knows he's on board. But that doesn't make Anakin very hopeful for the fate of everyone else. In truth, he loves Ahsoka far too fiercely, even after everything, to just give up on her, but that doesn't stop the sharp stinging betrayal of what she's doing. They could have finally ended the conflict here peacefully, and yet, she's choosing to continue fighting. He doesn't know if she even knows how to stop.

Their ships are being trapped into the hangar, and Anakin approaches the ramp, ready to jump whoever's first to board.

"There will be too much resistance on the bridge for you to handle alone," Cody replies, "We'll come."

They're probably right, even if he doesn't want to drag them into the danger zone.

He can hear movement right outside the ship before two stormtroopers forcibly open the ramp, blasters raised. Anakin rips their weapons away, and Rex and Cody tackle them before they can make a sound. There's a group of battle droids standing right behind them, and Anakin Force-jumps to the bottom of the ramp, activating his lightsabers to deflect away the barrage of shots that would've otherwise hit the clones.

He can feel Ahsoka approaching, and they'll need to be out of here before she shows up. There's about a dozen stormtroopers out here, and Anakin Force-throws the closest ones into the wall, knocking them out, before he turns his attention back to the droids. The other troops on board Anakin's transport join in the shootout.

The sound of clanking is rapidly drawing near, too, and a blast door at the end of the hangar is starting to open. It's... dozens of battle droids.

Rex, Cody, and the Domino Squad are mid-donning their stormtrooper armor on the shuttle, so Anakin just runs. It's the only thing he can do, dodging behind a ship in the hangar, then darting the rest of the way across until he finds a spot hidden from the droids' view to cut a hole in a blast door on the far end to clamber through, into the main part of the ship.

Behind him, he can hear the droids barking at everyone to surrender. Hopefully, the boys will be able to sneak away as soon as the droids aren't paying attention – because they won't know to suspect them.

He doesn't have to wait long before Rex and Cody catch up with him. They break into a run through the halls together, heading up to the massive bridge. Anakin can still feel Ahsoka prodding at him. She's changing course, trying to follow him. There's only so long they'll be able to outrun her.

It takes what feels like far too long for them to reach the bridge. The droids operating the system – one of them is a reprogrammed tactical droid – all look up when they enter.

"Hey, you aren't supposed to be – ah!" squawks a battle droid in the doorway as Anakin cuts it down. He grabs the tactical droid with the Force, yanking it to him and bisecting it, letting it fall to the floor.

Rex and Cody shoot down the rest of the droids quickly, before Anakin runs to the controls, setting full power to the ion cannon, and keeps dialing up the intensity. Warning lights are flashing wildly before they run from the bridge, right before the ion cannon explodes.

**w**

This is the closest Osira has sensed Anakin in so long, ever since that day on Naboo. This is the moment she's been waiting for. She knows he's going to be angry, but she... doesn't think that he's going to reject her the same way everyone has.

(She thought once she finally had control of everything, it would feel like she had the power to do something. Maybe it does, but she still feels empty. Like nothing. All she wants is to matter to someone, and Anakin is the only one left.)

She can sense him right at the end of the hall now, right before the Force flares in a warning. A deafening explosion rings out, the ship trembling violently beneath her, nearly throwing her to the floor. She steadies herself quickly – there was an explosion on deck, which undoubtedly means that that's where Anakin is.

She picks up her pace, pausing when she catches a flash of him right when she's passing by the main transport area of the ship. He's running across the transport tracks, and Ahsoka immediately jumps down onto the nearest passing transport, giving chase.

He's within her sight now, and she's going to reach him.

It's not as if he has anywhere to go. He's fighting a losing battle, and once she gets to him, she can... talk him into joining her. This is going to be the end of the Rebellion, and then she can finally direct the Empire in the direction it needs to go for stability, with Anakin at her side.

**w**

Anakin's moving so fast he can scarcely breathe as he jumps from transport to transport, Rex and Cody close behind. They don't have time for this. "Can you handle the hyperdrive?" he asks, breathlessly. "I'll be right behind you. I need to distract Ahsoka."

The clones exchange a glance.

"We can do it," Rex agrees.

"Be careful, kid. She's deadly," Cody warns.

"Don't wait for me. Just get everyone off the ship. I'll find my own way."

Neither of them look happy at the order, but they nod.

Anakin watches them for a final moment before he turns and takes off down the tracks again, leading Ahsoka away. He doesn't know how long he's been running, but he can feel Ahsoka gaining ground on him. At least he has all her attention, so hopefully the others are getting out.

Finally, the Togruta jumps down in front of him. Her eyes are burning yellow, with desperation and anger. It hurts to see her again.

"Ahsoka," Anakin says breathlessly, taking a step away from her. He wanted to see her again, just not like this.

"What are you doing?" Ahsoka demands. She's angry. He can feel it, and see the way it's burning in her eyes, even if she's not moving to attack him. "You're going to get everyone on board killed."

"You attacked us," Anakin throws back, trying to control the anger that flares up tight in his chest, even if he feels bad about feeling that way towards her. He wanted to believe they would finally have peace, and then Ahsoka decided to destroy all of that and he doesn't understand why. "The fighting was supposed to be over."

"Do you really think a peace treaty would be that easy, Anakin?" she retorts, "The Rebellion won't stop until they receive all their demands, whether it's for the betterment of the galaxy or not. I'm doing what I have to, so the Empire will finally have stability."

"When is doing things for the greater good going to be enough?" he demands, desperately. He didn't want things to come to this, but this isn't his choice, and he can't make Ahsoka's choice for her. He doesn't want to think about how this is going to end.

Ahsoka's about to reply when Anakin's comm suddenly crackles to life.

"Mission complete," Cody tells him.

The charges are in place and that they're on the way to getting everyone off the ship goes without saying. Now Anakin can only hope the amount of firepower they threw into this is going to be enough.

"On my way," he calls back.

Ahsoka's glaring at him – the anger in her eyes hurts. She pushes a button on her own comm. "Send all forces to the main reactor. There's explosives there to blow up the ship."

Kriff.

Of course, Ahsoka figured it out, and they don't have time for that.

Anakin spins around, Force-jumping onto the on-coming train cart. There's no time to wait anymore. He doesn't know what that's going to mean, but they can't wait. It's too dangerous, just once for the greater good.

He doesn't care if he's caught in the middle of it.

He just doesn't want Ahsoka to go out with him. But he doesn't know what else to do, because if they don't do this, everyone here is going to die.

He pushes the button on his comm again. "Activate them. If you're clear."

"What about you?" Cody demands. Anakin can feel the fear and mostly the resigned dread there – something all the clones have felt countless times when they know one of their brothers is going to die.

"Don't wait for me – " Anakin doesn't have time to finish before a Force wave slams into him, throwing across the tracks. He hits the wall on the far side, rolling out of the way of an oncoming transport barely in time. Ahsoka leaps over the edge, fury burning in her eyes.

"You're going to get us both killed!" she hisses, "What's wrong with you?" She Force-throws him into the wall again, yanking his comm off with the Force and crushing it.

Definitely to be petty.

It didn't really hurt physically, but it – She's hurting him,and she's not going to stop. She's more furious now than she was on Mortis when she attacked him. He'd be lying to say he doesn't feel a flicker of fear looking at her.

Mostly, he's just afraid of what's going to happen to them here, because he doesn't want Ahsoka's death on his hands. He thought she'd have time to get off the ship before this happened. But they're both too far away from the hangar.

"I'm sorry," Anakin whispers.

It sounds pathetically inadequate.

It is pathetically inadequate.

The rumbling beneath their feet starts up then, and he can feel in the Force the way the explosion is spreading out. There's no point even trying to reach a ship. They'll never get there in time. He didn't want this to be the last moment he saw Ahsoka, or her him.

They both could've made it off if she hadn't been chasing him. He thought – but it's too late for any regrets now. All he can do is hope the others are going to make it to safety.

Right before the sound of metal ripping apart reaches his ears. It all happens so fast after that. The floor rips apart beneath them in a blinding flare of fire and smoke. He's falling, and the transports are falling alongside him, but everything beneath them hasn't been completely destroyed before. He's only half of the mind enough to scramble for the nearest opening to the transport, dragging himself inside it for the minimal protection it might give him.

Orange hands land on the opening, and Anakin leans out desperately, catching onto Ahsoka's arm and yanking her inside with him. They're still falling. Metal is ripping apart all around them and it's too dark and he can't breathe and they're being thrown all around, and –

It's the last thing he registers before everything goes dark.

**w**

Osira doesn't know when she lost consciousness, but she's waking up again to the feel of the sun against her face. It feels like she was thrown straight through the Malevolence, and somehow came out still alive from how much she's aching but nothing is hurting enough to indicate that it's broken.

She blinks a few times, slowly opening her eyes. She's lying on her back on something cold and metal – it looks like a piece of transport from the Malevolence. Pushing herself up with a groan, she takes in her surroundings.

It looks like a huge piece of what was once her ship crashed into the planet below, making a huge crater in the ground, but somehow,she was in the most protected part of the ship, enough to survive the crash. Only by the will of the Force really, because that's not even... she shouldn't even be alive. She'd tried to wrap the Force around them in those last moments and she had felt Anakin doing the same thing, but she doubted it could possibly be enough.

Anakin.

The fear for him and fury at him ignite instantly in her chest at the name. She's hardly sure which is stronger anymore as she pushes herself shakily to her feet.

He's slowly sitting up a short distance away, leaning a little unsteadily against a piece of debris.

Something that was once part of the ship she made, the one they actually had worked on together so long during the war. Back when he was still willing to help her. When the Jedi hadn't turned Anakin against her, the way she is now.

She thought she would be able to reason with him, but he destroyed every last hope she had at finally ending this.

"Ahsoka..." He looks wary, tensed, but most of all, happy.

That she's alive.

But apparently, that wasn't enough to stop him from risking killing her in the first place. He could've killed both of them, and for what?

She can't let him leave with the rest of the Rebellion. It's one of the last hopes she has at keeping the Empire and her control in together before everything falls apart entirely. Osira's hands drop to her waist where her lightsabers are somehow still intact – it's a miracle they didn't ignite through her somewhere during the fall.

This feels wrong, but her hands close over the hilts, the red blades hissing to life in her hands.

Anakin takes a step back, a little unsteadily. He's hurt. She – she wants to go to him, to help him, but now would be the best time to defeat him when he's not at his best, even if it drives the wedge of anger at herself in far deeper. (If she's going to fight him when he needs help, what does she even have left anymore? But she can't – ) "Ahsoka, I don't want to fight you."

"You should have thought about that before," she hisses back, and jumps at him.

Anakin stumbles away, scrambling to call his lightsaber to him from where it's lying a distance away in the debris. The double-bladed 'saber – the two are connected right now – hisses to life in his hands, and he swings one end up to block her.

She doesn't know how this fight is going to end, but it's not something she can fail. This is her last chance. Last chance to – anything.

She attacks him in a blur, their lightsabers clashing, and for all that Anakin might be slightly injured, he's not fighting like it. He's fighting with the same skill he's always had, and even if he's young, it... already way surpasses hers. But she's a Sith and he's not – and she's going to use that to her advantage.

She lets the Dark Side fuel her, drowns herself in it the way she has ever since everything fell. Maybe to a point, ever since Anakin left the Order in the first place. Letting it drown herself in her blind rage is hardly difficult right now. It's a little harder to not let her fighting get sloppy as she presses her attacks, though.

Anakin is still keeping up easily. He has a fierce determination in his own eyes, and she's pretty sure he wants to talk – but he doesn't have the breath to and probably won't spare the energy right now.

It feels a little like all the anger and desire to be something and have someone notice her and loneliness that's haunted her for years is coming to the surface.

Even if it's not Anakin's fault at all.

Doesn't mean she's not angry at him too right now – for destroying this after she worked so long, and for – for not agreeing to join her, and maybe for a little of – of feeling like he has everything she wanted and never got and never will get. He has his mother and Obi-Wan and friends, and she – she doesn't have any of that.

She thought at least Sidious cared, but he never did. All he wanted was a tool, and it makes her viciously glad he's gone, and simultaneously guilty and empty over what happened.

The last friend she ever had who would've stood with her was Kitster, and he's never coming back.

No one is.

Not for her.

All she ever wanted was to help, to actually matter, to do something that would be noticed, that – but all she's ever gotten is rejection and she's so tired of it. Tired of everything, really.

She snarls wordlessly as she slashes at him again, Anakin hastily blocking her blows, before Force-shoving her, stepping back, breathing hard.

Ahsoka adjusts the grips on her hilts, ready to lunge forwards again. She doesn't want to hurt him, not really. But she can't think straight and she wants to – to – "You could have taken my offer. We could have ruled the galaxy together!" Ahsoka yells.

"The galaxy needs someone strong in control of it, but not like this. The Empire is just hurting people," Anakin argues.

"Because the Rebellion won't stop fighting," she hisses, jumping at him again. Their blades clash mid-air and she flips over his head, attacking him from behind. He spins around to block her.

She doesn't mean to get sloppy in the fighting – doesn't really realize how sloppy she's being until she realizes that she can't come anywhere close to Anakin and he's steadily pushing her back. Winning. And she can't let that happen. She can't.

She tries to score a hit, but Anakin twists his blade, sending one of her lightsabers flying from her hand. It flies somewhere out of sight, and she doesn't have a moment to breathe long enough to try and get it. She tries to fight him off with the only one she has, but she's... definitely losing now. Not that she has any intention of backing down. She won't. She can't – this is all she's ever had, because she's always had to stand alone and she's so tired of it, but she can't give up now.

Even if she – she wants to suddenly. Wants it to stop. She's tired of fighting. She's been tired of fighting her entire life, but she never had a choice, and now –

Anakin's blade slashes downwards, cutting through the top of her hilt – she has no idea how he managed to do that without hitting her hand, but somehow he did – and she drops it, sparking. Ahsoka stumbles a step back, nearly tripping over some of the Malevolence'sdebris behind her, and landing on the ground.

Anakin's lightsaber levels in front of her, even if it's not close enough to hurt her.

But she lost.

She doesn't know where her last lightsaber is, but she's not going to risk trying to reach for it. Even if she doesn't think that –

Ahsoka looks up to meet Anakin's gaze, through the blue lightsaber reflecting off his face.

He looks... a little like he wants to cry, actually.

She doesn't know if that makes her more upset or want to hug him more. She misses when they were together, when they – But there was nothing good during the war or – or ever, really. The last time she felt hope of anything, without that desperate, constant, ceaseless need to keep fighting to fix everything no matter how impossible it was even when it felt like the entire galaxy was against her for everything she did, was back when she was on Tatooine. When being able to help was a dream instead of a failing reality.

(Before she killed so many people. Before she realized she would never mean anything to anyone, except her mother and... Anakin, except she doesn't know what he wants now.)

"Ahsoka," Anakin's the first to speak. His hands, clenched on his lightsabers, are shaking. "Can we talk?"

Of all things she expected him to say, that... wasn't one of them.

"If that's what you want," she shoots back, eyes narrowed. They should talk. She doesn't want to. She also does, because maybe – maybe there's still one final chance she could convince him to come, but she's not very hopeful it's even possible anymore.

"I don't want to hurt you. I don't want us to fight," he says, desperately.

"I didn't either," she replies, eyes narrowed.

Anakin takes a wary step back, deactivating his lightsaber.

She could try to run, or throw him or steal his blade, and – She doesn't know what's stopping her.

Anakin crouches in front of her – they're basically the same height now. She remembers when he used to be so small. He's still so young, even if he is as tall as her now.

He's... what? Eighteen now?

Despite everything, he's still her little brother, still –

(But why is it him everyone wants?)

The last thing Ahsoka's expecting is for him to lean forwards, wrapping his arms around her. Ahsoka freezes – it was entirely unexpected and when was the last time someone did this? It was definitely Anakin, back right before he left for Mandalore, actually. Ahsoka slides her own arms around him, pulling him close.

His lightsaber is just within reach.

She could take it, and – and win the fight. End it and take Anakin with her whether he wants to come or not. She could, but –

He still wants her now, apparently, or he wouldn't be holding her like this, and she doesn't want to risk losing that. Doesn't want to force him to – to do that, even if she has every intention of trying to persuade him to come.

She... doesn't want to hurt him. Her hand drops away from the lightsaber hilt, and she breathes out deeply. Despite what the Dark Side clinging to her whispers, Anakin is – she cares about him far more than whatever she's tried to do in the galaxy, and maybe... at least she can hear him out.

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