Chapter 2 - When Everything's Cold

Author's Note: Credit to G4dgetJunior on ffnet for the inquisitor Ahsoka fanart on the front cover. :D

More of the history in this reality is explained. ;)

~ Tirana Sorki

Anakin doesn't really know what he expected when Ventress said she was taking him to the Rebel command. He expected there'd be some Separatists there, but not... And mostly? He was not expecting her to take him to Mustafar, of all places in the galaxy.

"Problem, kid?" she snips, catching his expression.

"The last time I was here, my padawan and I nearly fell into the lava."

"Huh. I didn't think you were old enough to train a padawan."

"I was." He doesn't say more about Ahsoka than that. He's not ashamed of her, or of anything she's done – quite the opposite – but he doesn't want to tell Ventress much about himself until he's entirely certain he can trust her. Which, as of now, he is not.

The atmosphere is tense and dark, though not outright volatile.

There are battle droids everywhere. That, at least, is something Anakin expected, but it's hard to see them without attacking them. He keeps expecting them to start shooting at him, but nothing happens. It's unnerving.

"You always been on the run?" Ventress queries.

"A bit," he answers, "Usually. Sometimes not." Not fully true, but it's easier than talking about his past right now. He needs to focus, and presently, that means getting answers.

"Halt!" a battle droid squawks, approaching them the moment they disembark from the ship, blasters raised. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"Really?" Ventress asks mockingly, pushing her helmet up.

"Oh," the droid says, lowering its blaster, "Come inside, mistress."

Anakin follows her, scanning the halls. It's a small facility and considering the location – the only other people on Mustafar in his reality was the Black Sun, meaning criminals – no one would think to look here. Probably.

Are the Separatists here in his reality? He pushes that thought away – it doesn't really matter.

Someone stops them by the door, not someone Anakin recognizes. He's more searching for familiar faces, and presently, there are none. He can make out a few people who were Separatist leaders, though, and he can't help wondering how... everything was here. He still has so many questions.

"I picked up a stray kid," Ventress says, "Show me to the Jedi, if you don't mind."

The Jedi?

There's still some here?

Someone, at least, and Anakin feels a flicker of hope at that.

The person shows them to a room off the main conference hall area. It's fairly small, and a little too open for Anakin's liking – he doesn't feel safe here. It's dark, too. Everything here is so dark.

Ventress seats herself on the table edge, and Anakin leans against the wall, arms crossed.

It feels like he should be fighting here. Feels like maybe in another time, he did. Not just standing around, watching. He doesn't belong here.

And that's when Anakin senses something. Or, more accurately, finally understands a presence he's felt since the moment he exited hyperspace, one he's tried so hard not to focus on. He doesn't want to believe it true. Possible. Present.

"Asajj," a very, very familiar voice greets. It's so real. It's here. Anakin hasn't heard him since Mortis, and that was so brief, so fleeting. It felt like a dream, like the many he's had since Naboo. "I heard you found another Jedi."

"Oh, yeah," she drawls, jumping up, "This kid here claims to be a Jedi."

"Hello, young one."

"Anakin," he replies numbly, turning around to face him. "My name is Anakin Skywalker."

Qui-Gon is dressed similarly, and he looks... the same. Just a little older, and his hair's gray, and... He looks more tired. More worn, but still the same.

"I know you," Anakin continues, and he's rambling, but this is Qui-Gon Jinn, the man who freed him from slavery, who saved him, who – Qui-Gon gave him a life. That's something no one else has ever done. He was there. He was always there. Anakin felt it. It seemed so ludicrous most of the time, but he always knew.

Qui-Gon is just watching him, expression thoughtful, so Anakin keeps talking.

"I – I'm not from here. I can't explain it. I don't know how it happened or where I am, or what's happening. I was fighting the Sith Master, and he opened what I think was a... rift in the Force, and I woke up in the Chancellor's office here. Except everyone's talking about an Empire, and the Emperor is someone who I thought was dead." He inhales deeply, trying to center himself. "You were supposed to be dead. You freed me years ago, and... the – this isn't what I know."

"You may be in an alternate reality," Qui-Gon says finally, watching him. He looks... not worried, because Anakin has never seen Qui-Gon looking worried, but definitely thoughtful. "Even in the time of the Jedi, very little was known about the multiverse. It is too dangerous for us to study, and no one has ventured into it."

"Do you know me?" Anakin asks desperately because he can't imagine Qui-Gon not knowing him. It was him who got Anakin to be a Jedi, who gave him what no one else did. He believed in him. Stood by him when no one else did.

"Your name is familiar," Qui-Gon replies, "And so are you, but I don't know you."

Obi-Wan didn't, either. "I – I commed my master," he continues numbly, "He answered, but he didn't know me."

No one does.

That shouldn't terrify him as much as it does, but he can't think about anyone else.

(It scares him, actually. It feels like everyone would have been happy, entirely unaware of his very existent, uncaring. Like – like he didn't even matter. But that isn't what's important here. Obi-Wan would always tell him not to focus on it, but that never helps. Whether he broods or not won't chase the hurt away.)

"Perhaps this reality of yours is... different, and you aren't in the same place you were in your own."

Anakin sighs, closing his eyes. He wants to cry. "Maybe," he whispers. Does that mean he's still a slave on Tatooine? But why doesn't he sense himself? Isn't he... supposed to?! "I – I don't sense myself. Should I?" Or is he dead? That shouldn't hurt so much. It shouldn't terrify him so much.

"Truthfully, I don't know," Qui-Gon replies, "But anything I could say would be a theory, with no basis."

That's true. "Yeah," Anakin breathes, nodding a little.

"Who was your master?" Qui-Gon asks.

Anakin is about to answer when a familiar beeping draws his attention to the doorway. "Artoo?!" he exclaims, turning and crouching in front of the droid, touching his dome. "Do you remember me?"

Artoo freezes, looking from him to the others, beeping softly. That's a no, and the loss he feels at it is almost ridiculous. Artoo is one of his oldest friends. They've been through so much together.

"You know it, too?" Ventress asks from behind him, "Do you know everybody?"

"Close," Anakin answers, "In my reality, Artoo-Detoo was Senator Amidala's droid."

"Senator Amidala?" Qui-Gon inquires, "As in Queen Amidala of Naboo?"

His heart flutters a little at the mention of something being identical to his reality. "Yes. Yes, her. I think."

"You got something to say?" Ventress asks the droid, approaching him.

Artoo beeps, dome swiveling towards Qui-Gon. Padme was captured by the Empire. She sent me to tell you.

Anakin's heart skips a beat.

He's only seen her twice since he was a child, but he's never forgotten her. She was still his friend, and maybe this her is not the one that he knew, but either way, she's still... her. Qui-Gon is the same.

She requested your assistance, Artoo adds.

Qui-Gon nods to him. "I'll go," he replies, standing and looking back at Anakin. "I don't mean to cut this short."

"Can I come?" Anakin asks, stepping forwards, "I knew her in – in my reality, too. A little, but she's a friend." He would like to see her again. Badly. He's always wanted to, but it's been... a long time.

"The more help, the better," Qui-Gon replies. "Do you have a location?"

Artoo beeps in the affirmative.

"Mind if I tag along?" Ventress inquires, stepping forwards, "It's been a while since I raised a bit of chaos."

"Might I remind you that a Jedi does not seek adventure?" Qui-Gon asks. Force. It's so weird to see them teasing each other.

Ventress spreads her hands, smirking. "Dooku trained me well."

It's so easy to forget Dooku trained Qui-Gon. Anakin can't even imagine that. He can't imagine Dooku being anything other than evil. Maybe there was more to him once, but when Anakin saw him, all he did was hurt and kill. Anakin lost his arm to him, and that's not something he'll ever forget.

Anakin still finds it very, very hard to imagine that they were trained by the same person. He doesn't really understand what kind of relationship that would result in – he's never had anyone like that himself. Obi-Wan never had time to train anyone else, and Anakin isn't entirely certain how he'd feel about it if his master did take on another padawan.

Probably, that's just old insecurities arising upon seeing Qui-Gon again, though.

From there, they head for the ship. Qui-Gon pauses to have a brief talk with command, which weirds Anakin out more than anything else.

He doesn't know what to think about them, doesn't know if they're like the Separatists or not. The people are the same, and that Ventress isn't might mean they aren't, either, but he still... it's uncomfortable.

They board the ship, and Ventress takes off. Artoo is here, watching, and it still hurts that he doesn't remember Anakin. That they're not... talking the way they used to.

Qui-Gon goes to the back to meditate, and Anakin isn't surprised by that, but he thinks something's... bothering Qui-Gon, which is weird. He never seemed bothered by anything when Anakin knew him. Things are different here, and Obi-Wan's absence is glaringly obvious, but still.

Once the ship is off, he moves to the back, just to... check on him. Linger, maybe. He's the one familiar person Anakin knows.

"Are you okay?" Anakin asks him quietly. It feels odd to ask, but he needs to know.

"I will be fine," he replies, "I have been avoiding the Empire for some time. To actively fight is not something I have ever wanted."

"But you're fighting for freedom, right?" Anakin queries, sitting beside him.

"The Order has changed, and so has yours," Qui-Gon responds, "But we are not meant to be soldiers."

Anakin has heard that before, but it's still what he believes in. He only knows fighting. That's... the only life Anakin has really known, and it's hard, but to survive means to adapt. "No, but we fight if we're needed."

"Frequently, there is no right in war," Qui-Gon responds, "A Jedi's role is to end conflict. That, unfortunately, is no longer something we can do here."

Yeah. Anakin knows that. It's still hard to accept, though. The war had been hard, and he often felt lost, but he... it was never a question of whether fighting was the right thing. It had felt wrong, but Anakin never questioned it. He never questioned orders.

Maybe he should have. Maybe.

But it often felt like he did it too much, and none of that... makes sense. Maybe it's just that he's not at his home anymore.

"What about you?" Qui-Gon asks him, "I imagine this place is different."

Anakin nods. "It is. Many of the... Rebellion leaders are... the people I fought in my own."

"They call themselves the Alliance Council," Qui-Gon informs, "The Empire is what named them the Rebellion."

"We were fighting the Separatists. People who believed the Republic was wrong, who wished to recede from it. We were trying to find a... peaceful solution, until they tried to execute the Jedi who came there to end it, and it exploded into all-out war. What are they like here? I can't imagine they're all right."

"They are not," Qui-Gon admits, "But in war, one must eventually choose a side, and allies are not always the best of people."

He can say that again. Multiple times. Anakin worked with many, many bad people in the war. Admiral Tarkin was one. Probably top on the list. "I've always done what I had to, for victory," Anakin adds, "I just... sometimes, I wonder if it was right. I believe in the Republic. The Jedi. But it often felt like others were blinded by their need to win."

"Many Jedi who survived the purge have become lost in the same," Qui-Gon tells him, "Now, there aren't many remaining."

"There's you," Anakin replies, trying his best not to think about Obi-Wan. "There's got to be others who are true to the Code."

A silence settles over them for a few minutes as Anakin mulls over what he's just heard.

"No one here remembers me," he speaks up at last, "I... I want to find a way back home."

"I will help," Qui-Gon promises, "In any way I can."

"Thank you." There's really nothing more anyone can offer him.

"I knew there was something important about you when I saw you. I believe the Force brought you here for a reason."

"Do you believe you are the Chosen One?"

"How can I know?"

"I can tell you what I believe. I believe you are the Chosen One."

"That I was meant to be here," Anakin agrees softly. He doesn't want to think about what it could mean for him here. "I... I'm needed here." It scares him a little if he's being honest.

"Yes," Qui-Gon concurs, "Though why, I cannot say."

"We'll find out," Anakin replies, "Eventually." It hadn't made sense why Ahsoka had to leave, either. He thought it might help her, but in the long run, it was because she needed to go to Mandalore, to find Maul. That's where she was needed.

And now, so is he, even if it hurts.

Anakin's path has never been easy, but that won't stop him.

**w**

Anakin's in the copilot seat next to Ventress when they come out of hyperspace at the location Artoo directed them to. He was expecting a space station, or a large ship, but definitely not what he does see.

The ship looming ahead of them is massive, and it's identical to the Malevolence.

Because it probably is the Malevolence, except the Empire has it instead of the Separatists this time.

"Never seen a ship that gargantuan before," Ventress muses, leaning forwards.

"It's not just a ship," Anakin warns, heart rate picking up. This is bad. Ahsoka nearly died the first time he saw this ship, and it took out an entire squadron of his men, when he was trying to take out the ion cannons. That's not to count the countless clones and Jedi who were lost before they even identified what the ship was in the first place. "It's a superweapon. It has an ion cannon that takes out all power to the ships it hits, leaving them entirely vulnerable to any attack. It will do the same to us if we're spotted."

"You had experience with it in your reality?" Qui-Gon asks, hovering behind Anakin's seat, expression tense.

"Yes," he replies, mind whirling as he thinks back to the last time he faced this thing, "Too much. It destroyed Master Plo's entire fleet, but I helped take it out. Perhaps we can do so again if there's a chance without risking Padme." There's no moon nearby to crash it into, but they can figure something out. There's no way they can leave this thing on the loose, letting it slaughter countless people just like it did in his time.

"Is there anything you didn't do?" Ventress asks, dubiously.

Qui-Gon's hand touches Anakin's shoulder momentarily, and if he were of the mind to focus on it much, it could nearly be enough to make him cry. He missed Qui-Gon so much, for all that he hardly knew him. He could still remember the feel of his hands on his shoulders, like when he stood up to the Council for Anakin even though he didn't have to, and he... missed him. He never had reason to imagine he'd see him again. "If there is a chance," he agrees, "But if this weapon is as dangerous as you say, we have little time."

"Any amazing ideas on how to board this before it fires us, then?" Ventress inquires.

"I snuck on board once before," Anakin replies, taking the controls and flying towards the ship. They'll have to be fast, and it's likely the scanners already picked them up, but there's nothing else they can do. If the ship makes a hyperspace jump, who knows when they'll be able to pinpoint Padme's location again.

They don't even make it halfway there before Lost Familiar suddenly jolts, and an unseen force starts dragging it in. They're caught in a tractor beam. It's... an ideal way to get on board, but they'll have to move fast if they want to find a way off of it. He has no idea how many forces will be waiting for them when the ship docks. And if they cut their way through them and go in search of Padme, everyone on board the Malevolence will be looking for them.

Which... give him an idea, even if it's not a risk he's eager about taking. "They'll be waiting for us," Anakin warns.

"Nothin' we can't handle," Ventress chirps, though there's more anxiety in her gaze and in the Force than she's showing.

"Do you have something in mind?" Qui-Gon asks, turning to him.

It's strange being the only one who really knows what he's doing here, being the one who's leading. He feels far more confident in himself now than he used to. He had to learn to be, to lead his men on the fronts, no matter how difficult it was at first, knowing one wrong move would get people killed – when he already didn't trust his own decisions back then. But at least now, the only one who might get hurt is him. "I can... surrender myself, while you two go to find Padme. They'll be distracted with me, and I'll escape before you leave."

It's risky, definitely not a risk he's fond of taking. He's been captured by the Separatists before, and it was far from pleasant, even if it was never long. That doesn't mean the memories aren't burned forever into his mind – the feeling of that sheer helplessness, of knowing there's nothing he can do to get out, to stop people from hurting him, just like back on Tatooine.

It had hurt, and it was terrifying and demeaning, but it was always part of the mission, the plan, and he always knew his men or Obi-Wan would be there to find him, to get him out.

He doubts the Empire will be any more pleasant than the Separatists were. But this time, there truly isn't any information they can get out of him – he doesn't know anything. That doesn't stop the fear coiling inside of him, at volunteering to be back in that kind of position again, but it's the best he can think of.

"Be careful," Qui-Gon requests.

"Of course," Anakin nods to him, "I'll be fine." Even if – even if they hurt him, and he's not able to break out on his own, he trusts Qui-Gon to come back for him.

Lost Familiar is pulled into the hangar, and there's no one there yet, but he can already sense familiar Force presences approaching.

Wait.

The clones.

That's why they feel so familiar.

He was so focused on how the ship was full of droids last time that he never really thought about or considered until this very moment that the entire ship is full of clones. Maybe the clones are fighting against them in this universe, but he's not going to hurt him. He's definitely not destroying the ship with thousands of clones on board. He'll have to find a way to maneuver around them. Somehow.

Qui-Gon and Ventress are already gone when the clones show up. Anakin stills at the bottom of the ramp when he realizes who they are. The orange-colored armor is too familiar – they're the 212th.

He spots Cody in the group immediately, all of whom are approaching him with their blasters raised.

Cody, who also doesn't remember Anakin at all, and that... hurts an unreasonable amount. He and Cody were... close, even if they never had much time to get to know each other.

"Surrender," Cody orders.

Anakin holds up his hands, gaze darting between them. "I didn't mean to trespass in military airspace," he supplies, mostly to stall them, "I was just passing through."

"You're a Jedi," he accuses, not that Anakin truly expected him to buy the excuse. He can feel his wariness, but beyond that, he... seems almost hesitant, as though he has questions about what the Empire is doing.

The clones move forwards to put him in binders and he lets them, despite the fear twisting inside of him.

Whatever happens now, it's... not going to go well. He already knows that, but that doesn't make him any more prepared for it. At least with the Separatists, it was the droids that were going to hurt him. But he can't imagine facing the clones being about to do that.

They don't have a choice in this. They're slaves to the Empire, just as much as... they were to the Republic.

It feels worse here, but Anakin doesn't know if that's true. Everything feels different, but he doesn't really know what the Empire is like. He doesn't know what anything is like. He can't compare everything to his own reality.

"Do you know what this ship is for?" Anakin queries. How the clones could go along with this, he doesn't understand, but he needs to know. They probably never knew any differently.

"It's a military station. You don't need to know more than that."

"I do know more than that," Anakin argues, and Cody pauses, looking at him questioningly. "It's going to hurt people. No one can handle this kind of power and be trusted with it. You must know that."

"We're soldiers," Cody replies, "We're part of something larger than we understand."

"But you're still people," Anakin objects, "And you're still responsible for seeing when something you're being told to do is wrong."

Cody doesn't respond to it verbally, but he doesn't have to. Anakin knows he... heard. Understands. And he had to try.

Now, it's time for the wait, and Anakin loathes waiting.

The cell is dark, and it feels like the walls are closing in on him. It's all he can do not to think about the last times he was in a position like this, and he wants to be out of here. It doesn't help that he can't even move, since he's strapped to a... what he's fairly certain is going to be used as a torture device. There's nothing he can do but wait now, and it's almost worse that nothing's happening.

He doesn't know how Ventress or Qui-Gon are doing either, but they're skilled. They should be getting to Padme – but he doesn't want to think about how many clones Ventress might end up killing along the way. Doesn't want to think about how many of them will die because of his plan. She never had any restraint with hurting them before, and they're her enemies again, even if she's not the same as the other one. And even if there might be no way for them to get out alive without hurting them. That doesn't mean Anakin likes any of this.

He has no idea how long it's been when he suddenly senses the Dark Side. It's cold and prickles dangerously at the edge of his senses, reminding him sharply of the times he confronted Dooku. Whoever's coming isn't a clone.

The ray shield to the cell opens abruptly to reveal a masked figure in black robes. His mask is a silver-gray, and even though Anakin can't see his eyes, he can still feel the intensity of the gaze as the ray shield turns on again, leaving them alone together.

But there's something about the figure that's way too familiar. He feels like a rainstorm in the Force, like a very familiar Force presence gone dark, just like what Anakin sensed right after ending up in this reality in the first place.

But the person in front of him is also a Sith, and that's not possible. Is it?

How could –

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin asks faintly, disbelievingly.

The figure takes a step closer, reaching up to take his helmet off.

Obi-Wan's face stares back at him, something assessing in his yellow eyes. He looks almost exactly the same as Anakin's Obi-Wan, except for the darker air to him, and that he's so obviously a Sith.

He's – that's another thing Anakin's mind will have to process later, he thinks. Right now, he can't think of anything at all.

"My name is Lord Kallous," he replies, "And I've been looking for you."

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