1 BL (Before Light)
Dathomir's sunset was a violent red- a warning of what was to come. Nights on this oppressive world were even crueller than the days- cold and dark and dangerous beyond measure. But Ahsoka didn't hesitate, trudging past a shallow grave as she entered the fortress of the Nightsisters. Maul had used her. Hadn't he? He'd been cruel- remorseless- manipulative. Irredeemable from the very beginning. But even after everything- even after his actions had brought about the death of an entire world- Ahsoka couldn't help but mourn him. She didn't owe him a thing. She didn't need to bring his body here for burial. And yet...
The great cave stretched on for what felt like an eternity, but at last she spotted it. She approached the crudely constructed altar decorated with a distorted depiction of Mandalore's former Duchess. Before it rested a weapon- the darksaber- fabled blade of the first Mandalorian Jedi and symbol of unity for the Mandalorian people. She hesitated. But only for a moment.
"I suppose that in the end, you got your wish," she muttered as her fingers settled around the hilt. "I will do what you could not. I will make it mine."
The blade ignited. It was a void of endless black, surrounded by a horizon of glowing white. How much blood had been spilled by this storied sword? How much more would yet be spilled? As if feeling the weight of those countless deaths, she held it close. Ahsoka knew what was about to happen. But that wouldn't make it any less painful.
"Ahsoka?"
She wanted more than anything to cast the blade aside, to turn around, to embrace the voice behind her, to bring things back to the way they once were. But things could never go back. How could one turn back on a path so littered with corpses? Switching off the weapon, she wiped the tears from her face and drew a sharp breath.
"You found me," she responded, devoid of emotion. "Of course you did."
"I came to... apologise. I know you're hurting, I know you-"
"Don't make me laugh," grimaced Ahsoka. "And don't pretend you care. We both know why you're really here."
"While I cannot put my feelings before my duty... that doesn't mean I don't have them. That doesn't mean I don't care about you."
"And that's why you abandoned me, right? Because attachment- loyalty- they'll always come after your devotion to the Jedi."
The Ahsoka that stood before him was a stranger. There was a coldness in her voice- a cruelty.
"...fine. Have it your way. A vortex in the Force. Trillions of voices silenced. And you at its centre. I need you to tell me what happened. Even from Tatooine, I-"
Rage engulfed her. Ahsoka whirled around, her furious gaze meeting the haggard face of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Tatooine?!" she yelled, her voice venom. "What right have you to judge me, Obi-Wan?! The galaxy burns thanks to your Padawan, and you hide yourself on Tatooine?!"
"Ahsoka, I-"
"No. I don't want to hear your excuses. I don't want to hear anything from you. Leave."
Clad in sand-worn robes with his lightsaber dangling clumsily from his belt, Obi-Wan looked a far cry from the stoic general who'd faced down entire armies during the Clone Wars. There was an emptiness in the way he carried himself- as though he'd been robbed of his very soul.
"I'm sorry, Ahsoka, but I can't do that. What the Force has revealed to me- everything you've done- everything you intend to do- I will not turn a blind eye to that."
A wry smile spread across Ahsoka's face.
"What- are you going to kill me? Or are you just going to leave me for dead, bloodied and broken, the same way you did with Anakin?"
"Anakin… he…?"
"He didn't die. Oh, no. The thing he turned into on that day- it's impossible to imagine the suffering my old master would have inflicted upon the galaxy if I hadn't put him out of his misery."
"You killed him?!"
"No. I killed the monster that took his place. I killed the monster that you created. You, Obi-Wan. You were his master. His friend. His brother. What would Qui-Gon think if he knew this was where your promise would lead?"
"I'm… so sorry," said Obi-Wan, his voice shaking. "You're right, that... that was my failure. I failed Anakin. I failed to stop what he became. I failed the galaxy and... I failed you. I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" snorted Ahsoka. "You're sorry?! You abandoned us! All of us! Where were you when Anakin slaughtered his way through the Jedi temple? Where were you when the remaining Jedi were hunted down and executed? Where were you when-"
Despite her efforts, tears once again began to well up in Ahsoka's eyes.
"When I was all alone- when everyone turned against me- when I just wanted to die- where were you?!"
"I-"
"What was so important that you left us all to rot?! And after turning a blind eye for so, so long, what gives you the gall to show your face now?!"
Obi-Wan couldn't help but flinch at Ahsoka's outburst. The anguish on her face became mirrored in his own.
"...believe me when I say that I want nothing more than to atone for my mistakes. Listen to me, Ahsoka. The world has taken so much from you, and you're right to feel angry. But is it not the Jedi way to put aside our passions? To act in the interests of the greater good? The Jedi may be gone, but everything they stood for only dies if we allow it to- if we, blinded by rage, choose to forsake our values!"
"But I'm not a Jedi, am I? You and your council have seen to that. You turned your back on me, Obi-Wan. All the Jedi did. You cast me out- you left me with nothing. I ought to hate you for all you've done."
"Then hate me. Despise me if you must. All I ask is that you spare the galaxy your wrath."
There was silence. Then came an eerie humming as Ahsoka ignited the darksaber, raising it towards Obi-Wan.
"I'll give you a final chance, old 'friend'," she said, her voice dripping with spite. "Leave now or die upon the same blade as your Duchess."
Obi-Wan's eyes widened in frightful realisation. Her words- her stance- the manner in which she wielded her blade- they were terrifying in their familiarity. Fragments- pieces- memories, perhaps- but the likeness was unmistakable.
"Why did you come to Dathomir?" he said, unease creeping into his voice. "It… it was for Maul, wasn't it?"
Ahsoka's silence confirmed Obi-Wan's suspicions.
"Ahsoka," said Obi-Wan, his hand moving to his lightsaber. "Whatever he's told you, it's-"
"It's true! All of it! Even as the Jedi stumbled blindly in the darkness, Maul warned me of what was to come! Maul foresaw what Anakin would become! Maul protected me when everyone else betrayed me!"
"Can't you see, Ahsoka? He's using you! Manipulating you!"
"You really know nothing. Unlike you- unlike anyone else- he stayed by my side. He's the one person who never betrayed me."
"Maul has twisted you into a pawn of evil."
"Evil?! I did what needed to be done!"
"You wiped out a planet!"
"I destroyed Darth Sidious! I shattered the Empire!"
"And at what cost?! How many trillions of lives did you take? In fighting evil, what have you allowed yourself to become?!"
"I became what I had to to survive! Though I know you'd have preferred if I'd died alongside the rest of the Jedi. That way, I wouldn't be standing here as witness to your failures."
"That isn't fair."
"I'm not trying to be."
"Please. Lay down your weapon. We can still-"
"We can still what- we can still fix this?!" Ahsoka yelled, wiping the streaking tears from her face. "There's no 'fixing' this. I have nothing. Nothing. You said it yourself, Obi-Wan- I destroyed Coruscant. I burned the only home I'll ever have. There is no redemption left for me. But if you think I'm going to do what you did- if you think I'm going to stand idly by as the rest of the galaxy goes up in flames- then you're wrong."
"Then... it was you," said Obi-Wan, his eyes widening in horror. "Though it pains me, I have no choice. I must... bring you to justice."
"Justice?!" exclaimed Ahsoka incredulously. "What justice? Republic justice? The Republic is gone! Imperial justice? I destroyed the Empire's heart! Justice is merely a construct of the current power base- which, in case you hadn't noticed, will soon belong to me!"
"You mean to become the tyrant you once sought to destroy."
"I mean to bring peace- order- security- unity of purpose. I mean to do what you and the Jedi never could!"
Obi-Wan drew his lightsaber, igniting it.
"...The future I've seen cannot become a reality. Surrender. Please. Before it's too late."
"Heh…" said Ahsoka, suppressing a pained expression with a forced smirk. "I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd have it in you."
Ahsoka shifted into a defensive stance, blade held ready to meet Kenobi's. But Obi-Wan's strike didn't come. The blue of his lightsaber reflected off the pools of green scattered about the cavern, creating a bizarre serenity as the former master mentally probed Ahsoka's defences for a weakness.
As he did, a premonition of the fire flashed before his eyes. For a brief instant Obi-Wan glimpsed the totality of what was to come. But he could not stop it. He could not escape fate's grasp.
The darkness held captive by Ahsoka's blade expanded into a singularly decisive strike. And then, there was nothing.