I don't own Star Wars or its characters, but Nadia Aomori and my other OCs I own only.

Enjoy!

Fire of the Rebellion

Chapter 19: Undeniable Truth

Inside the cockpit of the Arcturus, Ahsoka and Maybelline sat down together listening to what Nadia was telling them.

Something the raven haired woman should've told them and not hide from them.

No matter how badly it would hurt her best friend and younger half-sister.

It had been a few days since Darth Vader attacked the Phoenix Squadron.

So it was better for her to talk to them now instead of waiting for the wrong time to come.

"At first neither me and Ferus weren't sure. But after seeing the Imperial Report that the Empire attacked Kashyyyk, our worst fears have come to reality."Nadia admitted."Anakin survived his injuries on Mustafar and had become Darth Vader."

"And how did Obi-Wan took that?"Ahsoka asked.

A scoff escaped from Nadia's mouth.

"Obi-Wan was shocked. But I got upset and actually beaten him up."Nadia declared with a frown."Because of him, Anakin is now a killing machine and Darth Sidious' puppet to use to spread evil in the galaxy."

Ahsoka gave Nadia a look that expressed a hint of surprise and disappointment.

"Nadia…"Ahsoka started.

"I know that was the wrong thing to do. But how can I be entirely fine after learning such a horrifying truth?"Nadia retorted while clenching her fist."Anakin was like an older brother figure to us both, Soka. Losing him made me remember how I lost Jayden and the rest of my family in that terrible fire."

Ahsoka looked down in silence.

Anakin fell to dark side and led the 501st Legion into the Temple.

He killed everyone everyone, even the…younglings.

He murdered them with his own hands.

Now he was Darth Vader.

A Sith Lord.

The Emperor's right hand.

It was heartbreaking.

Heartbreaking knowing that her friend/older brother figure for so long suddenly turned into someone she didn't recognise.

Tears formed on Maybelline's deep grey eyes as she gripped her hands that laid on her lap tightly.

"So Anakin did fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader?"Maybelline murmured, struggling not to cry about her hero's downfall."I can't believe this."

Nadia gave Maybelline a hug to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, Mai. I'm sorry that I kept this from you."Nadia apologised, her voice mixed with a hint of regret."Anakin was your hero and you looked up to him. But I didn't want you or Soka to share the same pain as I have."

Nadia started to cry a bit due to becoming emotional.

"I am such a bloody weakling as my Grandmother Alcina said when I was little."Nadia muttered, remembering her maternal grandmother's abuse."I was a fool to think I could make things better for everyone. I do nothing but hurt others."

A forced yet bright smile appeared on Maybelline's face.

"No. It's okay, Dia."Maybelline assured, wiping away her older half-sister's tears away."I forgive you."

Ahsoka looked at Nadia and Maybelline with a regretful look.

"So do I."Ahsoka added, slowly trying to adjust what she learned."But I shouldn't have left the Order."

Nadia shook her head as she released Maybelline.

"Soka. Don't blame yourself what happened to Anakin."Nadia declared kindly, glancing at Ahsoka."Leaving the Jedi Order actually ended up saving your life and that clearly meant you did the right thing instead of have to still deal with the Jedi Council's hypocrisy. They were corrupted by politics and soon destroyed by their own ignorance. Believe it or not, the Temple we lived in had previously been a Sith Temple before the Jedi Order was built in its place, so it housed the dark side and the Republic lost its light a long time ago."

"But-"Ahsoka started.

Maybelline dried away her tears.

"Anakin was the Chosen One and believed to bring balance to the Force. But the most of times, I actually sensed the dark side in him."Maybelline exclaimed with a hurtful look."When I was little, I didn't understand why. Though now that I am older, everything is clear to me. He had been slave in his childhood before taken into the Jedi Temple and had very little happiness in his life."

"To be clear, he was the most human out of all the Jedi, little sister."Nadia commented with a sad frown."Brave, heroic and loyal. But it also ensured that these qualities, while positive, also fuelled his descent."

A small frown appeared on Ahsoka's face.

"There were hints that Chancellor Palpatine was the Sith Lord, but all of us were too blind to see them."Ahsoka stated."He made fools out of all of us and still ended up getting what he wanted."

Nadia drank a bit of her cup of ardees before going to sit next to Ahsoka and Maybelline.

"We all did mistakes, Soka. Whether the reason was good or bad. As Padawans, we were nothing but soldiers in a war of pawns and deception."Nadia informed as she stared at her reflection in her beverage cup."Darth Sidious had years of meticulous planning, political meddling and strategy, all from the inside to cause the Republic to fall and create his Empire. So none of us could've really stopped him."

Maybelline let out a soft scowl.

"Big sister, I think the Sith Lord could've been stopped."Maybelline admitted.

A confused look appeared on Nadia's face.

"What do you mean, May?"Ahsoka questioned.

"While the Jedi remained stagnant, the Sith had evolved."Maybelline exclaimed."The Sith's rule didn't come from conquest by an overwhelming army, but instead it would come from within. However, the Jedi and the Republic weren't taking the right path, but no longer cared. They were taking the only path left for them. The path to annihilation. And…"

"What is it, May?"Nadia asked.

"And Anakin could've have left the Jedi Order. He could've walked away from it and focus having a real life with Padmé."Maybelline said and closed her eyes, only for a tear to roll down from her cheek."Also, Luke, Leia and Lisa would be together and being raised by their parents."

Ahsoka let out a sad sigh.

"If only that actually happened."Ahsoka replied."At least, we wouldn't have Darth Vader terrorising the galaxy."

Nadia nodded in agreement.

"The Jedi Council were too focused to win the Clone Wars because in their 1000 years of supremacy or whatever they called it, the Jedi prepared to fight the Sith as they done a millennium ago. On the field of battle in an intergalactic war. They've forgotten their real purpose and blinded by conflict. They became an army fighting for the dark side. Sadly, not many knew it."Nadia retorted with her arms folded."Though the Jedi were wrong about a lot of things. One of them is having the absence of emotions because they thought it would drive them to the dark side."

Suddenly, RG-G1 arrived into the cockpit and beeped at the three women.

"Lunch is ready, G-G?"Ahsoka chuckled.

"Might as well eat and talk more later."Nadia suggested."Having an empty stomach is never good."

"Knowing your big appetite, big sister, I doubt there will be enough for all of us."Maybelline sneered.

Ahsoka covered her mouth to chuckle while Nadia simply rolled her eyes.

As she watched Ahsoka and Nadia leave the cockpit with RG-G1, Maybelline closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

"When the triplets get in the rebellion, they will make Anakin regret his choices, I'm sure of it. He'll look back a see that it was Sidious' doing."Maybelline thought with a determined tone."If the prophecy is true, Anakin will bring balance. He can't die. The Force won't allow it until the balance is brought. I remember what Nadia told me and Hal about Mortis. It was there that he was confirmed to be the Chosen One."

Maybelline opened her eyes as a brave expression grew on her face.

"I believe that Anakin Skywalker still exists, no matter what."Maybelline thought."I won't stop believing that."

On Tatooine, they light of the twin suns blanketed the dunes and shimmered in the distance as Luke watched the bright morning blossomed into early noon.

His chores was over, at least for now.

The routine maintenance checks on the vaporators had been completed.

The bio-converter was turned on.

His Uncle Owen had even lifted him up so he could be the one to check the sensors around the perimeter of the farm.

Everything had been completed.

And that meant freedom for Luke Skywalker.

Luke was in his favourite spot, right on top of the small, dome-shaped building on the south side of the farm.

It was seldom-used, except for as a shed to bring supplies in for the sandstorms and it sat quite some distance from the rest of the farm.

It was perfect for watching the ships fly into the spaceport.

Luke laid on his back, hands clasped behind his head, suns beating down on him, looking out into the big blue sky, hoping for a really cool ship to come in.

A soft gentle breeze gently blew on his blonde hair as he stared at the sky.

It was just the usual smugglers' vessels, touching down at the Mos Eisley spaceport, nothing spectacular, but still more interesting than whatever was going on at the farm.

A spark of excitement appeared in his blue eyes when he saw the vessels take off in the sky.

The fifteen year old farm boy wished he could do that with all his heart.

He didn't care where the ship was going, he just wanted to be on it.

Having an adventure.

His mind was wandering to fantasies of piloting a ship and traveling the stars and becoming a hero as well.

"I will be a pilot one day and fly away from here."Luke stated with a hint of excitement.

Unknown to the blonde haired boy, he was being watched by Obi-Wan, who held a pair of macrobinoculars while sitting next to his eopie in a rocky hill.

Now Ahsoka and Maybelline know the truth, but both still hope for the better.

See you later in the next chapter and have a wonderful day!