Chapter Text
AHSOKA TANO:
Ahsoka was still trying to wrap her mind around what had happened.
One moment, she’d been fighting Ana—no, Darth Vader—and the next she found herself in an infinite void that seemed to operate outside of space time.
The Ezra who’d saved her from death was completely unlike the Ezra she had heard crying out in fear mere moments ago—from her perspective, at least. This Ezra was taller, more deliberate, and he lacked the berry-blue moppy hair that the Ghost crew had grown so fond of.
She was still so shaken by, you know, literal time travel, that she hadn’t truly processed what he’d told her. Kanan’s death should’ve hit her like a landslide, and yet she felt too numb to feel anything at all. Two years had passed from Ezra’s perspective, and she was thought to be dead after her encounter with Vader.
It was too much for her to process. It was peculiar that Morai of all creatures was here, in this strange place with strange voices. Though she recognized some of the speakers, the rest of them were completely alien to her.
And now she was running, sprinting after Ezra Bridger, who seemed so hardened compared to their last encounter. She shuddered to think of what he’d gone through between then and his version of now.
Ezra skidded to a halt in front of a portal brimmed with ethereal starshine. “One of these portals must lead to Kanan.”
Ahsoka’s heart shattered in sympathy for the young Jedi, but she knew that she couldn’t allow this. “Ezra,” she warned, “Think about what you are doing.”
“I know what I’m doing!” he insisted. “Here in this place I can change … I can stop people from dying.” With that, he began to approach the portal in front of them.
“You don’t know that!” Ahsoka wished that there was a way to bring Kanan back, she truly did, but time was not something one wanted to mess with. Even saving her had been a mistake.
Ezra turned around, his eyes glittering like lapis lazulis. “Yes, I do. If I can change your fate, I can change his.” He sounded so confident, so hopeful.
Ahsoka chewed on her lip as they approached the portal. To her amazement, it began to glow with a fiery sort of energy, until she could make out the silhouette of who had to be Kanan. He was holding back a massive explosion.
Ahsoka’s eyes widened. She’d seen Anakin in a similar situation before, but it had been a much smaller explosion that he survived. This much command over something so powerful and yet so intangible … she could barely fathom it.
“I can reach him,” Ezra said, determined.
“Ezra, Kanan gave his life so you could live. If he’s taken out of this moment, you all die.”
Ezra turned around, and Ahsoka saw that he was crying. “You don’t understand what you’re asking me to do.” His grief and anger churned the Force around him like a tornado.
“Yes, I do,” Ahsoka said. Even as she spoke those words, she knew how empty they must sound. “You can’t save your master, and I can’t save mine.” Her eyes watered, clouding her vision. “I’m asking you to let go.”
Ezra let out a small sob as he watched Kanan struggle to hold the explosion back. Ahsoka knew full well how much pain the boy was in. That man had been like a father to him. It was no wonder he couldn’t think logically.
So she wasn’t surprised when Ezra thrust his arms into the portal and telekinetically pulled Kanan in their direction. She cried out in protest and grabbed his shoulder, but he shrugged her off. Kanan’s face changed from stoic acceptance to panic as he was swept off his feet and dragged aside. The moment he was pulled through the portal, the explosion engulfed the Imperial ship and everyone inside.
Kanan looked from Ezra to Ahsoka in bafflement. He opened his mouth to say something—Ahsoka couldn’t be sure what, exactly—then everything around her vanished.
She was floating. It was completely dark save for the faint glimmering of distant stars and suns. Ezra and Kanan were nowhere to be found. She didn’t see any portals, nor did she even see any walkways. It was just … complete nothingness.
Of course messing with the timeline would have disastrous consequences. But why would she be affected by Ezra’s actions? She hadn’t been on the Ghost during the explosion.
Minutes or centuries later, her feet touched solid ground. Unprepared for her landing, Ahsoka stumbled and fell backwards. It was then she heard a yell, and several murmurs of confusion. She looked up.
To her astonishment, there was a young woman, barely out of her teens, in ragged clothes, with dark hair and eyes. Ahsoka was taken aback by her Force presence; it was almost overwhelming. If the average Jedi was a ripple, she was a tsunami. Powerful, but for the most part unrefined.
Ahsoka looked around wildly. She saw a young man and woman, both immensely powerful as well. There were two unknown teenage boys, and Ezra himself, completely unchanged. Everyone here was Force sensitive.
“What the hell…?” the man muttered, rubbing his golden hair.
The brunette woman beside him was much quicker to react, immediately on her feet, pointing an E-11 blaster in random directions. She yelled various expletives.
The black-haired boy’s eyes widened as he noticed the pair. “Luke? Leia?”
The woman, Leia, scowled. “How do you know our names?”
The boy ignored her questions as he stared at them, his jaw agape. “You guys look so much younger.”
Ahsoka watched as the other woman covered her mouth. “Oh my God. Luke Skywalker? And—!” She cut herself off with a gasp. “No.”
Ezra crawled over to Ahsoka, his face contorted with self-hatred and guilt. “I did this, didn’t I?”
Ahsoka didn’t answer, because he had done this. Empty reassurances were pointless. So she got to her feet and avoided his question. “Um, my name’s Ahsoka Tano,” she said awkwardly, cringing as all of their hostile gazes locked onto her. “What the hell is this?”
“You tell me.” Leia eyed the Togruta warily. “Last I recall I was on Endor, cleaning up the mess that the Imperials left behind.”
“You’re a rebel?” Ahsoka breathed. “I was part of the Alliance myself, as a Fulcrum agent.”
Leia crossed her arms. “I haven’t seen you before.”
Ahsoka ignored this. “I wasn’t aware of any Imperial operations on Endor,” she said, suspicious. Beside her, Ezra nodded in agreement.
“How could you not be? As far as I know all of our troops have been deployed there for nearly a week.”
Suddenly, a frightening thought occurred to her. “What year is it?”
Leia looked at her as if she’d gone crazy. “4 ABY,” she replied.
Ahsoka and Ezra exchanged worried looks. “Well, to me it’s 16 AFE.” He nodded his assent, though this technically wasn’t true for him. “I’ve never heard of that timekeeping unit.”
“Wait, wait,” the boy exclaimed. “You’re telling me it’s not 20 ABY?”
The younger woman’s eyes narrowed. “You mean 34 ABY?”
Before Ahsoka could speak, Leia peered at Ezra. “You wouldn’t happen to be the boy I met on Lothal?”
Ezra shrugged sheepishly, rubbing his forehead. “Yeah…”
She muttered something inaudible under her breath. Everyone stood in bewildered silence, staring at one another.
“Erm,” Ezra mumbled. “Uh, I’m Ezra Bridger.”
The other boy nodded. “I’m Ben.”
The unknown young man stared in amazement at the two of them. His distinctive green hair and elven ears caught Ahsoka’s gaze immediately. “Ben! How are you here?”
“Jacen!” Ben exclaimed, delighted. “It’s good that there’s someone I actually know.” Jacen nodded, worried and relieved at the same time.
The woman flinched away from Ben as she took in his features, and Ahsoka felt her aura spike with sudden fear. “I-I’m Rey.”
“And Ezra!” Jacen grinned. “Oh, wow, I never did get to meet you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ezra frowned, raising an eyebrow.
Luke coughed awkwardly to redirect the conversation. “This is Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan.” He paused for a moment, then added, “I’m Luke. Luke Skywalker.”
Ahsoka let out a strangled noise, as if she were being Force-choked. “Skywalker?”
“What’s it to you?” Luke said defensively, bristling.
Ahsoka hesitated. Anakin had once told her that Skywalker is a fairly common surname on Tatooine, so maybe there was no connection at all between him and this young man. And yet … Luke was oozing with Force potential in the exact way that her master once had.
“Would you happen to know of Anakin Skywalker?” she inquired.
Luke’s eyes grew misty. “Yes. I’m his son.”
Before Ahsoka could even process this bombshell, Leia stepped protectively in front of Luke. Her blaster was pointed to the ground, but that barely mattered because she was still prepared to kill Ahsoka on a moment’s notice. “Why?” she asked, her voice sharp like a vibro-blade.
Ahsoka’s lips parted as she sensed shock slam through Ezra like a violent current. He had the decency not to respond, however. “That can’t be,” she murmured, mostly to herself.
Agitated, Luke tugged at a tear on his black suit, revealing a white undershirt. “Did you know him?”
She closed her eyes, but that wasn’t enough to stop the barrage of memories that now assaulted her. Before she could respond, however, Ezra inhaled sharply and tapped her shoulder. Her gaze drifted in the direction he was pointing, and she made out an unmoving figure. Though his clothes were charred, and his skin looked as if it had been blasted with ash, there was no way in hell Ahsoka wouldn’t recognize Kanan Jarrus.
Jacen grabbed Ben’s arm and whispered something urgent, his aquamarine eyes practically bulging. Ben stiffened.
Ezra ran over to his master and knelt beside him. His lower lip trembled as he checked Kanan’s pulse, before silent tears began to travel down his face and redden his cheeks. At first Ahsoka took this to mean that Kanan wasn’t breathing, but then Ezra croaked, “He’s alive.” He began to cry even harder, likely out of relief.
What did Kanan do to his hair? Ahsoka wondered, taking in the sight of him. It’s hideous. She immediately scolded herself for thinking that of all things, given the situation at hand.
Ezra lifted Kanan telekinetically as the others watched silently. He moved him a couple of feet closer to the main group before setting him down.
“Who is that?” Rey demanded. Her hand went to her hilt, but she wasn’t carrying a lightsaber.
Jacen trembled. Ahsoka wondered why he felt so bothered over this. He was too young to have even known Kanan.
Ezra didn’t answer. He just sat in silence at Kanan’s side.
It was then a portal formed in front of them. It swirled in a dizzyingly luminous array of color and light. Ben let out a surprised yell and backed away. Luke grabbed Leia’s forearm.
Ahsoka peered through the portal, gasping as the undefined features came into focus. “The Jedi Temple.”
Ezra glanced at her. “Which one?”
“The Jedi Temple.” She shivered. “Or the bedroom of one, at any rate. This is where I grew up.” And where so many of us were slaughtered…
Luke sputtered something along the lines of, “That’s impossible,” while Rey just stared in awe.
Ezra tilted his head. “I think we’re supposed to go through it.”
“Through it!” Leia exclaimed. “Are you crazy?”
“Has anyone ever said ‘yes’ to that question?”
Luke bit his lip. “Honestly, I don’t think we have a choice. The Force is overwhelmingly potent in this place. We need to serve its will.” With that, he tentatively approached the portal and held out his hand. Leia tried to slap it away, but he said, “It’s my bionic hand,” and she reluctantly allowed him to reach through the portal. Ben watched in horror as he tentatively stepped through once he was sure that his hand hadn’t been horribly mutilated, before emerging on the other side. His form, though blurred, turned around and beckoned for them to follow. “I think it’s safe,” he announced.
Leia rolled her eyes and followed. Ben cringed away from the portal, but Ezra nudged him supportively, and they went through. Jacen hesitated, then followed suit. Rey dove in without even questioning it. Ahsoka carried Kanan over her shoulder, scrunching up her nose at the acrid scent wafting off of him. She stepped through, glad to be doing it on her own terms this time.
She emerged on the other side, and took a moment to observe her surroundings. It was a small room, empty save for a small bed and a desk. On the desk were several holo-displays, a few of which were currently active. Ahsoka walked over to the latter object. There were no identifiable personal objects here, but that was the case with most Jedi quarters.
She set Kanan down on the bed, rubbing her aching shoulder.
“So what now?” Ben said awkwardly, looking around. “What year is it here?”
“1 BFE,” Ahsoka replied, absorbing this information by skimming through the holographic text. She realized it was a war report. Troop movements, clone reports, and a list of Jedi casualties. A Diathim Jedi was being projected as she listed intercepted Separatist plans of attack.
It was then that Leia’s eyes widened with comprehension. “Oh, that’s the old Imperial calendar. So that would be 20 BBY. And I think we’re in the Imperial Palace.”
“No, it’s the old Jedi Temple,” Rey murmured. “Like from legends.”
Before anyone could say anything else, Kanan began to stir, his leg bending and a groan sounding from deep within his throat. Ezra rushed over to Kanan’s bedside as the Jedi whispered, “What…?”
“Shh,” Ezra soothed, his mannerisms gentle and delicate. “Just rest.” Jacen just stared, backing away as if nervous.
In typical Kanan fashion, Kanan didn’t listen. He rubbed soot off his forehead with the back of his gloved hand, before gaping at his surroundings. “How the hell and why the hell did we get a suite in the Imperial Palace?”
“It’s the Jedi Temple,” Ben corrected him.
Ahsoka winced. “Kanan, you know how Ezra pulled you through the portal?”
Kanan shot a hard look at Ezra. “So that’s what happened,” he said, his voice grave. “I was wondering.”
“I wanted to save you!” Ezra defended himself. The others watched, bewildered and without context. “I-I need you, Kanan.”
“I was saving us!” Kanan shouted, then he broke down in coughs. “You pulled me out of there and I saw the explosion kill you all.”
“I was there,” Ezra reminded him. “And I don’t exactly feel any deader than usual. Not that that’s saying much, but—“
Ahsoka did a double take. She sat down on the hard mattress as realization washed over her. “That’s it,” she breathed. “Ezra created a paradox in the World Between Worlds, and it’s jumbling up time itself.”
“Is that even possible?” Luke said, his eyebrows raised. “And can you please fill the rest of us in?”
She took a deep breath. “Ezra got into the World Between Worlds. The entrance is located on the planet Lothal. He saved me from Darth Vader, which from his perspective happened two whole years prior. Then he saved Kanan. The problem is that this would kill everyone Kanan was saving, including Ezra himself. But if Ezra wasn’t around to pull Kanan out, Kanan could complete his sacrifice, thus saving Ezra and allowing Ezra to save him. Repeat an infinite number of times, and it’s a paradox.” She shrugged. “That probably kriffed up spacetime.”
Ben blinked, bafflement written all over his visage. “Huh.”
“Isn’t it a good thing that he’s saved?” Jacen chimed in, to no one in particular.
Ezra wept silently into his hand. “This is all my fault. I just want … I just needed you back.”
Kanan was silent. Ahsoka knew that he wanted to comfort Ezra, but he was also angered by his rashness. Jacen’s lower lip trembled; he looked to be near tears. Ezra looked up and asked him what was wrong, but he just shook his head.
He never got a chance to respond, because then everyone in the room stiffened. If she’d had hair on the back of her neck, it would be standing erect right now. Sweat broke out on her forehead.
Ezra looked up at Ahsoka. “Do you sense that?”
She nodded, as did Kanan. “It can’t be good.”
“When is it ever?” he muttered.
A moment later, she inhaled sharply as the sound of distant footsteps sounded in her head. Togrutas had much stronger senses than humans did, but it didn’t take long for the others to notice, and soon everyone in the room was completely still, waiting with baited breath.
A familiar beep sounded outside the room, and the door slid open. Ahsoka covered her mouth in shock as she recognized Anakin Skywalker.
He looked exactly like she remembered: tall, with broad shoulders, tousled hair of a dirty blond color, and that look of determination in his eyes she’d tried to evoke in herself as a Padawan learner.
She expected him to activate his lightsaber. Ahsoka stepped in front of the others protectively. She felt Luke’s gaze over her shoulder. He was studying everything he could see of Anakin. She didn’t blame him.
Oh yeah. Her master had a kid. A kid! She’d almost forgotten.
Anakin’s lips curled into a frown, but he didn’t draw his weapon. He hit a button on the wall and stepped inside. The door slid closed automatically behind him.
“Who are you? And why are you in my room?” he growled, frightening Ahsoka as his voice forced to relive Malachor. She blinked away the traumatic memories.
Ahsoka held up her hands in a surrendering gesture. She had to deescalate this, and fast. “I know you’re not going to believe this, but we were taken here by a portal. We’re all from different times.”
Anakin blinked. “I felt a strange ripple in the Force; that’s why I came here. Surely it can’t be that strange. Why should I believe you?”
“Anakin. It’s me!” she exclaimed, desperate. “It’s Ahsoka Tano.”
His mouth opened and closed in the span of a millisecond. She sensed him reaching out tentatively in the Force, observing her presence. He reeled back abruptly, astonished by its familiarity. A master knew his Padawan’s aura as well as his own. “Ahsoka? Is that really you?”
“Yes,” she said, breaking out in relieved and nervous laughter. “It’s me.” She pushed aside her fear and misgivings, because suddenly this wasn’t Vader; it was Anakin, her master. Her compassionate, caring, fearless master.
She threw herself into his arms, near tears, because she hadn’t seen him in nearly two decades. She swallowed a childish giggle as she realized that she was taller than him now, even without her montrals.
He stiffened hesitantly, before relaxing and patting her back. She let go of him, ignoring the baffled gazes of her companions.
“Ahsoka, you’re all grown up,” he said in amazement. “You—you’re, what? Twenty something?”
“Thirty something,” she corrected with a light laugh.
“And who are your friends?” Anakin asked, stepped to the side to get a better look. Leia’s eyes narrowed with distrust.
Ahsoka coughed, shooting a pointed look in their direction. “Introduce yourselves.” Civilly, she added as a silent plea.
Kanan stepped forward first. “My name is Kanan Jarrus, but at this point in time I was known as Caleb Dume. Right now I’d be a Padawan.”
Anakin scratched his head. “I think I’ve seen you around. Though I thought you were a youngling...”
As he spoke, Ahsoka realized that Anakin was studying Leia’s features with an intent gaze. She wondered for a moment why he found her so intriguing. Then it dawned on her; Leia looked almost identical to Padmé, though their personalities were quite different, judging by what she’d heard of the Princess during her time as Fulcrum.
Anakin didn’t comment on this, however. Ben stepped forward next with a look of awe on his face. “Are you really Anakin Skywalker?” Rey cringed at his words, though Ahsoka couldn’t tell why.
Anakin looked at the long-faced boy with amusement. “That I am.” He nodded. “What’s your name?”
“Ben Solo,” he responded, causing Leia to do a double take.
“Did you say Solo?!”
He looked at her hesitantly, then sighed, slouching his shoulders and staring at Leia’s feet. Ezra’s eyes glittered with faint amusement as he watched. “Um. Uh, I’m your son,” Ben told her, gulping.
Leia’s lips parted as she stared at Ben with bulging eyes. For perhaps the first time in her life, Leia was left completely speechless.
“Hey, I know this is kind of crazy, but can we please hold off on the family reunions?” Anakin insisted, slightly irritated. “Also, mind filling me in on what the fucking hell this is?”
Luke studied his boots like they were the most fascinating thing in the galaxy. “Yeah. About that.” Anakin’s eyes narrowed. “I’m Luke … Skywalker.”
Leia buried her face in her hands.
Now Anakin was the one left reeling from shock. Ahsoka held her breath as she watched, desperately curious to see how he’d react.
“Hold on a second,” he exclaimed. “You’re not saying what I think you’re saying.”
Luke nodded, his face grave.
“And you’re not, like, a random third cousin twice removed?”
He shook his head, and Ahsoka felt waves of nervous energy radiate off of him.
Anakin blinked. “So. You’re me and Padmé’s—“
“Yeah.”
Leia winced, causing Ben to cross his arms. He looked rather annoyed at her brushing him off like that. But they had more pressing matters to deal with.
Though Anakin’s face didn’t betray his feelings, Ahsoka knew, through the Force and otherwise, that he was experiencing a torrent of confusing emotions. Unlike his father, Luke’s emotions were completely visible; the man wore his heart on his sleeve.
Anakin and Luke stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Kanan crossed his arms, and eyed the other Jedi distrustfully as Anakin broke into uneasy laughter. Dismayed, Luke opened his mouth to say something, but his words were cut off by Anakin promptly glomping him.
The others watched uneasily. Leia in particular seemed to be on edge. Ahsoka, on the other hand, was too overjoyed to let herself feel afraid.
Anakin let go of Luke, and stared at him in amazement. “Wow. You’re my—oh my God, you’re my son! You look like me, and obviously you’ve got the Force, right? Because you have the heart of a Jedi, I can tell that much just by looking at you, and you probably got that from your mother, ironically, but I’m just so happy and I—“
Luke rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Oh, and this woman, Leia, is my twin sister.”
Leia groaned, obviously dreading meeting Anakin.
He looked at her now. “You look so much like Padmé.”
“Thanks,” she responded icily. Anakin blinked, surprised at her coldness. He didn’t comment on this, however.
“Well,” he said, his voice radiating a warm sort of joy. “Maybe we can play catch up afterwards?” He crossed his arms. “How and why are you here?”
“He’s taking this surprisingly well,” Ezra whispered to Ben, causing the latter to snort-laugh.
Kanan and Ahsoka exchanges uneasy glances. She wondered how he’d known to follow that social cue without his sight, but she didn’t dwell on it. “We … don’t know,” he replied, visibly frustrated.
Luke’s face brightened. “Wasn’t there a Jedi Council? Maybe we should see if they know anything.”
“No!” Anakin yelled, before gathering himself. “Sorry for the outburst, but I’ve got trust issues with the council.” Ahsoka nodded, affirming her agreement. He stroked his chin. “I think you should meet Obi Wan Kenobi.”
Luke grinned. “Oh, he’s my favorite.”
Anakin smiled down at Luke despite his obvious confusion at this.
“What about Kanan and Ahsoka?” Ezra blurted out. When Anakin looked at him with surprise, he shrank slightly. “I mean, they’re at the temple now. Why don’t we tell them what’s happening.”
“No.” Kanan shook his head. “I was complete idiot at this point; impulsive and naive.”
“What about Ahsoka?” Anakin asked, turning to the older Ahsoka. “She—you’re like a little sister to me. I trust you with my life. And while I’m sure you’ve improved immensely since this time, the Ahsoka I know isn’t much of a slouch. I think she can handle this truth.”
Ahsoka hesitated, then dipped her head in approval. Great.
“So now there’s going to be two of the Togruta?” Rey muttered.
Ahsoka shot her a cold look. “At least you don’t have to deal with your obnoxious brat of a teenage self.”
Anakin patted her on the shoulder, grinning lopsidedly. “You’re not that bad.” His expression hardened. “Stay here, and try not to make any noise. I’ll talk to the other Ahsoka.”
With that, he turned around and exited his chambers, leaving the others to await their fate.