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Chapter Text

Ahsoka stared at the monster that had killed her master. The monster that had tried to kill Ezra and Kanan. The monster that she could not kill because the monster was staring at her with beautifully yellow eyes that were so horribly familiar.

Their force bond was back.

Barely there, barely anything, as thin as a thread…but it was there.

She could feel his anguish. She could feel his rage. She could feel the desperation and hatred and agony that he was in, constantly.

She could feel his grief.

His anger.

His hate.

His suffering.

And the tiniest shard of hope.

The revenge that had flooded her heart at the sight of the monster was gone now. It was replaced with a sadness that threatened to consume her. A sadness and a rage, because she had been blind.

Palpatine had seized power and she and Rex had connected the dots.

And oh, no wonder a monster was standing in front of her.

He had met with Palpatine so frequently.

She remember a kid she had met a few years ago. They had been tortured and enslaved by a man who pretended like he had their best interests in heart. She had freed the kid and now they lived far in the outer rim.

And oh, oh, oh, she had left her master and Palpatine had sunk his claws into him just like that man had sunk his claws into that kid.

She couldn’t leave him again.

She would not leave him again.

The decision had been made in her mind the minute that monster had stepped into the temple.

He stared at her, emotionless. The force swirled around her and she reached out to his bond, searching for the right words to say.

The bond was growing thicker before her eyes, his emotions threatening to drown her with hate and rage and fear and pain and grief and there, shinning like a beacon, was the hope.

The hope, in his mind, that she would not leave him.

That she would not forsake him like everyone else had.

His rage at Obi-Wan, the betrayal, Padme…oh,  everything in his mind was twisted and angry. Hating them for things that she knew they would not have said. Hating them for things that had been so twisted and decayed in his mind that they could not possibly be the truth. Anger and hate and suffering and it was cruel to think that the order had known what they were talking about.

But it had been so many years.

And she knew that the emotions themselves did not turn someone. It was the clinging to the emotions, it was the letting that fear and anger stay in your heart and mind instead of accepting them and letting them go.

She had learned that.

She had finally learned that after the end of the clone wars. Her years on the run, her years before she became Fulcrum, her years of searching and learning and teaching herself, they had paid off.

She could accept her anger and fear and hate and let it go.

But the monster…he was so scared. Scared and angry and abandoned. The pain…those emotions had been in his heart for so long. Coiling there without anyone to help.

He was alone.

So alone.

He was thinking of her leaving the temple. The way she had walked away. The way his heart had cracked and shattered and he had desperately tried to pick up the pieces.

She…she would not leave like she had then.

She could not leave him, not when the tiniest shards of him were left. She did not abandon Rex when he tried to kill her and she would not abandon the monster that had tried to kill her master either.

She opened her mouth to tell him, to say that she would not leave, she would not walk away like she had at the temple, she would not leave, not this time, but…

To remind him about one of the worst days of their lives?

To remind him of when she left?

“I’m not leaving you. Remember?”

She gave him a smile, her saddest smile, and she grasped their bond and pushed a memory into his mind.

“You’re stuck with me, Skyguy.”

The temple collapsed around them.

Chapter Text

She woke up with a pounding headache and the stinging sensation of wind on open wounds. She groaned and raised her head off the ground, looking around blearily.

Her vision wasn’t impaired and she didn’t have a headache, so hopefully no concussion.

That was good.

She shook her head and sat up, gazing around at the debris surrounding her.

Shattered rocks and metal shards were scattered everywhere and she could see some blood on multiple sharp edges. Probably her own. Little glowing bits of red crystals glittered and shone on the floor like glass and she realized that she was no longer in the center of the temple but on the outskirts.

The debris had spread that far.

She rubbed her head, memories slowly trickling back into her mind.

The temple shattering around her. Raising her hands to block with the force but feeling the exhaustion from the fights causing her head to spin. A different force signature, cold as fire wrapping around her and pulling.

That meant…

She whipped around and fully took in her surroundings, finally noticing the black figure sitting on a large chunk of shattered temple, staring at her with that piercing yellow eye.

She raised her eyebrows and got to her feet, feeling every muscle in her body scream with pain. She walked towards him and watched as he stiffened, getting to his feet and looming above her like a vulture.

“You didn’t leave.”

She said, crossing her arms and staring at him. He didn’t move, simply kept staring at her with that golden eye. She raised her eyebrows higher and leaned against the rock, turning her back to him.

“You’re stuck with me…” she trailed off, the nickname choking in her throat. “Good to see it goes both ways.”

“No.”

He growled out and she laughed.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

She spun around and looked up at him with her best smug grin…before realizing that what she could see of his face was extremely pale and his breathing was even more labored than before.

“Do you need medical attention?”

She asked and something flashed through the minuscule bond that was still attached.

“No.”

He repeated and she raised her eyebrows yet again.

“Uh huh. And that giant mechanical suit is purely for aesthetic purposes.”

He narrowed his visible eye at her and she tilted her chin up, daring him to say anything. He could’ve killed her. He could’ve left her for dead.

But he didn’t.

And she was going to use this.

He mumbled something under his breath and she cocked her head, knowing full well what he said but wanting to hear it louder.

“What was that?”

It was as if the spirit of her fourteen year old self was back in her body, taking control of her mind and making her feel somehow younger and older than she had ever been.

“Nothing.”

He said but she just grinned at him, baring her teeth in one of her most threatening smiles. A smile that she knew he knew well.

“Cause it sounded to me like you said snippy. Hmm?”

Suddenly the force wrapped around her and she was shooting up into the air, pressure tightening around her throat. She met his eye and stared at him, refusing to show the fear that flooded through her at the reminder that he was not her master anymore.

“No.”

He repeated and her airflow stopped. She closed her eyes and reached at the thread of their bond, sending waves of memories down it and trying to communicate that she was not going to hurt him unless he hurt her first.

Her head started to feel light.

Her chest hurt.

She hit the ground hard, her knees buckling underneath her as he stepped off the rock with a thud. She crumpled, gasping for air as boots stood next to her head.

“Get up.”

He growled and she sighed, looking up at that hideous yellow eye.

“Alright.”

It was a horrid reminder.

This was not the time to get cocky. This was not the time to fight. This was the time to survive this and then figure out some way to get help.

Kanan and Ezra were off planet by now. She could sense them growing further and further away…and force, he had just been blinded. But they would reach the base easily and then—oh kriff. Rex.

The temple had collapsed.

She had been in the temple with Vader.

They thought she was dead.

Rex was going to think she was dead.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a heavy metal hand being placed on her shoulder. She suppressed a shudder and turned around to look at him. He was staring down at her with an intense gaze.

“What?”

She asked and he scowled at her.

“You are scared. Good.”

She slammed her mental shields up faster than she thought was possible. He recoiled, his hand coming off her shoulder.

“Fear leads to hate. Hate leads to—“

“Bantha shit.”

She said, his visible eye widening in shock. It was almost pleasant, seeing him so unnerved by her.

“But we can discuss what does and doesn’t make a person fall later.”

She snapped, allowing some of the…the snippiness from early to rejoin her voice. Just a little. Just enough to make it seem like she was not afraid…but then again, she had always used it as a shield.

“Fine. Come.”

He turned on his heel and strode off, cloak flapping behind him dramatically. She was ninety nine percent sure he was using the force to make it even more dramatic.

She followed him.

They walked in almost pure silence. His breathing was getting more and more labored with every step and the dark wheezing sound that seemed to be his breath support was gone, replaced by a faint hiss that worried her.

What sort of injuries affected him if he had to wear that giant suit?

She knew it wasn’t for aesthetic.

He had never liked wearing robes or things that restricted his movement. He liked being able to jump and move fast, to be able to sprint across a battlefield to save a group of men from falling debris.

Not a giant metal suit that caused him to fight like a tank.

That was another thing.

He fought well. He fought terrifyingly because he didn’t fight like he used to. The moves were there, the intent, but it more like he was relying on brute strength, not skill.

She did not kid herself into thinking she could beat him.

She was strong.

She was much stronger than she had been and even then, in that fight, she had been tired and holding herself back. Just barely, not using every tool at her disposal but…she might have sworn to avenge her master’s death but something in her had still rebelled.

Said not to kill him.

A tiny voice that sounded unfortunately like her fourteen years old self.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks and she halted as well. He stood there for a second, his breathing weak and pathetic.

“Are you sure you don’t need medical attention?”

She asked and he spun around to face her, anger flashing across his face.

“Positive.”

“Where are we going then?”

She asked and he turned again to start walking.

“My ship.”

Ah yes. The tie fighter he had arrived in. A pathetic excuse for a ship and one that she was frankly embarrassed he had been flying.

She sighed and they continued their march.

It was maybe another fifteen minutes before they got within sight of the tie, and another fifteen before they reached it.

He flicked his fingers and then ship opened, revealing a space that definitely wasn’t big enough for two people but she wasn’t going to mention that yet.

“So.”

She said, watching as he placed his hand against the tie and did a very bad job of pretending that he wasn’t resting.

“I can force heal.”

She said, looking away from him and out at the landscape, being extremely careful to keep her shields up.

“I taught it to myself. You live on the run without access to a medic and, well…I had to learn some stuff.”

She felt his presence flare again with that tiny shard of hope.

“I could see if it could help?”

She closed her eyes and let trust and peace and help radiating through the thread of a bond, turning to face him. He was staring at her with barely disguised hope and desperation and she wondered if that was one of the reasons he wore a mask. To hide.

“You…”

“Yes. Me.”

She said, crossing her arms and looking at him.

“I don’t think it’ll fix all this but it could maybe help until we get out of here, alright?”

She could heal Kanan, if she got to him in time. In theory. Maybe he’d need glasses but…maybe.

“…very well.”

She bared her teeth at him and stepped forward, placing one hand on his chest and another on his neck. He froze, his bond vibrating with panic and fear and she wondered when was the last time someone touched him without malice intent.

“This might hurt a little.”

She said, pretending like she was focusing on finding what was wrong.

She wasn’t.

She was placing her hands at two pressure points that were extremely sensitive to the force.

“What are you doing?”

Kriff.

Her shields had slipped from her exhaustion.

“Sorry.”

She said, not sorry at all. His eye widened in shock before she pressed the force into those specific points and he collapsed, unconscious.

Chapter Text

He saw Padme.

She was smiling more, in this garden where she sat, flowers surrounding her. Smiling the way she had smiled in the few moments where everything had been happy and peaceful and they had hope.

This was the most calm he had been in a long time.

No murder, no death, no remembering of what everyone had did to him.

Even as he thought about them it was almost like a breeze drifting on the wind. There for a second and then gone the next.

Inconsequential.

And then he woke up.

He lunged in anger, pain and rage flaring through his body like a drug, forcing him to kill to hurt to maim to seek his revenge on everything and everyone he was—

“I can and will knock you out again.”

He was turning around to see her standing there, looking at some scan on from her wristcomn.

He was going to kill her.

He was going to kill her, Skyguy be damned.

His lightsaber was in his hand before he had even registered what he was doing and the force was screaming at him to stop but the force obeyed him he was in control he would kill her and she would die like the rest who had rebelled against him she would die she—

“You don’t need the suit.”

He froze barely a step away from her. Her eyes flicked to look at his lightsaber and then flicked back at the projection.

“I did a scan of your body. I’m no medic, but again, I learned a lot on the run. You…you don’t need the suit. From what I can tell, you have serious third degree skin burns, your limbs are gone, and your lungs are in shit shape but…”

She looked over at him and he felt something odd jump in his throat at the worried and caring face she was making.

“Well. Lung transplants, prosthetics, and bracta could have fixed you up easy. And I’m sure Palpatine had the resources.”

She said his name like a slur and he scowled at her, hating the way she has insulted the man that had saved his life…but if what she was saying was in any way true…no. It couldn’t be. 

“Not to mention, your prosthetics right now are terrible.” He stared at her and she nodded, tapping her finger against his arm. “They’re just a smidge too small. They’re probably pinching you constantly.”

She turned to look at him, her blue eyes piercing into his soul. He felt a rush of anger but it was harder to grasp now.

“It’s almost as if you were healed just enough to function and then stuck in that suit to keep you alive in that state.”

She shook her head, making the blue projector in front of her disappear.

“Made to keep you dependent.”

She nodded at him before turning on her heel and walking away, rocks crunching underfoot. He stared after her, his breath wheezing pathetically.

How had she done that.

How had she done that.

He was not…he wasn’t…she couldn’t order him around! He raced after her, only getting a few feet before his vision spun, lungs seizing up. He gasped for air and suddenly she was there, grabbing onto his arm and hauling him back to his feet.

“I will kill you.”

He growled and she met his eyes.

“You will try.”

She said softly and he bit back the pain that flooded his mind at the words he had once spoken to Ob—to the man who had betrayed him. She didn’t…no. She didn’t know. She had just been responding to his words.

“Come on.”

She dragged him back the few feet to the tie tighter and shoved him onto the ground.

“You can’t do anything strenuous.”

She said, crossing her arms and fixing him with a glare that brought back memories of another time. Another war.

“Understand?”

She clearly expected an answer.

He didn’t speak.

She rolled her eyes and tapped her wristband again, the blue screen with what he realized was a scan of his own body appeared.

“How.”

He said, demanding an answer but she didn’t even bother looking at him.

“None of your business.”

“Tell me.”

He ordered but still.

She just sat there.

“You will tell me.”

There was a smirk playing on her face as she just looked at the screen.

She was mocking him. Ignoring him. Disobeying him. He was in control here. This was a sith temple. This was his domain! This…this…this…this apprentice was not going to undermine him like this.

He could feel the rage growing, his master’s voice whispering thoughts of torture and murder into his mind, urging him forward, urging him to kill her.

To hurt her.

To see her body broken on the ground, an ashen hole in her chest, killed for disobeying him.

He lunged forwards, igniting his lightsaber.

She blocked it.

With the force.

He stared as she raised her head to look at him, hand outstretched. Sweat dripped down her montrals and panic was barely hidden in her eyes but she looked directly at him anyway, clearly trying to keep her face an expressionless mask.

“Stand down.”

She said and something in him whispered that he should. A voice that sounded eerily like himself, a nine year old too smart for his own good. Pathetic.

He would never follow the orders of a rebel.

He deactivated his lightsaber anyway.

“You’re strong.”

He said. It was a statement, not a question. She didn’t react, merely turned away from him.

“I’m stronger.”

She tilted her head, humming something underneath her breath.

“You should be very afraid.”

He said, gently grasping the thread of a bond that connected them. She stiffened and he felt the fear that was pulsing through her veins.

He shoved a memory into her mind. A memory of him slaughtering rebels, snapping their necks and slicing off their limbs, blood and screams and the scent of burning flesh.

Suddenly he felt something else in the rage. The barest memory of laughter. He blinked in shock and suddenly the burning rebels were replaced with her, kneeling next to a group of little kids and telling them a story, hands waving excitedly and laughter filling the air.

He staggered backwards at the hope and happiness that was filling his mind and wrenched away from the thread.

She was facing him now, her eyes blazing with blue fire.

“I am not scared of you.”

Chapter Text

She was terrified of him.

She was terrified of him.

She was terrified of the man who used to throw a fit whenever he got sand in his boots.

Ironic.

She released their force bond and he stared at her for one long second. One long, torturous second that allowed her mind to run through every scenario where he could kill her.

And then he left.

Spinning on his heel and striding off.

She watched as he walked a couple hundred feet from the tie fighter before stopping and leaning against a rock. He wasn’t looking at her. He was staring off in the distance, towards the destroyed sith temple.

Thank force.

She crumpled to the ground, waves of exhaustion taking over her. She had used the force more in the past day than she had in weeks, combined with the fights and the fact that the temple had collapsed…everything hurt.

She bit back the bile that rose in her throat and pressed her head against the ground.

She was always exhausted after knocking someone unconscious. It required a heavy amount of the force concentrated on two very narrow spots and if she wasn’t careful she could make herself extremely ill.

Rex had lectured her for hours the first time it had happened, when they had been freeing clones from the chips.

That was how she learned to do it.

Knocking out clones so they could get their chips out.

And now she used it to knock out a sith.

Her…oh, force help her.

She needed to contact Rex.

She sighed and sat back up, leaning against the tie and tapping her wristband. Her communicator, planner, and scanner. Thank force she had included that to find the chips. She pulled up her contacts and clicked on Rex’s.

She had been so focused making sure that An…Vader wasn’t going to die that she hadn’t even tried to comn anyone in the rebellion yet.

She could at least message him.

And there was no signal.

Perfect.

She groaned and leaned her head against the tie, exhaustion somehow heavier than before.

Her gaze fell on the pacing figure hundreds of feet away, his cloak billowing behind him.

She wanted to bite him.

She would’ve bit him, had they been fourteen and nineteen again, a snippy padawan and her cocky master.

But she was thirty-two.

And tired.

And more scared than she had been in years.

The suit was clearly designed to put him in pain. How he had even suffered those wounds on the first place, she had no idea.

His limbs cut off?

Burns?

And what had happened to his lungs?

She placed her head in her hands, trying to make sense of her sluggish thoughts.

She could feel the force exhaustion trying its hardest to pull her off to sleep but she just shook her head. She would not and could not fall asleep right now.

She felt his force signature turn towards hers and she groaned, mentally shoving away any and all feelings of exhaustion.

Gravel crunched nearby and she looked up to see him staring down at her.

“What?”

She asked and his eye twitched.

“We’re leaving.”

“How?”

She sighed, looking at the tie and its very obvious not fitting two-people ness, especially considering that she was a tall Togruta and he was definitely taller because of that suit.

“Just get in.”

He snarled and so she did so, scrambling into the tie and tucking herself as tightly as she could behind the seat. She banged her montrals against the top and bit back a hiss of pain as he sat down in the pilot’s seat.

He tapped a few buttons and static filled the air.

“Comn’s aren’t working.”

She said and heard him bite back a groan of frustration. She rubbed her forehead and flicked the back of his mask.

“So, where to? Your tie can’t get far, do you have an imperial cruiser nearby?”

She asked but he did not respond to her words, merely flipped the tie’s front shut so that they were trapped inside. She watched silently as the tie lit up with power and he grasped the controls.

If he wasn’t saying anything, well…either he had a ship nearby and that was where they were going, or he had no plan at all.

She had to contact Rex.

She had to contact the rebellion.

If she was transported to an imperial ship she would be able to contact them but she would also probably be imprisoned and tortured again and that would not be good.

The ship rose into the air and she closed her eyes, reaching out into the force and trying to find the map of where they were.

Immediately spots danced in front of her and she felt her head spin. She clenched her jaw and tried to expand into the force, shoving his force presence away as he piloted the ship into the air so that she could reach towards the other lights and darkness in the galaxy.

Her stomach clenched as the ship whirred into more motion.

It seemed his piloting skills hadn’t improved.

She kept her eyes closed and forced herself into the ocean of the force, letting it wash over her.

Her fingers were trembling but she could tell that there was a ship nearby. A few hours and they’d reach it. A ship with…she reached out farther and felt everything in her scream in agony.

The ship had inquisitors on it.

Imperial then.

She reached out further, trying to find Ezra and Kanan’s force signatures. If she could just reach into hyperspace, if she could just expand her search, if she could…her head spun and she wrenched her eyes open, biting back the bile that rose in her throat.

“What?”

He snapped and she said nothing, attempting to adjust her position so she wasn’t so cramped. It didn’t do anything.

She frowned and looked out the window over his mask. They were in open space now and she glanced around nervously.

“Where are we going?”

She asked, purposefully adding the we so that it seemed like she was going along with whatever his plan was.

“To the ship.”

He said, voice dark.

Alright then.

“Do you have a course set? A map?”

She asked and she could feel the waves of frustration rolling off him.

“Of course I have a course.”

“I’m just saying. It would suck to get lost.”

He groaned and whacked the console, causing a project to whir into life, showing off the route that they were taking.

She smiled.

“Thanks.”

She lunged over his head and grabbed the controls, yanking their course towards the nearest habitable planet.

He yelled in rage but she brought her other arm around and whacked him solidly in the head, grabbing onto his helmet in the distraction.

“Move and I’ll take this off.”

She hissed, keeping pressure on the controls as she did so.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

He said and she laughed, desperately trying to keep the exhaustion from her voice.

“I’m not going to an imperial ship. They’ll kill me.”

She said, trying to scare him into agreeing to not go to the ship. He struggled against her grip but she just glared down at him, not moving.

“I’ve been caught by your men before.” He flinched and she closed her eyes, gripping their force bond and shoving every terrified emotion she had been through into his mind. “Just a few years after the end of the clone wars. I was young, I messed up. Your men tortured me for days before the rebellion was able to get me out.”

She pressed down harder on the controls and the ship swerved faster and faster towards the  nearby planet.

“We are not going to an imperial ship.”

“You’re too late.”

He said and she snarled, gripping his helmet tighter.

“I don’t think so.”

“You’re about to pass out.” He said and, maybe she was hallucinating, but it almost sounded like he was concerned.

“You’ve used the force to an extreme amount and you never were as strong as I. You’ve been battling force exhaustion since you woke up and you still won’t stop using it.”

Kriff.

He was right, she knew that, but…she pressed harder on the controls and tried to push him out of the seat.

Suddenly, in a move that she should’ve seen coming, he whipped around and grabbed her neck, placing his other hand just above her heart.

The pressure points.

“Shit”

She whispered and he just gave her a look reminiscent of an extremely disappointed parent.

“Thank you.” He said and she felt as the force suddenly flowed into the pressure points. She gritted her teeth and resisted but she knew it didn’t work like that. “It really is a useful trick.”

The world went dark.

Chapter Text

She was dead.

Vader killed her.

She was dead.

Vader killed her.

She was dead.

Vader killed her.

She was dead.

Vader killed her.

His commander was dead.

Vader killed her.

His best friend was dead.

Vader killed her.

Ahsoka Tano was dead.

Vader killed her.

The tears running down his face had long since dried. He was just sitting on his bed, staring at the wall.

His gun heavy in his hands.

Eighteen years.

He had known her for eighteen years.

Eighteen years and he hadn’t been there to save her.

He hadn’t even been there to hold her as she died.

He bit back another sob and closed his eyes but no, that made it worse. He was just seeing the image of her crumpled on the ground, various lightsaber wounds. Coughing up blood. Begging him for help.

The dark part of him wondered how she died.

How Vader killed her.

Had Vader killed her in cold blood or self defense? Had she died screaming or silent, her head held high?

He wondered how it would feel to hold her lightsabers and do the same thing to Vader that he had done to her. To stab the giant mechanic monster. To cut off his head. To make him beg for mercy. To hear his screams.

To feel the satisfaction of knowing that he had killed the monster that had murdered his best friend.

The darker parts of his mind were winning.

He could hear Ahsoka screaming.

It was all he could hear now.

He wasn’t aware that he had got up only that he was now standing, striding out of his room, his guns growing heavier with every step he took.

He didn’t know what he was going to do.

He just knew someone was going to die.

Maybe it would finally be him.

Hera had to break the news to Senator Organa. She had to stand there in front of the holoprojector and watch as shock and pain took over his face at the news that Ahsoka Tano was dead.

She told him everything she had been able to pry from Ezra. Maul, the fighting, the temple, Vader’s appearance, Ahsoka’s sacrifice.

Agent Fulcrum was officially marked KIA a few hours later.

None of that was as horrible as the look on Rex’s face when Ezra and Kanan had returned to base, Ahsoka missing.

Ezra wouldn’t talk to her.

He just sat in the medbay next to Kanan, a dark look on his face. She, Sabine, and Zeb had been taking turns watching over their Jedi.

Kanan would be fine, thankfully. His vision was gone but considering everything she was just thankful that he wasn’t dead.

She entered the medbay to find Kanan fast asleep, Ezra and Sabine sitting by his side.

“Hey.” She whispered, placing her hands on their shoulders. “Go get some sleep.” Ezra and Sabine both shook their heads and she fixed them with her best mom glare.

“That’s an order.”

Sabine frowned but obeyed, getting up and slinking off to her room on the base. Ezra didn’t move, just shrugged her hand off his shoulder and resumed his staring at Kanan.

“He’s going to be okay.”

“He’s blind.”

“He could’ve died.”

She said, sitting in Sabine’s vacant chair and trying to get Ezra to look at her.

“You did good.”

He didn’t respond to that. She sighed and looked at Kanan. He looked so peaceful, sleeping there.

Alive.

“Ezra.”

She said, putting her hand on his shoulder and squeezing tightly.

“Kanan will be okay.”

He leaned into her touch and she pulled him into a tight hug. Tears came into her eyes and she pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“I couldn’t save him.”

He whispered and she shook her head.

“No. He’s okay. He’s alive and he’s here.”

“I couldn’t save her either.”

“Hey.” She pulled away and tipped his chin up to meet her eyes. “She did that to save you.”

He blinked back tears and she ached to just leave. To take Ezra, Sabine, Zeb, Chopper and Kanan and just leave the rebellion. To hide away, alone and safe.

Her family.

Something was changing in the force.

Obi-Wan could sense it.

The force was tugging at him, trying to tell him something, but he could not understand. It was hazy and undefined but something was changing.

A shatterpoint, like Mace had once told him about.

Moments where the force was at a tipping point.

Something new was happening.

He watched the suns set, the Lars farm in the distance, the bitter chill of the night slowly sinking into his bones, and he hoped that it was a change for the better.

Chapter Text

Colonel Wullf Yularen of the Imperial Security Bureau considered himself to be a very trusting man, regardless of his job rooting out sedition and traitors to the empire. His trust was highly valued and he held those that earned his trust in the highest regard.

But then Darth Vader stepped out of the tie carrying Ahsoka Tano in his arms and Yularen’s trust in him was shattered.

He wasn’t stupid.

He had figured out who Vader had once been within a year of serving the empire.

There was only one man with an obsession with Obi-Wan Kenobi like that, only one man that dramatic, only one Jedi who had the potential to become Darth Vader.

He had figured out Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker immediately.

Still, he had trust in the ridiculous ex-Jedi. He had trusted that Palpatine had known what he was doing with Darth Vader.

He had been privy to some of Palpatine’s plans before the end of the clones wars. He hadn’t known the ones regarding Anakin, obviously, but…

Well.

It clearly hadn’t taken much to push Anakin Skywalker over to the darkside. The man had always cared deeply for the people he was close to and thus when Palpatine got rid of them…it wasn’t that hard to make the man fall.

He knew how the dark side worked.

Keep Vader alone and angry and he wouldn’t stray.

The emperor’s attack dog.

But now Ahsoka Tano was unconscious in Vader’s arms and he had the sinking feeling that everything they had been working for was collapsing.

“This is the rebel leader Fulcrum.”

Darth Vader proclaimed and Yularen felt another wave of foreboding.

Great.

Anakin Skywalker’s former padawan was an important rebel.

It didn’t surprise him.

But Fulcrum?

Fulcrum?

Force help them.

“She is injured. Take her to the medbay.”

Vader said and multiple stormtroopers rushed forward, taking Ahsoka from his arms and hurrying off to the medbay.

“I am going to my chambers.”

He proclaimed and swept away, leaving a trail of extremely confused people in his wake.

Yularen bit back a scream of frustration and strode after Vader, knowing that he had to sort this out and get rid of Tano before she could start trying to pull Vader back to the light.

Because what else would Anakin Skywalker’s stubborn, headstrong padawan do?

“Lord Vader!”

He called, hurrying after him and attempting to match his stride.

“Colonel Yularen.”

Vader said, not bothering to turn his head and look at him. Yularen couldn’t bring himself to care, simply examined the lord of the sith.

“Do you require help once you reach your chambers?”

He asked, choosing not to comment on the fact that Vader’s mask was broken and it was very clear that he was injured.

It was odd, seeing a golden eye peering out at him. It made him seem almost reminiscent of the reckless young man Vader had been during the clone wars.

“No.”

Vader snarled and Yularen nodded, pretending like he wasn’t about to do something that he knew could get him killed.

“And the rebel Fulcrum, what should we do with her after she’s healed? A cell?”

“No!”

Vader spun around Yularen flinched as he felt a tight grip settle around his neck. He closed his eyes and desperately prayed to anyone listening that he wasn’t about to die.

“She is not to be harmed. Place her in one of the visitor chambers.”

“Is she to be guarded, sir?”

“Yes. Multiple guards unless I am with her. And I want force cuffs on her.”

“Yes sir.”

So, he didn’t trust Tano. That was good. What wasn’t good was that he was treating her well and not like the rebel scum that she was.

“Do you need anything else, Admiral?”

Vader said, dropping him to the floor. He shook his head, not bothering to mention the fact that his rank wasn’t Admiral anymore, it was Colonel.

“No sir.”

It was worrying that Vader was calling him Admiral instead of Colonel.

The last time that happened was when Vader had fought Kenobi.

It happened whenever he was remembering the times before.

Darth Vader strode off, his black cloak billowing behind him importantly and Yularen scowled.

He trusted the chain of command.

He trusted the people he worked with.

But…this couldn’t be good. He had to get rid of Tano. She couldn’t stay here. She couldn’t stay this close to Vader but they would need the information she had! Fulcrum, Fulcrum, Fulcrum. She would have information on the rebellion that he couldn’t even dream of.

And Vader?

If it had been any other rebel he would’ve trusted that Vader would get the information.

But it was Ahsoka Tano.

Anakin Skywalker’s padawan.

He sprinted down the corridor after Vader.

Thankfully the sith was already in his chambers and Yularen didn’t bump into him, merely reached the doors to his room and froze as a familiar voice drifted out into the halls.

“Yes, Lord Vader?”

“We have successfully captured the rebel Fulcrum.”

“Good.”

Vader wasn’t telling the emperor that Fulcrum was Ahsoka Tano. Vader wasn’t telling the emperor that Fulcrum was Ahsoka Tano. Vader wasn’t telling the emperor that Fulcrum was Ahsoka Tano.

Maybe there was more Anakin left than they had thought.

“And the sith temple?”

“Destroyed. There was a Jedi there and his padawan but they escaped.”

“Why did they escape, Lord Vader?”

Yularen shivered. He wasn’t the recipient of the emperor’s rage and yet chills still spread over his body.

Sometimes he was glad he didn’t usually have to have direct contact with the emperor.

“Agent Fulcrum. She was able to delay my reaching them just long enough for their escape.”

“Do not fail again, Lord Vader. The punishment will be…severe.”

Something crackled through the air and Yularen felt his hair stand on end. The emperor wasn’t even there and yet he felt his hand go around his throat instinctively.

What was with the sith and choking people?

“Yes, my master.”

Yularen stiffened as there was a click of the holoprojector being turned off. He spun on his heel and sprinted down the hallway, turning the corner and scrambling into the elevator frantically. He whacked the button to the floor where his room was and sighed, leaning his head against the wall.

Vader hadn’t told the emperor it was Ahsoka Tano.

Kriff.

He reached his chambers in a haze, walking through the bare room till he was sitting in front of his own holoprojector.

This was his job.

This was his job.

His job was to root out sedition. And keeping an eye on Vader was always one of his tasks.

He quickly tapped one of his contacts and waited nervously, watching as the call went through.

“Colonel Yularen.”

The man said, raising his eyebrows. Yularen nodded at him in greeting, waiting for him to ask what was going on. He had to seem like he had some semblance of control here.

“To what do I owe this call?”

“Ahsoka Tano has been found by Lord Vader.”

He said quickly, knowing that he would understand the implications of this knowledge just as much as he did.

They had both known Anakin before he was Vader.

“Has it been reported to the emperor?”

“Vader reported to the emperor that Fulcrum had been found but did not divulge the information that Fulcrum is Ahsoka Tano.”

“Ahsoka Tano is Fulcrum. We should’ve known.”

He nodded in agreement, mentally cursing themselves for being so blind.

“We need to bring this information to the emperor.”

Yularen said and the man nodded, leaning back in his chair and holding his gaze with cruel eyes.

“I agree. I will contact him. As you know, work on the…project is steadily coming along and we cannot let her interfere with these plans. You have done well, Colonel Yularen.”

“Thank you, Grand Moff Tarkin.”

Chapter Text

“Tano.”

She groaned and waved her hand, attempting to roll over.

“Tano.”

She flung her hands over her face to block out the eerie blue light.

“Padawan Tano!”

She jolted out of bed, spinning around to find herself standing in her old room in the temple, exactly the way she had left it…with the small exception that she was no longer a tiny little fourteen year old.

She turned around and staggered backwards, feeling her heart leap into her throat.

Master Mace Windu was standing in front of her, an extremely unimpressed look on his face. She felt a shiver cross her spine as he stared at her and she remember how much he hadn’t liked her and her lineage.

“Hello Master.”

She said quickly, dropping her head in respect.

“Hello Tano.”

He said, his voice unreadable.

“Is…am I dead?”

She asked, glancing down to look at her own body. It wasn’t the same eerie blue as him, however, so she assumed she wasn’t.

“No. You’re currently unconscious on an imperial ship manned by Darth Vader.”

She nodded, choosing to shove that knowledge far out of her mind and instead focus on why Master Windu was here.

“So, this is a dream? You’re visiting my dream?”

“Yes. Caleb wouldn’t respond.”

It took her a moment to realize he meant Kanan.

“Oh. Are they okay?”

“Yes. They reached the rebel base a few hours ago.”

She felt a wave of relief crash over her and she sat down, rubbing her forehead in her hands.

“Thank you, Tano.”

She looked up in surprise.

“For what, Master?”

“For saving my grandpadawan.”

He smiled at her and she felt the oddest sensation wash over her. Master Windu, the Jedi notorious for not agreeing with her lineage, was actually thanking her for something she had done? Interesting.

“Caleb would have died if you hadn’t saved him.”

“He is perfectly capable, I’m sure he would’ve…”

“He would’ve died. He was about to join the force. You saved him, Tano, and for that I am forever grateful.” She stared at him and he rolled his eyes, something that she had never thought Master Windu could do. “Tano, just accept the thank you.”

She laughed softly and he held out his hand.

“Walk with me, Tano.”

She nodded, accepting his hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. The door swung open of its own accord and they emerged into the halls of the temple.

She watched, a sad smile on her face as younglings ran past, chattering excitedly.

“Is everyone here dead?”

Master Windu shook his head and gestured to the walls around him.

“I created this from your memory to make you feel more at ease. You and I are the only real people here.”

“Alright.”

They walked further into the temple and she realized that the people passing them looked like most people in dreams did, blurry and undefined.

“Somehow I doubt the only thing you’re appearing for is to thank me for saving Caleb’s life.”

She said after a moment, looking at him expectantly. He nodded, something dark in his eyes.

“Yes. I came to talk to you about Vader.”

“I assumed.”

Master Windu sighed and looked at her with a sympathetic look in his eyes.

“We were watching your duel.”

“We?”

“The order. Those of us who are able to reach further into the living world.”

She nodded, mentally categorizing that with the many force-related things that she needed to research eventually.

“We’ve been watching Vader closely. You didn’t appear on our radar until recently, and I’ll be honest, it was good to see you.”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise and Master Windu smiled at her.

“Is it shocking to believe that we care about you?”

She laughed dryly.

“I mean you voted that I bombed the Jedi temple.”

Master Windu fell into silence and walked faster, forcing her to take a double step to keep up.

“Tano, we—“

She held up her hand, shaking her head.

“I understand. You did what you thought was best. I got over it years ago, I had to. I was making just as hard decisions with the rebellion. You reacted with the facts, and I respect that.”

She met his eyes and he sighed, reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. You were a child, and we failed you.”

“Leaving the order was good for me.” She said, smiling up at him. “I learned a lot. I was going to return, you know. Unfortunately…”

She trailed off meaningfully, letting the silence fill with the memories of the clones who were forced to betray them.

“Thank you, Tano.”

He said again and she glanced at him curiously.

“For what?”

“For being a good Jedi.”

She laughed and shook her head.

“If you watched that duel then you should know I’m not a Jedi.”

“Some would say otherwise.”

She frowned at him but he just gave her a soft smile. It was odd, seeing Master Windu this relaxed. Maybe that was what death did to someone. Made them see everything in perspective.

“Now. Vader has decided not to kill you, just like he chose not to kill Obi-Wan. This seems to hint that Anakin is still in there, however hidden.”

She whipped around and stared at him in shock. Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan was alive? Her grandmaster was alive?

Vader had almost killed Obi-Wan.

It didn’t surprise her.

“Ah. You didn’t know. Yes, Obi-Wan is alive. He’s on Tatooine, but you have other issues right now. Namely, surviving this.”

Master Windu kept walking, forcing her to scramble to keep up.

“Continue what you’ve been doing but be careful. There is a chance that Anakin is still in there, that you could pull him away from the emperor’s grasp. Use the bond to your advantage, try to lull him into the light. But, Tano, you will have to make a choice.”

She almost ran into his back when he stopped. “When the time comes. If the opportunity arises. You may have to decide whether he lives or dies.”

She stared at him but he just placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled.

“You have the unique opportunity here, Tano. You can save the galaxy. Whether that means his death or not is up to you.”

“Do you want me to kill him?”

She whispered but Master Windu’s face didn’t change.

“Tell Caleb that Depa and I are proud of him.”

“Do you want me to kill Vader?”

Tears were starting to stream down her face but Master Windu just kept smiling at her.

“Find Obi-Wan, if you can.”

“Master! Do you want me to kill Anakin?”

She begged for an answer but his smile turned sad and he pulled her into a ghostly hug.

“May the force be with you, Ahsoka Tano.”

She woke up sobbing.

Chapter Text

Everything hurt.

A dull, throbbing ache that worked its way through her entire body and up to her head. She gritted her teeth against the pain and opened her eyes slowly.

It burned.

She hissed in pain but kept her eyes open, staring up at the boring white ceiling above her.

Plain.

White.

Sterile.

Her brain caught up with what she was seeing and she shot up to a sitting position, agony flaring through her body. She bit back a scream and looked around with wide eyes, realizing that she was on a giant bed.

In a room.

That was decidedly not a cell.

She glanced around and saw that there was a comfy looking chair in the corner of the room, curtains over a window, and a table and chairs at the other end.

So not a med bay either.

She groaned and rubbed her forehead, the pain dying down as she sat there. Breathing in and breathing out. Trying to center herself in the force before—oh kriff.

Her head snapped down to her wrists and she felt her stomach twist in pain.

Cold metal cuffs were on her wrists, pressing down into her skin and sending chills up her spine.

She reached out for the force again but felt nothing.

Emptiness.

She gripped them and tried to force them off but they were welded shut, unremovable. She scowled and scrambled out of bed, closing her eyes as the world spun around her.

Her head stopped spinning and she practically tore the room apart in her search for something sharp that she could use to try and cut the cuffs off.

The panic was starting to settle in now, the pure, unfiltered fear over the fact that she was trapped in here, trapped in an imperial cruiser, trapped with the empire trapped with a sith trapped with…trapped with Vader.

She rubbed her eyes and leaned against the wall, drawing a deep breath.

She would be okay.

She would be okay.

Vader was here, and he hadn’t killed her yet. Asides from their duel he hadn’t been able to hurt her. He hadn’t seemed to bring himself to hurt her.

There was a little of Anakin left.

She wouldn’t have to kill him.

She would not have to kill him.

She’d make the other choice, she’d save him.

Something wet was dripping down her face and she sniffed, wiping the tears away quickly.

“Why are you crying?”

She screamed and whipped around, realizing that the shadows in the corner weren’t actually shadows. There was a click and mechanical breathing filled the room, as well as buttons lighting up.

Had he turned off his breathing system just to scare her?

Drama Queen.

“Force help me, if I had my lightsabers…”

She said, trailing off as Vader stepped into the light and stared menacingly down at her.

“Were you watching me as I slept?”

She asked, narrowing her eyes as his hand twitched slightly.

“I was making sure you didn’t escape.”

She nodded, mentally filing that away with things he was doing that seemed to be him pretending he didn’t care at all.

Interesting.

“But you are awake now. Good.”

“Why do you talk like that?”

She asked and held back the smile that wanted to cross her face at the way his body language changed just barely to show he was confused.

“Like what?”

“You talk very stiff. Very controlled. You didn’t talk that before.”

He didn’t answer, merely turned and strode to the window. She watched as he opened the blinds, revealing the beautiful expanse of space stretching out before them.

“You are to be guarded whenever I am not with you.”

He said, still standing as if he was a statue. The opposite of how he had once been. Hyper, always moving, always trying to fix things.

“And I want all the information you have on the rebellion.”

Absolutely not.

Absolutely the hell not.

She strode forward so that she was standing next to him, trying as hard as she could to radiate annoyance and distrust into their force bond, even if she couldn’t feel the force herself.

He would still be able to feel it.

“No.”

“You are not in a position to bargain.”

He hissed and she clenched her jaw, determinedly not looking at him.

“I don’t care. I’m not giving you information.”

He spun around faster than she had expected but this time she was ready, jumping to the side and ducking underneath his arm as he stretched it out to grab her in the force.

He stumbled slightly and she grinned, quickly spinning around him and standing where he had been standing only moments ago, pretending to stare out at the stars.

“Why did you bring me here?”

She asked, watching as the stars moved past. They weren’t in hyperspace, merely traveling slowly to wherever they were headed.

“You have information on the rebellion.”

“Is that what you told your master?”

She said, lifting one eyebrows as he came to stand next to her again.

“Yes.”

“You’re a slave again.”

He didn’t deny it.

Her master had been a slave.

And now he was one again.

“That’s not why you want me here, though.” She continued, hoping he’d at least say something so she could understand what was going on. “If you just needed information you would’ve invaded my brain already. What do you really want?”

He turned on his heel and left the room. She slumped against the wall and sighed, feeling another wave of exhaustion wash over her.

Well.

He wanted something, clearly, something that wasn’t just information on the rebellion. She wasn’t going to give him anything on the rebellion but if she could figure out what else he wanted she could use that to her advantage till she could…would she escape?

Did she even want to escape?

If she escaped, she’d leave him.

She couldn’t do that.

She was crying again now.

She missed Rex.

She needed Rex.

She needed someone on her side, someone to talk to, someone to help back her up.

And Vader wasn’t about to do that.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes, getting back to her feet and looking out the window at the stars.

This wasn’t the first time she had been alone.

She could do this.

She started crying. 

Again.

She spent the rest of the day in her new room, wrapped in the blankets and watching the stars. She had almost gone running out of the room to go explore and figure out what was going on but a voice that was very, very, very similar to Rex’s rang in her head to stay put and regain strength.

She listened to him.

So she stayed there, sitting on the floor, fiddling with the cuffs on her wrists.

She could break them.

In theory.

She groaned and flipped backwards onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.

She needed to do something productive but she couldn’t do anything like this. She needed her strength back and she needed the force and she needed…she needed…she needed a droid.

She sat up, the wheels in her brain turning.

A droid.

There was a reason she worked as a mechanic after leaving the order. Anakin had taught her how to be so kriffing good with anything mechanical.

If she could get her hands on a droid…well.

That could be something.

Chapter Text

[young general!!]

“Why do you always call me that?”

[respect]

“You’ve never respected anyone in your life.”

[heheh]

“Look, R2, we have a problem.”

[????]

“One of the rebellion’s best agents was killed by Darth Vader.”

[anger rage sadness betrayal betrayal sad sad sad sad]

“…I know? The point is…the point is, I don’t think she was killed.”

[why?]

“Something. Just…something. It’s a hunch, but no one’s going to trust a hunch.”

[tatoinee]

“I can’t contact Obi-Wan.”

[fulcrum important]

“I know Fulcrum was important but it’s not General Obi-Wan Kenobi important.”

[NO]

“R2.”

[master’s little sister]

“What?”

[fulcrum is master’s little sister]

“Who is your master?”

[pain sadness betrayal betrayal infected sick sadness sadness sad sad sad]

“R2?”

[master’s older brother and master’s little sister fix the virus fix the virus virus virus virus virus sick sick sick sick]

“What are you talking about?”

[sadness family broken virus hurt master]

“R2? R2 who is your master? You still won’t tell us.”

[secret. protects you]

“You and my father both. Secrets for protection.”

[yes]

“You really think this is important enough to contract Obi-Wan?”

[YES]

“Very well. I’ll talk to my parents.”

[happy love excitement bittersweet]

“Bye, R2.”

[bye young general]

[3PO]

“Oh, what is it R2? I have an important meeting with—“

[fulcrum dead]

“And why should I care about Fulcrum? You know we’re good loyal subjects of the empire and—“

[oh you’re no help]

“I beg your pardon?”

[bye]

“R2! Don’t roll away from me! R2!”

[evil droid]

{MURDER}

[need help]

{mwahahahaha}

[listen!]

{power evil kill murder owe me owe me owe me mwahahahahaha}

[captain with your ship?]

{captain?}

[clone]

{oh blue shooty}

[yes]

{friends with orange stabby}

[yes]

{stabby dead}

[no]

{no?}

[young general hunch]

{young general?}

[Leia Organa]

{Princess!}

[fulcrum not dead]

{but bad guy murdered?}

[hunch not hunch force]

{ohhh force shit}

[tell caleb]

{caleb?}

[KANAN]

{oh grumpy dad}

[yeah]

{why tell dad?}

[just tell him force fulcrum not dead]

{owe me}

[kriffing bantha shit ]

{will rip apart your wires}

[fine]

{mwahahahaha}

[tell caleb]

{FINE}

[ass]

{GRUMPY}

“Hera! I think Chopper needs something!”

{NO YOU}

“It has to be me?”

{message}

“You have a message? For me?”

{from evil blue droid}

“Evil blue droid? Chopper, what?”

{EVIL BLUE DROID!}

“Guys, does anyone know what Chopper means by an evil blue droid?”

{evil blue droid says baby general force knows orange stabby isn’t dead}

“I have no idea what you’re trying to say.”

{ORANGE STABBY YOU UNEDUCATED MOTHERF-}

“Whoa! Chopper!”

{WILL MURDER YOU}

“Chopper!”

{YOU WILL UNDERSTAND OR YOUR INTESTINES WILL BE VIOLENTLY—}

“Honey! Your droid is loosing his mind more than normal!

{YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU CROSSED ME}

Chapter Text

Darth Vader strode through the halls of his ship, people cowering out of his way as he walked. He felt a grin smile spread under his mask at the sight of them quivering in fear, their terror drifting in waves through the force.

He felt better.

He had tortured a few minor rebels he currently had in the ship’s holding cells before going and meditating in his chambers, commanding the force like the true master that he was.

He felt like himself.

There definitely wasn’t a tiny nagging itch in the corner of his brain that kept sounding like her.

Telling him that he was a terrible master.

That he was a terrible person.

A monster.

“ENOUGH!”

He roared out and the passing stormtrooper yelped in fear and practically sprinted out of the hall. He slammed his fist into the wall and smiled bitterly at the indentation there.

Perfect.

He kept walking.

Vader made it ten more feet down the corridor before he heard a soft clunk above him.

Normally he’d dismiss it to be nothing.

A droid, a worker, someone on a floor above him.

But he currently had one of the best rebels on his ship.

And she had always used to use the vents to sneak around the temple and ships.

“Why did you make a noise?”

He asked, reaching out to their force bond and finding her smug and confident in her plan.

“Did you want me to hear you?”

He demanded but still, she didn’t answer. He reached out in the force and pulled the vents down, causing dust to fly in his face and obscure the view from his mask.

By the time he could see again there was no trace of her.

He whipped around and stormed towards her room—cell, because she was a prisoner. She would pay for this.

He’d have to put more security on her.

He waved the guards outside her door away and slammed it open. He took a deep breath to scream in anger about her being missing—but there she was.

Sitting on the bed.

A blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

An extremely confused and fearful expression on her face.

“Were you in the vents?”

He demanded, striding across the room and reaching out in the force. She gasped as she was lifted into the air and brought to face him.

“No.”

She choked out, her hands coming to her throat as she looked at him with a look that was simultaneously scared and disapproving.

“I want the truth.”

He demanded, leaning forward till his mask was almost touching her nose. She blinked and suddenly leaned forward, bonking their foreheads together lightly.

He dropped her and stared, old memories of a lesson from Padme about Mandalorians and Keldabe kisses flashing through his mind.

A Keldabe kiss, a gentle headbutt created as an alternate form of kissing between two helmeted individuals, originally for couples but it had spread to being accepted for family members and friends too. It was only for those you were close to…it was for your loved ones.

And judging from the minuscule smirk on her face she knew exactly what she had done.

He spun on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door hard behind him.

He needed more anger.

She kept disorienting him.

Saying she wouldn’t leave him, saying he didn’t need the suit, mocking him, teasing him, somehow terrified of him and yet would still bonk their foreheads together affectionately.

He hated her.

He wondered how a Keldabe kiss would feel against his actual forehead.

Ahsoka flopped onto the ground, covering her face with her hands and groaning loudly.

There was a beeping next to her and she rolled over, pulling the little black and white droid that was hiding in her blankets out.

It was a little thing, just a round ball and flat head almost floating on top of the main body.

“Sorry about that.”

She whispered, setting the droid onto the ground so it could whir at her questioningly.

It was so bland.

It barely had any personality, just blind obedience to whatever was going on.

The way a droid was supposed to be.

“So. Thank you for coming to me through the vents.”

She said and the droid rolled slightly to the side, tilting its head curiously.

“Has no one said thank you before?”

She asked but the droid didn’t respond to that, just whirred again. She closed her eyes, trying to figure out exactly what it was saying.

Every droid had its own little language.

No, language wasn’t the right term.

All droids spoke binary, whether or not they had a voice box. It was more like each droid had a very distinct accent that could make them hard to understand.

R2, for one, he talked like a sailor, thick and heavy and used so many cuss words that she was still learning the meanings too.

This little droid had a soft accent that she couldn’t understand yet. So soft that it didn’t even have a true personality yet.

“I gave him a Keldabe kiss.”

She said to the droid, getting to her feet and striding across the room.

Rex had taught her about them the last time they had seen each other before he had gone off to live with Gregor and Wolffe.

Rex.

Force, she missed him.

The droid whirred curiously at her and she laughed, reaching down and patting its head.

“You’re curious, aren’t you?”

She said, smiling down at it. It whirred again but she still couldn’t quite make out what it was saying.

“Come on, let’s finish modifying you.”

She sat down again, flipping one of the droid’s panels open. It had been easy enough to snag a data pad from her guards’ belts. Mock bump into one of them as she jumped out of the way of a passing inquisitor and they just assumed she was terrified.

Then all she had to do was call a droid to her room with the special instruction of going through the vents before deleting the history and handing it back to the guard before he even noticed it was missing.

She chuckled under her breath and pulled out a wire, grinned as the little droid shook its head rapidly, seemingly disoriented by that.

“I know, I know.”

She soothed it, wishing not for the first time that she had some tools or something more than just her hands.

“Alright.” She said, leaning back and grinning at the little droid. “Any information you download will no longer be automatically relayed to the empire and the tracker in you is out, we just need to stick it to another droid and it’ll seem like you’re still moving around per usual.”

The droid whirred again and sounded almost excited at the prospect. She laughed and rubbed its head affectionately.

“I know, it’s cool!”

<cool>

She felt a wide grin spread across her face as the droid raced in a circle around the room, repeating the word cool over and over again like a little toddler.

“Oh, you would drive 3PO crazy.”

She got to her feet and kicked the wires and parts she had ended up removing under the bed before reaching up and pulling the opening to the vents down.

“Here’s your first mission. Stick the tracker on a mouse droid or something and then I want a full map of the vents, okay?”

The droid whirred excitedly and picked it up, placing it in the vent and giving it a thumbs up. It whirred with excitement before spinning around and through the vents.

<cool!>

Chapter Text

Kanan was tired.

No, he wasn’t just tired, he was absolutely bone dead exhausted.

He was tired and Ezra was avoiding him.

His padawan had stayed by his side until he was up and out of bed and then it was like he had vanished.

He could feel his waves of guilt in the force but nothing he or Hera could say seemed to get through to him.

“Hey.”

Speaking of Hera.

He tilted his head at the sound of her voice and the bed creaked slightly. He felt it dip under the weight of a second person sitting and he turned to direct his gaze…well, face, towards her.

“I brought you caf.”

She said and he clumsily brought his fingers around the mug with her help.

For a moment, during his fight with Maul, he had been able to see again. Not in the typical sense but with the help of the force. He had been able to defend himself and send the sith over the edge of the temple.

He couldn’t see anymore.

“Thank you.”

He said and felt as she brought one hand to rest on his shoulder.

“How are you doing?”

He sighed, carefully taking a sip and wincing as he knocked the mug against his teeth. He could feel the pity wafting off her.

“I’m alright.”

He said, looking around at the darkness that surrounded him.

“It could’ve been worse. And I’m not the first blind Jedi.”

“I know.”

They lapsed into silence and he wished he could see what she was doing. He had once been so good at seeing her emotions, no matter how hard she tried to conceal them. He leaned into her touch and she pulled him against her, causing a sigh to slip from both of their mouths.

“How’s Ezra?”

He asked and Hera let out a greater sigh.

“He blames himself.”

“I know.”

“You don’t blame him?”

“Of course not.”

“Good.”

He had the feeling she would’ve shot him if he’d said he blamed Ezra, blind or not. He didn’t blame him, of course. It wasn’t Ezra’s fault he hadn’t realized they couldn’t trust Maul. The sith could be very persuasive and even he had wondered if Maul had really turned over a new leaf.

Well.

He clearly hadn’t.

“Do you know what Chopper was babbling about?”

He asked and felt Hera shake her head.

“I have no clue.”

They fell back into silence and he felt her move her hand to rub his back.

“It’s going to be okay.”

She whispered and he smiled.

“I know, love.”

He said, using their old pet names. Their conversations had once been filled with causal ‘loves’ and ‘honeys’ and ‘dears’, but once they started working closer with the rebellion it had just…disappeared.

He froze as he felt her lips press against his forehead in a gentle kiss.

“You’re right.”

She said and he felt as her weight left the bed.

“I’m going to check on the team before bed. Actually join us for breakfast, please?”

“I will.”

He heard the door slide shut behind her and he sighed, falling backwards so that he was lying on the bed.

He was so tired.

He closed his eyes—instinct, he didn’t need to anymore—and sighed. Hopefully he could actually fall asleep and not have more nightmares about seeing Maul murder everyone he loved.

Love.

He shook his head, thinking about the way that the Jedi had preached that attachments were bad and everyone had decided that meant love was bad.

Ridiculous, and no one had been affected more than Ahsoka’s lineage.

He had only been a padawan and yet he had still figured that out.

Disaster lineage.

The door slid open again and he sighed, not wanting to sit up.

“Hey, Kanan?”

He froze, recognizing his padawan’s voice.

“Yes?”

“Can…can I come in?”

He sat up, nodding. He heard Ezra let out a sigh and move deeper into the room, his footsteps creaking.

“What’s up?”

He asked but Ezra stayed silent. His guilt was overpowering here and Kanan let out a sigh, looking towards the general vicinity of his padawan.

“Are you okay?”

He asked and heard a soft sniffle before Ezra said, “yeah, of course.”

“No you’re not.”

Kanan said softly and Ezra let out a muffled sob. He felt his heart ache and he got out of bed, opening his arms and causing Ezra to barrel into them.

He hugged his padawan tightly, sitting back down onto the bed and pulling Ezra with him. Ezra sniffled hard and Kanan moved him ever so gently so that he was almost holding his padawan.

“I’m okay, you know that right?”

He said and Ezra wailed, burying his head into his shoulder. Kanan couldn’t even bring himself to care that his shoulder was being drenched in tears and snot.

“You’re hurt and—“

“It’s not your fault. Nothing that happened was your fault. Maul is a Sith Lord, Ezra. Of course he was going to trick you. You had no way of knowing that but it’s okay. I made my choice and so did Ahsoka.”

Ezra cried harder and he hugged his padawan tightly to his chest, sending all the waves of calm that he could to the teen.

“It’s okay.”

He whispered, again and again and again until Ezra slowly drifted off to sleep and Kanan soon followed, hugging his padawan to his chest as if he would disappear if he let him go.

Chapter Text

She was standing in front of a mural, frowning. Three people were pictured there, a tall man with a long grey beard, a young woman with pale skin and green hair, and a young man with white skin and red markings.

She knew them.

She didn’t know how she knew them but she did know them.

Something was off.

She shook her head, turning as the corridor shifted around her and she was standing in a brightly lit hallway, the windows outside portraying a beautiful sunset, golds and oranges and reds casting warm light on her face.

“Hello, Ahsoka.”

She smiled as a hand was placed on her shoulder and she turned.

“Hi Senator Amidala.”

“Ahsoka. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Padme?”

Padme teased, giving her a bright smile and Ahsoka felt warmth spread through her.

“Yeah, I know. Old habits.”

She said, referring to when she had felt that she had to be so polite to the senator, back when she was little.

“Well. How are you? It’s been a while since you’ve been home.”

Ahsoka nodded at Padme’s statement, her hand drifting casually to one of the sabers on her belt at the memory of the mission she had just been on.

“You just finished handling the situation on Dathomir, correct?”

“Yes. I’m sad Anakin and Master Obi-Wan couldn’t join me, but I had the 332nd division with me, as usual.”

Padme smiled at her proudly.

“Look at you, all grown up.”

“Aw, Padme.”

“No, I’m serious!”

Padme said, placing her hand gently on her shoulder.

“Knight Ahsoka Tano, General of the 332nd. It’s impressive, you know that right?”

She was blushing slightly now at Padme’s praise, feeling incredibly awkward because it really wasn’t that impressive.

“Well. Just doing my duty to the republic.”

She said, trying to stay as humble as possible.

“Really?”

“Okay it’s so cool.” She blurted out, causing Padme to laugh. “I’m just glad Rex could be my Commander, I don’t think I could’ve pulled this off without him.”

“Well, we’re glad to have you as our General.”

She blinked in surprise, because a moment ago she could’ve sworn that Rex hadn’t been there but no, he’d been walking with them the whole time…right?

When had they started walking?

Padme smiled at them warmly and she felt a bubble of happiness at the Senator’s obvious approval.

“Yes, Anakin has been…I think he’s dealing with empty nest syndrome without you two, to be perfectly honest.”

Ahsoka snorted with laughter and exchanged a look with Rex, the two of them able to picture Anakin freaking out so easily. They stopped in front of a door and Padme unlocked it, giving them another proud smile.

“But, as important as your duties are, you haven’t been back to Coruscant in months and I can think of two people that desperately want to see you.”

Ahsoka laughed as they followed Padme inside her apartment—because of course it was Padme’s apartment, why hadn’t she known that earlier?

“AUNT SOKA!”

She held out her arms in response to the two shrieks and two tiny bundles of weight practically flew through the air and into her arms.

She hugged her niece and nephew tightly, kissing both of them on the head before spinning around, causing both of them to shout with laughter.

More and more happiness bubbled up inside of her as she hugged them like she had lost them.

Had she lost them?

She shook the odd thoughts from her mind as the twins started babbling excitedly at her. They kept talking over each other and she laughed, ruffling their hair.

“Guys, slow down!”

She said but they didn’t pay attention to her, merely kept trying to shout over each other.

“Anakin, we have guests!”

Padme called and Ahsoka grinned at her. They…they hadn’t exactly told Anakin that she and the 332nd had gotten back from their mission three days early. So she was excited to see his face…and use it as blackmail. She glanced over at Rex and saw that he had his camera out, already recording.

“I didn’t know people were—“

Anakin rounded the corner, followed by Obi-Wan, both of them confused. Ahsoka grinned as Anakin froze mid-sentence at the sight of her hugging the twins. Rex, Padme and Obi-Wan simultaneously snorted with laughter as Anakin’s eyes bugged out in surprise.

Ahsoka and Anakin ran forward at the same time and she let out a sigh of relief as he engulfed her in a hug. She had missed him.

The safety and chaos, the way his force signature burned like the sun, warm. The jokes and tears and the way that he was home.

She would always come back to him.

But then everything turned cold.

She froze, realizing that Anakin was no longer breathing.

He was still hugging her but it was like being hugged by a brand new droid. Lifeless. Just an empty shell.

She jerked away and whipped around, her heart starting to beat at a rate that was more than a little terrifying.

Rex was frozen mid grin, his normally bright eyes suddenly dead and lifeless. Padme was frozen holding onto the twins, Obi-Wan frozen mid-smile at her and Anakin. The color drained from their skin as she watched and she shivered, taking a nervous step back.

Even the sky outside was changed, from sunset to night, the world drenched in blues and silver light.

It felt eerie.

Like she wasn’t supposed to be here.

Something ice cold landed on her shoulder and she spun around, whacking it off on instinct. She watched as a small bat flew above her head before landing on Anakin’s frozen shoulder.

Something landed on her shoulder again but the claws clutching onto her seeped warmth into her heart.

She didn’t have to turn her head to know that a bird was perched on her shoulder.

A bat and a bird.

“You can’t save him.”

They spoke in unison, a woman’s voice and a man’s voice blending and echoing as if they were speaking across worlds.

“What?”

“You can’t save him.”

They repeated and she shook her head, reaching out to take Anakin’s hands.

“He doesn’t need saving.”

She said, confused. They were all here. They were here, and they were happy. The bat merely rose into the air, its golden eyes fixing her with a stare that sent chills through her.

“Look what he’s done.”

She collapsed, screaming.

Chapter Text

She wasn’t herself anymore.

She was a youngling, looking up at Knight Anakin Skywalker, the hero of the Republic.

“Master Skywalker, there are too many of them! What are we going to do?”

She watched as his eyes flared yellow and she was cut down, the blue of his lightsaber fading into black as he strode off.

“Master.”

She choked out as she died, joining the force in agony.

Then she was a rebel.

She had a family.

A son and a wife.

She was fighting, desperately fighting to save her world but Darth Vader was baring down on her, the sound of his breathing the same as a death rattle.

She raised her chin as he raised her into the air, pressure tightening around her throat.

Her last thought was of her loves.

She was a tusken raider.

Just a child.

Fast asleep and unaware.

She wasn’t expecting the moment of burning pin and agony before she knew nothing, killed for a choice she did not make.

She was a clone.

She was struggling to survive after Order 66, her own mind rebelling against herself.

Trying to serve the empire.

Cornered and bullied by officers before Vader found her, looking up at the sith with terrified eyes.

He stabbed her through the chest, declaring that she was a traitor.

To who, she would never know.

She was Obi-Wan.

She was staring at the man she called a brother, all love gone from his face, replaced with hate and golden eyes.

“You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!”

She shouted and she heard them both, herself and Obi-Wan speaking as one, their voices blending together as pain crossed Anakin’s face.

She was Padme.

Staring at her husband as he went down a path that terrified her. Watching as the republic she had worked so hard for went down in flames.

Feeling her husband try to kill her and mentally berating herself for being so stupid.

She was Ahsoka.

She was herself.

Reaching out into the force and sensing him for the first time in fifteen years but he was no longer her master.

Fighting against him and feeling the rage.

The hatred.

She was Anakin.

Scared.

Angry.

Lonely.

Afraid.

“Stop.”

She whispered, bringing her hands around her head as she was more and more people.

“Please.”

Every person he had hurt, every person killed.

“Stop.”

Her voice cracked desperately as felt something wrap tightly around her wrist.

“Enough!”

She screamed and the bat and bird were back, circling her head like the most horrific omen.

“PLEASE!”

She begged and the bird flew at the bat, shoving it to the side and flying down to her but the bat was retaliating, striking the bird with a lightning bolt.

They weren’t small anymore.

They were giants, circling above her head like two great beasts, uncontrollable and murderous, and she was tiny, crumpled on the floor and sobbing.

“Let me go.”

She whimpered as chains wrapped around her, her breath puffing out in tiny clouds. There was an almighty screech and she looked up, seeing a crumpled figure dressed in blue and white armor in front of her.

“No.”

She breathed, her best friend frozen to death in front of her eyes.

Next to him was Hera and Sabine and Zeb, strangled to death, blood dripping from invisible wounds. Three feet away were Kanan and Ezra, gaping stab wounds in their chests, gasping faintly as the life faded from their eyes.

“No.”

She repeated, begging anyone for help.

There, Padme. Crumpled on the ground, her hands around her throat, tears still fresh on her cheeks.

She could see Obi-Wan too, stabbed with a thousand lightsaber wounds, blood dripping down his face.

The bird and the bat blocked out the moons and stars, fighting desperately for authority, feathers and fur drifting through the air like snow.

“Please.”

She repeated, looking over the dead.

Thousands of graves littered the field, thousands of helmets painted with her own markings.

“Help me.”

She gasped as ice started spreading up her limbs, her heartbeat slowing.

“Someone help me.”

She repeated, screamed, again and again and again or was sound even coming out at all?

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear, does it make a sound?

Did she even exist?

She was five again, no ten, fourteen, thirty-one, seventeen, two, fifty-three, fifteen, thirty-two, everything and nothing she was pain and peace and please, someone help her, someone save her, anyone anyone anyone anyone—please, master.

Agony and pain and the ice had spread to her neck and tears were streaming down her face and she was gasping for breath and help and please help she needed—please, master.

Help.

Help.

Help.

Help.

“MASTER!”

She screamed at the top of her lungs and within seconds he was there, grabbing her arms and pulling her to her feet and the bird and the bat were landing on the ground in front of them, tiny again, seemingly unruffled.

“Impressive.”

They both hissed, the bird pleased but the bat angry.

She opened her eyes and sobbed.

Chapter Text

She flung the blankets off her body, panting for breath. It was like her heart had leapt out of her chest and was echoing around her, every beat ringing in her ears like mockery.

Master.

Master.

Master.

She choked back another sob and scrambled out of bed. She gasped for breath and shook, tears streaming down her face as she leaned against the wall.

They were gone.

What she could have had was gone.

She sobbed, crumpling to the ground and weeping for the family she could have had.

It was like the hole in her chest, once numb and cold had turned into a chasm, red and raw and bloody. She could see her heart bleeding, tears and blood mixing together in memory of what could have been.

She shook harder as cold air blew over her shoulders and she grabbed at her bed, trying to reach her blankets. She lost balance and hit the floor again, unable to catch her breath.

She pressed her head against the floor and wailed, hating herself for crying but unable to stop.

Years of pain and agony just built up and she hadn’t cried for so long, and yet here she was crying again in the same week.

Mourning her family.

Something soft wrapped around her and she froze, sniffling as she pulled the fabric tightly around her.

She choked back a sob and opened her mouth, blinking tears away frantically.

“I dreamed of my family.”

She whispered, not entirely sure why she was talking out loud.

“Not…not now. Before. After? What could have happened?”

She sniffled and pulled the fabric tighter around her.

“I was a Knight. No one was dead.” Her voice cracked and she let out another sob. “I was a General. I was a General and Rex was my Commander. The 332nd.”

Her voice was shaking and she hated it. Hated it. Hated it hated it hated it hated it.

“I…I was talking to Padme. I had a niece and nephew. Anakin and Padme—my brother and his wife—they had kids.”

She wailed, breaking down again, the tears streaming down her face hot and heavy.

“I was an Aunt.”

She managed to get out before crumpling into a ball on the floor, the pain more powerful than anything she had felt before.

“Anakin was happy. Obi-Wan was there, smiling. Everyone…my brothers. My niece and nephew. Padme. I…they were alive…happy.”

Something brushed against her shoulder and she sighed, leaning automatically into the touch.

“My family is gone.”

She whispered, staring at the black material clutched in her hands.

“I just want to be a kid again.”

The tears were slowing, the pain replaced with the numbness that always sunk in after a while.

“I want to have my family back.”

She said, something drifting along her montrals the exact same way Anakin had once comforted her after nightmares.

“And then the Mortis gods appeared and turned me into all the people Vader had hurt.”

The hand brushing her montrals froze for a second before resuming the long forgotten path.

“I must be stupid to think there’s any Anakin left in there.”

She sighed, more tears slipping out of her eyes.

“I just want my brother back.”

She whispered, closing her eyes as the hand brushing her montrals shifted, moving to the top of her head and stroking a small heart.

The hand tapped out a soft code.

‘Me too, snips’

She stiffened.

Code.

Snips.

Their code.

Her nickname.

The GAR and the Jedi’s code.

The code they used to send messages during the clone wars when they couldn’t speak.

The hand above her froze. She could feel it hovering above her montrals for a second before it disappeared.

She didn’t even breathe.

She just waited.

There was a creak and then the soft sliding of a door opening and closing.

She sat up quickly and looked around.

There was no evidence that anyone had just been in her room as she sobbed.

Nothing…nothing except for Darth Vader’s cloak wrapped tightly around her.

He had been in his chambers.

He had been alone, in his chambers, letting the dark side flow into him. Commanding the force and drawing forth his anger.

Letting the rage fill him.

The power that he felt…it was empty.

Numb.

But he wouldn’t allow himself to feel that.

He was angry.

Angry that he felt numb.

Angry that his power wasn’t enough to make him feel content.

There was some cruel irony there, he was sure.

The type of lesson that Obi-Wan would have taught him, tiredly sighing at him after he made some sort of snarky joke, lecturing him about not being cocky.

Well, he wasn’t cocky anymore.

He was the lord of the sith.

Obi-Wan would hate him.

Something tapped at the edge of the force.

Something bright breaking through the darkness.

Something…scared.

He frowned.

Fear wasn’t an unknown emotion on his ship. Everyone was scared of him, it was wonderful.

He hated it.

But this fear…it wasn’t of him, it was…for him?

He followed the thread of light in the force, tracing it back to its owner…Ahsoka.

She was fast asleep but her dream had suddenly turned fearful.

Fear for him…and then fear of him.

He shoved his thoughts out of his mind, instead reaching for the trail of her force signature. It was muffled, but that was because of the force-blockers placed on her wrists. She was perfectly fine, just…no.

Them.

He was all the way to the door of her room before he faltered, ignoring the fact that both guards had fallen asleep on duty, he went to open her door but…

Why did he care.

Why did he care if the gods of Mortis were interfering with her dreams.

He didn’t care.

He was a sith.

He was the lord of the sith.

He was anger and rage and power and he did not care one bit about her. She could die for all he cared.

He could kill her himself if he wanted to.

Suddenly the force was screaming in his mind and the faint threat of their force bond was being yanked, hard, and he could hear her screaming in his mind, a desperate shout of “MASTER!”

He shoved the door open and raced into the room, finding her wrapped in her blankets on the bed, a look of pure fear on her face.

He reached out and grabbed her arm and then he could see everything that she was seeing.

He was in her dream.

He saw the gods of Mortis.

The gigantic bat and beautiful bird that he remembered from that fatal trip.

He had thought they died.

He looked at Ahsoka.

She was crumpled on the ground, ice covering her body, an expression almost like hope on her face as she stared up at him.

He grabbed her arms and pulled her free from the ice and chains, clutching her in his arms as he turned towards the gods of Mortis and extended his hand, pulling them down to the ground and fixing them with his best glare—somehow, in this dream, he didn’t have his mask.

“Impressive.”

They hissed at the same time and Ahsoka gasped.

He staggered backwards as he was flung violently back into the real world. He leaned against the wall as Ahsoka frantically kicked the blankets off her and tried to stand up, her shaking legs causing her to collapse on the ground.

She was sobbing.

He didn’t know what to do.

He watched as she cried harder than he had ever seen someone cry. She cried like everything she had loved had been ripped away from her.

She reached for the blankets on her bed but missed, crumpling onto the ground and crying harder.

Almost helpless.

He didn’t know why he did it.

He unhooked his cloak from his back and took a nervous step forward, placing the fabric over her shoulders. She pulled it tighter and then…she talked.

She talked and she cried and Vader felt something shatter in him as she explained what she saw.

What could have been.

He sat down behind her and brushed her montrals on instinct, following the paths that he had once stroked when they were little.

“I must be stupid to think there’s any Anakin left in there.”

She whispered and he closed his eyes underneath the mask, the hollow and numb thing in his chest echoing with something for the first time in years.

“I just want my brother back.”

He hadn’t known his mask could fill with tears.

Anakin stroked a heart on the top of her head and instinctively tapped out a code.

‘Me too, snips.’

Her breath hitched in shock and Vader realized what he had done.

He was pulling his hand away like she was the lava he had burned in and scrambling to his feet before the full effect of what he had done sunk into his brain. She didn’t move, she didn’t speak, she didn’t even breathe and for a moment he wanted to stay.

He fled the room.

Chapter Text

Grand Moff Tarkin strode through the halls of the project, thoroughly enjoying the way his subordinates scurried out of his way.

As they should.

He had had a particularly fine day before this point, dining with Senator Organa and pretending like he had no idea that the man was one of the rebel leaders. A few well placed hints and he could make the senator sweat like a Tauntaun on Tatooine.

Pathetic.

The empire had no concrete evidence, however, and so the snake Organa remained in their midst.

A pity, for sure, but it wasn’t as if Organa and his wife were more than a minor threat. And he had no concerns for their adopted daughter. A teenager? What could she do?

The Organa’s were not what worried him.

No, his fine day had been ruined when, just a few minutes ago, Colonel Yularen had sent him camera footage of Vader rushing to Tano’s side after she had a nightmare, of all things.

It was pathetic, and more than that, it was extremely worrying.

He had hoped that this would be a situation like the Kenobi one a few years back. No harm, no foul, Vader still firmly on their side.

But it appeared that Tano was proving an even greater menace than Kenobi.

He could see multiple ways he could fix this.

Tell the emperor was the first option. Go straight to the boss, explain the situation, have him get his attack dog under control.

But then it would seem that he was unable to handle this situation himself.

Another option was try to contact Vader himself, tell him that they needed the information Fulcrum/Tano had, try to convince him to do something to make Tano hate him.

That was risky and would easily backfire. Too easy to make Vader lash out against him and thus the empire and then Tano would be able to pull him back to the light side easily.

No, he’d have to stick with third option.

Get rid of Tano himself.

It wouldn’t be that hard.

He knew from Yularen’s report that she was without her sabers and with force blockers on. All he had to do was figure out a way to lure her away from Vader and then shoot her.

She’d be dead and all would go back to normal.

And he already had a plan.

He reached his quarters and turned on his holoprojector, taking a seat at his desk and clearing his throat importantly.

“Call Colonel Yularen. And Grand Admiral Thrawn.” He added as an afterthought.

Thrawn had just been assigned to start investigating the Lothal Rebels, as they had been dubbed, and he knew that Fulcrum—Tano worked closely with them. It would be good to have the man in on the plan.

“Grand Moff.”

Thrown replied first, nodding in greeting and betraying no sign of confusion as why he was being called.

A second later Yularen answered, looking harried as he peered out at them.

“Ah, Grand Moff, Grand Admiral.”

He said in greeting and both Tarkin and Thrawn nodded in acknowledgment.

Tarkin let the silence draw out for a moment, watching the way both of his subordinates reacted. Thrawn didn’t show any sign of nervousness but Yularen certainly did, his eyes flicking between the two of them. He seemed more nervous than Tarkin remembered.

“We are here because of Darth Vader.”

Tarkin finally said, causing Yularen to show visible signs of relief and Thrawn to show a slash of surprise on his face.

“Darth Vader recently brought Agent Fulcrum into custody. Agent Fulcrum was revealed to be Ahsoka Tano, formerly Anakin Skywalker’s padawan.”

Thrawn’s eyes narrowed.

“As we all know, Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker. Yularen is currently stationed on Vader’s ship and….”

He trailed off and gave Yularen a look.

“Ah yes.” The man said, nodding. “Vader has been showing signs of weakness ever since he brought her aboard. We can only assume that Ahsoka Tano plans to take advantage of that weakness and try to pull him over to the light.”

Thrawn nodded, not showing a single emotion on his face. Tarkin was impressed.

“Right. I have made a plan.” Tarkin said, smiling as the other two men looked at him expectantly.

“Yularen. You used to know Tano when she was a padawan. You are going to lure her away from Vader using the pretense that you want to help and then shoot her.”

Yularen nodded.

Tarkin examined him closely but, while he still looked nervous, he did not protest to this plan.

“Vader will know.”

Thrawn said and Tarkin nodded.

“I know. I will tell the emperor that Vader is needed here, on the…the project. You will kill Tano when the emperor contacts Vader and then jettison an escape pod. I will send a crew to pick you up.”

Tarkin finished his speech and both Yularen and Thrawn nodded.

“Very well.”

Yularen said, smoothing his mustache. Tarkin could see some trepidation in his eyes but he trusted that Yularen would at least be able to attempt to kill Tano.

“A good plan, Grand Moff Tarkin, but I fail to see where I come in.”

Thrawn said and Tarkin smiled.

“You, Grand Admiral, will be heading to Lothal. Tano was in contact with the Lothal rebel cell and we can only assume they will be trying to rescue her.”

“Do they know she is alive?”

“Even if they don’t, I wouldn’t put it past them to try a revenge mission. Head to Lothal, Thrawn. I want those rebels wiped out.”

“Yes, Grand Moff.”

Thrawn disconnected from the call and Tarkin resumed his focus on Yularen.

“Can you kill Tano?”

He asked and Yularen frowned at him.

“What do you mean, Grand Moff?”

Tarkin suppressed a groan and fixed Yularen with a glare.

“I mean, you were Admiral of Anakin’s ship during the clone wars, you worked alongside Tano when she was young. Can I trust you to remain loyal to the empire?”

“Of course, Grand Moff.”

Tarkin smiled.

“Then go. Contact me when you are ready for the extraction.”

Tarkin disconnected the call and smiled wider. Yularen was easy enough to manipulate. Use talk of trust and duty and he would cave, even in the face of a suicide mission.

Yularen would attempt to kill Tano, hopefully he’d even succeed, but there was no way the man would leave Vader’s ship alive. Not after an attempt on his padawan’s life.

“Contact Boba Fett.”

He said, smiling at his comn.

Yes, if Yularen failed he would have a backup plan.

“Fett. I need to hire you for a job.”

Chapter Text

She had practiced her speech for over an hour.

Hands shaking, pacing the floor, mumbling under her breath as the little droid watched from under the bed, chirping softly at her. Sweat beading on her montrals at the thought of doing this for real.

She couldn’t mess this speech up.

She would not mess this speech up.

She was on the cusp of a breakthrough, she could feel it.

Vader had came to her side when she had called for her Master in her dream. He had cane for her just like Anakin had always been there for her when she had nightmares during the clone wars.

He had used their old code.

More than that, he had tapped out Snips.

She was close.

Close to something.

She twisted the force blockers on her wrists before striding over to the door and opening it. The two stormtroopers currently guarding her spun their heads towards her. She could only assume that they were confused, their body language said nothing.

“Could I get your help for a moment?”

She asked, gesturing for them to follow her inside her room. They entered and she beckoned them over to the window.

“I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

She said, watching as both fingered the guns at their waists.

“Like what?”

The shorter of the two asked, narrowing his eyes. She smiled at them as the droid rolled out from under her bed and positioned itself directly behind the two guards.

“Well, why did you join the empire?”

Both guards looked at each other in confusion before turning back to face her.

“Sorry.”

She said, giving them a sympathetic smile.

The droid electrocuted them.

<cool>

She smiled at the droid and stepped over the guards, quickly exiting her room and striding down the corridor.

“Force.” She whispered, the droid following at her feet. “Attachment, not love, not anger.”

She repeated it again and again and again as she made her way through the ship, avoiding the imperials.

<vents??>

“No. They can’t know I can use the vents.”

She whispered, ducking around a corner to avoid another group of stormtroopers.

“I’m saving them for later.”

<escape??>

“No, I’m not escaping.”

She pressed herself against the wall and twisted the force blockers on her wrists, wishing yet again that she wasn’t stuck in their deathly cold and quiet.

<???>

“Not…not now, okay?”

She hissed, speed walking around another corridor and reaching the hall that bed to Vader’s quarters.

“Go back to the room.”

The droid hummed sadly but obeyed, spinning around and disappearing. She stared after it for a second before rubbing her eyes and turning to face the door.

Force help her, she was a grown woman.

She had fought in a war at the age of fourteen. She had been called a traitor at fifteen and left the only home she had ever known. She had survived the genocide of the Jedi at seventeen, and went on to join the rebellion after a year. She had killed thousands and saved even more, she had been a soldier for over eighteen years and yet here she was, trembling before she went inside a room to give a speech.

Granted, she was giving a speech to her extremely unstable ex-master.

About what made a person fall to the dark side.

To a sith.

Who was also her extremely unstable ex-master had she mentioned that already?

This wasn’t going to backfire on her at all.

She shoved the door open and strode into the room.

He was close.

Vader’s ship was traveling slowly through space, just making its way towards somewhere, not a person daring to attack it.

They didn’t notice a tiny fighter slipping through their defenses, coming to rest against the underside of the ship.

Memories of flying with two chaotic Jedi broke through the haze of revenge that filled his mind but…all that did was fill him with a greater fury.

Because they were dead.

And he might not be able to avenge his general’s death, but he would avenge hers.

“Love doesn’t make a person fall to the dark side.”

Vader froze as the doors to his chambers slid open with a thud.

He was currently sitting in the center of the room. His helmet off. Thankfully facing the opposite direction of the door.

He heard her sharp intake of breath but she kept going, her voice firm.

“Neither does anger. No emotion will truly make you fall to the dark side. Because that would be ridiculous. Every being feels emotions. Every being has been happy, and angry, and sad and hurt and joyous and grieving and every being has felt love, in some way shape or form. So why hasn’t every single force sensitive person fallen to the dark side?”

It was a rhetorical question but he opened his mouth to answer it anyway.

“No, don’t do that.”

She said, a laugh hidden in her voice. How had she known he had been going to answer her?

“They haven’t fallen to the dark side because emotions themselves are not the problem. Attachment is.”

He frowned but she kept going, her voice growing stronger as she talked.

“Oh, but Ahsoka, what do you mean? Isn’t love attachment? Didn’t I fall cause I was hopelessly in love with Senator Amidala? Well, not exactly.”

His anger flared at the mention of Padme but the words Ahsoka were saying was something so foreign he just sat there.

Dumbfounded.

“For one, your case was special. You had the Sith Lord manipulating you since you were nine. Not good. And two, of course you loving Padme didn’t make you fall. You being attached to her did.”

What?

“See, when you love someone you have to be ready to let them go. You can love them, but you can’t hold them forever. People leave. They grow, they change, and eventually they will die. People will leave you, but people will also come to you. You’ll keep some of the old people, you’ll meet new people, and sometimes people come back to you.”

She meant herself.

She hadn’t left him this time.

“But you have to be willing to let people go. Even if you love them, you can’t control them. That’s what loving without attachment is, knowing and accepting that you love this person but eventually they will leave you, and that is okay.”

It hurt so much.

“This goes for anger too. Anger and hatred and sadness and rage and fury and despair and every single emotion we were taught were wrong.”

What?

“Attachment. I have felt anger. The entirety of the 332nd fired on me. I felt my men, the men I trusted with my life suddenly disappear in the force. I fought for my life that day. And afterwards? After I had mourned, after I regretted my survival, after I wished I had saved them all, after all that? Then I felt the anger. The fury at what the Kaminoans did. The hatred for the Sith, for Palpatine, for manipulating us all. The complete and utter rage at the deaths of everyone I had ever loved. And you know what? I had every kriffing right to be angry. The entire Jedi order had just been killed by the men we had trusted with our lives, not of their own free will! I was furious. Sometimes I still am.”

Her voice, which had risen as she talked, suddenly dropped back down to a soft tone.

“But I don’t let it consume me. I don’t let the emotions stay. I don’t let those emotions ‘get attached’. Of course I’m angry. I’ve been through so much. But this does not define me. I take these emotions, I let myself feel them, I’ll even use them, if it comes to that, but then I let them go.”

Oh.

“I think that’s what the Jedi Order was trying to teach. How to love without getting attached. How to feel without drowning in it. I think that some things just got a little bit lost in translation.”

He could almost see the smile on her face. The way she would be standing, both of hands telling the story, the grin as she made her point.

“But love does not make a person fall. Attachment does.”

She finished her speech, clearing her throat twice before sliding the door open.

“I’ll leave you to…whatever you were doing.”

He stared at the wall across from him, his mind reeling.

If he had listened to the force, in that moment, he would’ve heard a very large chorus of dead Jedi making various sounds of shock, impressment, agreement, and even a shout of “you know, she’s my great grandpadawan” that was quickly silenced by more chatter.

But he ignored them, as he always did.

Chapter Text

She exited the room and closed the door, immediately leaning against it and letting her back montral thud against the metal.

That hadn’t gone as bad as she had expected.

She had said what she needed to say and then left before he could argue about it.

He had seemed stunned into silence anyway.

Just stayed sitting there in his giant contraption, facing away from her.

His helmet off.

She had the eeriest sensation that she had seen something she definitely did not want to see.

Granted, she had only seen the back of his head, but why was he bald?

Force, him, bald.

He had used to obsessively take care of his hair when they had been on leave or during the moments of calm.

He had said, when she had asked him about it, that “you’re hairless, snips. You just wouldn’t understand what I go through to obtain this…beautiful thing.”

It was stupid because he hadn’t cared about personal hygiene in any other manner.

She had the sneaking suspicion he only cared about it because she definitely did not have a holo pic that R2 definitely had not given to her of a newly knighted Anakin sprawled across Padme’s lap, her fingers in his hair.

It didn’t make her cry either, how happy they looked.

Definitely not.

She sniffed, remembering her dream again and the fact that she could’ve been a part of a family and a home.

Being here, doing this, it was like she was in an alternate dimension.

So focused on him and trying to save him.

She smiled and stretched.

But now she had done her Vader-related work for the day.

She unhooked the vent above her and climbed up, carefully attaching the vent behind her with a clever flick of her ankles.

This wasn’t her first podrace.

“Contact Grand Moff Tarkin.”

“Yes?”

“Tano has left her room. According to the security camera’s she has just finished having a conversation with Vader and is now inside the vents.”

“Very good.”

“It’s time.”

“I will contact the emperor with my request. Good luck, Colonel Yularen.”

“And you, Grand Moff.”

She sat in the vents for a minute instead of heading directly to her room.

She was exhausted.

It was like all her energy had gone towards making that speech and now it was gone, replaced with an exhaustion that pulled on her muscles and made her want to curl up into a tiny ball and sleep for hours.

She leaned her head against the side of the vent and let out a sigh. It reverberated down the halls with an eerie whistle.

She smiled for a moment before feeling it fall automatically.

She felt young.

Sitting in the vents.

She could almost imagine she was on the Resolute again, hiding from Anakin so she wouldn’t have to meditate.

What?

She was just carrying on the lineage tradition of padawans’ despising meditation.

She closed her eyes.

In, two, three, four.

Hold, two, three, four.

Out, two, three, four.

In, two, three, four.

Hold, two, three, four.

Out, two, three, four.

She felt younger than she had in years and yet she also felt like she had aged ten years in the past week.

She was with her former master again and things were happening that were distinctly younger, memories and people from her past that she hadn’t expected to see. The gods of Mortis. The ghost of Mace Windu.

Vader.

Anakin.

And yet, she felt old.

Exhausted.

Every thought was difficult, cut off from the force and struggling. She wasn’t aware of anything, she couldn’t make contact with the rebellion and even if she could, did she really want to?

Bring her present into the past?

Force, what was she even doing?

She could talk about why someone fell to the dark side for hours but the root of problem would not budge.

Palpatine.

They had no way to kill him.

She had to get Vader away from Palpatine’s influence and then, then, then, then she could get her older brother back.

She’d drag his ass back to the light whether he liked it or not.

“Excuse me, sir? We brought a ship in on the tractor beam but there’s no life forms. It’s in pretty bad shape but there’s a couple guns in here, where do you want them?”

“Put them with the rest of the impounded weapons. Did you double check the ship for life forms?”

“Double and triple. No one counting as a life form or droid by our scanners.”

He had never been so thankful for the empire’s anti-clone methods.

And impounded weapons?

Maybe he’d get to murder Vader with her lightsabers after all.

She couldn’t feel the force.

No matter what she did to the cuffs, no matter how much she tugged and pulled and even had the droid try and zap them, they would not be removed.

She hated them.

She sighed and shook her head, slowly moving from the seated position she had been attempting to meditate in the vents.

It was no use.

She couldn’t feel the force.

You never do realize how much something affects you until it’s gone.

It had happened after she left the order.

She hadn’t realized so many pieces of herself came from the people she had left.

The way she stood, the way she smiled, the way she was ready to throw down, her form, her lightsabers, her laughter, Anakin. The way she planned, the way she stroked her chin, her tea, her use of the force, Obi-Wan. Her strategy, her knowledge of the politicians, her compassion, Padme. Her smarts, her experience, her aim with a blaster, her hand to hand combat, Rex.

The Jedi had taught her to be a peacekeeper.

The 501st had taught her how to survive.

She sighed, shaking the thoughts from her mind.

The force, without it felt like falling asleep.

Not gently, not softly, but forced asleep by a sedative.

Panic and numbness.

She felt more alone.

She rubbed her face and crawled through the vents. She had wasted enough time letting her thoughts spiral out of her control.

She had almost made it to her room where she heard a voice underneath her, talking to multiple stormtroopers.

She would’ve kept going, but…no.

That sounded like…

Admiral Yularen?

Chapter Text

“I will report to Vader that someone broke into the impounded weapons lot and stole Fulcrum’s lightsabers, now get out of here before I write you up!”

The stormtroopers scurried off and Yularen let out a long sigh at this piece of news. Fantastic. Just fantastic.

Tano was missing from her room…her ‘cell’, please Vader, who did he think he was fooling? She was missing and now her lightsabers had been stolen.

Put two and two together.

There was a thud behind him and he whirled around, automatically drawing his blaster.

“Tano?”

She had apparently dropped from the vents behind him and was staring at him as if he was a ghost.

“Admiral?”

She whispered, looking him up and down with wide eyes.

Well.

This was surprisingly convenient.

Suddenly she was lunging forward and kicking his gun out of his hand. He yelled but she caught his gun and tossed it to the side before slamming him against the wall.

He gasped for air and she pressed her elbow hard against his throat.

“What the hell?”

She snapped and he stared at her, realizing that the expression on her face was extremely not happy to see him at all.

“Hello.”

He choked out and anger flashed across her face.

“What do you mean, ‘hello’? The hell are you doing here, Admiral?”

“I work here. I’m a colonel.”

She let out a groan and let him drop to the ground. He rubbed his throat as she took a step back and looked around the room, the anger on her face being replaced by a very depressing sadness and disappointment.

“Of course. You joined the empire.”

He struggled to his feet and glared at her.

What sort of child-like notion did she have, did she think everyone she had known tried to rebel against Palpatine?

Of course not.

“Of course I did. What else was I meant to do?”

“Rebel.”

Ah, so she did think everyone would rebel.

“Tano. I don’t expect you to understand this…”

“You still talk to me as if I’m a five year old.”

She said, looking down her nose at him and he was struck with the oddest feeling that he should be scared of her, right now.

“Well. I apologize. I joined the empire because it was not the empire at first. It was just the republic, under Emperor Palpatine’s command.”

“Did you know about his plans?”

He cleared his throat at her question.

“I had an inkling.”

It was a lie.

He had known about Palpatine’s plans to seize more power. Tarkin had filled him in, had told him that he had a loyalty to the empire, had promised him more power.

Funny how easy it was to draw him in.

He had thought he had more morals than that.

“Do you know that Vader was—“

“Yes. I figured it out the first time I met Vader. He’s not very subtle. Pretty much anyone who knew Anakin connected the dots sooner or later.”

Tano just gazed at him and he felt that eerie shiver that he should be afraid right now.

“I see.”

Her voice was dark and he moved to the side, picking his gun back up. He saw as her eyes flicked to it and her muscles tightened but he just put it back in its holster.

“I adapted to the situation, Commander. As does any good soldier.”

Her jaw clenched and she glared at him.

“I am not a commander.”

“My apologies, General.”

He saw as shock and confusion flashed across her face and he couldn’t help but smile.

“You were technically in charge of the 332nd at the end of the Clone Wars. That made you a General and Rex your Commander.”

If he had been talking to anyone else he would’ve used Commander Rex’s number, but this was Tano. She had always treated the clones as beings, not property.

“I’m not a commander and I’m definitely not a general.”

She said, laughing as she shook her head.

“Well, not by imperial standards. But if we were back in the republic days, you’d be General Tano of the 332nd.”

Something changed on her face but she forced a smile at him.

“Let’s not talk about that. Colonel Yularen, then, what do you do?”

He smiled and smoothed his jacket, unable to help himself from preening a bit.

“I am a Colonel in the Galactic Empire’s Imperial Security Bureau. I root out sedition and traitors to the empire and—“

“Oh, so you’re a rat.”

Tano leaned against the wall and gave him a look. He glared at her, not about to argue with a rebel about what he was or wasn’t.

“I am high ranking and—“

“So, you report traitors, which doesn’t explain why you’re on Vader’s ship.”

She said and he scowled.

This conversation was quickly getting out of hand.

He needed to just kill her and get it over with.

“Unless you think there’s a rat on Vader’s ship.”

She said, her face neutral but he knew that she was hoping to find an ally here on this ship.

“There’s not.”

“Then why are you here?”

“That is none of your business.”

She grinned at him, baring her teeth and he was reminded of the time she and Arc Trooper Fives had let loose a bunch of small animals in the ship so that she could hunt.

She looked the same way she had then.

Like she had caught the scent of something.

“I dunno, Admiral—“

“Colonel.”

“Whatever. It seems like you’re rather conveniently on Vader’s ship at this time when there’s no good reason for you to be here. So either someone here is a rebel or you’re here for some other reason. Why?”

He glared at her and unhooked his blaster from his holster. Her eyes flicked to it but he just rolled his eyes and motioned to it.

“Be careful, Tano.”

She rolled her eyes right back, placing one hand on her hip.

“I don’t think you understand who you’re messing with, Yularen.”

“An ex-Jedi who never finished her training and is attempting to help run a rebellion? I’m not worried.”

She hadn’t reached for her lightsabers.

Odd.

Tano, instead of reacting in a fight, sighed and relaxed even though he kept his gun out.

“Yeah. I’m not in a position to fight anyway.”

Interesting.

“You think that?”

“There’s not much I can do without weapons or the force. My mind is my only weapon, and that’s a trickier thing to use, you know?”

“Yes. I suppose so.”

She looked at him and straightened her posture, and again, that odd sensation that he should be scared of her.

“It is good to see you, Colonel. I’m glad you’re on Vader’s ship, that meant that he at least had someone capable here.”

“Yes, I am capable.”

He said, smiling at the compliment.

“Though, does it ever remind you of the past? Force, we were close to winning.”

Yularen laughed and her nativity.

“Oh, Tano. The republic was never going to win. You know about Palpatine, he was controlling this from the beginning.”

“So you were alright sending children to their deaths?”

His words died on his mouth.

“Well. I…it wasn’t like we were…padawans were…”

She was smiling that bared teeth smile again.

“Think about it, Admiral.”

She was smug.

That’s when the alarm started ringing.

Tano whipped around and there was his moment.

Her back was to him.

He raised his blaster.

Just shoot her.

Shit.

For a moment it was like he was staring at the fourteen year old commander who was the biggest pain in his ass but was also just a kid trying to make a war zone a childhood.

Shit.

The moment passed.

Tano spun around and grabbed the blaster from his hands. He opened his mouth to yell at her but she just pointed the blaster at her own wrists and shot.

He winced but all the bolt did was hit one of the force cuffs on her wrists, snapping it off and sending it clattering to the floor.

Her head shot up and he saw something akin to pure horror spread across her face.

She took off sprinting down the corridor and he stared after her, thoroughly confused.

Chapter Text

Darth Vader placed his helmet back on as his comn started flashing brightly.

He turned to see that there was an incoming call from the emperor.

Kriff.

Something sharp in his chest pulsed, a terror that he was not used to feeling. The emperor would know.

He would know, wouldn’t he?

His master would know.

Why else would he be calling so soon after everything that had happened?

Love didn’t make a person fall.

Could he trust what she said? Cause he trust her? Could he love people without the dark side poisoning him?

When had he started thinking of the dark side as a poison?

The call flashed brighter and he winced, hurrying into a bow and answering the call.

“Yes, my master?”

He questioned, feeling the power of the dark side flood into the room, dark and cold and deadly. He wanted to flinch away from it.

To run.

“Rise, Lord Vader.”

He did so, meeting the emperor’s eyes and realizing that his master did not look angry. The emperor just looked faintly annoyed.

“You must go to the Death Star.”

The emperor said and he frowned underneath his mask.

“If I may ask why, master?”

“Grand Moff Tarkin believes rebel activity to have found out about the Death Star, and, apparently, he needs your presence there to deal with the insurgents. You are not doing anything, correct?”

No, no, no, he just had his former padawan, a high ranking rebel onboard his ship and trying to drag him back to the light and force why did his master’s presence make him so uneasy this was not normal…right?

He needed to lie down.

Well, he didn’t really sleep anymore.

“Master. I do not believe the rebels could have found out about the project. And…” he suppressed the feeling of panic, knowing his master could feel it. “And I was just about to head to Mustafar.”

The emperor raised his eyebrows as Vader felt a sigh of relief.

Of course.

He could go to Mustafar and he’d feel better.

He could even convince her to turn.

Mustafar would fix everything.

“Why, Lord Vader?”

“The fight with the rebel Jedi. It was…more intense than I expected. I believe a brief stay at Mustafar will help.”

The emperor narrowed his eyes and he felt a shiver of terror down his back, like something sharp drawing a long nail down his spine.

“I am surprised, Lord Vader, that a duel with a Jedi did so much to you. But I admire your determination to regain your edge. I will tell Tarkin that you cannot be spared. If he’s so quick to beg for help, perhaps he should not be Grand Moff.”

“Yes, my master.”

The emperor gave him a sickly smile before the holoprojector flickered off.

Relief flooded his entire body as the darkness surrounding him slowly started to trickle away.

He staggered to his feet and turned around, staring at the dark room behind him.

Why was his master’s presence so alarming?

What was wrong?

He felt unsteady, like someone was shoving him over and over again, like he was in battle after battle with no rest.

He felt off.

For some reason, all he wanted to do was to talk to Ahsoka.

Why?

About what?

Attachment is the problem, not love.

What did she mean?

She made sense, why did she make sense?

He clenched his jaw and shook his head, turning and striding out the door.

Fine.

He’d find her and make her stop talking about these things.

He was close.

He was so close.

Her lightsabers were heavy in his hands as he ran through the halls of the ship, heading to who knows where.

He normally had more of a plan than this.

Vader’s quarters would be somewhere in the upper levels of the ship, near the bridge.

Why was Vader’s ship so similar to Anakin’s?

Why was he thinking about that?

Two stormtroopers rounded the corner but he shot them before they could scream.

Stun shots.

Why were his guns on stun?

He had told Ezra not to keep his gun on stun and yet here he was, shooting two stormtroopers with his guns on stun.

Why?

He shook his head, running faster.

He was entering a hanger now.

How did he reach a hanger?

Why was he in a hanger?

Normally hangers weren’t in the upper levels, had he been turned around?

He had to find Vader.

He would kill him.

Vader frowned as something prickled at the edge of the force.

The darkness from his call with his master surrounded him but he could tell something was off with Ahsoka.

Her force signature was dull, as always, but she was hurt…sad? Disappointed?

Oh.

Colonel Yularen.

He supposed that would be an interesting conversation.

But that wasn’t quite what was going on.

He could feel something else.

Someone else.

He frowned, trying to pinpoint the force signature.

It was off, mixed in with the stormtroopers, but it was…it was distinctly similar to Ahsoka’s.

Obi-Wan...he made a theory, once, one that he had scoffed at, but the theory was that the closer you were to someone the more your force signatures reflected that, taking and sharing bits and pieces.

He remembered that they used to call his force signature a sun.

Blinding and bright and powerful.

He bled his force signature onto others.

It was why Ahsoka was like fire, warm and comforting but dangerous and just as deadly.

This force signature…this weird force signature that he knew, he just knew, this force signature was warm.

Warm like the feeling of holding a blaster in his hands.

It was similar to Ahsoka’s but it was also similar to his own force signature and it also felt like…felt like…his men.

He staggered backwards as the mysterious force signature clicked into place in his mind, more full of rage than he had remembered and different from the man he fought alongside so many years ago but…but that was him.

There was no way it could be anyone else.

He would have run out of his room and down the halls, if his suit would have let him. Instead he strode towards one of the nearby hangers, an odd feeling in his chest.

Was he excited?

For the first time in years?

Why?

Darth Vader rounded the corner into the hanger and Rex shot him.

Rex stared as the mechanical monster lit his lightsaber and batted the blaster fire away like it was nothing.

An alarm started ringing.

Vader stared at him.

Rex could only assume the murderer was staring at him.

Why did he wear that mask?

He raised his guns and narrowed his eyes at Vader. He wasn’t wearing his helmet so he knew that the monster could see the hatred and rage that he wasn’t trying to hide.

It was a standoff.

Rex could feel the power radiating off Vader like the power that always radiated off the Jedi.

Anyone with the force radiated power.

But this was darkness.

Worse than Maul.

Vader stood stock still as Rex pointed his guns at him, the hanger silent except for the eerie breathing of the mechanical monster.

Rex clenched his jaw and saw images flash before his mind.

That red lightsaber, cutting her down.

Killing her.

“You killed my best friend.”

He said softly, putting his guns down. Vader tilted his head and he could only assume the monster was confused because he murdered so many people.

“You killed my best friend.”

He repeated, pulling her lightsabers from his belt and spinning them around in his hands.

Years of watching her fight and watching Anakin train her, he knew what to do. She had even showed him a few moves.

“I—“

“Shut up.”

He hissed, cutting Darth Vader off and pointing the longer saber at him. He ignited it, letting the blinding white light remind him of what the monster had done to her.

“I am going to kill you.”

Chapter Text

Ahsoka sprinted through the halls of the ship, panic like she couldn’t remember ever feeling before flooding through her mind as she realized what was happening—but he wouldn’t be so reckless.

He wouldn’t be so dumb.

Please.

She skidded around a corner as the force flared with a warning, screaming at her to stop them before they killed each other.

Force, what the hell was Rex thinking?

No, he wasn’t thinking, that was what was happening.

“Please, Anakin.”

She whispered under her breath as she ran, desperately sending a plea into the force.

If there’s truly any Anakin left.

Don’t kill Rex.

Don’t kill Rex.

Don’t kill Rex

Please.

Please.

Please.

Vader stared at Rex.

He was so old.

Well, he knew that Rex would be older.

He had seen clones at this time before, the accelerated aging was a process that—that he had brought it up to the emperor, once.

Asking.

Asking to stop it.

The emperor had refused.

And now here was Rex.

Standing in front of him.

Pointing one of her lightsabers at him.

Rage and desperation and hatred and…and worse, the worst, he could sense the acceptance in Rex’s mind.

Rex wasn’t going to win this fight.

And he knew it.

Vader stared at Rex…at his old friend. The man he fought alongside for years. The man he trusted with his life, the man he would’ve died for, at one point.

The man who was now trying to kill him.

Everyone did that, now.

They either died or tried to kill him.

All his old friends.

His family.

“R—“

“Shut up.”

Rex snarled, the waves of anger coming off him almost suffocating. Vader felt into the force, found Ahsoka’s lightsabers, found…her lightsabers were helping Rex.

They were siding with him.

Stupid Kyber Crystals.

Vader brought his hand up and stopped the blade as Rex launched himself forward.

“Stand down.”

He should kill him.

He should kill him, get rid of another thorn in his side, another memory of the past.

He ignited his lightsaber.

Rex stumbled backwards and ignited the second lightsaber, drawing them in front of him in the same stance Ahsoka used.

Vader narrowed his eyes and swung his blade at Rex, testing his skill.

Rex blocked the blade and darted forward, attempting to slice one of his limbs off. Vader extended his saber and blocked it easily, his mechanical arm barely taking any strain as Rex desperately tried to break through.

Vader twisted his saber and sent Rex stumbling to the side before placing his saber at the back of Rex’s neck.

“Surrender.”

Don’t make the wrong move.

Don’t make the wrong move.

“Don’t make me kill you.”

Rex dropped to the floor in a move that he did not see coming and shot his leg. Vader buckled and staggered backwards, feeling the metal smoke and sting painfully.

He brought his saber around but Rex had scrambled to his feet and was racing forward, white blades whirling.

He blocked them with less ease, this time.

The rage coming from Rex was strong and for a moment he wondered if he could pull him to the dark side in some way.

He didn’t want to.

The same way thinking of Ahsoka as his sith apprentice made him feel faintly sick.

No, it’s what she was destined for.

He raised his hand and sent Rex flying across the room. He slammed into the opposite wall and Vader glared at him, letting his heavy breathing grow louder and echo throughout the room.

“Is that…all?”

Rex groaned, slowly getting to his feet and Vader narrowed his eyes.

Cocky.

Reckless.

Rex…why did it feel like he had nothing left to live for?

He stepped forward and met Rex as he attempted to rush him again, performing basic cuts and blocks, the moves that Vader could remember running over and over again with Ahsoka.

Was that how Rex had learned this?

He shoved Rex backwards again but he just kept coming, no matter how many times Vader blocked his attacks and sent him flying, he just kept getting back up and attacking, again and again and again and again.

What was he doing?

He was Darth Vader.

He was a lord of the Sith.

Why was he giving mercy to this clone?

Why?

Rex saw as something changed in Vader’s posture.

He tensed, his lightsaber almost glowed a brighter red, something dark started filling the room.

Vader was no longer playing with him.

No longer stringing him along.

Good.

Rex launched himself forward, swinging one lightsaber around as he deactivated the other and pulled his gun from his belt.

He slammed the lightsaber against Vader’s and shot at him in the same move, sparks flying around them with a fury that almost matched the one in his heart.

He was sent flying into the air but he whipped around, able to fire off three shots at the mechanical monster before he hit the ground hard.

Something crunched but he ignored it, scrambling to his feet and bringing the lightsabers up just in time to block Vader’s attack.

He fought like a beast, all power, no form.

Nothing like Ahsoka and General Skywalker had.

Rex clenched his jaw and raced forward again, aiming for the metal plate in the center of Vader’s chest.

Vader blocked the attack but he just brought up the other saber and swung it at his neck.

Vader stopped it with the force.

Kriff.

Rex tried to scramble backwards but he couldn’t move.

The force held him in place.

“Your best friend?”

The monster asked and Rex snarled, realizing that blood was dripping from a gash on his head.

Good.

The pain kept him grounded.

“You killed her.”

Vader drew him closer and Rex shuddered as the lightsabers were forcibly ripped from his hand.

He still had his blasters.

He just couldn’t reach them.

He couldn’t breathe.

He was choking, dying, seeing stars, spots, somewhere he could almost hear Ahsoka’s voice, screaming.

This was it.

This was death.

He hated that all he could think was that it had taken long enough.

Vader flung him across the room yet again.

Funny.

What was it with force wielders and throwing him places.

Just like General Skywalker did.

He slammed into the ground harder than before and his head hit the wall with a sound that was extremely concerning.

The world spun and blurred in front of him, Vader’s figure dipping out of view.

He groaned and raised his head, seeing that Vader had turned, apparently distracted by something.

He raised his blaster, desperately trying to line up the shot.

If he died, he’d take Vader with him.

Vader’s head came in line with his blaster and he squeezed the trigger.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka stopped the blaster bolt with the force.

Pain raced through her body, burning like fire, the force screaming in protest as she forced it to hold the bolt in place.

She looked to see Vader staring at her, shock and…was that awe? Radiating from his force signature?

Rex.

Where was Rex?

She looked past Vader to see Rex half-lying on the floor, staring up at her with a shocked expression on his face.

Blood ran from a gash on his head and he looked extremely the worse for wear, but he was alive.

What would he think of her?

Holding the blaster bolt that would’ve killed Darth Vader, the empire’s attack dog, the lord of the Sith.

The bolt that would’ve killed Anakin.

She dropped the bolt to the floor as people rushed into the room from different doors, apparently having been watching the fight but not daring to go and interfere.

Rex was struggling to his feet, still staring at her with that horror-struck shock on his face and she hated what was going on, hated the was Vader’s breathing was ragged, hating the way stormtroopers were now surrounding them, hating the half-feeling of the force that flowed through her.

“I have to tell you something.” She blurted out desperately. “I can’t tell you here, I swear I’ll explain everything but you can’t kill Vader I need you to trust me I—“

He launched himself forward and pulled her into a hug.

She froze, her arms automatically wrapping around him.

Rex didn’t initiate hugs.

Not with people who he still deemed his ‘superiors’ or above him in the chain of command.

Something wet was trickling onto her shoulder and she realized it wasn’t blood but tears.

Force, Rex.

She hugged him tighter and felt tears grow in her own eyes.

“I’m okay.”

She whispered and he let out a muffled sob. She squeezed her eyes shut and sent waves into the force, surrounding them with comfort and safety and trying to push the stormtroopers and imperials away from them.

She grasped her bond with Vader and sent anger at him, anger for what he did to Rex but also thankfulness.

She thanked him for not killing Rex.

“I thought you died.”

She was brought out of the force by Rex’s soft voice.

“I’m sorry.”

She whispered and he pulled away from her, staring in confusion.

“What’s going on?”

“I need to talk to you alone.”

She glanced around at the people surrounding them before fixing her glare on Vader.

She stared at him for five seconds, sending threats at him through the force before spinning on her heel and grabbing Rex’s arm, dragging him out of the room.

“Don’t follow them.”

Came Vader’s voice from behind them and she let out a sigh of relief.

“Ahsoka, what the hell?”

She was so worried she couldn’t even be glad that he wasn’t calling her commander anymore.

“Just…just follow me.”

She said, pulling him through the halls till they reached her chambers. She shoved him inside and locked the door behind them, spinning around and staring at him.

He was alive.

He was alive.

He looked like he was going to pass out from blood loss, but he was alive.

“Sit down.”

She said, gesturing for him to sit on the bed.

He did so silently.

She grabbed and tore up a spare blanket, dabbing Rex’s head and trying to stop the blood flow. Thankfully it hadn’t hit an artery or something that vital.

“Ahsoka.”

He snapped, grabbing her hand and stopping her. She looked at him and felt her heart sink at what she had to tell him.

“Rex.”

“What’s going on?”

She sighed and handed him the cloth before sitting next to him on the bed.

“I…let’s see.”

How was she supposed to say, oh, hey Rex, guess what? Anakin fell to the dark side and is now Darth Vader but there’s the possibility she could pull him back.

How could she do this to him?

Ashoka was nervous.

Why was she acting nervous?

He knew she hadn’t joined the empire or something like that but…whatever.

She was alive.

That’s what mattered.

She was alive.

It was taking everything in him to not start crying again.

“Rex. How does someone become a sith?”

He stared at her.

She didn’t think she was…no, this was a rhetorical question.

“Uh. Well, usually they are either found by the Sith and trained from a young age, or it’s a Jedi who’s fallen.”

“Exactly.”

She said as she fidgeted with the cloth in her hands.

“Vader was…well, Vader was…”

“He was a Jedi? Who fell?”

Rex finished for her and she winced, pain flashing across her face. He stared at her, mind running a million clicks as he tried to figure out what she was saying.

“Do…Ahsoka, do you want to try and bring him back to the light side?”

She nodded, tears filling her eyes.

He sighed, getting to his feet and spinning around so he was facing her.

“Ahsoka, I have no doubt you could do that but that’s Darth Vader. Hell, you’d probably need…what, to pull someone from the dark side you’d probably need an emotional connection with them, I don’t know how you’d figure that out with Darth Vader. I know you want to save him but…force, I’m sorry but he’s just a Jedi.”

“He’s not just a Jedi!”

She blurted out, scrambling to her feet and standing directly in front of him.

“Rex, he’s…he’s our Jedi.”

What?

She watched as shock washed over his face yet again.

She saw as he realized what she meant.

She saw as the pure horror set into his face.

She saw as every piece clicked into place and he realized that their Jedi, their Anakin Skywalker was now Darth Vader.

“No.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, eyes frantically meeting hers, begging her that it wasn’t true.

“No.”

“I’m sorry Rex.”

“No, it’s not him.”

She bit back a sob and nodded.

“I’m sorry. It is.”

“No.”

Rex was backing up from her now, his eyes wide and panic flaring through the force.

“No, no, he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t…no, he wouldn’t. General Skywalker wouldn’t.”

“But he did.”

All the fight left Rex’s body.

He slumped against the wall, all the emotion draining from his face.

“Anakin fell.”

It was a statement, not a question.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t I see?”

He whispered and she frowned at him.

“What?”

“Why didn’t I see the warning signs? Ahsoka, he was rash and angry and cocky but he cared about us. Ahsoka, he would’ve died for us. And now…now…”

Something dark flashed across his face and she felt a shiver in the force.

He straightened.

She stared at him as he met her eyes with a dark look.

He suddenly spun on his heel and unlocked the door, striding out of the room and into the hall.

Ahsoka raced after him as he sped-walked down the corridor, something dark and unrecognizable shifting in the force around him.

“Rex?”

She called after him but he just ignored her.

“Rex!”

She shouted but still, he just kept walking down the hall, back towards the hanger that they had left.

Yularen had most definitely not expected Tano to run off like that, and he had most definitely not expected to follow her into a hanger where the presumed dead Captain Rex was facing off with Darth Vader.

It was cruel, he realized.

Cruel that the little trio of the 501st was here, seeing each other as if for the first time.

Tano had dragged Captain Rex out of the room and left them in silence.

The only sound Vader’s breathing.

This could…this could be good.

Captain Rex attacking Vader could push him further into the dark side. Convince him that he was alone. Sway him to think that Tano would eventually do the same as Captain Rex.

He was definitely not expecting Captain Rex to come striding back into the hanger barely three minutes later, an unreadable look on his face.

Tano trailed behind him, looking nervous as she glanced between Captain Rex and Vader. Yularen raised his eyebrows and he saw as Rex noticed him.

The clone’s jaw tightened but he stayed on his track to stand directly in front of Vader. Rex held up his hand in the ‘stop’ signal from the clone wars battle commands and Tano froze mid-step.

Rex raised his chin to look at Vader and took off one of his arm guards.

The entire hanger was dead silent as Captain Rex stripped off the last of his battered and dirty 501st armor and laid them in a pile at Vader’s feet.

Dawning horror and sadness were spreading across Tano’s face and even Yularen himself understood the gravity of this gesture.

“I won’t be part of a sith’s army.”

It was like the room went ice cold.

Rex dropped his blasters at the very top of the pile of armor.

“But I will stay as your prisoner. I won’t leave Ahsoka.”

He turned on his heel and strode out of the hanger before anyone could say anything. Tano left after him, casting a sad look at his armor discarded on the floor before both of them disappeared down the hallway.

Yularen was…well.

This was not how he expected this day to go.

“Set a course for Mustafar.”

Darth Vader said carefully. Yularen frowned at him but the sith just turned and walked to one of the doors.

“I will be in my private hanger.”

Yularen glanced around at the nervous stormtroopers around him. No one liked it when they went to Mustafar.

“Do not disturb me.”

Vader swept out of sight and Yularen sighed.

Tarkin was never going to believe this.

Chapter Text

Rex made it into Ahsoka’s room with shaking legs before collapsing. He felt as her hands caught him and gently lowered them to the floor. 

Anakin was Vader. 

Anakin was Vader. 

Ahsoka was alive and Anakin was Vader and he couldn’t be a part of the 501st because he would serve a sith, he had served a sith, he had served a sith twice, Krell and Anakin and they had been such different generals and yet…they both became sith. 

Anakin was Vader. 

His general was Vader. 

“Rex?”

A soft voice asked and he looked to the side to see that Ahsoka was hovering next to his shoulder, still half-holding him awkwardly. 

“Sorry.”

He whispered, moving so that they were sitting on the ground facing each other. 

She wanted to bring him back.

She wanted to pull him back to the light side.

“I can’t forgive him.”

He said and she nodded.

“Okay.”

“Do you know what he’s done?”

He whispered, his voice breaking.

What Vader had done.

What Anakin had done.

“Yes.”

“He—“

“I know about Vader’s fist. I know about the deaths. I know about the thousands he’s killed.”

Ahsoka met his eyes with a ferocity. The same ferocity she had during the battle of Mandalore. The ferocity that he knew meant she had made up her mind to do something.

“I know. I haven’t forgiven him either. But right now is not the time to make him feel sorry for all that he’s done. He’s too unstable. We need to pull him to the light and then we can work through that. Then we can figure out…something.”

“You haven’t thought that far ahead.”

He said and she groaned, leaning backwards against the wall.

“I thought I was gonna be dead by now.”

“We thought you were.”

She winced.

“You really thought I was dead?”

“Ezra and Kanan told us what happened. You were proclaimed KIA.” 

She look ashamed and he sighed. He knew she didn’t mean to fake her death but…it still hurt. 

He reached out and flicked her forehead. 

“Hey!”

She said, clearly affronted. He smiled slightly and her face softened. 

“Are you okay?”

She asked and he shook his head. 

“No. But I will be.”

“We always are.”

They smiled sadly before he reached for his comn. They should probably tell the rebellion that they were alive before the empire came and tried to confiscate his comn. 

“Oh look. I have…damn, seventy-nine unread messages.”

Ooh. 

That wasn’t good.

Ahsoka moved to sit next to him so they could both look at the comn as he scrolled through his messages. 

It was mainly a lot of Hera and the rest of the ghost crew trying to get into contact with him. 

“Whoa, you even got Hunter reaching out.”

Ahsoka said, pointing at a couple messages from the bad batch. 

“Yeah. Oh, here’s Omega.”

“Rex, Bail contacted you himself.”

They exchanged glances before he sighed. 

“Right. How do we do this?”

He watched as she rubbed her forehead before stroking her chin, deep in thought. 

She had picked that up from General Kenobi. 

“They’ll think the messages are faked if we’re not on screen.”

She said and he groaned. 

“We have to record a video.”

“Yeah.”

She grabbed the comn from him and he let her, leaning backwards till he was sprawled out on the ground. 

Kriffing hells.

He couldn’t leave Ahsoka.

Not here, on the imperial ship, with her trying to drag Vader—trying to drag Anakin back to the light. 

Force help them. 

“Okay. What do we say?”

Ahsoka smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

“I have a plan.”

Leia was sitting in her father’s office reading a book when an incoming message started flashing on his desk, high priority. 

A message. 

From an Agent Blue. 

“Dad?”

She called, getting to her feet and poking her head out of the door to where Bail was talking in the hallway with one of his messengers—spies, obviously. 

He was stressed about something.

She could just tell.

“You have a message.”

He nodded and said a quick goodbye to the messenger before heading into his office. 

Leia followed him, taking extra care to walk softly and try to be as invisible as possible. 

While he had finally started letting her run missions for the rebellion under the guise of diplomacy he still wasn’t allowing her as much freedom as she would have liked. 

She hadn’t brought up Obi-Wan Kenobi yet. 

R2 kept asking her every time she saw him but she just wasn’t positive it was time for that yet. 

Maybe she should contact Ezra. 

She had worked with the ghost crew once and knew they had been close with Fulcrum. 

Maybe they knew something she didn’t. 

“Leia.”

She turned as Bail frowned at her. She gave him her best smile and tried to convince him that she should stay to see the message. 

“Out, please.”

She scowled as her usual rage flooded through her body.

“Yes sir.”

She grumped and he gave her a soft smile.

She exited his office and immediately pulled the vent cover nearby out and scrambled into the vents. 

She wiggled down until she was directly above her father’s office, her little supply of snacks and books and flashlight easily available for her to spy on her father. 

She watched through the vents as Bail sat down at his desk and clicked on the message.

Kriff.

He didn’t have the volume loud enough for her to hear what was going on.

She couldn’t even see what it was either.

She scowled but waited. 

Waited. 

Bail finished the video and made a quick call to someone, talking underneath his breath and she clenched her fists. 

Did he know she was here or something?

He finished his call and she raised her eyebrows, mentally encouraging him to leave his office. 

Maybe go tell her mother what was going on.

Come on.

He left the room.

She waited exactly a minute and a half before shoving the vent out and dropping into the room. 

She scrambled over to his desk and hit play on the message. 

It was apparently pre-recorded. 

Two people popped up on screen, one a clone, the other a Togruta woman in her early thirties, maybe. 

She frowned, realizing that the clone looked rather beat up. The two figures onscreen exchanged glances at one another before the Togruta woman started to talk. 

“So, I’m not dead. Actually, first, I’m Agent Fulcrum for anyone watching this who doesn’t know me.”

That was Agent Fulcrum. 

She wasn’t dead!

Leia made a little fist pump. 

She knew it. 

She had overheard her parents talking about Agent Fulcrum—who she had only heard about in mission reports—and how the agent had died.

As she had listened to her parents she had felt something prickling in her mind, telling her that Fulcrum hadn’t died. 

Apparently she had been right. 

“And I’m Agent Blue.”

Said the clone and Agent Fulcrum nudged him with her shoulder. 

“I still can’t believe you picked that code name.”

“Not right now.”

Agent Blue hissed and Leia leaned forward, trying to figure out where they were. 

“Right. So, I know I was presumed killed in action. I wasn’t, thankfully, and I didn’t mean to fake my death, so I’m so sorry to everyone, especially the ghost crew.”

Agent Fulcrum said, nervously playing with the edge of her shirt. 

“Now. R—uh, Agent Blue and I have to do something. We’ve found something that I can’t explain right now but it’s important. Not just to us but to the rebellion too.”

Agent Fulcrum cleared her throat and Agent Blue leaned forward. 

“So, we’re going to end up being…I guess undercover?” He glanced at Agent Fulcrum before looking back at the screen. Leia nodded, completely enthralled by what was going on. “But we are safe. To an extent.”

Agent Fulcrum put her hand on his shoulder before looking directly at the screen. Leia had the oddest sensation that she knew her, somehow. 

“Spectre-1. Spymaster.”

Spectre-1. That was a member of the ghost crew. And Spymaster was her own father’s code name. 

“It’s a Rako Hardeen mission.”

Agent Fulcrum said and Agent Blue made a faint noise of surprise before nodding. 

“Not a hundred percent the same but…trust us, please.”

The message ended and Leia leaned back in her father’s chair. 

Rako Hardeen.

She had never heard that name before. 

It was obviously a code for something, something that her father and the ghost crew knew and understood. 

Spectre-1…that was Kanan Jarrus, wasn’t it? The Jedi? Was it something Jedi related? Something to do with the Old Republic? 

Interesting.

Almost Obi-Wan Kenobi levels of interesting. 

She fixed the vent and left the room exactly the same as when she had entered. 

She tapped her comn and pulled up a contact that she didn’t usually ever call.

“Ezra? Hey, it’s Leia Organa. I was wondering…”

Obi-Wan felt something prickle in the force. 

It felt sharp, like someone desperately trying to get his attention. 

He frowned, looking out the window and staring across the Tatooine landscape. 

There was warmth in the galaxy again.

The was odd. 

Ever since the empire had taken over the force had felt cold. 

Cold, and dead, and dark.

But now it felt like sunrise.

Interesting.

He hadn’t felt warmth in the force since…well, since they were all together. 

Chapter Text

“How can he be so smart and yet so dumb at the same time?”

Mace Windu, Plo-Koon, and Qui-Gon Jinn were all standing in the center of Obi-Wan’s hut, staring at the actually alive Jedi as he did nothing but gaze out the window.

“Well, you trained him.”

Mace said and Qui-Gon looked at him, affronted.

“You say that like my judgement has ever been bad.“

“It was your idea to bring Anakin to the temple.”

Mace deadpanned, causing Qui-Gon to simultaneously look embarrassed and smug. Plo rubbed his forehead. It was clear this was a conversation the force ghosts had many times before.

“He is the chosen one!”

“Yeah, chosen to kill how many?”

Mace snapped and Plo flapped his hands at the pair, trying to get them to calm down. It was like trying to herd loth-cats. He had no idea how two Jedi were so competent and smart on their own but would automatically butt heads when forced to work together.

He supposed it was because of the fundamental differences between Qui-Gon ‘I’ll gamble for a force sensitive slave that I think could be the chosen one’ Jinn and Mace ‘it’s a good idea to give Anakin a seat on the council but deny him the rank of master’ Windu.

Plo sighed yet again and fixed them both with a glare.

“I think we need to trust little Soka. She knows what she’s doing.”

“I agree that Tano is our greatest chance, but when I visited her in a dream she wasn’t exactly stable. She cried a lot.”

Mace said and Qui-Gon scowled at him.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have scared my great-grandpadawan in a dream like that. Ever think of that?”

“Both of you need to calm down.”

Plo sighed, wishing not for the first time that he could be doing this with any other two Jedi. It made sense, that even in death he kept getting roped in the Disaster Lineage and Shatterpoint Lineage’s drama.

Force help him.

“Look, all we’re here to do is push Obi-Wan into wanting to go to the rebellion, alright?”

Mace said, glaring at Qui-Gon.

“I still think we should just appear and explain what’s going on.”

“We can’t interfere that much! I swear to the force, Jinn, you can be the most infuriating—“

Plo waved his hand, causing both Mace and Qui-Gon to shut up.

Not because he held any sway over them but because he had used the force to prevent them from being able to talk.

“Enough. We were able to nudge Captain Rex into reaching Ahsoka and Vader, we can do the same with Obi-Wan, especially as he’s more tuned to the force than Captain Rex.”

Plo said, giving them his best glare before turning to look at the extremely sad and pathetic figure of Obi-Wan, who was staring wistfully out of the window like the star of some trashy holo-novel.

They had their work cut out for them.

Sabine watched the video sent by Rex silently.

Hera was whispering what was going on to Kanan, Ezra was making frantic little noises that sounded like someone trying not to die, Zeb kept groaning and mumbling that it was just like them to do this, and Chopper kept screaming about an evil blue droid.

But Ahsoka was alive.

So was Rex.

She felt a weight lift of her shoulders.

She hadn’t even realized there was one there.

“It’s a Rako Hardeen mission.”

Ahsoka said and Kanan let out a strangled gasp. Everyone looked at him curiously but he waved his hand, motioning for the video to continue.

There was a quick goodbye and the video ended.

Silence fell, thick and heavy.

“What’s a Rako Hardeen mission?”

Ezra asked, voicing the question that she was positive was on all of their minds.

“During the clone wars.”

Kanan began, a phrase that made everyone lean forward in their seats.

“Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi—Ahsoka’s grandmaster—faked his death to go undercover as a bounty hunter named Rako Hardeen to prevent an assassination attempt on Chancellor Palpatine’s life.”

Sabine made a face and Hera shot her a glare.

“At the time we obviously didn’t realize that Palpatine had orchestrated the whole thing—why, no idea, but I heard that it was particularly rough on Ahsoka and her master, Anakin Skywalker.”

Sabine watched as Zeb shifted in his chair, obviously thinking hard.

“What does that have to do with what Ahsoka and Rex are doing now?”

He asked and Kanan sighed, running his hand over his hair.

“I can only guess it is a mission similar to that. Ahsoka didn’t mean to fake her death but she did, and now her and Rex are doing something secretive that we have to trust them on. Something that probably has to do with being undercover.”

“Do you think it has to do with Vader?”

Ezra asked and Sabine saw as something flashed across Kanan’s face.

“I don’t know.”

“But you do know.”

She said, leaning forward and casting an accusatory glare at Kanan…no matter that he couldn’t see her.

“Do you remember when we were chased by Vader?”

The whole crew made murmurs of affirmation and Kanan sighed again.

“Ahsoka and I used to the force to try and figure out who he was. For a moment there it seemed like Ahsoka recognized the sith but she brought her mental shields up too fast for me to sense anything else.”

Ezra and Sabine exchanged glances.

Interesting.

“Could he have been a Jedi?”

Ezra asked and Kanan shrugged.

“It’s possible.“

But Kanan wasn’t telling them something. Sabine could see it on his face and she knew that Ezra could too.

He knew more than he let on.

“Right!”

Hera said, getting to her feet.

“No use moping around here. We’re heading out first thing tomorrow morning.”

She flicked her fingers at them, motioning them out of the cockpit where they had all ended up gathering.

Sabine made it two steps out the door before Ezra was grabbing her arm and dragging her into his room.

“Great.”

Zeb snarked as he followed them.

“Kanan’s not—“

“Telling us something, we know.”

Sabine cut Ezra off, pulling her arm out of his grip and immediately dropping down to the floor to sit. Ezra followed suit, gesturing for Zeb to join them. The lasak grumbled but joined them anyway, Chopper being the very last member to come into the room and join the circle.

“Watch it.”

Zeb growled and Ezra shot a glare at Chopper as well. Sabine rolled her eyes at her idiots before snapping her fingers to get their attention.

“Look, we need to—“

She was cut off by the frantic beeping of Ezra’s comn.

They all gave him a look and he flushed, tapping his wrist and pulling up the caller.

“Wait, Princess Organa?”

She said, leaning forward and staring at the flashing contact. Ezra gave her a look.

“Yeah, I got her contact after we helped her out, remember? I wonder what she wants.”

“Ahsoka mentioned Spymaster in the video, remember?” Zeb said, stretching out and gesturing to the call. “Maybe she’s Spymaster.”

“More probably her parents.”

Sabine said, motioning for Ezra to answer the comn.

He did so and the tiny hologram of Princess Leia Organa appeared in front of them.

“Ezra? Hey, it’s Leia Organa. I was wondering—“

“Well, it’s not just me.”

He said, cutting her off. Sabine waved as he placed his wrist comn onto the floor so that the princess could see all of them.

“Ah. Hello, ghost crew.”

She said, smiling.

Sabine was always astonished by the poise and elegance held by the young princess. She had to be, what, Ezra’s age or something?

“I just snuck into my father’s office through the vents and found a video from an Agent Fulcrum and Agent Blue, in which your crew was mentioned, specifically Spectre-1. Is Rako Hardeen a Jedi term?”

Sabine took it back.

The princess just pretended to have poise and elegance.

She was as chaotic and sneaky as the rest of them.

Ezra glanced at them and she shrugged.

“I think it’s fine.”

She said and Zeb groaned.

“Really fulfilling your obnoxious older brother role there.”

She snapped at him before turning back to the princess. Ezra cleared his throat and leaned forward.

“We are all actually in here because we just watched the video and Kanan—Spectre-1—told us about the Rako Hardeen mission.”

Princess Organa’s eyes flashed and her interest was obvious even through the hologram.

Ezra relayed the information, explaining that Agent Fulcrum was Ahsoka and the Obi-Wan related mission, finally finishing with the fact that Kanan was possibly hiding something about Ahsoka and Vader.

“Wait. Agent Fulcrum is Ahsoka Tano. Who is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi’s grandpadawan?”

The princess seemed very stuck on this one piece of information.

“Yes.”

“I see.”

She said and Sabine watched as her eyes flicked around the circle before finally falling back on Ezra.

“I have to talk to my droid. I’ll call you back.”

She hung up, leaving them all very confused.

“She’s a weird one.”

Zeb commented and Sabine whacked his arm.

“She’s a princess. Be nicer.”

“R2!”

[young general?]

“Why didn’t you tell me Fulcrum was Obi-Wan Kenobi’s grandpadawan?”

[fear secrets safety]

“Bantha shit.”

[proud]

“My parents were so mad you taught me to cuss but that’s not the point. R2, if you had told me that, I would have contacted him weeks ago!”

[duh]

“R2.”

[secrets protect]

“R2.”

[sorry]

"Fine. Keep your secrets. I’m contacting Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

[good family happy restore fix heal virus fix corruption save master siblings united twins united family fix]

“I still don’t understand you.”

[love]

“I love you too, R2.”

[proud of young general]

“Thank you. Now. I think it’s time we got help from an old man, don’t you?”

[finally]

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan stared out the window, watching as the twin suns began to set.

The rocky desert was cast with beautiful reds and oranges before fading to a deep purple, not a cloud in the sky. He hummed softly under his breath, drinking his tea before moving into a position for meditation.

After so many years here he had slipped into an easy routine.

Every day was the same.

Nothing changed here.

The constant threat of the empire, the constant threat of the Hutts, the constant sun and sand and traders and scum.

The force was always the same too.

Dark.

Still.

He’d get occasional visits from Qui-Gon’s force ghost.

It was more annoying now than comforting.

Well.

The force had been the same until a few weeks ago.

Something had happened.

Something was happening, something incredible was happening, because for the first time in years he could sense warmth in the force.

Oh, he always sensed Luke’s warmth in the force.

But it was minuscule, just a tiny ember, the same as Leia’s.

But now…now something was burning.

A light was growing through the darkness, like a sunrise after a long and terrible night.

It was beautiful.

He couldn’t figure out what it was.

He sighed and opened his eyes, looking up at the stars and watching as a few ships passed by high overhead.

The only thing he could figure out about the warmth in the force was that it was uncertain. Shaky. Like a tower, precariously balanced.

It grew stronger each day.

“What do you think?”

He asked to the three force ghosts standing behind him.

Oh, he knew they were there.

They had been trying to be sneaky.

He turned around and rolled his eyes to the sky as the three of them disappeared before he could get a good look at them, leaving behind blue wisps of the force.

Fine.

He had gathered all the force ghosts that reached out to him, at one point. Gathered them all and screamed at them till his throat was hoarse. Screamed at them for trusting Palpatine, screamed at them for what they did to Anakin, screamed at them for Ahsoka, screamed at them for every single thing he had ever blamed on them before he had finally collapsed, exhausted.

And they he had forgiven them.

Because really.

He didn’t blame them.

He blamed himself.

He was young, he didn’t know better, he let Palpatine sink his claws into nine year old Anakin. He let Anakin fall for Padme. He let them fight a war. He let them blame Ahsoka. He was just as complacent as the rest of the Jedi.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, shaking the depressing thoughts from his mind.

It was Palpatine’s fault.

He had to remind himself of that, again and again and again.

Palpatine tricked them all.

Palpatine would have found a way, no matter what they had done.

A loud beeping broke through his thoughts and he turned to see his comn flashing brightly.

It was an incoming message from Bail Organa, of all people.

He frowned, quickly getting to his feet and smoothing his hair before answering the call.

“Leia?”

He whispered, extremely confused as, instead of Bail Organa, Leia was in front of him.

She was the spitting image of Padme.

“You said I’d see you again if I ever needed the help of an old man.”

She said and he smiled at her.

“I did. What’s going on?”

“There’s…a situation. A situation regarding the rebellion, and the Jedi.”

Vader.

What had Vader done?

Leia cleared her throat and he ached to reach through the projection and just hug her. She was so young and already fighting so hard.

Everyone started fighting young.

“One of my droids, R2-D2, he told me to contact you. I ignored him for a bit but new information has come to light and I think we need your help.”

R2.

Dear force.

If Anakin’s chaos droid thought he needed to come and help…force.

“One of the rebellion’s best agents has been captured. She was on a mission investigating a sith temple with two of our more…force sensitive rebels.”

Jedi?

Jedi who had survived?

A sith temple?

“Apparently they ran into a minor Sith Lord there, someone named Darth Maul—“

Kriff.

Kriff.

How the hell was that piece of shit still alive?

“But that’s not the point. Darth Vader reached the temple. Agent Fulcrum, she stayed behind to hold him off so the other two could escape. She was presumed dead after this, but a video was just sent out by her and Agent Blue, revealing that she did not die.”

Obi-Wan frowned, unsure where this was going.

“I believe…” Leia trailed off awkwardly, glancing to the side before back at him. “Well, in her explanation she said, and I quote, that ‘It’s a Rako Hardeen mission’.”

Holy kriff.

What?

“I asked our force sensitive rebels, as one of them was a padawan before the empire took over, and they explained that Rako Hardeen was a bounty hunter you once acted as after taking your death.”

It was one of the worst mission he had done. Not because of anything he had been through but because of Ahsoka’s screams and sobs as she clung to his body. Because of the way Anakin wouldn’t look at him the same for months.

“They also told me…well.”

Leia cleared her throat and he had the worse sense of foreboding.

The force was screaming all around him, a terrible symphony that was demanding him to fix it, to go and find them, to save his family.

“Agent Fulcrum. We presume she is being held by Vader currently.”

He nodded and she sighed, smoothing her hands over her hair.

“There’s no easy way to put this, Obi-Wan.”

He frowned at her.

“Agent Fulcrum. Her real name is…and I’m only telling you this because…well.”

“It’s okay.”

He whispered, leaning forward and feeling the force rush around him with the sensation of the sun.

He was about to join the warmth starting to appear in the galaxy again, wasn’t he?

“Agent Fulcrum’s real name is Ahsoka Tano.”

Oh.

Oh shit.

“Ahsoka?”

“Yes. Your grandpadawan Ahsoka. I know that term because R2-D2 told me, R2 says you’re his master’s brother, I don’t understand what’s going on but I believe it’s time.”

He stared at her in shock, mentally running through the thousand of ways that this could turn extremely, horribly wrong.

Ahsoka was alive.

She survived.

She was captured by Vader.

Vader didn’t kill her.

Anakin didn’t kill her.

Did she know he was Vader?

Oh, force, was Vader trying to turn her to the dark side?

Oh he would try.

Ahsoka was alive.

“It’s time for you to join the rebellion, General Kenobi.”

Force help him.

Chapter Text

Rex lay in the room the empire had provided him with, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

They had taken his comn and given him a room directly across from Ahsoka’s.

There weren’t any guards outside his door.

There weren’t any outside Ahsoka’s door either.

That had confused both of them, because Ahsoka had told him that she had guards earlier. Ahsoka had told him about Yularen and how she was pretty sure he had been trying to kill her, but she wasn’t sure why yet.

They had eaten a bland dinner provided by the empire.

Ahsoka had tried to joke that it was like eating rations again.

They had sat in her room in silence until he finally left and now he just lay here.

Awake.

Staring at the ceiling.

On a ship.

Controlled by Darth Vader.

Formerly Anakin Skywalker.

He hated himself.

He hated that he hadn’t seen the signs.

He hated Anakin.

He hated him for giving into the dark side.

A little part of him hated Ahsoka too.

He hated her for thinking she could pull him to the light side again.

He had only just got her back.

He couldn’t leave her again, not when she was kind of all he had left. Sure, he contacted the bad batch sometimes, and sure, the ghost crew were great, and sure, living with Gregor and Wolffe had been…interesting, to say the least.

But…they weren’t Ahsoka.

They weren’t Anakin.

They weren’t the 501st.

They weren’t his men.

Some of them might be his brothers but they weren’t his brothers and sister.

Now he had his sister.

He might have one of his brothers back too.

He let out a derisive laugh.

Ahsoka’s determination was infectious, apparently.

But really, Vader?

The murderer?

The monster who had slaughtered thousands?

The emperor’s attack dog?

Force.

What did Ahsoka even see?

What little bits did she see that were still in there, that gave her hope that their Anakin was still alive?

He got out of bed.

He wasn’t sure why he did it.

He got out of bed, walked to the door, and opened it.

A few stormtroopers passed him but they didn’t bother trying to detain him. They cast nervous glances and sped up, seemingly trying to get away from them.

He did suppose he had just almost killed Darth Vader.

He kept walking.

Did Ahsoka really think she could do this?

If anyone could, it was her.

He didn’t doubt her abilities, he just doubted that Vader would really change just from being lectured or whatever Ahsoka was planning.

She had told him everything that had happened so far, and while it was evidence, he just…he just didn’t know.

He scowled, noting that he had switched into his ‘murder walk’ that had been so affectionately dubbed by Fives.

Maybe she could do it.

Maybe she could bring Anakin back.

He was just worried.

And hurt.

And betrayed.

Force, he had fallen.

Anakin had fallen.

Anakin had turned into Vader.

He clenched his jaw and sped up, memories of Anakin saving him and his men playing through his mind like a mockery.

He turned a corner and found himself at a dead end.

Nothing but a set of doors.

He shrugged and tapped the door, trying to open it.

“Lord Vader’s private hanger. Password?”

Interesting.

Was going into this hanger a good idea?

No.

Was he going to do it anyway?

Well…

Anakin’s password had always been the same thing when something needed a spoken password instead of a set of numbers.

“Padme Skywalker.”

He said and grinned as the door slid open.

He took three steps into the hanger and froze.

Darth Vader was sitting underneath a tie fighter, tinkering with the mechanics, tools strewn around him.

Vader hadn’t notice him.

Rex strode forward.

He stopped at the edge of tools, examining them. To anyone else they would look like a completely half-hazard spread, nails and bolts rolling everywhere but Rex knew. He knew that there was a method behind the madness.

“You set up your tools the same way you used to.”

He said, watching as Vader’s head stilled.

“Get out.”

Vader snapped but Rex just pointed.

“Look, screwdriver close to your hand, flashlight by your side, bolts and screws there, so you can get them with the force, magnetic things there, so you can get them with your prosthetic arm.”

He could have kept naming the reasoning behind the tools’ placement but Vader was lunging to his feet and staring down at him.

“Get out.”

Vader repeated and Rex narrowed his eyes.

Vader’s hands were shaking.

That was weird.

Why would Vader’s hands be shaking?

“Why?”

He asked, watching as Vader’s hands clenched.

“I’m not hurting anything.”

“Get out.”

“You haven’t completely gotten rid of the past.”

He said and watched as Vader tensed.

“Your password is the exact same. You set up your tools the same. You couldn’t kill Ahsoka, and you can’t kill me.”

“Shut up.”

“No, I won’t.”

He stared at Vader.

“Do you hate yourself?”

He asked, not caring that Vader was striding towards him.

“Do you hate yourself for all the people you’ve hurt? You used to be so caring. You used to try and save people.”

“I did all this to save—“

“What, Senator Amidala? General Kenobi?”

He snapped, watching as Vader recoiled.

“That worked out wonderfully, didn’t it?”

Vader stared at him for a second.

Then two.

Then he was turning around.

Sitting down.

“Touch anything and I kill you.”

What?

What?

He had thought he was going to be killed for saying that.

Or attacked, at the very least.

Interesting.

He watched Vader as he worked.

He worked the exact same way Anakin used to.

He watched as Vader’s hands shook.

He watched as Vader mumbled under his breath to himself.

He watched as Vader’s entire body language was more than just similar to Anakin’s.

No.

No.

No.

Oh.

Vader’s body language was similar to a certain phenomenon he had seen during the war.

The door to Ahsoka’s room banged open and she yelped, looking up from where she had been reading some very interesting imperial documents that her droid had found for her. She stared as Rex practically slid into the room, a huge grin on his face.

“He’s like a shiny!”

Rex blurted out and she saw that something was sparkling in his eyes.

“What?”

“I found Vader. He’s tinkering in his hanger, Ahsoka, he’s like a shiny.”

Rex sat down on the edge of her bed and she stared at him, not understanding a word that was coming out of his mouth.

“He’s like the shinies after their first battle, like the shinies who’ve had their entire world turned upside down! Ahsoka, he’s unnerved and confused and more than that, he didn’t kill me, even when I refused to leave the hanger, even when I mocked him, even when I brought up Senator Amidala and General Kenobi! He let me watch him work. Ahsoka…this might work.”

She stared at him and he grinned at her.

“Think about a shiny. What did we do to help shinies after their first battle? What did we do to help their mental state?”

“We…we tried to make normalcy.”

She said, slowly starting to realize what he was saying.

“I think all of the force ideas you’ve been doing have worked. But I think now we need to make Vader remember us.”

Oh.

Oh that truly was genius.

To not just tell him that she would stay but to tell him that they could be them again.

They didn’t have to be Vader and Fulcrum.

They could just be…them?

Normalcy.

“What are you thinking?”

She asked and Rex grinned, leaning forward and quickly filling her in on his plan.

It took a week to reach Mustafar.

Seven days.

Seven nights.

Seven times for Rex and Ahsoka to implement their plan.

Chapter Text

Night 1

Ahsoka and Rex entered the hanger, just two hours after they had come up with their plan. Vader was still there, tinkering away.

He didn’t make any sign that he noticed them.

Ahsoka dragged two large crates over to the opposite side of the hanger, plopping down onto the ground and leaning against the crate.

Rex did the same, grinning a little nervously at her before pulling a pack of sabaac cards out of his pocket.

They had bribed a stormtrooper for them, offering to put a good word in for him in exchange for the deck.

Rex shuffled the cards and dealt them out.

They played a couple rounds of sabaac without saying anything, a few murmured instructions and sighs of defeat the only things escaping their corner.

Vader tinkered on, fixing whatever he was fixing on his tie fighter.

After an hour of sabaac Ahsoka yawned widely and got to her feet, starting to put away the crates. Rex shuffled the cards and put them in his pocket.

They walked over to the door and Ahsoka glanced over her shoulder.

“Goodnight!”

She called.

“Night.”

Rex said as well.

Vader didn’t say anything.

They left the hanger and headed to bed.

Night 2

Ahsoka and Rex strode into the hanger again, finding Vader tinkering on a small droid this time.

They exchanged glances before repeating the steps of the night before, playing sabaac and this time choosing to be a little bit louder, Ahsoka fake whacking Rex when he managed to beat her, which was almost never.

After an hour they put the crates away and left the hanger, saying goodnight to Vader as they did so.

The Sith didn’t respond.

Night 3

The crates were set up in their corner when they entered the hanger.

Ahsoka and Rex exchanged knowing glances before heading over there, Ahsoka saying a quick hello to Vader as they did so.

He was working on another tie fighter.

They played a few rounds of sabaac, keeping up the air of normalcy, chatting all the while.

Rex suddenly brought his hand up and signed quickly to her.

‘He’s not working’

‘What’

‘Look’

She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see that Vader was moving around tools and bolts but not really fixing or messing with something on the tie.

She grinned and Rex returned it.

They played four more rounds before returning the crates to their spot and leaving the hanger, calling a goodnight as they did so.

Vader didn’t acknowledge them.

Night 4

The crates were set up ten feet closer to where Vader was working.

Rex and Ahsoka exchanged glances before repeating the process, chatting louder and cracking jokes, mention things and places, commenting on missions they had done—without revealing crucial details, of course.

Vader was still pretending to fix droids.

Ahsoka mentioned that they should have snacks while playing sabaac.

When they said goodnight Vader jerked his head awkwardly in response.

Night 5

The crates were another ten feet closer and an array of snacks and drinks were there.

There were meat bits that Ahsoka used to love and the crispy chips Rex had fallen in love with, as well as cool drinks that Ahsoka distinctly remembered drinking on Naboo one of the few times she and the 501st had been there.

Vader had completely given up the pretense of pretending to fix things, instead choosing so sit underneath his tie and watch them as they played.

Ahsoka and Rex ignored him, just continuing their playing of their game.

She beat him almost every single time.

When they said goodnight he waved a hand goodbye.

Night 6

They entered the hanger yet again and found it empty.

They exchanged worried looks but pulled their crates out to the normal spot anyway, Ahsoka sprawling out on the floor and kicking her feet up onto the crate while Rex sat like a slightly more normal person.

They didn’t start playing.

They waited twenty-five minutes exact before the door to the hanger flew open and Vader strolled in.

Ahsoka suppressed the grin that wanted to spread over her face as she watched him glance around nervously before seeing them in their usual spot and visibly relaxed.

Vader walked to the opposite side of the room and Rex started dealing out the cards again.

They played three rounds, chatting about everything and nothing before Rex took a deep breath.

He hadn’t told Ahsoka he was going to do this, but he thought it was a good idea.

He had steered her to the correct conversation, he had let their conversation get quite loud and dramatic and even…gossipy.

“But the thing is, Bly and Aayla were obviously some sort of couple. Bly wasn’t secretive with his crush at all.”

Ahsoka finished her speech confidently and looking to him for confirmation.

“Yeah. Speaking of clones who had a crush on their general…”

He trailed off and flicked his eyes towards Vader, seeing if he was listening.

He was.

Good.

“Did you know that Cody had a crush on General Kenobi?”

Twin voices gasped in shock.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened to a comically large point, her mouth dropped open and shock practically radiating off her.

He was more focused on the fact that this was the first time Vader had made any sort of noise about whatever conversation they were having than the absolutely hilarious expression Ahsoka was making.

“Yup.”

Rex said, leaning back and grinning, gathering up the cards to shuffle and deal again.

“Cody had a crush on General Kenobi since…oh, maybe a week after we got assigned to the 212th at the beginning of the war.”

He motioned for Ahsoka to move over.

She frowned at him but did so, still completely entranced by what he was saying.

“I figured it out only because Cody and his batchmates had pretty much adopted me when I was little, so I knew all of Cody’s body language.”

He dealt three hands of cards instead of two, choosing to ignore the fact that Vader had gotten to his feet and was standing three feet away from them, looking awkward.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ahsoka practically screeched and Rex laughed at the furious expression on her face.

“Well, I didn’t—“

“We could’ve got them together! Rex!”

She groaned, flipping him off as Vader took another step closer.

Rex cast his gaze upwards and met Vader’s eyes.

Mask?

Whatever.

Ahsoka froze mid-laugh, finally realizing what Rex had been doing.

It was silence.

Balance on a precipice.

Vader sat down and grabbed the cards, pulling them close to him.

“Do you think Obi-Wan had a crush on Cody?”

Ahsoka asked, keeping her face on Rex but flicking her eyes towards Vader.

“Yes.” Vader said, his voice mechanical but filled with an almost teasing tone that made both Ahsoka and Rex think of their late nights playing sabaac on the ship during the war.

“I don’t think he realized he did though.”

Ahsoka cackled with laughter at Vader’s words, dropping her head into her hands.

“Force, we should’ve known this sooner.”

She said, her words muffled. Rex rolled his eyes at her and Vader let out a small laugh.

“Hey, Ahsoka.”

Rex said, grinning. Ahsoka snapped her head up, eyes automatically narrowing. He knew she knew his tone of voice.

“Do you remember the first time General Kenobi played sabaac with you?”

She gasped in anger and flung her cards at him, causing Vader to absolutely erupt in laughter, mechanic and wheezy as it was.

They played for hours.

It almost felt like home.

Night 7

Ahsoka and Rex were walking down the hall towards Vader’s hanger, Rex shuffling the deck of sabaac cards in his hands when the overhead speaker rang.

“We are approaching Mustafar. All unnecessary personal head to your rooms.”

“Shit.”

Ahsoka said.

Rex agreed.

“Mustafar?” He hissed to her. “Where Jedi go to die?”

“Apparently!”

She hissed back, the two of them glancing up and down the corridor to make sure it was just the two of them.

“What do we do?”

She asked and he shrugged.

“Escape? I know for a fact you and that new droid of yours have some sort of escape plan.”

She cracked a smile.

“Yeah, we do, but we’re not going to do it. He’s made so much progress this week.”

She said and he sighed.

“I know.”

“Shall we?”

She said, gesturing down the corridor to Vader’s private hanger.

“Yeah. I guess so.”

The entered the hanger to find Vader at the other end, pacing up and down exactly the same way that Anakin used to when he had to tell the 501st bad news.

Ahsoka and Rex exchanged a look.

Vader strode towards them and Ahsoka raised her eyebrows.

“Mustafar?”

She asked and he nodded.

“Yes.”

Rex narrowed his eyes.

“And what’s going to happen there?”

He asked, Ahsoka poking him in the side and making a face that he couldn’t be bothered to figure out. He kept his gaze on Vader.

They watched as Vader seemed to think about what to say. What the right words were. Whether to lie or tell the truth.

“There I will undergo medical scans.”

Vader said, causing Ahsoka to inhale softly.

“To see if your scan was correct and I don’t need the suit. After that, I shall resume your training.”

Rex snapped his head around to stare at Ahsoka as her mouth dropped open in shock.

“My what now?”

She asked and Vader shifted his stance slightly.

“Your training.”

“I see.” Ahsoka said. “I’m going to have to assume that you don’t mean training of the Jedi variation.”

“No.”

Vader turned on his heel and swept to the door.

“No card games tonight.” He said over his shoulder before exiting the room with a bang of the doors.

“Well. One step forward, two steps back.”

Rex said and Ahsoka whacked him.

“Force.”

She whispered and he looked at her.

“Are you going to be okay?”

She sighed, leaning against his shoulder.

“Yeah. But training with him, on Mustafar?”

She strode out of the room without another word, leaving Rex alone in the hanger.

He sighed.

“Kriffing force wielders.”

He left the room.

Chapter Text

Boba Fett was not having a good day.

His day hadn’t been ruined by Jabba the Hutt putting a bounty on his head just because he helped some guy called Solo who apparently was wanted by Jabba for money.

His day hadn’t been ruined by Grand Moff Tarkin of all people contacting him for a suicide job on Mustafar killing a ex-Jedi—who was also one of the leaders of the rebellion.

His day hadn’t even been ruined by getting kicked out of the bar he was at.

No, his day was ruined by the tall blonde woman standing directly in front of him, a wide grin on her face and a whole lot of weapons on her belt.

“Hey Alpha.”

She said and he desperately wanted to put a blaster bolt through her face.

“The hell do you want?”

He groaned. She grinned wider and grabbed his arm, tugging him to his feet and dusting the dirt and glass off his shoulders.

“Nice bar fight.”

She said and he scowled at her.

“Get the hell out of my sight.”

“Is that the only cuss word you know? I would’ve thought Dad taught more.”

She kept grinning that shit-eating grin and he knew, he just knew, she was only acting like they were family to mess with him.

There was a bang behind them and they whipped around to see the various bounty hunters he had pissed off pointing their blasters at them.

“Great.” He sighed and she whipped out on of her blasters and shot one of them in the face. They shouted in anger and started firing. She grabbed his arm and he snarled at her.

“Go away.”

“No.”

They sprinted down the street, firing over their shoulders as the bounty hunters chased after them. He skidded around a corner and froze.

His ship was going up in smoke.

Right, his day was definitely ruined.

“My ship!”

She shouted and he turned his head, following her arm to where another ship was waiting.

He groaned, about to protest, when a shot hit directly above his head.

“Fine.”

He snapped and she grinned, taking off running. They sprinted across the road and she clicked something on her wrist, opening the ship.

She sprinted inside and he followed, spinning around at the entrance and shooting at the bounty hunters, casting them to duck for cover.

“Hurry up!”

He shouted over his shoulder and heard her shout something in response.

He gritted his teeth and shot another in the chest, the blaster fire a familiar sound in this absolutely shitty day.

Stupid ass clones.

The ship rumbled underneath him and he leapt backwards as the door started to close.

“Guns, now!”

He heard her shout and he scowled, dashing to the ship’s guns and quickly strapping in.

This was unfortunately not the first time he’d been in her ship.

A few years ago, he’d ran into trouble with the Empire. Stuck in an impossible situation, no way out, he was going to be executed.

So he sent out a distress signal in an attempt to get help.

A secret distress signal.

A clone distress signal.

And she and her stupid band of defect clones had rescued him.

He was surprised they weren’t here too, but he supposed that with the accelerated aging they were probably old as hell.

“Hyperspace!”

She shouted and he gritted his teeth as they rumbled into gear. Two seconds later they were smoothly sailing, not a single shot fired.

Great.

He groaned, exiting the guns and walking into the cockpit where she was waiting.

“So, you’ve kidnapped me now.”

“I missed you too.”

She said and he scowled.

“You’re the worst.”

She spun around, grinning widely.

“Seeing as I’m the only one of..well, me, doesn’t that make me also the best?”

He pulled out his gun and pointed it at her head.

“Drop me off. Now.”

“We’re currently in hyperspace heading to a rebel base and you do not have access to the controls.”

He scowled and pressed the blaster against her temple. She didn’t even flinch.

“Shoot me and you end up in the middle of the rebellion. I don’t think they’ll take too kindly of my death, do you?”

He dropped the blaster.

“Kriff you.”

She hummed and tapped a few buttons.

“I just want a favor, and then you can go back to whatever you’re doing.”

“What.”

She paused, her eyes flicking weirdly.

“Do…do you know of any bounty hunters in the Tatooine area who’d be willing to do a very dangerous job for the rebellion?”

He stared at her.

“I mean, for the right price, a lot of them would do anything.”

“So which bounty hunters are there?”

He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“You didn’t give me enough information or enough money to answer that question.”

She scowled but pulled a bag out of her pocket. It jingled with credits and he grinned.

“There we go. What does this job involve?”

“Just transporting someone from Tatooine to a rebel base that I will not be disclosing the location of to you.”

He narrowed his eyes.

He could think of a couple people who would be willing to do a job that easy. But why wasn’t the rebellion just using one of their own teams? The rebellion might not go to the outer rim that often, but there was bound to be someone out there.

This was something more.

“Anything complications?”

He asked and she sighed.

“Well. The person…” She made a face. “The person might attract the attention of Inquisitors.”

Oh hell it was a Jedi.

Or maybe not a Jedi.

Maybe someone just strong in the force.

Either way.

There were very few bounty hunters who were willing to get tangled in that.

Ventress was the best option, she loved to tangle with force stuff, but he never wanted to see that witch again and had no idea where she was or how to contact her.

“Anything else?”

“It’s a shit ton of credits.”

Well.

He sighed.

“Yeah, I know someone.”

“Who’ll take it?”

“Yeah. I feel bad for whoever’s getting picked up.”

He really did.

He tapped the contact information into her computer and she whistled.

“Him?”

“Yeah.”

“Dang.”

She shook her head and he shrugged.

“Alright. Where do you want to be dropped off?”

“Nearest planet with a big crime population.”

“Yup.”

She said, tapping the controls so that their course shifted.

“Ahem.”

She rolled her eyes and tossed the bag of credits into his waiting hand.

“Thanks, ‘sis’.”

He said mockingly, causing her to flip him off.

It took an hour of awkward talking but they reached the nearest planet and landed the ship.

“Thanks Alpha.”

She said, leaning against the ship as he turned to leave. He sighed, shaking his head.

“You’re a pain, you know that right?”

“The rebellion’s open to you, if you want.”

“No. Doesn’t pay well enough.”

She shrugged.

“Your loss.”

“My credits.”

He shook the bag at her and she rolled her eyes. He moved to go but paused.

“Listen, I don’t know what this thing is.” He said, turning back to face her. Stupid Mandalorian instinct to take care of people. “But something’s going on in the Empire. I got contacted for a job by a very high ranking official.”

“Are you gonna take it?”

He shrugged.

“It’s a suicide mission. Absolutely insane, but it pays more money than I’ve seen in my entire life.”

“Are you gonna take it?”

“I don’t know.”

She scowled at him and he scowled right back.

“Be careful, would you?”

He snapped and she immediately grinned like the kriffing sunshine she was.

“Aw. Thanks Alpha.”

“Not my name.”

“Thanks, Boba.”

“Thank you.”

She grinned and disappeared back into the ship. He watched as it took off, slowly raising up into the atmosphere until it rumbled and vanished into hyperspace.

He shook his head.

Crazy ass clone.

He turned.

He supposed he should probably get to deciding if he should take that job or not. Without Jabba’s continuous jobs, he was going to pressed for money.

Kriff.

He pulled out his comn link.

“Contact Grand Moff Tarkin.”

Chapter Text

Kanan sat on his bed in his room, meditating.

The door flew open.

He sighed.

“So.” He moved to the side as Hera sat down on the edge of his bed. He could practically feel the determination radiating off her. He could just imagine the look she was giving him.

“So?”

“Princess Leia’s plan. Did you know that Obi-Wan Kenobi was alive?”

“I hoped so.” He said, thinking of the hologram. “I had no way of knowing if he had died after making the video or not. Clearly he didn’t.”

“And, honey, why weren’t you telling us everything about Ahsoka and the Rako Hardeen mission.”

He sighed.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid this conversation forever.

“I have a theory. You can’t tell the kids.”

“Kanan.”

“Please, love.”

She sighed and he felt as she picked up his hands.

“Alright. Tell me?”

“Like I said, when Ahsoka and I felt Vader’s presence Ahsoka seemed to recognize it before she brought up her mental shields. And every time since then she’s been weird regarding Vader.”

“So she recognized him?”

He nodded.

“Yes. I have…a theory. A theory that I hope is very wrong.” He sighed, squeezing her hands tighter. “The thing is, Ahsoka’s master, Anakin Skywalker…”

He trailed off.

He hoped he was wrong.

He desperately hoped he was wrong.

But he couldn’t think of any other reason Ahsoka and Rex would be so determined, determined enough to pull off a mission they deemed Rako Hardeen levels of secrecy and importance.

“Anakin Skywalker was rash. And hotheaded. And bold and sometimes violent and he cared too much for people.”

“Isn’t it good for a Jedi to care?”

“Care, yes. Love, yes. Get attached? No.”

Hera made a soft noise of understanding and he sighed.

“Anakin Skywalker was attached to everyone he cared about. It’s attachment that makes a person fall. Anakin Skywalker was also close with Palpatine, who we all know is now the emperor.”

Kanan sighed.

“Oh.”

Hera said.

“Oh.”

She repeated and he nodded.

“Oh, the hell Ahsoka and Rex are going through.”

Hera whispered and he nodded.

“You think Anakin became Vader.”

“I hope I’m wrong.”

They sat there in silence.

“Hell.”

“Yeah.”

They had given him instructions.

Head to the Mos Eisley Cantina.

There, a bounty hunter contracted by the rebellion would fly him to the rebel base.

“And you’re sure this will work?”

Obi-Wan asked the flickering hologram of Bail and Leia.

“Yes.”

Leia said, Bail making a tight face from behind her.

It was clear that Leia had made most of this plan on her own, using her contact with the ghost crew—the crew with force sensitives—to work her way behind Bail’s back until the plan was secure enough for her to reveal it.

Bail had no choice but to go along.

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but be extremely proud and extremely concerned, because it was a very Anakin and Padme thing to do.

“The ghost crew will be there to fill you in.”

Bail sighed and Leia grinned.

“I’ll be heading there too.”

Bail and Obi-Wan both turned to stare at her.

“I did not say that.”

Bail said and Leia looked at him. Obi-Wan frowned as he felt her using the force all the way through the hologram. Her gaze was piercing, and he had the oddest suspicion that she was mentally convincing Bail to agree with her.

“It makes sense for me to go. I planned this. You can say I’m on a trip visiting universities.”

Obi-Wan watched as Bail and Leia had a silent conversation before Bail dropped his head.

“We’ll have to talk about this with your mother.”

“She’ll agree with me.”

Leia sniffed and Obi-Wan bit back a chuckle.

Padme would have approved of this plan.

For that matter, so would Breha.

“Very well.”

Bail sighed, rubbing his forehead in an expression that Obi-Wan knew far too well.

The exhaustion of raising a Skywalker.

“I’ll see you soon.”

Leia said, a brilliant smile spreading across her face.

Obi-Wan smiled back at her.

Then the call was over and he was packing up his stuff, pocketing Anakin’s old lightsaber and placing it in his bag, ignoring the sensation of burning that prickled over his skin. He placed his lightsaber on his belt, hiding it underneath his robes.

He was walking past the Lars farm when a shout made him stop in his tracks, mentally wishing that he had taken another route to Mos Eisley.

“Hey, Ben!”

He turned around to see a gangly blonde teenager sprinting towards him, the spitting image of Anakin at fifteen, minus the grumpy expression.

“Hello there!”

He said, reverting slightly to his old hermit personality.

Luke skidded to a stop and pushed his hair out of his eyes, grinning up at him.

“You don’t come out that often.”

He said, a question hidden in his voice.

“Yes.” Obi-Wan acknowledged, glancing towards the road. “I’m heading into Mos Eisley.”

Luke grinned wider.

Force, how was he just a ray of sunshine?

“Really? Where are you going?”

“Family reunion.”

He said, unable to help himself from making the joke.

Luke’s eyes got almost comically wide.

“You have family?”

“Why is that so surprising?”

“Well, you’re a hermit.”

Good point.

“I’m going to visit my—“

Younger siblings?

Children?

“Extended family. I haven’t seen them in years.”

Luke nodded.

“Cool.”

“Indeed. If you’ll excuse me, I do have to go—“

“What’s it like?”

He paused midstep, looking back at Luke.

“What’s what like?”

“The galaxy.”

Luke said, something bright sparking in his eyes.

“The galaxy?”

“I’ve never left here.” Luke said and for a moment Obi-Wan saw another sandy-haired Skywalker boy, talking about leaving Tatooine. “I’m going to join the imperial academy, once I’m old enough and Uncle Owen says I can.”

“Wanderlust.”

Obi-Wan said softly and Luke’s eyes brightened.

“Yes. Worlds and ships and people and stars and planets and life!”

Obi-Wan smiled.

“The galaxy is huge. It’s dangerous and beautiful and magnificent. There are planets where cities float in the clouds and planets made entirely of water. There are people and animals that you couldn’t even imagine. There are adventures out there, young Luke. There are also dangers.”

“That’s enough.”

They turned to see Owen Lars striding towards them, giving Obi-Wan a terrifying glare.

“Oh, come on.”

Luke whined.

“Enough. You have chores to do.”

Luke rolled his eyes but scampered off, disappearing from their view.

“Where are you going?”

“Family reunion.”

Obi-Wan said. Owen’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t bring it back here.”

“I won’t.”

Owen turned on his heel and stormed back to the house.

Obi-Wan sighed.

He continued on through the sand and heat, reaching Mos Eisley by the end of the day.

It was the slow season on Mos Eisley. Not many people were coming or going, asides from the occasional bounty hunter and farmer.  It wasn’t podrace season or trading season.

He signed as he dodged a couple guards and made his way towards the cantina.

This was a terrible plan.

Not only that, they hadn’t told him who this bounty hunter that he was going to be traveling with was.

Bail had just chuckled and said that he would figure it out.

It wasn’t comforting.

He pushed open the doors.

The thick scent of alcohol and body oder filled the air, the cantina surprisingly quiet for the evening.

The man working the counter nodded at him before scowling and returning to cleaning the glasses.

Now he just had to find this bounty—

“KENOBI!”

Oh.

Oh no.

Chapter Text

Leia felt something tickling in her mind.

She felt it as she sat in the ship on the way to meet up with the ghost crew, something dancing in her mind, the sensation of someone desperate to escape.

It wasn’t her mind.

Sometimes, when she was very tired or very calm, she could feel someone.

Someone who felt trapped in their life.

She wasn’t entirely sure if they were real or just a figment of her imagination.

She closed her eyes, feeling the someone growing stronger.

You should escape then.

She thought vaguely in the direction of the someone, feeling them come aware to her presence—or maybe it was just her mind giving her a friend.

“I can’t.”

Why not?

“I have stuff to do here.”

She hummed under her breath as R2 whirred softly at her side.

She had told R2 about the feelings.

The sensations.

She could look at someone and know more things about them than she should.

She could talk with someone and convince them to believe her.

R2 had mumbled something about protection and Obi-Wan Kenobi before hiding from her for hours.

Weirdo.

What do you want to do?

“Explore. Travel. Fight.”

She smiled sadly, knowing that her mind was just telling her the things that she felt internally.

Why don’t you?

“I just…can’t. Sometimes I wonder if I could just hitch a ride and leave here, but…”

Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

To just leave, to join the rebellion permanently, to fight, to destroy tyranny?

Wonderful.

Do it then. Run.

“I don’t know.”

She sighed as the sensation slowly faded away, replaced with the same cold darkness that always seemed to surround the galaxy.

“Are we nearly there?”

She asked the pilot, watching as he shook his head.

“A few more hours, Princess.”

“Thank you.”

She said, tapping R2’s head and feeling him whir happily.

Just a few more hours.

Ahsoka meditated.

Ahsoka meditated, because Vader still hadn’t replaced the force cuff she had broken off so she still had some access to the force.

Ahsoka meditated, which was a shocking occurrence in itself, because she didn’t like meditating, but what was more interesting to her was the faint appearance of a force bond between two individuals.

The reason it was so hard to find any surviving Jedi was because all the Jedi realized that they needed to go deep into hiding from the empire and the Sith.

You’d never find a force bond or any remnants of someone using the force if you meditated, every force weilder was so careful to hide their traces.

But this?

This was the beginning threads of a force bond, completely unhidden from the empire, just waving out in the force for anyone to see.

She reached out, grabbing onto the threads and trying to see who was talking.

They slipped through her grasp.

The bond was warm.

That was interesting.

Force signatures varied so much between people.

Kanan, for one, felt vaguely like a tree. Well, he didn’t feel like a tree, he just felt like a tree does. Very grounded, very connected.

Ezra felt vaguely like an ocean, rushing and excited.

But this, this was two more warm force signatures.

One was warm like the beams of suns, beating down upon your head as you trekked through the sand.

The other was warm in the way that an explosion was warm, blinding and ferocious.

Interesting.

Warm force signatures.

She had a warm force signature.

Kanan had described it as a fire, warm and comforting but also dangerous and hiding a dark streak.

She wasn’t entirely sure she liked the fact that he had called out a dark streak of hers.

Rex had a warm force signature, warm like a fight and holding blasters.

Anakin had a burning force signature, burning like a sun and raging, more powerful than anything she had ever experienced.

Vader’s force signature was cold as ice.

It still burned.

Obi-Wan’s force signature had been the same warmth as being wrapped in a blanket and drinking tea.

Padme’s force signature had been warm as well, like sunbeams at the beach or in a field.

Warm.

Ahsoka frowned as she felt towards the mysterious force bond again, watching as it slowly unraveled apart and cooled to the touch, the two participants letting it go.

Interesting.

Warm like sunbeams.

Warm like an explosion.

Interesting.

“Ahsoka?”

She opened her eyes to see Rex standing in front of her.

“We’re here.”

Ah.

Mustafar.

Vader stood at the bridge of the ship as Mustafar loomed ahead of them, blocking out the system’s sun.

An unfamiliar emotion raced through his bones.

He didn’t want to go to Mustafar.

He didn’t want to stare at the lava where Anakin died.

He didn’t want to check if he truly needed his suit, because if he didn’t need the suit that meant the emperor had lied to him.

And he didn’t want to see Ahsoka’s eyes turn yellow and her lightsabers glow red.

What was wrong with him?

This was what he was supposed to do.

He could offer them the world. He had the world. He was finally the master that the fools on the Jedi council hadn’t believed him to be.

And yet…the thought of going to Mustafar made his stomach churn.

“Lord Vader.”

He turned to see one of the inquisitors striding towards him, a pissed off expression on her face.

He couldn’t remember which inquisitor she even was.

“Your prisoners are requesting to speak to you.”

She spat, making it very clear that she didn’t think much of them.

“Bring them to the bridge.”

He said, watching as fury spread across her face. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut with a bang.

The rest of the people on the bridge looked around awkwardly but didn’t comment.

Good.

There was a chime and he turned to see an incoming call from Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Fantastic.

He accepted it, watching as the hologram of the man appeared in front of him.

“Lord Vader.”

Thrawn said and Vader scowled at him from behind his mask.

“Grand Admiral.”

“I am currently in charge of the hunt for the Lothal rebels. Your…prisoners, have they released any information?”

Read: have you tortured them yet?

“Unfortunately not. They are tougher to crack than one would hope.”

“I would’ve thought your powers were better than that.”

He was going to kill Thrawn one of these days.

“They will crack soon. Is that all?”

Thrawn nodded.

“That is all.”

The hologram disappeared and Vader clenched his fists.

Thrawn was up to something. He could sense it. Why would Thrawn call to ask one simple question?

The door to the bridge slid open and he turned to see the inquisitor leading Ahsoka and Rex inside, a murderous look on her face and faintly annoyed looks on Ahsoka and Rex’s faces.

Vader turned back to face the window as they approached Mustafar’s atmosphere.

They moved to stand next to him in silence.

He could feel the trepidation radiating off them.

It almost matched his own.

Obi-Wan stared in horror at the bounty hunter striding across the room towards him.

Bounty hunter.

They should’ve called him what he was.

A pirate.

Of all the people in this galaxy, why him?

“Kenobi, my old friend!”

Obi-Wan let out the sigh.

The sigh that he reserved for only the most vexing of people.

“Hello, Hondo.”

Chapter Text

Hondo Ohnaka beamed at Obi-Wan, who was now having one of the worst days of his life.

Of course.

Of course!

Of all the low-life’s in the galaxy, he got stuck with the most ridiculous and vexing pirate he had ever met.

Hondo launched himself forward and Obi-Wan let out an oof as the other man hugged him tight enough to break his ribs.

Some things never change, he supposed.

“Kenobi, my friend! Glad to see you survived.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help the smile that twitched at the edges of his mouth as Hondo grinned at him. He could sense the mischief wafting off the old pirate in the force, promising adventure and excitement.

“Well.” He said, not really wanting to talk about it. “I did. And I’m going to assume you’re the one I’m traveling with?”

“Just like old times!”

“Force, no.”

Obi-Wan sighed as Hondo flung an arm around him and crowed with excitement. Fifteen years and the pirate hadn’t changed a bit.

“Come on, Kenobi!”

They exited the Cantina, Hondo leading him to his ship, chattering all the while. Obi-Wan was only half listening, paying attention to the stormtroopers and other inhabitants of Tatooine, making sure that none were getting suspicious to the old hermit and the crazy pirate.

No one seemed to care.

He supposed that was one good thing about Hondo.

He was so crazy that people just wrote him off as insane, not bothering to realize that the pirate was actually incredibly smart and knew exactly what he was doing.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

He said as they turned the corner and entered one of the hangers.

“I said—oh kark.”

Hondo froze and Obi-Wan let out an almighty sigh.

There, surrounding the hunk of junk that he could only assume was Hondo’s ship, was a group of stormtroopers, arguing among themselves.

“Gentlemen!”

Hondo shouted, immediately calling the stormtroopers attention towards them. Obi-Wan wanted to strangle him.

“How can I help you?”

The pirate said, swaggering towards them and Obi-Wan glanced around, trying to see what sort of escape plan he could come up with before Hondo got them killed.

“Yeah, you didn’t pay the credits to land your ship here.”

One of the stormtroopers said and Obi-Wan let out a sigh of relief. They weren’t here for him. Thank the force.

He hurried over to where Hondo was grumbling, fishing through his pockets and laughing awkwardly.

“I don’t appear to have any credits in me, I don’t suppose you fine upstanding gentlemen could waive the fee?”

“No.”

“I couldn’t be a seducer.”

Hondo said, shaking his head sadly and Obi-Wan bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

“You could, though.”

Hondo said and Obi-Wan glared at him.

“Not funny.”

He hissed but Hondo just threw his head back and laughed.

“Do you have credits to pay for your friend here?”

The stormtrooper said and Obi-Wan nodded, reaching into his robes and pulling out a handful of credits.

“Thank you.”

Obi-Wan gave the stormtrooper a faint smile as they started to filter out of the hanger. One of the troopers hung back and gave Hondo a sharp look but Obi-Wan just smiled at him, mentally willing the stormtrooper to leave them. He let out a sigh of relief when they were finally alone before Hondo was whacking him on the shoulder again.

“What, no Jedi mind tricks?”

He rolled his eyes.

“It’s called staying under the radar.”

He said, fixing Hondo with his best judgmental look.

“Something I doubt you know much about.”

“I happen to be completely on the empire’s good side!”

“Hondo Ohnaka, you’re under arrest.”

The stormtrooper had came back into hanger and was pointing a gun at Hondo. Obi-Wan sighed.

“Well, I was.”

Hondo said and Obi-Wan sighed again.

Kriff his life.

He lunged forward and grabbed Hondo’s arm, jerking him to the ground as the stormtrooper shouted and let off a round of blaster fire.

It missed.

Not because stormtroopers were bad shots—on the contrary, the only reason a stormtrooper would miss is if they were trying to desert—but because Obi-Wan had manipulated the force, sending the bolt just enough to the side that it wouldn’t hit them.

Hondo scrambled to his feet and they sprinted towards the ship as more stormtroopers poured into the hanger, having been summoned by the blaster fire.

Something metal was being shoved into his hand and he looked down to see a blaster as Hondo spun around and let off three shots at the troopers.

“Uncivilized.”

He groaned before shooting one of the troopers in the shoulder.

Hondo was laughing as he ran and Obi-Wan desperately wished any other person could have came to get him off Tatooine.

Hopefully this wouldn’t direct the empire’s attention to Luke.

Force.

Hondo scrambled into the ship and Obi-Wan followed, shooting three more troopers before ducking inside. Shots pinged off the metal and he wrinkled his nose as he examined the interior of the ship.

It was not impressive.

Grungy and dirty, covered in spare parts and what he hoped was just old food and not blood.

“You like it?”

Hondo shouted from the cockpit as the ship whirred into life.

“I stole it from this kid and a wookie!”

Obi-Wan groaned at Hondo’s words and moved into the cockpit, strapping in as the ship rose into the air and Hondo laughed manically.

“You stole it?”

“What, supposedly it’s a fast ship!”

“It’s a hunk of junk!”

He spluttered but Hondo just kept laughing and laughing, shoving the hyperdrive into gear.

Nothing happened.

“Hondo…”

Obi-Wan practically snarled, already ready to murder the pirate.

“Hang on!”

Hondo ducked underneath his seat and whacked the console before popping back up and yanking the controls again. The ship shuddered and shot forward, hitting the hyperspace lane hard.

The stars outside blurred and Obi-Wan sank backwards into his seat, running his hands through his hair in exhaustion.

“Kriff you.”

Hondo kept laughing.

Boba Fett still wasn’t having a good day.

“It is clear that Darth Vader is drifting away from the Empire. We need to kill her before it is too late.”

Tarkin said and Boba Fett nodded, not entirely paying attention.

Grand Moff Tarkin had called him two hours ago and he was still on the call, watching as Tarkin and Thrawn argued about the best way to do this before Thrawn left the call to call Vader and try to trick information out of him—the information being that Vader still hadn’t tortured the ex-Jedi—and now the imperials were back to arguing.

The plan was, to his knowledge, that he would fly to Mustafar and Yularen would make sure he got in under the radar. Then he’d sneak into Vader’s fortress, kidnap the ex-Jedi, take her out into the tunnels and kill her.

They hadn’t given him a way to escape after that.

Maybe Omega had been right.

Maybe he was in way over his head.

Maybe he should've just declined the call, maybe he should've just ran, maybe he should've just found a job somewhere else, far away from Hutt territory and far away from the empire.

"Do you understand, Fett?"

He blinked, realizing that Tarkin and Thrawn were staring at him, Thrawn looking disgusted, Tarkin just looking tired.

"What?"

He said, watching as Tarkin sighed deeply.

"You are going to fly to Mustafar. There, the Thirteenth Sister will get you past the security and the two of you are going to kidnap Ahsoka Tano."

Wait.

Hold up.

Ahsoka Tano?

That was the Jedi he was supposed to kill?

As in the Jedi padawan he had met when working with Sing?

The padawan sticking her nose into their dealings with the assistance of Plo Koon?

"You will take her into the tunnels and kill her. If Yularen tries to interfere, kill him as well. He is not of use to the empire."

"Yes sir."

"Thrawn will act as a distraction while you and the Thirteenth Sister will escape Mustafar. There, you will report directly back to me, with evidence of her death. Do you understand?"

Boba Fett nodded.

"Yes sir."

He definitely should've listened to Omega.

Tarkin smiled thinly as Boba Fett signed off the call.

It wasn't that hard, manipulating him.

"And if the bounty hunder fails like Yularen?"

Thrawn said and Tarkin turned his attention towards the Grand Admiral, knowing full well that he had alreadu figured out his true part in the plan.

"Well. I believe the project is almost fully opperational."

"It is."

"I shall talk to the emperor about Vader."

Tarkin said, stroking his chin slowly.

It would be a risk, certainly, bringing up his doubts about Vader, but it had reached the point that he believed the emperor needed to know. If the plan succeed...then no harm done, Tano would be dead and Vader would be enraged.

That rage, he knew, the emperor could weild.

If the plan failed...well.

It wasn't like they needed Mustafar.

And the project would need target practice.

"You have a mission first, I believe?"

Tarkin said and Thrawn nodded.

"The Lothal rebels have made a base on Atollon. A bounty hunter followed the rebel who met with Fett before he accepted our deal."

Tarkin nodded.

"Good. It will take Fett some time to reach Mustafar. You can strike immediately."

"My fleet will reach Atollon in a day."

"Good. Destroy them swiftly."

Thrawn made a short nod, a cruel smile playing on his lips. He left the call and Tarkin was alone in his chambers.

Vader would rejoin them or die.

"Call the emperor."

Chapter Text

Vader was scared.

Funny.

His hands were shaking and he wondered how he had come to this. A wreck of a man, standing in the center of a med bay, the medics around him deathly silent.

Terrified about what he might find out.

If she was right...

"I am right."

Quiet.

Ahsoka stood next to him, smug determination wafting through their faint force bond, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Um, sir?"

One of the medics said, stepping forward nervously. He stared at them, watching as they looked nervously back at the other medics before meeting his eyes, trembling as they did so.

"Could...could I ask why you're requesting a scan? Is something wrong?"

"No."

The medic nodded awkwardly when he didn't explain more. He could feel the medic's guilt, the way they fidgited. They knew something he didn't. He knew it. He wanted to scream at them, to kill them, to torture them and demand answers.

He didn't.

Funny.

A few months ago he would've.

"Well. Uh, we can...we can set up the scanners. It'll take us a minute."

"Go."

He said and the medics all flinched, leaping into action. He watched as they bustled around the med bay, gathering up various electronic equitment and starting to create a chamber for him to be placed in.

His hands shook harder and he felt Ahsoka twitch by his side.

"You'll be fine."

She whispered underneath her breath. He didn't awknoledge her.

"What's the worse that could happen?"

You could be right. The emperor could be lying to me.

"I already know I'm right."

She responded out loud and he sighed.

Why was he letting her do this?

Why was he listening to her?

Why was he doing this?

"Lord Vader, sir?"

He turned towards medic, who looked at the pair of them awkwardly, clearly wondering who the hell the Togrutan woman was.

"Um, we have a scanner ready. It will...it will take some time for the scan to be completed. If you want it fully in-depth?"

"Yes."

The medic nodded and scurried off.

"Right. I'm gonna get going."

"No."

He startled both of them.

"What?"

She asked, a smug look starting to spread across her face.

"What if they change the scans?"

He asked and she smiled.

"Yeah, I know. I'll be back before they finish. I just have something to do first."

"What?"

"None of your buisness."

He stared at her, reaching out for the force bond and finding her mental shields too high up for him to breach without having to exert himself. She just smiled and patted his arm in an almost older-sibling esq fashion.

He had a sudden memory of comforting her before she had to undergo surgery when she had broken one of her montrals on a mission.

"Don't worry."

Ahsoka said before slipping out of the med bay.

Vader let out a shaky breath, hating the way his voice box wheezed.

"This way, Lord Vader."

The medic gestured towards a breathing contraption, clearly meaning for him to take off his mask. He was thankful Ahsoka had left. She wouldn't have to seem him like this, broken and helf-machine.

He stepped inside the contraption and laid down, a droid removing his mask and attaching breathing tubes to him. It felt horribly similar to being trapped.

There was the clicking of machinery and he squeezed his eyes shut as his mechanical limbs were removed.

"I won't leave you. Not right now, at least."

He clung to Ahsoka's force signature as they began the scans.

Ahsoka strode through the castle, letting go of Vader's force signature as she did so. The stormtroopers and low-ranking imperial officers cast a wide circle around her, their force signatures' pulsing with nerves.

They were scared of her.

She felt bad but at the same time she was greatly enjoying the fact that she could go anywhere without anyone questioning her.

She had arrived with Vader and he had given her and Rex access to anywhere they wanted in the castle. He probably wanted her to explore and get seeped in the dark side or something like that.

The dark side was extremely strong here but she was handling it fine so far.

Ignoring the way her skin prickled and her montrals ached, ignoring the soft whispers that urged her to do something reckless and dumb.

No, she had a plan.

"Ahsoka!"

She kept walking as Rex ran to catch up with her, panting slightly. Her droid whirred at his feet and she glanced at the two of them.

"Well?"

"Well, your droid mapped out all the vents and I found the communications center as well as the..."imperial office", aka the equivalent of the bridge."

She smiled.

"Where is that?"

"Up two floors. Why?"

"I have a plan."

Rex raised his eyebrows at her and she grinned.

She hadn't told him about her idea because she desperately wanted to see the expressions on his face. Her plan should work, she had done some snooping on the ship beforehand and she was pretty sure the files would be the same.

She reached the elevator and stepped inside.

An imperial officer made to get in the elevator, realized who was standing there, and then immediately hurried away.

"Is it weird that I don't feel bad?"

Rex said and she whacked his shoulder.

"Come on. Most of them aren't...that awful?"

It was a weak argument and she knew it.

"Hmm. What's your plan?"

She didn't answer him, merely whacked the button and the lift shuddered, taking them up two floors.

The doors opened and she stepped out into the Imperial Office.

No one was paying attention to her.

She cleared her throat.

Heads snapped in their direction and she smiled, baring her teeth slightly.

Yularen was standing front and center, a distinctly nervous expression on his face as he took her in. She directed the fiercest part of her smile at him before striding forward, Rex hovering awkwardly in front of the elevator.

"Hi."

She said, passing Yularen and spinning around so that she could face everyone else in the room. They all looked nervous, glancing at Yularen to see what he was going to do about the rebels who were Vader's esteemed guests.

"I'm taking control of this base."

She said.

The silence that fell was beautiful.

She breathed, channeling her inner Obi-Wan.

"Tano, I don't believe-"

She held up her hand and Yularen fell silent immediately.

She smiled wider.

"I am the highest ranking person in this room, and as long as Lord Vader is undergoing medical scans I am the highest ranking person in this base. Control falls to me."

She saw as realization started to spread over Rex's face.

Yularen laughed and stepped forward. She narrowed her eyes at him and watched as he seemed to falter.

"This is the empire, Tano. And even if your republic status held any effect here, Colonel outranks Commander."

He wasn't wrong, but she knew more than he did.

"You're not wrong, Colonel. But you missed something incedibly important."

She tapped the nearest screen and pulled up the list of imperial officers.

She had noticed this when tinkering on her new droid.

If she scrolled all the way back to the beginning of the empire she could find some very, very, very interesting information.

"See, in the chaos of the transition from the republic to the empire, our ranks were never actually taken away."

And she thanked the force for fact that Anakin had gone in and apparently kept her rank as Commander Tano of the 501st. The 332nd didn't exist, according to these files, but that was fine. She didn't need them for this.

"Someone just marked us as KIA."

She gestured to her and Rex's profiles.

"But, of course, we're not killed in action."

She tapped both profiles, causing the red lettering to dissapear.

"You still don't outrank me."

Yularen snapped and she laughed, pulling up Anakin's profile-marked KIA-before smiling widely at him.

"The general of the 501st is dead. That means the position of General goes to second-highest ranking. Technically, Admiral outranks Commander."

She clicked her tongue mockingly at Yularen.

"But you left, didn't you? You're not even in the 501st chain of command anymore which means..." She tapped the screen again and watched as her and Rex's rankings changed.

"Which means I am General Ahsoka Tano of the 501st, outranking every single person here asides from Lord Vader himself."

She looked at Yularen and raised her eyebrows.

Daring him.

Daring him to deny her.

Daring him to say that Anakin was alive.

"I...well...I...no...you..."

"She's right."

A younger officer said, staring up at her and Yularen with wide eyes.

"It all checks out. She's right."

She bared her teeth at Yularen.

"You are forbidden from saying anything about the dealings going on here to the rest of the empire, do you understand?"

She knew it wouldn't truly do anything to stop the spread of information, but it would at least be something. Yularen couldn't disobey a direct order. He had always been too uptight to do so.

She had hated it back in the clone wars, but now?

She smiled.

'Thanks for the idea.'

She signed, knowing that Yularen, like every other person who served in the clone wars, would know the sign language that had developed from the basic battle commands.

General Ahsoka Tano strode past Colonel Yularen and into the elevator.

As long as Vader was out of commission, this place was hers.

And she'd be damned if she wasn't going to make the best of it. 

Chapter Text

Vader stared at the ceiling.

He was in that odd, dream-like state between awakening and sleeping, the world hazy and the sounds of the medics conversing dull and distant.

If he closed his eyes he could imagine he was asleep on the Resolute, the ship humming underneath him, a feeling of safety. He could imagine Anakin was alive. He could imagine Ahsoka was smaller then him, her eyes no longer tired and her words no longer painful for him to hear. He could imagine Rex, no longer bald and with a white beard but young again, blonde buzzcut and serious demeanor—a demeanor that quickly slipped away in moments of peace.

He could imagine being them again.

The 501st.

Vader sighed as something touched the edge of his head.

The medics had started with his brain, which meant they were far gone by now, the scan focused on his hips and legs now. The hand on his head stroked a familiar path and he wished he still had his hair.

Force, he had liked having hair.

The force was wrapping around him softly, a feeling of soft triumph in the air. He could feel the lightness spreading into the force, pushing away the darkness surrounding the castle as the hand on his forehead tapped out a small code.

'good to see you, skyguy'

Anakin slipped into sleep.

While Ahsoka was hanging out with Vader and making sure that the medics didn't fake any sort of scans, Rex and the droid had been given the very important mission of talking with people.

Fantastic.

The droid at his feet whirred excitedly and he smiled down at it, unable to stay mad.

"What?"

He asked and the droid beeped excitedly.

<vents!>

"No, we're not crawling through the vents."

He said, trying not to laugh because force, of course Ahsoka's droid would be obsessed with the vents. She had used to love crawling through them back on the Resolute, hiding and eavesdropping and avoiding when Anakin or General Kenobi would try to make her meditate.

"We're just going to talk with people."

He said, turning the corner and entering a hanger.

No one paid attention to him.

What would they think?

Would they even listen to him?

His hand drifted up to the old scar on his head.

The Empire had been...clear, with their displeasure of the clones after the end of the clone wars. He supposed now that they were no longer useful to Palpatine the sith had no use for them.

He shook his head.

Now was not the time to think about that.

Now was the time to trust his general-oh, he was never letting her live this down-and pull off the plan of plans.

Turn an entire imperial base to the rebellion.

This would definitely work.

"Hello!"

He called, watching as a few people turned to look towards him. They appeared very unimpressed...save for one person, a woman, in her mid-twenties, dressed in a pilot's uniform.

"Hi!"

She called, waving her hand and Rex couldn't help the small smile that threatened to spread over his face.

"Guys!"

She said, looking around at the other people in the hanger and shoving the nearest trooper who was passing her.

"Guys, this is the guy who karking dueled Lord Vader!"

That got everyone's attention.

He watched as the entire hanger seemed to turn to pay attention to him.

"This clone?"

"You're shitting me."

"I thought clones were a myth?"

"No, clones aren't a myth, dumbass."

He glanced down at the droid.

<good sign?>

"Yeah, maybe?"

He sat down on one of the nearest crates as the various pilots, stormtroopers, and mechanics all began to crowd around him.

"Okay, okay!"

One mechanic said louder than the rest, somehow getting everyone to quiet. He was an older man, greying hair, and he looked old enough to have know the republic before everything fell apart.

"Tell us your story, clone."

The mechanic said and Rex nodded.

"My name is Commander Rex."

He still wished he was Captain.

"What do you want to know?"

The voices errupted into chaos, various shouts of "lightsabers!" and "Vader!" and "How the hell did you do that?" that he had to wave his hands frantically at so that he could command the rooms attention.

"Right. Uh. I was part of 501st back in the Clone Wars." A couple of the older people there made various noises of rememberance. "My friend—my sister, she was captured by Vader."

The first pilot was waving her hand and he looked at her expectantly.

"The gorgeous Togrutan woman?"

"Well...I guess?"

He wasn't really sure how to respond to that question.

"Anyway, I thought she had been killed by Vader, and so I decided to come and try to avenge her death."

"Yeah, but you couldn't have known you could have defeated Vader?"

"I didn't."

"Oh."

He watched as slow realizations spread over their faces.

Yeah, sorry kids.

"I snuck about the ship and made my way to the impounded weapons lot, where I was able to find her lightsabers."

"So she's a Jedi?"

He frowned.

"Not...not exactly."

One of the younger pilots whacked the first pilot's arm.

"Yeah, what Jedi has white lightsabers?"

"Oh, and you've seen a ton of Jedi?"

They were all surprisingly upbeat for a group of people serving the empire on Mustafar, of all places.

"I fought Vader and almost won, as you saw."

"Yeah, we thought he was a gonner!"

One of the stormtroopers had pulled off his helmet and it broke Rex's heart to see he couldn't have been more then seventeen.

"Not all of us were there but I was, so was Harper—" The first pilot waved at him and he smiled at her. "And so were these guys."

The stormtrooper pointed at a couple other people before turning his attention back to Rex.

"You would've killed him. The...ugh, the ‘gorgeous togrutan woman’ entered the room and he was distracted by her-"

"Who wouldn’t be?"

The first pilot—Harper—said and the stormtrooper rolled his eyes at her.

"Yes, we all know you haven't shut up about her."

"Can you blame me?"

"Ignoring you, yeah the woman entered the room and that blaster shot would've killed him if she hadn't stopped it."

Rex nodded.

He had already known this, of course, but it was interesting to hear from other perspectives.

It was also really funny to find out that like half of the people in this hanger were all argeeing with Harper and saying that Ahsoka was hot.

She was going to get such a big head about this.

"Yeah, Ahsoka's pretty badass."

He said, watching as that one older mechanic in the corner's eyes flashed.

"Aw, thank you."

He turned around to see Ahsoka was standing behind him.

"When did you get here?"

He asked and she grinned at him.

"Oh, like five seconds ago. The scans are done."

He raised his eyebrows and she glanced at the rest of the people who were staring at her with slightly awestruck looks.

'not here. to the medbay'

She signed and he nodded, getting to his feet as the droid whirred excitedly.

<vents?>

"No, buddy. Not now."

Ahsoka said and he grinned at the pair of them, forcibly reminded of Anakin talking to R2.

"Well, sorry but I have to steal Rex. We'll be back."

She said, grinning at the group. They made various groans but all dispersed, save for that one older mechanic who strode towards them.

"Thank you."

He said and Rex frowned at him.

"I don't know what you're doing, but ever since you got here this whole place feels lighter. I haven't seen them laugh like that since I got here, and you've only been here for a day! Just...thank you."

He saluted to the pair of them before hurrying off.

Rex looked at Ahsoka to find her smiling slightly.

"What?"

He asked and she grinned at him.

"It's working."

They hurried out of the hanger.

Obi-Wan staggered out of the ship and collapsed to the ground, mentally thanking the force that he would never have to fly in a ship piloted by Hondo again. If he could go the rest of his life without stepping into that hell-hole of a ship it would be too soon.

"Ah, Atollon!"

He groaned, sitting up as Hondo struck a dramatic pose next to him.

"The last time I was here it was empty and I was trading weapons!"

"Cheating us on the quality of weapons, you mean."

A snarky female voice said and Obi-Wan quickly stood up, turning to see a tall twi-lek woman striding towards them, a very familiar teen following close behind, in conversation with another teen the same age.

"My name is Hera Syndulla."

She said and Obi-Wan smiled, shaking her hand.

"Syndulla...Cham Syndulla's daughter?"

He watched as faint emotions flashed across her face. She made a non-commital sound and he reached out in the force. She had strong mental shields and he smiled as she seemed to come to realization that she was dealing with a Jedi.

"Yes. This is Ezra, and I hear you've already met—"

Leia launched herself forward at her introduction and Obi-Wan let out a gasp as she almost knocked the wind out of his lungs. He hugged her tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, wishing not for the first time that Padme could have seen the wonderful girl her daughter had grown into.

Leia suddenly pulled away from him and grinned.

"Now that you're finally here, you need to meet the rest of the ghost crew."

The boy—Ezra—had wandered off to where Hondo was standing, conversing with the old pirate like he knew him well.

"Ezra!"

Hera said and he snapped around. Obi-Wan watched with a faint smile as he ran back over to Hera's side.

"I'm Ezra Bridger. Kanan's padawan."

Obi-Wan nodded, shaking his hand and noting that he was decently strong in the force.

But...Kanan?

He couldn't remember a Jedi of that name in the order.

"Yes, Kanan Jarrus. Our resident Jedi."

Hera said, looking slightly uncomfortable about something. He frowned at her and she glanced down at the kids.

"Kanan's real name is Caleb Dume."

Depa's padawan.

He remembered Caleb.

He remembered Caleb, he had been a few years younger than Ahsoka and Depa would always brag about him whenever they got a few quiet moments. He also remembered them watching Ahsoka's practices sometimes, exchanging ideas and tips.

He had assumed they had died.

They had been on a mission when the end of the clone wars came about.

"The...well, the entire reason you're here is because Kanan, Ezra, and Fulcrum-"

"I told him Fulcrum's Ahsoka."

"Right. The three of them went to a sith temple on Malachor for investigative purposes and found a sith there named Maul-"

"We're met." Obi-Wan snarked, hearing Hondo start laughing from behind him.

"Kenobi here was the one to cut Maul in half!"

"Really?"

Ezra and Leia chorused at the same time and Obi-Wan smiled at them.

Why couldn't Maul just die?

Why did he keep haunting him?

"They found Maul there, who managed to blind Kanan."

He watched as Ezra's face took on an expression of shame and he could feel his guilt in the force.

The boy blamed himself.

"Vader reached the sith temple and Ahsoka stayed behind to hold him off."

Hera's eyes flicked at him and he could tell that she knew more than she was saying. The shame from Ezra was even heavier and he watched as Leia put her hand on his shoulder, her eyes burning with fire.

"Don't worry. We're going to kill Vader and destroy the empire."

Kill Vader.

Kill Vader.

Kill Vader.

"Hey, Obi-Wan!"

He was jolted out of his thoughts by Hondo yelling.

He turned around but Hondo was nowhere in sight.

Hera let out a sigh and he glanced at her. From the extremely unamused expression on her face he could tell that she had dealt with Hondo before.

"Kenobi, look!"

Hondo poked his head out of the ship and Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows at him.

"We had a stowaway!"

Hondo emerged, dragging...oh, sith hells.

"Hi."

Luke said awkwardly, waving at them from where Hondo was holding him in the air.

Shit.

Skywalkers.

Chapter Text

Anakin coughed as he woke up, a deep and hacking cough that reminded him way too much of Grievous. He blinked as something was placed back over his head with a hiss. Someone was touching his shoulder and he could hear loud talking from the side.

He sat up and turned to see Rex standing next to him, a concerned look on his face.

“What?”

He croaked and froze.

His voice sounded wrong.

It was mechanical and harsh, something more fitting to a murderer then to a…a…

“Nice to see you awake.”

Rex said and Vader nodded, sitting up completely and looking around the room.

Various machines were beeping and the medics were all rushing around, pulling scans and shoving droids out of their way. Ahsoka stood in the corner, lecturing the head medic loudly, frustration radiating from her in the force.

“Just give me the karking scans!”

“Well, officially we have to wait for Vader’s approval and—“

“That’s bullshit and you know it!”

“Give her the scans.”

Vader broke into the conversation, watching as Ahsoka whipped around, a feral grin spreading across her face.

“Yeah, give me the scans.”

The head medic nodded meekly, ducking underneath Ahsoka’s arm and heading towards the nearest console.

The head medic reeked of deceit.

“You will give her the actual scans or face my wrath.”

He snapped, putting his most terrifying voice on. The head medic flinched but nodded, the deceit quickly replaced with pure terror.

Good.

A hand fell on his shoulder and he turned to see Rex standing there again, staring after the head medic pensively.

“They’re scared of you.”

Rex said and Vader sighed.

“I am the lord of the sith.”

“You also used to throw a fit when you got sand in your boots.”

Rex said in a teasing manner and Vader looked at him curiously. Both him and Ahsoka were radiating hope. Whatever Ahsoka’s plan was, it had apparently succeeded.

He watched as the head medic handed the scans over to Ahsoka, his former padawa—his former apprentice’s eyes widening and a blast of smugness hitting their force bond hard.

Shit.

Ahsoka strode over to where they were sitting and plopped down next to Vader.

“All of you, out!”

She called, glaring at the various medics. They all shifted, none of them appearing to want to leave.

“That’s an order.”

Rex chimed in and Vader watched, confused, as the medics obeyed Ahsoka and Rex and left the room, a heavy silence falling in their absence. He turned to see Rex giving Ahsoka a look as she stared at the scans.

“Right.”

Ahsoka said, turning to face him.

She held out the scans and Vader watched as he popped up as a hologram in front of them, various notes and writings and flashing red areas. Ahsoka tapped her wristcomn and pulled up the basic scans she took, as well as pulling up his medical scans from a few years ago.

“This is what they say you are.”

She said, gesturing to the old scans.

“Your lungs, in critical condition, the amputated arms and legs, etc.”

Vader nodded, because it was correct.

That was him.

He hated it.

“This is the scan I took.”

She showed the scan again, Rex making a nose of understanding from behind them. This scans showed the same things but with different notes, none of that flashing red stuff.

“And this is the scan they took, completely unaltered.”

It looked the exact same as the scan Ahsoka took.

A few added details, more in depth, better graphics, but it was the same thing.

Vader felt his heart drop.

“I’ve seen clones come back from worse.”

Rex said and Ahsoka nodded.

“I mean, Echo for one.”

Rex continued, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“In summary, you don’t need the suit and they’ve been lying to you.”

Vader stared at Ahsoka, his heart going so fast it made the monitor beep frantically.

“But it’s okay. We can get you out of the suit, a lung transplant, some time in a bacta tank, I’ll get to work on better prosthetics because if you look here—they’re making sure to make your prosthetics not fit quite right, as I thought. Constant agony. Hell, we could probably get rid of that voice box.”

Vader’s hands were shaking.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Ahsoka said, patting him on the shoulder and Vader flinched away, fully aware that if he didn’t have this mask he would be staring at them in horror.

The emperor lied.

The emperor lied.

The emperor lied.

He was on his feet and out the door before either of them could speak.

Obi-Wan stared as Luke waved at them, a sheepish grin on his face.

Suddenly he was back in the arena on Geonosis, Anakin and Padme looking at him embarrassedly as they were dragged and chained up, having attempted to save him.

Force, Skywalkers.

“What?”

Hera asked, completely confused.

There was a soft gasp at his side and he turned his head to see Leia staring at Luke, her brow furrowed.

He couldn’t deal with this.

“Do you know who this is?”

Hondo asked, shaking Luke like a loth cat.

“Yes.”

Obi-Wan sighed, rubbing his forehead. Hondo dropped Luke, who immediately popped to his feet and gave everyone a huge grin.

“Hi! I’m Luke Skywalker!”

Hera’s head snapped around and he heard Ezra mutter his breath—“wait, like Ahsoka’s master?”—and force, things were unraveling faster than he could have expected.

He was distinctly aware of Qui-Gon laughing in the force.

“Hi.” Leia said, stepping forward and holding her hand out to Luke. “I’m Leia Organa.”

The two shook hands.

The twins shook hands.

Oh, force.

Emperor Palpatine frowned.

Something was rippling through the force.

Odd.

He scowled as he resumed his reading of a report by one of his many subordinates.

It was probably nothing.

Ahsoka and Rex stared at the door.

“Um…now what?”

He asked awkwardly, causing Ahsoka to let out a giant sigh and her head to fall against his shoulder.

“I’ll talk to him.”

She mumbled.

He patted her back gently and she sighed again, her exhaustion palpable in the air.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to?”

Rex asked and she raised her head. He smiled at her and tapped the side of his head where the old scar was, faded and barely visible.

“I do have experience with this sort of thing.”

Sadness spread across her face.

“I know. I’m not…I’m not sure.”

“Okay, General.”

She made a face and he grinned.

“What?”

“Don’t do that.”

“Hey, you were the one who made that dramatic speech.”

He teased, watching as the sadness drained away from her face and was replaced with a fire in her eyes.

“Yeah, well, that was for Yularen’s benefit and you know it.”

“And it was the coolest you have ever been.”

He said, watching as she gasped in shock.

“What, that time I kicked Maul’s ass wasn’t cool enough for you?”

“Nope.”

He grinned, flicking her montrals.

“What do you need me to do?”

He asked and she sighed again, the levity draining from her face and replaced, not by sadness, but by determination. She frowned, closing her eyes, and he recognized that she was reaching out into the force.

“I think…it’ll be safer for me to talk with him first.”

She said and he scoffed.

She was right, of course, but it was still insulting.

“I do want you to talk to him about the chips, but I’ll talk to him first.”

She got up and held out her hand. He took it, letting her pull him to his feet.

“I need you to get us a safe way of communicating with the rebellion, as well as making sure Yularen and the other imperials stay in line. Avoid the inquisitors, I’ll deal with them eventually, and…here, keep the scans on you to make sure no one alters them.”

Her eyes flicked around the before settling on him.

“Figure out if there’s any other clones on this base.”

He nodded and she ran her hand over her montrals nervously, glancing towards the door.

“Go. I’ve got this covered.”

He said, squeezing her shoulder. She cast him a thankful smile and he grinned at her.

“Just like old times?”

She asked and he laughed.

“Something like that. Go deal with the force shit, I’ve got the base.”

She bonked her forehead against his and took off, sprinting out the door. He sighed, wondering if Vader was about to do something stupid.

Knowing Anakin?

Probably.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka grasped their force bond, feeling a bit like an animal on the hunt as she raced after Vader’s frantic force signature. He was spiraling, she could tell, and he was frantic to escape the castle.

She skidded around a corner and shoved the door open to a set of long stairs, sliding down the banister three flights until she hit the ground floor of the castle. She left the stairwell and sprinted across the open first floor, reaching the exit to the castle and shoving the doors open.

The darkness of Mustafar hit her like a bullet.

She hadn’t even realized the castle had been protecting them.

She gasped, the darkness worming its way into her force signature and settling in her lungs, making breathing difficult. She shook her head, her montrals feeling weirdly stuffed up.

Where was Vader?

He had stopped running now.

She yanked on their force bond but he didn’t respond. She scowled as she slowed to a walk, sending a question through the force.

Still no response.

Ahsoka strode across the lava banks of Mustafar, the lava nearby bubbling and casting everything in a dangerous light. The force was tugging on her now, dark and dangerous as it urged her towards Vader’s force signature.

She spotted him after a few minutes of walking, a hulking mass of black on the edge of one of the lava banks, almost like a vulture waiting for a kill.

She went into a jog and jumped over a lava stream to reach his side, the heat almost searing through her boots.

“Hey.”

She said, striding to his side.

He didn’t make any motion that he knew she was there, merely kept staring at the lava with that she was sure to be a hollow expression underneath the mask. The force was urgent here, the memory of some great battle and pain prickling at her montrals and making her feel uneasy.

Vader still didn’t say anything, the only sounds the crackling of the lava and the whoosh of his breath.

She reached for his force signature but he slammed his mental walls up before she could figure out what he was feeling.

She sighed, not believing that she was about to do this, but she needed to get Vader into a better mental space so that they could actually talk, so…

“Master?”

Vader whipped around faster than she expected and the force around her exploded with danger.

Well, that wasn’t the right thing to say.

She was shoved backwards with the force and she stumbled, feeling the lava bank underneath her feet crumble and cast stones everywhere.

“Don’t call me that.”

Vader hissed as she regained her balance, staring up at him in confusion.

“What?”