Consequences

Chapter 13 - Tatooine

I don't know how long it's been that I've been meditating, but suddenly I sense the presence I've been subconsciously searching for. It's not quite the same as before. I don't know why I expected it to be, but it's not. It shouldn't be surprising. But it is. It's similar, though not the same. He radiates power just as strongly as ever, but instead of the swirling cloud of pure darkness that I felt last time, I feel a trace of something else. Light.

Hope rises inside me. Maybe my very presence here in this time is helping. Me and Luke. It's not too late.

"Ahsoka." For the first time, his voice doesn't sound accusing. Strangely, he sounds more like Anakin right now.

"Master?" It's the best I can call him. I'm not going to call him Vader, ever, and he'd probably get mad if I called him Anakin. It's not a risk I'm willing to take.

Silence settles over us for a moment as we just feel each other's presences. "How are you here?" he asks finally.

"The Force brought me to this time to see everything that would happen." A multitude of emotions swirl through me. I can't believe we're finally having a peaceful conversation. This is the first time I've talked to him in half a year. Half a year. I can't believe it's been so long.

Silence follows for several moments. "From when did you come here?" he finally inquires.

"The end," I reply, "After the framing, when they asked me to rejoin."

He doesn't answer, at least not immediately, and I sense a trace of fear before it disappears. His voice, when he speaks again, is level. "Now that you know, will you still leave?" The me is unspoken.

Will I? It's a question I've considered many times. Knowing that this is the future, can I really abandon the Jedi – and Anakin – to face the future without my help and foreknowledge? It would be wrong. And I can't, in good conscience, leave Anakin either. I slowly take in a breath before letting it out again.

"No," I whisper, "No, I can't leave you. I won't do it."

The surge of emotion is gone almost before I have a chance to register it. "It will not be good if you will," he warns ominously, "You left, and this is what happened to me. It will happen again, if you are not there to stop it."

Yes, I know he blames me for what happened. He blames everyone, really, except himself, but I can't take the time to ponder it right now.

"I told you," I reply steadily, "I won't leave the Order. I'll stay there to help you."

"You had better." It's all he says before our connection is broken.

My eyes open and I pull myself to my feet to see the others watching me. I can hardly believe I just talked to him again. For the first time. In sixth months. And he was more Anakin than Vader. Maybe... maybe if I have to face him in person once more, it won't be as dangerous. I want to see him again. I want to go home to correct everything I caused. It wasn't intentional, there was no way I could have expected it, but I still feel responsible on some inner level.

I miss him. So badly. I've never spent much more than a week without him back in my own time, and now he's just gone. I'm daring to hope – a little more than I should – that maybe it's possible for him to turn back. Is it? Maybe. For Anakin, it seems anything is possible.

"Anything?" Leia questions, snapping me back to the present.

"Nothing that will help us with rescuing Han," I answer simply, carefully avoiding giving away any details. Luke and I are still reluctant to tell her anything about Vader. We will soon, probably, but not yet. She may act a lot like Padme, but she has Anakin's temper, and she despises Vader. We'll tell her when the time is right.

"What's wrong?" At least Luke didn't ask the question out loud. Over the past months, we've thankfully formed a bond strong enough to talk telepathically. It's useful when there's things we need to say to each other without wanting anyone to hear.

"Vader."

"You felt him?"

"Talked to him, actually. I think... I think it's working. He's changing, I mean." I can see Luke trying to cover up a multitude of emotions before anyone notices. "He felt much lighter than when we met him on Bespin." But I don't know if it's enough. That, of course, is a thought I won't mention.

"Are you two like... speaking telepathically or something?" demands Leia, eyeing us suspiciously – which isn't surprising I guess considering that we're both staring at each other like we're in the midst of a conversation.

Luke glances over at her. "Yes, we were. Something to be discussed a different time," he explains.

"Okay," Leia reluctantly concedes.

***

Leia and Chewbacca have already arrived at Jabba's palace. Sure enough, just as we suspected, Leia didn't return with Han. They probably got caught escaping. First thing after waking up, we set out for the palace.

"This is going to end up in a fight," I remark as we walk through the sand, heading towards the structure right ahead. The twin suns are rising, casting their early morning gaze across the planet's surface.

The main gate to Jabba's palace slowly lifts, allowing Luke and I to step inside. We're both wearing robes with hoods over our heads now, something I haven't done in far too long. Together, we walk into the hallway. The two guards immediately step forward to block our path.

I expected this coming, and it's not concerning in the least. One pro to fighting the Clone Wars is that I got used to situations like this and having to find ways to get around them, whether it be by hiding or mind-tricking to get past the blockades.

"You will let us past," I command, raising a hand and throwing a strong Force-suggestion behind my words.

"We will let you past," they agree stupidly, backing out of our way.

We head down the dark hallway again.

Suddenly, a light-skinned Twi'lek steps out of the darkness. He tries to catch our attention, but we keep on walking, refusing to let anyone get in our way. He immediately turns to hurry after us as we stride purposefully down the dark halls. Finally, all the months we've spend planning for this moment are about to come to their final conclusion.