Resurgence of the Knight

Surviving Malachor

Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker.

Ahsoka didn't believe that at first, not until she was able to slice part of his mask.

"Ahsoka." Vader called out.

Even though his mask was damaged, his voice was instantly recognizable.

Ahsoka's eyes widened. She turned back to where the Vader had fallen. He had called her name. She stood hurriedly.

Vader was on the ground. He looked up and faced her. Ahsoka's lightsaber had sliced open not just the mask, but something more that. It also revealed a yellow iris of the Sith Lord. The same with the one she saw in Mustafar, with Obi-Wan sixteen years ago.

"Ahsoka." He repeated.

Ahsoka stared at him, her eyes became watery. There is nothing more painful than seeing her former master being worse than dead.

"Anakin." She choked.

He managed to stand and they regarded each other.

"I won't leave you!" Ahsoka said. "Not this time." She promised.

Anakin/Vader was silent for a moment. Clearly, he was hesitating, then frowned as seen from his destroyed helmet. "Then you will die." He said, activating his lightsaber.

"Ahsoka!" Ezra yelled as he ran to her aid.

Ahsoka clutched her lightsabers and noticed Ezra running to her direction. She took a deep breath, raised her hand, and pushed him back using the Force.

"Ahsoka!" Ezra called, then he flew backwards towards the Phantom. "No!" He struggled to stand. "NO!"

The Sith temple started to deactivated and the levitating pyramid started to fall back to the ground with Ahsoka and Vader crossing sabers below it.

As the walls came down, everything went dark, with their lightsabers as their only source of light. And she was alone with her master.

They continued crossing sabers. Vader used the Force to push her backward. "I'm going to ask you again," He said, his normal voice combined with the mechanical voice box, making it sound raspy. "Where are the other Jedi?" He demanded.

"Like I said," Ahsoka shouted as she charged. "There aren't any left!" She blocked Vader's strike by crossing her blades in defense.

"We both know that isn't true." Vader said, as he blew an overhead strike.

Ahsoka parried his attack and somersaulted forward, landing behind Vader. Then she gasped. "You've looking for him, aren't you?" She asked. "You're looking for Obi-Wan." She parried another attack. "And you're using me to get to him."

Vader's yellow eye glinted as if to let her know that she had guessed it right.

Ahsoka scorned. "Well, that's unfortunate, because I don't know where he is." She bluffed.

Technically, that wasn't a lie. Of course, she knew where Obi-Wan was, but Vader can't know that. Obi-Wan's on Tatooine watching over his son, Luke. But she didn't know where in Tatooine. That dustball of a planet had a lot of cities, and he could be in any one of them.

"Enough of this!" Vader yelled, striking his lightsaber, cutting off Ahsoka's left hand, she screamed in pain as she dropped her long-hilted lightsaber. In return, she managed to slash at his right thigh.

Ahsoka clutched her left arm across her chest. Vader lost his balance and stumbled down.

Ahsoka gripped her Shoto saber and got back to a battle ready stance. Vader stood with difficultly and continued to attack, as Ahsoka struggled to keep up with him with only one hand.

After one wrong move, he cuts her shoto in half and thrust his open palm, sending her backwards.

She slid a few meters back and landed on her right side on the ground. Shivering from shock and pain, she managed to sit up. But Vader had already stood before her with his lightsaber drawn for the kill. "Now, you die." He said.

Ahsoka locked eyes with him with tears streaming down her cheeks. Remember, Anakin, She thought. Remember. Through the Force, she urged him to remember all the good times they've shared as master and padawan. Then, closed her eyes and looked down, accepting the fact that she would die at the hands of her former master.

Vader raised his lightsaber to execute her and she braced herself for the blow.

But it never came. Vader stopped mid-strike. He lowered his lightsaber and deactivated it. "Go." He finally said.

Ahsoka looked up and frowned. "What?" She asked in a small voice.

"Leave!" Vader said as he turned his back on her. "Before I change my mind."

Ahsoka stood with difficulty. She picked up her other lightsaber and walked a few paces away before looking back at him. "I knew you were still in there...Anakin." She said.

Ahsoka kept walking, clutching her wounded arm. Vader did the same but in a different direction. Both of them were limping as they did.

. . .

Ahsoka couldn't believe it. That man in the black suit was her former master. She wanted to cry because she could have prevented it. She could have prevented all this from happening. Then she remembered what Obi-Wan had said before they left to separate the twins. There is still good in him. A little.

She pushed those thoughts aside. First, she had to get out of Malachor. How? She didn't know yet.

Ahsoka walked back inside the temple so she can climb her way to the top and back to the surface. When she reached the summit, Vader was nowhere to be found. He had probably left in his TIE fighter.

Maul was also nowhere to be found. Clearly, he had escaped yet again. But in what? Then she remembered, he had killed two of the inquisitors. Maybe he took one of the TIEs. The TIEs! There were three inquisitors, if Maul took one, there are two left. But where are they?

She scanned the area from the summit, and found something glistening in the dimly lit underground cavern. There it is!

Ahsoka sighed in frustration. "They had to park beyond that mountain of rubble?" she grumbled.

It took her forever to reach the TIEs, climbing over rubbles of fallen monoliths, skirting through the graveyard of statues, and the whole time, her wound isn't helping. She had removed the metal vambrace that was also cut in half when Vader had sliced off her left hand. It's not looking good, and she should at least cover it with bandages to make it less sickening. Hopefully, there are some med supplies in the TIEs.

In was already nightfall when she reached on of the TIEs. She activated her remaining lightsaber, which was her only source of light. "Alright," She said. "Let's see how this TIE can help me." She leaped onto the top hatch and jumped inside.

Fortunately, there were med supplies and food rations. She placed some bacta on the wound and wrapped rolls of bandage around it. She munched on the rations before dismantling the locator beacon. Which was hard, considering she only had to use one hand to do so.

Thankfully, the TIE Advanced v1 has a hyperdrive, so that means she can travel directly back to Chopper Base on Atollon. But that would be risky, if the others see a TIE fighter heading towards the base, they'd blast it out of the sky without hesitation. And traveling in a TIE fighter can attract unwanted attention, especially when she's not an Imperial. The Empire might send another inquisitor if she's discovered.

As much as she wanted to go back to Chopper Base fast, she had to go the long way to avoid detection and being followed. She couldn't risk endangering the new base. Three cells had just settled in and it isn't easy finding a base.

It would take a few rotations, but that way she can assure the safety of the Rebels and their headquarters. And, she might be able to contact Senator Organa to send medical aid to Chopper Base, especially to Kanan, who had lost his eyesight when Maul had struck his lightsaber. And get help from other cells.

Ahsoka activated the engines and flew the TIE out of the cavern, the planet's surface, and into space. "I've always wanted to fly one of these." She smirked, before traveling into lightspeed.