Author's Note: Resolutions are made. There's only one chapter left. :')
~ Amina Gila
Vader is not quite like Ahsoka expected if she's being honest. He does care about people, about... the things Anakin used to, even if it's changed. He's changed, and so has she.
But he's Fallen. He's a Sith.
The surviving Jedi aren't all better than that, though. Windu certainly wasn't after what he did. Maybe he was trying to help, but what he was doing could've caused something far, far worse. To be fair, he did cause something worse, because she doesn't know what will happen to the other Jedi who were still in there, if they're going to get off the planet safely or not, and there's nothing she can do about it. Obsessing over all the could haves and maybes won't change anything, though.
Ahsoka leans against the wall, panting, as the ship takes off. It's not one she's seen before, though. She doesn't recognize these people, but the shorter Inquisitor, if that's what she is, is probably Vader's... apprentice-something.
That hurts an unreasonable amount if she's being honest, and Ahsoka lets it go, because this isn't her Anakin, and she always knew they'd have to move on from each other anyway. But it's not like she was Knighted and Anakin took another padawan. He turned to the Dark Side, turned on everything they were, and took a Sith apprentice.
So yes, it does sting.
And there's Ventress, but what in the galaxy is she doing here?
"That was close," the girl says, panting a little and moving to Anakin's side, helmeted head turning to watch Ahsoka.
She should probably have gone with Kanan and Ezra for the Phantom, but there was so much chaos, and instincts told her to stick to Anakin's side the whole way through. She misses him, and she wants him back, even if she knows she has to let him go.
They've made different choices, followed different paths, but by the Force, she'd do anything to get him back. Anything, if it meant hearing him laugh again, anything to see him smile and feel safe and protected beside him.
"Are you alright?" he asks, hand resting on the Inquisitor's shoulder. That reminds Ahsoka even sharper of times long gone.
"Are you?" she replies. "I felt the disturbance."
"I suspect everyone has." Anakin turns to Ahsoka, and after a moment of hesitation, he pulls off his helmet. His eyes are still gold, and she can feel the Dark Side burning around him, but he looks so similar. His hair is the same, and he's older, but otherwise... It's so much like being thrown into the past. Just like seeing the girl he's with.
Ahsoka reclips her lightsabers to her belt, crossing her arms. She's not stupid enough to try fighting in here and isn't entirely sure she wants to, either. Anakin saved her life again. He didn't have to.
"What do we do with her?" Ventress snips, flicking her hand in Ahsoka's general direction.
Anakin ignores her. "Are you alright?" he queries, hovering back a little.
She aches to touch him, but she's also afraid to. Things have changed, and she needs to remember that. It's... she's not a padawan anymore. It's not Anakin's role to protect her any longer. He taught her everything he could. "I'm fine," she answers after a pause that's just as long and awkward as when they first saw each other again over hologram, way back right before the Siege of Mandalore. "Thank you."
Her head is still throbbing from the attempted possession. It could've killed her, and Anakin saved her life just as he has so many times in the past.
She killed Master Windu, even if there probably wasn't anything of him left anymore. That's not something Ahsoka cares to think about very much. It was a moment of panicked desperation, and she didn't entirely mean to, but it still happened. She still did it. He's dead now, and she's the one who did it. The last member of the Jedi Council. Yes, she did what she had to, but Ahsoka still didn't expect to have to turn her lightsaber on someone who was once a fellow Jedi. At least not a Council member.
Anakin shifts, and she senses he's uncomfortable. She is, too. It's awkward for them both – it's been so long, and neither of them really know what to do. "You... are welcome to stay," he tells her at last, "If you desire."
Stay. With Anakin, with the Empire. That is something Ahsoka doesn't fully know if she can do.
But she did already turn on another Jedi, so how could it get any worse?
"You don't have to decide right now," he adds, "We can discuss it when we return to my Star Destroyer."
That'd probably be for the best. "What's Ventress doing here?" Ahsoka asks. That's probably the primary concern. The last time she saw her was when she walked away at the warehouse.
"The Jedi sent an assassin after her," Anakin replies, gesturing to the Inquisitor, and Ahsoka doesn't miss the underlying note of anger there. He's... definitely extremely protective of her.
"And never said they wanted me to murder a kid," Ventress interjects.
Ahsoka tries very, very hard to ignore the quiet part of her mind whispering that after everything she's seen, Anakin might be right, after all.
***
The hangar is well-lit, and for as artificial as the lights there, it's a relief after the darkness of Malachor. And he still can't believe that they're back on a Star Destroyer. He and Ahsoka haven't been here together since right before she left for Mandalore, and he never saw her again until Lothal.
The others step off so he can talk to Ahsoka in private. He reaches into the Force, searching for Cody and trying to catch wind of some of what's transpired in his absence, if anything. He wouldn't be surprised if this was a multiple-pronged attack. If something happened, either Cody doesn't know about it yet, or it's not serious.
"Come," Vader requests, heading for his fighter, because that's in a private area of the hangar. Leia is exchanging a few words with the boys in the background, and Asajj is lingering back with her. The two have become... close in the month which Asajj has been here, in stark contrast of how they met and what his initial impressions were.
Ahsoka follows wordlessly, though Vader can feel how troubled she is.
He is, too. It feels wrong to be nervous about Ahsoka, period, but he... can't help it.
The last time they saw each other, they fought, and he can't... let go of what happened. She left him, and he can't handle it happening again. He'll deal with it if it happens, but it won't be easy. Vader feels Echo's eyes lingering on him – he's known him longest – but he doesn't say anything. Just knowing that Echo's here is enough to reassure him.
Ahsoka crosses her arms, pausing beside his TIE fighter.
He used to prefer his old one, but it's outdated, and things have changed. He had to change with them.
Abruptly, he realizes he has no idea what to say. "Ahsoka," he says finally.
"Anakin."
He wants to correct her, point out that he's Darth Vader now, but Asajj had told him the same thing. He can be more than he is if he wants to be, and – and there's a part of him that does want it, just so Ahsoka will accept him again.
"I am aware the Empire has... made mistakes," he begins finally, because he has to concede that point, "But in the end, we do what needs to be done. We will bring order, but the turmoil has... prevented us from reaching that point."
Ahsoka looks away before meeting his gaze again, as fierce and firm as ever. "You say that as if you have some control over it."
"And I do," he replies, leaning against the ladder going up to the fighter's opening.
"Sidious is your master."
"No," Vader corrects, "He is not. That is not the nature of a triumvirate. He may not do the fighting, and he makes the final decisions, but Lord Maul and I have the same control as him."
From the look on Ahsoka's face, he thinks that was the wrong thing to tell her. "All this time, I wanted to believe it wasn't you, but I was wrong."
He feels useless. Yes, he has helped Ahsoka through many struggles in the past, but he hasn't for anyone except Leia and the clones in a long time. It feels almost like he's forgotten how to interact with Ahsoka, and he hates it.
"We all made mistakes," Vader replies hesitantly, "And it will never be perfect, but we must attempt to end this conflict."
Ahsoka whirls back to face him. "Then end it," she says fiercely, "If you have the power. You can attempt a peaceful resolution to this."
It reminds him of what Padme asked him years and years ago, way back right before everything fell apart. She had asked him to bring an end to the war, tried to get him to use his relationship with Palpatine in the same way the Jedi Council was. Instincts tell him to brush off Ahsoka's request, but this is – it's Ahsoka.
She's still his former padawan, and he wants to give her everything the same way he does Leia. It's just that... everything is so different now. He can't give her anything, because she's still the enemy, even if he still loves her.
"Is there an agreement which the Rebellion would be willing to accept?" Vader inquires, "Short of entirely dismantling any chance of peace the galaxy has?"
"Have you tried?" she challenges.
No.
He'd been too focused on destroying the causes of danger. He'd been lost in grief and pain and anger – he thought the Jedi got Padme and Leia killed, but Leia had somehow survived. It was Vader's failure, of course, but in the aftermath of the Jedi's destruction, Padme had left Coruscant. When he returned from Mustafar, she was gone. He felt when she died, though he never saw her again.
He told her to stay, and to this day, he will never understand why she didn't listen to him, who told her to leave, and who she chose to listen to, if indeed it was her choice at all.
All he knew was that he sensed Obi-Wan's presence there, and that was the only guarantee he had that his former master survived Order 66. Cody thought he was dead, but he was wrong.
Vader found Leia eventually. They were sending her to Alderaan, and he doesn't know why or who did it, but it gave her his daughter back. Nothing else mattered, but by that point, he had been so angry. He hadn't thought clearly, and by the time some of the grief faded away, Vader had sunk into that mindset. Then, attacks started happening, and Vader threw himself fully into ending the chaos and what was left of the Jedi.
He never really thought about whether he should try a peaceful resolution. It never seemed possible.
"Is there?" Vader repeats. He doesn't know.
"That depends on what the Empire's terms are."
"Then, I will request Lord Sidious extend an offer to them," Vader concedes at last. It's worth discussing, and trying, if it'll make Ahsoka come back. It'll be worth it if she's right that it'll have a chance at ending the conflict. With most of the Jedi leadership gone, it... might help, at least.
He doesn't know how many Jedi there are, but it's worth a try.
Ahsoka's head snaps up, and her eyes widen. "Really?" The move gives him near-flashbacks to way back when their bond first formed, to Christophsis when they first met, and Anakin became her master.
"It... is worth an attempt, if it will indeed make a difference."
Asajj and Leia are approaching, having an avid discussion about something, probably one of the ridiculous things they often bicker about.
"What's with her?" Ahsoka asks quietly, eyes darting to Leia. "You seem... close."
He looks wistfully at her daughter. Leia looks to Asajj as something... parent-like, and Vader isn't fully sure she realizes it yet. He doesn't really know what to think about it, either. He wishes Padme were here, but he's so accustomed to the longing, he hardly notices it anymore. No matter what either of them want, she's not coming back, and Leia deserves to have someone to look to as a mother. "She's my daughter."
Ahsoka stares, and he feels her surprise. "You have a daughter?!"
"Yes." It makes his heart beat a little faster to say, flooding him with warmth.
"When?" Ahsoka asks, shaking her head. He can't really tell if she's more amused or surprised about it. "I can see the resemblance. Is... it Senator Amidala?" She sounds slightly freaked out by it.
"Yes," he confirms, smiling faintly. It hurts, and it will always hurt, but he and Leia still have a future.
Now is hardly the right time to explain what happened to Padme in detail, either.
"I shouldn't be surprised," Ahsoka says finally, the faintest trace of amusement in her voice.
Asajj is eyeing them now. She probably overheard.
"You... may talk to her," Vader offers awkwardly. "I will set course for Coruscant immediately." That's the best he can offer.
***
Anakin's daughter turns away from Ventress to face Ahsoka as the Togruta hesitantly approaches. "Anakin told me about you," Ahsoka offers hesitantly, facing her.
"I know," she replies, "I heard."
"He did well keeping it quiet." It's hard to imagine, but Ahsoka hasn't had much time to think about it yet, either.
The girl shrugs. "Yeah, we didn't have a choice. If the Jedi found out, they'd use it against us."
"You know about me?" Ahsoka asks. She somehow hadn't really expected that, though it makes sense. Anakin is still... Anakin, even if he's changed, and he's nothing like who he used to be.
She blinks. "Of course! You were his padawan back when my father was still a Jedi."
That actually explains a lot about why Anakin was looking at her the way he was. It was so much like how he used to be towards Ahsoka, and this... explains everything. "What's your name?" Does this mean she's an aunt?
"I'm Leia."
Ahsoka genuinely hardly knows what to say to her. This is Anakin's child, and if things hadn't fallen so far, she probably would've helped raise her. Though, she still doesn't know what to think about how Anakin had a child at all, but that's admittedly a far more minor breach of the Jedi way than him Falling.
"I always wanted to meet you," Leia says, studying her with a piercing look that reminds her of Anakin and Padme at once.
Ahsoka would probably share the same sentiment, had she known the girl existed before moments ago. "He raised you as a Sith, too?" she asks.
"Technically an Inquisitor, but yes." She hesitates a moment. "I know this isn't easy for you. I know you were... hurt by what happened. But – Father is only trying to help. And I know he... misses you."
That Leia's obviously worried this is only going to hurt him goes unspoken. It's touching as much as it hurts, to see her being so protective of him. "I talked to him," Ahsoka replies, quietly. Not that they addressed anything personal, and a part of her wants to, but she doesn't know if she's ready for that. Everything is so different. But she's missed him so much too, for years. "He said he would extend a peace agreement to the rebels." And that... means maybe there's more left of Anakin than she thought.
Leia's eyes widen. "Really? You think that would make a difference?"
She wants to say it always would have, but realistically, she doesn't know if Windu would have stopped at anything but the Sith's destruction, as much as she hates to admit it. But he's gone now, by her own hand. "I hope so," Ahsoka offers, finally.
"Me too," Leia replies, quietly, "I know it may not seem that way, but... Father and I have wanted it for a long time. But we never saw any way to reach it."
"Let's hope both sides will cooperate, then," Ahsoka answers. There is a reason she never ties herself down to organizations anymore. She's a part of the rebellion, but she... still works primarily on her own. She doesn't answer directly to anyone. She could never want that again.
"Are you going to stay?" Leia asks, a hopeful note in her voice.
Will she? She wants to, even if everything is so complicated now, and if there's no rebellion to fight for anymore... "I might. Depending on how this goes." That's the most she can promise, right now.
***
Vader is still watching them talk when Asajj comes over to stand next to him. It's a little surreal that he's here watching Leia and Ahsoka talk. It... isn't something he ever thought he'd get to see.
"Your daughter, huh?" she asks, nudging her shoulder against his. Vader throws her a sideways glance at the action – he's really not used to casual interactions anymore.
"Surprised?"
"Hm. Seemed obvious enough to me."
Vader gives her a long-suffering look. With the war nearly over, he doesn't know what she'll do, but he doesn't want her to go. That strikes him as a little odd, but he doesn't. "Did it?"
"Most puppies have different tastes."
"Maybe you're the one that's different." He finds himself looking at her, and Asajj catches his eyes, smirking.
"I think you like different."
"Not significantly."
Vader looks back to Leia, arms crossed. Asajj follows his gaze.
"She seems happy here," she says finally.
"Why do you care about that?" he inquires. It's a genuine question, and perhaps a bit blunt, but he's never seen anyone other than the clones care about his daughter. It's strange for there to be... someone else.
"Who said I do?" she asks, playful, and Vader looks at her again. She flicks a hand. "Okay, fine, you win. I do. A little. She's..."
"Perfect," Vader supplies without hesitation because that's truly the only word to describe her with.
"I was going to say endearing," she corrects.
"Fair." Vader should probably ask what he really wants to, but he keeps... hesitating. "What will you do now?" he inquires, opting to just dive ahead and ask, because that's what he's best at.
"I was thinking about sticking around," Asajj confesses, shifting a little. She's sincere about that, at least. Of that, Vader is certain, and he's grateful for it.
He feels an instant swell of relief. "That would be... appreciated."
"Huh. Maybe I should leave, then."
He can't resist the urge to elbow her.
She laughs. Gleefully. "I think you just might hunt me down to drag me back, though."
Vader genuinely has no idea why he wants her around, but he really, really does. "Would you like to put it to test?"
"Leia rather enjoys my presence," Asajj responds, "Don't feel like ditching out on her."
The level of relief he feels is insane. "She does," he confirms. "You're the first non-clone she's been close with."
She lets out a surprised laugh. "And she thought I was lonely."
Vader laughs, too, because he could genuinely imagine Leia saying something like that. Years ago, at her age, Anakin would have said the same thing. "I believe she may be," he confesses, "I am often... preoccupied, and I can't give her the attention she needs. She has never had a mother before."
"And you think I might be?" Asajj asks dubiously, "What'd you do, spawn her from a tube?"
He ignores the pointed jibe at the clones. "I am not vain enough to clone myself," he promises, "She takes after her mother."
Asajj has the sense of mind not to joke about that at least. Some things aren't joke-worthy, and he would not appreciate it. "She reminds me of you when you were younger."
Leia is far better than he ever has been, or could be, and Vader has no doubt most of what she is came from Padme. She has a strong sense of justice, which is certainly not something he can say he has himself. Maybe once, but... not anymore.
His gaze drifts over to Leia again and he just watches her for a few moments. Asajj is too, and as ridiculous as the notion is, it makes him feel for a fleeting moment as if they're both her parents. Or at least, Asajj could be on some level.
***
"The Jedi have been dealt a serious blow by their own plot," Sidious speaks, radiating no small measure of smugness. "The remainder must now be hunted down and defeated."
It's the first opportunity Vader, Sidious, and Maul have had to talk since the incident on Malachor. They're back on Coruscant now, and with the most recent turn of events, they have to decide what to do. But Vader can't say he agrees with Sidious' desire at all. Yes, the rebels may be at their most vulnerable point right now with most of their leadership and numbers depleted, but he's seen now more clearly than ever that this death and destruction isn't the answer. It destroyed everything on Malachor, and that's only going to happen again. (And maybe it's that Ventress and Ahsoka have given him hope he can be something... better than this. Like – like Anakin used to be, tried to be, at least.)
"This will not effectively end the Jedi rebellion," Vader speaks up. Once, he might not have risked contradicting Sidious, but that was so many years ago. Perhaps to contain Vader and Maul's power, or perhaps because Sidious finally saw that he might need others' genuine input if the Empire was going to last the violence, he'd had to agree to hear them out.
"What are you advising?" Maul asks, frowning, "This is the best time. They won't be able to fight back."
"They will never stop fighting, no matter how many we destroy," he replies, "And this... must end. What happened on Malachor would well happen with... all of us if it does not. We need to give the Jedi a place to settle down, somewhere they... will not be hunted down if they choose to stop fighting."
There's a moment of absolute silence. He can practically hear the others breathing. Sidious and Maul are both staring at him. Likely, neither of them expected that, but he stands his ground. It's the only way he sees, and he... (He doesn't want to be what he's been all this time, anymore. He'll fight if he has to, but this – it's worth the risk if the Jedi actually accept it, even if they'll obviously have to keep a close eye on them.)
"And yet, they could use this opportunity to stall for time, disguising their true intentions until they're ready to strike again," Sidious points out, "I find it... unlikely that after how long they have fought, they will stop now."
"What happened on Malachor will change the survivors, too," Vader points out, "We have seen this destruction long enough. Fighting them ceaselessly now will not have any different result than it did before." There will always be more Jedi, hiding somewhere, who will train someone else. And all the people the Empire will kill in their quest to stop the Jedi is entirely senseless and unnecessary, as well.
Sidious sits back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. He's the master of manipulation, after all. Vader doesn't doubt that he could... come up with an effective plan to deal with it, if he can see past his hatred of the Jedi, and desire to... destroy them, that goes far beyond the simple needs of the Empire.
"Still a risk," Maul objects, clearly unhappy, though Vader can tell he doesn't have a good comeback to the point, except a desire to keep fighting. (Has anyone ever offered him more? Would he even want anything more if he had the chance?)
"Yes, but perhaps one worth taking," Sidious speaks up, finally, "It will also consolidate all the Jedi in one place, and from there, easy to observe and take action as necessary."
Somehow, he gets the feeling Sidious isn't too keen on keeping them alive long-term. "They will have to trust our intentions to accept our offer," Vader reminds, "But, yes."
"You really think the Jedi would agree to peace talks?" Maul inquires.
"I can send Ahsoka back to the Rebellion to negotiate with them." He's certain she'd agree to that, and it might be a chance for the galaxy to finally have peace. At least, he can hope.
And for the first time, it actually feels like something attainable. It explains why he sensed Malachor would change everything forever, but maybe it won't all be in a bad way.
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