Rebel Pilot: A Star Wars Story

Chapter 18

Han, Luke and Anakin took shifts piloting the ship as they headed back towards the base on Yavin IV, the rest mostly sleeping (except Vader, of course, since he probably physically couldn't, but he slumped against the wall anyways), too tired for anymore Skywalker drama or time travel shenanigans.

Anakin was the one piloting when Ahsoka awoke with a start. "Master!" She exclaimed. "I think... I think I just had a vision. My dreams never feel so real unless they're true."

Anakin, having had his fair share of scary visions (and knowing that there was a Sith version of him pretending to sleep in a corner who had been driven to the dark side by visions), immediately panicked. "What happened? Is everything okay?"

"No, it wasn't a bad vision, master, it just... was. I think I was seeing what my future self was seeing." Ahsoka closed her eyes as she recalled what she'd seen and heard. "I was looking at a hologram... it was someone I don't recognize. He called me 'Fulcrum,' and he said that General Kenobi was alive and had come to the Rebel Base at Yavin IV, which is where we're headed now, right? And in the vision I was this Fulcrum and I said that I would prepare a ship and head that way immediately." She shook her head. "I don't know what it means, but if I had to guess I'd say Fulcrum is me in the future. And that I was called to the base to meet the older version of Obi-Wan."

Anakin relaxed. "So worst case scenario, we get to meet the older version of you. That's not bad, all things considered. Actually, it's kinda cool. We can find out what you've been up to all these years."

Vader stopped pretending to be able to sleep upon hearing this. "No. Ahsoka is not alive. She cannot be."

Anakin narrowed his eyes, though he couldn't actually look at his Sith self while piloting the ship. "Why do I get the feeling that you're implying that you killed her?"

"I... almost killed her. The place we were in was entirely surrounded by the dark side of the Force, so I'm not sure what happened, but it was as though she fell into, or was pulled into, a portal of some type right before I could kill her. I don't have any experience with getting pulled into portals in Sith temples, but I cannot imagine she is alive."

"She—I mean I— could be," Ahsoka argued. "You didn't see me die. Also, why would you try to kill me?" She looked strangely hurt by that. "I mean... that's my master." She pointed at Anakin. "I still can't believe you're him. But since you are... why would you try to kill me? You... well, Anakin... said he would never hurt me..."

Something like a sigh came through Vader's mask. "I'm... sorry, Ahsoka," he admitted. "I regret that fight very much."

Anakin brightened. "You actually apologized! This is good progress!"

"Why am I so annoying?" Vader lamented.

"Yeah, he did apologize." Ahsoka had a mischievous smile when she turned to Anakin. "Looks like you could take some tips from your Sith self."

Anakin gaped. " I did not try to kill you, Ahsoka!"

" You also did not apologize!"

"That's cause I didn't do it!"

Luke rubbed his eyes as he woke up. "Father, I think it might be my turn to pilot."

"No, Luke, get some more sleep," Anakin told him, but Luke shook his head.

"No. The bickering will keep us all awake. Sleep. You too, Ahsoka," Luke said with a smile in Ahsoka's direction. "And... you too, Sith Father. Although I'm not sure if you can or not." He shrugged apologetically. "You guys need rest." Anakin reluctantly gave his seat in the cockpit to his son, taking the suggestion to sleep. After everything they'd been through, he really did need it...

—

Upon landing the stolen ship, the group tried to make decisions as to what they were going to do. Anakin decided to take charge after Padmé challenged him to actually do something smart for once. He had argued that he had been a general in the Clone Wars, and a very effective one at that. Padmé told him to prove it, so he took possession of the singular Skywalker braincell for the moment and began to address their group.

"Alright. We have some people they don't know are here, so we have to make this as little traumatizing for the rebellion as possible. They already know about me, Luke, Leia, older Obi-Wan, and Han, so we have no problems. Younger Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Padmé weren't here before, but honestly having a younger version of Obi-Wan might help sell the time travel. If the 'Fulcrum' from Ahsoka's vision really was an older Ahsoka, then an older version of Ahsoka is likely here too, which could mean another way for us to convince them that the time travel is real. Padmé will be a hero because she killed the emperor, and this is the rebellion against the Empire. I think that Darth Vader should probably stay on the ship."

"This ship is stolen, remember?" Leia piped up. "They'll probably come on it at some point, either to clean it, clear it out or check for anything suspicious. And if they find Darth Vader on board, they will flip."

"We need to somehow find a way to get him on board the Millenium Falcon," Luke suggested. "Since that's Han's ship, they probably don't care as much about it."

"I'm about as okay with that as any of this," Han muttered. "And with the cramped space in here, I'm going to be majorly telling off Chewie for telling me I couldn't take the Falcon to go kill the Emperor. Said it was stupid and that he'd rather use the ship for mentoring that stupid kid Luke was friends with." Han shook his head in frustration. " My ship, he banned me from my ship."

"Wait, Chewie's been letting Biggs fly the Falcon?" Luke brightened.

"Not with my permission," Han grumbled.

"Why the need for stealth?" Vader crossed his arms. "I could walk out there right now. There would be no chance of any of these rebels taking me down."

"We don't want to cause any more chaos than we already inherently have to given the situation!" Padmé admonished. "How about the rest of us get off and distract them, and then he quietly finds Han's ship?"

"Quietly?" Leia snorted. "The sound of his breathing alone is the sort of nails-on-a-chalkboard sound that will immediately alert everyone to the fact that he's here."

"I can hold my breath! I can be stealthy!"

"Weren't you just complaining that we were asking you to be stealthy?"

"I don't like it, but I can do it!"

"Guys!" Luke interrupted. "We have to get off soon or they'll be questioning what's going on, especially since we were never authorized to take this ship!"

"Just stay here for now," Anakin told his Sith self hastily. "And hold your breath." And with that, they opened the side of the ship, and the group stepped out one by one.

A group of members of the rebellion all stood there, waiting for their arrival. At their front was General Dodonna, eyebrows raised. "Do you care to explain this, Skywalkers?" He meant Luke, Leia and Anakin, but honestly, the title probably referred to the entire group at this point.

And then, someone who was almost certainly, from looks to Force signature, an older version of Ahsoka Tano, came pushing through the crowd. "What is the meaning of all these Force signatures?" Upon recognizing the group, her eyes might as well have popped from their sockets. "I... what?" And with that she fainted.