Ahsoka Tano; Mightiest Force Wielder (Book 1: The Rise)

Ahsoka in the Temple of Malachor

For Ahsoka it was hard to believe: Anakin lived! Somehow he had survived! Survived within the abyss of the dark Lord. Dark Lord Darth Vader.

After Ahsoka's fight with Darth Vader, the Sith Temple closed and expelled a shock wave. The shock wave lifted the temple top and blasted Darth Vader right out of the temple. Ahsoka in contrary was magically held in it. The dark Lord was injured by the blast of the wave, and worse, his ability to wield and use the force was either diminished or at least temporarily inhibited. Terrible fear arose in him, that he might have lost his force sensitivity permanently. In all his despair, he could only hope, that he would recover over time and that it was just a temporary effect of the shock wave. In any case, he had to get the hell out of here, without his force sensitivity he was very vulnerable. Vader's artificial body only moved slowly, without getting accelerated with the force. His physical body had barely survived the heat of the lava he had collapsed onto after the duel with Obi Wan Kenobi. Now he needed that blasted robot suit, which he despised so much, in order to live. He despised that robot suit so much and he despised Obi Wan Kenobi, who was responsible for it all. Obi Wan Kenobi had betrayed him. He had left him to die there on Mustafar. Ahsoka had betrayed him earlier already. She had left him after the false acquisitions from the Jedi order. He had pleaded with her to stay, but she was done with the Jedi order. However, she could have stayed, continue to fight at his side and then together they would have taken over the Jedi order. The only one person, who had not left him, was Darth Sidious. Tue to that, he served Darth Sidious and would kill Obi Wan and Ahsoka. Aside from the other remaining Jedi, they were on the top of his assassin list.

Quite in contrast to Darth Vader and Ahsoka, the dark side was happy. The dark side gave the light side an imaginary high five. Everything had worked according to plan with this first step.

During the short flight time to the star destroyer, the Sith Lord recapitulated over the fight with Ahsoka again. The anger had settled somewhat and he could think clearly again. Ahsoka was a good saber wielder, as he remembered her and she had improved, but she was not on his level. Not quite. Still, he had to throw all his powers into the fight. The worst part however, was that Anakin had come back. He thought, he had killed the consciousness of the curious, adorable and loving boy, but somehow, the boy had survived somewhere deep inside of him. Luckily, he managed to quickly suppress him. If it would not have been for the stupid boy to enter his mind, he would have won the fight and Ahsoka would be either dead or his subject by now. Yet, that stupid boy, Anakin and the mighty Darth Vader were one and the same, two aspects of the same being. That understanding, was even more unsettling than everything else.

Back in the star destroyer, he hurried to his personal cabin or rather wanted to hurry, but his robot body moved pretty slowly without the acceleration of the force. In his cabin, the destination was the recovery sphere. His Lord and liege, Darth Sidious had designed it. Vader's physical body was very weak and the extensive wielding of the force, specifically the dark side of the force always took a tough tall. Wielding all of his available dark side power was impossible for him, it would just tear his body apart. The fight with Ahsoka and the following shock wave sucked too much life energy from his biological body. He was so weak, even geriatric General Tarkin could kill him now. Today, the recovery sphere was a matter of life and death. Vader was a dark side user and deploying the dark side cost life energy. Life energy, of which he did not have enough left anyways. Very advanced light side users can recharge the body with life energy but a dark side user cannot. The recovery sphere charged everything inside with life energy. He hated to be in there, the light side was calling him then and he always had to resist. Today it would be worse, he had to turn the intensity up to get sufficient energy back. The fears he had, came true, about a minute after being in the sphere, Anakin was back full swing, relentlessly questioning all of his evil undertakings. The stupid boy still wanted to bring peace to the galaxy, still wanted to bring balance to the force, by supporting freedom and democracy, in essence the Republic. It was such a nonsense, such a stupidity. He was Darth Vader, No. 2 in the galaxy and at some point he would be No. 1, something Anakin would have never achieved. When he was No. 1, he would rule the galaxy, thus there would be peace. Peace by suppression and dominion. He would not allow any uprisings. Anakin asked him tough: "Where has it gotten you? You had a loyal padawan. Who is loyal to you now?" That hurt, Vader knew, there was not a single one person he could trust. And Anakin continued: "Ahsoka, help me! Help me please! Help me to cut the bonds of the dark side, please?" The boy dared call Ahsoka via the force. It cost Vader a lot of energy to restrain him. After a while though Anakin was back again: "I had an adorable and loving wife, what did you do to her?" Vader's heart convulsed at the thought of Padme and he yelled back: "I did not kill her! She killed herself with the force." Anakin: "And why did she kill herself? Because of you!" That one hit. It hit so badly, Vader could not restrain Anakin anymore. "I could have lovely children", Anakin said. Vader barked back: "I'll find them, it's just a matter of time." Anakin got very strong now: "I will never allow you to find them, if you want to maintain your sanity, you better don't even try." Darth Vader broke out in tears and the only good thing was, that within the sphere, nobody would see, nobody would ever know. Anakin did not stop yet: "Look at you, I pity you! Two thirds a robot. You have become another General Grevious, another cyborg. At least Grevious could wield 4 sabers at once." The dark Lord shot back: "At least, I don't cough." Anakin: "But you wheeze. Not sure, what is worse. If you would be balanced in the force, you would have fully restored your biological body by now using the healing resources of the light side, but you are so entangled in the dark side, that the recovery sphere hardly keeps your body from putrefying." Before Lord Vader could retort, the light side was calling him: "YOU! Anakin Vader." How much worse could it get? Vader collected his strength: "I'm not Anakin, I'm Darth Vader." The light side, hugged him with its love as he had never experienced before and calmly continued: "You are Anakin Vader, Anaking Skywalker / Darth Vader. You are the ONE. The ONE to bring peace to the galaxy and the ONE to bring balance to the force. The dark and the light side of the force is strong within you, you need to bring balance to yourself, then you bring balance to the force. And you can be Emperor of the Galaxy. The source itself has created you. The source has made you and I the light side will make you Emperor of the Galaxy, when you have balanced yourself. Ahsoka will help you. Anakin has suppressed Vader, Vader suppresses Anakin, balance yourself, thus balance the force. Ahsoka will help you." It was simply too much and Darth Vader fled the recovery sphere, even though he would have needed a lot more time in there. He had to turn the intensity back down, which meant, it would take weeks, until he would be in decent shape again. Why was Anakin calling for Ahsoka? And why was the force telling him Ahsoka would help him? Vader called for Ahsoka through the force now, but he could not even feel her, which meant, that she must have died from the shock wave. Anakin was devastated, but Vader and Anakin were the same being.