Chapter 18
Ahsoka woke up in a strange place. She couldn’t fully see her surroundings, only a dim light illuminated the floor in front of her. She must have blacked out at some point during the flight.
She tried to move her arms, stretch out her aching shoulders, but found them bound, chained to the wall behind her.
Ahsoka yanked against the restraints, but the metal only dug deeper into her skin.
“Kriff!” she shouted in frustration.
At least I can talk on my own again.
She tried using the Force, focusing all her energy on the cuffs. Nothing. Not even a tremble.
Great. So she was just waiting again for someone to rescue her.
Ahsoka sighed, bitterly. They hadn’t done anything wrong. They had just wanted to leave. Why was this happening? And why her?
A faint sound echoed from the shadows. Footsteps.
She peered into the darkness, trying to make out who was coming. The Son? Her master?
No.
Something else.
A small, hunched creature emerged, its brownish skin clinging tight to its thin frame. It walked on two legs, but its gait was awkward, unnatural. Its eyes… they glowed faintly, strangely familiar.
“Well hello, you,” Ahsoka said, forcing sweetness into her voice.
The creature didn’t respond. It just kept walking closer.
Uncomfortably close.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice wavering slightly now.
Still no answer.
The thing began tinkering with her cuffs.
Where its skin brushed against hers, it felt like ice. Cold that bit deep into her bones.
With a soft click, her arms were suddenly free.
She stumbled forward, away from both the wall and the creature, cradling her sore wrists.
“Thank you,” she said cautiously, trying again to reach it. Even in the dim light, she could see angry red bruises forming.
“Oh, don’t thank me,” it replied finally.
Its voice was surprisingly light and soft, almost gentle, but there was something off about it. A strange, unsettling undertone.
“It has only just begun.”
Ahsoka blinked, confused.
The creature took a few slow steps toward her, then lunged.
Its sharp teeth sank into the exposed skin of her forearm.
Ahsoka cried out in pain as something cold and strong surged through her veins. It felt like it was pushing her blood out, replacing it, filling every inch of her body with ice and fire at once.
She screamed, struggling violently, trying to shake the creature off. But it held on.
And then
Something slammed into her mind.
She collapsed to the floor. The world blinked out for a second.
When her eyes opened again, everything felt different.
She could feel it.
Power.
Dark and heavy, flowing through her. Power fueled by anger.
By hatred.
They had tried to hold her back. Tried to suppress her.
But not anymore.
She could give in to it.
Somewhere, buried deep in her mind, a voice was screaming, desperate, panicked.
But the words were unclear.
And Ahsoka chose to ignore it.
Rex had never seen his general fly a ship like that.
When the Son had taken Ahsoka, Skywalker had sprinted to the cockpit and turned around , following the massive bat-like creature with risky, reckless maneuvers. Now they had landed in front of a towering structure glowing with an eerie green light.
The two Jedi were in the middle of a heated debate, arguing whether they should find the Father or go after Ahsoka first.
For Rex, there wasn’t even a question. His duty was to protect Ahsoka.
But it wasn’t his decision to make.
“I don’t care what you do, but I’m going to find Ahsoka!” Skywalker shouted and turned sharply, striding off toward the base of the tower.
“Why can’t he listen for once?” Kenobi muttered, sighing heavily. Then he turned to Rex. “Follow him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. Actually, make sure he stays alive.”
Rex nodded without hesitation and followed after Skywalker.
They circled the strange tower, searching for any kind of entrance, when Anakin suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His gaze had locked onto something, a stone, and next to it, a figure sat motionless on the floor.
“Ahsoka!” the Jedi called out.
The figure stirred slightly but didn’t turn around. Her back remained to them.
Why wasn’t she responding? Why wasn’t she coming over?
Rex’s stomach twisted. Something wasn’t right.
After a long, tense moment, Ahsoka finally spoke—but her voice was flat, void of emotion. Cold.
“Are you proud of me, Master?”
Rex glanced at Anakin and saw confusion flicker across his face.
“Yes, Snips. Of course I’m proud of you,” Anakin replied gently, taking a step closer. “Now let’s get out of here, off this Force-forsaken planet.”
But Ahsoka didn’t move. Her posture stiffened.
“He’s right,” she said quietly. “He’s always right.”
Who was she talking to?
Her voice changed suddenly, sickeningly sweet.
“He only wants the best for the galaxy.”
“What?” Anakin asked, his voice laced with unease.
Ahsoka tilted her head slightly. “He told me to tell you something.”
He? Rex’s pulse quickened. The Son? But why would
“He said… if you won’t follow him, he’ll kill me.”
Then she laughed. A twisted, chilling sound that seared itself into Rex’s memory. A sound so wrong, so unnatural, that it made his blood run cold.
“I’m not going to let that happen!” Anakin said firmly, stepping forward.
Ahsoka slowly rose to her feet and, without hesitation, ignited her lightsaber. The yellow glow of her eyes caught the sick green light of the tower.
“Then you’ll have to kill me.”
Rex didn’t know what to do.
He had never felt this helpless before.
Staying behind Skywalker, he fired carefully aimed shots at Ahsoka’s legs and arms. He didn’t want to hurt her, just slow her down. But Ahsoka didn’t see it the same way. Relentless and merciless, she attacked them both, forcing Anakin to constantly deflect or intercept her strikes just to keep her from injuring Rex.
In the glow of her sabers, Rex could see the veins beneath her skin, black and pulsing, like the darkness inside her had become physical.
Then it happened.
With a swift, brutal move, she landed a kick against Anakin’s hand, sending his saber flying across the stone floor. But instead of taking advantage and attacking the now-unarmed Jedi, Ahsoka leapt high into the air and landed silently behind him.
Her green saber buzzed menacingly at his throat.
“I guess I’ll get rid of this thing first,” she hissed.
Rex huffed, trying to keep calm. “I know you can come up with a more creative insult.”
With that, he slammed his elbow back into her side and twisted out of her grip in one smooth motion.
“Sorry, ‘Soka,” he muttered, and fired two quick shots. One hit her saber hand, making her drop the weapon. The other struck her upper thigh.
That should’ve been enough. It should’ve taken her down.
But it didn’t.
As if she didn’t even feel it, Ahsoka flipped backwards with uncanny grace, catching her fallen saber midair with the Force and reigniting it. A second blade flared to life in her other hand.
Rex’s eyes widened. If they had not had a problem before, they for sure had now.
“Good moves, Rex,” Skywalker said, stepping protectively in front of him, his saber now back in his grip.
“Any ideas now, General?” Rex asked, breathless.
It was another voice that answered.
“Let’s free her,” came Obi-Wan’s calm but urgent tone.
The older Jedi emerged from the shadows, walking toward them with purpose. In his hand shimmered something unlike anything Rex had seen before, a sword, glowing with radiant blue light, mist curling from its blade like smoke from a cold fire.
“This blade can kill the Son,” Obi-Wan said quietly.
“Where did you get that?” Ahsoka snapped, her voice lower,distorted.
The words had come from her mouth, but they weren’t hers.
“Give it to me,” she growled.
It was his voice now.
The Son.
Rex raised his blasters again. Ahsoka stepped forward, both sabers ignited, her face a terrifying blend of fury and emptiness.
And yet, deep in her eyes, Rex could see something else.
Fear.
A loud crash interrupted the moment.
Glass shattered as one of the tower’s windows exploded outward. From the wreckage burst the glowing white form of the Daughter, closely followed by the Father and the Son. The Daughter hit the ground hard and stayed down, unmoving. The Father got up slowly, wincing in pain.
Amid the chaos, Ahsoka struck.
She lunged toward Obi-Wan and, before anyone could react, snatched the glowing blade from his hands.
“Good child. Now give it to me,” the son told Ahsoka.
“No!” Anakin shouted, voice raw with desperation.
But Rex knew. He could already see it, it was too late.
Ahsoka didn’t react. She turned her head just enough to glance over her shoulder, her eyes locking with Rex’s.
And for a heartbeat, he thought he saw it, remorse, buried behind those glowing yellow eyes. Or maybe he just wanted to see it. Maybe he was fooling himself.
She turned back, her grip tightening on the blade.
Then, without hesitation, she handed it to the Son.
The creature cradled the weapon in his hands, inspecting it as if it were the most delicate and beautiful thing in the galaxy. A smile curled across his face before his gaze slid back to Ahsoka.
“Well done, child,” he said, voice slick like oil, too sweet to be anything but poison.
Rex felt his stomach turn.
The Son raised two fingers to Ahsoka’s forehead.
For one small second, Rex let himself hope. Maybe, just maybe, he was going to release her. Set her free now that he had the blade.
But then her body tensed.
Her eyes rolled back.
And she collapsed.
Rex didn’t need to move. He didn’t need to check. He saw it instantly.
No rising chest. No glow in her skin. No spark.
Ahsoka was dead.
His world ground to a halt.
Anakin surged forward with a roar, but the Son flung him back with a casual flick of his hand. Rex barely registered it. His ears filled with static, and his eyes stayed locked on Ahsoka’s face, now pale, still, empty.
Her sightless eyes seemed to look right at him.
Why didn’t you save me?
The words weren’t real, but they echoed in his skull.
Everything hit him all at once.
She was gone.
No more jokes to cut the tension.
No more kind glances.
No more fierce protectiveness.
No more of the one person who truly saw the clones.
No more quiet comfort.
No more soft touches.
No more her.
A raw, inhuman scream tore through the air. The Son, mid-transformation, shrieked as if in rage or pain before vanishing into the sky, his monstrous wings beating furiously.
Only then did Rex realize his face was wet.
Tears.
It had been so long since he’d cried.
He wiped at them quickly, ignoring how badly his hands trembled.
Anakin was already at Ahsokas side, cradling her limp body as if refusing to believe what was obvious.
Rex turned away. He couldn’t watch. Couldn’t bear it.
A heavy hand settled on his shoulder.
“No one really dies in the Force,” Obi-Wan said gently.
It was meant to be comforting. But it wasn’t.
Starshot had said the same thing. But what good was it, if she wasn’t here? Not like before. Not the way he needed her to be.
Movement caught the edge of his vision. He looked up just in time to see Anakin carefully laying Ahsoka’s body beside the Daughter’s. The white being was also dying, her glow flickering like a dying star.
Then the Father stepped forward, his voice grave.
“Then, as her last wish, my daughter will give your friend her life back.”
Rex stared.
No.
That couldn’t be true. This had to be some cruel trick.
He gripped his blasters tighter.
But the Jedi didn’t hesitate. Anakin stepped behind the two bodies, kneeling, beginning what looked like a strange ritual. Energy began to swirl, light connecting them. A soft hum filled the air.
Ahsoka’s body began to glow.
They both did.
Slowly, impossibly, the two women lifted into the air.
Rex held his breath.
Light enveloped them, and then vanished.
The bodies dropped back to the ground.
No movement.
No sign.
It didn’t work, Rex thought. Of course it hadn’t.
Have faith, brother.
The words echoed from somewhere.
And then,
Ahsoka gasped.
She sat up with a gasp, coughing, her limbs trembling as if waking from a nightmare. Her eyes fluttered open.
Blue.
Not yellow.
Blue.
Anakin was at her side in an instant, pulling her into a tight hug. She was alive. Alive.
Rex wanted to run over. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go, to hold her tight and feel her pulse, her warmth, her presence. But he didn’t move. That wasn’t his place.
“Glad to have you back, Commander,” he said instead, voice steady. It didn’t feel like enough. But it was all he could give.
Later, Ahsoka sat wrapped in a heavy blanket in the front of the ship, staring quietly out the viewport.
The silence was almost sacred. No chatter, no casual jokes, just the occasional glance from the others, as if checking to make sure she was still there. Still breathing. Still her.
She’d already apologized. To Anakin. To Rex.
Both had brushed it off. Told her it wasn’t her fault. That she hadn’t been in control. That it had been him, the Son.
And they were right.
But not entirely.
Because she had still been there. Trapped in her own body, buried deep in the back of her mind. Watching. Hearing every word she said but unable to stop it. Feeling her body move without her permission.
And no matter what anyone told her, part of that darkness had still been hers. A part of her buried deep inside.
If only she’d been stronger. Maybe she could’ve fought it off. Maybe she could’ve stopped herself. Maybe Rex wouldn’t have needed to shoot her just to survive.
The wound was gone now. erased when she’d been brought back. But the memory remained, burned into her like a scar no one could see.
Just like the feeling.
What it felt like if the dark took over.
But at least... at least they could leave this planet behind.