Oh, yes, I'll be happy to answer your inquiries, the moment you stop choking me to death, Hera thought as the Imperial barked another question at her.

The Mirialan called herself an Inquisitor, and she held Hera in an iron grip with a gesture of a single hand, brandishing her double-bladed red lightsaber in one hand.  The Rebel pilot couldn't even point her blaster at the masked woman as she walked closer.

“What are you doing here?” she said again, her yellow eyes narrowed. “Entry to this area is for authorized individuals only.”

“Didn't know,” Hera said with difficulty.  “This is...first time on Coruscant.”

The Inquistor's golden face was flecked with red tattoos, and way too close for Hera's comfort.  She could see the pores of her captor's face as she grimaced threateningly at her. “We'll see about that.  You're not leaving here until I have the truth from you…”

Suddenly Hera could breathe again, and she gasped in surprise as a togruta brought two red blades down towards the Inquisitor from behind, and the Imperial turned and blocked them.

A large gray-faced man Hera hadn't noticed entered the fray shortly after.  “Seventh Sister!” he exclaimed. “Do you need help with this Jedi?”

“What do you think?!,” she said through gritted teeth. “Now help me dispatch this nuisance!”

Hera wasn't sure what to make of this.  She'd seen Jedi as a child. Mace Windu, with his brilliant violet saber, had fought alongside her father in the Clone Wars.  There had been others too. But the two Inquisitors were certainly not Jedi, and she'd only heard of one kind of Force-wielder with a red saber: the Sith.

She wondered why the togruta woman was fighting the other two?  Who was she? Another Inquisitor, choosing to betray her side? Or someone else entirely?

It was then that she realized that Seventh Sister had released her hold on her in her fight against the togruta woman.

Hera fired her blaster at the two Inquisitors.  Seventh Sister pushed her backwards with a gesture, but the attack cost her ground with the togruta woman. 

Looking up, Hera saw pinpricks in the distance approaching them.  More Imperials, surely. It was time to go. The other woman seemed to agree because she pushed both Inquisitors backward with a gesture, then ran towards her, helping her to her feet.

“What's your name?!” she asked the togruta.

“Ahsoka,” she answered.

Hera gestured for the togruta to follow her lead and ran back to her ship.

Hera heard Ahsoka run up the ship’s ramp behind her.  The moment they were both inside, Hera hit the button to close the ramp.

Ahsoka followed Hera as she scrambled into the pilot's cabin as she prepared to take off.

“Hold on tight,” Hera said.  “This is going to be a rough launch!”

Ahsoka buckled the crash restraints.

“I can't say I wasn't expecting that,” Ahsoka said, giving her a lopsided smile as Hera eased the ship into the air.

“That makes two of us,” Hera replied.

Hera pulled the ship out into Coruscanti airspace, ignoring the orders to land.  She ran multiple simultaneous calculations through her head as she considered her options.  Possibilities flashed through her head and brain-tails.

She knew that one advantage to the crowded skyscape was that it would be difficult to target her until she reached suborbital space.  While she felt a pang of sorrow that innocents might get caught in the crossfire, she knew that the large number of Imperial craft and high-ranking officials here would mean that even the most trigger-happy officer might hesitate to simply cover the airspace around her in laser-fire.

She curved upward, following the side of a skyscraper towards the stratosphere.  Eventually the lasers did come, but soon she was in orbit and then cocooned in the safe blue of hyperspace.

Her togruta companion looked over at her.  “You're quite the pilot.”

“So I've been told,” Hera said, leaning back in her seat.  “And you're quite the fighter. Who are you, Ahsoka?”

Vader stalked through the hallway in the Imperial Palace until he reached Palpatine's office, where two silent red guards stood in front of the door.

Vader was particularly disgusted by  these creatures. As far as he could tell, they had no separate will from the Emperor.  They could fight, and follow basic instructions, but not much else.

"I have an appointment," he declared, turning briefly to face both of them.

They silently moved aside.  It was all the response he needed. He walked through the doors, his cape flowing in his wake.

"Lord Vader," Palpatine said from behind his desk, staring intently at a datapad and typing into it.  "So glad you could make it to your performance review."

"Have I done something to displease you, Master?"

"My issue is not with anything you've done," Palpatine said.  "Rather, it is what you have not done."

Palpatine switched on a life-sized holo of a togruta woman slashing at two inquisitors with twin red lightsabers.

Vader was glad that Palpatine couldn't see his expression.  He could be saved that embarrassment, at least. Not trusting his voice at the moment, he said nothing.

"This is from a holonews clip of Imperial Square this morning. Do you have any comment, Lord Vader?"

"The Inquisitors are weak," Vader said.

"I am well aware of your opinion of them," Palpatine said, his lined face looking up at Vader with a sour expression.  "I do not need to hear it repeated."

"You asked if I had any comment," Vader replied.  "That was my comment."

Palpatine's expression changed then, his scowl transforming into a malicious smile.  "Oh, so you want to play that game, do you?"

"I have no idea what you could mean by that," Vader said, knowing exactly what he meant by it.

Palpatine froze the holo of the Imperial Square attack, and zoomed in on the lone assailant.

"Do you recognize this individual?" Palpatine asked, his face contorting into an expression of mock-curiosity.

"Should I?" Vader crossed his arms.

"She holds her lightsabers in a rather distinctive fashion, don't you think?" Palpatine asked pointedly.

"Yes, I do not believe any Jedi would hold their weapons in such a way," Vader said noncommittally.

“Do you perhaps believe I have become too senile to recall her?” Palpatine tsked.

“I do not know what you mean.”

Palpatine shook his head. “Am I to believe you do not recognize the former apprentice of  Anakin Skywalker?"

“She is not a Jedi,” Vader said.

“She is a threat,” Palpatine hissed.  “I expect you to deal with her immediately.”

“Where is she?” Vader asked.

“Her current whereabouts are unknown,” Palpatine replied.

“Then I do not see how I could find her,” Vader said.

“Draw her out,” Palpatine demanded.

“I do not know any means to do that,” Vader said. “I have no way to contact her.”

“Ah, in that case I know someone who can help you!” Palpatine said, his expression brightening.  At that moment Vader heard the door behind him open. An Imperial officer walked up and stood beside the Emperor's desk, eyeing Vader warily.

Vader didn't recognize this officer who wore an unusual red cape.

“Lord Vader, this is Admiral Gallius Rax,” Palpatine said. “Admiral Rax, this is Lord Vader.”

Rax inclined his head slightly.  Vader could sense his fear, and also an undercurrent of resentment.  Neither surprised him. Most Imperial officers instinctively feared and disliked him.  What did surprise him was the eagerness he sensed. If this man hated him why did he feel such anticipation on being here?

Vader examined the man.  “Rather young for an Admiral,” he said, though the officer was probably not far from his own age.

“Admiral Rax has been collecting information about this individual for some time,” Palpatine said.  “He knows what she has been up to, and how to find her. You know how she thinks. Together, you will be able to draw her out.”

“If it is intelligence you wish to provide me would not Colonel Yularen be a better choice?” Vader asked.  “Or perhaps another ISB officer?”

“Admiral Rax has the most useful information on this individual,” Palpatine said.  “You will work with him. Understood?”

“Yes,” Vader said, irritated.  He should have been entrusted this mission alone. He didn't need this Imperial officer tagging along.

Palpatine held up a finger.  “One more thing,” he said.

“Yes?” Vader asked again.

“In case you require additional assistance with the former apprentice of Anakin Skywalker--”

“I do not ,” Vader said.

“--I have the perfect person for the job,” Palpatine said.  The door opened behind him.

Even before he saw her, Vader knew who it was.

Sure enough, a teen girl with a smattering of freckles and acne and a shock of red hair walked up to the desk, bowing stiffly at the Emperor before turning to face Vader.

The young upstart.

Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand and perpetual thorn in Vader's side.  She was foolish, of course, to believe that Palpatine would ever award her with the Apprenticeship she sought, or that she might take it from Vader by force.  She was more powerful than an Inquisitor.  But even now, her power paled compared to his own.

Rax gave her a neutral look.

“Admiral Rax, this is Mara Jade, my Hand.”

“Ah, of course,” he said, as if he had expected that, though Vader had surely sensed puzzlement from him just moments before.

“The three of you are to find Ahsoka Tano, and destroy her,” Palpatine said.

They all uttered their own words of agreement.

“Good,” Palpatine said.  “Then you are dismissed. Except you, Lord Vader.  There's one final matter we must discuss.”

Once the other two had filed out, Palpatine said, “I want to be clear. Under no circumstances are you to kill Admiral Rax.”

“As you command,” Vader said.

“You've overstepped your boundaries on this matter before,” Palpatine admonished. 

“I have never acted against your commands...”

Palpatine grinned.  “We both know that is not true, my friend. And so I will need more than your verbal assurances.”

“Why is Admiral Rax important, my lord?”

“You needn't concern yourself with the why, Lord Vader,” Palpatine said.  “Your suit is to be reprogrammed with a directive which will cause your death if you kill Admiral Rax.”

“And what of Mara Jade?”

“I expect both of you to keep your squabbling to a minimum,” Palpatine said.  “But I also know that both of you can hold your own against the other in a fight.”

Palpatine held up a finger.  “But you aren't to use this trip for petty bickering.  Destroy Tano and return. Is that clear?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Palpatine grinned.  “Good.”

“So that's my story,” Ahsoka finished. 

Hera would have found the story difficult to believe if she hadn't seen her passenger take on two Inquisitors using two lightsabers and the Force.  As it was, though, the explanation seemed completely reasonable.

“Then--you were a Jedi…” Hera said.  “And the lightsabers?”

“Stolen from an Inquisitor I defeated.” Ahsoka shrugged.  “Not exactly my color, but beggars can't be choosers and I didn't hold on to my old sabers.”

“They don't look like the weapons the other inquisitors had,” Hera said.  “They're beautiful.”

Ahsoka smiled. “Thanks. I made the handles myself.  I just reused the crystals, since I can't exactly just harvest kyber from Ilum anymore--the Imperials guard the caves too closely.”

“I see.”

“What about you?” Ahsoka asked.

“I'm a cargo pilot,” Hera said.

“A cargo pilot?” Ahsoka asked, her expression skeptical.  “I've never seen a cargo pilot fly like that.”

Hera shrugged.  She wanted to tell Ahsoka what she really was, but she also wanted to learn a bit more about her before she did that.

Hera heard a chirping noise.

It was the comm.  She checked the communication.  It was unsigned, but marked as high priority.

And addressed to Ahsoka Tano.  Hera felt chills run down her spine.

“What is it?” Ahsoka asked, seeming to sense her unease.

“This text communication that just came in,” Hera said.  “It's addressed to you.”

Ahsoka's eyes widened.  “Let me see it.”

It had to be a trap.  But it also had to be real .

She read the letter again.

Snips,

I hope this letter finds you safely.  I don't have much time to write this. I just wanted you to know that I'm glad to hear you survived and continue to fight.  I am being held on a planet called Korriban. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold on. Do NOT try to rescue me. It's too dangerous.  But I wanted to let you know that there are other prisoners here. And I wanted to say goodbye.

Skyguy

The letter was a trap.  If Anakin was being held prisoner, there was no way he would be able to send this message to her.  He wouldn't have the resources to track her down. Only Imperial Intelligence could have tracked her in this way.  The fact that they had tipped their hand in such in obvious way, which would inevitably send her on a search for how they were tracking her, meant to her that they couldn't simply find her at will, but that they had some means to locate her and were confident that they could draw her out with this.

Unfortunately, they were right.  The letter also had to be from him. And she knew that if there was even the smallest chance that Anakin still lived, she had to try to help him.

“So, what do you think?”

“I want to thank you for all your help, but I think you should drop me off on the nearest planet.  I need to go to Korriban. My old Master is being held there. I have to try to rescue him, and that's going to be very dangerous.”

“I can help with dangerous,” Hera insisted.  “Alright, you were right. I'm not a cargo pilot.  My father fought in the Clone Wars. And he fights the Empire to this very day.  As do I. I’m a pilot for the Rebellion. One of the best.”

“Still, I can't ask that of you,” Ahsoka protested.

“You didn't. I'm volunteering.  Korriban is a closely guarded planet.  You'll need a skilled pilot to get you in and get you out.  And you'll need backup. I can help with both those things.”

Ahsoka sensed she could trust Hera's intentions.  She didn't want to put her in danger, but Hera had volunteered to help her, even though they barely knew one another.  And she knew that she stood a better chance of surviving this if she didn't go it alone. And so did Anakin, who might be injured or dying.

“All right,” Ahsoka said.

Hera landed on Korriban in the lambda shuttle she and Ahsoka had stolen.  Chopper grumbled when Hera asked him to stay in the shuttle.

“I know. You hate waiting.  But we'll need someone to watch for threats and pick us up fast once we leave the temple. We're counting on you, Chop.  Can you keep an eye on things out here for us?”

Chopper beeped an affirmative.

“Thanks.  That means alot to me.  To both of us,” Hera said.

The two of them exited the lambda shuttle.  It wouldn't be possible for either of them to disguise themselves as Imperial officers, but Ahsoka had disguised herself in the past as an Inquisitor, and had done so again now.

Hera, against Ahsoka's protests, had disguised herself as a prisoner.  Ahsoka hadn't been happy with that plan, but Hera had argued that it was the only way she could be seen with Ahsoka without raising suspicions.  Finally, Ahsoka had relented, but Hera could tell she was concerned, even though the handcuffs had been reprogrammed to be easily removable.

They walked up to the Sith temple.  Whatever purpose it had served in its heyday, Hera did not know.  What she did know was that it apparently held Ahsoka's former Jedi Master.

Once inside, they encountered the occasional Imperial, but Ahsoka was able to deceive each one of them with her fake Inquisitor identity.  They continued deeper into the Sith Temple, eventually finding themselves alone in empty corridors that seemed to stretch on forever in the darkness.

Finally, Ahsoka stopped in front of a door. “He--he's here,” she said quietly, shivering.  “But something is--wrong.”

“Whatever we find on the other side of that door, we'll face together,” Hera said.

The door opened into a large room, and inside Ahsoka saw only Darth Vader.

But she sensed…

“You do not make a convincing Inquisitor,” Vader said.  “The role requires considerably more incompetence than you possess.” He pulled Hera into the room using the Force.  Ahsoka ran after her.

She heard a thudding sound.  The door had closed behind her.  This had been planned.

“Where is Anakin?!” Ahsoka demanded, standing in front of the Sith Lord.

“Anakin Skywalker is dead,” Vader said.

But Anakin was here, though only Vader stood before her.  Horror gripped her heart as she realized the truth. But there was no time to process it, no time to fear or cry or rage against it. 

Ahsoka drew her twin blades and launched herself at Vader.

Their blades clashed, red against red.

“You cannot win this,” Vader said. 

“Why?” Ahsoka demanded.  “Why did you betray the Republic?”

“I am the only one who did not betray the Republic,” Vader retorted.  “The Jedi deserved their fate.”

“You're wrong,” Ahsoka said, blocking his attempt to bring his blade down on her by placing her blades in an 'X’ formation in front of her.

“Why defend them, after what they did to you?  They did everything wrong, made every mistake imaginable.”

“The Jedi did many things wrong,” Ahsoka said.  “But that did not make what was done to them right.”

“The Jedi are dead,” Vader said.  “But you do not have to follow them.  Surrender, and you will not come to harm.”

“What about her?” Ahsoka gestured to Hera, who hung suspended in midair.

“She will be questioned,” he said.

“Anakin,” Ahsoka said.  “You don't have to do this.  You have a choice.”

“Anakin is dead,” he insisted.  His mask turned to face Hera briefly before turning back to Ahsoka.  “You are concerned for the fate of this one. Who is she? What does she know?”

She ignored the questions. “What happened?” Ahsoka asked. 

“What?” Vader asked, sounding uncharacteristically surprised.

“I wasn't there,” Ahsoka said.  “I didn't see. I just want to know--what happened.”  In all of her years on the run, she had wondered what had happened.  To the Jedi. To the Republic. And to Anakin.

Every fragmented report she had been able to find on the end of the Clone Wars told different, often contradictory stories.

Vader was silent for a long moment.  Ahsoka worried he wouldn't answer.

“The Jedi were about to kill Chancellor Palpatine.  I saved his life. In return, he offered to save Padme, my wife.  But--she died. It was my fault.”

Vader spoke the words in a monotone that belied the intense feelings Ahsoka could sense from him.

“Obi-Wan,” he said abruptly, with venom and bitterness in his voice.  “Obi-Wan left me for dead. If it hadn't been for the Emperor, I would have a died a slow and painful death.”

Hearing him speak the familiar names was painful.  Padme, the senator she had befriended, was now dead.  She had known that, but hearing Anakin say it himself somehow made it more real.  She hadn't been able to attend Padme's funeral. It had been too high profile and would have put her in danger of discovery.

And Obi-Wan.  Obi-Wan and Anakin had been close.  Ahsoka remembered them bantering and joking like the best of friends. It was hard to imagine them fighting a battle to the death.

She didn't know what to say, and was even further surprised when Vader asked, “What about you?”

“What?” Ahsoka asked, unsure what to make of the question.

“What happened to you?  After the war, I thought you were dead.  I could not sense you.”

“I hid,” Ahsoka said simply.  “I took on other names. Tried to help people when I could.”

“Why were you on Coruscant?” Vader asked.

“I can't talk about that,” she said.

“Then perhaps your friend will tell me,” he said, an edge in his voice.

Ahsoka stiffened and held up her blades.  “I won't let you harm her.”

“You think I have a choice in the matter?”

“Yes,” Ahsoka said.

Vader was silent for a long moment.  “You will stand a better chance of survival if you surrender to me.  This place does not look kindly on those immersed in the Light.”

“I won't surrender,” Ahsoka said firmly.  “Not myself, and not her.”

“Then so be it,” Vader said.  But instead of reigniting his blade, he turned and disappeared into the gloom.

Hera felt the invisible grip release her and she fell to the ground.

Ahsoka rushed over to her.  “Are you alright?” she asked.

“Yes, I'm fine.  That was...Darth Vader.”  she stood, looking around the room.  “Where did he go?”

“ I don't know,” Ahsoka said.  “He's not in this room anymore, though.”  She could sense Anakin's Force signature receding.  He was far away now.

They both began to walk through the cavernous room, trying to make out the scenery around them.

“How do we get out of here,” Hera asked.

“Not sure,” Ahsoka said.  “But there has to be some way.”

At that moment, a convor perched on Ahsoka's shoulder. 

“Hey, how'd you get in here?” Ahsoka asked the bird.

The convor nuzzled against a montral in reply.

“Is that a convor?” Hera asked.

“Yes,” Ahsoka said.  “Her name is Morai.”

“How did she get here?” Hera asked.

“She must have stowed away on the ship when we weren't looking,” Ahsoka said, though in truth she didn't know.  Morai had appeared in places where Ahsoka knew she couldn't have travelled to by normal means. She wasn't simply a bird, but Ahsoka couldn't hold a conversation with her, either. She didn't know exactly what Morai was.  But she'd always appeared when Ahsoka needed a guide.

“How much did you hear?”

Hera glanced over to her.  “Everything. Did you want to talk about it?”

“I think I--need to decide what I think myself first. It's a lot.” 

“I understand,” Hera said. “Hey, what's that?” She pointed to a triangular opening.

“Looks like a way out,” Ahsoka said.  They hurried over to the opening and walked through it into a long hall.  Almost immediately they came to a fork in the hallway.

“Decisions, eh?” Hera said.  “Which way should we go?”

“That's a good question,” Ahsoka said.  She considered their options. “Let's go left,” she said.

Morai hooted excitedly. 

“I guess that means you agree?” Ahsoka said.

“What does she do if she doesn't agree?”

Ahsoka shrugged.  “Bites my fingers.”

They moved along the corridor until they were close to door.  Ahsoka was about to try to open it when she heard a voice coming from behind it.

“Absolutely not,” a strangely familiar voice said.  “I'm busy.”

“First Sister,” a man's voice said,  “I'm ordering you to--”

“No,” she said.  “As Inquisitor I outrank you, Admiral Rax.”

“That's not how ranks work…” Rax said.

“It is now,” the woman said.  “I outrank you. And I'm telling you to go away.”

“Alright,” Rax said.  “You've forced my hand, then.  I have no choice but to unleash my secret weapon.”

“What are you blathering on about--” the woman said.

“This is your superior officer speaking,” a teen girl's voice snapped. 

“Oh,” the woman's voice said, chagrined. “What are your orders, Oh Dark One?”

“Find them,” she said.

Ahsoka heard a deep sigh.  “As you command,” the woman said.

The door opened and Ahsoka and Hera came face-to-face with the Inquisitor.

“Veris Lin?!” Ahsoka exclaimed.

The Muun woman snarled and brandished her rotating lightsaber.  “You interrupted my shelving!”

Ahsoka caught the blade between her own twin blades.

“Veris! You remember me, don't you?” Ahsoka said.  She had been friends with the librarian's assistant back when they had both been Padawans at the Jedi Temple. Excepting the yellow eyes from Dark Side corruption, and the Inquisitor's garb she wore now, the resemblance was unmistakable.

“Of course I remember you, Ahsoka,” Veris said.  “Is that going to save you? No.” She moved her blade around her, using it as both a weapon and a shield.

“Please, Veris, you don't have to do this!”

“Actually, I do,” Veris said, leaping over Ahsoka's sabers and tilting her rotating saber to towards Ahsoka.  “It's in the job description.”

Ahsoka dropped to the floor and rolled away into the room behind Veris, coming to stand next to the shelves the archivist had been organizing.

An idea came to her. She grabbed the end of the shelf.

“Don't do it!” Veris demanded.  “Don't you dare!”

Ahsoka smiled.  Some things hadn't changed, then.  “Can we stop fighting and have a civilized conversation then?”

Veris bit her bottom lip, as if she'd been asked to make a particularly difficult and unpleasant choice.

“All right.  You step away from the shelf first.”

“No, you deactivate your saber first,” Ahsoka countered.

“Absolutely not,” Veris growled.

“No deal then,” Ahsoka said, and toppled the shelf.

“Noooo!” Veris shrieked, as thousands of datacards fell out of their slots.  Ahsoka saw Veris occupied with stopping the fall of the shelf and all the data cards in midair.

She whistled.  “Wow, that's impressive.”

The archivist glared at her, her yellow eyes livid.  “You're going to pay for this!”

“Well, I do have some overdue fines from the Jedi Archives I forgot to pay…”

“You can pay them with your head!” Veris said. Then she shut off the mechanism that rotated her saber.  Running up to Ahsoka, she began to attack in controlled, precise slashes with the double bladed saber.

Ahsoka countered with Soresu.  “You've gotten really good with Makashi.”

“You still hold your lightsabers wrong,” Veris replied mockingly. 

“It's not wrong if it works.”

Veris snorted, then seemed to decide she was supposed to be angry, not amused.  Her mouth twisted into a snarl. “People put their trust in you, Ahsoka, believed in you.  And what did you do? You ran away!”

“I had to,” Ahsoka said.  “I couldn't stay.”

“Lies!” Veris said slashing horizontally at Ahsoka, who backflipped over the rotating saber. 

Then Ahsoka began driving her backwards, towards the shelves the Muun had been working on.

Veris fought back fiercely, and Ahsoka found it difficult to counter her attacks, not because she lacked the ability, but because she couldn't bear the thought of bringing her former friend to harm.

First Anakin, and now Veris.  She had wished so many times for any of her old friends from the Temple to be alive, and now that she knew that two of her closest friends were, her heart was breaking all over again.

Suddenly Veris yelped and sparks were flying and so was her lightsaber, which hit the wall and bounced, rolling off into a corner.

Ahsoka looked off to her left.  Hera held her blaster out towards the Inquisitor.  Ahsoka held her lightsabers out towards Veris.

The Muun held up her hands.  “I surrender,” she said, scowling.

“Veris, we need your help,” Ahsoka said.  “We don't know how to get out of this Temple, and we need to leave.”

“Why should I help you?” Veris asked, narrowing her yellow eyes. 

“Help us so we can help you,” Ahsoka said.  “You can come with us.”

Veris frowned.  “I don't need your help.” 

“Maybe not, but I owe you a favor,” Ahsoka said.  “Come with us. Please.”

“I guess if you put it that way…,” Veris said.  “Still, if I went with you, I'd no longer have access to the Archives here.  No one cares about a lot of this stuff except for me. A lot of it is just--Jedi culture and bookkeeping.  It would be destroyed. Palpatine only wants to keep stuff that's useful .”  She said the last word with loathing.

Ahsoka concluded that Veris really hated Palpatine, but must have been forced to work for him.  From the sound of it, she'd even been secretly preserving Jedi records.

“That's terrible,” Ahsoka said.  “But you're in danger if you stay here, Veris.  You can't preserve records if you're dead. I'd rather you be safe, even if it means we lose those records.”

Veris looked at the floor.  “Nowhere in the galaxy is safe anymore, Ahsoka.”

“Maybe not,” Ahsoka said. “But you'll be safer with us, with people who care about you, than here.”

“We can help you if you come with us,” Hera said.  “Is there anyone here you can count on?”

Veris shook her head and looked up at them.  “You're right. Okay, let's go. But first…” she grabbed a satchel and began stuffing datacards in it.  In less than a minute, it was full. She zipped it up, put it over her shoulder, grabbed her lightsaber from the corner and said, “Ready now.”

“Good,” Ahsoka said.  “How do we get out of here?”

“There are multiple exits from the Temple,” Veris said.  “But, ah, only one that would guarantee we avoid anyone else inside here.”

“Yes, we kind of need to avoid attracting attention,” Hera said.

“Lead the way,” Ahsoka replied.

They followed close behind Veris through a maze of corridors, all just as empty as she said they would be.

Hera walked close to Ahsoka, her lekku brushing against Ahsoka's montrals.  Ahsoka grasped her hand in her own.

“It's so cold in here,” Hera whispered.

“It is,” Ahsoka agreed.

“Yes, the Dark Side is especially concentrated here,” Veris said.  “That is what you're sensing.”

“But I don't have the Force,” Hera said.

“You do.  Everyone has some Force sensitivity,” Veris said.  “Also, the Force isn't something you have. It's something we're all subject to.”

“Yes, that's true,” Ahsoka replied.  “Even if you can't manipulate the Force, you can still feel its presence.  That's because our ability to interface with the Force comes from midichlorians, which all lifeforms have some number of because we need them to survive.”

“Really?” Hera said.  “So you think I'm sensing the Force, too?”

“Absolutely,” Veris replied.  “The Imperial officers run the heat in here constantly, even though its actually not any colder in here than on a standard Star Destroyer.  None of them are eligible for Inquisitor training, nor would they have been accepted for Jedi training. But they can sense it all the same.”

“Oh,” Hera said.  “ I never knew that I could sense the Force.”

“It's not information that was generally shared by the Jedi, and the Sith actively suppress it,” Veris said. 

“What about droids?” Hera asked.  “I know they don't have midichlorians, but…” she trailed off.  Ahsoka remembered Hera talking to her about her droid Chopper, who she explained she had repaired as a child.  She wondered if she was indirectly asking about him specifically. She had indicated that she thought Chopper always seemed to know how to be in the right place at the right time.  Ahsoka knew that Chopper meant a lot to her--she had the impression that Hera considered him to be family.

“A subject of active research,” Veris said.  “While many believe that droids cannot sense the Force, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests otherwise. Some droids even show signs of having abilities similar to a Jedi or Sith, though neither group as far as I know has ever attempted to train a droid in their methods.  And in their case no intermediary like the midichlorians is known. It's possible that they simply possess direct access to the Force.”

Finally they reached a large door.

“This is the door outside,” Veris said.  “Here, let me open it for you.” She took one of the datacards out of the satchel and, her face assuming a tortured expression, dashed it against the stone of the door.

“What was that about?!” Hera asked, surprised.

“It requires a sacrifice to open this one--that's why no one goes this way.”  She walked through the door.

Immediately, it slammed shut behind her.  Ahsoka caught only the barest glimpse of Veris turning around to look at her in surprise before the door completely shut.

Turning around, she saw that a door behind her had also closed, locking them into the room.

For a moment, Ahsoka simply placed her hands over the door and tried to use the Force to open it. 

Nothing happened.

Ahsoka's comm beeped.  She turned it on and saw a holo of Veris.  “Veris? How did you get my number?”

“I didn't,” she said.  “Your comm uses an outdated protocol.  I hacked it.”

“Oh,” Ahsoka said.

“Can you help us get out of here?” Hera asked.

“I'm afraid not,” Veris said.  “This door only opens from the inside on contact with a sacrifice. You'll have to sacrifice something important to you to escape...”

“I don't have any possessions that important to me,” Ahsoka said. “And I'm certainly not sacrificing Hera.”

“And I certainly won't kill you, either,” Hera said.

“There has to be another way,” Ahsoka said. She shined a flashlight around on the walls, looking for an override panel.

“I don't think...wait,” Veris said.  Her hologram put a hand to her chin. “Those symbols--I think I can translate that.  It's Old Sith.”

“What does it mean?” Hera asked.

“It says that...oh.” Veris looked vaguely embarrassed.  She composed herself before continuing. “It says that you must place the blood of the sacrifice against the door. It says that a sacrifice is counted by pain and...passion.  There are...examples. Um, how well do you know each other?”

“We only just met recently,” Ahsoka said.

“Um. Okay, I'm going to type out the translation in Basic and send it to you.” 

Ahsoka received the translation and read it via holo-readout. 

Which meant that Hera saw it too.

She could see the twi'lek blushing furiously.  Ahsoka felt warmth coming into her own cheeks.

“Oh,” Ahsoka said. “I mean I--I would certainly be willing--but--it's up to you, Hera.”

“It certainly seems better than the alternative,” Hera said.  “We can't just stay here forever.” She looked between the two closed doors.  “And while I don't much care for the circumstances, the company is fortuitous.” she smiled at Ahsoka.

“Agreed,” Ahsoka said, returning the smile.

“Alright,” Veris said.  “I'm going to let you go then.  You don't need an audience, I'm sure.  I'll be waiting right outside here.”

The holo-image cut off.  Ahsoka put her comm away.

“Alright,” Ahsoka said. She clasped her hands together and looked over to Hera.  “I--I'm not sure how to begin.”

“Of course, this is very sudden,” Hera said. 

“No, I mean, I really don't know how to begin,” Ahsoka said, her face heating.  She laughed nervously. “I never imagined my first time would be necessary to escape a Sith Temple.”

“Oh, I see,” Hera said, her eyes widening in understanding.  “I never envisioned a scenario like this, either. Did you want to just...talk a bit first?”

“Sure, but also...I need you to explain how it works.”

Hera's eyes widened.  “Oh.”

“You...you know how it works, right?” Ahsoka said, looking worried. 

“Yes, I do,” Hera assured her.

“It's not--it's not that I wasn't taught about that.  It's just--I didn't pay as much attention to it since Jedi are celibate, and then when I wasn't a Jedi anymore it just never seemed like a priority.”

“Well, I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I had a short fling when I was younger, so I know enough I suppose.  I've been busy with piloting since then, though.”

“Your cargo piloting keeps you busy?” Ahsoka asked teasingly.

Hera returned the smile.  “Very.” She took off the headdress around her headtails.  “Still, piloting a ship and making love do have some similarities.”

“Really? How so?” Ahsoka asked, taking off her own headpiece.  She also took off her armor and belt.

Hera took Ahsoka's hand.  She leaned over to whisper in her ear.  “Well, they're both about...maneuverability.”

Hera ran a hand down Ahsoka's montrals and Ahsoka felt herself grow warmer despite the chill of the Dark Side that permeated this place.  She ran her own fingers down Hera's lekku.

“You may be new at this,” Hera said, breathing heavily.  “But you're not such a bad pilot yourself.”

“Nice to hear,” Ahsoka murmured, leaning in and kissing Hera, first tentatively, then more deeply, her tongue sliding against the pilot's.

Hera slowly pushed Ahsoka up against the wall and began to grind up against her.  Ahsoka responded by nipping her neck.

“Those fangs of yours are--quite impressive,” Hera said breathlessly.  “Those are going to leave some marks.”

Ahsoka paused and whispered, “A necessary sacrifice.”  Then she slowly licked Hera's neck.

“Mmm, yes,” Hera said. 

They helped each other remove their remaining clothing and laid on top of it on the floor, kissing and grinding against each other.  Hera's lekku rubbed against Ahsoka's montrals, and then Ahsoka adjusted her upper body so that she was sitting upright, one leg between Hera's limbs and slowly brushed her fingers across her breasts.

Then, Ahsoka felt herself lifting them both several feet into the air. 

“Oh, so you can fly too, then,” Hera said, her eyes lidded and voice breathy.

“Maybe a little,” Ahsoka answered, smiling.

They rolled around each other through the air in reckless abandon, their legs sliding against each other, their hands exploring each other's bodies.

Ahsoka moaned as their bodies moved slowly  together, twining around each other.

They both climaxed simultaneously, Ahsoka biting down hard enough on Hera's neck to draw blood, and then slowly dropped to the floor where they both lay in a tangle of limbs, spent. 

They were both motionless for a minute, before slowly rising and putting their clothing back on.

Ahsoka lightly pressed her fingers to the wound she had made with her fangs there, and pressed a bacta patch from her medkit on it.  Then she walked up to the door that led outside, and pressed the blood to the door.

The door finally opened and the two women walked outside.

Veris was reading a holo-display.  “Oh, finally. I was starting to worry about you two.  I've been commed several times. I kept having to stall  Jade.”

“Jade?” Hera asked.  “Who's that?”

Veris opened her mouth to reply when a voice said, “Me.” 

Ahsoka saw a red-haired Human teen dressed in a black jumpsuit holding double lightsabers step into view from around the corner of the Sith Temple.  Ahsoka blinked and activated her own sabers. “Oh. You're shorter than I expected.”

Jade scowled.  “Very funny. I see Vader didn't do his job.  Time for you to die.”

Ahsoka mentally chided herself.  “Apologies,” she said ruefully, “That's a bad habit of mine.”

“Apology not accepted!” Jade launched herself at Ahsoka.  Ahsoka parried her strikes with her own sabers.

As Hera moved to fire a blaster bolt at her sabers, Jade lashed out with a Force Wave, pushing both Hera and Veris to the ground.

Ahsoka, however, stood unmoved.

“You are strong in the Force,” Ahsoka said, blocking another flurry of attacks. “That's why the Emperor uses you as his enforcer.  But you are so much more than just an extension of his will.”

“It is an honor to be the Emperor's Hand!” Mara retorted.  “Stop trying to convert me with your ridiculous Jedi propaganda!”

“I am not a Jedi,” Ahsoka responded.  “And it's not propaganda. You do not need to serve another to be worthy of their esteem.”

“Not...listening,” Jade said.  She glared over at Veris. “Unlike this weak-willed fool.”

Veris scowled.  “You can't expect people not to quit with the safety record this job has!”

At that moment, a lambda shuttle flew on by.

“Let's get going,” Hera said.

“You two go, I'll be right behind you,” Ahsoka said.

“No, let me help,” Veris said.  She activated her own lightsaber and ran to stand next to Ahsoka.

“I'm not going if you two aren't,” Hera said.

“Excellent, you will all die, and I will gain the glory of your defeat!” Jade laughed.

“Ahsoka has a point, Mara,” Veris said.  “She's not trying to trick you. It's the Emperor who lies!”

Just then the lambda shuttle opened fire on Jade, who leapt out of the way.

Jade said something that was unintelligible to Ahsoka and leapt out of the way.  Then she snarled at Veris. “Enough of your treason, Inquisitor! You do not have the right to use my name!”

The ship fired again, and Mara Jade grimaced, finally fleeing the scene.

“I think that's Chopper's way of telling us it's time to go,” Hera said. 

Ahsoka hesitated, wanting to go after the fleeing Mara Jade.  But she didn't want to endanger Hera or Veris or Chopper. More Imperials could appear at any moment.  She turned and ran towards the landing lambda shuttle with the other two women.

The shuttle landed and extended the landing pad.  Ahsoka, Veris, and Hera entered the shuttle and it took off.

Hera piloted the ship into orbit, where they were fired at by an Imperial Star Destroyer now that their cover was blown. 

“No problem,” Hera said.  “Trying to hit a ship this size with a Star Destroyer is like trying to swat a Felucian fly with the broad side of a speeder.  I have way more maneuverability than they do.”

At that moment a horde of Tie Fighters emerged from behind Korriban's moon.

“You were saying?!” Veris squeaked, ducking as a Tie screeched directly over them and the ship shook with a direct hit from it's laser canon.

“Clever,” Hera said.  “The Star Destroyer blasts were just to keep us focused away from the Ties. But we're still good,” Hera said, concentrating on evading the Tie Fighters.  “Chopper is on it.”

Ahsoka heard a series of gleeful sounding beeps as their shuttle returned fire, causing two Tie Fighters heading for them to explode into flames.

Then Ahsoka heard a beeping noise on the comm.  “Message from the Star Destroyer,” she said. “Says it's from an 'Admiral Rax’.”

“Yes, do answer. Tell him he should stop firing on us if he wants to chat,” Hera said, making a hard left turn with the ship.

“We're gonna die we're gonna die…” Veris muttered from behind her.  The former Jedi Archivist never had liked space travel, and being in the middle of a firefight probably wasn't improving her enjoyment of the activity.

Ahsoka pressed the button to answer the comm.  Immediately an image of a human man dressed in an Imperial Admiral's uniform and a red cape appeared, along with the sound of music and--was that someone singing?--in the background.

“Ah, Ahsoka Tano!” the holo said, looking delighted.  “It's such an honor to see my quarry at last. I mean, I'm still going to kill you, but it's really been a blast tracking you down!”

Oh yeah, that, Ahsoka thought.   I really do have to figure out how I'm being tracked.  But it can wait until we're not all about to die.

“Have you considered not firing on us?” Ahsoka asked.

“Not really,” he said.  He tilted his head. “Do you think I should?”

“Yes,” Ahsoka said.

“Hmmm, maybe I will consider it if your ship will stand still a few seconds,” he said.

“I think not,” Ahsoka said, switching off the holo and its accompanying background music.

Hera continued evading the attacks until their ship blinked out into hyperspace.

Vader, Mara, and Rax all appeared to be in a foul mood as they stalked the bridge of the of the Star Destroyer.

Vader was thinking about Ahsoka.  He had gone into the Sith Temple planning to kill her, to prove that everything of Anakin was well and truly dead.  But that hadn't been what he had done, had it? He had spared his former Padawan, knowing she would find some way out of the Temple, knowing that she would find some way to escape.

He would have to formulate a suitable lie to the Emperor.  This was complicated by the fact that both the Hand and Admiral knew she had lived.

Vader was considering what kind of lie might work when Rax switched something on at the holodisplay.  Immediately there was very loud singing on the bridge.

“Ah, the best part,” Mara said, and began singing along.

“What is that wretched racket?” Vader growled.

“The Cantata of Cora Vessora, of course,” Rax said. 

“Ignore Vader, he's a huge complainer,” Mara said, and began dancing along with the choreographed holo as well.  Vader was very annoyed by this.

“Turn it off immediately! I am trying to meditate!” Vader ordered.  Treachery was, after all, a legitimate form of Sith meditation.

Rax smiled and pressed a button.  The volume went up. The Admiral cupped a hand to his ear.  “What was that? Turn it up?”

Vader held his anger in check.  He suspected the Admiral knew that Vader wasn't able to enact his usual punishments on him.

Instead, he used the Force to turn off the holovid, pull out the datacard, and crush it into dust.

The bridge was deathly silent.

“Touche,” Rax said.

“Do not test my patience,” Vader said ominously.  “You have both failed in this mission. I will report your incompetence to the Emperor.”

“ My incompetence?” Mara said, outraged.  She narrowed her eyes. “And which one of us is the  Sith Lord who lost a Jedi in a Sith Temple?!”

“Ex-Jedi,” Vader corrected.

“That's not better!” Mara yelled.

“Now, now, we all failed to destroy them,” Rax said.  “I'm sure we can share the blame equally.”

“I'm not sharing anything with you two losers, especially not blame,” Mara said.

Rax gave her a look of mock-injury. “Oh, betrayal,” he said.

“Did you even do anything to try to stop them?” Vader asked Rax. 

“Of course I did,” Rax said.  “I pelted their airspace with turbolaser fire, but their pilot was especially slippery and managed to evade it all.”

Vader pointed at him accusingly.  “Do not try to cover your own ineptitude by claiming  exceptional skill for this pilot.”

Rax sighed.  “So it seems this is to be blamed on me?  Are not the two of you supposed to be especially skilled?  I would think that would make your failures worse than mine.” He held up a hand.  “You know what? You're right. It's all my fault.”

One moment Rax appeared to be ceding the argument, in the next, he'd pointed his two blasters at Vader and Mara and shot them both simultaneously.

Two things happened in that moment.

The first was, Mara's eyes widened mere milliseconds before she was hit, and she fell to the ground.

The second was Vader held up his hand and deflected the bolt aimed at him without even thinking about it.  With his other hand he yanked the blasters from Rax with a gesture and levitated him five feet off the ground, Force choking the Admiral.

He would have done worse, if not for Palpatine's interference.  As it was, he still intended for Rax to regret every millisecond of his treachery.

"What is the meaning of this treason, Admiral?  Explain now or I will find less pleasant ways to have you divulge your secrets."

"Can't...do...that...choking," Rax managed, looking both supremely uncomfortable and incredibly amused.  Vader couldn't help but think that there was something very wrong with this man. Perhaps most would say the same about him, but Vader felt his own thoughts were straightforward to any not so intimidated by his appearance and mannerisms that they lost all sensibility.

Reluctantly, he released his Force hold on the man's neck.  Rax took a few deep, gasping breaths.

“Urgh,” Mara said.  Vader saw her open her eyes and grab her sabers, leaping up from the ground.  “What the kriff was that about?!” Mara said, glaring at Rax accusingly.

At that moment, Vader heard a hissing sound.

“The Emperor wanted to test the two of you,” Rax replied.  “That sound just now? It's poison gas coming through the vents.  Well, actually it's an aromatherapy scent. But you didn't know that! I have to say, you both did rather poorly.”

“My suit contains a built in gas-mask,” Vader pointed out. “I think it is you who is doing poorly right now.” 

“Oh, I'll show him poorly…” Mara said, advancing on the Force restrained Admiral.

Vader held up a hand.  “I will handle this.”

“Kriff that!” Mara said.  “My revenge is much more important than yours!  Get out of the way, or I'll go through you too!”

Vader sighed internally.  As much as he was inclined to handle this demand with a retort and his lightsaber, he must deal with Rax first.  He would have to attempt persuasion to stall Jade.

“Nothing will happen to him until I check his claim,” Vader said.  “If it is indeed true that this is a test from the Emperor…”

“Fine,” Mara said, powering off her sabers and placing them back on her belt.  “But if he lies, he dies.”

“Good one!” Rax said.

“You,” Mara growled, pointing angrily at him. “Shut it.”

Rax, still floating in midair, held up his hands, smiling.

Vader commed Palpatine.

“Ah, Lord Vader,” Palpatine said.  “Your task is complete, I take it? Tano is dead?”

“No, my lord,” Vader said.  “She escaped.”

Palpatine scowled.  “Is this all you have to report?”

“No. Rax attacked myself and Hand Jade,” Vader said.  “He claims this was done on your orders. I wished to check his claim with you myself before executing him for treason.” He refused to reveal to Jade that Rax's death would cause his own.  Vader could not allow Rax to die until the suit directive was deactivated.

At this, Palpatine grinned.  “No execution is called for, Lord Vader.  He speaks the truth.”

How inconvenient , Vader thought sourly.

“Let this be a lesson to both of you,” Palpatine said.  “Never let your guard down. And do not fail me again.”

Both Vader and Mara bowed stiffly and said, “Yes, my lord.”

Vader wondered if Palpatine could detect that he was lying.

Ahsoka and Hera sat together on the steps of another pyramidal Temple, but rather than it being a Sith Temple, it was an old Jedi Temple, and rather than being a dune-filled desert, they were surrounded by the lush jungles of Yavin IV.  

Chopper was repairing the lambda shuttle they had escaped in.  Morai stood on his head, attempting to groom him. Meanwhile Ahsoka could hear Chopper grumble in Binary that he wasn't a petsitter.  At the same time he slipped a bird treat to Morai who gobbled it up and hooted contentedly. “I think Morai is growing on him,” she said, leaning her head on Hera's shoulder.

“Oh, definitely,” Hera said. “If she hadn't, you would know.”

Ahsoka found a certain satisfaction in the thought that they were hiding from the Sith in a former Jedi temple established on a former Sith stronghold.  On the other hand, the events of their misadventure on Korriban were still fresh in her mind.

“Something bothering you?” Hera asked.

Ahsoka sighed.  “I wasn't able to reach him. I failed.”

“You reached out despite the risks,” Hera said.  “Maybe you weren't able to convince him to turn back to the Light, Ahsoka, but he let you go.  He let us both go. I think that means what you said had some impact.”

“Yes, you did have an impact,” a voice said from behind her.  Ahsoka turned around. Veris was wearing a grey jumpsuit and holding a datapad.  “If to no one else, than at least to me.”

Ahsoka and Hera stood, and Ahsoka embraced Veris.  “And I'm so glad for that,” Ahsoka said. “I don't know what I would have done otherwise--”

“The right thing,” Veris said.  “And you still would have won. You're the warrior, not me.”

“You fought well,” Ahsoka said.  “You've improved a lot. But I understand.  That's not what you want to define you.”

“How is your new archive going?” Hera asked.

“I'd hardly call it an archive.  But I've organized all the 563 datacards I took from the Korriban archive.”

“Already?” Hera asked.  “That's incredible!”

“No, you're incredible!” Veris said.  “You're piloting is amazing. I ah, apologize if I was less than appreciative during the actual event.”

Hera laughed.  “No, I understand.”

“I'm just glad we're all here now,” Ahsoka said.  “You really are an amazing pilot, Hera. And Veris, you can help us rebuild our knowledge,” Ahsoka said.  “We'll need information if we're to defeat the Empire.”

“Yes, we will,” Hera said.

“I'd be happy to help with that,” Veris said, smiling, her eyes now their natural deep violet. “But it's going to take time.”

“That's alright. We'll build the new Archives up piece by piece,” Ahsoka said.  “Just like this Rebellion.”

“Yes, we will.  Together.” Hera said.

There were others out there, fighting against the Empire, she just knew it.  And she would find them, and fight alongside them.

And together, they could take down the Empire.