Saga - Legends AU - Star Wars: The New Sith Order - Update 10/05 - Chapter 19

Thanks darth_treyvah Starkiller_Ren and AzureAngel2 for your comments.

This is the point the whole story has been building up to: the inevitable confrontation between Vader and Kenobi.I dare not spoil what is to come but I can tell you the cost will be high.

There are a lot of threads being pulled together in the approaching battle, not only Vader's meeting with Ben and Ahsoka, and the fight to control Luke's future, but also the rivalry between the Emperor and Vader. As for the absence of Rex, since this isn't meant to be a strictly EU or Canon timeline but a blend of the two, (which means Kanaan, Ezra and the rest of the Rebels crew are out there somewhere, along with Rex) so Rex could still put in an appearance. Fives was always my favourite clone character which is why I chose to resurrect him and make him a prominent member of the Alliance, and hopefully I'll get the chance to flesh out his backstory a little more.

I loved bringing together all these characters and seeing how they interact with each other. I was never a huge fan of the Force Unleashed games, but Kota was actually a lot of fun to play around with (And of course that means Starkiller is out there too!). Vader is probably my favourite character to write in this story and in some ways his story is the most important of all as it affects all the other characters. As for Luke falling to the Sith... you'll have to wait and see!

It certainly would, but is there any light left? Is Luke's influence enough to drag Anakin back towards the light? I literally can't wait to show you what I have in store for them both!

 

* does practise patience

 

Tagging Jedi_Perigrine AzureAngel2

Chapter 17

The Grey Pilgrim came out of hyperspace with a thud. Ben’s hand snaked out to catch hold of a bulkhead as the ship jolted. Stars filled the cockpit window. Nearby a small planet hung in the blackness of space, its surface a swirl of browns and greys. A number of large asteroids orbited the planetoid and, high over the polar region, he spotted the shard of a star destroyer. It grew larger as they approached. It was bigger than any of the Republic cruisers that Ben had served on during the war, and it bristled with weapons.

Ducking out of the cockpit and leaving Ahsoka to deal with the Imperials, he headed to the back of the craft were Kota and Fives were waiting with a squad of rebel soldiers. Fives was wearing battered ARC trooper armour and he grinned at Ben. ‘Just like old times General.’

Kota was also outfitted with armour. He had offered some to Ben but he had refused, preferring not to restrict his movement. He felt inside his robe for the comforting metal of his lightsaber and closed his eyes, opening himself to the Force. He could feel that Luke was close, he was sure of it. Hang on, I’m coming he projected, hoping the boy would hear him. The ship jerked and Ahsoka climbed down from the cockpit.

‘They have us in a tractor beam. No turning back now,’ she said.

The next few minutes were tense. The Avenger pulled them into its hanger bay, and Ben felt the anxiety emanating from the rebel soldiers. Kota had hand-picked them and all were veterans, but the prospect of facing an entire battalion of stormtroopers was making them skittish. Very gently, Ben nudged their minds, pushing the anxiety away. He caught Kota’s eye and the scarred man nodded approvingly.

The boarding ramp at the rear of the ship dropped and Ben strode out alongside Kota and Ahsoka. Fives and the soldiers remained on board, ready to provide covering fire if things didn’t go as planned. The hanger bay was deserted, save for a pair of officers standing near the ship. One wore a ridiculous uniform groaning with gold braid and medals, while the other, bearing the insignia of an Imperial captain, glowered at the rebels as they approached.

‘Which one of you is Fulcrum?’ said the officer wearing the ornate uniform.

Ahsoka took a step forwards. ‘You must be Kalast.’

‘Moff Kalast,’ he corrected her. His voice was high and nasal. He was obviously a man who wished to project an authoritative image, but Ben sensed a deep well of fear behind the façade. ‘This is Captain Decado.’

‘Not Moff for long,’ said Kota with a grin. ‘Do you have the plans?’

‘They’re safe,’ said Kalast. ‘I have them on an encrypted datacard. They will act as insurance for our lives when we leave.’

‘That wasn’t the arrangement,’ said Ahsoka. ‘You’ll hand the datacard over to us and we’ll verify the contents are genuine first.’

‘And we’ll be taking your star destroyer,’ put in Kota.

Kalast bristled. ‘Now you are the ones breaking the terms of our agreement!’

‘We’re altering the deal,’ said Kota. ‘A star destroyer could come in handy for the rebellion. We’ll see that your crew are taken good care of and returned to the Empire. We don’t have the means to hold prisoners of war. Not yet anyway. It seems a small price to pay to keep you safe.’

Kalast hesitated. Ben had met men like him before. They were totally self-serving, willing to go to any lengths to survive. He had the plans, but his back was against the wall. He had nowhere to go.

‘Very well,’ said Kalast, looking defeated. He gestured to Decado. ‘Hand the plans over.’

Decado reached inside his tunic and Ben felt a spike of danger through the Force. He shouted a warning but before he could move Decado whipped out a compact blaster pistol and shot Kalast in the back from point blank range. Stormtroopers sprinted in from either side of the hanger bay.

‘Covering fire,’ shouted Kota, drawing his lightsaber and deflecting a blaster bolt back towards the stormtroopers, who were crouched behind crates and plasteel cylinders for cover.

Ben brought up his own lightsaber, the blue-white blade neatly intercepting a series of red blaster bolts. He looked around for Decado, but the Imperial captain had sprinted for the nearest group of stormtroopers and was out of danger. Ahsoka was dragging Kalast’s body to safety while Fives and the other rebels fired over their heads from the shelter of the boarding ramp.

‘Fall back!’ yelled Kota. Together he and Ben retreated to the relative safety behind the Grey Pilgrim. Fives turned Kalast over. Decado’s shot had burned through the Moff’s body, puncturing his lungs and ruining the lavish uniform. He was still alive but wouldn’t last long.

‘Where are the assassins?’ said Ben, leaning over the dying man.

Kalast’s eyes were wide and glassy. ‘He… he shot me…’

‘Kalast! The children! Where are the children?’

‘Children? Uh… I don’t have… uh… medical bay. Detention block.’

‘Where’s the boy?’

‘I don’t… he shot me…’ Kalast’s voice trailed off and his eyes rolled back. Ben let the dead man slump to the deck. Already the mission was starting to unravel. He had only one thought fixed in his mind. He had to find Luke. He quickly communicated Kalast’s final words to Kota. The old Jedi swore.

‘Which one? The medical bay or the detention block?’

‘I don’t know. I’ll have to search both,’ said Ben.

‘You might not have time,’ said Fives. He was holding a comlink to his ear. ‘I’ve just had word from our squadron hiding in the asteroid belt. Another star destroyer just jumped in from hyperspace. It must have been waiting on the far side of the system waiting for a signal from Decado.’

For a moment Ben’s eyes lost their focus. His senses expanded, reaching out towards the approaching ship. One touch of that cold mind was all the confirmation he needed. A mind so black it blotted out all the light around it.

‘Vader’s on board that ship.’

‘We have to abort the mission. If we leave now we might still be able to escape,’ said Kota.

‘Go if you must. I’m not leaving without Luke.’

‘Damn it Kenobi!’ Kota took peek around the boarding ramp. Behind the first rank of stormtroopers another group were setting up a line of heavy repeating blaster cannons. ‘Alright. You go to the medical bay while Ahsoka heads for the detention block.’

‘You can’t take Vader alone Rahm,’ said Ahsoka.

Kota smiled grimly. ‘I’ll be able to slow him down. Don’t worry about me, I can handle Vader. You just make sure you get to the boy. If I was in Decado’s place I’d have the kids executed immediately. We don’t have time to gang up on Vader.’

Ben nodded. It made sense. The Emperor knew they would try to stage a rescue attempt and he didn’t want Luke falling into rebel hands. Fives handed him a datacard with the ship schematics programmed onto it. He felt Kota’s hand on his shoulder.

‘Good luck Kenobi.’ Kota held out his hand and Ben gripped his arm, wrist to wrist, aware that this was probably the last time he would see the old man.

‘Kota… I…’

‘What a time to be alive,’ said Kota. ‘We should have been born earlier so we didn’t have to see it.’ He gave Ben a shove. ‘Get going.’

Ben saluted the Jedi Master with his lightsaber and looked at Ahsoka. Together they broke from cover, their lightsabers sizzling through the air, deflecting the blaster bolts that came too close. Ben allowed himself to fall into the Force, letting it guide his actions. He and the lightsaber became a single entity, a focal point of destructive energy and movement. Several stormtroopers fell, hit by their own reflected blaster bolts. More cowered back, panicked by the sight of the Jedi Master’s wrath. Ben carved his blade downwards, cutting a stormtrooper clean in half. Nothing in the galaxy was going to stop him now.

 

Almost bit my fingernails off, almost.

Now they have to separate for the rescue which is always a bad thing to do in a horror movie or a thriller.

And Kota basically said in a coded way, "Today is a good day to die!"

 

tagging Jedi_Perigrine AzureAngel2

Chapter 18

Aboard his Lambda-class shuttle, Darth Vader watched the wedge-shape of the Avenger grow larger and tried to fight down the rising excitement he could feel twisting inside of him. At last he would have revenge. Not only would he finally slay his old master but he would take Luke as his apprentice, completing Kenobi’s failure. His only regret was that he would not be able to prolong the agony. A quick death was more than he deserved. Reaching out, Vader sought his old master. He found him, sensing the cool focus and quiet skill. He wasn’t alone, Vader sensed. There were other Jedi with him. Good.

He ordered the co-pilot to open a channel to the Avenger. A hologram of Captain Decado appeared, bowing respectfully to the Dark Lord of the Sith.

‘Report Captain.’

‘I have followed my orders, Lord Vader. The traitor Kalast is dead and the fabricated Death Star plans are secure. I have already destroyed the genuine copy as instructed.’

‘And the rebels?’

‘Pinned down in the hanger bay. They will be dealt with. I have reports that two of the Jedi have broken out, but I have teams of stormtroopers searching for them. They won’t get far.’

‘Ensure no harm comes to the prisoners,’ said Vader. ‘Put a triple guard on the detention block.’

Decado paused, a look of confusion crossing his face. ‘My Lord… I have orders to terminate them immediately.’

‘I am giving you your orders, Captain Decado. See that none of the prisoners are harmed or you will pay the price, am I understood?’

‘Yes Lord Vader.’

Vader shut of the comm with a flick of his gloved hand. He knew where Decado’s orders had come from. Tarkin.

The Avenger filled the viewport now, its iron grey hull flashing past as the shuttle’s pilot guided the ship towards the ventral hanger bay. Walking to the back of the craft, Vader ran a quick diagnostic on his life-support suit. He had fine-tuned the systems before setting off on his mission, taking particular care to tweak his prosthetics. He would need as much manoeuvrability and dexterity as possible. Kenobi might be an old man but Vader knew he was still dangerous. He had, after all, beaten him before. He controlled the surge of anger which swelled inside of him. No, that had been Anakin Skywalker. He had been weak.

The shuttle touched down in the hanger bay and the ramp lowered with a gush of steam. Instantly the sound of blaster-fire reached Vader. He descended the ramp alone. He needed no stormtroopers or Inquisitors. He needed no-one.

Ahead of him he saw a cluster of rebel soldiers, clad in a motley collection of armour and camouflage, firing at a squad of stormtroopers. Vader raised an arm. Two of the rebels were lifted into the air. They snatched at empty space, struggling in vain against his mental grip. He dashed them together with bone-breaking force. A third rebel died as Vader flung him against the hanger bay wall and he used the Force to strangle a fourth man to death. The remaining soldier turned his rifle on the dark lord. Vader caught the blaster bolts in the palm of his gloved hand, deflecting them back at the rebel. The bolts struck him in the head and chest and he went down.

More rebels were huddled in the cover of their ship. Before Vader could approach them an armour-clad figure stepped in front of him. Curiously the rebel was wearing a battered suit of ARC trooper armour. The helmet’s T-shaped visor was cracked and the comm antenna was snapped off. There was something almost familiar about the man.

Raising and old DC-15A blaster rifle the rebel squeezed off a series of shots at him. Vader batted the bolts aside. The armoured figure rolled to avoid the reflected shots. Reaching out, Vader wrenched the weapon from his grasp and tugged the rebel into the air with the Force. Desperately the man fired at him using a wrist-mounted weapon, but the shots went wide. Vader’s hand curled into a fist, preparing to choke the life out of the rebel. His senses flashed a warning. Those wild shots hadn’t missed. The rebel tapped a control on his gauntlet and a pair of tiny explosives detonated behind the Sith Lord, flinging him from his feet.

The clone – Vader was sure now that it was a clone – hit the ground and rolled to his feet, firing from his other gauntlet. Two small objects slammed into Vader’s arms and instantly pulled him towards the floor. Some kind of magnetic grapplers, he realised, trying to pry himself from the deck. Clever. The clone drew a D-17 pistol and aimed for his face.

Vader sent a wave of Force energy as solid as a durasteel wall towards the clone. The impact flung him from his feet and sent him crashing into a stack of cargo crates. Looking down, Vader focused on the two magnetic devices and used the Force to crush them. He got to his feet and found himself face to face with a middle-aged man wearing wielding a green lightsaber. The man’s grey hair was pulled back in a tight bun on the back of his head and he wore a tattered cloak over a scarred and pitted breastplate.

‘Rahm Kota. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.’

The Jedi Master’s face twisted. ‘It’s about time someone killed you.’

Vader unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. Red light spilled from the blade, pooling around the Sith Lord like an ethereal bloodstain.

They lunged at each other, lightsabers clashing together as they exchanged blows. The old man was good. He favoured Ataru and he fought with the right mixture of aggression and control, but his shoulders were stiffened by age and he couldn’t match the power of Vader’s onslaught. Slowly he began to drive the Jedi Master back, hacking down again and again at the green lightsaber.

His incarceration in the life-support suit meant that Vader had drastically altered his old fighting style. Gone was the finesse and acrobatics he had employed as a youth, now he simply relied on strength. He eroded Kota the way the sea wears down a weak cliff, battering him over and over again. A cut appeared on Kota’s thigh. The Jedi Master stumbled and Vader moved in, sensing the kill.

Kota jumped back and then launched himself at Vader. He pirouetted in mid-air, his lightsaber slicing down in a deadly arc, driving the Sith Lord back. Raising his blade he brought it down two handed, but Vader was too fast. Grabbing the falling lightsaber hilt with one hand, he drove his blade into Kota’s chest. For a moment the Jedi Master stared down at the ruby blade, a stunned expression on his face, and then he collapsed to his knees.

‘You’ve lived too long, old man.’

Kota looked up at him, a faint smile on his lips. ‘I’m not afraid to die.’

‘Then die.’

Surging forward, Vader grabbed the old man’s head and twisted. Kota’s neck snapped and he slumped to the ground. His lightsaber rolled out of his nerveless fingers and Vader planted a boot on it as it rolled away. He picked it up and slotted it into an inner pocket. Another lightsaber to add to the Hall of the Fallen. He stepped over the body of the vanquished Jedi Master, ignoring the storm of blasterfire around him.

Now it was Kenobi’s turn.

 

Still shocked by Kota´s death, but it was beautifully written. Sounds really macabre to write that.

Your fight scenes always mirror the action of a STAR WARS movie sequence.

 

Tagging Jedi_Perigrine and AzureAngel2

Chapter 19


‘Sir, there’s an incoming message from Coruscant. It’s marked high priority.’

Captain Ozzel turned away from the wide viewport and stroked his greying moustache. He’d positioned his star destroyer to match the orbit of the Avenger, awaiting instructions from Darth Vader. ‘Very well, put it through.’

A fuzzy hologram appeared. It was scratchy and distorted, no doubt as a result of interference from the nearby asteroids. He shot a look at the communications officer, who hastily tapped his console, trying to clear up the transmission. The image sharpened, revealing a cadaverously thin man wearing Imperial uniform.

‘Moff Tarkin,’ said Ozzel, saluting.

‘I have new orders for you, captain. You will destroy the Avenger.’

‘Sir?’ Ozzel gasped. ‘My orders were to keep the Avenger in orbit and prevent the Rebels from escaping.’

‘Are you questioning my instructions?’ said Tarkin, raising an eyebrow.

‘With all due respect sir, my orders came from Lord Vader.’

Tarkin’s head twisted, looking at something outside the holograms field of vision. With a bow he stepped out of the image and a new figure took his place, hooded and cloaked, leaning on a knotted cane. Ozzel dropped to one knee.

‘I am yours to command, my Emperor.’

‘The crew of the Avenger have been led astray by a traitor. They will be made an example of,’ said the Emperor in his rasping voice.

‘But… your grace… Lord Vader is still aboard the Avenger.’

‘Carry out my orders captain.’

‘It shall be done, my Emperor.’ Ozzel lowered his head until it touched his knee. The image faded. He could hardly believe what he had heard. Rising to his feet he saw his senior officers staring at him, their eyes wide.

Ozzel cleared his throat, struggling to regain his composure. ‘Helm, bring us alongside the Avenger. Tactical, I want to fire a full broadside and take out her main cannons and engines.’ For a moment the officers stared at him, dumbfounded, and then they rushed to comply. Turning back to the viewport, Ozzel watched as the Venomous closed the distance between the two star destroyers. A sudden thought crossed his mind. The officers of the Imperial navy lived in mortal terror of the fearsome Dark Lord of the Sith, and now Ozzel would be the man to kill Darth Vader. He was about to become a legend.

‘Open fire!’

*​

Luke felt deck beneath his feet shudder as the first salvo hit the Avenger. He glanced at Mara. ‘Do you think we hit something?’

She shrugged. ‘Maybe it has something to do with that alarm from earlier?’

He nodded, leaving his hopes unspoken for now. Darth Vader’s words had been circling his mind ever since they had been captured. I will always come for you. He hardly dared let himself believe it. Too many of his hopes had been dashed during his time in the academy. First Matthyu had died, and now he’d lost Kurukh. He could only assume his Noghri friend was dead as he hadn’t been thrown in here with him and Mara. The Imperials told them nothing, simply leaving them food supplements and water. They had expected to be interrogated but they had spent nearly a week in the cramped cell without so much as a beating.

Luke couldn’t explain why, but he felt like he was waiting for something. A second blast shook the ship, this time accompanied by a groan and a distant crash. The cell lights flickered.

‘I think we’re under attack,’ said Mara.

‘Yeah, but who by?’ said Luke. He and Mara had been confined here since their failed assassination of Moff Kalast. Luke had gone over the events again and again and each time he came to the same conclusion: they had been set up. Not only had their gear been sabotaged, the Imperials had been expecting them. Luke rubbed at a bruise that he’d earned after kicking a stormtrooper. Somebody had wanted them to fail in their assassination. But who, and why? If they’d wanted Luke and the others dead, why not just kill them. He felt like he was being toyed with, a small piece in a larger game that he hadn’t been taught how to play.

‘Someone’s coming,’ whispered Mara. Cocking his head, Luke heard the sound of boots on the cell block walkway outside their cell. They quickly moved into a corner, tightening the straps on their combat boots, dropping into fighting stances.

The cell door slid back and a slim alien female stepped down. Her face was framed by a pair of horn-like appendages and she wore a tunic reinforced with armour plates at the shoulders and chest. A pair of startlingly blue eyes fixed on Luke.

‘Are you Luke Skywalker?’ the female asked.

‘Yes.’

‘I’m Ahsoka Tano. I’m here to rescue you.’

‘Did Darth Vader send you?’

‘No. I’m here with Ben Kenobi.’

‘Ben Kenobi? Wait – Ben Kenobi! From Tatooine?’

Ahsoka nodded. ‘I know you’ve got questions, but we’ve got to get out of here before this star destroyer gets blown out of the sky.’

Luke looked at Mara and she said the words he was thinking. ‘Right, escape first, questions later.’

They encountered a scene of carnage at the entrance to the cell block. At least a dozen stormtroopers lay tangled and broken there, along with the black-uniformed detention officers. The walls were scored with blaster burns and several of the stormtroopers had been dismembered. Luke felt his stomach quiver as he stepped over a headless body.

Mara gazed at the dead soldiers in astonishment. ‘You killed them all by yourself?’

‘They were in my way,’ said Ahsoka without turning. The two children had to run to keep up with her. She raised a comlink to her lips. ‘Master Kenobi? Ben come in. Ben I’ve got Luke and the girl, I’m heading back to the hanger bay now.’

Luke recognised the voice that crackled over the comlink, though he didn’t quite believe he was hearing it. ‘Well done Ahsoka. I’ve found the third assassin. He’s injured, but alive. I’ll get him back to the shuttle.’

Luke felt his heart leap. Kurukh wasn’t dead! A sense of relief rushed through him, cut off an instant later as the ship gave a terrific lurch. He crashed against a bulkhead, jarring his shoulder. He wanted to ask who was attacking them, but Ahsoka was already on her feet and running down the corridor.

Ahead three stormtroopers blocked their path, and for the first time Luke realised he wasn’t armed. He should have picked up one of the dropped blasters back in the detention block. Ahsoka leapt to meet them, a pair of shimmering silver blades appearing in her hands. Luke watched, awestruck, as she cut the stormtroopers down with a series of efficient slashes.

‘Are you a… Jedi?’ he asked, mouth hanging open.

‘I used to be,’ said Ahsoka, closing down her lightsabers. ‘Keep moving.’

Luke followed, remembering to scoop up one of the discarded blaster rifles. If felt heavy in his hand. His mind was a blur of questions. Vader had said the Jedi had been wiped out. Had he lied? Or did he not know about Ahsoka? Could Luke trust her? The ship gave another lurch. Luke staggered, but stayed on his feet, deciding that what mattered right now was getting off this ship alive.

They encountered more resistance as they pushed their way closer to the hanger. Each time the lightsabers carved them a path through. Luke and Mara fired their blasters at the blank-faced stormtroopers. Mara took one down with a headshot. His helmet rolled away, and Luke caught a glimpse of the face beneath, scarred and blackened by blaster burns. The ship was beginning to list, and the alarm klaxons seemed to have increased in pitch and urgency. Orders bellowed over the intercom. Behind them a power conduit ruptured, spitting out sparks and belching smoke. Luke glanced over his shoulder towards the damage and loped headlong into Ahsoka, who had stopped running. He peered around her legs to see what had caused her to halt.

Darth Vader stood at the far end of the corridor, red-bladed lightsaber droning in his hand. He seemed colossal somehow, as though he had grown since Luke had last seen him. When he spoke his voice echoed along the corridor, deep and menacing.

‘Ahsoka Tano. We meet again at last.’

The twin sliver blades appeared in Ahsoka’s hands. ‘I’ve been hoping I’d run into you. I want to make you pay for all the Jedi you’ve killed.’

‘You are welcome to try.’

Ahsoka motioned for Luke and Mara to stay back and advanced. She and Vader met with a clash, their lightsabers screeching as they locked together. Luke watched as they battled, amazed by the speed and skill of both the combatants. He had never seen fighting like this. Ahsoka was nimble and her double blades were now only a blur of sliver light but Vader met each of her attacks, his movements sharp and precise.

Lifting an arm, Vader unleashed a sheet of crackling blue lightning. The blast caught Ahsoka full in the chest, catapulting her backwards to slam into a bulkhead. Flipping to her feet, she spun through the air, her lightsabers creating a deadly ring of energy around her. Vader took a step backwards, his red blade working furiously to defend against the assault. Luke gasped as one of the silver blades sliced into Vader’s upper arm. If the Sith Lord noticed that he had been cut, he didn’t show it. He axed his lightsaber down on Ahsoka, smashing one of the lightsabers from her grasp.

Ducking back, away from the scything red blade, Ahsoka dropped to her knees and stabbed upwards, into Vader’s face. The Sith Lord bellowed as the silver blade sliced into his helmet. Taking advantage of Ahsoka’s thrust he reversed his blade and slashed it across her body. The two combatants fell apart, Vader’s hand going to his face, while Ahsoka crouched on the ground. Most of the impact had been absorbed by her armour, but there was still a deep gash across her midriff.

‘It appears your lightsaber skills have improved,’ said Vader. He lifted his head, revealing a rent in his faceplate through which a single malevolent eye glared at his former student. ‘Anakin Skywalker taught you well.’

Luke felt the floor drop away from beneath him, as if he had been yanked out of his skin and thrown headlong into space. Anakin Skywalker. His father. For a split second his head flooded with memories of him pestering his uncle Owen for stories about his father, always to have them brushed aside as if they were of no consequence.

Ahsoka struggled to her feet. ‘Don’t say his name!’

‘Deep down you knew you were never good enough to be a Jedi. So you left. You turned your back on the Order. You turned you back on everything.’

‘Shut up!’ Ahsoka dived forward, lightsaber humming. Vader battered aside the attack and flung her to the ground.

‘You turned your back on me Ahsoka! You betrayed me!’

Gathering herself up, Ahsoka summoned her lightsaber to her hand. ‘What – who are you?’

‘Obi-Wan didn’t tell you?’

‘He told me enough.’

‘Look at me Ahsoka. Look past this suit and the scarred flesh within. LOOK AT ME!’ The last words tore themselves from Vader’s throat, a bellow of pure rage and malice.

Ahsoka’s eyes narrowed. She stared at Vader as if trying to peel away the layers of his soul. Luke watched her, noting the muscles straining in her neck as he focussed all of her attention on the black-armoured figure towering over her. With a sudden jerk she fell backwards as if she’d been slapped, tumbling to the floor in a heap. Tears streamed from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks to patter on the metal deckplates.

‘Anakin?’

 

Wow, that was quite a revelation to Asoka. I hope Luke also survives the news that were no news to us, the reader. But you show so well how the truth can hit those who knew Anakin in his former life.

 

I finally had the opportunity to binge-read this story last night and now I'm very angry at you because you didn't post the last chapters and I'm left wondering if that fast-forward snippet thar I read at the very beginning is about to happen!

This is a fantastic AU and there are so many converging storylines and layers of intrigue that I don't think I can do them justice in a single review. One of the aspects that really stands out is the treatment, or rather the mistreatment of the youngsters at the hand of the Inquisitorius. The scene with Jinx early on in the story is some creepy foreshadowing of what could happen to Luke, Mara and their friends, and little Matthyu's story arc is heartbreaking and extremely disturbing. The reveal that the Overseer is Maul was also very well-handled -- I wondered during the earlier chapters if he could be someone we knew from canon, but I hadn't really expected him.

Another aspect that truly stands out is the constant conniving and backstabbing in the Imperial ranks -- the Emperor and Maul of course, but also Tarkin and the whole scheme with Kalast to get rid of Vader, Kenobi, Luke et alii in one fell swoop. Oh, and Yularen making an encrypted call to the Admonitor promises to add the Father of All Imperial Scheming to the mix; I can't wait to see where you'll take that one!

Yet another aspect that stands out is the character-building. All these characters are very fundamentally the characters we know -- which is unsurprising for Cad Bane, Ahsoka and Rahm Kota, given that they're doing in this AU pretty much what they did in canon, but is far more difficult to achieve for Luke and Mara, for instance, who are in a very different situation. I'm also very much enjoying the character development of Ben and Vader in this story, in particular the little moments when they remember the time when they used to be Obi-Wan and Anakin.

I also very much enjoyed Shadow on the Battlefield and all the cloak and sabre of Voice breaking Fives out of Kamino. Which also reminds me that I haven't read Weak Link and Operation: Knightfall, but I'm going to remedy that now.

I hope everything is well with you, and that you can come back soon for the end of the story!