Shadows of Tomorrow

Chapter 23 - Interlude

Author's Note: Just so everyone is clear, this is, primarily, Theseus' story, okay? He's only one person. He can't magically fix everything overnight, so please don't expect him to. :)

~ Amina Gila

After returning to the cruiser, the four of them find themselves seated in Obi-Wan's cabin. They already made the hyperspace jump to head back to Coruscant, though it'll be some time before they arrive. Thankfully, because Theseus is not looking forwards to it in the least. This conversation will be bad enough. Except, no one seems to know what to say, a heavy silence settling over them. Whether everything that happened on Mortis was a vision or not, it felt like reality, and no one emerged unscathed.

"I don't remember what happened," Anakin says finally, drawing an instant chorus of "what?" from the others. "I – when I woke up, the Father told me he... did something to my memory. I don't know what happened. The last thing I remember, I saw Master Qui-Gon and was heading for the Well of the Dark Side. Everything else is just... gone."

Oh. That's why he felt normal again. After using the Dark Side, he should have been struggling, but no. It was all gone when they'd arrived. Theseus is glad because he himself is rather unstable. They don't have the ability to deal with two unstable siblings right now.

Theseus isn't sure what's going to happen once they get back to Coruscant, but he probably should be more worried than he is. He feels a lot more... at peace than he has in a very long time. Maybe since even before the war. But even so, that doesn't mean he's looking forwards to a conversation with Ahsoka or his mother, for that matter, about what happened, so he's glad Obi-Wan's currently more focused on Anakin.

And – wait. "So, I wasn't the only one seeing ghosts?" Theseus asks dryly.

"Seeing ghosts?" Ahsoka yelps. "What?"

"I might have encountered Revan a few times, though I'm not entirely sure that it wasn't the Son playing tricks on me."

"And you have some serious explaining to do," she warns, eyes narrowing.

He's never been this nervous before. "Well, I guess I've had... questions for a long time, but I finally realized – accepted – that the Jedi aren't always right."

"So, that's why you spontaneously decided to turn to the Dark Side?!" Ahsoka screeches.

"Well, I wasn't thinking clearly. And I know that's not an excuse."

"No, it's not," she agrees with a scowl, crossing her arms, "So what've you decided now?"

"I need some time to think about it," he admits.

The Togruta huffs. "Well, whatever you decide, don't even think about doing anything so stupid ever again."

"Don't worry, I have no plans on Falling again." Not as though he did in the first place.

"I will have to speak to the Council about all of this once we get back," Obi-Wan speaks up, "They might want to talk to you."

"Sounds fun." As long as he can keep his cool the entire time with a dozen adults staring at him like he committed a crime on the worst level – which he did, to them – including his mother, he'll be fine. Otherwise, he rather trusts Anakin to come fish him out of prison.

***

Athea Shan knew something was going to go wrong on the mission to investigate the ancient distress signal, but she was never expecting this. Theseus Fell. Her own son turned to the Dark Side. Yes, she knew he had problems, especially after the war started, but she wasn't expecting this. She's been so busy with the war herself, recently, that she hasn't really had much time at all to talk to him anymore. The few meetings they used to have at the beginning of the war have dwindled even further now, so she hardly ever sees him. She really needs a chance to go talk to him. She had no idea he was struggling, but that does nothing to quell her rising guilt.