Anakin & Ahsoka: Two Souls - A Star Wars Fan Fiction

Last Stand of the Betrayed

For the uninitiated, lightsaber duelling was a task requiring great skill, dedication, concentration and focus. This was not the case for Anakin Skywalker or Darth Tyrannus. These two combatants were masters of the art. To them, lightsaber duelling was a state of mind, with the flow of the Force guiding their every action.

To anyone watching, the battle was a sight to behold. Blades clashed, sparks flew, walls were sliced, machinery was destroyed, loose objects were sent flying with the Force. These two figures, as precise as they were swift, locked in a never-ending battle for the fate of the galaxy.

To the two of them however, the fight itself was irrelevant. It was what was going on inside their heads that mattered. As they locked eyes, each sensed the other's consciousness, and the machinations of their opponent's mind. They realised just how similar their circumstances actually were. Despite hailing from complete opposite sides of the Force, they both felt betrayed by the ones they called "master." The Jedi Order had allowed one of its greatest students to be framed for a crime she didn't commit, put her on trial, expelled her from the order, and somehow expected to be forgiven afterwards? Now, she had been captured by the Sith, and her captor was standing right in front of him. Darth Sidious, on the other hand, had clearly lost faith in his apprentice, and obviously saw a potential replacement in the young Jedi. Both fighters looked the other in the eye, and saw that there was only one solution to their problems, the death of their opponent.

As their fight continued, the equilibrium that had been present for so long began to shift. The balance began to change. The tide began to turn.

A Jedi was taught to use the Force for knowledge and defence, never for attack. A Sith on the other hand, was encouraged to use their anger, to let the hate flow through them, and bolster their strength.

This time however, the roles were reversed. Dooku had entered this fight so certain of victory, so determined to destroy the young Jedi once and for all, he had drastically underestimated the power he was dealing with. Anakin came at him like a wild dog, bent on tearing his flesh from his body. He swung his blade like a madman, with every strike pounding Dooku's defences. The Count was on his back foot, and the boy knew it.

Their lightsabers locked one last time. Both combatants stared at the other with sheer, blind hatred.

"This is the end for you, Dooku!" Anakin snarled.

Dooku wanted to make an equally-threatening response, but he couldn't. He barely had enough energy left to keep his blade in position. The slightest hesitation would be his doom.

Anakin rushed his lightsaber forward, sending the Sith Lord staggering back. In a blinding display of speed, he knocked Dooku's weapon out of his hand with a flying kick. Dooku yelped in pain, but there was no time for recovery. Anakin was walking menacingly towards him, with his legendary sword at the ready. In one last-ditch effort, Dooku stretched out his hand, and sent a torrent of Force Lightning Anakin's way. This had always been the deciding factor, the great equaliser. Then, terror! Without even flinching, Skywalker caught the electricity in the energy field of his own lightsaber, twirled it in his hand, and rebounded it back at the startled Dooku. It hit him like a thousand bullets, and the old man was left shaking in agony on the floor.

Anakin raised his weapon, and pointed it directly at the Count's terrified face. The tip of the blade was less than an inch away. Dooku could feel its heat, so powerful it could burn him.

"You are beaten!" announced the victor. "Now, you will die, for everything you've done!"

The blade came high over Anakin's head, about to slice downward. The Clone Wars would be over, the Sith would be destroyed, the galaxy would be at peace, and Anakin would have his revenge. It began its descent. It was so close, it would all be over...

"STOP!!" a voice shouted from behind the exhausted Jedi.

Anakin was hesitant. He knew that voice, was this a trick? One last ploy by the Dark Side of the Force to let the Sith escape once more? There was only one way to find out. Slowly, Anakin turned around, and sure enough, it was no trick. There stood the girl he'd come so far to find, his former Padawan and friend, Ahsoka Tano.

"Ahsoka," Anakin gasped, barely capable of forming the words.
"Anakin," Ahsoka cried, but it wasn't a cry of joy. This was shock, astonishment, fear.

Anakin was horrified. This should have been a happy moment, a reunion between two old friends, but it wasn't. Why?

"What is it?" Anakin asked. The words were stuttered as they came out, almost in fear of what she was about to say.
"Is this what me leaving has turned you into?" Ahsoka said, looking at the injured, whimpering old man grovelling at Anakin's feet.

Anakin's head turned from Ahsoka to Dooku, and then back to Ahsoka. They both had the exact same look in their eyes, sheer terror. Terror, for the monster that Anakin Skywalker was turning into.

Suddenly, Anakin's rage turned to grief, his anger to sorrow, as he realised what he had done.

"Ahsoka, I'm... I'm so sorry," he pleaded, every word a broken shiver.

In this moment, the boy needed comfort, to not be reminded of the galaxy-wide conflict happening around them, but the galaxy isn't a forgiving place, and it doesn't care in the slightest about the consequences of a broken friendship.

Ahsoka was about to reach out and hug her friend, but it seemed the galaxy wouldn't allow it. As she looked over his shoulder, she noticed an empty space where there was once a body. Dooku was gone!

"No no no no NO!" Anakin screamed! He had never been so close to defeating the Sith before, he wasn't going to let this slip through his fingers. The two heroes raced down the corridor, frantically trying to catch up with their target, but it was no use.

"I don't believe it!" Anakin exclaimed.
"Patience Anakin, there's still a chance," Ahsoka said, and her words seemed to send calming vibes through her friend.

This calm was short-lived. Ahsoka looked around, trying to find a computer screen from which to survey the ship. She found one, and she didn't like what she saw.

Dooku had escaped in a shuttle, the crew were all dead, and the ship was about to self destruct.