Redemption

Aftermath

Ahsoka jolted awake and winced at the blinding whiteness of the room. She was lying down under a blanket in what she could only assume was a private room in a medbay.

Which means...

She was wearing a medical gown. Ahsoka groaned. She'd always hated them. They were useless against any form of attack.

"Is there something wrong, Ahsoka Tano?" A medical droid appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Yeah, what are all these needles?" She pointed at her arm. "Also, where am I?"

"You are back on Atollon, and those tubes are to replenish your system. When Kaeden Larte brought you here, you were severely dehydrated and had not eaten for over seventy-two hours. You have been asleep for two days. The tubes are for nutrient replenishment."

"Atollon? The rebel base?"

"Yes. Many are anxious to see you."

"The Ghost crew?"

"Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus, Garazeb Orrelios, Sabine Wren, and Ezra Bridger."

"Why didn't you just say 'yes'?" Ahsoka muttered under her breath. "Am I fit for duty?"

"Yes," the droid said as it carefully removed needles from Ahsoka's arms.

"Thank you."

"You are most welcome. There is a change of clothes for you in the refresher." Ahsoka nodded in acknowledgement.

Ahsoka stood up as the droid left and, expectantly, walked into the 'fresher. Morai was perched on the sink.

"Of course," Ahsoka chuckled.

The clothes were hanging over the mirror. Ahsoka quickly got dressed and breathed a sigh of relief. She gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror to make sure she didn't look as disheveled as she felt.

"Okay," Ahsoka said as she walked out of the 'fresher. "They can come in now."

The door had barely opened before Ezra sprinted inside and almost knocked her over with a hug.

"Hi, Ezra, it's good to see you too," Ahsoka remarked, returning the hug. His hair was still long.

The rest of the Ghost crew filed in as well. She and Kanaan exchanged cursory nods as Zeb, Hera, and Sabine joined Ezra in attempting to drown her in hugs.

"I'm so happy you're alive," Ezra admitted.

"Ezra!" Kanaan scolded.

"Kanaan," Ahsoka chuckled, "it's okay."

It was more than okay. It was one of the proper reactions to seeing someone who was presumed dead in a very large explosion.

Once everyone let her go, they stood in a half circle around her, looking at Ahsoka expectantly.

"Is... something wrong?" she inquired.

"You might have some explaining to do," Kanaan responded.

"Okay, what would you like to know?"

Ezra began listing off questions in quick succession.

"Do you know who Vader is? What did he say to you at the Sith temple? Why did Maul call you 'Lady Tano'? How did you survive? Is Vader still after us? What -"

"Ezra, Ezra," Hera chided. "One question at a time."

"I can answer all those questions, but this is going to take a while. Are you sure you don't want to sit down?" Ahsoka offered.

"Uh-uh, now I'm even more intrigued," Sabine piped up.

"Alright... Do you remember when we first encountered him?"

Everyone nodded.

"I lied. I knew who he was, I was just in denial."

"What?" Ezra exclaimed.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I promise it was for the better. If you knew everything, Vader would have killed you. All of you." Ahsoka paused. "I'm sure all of you have heard about a Jedi Knight named Anakin Skywalker. He was my Master. He trained me, fought by my side in the Clone Wars. He was the one who stood by me when I was detained for bombing the Jedi Temple. He was the one who cleared my name. Saying goodbye to him was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but not everyone in the Republic was as loyal and caring as he was. I turned my back on the Republic, on the Jedi. That is, until the Siege of Mandalore. That was how I met Maul. He calls me 'Lady Tano' to imply that I failed as a Jedi, but I stand by what I did. Anakin turned over command of the 501st battalion to me, and we caught him. But then... Palpatine ordered all the clones to eradicate the Jedi. In the midst of all that chaos, I let Maul escape instead of sacrificing Rex. He never turned on me. We tricked everyone into believing Rex and I had killed each other.

"The man you call Vader once went by a different name. Many called him 'the Chosen One'. He used to wear blue instead of black. But he has always had a flair for the dramatic," Ahsoka chuckled to herself. "Vader is what became of Anakin Skywalker."

The way everyone's eyes widened at the same time was almost comical.

"The reason he hunted you was to get to me. He... wanted me to join him, to help him track down the other Jedi. I thought that maybe, I could bring him back to the light. And, for a second, I did. I felt Anakin, not Vader, but the darkness was too powerful. I can't turn him back. I don't know if anyone can. Now that he thinks I'm dead, he won't bother us anymore. As for how I survived... well, let's just say I'm very lucky."

No one spoke for a while, which was understandable, given the weight of what she'd revealed. Kanaan spoke first.

"Ahsoka... I'm so, so sorry." He hugged her. Ahsoka smiled sadly. Once he released her, she addressed the group as a whole.

"I understand that you all need time before you can trust me again. I'm sorry I kept so much from you, but I thought that if you knew, it would just give the Empire more incentive to kill you."

"I think us being rebels is enough incentive for them," Zeb interjected, smiling. He hadn't spoken the entire time. Perhaps he could relate to her situation.

"Ahsoka, of course we still trust you. How could we not, after everything you've done for us?" Hera added.

"Really?"

"Yes," everyone collectively declared.

"Actually," Hera started, "we're about to head out on a mission. Wanna come along?"

Ahsoka grinned. "Let's go."