Ashes

|| Interlude: The Graveyard ||

It was with great contempt that the Emperor descended the ramp of his Imperial Shuttle through a cloud of snow and exhaust from the engines. It wasn't often that he made personal trips on the to recover a Jedi artifact, but his first in command had specifically requested his presence.

He adjusted the hood of his cloak to cover his face as the highest-ranking officer present at this particular excavation site approached him.

"My Lord," he said, his posture set at a rigid attention. "We've been expecting you."

"You may cease with the pleasantries, captain," the Emperor said, his voice as cold and harsh as the wind chilling him to the bone.

The captain swallowed hard. His mind raced as he looked at the Emperor, who was used to this reaction by now. The scars decorating his face were jarring, especially paired with the machine-like apparatus on his chest and mouth. Coupled with his height and commanding presence, fear was always the first thing to cross his subordinates' minds when they spoke to him.

"The crash site is just up ahead," the captain said in a small voice. "Shall I–"

The Emperor held up a hand for silence. "I go alone."

"As you wish, my Lord."

The stormtroopers flanking him remained with the captain while the Emperor began the hike forward through the snow.

As soon as the wreckage was in view, the Emperor took a deep breath. He reached out through the force, and amidst the feeling of death and decay, there was faint whisper. A familiar whisper.

Anakin, it spoke, barely audibly over the howling of the wind. It was a soft, feminine voice. One that he would never forget.

Anakin.

The pinching in his chest from the mechanical breathing device turned into a tightness that sucked the air from his lungs.

It was her.

For years, he'd been searching for a clue as to her fate following the Great Jedi Purge. Whenever she crossed his mind, he pictured her in the Coruscant pipeline, ready to jump into the underworld.

I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka, never.

That was before everything changed.

He'd given up hope around the time of Sidious's death and had dolefully accepted that she was gone.

His pace quickened as he got closer to the Venator. The ship was not unlike what he would've commanded during the Clone Wars. He pictured himself on the bridge of the Resolute, his Padawan staring up at him with a mixture of admiration and bewilderment.

Anakin.

His gazed combed over every inch of the ship. From the little bit of paint remaining, he recognized it as belonging to the 501st.

He lowered his gaze. An old helmet was visible just above the snow with an unmistakeable orange and white symbol.

This was the command ship of the 332nd company. It was her ship.

He stared down at his feet, noticing the unevenness of the snow. He knelt down and reached beneath the snow to find an elegant silver lightsaber hilt.

He turned the hilt over in his hand, lightly brushing the snow from its smooth, metal surface.

When I was out there, alone, all I had was your training and the lessons you taught me.

He expected a feeling of overwhelming grief to wash over him when he held the saber, or even a twisted sense of accomplishment that he had finally fought the closure he had sought after for years. He wanted to feel angry that this had happened to her. Disappointed with the decisions he made that cost him the people he loved. Relieved that she couldn't see him now.

But in that moment, he was numb. He ignited the blade, feeling the resonance from the crystals in the center of his being.

And because of you, I did survive.

A convor cried out above him. He watched the bird as it circled him, its coloring triggering a memory of the force wielders he encountered on Mortis. In hindsight, the mysterious world was a microcosm of the events creating the galaxy he knew now. He had been given a second chance to change then, and he hoped she would give him one

With one final glance at the weathered clone helmet, he clipped the lightsaber belt and began the trek back to his shuttle.

Ahsoka Tano was out there, and he would exhaust every resource to find her and bring her home.