Chapter Text
World Between Wars
Wrong Place Wrong Time — Chapter One
The portal tickled and itched her skin as she jumped through. She collapsed, her body utterly spent. Her stomach throbbed from the fire that she couldn’t contain. Her muscles burned now that they’d finally gotten their rest. Her head spun, and her arm ached something fierce while it was pinned between her deadweight body and the harsh ground.
In the past twenty-four hours, Ahsoka’s entire life had thrown itself upside down and into a steaming garbage shoot. Though not for the first time.
Anakin Skywalker was Darth Vader.
Vader had killed her—Anakin killed her…or he tried to… But Ezra, and not the scrawny teenager who barely reached her shoulders, but a man—he had saved her, and Kanan died or will die, but Anakin never died and all this time she had thought her master was dead because who knew there was another option out there?
Anakin Skywalker, of all people, her master, her brother, the Chosen One, one of the few she could always count on to have her back, who promised to never let anyone ever hurt her, who taught her nearly everything she knew—he fell to the Darkside…
Ahsoka managed to twist her head just in time for the stomach acid to escape her lips. Her mouth burned and the taste made her want to vomit all over again. She fought for control of her breathing as the wheezing reminded her far too much of something else. Residual shivers wracked her body. Even Malachor hadn’t felt as frosty as Sidious’ presence.
“Ahsoka…” an all too familiar voice breathed.
Her eyes snapped open and she twisted to her feet, twin white blades bright and humming in defense.
“Stand down!” someone yelled. “Stand Down!”
It was then she realized how wrong everything was.
The atmosphere was moist and earthy, and the sounds were of a jungle. Leaves ruffled, birds chirped, and water dripped. Malachor was a cold, dry, dark place with no life whatsoever. Here, the Force sang. It was bright. Ahsoka found she couldn’t focus on the Force for too long, otherwise she might vomit again. It felt like staring into the sun. Like she was in a deep sleep and someone turned on the lights. Life was everywhere and the Force accompanied it all. The planet tickled her memory in the most annoying way. She had been here before.
Ahsoka looked around and froze. The muggy heat suffocated her. The figures in front of her were achingly familiar with their white armour and blue highlights. Her pain faded as her thoughts raced at the speed of light. The Force didn’t scream with danger. No, that was her mind that kept her shoulders tense and her lightsabers high, especially when Anakin Skywalker stood before her. The same man who actively tried to put a red blade through her heart less than a half hour ago.
“Ahsoka,” his voice was soft. “It’s me…Anakin. You’re safe.”
She held back her scoff.
Ahsoka wasn’t dumb. Context clues painted a good enough picture of what happened. Vader— Anakin hovered just out of arms reach, his hands raised with an air of peace. His dark tunic shifted with the soft breeze. No longer was his presence in the Force tainted by anger which burned hotter than a pit of lava, and his image distorted like a shattered block of ice on Hoth. Anakin shined bright like an everlasting supernova.
Ahsoka wasn’t dumb. She knew what had happened. She just didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to believe a lot of things today.
“Commander…?”
Ahsoka wheeled around until her eyes fell on armour she knew better than the back of her hand. Rex… He shed his helmet and telegraphed his every movement. When she caught sight of his youthful face and blonde fuzz, Ahsoka softened her defenses. Her lightsabers stayed active, the ridges of the hilts bringing some comfort.
Rex dropped his helmet to which it thudded into the softened dirt. An echo of a memory tormented her— Rex’s helmet cracked against the durasteel floor, his blasters raising and his hands shaking— Ahsoka turned to face him fully, keeping one lightsaber at the ready in case Vader tried anything.
No, not Vader, she reminded herself, Anakin.
“Commander…” Rex started again, his voice was strong and steady. “Put the sabres down, kid, no one here’s gonna hurt you.”
“Except the mindless Tin-cans,” one trooper muttered.
“Shut it, shiny,” Jesse ordered. Jesse…
Rex shot the two a glare, and Ahsoka’s lips twitched as she recognised the silent order of shut the hell up. It was good to know Rex hadn’t changed.
“Where are we?” she found herself asking.
“Kattada,” Anakin answered.
Ahsoka twisted her torso to look at him, her resolve dropping a little more. She didn’t extinguish her blades yet. She remembered now. Kattada, it was the last full campaign she took part in as a Padawan. After taking the capital, they remained in orbit for a day or two before shooting off to Cato Neimoidia. They hadn’t even finished their air assault before Master Yoda recalled them to the Temple to investigate the bombing.
Two days—two standard rotations before everything fell apart.
“Have you taken the capital yet?” Ahsoka wondered, her voice distant.
“Not yet,” Anakin said, “we’re on our way. You suggested we cut through the jungle. Obi-Wan is going to meet us there. The 212th will attack from the South and us from the North.”
She nodded as the memories were slow to come back to her. “Karabast,” she swore. This is the Clone Wars…
A few clones snickered.
Reluctantly, Ahsoka finally distinguished her lightsabers. She was in no danger, not yet anyway. The same couldn’t be said if she stayed in this time though. Ahsoka pushed the thought aside. She had to stay in the present if she was going to get out of this. Looking around at her old men and her—Anakin, she knew she owed them an apology.
“I’m sorry, I—” Ahsoka hung her sabres. “It’s been a while.”
“It’s okay, Commander,” Rex said, smiling softly. “No harm done.”
Ahsoka returned the gesture briefly. Her mind wouldn’t settle. “What happened? How am I—”
“Here?” Anakin interrupted with that obnoxious smirk of his. He blew out a harsh breath. “I have no clue. You were jumping from the trees, scouting ahead when you fell and then… you were here instead. I can’t explain it.”
“I can,” she said.
He raised an eyebrow at her.
She cleared her throat. “It’s complicated. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m not supposed to be here. I–I made a mistake.”
“Ahsoka.” Even his most gentlest tone made her flinch. “Nothing happened by accident, remember? Or did you forget?”
“I didn’t forget, I just…” Ahsoka sighed. “Like I said, it’s complicated.”
“If you say so, Snips.”
Her breath snagged. She forced her arms to cross so she wouldn’t freeze again, so he wouldn’t notice the way her entire body jolted from the forgotten nickname.
Anakin gave her a puzzling look. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she brushed him off. “We…should get moving.”
The look in her former master’s eyes was a familiar one. He wanted answers. She just hoped he would keep his questions to himself in the meantime. There was still a battle to win. She was in the Clone Wars again. It shouldn’t be possible. But she couldn’t deny the way the Force rang out with truth.
Anakin waved his mech-arm. “Come on, men, let’s move it!”
“You heard the General!” yelled Rex, the hype man as always.
“Yessir!”
Perhaps Ahsoka should be alarmed by how easily she fell into step with Anakin and the rest of the men. But it felt right and the Force sang and danced while their equally long strides synced up. Their march through the jungle was a quiet one, yet the awkwardness which surrounded them was far more suffocating than the muggy pre-rain air. They both had too many questions and no direction on where to start.
Her side stung. Her tunic remained intact and her skin stayed soft, but her side burned with fury anytime she thought of either of the Darth’s—Vader or Sidious. She had been burned by his Sith fire, that much was obvious. Clearly, she hadn’t been fast enough to escape it. The image of Vader swinging his blood-red lightsaber at her head danced behind her eyes.
Ahsoka couldn’t help but look at her old master and wonder, what went wrong?
“So white, huh?”
Ahsoka glanced at him confused. White what?
“Your lightsabers,” he clarified, “they’re white.”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, it’s…a long story.”
Anakin’s face scrunched up. “What happened to your old ones?”
“I had to leave them behind.” Twice, she didn’t say.
“So how long has it been for you since…?”
Ahsoka sighed. She knew what he was asking. “Seventeen cycles,” she said. “I’m thirty-two.”
Anakin startled. “You’re almost Obi-Wan’s age!”
She chuckled, thinking it over. “I suppose I am.” It was a weird thought. Almost weirder than being taller than Anakin. Even as Vader, Anakin still towered over her.
“I take it you aren’t a Padawan any longer?” he asked.
“No,” she said, and didn’t offer anything more.
Anakin stopped, turning to her, and his hands twitched at his sides like he wanted to hold her shoulders but held himself back. Ahsoka had no choice but to stop with him, and then he smiled at her so genuinely that she had no idea what to do with it. The men continued marching on, unbothered by her and the general’s antics.
“Ahsoka, I am so, so proud of you. You’ve grown so much. I knew you could do it, but to see it now—
“Anakin,” she interrupted the second she realized where his speech was headed. “I’m not a Knight either. I…” Ahsoka stopped.
What else was there to say?
Hopefully, he would put the pieces together so she wouldn’t have to say it. It wasn’t that she was ashamed or found it hard to admit she left the Order in the past, if anything, that decision saved her life. But this was different. This was her master. It was Anakin. Admitting that she willingly left everything he stood for was an impossible task. She never regretted her choice. But she always wondered if this was her true path. Over time, she learned to accept it. There was nothing she could do about it in the end. She couldn’t change the past.
But then again…here she was, seventeen cycles in the past with the chance to change everything. She could make the galaxy unrecognizable in comparison to her own time. She could save so many people. The Jedi, the clones, Kanan, Anakin…
“Snips?” he questioned, worry-confusion-concern dripped off of him.
This was her second chance and she wasn’t going to throw it away again. If the future was always in motion, and nothing ever happened by accident, she was meant to be here. It wasn’t a silly mistake, but the will of the Force. Ahsoka hadn’t just run through the wrong portal in her haste to get away, the Light side of the Force changed the destination of her portal just like how Sidious changed Kanan’s. As the masters always said…
“I’m going to check on Rex,” she blurted and bolted.
…the Force works in mysterious ways.
Whatever distance Ahsoka put between her and her master was not enough. She wasn’t running and she wasn’t leaving. But she couldn’t stay by his side and answer his questions, not yet. She needed time to think about the timeline and the effects of her standing here instead of a teenage version of herself. Everything she did had ramifications and who knew what would happen if Ahsoka told Anakin she had left the order—left him.
I would never let anyone hurt you Ahsoka…never…
She was acting childish and un-Jedi-like but she wasn’t a Jedi, or was she? Ahsoka couldn’t wrap her head around the idea. Until she said the words, she remained a Jedi in this time.
Unintentionally, as it really had just been an excuse to get away, she caught sight of Rex’s jag eyes and made her way over.
“Commander.” Rex tipped his sun bonnet in greeting. “What are you doing back here? I thought you were figuring things out with the general?”
Ahsoka dodged a low branch. “I came to check up on you guys.”
“Eh, we’re doing alright. Aren’t we, Fives?”
The arc trooper in question would have tripped over a vine had Ahsoka not caught his arm in time. Her heart clenched as she reached out and sensed his familiar presence. Each clone had a different signature in the Force. Fives’ was warm, loud, and friendly. Ahsoka never truly knew what happened to Fives—she knew what he had discovered, and understood how the Emperor needed him gone so he wouldn’t spoil the secret. But she never found out how exactly he died. She regretted not asking now.
“Doin’ just fine, Cap’in,” Fives slurred.
Ahsoka’s eyes narrowed. She pulled off his helmet to reveal a mess of sweaty hair with a face that had never been drier. Alarm spiked through her. She didn’t remember Fives being a heat-casualty last time. Fives attempted to fan himself with his sun bonnet; Ahsoka couldn’t imagine it working well.
“Fives?” Rex’s concern grew.
“It’s really karking hot here,” Fives panted.
“Fives,” she addressed, after noticing something missing from his belt. “What happened to your canteen?”
“I lost the damn thing hours ago.”
Rex rolled his eyes and let out a disgruntled huff. “Of course you did. You know, at some point Bedsheet isn’t going to have a replacement waiting for you back on the cruiser. You can’t keep doing this every campaign, Fives.”
“Yeah, I know. I think it's my belt. I think something’s broken maybe.” Fives craned his neck to look at it.
“Here.” Rex pulled the canteen off his own belt. “Have some of mine for now.”
“Captain, I’m not gonna—”
“Take it, Fives,” Rex insisted. “I don’t want to have to explain to Kix or Coric what happened after you passed out mid-battle.”
“I’ll live,” Fives remarked, and guzzled down some much-needed hydration.
Ahsoka couldn’t help but look away. As she looked around at the men, her mind couldn’t help but hone in on the ones she knew had died, or will die. Every Clone who became part of the 332nd had an automatic death sentence except Rex.
Jesse, Vaughn, Ridge, Night, Coil, Hammer, Gate…
And those were just the ones she could see in front of her. Apart from Vaughn and Coil, the rest tried to kill her. Rex killed Gate himself right after he woke up. The memories were assaulting her now. Ahsoka closed her eyes and tried to breathe through them and push the images away—it didn’t work. It wouldn’t work as long as she was surrounded by ghosts.
Good Soldiers Follow Orders…
Find him. Find Him. Fives! Find Him—!
“Commander!”
Ahsoka whirled around, deactivated lightsabers in hand, only to find Rex’s concerned face instead. Once her mind caught up with the rest of her body, Ahsoka deflated immediately, truly utterly horrified.
“Rex, I—”
“Fives, go find Kix. Have him get you checked,” Rex ordered, ignoring her.
Fives knew better than to argue. “Yes, sir.”
Ahsoka’s eyes trailed Fives until he disappeared into the mass of white and blue armour. Her lightsaber hilts hadn’t left her hands and they dangled numbly at her sides. The Force slipped through her fingers and she couldn’t grasp it for guidance or reassurance. Ahsoka felt empty—she was a void. She had thought throwing up earlier had been the shock, but she recognised the signs in herself now.
“Kid, you’re shaking,” Rex said, and Ahsoka managed a nod.
“R-Rex—” she gasped.
“Oh no,” Rex panicked. “Come on, kid. Breathe for me. Can’t have you freaking out now.”
“Too l-l-late.”
Rex chuckled without any humour and his gloved hand guided her down to a seat somewhere. Ahsoka choked on nothing. The cold invaded her bones, her mind, and her side screamed in pain.
She was in the past—Anakin was Vader—her master was a Sith—Kanan was dead—she promised she’d find Ezra—Sidious knew she lived—none of it mattered—this was the clone wars—Rex was young—Fives was going to die—Barris will bomb the Temple and Ahsoka will leave and Anakin will fall and Darth Vader…
“Ahsoka!” Rex exclaimed. “Breathe!”
Eventually, she choked in a breath, and then another, and another. Once she no longer felt the urgency of unconsciousness knocking at her door, she began Master Obi-Wan’s breathing technique. The one he taught her when she would wake up from nightmares and believe she was still in battle.
Breathe in four counts.
Hold it seven counts.
Let go for eight.
After the second loop, Rex began to coach her through it. Her heart rate slowed with time and the planet warmed every inch of her skin.
“You back with me, kid?” Rex asked, nudging her shoulder with his. They sat side by side on a downed tree trunk. She frowned, not remembering sitting down.
“Yeah…” Ahsoka whispered, voice horse. The bright side was that her throat was so dry she couldn’t taste the vomit anymore.
Rex passed her his canteen. “Fives might’ve drank most of it. but there should be some left.”
She nodded her thanks and slowly sipped on the refreshing drink. The water rejuvenated her, it was close enough to a second wind that she’ll take it. Ahsoka forced herself to stop before she finished the bottle. She handed it back.
“I’m sorry, Rex…” Ahsoka said. “It’s just…been a long day.”
“The future hasn’t been kind to you, has it?”
“It’s been a long day.”
Rex squeezed her shoulder in comfort, and every word of support he didn’t voice flowed through that instead. Ahsoka blinked as the lack of footsteps, chatter, overall movement finally caught her attention. She looked around the jungle with mild alarm. “Where is everybody?”
“I told the men to keep going,” Rex explained. “I’ll catch up.”
She narrowed her gaze at his darting eyes. “ We’ll catch up,” she corrected.
“No can do, Commander. I already called in a speeder evac for you,” he said, the shabuir.
“Call it off.”
Rex rested his hands on his belt, not backing down. It was hard to tell what he was thinking with his helmet still on, but she knew her friend. It didn’t matter how young he was or how long his beard was, Ahsoka knew Rex.
“I’m serious, Rex. I’m fine now. We need to be there to take the capitol,” Ahsoka insisted.
“I will be there, and you are going back to command for a nice long bacta soak and some rest.”
No, no, no, no, no… Ahsoka took a deep breath, reaching for calm. “I’ll rest after we take the capitol and everyone is safe.”
Rex stared at her for seemingly a long time. Eventually, he spoke. “Something happens, doesn’t it?”
Suddenly, she felt very old.
“Nothing more than usual,” she said, and a light smile twitched her lips.
Rex sighed and shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m doin’ this,” he muttered and lifted his arm. “Pitt, what’s your ETA?”
“Seven minutes out, Captain!” came Pitt’s prompt response.
“Alright, head back to base. You’re dismissed.”
Pitt paused. “Rex…?”
“I’m calling the evac off, Lutennient. Go home.”
“Sir, yes, sir!” The comlink squawked as the transmission was cut.
“We could’ve used that speeder, you know.” Ahsoka smirked. “I hope you like swimming.”