Chapter Text
They’re on the Invisible Hand and Anakin is trying to focus on the mission to free Palpatine but there’s a growing disturbance in the Force. It feels like something is ripping through the fabric of the Force itself. He and Obi-Wan are just walking into the room with the Chancellor when a blinding flash of light floods his vision.
When it fades, there’s… twelve other people standing in the room who definitely weren’t standing there a moment before.
Seriously, twelve?
But what sticks out to him as even more ridiculous is who they are. Because he recognizes… most of them?
His gaze is drawn first to the nineteen-year-old padawan who looks exactly like he did at that age. He feels like him in the Force, too. It’s the first time Anakin thinks he truly understands what people mean when they see he shines like a star in the Force.
And standing next to him someone who is… exactly how Anakin looked like when he was nine. Considering how bright they both feel in the Force, it’s not hard to guess who they are.
And there’s two cyborgs standing next to them. They’re towering above everyone else, in black armor and a long flowing capes and their respirators are clashing on every note possible. They feel like Sith. Unless it’s just him but the black hole in the Force around them is entirely unmistakable. And he has a sudden, very, very bad feeling that their strength in the Force can also only mean one thing.
Next to them are the people he can only call the Ahsoka’s. Because there’s a fourteen-year-old girl who looks exactly the way she did the day she became his padawan. She’s even dressed the same and she feels the same in the Force. There’s a tiny three-year-old standing next to her and Anakin might have never sense her when she was three obviously, but her markings are identical and she’s the cutest Togruta he’s seen ever.
There’s two older Togruta’s also… who have identical markings to Ahsoka. One of them he’d estimate at probably near thirty but the other must be at least a decade older than that, considering that she has more scars on her lekku and just looks… older.
And then there’s the Obi-Wan’s.
There’s a version of his master who looks exactly the way he did when Anakin first met him, one who looks like Obi-Wan did back at the beginning of the war when he had the most horrible hair style possible that Anakin is so glad he changed and… There’s two older ones.
One of them looks like a decade or so in the future but he still looks so much like him. He feels like a despairing pit of emptiness in the Force. And there’s another with white hair who he feels like ice, hard in a way that’s almost unsettling. But honestly, he has white hair. Yikes.
“What’s happening?” Anakin asks, a bit panicked.
“I would like that answered too.” He thinks it was pre-war Obi-Wan but his voice sounds identical. It’s creepy.
“Where am I?” That’s fourteen-year-old Ahsoka.
“Are you me when I’m older?” padawan-Anakin asks.
Anakin stares at himself, hit with the insane urge to just laugh. “I think so.”
The two cyborgs slowly turn to look at each other. “I’m you,” one of them says.
“No, you’re me,” the other argues.
“Who are you?” Anakin’s Obi-Wan asks.
“Vader,” the oldest Obi-Wan speaks, “He’s a Sith.”
The two oldest Vaders? and Obi-Wan’s slowly turn to look at each other.
Anakin doesn’t know why he’s feeling so much animosity suddenly.
“Hey,” the oldest Ahsoka speaks up. She looks so old. It’s scary to imagine her this old. He wants to see his Ahsoka right now to remind himself that she is, in fact, still a little girl. “We don’t have time for a fight.” Both her and the younger-oldest her are looking between him and the Vader’s. “Right now, we’re in the middle of a battle.”
“The Invisible hand,” one of the Vader’s agrees tonelessly.
The sound of clanking battle droids is what finally snaps everyone back to focusing because Dooku appears on the ledge above. And just stares at them. “Who are you?” He’s staying up on the deck. Anakin’s not surprised by that. But they need to stop him.
“Well, Dooku’s a Sith,” Anakin’s Obi-Wan says, “We need to stop him.” He and Anakin take off for the stairs and the youngest two Obi-Wans plus Padawan-Anakin immediately run after.
Fourteen-year-old Ahsoka tries to follow and Anakin pauses to grab her shoulder before she can get any closer. “Stay back,” he orders her firmly but gently, “You’re not ready to handle a Sith.” Her face scrunches in a frown. “You can watch over… the other two. They can’t protect themselves.”
Ahsoka nods a little, perking up. She’s quick to go over to the youngest Anakin and the youngest version of herself.
To his credit, Dooku doesn’t run when they come at him but the duel doesn’t last very long either. One of the Obi-Wan’s dearms him and Anakin accidentally stabs him before he can stop himself and Doku’s falling in instants.
He turns at the sound of voices in the area below. The two Vader’s are approaching Palpatine. The oldest suddenly draws his lightsaber? and swings it right at him. The youngest Vader ignites his own, jerking it up to block him. “What are you doing?” he demands.
“He will betray you,” the oldest one says.
The younger one falters “How do you know?”
“I lived it.”
The older two Obi-Wan’s and Ahsoka’s have circled over to stand behind the chair and Anakin can only gape as the second-oldest Ahsoka jumps at Palpatine next, lightsabers raised. The stuncuffs suddenly snap free from his wrists – who did that? – and he’s standing in a blur, a blast of lightning unleashing right at her.
She’s thrown across the deck with a strangled scream. And then literally of them jump him. Anakin just watches, heart pounding. What’s happening? Why is he using the Force? The Dark Side. He feels like a Sith, suddenly, like a cloud in the Force around him has been lifted. It’s the oldest Ahsoka who lands the killing blow and then everyone is slowly stepping back. The Vader’s and older Obi-Wan’s are glaring at each other again.
“He’s a Sith?” Anakin’s Obi-Wan is the first to find his voice.
“Yes.” It’s the second oldest-Obi-Wan.
“How?” Anakin’s heart is pounding and he can’t – think. Can hardly breathe. How is that possible? It –
“That’s not possible,” padawan-Anakin argues, eyes wide and hurt. “He – he’s – ”
“I know,” one of the Vader’s – Anakin’s lost track of who – replies, “We all trusted him and he would have betrayed you as he did… with me. We were nothing but tools to him. He chose us for power.”
“You’re the one who chose him for power,” the oldest Obi-Wan says.
One of the Vader’s flicks up a hand and the oldest Obi-Wan is thrown clear across the ship.
There’s a froze moment of silence.
“You’re saying you’re us?” padawan-Anakin asks.
“Once,” one of the Vader’s replies.
Anakin knew that already. Guessed, at least, but it’s still entirely different to hear a confirmation. He’s going to become a Sith. He’s… How?
“Ahsoka,” one of the Vader’s says next, turning away as though nothing happened at all.
Anakin and padawan-Anakin are still blinking in confusion.
“Anakin,” the oldest and second oldest Ahsoka’s both say, gaze heavy.
“You’re Sith,” Padawan-Anakin beats him to it, “How? How?”
“The Jedi betrayed us,” one of the Vader’s replies.
“I have questions,” second-youngest Obi-Wan says. He looks mind-blown. “But I don’t think now’s the place to talk about it.” The floor shudders beneath them as if to make a point.
Anakin nods slowly, trying not to focus too hard on what it means if he’s going to become a Sith. He’d been afraid of that after Mortis. But he just… He never thought it was real. That it was his future. But it is. And what going on between him and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka?
He finally turns his gaze away, looking to the three children are who all standing together. It’s almost amusing to see fourteen-year-old Ahsoka standing protectively next to nine year himself and tiny Ahsoka. She’s so cute. Looking at her is turning him into goo.
The youngest Anakin is scared. Anakin can see it as he goes over to them slowly. His Obi-Wan and second-youngest Obi-Wan and oldest-Ahsoka all follow.
“Well,” Anakin says, “I think you’re me.”
The boy nods, looking nervous.
“I’m the one who trained you as a Jedi,” Anakin’s Obi-Wan tells him, “I have to say, I forgot you were so… small.”
“You – why would you train me?” youngest-Anakin asks, then bites his lip, tensing expecting to be hit. Anakin remembers being like that so well.
“Qui-Gon was killed,” second-youngest Obi-Wan says, eyes heavy.
Little Anakin’s eyes widen and Anakin feels a rush of grief flaring into the Force. “How?”
“What?” demands youngest-Obi-Wan. “Maul won?”
Anakin’s Obi-Wan nods. “He killed Qui-Gon and we attempted to kill him. And failed.”
Little Anakin looks away.
“I didn’t know you were so small either,” oldest-Ahsoka comments, eyeing him.
“Who are you?” little Anakin in a small voice.
“I’m Ahsoka.” She slowly crouches in front of him. “Your future padawan.”
“You’re older than me,” he objects, eyes wide.
“Well,” oldest-Ahsoka says, smiling lightly, “She’s not.” She points to the tiny three-year-old, who’s still looking around, eyes wide.
“Hold on,” Padawan-Anakin interjects, “We’re gonna have a padawan?”
“Uhuh,” Anakin agrees, grinning at him.
“Why’s it so loud?” little Ahsoka pipes up, frowning. “It hurts.”
Anakin winces. He knows Ahsoka initially had a hard time with the sound during battles, because her hearing is so much stronger than humans is. “You’re in a space battle,” Anakin explains.
He slowly holds out a finger to the tiny Ahsoka who takes it, squeezing it. “Why’s it hard?” she asks, face scrunching.
“I lost it to Dooku. It’s mechanical.”
Little-Ahsoka tugs his hand closer, sticking his finger in her mouth and biting it. Well, at least it was his gloved one.
“We lose an arm?” padawan-Anakin asks, baffled.
“You will lose all your limbs,” one of the Vader’s informs unhelpfully.
Anakin’s gut clenches sharply, as he slowly turns to look at them. Is that why they look the way they do? What happened to them? “What?” he breathes. He can’t imagine that. It’s been a deep-seated fear that’s haunted him every moment since Geonosis, when he actually lets himself dwell on it.
“How?” Anakin’s Obi-Wan asks, appalled.
“Your doing,” one of the Vader’s replies.
There’s a collective moment of shock.
“What?” Anakin doesn’t know if him or padawan-Anakin or the two oldest Ahsoka’s or the two middle Obi-Wan’s say it louder.
“That was you?” second oldest Ahsoka demands, spinning to look at the oldest two Obi-Wan’s. “I wondered. I wondered what happened to him. But I never imagined…”
“I wouldn’t do that,” second-youngest Obi-Wan protests, appalled.
Anakin wants to think the Vader’s are just lying. He wishes it actually felt like that was true.
“He killed the Jedi,” the oldest Obi-Wan says but to his credit, his voice is actually subdued, “Vader destroyed who Anakin was. I was sent to stop him.”
“And you – you – ” the oldest-Ahsoka fumbles out, eyes burning. The second-oldest looks no less angry.
“And you cut his limbs off?” second-youngest Obi-Wan demands fiercely. Anakin doesn’t know how he manages to sound the scariest.
The second-oldest Obi-Wan looks away, saying nothing.
Anakin doesn’t want to think about this at all anymore. He can’t. It doesn’t make sense. One look at padawan-Anakin’s face says that he’s thinking the same thing. The look they trade is wordless but it says enough. Anakin reaches over, taking his hand – it’s unsettling to think he’s touching himself – eer, another himself who’s not him.
But he looks past the squabbling others to the three youngest. The littlest Ahsoka doesn’t seem to understand what’s happening at all, fourteen-year-old her looks completely lost. Youngest-Anakin just looks scared. This was really not something he needed to hear.
The ground beneath them trembles again suddenly and then the floor starts titling. “We need to get out of here. Now,” Anakin calls breathlessly and that finally throws everyone into motion, sending them scrambling for the elevator.
One of the Vader’s gets to the tiniest Ahsoka first, picking her up. She giggles, smacking her hand over the visor of his helmet.
“Do not do that,” he protests.
“Why not?”
“I cannot see.”
“Use the Force,” the other Vader offers dryly.
The former gives him a look that probably would’ve killed him on sight if that were possible.
Anakin’s Obi-Wan gets to the youngest-Anakin first, holding his arms out to him. “I can carry you,” he says, “It’ll be safer.”
Youngest-Anakin backs away, nervously.
After what he just heard, Anakin can’t even blame him. He still feels sick too. He doesn’t know what to even say.
“It’s okay,” padawan-Anakin beats him to it first, coming over to youngest-Anakin, “He won’t hurt you.”
The boy looks very unconvinced but he lets Anakin’s Obi-Wan pick him up and the rest of them make for the door. Anakin tries to stay close to fourteen-year-old Ahsoka to make sure she’s making it. It doesn’t look like she’s gotten much training, whenever exactly she’s from.
They all make it into the elevator shaft and start running down it as fast as they can. But that only lasts until the elevator shaft starts tilting upwards again and they’re all about to go into free fall. Padawan-Ahsoka stabs her lightsaber into the wall in an effort to slow her fall but she gets dislodged and falls anyway.
Anakin manages to catch onto some thing on the shaft wall. Or at least, nearly manages too because then one of the Ahsoka’s and a Vader come rolling right at him and he lets go to avoid them and then everyone is falling down down down and there’s no end in sight until they finally hit the bottom of the shaft in one enormous pile of limbs.
Someone’s on top of his head and he tries to reach up to shove them off.
“Sorry,” he hears youngest-Obi-Wan say as he rolls off and Anakin slowly drags himself to his feet.
Somehow, it’s the Vader holding youngest Ahsoka who’s still standing and he catches the elevator that’s roaring down right towards their heads.
“This didn’t happen before,” oldest-Obi-Wan gripes.
“There’s always another way out,” Anakin offers and goes to cut a hole in the wall of the shaft. Second-oldest Ahsoka is quick to join him. It’s weird that her lightsabers are white now. She’s so… different than when he knew her. He wants to talk to her later
They come out into some level way below deck and then they have to get all the way up to the bridge where Grievous is.
That isn’t all that hard. They cut through droid son the way who basically run when they see them coming and Anakin could almost feel bad if he didn’t remember those things killing so many of his boys.
Grevious straight up runs when he sees them and all the Obi-Wan’s jump him before he gets far.
The fight doesn’t last very long.
But the back of the ship carrying all the escape pods breaks off before they can try to use any so they have to crowd into the cockpit and bring the ship in for landing.
***
They don’t have the chance to talk again until they’re landed back on the surface and are waiting for the fire ships to put out the flames crawling across the outside of the Invisible Hand. The two Vaders keep looking at each other and Anakin has the strong feeling they’re communicating without speaking.
“We’re going to have a name problem,” the youngest Obi-Wan speaks up, “Because we all have the same names.”
“So we start changing people’s names,” padawan-Anakin offers.
“Perhaps we should introduce ourselves – “Anakin’s Obi-Wan begins.
“Literally everyone knows who each of us are,” second-oldest Ahsoka snips.
“What I mean,” he says with a huff, “Is that we can say what points we’re from and maybe that twill help us keep track of everyone.”
“And we can give everyone nicknames for everyone,” Anakin adds cheerfully. It’s a stupid idea but what else can they do? “I can be Skyguy.”
“Skyguy?” repeats padawan-Anakin, incredulous, “What?”
Fourteen-year-old Ahsoka grins. “Really?”
Anakin nods. “Yes. It’s what she nicknamed me.”
Padawan-Anakin laughs. “Alright. Maybe I can just be Anakin and… you can be Ani?” He looks down at the younger Anakin who nods hesitantly.
“When are you from?” Anakin – Skyguy, apparently he’s going to have to start calling himself that now – asks.
“I jumped out of a speeder and then I ended up here,” padawan-Anakin replies, “I was trying to track down the bounty hunter who was after Padme.”
Anakin – Skyguy – laughs. “Well, that’s impressive. But…. What are we going to call you?” He looks at the Vader’s slowly.
It’s hard to even focus on their existence right now. He doesn’t want to imagine becoming a Sith. But apparently, he did.
“Vader,” they both say, then look at each other.
“Can’t we call one of you Skywalker?” suggests padawan-Anakin.
“No,” they both say in unison.
“Vaderkin will suffice,” one of them says.
“How are we keeping you apart?” second oldest-Ahsoka asks, “When are you both from?”
They both turn to stare at the Ahsoka’s again.
“I am from ten years in the future,” Vader replies.
“And I am from… over twenty years in the future,” Vaderkin says.
It’s hard to imagine where he’ll be that far in the future. But it means he’s been a Sith for over a decade, by Vaderkin’s time. He feels sick. He still has so many questions about the Obi-Wan thing.
“I can be Snips,” padawan-Ahsoka offers brightly.
“The Ahsoka from here can be Ahsoka,” Skyguy proposes and… He looks at the three year old, who’s happily chewing on Vader’s cape. “She can be ‘Soka.”
Soka makes an eager sound, mouth full of the cape.
Anakin’s not sure she’s even paying attention but that’s alright.
“When are you from, Snips?” Skyguy asks.
“We were on Teth,” she replies, “You jumped onto a Bug and I was gonna jump after but the next thing I knew, I was suddenly here.” He certainly remembers that moment well.
They all look to the oldest Ahsoka’s next. “When I’m from, it’s been about sixteen years,” the younger one says quietly, “You can call me Fulcrum.”
“What… was happening?” Skyguy queries.
Fulcrum’s face shadows. She’s been more distant and closed off the other Ahsoka’s, he’s noticed. “I was on Malachor. At a Sith Temple. It exploded and that’s the last thing I remember.”
Vaderkin is radiating a distinct amount of guilt into the Force that makes Skyguy instantly wary but he doesn’t press for details.
“You can call me Tano,” the oldest suggests, “But when I am from, it’s… been over three decades from now. I took a little trip to another galaxy.”
“You did what?” Vaderkin demands, staring at her.
Her smile is faint and pained. “Some friends of mine successfully sent Thrawn and other Imperial forces to another galaxy. I…ended up following them out there, because my padawan’s friend was taken there and she wanted to find him.”
Skyguy’s brain goes completely frozen.
“You have a padawan?” Vader beats him to the question.
“I do,” Tano confirms.
“Who?” Fulcrum demands, almost incredulous.
“Sabine Wren.”
The name has no meaning to Anakin but Fulcurm’s eyes go wide and Vaderkin stills a little. He’s not quite sure he wants to know how they’re acquittanced.
Everyone looks to the Obi-Wan’s next. “The last I know, Maul kicked me off a ledge and the next thing I knew, I found myself here,” the youngest one offers, “You can call me Obi-Wan.”
“What about the rest of us?” Skyguy’s Obi-Wan objects, looking disgruntled.
“One of you can be Master and the other can be General,” Skyguy offers brightly.
“General would have to be me,” Skyguy’s Obi-Wan concludes, “And you all know when I’m from, of course.”
“I’ll be Master then,” second youngest Obi-wan says, “I was also in the middle of that speeder chase Anakin was mentioning.”
The padawan shoots him a grin.
“What about you two?” Obi-Wan asks.
“Ben,” they both say in unison and then pause to look at each other.
“I’ll be Kenobi then,” the second oldest one says, “I’m from ten years in the future as well.”
“And I’m from nineteen years in the future,” Ben says, “I was on an Imperial… battle station and the next thing I knew, I ended up here.”
“Imperial?” Snips echoes, confused.
“An Empire forms in the future,” Fulcrum interjects, “The Sith win. I was a leading member of the Rebellion.”
“Palpatine,” Skyguy realizes faintly, “That’s how the Sith won.” Because they would never have seen a betrayal coming until too late. But that knowledge still isn’t enough to make him stop grieving him and it makes him feel guilty and he feels even more guilty for feeling guilty about that in the first place.
“I still wanna know how you could have fallen,” Snips says, pointing at the two Vader’s. She’s frowning in a way that’s actually kind of adorable.
They look at each other again.
“It is long story,” Vaderkin replies finally, “Not… for right now.”
Considering that the fire ships just finished spraying off the outside of their ship and people are now approaching, maybe he’s right. Even if Anakin has so many questions himself.
“What are we doing now?” Obi-Wan wonders.
“We need explain this… disaster to the Council,” General replies, “And since the Sith are both dead and we’ve won the war, hopefully the galaxy will be… safe?”
“It should be,” Kenobi offers quietly.
They all stand, clamoring out of the nearest feasible exits on the ship and going outside. Vader and Vaderkin exchange a glance and then they suddenly take off. With their armor, Skyguy didn’t even know they could move that fast.
“Wait, what are you doing - !” padawan-Anakin yells after them.
Ben makes a sharp move to follow them.
“No,” Tano interjects, stepping in front of him, “You’re just going to make this worse.”
“You don’t know what they’re going to do.”
“I’ll go with them,” she replies.
Fulcrum hesitates. “Me too,” she says finally, though she seems wary for some reason. Skyguy’s afraid to know why.
They turn and take off after. Skyguy watches the four of them disappear from sight, He still has so many questions, but clearly they won’t be getting answers right now.
The rest of them get on a transport back to the Temple. And Skyguy can’t help how nervous he suddenly is. They’re going to be telling the Council that in the future, he falls. He fails as a Jedi. Becomes the very thing he knows the Council always feared. He’s not ready for this. But that actually gives him an idea, even if it feels like running.
“Now that this is over,” he speaks up finally, “I should go to reinforce Ahsoka on Mandalore. She might need help.”
“What’s she doing there?” Snips wonders.
“Stopping Maul. He killed Satine and – ”
“What?” Obi-Wan and Master demand at once.
“He wanted on revenge on us,” Kenobi speaks up. He’s been weirdly quiet for Obi-Wan.
“Perhaps we should both go,” Master suggests, looking to Obi-Wan who nods his agreement.
“Do you want to come?” Skyguy asks, looking to his padawan-self.
He hesitates, gaze darting to Ani. “I… think I’ll stay.”
Skyguy nods. “Alright.” Someone needs to look after Ani too. He doesn’t know what the Council’s going to want to do with him, considering the situation. He’d stay himself, just for that, but Ahsoka probably does need his help.
So it’s settled, then. So long as the Council agrees, he, Master, and Obi-Wan will head off to Mandalore as soon possible.