"mouthfuls of darkness only fuel a broken mind"

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Chapter Twenty-Two

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The Force was stirring, raging truly. Something was coming that would change the shape of the universe, though how you weren't exactly sure yet. It would be bad, terrible, but there was a chance- a tiny chance, that it could be changed. If only you knew what was going on.

Currently, you were in the middle of a space battle. You had briefly been meeting with Anakin and Obi-Wan as all of your paths conveniently intersected, but then you ran into a Separatist warship led by Ventress and things had fallen apart from there.

You, Obi-Wan, and Anakin had jumped into space fighters when the fight began to assist your forces. The three of you were sticking close together in order to watch each other's backs, though that idea changed when a blaster shot barely missed your ship. R3 whistled a report from the front of your ship.

"Ventress!" You called out a warning, "Split up!"

The three of you flew different ways. Obi-Wan went right, Anakin went left, and you kept going straight. The battle ships that flew with Ventress followed you and Anakin, but Ventress herself went after Obi-Wan.

"Looks like I'm her favorite!"

"I'm kind of disappointed. Only the droids follow me."

Swinging your ship down, you skimmed along the top of one of the Separatist ships. One of the three droid ships trailing you hit one of their guns and exploded, leaving you with two. Turning sharply to the side, you narrowly fit between several external shield generators, taking out the second. With one left, you swung a right and then went down. You were heading straight for a droid battleship occupied with Republic forces. Right before you hit the ship, you pulled up, leaving the ship following you to hit their comrade and explode.

"I'm going to need some help," Obi-Wan said through the comms.

"Where are you?"

"I'm hit! I'm heading towards the Separatist flagship."

Accelerating, you tracked down the flagship and flew toward it. Anakin came up beside you and shot at Ventress' ship, delivering a critical hit to the engine and sending her into the same hangar as Obi-Wan.

Landing in the hangar, you opened your ship port and jumped out with your hand on your saber. Obi-Wan pushed his port open with the Force and climbed out. Anakin nearly crashed his ship into the hangar and leaped out with R2 just behind him.

"What an entrance, Anakin," Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

Ventress' ship opened and she climbed out, holding her ribs.

"Ventress. You're not looking well."

"She never does."

Anguish was leaching into her Force signature. It wasn't necessarily physical, but rather mental- emotional. Something had happened recently that had sent her spiraling. You found yourself pitying her. She had never revealed herself like this. Though you couldn't bring yourself to feel much pity. You remembered what she did to Obi-Wan and Alpha 17 early on in the war- the spiral she had sent you down as a result. She was despicable, but not completely gone.

"Ventress, come peacefully," you ignited your saber, "No harm has to come to you, and you are in no state to duel."

"I'll never come with you, Jedi," Ventress hissed, pulling her sabers from her belt and striking.

She was outmatched against you, Obi-Wan, and Anakin. There was a reason why you were called The Team, why younglings whispered stories of your battles in the Temple. The three of you against a Sith Acolyte was little problem when all of you were in peak condition as you were now.

The duel was short, as Ventress was unable to properly defend herself or go on the offensive. When her sabers had been knocked from her hands, you hoped it would be over.

"It's over!"

Ventress screamed in rage and lifted her hands. The Force wrapped itself around your throat, and you were lifted into the air as your breath left your lungs. Sucking in as deep a breath as you could, you reached out for the Dark Side. It didn't take much power to unwrap Ventress' claws from around your throat, and the abrupt lack of grip around the three of you could easily be excused by the missiles that hit the flagship as soon as you were done.

You landed as steadily as you could on your feet, looking out the viewport of the landing bay. The Separatist ships had turned their guns on you, even though Ventress was on board.

Despite the fact that the ship was clearly going down, Ventress wasn't done with the fight. She summoned her sabers with the Force and began again. She was tiring, and the tipping of the ship was throwing all of you off balance.

A piece of the ship fell from the ceiling and was heading straight for Anakin before Obi-Wan tackled him out of the way.

"Anakin! Look out! We have to get out of here!"

Anakin ran back to his ship and you and Obi-Wan squeezed into yours since his was out of commission.

With the flagship gone and the Separatist forces rapidly retreating, it was easy to finish off the battle from there. The three of you were due at other places, but you delayed your take-off to speak for a little bit.

"Something was off about Ventress. Did you feel it?" You asked.

Anakin nodded, frowning contemplatively, "She was like a wounded animal- hurt but even more dangerous. Why would the Separatists shoot on their own ship?"

"They were ordered to," Obi-Wan stated the obvious.

Why would Dooku order Ventress to be killed?

~*~

The Force was still tumultuous nearly a week later, when reports came back concerning a masacre taking place, suspected to be the work of a single being. You were visiting with your family on Othan, so you weren't there for the evaluation of the bodies, but Obi-Wan said it was brutal - committed by a monster.

Obi-Wan was to meet you on Othan, and together the two of you would travel to Naboo where Anakin was "on a meditative retreat" at the same time Padme was away from the senate visiting her family as well. Of course, seeing as how the two of you were aware of their relationship you picked Anakin up near Padme's family home, where he came bearing baked goods from Padme's mother. They were a delightful change from the rations packed on the ship.

The three of you were being sent to Dathomir, where Dooku's new assassin was apparently from. Specifically, the Council believed him to be from a small village on the planet where the males resided.

The village seemed abandoned when you landed and disembarked the ship. The structures were crudely built and seemingly unstable, strange considering the power of the Dathomirian witches.

"Be on guard," Obi-Wan warned, "These men are ferocious warriors and they will show no mercy."

"Don't worry, I won't start anything," Anakin assured, but considering his past it did little to calm your nerves.

From the rooftops several Dathomirian men with handmade weapons dropped, they quickly surrounded the three of you. Anakin and Obi-Wan were quick to draw their lightsabers, but you were distracted by the Dathomirian that remained on the roof. Eyes narrowing suspiciously, you used the Force to jump to the rooftop and ignited your saber, hovering it near the man's throat.

"Stop!" You ordered the Dathomirians. As you suspected, they lowered their weapons and watched you with worried, weary eyes, "We did not come here in search of a battle. We want information."

"A man from your village murdered two Jedi. We need to know where he is."

"What makes you think he is one of ours?" The man you were threatening asked.

"The Jedi Council knows he is from this village," was all Obi-Wan said.

"Mother Talzin should know of his whereabouts. One of her women took him as a mate."

That was a rather strange tradition. You clipped your lightsaber back to your belt and jumped down to join Obi-Wan and Anakin. The three of you turned away from the village and began to walk back to your ship. You sensed deadly intentions in the men behind you.

"Stop! Let them go."

The intention was gone. Anakin turned to you and asked, "Who is this Mother Talzin?"

You rolled your eyes, "Do you expect me to know everything, Anakin?" He raised a brow, "Fine. She is the leader of the Witches of Dathomir. Her use of the Force is Dark and extremely ancient. It is best to be extremely cautious around her."

Frowning, Anakin joked, "Great. Warrior men, ancient witches. Could this get any more fun?"

Obi-Wan slapped Anakin's arm, "Don't joke, you'll jinx it."

The ride to the portion of Dathormir where the witches resided was quick, and you made sure to land far away from their main compound so as to not startle them into attacking.

"I don't know much about Mother Talzin, but I doubt we'll be welcome here," Obi-Wan sighed as the three of you left the ship.

Anakin chuckled, "You never know. I tend to be popular with the ladies."

"Oh sure, Mr. 'you look beautiful for a senator'," you rolled your eyes.

"You promised you wouldn't bring that up!"

This section of Dathormir was ominous, clouded with a thick red fog that affected your visibility. The tall trees could easily hide an assassin or a watch. The three of you were at a distinct disadvantage.

Stopping, Obi-Wan's brows furrowed and he looked up at the trees, "We've got company."

Similar to how the Dathomirian men jumped you, the witches dropped down from the trees with their weapons brandished. Unsure of their powers or what they were willing to do, you lifted your hands and allowed them to take your saber. Anakin and Obi-Wan followed your lead and did the same.

"Jedi, come with us."

The women led you to their compound, an ancient council with a glowing liquid running freely through moats and rivers inside.

"(Y/n) Pavond," a woman who you instantly knew to be Mother Talzin stepped out of the shadows. Obi-Wan and Anakin were gone. So were the other witches, "Come, we have much to discuss."

Seeing that you had no other choice, you followed. She led you over to a small pond of the growing liquid, her face devoid of any telling emotions. The world felt slow, blurry. Mother Talzin moved so she was in front of you, your back to the liquid pond.

"You must understand yourself before you can save us all," Mother Talzon tapped your forehead, and you fell back into the pool of Ichor.

Coming up gasping for air, you pulled yourself to shore. Turning back to the dark water, you stared down at your reflection. Your eyes were yellow, a terrifying sight, but one that felt strangely calming now.

Reaching out, you gently placed your hand on the water- your reflection followed as it should have. Then, the mirrored version of yourself grinned, grabbed your hand, and pulled you into the water again.

You were falling now, not drowning. Through space, through time. Flashes came and went before your eyes. Of Anakin with golden eyes killing younglings. Of Jango Fett capturing Obi-Wan during the Mandalore mission and deciding to keep him, of Padme leading a grand rebellion.

You are not meant to exist

A freak of nature

The Dark is too tempting to resist

Come, allow me to give you all you desire

It is impossible to reside between the two

Tip the balance, come to me

Yet at this moment, in this universe, you are real

Are you?

You exist for a reason

To Fall

To catch

To bring me to greatness

To prevent others from greatness

To bring balance

The images were coming and going faster now. Satine dead. Padme dead. Anakin dead. A boy with Padme's features fighting a man in a terrifying black suit. A pure beskar wearing Mandalorian leading an Empire.

Were you dying? Were these the last flashes of the universe, of the Force, that you were going to see?

You felt the sensation of a hand grabbing yours, and you were back. Or at least, you thought you were. Mother Talzin had that unreadable look again as she pulled you from the pond.

"What did the Ichor reveal?"

"What could be, and what is."

"And what of you?"

"Why I'm here."

Mother Talzin nodded, "Yes. The Force wished for you to see what is and what isn't. You hide behind the illusion of light, when you are often cast in shadow. Do not hide, child, and you will save us all."

Mother Talzin led you back, and the world wasn't fuzzy anymore. Anakin and Obi-Wan emerged from a side room with- Mother Talzin? You looked and Mother Talzin was no longer beside you. You were terribly confused about how this fortress worked, and you were eager to get out.

Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at you in confusion and looked at the space between them. It seems they also thought you were there when you weren't. The three of you were escorted all the way back to your ship, and only then did the witches leave.

"Where were you? We thought you were with us the whole time."

"Mother Talzin showed me a vision, I believe. Relating to my place as a Gray Jedi. It was... confusing, but I understood most of it. Bring balance to the Force and not hiding anymore- the standard mysterious vision material I suppose. What about you two?"

"Balance to the Force? That's my thing," Anakin muttered petulantly.

Sighing tiredly, Obi-Wan answered, "We learned that Dooku's new apprentice is named Savage Opress. He is on his way to Toydaria as we speak to capture the king."

"Well, let's hurry then!" You urged, palling when Anakin plopped down in the pilot's seat.

Quickly taking your own seat, you strapped yourself in tightly. It was going to be a long, bumpy ride to Toydaria.

~*~

The Toydarian guards were dead by the time you landed. The guards inside the palace weren't in a much better state. In the throne room, Savage Opress had the unconscious king slung over his shoulder.

"At last," Obi-Wan said when Dooku's new apprentice growled threateningly.

Anakin ran to the lift on the left while you and Obi-Wan went to the left. Wielding a double-bladed saber just like Maul, Savage fought all of you off with brute strength rather than true skill.

The king regained consciousness and quickly flitted out of Savage's arms. With his safety confirmed, you, Obi-Wan, and Anakin tackled Savage. Even with all of your strength combined, Savage was still able to lift his hand and wrap the Force around the king.

Stretching out your own hand to unwrap the Force from the king's throat, Savage threw his elbow back landing a hit directly on your diaphragm. The breath was immediately knocked from your lungs, leaving you gasping for breath.

Crack!

The king fell to the ground, dead. Savage threw you, Anakin, and Obi-Wan off. You landed on one of the other platforms, but Obi-Wan and Anakin were stuck hanging off of the same one. Savage slammed his boot against Anakin's hand and sent them sprawling to the ground. He stabbed his lightsaber through the lift and dismantled it, sending it to the ground as well.

"No!" You gasped out, throwing out your hands and slowing the lift down so it wouldn't crush Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Savage leaped off the broken lift and grabbed the king by the foot, dragging him out of the palace. Sprinting after him, you caught him just in time to see him throwing your ship off the ramp and loading onto his ship to take off. Anakin and Obi-Wan came out just after you, swearing under their breaths.

"The line is secure?" You asked breathlessly. If you were leaving these people with no proper heir there would be no chance of salvaging your alliance with them.

"The king had two children," Obi-Wan confirmed.

"Anakin I need you to call Padme and get her over here on behalf of the Republic so we can save the alliance while we go after Savage- what?" Anakin looked like he had seen a ghost.

"She's going to be so mad at me for ruining her vacation.."

Obi-Wan facepalmed, "Anakin..."

The three of you moved over to the nearest Toydarian ship and briefly spoke with the guards explaining the situation and convincing them to allow you to borrow it in order to pursue Savage.

Just outside of the planet's atmosphere was a Separatist ship, it was obvious that was where Savage went.

"A Separatist dreadnought. The king's murderer must have fled there."

"Dooku sent his assassin to exact his revenge against the Toydarians."

"We'll make him pay for it."

Landing in the nearest docking bay, the three of you exited the ship and were immediately met with three droid soldiers.

"Halt, you are now pris-"

They were quickly disposed of in your haste to track down the assassin.

"Do you feel that?" You asked, your head beginning to ache from the backlash of the Force, "It's a mind in agony, in pain."

"Something is wrong," Anakin added, sprinting even faster.

When the two of you finally tracked down Savage, you could confirm that it was his mind that was falling apart. He was in agony, torn between something that you couldn't make out.

"We'll take him together," Obi-Wan ordered as the three of you lifted your sabers and slowly approached.

Savage charged, throwing the three of you from the room and into the wall across the hall. There was no Force behind that attack, just natural strength.

The battle was intense and took the three of you through the halls of the ship down to the lower levels. A fractured mind made for a dangerous body, as seen by Savage's lack of control or concern. This was pure anger and animal instinct to fight and kill.

Even the three of you, as skilled as you were, were unable to pinpoint a weakness and take him down. His double-bladed saber and large stature made up for what he lacked in experience.

It wasn't until you were in the hangar that you realized Savage had been purposefully leading you there. He wasn't truly trying to kill all of you, he was trying to escape.

The hangar was full of battle droids, and it took all of you a moment to realize they were shooting at any of you, but rather at Savage. He had been labeled as a traitor.

"They aren't after us. They're attacking that monster."

Savage struggled against all the battle droids surrounding him, but with a great yell and surge of the Force he threw all of them - and you - back. It was his chance to escape and he took it, flying off to who knows where.

"You're not supposed to be here," one of the battle droids commented with a raised gun.

"Time to go," you cut the droid in half and ran for the ship.

The mission was a complete failure in every way possible. The Toydarian king was dead and you failed to apprehend or kill Savage Opress. The mood was somber the ride back to Toydaria, and the ride back to Coruscant.

The report to the Council wasn't any better, all of them were disappointed with your failure and gave all of you orders to ship out again the next day to return to the battlefront.

"(Y/n), remain for a moment," Mace ordered. He was one of the few battle-able Council members who was on Coruscant regularly, as he overlooked the Coruscanti Guard and the Temple as the Master of the Order, "Your Force signature is not hidden."

You blinked in surprise. You hadn't realized you'd dropped your fake signature. How long had it been that way? Since the ride back? Since Toydaria? No. It was most certainly since Dathomir, since you'd been thrown into the ichor and experienced your vision. Mother Talzin hadn't seen fit to inform you, and Obi-Wan and Anakin were so used to both signatures they probably hadn't noticed either.

"No, it is not."

"You traveled through the Temple to get here. Fellow Jedi have now felt this new signature," Oppo Rancisis frowned, clearly disgruntled at the mere thought of your true self being revealed to the rest of the order.

Frowning back just as deeply, you recalled the vision the ichor had given you, "It is the Force's will that I hide no longer. For almost my entire life I have hidden in the shadows, pretending to be nothing but Light. That is not what the universe needs. Not what the Jedi need."

Mace leaned forward and steepled his hands beenath his chin, "We are fighting a war against a Sith Lord we know nothing about. To be exposed to the Dark Side now will cause the entire Temple to fear you- to ridicule you."

"I deal with stares and whispers every time I leave this Temple, every time people realize I am an Otha. I will survive."

"And what of the Council? We would be forced to soothe the masses, we cannot guarantee your protection," Adi Gallia added sympathetically.

Soon, the Force seemed to say, flowing through you for a short moment. The Council perked up, sensing the shift, Calm. Soon.

Not now, but soon, the Force was saying. You would not win this battle now, but that did not mean you would hide for the rest of your life. One day soon you would no longer fake everything that you were. You simply had to wait and trust in the Force.

"I understood. I will withhold from revealing my true signature again," you bowed deeply to the Council in a shallow apology that they accepted all the same, "Perhaps my momentary lapse can be blamed on close contact with this new assassin. His mind and Force presence were unstable. It could have latched onto me."

The Council nodded and quickly agreed, glad to have you submit to them once again. You had to more often than you liked- sometimes it was the only way to get things done.

You were dismissed soon after that, and you met Obi-Wan and Anakin outside - Obi-Wan, who was coincidentally not included in this Council conversation. You had plans to grab Ahsoka from the Padawan dorms and go out to Dex's together before you had to leave the next morning.

"Something doesn't feel right," Obi-Wan mumbled absently.

Anakin groaned, "Not another bad feeling. What is it this time?"

Humming quietly, Obi- Wan closed his eyes and searched for a moment, "I'm not sure. It feels... familiar somehow. Like an old enemy."

"Not many of our old enemies are alive," you reminded him.

"I know, that's what's so concerning. We might be facing a ghost."