Finally. Finally, finally, finally! Ahsoka Tano, secretly Darth Varice, was positively vibrating with anticipation even as she waited for the airlock in front of her to finish cycling so she could enter the Negotiator. As much as she didn't necessarily want to be back on this ship, it was necessary… because her True Master was on his way and would be arriving within the hour.
When Ahsoka heard the news, she was beyond thrilled, even if she was also a bit baffled. Sure, she knew that Anakin Skywalker was secretly a Sith Lord rivaling the hidden Sith Master at the head of the Republic in power. She knew that he was so much more than he seemed.
… However, even she had to question the so-called 'wisdom' of the venerable Jedi Council. After all, for all that she knew these things about Anakin, her True Master… they were still the same fucking age! That she was still a Padawan while he'd been promoted to Knighthood was ultimately fine because he'd only been promoted due to his performance in the early battles of the war. Meanwhile, she'd lost her first Master and wound up assigned to Kenobi to finish her stint as a padawan.
That was just a divergence in their two paths, no more, no less. However… for the Jedi Council to go and promote Anakin to Master and then appoint him to sit among them as a Council Member… that was positively ridiculous!
He must have made it happen somehow. That was the only explanation Ahsoka had been able to come up with when she really thought about it. Somehow, her Master had manipulated the Jedi Council so expertly and deftly that they'd made him not only the youngest Jedi Master in history but also the youngest Jedi Council Member for good measure!
And of course, now that he was in said positions, he was allowed to pick his own assignments. It didn't surprise Ahsoka in the slightest that he'd immediately set things up so that they could finally be together again, fighting side by side. At long last he would be able to properly train her, even after months of Ahsoka just having to… make do.
Though, she certainly hadn't been idle! No sir! Ahsoka had made sure she had something to show for their time apart. And as soon as she could, she would show Anakin her Mirialan pets. Luminara and Barriss… they would submit to their new Master, just as they had submitted to their Mistress~
But first… the airlock finishes cycling and Ahsoka tenses up. However, when she steps out a second later, entering her Jedi Master's flagship properly… he's nowhere to be seen. Admittedly, Ahsoka hasn't laid eyes on Obi-Wan Kenobi for weeks now. He's been content to completely allow Luminara to take over her 'training' for some reason and Ahsoka hasn't bothered to question it because its allowed her to completely and utterly corrupt both Luminara and Barriss.
But now… she has to admit, she's a little surprised when she's only greeted by Cody and nobody else.
"… Cody. Is Master Kenobi busy?"
The Clone Marshal Commander inclines his head.
"Commander Tano. Yes, the General is currently meditating. He sent me to greet you."
Hm. Well, they had just had a battle yesterday… maybe it took more out of the Jedi Master than Ahsoka had been aware of? She didn't fight alongside him very much at this point, but she overheard clones talking about how much of a terror on the battlefield he had become. Was he overexerting himself?
At the same time though, there's something in Cody's voice, even modulated as it is by his helmet, that makes Ahsoka narrow her eyes slightly. It's as though he's trying to… hide something from her. She considers pressing for a moment. And if it wasn't for her own secrets, she definitely would have.
However… it was easier not to press given that her True Master was set to arrive within the hour. It would, obviously, be a lot easier for her to handle things how she wanted them handled if she could meet with Anakin alone first. Though, she might as well make sure…
"Do you know if he'll be available in an hour when Master Skywalker arrives?"
Cody pauses for a long moment in consideration before slowly shaking his head.
"He might not be immediately, no. We'll have to greet General Skywalker ourselves."
Ahsoka hums, nodding along.
"Alright then. That's fine, I suppose. For now, I suppose I'll go grab a bite to eat and freshen up before Master Skywalker's arrival…"
She doesn't bother hiding that she's a little perturbed. It feels like she should be all things considered. But beyond being perturbed, she's also quite pleased with this turn of events. Whatever is going on with Master Kenobi, its playing right into her and Anakin's hands!
As Cody turns and begins to lead her across the hangar Ahsoka allows herself a satisfied smirk for just a moment. All according to plan so far…
-x-X-x-
An hour later and they're back in the hangar. This time, instead of an airlock, Ahsoka and Cody stand together and watch as Anakin flies his starfighter right through the forcefield and into the hangar proper. He lands it with the ease of a master pilot and hops out with the grace of a powerful force user, landing on his feet easily enough while Artoo ejects himself from the droid port and beeps and whistles as he follows along behind.
"Commander Cody, Padawan Tano. Pleasure to see you both."
Anakin's bright, sunny smile is honestly infectious even if Ahsoka knows that it hides an all encompassing powerful darkness behind it. She finds herself smiling back, even as Cody grunts at her side.
"Good to see you too, General. Congratulations are in order, I hear."
Ahsoka takes that chance to step in.
"Oh! Yes Master Skywalker, congratulations on your promotion and appointment!"
Anakin's smile softens a bit, still warm but more casual as he nods to both of them.
"Thank you."
Then, he frowns slightly, looking around the hangar.
"… Where's Obi-Wan?"
Ahsoka looks to Cody at that because frankly, he seems to know more than her at this point. The Clone Commander stands ramrod straight, looking tense beneath his armor as he speaks in a clipped tone.
"General Kenobi is currently meditating and sends his regards. He should be available sometime within the next few hours."
Anakin's frown deepens at that, but then his eyes move to her and Ahsoka can tell he's probably thinking the same thing she did. Namely, this allowed for just the two of them to convene without raising suspicion… so might as well take advantage of it, right?
"… Very well. Let me know the moment he comes out of his quarters. For now, Padawan Tano can take it from here, I'm sure."
Cody snaps off a crisp salute and nods sharply.
"As you say, General."
With that, he turns and leaves. Ahsoka is positively vibrating with anticipation… but they're still not alone. Not only are there other clones in the large hangar, but also she's not sure what Artoo knows, if anything. Fortunately, the Astromech droid doesn't hang around too much. After shooting Anakin some more beeps and whistles, Artoo totters off, likely to find droid maintenance and demand an oil bath or something.
Meanwhile, Ahsoka wordlessly gestures for Anakin to follow her and leads him out of the hangar and towards a nice, private conference room she'd scouted out previously. While she would have liked to take him directly to her own quarters, that might have been suspicious. Not to mention they were too close to Master Kenobi's quarters and she hadn't exactly been living in them these past few months anyways.
The instant they're alone, Ahsoka turns and wraps her arms around her Sith Master's neck, surging upwards to plant her lips on his lips. To her utter joy, Anakin responds by grabbing her by the hips and kissing her back, his hands squeezing her waist as their tongues dance with one another.
The Dark Side surges… only to be swallowed up in an instant by the Sith Lord she's making out with, their presences in the Force contained by his power. Ahsoka moans throatily into his mouth at the display of competence and prowess, letting herself just… go as she relaxes entirely, submitting completely and utterly to him.
Finally though, he does terminate their lip lock, pulling her away and looking at her.
"Report, Darth Varice."
The instant his hands fall off of her hips, Ahsoka drops to one knee and bows her head.
"Yes Master. I've been busy in our time apart… though not as busy as you from the sound of things. Still, I have grown in power from my time across the many battlefields that the 212th and 41st have fought on. On top of that… I have prepared a pair of gifts for you in the form of Master Luminara Unduli and Padawan Barriss Offee. They are ripe for the plucking, ready to submit to a true Sith such as yourself. All you have to do is reach out and take them."
She thrums with excitement at the idea, even as Anakin hums consideringly.
"Oh? And how did you manage that, exactly?"
Ahsoka grins, knowing how crazy it sounds.
"That's the best part, Master… I barely had to do anything. Master Unduli… she'd already Fallen to the Dark Side. The war took its toll on her and her fear for Barriss drove her into the Darkness. She has fooled herself into thinking that I'm a good influence on Barriss and so has allowed me to spend most of my time these past few months on their ship at my fellow Padawan's side. At this point… Barriss is all but bound to me. She would shatter without my guidance. And Luminara has developed a taste for submitting to me, her Mistress."
She's expecting shock and surprise at this revelation. It's rather wild to think that a Jedi Master could just Fall like that without anyone noticing, after all. And yet… Anakin barely seems bothered by any of this.
"… And what of your Jedi Master? What of Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
Ahsoka's grin falters slightly. Because… well…
"I… I don't know much, Master. Like I said, I've spent most of my time with Luminara and Barriss, preparing them both for you. I've even been fighting alongside them. Master Kenobi has… let it happen without complaint. He's encouraged it even. I didn't think much of it… but it's strange how much he's pushed me away, isn't it? He hasn't personally trained me more than once or twice since I became his Padawan, and I haven't even been face to face with him in weeks."
Suddenly, she worries that she's misstepped. The more she talks, the more obvious it becomes that something is wrong with Obi-Wan Kenobi. And she doesn't know what it is because she was so focused on corrupting Luminara and Barriss that she didn't bother investigating. Has she messed up? Has she failed her Sith Master by letting such a mystery fester right under her nose?
"… You've done well, Apprentice."
Ahsoka jolts at those words, her eyes widening as she looks up into Anakin's eyes. He stares back at her, his gaze indecipherable.
"However… there is no denying that our time apart has stunted your growth and training. For instance… I gave you a Sith Name, did I not?"
Shifting, Ahsoka nods. Darth Varice… that's her Sith Name.
"And yet… I can feel that you have not fully embraced it. You still consider yourself Ahsoka Tano above all else."
Wha- that wasn't… well, maybe it was true. Turning her attention inward, Ahsoka realizes her Master is at least partially right. She still thinks of herself as Ahsoka first, Varice second. But… is that not correct?
"This is in part my fault. After all, you do not even know my Sith Name after all this time."
A jolt runs through her at that. He was right. Before her stands Anakin Skywalker. And while she knows him to be a Sith Lord, while she knows him to be her True Master and herself to be his Sith Apprentice… she has no clue what to call him aside from Anakin Skywalker.
"Master… what is your Sith Name?"
He smiles and Ahsoka immediately feels like she's asked the right question.
"You kneel before Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith. You kneel as Ahsoka Tano still, clinging to your old life… rise now though as Darth Varice, shedding that identity forevermore."
Swallowing hard, she slowly nods and rises to her feet. Ahsoka falls away as she does, discarded like a cloak. She might put it back on from time to time to maintain the ruse where necessary… but in that instant, she lets herself truly and fully embrace the Dark Side and the Sith.
Ahsoka kneels. Darth Varice rises. Looking into the eyes of her Master, of Darth Vader, Varice smiles.
"Thank you, Master. I look forward to experiencing more of your tutelage. In the meantime… what do you believe we should do next? I could show you over to the Tranquility so you could meet with Luminara and Barriss, since Master Kenobi is so busy. Or… we could investigate the mystery surrounding Master Kenobi now."
The former was of course what Varice wanted to do. Every fiber of the Togruta's being screamed at her to push for her Master to partake of the feast she'd spent these past months preparing for him. Two Mirialan Sluts, a Master-Padawan pair of Fallen Jedi, all but ready to submit to the Master they didn't even know existed.
… However, she recognizes now that whatever is happening with Obi-Wan Kenobi is Strange with a capital S. So if Lord Vader prefers to deal with that first, she'll understand… and obey, of course.