V.2-C.71│War Never Changes III│

It had begun.

"Roger, Roger."

Multiple droids, battle and medical were already hauled and shipped off to the Republic, where the Jedi visit to this new Order had also ended.

With some goodbyes that were both sad and somewhat left off with a bad taste in their mouths, the Jedi returned while Anakin and the girls went back to doing their own things.

Specifically Aayla was now, with the encouragement of knowing that Anakin was happy with this occurrence as well, could brag about being pregnant to all of the others. Something that wouldn't start any arguments but instead would be the birth of the girls now wanting to compete with each other.

Even Padme would give up her vow of not having children in the face of Aayla now becoming pregnant. Unfortunately for Ahsoka, she would be left out of this competition, but that didn't mean she would be unable to do anything herself and would try her best to show herself as an adult.

Making various attempts at trying to do the very lewd act of hand holding with Anakin, which is where he would promptly deny her that opportunity, multiple times.

Anyway, that wasn't the most important part. The most important part was now that the war could continue and Anakin would be making a profit because of it.

When he had asked for the specific materials to create and reduce the costs of trying to supply the Republic, he had lied about how much he would need. He specifically wanted more then enough materials so he could also start expanding upon his own standing army of droids.

He was preparing himself, and preparing the entirety of those from within the Empyrean for the fallout of the Galactic Republics falling out and the Confederacy of Independent Systems falling out as well.

Then that was not even taking into account the Hutts, of whom would either be interested in what is going on from the galaxy at large, or be disinterested and not care enough to expand.

Anakin had a feeling that it would be the former rather than the latter, as the Hutts would no doubt be either trying to prepare themselves for Anakin and the Empyrean or they were just that uninterested.

[]

War. War never changes.

This was pretty correct as it related to money. Of course it wasn't always just money, but instead people fought over things, but it always came down to resources.

There are rare occasions like what the hell was happening with Palpatine, where he didn't exactly want more resources but he wanted more power. More power for what? Anakin only knew that Palpatine's desires had to do with wanting immortality just like his master before him.

He obviously wanted more than that however, and it probably had to do with the idea of becoming the Sith'ari.

Sith'ari was a title that, in the ancient Sith, meant 'Lord' or 'Overlord,' first claimed by King Adas. After Adas's death, the term became the subject of a legend prophesying the coming of a being that would lead and destroy the Sith, but in doing so would make the Sith more powerful than ever before. In this context, the term came to mean 'perfect being' or 'god.'

The prophecy, which was in many ways similar to the Jedi prophecy of the Chosen One, retained its significance for the Dark Lords up until the time of the Order of the Sith.

'Now that I think about it, doesn't this kind of make me the Sith'ari?' Anakin was turning into a god-like entity after all and the Sith'ari prophecy also had connections or similarities to the Jedi's Chosen One.

It almost fit all too perfectly, with Anakin right at the center of it all.

This probably didn't mean all too much, but knowing the Force and how it worked, it may be that Anakin was both the Chosen One and the Sith'ari at the same time. Technically it is possible but there are also a few things that Anakin didn't fill in for the Sith'ari prophecy in particular.

"One who has freed themselves from all restrictions has reached perfection, their potential fulfilled. Perfect strength, perfect power, perfect destiny." Anakin said aloud as he was within his room, meditating over recent events. "This does kind of fit me... however, the idea of perfection is kind of flawed..."

"How so?" A voice said, as someone had seemingly come into his room. Anakin of course knew who this is, but didn't say anything else as he awaited for them to join him in his meditation session.

While unorthodox to do so here, it was the only place she was willing to come and felt safest. Which it wasn't exactly a lie, but it did have something to do with Anakin, as obviously she was infatuated at this point.

"Ahsoka, how nice of you to join me on time." Anakin replied as he floated, levitating off of the ground. It had become a normal occurrence by now and Ahsoka had grown used to it.

Anakin alot of the time would allow Ahsoka her little victories over the other girls, simply because while it is true he will not be getting into any relationship with her, not until she was older, that didn't mean he would ignore her.

That would just be cruel, so he would continue to treat her as he usually did, with no change at all. Anakin didn't know if this hurt her more, or it actually made her feel relieved at knowing that he wouldn't treat her differently.

Either way, he wouldn't change his decision.

"Yeah, yeah. It isn't like you like meditation as well." Ahsoka said with some sass.

"Well, I will have you know that I am always meditating and what you see now is when I focus most of my effort and time into it." Anakin supplied, still with eyes closed and as if he wasn't distracted by Ahsoka being within the room.

"Really?" There was some doubt, playful in nature when she replied.

"Yes, really. Hurry up now and start tempering yourself. With your temper and aggressive nature, I doubt that you would be able to last very long." Anakin stated to rile her up, as it was best meditating not when one was calm, but instead he had found meditation was at its best when one was emotional.

When one felt something, is what would lead one to becoming calm or peaceful.

"What were you talking to yourself about anyway?" Ahsoka sat down as she started to meditate as well, as she also was trying to reach a state where she could float above the ground magically like Anakin could.

"Just going over some other prophecy that didn't originate from the Jedi. I may have been named as the Chosen One, but that doesn't there aren't others or another that could be like me in a sense." Anakin said.

He continued. "There is also a chance that another prophecy would also apply to me as well."

"Just what kind of prophecy from the Sith would apply to you, THE 'Chosen One...'" Ahsoka did have some snark in her voice.

"Ok, ok. I can hear the snark in your voice. You can calm down now, there is no need to be so aggressive." Anakin replied calmly to her little bit of snark.

"Whatever, can you be quiet now? I am trying to meditate." If Ahsoka could, she would turn her back but there was no need as she would only need to close her eyes to stop seeing Anakin. Not that it would help her if she didn't want to sense his presence, as she would always be able to through the Dyad bond they share now.

"Sure, sure." Anakin waved her emotional state off, knowing that this was exactly what he wanted to achieve. Emotion is always a key factor to meditation, or at least he believed so as there was much more drive or action when meditation began because of it.

The real problem was channeling that emotion into the meditation itself, something that Anakin was trying to get Ahsoka to practice.

"By the way, dont you think that it is quite inappropriate for the both of us to be alone, with each other, within my bedroom?" Anakin asked Ahsoka, as he wanted to know her thoughts.

"W-What do you mean?" Of course she knew what he meant, it was just that she was trying to play dumb. She didn't just ask Anakin to meditate within his bedroom for no reason after all, and she could be quite cunning herself sometimes.

She did after all come from the same species Shaak Ti was from, and going by her behavior, Ahsoka may have some of the same tendencies of being a predator.

"Oh? Nothing, nothing. I just thought it would have been better for the two of us to practice somewhere else. Anywhere else really." Anakin continued, implying that they should do this training session somewhere else.

"O-Of course not. I think staying here is the b-best." She was cracking under the pressure.

Humming, Anakin doesn't break from his meditative form and says. "Well, if you say so." Of course he knew why she wanted to get him alone, and that is exactly why when she brought up the idea of the two training within his huge bedroom, he had decided to instead make it about meditation instead of physical exercise.

This was the best way, at least to him, to mitigate whatever she is trying to do and otherwise redirect whatever energies, emotions or feelings into the meditative session instead.

He was not stupid, and he was not dense. Or, at least he believed he wasn't.

'Now back onto meditating about this whole Chosen One and Sith'ari, prophecies business...' Anakin then started to tune out Ahsoka, and instead focus on what he was doing before. She would have to face and deal with her own problems, by herself, just as he would have to confront the possibility of himself being a part of this prophecy as well.

While the original Anakin would have minimal connection to the Sith'ari prophecy and could still fulfill his own prophecy of the Chosen One, the current Anakin could see where he could fit into those lines.

The Sith'ari Prophecy was considered too sacred to be put into writing by the Kissai, who passed it on verbally from generation to generation. Sorzus Syn recorded it thus. Around 6900 years prior to now.

'The Sith'ari will be free of limits.'

It was here that Anakin was starting to see that he was free of all limits, whether that be the limits of society, the limits within himself, his physical and spiritual form. Then there was consideration for Anakin's limits within the Force and how he was exactly pushing himself through those limits and turning himself into the Force itself.

It was fitting a little too well, but as always when it came to prophecies, they could and would be interrupted in various ways.

'The Sith'ari will lead the Sith and destroy them.'

This could also apply to him as well, because while Palpatine is technically the one and only Sith Lord, there is however Zannah, Rynalla, Alysun, and other rogue dark side users, that may or may not be considered a part of the Sith.

Especially Zannah who would still consider herself both a Sith and now is a part of his faction as well. Again, more interpretation was at work, but Anakin could very clearly see the possibilities and the chances of him being connected to this prophecy increase.

'The Sith'ari will raise the Sith from death and make them stronger than before.'

Now, even more interesting was the fact that this could be taking in more ways than one. Where Anakin would lead the Sith, that being those dark side practitioners within the Empyrean Order and then destroy those Sith outside of his Order, being Palpatine and those Sith under him, Anakin would fulfill that part in a way.

Since it also lines up with his destiny of the Chosen One. They technically dont both conflict at all.

The idea of raising the Sith from the dead and then making them stronger fit all too well with Anakin as well. He 'raised' Zannah from the dead and had made her stronger as well, through her now Dyad connection to him. Then there is also the fact that he was increasing or strengthening dark side practitioners within his own Order as well.

'What is this?' Anakin thought as he came across a vision of the past.

A past that included Darth Plagueis' saying some words that are better fit for himself.

Like smoke, and kind of like what you would see when viewing a memory through someone eyes, Anakin was starting to see things through the eyes of Plagueis. "Prophecies are generally wishful thinking..."

"The fact that the Sith created their own savior myth is predictable..."

"Yet these predictions seem uniquely specific to the actions I am taking now..."

"I am not a creature of superstition. But if the robes of the Sith'ari fit, I see no reason not to claim them."

Anakin couldn't help but agree more with what Plagueis had said, as while he was evil just like Sidious and had manipulated events to how they were within the Republic today, that didn't mean his wisdom is invalid. Sometimes, even in the greatest of evil acts does one find something that they wouldn't have found before.

Of course, evil should not be done, but one must not look at the act while leaving up the build up. Once one is left at the act, one would not know what the cause of such an act to happen. No build up.

No nothing.

Context was always key, and sometimes that context was bad, while sometimes what was the result of that context may have been all right. However, one needs to think things through and not always take things at face value.

Anakin had said Plagueis' words aloud, meaning that Ahsoka could hear him say these things, which did disturb her.

While her plan may have failed, that didn't mean she wouldn't try and get something out of this failed exchange, so she was at the very least trying to make sure she mastered whatever Anakin was trying to teach her.

That was until he was speaking strangely. "Hey!" She called out with her eyes still closed, and her brow furrowed.

"What?" Anakin asked, confused.

"Can you at the very least keep that weird stuff going on within your head, stay within your head?" Ahsoka asked so kindly and nicely, that Anakin couldn't help but reply.

"Maybe."

"You know. I may love you all the more now, and I may dislike you rejecting me, but that doesn't mean you have to annoy me as well."

"Maybe." Anakin said again, with his eyes closed and a serene expression upon his face, as if he had found peace.

Ahsoka didn't say anything else and just harrumphed, before going back to meditation.

Anakin did so as well, but this time decided to do some other things, like actually helping Ahsoka get into the swing of things. He had after all disturbed her, and a little push from him would certainly direct her towards the correct place she needed to be.