Ok. I wasn't gonna put this up until tomorrow but I'm kinda excited for it. I hope y'all like it as much as I do. But first let me tell ya something. Lol, I just read my entire story once through and I noticed a lot of typos and grammar errors and just a lot dumb mistakes that I should have fixed. But let me tell you why. I'm very much a perfectionist with the story part of my writing and that's my main focus when I first type it all out. I go over it multiple times and often change a lot of things along the way. Then I usually try to go back over it and search for other kinds of mistakes. But, to tell you the truth, I'm usually so sick of the chapter I've just written that by the time I'm satisfied with the story, I just want to get it out and be done with it. lol, sorry I know this author's note is really long, but I just thought y'all should know, I'm not naturally bad at spelling and grammar and typing. lol Anyway, I'm done talking now, so enjoy the chapter!
Ahsoka stood in the gunship as it rode down towards the surface of Bestine IV. The flight was not a smooth one. A fierce storm knocked the small ships around violently.
Behind her, Anakin stood closer to her than was normal. Every time the ship was hit by a particularly hard gust of wind, he would set a hand on her shoulder, holding her steady. It wasn't really uncomfortable. It just kind of went against the grain for her not to be annoyed by it. But she had to admit, even though, if she had the choice, she would rather him not know, it felt good to know that he was there. To know that she wasn't shouldering it alone.
No, Anakin didn't make her uncomfortable. What made her uncomfortable were the clones that were watching. Even above the wind, Ahsoka could hear the men whispering to each other through their helmet comms. Did they all know? Probably.
Ahsoka hid inside the deep hood of her cloak. Despite the fact that the Jedi hardly ever wore them on missions anymore, Ahsoka liked the cloaks. She liked the feeling of them. She wasn't sure why her master had wrapped one around her on this mission. Maybe he had sensed she felt awkward under the stares of all the men, knowing her secret was out.
She glanced back at him, his face hidden by the shadows of his own hood. Even covered by the dark, his icy blue eyes shone, giving him a mysterious look.
Suddenly, the gunship lurched. This lurch had nothing to do with the blasting, hammering wind that they'd been fighting the whole way down.
"They've spotted us!" the pilot's voice rang out, competing with the howling wind, booming thunder, and now, the sound of crashing explosions that echoed throughout the air.
"How close are we?" Anakin shouted, leaning towards the pilot with one hand still resting on Ahsoka's shoulder.
"We're still a good ways from the ground, Sir!" the reply came. "But I don't know how much farther we can go! The Separatists seem pretty set against giving us any room or opportunity to land!"
Anakin looked down at Ahsoka. He bent over to talk into ear. "You think you can make a long jump?"
She nodded and pulled back her hood. "Ready!"
He looked up. "Open the doors," he yelled to the pilot. "Men, get ready to jump!"
The doors on both sides opened to violent scenes. Between the flashing of the lightening and droid fire, the roaring of the thunder and wind, and the explosions that contributed to both, Ahsoka's nerve took a beating almost as powerful as the ship. But before she could chicken out completely, she cast off her cloak and dove out into the sky. She could sense her master close behind.
Ahsoka and Anakin fought against the storm as they tried to keep themselves on a straight path to the platform below. If they were blown even a little bit off course, they would go for a dip in the ice cold waters of the planet's oceans. Ahsoka highly doubted that would be a very pleasant experience.
But the water wasn't their only worry, Ahsoka was quick to observe. The blaster shots were coming right for them. Apparently, the droids had seen them falling.
She glanced at her master, which was probably a bad idea with the blaster fire rocketing all around.
Anakin seemed to sense her gaze and met her eyes. He didn't seem afraid. For the second time this mission, Anakin's confidence enhanced her own.
Oh, and another thing Ahsoka was fairly quick to note? This fall? Was a lot farther than it had first looked.
But when the ground came up, it came up fast. Panicking slightly, Ahsoka threw her arms out and pushed out with the force, trying the cushion her landing. Unfortunately, she didn't start soon enough to make as much of a difference as she needed. She came down hard on her feet and rolled across the slippery, metal platform. She looked over at her master, who of course landed perfectly and ignited his lightsaber the moment his feet touched the ground.
Fortunately, Ahsoka didn't feel much more than a little bruised and hurried to pull herself to her feet. She, too, drew her weapon upon standing. And none too soon.
Row after row of battle droids marched from the huge doors that marked the entrance, and the exit, to the building. Behind her, she heard jetpacks switching on, signaling the arrival of the clones.
Then, blaster fire erupted from all around her; red lights flew at her from the droids in front of her while blue beams whizzed by from the clones grouping behind her back.
Ahsoka focused on aiming her deflected bolts back at the shooters, rather than just blocking as many as possible. From the amount of droids coming out of the factory, they had a long fight ahead of them.
Anakin abruptly leaped into air, flipping smoothly into the center of the droids' mass, where he began slicing and stabbing any droid within reach.
Ahsoka, following his lead, raced forward and started to cut down the enemy. Reaching out her hand, she flung droids backwards, taking out others along the way.
More and more droids poured from the doors in a seemingly never-ending stream. Not long passed before super battle droids began mixing into the flow that was making their way towards the Jedi.
"We can't get through!" Ahsoka yelled to her master.
"Hang in there, Snips!" he shouted back. "We'll make it!"
Pausing a moment to roll away from a pack of tinnies that surrounded her, Ahsoka replied breathlessly. "I didn't say... we wouldn't! I just mean… that… we can't break through them! We need... a new plan!"
Anakin, focused intently on blocking the shots being fired at him, spoke without looking away. "I'm open to suggestions!" he said through clenched teeth.
"Oh sure. Now he is," Ahsoka grumbled to herself, but she chose not to respond. She pulled a super droid into her lightsaber with the force, then sent it hurling backwards into others; a trick she'd learned from her master.
A few minutes later, Ahsoka spared a look at Anakin long enough to notice him talking, or screaming, in his wrist comm. She couldn't tell what was being said, or who he was talking to.
She turned her focus back to the droids. Swinging and slashing at the ones in front of her, she abruptly felt a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Oh no. Not now! Anytime but now!
"Uh!" Something hit her from behind. She stumbled forward and whipped around to see other droids coming up, trapping her in the middle of a circle. The queasy feeling grew into a shooting pain that roared violently through her stomach. She doubled over, wrapping her arms around herself. "Master," she said, though she couldn't even hear her own voice. "Master!" she tried again, straining to yell loud enough for him to hear. The droids took aim.
Suddenly, Anakin leaped into the center of the circle, slicing apart two droids as he came down. He caught Ahsoka around the waist and slung her smoothly to the ground behind him. He stood over her deflecting bullets as she brought herself up to her knees. "What's wrong!" he shouted.
She didn't answer his question. Instead, she simply waved her hand and said, "just give me a minute. It'll pass." She clamped her teeth together as she waited for her words to become true.
Sure enough, a few moments later, Ahsoka lurched to her feet and took up a position beside Anakin. Sucking in a deep breath, she decided to speak before he had the chance. "Who were you talking to a few minutes ago," she asked.
"Obi-wan. He's almost here. We only need to hold out a little longer."
Ahsoka nodded, and then leaped forward to help out Rex, who was being forced towards the edge by a group of super battle droids.
Minutes passed. Slicing. Cutting. Stabbing.
Ahsoka noticed a flashed of metal in the dark, stormy sky. Vulture droids were head towards them.
Are you serious?
"Master!" Ahsoka yelled at the top of her lungs. "Look out!"
Anakin's head swung in her direction and his eyes lock with hers.
She raised a hand to the sky, pointing towards the incoming threat.
Anakin turned and followed her finger. Then, letting out a breath, he yelled, "fall back!"
Immediately, clone troopers began backing up. But where were they supposed to go?
"Fall back where, Master?" Ahsoka asked him when Anakin backed near her position. "There's nowhere to go!"
"Don't worry! Obi-wan will be here at any minute!"
And any minute could be a minute too late, a voice in the back of her mind whispered.
Ahsoka mentally kicked herself. No, stop thinking like that. It's not that bad. We've been through worse.
Not for you.
No! Shut up! she shouted at herself, while pondering in another part of her brain if hearing voices was a part of the poison's effects or if she was just losing it altogether. Maybe it'd be better if I didn't make it through this. She wasn't sure which part of her that came from, so she decided it was probably wise to just stop thinking altogether.
Then Ahsoka heard three of the best sounds she could hear at this moment. Gunships. The crisp, barking tones of clones shouting orders. And the blessed sound of a third lightsaber.
Gunfire rained on the incoming vulture droids, causing them to crash, though droids still came from the doors.
"Anakin!" a strong voice yelled.
The breath that Ahsoka hadn't realized she'd been holding was released at the sound of that voice.
Abruptly, Anakin grabbed Ahsoka wrist and pulled her after him towards a downed ship.
Ducking behind it for cover, Ahsoka saw Obi-wan waiting for them there.
"Well, this is a fine mess you two seem to have gotten yourselves into," he rebuked.
Anakin started to respond. "We couldn't-"
"-wait," Obi-wan finished. "Yes, I know. You got impatient waiting for back up so you charged headlong into it as you always do."
Anakin made a face that should probably look strange on a grown man's face. "We're not losing!" he stated, indignantly.
"Yes, well you are not winning either," his old master countered.
At this point, Ahsoka half expected her master to stick his tongue out at Obi-wan. Luckily, he didn't. Instead, he simply asked impatiently "so what's the plan?"
Obi-wan rolled his eyes before speaking. "Unfortunately, I don't have many men to spare. We lost a lot of troops at Kalee. I thought about taking a few squads around the back side of the factory and try breaking through from there while you are holding their attention here."
"That'll have us stretched awful thin," Ahsoka commented.
"I know," Obi-wan replied. "But I don't see that we have much of an option. I have a few squads joining you here as we speak. Chances are that as long as the droids think you're attacking here, they'll throw everything they have at you. Hold them as long as you can, but if things start getting too hot, pull out."
"We're not going to leave you in that place alone, Master," Anakin stated firmly.
Ahsoka nodded, agreeing. "We'll hold them here as long as you need us to."
"Good luck then." Then the Jedi Master leaped off into a waiting gunship.
Ahsoka watched the gunship disappear, and then turned to look at her master. He nodded to her with a questioning expression.
She nodded back with a confident smile she didn't feel. Then she sprang out from behind the damaged ship and back into the raging battle.
Minutes flew past as droid after droid fell at Ahsoka's feet. Bolts that came towards her flew back just as fast. But her energy was draining quickly.
More shouting.
At the sight of the next oncoming distress, Ahsoka's lightsaber seemed to have gained 10 pounds. Her arms sagged, as did her head and eyelids. She didn't have the strength to fight Managuards. She just didn't.
"Obi-wan should be inside by now!" her master's urgent warning called.
Ahsoka sucked a breath and focused on the determination in that voice. It wouldn't be long now, and then they could leave. It would be over. She wouldn't have to fight with her blood full of poison. Only a few more minutes. She could last that long.
Pulling together strength she didn't have to fuel the body that was now fighting against her, Ahsoka lifted her weapon with renewed resolve. They would not lose because of her.
Two Managuards attacked. And she held her ground.
But fighting these droids was different than fighting battle droids. These tinnies fought more like a Jedi, taking more energy to beat. Still, she refused to be defeated. She had burned through her adrenaline long ago, and was now running on pure willpower. Strength of mind. She stopped thinking of how tired she was and how much she ached. Instead, she focused on the fight. Only on the specific moves she had to make here and now.
Block the strike coming at your head. There's one swinging at your legs. Jump. Push the staff you're blocking behind you. Flip, and land behind the droid. Use the force and push it into the other. Good. Careful, there's something coming in behind you. No, you've got a moment. Take out the one on the ground.
Ahsoka swung her lightsaber through the neck of the Managuard trying to throw off the smashed body of its fellow droid. The head went flying across the platform and off the edge.
Nice, one down. Turn and stab at the one behind you…blocked, try again. Watch its staff. Roll! Nice. Wait, something shot at you. Block it. Okay, it's down. Back to the Managuard. Try rolling past it. Good. Wait! The one with its head off! It's moving! Kill it before it gets up! No! Look out; the one behind you is swinging down. Lift your lightsaber above you! Block it! NO! The one in front! Turn! Tur-
Too late. The headless Managuard in front of her had taken her completely off guard, and was quick to take advantage of her vulnerable position, driving the end of its electrostaff into her stomach. The electric current roared through her body, causing more pain than the poison's effects ever had. Her teeth clenched together, making it impossible to scream, though she wanted to.
The pain stopped eventually as the Managuard pulled away, and Ahsoka started to feel past the pain again. She realized she'd dropped to her knees and vaguely felt the lightsaber still clamped in her hands held above her head. Unthinkingly, she released the weapon. It wasn't until she heard the snap hiss of the lightsaber deactivating that she remembered why she'd kept it held where it was. Oh... no. The staff she had been holding away suddenly came down on her shoulder.
Now she could scream. The pain ripped through her body even more painfully than before. She couldn't hear, see, sense, or even think past the agony. Unable to even so much as take a breath, Ahsoka allowed blackness to flood her mind as her consciousness was torn away from her.
Anakin's Pov
By the force, would these things never end! Anakin thought to himself as the droids surrounded him. This was ridiculous. Although there was no sign of anymore vulture droids, Managuards had begun to attack. And they were bad enough.
He had noticed earlier that as they entered the platform, they tore right past the clones, headed for the lightsaber wielding Jedi, as he was sure was their programming.
Another thing he had noticed was that Ahsoka was getting tired. He wanted to get over to her to help her out, but the Managuards had gotten in the way. As he shoved against the Managuards' electrostaffs, a horrible scream of pain shattered through the air, causing shivers to race up his spine and his blood to run so cold, he froze and was physically unable to move.
Then it was silent.
Not silent in the literal sense of the word, as blaster fire still exploded all around him. But he felt it through the force; the silent horror that radiated from every man on this platform that knew her. Then he snapped.
Smashing all the droids near him with a violent force pulse, Anakin searched the battle field for Ahsoka. His breath stopped when he caught sight of his young Padawan. She lay crumpled at the feet of a pair of Managuards and, though one had its electrostaff pressed against her chest, sending electric currents through her small figure, she didn't respond. Then, as Anakin started racing towards them, the Managuard carelessly kicked Ahsoka's limp form towards the brink of the platform, where she slid slowly off the edge.
"No!" Anakin yelled when he found his voice again. Slicing the droids into scraps before they could even lift their heads, or, as one was headless, turn his direction, Anakin dropped to his knees near the end of the platform. Grasping the rim with both hands, he leaned over the edge, where he watched in utter dread as his apprentice fell towards the rough, black waters.
:-. :-0 :-O
Hmm. It really is evil to leave it like this. I get really irritated when people leave it hanging, but I gotta be honest it's kinda entertaining for me. :-)... :-/ but don't hate me too much. ;-) I won't keep ya hanging for too long. Please please review. I really want to hear your thoughts on this chapter. A friend told me it was good but I want to hear the thoughts of someone who doesn't know me. Thanks for reading!