The Final Battle: Part 29

"No… no!" Ahsoka cried. Barriss went over to Ahsoka and held her friend as she cried. The two of them were so distracted that they almost didn't hear a supposedly dead Tanya gasp suddenly. Her eyes snapped open and she moaned slightly, catching her friends' attention.

"Tanya!" Ahsoka and Barriss gasped. They refrained from hugging her, as they knew she was still very injured. They did, however, move closer to her and Ahsoka gripped her hand again.

"I'll go tell our masters she's awake," Barriss said, exiting the medical bay. Ahsoka held Tanya's hand and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her free hand, whispering, "You are not going to die Tanya. I refuse to allow it."

"Ahsoka−" Tanya murmured.

"No. I will not allow it. You still have to become a Jedi Knight and inspire even more women and girls to become great Jedi like you."

"Ahsoka, listen−" Tanya tried again, but gasped suddenly and clutched her wound. Ahsoka got up and pulled some painkillers out of the cabinets and injected them into her. Tanya sighed and gave her a look of thanks. The door that led to the cockpit opened and Barriss walked in.

"We're landing on the Resolute. Don't worry Tanya; once we get you down to the medical bay, everything will be fine," Barriss comforted. Tanya looked wistful but didn't reply. The moment they felt the Twilight, Anakin, Luminara, and Obi Wan burst out of the cockpit.

"Come on, we have to get you to the medical bay," Anakin said, lifting Tanya out of the bed and carrying her out of the ship, as quickly and carefully as he could. Within minutes, they were in the Resolute's infirmary, watching Tanya get examined by the medical droids. After what seemed like millenniums, a medical droid floated out to deliver the verdict. "Well? Anakin asked.

That droid shook his head and reported, "I'm sorry. We've done all we can but there are just some wounds that we cannot heal." Ahsoka and Barriss closed their eyes and looked as though they were about to cry. The Jedi masters looked to one another, shocked and saddened.

"How long does she have?" Obi Wan inquired.

"Minutes," the droid answered. "It's actually quite remarkable; she should have been dead quite some time ago. I believe your healing and her determination are the only reasons she is still alive at this moment," he commented, looking to Barriss.

Ahsoka and Barriss looked to each other before Ahsoka asked, " Are we allowed to go in and see her?" The droid nodded and stepped to the side to allow them entry. Ahsoka and Barriss walked in to see Tanya lying on a hospital bed, covered in wires hooked up to monitors. Tanya turned her head to see who had come in and smiled. Ahsoka sat down in the chair next to Tanya's bed, while Barriss sat at the foot of the cot.

"They told me the only reason I'm still alive is because you healed me some. Is it true?" Barriss nodded. "Thank you. Now I have a chance to say a proper good-bye."

"It shouldn't be you though," Ahsoka interrupted. "I was there, Grievous was going to stab me. Why did you push me out of the way?"

"Ahsoka, before I met you and Barriss, I didn't have many friends. As a youngling, I distanced myself from the others because I wanted to be the best and I felt in order to be the best I had to do it on my own. But it's not. Working with you two, I learned that being the best also meant that I had put my pride aside sometimes and accept others help. Also, you two taught me to enjoy life, which is something I haven't been able to do for a while. You two are my sisters and mean more to me than anything else. In fact," Tanya paused. She dragged her hand to her neck and pulled her mother's necklace from the fold of her robes. She tugged on the cord and broke it, before holding it out to Ahsoka. "Take it."

"What?" Ahsoka exclaimed. "No, this is yours, it's your only link to your mother."

"Look, do you really think that I'd risk getting recaptured for a silly little trinket? I hid the information we stole from the station in this."

"You what?" Ahsoka and Barriss cried. Tanya smiled and put the amulet in the middle of her palm, before she closed her eyes. The necklace rose up into the air and unfolded like a holocron, before reassembling itself and falling back into Tanya's hand.

"I had it remade to carry information ages ago. I figured it was the perfect place to hide it."

"You're always prepared, aren't you?" Ahsoka asked, still in awe. Tanya shrugged, before going into a coughing fit. Ahsoka held up the oxygen mask her Tanya's face to help her get her breathing back under control. Tanya took a few deep breaths before taking the mask off.

"I don't think I have much time left so I want you all to promise me something." Ahsoka and Barriss nodded. "Barriss, promise you'll become a Jedi Knight and a master healer to prevent people dying like I did." Barriss nodded. "And, Ahsoka, promise me that no matter what, you'll never do to anyone what you almost did to Grievous. You are too good of a person to destroy yourself with hate and anger." Ahsoka looked down before nodding. "And I want both of you to promise you'll do everything in you power to end this war and go on to become great Jedi. I failed in my mission to inspire other women and girls. I want you two to take my place." Ahsoka and Barriss looked each other and smiled sadly, before nodding. Tanya grinned and took a deep breath. She looked to the side of her bed, as though expecting someone to be there who wasn't, before sighing, biting her lip, and looking at the ceiling.

"Tanya, is there something wrong?" Ahsoka asked. Tanya shook her head half-heartedly.

"I just wish my master were here. So I could see him… one last time."

"Here I am. Think I wouldn't be, did you?" said a familiar voice. Ahsoka, Barriss, and Tanya all turned to see Master Yoda enter the room, Anakin, Obi Wan, and Luminara right behind him.

"Master," Tanya whispered, her face shinning brighter than all of Coruscant. She tried to turn her body to face him, but groaned and quickly collapsed.

"Stay still padawan. Relax, you must. Not much time, we have," Yoda told her.

"Yes master, " Tanya murmured. "Master," she said after a brief pause. "Have I… served you well?"

Master Yoda smiled. "Done well, you have. The best of my padawans, you are perhaps." Tanya smiled, but it slipped off her face as she had another coughing fit. Ahsoka brought out the oxygen mask again, but this time Tanya kept it over her face after the fit had ended.

"It's time," she said, her voice muffled slightly by the mask. "I love you all, and though I know attachment is forbidden, I always will. Though I hope you do not forget me, I hope you move on with your lives and do your best to save the galaxy and stop this terrible war." Her eyes began to droop and with her last breath Tanya said, "That is my wish… peace… throughout… the galaxy." And with that, her eyes closed, her body went limp, and she breathed no more. Master Yoda closed his eyes and dropped his head, ears drooping. Ahsoka put her hand over her mouth and started to cry, while Anakin went over and held her. Tears silently began to course down Barriss' face and her master also hugged her. The medical bay was now void of sound other than the two padawans tears and distant explosions of the battle outside.