Chapter 21 - Capture
DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P
Author's Note: A year has passed since chapter 19, fyi. Aaaand... the climax is beginning! ;)
~ Amina Gila
"I have a bad feeling." Ahsoka looks up to see Anakin standing in the doorway, a frown etched on his face. "Something's wrong."
"Wrong, how?" she asks, looking away from Luke and Leia. The twins are eleven now; it's been a year since they've left Alderaan. Overall, she thinks they're adjusting quite nicely to the life and family which they've built, though she knows that they still miss the families who raised them too. Well, as soon as this mess is straightened out, all of them can go visit the Organas and Larses.
Though they've heard nothing of Vader's fate save that he died heroically defending his Emperor – what a lie! – Ahsoka is certain that Sidious knows he's alive and safe, if the sudden bounty on Anakin Skywalker, alive and unharmed, is anything to go by. Anakin told her that he'd severed his bond with Sidious right before he began the ritual so many months ago because he didn't want the Sith to be able to break into the paradise.
Anakin closes his eyes for a moment before opening them. "Something's going to happen," he declares. "When will Obi-Wan be back?"
"I'm not sure. Probably soon." Obi-Wan had gone to the local market to get food and supplies. Usually he and Ahsoka take turns, but since Togrutas aren't common in this area, they had agreed it best for Obi-Wan to go. It's not that Anakin is incapable, but his face is too identifiable for everyone's liking. Besides, he dislikes leaving the twins.
"Uncle Obi is in trouble," worries Leia not even a minute later. She scrunches up her face in concentration, before looking at them with alarm.
Anakin stiffens. "Yes," he agrees with her, "He is."
"What happened?" whispers Luke, glancing at his twin. She shrugs.
"Stay here," orders Anakin. "I'm going to check it out. I'll be back shortly."
He turns towards the door, but Ahsoka stops him. "Wait! If something's wrong, it might be better for me to go. At this point there aren't any confirmed sightings of you, and we don't want Sidious to learn anything on your whereabouts."
She can see the frustration on his face, but it's clear that he agrees. "Fine. Hurry," he tells her, fingers twitching towards the lightsaber concealed on his belt. Luke and Leia have lightsabers of their own now; Luke's is constructed with Qui-Gon's old crystal, while Leia is using the kyber from Ahsoka's old lightsaber.
Straightening her two hilts, Ahsoka ducks around Anakin, grabbing a cloak to cover herself before she climbs on a speeder to head towards the marketplace. "Ahsoka!" Anakin calls after her. "I think we might need to make an escape, so we'll get everything ready. Regardless of what happened, it's time for us to leave."
She throws him a casual salute over her shoulder before firing up the engine and speeding away. The Force thrums with danger and tension the further she goes. Probably the only reason she didn't sense it sooner was because she was shielding for one, and for two, Skywalkers are known for being ridiculously powerful. So not fair. Against Anakin's full strength – she did feel it when she was in his mind so long ago – it was hard to not feel like an insignificant little spark compared with a star.
As she approaches the market, she senses and sees a commotion, so she slows down, pulling off to the side of the street. Stormtroopers are everywhere, but she doesn't let that bother her, instead casually walking closer like many of the other nearby bystanders. Ahsoka can hear the whispers with her sensitive montrals, the word Jedi being thrown around most of all. A chill runs down her spine as the stormtroopers move long enough for her to see them pushing Obi-Wan into a troop transport.
Scanning the crowd, she immediately knows that she's outnumbered. There's a couple dozen stormtroopers which she can see, and that doesn't count the armament on the transport vehicle or the civilians who will be injured. She closes her eyes, a sharp pain running through her. After all this time, they're being torn apart. Anakin will be ballistic.
Straining her hearing further with the Force, Ahsoka picks up a few words the commanding officer is telling his men. "– to Coruscant – Emperor – see him –" Shuddering, she leaps back onto her speeder and flies away. They need to leave the area as soon as possible. He must have been recognized, and it's only a matter of time before he's tracked to where all of them have been living.
When Ahsoka leaps off the speeder in the front of the house, Anakin is standing there, a worried expression on his face. "What happened?" he demands. "Where's Obi-Wan?"
"I think he was recognized," she blurts out in a rush. "From what I overheard they'll be taking him to Coruscant, to the Emperor."
Anakin's face completely closes off, a stony look replacing the concern. "Then we're going too," he states firmly. "I'm not letting Obi-Wan face Sidious alone. Come on. We have to take the twins to safety."
She nods, understanding what he means. On occasion, they've discussed safe places, and the only one which they know is safe is the Lars moisture farm on Tatooine. They raised and protected Luke for ten years, and Ahsoka knows that they'll welcome their niece there too. They weren't ready to confront Sidious yet, but now they have to be. There's no other choice unless they're willing to let Obi-Wan suffer and die alone.
Anakin leads Ahsoka around the house to where they've kept a hidden shuttle. The twins are already inside, holding onto one another. She can almost feel their fear in the air. "Don't worry," she tries to assure them as Anakin enters the cockpit. "We're going to Tatooine, to the Lars. You'll get to meet Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, Leia."
Her face brightens up. "I can't wait!"
Luke grins at her. "They'll love you!"
Ahsoka smiles softly at them, sitting down across from them in the main hold. "We'll come back," she promises, sensing the question in both their minds, "And we'll bring Uncle Obi-Wan back with us."
"'M scared," whispers Luke, all happiness fading.
"I know," murmurs Ahsoka, opening her arms. "Come here. Both of you."
They instantly take the invitation, scrambling across the room and snuggling up next to her. She wraps an arm around each of them, holding them close while Anakin smuggles them away from Corellia before the entire planet goes on lockdown. The ship jolts suddenly, and Anakin swears from in front.
"What's wrong?" she calls up to him as Luke whimpers and buries his face against her.
"We're too late." Anakin sounds frustrated, but she can still hear the telltale signs of fear in his voice. "There's two Star Destroyers orbiting the planet, and they're trying to intercept us." The shuttle jolts again. "Ahsoka, I need you at the guns."
She exhales harshly. Trying to run past an Imperial blockade with two terrified children isn't her idea of fun, never mind that they have no idea where Obi-Wan is or what's happening to him. "I'll be right back," she declares, gently disentangling herself and bolting to the rear guns. She slides into the seat and opens fire on the pursuing TIEs even as the shuttle shakes from yet another hit. She doesn't need to be an expert to know that the shields won't hold out for long against the barrage.
Focusing with the Force, Ahsoka manages to take out two of their six pursuers in quick succession. She gets a third a few moments later, but the other three prove to be elusive. It's with dread that she realizes they're shooting to disable the ship, not destroy it. That's a huge red flag right there. They must know – or suspect – that Anakin is on this shuttle. How they know is beyond her, because Obi-Wan would never tell anyone. Maybe this entire thing is a grand scheme by Sidious. She wouldn't put it past him.
She won't deny being scared, but not for herself. She's more than willing to lay down her life if she needs to. She's scared for Anakin, for Luke, for Leia. The twins, especially, are the future of the galaxy. If they fail to stop Sidious, then that burden will fall on Luke and Leia. No. She has to stop being so pessimistic. They will stop Sidious. Anakin is the Chosen One, and he has no more desire to die than she does, which is honestly a relief considering what things were like last year. It was a nightmare, and she really doesn't want to think about it.
"They hit the hyperdrive!" Anakin sounds vaguely panicked. "We're stuck!"
"Then let's get down to the planet and hide there," urges Ahsoka, picking off two more of their pursuers as another six TIEs are launched.
The shuttle dives down so fast that two of the enemy fighters crash into one another as they swerve to avoid hitting them. Ahsoka doesn't even have a moment to cheer as she struggles to shoot down all their tails. Anakin ducks into the thick, dark clouds covering the opposite side of the planet, and Ahsoka welcomes the cover. It gives her some much-needed breathing room.
As Anakin pulls from his repertoire of tricks to eliminate their pursuers, Ahsoka picks them off one by one until they're able to find a place to hide. She's nearly shaking with relief when she returns to the main hold and drops down on the bench between the twins who immediately throw their arms around her.
"Now what will we do, Aunt 'Soka?" Leia mumbles into her shoulder.
"Hide and find another ride off planet," she tells her matter-of-factly.
"I wish I could fly like Father," Luke adds in awe.
Ahsoka tries to picture Luke flying like his father and realizes that she can imagine it rather well, so she banishes it from mind. She doesn't mind flying, and she trusts Anakin with her life especially when escaping Imperials in the air, but she definitely dislikes how shaky she feels afterwards.
The shuttle drops lower and through the viewport, Ahsoka can see a large city approaching. Well, they'll probably find their ride off planet somewhere there. She has no doubt that there's many smugglers and pilots who would be more than happy to take them elsewhere – for a price, of course.