-Chapter 57: In Another Lifetime-
Location: Unknown
"There is no escaping, only the desire to escape which never comes to fruition."
Surging through the forest, sprinting past trees and bushes, The Wraith was on the move. He was hot on the trail of a retreating Republic force, one that the droid army had previously pinned down not far from his current location. He was planning on finishing them off, the group having divided into two in an effort to try and survive.
They wouldn't... not for much longer.
Bursting clear of the trees, Wraith emerged into a small clearing... one full of Clone bodies. Based on the stab wounds, it appeared as though a squad of commando droids had beat him to the punch. Then his sensors detected a heat signature located behind a distant tree, crouched and hidden from view. Assuming it to be a Clone, Wraith pulled out his pistols.
"Target acquired, moving to engage." He stated into his comms. Quickly stepping over bodies as he approached the log, Wraith prepared himself for a fight... but the signature quickly proved itself not to be a Clone, resembling someone far smaller and more feminine... The revelation caused Wraith to slow his pace, questioning who he was up against.
He had his answer soon enough when he rounded the log and found Ahsoka, her legs drawn up and her head pressed into her knees. Her body shook in time with her sobs, blood running down her gloveless forearms. Wraith quickly retracted his mask as worry pooled in the pit of his stomach. "Ahsoka?" He softly wondered, pistols sliding back into their holsters. She looked up with red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. He realized that the droids had probably left her alive after slaughtering all of the Clones... resulting in more lives she couldn't save. Wraith realized this must've pushed her over the edge and knelt before her as Ahsoka held out her bloody arms to him.
"I can't do this anymore!" She sobbed. "I just can't!" Her exclamation broke Wraith's heart, realizing that this one event had undone everything he'd tried to do to keep her from cutting. It was simply too much for her to bear, forcing her to go to extreme lengths in order to cope with the pain she felt. If this continued, he figured, Ahsoka might be forever lost to her deadly addiction.
This could not go on any longer.
To hell with Scipio and Dooku and the Separatists, and even this damn war. There was something far more important for him to deal with... even if it meant sacrificing everything he knew and doing away with the only life he knew.
Pulling off his helmet and casting it aside, Wraith shuffled even closer to Ahsoka and took her hands in his.
"Will you run away with me?" He asked in a whisper. "Let me take you away from this. From all of this. Let me give you the perfect life you deserve." The young girl said nothing at first, but did allow Wraith to draw her close, her arms coming to rest around him and her blood smeared across his armor. "Please... let me help you." Wraith quietly begged her. Finally, Ahsoka slowly nodded, clinging tightly to his body as she sniffled and sobbed intermittently. With his mind made up, Wraith stood with Ahsoka in his arms and walked off into the forest, leaving his helmet behind.
The two of them were never seen or heard from again...
One year later...
Wraith slowly awoke with a low, rumbling groan as his eyes opened to reveal his bed empty. An impression was left from the body he shared it with, indicating she'd gotten up some time ago. The bright morning sun streamed through the nearby windows, warming his body but also telling him he'd slept enough and that it was time to get up. Throwing the covers off, Wraith raised himself up and stretched, tendons popping as he flexed his muscular body. Picking himself up off the bed, Wraith flexed some more as he made for the door, pausing to glance in a nearby vanity mirror he passed. He'd cut his hair short and grown it out to hide the tattoo along the left side of his scalp, trying to avoid resembling anything like he had during the war. His scars and eyes were still obvious, but one of them was easily hidden by optical sunshields. He'd allowed a little stubble to grow along his jaw, giving him a very rugged and handsome look indeed. Examining his face with one hand on his chin, Wraith could see his stubble growing around his scars, solidifying their permanent status on his face. He'd considered removing them with bacta once, but someone else had talked him out of it.
Exiting the bedroom, he stepped into the rest of their homestead. It was an open concept with doors separating the interior from the outside and the bedroom and refresher from the rest of the house. Otherwise, the kitchen, living area and dining room were all interconnected with no separating walls anywhere. Upon entering this spacious central room of their home, Wraith spotted Ahsoka standing in the kitchen, working on breakfast.
And she was wearing his shirt... likely with little else underneath it. This wouldn't be the first time he'd found her like this; clad in just her underwear and his baggy shirt that fit her like a robe. It was a cute and sexy 'morning after' look that Wraith had come to love.
Grinning, the ex-super-soldier casually strode up behind her and encircled his arms around her body, hugging her and kissing her exposed neck. The move was anticipated by Ahsoka, who'd sensed his arrival.
"Good morning, my love." He whispered next to her soft skin. Ahsoka giggled at his generous display of affection.
"Good morning handsome." She replied, tilting her head to expose more of her neck to him. Wraith obliged and left a trail of kisses along her column of copper skin.
"Have you been up long?" He wondered between kisses.
"Long enough to get started on breakfast." Ahsoka replied, giving a pleased sigh as she did. She had come to love the way he bestowed his affection upon her. It was a daily occurrence and she always wondered how he would do it. Ahsoka giggled again as Wraith teased her collar with his teeth. "You're insatiable." She said with a breathy laugh.
"You make me insatiable." He replied, shifting and kissing her tails. Ahsoka hummed as he did, enjoying the pleasure she felt. Wraith always knew how to make her feel good, ever since their relationship began to escalate those many months ago. She turned around to face him, a smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The underside of her arms bore the fading remains of scars from long ago. She hadn't cut in a long time, not since they'd left the war behind a year ago, a true victory if you asked Wraith. Pressing her lips to his, Ahsoka kissed him lovingly, reveling in the moment of intimate closeness. Wraith returned the kiss, his hands sliding down her back until they came to rest on her bottom, giving it a gentle squeeze as they did. Ahsoka softly moaned into the kiss before they parted and she grinned. Then Wraith placed his mouth next to her lekku and whispered some perfectly naughty things he wanted to do to her right now. Ahsoka blushed and laughed breathily.
"Last night wasn't enough for you?" She wondered.
"Like I said, my love, you make me insatiatable." Wraith replied. Ahsoka smiled and kissed him again.
"Go get dressed while I finish up breakfast." She suddenly instructed, forcibly turning him around. "Go on! Go!" She commanded, playfully swatting his boxer-clad behind.
"Yes, milady." Wraith answered as he quickened his pace.
Their little homestead was located in the midst of a grassy plain surrounded by woods, out in the middle of nowhere, on a backwater planet with hardly any population.
It really was the perfect place for them.
Since settling down and building the place for them Wraith and Ahsoka slowly adjusted to civilian life and everything it had to offer. There were times when Ahsoka really missed Anakin and other Jedi, as well as her old lifestyle. But every time she would voice her troubles, Wraith would always remind her that if she returned to it, she would likely fall back into a depression and begin cutting again.
It was a tough choice, but Ahsoka knew she had to leave it all behind. For her own sake.
But that didn't mean her current reality was horrible. Just the opposite, it was downright perfect.
Wraith had done everything he could for her during the first few months of their new life. He built their home, he furnished it, he cooked for her and made sure she was well fed. Wraith took care of her, nursed her back to health, turned her form an emotional wreck into a strong young woman again.
She had a lot to thank him for. If it weren't for him, she likely would've never survived the war.
They ate breakfast together, both of them sipping from mugs of freshly brewed caf, talking about what today would hold.
"So... what's on your itinerary for today?" Ahsoka wondered, still wearing his shirt and holding her mug in both hands.
"Maintenance, mostly." Wraith replied, gathering another forkful of food. He was now dressed in a casual set of pants and a t-shirt, one that hugged his biceps quite nicely. "I noticed the speeder was running a little rough the last time I used it. Gonna check out the engine, make sure everything's okay." He explained before taking a bite and chasing it down with a shot of caf. "After that, our wood supply is running a little low, so I figured I'd do something about that." One of the features of their home was a wood-burning furnace. The nights got cold sometimes and Ahsoka loved being able to curl up in front of a fire, especially when she could cuddle up with Wraith.
"Cutting down some trees?" She wondered.
"And then hewing them into logs." He said, taking another bite. Humming in delight, he gestured to his plate before swallowing. "This is delicious, babe." He complimented.
"Thanks." Ahsoka said with a smile. "Sounds like you have quite the day ahead of you."
"Oh, I'll be sure to make some room for you, don't worry." Wraith reassured her with a smile of his own, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "What about you? Anything on your to-do list?"
"I do need to tend to the garden today. Pretty sure some of those vegetables are ripe and I've got an idea for dinner tonight." Ahsoka told him, standing up and taking his empty mug along with hers.
"Is it my turn?" He wondered. They took turns cooking, alternating each day.
"It is tomorrow, sweetie." Ahsoka sweetly replied, kissing him on his stubbly cheek. Wraith smiled as she went to put the mugs in the sink, his eyes lingering on her rear for a little bit.
"In that case, I'll work today and cook tomorrow." He mused, taking his empty dishes to the sink where Ahsoka was working. "You gonna get dressed today?" He asked, standing next to her.
"Maybe. Why? Don't you like this look?" She wondered, giving her body a little side to side sway.
"Oh I do, maybe a little too much." Wraith remarked, leaning in close to her. "Makes me wanna rip it off of you." He lightly growled, following up with a kiss to her neck and a pat on her rump.
"Oh go fix the speeder, you!" Ahsoka giggled, chasing a chuckling Wraith out of the kitchen.
On his back under the speeder, Wraith was steadily working with hydrospanner in hand. A bunch of other tools lay in a row along the ground, ready and waiting for when he needed them. These were his new tools of the trade, his old pistols locked away in a box somewhere in the closet, along with his armor and gauntlets. Everything that was a part of his old Separatist uniform was now under lock and key, tucked away with the intention of being forgotten.
Time passed as Wraith slowly disassembled the repulsorlift engine components, double-checking the condition of thermograde regulators and anti-grav compressors as he saught to uncover the reason for it running rough. His hands became stained with grease and oil, the parts still slick with residue from their most recent run. He eventually concluded that the problem must be more superficial and had less to do with the internal components than he realized.
"That answers one question," He mused, screwing together a pair of colorant conductors. "But the real answer remains a mystery..."
"Need some help?" Ahsoka asked. Wraith poked his head out from under the speeder to discover she'd joined him in the garage, now wearing a tank top and her favorite pair of casual pants that just so happened to hug her rear in the most wonderous way, often causing Wraith to stop and simply stare until she caught him.
"I kinda figured you'd want in eventually." He remarked with a grin, knowing her penchant for being a grease-monkey.
"Well, I am the one who maintains this thing on a regular basis." Ahsoka replied, walking around to the front of the speeder. "You just offered to do this one for me." The one thing Wraith would ever give Anakin Skywalker credit for were the mechanical lessons he'd passed on to Ahsoka. She practiced them often enough. Back when her desire to cut was strongest, Wraith would often find her in here, covered in grease, taking apart the engine only to reassemble it again. It had helped to take her mind off of less-pleasant thoughts and flexed her very impressive mechanical prowess. Wraith had chipped in with his own bits of technical wisdom and together their combined knowhow often rivalled the capabilities of an entire team of seasoned mechanics. But Wraith often left these types of jobs up to Ahsoka, seeing as she had a real passion for working with machines.
"Fair enough. You work up top and I'll stay down here." He suggested, sliding back under the speeder. Ahsoka popped the hood and leaned over the exposed engine, giving all the components a once-over with her keen eye.
"So, what have you figured out so far?" She asked.
"It's not an internal problem. That's for sure. I'm starting to think it's something external." Wraith explained as he finished putting the rest of the components together. "It's riding rough, so I thought it might have something to do with some wear and tear on the inside. Maybe in the repulsortech cells. But, nope." Ahsoka thought about his words as she scanned over the speeder's interior components. Her mind considered part after part that could be causing the trouble, hours of experience coming back as she recalled similar situations on different engines.
"It has to be something on the outside, then. Check the exterior of the power converters, maybe something's loose." She suggested. Wraith did as told and shifted positions, his own gaze now running over each part connected to and surrounding the power converters.
"Nothing so far... relays all look good." He reported, running his hands along piping to feel for any abnormal abrasions, bumps or cracks. "Nothing wrong with the surge chamber-... hold on." Suddenly spying a potential issue, Wraith grasped for a new tool before setting to work prying a very small piece away from another area. "Well! This explains it!" He looked up through the gaps in the machinery to look at Ahsoka then held up his find between them. It was a nut that held the pieces together and was supposed to ensure nothing rattled about. "It was the kinetic adapters; this cowling nut is busted." He declared. Ahsoka quickly diagnosed the problem and reached a conclusion.
"Well, you're the one who's always riding it so hard, so I guess you've busted a nut, babe." She said with a smile, pinpointing him as the cause for this mechanical trouble.
"Don't I every night?" Wraith remarked with a smirk, unable to resist the wide-open opportunity presented him. Ahsoka was promptly sent into a fit of laughter.
"Lewd!" She chided through her chuckling. Wraith did too as he crawled out from under the speeder.
"Well, nothing doing until we go get some more supplies. Good thing it was never a big issue." He mused, grabbing a rag and wiping off his hands. "Thanks for the extra set of eyes and the dirty joke, babe." He playfully thanked her.
"You did that one all by yourself, babe." Ahsoka retorted, playfully elbowing him. They shared a mutual chuckle.
"Now with that out of the way, I'm off to cut down some trees."
"And I'm off to the garden." Ahsoka added. "See you soon?" She asked, sidling up to him and running a finger up his body. Wraith grinned as he wrapped an arm around her.
"You know it." He replied, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
Surprisingly, Ahsoka finished in the garden a lot sooner than she thought. Not all of the vegetables were ready to be picked yet, leaving her with a slightly smaller basket load to wash for dinner. It wasn't too big an issue, it was just her and Wraith she was cooking for after all.
Setting her basket down in the sink, Ahsoka switched on the water and let it soak the vegetables, performing a quick rinse to wash off a little bit of the dirt that clung to them all. As she did, she turned to the kettle off to the side and quickly made herself a cup of tea, stirring in some fresh herbs she'd previously ground up. It gave the tea a far more earthy flavour, something that greatly appealed to her senses as a Togruta. Her people believed in being connected with the land, many going without shoes whenever they walked across open earth. Ahsoka had taken to doing the same whenever she was outside, and adding a little extra herbs plucked right from the earth helped ease her senses and attune them to the living ecosystem around her.
Taking a sip from her mug, Ahsoka breathed a happy sigh, greatly pleased with her surroundings. Looking out the window above the sink, she saw Wraith at work out in the forest a few yards from their home. She watched him strip off his sweat-soaked shirt and toss it aside before lifting his axe to continue. Shutting off the water, Ahsoka padded her way over to a door that led to their back porch where she could observe him better. Stepping outside and feeling real wood beneath her feet, Ahsoka leaned against a post and watched Wraith work. His shirtless muscles covered with a sheen of glistening sweat, Wraith's mighty arms worked like pistons as he cleaved the tree into sections with every swing. The axe was black, his old Vong one, taken from his shuttle when they moved out here. He figured if it could hew six necks in a row it would surely work against trees. Wraith had put it to good use doing exactly that, felling trees and making logs and planks for their home, the very deck Ahsoka stood on had been partially made with that axe.
Taking another sip from her mug, Ahsoka's crystal blue eyes roamed over Wraith's shirtless body, taking in the sight of his flexing six-pack as he hacked into a log. The scars he bore across his body had faded significantly, extensive bacta treatments having made them go away over time. Ahsoka liked watching him work, as it offered her an opportunity to ogle her man. After all, she knew he ogled her often enough, the Force told her that much. It was only fair she got to spend a few extra minutes watching him as well.
She loved him. And he loved her. Their relationship couldn't be any better.
Then Wraith looked up from his work to see Ahsoka watching him from the porch, pausing to drop his axe into a log and set his hands on his hips as he caught her eyes. He gave her a moment to give him a good once-over, every muscle on display for her. Then he gave her a wink and a wave and she blew him a kiss in return. Chuckling to himself and reflecting on his relationship with his lover, Wraith picked up his axe and went back to work.
Later that evening...
Dinner was eaten, the dishes were done and night was falling.
A cool, crisp breeze wove through the air, bringing the warm summery day to and end. The sky was starting to turn lovely shades of pink and orange as the sun sank lower and lower.
There was a grassy hill not far from their house. Atop it were a pair of trees, ones that looked older than all the others. They had grown close together and their knotted, interwoven branches had created a perfectly tough bough from which Wraith had decided to hang a swing from them. After building it and hanging it himself, the swing had become his and Ahsoka's favorite evening seat, even better than their own porch. Arm in arm and hand in hand, the couple sat down and rested against each other, curling up even closer together to watch the sunset. The glowing ball of orange and yellow splendor slowly dipped below the horizon, shades of caramel and pink cast in its wake as it slowly disappeared form view. Feeling Ahsoka lay her head on his shoulder and drape an arm around his torso, Wraith couldn't help but smile.
This was paradise.
No more war, no more factions, no more rules. No longer was she bound by the Jedi's stifling code. Now she got to live the peaceful, perfect life that he had always wanted to give her.
The sun sank lower as Wraith cast a glance at his lovely sweetheart. The fading colours reflecting off her copper skin made her practically glow in this evening light. If Wraith thought she looked beautiful before, well, now she looked even more beautiful.
He loved her so much and was ready and willing to do anything for her.
Ahsoka loved him too, and was grateful for how he brought her to this serene and peaceful lifestyle, moulding it and shaping it to her liking until it was a dream come true. The only thing Ahsoka thought was missing was just a tiny little detail...
They weren't married, at least, not yet. Wraith had always been wary about signing any marriage documents that might be filed into a wider system that the Jedi might find. Wraith understood Ahsoka's desires, but warned her of the potential consequences of such legalities. He did give her a promise ring for Life Day, though, and she wore it like it was a wedding ring every single day.
They might not be able to get legally married, but they certainly lived like they were.
Curled up to Wraith, Ahsoka looked up at him.
"Have you ever seen anything more perfect?" She wondered, referring to the setting sun.
"Only you when I wake up every morning." Wraith remarked with a grin. Ahsoka giggled.
"If you wake up before me, that is." She playfully replied. Their moment of brevity settled as she returned to her position, resting against his muscular body. "This is everything I could've ever wanted, Wraith." She said happily. "Is that true for you too?" Wraith looked to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"What more could I want?" He responded. "Other than... lots of babies." He admitted.
"I never took you as one to want kids." Ahsoka stated, hit with a spark of realization.
Maybe he would propose some time soon...
"I always thought you and I would have some great-looking kids." Wraith said. Ahsoka accepted his answer and the couple returned to watching the last view rays of daylight sink below the horizon, the dark of night coming on quickly. Ahsoka gave a happy sigh, it was the end of another good day. No complaints, no issues, just another day in paradise.
"Being here with you, I've never been happier in my life, Wraith." She softly admitted.
"Nor have I, Ahsoka." Wraith agreed, holding her a little closer. Ahsoka then looked up at him, giving him a sad smile.
"I wish this really was our life." She quietly whispered. Wraith's expression fell as the darkness grew even thicker, closing in all around them. He looked to her one last time, studying her peaceful features, and gave her a soft smile of his own.
"I do too." He whispered back...
Muffled voices from outside were the first thing he heard as consciousness returned to him. Wraith slowly opened his eyes, his vision a little blurred by the bacta but he quickly recognized Scipio, Admiral Sereva and the lab of the Dominance.
He was back in reality... and as he realized this, a single tear left his eye and merged with the bacta around him.
He wanted nothing more than to return to that dream.
He waited a few moments, not moving and simply floating in the bacta. Then Scipio strode right up to the tank, knocked on it and gave him a smiling wave. Wraith tilted his head in acknowledgment and started slowly working his limbs. They felt heavy and sluggish, like he'd slept for a week or even more. Wraith watched as Scipio climbed up the tank and removed all the chromatography equipment before he finally opened the top of the tank, allowing Wraith to swim to the surface. He broke through the bacta, his hair soaked and plastered to his skin and scalp, and gave his head a brief shake as he felt the cool, recycled air of the Dominance hit him. Scipio removed the mask as Wraith managed to steady himself along the edge of the tank, hoisting his arms atp the surface as he floated for a moment longer, regaining his senses. He gave Scipio another nod.
"Doc." He greeted. Scipio's smile mixed relief with elation, his expression belying his evident feeling of success he felt.
"Welcome back, my boy." The Pau'an replied.
