No trigger warnings apply to this chapter.


Chapter II

Ahsoka was barely conscious. Well, if you had asked her she would've said she wasn't conscious at all, if it weren't for the fact that she actually did have a slight awareness of her surroundings. But only a tenuous grasp.

She couldn't move her hands or her feet. Her throat was extremely dry, but when she went to open her mouth to ask for water, she found she couldn't open her mouth at all. Something was preventing her from doing so.

She should really open her eyes to try and figure out just how much trouble she was in, but try as she might, they felt as heavy as lead. And besides, she had a feeling it was better to avoid light with this headache she had from that crystal.

She could feel it nearby, still sending waves of pain into her being with every pulse. She suspected there was quite a bit of distance between them right now, as the pain was considerably less than back in the storage room.

Must've been a big ship.

She felt the slight jolt that meant they had just exited hyperspace. With a Herculean effort, she pried her eyes open, hoping to see out of a window and figure out what planet she was on.

There was nothing. She was, unfortunately, in an actual cell and there was barely any light to see by, let alone a window to look out of. She sat up, slowly, trying to better take stock of her surroundings when she caught sight of the guard just outside the door.

She watched as he glanced inside, noticed she was awake, and promptly brought his communicator to his lips.

"She's awake, my lord," was all he said before going back to his post.

Ahsoka knew she had to do something before "my lord" - undoubtedly the Count - showed up.

Heavily, she pushed herself up to her feet, taking a careful step. Nope, she thought as she promptly fell to her knees. The crash got the attention of the guard, who eyed her warily for a breath before turning back around.

Breathing heavily - or attempting to through the gag - she took a moment to center herself in the Force. She cleared her mind, giving over her emotions. The fear, the confusion, the anxiety; she released all of it into the cosmic Force. Or she tried to anyway. Frown lines appeared between her eyes, as she realized it had only partially worked. She tried again, this time sensing definite pushback; that crystal was blocking her connection! At least, partially. For now.

If it weren't for the gag, she would've sighed in annoyance. One more blasted thing to worry about, she thought to herself. For now though…

She pushed herself to her feet again, reaching out with the Force as she did so. Out of sight, in a hidden corner of the room, a whole stack of crates crashed to the floor with a bang.

The crash caused the guard to just about jump out of his skin. He brought his weapon up hastily, shouting, "Who's there?"

She waved her hand slightly and one of the crates knocked into the other. He dashed around the corner to investigate - and Ahsoka knocked him over the head with a crate from behind.

She didn't even have time to congratulate herself though before his comm beeped. "Count Dooku is on his way down…"

She didn't have much time.

Quickly, she floated the keycard for the door over and through its slot. Heaving a grateful breath, she hurried to the door that led to the corridor.

It stayed fast.

A groan escaped from around her gag. She took a few deep breaths, trying to regain her balance, as she slumped against the wall. Her brain felt ridiculously foggy and it was making it difficult to think straight. But she noticed one thing as her head lolled to one side, tilting upward:

A vent in the ceiling.

That was her way out.