Ahsoka looks out over the city of Theed, propping her chin in her bruised hand as the Chancellor gives his speech on the stage. She can just about hear his words from the safe room, but everything coming out of his mouth goes straight over her head.
She can't see Anakin through the ray shield, but she can feel a combination of anticipation and adoration pouring off him in waves. What he finds so fascinating about Palpatine, she'll never know.
He isn't missing her, that's for sure.
She's supposed to be protecting Anakin's back- like her vision told her to- but he doesn't even want her around. Heck, even Obi-Wan only started visiting her in the Halls of Healing after he was done working with the Council.
Sitting upright when the fireworks start, Ahsoka inspects her purple palms. She clenches her fists- at least the one that works- and wishes she could go back in time to the restaurant and demand that they ignored the Council's emergency meeting and just finished dessert.
She should've trusted her instincts and told her Masters that someone was watching them. Instead, she stayed quiet, and nearly got Obi-Wan killed.
Her injuries are nobody's fault but her own.
Sighing, Ahsoka carefully stands and unclips her lightsaber from her belt. If she's going to sit in this room all night, she may as well be productive. Igniting the single blade, she lets the gentle hum lull her into calm before practicing some gentle motions.
She doesn't trust her leg enough to do her usual drills but swinging her lightsaber whilst standing in one spot helps quieten her mind. The only thing she has to think about is not accidentally slicing off her left hand.
Just as she's about to lunge forwards to deliver the killing blow to her invisible opponent, she feels an icy breath against her montrals.
Time to save your Master, young one.
She spins- a little wobbly- to find nothing behind her except the ray shield generator exploding into a ball of flames.
She leans out the window, squinting to spot her Master, only to see a wall of smoke surrounding the stage. Then, she sees the blue lightsaber, vibrant and bright.
This is it.
This is what her visions have been preparing her for. Although she's trembling, she raises her lightsaber and prepares to leave the safe room which Obi-Wan ordered her to stay in.
Not that way, young one!
She pauses, swivels around to face the window again. Closing her eyes, she feels the pull towards the ledge, a countdown that she needs to jump in five... four... three... two... one...
She lands- very roughly- on the back of Hardeen's speeder, but the bounty hunter is too preoccupied to notice her lowering herself beneath the vehicle, hanging onto the bottom and glancing back at the window she just jumped from.
Not bad, for an amputee.
Reality hits her like a slap in the face.
She's on the back of a speeder being driven by the bounty hunter who nearly killed her whilst aiming for her Grandmaster.
Kriff.
Ahsoka clings on tight with her working hand, feeling immensely grateful that Anakin trained her to have insane upper body strength.
Masking her Force-signature should her Master come looking for her, Ahsoka hangs onto the speeder until it stops and Hardeen climbs out.
With some difficulty, Ahsoka manages to traverse the speeder to crouch behind it, using it as cover as Hardeen meets up with his accomplices. She immediately spots Bane with his infamous wide-brimmed hat, and there's a short man- a Phindian- who's beside the blue-skinned bounty hunter.
Between them stands Palpatine.
Under normal circumstances, Ahsoka would rush in and save the Chancellor if for no other reason than to please the Council and her Master, but she doubts she can rescue him in her current state.
She hasn't tried running on her leg yet, and nothing would be more embarrassing than Bane laughing at her once she falls onto her face, and then shooting her.
Instead, she homes in her hearing to listen to their conversation. They may share some information about where they're taking the Chancellor.
"Hardeen, you're not supposed to be here yet." Bane taunts, pushing Palpatine along with the muzzle of his blaster.
She can't see Hardeen's face, but she bets that he's smirking cockily. "I don't want to be double-crossed and left behind again."
Bane snarls, "I think we've all be double-crossed. Dooku's a no-show."
The short man throws his arms in the air, "What do we do with the Chancellor now?"
"Uh, hand him back to the Republic before you get life sentences?" Ahsoka mutters under her breath, "Dumb-asses."
"Ahsoka!" She freezes as Anakin screams her name through her commlink. "Where are you?!"
Bane, Hardeen, Palpatine and the short guy all turn her way.
Busted.
For several seconds, they just stare at each other, only half of Ahsoka's face poking over the top of the speeder. She has a few options, and all of them are risky. It's a good thing Anakin is her Master or else she wouldn't have the guts to try this.
She stands to her full height, outstretches a hand and pulls a trick which Anakin taught her to only use in extreme circumstances. It's a long shot, but it's the only plan she has.
"You want to fight each other instead of me." She infuses her words with a special Force-suggestion which is technically illegal to use under the Jedi Code- hence why Anakin taught her it.
Please work, she begs to the Force.
Mind tricks don't work well on Bane, and she doesn't think the other two are weak-minded by any means, but the short man suddenly grabs Hardeen's arm and dislocates his shoulder.
Ah, so that one is weak-minded.
Once Bane sees fists flying, he's quick to join in and sends Hardeen barrelling to the ground. Ahsoka can't help but feel some satisfaction.
Hardeen lifts his head, meets her eyes and... shakes his head at her?
He's messing with her.
Ahsoka growls and Force-jumps whilst Bane activates his rocket boots. He's so focused on firing his pistols that he isn't prepared for a small yet mighty Jedi to grab onto his back.
"Get off me, brat!" He yells, trying to grab her.
Ahsoka hangs on tight, unprepared when Hardeen manages to grab Bane's ankle and send them flying into Palpatine.
Luckily for her wounded body, Ahsoka's Jedi reflexes allow her to roll to an easy stop away from the chaos although her eyes are next set on Hardeen.
Just as she takes a step forward to confront him with her lightsaber, something is planted against her chest and sends her backwards. Her first thought is that she's been shot, but then she realises it was a Force-push.
Hardeen is Force-sensitive?
She stares at the night sky above her, notices that her head hurts from hitting the ground, but apart from that, she's completely in one piece. Hardeen was kind to only push her with the Force and not choke her with it.
She's about to roll over and climb up when her mind is infiltrated by a presence that she somewhat recognises. Master Yoda? No, it's Master Windu?
Stay down, Tano.
What the kriff?
Obi-Wan and Anakin dismount from their speeder and soon have the bounty hunters surrounded. Anakin spots Ahsoka laying on her back a few metres away from the others, and he immediately skids to her side, fearing the worse.
"She's fine." Hardeen says, and it takes Anakin a second to remember that it's Windu. "I didn't push her hard."
He takes a knee and helps Ahsoka sit up, still checking her for any injuries. Thank the Force, she seems unharmed, only dazed.
He should've known that she was going to go after Hardeen.
Ahsoka blinks at him, "Master… Hardeen, he… he used the Force…"
Anakin feels his face fall.
Fancy another lie, Chosen One?
"Make sure the Chancellor is safely returned to the palace." Obi-Wan instructs someone, then says, "You did a good job, Mace."
Ahsoka looks up and her glazed eyes land on Hardeen, her mouth falling open as the realisation makes her pale, "You're…"
"Snips-"
"Windu." Bane snarls as he's pulled away by members of the Coruscant Guard, "I should've known."
He looks back at his Apprentice, sees a trickle of blood on her back lekku. He wonders if the head injury will make her forget about this, or at least make it easy for him to cover this up.
It's too late. Anakin can see it on Ahsoka's face.
She knows.
Her head hurts- a lot.
Ahsoka tries to focus on the physical pain instead of the thoughts swirling around her head. Her mind is a dark place right now, and she's pretty sure she'll start smelling like the Darkside if she doesn't get some self-control.
"Well?" Anakin taps his foot, standing too close to the crate she's sat on. She wants to scream at him to back off, but her voice is currently nothing more than a rasp.
"The bruising is pretty bad, General. It's difficult to tell how extensive the bleeding is without a CT scan." The Coruscant Guard medic reports, prodding gloved fingers directly on the tenderness at the back of her head.
If the first head wound from falling off the rooftop went easy on her, this one certainly won't. The pounding is getting worse every second, and she's nauseous to the point where she can't even take painkillers.
Ahsoka keeps her gaze on one of the buildings in the distance as the medics step back and start exchanging 'quiet' words with Anakin. "Togruta headgear is complicated, sir. The sooner she's admitted to a medbay, the better."
He sighs, "I know."
So much for staying at Padmé's lake house. Although, Ahsoka doesn't really want to do anything anymore. On the ride back to the palace, Anakin told her the truth he and the Jedi Council have been hiding from her.
She doesn't even know how to react. All she knows is she's never felt like leaving the Order until now.
To say she's heartbroken is an understatement.
She stands and starts to move away, ignoring the medics as they call out the risks of physical exertion whilst harbouring a head wound. Anakin says something sharply to make them stop before she hears a heavy set of footsteps behind her. It doesn't take long for Anakin to catch up with her.
"Listen, Snips, I know-
"You don't." She interrupts him before he can even begin listing off excuses. Ahsoka turns her head- ignores the pain- and manages to meet his eyes. "You just-" she cuts herself off and huffs, "Please, Anakin, just leave me alone."
His jaw clenches and she can tell he's about to protest because he's worried about her but honestly, he's the last person she wants to be around right now.
In her peripheral, she sees Obi-Wan walking towards them.
Why can't they just leave her alone? She's starting to get sick of being on the receiving end of their pitiful gazes.
She locks eyes with Anakin again, "If this what being a Master and Padawan is all about," her quiet voice cracks with tears, "then I don't want it anymore."
She pulls her Padawan braid off and tosses it at Anakin's feet. She doesn't stay long enough to watch his reaction.
Her bruised palms sting as she shoves open the door to the palace, and the Nabooian guards keep their distance as Ahsoka lands in Padmé's arms.
"Come, Ahsoka." Padmé squeezes her tight as the two women embrace in the hallway, "Let's get some tea- away from your Masters."
When Padmé found out about the Council's plan to hire Hardeen to kill Obi-Wan, she didn't even look at the Jedi Masters and barely gave Anakin- her best friend- a second glance.
"They aren't my Masters anymore." Ahsoka says, her voice sounds odd from the tears she's trying to hold back. "The Jedi Order was my family, and they went against me..."
The brunt of their actions forces Ahsoka to her knees, making Padmé crouch to keep on holding her.
"What they did to you was horrible, Ahsoka, it really was." Padmé murmurs, stroking her back, "I'll do whatever it takes to ensure they never harm you again."
"Don't." Obi-Wan puts a hand on Anakin's shoulder before he goes to follow Ahsoka. "Let her have some space, Ani. She needs time."
For once, Anakin doesn't come back with a snarky comment. He crouches and picks up the silka bead braid off the cobblestone and attaches it to his belt. Obi-Wan watches him with his lips in a tight line.
Anakin cut off his braid many times during his Apprenticeship, and although Obi-Wan always knew he would be back, that doesn't stop the rejection from cutting deep.
"She isn't coming back." Anakin says, keying onto Obi-Wan's thoughts as he watches the closed doors that Ahsoka entered.
"You managed to forgive me, Anakin. It might take some time, but-"
"I haven't forgiven you." Anakin seethes, whirling around to face him, "I thought I did, but now I realise I can never forgive you, Obi-Wan. I can never forgive you because you hurt her and now, I've hurt her."
Obi-Wan takes a cautionary step backwards, feels numbness spread through his veins as he opens his mouth. "I-"
"I don't want to hear your excuses!" Anakin shouts, drawing attention to them, "All it is with you is excuses!"
"Skywalker." Mace with Hardeen's voice is even more terrifying than normal Mace. "The Chancellor wants to thank you for saving his life last night."
Anakin keeps on glaring at Obi-Wan for a few moments longer before stalking away to relish in Palpatine's praises.
Windu turns to Obi-Wan after the younger Knight leaves, "Tano?"
"Threw her braid at him and went to see the Senator, I'm assuming." Obi-Wan says with a clipped tone. "Successful mission, wouldn't you say so?"
"Managed to piss off Skywalker and Tano: great. That'll be a fun ride back to Coruscant." Windu scowls, "I can't wait to get back into my robes."
"Yes, I think we'd all like to get back to normal." Obi-Wan gestures towards Anakin's retreating form, "We should give our regards to the elites," and make sure Anakin doesn't do anything stupid.
"Generals." A Coruscant Guard trooper steps up to them, and Obi-Wan instantly recognises him.
He tries to smile, "Pick."
All he gets in response is a nod.
Obi-Wan's face falls. Pick was on the gunship that transported Ahsoka to the Temple after Hardeen shot her. This shiny saw the state she was in, and now he knows the truth about what happened that night.
Force, Obi-Wan feels so stupid. Their secret plan- now unveiled- will soon get around every Battalion in the GAR, and anyone who admires Ahsoka will never be able to look Obi-Wan in the eye again.
The clones probably hate him, and Obi-Wan doesn't blame them.
"Commander Fox thinks the Chancellor should return to Coruscant this evening." Pick says, his voice cool and hard, "We have no idea if Dooku is on-planet or not. It's safer to take him back to the Capital."
"Sounds like a good idea." Mace says, nodding.
Obi-Wan doesn't know what to say.