AN: Here's another chapter for you Dear Readers! I only have a few days left of break so unfortunately I'm only going to be able to post another update or two before I leave. Thank you guys for all the support; I didn't think I would be able to post this many chapters and the story ideas are always helpful! This chapter is a request from legoryan4579! Hope you guys like it!
.5851, yes we all love a happy Ahsoka!
"ARE YOU KRIFFING KIDDING ME!?" Anakin roared, pacing around his temple apartment
Obi Wan sighed and not for the first time that evening was silently cursing the council for their denseness. "Look Anakin, I know you're angry…."
"Angry!? Angry, Master, I am beyond angry!" Anakin raked a shaky hand through his hair
"I know you're angry, and I tried to tell the council that this may not be the best mission for you but they insisted." Obi Wan sighed again
"Well you can tell the council that I'm not going back there." Anakin stated firmly
Obi Wan resisted the urge to sigh again. "Unfortunately Anakin, that's not an option. We're short people as it is and as much as I hate to say it, you know the most about Tatooine."
Anakin turned away and clenched his metal hand so tight the leather glove squeaked.
"Ahsoka, tell Rex and the others we're shipping out in the morning." He ordered stiffly
His padawan pushed off from the wall she had been leaning against. "Yes, Master."
Ahsoka stepped into her room and powered up her com unit. "Hey Rexster. Tell the boys we're shipping out in the morning."
"Hey Cyar'ika. Usual morning ship out time?"
"Yeah I think so. Oh and Rexster, we need to keep an eye on Master Skywalker. The mission's on Tatooine."
"Copy that, Ahsoka."
"I still can't believe the council is sending us back here." Anakin grumbled for the thousandth time since the the 501st had left Coruscant.
"I don't particularly like coming back here either, but we don't have much of choice." Ahsoka responded for the hundredth time. "The faster we get this done, the faster we can get the hell out of here."
"Ahsoka, promise me you'll stick close this time." Anakin held her gaze seriously.
"Yes, of course Master." Ahsoka was slightly fearful at his tone but agreed.
With a tired and relenting sigh, Anakin started out of the briefing room "Let's get the men and ships prepped and head out."
"Copy that, Master."
The flight down to the surface was suffocatingly silent in the gunship, Anakin's stony face brokered no conversation and the ship was buffered by strong winds.
"Sir there's a lot of atmospheric disturbance, I'd be careful in the approaching hours of a sandstorm." Hawk informed the general are they landed
Anakin cursed for a long moment before stepping off the gunship and onto the coarse sand. "Just what we needed. We need to get this job done and get out of here before a sandstorm hit us."
Rex came to attention before his general "What exactly is the mission, General?"
"We're here to recover a major stolen Republic weapons cache before it's sold on the black market, provided the raiders haven't gotten to them first." Anakin ground out "Intel suspects the weapons are being held in a cave system about five clicks from here."
The team started out towards the suspected cache, walking in tight formation and keeping a vigilant watch on their backs. "Stay alert, raiders are know to hide in cave systems like these." Anakin ordered, moving stiffly over the rocks.
A brief shootout occurred with the bounty hunters that were guarding with the stolen weapons with the 501st coming out with minor injuries and finding all the stolen weapons in crates stacked along the walls of the cave.
"Let's get these crates onto the gunships and get out of here before a sandstorm hits us or we'll be stranded down here." Anakin ground out as he surveyed the scene before him.
"Even with the gunships, it's going to take us a while to clear all this." Rex commented
Anakin stormed out of the cave "Then hurry up, Captain."
Ahsoka glanced up from where she was working inventory and prepping the crates to move when she heard her master rudely brush the captain off.
"It's not your fault Rex. He hates this place, he's bound to be on edge." She consoled
"No worries, Commander, I'm not offended."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes but went back to her work less her master start snapping at her.
Four hours later and the last of the crates were being loaded onto the gunships and the team was waiting for the returning gunships to pick up the troops. Ahsoka and Pidge had volunteered to do the final sweep through to make sure nothing was left. The two of them were about to start down the hill when they heard a scuffle from behind and both fell with sharp blows to the back of their heads.
Down at the landing site Anakin was getting impatient waiting for his padawan and Pidge. He could sense the change in the air that signalled an incoming sandstorm and wanted to get off the planet as soon as humanly possible.
"Where are Pidge and Ahsoka? We need to leave." Anakin hissed at Rex beside him
Rex shifted slightly "They stayed behind a moment to finish clearing the cave. They suppose to be right behind us."
"WHAT!? YOU LEFT THEM ALONE UP THERE?!" Anakin turned to face his captain "We have to go back!" He started jogging up the hill with Rex and four other troopers. When they got there only Pidge was there, still unconscious. Two of the troopers took Pidge back down to the gunships. Anakin stooped to investigate tracks in the dirt and cursed loudly "They took her. Those slimos took her!" He growled
"Who?" Tub asked tentatively
"Tusken Raiders." Skywalker ground out "We need to get her back now!"
"Sir, there's an incoming sandstorm. The gunships need to take off now to escape it." Dogma reported
"Tell them to leave and come back for us after the storm. We need to find Ahsoka before they take her far." Anakin started over the hills swiftly. "I won't lose someone to them again." he muttered.
Within minutes the sandstorm was upon the exposed troopers and Anakin. The general knew how to protect himself enough to keep moving and navigate the hills while tracking Ahsoka through their Master-Padawan bond. The other troopers however were struggling to keep up, the swirling sands disrupting their footing and the sensors in their helmets. The harder it was for the troopers to keep up, the more frustrated Anakin got and finally ordered the troopers to stay behind in a cave while he continued on. The demons of the past were haunting him in the howls of sand and Anakin was struggling to control his emotions facing the same situation with his Padawan. He doubled his efforts to reach her when he felt a familiar presence reaching through the bond only to be cut short by a spike of pain; within a half hour he could see the outlines of a Tusken Raider camp ahead. Flashes of memory of a similar event went through his mind and he struggled to push them and the emotions away; he crept into the camp and felt through the force to find the exact location of his padawan. Without a second thought he ignited his blade and charged the tent, surprising the raiders in the tent and sending them flying with a strong force push. Ahsoka lay curled up on the ground, unconscious but alive. With a sigh of relief, Anakin dropped to his knees next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently; the tightness in his chest easing when he saw her bright blue eyes flutter open and focus on him briefly.
"Took you long enough." Ahsoka slurred with a half grin before letting her eyes close and head lole against the ground.
Her master took off his outer robe and wrapped it around her to protect her from the biting sand then picked her up into his arms and headed out of the tent.
Back in the cave with the storm still raging, the three troopers were starting to get antsy, waiting for any word or presence from their general. Rex was pacing near the entrance and even though Tup and Dogma were sitting against the wall the pair were constantly shifting and watching the entrance. They both leapt to their feet when the captain suddenly charged out into the storm and were about to follow him when, from the entrance they spotted two figures coming closer and soon the general with the commander in his arms and the captain were back inside.
Almost instantly, Anakin transferred the precious package to the captain's arms and shook the sand off himself. "The storm is abating. We need to get back to the landing site so as soon as the storm passes we can evac'd." He ordered breathlessly
They moved quickly now that the storm was ending and knew they were probably being pursued. Once coms were re-established they called for a gunship and waited impatiently for the pick up knowing that their pursuers were getting closer. They piled on the gunship right as the raiders crested the ridge behind them and the blast doors closed, blocking the bolts. Rex and Anakin knelt on the floor to check on the commander who was coming back to consciousness.
"We are never going back there again." She murmured, searching the faces around her.
Rex gave a hollow laugh and even Anakin cracked a small grin.
Tup diffused the situation further "I think I'm going to be cleaning sand out of my gear and hair for months."
"We all are." Dogma grumbled
Anakin gripped his padawan's hand tightly between his own. "I'm just glad you're okay, Snips."
"I just need a good shower." She squeezed his hand in understanding and grinned up at the troopers. She knew she was safe in her boyfriend's arms, wrapped in her master's outer robe and their bond flooded with relief and comfort, and surrounded by her brothers aboard their flagship.
AN: I hope you guys liked it! I tried to focus a little bit on Anakin's emotions because we know how hard Tatooine would be for him, especially if Ahsoka was taken by Tusken Raiders. So a little less RexSoka for this chapter but I hope it was still packed with feels. Legoryan4579, I hope it was what you were hoping for!
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