Chapter 3
Ahsoka took a deep breath—and hacked as she inhaled the sharp fumes of exhaust and kettel grime. That was low-level Coruscant at its best, yes it was. She flopped back and leaned against the outside wall of her little shack, looking around her. Dust coated everything; it fell from all the buildings in the nine city levels above them. By level nine, everything was coated with a fuzzy layer and there was very little sunlight, but to Ahsoka, there was some comfort in the darkness. There was protection that enveloped them when they weren't exposed in the daylight, and since she could see through the dark with the Force, she was rarely afraid.
Derolf, her little boy, was napping right now, leaving her some quiet time to think and plan. It had been such an adventurous two months since she'd left the Jedi Order. So much had happened to her. She pondered regularly the possibility of going to Shili. There were friends and family there, and jobs that she could get that didn't involve tiptoeing around gangsters, thieves, and other lowlife. There was beautiful scenery on her home planet, and places for her boy to run around without danger, exploring the forests and groves of bright-colored flowers and trickling brooks.
It seemed like a much better option than staying on Coruscant, down in a shanty on level nine with meager work as an anonymous crime news reporter and writer. It seemed better than straddling three-year-old Derolf on her hip and using the Force to help her climb all nine levels to the very top of the city-planet, where she took him for short walks in the sunny nearby park every day, trying to avoid the mortified stares of wealthy mothers carrying their finely-dressed children without so much as a smudge of dirt on their pale, frowning cheeks.
But something was telling her to stay.
Either it was the fact that she couldn't bear to leave all the ones she cared about so far behind, or it was the Force warning her that things were about to happen, and she wouldn't want to miss them. There was violence in the air on Coruscant, and blood was about to be spilled. Ahsoka figured she, of all people, was in a prime spot to do some good if fighting broke out and people had been wronged, needing immediate attention. She could bandage wounds, and she could nurse the sick. She could do it for days on end without rest if need be, and how many people on Coruscant could say that, or that they'd be willing?
Anakin was right. There were things that were wrong with the Order, things that needed to change. But he hadn't gone so far as to come out and say it, let alone leave! All that made Ahsoka feel rather daring, and also made her wonder if she'd gone too far. There were disadvantages to no longer being connected to a group as powerful as the Jedi.
Just then, she heard shooting out in the streets, just down a few blocks from the shack. She went inside and tucked Derolf's blanket around him snugly, making sure he was still sleeping, and crept toward the door with her lightsaber ready.
As she opened it a crack and a small ray of faint light shone in, so did the sounds of shouting. They were coming closer. Suddenly, with a THUD! the door slammed shut and she was thrown to the floor as a huge body went flying against the outside of her shack! The flimsy boards rattled, threatening to come down under the weight. "It must be those Brokukkans who fight over on Straight Road all the time. The oldest of the bunch is over eight feet tall and heavy." Eyes wide, she tensed herself, ready for someone to come through the window or completely knock over her house. She heard yells. Someone was getting beaten up outside, someone who didn't want to lose.
Suddenly, she caught a wave of the Force, a strong one, followed by one that wavered as if from a Jedi who was just about at their limits. Gasping as she realized there was a Jedi in the fight, one of her own, she ran out of the house, locking the door behind her. The three Brokkukan thugs, one of whom must've slammed into her door, had surrounded a familiar-looking form hidden by the dark shadows of the buildings across the alley.
She almost choked as she recognized him. "Anakin?"
Sneaking around behind, she watched him fight, judging the actions closely. It seemed as if Anakin was trying to muster the Force, but couldn't seem to gather enough around him. Of all the things Anakin had ever had difficulty doing, commanding the Force was definitely not one of them. Something was wrong.
One thug broke off a piece of iron rodding from beneath the crumbling concrete wall to his left. Like a stick of candy, he broke in two more pieces and held it over his head. Anakin held up his lightsaber, but something was wrong with him and Ahsoka couldn't place a finger on what it was. The thug attacked while his partners tried to hold Anakin down. The Jedi struggled feebly with them, deflecting blows while trying to wrench his way out of the meaty fists, but one arm grabbed his lightsaber handle and threw it on the ground, pulling Anakin's arms behind him roughly.
It clicked finally on her that Anakin needed help. She ran forward, lightsaber outstretched, just as the thug with the iron rodding swung his weapon upward, trying to smack the Jedi in the face. Her shoto reached it and sliced it in half, just in time.
She swung her full-length saber toward him, causing him to stumble back, moaning over the burn on his hand. His partners ran, heavy feet pounding on down the street, before she could get more than a slash at them.
Anakin picked himself up off the ground slowly. "Snips?" he asked in disbelief.
Walking toward her, he surprised her by wrappings his arms around her tightly. He felt strange and bony to her as she gripped his waist as though she'd never let go. What a long time it seemed since they had seen each other!
"Master—" she started, then looked up at his flaming blue eyes. "Are you all right?"
Anakin ducked his head, avoiding the question. "I was looking for you, Ahsoka."
She raised an eyebrow and used the Force to draw half of the iron rodding he'd almost been hit with into her hand. "Looks like you found some other guys first."
Anakin ran his hand through his hair, embarrassed. "Yeah. So, Padmé and I were just wondering if you'd be interested in joining us in a—hey, is there someplace we could go to talk?"
Ahsoka, with eyebrows still raised, took a moment to respond. "—Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed cheerfully, tossing the rodding aside and turning toward her shack on the other side of the street. "We can go in my house. It's right over there."
She immediately saw Anakin's reserve. "That's your house?"
Pressing her lips together, she gave him a jaunty smile. "Yes, Master, that's my house; and don't you dare call it a shack." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on!"
They crossed the street together and Anakin bent down to fit inside her doorway—in fact, they both did. Ahsoka knew well that Anakin would be shocked at such apparent poverty, but in reality, she really didn't mind. Somehow, she must let him understand that a tiny house with no furnishings was little different from a big house that was watertight and filled with expensive treasures—at least to her.
Anakin looked around him with a numb surprise on his face as he sat on the mattress she gestured to. Then his eyes settled on Derolf's sleeping form in the corner. "Who's that?" came the question she was waiting for.
"That," she explained, settling down next to her old Master, a smile playing on her lips, "is my baby. I adopted him. His name is Derolf."
She turned to watch Anakin's reaction.
It seemed to take a long time as his face slowly processed what she'd told him, and Ahsoka began to worry more. He was moving so slowly, had seemed so weak when fighting the Brokkukans outside. She shuddered to think of what would have happened if the bigger one had hit him with the rodding—it could have been a killing blow. She had missed her Master more than she'd realized. It was hard, having so few friends, in the outside world she now lived in.
Finally, gazing in Derolf's direction, Anakin spoke.
"—How? How—why did you adopt a little boy? You're only seventeen, Ahsoka!" His voice was too quiet.
She gave her baby a loving look. "It's a long story. You'd better tell me yours first."
Anakin shifted, as if uncomfortable with what he had to say. "Well," he began, then stopped, hesitant.
Ahsoka turned her head to one side. "You could start by telling me how you managed to get beat up by three stupid-looking hunks of drac."
"Ahsoka," he groaned. "The reason why I'm here is because—well, I'm planning to leave the Jedi Order."
She felt her eyes get wide. "Do NOT tell me you're doing it just because I did," she demanded.
"No, no, no," Anakin protested, "Some reasons are the same, and some are completely different. I can explain!" He looked almost panicky; such a strange expression for him that Ahsoka was alarmed.
She held up a hand. "Hey, calm down! We've got plenty of time!"
"No, we don't!" Anakin stammered. "You don't understand—we're running out of time to do anything! We—"
"Anakin!" Ahsoka whispered fiercely. "Just tell me what's wrong!" Her voice grew soft. "It's all right. I've helped you before, haven't I? I can do it again!"
Anakin calmed down, but his eyes were sad as they met hers. "No, you can't."
"Why?" she asked quietly.
"When Obi-Wan was being Rako Hardin, there was that attack on the Chancellor?"
She nodded.
"There was a Durrown there, one of the bounty hunters, and he zapped me with his tentacles. Apparently Durrowns are poisonous; we didn't realize it at first. And there's no cure."
Her eyes grew wide with horror. "Anakin? What does that mean?"
His mouth was twisted when he finally met her gaze. "It means I'm gonna die. I've got about two months. That's all."
"Anakin!"
She practically flew at him without even thinking, locking her arms around him. He didn't even respond, just returned her grip with his own shaky one. Her tears dripped onto his robe and she didn't care. How could she miss him this much, while he was still right there with her?
"We're—we're leaving—to go to Naboo, 'Soka. Me and Padmé, and possibly some others. The Republic is falling apart and we don't want to be stuck in it when it falls. Padmé and I were—were married—a couple years ago. She's going to have a baby. I want to live to see that baby, and I want it and Padmé to be safe. That's why we're leaving."
He seemed to jerk into response then, and began stroking her back comfortingly. "We want you to go with us," he announced. "If you can. And the kid, too, of course."
She turned away sadly, staring at Derolf's little face, tucked under the blanket. It was just too much to comprehend. Anakin was dying; he had only a few months to live. He and Senator Amidala were married and having a baby soon. And the Republic was falling, so they were all moving to Naboo and wanted her to go with them?
"What did you say again?" she finally blurted out, sniffling and wiping her eyes rapidly. "I can't remember it all!"
Anakin rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have told you all of this before."
"You're right. You should've. Oh, Master, you can't just die! There's got to be a way!"
He didn't say anything, just held her more tightly.
