Content warnings: Nudity in a communal shower situation, Violence and injuries, Atai Molec being a creep
Ahsoka stood under the spray of water, numbly staring at the tiled wall.
She was surprised to find that it wasn't ice cold like she expected, nor was it scalding hot. The water was warm, and thankfully clear.
She supposed that Molec liked to ensure that his slaves were clean, especially considering what he was using them for.
"What's wrong with Blue?" She heard Miel whisper from the other side of the communal washroom. If she didn't have montrals, she wouldn't have been able to hear her over the rushing water. "She hasn't said a word since she got back."
"I don't know," Convor replied in the same hushed voice, "I didn't see her after I left the dining room."
Ahsoka closed her eyes. She didn't remember how she got back to the slave quarters; she could only remember Miel hesitantly offering her some water that she refused.
She supposed her brain was going into overdrive, trying to pretend that the events of the day hadn't happened. Obi-Wan had once told her that the mind would always try to protect itself from trauma in some way or another.
The two women went quiet, washing themselves whilst Ahsoka stood motionless unless the spray. Jiang was much the same, keeping to herself in an empty corner, though she was at least making an effort to wash her body.
Ahsoka found it incredibly uncomfortable when Caelum ordered them into the washroom and told Ahsoka to strip her clothes.
This washing routine was apparently normal for these women, and it was no different than the clones' communal shower room on the cruiser, but Ahsoka wasn't so at ease with being nude around others.
There wasn't another choice, unfortunately.
She knew that refusing to wash wasn't an option. Kix had drilled it into their heads that even as prisoners of war, they should accept opportunities to carry out basic hygiene whenever it was offered.
It was more important to stay clean than it was to maintain any source of dignity.
With her eyes still closed, Ahsoka scrubbed a bar of soap against every inch of skin. It smelt of citrus and would certainly dry her skin out, but that wasn't any different from the standard GAR body wash that they used on the battlefields.
At least this soap didn't make her lekku itch as she lathered them. Anakin had taken pity on her after watching her relentlessly scratch at her freshly washed head appendages, and now carried around a special moisturiser that soothed the discomfort.
The door to the washroom opened, and Ahsoka opened her eyes.
She saw Caelum dragging Luna through the entryway before slamming the door closed behind her. The Twi'lek turned to the girl, lifting her hand, and the Togruta visibly flinched.
Ahsoka felt her eye markings lower. Though she had not hit Luna, the threat was enough to make the girl comply.
"Put your clothes aside to be washed, you know the routine," Caelum snapped, raising her hand slightly higher. "Quickly."
Ahsoka watched the Twi'lek as she passed, stripping off her own clothes. She tried to keep her gaze averted but found herself staring at the scars on her lekku as she stood near Jiang.
She was curious if they were from Molec, or a previous owner.
Lekku were incredibly sensitive, as Ahsoka knew, but they were still durable. The older a person was, the thicker their lekku became. It could take a lot to permanently scar them.
A suppressed whimper brought her attention back to Luna, who was unable to release the clasp of her dress. She was moving carefully, not quite able to lift her arms too high.
Bruised ribs, Ahsoka suspected. Molec had not kicked her gently.
"Let me help you," Ahsoka murmured, stepping away from the water. Luna just trembled, clearly still shaken up.
Luna let Ahsoka help slip off her dress, muttering a barely audible thanks as she followed Ahsoka towards the showers. With her stomach bare, Ahsoka could see the extent of the bruising on her blue skin.
It was the same size and shape as Molec's boot.
"I'm sorry," Ahsoka whispered, "I should've helped you."
"It's okay." Luna offered what Ahsoka supposed was a smile. "I know you did what you could."
Luna turned away, and Ahsoka respected her privacy. She found herself surveying the other girls in the room, noticing finger-shaped bruises on their hips or slap marks on their breasts.
Jiang was covered from head to toe, the ranging sizes of bruises making it seem like more than one person at a time had abused her. There was a dark bruise around her remaining eye that made it look like she had been beaten.
She looked back at Caelum who was facing the wall, the warm water cascading down her lekku and onto her back. She was naked, like the others, and missing her weapons.
Ahsoka was still wearing her Force-suppressing cuffs and shock collar, but Caelum couldn't control it without her vambrace. She could very easily attack the woman right now, whilst she was vulnerable.
Maybe she could subdue the Twi'lek and then plot her escape.
But Caelum was unarmed; she couldn't just attack her unprovoked.
And yet Molec had slapped Ahsoka whilst she was unarmed and restrained. Caelum had lifted a hand to threaten Luna- when the girl was injured.
Again, Ahsoka found herself in a mental tango with her morals.
She didn't need to finalise a decision when Caelum glanced over her shoulder, dark eyes looking her up and down.
She scoffed, "You're pathetic."
Ahsoka froze. She hadn't voiced her plans out loud, and yet the Twi'lek had read her intentions like an open book.
By the time she got over her shock, the Twi'lek turned back to the wall.
Caelum was the first to leave, unfolding a robe that was hanging up to wrap around her body. As she passed Ahsoka, she spoke out.
"Convor, see to the blisters on Blue's neck. She keeps giving Master a reason to use the shock collar."
Then, without a glance, she was gone.
The others followed suit, wrapping themselves in robes and then following the Twi'lek back to the bunkroom. Ahsoka didn't know what else was within the slave quarters beside the bunkroom, washroom, and an area where they sat to eat.
"Come on, Blue," Convor passed her a robe whilst Miel helped Luna with hers. The girl was wincing with every movement. "I don't like the look of your neck."
The older Togruta guided her to sit on a bunk, retrieving a medkit on her way. Ahsoka watched the others as she waited for Convor to organise her supplies.
Luna was laying on a bunk, her arm splayed over her eyes. Ahsoka had suffered enough bruised and broken ribs to know the feeling well. It was something that would only heal with rest and minimised movement.
Miel was sat on the floor, her eyes closed and hands resting on her knees. If Ahsoka didn't know any better, she would've said that the human was meditating.
Jiang and Caelum were sat on the former's bunk, the Kiffar speaking quietly to the Twi'lek. Ahsoka felt her eye markings lift as the Twi'lek reached out to touch the girl's knee, her expression more sincere than she had ever seen.
She didn't think any of the girls liked Caelum, particularly Jiang who had already proven anti-social. She would've thought that they would keep their distance from the half-slave keeper, half-slave.
Whose side was she on anyway? Theirs, or Molec's?
"Let's have a look," Convor reached forwards, the sleeves of her robs slipping down as she gently lifted the shock collar. Ahsoka tried not to wince too obviously, but she saw the sympathy flash across the older Togruta's face.
For a few moments, she studied her neck as best as she could with the collar still in place. The sight likely wasn't pretty.
She withdrew, chewing on her lip, "Caelum, the collar needs to come off. I can't properly clean her wounds with it on."
The Twi'lek didn't even look up, Jiang now resting her head against the woman's shoulder, like they were comforting one another. It reminded Ahsoka of how the clones would cuddle each other after a hard battle or a long shift of patrol.
"Find a way, Convor." She called out.
"It's fine," Ahsoka reached out, noticing Convor looked mildly exasperated. "It doesn't matter. I'll be fine."
Truthfully, the blisters were hurting more than she wanted to admit. Between sweating, the constant electric shocks, and being jostled around, the collar was rubbing wounds into her neck.
It was only going to get worse, but it didn't matter.
"My orders were to treat her injuries." Convor retorted, ignoring Ahsoka's protests entirely. "Please, remove the collar."
The Twi'lek groaned, swinging her legs off the bunk. Jiang watched her leave, a slightly sad look in her eyes before she turned the other way.
"Try anything, and I'll make sure you regret it," Caelum warned, kneeling in front of her. "Do you understand?"
Ahsoka nodded. She hadn't even considered using this as an opportunity. They were in an enclosed space, she didn't want to risk hurting any of the girls, or worse, Caelum using them as some sort of shield.
Caelum fiddled with the collar until Ahsoka felt it come loose. The Twi'lek pulled it away, grimacing as she caught sight of the wounds beneath it.
"I told him that he was being reckless," she muttered, standing up. "Get to it, Convor."
She stayed as Convor cleaned the wounds, apologising when she had to disinfect the particularly deep burns. At some point, Caelum retrieved her gun and held it at her side, her index finger lazily wrapped around the trigger.
Ahsoka wondered if she would be brave enough to use it.
"There," Convor sat back on her heels, having finished dressing the worst of the wounds with bacta patches. "That's the best I can do, I'm afraid."
"Thank you," Ahsoka nodded in gratitude. For all she seemed away with the fairies, Convor was a good healer. She reminded her of Kix- being so calm and easygoing.
"Finally," Caelum muttered, stepping forward with the shock collar again.
"The wounds should really be given some time to breathe," Convor tried, but the Twi'lek ignored her in favour of securing the shock collar around Ahsoka's neck.
"You should check on the girl's ribs too," Caelum jerked her head towards Luna who was still laying on the bunk. "Atai will be unhappy if he finds out that she died from a collapsed lung in the night."
"Yes," Convor nodded, standing up to walk to Luna's side.
Ahsoka couldn't take her gaze off Caelum. The Twi'lek noticed her staring, "What, runt?"
"You called him by his first name," she said simply.
Caelum's brow furrowed; she clearly hadn't noticed her mistake.
Jiang had used Molec's first name and been chastised by Convor for it, but Caelum had done so freely, without repercussion.
In the next moment, her hand grabbed Ahsoka's throat, lifting her from the bunk. Her other hand was curled into a fist, ready to punch the side of her face.
Being six feet tall, Caelum easily made Ahsoka feel small. She could easily overpower any of these girls. Perhaps that was why Molec gave her the task of taking them to him. If someone as well-trained and physically fit as Ahsoka couldn't subdue her, then the others had no hope.
Ahsoka scrambled to grab her wrist, hoping to pry her grip off before she crushed her airway. She gulped in a breath, eyes wide and frantic. The Twi'lek lifted the corner of her lip, like she was smirking.
"Caelum."
Everybody froze at that distinctive male voice. Ahsoka swore that fear washed over Caelum's expression as she turned her head. Her previous sadistic satisfaction melted away.
Molec stood outside the metal gate, his arms crossed disapprovingly over his chest. Even from a distance, Ahsoka felt intimidated. Molec had proven to be someone who she didn't want to antagonise unnecessarily.
"Master," Caelum immediately tried to backpedal, "She was speaking out of turn."
"Put her down," Molec instructed, and Caelum all but shoved Ahsoka back onto the bunk. She gasped as the woman released the grip on her throat. It hadn't been tight enough to restrict oxygen, but the threat was enough to leave her panicked.
Molec's concentration was on Caelum, and in the throes of her adrenaline, Ahsoka took her chance.
Bounding off the bunk, she shouldered past Caelum and rushed forwards, hoping she could grab Molec through the bars.
Before she could get close, a hand wrapped around her back lek, and her body was flung backward.
Ahsoka hit the ground, her back lek crushed under the force of her head slamming into the stone floor. Gasps echoed around her as she squeezed her eyes closed in an attempt to ease the sudden pain and dizziness.
"Let me beat her, Master," a voice spoke through the ringing in her montrals. "I'll make sure she learns her place."
Ahsoka gasped for breath, momentarily winded. Her head throbbed something fierce. She wasn't sure she could withstand a second beating from the Twi'lek.
"She will learn in time, Caelum," Molec replied. "Come now; I need you. Goodnight, my sweet things."
"Goodnight, Master," Convor spoke over her head.
Footsteps passed her, and Ahsoka heard the gate slam closed. The Jedi tried to push herself up but whimpered as the movement worsened the pain.
"Careful, Blue," a blurred figure crouched next to her, the tanned skin revealing it to be Miel. "You went down pretty hard."
Propped up on her elbows, Ahsoka tried to not let tears slip past her lashes. Her back lek ached horribly, making her desperately wish that Anakin was with her so he could use the Force to ease the pain.
Miel was kneeling at her side, Convor mirroring the position on her other side. Jiang was still on her bunk, still facing the other wall. Luna was staring from her bunk, her hands trembling as they gripped the blanket laid over her body.
Caelum and Molec were gone.
"Are you okay?" Convor asked, her eyes imploring.
"Yeah," Ahsoka took some deep breaths and wiped at the tears that had managed to slip past. She could feel a headache coming on, but she'd suffered enough blows to the head to know that it would pass soon enough. "Just startled."
"Come on," Miel took her arm gently, "You should lay down and try to get some rest."
Convor pulled her blanket back as Miel helped Ahsoka stand. The fall had knocked her off balance, so she appreciated the grounding grip on her elbow. Ahsoka couldn't help the anger that flooded her system.
"How can you defend that man?" She demanded.
Convor looked surprised at her outburst but quickly neutralised her expression. "Caelum hurt you, Ahsoka, not Master Molec."
"She was acting under his orders, and you know it!" Ahsoka tore her arm away from Miel, "Wake up, Convor! He's the reason Luna can't stand upright without wincing."
Convor's eyes flickered to the girl in question before returning to her. The Togruta took a steady breath before she spoke, "The sooner you give in, the sooner the pain stops."
Ahsoka stared at her.
Convor shook her head, "Don't look at me like that. I hope that one day you're able to see the man that I see."
Miel put a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder before she could make a sharp retort about Molec's character.
"You shouldn't take your frustration out on Convor." The human said simply, "We're all in the same boat here."
Ahsoka shrugged her off and stalked towards her bunk. She was still angry- furious, even- but Miel was right. Convor didn't deserve her hatred. She was a victim here, even if she was too brainwashed to see it.
Convor hurried away, clearly upset, and Ahsoka felt like she should apologise but she didn't have the energy. Miel stayed as she climbed onto the bunk, helping lay the blanket over her.
An unnecessary gesture, yet a kind one.
"It'll get better," she murmured softly.
Ahsoka doubted that.