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WARNING: SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 7 of AHSOKA!!


Shin urged her howler into a run. She let it run for the longest time, until it couldn't anymore. It slowed, then it stopped. She stumbled off, unable to catch her breath. The troopers had left her for dead, most likely at Thrawn's command. Baylan had abandoned her, or perhaps she had abandoned him. He told her to go, but she'd still had choice. She could've chosen to stay with him. Her eyes stung with tears, and she let them fall. There was no one there, just her and the howler, so she let the sobs wrack her body as she dropped to her knees. She didn't care what happened next. Didn't care if she died of thirst, or starvation, or if nomads came and killed her. It didn't matter, she had lost the one thing that had really mattered, and it may have been her own fault. If she hadn't been so ambitious, so hungry for power, then perhaps...perhaps what? It didn't matter now. She could still feel her bond with Baylan, and that fact alone brought more tears to her eyes. She could still feel him, she could feel everything. Why wouldn't the Force just let her be empty and alone? She was tempted, oh so tempted, to pull on her bond with Baylan. But she didn't. She sat and cried for the longest time, until there were no tears left. Her head was pounding, she was exhausted and thirsty. But perhaps that wasn't so bad. Perhaps...if she just closed her eyes and blocked everything else out, death would take her peacefully. Yes, block everything out. But the only way to do that, was to close off her connection to the Force. She hesitated for only a moment, then with all the energy she had left she did it. She focused on all her feelings, guilt/anguish/pain/defeat/despair/resignation/torment/betrayal/sorrow/regret, and pushed them through her bond with Baylan before completely blocking her connection to the Force. For the first time in her life, everything felt quiet. The moment was over as soon as it came, and Shin cried out. Everything hurt. Her stomach lurched, her vision spun, and her head hurt even worse than before. A current of excruciating pain ran through her whole body like electricity, then darkness consumed her.


Baylan felt the flare of emotion come across his bond with Shin, before her presence seemed to vanish. It cut him like a blade. Something was wrong. He used tapped into the Force, using it to find Shin's howler. The howler stood only a few feet away from Shin, who lay almost completely motionless on the ground. Baylan dropped to his knees by her side, carefully rolling her onto her back. Good, she was still breathing. He felt for her pulse, and was relieved that it was still quite strong. The sky began to darken, night was falling. Carefully, Baylan lifted Shin up, then mounted her howler. With one hand gripping the reins, he kept his other arm wrapped around Shin to hold her up. He urged the howler forward. He had to find shelter.


A/N: This was originally going to be part of my Sun and Moon, Master and Apprentice one-shots. But now it's going be its own AU story, because I say so. Obviously going to be canon divergent, although I do hope they give us some kind of acceptable conclusion in the finale. Rest assured that if/when they don't give us/me a satisfying ending for these two, I will succeed where they failed/chose not to because they're mean and like to torture us. Anyway, I apologize for any grammar mistakes, this was originally written late at night. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.