Chapter Text
The cave was their only refuge. It was the closest location to retreat to once the droid forces ambushed them. Most of the company was still outside or defending the mouth of the cave while Anakin ordered Ahsoka inside. He followed his Padawan in, the lights from their ‘sabers being the only source of illumination. Ahsoka held hers up, revealing a passageway leading farther into the belly of the cave.
“Master, look!” She called to him, motioning to the tunnel. “This could be a way out!”
Anakin jogged to her side, wiping the sweat droplets from his forehead when he reached her. This moon was already warm. Tropical and humid, but the cave trapped the heat, nearly suffocating them.
“Alright, I’ll call Rex.” He panted, reaching for his wrist comm. But he froze as the ground began to shake. Ahsoka steadied herself and glanced up at him with panicked eyes. Then it stilled, only for a moment.
“Master?”
They waited, both afraid to move or even breathe. Suddenly, the rock beneath their feet shifted, knocking them off their balance. Before they could even regain it, the ground opened up, dropping them into the darkness below.
Anakin acted quickly, grasping onto Ahsoka’s arm and using the Force to break their fall. But in the dark, it was impossible to see where they would land. After a few moments of screaming and falling, they hit hard rock with a thud, knocking the air from their lungs and definitely bruising some bones.
He reached for his lightsaber once he caught his breath. Anakin activates it, shining blue against the inky black. They were dropped into a small cavern. Water dripped from the ceiling and the humidity was almost worse down here.
“Kriff.” Anakin said under his breath. He turned on his com, but only receiving static from the other end. They were cut off from the rest of the battalion. Anakin only hoped that they would find the hole they had fallen through. The Jedi looked up towards the top of the cavern and spotted the opening. It was far away, not even the light streaking in from it reached them.
“Anakin?” Ahsoka’s voice whimpered to his right. Anakin turned, pointing his ‘saber in that direction. He saw her lying on her back. He got up, doing his best to ignore the shooting pains in his shins and ribs.
“C’mon snips, we’ve got to find a way out of here.” He said walking over to her side. She still wasn’t getting up.
“Anakin!” She said more aggressively now. He tore his eyes from the walls of the cavern and looked down. Her hands moved from the side of her abdomen and Anakin's world stood still once he registered what he was looking at.
Ahsoka moved her hands, now coated in blood, revealing the jagged rock that impaled her straight through the side of her torso. “I landed on it.” She whispered, her voice weak as she stared at her own wound. Anakin fell to his knees and grabbed her hands, pushing them over the leaking wound. He needed to keep it covered.
“It’s going to be okay, Ahsoka.” He told her. “Keep your hands on this. Don’t take them off.” He reached for his lightsaber again and propped it between a few rocks next to them to allow some light.
“Master-” She winced. The shock was wearing off.
“It’s going to be okay.” He repeated. But his eyes caught the gleam of the blood pooling out from beneath her. He wanted to vomit. There was too much blood and it was leaving her too quickly.
He stood up, reaching his arm towards the hole hopping his communicator would pick up some sort of signal. “Rex? Can you hear me? Rex?” He shouted over and over again. Each time more alarming than the last. Still only static.
“Anakin-” She gasped, and let out a sob. “Anakin.” He dropped to the ground again to her side. Tears were falling from her eyes and she was growing weaker as her hands were struggling to continue putting pressure on the wound.
“I’m right here, Ahsoka.” He said with a shaky voice. No. He couldn’t let her see him like this. He can’t let her worry about him. She raised one of her hands, now soaked in her blood, but Anakin took it in his, using his other to cover her wound. “You’re going to be okay.”
“You can’t reach them, can you.” She says, her eyes looking up to him. They were droopy and unfocused.
No. This is not the end. It can’t be.
“We’ll reach them, snips. We will. Just hold on a little longer. Okay? Can you do that, for me?” Anakin forced out a smile at her but she looked away, back to the opening above them. To the light.
“I-I don’t know.” He voice trailed off. “Anakin?”
“Yeah? What is it, snips?” He squeezed her hand once he felt it start to grow heavy in his grip.
“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to.” She cried, closing her eyes and the tears flowed. Anakin lowered his head to their hands which were clasped together. He found her in their bond. Her Force was weak, a fleeting light. She was slipping away.
“Hey, hey!” Anakin shook her hand to get her full attention. He could sense her pain, it was almost unbearable. If he could take it on for her, he’d do it in a heartbeat. “Stay with me okay. You’re not going to die, Ahsoka. Not here, not now.” But even as he said those words, his eyes darted to the pool of blood that was growing bigger every minute.
“It’s g-going to be okay, A-anakin.” She muttered, looking at him. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Stop it. Stop talking like that. You’re going to make it out of here, let me just get a signal-”' But her grip around his hand suddenly tightened and he stopped.
“Please don’t get up. Don’t let me go.” She whimpered, her eyes pleading with him. He couldn’t say anything. He needed to contact Rex, that was her only hope. “Don’t let me go.” She repeated again.
“Okay. I won’t. I’m not going anywhere.” As he said those words her eyes shut slowly and her head relaxed. “Ahsoka!” He panicked, diving into their bond.
Thank the Force!
She was still there, the light just barely twinkling, but still there. She was only unconscious. That meant, time was almost up. He let go of her hand, resting it gently by her side and turned on his comm. He shouted again for Rex, for anyone in their company to answer. His voice was becoming horse and he was screaming by the time another voice came through on the other side.
“General. This is Rex. Where are you and Commander Tano?” He asked, a little too calmly for Anakin's liking at the moment.
“Rex, listen! I need Kix and his team immediately. Inside the cave there is a passageway. You will find a hole. Ahsoka and I fell through and she needs a medic, now!”
“Yes sir! We’re on our way.”
Anakin let out a sigh of relief into the stifling humidity. He went to go wipe the sweat away, but stopped when he realized his hands still had her blood on them. He glanced over at her. She was still there. She had hope now. She was going to make it.
He grabbed her hand again, closing his eyes and focusing on their bond. She was there. Anakin smiled once he heard the sound of his troops' voices coming from above.
“Just a little longer. Don’t let me go, Ahsoka.”