Chapter Text
Ahsoka took one last look back, hearing Commander Fox call out, his voice echoing and bouncing through the metal of the sewers, to look at Anakin once more before steeling herself and pushing forward.
Her feet pushed her in a half-jump half-fall away from the exit, and she found herself falling, only the Force wrapped around her whispering that she was safe and that she would catch herself, her only assurance that she would land safely.
There was a ship waiting for her, she just had to aim.
The wind and smoke and soot whipped around her in a foul cocktail as she fell.
It took the breath from her lungs and left her gasping against the force of it.
Not for long. Not much longer. It was there. She could feel it.
Right there.
Right.
Now!
She angled, pushing her hands as she reached for the Force around her, slowing her descent as quickly and suddenly as she dared, her feet hitting metal. Hard.
Her ankle buckled slightly and the air whooshed out in one quick breath.
Her knees hit the ship hard, and the entire vehicle rocked with the force of her landing.
She’d made it. She was here.
With a breathless laugh, she let her head duck down for a moment. Just a second. Just to catch her breath.
Just as she found the strength to stand up, she felt it. Above her, a dark roiling cloud of anger and white-hot rage.
It hit her like a shot to the chest, stealing what breath she might have had.
She’d felt this before.
The taste of it, heavy and bitter, almost choking with its cloying stickiness, was familiar. That was probably the worst part.
She forced herself upright, and glanced up, only for her eyes to widen as gaps in the smoke gave her an obscured sight of red and white armour twisting away from the safety of the sewer’s exit, and into open air.
The same exit Ahsoka herself had just leaped out of.
Time seemed to slow, her heartbeat thundered, blood rushing, as she watched that armour rush straight down toward her through clouds of smoke and steam.
Her hand reached out. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do.
Commander Fox fell past her, and all she could focus on was how quiet it was. Like he wasn’t even trying to scream.
It wasn’t even a conscious decision to dive after him, leaving that heavy anger behind her as she once again fell down into the depths of Coruscant.
Her eyes narrowed, focussing in and Ahsoka could almost laugh at the exaggerated way they seemed to zoom in on the body falling below her.
The Guard, she was sure someone had told her, had grappling hooks in their vambraces.
Fox’s vambraces were both damaged. He didn’t have a jetpack. He had no way to catch himself.
Why did he come after her?
She tucked her limbs in, a flash of warning shocking her through the Force, and tried to dive down even faster.
The Commander was bigger than her. Heavier. With armour weighing him down further. She didn’t think twice about reaching out with her mind, and tugging, pulling herself toward him like he was bait on a hook.
She would reach him.
Resignation-Tired-Hurt-Pain-Worry-Fear
She wasn’t sure whose emotions were whose.
She knew by the tickle of her teeth that they weren’t solely hers.
With one more boost, she reached out and slammed a hand down into the Commanders arm, gripping tight even as her fingers slipped against the smooth plastoid, her nails scoring the material until they caught around the edges of his pauldron.
She could almost hear the vibrations of the ground below as the Lower Levels rushed to meet them.
Snarling, she used what physical strength she had to tuck herself in tight against the man, wrapping her other arm around his chest, before lowering her shields, feeling those flashes of danger-danger-danger .
The ground closed in. The smoke and hot air whipped past.
Screeching against her teeth, trying to focus, Ahsoka shot her mind outward, grappling to reach for anything she could.
A tug. Another.
She took the holds offered to her and slammed on the brakes.
The air felt like it was punched out of her, sending a cough rattling through her chest even as their fall dramatically decreased in speed.
Not enough to soften their landing.
Commander Fox’s armour rattled and clacked loudly.
Ahsoka wondered if any of the plastoid had cracked.
He’d angled himself, his feet hitting the ground, and did his best to roll his weight into a graceless fall, letting his body take the force.
His body, still bracketed by Ahsoka.
Halfway through he must have realised, because she had felt him twist beneath her, a gloved hand closing around her wrist and yanking hard .
The impact had knocked anything she had left out of her. She found herself pulled and almost thrown aside as the Commander landed.
She followed, elbows and shoulders barely managing to slam into his armour in time to stop her teeth and nose from following.
Her wrist blazed with an aching kind of pain.
The entire right side of her body felt like a giant bruise.
She couldn’t catch her breath, panting futilley against the burning in her lungs.
Beneath her the ground shifted. Oh.
She was still half on Commander Fox.
With a grunt, he heaved himself up off his stomach, pushing up onto his hands and knees, before lowering his head down, grasping his helmet in his hands. He didn’t keep moving, his breath coming in painful sounded wheezing.
The back of his armour, it turned out, had cracked. Ahsoka could see the line in the plastoid. His shoulder might have been out too.
At least, she thinks it wasn’t supposed to look like that.
Trying to sit up proved to be a terrible idea, as a sharp pain lanced through her head. She curled on her side, reaching up gingerly to take hold of the montral that was now piercing with burning pain. Definitely bruised. If she was lucky.
The world around them filtered back into Ahsoka’s awareness slowly.
Every sound felt like it was amplified through a megaphone, right next to her head. If she could actually feel any part of her body properly, she was sure she’d be crying.
She couldn’t actually be certain she wasn’t. Likely was and just couldn't feel it.
Ahsoka decided focussing on breathing was a good idea, trying to use that as a focal point to try filter everything else out.
The ground- no, still armour, beneath her elbow shifted, and sent her slumping sideways, lekku landing beneath her shoulder as she collapsed.
Her next breath was a soundless sob. She couldn’t move. It hurt. It all hurt.
Focus. Breathe. Focus. Her montral ached. Use it. Focus on it.
Breathing was a chore, but she’d be damned if it was one she gave up on now.
The clacking of more plastoid shifting shot through her head like blaster fire. She grit her teeth, lips curling.
The ground was hard beneath her.
Everything ached and burned.
Commander Fox was still shifting every now and then. His breath was starting to come more naturally, less painful sounding.
He’d be moving soon.
Ahsoka would find herself back in cuffs when that happened.
She wasn’t in any kind of fit state to even think of running.
With closed eyes, she pressed her temple into the ground, pushing into it slightly to try to use the pain to clear her head even slightly faster. Maybe she could try at least being on her feet when she got arrested.
Maybe she could get through with at least that one dignity, though to be honest being carried didn’t sound all that terrible right now. It’d probably just sound better if it wasn’t straight into a cell.
With a whimper, and a hissed breath caught between grit teeth, Ahsoka pushed herself up to sit on her haunches in one very painful if smooth move. Absolute agony. She gasped for air as the results of that decision made themselves known, and barely bit back a coughing fit as her lungs protested the action.
Commander Fox was still bent over, head still on the ground, clutched in his hands.
Cautiously, Ahsoka reached out into the Force.
Relief-Tired-Pain-Knew it-At least it was me-Warn Rex-No good-Worry-Concern-
She drew back, one hand thrown out against the ground to hold herself up against the dizziness that wave of emotion had wrought on. Ouch. Bad idea. Should hold off on doing that.
It had succeeded in drawing her mind away from the pain.
She could almost think clearly.
Landing usually wasn’t nearly that painful. Granted, Ahsoka didn’t think she’d ever thrown herself off of somewhere quite that high but, well-
She also hadn’t done that, caught someone, and stopped herself from landing the hard way so close to the ground. Probably a few factors contributed to that terrible landing.
At least she wasn’t going to throw up. Yet.
Stumbling up to her feet, swaying awfully, proved that might not remain the case.
She over-balanced on the spot, stumbling like a drunk this way and that to keep herself upright.
Her foot kicked against the Commander's boot, earning her a grunt that had her freezing in place, as quickly as she was able.
Right.
Probably about to be arrested.
Except, the Commander was still just sitting there.
Now, Ahsoka might need to be concerned.
Just as she started fighting for the resolve to step forward again toward him, he coughed, violently, before lifting himself back up onto his hands, head hanging down.
“Whatever- ever luck just managed to save me- ‘ad best be ‘ucking off ‘fore I see ‘n’one ‘o needs a’esting.”
He breathed out deeply, not moving from where he was crouched, or even trying to lift his head.
Ahsoka almost wanted to shake her head to try to clear it. To make sure she understood what he was getting at. What he was trying to say.
“Can’t ‘rrest someone don’ know location of,” he muttered, before awkwardly kicking his boot out still pressed against her foot, knocking it into her shin.
He was giving her an out.
Ahsoka took that information, and decided to follow it to its conclusion. If she was wrong, it’s not like she could get more arrested.
She glanced around, and quickly realised that was a terrible idea.
Her neck twinged if she tried to turn it too far.
Her vision swam, nausea rising, if she turned too quickly.
Slow going it was.
Her knees ached, and she was sure the only reason she was still upright was sheer spite and determination. Locked knees were powerful things.
There was another sewer nearby, tucked into the wall,
Ahsoka stumbled her way over to it.
Didn’t even need her lightsaber. There was no grate on it, but it was small.
She’d have to crouch to get in.
She turned around slowly.
Commander Fox was still on the ground.
Why did he come out after her?
A warning danced along her montrals, and Ahsoka knew she had to go.
She spared a final look back, before gritting her teeth, and ducking down to crawl her way forward to her escape.
She’d think about it later. She’d figure it out later.
Everything hurt too much right now.
Later. She’d worry about everything that had just happened.
She just needed to do it later.