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Ahsoka wakes up.
Consciousness filters in slowly, her mind slow and foggy.
As her mind clears, panic enters. How did she get here? Where is she? What had happened?
She opens her eyes, and immediately regrets it. Her vision swims, and she can barely make out her surroundings. Blurs of gray and brownish-greens sway around her, and she can’t tell if the ground is actually moving or if it is just her head.
Disoriented, she struggles to her feet, blinking and swaying in the dim light filtering through the trees surrounding her.
Her head pounds, and as soon Ahsoka tries to take a step, with legs as shaky as a youngling, she stumbles. The ground seems simultaneously too close and too far away, and Ahsoka has just enough time to reason out that she must have hit her montrals, before she loses the fight completely against gravity, crumpling back down to the rocky ground. Her elbow hits a branch on the way down, hard, and Ahsoka curses.
“Kark,” Ahoska says into the dirt, and spits out a mouthful of dust. The dirt abstains from responding.
She’s glad her master hadn’t been here to witness her un-jedi like and embarrassing maneuvers. He probably would have never let her live it down, and although they’ve come a long way in their relationship in the few weeks they’ve worked together, Ahsoka still can’t get rid of the feeling that she needs to impress him. Anakin hadn’t even wanted a padawan in the first place, and Ahsoka is determined not to let him regret his decision to train her after all.
There’s a nudge of warning in the Force, and a familiar “Roger-Roger” sounding distantly through the trees jolts Ahsoka out of her musings and back into movement. Wherever she is, she’s not safe here.
Ahsoka reaches for her lightsaber only for her grasping hand to find empty air where the hilt should be. Her comm is missing as well. The bad feeling she has about this whole situation is rapidly growing. It really would be nice for something to actually go right for once.
She clambers once more to her feet, adrenaline sending energy surging through her, steadying her limbs. Ahsoka scans her surroundings, using her training and battle experience to evaluate the situation.
With no lightsaber, no plan, and no backup, an offensive maneuver would only be suicide. As much as she would love to slice through a few clankers, both her own common sense and her aching body are telling her otherwise.
Anakin probably could have taken the whole company with his hands tied behind his back, she thinks ruefully as she scrambles up the nearest tree like a monkey-lizard. She’s not quite at that level. Yet.
The trees are thin, yet tall with trunks stretching upwards from rocky bare earth. There’s almost no foliage and Ahsoka’s arms begin to ache as she hauls herself higher and higher. The papery bark sticks painfully under her nails and adds to the myriad of other small aches and pains present throughout her body at the moment.
She barely manages to get beyond sight before the droids are right underneath her. She holds her breath as the metallic clanks of the battle droid’s footsteps march underneath her, heading west further into the trees.
Ahsoka has lots of time to think while clinging to a thin swaying branch a few dozen feet above a horde of battle droids, and the events of the past few hours begin to come back to her.
---
Their fleet, made up out of both the 212th and 501st battalions, had been above Antar IV, a Seperatist-controlled moon in the Inner Rim. Ostensibly there in order to begin an invasion launch, the real mission was for Anakin and Ahsoka to use the distraction and chaos of battle to fly an unassuming freighter down to the planet’s surface unnoticed, bringing with them weapons and supplies to support the resistance fighters. Once they landed, the fleet could pull back, a farce of biting off more than they could chew.
But the responding attack from the Separatists had come too soon, almost like they had known about the invasion in advance. The 501st battalion had barely emerged above the planet before they were being attacked on all sides, and the two fleets hadn’t had time to properly consolidate.
With their ships out of position and spread haphazardly around the moon, and without support from the rest of the fleet, the Republic’s ships were being decimated.
Ahsoka remembers weaving past the white armored clones as she ran through the halls of the Resolute, the floor shaking under her feet. Finally finding Anakin, it was only to see him climbing into his starfighter. He had shouted something across the hangar but the clamor of orders and clanking of boots had drowned him out, and the flagship shuddered in response to a bombardment from the Separatist fire.
Her name had been called close behind her, and she turned to see Master Kenobi striding up behind her, impressive and intimidating. “There’s been a change in plans,” he said once he reached her.
“What?!?” It wasn’t the most appropriate response of a proper Jedi padawan, but Ahsoka had been too shocked to be polite.
“Anakin is our best pilot,” explained Master Kenobi. “Right now, the fleet needs him more than we do.”
“But, the mission-” Ahsoka had protested, indignation rising at the thought of abandoning the resistance fighters below.
“You and I will see to the mission,” Master Kenobi had said calmly. She remembered wondering at his coolness and composure when compared to how she felt inside, shaken and off balance.
The rest is a blur. Anakin’s back as he climbed into the cockpit, Master Kenobi’s hand on her shoulder pulling her away, hurried instructions and plans. Looking back out of the window as their small freighter pulled away from the battle, from the explosions and laser fire. The ship, shuddering suddenly as they passed through the planet’s atmosphere, falling quicker and quicker with the controls blaring, out of control.
The smell of smoke in her nose and the feeling of Master Kenobi covering her body with his own as they hit the ground.
---
After the droids are long gone, Ahsoka clambers back down out of the tree, landing in a crouch at its base. The time to rest has cleared her head, but staying so long stuck in an uncomfortable position halfway up a tree has made her body even more stiff and achy than before.
She takes a few moments to run through some stretches, noting the areas of pain in her body. Other than some scrapes and bruises and a bad headache, she’s done remarkably well for being in a ship crash.
No, the biggest problem right now isn’t her injuries, or the battle droids scouting in the forest. What Ahoska is most concerned with right now is where their ship is--and more importantly, where Master Kenobi is. She tries not to think about what she’ll do if she can’t find him, how she’s going to survive on her own and make it back to the fleet.
Ahsoka kneels on the rocky forest soil, settling into a common meditation pose.
She concentrates on the knot of worry stuck in her chest and releases it to the Force. Sinking deeper into meditation, she clears her mind and reaches out, looking for any sign of Master Kenobi.
There’s a slight tug through the Force, and she opens her eyes. The Force is leading her deeper into the forest, to the north, and Ahsoka scrambles to her feet and follows.
She has been walking for several minutes before she sees the first sign. The trees ahead are bent and broken at the top, as though something large and heavy has crashed through them. Ahsoka breaks into a run, fluidly dodging branches and roots as she goes.
Ahsoka draws to a sudden stop, panting. She stands at the opening to a large-ish clearing, but a clearing that is clearly not of natural make. Half broken trees litter the space, and at the far end is their ship, clearly having skidded and scraped across the landscape, and ending up lodged upside down between two trees.
There is no sign of life.
Ahsoka hadn’t realized how hopeful she was that she would find Master Kenobi-- strong and sure, and able to tell her what to do-- until that hope drained away.
She calls out anyway. “Master?”
Her voice is unsure and quiet, and only the whistling of the wind replies.
Creeping closer, across fallen branches and over tree stumps, Ahsoka continues to listen closely for any movement. Finally, she reaches the freighter and stares up at it. Upside down, it presents a very different silhouette than it had when she boarded it, and entire sections of the metal hull are bent and torn. Her gaze is drawn past the wreckage, to something out of the corner of her eye.
A hand, just visible past the nose of the ship, and very, very, still.
Ahsoka’s heart leaps into her throat and she hurries around to the front of the ship.
Master Kenobi lies still, facedown a few feet away from one of the cracked transparisteel panels of the cockpit, and had clearly dragged himself from the wreckage before collapsing.
Ahsoka thinks that’s probably a good sign, but doesn’t waste any time hurrying to his side. She carefully shakes his shoulder, with no response, before carefully turning him over onto his back.
Master Kenobi is breathing, shallowly but steadily, and doesn’t appear to have any large lacerations or broken bones, as far as her basic medical training goes. He’s hit his head, blood sticking his hair to his forehead, and Ahsoka’s own headache twinges in sympathy.
There’s nothing Ahsoka can do for him without medical supplies, and she turns back to the ship. There should be a medpac in the cockpit somewhere, and she gingerly makes her way through the shattered transparisteel and into the ship.
It’s strange, walking through the ship on what should be the ceiling. The chairs and control panel is above her head, and the comm unit sparks to her left. Ahsoka presses a few buttons experimentally and is rewarded with even bigger sparks and singed fingertips for her trouble. She eventually finds the medpac, and more importantly her lightsaber, lodged in a corner of the ship. It must have fallen and rolled when they crashed, and Ahsoka snatches it up with a feeling of deep relief.
Exiting the ship is another exercise in control and carefulness, but Ahsoka makes it out without further injury.
Ahsoka pulls out the medpac left behind by whoever used the freighter before it was commandeered for a Republic mission. It’s rusted and clearly hasn’t been used for quite some time. Opening it shows that it is basically empty, only a few torn bandages and batca-patches rattling around in it along with a stim-shot several years out of date and a flask of some sort of questionable liquid. Ahsoka pulls out the bacta-patches and leaves the rest, returning back to Master Kenobi’s side.
She squints at the bacta-patch. It has an image of a pink tooka on it, which seems more appropriate for a youngling than for a Jedi Master. But beggars can’t be choosers, so she shrugs and smoothes the child’s bacta-patch onto Master Kenobi’s forehead. Hopefully, he won’t mind too much when he wakes up.
Task completed, Ahsoka stands for a moment, at a loss, then remembers the sparking comm unit inside the ship. Clambering back inside, she sets to pulling the paneling aside and revealing the wires and machinery. While not nearly as good as Anakin, she’s always enjoyed tinkering with machinery and soon finds herself drawn into the work.
She’s not sure how long she’s been at it, but eventually, a crossing of two wires produces not sparks, but the sound of static. Ahsoka whoops, accidentally dropping a pair of pliers onto the floor (well, the ceiling) in her excitement. As she fiddles with wires and knobs, the wavering sound of static slowly resolves into steady waves of information.
Ahsoka puts in the input for the Resolute’s frequency, unable to tell if her fingers are shaking from excitement, nervousness, or exhaustion. Clearing her throat, she relays her code name and mission number over and over, continuing to adjust wires as she goes. Eventually, there’s the familiar cadence of a clone over the comm, and although she can’t quite make out the words, she can tell that her message has been received. After a few moments, another voice makes itself heard.
“Ahsoka?” Hearing Anakin’s voice, scratchy and static-y as it is, sends relief flooding through Ahsoka like a wave. She hadn’t realized how much she missed and relied on Anakin, and knowing her Master was there made Ahsoka feel like she could handle anything.
“Ahsoka! Are you ---- there? What -- --happened?”
“I’m here!” Ahsoka yelps. “I’m fine but the ship crashed and Obi-Wan’s injured.”
“---Where -----you --------Obi-Wan---”
Ahsoka pounds the comm unit with her fist, frustrated. “What?? I can’t hear you!”
The static gets even worse for a moment, then clears.
“----be okay--------meet---- three days---- coordinates….” Ahsoka relays the following coordinate numbers to memory, then spends another few minutes frustratedly messing with the comm unit to no effect. Whatever had sustained the unit for this long has since disappeared. Anakin’s voice is gone, leaving Ahsoka alone once again, in an unfamiliar forest with a crashed ship and unconscious Jedi Master.
After crawling outside once again, Ahsoka settles cross-legged next to Master Kenobi. Her headache is back with a vengeance, and if she thinks about any of this situation for too long she thinks she might cry.
It’s while she’s blinking away a few rebellious tears that Master Kenobi stirs. He pushes himself up, bracing his hands under him, and maneuvers to a sitting position, letting loose a string of curses that makes Ahsoka blink.
“Master Kenobi!” Ahsoka says uncertainty. “Are you feeling alright?”
Master Kenobi jumps like a youngling that got caught snitching sweets. “Oh-” he says, with an odd tone. “Ah, hello there. I see we’ve landed?”
“Crashed, more like,” Ahsoka quips, relieved that he seems alright.
She quickly fills him in on all the information she’s been able to gather so far. Their location, the battle droids, fixing the comm unit, and setting up a rendezvous.
“Impressive,” Master Kenobi compliments her, and Ahsoka can feel her cheeks flush. “You’ve done very well. Although,” he continues, peeling the now useless bacta-patch off his forehead, “I think I may be a little too old for this particular design.”
Ahsoka scrunches her nose, unsure how to respond. Was that a joke? Or an actual rebuke? She decides to apologize to be on the safe side.
“Sorry, Master Kenobi. But, at least we still have 5-star dining,” Ahsoka jokes and hands him one of the ration bars she scavenged from the wreckage of the ship. Master Kenobi makes a face but accepts it graciously.
“We should get going,” he says as he tears open the packaging. “I’d like to connect with our contact before nightfall, if at all possible.”
Ahsoka is too late to hide her skepticism, and he raises an amused eyebrow.
“Your concern is appreciated, but I really do feel fine.”
Generally speaking, Ahsoka is unsure what to think about Master Kenobi. She knows of all the stories and legends about him they tell in the temple, and she knows that he taught her own master, but Ahsoka has never really interacted with Master Kenobi without Anakin there. Plus, half the time they’re in the middle of a battle, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for getting to know a person.
Still, Ahsoka thinks, he’s a Jedi Master. If he’s certain he’s fine, then Ahsoka is sure he knows what he’s talking about.
They gather what supplies they can scavenge from the ship, and set off at a brisk walk back south, towards town.
---
Several hours later, Ahsoka is still walking. Dusk has fallen, long shadows falling across their path. The trees look exactly the same as every single tree she’s seen so far today, and Ahsoka is so bored.
She sighs.
Ahsoka is almost ready to wish for another company of droids to fight, just to stop being bored. At least this time she would have her lightsaber, and fighting is always exciting. Not like walking, which is boring.
She sighs again, louder.
Master Kenobi looks down at her with his eyebrow raised, and Ahsoka flushes again, this time in embarrassment. She hadn’t meant to gain his attention, and now she’s going to seem like a fussy youngling.
Master Kenobi doesn’t rebuke her, but he seems thoughtful for a few more strides. “Padawan Ahsoka,” he says.
“Yes Master?”
“You completed the necessary research for this mission, correct?” As Jedi, they were required to learn about the planets and people that they went to, and padawans almost always got a hefty load of datapads to read through.
“Yes Master,” Ahsoka replies, only very slightly sullenly. Homework is only barely more exciting than walking, but Ahsoka takes it.
Antar IV orbits the planet Antar, located within the Inner Rim. It has been a member of the Galactic Republic almost from its inception, but the Separatist Crisis created a schism among the native species of Gotals that gave rise to Separatist support groups and terrorist organizations aligned with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. After the Battle of Geonosis, it fell to the Separatists." She recites dutifully.
Master Kenobi nods. “The resistance groups against the Separatists that we were sent to give supplies and support to are actually among the very first of their kind in the galaxy.”
Ahsoka hadn’t known that. “Really?”
“Yes,” Master Kenobi turns to look at her. “This moon was among the very first to fall to the Separatists, and as such, it has seen much bloodshed, and its inhabitants suffer greatly under their rule.”
Ahsoka looks down at her boots, dusty and torn after walking through rocks and dirt all day. She feels a little guilty for complaining about homework, compared to how other people have been suffering.
“Now, what can you tell me about the inhabitants of Antar IV?”
Ahsoka stifles any internal complaints and complies. “Antar IV is the homeworld of the Gotal species. After it was taken over by the Separatists, many of the Gotal refugees fled to their colony world and were replaced by an influx of Koorivar, Gossams, and other species whose homeworlds had joined the Separatists.”
“Very well done.” Master Kenobi says. “You understand why this is important to know?”
“Yes, Master.” Ahsoka knows that the cultural history and background of planets and cities have always been important for Jedi missions, but as someone who is used to battleplans and maps, datapads full of cultural information aren’t exactly the most exciting thing she can think of.
“Good. And the city where our contact is meeting us?”
Ahsoka sighs again but only internally, and scavenges her brain for the correct answer. “Dratun?”
“Correct. And look, here we are,” he says, amusement warming his voice.
Ahsoka looks up. In the past few meters they have crossed past the border of the trees, and ahead of them in the distance, she can see dim lights of Dratun glimmering in the darkness, and the vague shape of buildings.
Walking side by side with Master Kenobi as they enter the outskirts of the town, Ahsoka can’t help but think of the typical Jedi missions, and how for so long she had envisioned her and her eventual master doing missions like this, just the two of them. With the war going on, much of her and Anakin’s missions were battles, surrounded by officers and battalions of clones and being busy fighting for their lives.
Not that she’s complaining of course, but sometimes, Ahsoka wonders what it would be life would be like without the war.
It’s impossible for Ahsoka to envision Dratun without the war, though. Its buildings are in ruins, and battle droids march through the streets. The outskirts of town are filled with shacks made of scraps and filled with quiet, solemn-eyed Gotals. Some don’t even have shacks, sheltering under the outcrop of buildings or in the space between other’s homes. Some of the shacks, Ahsoka realizes with start, are made out of scraps of Separatist warships, and she even recognizes parts from Republic fighters. The shelters spread and sprawl over the landscape, and it’s hard to tell where they end and the actual buildings of the town begin.
“Many of their homes were destroyed,” Master Kenobi says to her quietly. He has pulled his hood over his head, and Ahsoka quickly follows suit.
“Why don’t they leave?” Ahsoka asks, just as quietly. She had read that after the Separatist rise to power, many Gotals had left for their colony planet Atzerri, and wonders why anyone would want to stay here.
Master Kenobi glances at her. “Antar IV is valuable for its metals, which the Separatists want for their weapons and ships. Their metal is delicate, and their quarries and mines aren’t able to be properly mined by droids. They need people.”
Ahsoka looks around at the patrols of battle droids and station points surrounding the city with new eyes, horrified. “You mean they can’t leave? That’s horrible!” She hisses.
Master Kenobi’s mouth tilts downwards. “Indeed,” Is all he says, quietly.
They continue on through the city, and Ahsoka’s righteous anger is slowly but steadily replaced by the dulling sense of exhaustion pulling at her heels and making her eyes ache. It feels as though it has been months since breakfast on board the Resolute, before the battle, and aside from a brief bout of unconsciousness, she has been on her feet all day.
Master Kenobi forges ahead through the darkened streets, navigating through the crowds of people and avoiding Separatist checkpoints with ease. Ahsoka does her best to keep up, and not fall asleep on her feet.
It begins to rain as they approach a dark house, somewhere near the middle of town. The lights are off, and the windows are shuttered. The top half of the building has been destroyed, and scaffolding and tarps have been constructed to keep the rain out of the house below.
Ahsoka stays close to Master Kenobi as he goes up to the door and knocks twice, then a pause, and three times more. The rain pours down harder, soaking through her cloak and she shivers. The door opens, and she can see a dark shape in the doorway. The tall horn extending from the top of their head identifies them as a Koorivar. Master Kenobi and the Koorivar exchange words, the wind blowing the sound away before Ahsoka can hear.
The Koorivar steps out from the door and closes it behind him, motioning them to follow him. There’s a speeder with an attached cart behind the house, and Master Kenobi helps Ahsoka scramble in under the tarp before getting in himself.
It’s warmer under the tarp, next to Master Kenobi’s body heat and away from the rain. Ahsoka tries to track the twists and turns the speeder makes through the city but falls asleep after the first few turns. A gentle touch on her shoulder awakens her, and she jolts to awareness to see Master Kenobi’s face above hers.
“It’s alright,” he whispers. “Almost there.”
Blearily, she climbs out of the cart to see in the time she’s been asleep, they have exited the city and arrived at the foothills of what looks like it might be a mountain range. Outcroppings of rock jut from its sides, and the Koorivar leads her and Master Kenobi through the hills into a small opening that gradually opens up into a spacious tunnel leading deeper into the rocks.
She plods forward, one foot after another until finally, they emerge out of the tunnel into a wide cavern. The murmur of people fills the space, and Ahsoka’s eyes burn from the sudden light. She stands by Master Kenobi’s side and nods her head respectfully when he introduces her to the resistance, aware of the multitude of curious eyes on her but too tired to care.
They’re led to a central conference room that looks about the same as every other war meeting Ahsoka’s ever been in, full of projected maps and people with the same goal but opposite ideas.
The discussion goes past in a blur. Plans to get to the crashed ship, the restocking of supplies, talk of the Separatist headquarters to the west of Dratun. Ahsoka misses most of the discussion, too focused on staying upright to pay much attention.
There’s a gentle brush against her mind, and she blinks rapidly and looks up to see Master Kenobi looking back at her from across the table. He gives her a sympathetic look, and gives a subtle nod to the corner of the room, out of the way of the people crowded around the table and filled with a few chairs and crates and other assorted miscellaneous supplies that manage to gather in dusty corners of any base.
Ahsoka slips quietly to the back of the room out of sight and gratefully sinks to the ground, leaning her head against a crate. Within seconds she’s asleep.
Several loud voices jolt her awake.
“Cowards-”
“-isn’t even your planet!” someone else is yelling, followed by voices of both agreement and disagreement.
There’s a reply of “At least we didn’t abandon our people-” and a roar of discordant voices in response and Ahsoka tenses, thinks about how far away her lightsaber is, how fast she can get to it.
She hears Master Kenobi’s smooth voice break through the argument and relaxes.
If it had been Anakin, the argument probably would have turned into a fist fight by now, Ahsoka thinks sleepily, and lulled by the soft murmur of Master Kenobi’s steady voice, falls back into sleep.
---
Ahsoka wakes several hours later. The cavern is mostly dark, the members of the resistance either sleeping as well or departed for the night. Her neck aches from being stretched awkwardly on the crates, and somehow while she’s slept, she’s ended up with a familiar robe much larger than her own draped on top of her.
She rubs her eyes, and suddenly restless, gathers up the robe, and sets out in search of fresh air.
Ahsoka finds him just outside the mouth of the tunnel, meditating cross-legged on the bare stone, eyes closed and face serene. The rain has ceased, and the light from the other moons of the system makes his hair look silver.
“Hello Ahsoka,” Master Obi-Wan says without opening his eyes. “Is there something on your mind?”
Ahsoka hadn’t thought that there was but realizes the restlessness of her body was an extension of the restlessness of her mind.
She folds Master Obi-Wan’s cloak and sets it beside him, before settling down in a mirroring pose. She’s silent for a few minutes, putting together her scattered thoughts, and Master Obi-Wan is a silent and calm companion beside her.
Finally, Ahsoka speaks. “The map we were looking at earlier, that was the Separatist headquarters, right?”
“Yes.”
“Are we going to help destroy it?”
“No,” Master Obi-Wan says, firmly but not unkindly. “That is not our mission. Our mission is to supply the resistance with weapons, supplies, and any intel we have that may be valuable to them.”
Ahsoka leaps to her feet, suddenly unable to keep still. “Why not? You saw those people! If we can destroy the Separatist base, it will free the town, mess with Separatist supply lines, help everyone!”
Master Obi-Wan opens his eyes and meets Ahsoka’s angry gaze. He doesn’t rebuke her, only asks a question. “Say we do help. We can go in, lightsabers blazing, and take down the Separatist headquarters. Then what?”
Ahsoka falters, confused. “What?”
Master Obi-Wan shifts his position to face her fully. “Even if we are able to destroy the Separatist base, once we leave, the resistance will not be able to hold it forever, not on their own. Their emphasis is on sabotage, not open warfare. The Separatists will crush them, retake their fortress, and most likely take out their anger on Dratun, further harming the townspeople that live there.”
“So we stay and help them!”
“Ahsoka-”
“No! Why do we have to leave for some other mission when there are people that need help right here, right now?” Ahsoka knows she’s being un-Jedi like, that she should release her anger into the Force, but right now she doesn’t care, overwhelmed by emotion.
Master Obi-Wan is silent for several moments. “Your desire to help does you credit, young one,” he says eventually. “But there are other considerations that must be made.”
“Like what?”
Master Obi-Wan doesn’t reply right away. He looks away from Ahsoka and looks instead to the night sky above him. “You can’t see the stars very well on Coruscant,” he says conversationally.
Whatever Ahsoka had planned to say next is lost in her confusion at that statement. She stays silent.
“It’s something I enjoy when I visit other planets, being able to see the night sky, the stars and planets.” He points up at a particularly bright speck. “That one there? That’s Coruscant.”
Ahsoka follows his gesture with her eyes, still confused. Master Obi-Wan sighs, and leverages himself to his feet with a wince. He comes to stand by her, his face still tilted back to look up at the heavens. “Almost every single one of those stars is part of a star system, with its own planets, and people on those planets.
“At the beginning of the war, the Jedi Order had 10,000 active knights. Now, even less. The war is spreading, and more and more people are asking for our help. We can’t afford to stay in one place, not without refusing to extend our help to others in need.”
Ahsoka looks away, eyes hot with frustrated tears. “But it’s not fair .”
Master Obi-Wan says nothing, just stands alongside her in silent support, gazing up at the night sky. Eventually, he stands, touches her shoulder lightly, and disappears quietly into the tunnel.
Ahsoka stays, looking up at the huge tapestry of innumerable stars and planets for what seems like hours. She feels very small.
Eventually, she too turns away, and the stars continue on alone in the night sky.
---
The next morning Ahsoka is sitting at one of the tables set up in the main cavern, half awake and eating breakfast when she notices something that had passed by her notice last night. The majority of the resistance that she’s seen so far are either Gotals or Koorivar, but in the light of morning she can see that the Gotals are huddled together on one side of the cavern, the Koorivar are sitting strategically on the exact opposite side. Both species send distrustful looks at the other.
She becomes aware of someone close by her and looks up to see a humanoid figure, and with his distinctive flat, furry face and two horns on his head, he couldn’t be anything other than a Gotal.
“Good morning!” says the Gotal cheerfully. Ahsoka squints up at him in a very professional, grown-up, Jedi-like way and not at all like she just woke up and has a brain full of fuzz.
The Gotal takes a seat next to her, setting down his own breakfast.“I’m Mikel! Is it true you came in with the Jedi last night?”
Ahsoka thinks he has far too much energy this early in the morning. “Uh, yeah,” she says. “Hey, can I ask a question about you guys?”
Mikel grins, looking pleased to be asked a question by a real live Jedi.
“So,” Ahsoka says casually. “I can’t help but notice it’s a little…tense around here.” Okay, maybe not so casually.
Mikel’s grin turns into a grimace. “The Koorivar and us don’t get along,” he says. “The Koorivar come from a Separatist planet. After the Separatists took over here on Antar IV, a lot of us Gotals fled, and people from Kooriva and Castell moved in. My dad says that means we shouldn’t trust them.”
“Aren’t you part of the same resistance?” Ahsoka asks.
“Kind of. Usually, we operate separately, but with the weapons drop we wanted to make sure all the supplies were split evenly.”
“Isn’t that sort of, I don’t know, inconvenient?” Ahsoka asks. “I mean, not trusting half of your groups seems like it could cause problems.”
Mikel shrugs, his orange eyes avoiding hers. “My father says we shouldn’t trust anyone other than ourselves.”
Ahsoka takes another bite of roast pormork. “Do you think that’s why the Koorivar don’t trust you?”
She notices a young female Koorivar hovering nearby, sending very unsubtle glances toward Ahsoka. Ahsoka has nothing to lose and doesn’t sense anything dangerous about the Koorivar, so she waves her over. Mikel stiffens, starting to gather up his breakfast to leave.
“No, stay,” Ahsoka says. “What’s your name?” She asks the Koorivar.
“I’m Denaria,” the Koorivar says in a quiet voice. “Is it true? You’re actually a real Jedi?” Denaria’s eyes are wide with wonder,
“Of course she is,” scoffs Mikel, acting as though he hadn’t just asked the exact same question five minutes earlier. Denaria and Mikel glare at each other across the table,
Ahsoka suddenly wishes Master Obi-Wan was here, with his skills of negotiation, but it’s alright. Ahsoka knows just how to handle this.
“Hey, wanna see my lightsaber?” She asks, and the glaring contest between Mikel and Koorivar is abruptly dropped in favor of fawning over Ahsoka’s lightsaber. She doesn’t mind.
“Did you make it yourself?”
“What color is it?”
“Can it really cut through anything?”
“Yes, green, and yes,” Ahsoka says. “Well, almost anything,” she amends, briefly explaining about the Droidekas and how lightsabers were basically useless against their shields, but a well-timed grenade could bring them down.
In the middle of a teeny bit embellished battlefield story, Master Obi-Wan enters the hall on the opposite side, and waves her over with a motion of his hand. Ahsoka leaves Mikel and Denaria to their fate of staring awkwardly at each other and makes her way across to him.
She hopes he won’t bring up their conversation last night. She’s not ready to talk about it yet.
---
The day that follows is a whirlwind of activity.
Everywhere Ahsoka goes, she’s aware of the tensions between the Gotal faction and Koorivar faction of the resistance. They disagree about everything, and even the smallest decision is made ten times as complicated because of the constant arguing. Ahsoka can tell that even Master Obi-Wan, the great Negotiator, is getting tired of it.
They are sent out with a party of both Koorivar and Gotals, in order to find and retrieve the weapons and supplies that are still within the crashed freighter. Arguments break out over the best way to get there, the best way to split supplies, the best way to carry weaponry back to the base, and anything and everything that could possibly be disagreed about.
By the time they get back to the resistance base, it’s been hours longer than it should have taken, Ahsoka’s exhausted, frustrated, and on edge and the arguing has only spread. Now instead of only the leaders of the factions arguing, it has spread to the rest of their people, and now it seems as though the entire cavern is buzzing with whispers and poisonous looks.
“Jedi,” Someone behind her says.
Ahsoka turns, recognizing the voice as one of the ones that had been arguing last night. Today thankfully, the Gotal leader seems much calmer. She bows, and he introduces himself as Thu'khoth.
“Can I speak to you in private, Master Jedi?” He asks. “I’m afraid your companion is otherwise occupied,” he nods towards Master Obi-Wan, stuck in the middle of a knot of arguing resistance fighters.
Flustered, but flattered, Ahsoka explains that she is still a student, but willing to help.
“Walk with me,” Thu'khoth says, leading her towards an opening leading to further tunnel systems. Ahsoka throws another glance back towards Master Obi-Wan, but follows Thu'khoth anyway.
“I have concerns about the loyalty of the Koorivar to the cause,” Thu'khoth says, as they continue onwards.
Ahsoka sighs. And here she was hoping someone would be reasonable for once.
“I understand the…disagreements you may be facing right now,” Ahsoka tries, “but I really believe if you worked together-”
Thu'khoth interrupts. “With respect, I have proof.” He motions towards a branching tunnel opening.
“I did not want to attract too much attention by stealing away the Master Jedi in the middle of negotiations,” Thu'khoth says, “But this poses a threat to our cause, and I’m sure you will be able to help me.”
Her curiosity piqued, Ahsoka steps through the opening into the next tunnel.
The tunnel is a dead end. Ahsoka feels the force surge in warning, and draws her lightsaber--but too late.
Two red sabers spring from the darkness, knocking away Ahsoka’s own lightsaber and crossing at her throat.
“I’m sorry,” says Thu'khoth. “She promised me that only the Koorivar-”
One pale hand holds steady the crimson lightsaber at Ahsoka’s throat, but the other hand throws its lightsaber with deadly aim through Thu'khoth’s throat and he crumples to the ground. Ahsoka tears her eyes away and focuses back on Ventress.
“I haven’t seen you since Teth,” Ahsoka taunts, covering her nerves with wit. “Did we scare you off?”
The red lightsaber hums an inch closer to her throat.
“Ventress.” Master Obi-Wan steps out of the shadows, and relief makes Ahsoka’s knees go weak.
“Hello again, Obi-Wan,” Ventress purrs, switching her focus away from Ahsoka and towards Master Obi-Wan.
Rude. Also, ew.
Ahsoka stumbles back, and reaches out with the Force. Her fallen lightsaber flies into her hand, and she slides into a defensive form.
“Ahsoka,” Master Obi-Wan says, not looking away from Ventress. They’re circling each other now, like two Nexu’s in a ring. “Ventress will have sent a droid army ahead to the base, hoping to wipe out both factions while they’re distracted fighting each other.”
Ventress grins, all sharp teeth and malice.
Ahsoka hesitates. She knows what she should do, but she doesn’t want to leave Obi-Wan alone.
Obi-Wan meets her gaze, sure and steady. “It will be alright, Ahsoka.”
Ahsoka runs. The crash of lightsabers behind her sends flashes of light reflecting off the walls of the tunnels as she races back towards the resistance base. As much as she wants to stay and help Obi-Wan, she can hear the rumble and crash of battle and knows that the resistance will need all the help it can get.
She springs out into the main cavern of the base just as the first line of battle droids breaks through the entrance. Igniting her lightsaber sends a steady green glow, a beacon to the resistance fighters that are left, and both Gotals and Koorivar rally to its light.
Ahsoka narrows her eyes, and leaps towards the battle droids, the resistance fighters following close behind.
---
Ahsoka watches the aftermath of the battle, absentmindedly cleaning muck and grime off her lightsaber.
Obi-Wan had joined her shortly after the battle, none the worse for wear except for a few scorch marks on his robe. Ventress had gotten away again.
“We didn’t change anything,” Ahsoka says eventually, leaning despondently against the cave wall. “The people in Dratun are still under Separatist control, still trapped and mistreated, we haven’t changed anything at all!”
Obi-Wan’s hands are folded across his chest and he makes a thoughtful noise. Ahsoka knows him well enough by now to know that he isn’t ignoring her, but taking time to fully consider his response.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” he says after a pause. “It seems to me as though we have been able to make a difference for them .”
He nods across the cavern and Ahsoka follows his gaze to see Mikel and Denaria demonstrating to a mixed group of resistance fighters how to take down a Droideka, with only minimal arguing as they passionately explain their technique. Throughout the clearing, others follow their example. Both Koorivars and Gotals are working together to patch up wounds, care for the dead, and prepare together for future battles.
Obi-Wan puts a steadying hand on her shoulder, solid and warm. “They will be far stronger together than they ever were apart.”
---
Two days later sees Ahsoka and Obi-Wan approaching the rendezvous point Ahsoka had set up with Anakin what feels like so long ago. They walk through the familiar trees, past quarries, and mineral mines until finally, they arrive at the coordinates.
His ship has already landed, the doors thrown open and ramp down. Anakin leans against the doorway, tall and whole and wonderfully familiar.
“Hey Snips,” he calls. “I hope you enjoyed your little vacation, cause we’ve got another-uph” He’s cut off as Ahsoka skids up the ramp and throws her arms around him in a quick hug.
“Hey,” Anakin says, grinning down at her. “Have fun with grandpa here?”
“ Ana- kin,” says Obi-Wan, but now Ahsoka can hear the smile in his voice behind the fake scolding tone.
“I hope nothing too exciting happened,” Ahsoka hears Anakin ask Obi-Wan as they walk past her deeper into the ship.
“Oh, you know,” sighs Obi-Wan. “Just the usual.”
As the ship pulls away from the moon, Ahsoka watches Antar IV recede into the distance from a back viewport. It causes mixed feelings to swell inside of her. Part of her is relieved to be gone, and she’s proud of what they accomplished, but she wishes she could have done more.
She hears Anakin call for her from the cockpit, and with one last glance behind her, walks forward through the ship to join Anakin and Obi-Wan, settling into the chair behind them. She can see the stars out of the cockpit viewport, glimmering with promise, and as they enter hyperspace, the stars streak into innumerous possibilities before her.