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Ahsoka hated being alone.
It made sense to her; she had grown up surrounded by peers, whether it was back on Shili, with her family, or in the Temple, with the rest of the younglings. Even though she spent time away from others at some points, she never felt truly alone. Sometimes she was haunted by the voices and faces of those who had passed, or she would just…feel the presence of others.
Though, she didn’t remember some of the people she was surrounded by. The fellow younglings had faded from her memory, some having funerals, and some just abandoning her as a close friend. Ahsoka hadn't been to Shili in years, and she knew that she wouldn't be going back anytime soon.
Being with Anakin helped, in a way. They’re no longer hugging, instead him looking at her, hands on her face. It’s as though he was still trying to grasp with what had happened—how she was still alive, how she had survived, and how she had gotten here.
Though, before he can ask any questions, Ahsoka whispers out, “What happened to you?” It’s soft, yet loud enough for him to hear; she needs to know some of what happened. Was he attacked by the clones? Did he have to kill any of them? Or was he able to stay hidden, getting to her without any danger?
Anakin watches her, as she positions herself in a more comfortable way. The question is hard to answer; what did happen to him?
“Sidious is the Sith Lord.” He starts, his voice quiet, like hers. “He tried to get me to turn to the Dark Side.”
All Ahsoka can do in that moment is stare at him. She’s never known Anakin to be weak—quite the opposite, actually, considering he was always a constant in her life. For the years that she was his apprentice, he presented himself as having no fear, yet in this moment, she can sense some of that in him. In his words.
She’s horrified that it worked. That he was here to kill her, that she was empty-handed, lightsabers away from them. Ahsoka had always been good at using her sabers, yet she knew that she wouldn’t beat Anakin. Especially since she only had them back after a year of being away from the Order.
“I didn't,” Anakin says, his words almost as fast as her thoughts, trying to prove he didn’t turn. Ahsoka stiffly nods, hands shaking slightly. “I was too late. I informed the Council, and they went to place him under arrest, but he killed them all—I was almost there. But I was too slow.”
The words are unlike Anakin; full of fear and distrust within himself, but it doesn’t surprise Ahsoka. She’s lost hope within herself before. It was mainly throughout her time fighting during the Clone Wars. The year after she left put that idea at the forefront of her mind.
Hope was hard to find in the Clone Wars, and even more difficult to keep; missions where the casualties would be high did not help out, adding onto the loss of hope. Ahsoka has seen it, considering she stayed on the front lines, yet it never got better—she couldn’t push away the deaths that she had seen, the clones who she held as they passed.
Ahsoka looks at Anakin, her eyes finding his own: they’re just as blue as hers, confirming that he hadn’t turned. Realistically, she would’ve sensed it, but she needed to make sure. The first feelings of surprise had passed, though still bubbled in her chest when she thought about the situation.
“I had a vision,” Ahsoka begins, her voice low; Anakin was done with speaking in the moment, as he looks at her, nodding his head to tell her to continue with her words. “It wasn’t really a vision. Just words. But I heard the Chancellor, and Master Windu. There was another voice—I thought it was you, but it was off. I don’t know who.”
Ahsoka sighs, a hand rubbing at her arm. “I’d went to tell Rex, but then the clones around me pointed their guns at me. Rex said he would do it, and then whispered something about Fives, and trying to find him.” She doesn’t know if she’s even telling him the correct story. The past few hours had taken a toll on her; she was so tired. She had been tired. “Then he shot at me.”
“Did he hit you?”
Her breath hitches, and she checks herself over again mentally—Rex had good aim, yet when he was trying to kill her, she had deflected every shot. Maybe Anakin was a great Jedi, in terms of being a teacher. Maybe Rex wasn’t trying to hurt her. Maybe it was a bit of both. “No.” Ahsoka answers, her words firm and clear. “No, he didn’t hit me. I was able to remove the chip in his head.”
Anakin nods at her words, mulling them over as he seems to think. “Have you been in contact with anyone else?” Her former Master asks, and Ahsoka shakes her head. “These past hours have been so stressful. I’m so sorry Ahsoka.”
The apology doesn’t make sense. It wasn’t his fault—or, at the very least, Ahsoka didn’t think it was his fault. He hadn’t done anything to cause any of the Clones to turn on her. He didn’t try to kill her or Rex. Instead, he had helped her survive; without his training, she would’ve been shot most likely, like all of the other fallen Jedi.
“Do you know if any other Jedi survived?” Ahsoka asks, and Anakin knows immediately who she’s asking about—Master Plo, Obi-Wan, most likely the Council in general. She knew that they couldn’t have been the only ones, that there had to be some Jedi who were able to battle their own soldiers.
At first, Anakin has to think—he hasn’t heard anything from the Jedi who had gone to stop Palpatine. He suspected that they had all been slain by the Sith, and then the Order had gone out. That was when the long-standing Republic truly fell, and with that, so did the Jedi Order.
“I don’t know Ahsoka.” Anakin starts, his voice low, and Ahsoka just nods slightly at his words. It’s a hard realization; that’s something Anakin can understand. All her life, she had been a Jedi, up until the recent year after leaving. While she wasn’t a Jedi anymore, that didn’t mean she no longer cared for them.
Ahsoka put first the impression that she had become cold over the past year. That her time away from the Order had turned her into a shadow of herself, which could be traced back to the Trial. Yet, once the two could talk alone, the old her was still there. Padawan Learner Ahsoka Tano, his Padawan, was still the same.
“We’re gonna be okay,” Ahsoka hears Anakin say, as he wraps her in a tight embrace. Her own hands fall around his body, though its almost lazily done. Still, her hands hold him, and he holds her. “We’re gonna be alright.”
The world was falling apart, though in Anakin’s embrace, it didn’t seem that way.
_____________
Something had…happened.
It wasn’t really Ahsoka’s fault—at least, she didn’t believe it to be. She hadn’t caused the Inquisitor to come to Raada—that was on the man’s own accord. Never staying in places too long had thrown the Empire off of her trail, with her ‘death’ also helping in that factor.
Her lightsabers, once green and yellow, turned blue, now sat abandoned. Abandoned with the rest of the clones, and anything else from Order 66. Her life as a Jedi was similar in that factor; now what could she be considered? An Ex-Jedi? A Force-Sensitive?
Someone who could wield lightsabers in a very skilled manner? Ahsoka, over her years of life, had gone by many nicknames, but none were similar to these. She had never been called a, ‘Force-Sensitive’, or anything to do with her status as a Former Jedi. The most had been ‘Citizen’ by Mace Windu, but she couldn’t argue with that—she wasn’t a part of the Order anymore. She was no longer a Commander, no longer Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan.
A sigh elicits her lips, and a girl her age walks up to her. “Ahsoka?” She asks, her voice calm and small. It makes sense; after everything she had been through in such a short period of time, the young girl was bound to feel…off. Ahsoka had felt that way in the beginning of the Clone Wars, right after her first battle. Her nerves were jittery, but this was something different. “Are you alright?”
Ahsoka looks over to the girl, and she wonders how to react; truth be told, she wasn’t alright. Everything that had happened in such a short period of time was enough to take a toll on someone. “I think so,” Ahsoka begins, looking over her hands, and then at the new lightsabers that hang off of her belt. “How are you and Miara?”
The new lightsabers were messy, in a way—the beautiful white they glowed was healed from how it used to bleed red, yet the handles seemed almost dangerous. She could fix those later, when she had more equipment to work with. For now, they suited her fine.
Ahsoka wondered how the Empire would feel, now that an Inquisitor was dead. An Elite of the Empire, killed by a Former Jedi; humor was no longer one of Ahsoka’s strong suits, yet the irony made her want to laugh.
“We’re good, I think.” Is the response, and it makes Ahsoka’s heart hurt; in such a short period of time, Kaeden and her sister had lost almost everyone. Now, they were on a ship, ready to be taken to some safe haven. Somewhere without Ahsoka, who would most likely cause them trouble and distress. “It’s been a long day.”
“I won’t argue with you on that.” Ahsoka answers, looking Kaeden in the eyes. She knew that this was the most the girl and her sister had seen, as they weren’t there for the Clone Wars. Now, though, Ahsoka had brought pain to them, leaving them with bodies that would need to be buried. “I’m sorry.”
Kaeden looks at her, confused at the words. “For what?” She asks, walking closer towards the Former Jedi. “You saved us, Ahsoka. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think any of us would have even survived.” The words are simple, trying to erase whatever negative image Ahsoka had painted of herself.
Ahsoka just nods, trying to accept the words as reality; there wasn’t much she could do about the dead. What she could do was help the farmers out, to relocate them to somewhere safe. Or, maybe they’d think about joining the Rebellion. Any help was good.
“Where do you think you’re going to go?” Kaeden questions, as the two still stand close to one another. The moment of silence is gracefully broken, and Ahsoka is happy for it. “Are you coming with us?”
She couldn’t. Really, Ahsoka wished that she could, to see Kaeden and Miara, but there was no way it could truly happen. She’d bring even more pain to the sisters, and would bring the Empire wherever they went. She was a safety hazard, with there no longer being anywhere safe for Jedi. Or, in her case, Former Jedi.
What Ahsoka knew that she needed to do was contact Anakin. There was no way he was dead—if she could survive with his training, then he had to have lived. She wouldn’t accept that he had just disappeared, or that he had been captured by the Empire. Anakin was smarter than that. His plans during the Clone Wars usually ended in success, and she refused to believe that he would have died when the two were apart for only a short period of time.
“No,” Ahsoka answers honestly, and she can see Kaeden’s face drop, before the girl puts a mask on. “I need to talk to someone. I don’t want to endanger you, or Miara anymore. You two deserve a better life.” Her words, just like Kaeden’s, are simple and clear. It hurts Ahsoka to say, knowing how she’d helped out as much as she did, yet there were still so many dead.
It reminded her of the Clone Wars once again. When they were on the offensive, so many clones had died for her to live. When the assault on Geonosis had taken place, she didn’t get to stop and help out. So many clones had died because of her—when they were brainwashed by the worm, and she didn’t know if they had died or lived.
Umbara was another memory. How the clones seemed…off once they came back. How Rex was more quiet, not going out of his way to make jokes with her. How the 501st seemed to slowly fall apart, all because of the mission; sure, the men were closer, though it seemed their trust in Jedi had been worn down slightly.
Ahsoka couldn’t blame any of them. She had heard the mission report, had heard how the clones had to fire on their own men. How Hardcase had sacrificed himself. She didn’t want to go into detail about it, but secrets would get out around the temple. They got around easy, and it was hard when the clones of her 501st took more time to get adjusted to her. To Anakin.
Kaeden watches Ahsoka for a moment, before hugging her tightly. It’s only with her good arm, and it’s not a tight grasp, but Ahsoka just embraces the girl back. “I’m going to miss you,” The girl says, her voice low and soft. “I’m so glad it was you who found us.”
Everything about the moment is quick, as Kaeden leaves before Ahsoka can really comprehend what was going on. She understands the words, yet there is still something that’s unclear—why was Kaeden going to miss her?
The deaths of so many had been caused by her, yet the girl couldn’t have been happier that it was her. Maybe if it were another Jedi, someone more skilled, then there was the chance that the dead could be thriving.
Ahsoka just sighs, and then walks towards where a new ship was to board. The Tantive III was, for now, home to the former farmers of Raada. Though, the new ship was to take them somewhere safe, far away from the Empire most likely. Somewhere they could thrive as members of the Rebellion.
It’s almost a shock when she sees two familiar faces.
Two faces she thought she wouldn’t ever see again—the last time had been around a year before, and they looked almost the same. Maybe they looked more worn out, maybe their eye bags had grown darker, but none of that mattered—they were alive.
“Anakin,” Ahsoka starts, a smile on her lips as she runs forwards and wraps her arms around him. It’s been so long, or it has been to her, at least. Though, Anakin wraps his own arms around her, holding her in a tight embrace. “How did you even get here?”
“You have Bail Organa to thank for that,” Obi-Wan states, and Ahsoka had somewhat forgotten about him up until that point. The last time she had seen him, she was cold towards him, choosing not to be as kind around him, as she was with Anakin. The time before that was when she was to be welcomed back in the Order, even though he did not fight for her. “We’ve both known the Senator for some time. He told us about a…situation on Raada with the Empire.”
Ahsoka just nods, and pulls back from the embrace slightly. “Ahsoka, it’s so good to see you.” Her Former Master says, a smile on his lips as she speaks. In that moment, he feels like her older brother—proud of her, even if he didn’t know what had truly happened. Then, his face turns serious, and Ahsoka feels like his daughter instead of his sister at the moment. “But I feel we need to know what had happened on Raada. Considering the Empire no longer thinks of you as dead.”
The words annoy her somewhat, that he now felt as though he should know what had happened. Maybe he didn’t think of her as capable, even though she had survived Order 66. “One of the Inquisitors came to Raada,” Ahsoka starts, walking towards a room where she knew the trio could sit down. “I mean, the Empire had already been to Raada. No place was safe, of course. But it was never one of them.”
Ahsoka sighs, looking up at Anakin who sits on her left, and, surprisingly, Obi-Wan on her right. “These two sisters…they found out I was force-sensitive. They were both upset over it, that I could’ve done more to help and I didn’t. The older one ran off, and had been captured by a soldier. One of the Empire’s. I had to rescue her.” The girl murmurs out, and while it’s only the beginning of the story (or, part of the story—she hadn’t mentioned anything about what happened on Raada before), both Anakin and Obi-Wan look surprised. “I had to leave. For their safety, of course. But I came back, and once I did, I found out that Kaeden…the older girl…had been taken by the Inquisitor. Her younger sister told me, and that the man had murdered all of the other farmers in the caves.”
She can remember everything—Miara’s shaking and low voice, the way she had thrown her arms around Ahsoka, even if she was still mad at her. So much had happened, and she couldn’t blame the young girl.
“I killed him.” Ahsoka says, no fear on her face as she speaks. The words are clear and bold, and she has no care. “I did…something, and then the lightsaber exploded on him. Left him dead. I took his kyber crystals, and I healed them.” Ahsoka taps her lightsabers that hang at her belt. “I found Kaeden, and then we escaped. It’s not a long story. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
There’s still shock on both of their faces, and Ahsoka sighs, standing up. “I’m fine, alright?” It sounds so much like when she had been Anakin’s Padawan—no longer the cold and understanding former Jedi, but the naive and kind-hearted Padawan. The thought makes her want to cry.
“Are you truly alright?” Anakin asks, worry lacing his voice, but Ahsoka is grateful he isn’t standing up and grabbing her arms, checking her over to see if she was lying to them, or if she was actually telling the truth. She just nods, and her Former Master sighs. “Okay then. We’re also here because we had an idea.”
Ahsoka nods once more, and Obi-Wan clears his throat. “We were wondering if you would be…alright with sticking together. Since the Empire knows we are alive, splitting up is an option, yet we would all be out of communications. And, really, they can’t do anything to us as of right now.”
“That would be great.” Ahsoka answers, a smile on her lips, before she sees out of the corner of her eye a figure—Kaeden. She looks almost distraught, and Ahsoka nods for her to come in. “What’s wrong? Are they not allowing you on the ship?”
Miara stands behind her older sister, not knowing who the strange men by them were. “We’re coming with you.” Kaeden says, her voice strong as she speaks, and Ahsoka immediately shakes her head. “Look, I understand I'm injured, but I don't want to go years without seeing you again. We both want to help out, and I think the best way to do that would be going with you guys.”
“I want to keep you both safe,” Ahsoka starts, walking towards the two girls. “You both need to get away from Raada, and build a life for yourselves. I’ll always be here—“
“I don’t care.” Kaeden answers, putting the hand of her good arm on her hip, almost glaring at Ahsoka, but it’s not out of hatred—more so, she wanted to be with the girl. “Please, Ahsoka.”
Ahsoka looks at Anakin and Obi-Wan, hoping for some backup, but Anakin just shrugs his shoulders. “If your sister wouldn’t feel safe going on any missions, she could stay with my wife. We have two kids, so she wouldn’t be alone. Of course, they’re only a year old, but she would have a place to go. Though, it’s only if you want to go. And if Ahsoka is fine with it.”
Ahsoka just sighs. “It’s up to you, Kaeden. There’s no way I can keep you from not going with us. I just want you to be safe.”
“I would be safe,” Kaeden starts, her glare dropping into a soft smile as she walks forward. “I’d be around you.”
Ahsoka’s slightly parted lips turn into a smile, and she just nods. They were all okay—even if they carried their burdens of the past, they were all safe. Padmé was safe, with her two children (she had known about them being together for some time—the first time she had the realization was only months into her apprenticeship). Even if they were raised in dark times, they all had each other.