TCW FebuWhump Prompts

You Hurt Her, You Anger Them

Day 7 prompt: poisoning

"Well, I wouldn't be so-"

Ahsoka's eyes widened slightly as she tried to intake another breath. Her nose, nor mouth would inhale any air, suffocating her from the inside. All of a sudden, her throat opened again, and she breathed deeply until her throat closed again. Her hand came clawing at her throat.

"Commander? Commander!"

Rex got up from his chair beside her, trying his best to remember what the medics taught him about poisoning. He and the commander were assigned to the lower levels of Coruscant to try and retain some information in a lowlife bar, and she had drunk the water she asked for. He hadn't seen anyone put anything in her drink which meant...

Rex snarled. The barkeeper would pay for hurting his sister, and he would make sure to tell Fox to arrest the man and take down the place. Right now, her orange skin was paling, her lekku stripes the lightest he had ever seen them. Her eyes were tearing up, sweat was running down her face as the fever rose. She looked nauseous, and she swayed on her feet as she tried to stand up. Her knees gave out and she was laying on the cold dirty floor before Rex could catch her, violent quivers trembling throughout her body. The people around them didn't pay much attention, only leaving them little room. He immediately carried her, hands below her knees and neck, and rushed out of the door, running to the speeder while dialing Kix on his comm.

"Kix here."

"What do I do if someone's poisoned?"

He immediately heard Kix sit up in his chair, alert.

"Who was poisoned, captain? The commander? What are the symptoms? She has to get to the medbay!"

"I don't know! She's heating up, she's having a seizure!" He started the car, and sped through the underground, not caring or the speed limit as long as she got back safely. She was now unconscious, her eyelids fluttering rapidly. She then curled up into a ball, the internal pain growing to be too much for her.

"I'll get the general! Just get here as fast as you can! Make sure she's comfortable as she can be."

 Rex hung up and he twisted through the streets, several people shouting at him, but at the moment, he didn't care. He arrived at the temple steps fifteen minutes later, immediately jumping out with Ahsoka thrown over his shoulder. She was too light, her limp limbs dangling. The adrenaline in his system pushed him to run faster, run past the temple into the barracks. Kix and Coric were already waiting with a bed ready and they immediately attacked IVs to her arms, doing what they did best. Rex sighed and he sat in his chair, rubbing his face and realizing the mission was a fail. But that didn't matter; he didn't get any useful information and besides; his vod'ika's health was more important.

"Rex? What's going on?"

He turned around to see Fives and Jesse standing in the hallway, looking at him in confusion.

"I-"

"Her heartbeat is too fast! Coric, get the mask!"

Fives and Jesse rushed in and gasped as they saw her seizing body, needles stuck in her visible skin. 

"Udesiir, vod'ika, udesiir [relax, sister, relax]," Rex whispered, hoping she could hear him. She still shivered, her eyes furrowed in pain. Beads of sweat dripped onto the pillow, but her skin had regained some of its color.

"What happened to her?!" Fives exclaimed, whirling towards the captain for an explanation.

"She was poisoned by the barkeeper at the place we were supposed to find suspects," Rex growled, pacing back and forth.

"What?!"

Rex turned to face the medbay's entrance and there was Anakin, his hands already clenched and a dark look taking over his face.

"Rex, you're driving. We're paying this man a visit."

"We're coming too, sir." Fives and Jesse snarled, wanting revenge for their commander.

Anakin nodded, face hardened, and he ran down the hallway, others following in tow. Kix turned to look at the empty door and squeezed Ahsoka's nonresponding hand.

He would've wanted to go with them, but he had a life to save.

~

"You!"

The barkeeper turned to find a blue lightsaber close to his neck and he froze, looking at four angry men.

"Jedi. What are you doing here? Grabbing a drink?"

"You," Rex barked, "Tried to poison her!"

The barkeeper feigned innocence as he put on a mask of confusion.

"Her? Who's her?"

Fives stepped forward, aiming at blaster at his forehead and not caring about whether clones could or couldn't cause harm to citizens.

"Say that one more time and I'll kill you."

The barkeeper gulped, and he was met with a fist to his face, the lightsaber gone. His head threw back, blood bleeding down his nose.

"She's just a fucking child!" The bar watched in silence as Anakin repeatedly punched the barkeeper again and again. The clones would've felt pity for anyone who was facing Anakin's wrath, but this time, they relished at the moment.

The barkeeper was close to unconscious as Jesse then grabbed his shirt, growling into his face.

"You hurt her, but what you didn't know, was us." 

The barkeeper's eyes widened in shock as he saw a clone trooper in red armor bring chains along with him, his hand immediately flying in the air. People scrambled out of their seats and fled outside, leaving the bar empty.

"Here you go, general. You can do the honors."

Anakin nodded in thanks to Thire, not caring for all the red that was on his hands, and he handed it to Jesse, the only person not holding a weapon against the culprit. He gladly accepted it and he aggressively clipped them around the barkeeper's wrist, making sure that it cut tighter than it should have.

Anakin grabbed the man by the shoulder and shoved him into the car, Rex still training a blaster at his head.

~

When the barkeeper was in prison, he had experienced the wrath of the clone troopers and her protective master, left for almost dead from all the broken bones that weren't accompanied by the usual treatment. Fox had commanded the other clones to not help until he was close to dying.

When Ahsoka woke up, she never knew what unspeakable things her brothers did. But they knew, that if she was hurt, they would do it all over again, and this time, with Kix and the others following along.