「 star-crossed ⭒ anakin skywalker 」

chapter twenty-two

My eyes slowly fluttered as I fought the wave of sleep washing over me with the soft hum of hyperspace. The five of us were seated in a freighter transport, nearing the end of our long journey to the outer-rim planet of Zygerria.

Out of nowhere, I felt my body lurch forward from my seat, ripping me from any chance of sleeping. Looking around, confused, my eyes met those of Anakin. He mischievously smirked back at me from the pilot seat, his right hand still held in the air after so rudely using the force on me.

"Asshole," I huffed out a short laugh, straightening up in my chair.

"Don't fall asleep yet, V," he called back. "We're almost there."

"Let her sleep," Obi-Wan interjected. "It takes a lot of energy dealing with you, Anakin." This earned some chuckles from Captain Rex and Ahsoka, and a pretend-offended expression on Anakin's face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was gang up on Anakin day," he rolled his eyes.

We all laughed before falling back into a comfortable silence. I thought back to this morning's events, the Council briefing us on the mission plans, and specifically the conversation I had with Master Plo shortly before we departed.

'You need to get in, find out where they have taken the colonists, and get out,' he spoke firmly.

'I understand, Master, but something tells me it isn't going to be so easy,' I said.

He slowly nodded and lowered the tone of his voice. 'Trust your instincts, above anything else, and it will all be okay. I know you don't think the Council trusts your judgment, but I do and you should too. Remember that, kid, and good luck.'

His voice echoed through my mind as I noticed we were approaching the airspace above Zygerria. My instincts were telling me that every bit of this mission was a bad idea. It just didn't feel right. The fact that the home planet of the Togruta population was entirely deserted, the clear trap that was left for the Republic, all of it.

I could tell the others were sharing my apprehensiveness about this mission. Although he tried to mask it like he always does, Anakin hadn't dropped the tense, almost worried, look in his eyes ever since we left Kiros. But it seemed the only people who would even care to notice were right here on this ship.

"What are all of these ships doing here?" asked Ahsoka, peering out the windscreen to see the massive lineup of slaver transports entering the field.

"Huh," Obi-Wan ran his hand over his beard. "Something is clearly attracting plenty of high-class.... scum."

Anakin glanced back at me one last time before beginning our vessel's descent. I pulled my lips into a thin smile and nodded, trying to give him a quick sense of reassurance. He was already dressed in his disguise, along with Master Kenobi and Rex, an elaborate armored uniform in the style of Zygerrian slavers. As much as I knew he hated having to look and act like one of them, I couldn't help but admire the way it accentuated his broad shoulders and strongly built arms. It was a sight, considering I'd only ever seen him in his usual battle attire or robes.

Ahsoka and I were both still in our typical clothing, for now, but we'd have to change soon because we were about to land. Neither of us had seen what we were given to wear, but I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it no matter what it was.

And yeah, I was right. The two of us went back into the hull of the ship to see what we were up against. We exchanged a look of disgust as we held up the atrocious getups we'd have to wear. Facing the wall, I quickly put all of its pieces on to try and get it over with. It was a dark pink-ish color, lined with gold jewels that matched a forehead crown. I glanced down at the rest of it- which granted, wasn't much- and winced at how uncomfortable it felt compared to my Jedi robes. The majority of my abdomen was exposed, along with the front of my legs- a longer-trailing skirt connected along the back.