The Clone Wars: One-shots

Lost (P2)

It didn't make any sense. None of it made any sense. She was just gone, completely vanished.

He and Senator Organa's guards conducted multiple sweeps of the capital with no luck, and a search of the nearby forest was underway. During one of their searches, a citizen informed them of some thugs illegally riding speeders down the path Ahsoka was last seen at, apparently speeding off as quickly as they came. One of the guards had also found a comlink—Ahsoka's comlink—broken on the same promenade. To top it all off, a man running a hardware store near the palace said a young female Togruta asked for a rope before trotting into Aldera's vast forest.

What in the galaxy did Ahsoka need a rope for? And why would she wander off outside the capital when he explicitly told her not to? Well, he could imagine her doing that. Anakin smiled at the thought before his mind punched him in the gut, reminding him she was still lost and could be in danger. She could be hurt, and it would be his fault.

He paced back and forth, thoughts spiraling. His Padawan—his little sister—was missing because of him. Anakin clawed a hand through his hair. He should have tried harder and been more aware and kept her at the palace and had a guard watch over her and—

"Sir," one of the royal guards addressed him, making him startle. He was too distracted to sense him coming. "We've scoured through the perimeter as instructed, but—" That was all he needed to hear to understand their failure.

"Not good enough," he said, voice cold and hard as stone. "Again."

The guard nodded and hurriedly walked away, the rest of the search party trailing behind him in uniform. He didn't need to be a Jedi to sense the guard's discomfort, but he didn't care. He would do whatever was necessary to find Ahsoka.

Releasing a frustrated sigh, he rubbed his metal hand on his forehead. He looked up at the stars, then into the dark forest beyond a small meadow between two shops.

Where could she have gone?

~~~

Ugh.

The walk back to the city was one of the most painful and irritating experiences she'd ever endured. Her cuts were swelling and stinging with dirt, and leaves and twigs clung to her clothes, scratching her with every step. Her legs ached, and mud had gotten into her shoes and lower leggings, making them unbearably itchy. Ahsoka was pretty sure she injured her hip while she was climbing as well. At least the burning made it feel like it. Along with everything else, the cold was mercilessly eating her alive. She clenched her jaw so tight she was sure her teeth would break off and dug her fingernails into her skin to try to stop the constant chatters and shivers.

She treaded as fast as she could, but the hurt slowed her. When dark spots started dancing across her vision, she slid against a tree. Squeezing her eyes shut, Ahsoka took deep breaths and let her head rest on her knees. She hugged her body close, holding onto whatever warmth she had left. After regaining some strength, she pushed herself up and kept moving. The city must be near.

It had to be.

A migraine started forming near her forehead, but she didn't stop again. Anytime she passed a tree or large stone, she'd reach out and lean her weight against it, saving as much of her diminishing strength as she could. Ahsoka didn't care if her master was angry or upset with her anymore. She just wanted to get home.

Ahsoka's eyes widened when she saw a dim spot of light in the distance. Ignoring her pain, she hastily limped, feeling like an engine at full throttle: powered—but burning up fast.