Illusions

Chapter 1 - Discovery

Author's Note: This is a gift for Superstary56 on ao3. :) I hope y'all enjoy it!

Also, this is for the square "parenting" on the 501st Bingo. :D

We'll be posting weekly on Tuesday.

~ Amina Gila

Ahsoka pushes herself up with a groan, and the shuffling sound implies she's unstrapping herself. "Another crash," she deadpans, "Why do we always crash?"

"You alright, kid?" Rex queries, twisting around in his seat. It's heartwarming to see how much he's stepped forwards from his initial wariness, now willing to take care of Ahsoka. He's a clone, was raised as a soldier from birth. Anakin can't imagine such a life, and he hardly knew how to help his men see that they're so much more than just soldiers, numbers, meant to die. And yes, maybe they were made to die, but they will always mean more to Anakin. They always have.

It had been hard for Rex to adapt to Ahsoka, but he's taken on the role of something mostly brotherly, but with just a streak of something more. Technically, Rex is younger than her, but he's still accepted it as his role to protect her.

Anakin pushes himself to his feet, steadying himself with his hands on the controls, swaying a bit. He'll be fine momentarily, just a bit shaken up and breathless from the crash.

"I'm fine," Ahsoka assures, standing and rolling her shoulders a bit.

"That," Obi-Wan grumbles, standing from the seat behind Anakin, "Is what I would like to know."

"We haven't crashed since Mortis," Anakin points out, "And that wasn't entirely something I could control."

"You were heading right for a giant tower," Obi-Wan gripes. "And you weren't moving."

That's fair. Anakin would've reacted, too, under those circumstances, no matter who was flying, because it's instinctive. Doesn't mean it'll stop him from teasing his former master, though. "And that crash could've taken us right through the tower," Anakin tells him, dryly. It had certainly slowed them down a lot in going to rescue Ahsoka.

He still can't forget when they had found her, when she'd turned around for the first time, and he saw her eyes were yellow.

He almost lost her there, more than once, and it's – it's hard to think about and remember, but he can't look at her anymore without remembering it.

Obi-Wan huffs but doesn't argue the point.

"What is this place?" Ahsoka asks, leaning forward to look out the viewport.

Anakin doesn't know, either. He's never seen a place like it before, though he can sense – just like Mortis – that there's something important about it. It has... some kind of great galactic significance, but the strange part is how empty it feels.

Ahsoka moves to the panel on the wall, checking the scans. "The atmosphere's breathable," she announces, "And I'm not picking up any life."

Rex sighs. "I don't like the looks of this."

"Me either," Anakin agrees. He doesn't. It feels wrong, and it reminds him too much of Mortis, even if it doesn't have nearly the same feel in the Force. It's... it's empty and dark instead of brilliant and light. "The planet itself feels... unusual."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agrees, "I don't sense anymore life than I see. Planets shouldn't feel this empty."

"So," Ahsoka asks, turning around, arms crossed, "What do we do?"

Anakin hits a few buttons on the controls, setting a ship-wide diagnostic scan to check for damage. He doesn't know how bad it is, or if they'll be able to take off right away. "We'll have to go outside to assess the damage," he says, no matter how reluctant he is at the mere thought of lowering the ramp.