My Unfortunate Fate

bonus chapter 3

This chapter is set in 22BBY, at the beginning of the Clone Wars and follows Ahsoka after the trio leave Teth with Jabba the Hutt's son.

=^*^=

Ahsoka scurried to the back of the spice freighter, carrying Stinky in her arms. He was heavy; almost too much so for her to handle. She struggled with the small, slippery creature's weight, eventually letting out a grunt as she pulled him up properly.

Two sealed cabinets were bolted to the wall—covered in dust and ridden with the smell of stillness. It was the kind of stillness that meant they'd been out of use for at least a few years, perhaps even since the ship was built.

Ahsoka noticed a medical cot beside them and placed the Huttlet onto it, relieving herself of his weight and texture. Its slick coating made her fingers recoil, but she managed to wipe it off on her skirt. Then she turned her attention back to the cabinets.

There was a small, round device high between the two, also covered in dust. It was a holoprojector, only meant for local assistance.

"Looks like this hasn't been used in a while," she muttered, reaching all the way up to activate it. Her arm outstrected fully, but she still wasn't tall enough to reach. Ahsoka stood on her toes and managed.

The hologram appeared before her, on the cot: a medical droid, mumbling something incoherent. This ship obviously wasn't meant to have a medic on board. After all, the crew it was supposed to accommodate consisted only of droids, who'd need no medical assistance whatsoever.

Ahsoka was a bit frustrated that her only option was a hologram, but she knew it would be better than nothing. It would be better than failing this mission; better than failing her new master.

"Hey," she said. "Doctor Droid, can you hear me?"

"Yes," the droid hologram replied. "What seems to be the problem?" A mechanical arm came out from above the medical cot, beginning a bioscan of Stinky.

"Great," Ahsoka said. "I've got a sick Huttlet. You got a remedy?"

He better have one. If Stinky didn't survive the trip back to Tatooine, the burden would be on her for not fixing things. Skyguy had already agreed to keeping her as his Padawan, but what if this changed his mind again? And what would y/n think of it? This had to succeed.

"Oh, yes," the droid doctor muttered. "I see." It turned, and the right cabinet hissed open, revealing a decent selection of medical supplies. "You must dispense one of these medical boosters into the infant's mouth."

Ahsoka took the stick she knew contained Stinky's remedy. She stared at it. Hopefully, this would solve their current health crisis. If it didn't, she didn't know what would. But it had to work.

"If you have any problems, please call an actual doctor to assist you," Doctor Droid avised, and his hologram suddenly disappeared, leaving a bit less light in the small room.

Ahsoka took out one of the tablets, holding it between her pointer finger and her thumb. "I hope this works," she said to herself, then turned to the Huttlet, picked him up. "Okay, sweetums. I've got some yum-yum for you."

Stinky whined and moved relentlessly, avoiding her remedy. "You'll take this and like it!" she demanded eventually, forcing the little blue pill into the infant's mouth.

The Huttlet belched, leaving behind a cloud of green, stenching breath. He let out an odd laugh. Hopefully the booster would work fast.

"There you go," Ahsoka muttered, covering her nose to avoid the horrid smell. "Good boy."

She let the air clear for a few seconds, allowing the room to filter out Stinky's breath. Once she stopped pinching her nose, Ahsoka started her way back to the cockpit. She knew it wasn't far—the walk had only taken her a minute at most.

The door had been left open. And there she stood, motionless in shock, watching what was unfolding before her.

They were standing near Anakin's seat, him almost towering over her, though claiming no position of power. It looked like one of their seemingly common fights, but Ahsoka saw there was something more. His hand was on her cheek. She was looking around, and Ahsoka hid in the corner between two walls, barely peeking around the doorframe.

And suddenly, his lips were on hers.

For a moment, Ahsoka felt like she couldn't breathe. She knew the rules of the Order. This was definitely not allowed. But still, she felt some amount of sympathy for the two. Whether the action was a one-time event or part of something larger, she knew those kinds of feelings couldn't be cast away.

She'd felt the struggle occasionally; not wanting to leave the friends in her youngling clan, always trusting Master Plo since he'd brought her to the Temple. She might not have experienced love or infatuation, but there was always something similar present in her life.

Ahsoka took a step back, but not out of fear or repulsion. She simply wasn't sure she wanted them to be aware of what she'd seen.

Y/n kissed him back, running her hand through his hair. She looked more used to this than anticipated, which meant it obviously was not the first time they'd kissed.

He pulled away and held her shoulder, muttering something Ahsoka couldn't make out. They both seemed to be laughing, perhaps even teasing each other as they'd done repeatedly since Christophsis.

Anakin sat back down. When Ahsoka finally walked into the cockpit, y/n's smile was still a ruling constant tattooed on her face.

Since then, Ahsoka was sure she'd determine a way to get those two to admit their affair. She'd play on suggestive words, shoot them studying glances, ask too many questions about their relationship, all the while knowing they had something good between them.

Though she hadn't much believed in the idea due to the strict nature of the Jedi Code, she knew y/n and Anakin were soulmates.