The Unchronicled Adventures of Ahsoka Tano, Book Eight

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Last Goodbye

AHSOKA TANO

"AAAAGHH! Ugh, it hurts!"

Pale-faced and shaking, Ahsoka was gripping Lux's hand so hard she was certain that she was cutting off the blood circulation to his fingers. It took all of her concentration to keep a steady hold on her Force powers, which, if she lost control of, could have seriously hurt someone.

"It's going to be okay," Lux whispered for the umpteenth time. Whether he was trying to reassure himself or her, Ahsoka was no longer certain. "You're going to be fine, sweetheart. Just relax."

"You try this sometime," she muttered, her breathing rough and hurried. "Then we'll see how relaxed you are– ahh!"

Amni darted over to the side of the cot she was lying down on, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. Apparently, she was lacking the instruments she wanted to help her preform the birth, because, for once, her hands weren't full of strange-looking devices and datapads, and she wasn't any taking readings.

The part of Ahsoka's mind that wasn't occupied with dealing with the pain she was now feeling wondered how she was able to make such observations.

"Okay, Ahsoka," she said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It looks like you're probably not going to be ready for the actual birth for another hour at least. I talked to Christo, and he has a plan to get you somewhere safer than the ship."

"W-where?" Ahsoka managed to ask. "I – AHH!"

"We're going to take you back to the base. The ship is hidden as best as we could, but I don't have any of the medical instruments that I'm going to need. It's going to hurt getting you there, and you'll want to scream, but it's vital that we stay as quiet as possible."

"O... Okay," she hissed through clenched teeth. She stopped trying to deal with the pain on her own, instead using the Force to lessen the agony. But even after that, she felt like she had just been thrown off of the roof of the Unifar Temple. Every single part of her body hurt.

It took a lot of effort not to cry out.

"Good." Blue lekku bobbing, she turned over towards Ahsoka's husband. "Lux, I need your help. Have two of the troopers get a medical stretcher ready."

He nodded, then looked back at Ahsoka. He leant down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I love you," he whispered. "Stay strong, sweetheart."

She smiled weakly. "I love you too."

Then he ran out of the room, leaving her alone with Amni. Ahsoka never known what it was like to be a doctor, but now she had a pretty good idea as to the amount of strain the young Twi'lek girl was being put through. Amni was so loyal to her friends, whether they were injured or in perfect health. Somehow, despite how bleak things were looking, that gave her hope.

MAMA, she suddenly heard her baby say. And suddenly, she was standing on the tip of a rocky cliff overlooking a vast ocean. But instead of water, each molecule was a tiny little memory, just one image amongst billions of others.

She saw Anakin, his golden-brown hair flying in the breeze and his cobalt blue eyes daring her to push her boundaries. She saw Obi-Wan, chuckling at something his former padawan had done. There was Padme, regal as always, and Captain Rex, and the Skywalker twins, and Amni, and Christo, and Semm, and Lux...

Each and every one of them had affected her in some profound way. They were all a part of her, as she was of them. They saw her as a leader, a friend and a mentor. And she was proud to know or have known such incredible people.

Her baby blocking out her pain, she swept through her past. But then, something new came up. It didn't originate from her or from her child.

"Ahsoka," said a voice. It was Anakin. Even through she couldn't see his face, she knew him, and she could almost see his unique smile on his face. "Oh, Snips, I'm so proud of you..."

"Anakin..."

"Ahsoka, I was wrong about you."

"What do you mean?"

"You were never meant for power. Others will become the face of the dissent that the Empire is finding on many planets. You weren't supposed to be the Light In The Darkness, although you will always light the way of others." Again, she could almost picture his body language. "You're going to be the fulcrum."

"The fulcrum? Master, what do you mean?"

"The fulcrum, the balance, the midpoint... Whatever you want to call it. You're balance. Stability. And, one way or another, you're going to play a part in taking this Empire down. Your destiny lies elsewhere... Part of it on a small planet called Lothal." She began to feel his comforting presence fade away.

"Anakin, wait!"

"Goodbye, Ahsoka, my sister, my daughter... The Force will be with you. It will always be with you, and so will I. Never forget that."

Never forget... Fulcrum.

*Ahsoka has gone into labor, but, thanks to her child, has found a way to help ease the pain. And what did Ahsoka's old Master truly mean by the nam 'fulcrum'? What could it mean for her in the future? What do the evil Imperial forces have in store for our heroes? And what could Shima be planning? You'll find out in the next thrilling chapter of The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano!

Hello all. Yep. I went there. FULCRUM HAS ARRIVED. Sorry if you felt that it was a little rushed, but I wanted Anakin to say his last goodbye quickly after his 'death', or reabsorption, or whatever you want to call it...

*dances around wildly* FULCRUM FULCRUM FULCRUM FULCRUM!!!

I think that this is pretty self explanatory, with Ahsoka and her baby bonding. They're going to be a pretty powerful duo in the future... *slaps self* KRIFF SPOILERS!!!

Anyways, going to write the next chapter now, so bye!

Tell your mortal enemy that you are a Jedi like your father before you and may the Force be with you,

Sharron