When She Was Gone

Chapter 23

Ahsoka swallowed hard. A lump formed in her throat, and she struggled to maintain her breathing pattern as memories flooded her brain.

Kaivo, dragging her down the hallways of the Destroyer as she struggles against him in her pained, concussed haze.

Landing hard on her back on the training mat, with her master's red lightsaber so close to her throat she can feel it burning a mark.

Waking up in the medical bay, tensely awaiting Kaivo's arrival—which always meant more pain.

"Ahsoka?" Anakin's voice snapped her back to reality. She drew her knees up to her chest protectively.

"When that shuttle fell," she swallowed again. "I don't know if you remember...you pushed me out of the way as it exploded. I think the shockwave...or maybe shrapnel..." she trailed off. Anakin waited patiently. "When I got to you, it was too late, but somehow...somehow I managed to revive you. Then he probed my mind and sent me falling down the cliff." An expression of deep-seated anger crossed her face as she imagined the Assassin. "He's going to pay."

~

Luke pried his eyes open, emerging from meditation. Padmé dozed at her desk, and Leia was still scanning for their father, biting her lip, deep in a chasm of Force-probing. He stretched, stood and poked his mother.

"Hmm?" She asked, sitting up and blinking.

"He must be guarding his signature really well," he murmured. "I can't find him anywhere."

"Are you sure he's--"

"He's fine, mom. If he were in trouble or even unconscious, his signature would still be radiating off him. If he's purposefully blocking us, then he wants to be left alone."

She opened her mouth to protest, then realized he was probably right and nodded.

Luke gestured towards his sister. "She could be at that for hours."

Padmé nodded. He reached into Leia's mind and tapped her shoulder, pulling her out of her scans.

"What'd you do that for?" She asked crankily when she opened her eyes.

"We're not going to find him, he's shut off too well."

"I could have--"

"Please don't do this in here," Padmé groaned. "Go outside where you'll land on the grass when one of you tackles the other."

~

Barriss leaned over the edge of the cockpit to grab a loose cable. Repairing a Starfighter that was nearly twenty years old was not a quick job, and she'd been working on it for the past week and a half.

She climbed back down under the fighter and removed a panel. She was spraying a leak when, to her surprise, she sensed Skywalker approaching. She could see his boots stop behind her head.

"Hello, Skywalker," she said, not bothering to move. "Can I help you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," he said, kneeling to stick his head under the fighter. "You were going to be a part of the mission Obi-Wan was sent on, right?" Barriss turned to look for her laser welder, and he tapped her shoulder with it. She took it, suppressing a smirk. He was quick.

"Yes. But, as you can see, I'm a little tied down right now." She gestured to the mess of wires before her. Skywalker nodded.

"You know where they were headed, though, right?"

"Skako minor."

"Thanks." He began to rise, but Barriss called him back.

"Skywalker, if you're gathering people for a suicide mission against that Sith...I want to help."

~

"Absolutely not."

"Padmé, she's not going to move on! Being corrupted against her will for that long...she needs closure. But me, her and Obi-Wan can't overpower him, even with Barriss' help--"

"I am not letting you take Luke and Leia to kill some Sith."

"They nearly defeated Makari--"

"Who was going for me!" She sighed. "Ani, you going on this mission is bad enough. We've never seen Kaivo, and the only thing we know about him is that he's an Assassin. Ahsoka may know what she's getting into, and I know she can hold her own, but Luke and Leia are children. They're eleven."

Anakin rubbed a hand over his face, then nodded, admitting defeat. Padmé was surprised; usually he couldn't be deviated from a path so quickly. She reached down and took his hand.

"Although..." she smiled. "I happen to know someone you can call."

Sorry this chapter was so short! I wasn't feeling it this week, and this seemed like a good transition spot. The next one'll be longer. :)