Ghosts

Chapter Six: Children of the Force

Ahsoka ran through the streets of Takobo, reaching out with the Force for the familiar presence of Kanan and Ezra. She felt them grow nearer as she ran, and, as she rounded what felt like the hundreth corner, she spotted them, casually leaning against the wall of a building, with the Stormtroopers nowhere in sight.

Ezra sensed her first. "So, how'd we do on the..." His voice trailed off when he turned to look at the Togruta, realizing her usual controlled composure was gone. "Ahsoka, what's wrong?"

"Did you find anything on the ship?" Kanan asked, placing a hand on her shoulder as a way of trying to calm her down.

"The Inquisitor isn't after a woman." Ahsoka told them, her voice tight. "It's after the child the woman is protecting."

"What does that mean?" Ezra asked, a look of confusion crossing his face.

"I saw this often in during the Clone Wars, though back then, the Jedi were around to stop it." Ahsoka told him. "The child is Force sensitive."

"But why would they be after a baby?" Ezra crossed his arms, slightly skeptical. "They're too young to do any real harm."

"Ezra, they want to raise it as a child of the Dark Side." Kanan told his Padawan, his voice grave.

"We don't have much time." Ahsoka glanced around, searching for any sign of the Inquisitor. "We need to move quickly if we're to have any chance of saving them. I feel they are somewhere nearby, hiding out in a building."

"We'll cover more ground if we split up." Kanan suggested. "We each can search one of the abandoned buildings, and meet back here after."

"Good idea. But be careful." Ahsoka warned them. "This new Inquisitor was ordered to kill the mother. I predict they'll do the same to us if we're discovered."

———
Ahsoka crept down the empty hallway, one hand hovering above where her lightsaber hung on her hip. She paused in front of each doorway, peering in through the holes the door panels used to conceal. Each one was empty and unlit. This building was abandoned, it seemed.

Ahsoka closed her eyes, pausing her slow and steady trek, and reached out with her mind. She inhaled slowly, channeling the energy and life force of everything around her. She focused on the space she was in, and, as she exhaled, she reached out with the Force, searching.

And there, in the room at the very end of the hallway, huddled in the farthest corner, Ahsoka sensed the woman and the child.

She opened her eyes, and rushed down the hall, her footsteps barely making a sound. She reached the doorway, unsurprised to find that this room was the only one that still had a working door; any panicked person would choose this room as the best hideout, unaware of how obvious it is to others. Ahsoka pressed the button on the door panel, and it slid open, casting very little light inside the dark room.

Ahsoka stepped in, taking in the room. It was clear the building was an apartment complex, abandoned for many years. The small room before her would've fit one person, maybe two. There wasn't much to the room; a large window panel let in the evening light, an old cot built into the wall, and an overturned table. Ahsoka doubted what she'd sensed for a moment, wondering if her connection to the Force had grown weaker, until she heard the smallest sound of someone shifting coming from behind the table.

The Togruta knelt down, placing her hand on the edge of the table and pushing it to the side. There, cowering in what little shadows she had, was a petrified woman clutching a sleeping baby.

"Please, don't hurt us!" The woman whimpered, trying to shield the baby. "I'll pay you anything!"

"It's alright." Ahsoka murmured, holding up her hands. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to keep you safe."