The Tragic Jedi | Anakin Skywalker

𝓢𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓮 𝟗𝟐

❈✱❉✤❈✱❉

I led them here.

Astrid felt sick to her stomach at the realization. Her head swam dizzily, and her heart pounded in her chest, not just from the Imperial attack, but from her part in it. It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. 

A rebel shoved into her from behind, and Astrid careened forward, arms wheeling at her sides, as if she could stop herself from falling by simply flapping her arms to fly. From beside her, Anakin caught her arm to steady her before hurriedly plowing forward. Hand still holding tightly to her arm, Anakin dragged Astrid along behind him as he cut a clear path through the frenzied horde. The mass of rebels trying to flee the base were like bleating sheep caught in a pen... and the pen now held a starving wolf. 

"Wait, Ahsoka," Astrid stammered out after Anakin. "We need to find her. We can't leave her here!" 

She was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the hallway, the rebels crushing and framing her between them as they desperately fled. She could even feel their hot breaths on her neck. 

Anakin suddenly yanked the two of them into an empty room to escape the crowded hallway, Artoo following close behind. They stumbled into the spacious room, and Astrid's lungs expanded as she gulped down the room's blessedly cooler air. In the empty room, she was finally able to freely move and stretch her limbs.

"Where is she?" Anakin asked urgently as he rounded on her, his face creased with worry. "Where did you last see Ahsoka?" 

"She-- she was headed to the mess hall," Astrid told him as she ran a distressed hand through her hair. Her mind felt frazzled. "But I don't know if she made it there before the attack." Her heart suddenly sank at the reminder of the attack and her role in it, and she bemoaned, "Oh, no this is all my fault, all my fault!" 

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked as he gripped her shoulders. "How is this your fault?" 

She looked at him with widened eyes, and as she opened her mouth to tell him, she found herself hesitating to divulge to him the sickening truth. But then she remembered all the terrible things he had done, and she knew he would never ever judge her for her actions. 

So, she spoke with a tremble in her voice, "I took Emperor Palpatine's ship directly here because I was scared you were about to die from your injury. You were bleeding out. There must have been a tracking device on the ship, and the Empire took advantage of it. They tracked us here to the base."

Anakin's hands dropped from her shoulders as he regarded her with wide eyes, having fully made the connection. "We'll head towards the mess hall," Anakin finally said as his eyes hardened with determination. "You'll have to lead the way because I don't know where it's located."

Astrid nodded once before dashing out the door, Anakin and Artoo right on her heels. Once again, she was swallowed up by the crowd of rebels in the hallway, and she shoved her way through, using her elbows and shoulders. The hallway gave a great tremble as a blast sounded from just down the hall-- closer to them this time-- and everyone stopped momentarily as they swayed on their feet, a few shouts ringing out in the air. 

Once the ground stopped trembling, everyone launched back into action, except this time, everyone was in a greater state of panic and desperation. Astrid felt someone behind her grab her hair and yank as they tried to shove past her, and she gasped in pain as she careened backwards. From behind her, Anakin shoved the person off of her before grabbing her hand so they wouldn't be separated by the shoving crowd.