Star Wars the Clone Wars - One shots

Sandstorm - Part 3

Ahsoka starts paying attention to reality again when she steps out of the gunship and into the hanger.

Anakin's whisked away quickly- somehow the medics managed to intubate him without her noticing on the flight back. Her belt around his thigh has been replaced with bandages, but the metal shaft remains in his flesh. They'll take it out in surgery probably. 

Only once has she seen Coric remove a foreign object on the field, and the trooper didn't live to see the cruiser's medbay. For a long time after that, the Sergeant refused to treat those injuries, and Ahsoka knows he still has nightmares about it.

For the journey to the cruiser, Ahsoka just stood close to Cody- shaking from the feeling of pins and needles in her chest. She remembers the Commander asking if she was hurt, and having to force a lie.

She and Anakin woke up in an abandoned outpost- well, Anakin remained unconscious- and when Master Obi-Wan asked how she managed to get both of them to safety, Ahsoka couldn't even form the name of his late Master from the pain lacing through her lungs.

Ahsoka gasps as she accidentally walks into a clone pilot, and somehow manages to brush off his rushed apology without revealing how much pain the slight movement puts her in.

Everything feels fuzzy- like she's in a dream. She doesn't remember boarding the gunship- or anything after Master Qui-Gon's appearance really. It's like she's floating- nothing feels very real.

Someone says her name, but she ignores them, trudging slowly towards the route the medics took with Anakin. When she knows he's alright, then she'll rest- maybe put an ice pack on her ribs whilst she sleeps.

A gloved hand touches her shoulder, and when Ahsoka looks up, she blinks. A quick apology to Obi-Wan for not noticing him feels like she's chewing on cloth. He wants her to get checked over by a medic, saying she looks a bit out of it. She doesn't know what she says next.

She goes to the mess instead, stumbling the entire way and panting like an asthmatic gundark. Caf burns down her throat and somehow makes her feel worse. The pain is almost so bad that she can't breathe, but she forces the drink down.

Then, she's with Cody, and he's offering her to nap in his quarters until Anakin comes out of surgery. She gingerly lies on the bunk and is out before he can drape a blanket over her- boots and all.

The next time she wakes up, she feels like she's on fire. Sitting up in Cody's bunk takes all her strength and forces her into an agonising coughing fit. Every time she tries to draw breath, her lungs spasm and make her hiccup, which only jolts them further. She barely makes it to the bathroom in time to spit a load of bright red blood into the sink.

Maybe Obi-Wan was right about her seeing a medic, but Ahsoka knows Anakin needs all of their attention right now. She'll probably be fine- it can only be one or two bruised ribs. Even if she did go to the medics, they can only give her painkillers and tell her to rest.

She finds herself in the mess again- choosing water over caf this time. The change doesn't necessarily help as the chill of the water makes her feel like she's being plunged into a bathtub full of ice. She had to put the glass down to get her breath back, and black spots swarm her vision whilst the mess hall tilts to one side.

"Commander? Commander Tano!"

She groans at the pain lacing through her side as she registers one of Cody's men leaning over her. Since when was she laying on the floor? It's Sinker, she thinks, and his face is almost pale with concern.

"Can you hear me, sir?" He pleads, shaking her shoulder which only sends more pain rocketing across her chest. "Boost, call a medic!"

"No!" She starts to cough again, but manages to subdue it briefly, "I'm fine, h-honestly."

"Commander, you collapsed." Sinker's face keeps coming in and out of focus. "The General will have our heads if we don't help his Grandpadawan."

Ahsoka tries to chuckle at his dry joke, but she only succeeds in making herself cough harder. She squeezes her eyes shut as the pain becomes so unbearable that she has to call on the Force to ease it. When she opens her eyes, she sees red speckled on Sinker's armour. Her blood.

"Ahsoka!"

She's never heard Obi-Wan sound panicked before. Sinker moves to the side so the Master can kneel next to her. Ahsoka feels so stupid with all these clones watching her lay pathetically on the floor of the mess hall, but she's so exhausted that she doesn't think she could stand up on her own.

"She collapsed." Sinker tells Obi-Wan when all Ahsoka can do is try not to cough blood onto the Jedi's fair robes. "I think she's injured, General- badly."

She opens her mouth to protest, but all that comes out is a wheeze. She's so tired that she has to rest her eyes. Obi-Wan touches her cheek and his Force-signature flickers with worry, "Have a medic come immediately with a stretcher and oxygen."

"Yes, sir," Sinker barks.

"Ahsoka, dear," Obi-Wan caresses her temple with one finger, "Can you open your eyes?" She manages to peek them open for a few seconds- long enough for Obi-Wan to say, "Tell them that her pupils are dilated."

The hand leaves her cheek and then she pulls someone tugging on the bottom of her shirt. Delirious and still on edge after being stuck on that desert planet, Ahsoka tries to wriggle away, which only makes pain score her side- so bad that she yelps.

"I want to see where you're hurt, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan says gently, continuing to pull her shirt up until he reaches her ribs. The room goes quiet except for her Grandmaster's muttered curse.

Fearfully, Ahsoka lifts her head to see the damage. The sight that meets her eyes is nothing short of nightmarish.

Her entire side is black- from her armpit to her hip. She's no medic, but she knows internal bleeding when she sees it. How was she so stupid? Surviving such a bad internal bleed is rare- she could die at any second.

Force, it suddenly seems even harder to breathe.

She tries to cough, feels thick liquid splatter her chin. Obi-Wan's face turns from concerned to panicked as he puts a hand on her side- ignoring her pain-filled squeal. "Tell them to hurry, Sinker."

Ahsoka clutches her Grandmaster's arm as she realises that it's impossible to draw in any oxygen. It's like her trachea has been cut through the middle. She can't even take a breath to plead him to help her, but she doesn't have to.

Obi-Wan closes his eyes, and she feels the Force emit from him in waves. Her side twinges for a moment, and then she feels her lungs start to inflate slowly. He's breathing for her now- whilst she's still conscious- and Ahsoka doesn't know if she should be terrified or impressed.

Even with his efforts, black spots still cloud her mission. Her grip on his sleeve goes slack, and she feels like she's inside one of the industrial washing machines that the clones' undersuits are cleaned in.

She slips away just as the medics arrive in the mess hall.