How to Take an Empire

Part Nine: Chapter Seventy-Seven: Mé

Ahsoka was no stranger to pain. She'd been fighting in battles and wars since she was fourteen. Physical pain came with the territory. She'd suffered through more than a few blaster burns, some more severe than others. There'd been some broken bones over the years. She'd been stabbed once. A dislocated shoulder. The general full-body soreness that accompanied a long and tiresome mission. But none of the pain she'd experienced so far, not even combined, equaled the pain of labor.

Every time her womb contracted, it felt like her stomach, back, and upper thighs were being stabbed with hot knives, the sensation lasting longer and longer as her labor progressed. And when a contraction passed, she was left feeling every ache of her body. Like she'd been hit by a kriffing cruiser. When her body began to relax in relief, another contraction wracked her body with an increasing intensity that she didn't know was possible.

She was vaguely aware that the ship dropped out of hyperspace and that Luke and Leia were going back and forth while Luke ran the blockade. But as she sat on her knees on an assortment of towels and with a blanket thrown over her that she vaguely remembered Winter placing on her, leaning forward with her head resting on her arms as she suffered through labor pains, Ahsoka couldn't bring herself to care. She was also vaguely aware that Winter was sitting on the floor in the corner of the bunk with her legs folded under her, keeping vigil.

While she had some presence of mind between contractions, Ahsoka managed to pant between shallow breaths, "You don't have to stay for this, princess."

"Mama said as a ruler of Alderaan, it's my job to look after the people of Alderaan. That's what I'm doing," Winter stated.

"I'm not... Kriff," Ahsoka said, gripping the blankets under her as another contraction wracked her body. She didn't know how long it took to pass as she focused on remembering to breathe. When it finally did pass, she managed to remember what she'd been saying before and said, "I'm not Alderaanian."

"You are to me," Winter replied with all the same fervor and stubbornness of her mother.

Ahsoka managed a weak smile before closing her eyes and focusing on controlling her breath to manage the pain. She let out a long exhale as another contraction took her, attempting to mentally detach herself to let her body do this without her worry that for all Winter's company, she was doing this by herself. Without her worry that something might go wrong that put her and the baby in danger. Without her worry that the last time she'd been in such close proximity of a woman going into labor, she'd died just minutes after. Without her worry that Vader could be confronting the Emperor without her. Without her worry that Vader wasn't here. Couldn't be here.

The last thought made her imagine Vader's reaction when he found out. He was going to be in sheer disbelief, no doubt, then awed, and then, when it dawned on him that she'd told no one and gone through labor by herself, livid. The thought caused Ahsoka to laugh a little even as another contraction hit her.

Feeling a little less tense, Ashoka wrapped the Force around her and settled into its comforting embrace. She could get through this.

"Mom," Luke and Leia said, suddenly appearing in the doorway half a dozen contractions later.

"Hey," she moaned.

"Are you... Are you okay?" Luke asked.

Ahsoka heard the sharp sound of Leia's hand colliding with Luke's arm.

"Ow! I mean... Mama knows what I mean," Luke muttered.

"Still," Leia chided.

"I'll be—" Ahsoka cut herself off as another contraction seized her. This one the longest and most painful so far. Suddenly, she was overcome with the urge to sit up at the fierce pressure between her legs. Finally, she said, "I'll be fine. Just... wait outside for a minute. You too, Winter."