Promise - Anakin Skywalker

.16

Just as Ella thought they were finally going to get the huttlet some medical help, another giant problem appeared. Literally.

She had just convinced Anakin that they couldn't go back and save the troops, though it was hard for her to say. It would be worse for everyone if the hutt died in their hands. Besides, the reinforcements were on the ground helping.

Now, the star cruiser that they were supposed to safely dock on was under attack as well. As soon as they passed out of Teth's atmosphere three starships tailed them. Thankfully, Anakin was probably the best star pilot in the galaxy so maneuvering through this was a piece of cake for him - at least that's what it looked like to Ella.

She tightened her grip on the hutt. Its health was deteriorating quickly which made her even more worried than she already was. She tried her best to remain calm.

That was until the star cruiser began to shoot at them too. "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KI-!"

"Ella, calm down," Anakin said calmly. "We'll just contact them."

Shots from the cruiser collided with the ship causing it to lurch to one side. "Ella, calm down! We'll just contact them!" Ella hissed, mocking Anakin's voice.

"Incoming ship, identify yourself!" A voice came through their navicomputer's commlink.

Anakin smirked at Ella. "This is General Skywalker. We have possession of Jabba's son, but he's sick and needs medical attention. Do you copy?"

"Stand by!"

"Oh that's helpful..." Ella groaned sarcastically. The ship took another large blow. If anything, Anakin's flying was making the huttlet even sicker. Ella felt a tad green herself from all the loops, spins, and jerking around. Yes, Anakin was a good pilot, but that did not mean his flying was necessarily smooth.

Anakin flew them all around the star cruiser, attempting to shake the starships on their tail. "Hang on!" He shouted.

Ella winced, pulled  Jabba's son tighter, and scrunched her eyes shut. They spun several times one way, then several more the other, and flew sideways. She clapped her hand over her mouth, taking deep breaths to calm her stomach.

"The lower rear hangar is open for you, General!"

Without hesitation, Anakin looped the ship around once more, trying to get to the hangar as fast as he could. Still, they were not fast enough.

"Abort! Abo-!"

They arrived at the hangar only to be met with a fiery explosion.

"I guess we're gonna have to fly this bucket of bolts through hyperspace," Anakin sighed.

"At least we shook them off," Ella said, surprisingly optimistic. She let the huttlet fiddle with her fingers. "I just don't know if he'll make it. I wish there was something we could do."

"We'll find a way," Anakin replied. "R2 program the navicomputer so we can make the jump to hyperspace."

Ella waited until after they made the jump to hyperspace, then stood up to go look for something - anything - to help the huttlet. This was her first mission, she couldn't fail the Council. They were already skeptical of her for some reason, she had to prove she was worthy enough.

She jiggled the knob of a locked door, eventually kicking it open impatiently. It revealed a dim room, lit only by the blue glow of hyperspace. In the back corner, there was an area that somewhat resembled a med bay.

"This is a freakin' ancient," she muttered under her breath. Ella tapped one of the red buttons on the pull-down hospital bed. It projected a bright white light on an old medic droid.

"Oh, oh! What seems to be the problem?" It asked, taking a moment to regain its bearings. She could tell it hadn't been used in years, and it was an older model anyways.

Ella then pulled down one of the beds and laid the huttlet down on it. He had lost all of his terrible scent, and she didn't know if she should be happy for herself or worried for the baby. It started to whimper quietly as an arm extended from the ceiling and scanned him.

"This little guy is sick," she said to the hologram.

"Oh, yes. I see," the medic droid replied, peering down to look at the sputtering huttlet. "Give him the medication I have provided from the dispenser."

There was a trickling sound as a small green pill rolled out of the dispenser in between the beds. Ella grabbed it into her hand and held the huttlet into her arms. "Okay, I need you to eat this?" Ella asked, hesitating a bit. She'd never cared for anything but herself her entire life. This was so strange to her.

The huttlet refused to take the pill. Every time Ella even held it remotely close to its face it tried to squirm away. "Take it! And like it!" She snapped, finally.

This got the huttlet's attention. It looked up at her with wide eyes, and willingly let her drop the pill into its mouth. "Was that so hard?" Ella asked with a small smile. His response was loud burp that made Ella almost as sick as she was when Anakin flew. "I'll take that as a yes!"

She carried the hutt back into the cockpit and placed him back into her backpack. "His color's already returned," she said happily.

"That's great, El," Anakin said, concentrating on something he was fixing.

"Whatcha workin' on?" She asked, leaning on her seat with a smile.

"The primary sectors," he replied. "You could help me, you know. It wouldn't hurt for you to learn some of this stuff."

"Okay, what should I do then?"

"Hand me that wrench," Anakin said, not looking away from his work.

Ella grabbed the first tool she saw. As soon as she touched it Anakin spoke out, "No!"

She moved her hand again to another tool. "No!" Anakin said sharply, his frustration rising.

"No! No! No!" He snapped each time she touched a different tool, his temper rising with each time.

Ella grabbed another metal tool and held her hand on it waiting for him to snap at her again. Personally, she thought it was hilarious. She bit her lip to keep from laughing at his frustration.

"Would you stop laughing at me and hand me that?"

"This? Is this a wrench?" Ella asked, still laughing as she held it up and inspected it in front of her face.

"Yes, El, that's a wrench."