I Won't Leave You; Not This Time

Time

Hours had passed since she'd left the cave. Now she wandered a lonely path, her shoulders slumped with an invisible weight that couldn't be lifted.

Her mind was clearer now too, although the dark tendrils of exhaustion still crept along the depths of her mind. For now they kept their distance; they were held back by sheer force of will. It was just a shame that she lacked stamina in order to keep them that far away.

Miraculously, she'd found a way out of the cave. Some time ago she'd come across a suspicious looking set of steps, their jagged edges threatening to draw blood if skin did even so much as brushed them. But despite their unwelcoming appearance, it had been their purpose that counted. Like any good set of stairs, they'd led her skyward towards the heavens.

But in this moment of time, as she looked up at the thundering gases above her, she wondered if it had been worth it. Was the surface of the planet really any better than its depths? Was there any "better" part of it at all? She supposed not. After all, it was a planet shrouded by the dark side. 

If there was any darker place in the galaxy, she would eat her own lightsabers - which, admittedly, she didn't even have anymore. They were lost forever in the chasm of darkness behind her. Much like many other things in her life. In fact, the clothes on her body were the only things she owned now, she was sure of it. Even her holocrons of Anakin were out of her reach; they'd been left safely within the walls of The Ghost, which would be long gone by now as well. At least - or she hoped - someone would come across them and give them to Ezra. He would make good use of them; Anakin had always been an excellent teacher.

A sigh left her parched lips, reminding her of how little time she would have left if she didn't find something soon. She needed food and water. She needed a ship. Medical attention would be nice too, but she could deal with it herself if she had the supplies. But unfortunately, it just didn't look like there was anything to be found.

How can you be so sure, young one? Don't let your senses be limited to physical sight. Broaden your mind; the force will guide you.

Ahsoka jumped. Yet again, the voice had appeared from nowhere, echoing from all angles although she was sure the sound was only in her head. By this point she was certain that the voice belonged to the daughter too, despite not knowing how or why it was possible.

Panicked, she allowed herself a moment to recover before replying.

"The presence of the dark side is clouding my mind," she admitted, staring out towards the dark horizon, lightening flashing across it like fire. "Besides, the force is powerful, but not powerful enough to find a ship."

Then perhaps you can find one yourself, the voice suggested.

Ahsoka simply huffed in response. The force worked in strange and mysterious ways, it was true, but it didn't work like this. It frustrated her.

But the voice didn't add any further advice, so she took it as her cue to move on, despite the protesting groans from her body. Standing around wasn't going to help. At least moving forward made her feel slightly better - more hopeful. She wasn't giving up, not just yet.

Several more hours had passed when she finally spotted a looming silhouette through the growing fog. At this point she was limping badly and her head was spinning. But she'd found nowhere to rest. There were just rocks...everywhere - for as far as the eye could see.

"I hate rocks," she mumbled, somewhat incoherently. In her sleep deprived mind, she hadn't even meant to say it aloud. It was simply one of the few clear thoughts in her head and something she was sure of.

But even that thought faded from her mind as she drew closer to the object beyond the dense fog.

It was a ship - believe it or not. An expensive one.

At least... she thought it was. Who could really say if it was actually there? Maybe she was just hallucinating at this point. She knew for a fact that she had a head injury and a concussion.

But when she reached out and touched it - with her own bare hand - she knew it was real. Ironically, it was even the same model that she'd arrived to Mortis in, although it didn't have any markings to distinguish it from others; it looked brand new.

Surely this had to be the work of the daughter. Perhaps she wasn't dead after all... but how could she have followed them here, of all places?

Perplexed, Ahsoka moved around the ship and gratefully stumbled up its ramp, admiring its polished surfaces. She hadn't seen a ship in such good condition since...well, the Clone Wars. True, the Empire had plenty of polished vehicles, but they were characterless products built up on assembly lines across industrial planets. She didn't even realise they still made these anymore...

She let the ramp slide shut behind her and the lights flickered on, revealing several small crates stacked up against the wall. Next to it, there was a bed, built securely into the side of the wall. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she couldn't help but smile. This was exactly what she wanted.

Involuntarily, her eyes drifted towards the bed. Sleep was what she really needed now. Flying a ship like this single handedly was hard enough as it was. She didn't need exhaustion added on to her long list of problems.

She was too tired to take a second look at the crates though, or even wonder how in the galaxy this ship had ended up there. Instead she headed straight towards the bed, letting herself fall into its soft covers. Responsibilities would come later.

Then before she even knew it, her eyes had closed and she welcomed the darkness yet again.

A/N:

I am so so sorry for the poor writing here. I'm running on four hours of sleep right now and that has resulted in me spelling words like "passage" as "pasdge" several times over. 

On the other hand, I am very glad that I've actually updated something. I started this book in April 2016 and I am only on chapter 4 in July 2018. That is horrible. I'm sorry. But the real question is how do I still have so many active followers who patiently wait for updates? You're all my heroes. I wish I had that much patience.

I'm also considering starting fresh and making a new Clone Wars fanfiction (obviously involving Ahsoka). I'm hoping that it will get me into the habit of writing again so I can then update Turning Point and A Spark of Rebellion too. Let me know what you think. You're the readers anyway. ;D

See you soon,

Ahsokafanfic

xx