Learning to Live (COMPLETE)

8.4.1

Ahsoka didn't have to work on Sunday (and she couldn't, since her paperwork hadn't been approved yet), but that didn't mean Ahsoka was going to sleep in. She had woken up every day at 6:00 since she was five years old and she didn't plan on changing that now.

In the mornings, Ahsoka had taken to stretching. She wanted to get comfortable with her normal range of movement, which was limited due to her side wound. Today, though, the pain had reduced to a dull ache and she was able to grit her teeth through it now. She reckoned that she could probably manage a light jog today but not a full out sprint yet. It was progress, and it was enough for now. Ahsoka really hoped that by the time she saw some of her surface friends again she would be back to normal. If there was any such thing as 'normal'.

Afterward, she changed into a dark green top and a paneled skirt. Throwing more credits and food into her bag, she set off outside down the street but not towards the middle of the sector. She had a goal today: find a faster and less crowded way to travel between levels. Especially to go up. Ahsoka didn't really have a reason to go down right now. A bonus goal would be to find a hideout of some sort, but that wasn't as important.

There weren't many people out and about right now. She saw a few lonesome drunks wandering the streets, trying to get home despite their overhang. A couple of private vendors were preparing to open for the day, but everyone else was still in bed. The only other people that might be up right now were bounty hunters. Ahsoka didn't see any, though. Probably for the better, anyways.

So how am I going to find a way up? Ahsoka didn't have any resources, just her bag, and a blaster. There was no map, no layout to analyze. If she did have one, Ahsoka had spent enough time looking at holomaps that she could guess where a secret passage might be hidden and get it right almost every time. As it was, she had no such thing. All she could depend on was her mind, her eyes, and the Force.

I'm working without resources, she thought, just like that time I got kidnapped, after the Second Battle of Felucia.

If she was honest, it was good to have a mission again, even if it was as simple as finding a route. It was easier to move forward when she had a goal. It was probably what kept her going on Dromund Kaas for so long if she thought about it. Now, her plans were on a much smaller scale and really only affected her, but Ahsoka was in her element: she was problem-solving. No matter what had been in her past, she could always problem-solve. One thing at a time.

So she set out, trying a jog for the first time in almost a week. She felt her legs and lungs begin to burn, but she expected it with being out of commission for so long. She began scanning alleys, feeling for drafts, and searching for suspicious-looking hatches or walls. She also kept an eye upwards, since that was her desired direction.

Ahsoka saw a possibility before long. There were several large pipes that lead up and to the next level, and she could easily jump on top of them, being who she had been. She used the Force to leap up several stories and secretly rejoiced when her side did not explode in pain. There weren't words to express how satisfied she felt to be healing.

Once she was on the nearest pipe, she didn't bother to run. She walked along the top of it, following its path with her eyes and feet. This pipe, and many like it, ran up together to the top of the level, and then through to the next one. There was a hatch right next to where they exited, however. It was probably for maintenance, but it would work for Ahsoka.

She prepared to climb up the pipes, knowing it would be good for her recovery if she exerted herself a bit. She noticed that pipes were a little grimy, but upon closer inspection, she realized they were sewage lines. Okay, so not the most sanitary option. Ignoring it for the time being, she reached the hatch and opened it, crawling through and up to Level 23.