When She Was Gone

Chapter 13

Padmé was pacing around the house.

Pacing was usually something her husband did, but she needed to think.

The Syren was out of fuel, and since someone had to be at home to keep the Jawas away--of course Anakin had to choose Tatooine to live on, of all places--either she or Luke would have to take the speeder bike to town to go anywhere. But she couldn't send Luke alone; there were probably Imperials scouring the planet, and she couldn't go by herself and leave him there; the house wasn't well protected or hidden.

So she paced, trying to come up with something.

~~

Luke watched his mother pass by his window over and over as she circled the house. She didn't normally pace, but this was not a "normal" situation.

Leia was missing and he hadn't heard from his father since he went after her.

And there was still no response to the transmission he sent to Master Unduli.

He stared down at the datapad in his hand, blinking patiently as it waited for a return transmission. He rubbed his face, then scratched his head. Some of his dark blond hair fell out of his ponytail. He didn't even bother to fix it.

Suddenly, the front door slammed. Luke jumped.

"Luke!" Padmé yelled. "Where are you?"

He heaved himself off his bed and wandered out to the living room. "Here," he said. His mother was rifling through a box. "What are you doing?"

She shoved aside a pile of holos. "Aha!" Lifting out an ancient datapad, she finally turned to her son. "Do you remember Luminara Unduli?"

Luke grinned. "One step ahead of you, mom."

~~

Anakin ran low through the fluorescent-lit corridors, Leia and Obi-Wan close behind. He flattened himself against the wall as a patrol ran around the opposite corner. A wave of deja vu hit him: Obi-Wan, himself and Dooku sneaking through Hondo Ohnaka's outpost.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan hissed, "Can you pick up the pace?"

He grinned. "I would kill you both if I didn't have to drag your bodies," he said quietly, imitating the Count's thick Coruscanti accent. Leia looked confused, but Obi-Wan cracked a smile.

They paused at a corner, and Anakin waved his daughter closer. "Stand here," he whispered. "You're smaller and less likely to be noticed. What do you see?"

She edged along the wall and stuck her head around the corner, then jerked it back and grinned at her father.

"Escape pods," she said breathlessly. "But they're heavily guarded."

Anakin ignited his lightsaber. "Not a problem. Stay here. Don't watch." He darted past her. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at the sound of 'saber through stormtrooper armor. "Let's go," he called.

He ushered them into a pod and was halfway in it himself when a high, filtered voice pierced the silence.

"Leaving so soon, Rebel scum?"

He whirled to see Ahsoka strutting down the hall, lightsaber hilt in hand.

"Get to somewhere safe. Contact Padmé. Don't wait for me," he said to the people in the pod behind him.

Leia blanched at the realization of what her father was about to do. "Dad, no!"

He slammed his hand on the eject button, and the pod shot into space, leaving him with Ahsoka.

They circled each other, waiting for one to make the first move.

"Lay down your lightsaber and surrender yourself to me, and I won't have my TIEs shoot that pod out of the sky," she spat. She just couldn't help herself.

Anakin pretended to consider it. "How about," he said, "You take off that helmet, and you come home with me. This isn't you, Ahsoka. Please. You're better than this."

She laughed that high, cold laugh again. "Don't you get it, Skywalker? Ahsoka is dead. I killed her."

He shook his head. "I'm looking at her." He raised a hand and flicked his fingers, forcing her helmet to open.

And for the first time, he got a real look at her face.

The markings that covered her forehead and cheeks had once been pure white; now they were gray-black. Her once-vibrant orange skin and blue lekku stripes were now dull and laced with black veins.

And her eyes...where sapphire irises once twinkled kindly, there was now a sickly yellow-orange.

And she was furious.

She ignited her lightsaber and lunged.

Hiss-buzz.

Anakin ducked and spun to meet her red blade with his blue. Ahsoka grinned maliciously and flipped over him, twisting her 'saber towards his back. He just managed to block her, and twisted around to lock her into a stalemate.

"I don't want to fight you, Ahsoka!"

"Stop calling me that!" She shrieked. She flipped over him again, and this time was too fast for him. She twisted, stabbed and sliced—

Cutting a hole in his side.

Anakin roared in pain and fell to the floor. Ahsoka stood over him and extinguished her lightsaber, watching as he writhed.

She regarded him with disgust. "I would gladly kill you," she said slowly, "But you'll be more valuable alive."

Then she kicked his head and the world went black.