Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.15.6

Hours later, she didn't know how long, Ahsoka's eyes crept open, slowly blinking into consciousness. When she saw the cockpit she was sitting in though, she closed them almost immediately. Nope, not dealing with that yet.

She had been so physically and mentally exhausted from the night before that she didn't remember much of what had happened after Rex had convinced her to abandon her plan to separate. She was vaguely aware that she was leaning up against him, though. 

As it had turned out, they had fallen asleep sitting against the wall, leaning on each other. Well, Ahsoka was leaning on Rex, and he was using her montrals as a headrest. Rex had taken off his armor to sleep and had one arm draped around Ahsoka, though it had fallen off her shoulders while he was unconscious. His other hand was holding Ahsoka's.

It was actually really comfortable. Despite the fact that she was awake, Ahsoka didn't feel the urge to move. The alarm she had set for the hyperdrive hadn't gone off yet, so she didn't need to get up yet. She just closed her eyes and relaxed again, trying not to move. She didn't want to wake Rex up.

The only noise that could be heard was the hum of the hyperdrive, as well as the occasional snore from the passenger bay. It was so calm and still, and so drastically different from the reality they were facing that it was almost possible to pretend that none of it was happening. If they didn't move, maybe it wouldn't be real at all. 

Ahsoka realized that was what she had been doing in the Lower Levels, probably for longer than she should have. She pretended that because she had retired from the Jedi Order and the Clone War that her part in it was done and that it didn't affect her anymore. Knowledge came with accountability, though. She had tried to shy away from the fighting, to hide in the shadows where she didn't think Tyrannus could reach her. She didn't think it was wrong to want peace, to want to be done fighting, but she shouldn't have run from it all either. 

She felt Rex shift beside her, slowly coming to consciousness. Whispering, he asked, "You up?"

"Yeah," she told him, but neither of them moved except to squeeze the other's hand. Ahsoka was grateful for it: physical contact was reminding her that she wasn't on her own anymore. 

Rex seemed to be thinking the same things she was. "Are we really going to have to get off this ship? What if we just stay here?"

Smiling, she rolled her eyes a little bit. "There are about a hundred reasons why that won't work."

"Buzzkill."

"Well Obi-Wan isn't here, so someone has to do it."

He laughed softly, despite the reminder that they had no idea where Obi-Wan, or anyone else for that matter, was. It was a lot easier to admit in the dark cockpit where it felt a million lightyears away.

At least they had that moment of peace, though. There was no telling what would happen once they got off of the shuttle, and moving meant facing whatever it would be. Maybe all of this would clear up and maybe they would get back home one day, but until that happened they had to accept the possibility that they might be criminals for the rest of their life.

Ahsoka kind of hoped they had a while before the alarm went off, but about thirty seconds later, it started blaring, startling both of them out of comfort. "Five-minute warning," Ahsoka groaned, stretching her neck. Standing up, she held a hand out to pull Rex to his feet. "Come on, we don't want to crash into a planet for real."

"Guess not," he agreed reluctantly. He took her arm and got up, walking over to his stack of armor. "I'll get the men up, shouldn't take to long."

"Take your time," Ahsoka assured him. "I doubt anyone else will be on Xlenia, even if we have to prepare for it. It's going to take some really bad luck for us to run into trouble on an abandoned planet."