The Tragic Jedi | Anakin Skywalker

𝓢𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓮 𝟒𝟑

❝𝑴𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓... 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝑱𝒆𝒅𝒊 𝑶𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓.❞ --𝑨𝒔𝒂𝒋𝒋 𝑽𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔

❈✱❉✤❈✱❉

"Master Windu, I've caught Ahsoka," Anakin informed the Jedi Master through his comlink from beside Astrid as their gunship lifted into the air away from the warehouse and towards the surface of Coruscant. Anakin paused before adding gravely, "And she was found with nanodroids."

The pain in his voice was clear as day, and Astrid gave him an empathetic look. She turned towards where Ahsoka now laid in the back of the gunship with her eyes closed and breath deep with sleep.

Something didn't feel right, but Astrid couldn't figure out what it was exactly. Astrid didn't listen to Master Windu's response, instead keeping her attention on the sleeping Padawan, her mind whirling to figure out what they were missing.

As their gunship emerged from the Underworld into the dazzling sunlight and blue sky, Astrid gripped the handlebar above her head tighter. Her knuckles turned white with the force of her grip, and she didn't dare glance down at the ground far below.

Their gunship used the military personnel skylane towards the Jedi Temple, and within minutes, they arrived at the temple. Master Windu and Master Plo Koon waited for them outside the temple as the gunship lowered to the ground. Anakin stepped off the ship to greet the two Jedi Masters and inform them of the events that had occurred before the ship had even completely touched the ground.

Astrid decided to stay in the gunship with Ahsoka, and she oversaw the clones as they lifted Ahsoka's cot and carried her off the ship. Astrid realized Ahsoka was clamped down on the cot with metal chains around her arms and legs. Her stomach squirmed uneasily at the sight.

Master Plo Koon caught sight of Ahsoka, and he broke away from Master Windu to oversee her transportation to the holding cells in the temple. Astrid remembered then that Master Plo Koon was the Jedi Master who discovered Ahsoka and brought her to the Order. She was sure he was taking these circumstances hard, too.

Astrid followed the clones off the gunship before heading over towards Anakin and Master Windu. Behind her, the gunship lifted off the ground and headed towards the temple hangar in a gust of wind that whipped at Astrid's hair.

Master Windu was saying to Anakin, "Ahsoka will stand trial, though whether it will be through the Jedi Order or military tribunal, we have yet to officially determine."

Mace Windu caught sight of Astrid, and he inclined his head as he spoke, "I heard Ahsoka was working with Ventress, and that you ran into Ventress, Katarn. It's too bad you didn't catch her. She has a bounty on her head from the Jedi Order."

Astrid's heart sank at the disappointment in his tone, her old fear of failure returning for just a flickering moment. She had failed. She'd failed Ahsoka, and she'd failed in capturing Ventress.

When Astrid didn't respond, Anakin spoke with forced politeness, "If you'll excuse us, Master Windu," and he grabbed Astrid's arm and began tugging her away towards the Jedi Temple.

Astrid was grateful to Anakin for stepping in so she wouldn't have to respond to Master Windu's cold remark. "Don't let him get to you," Anakin murmured to Astrid from beside her as he let go of her arm for propriety's sake.

"I know," Astrid said quietly, her thoughts turning darker and darker as she recounted all of her past failures. "I just can't help it sometimes. He's so--"