Anakin exhaled as he switched off his comm link. He rotated his shoulders to ease tension and glanced down at the apprentice to see how she fared. Ahsoka struggled to adjust her cloak with the backpack holing it in its uncomfortable place. Anakin's mind drifted in their brief moment of stillness and wondered why Ahsoka wore a cloak this whole time. Ever since he met her at the Temple, he had never seen her without one. It must be hot and stuffy under it in this humidity, yet Ahsoka never complained or took it off.

  Perhaps Togrutas are coldblooded, Anakin concluded and the curiosity left him. "Give me the backpack. Have a rest while you can. Stay close to the wall—when the larty lands, it kicks up a cloud of grit. And we don't know who else is airborne."

Rotta was heavier than he appeared, his weight pulling back his shoulders. At least Ahsoka was free of the surprisingly heavy burden and Anakin didn't have to look at that slug anymore.

* * *

Ahsoka handed off the Huttlet gratefully. Once the weight was gone, the Padawan massaged and rotated her aching shoulders until the soreness subsided.

Anakin stared off into the distance for their ride. His posture was relaxed but Ahsoka could sense that he was on high alert. With Anakin's back towards her, Ahsoka brushed the edges of her hood with her fingertips, tempted to throw it off to breathe some fresh air then quickly slip it back on before Anakin could notice the scars and still fresh bruises.

I can't. What if Master Krell finds out?

How can he? There's no one here to tell.

Master Skywalker?

He won't tell.

How do you know?

He cares about you. Haven't you noticed that he's been watching your back and keeping you alive?

I guess.

... You could tell him.

What? No!

Why not?

Master Krell would kill me if I told anyone!

Are you sure that's the reason? You know Krell hasn't broken you yet. You still defy him. Why won't you tell Skywalker?

Because I don't want to tell!

There it is.

There it is. The truth revealed. Ahsoka didn't want to tell. She didn't want to feel weak. She didn't want to crawl behind Master Skywalker's legs to hide, whimpering horrifying accusations against her Jedi Master. Even though those accusations were true and Anakin would believe her if she showed him the evidence, it would change how everyone interacted with her. Rex and the Clones would pity and shelter her, and Anakin would stop bantering and speak to her like he was walking on glass. She was stronger than that. Besides, how would the Council react to finding out that someone with so much of the Dark Side in him was among their ranks. Count Dooku's betrayal proved difficult enough.

Ahsoka quickly flipped off her hood, allowing the cool, evening air to wash over her flushed face and lekkus. She inhaled deeply before reluctantly pulling her hood over her face afresh.

Ahsoka heard the hum of a friendly ship before Anakin with her hunter hearing. She jerked in the direction of a growing speck against the pink sky. Anakin followed her gaze, squinting to view the incoming gunship.

After a minute, the gunship suddenly swung up from underneath the platform and turned one-eighty so its rear hatch could lower into a ramp from the platform into the gunship. Like Anakin had warned, a shower of filth blew back and Ahsoka covered her face with one hand despite standing so far away.

The winchman was standing just inside the ship, leaning out with one arm outstretched and his other hand locked around his safety line. "Sir! Let's get going. We've got Sep craft all over the place."

"Just take the Hutt," Anakin instructed over the roar. He began to slip off the backpack to pass off to the Clone. "We're going back for Captain Rex and the others."

Ahsoka's confusion was replaced with relieved joy. They weren't abandoning Rex and his men after all! Hurry, Skyguy! Hurry up so we can help them before it's too late!

She heard and sensed it before she saw it. A sharp warning in the Force and a recognizable shriek, then a shadow. She opened her mouth, and then the LAAT/i exploded in a blinding ball of flame.

Instinctively, Ahsoka ducked, curling up into a ball and shielding her face as she felt tiny debris pelt her body. After her montrals stopped throbbing from the deafening boom, Ahsoka sprang to her feet and ran to Skywalker, who had been knocked back by the explosion.

"Master Skywalker! Master—"

"We're okay. Get back! Get under cover!" Ahsoka ignored him and helped him stand.

The shadow swooped down again. Four points slammed into the ground, shaking the platform. A Vulture droid towered over them, its red eyes targeting them as it cocked its head.

It blocked their path back to the safety of the door, and both of them drew their lightsabers. The Separatist droid peppered the platform with laserfire. Anakin darted to the left—trying to face the Vulture droid so that Rotta was protected behind him—while Ahsoka tried to draw it away.

"R2!" Anakin called over the noise of battle. The loyal Astromech rolled forward, ready to be of service. "No, R2, no, get inside! I need you in one piece!"

Ahsoka lunged, attracting the droid's attention. Somehow, the Vulture droid recognized her ploy and ignored her, firing its cannon at her while focusing its main fire on Anakin and the Hutt. To her horror, the Vulture droid closed in on Master Skywalker, stomping at him with its sharp wingtips, which were now its legs, and limiting his movement. There was no more avoiding it now, Anakin had to face it.

Rotta squealed and grizzled and... oh stars, he threw up. Yuck. Anakin seemed to have noticed and grimaced, but he stayed focused on the enemy.

"Come on, you useless piece of wreckage... Show me what you got."

It did. It charged at him, forcing him to step back, but then it came to a dead halt and started firing at him. Anakin deflected the energy, but then its fourth cannon—the one keeping Ahsoka back—swiveled towards the Jedi Knight. The Vulture droid poured all it had on him. But it left Ahsoka free to attack.

Anakin was starting to move his shoulders as he blocked to loosen the straps of the backpack. Jedi Knight and Padawan's eyes locked for only a second. Anakin was going to sacrifice himself and throw the Huttlet into her arms. He knew she would catch him easily with her predator's flawless coordination. She wasn't going to let him do it.

She closed in, way too close.

"Hey trashcan!" She yelled and swung her green lightsaber. Ahsoka was too far away to hit anything, but she got its attention. To her surprise, the Vulture droid completely abandoned its former target and advanced on the Padawan. It focused its arsenal and the sound of the the weapons warming up filled the air. Anticipating fire, Ahsoka rolled out of range... and slipped.

A yelp of shock escaped her lips. Her boots weren't supposed to slide. She must have slipped in the Hutt vomit. Gross.

Her lightsaber flew out of her hand and she tumbled off the platform. With her Jedi and Togruta reflexes, she barely managed to find purchase for her white fingertips. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and she found it difficult to breathe.

"Ahsoka!" She heard Anakin scream.

A shadow fell over her. The Vulture droid loomed above her. It was a droid with no emotions, but it appeared to be gloating over its prey, confident in its power over her life. It reminded her of Krell.

The Vulture droid stabbed the ground, just missing her fingers. The platform shook and her grip slipped slightly. She let out a grunt as she tried to regain a stronger hold.

"I'm okay," she tried to assure Anakin. "I'm okay."

But she wasn't: she was about to loose her arms to a droid and plummet to her death, Jedi or not.

Unexpectedly, the Vulture droid's head turned and began firing at something advancing, probably Master Skywalker. Using the distraction, Ahsoka swung back onto the platform purely on her fingertips, throwing on leg high like a gymnast and pivoting at the hip to hurl her body forward. Once her feet were on solid ground again, she then called her lightsaber hilt to her with the Force. Switching it on with a snap hiss, Ahsoka swung the blade and hit her mark, slicing a leg clean off, causing it to stumble. Then Anakin drove his on lightsaber between the visual sensors before jumping off and letting the droid tip off the edge. It didn't have fingers. It couldn't grab to save its life. And its leg was its wing, so it can never fly again.

It fell. Ironic after it tried to do the same thing to Ahsoka.

"Oh, that was smart, Snips..." Ahsoka could hear the sob of exhausted relief in his voice, matching what she felt. "I thought I'd lost you for good."

Ahsoka's stripes on her head-tails became more vivd, equivalent to a human blushing. Pong Krell never complimented her before, never mind caring if she almost died. She sat down heavily, exhausted. Her arms felt like they have been ripped out of their sockets.

"I really didn't want to find out if it was true that we Togrutas always land on our feet," she joked with a smile.

"Good distraction, though." Anakin eased the straps on his shoulders and opened his comlink. "Master Kenobi, can you hear me? Master—are you in range yet?" There was only static.

An evening breeze blew over her sweaty head-tails, cooling her hot face. It felt good, but... her hood! It must have fallen off when she flipped! Quickly, Ahsoka flipped it back over her montrals. If Anakin noticed her bruises and scars, he didn't say anything. Hopefully, he didn't notice, but an uncertainty and nervousness still bubbled up inside her.