Anakin's Grief

Chapter 1

Anakin slammed his fist into the button, and the door slid open. He raced along the causeway and looked around for any sign of Ahsoka. "Sir, she's been spotted heading for the eastern wall!" Anakin nodded and took off down the causeway, and his men followed after. Anakin activated his communicator and shouted into it as he ran. "Master Plo! Wolfe! Can you see Ahsoka?" The reply crackles, the steady rain messing up the communication. "We have conformation of her. We're moving to intercept now." Anakin's eyes narrow. "Where are you?" Master Plo responds. "We're at the eastern edge of the landing platform. She's pinned at the edge, she won't have any cover if she keeps running. She's lost one of her weapons." Anakin's eyes widen and he speeds up. "Are you going to attack her?" Wolfe's voice comes over the communicator. "We were ordered to bring her in, and to under no circumstances let her escape." 

Anakin opens his mouth to respond but steps into mid air. He shouts in surprise and grabs the railing with his robotic hand. The entire causeway was blown away ahead, and the other side was twisted and warped from heat. "They used a grenade on her? That could've killed her!..." Anakin swings himself up, and his communicator hisses. "She's moving! She's already halfway across the landing platform!" Anakin leaps and lands on the other side of the causeway, and his clones rappel down to the ground underneath as he continues running. A new voice comes out of the intercom. "Commander Wolfe! I'm stationed in the turret, and I have  clear shot!" Anakin's eyes widen in horror. "Should I fire, sir?" "No!" Anakin hits his communicator to respond, but a shower of sparks is his only response. He sees that half of his communicator was smashed when he grabbed the railing, and the response button was now completely crushed. He leaped over the causeway's gate and jumped to the top of the building ahead. Straight in front of him was the landing platform, and he could see Ahsoka  racing across it with laser fire reflected all around her.

"Ahsoka!" He dropped down from the building, and the clone spoke again. "Sir, if I don't take this shot, we're going to lose her!" Anakin only had one more building to pass before he reached the platform. Then Commander Wolfe spoke. "Fire immediately!" Anakin and Plo yelled at the same time. "No!" But a shot erupted from the turret. Anakin continued sprinting across the airfield as it hit, and in the light of the explosion he saw Ahsoka flung into the side of a clone transport. His heart dropped as he skidded to a stop in front of the ship. The crater extended to the ship that Ahsoka had slammed into, and she lay crumpled underneath the smashed wing. "No." Anakin lifted the wreckage off of her and dropped to his knees. "Ahsoka, you're going to be fine." Ahsoka moved her hand, and her eyes opened slowly. "Master..." Anakin saw that her shirt was covered in blood, and he pressed his hands on top of it. "You're going to be all right Ahsoka, you're going to be just fine..." Ahsoka blinked and grabbed  Anakin's arm and whispered slowly. "Anakin... I didn't do it. You have to believe me... I didn't do it." 

Anakin nods as he tries to stop the blood from spreading. "I know. I never thought you did, Ahsoka. And you're going to tell everyone else you didn't too." Ahsoka grinned weakly. "As long as you know..." Her eyes rolled back in her head, and her hand dropped onto the ground. "Ahsoka? Ahsoka!" Anakin checked her pulse as Plo Koon and the clones ran up. Captain Rex stopped and got down on his knees next to Ahsoka. As Anakin looked at him, Rex shook his head. "She's gone, sir." Anakin stared at Ahsoka, and he didn't move. One of the clones turned to Master Plo. "I'm sorry, sir. I had already fired when you countered the order." 

Anakin turned his head, and he stood up and stared at the clone. "You killed her." The clone looked at Anakin and took a step backwards. "I was following orders, General Skywalker." Anakin shook his head. "You ignored the order to hold fire, and you killed her!" Anakin's hand shot out, and the clone grabbed his throat. Anakin glared at the clone as he struggled to breath. "Anakin!" Master Plo said sharply. "Release him immediately!" Anakin shook his head. "He killed Ahsoka!" Master Plo grabbed his arm and forced it downwards. "Giving in to your anger isn't what she would've wanted you to do." Anakin glared at the clone, then dropped his arm and turned back to Ahsoka. His eyes were filled with tears as he closed her eyes and folded her hands over the wound on her stomach. "I'm sorry Ahsoka." He whispered. "I should've protected you." Master Plo watched sadly as Anakin picked her body up and began walking back to the cells. "Where are you going, Anakin?" Anakin spoke without looking back. "I'm going to take care of her body. Nobody else will mourn her." As Anakin slowly walked away, Plo looked up at the sky, which continued to pour down rain. "What have we done, little 'Soka?"