It Takes Two to Tango

Preparing for Battle

Ahsoka stood in the middle of a large throne room. She could hear a battle raging outside the walls, but she was alone. A wave of darkness washed over her, and she fell to her knees. The air around her became heavy. She struggled to breathe as the air suffocated her and her vision faded.

She heard footsteps echo through the hall and the safety click of a blaster. Rex's voice was at the back of her mind, begging her to run. She tried, but her legs wouldn't move.

"They're going to kill you!"

For a moment, she was able to see Lux's face. "I can't lose you."

Again, she tried to stand, to fight for him, but her legs refused to cooperate. Her breath stopped as a bullet pierced her abdomen. The searing pain was all she could think about as she let one final scream out before collapsing to the ground.

"Ahsoka!"

Her eyes snapped open as she sat up with a start. Her racing heart slowed when she remembered that she was in bed, not on Mandalore.

Lux sat by her side, his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you're okay. It was just a dream."

She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Yeah, a nightmare." Ahsoka had nightmares almost every night now, and it was beginning to disrupt her sleep on a nightly basis. "I just want them to go away so I can move on. I'm tired of being haunted by Mandalore and Order 66 and my trial and all of that. I've worked hard to move past them, and I can't keep going back like this."

"I know, n'anya, and I wish I could take them away so you don't have to deal with them." He reached out his hand and cupped her face.

Ahsoka sighed. "I should try to get back to sleep. We have to be up early for the trip to Scarif."

Lux nodded and reluctantly stood up. "I'll get going then."

As he turned to walk away, Ahsoka grabbed his wrist. "Will you stay? I just... I don't know... I–"

"Yes, Ahsoka. Of course I'll stay."

He walked around to the other side of the bed and slid under the sheets. He planted a kiss on her shoulder and draped an arm over her waist. "I love you."

She smiled and closed her eyes. "I love you, too." And for the first time in a long time, everything felt right.

But she knew it wouldn't last long.

The next morning, Ahsoka sat by herself in the mess hall, picking at her breakfast. Since she's been awake, she'd felt sick. It was probably just nerves. It had been a long time since she'd pulled off a reckless Anakin plan, and then, she had her whole body functioning properly. 

Lux sat down across from her. "You don't look so good. Something wrong?"

She sighed. "Just anxious, I guess. I'm ready to get this over with."

"I get it," he said. "I really do." She could sense the same nervous energy in him too, but it wasn't about the mission. "Ahsoka, do you remember that ball you and I went to when we were teenagers? It was Christmastime, and I had no one else to bring, and—"

"Yes, of course I remember. And for the record, you asked me because you wanted me to go with you, not because you didn't know anyone else."

He blushed. "Well, true, but you didn't know that. At least I thought you didn't know that. Anyway, if all goes as planned with this crazy Scarif plan, I can't delegate the speech this year."

She smiled. She didn't have to be a Jedi to sense where this was going. "If you're there, I'm there. Simple as that."

"Good. I want to introduce you to the rest of the nobility beforehand so they're not surprised when you and I walk in to the ball together."

This was new. He never brought up introducing her to anyone out of fear that one of them would recognize her as the Jedi that led them through the Battle of Onderon. She reached across the table and took his hand. This was a good sign. "I'd love to meet them, Lux, and you know I love seeing you in your element. But I can't walk, so we're going to have to adjust the 'you and I walk in together' part."

"I know, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Walking or not, I want you to be a part of my life forever, and since that's a long time, I think the people I work with every day should know who you are."

She kissed his cheek. "Forever sounds nice."

Ahsoka felt Anakin's presence behind her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Morning, Snips."

"Morning, Master. Ready for another crazy day?"

"You bet," he said, sitting down beside her. "I made some calls and found some people willing to help us. There are a few rebel groups scattered across the galaxy that want to merge with us. The Ghost crew, which I'm pretty sure you're familiar with, arrived this morning. A group calling themselves Phoenix Squadron is here as well. They're going to help you in the air with the distraction. The Empire will be too busy worried about you guys to worry about me on the surface. As soon as the emperor gets there, you'll attack and hold his attention while I go in for the kill. Got it?"

"Absolutely." She tried to picture Scarif in her mind, but the only thing she could see was a flash of green light followed by an explosion. Something was going to go wrong; it always did. She just had to hope that they would be prepared for when it came. 

"Where am I going to be?" Lux asked. 

Ahsoka and Anakin exchanged a glance. It had been an unspoken rule during the Clone Wars to keep any non-military personnel as far away from the action whenever possible. Ahsoka had assumed Lux wouldn't be coming, just like Anakin had assumed Padme wouldn't be coming. However, they'd left that part out when they told Lux the plan.

Ahsoka glanced down at her food. "You're leaving for Onderon with the rest of the people too vital to lose."

He dropped her hand and sat up straight. "Like hell I am. I'm willing and able to fight and die to bring the Empire down. I'm going with you."

Anakin cleared his throat. "If it makes any difference to you, Bonteri, my family will be joining you. You offered it as a safe place before, and we're going to take you up on that now. I'm not willing to risk my family's lives for a risky plan. I can't live without them, and I know Ahsoka feels the same about you. I don't doubt that you could help, but we're doing this to protect you. What would your people think if their king was killed in a battle offworld?"

Ahsoka's eyes met Lux's in a silent staring contest. She could feel the relief deep inside him that he wouldn't have to go, but he was also afraid of what could happen to Ahsoka if he wasn't there to protect her. He knew how important taking down the Empire was to her, and she'd done crazier things in the past. His gaze fell, and Ahsoka knew she'd won. 

"Fine. I'll take good care of your family, General Skywalker. Promise me you'll take good care of mine."

Ahsoka looked up at Anakin, who gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "You have my word."

A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a minute since I posted anything for this, so sorry about that. I have another book kind of like this one in the works that's taken up a lot of my writing time lately. 

I hope you liked this chapter! What do you think of the mission? Is it a brilliant plan, or are they so desperate that they're just grasping at straws? What could possibly go wrong? Comment what you think!

See you in the next update, and may the force be with you!