Heyo human beings from outer space!
THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY!!!
That is all, thank you, read on if you dare.
"Is that everything?" Anakin dusted off his hands and wiped them on his robes.
"I think so," Ahsoka surveyed the cargo bay. "I checked inventory twice and everything's accounted for. I'm ready, too."
Anakin nodded, satisfied. "So that means all you're waiting for is..."
"Barriss!" Ahsoka shouted, interrupting Anakin as her friend entered the ship.
"Not anymore," Anakin chuckled.
Ahsoka and Barriss beamed, hurrying to each other to embrace. They released, holding each other's wrists and smiling jovially at each other.
"How've you been?" Barriss inquired.
"I've been good. You?" Ahsoka returned.
"I've been well," Barriss replied.
"If you two are quite finished, I believe you have a mission awaiting you," Master Luminara crossed her arms, seemingly displeased at the girls' behaviour.
"Master, I was just–"
"No time, Barriss, you should be checking the systems. That was your job, wasn't it?" Master Luminiara interrupted.
"Of course, Master," Barriss' eyes harboured a deep sadness. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka, but we'll have to catch up later."
Ahsoka tried to be cheery for her friend. "No worries, Barriss, we'll have time while we're in transit."
Barriss wisped past Ahsoka wordlessly and hastened to the cockpit.
"Barriss?" Master Luminara called after her.
"Oh," Barriss turned around. It was obvious to Ahsoka that it was hard for her not to spit the next phrase like a toxin. "Forgive me, Master, for showing resistance."
"Of course, Barriss," Master Luminara smiled a fake, kind smile. Barriss stood in the doorway of the cockpit.
"Is there anything you padawans need?" Master Luminara asked Ahsoka.
"No, Master, thank you. We have everything we need," Ahsoka assured her.
"Very good. I assume you're both ready to go now? Or as soon as the system checks are done, that is," Master Luminara narrowed her eyes.
"Yes, Master," Ahsoka nodded. She was very eager for the mission with just her and Barriss.
"Good. We'll be going now. Are you ready, Skywalker?" Luminara looked to Ahsoka's Master.
"Yeah," Anakin set a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder.
Ahsoka looked up and smiled reassuringly.
"Stay out of trouble, okay?" Anakin grinned back. "And come back to me in one piece."
"Sure thing," Ahsoka responded.
"Don't worry, Master Skywalker. I'll take care of her," Barriss chimed in, a subtle smirk across her face.
Master Luminiara turned and gave Barriss a look that squandered the padawan's momentary peace. Barriss shut herself in the cockpit to complete the system checks. Ahsoka could feel her side of their Force bond in turmoil.
Ahsoka had to concentrate not to glare at the Mirialan Master. Anakin waved to Ahsoka one last time as they exited the ship. Ahsoka feined a grin and waved back. She pressed the large button on the control panel to raise the ramp and stood there until the door sealed shut.
The pressure released and fizzled out to silence. Ahsoka montrals picked up the sound of quiet sniffling and weeping.
Ahsoka hurried to the cockpit, slid the door open, and found Barriss on her knees with her head in her hands by the half-checked hyperdrive. She shook with sobs.
"Barriss," Ahsoka breathed.
Barriss looked up, tear tracks staining her cheeks and opened her mouth, trying to provide an explanation. For a moment, she made no sound. Then all that she could let out was a strangled sob.
Ahsoka rushed to her side and fell to her knees. She wrapped her arms around Barriss and let Barriss cry into her shoulder.
"She hates me," Barriss sobbed. "She doesn't want me to have any fun or friends and she doesn't trust me."
"That's not true. Your master thinks very highly of you," Ahsoka tried desperately.
"Then why..." Barriss coughed, "...why does she act like it?"
"She's just strict," Ahsoka rubbed Barriss' back. "If she hated you, she'd get a new padawan. And if she didn't trust you, she wouldn't send you on this mission."
"I-I guess," Barris sniffed, calming down a little bit. "It still hurts."
"Try meditating on what she says and finding the positive in it," Ahsoka encouraged. "It really helped me when I was a youngling."
"You think I could find any?" Barriss looked at Ahsoka hopefully.
"Sure!" Ahsoka smiled faintly. "I could find positive in almost everything anyone said to me, even if it wasn't very nice. Remember, if anyone ever hurts you, they are hurting, too."
"Right," Barriss wiped her eyes. "I wish she'd just be a little kinder."
"Hey, if you ever need to relieve some stress or get away from your master, come down to my quarters. We can go to a training room and spar or just practice our studies in my quarters together," Ahsoka suggested. "We're in this together."
Barriss offered a small, genuine smile in return. "Together."
Ahsoka found a small pouch from her belt and pulled out a ration. She handed it to Barriss and closed the hyperdrive. She finished the other system checks that Barriss hadn't gotten to. Ahsoka powered up the engines.
"Thank you, Ahsoka," Barriss sat in the co-pilot's seat.
"No problem," Ahsoka replied with a smile. She began the lift-off procedures and soon piloted the ship to the great, open space.
"Ready for the jump?" Ahsoka asked.
"Ready," Barriss nodded.
Ahsoka pushed the lever and the sky around them blurred to a blue-and-white streaked tunnel.
The girls sat back for a while. They caught up about the events that took place since the last time they saw each other. Then they talked about their lightsaber training and studies.
The console beeped loudly and irregularly, interrupting their conversation. Ahsoka glanced at it, then gasped, nearly falling out of her chair.
"Something's wrong with the hyperdrive!" Ahsoka desperately began pressing buttons.
"Did it look okay when you checked it?" Barriss asked, joining her at the panel.
"No, you checked it," Ahsoka didn't lookup.
"I only finished checking it halfway!" Barriss exclaimed.
Ahsoka's eyes blew wide and she stared at Barriss for a long moment. Barriss stared back.
The console blared suddenly and the ship jolted violently. It flung Ahsoka and Barriss and Ahsoka across the cockpit.
Pain bloomed all over Ahsoka as she slammed into the wall. Her head smashed into the control panel. It throbbed as if a sledgehammer were pounding her montrals. "Kriff," Ahsoka groaned.
The ship spun wildly, dropping out of hyperspace. Ahsoka dragged herself back to the console, trying to get anything under control. Alarms blared deafeningly.
Ahsoka yanked at the steering with all her might. Colours spun and smeared wildly outside. Barris joined Ahsoka at the console, helping her pull on the steering. The volume of the alarms increased.
The ship lurched sharply again, tossing the girls back. Ahsoka's head bashed into something hard and she knew no more.
🪐🪐🪐
Barriss groaned, opening her eyes slowly. Everything ached. She moved each limb and muscle slowly, surprised that nothing was broken. She remembered the malfunction of the hyperdrive and how violently she'd been jostled.
Barriss sat up, surveying the scene around her. The ship was in pieces, still smoking and sparking. She could hardly recognize it as a ship. It was a big pile of scrap metal and rubel. But something was missing...
A panic swelled steadily inside of her. She pushed herself up onto her knees and looked around. No sign.
Clambering to her feet, Barriss began hurrying through the debris. She pushed this over to look behind it and fell to her knees to look under that. Still nothing.
No, no, no, no, no! Barriss screamed in her head. She couldn't find even a trace... No blue or white or orange peeking out from any of the rubble.
"Ahsoka!" Barriss leapt to her feet and screamed. Her voice reverberated off the mountains around her.
Huh, she hadn't realized that before. No time for that. Focus.
"Ahsoka!" Barriss yelled again.
Her voice echoed, but there was no reply.
"AHSO–"
Barriss stopped herself. Screaming her friend's name over and over again would do her no good. It wouldn't help Ahsoka, either, in the case that she was buried alive and progressively dying because her injuries were fatal and...
Focus! Barriss told herself. She couldn't allow her mind to race like that. If it did, she'd never find Ahsoka.
Barriss sat crosslegged in a spot on the ground relatively clear from the rubel. She shut her eyes and focused on the Force. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Focus.
Barriss accessed the Force bond she shared with Ahsoka. She prodded at it, but there came no response. Barriss felt for her signature.
Ahsoka's normally bright and bubbly signature had been condensed to all but a weak frizzle. Was she really dying?
Barriss chided herself and focused again. Ahsoka had been through worse. She'd be okay, right?
No time for uncertainty. Barriss eventually sensed a relative location of where Ahsoka was. She sprinted to the spot and found Ahsoka's weak presence under a pile of rubble. Barriss dug, using the Force to assist her with large pieces.
A patch of orange peeked out from the rubble. Barriss dug faster, using mostly the Force in fear of injuring Ahsoka.
Finally, Ahsoka was completely uncovered. Barriss rushed to her side, falling to her knees. Ahsoka's eyes were shut and her skin was littered with all sorts of injuries. She laid on her stomach with her face at an angle against the ground.
Barriss rolled the Togruta onto her back. She gasped and covered her mouth when she saw the huge gash on the side of Ahsoka's head that had been to the ground. Dark blood oozed out of the gash.
Blood also leaked out of Ahsoka's mouth. Sharpnel penetrated her skin in multiple locations. Cuts, gashes, and bruises littered her small form. Barriss would've been surprised if she didn't have a broken bone or two.
"Come on, Ahsoka, wake up," Barriss pleaded, shaking Ahsoka.
Ahsoka didn't move.
"Ahsoka, wake up!"
No response.
Barriss watched her chest rise and fall unsteadily. At least she was breathing. Barriss pressed her fingers against Ahsoka's neck. The pulse was present but weak and irregular.
Barriss focused on the Force. She had to do something. She began healing some of the surface wounds, though she didn't know how much that would do.
Maybe if she removed some of the shrapnel... Barriss began doing so, healing the wounds quickly after she removed the shrapnel.
Barriss sat back after removing a few pieces. What else could she do?
Broken bones! She could heal broken bones!
Barriss found a broken bone and began mending it again. She didn't keep track of how long it took. She made sure it was sturdy when she sat back again. She checked the pulse.
No! How had it gotten weaker?
"Please wake up, Ahsoka," Barris begged, squeezing the Togruta's hand. "We're in this together. If I lose you, it will only be me. And where will I go to complain about Master Luminara?"
Barriss' panic broke free and she had trouble pulling herself back together again. Just when she was about to lose hope, a voice sounded behind her.
"Excuse me, miss, but do you need help?"
Barriss whirled around, reaching for her lightsaber. A few huge, humanoid beings towered above her. They had tall, melon heads and slim, long limbs.
"Whoah, whoah, I didn't mean to startle you," the being held up his round cups of hands We saw your ship crash from a distance and heard you shouting. Is there anything we could help you with?"
"Actually," Barriss stepped aside, revealing Ahsoka, "my friend is badly injured and needs medical assistance."
The melon-heads gasped at the child laying on the ground.
"Of course, of course, we'll take her to the nearest medical facility," melon-head said.
The next few minutes were a blur. The melon-heads took the girls to the nearest medical facility as promised. Ahsoka was whisked away to be taken care of. A medic checked Barriss over, and after confirming she was okay, sent her back out to the lobby.
Barriss paced the floor anxiously, waiting for any news on Ahsoka. One of the melon-heads sat in the lobby with her and watched her pace.
"If you pace a hole in the floor, you'll have to pay," the melonhead chuckled.
"Sorry," Barriss stopped pacing, twisting her hands together.
"Come, sit down," Melon gestured to the empty, cushioned chair next to him.
Barriss did so obediently.
"Your friend will be fine," Melon assured her.
"I promised her master that I would keep an eye on her and take good care of her," Barriss explained. "I said I'd bring her back in one piece."
Melon laughed. "Your friend. Are you close?"
"Yeah," Barriss smiled. "She's not just my friend. She's more than that." Her smile grew. "She's my sister."
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Word Count: 2,213
Published: Apr. 22, 2022
Barriss and Ahsoka need more cute sisterly stories. I know Barriss fell pretty far eventually, but before that... we need more!
EEEEK!! Guess what? This book hit 1,000 reads!! AAAAH!!
So, as for the tradition, how do you want to celebrate? I could write a really long story or take a special request or anything you want (within reason).
Well, requests are open, feel free to message me or make a comment if you have any ideas.
Bye, peoples!