THE Stormborn Jedi tossed and turned in the small cot. Anakin shuffled to the back to wake her, as they were close to the planet. He heard her soft voice crying out, for him, Obi-Wan, Windu, and others he did not know. Anakin approached her and sat next to her, placing his gloved metal hand to cup her cheek.
"Ellie," He called out, stroking away the stray hairs on her face. Elia sat up with a gasp, clutching her saber tightly in hand. "Hey, hey, it's okay. You're safe. You're with me." Anakin whispered, pulling Elia into a tight hug. He felt her racing heart slow back to its normal pace after a few seconds.
"It's getting worse." Elia muttered into his shoulder, Anakin pulled away.
"We're almost to Tatooine, and then we'll be home. We will find out what's happening." Anakin told his wife firmly. He pulled her by the hand out of the cot and back to the front of the ship. Tatooine came into sight. "I was hoping I'd never have to lay eyes on this dust ball again." He scoffed to himself.
"Okay... What happened ?" Ahsoka frowned, Elia shook her head at the young girl.
"I don't want to talk about it. How's Stinky?" Anakin moved onto a different subject quickly. Ahsoka looked to Elia in confusion, the older woman simply mouthed you're okay.
"He seems to be feeling much better." Ahsoka replied, looking back at the sleeping Hutt. "His fever is gone. Even you have to admit he's cute when he's asleep." Ahsoka smiled softly.
"I admit I like him better when he's quiet, but definitely not cute." Anakin said back. "R2, fire up the guns. I want those ready before the deflector shields." Anakin instructed the small bot.
"Anakin, how many times do I have to remind you that that plan never works in your favor." Elia sighed, shaking her head. Anakin looked back with a toothy grin.
"Hey, you don't need shields if you have a strong defense." Anakin winked at her, Elia's fingers clutched the bridge of her nose. Not long after that statement, the ship was being attacked from behind.
"Quite a welcome home party." Ahsoka scoffed, lurching forward in her seat due to impact. R2 beeped loudly from next to Elia.
"Prepare for landing, it'll be a rough one." Anakin announced. "Ahsoka, unlock the guns!" He shouted as the enemy ships closed in.
"All the guns are locked in the forward position." Ahsoka informed her Master. "It's too bad you decided not to repair the rear deflector shields." She added, narrowing her eyes.
"Not now, Ahsoka." Anakin snapped at the girl. "R2, try to unlock those guns!"
"Sometimes a good defense is the best offense." Ahsoka quipped once more.
"Why don't you go secure your little Huttlet friend?" Anakin brushed her off, his eyes squinting like daggers at his padawan.
"None of us are secure with you flying!" Ahsoka cried out, getting out of her chair to get Stinky.
"That's it! Enough. Anakin you shoot the guns, I'm flying." Elia kicked her husband out of the pilots seat and into the gunners seat, he wore a scowl as he did what his wife said.
Elia settled in and glanced back to make sure Ahsoka was securing the Hutt into the back seat. After that, she completely flipped the ship and flew upside down in order to fire the guns behind them.
"Master Stormborn has the right idea!" Ahsoka called out from behind the married couple. Elia smirked as she dodged enemy fire while Anakin shot for her.
"Enemy ship on the flip!" Anakin informed Elia. The blonde haired Jedi quickly turned the ship right side up so Anakin could take out the ship.
"Great! Now what about the other one?" Ahsoka asked, her snippy tone never leaving.
"Working on it, Snips." Anakin grumbled in irritation.
"Whatever you say, Skyguy." Suddenly, the ship shook violently and every warning started going off.
"I told you we'd need those rear deflectors!" Elia shouted at her husband as the ship became more uncontrollable. "R2, please tell me you're close to getting those guns turned around." Elia asked the droid, who beeped excitedly. Anakin let out a whoop of laughter as he was finally able to shoot down the last ship.
"Alright, everyone strap in. It's about to get bumpy." Anakin announced to the others.
"You've got that 'we're in trouble' look." Ahsoka pointed out, Elia glanced over onto her husbands face and saw exactly what Ahsoka meant.
"There's a look?" Anakin asked, looking from his padawan to Elia.
"You can't miss it." Elia replied, stifling a laugh as she directed her attention back to landing the ship as safely as she could.
"Very funny, blondie." Anakin teased. Elia shot him a side-eyed glare. "Obi-Wan, come in." Anakin tried the coms system.
"Kenobi, here. Anakin, have you reached Tatooine yet?" Obi-Wan's voice came through, Elia felt herself sigh in relief.
"Almost, but we ran into some old..."
"Anakin, did you get shot down again?" Master Kenobi asked with a disappointed sigh.
"Well—"
"We almost did! If it wasn't for Master Stormborn." Ahsoka interrupted, Elia shrugged.
"There's a reason I'm the better flier." She said aloud. Anakin huffed our a breath.
"I just haven't had time to modify this bucket of junk yet." Anakin tried to explain, but Elia saw Obi-Wan's hologram shake his head.
"I'm still cleaning up your other mess, but I'll get there." Obi-Wan told the trio, before signing out.
"So much for reinforcements." Anakin sighed. The ship sped towards the sandy planet quickly, gaining heat from the atmosphere.
"Brace yourselves, this might be a rough landing!" Elia gripped the steering levers and tried to put as much control into the free fall as she could.
"Crashes are rough, landings are not." Anakin told his wife.
"Anakin, the last time you landed a ship with me in it the back hatch was hanging open and we were missing two of three engines. Anything is better than that!" Elia snapped back at her husband.
The ship bounced over the sandy dunes of Tatooine roughly. Nevertheless, it had to have been the most controlled landing Elia had ever pulled off.
"Is everyone okay?" Anakin coughed, fidgeting to get his seatbelts off. Elia gagged on the smell of smoke and taste of blood in her mouth.
"Me and Stinky are okay." Ahsoka replied weakly, getting out of her seat wobbly.
"I'm fine." Elia breathed out, wiping her mouth with the top of her hand. Blood smeared across it. Anakin got out of his seat to help Elia.
"You sure you're okay?" Anakin asked her lowly, she nodded.
"Another happy landing." Elia chuckled, mimicking Obi-Wan. Anakin smriked and shook his head, secretly planting a kiss on her cheek as he helped her out of the ship. Ahsoka stood out in the sand, looking around.
"Jabba's palace is on the far side of the Dune Sea. We'd better hurry if we're gonna make it by morning." Anakin said, Elia following him into the sand. R2 beeped as he hesitantly looked around at all the sand.
"Come on, artoo. It's just grainy, abrasive, specks of sand. I'll clean you later." Ahsoka told the droid.
The group of Jedi walked for what felt like hours upon hours on end. In the heat, Elias body was starting to get tired much quicker. But Anakin just kept pushing through, not speaking a word.
"Master Yoda hs a saying. 'Old sins cast long shadows.' Do you know what he means by that?" Ahsoka asked Anakin, who turned over his shoulder briefly to glance at the young padawan.
"He means your past can ruin your future if you allow it. But you forget it was Master Skywalker who said, 'I don't want to talk about my past'." Anakin told Ahsoka bitterly. Elia could see the outline of his furrowed brows on his face as he looked back.
"Okay, fine. There is so much more to talk about out here. Like the sand." Ahsoka gestured to the dunes surrounding them.
"The desert is merciless. It takes everything from you." Anakin muttered just barely loud enough for Elia and Ahsoka to hear.
"That's a happy thought. It wont take us, Master. Right, Elia?" Ahsoka turned back to smile at Elia who gave a weak smile in return.
"That's right, Ahsoka. It wont." Elia told the girl. Ahsoka slowed down to match Elia's pace. "You doing okay?" She asked Ahsoka, who placed an arm around Elia's waist. Almost as if she knew Elia was struggling to keep up.
"It's hot, sandy, and i'm tired. But I'll be okay. You?" Ahsoka returned the question, worry behind her large eyes.
"Don't be worried about me. I've had a rough five months recovering from..." Elia paused, and swallowed hard. "Count Dooku. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and I had all fought him. It cost Anakin his hand, my leg, and my sanity. I was completely unstable mentally, and it got worse after they sent Anakin away." Elia kept her voice low, to hide the conversation from Anakin. She felt as though Ahsoka could handle the truth of what it's really like to be a Jedi.
"I can't imagine what it must have been like." Ahsoka said with sympathy. "I know I'm hardly old enough to understand, and I hardly know you, but you're strong. I can tell." The Tano girl added, nodding at her words.
"You're too kind." Elia wrapped her own over Ahsoka's shoulders. Elia could see Ahsoka's wandering eyes grazing over Anakin's figure in worry. "Hey, don't worry about Skyguy, alright? He's trying to work on putting the past behind him. Tatooine was not kind to him as a child." Elia told Ahsoka softly, she nodded in reply.
Elia ceased her walking, Anakin unknowingly doing the same. Ahsoka looked around in confusion. A sound clattered in the distance.
"We're not alone." Ahsoka said aloud.
"I feel it." Elia nodded.
"I sense it, too. It's the dark side of the Force." Anakin said over his shoulder. "Whatever it is, it's coming for the Hutt. Time to split up." Anakin instructed.
"No, We'll face it together, Master!" Ahsoka disagreed, keeping her voice strong.
"I have a more important mission for you and Elia." Anakin shook his head, placing his hand on Ahsoka's shoulder.
"More important than keeping you alive?" Elia questioned. "Do you remember the last time we were separated?" She said to him, concern all over her dainty face.
"I need you both to trust me on this one. You two will take Stinky to Jabba, I'll use a decoy. I have a feeling Dooku has come looking for us, Elia." Anakin explained, Elia swallowed thickly.
"All the more reason to be with you, Anakin. Ahsoka can do it on her own, I know she can." Elia looked to the padawan.
"I can do it, Master." Ahsoka told Anakin confidently. He gave her the Huttlet and pushed her on her way, leaving Elia and him to keep going.
It was late into the night when a speeder approached the Jedi duo. A man wearing a hooded cloak sped toward them. Elia's throat caught, she knew all too well who the figure belonged to. She removed her lightsaber and ignited it at her side, Anakin did the same.
"Surrender the Huttlet or die." Count Dooku threatened. Neither Jedi moved to surrender, for they had not Huttlet. Dooku's first move was the lightning, directing it at both Elia and Anakin.
They used their lightsabers to deflect the shocks, and were quickly absorbed. Dooku huffed a sigh of impatience and withdrew his own red saber. He'd swing a few times at Anakin, then switch to attacking Elia.
His red saber clashed against her green one, as they pushed for the struggler of power.
"Your training has come along away, girl." Dooku sneered evily between their swords.
"I've been motivated." Elia grumbled, grunting as she pushed with all her might to get Dooku away from her. Then she raised her foot and quickly sent it into the older man's chest, he flew back into the sand.
Count Dooku rose swiftly, but not before Anakin was attacking him once more. Dooku was talking again, ripping at Anakin's loss from his home planet. Anakin user the Force to push him even farther away, sand shooting towards Dooku like tiny, blinding daggers. For a moment it worked, but Dooku quickly changed it around. The sand came flying towards Elia.
She raised her hand to push it away, but it kept coming closer. Then, her body was pushed to the side, the sand nearly missing her and hitting Anakin instead. Anakin was blasted down the hill of a dune, saber feet away from him.
Count Dooku charged Anakin, Elia took this time to use the Force. She pulled Anakin's lightsaber into her hand, and just as Dooku was about to kill the Skywalker, she interfered with both lightsabers in hand.
"I'm getting a sense of deja vu." Elia told Dooku, as they pressed together. But the Sith had the higher ground, and Elia crumbled into the sand. Count Dooku took this moment to slash Skywalker's backpack open, where Stinky had been moments before.
"You've failed, Jedi. I have just killed Jabba's son." Count Dooku announced triumphantly.
"Oh, you've fallen for my little trick, Count. It's nothing but rocks." Anakin removed his bag and flung it open.
"The Huttlet is with Anakin's Padawan, safely at Jabba's palace." Elia added on, lending her husband a hand to pull him up off the ground.
"I expected such treachery from a Jedi. I assure you my web is strong enough to catch your insignificant little padawan." Count Dooku told the married couple, spitting his words out in anger.
"She's more skillful than you think." Anakin defended Ahsoka's name bitterly, Elia smirked.
"You deceive yourself!" Dooku shouted, lunging at Elia. The woman had not expected it, he grabbed her and held her with her back pressed against his chest. Elia and Anakin's saber lay between them and Anakin, Dooku's lightsaber holding her hostage. Anakin gasped. "Choose, Skywalker. Your Padawan..." The Count revealed a hologram of Ahsoka fighting army droids. "Or her?" He gave the ultimatum.
"Anakin, save Ahsoka!" Elia called out using a strong voice to had her fear. "Go." She told him. Anakin watched as his wife, the only person who ever truly loved, begged for him to leave her. Conflict arose in him.
"I—" Anakin couldn't find the words to say.
I can handle him. Take the speeder and leave.
I wont leave you.
"Don't be a fool! Make you choice!" Count Dooku yelled, holding Elia tighter.
"I'm sorry, Elia." Anakin said, barely above a whisper. He picked up his lightsaber and walked to the speeder. Anakin started it up and the began driving it straight towards them. Elia knew what he was doing.
He rode straight for her. Elia used her head to smack into The Count's face, in surprise he let go of her. She used the Force to pick up her lightsaber as Anakin drove by and took her by the hand, swinging her onto the speeder.
"Who's the fool now?" Elia remarked, as Anakin turned the speeder around, spitting sand in Dooku's face. "Good plan." Elia smiled in relief, placing a kiss on Anakin's cheek.
"Well, I wasn't going to actually leave you." Anakin told her shaking his head. "I wouldn't ever leave you." Elia clasped her arms around his torso and leaned into it.
Gracis notes:
purrrrrrrrr anielia is so cute. cant wait to ruin them in rots:)))