Some Uncharted System in the Outer Rim, then the Junkyard, Saturday Morning before the Picnic.

[snipsnspecks]

Ahsoka wished she could have been surprised when the hyperdrive blew. She really did, but this battered hunk of junk claiming to be a ship made her wish fondly for the Twilight, so she was mostly grateful she'd been near a system when it'd unexpectedly dropped out.

Of course, because it was that kind of day, she was elbow deep in the ship's guts, when the proximity alarms started blaring, something she didn't have luxury of ignoring. If she was lucky, it'd be pirates.

It wasn't pirates. But it wasn't the Empire either. The space outside rippled and coalesced into a shining, shimmering mass, like some kind of beacon in the dark. Ahsoka threw herself into the pilot's chair, but some stray nudge of the Force had her piloting towards it instead of away.

After what seemed like an instant and an eternity, the ship emerged in atmosphere, but as the screaming of the repulsors going redline didn't leave her much time for sightseeing as she tried to find a place to land.

She'd just managed to touch down in what looked like some kind of salvage yard when a final series of loud bangs came from vicinity of the sublight systems.

Great, now she'd have to fix that too.

[For one.]

Comments

[sith_happened]

Anakin'd had to drop Juliet off at her karate class in the morning and was running late for the picnic when he saw the ship heading for the junkyard.

The...weirdly familiar ship.

Sithspit.

But he couldn't not check to make sure everything was all right, so he approached the ship cautiously. "Everyone safe?" he called out.

[snipsnspecks]

Once she'd been sure the ship wasn't going to blow up and take her with it, Ahsoka had gone back to her earlier repairs, not that they'd be that useful when she couldn't even get the ship back into orbit.

She didn't look up when she heard the voice, instead making a note to check she hadn't hit her head in the landing and forgotten, because that was the only explanation. She kept her her Force presence wrapped to tightly around herself in inhabited systems these days was for it to be anything else.

[sith_happened]

Anakin moved closer and raised his voice. "Do you need medical attention?"

[snipsnspecks]

There it was again.

"My hearing's playing tricks, so probably," Ahsoka said, as much to herself as anyone.

[sith_happened]

Anakin had a baaaad feeling about this, but he tried it anyway. "...Snips?"

[snipsnspecks]

Oh, no, no, no, no.

There was no way it could be. "...Skyguy?"

[sith_happened]

He never thought he'd actually have missed that nickname, but he had.

"Yeah," he said. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt?"

[snipsnspecks]

That's because it was the best nickname.

"My ship crashed." Seriously, that had barely qualified as a landing.

"What are you doing here?" Ahsoka's voice cracked on the question. "I thought you were dead." Along with the rest of the Jedi.

[sith_happened]

"It's a really, really long story," Anakin said, chewing his lower lip. "But I'm not dead. And Obi-Wan's here too."

Way to throw Obi-Wan under the speeder, Anakin.

[snipsnspecks]

Let's face it, Obi-Wan maybe deserved it a little after that Rako Hardeen business.

"...Obi-Wan's?" Without really meaning to, Ahsoka found herself flinging herself at Anakin.

[sith_happened]

"Hey," Anakin said, holding her tightly. "It's good to see you."

If complicated. So, so complicated.

[snipsnspecks]

"I thought you were dead," Ahsoka repeated. "You, Obi-Wan, Master Plo." That had been like having a light you'd never not been aware of extinguished. "Everyone."

[sith_happened]

Anakin sighed. "I'm so sorry, Ahsoka."

And this from someone who almost never apologized.

[snipsnspecks]

And she wouldn't even realise what he was apologising for for over a decade.

"I'm sorry too," she said. "I heard about Padme, I know you were...close"

Subtlety, your name was not Anakin Skywalker.

[sith_happened]

Anakin ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah. It was a pretty terrible time."

Decades. Whatever.

[snipsnspecks]

"Sometimes I can't believe it actually happened, but then I..."

Wait a second.

"...what happened to your arm?"

Sometimes the little things were easier to focus on.

[sith_happened]

Anakin froze. "...another long story," he said. "This is a...slightly different body. I used cloning technology to recover from extensive burns."

Spin to make Obi-Wan weep.

[snipsnspecks]

Like Master, like Padawan.

"Rex would've had something to say about that," Ahsoka said, trying not to follow through to the place her mind usually went when talking about the clones.

[sith_happened]

Anakin chuckled. "Rex would've had several things to say about that," he said.

[snipsnspecks]

Probably starting with 'what the kriff, Anakin?'.

"Well, I suppose it's not bad but if you're going for a cloned body why not try some other options?" That was a terrible impression of Rex's accent, Ahsoka.

[sith_happened]

There wasn't enough "what the kriff, Anakin?" in two galaxies for what he'd gotten up to.

Anakin laughed. "Well, there were already enough that looked like Rex to appease his ego."

[snipsnspecks]

"If you'd told him that, you'd have woken up with jaig eyes painted on your forehead."

[sith_happened]

Anakin laughed. "True enough," he admitted. "You're sure you're all right? I can show you to the clinic."

[snipsnspecks]

"I'm fine," Ahsoka assured him, though her stomach chose that moment to start growling. "In better condition than my ship at least."

[sith_happened]

"Yeah," Anakin said. "I can help you with that, but it's going to take some time. Why don't you come with me and hit the school welcome picnic? Plenty of free food."

[snipsnspecks]

"I'd like that." It'd be like old times, or close enough. "And I could do with a change from rations." Terrible, terrible rations.

"Wait, school?"

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "I've been teaching for almost ten years now. Time...works differently here."

[snipsnspecks]

That stopped Ahsoka almost as short as the not dead part. "Ten years?"

It only felt like it'd been that long since she'd seen him last.

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "Yes. I'm teaching flight this summer."

[snipsnspecks]

Ahsoka snorted. Fondly. "And Obi-Wan didn't say anything about that?"

[sith_happened]

"Obi-Wan is very definitely not teaching it with me, if that gives you a hint," Anakin said.

[snipsnspecks]

"But how are they going to know they're doing it right if Obi-Wan's not on the verge of saying things Padawns aren't supposed to hear?"

[sith_happened]

Anakin laughed. "Jaina will say something instead."

[snipsnspecks]

"I don't know why people react like that," she said. "You're a great teacher."

Ahsoka Tano, the only being in the galaxy with unshakable faith in Anakin Skywalker's teaching abilities.

[sith_happened]

Even Padme had doubts, it's true.

His smile turned fond. "Thanks, Snips."

[snipsnspecks]

Ahsoka returned the smile, though it briefly turned solemn. "Thank you."

Like on Wasskah, she wouldn't have survived these last months without his teachings to fall back on.

[sith_happened]

Anakin's expression turned unreadable, and he tamped down his guilt quickly before she felt it through the Force. "Let's get you some food."