𝗙𝗔𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 | anakin skywalker

✰ 23: a different point of view

Akya was tired. She could barely keep her eyes open through all the pain she was feeling. She could feel her heartbeat in the tips of her fingers. It was slow and steady, like the way water dripped from a leaky pipe. She felt too sluggish to do anything, and through all the pain, numbness overcame her. Perhaps, if she weren't so tired, she would be strong enough to try and open the doors. But the cold outside that the tall droids had dragged her through had taken everything out of her as she tried to escape their grasp. She didn't know why she was here.

Suddenly, Akya heard the sound of blasters going off in the hall behind her. The whirr of a lightsaber— no, she had to be imagining things. She pressed her ear to the wall by the bench she lay on and the sounds became louder— someone was coming to save her. They were going to bring her home.

She listened to the sounds of blasters, lightsabers, and muffled shouts. As the blasters got quieter, the doors on the other side of the cell block opened— Akya looked through the red haze blocking her exit from the cell to find a battalion of battle droids walking into the room, guns at the ready, pointed at the blast doors.

When the doors finally opened, she watched Anakin walk into the room, igniting his lightsaber. She smiled weakly seeing him again— but her euphoria turned to worry once she realized he had not been expecting another onslaught of droids. She heard him call Obi-Wan, then he, and two clones joined them.

Akya couldn't hear what they were saying to each other, but after a short conversation with Obi-Wan and Rex, who had just joined them, Anakin ran toward the droids with a power she'd never seen in him before, moving so quickly and forcefully. Obi-Wan followed closely behind him. They were trying to close the doors, stop the droids from coming in. 

Anakin and Obi-Wan were overrun by droids, surrounded as they tried their best to deflect every blast coming their way. Rex, Jesse, and Fives ran over to them, attempting to help get rid of more droids— but they just kept coming. They couldn't get rid of enough droids to get to the door.

— ★ ✰ ☆ —

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted, through the loudness of the blasts coming toward them and the whirr of their lightsabers. "We're not getting through this door."

"Just go faster!" he yelled back, not looking at the Jedi Master. He slashed through two B2 droids at once. Three more replaced them as they walked into the door.

"We need the code, Anakin! You go, get into the system, and get Akya out of here. We'll follow you!"

"But—"

"Go!"

Anakin turned the opposite way and cleared his path with his lightsaber. Obi-Wan and the clones covered him, making sure the droids got nowhere near the main computer in the cell block. Once at the station, Anakin retracted his lightsaber and quickly latched it back onto his belt. He then looked at the ten cells in the circular room— Akya was housed, curled up on the floor, in the eighth, which sat right in front of the computer. She was looking up at him and smiling a smile so weak, yet so hopeful. He'd never seen her so battered.

"I'm going to get you out of here," he said to her.

"I trust you will," Akya said. Her voice was so low.

Anakin smiled back at Akya then looked back at the computer. He turned the holo-screen on and began rearranging the algorithm piece-by-piece. Anakin had taught himself all of this stuff when he was a Padawan— having already been an expert in mechanics, he decided that algorithms and other systems might be a good thing to know. They came in handy very often, and he was very glad that Separatist code systems were usually easy to crack, mainly the ones written by droids.

Anakin acquired the code for cell eight within a couple minutes. Obi-Wan and the clones were fiercely outnumbered now. Their only option was to run, and it was going to be light soon.

Anakin ran over to Akya's cell and inserted the code in the computer on the wall beside it. The red forcefield that blocked her exit faded away. Anakin ran inside, collapsing beside Akya as he caressed her cold, cold face. She was shaking. Her breath was shallow.

"Akya," he said softly. He through his arms around her and she did the same, burying her head into his shoulder. They came apart, and he put his hands back on her face again. He didn't seem to care at all that her face was so cold, that this was the wrong place and the wrong time— they were together. It was all that mattered.

For now.

"Can you walk? Run?" he said.

"Walk, maybe," she replied. "Run, no."

Anakin looked behind him at his struggling friends. He put his arms around her and lifter her so that she could stand. She tried to help him, but it was no use. Her legs gave into the pain they were feeling, and she bent at the knee again. Anakin didn't let her fall, and instead, took on all her weight as he took her fully into his arms and carried her out of the cell.

"Where's your lightsaber?" he asked her.

"I think a droid stuffed it under the computer," she said quietly. "It could be underneath."

He put her down for a moment.

"Stay here," he said. Anakin ran over to the control panel and reached under it, searching blindly for Akya's saber. His face lit up with success once he felt it— he held it up to Akya with a nod, then walked toward Obi-Wan and all the action. He lit up both his and Akya's lightsabers, the blue light adding a sort of hope to the situation they didn't have before.

"It's time to go!" Anakin called to them loudly. He slashed a couple droids in his way then retracted the blades, placing them both on his belt. He was the first to run out of the chaos toward Akya. He picked her up, then ran toward the blast doors in the hall and into the elevator in front of them. Obi-Wan and the clones followed him behind, making sure no droids followed them into the basement, which thankfully, there was only one way into— the elevator they were in. The doors closed, and the ride was quick— they ran back through the basement and through the door leading outside.

"There's more coming," warned Rex, running toward the front of the group. "I can hear it."

"Then let's move faster," said Obi-Wan. His lightsaber was still ignited. Soon indeed, they began to hear blasts coming toward them from way behind— a battalion of B1s was advancing on them, fast. Anakin didn't look back, and instead made his way toward the place they had parked the speeders, just at the tree line.

"We can lose them easily in the forest," said Jesse.

"Make your way to the speeders," added Obi-Wan. "We'll throw them off from there."

"What if they follow us?" asked Fives.

"We'll have to make sure they won't," answered Obi-Wan. They made a beeline to the forest and once they had reached them, hopped on the speeders, Akya taking to the front of Anakin's. He headed their way back, making sure to take a long way in order to throw the droids off the trail.  Obi-Wan, Rex, Jesse, and Fives followed closely behind.

a.n.:

HE'S CARRYING HERRRR!!! TEARING UP. (idk why. i wrote it why am i so obsessed with it)

also if it's not clear, I'm writing in a 3rd person subjective type situation where its 3rd person but I only give you the thoughts and feelings of one character.  — ★ ✰ ☆ — has represented a time skip previously but can also represent a pov shift.  just so you know. :)

love you don't forget to vote!!

molly