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“I’m requesting that Ahsoka be sent back to Coruscant.” Anakin ignores the affronted look his padawan gives him and focuses on Master Yoda. “She’s too young for a mission like this.”
Ahsoka frowns at him. “Master, I’m more than capable -”
“Fearful, you are,” Yoda murmurs, “that harm may befall her?”
Anakin nods, his jaw tight. He shrugs off Obi-Wan’s hand on his shoulder. “Sending her to Zygerria is asking for trouble. I won’t allow it.”
“Master,” Ahsoka protests, but Anakin holds a hand up to stop her.
“Go find Rex. Now,” he adds harshly when she doesn’t move. He’s set on this, and no amount of complaints from her will get him to budge. She glares at him, but steps out of the room; only then does he turn back to the Council.
Ki-Adi Mundi clears his throat. “Your padawan is highly skilled, and shows strengths far beyond her age. She’ll be invaluable to your mission.”
“I’m not about to send a sixteen-year-old into a slaver’s den,” Anakin spits, “and especially not when she’s exactly what they want. I’m not willing to risk them getting their hands on her.”
“Padawan Tano is strong and can take care of herself, it will be good for her to gain experience -”
“Experience?” he cuts in incredulously. “I don’t want my padawan having that kind of experience.” He shakes his head in disgust, fury bubbling up inside him. “You think they’ll care about beating her? Hurting her? Do you think that’s the worst thing they’d do to her?”
“Anakin, calm down,” Obi-Wan says, worry coming off him in waves.
“No, Obi-Wan, I won’t calm down,” he snaps, glaring at the holos of the Council members. “I won’t send my padawan into the hands of flesh-traders and - and rapists.”
“She’s a child,” Master Tiin stresses. “If she were older -”
“I was younger,” is all Anakin says.
Silence descends upon them. He watches their faces fall, sees Yoda droop like he knew what was coming, feels Obi-Wan freeze beside him. They understand, even if they don’t want to.
“I was younger,” he repeats into the silence, “so don’t you dare tell me she won’t be in danger. She’s a Togruta girl, and in good health - would you like to know what price she’d fetch? Do you want to know what they’d do to her?”
What they did to me? is what he doesn’t ask, yet they hear it all the same.
“She’s not coming,” he insists, trying to swallow the tremble in his voice. “I can’t - I won’t let you send her.”
He’ll stand up in front of the Council everyday if he has to, as long as she’s safe, as long as he can protect her from the cruelties of the galaxy. He can deal with her outrage, her ire, if it means she never gets hurt the way he did. She’s his to protect and by the Force, he’ll protect her with everything he has until the day he dies.
“I won’t let you.”