Meanwhile, the ship had just left hyperspace and the medical station was in sight.

Staring at the hologram from inside the medical bay, Kitto Fisto recognized the specific ship now entering their system.

"That's Ahsoka's ship." the Nautolan Jedi Master said. "It's just coming out of hyperspace right now. Send out tugboats to tie them down. Warn everyone, I don't want anyone aboard that ship until the parasite is contained. Sound all alarms and prepare the sub-zero tubes.

The medical clone nearby nodded and gave orders to the security team.

Spider-Man and Ahsoka made their way through the hallway, having successfully completed their mission. All they had to do was bide their time and survive the cold long enough for them to be rescued.

"I kind of regret leaving my robes at the temple," Ahsoka said, crossing her arms and shaking.

"Yes." Spider-Man's teeth were chattering.

Both teens blinked, watching the steam coming off Spider-Man's costume and the black webs glowing around him.

"Wow, built-in heater," Spider-Man said with a grin.

"How lucky," Ahsoka said, now shaking more with envy.

"where are you?"

Spider-Man and Ahsoka turned in a circle and heard their friend's distorted voice. "You can't abandon me."

"Are you sure?" Spider-Man quipped. The two quickly jumped directly into the vent above, ignoring the cold wind that was blowing at full force.

The biting cold wind caused the possessed Barris to pause, the worm inside her knowing that if it allowed its host to chase into the vent, it would surely die.

Throughout the ship, every infected clone wailed. They all tried to get warmth, but none came. It wasn't long before their masters passed out from the pain the worms were feeling, and none of them could really take it.

Spider-Man and Ahsoka quickly crawled through the vents, Ahsoka staying as close to Spider-Man as she could as she could feel the heat radiating from his suit.

Finally, they arrived at their destination.

"Bridge, last." Shaking, Ahsoka shuffled to the keypad at the door. Once inside, Ahsoka rushed to the controls, trying to signal. "We're coming too fast. This is Ahsoka Tano. Can you hear me? I'm shutting down the engines. I'll try to reverse-"

"Ahsoka!"

Ahsoka turned around and saw Spider-Man having to dodge a lightsaber attack from the infected Barriss. The wild swing of the lightsaber destroyed some of the nearby control consoles. When Spider-Man fought back, he knocked Barriss's lightsaber away, and it split the coolant tube hanging above. It swept down and released a stream of cooled air directly in front of the infected Barriss.

The sounds coming from her were painful to them. The infected host tried to retaliate, but Spider-Man had to use up the last of his webs to hold her in place. With it secured, Ahsoka grabbed the damaged tube and pointed it at Barriss.

"Forgive me, but this is for your own good."

As Barris swayed and screamed in his confinement, the worm began to come out, hoping to get warmth from a teenager in front of it. However, it failed as Spider-Man grabbed it hard and pried it out of his friend's mouth. Ahsoka released the tube and swung her ignited lightsaber, killing the worm.

A moment later, Kitto Fisto and a handful of armed clones arrived on the frozen ship. They remained focused on their surroundings, unaware of any infected wandering around.

When they arrived they saw the three teenagers hugging each other tightly to combine the remaining heat in their bodies. Now they felt like a mess even with Spider-Man's costume working overtime to heat them up.

Ahsoka raised her head with all her might, trying to smile.

“What—what—you—you—what—took you so long?” Spider-Man struggled.

“We all want to get the medical supplies out,” Barris whispered.

"Don't worry." Festus said as the three teenagers were slowly overcome by the darkness. "We'll take care of it. You three can rest for now.

They nodded and Barriss and Ahsoka passed out, but Spider-Man remained conscious.

"Mr. Parker?" Festo said in surprise.

"Internal heater, Mr. Fisto," Spider-Man said, though his head was still exposed. "Do you have a hat I could use, though? I-I left my mask at the barracks.

The next thing Ahsoka knew, she was waking up in the medical bay. Her vision was blurry as she was covered in several layers of blankets to help her return to normalcy.

Anakin sat not far from her bed. Hearing that she seemed to wake up, he walked over and whispered something. "Hey, Ahsoka. You're safe.

She nodded weakly and struggled to stand up from the bed, but was held down by her Master. "Where's Barris? Where's Peter?

"They're fine." He looked over, and Ahsoka followed suit, seeing their friends asleep in their own beds not far away. Barris was covered in a blanket, while Spider-Man just laid there, covering his eyes with an arm, snoring softly. "The same goes for the clones."

Ahsoka nodded and then asked something that popped into her mind. "What is that?"

"I think I can answer that." Looking toward the door, Kito Fisto walked in. "We analyzed these worms. They are identical to the creatures you found on Geonosis, Master Skywalker.

Anakin nodded solemnly. "We must inform the Force about Geonosis. This parasite may explain how they recaptured the planet Geonosis the first time. I do not want it to happen again."

Kitto Festo nodded in full agreement, then turned to the conscious teenager. "You've been through quite a bit. We really appreciate everything you and the others have done today."

Spider-Man woke up and looked up to see Ahsoka was now awake. He stood up and slowly walked over to her bedside. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile.

"Hey. Glad to see you're okay. Spider-Man said happily. "I was really worried about you."

"Same with you and Barris."

Anakin and Kit saw this and decided to let the two friends talk to each other.

As she exited the medical bay, Ahsoka thought back to something that had been bothering her for some time.

"So...Peter..."

"is it?"

“Sometimes earlier… What is French?

Spider-Man looked at her strangely. "French is a language on Earth."

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with kissing?"

Spider-Man remained silent, mouth hanging open, unsure of how to properly answer his friend's question.

"Uh...uh...well, you see that's...not important to your young innocent ears right now. Spider-Man said with finality, one hand over his heart and the other raised to his ear.

“Come on…tell me.

He shook his head.

"Please~"

"Oh my, since when has she been able to do this?"

Spider-Man had to look away from her because there seemed to be some kind of gleam in her eyes. It was a look that would hurt him because they looked so innocent.

"That shouldn't be allowed." Was the only sentence that ran through his mind as he kept hearing Ahsoka's innocent request.

Anakin walked out of the room and was greeted by the sight of Captain America resting against the wall near the door.

"How are they?" Captain America asked.

"They're fine," Anakin assured him. "Nothing that adequate rest can't help them fully recover from."

Cap nodded. "Glad to hear that. They definitely needed a break after that mess."

"Agreed," Anakin said, and the two left the room where the teens were resting.

They remained mostly silent when Cap noticed Anakin glance sideways, seemingly wishing to remain hidden.

"what happened?"

"Hmm?" Anakin looked at Captain America innocently.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"What?" Anakin said. "In my thoughts? I wasn't thinking anything.

Captain America looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to tell the truth.

Sighing, Anakin rubbed the back of his head.

"I didn't know you were-" Anakin muttered. "Interrogate the Poggle."

Captain America was slightly aware of this.

“Yeah.” Captain America coughed. “This is a method I don’t use often… or really haven’t used in over 70 years.

Anakin snorted, then turned slightly more serious. "You know, this kind of abuse is not the Jedi way. That... that's not Jedi to me."

"You're worried about a friend?" Cap said, placing a hand on the Jedi's shoulder. "I can tell you some of the things I did during the war. Things I did don't exactly let me sleep that well at night.

Anakin was silent.

"How do you cope?" he asked after a moment's silence.

“Just dealing with it the best I can,” Cap said. “I know people are free and other people don’t have to do what me and my generation did.

Skywalker thought about what Captain America said, and then had an idea for a prank.

“I want to hear…old man.

Captain America snorted. “Yeah, an old man who can still kick your ass….

The two men laughed, and Anakin nudged the Captain's shoulder, and they walked away, chatting lightheartedly, the long battle finally over.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like