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Star Wars: Test of Faith pt.1

Deviation Actions

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Lavena Kammeal heard the screaming and moaning of the dying men and women around her as she watched the droids that surrounded her and her remaining comrades.  The survivors of the rescue attempt on Geonosis formed a sloppy ring, all facing outward to confront their attacker.  Her blue lightsaber was held tensely before her as she licked the sweat away from her upper lip.  The voice of their to-be captor or executioner droned on as he mocked the great Jedi Master Mace Windu.  Her hand tightened on the hilt of her weapon as the two talked even though the droids had not moved since Dooku had commanded them to cease.  Her own master stood beside her; his lightsaber held lightly at his side.  The green glow lit the body of a dead Jedi beside him causing the dead man to look eerily alive.  

She glanced over to her master only to find him already staring at her.  A soft frown etched on his lips as he looked on.  She tightened her lips into the briefest of smile.  His eyes locked on hers before he slowly blinked and turned away; powering off his lightsaber as he did.  

“We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku,” Mace’s defiant tone was the only thing that turned her attention away from her master’s actions.  

“Then … you will all die,” Dooku did not raise his voice any more than it took for them to be able to here him clearly, but the words cut any sense of serenity from the look of regret he gave them.  Lavena turned with her lightsaber held high as the droids began to churn back to life.  

Beside her, her master’s blade remained off and when she turned quizzical eyes to him; she found his eyes closed and his face oddly peaceful as if he knew something that none of the others did.  Suddenly as she watched his eyes snapped open just as Padmè shouted, “Look!”

Lavena glanced up in the direction the Senator had pointed and heard the faint hum of an engine before she saw the gunship approach, falling through the sky toward the survivors.  The droids around them began firing up in the sky and at her and her comrades.  Her master’s blade came to life as it batted away the deadly blots of gunfire as he shouted, “Fall back!  Get to the ships!”

Lavena automatically moved to protect her master as they had done for years and fell into the familiar rhythm.  They worked together dodging, blocking, and cutting through any droid that got in their way or threatened the others as they moved back toward the relative safety of the gunships.   Boots crunched on the sand of the arena as the soldier poured off the ships and began to form a protective barrier around the survivors.  From the corner of her eye she noted that they all wore bright white armor.  Some of the soldiers had various markings in different colors, she could only assume that those individuals were the officers.            

One of the men passed by her on the right and waved them back as he shot the incoming battle droids.  The droids fell to the constant fire that the man laid down as he slowly moved forward.  Lavena glanced over her shoulder and saw that most of the masters had already boarded the gunships and where rising in the air.  She and her master were the few remaining members of the JedI still on the ground.  Without a word she and her master retreated toward the nearest ship.  The white clad men fell in around them as she stepped into the open hatch of the ship.  Her master was right behind her, deflecting the few shots that came their way.  When she was in she turned to protect her master as he climbed into the area with her.  

Once they were in soldiers began backing into the ship with ease that only came from constant practice.  When their ship was loaded with as many as it could handle safely they rose into the air and out of the battle arena.  Her stomach felt as if it dropped as the pilot brought the ship up rapidly and then raced across the skies.

“We’ll be at the main frontlines within three minutes, sir,” one of the men said from behind his helmet.  Lavena turned to and saw that it was the same man that had ushered them back to the vessel.  

“Where did you all come from?  Who’s army is this?” her master inquired.

The soldier turned to him and said above the roar of the engines.  “We are the forces of the Republic, sir.”  The man’s head tilted to one side as if he were listening to someone.   Then, as she observed him; his head bobbed as if he were talking, but no sound came out from within his helmet. “General Kenobi is heading on passed the main battle lines.  General Windu has landed and is moving with our forces, and General Yoda has landed at the forward command post,” he reported so that they all could once again hear him before turning back to his men.

She snuck a glance at her master and he looked over at her with raised eyebrows and frown.  “General?” he asked.

The man turned back to face them.  “Yes, sir, you are our commanding officers.  Our force has been regulated to fight for you to win the war against the Separatists.”  Again Lavena and her master shared a brief glance as they all swayed on their feet as the ship turned suddenly.

“What are you saying?” Her master shouted to be heard as he held onto the safety netting above him.  “The Republic couldn’t have mustered enough to create an army this quickly!  Who are you?”

The soldier’s head cocked to one side before he spoke, “Cee Cee eight-six-zero-eight.”  His hand swept to the men around him.  “We’ve been training for ten years on Kamino, General Marse.”

Master Marse raised his hand to stop the man.  “The Republic has been building an army for ten years?”  The confusion he felt was easily readable in the force.  “Why would they divert resources to an army that they did not need until now?”

“Sir, I cannot answer questions that I don’t have the answers to … that would be speculation.”   

Lavena gazed down out of the gunship and saw the thousands of troops marching toward the frontlines.  The white clad men stood out against the brilliant red sand of Genonsis as she watched them move in perfect standard square formation.  “There’s so many,” she whispered in awe.  

The soldier came to stand beside her.  “My brother’s have been training their entire lives for this moment.  We’ll do our job, ma’am.”  She could almost hear the smile in his voice.  The comment slide by without any thought on her part as she continued to stare down at the battle being waged below.  

“How many do you know?” She asked facing the masked man.

She felt his pride in the force as he replied, “I’ve tried to talk to most of them, but I know each of my brother’s in my own squad very well, ma’am.”

“That’s a lot of men to talk to,” Lavena quipped.  From the corner of her eye she saw her master tighten his hold on the net.  His mouth was barely open to issue the warning as the missile whizzed by the open door, barely missing the wing as the pilot threw the ship into a tight turn.  

The soldier beside her grabbed the netting above him, as his comrades did likewise, while at the same time throwing our his arm in case she lost her balance.  She managed to keep her footing but was thankful to have the brace to keep her from plummeting to the ground far below.   The man kept his arm stretched out until the vessel had righted itself.  Only when they leveled out did he drop his arm back to his side.  

Lavena smiled, “Thank you . . . Soldier.”

She stared at the slit in his helmet waiting for any comment but noticed that he cocked his head slightly and no longer appeared to be listening to her.  She pursed her lips and waited for him to finish and explain what was happening, but he straightened again and faced his men.  To everyone else he said, “Touchdown in thirty seconds!”  He twisted in place, “Thirty seconds!”

Sweat began to form on her palms, and she had to whip them repeatedly to clear them of the substance so she could gain a firm grip on her weapon.  “Hang on!” the soldier yelled.  “Here we go!”  She had enough time to grab the netting before the gunship dropped toward the surface.  Dust blew up around the vessel stinging Lavena’s eyes.  The ship hovered above the ground as the troops inside jumped clear and strode away as they made room for the next man to exit.  She followed the soldier beside her out of the ship and into the battlefield.  

Together the two made their way to where her master was already standing issuing orders.  The trooper moved away from her and joined his men.  She went to stand next to her mentor.  “What are we going to do?” she asked as she ignited her blade.  

“Stop the Separatist leaders before they flee and end the war here before it begins,” he answered.  He nodded toward the men behind them.  “I need you to lead them while I make my way to Master Windu.  They already have their orders, and you’re more than capable of making any decisions on the field.”

“Of course, Master.” she answered and turned on her heal.  Her men met her halfway and stopped before her.  “Let’s do this.”

The commanding soldier came up next to her again, rifle at the ready.  “We’re needed over there, ma’am,” he said pointing in the direction to their left.  

She nodded and started in the direction indicated.  “What’s your name?” she asked after several minutes.  The enemy was visible above the sand dunes.  

“We have numbers, ma’am,” he answered simply.  “No legal names.”

That answer caused her to stop mid-stride for a brief second before she continued on.  “Everyone has to have a name.”

His hand tightened on his weapon as they came to a stop behind the cover of the mound of sand.  “Clones don’t ma’am.  We’re not considered citizens of the Republic.”

Any further conversation was cut off as the first blaster fire flew passed them.  Her men began returning fire immediately.  Five men were hit … then ten … Lavena felt the men’s pain and determination strongly in the force.  She batted away the constant bolts that came at her and the men.  Thoughts filled her mind, but she quickly swept them away and focused on what needed to be done.  

“Captain!” She called above the roar of battle.  “Flank!”  She checked to ensure that the soldier had heard here, and saw that he passed the command off on one of his men.  

His words careered over to her on the slight breeze.  “Emi, pass right.  Let’s get these clankers.”  Lavena watched as the man he had spoken to crouched and ran as directed with ten men close behind.

The men that remained beside her fought fiercely as they waited for their comrades to aid them.  The young Jedi attempted to save the most she could, but there was only one of her and too much fire to deflect to protect them all.  She stayed beside them, knowing that whatever happened to them would happen to her.  She would not be able to live with herself any other way.

“Captain, how much longer?” she inquired.

The man glanced over at her.  “Hopefully not much longer or we’ll be trophies on a Separatist wall in the morning, ma’am.”  

She fell into a rhythm that worked for her in the battle as the flanking men finally engaged and she led her men out to meet the remaining forces.  The captain fell into step beside her as they worked their way across the battlefield.  They fought hard moving further up field toward where her master could barely be seen in the distance.  Blaster fire continued to scream passed her and her men.  She blocked what she could but most zipped by no matter how hard she attempted to stop it.  At times like this she felt that her abilities were not nearly as tuned as they could have been, even though she was still a Padawan.  She promised herself that after this day she would study harder and learn all that she could so that in the next battle she would feel more in control and not floundering just to stay alive.  

They had made it about halfway up the field when she sensed an absence in the force.  She knew at once that Count Dooku had fled and whichever Jedi team had gone after him had failed.  In a brief flash of anger she motioned the captain over to where she stood at the front of the line.  The man was there within a second, standing straight as if the deadly bolts meant nothing to him, as if one hit would not kill him.

“Ma’am, General Kenobi reports that Count Dooku and the rest of the Separatist leaders have fled the planet.  Their forces should start drawing back soon,” the man commented.

She waved off the comment as she said, “We need to regroup with my master.”  The captain glanced down the field and she knew that he was calculating the odds in the distance needed to make it to her master.  “We don’t have enough men.  If we regroup, we’ll more than double our troop strength.”

“Throw the odds in our favor you figure, ma’am?” the captain said with a laugh.  “Each of our men alone could take out half a dozen clankers, barehanded.”

She shook her had as she laughed.  “Humor me then.”  Without waiting for his reply she took off down the field shouting for her soldiers to follow her.  They did without second thought.  She turned slightly as she sliced through a super battle droid and saw the captain hesitate a second as if reluctant to follow her.  He was back by her side in an instant as if he never left as they hurried their way across the battlefield.  She felt her master’s recognition of their movement and saw him turn half his troops to cover their approach.  The men under her command seemed to move chaotically, but she knew that their every movement was planned and had been rehearsed dozens if not hundreds of times.  Even with their extreme training, men still fell and died.  She kept her pace even with the captains until they reached the first group of her master’s men.  By then she had lost nearly half the men in her care to the enemy.  She left the captain with another man of his rank as she raced to her master’s side.

“Master, is it true that the Separatist leaders have escaped?” She asked barely winded from there run.  

“What do your feelings tell you?” Her master asked as he deflected a bolt away from them.

At that same moment, her captain yelled, “It’s a trap!”  Lavena gaze snapped back to the man she had begun to respect.  He was snapping commands before either of the JedI had noticed what had alerted him to trouble.  

Beside her, her master tensed as he shouted, “Move, Hailfire!  Incoming!”

The troops scattered for cover as the rounds began slamming into the ground.  Lavena felt the ground jump beneath her with every missile that hit the ground.  She soon found herself once again sprinting beside the captain.  As they ran she could tell that he was once again talking within the confines of his helmet.  What he was discussing was left up to her best guess, and she did not have the time nor focus to worry about what he was doing.

“Support will be here in five minutes!” he shouted above the sounds of the battle.                       
   
She did not express her doubt that any of them would be alive in five minutes because that train of thought was misplaced on the battlefield.  The men around her needed her to show that she believed that they would all make it back safely to wherever they called home.  Instead, she reflected the small arms fire away from the two of them, leaving the captain only to worry about the large missiles slamming into the Geonosis ground all around.  The captain took the assistance and led the way, weaving through the battlefield with grim determination.  His weapon chopping down any droid in their way.  

Half her other men where following, trying to avoid the large chunks of ground that blasted toward them from the detonations.  She felt helpless because she could not stop the death around her as she glanced to her right side and watched a man that had been right behind the captain fall to debris and blaster fire.  The captain raised his right arm to protect his face instinctively as his step faltered from the same blast that had taken out the other trooper.  He fell face forward as another round hit close by, but he quickly tucked himself into a ball and rolled to his feet, coming up firing at nearby battle droids.  She saw him shake his head slightly as if clearing his vision but had to look away as the fire intensified.     

“We’re almost there, Ma’am,” he called out.  

She barely heard him as she lost herself in the force.  Moving where she was needed.  Blaster fire met her blade and found a different mark than what the shooter had intended.  In her state she felt where every man in her dwindling squad were.  

“The clankers flanked us!” she snapped out of her trance as the captain’s voice bit out the words.  

She turned and saw that the droids had indeed come at them from behind and the sides.  She swallowed her fear and clutched her hilt tighter as she ducked behind a stone by the captain.  “There’s too many of them between us and the …”

“I thought that your men trained for this and could single-handedly take out the droids,” she quipped as she surveyed the situation.  

She felt the man beside her bristle at the words.  “That was before we lost more than half of ’em, ma’am”  She turned and looked into the T-shaped slit in his helmet trying to decide whether or not that he blamed her for the loss of his men.  She did not sense any malice in him but that did not mean it was not there lurking underneath his mask.

Around them shells lit up the sky, but the two remained relatively safe behind their rock.  The captain gazed out over the field at his men still trying to find cover.  His weapon fired non stop as he attempted to aid while still remaining protected himself.  




******
As the men scattered from the devastation around them, Atlas kept those under his command firmly in order maintaining their training.  They fought their way up the battlefield one sandy inch at a time.  The Jedi General at his side swung his lightsaber in a seemingly random fashion, but Atlas knew that there was a steady consistency about it.  This was the first he had seen a Jedi.  The rumors that had floated around Kamino were proving to be more accurate than he had at first thought.  They were indeed mystical creatures.  He had seen first-hand what this Jedi was capable of having seen him knock down several droids by reaching out his hand.

“We need to take out those Hailfires,” Atlas stated as blaster fire whizzed by his helmeted face.  

General Marse shifted his eyes in his direction.  “I’m working on it, Captain.”  The man’s blade a blur as it cut down any droid that strayed to close.

Atlas shook his head at the man’s causal manner.  Jedi were indeed unique.  He continued fighting as he awaited the General’s orders.  ‘Incoming!”  One of his men yelled out from behind.  Atlas swung around and saw ten missiles flying toward them.  He spun back to question the general but found the man kneeling as he faced the missiles.  Sweat poured off the general’s face soaking his tunic as his raised arms shook from invisible strain.

“Protect the General!”  Atlas shouted pointing to the kneeling man.  “Form a circle around him!”  He saw twenty of his men comply while the rest remained pinned down behind their various forms of cover.  As hard as they tried they could not obey his command because of the simple undeniable truth that they were severely outnumbered.  

As they fought, Atlas glanced at the missiles to see how much time remained until they struck and they would all perish.  To his surprise he found the missiles suspended in the air.  He turned to gaze at the Jedi and found his hands shaking uncontrollably now with all the color lost from his face while he muttered quietly to himself unheard on the roaring battlefield.  

“I don’t know how long I can hold it, Captain,” the General’s voice was strained from the exertion.

Atlas clamped his shoulder in a sign of support.  “Not much longer, General, my men almost have the last of ‘em.”

With that he began firing again and would have continued to the end of the battle if a droid had not made it in close.  He turned at one of his men’s shouted warning only to have the droid smack him sideways causing him to lose his grip on his twin blasters.  Hands burning, side aching from the impact, he stood and watched hands raised defensively as the droid brought its own weapon to bare.  

The first shots came as he threw himself sideways, tucking in a roll and coming up with one of his lost blasters in hand.  One skilled shot brought the droid down in a smoking heap of scrap metal.  He grinned under his helmet as he moved to resume his previous position.

“Sir, the droids ranks have diminished.  I believe we are capable of evacuating,” Atlas offered as he stood posed to blast any Separatist that neared.

The Jedi’s eyes remained closed as if all strength had drained from him.  “Captain, get your men to safety.”

Atlas’s men stared at him awaiting orders.  “You heard the general get to the larty.”

His men rushed off to complete their orders, and Atlas watched them leave before turning to his general.  “They’re safe, sir,” he stated as he stared up at what would be his and the Jedi’s death.  

“Your men need you, Captain,” the general strained as he struggled to keep the missiles suspended above them.

Atlas smiled underneath his helmet.  “Not as much as you do, sir.”

“Very well,” the Jedi muttered as he struggled to rise to his feet.

Atlas stood beside him, mindful of their surroundings as he eyed the general.  The man stood on wobbling legs as he opened his eyes.  The strain of keeping the ten missiles back obvious in the lines appearing on his face and the fatigue seeping through his bones.  Still, Atlas stayed rooted to his spot and covered his superior.

His mind racked itself for options open to them.  “Sir, why can’t you throw the missiles back at the Hailfires?” he asked as the thought lodged itself in his mind.

“I’m trying, Captain,” the general grunted.  “I’m not sure I’m strong enough.  I’ve been attempted to gather my strength.”  He took in a deep breath and pushed out with his hands.  The resistance rippled down his arms.

The Captain stared in awe as the general actually managed to send the missiles back at the enemy.  Smiling, he shook his head and added another miracle to the growing list of abilities that the Jedi could achieve.  A soft thump sounded behind him and he turned to see the general on his knees all strength having fled his body.

The missiles were nearly at the enemy line when Atlas grabbed the general up by the armpits.  Yanking him to his feet and half dragging half carrying him away from the explosion to come.  “We have to make it to the larty, general.”

Dav gathered his last reserves and ran beside Atlas.  The captain was surprised at the man’s stamina and his respect grew further.  It seemed that the Jedi were as fit and disciplined as any of the clone that he had trained with.  But no matter how hard the general tried to stay in step, Atlas soon left him a few feet behind and soon the gunship was in view.  With every step the captain counted down to the inevitable shock wave that would hit once the vehicle was blown apart.  By the time they were close enough to see every detail on the troopers’ armor, he was further in front of the general.  He paused and prepared to aid the JedI, but the JedI saw him and waved him on.  With gritted teeth he obeyed and stepped onto the gunship.

“What about the general, sir?” one of the troopers asked.  In the distance the explosion of the Separatist vehicle lit up the sky.

Atlas replied, “On his way.” His eyes never leaving the sand wall that was coming their way on the waves of the blast.  

A few minutes later the general was inches from the ship.  “Take off!” Atlas shouted to the pilots as he reached out and latched onto his commander’s wrist and hauled him onboard as the ship soared away from the billowing sand below.  “You alright, General?” Atlas asked as the general sunk to the floor.  

“My Padawan’s in trouble we need to find her,” General Marse said with his eyes closed.  His chest rising and falling quickly.

Atlas nodded crisply, knowing what it meant to worry about those left behind.  “Yes, sir!” he complied briskly.  He turned and called to the pilot, “Fly low, the general wants the Commander.”

“Aye, sir,” the pilot acknowledged.


******
“Any plans, ma’am?” he asked as he stood to gain a better view.  

Lavena smiled.  “I’m working on something right now,” she answered simply as she glanced over the final stretch of ground that stood between them and escape.   She looked up at him and saw that his head was cocked as he continued fighting.  By now she realized that when he did this he was communicating with his men.  When he abruptly tensed she felt his pain and loss strongly in the force and turned to see what had happened.  What she saw was more of the troops fall to the Hailfires.    

“I’ve got a plan but we need more of you’re men to help with it,” she said softly, choosing not to acknowledge the other man’s distress.  

He turned and replied, “I’m right behind you, ma’am.”  The tightness in his voice was evidence of his determination to save his soldiers.

Without waiting for her reply, he broke away from safety and plunged into the battle again.  She ran to catch up to him and together the two of them raced back the way that they had come.  Back toward the separatist trap and their arm of droids.  Ahead of her the captain leapt over the broken remains of blasted droids and landed lightly on his feet all the while firing at anyone moving on the opposing force.  She slashed through multiple units as she effortlessly kept stride.  

As they neared the pinned down troops the ground shook and exploded more frequently as Hailfire missiles slammed around them.  The captain skidded to a stop as a round blasted the sand and rock in front of him up into the air.  He raised his arms to protect his helmeted face as the first chunk smashed into his arms.  Lavena was occupied with the swarming ranks of droids and had to watch as the man took a large piece of debris to the chest.  The sound of the impact echoed over the field as the man went down flat on his back.  The debris settled around him and she could only glimpse a short image of his crushed breastplate before needing to defend herself again.  



*****
The Captain groaned groggily as he slowly blinked his eyes.  His HUD fizzed in static before darkening completely.  The pain in his chest burned and every time he tried to take a breath the pain intensified.  The sounds of the battle around him seemed far away as he attempted to stand.  His body refused to listen to the command and remained on the sandy ground of Geonosis.  Through the slit in his helmet he could still see the Jedi fighting fiercely as she attempted to make her way back to him.  He tried again to move but only succeeded in gaining another surge of white hot pain shooting through his chest.  The sound of crunching sand was audible to his right, so he turned his neck slowly to see what was coming toward him and saw ten Super Battle Droids.  His blood froze at the sight as his gloved hand grasped the sand searching for his dropped weapon.  He came up empty and could only watch as they closed the gap.  

“Ma’am!” he tried to shout the warning but his word came out in a mangled gasp.  Still she turned to him and he saw her eyes briefly widen in shock.  She finished cutting through the Battle Droids and turned her full attention to the larger threat.  He managed to raise his right hand in a futile attempt to ward off the incoming fire.  He cringed as he heard what would be the fatal shots.  


*****
Lavena had barely heard the captain’s warning and had been shocked to find that their troubles had grown worse at the sight of the Super Battle Droids.  She quickened her pace, sweat now pouring in rivers down her face, drenching her tunic.  The slower, less deadly droids fell to her feet in heaps of burnt metal as she turned to see the trooper on the ground raise his arm in a last attempt to defend himself.  The sight tore through her as she charged to defend him, deflecting it when it was a mere foot away from his face.  The Super Battle Droids fired and she nearly missed the blast intended to blow the man’s head off.  Her lightsaber crackled with the energy as she batted the fire away, trying to aim at the droids before her.         

Her strength was diminishing quickly and soon it would leave her.  Leaving not only her but the man behind her at the mercy of the droids who would kill them without a thought or care.  She pushed through to her last reverses as her blade became a wall between them and their foe.  Two droids finally fell to the reflected barrage of their own blaster bolts.  Still the pace was too extreme for her and she slowly felt her knees weakening and crumpled to her knees still protecting them both, not knowing how much longer she would be able to.  She tried to fall back into the force for an extra boost but was too tired to connect deeply enough.  

“I’m so sorry,” she said wearily.  

The captain remained silent behind her and she felt that he was slowly suffocating, crushed beneath the breastplate that was meant to protect him.  She chanced a glanced back at him and saw that he was pointing shakily toward the sky.   Turning and glancing up all the while still batting away death, she saw two gunships racing through the sky toward them.  She reached out in the force and felt the presence of her master on the lead ship and felt her strength rise as her master connected with her.  

She stood again and held the enemy off, killing another two, as the gunships arrived and blasted the remaining droids apart.  She stared up at the sky briefly before turning to the man behind her and knelt beside him.  Examining the damage down to him she saw that nothing appeared to be seriously wounded.  She glanced over the armor looking for a clasp so that she could take off the breastplate since it seemed to be the only object crushing him.  On the ground he was slowly fading before her eyes.  

“ The Generals say that the Separatist force has pulled back,” the man said weakly between gasps of breath.  A trooper to the end.  “General Marse says that he will land behind us.”

Lavena barely listened as she found the clasp and undid it and the one of the opposite side and tugged the armor plating off leaving the man in only his black under suit.  Once his chest plate was off the man greedily sucked in air, filling his lungs.  He lifted his head enough to take off his helmet and for the first time, Lavena saw the man’s face.  It was surprisingly younger than she would have thought, yet hardened beyond his years.  A fury burned behind his dark brown eyes and his black hair was cropped short and matted with sweat.  He let the helmet slip from his grip and it rolled a few feet away before stopping.

As she knelt the remaining men under her command came up ducking every now and then when explosions sounded in the distance.  They came up to stand around their fallen commander.  She glanced up and wondered what it would like if they all had their helmets off.  She barely remembered the captain saying that they were all clones.  It seemed so long ago now even though it had been hours.  

“You alright, captain?” one of the men asked as he too knelt beside the down man.

“Are you kidding he took that blast in the chest like a pod racer colliding with him,” another of the men quipped as he stood at easy with his back to them.  Still keeping a trained eye for any strangling Separatist troops.       

The first glanced up sharply and Lavena could almost imagine the glare that he was giving the second man.  “A little tact, Mirror.”  The man merely shrugged without turning.  

The troops glanced around at each other and tried to sneak occasional glances at her without her notice.  She had yet to move from the captain’s side.  Her strength slowly seeping back, but that is not what caused her to remain by the man’s side.  She felt guilty.  A simple warning shouted to the man before he stepped another foot could have saved him from the pain.  If only she had felt the slight vibration in the force.  If only they had gone slower, more carefully … stayed closer to the other men in their hurried escape.  

“Here the General comes,” a third trooper stated.  She glanced up and saw that this man had the markings of a lieutenant.

She turned her face away as the gunship began to descend throwing the sand at them in a dust storm.  Beside her the man that knelt beside her leaned slightly to shield the captain from the grit.  She saw the captain clench his teeth together as they all caught sight of her master striding purposefully across the distance toward them, flanked on either side by two men.

At last she stood as her master finally reached them and the men parted to let him through.  He stopped in front of her.  The other man that had knelt quickly snapped upright and said, “General.”

Her master glanced to him and nodded before meeting her unwavering gaze.  “Get your men on the gunships.  Masters Windu and Yoda want us out of here before more Separatist appear.”

“Yes, Master,” she said and motioned for her men to board the second ship.  They slowly began to file away.  Two of them lifting the captain up carefully and carrying him away.  Her gaze faltered as she watched them take him away.  In front of her, her master observed the varying expressions that crossed her face.   When she turned back to face her master she saw his face soften.  

“Go.  We’ll talk back on Coruscant,” he stated as he turned.  His cloak whipping at his feet.  She began walking slowly back to her men but stopped at her master’s voice.  She looked over her shoulder as he said, “You did well, Padawan.  Those men are alive because of you.”  With that he disappeared as his gunship rose swiftly, carrying him away.  

She stepped on board and crouched beside the captain who now had his eyes closed.  As she settled down though, his eyes opened and he glanced over at her and stared.  His eyes bore into hers but both maintained the lock as the gunship rose and soared away leaving the dead where they had fallen.  Hesitantly she touched his shoulder plate and whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

His eyes closed for a brief second and she felt his agony at losing so many of his brothers.  It hit her hard for a moment and in that second she could not breath.  Only when his eyes opened again did she suck in a tiny breath.  “They did their jobs and so did you and me.”

She leaned back and replied softer so that the men around could not hear.  “Sometimes doing your job is not a good enough reason to die.”

The captain’s lips curled into a slight smile.  “And what about you standing alone against all those clankers trying to save me when you could have made it safely back to my men, ma‘am?”

“It’s a Jedi’s duty to …” she cut herself off as she saw him slightly nod his head as if she had proven something.  Only then did she realize where he was heading with this thought.  

He said, “You did your job, and we did ours.”  He looked away as he continued.  “Don’t belittle what they did.  It will take away from why they had to die.”

She let her hand drop back to her side.  “I’m still sorry that I could not have saved more.”

The captain turned back to her and answered, “You saved all that you could, ma’am.  I saw you throw yourself into the line of fire for many of my brothers.  You stepped in front of me when I was down.  You saved, me.”

She could not think of anything else to say so she stayed silent.  She saw him waiting for a reply but when none came, he said, “I owe you, ma’am.  Simple as that.”  After those words they traveled in silence both staring down at the battle torn world of Genonsis.  Knowing that nothing would be the same afterward.  She sighed heavily and tore her eyes away.  More death would meet her in the future.
This is the first part of a three part short story. Story begins on geonosis where the Jedi are trapped in the arena by Count Dooku. Then, Captains Rodi and Atlas come with their men and follow their Jedi General and Commander through the battle.

Below is a list of characters to appear in the short story.

Rodi - Clone Captain - 8608
Demo - Clone Trooper -8610
Abyss - Clone Trooper -7754
Torch - Clone Trooper -1309
Emi - Clone Lieutenant -2526
Mirror - Clone Trooper -5335
Fallback - Clone Sergeant -7219
Broker - Clone Trooper -7220
Atlas - Clone Captain CC-8607
Dav Marse - Jedi Master
Lavena Kammeal - Jedi Padawan / Knight
-Alpha 10
Mav - Alpha 13

Star Wars belongs to Mr. Lucas
All characters in list above belong to me
© 2009 - 2024 snipingqueen
Comments8
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wolfsoldier13's avatar
Very good story, it as allot of emotions to it. You are a very talented writer.