Disclaimer: Don't own Star Wars or any of that stuff-type thingy's
A/N: This was originally in Death of a Hero, but it didn't fit in. This chapter and the quiz thingy are still in the story because I don't want to delete my entire story, so I'll just replace them when the next chapters are up. Green Powder to anyone who reviews!!! (Read ihadanepiphany's Two Lunatics and a Sith Lord – it's in Fave stories – to find out what the green powder is XDXD) Oh, and you may see some similarities in this to the part in Black Hawk Down where they're trapped in the one building. Not really alike, but just some similarities. This wasn't intentional. Oh, and Major Perigord (Despite his humanity) belongs to the great Brian Jaques, author of the excellent Redwall series.
Star Wars:
The Last Wish of Padmé Amidala
By Wedge Antilles
Specific Date Unknown; Sometime during the Clone Wars
Padmé Amidala finished the recording she had installed into the last Jedi Holocron to be made. She nodded her thanks to Jedi Knight Kerry Durron, also known as Kyp.
Kyp slipped the Holocron into his pocket and smiled at Padmé. "It was an honor, milady."
"It still will be, Kyp, if you get away now. I'm a very capable woman. I can handle this."
` "I do not wish to doubt you, Padmé, but I sense a black omen in the Force. An army approaches. An army too large to be fought back only with your men and weaponry."
"Do not worry, Kerry. I will survive. We will meet again. Now go!"
Kerry flew away from the oncoming battle in his Jedi Starfighter, and then he saw the army. He quickly had his long-range comlink on and was calling Padmé, telling her to flee. But he knew it was too late. He saw the communicator dish being knocked out as soon as he sent the message. He swore.
"Godspeed, Padmé. May you be a rested soul once we meet again." And with that, Kerry Durron, grandfather to Kyp Durron, flew away.
Padmé took up her blaster rifle and looked out the peep-hole she had ordered installed in her stone fortress. If you could call it a fortress. Looking out, she saw the army.
Looking out, she hoped they wouldn't notice her and would pass right by.
Looking out, she knew that it was folly.
Looking out, she knew she was dead.
And so did the rest of her battle group.
"Alright, men. There's an enemy we can't beat bearing down on us even as we speak. This enemy will not rest until we are all dead or surrendered." A man began to speak, but Padmé cut him off. "But I was told that this contingent never surrendered and would always fight 'til your death throes, and fight still even then. Was I told incorrectly?"
"You were not, milady. We shall continue to fight until our last breath. We will die to protect yo…."
Padmé cut him off. "You will not die to protect me. Our lives are forfeit at this point. Our objective is to destroy as many droids as possible. We will even hurl stones if we must, but we shall destroy droids – I shall destroy droids! – until life deserts our bodies. And this, I ask of you. I do not order it. You are not prohibited from turning around and taking our shuttle off this rock. But I am. I shall never leave this place again while I still draw breath.
And every droid you destroy here today, that is one less droid that the Republic has to deal with."
"Of course, milady." The captain said. "We would never leave you."
The droid army stood outside the fortress of defense, slowly circling around to cut off any route of escape from the defenders.
The Republic Soldiers inside waited quietly for the command that would let them loose against the battle and destroyer droids.
A dreadful silence fell across the two armies. Neither muscle nor servomotor moved.
And fleetingly, Padmé thought of her home, Naboo, lightyears away. She thought of the lush, green cities, and the giant, majestic mountains, and the calm, reflective lake… of the island amidst one of those lakes where Padmé and her beloved Anakin Skywalker were married, against all she knew to be right, and in that moment when they were man and wife, she knew – just somehow knew – that that event may of changed the galaxy, for good or ill.
She thought of her children, of Leia, the younger of the two, who had taken after her mother. Of Luke, the young little warrior. Padmé could feel the warrior spirit from him. And last of all, she thought of her beloved Republic. This day was going to be a monument in history, never to be forgotten. (Heh heh… She turned out to be wrong)
And then, nobody knew which side, somebody fired. And then all hell broke loose, everyone shooting. Droids fell down, servo's in flames. A New Republic soldier rarely was shot, due to the excellent cover the rocks provided.
But the no-hit record couldn't stay. With that many droids, it had to go. So, when the commander was hit between the eyes, nobody was surprised – they weren't happy, but weren't surprised.
"I'm out of ammo!" A young lieutenant called out, and was hit by a poorly-aimed shot just under the rib cage, and went down. Before his life slipped away completely, he took off his strap with 4 remaining grenades, pulled the pins, and threw the strap into the biggest mass of droids. The bombs blew with surprising power and knocked many droids down, damaged just as many, and destroyed many more.
Amidst the confusion, the remaining members of the team took the chance to shoot off the commanding droids in the mob. Thanks to the young lieutenant – Derek Tainer – hundreds more droids were destroyed, and the lives of the elite strike team were preserved that much longer.
Hours, countless hours, passed. Droid after droid went out. The acting-commander, seeing that his sharpshooters were getting more attention then the rest of his group, ordered his sharpshooters to rotate their positions after every shot. This tactic proved to keep the sharpshooters alive longer then most of the others.
The fortress, which had been hollowed out just for this, was amazingly strong, and was extremely useful for holding out the ruthless droids.
Padmé looked around grimly. This was exactly what they needed, a stronghold that they would be able to hold off enemies from for hours, days, perhaps even weeks, if you had enough supplies.
Which they did.
Once the droid army was decreased significantly, Padmé started going around to the weariest of the soldiers and told them to take a rest. She knew that the Republic had to come soon. The had sent out the distress single hours ago, and the nearest Republic base was only a system or two away. They had to hold out until the fleet came, the fleet which would have clones. Thousands, perhaps millions, of clones. Padmé shuddered at the very thought. But she had seen the clones in action, and the way they handled the Republic Gunships was truly admirable.
And no matter how much she had opposed the Army of the Republic, she knew that it may save her life. She knew that it would save someone's life. As long as it saved someone's life it was worth it. Even a small village, or a single family!
A young major broke her out of her musing.
"Milady, we're getting pounded out here. We need to use the rapid blaster."
Padmé looked up at the major. "Major Perigord, is that your personal opinion, or was that an order from your commander?"
"It was not my idea, Milady, it was my commander who order me to ask you."
"And what is your opinion, as a military man?"
Perigord looked around nervously. "My opinion is that if the blaster works the way we it's supposed to, then we will survive until the reinforcements arrive."
"So you think that we should use the rapid blaster?"
The Major nodded slowly. "Yes, milady."
"Very well, then. You may use the rapid blaster."
"Thank you, milady."
When Perigord got away from Padmé, he ordered a young private to come with him to wheel the heavy blaster to the hole in the stone wall they had made for just this purpose. Outside, the mayhem was as hectic as ever, with droids starting to try to storm the complex.
That's when inspiration and an idea that may have saved the lives of the strike team struck him. He knew precisely what to do to stall the attempts at sacking the stone fortress. "Hold it, Private. I've got an idea…" And then he launched into the details of his plan, the private nodding and getting grim grin on his face. When the Major was finished, they wheeled the blaster over to an area, passing Padmé by and filling her in on the details as they went. Soon all was set.
The Super Battle Droids, Destroyer Droids, and Battle Droids heard one of the defenders call up, and slowly all the fire in that area trickled down to a halt. It was a perfect area to storm the fortress. The Super Battle Droid in command seemed to smile as he sent a burst message to half of his force, ordering them to go into the fortress at that point. He took a step towards the wall, then went into a fast jog with the droids he had ordered in fast pursuit. Victory was upon them.
The stone wall exploded inwards from the bomb that the droids had placed on the outside, and immediately after it blew up, the Republic Army fighters were letting loose with their blasters, firing salvo after salvo into the smoke. Then Perigord fired up the heavy repeating blaster and cut a blazing path through the now-visible droids trying to storm the fortress, the droids now caught in the trap. Republic soldiers, who had climbed to the top of the fortress, suddenly opened fire on the droids below, wrecking all hell across them with bombs and blasters. The force of droids scattered towards the open wall, not yet realizing that it was a trap.
The roof-top force came down the wall, blasting droids from where they stood as they went down. The net was finished, as were the droids. Many Republic soldiers died in the confrontation, but in the end, the net and the repeating blaster proved true and eliminated the droids down to a measly force that was shot by ION guns and unarmed. The heavy blaster stayed active, but Perigord moved away from it. He had other things to worry about, for, the battle was one, but not without a cost. Padmé Amidala had been gunned down in the confusion, taking droids with her as she went down. Her blaster was in her hand still; none could seem to pry the still-hot weapon from her cold, dead grip.
Major Perigord stayed kneeling by her for awhile, but alas, he could not, for there were many other casualties, among them his commanders. So now he was the commanding officer of the elite Republic Battle Group 184.
Soon, the reinforcements did arrive. But it was too late. The Senator Padmé Amidala, mother of two, was dead. Somehow, they had to get the news to her children… Somehow, they had to get the information she had entrusted with the strike force… Somehow, they had to.