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Chapter 2: Natalia

The explosion rages behind me as I hurl myself through the air, my heart skipping so many beats that I lose count. I eventually land in a crouching position and glance over my shoulder to check if Anakin's all right, but all I can see are flames and smoke and flying debris. I waste no time in backing away from the havoc, taking a couple of deep breaths as I try to think it through. Could a battle droid have planted that explosive? No. How could it have known ahead of time the exact spot where Anakin and I were going to be? Whoever planted it must have done so while we were standing back-to-back, deflecting the blaster bolts back at the battle droids. And the only way they could have done that without either of us noticing would have been…

"Sir, are you all right?" I turn around to see Captain Rex and a couple other clone troopers rushing towards me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reassure them, brushing off my skirt and clipping the lightsaber back onto my belt. "I haven't heard from Anakin, though. And I think that we're up against a Force-sensitive, so probably either Ventress or Dooku." I glance upwards at the sound of another battalion of droids marching towards us. "You take care of the battle droids. I'll try to contact General Skywalker and ask him what we should do about the Force-sensitive."

"Yes, sir," Rex agrees, saluting me and taking off, the others close behind him. I adjust my comlink frequency in order to reach Anakin, then say, "Master, this is Ahsoka. Are you all right?"

For a moment, I only get static, but then he responds, "Yeah. I'm unscathed. Don't worry about me, Snips."

Over the comlink, I can hear the sound of blaster bolts ricocheting off of his lightsaber blade, which means that he's already engaged more droids. "Master, I think we may have another problem," I warn him. "The only way for someone to plant that explosive right where we were standing—without either of us noticing—would've been for them to levitate it using the Force."

A pause. Then, "You think Ventress or Dooku is involved."

"I'm sure of it."

"All right," Anakin says. "I'll go try to find them, then. You stay here with Rex and the rest of the five-oh-one."

"Wait, what?" I demand. "No. I'm coming with you. You'll need my help."

"We don't know who our opponent is."

"Exactly!"

"I don't want to gamble with your life, Ahsoka. Ventress is enough of a challenge, but you're definitely no match for Dooku." His lightsaber hisses as it plunges through something—most likely a droid—and then retracts into the hilt. "Listen. I couldn't handle him when I was a Padawan, either. I need you to trust me, okay?"

"But, Master, I really think—"

"That's an order, Ahsoka!"

I flinch, shocked by the unexpected acerbity of his tone. "Okay, fine," I consent quietly. "I'll join Rex. You take care of whoever we're up against."

"All right," says Anakin, as though agreeing to something I proposed. Then there's a click, and he's gone.

I sigh, slipping Ahsoka's lightsaber off of my belt and jogging across the grassy plains to join Rex. "Any word from the general?" he asks, as soon as I come into his line of vision.

"Yeah," I respond sullenly. "He doesn't want our help. He's going to track down an unidentified but dangerous Force-sensitive while the rest of us hold off the droids."

The captain doesn't reply to this; instead, he continues to fire his twin blasters, eliminating quite a few of the droids in the process. The blade of the lightsaber is a mere green blur as it whizzes through the air, diverting blaster bolts and shielding me from any potential harm. I'm moving it so rapidly, my conscious mind can't even entirely process what I'm going to do next. Somehow, almost miraculously, I just know.

There are seven droids left now. Rex manages to shoot down another two, and I leap forward and slash through three of them. Blaster fire from behind me whizzes past my shoulder and strikes a droid to my right, in the spot where its heart would be if it had one. I grip Ahsoka's lightsaber hilt tighter and rush towards the last droid and then—

Splitting pain is shooting through my mind, and I'm sinking into the grass, unable to hold myself upright anymore. Help, says a small voice in the back of my head, and then it comes to the forefront of my mind and screams: Help me, someone, help…

"Anakin," I hear myself murmur. "Anakin's in trouble…"

Someone's pulling me to my feet, and I turn to see Captain Rex. Both of his blasters are holstered, and the last droid lies destroyed about a metre away. I think of Anakin, who's possibly in danger, and for some inexplicable reason, panic claws at me. "Master Skywalker's in trouble," I repeat, louder this time, looking right at where Rex's eyes should be beneath his helmet.

"He told you to stay here, sir," he says, but even he sounds unsure.

"I don't care." I snatch away my arm and bend down to retrieve Ahsoka's fallen lightsaber. "Anakin's in danger. I have to go save him. He would do the same for me."

No one says anything in response to this, so I take it as a sign that I'm free to go. I shut my eyes, trying to determine Anakin's location, and receive a vague sense whispering for me to head to the right. When I start jogging in that direction, though, Rex's voice stops me. "Hey, kid."

I glance at him over my shoulder, my heart sinking in my chest. He's going to shut down my whole operation, isn't he? But at this point, it's not as though it really matters. I've put up a fight, insisting that I need to save Anakin, exactly like Ahsoka would. So far, Anakin, Rex, and the clones have no reason to doubt my identity, other than my brief slip-up back at the Jedi Temple. But if I'm being completely honest, another part of me actually wants to rescue Anakin, even if I can't explain why. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm a Jodian; it's my job to save people. But I think it might be slightly deeper than even that. If someone were in my place, after all, and Matthew were the one in trouble, I'd want them to help him. So maybe that's it. Maybe I feel as if I owe this to Ahsoka, wherever she is now.

Rex examines me, and for a moment, I'm sure that he's going to hold me back…but then he nods in acceptance. "Just be careful."

"I will," I promise him, a bit too enthusiastically, as I turn around and embark on my journey through the expansive plains of Dantooine.

As I'm nearing a small cottage, Matthew's voice surfaces in the back of my mind. Focus, Natalia, he says. You can do this. I believe in you, Nat.

Not for the first time, I wish he were actually here with me.


"Jodian Natalia, have you heard of Matthew Walker?"

I looked to the black-haired Jodian apprentice, who was sitting in the corner of the Lead Jodian Hall. She was the girl who'd shown up at my dorm and told Christina and me to come with her. And for the past ten minutes, I'd been sitting in the antechamber while the most powerful people in the Jodian Foundation spoke to my sister, fretting over what I could have done wrong to prompt the Head Jodian Council to send someone to fetch me. I hadn't skipped any classes, I hadn't been dating or even crushing, and I certainly hadn't betrayed the Jodia to the Confederacy or anything like that. And after all that concern, the Lead Jodia had asked me to come up to the five hundredth floor just to find out if I knew of one of the most famous Jodia ever?

"Yes," I said, redirecting my gaze toward Trevor Greene, president of the Jodian Foundation. The Lead Jodia had arranged themselves on risers according to their respective ranks, so I was forced to crane my neck in order to see him well. "He's apparently a legend, isn't he?"

Legend may have been an understatement. I'd heard of Matthew Walker's impossible feats from whispers shared amongst my classmates. He was so talented, he'd been accepted into the Foundation when he was ten—much too old for an ordinary student to begin Jodian training. And now he was one of the International Union's top Jodian generals, as I'd heard on the news.

President Greene laughed good-naturedly at my response, and though I relaxed a bit when he did, I still didn't dare to laugh along with him. "Some think so," he said. "Maybe you'll be able to share with us your own findings on the matter."

I frowned at him. "I…I'm not sure I understand, sir."

"Jodian Natalia," said President Greene, as if he were getting ready to explain something incredibly simple. "You and your twin sister have been at the top of your class for eleven years. Therefore, I've decided, along with the rest of the Head Jodian Council, that you both may need more of a challenge. That's why we're apprenticing you to Matthew Walker."

For a moment, words escaped me. I opened my mouth, trying to think of something intelligent to say, but the world was spinning, so it never came. I—at fourteen years old—was going to be apprenticed to Matthew Walker.

Matthew Walker.

I don't remember what I ended up saying to Trevor Greene. Half of it is comprised of fuzzy fragments splotched over my memory, a blurry image I can no longer make out. I saw Christina…she told me about her new mentor, Genevieve Turner…and then I left the Jodian Headquarters for my first mission, and I met Matthew and his former master, Lead Jodian Oliver Rivera.

But…but then there's the other half—


Thirty hours later, I found myself curled up on the ground, clutching a thin blanket to my chest. Rocks beneath me bit viciously into my back, despite any attempts to rearrange myself. My uniform—my brand new uniform—was already stained with dried blood. Yet a flimsy tent stretched above my head. That was considered a luxury. Only the Jodia got a tent.

I was pretending to sleep. I had taken out my fishtail braid so that my dark hair fell over my eyes. A few strands were in my mouth.

A lifeless heap on the ground…a flash of—

Don't think it, don't think it, just don't think of that image, Natalia!

Of red hair, and her blood—

Stop. No. You aren't going to think this, you're going to st—

Her blood, dripping…dripping…

And I pressed the emerald on my sword, and the blade disappeared…into the hilt…and when it came out…

There was no red anymore…I could have forgotten her…

I didn't want to, I didn't want to…but he said I had to, or I might have been the one lying there…lifeless…dead…

"I'm worried about Natalia." That was Matthew's voice, which didn't make any sense. He was worried about me? "She won't talk to me."

"That's nothing new," Oliver quipped.

"No," Matthew said. His tone was dark. "I don't mean like that. I saw her eyes, after—" He sucked in a quick breath. "Oliver."

"What?"

"Her last name's Tanner."

"I know."

"Do you think she's related to—"

"Maybe." There was a long pause. I slowed my breathing. "She does need someone else to look out for her, Matthew. She's only a child."

"I know!" Matthew burst out. His voice ripped through the tense quiet hovering in the air. I could practically hear Oliver flinch. I tightened my grip on the blanket, curling into myself even more.

Then everything once again fell swiftly into silence. "I know, Oliver," Matthew whispered, after a long moment. "I know."


I shake myself from my memories as I approach the cottage, which is surrounded by a wooden fence and a few windmills. I leap over the gate and push open the front door, which—curiously enough—has been left unlocked. Inside, I find a small, dark living room. There are a few worn couches in the centre, and holoimages of a happy-looking family adorn the walls. Numerous children's toys litter the floor, and a plate half-filled with food has been left on a nearby table. I frown upon noticing that it's at least a few days old, even though everything in the room indicates that there are people currently living here. So either they're not very good housekeepers, or…

…Or they had to leave in a rush. Because of the war.

A crash sounds from directly above me, and I slowly unclip my lightsaber from my belt. The stairs creak when I step on them, which forces me to move on my tiptoes as I climb to the upper level. Another bang sounds from a room to my left, so I rush over and peek inside.

The first person I see is Anakin, slumped against a wall that's beside a broken glass window. The metal of his armour has been split apart to reveal the skin of his upper left arm, which is now sporting a long, angry gash. He's not bleeding, despite the fact that the wound appears to go very deep; it must have been given to him by a lightsaber. Though he's still conscious, the look in his eyes is hazy, so I get the sense that he's just barely responsive.

There's another man standing before him, one whom Anakin's watching with an unfocused expression. He's considerably tall and wears a billowing brown cape, his rigid posture and tidy grey hair only further contributing to his distinguished air. The crimson lightsaber that he's pointing at Anakin's chest is the only thing that serves to reveal him as a Sith Lord.

The younger man's eyes flick up to the doorway, where I'm standing, and his eyes gain back some life as his already-pale skin blanches. "Go," he mouthes, almost hysterically. "Go, Ahsoka, get out of here!"

Count Dooku notices Anakin attempting to communicate with someone and turns around before I can take off. My muscles tense, refusing to let me move, even though I try in desperation. Dooku's eyes land on me, and he smiles slowly—maliciously—as he brandishes his lightsaber. "No," Anakin moans, trying to get to his feet. "Leave her alone, Dooku, or I'll—"

His opponent whips around and blasts him with blue streaks of Force lightning. A horrible scream escapes Anakin's throat, and he writhes in helpless agony. It feels as though someone has clamped a hand around my throat and kept me from breathing. This is the first time I've ever seen someone actually tortured in person, and I can't seem to rip away my gaze.

Finally, Dooku lets Anakin go, and he once again slumps against the wall, waves of electricity still crackling over his body. "I don't think you're in much of a position to do anything, boy," he taunts him, and Anakin moans in pain. I look between the two men, debating backing away, but I can't just leave Anakin here to be tortured by Dooku. Ahsoka would never do that. So I stand my ground.

"This is your Padawan, Skywalker?" says the count, glancing in my direction disdainfully.

"I am," I say, balling one hand into a fist as I clutch the lightsaber hilt in the other.

"Ahsoka, please," Anakin begs me. "Please get out of here, you're no match for him, Ahsoka—"

"She'll stay right where she is," Dooku says, holding out a hand and Force-pushing the door shut, then locking it. "If this child thinks that she can defeat me, then she'll get a chance to prove herself."

"Ahsoka," Anakin pleads.

"I'm sorry, Master," I say, igniting my lightsaber. "But I don't think I have much of a choice."

Dooku advances towards me, swinging his lightsaber gracefully, and I grip my hilt with both hands. I can hardly keep up with his strikes—as soon as I manage to parry one, his blade always seems to materialize somewhere entirely different—and after only a few seconds, he's got me pinned against the wall. "Well," he says, elongating the word. "It seems that you're not quite as skilled as your master claimed you were, during our duel on Tatooine."

Then he pushes his blade against mine, and the blood red tip brushes against my shoulder. I open my mouth to scream, but the pain of just being grazed by the weapon is so terrible that nothing even comes out. Finally, and not soon enough, the count's blade retracts back into the hilt, but then he lifts his left hand and curls his fingers around some invisible object.

My stomach clenches as I realize exactly what he's about to do to me. Ahsoka's lightsaber hilt slips from my right hand, and now I'm reaching up to grasp my neck, as if I could actually pry off someone's fingers and prevent them from choking me. I can feel the pressure on my windpipe increase, then frantically wonder how long it will take him to break it, and I'm running out of oxygen and I can't breathe, can't breathe, can't breathe. Sudden lightheadedness engulfs me, and my vision starts to swim…and I still can't breathe…just a little bit longer, hold on, don't pass out, try to remain conscious…but I can't, I can't, not any longer, please…

"You never should have gotten involved in this, little girl." Dooku's voice buzzes in my ears, and panic courses through me as the Force tightens around my neck. I need oxygen now or I'm going to pass out, or die, or—

Suddenly, my body is dropped to the ground, and I land on my hands and knees, gasping for air. Before now, I never would have thought that oxygen could have an actual taste, but it does, and it's so good. When I look up, Dooku has turned away from me, and I can't help but notice that he's now sporting a long lightsaber slash across his back, which has sliced into his expensive cape and robes. The wound itself doesn't look as though it goes very deep, but it was apparently enough for Dooku to turn his attention away from me and direct it towards Anakin.

The younger of the two men is holding his blue lightsaber in his right hand, his eyes blazing with fury. "I warned you," he growls, the sound of his voice almost guttural. "If you try to hurt her, I'll kill you!"

With those words, he raises his lightsaber above his head and rapidly brings it down upon Dooku's blade, striking again and again as he drives the count across the room. But Anakin loses his stamina quickly, especially with his already-injured arm; after only a couple of strikes, he tires, giving Dooku the opportunity to Force-push him against the nearest wall. The older of the two men then temporarily traps Anakin in place by telekinetically shoving a dresser up against him. "You aren't quite as strong as you think, young Skywalker," he says. "And your arrogance shall be the end of you."

I snatch up Ahsoka's lightsaber and leap to my feet, throwing myself in front of Anakin just instants before Dooku would have been able to deliver a fatal blow. Instead of looking annoyed, though, his lips twist into a sinister smirk. "Trying to come to your master's rescue?" he says, over the sound of our blades hissing. "I thought you had already learned your lesson."

He aggressively Force-pushes me to the side, and my body slams into the hardwood floor, twisted at an awkward angle. Jarring pain shoots through my left hip, and the lightsaber, which has also clattered to the ground, is out of my reach. But something compels me to hold out my hand, and suddenly it's floating towards me, the sensation of beckoning the weapon as natural as moving an arm or a leg.

I pick myself off the ground and brush off my skirt and leggings, my muscles still burning mercilessly. By now, Anakin has freed himself and engaged in a series of rapid parries and strikes against Dooku, but it's clear that he's falling behind. We have to get out of here, I realize. Dooku is currently stronger and faster than either one of us. If we stick around for too much longer, we'll both end up dead.

"Master!" I cry, running in his direction and cocking my head toward the broken window. His eyes flick over to mine and he nods, Force-pushing Dooku away from him in order to give himself a chance to get away.

"Come on, Ahsoka!" Anakin yells, sprinting over to the window and throwing himself through it. I follow his lead, but just as I'm jumping up onto the windowsill, Count Dooku catches my ankle and yanks me toward him. I grasp onto the ledge with both hands and yank my body forwards, just far enough to peek out the window and catch sight of Anakin's dishevelled, light brown hair. He's rapidly skidding down the roof, totally oblivious to the fact that Dooku is preventing my escape.

"Master!" I call, and Anakin whips around, gritting his teeth when he sees my predicament. He scampers back up to the window, outstretching his right hand, and I take ahold of it, trying to drag my weight away from Dooku as Anakin yanks me towards him.

And then, finally, the count loses his grip, and inertia drives my body out of the window and down the roof. I dig my nails in between two rows of tiles, successfully bringing myself to a stop, and then pull myself to my feet, jumping off the roof just seconds after Anakin does the same.

We must run for miles, refusing to stop until the cottage is long out of sight and the risk of once again encountering Dooku—at least in the near future—has greatly diminished. When I decide we're finally safe, I tenaciously plant my feet in the ground, and Anakin glances my way. "All right, Ahsoka. We'll stop. But just for a—"

"No," I cut him off. "You're injured. You can't rush back into battle, at least not until your wounds are treated. You'd only put Rex and the rest of the five-oh-one in more danger." He opens his mouth, but I continue anyway. "We have to contact the Council to let them know that Dooku is here and we need reinforcements. Probably another Jedi general, as well."

He arches an eyebrow. "You're trying to get rid of me, Snips?"

"No, I—I'm serious, Master."

"Okay, okay." Anakin presses his back against the trunk of a nearby tree, giving a faint moan as he sinks to the ground. I sit next to him, crossing my legs over one another, and hesitantly reach out to touch his left shoulder. He immediately shakes me off. "Ahsoka, I'm fine. It's nothing the healers in the medical bay can't fix. Really."

I pull away my hand and glance down at my lap. Surprisingly, Anakin then starts to chuckle. "So. You've formally met Count Dooku. What did you think of him?"

"Um…," I start. "He's not the most hospitable guy."

"You could say that again." He nods, tugging off his right glove. "He cut off my hand when I was only a Padawan, at the Battle of Geonosis. Now I've acquired this lovely robotic one, see?"

I flinch when he shows it to me, but Anakin just laughs good-naturedly, sliding the glove back onto his robotic hand. "I thought you might react like that, Snips," he says, but then his laughter dissolves into solemnity, and he sighs. "I guess I really should be getting mad at you, huh?"

I fix my gaze on the grass. "Master, I know I disobeyed orders, but I could sense that you were in trouble, and—"

"I never said that I was actually going to get angry with you. Just that I probably should." He glances my way, lifting an eyebrow. "But since when does that influence what I actually end up doing?"

I grin. "You took the words right out of my mouth."

Anakin cuffs my good shoulder, shaking his head admonishingly, but a smile still plays on his lips. "Don't push your luck, Snips. But you're right. I might not have made it out of that fight alive if it weren't for you."

"Well, to be fair, you saved me, too," I point out.

"Oh, okay. So we're even, then," he concludes, in mock seriousness. "There's no need for us to feel obligated to rescue each other anymore."

"Yeah…," I start, "I'm not sure that's really how it works."

Anakin shakes his head. "You're right," he agrees. "Me neither."