Rita looked all around her, fear gripping her heart. The droidekas seemed to roll out of nowhere, and she looked up at where Boba Fett, Count Dooku, and the Trade Federation viceroys stood. Rita saw a flash of purple light. Master Windu, she thought. Hope fired her up, and her sassy self surfaced again. But her mouth along with Roddy's dropped open when green and blue blades popped up all over the arena grandstands. How did they know?
"Guess we do have people watching our backs," Roddy commented. Rita just nodded. Jedi jumped into the arena, using the force to smash the droidekas against the stone wall. They tossed lightsabers to Rita, who used one to cut Obi-Wan's cuffs, then Roddy's. She handed a lightsaber to each of them, then ignoted her own, which was green. Roddy couldn't help but think how much the green blade accented her eyes. No time for admiration now. Battle was what needed to be on the front of the brain.
Rita blocked fire coming towards her, and there was a lot of it. After dicing a super battle droid into oblivion, she saw the animal saddled to the cart she and Roddy were hauled out to the arena in and made a run for it. She jumped onto it's back after grabbing a droid blaster, and shot down droid after droid. Roddy jumped into the back, cutting down a few droids she missed. He was having a bit of fun, getting to blow droids to pieces, something he had never had the opprtunity to do before. He was loving every minute of it.
Rita sensed how many jedi were giving their lives for her. These were Jedi nevertheless, and they were being slain like animals. Pure cruelty and savageness(word?). The animal Rita stood on was shot down, and she jumped off as the wagon smashed into the animal. After getting up, she jumped into the partially overturned wagon, where she shot down more droids. Roddy stood beside her, taking down any droids coming near and deflecting fire. He made a sarcastic comment.
"So, is this your idea of a REAL battle?"
"No, I call it agressive negotiations!" she said, catching onto the joke. On the flight, the two jedi had gotten into a conversation about Qui-Gonn Jinn's idea of making deals with Trade Federation viceroys. Rita had said that it probably tould take a real battle to show the viceroys that the Jedi meant business, and Roddy had said that aggressive negotiations were easiest. "Aggressive negotiations, what's that?" Roddy tried to put it simple. "Well, negotiations with a lightsaber." Rita laughed. "Oh, OH!" She and Roddy had both laughed at the thought of a quaking viceroy.
Now, the joke was even funnier. Rita had said it with a hearty dose of sarcasm, and Roddy couldn't help but laugh. Gates opened all around the arena, and leigons of battle droids marched out. The jedi all jumped into the arena and sprinted for the wave of droids, parts flying everywhere. Rita covered her head when a droid's head went careening over her own.
ELSEWHERE
Lavigne Hunter was slowly turning to the dark side in Chancellor Palpatine's office. After hearing a false story about her mother being killed by her master, Rita Malone, she wanted revenge. The only way she could get revenge was to have the dark side aid her with hatred and special powers. Lavigne mapped out her plan with Palpatine's help...
BACK ON GEONOSIS...
Rita plunged her lightsaber through a super battle droid and ripped it out as white hot metal flew everywhere. She had ditched the blaster and went back to lightsaber when the clip ran out. Droids made a circle around the remaining Jedi, and all of a sudden, the shooting stopped. Count Dooku spoke up. "Surrender while you still can. Surrender, and your lives will be spared." Mace Windu yelled back to him. "We will NOT become hostages!" Count Dooku mocked being disappointed. "Then I'm sorry, old friend." The droids redied their blasters again, and the Jedi went into the block position. Rita heard a familiar humming noise. The sound of a gunship. Never had she been so happy to hear it. The gunship came into her view. "Look!" she yelled. Not one gunship, but dozens of gunships descended on the droids, smashing them or blasting them to pieces with laser cannons. One swept down and landed for all the Jedi to get into for an escape. They were needed somewhere else. Ki-Adi Mundi helped an injured Aayla Secura into the ship and sat her down next to a medic. Roddy jumped on and pulled Rita up as the gunship took off. If he hadn't have helped her she'd be dead from being hit by blasterfire. Lumina asked her if she was alright, and Rita nodded. "A bit stunned, that's all."
Lumina nodded and turned his attention to the waves of droids progressing toward the arena. Clones had been dropped off there, gunships returning to the command post for more to drop off. Lumina had no idea what was going on between Rita and Roddy. Rita flinched as a gunship next to them was shot down, careening towards the ground in a firey descent. A shot from a cannon hit the back of their gunship, and Rita lost grip on the rack she held onto and fell out of the gunship, down onto the soft sand. She passed out as a clone fell out a second later
"RITA!" Roddy was about to jump out of the gunship to her when Obi-Wan stopped him. "Roddy! Don't let your personal feelings get in the way!"
"I don't care! Put the ship down!"
"I can't fight Dooku alone! I need you!"
"Just put the damn ship down!"
"Think! What would Rita do if she was in your position?"
Roddy sighed. "She would do her duty." He decided to stay with Obi-Wan and fight Dooku. Rita could get back and help when she came to. Still, leaving her wasn't the easiest thing for him to do.