Chapter 14

On The Brink

It wasn't looking good for Rex and the survivors of 112th squad.

Ahsoka and her men had disappeared, and had either encountered more resistance than expected, or were already dead. At any rate, the steady stream of SBDs hadn't let up yet, nor had the infernal spider droids ceased crawling down from their hideout among the rugged peaks. Pinned in from the North and West, Rex, Trio and Jym were being cut off from the target, and any possible escape route. The once proud storm of blue laser fire had degenerated into merely occasional sputters, lost in a hail of red bolts that melded with the bloody sky of Mustafar. Only the occasional roar of soaring lava in the distance broke the siren song of blaster fire. The area around them was littered with droid wreckage, yet for all their losses the machines continued their advance. There was nowhere else to go, and nowhere to run.

Not that Rex would have run had he been able. Indeed, had he been on his own, he would probably have charged recklessly into the fray by now - preferring to go down fighting than hiding behind rubble. Not that he was reckless by nature - he was in fact quite keen on staying alive for as long as he could, on going home when everything was over. But right now that didn't seem to be an option.

Jym was injured, only able to use his left arm. Trio stayed beside him, giving him support and returning fire whenever he had a chance. Rex stood opposite him, firing into one droid column, then the other, trying to stop the unstoppable tide of killing machines.

"Captain, I can't hold them off any more!" Trio shouted, his voice hoarse and his breathing heavy. He tried to duck as best he could, with the weight of his injured brother over one arm.

"No one can, Trio," Rex called back, leaping to avoid a blast that struck the ground where he had been standing. "At this point we shoot till we bite laser." He unleashed another volley, sending a nearby spider droid crumpling to the ground.

He spun to face the nearing line of SBDs, now mere meters away. He dug in for one final stand. Sorry, Commander. I tried.

Suddenly the droid column blew to pieces, showering them with wreckage. Rex raised his arms to shield himself. Blue blaster fire once again ripped into the clankers.

Commander Gree charged through the battle zone, his DC-15 blazing as the strike team surged ahead. The droid companies were caught flatfooted, completely fixated on the remains of the forward squad. Blaster fire streaked into their ranks, while grenades blew them to scrap.

Barriss was not far beyond him, her blue blade complimenting the Republic blaster fire as she gracefully deflected enemy bolts. Her features were still pained, and her eyes glanced about nervously, as though looking for something that she feared to find.

They had lost visual contact with the lead squad after the second droid company attacked. The team appeared to have been overpowered by the combined enemy forces, and the two Commanders feared the worst.

Suddenly Gree spotted another flash of blue coming from the opposite direction. A glance through his viewfinder confirmed his observation - someone was still alive.

"Zeke! Lance! Cover the survivors!" Gree ordered, motioning towards the distant figures.

"Yes sir!" The two ARC troopers sprinted forward, leaping over ruined droid parts. In moments they were in sight of the surviving clones.

"Captain! Are you alright?" Zeke called out, turning to send a stream of fire into the receding droid line.

"A lot better now than a few moments ago," Rex answered, dropping a knee while swapping powerpacks on his blasters. "Jym's injured, get him first. Trio and I are fine. Heat didn't make it."

The two troopers came to Jym's side, lifting him by their shoulders and standing him up. "Are you guys the only survivors?" Lance asked warily.

Rex shook his head. "Commander Tano took the rest to try to charge the entrance." His voice dropped to an almost inaudible level. "Haven't seen them since."

Parry. Stab. Block. Ahsoka continued her desperate duel with her bloodthirsty opponent. At first the combatants seemed to be fairly evenly matched, and she had managed to drive Ventress from the platform and away from the complex. However, the non-stop exertion and concentration was rapidly catching up with the young Togruta. Like all of her species, she possessed incredible stamina, aided by her rigorous Jedi training and her Force abilities. But after strain of the cliffside rescue, the rush of the droid battle, and the demanding acrobatic feats she performed to keep a step ahead of Ventress, her strength was fading fast. She no longer could control the battle, she was forced to put all her remaining energy into blocking the crimson blades.

She knew very well that Ventress saw her growing weakness. That the scheming assassin was herding her, forcing her step by step in a direction Ahsoka wouldn't want to go. Based on the heat that was again becoming quite uncomfortable on her back, and the growing roar of lava cascading through the canyon, she had a good idea of where Ventress was taking her. She knew it all, but she was too weak to resist it.

Ahsoka knew this would not end well.

The droids were beaten. Only a few stragglers remained, but it would only be a matter of time before the Separatists brought in reenforcement, or simply blew the place up along with them from orbit. It was time to move.

"Alright boys, secure the facility!" Gree shouted to his men. He scanned the field - still no sign of Commander Tano and her men. He motioned to Barriss, who was also worriedly searching the smoke-filled clearing. Visual range was poor from the haze of battle mixed with the gas and ash that persistently graced Mustafar's atmosphere, muddying the scarlet sky with a gritty gray. She nodded, resignation on her face, and the two Commanders led the team to the station entrance.

Gree shouted orders. "Lance! Zeke! Scout out the North quarter! Jumper, Stag!" Two troopers tan forward. "Take the South! Tech!" he pointed at the slicer and his team, "Locate any terminals and start hacking! Everyone else, follow me!"

He turned towards Barriss, a strange sense of near pity coming over him. She looked like she would break down any moment. "Commander," he ventured, cautiously but hurriedly. "I can handle this, if you'd like to take a look around."

She looked at him brokenly. "No, I should go with you," she protested weakly.

He couldn't stand around and argue, but he wanted to give her a chance to at least look. "Really, sir, I have this under control, and besides, you can keep us... 'informed' of the situation out there."

Her pain-filled eyes became watery, and her look one of thankfulness. "Thank you, Gree," she whispered, before slipping back through the entrance.

"Come on now, boys, move it!" He shouted, advancing through the central corridor. "All eyes open for the hostages, they should be here in the Southwest wing."

Deck opened his eyes, and tried to figure out where he was. The witch. She had us down, and she just left? He tried to sit up, and turned to look at his brothers that lay behind him. Glen was dead, Thud still in a coma, probably from constriction. He pulled himself to his knees, and looked beyond the platform towards the battleground.

The droid army had been reduced to wreckage, strewn as far as he could see, which admittedly wasn't very far due to the smoke and dust. He could the familiar sound of DC-15 fire, sporadic but distinctive, and the unmistakable shouts of clone troopers from inside the complex. They came - the rest of the team came, and it looks like they won. With a measure of relief, he eased back against the railing. Then he felt the heat. Oh yeah, we're directly above that lava river. He didn't like that. He struggled to his feet. He didn't seem to have any serious injuries, just a bit sore from his hard landing. He turned to pull Thud away from the railing, then something to his left caught his eye.

He gazed along the brink of the lava river, which ran parallel to the platform where he stood. From this vantage point slightly over hanging the edge, he could see directly into the fiery stream. Its black walls seemed to glow blood red from the liquid fire that roared past their base. The heat, painful even from this height, seemed to clear the fog the hung over the rest of the surface, allowing a clear view to the South for several klicks down the channel.

Just enough view to see three beams of light weave a deadly dance of death right on the canyon's edge. A bald, robed figure wielding two red laser swords, and the small form wielding a single, familiar green one. He snapped his viewfinder over his visor.

Commander Tano. Locked in a fierce duel with the witch.

She must have stopped her just in time; there wasn't any other reason he'd be alive right now. For the second time today, he owed his life to the young Jedi Commander.

Only this time, it looked like it would cost her much more.

The green blade was being steadily forced towards the brink of the fiery torrent.

Something wasn't right.

Gree had dealt with hostage situations before. They were never easy, and sometimes ended up downright ugly. This was too easy. Almost no droids in the place - apparently all had been deployed in the previous battle. The dim, narrow hallways were prime defensive stations, yet resistance was almost nonexistent.

He rounded a corner, looking from side to side, eyes and ears alert for the trap he knew had to be awaiting them. The loss of the jammer had its pros - they were able to keep in contact with each other freely. All his scouting parties reported the same findings - minimal opposition, and little else.

According to their scanners, the hostages should be somewhere here in the west wing, but there was no sign of them yet. Gree shook his head in frustration. They were wandering the portion of the facility that was built directly over the lava river. The flowing molten rock cast eery red hues through the few viewpanels in the facility. This was one place he didn't want to stay for long. The maze of hallways could prove to be a death trap if they needed to leave in a hurry.

"Commander!" His comm crackled to life.

"What is it, Tech?"

The slicer spoke excitedly, "We've got a full copy of the station's network. Nothing has been wiped since the last formatting."

Gree's brow furrowed. "Nothing? If they knew we were coming everything should have been cleared or scrambled!" An accomplished slicer himself, Gree knew how sensitive data was protected. He had expected that retrieval would be primarily a forensic exercise, assuming they found anything at all after their mission secrecy was compromised.

"Don't know sir, but doesn't look like anyone was trying to hide anything here."

No resistance. No data scramble. Something is not right at all. "Very good, Tech. Meet me at our position." Gree and his team continued their search.

Barriss ran.

It was shameful, she told herself. Her place was with her men. Leading her mission. That was her responsibility. She had tried to tell herself that Ahsoka was as well, but she knew all too well she was not. Her fellow Padawan had chosen her place when she accompanied the lead squad. Her mission was meant to be one-way only. Her fate was no longer any of Barriss's concern.

Still she ran. Gree could handle the securing of the complex, he had said so himself. And he could contact her at any time, courtesy of the loss of their ship and equipment. A loss that she would have to answer for, together with her reasons for running from the battle. She pushed it all from her mind. She would deal with the consequences later. For now, she ran.

Reaching out through the Force, she had managed to locate Ahsoka's familiar presence. Somehow she had wandered far to the South of the battlezone, and appeared to be slowly moving even farther. Was she lost? Injured? She couldn't ascertain much from her, but it felt as though she was quite occupied with something. Barriss continued to run, noting with some trepidation that she was coming closer and closer to the treacherous brink of the massive lava river.

Then she saw it.

The familiar green beam of light, swinging, thrusting, slicing through the crimson fog.

And two blood red beams between her and the green.

A familiar robed figure.

Ventress.

She had nearly killed her Master, and now she was about to murder her friend.

Not if I can help it.

Barriss ignited her blade.

This was it. This had to be the place.

The strike team was reassembling before a large pair of blast doors, deep in the southwestern heart of the complex. The lifeform scanners went wild here. Obviously this was where the hostages were held. Inwardly Gree wished Commander Offee was with them. He was no negotiator, by any means. But he had told the Commander that he could handle this, so he would.

"Commander! Didn't think I'd catch up with you."

Gree turned to see Captain Rex's familiar blue and white helmet. "Rex!" he answered in a startled whisper, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," he responded tightly. "No sign of Commander Tano?"

Gree shook his head. "No, Commander Offee went to see if she could track her down, but at this point she's MIA. So are the rest of 112th."

Rex nodded, slowly. "Well, think this is the place?"

"That's what our scanners are saying, but I don't like this. If there's hostages in there, why is it left unguarded?"

"We may have bitten off more than we can chew here," Rex muttered with a sigh. "Well, you gonna open the door?"

Gree motioned to the demolition crew. The two troopers hurriedly set a pair of charges, then motioned for the group to cover. A sharp crack, and the blast doors unsealed. The team rushed forward, prying the doors apart, then charging into the room, Gree and Rex leading the way. With smooth, well practiced moves, the clones stormed the place, taking up defensive positions around the entire perimeter, securing every exit and viewport, every man's weapon at the ready.

Gree stared at the scene in shock, turning to horror.

There, alone in the center of the room, was a pulsing transmitter.

Gree's stomach lurched. It was all a trick? "Dana! What's the scanner reading?" He knew the answer.

"Zero zero, sir. This is it."

The Commander cursed inwardly. It was all a fraud. There were never any hostages. Just this blasted transmitter, broadcasting artificial lifeform signals.

Suddenly the facility lurched and rumbled with the sound of detonators in the distance.

"Bomb! Get down!"

The men headed for the deck, covering their heads with their arms. Except Rex, who held his position near one of the viewpanels. "Commander, it's not bombs - this whole place is going down!"

The explosions faded rapidly. An ominous creaking and groaning, followed by another lurch that sent them rolling towards the far wall, confirmed Rex's statement. Gree struggled to his feet, stumbling towards a viewport on the south wall. "This has just gotten a whole lot uglier."

The Eastern supports had been demolished, and the entire complex was slipping over the edge. The sudden movement threw Gree back to the floor. Hurriedly he toggled his wrist comm. "Commander! Commander Offee! Come in!"

Commander Tano was saved.

Deck knew it, when he saw the familiar form of Commander Offee sprinting towards the precarious duel, her blue lightsaber cutting cleanly through the fog. The two Jedi would have that witch down in no time, and everyone would be fine. Well, everyone except Deck's fallen brothers. He wondered how Rex's men had fared. Trio. Jym. Heat. Were any of them still alive? Would he see any of them again?

An earsplitting roar from below him abruptly cut off his thoughts. The explosion threw Deck backwards against the station wall, where he remained in a daze for a moment. He'd been thrown around a lot today, and it was getting to his head. He could have sworn the ground was moving.

He shook his head. Of course the ground wasn't moving. He wasn't cra- a sudden lurch threw him back once more. He tried to get his bearings - what was happening?

The he saw the ground just below the platform recede, the jagged edge of the canyon taking its place, as entire complex slowly slid down towards the raging magma below. The platform lurched and bucked as it began to tilt backwards into the canyon.

And I thought the heat was bad from up here.

Barriss sped towards the one-sided duel. Ahsoka was alive, but in dire straights, indeed. She was losing ground steadily, her back mere meters from the edge of the chasm. Her movements were becoming erratic, her steps unsteady, as the searing heat melted away her little remaining energy. She wouldn't last another two minutes without help. Help that Barriss was more than eager to provide

I'm coming, Ahsoka!

She was nearly there, her lightsaber gripped tightly in a flawless Soresu attack form. She wouldn't fail this time.

Her wrist comm crackled. "Commander!" She continued to run.

"Commander Offee! Come in!" Gree's voice was desperate. Still she ran. Almost there -

"Commander! We're trapped! The entire complex is collapsing!"

She froze. No... this can't be happening!

Ahsoka stumbled. Ventress lunged.

The familiar buzzing of the wrist comm felt like the shockwaves of an asteroid collision, shaking Barriss to her core. "There's no time to get anyone out - there are no hostages! It's a trap!"

The assassin put her boot to Ahsoka's chest. The young Padawan was flung backwards, dangling helplessly over the fiery brink. The roar of the raging magma seemed to intensify, seemingly eager to claim its prey. Ventress was laughing in triumph.

The comm thundered again. "If you can't do something in the next few seconds we're all dead!"

Disclaimer: I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Star Wars never was, never has been. Um, mine.

Author's Note:What will Barriss do? For that matter, what would you do?

Sorry for the way this story is fragmenting - so much is happening, you need to see it from multiple POVs to get it all. I thought of labeling each section, but that looked really cheesy. If I did my job right, you should be able to tell who's section it is within the first line or two. Let me know if that's not the case!

Please review!