Chapter 25 - Arena
The crowd roars, the loud, jarring noise shaking throughout the arena. They chant phrases I can't understand, and blow on horns made of some sort of plastic-like material, which make an obnoxious honking noise. The boys look over at the gates with fear, but I don't look at all. I'm too busy undoing the locking mechanism on my cuffs. I pick here with my teeth, then there with shift that section of metal there. Eventually, they slip off, and I turn around to climb up the column.
Thank the force I've had the MAIDENS training.
My core starts to ache as I climb higher and higher, because I'm relying on it to pull me up the side of the column. I haven't done this sort of thing in a while. With a final grunt, I reach the top of the sandy post, and turn to look at the monster they've sent after me.
The beast is thin, and furry, with four legs, and long, sharp claws, and spines all up its back. It's jowls drip saliva as it growls, and bares it's knife-sharp teeth. Briefly, I glance over at the other creatures. Obi Wan gets an acklay, which looks a lot like a really big bug, and Anakin gets a reek, which is more like a shaak than anything I've ever seen. It looks tame. This one that I have is far more terrifying.
It lets out a low growl, and jumps up onto the pole to scale it. I still have the chain they used to affix me to this pole, and I know how to use a whip... Sort of. I swing the chain back, and then whip it forward, all at once. The creature yelps as the heavy chain makes contact with its skin, cracking a rib or two. It yowls and spits, and I feel a sense of relief.
I hear a rip, a sort of slicing noise, and I'm overcome with an immeasurable feeling of pain. It's a ripping, surging pain, which only lasts for a few seconds before its replaced with a pulsing, angry twinge. I let out a scream, my back arching as I let out my cry. The animal almost smirks at its work, and jumps back down to the ground. I'm dizzy, and sick, and I feel bile rising in my throat. I realize the bottom half of my shirt has been ripped off, and part of my sleeve, meaning the animal has probably scratched me.
With a gasp for air, I stand up, mostly to show myself that I'm alright, that this isn't the end of me. I watch as the animal jumps up onto the pole again, about to reach for me again, but I think I can stop it. I wrap the chain around my wrists, and jump off the side of the pole, so that my feet are extended in front of me, and glide around the side to kick the animal. I feel my feet sink into the side where I hit his ribs before, and then the cracking of bones as my feet plunge into its side. It yowls in pain, and I watch as it falls to the ground, twitching and screeching in pain. Triumphant, I climb back up to the top of the pole again.
A sinking feeling comes over me as it stands again, growling even lower than it did before we got into this mess. I don't know if I have any more tricks to fight the thing off. I hear the crash Obi Wan's column breaking and falling to the earth, when suddenly, I hear the low rumble of another creature, and the reek, with Anakin riding it, barrels into my creature, killing it instantly with its horn.
"Jump," Anakin calls, and I leap off of the pole, landing hard agains the rough leathery skin of the reek. Unconsciously, I plant a kiss on his cheek, and he takes off, rushing in to save his master. But it isn't long before Obi Wan's already gotten away from it, and joined us on the reek, riding behind me.
"Senator," Obi Wan says, "your wound!"
I can feel the blood seeping into my clothes, and trailing down my back. He's right, it's probably not very pretty. "I'm fine," I grunt, pulling away from his hands.
"Trust me," he whispers, and shifts the fabric of my shirt to cover the open flesh. It isn't much, but it'll do for the time being. His fingers brush my skin, idly, as he moves his hands to protect me. It's strange, but I feel safe with him, like I do with Anakin. In a bit of a different way, but it's the same feeling nonetheless.
My body shivers as I hear the familiar rolling of droidekas. All three of us whip our heads around to look, nervously glancing towards the gates. Seven of the droids trap us in a tiny circle, and my heart drops into my feet.
"Anakin," I murmur, clutching him closer to me as the droids fidget and move ever closer to us. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he says, "you didn't do anything wrong."
Obi Wan sighs behind me, as if to say I really thought we'd get out of this.
All at once, the Geonosian spectators begin to scatter, taking off and escaping the arena. I watch in silent awe as the creatures flock out, chirping and clicking as they go.
"It's the council," Obi Wan grins, "they've come to get us!"
"Look," Anakin cries, pointing up towards the VIP balcony, as a cloud of fire blazes, and a man dressed in a dark brown cloak flies away, landing gently on the sandy ground. He ignites his saber, which flows violet.
"Master Windu," I breathe.
Droids pour into the arena now, their joints squeaking and their feet clacking on the earth. Each one carries a rifle, and they quickly begin to fire in our direction. I scream, ducking down, and feel the wind of a figure jumping over my head to bat the blaster fire back. Behind him is an army of Jedi fighters, all of them sabers ignited, as they fight back against the droid onslaught.
Two Jedi toss Obi Wan and Anakin some sabers as they run past, so that they can fight. They untie themselves, and then begin slashing into the air, batting away blaster fire and hitting droids with the same shots they fired.
There's a low grumble, and the animal beneath us topples over, throwing us off of it. Anakin and Obi Wan waste no time joining the fight, and I quickly grab a discarded blaster to fight back. I take out the driver of the carriage, and quickly chase after it, jumping onto the animal that pulls it. Anakin spots me, and jumps up onto the carriage, to cover my back.
I fire into the fray as I ride, accurately hitting each and every droid as I race along. Anakin does much the same, slicing and destroying droids as we pass them, and watching their useless metal bodies crash to the floor.
We're on a roll, I must've killed twenty by now, when the animal beneath me is shot, and the carriage toppled over. I lurch as I hit the ground, but I don't waste any time getting back up. Anakin and I quickly jump into the sitting area of the toppled carriage, and I fight back as best I can, while he deflects fire.
"You call this a diplomatic solution," he asks, sarcastically.
"No, I call it aggressive negotiations," I reply, and turn back to the battlefield. He smirks, and half-laughs, before returning to his job as well.
A small legion of super battle droids approach is, and start firing rapidly at the carriage. I yelp as it bursts into flames, and grab Anakin's wrist, pulling him towards the small circle of remaining Jedi. There's less than twenty of us left, and hundreds upon thousands of them.
I take a deep breath, and fire one last shot, before the droids suddenly just stop shooting. They point their guns away, and an eerie silence settled over the arena.
"Master Windu," Count Dooku announces from the VIP balcony, "you have fought gallantly. Worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order." He pauses, and there's a shift in tone as he continues. "Now," he says, almost mumbling, "it is finished. Surrender, and your lives will be spared."
Master Windu almost exudes an aura of frustration and anger. "We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku!"
"Then," Count Dooku replies, "I'm sorry, old friend."
The droids raise their weapons again, and the Jedi begrudgingly raise theirs. They are willing to sacrifice their lives to prevent war.
I glance up, only for a moment, when I'm suddenly overcome with a surging feeling of hope.
"Look!" The word escapes my lips before I've even thought about it, and immediately all the heads around me turn upwards to look at what I saw.
Several new, shiny ships hover above the arena, all of them carrying out reinforcements. With a grateful sigh, I turn back to look at the droids again, and begin firing more shots, if only to destroy as many droids as I possibly can, so they have to go through the hassle of making more. Not that it's a hassle here, on Geonosis, but it's a good sentiment, anyway.
One of the ships gently lands behind me, and I jump on, followed by the boys. The ship begins to gain altitude, and I let out of call of triumph, a smile breaking out across my entire face in adrenaline and excitement. The droids drop like flies, while the white-clad solders around me nod and cheer.
We're going to make it.