Cora POV
I sat in the meditation garden with my eyes closed and my legs crossed, but by now I had decided to take a break from my meditation and decided to simply enjoy the sounds and scents of the garden. I had been meditating for most of that morning since breakfast when I felt something strange in the Force. I didn't know exactly what it was, but when I tried to meditate the feeling kept distracting me, it made me almost... Fidgety, in a way. Like I needed to be somewhere, but I couldn't figure out where.
That was why I decided to simply try and enjoy the space around me. Maybe some distance from the problem would help me see it better. However, it seemed I was going to get more distance than I thought when my comlink beeped.
"Master?" I asked after I answered it, assuming that it would be her who was calling.
"Hello Cora, you need to report to the Communications Center for a briefing on your new mission. I will meet you there along with Masters Skywalker, Kenobi, and Plo."
"Very well Master, I will be there shortly." I replied before pressing the button on my comlink to end the call. I then stood up and headed toward the door. I had to focus on the mission now, whatever it would be.
When I reached the Communications Centre I found my master, along with Masters Kenobi and Plo, however Master Skywalker seemed to be running late along with his padawan.
"Hello Cora, thank you for being so prompt." My master smiled. "It would seem that you have a better understanding of time than some Jedi." She chuckled along with Obi Wan.
"Anyway, we have a mission to discuss and we cannot wait any longer for General Skywalker to arrive." Master Plo said so we all walked over to the holo table in the center of the room. "We have discovered that General Grievous is in the Sujimis sector of Outer Rim territories, specifically in the system of Pantora."
My eyes widened and I looked to my master, we were going after Grievous again? And he was near my home world? I suddenly felt ill in my stomach. My people were in danger, but how could I help? After last time I...
Alexa looked back at me and placed her hand on my shoulder, giving me a silent smile of support. "You can do this." She whispered. I gave her a weak smile, but I wasn't so sure.
Master Kenobi then continued from Master Plo, "Reports show Grievous's ship in orbit around the planet Orto Plutonia."
"Why would he be there?" Jay asked, his brow creasing.
"There was an old Separatist outpost located on the planet, we believe that he may be trying to resurrect it again."
"So they plan to invade Orto Plutonia?" I asked nervously.
"It looks that way." Alexa sighed.
"Which is why we are going to Orto Plutonia to stop him." Master Kenobi said. "Master Plo, Jay, Cora and myself will travel there in the Negotiator, while Anakin and Maya will travel on the Resolute. Once in the system Anakin will deal with the Separatist fleet and once given clearance we will start our ground assault."
As Master Kenobi continued with the plan I slowly edged away from the group to get some space, this was all quickly starting to become overwhelming.
After the incident I wanted to face Grievous again, to prove that I could do better than I had on Agamar, but now... There was a lot at stake. Orto Plutonia was really close to Pantora and, if I remembered rightly, there were people living on the freezing planet. A species called the Tals. If I messed up again it could have a serious impact on them, they could be hurt or killed because I wasn't good enough. Then above all that... What if he hurt me again? I knew it was selfish, but he nearly killed me last time and the thought that he could do it again was terrifying.
I tried to get out of my head and stop these thoughts but everything just accelerated faster and faster. I backed up against a wall and shut my eyes, my heart was hammering in my chest like I was sprinting for my life. It felt like there was no oxygen in the air I was breathing and even when I breathed faster it didn't help. I felt like I was going to throw up as I began to hyperventilate before I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Cora?"
My eyes snapped open and I jumped. "Jay?" I asked breathlessly.
"Are you ok?"
Now that the whirlwind of thoughts in my head had been interrupted, I found myself able to give a small nod. "I think so." I swallowed nervously, wondering if he had seen my break down.
"If you want to talk, I'm all ears."
"I know." I didn't really feel like talking, but... There was something about Jay. I trusted him. "It just... It scares me. I don't want to mess up like last time."
"You didn't mess up last time. What happened wasn't your fault, he grabbed you before you could do anything. This time we will all stay together so we can help each other, no matter what. This time I'll protect you." He promised, giving me a gentle hug.
"Thank you, Jay."
Maya POV
Anakin and I were on our way to the Communications Centre to be briefed on our next assignment.
"Do you know what this new mission could be, Master?"
"Not sure, Maya, but we are about to find out." He said as we arrived. I nodded as we went in and first thing I saw was that Jay and Cora were hugging, but why? I didn't think I had ever seen them share a hug before.
Is everything alright here?" I asked, walking over to them to see what was going on. Jay and Cora turned to look at me.
"Maya. Hi." Jay said, looking a little surprised to see me. I raised an eyebrow and turned to Cora. She looked upset, making my little bit of jealousy fade away.
"What's wrong did something happen?"
"I'm fine."
I looked back to my boyfriend, "Jay what's going on?"
"It... It's the new mission."
"Ok well what is it?"
Jay and Cora looked at each other, making me a little suspicious. "We are going after General Grievous again."
My jaw dropped. "We are going after that monster again?"
"Yes."
"Where is Grievous?"
"He is in the Sujimis sector of the outer rim. The masters think he is planning to invade Orto Plutonia."
"Isn't that right near your home planet, Cora?"
She gave a small nod , "Yes, it is."
I could tell she was scared, I couldn't blame her after what happened last experience with Grievous. That mission didn't go so smoothly when that monster almost murdered her. This time I hugged Cora.
"Everything is going to be ok, Cora, no one is going to hurt you again. I'm not going to let Grievous hurt you, or any of the other stinking clankers, and Jay won't either. We will protect you. This time we'll stay together, we'll work as a team and no one is going to get hurt. We are going to get him and once we do he'll never be able to hurt anyone again."
I gave Cora a small smile I then noticed Alexa and Anakin talking, they didn't seem to be getting along very well. My curiosity peaked and I cautiously moved a little closer to them, careful to make sure that they didn't realise I was eavesdropping on them.
"Alexa, you are not coming on this mission. A war zone is no place for someone in your... Condition."
"My condition?" She scoffed. "Oh please Anakin you sound like Rendal."
"Exactly! And I know that he doesn't want you to go on missions at the moment either. I would never forgive myself if you got hurt, or something happened to your baby, and I know Rendal wouldn't forgive me either. So I can't let you put yourself and the baby at risk."
"Honestly, you're worrying too much, I'll be fine. Instead of worrying about me we should all be focussing on Cora. I need to be there with her, I have to keep her safe.
"Cora is going to be just fine, she has Maya and Jay with be with her and besides Obi Wan, Plo, and I will be there to watch them. We will make sure that she is safe, so you don't need to worry."
"But-"
"You're not coming, end of story. Now we need to go to the hanger." Anakin turned around and I stepped forward. "Come on maya let's go." I nodded and started to follow him, but before I left the room I looked back at Alexa.
"I'm sorry Alexa, Anakin is right, but don't worry we will all keep an eye on Cora."
She sighed and gave me a disappointed smile. "Thanks Maya."
I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring look then left the Communication Centre. I jogged to catch up with Anakin then continued to walk along beside him. "Do you really think Alexa is going to listen to you about this?"
"I don't know, she can be very stubborn."
"Especially now that she is pregnant, Master." I giggled a little.
"Indeed, Maya."
"Oh poor Rendal; it's going to get very interesting when Alexa gets more pregnant." I laughed to myself as I thought of Alexa and just how crazy things might get in the future with her possible mood swings. I just hoped that Rendal wouldn't be in any danger.
"Maya?" I shook my head as I realised that Anakin was staring at me.
"Sorry, just thinking."
"Well come on, we need to get going." He said and we walked faster to get to the hangar.
Alexa POV
I was silently furious as I walked through the temple. It wasn't fair! I understand that I'm pregnant, obviously, but that didn't mean that they could use that as an excuse to try and leave me out of what had the potential to be the biggest capture of the Clone Wars!
What did I get told? 'Stay here where you'll be safe.' Bah! I was still a Jedi, I could take care of myself, I didn't need to be coddled. I had a right to be there. The last time we fought the head clanker he almost murdered my padawan so no, I wasn't just going to sit around here and worry about whether or not the rest of my family was safe. Cora was already nervous enough going and as if that wasn't enough, I wasn't allowed to go with her? I could already sense how anxious she was.
That settled it, I was going and no one was going to stop me.
It wasn't hard to find the ship they would be taking to get to the Negotiator, all I did was wait near the hangar for the others to arrive and when I saw them nearing the small craft I carefully made my way over. I was secretly pleased that my stealth skills hadn't deteriorated as none of them seemed to sense my presence. It was when I had almost reached the ship that I realised I had a small problem, how could I get on board without them seeing me? Even if I was quick, they were too close not to spot me now. However, I was lucky when Commander Cody approached, causing the group to stop which gave me enough time to slip onto the ship without being seen.
Once on board I quickly stowed myself away so that they wouldn't find me until we were on the Negotiator and well on our way to Orto Plutonia. By then it would be too late to turn back and they would have to let me complete the mission with me. So for the time being all I had to do was lay low.
I concealed my force signature and smiled to myself as my little plan started to work as I heard the others board the ship. Now I just had to wait.
Rendal POV
I had just been to the mess hall to grab something to eat when I had the idea to get some extra food and go to share it with my secret fiancé. I just hoped that she wouldn't be feeling too sick to eat it.
When I arrived at her room I knocked gently on her door. "Alexa? It's Rendal, can I come in?" What surprised me was that there was no answer. Determined not to be deterred, I knocked again. "Come on Alexa, I brought you a snack." Still nothing. That was concerning... So I opened the door and went in.
The room was silent and empty, no one inside. I put the food down then went and checked the bathroom to see if she was there, but it was vacant. So my fiancé wasn't there, where else could she be? I knew she wasn't in the mess hall because I had just come from there, and I doubted that she would be meditating, though it was an option. So where else...
My train of thought trailed off as I realised how I could reach her. Instead of running all around the Temple and wearing myself out, I could just use the force to sense where she was.
I closed my eyes and reached out with the force, but... I couldn't sense her in the Temple. I tried harder to feel where she was, but her presence was no where to be found. I reached further into the force and after a long moment I sensed her. My eyes quickly snapped open as fear and anger ran through me like a sudden flash of lighting. She was off world, which meant she had managed to sneak off on some mission.
I always knew she was stubborn and she didn't like to stay cooped up in one place, but this was beyond ridiculous! What was she thinking?! There was a reason she wasn't supposed to go on any missions now! What if she got hurt?! What if the baby got hurt?! What if- I didn't have time to think about it. I grabbed my comlink and called my old Master's ship to see if he knew anything about this.
However it wasn't Obi Wan who answered. "Jay?" I asked when the hologram of the boy appeared.
"Yeah, hi Rendal. Uh, is something wrong? Why are you calling?" The nervousness in his voice told me that he had an idea of why.
"I can't find Alexa here at the Temple, I can sense that she's off world. Is she there on your ship?"
"Well..." I saw him turn to look at someone that I couldn't see before he faced me again and nodded with a sigh. "Yes she's here."
"Tell her I need to talk to her. Now."
"Yes Master Brask." He disappeared then a few moments later a holographic Alexa appeared.
"Alexa what in the flaming suns of Tatooine are you doing?! You were supposed to stop going on missions until after the baby was born!"
"Oh Rendal will you calm down? I'm a Jedi, remember? I can handle myself! I'm not going to get hurt, I promise."
"You know you can't make a promise like that, no one plans to get hurt, it just happens. You're walking into a war zone, Alexa, and you're pregnant for force sake! I know you'd sacrifice yourself, but I thought the baby's safety would mean something to you!"
The scowl she gave me made me regret saying that, but before I could apologise she snapped, "Well maybe you should be the pregnant one if you don't think I can look after a baby!"
I didn't know whether to laugh or scream at that point, I knew she was upset, but what she said almost made me chuckle. However, I couldn't let her get away with this.
"I'm not saying that you can't look after a baby, I think you're going to be a wonderful mother, but you're putting both of you at risk by doing this and I want you to march yourself back to this temple!"
"No! Come on Rendal, this is Grievous we're talking about here! I have to help. I have to keep Cora safe."
I sighed softly. "I know, but she has the others there to help her. Ok? So promise me that you'll stay on the ship and not join the fighting."
"But-"
Before I could hear the rest of her protest the transmission was cut off. "Alexa? Alexa!" What happened?!
Jay POV
I looked out a nearby window in the star destroyer at the stars that rushed by in the blur of hyperspace. We were going after Grievous again... Even after our last failure. I know they say if you don't succeed, try and try again, but this wasn't something I hoped to have to keep practicing. It was when I turned that I noticed Master Alexa Arnjard walking towards me, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. I stared at her in surprise, she wasn't suppose to be here. How did she get aboard the ship? Not knowing what to say I watched as she went goes over to Obi Wan and my master as if everything was as it should be and started talking to them.
Uh oh... When Rendal and master Skywalker find out about this she is going to be in so much trouble.
"Hey Jay." Cora came over to me.
"Oh hi Cora."
"Uh Jay? What's my master doing on the ship? I thought she wasn't suppose to be here after the talk with Master Skywalker. He made it very clear that wasn't allowed to go on this mission."
"Yeah well it looks like your master didn't listen, Cora, because there she is." I gestured to her. Cora and I were then notified of an incoming call to the ship so I answered it and suddenly felt slightly ill.
"Jay?" It was Rendal. This wasn't going to be good.
"Yeah, hi Rendal. Uh, is something wrong? Why are you calling?"
"I can't find Alexa here at the Temple, I can sense that she's off world. Is she there on your ship?"
"Well..." Despite already knowing the answer to that I turned to look back in the direction of my master, finding that he was indeed talking to Alexa. When I saw that I nodded to Rendal and sighed. "Yes she's here."
"Tell her I need to talk to her. Now."
His tone made me think better than to argue. "Yes Master Brask." I replied then went to go talk to Alexa.
When she saw me she offered me a small smile. "Hello Jay, is over is everything ok?"
"Not... Exactly. Rendal wants to talk to you."
I watched as her brow furrowed. "Well he certainly found out quicker than I'd hoped. Thank you for telling me, Jay, I'll go and speak to him." She said and went over to the holoprojector.
I walked back to Cora and shook my head, she was going to be in so much trouble from Rendal.
"Do you think Alexa will go back?" I asked Cora.
She shook her head. "I doubt it, we've already gone into hyperspace, we can't turn the ship around now."
"Good point. Maybe Rendal will come and get her." I chuckled at the thought that he was come half way across the galaxy to get Alexa and take her back to Coruscant. Even Cora had a little giggle at that. "Well whatever happens, I don't think that Rendal will let her out of his sight when we get back to the Temple."
"That is for sure... I wonder what Master Skywalker will say when he finds out about this."
"You can bet it will involve another lecture, and I think that Master Kenobi will lecture her too."
"Yes, I'm sure he will. He was Rendal's master when he was a padawan, wasn't he?"
"Yeah, that's why Rendal is such a good Jedi, and why he's a bit of a stickler for the rules."
"It makes sense."
We kept talking amongst ourselves until the ship was brought out of hyperspace- in the middle of a space battle?!
"Everyone to battle stations!" We heard someone shout and ran to go find the masters.
