OBI-WAN

"How could Dooku get his hands on an army like this so quickly?" Obi-Wan yelled above the rain of blasts.

"The Separatists have had this war planned for too long for this to be a coincidence. This was always their plan. Strike early and hard." Qui-Gonn replied, wielding his lightsaber with such speed, it became a blue blur.

"Get inside!" Master Windu yelled to a family as he pushed them behind him.

"I have to admit, though." He said to his companions. "Troska was getting a little quiet for my liking."

"Quickly!" Obi-Wan shouted to a group of civilians who shielded their heads as they ran up the steps of the palace and through the heavy front doors.

Just as the Jedi finished cutting down the first wave of droids, a second clanked up the steps in even larger number.

"We have to close the doors." Qui-Gonn yelled.

"But the people…" Obi-Wan began.

"Most of them are inside. We have to take the majority." Qui-Gonn reasoned, and reluctantly the trio backed into the entrance hall, the heavy doors booming closed behind them.

"What do we do now?" Obi-Wan asked, looking out over the sea of frightened civilians huddled together.

"I'm afraid there's not a lot we can do. Troska is not part of the Republic. While we're here, we can help put there's little more we can do than protect them. We cannot fight a war for them." Qui-Gonn admitted sadly.

"Look!" A cry went up from the crowd. A young girl was pressed up against one of the windows and the Jedi followed the crowd to see the city of Troska almost completely flattened. Buildings had been reduced to rubble, people lay dead in the streets and everything was grey. The Separatist ship hovered above them as a sea of droids marched across the flattened city. Standing opposite them was a group of only ten royal guards, their weapons drawn valiantly.

In one motion, the droids took aim at the brave soldiers. Obi-Wan watched helplessly as one of the droids dropped it's arm, a signal for the rest to open fire. A thousand blasts shot towards the guards, but just before they reached them, they froze and the crowd in the palace gasped.

"There!" Someone shouted and from behind the guards stepped Thalia, her grey gown blending in with the destruction around her. Her hand was outstretched in front of her, shaking slightly from the strain of focusing the force on so many blasts. With a flick of her hand, the blast changed their direction, and as her arm dropped the droids were destroyed by their own blasts.

As Obi-Wan watched, a guard came scrambling across the debris, towards Thalia and pointed up at the ship. As if on cue, the ship's engines glowed brightly and began to pull away from the city.

Once again, Thalia threw out her hand and the three Jedi heard the rumble of the force around them. The ship shuddered violently as Thalia began to reel it back in. The engines burned under the strain but Thalia continued to hold it back, the power of the force beginning to shake the glass in the windows.

Obi-Wan watched as Thalia raised her other hand and slowly waved it over the ship. Beside her, at least fifteen crates filled with Kyber Crystals began to form from thin air around her. Dooku must have somehow gotten his hands on some of the crystals and Obi-Wan knew Thalia would never allow them to leave Troska, even if it meant draining herself of energy trying to get them back.

"How is she doing that?" Master Windu murmured.

"Midichlorians." Obi-Wan muttered distantly as he watched the crates become solid. Thalia's hand dropped to her side before she collapsed onto the ground, her palm coming to rest against her forehead. Above the city, the Separatist ship lurched forward before almost immediately jumping into lightspeed.

"Is it over?" A member of the crowd asked and Obi-Wan watched as people nodded.

The doors were pushed open, and tentatively, the crowd took it's first steps out of the palace. They descended the steps in silence as they tried to come to terms with the flattened city. Suddenly, shouts of joy came up as children seemed to appear from the ground. They scrambled out of an underground bunker and ran to their parents.

Amongst the heartfelt reunions and grief-stricken families, Obi-Wan clambered over the rubble, dropping down behind a chunk of wall, he looked around himself, finally laying his eyes on what he was looking for. He saw Thalia standing amongst the destruction, her face covered in dirt, her dress stained and her hair a mess. She looked around at what had been her beautiful city merely hours ago. Her sad eyes met Obi-Wan's and he held her gaze as exhaustion seemed to swallow her.

. . .

"All of them? All one hundred and fifty planets?" Thalia asked in disbelief as she and the Jedi stood around a large piece of rubble, serving as a table in the devastated throne room.

"Yes, your highness." Her only remaining minister said as she looked earnestly at the Princess. "It happened to all of them, mind you they weren't after Kyber Crystals, but to force their hands to swear allegiance to the Separatists."

"How many of them signed, Lilith?" Thalia asked.

"Thirty-seven." The minister replied sadly. "The rest refused and were decimated."

"Offer them all the help we can give them. I know we don't have much, but what we do is there's as well." Thalia replied. "They will rebuild."

"You have great faith, your highness." Lilith said.

"I'm afraid that's all we have." Thalia admitted and the two women shared a look before turning back to the group.

"I understand the Jedi are to return." Lilith began.

"Indeed. Now that the words is 'war' all the Jedi are to return to the temple to be assigned their roles, whatever form they may take." Qui-Gonn nodded, folding his arms across his chest.

From his place at the table, Obi-Wan nodded to Thalia. He wanted to her to be assured that he wasn't going anywhere. Not even a war could keep them apart. He wanted to stay and help her rebuild Troska along with the remaining hundred and thirteen planets.

"We will be leaving first thing in the morning." Master Windu announced.

"Well you should stay here tonight." Thalia began, knowing the place at which the Jedi had been staying was now a pile of rubble. "As long as you don't mind your meditation being interrupted with the other hundred people we're now housing here."

"Not at all, your highness. Thank you for your kindness." Master Windu replied, bowing slightly as Thalia smiled.

That evening, the throne room was filled with homeless Troskans, sitting on the floor in groups talking softly or comforting each other. Thalia had helped the kitchen staff to prepare enough soup to sink a ship, and Obi-Wan watched her pick her way through the crowd, offering them some for dinner. He himself, had a large pot and ladled some into the bowls of an elderly couple.

He looked up at Thalia again, to see her say something to C-6, who had been entertaining a group of children. The droid nodded and twiddled one of the knobs on her chest plate. Music suddenly began playing from her speakers. It was upbeat, pipe music. The pipes were Torska's instrument, dating back centuries to when miners would play them around the echoing caves at night.

The people smiled and seemed to let out a collective sigh as they began to relax and the tension disappeared from their shoulders.

"Nothing like a bit of music to lighten the mood." Thalia said to herself with a faint smile, watching as Obi-Wan received a warm embrace from the elderly woman he'd just offered food to. But her mood wasn't lightened. Most people would put it down to the fact that her planet had just been ripped to shreds, but something else was tearing in two at the decision that was now weighing on her heart.