Depa POV
The gunship put us down, and we filled out as blaster fire swirled around us. I surrendered to the Force, and Form III filled my mind as I lead the troops towards the enemy and the foreboding palace. My head trooper, Hexx, was leading the way by my side with his pistols, and my former master, Master Windu, was close to my position where I could see him.
It had been such a long time that I had been in battle, since I was much more suited for providing training to other Jedi in the expression of dealing with emotions. The fast pace of slashing through our surroundings and marching towards our target was barbaric, and truly not what the Jedi of old intended for us to do.
"I do not believe that so many of the young ones enjoy this carnage," I mused as I stepped over a fallen clone, fighting my instincts not to help him. For once, I was glad I was in what amounted to a coma in the Clone Wars and missed this horrible sight. I blocked the blaster fire with ease as I ran beside Hexx.
"Come on dogs. Have a taste of this," said Bits, Hexx's second in command. He was a heavy gunner and was launching grenade after grenade at the enemy. I figured he had the biggest grin under his helmet.
Together, Hexx, Bits, and I worked together as a team, muddling through the wreckage of the war. Slowly, we advanced towards the fortress. I slashed enemies, clones and droids alike in our path, as we advanced. In the back of my mind, I realized that there were many of my brethren had this life during the Clone Wars. However, I chose to be holed up in the walls of my room, meditating on the Force and the different aspects of the mind. Honestly, I mused, as I slashed through one of Palpatine's minions and their mechanical wail pierced my ear drums, I prefer my books to this. It is so neanderthal. I mused about how Skywalker, and so many other heroes of the Clone Wars, seemed to thrive off of this. He had the reputation of being an animal in battle, almost engorging himself with bloodlust. I could not believe that he could be enthusiastic about this.
Slowly, we made our way through the carnage, inching closer to Palpatine. I wondered what The Senate would do with him once they had him. He would not be retried, but simply escorted back to a different cell in a prison. It would be stupid to put him back in the same place where we had him, but then the infamous Senate had made very questionable decisions in the past. What was vital was that we did not let him close to Anakin. As my mind drifted to the Chosen One, I wondered how he was holding up, acting as a slave. It would take all of his training not to blow his cover and confront Palpatine. We had spent all of this time training him, and now we simply hope that it would be enough. Thankfully, he had Obi-Wan and Ahsoka at his side to aid him.
"Padawan!" yelled Master Windu.
Quicker than I could see the bullet, I was hit in the shoulder of the arm that was holding my saber. The pain seared through my nerves as I feared that I was going to lose that arm. I dropped my lightsaber and sank to my knees, clutching my arm.
"General," said Bits, coming to my side. "Are you injured?"
Before I could answer, the hair in the back of my neck stood up. I looked up to see a bullet coming straight for Bits' head. I pushed him to the ground with my body, then rolled off of him, calling my saber to my left hand. I am not skilled with my left hand, but I channeled the force and it guided my saber. Surrendering to it, like Master Windu taught, I saw that the next bullet was coming at such an angle that I could reflect it back. Swiftly, I moved my lightsaber into position, and the bullet reflected back to my attacker, rendering him moot.
I risked a quick look backwards, and saw that Bits was on his feet, and firing away at the droids as we made headway to the castle. Satisfied, I continued my march forward, adjusting my grip on my lightsaber so that I could hold it securely in one hand, instead of two. A sound blast could knock it out of my hands and render me helpless, and I did not want that. I tried to move my right arm, but just the slight jostling that came with jogging through the chaos of war sent pain through my body. Was I going to be useful when we battle Sidious? Am I now just supposed to be moral support?
No, came the answer from the Force. Did Windu not teach you to use me as well?
A grin spread across my face, as I once again surrendered to the Force. The force flowed through my body in a sensation that I could not explain. I saw several visions pass before my eyes: Palpatine lead off in chains as the Senate condemn him, Obi-Wan and a young boy with inquisitive eyes going over maps of the galaxy, Anakin and a teenage girl sparring with weakened lightsabers, Ahsoka Tano presenting a small child to the council, Padme Amidala and Leia Solo sitting side by side in the Senate, and finally, an image of Luke Skywalker sitting on the Council discussing things with the masters. The future is bright for us, and dim for Palpatine, and it is all the will of the Force.