Chapter 8 – Battle
In this chapter I will use a number of views. A general 3rd person type of view to describe larger events and a first person view (either Barriss of Ahsoka). I will add a little notice when the view changes. I'm just playing around a bit with this to see if it adds something to the story or not, feedback regarding the view changes is appreciated.
Text written "like this" means people are speaking in Basic (or English).
Text written /like this/ means people are speaking in Togruti.
Text written "like this" means that it's people's thoughts.
Thanks for the pointer ahsokanerd, this makes things a little easier for me to write and hopefully for others to understand/read as well.
There won't be any language changes in this (version of the) chapter (there is in Ahsoka's), but for future chapters I will write things like that.
;-
Felucia, Separatist Base, prison cell.
Lux Bonteri looked around the prison cell. Almost a day had passed since their imprisonment. He looked at Nyla Sonter, the Twi'lek Jedi padawan that was with them. She had woken up some time ago. Right now she was resting against one of the walls of the cell. Her injuries were severe, but with the aid of the Force, she was able to cope with the pain.
Senator Bail Organa was speaking with her right now to see how she was doing. Lux was unable to hear their conversation, but it was obvious that the padawan was trying to act strong for the other captives. She was clearly in pain, both from her wounds and the fact that she had just lost her master. Lux looked up at the ceiling in thought. Ahsoka had told him about the bond between Master and Padawan. A Jedi Master and his or her Padawan did practically everything together, they even lived together. They would spend years together until the padawan was knighted. Lux sighed. Jedi traditions and rules didn't make any sense to him. They were forbidden to form attachments, but how can you not form attachments when you live together? It had really confused him. He had asked Ahsoka about it but she hadn't given him much of an answer. She hadn't said it at the time, but it was obvious that she didn't like that 'no attachments' thing either.
Senator Organa sat next to him. "Lux, I've been meaning to ask. Who was that Togruta you were talking to yesterday?" he asked. "I haven't seen her since those droids took her away." Lux sighed. "She was the princess of Shili, Zaa Vashee. Seeing as Shili is still neutral, you can probably guess why she's here…" he replied. Bail Organa nodded. "Sadly yes, I can imagine. I hope she's alright. Our 'host' is a very cruel man." Lux nodded and gestured to the Twi'lek sitting across from them. "How is she?" Bail's expression turned grim. "She doing her best to remain strong, but I'm afraid she's hurt a lot more than she shows." Bail sighed. "If she doesn't get medical treatment soon she won't make it." Lux looked down. He was about to reply when a loud explosion rocked the building. "What in the…?!" Lux exclaimed. Panic settled in the room as more blasts were heard.
"It's *cough* it's the Republic." Nyla Sonter managed to say softly between her coughs and grunts of pain.
;-
Separatist Base, isolation cell.
Zaa Vashee sat in the isolation cell, sobbing silently. The Separatist commander had stopped by early in the morning. He had once again tried to 'convince' her to tell her father to join the Separatist alliance. When she refused to talk, he had used some kind of electric staff to shock her. Zaa didn't know what is was called, but it had hurt immensely. After about thirty minutes of crying out in pain the commander and his droids had left. Now she was left alone, shaking a bit from the pain of the burns she had sustained. All that surrounded her now was darkness and silence. She couldn't see anything or hear anyone. Being a Togruta, a species that is used to being in groups and her as a princess she was always surrounded by others, this vast loneliness was frightening her. Shivers crept up and down her spine. The rattling of the chains that restrained her to the wall made the whole situation even worse.
A loud explosion resonated through the entire structure startling her. "W-what was that?" she thought as fear filled her. She could hear more blasts. "W-what is g-going on?" she asked softly, desperately hoping that someone would respond. The only response she got was a silent room and the echoing of blasts in the distance.
;-
Felucia, Separatist outer base, entrance.
Two battle droids were standing atop the main base entrance, looking out over the area with binoculars. "These trees make it impossible to see anything." One of the droids complained in its mechanical voice. A distant thundering sound was heard. "Did you hear that?" the other droid asked his counterpart. "Hey look! What's that?" the first droid asked pointing at something in the sky. "It looks like some sort of projectile." The second droid responded. The object started descending towards the two droids at a rapid pace. "uh oh…" the droids said in unison.
When the projectile struck the entire base entrance was wiped out, along with the two droids.
;-
Felucia, outside the Separatist Base area.
"Generals." Commander Bly saluted as he stood beside Masters Unduli and Secura. "All of our troops are in position. We are ready to begin the assault." Luminara and Aayla looked at each other. "Thank you Bly." Aayla replied. Luminara checked her chrono. "It is almost time to attack." She informed Aayla. The Twi'lek nodded and activated her comlink. "Artillery, prepare to open fire. Target the main entrance first, followed by the main area in front of the base. Do not, under any circumstance, target the main building. We cannot risk harming the prisoners." She informed the artillery battalion. "Understood General, preparing to fire." The captain of the artillery battalion replied.
"Dusk is upon us." Aayla said. Luminara nodded. "Let's hope that Barriss and Ahsoka can infiltrate the base without any difficulties." She replied. Aayla smiled. "As long as we can create enough of a ruckus I'm sure they will be fine." Luminara smiled as well. "That's true. Very well then, let's begin." Aayla nodded before activating her comlink. "All forces, prepare for the attack. Artillery, open fire in twenty seconds." She ordered their force. Their troopers performed one final weapons check and prepared themselves to fight. Both Luminara and Aayla drew their lightsabers.
"All is ready Generals." Bly reported. Aayla nodded. "Artillery, open fire in three, two, one. Fire!" she ordered.
The artillery cannons opened fire. The main entrance to the base was immediately destroyed. After that the droid forces started walking out of the base, ready to annihilate the intruders. Luminara ordered their troops to proceed onward and engage the droid forces. The clones moved towards the designated spots along the trees and rocks of Felucia. Using the cover from the natural environment, they opened fire at the droids.
;-
Felucia, deep forest area, several miles away from the rear end of the base.
Barriss' point of view
I can hear the explosions in the distance. "So the fight has begun. Stay safe Master." I let my gaze wonder around. The foliage around us is perfectly shielding us from any possible vulture droids flying overhead. Ahsoka mentioned that in her vision she had seen a secret entrance into the base. Fortunately, the original path we were going to take almost leads straight to it. The reason we chose this path was because of the natural cover the forests of Felucia provided. I can see Ahsoka smile lightly and sense a hint of excitement coming of her. I smile as well, hopefully everything goes well.
Our troops were currently waiting for my signal to depart. I check my chrono, a few more minutes and then we begin. The clones I recruited for the mission are inspecting their blasters one final time. I look at the Togrutan warriors Ahsoka brought along. "What did she call them? The H'Raani M'Kai?" A few of the troops gave a few curious looks at the red-skinned Togruta wielding two miniguns. "I admit, he looks like a real powerhouse. All of them do, these guys are obviously a lot stronger then they appear."
I check my chrono. It's time for us to go. "Alright everyone, move out. Stay under the cover of the trees and we'll be fine." I tell our troops. I see Ahsoka nod in return and she signals her troops to go. I do the same. We all move out along the path.
;-
Felucia, front of the Separatist Base area.
"Artillery, adjust fire. Eight points west, 12 points north, take out those tanks!" Aayla commanded the artillery through her comlink. The battle was going well, the Separatist commander had responded exactly as they had predicted. Thanks to the coordinated artillery strikes the droids barely had cover while the clone soldiers had plenty of cover thanks to the natural rock formation of the area. The droids still had their sheer numbers so they were still a threat. Nevertheless, the clone soldiers had the terrain advantage making it impossible for the droids to overwhelm them.
"The battle proceeds well." Luminara commented while spinning around, her lightsaber flashing rapidly around her, reflecting bolt after bolt from the droids. "Indeed, let's hope that it stays like this." Aayla replied as she moved similarly, her lightsaber spinning around. The two Jedi stood atop one of the rocks at the front of their army. Their location gave them a perfect overview of the situation. They could give direction and orders when needed. The clones had dug themselves in well and were raining blasterfire on the droids. They were certainly creating distraction.
;-
Felucia, deep forest area, several miles away from the rear end of the base.
Barriss' point of view
I can hear the sounds of battle intensifying in the distance. The battle was escalating and the closer we got to the base the better we can hear it. Thankfully we were making good time and we will soon reach the cave that Ahsoka described to us.
"Hold up, I hear something." Tyrral, another of the Togrutan warriors suddenly said. "Metallic footprints on the rocks." Everyone stopped moving and lowered to the ground. Trace, one of the clone scouts I recruited for this mission took out his scanners and moved to look in the direction Tyrral pointed to. "Yea, he's right. There's a group of clankers over there. A scouting party, twenty of them in total." He reported. I wonder about our options for a moment. "Do we wait for them to pass or do we attack? Can we risk it with the hostages?" It's clear to me that we shouldn't take the risk of waiting, the hostages might be injured. "With the large battle going on we should be able to take them out without being noticed by anyone in the base." I tell the group. I turn towards a few of my men. "You three…" I began, but someone interrupted me. "Hold up, leave this to us." Shaden, the leader of the group of Togrutan warriors said. I'm not really sure about his, but still nod a bit hesitantly. Shaden flashed me a reassuring smile. "Cira, take them out." He told the blue-skinned Togruta. She nodded and proceeded swiftly up one of the trees. I look at her curiously. "She's going to take them out by herself?"
Using the natural camouflage from the forest Cira reached the area above the droids without them noticing. She took out her snake sword and jumped down right in the middle of the droids and landed in a crouched position. I look a bit confused at her actions. "What is she doing?"
"Hey, who are you?" one of the droids asked. Cira activated her vibro sword. She trusted forward, impaling one of the droids, her blade extending to its full size. "Hey! Get h…" the droids tried to say. Cira moved fast and spun around in a circle, swinging her sword around her. It flashed like a whip and twisted around. In the blink of an eye, all that was left of the droids where a few scattered hopes of scrap metal.
"Full moon slash." Shaden commented. "Anything in range of her blade gets cut in pieces."
"Impressive." The clones murmured to each other. The group moved towards her and prepared to move on. Ahsoka turned towards me and smiled when she saw my obviously stunned expression. I smile as well and walk up to her. "Those are some impressive warriors." I tell her. She chuckles for a moment. "They're the most elite Togrutan warriors, what'd you expect?" she replied. I give her a confused look before chuckling as well. "Come on, let's continue. The cave is not far from here." Ahsoka tells the group. She receives a small round of confirmations and we proceed onwards.
;-
I can see Ahsoka smile just up ahead. "Guess she found the cave." I feel very relieved. We were able to avoid any further droids. Those rancors we encountered had scared me, but thank the Force, they hadn't paid any attention to us.
Ahsoka activated her lightsaber and cut away a number of bushes. The bushes fell and the entrance to the cave was revealed. "Is this the place?" one of the clone troopers asks her. she nods. "Yes, this is it." Ahsoka gestures at the cavern. "It's some kind of animal cavern. It's large enough for us to go through and it goes right past the cellar of the Separatist base. We can cut right in and take them by surprise." she says with a smile. I smile as well. "Alright then, let's go. The sooner we get the hostages out of that base the better." I tell the group. Everyone nods and we proceed into the cave.
;-
"This cave sure smells funny…" One of the clones commented. "I hope that there aren't any other hungry beasts in here." Another clone commented. Dodge laughed at the clone's remark. "Don't worry, there's nothing in here. We can tell with our echolocation." He told them. "That certainly is useful." One of the explosion experts Blaster replied. They all laughed for a moment.
I was walking alongside Ahsoka through the caves. I could tell that something was starting to bother her. "Should I have told her?" I'm starting to get a little nervous. "Barriss, who are among the kidnapped Senators?" Ahsoka asks me suddenly. I feel a bit ashamed and look away from her. She grabbed my arm. "Barriss?" she asked a little louder. I sigh. "I'm sorry Ahsoka, I should've told you…" I say a bit nervously. "Lux is among the hostages." I can see Ahsoka's face turn a bit paler. She appears to be deep in thought.
After a short moment she turned back towards me. "Barriss, promise me that you'll get everyone, including Lux, out of there safely." Her reaction surprises me a bit, but I nod after that. "I promise Ahsoka." I tell her. "I'll rescue your boyfriend." She say with a cheeky smile. Ahsoka scoffed at my remark. "Why you…" she says as she playfully punches my arm. she smiles. "I trust you Barriss." She replies. I smile as well. "Thank you Ahsoka."
We proceeded through the cave. I couldn't be more relieved that Ahsoka was willing and able to trust me. "I won't let you down, I promise."
;-
A few minutes later Ahsoka suddenly runs towards the cave's wall and examines it. "Have we arrived?" Ahsoka turns back towards the group. "This is it." she tells the group. "The basement of the base is here." Ahsoka gestures at the wall. "Once we cut through here we'll be in the base." I move next to her. "Alright when we're inside, everyone stick to the plan." I tells everyone. "My troops and I will go and rescue the Senators. Ahsoka, you, Shaden and Cira will recue the princess of Shili. Do you know where she is?" Ahsoka nods. "Yes, I can sense her presence. She's not in the same cell as the Senators, but I know where she is." She replies. I nod. "Good. While we locate the hostages, the rest of Ahsoka's team will split up in teams of four and five to sabotage the base and find the belongings of the captives. After that we will evacuate everyone through this cave and proceed to the primary evac point." I repeat our mission plan. Everyone nodded understandingly. "We know what to do Commander, we're ready." Shaden replied. "Let's do this." He said with a smile. I nod and turn to Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, if you would be so kind?" I ask, gesturing at the metal wall. Ahsoka nods and smiles. She turned to the wall, ignited her lightsaber and began cutting out a block. After that she used to Force to remove the block from the wall. "This seems a bit familiar, doesn't it Barriss?" she asks me. I smile, knowing that she's thinking about Geonosis. "It does… Let's just hope that this doesn't end up with us being trapped inside a tank underneath a large pile of rubble." I reply sarcastically. We both chuckle for a moment. "Heh, you gotta tell me that story on the way back Ahsoka." Shaden says. "Alright I will, but first…" she replies and gestures inside the basement.
We all move inside and ready our weapons. We make our way upstairs and two clones, Longshot and Shrap, check the hall. "All clear, let's move out." They signal back. Everyone moves upstairs and we split in the designated teams to complete our objectives.
;-
My troops and I, along with Ahsoka and the two Togrutan warriors, quickly made our way through the base. Our map data had proved accurate and we soon found ourselves in the prison area. Thanks to Masters Unduli and Secura providing a good distraction, there had barely been any droids in our path. The few droids we did see quickly met their end at Shaden's large vibro battle-axe. His strength is impressive, to be able to swing such a large heavy weapon and still move that fast.
"The main prison area is this way." Longshot informs us. I nod. "Alright, Ahsoka, which way is the princess?" She closes her eyes and concentrates for a moment. "She's this way." Ahsoka replies and gestures at another passage. "The isolation cells are that way." Longshot said. Ahsoka nods. "We'll get her and meet you at the rendezvous point." I nod in return. "Okay, may the Force be with you." Ahsoka smiles. "And with you." She replied before she and the other two took off towards the isolation cells. I give my men a signal and we enter the opposite hallway.
;-
Separatist base, command center.
"Commander, we have unidentified movement in the prison area." A droid reported to the Separatist commander in charge of the base. "What?" he replied confused. "Contact one of the security droids immediately!" The droids looked at each other. "We've tried that sir, but there's no response." One of the droids responded. The commander rubbed his head in confusion and irritation. Then realization set in. "Those damn Jedi…" he said. "I'll teach you to mess with me." He turned to his command desk and entered a series of codes. An evil grin spread across his face when he was finished.
;-
Separatist base, prison area.
Barriss' point of view.
As we make our way through the halls, I use the Force to enhance my senses and outstretch my feelings through the corridors. I can sense multiple life forms in a couple of rooms up ahead. "This way men." I inform my troops. I run ahead in one of the directions and they follow swiftly. We go around a few corners. After that I stop in front of one of the cells, sensing a number of life forms within. I use the Force to unlock and open the door.
As we step inside the first reaction we get is a lot of shock and fear. They are quickly followed by different reactions of relief. "A Jedi!" "Clone troopers!" "We're saved!"
"Please everyone, settle down." I tell the group of prisoners. "We are here to get all of you out." Senator Organa sighs in relief. "Thank you padawan Offee, the other Senators and their staff are locked up in the three cells next to this one." He informs me. I nod in return. "Longshot, take five others and get them out." I order my troops. Longshot salutes. "Yes Commander." He and five other troopers leave the cell almost instantly. "Padawan Offee, it's good to see you." Lux Bonteri started. "But you have to see to Padawan Sonter." He finished urgently and gestured at the Twi'Lek sitting at the wall. I gasp. "Padawan Sonter is still alive?!" I quickly make my way over to her. Her injuries are quite severe, she's obviously been tortured. "Padawan Sonter, how are you feeling?" She coughed a bit before replying. "I've been better." She said softly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. I give her a comforting smile. "Shrap, please help her get out of here." I say as I turn towards my troopers. "Yes sir." Shrap replies and he moves to Nyla. "Commander, can you walk?" he asks. "Not exactly, my legs are pretty beat up." She replies. Shrap nods and carefully picks her up. I turn back to the others. "Alright everyone, listen up. We need to get moving. Follow me and my troops and we will guide you to the extraction point where we will meet up with Ahsoka and her troops. From there we will get you back to our ship and bring you to your destination." I carefully explain the situation. Lux Bonteri suddenly had a very surprised expression on his face. "Ahsoka's here?" he asked. I nodded. "Yes, she's here at the request of the king of Shili to rescue his daughter. But now isn't really the time to talk." I reply. Lux nods understandingly. "Very well, let's go." I inform the group. Everyone starts to get up and ready to leave. The clones assist where needed. As I exit the cell I see that Longshot and the others have freed the rest of the Senators and their staff. "Good, now to head for the rendezvous point."
"Ahsoka, Commander Offee, do you hear me?" The voice of Aurora, one of the Togrutan soldiers, comes through the comlink. "Yes Aurora, I hear you." Ahsoka replies over the intercom. "Loud and clear." I say as well. "We just entered the command bridge, but it's abandoned. The Separatist leader must have found out we were here. He activated the self-destruct system! This base will self-destruct in little over seven minutes!" she informs us. "Not good!" "Understood, let's get out of here!" Ahsoka replies through the comlink. "We won't make it back through the cave in time! We need another way out!." I say, calculating the time we need. "There is an back-exit a few corridors away from the command room. It's our best bet. We'll go ahead and secure the area." Aurora replies. "Copy that, everyone move!" I say and end the transmission. "Everyone, move as fast as you can! We don't have much time!" I inform the group. I signal six of my men to cover our back while I take the lead in the escort.
;-
As we re-entered the entrance of the prison area we run into Ahsoka, Shaden, Cira and who I assume to be the Shilian Princess. "Hey Barriss, guess we've worn out our welcome." Ahsoka says sarcastically. "Got that right." I reply. I can sense some form of approaching danger. "Shaden, Cira, incoming droids!" Ahsoka says. Shaden nodded. "Understood, we'll deal with them!" he turns to Cira and she nods. The two activate their weapons and dash into the corridor ahead. A couple of seconds we hear some kind of roars and a sound similar to metal being torn into pieces. "All clear, let's go!" Shaden's voice comes over the comlink. Ahsoka looks at me and nods. I nod back and we all continue making our way to the exit.
As we turn around the corner we can see Shaden and Cira waiting for us at the end of the hall. The entire hall was littered with shattered droids. Ahsoka and I use to Force to push all of the rubble to the side.
"Master Unduli, do you read me?" I activate my comlink to warn my Master. "Barriss what's wrong?" Luminara's voice responds. "Master, listen. The Separatists have activated the self-destruct system. This place is gonna blow in about five minutes. Primary evac point is comprised. We are going to escape from the base and find a new safe extraction point." I quickly explain the situation. "Understood Barriss, be cautious." Luminara replies as she deactivates the transmission.
;-
Outside the Separatist base
"Understood Barriss, be cautious." Luminara says in her comlink. "Luminara, what's wrong?" Aayla Secura asks as she moves up to Luminara. "The base is going to self-destruct." She replied. Aayla briefly looks shocked but regains her composure immediately. "Attention all troopers, fall back from the base! Self-destruct is imminent! Fall back!" she orders to all troopers over the comlink.
;-
Separatist base, halls.
Barriss' point of view.
We all continue through the hallways of the base. Ahsoka, Shaden and Cira are clearing the way up ahead. Them being Togruta, their echolocation gives them an advantage in this situation. I am leading the Senators and their staff out of this place. I give a quick glance backwards. Everyone is still following us, Shrap is still carrying Nyla Sonter. Ahsoka had signaled us multiple times to wait and continue. There still were a number of droids blocking our path. "They don't want us leaving here alive."
"Base self-destruct in three minutes." The base's intercom system warned. "Barriss, pick up the pace! We're running out of time!" Ahsoka's voice says over the comlink. "Got it!" I reply. "Everyone, move faster! We have to move!" I inform the group behind me. We all continue quickly through the halls. Ahsoka and the other two Togruta were waiting at the end of one of the corridors. When we caught up with them we all run further.
About another minute we were very close to reaching the exit where we were supposed to meet up with Aurora and the other warriors. We arrived in a form of hangar, the exit is right in front of us. I can sense a sharp warning shooting through the Force. "Everyone, move!" Ahsoka yells. "Get to cover!" I add as we both draw our lightsabers. It's not a moment too soon either because the next moment a large group of droids appear and start blasting us. Ahsoka and I work on deflecting the bolts away from the Senators while Shaden, Cira and the clones direct everyone to cover. "We don't have time for this!" Ahsoka tells me. "I'm open to suggestions." I reply. The clones open fire on the droids, red and blue lasers flying around the room.
Suddenly a large barrage of bolts hammered down on the droids from their flank. With the combined fire from both sides they were quickly reduced to rubble. I look to the side and see two other Togruta, Tironos and Aurora, entering the room with smoking weapons. "Come on! This way!" Aurora yells as she and Tironos run to the door and open it. "Alright, everyone out! We don't have much time to spare!" I order. The clones quickly escort the Senators out the base. Shaden and Cira lead the Shilian princess out right behind them.
We enter the small courtyard behind the base and make our way towards the outer wall. The place is littered with destroyed droids and the doors are completely open. The rest of the Togrutan warriors are waiting at the exit. "Everyone, move quickly! We're almost out of time!" Shaden yells. He and the other Togruta, the clones and I lead the Senators and their staff out of the base. Ahsoka is covering our back.
We all run ahead to try and get into the forest and away from the base. All of a sudden I can feel a strong warning through the Force. I stop and turn back to the base. Ahsoka is still standing there in the doorway. "Ahsoka! What are you doing?!" I yell at her. Instead of replying she summons a strong Force push and knocks all of us into the trenches around the base. Barely a few seconds later I can hear a loud siren followed by the sound of explosions. "Everyone get down!" I yell and lie down on the ground, shielding my face. I can sense everyone following my example. "May the Force be with you Ahsoka."
A large explosion is heard. I try to sense were Ahsoka is but I can't concentrate properly. Then another explosion washes a wave of flames over us.
The instant the explosion dies down and the Force tells me it's safe I jump up out of the trenches. "Troopers, help the Senators!" I order them. I hear Shaden yelling something in Togruti and he and Cira also jump out of the trenches. I look at the base. The area we just ran past is now a large pile of rubble. Ahsoka is nowhere to be seen. I turn around and look at the forest. I can see numerous broken branches. Between the trees, quite a distance away, I can see a figure on the ground. "Ahsoka!" I yell and run towards her. Shaden and Cira quickly follow behind me. Ahsoka is lying on the ground, the armour she was wearing was cracked and parts of it were missing. She was in a terrible shape, both her arm and ankle bent at unnatural angles. I try and reach out to her with the Force, but she's unconscious. I activate my comlink and the emergency beacon I brought. "This is commander Barriss Offee, we need immediate medical extraction at this location. I repeat, we need priority one medical evac at my location!" I yell in the comlink. "Come on Ahsoka. Hang in there."
The rest of the group reaches us. I can sense their shock at seeing Ahsoka's condition, the worst of it coming from Lux Bonteri. I don't turn around to see them, I do not want to see the look on his face. I keep my focus at Ahsoka, trying to use the Force to keep her alive as we wait for the evac team.
;-
Yes, I know, a cliffhanger. Sorry, but I didn't have another way to end this chapter.
Describing a large scale battle isn't very easy, hope it's not too bad. I focused more on the infiltration and rescue.
Let me know what you think about the different views. If it's better to read I may add more things like that in future chapters. I'm not really sure about it though so I'd like to know the opinion of others.
I'm going to try to update soon, I already have the largest part of the following chapters in my head. Now I just have to work it out.
Until next time.