Disclaimer: In no way at all do I own any of the original character, locations, ships, or anything else mentioned in Star Wars. They are all owned by George Lucas. I only own my OC. Any similarities between this story and another are purely accidental.
CAUTION! Romance and Obi-Wan OOC-ness
Randomness: Sorry, but you'll have to wait, just like everyone else! I'm really evil, aren't I?
Sica Meni: Really? He seems…eviler… Is eviler even a word?
Masked Masquerader: I never meant for this to happen, but Lyra's sarcasm actually comes from me! I really didn't want her to be anything like me, but I guess all writers put a little something of themselves in their characters. About your research paper, let me tell you something about politics: "poli many" "ticks blood sucking insects"
xXxArwenxXx: Here's chapter twenty-four. Oh, and update your Life In The Jedi Temple, will you? Love the story!
Hoonah: Thank you! I'm thinking about letting someone catch them, but I'm not really sure who I could let walk in on them. That did not make sense.
Elibe: I totally did not intend for my story to resemble ZELINIA's. Her story was the first Star Wars fanfiction I ever read, and I guess some of it made its way in here. It's a complete accident!
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It was several hours later before the Geonosian guards came to Lyra's cell. They disabled the stasis field, causing her to fall to the ground in an undignified heap. She was roughly jerked to her feet, then marched out of the cell by the insect-like guards.
The guards led her to a small anteroom, which looked something like a cave. Beyond that, Lyra could see a large arena with three pillars at one end and three huge cages on the other. Bright sunlight poured into them, showing that they were not empty.
She was led to a small cart pulled by a reptilian creature with a saddle, where Obi-Wan was already chained up. She was bound by her wrist-binders to the opposite side, facing the front.
"Don't worry," said Obi-Wan quietly, "I'll get us out of this."
Lyra smiled slightly. "I won't hate you if you don't. I'm not inputting much either."
Obi-Wan smiled, before looking back down at his feet. A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed before Obi-Wan broke it.
"In the event that I…I mean, just in case we…" He trailed off, looking uneasy.
"We what?"
"I mean…you know…if we do die…"
"Yes?"
"I just, well, I…really…I…"
Lyra restrained herself from laughing. "Obi-Wan, you're not making any sense."
"Sith," cursed Obi-Wan, before leaning down and capturing Lyra's lips in a kiss.
Lyra found herself kissing back, with all the passion she could muster. The kiss was as passionate as the one back on Naboo, but carried so much more feeling in it.
Finally, the two broke apart from lack of air. Lyra looked up at him, breathing hard. "What was that for?"
"I love you," whispered Obi-Wan, and Lyra got the feeling that had he not been chained he would be cupping her cheek.
"You love me?" asked Lyra, surprised. "You haven't given me the slightest inclination of doing so. And we're Jedi." She smiled humorlessly. "We're not allowed to love."
Obi-Wan returned the grim smile. "We're not going to be Jedi much longer anyway," he said. "I don't care anymore, not when we're about to die. And before we do, I wanted you to know."
"How deeply moving," taunted a voice from behind them. Count Dooku walked in front of them, accompanied by Viceroy Gunray, the Archduke of Geonosis, and Jango Fett.
Neither Jedi spoke, only responding with a withering glare.
"Guards, untie the woman," ordered Dooku. "She will die a different way, and at a much later time." He gave her an evil smile. "In the same way her mother died."
Lyra's eyes widened at Dooku's words, until the Geonosian guards came for her. They released the bonds from the cart, dragging her to the Count's private viewing box, thrashing and kicking.
Lyra was chained to a convenient rock stalagmite to the box's side, where she had a perfect view of the arena. Obi-Wan was led out and chained to a pillar. But nothing happened.
"What are you waiting for, bastards?" snarled Lyra.
"Oh, you'll soon see," said Gunray, rubbing his hands eagerly.
Lyra turned her attention back to the arena, and soon saw another cart being pulled out. And on that cart were Anakin and Padmé!
She struggled more against her bonds, making Jango hold a blaster to the temple of her forehead. "Move an inch, Jedi, and you're dead!"
Keeping still, she turned her eyes back to the arena.
Padmé and Anakin were being chained to their pillars. The latter glanced up at the viewing box, seeing her and giving her a sheepish grin. Lyra waved sarcastically, her movements restricted by the chains.
The three cages opened up, revealing three huge monsters; a rhino-like one, a crab/dinosaur, and a rat/tiger. Lyra identified them as an acklay, a reek, and a nexu.
She looked back at the three prisoners, seeing Padmé pick her locks. A smile crossed her face as Padmé climbed to the top of her pillar.
The creatures neared the three, being urged on by Geonosian guards with electric spears.
The reek charged at Anakin. He jumped up, and the beast hits the pillar hard. Anakin landed onto its back, wrapping part of his chain around its horn. The reek backed off, shaking its head angrily, which tore the chain from the post. He mounted the beast, using the chain as reins.
The nexu had had scrambled up the pillar where Padmé was chained, managing to rake its claws across her back. Gritting her teeth in pain, she jumped off the pillar, hanging by her chain, and awkwardly kicked the monster with both feet. The blow caused it to fall to the ground, where it lay on the sand, stunned.
"She can't do that!" shouted Gunray. "Shoot her…or something."
Lyra smirked, turning her attention back to the arena.
The acklay was stabbing at Obi-Wan, who made sure the chain got caught in it, breaking it in half. He dodged several more of its blows, managing to relieve a Geonosian of its spear, tossing it at the animal. Enraged, it yanked the spear out of its neck, breaking it in half.
Anakin had steered the reek towards Padmé's pillar. She jumped, and Lyra smirked when she saw Padmé give him a tiny kiss on the cheek. Obi-Wan had run towards the reek and had jumped behind Padmé as well. Anakin now made the reek head for the viewing box.
I need to lose the binders, thought Lyra. She grinned as she noticed Jango standing near her, a vibro-blade strapped to his waist.
Using the Force, she called the vibro-blade to her, praying Jango wouldn't notice. He didn't, and the blade zoomed into her open palm. She used it to pick the locks on her chains, thanking the Force that Dooku had decided she be chained to the side, unable to be seen by the group unless they turned around.
The chains fell away, and she gently lowered them to the ground. She climbed onto the railing of the balcony, and thankfully, no one had noticed since their attention was on the arena. She stood precariously on the edge, waiting for Anakin to get nearer.
Once he was near enough, she jumped off, just in time to hear the Viceroy say, "Why are they nearing us, Dooku?"
She landed on the reek behind Obi-Wan. Her hands went around his waist and she gave him a small kiss, similar to the one Padmé had given Anakin.
Just as she thought they were safe, several destroyer droids rolled out into the arena, surrounding them in a tight circle. Their weapons were extended, and were pointed at the three Jedi and the Nubian woman. Surrounded, Anakin reined in the reek, its riders apprehensively looking at the droids.
Suddenly, hundreds of lightsabers ignited in strategic places around the arena. Several Jedi stepped from the shadows, all poised for battle.
Their attention was drawn by Mace Windu leaping from the viewing balcony where Count Dooku was, discarding his flaming robe. It was only then that they noticed the hundreds of battle droids marching out into the arena.
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The crowd in the arena wisely decided that this would be a good time to disappear, and took to the skies, their wings fluttering in a furious attempt to leave as quickly as possible. Obi-Wan turned his gaze from them as three other Jedi tossed him, Anakin, and Lyra their lightsabers, which they quickly put to good use as the droids started firing at them.
As the fighting escalated, several cannons were brought out into the arena. The green energy bolts fired from it struck a Jedi Master in the chest, knocking him into one of the pillars. The shockwave of the blast made the reek stumble, unseating all four of its passengers.
Obi-Wan managed to land on his feet, while Lyra landed on her back. He helped her up, and the two fought back-to-back, deflecting the blaster fire back at the droids. Obi-Wan looked around for Padmé and Anakin at the same time, seeing them aboard one of the Geonosian carts, Padmé firing and Anakin deflecting the blaster fire.
Presently, the two Jedi were joined by Mace Windu, and three Jedi fought furiously. They were, however, separated as the reek charged again. Obi-Wan was knocked down by the creature's onslaught while Lyra was nowhere to be seen. Master Windu ran, managing to wound the reek's face with his lightsaber.
Jango Fett rocketed into the arena, ready to battle Windu. But the reek tossed him, and he ended up under the massive creature, trying to avoid its feet. Finally, he got free and killed it, turning back to Windu. But he was now match for the Jedi Master, who quickly sliced his head off.
Obi-Wan turned to two droids who were approaching him, deflecting their blaster fire. His suspicions were aroused by their odd behavior. One moment, their blasters were aimed at him, and the next, they were backing away.
"Uh oh."
"Roger, roger."
Obi-Wan turned around, trepidation seeping into his bones as he suspected what was behind him. Sure enough, the acklay was back with a vengeance.
Reacting quickly, he cut off several of its legs, making it stumble. A green lightsaber suddenly thrust through its head, and Obi-Wan looked up to see Lyra. She gave him a small smile (that was quite beautiful, in his opinion) before returning to the battle.
The battle continued progressively, until it became quite clear the Jedi were going to lose. The battle droids were pushing the Jedi backwards into a small circle, and Obi-Wan noted that there were now considerably more droids then Jedi, with numbers steadily decreasing in the droids' favor.
Suddenly all weapons pointed at them were lowered, and the battlefield grew silent. They lowered their weapons in return, waiting for the Count to speak.
Dooku's voice echoed out across the arena. "Master Windu. You have fought gallantly. Worthy of recognition in the Archives of the Jedi Order. Now, it is finished. Surrender and your lives will be spared."
"We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku," he replied.
"Then I'm sorry, old friend," the Count said with convincing lament.
The droids raised their blasters, and the remaining Jedi raised their lightsabers as well. Before any shooting could begin, however, a low humming noise drew Padmé's attention to the Geonosian sky.
"Look!"
Above, six battleships full of Kamino clones descended fast through the open area in the arena ceiling. They landed in a cluster around the handful of Jedi, as clone troopers exited the ships and began firing at the droids. The Jedi quickly retreated into the ships, which took them away from the arena.