OBI-WAN

When the Republic shuttled shuddered out of hyperspace and entered Troska's airspace, the sight that met Obi-Wan's eyes was not what he'd expected to see. The pale, swirling clouds that usually drifted through the planet's atmosphere where obscured by a large, Separatist dreadnaught. If that wasn't enough to send the Jedi's blood running cold, he immediately recognised the ship as Count Dooku's.

"What the hell is Dooku doing here?" Anakin cried, voicing Obi-Wan's exact thought.

"Kyber Crystals." The older Jedi muttered, his hand tightening around his jaw. After considering this, he dropped his hand to rest it against his pilot's shoulder. "Fast as you can, Cody."

"Yes, sir." Came the Commander's reply.

If Anakin had been able to sense his master's anxiety before, there was no ignoring the waves of distress emanating from Obi-Wan. The younger man frowned slightly, but decided against opening his mouth.

The shuttle found a clear spot on the landing platform, and with the speed that could only come from experience their Clone Troopers leapt into action. Obi-Wan and Anakin followed their squadrans onto the platform where a group of soldiers in dark grey and navy armour had amassed; their helmets tucked under their arms as they all pointed frantically in different directions. The two Jedi marched over to the group who were so deep in conversation that Obi-Wan had to clear his throat to get their attention.

"Soldier, what's going on?" Obi-Wan asked the nearest man. He had bright yellow eyes and had a nasty looking gash on his cheek.

"What does it look like? We're under attack." The exhausted soldier replied. "The Separatists are trying to raid the caves again."

"We're here to meet with the Queen. Where is she?" Obi-Wan asked and as the solider frowned, one of the other men looked up.

"You the Jedi?" He asked, pointing a gloved hand at their Republic shuttle. Obi-Wan nodded.

"Follow me. And bring your soldiers. We could use the help."

Behind the Jedi, Commander Cody barked out a line of orders to his squad and the clones fell into step behind Anakin. The Troskan soldier lead them out of the landing bays and into the docks where the main battle seemed to be taking place.

Swarms of battle droids clanked towards units of Troskan soldiers who fought back valiantly. The clones sprang into action and joined the soldiers in the fray.

"Solider, where is the Queen?" Obi-Wan asked again, wondering why they'd been brought to the battlefield when Thalia wouldn't be anywhere near the fight.

"There." He pointed towards a group of soldiers, but there was no sign of Thalia. Obi-Wan was about to voice this but a sudden shout came up from the group that caught the Jedi's attention.

"Look out!" Obi-Wan turned to see a soldier push Commander Cody out of the way of an oncoming blast. The soldier was dressed in the same armour as the rest of the army, but the helmet had ice blue piping around the metal panels. The armour was made up of different shades of strong, grey material with dark blue gauntlets, breastplate, belt and boots that went up to the knee. Lighter blue panels ran down the forearms, over the shoulders and torso. The simple, rounded helmet was sleek and made of the same colours, with three short fins: one in the middle and one on either side. But the paler panels on this soldier's armour glowed the colour of Kyber Crystals.

The soldier reached down and offered Cody their hand, but instead of taking it, he pointed behind them and they whirled around just in time to three assassin droids bearing down on them. Obi-Wan started forward, knowing a single blaster would be no match for the three killing machines.

However, he'd barely taken two steps when the solider reached up to the holster on their back and pulled out the hilt of a lightsabre. It blazed to life, a pure, white beam of light. The soldier swung it at the first droid, cutting it clean in half, as they spun on the spot. With the momentum still moving through their body, the soldier threw the lightsabre at the second droid. It whirled through the air, cutting it's head clean off. It was an impressive manoeuvre, but now the soldier was without their weapon. With both their hands now free and the final assassin droid almost upon them, the soldier brought both palms together, the droid crumpling from both sides, as if being crushed by some invisible force.

"What in the world? Did they just use the force?" Anakin shouted beside his Master as he dodged a blast. As the two Jedi watched, the solider held their hand up, palm facing the direction they'd thrown their lightsabre. A white light shot across the battlefield and the sabre flew, hilt first, back into their hand.

Obi-Wan tried to get a closer look at the lightsabre the soldier was wielding and nearly dropped his own when he recognised the hilt as his old sabre he'd used as a Padawan.

The one he'd given Thalia fifteen years ago.

The soldier holstered their lightsabre and raised their hands.

The force rumbled in the air and seemed to almost crackle with power and Obi-Wan felt the reverberation in his bones. All the battle droids suddenly screeched to halt, their joints grinding loudly against the strain of seemingly being frozen in their places. The soldier stepped in front of the army and walked towards the droids. Slowly, their legs began moving in reverse, forcing them to walk backwards toward their troop carriers.

The loud groaning of the droid's joints faded as they backed up the ramps of their ships and with one final sweep of their hand, the soldier raised the ships off the ground, sending them climbing into the sky and towards the Separatist cruiser. Once the carriers were caught by the ship's tractor beam, it's engines kicked in and it disappeared into the tunnel of hyperspace with a crackle.

Anakin and Obi-Wan had been watching the events unfold with astonishment. Neither of them said anything as the soldier approached them. Obi-Wan's mind was racing faster than a Fathier could run. This soldier had an uncanny force ability and was able to wield a lightsabre as skilfully as any Jedi; not to mention it was his lightsabre they were wielding.

Before he could rationalise his thoughts into a logical explanation, the soldier addressed the man who had led them to the battlefield.

"Well done, Captain." The soldier said in a crackly voice, distorted by their helmet.

"Thank you, your Majesty." The man replied and Obi-Wan's eyes barely had time to widen before the soldier reached up to their helmet and pulled it away from their head. Short, pink curls fell around their face and a pair of pale, purple eyes fixated on the two Jedi who could do no more than stare at the Queen of Troska.

"Master Jedi. Thank you for coming. I'm sure it's not quite the welcome you were expecting." She said, looking between the two, but Obi-Wan felt like he'd forgotten how to swallow.

"Uh, I certainly have questions." Anakin grinned, flipping his lightsabre over in his hand. He looked sideways at his Master who had turned a few shades paler than his usual complexion, and chuckled.

"We certainly have a lot to discuss." Thalia agreed.