19.
"Again," Ahsoka told her. Jaina grimaced as she got back to her feet. Taking a deep breath, she brought her lightsaber back up to its ready position, then lunged at her master. She was nearly there, only two moves away from completing the complicated series of parries and strikes Ahsoka was trying to teach her when once again, her feet slipped on the loose dirt that covered the surface of Mandalore.
For a split second she lost her balance, then her feet were swept out from under her, and she was staring up at the tip of a white lightsaber blade. She frowned, frustrated that she'd been so close, and grabbed Ahsoka's arm as she helped her up.
"You've almost got it," Ahsoka said reassuringly. "I know it's not easy, but you're close. Again."
"I would've had it that time," Jaina grumbled as she brought her lightsaber back up, "if I hadn't slipped again."
"You can't control the elements, so focus on what you can control," Ahsoka said. "You're letting your frustration in again, and not allowing the Force to flow freely. You have to clear your mind of everything and focus. Use your instincts, let the Force guide your actions. When you do that, it won't matter if it's sand, mud, snow, rain, freezing cold, or burning hot."
Jaina nodded and took another deep breath, quickly clearing out all the frustration and doubts that had been gathering in her mind. She lunged at Ahsoka once more, fluidly moving through the now-familiar set of movements. Something in the back of her mind warned her she was about to slip again, and she quickly adjusted, finishing off the last two moves in rapid succession.
She beamed at Ahsoka as she straightened back up. "See?" Ahsoka said, grinning back. "I told you, you could do it. Now, let's move on to something else."
She watched as Ahsoka demonstrated another set of equally, if not harder, movements, then it was her turn. Ahsoka walked her through them step-by-step, slow at first, and then gradually faster as the moves became more familiar. As soon as she felt comfortable enough, Ahsoka had her put them into practice, the two of them dueling until she could successfully complete them in order. And then the whole cycle started over again.
Jaina was grateful for the distraction that these training sessions had provided over the last two days. If she wasn't out training with Ahsoka, she was in the command center, running through scenarios and options with Bo-Katan, Ahsoka, and Bo-Katan's second in command, Countess Wren. Those meetings always left her feeling frustrated and disheartened, as no one could agree on what the best course of action was.
The meeting this morning had been no different. After finally settling on a tentative plan, Ahsoka had taken her out to their makeshift training area behind the walls of the compound. They'd been there ever since, and now in the fading light of the late afternoon, she realized they had a bit of an audience. That in itself wasn't abnormal; most of the Mandalorians here had never even heard of a lightsaber, let alone seen one in action, and right from the start their training sessions had always generated some interest.
Mostly, it had been from some of the family members Bo-Katan had introduced her to. She'd met numerous relatives, both younger and older than her, all of them cautiously curious about the "Jedi" family member they didn't know they had. She'd tried explaining to them how she wasn't actually a Jedi, but quickly realized, to them, it was a moot point. More than anything, Jaina was just happy that they seemed to accept her as one of their own.
The difference today was that Bo-Katan had come out to watch as well. Jaina cast a sideways glance at her and immediately noticed something was wrong. She looked at Ahsoka, who had stopped what she was doing and was now gazing at her cousin, a concerned look on her face.
"I think that's enough for today," Ahsoka said, deactivating her sabers. Jaina did the same, and together they walked over to Bo-Katan.
"It's time," Bo-Katan said, and something in her voice sent chills through her body. Her eyes went wide as her brain slowly registered the meaning behind the words.
"But we haven't even finalized a plan yet—" Jaina started to protest, and Bo-Katan held up a hand, instantly silencing her. Ahsoka shot Jaina a look, then crossed her arms and waited on Bo-Katan to explain.
"We've just received new intel that indicates they are going to be executed in the morning. We need to make contact now, to ensure that doesn't happen." Jaina blankly stared at her. This couldn't be happening, not yet. She wasn't ready, she needed more time. And like she'd just said, they didn't even have a solid plan yet.
"We're going to have to go with the plan we agreed on this morning," Bo-Katan continued, reading her mind. She gave Jaina an understanding look, but when she spoke, her voice was firm. "I would've liked more time to plan as well. But we don't have any more time. We have to act now."
Ahsoka laid a hand on her shoulder, and Jaina worriedly looked up at her. "You're ready," she said. Jaina searched her eyes for any sign of doubt but saw none. She nodded slightly. If her master truly believed she was ready, then she was.
"Okay." Bo-Katan gave a short nod, and Jaina and Ahsoka silently followed her back to the command center. A million thoughts flew through her mind as they walked, most of them centered on if they—if she—could pull this off. She knew a lot of it was going to depend on how convincing they could be in this first part.
"Clear the room," Bo-Katan ordered when they entered. Jaina watched as everyone but the Countess stopped what they were doing and hurriedly left. Once it was empty, Bo-Katan walked over to the holo-table and keyed it on. Jaina, Ahsoka, and the Countess stood off to the side, completely out of view, and Jaina handed Ahsoka her lightsaber.
"Put these on," the Countess told her, handing her a set of binders. Jaina raised an eyebrow at her. This hadn't been part of the plan. "It'll make it look more convincing," she explained, and Jaina nodded, allowing the Countess to slip the binders over her wrists and lock them into place.
A moment later, an image of the Inquisitor appeared over the table. "Lady Bo-Katan Kryze," she said, smirking. "I was beginning to wonder when I'd hear from you."
"It took a little longer than I would've liked to find what you were asking for," Bo-Katan replied evenly, crossing her arms.
"So, you have what I want?" the Inquisitor asked. She, too, crossed her arms and gave her a skeptical look.
"I do," Bo-Katan said, offering no more information.
The Inquisitor narrowed her eyes. "Prove it." Bo-Katan shook her head, feigning amusement.
"That's not how this works," she replied. "First, you have to show me that my people are still alive. Forgive me, but I'm not going to just take your word on it."
Jaina held her breath as she watched the Inquisitor think it over. A moment later, she gave a slight nod, then turned and barked an order at someone out of view. She turned back to Bo-Katan, and Jaina could sense her annoyance even through the holo.
"One moment," she said, and then the holo froze as she paused it. Jaina cast a nervous look at Ahsoka, who gave her a reassuring nod. She looked back at the paused holo, her heart racing. It felt like an eternity had passed before the holo finally un-froze, and the one warrior she didn't know was drug into view.
Bo-Katan showed no reaction as she nodded to him. Jaina watched him give her a slight nod in return and then he was drug out of view again. "And the other two?" Bo-Katan asked.
The Inquisitor's smile was full of malice as she nodded to someone they couldn't see. A second later, her mother and father were roughly shoved into view. The angry defiance Jaina had seen in them in the message was gone. Now there was only fear.
"Bo, please, don't do this," her mother pleaded. Jaina's heart ached, wishing she could rush to them, or at the very least, explain that this was all an act. Playing her part, Bo-Katan again showed no reaction, and her parents were hauled out of view once more. The Inquisitor held up a hand to someone they couldn't see, then turned back to Bo-Katan.
"Your turn," she said. Bo-Katan nodded and looked over to where Jaina and the others were standing. The Countess grabbed her arm and drug her over next to her cousin. She struggled against her grip, which was surprisingly strong, and scowled at Bo-Katan before she turned and faced the Inquisitor.
The Inquisitor must have kept her parents in view of the holo because as soon as she turned, she heard her mother cry out. It took every ounce of control she'd learned from Ahsoka to not react to the sound. She focused on the Inquisitor, using the building anger to her advantage. For the first time since that day with Sabine, she let the anger flow in, allowing it to feed her reaction.
The Inquisitor smiled evilly as she looked between her and her parents. "Ah yes," she said, "now I can see the resemblance." She looked at Bo-Katan. "Mind telling me how, exactly, you found her?"
"Does it really matter?" Bo-Katan replied, shrugging.
The Inquisitor chuckled. "No, I guess it doesn't." She gave her another skeptical look. "I must admit, I'm a little surprised at how easily you're willing to just hand her over, considering she is one of you."
Bo-Katan's eyes narrowed and when she spoke, her voice was like ice. "She is not one of us."
The words cut through the haze of anger, and even though, deep down, Jaina knew she didn't mean it, she wasn't able to control her reaction. She lunged at her cousin and almost had her hands around her throat before the Countess grabbed her and threw her away from Bo-Katan. Jaina started after her again, but the Countess stepped in front of her, both of her blasters drawn and pointed at her head. She could hear the Inquisitor laughing quietly, as she stared, seething, at the blasters.
She was just about to take her chances with the Countess when Ahsoka grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her back. She held her, refusing to let go, forcing her to calm down. Jaina could hear the Inquisitor and Bo-Katan talking, but all she could focus on was trying to regain control. She leaned into Ahsoka's calm presence, and by the time her cousin had finished talking and shut the holo off, the anger was gone. Bo-Katan walked over to them, her face unreadable.
"I hope that was convincing enough," she said.
"I think it will be," the Countess replied. "So, tomorrow then?"
Bo-Katan nodded. "Mid-day. That's when we're supposed to hand her over. The exchange will be done simultaneously, in the courtyard of the outpost."
"And the rest of the plan?" the Countess asked. "That stays the same?"
Bo-Katan nodded again, a grim smile on her face. "With any luck, by the end of the day, the outpost will be nothing more than smoking rubble, and every Imperial there will be dead."
"Send them a message," the Countess said, an equally grim smile on her face.
"Exactly," Bo-Katan replied. "Gather the others. I want to brief everyone on what's going on."
The Countess inclined her head and left the room. Bo-Katan turned to Jaina, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry for what I said. You know I didn't mean it. But I am glad that it provoked such a reaction from you. That was perfect."
"Just trying to help," Jaina said. She looked at both her and Ahsoka and held up her still-bound hands. "Mind taking these off of me now?"
Ahsoka waved her hand over the binders and they clicked and fell open. Jaina looked from the binders to Ahsoka, and back again, her mouth gaping open. "Why have you not taught me how to do that yet?"
Ahsoka chuckled. "I haven't needed to." The door opened and some of the warriors Bo-Katan had summoned started to file in. "Come on," she said, motioning for them to leave. "I'll teach you right now. You need to know how to do it anyway, for tomorrow."
They left the command center and Ahsoka explained the basic mechanics to her as they walked back to Jaina's quarters. Once inside, Ahsoka had her try over and over again until she could get them to open on her own. After that, she left her with instructions to keep practicing until she could get them off in under ten seconds. Jaina sighed as she left, knowing she was in for a long night.
Emry walked in not long after, right as she was in the middle of an attempt. "Hey," she said, quickly crossing the room and kissing Jaina.
"Hey," Jaina sullenly replied. She looked down at the binders, which were still locked around her wrists. She was happy to see Emry but frustrated that she'd broken her concentration. More than anything, she wanted to spend the rest of the night focusing on her, but until she accomplished what Ahsoka had asked, she knew she couldn't.
"What, exactly, are you doing with those?" Emry asked, eyeing the binders.
"I have to learn how to get them off in under ten seconds," she replied. "You know…for tomorrow." She assumed Emry had already been briefed about what was happening, and she was correct. Emry slowly nodded.
"I just came from the briefing, actually. I'll be helping with surveillance in the morning, then providing aerial and evac support if it's needed during." Jaina nodded. Sometimes she wished she could go back to the time when she had no idea what Emry did, and lived in blissful ignorance of the danger she was constantly in.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Emry asked.
Jaina sighed heavily. "I mean, I would love for you to help, but I don't see how you could."
Emry thought for a moment, and a smile slowly began to spread across her face. "I have an idea." She walked over and locked the door.
"What about Sabine?" Jaina asked her. She didn't think Sabine would take being locked out of her own space very well.
"She was gracious enough to allow us to have the night to ourselves," Emry said. "She said she was going to stay with her family, but I know she's lying." Jaina cocked her head, confused, and Emry chuckled. "You've been too busy with everything else to notice, but she's been spending an awful lot of time with one of the guys from Clan Eldar."
"Is that so," Jaina said, smirking. Sabine was never going to hear the end of that from her now. She raised an eyebrow at Emry. "So, what's this idea you have to help me?"
"It's simple," Emry said, crossing back over to her. "We'll set a timer, starting at, let's say, a minute and a half. You'll have that amount of time to get the binders off. If you succeed before the time is up, then—" she paused dramatically "—I'll remove a piece of clothing."
Jaina grinned. "I like this idea already." Emry grinned back, then held up a finger.
"But," she said, "there's a catch." Jaina frowned and Emry laughed. "If you succeed before the time is up, not only will I take a piece of clothing off, but we're then going to subtract ten seconds from the timer and that's the amount of time you'll now have to do it in." Jaina nodded. That didn't sound so bad.
"Also," Emry continued, a mischievous grin on her face, "if you fail, then I'll put a piece of clothing back on."
"Well, that's just not fair," Jaina grumbled.
"That's the rules," Emry said, shrugging. She grinned at Jaina again. "So, what do you think?"
"Set the timer," Jaina immediately replied, and Emry laughed again. She found it extremely hard to concentrate at first, knowing what was at stake, and after failing the first few times, she finally settled down. Without even knowing it, Emry was also teaching her another lesson, one Ahsoka had been trying to teach her for months now: how to fully focus under pressure.
Once she settled down and found her focus, it took her less than ten minutes to get the timer down to ten seconds, and Emry down to one final piece of clothing. She smirked at her as Emry reset the timer. "Ready when you are." Emry rolled her eyes and pushed the start button.
Jaina quickly shut everything out and reached through the Force, finding the locking mechanism inside the binders within seconds. The binders clicked and popped open, the timer going off three seconds later.
Opening her eyes, she saw that Emry was now standing directly in front of her. She looked up, her smug grin instantly dissolving when she saw the look on Emry's face. Emry gently took the binders off her wrists and pulled her to her feet. They gazed at each other, neither one wanting to speak aloud what they were thinking.
Jaina studied her, noting how green her eyes looked today, and how the natural highlights in her brown hair caught the soft light of the room. She looked beautiful, and at that moment, she knew. Feeling a sudden urge to tell her right then and there, she opened her mouth, but Emry quickly shook her head, stopping her.
"Tell me tomorrow, once this is all over," she said quietly. Jaina nodded and softly kissed her. After a moment, Emry took her hands and led her to the bed. They took their time, like they had that first night, both wanting to savor every second they had together. After they were finished, Jaina held her until they finally fell asleep.
She awoke the next morning to Emry gently kissing her forehead. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."
"It's okay," Jaina sleepily replied. "I'm glad you did." She noticed Emry was fully dressed and sighed. "Are you heading out?"
Emry nodded. "We're going to start surveillance early, to make sure there are no surprises for you once you get there."
"Please be careful." Emry nodded again, and Jaina reached for her. The kiss was long and intense, and it was Emry who finally pulled away. "Good luck," Jaina told her, as she stood up.
"You too," Emry said, giving her a wan smile. She could try and hide it all she wanted, but Jaina could feel the worry and anxiousness flowing off her. Emry leaned in for one last kiss and then turned to go.
"Emry," Jaina said before she could leave. She turned around and Jaina smiled at her. "May the Force be with you." This time, Emry gave her a genuine smile, then headed out the door.
She sighed again, and, knowing there was no way she was going back to sleep, got up, and got dressed. After a quick breakfast, she sat on the floor and settled into meditation. A few hours later, Ahsoka came and got her, and it was time to go. The base itself was a hive of activity, as everyone prepared for the upcoming fight. They walked in silence to one of the starfighters, where Bo-Katan and Countess Wren were waiting.
"Are you ready?" Bo-Katan asked her, once they got to the foot of the ramp.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied. "Let's go get them back."
They boarded, and shortly afterward the fighter rose into the air and they were on their way. They had some time, as the outpost was almost two hours away. "Has anything changed?" she asked Bo-Katan.
She shook her head. "No. As of this morning, it looks like it's business as usual there, which works to our advantage. They should have absolutely no idea what's coming."
"Now, remember," Ahsoka said, turning to face them both, "she'll want to keep you alive, so odds are she'll take you inside the main building to interrogate you. Do you have your lightsaber?"
Jaina patted her jacket, where her lightsaber was hidden in a pocket on the inside. Unless they searched her, which Ahsoka said was highly unlikely since she was otherwise unarmed, they would never see it.
"Good," Ahsoka said. "Engage her only if necessary. Remember, the goal is to keep her there, in the building, so when it comes down, she goes with it." Jaina nodded. That was going to be the tricky part. "I'll be keeping an eye on things in case she somehow makes it out. One way or another, she's not leaving that outpost alive."
The cool determination in her voice sent a shiver up Jaina's back. Her master very rarely talked like that. Then again, Jaina knew she'd faced and defeated more than one of these Inquisitors before and knew what needed to be done. They fell silent as the time dragged on, but eventually, she heard the pilot call out that they were getting ready to land. Her heart started racing as Ahsoka put the binders on her and locked them into place.
"You can do this," her master said. "Remember your training. Remember what I've taught you. Stay calm, stay focused. Don't let your anger control you. Stay in the moment." Jaina swallowed hard and nodded. Ahsoka seemed to be just as nervous as she was, which did little to calm her.
She felt the ship settle onto the ground, and Ahsoka quickly disappeared into the recesses, needing to stay hidden from sight. Bo-Katan and the Countess took up positions on either side of her, grasping her arms as they waited for the ramp to be lowered. She squinted against the glare of the sun as they emerged from the ship, then looked around to get her bearings.
The outpost was directly ahead; as they got closer to the entrance, she saw the entire courtyard was lined with troops, and every bit of armor they had was manned and ready. She thought it was a bit excessive, given that this was supposed to be a simple prisoner exchange, but maybe the Inquisitor just wanted a large show of force, in case they were tempted to try anything. Either way, it was certainly going to make the upcoming battle a lot more interesting.
They walked into the courtyard, and the doors to the main building straight ahead of them opened up. Jaina inhaled sharply as she saw the Inquisitor walk out with her parents and the other prisoner. Bo-Katan gave her arm a slight squeeze of reassurance, and she steadied herself. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she took a deep breath and cleared her mind. The familiar calm settled in, and when she opened them back up, she was ready.
As the two groups approached each other, Jaina noted that there was a fair amount of anger coming from her mother, which was in sharp contrast to the sadness she could feel from her father. Her heart ached, but she regarded them coolly, determined not to show any emotion. There would be time for that later.
"I'll never forgive you for this," her mother spat out, glaring at Bo-Katan. She then turned her attention to Jaina, but before she could get any words out, they were shoved forward by the stormtroopers guarding them. Bo-Katan released her arm and grabbed her mother's, pulling her away from Jaina. The Countess shoved Jaina forward, into the troopers who were waiting in front of the Inquisitor.
"Jaina!" She turned around to see that her mother had broken free from Bo-Katan's grasp. She threw her arms around her daughter, trying desperately to hold onto her as Bo-Katan and her father tried to pull her away.
"Trust me," she whispered in Mando'a, into her mother's ear. "Trust Bo." They finally pulled her mother off of her, and she saw her eyes widen in shock and understanding.
"Isn't that sweet?" the Inquisitor said mockingly. She nodded to the stormtroopers. "Take her inside." Two troopers grabbed her arms and began walking her towards the main building. Jaina smiled to herself. Ahsoka had been right. Because she'd appeared to be unarmed, they hadn't even bothered searching her.
Jaina could sense the Inquisitor hesitate for a moment, then turn and follow. She kept her focus on her, idly wondering how long it would be before her cousin launched the attack. Too soon, and they wouldn't catch the Imperials off-guard. Too late, and they ran the risk that instead of interrogating her right there, the Inquisitor would simply leave with her.
Of course, the attack was only a distraction, designed to allow Clan Wren to sneak all the explosives they could into every corner of the base. Once they were done, they would send a signal out, and every Mandalorian there would have around a minute to clear the area before the entire base was reduced to rubble. It was Jaina's job to keep the Inquisitor occupied until then. She just hoped she could find a way out before the building exploded.
"You were not an easy one to find, traitor," the Inquisitor said as they entered the lift on the main floor of the building. "I'm going to thoroughly enjoy interrogating you."
Jaina said nothing and stared straight ahead. The Inquisitor barked out a laugh. "Ironic isn't it? When I last saw you, you were the one asking the questions. Tell me, traitor, how well do you think you'll fare under the same conditions?"
Jaina again said nothing and was shoved out of the lift as it opened onto the top floor. She still didn't hear anything from outside and was beginning to worry. She didn't want to engage the Inquisitor too soon, but she also wasn't in the mood to find out what she had planned for her interrogation.
The Inquisitor led them down the corridor and she could see that it branched off in only one direction at the end. It was the typical design of nearly every Imperial building she'd been in, and she mentally breathed a sigh of relief. At least there would be no surprises when she needed to make a quick exit. They were about halfway down the hall when the building violently shook. She allowed herself a small smile as she listened to the chaos that was erupting outside.
The troopers stopped walking and the Inquisitor turned around, her eyes narrowing as she peered at Jaina. Jaina gave her an innocent look and shrugged, which only seemed to agitate her further.
"Find out what's going on," she told the two troopers. "I can take her from here."
"Yes ma'am," they replied in unison, then turned on their heels and ran off in the direction they'd just come from. The Inquisitor grabbed Jaina's arm and threw her in front of her, giving her a shove in the back. "Walk."
Jaina did as she was told, waiting until she could no longer feel the presence of the two troopers. She then turned her focus to the binders and reached through the Force, sending a silent thank you to Emry as the binders clicked and popped open. She let them fall to her feet and dove as far as she could forward, her hand reaching for her lightsaber.
"What the—" she heard the Inquisitor say as she hit the ground and rolled back up to her feet. She faced the Inquisitor, who was now looking at her curiously. Jaina watched as an evil smile crept across her face when her eyes settled on the lightsaber in her hand.
"What a pleasant surprise." She unhooked her saber from her belt and ignited it. "Let's find out if you know how to use it."
Jaina ignited hers and began slowly backing up as the Inquisitor advanced on her. She just needed to keep her occupied a little while longer. Waves of anger and hate and contempt rolled off of the Inquisitor, assailing Jaina's senses. And underneath it all, there was a level of fear she'd never felt from anyone before. She knew it was the dark side, and feeling it flow so strongly off of someone was terrifying.
Sensing her fear, the Inquisitor leapt at her, bringing her lightsaber down quicker than Jaina was expecting. She barely got her blade up in time to block the Inquisitor's strike. She quickly recovered and went on the offensive, countering with a flurry of her own strikes. The Inquisitor countered again, stronger this time, pushing her back against the wall.
"Someone has trained you well," she said through the hiss of the locked blades. "Who was it, hm?"
Jaina scowled at her and said nothing. She pushed against her blade, trying to push her off, but she was stronger than she had expected. Slowly, the Inquisitor began to force Jaina's blade towards her face, and she tried not to panic.
"No matter," the Inquisitor said. "Once I'm finished with you, I will find them and kill them, too."
Jaina kicked her, hard, in the stomach, and sent a strong push through the Force, breaking their blades apart. The combination sent the Inquisitor stumbling back a few meters. She scowled at Jaina, and Jaina could feel a new level of anger flare in her.
With a flick of her wrist, another blade ignited from the opposite end of her lightsaber. "For your sake, I'll make this quick," she said, immediately darting forward, swinging both blades in rapid succession.
Jaina blocked both strikes then leapt backward down the hallway, creating some distance between them. She could still hear the battle raging outside and knew that it wouldn't be long before Clan Wren would send their signal. The Inquisitor charged at her, and she went on the defensive. She looked for any opening she could to counter, but the Inquisitor was relentless, and it was all she could do to block the countless strikes from both blades.
The Inquisitor quickly backed her up against what she thought was another wall, at the end of the corridor. It wasn't a wall, however, and the door slid open, dumping her onto the floor of a room. She saw the Inquisitor's killing blow before it happened, and quickly rolled out of the way. The Inquisitor growled in frustration as Jaina scrambled backward, away from her.
It didn't take her long to realize she was now trapped. She was in some sort of storage room, and it appeared the only way out was blocked by the Inquisitor. An image from a dream she'd had ages ago flashed in her mind. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this. The Inquisitor seemed to realize the same thing and gave her a malevolent smile. She held her lightsaber out in front of her and it began spinning, so fast that the blades blended together and seemed as though they were one.
Jaina cursed under her breath. Ahsoka had conveniently forgotten to mention that part. She brought her lightsaber up as the Inquisitor slowly started forward. Jaina glanced behind her, noting with some dismay, that she didn't have much space left. And, to make matters worse, the comm she was wearing on her wrist started beeping. She glanced at it and cursed again. She had to get out of there and fast.
Knowing it was now or never, she charged the Inquisitor. If she was going to die in here, she was at least going to go down fighting. She leapt, bringing her lightsaber down as hard and fast as she could, hoping it would catch one of the blades as they spun. It did, and the force of her jump pushed the Inquisitor back a few steps as well.
They were now within a few meters of the door, and Jaina attacked again. She was hoping to push her back into the corridor, and then sprint for whatever window was closest. She knew she was rapidly running out of time, and her strikes became more furious, driving the Inquisitor back farther. She was almost there, with the Inquisitor finally taking a step back into the corridor, when the building shook again, more violently this time, rocking with the explosions that were taking place all over the compound.
Jaina had been expecting it, but the Inquisitor had not, so when they were both thrown off balance, Jaina was quicker to recover. She darted forward, ducking under the Inquisitor's lightsaber, and driving her own up into the Inquisitor's stomach. It sank in, all the way to the hilt, and Jaina held it there for a second, watching as the Inquisitor's eyes went wide with the shocking realization that she'd lost.
The building rocked again, and this time the explosions were right under their feet. She quickly pulled her saber out and pushed the Inquisitor out of her way, sprinting as fast as she could down the corridor. If she could just make it to the window at the end, maybe she could clear the building before it came down. She might not make it out unscathed, but at least she wouldn't be dead.
The window grew closer and she thought she might actually make it when another set of blasts tore through the floors under her. She reached into the Force for all the strength it could give her, urging her legs to go faster, but it was too late. The floor gave way beneath her and then she was falling. Debris from the collapsing building crashed into her as she fell, and she wondered how soon it would be before it was all be over.
Her fall was abruptly stopped when she landed on something, hard. Excruciating pain—worse than anything she'd ever felt—tore through her midsection, but she had no time to react to it, seeing a large piece of debris bearing down on her.
She raised her arms and somehow managed to catch it with the Force, trying as best she could to push it away from her, but it was too heavy. Her strength gave out and it fell, right onto her leg. She screamed and reached through the Force again, trying to move it off, but the pain was unbearable.
Debris was still falling around her when everything faded to black.