To Austrian: Thank you for your feedback! I appreciate it. Glad you like Veers's ability :)
To Pandora151: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like her and Obi-Wan's relationship!
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars
Jedi trapped on Felucia! Clones are surrounded by droid forces. Their only hope is to escape on Republic gunships waiting to land on the embattled surface. Jedi cruisers have managed to blow a hole in the droid defenses and have sent gunships to the rescue.
"Commander, we're about to be overrun!" Veers grit her teeth, swinging her lightsaber out again to block blaster fire. She nodded her head in acknowledgement of Waxer's statement, trying not to let her focus waver from the battle.
"Unfortunately!" she agreed, thrusting her hand out. She channeled the Force, knocking a couple battle droids back. As she accessed the Force, images of a very different battle filled her mind. ShShe clenched her fist, dropping the droids right on top of an explosive that another trooper had thrown.
"We can't retreat," Waxer added, shifting into a battle stance behind her and shooting down some droids. "The enemy is closing in around us – we'll never make it through."
Veers glanced around quickly and cursed. Waxer was right.
Panic rose in her chest, making her ira marks flicker slightly. Shaking her head, Veers took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. She shifted her gaze upwards, noticing how close the Master Plo's fighter squadron was. Her spirits lifted slightly.
"Troopers!" she shouted, raising her voice. "Group up! I think the gunships are on the way!" The clones in her squadron obeyed her order, pulling back to the base of the AT-TE that they had come with.
The heavy metal legs of the machine offered the squadron more protection as the enemy closed in. Veers scowled, risking another glance at the sky to see where the aircrafts where. There was still no sign of them.
"Master Kenobi!" Veers said, turning on her communicator to contact her instructor. Both she and Ahsoka had been dispatched on jungle patrols with a squadron of troopers, but Veers's patrol had quickly turned into an all-out fire fight. "This is Veers. We're three klicks southwest of your original position. The enemy is closing in!" There was a moment of tense silence, and the Obi-Wan responded.
"We're on our way, Veers," he reassured her. Veers let out a sigh, relieved for half a second. But when she glanced up, it only took a quick glance around to tell her that the squadron was now unable to leave the safety of the AT-TE's – the droid army had closed in too far; there was no space for the gunships to land.
Veers made an executive decision.
"Troopers, into the walker!" she shouted, pointing at the hatch on the bottom of the machine. The clone steering the AT-TE heard her command and opened the door from the control center. A ladder descended, and the troopers began to climb up, disappearing into the stomach of the walker. Veers stayed on the ground, parrying the blasts the best she could as she walked backwards, closer to the ladder.
Raising her wrist back to her face, Veers spoke into the communicator. "Master, we need a carrier here!"
"Veers, leave the walker!" Obi-Wan replied, sounding irritated.
"We're in the walker!" Veers responded, sheathing one of her lightsabers and stepping up the ladder. She put one hand and her feet on the rungs, keeping her other hand free to continue deflecting blaster shots. She was the last one on, Waxer just above her. The ladder began to retreat back into the machine automatically.
"What?!" Obi-Wan's voice registered his shock. The gunships had just arrived. He peered through a crack in the aircraft, seeing the walker on the ground. It was completely surrounded by droids – there was no place for the gunship to land, and there was no way their allies inside the walker could get out.
"What's going on?" Ahsoka asked nervously.
It was her fault they were delayed getting to Veers. Despite being ordered to stand down and retreat, Ahsoka had been convinced that she had broken through enemy lines. Her disobedience had cost them time, and Veers and her squadron were paying the price.
"They're in the walker," Obi-Wan responded, shaking his head. He spoke into the communicator again. "Veers, we have no carriers. They'll never get here in time."
There was a pause on the other end as Veers digested this information.
"Give me a minute," she said to Obi-Wan. She lowered her arm, ignoring Obi-Wan's harried protest that they didn't have a minute. She knew that the gunships were in more danger the longer they were in the air, but she had to hope that Master Plo's fighter squadron could keep the enemy occupied for just a little longer.
"Commander, what's going on?" It was the pilot of the AT-TE, ironically nicknamed "Gunner," speaking. Veers looked up, her magenta eyes refocusing as she assessed the situation. Her troopers were in good shape - they hadn't lost any men so far, and any injuries her squadron has sustained were superficial.
"No carriers," Veers responded, casting her gaze around the AT-TE. She could sense the sudden change in mood of the troopers – the hope of rescue disappearing into dread. If they couldn't be extracted, it was only a matter of time before the droids stormed the walker and either took Veers and the clones' hostage or, more likely, killed them.
"So, we're doomed, then," Waxer said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Have some faith, boys," Veers said airily. She wasn't yet concerned. They still had a little time. "We're just going to have to be creative."
"Sir?" Gunner asked, raising his eyebrows in confusion. Since he'd been inside the walker, he'd taken his helmet off for better visibility.
Veers didn't answer. She was still scanning the AT-TE, looking for a solution. Her eyes fell on the ceiling, and a thought occurred to her.
AT-TE's didn't have ceiling hatches, given that being on top of a tall machine was an extremely vulnerable position – sometimes Jedi and clones would fight from the top of a walker to take advantage of the high ground, but it was only beneficial in certain circumstances.
Surrounded by enemy with no cover fire was not one of those circumstances. But still...
Veers unsheathed her lightsaber, and some clones stepped back warily. They all trusted Veers not to harm them, but they were in rather close quarters.
The Padawan stepped up onto the console, stabbing her lightsaber through the ceiling. She cut a circle as swiftly as possible, a red ring of melted metal showing her work as she sheathed her weapon once more.
Veers shifted backwards slightly, thrusting her palm outwards. Even the small concentration it took to channel the Force made the connection. "Veers!" Tayo shouted. "Stay!" The circle flew off, leaving a small hatch for the squadron to clamber through. Veers shook her head, shaking of the image before turning towards the squadron.
The troopers realized her plan quickly, and began gathering up weapons and ammunition once more.
"Veers?" Obi-Wan's anxious voice came through the comm. Veers beckoned the squadron forwards, speaking to her Master as the hoisted herself up through the hole. She stayed low to the roof of the walker, unsheathing her lightsaber and standing up.
"I'm going to need you to get a little lower, Master," Veers said. She dropped her wrist, drawing her other weapon to widen the amount of fire she could block. The droids immediately noticed their targets above them and began to shoot.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Veers ignored Obi-Wan's exasperated tone. She had bigger fish to fry than responding to her teacher.
The gunships in the sky circled lower and lower, until three different shuttles surrounded the sides of the AT-TE. Once the aircrafts were low enough and close enough that the squadron could jump in, the doors slid open.
Obi-Wan turned to face his Padawan, who hadn't budged. Veers was turned away from him slightly, deflecting fire and stalling her escape. Obi-Wan knew immediately why – she was trying to cover the rest of the squadron, give them time to escape before she did.
They didn't have time for her to be a hero. Raising his voice, Obi-Wan called to his Padawan. "Veers, now!"
The Motien turned, rolling into the gunship in a swift movement. She sheathed her lightsabers, standing up as the doors to the aircraft closed. Veers turned towards her Master, a small grin on her face.
"Not bad, right?"
Obi-Wan simply shook his head, shooting his Padawan a stern look that quieted her. Not only was it not the Jedi way to search for praise and boast, but now their escape had been narrow to say the least, and he was feeling a little high-strung.
Veers blinked in surprise, looking around at the others in the gunship. She noted the tension in the air, obvious to anyone but amplified due to her heightened sense of others' emotions. Her eyes fell on Ahsoka and Anakin. Ahsoka was staring at the ground, her head hanging low. Anakin looked irritated. Veers pursed her lips.
"Um…what did I miss?"
On the way back to Coruscant, Obi-Wan called ahead to request a disciplinary hearing for Ahsoka with the Jedi Council. Veers heard the story from her friend on the trip over, and felt sympathetic, and a little responsible for getting her friend in trouble.
If Veers's squadron hadn't had such a close shave, the incident might not have reflected so badly on Ahsoka.
Upon landing on Coruscant, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka headed straight to Council Chambers. Veers went back to her quarters, a room in a long corridor where all the Padawans stayed when not away on mission.
The Motien sat down on her bed, taking a deep breath and rolling her neck slowly. She had been distracted while she was on the mission, but now that she was back at Coruscant, her tension had returned.
Veers closed her eyes experimentally, accessing the Force again.
Tayo looked up. He was kneeling on the ground, tending to a wounded woman. He made eye contact with Veers, his purple ira marks glowing with distress. "You're back!" he said, relief coloring his voice. "Veers, please…" his voice cracked slightly. "We need your help."
Veers opened her eyes again, panic jolting through her.
This had been happening for the last few days. Every time she dreamt, every time she tried to meditate or channel the Force, the visions of Motia came back. The visions were never the same, which disturbed Veers. It made them seem real.
Her people were suffering.
Veers stood up, already restless. She'd had her first vision while en route to Felucia and hadn't had a chance to check up on Motia's current state. Now that she was back at the Temple, she had all the resources she needed and more.
On her way to the library, Veers saw a couple of the Jedi Masters on the Council heading in different directions. Ahsoka's hearing must have finished. Veers looked around curiously, wondering what type of punishment her friend was facing, but she didn't see the other Padawan anywhere.
Veers headed into the library, walking over to the archives database. She did a quick search, typing in "Motia," and watched the results.
Separatists conquer Motia once more.
Queen Atla begs Republic to Intervene.
One of the headlines in particular caught Veers's attention.
With Queen Atla in poor health, Motia's fate is uncertain.
Veers sat back in her chair, her heart racing. She could see the ira marks on her hand flaring in time with her heartbeat. Poor health? What's wrong with her?
Before Veers could do a more comprehensive search, Ahsoka's voice made her jump. "What are you looking at?" Veers started, turning around in surprise. She hadn't heard her friend approach.
The Motien waved her hand over the hologram, making her search disappear. If Ahsoka noticed Veers's secrecy, she didn't say anything.
"A little research," Veers said casually. She looked at Ahsoka curiously. "What are you doing here? How did the hearing go?" Ahsoka grimaced slightly.
"The hearing is why I'm here," she responded with a sigh. "I was assigned guard duty," she muttered, her shoulders slumping slightly. Veers winced sympathetically. She understood Ahsoka's frustration in being taken off the front lines. Though the circumstances had been different, Veers had had to take two extended leaves from fighting – first, after Rizak died and second, while recovering from the Blue Shadow virus.
"Sorry," Veers said. "How long for?" Ahsoka shrugged.
"They didn't say," she replied. "Anyways…I should get back. I just came over to tell you that Master Obi-Wan was looking for you." Veers nodded, sighing inwardly. It looked like her down time was being cut short.
"Thanks," she said, standing up. She shot a longing look back at the computer. "I'll go find him." Ahsoka nodded, and Veers waved to her friend as she headed back through the archives and out of sight. Veers walked in the opposite direction, out the doors. She was distracted as she walked, and she didn't notice Obi-Wan until she had almost run directly into him.
"Careful, Veers," Obi-Wan said, steadying his apprentice with a slight look of amusement. "I've been looking for you."
"Sorry, Master," Veers mumbled. Obi-Wan eyed his Padawan in confusion. It wasn't like her to be so distracted. Though Veers could be restless and impatient, she was usually laser-focused on whatever her current task at hand was.
"Is everything all right?" Veers couldn't meet her Master's eye. Her emotions were quite literally written all over her face, but she didn't want to discuss why she was upset. Part of her was in denial, and the other part was afraid of the unavoidable disapproval from the Jedi Council if she showed concern for her mother and home planet.
"Fine, Master," Veers replied. "Just…a little tired." Despite her fear for Motia and her people, Veers couldn't help but be curious as well. She wanted to see more. "I…think I'll go meditate, if you don't mind." Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow, curious. Veers never offered to meditate freely. Still, he waved his hand.
"Go ahead," he replied. Veers murmured a quiet thanks, heading back towards her quarters. It was quiet there, and she wouldn't be disturbed. Obi-Wan watched her go, frowning slightly.
"Master." Obi-Wan turned back around. Anakin was walking up to him. "Master Yoda wants to debrief about –" The Jedi Knight caught the look on Obi-Wan's face. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure," Obi-Wan replied, cupping his chin thoughtfully as he glanced back at Veers's departing figure. "I have a feeling my Padawan is keeping secrets from me." Anakin's eyebrows rose.
"I'm not -" he began reflexively defending himself, thinking that Obi-Wan was referring to him. "Oh," Anakin said, following Obi-Wan's gaze. "Veers?" he asked, surprised as well. "Hm."
A thought occurred to Anakin, and he turned to Obi-Wan in mild alarm. "You don't think she found out about –" he broke off, unsure how to finish the sentence. Obi-Wan sighed.
"I hope not," the other man said, shaking his head. "But…it's a possibility."
"Tayo, I don't understand," Veers said. "What's going on?" The boy looked back at Veers sadly. He was sitting opposite from her now, alone. His hands were scraped up and bloody, like he'd been fighting.
"We're losing, Veers," he said quietly. Veers cast her eyes around. They weren't alone in the chamber - the room was crowded with people. They looked scared, hungry, injured. Veers's heart ached.
"What's wrong with my mother?" Veers asked quietly, turning back to Tayo. He sighed, his shoulders slumping. He shook his head regretfully.
"She is hanging on the best she can," he told Veers. He looked up at the princess, begging her quietly. "You have to come home, Veers. We need your help." The Jedi Padawan blinked slowly.
"I…"
"Do you copy?" Veers frowned. It wasn't Tayo's voice speaking, it was Obi-Wan's. What was Obi-Wan doing here? Veers turned her head slightly, looking across the room. Noticing her distraction, Tayo stood up.
"Veers?" He asked. His eyes went wide, and his ira marks pulsed with distress. "Don't leave!"
"Veers!" Obi-Wan said again. The image around her was starting to fade. Tayo's voice was becoming quieter, harder to understand. "Do you copy?"
Veers gasped, her eyes flying open as the image dissolved completely. With a shaking hand, Veers reached out to turn on her comm, sounding slightly breathless as she responded.
"I copy, Master. What's going on?"
"There are intruders in the Temple," Obi-Wan said. "We believe they've entered through the South Tower, entering through the ventilation system." Veers nodded to herself, standing up from her bed. She was little disoriented. The visions of Motia felt so real…
"I'm on my way," she said, grabbing her weapons and heading out the door. She turned the corner, racing through the corridors towards the South Tower. By the time she got there, Anakin and Obi-Wan were there as well. Obi-Wan disabled the force fields protecting the system against entry, leading the way into the vents.
Veers followed the two elder Jedi through the vents, her mind whirling. She barely noticed Obi-Wan and Anakin's conversation, and didn't realize they'd stopped moving until she once again bumped into Obi-Wan.
"Veers, what has gotten into you?" Obi-Wan asked, shaking his head at his Padawan. Veers lowered her head at the reprimand, trying to re-focus. Instead of waiting for her explanation, Obi-Wan turned on his radio.
"Master Yoda, we're at the communications center – the intruders aren't here. Are you picking up any other life signs in this quadrant?" There was a pause as the elderly Jedi considered.
"Deep in the Temple, the intruders are," he said at last. Obi-Wan frowned, shaking his head. This didn't make sense.
"How are they managing to stay out of our way?" he asked, shaking his head. The Jedi knew the Temple inside and out – it seemed impossible that an intruder would be able to evade them.
"Possible it is, receiving assistance they are, from inside." Obi-Wan groaned, exchanging a look with Anakin.
"Wonderful," Obi-Wan sighed. Veers leaned against the wall, still stewing absent-mindedly as Obi-Wan and Anakin discussed their next move. The Padawan kept running through her latest vision with Tayo, trying to convince herself that it was just a dream, not real.
But little things kept bothering Veers – like the fact that she had no idea what Tayo looked like now. She hadn't seen him in years. And yet, he didn't appear to her as the boy she knew. He looked like a young man.
And the fact that the scene kept changing. Her first vision Tayo had been alone in his room, meditating as though he'd been trying to reach her. Now, whenever Veers tried to access the Force, there he was – tending to a soldier, on a battlefield. The last time they'd spoken he'd been in a...refugee camp, maybe? Veers wasn't sure.
But it didn't make sense.
"Veers." The Padawan looked up, a guilty expression plastered across her face. It was clear to both Anakin and Obi-Wan that she hadn't been listening. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, once again surprised by how distracted his Padawan was. It was unlike her.
"Let's keep moving," he suggested, turning back the way they came. Veers made an effort to pay attention as they walked. When the three Jedi reached a fork in the path, Obi-Wan kept straight, heading for a different part of the Temple as opposed to back up to the exit.
Veers frowned, but she didn't question her Master. She was guessing Anakin and Obi-Wan had discussed the plan while she'd been lost in thought.
Obi-Wan stopped, looking down at the grate in front of him. It had been moved – someone had definitely come down this way. Anakin walked up to Obi-Wan, looking down the vent.
"Looks like you were right," he said, ducking into the vent. As Obi-Wan and Veers followed, Anakin's comm. link beeped and Ahsoka's voice filled the vent.
"Master Skywalker," Ahsoka began. "I've captured the imposter disguised as a Jedi. She said the intruder's in the holocron vault." Veers arched an eyebrow skeptically. Though this vent did lead into the holocron vault, a holocron would be largely useless to the average thief.
"A holocron is useless without a Jedi to open it," Obi-Wan said, speaking Veers's own thoughts. "What are they up to?" Anakin frowned, silently wondering the same thing. A thought occurred to him.
"They must be trying to gain access to the communications center through the vault," he realized. Obi-Wan nodded slowly.
"Let's get in there," he said, standing up and starting forwards once more. Veers followed rather unenthusiastically, trailing after the two elder Jedi. She kept quiet as they moved forwards as silently as possible, trying their best not to alert the intruder to their presence.
Obi-Wan glanced back at his Padawan, wondering if he should tell her to head back. It was clear that her mind wasn't in the right place to be engaging in any sort of altercation. Before he could decide, the three Jedi rounded the corner. The entrance to the vault was in front of them.
There was a loud beeping noise, and the vent shook ominously as a smoke bomb detonated, filling the corridor with cloudy steam. Obi-Wan pushed through, waving a hand in an attempt to dispel the smoke and clear his vison. The Jedi looked around.
There was no sign of any intruder, but there was a large hole that had been cut into the side of the wall. Obi-Wan pictured the Temple's blueprints – sure enough, the hole led to the passage connecting to the communications center. Anakin's assumption seemed correct.
"The communications center!" he said, alerting Anakin and Veers to his discovery as he pointed at the vault. "Quick, let's go!" He leapt through the hole, dropping into the corridor below.
The Jedi moved at a fast pace – the intruder clearly had a head start on them. Their only advantage was their forward-thinking. Masters Windu, Yoda, and Secura were all in the communications center.
Obi-Wan rounded the corner leading to the room first. He halted, seeing the shadow of the intruder in the vent in front of them – it was a small droid. The Jedi Master put his arm out, blocking Anakin and Veers from moving farther.
"…I was just testing out the entrance vault," the droid was saying, clearly attempting to not give away its master's goals. "Um…"
A loud beeping noise filled the air around them. Veers started, looking around for the source. The noise grew louder as the droid was shoved back into the vault, pinned up against the wall. Obi-Wan's eyes widened.
"Bomb!" he shouted, whirling around. Anakin reacted quickly, rounding the corner again for cover from the blast, but Veers hesitated. Her reaction time was a little slower than normal, but she snapped out of it in time to get around the corner.
The bomb exploded behind her, sending a wave of heat and smoke through the vent. The walls shook around Veers, and she grabbed onto the side to steady herself. She looked around – both Anakin and Obi-Wan appeared to be fine as well.
Veers glanced at Obi-Wan apprehensively. She hadn't really expected her distraction to be a problem, but clearly it was. Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at his Padawan disapprovingly. He had noticed her slow reaction.
"Go back to your quarters," he told Veers. She hung her head, ashamed. Obi-Wan's face softened slightly. "It's been a long day, Veers," he said. "Get some rest."
i'm sorry it's such a short chapter. i was going to write the rest of this arc in this chapter, but i kinda ran out of steam, and also couldn't figure out a smooth transition given that obi-wan and thus veers don't really appear in the second episode of this arc.
anyways, this contained a lot of set-up...hope you guys enjoyed it!
as always, please let me know what you think! i love any and all feedback!