"aaaa" - talking through a holocomunicator or comlink. aaaa - inner thoughts and Force Visions. 'aaaa' - talking through a bond.
AN: Thank you princesselsaamidala22 for your review of the last chapter.
I'm glad that you think Rosella is still awesome.
Also, I hope everyone likes the way I've chosen to portray Barriss. Even though we all know what happens to her down the road, whether or not she'll do the same things in my AU remains to be seen...
Now that the first stage of the plan to retake Geonosis is complete, Anakin and Rosella have another task to accomplish. The pair have been given the task of launching their planned assault on the droid foundry and destroying it.
Since both Obi-Wan and Ki-Adi-Mundi were sent back to the Resolute to get their injuries looked at, the Skywalker pair find themselves having to team up with Master Luminara Unduli and her Padawan.
But time is running out for our heroes as the dreaded droid mill nears completion...
Chapter 16: Destroying the Droid Foundry
Anakin, Rex and Rosella were putting the final touches on their assault plan as they had been assigned the task of bringing down the separatist droid foundry where the Geonosian warlord, Poggle the Lesser was hiding.
Since Outer Rim Command was expecting there to be some heavy resistance from the Separatists, they sent reinforcements to aid Anakin, Rosella and their men. As soon as the Jedi Knight had gotten word that Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, along with her padawan and some of her men were on their way, he decided that it was time for Rosella to give her very first briefing.
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High above the dusty surface of Geonosis, fourteen gunships were in the air. Aboard one of them, which had a picture of a clone trooper's leg giving Count Dooku a kick with his boot painted near the nose, was Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, her Padawan Barriss Offee, and a small squad of their men, many of them having been replaced after Ventress' attack on the Tranquility.
All of the gunships were heading towards Anakin Skywalker's position since they had been assigned to help him and Rosella after both Ki-Adi Mundi and Obi-Wan were ordered by Anakin to go back to the Resolute to get their injuries looked at. Nine of those gunships were carrying members of the 41st Elite Corps, who were under Luminara's command. The other four were Low Altitude Assault Transport carriers that had been equipped with tanks that were going to be needed for the battle.
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Luminara turned around. "Pilot, the only safe zone to land in is south of Skywalker's position," she said. "Tell the other gunships to land there as the area seems to be large enough to contain all of our ships."
"Yes, General," the pilot responded as he looked away from the controls of the gunship that he was piloting.
As the other gunships began to follow the order that Luminara had given, the Mirialan Jedi Master turned so she could address her padawan, who was standing behind her. "Barriss, have you made all the necessary preparations for our mission?" She asked.
The padawan let go of the handhold that she had been holding on to and walked forward a little. "Yes, Master," she responded as she curtsied a little. "I took the liberty of doing everything that you instructed me to do before we left our cruiser." Then she stepped back and grabbed the handhold that she had been holding onto earlier.
Now, Barriss Offee was not one of those typical, run-of-the-mill Jedi Padawans, who had never seen war before. She had been on Geonosis before. But at that time, neither she nor her Master had been part of the strike team who had gone to the arena to rescue Master Kenobi, who had been captured and sentenced to die at the hands of some beasts.
Instead, they had been assigned to protect Senator Padmè Amidala who had come to the planet with Anakin, who had been a padawan at the time.
Ever since she had been chosen by the Mirialan Jedi to become her apprentice, Barriss learned everything that there was to learn from her teacher, both in the ways of the Force and also in the traditions of their shared heritage. But when it came time for action, she was one of those Jedi who much preferred learning and studying the ancient Jedi texts in the Temple over fighting in the war.
While she, as well as her Master, had come to accept the changes in the Order, the teenage padawan knew that Luminara tended to stick to the old ways when it came to her training.
"Alright, men! I want you to buckle those belts and check your weapons," one of the troopers, whose name was Buzz said as he walked between his fellow vod. "We're going in."
All the men in the gunship grabbed their weapons and checked them over, making sure that they were ready for battle.
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As the gunships raced fast and low over the planet's surface, they flew over the remains of a gunship that had crashed and gotten destroyed during the previous battle. The engines and rapid movement began to kick up dust that settled over the bodies of dead Geonosians and fallen troopers.
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On the ground, situated on top of a small platform, Rosella was standing behind a holomap of the factory and the area around it that R2, who was serving as their portable holoprojector, was currently transmitting into the space in front of her. Beyond the projection were men from the 501st and the group that Ki-Adi-Mundi had led.
The teenager sensed that her father was standing behind her, watching her every move as she led the briefing for this mission. She had attended these briefings before, but usually someone else, mainly her father, Rex or another Jedi would be giving the men -or even them- their assignments and telling them where to go. She never thought that she would be the one leading a briefing, even if she was going to be helping her father lead the men to another victory. She hoped that she was doing a good job.
"This bridge is our first waypoint," Rosella said as the map of the area flickered before straightening out. She pointed to the long bridge that would essentially be their only way of getting to the foundry. Then she pointed to two places on the holomap that glowed red while she spoke. "I want you to focus your fire on the gun emplacements here and here because it's only after we neutralize the guns that we can push for the factory."
Anakin smiled as he watched his daughter give her very first briefing. He was proud of her for doing this and pushed a small wave of reassurance towards her over their bond. He also knew that she was ready for this responsibility and trusted her since this was part of her duties as a Commander in the GAR.
Rosella continued. "Now, as soon as we get across the bridge, I want you to expect stiff resistance from both the droids and the native Geonosians. Even though we'll be one step closer to shutting down the foundry, that doesn't mean that it's going to be easy. Don't forget to top off your energy cells and ration packs. Once we depart from here, we won't have time to stop and resupply." She nodded at the men who now knew what to do. "Squad dismissed."
As soon as she finished speaking, the teenager looked at R2 and nodded. The blue and white astromech turned off the holoprojection.
The group of clones stood up, nodded at both Jedi and walked away to finish getting ready for the upcoming battle.
Anakin walked up beside his daughter. "Good job Ella," he said.
"Thanks, Dad," Rosella said as she looked out over the dusty landscape of the planet. Then she turned around and looked at her father with a curious expression on her face. 'Hey, what was the first battle that took place here like for you, Mom and Uncle Obi-Wan?'
Anakin softly smiled at his daughter. 'Well, it wasn't very fun for the Geonosians, I can tell you that.'
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As the rest of the forces that had accompanied Luminara landed in a large open area a few meters away from where Anakin and Rosella were standing, her gunship continued on ahead and landed in front of the small outcropping that the duo had used to hold their briefing. The doors on either side of the transport opened as the gunship landed, allowing Luminara and Barriss to exit.
Captain Rex was already waiting at the bottom of the small hill and walked over to greet them. "Good day General. Skywalker's waiting for you."
Both Jedi nodded at him before walking up the dusty path towards the pair.
Luminara shook her head and merely smiled as she saw that the pair were in the middle of an argument. "There they go again," she said. "I wonder what they're arguing about this time."
"Again, Master?" Barriss asked, a little confused about what was going on. Ahead of her, she could see Anakin, who was wildly gesturing as he seemed to be speaking with a smaller human female whose stance seemed to signal that she was unhappy with something that he had said. She was having a hard time believing that this was the Padawan that her Master had been paired up with during her mission to escort Nute Gunray to Coruscant. She knew that Luminara had told her the female's name, but she had forgotten what it was.
Luminara nodded and turned to her padawan. "Let's just say that they both have a penchant for playing loose with regulations and rules of command," she said.
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"Well, what if I don't want to take that class?" Rosella asked. She and her father had changed topics and were now talking about what classes she was taking at the Temple while waiting for their reinforcements to arrive. Anakin had mentioned a class that Obi-Wan had made him take when he had been a padawan. Rosella wasn't fond of the subject that the class was about and thus their little verbal sparring match had started.
"I'm sure that you'd like it if you just gave it a try," Anakin told her.
Rosella just huffed and turned her head away, signalling that she was done talking and never wanted to hear about it again.
"I hope that you both are finished with your little discussion," Luminara said, putting a halt to their conversation as both Anakin and Rosella turned to face her and her padawan. "I shouldn't have to remind you that we do have a factory to destroy." Upon reaching the duo, she clasped her hands behind her back and looked at her padawan. "Well, Barriss, aren't you going to introduce yourself?"
Barriss curtsied to Rosella as she said, "Padawan learner, Barriss Offee at your service."
Rosella raised her right eyebrow and looked at her father with a confused expression on her face. Anakin just smirked in response. Turning her attention back to the padawan, whom she noted was the same race as Master Luminara, she held her hand out to her as she said, "It's very nice to meet you." She watched as Barriss looked up and took her hand, allowing the younger girl to help her up. "I'm Rosella."
Both girls smiled at each other.
Then Rosella turned to look at Luminara and smiled as she was glad to see the Jedi Master again. Luminara smiled warmly back at her.
Anakin smiled and turned his attention to Luminara. "It's good to see both of you again," he said.
"I feel the same, but I just wish it was under more peaceful circumstances," Luminara replied as she turned to look at Anakin.
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Nearby, three wounded clones who had been placed on gurneys were being loaded into a waiting gunship to be transferred back to one of the Venator class star destroyers that were waiting in the upper atmosphere.
While a clone was making sure one of the AT-TE's that Obi-Wan and Master Mundi had left behind for them to use was operational for the upcoming battle, Anakin, Rosella, Luminara and Barriss were studying the holomap again.
One of Luminara's hands came up to stroke her tattooed chin as she studied the holomap of the area that led to the foundry. Barriss stepped up so she was standing beside her. She tilted her head a little. "Are you sure about going through with this frontal assault, Master Skywalker?" She asked as she removed her hand from her chin. "To me, it seems like an awful big risk and we will no doubt be losing a large number of troops that belong to both the 501st and the 41st Elite Corps."
Anakin moved his hands out from where he had them clasped behind his back as he said, "I know it seems risky, but think of the number of troops that we'll lose if that factory comes online before we can take it down." Then he crossed his arms over his chest.
Luminara's right hand was once again back on her chin as she spoke. "Indeed, but I think I have an alternative way to bring the factory down and eliminate the deaths of a majority of our troops. We need to attack on two fronts." She removed her hand and lifted the holomap, causing a series of twisted and jumbled pathways to appear underneath the factory. "Every Geonosian building has a series of catacombs beneath it that run deep underground."
Rosella made note of the twisted and jumbled pathways, but wasn't entirely sure how this was going to help them. When she had given her earlier briefing, she was preparing their men for the assault on the factory, not a mess of tunnels below where it was easy to get lost.
Barriss stepped forward and pointed to the dry canyon underneath the bridge as a red dot appeared. "Some of the tunnels are close enough to the opposite wall on the other side," she said, tracing the path out with her finger. "All we have to do is get down there and figure out where to make our opening." Then she stepped back and let her Master explain the other half of their plan.
"Once inside, we can use the catacombs to our advantage by making our way through them until we've reached the main reactor," Luminara said as the red dot began to move through the tunnel system. "Then all we have to do is plant the explosives, make sure they're set to go off and get out. The resulting explosion would be large enough to bring the entire building down to the ground." As soon as the dot reached the factory, it spread out to simulate the factory blowing up from the inside.
"Those tunnels look like a giant maze to me Master," Anakin said. "I'm just worried that someone could get lost down there while they're trying to find the way to the room where the reactor would be."
Rosella didn't say anything as she also agreed with her father.
"It might seem that way for someone who happens to be unprepared to undergo a task like this," Luminara replied. Turning around ever so slightly, she glanced behind her at Barriss and gestured to her. "In our case, I have instructed Barriss to memorize the labyrinth. She knows where all 200 of those junctions lead to."
"You always were thorough," Anakin said, complimenting Master Luminara on her planning skills.
"It pays for one to be prepared," Luminara responded. "Right, Barriss?"
Barriss nodded. "Especially when other people's lives depend on your success," she said.
"How do we keep the Geonosians occupied while someone else is setting the bombs?" Rosella asked, a frown beginning to form on her face.
Anakin glanced at his daughter as he replied, "That's a good point. If whoever's going in there is going to be successful," he turned his attention back to Luminara, "we'll need to create a diversion."
"Precisely, which is why Master Skywalker and I shall create a diversion by going ahead with your frontal assault plan while the padawans take on the task of destroying the factory from the inside," Luminara told the group as she turned and gestured to Barriss.
Barriss placed her hands in front of her and bowed towards her master as she accepted her assignment.
"Now, hold on," Anakin said. He was clearly unhappy with the notion as he shook his head in utter disbelief. "Who came up with that plan?" He could sense that Rosella was beginning to get upset with him, but he ignored her. "Walking through the underground catacombs, even sneaking into the reactor room from underneath seems to be more suicidal than what you and I will be doing."
It won't seem that way if you and I are successful in getting Poggle's attention at the bridge," Luminara responds, unfazed by what Anakin said.
"Master, I can do this!" Rosella said, her voice nearly dropping to a whisper as he turned to face her. The fourteen-year-old had her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at him. "I've had far more riskier assignments than what Master Luminara is suggesting and you know that."
"But unlike Barriss, you aren't prepared for this mission," Anakin responded through a set of clenched teeth.
"Not to worry," Luminara interjected, not wanting another argument to break out right then and there. She glanced back at her padawan as R2 turned off the projection of the factory. "I trust my padawan and have the utmost confidence in her skills. Barriss will be able to lead them both through the catacombs and get them back out."
Barriss stepped forward. "Rosella and I will go in, plant the bombs and then come right back out, Master Skywalker," she said.
"Does that make you feel better Master?" Rosella asked as she took her hands off her hips and crossed her arms over her chest. "Barriss will keep me safe while we're down there. I'll listen to her and be sure to follow her orders."
"It's decided then," Luminara concludes as she reached down and picked up a backpack full of thermal detonators and handed it to Rosella.
The teenager slipped the pack onto her back as she smirked at her father.
"I guess it is," Anakin reluctantly agreed as he glanced at his daughter, even though he was very much against the idea of sending her down into the catacombs.
"We'll monitor your progress on these chronometers," Luminara said as she held up the devices and then handed one to each girl. Anakin and Luminara were already wearing one on their wrists. "Synchronize on my mark." The Master, Knight and both Padawans lifted their wrists, fingers hovering over the device as Luminara counted down. "Three, two, one, mark."
They all pressed the button at the same time and held them out. The chronometers beeped and flashed green before returning to their red colour.
"Let's get going. After you, Barriss," Rosella said.
The Mirialan padawan nodded and took off, with Rosella right behind her.
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Anakin and Luminara watched as the Padawans raced through the camp and soon disappeared from view. A flash of worry that was mixed with some concern flashed across the Knight's face as a small frown settled on his features.
The Mirialan Jedi Master picked up on Anakin's mild worry for his padawan and glanced at him. "You feel that Rosella is not up to the task?" She inquired.
"I never said that," Anakin replied as he turned to look at her.
"What is it then?" Luminara asked.
The Knight turned away. "It's nothing," he replied. "Come on, let's get the men prepared for our battle." Walking past her, he made his way back up the slope.
Luminara turned around and narrowed her eyes before following him.
As soon as Anakin walked over to where R2 was waiting, the blue and white astromech projected the holomap of the battlefield into the air.
"If we're going to be successful with our diversion, then we need to come up with a bold idea to get their attention and draw them out of the foundry," Luminara said as she joined Anakin. 'Remember, we want their attention on us and not the padawans."
The holomap flickered as R2 added an entire battalion of clones and 3 of the AT-TE tanks to the projection. As both of the Generals looked at the hologram, they saw them marching across the bridge.
"I've thought of a modified plan that still incorporates some things that I was going to use in my original frontal assault idea," Anakin replied. "The best way to keep their attention on us is to march our forces up the bridge, parade style. There is no way those bugs will be able to resist that."
"Without any cover?" Luminara asked as she glanced up at him.
"Well, you did want to make it tempting," Anakin responded.
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Inside the foundry, the machines kept working to create new droids as Poggle came walking over to stand behind the control booth as he studied the flickering red holo of the foundry and the land around it. The cane that he carried around in his hand served more as a symbol of his rank than as an actual walking aid.
"My lord, I have been monitoring the factory's efficiency. I am pleased to report that the factory is now operating at fifty percent production capacity," the tactical droid said. "We have 10 garrisons of new droids that are ready to be deployed."
Poggle asked a question in his native language as he pointed his cane towards the holomap.
"No, the super tanks are nowhere near completion and they are still offline. As soon as they are ready to be used, the Republic forces will be forced to either flee the area or come up with a different plan of attack," the tactical droid replied as it held up a metal fist. "They have no weapon that can penetrate its heavy armor."
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Anakin and Luminara had taken up their positions in front of their combined forces, with Rex walking beside his General and Gree, who was walking beside the Mirialan Jedi as they walked towards the bridge. On either side of each group of troops was an AT-TE. The men of the 501st and the 41st Elite Corps had their guns ready and pointed at the ground so when they were ready to go into action, all they had to do was raise them up and begin firing. Most, if not all of the men were wearing armor that had been stained with the dirt from their previous battle. The AT-TEs plodded along, their feet heavy and slamming into the ground with each slow and steady step.
Not too far ahead of them, the door to the factory slowly lifted upwards, revealing the army of battle droids that were marching out in their own parade, their own weapons at the ready.
At the front of the parade, Anakin saw the droids and said, "Here come the droids. Everybody steady. Steady. Keep marching."
Luminara's gaze drifted to the ground for a second before returning to the approaching droid army. "I hope the Padawans have made it past the bridge by now," she said.
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As hundreds of droids marched out of the factory and across the bridge towards Anakin, Luminara and the waiting clones, Rosella and Barriss were making their way down the canyon wall to the dry riverbed below.
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"That is a lot of droids," Anakin said as they kept marching forward.
"Well, we are attacking a droid factory," Luminara responded, a hint of calmness in her voice as it stayed nice and even.
"As long as we can keep destroying them before they can send out more, then I can guarantee that we'll come out on top," Anakin said.
Luminara laughed softly and shook her head as she said, "I love your simple logic, Skywalker."
"Here we go!" Anakin said as he and Luminara grabbed their lightsabers from their belts and ignited them.
Then the large army of droids across from them began to fire their weapons. As both Jedi began to deflect the blaster bolts, their men began to return fire. As the first couple of droids fell beneath their own laser fire and the lasers from the men, Anakin and Luminara deflected a few more lasers before charging forward with their men surging at their back.
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High above the battlefield, a Geonosian was watching the battle unfold while also speaking to the tactical droid over a holocaster.
"Let them fall into the trap," the tactical droid said.
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Once they reached the large group of metal machines, Anakin sliced one in half while Luminara deflected a laser back at a droid on her right before leaping into the air and spinning around as she sliced another one to bits. The men who were behind them continued to fire their weapons, taking down as many droids as they could so that their Generals would have an easier time reaching the factory.
Anakin held his saber up straight as he deflected a laser back at a droid, then took his right hand off of his hilt as he reached out and used the force to drag another droid to him as he ran his blade through its chest. Then he tossed the body aside and continued to move forward.
Luminara seemed to have the same idea as she deflected another laser bolt and then yanked the droid who had fired it towards her. As she held the droid in the air, the Mirialan Jedi turned the droid around and smirked as she saw another droid fire its blaster right into the chest of the one that she held in the air. Since she had been holding her saber behind the droid, the laser bounced right off the green blade and flew off to her left. She quickly sliced through the now defeated droid, managing to cut the heads off of two other droids who had managed to get a little too close. Using the Force, Luminara shoved the droid forward and watched as it slammed into the droid that had defeated it.
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"You may now start the-," the tactical droid told the Geonosian before the creature turned off the holocaster, turned to its left and said something to his fellow bugs.
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Since the clones were focused on taking down the droids in front of them, none of them noticed the Geonosian warriors as they flew out of the towering structures that were built out of sand and rock. Some of the winged creatures had decided to stay in the towering buildings where they had an advantage, being so high up in the air as they began to fire their sonic cannons at the clones.
One of the troopers noticed his fellow vod get taken out by the blast and turned around. As soon as they noticed that they were surrounded by the Geonosian warriors, they raised their rifles and began to fire back.
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Sensing that they were near the bottom, Rosella and Barriss jumped down onto a ledge and then leapt to the bottom. As they raced across the dry riverbed, they could hear the sounds of the battle going on above them.
Upon reaching the other side, Rosella stood guard and watched for a second as Barriss closed her eyes and placed both hands on the wall. After looking around to see if anyone had followed them, she refocused her attention to see that the Mirialan padawan had found the correct spot and unhooked her lightsaber from her belt.
Barriss ignited her lightsaber and plunged it into the wall. She moved around, cutting a big rectangle in the cliffside. After deactivating her weapon, she hooked it back onto her belt and held out both of her hands as she used the force to pull the piece out and drop it on the ground.
"Nice work," Rosella complimented, looking at Barriss. "Well," she said, walking towards the opening, "here goes nothing." She was about to step inside, but Barriss stopped her by placing her right hand on her left shoulder.
"Let me go in first," Barriss told her. "I'm the one who memorized the map, so I know where to go."
Rosella glanced back at Barriss, smiled as she saw her nod and stepped out of the way. "Be my guest," she said, gesturing to the opening.
Barriss looked around for a second and then entered the catacombs. Rosella did the same and followed her into the dark tunnel.
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Upon entering the catacombs, the girls walked through numerous tunnels and bypassed others as they made their way to the reactor room that was in the foundry above them. As they passed a smaller tunnel that split off from the main path, Rosella turned around to make sure that they weren't being followed and thought she heard a noise come from it.
Barriss and Rosella looked around as they continued to walk down the main path. Suddenly a flapping noise echoed through the tunnel, forcing both girls to come to a halt as the Mirialan looked up and thrust out her left hand, stopping the younger girl from taking another step forward.
Both girls quickly separated as they pressed their backs against opposite walls. Rosella narrowed her eyes a little as she, along with Barriss, saw two Geonosian warriors, who were acting as sentry guards, standing in the middle of the tunnel up ahead. The bugs looked in their direction for a couple of seconds before walking off.
Once they looked at each other and determined that it was safe to keep moving, Barriss waved her hand and silently moved forward, sensing that Rosella was following her.
As they came around the corner and continued to look around, Barriss turned her head and nearly bumped into a long pointed body part that belonged to one of the sleeping Geonosians. A surprised expression flashed across her face as she stepped back and flung her hand in front of Rosella's body, forcing the teenager to come to a complete stop as she looked in the same direction and saw the body part.
After glancing around, Barriss ducked as she kept her arm in front of Rosella and slowly moved underneath what she believed to be either an arm or a leg. As Rosella moved alongside her, they both stayed low to the ground and took in the scene before them.
They had accidentally stumbled upon a den of sleeping Geonosian warriors. At the end of the corridor, they could see light coming from up ahead.
"It's a good thing they're sleeping," Barriss said in a low voice.
"Is there another way around?" Rosella asked in the same tone of voice, knowing that if either one of them were to disturb the sleeping creatures, then their mission would be cut short.
Barriss nodded and then frowned. "Yes, but it's a longer route and we don't have time to go back the way that we came," she said. "This tunnel is the fastest route that we need to take in order to get to the reactor room."
"I hope you're not wrong about this," Rosella whispered back.
"I'm not. Trust me," Barriss whispered, getting on her hands and knees as she crawled forward.
Rosella, who was also on her hands and knees, followed the older girl with a wary look on her face as she heard the creatures making noise even though they were sleeping. She wasn't the type of person who automatically trusted someone after she was first introduced to them, although she did trust Barriss to safely lead them through the catacombs and into the reactor room. After what had happened to her as a toddler, she had spent the first year of her life after arriving at the temple learning to trust people again.
Then she met Anakin and formed a bond with him. Their relationship was a special one that had grown deeper and stronger due to the time that they got to spend with each other. While her father had been speaking with Master Luminara earlier, she knew that there had to have been a reason behind why he hadn't wanted to let her accompany Barriss on this mission. It was obvious to her that he remembered the more riskier missions that she had participated in, so she knew that Barriss had something to do with his reluctance to let her tag along.
Barriss, who saw Rosella quickly move past her, sensed that the younger girl wanted to get out of the den as fast as she could so they could continue with their mission. As the Mirialan followed, she felt something drop onto her head. Her eyes shifted upwards and spotted the limb. "Rosella," she whispered, not wanting to wake the sleeping Geonosian. "Rosella!"
Rosella heard her name being called and looked behind her. Once she saw what was going on, her eyes widened as she turned around and crept back over to where Barriss was still crouched on the ground. As soon as she was in front of the padawan, she reached out, lightly took hold of the limb, locked eyes with the Mirialan teenager and gave her a nod. Then she very carefully lifted it off of Barriss' head.
Barriss quickly and quietly moved out of the way. As soon as she was clear, Rosella slowly lowered the arm and removed her fingers from around it as she backed away. Once she re-joined her fellow padawan, the pair scurried to the end of the tunnel and disappeared around the corner.
Neither Barriss or Rosella had bothered to look behind them to make sure that the warrior was sleeping.
Suddenly a pair of dark brown eyes snapped open.
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Back up on the surface, the Geonosians were flying through the air, firing their sonic cannons at the troops who were moving on the ground below. One of the troopers who was with the 41st Elite Corps came to a halt. He had been running towards the battle with the rest of his vod, but when he saw that they were bring taken out from above, he knew that he had to do something.
Turning around, he backed out of the way as he lifted the Z-6 rotary blaster cannon that he was carrying. After aiming at the sky, he fired the rotating cannon, managing to take out three of the flying creatures.
Anakin and Luminara dashed ahead, their men right behind them. Both Jedi used their lightsabers to take out two super battle droids before continuing to defeat the rest of the droids who had been sent out to try and stop the advancing army from reaching the bridge and crossing it.
Luminara ran up and came to a stop as she used the force to push a battle droid away from her. Then she was forced to back up as she raised her lightsaber in front of her face and deflected a few lasers that came her way.
Anakin came up beside her and used his own blade to destroy two of the droids who were firing at her before raising his right hand and calling on the Force as he pushed a third droid away from him. A warning echoed through the Force and he barely had enough time to get his saber into position as a pair of incoming lasers bounced off his blue blade.
"Barriss and Rosella should be deep within the catacombs by now," Luminara said.
"I really am hoping that they haven't gotten lost down there," Anakin remarked.
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Miles below the surface, Rosella and Barriss were making their way through yet another tunnel. As they walked underneath a beam of light that was shining down on them, Barriss said, "We need to turn left at the next junction."
Rosella followed her fellow padawan as she wondered how someone like Barriss was able to memorize an entire map that was filled with all sorts of twisting and jumbled paths just by looking at a hologram.
When they came to the next junction, the pair were brought up short as there was no path leading off to the left. Instead, there was a wall.
"I think we've hit a dead end," Barriss said.
Rosella glanced at the wall in front of her, then looked over at Barriss. "I really hope that we haven't made a wrong turn as we're going to need to find another way out of here after we plant the explosives," she said. She glanced the other way, only to find that there was nothing but rock and dirt in front of them. Her eyes shifted back over to the Mirialan and saw that she had placed her hand on her chin. "Please tell me that you still remember the way to the reactor room."
"Of course, I do," Barriss replied as she removed her hand from her chin, fixed her eyes on the wall for a minute and then looked behind her. Noticing the light, she glanced up at the ceiling. Fully turning around, she said, "We weren't supposed to go left. We have to head up."
Rosella followed her gaze and saw the light as well.
"It's this way," Barriss said as she ran over to the tunnel and used the force to leap into it.
Rosella followed her.
Unknown to either of them, the Geonosian warrior had woken up and was now following them.
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Luminara and Anakin were busy taking out the Separatist droids with the help of the clones.
Up ahead, five super battle droids were moving towards them as they steadily fired their blasters. Suddenly, four droidekas came rolling in. They uncurled, set up their shields and started blasting away at the two Jedi.
"Rex!" Anakin called, knowing that his loyal Captain was standing on his right. "We need some help here."
"Get up there, trooper!" Rex ordered.
Anakin and Luminara deflected a few more lasers as they spun out of the way. One of the members of the 41st, who had a stylized symbol of a flaming asteroid on his helmet, came forward with an RPS-6 rocket launcher in his hands. His name was Draa and he happened to be an excellent shot. Once he got set up, he fired the launcher at the droids.
The rocket slammed into the droids, blowing them all away in a blaze of fire and smoke. Behind them, two of the AT-TEs did the same, destroying a section of the battlefield that contained the other ray shielded droidekas and super battle droids.
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Poggle slammed his fist down on the console in front of him. Turning towards the tactical droid, he flung his right arm into the air as he began to speak in his language. As he stood there and angrily spoke to the machine, he did the same thing with his other arm, the one that was holding his cane. Then he slammed it back down on the ground.
"If you will allow it, my lord," the tactical droid said as he clasped his metal hands together. "I suggest that you let us send out the secret weapons."
The Geonosian leader asked the tactical droid something as he placed his bony hand on his chin.
"We have twenty units that are ready to be deployed right now and many more that are currently being finalized," the droid responded.
Poggle stroked his chin for what seemed to be a few minutes before glancing at the hologram and pointing to the foundry with his cane while he spoke in his language. Then he pointed to the bridge and turned to face the droid as he clenched his unarmed hand into a fist.
"Thank you, my Lord," the tactical droid said as it bowed and then turned to a control panel that was nearby. He pressed a button that flashed once. "Deploy the Super Tanks. Attack formation."
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When the doors to the foundry opened for a second time, two rows of massive tanks rolled out of the building. They were rust-brown and slowly moved along the ground.
Luminara deactivated her lightsaber as she said, "It looks like the Separatists have deployed a new toy."
Anakin deactivated his own blade and turned around. "Rex!" He called. "Pick your targets."
"Yes, sir," Rex replied as he holstered the DC-17 hand blaster that he had been carrying in his left hand. Then he thrust that hand forward in front of him. "Elevation four-two-seven."
The clone troopers who were sitting in the seats of their line of AV-7 anti-vehicle cannons moved the weapons into position.
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The two girls clung to either side of the tunnel as they slowly made their way up to the opening at the top. A few minutes later, they reached it and quickly scanned the area before climbing out. As they made their way underneath the foundry, the sounds of droids being assembled reached their ears, causing them to stop and stare at a hole that was above them.
"Whoa. That is a lot of droids," Rosella said, a small hint of nervousness and awe in her voice as she saw a lot of battle droids flying overhead on assembly lines.
Barriss looked away from the hole and directly ahead. "Come on," she said, drawing Rosella's attention away from the droids as she headed to a path on her left. "The main control room is this way."
The two girls walked away, unaware that one of the flying warriors was following them.
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The tanks that the Separatists had unleashed on the Jedi and their Republic army were slowly moving forward, away from the foundry.
"Steady," Rex said as he took his left hand off of the electrobinoculars that he was holding up to his helmeted face and held it up in the air. "Steady." Once he saw that the tanks were in a prime position to be fired on, he clenched his hand into a fist and brought it down. "Fire!"
Blazing blue bolts of searing, hot, explosive energy were fired from the cannons. They raced through the air and slammed into the tanks, creating multiple explosions that rocked them a little. With each shot that was fired, the cannons jerked back and forth. As the blue bolts continued to slam into the tanks, they created so much smoke, dust and mini-explosions that it was hard to see if they had been damaged at all.
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"Our shields are holding. They can't touch us," one battle droid said.
That's a relief," the other droid said, as he was the one who was driving the tank.
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As Rex kept looking through the electrobinoculars, he was surprised to see the tanks emerge through the cloud of smoke. From what he could see, there wasn't a single dent or scratch on them. "Sir," he said as he lowered the electrobinoculars away from his face and turned to face Anakin. "Those tanks are still headed towards us. Somehow, they were able to withstand all the firepower that came from the heavy cannons."
"They must be ray-shielded," Anakin said. Then he sighed. "We're going to need a new plan."
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As one, both girls opened the hatch. Barriss scanned the room to make sure they were in the right place.
"This is it," Barriss said. "We're here."
They hopped out and ran up to the reactor. Rosella took the pack off her back, opened it and started attaching the explosives while Barriss kept watch for any Geonosians.
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The Geonosian warrior that had been following Rosella and Barriss burst into the command center. After he bowed and apologized for interrupting the conversation that Poggle had been in the middle of with the tactical droid, he explained what was going on.
"Two Jedi are in the control room?" The tactical droid asked. "That is impossible. How could they have gotten past security?"
Poggle angrily began to speak to the tactical droid in his language, forcing the droid to carry out his orders to stop the Jedi before they could blow up the factory.
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Once Rosella had placed the last detonator on the reactor, she pressed a button on her chronometer. It lit up green while the bombs turned on and armed themselves. Then she reached down, picked up the empty pack and slung it on her back as she looked at Barriss and told her, "Now it's time to leave and make our way back outside."
Barriss smiled at the younger girl before following her as they ran towards the hatch.
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Suddenly, a door that was located on the far side of the room slid upwards, revealing Poggle, the tactical droid and two warriors who were walking on either side of them with sonic cannons in their hands. They were escorting a tank into the room with four other warriors accompanying it, two on either side as they flew in the air.
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The Force echoed a warning to both of the padawans as they were running.
Barriss, who had gotten ahead of Rosella, stopped in her tracks when she felt it. Once she saw the tank, the Geonosians, Poggle and the droid, she unhooked her lightsaber from her belt and ignited it.
Rosella unhooked her own lightsaber, ran up to Barriss and stood by her side as she ignited the blade.
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As Poggle and the other came into the room, they came to a stop. Behind them, the tank also halted where it was and opened up the top part, revealing the two small cannons that were mounted onto it.
Poggle slapped his cane into his bony hand.
Rosella twirled her lightsaber to her right and then her left as she got ready to defend herself. Barriss gave her saber a single twirl as she held it in her left hand.
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Anakin and Luminara had just ducked behind a pair of rocks when a beeping noise was heard. It was coming from the Knight's wrist. As he lifted it up and glanced at the chronometer that had been placed there, he saw that the light was flashing green. "The bombs have been activated!" He said.
Luminara breathed a sigh of relief as she was elated to hear that her padawan as well as Rosella had made it through the catacombs and gotten into the reactor room. "The padawans have accomplished their task," she said.
"And just in time!" Anakin said happily.
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The top parts of the tanks opened up to reveal the small cannons mounted on top.
"Fire!" One of the battle droids inside the tanks said and pressed a button.
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Anakin watched as the cannons fired their projectiles towards the area where they were hiding. He quickly spun around and flung out one of his arms as he yelled, "Get down!"
The men scattered as the rockets arced through the air and slammed into the heavy cannons. As all four of them were utterly destroyed, the tanks continued to move towards the bridge as they kept firing their projectiles.
As the troopers ran forward, a large group of men were destroyed by one of the rockets as it hit the ground in the middle go their group. The ones who survived knew that there was nothing they could do for their fallen vod and continued towards the bridge as it just wasn't in them to quit.
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Both padawans dodged and avoided the bright green blasts that came from the Geonosians sonic cannons. Then they sliced two of the warriors in half with their sabers as the creatures had flown a little too close to the girls.
Poggle pointed to them, said something in his native language and flew away.
The six warriors flew towards the reactor as the tank began to move forward.
The Geonosian warlord landed on the ground and walked towards the door. He turned around and tapped his cane on the ground as he reached the controls.
"You heard his highness," the tactical droid said as the tank continued to slowly roll forward. "Collect their pathetic little bombs, then we will kill them."
The Archduke reached out and pressed the red button beside him, letting the door close in front of him.
The tank aimed its twin blasters towards the padawans and began to fire. Both Rosella and Barriss were forced to block the blasts, while the Geonosians started removing the bombs.
As Rosella stood up from her crouched position, Barriss blocked another laser that flew in her direction. As the older female began to take a few steps backward, the teenager held her blade in a horizontal position as another laser bounced off her blue blade.
Ignoring the fact that Barriss had deflected yet another laser, Rosella deactivated her saber, slung the pack off her back and began to dig through it as she said, "Let's see if your oversized tank can handle this!" Wrapping her hand around the last detonator, she pulled it out, armed it and threw it towards the tank.
As the bomb stuck to the side of the tank, the tactical droid merely glanced at it. "Ha ha ha," it said in a robotic tone as the machine focused its attention on the girls once more. "The super tank is impervious to all…" The droid never got to finish his sentence as the detonator exploded and the droid was blown into pieces of scrap metal.
The machine fell to the ground and both girls smiled at each other before turning their attention back to the tank.
Unfortunately, the tank wasn't even scratched and it opened fire again. Rosella re-ignited her saber and joined Barriss as they began to deflect the lasers.
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The super tanks hadn't even reached the bridge as they fired more of their missiles at the incoming Republic troops. All but one of their AT-TEs remained intact. The other two had been turned into piles of scrap metal and disjointed sockets.
Some of the men who had been running behind the AT-TEs, were immediately knocked to the ground as a rocket slammed into the middle of their group. The surviving members ran through the smoke and dust as they risked their own lives to see what they could about do about their fallen vod. As their hands brushed over the bodies, they knew that they would be mourning with their vod who were still alive after the mission was over.
Anakin and Luminara ran away from the bridge as a pair of missiles crashed into the ground behind them. As they reached a small outcropping of rocks, they flipped over them and landed on the other side.
"Rex, tell the men to fall back," Anakin yelled so that he could be heard over all the noise that was going on around them.
"But, sir, you can't be asking Gree and I to leave you both here as we turn around and clear the area?" Rex asked.
"I'm not asking you to run, Rex," Anakin replied as he took the pack that was handed to him and stood up. Reaching into it, he pulled out a bomb, and clenched it in his left hand. "I want to get those tanks to move out across the bridge."
"I see what you have in mind," Luminara said as she took the pack that Gree handed to her and slung it over her shoulders. "It's a bold plan and I like it."
Anakin placed the bomb back into the pack and then hefted it onto his shoulders. "I always have a few backup plans in mind, Master," he responded. "Let's go!"
Both Jedi took off for the bridge.
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Barriss and Rosella continued deflecting the blasts with their lightsabers.
"The bombs!" Rosella exclaimed as she noticed that one of the Geonosians was in the process of removing the last bomb. She darted forward and Barriss followed her.
As the tank continued to fire at both of the girls, they managed to dodge all of the lasers and reach the base of the reactor. Once Rosella had reached the bugs, she swung her lightsaber at them, causing them to back away and fly into the air.
Barriss felt a warning from the Force and turned just in time to begin deflecting the laser bolts that the tank had fired in their direction.
As the Geonosians began to fly away, Rosella deactivated her lightsaber and leapt in the air, grabbing hold of two of the warriors by their legs, yelling out in surprise as they flew higher and took her with them.
Barriss tracked the bugs movement with her eyes and then looked towards the hatch as it opened and a Geonosian flew out.
"Stupid bugs!" Rosella yelled and then screamed as the two Geonosians flew to the top of the room and decided to slam her chest as well as her head into the reactor. Then they released her. The teenager let out a loud, painful yelp as her back slammed into the bottom half of the reactor and rolled onto the floor. She didn't move.
The Geonosian creature waved a long arm through the air, while saying something in their native language.
Rushing over to Rosella, Barriss stood protectively over her partner as she held her lightsaber in a two-handed grip and deflected the lasers that were headed for them both. As she saw the warriors heading for the hatch, she lowered her lightsaber and ran after them. The Mirialan padawan was a little too slow and was forced to watch as the bugs escaped with the bombs. Then the hatch slammed shut. Turning around, Barriss' eyes narrowed as she watched the tank inch closer and closer to her fellow padawan. As she glanced at the younger girl, she saw that Rosella was beginning to move, but knew that she wouldn't be able to get up in time to move out of the way. The older padawan narrowed her eyes even further and almost let a growl come forth from her mouth as she saw the tank get even closer.
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The troopers were running away from the tanks that had just crossed the halfway point on the bridge.
"Fall back! Fall back!" One of them yelled.
Anakin, who saw that the tanks were in position, looked at Luminara as he held up a hand and made a fist. The Jedi Master nodded and as one, they both turned around, climbed down to the edge of the bridge, grabbed hold of whatever they could find that was stable enough to hold on to and planted the first set of bombs.
Then both of the Jedi swung into the middle area and continued to make their way across, each of them reaching into the packs that were on their backs, pulling out a bomb and affixing it to the underside of the bridge. They made sure it was armed before moving on.
The bridge shook as the tanks marched across it. The noise was dimmed, but still loud enough to make both of their ears ring. As they kept moving, all thoughts of how far of a drop they had if either of them were to let go disappeared from their minds. All they could think about was how their respective padawans were doing with their assignment.
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The clones continued to move further back as they wanted to get clear of the explosion that was bound to go off when the bridge exploded and took the tanks with them.
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Inside one of the tanks, the battle droid said, "Give it everything you've got."
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The tanks continued to fire as the two Jedi finished planting the bombs. Once they were finished, Luminara and Anakin switched sides as they grabbed onto the opposite side of the bridge. Gripping the edge as tightly as they could, they swung themselves back and forth a few times before swinging back up and over, using the force to help them gain a little more height before they landed behind the tanks.
As Anakin rose from his crouched position, he took the trigger from his pack and ran over to the edge of the bridge. Once Luminara had joined him, he pressed the red button.
Explosions begin to ring out across the bridge as the bombs went off one by one.
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Inside one of the tanks, both droids looked around as they no longer felt themselves moving. "Uh-oh," the first one said.
"Roger, roger," the other droid said in response.
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Anakin and Luminara turned around and watched as the center of the bridge broke apart and plummeted all the way down to the dry riverbed, taking the super tanks with it.
As the tanks hit the ground, they exploded, destroying the droids who were inside.
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Gree and some of his men walked up to the edge of the now destroyed bridge and peered over it. Once they saw the tanks laying at the bottom, they stood up and pumped their fists in the air victoriously.
Anakin and Luminara saw them and while the Knight pumped his mechanical hand in the air, the Mirialan chose to wave. Then they lowered their hands, glanced at each other and nodded, knowing that it wasn't a complete victory. Both Jedi turned their backs on the men and rand down a small hill. They positioned themselves behind a rock and stared at the droid foundry. The doors were still closed.
"Where are they?" Anakin asked as he turned away and flung his hands out, a wave of concern overtaking his moment of triumph that he had shared with Luminara. He quickly brought his left arm up, glancing down at the flashing chronometer. "Those bombs are going to go off any second now." After glancing at the foundry once more, he turned around and switched over to his wrist communicator. "Rex, have you seen any sign of Rosella or Barriss on your side of the canyon?"
"No, General," Rex responded from where he stood with two of his men. "The evacuation ships are arriving to get us out of here since the place is going to explode and come crashing down. I suggest that you and General Unduli get on one and get to safety."
"I'm not leaving without Rosella," Anakin said, hints of worry beginning to appear in his voice.
"I know that Barriss will get them both to safety," Luminara told him in a calm and even voice. "She will not fail."
Anakin knew that the Jedi Master was trying to get him to calm down and let his emotions go as they had a mission to complete, but that didn't matter to him. All that mattered was that he was not going to lose his daughter and have to bring her body back to the Temple to be burned.
"Rosella, can you hear me?" Anakin asked as he tried to get in contact with his padawan. "Rosella, where are you?"
Then the heavy gates that led to the interior of the foundry slowly slid upward, revealing a fresh wave of battle droids that were marching out to meet them.
Anakin narrowed his eyes as he ignited his lightsaber. The sight of the droids caused a small momentary distraction that allowed him to bury his emotions deep down so he could focus on the battle. Beside him, he heard the sounds of another lightsaber being ignited and knew that Luminara had drawn hers.
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As Rosella came around after being knocked unconscious, she saw something that she hoped to never see again. The tank had turned in her direction and was slowly getting closer and closer. The small cover that protected the cannons on top opened up again as it prepared to fire at her.
Barriss' eyes narrowed as she ignited her lightsaber and leapt on top of the tank.
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As the older padawan sliced through the shell of the tank, neither droid heard the humming sounds of a lightsaber nor noticed the hole above them.
The perfectly cut circle fell to the floor of the tank as the droid who was driving looked around, having lost sight of the other padawan, asked, "Where did she go?"
Barriss deactivated her blade, silently slipped inside and reactivated it as she proceeded to slice both of the droids apart and stop the tank.
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Rosella sat up and sighed in relief when the tank stopped. As she glanced up at the hatch on the front, she was surprised to see it open, revealing Barriss on the other side. She quickly got to her feet, using the Force to ease the small headache that she was starting to feel. Leaping into the air, she dove inside and let the hatch close behind her with a clang as she settled into the driver's seat.
"Those Geonosians took the bombs," Barriss told her as she stood behind the driver's seat. "I chased after them, but they managed to escape."
"What are we supposed to do now?" Rosella asked as she turned around to look at the older girl.
Barriss paused, as she wasn't sure what their next steps were going to be. "I'm not sure," she softly replied. She was used to doing things according to whatever plan that either she or her Master had come up with. Never in her life had she been forced to think of an alternative solution for dealing with a problem that she found herself in. "Those bombs were our only way of blowing up the reactor."
Rosella knew that she would have to come up with something as she saw the helpless look on Barriss' face. "Well," she said quietly as her eyes studied the tank, the controls and the power read-outs. "We could use this tank. It might have enough power to help us destroy the power generator." Then she sighed. "But we might end up perishing in the blast too."
The girls looked at each other. Neither of them wanted to die.
Rosella saw Barriss look down at the floor and wondered what was going through her mind. In her own mind, she knew that using the tank was the right thing to do since it was their only way to successfully destroy the foundry and put a stop to the army that the Separatists wanted to use against the GAR. She also knew that this was her duty as a Jedi.
Then she thought about all the people who were going to miss her when she died and was no longer with them. Anakin, Padmè, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, her friends at the Temple and her adopted parent's families.
As she felt Barriss place a hand on her shoulder, Rosella looked up at the older girl, knowing that they didn't have any other way of completing their mission.
"If this is our only option, then we have to do it," Barriss told her, a small hint of sadness in her tone. She was not the type of person who liked to make friends at the Temple, but she had to admit that she was starting to like Rosella and was hoping to get to know what she was like as a person.
Rosella turned away and lifted up her wrist. Activating her wrist communicator, she could hear the sounds of blaster fire coming through it, but ignored the noise as she said, "Master, can you hear me?"
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On the surface, Anakin sliced one battle droid in half and then another. He had just used the force to pull a droid towards him and sliced it in half when he heard his daughter's voice coming from his wrist communicator.
"Master..."
"Rosella!" Anakin nearly exclaimed as he raised his right wrist to answer his communicator while continuing to slice through the droids with his lightsaber which was now in his left hand. "Set off those bombs. We're trapped and about to get overrun!" He began to back up to Luminara's position.
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"I'm sorry, Master," Rosella said sadly as she closed her eyes, then opened them as she hung her head. "Barriss and I can't make it out."
"Can't make it out?" Anakin asked as his voice echoed in the vicinity of the tank, clearly not understanding the delicate situation that his daughter and Luminara's padawan were in. "Rosella, wait!"
The girls glanced at each other.
Rosella saw Barriss nod and turned toward the controls, aiming the tank towards the reactor core. "Fire," she said as she pressed the button. 'I love you, Father.'
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The top of the tank opened up to reveal the cannon. Two rockets shot out and slammed into the reactor. They penetrated the shield and caused a massive explosion that slammed into the tank and blew it backwards as it began to tumble around.
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The last thing Anakin heard from his daughter was her words over their bond. He and Luminara finished slashing through a pair of battle droids, then stopped and stared with expressions of shock and worry written clear on their faces as an explosion shook the upper section of the foundry. It was quickly followed by another one.
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A giant explosion could be seen at the base of the factory. Then a multitude of smaller ones appeared as it came apart from the inside.
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Rex and all the other clones watched from their side of the broken bridge as the factory came down.
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The spiral at the top of the factory split in half. Anakin and Luminara saw it falling toward them. After quickly deactivating their lightsabers, they turned around and ran back to their side of the broken bridge as the huge piece of debris came crashing down on the second wave of droids that had come marching out of the factory.
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The entire foundry went up in flames and smoke as the combined forces watched from where they were standing.
Gree saw the incoming dust storm and looked at his men as well as Rex, along with the men who were part of the 501st. "Get down! Get down now!" He cried.
All the troopers turned around and ran to find cover from the incoming dust cloud.
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When the dust had finally settled, Anakin and Luminara were left staring at nothing but a massive hole, which was full of nothing but rubble. There were multiple fires all over the place.
They were standing near the very edge of the only piece of stable ground that was left over from the initial explosion that destroyed the factory.
Anakin raised his right arm and switched on his wrist comm. "Rosella," he said, a small bit of panic in his voice. When she didn't reply, he tried again. "Rosella, can you hear me? Come in."
Luminara closed her eyes and reached out into the Force as she sank to the ground and got into a kneeling position.
Anakin noticed and thought she was meditating, but then sensed a small thought of sadness that flashed through her mind before disappearing behind a strong mental shield. He wasn't sure what was going on, but knew that she might be grieving in her own way since Barriss was her padawan just as Rosella was his. He knelt down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Master Luminara," he said.
"Be at ease, Skywalker," Luminara replied as she turned to look at him.
"At ease?" Anakin asked, nearly falling to the ground as he jerked backward, a look of incredulity on his face. "We need to act now. Rosella and Barriss may still be alive down there."
"That might be true, but your passion to save your apprentice is being driven by your emotional attachment to her," Luminara said.
"Forgive me for caring about my padawan," Anakin responded.
Then Luminara shifted her focus to the debris field. She softly shook her head as she said, "Besides, we don't have enough time. I can sense that they're drifting away."
Anakin removed his hand from her shoulder and stood up. "No," he said, managing to get a grip on the turbulent storm of emotions that were raging inside him. "I know they're still alive and we will save them." The Knight turned around once he heard the sounds of an approaching ship.
Luminara stood up and turned to look at the sky as the gunship that she and Barriss had arrived in flew towards them and opened the doors as it landed on the ground. Rex got off and walked over to Anakin, while Gree and a few troopers from both the 41st and the 501st let go of their handholds and stayed where they were.
"General, I've ordered the tank lifters over here to help move the debris," he said.
"Thanks, Rex," Anakin replied. "Now get to work." Then he glanced towards the ground.
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Deep below the surface, the trapped padawans ignited their lightsabers as they wanted to get a better understanding of their new situation. Rosella looked around, noticing that they were still in the tank, even though there were no lights coming from the controls as the explosion must have damaged them.
"How deep do you think we're buried?" Barriss asked as she looked around.
"Um…I don't think that's a good thing to be thinking about," Rosella said as she continued to look around. She could sense that Barriss had accepted their fate and had no real hope that they would be found and rescued. Then she spotted four power cells that were near the older girl's head. "Could you please hand me that power cell?"
Barriss saw that she was pointing beside her and looked in that direction. Grabbing onto the power cell, she waited until it came loose, then pulled it free and handed it to Rosella.
"Thank you", Rosella said. Then she passed Barriss her lightsaber. "Mind holding my saber for me?"
The Mirialan padawan nodded. "Whatever it is that you plan to do with that power cell, I do hope it works," she said as she took the younger girl's lightsaber and held it in the air. "I would much rather have died up there, fighting in that room than starve to death down here in this tank."
"Don't worry," Rosella said as she removed her wrist com from her bracer and turned it over in her hands. "We'll run out of air long before we starve."
"Well, that's a comforting thought," Barriss responded. "Thanks."
"Master Skywalker has been teaching me other things when I'm not busy with my lessons or lightsaber training," Rosella said as she broke her communicator in half. "I happen to know a trick or two of his, which means I may be able to get this communicator working again."
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Two gunships flew over the massive site as a tank lifter was moving a heavier piece of debris out of the way. Many of the troopers were helping to clear the area and search for any sign of the missing padawans.
Luminara stood at the edge of the site with her eyes closed and her hands clasped behind her back.
"We are not just going to abandon our Padawans to their fate," Anakin said as he walked up to the Jedi Master. I will not leave my daughter behind.
"You misjudge me," Luminara responded as she opened her eyes and turned to look at Anakin. "I do care for my apprentice, but I try not to let my emotions get the better of me. I, as well as Barriss, have come to see the good things that you brought to the Order by allowing the Jedi to once again feel things like love, sadness and joy. But I also remember that we must not upset the natural order of things, the unending circle of life and death. If their time has come..."
"I refuse to let Rosella die, for she is my responsibility," Anakin said, hope and worry mixing together in his tone. "She will find a way out."
Luminara glanced over at Anakin. "I know your feelings are well meant Anakin, but what you don't realize is that your emotions are clouding your own sense of judgement," she said. "Yes, Barriss is my responsibility, for I am her teacher. And if she has perished, I will mourn her, but I will celebrate her as well through her memory."
"Well, I still plan on celebrating this victory with my padawan in person," Anakin said as he narrowed his eyes.
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"What happens to us now doesn't matter," Barriss said, trying to ease the younger girl's mind as she watched Rosella inspect the now broken comlink that she was holding in her hand. "What does matter is the countless number of lives that we have saved by bringing down this factory."
"Well, I'm about to save two more," Rosella said, a small flutter of hope in her voice. If there was one thing that she had picked up from Anakin, it was his desire to save as many lives as he could. She reached beside her, picked up the power cell and began to gently tap it against the exposed wiring of the comlink, hoping that it would be enough to boost the power as it sparked and hissed.
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Anakin's wrist com began to flash. As it kept making noise, he brought his arm up and glanced down at the tiny device. "Wait, I seem to be picking up a pulse from Rosella's wrist comm," he said, lowering his arm as he looked up and reached out with the Force while scanning the massive debris field. When he pinpointed where it was coming from, he pointed to a section of the pit that was covered in debris. "It's coming from over there!"
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"Master, I know that you're up there, and I know you're looking for the two of us," Rosella said. After tapping the cell against the broken device a few more times, her arms fell to either side of her body as her head tilted to the right.
It was clear that both of the padawans were running out of air.
Barriss turned her head, opened her eyes and held up her hand.
Rosella opened her eyes, turned to look at the older girl and reached out, clasping her hand to her own as she was hoping that they could be friends when this was over.
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Anakin, Rex, Luminara and a few other troopers ran over to the location that the Knight had pointed out.
"I'll get a few of the tank lifters to come over and help lift the heavy machinery out of the way, General," Rex said. He was about to speak into his wrist comlink, but Anakin flung out one of his hands to stop him.
"We don't have time to wait for the lifters to get here, Rex!" The Knight said.
Luminara glanced over at Anakin and knew what he wanted to do. Together, they both closed their eyes and reached out through the force, wrapping it around a giant piece of debris. As both Jedi lifted the battered and broken piece of whatever it was into the air, they uncovered a battered but still held together tank.
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Both padawans had their eyes closed as they sat in the tank. The only light that illuminated the area was coming from one of the lightsabers as Barriss had deactivated the other one.
Suddenly, Rosella's eyes snapped open as she heard a digging noise. As she slightly tugged on the older girl's hand, she said, "Listen! I think they've found us!"
The girls looked at each other. Then they both watched as a piece of debris that was blocking their exit route was moved out of the way and smiled as bright golden sunlight streamed into the shattered hull of the tank.
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After Anakin and Luminara had gotten rid of the giant piece that had had lifted out of the way earlier, they used the Force to grab into another piece and move it. As soon as the piece was dropped on the ground, they lowered their hands, opened their eyes, and moved forward a little as they peered over the edge of the giant hole.
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As the dust settled, two figures emerged from the tank and into the light. Rosella was coughing as she appeared. She moved out of the way and placed her hands on her knees as Barriss climbed out behind her.
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"Barriss!" Luminara said, a clear hint of happiness and joy in her voice.
"Rosella!" Anakin said in relief. Thank the force my daughter is alive.
The Knight darted forward as Rex waved his hand, summoning a few of his vod'e to come aid in the rescue as Gree and some of his men had already climbed down to help the girls get out.
"I knew they were still alive," Anakin said before turning to look at Luminara. "I told you we shouldn't give up on them."
"It's not that I was ready to give up, Skywalker, but unlike you, when the time comes, I am well prepared to let my student go," Luminara told him. "Can you say the same?"
Anakin shook his head, indicating that while he did agree with what the Mirialan was saying, he knew that it would be a long time before that ever happened. Banishing the thought from his mind, he walked forward, bent down and helped Rosella climb up out of the hole.
Rosella smiled as she stood up. "I just knew that you would come looking for us," she said, feeling her father take her hands in his.
"I never doubted either of you for a second," Anakin replied. Then he pulled her into an embrace, smiling as he felt her return the hug. Letting go, the pair turned to face Luminara and Barriss.
"Padawan, you did well," Luminara said, gently smiling at her.
"Thank you, Master," Barriss responded as she dipped into a formal curtsey. Even though she wished that she and her Master had a relationship like the one that Rosella and Anakin shared, she knew that deep down, Luminara did care for her. "If it wasn't for Rosella and her improvisational skills, then we'd still be down there."
"Indeed," Luminara said, before turning to look at Rosella. "Your Master never lost faith in you."
Rosella inclined her head at the praise that she received from Luminara and turned to smile at her father. He smiled back at her.
Then they all got on a gunship that had arrived to take them back to their staging area.
AN: Some of the lines that I've used near the end when Anakin and Luminara are discussing what to do about their apprentices are from an early layout scene that had been scripted and voiced for this episode but was never used. I thought that they added more depth to both characters and why they did what they did.
Translations
vod'e - brothers, sisters, comrades