'ello, peoples of the earth!

So I actually did okay with timing this time, obviously, but I'm kinda disappointed now because some of my normal reviewers have disappeared! That's okay, but I would like to point out that reviews are extremely motivating to a writer and help get you your chapters faster, so yeah.

Anyway, thanks to Lux's Sister, Zenkid100, and katierosefun for their reviews! And thank you for that entertaining story, Lux's Sister - that gave me a good laugh, so thanks. :)

Now, without further ado, I present Chapter 7 of Style. Hope y'all enjoy! :)

Thunder rumbled in the distance as Kira and Depa made their way northeast in the direction of the Separatist base Caleb had told them about. Kira kept looking up to study the clouds, worried about the storm. She wondered if perhaps they shouldn't have left Caleb behind.

Depa seemed to sense Kira's thoughts. "Caleb will be fine," she assured the Padawan.

Kira wasn't so sure. Several scenarios rushed around her head. What if Caleb decided to run off again? What if she and Depa couldn't find their way back to the wreckage? What if the storm began and got so bad that travel would be next to impossible?

Kira knew that Obi-Wan would've told her not to dwell on the what-ifs. Sometimes, however, she just couldn't help but to do so.

"Have no fear," Depa said, once again sensing Kira's trepidation. "We will return before the storm gets worse."

I hope so. May the Force be with us, Kira thought.

After a while, the faint sounds of clanking metal and clicks of blasters reached Kira's ears. Depa heard it, too, for she turned to Kira, placed her finger over her lips in a "shh" gesture, and motioned for Kira to let her take the lead. This Kira did with no argument.

The two Jedi crept along silently, not knowing how far away the base could be. At last they came to a small rise in the ground, and they skulked through the trees to the top of the rise. On the other side, there was a higher and steeper drop, and a large compound lay spread out in a large clearing below this hill. As Caleb had said, there was a mammoth cannon aimed at the sky. Droids surrounded the structure, loading fuel canisters and making adjustments to the controls.

Other than the new weapon, the compound was relatively standard. Constructed from cold, gray metal, the base was a wide square that boasted hangars in the side. Through a window, Kira could see a command station. She had no doubt the entire thing was heavily shielded, especially the cannon.

Kira found herself silently begging the Force to help Caleb construct a transmitter. They had to warn the crew of the Fist and, in turn, the rest of the Republic, of this new base and weapon.

If they couldn't construct a makeshift transmitter, they would have to infiltrate the Separatist base and hijack their communications. How they would get past all the droids and shields was a mystery to Kira. In any case, she was glad they all had their lightsabers with them.

"Get down," Depa suddenly hissed, pulling Kira to the ground and rolling under the nearest bush. Fortunately, there was enough room for both of them to hide.

It took a moment for Kira to spot the trouble. A squad of droids was heading towards a group of speeders at the east end of the compound. The droids mounted the speeders and raced toward the hill. To Kira's relief, they passed over her and Depa's hiding place without hesitation. Still she held her breath and didn't make a sound, for the squad's engines were quiet enough that she could hear what the droids were saying.

Then again, droids could be pretty loud.

"Did the commander say why we're patrolling in the first place?" one droid droned.

"I don't know. Something about scouting for Republic ships that might've landed safely," another answered.

"With our new cannon, that's practically impossible! Besides," the third whined, "all this jungle mud isn't easy on my servos. I don't see why this is even necessary."

The second droid maneuvered its speeder close enough to clunk a metal fist on the third's head. "Hey!" the droid protested.

"Shut up, B1-6476," the second droid scolded. "We've been given orders, and we need to follow them!"

The third droid rubbed its head. "Roger, roger," it said glumly as the three sped deeper into the jungle.

Kira exhaled loudly when the danger passed by. At Depa's nod, she crawled out from under the bush. "Why didn't we take them out? There were three droids. It wouldn't have taken much effort," Kira said as she stood and brushed the leaves and dirt off her clothes.

Depa grunted softly as she stood up. "Because, young one," she explained, slipping out of her robe to shake off the dust, "the droids at the command center would've suspected something if the patrol had not returned. Then they would've sent a larger squad to investigate, and lightsaber marks would have given us away. It would only be a matter of time until they found us." She paused. "We need to be subtle. Do you understand?"

Kira hadn't thought about that before. "Master Skywalker could learn a thing or two about subtlety from you," she said.

Depa only smiled. "Well, he is known for his unconventional ways. Now we must hurry. Hopefully Caleb has begun his transmitter by now, and we need to get back before the storm hits."

Sure enough, the storm had been growing closer while Depa and Kira had hidden from the droids. Thunder crashed right above their heads, and sheets of lightning were visible through the almost black clouds. Kira shivered at the sight. "Yes, I think it's time to go," she agreed.

With that, the two girls hurried back into the jungle the way they'd come, hoping desperately to reach the shipwreck - and shelter - before the storm hit.

As the way back to the wreckage was almost completely downhill, Depa and Kira had an easier journey away from the base than their previous one. Kira thanked the Force that the storm had held off during their trek.

Caleb had decided not to run off, much to Kira's relief. He was seated cross-legged under a large sheet of metal that he had fashioned into a makeshift tent, a heap of junk in front of him. Sparks flew from the two metal pieces he held in his hands as he attempted to connect them. So far, it seemed that his efforts were not going well.

"Evening, Caleb," Depa greeted her Padawan. "How is your work coming along?"

Caleb set down the hunks of metal. "Not so well, Master," he said with a grim voice. "It seems that a large portion of the wreckage is inadequate for use, and the working pieces I did find might not even be compatible with each other."

Kira bit her lip nervously. "That's not good," she mumbled to herself, wracking her brain for a solution. She had no desire to try to infiltrate the Separatist base, and she was certain Depa and Caleb had no such desire, either.

Depa got down to business. "Caleb, let's move your supplies into the wreckage. There is more room there, and we'll have better cover from the storm."

Caleb acquiesced, and the three gathered up the pieces Caleb had collected and moved them into the shelter provided by the wreckage. True to Depa's word, there was plenty of room for the three of them. Kira dropped her pile on the floor. "I hope you didn't have these in any particular order," she said apologetically to Caleb, who had just placed his own armful on the floor.

The boy shook his head. "Nah," he said. "And even if I did, the order's all messed up now."

Kira nodded, then she turned to Depa. "Should we try to make a fire, Master Billaba?"

Depa shook her head. "I would prefer to not have to worry about the metal catching fire," she explained. "Besides, don't you think it's warm enough? We could do without the extra heat, and it is not necessary for us to cook anything."

Kira couldn't argue with that.

A few minutes later, the rain began to fall. It was not a light drizzle, nor did the storm gradually grow stronger as it went on. The rain came down all at once and thundered onto the hunk of steel surrounding the Jedi. It would've made a pleasant sound if it had not been punctuated by claps of thunder every so often. Additionally, raindrops poured through the sides of the ship, over which the blast doors had not been closed.

Kira pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, the sound of the thunder giving her chills. She huddled in the back of the wrecked ship, where there was metal on both sides of her to shield her from the storm. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but it would have to do. What Kira wouldn't have given to be back on the Fist with her Master at that moment.

Kira's mind wandered, wondering what Obi-Wan was doing right at that moment. He would have probably had the crew of the Fist scan the system where their scouting team had disappeared, but he wouldn't have sent more ships after them. He was most likely worried, but he wouldn't show it, Kira knew. Cody and Trapper would also be concerned, as would Depa and Caleb's troops.

Kira had a feeling Obi-Wan had engaged the Separatist fleet by now.

The sound of the rain lulling Kira to sleep, she drifted off, curling up in her corner of the wreckage.

"Sir, we can't retreat now! Not when we're so close!" Cody cried, thumping a fist on the hologram station. "We have them cornered, and soon we'll have those ships in pieces. Why turn back now?"

It took Kira a moment to realize that she was in the war room on the Fist. Trapper and another clone from the 212th stood at Cody's side on one side of the hologram station while Obi-Wan stood opposite them. "We have to, Cody," he said tiredly. "I haven't seen casualty numbers this large since the second battle of Geonosis. We know we've blown their command ship's hyperdrive offline, so it's more than probable the fleet won't be going anywhere."

"But sir-"

"No buts, Cody. We must call in reinforcements. Fresh, rested men will finish the job more efficiently than we could."

Cody shook his head in frustration. "How long until the Seppies get their reinforcements, General? We've tried jamming their communications, but we've had no success."

"As we've had no success breaking through their shields? No, Cody. We need to retreat and wait."

Kira recognized that tone. When Obi-Wan spoke that way, quietly but firmly, he meant business. There was no changing his mind when he was in that frame of mind. Cody, however, was not dettered. "And who will reinforce us?" he inquired. "The men closest to us are on Nar Shaddaa, and they're having enough trouble as it is. They can't spare anyone!"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Obi-Wan's face. "On the contrary, Commander," he said. "General Unduli and her troops have just finished a mission on Kessel. Last I heard, the men were cleaning up. I'm sure they can spare a few squadrons to help."

Cody sighed in defeat. "All right, General," he acquiesced. "I hope you're right about this."

"Kira?"

Kira awoke at the sound of her name. Blinking to clear the sleep from her eyes, she sat up. "Yeah? What'd I miss?"

"Not much." Caleb was seated beside her. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You looked exhausted when you came back."

"That's why I was sleeping, Master Dume." Kira lightly punched Caleb in the arm. He pretended to be in great pain before punching her in return.

Laughing, Kira stretched a bit. "How long has it been?"

"I don't know. With the rain, there's no way to tell the time." Caleb sighed. "Master Billaba says we may as well rest and gather our strength. We're going to have to call for help from inside the base, 'cause my transmitter isn't working."

Kira bit her lip. This was not good news, and they certainly couldn't waste time trying to get the transmitter working. "We'll figure it out," she said, though she wasn't sure if she was trying to convince herself, Caleb, or both of them.

"Has anyone ever infiltrated a base like that?" Caleb asked.

"Ahsoka told me about one time when she, Master Skywalker, and Master Secura were stranded on a deserted planet and had to infiltrate a Separatist base," Kira said. "She said the trick is to be really, really quiet. But, knowing you, that's going to be impossible to pull off." She grinned teasingly.

Caleb still didn't look convinced, but at least the twinkle in his eyes was back. "We'll see about that, Kiki."

"Stop calling me that! Really!"

A lighthearted ending for that chapter, cause next time, everything's going downhill for our heroes. Have fun with that! Ehehehehehe...;)

Kira: That's comforting.

Me: I know. :P

Caleb: Hey, this old C1-10P unit just came into my room. I don't recognize it.

Chopper: *beeps angrily*

Me: Agh, the fandoms are clashing in my head again! You two aren't supposed to meet yet!

Caleb: Huh?

Kira: I don't wanna know. Come on, buddy. *leads Chopper out*

Me: Well. Okay, I think it's Kira's turn to pick a song, so go for it!

Kira: Yay!

Caleb: But-

Me: You did it last time, so I don't want to hear a word.

Tablet: He's my best friend, best of all best friends, do you have a best friend too?

Me: Remember, guys. If you guess the song, you get a preview and an Internet cookie! Nobody guessed the last song, and I really don't want to have to pull out mainstream stuff. Please don't make me do that. Pretty please?

Caleb: Um, Amy, I think we have bigger problems right now.

Me: Wait, what? *turns around*

Kanan: What is he doing here!?

Kira: He's part of the story...?

Caleb: Who are you!?

Me: Kanan Jarrus, for the last time, get out of my room!

Kanan: I can't find Chop-

Me: GET OUT!

Kanan: *leaves*

Me: For the love of the Force, can the fandoms PLEASE not clash!? I don't need a paradox right now! I should've made him do the review notice. Actually, I can. Caleb?

Caleb: Do I have to?

Me: Do it before I lose patience.

Caleb: Review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. Thanks.

Kira: Force, Caleb, put some spirit into it!

Caleb: I don't want to!

Kira: I don't care!

Me: Here they go again. *facepalm* Well, thanks for clicking in, peoples, and may the Force be with you always! See you next time! Don't forget to vote for your favorite saga title! :)