Chapter Six: Incongruous

"But..."

Again and again, she reduced what words Stonewall would have offered into inchoate nonsense; again, she seemed not to notice as her eyes closed and he got the sense that she was reaching deep within herself, as if searching for some hidden source of strength. Before his eyes, the weariness seemed to fade from her face and she practically glowed with power, briefly reminding him of her lightsaber.

As he was watching her, the ship groaned and rocked again, strong enough to nearly send him careening to the durasteel floor; happily, he managed not to fall flat on his face, instead grabbing the console to steady himself.

She took a breath and looked at him. "Can you determine who is firing on us?"

At last, something he could handle. Shooting would be preferable, but this would work. For now. He pulled out a hand-held auto-slicer from his kit. "These are standard issue," he explained, activating the device and fiddling with the settings. "They let us tap into a ship's transmissions from any location."

It was a relatively new piece of tech, and he hadn't gotten much of a chance to play with it, so he hoped it would work. The thought occurred to him that it probably wouldn't be able to unscramble any jammed communications, but when he said as much to her, the Jedi shook her head. "Hopefully she won't jam her own communications."

There was a wry edge to her voice that made him respond in kind as he set the device against the console. "One can hope."

Moments later, the voice of General Skywalker filled the air: "...and I'm pretty sure that you're not going anywhere."

Stonewall had never had a chance to work with the Jedi, but he did know a few boys in Torrent Company – of the legendary 501st Legion – who seemed like they'd follow the General to oblivion and back. Right now, Stonewall thought that he sounded mild, unconcerned, as if the entire situation was laughable. Likely, it was a bluff, but the Jedi's flippant attitude bothered the trooper.

But not so much as the dry rasp of Ventress' voice that filled the room when she replied. "Are you so certain of that? And I have to wonder," she added, with a mocking tone made him want to wring her skinny neck. "What is it that makes you so sure that there will be anything left of your friend for you to rescue?"

"I think I have a plan, Stone." The soft sound of General Halcyon's voice broke his attention away from the exchange; when he looked up, her gaze was on his, and he couldn't help the way that his body tensed. However, he refused to drop his eyes from hers, instead waiting until she finished speaking. "But you need to do exactly as I say, even if it doesn't make any sense."

He wondered if it was there was a reprimand layered within her words, for he'd already disobeyed her once – at least – but he didn't think so. "Of course, General," he replied, straightening his spine.

A small, grim smile came across her face. "Good...but you should also know that we might perish in a most unpleasant manner if my plan doesn't work."

Stonewall nearly laughed, partly from relief that yes, she did have a plan, partly because of the sardonic tone of her voice, but mostly because she said we, which indicated that she had decided to stay with him, too. For the immediate future, anyway.

With a nod, he slipped his helmet back on before responding in his most professional voice. "With all due respect, that kind of talk is just business as usual for me."

Something occurred to him then, and he couldn't help his sigh of frustration. "I suppose you'd like me to hide again, General?"

He didn't think his words were funny, but she started laughing anyway, and he felt a little stronger and more certain of himself than he had since stepping foot onto this bucket-of-bolts. As he watched, she gave him a true smile and a nod as she spoke. "Yes, please. But this time I think I'd like you to use those blasters of yours when you return."

"At last," he said before he could stop himself; again, she laughed and he felt something queasy in his gut once more, only this time he knew it wasn't because he hadn't eaten in a while.

The Jedi smiled at him. "At my word you can burst in and start shooting, okay?"

Better and better. Stonewall nodded and made to exit the room. Before he activated the door, her voice stopped him in his tracks. "Stone, if we get out of this alive, you're getting the biggest medal I can scrounge up. Deal?"

He took a breath to steady himself before he replied. "As you like, General Halcyon, but I'd be happy enough with the first part of that sentence."

With any luck at all, this would be the very last time that he had to crouch in the tiny vent.

Heart hammering beneath his chest, Stonewall waited until Ventress entered the room that held General Halcyon, then silently exited his hiding spot. While the general tried to talk to the Seppie, he situated himself behind the closed door and ensured that his blasters were charged and ready to go.

The sound of lightsabers being ignited caused him to suck in his breath, but he forced himself to remain calm. Even so, adrenaline had started to course through his veins, but he held it in check, saving his energy for when it would truly be needed.

"There is good in you, despite your best efforts, Asajj."

Asajj? He frowned, then recalled that it was Ventress' given name. Idly, he wondered at the fact: she had a name...did she choose it, or was it chosen for her, as was normally the custom with Humans? Names were treasured commodities among the clones; nearly every brother he'd met had a story or something like it connected to his name. Names could sometimes be given by someone separate – usually a brother – and names could be earned. Most names were fought for, as was everything else.

"Stop calling me that."

Focus, Stone, he told himself, taking a breath to bring his attention back to the moment.

"It's your name, isn't it?" General Halcyon's voice was pitched just a little louder than normal, and he flexed his calf muscles in preparation.

Ventress didn't speak, she growled. "I'll kill you."

Not while I'm around, you-

"Then do it."

Immediately following General Halcyon's words, the ship shuddered, like some large creature trying to shake off a fly, and he heard the distant sound of a droid-voice, as if through the Seppie woman's comlink. "...they're ordering us to...back the prisoner. Our engines are disabled...evacuate..."

Soon, he thought, taking another breath and shifting the weight from his right leg to his left. The door wasn't locked; he knew from previous experiences in other situations that he could kick it aside if he really wanted to. Seconds ticked by in his head, and he felt flooded with a strange sense of calm, because he was certain that this moment, right now, was exactly where and when he was meant to be, and he intended to make the most of it.

Whatever happened after...well, he'd deal with it, then.

It was too quiet in the room; when Ventress spoke again in that mocking way, he wished it had remained so. "You have friends in high places? I wondered why you seemed so calm, even facing the end of your miserable existence...but it makes sense now, as does why your thoughts keep returning to him."

General Kenobi, no doubt. It was not an entirely happy thought for the soldier, but in this moment there was no room for anything but focus. Stonewall took another breath and pushed out all of his emotions, emptying his mind of everything except his goal, his mission, his duty. His oath.

"It's such a shame," Ventress added, a sneer in her words. "That you won't live long enough to be reunited with your dearest."

I will not fail you, Kalinda. Not now, not ever. His entire body was relaxed but ready, waiting.

"Now!"

Before her signal had completely registered in Stonewall's mind, he thrust all of his weight forward and forced the door aside, lifting his weapons and firing one well-placed bolt at the console, whose position he had mapped out in his mind. Following this, he angled all of his fire on the Seppie; however, within a moment Ventress had her sabers out and was deflecting most of his shots to careen about the small chamber. Thankfully, none of the bolts seemed to find their mark in the general, who'd finally been released from her bonds at the destruction of the shabla console.

For a split-second Stonewall was faster than the pale-skinned woman, though he didn't know if it was due to her shock at his sudden entrance or some other reason he was unaware of. As with every battle, adrenaline hummed through his veins, sharpening his aim and smoothing each of his movements into liquid glass.

One shot; he only managed to graze Ventress' shoulder but it was enough to allow the Jedi to send a burst of energy towards the her, knocking her backward. Almost before he knew what had happened, General Halcyon had turned, grabbed his arm and urged him from the room, where they paused to slide the door shut and lock it as well.

Exchanging a look of satisfaction, they turned to hurry down the corridor. As he shot her a glance, Stonewall frowned inwardly. It seemed like her limp was worse, and in the aftermath of her captivity and her use of the Force he could tell how exhausted she was, though she also appeared to be trying to hide the fact.

"That won't hold her for long," he said, altering his stride to match hers, so that they were moving in tandem. Around them, the corridors of the Seppie ship were alternately bathed in crimson and shadow as alarm klaxons blared a wordless warning. The urge to take her in his arms and carry her to the nearest escape pod was overwhelming, but he held it in check, instead only glancing at her again.

Even colored with flickering red light from the alarms, he could see that she had that look on her face that meant she was accessing the Force. "I know. But it will have to be enough."

They progressed without speaking further for a few minutes, then she skidded to a halt, closing her eyes and breathing heavily while he gripped his blasters and kept watch around them; another blast sounded, and the ship groaned in reply. Even through the filters on his helmet he could make out the smell of smoke, which meant that the engines had been hit.

Stonewall really had no desire to rush the Jedi, but he wished the Force would work just a little bit quicker, right now.

Finally she opened her eyes and pointed down a nearby corridor. "I think the escape pods are this way."

Nodding, he allowed her to go ahead of him so that he could cover her; compared to him, she was rather short, enough so that he could see over her head easily, which would allow him to keep an eye on her front as well. The thought was oddly reassuring.

Smoke began to trickle in around them, threatening to obscure his vision. When he made to activate his headlamps she objected, pointing out that the miasma provided them the means to be stealthy, which would help keep them safe for the time being. She also reiterated that she had the Force, which didn't allay his fears quite as much as he figured she'd meant to, but that was okay, because he could see that she'd winked at him as she said so.

Finally, he saw the tell-tale indents in a nearby chamber that he knew led to the pods. Thank the Force, they were nearly out of this mess. "Here they are, General!"

As she approached, he glanced over the control panel of the one closest to him, mentally calculating the coordinates he'd need to input to get them as far away from this junker as possible before he looked at her – rather, he looked at the place he thought she was, because the kriffing smoke was thick as stew at this point, and he couldn't make her out. That wasn't good. Unlike himself, she didn't have a helmet to filter out any airborne toxins. "You should go first."

For a moment there was no reply, then he heard her maddening response. "No."

Stonewall took a deep, calming breath to steady himself, but before he could ask her why, she continued. "Haven't you heard the shots coming from this ship? Ventress will blast us to pieces the moment she sees the pods."

"Then...?" Yes, he had heard the blaster fire, but they didn't have a wealth of options at this point. The ship shuddered again, then some of the smoke began to clear away, as if it was being sucked out into open space via a fracture in the hull. Really not good.

Except now he could see her a little better, and he realized that she was looking at him again. "You're probably not going to like it," she said, placing a hand on his gauntleted forearm, the one he'd let her examine well over a day ago. "Remember when I mentioned the possibility of a very unpleasant death?"

Instantly, Stonewall silenced the mic in his bucket so that he could swear as loudly and as creatively as he wanted without her hearing him – it helped – then re-activated it a moment later to reply in a mild voice. "Not something I could forget."

"We're going to eject the pods – empty – and make our escape another way."

"Another way?" Curiosity overrode everything else as he studied her; moments later the Jedi closed her eyes again and he watched, transfixed, as she summoned the Force. Before his eyes, she changed. Some of her exhaustion faded. The veil of pain and weariness that had shrouded her for the duration of this adventure lifted up and away. When her eyes opened and met his, all he saw was determination.

"Do you trust me, Stone?"

There was no need to consider his answer, because it had been inside of him, all along. "With my life."

When she smiled at him this time, he knew that they were going to be okay. "Great," she said in a light voice, as if they'd been discussing the weather. "Then you have nothing to worry about."

"Glad to hear it," he replied in an equally casual tone. "So..."

"Assuming this ship is constructed like others I've seen, there should be an airlock nearby." With that, she stepped past him to examine the area, moments later exclaiming in satisfaction as she found what she was looking for.

It was a small alcove, with a door on either end; one led to the interior of the ship, before which they were standing side-by-side. The other opened to blank space, which he could see through the small porthole. It was not a pleasant sight, but he ignored the feeling of foreboding and looked at the Jedi beside him. "Your orders?"

"Obi-Wan's here," she said after a beat. "He's coming for us, but he can't get to this ship in time, I think."

Stonewall frowned. "Then what do you want us to do?"

"How much do you know about the Force, Stonewall?"

He shook his head. "Not much, I guess. It helps a Jedi move quickly, jump higher. It allows a Jedi to know...things before they happen."

She nodded and looked thoughtful. "That's all true, but there are other applications as well. For example..." Here she paused, and he watched uncertainty flicker across her face.

On a whim, Stonewall removed his helmet and met her eyes, silently urging her to continue. "Other applications?"

"I can create a shield with the Force," she said slowly, measuring her words. "It's what I did earlier on Basrah when you..."

"I remember," he said with a frown. "No need to bring up that incident again, sir."

A faint smile crossed her face and she nodded. "With the shield, I should be able to keep us safe in open space for a brief time, until Obi-Wan can reach us."

"Should?" He tasted the word and found it not to his liking. "When it comes to your safety, General Halcyon, we need more than 'should.'"

"We don't have any other options," she said, shaking her head. Again, she set her hand on his arm and met his gaze, so close he could make out the individual lashes that framed her eyes and thereby disabling any further protests on his part. "But the Force is with us. It must be," she added with a smile that almost made him forget the dire nature of their situation. "To have brought you to me, and kept us both safe up until now."

No, this was not going to be pleasant in the least, but he had no choice anymore, if indeed he'd ever had one. Immediately, he began to unfasten his left gauntlet. "Alright, then. If we're going to do this, you'll need my suit."

"Stonewall..." Again, he felt the soft touch of her hand against his arm as she stilled his movements. "There isn't time. Besides, I doubt it would look as good on me."

Any other time and he'd have been pleased at her words, though all he could do now was sigh. "Then what can I do to help?"

"Nothing," she said, then frowned as the ship was rocked by cannon-fire again. "Well, cover me, I guess. In a few moments, I'll use the Force to eject the pods. Once I do, we'll go into the airlock; from there, I'll strengthen my shield, and when the coast is relatively clear...we'll do our little spacewalk. I know you have emergency repulsors in your armor, right? They should allow us to navigate to Obi-Wan's location."

He was quiet, absorbing her words, then he shook his head. "Please give me something else to do before that."

"Stone-" Her hand was still on his arm.

"General Halcyon," he interrupted, placing his free hand over her own, uncaring that he was breaking every protocol at the moment. "You've shown me that I can do more than shoot a blaster. There has to be some way I can help you."

Her lips parted as she inhaled in surprise, then she nodded slowly, her expression conveying that she was considering his words.

"Okay," she said at last, swallowing and meeting his eyes as he removed his hand from hers. "Maybe you can help me. The Force is an energy that all living beings are a part of, whether they can access it or not. If you concentrate, perhaps you can help me with the shield."

"That's...not...I mean..."

"You asked," she pointed out with a knowing look.

Stonewall took a breath, then slid his bucket back over his head, ensuring that the seal was secure. "I guess I did."

A flick of her wrist, and they watched as the escape pods slipped free of their latches and began to drift into the black swell of space, then he activated the first airlock so that they could enter the small alcove. As they did, he noted that the temperature dropped considerably. "I'm supposed to concentrate on...what, exactly?"

"Imagine an energy shield around us," she replied. "Just like on a starship."

It sounded easy enough, but he'd learned that things were never easy when it came to Jedi in general, and this Jedi in particular. "Anything else I should keep in mind?"

"Exhale right before we open the airlock," she said. Her eyes had closed and he could see that she was starting to meditate, for her breath was slowing and her features were relaxing. "Get out all the air from your lungs that you can. Just in case."

Out of the corner of his eye, through the tiny window of the airlock, he could see the escape pods meandering away from the ship, and he wondered how long the decoys would last. A glance back her way showed him that she was concentrating; he tried to do as she'd said, imagining a faint layer of protective energy around them, but he was having trouble focusing. She looked frail, again. Weakened by the ordeal, and he worried that she'd be unable to retain her strength for the task ahead.

Protocol be damned...he'd come this far already. Stonewall reached for the Jedi and swept her in his arms without a word; her eyes snapped open and he saw her take a breath to protest, but he beat her to the punch. "Let me help you, General," he said again. "This way, you can put all of your energy into your shield."

"Stonewall..."

"Say the word," he added in his most serious voice. "And I'll set you down."

She was silent; he watched as her eyes drifted shut and in the next moment she relaxed into his grip. Taking a deep breath, he found that this time he was able to imagine the shield around them with ease, and on some signal that he couldn't recall later, he knew when it was time to open the final airlock. All around them, the ship shivered; he watched dimly as one of the escape pods was blasted into shards of durasteel.

The door to the airlock slid open. Beyond was a blackness unlike anything he'd ever seen, vast, unknowable. He felt small and insignificant beside it, and for a moment the weight of the entire galaxy pressed against him and made him dizzy.

Then she murmured his name, and nudged herself a little closer to his chest as if she were cold. I'm here, he silently told her. You're safe with me.

As she'd instructed, Stonewall pushed every last bit of air from his lungs, then stepped out into nothing.

Only one chapter left! Thanks so much for reading, everyone. :D