Four

In hindsight, there wasn't really a smart way to antagonize the MagnaDroids – MagnaGuards,Kali told herself – and draw them out of their hiding place, but she was determined to get the information that the Republic needed. Too many have died from these blasted things already. If we can help at all, then we have to do everything possible. She waited as an alarm began to flash, and held her position as the wail of the klaxon broke the silence of the afternoon air; only when the first of the Magnas appeared over the rim of the retaining wall in front of the bunker did she kick the bike into gear.

They recognized her as an enemy and were upon her in seconds. The bike was fast but she'd figured they'd have mounts as well, and she'd been correct. Kali barely glimpsed Chopper on his own vehicle as she skimmed past him, hoping that the Magnas wouldn't notice the trooper.

That, at least, went as planned.

Stone and the others were several klicks from her position, so she urged the bike into its highest gear, wondering how fast the bikes of the Magnas could go, and hoping that hers was just a little faster. Kali felt her hair being torn out of the messy braid while her eyes stung from the wind of her passage, so she ducked her head a bit to keep the worst of the biting air at bay, and plummeted onward. The seat vibrated with the straining engine, but her grip on the handlebars was firm as she steered the bike through the tallish grass of the meadow towards the rest of Shadow Squad. Over her comm, she could hear Stone ordering the others to get ready, she was getting closer...

When the first of the shots came, she felt rather than heard the streak of plasma as it skidded past her; there was no time to think the droid had missed, as the bolt met its mark on a nearby hillock, sending a spray of dirt into her path and causing her to swerve for just an instant. Unfortunately, that one instant was enough to send her spiraling out of control, and she felt the little bike tipping forward as if trying to buck her off even while it plummeted towards the nearby woods, far off of her intended path. She heard someone shout over the comm, then the shriek of familiar blaster fire, but was too engrossed in regaining control of her vehicle to do much besides duck her head to avoid being hit.

It was a difficult while accelerating through the forest, but at last she managed to pause and right the bike; during the time it took her to do so, she realized that the Magnas had surrounded her, flanking her on four sides with as many droids. The nearest one raised its blaster and aimed. Kali gritted her teeth as she bunched her muscles beneath her, leaping from the bike the moment that the shot rang out through the thick woods, sending her vehicle up in a shower of sparks. The Force aided her jump and carried her to the safety of an obliging branch, where she watched the Magnas approach, their own speeder-bikes whining as they circled the tree on which she'd landed.

For a moment they looked up at the Jedi while she looked down at them; Kali got the sense that if they'd been sentient, they would have been flummoxed at the appearance of a Jedi Knight in their vicinity, but the wry thought was fleeting as the nearest one lifted its pike, the ends illuminating with flickering, purple energy that buzzed uncomfortably in her ears. With one fluid motion the droids slid off of the bikes, allowing one of their kind to scramble up the tree towards her.

Kalinda frowned at it as her hand went to her blaster. Apparently, the Magna was not expecting to see a Jedi with a blaster any more than it had been expecting to see a Jedi at all, and she was able to drop it with a few well-placed shots.

But they learned.

The others ignored their fallen comrade and watched her; looking around, Kali realized that if she wanted to leave the tree, she'd have to jump to another, which would leave her open to an attack. Of course, they can probably just shake the kriffing thing and drop me like a muja-fruit. On a whim she reached for her comlink, then realized with dismay that it had been knocked loose, most likely during her frenetic race through the woods.

The tree shivered as a second droid began to climb, glowing eyes fixed on her while the other two began to shake the tree as if they'd read her thoughts, thereby preventing her from aiming the blaster properly. Purple light filled her vision for a moment as she gathered her strength to make another leap and she could smell the electricity from the pike's ends as the Magna slithered towards her.

Then she heard the sound of blaster-fire from an unseen point to her left. Within moments, the droid approaching her was knocked to the ground as if stunned, and the other two turned to see their new opponent, whose presence Kali felt in the Force.

Chopper. She could see the glint of his armor – the white gleam not in any way camouflaged amongst the green and brown of the forest – and sense his single-minded determination. The droids were distracted for only an instant while they fired on Chopper's position, but it was enough. Gathering the Force, Kalinda dropped to the ground and managed to catch the first droid off guard with her lightsaber, feeling a measure of satisfaction when it crumpled to the ground in a heap of glowing kerf and duranium.

Of course, the impact from the fall – even aided by the Force as it was – had caused the old injury in her knee to give out, and as she made to leap towards the trooper, she didn't account for the fact that the fallen droid still had some measure of motor control. The bite from the energy-pike tore into her knee, sending a streak of pain throughout her entire body. In the back of her mind she thought she heard Chopper say her name – her name, not her title – but she wasn't sure. For a moment she was stunned, blinded with pain, and when she opened her eyes the remaining two Magnas had forgotten their clone quarry and were bearing down on her.

There was no time to think, so Chopper acted. He fired and hoped that he could stop them from adding General Halcyon's name to the list of Jedi that had been killed. The Magnas' armor was tough and he noted that his deece couldn't really touch them from this distance – perhaps they'd been upgraded?– and realized with a frown that he would very likely not live to see the next few minutes. The smell of burning metal as his bike was hit sneaked through the filter of his suit, and he tensed his muscles in preparation for the final moment of his life.

And then the Jedi got their attention again and drew them away, back towards her. Chopper noted that the one she'd felled was still able to move its arms enough to wield the staff; he heard her yelp as it sent a jolt of energy into the back of her knee.

"Kalinda!" The droids advanced on the Jedi and ignored the clone, so Chopper raced towards her, hoping that he wasn't making an error when he pulled out all three of his EMP grenades and tossed them at the feet of the droids. Perhaps one wouldn't have been strong enough to disable the thing, but three managed – barely – and for a moment there was only a sputter of sparks as the two remaining Magnas were stilled.

Won't last, though. Chopper moved to the Jedi, wondering if she'd heard him call out her name and wondering why he'd done so in the first place. "General Halcyon?"

Dark eyes met his and he noted that her fingers were on her blaster as if she'd been getting ready to aim. There was a moment where he was at a loss of what to say or do, but then she smiled up at him. "Thanks, Chopper." Her hand extended and he took it, helping her get to her feet before they turned to the smoldering remains of her speeder-bike. Chopper took a moment to study the Magnas; he'd made sure to keep his helmet-vid recording during the entire engagement, but wondered how useful the jolted, dizzying footage would be.

The Jedi took a step forward, then stumbled and gave a mild curse; they both looked at her leg and she winced. "Ouch. Those pikes are no joke."

"Are you okay, sir?" The words sounded silly, but he didn't know what else he was supposed to say in this instance.

She nodded, then lifted her left wrist; he noted that her comlink was missing, so he blinked into his HUD to call the others. Nothing. He frowned and tried again before realizing that his own equipment must have been damaged in the fracas.

The Jedi gave him a wry look. "You've caught my bad luck with the comms, it seems. They never last long around me." She glanced at the droids at their feet. "We should leave." Her step was halted and he noted that her face contorted in pain, though she said nothing.

"Sir...the bike." He indicated his vehicle, smoking and useless beyond them.

But the Jedi only nodded; she took another moment and held very still, and he figured she was using the Force again. Finally she pointed to their left. "The others are that way...I guess we have a bit of a walk ahead of us." Her voice was light but he could hear the edge that the pain had brought upon her.

They started to walk. She limped but tried not to show it and he was at a loss. If it had been the commander, he would have insisted that he carry her, but the dark-haired Jedi was different; she was a woman grown, not a teenage girl, and in so many ways she was utterly foreign to him. There was a distance between them, real or imagined, that he didn't know how to close. Chopper didn't know if he could close it, and Slick's voice echoed in his head, as it often did in moments of doubt. Women don't like scars. No woman will want to get close to you, Chopper old boy.

It was warm, but he shivered anyway.

Then she stumbled and caught herself on his arm. Chopper realized that her eyes had been closed. "Can I help you at all, sir?"

She gave a small chuckle, but he got the sense that it was not at him. "I'll be okay, Chopper, but thank you." Looking behind her, she frowned. "You should go on and meet the others. I think I'm slowing you down." He opened his mouth to protest but she shook her head. "Despite all appearances, I ama Jedi. I can handle myself."

Abruptly, Captain Stonewall's face entered his mind, and Chopper realized that if it were him, and the woman he cared about was in this situation, he would not want her to be alone, no matter how many supernatural powers she possessed, and no matter if she felt this way or that about himself. It's not my place to speculate, he thought again as he considered the captain's obvious feelings about the Jedi. But if it were me, I'd want to know she was safe, with a brother. He took a breath. "General Halcyon, I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to remain alone and unguarded. Two of us together have better odds than just one."

Her mouth opened to argue, so he paused and – after another breath – removed his bucket and met her gaze. "Please allow me to help you, sir."

For a moment her eyes were on him, all of him, as he got the sense – again – that she was taking in his entire person, and then she gave a soft nod. "Okay, Chopper. But I need you to do something for me as well."

"Of course, General." He moved to replace the helmet but she stopped him with a hand on the rounded contour of its skull.

"Kalinda," she said in a firm voice. "Please, just call me Kalinda. Not 'general,' not 'sir.' Will you do that, please?"

Sometimes I feel like a broken holo-recording, repeating myself over and over, Kali thought as she watched Chopper's mouth open in astonishment at her request. She considered giving him a median – as she'd done with Rex on Japarran – but decided against it. He did it before, I know he did. "Chopper? What do you say?"

His mouth closed and he nodded once. "As you say, Kalinda."

"Thank you," she replied, lifting her hand so he could replace his bucket, though he held almost unnaturally still. "This is how I do things, Chopper. Everyone has their own quirks, don't they? It took me forever to get the guys to drop the title...thanks for going along with it so quickly." She gave him a smile and he took a breath, nodding again before they began to move once more.

The pike had hurt more than she wanted to admit, and Kalinda realized that she needed to stop and focus all of her attention on healing herself, but an extension of her awareness told her that the droids were starting to move again. She tried – again – to reach Stonewall through the Force, but the pain was too distracting. Chopper noticed something was wrong, and cast her a wary look.

In response, she glanced behind them. "The Magnas...I think the grenades are wearing off."

"You can detect droids with the Force?" It was a good question, but was not the question she'd expected.

"Not quite," she replied, trying not to think about her knee. "But I can sense their passage through the forest...the insects and animals react to their presence." She frowned. "They're coming." For a moment she thought she detected a note of regret from the trooper, but it faded quickly. Even so, Kali was curious. "You're disappointed about something?"

There was a hint of a sigh in his reply. "I was hoping to get some better footage. Closer and more steady."

"Perhaps another time," she replied with a smile.

He nodded but still looked at her. "Your injury. How bad is it, really?"

Am I that transparent? Kali leaned against a nearby tree and tried to twist around to get a good look at the back of her knee, where the pike had blistered her skin, but all she could make out was a tear in her leggings. Then Chopper was kneeling behind her, helmet clipped to his belt as he pulled out the medipac from his kit. He didn't say anything as he lifted the bacta patch; however, she heard his throat clear and glanced back at him. "The fabric..."

He didn't want to touch her. Kalinda nodded and bent to lift her leggings out of the way, wincing at the sensation as the fabric pulled off of the blistering wound. "Is that enough?"

Chopper said nothing but within moments she felt the cool press of bacta against her skin, smoothing away the burning throb that the pike had left. She gave an involuntary sigh as the pain dulled enough for her head to clear. "Much better. Thank you, Chopper."

He'd risen and replaced his medipac, but as he opened his mouth to reply, they heard a distinctive sound in the brush behind them. Blaster out, he was standing several meters before her in an instant; so quick was the movement that the only indication it had taken place was the gentle sway of his helmet from its place on his belt. "I can hold them off, Gen...Kalinda."

But she shook her head. "There's not enough time. Come here."

Come here?

In one swift motion, Chopper replaced his bucket and stepped backward; the Jedi's arm reached for his and pulled him close beside her, so he could feel the heat from her skin and the rise and fall of her torso as she breathed. "Hold still," she whispered. "And trust me."

Abruptly, the air around them changed. It shimmered, as though rippling with heat, and he watched as everything within his field of vision seemed to distort. A glance at the Jedi told him that she was concentrating on something: her eyes were shut and her breath was uneven, her skin was flushing as though she'd started to run. It was unnerving.

But not nearly as much as when he realized that the Magnas were almost upon them. Thankfully, it was still just the two, but they were striding through the forest with a purpose. His legs twitched involuntarily, fight or flight reflexes warring with one another, but the Jedi kept her hand on his arm, holding him in place. He sincerely hoped that whatever she was doing with the Force was working as it should.

In any case, the Magnas were closing in, and he realized that he didn't want to miss the opportunity, so he activated the recording vid in his helmet and focused on their fluid movements, ensuring that he was zooming in as much as possible, paying particular attention to their joints, where many droids were at their most vulnerable. Amazing, he thought as they approached. They move like liquid...not at all like machines. Both had their pikes ignited and he could tell that their photo-receptors were scanning the area, searching. Do they have scanners for life-forms? I suppose not, if they haven't detected us. Unless she's doing something about that, too.

Now they were only meters away. The first one slowed, its head swiveling around while it sought its prey. The second seemed to look around the wider area, and he noted how they worked together, as a pair, rather than as two individually programmed units. He took a second to adjust the zoom so that the image wouldn't be too blurred.

Beside him, the Jedi was still, but he felt her grip on his arm tighten further as the ground shuddered a little from the droids' approach. The first one stopped before them, perhaps a palm's length from Chopper's visor. For a moment he didn't breathe, didn't move, wished he could tell his heart to stop beating, as the frantic tempo would surely alert the Magna to their presence. It looked directly at him, such that he could see the dings in the casing around its "eyes."

The entire forest was holding its breath. The Magna tilted its head, as if regarding. As if debating something.

Then there was a soft movement in the brush behind it, and both droids whirled around, converging on the unseen target. A twig snapped in the distance and they stalked off with eager steps.

It was several long minutes after they were out of sight before Chopper trusted himself to breathe evenly. When he was able to at last, he realized that the Jedi was looking at him, a half-smile on her face despite the fact that she seemed exhausted. Her voice was a little ragged when she spoke, but there was a note of humor in it as well. "Was that close enough for you, Chopper?"

Only one chapter left! Reviews are welcomed and encouraged. Thanks for reading!