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Chapter 2: The Battle for Christophsis.

Aliette was not a soldier.

She didn't think she had it in her to be one. She was, however, a Healer. And that meant that she was very closely tuned to the Force. It let her know the men behind her, who was still standing and who needed assistance, which parts of their line needed the most additional strength, lended by her Light Saber.

One thing Master Che had always instructed her pupils was the importance of never being struck. They had to be fast more than powerful, for the sake of those under their care they could not be hit, not even once. It was one of the few things she taught that was battle oriented, but it was taught with just as much rigidity as the rest of her lessons.

Aliette's Saber flashed in blurs of green as she moved, ever on the defense. She deflected blows, sending them away from herself and from her men, into buildings and rubble around them. If it were a different planet she would have been more hesitant, in fear of damaging beings around her, be they fauna or flora.

Christophsis was, however, what many Jedi referred to as a Dead Planet. Its people were not dead, no, but it was primarily stones and ore, crystals that were not touched by the Force. The Living Force, which let her heal and showed Seers what the future might hold, was weak on this world. It did not sing through the people who lived upon it, it did not dance in the shadows of flickering plants or laugh with heart beat of the living.

It settled here, a barely present mist that settled so low to the ground she could barely feel it anywhere besides behind her and somewhere in front, with the Force Signatures of her friend and their Masters. Far off she could feel others, refugees whose Self's shivered with the shots of canon fire and conflict.

It was disorienting in comparison to the Temple, to Coruscant, so alight with ever Flowing Life that it was hard to sleep sometimes.

Aliette pushed thoughts of her home from her mind, focusing on the task as hand before her robot movements missed something, before she let a blast through her Soresu Movements. Her eyes slid across the glittering destruction, catching droids and unmoving armor through the shield.

Without needing to be told by mortal voices Aliette shifted from her position in front of a clone called Fort and slipped gracefully across the broken earth to stop the stream of Blaster Fire that had begun to concentrate on a portion of their Line containing Cover and a friend he had introduced as Deka. She arrived in time to flick away an increase in the Death Lights. She didn't get everything. No, that was impossible for her skills. But she did what she could and her men were survivors, they knew what they were doing far more than she. She just did what she thought worked best and what the Force nudged her to.

"We're getting closer to the Canons," Cover shouted above the din of the battle. Aliette slashed upwards, sending a beam of light darting into the top of a building. She let out a careful breath and stepped back again, crouching to stay at the same height that she had been before. They were in the buildings, using them and the more flexible movements of flesh beings to combat the sheer number of droids that were coming at them, slipping through the cracks.

"How long do we have?" she asked, hating having to raise her voice. She wished she had a Com Link like the men behind her, it would have been easier. Instead she got a Jedi issue that she hadn't remembered to sync into theirs before the battle began.

"Not long enough," he replied grimly. Aliette dared a glance back through a gapping window. The canons were right with them, the last line falling in with the men in charge of them as they were steadily pushed out of the building. The coward part of her wanted to find a room with thick walls and stay there until it was done. The Healer part demanded that she leave the battle to start dragging the injured away.

Aliette steeled her will and turned back to the advancing line. Her Master had trusted his men, hers now, to her. She would not abandon them.

"Do you know where my Master is?" she asked. They dropped behind a make shift barricade, into a sea of white armor scorched and stained with battle. The men denied her hope and she turned back to the front, dutifully taking her position.

She moved from one end to the other, helping as much as she could. It made her heart squeeze horribly every time her moving one way caused pain in where she had come from. There was no changing that, it was the lesser of evils, or maybe it wasn't.

A fight was no place for philosophy. If she made it out alive she could write a book, for the time being…

The flashes of green increased into long blurs of light that sliced cleanly through the air, snapping the assault away. She swallowed thickly when she felt lives drop away. It was inevitable, she knew, and death was not unknown to any Healer, Aliette had felt its sting before. That never made it hurt less.

Liner, goodbye. Letic, Buff, Bruise. Force welcome you.

There were others, those whose names she had never heard. She would ask for them and wish them farewell too, if she didn't join them before she got the chance.

"General Kenobi has been captured!"

When she heard the horrible words a blast got through, striking her shoulder. The young Pantoran screamed in pain and hit the ground gripping the wound. It was cauterized alright, which was something, but it hurt more than she knew something could. Her teeth grit together until she thought they would crack.

A hand gripped her elbow, dragging the Padawan back just in time to avoid being shot through by an SBD. She scrambled, the will to live over taking the hurt of her shoulder. It was Cover that got her feet under her. She was opening her mouth to thank him when he fell to the ground, the same droid that almost killed her taking his life.

She lunged, swinging her saber into the metal. Sparks exploded, metal gave way under the super heat of her weapons and the false creature was bisected in a smooth twist of her body.

It was the first true strike she had ever made.

The shield was shivering over the mouths of their canon when something extraordinary happened.

It cut off.

For a second there was a lull in the battle, both flesh and droid looking to the sky. Then Captain Rex's voice, different somehow from the others, exploded into the air.

"The Shield is down! Go, go go!" he shouted, loud enough she could here from the other side of the battle field. "All canon's, fire on those tanks!"

The men surged forwards, the canons exploded above her head and for an instant Aliette was caught. She was no warrior, it was not in her Nature to rush into a fight and slash through opponents with no care for what happened in the after math.

She had done well with the defense, with where she knew what to do and how to do it. This was different.

Then someone was shouting, Long Shot was shooting to his name and Flint was dragging a downed brother out of the way.

Aliette rushed to him and stopped the death that rained in light, moved forwards to defend the clones, the troopers, the men that were born and bred for what she would never have chosen for herself.

The world was a wash of explosions and light, of Life flickering into Death, of the Force surging with the emotions of those around her that gave her the courage she needed to drive her weapon into the chest plate of a battle droid, two, three, until she lost count.

She felt when her Master and when Ahsoka and hers returned and joined the fray, cutting down through the ranks of robots in rapid unison with their troops.

The Fear never left her through the battle, not even in the waning time of scattered metal and loss, but it was alright. She could work through it. Work with it.

Like the first time she entered surgery, with shaking hands and frightened thoughts, with a small heart fluttering like trapped wings inside her ribs.

Her hands were larger now, her slender fingers steady around her blade. The pounding of her heart kept her aware and helped her count the beat of battle as she worked with the same goal in mind she had had since the first time she stepped foot in the Hall of Healing. To stop pain. To Help, to Heal. Now, something new joined into a trifecta.

Help, Heal, Protect.

The aftermath was harder to deal with, and easier to handle, than the battle itself.

In the battle she had been lost, but focused on survival.

In the cleanup she knew exactly what she was doing, but she had time to reflect on the fight and the deaths that it brought.

She didn't have time to mourn properly, she just had time to learn the names of the fallen between making sure than no others joined them of infection or untreated wound.

Master Kenobi had managed to pull a muscle in his back, and Ahsoka had broken a rib somehow, but aside from them it was the men that needed her, and in some ways she needed them. She needed to feel them, alive, surrounding her even with their easing pains.

They were given the chance to take stock, for which she was grateful. They had enough medical supplied to treat everyone when her ability to Heal started to fade with her over all energy. She was going to exhaust herself, she knew. She couldn't seem to want to stop the way Master Che had always forced her to. There was too much to do, to many clones to see to.

"You should slow down," Master Kenobi said from his seat in the building they had cleared for medical purposes, "We have more to do than just this. Our mission from the temple still stands."

Aliette nodded absently as she tied bandage off. Flint had suggested she save the Force Healing for the worst of it. She had inclined to agree when her chin started trying to drop. They were only doing basic triage there while everyone was packing up and loading onto to the transports. The battle was won and there was another that they were going to be late for if they weren't quick. It was funny, Battlefield Healing was easier than it was in the temple. The Clones did not fight her the way Jedi tried to, were not Stubborn or Insubordinate in the way that she had often had to fetch Master Che to Crush. It was not in her Nature to Destroy rebellion the way Che did. She would rather Reason and Request.

That didn't mean it didn't take energy, it just meant it took less.

"Is Master Skywalker back with Ahsoka?" she asked, sitting back on her heels. The Force faded from its concentration in her hands and the trooper, on who still went by 34, thanks her and walked off.

Gold eyes rose from the cracked tile of the floor to land on her new Master. It was so much in so little time. She had only been told the day before that she was at last to be a Padawan Learner, then she arrived in the middle of the battle and met and mourned, all in less than a Standard day. It had her weary and tired, she felt like she could sleep for a month without disturbance.

Slowly she breathed in, her eyes flickering shut momentarily as she set aside her creeping exhaustion to Focus. When her eyes opened again Master Kenobi was watching her closely.

She sat straighter, her attention focusing entirely on him. He stood up and offered his hand to her.

"They're on their way. We're going to meet them at the landing space," Master Kenobi told her.

Aliette nodded and slipped her hand in his, letting him pull her to her feet. She didn't think she was ready to do anything more that day, but it appeared that things worked quickly for a Padawan on the field. It wasn't that different from the Halls, she had spent days in intense surgery before. She would live, and she would follow her Master where he went.

She would prove she deserved her place as a Padawan, no matter what the past said.

When they reached the small green Jedi the young Pantoran bowed while her Master nodded in respect to the other.

"Master Yoda," he greeted.

"Master Kenobi. Difficulties you have had, capturing this planet with?" he asked, a teasing tilt to his voice.

Kenobi smiled wanly and glanced around them. "I suppose you could say that."

"Another Padawan, you also have. Prepared, are you?" he continued.

To that Kenobi needed no further questions.

"Yes, I'm ready to try teaching again. Aliette has already proven herself capable of working on the battlefield, and off. It will be a pleasure to be her instructor."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw his new apprentice stand straighter, her chin lifting from its tired droop. She was good at drawing strength from the Force, but she was still young. Not even much younger than he was when he became a Knight. It was curious, she was several years older than most Padawans were when they began.

He would ask about that later.

"While I am pleased to be a Master once more, I'm afraid the same can't be said for Anakin. I understand that things are different now that we're in a wars campaign, but is it wise to give a Padawan to a Jedi who does not want one?" he questioned.

The old master hummed lowly. "Foreseen, it was, that Ahsoka should be his Padawan. A mistake though, if Skywalker is unwilling."

And my Padawan? Kenobi wondered, Was she foreseen?

It was a question that was quickly dismissed. He'd already had one student tangled up in a prophesy, he didn't need to bring along another. The musing were cut off when he Sensed the return of the pair and looked up to see Anakin and Ahsoka approaching. They were still a little charred around the edges, but other than that appeared fine, if you ignored the still present bruise on Ahsoka's exposed ribs.

They were quite different, the two Padawans. Ahsoka was loud and snarky, with the white marking of her people and her sun-set skin, exposed largely above her waistline with skin tight clothes that really only covered her chest and hands.

Contrarily his own Padawan was much more reserved and respectful, without her people traditional yellow high lights. Their clothes were opposing as well, whereas Aliette had loose sleeves and a shirt that would allow her easier movement without the flexibility the Ahsoka had already shown.

It fit her occupation as a Healer well, though he might recommend she revise it as they went on.

"Master Yoda," Anakin greeted when he was close enough, "And Master Obi Wan. "

Yoda looked up at Obi Wan's former trainee. "Trouble, you have, with your new Padawan, I hear."

At Anakin's surprise Obi Wan drew the attention to himself.

"I was just explaining the situation to Master Yoda," he explained.

"If not ready for a Padawan, are you, perhaps another, we could-"

"No wait just a minute," Anakin interrupted the old master, surprising all present, "I'll admit that Ahsoka is a little… rough around the edge, but with a great deal of training, and patience," Obi Wan almost snorted at the hypocrisy, "She might amount to something."

Yoda nodded sagely. "Then go with you, she will, to the Teth system."

Anakin visibly balked. "Teth? That's Wild Space. The droid army isn't even in that sector.

"Kidnapped, Jabba the Hutt's son had been," Yoda explained.

"You wan me, to rescue Jabba's son?" Anakin asked incredulously. Obi Wan had a similar view of the decision. Anakin's history with the Hutts was well known to the council.

Still, it was necessary, as he would make his former Padawan see. "Anakin," he began, "We'll need the Hutt's allegiance to give us an advantage of Dooku," he explained slowly. He felt rather than saw Aliette shift from her place flanking him at the mention of the Sith Lord.

"Negotiate the treaty with Jabba, Obi Wan will. Bring Aliette along, is a good idea, hmm?" Yoda looked between the two Knights. "Find the renegades that hold Jabba's son, your mission will be, Skywalker."

Ahsoka was much more willing to complete the task than Anakin was, even leading the way to their ships. Obi Wan withheld a sigh. With her headstrong nature and Anakin's own personality, the Separatist's might not need to both sending enemies after the pair.

Before they got too far Aliette called after them, "Take a back pack with you! Huttlets stay almost exclusively in a Brood Pouch until their about fifty cycles old. It'll help the little one when you find him."

Storing the new knowledge for later Obi Wan brought his Com Link up to speak into it. "Commander Cody, prep my ship and one for my Padawan, we're going on a trip."

He didn't need to wait for the affirmative that it would be done, Cody was a good soldier, and would follow his instructions to the letter.

"Come along, Young One, there's work to be done," he ordered, gesturing his Padawan to follow. She bowed to Master Yoda before spinning to catch up to him, her light hair fluttering with her movements. They would have to put her Padawan braid in soon, maybe once they were back from their mission.

Obi Wan took her to the flyers where one of the clones from Anakin's division had not only gotten his ship ready, but managed to get a Delta-7 for his Padawan. It was dented and needed some extra paint but it would do for the time being, until he could get her a 7B like his.

He thanked the man, as did Aliette, before they were in. The engine thrummed to life under his experienced fingers. The interceptor wobbled briefly before leveling out, and both Master and Padawan were off, into the atmosphere.

Even with the assistance of hyperspace the trip to Hutt Space gave her more time to think, more time than she would have liked. It gave her time to remember Cover, remember the gaping hole in his chest that was caused by his rescuing her. Covering her back. He was true to his name and she had to work not to weep for him.

Crying was not for Jedi. They were to have no attachments and tears would show one.

There is no emotion, only peace.

It wasn't the first time someone had died near her. She had worked in the hospital wing of the Jedi Order for too long to not have encountered Death before. To feel Life flicker out of a Flame and into Smoke that floated into the Universe.

There is no death, only the Force.

Eleven years was a long time for anyone to work with wounded. Too long for her to have no said goodbye to others. They were Jedi, which made them Miracles, but even Miracles did not create Immortality.

Still, no one had ever died helping her before. Not at the Temple, certainly not on Pantora. It struck a blow deep inside her that she would have to puzzle through when she had more time. Already they were nearing Tatooine.

The planet was a mash of tans and dusted purple with barely a dozen clouds floating in its atmosphere. It was the exact opposite of her home world, coated in ice and snow all year round. As they descended she could feel her skin prickle with heat she couldn't feel through metal and glass. It was difficult enough at the temple, where her physiology kept her overly warm on the too-hot, too-humid planet.

She disconnected from hyperdrive and descended behind her Master, flying just as smoothly as she had been taught at the Temple.

Both Jedi ships landed without issue outside the towering construct that was supposedly a palace. It looked more like a prison, which may have been more accurate.

Aliette shook her head before she opened the hatch and slipped out of the ship. It was like being struck with a hot iron. Pantoran's were not made for heat, they were of the cold and the ice, and the arctic winds. Not an arid breeze of stinging sand and stifling heat. A single breath made her feel like she was choking.

The girl breathed out, letting the heat out with it. It didn't help much.

"Come along, Aliette," Master Kenobi called, spurring his Padawan to obey. She jogged to catch up, the sloping heels of her boots levering her across the hard packed stone towards the welcoming party that had emerged from inside the fortress.

She rolled her shoulders back and stood straighter. She could not look bad with her new Master. They weren't an official pair until she had her braid, and even then he could send her back if he decided that they were not a good pair. The thought made her stomach churn with unease.

She finally had her chance to truly be a Jedi Knight, to step into the ranks that she had worked for for so long. She didn't want to lose it so soon.

The protocol droid stepped in front of them. "It would be most unwise to keep the Mighty Jabba waiting," it stated.

"Then by all means, lead the way," he master requested. The droid did just that, turning their party to the palace. Aliette followed behind her master, glancing to the side when the three others fell in around them. One of them leered openly at the young Pantoran' sending her eyes straight forwards again.

Her jaw tightened and she focused solely on her masters back, her hands clasped behind her own.

She focused on her breathing, calling on the calm of the Force to ease her heart. Peace and Tranquility, that was where her Center needed to be. Instead she could feel it start to settle into Fear. This was a journey for diplomacy. Fear had no place there. The massive door slid shut behind them.

The Palace was a mosh of creatures from all aspect of life and all across the galaxy. She could recognize bounty hunters, traitors and those scarcely clad that revealed their own occupation. Aliette had no judgement in her heart for them. It was not her place to do so.

The meeting room with the Hutt was circular, with a platform for Jabba to sit on. Twi'lek dancers left the center of the room to make a space for the two Jedi. Aliette took a place behind her Master and bowed to the large creature in front of them.

"Mighty Jabba," Master Kenobi greeted, "One of our most powerful Jedi is on his way to rescue your son. We will not let you down."

While they discussed the terms of their agreement Aliette listened both to them ad to the worm around them, to the mutters and complaints, to the softer whispers of well-rehearsed words meant for lower ears. She did not hear with hers, she heard with her mind, with the Force. It could do more than just shove objects around, contrary to popular assumption. It was a connection to all things in the universe.

Every stone and every person was a part of it, even if the inanimate was not one with the Living Force.

Things seemed to be going well, Jabba was willing to allow them passage and even his own hand in alliance if they got his son back, with a limited addition on behalf of the Republic. Things did need to be mutually beneficial.

The pair left once everything was set, going on their way to meet with Ahsoka and Master Skywalker. As they were moving off the of the planet Aliette could have sworn she felt something familiar move through the Force.

She stopped halfway into her ship and looked around, confusion written on her features.

When nothing presented itself she moved on, unaware that she, and her Master, were being watched.