Ahsoka's POV

"Okay, let's move." Obi-Wan starts the thrusters and we hover away from the temple, it becoming a distant shadow in the distance. The group of us had searched for Master Jula all over the temple, but we came up short. It had seemed the droids had come and gone as well, as we didn't run into any of them as we searched.

I stand on the lowered hangar ramp of the cruiser, alone. The rest of the jedi had accompanied the children to the infirmary, to be checked for discreet injuries. I assume nothing to be wrong with them, but I can never be too sure.

As we slowly traverse across the ground, black dust swallows me up, making it impossible to see anything. I wave my hand across my face, clearing a patch of clear air for me to see. I will make sure I don't come back to Kamur anytime soon. It is like the exact opposite of Coruscant.

I don't see Master Jula anywhere, and I don't want to get smoke poisoning looking for her. I head up the ramp into the damp cruiser, once again an exact opposite of outside. Once I get to the bridge, I learn from Master Secura that all the children are in perfect health: only the Rodian child suffering from a couple bruises.

I breathe a sigh of relief and take my place across the control panel. I thrust the ship up into the atmosphere, feeling the gravity shift underneath my feet. Something grasps my hand as I almost activate the engines. Obi-Wan.

"Look out!" He screams. I twist my head forward through the dash board: several vulture droids skid around in front of us, screeching like actual birds. Down below, an onslaught of droids surround a person, wielding two strips of blue lights. Great, just as I wanted to leave this planet, Jula shows up.

I lower our thrust to the ground, settling in a dusty gully. We devise that Obi-Wan, Master Vos and I will go rescue Master Jula, while Master Secura and Master Sinube protect the children. No matter how hesitant I am to leave Shmi again, I know I'll be expected to go.

We crouch through the craters, dodging puddles of lava every step of the way. Once we get close enough to hear the gunfire, we spring into action. I flank to the right of the battle where I start immediately slicing through droids, too slow to turn around. I see Jula immediately hops onto a nearby crab droid, slicing through it with a flick of her double bladed lightsaber.

I follow Master Vos to the front of the temporary trench, where I witness Obi-Wan practically pull Jula down with us. The trench isn't very deep, but it will suit our defense for now.

"It's him," Jula explains. "The cyborg, he wants something, that's what he said anyways."

"Grievous," Obi-Wan says, "he wouldn't come this far if he hadn't known about the children being here. That must be what he wants: the children."

A missile soars above our expectant heads (we know the droids aren't smart enough to retreat). It explodes at the mound behind us, shooting clouds of sand across the ground. The four of us decide to get back to the ship, which has already started to take off.

We wave up to the hull of the ship, which immediately drops open a hatch. I shoot my cable up to the hatch, and spring up there like a slingshot. I help Master Vos in, and proceed to lift Obi-Wan and Jula up. But something goes wrong before I can answer.

An ear-piercing bend of metal blocks out my senses. Several droids scrape through the floor of the ship, blasting the walls to smithereens. Master Vos attacks immediately, at least I think he does. All I can see is a beam of green light through my clouded eyes. I drift forwards, clutching my ears with my shaking palms. I reach desperately for the floor in front of me, but I miss and fall straight out of the hatch doorway.

My arms and legs feel weightless as I drift downward, smashing into a mound of ash on the ground. My whole mouth fills with the stuff, and I cough it out before regaining my balance. After getting up, I can tell my nose is broken: blood oozes out like a river, and the nose itself is bent nearly sideways.

Obi-Wan and Jula rush over just as I measly wipe my upper lip on my sleeve. The three of us look above, as a colourful battle is displayed over the sky: several more vultures swarmed around the cruiser, smashing the complicated panel across the ship. No severe damage had been made, but it is still eminent we keep it that way.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan and Jula ask together. I nod shortly, but Obi-Wan can see through my lie. With a quick wave of his hand, and a crunching sound, my nose is snapped back into place.

There is immense pain at first, then a numbing feeling, and then my nose feels almost normal.

Jula brings out a pair of goggles, and glares up the ship above us. Over the soft hum of the engines, I can almost hear Jula explain.

"The ship cannot stay this low for very long, or the dust will get trapped into the cooling ducts. We'd be stuck here like a Wampa to its cave."

I roll my eyes. She better be happy we saved her. "I guess we should get going, right?" Jula nods in agreement and Obi-Wan as well.

We travel up to an eroded crater, which should get us high enough. The ship is staying idle, so it won't be such a chore just to get up there. Once we get to the top of the crater, and we are eye level with the ship, I decide to jump first, as we don't want the crater to collapse if we all jump at once.

I dig my feet into the dust surface and ready my arms to swing. The ship's hull is no more than a few feet from where I stand. My toes bounce several times as I run, landing on the dense metal surface before I know it. I huff in relief. I wave back over to Obi-Wan who is about to jump as well and start inching my way over the ship to another hatch. But I stop in my tracks, and attach my extra cable to the plates of the ship. I don't want to fall, again.

A slicing sound skids over me just as I reach the hatch: these vultures are getting too low. I pry the handle of the hatch to left, where oxygen squeezes out in one gust from inside the ship.

I drop silently into the hatch, and land on the floor with extreme awareness. The hallway seems completely empty; maybe around the corner. Before I can move again, I feel I slight tug on my belt: I forgot to unhook my cable.

I follow the thin wire back up the hatch, pulling it to see where I had hooked it. There it is. Just as I reach for the hook, a spikey claw slams down on my wrist.

"Well, young one, what I pleasant surprise seeing you here. I don't think we've seen each other since Nilban, have we?"

Grievous pinches my arm in a twist, and throws me across the ship, and over the edge. Luckily, my cable is still attached and I swing up back onto the ship.

"Still think you can handle me? I wouldn't want another cooling vent to completely destroy you." I taunt him as I clasp onto the ship once more.

He screams angrily, like a monster after missing a meal, and ignites two of his lightsabers. He rushes forward at me, as I reach for my sabers on my hip, ready for a fight. Just as he slams down his sabers on mine, he is tackled down to his knees in an instant.

Obi-Wan pins down the cyborg's arms to the ship as Jula stomps furiously on Grievous' wrists and breaks his grip on his sabers. As Obi-Wan steps back from Grievous, who now is unarmed (which I believe was what Obi-Wan was going for), Jula helps me up from my position on the side of the ship.

I reluctantly accept, only because I'm afraid my cable would break. Grievous weakly stands up from his injuries, narrowing his yellow eyes on Obi-Wan. None of us speak, and the only thing heard is the gunfire around us.

The General tucks his arms behind his back, which at first I believe to be a sign of surrender, before he pulls two more lightsaber hilts, igniting them in two brilliant shades of green. As a battle ensues between Obi-Wan and Grievous, I sprint to the hatch doors, believing Obi-Wan can handle Grievous.

I slip down into the hatch once more, bumping into a passing clone.

"Excuse me, Ma'am! The droids are coming this-"

The clone is shot in the back before I can get an answer. I crush the armed droid behind him in a fist, throwing the metal against the wall. I can tell the clone is dead, but he still may be of use: on his utility belt sits a lone plasma grenade. My mind skips a few steps before I have the grenade in my hands, and am heading back up the hatch.

Obi-Wan is still battling Grievous, but I see Jula has offered whatever assistance she can, but more or less, it is still assistance. I alert them of my position, waving the primed grenade in my hand. He slashes once more at Grievous, grasps Jula by the wrist and slips down the hatch beside me. But Grievous catches on far too quickly than I expected. He roars loudly, just as I roll the grenade towards him, which he doesn't seem to notice. He definetly hasn't caught on to my whole plan yet.

I start to close the hatch door, just as the grenade counts down.

Seven. Six. Five.

But the hatch won't close. I slam it down a few more times, but to no avail.

Four. Three.

Grievous swirls his lightsaber, readying a death blow, as I discover the hatch hinge to be broken. I snap it off with my fingers, throwing it at the angry cyborg.

Two.

I tug at the hatch one more time, feeling Grievous' feet clamp closer. Finally, it closes.

One.

I am blasted backward onto the floor, feeling the pulse from the plasma pound my head hard. My whole body, like my nose earlier, becomes numb. My eyes struggle to stay open, and I find myself grasp Obi-Wan's robes behind me.

"Ahsoka?"

I know I'm going to wake up from this, but I do deserve a good sleep. Haven't had a good one since Shmi was born.