Uhg, this chapter...this episode freaked me out, it made me queasy, and it made me seriously worry about Obi-Wan's sanity O_O
So i just had to do it.
I hope you all like it! Don't forget to review, and thanks for your reviews in the last chapter!
Enjoooooooooooooy!
Zelina wasn't sure if it was relieving or disconcerting when once more she found herself stepping onto the surface of Geonosis besides Obi-Wan. It was good to know that the Republic had once more secured the planet, and being fully healed was another plus to her mood.
"It's good to be back," Zelina murmured as she looked out over the horizon where she could see scores of Republic ships flying to and fro, carrying officers and troops that needed to be elsewhere, supplies, and wounded alike. Cruiser had also come back with her, though he was with the other troopers to get some of the stories of the action that he missed.
Obi-Wan sighed as they all stepped off, looking off to the cliff where Master Luminara Unduli stood. "A hard won victory," he commented, causing the green skinned woman to turn.
"Indeed," she said softly as the pair approached. "And a costly one. We suffer a great many losses in these battles; too many."
"The battles do appear to be coming with growing frequency," Obi-Wan agreed.
"No sign of Poggle then?" Luminara asked.
"Nothing. We have clone squadrons spread out all over the area but no hits yet," Obi-Wan said grimly. He'd been tracking the progress with Poggle since he was healthy enough to leave the medbay.
"I'll go out and find some clue as to where he went," Luminara said calmly, walking over to the speeder bike parked on the cliff.
"I'm sure the clones can handle—"
"Poggle has too much information about the Separatists to let him get away."
"Very well Master Unduli," Obi-Wan said carefully.
"Just make sure to leave a bit of strategic planning for me when I come back Master Kenobi; I'd hate to feel left out." With that, Luminara took off. Zelina chuckled softly, nudging Obi-Wan.
"Wow…you have such a way with women Obi-Wan," she said with a smirk.
"And you have such a way with Anakin," he responded simply.
"Ouch, low blow. Though I guess I can get him to do a lot of things that others cannot," Zelina said, smiling sweetly at him.
Obi-Wan sighed. "What are we going to do with you Zelina?"
"Love me, take care of me, let me annoy you forever; you get the idea," she chuckled.
Obi-Wan laughed and shook his head. "Come on, I need to go oversee the progress on Poggle; why don't you go find Anakin and get the, ah, finer details of what we missed."
Zelina rolled her eyes. "You're just trying to get rid of me."
Obi-Wan chuckled. "No, I'm not; I'm putting you in the path of a friend."
Anakin, predictably, was with his men, making sure that they were all right. She snuck up behind him, figuring that he was too distracted to notice her presence nearby.
She wasn't stupid enough to playfully jump him though. Such actions could get someone shot in a war-zone, even if the battle was over. Instead, she lightly tapped his shoulder.
Anakin turned around, confused for a moment before he saw Zelina standing there, looking away innocently as if she was too distracted by a nearby rock formation to realize he was standing right in front of her. She did, however, see the grin that spread across his face when he saw her.
"Zelina! You're back! I hope you're feeling better," he said, turning around fully and wrapping her up in a tight hug.
Zelina laughed. "It would help if I could breathe!"
Anakin chuckled, setting her down gently. "Sorry. I'm glad you were able to get all patched up; I hope you're ready for some more action."
"I always am," she said with a small smile. "Speaking of action, what did I miss?"
The smile slipped from his face slightly, but he otherwise kept his composure. "Nothing much; we ran into a little more difficulty trying to take down the droid factory Poggle had holed himself up inside, but other than that everything went rather smoothly."
Zelina cocked an eyebrow, her arms folded over her chest. "Oh really? Why do I get the feeling you're keeping some of the finer details out of the picture?"
Anakin shrugged. "I don't know, I can't read your mind."
Zelina grinned wickedly at him. "And it's a good thing too."
Anakin rolled his eyes. "Why does that frighten me?"
"It should." Zelina glanced around, noticing that a certain upbeat Padawan was missing. "Where's Ahsoka?"
"She's getting some rest off-world with Bariss Offee," Anakin said, turning away. That's when the light clicked on in Zelina's head.
"Ah, and therein lies the detail I'm missing. They're all right now I'm guessing, considering you're not going out of your mind with worry."
"They should be fine after some much deserved rest," Anakin said with an affirmative nod.
"That's good. I'm glad that we made it through this sticky situation."
Anakin grimaced. "Zee, please don't jinx it, we're not out of the woods yet."
"Sorry," Zelina said sheepishly. "Come on, why don't we go hunt down Obi-Wan and see what he's up to. Luminara doesn't want him stealing away all the strategic planning, and someone has to keep him in check," she said with a smirk.
Anakin chuckled lightly but shook his head. "All right, let's go then."
"Master Luminara; I'm tracking a sandstorm that's headed your way."
Zelina frowned at the image of Luminara in front of her as Anakin spoke. Luminara would have to either turn around or find some nearby source of shelter. Zelina knew that from experience.
"No matter. Poggle is out in the open and I intend to grab him before he can get off-world," Luminara said firmly.
"I advise against it. You might get lost in the storm," Mundi said worriedly.
"Then we'd have to find both you and Poggle," Obi-Wan added.
"Sandstorms are very dangerous Luminara; I would know," Zelina quipped.
"I feel it is a risk worth taking," Luminara said, her voice filled with determination.
Mundi nodded. "As you wish."
Without any more words, Luminara ended the transmission. Zelina frowned, looking around at the others. "I don't like this. I can't help but feel she's going to end up in trouble of some kind or another."
"Yes, well, all we can do is trust in the Force," Obi-Wan counseled her lightly.
"I know Obi-Wan," Zelina murmured, watching the sandstorm outside of the window as it crept upon the base that they were all holed up in. It was difficult to watch knowing Luminara was out there.
It seemed Anakin was thinking the same thing, gradually tensing up until finally he could not take it anymore, his shoulders sagging slightly as he turned away from the window. "What could be taking her so long?" he wondered out loud, returning to the center of the room where Obi-Wan and Mundi were still located.
Zelina, meanwhile, was meditating, standing stock still in front of the window while immersing herself deeply into the waves of the Force. Still, she leant an ear to the conversation.
"Something must have happened," Anakin decided.
Mundi sighed. "Patience Skywalker, it's a delicate operation. I'm sure we'll have more information soon."
Anakin inclined his head in agreement.
"I must admit, I am troubled that we have not heard from her," Obi-Wan told Mundi.
"Let's not start worrying yet; Luminara's not one to take unnecessary risks," Mundi responded.
Anakin appeared at Zelina's side; she could sense him through the Force even though he was silent and hadn't said anything yet. Though Zelina could tell he was about to.
"What do you think?" he murmured. Zelina inclined her head in his direction and sighed softly.
"I don't sense anything wrong…she's all right for now. I can't speak for in the future; my foresight doesn't work like that. It comes when I don't expect it, not when I look for it. At least I'm not there yet."
"What happened to being humble?" Anakin asked with a smirk.
Zelina allowed herself a small smile. "I'm just saying it's something I'm going to be working on."
"Master Kenobi; we tracked Poggle to the Progate Temple but now there's no sign of him."
Zelina and Anakin both turned at the sound of Luminara's voice coming over the transmission system. Zelina stayed as submerged in the Force as she possibly could while dividing her attention to the holographic figure of Luminara in reality.
"Go no farther until we can send support," Obi-Wan instructed. "The storm is making things difficult; we can barely read your transmission as it is."
"Are you sure he went into the temple?" Mundi inquired as Anakin moved closer to the console Mundi and Obi-Wan were huddled around.
"Yes, we saw him enter but I think he's gone down into the catacombs below," Luminara said, her voice tinged slightly in distress.
"Those catacombs go on for miles; I fear we may have lost him," Obi-Wan said with a shake of his head. "Get yourself out of there."
Zelina felt a disturbance in the Force. Just a small shift, and it didn't have anything to do with where they were at the base. It was centered out in the sandstorm.
Zelina turned to sound a warning, but it was too late. Strange noises came through the transmission on Luminara's end, and the Jedi Master whipped around, lightsaber ignited before the connection cut.
"Master Unduli? Master Unduli!" Obi-Wan said, leaning on the console and trying in vain to re-establish the connection.
Anakin turned to leave immediately while Mundi stated the obvious. "We've lost the connection."
Obi-Wan only had eyes on Anakin. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"Take a guess," Anakin said forcefully.
"We'll never get to her in this storm, the gunships can't handle it," Obi-Wan said. Zelina nodded in agreement from her spot by the window.
"We're going to have to wait it out before we go to find her," Zelina told Anakin quietly.
"We can't wait!" Anakin argued.
"Ani, we both know that the sandstorm won't allow it; we have to trust that she will be able to hold her own until the storm lifts enough for us to go after her. Tatooine survival 101," Zelina said gently, giving him a pointed look. Anakin drew back slightly, but Zelina could tell that she would not be receiving any further arguments from him. Zelina gestured for him to rejoin her by the window with a simple nod of her head, and he did just that. Gently, she put a hand on his shoulder and spoke in low tones. "I know you want to go out there and help her now before anything happens to her; I do too. We can't do anything though, we're stuck here. I'm sure she'll be fine, and I'll even keep myself tuned to see if I can sense anything. If I do you'll be the first to know," Zelina assured him quietly.
She felt some of the tension drain out of him as his muscles loosened, his shoulders drooping. "Thank you Zee," he said gently.
"She'll be fine Ani…we just have to wait…"
The gunship sped towards the Progate Temple at a speed that Zelina was sure had to break a record somewhere. However, considering how long it had taken for the storm to let up, their speed was understandable.
Zelina, Anakin, and Obi-Wan all had four men with them, one of being Captain Cruiser who was with Zelina of course.
Pretty sure he'll be called Commander Cruiser if he keeps at it, she found herself musing. The party came to a standstill at the entrance to the temple. While the others looked around, Zelina observed the statues and the ceiling, taking note of the giant Geonosian statue that repulsed her instantly.
"Stay alert everyone," Obi-Wan advised.
"Spread out and look around men," Anakin ordered. They all did just that, Zelina giving Cruiser a quick nod as he passed by.
"Generals," came the sharp reply just moments later. They had enough men to cover ground rapidly.
The three Jedi rushed over to the body that the trooper was kneeling next to.
"Huss is dead," the soldier said. Zelina sighed and shook her head slightly at the loss while Anakin powered forward with the questions.
"Any sign of Luminara?" Anakin asked.
"No sir," the trooper responded easily.
Obi-Wan, however, already had something to add. "There was a struggle," he said, looking around and pacing around the small area that made up the Temple. He suddenly kneeled down, and Anakin rushed to Obi-Wan's side as Obi-Wan picked up Luminara's lightsaber. "This is not a good sign…Luminara's lightsaber"
While Obi-Wan was handing Anakin Luminara's lightaber, Zelina was lingering by a hole in the ground that led to the catacombs below. She had a strong feeling in the Force that they needed to look there.
"Poggle didn't do this…but maybe that did," Anakin said, looking up at the ugly figure all over the Temple while Zelina kneeled at the edge of the catacomb entrance.
"That's one ugly bug!" one of the troopers exclaimed.
"I…haven't seen one that looks like that before," Anakin murmured.
"I don't believe anyone has…" Obi-Wan agreed.
"Then why can't we be the first?" Zelina suddenly suggested, peering as far into the depths as she could. There was something down there and something…else.
"We don't even know if it really exists," Anakin scoffed, missing the tone in her voice.
"It could be the Geonosian Queen," Obi-Wan offered.
"The bugs have a Queen?" Anakin asked in disgust.
"Mhm…rumored…but we haven't found any proof of her existence," Obi-Wan said, peering down a dark corridor.
"Until now," Anakin muttered coming up beside him. Zelina sighed, standing up from her spot by the hole. She'd rather take the sloping corridor down into the catacombs then drop down into some dark deep part and be lost forever, even with the assistance of the Force.
"This way," Obi-Wan commanded. Zelina turned to her three men and Cruiser.
"Stay close to me…something's down there, and I'm not sure what," she warned her men. She assumed that Obi-Wan and Anakin had the same chill of something off that she was experiencing. It put her on edge, and she hated it; there were even goosebumps running up her arms. All of the troopers turned headlamps on while the three Jedi activated their lightsabers. Gradually, Zelina made her way to the front with Anakin and Obi-Wan, Cruiser and her men staying close to her.
"You can feel that there's something down here too, right?" Zelina asked the two quietly after quite some time walking through the ancient-looking halls.
"Well of course there is; whatever took Luminara," Anakin responded easily and just as quietly.
Zelina shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean; something's wrong, something is not right down here. I've got goosebumps."
A beeping interrupted the conversation and one of the troopers spoke.
"This leads to a dead end," he said, stopping and kneeling down by a smaller tunnel. He wasn't one of her men, she noticed; probably one of Obi-Wan's. "This one goes down the farthest; I'd say this one's our best bet," the trooper told Obi-Wan.
"I'll go first," Obi-Wan offered.
"I'll take up the rear," Zelina quipped. Anakin made a sound like he was about to protest but Zelina shot him a look and gave him a quiet reply of, "Someone's got to watch our backs."
As they emerged through the hall, the chills going down Zelina's spine increased and she visibly shuddered. The action caused unease to go through Cruiser, who knew her well enough to take that as a bad sign.
"Stick together; keep your eyes peeled," Cruiser mumbled to the other three. Silence fell once more on the small party once more as they wound even deeper into the catacombs.
The shrill sound of Obi-Wan's com link going off suddenly pierced the eerie silence, and Zelina moved forward to hear what was going on.
"If you're following me you must leave this place! Just get out!" came the sound of Luminara's panicked voice—at least as panicked as Zelina had ever heard the woman. "I repeat, fall back—!"
The transmission ended before Zelina could even get to the front to see the holographic image of the woman.
This group was not about to obey such an order; they were a party of stubborn wills that had no record of ever being broken.
Plus they had an Anakin Skywalker.
There was no way they were going to obey such a direct order.
"She must be close by; come on!" Obi-Wan said in determination, leading the party in a rush forward deeper into the catacombs. Zelina let herself fall farther back to cover their back once more, her small group staying with her at the rear of the party.
So far in, her danger senses prickled, and she realized they were about to scratch the surface of whatever she'd been sensing. Up ahead, the group skidded to a stop, and she knew that they had met their first obstacle.
"On your guard," she ordered her small group. She ran her gaze over her four charges: Cruiser, Zapper, Nex, and Lucky.
"I don't like the looks of this," Zelina heard Obi-Wan say ahead of her. An unnatural shriek behind her drew her attention away from the front and she turned around, tense and ready for an attack.
The white eyed staggering Geonosians were not what she was expecting.
All through the hall, troopers opened up fire while the Jedi leapt into the midst of the battle. Zelina was on the Geonosians in seconds, cutting through the stumbling bugs with ease. Still, something wasn't right…
Zelina jumped a foot in the air when a bug's hand grasped her shoulder from behind. She swung around, separating the head from the body before staring at it and trying to figure out how it had still managed to come at her with a gaping hole in its chest. She wasn't given much time to figure out this puzzle though, as the horde was still coming; and more were rising back up off the ground.
Obi-Wan's call for retreat a few moments later was more than welcome by Zelina.
"Back everyone, back! Take out the tunnel supports, it's the only way!" Obi-Wan called over the noise.
Zelina and her three remaining men—which one was missing? She couldn't tell right now in all the confusion—all backed up towards the only tunnel that wasn't populated by these…these…zombie Geonosians.
Blaster fire rang out as Obi-Wan and Anakin's remaining men took out the supports, the other's retreating to the nearest escape route Anakin and Obi-Wan were kneeling at, ushering the others in. The tunnel started to collapse behind them as Zelina and her men slid through the entrance, then Obi-Wan and Anakin's men, Obi-Wan, and finally Anakin, who rolled through and then up on his feet, shaking his head slightly like he was trying to dispel some dizziness. Zelina assumed some of the falling debris had struck him in the head.
"What were those things?" Anakin asked, a quaver and even a tiny hint of fear in his voice, though Zelina was sure she only heard the fear due to how well she knew him. "We couldn't kill them!"
"I've heard stories of a Geonosian hive mind so powerful, so strong, that it can maintain its connection with its warriors even after they have died," Obi-Wan said, a strain in his own voice.
"And you think that's why we couldn't kill them? Because they're…"
"Already dead? Yes."
"That can't be true! That's impossible!"
"Impossible or not, these creatures keep moving even after we cut them up or shoot them down," Obi-Wan said, moving away from Anakin.
"Because they're a small army of the undead? I feel like I've stepped into a holo-film," Zelina murmured, rubbing her arms to ward off the chills going down her spine.
Anakin didn't look much better. In fact, he looked a little on the green side…
"Call for reinforcements," Obi-Wan said after taking a look a their pitiful remains of a task Force. Only seven remained of the twelve troopers that had come in.
Zelina let her gaze wander over her men now that she had time to think. "Zapper's missing," she stated quietly to Cruiser, who was standing beside her.
"He didn't make it past the second wave General," Cruiser responded just as softly. Zelina grimaced.
"Let's try not to lose any more men; this planet has claimed enough of our troops' lives as it is…"
Anakin sighed, a sound that was caught between hopelessness and frustration. "There's no signal!"
"We must be too deep underground," Obi-Wan murmured. He turned to two of the troopers standing off to the side; one of his and one Lucky, one of mine. "You two; head back to the surface and contact General Mundi. Tell him we need reinforcements."
"Yes sir!" they both said, coming to a pristine salute before they started to make their way back. Zelina was partially relieved to see one of her men avoiding this nightmare; at least she still had Nex and Cruiser to back her up.
They started forward once more, but along a different route and much more cautious than before; they couldn't afford any more losses. There was just the three Jedi and five troopers now, not counting the two headed towards the surface.
After a few minutes of walking in the dark, the sound of a scream echoed through the tunnel towards them from behind. Anakin and Zelina whipped around and were the first to rush back to where the two troopers had taken off to. They said nothing, though each and every one of them was fearful of what they would find.
Unfortunately, what Zelina had been thinking was correct; they found the two men dead in one of the tunnels. She tried not to look at Lucky's body while Nex knelt down and checked the two men to see if even one of them was somehow still alive.
They weren't.
"Obviously this things a lot more powerful than we assumed," Anakin murmured, deactivating the lightsaber and slowly walking forward. "I'm going to the surface to alert General Mundi myself."
"I think that would be a foolhardy move Anakin," Obi-Wan said sternly. Zelina shivered at the thought of Anakin wandering the zombie infested halls of the catacombs alone. "We can't afford to divide our troops again; we don't have time to double back to the surface…Every moment we waste puts Luminara in greater danger."
"And we'd need you down here," Zelina added quietly. In her mind, she had to admit she just didn't like the thought of Anakin going alone, and she didn't want to be down here without him either.
"Come on…let's get moving again then," Anakin muttered, and the small group reformed. Cruiser and Nex stayed glued to Zelina's side, which was to be expected at this point.
"The air is warmer here; we must be getting close," Obi-Wan said after some time walking. The three Jedi now were lined up in the front, acting as the groups front line and main defense since their weapons were the most effective against the zombies.
As Obi-Wan spoke, Zelina was pretty sure Anakin was getting greener than he was earlier. "Oh, forget the heat!" Anakin exclaimed before he coughed. "It smells down here."
His voice was muffled as he had covered his mouth and nose with his hand to try and ward off the stench. Zelina had to agree with him; it reeked of something foul down here, and the scent was causing Zelina's stomach to twist in unpleasant knots.
"Keep your voice down," Obi-Wan said sharply. His tone of voice suggested that he wasn't having the same issue as Zelina and Anakin with the smell.
His sniffer must be malfunctioning, Zelina thought, trying to give herself some humor despite the horrific situation they were in.
It didn't work.
"I'm just saying," Anakin muttered back. "This planet is rotten from the inside out."
They all pressed against the wall as they came to a turn, Anakin in front with Zelina and Obi-Wan huddled behind him. Carefully, they all peered around the edge, and Zelina was sure she could speak for all of them when she was racked with shock from what she saw.
"That's one huge…fat…ugly bug," Zelina whispered, staring at the putrid thing that was bathed in the blue light of the restraints that she could see Master Luminara trapped in by the wrists. She had the feeling it was also what smelled so bad.
"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Anakin murmured, drawing out the 'a' of bad to emphasize his feeling.
"It must be…the queen," Obi-Wan said quietly.
"Any sign of Luminara?" Anakin asked. He apparently couldn't draw his eyes away from the disgusting Queen Geonosian.
"I see her; she's suspended in the throne," the trooper that Anakin had asked said.
"Perfect," Ankain said sarcastically. "What about Poggle?"
"He's…speaking with the Queen," the trooper said in a somewhat uneasy tone. Nex and Cruiser were behind them, infrared on as they too observed the scene in front of them.
"Good; you two take the soldiers, I'll take the Queen," Anakin said with a smug smile.
"Must you always rush into things?" Obi-Wan asked him with a slight hint of annoyance.
"Oh, no! You don't actually want to talk to it, do you?" Anakin asked in apparent disgust.
"As a matter of fact, I do," Obi-Wan mused, earning a look of horror from Zelina. Obi-Wan ignored her expression though and kept talking. "Don't you wonder why they took Luminara captive? Why not just kill her?"
How flippantly he said the last part only served to increase Zelina's unease. Perhaps Obi-Wan was still suffering some injuries from that crash and had some brain damage, hence why he was acting off of his rocker. Why would any sane person want to talk to this thing?
"She's leverage, she's a hostage!" Anakin supplied.
"Leverage for what?" Obi-Wan responded sharply. "No, there's something else going on here…these zombies are connected to it."
"I don't think I want to know what," Zelina murmured, feeling a little sick as a moan from the Queen echoed through the chamber.
"Fine," Anakin said, relenting. "We'll try it your way."
"I don't like this," Zelina murmured.
"You can stay back here and guard our escape," Obi-Wan suggested.
"I think I'll come with you two," she said hastily.
"I'm so glad you agree," Obi-Wan said cheerily, turning to the troopers. "Cody, set the men up around the perimeter. These creatures live in darkness; the light from your helmets should blind them temporarily. Turn your lamps on at my signal; it should create enough confusion for us to get Luminara out of here."
"But what happens when the bugs pursue? You've seen them in action sir, we can't kill them!" Cody responded quietly.
"We'll have to bury them; it will at least slow them down. Shoot out the support pillars, and this whole place will collapse," Anakin told him quietly.
"Let's go," Obi-Wan said determinedly.
Zelina couldn't help but feel like Obi-Wan was dragging her to her death as they marched forward into the room like they owned the place; at least Obi-Wan did. Zelina slinked behind Anakin, jumpy and feeling on edge as much as Anakin was. Anakin's eyes darted from side to side, watching the zombie Geonosians wearily and waiting for the first sign of attack, lightsaber clutched tightly in his hand. Zelina's and Obi-Wan's were still clipped to their belts, though Zelina had half a mind to have hers in her hand and ready.
"How did you know they wouldn't just attack us?" Anakin murmured to Obi-Wan after the Queen let out a large roar, the zombie Geonosians parting the way for three Jedi's path to the Queen.
"Because I make observations while you think with your lightsaber," Obi-Wan said with a smirk.
"Am I the only one that's disturbed about this whole ordeal?" Zelina hissed at them.
"No," Anakin responded quickly. "No, you're not. Obi-Wan has just lost a few screws."
"So I've noticed."
"Hush you two," Obi-Wan chided them.
"Well, that quick thinking of mine is usually needed when your observations get us into trouble," Anakin muttered, going back to what Obi-Wan had said earlier to defend his pride. Obi-Wan heard him.
"Anakin, the Queen took Luminara hostage. She wanted a Jedi, now she has three more."
"Well that's a cheery thought," Zelina muttered, her voice slightly strained.
"I want to know what she's after," Obi-Wan said with a slight sniff, looking away and at one of the zombie Geonosians they passed.
"Well, when this doesn't go as planned—which it won't—I'll be ready," Anakin responded smugly.
"That is so reassuring," Obi-Wan responded sarcastically.
"Boys, behave, we're surrounded by the undead with a creature that rivals Jabba the Hutt in ugliness in front of us; let's try to keep on task, I don't feel like dying today!" Zelina hissed sharply at the two.
"I thought I told you not to follow me Master Kenobi," Luminara said in a scolding voice as they trio approached.
"Yes, well, I took a lesson from Anakin and decided not to follow orders," Obi-Wan said in a pointed voice with a serious face.
"Hey!" Anakin protested while Zelina snorted in amusement despite her frayed nerves.
"You! You are the creatures that attacked Geonosia!" the Queen rasped at them.
Her voice sure helped with her image, Zelina thought sarcastically.
The Queen let out a throaty shriek that hurt Zelina's ears as she spoke her next words. "Why have you come before me?"
"Your Majesty; it is a pleasure to finally meet you!" Obi-Wan said loud and clear, stepping forward. "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is Anakin Skywalker and Zelina Du'ahn. It is our sad duty to inform you that your rule is at an end."
"You do not dictate to me, Jedi! My Empire is forever!" the Queen said in her raspy, shrieking voice.
"I'm afraid it does not appear that way Your Grace," Obi-Wan responded calmly. "You shall release the Jedi Luminara and submit to public law."
"You are so helping our case Obi-Wan," Zelina muttered to him out of the corner of her mouth. She honestly didn't see how his words could do anything other than enrage the Queen.
Sure enough, the Queen let out a shriek of fury, trembling in rage. "I no submit to you!"
The zombies encircled them and Zelina tensed, her hand flying to her lightsaber while Anakin activated his own. Obi-Wan, however, grabbed his hand to keep him from slicing any of the zombies, and the movement caused Zelina to hesitate in drawing her blade.
"No, patience, Anakin, wait!" Obi-Wan said sharply. Reluctantly, Anakin let his lightsaber be taken from him. Obi-Wan lifted his arm to allow the zombie to take his, and Zelina had to resist the impulse to hide hers as another zombie stumbled forward to snatch hers. She felt horrifically vulnerable without it right now.
"You're Majesty, destroying us shall only make the Republic's judgment of you harsher," Obi-Wan said firmly.
"Hmm…no Jedi, no! I no destroy you…I devour you! I control you…I had but one Jedi before young Poggle bring me. But now I have four!" the Queen said in her raspy voice, her purr sounding more like some poor creature being strangled to death. Zelina shivered violently at her words.
"All right, I've had enough, can we please leave now?" Zelina asked Obi-Wan. All of this was really starting to freak her out, and once more Anakin was looking a little green next to her; she wasn't quite sure in this poor lighting.
"Now watch as my child enters your Jedi friend…" the Queen rasped. Zelina almost hurled when she saw the worm Poggle was holding in his hands, watching him hold the squirming thing in front of Luminara's face. "And once inside, her mind becomes my mind…her thoughts, my thoughts…"
"It's a sort of mind control, a hive mind. She thinks she can possess us!" Obi-Wan said quickly, his eyes big.
"Really, you just figured that out?" Zelina said, her voice strained.
"Great. Find out everything you wanted to know yet?" Anakin asked bitterly.
"No, wait, I want to see how it works!" Obi-Wan protested.
"I don't think Luminara wants to see how it works," Anakin said scathingly.
"No, I don't!" Luminara stated firmly.
"Nor I; I'm already about to hurl as it is," Zelina muttered, her voice thick with her queasiness.
"I'm curious; the more we know, the better!" Obi-Wan stated.
"I disagree!" Luminara said, her voice rising in alarm as Poggle approached her, arm outstretched with the worm wiggling in what seemed to be anticipation.
"So do I," Anakin said smarmily, shooting Obi-Wan a look.
"Come now, the nose or the ear, which do you think it will enter?" Obi-Wan asked.
Zelina retched a few times behind the two at the thought. Anakin shot her a sympathetic look as he shivered and sighed in disgust.
"I think the nose," Anakin said, mentally flinching as he watched the worm slap against Luminara's face.
"Uhg, I hope this is part of the plan," Luminara said, her voice strained as the worm slithered over her face.
"Isn't it always?" Obi-Wan asked her before he suddenly rose his voice to a shout. "Cody, now!"
Suddenly, the troopers emerged from different spots all around the room, turning on their lamps and blinding the Queen, who let out a screech of fury.
Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Zelina all reached forward, calling their lightsabers to them. Zelina relaxed marginally at the feel of the familiar metal in her hand, activating the violet blade the instant the weapon was in her hands. Anakin had also summoned Luminara's lightsaber to him, and was currently dealing twice as much destruction to the undead forces they were pitted against.
Obi-Wan seemed to have decided that he wanted to pursue his twisted fascination further, and had picked up the worm that had fallen to the floor in the confusion, holding it tightly in his hand as it wiggled and squirmed to get free.
"What are you doing?" Zelina asked him in disgusted horror as she severed two heads in one smooth stroke before they could ambush Nex and Cruiser, who were firing desperately to keep the creatures at bay.
Obi-Wan ignored her, focused on carving his path one-handed. That was about the time that Anakin and Luminara came even with them, Luminara leading Poggle. Anakin charged at Obi-Wan.
"Obi-Wan, look out!" he said in alarm, knocking the worm from Obi-Wan's hand.
"What—Ah! Anakin no!" Obi-Wan shouted, trying to hold Anakin off. Anakin, however, simply stamped on the worm as hard as he could, grinding it into the ground just to be sure.
"Yuck! Got it!" Anakin grunted.
"What are you doing? I was going to study that!" Obi-Wan said angrily. Anakin ignored him, grabbing Zelina's wrist and taking off down the tunnel they were going to make their escape down.
"Study the bottom of my boot!" Anakin shouted over his shoulder. "Come on let's get out of here."
Obi-Wan simply looked sadly at the remains of his 'test subject.'
Zelina felt no sympathy for him at the moment.
The troopers laid down cover fire for them as they rushed towards the tunnel, and Zelina frowned. "Has anyone thought of stunning them? If we can't kill them, why don't we just immobilize them?" she asked Anakin.
"There's no time to test the theory, Obi-Wan took up the time for experiments, we need to get out of here," Anakin responded sharply.
"It was just a suggestion!" Zelina said with a frown.
"Take out the supports!" she heard Cruiser shout. The command was soon followed by the sound of the structure shaking and debris falling all around.
"Move it!" Zelina bellowed at the troopers that lingered by the chamber as they all pushed forward, running as fast as they could.
"They're still coming!" Cody called from behind them. Cody was covering the retreat while Cruiser led them all forward; Nex was providing cover fire for those who were trying to break free from pursuing zombies.
"This is our way out!" Zelina heard Luminara say up ahead. She looked up to see the woman pointing up, and coming even with her she could see a long tunnel that ended in a light at the top.
The surface.
"Start climbing," Anakin ordered the trooper next to him. Zelina gestured to Cruiser and Nex.
"Do you two need a boost?" she asked them.
"No disrespect General, but shouldn't you be going first considering you're more important?" Nex asked. Zelina fixed him with a hard look and Cruiser shifted uncomfortably.
"I want out of here more than you'd believe trooper, but to me each and every one of us are of equal importance. And my men come before me in my mind; I don't leave them behind," she said strongly. "Now; do you need a boost?"
There was a moment of silence—not counting the blaster fire and zombie shrieks—before Nex nodded, his voice dripping with respect as he snapped a salute. "That would be much appreciated General, thank you."
Zelina squatted down, cupping her hands together. "Then come here Nex." As soon as his foot was in her hand and hands on her shoulder, she called on the Force and gave him a powerful toss into the tunnel leading upwards. He braced himself against the walls and started climbing as soon as he had his balance, signaling Cruiser's turn. As soon as Cruiser was a safe distance above her, Zelina jumped into the hole behind them. The rumbling was getting louder, and they were running out of time.
"Obi-Wan, look out!" Luminara cried out from above, and Zelina looked up in time to see a rock strike Obi-Wan upside the head, knocking him loose from the wall. Instinctively, Zelina reached out with one of her hands and caught him with the Force, ignoring the zombies nipping at their heels to focus long enough on keeping him stable before he grabbed hold of the wall once more and the frantic climb continued. Zelina stretched out towards the giant piece of rubble that was blocking most of their escape through the Force, picturing it moving in her mind and putting all of her will into the action.
Rocks rained down on their group, but their escape was opening wider, so no one complained. The rocks even knocked their pursuers off of the wall and down back into the catacombs.
Pressure suddenly built up behind them as the catacombs collapsed, and dust came rising towards them with the force of a geyser. Everyone was ripped from the wall and shot upwards, and Zelina did her best not to breathe in the dirt while everyone gave an exclamation of surprise at being thrown into the air. When they broke free from the spout, the Jedi all managed to land on their feet gracefully while the clones fell roughly to the edge of the hole they'd been pushed through. Looking around, Zelina saw that they had all landed on the surface, back inside of the Progate Temple that was crumbling all around them.
Everyone scrambled to their feet, rushing towards the exit before they could be squashed by any of the falling debris. Zelina paused to yank a dazed Nex to his feet, slinging him over her shoulders and rushing towards the exit. She broke past the entrance, the statues on either side of the massive opening falling so close to her she felt the wind of their impact on the ground against her back. Out of immediate danger, Zelina sagged in relief, slowing her pace as she continued to drag Next forward. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed that the man had injured his leg, and wouldn't have been able to leave without her help anyway.
She hated the thought of losing all of her men but Cruiser. At least Nex had also survived.
Zelina dragged herself over to the others, letting Nex rest against her. Cruiser silently offered to take him, but Zelina waved him off. "I've got him," she assured the trooper before Obi-Wan. "After that display down there, Obi-Wan; I have decided you are a very disturbed individual. Why, oh why, would you want to study those things?" she asked, trying not to retch at the thought of how flippantly he had discussed the possibilities of the Geonosian worm's entries for control.
Her complaints fell on deaf ears, of course.
"All things considered…" Anakin said, pausing to cough. "That went better than I expected."
"I wish we could have gotten one of those worms," Obi-Wan said mournfully. "Knowing how the Queen controls her minions could have proven valuable."
"Well…hopefully the secret is buried with her…" Anakin murmured, turning his attention to the remains of the Temple.
"Don't jinx us," Zelina muttered with a grimace.
I don't want to see those things ever again in my life.