Chapter Twenty-Three

"Alright, Men," Kyra shouted, causing the troopers to turn towards her, "This is it. A wise general once said, 'Don't fight for the republic. Don't fight for the chancellor. Fight for the man standing next to you.' That's what I'm going to do. I don't care about some gem. Or some mine. I care about the troopers within this base. I will die for those troopers. But I have no plans of dying today. Those droids out there, those machines, they fight because they're programmed to. They care nothing for the mechanical fiend next to them. But that's not you. Here among you are two-thousand of your brothers. Fight for them. Fight with everything you have." She pointed to the broken section of the wall. "Fill that hole with bodies of droids. Pile them high, men. Make it so the droids will have to climb over a mountain of their own machine kind. Make them pay for every inch. For every step. We can outlast them. We can hold the line and bring destruction to wave after wave that tries to come over these walls. And after," she paused for dramatic effect, "Drinks on me!"

The clones erupted in a roar, arms and blasters held high in the air. They turned to face the metal horde slowly approaching. "Here we go again," she whispered. The sound of stomping droid feet was near deafening, and the fact that it was coming from all around them was considerably unnerving. Kyra exhaled and released her fear into the force. She took another deep breath and drew in the force. "Be with me," she said, and faced the oncoming army of thousands.

The droids made it to within one hundred meters of the wall and Commander Cosmo yelled, "Open Fire," and the clones let loose a barrage of blasterfire, shredding the front lines of the droid army to pieces. The mortar team began their constant bombardment, and Kyra was pleased to see that three more mortars had been set up, giving them six in all. This was extremely effective as the mortars fired one after the other, and by the time the sixth team fired off their shell, the first team was loaded and ready to fire, creating a constant hail of explosive ordinance on the droids.

The turbolasers fired in long strafing streams of fire. The XX-ten turbolaser was state of the art. It had an advanced cooling system preventing it from over-heating quickly, giving it the ability to fire continuously for much longer periods of time. Its extended bursts of heavy fire cut down large clusters of droids in seconds.

The twelve snipers on the command center fired non-stop with deadly accuracy. Gamble and Pogo of Cobalt Squad were up there and firing with sublime precision. Every shot was a laser blast right through center mass of the droid. The narrow heads of the B-1 droids made headshots difficult, thus all the snipers were aiming for the torso, and doing so with perfect skill.

The clone troopers on the walls and behind blast shields fired with nearly as precise accuracy. They fired round after round with their DC variation blasters and took down the droids with ease. Line upon line of the machines fell to the republic army's tactical advantage, heavy firepower, and superior soldiers.

It was a grind. A continuous slog of a fight, and the clones were weary. Kyra had seen many stumble, falter, and take a knee at times. But each time she saw them take a deep breath, collect themselves, and get right back to fight them. She could not have been prouder of these brave soldiers that never stopped fighting.

But with all of that going for the defenders of Shadow Outpost, the droids never stopped coming. Every droid that fell, two more took its place in the line. The separatists had endless reserves. They didn't tire. They didn't need to eat or drink. And they didn't feel fear. They didn't feel anything. They would march to their death without a second to process why. And because of that, little by little, the droid army drew ever closer to the walls. And soon the army was closing in on all three sides.

The broken section was holding perfectly for now. Just as Kyra had commanded, there was a monstrous pile of droids two meters high blocking the hole. And of course, they took advantage of the droids' inability to climb well, and just picked them off one by one as they surmounted the top of the pile, making the obstruction taller and thicker, and all the more precarious for the attackers.

Kyra hadn't been participating in the battle much at all. For one, she was a general and needed to observe, and two, she needed to conserve her energy. She knew the time when she was needed was coming.

Even though the numbers that surrounded them were staggering, Kyra couldn't help but feel hope. They had lost very few soldiers since the second engagement began and had taken out over a thousand droids already. At this rate, they could survive. They could demoralize the separatist leaders so much, make them realize that it wasn't worth the cost to attack this base, and then they'd be forced to withdraw. They could do this.

Then the force gave her a not-so-subtle nudge. "No," she whispered, "Not again." Just as a blinding green laser beam shot down from above at an angle, obliterating the Southeast corner. Kyra was sprinting towards the massive dust cloud that now shrouded the area, preventing her from assessing the damage. But she knew. She knew already that they were in dire straits now. There was no way they could get the heavy weaponry, barricades, and enough personnel to that section to stop the influx of machines. And once they breached the walls it would be a slaughter.

She was their only hope.

She sprinted through the dust, letting the force guide her. Droids were surging through the opening, stepping over the rubble and the decimated bodies of clone troopers. Once again anger welled up in her, and she released it outward, sending out more of force wave, leveling the twenty or so that had made it inside the walls. The force push also cleared most of the dust, and she was able to see the row upon row of droids clambering to get in. Once the droids perceived her, they opened fire. And Kyra turned into a blur of movement, deflecting the hail of blasterfire back at the approaching army with impeccable accuracy. She was deep in the force now, giving herself over to its divine power, and letting it fuel her movements, giving her otherworldly speed, precision, and accuracy. Her concentration on the that infinite celestial energy force was supreme, her focus pure.

Hoppie had been sprinting towards the Southeast corner of the wall mere seconds after that crazy green laser beam shot down from a separatist war ship. He had been so quick to respond, that as he was running towards the damaged section, he believed he'd be the first one there, and be forced to fight alone against the oncoming horde.

"We're with you, Lieutenant," someone shouted behind him.

Hoppie turned to look over his shoulder as he continued sprinting and saw the Cobalt Squad right behind. "You guys are just a bunch of badasses, aren't you?" he yelled at them.

"We do our best," Link responded.

Well, at least I won't die alone, Hoppie thought.

Even as skilled as the five of them were, there would be too many to fight off. Can't believe its ending here, Hoppie thought. I really would have followed that sorceress anywhere. Hoppie couldn't quite put a name on what he felt for Kyra Dawnstar. Clones were given dozens of manuals, and hundreds of classes in a multitude of studies. None of them centered on emotions or relationships.

I would have liked to say goodbye.

Then he saw a shimmering blue blur streak by him, and let out some kind of energy pulse, and send the front line of droids crashing backward. The blur, then ignited a blue lightsaber, and began moving faster than Hoppie's eyes could track. He saw the massive salvo of laser fire erupt from the droids, and his gut sank with despair. But then he saw that same hail of blasterfire sent right back towards the droids, dropping machine after machine. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Kyra Dawnstar was illuminated with blue light and holding off hundreds upon hundreds of battledroids on her own. Her lightsaber moved so quickly that it was beyond perception, but he saw the result of her unbelievable speed and prowess as the barrage of shots continued to be sent back at the droid army.

He finally realized he'd been standing there for a full two minutes, and shook himself out of his daze. He turned around and saw that Cobalt Squad was every bit as dazzled as he was. "Look alive, Soldiers," Hoppie yelled, startling the grey clad clone troopers. "Our general needs help."

"I'm not so sure about that, Lieutenant, but let's help out anyway."

"Good point."

"Set up behind the edges of the walls so we have some cover, and so she has enough room to do...her thing."

"Roger that," Link said. "Gamble, go with Hoppie to the left flank, and we'll take the right side."

The clones moved quickly, set up at behind the end of the walls, and began firing.

"Were you all just going to stand there and watch me fight off this entire army?" Kyra asked as she continued twirling her blade with astounding alacrity.

"Actually," Hoppie said, "We were."

Kyra continued her unparalleled lightsaber wielding without missing a beat. It alarmed her just how easy this was. She was facing off against dozens, hundreds maybe, and it was no hindrance to her. Nothing more difficult than a waltz through the Room of a Thousand fountains. She wasn't tiring at all, and she didn't think she would be anytime soon. She always thought that being a Jedi was one of service, and that her movements served the Force's will. But here and now, she felt flooded with the force, super saturated with it, but her intentions and actions were still her own. She could wield the power as she chose. And that scared her. But now wasn't the time for such contemplations. So she simply let her hopes into the world, and whispered, "Please, be with me. Help me do what's right."

Kyra continued fighting. The droids continued gathering. The onslaught never ceased. But her connection with the force never faltered. In fact, it seemed to increase as the battle wore on. By this time, the troopers had been able to allocate enough weapons, barricades, and soldiers to the broken section that things were no longer critical. Sure, fighting off the monstrous horde was still going to be difficult, but the danger of the walls being breached and the base being completely overrun had passed. For now. But how long could they hold for? If reinforcements never arrived, eventually they'd be wiped out.

Then a vision hit Kyra.

Thousands of ships streamed down towards the sprawling metropolis. Battle droids terrorized the city, killing citizens without mercy. General Grievous had the Chancellor in his clutches. And Aedan. Aedan was valiantly fighting a mob of Magnaguards alongside Mace Windu. Then Grievous came towards him and slashed four sabers down at him simultaneously...

Kyra gasped and stumbled to the side. Luckily, there were enough clones nearby to continue holding the droids at bay. Hoppie acted quickly, escorting Kyra behind cover. "Are you okay?"

"I...I'm fine," she said breathlessly. The image of Aedan dying flashed through her mind, and she felt her mind nearly snap. "I have to get to Coruscant."

"What?" Hoppie said.

"Prep the ship."

"Prep the ship?"

Commander Cosmo, who had joined the fighting on the ground, ran over to Kyra, "Are you okay, General?"

"I'm fine, but I need to get to Coruscant."

"What?!" The two clones shouted back.

Kyra took a deep breath. "Coruscant is about to be under attack. General Grievous is planning to take the Chancellor hostage."

Both clones just stared at her, unable to speak.

"I have to go, Commander."

Cosmo shook his head, "And what about your mission? What about this base? What about your men? All the promises you made."

Kyra shook her head, vines of dread snaking their way up to her heart, taking control. She couldn't lose him. Nothing else mattered. And the clock was ticking. She needed to go. "You'll be fine, Commander. You can hold them."

"How can you do this to us? We won't last without you; it would destroy the men. You were given a mission. Finish it."

Hoppie stepped forward and took off his helmet, eyes staring into Kyra's. He grabbed her by the elbow. "Kyra, take a deep breath. Listen to yourself. You're not thinking clearly."

She began to protest, "I-"

Hoppie cut her off. "Think Kyra. Think about this," then he leaned in closer and whispered. "Think of him. Would he want you to throw away everything for him? Even if it meant saving his life, he wouldn't want that, because that's not the person he fell in love with."

Kyra exhaled sharply. She didn't know how he knew, but damnit, he was right.

Hoppie leaned back, "Please don't leave us, General."

She couldn't leave them like this. Her hands went to her head. The pressure there accumulating. She remembered Aedan making this same mistake on Geonosis and it costing everything. She couldn't fall prey to the same blunder.

She let out a long, deep breath, and then inhaled for several seconds, letting the air clear her head. What had she been thinking?

"Sorry," she said, and then looked at Cosmo, Hoppie, and Cobalt squad, locking eyes with them. "I lost it for a second there. Seeing Coruscant under attack was too much to handle."

Cosmo seemed to slump with relief. "I thought we were goners for a second there, General. But I should have known you wouldn't betray us."

Kyra shook her head. Making the decision to stay and fight over going to rescue Aedan didn't lessen her despair as she could still feel the clock ticking. Aedan would die if she didn't get there in time, but she couldn't abandon the mission. She let out a cry of frustration. There had to be a way where she could accomplish both. She knew the only way was to end this fight here and now, but how?

Like always these days, she sank into the Force. And it was waiting for her with answers. A blanket that spanned the galaxy wrapped around her. She pleaded with it, asked much of it, and it responded with a kind affirmation. The Force provides.

She dropped to one knee and bowed her head. She sucked in a deep breath, and alongside the air molecules that entered her, she inhaled that infinite celestial energy field. Her skin instantly exploded into a storm of glowing blue light. The Force was with her, and she was one with the Force.

She walked out from behind cover, the Force wrapped her in a blue-hued protective barrier as Voolvif had taught her. The clones shouted in fright as she walked out into blasterfire. But were instantly silenced when the shots just bounced off the force-shield that surrounded her. She walked into the middle of the broken section of the wall, and planted her feet. She sucked in another deep lungful of force energy. If felt as though she extrapolated every iota of energy from the planet itself. Immediately, the area around her brightened. Many of the droids before here stopped firing, and just stared. That had to be a first.

The hurricane within her was beginning to rip at her, pull at her mind, psyche, and brain. The power she had just tapped into was world shaking. World creating even. But right now, she needed world shattering. The power began to overwhelm her. She was in control of the hurricane, but she was drowning in the crashing waves and swirling wind.

Now or never, she thought.

She rooted herself right in the middle of vicious storm and took hold. She gritted her teeth one moment, then smiled warmly the next, finding the perfect balance to harness the power of a cyclone. She found her control. She found her release. And finally, she found her peace.

She didn't thrust her palms forward. She slowly let her hands drop to her sides, and then she gently turned her palms outward, and exhaled.

Lightning shot out from her hands. Long, huge crackling arcs of electricity exploded outward, crashing into one droid, then arcing to the next, splintering into hundreds of charged tendrils blanketing the battlefield. The charged web of blue pulsating light swept through the entire army in an extended blinding flash, causing most of the troopers to shield their eyes.

Every droid stood motionless for one, long moment. Silence rested upon the outpost-upon the planet it seemed. Every living thing holding their breath seeing if their dreams of survival were about to come true. And then the whole of the droid army, some five thousand strong, collapsed to the ground in a cascading rattle. The separatist forces had been wiped out.

The clones erupted in cheers and shouts of triumph. They had done it. They had actually done it. Kyra smiled and turned to face the men. But her vision went blurry. Her body seeming to stop functioning. Next thing she knew she was collapsing to the ground, everything turning to black.

The galaxy was on fire. The flames burned through space consuming everything. Sa'kard's mask appeared in front of her-menacing, red eyes gleaming. Then it crumbled away, piece by tiny piece. Then the temple stood tall and glorious in front of her. It too slowly eroded away, leaving nothing behind.

Lightsabers lit up around her, the variety forming a beautiful riot of color. Then they all extinguished. The hilts decaying and wasting away into nothing.

Dirt particles skittered across a gray barren ground, pushed by the wind.

Then she was in an ocean. A massive underwater behemoth with a powerful feline form stood tall in front of her. It laid down on the ocean floor, closed its eyes and slept. Then a resounding thud reverberated through the darkness. The pulse seemed to slam into her chest. Then the vision changed again.

Bright, verdant green fields stretched out before her. The sun rose over the hills, tinging the landscape in gold hues. She felt the sun's rays on her face. She smiled. Then Aedan was there, and he was smiling back at her.

Something slammed into her chest again.

Then he was kissing her.

Another impact into her sternum.

She could feel his lips on hers.

Another strike to her breastbone.

Her eyes shot open, and she pushed Aedan off her, and gasped for breath. Her hands going to her chest. She coughed and gasped for breath; her entire body was hurting. Every muscle aching, her body tingling and on fire, as if all her nerve endings had been seared.

Her sight slowly began to return, along with her physical and mental faculties, and then she saw it wasn't Aedan with her. It was Hoppie. And his face looked...relieved.

"Hoppie," she had trouble forming words. She was having trouble breathing and she was tired. So very tired. "What happened?"

His face turned stricken. "Y-you," Hoppie tried to say, but couldn't seem to get the words out.

"You collapsed," Master Halcyon said to her right, the Jedi kneeling down next to her, his fingers touching the inside of her wrist. Then she realized she was surrounded by clones. "You stopped breathing. And we couldn't find a pulse."

"I...died?"

Neeja shrugged. "The lieutenant performed CPR, resuscitating you."

So that's what the pounding on my chest was. And the kiss I felt.

Kyra looked down at the ground, her head and eyes feeling so heavy.

I died?

"I guess I went a little too far," she said, then over at Hoppie who was still sitting on the ground next to her. "Thank you," she whispered. Even talking required too much effort. She wanted to sleep.

He held her eyes and nodded. "Be a little more careful next time, sorceress," he said, a little sternness in his voice.

She nodded. She had to get moving. She had to get to Coruscant. To him. She started to stand up, but her muscles gave out, and she fell back to the ground. Hoppie was there, cradling her in his arms. "Take it easy, Kyra."

A trooper suddenly rushed forward, a datapad in his hands. "General Dawnstar, Commander Cosmo, you might want to see this," the clone said.

"What now?" Cosmo asked, taking the datapad.

"Captain Dodonna has returned, the Victory Fleet just entered the upper atmosphere."

"Well, I'll be a blaster-happy space baby," Cosmo said, then looked to Kyra. "We did it."

Kyra smiled and relaxed further into Hoppie's arms. "Get me to Coruscant, Lieutenant," she whispered weakly. "Coruscant and the Chancellor are under attack."

"You sure, General?"

"He needs me," she whispered.

Hoppie nodded, "I think we all do, but you're in no condition to even be moved, much less fight."

Kyra grabbed Hoppie's shoulder. "Please, Hoppie. Get me on the 'Guile, and get me to Coruscant. That's an order."

"I will," he said, and then lifted her up off the ground. "Cobalt Squad, get on the 'Guile, we're going home. Tell the Commander, and then relay that message about Coruscant to Captain Dodonna."

"Aye, aye, Sir."

Master Halcyon stepped up to Hoppie, "Voolvif and I will take over for now. Good luck."

"Thank you, General."

Hoppie saw that all of Shadow Outpost watched as he carried the near-unconscious jedi to the Corellian light freighter. Many began saluting her, some thanked her, some just said "General," and some even walked up to touch her on the arm or shoulder. Hoppie brought her on board and by the time he set her down in the med-bay she was fast asleep. He walked back out of the ship and announced to the soldiers gathered around, "The Victory Fleet has returned. Captain Dodonna will be down here by the end of the day," A cheer went up through the crowd. "But Coruscant is about to be attacked, and that's where we're headed."

Only silence met this last reveal.

"It's been an honor, Men." Hoppie turned and walked back into the ship. He sat in the captain's chair and began starting the launch sequence. He had only a basic level of training in piloting, but he could manage this. He could get her to Coruscant even if he knew it wasn't for the chancellor.