[24 BBY] - [Ossus, Outer Rim Territories]
A bright light blinked over the cloudy skies of Ossus. New visitors descended in a Star Runner, a YT-2400 Light Freighter, its wide disc-shaped hull designed with a tubular cockpit and connected to the hull by two starboard bracing arms. The Runner locates a spot to land, and its compact design allows its pilot to easily maneuver the ship in this suitable location. The ship touches down, and steam blows out of parts of the hull, revealing its old age. The main ramp opens, and a small droid by the name of RE-1 jumps down, scanning the area as her old friend takes in that clean Ossus's air.
"Still as fresh as ever," Valco Vaan says with a content smile. Removing his helmet, Valco spots their destination straight ahead. He turns and announces to his passengers, "we've arrived, you sleepyheads."
A pair of heavy boots first step out, the wind bellowing the brown robes of Master Hitoshi, his piercing brown eye gaze staring out to the structure before them. "For the last time, my friend, we were meditating."
"Napping," Valco coughs under his breath. He enjoys seeing Hitoshi roll his eyes at his quips.
A pair of songsteel heels walks past Hitoshi. Twelve-year-old F lowers their hood, taking in the sights of another strange new world. "This planet's even greener than Kashyyyk, Master!" they say in awe of the flora and fauna. F eagerly explored the surroundings with RE-1, watching a flock of beautiful, large pink birds soar above.
Hitoshi and Valco smile warmly at the two, especially F, who has changed so much since becoming a Jedi. "Makes you feel old, doesn't it?" Valco asks, watching F run with such vigorous energy.
"It certainly does," Hitoshi replied.
"How have things been between you two, anyway? It hasn't been long since F was taken under your wing."
Hitoshi scratches his beard, his mind assessing their past few months of lessons. "F is patient while very curious to learn the more advanced techniques. They're a great student, but how they apply those lessons leaves a bit to be desired."
"You worry about them."
"Every day," Hitoshi nods, "it's not that I don't trust their ability to solve thier problems. I do. It's just..."
"Hitoshi," Valco said, grabbing his shoulder, "F wasn't the only one I saw grow. You grew as a teacher and won't make the same mistakes as last time."
"I hope I don't, for F's sake," Hitoshi mutters, a deep worry and sadness in his eyes. Hitoshi's heart is scarred from that dark day even after eight years. "It's why I've been preparing F for this month's training regiments here on Ossus."
"Yeah, I noticed and, well..." Valco said, turning to him with a serious gaze, "this is quite far away from coruscant, Hitoshi, even for an old pathfinder like me. You sure F will be up to whatever you have planned?"
"I know they will. They have to be," he whispered, showing a concerned expression while he stroked his beard.
"We'll be fine, Professor Vaan." Valco jumps and notices F and RE-1 are suddenly behind him without making a noise. He knew the kid was light on their feet but didn't think they'd also nearly give him a heart attack. "Master Hitoshi is with me, so there's nothing to fear," F finishes, looking at their master confidently.
"Well, if you say so, kid," Valco sighs.
F huffs, "I told you not to call me a kid."
"And I told you just to call me Valco. Only my students call me Professor Vaan."
Hitoshi chuckles at thier antics. "How about we make hast while we still have daylight?"
F runs ahead while RE-1 stays with Valco. The pathfinder whispers, "seriously, Hitoshi, contact me if anything happens ."
Hitoshi nods, patting him on the shoulder, "we'll bring you back a trinket later, my friend."
The master and padawan walk together and approach a large ancient Jedi Temple. It was a ziggurat-designed structure, towering over five levels tall with faint dyes of yellow and white on its tattered walls. F marveled at the age and designs of the grand hall as they walked over boulders and fallen pillars. They hear water in the distance. F runs to a large grand staircase containing a gorgeous ancient fountain. "This is so beautiful," they said, noticing how green and wet the walls and floor were. "Look, Master, the aqueducts still run!"
"Even after four thousand years," Hitoshi whispers, observing the entryways.
F dipped her fingers into the fountain pool. It was cool to the touch and dazzled when sunlight hit it. "I've never seen water sparkle like this, Master," they say, "it's so pure and blue."
"Padawan," Hitoshi calls, and F flinches, realizing she has gotten distracted. "This way, please."
"Y-yes," F mumbles, pacing over to him with an embarrassed look. "Sorry, I shouldn't lose focus. You said we're looking for something here?"
"Indeed, but it's not something you'll find in the light," he said, the look in his eyes serious as he looked ahead. The two approached a long stone staircase. The light of the torches was dim within this darkness. Hitoshi ignites his lightsaber, its glimmering pure white blade warding away the darkness. "We must dive deeper into the shadows," he says, walking down the stairs until noticing F hasn't moved. Her fingers gripped her robes, shaking until Hitoshi extended his hand, reassuringly saying, "you'll be fine."
F nods and ignites her lightsaber. With their lightsabers guiding the way, the master and apprentice descend into the darkness.
"The breeze of the wind vanished," F whispers, the walls becoming more degraded.
"Yes, and the air is stale."
Perhaps it was the ominous aura of these chambers, but Hitoshi noticed F's mood become dispirited. She mutters shyly, "have I been disappointing you, Master?"
"What makes you say that?"
"I sense it in your eyes, fear and frustration," F says, looking at Hitoshi's gaze, which remains steely and focused on the hallway. F worries if bringing this up was a mistake. "I must seem like a pain compared to your previous padawans." Her walking slows as a sense of despondence grows, thinking of all her recent shortcomings. "I've been too inconsistent during sparring, and I keep being a hindrance on recent missions."
F stops when the light of Hitoshi's blade hangs over her, brightening where she stands, and he looks at them with concerned eyes. "I only worry, padawan. You can feel the Force and harness the light, but you must still learn to channel it. Indeed, your handling of tense situations requires refining, as do your lightsaber skills." He kneels to F's eye level, "but do you know what you consistently excelled at?"
"No."
"Sheer determination," he utters with sheer honesty, "the shadow of the dark side may hang over you, but you ward it away where others would've fallen. You're not my first padawan, but that doesn't make you a less important student to me."
F's face tightens, their voice quietly hitching as tears blur her vision. "Of course, Master," F mumbles, wiping her eyes before it becomes obvious, "I think the darkness of this place was getting to me."
"I sense it too," Hitoshi says, guiding F further down, "still padawan, you shouldn't measure your progress based on others. You walk a different path, and I only wish to prepare you when the day comes when you must walk that path alone."
"You mean when you're gone?" F said with a low, sad tone.
Hitoshi nods, "all things pass eventually, little one."
F is silent for a long while at the thought. Eventually, she's able to mutter, "is that why we're here?"
"Yes," Hitoshi says with a sense of unease. The two enter a half-collapsed chamber and find a single doorway with dry, dark vines sprawling out of it. "This is it."
F stared into the dark tunnel, like staring into a void. F's breath shudders and she notices the air escaping her breath, "It's so cold," she whispers.
"There once were several main levels to this temple," Hitoshi explained, "we're at the bottom level, designed to bring one closest to the Force. Generations of padawans meditated here, training their minds and souls of the Force."
"But...I only sense darkness in there."
"The Sith," Hitoshi continues, "Sith Lord Naga Sadow wreaks havoc on this world during his war. So cataclysmic was he that it scarred this temple forever. Though it still stands today, the memories of that war have never left."
"And in that scar, there is only pain and sorrow," F whispers, gazing into the scar of this temple that created a nexus in the Force, a nest of evil. "What should I do?" they ask, feeling the talons of the dark creeping out of the void.
Hitoshi places a hand on her shoulder, "when one opens their heart to the dark side, forever will it dominate their destiny...unless you face the mirror."
F knew what her master meant, but she still felt her entire body quivering. "I'm scared," she whispers.
"I know...but you must go alone," Hitoshi says with trepidation for his student, "you already shown me your willpower, but if you don't master it, I fear a specter of darkness haunting your fate."
F knew what he was talking about and feared that darkness within her always has. She also knew Hitoshi was right. She can't keep running forever. F steps forward, and an invisible force surrounds her cloak. Standing tall and defiant, she stares forward, causing the dark talons to fade for now. F breathes and takes another step, "my lightsaber, do I need it?"
"No," Hitoshi answered, "but it's up to you to choose."
F glances down at her blade and can't bring herself to toss it aside. Then F shuts their eyes, "there's nothing to fear," she whispers before entering the dark nexus. The light of her blade shines like a beacon within this void of darkness, pressing ever forward despite the weight of the world closing in on them.
"This is your next step, F. Shield your light from the dark side, trust in the Force, and remember..."
Episode 15: The Battle of Faro (II)
The dawn of a new day illuminates the northern lands of Faro, a small, serene field of pink and white flowers found only on Faro bloom. A few transport ships take off, vanishing as they activate their hyperdrives, saving thousands more from Imperial retaliation the whole base knows is coming. Standing on a square stone platform, crumbled rocks from the siege littered around, F looks at the dawn of a new day. Her companion, Rei, taps one of over half a dozen training remotes until F unsheathes her lightsaber. "Ready," she says, tying a red blindfold over her eyes as Rei activates the seven remotes. They quickly fly around F when she ignites her lightsaber, zipping past at quick and random speeds that would daze about any padawan learner.
But not F, for she knew the first lesson her master taught her of the nature of dueling: life is impermanent, so make no attachment to it. She channels the Force, letting it guide her as much as she guides it. Her vision, in total darkness, spots a glint of light to her right. She twists her arms and deflects a shot from that angle, destroying the probe. 'Don't think, do,' her master's words remind her as the probes begin to attack.
The droids fire persistently as the padawan, barely a second given before another shot is fired. Rei quivered, half-expecting her friend to be pelted with electric shocks. Then F deflected the next shot, and then another, and another before Rei saw how formidable their deflection skills were. A whirlwind of gold light swirls around F as they move their saber in position to deflect just before the next random droid fires. It didn't matter what direction it came from, either. Above to her, right? F held her saber to its side and deflected the shot to her face. Behind? F flung her right arm over her shoulder, the saber protecting her lower back from the shot. Left? Her left hand was already in position as she loosened her grip, Force pulling the saber to her left and twirling it to deflect a shot for her leg.
Rei recognized that the longer this went on, F's instincts were in more control until they entered a flow in their mind. Ducking, dodging, blocking, leaping until the formidable training droids looked almost like a joke. F felt a difference suddenly, the warmth of the sun's rays hitting her face, showing the passage of time, whereas before, the light was at her ankle. It was time to put this to an end. F sensed the incoming attacks from two droids, ducking a shot and deflecting the other back at the droid, destroying it. Within seconds, F leaps and dodges shots, sometimes from three droids at once, before deflecting them back at them until all were in tattered pieces.
'Almost ten minutes this time,' she thought, pulling off her blindfold and gazing at the sky above. 'But will that be enough against her?' Ever since the battle, F couldn't shake off the memory of sensing that dark warrior, how powerful in the Force she was. Their spare amongst the stars may have been brief and proven F victorious, but the warrior was still out there, and they knew she would return to finish them. 'I won't run this time,' F mused, 'I'll prove it has no power over me.' She clenches her hands, pushing back the cold air, the shroud of the dark side.
"Bweep?" Rei asks.
"No, this will be my last test," F answered.
Rei squirms nervously, asking, "Breep-Breo?"
F doesn't hide her worry, but her tone remains determined, "She's an agent of evil, Rei, a Sith. The same Order that took the Jedi, my family, from me. I must fight her...I'm the only one who can." The droid shows her concern by leaning against F's leg. The Jedi reciprocates with a gentle pat on the head, both afraid, but F stays resolute on facing the dark side alone.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/
In the middle of the flowery field, F kneels to delicately dig her thin fingers into the soil to pluck out a white flower. "Verlaine and Red said white was her favorite," they whisper, a weary look in her eyes as she adds the flower to the bundle. She takes that bundle and places it down on an unmarked grave, but despite having no name, F knows very well to who these flowers were dedicated. They quietly pray to the Force and salute one of the bravest captains she met. Even after Juro's passing, she hasn't gotten better with goodbyes. "Farewell, Patricia. The Force will always be with your family," they whisper, placing down the flower as a cool morning breeze brushes over the land.
Standing up, she looks at the dozens of other soldiers around her. The insurgency lost many good people from that attack on the base and battle amongst the stars. Excluding herself, only twenty-one of the over fifty starfighters returned, with the insurgency's casualties totaling a hundred and twenty-two people. The friends of the fallen mourned and honored them in front of similarly unmarked graves. The unmarked headstones are so to protect their families' identities from the Empire. Every soldier here knows who they were, the bravery and valor they showed that day. Each gave their life so that others could escape and live to fight another day. The survivors will carry the weight of informing any loved ones and giving a proper burial before returning to what they feel is right.
F sensed the quiet, somber air, feeling the anger from some for the losses suffered. One could spend much time here, reminiscing or pondering their future. For the padawan still have matters to attend to and goes to meet the wounded. Citrus squadron walks past her, with Verlaine clutching Patricia's dog tags. She glances back to see the group place the tags on Patricia's grave for entering the base.
Walking through the halls of the infirmary with brightly colored flowers in her hand, F found the mood around here was more light-hearted. After the surgeries and medicines were given, many here were relieved to be alive. There was even upbeat Jizz music echoing across parts of the Infirmary while species like Mirialans, Rodians, and Biths chatted while sharing either drinks or cigarras. F never cared for narcotics, but she appreciated the enthusiasm in the air, the wounded, especially since they're now guaranteed the next transport to their new homes and bases. The presence of reliable tech and doctors also helped soothe soldiers. From what F saw, most will walk away with few scars. Not all, however, and F stops outside a door upon hearing some familiar voices on the other side.
"You're never going to the battlefield ever again," Jye said, for a moment frightening F before hearing a hearty laugh from Ivy.
"That's what you always say, Jye. You're always saying, 'it's back to the rear lines for you,'" she said, imitating her brother's voice. "' You're never carrying a rifle again, Ivy!' 'Listen to the doctor, dammit!'"
"That's not even a good impression," Jye mutters, but the others, Red and Eliash, chuckle at Ivy's impression and enduring nature.
"Well, he may be exaggerating, but he is right about you staying here," Eliash informed Ivy. "You'll recover soon, but with the current rate of the evacuation and our policy concern the wounded, you're going to be sent off with our next round of transports tomorrow."
"Noooo, but I just got here," Ivy bemoaned, falling back on her pillow.
"She's right, Ivy," F said, knocking on the door while letting themselves in, "you'll be fine, but not if you keep fighting in your current condition." They place the flowers on a nice vase, Ivy giving them a thankful smile but still bummed out.
She snaps her finger to a Twi'lek beside her for a Cigarra. She knew the others would say the same thing but needed something to soothe her nerves occasionally. "I get it, but come on," Ivy implored, the Cigarra in her mouth. "I swear I'll get better soon enough to fight." The group's decision wasn't changing, but Ivy insisted. "I mean, not only did these fascists kill good people in front of me, but they shot me in the boob," Ivy pointed at her bandaged right breast. "I can't let that go," she said half-jokingly.
F smiled at Ivy's humor. She then recalls a question in their mind: when Red suddenly spoke. "Alright then," he said, pulling out his rifle, "here, take it. Follow me to the range and hit one bullseye."
Ivy raised her chin, "I will…as soon as I can move my good arm again." The group raised their eyebrows as Ivy tried vainly to move her arm before relenting. "Fine, but I'm not leaving in some transport alone. I go where my brothers go."
"That's fine," Eliash assures, "we're thankfully not short on beds, and the Infirmary is well-guarded."
"Speaking about your brothers," F said, "about the attack on the base, who were these attackers exactly? You speak of them harshly, and they wore an armor I haven't seen before."
Ivy glances at her brothers before answering, "those were TK-Troopers, the empire's first 'official' stormtroopers, entirely made up of human conscripts."
"Weren't the clones the empire's stormtroopers?" F asked, confused.
"They unofficially were," Red said, "was more of a codename than any real name."
"Clones were a stand-in army until the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill was passed," Jye spoke, a mixed sense of distaste in his voice.
F wore a confused look in their eyes, something Eliash noticed. "You didn't know this?" she asked.
"I decided to go dark after Ragoon VI," F explained, "didn't want to be detected the closer I got to Alderaan."
"Well, it was quite the story," Eliash said, "Riyo is why Admiral Rampart is now spending his days in a prison cell."
"Unfortunately, that was the only good thing to happen," Ivy said, "with the bill passed, more and more clones are being left unemployed. We're not even given citizenship status."
F scowls, "as expected from the Empire. At least clones aren't forced to serve, correct? Haven't people tried to, through other means, make the best of the situation?"
The clones exchange looks. F can sense complex feelings coursing through them. Red sighs, "Riyo has been trying her best to help, but it's far more complicated than you think."
"Especially for those who still see themselves as just a soldier," Jye said solemnly, "I knew that feeling too well myself until becoming a medic."
F nods, remembering the clones of Aradia and Corulag. At first, she thought they were just as brainwashed as the purge troopers. Now, looking past the rage still in her, there was a more human reason for why they still served. Having a roof over your head, food on the plate, and credits in your pocket. Not many places can guarantee all three, especially for a clone.
F can understand their plight, truly. However, it'll never make her forget the Temple.
F senses three new presences approach. "Oh, Commander Kreeygr," Eliash said, turning everyone's attention to the door. Kreeygr held something behind his back, and Gerrera and the Twi'lek Isval stood at the door. F noticed how intrigued the two were as if seeing something for the first time. Eliash points down the infirmary, "the separatist wounded are in room twelve, sir."
"Nope, I'm in the right place, doctor," Kreegyr sighed. F sensed he was almost shy. Not something she expected to see from a tough and formidable military commander. "Major," Anto said with a salute.
Red stood before Ivy's bed, crossing his arms defensively, "what do you want?"
Anto was upfront and got to the point, "I'm not gonna pretend you lot don't know what rhetoric the Separatist alliance spread about the clones and Jedi," he said. "Nor will I lie to your faces and say I had no hand in spreading such demeaning language."
"We made a couple of choice words about you seppies too," Jye said.
"Yeah, wanna hear them?" Ivy asks.
Anto gestures to the clones, "however, I always recognize the valor of a soldier, no matter what they are or who they identify as." F was surprised but not nearly as shocked as the clones were, especially once Anto pulled out a blue medal. "In the name of the Separatist Union," he said formally, "I humbly apologize for past defamation by the previous separatist government to soldiers of the galactic republic army. We recognize the sacrifices you made in the war, to a government that turned its back on you, and the vital roles each of you played when we needed you."
The room turned silent, with even some other patients catching sight of the scene. There was a good amount of former republic fighters around them, none ever expecting to see a separatist speak to a clone that way. Red stared at the medal, quietly saying, "what is this?"
"The medal of valor," Anto explained, "a decoration issued by the Separatist military to any whom they deemed has distinguished themselves by incredible acts of valor." He looks back at Isval and Saw, saying, "I've handed a few to their troops, recognizing their fallen comrades. Those who helped your sister defend the base's ion cannon, and others who fought with your brother in defending the shield generator. Now I'm decorating this for your squad."
F glimpses at Ivy and Jye, both their faces contorted. Not disgusted by the gesture but also not fully accepting. Red stays tense, suspicious even, saying, "I see that...but what is THIS?" His hand gesturing between them, their uniforms still bearing the decorations and colors of their former governments.
Anto answered plainly, "this can either be a one-time event between old enemies or the first step to building something new together in the future. A far future, but one in which the people might require your people's help once more to achieve."
Red lowers his arms, less guarded, "and why now?"
"We all know the Empire will return, and this evacuation won't be over when they do. Anything could happen to us between now and when the last transport leaves, so let's not leave any business unfinished."
F still sensed apprehension in Red. Some things simply can't be forgotten. Then Ivy sat up, surprising everyone as she used her one good arm to take the medal. "We're honored, Kreegyr," Ivy smirked, "though, if we are ever to meet again, perhaps just some nice wine would be nice."
F hides her smile, amazed at Ivy's willingness to take the initiative. "Sure, I second that," Jye shrugs. Red doesn't drop his stern gaze but nods in acceptance of the medal.
"I'll be sure to remember," Anto smirked.
"Oh, do we get to request beer too?" Saw sarcastically asks.
"Keep pushing my buttons, anarchist," Anto grumbled.
"Thank you for the recognition. I try my best."
The room erupts in laughter. F saw even Anto try to hide a chuckle beneath his beard.
"Well, now I've seen everything," Isval said, leaving with Saw and Anto as everyone returned to their business.
"Think it looks best on me?" Ivy asks, trying to pose with the medal.
Red shakes his head, "never thought I see the day, right, Commander?"
She nods, getting up and out of the room to approach Kreeyger. "Commander," she said, catching his attention. "I should've said this sooner, but...I'm sorry for losing most of your squadron up there."
Anto sighs, a solemn look as he looks down. "If it were any other Jedi, I would've condemned their incompetence. But not you," he said, earning a surprised look from F. He shrugs, "You're still a kid. Besides, war is war, and war is hell. Remember that."
F nods, and Anto leaves. She acknowledges his advice when an alert rings across the base. Every soldier turned off the music, stopped the chatter, and listened carefully.
[Attention Faro base. Several imperial carriers have landed on the other side of the continent. All personnel report to their respective commanders and follow their orders to prepare defenses. The next transport has been delayed to twenty-one hundred tonight. Report to all stations immediately.]
F grips her lightsaber as the silence stops. Every soldier gets in one more smoke before commencing work.
/-/-/-/-/-/
Clouds formed above, the sky turning a violet grey as a low mist creeps in. The tall, dense forest before them remained quiet, with the wildlife still relatively active. Leaning against a soft rock, she huddled beneath her cloak, staring at the forest. Having seen their kind during longer campaigns, the front trenches were familiar to F. They were technically two, connected with tight pathways with the rear holding the supply depots, hiding holes for artillery and mortar holes. Up top were sandbags where snipers and others could pick off the enemy at a distance. The front lines were where all the action would happen, a relatively simple trenchwork, where rifles and turrets could shred droves of troopers in minutes.
The foundation was there, but F saw the cracks in their defenses while not spotting one comfortable spot of mud to rest on.
"A little more forward!" Isval shouts to a large construction vehicle, towing in material to build bunkers. F saw dozens of Twi'leks adding on missing sandbags and test-mounted armaments. The whole perimeter under their control was a radius of a little over two miles, meaning from the northern trenches to the southern trenches was over four miles long. A light string of forest connected to the larger one to their north and west lines divided this portion, sitting a kilometer before the secondary, inner trenches. F reminds herself that the terrain is rocky within their lines, decaying huts and rock formations like arches and tors scattered about.
"You want me to build what?" F's engineer Ketta shouts a habit she's starting to notice whenever he's panicked.
"Look at the sap," Captain Klo of the Rodian forces said, "it's extremely sticky but hardens like a rock when heated quickly." He hands schematics his demolition people made, "land these at that a tank's traction. It'll be one heck of a headache to the driver."
Ketta turns to F, who nods for a go-ahead. He groans and begins reviewing the schematics, "should've told me earlier. I'll barely get it done in time."
Behind F were Jye and Eliash sorting supply depots along with their equipment. F was hesitant to get Eliash quickly back to the fight, but she also proved herself when the Insurgents needed her. F asks her, "you ready for this?"
"I'm trying to, as you can see," she nervously replied.
"Hey, don't overpack, doctor," Jye said.
"Why?"
"Either find a more secure bag like mine or dump anything fragile."
"My stuff will be fine."
"Not in battle, it won't. That's a classic rookie mistake," Jye insisted, helping her keep only the essentials.
F ponders if he could make for a good mentor one day; his knowledge of medicine and anatomy was astounding. They're sure it's something he thought of at least once. Footsteps trudging through the dirt catch F's attention as Red returns. She asks, "what did Saw and Senessa say?"
"Partisan scouts haven't detected any signatures from the east, nor have the Mirialans in the southern lines," Red pants after walking such a trek. "However, here's the concern: the base's computers know where the empire is stationed but can't accurately track their armies' movements."
Jye and Eliash notice their conversation, listening as F asks, "are they jamming us?"
"Most likely. The tech here is a little run down doesn't help either." Red squats down, noticing F hasn't looked away from the forest. He asks, "how about you? Do you sense them?"
F squints her eyes, "I do."
Now, Jye and Eliash get out of the trench and look out too. A worried Eliash asks, "where?"
"...everywhere."
The three shuddered at the answer. Red stands up, speaking to his comms, "Saw, Senessa, pull back your scouts' regiments right now."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
Jye pulls out his binoculars, asking F, "how close are they?"
"From how close they're getting, we have two days."
Jye nods to Red, leaving with him to tell any squad leader, "start building now! Commander's orders!"
Eliash nervously clenches an Alderaanian amulet beneath her chest plate, "can you sense how many?"
"No, but it feels like a wave of metal and fear," F answered. She could almost hear metal cranking, their machines mowing down foliage to pass as wildlife ran from the foreign invaders.
Eliash almost scoffs, "fear? Who or what could they be afraid of?"
"The one who's leading them."
Red and Jye, still nearby, catch F's answer. Red asks, "you referring to Frost?"
"No, it's a Sith." The trio fell silent. The air suddenly felt cold even when uttering the dark order's name. Eliash was confused, only hearing the name in dark tales from a thousand years ago. However, Red and Jye were more than familiar with the name and took it immensely seriously. To them, such a name was only associated with death. "I faced her before," F says, "she's like a vortex of darkness, feeding off the fear of her troops and ours."
Eliash is the first to ask, "what can we do?"
They watched as F stood up, lightsaber in hand. "Relay this," she said, "the moment anyone spots this Sith, run. Leave her to me."
Eliash was quickly baffled. With all the ominous talk, wouldn't F need all the help they can get? However, Red and Jye quickly agreed, "copy that, F, and good luck," Red said.
The two clones walk away, but Eliash follows. "They can't be serious about facing that alone," she said.
"Trust them," Jye said with not one shred of doubt. "Let me put it like this: can you imagine what wiping out whole regiments of clones looks like?"
Eliash grimaces, "I think so."
"A Sith will do far worse. They're demons who leave a trail of death and desolation."
Red's hand is placed on Eliash's shoulder. He looks up at the Jedi, saying, "they're the only ones who can beat a Sith. We've seen Jedi do it before."
Eliash nods, suddenly unwell, and dashes past them to attend to other matters.
"What about Frost, Red?"
The major sighs with worry, still feeling the burns from their last duel. "Let's survive this fight first," he answered, patting his brother's back before returning to duty.
Alone, F catches whispers of the dark creep closer to her, calling her to use its power. She holds her saber before her, closing her eyes and meditating to ward off the darkness. All the Jedi can do is wait for the evitable tide of machines and keep as many good people as possible alive.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Heavy rain drenched the region, and F's heels dug into the ground as the rain turned dirt into soggy mud. The mist grew so thick in some areas that it was difficult to see anything a kilometer away. F could see well enough, her senses blaring that an attack would happen at any moment.
Time passed, and the Insurgents built whatever defenses they could and were stationed across the whole front. In total, twenty-thousand soldiers were ready for a fight. Overhead, F hears another transport leave the atmosphere, marking the total Insurgents evacuated at over fifty thousand. Each soldier beside her knew the risks of this battle and could sense each of them ready to fight tooth and nail against the empire for their chance at freedom. If they fell on this day, it was to ensure their buddy next to them was to make it out. These were more than good soldiers. They were brave men, women, and non-conforming people who spat at the empire's face.
F has led a few hundred scouts over a kilometer into the forest, dug into foxholes, and is ready to warn the main line if they hear even a whisper of the empire. Red and Jye were stationed with other Insurgent commanders, and with her was Eliash, carrying a blaster pistol. She was still gripping her medallion tightly, but F was surprised by her resilience despite her nerves. For a first-time combat medic, she showed remarkable bravery and kept her cool under this air of tension. F saw how simply the tension of waiting for the enemy made some crack under pressure, but not Eliash.
"Family?" F asks, her gaze focused ahead but figured some last words wouldn't hurt.
Eliahs shakes her head, "my mentor."
F nods, "a member of the medics-for-all organization? I've seen their camps at every battle's aftermath."
"You've probably seen him then," Eliash smiles, "after he left, I'd write letters of how he was doing, and every time he replied, he was at a whole other system. He was the kindest man I had known. Threw away his safety to help countless patients."
F feels the darkness loom over the air, "how did he die?"
Eliash bites her lips, shutting her eyes at the memory of receiving that last letter. "It was after I got my license...killed along with a large medical camp vaporized by Separatist bombardment, where Grievous was reportedly sighted."
"Sounds like that monster's doing."
Eliash loosens her grip on the medallion, the only thing that survived the attack. "After that...I guess I felt that I had to continue his legacy."
F eyes lower, "I know how you feel."
Eliash chuckles under her breath, "if he saw where I am now, he'd probably-"
BOOM!
The earth suddenly trembled, a faint echo of the impact gone before most could notice. However, F did notice, signaling Eliash to pause as she placed her hand on the ground.
BOOM!
Another is heard, this time faster than before. Whispers erupt amongst the scouts. F felt her hand tremble from the shake, the vibrations of what was coming feeling not too far away. Her senses blared at her, too, warning of imminent danger. 'Something big is here,' F thought, standing up and readying her blade.
BOOM!
All the scouts registered that something was coming, each subsequent rocking of the earth growing stronger with the booms sounding louder.
"We're detecting multiple signatures!" one scout shouts in the distance.
Eliash shouts as every nerve in her body tells her to run, "what's causing that shaking?!"
F looks up past the dense brush of branches and illuminated leaves above. Lighting flashes above, and F gasps at what the light briefly revealed. Whatever that was, it was tall and powerful. "Fall back!" F ordered, "the empire's here!"
Multiple bursts of fire and plasma exploded across the forest bed, coating the air with carbon smoke and mud—plasma bolts spring from out of the darkness with the white colors of TK trooper's armor barely visible. F saw several squads already running to their lines but saw several didn't survive the initial wave of enemy fire, which didn't let up.
"F, run!" Eliash said, firing her blaster as she ran.
Another series of heavy explosions hit a retreating squad, and F ignites her lightsaber, its glowing brilliance causing all imperials to pause in shock. "I'll hold them off!" F shouts, already deflecting shots back at the troopers while using her enhanced speed to advance. After taking cover from heavy blasters, she'd use the Force to fling them high into the air or get close and personal with her lightsaber. Her many previous battles trained her for this scenario many times before, and these new TK troopers were no different from clones, battle droids, or others who made the mistake of attacking a Jedi.
However, she was careful with her power, ensuring the Force didn't rupture vital organs with each throw. Her blade was precise, cutting only their weapons and areas of the body that didn't kill but wouldn't allow the trooper to carry a heavy blaster again. Within minutes, squads of TK's were lying across the forest, incapacitated. F sensed most of the scouts made it back. A powerful plasma cannon strikes the earth before her, flinging her back hard. She caught herself, but her ears rang as she looked up at the empire's new Imperial armored terror, the AT-AT walker.
F dodges its next attack, using the trees to gain some elevation before leaping onto one of its legs. She jams her lightsaber into one of its thick joints before leaping higher and clinging to the head of the beast. She slices open the top and incapacitates the small crew with a flurry of strong jabs and kicks. Locating a detonator on one of them, she tosses it into the main body before using Force to tear off the head of the AT-AT. She leaps onto a tree as the head plummets, watching the body explode in a tremendous explosion and tumble over, defeated.
Her breath is heavy, her heart beating fast from the effort to destroy the machine and its supporting troops. "One down," she huffed when the lightning began to kick up. Squinting in the dark, she felt the trembling continue, this time in greater numbers. A series of lightning strikes reveal the true first wave: over a dozen more AT-ATs with several smaller AT-STs below and who knows how many troopers close behind this wall of steel. F tries to steel herself at such impossible odds, leaping down as the first wave begins attacking and dashing back to the frontlines where the others waited.
"They're back!" Eliash cheered as F slid down to the trench.
"How many you spot, commander?" Red asked
"A lot."
"Ahh, so usual then," Jye tried to joke, but the hail of plasma fire quickly switched to battle mode, and the insurgent forces fought back.
In this first battle phase, F fell back to old instincts and kept up morale for the insurgents up and down the line. It was a tried-and-true tactic, the sight of her shining blade deflecting enemy fire that would rip through defenses and using the mystic Force to blow away any squad of TKs trying to advance. It made any soldier believe in a Jedi's power and that something greater was on their side. F worked with Eliash and Jye to direct the wounded out of the frontlines while coordinating with Red on where to concentrate fire and where mortars should target next.
Everywhere along the miles-long frontlines, other fronts were being hit hard, too, but their commander's leadership and quick thinking of unconventional tactics were able to buy them time. F spots heavy enemy artillery hitting Anto's sector, dashing toward the to see several wounded and a wave of TK troopers trying to break through. F dived into the trench and sliced through any TK fighting an Insurgent, directing reinforcements back to key positions to counterattack. She spots Anto living up to his reputation, heartily laughing as he fires his powerful slug thrower shotgun, tearing through TK troopers like butter with its widespread pellets. Sometimes a single shot decimates three at once.
"Death to the Fascists, brothers, and sisters!" he cried, rallying his separatist forces who roar with him, securing the line.
'Really is a true believer,' F observed before running down the line, eventually finding the partisans being hit by an AT-AT walker and a few smaller AT-ST walkers.
"Mortars aren't doing squat to that monster!" Red shouts, firing his blaster at a squad of TKs.
"Give me cover and leave it to me," F ordered, already getting in position.
"Partisans!" Saw shouts, "ready ion grenades for those walkers."
As Saw's signal, F leaps over the top and deflects incoming blaster fire, dodging heavier fire from the walkers. Several ion grenades are launched, striking two walkers and disrupting their systems. With an opening, F incapacitates several troopers, throwing her lightsaber to slice off the legs of the small walkers before leaping up the AT-AT. Once on the metal beast's back, she slashes its neck until it falls off, rendering the rest of its body useless. A roar of cheers erupts from the insurgents, feeling stronger than ever with a Jedi on their side.
F ready herself to jump when the headless AT-AT explodes and tumbles over. She catches sight of three more AT-ATs approaching. She leaps off in time and runs past the frontline. "Fall back to secondary positions!" she orders. Seeing another large battalion of troops rushing towards them with new walkers beside them convinces the Insurgents to flee with the Jedi. F might not have noticed any clever tactics being used by the empire but now sees that they didn't need such tactics. With such immense numbers on their side, supported by such imposing armored vehicles, carelessly throwing as many lives as possible was all the strategy the Empire needed to overwhelm them.
"Covering fire!" Red ordered as Jye and others fired back until all the Insurgents ditched the trenches, though not without some presents. Once the TK troopers reached the lines, Saw grabbed his detonator and imploded several mines in the trenches, causing many casualties and making a plum of dust and smoke behind them.
F runs as explosions from AT-AT cannons ripple the battlefield. She skids to a stop to unveil a hidden stash of amber bombs with grenade launchers to fire them. Luckily, Isval, some of her Twi'lek faction, caught up to the Jedi first. "Remember, aim for the joints," F reminds her, "it won't stop them, but it should slow their advance, even the big ones. Now go!" Isval and the Twi'leks grab as many bombs as they carry and enter positions. F runs up the line, avoiding another barrage of cannon fire when she spots Eliash with a team of Naboo medics carrying for a few wounded in a foxhole.
"I've stopped the bleeding!" she said, tending to a wounded Rodian.
F stops when she sees an AT-AT target its blaster at Eliash's team. With no time to lose, F gets in front of the blaster. Tilting her lightsaber to a guard position like her master had taught her, firmly digging her heels into the mud. The Force was with her, and her mind was centered, concentrated only on the plasma. F practically became a steel wall. A bright flash of yellow and red ignited as F tanked the blast, the bones of her forearms shaken, almost as if they were about to shatter. Luckily, Hitoshi taught them well, and F deflected the blast back at the enemy and struck some unfortunate AT-ST in its path.
However, F instantly knew she couldn't tank such a move again. "Run!" she commanded the group, covering their retreat by deflecting small arms fire. They felt like pellet guns in comparison to the AT-AT's firepower. With the wounded taken away, F dashes out of the way from another hail of cannon fire, dodging an incoming rocket and using the Force to divert another to explode harmlessly in the sky. She noticed Isval's people getting to work jamming the walker's joints, the glowing green sap hardening upon their fiery impact and locking the metal in place.
F held her ground, deflecting fire as insurgents slowly fell back, the wave of TK troopers appearing almost endless. With every TK wounded or killed, three more took their place and kept fighting. The same couldn't be said for them. F saw dozens of bodies littered about the battlefield, most fighting to the end, with some trying to carry a wounded friend to safety.
"Commander, over here!" F hears Red shout, waving to her to take cover with his group in a half-destroyed stone hut. She dashes towards the group who cover her, sliding into the large hut and finding Jye with him.
"Haven't been this pinned down since Geonosis," Jye chuckled, "you Jedi always know where the fun is, don't ya?"
"At least someone is enjoying themselves," F pants.
"Oh no, I'm terrified," Jye admits, "but it helps to laugh through it, you know?"
Once F catches her breath, she asks Red, "what's the situation?"
"Not great," Red summarized, "the enemy's armor is slowed down, and I received word that the southern and eastern lines are still holding on. But that's where the good news ends. The western front is shattered, and Anto's forces are now falling back with us. The Partisans and Ryloth forces are covering our retreat, the best they can, at least."
"Where are Senessa's forces?"
"Most have fallen back, but Senessa's company is out there covering a Rodian battalion's retreat."
"They should be back by now," F mutters before using her mask's comms to connect to the Mirialan. "Lady Senessa, I order you to retreat. Red and I can provide-"
"Forget us! Go!" Senessa screamed over the comms, shocking the Jedi.
She barely heard Senessa amid the blaster fire and screaming on the commander's end. However, one noise that stood out to F was the hum of a lightsaber. 'That sound is that the-?!'
"Argh! She's too powerful!" Senessa yelled as if she had gotten hit by something. F heard footsteps approaching the commander before she ordered them, "save yourselves! Ruuu-!"
F grunts nervously as the connection cuts off. "I've got her location," she told red's squad, "follow me; we're getting any remaining insurgents out of there. Don't look back when you do. Keep going until you hit the secondary trenches."
"What about you?" Red asks.
"I'll do what I'm here for," F answered, leading the group through fire, rain, and enemy blasters until coming across the remnants of the Rodians and Mirialans units. Dozens run out of orange and red smoke, many without blasters, with some trudging through the mud in a shell-shocked state, some of their limbs cut off with visible burn marks. F gasps to see some insurgents thrown out of the smoke. Upon seeing a faint glow, she readies her lightsaber and gets in front of her forces as they get wounded. Quickly, however, she still sensed the young Sith nearby but not in front of her. Instead, she saw Frost's purple lightsaber and two purge troopers.
Red and Jye saw him, aiming their blasters when they did. "Frost, stop this!" Red shout, "it doesn't have to end this way."
Frost kept his cold stare at F, who glared back, "you can't beat me, Frost."
"I have no choice," he uttered, rushing at F show, who parries the three purge troopers' attacks—Red and Jye close in, using their blasters to stagger the enemy. The group was so focused on this skirmish that F was the only one to notice the sounds of a TIE squadron diving at them. She blocks an overhead slash, using the Force to push Red and Jye away when the powerful TIE cannons implode the area and send F high into the air.
She blacked out for a second until the sounds of war and incoming shells shocked her into consciousness. F gasps, ears ringing as mud and blood coat her forehead and clothes. She looked back to see most of the purge troopers were dead, and the TIEs were being picked off the remaining Citrus Squadron. "My lightsaber," F whispers, not feeling it on her, and scours the mud for it. She could sense the crystal somewhere, but it was hard to tell with her ears ringing. F shakes her head, trying to clear her senses, then her hair raises, warning of an attack. She dodges out of a swing from Frost, his attacks wild but dangerous before one slash strikes F's thigh. It wasn't bad, but it knocked her to the floor, leaving her open to an attack. She got a good look at his face and shuddered at the sight.
Only half of it still had Frost's distinct features. The other half, well, it was something F would never forget and never forgive the Empire for. Frost clenches his face in shame, trying vainly to hide it, "d-don't look at me."
"Frost," F said empathically.
"Don't look at me!" He lashes out, raising his lightsaber high before being tackled to the ground by Red and jamming a vibro-blade to his back.
"We got you, kid," Jye said, helping F up and using a bacta spray on her wound.
"Always looking out for me," F says, spotting Red and Frost in a fistfight, with neither brother winning. Every time Frost reached for his lightsaber, Red would stop him with a clean punch or jab, but Frost's new strength made him difficult to defeat.
"Is this what good soldiers do, Frost?!" Red derides his brother, punching him to the ground. "Executing your friends? Betraying family?!"
Frost tries to kick him off, "you don't get it! The Empire, the Sith, are capable of things seen in nightmares! I've heard Jedi suffering fates worse than death, but I can make it quick for F, save them from the Sith."
Red rage boils as such an excuse, "how noble of you, traitor!"
F sensed both their hate take over. The fight was quickly getting out of hand. "Hurry."
"I know."
"They're going to kill each other!"
"I know!"
F gasps when her senses pick up her crystal, roughly a yard away. She reaches out with the Force when the air turns deathly cold, that vortex of darkness closing in to destroy them all. She glances at Red and Frost, the former gaining the upper hand until a faint red glow emerges from the smoke.
"You're good, go!" Jye shouts, but it is too late.
A thunderous wave of the dark side blows all of them away, the power of it sending F flying. She uses the Force to shield herself and spots a glint in the air, her lightsaber. She reaches out her hand, pulling it to her as she crashes through a rock. Nothing broke, but it still hurt like hell, making it a struggle to get up. She squints to see Red barely moving, his arm seemingly broken from being so close to the Inquisitor. Nearby, Jye was dazed, too but showed no significant wounds.
Frost, thanks to his enhancements, was already on his feet. The shroud of the Inquisitor closes behind him. He grabs his blaster pistol, aiming directly at F. 'Frost, don't,' she thought. Even if she deflects the blast in time, the Inquisitor was right there to take the opportunity to either immobilize her or attack with the Force.
Then a third option presented itself. A plasma bolt is fired, and the intense, concentrated heat of energy flies and burns through flesh. However, this flesh was not one of a Jedi but of a clone. F is stunned, silent to see Jye leap before her, taking the plasma bolt to the chest.
F instantly sensed her heart dropping in anguish over the familiar feeling. Commando Sergeant Jye was dead before his body fell to the ground. A brief silence hangs over the battlefield, Frost dropping his blaster, his hands trembling. "No..." From his despair, the death of Jye, and the Jedi's quiet anguish, the Inquisitor relished it all, using it to strengthen her power.
"How adorable, isn't it?" she said with mockery, "seeing little toy soldiers playing hero, thinking it'll make you real boys. Blinded to the truth, ALL your tales are just a tragedy."
"NO!" Red screams echo across the field, grabbing a blaster to fire at the two. Frost didn't try to evade, saved only by the Inquisitor deflecting the bolts until sending one right at red's hand.
She stuns him in place with the Force and looks down at the purple lightsaber. "Leave the Jedi to me," she said, goading him softly, "but I'll throw you a treat, toy. Go, prove finally you're the better brother and remain a valuable part of the Empire's collection. Safe and needed."
Frost stares at his brother while Red takes a deep breath, his rage fading and accepting whatever comes next. Let these sociopaths play with their captured prey, so long as it gave time for F and others to retreat. He was content with that. "Do it," he told Frost, "Do what I taught you."
Frost reaches down for the lightsaber, ignites its blade, and points directly at red's face. The Inquisitor smiled beneath her glass mask, loving the suppressed dread in Red of being slain by his brother; it was almost intoxicating.
Red doesn't shield his eyes as Frost raises the blade, wanting to make sure Frost remembers the look in his eyes. "Red..." Frost said. Red expected these to be the final words he heard. "...since when have I ever listened to you?"
In a startling flash, the lightsaber swung not at Red but at the Inquisitor! The attack is blocked effortlessly. The Inquisitor's strength overpowers him and shoves him back. Frost throws the saber away, rolling back and grabbing his blaster. His quick draw was very fast, but it didn't match up to the Inquisitor. In a harrowing red blaze of light, the red lightsaber burns through flesh, severing Frost's left forearm. Despite his modifications suppressing the pain, Frost still screamed, echoing in the sky. It would cause any person to quiver at such a painful cry, but not for the Inquisitor who licks her lips.
"Ahhh, pure music to the ears," she sighs, "been too long since I heard such a beautiful aria."
Red is suddenly set free by the Inquisitor, and at that moment, he's usually so calm and rational in thinking out of predicaments like this. However, he just saw his brother murdered, and now another was howling in pain, both because of this darkness. He threw all rational aside and charged at her with a vibro-knife, buts scrap only armor. The Inquisitor twirls and punctures his lower abdomen with her lightsaber. Red hisses in pain as the Inquisitor twists the blade, ensuring he remembers such pain.
The Inquisitor pulls back, and Force pushes Red to Frost. Both clones to wounded to fight back against such power. "This is why the galaxy doesn't need clones anymore," the Inquisitor said in a low, heartless tone. She raises her blade, "useless toy soldiers." The blade fell fast for both their necks but never reached them. Instead, it stopped an inch over the clones. The Inquisitor's muscles tighten, suddenly unable to move. "What?!"
She is flung forward and tumbles over the mud, her eyes searing with hate at the one responsible for stopping her. "You!"
Standing tall and determined was a Jedi shrouded in a dark cloak with a fierce blue mask and piercing blue eyes. Padawan F, her left hand held out while clenching Frost's lightsaber used the Force to stop the Inquisitor's carnage. Her eyes were faintly red from mourning the loss of another friend, but that sadness has faded, replaced with full resoluteness to end all this. Strong winds bellowed, a sensation of otherworldly power revibrating from F calling on the Force to aid her once more. The Inquisitor stood up, unshaken by this intimidation, and let her rage refuel her power.
Around them, the battle rages on in the distance, and Frost lugs Red away from this clash.
"In the name of the Jedi," F utters, planting her heels firmly on the ground, "you will face the consequences for all you have done, Sith."
The Inquisitor ignites her lightsaber, gripping it with both hands and enters a dueling stance. "Come, little Jedi," she hissed, "your death shall be my ascension to true power."
F ignites her lightsabers, raising the violet blade to a defensive stance while her yellow blade shifts into an offensive stance. The tension in the air was palpable as the chilling power of the dark side roared against the warm, serene energy of the Force. F takes a steady breath, ready to face this evil.
"For light and life..."
A/N: Woo-hoo! Time to take part in another Star Wars tradition. I hope you all are excited because this arc has just two chapters left, with this next one focused entirely on our first real duel.
I quite enjoyed the finale of the Bad Batch S2, and I am enjoying the latest season of the Mandalorian quite a bit. Also, to those who know about Saw Gerrera's appearance, I will chalk it up to one of his more covert missions during his time in the Insurgency—essentially taking place during F's time on Brentaal IV. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Stay safe out there