The Endurance, caught in Vanqor's gravitational pull, plummeted into the planet's atmosphere in a bulk of fire and metal. Anakin clenched his jaw as he watched its descent. The odds of Admiral Killian, Commander Ponds, and his three navigational officers surviving the crash were slim.
"General Skywalker, this is Sergeant Crasher, come in," the voice sounded through his ship's comm.
Anakin tied the Sergeant into his and Windu's open line. "Go ahead, Sergeant."
"Sir, we have a problem. It's the cadets. I can't raise them on any channel and their locator beacon isn't responding. Theirs is the only pod unaccounted for."
"Sounds like our saboteur may have gotten to the cadets," Windu mused.
Crashed hesitated. "Generals, you should know - Healer Skywalker was in that pod."
Anakin momentarily froze. Adrina was missing. He gripped the steering column - knuckles white underneath his gloves. He took a calming breath and said, "We have to find that pod." There was no reason to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that the saboteur was involved in the missing pod; the pod may have simply been damaged when it launched. Either way, finding it was of utmost priority.
"Skywalker and I will go after the cadets," Windu said. "Deploy a few men to the surface to retrieve Admiral Killian and his navigation officers. Once the cadets are secured, we'll join the men on the surface."
"At once, General. Our medics are securing the injured as best they can, but we cannot delay too long in getting them to a hospital ship." Sergeant Crasher signed off.
"R2, plot a course for their pod's trajectory," Anakin said. He continued to work through his breathing exercises to manage his anger and anxiety.
Anakin and Windu followed the pod's trajectory while R2 and R8 scanned the surrounding area. Finally, R8 trilled. Hooking right, Anakin and Windu cast eyes on the missing pod. Through the viewport of his fighter, Anakin counted three cadets. He frowned.
While Windu notified Sergeant Crasher, Anakin closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. Dread pooled in his gut. "We have a problem," Anakin said. "Adrina isn't on board."
"I don't sense her either," Windu murmured. "I have sent Sergeant Crasher the coordinates; he will be here momentarily with the surviving transport. Then we will discover what has happened."
0
Castas jammed the butt of his rifle into Adrina's back when the ship's ramp touched Vanqor's rocky soil. Adrina intentionally stumbled down the ramp. Castas snickered. The bounty hunters thought her weak and harmless - and she had no desire to dissuade them from such beneficial notions. The rough rope dug into her wrists and cloth still gagged her, but her legs remained unfettered.
Adrina squinted against the sunlight as her eyes adjusted from the dimness of the cargo hold to the midday sun. Vanqor was a rocky, barren planet. Aurra had set the Slave 1 down behind a large outcropping of rocks. Judging by the smoke billowing up beyond the outcropping, the Endurance crash site was some distance away - no doubt to stay out of range of any rescue crew's scanners. Slave 1 perched atop an outcropping, too, Adrina realized. Just a few feet beyond the ship, the ground dropped off into nothing but air. In front of the ship, a small strip of land spiraled down the rock face, restricting access to the ship.
Strategic - and potentially useful.
"Castas, you stay with the ship and the hostage," Aurra ordered. "We're going to leave a little present for Windu when he valiantly checks for survivors. Think you can handle one hostage?"
Castas sneered and shoved Adrina to the ground. Her breath wooshed out at the impact, but she kept silent. "I think I can handle this pathetic Jedi."
Pathetic - excellent.
Being left with only Castas, however, was less excellent. Her plan relied on Boba staying behind, as well. She should have guessed Aurra wouldn't allow Boba to leave her sight.
Options and possibilities raced through Adrina's mind. Taking out Castas now would well and truly divest her captors of the belief that she was helpless, robbing her of a valuable asset and perhaps risking losing any hope of gaining Boba's trust. She weighed the risk.
As much as rescuing Boba was a priority, reality settled hard on her mind. Boba attempted to assassinate Master Windu, destroying an entire star destroyer in the process - with an unknown number of casualties. If she brought him to Coruscant, he would rightfully be convicted and imprisoned. If she abandoned him, he would continue to spiral down his path of anger into a life of crime with a warrant for his arrest. Perhaps in prison he might find the help he needed - help that he would never hope to receive with the likes of Aurra Sing.
Could she sacrifice her relationship with Boba if it meant getting him what he needed?
Yes. Yes, she could.
Adrina's eyes swung to Castas, who watched the others mount on speeder bikes. Adrina's chest clenched. Boba tucked their father's helmet under his arm. No doubt it would be part of a symbolic message.
Adrina closed her eyes. She focused on the ropes binding her wrists behind her back. She relaxed her body, allowing the Force to flow through her, enveloping her in its familiar, warm embrace.
The speeder bikes roared to life and then were gone.
Castas chuckled. "It's just you and me now, Jedi."
Her binds and gag loosened and fell to the ground.
"Yes. It is." She opened her eyes and stood. "Unfortunate for you."
Castas growled and when he lunged, Adrina smiled.
0
Obi-Wan stood at the bridge viewport, arms folded, as the ship streaked past the stars. Following the withdrawal of the order to Mandalore, Obi-Wan and his forces were temporarily redirected on their way back to the Outer Rim.
But Obi-Wan had a bad feeling - not about his own mission, but about Adrina's. Since leaving Coruscant, that feeling had only grown. He had no reason to suspect anything was amiss. After all, Master Windu's last transmission informed the Council of the Clone Youth Brigade's arrival.
"General," Commander Cody stepped up behind him. "Transmission for you from General Skywalker. Urgent."
Obi-Wan's heart sank. He strode to the briefing room, Cody following behind. With the press of a button, Anakin and Windu's hologram materialized. Anakin immediately cut off Windu. "Adrina's been taken."
Obi-Wan's arms dropped to his side. Ice coursed through his veins, his heart frozen in his chest. "What?" He exclaimed, louder than intended. He cleared his throat. "Pardon me. What happened?"
Windu turned disapproving eyes from Anakin. "We are rerouting you to our location; you are the closest and most easily spared."
Obi-Wan nodded to Cody, who stepped to the side to quietly relay the order to the navigation officers. "What happened? I thought this was a training mission."
"It was," Anakin said. "But Boba Fett managed to weasel his way on board and tried to kill Master Windu." He jutted his thumb to Windu.
"Nearly succeeded, too," Windu grunted. "He took the whole star destroyer down. It just crashed on Vanqor."
The news continued to worsen.
"Adrina was in an escape pod with some of the youth brigade," Anakin said. "Apparently also with Boba Fett. According to the cadets in the pod with them, Boba was working with a group of bounty hunters led by Aurra Sing and they showed up to collect Boba. Adrina offered herself as a hostage in exchange for the cadets' lives."
His heart plummeted. He swallowed down curses in every language he knew. "Of all the foolhardy… I told her to be careful!" Anakin's eyes narrowed and he folded his arms, appraising Obi-Wan.
"Her actions saved the cadets," Windu stated. "Nevertheless, our priority now is recovering Healer Skywalker before she can be sold to the Separatists."
Obi-Wan scrubbed his face. "What leads do we have to recover her?"
Anakin and Windu exchanged a glance. Anakin continued, "We sent men to the surface to recover Admiral Killian and the four men who stayed with him. They found the nav officers executed, but no sign of Admiral or Ponds. They may have been sucked into space, but they also found Jango Fett's helmet. Which exploded when they hurled it off the wreckage."
"Good thinking on your part, Skywalker."
Anakin almost grinned. "Good thing we found the cadets when we did so we could warn the rescue crew."
Obi-Wan frowned. "The bounty hunters left a trap?"
"Probably intended for me," Windu said. "The clones scanned the area after the bomb went off; the hunters didn't stick around to watch the trap be sprung."
"There is a chance the bounty hunters took the Admiral and Commander Ponds hostage." Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "But three hostages - one of them a Jedi. It's risky, even for Aurra Sing. That is a lot of hostages to control."
"There's always drugs." Anakin shrugged. "That's how the slavers do it."
"They know their plans to assassinate me failed," Windu said. "I believe we will be hearing from them soon, no doubt leveraging the hostages for my compliance before selling them to the Separatists. Healer Skywalker would no doubt fetch a hefty ransom."
That's what he was afraid of. "Undoubtedly," Obi-Wan agreed.
Windu's com link beeped and he excused himself.
Anakin turned back to Obi-Wan. "I wouldn't be surprised if Adrina rescues herself," Anakin muttered. "She may not be trained, but she's a ruthless scrapper. She grew up on Tatooine, and I was a scrawny kid. She stepped into the fray for me a lot."
"I know," Obi-Wan sighed. "But we both know Adrina. Her goal wasn't just to save the cadets - it was also to get to Boba. I'm afraid she'll jeopardize her own life if it means helping Boba."
Adrina had to be alright. She had to survive. Obi-Wan closed his eyes.
She had to be alright.
Anakin hesitated. "Adrina can handle herself," he said finally. "She's tough."
But even through the hologram, Anakin's uncertainty rang clear.
0
During her time at the Temple, Adrina studied many things. Given her chosen profession, this included the particulars of many species' biologies and cultures. Coupled with her firsthand knowledge from her time on Tatooine, Adrina knew one thing about fighting Klatooinians: their size was as much a weakness as a strength, particularly for one as bulky as Castas. Fighters as big as Castas always relied on their weight to carry them through fights - an often effective strategy. But if Adrina played her cards correctly, she could bring him down without ever lifting a finger. It was a dangerous hand, but she would never best him should he get his hands on her. She would have to use her own size to her advantage.
Castas charged, faster than she expected. She ducked and side-stepped, but his hand closed around her sleeve. Adrina threw herself to the side, wrenching free. The momentum sent her sprawling. Castas dove after her. Adrina rolled out of his reach and sprung to her feet. Castas rose with a growl.
"Oh, I'm sorry. That wasn't very helpless of me," Adrina taunted. They circled each other. Adrina, as soon as her back was towards the ledge, began taking a small step backwards with each mocking word. "Or is it that you're just too weak to catch a pathetic little healer?" Adrina stopped and pretended to think. "That must be it."
Castas barreled towards her with a roar.
All it took was a simple side-step and nudge of the Force and Castas disappeared over the sheer drop.
Adrina closed her eyes when Castas' scream was cut short by an echoing thud. She felt his Force signature extinguish.
Adrina peered over the edge. Castas lay, limbs akimbo, on a ledge a decent way down, though he could have survived the fall were it not for the sharp rock protruding through his skull.
Castas was dead. And the only remorse she could bring herself to feel was that he died before seeing justice in a court of law.
Adrina turned away from the ledge and immediately froze. Caught up in surviving, she hadn't heard the returning speeder bikes. Aurra, Bossk, and Boba returned with Admiral Killian and Commander Ponds, bound, gagged, and unconscious.
Aurra pointed her blaster at Adrina. "Clever, Skywalker. I'll give you that. Away from the ledge."
Adrina held her hands up and inched away from the drop.
"I should have expected it from Jango Fett's daughter," Aurra sneered. "I won't make that mistake again."
And Adrina's world went dark.
0
Upon docking, Anakin and Windu joined Obi-Wan in the briefing room.
"Good." Obi-Wan said, dropping his hand from his beard. "We just received a transmission from the bounty hunters." They joined him at the holoviewer and Obi-Wan began the message.
Obi-Wan's heart once again stopped. Adrina lay in a heap at Admiral Killian and Commander Ponds' feet, unmoving.
No.
A raised eyebrow from Anakin snapped his attention back to the transmission.
Boba took a deep breath. When he spoke, his voice resonated with that unique blend of anger and hurt that could only be kindled by grief. "Mace Windu, you were lucky to escape. Your companions weren't so lucky."
Aurra stepped in. "Until you face Boba, these men will be killed. One. By. One." She looked down at Ponds. "What's your name?"
Ponds remained silent.
Aurra kicked him. "Name?"
"CT-411," Ponds ground out.
"Pathetic," Aurra scoffed. "Boba, do it."
Boba raised his blaster and held it to the back of Ponds' head. But he hesitated. In a split second, his bravado slipped.
Then Obi-Wan saw it - slight movement around Adrina's wrists. No, Obi-Wan realized. Her face tensed, almost imperceptibly.
"She's awake," Obi-Wan murmured. His shoulders drooped in relief. "She's alive."
"What?" Anakin said, distracted.
Obi-Wan pointed to Adrina. "Look at her face. The rope around her wrists. She's awake - she's breaking free."
"Not in time to save Ponds."
"Do it!" Aurra snapped, pulling the Jedi's attention back to the recording. When Boba still hesitated, a single shot rang out from Aurra's blaster and Ponds' collapsed on top of Adrina. "Only two to go, Windu. And I hear this one here," she nudged Adrina's head with the muzzle of her blaster, "Is special. Come and find us. We'll be waiting."
Obi-Wan's blood froze.
Adrina was running out of time.
"She won't do it," Anakin said with false confidence. "Adrina is more valuable alive and Sing knows it."
"Perhaps," Windu said.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "That is not a risk I am willing to take." He turned to Cody. "Work on tracing that transmission."
Cody snapped a salute. "Already on it, General."
Anakin and Windu dispersed to assist the troopers. Obi-Wan lingered at the frozen recording, staring at Adrina's face.
She was… Obi-Wan didn't know what Adrina was. She was his friend, but that seemed a poor descriptor to the void she filled. Anakin was his brother, but he would never describe Adrina as his sister. If she was more than a friend, then-
No. Obi-Wan stopped that line of thought in its tracks. There was nothing more than friendship. Not for him.
Never for him.
Obi-Wan dropped his arms and turned to the console.
He would save his friend if it was the last thing he did.
0
Ponds' weight pinned Adrina to the floor. She had regained consciousness moments before her captors began the ransom recording, but she followed her instinct to feign otherwise. Still, she began loosening her bonds, just enough to be able to wriggle out of them when the moment arose.
Aurra ended the recording and snapped at Boba for not shooting Ponds' when commanded.
Adrina's heart broke further.
Bossk nudged Ponds' body with his foot. "Great. What are we going to do with the body? I don't want it stinking up the ship."
"Just throw it out of the airlock." Aurra said the words with such nonchalance that Adrina clenched her jaw. "Come on, Boba."
Aurra and Boba disappeared up the ladder.
Bossk dragged Ponds off of Adrina, towards the airlock on the other side of the room.
And her moment came.
Her window of opportunity, once again, was small. If she botched the timing, she would be dead. Aurra wouldn't make the mistake of leaving her alive again.
Adrina opened her eyes and, waiting until Bossk moved to muffle the sound, pulled a hand free. With his superior Trandoshan hearing, stealth meant her life.
She regretted that her improvised plan would rob Ponds of a proper burial. Exhaling a breath, she pushed into a sitting position. Her right arm had gone numb and her head throbbed. She blinked away the double vision. Behind her, she sensed Admiral Killian still.
Bossk opened the airlock.
He tossed Ponds inside.
And Adrina seized the moment.
Jutting her left hand outward, she shoved Bossk with the Force. He tumbled over Ponds' body, deep into the airlock. And with a flick of her wrist, she closed the door behind him. Scrambling to her feet, Adrina hurried to the control panel by the door. Bossk launched himself at the door, banging on the glass with both fists, snarling.
With a single push of a button, the deed was done.
Bossk and Ponds jettisoned into the deep dark of space.
Adrina collapsed on the ground, clutching her pounding head.
Her eyes locked with Admiral Killian. Respect and understanding reflected back at her.
Light metallic clanks drew their attention to the ladder. Boba descended from the cockpit. Adrina hauled herself off of the floor and prepared for the fight she knew was now inescapable.
Boba froze at the base of the ladder. His gaze swung between Adrina and Killian and the airlock. Adrina tugged her gag down. "I will not harm you, Boba," she said quietly, holding her hands up.
Boba pointed, mouth agape, to the airlock. "You… He…. How?"
"Strength takes many appearances." Adrina chose her words carefully. "True strength lies in the heart, in our ability to show compassion and grace. In showing forgiveness."
Boba caught on. His face contorted. "Never!"
"Windu's death will never take the pain away, Boba," Adrina said gently. "In your heart, you know this."
"Buir deserves justice!"
Adrina gestured around her. "Is this justice? Harming others? The murder of Commander Ponds, who never injured you or buir? Murdering the trooper in Windu's quarters? Destroying the Endurance, resulting in even more death? Is that justice?"
Boba hesitated. Tears glimmered in his eyes - their father's brown eyes - and his cheeks flushed. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters. Only justice."
"We both know it matters, Boba," she said quietly. "Buir would not want you to destroy your life this way."
It was the wrong thing to say. "What do you know?" Boba demanded. "He disowned you. You didn't even know him."
Boba's words cut deep. Adrina swallowed hard. "I knew him enough."
"What's going on down there?"
Adrina tensed at Aurra's voice. Her eyes swung to Killian. She'd committed a grave error in not freeing him, too caught up in attempting to break through to Boba. But it was too late. Aurra jumped down. It took only a second for Aurra to realize what transpired moments earlier.
A slow smile grew on Aurra's face. "Well, well, Jedi. I have to say, I'm impressed."
Adrina gave a mock bow. "I live to please."
"Not for much longer, I'm afraid. You're too much trouble."
"Funny," Adrina shrugged. "I could say the same thing about you." She nodded to Aurora's blaster. "I would put that away if I were you. Wouldn't want a stray bolt, would we?"
Aurra chuckled. "You want a fight? Fine. You'll get a fight. But unlike Bossk or useless Castas, I never lose."
Boba stepped between them. "No, wait, please!" He turned to Adrina. "Just surrender, please. There doesn't have to be any more fighting."
"This is what you wanted, Boba," Aurra reminded him. "She's just as complicit as Windu."
Boba hesitated. "No, she isn't."
"Of course she is!" Aurra snapped. "She's a Jedi. Come on, Boba. Don't let her get to you!"
Adrina shook her head. "I think my brother is more than capable of making his own decisions. Or is this about your own vendettas? It's sounding to me like you're using Boba as a scapegoat for your own means."
Aurra snarled a curse and raised her blaster. Adrina flicked her wrist and the blaster flew out of her hands.
But Aurra expected the move and launched herself at Adrina. They crashed to the floor, exchanging blow for blow. Admiral Killian struggled against his fetters. Boba pressed himself against the wall, watching the fight, frozen in horror.
The Force assisted Adrina in knowing Aurra's next move, but her precognition could not fully compensate for Aurra's superior hand-to-hand training. Adrina did not fool herself: Aurra Sing had the advantage.
Adrina fought for her life.
She kicked.
She reeled from a punch to the jaw.
Aurra pulled a vibroblade.
She bit.
She thrashed.
She dodged.
She doubled from a blow to her stomach.
She used every trick she knew.
And it wasn't enough.
Aurra continued to pummel Adrina.
Blood trickled out of Adrina's broken nose. Her vision swam - likely a concussion from a particularly nasty collision with the floor. She suspected a pneumothorax, not to mention numerous lacerations. Not a single part of her body did not throb or ache. She felt her strength failing and movements slowing, but she pressed on.
Suddenly, Aurra collapsed.
Adrina stared at Boba. He dropped the blaster as if it burned him. Adrina sensed Aurra's Force signature, still strong. The blaster had been set to stun, then. "I had to," Boba stammered. "I had to!"
Adrina gasped for breath. Definitely a pneumothorax. "Free Admiral Killian," she rasped out.
And she fell into oblivion's welcoming embrace.
0
Obi-Wan's heart lodged in his throat. Moments before Admiral Killian hailed the cruiser, requesting permission to dock the Slave 1. Obi-Wan hadn't believed his ears. But there he was in the hangar, watching Slave 1 carefully maneuver into place.
Reaching out, he sensed Adrina aboard, but he sensed all was far from well. Maelle and Anakin waited by his side. Maelle shifted anxiously from foot to foot, white knuckling the med kit in her hands. Anakin disguised his own fear better, but Obi-Wan recognized the set of his jaw.
The landing ramp opened with a hiss of exhaust. Admiral Killian carried Adrina's body.
Obi-Wan rushed forward. Killian readily relinquished Adrina into his arms. Obi-Wan cradled her close.
Obi-Wan gasped.
Her beautiful face was bloody and swollen, nearly unrecognizable. Blood leaked from countless lacerations all over her body. He shuddered to think what invisible wounds she bore.
But she was alive.
She was in his arms.
She was in his arms, and it was the rightest thing in the galaxy.
"What happened to her?" Anakin demanded.
"She took down three bounty hunters," Killian said gruffly. "That's what happened."
"Help me get her onto the stretcher." Maelle's voice rang with authority.
Obi-Wan hastened to obey, laying her down as gently as possible.
"Move." Maelle shoved Obi-Wan to the side, her hands almost skimming Adrina's body. Whatever she sensed, she did not say, but her face grew steadily more tense. "MedBay now. She'll be fine, but we need to get her to a hospital ship as quickly as possible. Admiral, come with me." Maelle did not wait. She immediately began pushing the stretcher to MedBay.
Anakin exhaled, but Obi-Wan felt no relief. He couldn't feel relief until he looked into her beautiful eyes and knew beyond a doubt that she was alright.
Killian lingered. "You'll find Aurra Sing sedated and thoroughly secured in the hold, along with Boba Fett. He's not bound, but he shouldn't give you a problem. Despite it all, he's a good lad. Just lost."
"What about the other two bounty hunters?" Obi-Wan asked.
Killian looked at the stretcher, already almost out of sight. "She killed them. And what a sight it was; it reminded me of my Natala."
Anakin clapped Killian on the back. "You go take care of yourself. Me and Obi-Wan will take care of the mess here." Anger simmered beneath Anakin's words.
Anakin ascended the ramp. Obi-Wan hesitated a moment, following Adrina with his eyes until she disappeared.
"You coming, Obi-Wan?" Anakin called from inside the ship.
Obi-Wan shook himself from his stupor.
Adrina was safe. Maelle would see to her injuries.
He needed to get a grip on his runaway emotions. He had duties to attend.