Chapter 23

Things seemed to be going according to plan. When we were notified of Vindi's capture at least. T.H. and I had finished booby trapping the northern exit and were now trarting the last sweep of the lab that Master Kenobi had ordered. We were to find and terminate any surviving droids and secure the facility so that the GAR could seize the lab's assets. Everything had been going smoothly, until someone reported one last capsule missing. A capsule that contained the virus.

Senator Amidala informed us that Vindi had given it to a droid and that it most likely still had it. So the entire place was placed on lockdown. Comms were alive with chatter and new orders were being relayed down the chain of command. Every hatch was secured, the corridors to those that had been blown up in our attack were sealed, and within less than two minutes, the entire facility was closed off to the galaxy. And most of our troops were still inside. As soon as everything was closed, a tremor shook the entire place and knocked a lot of us off balance. The droid had set off the bomb.

The laboratory's safety measures kicked in and blast doors started to close down on safety rooms. I yelled at my partner to run for the nearest one, but we were right in the middle of the facility and all safety rooms were at least three corridors away. We run anyway. All around us doors were being closed and the feeling of being chased by an unbeatable enemy grew as we grew closer to the nearest safety room.

When we rounded the corner, Senator Amidala and Representative Binks were running through the threshold as well. The door closed down on the safety room as the Senator turned and saw us, eyes wide in surprise and desperation. We were locked out. Behind us, a wave of blue smoke approached with the speed of a Kaminoan wave. I put my mask on as fast as I could and turned the filter on for toxins before T.H and I were swallowed by it. It was ironic, such a deadly and unstoppable virus that closed in on you with the ferocity of facing your worst fears; but when you closed your eyes, it felt like a warm summer breeze on the skin -soft, tender, loving.

"Please tell me your helmet filters toxins as well as smoke." I begged my partner without turning to face him.

He didn't answer. He didn't have to.

Comms went wild with activity, superiors checking in with their troops, making sure the dignitaries were alive, trying to confirm the virus had been contained. I took the built in earpiece out of the comms device attached to my left forearm and put it on. I didn't want anyone listening in. Not when I knew what would come next. The device in my ear beeped with an incoming message.

"Commander Foreas." I said.

"Kriari, thank the Force, are you okay?" said the voice of my master.

He sounded worried. I didn't blame him, we both knew what this meant.

"T.H. and I didn't make it to the safe room. Clone helmets don't filter toxins, and while mine does, I'm not sure it can filter the Blue Shadow virus.," I told him honestly. "We will hunt down the remaining droids, but Master you need to leave-"

"I don't want to hear it, young one." he interrupted. His voice was strained, like even considering leaving me -all of us- here hurt him physically. "Anakin and I will find a cure."

"Master you need to consider that you won't be able to-"

"I am not leaving you there to die on your own, Kriari. I couldn't live with it, and I'm pretty sure I would have two battalions mutineering if I tried." He tried to joke.

I thought about the Pack, about my friends so many systems away, somewhere on the other end of the galaxy, waiting for me to return.

"If I do die here, it won't be your fault, Master. I want you to know that." I said. "Say you understand."

"I do. If the worst comes to happen, is there something I should tell Master Plo or any of the 104th?" he asked.

"Tell them I'll still have their backs, always."

I cut the conversation short, not wanting my mood to decrease any further. T.H.'s morale would go down even further and we still had a lot to do. I looked at him, he had taken his helmet off and was looking at my face. His expression was somber, but determined. We were going to die, he knew that, but he'd be damned if he showed any weakness now.

"Ready to take it out on all the tinnies left?" I asked him with a grin. Even if he couldn't see it, my eyes crinkled with the gesture.

He returned it and I could see the cold determination in his eyes. He would go down fighting.

"At your side? Any time, Commander." he said putting his helmet back on.

…

We were able to make contact with both Ahsoka's and Rex's teams, they had all made it to a safe room but had been intercepted by droids. They had closed the blast doors a second too late and were now all infected. Some of the men were already showing symptoms, and their physical energy was being depleted way sooner than anyone anticipated. By the time senator Amidala, representative Binks, T.H. and I made it there, Nax was already dead and Waxer was getting weaker by the minute. Both Rex and Ahsoka were infected as well, but they were powering through as best as they could.

We had all made up our minds though. We were finishing the job and making sure the virus stayed inside the lab forever. It didn't matter that we were still inside, we would all give our lives to save the galaxy from a fate even worse than an intergalactic war. We separated into two teams, one Jedi each. The men of the 212th would be coming with me, and Rex and Ahsoka would be going with the digitaries. We would clear out the reminding droids and make sure not a single hatch was opened. I did warn the other team about the boobie traps on the northern hatch so they wouldn't be getting any nasty surprises.

Before we went our separate ways, I took both Ahsoka and Rex aside.

"Take care, you two." I said, patting both their shoulders. "May the Force be with you."

"It was a pleasure, Commander." Answered Rex, saluting me.

"May the Force be with you too, Kriari." returned Ahsoka with a sad smile.

There was no need for more.

I turned to the rest of my team. Waxer, Boil and T.H. were all waiting for orders. I had one wounded man and three infected. One of them was having a harder time dealing with the virus' symptoms already. The chances of us making it out alive were slim, very slim. But still, I couldn't bring myself to remain stoic, cold, unmoving. I wanted them to know that I would be willing to go down with them. I wanted them to know that my life was not worth more than theirs.

So I took my mask off.

They said nothing. they didn't need to. They understood the statement I was trying to make and accepted it. I was dying with them, that day or any other day the Force deemed it. I was going to die there anyway, the chances of our masters finding a cure were almost nonexistent, if the virus didn't kill me then starvation would. I was a walking corpse either way.

As it turns out, there had been a lot of droids left inside the lab that were now trying to escape. Thankfully, most of them were regular battle droids and SBDs, we had taken care of the droidekas already. It doesn't mean the fight was any easier, we were all more lethargic and tired as time went by. The virus affected airways and lungs, so breathing became increasingly difficult, even to those of us who were holding up better than the rest.

I made each member of my team take turns wearing my mask, the less contaminated air they breathed in, the better. It gave each of us a little more energy and clean oxigen every time we wore it, and for the most part, I think it was the thing that saved us in the end. The first of us went down once the last droid was destroyed. Waxer started gasping for air as he tried to hold on to the wall for support. His left hand went up to his neck as if trying to pry his larynx open manually.

I went into healer mode immediately. During my stay in Dorin, I had been taught the basics of Force healing, as well as first aid. The thing is that Dorin had a toxic atmosphere and intoxication was not uncommon, so even if I wasn't technically a healer -or had the makings of one- I knew I could at the very least help him breathe easier.

I instructed them to lay Waxer down on the ground and stripp him off his upper body armor. I put my mask on his face carefully, making sure the airlocks were secure and the filters working correctly. I kneeled down by his side and put one hand on his chest and the other on his forehead. I needed to calm him down enough for his body to relax and not struggle against me when I channeled the Force into his lungs. Waxer's body went limp within seconds, and when I deemed him ready, I moved my other hand to his chest.

It had been a long time since I had attempted to perform this procedure, but I would be damned if I didn't at least try. I focused my attention on his lungs, on his bronchi, on every channel the virus had stuck to and obstructed. And then I tried to persuade the midichlorians within them to fight against the virus. It was slow work, careful, meticulous. One thing was to persuade a mind to do your bidding, another entirely was to persuade organs that work on automatic reflexes. If done wrong, his immune system could detect my presence and deem me a threat. If that happened, I wouldn't be able to persuade it to focus on the virus instead of me. So I decided to do things right. Feel the Force around me, find the light and let it guide me through the process. There was no time for worrying, for what ifs, there was no time or room for anything other than the task at hand and the life, slowly fading before me. My hands tingled with the effort and little droplets of sweat started to form on my forehead and back. I didn't have all the pieces to the procedure, I knew the basics, but I knew in my soul that I wouldn't have called myself a Jedi if I didn't at least try to save this man's life. Because that's what he was, not just another clone, not a replaceable number on a list. A life form with a name, with a story, with a life and friends that cared for him. A person.

I could feel my breathing getting shallow with the effort and the unfiltered air. I could feel myself getting weaker as I used the Force in me to keep Waxer's alive. I could also feel the rest of my team's worry rising. They felt fine, physically at least, if a little tired, but their worry was rising steadily.

"Commander," started T.H. "Your face…"

I didn't answer, I couldn't afford to get distracted. I had finally convinced Waxer's immune system I wasn't its enemy and was now in the process of helping it fight back the virus.

"Comm-"

"Shut up, will you? Can't you see she's trying to focus?" Snapped Boil. "Just keep your eyes peeled for enemies and your ears open for comm chatter."

"She's going to get herself killed if she keeps this up," he insisted.

I tuned out the rest of the conversation after that, the treatment was working, even if it was slow going and consuming every bit of my energy. But it wasn't all me, Waxer's body was doing all of the heavy lifting. He was so strong, fighting so hard. It was his strong will to survive -even when unconscious- that kept me going. He didn't want to die, not yet.

So I wouldn't let him.

The only thing that got me out of my trance was the beeping in my right ear. It was a closed channel.

"I hope you are still there, young one." Said the deep voice of my Master. "It would be a real waste for you to die on me now."

I chuckled in my exhausted state, shedding a few tears of relief.

"I don't think I've ever been happier to hear your voice, Master." I confessed, falling on my backside and attempting to brace myself. I was so sleepy, so exhausted, I wanted to lay down and sleep for a lifetime.

"Hang in there a little more, Kriari. We'll get you out of there. All of you."

I allowed myself to let my tears flow freely as T.H. took a hold of me and Boil helped Waxer sit up. I hid my face in the trooper's shoulder as I exhaled in relief. We were getting out, we were all getting out. I knew Jedi weren't supposed to fear death, be it their own or others', but I felt no guilt then. I couldn't bring myself to feel guilty. I would live to see my friends, my family again, and I couldn't be happier.