Chapter 10

(the next day)

The plan to liberate Christophsis by taking on the final Separatist base had swung into full motion.

While Anakin and Ahsoka led the fierce ground assault against General Loathsome that would serve as a diversion against Separatist infantry, Jaina patiently stood next to her own Master in the shadows of a ruined building, close enough to the base to begin their stealth approach and take out the shield generators.

In the distance, the noise of blasters and explosions began, and Jaina—knowing that the diversion had started successfully—gazed at the walls of the Separatist base, her fingers tightening the ribbon around her tightly braided hair.

Obi-Wan's eyes were focused and pensive as he stood in the shadows with his Padawan right next to him. He was watching the base, making sure the Separatist forces would be completely focused on Anakin and Ahsoka, making note of all possible escape routes, and carefully planning the attack.

The Jedi Master turned to face Jaina, who stood next to him, her eyes calculating as she gazed at the base, her face stoic. "Ready?"

Jaina nodded. "Ready, Master."

Obi-Wan took a slow, deep breath in and slowly exhaled, then turned to face the base.

"Alright, my little Padawan. We need to move in slowly and carefully. No noise, no alarms. No mistakes."

Slow, steady, and stealthy—that was how they needed to do this.

"I assume you've studied the blueprints and other intelligence?"

"Yes, Master," Jaina murmured, gazing up at the walls of the base and the nearby maintenance hatch. "Thoroughly."

"Good." Obi-Wan smiled. He was thankful she was always trying to see the big picture, and figure out how to do everything as perfectly as she possibly could. Her focus, and her attention to detail, never failed to amaze him.

The Jedi Master turned and moved towards the maintenance hatch, moving slowly and carefully, with Jaina at his heels.

"Once we get inside, we'll proceed with the plan and split up," he whispered, opening the hatch. "Deactivate the shield generator in the North Wing, I'll take the South."

Jaina nodded solemnly, following him through the hatch. "Will do, Master."

They quietly made their way down the maintenance shaft, Obi-Wan's eyes darting around as he used both the Force and his intuition to guide them. The sound of distant explosions and blaster fire still seemed to echo around them, thankfully meaning that Anakin and Ahsoka were still diverting the droids and Separatist forces.

Once they had reached the end of the maintenance shaft, the Jedi Master stopped, peering through a grating to see a glimpse of the base. "The coast seems clear. We can start moving in."

They moved stealthy into the base, carefully making their way through the darkened halls until they reached the main junction, leading into the North and South Wings.

Everything was going smoothly so far – no alarms, no droids, no patrols, and no detection.

Obi-Wan's face remained serious as he spoke. "We shall stay in contact through our comlinks at all times. If you discover a problem that you cannot handle on your own, let me know immediately."

"If we do not contact each other for at least ten minutes, either my own communications have been disrupted, or l am engaged with an enemy. Understood, Padawan?"

"Understood, Master." Jaina nodded again, double-checking her wrist comlink. "Comms activated."

Obi-Wan simply nodded back, then took a deep breath and turned toward the left, towards the South Wing. He glanced back one more time. "Be careful, my little one. Be safe. And may the Force be with you."

He then began to walk down the left corridor, his expression as serious as it had been before and his lightsaber hilt tightly in his grip.

Jaina offered a small smile before beginning to walk down the hallway to the right, her eyes narrow as she soundlessly moved down the corridor, clutching her deactivated lightsaber hilt in her palm.

Her footsteps echoed down the empty hallway, which was silent aside from the sounds of the distant battle outside.

The Padawan took a deep breath, her eyes scanning every inch of the walls for security systems or alarms. It seemed like Anakin and Ahsoka's diversion had worked. So far so good.

Slow. Steady. Stealthy.

After a few minutes, and only a few groups of B1 patrols, she finally reached the door to the North Wing shield generator, her eyes widening at the open door right next to it.

A server room.

Jaina paused. It would be a slight deviation from the plan…but a vital one at that…the potential Separatist intel that could be on those databanks…what if it contained information on critical supply lines or—

No. She needed to complete the Primary Objective first. Anakin's forces, along with all the lives of all the troopers, were depending on them.

She knew that the intel in the server room might be useful, not just for the battle for Christophsis, but for countless other battles to come. But she needed to do as her Master had taught, and take things one step at a time.

No mistakes.

Jaina stepped into the shield generator chamber first, and completed setting the explosive charges, then she moved silently towards the server room next door.

The door slid open, and she quickly ducked inside, her eyes quickly scanning the dimly lit room. Rows of servers and databanks gleamed in the faint light, all filled with Separatist military and intelligence data.

This would be a goldmine of information...

All of her training—all of her instinct—told her to be careful, to be cautious, that this was supposed to be a quick in-and-out mission.

But a little voice at the back of her head, the one that always wanted to be thorough, that always needed to do things perfectly, while going above and beyond…it was whispering to her that this might be the only chance she'd have to access this level of Separatist secrets on Christophsis, maybe even the entire Savareen Sector.

The Padawan stepped towards one of the consoles, her eyes narrowing in concentration as she pulled out a datastick from her back pocket, and plugged it into the terminal, accessing the Separatist databanks.

She used what knowledge she had from her basic technology classes to slice into the central mainframe, bypass the firewall, and begin downloading as many files as she could.

Jaina blew out a slow breath, waiting quietly, and nervously glancing out the server room in the agonizing, silent minutes it took for the files to continue downloading.

Every second seemed to drag, and every passing moment of quiet had her more and more on edge, and more and more worried about how much time this was taking and how far her Master had gotten with his objectives.

Her eyes shifted to her wrist chrono, her hands clenching at her sides. She hadn't checked in with him in far longer than ten minutes.

Moments later, the door could be heard sliding open once more, and a menacing female cackle echoed through the server room—breaking through the silence, and sending a chill down Jaina's spine.

"My, my, my, what have we here? A child?"

Jaina ignited her lightsaber, her heart pounding as she immediately recognized the woman in front of her from the HoloNet. "Ventress."

She was an infamous assassin—and the Separatist leader responsible for this base and the forces on Christophsis.

And she stood before her with an expression of…dark excitement.

"The Jedi Order must be getting desperate if they're sending little girls out into the war," Ventress drawled, smirking and igniting her two lightsabers. "Explains why you were foolish enough to think you could hack into my systems unnoticed."

Jaina tightened her grip on her blue blade, raising it into her Soresu defensive stance. "I am a Padawan of the Jedi Order, not a little girl."

Ventress chuckled darkly. "Oh, but you are, little Jedi, and a sweet one at that. I bet you're as innocent as you look…" She began to stride towards the teenage Jedi, the red energy of her twin blades casting a bloody gleam across her face.

She was quick.

Intelligent.

Dangerous.

Jaina took in a slow, deep breath, focusing on remembering everything her Master had consistently taught her about staying calm and level-headed in combat, and not letting her emotions get the best of her.

She hastily raised her lightsaber, blocking the first deadly slash with calculating, rehearsed precision, despite her racing heart.

As the blades made contact, Ventress cackled once more. "I have to hand it to you, little Jedi, you do know how to block." She took another menacing step forward, her lightsabers hissing as they cut through the air. "Can you parry too?"

Jaina instinctively took a step back, parrying the next series of slashes.

"Ah, so you can," Ventress smirked again, continuing to press forward, forcing the Padawan into a defensive position. "You move...very much like your Master," she taunted, her tone full of dangerous malice. "You have his grace. His calculating efficiency."

Her smile was cold as she slashed once more. "For a child, that is."

Jaina's blood ran cold as she parried the next slash. "You…you don't even know who I am."

"Oh, but I do," Ventress replied, a deadly glint in her eyes as she delivered a particularly forceful strike. "I know exactly who you are. I caught a brief glimpse of you on Muunilinst, even if you might not have seen me."

The Sith assassin not only excelled at taking the edge away from her opponents—she savored it. "You are a Padawan to one of the twelve elite members of the Jedi High Council..." She smirked. "...and my personal favorite Jedi Master...among those stuffy old men."

Jaina narrowed her eyes, continuing to parry the next set of slashes from both of Ventress's lightsabers; despite the growing fear that was now building in her chest.

The Sith assassin smirked again as their lightsabers continued to clash, sending sparks flying. "Ah...I can sense your fear," she taunted, taking a moment to step back. "I can smell it on you. It's like something sweet...ripe."

Calm. Calm. Calm.

When the Jedi were afraid, they lost their grip on their emotions. When they lost their grip on their emotions…they lost.

And Jaina knew this. She needed to stay calm.

Ventress cackled once more. "Let's see if we can get dear Master Kenobi here to come join us."

The assassin then sped up, her attacks coming faster and faster, forcing Jaina to continue to block and twist and pivot to avoid the deadly blades. She took steady steps backwards, her defenses still holding despite the fear that was building in her heart.

She parried the next series of strikes, then attempted a swift kick at the hilt of one of Ventress's lightsabers.

Ventress growled, her hilt clattering against the metal floor. "You've gone and made me mad now, little girl."

The remaining saber thrummed with even more intensity, with Ventress continuing the flurry of attacks that she had been attempting before the kick.

Jaina parried the next series of strikes swiftly—desperately—until Ventress sent a kick of her own, hitting Jaina squarely in the torso and slamming her against the wall hard.

The assassin then raised a hand, and suddenly—out of nowhere—the shelves of consoles behind the Padawan began to topple over, and—

Jaina raised a hand, focusing in the Force and holding the shelving upright as—

—Ventress hurtled another kick, slamming the Padawan against the wall once more, and enabling the assassin to use the Force to yank Jaina's lightsaber into her palm.

"You're a clever little girl, aren't you?" she said with a smirk, walking closer towards her.

The assasin raised her blade until the tip of the red lightsaber was mere inches away from the Padawan's face. "But I'm afraid playtime is over."

"Call your Master."

Jaina's heart continued to pound.

She couldn't risk being responsible for leading her Master into danger.

She couldn't be responsible for drawing his attention away from his deactivation of the shield generator in the South Wing. He had a mission to complete—they both did.

She couldn't fail him.

Jaina pursed her lips tightly, attempting to control her emotions as she had been taught. "No."

Ventress smiled cruelly. "Little girl, I am not kidding." She stepped even closer, and reached out to grab the young Padawan by the neck.

"Bring your Master to me," she commanded. "Now."

Jaina's eyes clenched closed for a moment, her hands desperately clutching at the assassin's wrist, her vision blurring as Ventress tightened her grip around her neck.

Then again, her Master always repeated just how important it was for her to know when to ask for his help when she needed it—

She could hear his voice...

Hear those words he would say to her, repeated over and over:

My little one...there is no shame in asking for help, and no shame in asking for backup.

Her eyes were squeezed tight, and she began to struggle to draw in air against the tightening grip on her throat...

"Okay—okay wait—" She blinked back her gasps and her tears as she raised her wrist comlink to her face, attempting to regain some composure.

Ventress narrowed her eyes, loosening her grip ever so slightly. "I'm waiting."

Jaina clicked her comlink. "...Master?" she called quietly.

"I'm here, my little one," Obi-Wan's voice responded curtly. "Ran into a few droids, but I've set the charges. What is your status?"

Jaina blinked back tears—her pain, her guilt, her fear, her shame threatening to engulf her. "I'm sorry, Master, I—"

Ventress's cackle cut her off. "Master Kenobi! I've been hoping to speak with you!"


Down the corridor in the South Wing, Obi-Wan went stiff.

Ventress was known across the galaxy for the brutality of her methods. The Republic had made it a priority to attempt to take her down on multiple occasions.

As his little one called out to him, the Jedi Master let out a slow, calming breath, focusing for a moment, and trying to come up with a plan.

"Jaina," he said calmly. "Where are you?"

"Still—North Wing—shield generators," Jaina's voice shakily responded from his comlink, in between gasps for breath. "Server room—next door—"

His little Padawan's little choking noises brought on a rush of emotions in the Jedi Master, and it took another moment for him to reign himself in.

The fear of having his apprentice captured by Ventress—and of Ventress hurting her—was almost too much to bear.

Obi-Wan blinked back his frustration and his fear as he took in a deep breath. "I'm on my way. Hold steady, my little Padawan."

A few more unbearable seconds of gasps and gurgles. "Yes—Master—"

A sense of pride welled up within him as he heard his Padawan try to sound as steadfast and calm as she always did, despite her obvious terror.

"Hold steady," Obi-Wan repeated in a whisper, speaking through his own seething rage.

He let out another calming breath and channeled the Force, steeling his nerves and sharpening his focus. Then he sprinted towards the North Wing.

He was on his way.


As soon as the comm line cut, Jaina wrenched even harder at Ventress's fingers around her neck, glaring furiously. "You're—going to regret this—"

"You are beginning to bore me." Ventress cackled, leaning in until her face was inches away from the Padawan's. "Let's see if we can get him here a little sooner."

She squeezed her grip harder.

Jaina clenched her eyes shut, her entire face flushing, her eyes brimming with tears as she gasped desperately for breath.


Obi-Wan felt his anger build and bubble just beneath the surface as he felt her fear and her pain through the Force.

His Padawan's life was in peril.

He sprinted.

The Jedi Master tore through the North Wing.

He couldn't even focus on the shield generators anymore at this moment. He had done his job, and he had no doubts that his little one had also set the charges to the North Wing generator prior to Ventress attacking.

His one mission now—was to get her back in one piece.


Jaina continued to claw desperately at Ventress's hand with her own trembling ones.

Her vision was beginning to darken.

Her lungs burned.

Her head throbbed.

Obi-Wan burst into the server room, his eyes cold, calculating, and furious—immediately locking on to Ventress, who was still clutching his little one's neck with one hand and clutching her lightsaber with her other.

Jaina's eyes flew open at the noise. "Master—" She gasped. "I'm sorry—"

His Padawan apologizing only fueled his anger.

He could hear her struggling to breathe with every word. He could feel her pain and worry and shame through their bond.

"Ventress," Obi-Wan spoke sharply, his tone a mix of both calm, and icy danger. "You will release my apprentice. Now."

Ventress cackled, releasing her grip on the Padawan's neck and instead wrapping her arm around it, and holding her lightsaber across Jaina's body. "Oh, but I'm having so much fun with your sweet little Padawan."

Jaina gasped for breath, coughing violently and blinking through her dazedness as soon as Ventress released her grip. She cringed as the assassin grabbed both her cheeks with one large hand, the red blade inches away from her body.

"There's a lot I'd like to learn about her, still," Ventress chuckled darkly.

Obi-Wan was seething, his fists clenched at his sides. He could feel his anger simmering beneath the surface, his control threatened to slip.

The nerve to threaten his little one—the child he'd come to raise as his own—and to treat her like a mere prop in their game of cat and mouse...

His little one, who was too stunned to answer. Who was pale, shaken, and clearly terrified—a mess of emotions that Obi-Wan was feeling through the Force and absolutely hating Ventress for.

But his Padawan was also brave, even if she did not yet know it.

"Ventress," Obi-Wan warned again, his voice even more menacing. "Now."

Jaina blinked dazedly, fighting through her stupor, her eyes drifting back and forth between Ventress's red blade, to the floor where her own lightsaber hilt lay—her mind working furiously to start itself back up again after the lack of oxygen.

He was watching her closely, feeling her through their bond. His little one, fighting through her exhaustion and still trying to be brave and protect him, even as she was in danger.

He could see her eyes darting down to the floor, to her lightsaber...

Obi-Wan could see her mind at work, struggling through the fog, formulating a plan. He gave her a silent, warning look: Wait.

"Ventress," the Jedi Master said, his tone low and deadly. "Let. Her. Go."

"No need to worry," Ventress cooed, her voice dripping with malice as she stared into the Padawan's eyes and squeezed her cheeks tighter until they flushed. "I'm not going to kill her. Maybe I'll keep her."

Obi-Wan snarled.

He'd had enough.

If Ventress wanted a fight, a fight she would have.

He leapt towards her, his lightsaber snapping to life as he lunged for her midsection.

Ventress cackled as she released the Padawan and raised her own lightsaber in a swift block.

The two lightsabers clashed together in a shower of sparks.

As Ventress released her hold on her, Jaina crashed to her hands and knees, gasping for breath and struggling to stop her body from trembling.

She extended a hand and Force-pulled her lightsaber hilt back to her palm, immediately igniting it as she forced herself back onto shaky feet, her face still flushed, her breathing still labored.

His little one was tough.

Obi-Wan's eyes drifted back towards her for the briefest of moments, as she ignited her lightsaber, his heart swelling with pride at her resilience.

The Jedi Master continued to pressure the assassin, their blades clashing together in a fierce struggle as he pressed on his offensive and forced Ventress back against the shelves of databanks.

Jaina held her lightsaber with a steel grip as she positioned herself on Ventress's other side to outflank her, and began her own series of careful, calculated slashes.

Ventress's eyes narrowed as she looked back and forth at both of the blue sabers, as the two attacked simultaneously.

"Jaina," Obi-Wan ordered. "Activate the charges, now!"

In between parries and slashes, both Master and Padawan reached for their wrist comms and activated their respective thermal detonators—causing the entire Separatist base to shake as the two shield generators exploded.

Loud alarms began blaring all around the base.

Jaina dodged another vertical strike, and transitioned into a parry, continuing to attack from the right, while her Master pressed on his attack from the left.

His little one was phenomenal.

She understood how to work as a team, and it was clear that after the hours upon hours they'd spent sparring, she understood how to adjust accordingly with his own style, and coordinate her attacks with his, in order to provide support.

She fought with the purpose and the discipline that had been so central to her personality.

And in this moment, the Master and Padawan worked together smoothly—the hours of their training and the strength of their bond making them even more dangerous. Together.

As the alarms continued to blare, Ventress's expression quickly shifted to anger as she blocked as many slashes as she could. The assassin let out an angry yell, and sent a powerful Force Push in their direction, pushing them back a few feet and causing a large shelf of databanks to begin to topple over towards them.

Jaina's eyes widened as the large shelf continued to tilt and sway, allowing Ventress the distraction she needed to dart out the server room. "Master—"

Obi-Wan's reflexes were already in action. His body acted, his eyes darting towards the falling databanks, his muscles activating the Force even before his mind had the chance to think through a plan.

He extended the Force to catch the massive bank of shelving with his hands, barely managing to stop it from crushing them, as the two were forced backwards by the force of the blast.

"Move! Quickly!"

Jaina hurried out from underneath the shelf as her Master let go, and allowed it to fully topple over. Her head whipped around as she glanced at the doorway, completely seething—the fear, guilt, anger, and shame from the past minutes building into a fury she'd never felt before. "She's getting away!"

His little one's emotions were running high, and he could sense them through the Force.

Jaina had always had a calm, shy, quiet demeanor. This was alarming.

Obi-Wan turned back towards his young Padawan, looking deeply into her wide, determined eyes, keeping his voice calm and steady in the face of her raw emotions. "Jaina…Ventress can wait."

Jaina's eyebrows knit together in utter disbelief. "...What?"

"I said, Ventress can wait." The Jedi Master repeated softly. He crouched down in front of the Padawan so that his face was level with hers. "Your emotions are running high, my little one. If you try to give chase in your current state, you will be playing right into her hands. Do you understand that?"

"But we can't just let her get aw—"

"I know," Obi-Wan cut in gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And we won't." He sighed heavily as he gently pushed her braid back and gazed at her bruising neck, where Ventress had gripped her. He gazed at the flush of her cheeks. The redness of her eyes.

The Jedi Master closed his eyes for a moment, blowing out a heavy breath, then gazed at her again. "Her plan is collapsing. Their entire base is under attack. She is likely already at her ship, leaving for wherever it is she is needed next."

"You—on the other hand—are here, and now."

Jaina felt her frown deepen, her heart still racing in adrenaline and anger. "I'm fine."

"You are not fine," Obi-Wan cut her off, his voice now stern. His little one needed him now. "You are injured, and you are not thinking clearly."

His young Padawan, who was normally kind and loving and gentle. Who loved nothing more than learning and helping. Who always wanted nothing more than to please him.

Who was also brave and resilient and unyielding.

The Jedi Master reached out a hand to gently cup her cheek. "I'm proud of you."

"Why?" Jaina blurted out before she could've stopped herself, blinking back the tears that had abruptly formed in her eyes before she could have stopped them. "I made a mistake. I should have returned to our rendezvous point as soon as I planted the charges. But I deviated from the mission because I thought I could find some intel, and because of it, I put myself and you—and this entire mission and all those battalions!—in danger and—"

Obi-Wan placed a gentle finger over her lips, silencing her before she could continue overthinking. "Breathe." He gazed at her, his voice calm and steady as he repeated himself. "Breathe in, my little one."

She was one of the bravest little creatures he knew.

No matter how many times she apologized, Obi-Wan knew this to be true.

And he was proud of her. He was proud of her everyday.

Jaina pursed her lips and inhaled shakily, struggling to steady her breathing. She blinked rapidly and hastily wiped away at her cheeks, as the tears began to spill over.

Padawans did not cry. Jedi did not cry, for Force sake. She needed to control her emotions—

"No, no," the Jedi Master murmured gently, reaching out a hand to catch a tear rolling down her cheek with a finger and wipe it away. She had always been so hard on herself. Always set such high standards, and expected perfection.

He knew that she felt guilty for needing rescue, and embarrassed—that she couldn't bear the idea of crying in front of him.

"You are allowed to cry, Jaina," Obi-Wan whispered, his voice quiet and supportive as he gently cupped both her cheeks with his hands. "You don't have to try and be strong. Not around me."

His little one was only thirteen and already carrying the weight of the galaxy on her tiny, little shoulders.

"Breathe in..." he whispered. "Feel it...Let it pass...Then let it go."

Jaina closed her eyes and nodded shakily, just barely holding back a sob and absolutely hating herself for the small noise.

"Breathe in…let it pass…let it go…"

He continued to hold her by the cheeks, his thumb gently stroking the skin beneath her eyes, wiping away her tears as they fell in a steady flow.

She was so brave. Brave but sweet and kind and tender; with a pure heart, and a caring spirit.

And yet she was always so worried about disappointing him.

"You did the right thing," Obi-Wan whispered gently. "You were thinking five steps ahead, as you always do."

"Yes, you deviated from our mission. Yes, Ventress got the better of you. But if you were, in fact, able to retrieve intel, then you've already provided help for the coming battles," He gazed gently at her, his eyes drifting towards her bruised neck for another moment, before holding her gaze once more. "Now. Let us return to base. You need medical attention."

Jaina sniffled, nodding silently. She walked over to her datastick on one of the nearby consoles—the datastick that had caused this entire mess—and reached over to hold it out to him.

Obi-Wan took the offered datastick from her with a soft, tender smile. "Thank you, my little one."

She was always so concerned with doing the right thing. Always thinking of everyone but herself. And she always internalized everything so deeply.

He tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "Now, come on. You need the medbay. We'll get her next time."


A/N:

Stg. Oddball: Hehehehe oh definitely :)