Chapter 27
Obi-Wan stared out the gunship as it shuddered and hurtled towards the city of Nabat. The terrain looked brutal, barren, and rocky—the land an endless expanse of deep canyons, rugged cliffs, and high mesa-like stone monoliths.
The Jedi Master stood just behind Cody, his arms crossed in front of him. His expression betrayed nothing as he stared at the Separatist base lined up just ahead.
His eyes moved to his Padawan. She stood in a similar pose, her expression completely impassive to anyone but himself.
He could see what lay beyond his little one's eyes. The concern. The anxiety. The determination. The anger.
But her eyes did not look away.
A stray round of anti-aircraft fire hit the back of the gunship, sending the vehicle lurching and shaking, the hull groaning with impact. Obi-Wan tensed, holding out a hand to steady his Padawan on the back as the ship dipped to the right. "Status," he called out to Cody, his voice calm and level.
"Surface anti-air cannons, sir," Cody replied sharply.
"The LZ should still be another sixteen clicks east," Jaina added firmly, her knuckles tightly clenching the overhead handlebars. "We must maintain course, but have all gunship pilots lower their altitude."
Oddball's head whipped around from the cockpit. "With all due respect, Commander, any closer and we'll be skimming the tops of those trees—"
"—better the trees than the turbolasers, Oddball!" Jaina interrupted.
"Do as she says," Obi-Wan added evenly.
The clone pilot muttered something that sounded like a sharp expletive under his breath, and turned back, pulling the nose of the gunship down and angling it further to the east. The ship dipped even lower, its hull shuddering with the air buffeting around it. The trees whizzed past, barely meters away from the hull as the other gunships around them followed suit.
Obi-Wan noticed the way Jaina's small hand clutched the overhead support, her knuckles almost white. He could feel the emotions coursing through his little Padawan, but he also knew that she would never let them show—not to the troopers, not to anyone who she knew relied on her—no matter how she felt.
He reached out with a hand, placing it gently on her shoulder. "Calm your thoughts, my little Padawan," he murmured, soft enough for only her ears. "Remember: Logic. Clarity. Focus."
Jaina nodded, taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment. "Yes, Master."
The gunship dipped even lower, the trees rushing past so closely that the hull creaked from impact, the ship still shuddering as the engine groaned.
"Do not allow your emotions to cloud your judgment," he said quietly. "Our primary objective is to clear the anti aircraft artillery so that Master Windu and the fleet can land the capital ships. It is not to rescue the civilians being used as living shields. Not yet."
Jaina hesitated, frowning, but she eventually spoke. "Are we not doing both, Master? The civilians are right next to the artillery anyway and—"
Obi-Wan's expression was stern as he raised a hand, and looked down at his Padawan. "No, young one," he said, his voice leaving no room for argument. "The moment we start prioritizing the rescue of the civilians over the destruction of the Separatist firepower is the moment we fall into their trap."
He could sense her hesitance. Her concern. He knew that she wanted to help the civilians, but he also knew that she knew the importance of staying focused on the task at hand.
"You know as well as I do that there are not enough personnel—or time—for us to do both simultaneously. The Separatists are deliberately using the populace to distract us and occupy our resources." The Jedi Master glanced around as the air in the gunship tensed, filling with the clicks of the DC-15s being checked, and the clatter of armor. "…Which they have done with remarkable precision thus far. We can work on rescuing the citizens after we have succeeded with our primary objective."
"This…is a military engagement, Padawan." His gaze hardened. "Not a humanitarian mission."
"But, Master, even so, it wouldn't hurt to just—"
The gunship swerved, lurching and dipping as it avoided more of the turbolaser fire.
"Jaina," Obi-Wan interrupted, reaching out with a hand to steady his Padawan, "the Separatists have already shown that they have no intention of sparing the civilians. They will not hesitate to blow them all to pieces if we try to step in. We need to focus on incapacitating their guns first. Use the Force. Think."
There was a brief moment of silence, broken only by the hum of the ship's engines and continued flak erupting mere meters away.
"…Understood, Master," Jaina replied quietly, her voice betraying only the tiniest hint of the emotions raging within as she offered a small, curt nod.
He could still sense the emotions swirling within her—the desire to help, the anger at the injustice, the determination to do both—but she was suppressing it, keeping it under control. For the sake of the mission, for the sake of men, for the sake of the Twi'leks on the entire planet, and not just the ones trapped in this city.
The Jedi Master smiled softly. That's my girl.
"Touch down in 10 seconds!" Oddball called out from the cockpit.
Obi-Wan tensed, bracing himself for the impact. He could feel the gunship shudder and lurch once more as it lowered further and further.
Jaina pursed her lips, the smallest frown still in her eyes, but now no longer on the rest of her features as her expression steeled itself back to its impeccable mask of calm impassivity. Her small hand moved to her waist, her fingers finding the cool metal of her weapon.
The gunship landed with a thud, the hull groaning from the impact. As the blastdoors slid open, blasterfire immediately began raining down upon the orange-striped members of Ghost Company.
The air filled with smoke and sand.
"Contact!" Jaina yelled, gesturing for the men to take cover behind nearby trees, her lightsaber springing to life as the Separatist perimeter defenses erupted all around them.
Obi-Wan leapt out, his own lightsaber igniting with a hum. He deflected the incoming barrage with practiced ease, creating a protective barrier for the troops still exiting the gunships. "Move quickly! We need to secure this area!"
Jaina followed close behind, her own lightsaber casting a blue glow in the smoky air. She could barely make out the shapes of the squads of B1s appearing atop the city walls.
"You know the drill," Obi-Wan said sharply, as he moved up to one of the B1 droids. "Cody, Waxer, Boil, with me. Jaina…" He turned back towards her and smirked. "Cover us, my little Padawan."
And with that, he leapt up atop the wall.
Jaina smirked and offered her Master a wry, little salute, before beginning to deflect the blasts back towards the droids atop the wall—aiming for the ones closest to her Master, Cody, Waxer, and Boil as they began to scale the wall.
She moved swiftly, her lightsaber a blue blur of motion, as she kept her Soresu movements simple, with deadly efficiency.
The Jedi Master briefly glanced back as Jaina instantly moved to cover him and the other men of Ghost Company, his mind drifting back to those late nights they'd spent training in her first few months as his Padawan.
The nights he'd caught her practicing by herself in the sparring chambers at 3 in the morning.
She was turning out to be a phenomenal Soresu duelist.
Obi-Wan landed on the wall with a thud, Cody, Boil, and Waxer leaping up behind him. They quickly fanned out, engaging a swarm of the B1s.
Jaina's eyes shifted towards a farther section of the wall, where a pair of destroyer droids was just beginning to roll towards the small team. "Incoming!" She shouted, continuing to deflect the bolts towards the droids as quickly as she could, reaching out with her other hand to Force pull a pair of B1s off the wall. "Two o'clock!"
Cody's eyes immediately darted to the direction she'd called out. "Rollies!" He yelled, diving for cover. "Look out!"
"Dammit," Boil hissed, ducking behind a wall.
Waxer fired a pair of blaster bolts towards the enemy droids. "We don't have the firepower to get through those shields!"
Jaina continued to deflect the blasts from her position on the ground, glancing up at the destroyers on the wall, their rapid-fire assault ruthlessly raining down on the small strike team. "Do you need me up on the other flank, Master?" She called out, deflecting a pair of blasts towards the ray shields of the droidekas.
"Negative, Padawan!" Obi-Wan shouted back as he ducked behind a wall next to Cody. "Hold your position! Keep providing cover fire!"
They peeked around the wall, firing at the droidekas, their shots bouncing off the ray shields.
Cody hissed under his breath. "We need something heavier than blasters if we're going to take down the droids!"
"Did we really have to leave our rocket launchers aboard the cruiser?" Boil grumbled, then leaned around the wall and fired.
Waxer sighed. "The collateral damage to the Twi'lek's homes would be too—"
"—I know," Boil cut in. "But sometimes, I wish we weren't the good guys."
As the battle raged on, Jaina's mind raced, searching for a solution to their predicament. She knew that her Master and the clones were in a dangerous position, exposed on the wall with limited cover. Her eyes darted around, taking in the layout of the battlefield.
She sighed softly then hurried along the length of the wall towards the opposite end. "Keep firing!" She yelled towards the remaining troopers on the ground.
The Padawan lowered herself into a crouch for a split second, then used the Force to enhance her jump as she launched herself into the air, and on towards the opposite end of the wall from where her Master, Cody, Waxer, and Boil were cornered.
Jaina quickly deflected the shots of one of the droidekas, then feigned a retreat, running down the opposite direction, knowing full well that the droid would follow.
As soon as the droid began to roll after her, it dropped its shield, allowing her to Force pull it towards her and slash it into smoking scrap metal.
Obi-Wan scowled. "I thought I told you to—"
"—I know, I know, scold me later!" Jaina shot back dryly as she deactivated her lightsaber and cartwheeled past the second destroyer droid.
She slowly slipped her hand past its ray shield, using a slow and steady movement to avoid triggering its defenses, then activated her lightsaber once more and stabbed right through the central processor.
The Padawan gracefully extended an arm, Force-pushing a large slab of debris towards the destroyer's smoking remains.
Obi-Wan watched in a mix of irritation and amusement, knowing that the droids could do little to counter the tiny yet lethal Soresu duelist that was his little Padawan.
"Show off," Cody grunted wryly, and Waxer stifled a chuckle.
"Of course she did that," Boil muttered.
The Padawan's eyes scanned the area—the walls finally clear of any droids, the ground filled with scraps and wires. She turned to offer the troopers a smirk.
"Try and keep up, boys," Jaina teased, lightly leaping off onto the other side of the wall, without the assistance of an ascension cable.
Obi-Wan sighed, then turned back towards Cody. "Get all squads across the wall."
"Yes, sir." Cody turned back, barking orders into his helmet comm. "You heard the General, move, move, move!"
Jaina clipped her lightsaber back to her belt and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as the squads of Ghost Company began activating their ascension cables and scaling the wall.
Obi-Wan leapt onto the ground next to his Padawan, his eyes fixed on her with a mix of equal parts pride, and exasperation. "You know, you didn't have to do that."
She looked up at her Master, her face a perfect mask of innocence. "Those destroyers were a hindrance. And it seemed the most time-efficient way to overcome said hindrance."
The Jedi Master raised an amused eyebrow. "And so you went ahead and used the Force to throw yourself into the air and take out the droids, because it was the 'most time-efficient' option?"
Jaina arched her own eyebrow. "Do you disagree?"
"No, I suppose I can't argue with results." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and huffed in mock irritation. "But, my little Padawan, I would still prefer it if you didn't make a habit out of turning yourself into a human projectile."
He turned back towards Cody as the rest of Ghost Company made their way over the city walls. "Cody, we need to know what the droids have in store for us. Send your best troops to scout ahead."
"Yes, sir," Cody said, nodding in acknowledgement. "Waxer, Boil. Be back here at Command by 1720."
"Yessir!" Waxer and Boil saluted and immediately set out on their scouting mission, jogging out of view.
Obi-Wan turned back towards the rest of Ghost Company. "Rest of you," he said, sweeping his eyes over the troops. "Get some rest while you can. We move out towards the city center at 1800."
The troops nodded, then began dispersing towards the nearby empty houses.
Jaina watched them go, before turning back towards her Master. The tension in her shoulders seemed to seep away as the last of the men left. "Should we establish a perimeter? The Seps may launch a counterattack, once they realize we've breached the outer walls."
Obi-Wan nodded. "We'll have to be prepared for an ambush," he said, rubbing his jaw. "Even if the scouting mission does go smoothly, the droids won't let Ghost Company go far without resistance. And we need to make it to the AA guns—and the civilians—as soon as possible."
He glanced around at the surrounding empty houses, the area eerily silent, save for the whistling breeze of Ryloth's natural atmosphere. "But until our boys return, I think it's wise that you and I get some rest as well," he said, looking over at his Padawan. "We'll need to be at our best to lead the men into battle."
The Jedi Master walked over and opened the door of a nearby house, peeking inside.
It was small, but serviceable. With most of the furniture toppled over—either by the droids who had invaded the home, or by the family that had undoubtedly rushed to flee.
Jaina's expression fell at the sight of the interior, as she followed her Master into the home.
Chairs knocked over, a table on its side, bits of broken glass on the floor. The far wall, lined with art pieces and family photos—all askew, with the occasional blasterfire scorch mark marring the wallpaper.
Obi-Wan's mouth set into a grim, tight line. He reached out and set a soothing hand on his Padawan's shoulder. "Come on," he said in a low voice. "There's nothing we can do right now."
He led her into the house, gazing up ahead. The bedroom door hung off its hinges, offering a glimpse into a room in complete disarray. The bed overturned, its sheets torn, clothes were strewn about, as though someone had frantically packed a bag.
His eyes skimmed over all the remaining possessions—the only evidence of the people that had once called this place home.
And the droids that had most likely forced them to leave.
Jaina's feet led her towards the large bookshelf in the corner before her brain could've even registered the movement, her fingers running along the spines of the dusty books.
Her hand eventually settled on a small wooden totem, her eyes filling with a heavy sadness. "…They didn't even get to pack their Kalikori…" she murmured. "I read about these at the Temple, they're supposed to be—"
"—I know," Obi-Wan said quietly. "The Twi'lek people see them as a symbol of familial history and lineage."
He had read about the Kalikori himself. He knew they were traditional items, unique to a single family. An artistic representation of the entire clan, carefully carved out by each member of a generation, and passed down from parent to child.
It was a beautifully-carved piece, and obviously well-taken care of. "…They must have been in quite the hurry, to have left it behind," he said softly, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Jaina cradled the Kalikori in her palm, staring down at the delicately carved faces of the family it had once been a part of.
Even through the fine layer of dust left behind by the hasty evacuation, she still could see the love and care that had been put into the totem.
Each generation leaving their mark upon the piece.
"They must have been terrified…" she added, her voice barely above a whisper. "…to leave this behind…that, or…or they're…"
Or they're dead, Obi-Wan finished silently.
A beat of tense silence passed between them.
The Jedi Master squeezed her shoulder and ushered her over towards the overturned couch. "Come on, my little one. You should rest a bit," he said, gently guiding her to sit. "We have a few hours until Waxer and Boil get back."
Jaina tenderly set the Kalikori back down on one of the side tables, then sank down onto the couch cushions, staring pensively at the wooden totem.
Obi-Wan watched her with a mixture of worry and understanding. He sat beside her, gently drawing her to his side as he settled into the couch and let out a weary sigh.
The Jedi Master knew that expression of hers all too well. His little Padawan, who thought far too deeply when she let her imagination run rampant.
"I know the situation is difficult, dearest," he said quietly. "But we need to push those thoughts from our minds for now. The men need us focused and in good spirits."
"I know, Master," Jaina said, sighing wearily. "I understand."
Obi-Wan gave her small frame one more gentle squeeze, tucking her head beneath his chin. "Get some rest while you can, my little one," he repeated gently. "We have three hours or so. I will keep first watch."
