Mistakes - Part 1

Contains/Warnings: Violence, death, blood, injury, self doubt, negative self-talk, intense negative emotions

Alarms were blaring, the screams of metal deafening. The very outer shells of Tipoca City's pod-like domes were being torn and ripped apart by squid-shaped ships, latching to the side and drilling a central pointed pillar down into the building as though juicing a ripe fruit.

Alpha heard voices in his comms; the Generals, and Ver'alor Siren. She'd known something would happen, like some kind of fortune teller. He'd seen enough of her power to trust her and back her up. He'd seen her in battle. She fought like some kind of demon, like she was invincible. As though blaster bolts might just bounce off her. Even though he knew they didn't.

She'd taken a shot for him once. The Captain had also seen the injury report after her three day incarceration by the Seppies. That had taken some intimidation to get a copy, Siren had not wanted anyone to see it. But he saw the scans. She'd nearly died. She was reckless and angry. She was as fierce as the rancors she claimed to hunt.

Alpha had never felt more safe with her at his back. He hadn't thought much of her at first, but after seeing her determination; the way she had changed tactics when her training methods caused more harm than help. He was convinced. This outsider… though she may have started as such… she was now one of them. And he was not about to let her down.

The gruff Captain relayed orders as the City shook around them. He had a company of ARC Troopers with him, along with the four unique clones that had adopted the nickname "Bad Batch". They were young but he had seen them work. Not only did Siren pride them as her best students, they were just as determined as she was. They were also ready to join the fight. Like his chance had come in the last invasion, he believed theirs would come today.

There wasn't much in the way of protection in the smooth white hallways, so the boys had dragged out tables, crates and anything else they could use to provide some form of cover. They were all positioned, waiting for the enemy to arrive.

He stood at the ready when he heard footsteps. Fast, light and growing louder. The men around him tensed as they heard it but he waved a hand.

"Stand down," he murmured in what was almost a grunt.

"Sir?" asked Caboose, from behind him. A few moments later, the woman herself flew around the corner, her braids, coat and red sash a flurry behind her. Her pace slowed as she approached, her breathing a little heavier.

"How did you know?' another Trooper named Sol asked. Alpha smirked.

"We've been workin' together for so long, if I didn't recognise her steps by now I oughta be demoted!" Siren flashed a grin at them, hearing the comment. He'd warned her not to smile like that, it made the men practically moon over her because of it. Even he had to admit, her smile was stunning. Even he wasn't immune, but he was not about to ever let that slip.

"I'm flattered you pay so much attention to me, Captain," she said as she drew nearer. "I might start thinking you like me or something." Alpha almost scoffed. If only she knew or understood how "liked" she was. She didn't seem to see it. At first he thought it was deliberate, but she seemed utterly confused by any form of affection.

He felt a little bad for the silver-haired twig. Alpha had noticed that the cadet sniper was almost floating any time she walked in the room. He was not as subtle about it as he thought. Alpha had to roll his eyes.

"Not a chance," the Captain smirked back. She just laughed. The tense mood among the men lifted a little, only for another jolt through the entire facility had many of them sprawling. The zabrak woman gave a growl and Alpha could not help but mirror her feelings. Both of them wanted to be on the front lines.

"We have incoming," Hunter said suddenly, and pointed to a hallway to their right. It was then they heard the steps of droids filling the halls. A sound that still gave Alpha nightmares after the first invasion. Now it was happening again.

"Here we go, boys," Siren muttered, her gaze hard as she drew those long curved knives. He didn't know how she did it, but the blades ignited into a bright green flame, much like her eye. Alpha swore he saw a wicked little grin on her lips, moments before she charged.


Maul had managed to stagger to his feet, slowly, he had pushed himself to walk, and through sheer force of will, he was moving forward. Slow progress around the room when suddenly the whole room shook. He barely managed to catch himself in time, one foot slamming into the ground and sending shocks of pain all the way up. It took everything in him not to scream.

He needed to know what was happening. Scanning the room, he spotted a terminal on the far console and made his way over, his steps far slower than he would like. Sitting didn't hurt as much, it seemed, though it was still uncomfortable.

He began to tap through the controls in order to find some form of assessment on the situation. Maul was no expert, and he had not had to break into such a system in a very long time, but his memories were intact enough that he could recall how to do it.

After only a few minutes there was a schematic pulled up on the holoprojector and he could see a red flashing warning about a breach. Strange ships shaped like some kind of sea-dwelling creature appeared to be attached to the sides of several of the buildings of the city.

They were under attack, Zaiya was right in her apprehension… it seemed her senses were incredibly well-attuned to the Force and its visions.

Now he had to find her. There were small dots on the map in various points, reaching in to tap one, he discovered they were surveillance locations and he could see what was happening. It took some time, but finally a flash of a while braid on one of the feeds drew his attention. His yellow eyes focused on her, standing among a group of mostly identical men… aside from four individuals just behind her.

She carried herself well, her back straight and head high, the men seemed to be watching her, as though waiting for instructions. She wore power like a cloak, he could almost see it.

Suddenly one of the men, a shorter individual with longer hair pointed and the entire group seemed to tense. Maul watched as Zaiya dropped into a defensive stance and he couldn't help but smirk. He was looking forward to watching her destroy everything in her path.


Zaiya was like a wraith. She had not mastered the magick of teleportation as some of her Sisters had. But she was fast enough that it mattered little. With a few rapid steps she had met the battledroids in the hall, slicing down the first one before they could even fire off the first shot.

A hail of blaster fire exploded from the droids, each of them walking forward in regimented lines, as though they were all a part of the same machine.

[Hangar 7 is breached! The droids are everywhere!] she heard through the comm, a quick glance told her it was Havoc's frequency.

"Keep your head down! Fall back to better cover!" Zaiya cried, a tightness in her chest. It was then she heard another voice, a soft one she recognised.

[I-I came to help…!]

[Ninety-Nine get to cover!] Havoc retorted. [This is no place for-arrgh!] Zaiya heard the sound of a thud and a cry of distress.

"Havoc?" she called. "Havoc!" She cut down the droid closest to her as she strained to hear the comm.

[...s-sorry, Ver'alor…] She heard Havoc groan, [I don't think… I can-]

"HAVOC!" she cried. The line went dead and she knew, even without seeing him, that he was too. Her chest felt tight and the nearest droid was suddenly destroyed with her fist through its power bank on its chest. She screamed a vicious word in her native tongue. She should have been there. She should have stopped them!

"A-all teams, regroup to cover," she managed to say into the open channel. Her hearts ached. She shouldn't be here. She should be at the front, facing the sith assassin Ventress and ensuring more of her - of the clones did not perish unnecessarily.

[Anakin and I are on the way,] she heard Kenobi's irritating voice through the comms. [I will engage General Grievous near the barracks, and Anakin will join you in the DNA room.]

"Understood," was all Zaiya could manage.

There was pain in her, and she did the only thing she could think of… what both Talzin and Maul had taught her to do. She dropped into it, feeding off it, letting her pain twist into rage that would allow her to fight harder, and destroy every one of these worthless pathetic walking scrap piles!

With a snarl her blazing green mila hanska drove deep into the chassis of the nearest two droids and she whirled, cleaving them in twain as she dropped into a defensive stance. If Grievous was headed for the barracks, then Ventress was on her way here.

Finally.

Zaiya would be able to face her, bring her to heel and destroy another of Sidious' pawns. The less power Sidious held, the better. The more she thought about them, these enemies of hers… the angrier she got.

She could hear the shouts from her men behind her, and the Force hummed in warning. With a gasp, she darted to the left, swinging her blade upward, narrowly able to deflect a blast and glanced back to where it would have gone had she not been paying attention. Tech blinked at her owlishly for a moment and she offered a nod which he returned. She heaved a sigh of relief and returned to the battle.

"Has anyone got eyes on Ventress?!" she called into the comm as another wave of battle droids and destroyers came thundering towards them.

[Ver'alor! She's infiltrated the city! My men and I have engaged!] It was Colt, and he sounded breathless. If she was there, and Skywalker was not-

"Colt, pull back! Get your men out of there!" Zaiya cried, as fear clawed its way up the inside of her throat. "That's an order!"

But it was too late.

There were screams, blasterfire and then the buzz of a lightsaber.

Then nothing.

"Someone talk to me! What's happening down there?!" the Nightsister roared. There was some static and then-

[This is Corporal Sands… Colt… is dead. Ventress got him, through the heart with her saber, I only saw a glimpse as we retreated.] His voice was heavy and once again Zaiya found breathing difficult. Two of her ARCs now… and she could not protect them.

"Regroup with us Corporal…" she said hoarsely. The comm disconnected and she let out a scream of rage. The sound was like some kind of ethereal howl; the utter force of it mixed with her power and one of the droids was sent stumbling back, sparks flying from its audio processors.

There was a lull in battle, the remainder of Colt's men diverted to support other areas and she heard through the chatter that Cody and Rex had reached the barracks, and met up with Fives, Echo and Ninety Nine. Apparently some wayward cadets had gotten lost and ended up there too. She didn't know how, they weren't supposed to be there! Colt's men were unable to provide back up, having pulled back from that location and Zaiya felt her throat tighten. She gave the order for them to make their way back as soon as possible, though they were pinned by more droids.

Kenobi had apparently engaged Grievous, but Zaiya has seen neither hide nor hairless head of the traitorous Sister of hers. But neither had she seen Skywalker. Her heart thrummed in her chest and it was as though there were sparks of electricity under her very skin.

It was in this moment that Alpha approached, while the others were quickly patched up. She had not lost any men, thank the Winged Goddess, but they weren't out of the swamp yet, so to speak. The clone Captain, somehow seeming broader and larger than all his brothers, came to her side and laid a big broad hand on her shoulder.

"Need you to focus, Siren," he said quietly. Her head snapped to face him and she barely suppressed a growl.

"You think I am distracted, Captain?" she snapped. More of an accusation than a question. In the back of her mind she realised how she sounded just like someone else she knew. But she could not think of that now.

"You can mourn later," he pressed, undeterred by her tone. He was right as per usual. She was seething and grieving on the inside, but it did little to aid her right now. No, she needed to focus in the right direction, let the pain make her senses shaper, not duller. She met his dark eyes for a long moment before giving a slight nod.

In his eyes it was obvious he felt the same pain, the same rage. Those were his brothers and batchmates slain. His kin. His pain probably eclipsed hers. She had to be Ver'alor first, and big sister second. It still didn't sit right with her.

"Skywalker, come in, where are you?" Zaiya asked suddenly into her communicator. This brief respite would not last long.

[I'm- being held up…!] the Jedi grunted back in exertion, she could hear the sounds of battle through the tiny speaker. [I'm nearly there, any sign of her?]

"Negative," she replied.

[Good, if she does, don't engage, you can't handle her alone," Skywalker began but Zaiya made a sound of indignation.

"We're in position, we must protect the DNA room. If she-" Zaiya cut off as she spotted a figure appear around the hallway. "Guns up!" she cried and gave one last response into the comm. "Target approaching."

Asajj Ventress held a deactivated saber in each hand as she sauntered closer to the troupe. Zaiya quickly stepped to the front, feeling Alpha bristle with a deep rage… and a little fear just behind her. She could say nothing to him for the moment, her attentions levelled at the other Nightsister.

"So, we meet again, little witch," she drawled and Zaiya's tattooed lip curled in revulsion. Ventress said it as though she looked down on her, a smug arrogance that Zaiya recognised. It was something uniquely Sith.

"Indeed," Zaiya replied flatly, not sure where she got 'little' from as Zaiya was easily the same height as her and more built in frame than the willowy Ventress.

"Are you going to run away like a coward again?" Ventress's voice was dripping with venom.

"That would not suit my purposes this time, assassin," Zaiya spat back. The bald woman ignited her scarlet lightsabers, a cruel grin crossing her lips.

"Then this might actually be fun."

Ventress was on Zaiya a second later and Zaiya met her strikes with her own ceremonial blades. They might not have been lightsabers but the fire pouring into them though her nexus powers stayed the plasma blades and met them in a vicious hiss. The clones opened fire as Ventress dodged a counter slash at her middle. A second later- a battalion of droids appeared around the corridor, where Ventress had come from.

The white haired zabrak spun out of the path of one blade, striking upward with her dominant hand. Only for Ventress to block it and push her back. She could feel rage bleed through the Force from the other woman and Zaiya's only increased.

How dare Ventress feel such rage! For what? She had caused so much pain, so much loss and tragedy and violence. All she lost in this war was droids! Zaiya had lost friends! Had lost years of her life because of the Sith! How dare this Ventress claim such power through anger! She did not deserve it!

What had she to be angry about?! Losing a droid?! It was absurd to Zaiya in that moment that Asajj Ventress would have the right to feel anything at all, let alone using her hatred in order to give herself power! It was vile!

[This is Captain Rex of the 501st battalion.] His voice was measured in her ear as she dodged another blow. [Commander Cody and I are in trouble, we need backup!] There was a strain to his voice that made her chest tighten again.

[Corporal Sands… how far away are you?] Alpha's voice spoke through the comm channel as she blocked another blow from Ventress that nearly took one of her braids off.

[We're pinned down! Until we push these clankers back, we aren't going anywhere!] Sands replied and Zaiya cursed under her breath. Ventress laughed at her.

"What's the matter? Are your little Republic pets dying as they were bred to do? Pathetic!" she sneered and Zaiya let out a scream of outrage, shoving her back, the green flames flickering and sparking in Ventress' face. She reeled back with a snarl and Zaiya began to advance.

Again and again Zaiya struck, her blades glancing off the lightsaber beam and sparking a mix of scarlet and neon green. The white haired Nightsister's face a twisted vision of rage. She had Ventress on the defensive, pushing her back. She was only vaguely aware of Skywalker informing her he had to defer to stop part of one of the pods collapsing. It was all just noise to her at that point. Ventress grit her teeth but Zaiya's attack was too strong, her emotions fuelling her, guiding her strikes.

Then she heard the comm again.

[We're holding, but low on ammo- if we can-] she heard a soft warm voice in the background, full of excitement, loud enough to hear he would get them more ammunition, then getting quieter.

Zaiya felt like she had been struck.

No.

[Ninety-Nine!] she heard Rex scream, the comm left on in his distraction. She moved out of instinct, and barely blocked the attack that did strike her. One of Ventress' lightsabers slashed her across the thigh as the other was held by her blades - burning against her shoulder, barely having stopped herself from being decapitated. Her jacket was burning where the plasma blade strained, too close to her, her skin blistering beneath.

But it was nothing as she heard the screams of Cody, Fives and Rex, trying to rouse Ninety-Nine from where he had presumably fallen.

Fallen, and would not wake.

Zaiya felt it… a ripple through the Force as she too dropped. Ventress flung her back and she hit the wall, her head cracked on the white wall, something warm seeped over her skull and under her hair. The world went hazy, and for a moment she couldn't see. She didn't even hear the screams from the others as she slumped against the wall.

She felt him fade.

The sweetest, kindest and most gentle person she had ever met… fading from this world and into the Living Force. Of all the people that may or may not have deserved death… not him. Not Ninety-Nine.

All the times they had spoken, had tea, chatted while working, or while she trained… all those moments flashed in her mind. Of all the beings in the Galaxy that should die before her. That should suffer such a fate instead of her. After all she had done.

It wasn't supposed to be him. It wasn't supposed to be Ninety-Nine. Her teeth grit and heat burned its way up her spine. She couldn't protect him. She didn't save him. Yet another that was taken from her. Another that did not deserve the life that was given. Another star -bright in the darkness of this cruel galaxy- that was snuffed out too soon.

Her breathing was laboured, her chest heaved. Mismatched eyes rolled and closed, there was a warm hand shaking her but she could barely feel it.

Failure.

Yet again. She didn't save him. Any of them. Just watched as he was taken away. She didn't- but she could avenge him.

Zaiya's eyes shot open. The world went still and silent.

"Where?" she hissed, a low growl as her eyes snapped to Alpha. The big clone jerked back slightly at the molten heat of her gaze.

"What-?" he began, then returned to the moment. "She got past us, she took the DNA canister, she'd headed back to the hangar!"

Zaiya stood and shrugged off Alpha's hand to help her up. The sound that escaped her was like an animal's snarl. She walked forward toward the hangar, as more droids appeared.

"What are you going to do?" It was Wrecker's voice, speaking to her through the comm. She paused in place and turned back. Her expression was distant, disgusted with everything, though it softened slightly as she looked at her comrades.

"What I should have done from the beginning," she growled and threw out a hand toward the droids. A wave through the Force and they were all thrown back, shattering to pieces as she stalked down the corridor. She paid no attention to the gasps and shock behind her.

She had a witch to slaughter.


Notes:

Hello my lovelies!
...please don't hate me.
This is a painful one. T^T I contemplated changing their destinies but it kind of felt necessary for the plot and character development. It hurt me tooooooo T^T

Next week in Part 2 we shall see if Zaiya catches up to Ventress and whether she will be in trouble for using the Force. Do you think anyone noticed? ... They might have noticed. .

As for me, I am still writing away and drawing as well of course, I am very excited for the upcoming chapter 100, I have had one or two questions come in but please, if you have any, leave them in a comment and I will answer it in a special post when chapter 100 comes out! Even if it's a small one, I'd love to hear it!
I always love any comments, questions or not so if you are able please please, leave me a comment or feedback! I love love love hearing what you have to say.

I think that's all I need to say for this week, so until then, hope you are all happy and well! 3