The Dark Side

The Battle of Voss

The palace shook with ferocity as the rain of blaster fire had yet to stop. The planet was under attack.

"The battalion of soldiers sent to the coast have been battered. The empire now holds Clarion Beach," Obi Wan offered as we stood around a strategy table, a clone unit loyal to the Jedi by our side.

"They're sending in heavy reinforcements. We've heard news of a cruiser that just appeared out of hyper speed," Rex added. "They're coming straight for the palace."

I ran a hand through my seemingly heavy hair and braced myself against the table.

"We'll be pinned here by time the suns set if we don't get out now," I stated firmly. "We have to evacuate the palace."

"Anakin, as soon as we step out onto a platform we will be gunned down. They have heavy ground canon at Clarion Beach, we would be shot out of the sky before leaving the city walls," Obi Wan pointed to the schematics of the beach, assuring me of the ground artillery the troopers had set along the water lines. He was right.

I stood silently running plans through my head as my officers and master waited in anticipation.

"We need to send a tactical squad to take out the big guns," I finally instructed, enlarging the image of the castle on the table. "I've gone over the layout of the palace, there are tunnels that lead out from the castle to the coast."

Fives stared at the tunnel system displayed on the map and shook his head.

"We come out facing them at the cliffs, we're gonna be flanked. They'll have us on all sides," he pointed out.

"No," I offered, repositioning the hologram yet again, showing another path to my fellow soldiers. "There's a cave system that branches out of the tunnels and leads to the edge of the cove. We come at them from the east cliffs where the caves let out."

"We will have the high ground," Obi Wan mumbled as he stroked his beard, knowing I had learned that lesson from...

I shook my head of the fog that had formed yet again over my thoughts. The resurrected feeling of hopelessness flooding through me. I couldn't think of her without losing my sense of reality, losing every shred of myself over again.

I had a planet to save.

"Our only problem is our lack of tactical unit," Rex interjected. "Our last battalion went out and coms instantly went down. We lost them within a matter of minutes."

"Our only chance to buy time is to go ourselves. The palace guards will have enough time to launch the last evacuation vessel if were taking the blaster fire," Obi said. I hated to agree with him, but as I found my gaze meeting his I nodded.

"We're the last chance to get the heirs of planet safely," I stated, looking each of my clone companions in the eye. "We cannot fail."

I found myself dazed once again as I dismissed the clones, letting them ready for the mission. The last thing I wanted was for my children to fall into the clutches of Palpatine.

"I sense your worry, Anikin," my master said, bringing his hand to rest on my shoulder. "We will keep Luke and Leia safe."

"I know," I answered sharply. "I just have a bad feeling about this."

~*~

By time my younglings were tucked safely away on the last transport ship, ready to leave the palace, I was already half way to the beach.

Our unit had had no trouble navigating through the tunnels beneath the city. Now we had to get through the outlying caves below the cliffs.

"The ground troops have moved in, the cities have been evacuated. It's all up to us now lads," I heard one of our clones mumble.