The figure extends their hand to me, offering to help me off the ground. I want to take it instantly, but I can't. I'm frozen in place by the shock of what I am seeing.
My breathing grows deep and slow as I comprehend the one before me. It's not that I'm scared or upset, rather that I am utterly overwhelmed by who I'm seeing.
The grief filling me is momentarily suspended by the surprise emotion of relief. The feeling wraps around my heart, like glass waiting to be shattered. There's too much going on in the galaxy for me to feel completely okay, but right now, I don't think I could be happier.
"Fives," I gasp.
A soft smile appears on his lips as I utter his name. That look along with the '5' tattoo on his temple is all I need to know this is real; Fives is alive.
I grab his hand and he helps me off the ground. Now I stand before him, taking in every one of his features while my hand remains in his grasp.
"It's good to see you, General Skywalker," He replies.
I no longer care about the danger I'm in. My best friend, my brother, he's alive. I spent close to a year regretting every decision I made that led to his supposed death. The pain, the agony, it was more powerful than I could ever describe. Yet somehow, he is standing here with me.
No clones are coming this way right now; I can sense that much. Even if the enemy was on their way here, I don't believe I could stop myself doing what happens next.
I pull my best friend into the strongest, tightest embrace I can manage. Unlike the previous times we have hugged, he doesn't hesitate to return the gesture. He is just as relieved to see me as I am to see him. Fives wraps one arm around my back and places the other on the back of my head, holding me as close as possible.
I have tried to remain strong since I first saw him just a few moments ago. That commitment, however, vanishes the second I have him in my arms. Tears spill down my face, but not out of sadness or fear. The tears are of joy. I never thought I would see him again, yet here we are.
When danger begins to close in on us again, I release myself from his embrace. We each have to wipe a few stubborn tears off our faces.
"How are you here?" I ask with a shaky voice. "I watched you die, Fives."
"I know, and I promise I'll explain it all later. Right now, we need to get out of here," He urges.
I nod in agreement, knowing he is right. All I want to do is talk to him, but we currently do not have that luxury. There are no threats here right now, but there will be soon.
He and I walk through the Temple at a reasonably normal pace. If we run, we risk heading into danger. By walking, I'm allowing myself to be properly attuned with the Force. I can feel what's around us.
When I'm confident that we're safe, I allow my concentration to focus on something else; the whereabouts of my husband.
No matter how much I concentrate, I simply cannot connect with him. I can't feel where he is, nor can I communicate to him telepathically. I know he's alive, I can feel it, but I also can't feel the warmth of the man I love. Something is wrong.
"Jedi!" A clone shouts from behind us.
I ignite my lightsaber and spin on my heels to face the threat. Much to my surprise, there are only two troopers in our presence.
I put myself before Fives and deflect the blasts heading our way. While I'm shielding us from their attacks, Fives manages to shoot them down. Our efforts work, and all the threats are taken out. The only problem is, Fives still hasn't changed his blaster settings.
Just like the men he saved me from earlier, they are dead.
His actions in that regard confuse me. He has never been the type to immediately resort to the most violent measure when other options are available. That being said, we do not have time to discuss it.
We need to be out of sight, at least for a few minutes. There's still too much for me to ask, and I need answers before we go any further.
I scan the corridor until I find a door that will provide us with temporary refuge. The door alone indicates where we are, and truthfully, I don't know how I missed it.
"Fives," I mutter, nodding my head in the direction of the door.
He nods in response, signalling that he is aware of our next move. If we can get some time in here to think about our next moves, it could end up saving all four of our lives.
We go into the war room and I seal the doors behind us. In the unlikely event that clones realise we're hiding in here, the locking mechanism on the doors would give us just enough time to escape.
Fives walks to the Holotable at the centre of the room. Instead of using it for its typical purposes, he lays his two blasters and spare ammunition on it. He's preparing himself to fight again.
It occurs to me that neither of us is promised survival from this point. Before we go back out there, I need answers. I can't continue without knowing the truth, especially when so much is at stake.
"I need the truth, Fives," I pause, allowing myself a few moments to fight off my emotions. "How are you here? I felt you die in my arms."
The emotions I felt that day come flooding back into my heart. I remember the grief I felt for his loss, the anger I had toward Fox, and my fear of my own power. His death triggered some sort of intense power I never knew I possessed.
"I did, General. Everything you felt was true," He replies.
I begin to question my own sanity. He's confessing that he died, which means he shouldn't be here. I know he isn't a projection of the Force, that much is certain, but I can't think of any other logical explanation.
"And no, you're not crazy. I was revived by a group of clones I had never seen before. I believe you may know them– The Bad Batch," He explains.
The Bad Batch; Hunter, Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and, of course, Echo. They are some of the finest soldiers I have ever seen, and their loyalty to each of their clone brothers is undying.
One of the distinctive features of their squadron is the armour they wear. Unlike the simple, white design of the clone armour in the Grand Army, theirs is characterised by the mix of grey, red, and black. This is exactly what Fives is wearing now.
"That explains the armour," I joke.
This only covers part of the mystery. The Bad Batch may have found him, but that doesn't make his status any less bizarre.
"How did they save you?" I ask.
"They have mutations, as you know. Tech was able to assess my wound. Turns out the blast missed my heart, but the stress piled on top of the injury caused my body to shut down. He was able to kickstart my brain again and fix the wound," He explains, tying together every detail in the simplest way possible.
Now everything makes sense. Tech is the smartest person I have ever met. It makes sense that he was able to fix the damage done to Fives, even if he had already died. That sort of knowledge is reserved for clones with desirable mutations.
"If you've been with them all this time, why didn't you help them on the mission to save Echo? Why didn't you come to us?" I ask, suddenly feeling hurt by the truth.
"I wanted to come back, General, for so long. I didn't want you to think I was gone, but I couldn't risk it. If I showed my face again, The Chancellor would've had me killed; properly killed. I needed to make sure I was here for you when this all unfolded," He explains.
In other words, Fives has lived in hiding all this time just to make sure he could be here for me. He knew this attack was coming, and there was no way he was going to leave me here alone.
"I'm glad you're here," I say.
"Me too," He responds. "For now, we need to focus on getting you out of here."
He's right. We'll have time to catch up once this all over. For now, we need to get ourselves and the one I love out of here. Nothing will matter if we don't all make it out of here.
"You should set your blasters to stun before we go back out there," I suggest. "Those men don't know what they're doing."
"If they're stunned, it's only a matter of time before they wake up again. We'd have an entire Battalion chasing us in no time," He counters, seeming reluctant to change his mindset.
His argument surprises me quite a bit. Fives loves each one of his brothers, and I can't believe he would be so willing to kill them just to ensure my own safety.
"They don't know what they're doing. You should know that," I say.
"I do know it. But I also know that those men, my brothers, will stop at nothing to kill you and every other Jedi in this building," He retaliates.
I understand where he's coming from, but I can't accept it. I don't want countless good men to die when it can be avoided. That doesn't seem right, regardless of the risk.
"We'll be out of here before they wake up," I assure him.
He doesn't verbally respond, but he does pick up his blasters and change the settings. After all this time apart, he still trusts me enough to take on my advice, despite his own judgement.
"Where to?" He asks, preparing his blasters for battle.
"I need to find Anakin. I haven't seen him since this attack started," I reply.
No risk is too great when it comes to Anakin. I'm strong enough to handle myself against the clones, and I will do whatever needs to be done to find him.
"Any ideas where he is?" Fives asks.
"No," I answer. "His Force signature...it feels weak."
"If there's one thing I've learnt about you both, it's that you always find your way back to each other. We'll find him, I promise."
I feel oddly reassured by his choice of words. He's right, Anakin and I always do find our way to each other. No matter what's working against us, we always manage to be reunited.
Fives starts toward the door, but I stop him with my firm grip on his wrist. If he's about to go out and risk everything to protect me, he needs to know what else is at stake.
"Before we go out there and face whatever challenges are thrown at us, there's something you need to know," I state.
"Is everything alright?" He asks, visibly concerned by my mannerisms.
I can't give him a proper answer to this question. The truth is, nothing is alright. I just need to ease him into the reasons why that is the case.
"We can't let our guard down out there, not even for a second. I can't..." I drift off, struggling to find my words. "Nothing can happen to me."
"That's why I'm here. I won't let them hurt you," He comments.
My next words are going to completely alter how he's approaching this task. He's already being protective like an older brother, and now it's going to get infinitely worse.
"I'm pregnant, Fives," I announce. "I'm having twins,"
Fives is completely silent for a few seconds. I don't think he's necessarily surprised, rather just concerned.
"Then we need to get you out of here now," He states.
"No," I argue. "Not without Anakin."
Fives starts to argue with me, but I can't hear anything he says. My mind becomes clouded by another significant disturbance in the Force.
I can still feel the deaths of thousands of Jedi through the Force. Their pain, their screams, their fear, it surrounds me. The sheer strength of the darkness makes it difficult for me to concentrate on anyone in particular. That is unless I feel the presence of someone close to me.
What I'm feeling right now isn't death, but it is close to it. Worst of all, the disturbance is coming from someone dear to me.
"We have to get to the Council Chambers. Now!" I urge.
"Lead the way," He replies.
I walk out of the War Room and am immediately confronted by two clone troopers. In my haste, I forgot to feel for lurking danger.
We don't have time to fight now; we need to get to the Council Chambers. I use the Force to knock the two men back into the wall, causing them to temporarily lose consciousness. With the corridor now clear, we run for the one destination that matters.
We eventually reach the foyer containing one of the doors to the Council Chambers, but I stop before we can enter. The disturbance I felt wasn't beyond those doors, it was right here.
Resting weakly against the wall is Master Ti. I can see a wound at the centre of her stomach from here. She's alive, but based on her weak signature within the Force, I don't think she will be much longer.
"No," I mutter. "No, no, no."
I slide onto the ground beside my Master and observe her thoroughly. The wound is a burn, of course, signalling it must have come from a clone-issued blaster.
"(Y/N)," Her trembling voice utters.
"You're going to be alright. Just stay awake, okay?"
I take her hand in mine and hold it close to my chest. I've already lost my father today; I can't lose my mother too. I want to be able to do something to save her, but I know I can't. Only dark power grants those wishes.
"Master," I croak. "The clones...they don't know what they're doing."
"The clones didn't..." She trails off. "The clones didn't do this."
It isn't until she says this that I notice the state of the wound on her stomach. It contains an entry and exit point and is much wider than I had initially thought. It is no blaster wound; it came from a lightsaber.
"Who did this to you?" I ask, terrified by the possibility of someone else working against us.
She visibly winces a little by me asking this question. The truth is clearly painful, and I can tell she wants to spare me the pain.
"Skywalker," She says almost inaudibly.
"No," I mutter, instantly denying it. "That's not possible."
Anakin was acting strange earlier, I can't deny that. He knew something was coming. Even if he did have existing knowledge, I will not believe that he is somehow involved. He couldn't do that...he wouldn't.
"The younglings...they're in the Council Chamber..." She struggles to say. "Save them..."
She reaches her weak, shaking hand to my stomach and gently rests it there. I hold her hand in place, attempting to make the movement less of a struggle for her.
"All of them," She adds.
Her choice to rest her hand on my stomach as she says this is no coincidence. She knows I'm pregnant, and she probably has known for a while. Her dying wish is for me to protect my family; to protect the Jedi children.
"I will, I promise," I guarantee her.
Her hand becomes limp and her head tilts to the side. I know what this means, but I am not ready to accept it. She means too much to me. My eyes well with tears and my chest starts to ache.
The pain of her death hits me hard. I'm again thrown into the familiar cycle of emotional torture. Master Ti trained me as a Padawan, and she and Master Plo were the closest things I had to a family for a long time. Most of my childhood memories involve them and their commitment to turning me into the person I am today.
The ground starts to shake softly. I've experienced this feeling once before; when I thought Fives died. I completely lost control of my powers and practically destroyed the warehouse where everything unfolded.
The only difference is, I had Anakin to calm me down. This time I do not.
Fives rests a hand on my shoulder, giving something to focus on rather than the broken feeling in my heart. I'm reminded that, while I have lost people I love, I have also regained my brother.
"We have to help the younglings," I say, wiping away my tears.
Despite how much I want to stay here and grieve the loss of my Master, I know we have to go. The Younglings are waiting on the other side of the door, and we owe it to them and my Master to help.
I get off the ground and walk to the door with Fives. The lock has been destroyed, preventing any clones from entering. I open it with the Force, allowing the two of us to walk inside.
At first glance, the room is empty. That is until a familiar young boy with blonde hair and bright blue eyes comes out from behind the seats. As he steps forward, the heads of at least ten other younglings pop up.
"Sors?" I ask.
"Master (Y/L/N)!" He exclaims.
I crouch to the ground and he runs to me. Before I know it, the little boy is hugging me tightly. Given how relieved I am to see him still alive, I do not hesitate to hug the boy.
He jumps away from me mid-hug, suddenly terrified of something. I follow his gaze to find he is staring at Fives. The younglings aren't aware that he is a friend, nor do they know what is causing all of this.
"He's a friend," I say.
"Don't worry," Fives adds. "No ones gonna hurt you, kid."
I would trust Fives with anything. He has saved my life countless times, and he has saved the lives of my own children. He will protect these younglings with his life, I know he will.
"How did you escape the other clones?" I ask.
"It was Master Skywalker," He states.
Master Ti's last breaths were used to warn me of Anakin's betrayal. He supposedly killed her, and he had the opportunity to kill the younglings. If the younglings are alive, then Anakin can't have actually been a part of any of this.
"Anakin?" I repeat. "What'd he do?"
"He found us in here and told us to hide unless a Master came," Sors explains.
Anakin, in a way, saved the younglings. He warned them of what was happening and thereby made sure nothing bad happened to them. He even sabotaged the lock to keep the clones away.
"What are we going to do?" Sors asks.
That's a question I haven't thought about enough. We need to do something, and we need to act quickly. The longer we remain in this Temple, the greater our risk of death is.
"We're going to get you all out of this Temple," I say. "Fives, I need you to take them to Bail Organa,"
"In the Senate Building?" He questions. "Isn't that a bit risky?"
If the clones are under the impression that the Jedi have acted against the Republic, the majority of the Senators will be too. Luckily for us, I happen to know a handful who will still be on our side. Bail Organa is one of them, and I know he will make sure the Younglings are protected.
"Probably," I acknowledge, "but they'll be safer there than here."
"You can count on me, General," He responds, agreeing with my plan.
I return my focus to the younglings, knowing they will need more support. Each of them looks terrified, and rightfully so. The galaxy is changing, and they're at the centre of it.
"Younglings, I need you to go with Fives. He'll take you to Senator Organa, where you'll be safe."
"What about you?" Sors asks.
The blue eyes that were once full of hope appear lost. The selfish, evil decisions made by a politician with too much power has cost him any chance of having the future he was destined to have. The very thought of what must be going through his young mind is heartbreaking.
"I'm going to stay here, but I'll be okay," I say, hoping he'll believe me.
I wouldn't be taking this risk if I didn't feel confident enough in my abilities. I love Anakin with everything I have, but if it came to it, I would choose to protect our children over finding him. That's what he would want.
"Take this," I say, handing Fives my holopad. "Contact Bail and tell him everything. He will know what to do from there."
Fives takes the device from my hand and holds it tightly in his own. He knows what's at stake here, and he is determined to do everything that needs to be done to ensure the safety of these children.
"Now you must go," I say to the younglings. " Listen to Fives, he will keep you safe."
The Younglings gather around Fives. I can sense they are all afraid of what is to come, but they are all being incredibly brave. I couldn't imagine having to go through something like this at such a young age.
"I'll see you soon," I say more to Fives than anyone else.
I begin to walk away from the group. I don't want to say goodbye to Fives, not now. If I do, I fear I may never see him again. I've lost him once already, and the pain of that was almost too much for me to handle.
"(Y/N)," Fives calls out.
I stop walking and turn back to my friend standing among the younglings. He seems just as reluctant to leave me as I am to leave him.
"May the Force be with you," He says.
I give him a nod in acknowledgment, but keep any words to myself. I will see my brother again, but for now, I need to find my husband.