Evan Piell has been kidnapped. I was in the briefing with several people, Master Plo was telling us that we needed to assemble a strike team to get Piell out of the Citadel.
"Now the Citadel is the most isolated and impenetrable detention facility for the Separatist forces. Nobody has ever escaped."
"First time for everything." Anakin said, arms folded.
"Indeed." Plo said. "Their security has prevented us from obtaining recent reconnaissance, so we had to construct a map based upon data from the archives."
"So we'll be going in blind? How do we even know Master Piell is alive?" I frowned.
"The Separatists wouldn't dare kill Master Piell until they have what they need, the coordinates of a hyperspace lane called the Nexus Route, which travels into the very heart of both systems." Obi-Wan said.
"Meaning we could move our forces into Separatist sectors!" Rex said, shocked.
"Or slip in our defenses, if they obtain it." The clone known as Commander Cody said.
"This is extremely useful to both sides, and could tip the scales of war to the ones who have it." Plo said. "That is all."
Everybody began exiting the briefing room. I walked behind Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Master Plo. They talked about the Citadels security, and Anakin had to say something to Ahsoka along the way.
After a while, we arrived in the hangar bay.
"Oh, and three Padawans will be joining you." Master Plo told me and Kenobi.
"They must be trained." Kenobi said, impressed.
"Indeed, one of them is my own Padawan, his unique weapon has given him favor in battle." Plo said. He continued. "The names of the Padawans you will be receiving are Nathaniel Steel, Liam Alden, and Rose Wendin."
Instantly, Master Plo had my undivided attention. "Really?" I asked in disbelief.
"Indeed, Padawan Thorn. I remember you four always being close. How long has it been since you have seen them?"
"Quite a long time." I responded.
He chuckled. "No need to make it longer."
We walked to the center of the hangar bay, and there I saw them. My old friends. Some of the only people who actually meant something to me.
"Hello there." I greeted, a smirk on my face.
"Well, you're a sight for sore eyes." Nathaniel commented, returning the smirk.
"I could say the same for all of you." I grinned. "Whole team's back together."
Rose punched my arm playfully. "Hope your skills are fresh. We got some droids to dismantle."
Liam shrugged. "From what I hear, we're being carbon frozen."
Anakin called us over to him. "Padawans. Let's go."
We walked over to him, and we saw a carbon-freezing machine.
"You were right." Nathan said.
"Like always." Liam replied.
"This is your idea? Carbon freezing?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin.
"Hey, you wanted to shield us from the life-form scanners." Anakin smirked.
"Are we sure this thing is safe?" Fives said, examining the chamber. "I don't want to end up a wall decoration."
"Try to relax. We'll be unfrozen the moment we arrive." Obi-Wan reassured.
We walked into our spots.
"See you on the other side." I told my friends.
"Hopefully, the other side isn't being a wall piece for the Separatists." Rose chuckled.
The platforms we stood on began sinking in the ground.
I began getting blasted with some gas, and I felt my consciousness slipping.
Everything was black. Darkness.
"Let me take over." I instantly knew it was Revan. I couldn't see. It was as if my consciousness was there, but not there. "You may not survive this perilous a journey. Soon you'll need me and my power."
I felt a warm heat wash over me. I stumbled forward. I saw Anakin and Ashoka arguing. Peculiar. I had thought Ahsoka wasn't going on the mission. My friends became unfrozen.
"Ugh, that was the worst feeling in the world. I think I have carbon sickness." Liam groaned, holding his mouth.
"Don't you dare vomit on me." Rose warned.
"I won't. Dreams rarely come true." Liam chuckled.
"Well I gave you a specific order not to come on this mission!" We heard Anakin say, his voice raised, talking to Ahsoka.
"If there's one thing I learned from you, Master, it's that following direct orders isn't always the best way to solve a problem."
"Enough, both of you." Nathaniel said, walking in-between them. "We have a mission to do, and no point in arguing. Your Padawan is here, Master Skywalker, nothing we can do about it.
"He's right." Obi-Wan said. "We need to rescue Master Piell immediately. This will be no easy feat."
"Then let's get a move on." Rex said, straightening his helmet.
Anakin nodded, and turned to the droids. "Guard the shuttle. We'll contact you when we're ready to get outta here."
We walked across a pathway, a yellow-like mist emitting from the lava. Soon, we saw a large structure in our sight.
Anakin took out his binoculars. "There! The entry point." He pointed.
I took out my own. "The wind conditions are to strong for jetpack." I lowered my binocs. "Who's ready for a climb?" I smirked.
"And we're going to have to free-climb it." Rose said. "Look, electro-mines."
"Great." Cody mumbled. "It seems like inconvenience after inconvenience. I suppose that's what they intended."
I launched myself forward, grabbing a hold for my hand, and then my foot. I hauled myself up, grunting in effort. I used the Force to propel myself forward, but out of the way of the electro-mines and the lightning crackling.
"Hanging in there Snips?" Anakin called out below.
"Couldn't be better!" Ahsoka reassured.
I was right behind Obi-Wan. "Almost there." He shouted.
We hung on to the entry point. We peeked our heads out, and we caught a glimpse of a droideka rolling out, followed by two B2 droids. We quickly lowered our heads, and Obi-Wan put a finger to his lips, signaling us to be quiet. The droids scanned the area, and then went back inside.
"They locked the door with a ray-shield." I called back.
"Wait! There's an opening up there!" Rose called out, pointing to the ventilation ducks. Maybe the Togruta can squeeze through."
Ahsoka nodded, and climbed to the ventilation shaft, and climbed in. We waited for a short time, when she dropped down to the other side, and unlocked the door for us. I helped Rose and Nathaniel up.
One of the clones lost his footing, and fell.
"CHARGER!" Fives yelled, outstretching his hand, as if trying to grab him from afar. The clone fell, and hit one of the electro-mines.
"Not good." Liam breathed.
"You think?" Nathaniel said. Afterwards, we heard an alarm.
We crept through the halls, and came to a halt when we spotted droids running down the hall opposite form us. I gave my allies the stop signal. After they had left, I gave them the all clear. The clones shot their surveillance. Immediately, lasers attached to the wall began firing at us. Before I could even touch my saber, Rose took out her saber hilt, green blades extending from both sides, and deflected multiple shots back at the lasers, while the others quickly took them out.
"Impressive." I chuckled. "Most impressive."
She grinned. "I've been practicing."
We heard a noise that sounded like a ship charging up. We turned our heads to see a wall of electricity coming straight towards us.
"The walls are electrified! GO GO GO!" Cody yelled. We dove behind cover. The wall was about to hit a clone, but I used the Force to pull the clone to me, behind cover.
"Thank you, sir, you saved my life." He got up, and saluted me. I nodded to him.
We walked down the hall, towards the cell. We soon arrived at the door.
"Ready?" I asked my allies. They nodded.
The door flew open, and four new droids and a super tactical droid turned to face us.
"Hello there." Obi-Wan said.
Liam dashed forward, holding an unusual saber. I recognized it as a saber whip. He lashed it forward and lopped off the heads of two droids. Nathaniel drew his curved hilt, and elegantly hacked the rest to pieces. Obi-Wan slashed the energy source where Piell was hanging from. The Master fell to his knees.
"What....took you guys so long?" Piell said, giving us a weak smile.
"Good to see your humor is intact." Obi-Wan helped Piell up.
I handed him his lightsaber, and he gave a nod of thanks. "What about the coordinates to the Nexus Route?" I asked him.
"I have half of them. My Captain has the other half. I erased the computers when we were boarded, and both of us memorized part of it. That way, if I cracked, they would have no way of knowing the other half. My Captain is with the other officers, I assume."
"Then let's get a move on." Liam said.
We exited the prison. The moment we turned the hall, three new droids came from both sides, carrying rifles. They began firing. We ignited our sabers. Me, Rose, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan did most of the deflecting, since Nathaniel's form wasn't good at deflecting, and Liam's lightsaber whip wouldn't be able to anyway. We provided cover for the clones. Soon, we easily got rid of them.
"Keep moving." Obi-Wan said.
At that moment. We heard a loud ringing. We all covered our ears. Soon, our lightsabers, blasters, and metal objects, including Anakin's metal hand, dragging Anakin along with it, flew up to the roof. He was electrified.
"Anakin!" I yelled.
Then we heard a chilling voice on the intercom.
"You fools! I hope you enjoyed the reunion with your fellow Jedi, because you're going to be my guests for a very....long...time."
Droids ran up to us. I nodded to my allies. We force-pushed them back. They were magnetized. We pushed it down further. Anakin, on the top, got electrocuted once more. Fives shot the magnetic thing holding Anakin and our weapons. I caught my purple saber, and ignited it. I crushed one droid, throwing the now metal ball, into the other, and then pulled them towards my saber. I turned around. The others had dealt with the droids as well.
We snuck across the halls, all the way to the cell where the officers were held. Anakin slashed through the door, impaling a suspicious droid. Ahsoka flipped in, stabbing the other.
"Captain Tarkin." Piell greeted.
The Captain stood up. "Never thought I'd see you again. And you brought friends. Now that you have found us, how are we going to get out? There's at least ten squads on their way. It's going to be quite a feat to escape."
Obi-Wan thought for a minute.
"I have a plan."
I ran with Anakin, Ahsoka, his clones, Rose, and Tarkin.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked Skywalker.
"The boy has a point." Tarkin said. "We are stronger together."
"The boy has a name." I told him.
"Quiet, both of you." Anakin said, beginning to carve a hole in the wall. "Everybody in." Fives and Echo pushed the piece of wall that had been carved off, giving us an entrance to the cliffs."
"This is one of the original fortress tunnels." I said, looking around.
"The advantage of old archive data." Echo said. "Looks clear. Look like General Kenobi's distraction worked." He turned to Tarkin. "Seems like things are going as planned."
"It's when things do not go as planned that concerns me, clone. What happens then?"
"When in doubt, get a Jedi." Fives intervened.
"Oh? The children who accompany you?" Tarkin said, a smirk on his face.
"No. The children who saved your life. Now shut up, and let's move." I snapped at him.
"Thanks for that." Echo whispered to me, as we walked.
"My pleasure." I grinned.
We walked carefully across the ledges, staying close to the walls.
"R-2." Anakin called in his comm link. "Are you and the battle droids ready to go?"
I heard R-2 beeping through the hologram.
"Good. Get the ship fired up, we'll see you at the pipeline exit after you picked up Obi-Wan. Hopefully he's on schedule."
We kept walking for a while. There was no noise but the shuffling of our feet. That was, until I heard strange beeping noise. I quickly spun around, cleaving a probe droid in half. After some more walking, Ahsoka and Tarkin began arguing. It seems the Captain wanted to pick a fight with everyone here.
"Ahsoka, Rose, I need you to lead the group. Keep following the tunnel. Severus and I will catch up. We'll protect our flank."
We started scaling the wall, gaining the high ground, slowly following Ahsoka. She stopped at the area where we were supposed to blow the wall.
"Why isn't she doing anything?" Anakin said.
Suddenly, B2 droids came in sight. Anakin and I leapt from the wall, making quick work of the droids.
Rose leapt to action throwing detonators at the wall. Combat droids with shields on their guns came out, and blocked the way we came. Rose leapt over them, making them turn around. We slashed and shot their backs. I then threw the rest of the droids into the wall with the Force, which was conveniently about to explode. Then, a loud explosion, and the droids turned into dust. We walked through the rubble of the wall, onward. Eventually, we walked across another ledge until we saw a ledge.
"This pipe leads to the top of the ridge, where R-2 will pick us up." He opened the hatch. "Let's move. Don't use your lights and make sure your weapons are locked. The slightest electronic pulse will ignite this whole tube."
We climbed up the ladder, the smell being nearly unbearable. Ahsoka and I scouted a head. "We found a way out." I called over.
We slightly opened the hatch. "Coast is clear." I said. "No sign of the shuttle." Then I heard the clicking of a gun. I quickly flipped out of the hatch, slashing a droid to bits, and then I saw a lot more droids. "Kriff." I muttered. "We gotta go!" I yelled.
We deflected the lasers, Rose spun her lightsaber, sending blaster fire into the droids heads. We slid down a hill, Rose covering us with her quick deflections. "Hand me a charge!" I yelled to Rex. He threw me one. I clicked the button and threw it into the open hatch. I grabbed Rose, quickly sending us down right before a large explosion, followed by pieces of shrapnel flying to where Rose was standing.
"Thanks." She groaned. "I owe you one."
"Time for Plan B." Anakin said cheerfully.
"Glad you're so excited." Rose said.
"There's always a backup plan. We'll meet R-2 at Obi-Wan's position." He said.
We made our way through the Citadel, when we heard blaster fire. We began running towards the noise. It was coming from the airfield. We jumped into the fray, quickly taking cover.
"Sorry we're late." I grinned to Nathan.
"I'm not even gonna make a comment." He chuckled.
Incoming droids with air speeders began firing at us. We deflected as much fire as we could. Anakin jumped on one of them and used it against them. The battle was a blur, droids with shields came out. Echo tossed me a detonator. I nodded to him. We threw the bombs and it messed up the shield phalanx.
Echo picked up a shield and began firing at the turret.
"ECHO! NO!" I screamed, running towards him, decimating any droid in my way. The turret pointed at him.
It fired.
The shuttle blew up, engulfing Echo in flames. A piece of debris hit the turret. A shard of shrapnel hit my stomach. I clutched my stomach, ripping it out. I covered the wound, hopefully, nobody would notice.
"We need to go." Kenobi said.
"We need to check if he's alive!" I yelled.
"No." He flatly stated. He grabbed my hand and we ran.
We ran away. I tried my best not to collapse, keeping a hand on my wound. "We need a rescue!" Obi-Wan shouted into his comm link. He turned to us. "A cruiser is being sent. We need to hold out until the council sends a ship. We settled in a small cave-like area.
"How are we going to get to the rendezvous point?" I asked.
"There is none, most likely." Kenobi said.
"Then we'll find one." Liam said.
We head forward, hopefully to some sort of escape.
We walked through some sort of land, if you could call it that. With puddles of lava. It was clear we had to fight our way out of this place. Master Piell was on a hologram.
He turned to us.
"Master Plo is en route. We will need to get to an island." He said. "I think-" He was cut off when we were interrupted by droids.
"Incoming!" I yelled. I used my aggression to quickly destroy them. After Echo, I wasn't necessarily happy with droids. I could have saved him. Echo should have been next to me, blasting these droids. I shook it off and we continued moving.
We ran through the cliffs, and droids began boxing us in. We began fighting back.
"Everybody follow me!" Anakin yelled, as he repelled down the cliff. R-2's droids gave us cover as we climbed down. It was enough for all of us to get to the ground. We jumped into a hole, which looked like an underground cave. We followed a path that led us to a different exit. I walked with my friends as the rest of the group walked ahead of us.
"Quite the mission." Liam said, jumping rock to rock to avoid the cracks filled with lava.
"We've lost too many good men." I said, shaking my head.
"How about, after this fiasco, Jawa Juice on me." Rose said.
"I'll hold you too that!" Nathaniel grinned.
We walked uphill. I kept checking our flank in case any droids tried surprise attacking us.
"We need to be keep moving, and stop talking. If we aren't at the rendezvous at the exact time, we'll miss our window." The first sentence was directed at Tarkin and Anakin, who were talking.
We were interrupted by a loud howling.
"Those creatures are gaining on us." Fives said. "If they've caught our scent, they'll lead the droids right to us."
"We'll have to fight our way off this rock." I said. "We could use this cave to surprise them." I said, pointing at a nearby cave. "We can attack them from behind, however we need a distraction."
"Leave that to me and Obi-Wan." Anakin said.
"The rest fo you, follow me." Piell said.
We started running, and several spider droids crawled into our way. Liam ignited his lightsaber whip. He cracked it toward a spider droid, and its leg came off. Nathaniel leaped towards the droid, flicking his wrist, curved lightsaber in his hand, and cut the droid in half. Rose and I took down the droids trying to kill the clones.
"Go, Master Piell and I will take care of the spider droids!" Ahsoka said.
"That's not a very wise decision." I yelled out, Force-pushing a spider droid off the edge.
"Trust me, I got this." She said, taking down two droids.
I sighed, shaking my head. We started running towards Anakin and Obi-Wan.
"Where's Ahsoka and Piell?" Anakin yelled, slashing his lightsaber against one of the tracking dogs, and then deflected a laser from the droids driving air speeders.
"She said she can handle it." I yelled back, jumping on the air speeders of a droid, and impaled its head.
"And you did what she said?" Anakin scoffed.
"I know better than to argue with a pupil of Anakin Skywalker." I told him.
"Fair enough." He muttered.
We soon took care of the hunting party.
"We should go, there are more squads on their way." Tarkin said.
Obi-Wan squinted at the horizon. "Oh no..."
I turned to where he was looking. My heart dropped. Ahsoka was carrying Piell on her back. And he wasn't moving. Anger boiled up in me. She stated she could handle it. She said she "got it". And now we failed. She laid him on the ground.
"I...have the information. He died honorably." She said.
"You....had one job." I scoffed in disbelief.
"It wasn't my fault." She shot back.
"You said you could handle it." I said, my voice raised.
"Well I guess I couldn't." She said, folding her arms.
"And now he's dead because of that." I spat.
She didn't say anything else.
We wrapped him in his robes.
"Let's make this quick, we haven't much time." Obi-Wan said.
"It'll take as long as it needs to." I snapped at him.
Anakin lifted up the body with the Force and placed it in the lava river. We stood in silence as it went down the lava waterfall. I closed my eyes. We lost a good Jedi. We kept moving forward. We saw the extraction point. Which had a moat of lava around it. Fives and Rex shot tightropes across our point and the extraction point. The clones crawled on the tightropes, along with Tarkin.
"Incoming!" Rex shouted, pointing to the incoming air speeders. Those with lightsabers deflected any shot we could. Fives shot the engine of the ringleader. The one behind this whole operation. I leapt forward using the Force, and landed on the other side. We saw a Republic Gunship begin to land. Finally, we're getting off this rock. The others had gotten on the area of the extraction point. Suddenly the ringleader started laughing.
"You fools!" He yelled. "Prepare to die."
Spider droids began coming from everywhere, surrounding us. I then felt a sharp pain in my stomach where the shrapnel hit. Master Plo was on the Gunship, helping everybody up. One of the spider droids shot close to the main engine. The Gunship started making a strange noise. I still hadn't hopped on the Gunship. I couldn't let them wait for me. One more hit, and they would go down.
I used the Force to freeze the droids, but it wouldn't hold. Beads of sweat ran down my face.
"GO." I yelled.
"Leave him." Obi-Wan insisted. "We have to go."
"No! We won't leave him!" Rose said. Rose was about to leap off, but Obi-Wan held her firmly, along with Nathaniel and Liam. I saw the Gunship fly away.
"Hold you fire." I heard a voice say.
I stopped freezing the droids. I saw Count Dooku himself step down from a air speeder.
"The clone prisoner has been given to Wat Tambor." He told the ringleader. The ringleader nodded.
"Count Dooku, my Lord, I didn't expect you here. I regret to inform you that Piell has died." He said.
"And the coordinates.." Dooku said, his voice cool and calm.
"Gone, my lord."
"I see." Dooku checked his nails. Then he ignited his saber, and with a swift motion, hacked the ringleader's head off. "Failure." He muttered. He then looked at me, waved his hand, and I became unconscious.
THIRD PERSON P.O.V
The Gunship touched down on the ground. Rose, Nathaniel, and Liam were all quiet, casting glares in Obi-Wan's direction. The doors opened to find Mace Windu, Master Yoda, and Shaak Ti, Nathaniel's master, waiting.
"Sad, to hear of Piell's passing, we are." Yoda said.
"Nathaniel?" Shaak Ti asked. "Is everything all right?"
Nathan said nothing, and walked off. Liam and Rose followed him.
"They lost a friend." Plo explained.
A cold hand wrapped around Mace's heart. "Where is Severus?" He asked, his voice cold.
"I'm afraid we all know the answer to that." Tarkin said.
"We need to get him." Windu said.
"No, we can't. We got what we needed." Obi-Wan said.
Anakin scoffed. "How can you say that? Every Jedi is important."
"And we can't risk any more!" Obi-Wan said. He turned to Mace. "I understand why you want to retrieve Severus."
Windu gave Obi-Wan a cold look. "And I understand why you don't." He stormed off.
"What does he mean by that?" Anakin asked.
"It's nothing, Anakin."
Yoda gave Obi-Wan a knowing look. "Rest, you all need. Yes, rest."
FINALLY! After over a month I did another chapter. It took forever. School and everything has been stressful. Anyway, next one might be short, but it's gonna be a good one. Trust me.