ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ-ᴛᴏ-ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪᴅᴅʟᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴀʀᴇɴᴀ ɪꜱ ɪᴍᴍᴇɴꜱᴇʟʏ ᴅɪꜰꜰɪᴄᴜʟᴛ. Even if you need to get something crucial off your chest, having to pause every few moments to fight another raging creature isn't the most ideal situation. Obi-Wan and I learned that the hard way, especially after he got stabbed in the toe by the Acklay.
"Blazes," he hissed, grabbing his foot. "It barely grazed me, but that hurt."
"How about, then," I suggested, "now that we've gotten our most important topics off our chest, we save the rest of this conversation for somewhere a little more safe? Not to mention... a little more private?"
The moment had passed where I hadn't cared if the whole world was watching. Now, I was extremely self-conscious about the fact that the entire planet of Geonosis, plus some visitors, had just watched me kiss Obi-Wan. And especially since we were supposed to be in the middle of getting killed, it didn't seem like the right time to have a serious talk about where this relationship was going to go.
"Yeah. Sure." He grunted as he kicked aside the staggering Krykna. I turned around to face the Acklay, hefting my sharp piece of sandstone, but Obi-Wan grabbed my hand, holding me back. "Let me."
I raised an annoyed eyebrow. "So you love me, yet you can't trust me enough to kill a weird dragon-looking thing?" It lunged at me, and I grabbed the spear from Obi-Wan's sweaty hand, slicing the Acklay's head clean off. Obi-Wan stared at me with amazed, wide eyes. "I can handle myself."
"I know you can. You've proved yourself over and over again," he told me. "And trust you? I already do. I trust you more than I trust anyone else in the galaxy." He snatched his spear back from me, slicing another Krykna leg off.
"You've sure been acting like it. Taking the poisonous dart from me, telling me to follow your lead back on Kamino... that just screams trust to me."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Em, you don't understand. I know you're more than capable. But so was Qui-Gon." Obi-Wan swung hard at the Krykna, and missing, his anger and sadness surmounting. "He died because I wasn't there for him, Em. I couldn't lose you, too. Not... not the same way I lost him. I couldn't live with myself if you died, knowing I could have done more to save you." His voice cracked.
His sentiment was sweet. "Obi-Wan... thank you for trying to protect me. But I promise you... I'm not dying. I'm too stubborn for that." I smiled at him--it was enough to get him to crack a smile. "And you don't need to go out of your way to protect me when I can handle myself." I raised my eyebrows at him. "I think if there's one thing we need to work on, it's how to work as a team."
He smiled knowingly. "You're right about that, at least."
Both of us were so preoccupied with each other that we almost didn't notice the Krykna lumbering its way over, stumbling on four legs instead of six. It took a bite towards Obi-Wan, and I jumped forward to do something--anything--but before I reached the creature, a glint of silver came flying in from the distance, slipping its way around the Krykna's neck. The silver chain pulled back suddenly, and with a snap, the creature's neck was snapped. It fell to the ground with a loud thud, unmoving.
"So you two just kissed, and now you're back to fighting?" Anakin called down from his place atop the Reek. "Typical of you two."
"Well, I thought it was cute," Padmé remarked. She was sitting behind Anakin. Thankfully, she was still in one piece, but I couldn't say the same for her outfit. Her top had been sliced clean in half by three deep claw marks along her back, leading to the lower half of the top gone.
"Us... later," Obi-Wan panted. "Escape... now."
I nodded in agreement, clutching at a cramp in my stomach. The two of us ran for the Reek, hopping on top of it as quickly as possible. I settled in behind Padmé, with Obi-Wan taking up the rear. He grabbed my waist for support, pulling himself even closer to me so that his chest was flush with my back. I nearly passed out at the sensation of it alone. Never did I ever think this day would come. Yet here I was, with the man I loved miraculously loving me back...
I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. If we survived this, I'd have plenty of time to admire Obi-Wan... possibly an entire lifetime's worth. But that was only if we survived, which meant I had to pay attention now. If only he didn't have to make it so damn hard.
"This isn't how it's supposed to be!" I heard Nute Gunray, the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, bellow from his place atop the balcony. "Jango! Finish her off!"
Count Dooku responded to the Viceroy in a voice too low for me to hear, but I didn't like the look on his face--or on Jobal's. Things were about to get much worse really fast.
I was unfortunately right about that. I heard the faint sound of another gate opening, and several more droidekas, like the ones that had captured Obi-Wan, whirled out into the arena, taking up stances a couple of yards before our Reek, starting up familiar energy shields, and aiming their guns in our direction. They came from every direction, surrounding us from all sides, egged on by the leftover Geonosis guards that still wielded spears.
As they pressed even closer to us, surrounding us, I threw a disgusted look up to the balcony. "Is this really how you want us to die, Jobal?" I demanded. "By sentencing droids to do your dirty work for you?"
Jobal's keen smile turned into a snarl, but Dooku held out an arm, holding her back. He began muttering something in her ear, his face pressed with irritation and indignation, but I stopped paying attention to him, as something behind his back caught my eye. A familiar Force signature attached to a familiar figure...
His distinguishable lightsaber flickered to life, and he held it to Jango Fett's throat, bathing the bounty hunter in familiar purple light.
"Ah, Master Windu," Count Dooku commented, twirling slowly to face the Jedi Master, who was glaring at him impassively. "How pleasant of you to join us."
"This party's over," he declared, his voice resonating powerfully through the silent arena.
Almost as if on, cue, more and more lightsabers began to get illuminated throughout the stands of the arena--so many I couldn't even count. The sight of it alone was enough to get near all of the Geonosians to flee--the sky was suddenly filled with hundreds of Geonosians fluttering out of the arena through the top, trying to take shelter.
I turned my attention back to the balcony, where Count Dooku was saying something to Master Windu, but with all of the sounds of the Geonosians taking flight, I could no longer hear their conversation. I adjusted myself in my seat, ready for anything. Obi-Wan seemed just on edge as I felt, and he squeezed my waist assuringly. I felt another rush of adrenaline and thrill shoot through me at the action, and tried my hardest to put that aside.
"I don't like this," I mumbled to Obi-Wan, tilting my head backward to face him. "I have a bad feeling..."
Obi-Wan's eyes widened as they fixated on something behind me. "Look," he mumbled in my ear, pointing.
I followed his gaze. Up on the balcony, Count Dooku, Jobal, and the rest of their allies were retreating, leaving Master Windu alone, hoisting his saber at something approaching from the entryway at the base of the balcony. I got a sudden clenching feeling in my stomach, and out of nowhere, red shots started getting fired from every direction. Up on the balcony, Master Windu was busy deflecting blasts when Jango Fett set his flamethrower upon him, causing the Jedi Master to flip backwards off the balcony, fall several hundred feet, and land nimbly, throwing off his cloak and hoisting his lightsaber up at the bounty hunter, challenging him. As he did so, hundreds of droids began to storm the field, as if this outcome of our executions had been expected, and prepared for.
Thankfully, dozens of Jedi stormed the field as well, leaping into the action and preventing the four of us, still on top of the Reek, from getting caught in the crossfire. A few nearby Jedi flagged us down, so Anakin guided the Reek over, and reached out as they tossed us our lightsabers. Obi-Wan and I ignited ours instantly, the familiar hues flickering to life, but when Anakin turned on his, it was a completely new color entirely. His new saber was bright green, similar to that of Qui-Gon's from ten years ago. I smiled sadly at the sight, wondering what had happened to Anakin's old saber. It wasn't broken, I hoped... but it was Anakin. Anything was possible.
As Anakin used his new saber to release Obi-Wan of his bonds, I turned to Padmé, who was getting handed a blaster. "We don't have much cover in here," I told her, "so be careful, please. I know you have the Force within you. Use it." I patted her on the back, carefully avoiding the deep scratch marks.
"How?" she demanded.
I shrugged. "It's an instinct. Use it to enhance your reflexes, predict things that are coming. It'll keep you alive."
"But-"
I didn't have time to argue with her. Anakin and Obi-Wan had already flipped off of the Reek, charging straight into the battle, so I followed suit, sliding down the creature's side gracefully and pulling my cloak off to hop into battle as well. Padmé followed me, hoisting her gun confidently.
"You've got this," I told her as I fixated my eyes on a familiar bounty hunter off in the distance. "You're good with a gun--let the Force help you be better. I'll be right back."
"Wait!" Padmé cried, eyes following me. "Where are you-" The rest of her voice was drowned out by the sound of battlefield background noise as I ran away from her, hoping to make it to the other side of the arena in one piece so I could finish what I'd started in Kamino... the right way.
Unfortunately, Jango saw me coming. He'd just got done saving himself from getting trampled by the Reek, and was standing there, trying to catch his breath, looking in the direction I was coming from. He raised his blaster, but I was ready. I swiped as I ran, deflecting each of his blasts and taking out several droids as an added bonus on my way. I drew ever closer, and Jango Fett began to get alarmed. He took several hesitant steps backward, still firing at me, but that made it all too easy to gain ground on him. I reached him in no time--at the exact same time Master Windu approached him from behind. The two of us worked together, and used Jango's obliviousness to Master Windu's presence in our favor; I sliced off the hand Jango was using to fire at me, sending the hand and the gun clattering to the sand below, as Master Windu sliced his head clean off in one smooth movement.
As anxious as I was around the man, I was glad he'd shown up when he had. After what had happened on Kamino, I didn't think I had it in me to deliver the final blow.
"Nice work, Naberrie," he admitted begrudgingly. "You made easy work of that."
"Hollbar," I corrected him with a smile. "But thanks."
He cocked an eyebrow, but before he could say anything else, the two of us were bowled over by Padmé's Nexu, which I hadn't even realized was still alive. We were both sent flying in opposite directions; me, straight into the middle of the battle, and Master Windu, straight into the sandstone wall holding up the stands. The Nexu glared between the two of us, then turned its back to me and prowled toward Master Windu, away from the raging battle.
I pulled myself into a sitting position, my back aching from the tumble. Sand dripped from my clothing, irritating my skin. It would have been so easy to walk away from that deadly creature, and instead of helping Master Windu, to let him face the Nexu himself and walk away now before I could injure myself even more.
But when I looked over at the Jedi Master, who was usually so confident and strong, I realized that had all changed. He seemed to have dislocated his shoulder in the process of hitting the wall, and couldn't lift his lightsaber. His ankle--the same one that I had injured--was twisted dangerously, so he couldn't move. He was pressed to the corner of the arena, raising a trembling hand weakly to try and use the Force, but nothing was happening. He was trapped, powerless, weak.
As much as the man had done to me, I knew I'd deserved every bit of it. And he didn't deserve to die for that.
I could be good.
I pulled myself to my feet and, hefting my lightsaber despite aching muscles, charged for the Nexu. It was so concentrated on Master Windu, it didn't see me coming, which was perfect. All it needed was one blow, and I could deliver that.
I almost didn't make it. Master Windu sank to the floor as the Nexu drew even closer, as if giving up and accepting his fate. The cat-like creature dipped its head, opened its mouth...
I'd been right about a small blow being strong enough to defeat it. My lightsaber sliced through its neck like putty, and as it fell toward the ground and Master Windu's figure in what seemed like slow motion, I kicked my leg up and punted the head, sending it flying toward the wall. It ricocheted and landed a few feet away just as the body collapsed just before Master Windu. His eyes, which had been pressed shut calmly, opened, and widened when he saw me standing in determination above him.
"Don't say it," I insisted as he opened his mouth to speak. "You don't need to thank me. After Kera... I needed to make things right." I smiled sadly and nodded my head towards him, then extended a hand.
Master Windu seemed hesitant. But he nodded back, and extinguished his lightsaber, rolling his shoulder a couple of times to push it back into place. Once he was satisfied, in a move that seemed to surprise us both, he took my hand, and just as Anakin had done for me earlier today, I helped him to his feet and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Supporting his body weight with mine, the two of us slowly made our way back out onto the battlefield, lightsabers out, deflecting any shots that came our way.
By now, the battle seemed to be winding down, but not in a good way. More and more droids kept streaming out of the gates, and with the amount of fallen Jedi, we were now hopelessly outnumbered. I could see Anakin nearby, standing in front of what looked like a fallen chariot, twirling his lightsaber eloquently. Padmé was just a few steps behind him, using the chariot as cover while using her blaster to take out long range targets. Hair was falling from her bun and she had several more scratches than when I'd seen her last, but other than that she was still okay, remaining strong and confident as usual.
Obi-Wan didn't seem to be nearby. That worried me a little bit. I knew he was a talented Jedi and could fend for himself, but last time I'd seen him, he'd been with Anakin. Unless they'd been separated somehow...
No. I couldn't allow myself to think like that. I'd know if he was injured... or dead... wouldn't I?
I desperately searched the battlefield. So many Jedi had fallen, it was hard to pick out the faces of the dead, so I instead searched the living. It took me a while--or at least what felt like a while--but I eventually found him, and breathed a sigh of relief. I never should have doubted him... he was one of the strongest people I knew. He was still out there, going strong, taking down droid after droid and causing mass panic. But even he was starting to get pushed back with the amount of droids edging in on us. Anakin and Padmé were being forced to fall back as well, moving away from their cover to keep from getting overrun by droids.
"Come on, let's fall back," I told Master Windu, tightening my grip on him and beginning to move backwards.
"You don't have to save me," he murmured, inhaling sharply in an attempt to abate the pain. "Seriously. You can help protect others if..." he grunted, "if you just let me go."
"Someone showed me, earlier today, that everyone is worth saving," I told him, thinking fondly of Anakin and how he'd saved my life, even after my attempts to get him to leave me. "No matter how injured you are." I glanced over at the man. "As long as I'm alive, Master Windu, you will be too."
He didn't say a word, but tightened his grip on me as he hefted his lightsaber deflecting another blast in our direction.
Soon, however, there was nothing we could do. With the amount of Jedi we'd lost and the amount of droids coming in, we were all utterly surrounded, forcing us all to have to continue backing up, until we were all pressed back-to-back in a wide circle. We all drew so close that Obi-Wan became near enough to me to grab my hand. I understood his message. If we were dying... we were dying together.
It all seemed hopeless. At least, until the droids suddenly ceased fire, and the arena went silent. I should have been relieved, but I wasn't. If Count Dooku and Jobal truly were behind this, if the droids had ceased fire, that meant that something else was coming for us. Something much worse.
✧✧✧
Dun, dun, dun... cliffhanger. I mean, if you've seen the movies, you know roughly what happens, but I've got more in store for our pal Emeré coming up, so be sure to stay tuned ;)
Anyway, this chapter is a bit longer, but I hope you still enjoyed it! We got some more Obi-Wan-Emeré content in here... and some teasing from Padmé and Anakin. I couldn't resist. I just know Anakin would be teasing Em about this for the rest of her life. They have such a cute relationship--I love writing them :)
If you would like to leave a vote or a comment, those are always very much appreciated. Love you guys so much for continually reading, commenting, voting, and sticking it through with me. I'm so glad y'all are enjoying the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. See you in the next chapter!
~ ᴋᴀᴛᴇʟʏɴ ~