*Rex's POV*
As soon as my wrist comm went off, stating that General Skywalkers squad was returning, I started straight for the hanger. I got there before the squad, leaning against the wall, my helmet tucked securely under my arm. My heart beating fast as I await their return, waiting for her.
My face heats up as I think of her, my mind wandering. I was taken out of thought as ships arrived, docking in the hangar. I approach them, heading towards General Skywalker as he exits his ship. General Kenobi follows behind him. I glance around, looking for the curly brown hair that belongs to Amylin.
My eyes land on Senator Amidala and Commander Tano as they follow the two older jedi, both looking not so happy. "Generals," I greet. Kenobi bows, and continues towards the bridge, while Skywalker stops. "Captain," he greets back. Commander Tano walks straight past, ignoring us, and following General Kenobi. The senator looks back, giving General Skywalker a soft look, then continuing after the padawan.
I start getting worried at their behavior, and even more at the absence of a certain Jedi. Skywalker sighs, then looks towards me, "Let's head to the bridge, we need to discuss our next move." I nod, and he heads the way the others disappeared. I glance once more at the ship, hoping for Amylin to step out, but she never does.
I shake my feelings of worry away the best I can, then walk quickly to catch up to the General. We reach the bridge just as two Jedi masters appear on the holotable. I stand back, as the Jedi circle the table, placing my helmet upon my head.
"Master Windu, Master Yoda," General Kenobi starts. They greet him back, as well as General Skywalker and his padawan. "We have news about Amylin Amidala," General Skywalker states. Commander Tano sends him a glare. I feel my heart rate quicken, unsure if I want to keep listening.
"Go on," General Windu says, clearly concerned about what he is going to say next. "She has been taken captive by Grievous." My heart seems to drop down to my stomach as I process the words. The Jedi are silent for a moment, then General Windu speaks again, "do we have any idea where they might be keeping her?"
"We believe she was taken back to Dooku's capital ship," General Kenobi states. I stand still, trying to maintain my breathing and to seem unaffected by their words. "However, we have no idea where that may be," He finishes, glancing away from the hologram. The Master sighs, shaking his head slightly. I glance down at my feet, fighting to keep calm.
"And is any of our information compromised with this new prisoner they acquired?" My head shoots back up as General Windu speaks. Is he serious? THAT is what he cares about? Padme speaks up now, "my sister would never betray the Republic, no matter what they try."
I grin slightly, only to be short lived as I imagine what they might do to her for any scrap of information. My anger builds up at the thought, but I'm drawn back as they continue speaking. "We are unable to do anything about General Amidala's situation until we figure out where she is being kept. We need to move on," Master Windu states. I furrow my brows, taken back that they are giving up so easily.
General Skywalker is about to speak, but Kenobi nudges him, shaking his head. He stays silent. "We will be in contact, keep us updated on the situation," The masters say, before ending the call. Skywalker sighs angrily, shaking his head. "It's okay, Anakin, just have patience." General Kenobi places a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm the jedi.
He then turns towards me. I straighten up at the sudden attention. "In the meantime," he starts, "You and Cody will head to the outer rim and carry out inspections. They are coming up due." I nod, "yes sir," he smiles, and leads General Skywalker out, Commander Tano following behind.
I'm left on the bridge alone. My mind goes back to Amylin, my emotions building up. I turn and kick over some boxes, yelling in the process. The door hisses open at the same time, and I turn quickly, only to be met with Jesse and Hardcase. "Captain?" the ask, concerned.
I stare at them for a second, trying to get my anger under control. "Clean this up," I ordered, then head out of the room. I feel their gaze following me as I head down the hall. I turn, heading towards the med bay. I enter the doorway, rather quickly. An alarmed Kix turns away from his desk and towards me, "Captain, you alright?" he asks, standing up now. I remove my helmet, flopping down in a chair.
He takes a step towards me, but stops once I speak. "They have Amylin," I look up at him, feeling my rage starting to boil. He doesn't say anything, just processes my words. "They have her and the Jedi are doing nothing," I say, borderline yelling. "Rex," Kix starts softly. I stand up, "Not only that, but get this. They are sending me to go carry out inspections!" I yell. Kix watches me as I pace the room. "Our General is captured and I'm sent to do some lousy fucking inspections!" I throw my helmet against the wall, watching it clatter to the ground.
My sight goes blurry as tears brim my eyes, only making me more angry. I place my hands on my hips, lifting my head slightly, trying to blink the tears away. "Rex," he starts again. I turn to face him, my eyes meeting his. He gives me a soft, sad smile. He heads towards me now, and I stare down at my feet. I shake my head, "We can't do anything to help," I mumble, my anger slowly melting away. I look back up, meeting his gaze again.
"That's not true," he states. "We can continue fighting this war, helping in whatever way we can." He smiles, "good soldiers follow orders," I scoff, a smile coming to my lips. "We will be able to help her, just not right now. She'll be okay Cap." I nod, "I know." He smiles again, "You better prepare for your lousy inspections, then," he jokes.
I scoff again, picking up my helmet. "Thanks, Kix," I say. He nods, then I head back to the barracks to prepare for my journey to the outer rim.
---Time Skip---
*Amylin's POV*
I fade in and out of consciousness, unsure how much time has passed since I've been captured. I'm finally able to grasp reality, and manage to stay awake. I groan, a terrible headache starting to form. I look around the small room I'm in. I notice I'm trapped in a containment field, blocking all force abilities and keeping me in one place. I struggle for a moment, hoping to get free, but to no avail.
I look down, seeing my thigh wrapped where I got shot. "That's nice of them," I mumble to myself. The door to the small cell hissed open, and my gaze connected with Dooku. He smirks at me, "finally, you have been out for quite some time, Jedi." I stay silent, looking towards the droids accompanying him. They are both holding a staff, which I know carries an electric current when activated.
I return my gaze back to Dooku, pressing my lips into a straight line. "I had a medical droid look you over, as you can tell," he motions to my leg and arm, both wrapped up nicely. "Your blaster shots were easy enough, however your broken rips are a bit more trouble."
I scoff, "you can thank your general for that one." He smirks more, maintaining eye contact. He then reaches around his back, pulling out my sabers. I control my anger, not wanting him to sense any emotions from me. "Purple," he starts, "an... odd color for a Jedi."
"You know nothing, Dooku." He laughs, "you've felt the dark side, young one. Tell me, why didn't you embrace it?" I glare at him, not giving him an answer. "The answers will all come with time, but you better start talking, these are the easy questions," he mocks, laughing.
He motions his droids forward. My heart rate picks up as they activate their staff. My eyes glance back to Dooku, who is clearly enjoying the look on my face. "Do the Jedi know where you are, Amylin?" I glare at him, keeping my mouth shut.
I know they have no idea where I am, but he doesn't need to know that. He frowns at my quietness. "Shock her." The droids don't miss a beat, pushing their staffs into either side. My right side hurts the worse, as the droid gets awfully close to my broken ribs. "More," he mocks, making the droids dig deeper, I feel staff digging into my sides, electricity flowing through me. I yell out, unable to ignore the pain.
Dooku laughs again, and soon orders them to stop. My labored breathing is the only sound in the quiet room. "Let's start a bit easier," he says. "How about we talk about Qui-gon." My breath hitches, but I stay staring at the ground.
"He's why your sabers are purple, aren't they?" I feel my anger rising, and it's getting hard to hide it from the Sith Lord. I look up at him, meeting his eyes, "you know nothing," I state again. He smirks. "Oh, I know more than you think."
"You had a strong attachment with the Jedi Master, I mean, he's the one that took you to the temple." My eyes widen as he speaks. He laughs, "I know about it all, Amylin."
I stay silent, trying to keep the horrible memories at bay. "Tell me what happened," he demands. I glare at him, not saying a word. He furrows his brow, clearly displeased by my actions. "Fine," he says, lifting his hands. Lightning shoots out of his fingers, coursing through my body. I yell out again, but he doesn't back down. My vision starts going blurry, until I finally blacked out.
———
I focus on my surroundings, trying to concentrate on meditating. "Amylin," a voice speaks, scaring me. I abruptly open my eyes, flinch a bit from the shock. The Jedi master laughs, sitting across from me. "Any progress?" He asks kindly. I glance down at the floor embarrassed as I shake my head. "Oh, little one, it will come to you. The force is a complicated thing." I smile up at the older Jedi.
"Have you been paying attention during your time with the other younglings?" I nod, "yes master," my high pitched voice echoing in the quiet room. He smiles again, standing to leave. "Master Qui-gon?" I called after him, causing him to turn and face me, "how old were you? When you first felt the force."
He smiles thoughtfully, "just slightly older than you, I meditated every day, for hours," he laughs and he remembers. I smile up at him, Bowing respectfully. He bows back, then heads away from the quiet room, leaving me by myself again.
———
I stare into the darkness of the training helmet, my blue sabers in my hands. I feel a zap on my arm, causing me to jump. "Focus, Amylin," a kind voice says. "I'm trying," I whine to the Jedi master. "Deep breaths," he says, and I listen. "Good, now go again." I close my eyes, focusing on the training droid. I lift my saber, blocking a shot, then another. I soon fall into a rhythm, blocking all the shots, following the droid with the force.
I pause, waiting for the next one, but it doesn't come. I disengage my sabers, lifting the helmet. My eyes meet the proud ones of Master Qui-gon. He smiles at me, and I smile back, heading towards him. "You did very well, Amylin."
"Thank you, Master," I say, still smiling, he pulls me into a side hug, "your family is very proud of you," he says softly. My smile widens as I think of them, back on Naboo. I look up at him, he returns my gaze, releasing the hug.
"You will be a Padawan soon, young one," my heartbeat quickens, eyes widening at the statement. He laughs lightly at my reaction. "You still have much to learn." I hear footsteps behind me, and turn to see Obi-wan, Qui-gon's padawan. He nods respectfully.
Qui-gon dismisses himself, and I watch him leave, his padawan following closely behind. I activate the droid once more, returning the helmet to my head to continue training.
———
I wander the halls of the Jedi temple, looking for my Master. I peek my head into a quiet room, "Master Plo?" I call out, but receive no answer. I sigh, continuing down the hall. Soon, I hear voices coming from up ahead. I smile and head down the hall, towards the voices.
"Horrible news, this is," master Yoda says. I stand against the wall next to the doorway, curiosity getting the best of me. "He will be missed greatly," Master Plo says. My anxiety creeps up as I try to figure out who they are talking about.
"Amylin will be very upset. She had a very close bond to Qui-gon." My heart seems to stop beating as I hear his words. Instantly, I feel tears brimming my eyes. I shake my head, not wanting to believe it. But deep down, I can feel it, his presence missing from the world. I shake my head, and run down the hallway. I duck into an empty training room, my vision blurry from my tears.
I wipe my face harshly, wanting them to go away, but instead then keep coming. I sob, falling to my knees. My sabers clatter as they touch the ground. I reach for them, feeling my rage building up. I engage them, the blue light filling the room. I lift my head, catching sight of the practice dummies. I stand and lung towards them, swinging my sabers over and over again. I scream, unable to control the emotions running through me.
I squeeze my eyes shut, still swinging the sabers aggressively. My hands tighten around the hilts, my swings getting harsher by the second. "Amylin!" A voice yells behind me. I stop, and turn, through my tears I can make out Plo Koon, his face covered in worry.
I disengage my sabers, dropping them to the ground. He takes a step towards me, and I run to him. I wrap my arms around him and sob into his robe. He hugs me back. "It's okay, Amylin, it's okay." I keep crying, as my thoughts are filled with the older Jedi master.
After a few minutes, the tears stop, and I feel numb to my sadness. I pull away from my master, wiping my face. I glance up at him, but he is focused on something behind me. I turn and take in the scene. All the practice dummies are destroyed, scattered across the ground, scorched lines running every which way. I glance at my sabers, lying lifeless on the ground. I stumble towards them, falling to my knees. I pick them up. The hilts are cracked, and inside I see a purple glow.
I turn back to my master, alarmed. "What did I do?" I whispered. His face is filled with worry, but he quickly hides it, and takes a step closer. "It's okay. We can fix it." He says. I glance back at my sabers, knowing he is lying. I shake my head, "what did I do.."
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