The room is dark.
I hear footsteps.
My breathing is quick.
My lower abdomen hurts so much.
My legs, they feel numb.
I have a weight in my arms.
I look down to see a beautiful child.
He isn't crying.
He isn't moving.
He isn't breathing.
He is completely, and utterly still.
I need someone to help me.
He has to live, I think.
I begin to cry and scream.
Someone tell me he's alive
I need this child to live
"Master! Master, wake up!" Caleb shook my awake.
"Yes? What is this issue?" I asked, reaching for my lightsabers.
"Nothing, you were just screaming." He said. I sat up in my bunk.
"I'm sorry, bad dream." I said, remembering the horrific image. I grasped my stomach tight. "How long have I been asleep?"
"About a half an hour. You seemed like you needed it. I thought Jedi don't have nightmares." Caleb crossed his arms.
"I'm a Jedi, but I'm also a human being. You are too, you'll soon learn that sometimes being a Jedi doesn't exclude you from natural ways. It's how you handle them that makes you a Jedi." I told him, "Now go back to sleep. I apologize for my screaming, it won't happen again."
He then went back to the main hangar. I stared out the window at the stars. We were on our cruiser in the outer rim. As far as I know, I've been pregnant 5 weeks. You can't even tell. I'll have some time before anyone can tell I'm gaining weight. And if I stay out of Coruscant, my secret will be kept even longer.
Right now, our fleet is responding to a distress signal from a Republic cruiser in the outer rim. Caleb and I are in the lead cruiser. Followed by aid ships and transports for survivors as well as battle ships in case of attack.
I saw no Separatists ships, I went to the bridge, ridding my mind of the images in my dreams. It felt so real.
"Admiral, are we picking up any Separatist ships?" I asked.
"I'm afraid not. Whatever attack this was it was on the inside. But we've been able to make contact with the escape pods. They come from the Star Destroyer Endurance." Admiral Tarkin explained.
"I see, where is the Destroyer?" I asked, "Were there any Jedi Generals aboard?" I asked.
"There is a faint signal of it entering Vanqors surface. But then the signal disappears when it enters the atmosphere." He tells me, "According to our records, Jedi Generals Skywalker and Windu were aboard."
"Were they able to evacuate?" I asked, my heart sinking.
"I don't know, General (Y/L/N). They haven't checked in since the crash. Ask the survivors. We're reeling in a pod now." He rolled his eyes at me. I never really was fond of him.
I ran as fast as I could to the main hangar. I found Caleb there talking to one of the new troopers. I believe his name was Stance.
"Have the survivors been greeted?" I asked them.
"No, not yet, Sir." Stance reported.
"Thank you, Stance, correct? You may stand down. Can you take me to them?" I asked.
He nodded and guided me to the pod being unloaded. I saw men I recognized from the 501st, Anakin's squadron.
"Fives?" I approached them. "Charges?"
"Yes, General (Y/L/N)." They all stood straight.
"What happened to your ship?" I asked them.
"We were showing some cadets a tour of a Star Destroyer. Then there was an attack on the ship directly. Somebody bombed the control room. We were investigating it when the ship began to fail miserably, someone was sabotaging it on the inside." Fives told me.
"Do you know if General Skywalker and General Windu made it off the Endurance?" I asked.
"I think they left in their fighters. They went down to Vanqor for survivors after the ship went down." They told me. My heart felt elated.
"Thank you. I'm glad you're all safe. We have medical droids aboard for anyone who needs them." I walked away with Caleb at my side.
"Are we going to go after them?" He asked me, eager to get off this ship and into the action.
"Not yet. Vanqor is a very dangerous planet. We have to wait for what the council says." I tell him.
"Since when do you follow the councils orders?" Caleb asked.
"Hey, I'm trying something new today." I shrugged.
"I don't like it. I want to go help. I heard there were gundarks on Vanqor." He said.
"Patience, padawan. I don't like this either. Our mission is to help the survivors and only help those in need." He looked disappointed, "Skywalker is my good friend, and Master Windu was my Master. I want to help them, but until we have more information it wouldn't be wise to do anything." I told him, "We shouldn't rush into this."
"Fine." Caleb sighed.
I felt my moods going crazy as I tried to remain calm. I was trying to remember my training for Caleb but if he weren't here I'd already be on Vanqor looking for them.
Instead we checked in with the Jedi council. I felt like I was walking on hot coals waiting for some kind of contact with my husband or my Master. Anakin and I haven't talked since Onderon. I've avoided going home for weeks for that reason. I was so nervous to tell him I was carrying our child. I didn't know how he'd react. I just wanted us to focus on getting this war ended.
When the transmission with the council ended I heard a droid whirring into the Bridge. It slammed with my own (Y/F/C) Astromech droid.
"R2?" I saw the blue droid on the ground. I picked him up,
"You know that droid?" Caleb asked me.
"It's Anakin's droid." I stated, "What are you doing in such a rush? Where's Anakin?" I asked R2.
He began beeping frantically. C-3PO began to translate for me, I was using C-3PO ever since being the General of the 41st required me to speak with leaders of all languages.
"I'm afraid he's carrying an urgent message." 3PO says,
"Well then, by all means." I gestured for him to display the message, my stomach churning with anticipation.
"R2.." The hologram showed Anakin and Master Windu under a giant pile of rubble, all around them was shaking and black smoke. The rubble was all the way up to their necks. I gasped and held my breath.
"R2, I need you to go back to the fighters and signal the temple for help. Go, R2!" He demanded between coughs, then the transmission was cut.
"Now do we go?" Caleb asked.
"Yes, now we go." I said.
I ran with Caleb behind me. We got to the hangar and I found Commander Gree.
"Commander, I need you to round up as many men as we can. Skywalker and Windu are in bad trouble, I don't know what's down there but ready the men for the worst. Get them on transport ships as quickly as possible, we don't have much time." I ordered.
"Will do, General." He then ran to go collect the troops.
"General (Y/L/N), permission to join the mission?" Fives asked.
"No, the best thing for you boys is to stay here and restore yourselves from the fight on your Destroyer." I told them.
"General, with all do respect General Skywalker is our leader and we want him back more than any of your troopers do. We aren't harmed from the Destroyer. Please let us come." He pleaded. I sighed, I didn't have time to argue with them.
"Fine, follow me." I said, leading them to our transports.
We loaded on and began our journey to the crash point. It seemed as though the ships couldn't move fast enough. I just hoped the whole ship wasn't collapsed on them by now.
"You remind me of General Skywalker, now. You act like him when he's under stress." Fives told me. "It's no wonder the two of you seem to be good friends."
"You have no idea, trooper." I put a hand on his shoulder as I let out a sigh of relief. It didn't last long though as I saw the ship.
The ship was still blazing in fire and black smoke. The whole bottom section was smashed to bits. The bridge had the hole in the top, that's where they were.
"There! I can feel it." I told them to land. All I wanted was my Anakin back. I wanted to know he was safe. I needed to tell him I was sorry for how I've been acting so much. I wanted to hold him again.
"Are you sure, General?" The pilot asked,
"I'm positive." I said, feeling Anakin and Master Windu's presence.
Master Windu never liked Anakin much, I could only imagine how their conversations much be going. I imagined it like a father to a son-in-law, except when you don't know your son-in-law is your son-in-law and just that you think it's your daughters bad influence of a friend.
This whole situation has driven me mad with worry. I could understand now when all those times I almost got myself killed drove Anakin so worried. But now I had both of them to worry about. I couldn't lose them. I can't. I will never let myself lose them. The two of them I thought would always be fine. I tried to keep myself under control from crying. The last think I wanted was to lose either of them.
"The scanners are also picking up two life forms in that area." The pilot said, "We're going down."
Please be alive. Please.