Since Anakin and I boarded the ship with Cal and Ahsoka, we have changed into our regular clothing, disposed of the Queen's body, and set our course to Kadavo. The only task left for us to complete before we get there is contacting the Council.
We leave the task of piloting with Artoo and our Padawan's while we make our way back to the cargo hold. Anakin takes out his holopad and activates the line to the Council.
"Skywalker, (Y/L/N), how is your mission progressing?" Master Windu asks.
"We've encountered a few slight complications." I say, rubbing the nape of my neck in the process.
Master Windu chooses not to speak, instead raising an eyebrow at me. The gesture indicates that he wishes to know more about what happened.
"Everything was going as planned until Obi Wan was captured. This revelation sprung on us unexpectedly, and we agreed that the only way to help him was to blow our cover. Unfortunately, that didn't go as expected." Anakin explains. "If it weren't for (Y/N)'s quick thinking, we wouldn't have gotten out of there."
"You are becoming a wise Jedi, young (Y/L/N). Master Ti would be very proud of your progress."
There's something strange about Master Windu's expression. It almost seems like he, personally, is proud of my progress.
"Thank you, Master Windu." I say, bowing my head slightly. "We are en route to the Kadavo system and will require reinforcements. The Queen said that's where the slaves were being kept."
I choose to leave out the details about Count Dooku's surprise appearance and the Queen's death. It may not be the smartest decision, but that is a conversation I do not feel like having.
"We will send reinforcements your way immediately." Master Windu assures us. "May the Force be with you both."
With that, he ends the transmission. Now we simply have to hope that everything goes as planned from here. Obi Wan always says there's no such thing as luck, but that may be exactly what we need right now.
"You're thinking about something." Anakin accuses.
"Aren't I always?" I smirk, hiding my true feelings.
He places a gentle hand on my upper arm, sending waves of warmth throughout my body. My love for him is immeasurable.
"This is going to work, (Y/N)." He assures me.
I quickly glance at the door separating us from Cal and Ahsoka. Upon seeing that it is still closed, I briefly press my lips against my husband's.
"I know it will." I pause. "I know because you and I can achieve anything together."
He smiles his perfect smile before pulling my body closer to his. Instead of kissing me like I was expecting him to, he simply engulfs me in a tight hug.
"I love you." He whispers.
"I love you too, Ani."
We spend a few moments staring longingly into each other's eyes before I finally remind myself of the task at hand. I have the rest of my life to spend with my soulmate, so devoting a little time to a very important mission doesn't seem like a big ask.
Anakin and I make our way back to Cal, Ahsoka, and Artoo at the front of the ship. During our remaining flight time, we received a transmission from Master Plo, who will be leading the reinforcements. We went over the plan in great detail to ensure we are all fully aware of what to expect.
After what seems to be a short amount of time, Anakin and I bring the ship out of hyperspace to reveal the planet we have been looking for. Kadavo. We lower the ship into the atmosphere much faster than what is probably desired and land with even more haste.
It's a wonder we didn't crash, especially given Anakin's track record in that area.
I open the ramp as soon as we land on the ground and run to the back with Anakin. Cal, Ahsoka, and Artoo follow behind us. Going as a large group would normally be unwise, however it almost certainly will guarantee our victory.
As we run away, turret towers begin to fire at the ship at an accelerated speed. Within a matter of seconds, the entire thing explodes into flames, causing debris to fly around us. We all crouch to the ground to take cover.
Whoever is manning the blasters quickly realises our position and begins firing in our direction. We run toward the door before us that will lead inside, only it is locked before we can reach it.
"Well, there goes our escape plan." I remark.
"We're going to have to get through the old-fashioned way." Anakin smirks.
I know Anakin well enough to know exactly what he is thinking. I unclip my lightsaber hilt from my belt and hold it readily in my hand.
"Let's do this." I say.
Anakin and I ignite our blades and thrust them into the thick, steel door. We each complete close to half of the hole we are creating when an unexpected voice greets us.
"Anakin! (Y/N)! I'm glad to see you, but I'm afraid our host feels otherwise." Obi Wan says.
He is communicating with us via a screen to the left of our position. The usually polished and pristine face of Obi Wan Kenobi is beaten and bruised. Whatever the Zygerrians have put him through has been brutal beyond words.
"You can't make everyone happy, Master." My arrogant husband says.
"They're threatening to kill the slaves unless you surrender." He pleads.
In all the time I have known Obi Wan, he has proven to always have a back up plan. No matter what roadblock we may face, he is always the one who has a bright solution. The fact that he is conveying a sense of hopelessness right now frightens me. The Zygerrians have broken him. This time spent being completely unable to defend those who are helpless has made him feel useless.
"Well it's a good thing you're the negotiator, because we will not be bargaining with slavers." I state, doing my best to bring back the confident Obi Wan I know.
"You must realise this is a fight you cannot win alone." He pleads.
"Good thing we're not alone then." Anakin smirks.
Master Plo and the Wolfpack arrive on cue with their fighters and begin to blast the outside of the facility. Their uniformity as they fly through the air creates a vibe of heroism.
Knowing that everything will be fine, Anakin and I continue cutting the hole in the wall.
"I hope the two of you told Master Plo not to destroy this facility before we get off of it." Ahsoka remarks.
"Yeah, all of us and the slaves." Anakin replies.
Our lightsabers meet in the middle of the hole and Anakin kicks the steel inward, leaving the entrance open for us to follow through.
"We're going to need a bigger ship." Cal sighs.
"Or just a ship." Ahsoka adds.
Anakin and I enter first, shielding Cal and Ahsoka from any immediate danger that may be presented inside. Sure enough, three Zygerrian guards meet us with their blasters ready.
I look at Anakin's face for no more than a second, but I can already see the anger forming on his kind features. The usual sparkle behind his blue eyes is gone, replaced by a dark feeling of hate. Before I have a chance to encourage him to go about this peacefully, he kills all three guards.
At first, his initial reaction of seething rage is frightening. But then I remind myself of the circumstances of this mission and the implications it has for him. In truth, his actions are justified.
"Come on!" Anakin calls, acting as though he did not just lash out in a fit of rage.
Choosing not to call him out, we all follow him into the building. As we run through the beeping and shaking corridors, our comlinks beep, indicating that someone is trying to contact us.
"The controls are destroyed, Master Plo. There's nothing we can do from here!" A frantic Obi Wan says.
I recognise the tone in his voice. Fear. This is something I have heard in my own voice many times and occasionally my husband's, but I have never heard it in Obi Wan's voice.
"I cannot move the cruiser in for the rescue operation until those enemy cannons are destroyed." Master Plo explains.
Anakin and I exchange a nod, knowing what we must do.
"We'll take care of those cannons. Just make sure that cruiser gets down here. We are running out of time!" Anakin urges.
"I'm going to go help my people. I'll see if I can buy us some time." Ahsoka says, starting to turn off.
"I'm going too." Cal adds, again showing his loyalty to his sister.
I know better than to argue against this idea. Cal and Ahsoka have developed a strong bond since they first became our Padawans, and there is absolutely no denying that they work better when they are together. They know how their minds work and would do anything to protect the other.
"Good luck, both of you." I shout.
Cal and Ahsoka turn in the opposite direction of us, and proceed to be the heroic young people they are. Anakin and I follow the corridors until we reach the original hole we cut through the reinforced doors.
Outside is a battlefield. The turret towers shoot merciless fire while the Wolfpack do their best to dodge the blasts coming straight for them. Whatever we're going to do, we need to do fast.
"What's the plan, (Y/N)?" Anakin asks.
After all this time fighting battles side by side, Anakin has finally realised that it is smarter for me to devise a plan before we run headfirst into anything.
I observe the situation at hand. By the accuracy of the turrets, they are being manned by something other than a lousy battle droid. That means we need to get inside them to stop the chaos. If we can take control of just one turret tower, we should then be able to take out the rest using its firepower. The sheer height of the towers indicates that there will be an entrance somewhere around the base. If we enter this way, we will undoubtedly be ambushed by guards. It is , however, unlikely that a structure of this size would only have one entrance located at the very base. A design like that would prove to be fatal should anything go wrong. That small detail tells me there will be an entrance point at the very top of each individual tower to act as a fail safe. This is exactly what we need to find.
"We need to jump to the top of that tower." I say, pointing in its direction. "I'm assuming there will be an entry point on the roof, likely with more than one guard inside. Once we open the hatch, you take out the guards and I'll use the turrets to take out the remaining towers. That firepower should destroy them all."
"You truly are the brains, brawn, and beauty, aren't you?" He chuckles.
I bend my knees a little before projecting my body upwards to the top of the tower. It is incredibly high, but my deep connection to the Force makes it possible. As planned, Anakin opens the hatch to reveal three guards inside. They begin blasting at him, giving me an opening to slip through to the control seat. Anakin kills them all while I take a seat in the operator's chair.
The controls of this turret tower look to be very similar to the gunning mechanisms on my starfighter. I wrap my hands around the two control sticks and move the turret toward the others. The system is much heavier than I anticipated, but nothing I can't handle.
Once I have a clear aim of the first tower, I press the buttons located on the control sticks to fire. The immense firepower takes out the tower within a matter of seconds, so I simply move the controls over to face the next one. I continue this process until all of the towers are taken care of.
I activate the comlink on my wrist. "Those turrets won't be a problem anymore, Master Plo."
"Good work, Young (Y/L/N)." He commends me.
"Bring the cruiser down to the landing pad." Anakin orders.
Things are finally going as planned. When that cruiser lands, they will have no problem getting the people of Kiros to safety. Once Anakin and I save Obi Wan and Rex, this nightmare mission will actually be over.
"Cancel that order, Master!" The panicked voice of Ahsoka pleads.
Of course, something else has gone wrong. I truly did not think it was possible for us to have more bad luck on this mission, yet here we are.
"What? Why?" I question.
"There's no way for us to get the people out of the holding cell and up to the landing platform. But we do have an idea." Cal explains.
"We need to have the cruiser move in underneath the facility. We can escape onto the ship if Admiral Coburn can get in close enough." Ahsoka adds.
Anakin opens his mouth to argue with some extravagant plan, but I interrupt before he can.
"Master Plo, can your men help guide the Cruiser in closer to the facility?" I ask.
"It should not be a problem, (Y/N)." He says.
Master Plo understands the importance of this mission to Ahsoka, so I have no doubt that he will do everything in his power to ensure everything runs smoothly. With that reassurance in mind, I feel justified in neglecting this part of the mission and going to aid our friends in need.
Anakin and I quickly get out of the turret tower and run back toward the hole we made into the facility. The entire structure is becoming unstable, with the walls shaking and roof collapsing from the impact of the Wolfpack's attacks. We need to get in and get out as fast as possible.
We sprint through the halls for what feels like a lifetime until we finally come across the two we have been searching for; Obi Wan and Captain Rex. Rex seems relatively normal in his appearance. He still looks as tough as ever without any weight seemingly resting on his shoulders. Obi Wan, on the other hand, looks more defeated in person than he did on the transmission earlier. I'm willing to bet the Zygerrians had set everything up perfectly to destroy his will. Knowing that there were innocent people being hurt before his very eyes without being able to do anything to help them has truly crushed his soul.
Obi Wan Kenobi is the most by-the-book Jedi I have ever met. For that reason, I know he would be against me comforting him in any way. To satisfy his wishes, I refrain from giving him the hug I know he needs.
"It's good to see you both." Obi Wan's fragile voice says.
"Took you long enough." Rex jokes.
"Well we weren't the ones who got captured." Anakin retorts.
Anakin was captured, though. If it weren't for his excessive level of charm, he would be in the exact same position as they are. I go to correct him but decide against it, knowing there are more pressing matters at hand.
"Although I would love to stay around and chat, we should probably get out of here before we are blown into oblivion." I state.
The three men look at each other briefly before agreeing with my rational thinking. We sprint out of the facility together and board a waiting gunship. The ship is lifted into the air before the doors even finish closing, showing our haste in leaving this facility. Once the gunship is a safe distance on the ground and we are certain the facility is clear, Anakin activates his comlink to deliver orders.
"Okay, Master Plo. The cruiser is clear." He confirms.
"All gunships, fire!" Master Plo orders.
Due to the design of the Republic gunships, we do not get the opportunity to witness the destruction to the facility. However, the mere sound of chaos that comes with the explosions is enough.
Within no time, the gunships lands inside the hangar of the Republic cruiser. By the time the doors open, the colonists are walking around freely with some gaining medical treatment. Ahsoka is already speaking with Governor Roshti, who will likely be thanking her for her continuous bravery and commitment throughout this mission.
We've won this battle.
Anakin, Obi Wan, and Master Plo all begin discussing the mission together, despite my pleading for Obi Wan to seek medical treatment. I could join their conversation, however my attention is drawn to the head of red hair sitting against a wall in the hangar.
I walk over to my Padawan and sit beside him on the ground. Even after everything he endured during this mission, he still looks as joyful as ever.
"You did well during this mission, Cal. I'm very proud of you." I praise him. "There aren't too many Padawans who would be able to complete such a tough mission while also supporting their friends."
Cal's young face lights up happily. Despite all the horrendous events he has experienced during his time as a Padawan, nothing has taken away the innocent light behind his eyes. He's still the same, happy young man he has always been. I would do just about anything to let him stay that happy for the rest of his life.
"Thank you, Master." He says, a smile plastered across his face.
I sit beside Cal for a few minutes and simply observe my surroundings, mainly the people in the space with me. My life would be seen as far from perfect in the eyes of others. But to me, it is perfect. I am married to a man who loves me more than anything in the galaxy, I have friends I would die for, and I have a Padawan who is like the younger brother I never had.
What more could I possibly ask for?