From The Ashes

Chapter 4

I didn't respond to the clone commander immediately, but silently pulled my lightsaber to my hand, laying it near my feet. Making no threatening or sudden moves, I slowly stood up.

Remi wouldn't have it. "What's she done?! What has she done to commit treason?!"

The commander ignored him in favor of pointing his blaster at me. "On your knees, Jedi. Hands on your head."

"Jedi?" I asked, forcing confusion into my voice. I hoped it sounded convincing.

"Yes, Jedi. I know who and what you are."

"Do you? Have we met?"

In response, the trooper commander took off his helmet. I gasped, noticing the long, jagged scar running from his forehead to his cheek.

"Cody?" I exclaimed.

He scowled, but there was something in his eyes... Was that regret? I didn't have time to figure it out.

"Hello again, Padawan," he said venomously.

I was overcome with hurt. I knew the clones had betrayed us, but this was like rubbing salt in the wound, reopening it. And I responded with silence, grateful for the helmet concealing my face.

My shock left me vulnerable, and two troopers were suddenly on either side of me, restraining my hands. I shook myself back to the real world, and jerked my wrists out of their grasp.

I heard Cody bark an order, and I pulled my lightsaber to my hands.

"Remi! Get out of here!" I yelled to my friend.

"I can't leave you to this!" He answered.

"Yes you can," I replied, and Force pushed him out of the house.

One of the troopers, now realizing I no longer had anyone to help me, threw something on the floor. I had no time to figure out what it was before it started spinning and spewing smoke. The room started filling with the thick gas. Once again, I found reason to be thankful for my helmet.

I heard the familiar sound of blaster fire, and turned my saber on, the blade giving an orange color to the smoke around it.

I reached out to the Force, sensing where the bolts were, and deflecting them back at their origins, some of them hitting my beskar armour. Grunts of pain sounded as they found their marks, and troopers started going down.

Suddenly, I noticed a gap between the stormtroopers in a direct path from my position to the door. Seeing my chance, I sprinted from the room, deflecting lasers behind me.

As I was running for the swamp, Remi joined me in my flee. I simply nodded to him.

We made it to the slightly safer area known as the marsh. "We've— we've gotta— get to the— the Boundless," Remi panted as we weaved between vines and trees, avoiding the murky water and jumping over large roots.

"I know! But they may be waiting for us there," I replied, voice strained. "I guess that's a chance we'll have to take."

"You're a Jedi. How hard could taking down a few stormtroopers be?"

"Because I am a Jedi, they'll have more than a few," I pointed out.

"Then use your laser sword!"

"It's not that simple!" I said exasperatedly.

We made it to the vicinity of the Boundless. The number of troopers surrounding it was overwhelming, and I stopped short.

Remi nearly slammed into me, and we both crouched behind a fallen log.

"It's about to need to be that simple," He whispered.