Warrior

5

The droids escorted the group through the prison to the command center. Sal's cuffs rubbed up against her wrists and she stretched her hands up, causing a droid to jab her in the side with its gun.

"Hey!" Sal growled while getting out of the formation. Obi-Wan turned around to give her a glare before she could get herself killed.

Sal grit her teeth and kept moving. A door opened and they all walked in, the droids ordering them to stand shoulder to shoulder.

"Welcome and welcome back," the voice from the intercom announced while turning around to face them. He was a very very ugly Phindian that goes by the name of Osi Sobeck. "I want your half of the information."

"You aren't who I expected," Obi-Wan chuckled. "Such a soft voice for an ugly man."

Osi ignored Kenobi and grabbed a blaster. "Well then. It's either I get the information or all of your men die."

Nobody spoke as Sobeck raised his gun and shot one of the 212th troopers in the forehead. Sal lightly growled and was knocked in the back of the head by a droid. Sal's head felt dizzy while she looked at the body. Sobeck took a transmission from a droid and he ordered the droids to take them somewhere. Sal assumes an interrogation room, but she may just be woozy.

Two red droids took them through the halls and were soon stopped by two hastily-painted blue ones.

"We will take them from here," one of the blue ones ordered.

"No, we were ordered to take them," a red one protested.

"Now," the blue droid added.

"Roger Roger," the red droids replied while walking to their next destination. Sal heard a faint beep from another hallway and Artoo rolled over to meet them.

"Good to see you too, Artoo," Kenobi told the droid while putting his hands down. The droid cut all of their cuffs and Sal properly stretched her arms.

"The Commander wants to go back to the shuttle," the blue battle droid told them, translating Artoo's beeps. "Now."

The group ran to the airport and droids began to blast at them.

"Take cover!" Obi-Wan yelled while deflecting the bolts away from the group. Sal ignited her saber and helped deflect as the others made their way to cover.

The 501st group joined them and Anakin ran over to the 212th Jedi.

"Sorry I am late," Anakin said while igniting his saber. Ahsoka joined them and Obi-Wan turned to his former padawan. He extended a hand and Anakin dramatically rolled his eyes.

"Fine," Anakin grumbled while deflecting another blast. "I will pay you once we get to safety. I don't exactly have credits at the moment."

"We have to launch an assault," Tarkin said once the Jedi made it to cover. "We need to protect that ship."

"But those turrets would blast us out of the sky," Piell replied while pointing at the big blasters. "We won't stand a chance!"

Droids flew in above them and began to blast at them. Anakin and Piell jumped up, slashing some of the droids out of the sky. Anakin seized one of the droids' bikes and shot the other out of the way.

"We have to protect the shuttle!" Echo exclaimed while running out.

"Echo, look out!" Fives screamed. Sal looked behind her and saw Echo grab a shield and blast at the turret. Sal saw the turret blast at the shuttle and extended her arms. Echo was directly behind her, his arms shielding his face. Once he realized he wasn't dead, he noticed the bullet Sal was holding in place with the force.

"Go back to Fives, Echo. I can't hold this for long," Sal ordered while pushing harder.

Echo scurried away and Sal began to sweat. She couldn't hold the bolt for much longer and didn't have enough strength to push it back to explode the turret.

Her arms began to shake and she heard distant yelling. The Jedi were all busy fighting other enemies and could not help her. Sal closed her eyes and felt for the Father.

Let go, Sal.

Sal opened her eyes and let go. She fell to the floor and the blaster hit the ship.

Rest, young one. Help will come soon.

Sal held in a cry when she saw her friends. They looked at the shuttle. And then they left her.

...

Sal opened her eyes and saw nothing. She looked around and felt nauseous. She was hanging by her wrists in a dimly-lit cell.

Two magnaguard droids were staring at her, their sticks in a ready position.

"Jedi," Sobeck chuckled. "How does it feel?"

"How does what feel?" Sal rasped, her throat burning with every syllable.

"Your friends left you with me. Do they know that you are here? Probably not. They left you for dead. After you saved a clone," Sobeck laughed. "And you will pay the price of me losing those coordinates."

"Losing?" Sal asked.

"They left," Sobeck sighed. "Guess we both lost something today. But trust me, I will get what I want back."

Sobeck opened a holo and began transmitting. "Hello, Jedi Council. I am Osi Sobeck, and I have a trade offer. You hand over the coordinates and I will return your lost padawan. If you don't accept these terms, say goodbye to another lost Jedi."

He turned the holo off and Sal growled. "At least I will die for a good cause."

"I never said it would be painless. Or for a good cause," Sobeck laughed.

Sobeck hit a button and Sal felt the electricity enter her body. She screamed in agony and let her head slump over her chest.

"I will see you again tomorrow, young one. But remember this: every day they don't come is one more day I will get to torture you," Sobeck grinned like a maniac as he slammed the door shut.

We will get out, Sal. Just trust in me and the force.

The Father's words are the last ones she heard before she fell unconscious.