Clouded by the Dark Side

Chapter 26 - Destroying the Factory

Aniya Skywalker

"Where are they?" mutters Anakin worriedly, looking around, "Those bombs are gonna go off any second now."

"I have no idea," I reply with concern. They should be back, unless they got stuck inside. No, they can't have. They can't be killed for the sake of a stupid mission they shouldn't even have been sent on. I could never forgive myself if that happened.

Anakin presses a button on his comm. "Rex, any sign of the commanders on your side?"

"No, sir."

Anakin and I exchange nearly panicked glances. Force, they have to be alright! "But this place is getting ready to blow!" I exclaim.

"The evacuation ships are arriving. I suggest you get on one," Luminara replies oh-so-calmly, like she doesn't care one ounce if the padawan she's been training for several years now dies because of her own stupidity. And this is why I can't stand most Jedi. They're so cold, emotionless, and uncaring, the polar opposite of what they're supposed to be.

"Not without our padawans," Anakin retorts.

"No," I snap, not even bothering to try and sound nice.

"My padawan will not fail," Luminara insists as she has been this whole time. That's nice to know, but it's really not helping us right now.

"Ahsoka, can you hear me?" Anakin calls into his comm.

"Alema, where are you?" I finally call into my comm. Neither of us get a response. What are they doing? What have they gotten themselves into this time?

"Where did they go?" Anakin groans.

The door slowly slides open, and another group of droids comes pouring out. I'm grateful for the momentary distraction so I can finally stop worrying about them.

As if in response, a long-awaited voice comes through his comm. "Master? Can you hear me?"

"Ahsoka, set off the bombs! We're trapped!" Anakin orders as we continue to fight.

"Master?" Alema's voice comes through my comm.

"I'm here," I assure her.

"I'm sorry, Master. We can't make it out," Ahsoka says softly.

"What?!" I cry, horror ripping through me. No, no, no. This can't be happening. I can't fail them too. I can't.

"Can't make it out?!" Anakin repeats, horrified. My brother's emotions are pouring through our bond far stronger than he's intending, and it's making it so much worse.

"Wait!" I protest, "Wait. Don't – there has to be another way!"

"Ahsoka, wait!" shouts Anakin.

"Fire!" yells Ahsoka.

"I'm sorry, Master," Alema says before the comm goes eerily quiet.

In response, an explosion shakes the factory followed by another and another. I stop in my tracks, numbness settling over me. They didn't listen. Of course, they didn't because they consider the mission more important than their own lives. I stumble backwards instinctively as the factory starts breaking up.

"No, no, no, no..." I'm frozen, rooted to the spot, until a familiar metal hand clamps down over my arm, dragging me after him. Anakin pushes me behind a pile of rocks, shielding me as the entire area explodes. The dust clears surprisingly fast, revealing nothing but a pile of rubble. We're standing at the very edge of the stable ground left from the factory's destruction. The entire area is burning. Our padawans are in there.