𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. | a. skywalker

𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

The morning took no time in becoming of us, and I moved groggily as the dawn settled in over Onderon. The rebels were slowly filtering into the common room, and there were hushed whispers all around as we prepared for the looming events to take place.

Though many were uneasy about the outcomes, with some fearing for King Dendup's life, no one raised a finger when Steela calmly explained the plan for the gathering. Anakin was as tranquil as ever, but Lux had uncertainty written all over his body.

"Are you nervous?" I whispered to him.

"'Course I am. But I also have faith in us. I know we can pull this off."

I admired his resilience through the wake of the past few days, as I did many of the others. Steela, for as much as I disliked her, had a way with her voice, and could easily shift the mood of the room with just a few sentences. I hated to admit it, but she was a born leader, and a damn good one at that.

—

The sun shone bright onto the city square, with the reflection of the stone shimmering in the morning light. It would have been beautiful if not for the sadness looming over the city. A large crowd had gathered, with murmurs and rumors swirling in the air, as King Rash descended with his prisoners onto the steps.

A slew of droids were positioned on the front, though they looked more like a scare tactic than anything. We pushed through the crowd, dispersing among the front, with Anakin and I a few paces behind as to not interfere much with the plans.

King Dendup was placed in front of a glowing red machine, an obvious death sentence to anyone looking onwards. King Rash walked in front of him, arrogance radiating off of him as he addressed the crowd of onlookers.

"As your King, I present to you Ramsis Dendup, not as a former king, but as a criminal, sponsoring terrorist acts against the people of Onderon."

I could feel Anakin seethe in rage next to me. I gave him a nervous glance, his emotions making me uneasy.

"He's lying to the people of Onderon and they don't even know it," he spat.

I raised an eyebrow, trying to keep my voice down. "I think some of them are on to it. While I agree with you, I think we should at least try to be calm."

"I am calm!" he retorted.

"You're angry," I pointed out.

He huffed. "It's hard not to be."

I turned to him. "I know, but it's not the Jedi way. If anyone is going to be angry, let it be them."

He nodded, and though I knew he didn't like the way I phrased it, he didn't push it any further.

King Rash continued his speech, his voice echoing through the city's epicenter.

"Fear not, good citizens. As your leader and protector, I will see that you are safe from such villiany. He has betrayed you, and today he will pay for those treasonous deeds with his life."

As the guards pushed him closer to the machine, I could see the rebels all nodding in agreement. This would not end the way Rash expected.

Just as the droids readied their weapons, Steela's call was one step ahead of them, and she was up, blasting them both before they had the chance to decapitate the old king. The crowd broke out in gasps as Lux sent off smoke bombs, giving the rebels a fighting chance to take the stage.

They rushed the stairs, with blaster fire piercing the morning air. They had the upper hand for a split second, grabbing the king and taking him into the crowd, when more battle droids entered the scene, blasting their messenger to her death.