The Fall | Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

Chapter Thirty One

Alina surveyed the landscape as the starship flew low in a wide canyon "See those columns of steam straight ahead? They're exhaust vents of some type" Padmé said, nodding at the silvery smoke in front of them. "That'll do" Anakin said, setting the ship down in the middle of the smoke so that they were hidden. "Look, whatever happens out there, follow my lead. I'm not interested in getting into a war here" Padmé said, exiting her seat.

"Neither are we" Alina said "As a member of the Senate maybe I can find a diplomatic solution to this mess" The Senator said, grabbing a white cloak off the chair. "Don't worry. I've given up trying to argue with you" Anakin said. Alina raised an eyebrow, just how much had happened on Naboo? Smoke curled up from the ground all around them as they approached a large door. Anakin pressed a button and the door opened with a mechanical hiss.

Alina ducked inside after Anakin and Padmé and the maroon door shut behind them. The three of them exchanged looks before they continued down the sole path "I have a bad feeling about this" Alina muttered. They entered a tunnel carved out of stone with triangular decorative pockets filled with statues of Geonosians. A clicking sound filled the air and the three humans stopped in their tracks "Wait" Anakin before he whirled around, and ignited his lightsaber.

Albeit reluctantly, Alina did the same. She winced as Anakin cut one in half, she pushed back one who'd gotten a bit too close to her, slamming it against the wall Alina, rushed towards the door and drove back a Geonosian trying to grab Padmé. The door opened to a small ledge. Anakin turned his lightsaber off, joining the two on the rectangular ledge. Though they weren't on it for even a second before the door shut and the ledge started moving back into the wall.

Below them was a wide silver conveyor with golden metal squares on each side that appeared to be heated. Alina gripped a part of the door with both hands as it grew smaller and smaller. A scream escaped Padmé's lips as she fell onto the conveyor below. As the ledge disappeared into the wall both Skywalkers fell into the grey conveyor below, igniting their blue blades."Go after Padmé!" Anakin ordered "I can handle it here"

The younger Skywalker hesitated, as screeches filled the air and more Geonosians flew down towards them "Now!" Anakin snapped. Alina nodded, making her way in the direction Padmé had been carried in as fast as she could. She came to a halt beside the Senator as the conveyor carried them closer to a machine used for crushing the golden blocks. Padmé ducked under it, making it to the other side just before the metal was crushed while Alina moved back, letting it come back up before she copied Padmé.

They repeated this two more times, doing their best to dodge all the machines. A shrill screech was heard as a Geonosian dived for them. On instinct, Alina swung her lightsaber towards it, slicing it in half. Staring down at the creature's body she felt sick. She was immediately transported back to the Tuskens. Unfortunately, that caused her to fail to notice as another Geonosian, wrestled Padmé into a large container which was lifted away by a claw hand before Alina could do anything. Kriff.

Hearing a loud whistle, she looked up. "R2!" She called, spotting the silver and blue Astromech "Shut down the machines!" She ordered, running across the conveyor towards the controls as she did her best to keep up with R2.

Using the force to leap from platform to platform and to scale large distances Alina caught up with R2 as he reached the controls. She looked down at all the buttons anxiously, not knowing which did what. She didn't want to risk pressing the wrong one in case it made things worse so she moved aside and allowed R2 to plug into the controls.

She watched as the container holding Padmé was released from the line and put down on a platform. Though just after, she was surrounded by Geonosians. Alina leaped down in front of Padmé, holding her lightsaber at the ready. She knew she couldn't bring herself to actually do anything with it but she was just praying to the force the Geonosis would think twice when they saw her lightsabers and that survival instinct would kick in if they didn't.

The Geonosians did hesitate for only a moment before they launched themselves at the two, weapons at the ready. Her survival instinct did indeed kick in and she sliced off the hands of the nearest Geonosian and used the force to slam another against the wall. She'd feel horrible about it later, she knew. She was already beginning to feel sick when she looked at the dead bodies but now was no time to think.

Geonosians after Geonosians came at them and Alina did her best to hold her ground for as long as she could with her little training but she was getting quickly overwhelmed. For every Geonosian she cut down two more came in its place.

A blaster shot rang out and her lightsaber was knocked out of her palm, rendering her near defenseless. She looked up as a Mandalorian in silver armor with blue markings pointed a silver blaster at her, he was flanked by two Geonosians and another person dressed in dark grey and red with a mask that covered his face so she couldn't identify them. Though she had a pretty good guess as to who the Mandalorian standing in front of her was.

"Hands up. Both of you" The Mandalorian said. Her suspicions were proven correct when she heard that voice. Even with the helmet he wore making it sound deeper and more mechanical she easily recognized the voice which was not a surprise since she'd heard it several times on her trip to Kamino. Jango Fett. And the one next to him in black and red with a rifle pointed at her was Boba, she was sure of it.

Even if she couldn't see his face she could easily recognize his presence in the force having felt it nearly every night on Kamino. Somehow she highly doubted that whatever semblance of a friendship they had on Kamino still remained.

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For what Boba's wearing just think of his TCW Bounty Hunter gear