My love, Mine all mine • Obi Wan Kenobi •

Chapter 17: Rescue in the shadows

Upon reaching the separatist base, Alex finally felt the weight of everything settling upon her. She was about to rescue a Jedi from an army of separatists. Every possible outcome, both good and bad, flashed before her eyes. Her stomach knotted up, her heart raced, and the temperature around her seemed to simultaneously soar and plummet.

Finally, the impending sense of doom left her when Ahsoka touched her shoulder. Flustered, Alex looked up at her.

"Huh, What?" Alex asked.

"I said, are you ready?" Ahsoka inquired, her face painted with worry, not just because of the impending battle with no promised backup, but also because Alex seemed unprepared for combat.

"Yes, as ready as I'll ever be," Alex attempted to give a reassuring smile, though it didn't quite succeed.

They disembarked from the ship. "Alright, backup may be arriving shortly. Until then, we need a plan to survive," Anakin commanded.

"I think we should split up," Alex suggested.

"No!" Anakin and Ahsoka both replied in unison.

"Why not?" Alex retorted, a hint of offense in her voice. "You know, you underestimate me just because I don't have a sparkly lightsaber strapped to my belt."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "We can't confront them head-on. We have to infiltrate and rescue him. When the clones arrive, we'll deal with the rest of them."

They nodded and headed towards the base in search of a rear exit or a way to infiltrate without alerting the droid army.

Luckily, they found one and cautiously proceeded down the corridor. To the right, they spotted five droids and quickly hid out of sight. Alex felt her grip on her blaster loosen as anxiety crept in, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut.

Anakin gestured to both of them with his fingers, "One, Two..." Before he could get to three, Ahsoka leaped forward, igniting her lightsaber. Anakin sighed and joined her.

Alex decided it was time to act. She let go of her fear, thinking of Obi-Wan. She dashed in front of the droids, expertly dodging their blasts and dismantling them one by one. Anakin and Ahsoka looked at her in awe as she single-handedly dispatched three of the five droids. Alex caught her breath and smirked at them.

They continued down their path, not entirely sure of their destination but following Anakin, who appeared equally uncertain.

They reached an entrance with a keypad. "This may lead to Obi-Wan," Ahsoka suggested. Suddenly, a brigade of droids surrounded them from all sides. Anakin and Ahsoka ignited their lightsabers, and Alex held her blaster high, ready for battle. They fought the droids one by one, but their numbers didn't seem to dwindle.

Anakin struck his lightsaber against the keypad next to the door, causing it to malfunction and open. Ahsoka and Anakin quickly leaped through, but Alex was still engrossed in the fight.

"Alex!" Anakin shouted with irritation.

But Alex seemed oblivious. Suddenly, the door began to close, and Anakin and Ahsoka yelled her name louder, finally grabbing her attention. She sprinted toward the door, but it was too late.

A droid pressed its blaster against her head. "Drop the weapon, Jedi," the droid stated in its robotic voice. Alex looked at it, offended to be addressed as a Jedi.

"I ain't no Jedi," she murmured under her breath.