AMNI CHELSU
Amni was in a living hell.
"Doctor, we need help over here!" yelled a soldier, he and his comrades – a group of Rebel Troopers and other soldiers – pulling along an injured trooper on a makeshift stretcher.
She finished administering painkillers to three other soldiers, who had been caught in the explosion of one of the gun turrets near the west end of the base. Then she ran over to figure out what the problem was.
And cringed. The trooper had bad burns all along their legs, and their left foot had been crushed – she could see it plainly even with part of their armor still intact.
"Another one?" she asked the empty air, wondering why the universe had forsaken her as the only capable Jedi Doctor on the site. There were so many injured, and far more than she could handle alone...
The soldiers put him down on an empty cot – one of the last few available in the entire base – and hurried out of the room. They were going to continue the fighting. Amni could only hope that the battle would be over soon, because the medical sectors of the base were at a drastic loss for medical personnel. Not to mention that their stock of medical supplies was dwindling.
"We can't keep this up much longer," she whispered. She gave the new arrival – who was barely conscious – some painkillers, and put him on the long waiting list for treatment. He was one of the lucky few that could afford to wait.
"Have courage, Amni," a voice said. It was Christopherus. She hadn't noticed him come in. "It will all be over soon."
She sighed, a few tears escaping from between her lashes. She had a million things to say, and yet she could find the will to say only one: "Hold me..."
He pulled her into a hug, tucking his chin over her head. She buried her face in his sweater, saying nothing.
"It's all going to be fine," he soothed, rubbing her back. Suddenly he pulled her out at arm's length, smiling. "So, Doctor, how may I be of assistance?"
"Painkillers." She dropped a container of pills into his hand, and he nodded, walking away to give them out. And then, against all odds, Amni smiled.
ANAKIN SKYWALKER
Anakin stood his ground, his lightsaber extended horizontally in front of him like a shield, watching General Grievous and Darth Vader intently. He looked back and forth between them, daring each of them to strike first.
On the outside, he wore an aura of confidence, but on the inside, he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of apprehension. He knew that he could take one or the other on, and probably win, but both of them? That wasn't exactly a fair fight, even with his new powers to even the balance a little.
But, clearly Vader was more disciplined than he was. It was probably the Emperor's doing. While Anakin was fidgeting, his whole body trembling at the prospect of a fight, Vader was eerily calm and still.
After nearly a minute of this strange silence and lack of motion, Grievous suddenly rushed towards him, his metal claws clicking when they hit the hard icy snow. Anakin was ready in a split-second, meeting the former Supreme Commander of the Separatist Droid Army's double lightsaber strike without trouble. He forced the blades away, making several quick strikes, all of which the General countered.
"This day will be your last, Jedi scum," he sneered. Anakin noticed that while his opponent's voice was still rough and harsh, his hacking cough was gone. It was probably part of what the Empire had done to bring him back.
But how had the Empire brought him back? Was this a clone, or– Suddenly his train of thought was cut off, as Vader had decided to join the party.
With two lightsaber, maybe he would have been able been able to take them on at the same time, but with only one... He had to get one of them out of the way. A burst of communion with the Force and Grievous flew about thirty feet away with a hoarse shriek of surprise.
"So, Vader," Anakin said in an almost casual tone as they locked sabers. "I should have known you wouldn't give me a fair fight, allow this contest to be decided in dignity. Overwhelm the enemy at all costs – was that it?"
"Your interpretation of Sith battle tactics leaves some to be desired," Vader replied, the speed of his unnatural breathing barely fluctuating under the strain of the lightsaber lock.
Anakin, however, was beginning to tire. Although he could access few of Vader's memories, as they belonged to the Dark Side of the Force and he to that of the Light, he knew that the Sith Lord had prosthetic forearms and legs. And metal packed a bigger punch than flesh and bone.
But, he also knew where there was flesh, and so the potential of injury...
Anakin discontinued the saber lock and executed a slide across the icy ground past Vader in the space of an instant, and, while his doppelganger's attention was momentarily displaced, he landed a sharp smack on Vader's shoulder with his lightsaber, just below the protective armor.
There was a burst of sparks as the blade grazed the metal – which was probably some form of purified beskar iron ore – before the lightsaber beam made a shallow but painful cut in the skin. The Sith Lord let out a mechanized howl of pain, clutching his injured shoulder with his free hand.
General Grievous, who had come to stand – in a battle stance, of course – behind Vader, let out a dark and hoarse laugh, followed by a cough. Anakin raised an eyebrow. So apparently, they hadn't completely gotten rid of the cough.
But then Vader let out another howl, this one of anger. Anakin was caught in a Force push of incredible power, and was thrown with a yell of surprise against a mass of ice and snow a little while away. Upon impact, he blacked out.
*Anakin has engaged his evil twin in combat. But will the skills and mysterious new powers he has acquired since his revival from the deepest places of the Force be enough to combat both the fearsome Darth Vader and the formidable General Grievous? And what has become of Lux? Will Ahsoka discover the trap that Maul has set for them, or will it be too late? You'll find out in the next thrilling chapter of The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano!
Okay, THAT WAS COOL. I was a little skeptical about the battle scene in this chapter at first, because I'm not very experienced at writing this sort of thing, but it turned out far better than expected... So I'm happy.
And the other part of the chapter was to give the reader a basic understanding of what goes on outside the battle field, and how much pressure Amni is really under. And besides, a little Amnisto (Amni+Christo) moment never hurt anybody, did it?
And the end of the book draws near... And everybody trust me, it's gonna go off with a bang.
Travel with a Senator to Naboo to ensure their safety in times of political instability and may the Force be with you,
Sharron
YOU ARE READING
The Unchronicled Adventures of Ahsoka Tano, Book Eight
Fiksi PenggemarTo be read as the eighth book in the series. Ahsoka Tano has come far. She has faced three Sith Lords and still escaped with her life. She has broken in and out of top secret facilities without receiving a single scratch. She has overcome every hurd...
