LEILANI SERENNO bridged the past and the present, born into a family of cruelty and then groomed to fulfil a role in the grand scheme of things. She was a puppet manipulated by her brother, ensnared in a larger narrative orchestrated by the Force. Y...
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Leilani's pulse thrummed in her ears, fierce and steady, drowning out the whirring clicks of droids swarming toward her. Every movement felt sharp, defined, as if the world had slowed down just enough to capture each pulse of her heart, each breath that filled her lungs with a fire that pushed her forward. Her grip tightened around her lightsaber, the metal warm beneath her fingers, her nails digging into the hilt as she sliced through the first line of droids. They fell in quick, precise arcs of light, but for everyone that dropped, three more seemed to emerge from the smoke, relentless, unyielding.
Her body moved on instinct, weaving through the chaos, one with the steady hum of her blade. She parried, struck, and lunged with a focus so intense it seemed to vibrate in her bones. Her breaths came quick, fierce; each one rattled against her ribs, sharp with exertion, but she held the rhythm, her movements measured, precise. Her muscles ached, but she could feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins, steadying her, urging her to press harder, to push back the endless metal tide.
And behind her, she could sense her troops pressing forward, emboldened by her drive, following her lead as they carved their way through the endless line of droids. She wasn't just their leader here-she was their anchor, their spark. She felt it in the way they moved, glancing to her for direction, their eyes mirroring the same fierce determination she felt in her own chest. This battle was as much for them as it was for her.
Yet doubt crept in, a whisper in the back of her mind. The droids were relentless, their numbers almost unnatural, as if they'd become a part of the landscape itself, shifting and multiplying in the haze. Her breaths came shorter now, ragged at the edges, but she fought to keep herself steady, to keep the fear from cracking through her composure.
Meanwhile, Nia stood a klick away from her; fighting the battle on her own, a thin smile on her lips as she gave herself to the battle, let her blue lightsabre whirl as the cannons in the background hammered; and as the droids on her side began to turn into debris and fall into the sand.
After all, this was how she relaxed.
The temple of Tython has been her planet for the past few years, but the battlefield was always where she felt at home the most; her veins smouldering as she cut through another battle droid, her so-chased adrenaline jumping high in her body - she was a warrior at heart, that much was clear.
"Rex, try to cheer up," Nia called, glancing towards the clone Captain from the side of her eyes; not only sensing his emotions but seeing how he's less efficient.
Rex shook his head and closed his eyes for a split-second beneath his helmet. "I'm doing my best, Commander," he murmured, dodging a shot before firing back and dismantling another droid with his blaster.
And so it went on, across all three fronts: Jedi and clones working in sync to drive the droids back. Obi-Wan and Cody moved in perfect harmony with their sword-and-shield tactic; Leilani and Blaze executed flanking manoeuvres to catch the droids from the sides, while Nia and Rex charged directly into the heart of the battle. Different tactics, each suited to their skills, and together, they formed a flawless front. The battlefield was a blur of motion; sand kicked up in swirls, the sharp gleam of lightsabers cutting through the haze. Leilani's movements were seamless, each swing and step methodical as if she were part of the very pulse of the fight. With each droid she felled, another seemed to rise from the sand to replace it. Her arms burned, muscles strained, but her focus only sharpened, pushing her forward with relentless drive. She pushed herself harder, feeling the echo of her troops following her lead as they began to press the droids back, inch by hard-won inch.
