Of Love and War Book 3: In The Thick of Battle

Chapter 27: Season 3 (Counterattack)

Zelina glanced around at the other soldiers as they all shimmied along the edge of the ledge, all avoiding looking down to the unpleasant sulfuric death that would meet them if they should misstep and fall. Anakin was in the back, Ahsoka was in the front, and Zelina was in a middle position, having to suffer through Tarkin's negative aura. The longer she was around the man, the less she liked the Captain.

"R2, are you and your battle droids ready to go?" Anakin asked from the back of the group. Zelina glanced his way a few times, hoping that part of the plan would work. Three was beeping that Zelina could faintly hear from her position in the middle of the group, signaling R2's response. "All right, get the ship fired up and we'll meet you at the pipeline exit after you've picked up Obi-Wan; assuming he's still on schedule."

Zelina snickered as Anakin cut the transmission. "How do you know we're not the ones that are running behind?"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Please; if anything, we're ahead of schedule."

"I'm just saying," Zelina said with a chuckle. "Keep your eyes open for probe droids; they might send one down here just to be safe, and we don't want them to cross paths with us."

"You just keep your focus on your position, and I'll handle my position, okay Zee?"

"Someone's touchy today," Zelina grumbled under her breath.

"Could you please stop talking? I'm getting tired of all the unnecessary chatter," Tarkin said snidely from just in front of her. Zelina glared at the Captain's back while Cruiser chuckled softly behind her. She thumbed her lightsaber handle.

It would be so easy just to push him over the edge or something...say he tripped...gah, why does he have to be the one carrying the other half of the coordinates?

Hopefully this torturous mission would be over sooner rather than later.

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The group continued on through the cavern in silence, and Zelina kept both hands resting on her lightsabers just in case. The entire situation had her on edge, and she felt like they were being followed. As they came to a turn, Zelina risked a glance back towards Anakin.

He wasn't there.

She almost panicked, but she felt a wave of reassurance through the Force from a presence she recognized as Anakin. Where was—

She heard a familiar snap-hiss sound from where they had just come through and saw Anakin drop down from above, slicing a probe droid in half before it could turn all the way around the corner and see their party. Anakin shot her a look, one corner of his mouth twitching upwards.

"I told you I'd focus on my position. Stop worrying so much Zee," he said with that half-smirk of his. Zelina rolled her eyes dramatically in response.

"I am beginning to admire the design of this fortress; it's rather formidable to evade," Tarkin said from just in front of Zelina.

"How can you admire such a horrible place?" Ahsoka asked from up ahead, surprised.

"You reveal your short-sightedness; this ordeal only demonstrates how effective facilities like the Citadel are. Pity it ended up in Separatist hands and not ours," Tarkin finished with a shake of his head. Anakin pushed forward from the end of the line to the front, coming to walk even with Tarkin.

"He has a point," Anakin said to Ahsoka in passing. Zelina decided just to keep her comment to herself.

Zelina actually had to agree with both of them. Facilities like this were horrible, but there were several criminals Zelina could think of that needed to be put in a place like this where they didn't have a chance of escape. It was a rather nasty dilemma.