Afterglow | The Clone Wars

Counter Attack

Echo aimed his blaster at the surveillance system positioned in the left corner of the ceiling. It blinked red, threatening to disclose their discretion. With two blasts, he disabled the camera and sent its parts raining in sparks and debris. The flick of his gloved fingers signaled that the coast was clear.

On cue, the rest of them filed in behind him. Every measured step guard, each soldier's gaze darting to cover the blind spot of another, and expecting at any moment to be. As typical, Dakota brought up the rear.

She pivoted often, ensuring that their backs were covered at all times. In one hand, her lightsaber turned restlessly, the weapon's weight balanced against the chain tangled around her knuckles—the necklace Satine had once pressed into her palm, now wound tight as if it anchored her in place.

Their quiet steps led them to a sealed door enshrouded in sterile, red light. Droids had not made their rounds for several minutes by then, allowing the team easier access to the prison sector. Beneath their boots, the illuminated floor guided them towards the location where Master Piell was being held.

"We're at the detention hall." Echo informed, holding his blaster to his chest. He stood near a monitor keypad built into the wall by the door. Dakota nodded for Rex to move in and take over.

The Captain advanced, approaching the keypad and using the encrypted code to bypass the security systems.

"Maybe those droids did come in handy with those old clearance codes." Fives muttered under his helmet.

Dakota glanced back down the walkway, holding her breath which allowed her to stretched her senses further— to weave it through the labyrinth that surrounded them.

Moments ticked by as Rex scattered his fingers across the keys. Finally, the sound of success chimed. The detention hall door slid open for them, and Echo made quick work of the cameras on sight. Anakin, Obi-Wan and the team stepped across the threshold, entering the shadowy detention block. It was a void. A lifeless piece of space ment to kill and torture.

Dakota could only imagine what they'd done to the captured Jedi Master in his time here. She passed through into the sector, with Rex following in her periphery. She'd been quiet since the incident with Charger on the ledge, and the Captain didn't fail to notice.

He'd seen that look before. On the gunship on Christophsis. How she had paced the grounds of the Republic base afterwards. The same confused, guilt-stricken expression.

Gone was the woman who chatted with him about the golden tree, with her frame leaning casually against the temple column as if she didn't have a care in the world. Whose rare smile lit a green glisten in her irises the moment they touched the rays of Coruscant sunlight.