BATTLE SCARS [✓]

× Chapter Forty Five: Disturbed ×

"Everything alright, Commander?" Cut asked, both Mal and Rex taking their attention to him. "Yeah. We're fine. Um..I'll make my way back inside." Cut nodded, leaving the two still standing outside.

"Mal? You sure you're gonna be alright?" Rex asked, Mal's face dragging slowly upward to meet his eyes. "Honestly, Rex..I'm not sure."

Again, the sound of rushing footsteps interrupted them and they both turned to see the two children running from out of their home and outside towards the field. "Stay in sight of the house, guys!" Mal heard Cut shout from inside, making her chuckle.

"I got them, Cut!" Mal shouted back, taking one last look at Rex before chasing after the kids.
-

"I wonder if we're gonna see some lighter bugs!" Jekk exclaimed looking around the field for the little critters. "Ooo..lighter bugs..I always caught them when I was at the Jedi Temple."

"What's it like there? At the Temple?" Shaeeah asked, walking alongside Mal, watching Jekk walk ahead of them a bit, still searching the field. "It's...relaxing. I mean, minus the training we do. But when you're not doing anything, it feels like home away from home."

"Like a second home?"

"Yeah...like a second home.." Mal mumbled, looking away from Shaeeah and her once lit up eyes soon went dull again, thinking about 'home'. The Jedi Temple has always been her home. Not on Tatooine, not on Corscuant, but at the Temple. It's where she always felt the safest. No pain, no hurt, no degrading, none of that. It was just peace with a little tranquility.

Mal looked back to the dirt path, seeing a large pod before them and Jekk had stopped half way there, admiring it. Mal furrowed her eyebrows, following the young boy as he disappeared in the pod.

"Whoa, what is this?!" Jekk asked, Mal looked around, not liking the look of the pod. The two children wondered around while Mal searched the pod, looking for a log in case this was one of Grevious' pods. As she found it, an alarm went off and she looked back at the two kids who looked her way.

"We didn't touch anything!" Shaeeah quickly replied, both her and Jekk holding their hands up. Mal raised an eyebrow, but before asking anything, two assassin droids had dropped from the ceiling, automatically turning on. "Both of you, get out of here and back to the house! Now!" Mal yelled, whipping out her lightsaber and raising it to hold a fighting stance.

"But-"

"Do it now! Warn your father!" Mal watched the two kids run out the pod and into the field, leaving her to deal with the two assassin droids. Then, out of nowhere, two more popped up, then another. Her eyes went wide, realizing she was in a pod full of assassin droids and there was no way she could take them all on by herself. "Oh, come on.."

The droids open fired, Mal dodging them while running out of the pod, instantly throwing up a shield to block the shots.
-

"Mom! Dad!" The kids called, running into their house and their parents and Rex looking their way. "Hey! You're back early. Where's Commander Trek?"

"She's still outside. Fighting those monsters!" Jekk exclaimed, both Cut and Rex looking at each other with a serious expression. "Okay, stay here. Rex.."

The two men went towards the door, seeing the Padawan fighting off the assassin droids. "Commander! Come on!"

"I..I can't! They'll attack the-AHH!" Before Mal could finish, she felt a sharp pain through her thigh and she screamed in pain when she realized she was shot. With no choice but to go back to the house, using the Force, she grabbed her fallen lightsaber and limped quickly to the entrance, recreating her shield again while she escaped.

Just as she got to the door, she gave way, collapsing into Rex as she did. "Mal, you alright?"

"No..I..I need bandages! Ah!" Mal cried out, grasping her thigh and Rex, with his one good arm, helped Mal over to a chair nearby. "We won't have much time before those droids come bursting through the doors." Cut reminded, grabbing bandages and handing them to Mal. "Ah...I know..you guys have to get someplace safe..mm.."

"No. I won't leave. I have to protect my family." Cut replied, watching Mal wrap the bandage around her thigh, hissing softly when she tightened it. "Cut..you're right. You have a family. And I understand...you're willing to do whatever it takes to protect them..but you need to be here to watch your kids grow. I can't leave here knowing that I couldn't save you."

Mal looked over in the living room, seeing Suu and the kids huddled together and all she could do was frown even more under her mask. She needed to do whatever it took to protect this family, nobody was going to die on her watch today. She looked back at the two men, mainly Rex, before nodding her head towards the blaster on the table near the window.

"Rex, take your blaster and Cut and his family and take them upstairs. I'll distract those droids." Mal explained, standing up from the chair and groaning loudly when she applied pressure. "No, Mal. I won't leave you.."

"Rex, that is an order. We don't have time!" Mal hissed out, panting heavily as she tried to let the pain subside in her leg. "Please..just protect his family.."

"No, Commander." They both heard, both looking up to see Cut already arming himself. "You're too injured to fight those droids. I'll hold them off as long as I can. They'll most likely get past me, but I ain't gonna die today."

"Cut.."

"It's alright, kid. Just watch out for my family, its all I ask." Cut said, looking at his wife and kids before he turned back to the Padawan and Rex. "Just..be careful, Cut.."

"When am I ever not?" He joked dryly, Mal scoffing softly, shaking her head. "Come on, Rex. Lets get upstairs. Suu, come on!"