Child of War

Survival

"You're alive!" I hugged Jarris tightly.

He returned the gesture. "So are you."

I pulled back. "What's going on? How did you get here? Why did you come?"

He looked at the ground. "We need to find a safe place to talk."

I nodded and pulled him deeper into the trees.
————
We sat in the lower branches of a tree, eyes peeled for any clone patrols.

I turned to Jarris. "What happened?"

He focused on the branch supporting us. "The clones have taken the Jedi Temple. The Chancellor has been revealed as a Sith Lord." He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back tears.

"What?" I could barely breathe let alone speak.

Finally, he looked at me. "That's not all." He took a deep breath. "The Chancellor has a new apprentice."

I met his gaze and saw the fear and betrayal in his eyes. "Jarris... who is it?"

He looked away again. "It's... it's" he struggled to say the words. "It's... Anakin."

My hand slipped and my back hit the trunk of the tree. "No. No. That's not... he wouldn't... no." A tear rolled down my cheek. "It can't be."

He hung his head. "I saw him pledge his loyalty to the Chancellor - Darth Sidious. I watched him cut off my master's hand and let him die." Hot, angry tears ran down his cheeks.

I was in too much shock to comfort him. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that Anakin had betrayed us. He was supposed to be the Chosen One.

A spike of pure chilling terror stabbed through my body. "Caleb." I cleared my thoughts and leapt to my feet.

Jarris watched me in surprise.

I jumped to the ground.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

I looked up. "Master Billaba and her padawan are still out there. I have to help them."

Jarris dropped to the ground next to me. "Not without me."

I met his gaze and nodded. "Follow me."
————
We raced through the woods towards the base. I had to find Master Billaba and Caleb before it was too late. I had to get them to safety. We reached the crumbling base and crept among the boulders of cement and metal shards.

Just as we were about to make it through the clearing, a clone spotted us. Within moments, we were surrounded. I stood back-to-back with Jarris, lightsabers raised. Deflecting blasts, we held back the troopers' barrage. We took out many of the clones, but they just kept coming.

I knew it wouldn't be long before we were overpowered. I sensed a shock of pain. It distracted me for a tenth of a second, but it was enough.

"Look out!" Jarris jumped in front of me. A blaster shot collided with his unprotected chest.

"No!" A pulse of energy ripped through my body, hurling the clones backwards into shrapnel and rubble. Some were impaled on sharp plates of mangled metal. Others were simply knocked unconscious. I dropped to my knees and lifted Jarris into my lap. "No, please. Don't leave me." I held him close. "Don't leave me here alone."

He struggled to breathe, not quite able to focus on me. "I'm... sorry." His head lulled back.

"No." I shook him. "No!" I curled over his body, tears streaming down my face. This couldn't be happening. I couldn't be losing everything, not again. I had found a family and a home with the Jedi, and now, it was all falling apart.
Finally, I straightened, still cradling his limp body.

A buzzing started in the back of my mind, growing louder. The noise fluctuated and morphed into one terrified word. Master Billaba's strained voice sounded in my mind. "Run."

A/N
That's right, I'm updating twice in one day. Truth be told, I had these chapters written yesterday, but I wanted to leave you guys on that cliffhanger for a little while. 😈 Anyway, I may or may not update again today, so...
We've almost reached the end of this story. I'm both sad and excited. Thank you all for the support.
Hope you enjoyed these last few chapters.
-Cheshire