Hundreds of clone boots around her trampled the soggy ground, kicking up muddy splashes. Hands covered in abrasions clenched the hilt of the sword until the knuckles ached. Her teeth were pressed together so tightly they ground againsteach other. Fierce eyes stared out at the world from under hair matted with mud and rain. Her Jedi robe was riddled with holes from blaster bolts.
I must…
"Forward!"
The clones fired, destroying the battle droids. There were thousands of them, but the clones advanced through enemy fire, through grenade blasts and rocket detonations. No machine could stop the Jedi. The lightsaber flashed—its contours elusive, blurring into a bizarre, shifting shape that refused to remain static. It changed every second, every heartbeat. And the droids, blown to pieces, fell into the mud one after another.
A step to the side. The sword's hilt isperpendicular to the ground, and the bladepierces the battle droid. A wide swing, and the blade severed the heads of two more droids. A sharp motion, and the blade swept behind her back, parallel to her spine—just in time for a blaster shot aimed at her to ricochet off and slam into another droid that had not yet fired.
I must…
Hundreds of new deaths struck her with invisible hammers, making the veins in her temples throb.
I must to end this… end this battle… just a little more…
Suddenly, everything stilled. A ray of light touched the woman's face, warm and soft.
What… what is this?
She squinted at the bright beam of light. It grew stronger. The clones around her raised their palms to shield their helmet visors.
The sun…
The clouds above her head parted, giving way to the rising sun. Morning was coming. From the hill where she stood, the view was striking: a vast field stretched out around her, and far ahead lay the outlines of a small settlement—their destination. Nearby, winding through rocks and cliffs, ran a narrow ribbon of river.
She looked down, and her heart skipped a beat. The entire area was littered with the bodies of clones, interspersed with the fallen Jabiim people; the number of dead was in the tens of thousands. Every detail was visible. The clouds had dispersed, not a drop of rain fell from the sky, and from horizon to horizon stretched clear, unclouded air.
Leska froze in shock.
The Force… how many of them… dead… and all of them… followed me, and now… they are dead…
And all around her, the battle raged on. Hundreds of thousands of droids rolled toward the clones—now everything was clearly visible. Their orderly columns, despite their losses, advanced silently from every direction. Clones fell, struck down by blaster fire one after another. Republic combat vehicles exploded in rapid succession, hit by combat droid missiles, while CIS tanks fired over the heads of their troops—and entire squads of clones vanished in heavy explosions. Fewer and fewer remained alive…
"General Leska!" shouted one of the clones, frantically firing at the approaching droids. "What should we do?! General Leska! We need orders! Orders?!"
But she no longer cared. Apathy swallowed her whole, and she withdrew deeper into herself. Her hands dropped, the hilt of her sword slowly slipping from her palm and hitting the stone with a soft thud.
In the next moment, several blaster bolts pierced her body.
Dara collapsed onto her back, gasping through her shot lungs:
"A-y-g-h-h!"
The edges of the wounds smoked—the robe around the holes smoldering slowly, set alight by the high-temperature charges. Closing her eyes, Leska pressed her palms to the wounds.
I… failed… everything… everything was in vain… I destroyed them all… the Padawans…
A new thought cut through her fadingconsciousness.
The Padawans… Vikt was right… I doomed these children to death.
Hoping that the headset was still functioning and that some connection remained, the womanwhispered with parched lips:
"Padawans… if you can hear me… run…"
She drew in a slow breath but could not exhale. Her muscles contracted, and the air fled her lungs. Her bright eyes—sparkling blue in the morning sunlight—stared peacefully at the sky.
Leska was dead.
Passing by, a B-2 lowered its arm and fired several more charges into the Jedi's body. Confirming the target's elimination, the droid strode onward—far ahead, pockets of resistance still remained.
***
A couple of days ago, the attacks on the Shelter base—where we were positioned—had begun. At first there were only a thousand combat droids, but as the enemy gathered strength, the attacks grew more and more intense.
After another assault, we all gathered at the command post.
"Christen, do we have contact?"
"No, General. Not with Leska's squad, not with Gillmun, not with Norсuna, not with Kenobi. Moreover, there's no contact with space or any ships in orbit."
"Well, that's it, ladies and gentlemen. Now we're on our own. Again."
"Master," Ahsoka looked me straight in the eye. "Do you think they're all…"
"Listen, and you'll understand," I said quietly.
Ahsoka lowered her head. Her voice echoed in my mind.
I… feel it. It's… pain… How much longer will this go on?
What can I say to her? What?
"Knight Vikt," Falleeni said, catching my attention. "What about the Padawans? Could they still be alive?"
"If they have enough brains, and the Padawans manage to break through to our base, they have a chance of surviving this battle. If not… well, this is war."
I glanced at the tactical map again.
"All units, prepare for defense," I ordered.
***
Kernatuan Rinaun straightened his uniform and stepped into the office occupied by Ilius Terbon, Moff of the Twelfth Sectoral Army.
"Ah, Commander, you're right on time."
"Sir, what are your orders?" Rinaun asked, standing at attention.
"At ease," Terbon said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The situation isn't great right now. We're preparing for an attack on Metalorn, and now the Jedi are demanding that we replace one of the squadrons in orbit around Jabbaim. It's been badly damaged."
"Sir, you know that not all of my ships have come out of repair yet," Rinaun replied.
In truth, his squadron had been in the repair docks three times this month alone. The intensity of the fighting was increasing. Fortunately, there had been no irretrievable losses so far.
"I know!" the Moff snapped, then leaned back wearily in his chair. "It's difficult for everyone. Here's what. Two ships have just come out of repair—ships assigned to that… what's his name… General Vikt. So you take them for yourself. That Jedi is stuck on that shitty planet anyway."
"May I proceed?"
"Go ahead. Take off when you're ready," Terbon nodded.
***
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