The Force Wills - Chapter 133

“You nervous?”

Steela looked up into the ceiling of her room.

How long had it been since she could say that? It felt like forever but was actually just under two years at this point. Ever since the farm had been taken, it had always just been either open sky or jungle canopy above her head whenever she awoke. Now it was a proper ceiling, if slightly dusty from disuse, in an upper floor room of OLF HQ. The bed underneath her back was also old, but it was at least clean and serviceable.

“How can I not be? Tomorrow I’m announcing myself to the people, to Onderon… and to our enemies.”

Her eyes met Lux’s, lying comfortably close next to her, his form partially hidden under the blanket they were sharing.

“You’ll be great, Steela,” he reassured, caressing her cheek.

She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes, fully savoring the warm hand, now thoroughly callused from more than a year’s hard living that was behind them.

“I hope so.” The gnawing fear was tying up her stomach in knots. She knew she had to sleep but the long night of planning the operation had seemingly taken residence in her brain, replaying itself over and over.

“Will you try something for me? It’ll definitely help,” he assured, looking at her with a heartfelt earnestness, the intensity of which threatened to seemingly melt her spine.

“All right,” she managed to say through her tightening throat.

“Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for four, then slowly exhale for six seconds.”

She blinked in brief confusion at the blunt practical suggestion, “What?”

“Don’t think about it, Steela, trust me.”

Something in his eyes convinced her.

Inhale…she held her breath…one… two… three… four… she breathed out slowly.

“Again,” his hand also continued to slowly caress the other side of her face.

Just how long she did what was clearly some form of relaxation technique, she couldn’t really remember. It probably went on a little longer than necessary because during it, the blanket had crept downward and she caught sight of Lux enjoying the view as well. Her breasts occasionally brushing against his forearm.

She let it happen, because it was honestly working as the tension in her stomach was nearly forgotten and gone.

“Good, now tense your arms for five seconds, then relax.”

She did so and in the process her right arm brushed against his torso.

“Now your shoulders.”

On it went; stomach, upper and lower legs, feet.

“Now, mentally rehearse what you’re going to do tomorrow-”

“But-”

“Focus, Steela,” he interrupted softly.

She… trusted him and went into the mental place that she had almost forgotten in the past few minutes. Seeing where her various people… her soldiers would be during the ambush, the evac routes, then what she would actually say to the people of the city. Onderon news media wouldn’t show it, not with Rash bearing down on them, but arrangements had been made for its spread to the other cities through the Holonet.

She still didn’t truly know what the words would be, it was just half-formed ideas at present that she wanted to convey, hoping that it would come in the moment. Amazingly, the tension and stress didn’t return at all. It was like there was now a firm bulwark against it.

“That’s incredible,” she opened her eyes, breathing deeply in and out. “Where did you learn that?”

“My mother, of course. Would you believe that the great Senator Bonteri still, to this day, suffers from a fear of speaking to large crowds?”

Steela gaped incredulously at the concept. Senator Bonteri had been a legendary orator in the Senate before Onderon had seceded, and even now that she was in the CIS Parliament, that form continued. Her speeches were often broadcasted on Onderon. “You have to be pulling a circuit.”

“No, it’s the Force honest truth,” Lux smiled, chuckling fondly at memories clearly replaying themselves in his head. “She learned ways of dealing with it at a young age from a visiting Guardian of the Whills, who was on a pilgrimage to the Unifar Temple.”

Just mentioning the structure was enough to bring out a bitter anger. Another trespass to visit upon Rash’s head was the fact that he had turned that Temple, meant for study and contemplation of the Force according to the Unifras religious doctrine, into his royal palace.

Steela hadn’t been the most religious person since she was a young girl, but all the true adherents on Onderon must still be internally seething with outrage, even as they strove to let go of it as the doctrine demanded. That and the droid army was the reason Rash hadn’t faced an angry mob storming the ‘palace’ gates. In fact, the sheer idea of committing violence within the Temple was anathema to Onderonians and it was precisely that which he exploited.

Lux shook his head, getting away from such thoughts. “There’s a few more things you should do, besides the physical aspects. Whenever you have a negative thought such as ‘I’ll fail’ or ‘It won’t work’, challenge it immediately. ‘I’ve prepared as thoroughly as I can and can do no more.’”

She nodded, taking it in. Negative thoughts were aplenty and it would be a constant challenge. She turned onto her right side, smiling into his eyes, “Anything else?”

“Just before the ambush. I’m talking like five minutes or less, ground yourself in the present by naming five things you see, four you can touch, three you hear, two you smell and one you taste - even if it’s only the residue of your breakfast.”

“Makes sense, I think.”

“The last thing to do is find a neutral object or to just focus on your breath alone for a minute or two, shut everything else out. This one’s good because you can just about do it anywhere or at almost any time.”

She made another mental note and narrowed her eyes, “If you know all this, how come you’re sometimes stressing?”

“I never said I was perfect at it, Steela,” he admitted sheepishly.

The expression on his face was so adorable, that she couldn’t help but close the centimeters that separated them with a kiss.

It was meant to be a peck but quickly turned into more.

The final stress and nerves vanished and tomorrow was quickly forgotten.

Lux balanced himself with his right hand on her left side and smoothly glided over her.

Her left leg came up bent instinctually, to both pen him in and to give her foot access to his butt.

Gone was the fumbling of their first time in the distant jungles under a starlit sky all those months ago. Now, they knew each other well enough as lovers to anticipate each other. They hadn’t exactly been going at it like a pritarr every night in the jungles, but it was a close thing, moderated only by exhaustion and their supplies of contraception hypos. 

Their kiss deepened and she felt his manhood deliberately teasing her entrance, the tip gliding down and up her lower lips.

A slight lean and he was supporting himself on his left shoulder, giving his right hand the freedom to explore; first her breasts, teasing and tweaking each nipple, moving down to the curves of a stomach toned by many months spent in a ruping saddle.

They both moaned into each other’s mouths as the pleasure built, especially when his tip brushed against the most sensitive spot.

She could feel in his body the desire to resist taking the plunge immediately, his desperation to please her first taking hold.

Steela broke the kiss and looked at him with a twinkling mischievous gaze, before pushing down on his butt with her left foot.

He made it sound as if someone had punched him in the stomach and she gasped with pleasure as he entered her fully in one smooth slide.

Lux was now in his own internal battle, fighting a body that was barely twenty and just wanted to pump hard before exploding into a release.

His eyes were closed and he breathed hard, staying sheathed within her and not moving a muscle.

She let him fight and sure enough after about half a minute, he opened his eyes with a wicked grin that promised retribution.

Her answering smirk was the only prompt he needed, as he gave a long slow in and out stroke.

The mewling moan that came out of her was much of a surprise to her as him. It usually took a fair bit longer for her ‘engines’ to warm up. Perhaps the sheer length of time between their last session and this one had something to do with it.

He gave another stroke and smothered her gasp of pleasure with his lips as his tongue also demanded entrance.

In the end, they managed just seven minutes, before their reserves of restraint broke.

His hand gripped her by the left knee and his hips gyrated in and out furiously, her own hips meeting the thrusts as best she could.

Barely three were required as he pushed a final time, his release shuddering through him.

Steela followed a few moments later at the sensation.

In the aftermath, both fell asleep looking into each other’s eyes, knowing that whatever tomorrow may bring, they would still have this moment and memory.

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In the wake of two weeks of insurgency within Iziz, with multiple random daily attacks against droid patrols and positions within the city, the inevitable happened.

The droids reacted like any adaptive program and increased the size of the patrols. No more were there single squad patrols of B1s, lone tanks with minimal support or any kind of standard occupation formations. Instead, a patrol formation began looking more like a combined arms field doctrine;  B1s deployed in company size at least, along with MTTs filled with B2s and at least two AATs.

The days where the OLF could strike with just four man teams or even solo was seemingly over.

We had anticipated this and for the operation had deployed with twelve rebels in addition to Steela, Saw, Lux, Chewie and myself.

My wookiee friend had to be extra careful though, as he stood out rather significantly among the population and as far as we could determine, he was the only one of his kind in Iziz. That was why he had to be content with running sabotage operations in very clandestine fashion so far. He had been getting around by wearing a translator device on his bandoleer, posing as an astrogator looking to study any ancient hyperspace maps that may have been on Onderon and it was a cover that had held up pretty well so far.

“All right, we’ve got a patrol coming into our AO,” Saw announced over comms. “MTT, ATT, and a B1 company.”

I concentrated and pushed my senses outward, all the while pushing a cart of spare speeder parts, appearing outwardly to be just a menial laborer in a mechanic’s shop.

“No counter-ambush in sight, operation is a go,” I murmured softly.

“Confirmed, primary team in position,” said Steela.

My cart thumped and bumped over the paving as I entered the largest market in the south of the city. The place was bathed in the golden glow of the hot sun only filtered through wispy high altitude clouds and it was a kaleidoscope of color and many exotic scents all nestled among the ancient and new stone architecture. It was lunchtime, so it was absolutely packed with people seeking something quick to eat or if they weren’t in hurry, sitting down in outdoor restaurants - served by either mobile kitchens or from the buildings lining the square. For the briefest of moments, I felt like I had walked into any central town or city square you could point a finger at on old Earth’s Europe, except add in the odd fashion, Corusca tech, rupings and speeders flying in the sky, not to mention the smattering of togutra, twi’lek and ithorians walking around.

With my mind stretched out, I made sure to perceive if anyone was paying attention to me, but was happy to note that I was effectively blending into the background.

Which was how I placed the small holo emitter on the side of a large pot plant on one side of the square without a single soul noticing.

I kept pushing my cart, affecting an utterly bored yet grumpy expression of someone doing a job they had no choice about.     

The second and third emitters were placed without incident, out of most convenient sightlines.

I sighed wearily with a huff of pretended exhaustion, stopped my cart and tapped the comlink on the inside of my wrist, now adopting an irritated expression, seemingly consulting the message that had been sent to me. Instead I confirmed a stable and secure link to the emitters, double checking that the frequency hopping and encryption was also doing its job. The droids had been doing an ever more effective job of policing the frequency spectrums, trying to find unauthorized signals and broadcasts. Chewie and a group of other skilled OLF techies, who he was teaching, had done a good job so far of keeping us hidden on the airwaves and on the local Holonet.

“South is go,” I reported.

“Roger, South.”

“East is go.”  

“North is go.”

“Centre is go.”

“Holonet connection stable, I’ve sliced the Iziz Herald news site,” said Chewie’s translator device, with his actual voice slightly muted in the background. “There’s no stopping this from getting to every ‘Net linked datapad on the planet.”

“We’re as ready as we can be, our target is in sight. Stand by… on my mark.”

I continued to stare into the small holo screen above my palm, scowling as I read the message, even as my awareness plunged through the link, expanding towards the AO.

Steela and her team were hidden in the lee of an angled roof, the droid convoy approaching their position.

She gave everyone a last look, seeing only the eyes of hardened men and women who were behind her.

Three fingers were held up, then two… then one.

She popped up with her sniper rifle, whilst her squad burst forward, taking their own firing positions using the angle of the roof as their cover.

Blaster fire erupted downward onto the droid convoy, Steela scoring a headshot on the B1 commander of the AAT, whilst eight others were hit immediately in just the opening volley.

The B1s returned fire instantly, their shots simply pinging into the edge of the roof or missing overhead thanks to the awkward angle and the rebels' high ground advantage. Those that were on target, only hit rooftile as the targeted rebel just ducked their heads down.

A grenade was flung by a female rebel, which landed smack in the middle of the B1 company formation.

The resulting concussion and thermal expansion wrecked thirteen droids outright and sent half a dozen others flying through the air.

It was a distinct escalation by using thermal detonators, as while droid poppers were effective in the short term, in the longer term, such damaged droids could more easily be repaired. Given we also had an audience and poppers were distinctly underwhelming visually in their use, I had to reluctantly give the go ahead to use the heavier ordnance. The detonators had also been carefully calibrated to minimize their yield as much as possible for an urban environment.

With the B1 numbers nearly completely decimated, the survivors called for reinforcement from the MTT.

The front of the blocky armored transport folded its lid open and pushed out a large rack of a dozen B2s, which were already activating themselves.

The rebels sprang their own trap card, as the second team opened fire from the other side of the street, creating an envelopment and both teams poured bolts onto the B2s before they could even be released from the rack.

Their armor held though as the first B2 landed and brought up its gun arm, aiming upward at the rebels.

Steela’s sniper rifle fired and bored straight through the B2s shoulder sensor, wrecking the internals and sending it crashing forward into the ground.

The remaining eleven B2s landed, but were already in a sorry state before they had even deployed. The OLF was no longer equipped with ramshackle weaponry, but instead each rebel was now trained and equipped with DC-15s rifles and carbines.

Three B2s clattered to the ground from good hits to their vulnerable spots, whilst Steela cored another.

The autoblaster fire from the B2s sprayed upward, blasting holes into the roof and overhead, forcing most of them behind cover.

The rear AAT of the convoy also began traversing its turret to bring the main gun to bear.

Saw was already there, bursting down the lone surviving B1 escort with his carbine, jumping onto the forward hull of the tank, and running upon it in a smooth display of agility and parkour.

He left a grenade attached to the front, vaulted up, killed the B1 commander with a smooth pin point blast before dropping another grenade down the open hatch.

A quick jump and roll later he was already running away whilst the AAT erupted into a fountain of channeled fire.

It immediately sank down onto the street as its repulsors failed, more jets of flames and crackling pops of minor explosions as it broiled from the inside.

Four detonators sailed through the air to land at the feet of the B2s.

The resulting detonation wrecked their legs and flung them off balance, allowing the rebels the breathing room to pop up and pour blaster fire down.

Another rebel charged up from an alleyway, this time flinging droid poppers that adhered to the side of the MTTs thinner rear armor. 

The brief blue flashes heralded their detonation and sent the transport tank out of control, where it crashed right into the back of the surviving B2s and even crushed those who were still fighting with only half their bodies remaining.

The lead AAT was finished off as a coup de grace of the ambush by another rebel tossing grenades into the open commander hatch, before the B1 driver below could even traverse the turret.

The rebels cheered and charged forward, getting quickly to the ground with ascenders and began the task of double tapping every droid to make sure their only destination after this would be the scrap heap or the smelter.

Steela stood, slinging her old rifle casually onto her shoulder and stared directly into the small holoscanner that had been broadcasting the entire ambush.

Above each major market in the city, which had been watching, her giant holoform stared down at the people.

She was only dressed in minimal combat gear; an ammo harness and utility belt, but otherwise looked like an utterly ordinary ‘country’ girl for Onderon, a tight sleeveless shirt that hugged her curves, rugged pants and boots. 

“Do not be afraid, brothers and sisters of Onderon,” her voice boomed down on the market and from every linked datapad - a sliced link opening on the front page of the Iziz Herald. “The time has come to take back our freedom and our planet. For more than a year, we have all been deceived. We were told that Kind Dendup abdicated the throne in light of his age and failing health. We were told that King Rash was taking us into a new prosperous age with the CIS. We just had to ignore the fact that it happened just as the droids were landing and taking over. We had to ignore the fact that King Dendup was in perfect health for his age and had not uttered a word of abdication. Then we had to ignore the people disappearing with no explanation. We had to ignore the little voice in the back of our mind that something was wrong. We had to ignore land seizures and stories of people being worked to death in the mines.

“No my fellows, Rash deposed and usurped King Dendup by the force of arms of the CIS droid army. He did not raise the alarm or his own voice in defense because he knew what Rash would do otherwise with the droid army. Rash is a traitor who sold out our world for his own selfish gain and ambition for power. But Onderon is ours! And we will not regain it without your help. I know I am asking for a lot, we’ve all grown content and lazy into accepting this status quo but understand the price in blood that’s being paid right at this very moment across the planet. Fellow Onderonians whose only crime is to be inconvenient or to disagree with Rash are dying by the dozens.”

“The only way forward is to reclaim sovereignty of our planet and restore our true King to the throne! Also know that the Onderon Liberation Front is out there and fighting for this goal and no other. No matter what you might hear from Rash going forward, he will only try to deceive you further. That is why the OLF is starting a radio broadcast that will bring the truth of what has been happening the past year, where we will speak to you and bring news of the fight. If you wish to join our cause, the way will be opened and those who truly wish for liberation, will find the way.

“I must go now, but remember that we will always be out there, fighting for you!”

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“These terrorists are now a direct threat to Onderon.”

A threat to you sitting in that chair, Rash, amended General Akenathen Tandin in his thoughts, keeping his tanned and weathered features perfectly stoic.

“It is only a matter of time before they are all eliminated.”

Tandin’s stoicism was challenged though as he regarded the elaborately decorated, supposedly super tactical droid, who only went by the designation ‘Kalani’. A name it had by all accounts chosen for itself. The CIS were dangerously ignoring common sense with this droid. It definitely had hidden fail safes if it went rogue, but there was a lot of damage it could do before then.

He was also not impressed thus far with the strategies he had heard coming from it.

“This goes on any longer and we’ll be plunged into chaos,” Rash grabbed a fruit from the bowl ever present on the right arm of his throne.

Tandin almost wanted to laugh. He was old enough to remember Rash as a young boy who’d barely been kept in check by his father at gatherings of the royal court. He’d go round stealing every fruit to snack on when the elder Rash wasn’t looking. Now as king, Sanjay Rash’s love for exotic fruits was an open affectation.

“Their hostility is only directed at the droid army thus far,” Tandin spoke up for the first time in the meeting. “If you allow the Royal Guard to assume control of security in Iziz, the terrorists may stop and discuss terms.”

The tactical droid predictably disagreed.

It held up its right hand in a show of body language, “With their coordinated attacks and weapons, it’s possible they’re finding sympathy from within your own ranks.”

Tandin folded his arms allowing a scowl to appear on his face, “I can account for every weapon, man and woman under my command. Do I have to remind you Kalani, that the weapons the rebels are using are DC-15 models? The ones used by the Republic and the Clone Army?”

“The probability of the Republic intervening in Onderon is low enough to be negligible. Their strategic and moral doctrine precludes the creation of such local insurgencies. Large stolen stockpiles of such weapons have by now flooded the black markets, their presence alone proves nothing,” the droid droned monotonously.

“I will not negotiate with these terrorists,” Rash pointedly glared at the general of his planetary guard. “They embrace mayhem and wouldn’t sit down to talk even if it was offered. What is the progress on stopping their broadcasts?”

“We’ve made some headway, but they’ve proven surprisingly adept at slicing the local Holonet stations, highness. We shut one down, but then they just slice another.”

Tandin couldn’t help but admire the skill involved. Battle in the electronic warfare arena was not precisely his forte, but the OLF clearly had someone or even a group of very impressive slicers working for them.

“We should just shut down the entire Holonet!” Rash flung his fruit in sudden anger. It splattered messily on the nearby floor, prompting a small flat cleaning droid to buzz out from its hatch to begin cleaning up.

“Highness-” Tandin began pointing out the obvious problem with that, but Rash only raised a hand to interrupt him.

“Yes, I know. I’d have a fair bit of the royal court marching in here, complaining that I’d interrupted their ability to do business. Now, what can you tell me about the terrorist leader?”

Tandin prompted the patiently waiting R9 data analysis droid with a gesture.

The relatively tall astromech swiveled its head and holoprojector upward, bringing to visual life the holo of the undeniably charismatic terrorist leader, taken directly from the broadcast.

“We’ve matched her from the citizen registry. The name is Steela Gerrera. The Gerrera family had a farm in the Kathil Highlands, but it was repossessed as a result of the Reclamation Proclamation. Both her parents were killed in resisting the order by the droid detachment carrying it out. It’s also likely her brother, Saw, is a member as well. He was arrested and sent to labor detention at a rhydomium mine for expressing anti-royal sentiments. He is listed as escaped and presumed dead in the deep jungle. However, since this terrorist group was organized within the wilds-”

“So brother and sister, reuniting and plotting revenge against their rightful king’s edicts, it’s almost worthy of song,” Rash sneered at the image of Steela Gerrera.

Tandin could see how such events would drive anyone into rebelling, he even felt a measure of sympathy. It was a feeling that was quickly swallowed by his professionalism and the oaths he had taken to the sovereign throne of Onderon.

“We’re still working on identifying more terrorists, but all surveillance sensors at their attack points are disabled with a precision that is… both worrying and impressive.”

“You express admiration for the enemy?” Kalani questioned dangerously.

“Merely stating fact, droid.”  

The tactical droid stepped forward, as if it actually wanted to intimidate him. The Royal Guard in the room also tensed, their hands flexing on their force pikes.

“Enough,” Rash’s word halted everyone in their tracks. “I think it’s time for my plan to begin. If we can’t find these terrorists, we will lure them to a point of our choosing.”

“To lure them you need something they want or value,” Tandin raised an incredulous eyebrow, not liking where this was going. He doubted Rash would ever put himself into a vulnerable position for the terrorists to strike at. A tactic he couldn’t condone or support, since the Guard was sworn to protect the sovereign.

“Precisely, which is why we’ll use Dendup. Okalin, have you made the necessary arrangements?”

“Yes, my lord. All is prepared and awaits your order,” declared the bivall advisor.

“The order is given.”

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The heavens grew dark, hiding all moonlight and opened up to deliver a veritable monsoon of rain down on our heads. It wasn’t much of an ominous sign, as such torrents were business as usual on Onderon given the current rainy season the capital was experiencing.

All members of the OLF were covered in rain parkas as they hurriedly carried crates of supplies from the latest covert drop, delivered directly to a nearby roof in the Slagworks district.

I sheltered just within the side door of the HQ building, stopping each pair of rebels and checking off the crate they carried against the datapad manifest.

Steela stood next to me, giving the appearance of leadership overseeing a vital part of any paramilitary organization - logistics. A lesson that both Anakin and I had drilled into the heads of everyone from day one.

I tapped the pad and gave one last check, “That should be everything.”

“Good, I-”

“Steela!” shouted a voice through the low roar of rain falling on us.

A female rebel, who I recognized as one of the squad leaders, Ildra Pedrar, rushed towards us. She was carrying a box of food supplies from the local market and nearly tripped in her rush to reach us.

“Woah easy, Ildra, what’s wrong?”

She breathed deeply to get her wind back and put down the box, not caring about the rain and I could sense the woman’s mind and soul in desperate turmoil.

“They’re executing King Dendup tomorrow in Yolann Square.”

Steela glanced at me with wide eyes as one of my clear predictions became a reality before her eyes. “Where did you hear this?”

“Malgan market, it’s all the merchants there are talking about.”

“Strange that it should reach them and no official announcement of it was made on the networks,” I mused, M8 was keeping a very watchful eye on the planetary Holonet, when she wasn’t making the local cyber security efforts look like a joke.

“What does it matter how the word got out?” Ildra shook her head, her shoulders sagging in despair.

“It means it was deliberately placed there to us as a message from Rash,” Steela’s lips pursed in anger.

“The Separatists are accusing him of organizing our attacks.”

“Let’s get out of this rain,” Steela scowled and we retreated deeper into the hallway, where Saw was leaning against the wall. The big raincoat gave him a looming presence as he knowingly stared at us, clearly having heard everything. “It’s just more lies, making an example of him.”

I nodded, “Rash will be using him as a scapegoat to heap blame on. Lady Thalindra's efforts in the Royal Court is clearly piling on the pressure. He has to show that he’s in control of the situation. Dendup is also bait for us. Rash knows we won’t let the king be killed.”

“We must rescue the king… tonight,” said Saw with simple feverish zeal.

“No, it must happen in public tomorrow. The people must see us-” Steela objected.

“So you would walk us straight into the jaws of a trap? That’s exactly what they expect us to do and they’ll be ready for us,” he retorted.

“We’ll save him for all of Iziz to witness and in turn Rash will prove our claims for us, Saw.” He scowled at her and turned around, walking towards the exit. “Where are you going?”

“Trust me, sis.”

“Stop!”

I had to give Steela this one, her command voice was certainly getting better or was that just because she knew the exact tone to use for her brother to listen. Saw froze and looked back at her over his shoulder. “Let me do this.”

“This isn’t about you, Saw. Do you want to single handedly rescue Dendup? Do you honestly think you’re that good? He’s being held in the bowels of the palace, along with commando droids, the Royal guard and all the other security measures in your way. Even a Jedi wouldn’t be able to do it!”

I didn’t react at all, especially given that fortified CIS base infiltration was practically a specialty for me at this point. I’d already reconned and planned for that eventuality. Just in case I needed to rescue Lady Thalindra, Dendup or any other OLF member who could potentially be tortured into giving up the location of our base in the Slagworks.

“The risk will be great, Saw,” I said gravely.

“That’s why I’m going alone.”

“If you’re captured and tortured?”

“They can do nothing to me that I hadn’t already endured in the slave camp. If they torture me, they’ll just learn that I’m not like most people anymore. I will die before I give up anything.”

That was his final word as he stepped forward into the rain and turned out of sight.

“Ildra, follow him and observe only, contact me the instant anything happens,” Steela ordered through gritted teeth.

“Yes, ma’am,” Ildra reflexively saluted and the squad leader hurried outside.

“Saw’s going to get caught,” she said, closing her eyes to despair and fear.

“Almost certainly,” I nodded.

“Then why didn’t you stop him?! You could’ve just used your powers or stunned him so fast he wouldn’t even be able to react.”

“I could’ve done that, but what do you think his reaction would be the instant he woke up again?”

Her shoulders slumped and her hands clenched. “He’d take nearly a quarter of the OLF with him. Do things his way. We’ve barely existed for a few weeks and already we’re in danger of collapsing.”  

“There’s an ancient philosopher who once said that a leader must avoid giving commands that he or she knows won’t be obeyed. If you want to keep the OLF together, you must keep this in mind. Yes, Saw is technically acting against you, but not against your goals. When he returns you should absolutely discipline him visibly. The rest must see that there are consequences for their actions, you must command respect.”

“What am I going to do? Lock him up in the basement?”

“A full week of both kitchen and latrine duty is the best you can do. I can give you a few pointers on how to make it as miserable as possible. You can’t really afford to have him off the battlefield.”

“And he knows it,” she grumbled.

“Besides, even if Saw is captured, he’ll then be joining Dendup on the execution block, which gives us the opportunity to rescue them both. Let’s just say I also have a feeling that on the way he’ll cause a few disruptions within the palace that’ll be to our advantage. In the meantime, I think we need to speak to our allies about spreading out our safehouses beyond the Slagworks.”

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He had taken so many things for granted.

The simple joy of walking outside with nothing but the vast open sky above you. He hadn’t known how much he would miss just taking such a simple privilege, until it had been forcibly denied him. The air was bitingly fresh after the bout of rain, precious few gaps had opened in the cloud cover, letting the light of the Dxun moon occasionally peek through.

He enjoyed seeing and walking the roof garden of the Unifar Temple - he utterly refused to think of it as a ‘palace’ - occasionally reaching out and just lightly touching the plants as he walked. The simple feeling of residual rain droplets on his skin, the smell of the Kings’ Crown shrubs and Vomu flowers hung in the air, mixing together and inducing a remarkably calming experience. He recalled how the monks of the temple had said that it brought them closer to experiencing Unity with the Force.

A state of being he would be sent to forcibly tomorrow.

As an old man, he knew that the journey of Death was looming closer and closer. He had thought he had been marginally prepared for it, and accepted it.

Yet in this moment, he found himself inwardly raging.

Did he not still have so much to do?

Did he not have a people that were suffering in silence?

He could only imagine what Rash and the CIS had been doing this past year to drive his people to the extremes that had at last boiled over in these past weeks. He had the ominous feeling that his imagination was not up to the task of coming close to the truth.

He raised his eyes from the cobbled path and looked out over the sprawling lights of Iziz going in every direction around the Temple. An entirely uncharacteristic silence for this time of night, it was as if the entire city was holding its breath for what tomorrow would bring.

The sudden sound of an electric surge and crash of metal on stone reached Ramsis’ ears - his heart surged in fright and he whirled around.

The lone guard droid on the roof had fallen to its knees, arcs of power playing over its chassis before it finally fell over, a circular grenade adhered to its back.

A tall, cloaked figure emerged from the dense garden foliage.

Any alarm Ramsis could feel was dispelled when the figure pulled down his hood, revealing a gaunt young man who swiftly kneeled in front of him. He was immediately struck by the look in those eyes - that of a soul who had seen unspeakable horrors.

“My lord, apologies for the fright.”

“And you are?” Ramsis had an idea already, since no one kneeled before him anymore.

“My name is Saw Gerrera, sire.”

“And what is it you desire from this old man on his last day?”

“Your freedom, sire. The people of Onderon need your help.”

Ramsis Dendup sighed wearily, “So you are among those who are responsible for all the fireworks in our city lately.”

“Yes, my lord, but only to restore your kingship.”

“Stand up.” Saw stood immediately in response. “And what makes you think that disturbing the order of this city will change anything?  

“No change can come without that, sire. Not with the droid army bearing down on every facet of life.”

Ramsis felt an incredible weight come down on his shoulders, he had not known that regret such as this could exist. “I don’t deserve the freedom you offer, young man. You might think that it was Rash who is responsible, but it was originally me who opened the door for the CIS. It was only later that Dooku decided that Rash would be a better leader for this planet - that’s when the usurpation happened.” He turned away from Saw’s astonished eyes, unable to bear the look of betrayal that would undoubtedly come. “I had a difficult choice to make at the beginning of the galactic war, retain allegiance to the Republic or join the Confederacy. Both are corrupt, but I had to pick a side, before one was chosen for me. I therefore chose the latter - the CIS is new and there is still a chance to mold and reshape it to the needs of the people. Unlike the millenia old Republic, which is moribund and resists change as fiercely as a gutkurr.”

Saw shook off his damning words, “Sire, that is the past. We can only look to the present for now. The time to take back this planet is now. Our movement is gaining momentum and has the backing of the Jedi.”

Ramsis blinked and felt something strange in his heart, it took him a few moments to recognize because it had been so long since he’d had it.

The smallest ember of hope.

“Jedi?”

Saw smiled with satisfaction, “Yes, sire. Now if you’ll just strap yourself in, Onderon awaits.” He pointed to the harness he was wearing, which was clearly designed to wrap around and keep another person secure. He also produced an ascension gun.

“Well, it’ll certainly be an exciting ride.”

Ramsis stepped forward and Saw quickly moved around his back, looping the belts across his shoulders, under his arms and then had the awkward moment of having to thread his legs through two loops that would secure his hips.

“Hang on, sire.”

He caught sight of Saw’s arm aiming upwards with the ascender.

The piton shot up into the air, streaking towards one of the temple’s higher towers.

Only to bounce off the bright red grid of a shield that was perfectly enveloping the roof terrace.

“Kriff, one way shield,” Saw muttered angrily.

Ramsis was so astonished that the Temple had been transformed to such an extent, he missed the droidekas finishing their forward rolls and deploying around them, whilst lights from the higher towers bloomed downward and illuminated them.

“I’m sorry, sire. I should’ve known my infiltration was too easy. This was a trap as well.”

“Rash let me up here as a last request before my execution. I see I was mistaken in thinking he had at least a slight shred of decency.”

“If you knew, what I know, sire, what I’ve lived through… There is nothing redemptive about that monster.”

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“So any questions?” Steela asked the assembled OLF team leaders.

The mapping holo of the Unifar Temple and its environs hovered between them; sightlines, firing points and route mapping highlighted. The spirits in the darkened meeting room were high, all the squad leaders knew their roles and were determined to see it done.

I only had to do a few corrections here and there, but otherwise I was quite satisfied by their progress in the general tactical planning department. 

“It’s risky, but it’s our best bet,” Lux frowned thoughtfully into the holo. “Ahsoka, you have yet to discuss where you will be.”

“I will be as close as possible to the execution platform in the crowd, acting as the Plan B, C and the Idiot’s Array.” It felt very strange saying that from my point of view, but everyone else just nodded as I used the Corusca version of saying ‘Ace in the hole’. “Remember, you’ve planned for a fair number of contingencies, in case things go wrong, but you can’t prepare for everything.”

The doors burst open and a breathless Ildra entered the meeting room. “It’s- It’s happened. Saw failed, it was also a trap. He’s thankfully still alive. They fortified the temple with a one-way shield.”

The mood in the room, so confident and buoyant, plummeted immediately.

Steela quickly masked her fear, folding her arms and pursing her lips.

Lux looked at her for a moment, then stood with determination, “Then we save him.”

“YEAH!” The room cheered and everyone stood, grabbing weapons and ordnance, but everything was halted in its tracks when Steela finally responded.

“No.” The whole room looked at her with astonishment. “We have a King to save tomorrow. We don’t have the time or the bodies to do both. Saw’s capture proves one thing, we have lost any element of surprise, which has been our primary force equalizer since this began.”

“Steela, he’s your brother,” Lux said grimly.

“Saw would not want us to break the entire resistance in the forge of fire that we’d be walking into if we go tonight. We’d just be trapped within another one-way shield and be massacred in the dark of night. He knew the risk and was willing to pay the price for the cause. A price I’d pay gladly and I expect the same from everyone in this room.”

“An army doesn’t fight on sentiment and feelings,” I said to the room, pushing my words with the Force into every ear. “It has purpose, vision and objectives above all. Saw will not break to torture in one night, he’s stronger than that. He will share the execution platform alongside King Dendup and we can rescue both in one swoop.”

Lux shook his head, “You can’t be sure of that, Ahsoka. Rash might keep him in the palace.”

“I am prepared for that eventuality as well, as slim as it is. Saw just let us see a key tactic of the enemy and it is something we must prepare for tomorrow.”

“So what say you?” Steela asked all the squad leaders, her gaze challenging each of them.

They looked at each other and Lux eventually nodded, though the reluctance was clear in every soul. “We’re with you, Steela… to the very end.”

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A/N: And Saw learns, it's always a trap and Ahsoka has to be very careful. Have a great weekend and as always, stay awesome folks.