Episode 4

...and Watch My Sky Fall

With the sudden and awe striking arrival of the Republic fleet Captain Antilles and the crew of LOD array 13 burst into cheers, many on their feet roaring and pumping their fists in the air in triumph. Even the ever stoic Captain himself was wearing a broad grin on his face.

Up until that General Krell opened his mouth.

[All forces advance!] The Besalisk Jedi roared. [Crush the enemy!]

Captain Antilles saw red when the General denied N-SDF Blue Squadron reprieve to retreat and repair under threat of court martial - and in wartime that usually meant capital punishment.

Taking a swift note of the enemy positions displayed in the battle-map on the tactical display Captain Antilles keyed the station speakers. "Ion batteries 12 through 28 switch to vector 12 by 9, enemy starfighters are priority target. Turbolaser towers 3 and 6, fire a spread of lasers through vector 11 by 10. Give our boys some breathing room."

Having utmost faith in his crew to follow his orders even as the battle turned into a savage slug match at point blank range Captain Antilles punched in an encryption code into his comms terminal.

"Blue leader, this is Captain Antilles, do you read me?"

[Captain?] Blue leader sounded winded but alive. [Y-yes I read you.]

"Good, lead your men through sector 11-41 and return to the Array for repairs."

[B-but the general's orders-]

"I'm aware of what the general ordered, but on the account that it's a stupid ass order I've elected to ignore it. Contact me using this scramble set only, lest our savior decides to order his men to start shooting on us as well."

[Roger that Captain, falling back now.]

"Good man. Antilles out."

The Captain turned back to the tactical display looking more carefully at the Republic fleet's movements and frowned.

Something wasn't adding up about this General Krell, proper respect and decorum aside the General was pushing his forces through the enemy lines and out the other side often forcing his cruisers to get within mutual suicide range with other CIS vessels as they pass by.

It's almost like this Jedi General wants his forces to die.

On the right flank closest to the array a Venator smashed into a Recusant Light Destroyer, and even though the smaller destroyer was ripped apart from the impact the Venator had been relatively undamaged prior to impact. When the Venator came out of the destroyer's remains much of the Venator's forward bow was sheared away and the portside superstructure compromised with multiple liquid fires and crews on multiple decks spaced into the void.

"This is madness." He growled.

He turned away from the tactical display disgusted, choosing instead to monitor the comm traffic. It was fortunate that he did because when he sat down Captain Antilles caught the transmission from Master Skywalker, the only sane Jedi here. When he heard who he was arguing with though his lips turned down into a snarl.

[I will not allow her to land in this hangar in the middle of combat and endanger this ship!]

[General Krell she's your blasted apprentice you frog-lipped Neanderthal! She's going to die!]

[Gold Leader you will follow my orders or I will have no choice but to fire upon you!]

[Well, how about you can take your orders and shove em where the sun don't shine or I'll have no choice but to go in there and assist you with my boot!] Then without further preamble Master Skywalker cut the transmission leaving the good General snarling onto an empty channel.

Captain Antilles snorted, a tiny satisfied grin turning his lips. Seems the "Hero with No Fear" lives up to his moniker, though it is odd that Gold Leader hadn't identified himself as one of the Jedi Order? Is he not a Jedi? Is he not General Krell's equal?

A shrill alarm squealed and the deck officer manning the long range scanner shouted, panic evident in her voice. "Captain! something big was caught on our scanners!"

"What is it?" Antilles asked. "Another flotilla?"

"I…" The deck officer swallowed thickly, the incredible mass displacement reading maxing out the sensors. "I don't know what it is sir. Readings indicate it's a ship but the numbers are all wrong."

"What do you mean?" Suddenly Antilles didn't really want to know.

"It's near 300 million metric tonnes, sir. Whatever it is, it's bigger than the entire 501st fleet combined."

Warning sirens blared a deep mournful moan, heralding the monstrosity that tore out of hyperspace. the void screamed and shook as an ominous shadow dropped into orbit, the force of its entry rippled through every republic crewman, pilot, and officer trailing an icy trail of terror in its wake.

"Sweet Mother of Mercy." Antilles breathed in fearful awe as the hulking leviathan loomed over the entire battlefield like some ancient primordial horror.

Then the empty black lit up blood red as hundreds of Turbolaser towers loosed their terrible payload, marking the beginning of the end.

"Sir! Reinforcements from the surface have arrived!" Someone shouted over the deafening roar of the massive dreadnought's relentless salvo and the shrieking of dying ships.

Sure enough the beacons of some two hundred additional N-1's blinked to life exiting atmo and flying unknowingly straight to their doom.

[We must turn this menace back!] General Krell sneered over the open comm channel. [ All N-SDF reinforcements advance to the Star Destroyer Executer's position and prepare yourselves to charge the enemy!]

Captain Antilles did not try to contradict the insane Jedi General's order. Instead he quietly thumbed a small red button on his console, a silent retreat signal to all N-SDF still alive.

"Captain?" The deck officer asked, eyebrows raised in shock at the retreat code blinking on every screen on the bridge.

"The battle is lost." Antilles answered the unasked question. "I will not have Nabooian lives wasted in a power-drunk outsider's thirst for glory. Gather as many of the survivors scattered across the battlefield as you can and evac them to the surface."

"Just… Just Nabooian survivors sir?"

"Everyone Lieutenant."

"Yes sir!"

"Well, how about you can take your orders and shove em where the sun don't shine or I'll have no choice but to go in there and assist you with my boot!" Then with no small amount of vindictive satisfaction Anakin cut the transmission, much to Conner and Aela's amusement.

[You think the good General knows Gold Leader is a Jedi too?] Conner drawled, drawing snorts and eyerolls from the others.

The former Jedi sat back and growled, ending further conversation. He struggled to rein in his emotions as the Force roiled hot around him, urging him to let go and drown in his anger. He breathed in deep and let it out, each breath slower and calmer than the last as he gradually managed to bleed his rage out into the Force and center himself. When he was calm (enough) he opened a channel with the young Togruta girl drifting waylaid in her starfighter.

"You still with me Snips?" He asked in as level a tone as he could.

[You shouldn't have said that to Master Krell.] Came her mousey reply.

"Let me worry about him." Anakin scoffed. "C'mon, follow me."

[Where are we going Master Skywalker?] She asked. Anakin quirked a brow at her subdued, timid tone. Where did that all that fire and snark he had seen from her go?

"If your Master won't help than the Captain will."

[But my Master said- ]

"Look, It's going to be okay." Anakin said, trying to soothe her. " Just follow me. I don't want you dying out here."

[…]

"Okay?"

[...Y-yes Master Skywalker.]

"Good. Tell your men to rejoin the assault. I'd rather they come with us but somehow I doubt Krell would take kindly to pulling additional troops away from the fight."

He heard the Togruta girl swallow hard before doing what he asked then turning her damaged fighter around to trail after his exhaust port.

[Hey, Fearless leader, we got company. Fighters on our 3 by 9, half a click out and closing.]

"I see 'em. stick with me, we can't afford to waste time playing around in this sleking shit-storm. you hear that Padawan?"

[Yes Master!]

[Oh, so it's fine when the cute little kid calls you a Master Jedi but when we do it you act as if we crapped in your astromech's motivator?] Aela huffed.

[Hey!] The cute little kid protested. [I'm sixteen!] Anakin smirked, amused as how sudden her attitude could spin from cowed to outraged. [and why shouldn't you call him a Jedi Master?]

[well ever since he moved here he-]

"Aela!" Anakin barked, all signs of mild amusement gone. The Bothan wisely clamped her jaws shut.

He sighed, the tense silence from the Togruta Padawan palpable over the channel.

"You know, you seem to have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I don't know your name." Anakin said off-handedly in hope of diffusing the awkward pause.

[O-oh! It's Ahsoka. My name I mean. Me. I'm Ahsoka. Ahsoka Tano. I-it's a pleasure to meet you Master Skywalker!] She blurted.

Anakin chuckled; he could practically hear her embarrassment over the comm channel, she was so mortified over her clumsy babbling Anakin felt her entire Force presence cringe. Poor girl, and here he thought he was bad at shielding his emotions. "It's nice to meet you too, Ahsoka."

Anakin focused back on flying through the deadly warzone, letting The Force pulled quietly at his hand as he led his people through the chaos of dying men and struggling mechanical leviathans tearing at each other's throats with Turbolaser teeth and durasteel hide.

[Reinforcements from the surface are here!] An LOD array deck officer cried over the open channel. Anakin looked back towards the planet and counted several hundred pin pricks of yellow rising from Naboo's atmosphere.

Perhaps this defense wasn't hopeless after all!

That's when it happened. Anakin was in between dancing through a swarm of vulture droids and ducking around a munificent frigate when an all-too-familiar flavor of dark, refined blend of cultivated hate and calculated anger spilled into the Force, flooding his senses and setting the nerves of his stump on fire.

[What-] Padawan Tano stuttered. She felt the disturbance too, but the sensation was foreign to her. [What is that?]

Anakin's expression darkened, a sneer peeling his lips back instinctively, like an animal trapped and faced with its predator.

"Dooku." Anakin spat the name like a curse.

A massive hulking monstrosity dropped out of hyperspace with a thunderous, shuddering roar. Even from his position several dozen klicks away the ripple of distorted space tossed his starfighter like stray sea foam in a tsunami. He righted his fighter and dread plunged into his heart, warring with his own hatred and rage.

The ship that dropped out of hyperspace looked like a Providence class dreadnought ate another providence class and grew teeth. Just from the silhouette alone Anakin guessed it was larger than the Capital City of Theed, maybe even bigger than the 501st's entire fleet combined.

[We must turn this menace back!] General Krell sneered over the open comm channel. [ All N-SDF reinforcements advance to the Star Destroyer Executer's position. Acclimator Squadron Alpha-9-3 prepare yourselves to charge the enemy!]

Anakin cut a gentle slope across the bow of an approaching Acclimator Frigate, its Turbolaser batteries thundering out a rapid quintet of destruction, its fellows joining in and turning their guns to the gargantuan fleet-destroyer. It was like gnats buzzing around a giant, they never stood a chance.

The former Jedi had to dodge aside behind The first Acclimator's command bridge as its deflector shields lit up in a kaleidoscope of color, it's poor position putting it under the combined firepower of the huge battleship's portside turbolaser batteries.

"What is your Master thinking?!" Anakin roared spinning away from the vicious barrage of friendly and enemy laser fire. The Acclimator's shields buckled under the onslaught, durasteel hull shredding like paper mâché and it's decks spewing atmo like a slit artery. Between the fiery debris the white plastoid of clone troopers writhed helplessly in the void.

[H-he-] Ahsoka choked, sounding on the verge of tears and mild shock.

Similar flashes of fire and death bloomed across the battlefield. General Krell ruthlessly marched the space forces of the 501st into the enemy titan's waiting maw, and though the brave clones fought valiantly the untiring droid army was relentless. The CIS invaders had stalled the 501st's momentum, now the ambush had slogged into a grudge match.

General Krell seemed intent on sabotaging himself. time and time again he would push a frigate or Venator Star Destroyer until the overextended unit would find themselves in too deep and eventually devoured by Separatist Turbolaser fire or a swarm of Vulture Droids. Anakin saw a distressingly small number of escape pods launch from the doomed Republic vessels, and those lucky few that did make it to a pod were flung to the planet below.

Rage the likes of which he could only compare to when his Mother died spilled like scalding lead into Anakin's veins, cracking his mental shields and making his vision dim red.

"Those are our people he just killed. OUR KRIFFING PEOPLE!" Anakin snarled, his Force presence searing hot with fury. What power leaked through his cracked mental shields crashing over the Togruta in suffocating waves.

[I-I-I-I… I'm sorry. ]

Anakin building anger boiled over, overcoming him for a moment, until he heard the fear Padawan Tano's stuttering voice. His anger fizzled as guilt rose up to mix with the hate that brewed beneath the surface, the sensation made him ill. He wrangled his emotions back behind his mental shields and swallowed thickly.

"It's… it's not your fault Padawan." Anakin spat, still wrestling with his fury. The young Togruta shrank from the former Jedi's poorly concealed ire, even if it wasn't aimed at her. Choosing to move on he addressed the others, "We gotta get out of the way of that fleet-killer! Gold Squadron, we're making for the array. Padawan Tano. Stick close to me."

[Yes Master Skywalker.]

The rest of Gold Squadron sped ahead mopping up a few strays buzzing around along their route to the LOD array, Aela with rapidly growing efficiency as her confidence grew. Gen-Dan and Conner swept around the husk of a Munificent Frigate double-tapping a few Vulture droid stragglers hiding in the flaming debris.

[The waysa is clear.] Gen-Dan babbled swinging around the frigate's ravaged hull to rejoin with Gold Squadron around Ahsoka's fighter.

A sudden discharge of crimson light spilled from the shadow of the destroyed frigate, red laser fire shredding the Gungan's fighter from behind, catching everyone off guard. Fire and plasma sheared into the N-1's power core, turning the yellow fighter into an inferno. Gen-Dan's screech of agony was cut off when the explosion erupted into the cockpit, cremating the brave Gungan pilot alive.

[NOT CLEAR! IT'S NOT KRIFFING CLEAR!] Conner roared, pitching into a tight roll away from the spread of crimson lasers.

A familiar Sith fighter screamed out of the debris like a bat out of hell, its solar sails slightly damaged from Anakin's fireball and its cannons firing wildly. A wave of giddy sadistic glee spilled out into the Force from its power-drunk pilot as it reveled in its kill.

"Tano! Go!" Anakin shouted, cutting his fighter around and firing back at the Gen-Dan's killer with rapid bursts from his nose mounted cannons. "Aela, Gold 5, stick with her. Get to the array!"

[You got it boss.] Gold 5 clipped tightly; his voice overtaken with a deadly calm. Aela didn't trust her voice to reply, instead all that came out was a watery frustrated growl.

Ahsoka gunned her throttle as far as she dared but fire flashed rapidly from her damaged starboard engine and it sputtered and belched a cloud of fire, leaving her a drifting, juicy target.

[Nononononono!] She cried, smashing her ship's wildly sparking control console in a blind panic. [R7! Help!]

The Sith pilot didn't waste the opening, zipping a neat circle around Conner's ship and and swooping under Aela's N-1, making a fool of them both, their spread of laser going wide and missing by a mile. The Sith accelerated towards the vulnerable padawan, sinking its teeth into its prey with a short blast from its cannons.

[Help me please!] Ahsoka cried, her plea reaching desperately into the Force.

A gray shape tore out of the void taking the shots meant for Ahsoka. The prototype N2-F's shields flared then popped, the barrage overloaded the shields and smashed into Anakin's unprotected hull, ravaging the small starcraft's nose armor into space junk. The former Jedi's fighter spun wildly from the impact black smoke spilling ominously from the gaping holes in his bow and throwing Anakin against his restraints.

[Master!] Ahsoka gasped.

[I'm-!] Anakin grunted against the nylon straps squeezing the air out of his chest as he fought for control of his fighter. Sparks erupted from his fighter's controls and splashed against his exposed skin as every button, switch and light on his dashboard flashed red as if in a rave.

[-Fine.] he finished, throwing his weight against his joystick and spinning his fighter around in a hair-pin turn. [I'm fine! Just run!]

[I-I'm trying! My astromech is almost done!] Her undamaged engine's plasma ignitor stuttered, blue fire sputtering frantically in an attempt to turn her stubborn thrusters over.

[I got'cha girl!] Aela had turned around as well, cannons flashing, forcing the Sith to zip away from the incoming spread of lasers and buying Ashoka a few more precious seconds.

Padawan Tano's Delta-7 choked then started with a rough cough, blue fire flaring from her undamaged engine. [Yes!]

[Sith's comin' around!] Gold 5 shouted, firing towards the nimble red and black fighter dancing through the debris.

Ahsoka gunned her throttle and her fighter lurched forward, picking up speed, though she did list badly to the left. Aela and Gold 5 swept around and covered her retreat while Anakin and Conner stayed behind to harass the Sith, but when Anakin tried to fire his cannons his starboard nose cannon exploded.

[Skywalker!] Conner saw his cannon magazine detonate and rip the top bow armor open like a can of sardines, fire and black smoke belching out of the wound, curling around Anakin's cockpit and obscuring his vision.

"It's fine! I'm fine!" Anakin shouted back through gritted teeth. Artoo twittered an irritated admonishment and scrambled to douse the flames while routing charged plasma and fuel away from the massive rent in his fighter.

[You are not fine! It's not kriffing fine!] Ahsoka cried. [You're literally on fire!]

"Nah, just a little toasty is all!" He cheeked. "Artoo what's the word?"

Artoo's answer wasn't exactly encouraging. One cannon gone, the other crippled, both torpedo magazines rendered useless, shields were now officially toast and the jogan fruit on top of the steaming pile of poodoo? The fuel tanks, both main and auxiliary, had vented almost their entire volume, leaving them flying on fumes.

"Greaaaat." Anakin deadpanned drawing the word out.

[Skywalker, I see the LOD Array! 5 klicks and closing!] Aela reported.

[I got Sithshit stuck on my tail!] Conner barked.

[Gah! that fighter's so tiny! It's so hard to hit!] Gold 5 shouted.

The Sith's ship was basically just a big eyeball with two thin supports a palms-width wide. If it wasn't for the red solar sails stretched between the supports it would be nearly impossible to see let alone shoot, that's not counting just how blistering fast the karking thing is.

[2 Klicks away!] Aela gasped. [Kid! roll right! right!]

Padawan Tano lurched starboard turned into a drunken barrel roll just as the Sith fighter screamed past, its cannons spitting crimson death, and missing the Togruta's crippled ship by inches.

[By the Huntress, that was close!] Padawan Tano hissed.

[we're at the array! Bay 12, go to bay 12!] Aela barked. The Bothan yipped as a few of the Sith's shots clipped her starboard thruster with a frightening bang. [Incoming!]

The Sith spun and cut from its dive, the small craft tossing and dancing between the struggling members of Gold Squadron as nimble as a leaf in a gale and equally as difficult to catch.

Padawan Tano's luck finally ran out when a stuttering burst from the Sith's cannons found their mark and took the blue and white starfighter broadside, tearing through the brave little red domed astromech on her bow and rupturing her cannon's magazine.

[R7! No!] Tano screamed. She was close, so, so close to safety. The Array's interior lights were easily visible on the other side of the hangar's invisible magnetic field not even a hundred yards away.

The Sith's anticipation grew to new heights as it closed in on its prey once again, determined to claim its victim, bloodthirsty glee building and spilling out in revolting waves into the force.

Anakin frantically scoured his badly damaged fighter's controls like a man possessed. C'mon there's gotta be something! Anything! His hands flicked through dead cannon toggle and useless torpedo controls. While he searched hoping for something to use to save the young girl one of his fingers brushed up against his thrust controls.

Then he got an idea. A terrible one he admitted, but it was the only one he got.

"Artoo, cut power from all other systems and divert them to the thrusters." Artoo caught on quick to Anakin's idea and was predictably not so enthusiastic about his pilot's plan, though he did do as he was told.

"Well, I don't have the ordinance-" Anakin replied, a sad but stalwart grin stretched across his face as the additional power overclocked the plasma rotors until the rumbling whine wound into a high pitched roar, white hot flame billowing from the exhaust ports. "-But I do have the mass!"

[Skywalker what-] Aela saw his ravaged fighter aimed right in front of the Sith's path, then she got it. [No, Anakin-!]

The N2-F bucked from the massive increase in thrust and shot off like a bullet. The world around Anakin seemed to spiral into a snail's pace, as if he were suddenly piloting through molasses.

He could count the flash of blue and red from the massacre of the republic fleet in the distance. He reveled in the singing engines beside and behind him. He looked down at the world of green and blue below, marveling at the beauty of his adopted home world.

He clenched his left hand, the warm metal of his wedding band underneath his glove was heavy there around his finger. Padme would understand he was sure, though if these were his last breaths he would still spend them apologizing.

He glanced at the young Togruta Jedi, her orange face scrunched up in repressed grief, fear and anger. He noticed the moment she saw him, the way her cerulean eyes widened and her expression grew slack in horror when she figured out his plan. Then the moment was over, and time cranked back up to a blur.

His aim was perfect, his timing impeccable, and the Sith never saw it coming; But Anakin was sure it saw his broad smarmy grin through his cockpit when he rammed his starfighter into that stupid red eyeball. The impact joined both starfighters into a warped mess of fire and steel and sent them both hurtling downward to the planet below.

[NOOO!]

Ahsoka hardly felt when her wrecked starfighter smashed into the hangar floor. She only felt cold and numb. So many more of her men dead. Even two others died trying to save her worthless life! Why?! It's all her fault! Why? Why did they have to die to save her? why… Why did she have to be born?

Sirens groaned faintly through her sealed cockpit and she curled up into her seat and buried her head between her legs to block out the world, not caring that the sky was falling all around her.

"-ano! Padawan Tano!" Ahsoka thought she could vaguely hear a female voice calling her name, but she didn't recognize it. She must be imagining it- "Hey Kid!"

"I'm not a kid!" Ahsoka didn't realize that she had replied on reflex until she noticed that she was staring through her cracked windshield at a female Bothan knocking against the Transparisteel.

"There we go, you're alive. Why does calling you a kid make you…" the Bothan- Aela, from Gold Squadron -Shook her canid head, her spear shaped ears whipping back and forth from the motion. "Nevermind. Look we- we gotta go."

"Go?" Ahsoka looked down at her hands clasped in the lap of her baggy orange flight suit. "Go where?"

"The escape pods! Captain Antilles called a retreat. Any and all personnel that can't get back to the surface on their own has to board a pod before that huge fleet-muncher gets within firing range. C'mon!"

"But-"

"No buts! Skywalker and Gen-Dan kriffing died to get us here!" Aela's muzzle turned up into a snarl, and Ahsoka felt the Bothan's anger roll of her, anger at both herself and the creature that killed them. "I'm not going to lose any more of my people today!"

"But… I'm not one of your people."

"You are now!" The Bothan declared. Ahsoka recoiled as if she'd been burned, the Bothan's words shocking her out of her daze. "Now quit stalling and get out here! You and I can find a nice dark corner and cry over a bottle of Gomorra Grog when a bunch of killer space droids ain't trying to kill us!"

"I can't drink though."

"If you're old enough to fight and die in a war then you're old enough for a drink, now c'mon!"

"Right, R7 pop the-" Ahsoka choked, eyes roaming to the blasted lower half of her astromech. "- Just, just Give me a sec." She released the hatch seal but the glass got stuck on a damaged piece of armor. She in the end she kicked the windshield out and slipped from her totaled fighter on shaky limbs.

Ahsoka flinched when the Array's wailing sirens punched her in the montrals, their mournful wail making her head swim. The rest of the hangar was a madhouse of barely contained chaos as wave after wave of damaged fighters both Naboo and Republic alike slammed down onto the hangar floor much like she had not moments before, all crumpled hull and spurting fluids as those that could clambered from their ships while the others were dragged from their cockpits, too many of them in pieces. Outside the invisible magnetic field keeping the atmosphere inside the thunderclap of erupting ships and rapid beat of a thousand turbolaser towers shook the LOD array like a spaceborne maraca.

The separatist's giant fleet killer cast a dark foreboding shadow over the entire battle. Its jagged hull lit sporadically by the crimson flashes of its guns as it slowly, ominously turned broadside, exposing the massive disk protruding from the portside hull to the republic formation. For some reason just looking at the glowing ring around the odd disk set alarm bells ringing in Ahsoka's montrals.

The young Togruta felt an unpleasant static buzzing at the base of her rear leeku as arcs of purple lightning throomed into existence spitting and thrashing around and across the disk.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Ahsoka murmured, her blue and white leeku twitching in time with her fingers as adrenaline surged into her exhausted body.

"Whatever that thing is, I want no part of it!" Aela barked, pulling at Ahsoka's arm urgently.

The purple lightning surged brighter and brighter, drawing the attention of every Republic ship still in the fight. The surviving defenders turned their guns onto the pulsing disk, firing desperately with everything that they had before that ship could finish whatever it was doing.

The harsh crackling charge reached an ear-bleeding crescendo then the massive weapon fired with crack-thoom. A huge pulse of sickly purple lightning was flung from the disk shaped emitter and tore into the Republic ranks that left a starfield of dead cruisers, star destroyers, and starfighters adrift in its wake, their systems overloaded and compromised.

"It's getting closer!" Ahsoka screamed over the collective wail of terror from the others in the hangar as everyone that was able ran for the interior doors. The purple Electromagnetic pulse was growing larger and larger outside the hangar's mouth.

"The pods! Get to the blasted pods!" Aela shouted, throwing herself into the thrashing mob fighting to get through the blast doors. In their desperation base survival instinct took over pilots and hangar workers, leaving behind a horde of fleeing animals biting, clawing, and snarling to escape the impending shadow of death breathing hot at their backs.

Ahsoka was no different, the diminutive Padawan threw what little weight she had into the mass of scrambling bodies and more then once she felt her elbow, montral, or fist connect with flesh and cloth. She had kept Aela in sight, thankfully made easier by the fact that she was the only Bothan in the hangar.

She felt her hand curl around the blast door's frame and for a moment Ahsoka thought she and Aela was going to make it… then the EMP smashed into the Array and swept through the station. The EMP singed Ahsoka's orange flesh and killed the relay's power systems, then the hangar's magnetic field fizzled out and stole her breath away as the hangar's atmosphere, along with everyone inside, as spaced into the void.

Ahsoka's cry of pain and terror was drowned out by the rush of depressurized air as her arm was nearly wrenched from its socket, but somehow her grip on the blast door held. Bodies clawed at her flight suit and thrashed desperately as they were sucked out of the hangar and into oblivion. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Aela's gray fur as the Bothan clutched helplessly for a handhold on the smooth durasteel floor.

"Take my hand!" Ahsoka's words were swept away by the roar of air in her montrals but Aela's wide panicked eyes zeroed in on the thin Padawan's outstretched fingers. As the Bothan was dragged passed she lunged for Ahsoka's hand, but her fingertips slipped through her grasp and the Bothan opened her mouth in an unheard scream as she was yanked out of the hangar.

"Nooo!" Ahsoka thrust her hand out towards Aela's rapidly shrinking form and dug deep into the force, her fear and anger answered her call and the young Padawan felt her free arm yank as the Bothan pilot jerked to a stop just at the edge of the open hangar, her gray furred limbs still thrashing for some anchor.

The Bothan finally noticed her halted momentum and blinked owlishly down at herself then at the young girl in awe. Already Ahsoka's abused body was shaking like a leaf under the strain of hanging one handed from a ledge with the full force of a hemorrhaging atmosphere bearing down on her. She clenched her eyes shut and with a wretched scream of excursion pulled Aela against the punishing air and somehow managed to set her on the edge of the blast door next to her.

Aela climbed over the ledge and plastered herself against the wall and grabbed onto Ahsoka's forearm and yanked the Padawan safely into the corridor then kicked at the manual door controls by her boot. The Blast doors slammed closed with a crash and both women collapsed to the darkened corridor breathing in deep gulps of the severely thinned air.

"We-we gotta get moving…" Aela panted. "We gotta get out of here."

Ahsoka tried to get up but her legs buckled halfway up. Her vision darkened, her body finally succumbing to the punishment and neglect she had endured. She wavered there on the edge of blacking out, unresponsive and limp in Aela's arms as the Bothan dragged her onboard an escape pod.

She finally lost the battle with herself somewhere between getting strapped into a seat and the launch sequence. Not even passing out provided her respite, however. Instead her dreams were of honey brown hair and a warm voice that made her feel safe in her dark little world. That is, until she reached out and was forced to listen to the warm voice scream as it fell from the sky, down, down, down into the nothingness below.

Captain Antilles stood defiantly in the center of the dark command bridge watching the massive fleet killer turn its guns onto the Republic fleet and tear Naboo's would-be saviors apart. The weathered old veteran scowled as the savaged corpses of destroyed cruisers fell from the sky towards Naboo's swampy lands below where they would either burn up upon entry into the atmosphere or further ravage his beautiful home world.

He noticed one Republic ship still lived though, and his scowled darkened when he recognized it as General Krell's flagship, the Executor. The Venator turned from the one-sided slaughter and flickered away, the good General fleeing the battlefield into hyperspace to leave the rest of his fleet to be butchered.

By the time the EMP knocked out power to the array Antilles had already evacuated as many of his people as he could from the station, that left him and two others alone to the man the bridge. He didn't even want to know how many people he lost below decks when the EMP fried the reactor. The array's hangars were open when the EMP hit, and after the surge passed through the station he saw a cloud of bodies, ships, and equipment vent into the cold empty space around the bridge's viewports.

He prayed that even just a few managed to get to the escape pods safely, or at the very least that the Jedi Youngling Master Skywalker had sacrificed himself for had gotten away. He hoped his son got his wife and their young boy to safety as well.

All this blood spilt, all this tragedy… and for what? Politics? Money?

The old man's sigh was interrupted when his Comms console sparked and fizzled, then to the Captain's surprise gave a strain chirp.

Someone was hailing him.

Staring at the blinking button for only a moment Antilles pressed the button and opened the channel. He took a deep breath, knowing that these were very likely his last words and decided to make them count, putting a defiant boom to his wizened bass voice. "This is Captain Antilles of the Naboo Self-Defense Force in command of LOD Array 13. Identify yourself."

The holo-comm fizzled reluctantly to life and two very different figures flickered to being above the projector, and both figures Antilles and anyone else not living under a rock would recognize.

[Such a… strong voice for such a helpless insect.] The wretched metal monstrosity wheezed. [I had thought to speak to a Jedi, not a decrepit old meat-bag.]

"You had just missed him I'm afraid, General Grievous." Antilles sneered. "How about you tottle your malfunctioning metal arse on out of my orbit and go back to playing with your droids on some other skugg-hole. I hear Kalee is barren and horrible this time of year."

Grievous let out a feral snarl, his Mechno-hands drawing from his collection of lightsabers as if to strike the impudent human down through the holo-comm, the imposing nobleman beside Grievous smirked at the venom in Antilles' clever jab.

Count Dooku turned his attention to the fearless old man. [Well Captain, I am impressed with your guile and wisdom in battle. While the fools of the Republic throw themselves onto our teeth you had worked to save your men and retreat, even while holding off a superior force.] Dooku arched an eyebrow in question, [Perhaps you see the wisdom in surrendering and turning to save your world from further unnecessary destruction?]

"Destruction that we would find and your hand." Antilles scoffed then slowly and deliberately extended his middle finger towards the count. "Go to Hell, Nerf-fucker."

Dooku's eyes were comically wide and even Grievous was brought up short in his rage as he stared back and forth between the shocked Count and smug Nabooian Captain. Then Dooku's eyes narrowed into thin slits of gold and crimson.

[You first.] The Sith snarled, then swept a hand towards the station. [Malevolence, fire forward cannons. I want that station erased.] Then he cut the connection.

Antilles looked over at his Deck Officer and Lieutenant as they were leaning on each other howling with laughter. The Old Man's face broke out into a broad grin as he joined them by the viewport facing the battlefield.

"I hope someone got that on recording somewhere!" Lieutenant Chel chortled, running a hand through her short black hair.

"The look on his face!" Officer Daniel exclaimed, wrapping an arm around both the lieutenant and Captain.

Antilles shook his head in fond exasperation at his younger subordinates. They all saw the Malevolence aim its bow towards them and turn its forward guns onto the defenseless station, though none of them seems concerned about it.

"My only regret is that I couldn't have done it in person."

Lieutenant Chel giggled and kissed the grizzled old-timer on the cheek. "Your son and grandson would be so proud!"

"What no kiss on the cheek for me?" Daniel asked in a mock hurt voice.

"Hm… screw it, we're gonna die anyway!" the short woman yanked the lanky Deck Officer forward and mashed her lips onto his.

Antilles just rolled his eyes at the younger two as death approached them.

"At least…" Daniel breathed between coming up for air from LT Chel's lips. "I get to kiss a woman right before we get atomized."

"Heh. There are worse ways to go." Chel gasped, as they finally broke apart.

"How about we give ourselves a proper send off?" Antilles proposed. "A one finger salute as we go down with our station?"

The three of them threw one last smirk between themselves and extended their middle fingers towards Dooku one last time before they were consumed by crimson fire and then the brave Captain and his officers were no more.