(Note: This chapter is rated PG-13 for violence.)

The day before the planned attack was nothing but monotonous tasks like inspecting weapons and distributing supplies. Tedious, relatively unimportant work. Padmé had never enjoyed this sort of activity, but right now, it was necessary. Besides, it was distracting her from having to think about tomorrow's battle.

After several hours of running around the base and making lists and hauling boxes around, everyone agreed that they were as well-prepared as they possibly could be. Relieved to be done, Padmé hurried off to get Luke.

Judging by the looks on the day care workers' faces as Padmé came in, she could tell that something was wrong. They all had that same anxious, embarrassed look that the Twi'Lek mechanic had yesterday when Luke was misbehaving. "Is everything all right?" Padmé asked. She glanced around for Luke, but he was nowhere to be seen.

One of the workers walked up closer to Padmé, glanced around, and lowered her voice. "I'm so sorry about this, but your son got into a fight with another student today."

Padmé blinked in surprise. This was so unlike Luke. "Did he really?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, thank you for telling me. I'll have a word with him." Padmé sighed and went to find Luke, who had been banished to sit alone in a corner. If only those workers knew that sitting alone was hardly a punishment for Luke!

He didn't meet her eyes or say a word as they went to dinner. "So," Padmé said coolly, "are you going to tell me what happened?"

He simply shrugged.

"Who did you fight with?"

"I don't know his name."

"Why did you fight him?"

"I was trying to help a girl with her project, because she was alone, and I wanted to be nice like what you said. And then a boy noticed, and he teased us, and he pushed me, so I pushed him back, and he didn't stop so I didn't stop either."

Padmé frowned slightly, annoyed that the one time Luke had taken her advice, it had turned out badly for him. "Did he apologize?"

"No."

"Did you apologize?"

"No! He's the one who started it!"

"Maybe tomorrow, you should try to make up to him. Say, 'I'm sorry I pushed you, but I don't want you to tease me again.' That might help."

"It won't," Luke said bluntly.

Padmé shook her head. This was one lesson he would have to learn on his own. "Luke," she said, kneeling down to be at eye-level with him, "please understand something. I can't take you with me to the battle tomorrow. It's far too dangerous. You know that, right?"

He nodded glumly.

"So while I'm gone, you have to be good for your teachers. It's okay to play by yourself. Just don't get into fights with anyone. Be on your best behavior. And I'll come back soon, and I'll talk to you on the comm while I'm gone. Understood?"

"But... do you have to go, Mommy?" Luke's blue eyes were wide and anxious. He clearly understood what a battle meant.

"Yes. But it's a good thing, because we're going to tell the Empire to stay away. And I promise, I will come back soon." Padmé smiled and gave Luke a hug. "I love you, Luke."

"I love you too."

Every second, Padmé was longing more and more for the battle to be over. She might not have to be directly fighting very much, but it would be dangerous no matter what. It was hard to face the idea that one small mistake could separate her from Luke forever.

* * *

The next morning, the vast majority of the Rebels all boarded gunships and X-Wings and Y-Wings and took off for the new Imperial outpost. Padmé felt queasy with nervousness, and she was sure everyone else did too. This was the first time she had been in a real battle since the Battle of Geonosis, back in the beginning of the Clone Wars.

She, along with Bail and Mon and some other officers, used a private shuttle, from which they would direct the troops.

The first task after landing on the planet was to land a few miles away from the outpost, and wait for a group of Imperial gunships to arrive. After a few hours, an Imperial fleet registered on their scanner. Padmé said on the comm to the lead pilot, "Red One, go ahead."

At her word, the pilot took off and joined the Imperial fighters, as if he were one of them.

After that, it was more waiting, because the pilot's next job was to sneak into the hangar, enter the outpost, and disable the power generators. The plan was for this maneuver to be swift, stealthy and efficient.

It felt like an eternity before the lead pilot contacted them again. When he spoke, commotion sounded all around, and he seemed to be out of breath. "I disabled the generators," he gasped, "but they know I'm here, and they're banging on the door, trying to get in. You need to take the troops in now, I don't have much time!"

Mon, frowning, picked up the comm and responded, "We'll do that. Hold them off as long as you can." She glanced anxiously at Bail and Padmé; they were all thinking the same thing. They had lost their key advantage- the element of surprise.

So the three of them sent out the troops and ran to join the battle. Padmé drew her blaster pistol from its holster, feeling sick with dread.

As all the Rebel troops emerged and the ships flew into view, the Stormtroopers came out of their outpost with blasters ready. Padmé's heart sank; the Stormtroopers weren't supposed to have anticipated the attack.

But it was too late to turn back. Bail gave the order to open fire.

And then chaos erupted everywhere. The Rebels rushed forward, blasting at the Stormtroopers, who returned fire. High-pitched noises from the weapons and smoke from the blasts filled the air. Padmé forced herself to be aware of all the directions the blasts came from so she could dodge the ones that came her way.

Some people around her screamed. She turned and spotted some fallen bodies, with gaping wounds in their heads or torsos. With a shudder, she tore her gaze away and kept running.

It soon became hard to see or hear anything, but Padmé could tell that a couple of Stormtroopers had fallen already, and some of the Rebels had entered the outpost. But they were being chased by the occupants inside.

The rest was just madness, raw desire to survive. All Padmé could see was the red and green laser blasts, and the helmets of the Stormtroopers, and some of the other Rebels scrambling for cover. Her pulse pounded in her ears. There was no strategy to this fight anymore; the carefully created plans were so far from her mind now.

Dodge the blasts, stay alive, were her only thoughts. Aim for their necks. Get home to Luke.

One time, Padmé managed to fell a Stormtrooper with one of her blasts. But as his body crumpled to the ground, she didn't feel proud or triumphant. A person who had been alive just a few short minutes ago was now dead, thanks to her. She wondered if there could have been another way, a better way, to handle this.

By now, a good half of the Rebel forces had entered the outpost, but that wasn't good enough. They were heavily outnumbered by the Stormtroopers inside.

Padmé's comlink vibrated. She barely took any notice at first, but at the last second she remembered that it might be important, so she ducked behind cover and answered.

"Padmé," said Mon from the other end, "we have to retreat. They're sending in reinforcements. We... we can't win."

Her mind barely processed this; the news simply made her feel numb. We can leave now, was her only thought. This is over. It was a relief, really. Sad, but a relief.

"All right," she said simply.

Then she stood up and screamed over the noise, "Retreat!"

At first, no one seemed to hear her, but then some other Rebels started to shout the word, and everyone ran towards the exit. And of course, the Stormtroopers chased them. All the Rebels had to keep glancing backwards in order to dodge the blasts.

It wasn't much better outside. Fallen bodies were everywhere; the area stank of burning flesh, of blast wounds. Smoke drifted off the bodies.

Padmé was so preoccupied with watching the Stormtroopers behind her that she wasn't looking where she was going, and she tripped on something. A body. The lead pilot's body.

She just stared at it for a minute. His eyes were lifelessly open, his mouth agape in an unfinished scream. His skin had become pale and clammy; he barely looked like the pilot who had been alive just a half hour ago.

Someone pulled Padmé to her feet. She forced her shaky legs to keep moving.

She and several others entered the gunships and took off. It was only a fraction of the number that had originally come. Maybe some Rebels had been left behind in the chaos below, left to be killed or captured.

Padmé was too shocked to say a word or cry or do anything else. This battle had been far from a victory, not at all what she had imagined. All it had been was the Rebels foolishly throwing themselves into danger and barely escaping with their lives.

(Author's Note: The Rebel's first battle, yay! Not-so-yay for the Rebels though! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you very much for all your votes and comments so far! Next chapter will be released next Saturday unless this one receives 10 votes before then. Thanks for reading!)