3rd Person

https://youtu.be/mqgEYRtWMJU

The Clone War was a simple conflict at a surface level. When asked what the clone war was about, how would the average citizen respond? 

"The Republic is trying to squash the separatist insurgents."

Maybe something like this? Or possibly...

"The Separatists are trying to create a better republic, free of corruption."

Something like this?

Can a war so widespread in its calamity be condensed into such simple descriptions? So many lives destroyed... so many cultures and ways of life wiped from existence. Simply inevitabilities of war, surely. 

All the death, destruction, despair... surely in the end, it would mean something. 

(y/n) POV

The lone sun of Jedha was currently at its zenith, sending waves of solar energy that scorched the planet below. I was dehydrated, drenched with sweat. With their layered armor, I'm sure the 91st legion was taking the blazing heat even worse. 

It was the fifth day... still no sign of activity. Still no sign of reinforcements either. The troopers were anxious, as was I.

'Have patience. That's what Master Sinube would say...' I thought to myself while wiping a bead of sweat from my temple.

"Commander (l/n), over here!" I heard faintly. It seemed to be coming from a AT-RT walker, roughly thirty meters down our orbital formation. 

The pure white sand was superheated to the point that I could still feel a cozy warmth through my boots. As I trudged through the desert landscape, eventually I saw it was Link who had called to me. The Lieutenant sat squarely at the controls of his puny walker. As I approached, he saluted.

"Howdy, (y/n). Figured you could use some excitement. Care to try her out?" he proposed, motioning to his vehicle.

"Well..." I trailed off, blindsided by the offer.

"I know she doesn't look like much, but hey... trust me. A starfighter's got nothing on the fun of driving an AT-RT." he assured me.

"Alright, I'll take her for a whirl." I obliged.

I put forward my best attempt, trying to replicate the maneuvers Link demonstrated. This lasted for a while. Eventually, we were joined by two familiar faces.

"They grow up so fast!" Slip heckled as I nearly tripped the tiny bipedal walker. Burst probably shook his head, though I didn't see his reaction. 

"I'm older than you!" I retorted, regaining the machine's balance. 

That was enough AT-RT driving for a day. Maybe for a lifetime.

"Nice weather, eh?" Link joked as I hopped out of the walker.

"Tell me about it. Our shift starts now, so if you two want to tap out... feel free." Burst offered. 

Before I could answer, we were yet again joined by two familiar faces. This time, the pair was rather unexpected. From the blinding rays of light emerged two robes of black and white. Burst immediately drew his blaster pistols out of pure reflex.

"Don't shoot! We're unarmed!" yelled the unmistakable voice of Chirrut Imwe, causing the clone sergeant to relax his aim somewhat. 

"Didn't you get the message? We don't need your help, now scram." Burst growled, clearly annoyed at the sight of them.

"Please... I apologize for our behavior earlier. I know we have no right, but we need some advice. It won't take long." Hela pleaded.

"Where is Master Gallia?" Chirrut requested, his gaze darting around.

Master Gallia?

'I'm the master, and you're the padawan.' 

Try as I might to repress them, those same words reverberated throughout my head.

"She has a conference with the Jedi council." I answered plainly. 

"Ah..." Hela despaired. She then fixated on Slip. "You...! Slipstream, correct? Please, can you help us?" she beseeched the trooper.

 "What kind of advice?" Slipstream inquired, his interest piqued.

The triad of Chirrut, Hela, and Slip gradually drifted away as Slip counseled them on whatever their predicament was. Bits and pieces of their conversation infiltrated my ears, but my mind was elsewhere. 

"...someone knowledgeable of the temple..." 

"...any strange communications?"

"...seen nothing..."

"...check all the holo-messenger databanks..."

"...strange behavior?"

'Don't forget that, (y/n).' I heard once more, recalling my master's icy words.

"Something troubling you?" Burst pried. 

"Just.. my master." I answered, staring ahead blankly. Burst's eyes lit up, indicating an unspoken understanding.

"Say no more, commander. Tough exterior, that one. My advice... try to keep your mind on what's going to happen. This is just the calm before the storm..." he declared grimly. 

"Why do you fear them so much? The droids?" I asked, possibly neglecting a few personal boundaries.

"It's not something that can be explained, only experienced." he affirmed curtly.

"Understood." I accepted. "Do you... do you not like being a soldier?" I posited, surprised by my own words as they came out of my mouth. The thought was utterly alien to me. Burst gave it a bit of thought.

"I... we do what we have to. Orders are orders. However messy things get, we clones have an important duty." he answered, revealing his thoughts.

"Messy?" I raised an eyebrow.

"There are no heroes on the battlefield, only survivors." he finished. 

Slipstream POV

My suggestions to the duo of black and white were sensible, in my opinion at least. 

You know, all jokes aside, I thought I was pretty good at this whole "diplomacy" thing! 

A good negotiator... yeah. 

Anyways, compared to their previous spats they seemed to have straightened out. My doing? Maybe? Hey, I'd take the credit regardless. 

https://youtu.be/nlEcEoCc3AQ

(y/n) POV

Whilst Burst and Slip manned their stations at the encirclement, a whole new storm was brewing. Link and I had intended to stop by the Evening Star to grab a meal. Halfway through our journey, we bore witness to the bloodiest brawl I'd ever observed.

Outside a jewelry store, two dozen pairs of black and white robed combatants were thronged together. Many of the robes had been stained with blood, the scarlet blotches even more noticeable on the white cloth. At least two individuals were crumpled on the ground, motionless. Unconscious? Or worse?

"Thump."

I was so fixated on the melee I didn't notice Hela before bumping into her. She didn't react to the collision. She merely continued to stare at the altercation, her lip trembling.

"I acted like this." she whispered under her breath. Chirrut, who stood beside her, said nothing. He was completely silent. 

"This is madness!" a church member cried, ducking the blow from a wooden staff. 

"Don't play coy. You've been cooperating with separatists! Now that it's all out in the open, why not drop the act?" the Guardian retorted, thrusting his staff into his foe's stomach area.

Jerking my head to the right, I saw a church member plunge their dagger into the thigh of dark-robed figure. This particular act of carnage shook me out of my trance.

"Pssshew."

My worn green lightsaber came to life.

"Hey! Stop... STOP IT!" I roared, pouring potent authority into my voice.

The appearance of a Jedi was enough to draw the attention of several brawlers, but ultimately my words were lost on them. Still, I had to try. 

Peacekeeping, right? That was a Jedi's duty. 

"In the name of the galactic republic... STOP!" I shouted once more.

"You heard the Jedi! Stand down!" Hela echoed, taking my side. 

"Cease this violence!" Chirrut chimed in.

Now that I had the support of two of their respected figures, the majority of the fighters hesitated. 

"Enough. What an embarrassment." wheezed the hoarse voice of an elderly man. Just a moment prior, his voice would have been inaudible. 

The speaker was Priest Donnall, bowing his head with shame as he came into the picture. Closely tailing him was Grand Sentinel Killian, looking similarly displeased. Now that their leaders were present, all fighting ceased. Sentinel Killian cleared her throat, intent on making an announcement.

"My dear followers... I am deeply disappointed in you, as is Priest Donnall in his followers. Not only have you made fools of yourselves, you've done so in front of a Jedi."

"I've allowed this to go on for too long, but no more. " Priest Donnall declared, nodding to Zena's statements. "In light of these... atrocities, all contact between members of the Church of the Force and the Guardians of the Whills is henceforth forbidden."

"Additionally..." Zena continued. "No interaction with the republic army, Master Gallia, or Padawan (l/n) either. You've been enough of a nuisance to them. Anyone found breaking either of these rules will be punished. Severely, understood?"

...

The aftermath of the zealous bloodbath was short, yet so far from sweet. I hardly had time to give thanks to Chirrut and Hela before they were whisked away, now unable to speak to one another. Only recently they'd seemingly come to an understanding, and all for nothing? It didn't sit right with me, but for the time being I heeded Burst's warning. 

Focus.

Focus on the inevitable conflict.

Link and I tried a scrumptious special at the Evening Star: a meiloorun cobbler. 

'So much for nutrition first.' I thought, my mouth watering at the sugary treat in front of me.

Oh well, options were limited out here. Ah... stress eating. Sometimes it's unavoidable. 

As the hours faded away, day transformed into night. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't sleep. A quick glance at the time... yep. Time for my next shift. 

Link was completely slumped in his tent. Thus, I did him a favor. Tiptoeing into his sleeping quarters, I attempted to shake him awake.

...

Nope. It wasn't working. Time to deploy drastic measures.

"Nnnnnnnn." My borrowed saber lit up the tent with a viridescent glow as I held it over Link's sleeping form. 

My unorthodox method was a success. Whether it was the blinding light emitted from the blade, or the loud ignition sound, Link jolted awake.

"AHHH!" he cried out, noticing my Jedi weapon. 

"Easy, easy!" I snickered, nearly dying of laughter. Yeah, it was definitely overboard. But, with all the pent up stress and anxiety, maybe funny prank or two would ease the mind. 

Well, maybe not Link's mind.

"What in the... really commander?" Link grumbled.

"Hey, it's not like I was thinking of killing you." I chuckled. "No, I'm saving you from Commander Neyo's wrath. Come on, you're going to be late."

"Yeah, yeah. Helluva wake up call." he muttered, scratching his head.

We made our way across Jedha city. A cool night breeze was upon us, the full moon visible in the obsidian, starry sky.  And then...

It happened.

https://youtu.be/1hbznMnHymU

Adi POV

It started as a tremor. A faint vibration in the ground that all of us in the encirclement felt. The tremor gradually escalated in severity. Before long, it was a full on rumbling. Any and all who felt the quakes knew exactly what they foretold. At least, anyone clone wars veteran.

Pinpointing the ornate temple doorway, I mentally prepared myself for what was to come. 

"91ST LEGION! STEEL YOURSELVES!" I bellowed, making myself heard in the midst the rumbling. The singular command made its way around the orbital ring of troopers, receiving several battle cries in response.

"Ready for battle, General!" 

"For the republic!"

"Let's blast some clankers!"

"Stay alive, my brothers."

(y/n) POV

The deafening blare of my commlink's beeping sent me into high alert. Turning to Link, his knowing look said it all.

"Yep, me too. You know what this means." he nodded.

"Commander (l/n) speaking." I spoke into the device.

"(y/n), they're here. Get here immediately." my master calmly responded. The subtle click in the audio afterward indicated the end of our communication. 

The knot in my stomach spiked, but I pushed it further into the depths of my psyche. Not now. Now was the time for action. 

Link and I promptly broke into a mad dash for the temple of the kyber.

Adi POV

There... the first B1 battle droid. Emerging from the depths of the catacombs, the murderous machine stepped onto the wintery sand solo. 

"FIRE!" I ordered. A volley of blaster fire imploded into the singular droid, reducing it to a smoking heap of scraps. Cheers erupted from the 91st legion, but this was just the beginning.

"General, should I call in the gunships?" Commander Neyo inquired, appearing at my left side. I deliberated the proposition for a moment.

"No. Not yet. We can't afford to damage the temple. Do it when they reach our position." I commanded swiftly. 

Aside from the obvious eons of history and tradition encapsulated in the sacred structure, I had other reasons for hesitating. For instance, gunship fire might block the entrance. 

(y/n) POV

 We arrived at the scene just in time to view the comical annihilation of a lone battle droid. It was pathetic, really. Was I really supposed to be afraid of these clumsy instruments of war? 

"It's clanker time, girl." Link cooed to his AT-RT walker as it stood up from its folded position. 

"Isn't that a bit much for a few droids?" I chuckled, looking around at the myriad of other miniature walkers.

"We're light support." Link returned simply. "And it's not just a few, commander." he stated, pointing toward the temple doorway. 

Another B1 became visible. Its fate was the same as its predecessor. Then, two B1s. Then three. Next, the first B2 made its appearance. Then another.

They just kept coming. Despite the accuracy and precision of the 91st legion, the droids kept coming. With the destruction of a dozen came two dozen. 

"I didn't know the catacombs could fit that many droids." I remarked, on edge. 

"Pssshew." My jade lightsaber became a beacon in the dark of the night.  Out of the corner of my eye, a flicker of blue signaled my master activating her weapon synonymously.

The surge of metal warriors persisted, pulsating like a heartbeat. The clones' constant stream of blaster fire ensured that many of the separatist forces were demolished, but their numbers were too great. More droids flowed from the entrance than were destroyed.

Thus, they began to return fire. It was slow, first it was only one bolt. Eventually, the return fire from the B2s and B1s matched that of the 91st. Then, it wasn't long before their blaster fire was greater. The constant march of the killing machines carried on, gradually bringing them closer to our encirclement. 

Laser blasts. All around me. Whizzing past my head. Hitting the ground in front of me. Ending the life of a trooper five meters to my right. Directly piercing the chest of another trooper to my left.

'Form III... Form III.' I concentrated, utilizing the defensive form best suited for deflecting blaster fire. I deflected maybe... three blasts over the course of five minutes. Nothing very impressive, as my Form III was still painfully mediocre.

As the horde closed in on the legion, tactics changed. No longer did we have the safety of our trench.  Every warrior present focused entirely on stopping the approach of the seemingly infinite number of droids. Directly in the epicenter of the battle, I spotted my master. Deflecting enemy fire, cutting down droids, all of it. She was in the thick of it all. 

Ponds POV

First, there was calm. We were enveloped by the infinite cosmic void and the faint glimmer of distant stars. Then, the dreadnought materialized from hyperspace. In an instant the Absolute was swarmed with vulture droids and other starfighter-class ships. Accompanying the sudden attack was a constant volley of turbo-laser fire from the lone dreadnought. 

My stomach lurched, but I wasn't completely surprised. We'd been sitting ducks for five whole days. Of course someone would arrive, looking to pick us off.

"All starfighter-class pilots, get out there now!" I screamed over the deafening sound of constant bombardment. "How are the shields?" I asked, checking in with one of the clones stationed at the bridge. 

"Holding... for now, sir." he responded, his teeth chattering. 

"Damn it! I'm no Admiral, where are those reinforcements?!" I cursed at our plight.

Grievous POV

Of course the Count's little assassin needed help. She had no vision, no direction. I had no interest in helping her, yet I still responded to her cry for help. If only for a chance.

'Where are you, Jedi slime?' I pondered as my forces relentlessly bullied the poorly-defended Venator.

Adi POV

So... Ventress had made her move. 

The entrance to the temple was fairly wide. However, against the torrent of battle droids that flooded outward, it was nothing more than a failing dam. 

A constant flow of B2s and B1s poured out, yet there was no sign of Dooku's assassin. Not that I was surprised. 

'Why now?' I contemplated whilst deflecting burst of laser fire headed toward my men. 'Why attack now?'  Within myself, I had a hunch. A dreaded prediction. 

Ducking back into the trench for a moment, I utilized my holo-messenger. 

"Ponds? Status report." I ordered, raising my voice so that it could be heard over the laser fire. 

"General, we've been ambushed by a single providence-class dreadnought." Ponds' voice crackled, shook to the core. 

Terrible, terrible news. But... expected news. With my suspicions were confirmed, my thoughts continued to whirr. 

Ventress, she'd received backup. Evidently, it had given her enough confidence to mount an assault. Yet, she was nowhere to be found. 

'Perhaps... a distraction?'

My hunch was just that, a hunch. Alas, it was the only thing I could act on. Continuing to deflect the barrage, I scoured the landscape. If I had his help... this could work.

There, ducked in a trench about fifty meters to my right. The extraordinarily talented clone 'Slipstream.' Crawling through the circular trench on my hands and knees, I made a beeline for his position. 

Burst POV

Aim, steady, fire.

Aim again, steady again, fire again.

Rinse and repeat.

I'd done it so many times, the movements were fully ingrained in my muscle memory.

With every shot from my standard DC-15x sniper rifle, another droid fell.

Not that it mattered.

Any clone who wasn't a shiny knew the real danger of battle droids. It wasn't their proficiency or intelligent programming. They had neither. It was their numbers. Eventually, after a thousand missed their mark, a blaster bolt would find its way through your skull. 

"Three B2s, ten o' clock, should be easy pickings." Slip observed. Following his direction, I eliminated them.

"Next." I urged.

"Line of B1s, one o' clock. Might be able to take out five in one shot." he observed.

One shot was all it took. 

Slipstream was my eyes. His observational skills and tactical thinking, along with my combat prowess, made a fearsome duo. 

"Trooper Slipstream." interjected the unmistakable voice of Jedi Master Adi Gallia. 

"General! What is it?" Slip exclaimed, surprised by the sudden intrusion. I continued my onslaught, overhearing their conversation all the while.

"Trooper, I have... a plan. For it to succeed, I'll need your navigational skills."

"I'm ready, General." Slip saluted without hesitation. 

"Don't be so quick to accept. It's rather reckless, you don't have to go if you don't want to." she admitted honestly.

(y/n) POV

Without warning, we heard the distinct rushing of aerial craft closing in. Separatist gunships and dropships, several of them. Their looming presence intensified the dread that was building up within me. The droids, they wouldn't stop. They felt no pain, no emotion. They had no fear. The only thing driving them was their programming. Their approach was unhindered by their fallen comrades, they simply walked upon the metal scraps of the fallen. 

There, in the sky. Our gunships arrived, engaging in aerial combat with the enemy gunships. 

Distracted, I failed to notice that a quartet of B1s had made it to my position. I could have been easily picked off, had the first shot not been fired with piss poor aim. 

'No more distractions! Focus on the ground, (y/n)'

Charging forward, I met my attackers head on. A horizontal slash quickly ended the first one. A few follow-ups, and the quartet was no more. 

I sighed with relief as I took back to my little bunker, wiping the sweat off my forehead. 

"Good show (y/n)!" I heard Link yell from close by. Craning my neck out to see, I saw him expertly pivot in his AT-RT to avoid a spider droid. After flanking it, he promptly fired his mounted cannon, hitting a weak spot. The droid met a fiery end.

"Right back at you!" I called to him. He turned, spotting me and flashing a grin. 

"Boom!" 

I felt the force of an explosion knock me off my feet. As I stood up, I realized that I couldn't hear a thing. Slowly, the ringing in my ears dissipated. As I recovered, I tried to process what had just happened.

Link. Link was gone. Taken out by stray gunship fire. The remnants of his walker were covered in burn marks. Flammable material had set the downed AT-RT ablaze, the fire crackling. 

The husk of the walker was all that was left. That, and Link's charred remains. Staring at his helmet, glistening in the moonlight, I realized.

I realized that Burst was right. 

Author's Note

This arc will finish in about two chapters. The aftermath might include after that.

The next chapters will be called...

Chapter 13 - The Master's Test

Chapter 14 - A Burst of Courage