https://youtu.be/4bPb64OMdSk

3rd Person

Death. An inescapable consequence of war. Regardless of the means or the root cause, with conflict came those who did not survive it. Whether soldier or citizen, death did not discriminate among those it spirited away.

Or did it?

Every individual existing within the galaxy had something to offer. A talent, a hobby, or a dream. You could never be sure what someone might one day accomplish just by looking at them. Yet, only one mattered thing in the heat of battle. 

Power. The means to defeat, to conquer the enemy. 

The weak... those who were ungifted in combat... their chances of survival were miniscule compared to the strong. Every weak individual that was lost to war... what if they hadn't been? 

What could they have done? Discover a galaxy-changing energy source? Who could they have saved? Could they have cured a previously incurable illness? What catastrophes could they have prevented?

Those unable to fight back simply became names in a cemetery. Their unseen talents died with them.

Chirrut POV

Night was upon us. Holed up in our humble lodgings, we heard all of it.

Every explosion. Every blaster shot. Even the faint cry of a clone in pain. 

It was difficult to sleep, to say the least. Nevertheless, we'd been ordered by the Sentinel to not leave our rooms. The punishment was harsh, exactly as she'd assured us. Yet, I was confident... I was miserably sure that we deserved all of it. Perhaps it should have been more severe. 

'If only we could help them...' I despaired.

"Kkkkkk."

The spare commlink Slipstream had 'slipped' me earlier crackled.

"Chirrut...?" I heard Hela whisper under her breath. A quick check of my surroundings assured me that nobody within my vicinity heard. 

"Yes... what is it?" I asked in a hush voice.

"Have you found any leads?" she pried. I bowed my head before responding, despite the fact that nobody observed my gesture.

"No. With the lockdown... surely it's impossible. Any perpetrator would hesitate to act within these circumstances." I bemoaned.

"Actually, I may have one." she confessed, though she seemed conflicted.

"Explain." I implore, curious.

Adi POV

Our situation was dire. 

As the horde grew in number, so did my men fall. Yet still, the assassin failed to make an appearance. I had only one solution. One that, if my hunch was correct, would minimize casualties and allow as a chance at grasping victory.

Still no sign of my apprentice. However inexperienced he was, we would need him to succeed. As I moved to contact him again, I recalled the last time we'd spoken properly. 

'I am the master, and you are the padawan. Don't forget that, (y/n).'

It would have to be addressed later. I mustn't let my thoughts and emotions linger.

"Padawan, where are you? Come to my position immediately." I ordered.

"Master. I'm right here." he croaked.

I spun around, and there he was. His face was contaminated with soot and grime. Additionally, it was drenched with sweat... or tears? Now that I registered his appearance, it was unfathomable that I hadn't felt his presence. He emitted unbridled fear and shock. And such... such pain. 

"You look like you've seen a ghost, commander." Slipstream murmured.

"Link's gone." he relayed, his tone void of any color. His voice was entirely hollow.

For a moment, nobody said anything. Though I'm sure that Burst's firing rate doubled in speed.

"Damn it!" Burst shouted, breaking the silence. His cry was cracked and distorted with grief, and his firing rate now tripled. 

"Slow down, or you'll overheat!" Slip advised, though he was similarly shaken with the news. The Lieutenant... he'd fallen. He had served me well, an excellent soldier. His loss would be felt throughout the legion. 

Seeing my apprentice in his current state, as well as learning of the death of one of my most trusted men, it hurt me. I too desired to shed tears.

But I couldn't do so. Not as a Jedi.

"Padawan, get ahold of yourself. The battle needs to be won, otherwise Link's passing was for naught." I stated firmly.

"Okay. Okay... master." (y/n) nodded reluctantly.

"On that note, I have a plan. I'll need trooper Slipstream, and you." I divulged.

Ponds POV

Without warning, the Absolute experienced a brutal convulsion. The turbulence was such that all personnel present at the bridge were swept off their feet. As I recovered swiftly, a distinct beeping noise indicated an incoming transmission. 

The communication itself was not of a republic frequency. That meant one thing, and one thing only.

"Hello there. I am General Grievous, though I'm sure that much was already obvious." The General seemed strangely jovial, albeit his introduction was still menacing. His words were followed with a raspy cough, just like in the stories.

"Go jump into an incinerator, that's exactly where scrap like you belongs." I snarled into the channel. 

"Now now, surely you're not in a position for petty insults." The General coolly countered. "I am crippling your fighters as we speak. However, as the merciful leader I am, terms for your surrender are on still possible." Grievous coughed. 

"What are your terms?" I reluctantly asked, recognizing the futility of my tough-guy facade. 

"Tell me, are there any Jedi aboard your vessel?" Grievous demanded with malice. 

https://youtu.be/gQ5gtInauiI

(y/n) POV

There I was. Running on a crash course toward the endless wall of killing machines.

My master's exposition had been short, informative. A separatist dreadnought was the source of the airborne reinforcements, as well as numerous dropships packed with additional droid infantry units. 

We'd already been severely outnumbered, but the appearance of more droids inflated the rate of casualties even further. Yet, Master Gallia had been keen to pick up on a curious detail. 

'It seems the flow of battle droids from the temple has mostly subsided.' Master Gallia had observed.

Twenty meters from the approaching army.

"Chiuuw!"

"Chiuuw!" 

Ahead of me, Master Gallia was receiving the full brunt of CIS laser fire. She was doing her absolute best to reflect every bolt, but even a Jedi Master has their limits. Slip was situated directly between us, shielded by my master at the front and myself at the rear.

'If this is a diversion... like my senses tell me, then the plan is simple. Track down Ventress, end her operation here and now.' Master Gallia had said.

Ten meters from the approaching army. 

"Pew!"

"Pew!"

"Pew!" 

Burst's aim was flawless. As our trio charged toward the advancing machines, Burst provided excellent covering fire.

'A spearheaded rush through the the battle droids. As long as we are few, we shouldn't attract too much attention.' Master Gallia had said.

"Agh!" My master cried out in pain as a stray blaster bolt struck one of her head-tendrils. Just a bit further. 

'Don't die on me, master. Please.'

Five meters.

'With Slipstream, as well as the force, we can traverse the cavern at maximum efficiency. To get through them, I'll guard the front. You, the rear.' Master Gallia had said. 

There would be less attacks from behind us. My blaster deflection was inferior. It was natural for me to take a backseat, albeit a necessary one.

"Aaahhh!" Master Gallia cried out as another laser blast struck her forearm. Luckily, it hit her armor. It must've not done much for the pain though.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One. 

"Sssshhk." Master Gallia's sapphire blade pierced through the frame of a B2, melting its inner circuitry. Next, she freed the head of a B1 battle droid from its body with a side slash. Then, a vertical chop that beautifully bisected a B2 in half.

Master Gallia was gradually parting the sea of metal soldiers, carving a path.

A B2 had stopped advancing. As it took interest in our assault, it swiveled its body to fire at me. 

"Pew!"

"Chiuuw!" Against all odds, the violent shaking of my hands, and my poor technique, I blocked the bolt with the length of my blade. The war machine readied its wrist lasers once more, locking on to me...

"Pew!"

Burst blew a smoking hole straight through the metal fiend's chest, destroying its processor. If we weren't in such a punch, I would've thanked him. 

As I hacked and cleaved through the stragglers my master missed, Burst and several other snipers continued to support us from the sidelines. If the CIS army was a sea of battle droids, we continued to steer closer to shore.

"Sssshhk!" Master Gallia reached the final B1, cutting it to pieces. Finally, we'd broken through the boundless wave of enemies.

"Trooper Slipstream, all eyes are on you now!" Master Gallia shouted as we breached the temple's mouth.

Looking ahead, I could see Slip fumbling with the device he'd shown me before. The luminescent blue lines that mapped out the catacombs shone in the pitch black. Along with our laser swords, the glow was just enough to navigate the area.  

We bolted down the spiral staircase with haste. It was at this point that I felt our pace slowing. My stamina was king, but fatigue seemed to be setting in for Master Gallia and Slip. To make matters worse, there was still a myriad of droid leftovers that hadn't made it to the surface.

There! 

As we finished the descent, a B1 sighted us. Thinking on her feet, Master Gallia called upon the force to pull the droid towards her position. A simple stab then resolved the issue. 

Cold. Of course it would be chilly down here, especially during a desert night. Now that we were in the belly of the beast, I felt a familiar cold. It was all I could do to suppress the flashbacks of five years ago.

"Right!" Slip declared as we neared a divergence of tunnels. Listening to his directions, we took the rightmost route. Eventually, we came upon another fork in the path. "Middle!" Slip proclaimed. 

Master Gallia continued to follow the navigations Slip advised, all while staying on high alert.

As we ventured deeper into the caverns, the kyber crystals slowly showed themselves yet again. Their pale, ambient radiance was visibly dimmer than before. Perhaps the time of day affected their luminescence? 

"Padawan, behind you!" she suddenly barked. Whipping around, I sighted a B2 that'd been hiding in the shadows. Its metallic joints creaked as it raised its arm to shoot. 

'I won't make it in time!' I realized with a jolt. Just as it seemed poised to fire, the automated soldier stopped. It was almost like a stasis, as if it was frozen in time.

"Sssshhhk." A powerful thrust made short work of the B2. Still, what had possessed the droid all of a sudden? Only when I faced my master did I understand. Her hand was outstretched, her eyes closed in concentration. 

Force Stasis. Of course. 

We continued our descent into the deepest parts of the catacombs, Slip serving as an excellent navigator. Any remaining droid stragglers were disposed of easily. Eventually, the tunnel we were currently in narrowed out into a crawl space. With my master at the front, we snaked our way through the tight stretch of cave. 

My master seemingly reached a point that opened up again, and Slip would soon follow. Or so I thought.

I felt the rock surrounding me groan and rumble. Then without warning, an avalanche of stone collapsed directly in front of Slip.

"Master!" was all I could get out as she was separated from the group.

https://youtu.be/dN-1tIqwPiA

Adi POV

Without warning, the cave ceiling behind me collapsed. The crushing weight of tons of rock dispersed a heavy cloud of sediment. As I coughed due to dust inhalation, I glanced the unmistakable gleam of twin scarlet lightsaber blades. 

A trap. One that I'd fallen for. 

"I was hoping we'd meet again. Still, it's not nice to barge in." Ventress hissed. 

The fallen earth that had separated me from the others was vast. Though I tried to pinpoint a way around, it seemed to be futile. The commlink was useless as well. 

No time to think. The only option was to stand and fight, beat her while she was unguarded. The council was counting on me, I couldn't fail here. 

"Pssshew!"

Lightsaber ignited.

"Asajj Ventress. By the authority of the high council of the jedi order, you're under arrest for crimes and conspiracy against the republic. If you surrender willingly, it won't have to come to senseless violence." I spouted. 

At the word 'council,' the nightsister seethed with anger.

"The council. And tell me, where are they now? Are they on their way to assist you, or did they leave you for dead on this backwater planet?" Ventress spat as she paced back and forth.

 I stood perfectly still in my form V stance, serenely focusing my gaze upon the sith enforcer.

"Perhaps you didn't hear..." I threw out sarcastically, "I am Jedi Master Adi Gallia, a sitting council member." I finished. Every word of that sentence was like a tiny thorn piercing the assassin's eardrums, visibly igniting her rage.

"That... puts things into perspective. Do tell me, what crimes have I committed here?" she demanded harshly. Like a predator stalking its prey, Ventress began creeping forward.

"Illegal mining and sale of kyber, vandalism of a Jedi Temple, attempted murder, and many others." I informed her coldly. 

Ventress called upon the force to pluck a singular kyber crystal from the rock wall. Twirling it in her palm, she responded to my accusations.

"Pfft. The Jedi. Guardians of peace and justice throughout the galaxy... what a farce. You'll let citizens starve, leave entire villages at the mercy of raiders; but when I try to take home a few rocks from your precious temple, then you come to the rescue." 

She was compressing the crystal with her abilities now, while levitating it in the air. As the kyber was subjected to critical amounts of pressure, it began shining an eerie white light. It was akin to a collapsing star at the end of its life cycle.

"Boom!" 

The crystal shattered in an explosive release of energy, temporarily blinding me.

"Ksssshhhhh!"

Our three sabers collided, the assassin taking advantage of my momentary lack of sight. Luckily, I'd been prepared to guard. Taken aback by her trickery, I was promptly shoved against the wall of rubble. 

The final duel upon the sacred land had begun.

https://youtu.be/E0UaXhEay-I

I clasped my weapon's silver hilt with an iron clad, two-handed grip. Pushing against the blockade of debris, I attempted to knock Ventress off her feet while our sabers remained locked together. I nudged her backward the only the slightest amount. A pitiful display. Ventress retaliated by slamming me into the rubble once more, harder this time.

The pain. The pain of a hundred ridges of stone meeting my back. The throbbing pain of the impact was coupled with my wounded head-tendril from earlier. These mounting hindrances served to impede my fighting ability. All I could do was push them away, drown them within the depths of my conscious.

My visceral reaction was to drop my guard, which the assassin took as an opportunity. She didn't raise her blades dramatically, executioner style. A simple flick of the wrist was all it took to lightly slash at my chest. 

'Focus!'  my inner voice screamed. 

"Kshh!" 

I narrowly parried her scarlet saber, only now its twin was arcing toward my head. I ducked, slipping past the assassin so that she was cornered by the collapsed tunnel.

"The republic will show you mercy, if only you'd surrender peacefully." I offered, continuing my attempts at diplomacy.

"A peaceful death!" she snarled, sending both her blades for my legs with a hefty swing. I expertly twisted my wrists to block the attack. The power of her strike echoed throughout my body, sending me backward.

White-hot pain coursed through my wrist, coming back with a vengeance. It was nigh unbearable, what with the other injuries I'd already sustained. Still, I had to persevere. The council was counting on me. My men were counting on me. (y/n) was counting on me...

'Grip your weapon, Adi!' I demanded, ignoring my wrist as I clenched harder. 

Ventress came at me again.

"nnnnnnnnnnn."

Her blood-red sabers hummed through the cool air as she flourished them with fury.

"Ksssshh!"

"Ksssshh!"

I guarded the pair of strikes, gritting my teeth through the agony. I then fought back, slashing at her shoulder. She defended with both sabers, unfazed. My body jolted back as she shoved me again, reigniting my throbbing wrist.

"You don't look so good!" she taunted, perhaps sensing my distress.

"Pssh."

"Kshh!"

"Kshh!"

"Kshh!"

Now I was on the backfoot, steadily retreating as our blades clashed together equally. I kept giving ground, our weapons reflecting off of the cavern in a dazzling exhibit. All the while, we plunged further into the darkness of the kyber temple. 

"Kshh!"

"Kshh!"

"Kshh!"

Without warning, I sensed a ripple in the force. It was faint, but there was no mistaking it. 

'(y/n) is in danger.' I realized with a lurch in my stomach.

"You realized?!" Ventress cackled deviously, temporarily letting up.

"What did you do?" I interrogated, keeping my tone calm, without emotion.

"How to put it..." Ventress muttered, pinching her lip. "Let's just say... I made sure to keep a few useful droids on standby." 

Suddenly, as if possessed, my body jerked forward towards the assassin. A force pull. I had been too distracted to notice her slight of hand. She thrusted her scarlet sabers forward to skewer me, but I sent myself off course with a force push. I chopped at her leg, but the assassin jumped to avoid my attack. 

Turning to face her, I silenced the voices of fear in my head. (y/n) was in peril, but it was impossible to help him with Ventress breathing down my neck. It was also possible that she had a mechanism to deactivate or pacify the droids under her command. I had to defeat her, as soon as possible!

"Kssshh!"

"Kssshh!"

I advanced toward the sith enforcer, slashing at her weak points with dead precision. Though she struggled to repel my polished Form V, my blows were weak in comparison to her rage-induced swings. 

"Ergh!" I blurted out, another wave of agony pulsating from my wrist. Ventress snarled. Something was making her irritated, and it was worsening. Leaping into the air (albeit with the limited cavern space), she whirled into a frenzy, bringing her sabers down with massive rotational force.

"Ksssshhhh!" I defended the assault from above, falling back as I continued to ignore the wrist pain. Ventress hit the ground running, swiping at my neck. 

I couldn't guard her attacks. Not again. I feared the next one would break through. Withdrawing backward, my throat escaped the tip of her blade with no time to spare.

"Do you feel nothing?!" Ventress spat with venom. 

"Can you... elaborate?" I requested coolly. 

"Your apprentice is going to die. Does that not mean anything to you?" she demanded.

"My apprentice is of no concern right now." I responded, stoking the flames of her anger. 

"Earlier, you had me convinced. I wanted to see for sure... but you're no different than any other Jedi I've killed. Cold, unfeeling, you're all the same!" she seethed. 

Lifting her hands in the air, I felt the living force being twisted by her will. One by one, the pale kyber crystals embedded in the wall were summoned to her position. After flipping their sharp ends to face me, she propelled the wall of shards toward me.

Closing my eyes, I banished my feelings of fear, anger, suffering. Allowing the force to flow through my body, I parted the fleet of whistling kyber darts so that they flew past me. 

"Huff... huff..." I exhaled from the exertion. 

The fatigue was setting in, both mentally and physically. And... I'm not sure that my wrist could take another beating. Gripping my silver hilt with both hands, a wave of regret washed over me.

https://youtu.be/5ASCLhXAuwU

Flashback

"Are you sure? It looks to me you might have sprained it, maybe you should take a break from form V?" he suggested, concerned.

End Flashback

No! Not now, I had to focus on Ventress!

'I told you, I've recovered! I am a master of form V, and I will continue to practice it as I please.' my own words echoed inside my head.

Ventress crept forward, like a nexu stalking a bark rat.

'No, (y/n) was right. I can't fight like this.' I admitted with shame. 

The nightsister proceeded to cross her arms, winding up for something big. 

'Even barring my wrist, she's just too strong. And I'm much too frail to compete with her blow to blow.' I concluded, knowing what I must do.

Ventress flung her sabers, unshackling them from her grip. Controlling their trajectory with the force, she directed the spinning sabers so that their paths would converge at my position. 

Taking in a controlled breath, I freed the silver hilt from my injured hand. Shifting from my Form V stance, I let the sapphire blade relax at my side. The assassin's eyes widened at my change in posture. 

Just before the gyrating blades of death cut me in two, I lunged ahead of them.

"Kshh!" Her sabers clashed together, missing me by a mere meter. Startled by my advance, Ventress backed away.

I didn't have to look to know that her sabers were now behind me. Flourishing my weapon behind my back in an azure whirlpool...

"Kssh!"

"Kssh!"

I deflected the weapons as they returned to their master. Catching her scarlet cleavers, Ventress was now on the backfoot as I rushed to meet her.

"Kshh!"

"Kshh!"

"Kshh!"

"Kshh!"

"Makashi?!" she sputtered, overwhelmed by the simple efficiency of my movements.  

Yes. Form II. An elegant, tactful form. One that suited me. 

I stabbed. I slashed. I feinted. Every movement was quick, precise. What my strikes lacked in power, they made up for in lethal precision. Ventress had no time to fight back, and I wasn't going to give it to her.

I forced her further into the murky blackness, never letting up. Slowly, the crystals stuck to the wall increased in size, as well as brightness. 

Abruptly, the tunnel opened up into a massive chamber. I took a moment to view my new surroundings; the chamber was well lit, and my eyes needed to adjust. 

https://youtu.be/hY0Bx5A2nxM

The heart of the kyber. That was the only way to describe the otherworldly presence I felt in the hallowed chamber. Kyber crystals everywhere, clustered all along the floor, ceiling, and sides. The center was adorned with some of the largest jewels of kyber I'd ever seen; four enormous crystals that slanted and towered above the ground. They were like beacons in the void of darkness.

And...

Droids. 

A band of loader droids was carrying a fifth giant crystal ahead of me. Of course. That was the plan. 

As I went in for another elegant thrust, Ventress knocked me back to the chamber entrance with a potent force push. 

"Not a step further." she hissed, her worry bubbling to the surface. Naturally, I took a tiny step forward. Then another. I then twirled my azure blade, further taunting my foe. It was then that I noticed where the loaders were headed. A large opening existed directly opposite to me in the chamber. It looked as if it'd been drilled into with large machinery. Of course... the giant crystals probably wouldn't fit through the cavern tunnels.

"So that was the plan? Bide time, run away with the goods?" I questioned.

"Jedi scum." she returned, slicing at my ribcage. I parried, safely allowing the scarlet saber to slide across my own. That way, I mitigated most of the impact. 

Our laser swords blended together in a dance of red and blue as we dueled throughout the chamber. She cut at my legs, I evaded. I feinted a stab, then morphed my attack into a horizontal slash. Retreating backward, Ventress brought her blades together, aiming at my torso. I leaned back while defending.

"Kssshhh!"

"Thump!"

As the blades met, I raised my leg to knock the wind out of Ventress with a well-placed kick. As she stumbled backwards, I continued my unrelenting barrage. 

We were close to the loader droids. So close. I lunged toward the nightsister with a fake piercing motion. She lifted her weapons, taking the bait. Instead of following through, I dodged past her, fixated on the grand prize. 

"No!" Ventress yelled frantically, pursuing me. 

"Sssshhkk!"

"Shhheew!"

"Shhheww! 

"Sshhhkk!" 

I systematically dismantled the hulking droids. As the loaders' optical sensors dimmed, the great hunk of kyber crashed to the ground. 

'That should stop her for now.' I assured myself.

Ventress was hot on my tail. As I faced her, the assassin dropped to the ground in a slide. I performed an augmented standing backflip to avoid her leg sweep. My evasive maneuver ended with me standing on the base of one of the slanted kyber pillars. 

Though I had the high ground, Ventress followed me nonetheless. Our sabers clashed as we carefully maintained balance, periodically bounding between the four crags of kyber. 

"Ksshhh!"

"The Count... you must be an embarrassment to him. Form II was always his pride and joy. Look at how you've butchered it." I taunted, slashing at the ground to check Ventress.

There it was, the rage in her eyes. Letting her anger get the best of her, Ventress lashed out. Pouncing at me as she flailed her sabers wildly, 

I exhaled calmly. 

I allowed her blades to slide past my own.

And used the force to send her off the edge.

Ventress plummeted to the ground. 

"Crunch!"

Though it wasn't the longest fall in the galaxy, it had to have hurt. Peering over the edge of the kyber pillar, I observed the assassin straining to lift herself. She looked up, making eye contact with me. 

She blinked a few times. 

After hesitating for a moment, she ran toward the large exit.

Ah, victory.

I made haste, catching up to the assassin. By the time I'd reached the large opening, she'd disappeared. The opening led to a vast, straight tunnel that was mostly vertical. I couldn't even see the end, but I'm sure it lead to the surface. Metal beams ran along the length of the passage, stabilizing whatever enlarging the CIS had done to fit the crystal inside.

A dilemma now faced me.

I'd stopped whatever plans the CIS had for the kyber, but Ventress was still free. She would cause the deaths of many others if not captured. I could go after her. I should go after her.

Or, I could go after (y/n).

Needless to say, it wasn't a difficult decision. 

"Shhhewww!"

"Sshhhhkk!"

My brilliant azure blade sliced through the metal supports like butter, causing the enlarged passage to crumple like a deck of cards. Escaping the avalanche and cloud of debris, I ran back toward the chamber entrance.

Back toward (y/n), my padawan. 

This time, my padawan had taught me a lesson.

Author's Note

I know (y/n) isn't really the main focus of this chapter, but Adi Gallia's journey in this story is intrinsically tied to (y/n)'s. The next chapter will pretty much solely focus on what happened with (y/n) while Adi Gallia fought the battle.