3rd Person

There are no heroes on the battlefield. Only survivors.

(y/n) POV

"Hrrrmph!" 

A rustle.

"Ergh!"

A slight twitch.

"Aaaaahhh!"

I screamed in exertion, willing the fallen rubble to budge. 

No luck. 

Why did I expect anything different?

"Commander, I can reroute us!" Slip shouted ahead of me. I trusted his word far more than my own abilities.

Reluctantly, I slithered backward through the crevice. Slip followed me closely. 

"Let's go!" I ordered with urgency. My master's life, as well as the mission, depended on it.

"This way!" Slip called out, dashing down a detour. I kept up easily; he was too slow. 

"Come on, faster!" I barked.

"I'm trying... commander!" the trooper huffed.

As we delved deeper, the frigid air became more harsh. It surrounded me, bound me tighter to my fears and doubts.

"Commander (l/n), I'm certain this route will lead us back around to General Gallia!" Slip sputtered, pointing to the mouth of a descending passageway. The tunnel was obscured, cloaked in gloom. I probably wouldn't have noticed it otherwise. 

Without hesitation, I redirected my sprint toward the route in question. 

However, as we neared the dark descent, I felt an unfamiliar feeling wash over me. I felt... I felt a disturbance in the force. Had my training actually paid off? That aside, the odd sensation could only mean one thing.

Danger!

With my limited range, it was certainly imminent. 

"Pshew! Pshew! Pshew!"

A barrage of bright red laser fire briefly lit up the detour, aimed at my vitals.

"Look out!" I yelled as I dove out of the way. Thankfully, I avoided the ambush without injury.

"Aaaaaghh!"

Slipstream... Slipstream wasn't so lucky. I heard his bloodcurdling scream almost immediately after the sneak attack. Whipping my head around to view the carnage, I could see he was in a bad way; sprawled on the ground, struggling to get up. 

The unseen foe continued the guerilla warfare, shooting to kill. Sooner or later, Slipstream would be picked off. I couldn't let that happen again. 

Without thinking, I sprung into action. I darted forward, grabbed his legs, and dragged him to safety, finding a nearby outcropping that served as cover. 

"Thanks... thanks commander. Are you okay?" Slip coughed out gratefully. 

He'd been hit multiple times, and that raspy cough was a bad omen. 

"I'm fine, focus on yourself. Can you stand?" I inquired, trying to keep my cool. Slip responded by testing it himself. He made no effort to hide how painful it was, but he seemed perfectly mobile.

"Yeah, I..." Slip started, suddenly silencing himself. He motioned me to stay quiet with his index finger. Then I heard it.

The pitter patter. The soft footsteps. The delicate whirring of metal joints and motors. These sounds were nothing like the brutish footfalls of B1s and B2s. I peeked out of our hideout with one eye, trying to get an angle on the perpetrators. 

No way...

"Commando droids." Slip confirmed grimly with a whisper.  

Commando droids were nothing like their predecessors. Unlike their B1 and B2 siblings, they had combat intelligence. Advanced optical sensors. Higher quality parts for more agile movements. Complex algorithmic programming for battle improvisation.

A commando droid was a match for a clone trooper. No, maybe even more deadly. Even a Jedi had to be cautious when facing one. 

"Yeah." I doubled down, gulping. 

"How many?" Slip asked softly, with a hint of dread.

"Twelve. Maybe." I revealed, my lip beginning to quiver. The stealthy assassins methodically made their way down the subterranean hallway, checking everywhere for signs of life. 

My mind raced a kilometer a minute. Master Gallia still needed my help! But how could I help while being hunted by a dozen commandos? Not to mention... Slipstream. I didn't yet know the extent of his wounds. I couldn't leave him here to die. What was the plan? What was the correct play?

Without warning, Slipstream unexpectedly coughed against his will. He muffled it as best he could, but the damage was done. The horde of commandos instantly picked up on the faint noise, zeroing in on our position. Lifting their E-5 blasters, they began their menacing approach.

My mind went into overdrive. No, I couldn't worry about my master right now. I had to trust in her... this was more urgent. Even if Slip could move, he wouldn't be fast enough to outrun our lethal assailants. 

The path in front of me was clear, yet every voice inside my head said otherwise. 

I felt it... the cold, empty void.

Flashback

"I regret to inform you that Padawan Tano has already given us counsel. She strongly recommended you join the service corps." Master Kenobi confessed, talking with care to spare my feelings.

End Flashback

Flashback

"We've all heard tales of your abilities, or lack thereof." Master Mundi revealed bluntly.

End Flashback

Flashback

"I am the master, and you are the apprentice. Don't forget that, (y/n)." Master Gallia stated harshly.

End Flashback

Flashback

"Did you get your crystal?" Ahsoka inquired eagerly. All eyes were now on me. The Masters, my fellow trainees, and my closest friend.

Slowly, it all came back to me. The fear. The shame. The powerlessness.

"No."

End Flashback

My hands were shaking. The cold, the self-doubt, the powerlessness. It was all so potent. And familiar. Long ago, I'd promised myself, ordered myself to leave these feelings behind. Still, again and again I found them coming back.

And... the fear. But this time it wasn't the fear of failure, the fear of not meeting expectations...

It was the fear of death. My life, as well as the lives of everyone else, hung in a delicate balance that could break in an instant. 

I hated these feelings. They made me feel vulnerable. Why couldn't I banish them? Perhaps it wasn't meant to be. Maybe it was impossible. 

But... at the very least, I would NOT let them hold me back!

"Commander, I know what you're thinking. Don't try it!" Slipstream heaved.

I tried it. I snatched the weathered laser sword from my side. It flared to life, humming in an emerald brilliance. Leaving the safety of the outcropping, I was now completely exposed to the horde. 

That was the idea. 

I dashed through a narrow side tunnel before any of their blaster bolts could reach me. The commando droids followed in hot pursuit.

'Good. They only see me.' I reassured myself shakily. Slip would be able to slip past without further harm.

The tunnel I'd chosen quickly constricted me further. I had to watch my sides to avoid being pierced by crags of rock. There were a myriad of sharp turns and obstacles I encountered, all of I which I surmounted easily. Jump, slide, hurdle, I did it all. 

When a vertical slab of stone came into view, I had an idea. It jutted out from the wall, acting like a stone veil to whoever viewed it from my current position. 

"Sshhhk." The jade blade of my saber shrunk back into the hilt.

Camouflaging myself behind the obstruction, I waited. 

Pitter patter. I heard their strides, but they were too faint. The mechanized hunters possessed a subtlety that their droid siblings did not. I couldn't accurately predict how close they were.

The force. I'd have to trust my instincts. Hopefully it hadn't been a fluke earlier.

Focus... concentrate. Let it flow. Not yet... not yet...

'Now!' I ordered myself.

"Pssshhew!" As the leader of the pack was about to pass, the leading commando suddenly found a green lightsaber mere centimeters from its face.

When cutting through most materials, a lightsaber meets little resistance. Commando droids were no exception; momentum would take care of the rest. As expected, the first android assassin's head was cleaved in two. 

The second, however, fully showcased its superhuman reflexes; it vaulted to avoid my blade, soaring clean over and landing with precision.

I'd expected to cut down three, minimum... 

The majority of my hunters were still unable to shoot me, but the one that broke past my trap...

The momentum from its calculated maneuver was the only thing preventing it from turning and blasting me. I had to act... now, before it swiveled its torso and fired!

I rallied every bit of my body's physical strength, channeling it into my right leg. The resulting kick-off was comparable to a cruiser's thrusters. Closer... just a bit closer! 

The commando swiftly rotated its torso, its E-5 blaster locking on to me with ludicrous speed. I had absolutely no shot at deflecting the incoming shots.

Lightsaber Form I, Shii-Cho: Attack.

"Sssshhhk!"

"Pshew!"

My rending motion arrived a millisecond before the commando could pull the trigger. The robotic assassin was melted in two as my weapon ripped through the whole of its metal frame. 

Continuing my getaway, it became obvious how foolish it had been to stop. My pursuers were right on my tail, and I was now within shooting distance.

"Pew! Pew! Pew!" 

Every shot branded the catacombs with a new blast point. Without the sharp turns, I'd be dead already. The commandos were fast.

Still, I was faster.

'Breathe in, breath out.' I repeated incessantly. Rushing or slowing my breathing would spell the end.

The compact pathway straightened out abruptly. Up ahead, it seemed to open up into a chamber. As the hunters turned the corner as well, they finally had a clean shot. 

Unfortunately for them, I'd already made it to the chamber. However, a quick assessment of the large space caused my stomach to sink. There was nowhere to go from here; it was a dead end. 

I had to barricade myself in. There was no other option. The commandos would arrive any second... no second guessing! Thinking on my feet, I scaled the rock wall until I was high above the chamber's mouth. Utilizing my laser sword, I dislodged several hunks of overhanging rock that promptly fell below, blocking the entrance.

The deafening roar of falling rumble was accompanied by the screech of metal being pulverized. Evidently, one or more of my pursuers had been crushed by the avalanche.

Finally... I was safe. 

Yet... that odd sensation unexpectedly rushed through my veins yet again.

Danger!

"Pshew!" 

I sidestepped just in time to avoid being hit by the blaster bolt. Being several meters above the ground, I looked for new footholds to stand on.

There were none.

My tumble was rough, earning me multiple scrapes and cuts. It ended with a heavy impact as I pancaked onto the stone floor. My lungs were compressed as well, the wind being knocked out of me.

The gunman was a lone BX-series commando droid; one had made it through unscathed. My eyes locked with the droid's optical sensors as it let loose a barrage of laser blasts.

Ignoring my breathlessness, I performed a powerful kip-up that aligned my body to the upright position. Then I felt it.

The white-hot pain. The pain was as if my side had been submerged in the surface of a star. I screamed in agony after having experienced my first blaster strike. 

Commando droids were expert shots. I was lucky to be shot in an area that was nonlethal. 

'Focus!' My thoughts demanded my attention, as if my master had infiltrated my subconscious.

Lightsaber Form I, Shii-Cho: Defend. 

Charging at the automated fiend, I succeeded in deflecting a couple shots. The oversimplified nature of Form I, as well as my abysmal technique, made for a poor showing when it came to blaster deflection.

Whether it be the will of the force or pure luck, it was just enough. Just enough to bring my emerald lightsaber down upon the commando with the strength of three wookies. 

The commando sidestepped, performing an evasive maneuver. It cheated death (if droids can die), but at the cost of its arm. The same arm that carried its blaster.   

'Well, no matter.' I thought to myself, going in for another slash. No blaster, no problem.

A grating humming pierced my ears as the commando unsheathed a sword from its back. 

Vibroblade. The name of the weapon popped into my head, courtesy of countless nights of reading the archives. I promptly halted my advance, wary of the sudden turn the fight had taken.

Dead calm ensued, with both lightsaber and vibroblade humming in unison. I prowled back and forth, continuously judging the distance between my foe and I. The commando did the same; each of us knew how quickly this fight could end. 

I took a swing, intending to sever the droid's remaining arm. The droid cleverly backstepped, moving out of range of my swing. 

The force of my swing left my body defenseless. The droid obviously took advantage of this, stabbing at my chest. I contorted my body to avoid a grisly death, but the sword's edge still clipped my torso. 

More pain. Yet, it was hard to top a blaster wound. 

I seized a golden opportunity, using a free hand to take of hold of the commando's wrist. With my other hand still containing a weapon, victory was surely mine. 

However... just before I finished my foe, the droid exhibited its inhuman flexibility. One of its legs boosted upward to kick the lightsaber out of my hand. 

I heaved forward with all my might, pushing the commando to the ground. We continued to grapple in a struggle of life and death. I refused to relinquish my iron grip on the droid's wrist, and it desperately tried to fend me off with its kicks. 

Turning my head, I could see my weapon laying only a few meters away. I outstretched my free hand toward the disarmed armament. Calling upon the force, I attempted to drag the weapon toward me. With it, I could end this.

Maybe this time...

Nothing. No movement. Not even a subtle vibration. 

My attention went back to the tussle. The commando was wearing me down, each kick progressively became more brutal. Sooner or later, my grip would slip and I would be dismembered.

"Clang!" 

My fist contacted the commando droid's chest. 

"Clang!"

I struck again, harder this time. A shallow dent in the droid's plated exterior became visible.

"Clang!"

This time, I started to feel the pain. Bare fists were never meant to punch metal.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

Metal, flesh, and bone grinded together in an uncanny din. I furiously pounded my fist again the droid's armored shell, again and again. Its chest was visibly caved-in now, and smoking. 

"Clang!"

The light in the droid's eyes faded, finally ending the clash. 

I looked upon my bloodied knuckles; the bones were misshapen and mismatched. 

My blaster wound was still fresh, the searing agony still present.

I was bleeding from my lacerated side; the vibroblade had served its purpose. Miraculously, it didn't seem to have contacted any major arteries or veins. 

I was alive, that was all that mattered. I was alive.

Then I heard a rumble. Up ahead, it came from the remains of the avalanche I'd given rise to. 

'They're coming through.' I realized, my mind going on alert once more. 

There was nowhere for me to go. No escape. 

Now that I had the chamber to myself, I realized that an immense vertical shadow had been looming over me this entire time. It was a spire, a large stone spire that extended to the roof of the chamber.

If I had to stand my ground, I might as well take the high ground. 

When the remaining commandos burst into the room, I was already atop the towering formation. 

They sighted me almost immediately. Raising my emerald blade and backing out of their line of sight, I prepared for a laser volley. 

It never came. 

"Beep beep beep."

I perceived what sounded like the detonation sequence to an explosive. Before I could react, a discharge rocked the base of the spire. After what felt like an eternity, the spire toppled like a great tree. When the dusty haze cleared, I was surrounded by seven commandos.

'Run!' was all I could come up with.

A blaster bolt pierced the middle of my leg, instantly vaporizing my knee ligaments. 

Burst POV

Aim... steady... fire...

Aim... steady... fire...

The sequence grew more sluggish as the droid army kept diminishing. There was no stopping, not until the fight was finished. 

Aim... steady... Slip?!

Through my scope, I could see the limping silhouette of my brother. It had to be him, he was the only clone who'd descended down there.

"Hold your fire! There's a trooper behind enemy lines!" I roared, making sure none of my comrades mistook Slip for a droid.

But... nobody else was firing. I'd been so immersed in the battle... that I'd been ignorant of everything behind me.

It was a wasteland of casualties. Bodies... bodies everywhere, and many more wounded. So many of my brothers were either dead or incapacitated.

Bringing my attention back to Slip, I covered him until he safely made his way to my part of the trench.

"Slip! What happened to you?! Where's the general... the commander?" I demanded worriedly, removing my helmet.

"General... don't know... commander... commando droids..."  he mumbled, slurring his words. He followed up with a grating cough that intensified my worry.

I quickly assessed his injuries.

It was bad.

Multiple blaster strikes, mostly concentrated around his core and chest area. The armor probably mitigated a lot of the damage, but all it took was one well-placed shot to slip past. 

And... he had that breathless cough. No... no, it couldn't be. It couldn't...

It was. Even through the night, the shimmering rays of moonlight revealed all. Droplets of blood had been sprinkled upon the silvery sand. Slip must have spat them out while coughing.

I frantically prepared the few medical supplies I had, retrieving a tactical bandage. As I attempted to press it against his wounds, Slip weakly pushed my hand away.

"No! Commander (l/n) is..." Slip started, but an inadvertent cough silenced him abruptly. Collecting himself, he started again. 

"Commander... Fuck! I'm tired of this stupid shit! He's just a kid! There's a kid down there, about to be blasted full of holes by clankers!" Slip cried out in a sudden outburst.

"But Slip... you..." I trailed off, wistfully eying his grievous wound. Shaking his head, my friend pointed to his wound forcefully.

"Look... Burst. I make jokes, but you're not naive. You know what this is. You know what it means." Slip stated seriously. His words were followed with another violent cough.

My eyes welled up with tears. I wiped them away quickly.

"Of course I know." I whimpered. Slip's face was turning blue. Faced with my breakdown, I could see Slip's face begin to crack as well.

"Dammit, now you're making me cry. I never thought it'd be like this. I always thought I'd laugh it off, make a shitty joke, and then die." he muttered.

"Slip, you're going to make it." I asserted. He replied after a particularly harsh coughing fit, ignoring my hollow declaration. 

"Save the kid. You're the only one who can."

He pulled out the device from earlier, the one he'd used to map out the catacombs. He strained himself as he pushed the machine into my hands.

"Okay." I conceded.

"Go! Now! Leave me." Slip hacked, clasping his chest. 

"But..." I persisted.

"Go!" he barked, sapping his strength with the loud order.

Reluctantly, I did as he asked. I stepped out of the trench, setting my gaze upon the temple entrance. Jedha's sister moon was directly above it, a beacon in the starry night.

Breaking into a sprint, I left. I left my closest friend, my brother that had been beside me throughout every battle. 

I left him to die alone, suffocating upon the moonlit sand. 

Slipstream POV

Surely my lungs were filling up with blood now. Why did it have to take so long? 

Any minute now...

The lack of oxygen induced a sort of psychedelic trance. My life really was flashing before my eyes, as they said. Kamino... the years of training and conditioning... every battle... I saw all of it. 

Flashback

"Care to let me in on the secret?" Commander (l/n) chimed in, curious. I looked at him, his eyes gleaming.

"Ooh, can I tell him? Can I tell him, Burst?" I begged eagerly.

"We're not supposed to talk about it." Burst muttered, embarrassed.

"Pssh, fine. Sorry, commander. You'll find out soon enough." I assured (y/n), my arms drooping due to disappointment.

End Flashback

I chuckled to myself.

"Sergeant Burst, future ARC trooper. I never got to see it..."

Burst POV

I donned the helmet once again. 

Its basic function was to shield my head from enemy fire, obviously.

More importantly, it helped me forget the distractions.

I discarded my blaster rifle; It was dead weight now. All I needed were my trusty twin DH-17s.

Naturally, there were a few straggler B1s and B2s concentrated around the temple mouth. 

"Pshew!"

One.

"Pshew!"

Two.

"Pshew!"

Three.

"Pshew!"

Four. 

As I counted them up, so did they fall in number.

Breaching the temple entrance, I encountered a small cluster of leftover clankers. 

B1s. Junk to be cleaned up. 

"Blast him!" One of them yelled, firing upon me. Performing a dive roll, I found cover behind a stone pillar. Reaching down to my pair of DH-17s, I activated their limiter removal.

A relatively new and unknown blaster, DH-17s were semi-automatic. However, they possessed the ability to temporarily emit automatic fire. Twenty consecutive seconds was around the limit. 

Emerging from behind my cover, I unleashed a rain of blaster bolts upon the clankers. 

"Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew!"

The smell of scorched circuitry would be lingering there for three days, at least.

Flashback

"I can't believe you got lost again." Slip stated in disbelief.

"All these white hallways look the same!" I shot back defensively.

"Come on, we've got target practice at 9:00." Slipstream urged, motioning for me to follow.

End Flashback

A brief glance at Slip's navigator showed me the way. He'd already set a waypoint, marked in bright red. 

Even in death, he was there to guide me. 

Ahead, a sharp drop. Maybe four meters. I jumped without a thought, ending with a roll. 

Flashback

"Seriously, can you believe it? Our first battle." I exclaimed, jittery. 

"Well, I'm surprised you made it here at least." Slipstream snickered.

End Flashback

The visibility suddenly brightened throughout the dimly lit cave. Kyber crystals.

If I'd snuck a peek, I'm sure my eyes would've been graced with a dazzling display a jeweler only dreamed of.

My eyes didn't waver. I had a mission to complete. 

Flashback

I froze up with fear as I took in the horrors that surrounded me. My brothers, gunned down in quick succession. We were outnumbered a hundred to one.

"For the republic!" A battle cry pierced my ear as I glanced an emboldened Slipstream take the reigns of an abandoned turret. He then discharged a storm of laser fire. 

'He's a shit shot.' I thought.

His accuracy was below average, putting it nicely. 

Still, seeing Slip still have his courage allowed me to move freely again.

End Flashback

'Save the kid.' I reiterated.

One final mission.

I turned a corner, the tunnel becoming cramped. It was difficult to squeeze my armor through the gaps, but I managed.

That familiar knot in my stomach reawakened, tightening with every step. I was less than shocked... it visited me every battle.

It was no longer a hindrance, more so a benign acquaintance. 

I swiftly picked up on the clues of a struggle. Fresh blast points in the wall, footprints that indicated a rapid dash...

They were close. Commander (l/n) and the commandos.

(y/n)... good thing he wouldn't see my tears.

I wouldn't let him die, no. A bright young Jedi such as himself had so much to live for. 

But that wasn't the only reason I was running. 

There! Two nonfunctional commando droids lay in pieces on the ground.

As I rushed over their remains, my blood began to boil. 

The faceless battle droids.

I'd blast them all, every single one of them... until nothing remained.

Up ahead, I saw the pathway converge into a spherical chamber. 

I heard blaster bolts being discharged.

I accelerated with purpose.

(y/n) POV

I hadn't fully processed my knee injury before I suffered another shot to my lower back. It grazed my side.

'Run!' I repeated, conjuring enough willpower to do so.

My knee buckled before I could take one step. 

Something in my knee had been irreparably damaged. 

I was immobile. Nowhere to run. 

I burrowed into the crumbled ruins of the spire as the seven metal hunters peppered the rubble with laser blasts. 

Clutching my mutilated leg and curling up into a ball, I waited for the end. 

"FOR THE REPUBLIC!"

A distorted, spine chilling battle cry caught my attention. I looked up. 

Sergeant Burst burst into the chamber, guns blazing. Instantly zeroing in on my curled silhouette, he dove in and shielded my body with his own. 

Spreading his arms and pointing his twin blasters opposite to one another, he spun into a whirling frenzy as his weapons scattered blasts of pure blue energy. His DH-17s had such a miniscule delay between shots; it was like a stream of destruction.

"Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew! Pshew!"

Blue and red bolts merged together as the commandos now focused their fire on Burst. The commandos repeatedly pelted Burst with their shots; he clamped down on the trigger even harder in response.

A commando fell, then another. Bit by bit, they all sustained damage to their artificial bodies that was critical. 

It's not as if Burst was faring well either. His armor was lightweight for mobility, at the cost of greater protection.

"Clang!"

The last of the BX-series commando droids gave up the ghost. 

The stench of burned circuitry and red-hot metal dominated the air.

A certain clone trooper lay fallen in the epicenter of the chaos.

"Burst! Burst, speak to me!" I shouted into his face.

No response. I tore off his helmet. 

His eyes were red, and his cheeks wet. 

"Burst!" I desperately repeated, nearly going hoarse.  

"Easy, commander (l/n). Is that how you speak to your savior?" the clone choked out a Slipstream-esque joke.

"Burst...!" I repeated, relieved this time. "We've got to get out here, fast. You need to be treated as soon as possible!"

"Look at yourself, commander." he advised. I was covered in soot, drenched in sweat. I had multiple injuries, several of which could be fatal without medical attention. "Forget about me. I completed the mission." he mumbled, trailing off into unconsciousness.

As if I would leave him behind.

Adi POV

My vision was fading. Evidently, I'd exerted myself too much.

What with the duel with Ventress, as well as the mad dash to the heart of the temple, I needed time to rest and breath normally.

But there was no such time. Not now. My apprentice needed me.

I backtracked with haste, as if possessed.

Slowly, my vision dulled further, due to a lack of oxygen.

'Not... yet...' I whispered internally as I collapsed.

A moment after, I fell unconscious.

(y/n) POV

I attempted to drag Burst, but that fell through immediately. More specifically, my knee caved in. If my body was a temple, then the pillars supporting it had been obliterated. I couldn't walk, or run. 

It was surreal to be limited in such a manner.

I threw the whole of Burst's heavy weight across my back, crawling along the cavern floor the best I could. It agitated one of my blaster strikes, causing me to let loose a wince. 

I wriggled through the catacombs, backtracking as best I could with a snail's pace; completely alien to me. I was just starting to get the hang of it when I came upon a slumped figure.

My master. 

Panic set in.

I shook her form, looking for signs of life. My worries quickly dissipated.

She was breathing.

"Master, wake up!" I urged, shaking her more vigorously.

No luck. She was completely out. 

Begrudgingly, I placed both Burst and Master Gallia atop my crawling form. 

Placing my hands and feet in front of each other, I pushed forward.

I couldn't move. The weight of them together was too much. It was too awkward to carry them on all fours. 

An idea materialized in my skull; not a creative idea by any means. 

Not a high chance of success either, but it was all I could come up with right now.

Master Gallia was far lighter than Burst. If I could somehow levitate her with the force... even just lessen the burden on myself...

Straining my mind with effort, I willed the force to answer my call. She didn't budge.

I focused harder, demanding the force to submit to my will. She didn't budge. 

After a full minute of struggling against myself, my concentration broke.

I collapsed on the ground, misery setting in.

The vanity, the vanity of it all. 

I really thought that things had changed. How naive.

I was "The Weakest Jedi." That would never change.

No...

The force had forsaken me, but I already had everything I needed.

The long, monotonous hours of training with HK-74. 

The exhausting odysseys atop the surface of Coruscant.

Waking every day to the same muscle aches and pains. 

My power that I'd cultivated alone, it was enough.

I tossed my master and Sergeant Burst over my shoulder.

Planting my feet against the compacted ground, I assumed the same squatting stance that had been burned into my muscle memory. 

Then, I began to push. My damaged knee shook with instability; I fought through the pain. 

I'd underestimated their combined weight; with my bad knee it was like carrying an entire planet on my shoulders.

Still... I pushed, bellowing with a mixture of pain and purpose.

I stood up. 

"Tap."

I took a step forward with my good leg.

"Tap."

I planted my bad leg on the ground. It violently convulsed, threatening to collapse under the hefty burden. 

"Tap."

"Tap."

"Tap."

I kept moving forward, steeling the will to march on, even with the thousand burdens I was carrying.

This I could do. 

Adrenaline coursed through my body, easing the load just a smidge. 

It was greatly appreciated.

I continued to ascend the labyrinth, the strength of my will never waning.

Author's Note

Finally, I don't have to write shit about the tunnels anymore