The people of Alderaan never saw it coming. It was all so fast, so sudden. Normal citizens were going about their every-day lives. Kids were getting out of school, men and women were leaving their work-places to go home and relax. It was peaceful yet energetic, excited and happy. It was a home that anyone would've loved to have. 

And it was all about to be destroyed in a matter of hours. 

The ships came like a storm, filling up the entire sky and blocking out every single ray of sunlight. Like ginormous flying beasts, majestic and intimidating, they loomed above the planet's surface. The people of Alderaan's capitol could do nothing but look to the sky in hatred and fear. They'd heard the news on the holonet. They knew exactly why the cruisers were here. Invasion. 

They'd seen the meeting in the Senate, they supported Organa and Danik and Denali and everything they stood for. Every single citizen of Alderaan knew about Organa's threats of their planet seceding from the Galactic Republic. And every single citizen agreed wholeheartedly. Bail had made his case, he told the galaxy that the Rancor Slayers were harmless and begged the Senate to leave his home alone. They saw Denali give her speech to her large family of bounty hunters at the base less than fifty kilometers away.

The community knew exactly whose side they were on between the Republic and the Slayers.

Immediately, every man, woman, and child, no matter what species or age, all piled into their speeders and ships and any other vehicle that could move and plotted a course for the base. Determined to beat the soldiers there, they didn't waste time. In less than minutes, the capitol was nothing but a ghost town. 

Whether it would remain that way forever would be determined soon.

* * * * * * * * * *

No matter what Danik or Anakin did or said, Denali refused to fight anywhere besides the very front of the base at the main entrance. That's where the fight would begin and that's where it would end. Denali didn't want anyone to die, but if it came down to it, she was going to be the first. These people had already done so much for her, and she refused to let them die for her as well. If she was the first fatality, then maybe the clones would spare the others. It was a long shot, but Denali was willing to take the risk.

Did that make her a terrible mother already? Yes, it did. Her first priority at all times should be the life of her child, even before they've been born. She should've been willing to give up everything to make sure that her baby was safe from all harm and danger. Denali shouldn't have even been fighting at all. But two lives lost is a lot better than two thousand, and that's exactly what the casualties were going to be if she wasn't the first person taken out.

"Are you nervous?" Sekhmi asked her. Like Denali herself, her previous padawans were just as stubborn. It didn't take long for them to decide that they'd be on the front lines with her, no matter what. Talking them out of it was a waste of breath, so Denali just hugged them tightly and told them to stay behind her like old times. So now Sekhmi stood at her right and Chewie at her left, all three of them holding the hilts of their lightsabers in their hands with Danik and his fellow bounty hunters backing them up.

"Of course I am. I'm always nervous before our battles." Denali smiled, but they'd known her too long for her fake grin to fool them. They knew all too well that this could be the end. This could be it, their final fight together. Their final stand. They'd come a long way since first meeting one another. Denali, Sekhmi, and Chewbacca. A beautiful trio. A beautiful, amazing trio. Mi took her master's free hand and squeezed it gently in her own. Chewie put his furry hand on the woman's shoulder.

"I love you guys."

The hug was inevitable, but welcomed all the same. A strange sight to the bounty hunters behind them

"We love you, too, Master."

Then the soldiers were upon them.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Denali holds you in high regards, Skywalker." Danik informed the Jedi knight from the roof of the base. It was a large piece of space, large enough to hold fifteen enormous tanks strapped to the deck, plus twenty spare rounds of ammunition for each one. Anakin and the leader of the Slayers stood off to the side as the bounty hunters loaded the weapons and took position in the seats of the tanks. Their motions were fluent, smooth, precise. Like they'd ran this drill hundreds of times before this.

That wasn't anything new, Anakin was aware of her affection towards him. Maybe it wasn't the kind of affection he wanted, but it was affection none the less. She looked up to him, admired him and his skills even though she very much out-ranked him in all classes. He was thankful, appreciative, even a little flattered that she still took his abilities into account. Anakin knew for a fact that she spent more time talking about his skill with a lightsaber than she did about Obi-Wan, so at least he had that little fact to hold close to his heart if he couldn't hold her.

"I think very highly of her, as well." Anakin replied. "Your sister is an amazing woman. The Order was stupid to have given her up." Danik smirked at that and folded his arms.

"Don't need to tell me that twice." The blonde-haired man sighed and glanced at the ground. "I'm just happy she's home. Where the people who love her can take care of her." Anakin raised an eyebrow.

"Denali's strong, she doesn't need to be taken care of."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm fully aware of that." Danik stated in his own defense in a kindhearted manner. His smirk turned into a full smile and he let out a slight chuckle. "I know she could kick my butt and anyone else's on this planet. In this galaxy. Denali's a force to be reckon with." He lifted his hand slowly and ran gloved fingers over the small layer of stubble sprouting on his chin. Almost as if he were thinking carefully before he spoke. "But we all take care of each other here. We care about whether or not someone returns from a mission in one piece. We mourn and cry and grieve when we lose a Slayer. We celebrate and are happy when someone receives good news. Sometimes we throw parties if the news is grand enough. My point is, this is a place where Denali can be properly appreciated. Where she can have a family."

"You think the Jedi aren't appreciated at the Temple." It came out more as a statement, even though Anakin intended it to run more along the lines of a question.

"Well, they're not, are they?" Danik retorted. "No matter how hard you try, how much effort you put into your work, you don't get so much as a thank you, do you?"

"We don't do what we do to get credit for our actions." Anakin interjected. His hands in balled up in fists at his sides, but he would not hit this man no matter how upset he became with his point of view. "We don't fight on the front lines for fame or any kind of validation. We do it to save lives and protect the Republic." In the pit of his stomach, he felt a darkness brewing. Not from himself, but from elsewhere. Somewhere close by, but the Jedi knight couldn't pin-point it. All he knew was that it was strong. And getting stronger.

"Why, exactly? Why would you risk your neck for people who don't appreciate you, people who don't care about you. The Republic won't mourn over you if you're killed on the battlefield. Sure, they'll be upset that they lost one of their best warriors, but they'll just replace you with someone of the same skill level." Danik pointed out. The darkness was getting deeper, thicker, stronger. Like a current pulling Anakin's head under water. He was losing his sense of thought, he couldn't keep everything the Force was trying to tell him in one fluent message. Danger was near, but he didn't know where. And it was slowly starting to terrify him, but he refused to show it.

"The Republic may not mourn over me, but I know people who would."

"You mean like...Senator Amidala?"