CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

When they arrived on Parton, it was odd for Elly. It had been so long since she had been off-world so suddenly being faced with the dense jungles was disconcerting. But Obi-Wan was quick to help her settle into her role. It wasn't long until she was commanding her small group as they staked out the base.

They had a day to observe the base and learn the shift patterns for the droids and then the next day they would be going in. Elly dreaded going in but she had over a day to prepare and by the time it was time to infiltrate, she felt better.

Obi-Wan had given her a little pep talk and it managed to shoot her confidence through the roof. She took every order with a nod and a smile and when she was assigned a group, she slotted into the leadership role with ease.

The jungle was dense and humid as the group tracked through to the base. The sweat clung to Elly's forehead and the armour she was wearing made it work. She couldn't imagine how the clones were dealing if she was struggling. She was meant to be used to the hot and cold extremes but she had lost her touch over the past few years.

Obi-Wan, who was in front of the two small groups, suddenly threw his hand out. Signifying them to stop, Elly's heart thumping as she heard the chatter of robotic voices. There was a pair of droids close by. Elly reached out in the Force trying to work out if it was really only two. It wasn't. She looked to Obi-Wan, the panic in her eyes as her hand hovered over the lightsaber.

The General shook his head at the blonde before he gestured for the rest of the troops to follow after him. He knew exactly where they could go to avoid the droids. It was going to be difficult but they could do it.

They were deadly silent as they walked through. Elly was using her Force to silence her footsteps as she followed after Obi-Wan. The clone troopers were justbehind her as she kept her bond with Obi-Wan open. She wanted to know anything he was worried about instantly and he knew to tell her first.

The separatist base came into sight a moment later and the battalion came to a stop. Obi-Wan silently ordering them with his hands, the actions were clearly trained and they followed his orders without question.

"I have to go with Cody but you'll be okay with Jegie." Obi-Wan spoke into her mind. He observed her as she nodded and Jegie stepped forward. He gestured for her to follow after him and she gladly did. She sent Obi-Wan a nervous smile as she disappeared into the jungle, away from him.

"So that's her?" Cody asked making Obi-Wan break out of his trance. He nodded as he looked to the Commander.

"That's her," He said with the hint of a smile. Elly continued to track through the jungles with Jegie and her group before they appeared at the back entrance of the Temple. It was only a few minutes before the droid had shift change-over and that was their opportunity to get in.

Elly watched as the droids turned away and began to march from the towers. The Temple was briefly defenseless and so Elly waved her hand forward, the group moved forward. Their footsteps light and quick as they slid through the door into the Temple.

Elly moved through the area with ease. She had spent much of her time memorising the map so she knew the place like the back of her hand. The clone troopers were quiet, well-taught in the art of sneaking around which meant they could communicate without getting caught. Taking each room down their corridor and checking for the enemies and the holocron.

Elly slid into the last room, shining her torch around to find nothing and that set her on edge. She knew that there were plenty of corridors on the base where it could be but this is where it was suspected to be. This is the corridor the Republic's information said it would be. So, where was it. It didn't make sense and Elly suddenly felt incredibly uneasy. Not a single droid had patrolled the corridor since they had walked in.

"This doesn't add up," She whispered to Jegie who just came out of his last room. He nodded solemnly, agreeing with her sentiment. She tried to feel out in the Force, find Obi-Wan or feel even Jegie's presence but she couldn't. It was like the Force was cut off from her and she only just noticed it.

She scowled at that and gestured for Jegie to follow her. The rest of the troops followed behind as she moved down the corridor. She was being discreet and quiet but her heart was thumping in her chest. She was nervous, nothing about this felt right. Something was wrong but she wasn't sure what. She needed to find Obi-Wan and regroup. But he seemed to be unreachable through their bond and it only set her on edge.

Then there was a sudden loud clang and Elly's head shot back to one of the doors down the corridor. The clone troopers looked back and Elly's eyes widened. This was going to be a blood bath. It was a trap. She stepped back and glanced down the corridors. There were droids coming from every angle. They were trapped.

They were shooting and Elly panicked. It was like her brain forgot what she was meant to do in a hostile battle and instead of grabbing her lightsaber to defend herself, she stood there blankly. But Jegie was ready, blasting the droids before he realised Elly wasn't moving. She had frozen up and as a shot came towards her, he threw himself in the line of fire. The blast shot hit him in the stomach and it sent Elly's brain into overdrive. The injury to him acting as the jolt she needed to get back on mission.

She grabbed her lightsaber and it illuminated orange as she activated it. She grabbed the clone trooper out of the way and began to drag him away as she continued to block the blasters that came towards them. There was a door directly behind them and she knew that there was a way out through it. She just had to get them there alive. A few blasts managed to singe her and her armour but she was ignoring the pain as she dragged Jegie to the door.

His armour piece had a hole burnt through it and she knew if they didn't get out now that he would be dead soon. Blaster shots were notoriously easy killers. She didn't know what to do, "Obi-Wan," She screamed, hoping that she could be heard over the blaster shots. She dropped Jegie by the door and slammed her fist against the door lock.

The rest of the group were defending valiantly but they needed to get out and quickly. But the door wouldn't open and she didn't know what to do. She was crumbling and then she felt it. The familiar Force presence of Obi-Wan and the door opened behind her. She stumbled back into him. Her lightsaber deactivated as he pulled her back to her feet.

"We need to get back to the ship. Jegie is injured and I can't let him die, I can't. I need a bacta shot or something. They got him in the stomach," Elly's words were panicked and quick as she looked up into Obi-Wan's eyes. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked down to the clone trooper that was slumped by the door.

The rest of the group had joined the battalion and they were blasting the droids. Parts collapsing to the floor as they cut through line after line of droid. They could leave soon but Obi-Wan knew that they couldn't go now and the clone medics were at the ship.

"We don't have bacta here and the holocron hasn't been found," Obi-Wan responded and Elly's face crumpled. She looked at Obi-Wan and then down at Jegie, her heart ached. He had saved her life. He had jumped in front of a blaster shot for her.

"Obi-Wan, I can't let him die. He saved my life," Her voice sounded so broken and Obi-Wan's face crumpled. There was nothing that they could do. He hated it. He hated that there was nothing he could do but it was true. Neither of them could jeopardise the mission. Elly knew that but it didn't make it any easier.

"I know," Obi-Wan said softly. The sound of blaster shots filled the room, the smell of smoke filling the white sterile corridors. But rather than joining the fight, she grabbed Jegie and pulled him into the room, away from the fighting.

"Hey, hey," She said softly as she pulled his helmet off. He was still half-awake as he looked at her. His back pressed against the floor as she pushed her hands down against the blaster wound. There was nothing she could do but put pressure on it and hope that they could get out in time. But she knew it wouldn't work, it wouldn't happen, "I'm gonna get you a bacta shot and you're gonna be fine, okay?" Elly continued as she looked into Jegie's eyes. The blood coated her hands as he looked up at her. He was delirious and the smile showed it more than anything. She gently shook her head as his eyes began to flutter shut, "Don't go to sleep," She practically ordered as she put more and more pressure on the wound. There was an old technique where she could heal him but with a wound like this, it would kill her. She couldn't die now, she had to help the Republic.

"It's okay.... Master Muloa. I'll be.... fine," Jegie said, his words slurring as his head rested back against the floor. She shook her head and felt the tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. The blaster shots seemed to quieten and she looked up through the door. The droids had stopped. There was no more, they could leave.

"No, come on. Just a few more minutes, Jegie. You can do this, just a few more minutes and we'll get you help," She insisted as she looked at him. She couldn't believe he was okay with dying but in reality, they were bred to die. So, why should she be surprised? They were made for war. It just felt wrong.

His speech was slurred and mumbled the next time he went to speak. She couldn't even decipher what it was and she sniffled. The tears were dripping down her face, blurring her vision despite how strong she was trying to be.

"No, come on, you can hold on for just a few more minutes," She insisted as she pushed down on the wound. But the bleeding hadn't stopped. Her fingers were covered with the sticky red and she didn't know what to do. She couldn't to do anything. He was going but she did know one way to help him before he went. Her Force wasn't muffled here so she tried to focus. She could feel everything in sharp contrast but she focused on Jegie's mind.

He was too weak to resist her prying and she found a dream of his. She smiled softly at it and let the dream become a reality in his head. She created the perfect life for him after the war ended and he was able to leave. Letting him live out the life he always wanted for those last few seconds of his real life.

The content he felt as he disappeared into the realm beyond only made Elly want to cry harder. She let her eyes open and when she looked up, Obi-Wan and Cody along with a few other troops were staring at her.

"He's gone," She muttered, wiping away a tear from her cheek. The blood smudged across her face and she lifted her hands off him, getting off her knees. The tears dripped down her face as she stared at the clone. She hadn't expected it to be so hard but it was. She had lost them and there was nothing she could do.

Once she was on her feet, Obi-Wan took a firm grip of her arm and he pulled her away. He moved them outside of the base and away from the prying eyes of the troopers. The base was defenseless now so they had no droids to worry about. Elly could barely make out Obi-Wan in her blurry vision. The tears making his features blur all into one.

"I thought I'd lost you in there, Elly." He mumbled softly. She gently shook her head and looked up at him. The fact that he was worried about her made her want to smile but instead, she let a few tears fall. Her hands were covered in his blood and she had tried everything to save him but he was gone and she didn't know what to do.

But she didn't have to think about it for long because Obi-Wan ordered the entire battalion back to the ship. Jegie left in the Temple for the dogs to feed on. Elly hated it but she knew it was protocol, the Republic's protocol.

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