CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE.

The situation was dicey when Elly and Obi-Wan along with his battalion joined the battlefield. The waves of droids seemed to be endless and Anakin was fighting tireless to keep them as far away from the city as possible. It was a few miles behind where the ships had landed and although the droids were advancing, it was slow and they were mainly being slaughtered.

The blaster noise was something that Elly had to quickly adjust to. It was jarring and aggressive and entirely disconcerting but she knew that it all came with the territory. This was going to be her life until the war was won so she got stuck in. Her lightsaber was ignited and she threw herself into battle.

She used her lightsaber to deflect any blaster bolts and did her best to protect the clones as she advanced through the wave of droids. Her lightsaber sliced through them with ease, droid parts scattering the harsh landscape of Welso. The land was rocky and harsh and when the first destroyer droid rolled towards her, she was sent harshly into it. The lack of padding on her knees made the first fall harsh. If she hadn't gotten the bacta shot only a few hours previously, she knew it would have hurt a lot more than that.

But it only gave her a renewed shot of adrenaline and she got back to her feet, knowing she had to find a way to get them down. The entire battle was messy and there were so many firsts, Elly had never relied on her instincts so heavily but it felt good. She trusted herself and for the first time in three years, she felt like herself again. Well and truly like herself.

Using the lightsaber to protect rather than train gave her a new sense of invigoration and knowing she was protecting the city just behind her by slicing through droids helped dissipate the guilt she would have usually felt from it.

And even though she knew that the clones were falling and Obi-Wan and Anakin had gotten hurt, she kept on task. She could feel Obi-Wan's pain through their bond and she tried her best to comfort him with the Force while she stayed on task. If they didn't kill these droids, there would be no helping Welso. They would fall to the separatists and Elly couldn't let that happen.

But before she could lead the battalion to victory, another destroyer came her way and rolled right into her. If she had seen it coming, she would have avoided it but instead of turning her lightsaber on it, it rolled right into her head. It knocked her out cold and it was only Cody jumping in that saved her from certain death at the hands of the destroyer droid.

The battle was practically won when the droid knocked her unconscious so Cody did his best to drag her back to the ship but he was weak. He was tired and he had sustained his own injury on his leg. He should have expected her to wake up within a few minutes but it was only when she was curled up on a bed in the ship's medbay that she came to.

Her eyes snapped open and she groaned against the harsh light. Her head tilted downwards and Cody was sitting on a bed across from her, a clone medic fixing up the wound on his leg with a little bacta. He had his helmet off and watched as Elly moved. Her head throbbed and he could see that she was injured in other ways.

"A rollie knocked you out," Cody commented. Elly's head lifted to meet his gaze and she nodded, trying to convey that she understood but she was still reeling from it. It had been so unexpected, the Force of it had knocked her clean out. It shouldn't have done that. She was used to much worse injuries but she couldn't fix it now.

"Are they still fighting?" Elly asked as she pushed herself to sit up. The clone medic left Cody and turned on Elly now. He urged her to sit on the edge of the bed and she did as she was ordered. The medic checked for a concussion as Cody spoke.

"The Generals are cleaning up the last dregs. You did well," Cody said as he cautiously stepped off the bed. He tested the waters before he stood completely, pleased that his leg felt better already. He knew that he would have to check on Anakin and Obi-Wan. They had a tendency to bicker once a battle was won and Obi-Wan needed to negotiate with the Welsonian's before they could leave.

"I feel like I was hit by a speeder," Elly mumbled. Cody nodded his head and the medic moved to tilt her head from side to side. There didn't seem to be any signs of concussion which worked in her favour.

"You get used to it. The negotiations might take a few hours. Rest up," Cody practically ordered before he left the medbay. A few other clones were being patched up in the room but Elly didn't pay much attention. Instead, she focused on the medic who finished checking her vitals. He cleared her to go back to her room and she was thankful.

Although Cody had told her to rest up, she wanted to check on Anakin and Obi-Wan so, she sought them out and once they had repeated the same sentiment as Cody, she took the hint and headed straight for a shower. It was a sonic shower which wouldn't make her feel anywhere near as clean as a real one would but it was enough.

It would mean she was comfortable enough to take a nap while she waited for Obi-Wan and Anakin's return from negotiations.

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Her room was dark when she heard the door open. She could feel the familiar blue of Obi-Wan and Elly's face broke out into a grin when he stepped into her room. She had been dozing off when he appeared and he seemed pleased. She could feel it radiating off his aura and she lazily opened her eyes, just about able to make out his silhouette in the darkness.

"How did negotiations go?" She asked softly. Obi-Wan pulled off his cloak and draped it on the end of the bed before he moved to lie down across from her.

"It went well. We have secured their allegiance for now," Obi-Wan explained. She grinned and once he was lying comfortably, she shuffled up to him. She nuzzled her face into his chest and let her eyes fall closed again. She was exhausted. Obi-Wan could feel it.

"You have always been such a talented negotiator. I'm proud of you," Elly mumbled against his chest. He chuckled softly and ran his fingers through her hair. Elly had never hidden her admiration for Obi-Wan but when she was sleepy like this, it seemed that she wasn't able to stop running her mouth. He found it so cute.

"You were wonderful on the battlefield today, little bird," He whispered in her ear. It sent a shiver down her spine, goosebumps spreading across her arm as she smiled. It was a sleepy grin but he could tell that she was proud of herself too, "There are improvements to be made but that's okay." She groaned softly.

"The destroyer took me by surprise. It won't happen again," She retorted. It frustrated her that she had been knocked out. It shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did but she had been so careful. So aware of her surroundings but it felt like it came out of nowhere. It could have simply been a blind spot in her awareness but she found that hard to believe.

"I could feel you while I was fighting. You should have kept the attention on yourself." Elly lifted her head up, an unimpressed look spread across her face though Obi-Wan couldn't really see it through the darkness in the room.

"I was trying to help. I could feel that you were worried about me," Elly retorted. She wanted to make a comment about him scolding her but she knew it would only end in them spatting. Obi-Wan liked to insist that he wasn't scolding her when he obviously was. She just didn't want it to turn into a lecture. She was aware of her mistakes and she would do better next time.

"Thank," He leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, "You." He finished putting another kiss to her lips. She chuckled and took his face in her hands, pulling him in for a soft kiss. He let out a soft noise of contentment against her lips and she pecked them a few times before she nuzzled her face in his neck again. The exhaustion was heavy in her bones.

And she wanted to sleep for a little bit. The battle had taken it out of her and she could feel the way her muscles ached for some sort of reprieve. Obi-Wan could feel how sleep was calling her and rather than distracting her again, he moved his hands into her hair. He gently ran his fingers along her scalp, massaging there. He knew it made her sleepy and it wasn't long until she had drifted off.

Obi-Wan could feel how her presence in the Force had calmed and he couldn't help but let his eyes close too. The negotiations had been arduous and the man had so many demands but the Republic were desperate for their allegiance. So, Obi-Wan had made sure to gain it by any means necessary.

He was just glad that they would be back on Coruscant within the day. He was exhausted and he wanted to be back in his own bed.

He hadn't even realised he'd fallen asleep until Anakin was slamming his fist against the door of the bunk. His eyes snapped open and he could feel how Elly was slowly waking up from her nap. Obi-Wan got to his feet, urging Elly to stay in bed as he walked to the door. He adjusted his hair quickly before he ran his hand over the sensor. The door whooshed open and Obi-Wan stared at his former Padawan.

"Yes?" Obi-Wan asked. His voice was gravelly and it was clear that he had just woken up even if he had fixed his appearance. Anakin glanced at Elly who was still dozing on the bed before he returned his gaze to his Master.

"The Council is requesting a battle report and update on the negotiations. Everyone needs to be in attendance," Anakin said as he stepped back from the door. Elly had heard his words and let out a soft groan. She buried her face in her hands before she let her eyes open, taking a few minutes to adjust to the harsh light of the corridor.

"How long do we have?" Elly asked as she pushed herself to sit up. Her hair was still braided nicely from before the battle but she needed to change out of her sleep clothes. Anakin shrugged.

"A few minutes." He retorted. Obi-Wan glanced between the two before Elly dragged herself out of bed completely.

"Go ahead, I'll be down. I just need to change," She mumbled. Anakin nodded and Obi-Wan was hesitant but left with his Padawan. Elly was not prepared in any way to see the Council but she knew that she had no choice. So, she dragged on a new set of robes and headed out into the corridors. The ship was a maze and it was only Obi-Wan's presence that led her through it.

The Council were already there when she stumbled in, only a few minutes late. Obi-Wan was glad to see her but Anakin was suspicious. He wanted to know what the pair of them were doing alone in bed. He had his own ideas but it didn't seem to be what he had suspected. It was more innocent than that but he couldn't say he was surprised. His Master was a prude.

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