R2-D2 entered the base with a tank, distracting the guard droids while we snuck around.

"Jedi." Hondo nodded to us as we took down the guard droids and found his cell. "And here I thought you made your escape, no?"

"No. There were complications. Now, we have to put our differences aside and be friends, or else we're all gonna die here." I took authority.

"Ah, very diplomatic. Ha! I knew you did not come back to rescue Hondo, how do you say it? Out of the goodness of your hearts. No, no, no, no. You need something from me."

"A ship, to be specific." Katooni stepped up to him as he was still help in the force field.

"Ah, yes. A ship, a ship. Ah, but where would we find one of those? My new friend General Grievous has destroyed my ships." Hondo faked thought.

"We know you have one, a whole pirate fleet." Petro talked up this time.

"And one of my old friends, apparently, has been talking too much. Ah, what does it matter? We'll never reach the vault anyway. Grievous' army is way too big."

"Don't give up. We can fight." Petro claimed proudly and confidently.

"If I may, sir. I have instructed younglings for over 1,000 generations, and these are among the best I have ever seen." Our droid spoke up to give his opinion.

"Well, then, show me. Show me your swords, tiny Jedi. Show Hondo you are ready to fight." Each youngling lit up their saber except for Katooni. "Ah. And you, child. Where is your saber?"

"It's not finished. I never finished it. I've done everything right, but it won't work." She sighed, pulling out the parts with shame.

"You must trust that the components that form your lightsaber are meant to be together. There is no other way. It is the Force that binds them." The droid tells her.

"Yes, I was just going to say that. Finish it now. Finish, finish! This is worth the price of a ship. To see the construction of a Jedi lightsaber, this... this is priceless. Finish it, and together, we can defeat Grievous." Hondo cheered as she sat down and placed the parts in front of her. She used the force to piece it together like they had learned and stood up, lighting it up to reveal the blue blade. "Oh. Amazing. That is truly amazing." Hondo gasped in excitement. "Well, cut me down, little Jedi. It's time to leave." She sliced the binds on him, her friends cheering proudly at her accomplishment.

"So why the big show? You didn't really have a choice. You know we have to work together." I walked over to Hondo on the side, away from the happy children.

"Because, Jedi, you know what we are about to attempt is very dangerous. And I may be a pirate, but I do not like taking children into battle." Hondo said.

"That didn't seem to bother you when you attacked us." Ahsoka sneered back at him.

"Well, today is a new day, and lucky for you, today, I like children. Now, let's free the rest of my men." He led the way out of his cell.

Releasing all of the other pirates, we had all stormed out of the collapsing building and into battle against the droid army. Working together the Jedi had sliced down droids while the pirates blasted them violently.

"I got your back." Katooni told Hondo as she jumped on a speeder with him.

"Great. I feel so safe." He said nervously.

"This way, let's go!" I called down, helping the others onto the tank we had stollen. Speeding off through a tunnel system, droids shot at us until we broke off from the others. Grievous had shown up, jumping into our tank prompting Ahsoka and I to fight him while the kids hid below deck where they were safe for now.

"R2, do something. I don't know. We have to shake Grievous off. Get aggressive. Ah!" The droid of ours told him. The tank wavered and spun before crashing in the dirt once again. "Too aggressive. Far too aggressive. Yes, well, it was an effective strategy, but not what I would recommend." He argued with the astromech. Everyone scrambled out of the tank, standing against the droid General.

"So many lightsabers to add to my collection." Grievous reappears as Ahsoka and I pushed the kids behind us and they ignited their sabers, ready for a real fight.

"Hurry! Come on!" Katooni called out to us as the pirate ship rose from behind us to save us.

"Run. All of you run!" I ordered, Ahsoka and I igniting our lightsabers and facing the droid General. Ahsoka flipped back in atempt to dodge Grievous swings as I swung back at him. She used the force to push him back before he lunged back at us and we both clashed our sabers with his. He threw Ahsoka and I both down with his robotic claws harshly, knocking us into the dirt.

"Ha!" He cheered coming closer, but we both rolled out of the way and flipped back to our feet before he had the chance to kill us. I had pushed him back once more with my sabers.

"Go, Ahsoka!"

"But—" she started to protest my orders.

"That's an order!" I reminded sternly. She ran off and I flipped over Grievous, planning my own escape from the fight.

"Ahsoka!"

"Come on!"

"Ahsoka, come on!" The kids all cheered for her. "Lyra!" I had jumped up just in time, almost missing the edge, but Ahsoka had caught my arm. I gave her a grateful smile and nod, steering the kids into the ship to find Hondo shooting at Greivous.

"Did we get him?" Katooni asked, peaking out of the window.

"I can't tell." Petro replied.

"Show is over, kiddies. Let's get out of here." Hondo flew us away to safety.

~~~

"And let me see. Oh, the cost of the fuel. I had to use a lot of fuel. The general wear and tear on my men and equipment. A couple of them died, I think. Believe me, Kenobi. Staging a rescue is not an inexpensive proposition." Hondo negotiated with Obi Wan and I on the Jedi cruiser over payment for our safety.

"So you mean to tell me you were staging a rescue, not attempting to hijack a Jedi starship?" Kenobi asked, knowing the real situation of events.

"You're welcome!" Hondo cheered. "Oh, the thanklessness! What an accusation. I am gone! I will send you my bill!" Hondo marched off as I joined the kids again with my old master.

"It's good to see you're all safe." Obi Wan smiled to our group.

"Yes, Master. We had quite an eventful mission." I replied with a short laugh as I recalled the events.

"The most eventful since the time Master Yoda went to find his lightsaber crystal." Our droid stated.

"What?" Petro asked with shock at the news.

"Oh!"

"Tell us!"

"What happened then?"

"I'm afraid that story will have to wait. For now, be proud. You have survived an ordeal few your age could. Welcome home, young Jedi." Obi Wan ignited his saber and placed it in the middle, all kids following his actions.

~~~

"Where's Jayko?" Cody joined Obi Wan in the barracks.

"I sent her down here earlier, did she not arrive?" The Jedi Master wondered where I had gone.

"No, I haven't seen her yet today, sir" the commander shook his head.

"I want as many men as you have out looking for her" Obi Wan ordered, marching off to find Anakin and Ahsoka for their help.

"Obi Wan, what brings you here?" Anakin cheered at the sight of his former master.

"Lyra is missing. I need your help to find her"

"I'll get the men" Rex nodded, rushing off to gather the 501st.

"Where was she last seen?" Ahsoka tried to think like me and piece together the puzzle of my disappearance.

"She would have taken her regular route towards the barracks this morning, so whoever had taken her must have gotten to her then." Kenobi thought.

"Fox, what is it?" Anakin questioned as the trooper ran over with Cody, Rex returning at the same time.

"We got word that someone spotted General Jayko in the lower levels of Coruscant, sector 348."

"Let's go" Anakin nodded to their small group.

~~~

"Drop your blaster!" Cody ordered, storming the building with the group.

"Lyra, are you okay?" Ahsoka asked carefully, watching as a blaster was pressed coldly against the back of my head.

"Yeah, I'm fine" my voice cracked in fear as I tried to keep calm in front of the Padawan, not wanting her to worry for me. The others shot glances around to each in worry, knowing I was scared of what would happen soon.

"You heard him, put the blaster down!" Rex repeated sternly, not wanting to accept that I could possibly die right there. The bounty hunter backed up slightly and I used my chance to push him back with the force, but he shot off the blaster and hit me in the back.

"Ah!" I cried out in pain, crashing down. Cody stunned the bounty hunter quickly while Rex and Kenobi rushed to catch me.

"She needs medical attention now" Ahsoka noted upon seeing the wound, eyes wide as she shuffled back towards Anakin.

"Cody-" Obi Wan started.

"I've got this, you take her" my brother figure replied, cutting Kenobi off.

"I'll help him" Anakin added.

"Rex can you—" Obi Wan started again to be cut off by Rex this time.

"I've got her" he scooped me up in his arms and carried me out to the gunship. "Kix! We need you right now!" Rex shouted upon racing into the barracks.

"I'm busy" Kix started, walking to check on one of his wounded brothers who was in recovery. He looked up from his data pad to see Rex carrying my limp bleeding body and he rushed into action. "Get her in here!" He called over to the Captain, leading them into a medical room.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Rex wondered urgently after setting me on the cot, Kix getting to work immediately.

"I need space" Kix demanded. "You can wait outside and I'll let you know when I've stabilized her" Obi Wan had to pull Rex away, waiting outside in silence as Ahsoka had sat down with them on the bench.

~~~

"How is she?" Anakin questioned as he joined them in the hallway outside of my medical room.

"She'll heal" Ahsoka told him the good news.

"We aren't allowed in yet" Kenobi added.

"And Rex?"

"Hasn't said a word since we left" Ahsoka said, looking over at the captain as he sat on the bench, leg bouncing up and down nervously. Anakin nodded in understanding, all of them leaving him alone.

~~~

"Please don't do that ever again" Rex begs upon entering my room once the others had left.

"Can't make any promises" I joked with a slight laugh that turned into a cough. "Sorry" I said once I saw his expression sadden more. "I'm alive right now and that's all that matters right" I offered a small smile.

"You really scared me" he took the seat beside my cot.

"Anakin told me" I nodded along with his statement. "Don't blame yourself" I reached out for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze to reassure him that I was fine. "I'll be back on the battlefield in no time"

"That's what I'm worried about" Rex muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing" he shyly shook his head.

...............................................................

Question of the day: what do you think of Rex being scared when Lyra is hurt?