Steadily approaching us was a massive tank I've never seen before. We all seemingly stopped everything and just stared at it in a trance. Being as new as we all were, despite how decorated we are, meant we encountered a lot of shocking things. Like this.

"General, that's a Shock Cannon! We need to get to a shield!" Came Fitz's voice from my comm. His extensive knowledge of this kind of stuff made him the unofficial weapons expert, and thanks Force he was.

"What does it do?" I asked frantically as Yula and I scanned the metallic beast to find a weak point and let our matching green sabers drop lower.

"It's like an ion canon, but it stuns everything instead. We need to find a shield or else we'll all wake up in a living hell," Fitz warned me, yet again.

"Everyone fall back to the gun ships!" I yelled and the commanding officers helped deliver the command to their Squads.

Everyone turned and booked it in the other direction, Yula and I defending from the back.

The blaster fire from the Droids stopped very quickly and that meant one thing, they were almost ready to fire.

"All pilots, direct all the power to the shields and prepare to shut the doors!" I shouted into my comm and was flooded with,"Yes Ma'am," in response.

With all the chaos I was lucky my apprentice was so observant and she quickly realized the thing was going to fire any second now, as she so kindly reminded me.

"Master, might wanna hurry that order up a little bit!" She shouted sarcastically. Even in life-or-death situations she never fails to be a sassy, obnoxious, typical teenager.

I said nothing and instead stopped. The distance all the Squads has to run still was too much.

Only Yula and I would be able to make it, with a little help from the Force.

"Master, we need to run! Not stop everything!" She shouted frustratingly as she stood about 15 feet from me, wildly pointing to the ships.

Very quickly it became clear that nobody would make it. Not without the Force. 

I knew what I had to do.

I took a strong stance and closed my eyes.

"Master, you can't be serious!?" Yula asked/yelled to me in disbelief.

I took a deep breathe. In. Out.

"There's gotta be another way! Just run!"

I drew my hands back, feeling every inch of the physical Force around me and accepting my inevitable fate.

"Cira, don't do this!" She shouted desperately.

"I can't let all of us die," was all I said in return.

My voice was peaceful and calm. Unlike what I was about to do.

Before Yula could go try and  pull me along, I extended my hands and Force pushed the troops and my protesting apprentice into the four remaining gunships.

"Close the doors, warm General Skywalker, and go back to Corasaunt!" I ordered to Key.

"But General-"

"That's an order, Captain."

The last thing I saw was those gun ships taking off safely into the atmosphere.

The last thing I sensed was Yula's sadness and guilt. I knew she'd find a way to blame herself.
But I also knew she'd be alive.

Then I felt a shock powerful and quick, and the  sand of Gamior colliding with my now unconscious body.

~Yula's POV~
        My eyes widened in disbelief as I witnessed my own Master, one of the best Generals this Galaxy has seen, fall to the ground.

"We have to go back!" I shouted to the pilot.

"We have direct orders to return to Corasaunt," he replied as he punched in the coordinates for Hyper Space.

Part of me wanted to jump from the ship to go save her. But the smart part of my brain knew that was a terrible idea.

My hand gripped the handle of the ship tightly and I tried to contain myself. After all, I was in a leadership position out here.

Having an emotional breakdown in front of your Troopers doesn't look good.

Suddenly I felt a comforting, armored hand on my shoulder.

"Kid, she'll be okay," Key said with what I imagine was a sad smile. I couldn't tell because of the helmet.

There wasn't a response I could think of that wouldn't send me into a downward spiral of emotion.

"Don't call me kid," I replied softly, choked up.

It's all I could muster right now.

       
My Master was sneaky. She gave us just enough orders to return home and not compromise ourselves for her.

Reinforcements were on their way to replace us back on Gamior, plus an Air Assault team.

I couldn't stop thinking about what I could have done.

I could have seen it earlier.
I could have been more focused.
I should have done better.

       
The ringing of my comm woke me from my impromptu nap on the desk in our quarters.

"Hello?" I answered sleepily and grumpily. I wasn't even trying to be pleasant anymore.

"The Council requests your presence in Battle Room 3, please Report Immediately."

I sighed and hung up without answering. Then grabbed my cloak, saber, and boots as I headed out the door to the room.

All I was hoping for at this point was an offer to go back and save her.

"Commander Gafomaar, we would like your help in finding out exactly what happened," Master Windu said.

Why were they calling me 'Commander?' We're not on the battlefield.

"Simple. A Stun Cannon, which almost none of us had ever been exposed to, snuck up on us," I replied matter-of-factly with my arms crossed as they had a rotating desert planet of Gamior on the holo-table in the background.

"Okay, and do you know what exactly happened to General Lorus, your Master?" He asked sensitively.

"No. She sacrificed herself and got stunned. She gave enough orders so we had to return here without going back for her," I said as I replaying the awful scene in my head.

Then Master Kenobi followed by Master Yoda joined Master Windu, Master Secura, and I in the Battle Room.

"Masters, please let me and our Squadron go back and save here. The Republic and the Jedi need her," I pleaded before anyone could change the subject.

"Well, you see Commander-" Master Windu started.

Master Secura cut him off,"Oh let her go, she's learned from one of the best Generals we have."

Master Kenobi chimed in,"I agree. In addition, there are other Troops on Gamior that have gotten the situation under control and can aid them if the need arises."

I smiled, admittedly as little as I could, at the fact that Jedi Masters were actually sticking up for me.

Mace sighed,"Fine. You may go, but be careful and advise your Captain about the entire mission," he said with his arms crossed and a small smile crept onto his face. He was clearly hiding a proud smile, I could tell. It takes one to know one.

I immediately sprinted back to my quarters to grab some hardware I may need.

A portable holo-projector, data drive, and one of those sticks like the ones on R2 units. I never pay attention so I have no clue what it's called.                     

Then I rushed my way back down, darting past bustling Jedi in the halls of the Temple, and finally reached the hangar bay. Right away I spotted Key who had kept all his men by the Gun Ship.

"Let's go Key!" I said triumphantly as if we'd just won something.

He jumped up and pointed the remaining 5 Troopers to the ship.

"Hustle men hustle! We have a General to rescue!"

I was the last one on and this time when I grabbed onto the handles of the ship, I felt ready. Not afraid.