"They're a ge'hutuun," Cody growled the moment the holo-briefing ended.

"Yes, slave traders are," Obi-Wan stated, looking over the coordinates given with hard eyes. "The men must be prepared for the worst, must be prepared for horrors that can not be fixed."

"Yes, General," Cody nodded, his hand tightening at the blaster at his hip.

"Make it clear that we will not be able to save everyone," Obi-Wan hissed out through clenched teeth, "they use explosive chips to make sure they have complete obedience from the slaves. Chips that can and will be used against us."

Cody snarled, unable to get words out through his clenched teeth.

-----

"Westside boarded!"

"Eastside boarded!"

"Southside boarded!"

"Copy that, northside moving in," Cody stated, nodding over to the General.

They moved quickly and silently through the ship's corridors. They were systematically taking down doors and droids alike, preventing the system's alarm from starting.

A babies cry punched the air, the men freezing only for the slightest moment before charging to the origin.

-----

"We can not have their kind on my planet, we have achieved peace, and this threatens the tranquillity."

"Very well, I take them away and have the doctors look over them straight away," the man nods, signalling two men to take the baby away.

-----

Obi-Wan felt his body freeze up, ice being poured through his veins as the men took the clear Force-sensitive newborn from the Dutchess of Mandalore's arms. His heart felt as if it had shattered as he stared at the woman he once thought he'd leave the Jedi for.

"Sir, we need to reach the cells and medical," Cody stated, slowly resting his hand on the General's shoulder.

"Of course," Obi-Wan nodded, moving away from the door and moving further down the ship with the men.

-----

Cody felt his eyes narrow; the doctors were strapping the baby to a table. The ad'ika was screaming his lungs off. Scanning the room, Cody could see two doctors and at least five guards around the room.

Obi-Wan looked around Cody's shoulder, his eyes narrowing down on the chipper being brought towards the newborn. The panic that flooded the Force, the agony of the screams the newborn shouted out gripped Obi-Wan tightly.

Cody's eyes widened as the General barged past him, partly shoving him into the wall. Shaking himself slightly, he charged out alongside the Jedi, watching as the man's lightsabre slashed its way through the doctors.

Obi-Wan slowly came to, vision clearing from red. Looking around, all the opposition was gone, sliced or blasted. Glancing out with The Force, he felt that most, if not all, their lives had already passed. But one shape, unfamiliar sparkled brightly, that hidden behind the pain, was a star - so bright and pure with The Force that it almost blinded him.

Obi-Wan slowly deactivated his lightsaber and walked over to the newborn. Keeping his presence comforting, he clipped his lightsaber away and picked up the baby. He could not help but smile as the child wrapped themselves around him, clutching tightly in The Force. Time seemed to freeze as the newborn took comfort and support from Obi-Wan.

The moment was ruined as the situation took a more profound twist, The Force filled with panic and dread. The beeps of a comm filling the room.

Cody quickly answered the comm, his face twisting in rage. "General Kenobi," he spoke, hanging up the comm, "the slavers have initiated the ships self-destruct."

Obi-Wan could not hold back the wave of anger as it flooded over him. As the child squirmed, trying to get away, he quickly buried it, sending more calming waves towards the newborn. "Alert the men, full retreat. Get as many free as we can."

"Yes, sir," Cody nodded, relaying the order over the comms. "Sir, we need to go," Cody stated, nodding to the newborn, "you need to get the ad'ika out of here."

"Yes, lead on, Commander," Obi-Wan nodded, pulling the child tighter to his chest.

-----

"Sir, Tec, just commed, they patched into the ship's mainframe," Cody called as they raced through the corridor, "he can not stop the self-destruct but have told us there are just two minutes left; in the sequence."

"How far is the ship?" Obi-Wan called, focusing on making sure the newborn wasn't jolted too much.

"Just over one minute, sir," Cody stated.

"We need to hurry, then," Obi-Wan nodded, increasing his pace.

"Yes, sir," Cody nodded, increasing his pace as well, even through the protests, muscles beyond their max.

The two continued to sprint, ignoring their screaming muscles before coming to a skidding halt.

"You are not going anywhere," the man growled, holding up a blaster, standing right in the middle of the corridor.

"Get out of the way," Cody snarled, raising his blaster.

"Slaves, all three of you," the man hissed, "slaves that deserve to die. Doesn't a Captain go down with the ship?"

"Not a Captain, nor is this my ship," Cody growled, sending bolts down at the man. He continued to fire, charging the man as he dodged the returned bolts.

Obi-Wan was almost snarling as he collected The Force and sent it towards the slaver, sending the monster off balance long enough for Cody to kill him.

"Let's go," Cody shouted, already heading down with blaster drawn.

-----

"General!" The men shouted, holding open the blast doors as they attempted to close. "Commander!"

Obi-Wan didn't answer as he continued to run. He clutched the newborn to his chest, trying to keep the head as stable as possible.

"Hurry!"

The floor vibrated beneath their feet, rocking as an explosion started through the hull of the ship. They could feel the heat of the fire branching out against their back.

"General, run!" Cody shouted, his foot catching slightly on the upturning floor panels.

Gathering The Force, Obi-Wan powered forwards, the heat-reducing from his back. Getting through to the dropship, Obi-Wan watched as the cloud of fire approached Cody. He could feel the fear and screams of the newborn, but his ears were deafened.

-----

Obi-Wan groaned, his ears ringing loudly. From his position on the floor, he felt out. The Force was screaming around him, empty in two spots. Glancing around, he saw the clones all staggering to their feet, all but one.

Cody was lying stationary, looking as if he'd collided with the wall.

Looking down, Obi-Wan's breath stilled. The newborn was still.

"-General? General Kenobi, can you hear me?"

Looking up, Obi-Wan blinked as he saw Wrap standing over him.

"I'm going to hold the newborn while you're sedated," Wrap explained, leaning down to hold the child, "you were caught in the sonic blast; we want to check for injuries, okay?"

"Okay-?" Obi-Wan replied, his mind too frozen to act as the child was removed from his arms. He felt the world start to blur before going dark as the hypo was injected into his neck.

-----

"The shockwave was too much for the newborn's lungs; the death was instant," Wrap stated, facing down an angry-looking General Skywalker, "General Kenobi has some internal bleeding but should heal with bacta assistance; by the end of the week."

"What- What about Cody?" Obi-Wan groaned out, eyes flickering opening.

The room went silent, filling with awkward tension.

"How is he?" Obi-Wan groaned, turning his head to look at the two.

"There was a secondary eruption that was a lot closer, the Commander was caught up in the shockwave alongside yourself, but the pressure launched him," Wrap spoke, "the Commander collided with the wall. Between the shockwave and collision, he sustained fatal injuries throughout his body."

Obi-Wan felt the grief and sorrow as it rocked through him.

"He would not have been in pain; it all happened too quickly for him to feel anything," Wrap said, trying to reassure and calm the General.

Skywalker slowly reached out, resting his hand on Wrap's shoulder as the medic went to step forwards. Shaking his head, he led the two out of the room to leave Obi-Wan alone.

Obi-Wan tipped his head back, staring up at the ceiling. As tears streamed from his eyes, he subconsciously reached out with The Force for the comforting, calm and supportive feeling he'd grown used to for the past two years–

–and found nothing but emptiness.

-----

Demons run when a good Jedi goes to war,
Night will fall and drown the sun,
When a good Jedi goes to war.

Friendship dies, and true love lies,
Night will fall, and the dark will rise,
When a good Jedi goes to war.

Demons run but count the cost.
The battle's won, but the child is lost.

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