The droids weapons are up, ready to fire. I take a quick sweep of our numbers. I find myself closer to Obi-Wan, back-to-back.

"Got another round in you?" I whisper to him.

"Do you?"

"I almost feel offended that you asked that."

A loud noise erupts overhead, and everyone's heads and eyes go skyward.

"Look!" Padmé says.

Gunships descend on the arena, opening fire on the droid circle surrounding us. And just like that, the battle resumes. We continue fighting on the ground as the ships swoop in to grab handfuls of us out of here. As a ship lands nearby, I'm tugged on by Obi-Wan to get in. I pull Padmé in with me, Anakin is not far behind. The clones are finally in action. I recognize the armor from the time Ben and I visited Kamino.

We're lifted out of the arena, only to be flown into a much bigger battle that has started outside. Having the higher view, the blaster fire, clones, and droids all look like specs.

"Hold on!" Obi-Wan demands. We all take a grip overhead. I hiss as thumb, the one which I had dislocated and put back, gives a faint throb.

We make our way through the battle, our ship returning fire. Anakin calls for the gunner to aim right above the fuel cells up ahead. As they explode, they fall onto the droids. Obi-Wan commends his apprentice's call in the fight.

I watch as a few gunships land, and a few sabers ignite. I watch as the Jedi fight alongside the clones against the droids. It feels wrong, though, to see Jedi in battle. They're peacekeepers, not soldiers. When did that ever become part of their duty and title?

Apparently, today, it seems.

"Attack those Federation starships, quickly!" Obi-Wan shouts up ahead. I'm too focused on the ground fighting to even notice any ships taking off.

A huge dust storm suddenly kicks up, giving us limited visibility. Down below, I can see exchanges of blaster fire and the occasional lightsaber. I can roughly see where the line is between the droids and the clones.

"Look over there!" says Obi-Wan, pointing.

We've made our way out through the dust cloud. Now that the path is clear, we can see a speeder, with a cape billowing from the speed, and two ships flanking it.

"It's Dooku," Anakin says. "Shoot him down!"

"We're out rockets, sir," says the one clone in the cockpit.

"Follow him, then," I order the clone.

"We're gonna need some help!" Padmé insists.

"There isn't time," says Ben. "Anakin and I can handle this."

"And what about me?" I inquire. "I deserve a piece in this."

Suddenly, the two ships flanking Dooku break off. I watch as they circle behind us and begin firing. The ship sways as the clone drives us away from the blaster-fire.

We encounter a hill of sand, and the bottom part of the ship takes a hit against it. It sends the ship leaning towards one side, and my feet are slipping out from under me. I hear Padmé scream in my ear, and without thinking, I let myself fall after her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see white armor—a clone has lost his footing and is falling with us.

The ship continues on without the three of us as we head for the sea of sand.

My shoulder takes the brunt of the fall, and something feels fractured, or broken. Using that arm is a little tender. Covered in sand, with it in places I don't like very much, I go to Padmé. She's unconscious.

"Padmé." I shake her gently. "Hey, come on, wake up." Don't be dead. Please don't be dead. It'll be on me if you die. Ten years of my life will have been all for nothing if I lose you now.

I look to the skies. The gunship we were just on is long gone, and it doesn't seem like it's going to make its way back to us anytime soon. We might be stranded out here until someone—or something—finds us.

At a stir underneath me, I sit back in the sand as Padmé wakes up.

"Oh, thank the stars," I whisper.

"Thea?"

"I'm here."

"Did you—did you jump after me?"

"No, I fell after you. There's a difference." I smile thinly. "We need to work on our landings, though." As I get to my feet, I reach down and offer her a hand. I wait patiently as she gingerly gets up out of the sand. I help her dust off, and I shake out my clothes. I still feel sand in unwelcome places.

"Are they circling back for us?"

"If they've got eyes on Dooku still, I doubt it." I look towards the path the gunship went in. I want to get back in the air, I want to follow that trail. I want to be there when Anakin and Obi-Wan confront Dooku. I want to remind him that I am not the woman he heard about from Lord Sidious. I want to show him that I am Thea Skywalker, bodyguard to Senator Amidala.

"Was it just us that fell?" Padmé asks me.

"No, I saw a clone fall out, too." I turn to my right. He's already on his way to us, muddling his way through the uneven sandy ground. He doesn't seem to be injured; if he is, it's very minor and not noticeable.

"We better get back to the forward command center," the clone insists once he reaches us.

"No," Padmé and I say in unison.

"Gather the troops that you have, we've got to get to that hangar. Get a transport. Hurry!"

"Right away!" the clone responds. He starts to run back the way we were just coming from, Padmé and I tail him without hesitation.

It feels like it takes us forever to reach the transport, and for the clone to assemble his small team of troops. I feel like barking orders to the clones to haul ass and move faster. I can sense my brother and friend in danger through the Force.

Once we're all situated, Padmé gives them direction, and we're off towards the hangar. We all hold on tight, and it feels like a long journey just to get to where we want to go.

Soon, the hangar is within sight. I want to leap off the transport, but the distance is too far, and even with the Force, the leap won't reach. Instead, I have to wait impatiently, lightsaber shaking in my trembling hand.

The second the transport reaches the hangar, I'm the first off, barreling inside. I hear blaster fire open up behind me, most likely Padmé and some clones firing off at an escapee.

When I enter inside the dimly light hangar, I get a surprise. Master Yoda is there, and Anakin and Obi-Wan are slowly picking themselves up off the ground. The closer I get, the more I notice that Anakin is missing half of his right arm.

"Did Dooku do this to you?" I ask my little brother.

"I think the pain's stopped."

"So, that's a yes. That slimeball. He got away, didn't he?"

"Unfortunately, he did," says Ben. "I'm sure this won't be the last time we'll see him."

"Well, the next time we do, I'll make sure to get first crack at him." I raise my head. Nobody takes half of my brother's arm and gets away with it unpunished. "Dooku didn't chop a limb off of you, did he?"

"No, but..." Obi-Wan's robes have burnt lines in them.

"The important thing is that you're both alive."

"Don't give us the credit, Master Yoda stepped in to fight Dooku. If he hadn't gotten here, you might not be talking to us right now."

"Oh, really?" It explains the Master's presence. And I missed it. I've only seen the green Jedi Master ever teach younglings at the Temple. I've never seen him in action. The only thing I've ever seen him hold is his cane he uses to help him walk. "Sorry I couldn't be there for the show, or to lend a hand."

"Anakin!"

I step to the side as Padmé runs in to hug him. Ben and I stand beside each other, exchanging thankful looks. But I can feel his worry through the Force. I can feel his fatigue. He looks like he wants nothing more than a good bed and a week's worth of rest.

But thinking about what's outside of this hangar, droids and clones battling each other...

We both know this is far from over.