The woman and the monster fell into the grotto with an enormous splash that sent water in very direction but down and a weight the equivalent of a bantha came crashing on top of her. The Tokep screamed and flailed once submerged, sending bubbles every which way, but the heavy creature couldn't float and pinned Molindi to the bottom of the pond with its massive, gargantuan form.

It both surprised and terrified the woman when she realized the pond may have been standard in size, but the center dove between fifteen to twenty feet, far enough down to where she couldn't make out the tree above anymore.

She struggled to push the writhing Tokep off as the only oxygen she had was compressed out by the weight of the monster, but to no avail. Her lungs were on fire and the corners of her vision were going dark. Though the exposure to the water seemed to be having the desired affect, looking as if to melt the slimy skin and flesh from its bones, what remained of the Tokep had laid across her chest like a log. Immovable.

Bits and pieces of the monster's body had detached and were floating around her head like little water fairies when two more pale bodies taller than a gunship slammed into the water above her. They'd barely touched the surface when the flailing and screaming started up again, the sound so high and massive in volume that she felt her eardrums would burst. But losing her hearing wouldn't matter if she didn't survive.

She tried with everything she had, putting forth all of her effort and adrenaline into performing one last incredible feat to save herself from a watery grave, but it was all in vain. The pressure simultaneously suffocating and crushing her was too much to bare.

It was a strange thing to think- that out of all the times she could've died, out of all the ways Molindi could have met her end, drowning had never crossed her mind. She wasn't complaining; there were worse ways to go and she knew that for a fact. And as the rest of her vision finally began to fade into darkness, Molindi was happy that she'd watched Rex, Axel, and General Skywalker run ahead. At least she knew that the people she cared about would be safe.

Her only regret was that she hadn't started something with the other commander. She could feel her heart being pulled towards him ever since their first conversation, and she let her past get in the way of a potential future with someone she genuinely liked. Even if it led to nowhere, even if their romance was destined to be short-lived, at least she would've tried. And Bren would've been proud of her for that.

Then her eyes closed and her pulse faded before disappearing into the abyss with her.

***

Rex had never ran so hard in his life. Whatever fatigue he'd felt before was gone and his legs were numb to any pain as he sprinted back down the path they'd come. He wasn't sure if he was going the right way, considering all the different twists and turns the jungle could've tricked him into taking, but there was no turning back now.

It still took him at least ten minutes before the clone heard the frantic sound of a baby Eletai calling for help and followed it back to the pond.

On the shallow bank of the grotto stood the Eletai child, its trunk waving rapidly back and forth to get the clone's attention, then began to blow its trunk at the center of the pond. The clear liquid had turned as white as a ghost, the same shade as the slimy Tokep, with bits and pieces of white matter bobbing up and down on the surface. Before the puzzle even fully came together, he knew Molindi was under it all and the clone dove into the murky depths below.

The three Tokep had almost fully fallen apart, leaving behind nothing but bones and piles of white flesh that gathered on the pond's floor. At first glance, he almost thought that Molindi wasn't there, that maybe the Eletai was just acting weird and he'd jumped into a pit of decomposing flesh for nothing. But then his eye caught the sight of a tan hand poking out from the beneath the destruction and he swam down to dig her out.

He pushed away the mountain of dead flesh to reveal the skeletons on top of the woman and began the process of pulling off each heavy bone. Though the beasts must've been even heavier when fully put together, it took a minute before the clone pushed and pulled and dug enough to finally grab her by her hand and bring her body to the surface.

Once to the shore, Rex laid her on her back. Her eyes were closed and her skin was turning blue from the lack of oxygen; it was an eerie sight to see after witnessing the lively woman's personality. He shook his head and put his ear next to her mouth. She wasn't breathing. He had no idea how long she'd been under or if she even stood of chance of being revived, but Rex was determined to try. He had to try. Thinking back to his basic training, Rex placed his hands over her sternum and began to apply chest compressions, counting with every push.

She couldn't die, not now and not like this. Not after all the crazy shit they'd been through throughout this entire mission. Not after surviving an attack from a living plant-wall, a gorog, and a sith all in the time span of twenty-four hours. If she could survive that, then a few minutes under water sure as Hell wouldn't stop her. At least, that's what he kept telling himself as the minutes dragged on with no response and he began to alternate between compressions and mouth-to-mouth.

"Come on, Lindi," Rex begged as he reverted back to compressions. It had been five minutes since he pulled her cold body back from the pond and still no response. The Eletai watched from afar, but even the baby animal seemed to have lost hope as well as it sat on the ground, its ears hanging over its face and small muffled whimpering sounds murmured from its trunk. Regardless, he kept pressing. "Come on, Molindi, come on!"

He was desperate; he was desperate in a way that he still didn't fully understand, but wanted to with everything he had. Though they hadn't known each other for long, he knew deep down that there was something between them. Even if it was just a spark, it was still something and he would never be able to explore it with her if she was dead. With each press, each attempt to get her heart started again, his desperation only grew and for the first time in his life he was genuinely scared to the bone.

Out of all his time in the military, all his years fighting in a war him and his brothers had been bred to fight for, not once had he ever felt this feeling before. The Tokep had made him run in the opposite direction, but this was a new kind of fear he couldn't explain in a way others would understand. Hell, he himself couldn't comprehend it; all he knew was that he needed to get Molindi breathing again. He needed to see her smile and hear her crack jokes and say bad puns and do amazing shit that he could never do, because going on after meeting someone that gets your blood pumping through your veins and calms your anxieties simultaneously is something he didn't want to experience. He didn't want to keep going through the motions til the last clanker gets shot and the Seppies give up. Not without her.

He needed something. Anything.

***

The water burst from her mouth and the woman rolled over on her side to expel the rest of the liquid from her lungs, spitting out the last of it and gasping for air as she lay on the ground.

"Holy kriff," A voice said from beside her and she felt two strong arms wrap her in a tight embrace, pulling her cold body close. She couldn't remember what happened or where she was; her chest hurt and her lips felt weird. But somehow, deep down, her instincts told her she was safe and that was enough for her. Molindi did her best to wrap her weak arms around the person holding her and pressed her body against their's. "You scared the shit out of me."

As her eyes began to adjust and she began to take in her surroundings, recalling the events that had taken place before, it wasn't hard to figure out who had pulled her from the water. From the way their bodies fit together when Rex caught her in the arena, how he wasn't afraid to use force on her if it meant keeping her alive, it was enough of a clue without having to look at his face.

"I just had the weirdest dream," She coughed out weakly and Rex's body shook against hers as he chuckled. He pulled his face away from her, though still holding her limp figure close, and smiled. "I could've sworn someone was kissing me a few seconds ago." Molindi teased, having some sort of inkling as to why her chest would be bruised in the morning and her lips being somewhat plump.

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow in fake surprise. She nodded and was about to say something else before Axel and General Skywalker burst from within the foliage of the jungle, even more disheveled than they'd been before as they brushed off fallen leaves and tangled weeds from their shoulders and heads. Upon seeing the two commanders, both the mens' eyes widened and they sprinted over to the duo.

"What the hell happened?" Axel questioned with concern as he slid to a fast stop and knelt down next to Rex. "Why didn't you follow us? You're the one who told us to run in the first place!"

"First off, I'm fine, thanks for aski-" She gasped in pain as she tried to get to her feet but collapsed back into Rex's arms. Rex, Axel, and General Skywalker all exchanged worried looks as the woman began to cough, splattering drops of blood from her lips into her hand. "Okay...maybe not..."

"We need to get her some serious medical attention," Axel stated to the men, then turned to look back at his commander, gently placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "You talked about those guardian angels- the Chitodi-"

"Chitau-" She cut him off but was then stopped as well as another fit of coughing shook her body to its core and the droplets of blood turned into a small stream. "Chitauri..." Her voice was weak, too weak, and her eyelids began to drift shut as the injured woman started faltering in and out of consciousness.

"Hey, Commander," Rex slid his hand to the back of her neck to keep her head propped up, trying to keep the worry in his voice from showing too much. "Hey, stay with us. Where are the Chitauri? Do you have any idea how we can find them?" With the strength she had left, she shook her head and lifted an exhausted hand towards the grotto.

"I don't, but he does." She barely managed to murmur the words before her eyes rolled back and her head sagged forward; Axel and Rex barely managed to steady her again before she could fall to the ground. Though a little hesitant, they followed her gaze and saw the little Eletai still sitting on the bank of the pond, its tail wagging nervously as he watched the group of four. The three men exchanged glances.

"Well, I guess we follow him." The general sighed and led the way towards the animal, followed by Axel and Rex carrying Molindi's motionless body, hoping against the odds that maybe they could save her the way she saved the Eletai.

_____

Hey guys, I just wanted to let everyone know that this book is going to be extremely long, like maybe 3 or 4 times the length of my usual stories (which usually tap out at around 35 chapters). We've barely scratched the surface of Molindi and her squad's journey so if you were wondering how long this book was going to be, I'm planning on around 100-ish chapters (maybe longer depending on how long the missions end up being).

Sorry for the confusion but I hope you've all liked that story so far. :)

~Madness