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GOLDIE CRIED OUT in frustration, the muscles in her arms trembled with exhaustion as she tried to keep Ventress' red saber away from her face. Her shoulder wound hurt and the smell of burned flesh made her sick to her stomach.

Ventress' ice blue eyes sparkled with madness and she smiled wickedly with barren teeth.

'Hang on, Goldie!' Anakin yelled while he fought his way to her. Many battle droids blocked his path and as he was focussed upon them, some commando droids reached the hallway that lead to the Crystal Cave.

Anakin lost his temper when a droid tried to shoot him from behind and after he deflected the laser bolt, he Force blasted the battle droids towards Ventress. The machines soared through the temple and Ventress raised one hand to push them into another direction. In an arc, the droids flew over their heads and crash landed on the floor next to them; piling up in a heap of confused droids.

Goldie used the distraction to gather one last burst of energy. With a scream, she forced Ventress' lightsaber farther away from her and she brought up her hips.

The assassin of the Sith was launched into the air but she made a head roll close over the floor, landing in a crouched position, alternatively from smacking face first on the marble floor.

Goldie struggled back on her feet, her forehead glistening with cold sweat and her breathing heavy. She pressed her injured arm against her chest, holding the lightsaber in her right hand instead of her left. Now that the last of her energy was slowly leaving her body, she could barely move it but luckily she could fight with her right hand as well. Master Fisto taught her so.

Anakin reached her side and he shortly placed a hand on her back, glancing at her in concern. 'Are you alright?'

Goldie nodded, not able to answer without a cracking voice and when she looked around her, she noticed that most droids were destroyed, apart from the pile several feet away; their metal limbs entangled with each other and making them unable to break free from the heap.

Now, it was just them and Ventress.

Ventress turned around as she gracefully raised herself to her full length. She twirled the lightsaber in her hand while she walked to them, but then she stopped and tilted her head. As if she was listening to something.

Suddenly, she grinned. 'Sorry, darlings. Looks like we have what we came for, we shall continue this some other time.'

Goldie and Anakin crossed eyes, somewhat confused but quickly turned their attention back at Ventress.

Ventress gestured around them. 'Ruin,' she explained, 'and death. . .' She retracted her lightsaber and ran to the shattered door of the temple. She jumped through the opening and disappeared into the snowy landscape.

Anakin wanted to follow her but Goldie held him back by grabbing his wrist, hissing in pain as she used her injured arm. He couldn't face her alone and she was in no shape to fight. The exhaustion caused her to see some dark spots dancing in front of her and it felt as if she could pass out any moment.

However, she shook it off when Ventress' words started to make sense and her eyes widened.

'Anakin,' Goldie said in a whisper. 'The younglings. . .'

Anakin's head snapped to the direction of the tunnel. 'Ahsoka.'

He ran to the stairs and Goldie followed as fast as she could, her discomfort cast away to the background.

Their footsteps sounded hollow as they descended the spiral stairs and the temperature dropped noticeably as ice started to cover the walls as well.

Down in the cave, they were met with a dozen of destroyed battle and commando droids; their heads severed from their body and the cut electricity wires were still sizzling and crackling. The snow under them melted and revealed the pebbles that covered the ground of the cave.

Carefully, Anakin and Goldie stepped over the droids and when they rounded a corner, Goldie froze in her step, feeling like the air was knocked out of her lungs.

'Oh no. . .'

Ahsoka kneeled between the bodies of seven younglings while the remaining four were huddled together in a dark corner. The padawan slowly raised her head, her puffy red eyes capturing those of her master.

'I couldn't protect them,' she said with a sob, and Anakin rushed to her, placing both hands of her shoulders and forcing her to look at him.

'These deaths are not your fault, Ahsoka,' he said. 'You did everything you could.'

Goldie crouched down next to a youngling and searched for a pulse, but the only thing she felt was the coldness of the lifeless body. She shook her head to Anakin and his face saddened.

'If it is anyone's fault,' he continued to Ahsoka, and wiping away a tear from her cheek. 'It those of the Separatists.'

Goldie sighed. Ruin and death indeed. The Separatists had blasted a hole right through the Jedi hearts.

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'KENOBI, MASTER KENOBI!' Jaira's voice shot through the communicator, just mere seconds after the Star Destroyer left hyperspace.

Obi-Wan frowned, the padawan sounded scared.

'General Grievous has my master!' she  yelled, and Eerie wasted no time. She ran closer to the window, on the look-out for Grievous' ship.

'There,' Eerie said, pointing at a small ship in the distance. It was missing the red streaks of the Republic on the outside, it had to be the General's.

'Can we place a tracker?' she asked Obi-Wan, and she feared she already knew the answer when his silence lasted too long.

'No, they are out of range.'

Eerie's attention shot between the fast-moving ship and master Kenobi. 'But,' she started, 'we can't just them go?!'

'There is nothing we can do at the moment.' Obi-Wan felt horrible for saying it but he had stay reasonable.

A determination grew within Eerie, her grey eyes burning like fire. 'There is always something we can do. You could send me or Jaira after him, we'll place the tracker ourselves.'

Obi-Wan wanted to response but then the door to bridge opened with a whoosh and Jaira stumbled inside.

'What's the plan?' she asked out of breath.

'Nothing,' Obi-Wan answered before turning back to Eerie. 'By the time you're in the starfighter, Grievous has long entered hyperspace. However, you are right: there is indeed something we can do. We can destroy that blockade around Ilum and give the Separatists a reason to never return to this system while saving the lives of the ones trapped on the planet.'

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