𝕮𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡, 2
━━ 𝙒𝘼𝙍 𝘿𝙍𝙐𝙈𝙎

━━ 𝘎𝘌𝘖𝘕𝘖𝘚𝘐𝘚
𝟸𝟹 𝙱𝙱𝚈

Deafening cheers erupt all around them and Selyn is momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight as their chariot is pulled into a sand-coloured arena. Thousands upon thousands of Geonosians fill the ranks above them, eagerly anticipating their hopefully horrible and gruesome deaths. Selyn spots Nadia, Obi-Wan and Padmé already tied to large pillars of red stone and is briefly relieved.

She desperately tries to calm her nerves, but she can't stop fear from blooming inside her chest, making it hard to speak. But Anakin to her side gives her reassurance, seeing the broad shoulders and wide stance in her periphery calms her, gives her something to cling to.

But there's no one she'd rather have by her side to die with than him.

"Are you scared?" she whispers, turning her head to Anakin.

His eyes find hers and her heart twists painfully at how beautifully the sun lights them up, at how lucky she is to have him looking at her like that in what might be her last moments.

"Yes," he answers. "But here's my second promise to you: this is not the end. It can't be. Our story is far from over. We will live and we will love."

It's more than a promise, it's more than just pretty words strung together - it's an oath, and she knows in her heart that he will move the heavens to keep it. Just as she would, too.

Selyn's hand finds his despite the shackles, and she manages to wrap her pinkie around his. "I'm planning on living a full and happy life with you," she says firmly.

For a few seconds they keep their eyes locked, as if by not letting go they could preserve this moment forever.

Their chariot passes the other three. Padmé looks determined, Nadia calm and Obi-Wan...incredibly annoyed.

"I thought this was supposed to be a rescue mission," he shouts towards Anakin, glancing towards his own tied hands. "Well done, you."

"We got caught up," Anakin calls back. "Slight change of plans. We'll have to improvise from now on."

Obi-Wan sighs exasperatedly, shaking his head. "Don't we always."

Their wagon comes to a halt, and their guards force them to leave it, pulling on their chains with impatience. The noise in the arena becomes almost unbearable, tension rising as their execution comes closer. Selyn is tied to the tall pillar by long chains hands above her head. To her left she sees Padmé fumble with her shackles and can't help but smile at the senator's wit.

The chariots retreat, leaving the five of them alone in the middle of the arena. Massive doors bolted with huge blocks of wood rumble as they're struggled to be opened.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Anakin says uncomfortably.

But before Selyn can so much as worry about what is waiting for them behind those doors, something in the atmosphere shifts. She feels an energy awakening within the arena, like a serpent raising its head, lazily, but with deadly intent, ready to attack. A ripple spreads throughout the ranks as countless Geonosians rise from their seats and flee into the sky, wings flapping, buzzing around like scared insects.

The next second, Selyn knows why. Lightsabers ignite all throughout the arena, bold, signalling willingness to fight amidst the panicked Geonosians. Green and blue light flashes from all sides as countless Jedi leap onto the ground, casting off their robes and raising their sabers. Aayla Secura rushes to free Selyn from her shackles, tossing her a lightsaber which she catches easily, a blue blade extending in the same heartbeat.

Blaster fire follows Mace Windu as he smoothly lands on the arena floor, his smoking robe sliding off his shoulders as he lifts his legendary purple lightsaber, ready to attack.

The Jedi's strike team has arrived, and with them the concentrated and deadly capable power of all the Jedi, worthy of the heroism from which myths are born.

Relief floods through Selyn, making her knees buckle. She doesn't have to face the humiliation of being eaten by some gruesome creature with hideous geonosians watching. They are rescued.

But her ears pick up a distant rumble, like a million heavy footsteps approaching, signaling that this battle is far from over. She remembers the droid army that Anakin mentioned and her heart sinks as sand-coloured droids stream into the arena, blasters raised, their long, slim faces fixed on the Jedi throughout spread all around them.

The world erupts into chaos. The fire of blasters and cannons alike, mixed with the shouting of the Jedi coordinating their attack is deafening. Adrenaline pumps through her veins, suppressing every other thought as Selyn charges forward, legs barely hitting the ground as she runs towards the Seperatist army with the other Jedi by her side, sabers raised, their colours flashing all around her.

She deflects one laser bolt after the other, ducking and dodging and slicing through thin metal bodies, not stopping once to savour her small victories as she cuts down droid after droid. She merely allows herself to feel some grim satisfaction as she hears one lifeless frame after the other dropping to the ground behind her, leaving only smoking remnants of battle machines in her path.

Anakin is by her side, cutting through the enemy's forces viciously. It doesn't take them long to fall into their familiar patterns of protecting each other and attacking together, twice as strong and fighting as one.

She spots Nadia, too; with her unseeing eyes and calm face she seems as if she isn't even truly present, subdued in her mind and what the force is telling her, and thus fighting the droids with ease. Like the eye of a storm.

As Selyn sees the first Jedi die beside her, she is violently reminded that this isn't just a game. The dead, wide-open eyes of the twi-lek tell her, no scream at her silently that this is war. Real, actual war where their enemies are countless and shoot to kill.

Panic rises within her as their numbers dwindle further and further and she can't bear look at all the bodies littering the ground around them. The remaining Jedi have formed a circle in the centre of the arena, lightsabers still raised in defiance. But Selyn knows that they are not far from being finished. She is glad to see the senator still alive, though.

Another Jedi drops to the ground beside her as laser bolts rip through his tunic. She can't avert her eyes from the smoking, horrible hole in his chest. Tears threaten to form in her eyes. She has never seen so much death before.

Her sight is blurry and that's why she doesn't see the flash of red light coming. It tears through the white fabric covering her chest and stings horribly as it burns away the first few layers of skin at the side of her waist.

Pain unlike anything else she's felt before spreads from the wound, drowning her thoughts in red-tinted agony. It burns and it hurts as if her skin had been ripped open by clawed hands. She drops to her knees, unable to stand any longer, barely feeling the rough stone.

She hears Anakin call her name, distantly, as if through hazy fog that is like acid on her tongue. He fights like a demon, his saber blurry, the sky blue light staying imprinted on her vision as she closes her eyes.

She feels his hands around her shoulder, pulling her deeper into the safety of the Jedi surrounding them and laying her to the ground.

"Selyn, look at me," he urges, gently shaking her shoulder.

She groans and obeys, opening her eyes.

He assesses the damage. "You were lucky. This is only a surface wound. But it surely hurts like hell," he adds grimly, and orders: "Breathe calmly, Selyn, can you do that for me?"

She tries, each rise and fall of her chest sending further pain light bolts of lightning throughout her body, but slowly, ever so slowly the pain ebbs until at least the red fog in her mind is gone and she is able to focus again.

"You need medical care, and I promise you will get that, but first we have to get out of here, alright?" Anakin's voice is gentle. "I know it hurts but you will have to try to stand and fight. There are not many of us left."

Selyn swallows. The pain is still searing hot, and her side feels as if it is on fire, but she thinks she can manage that. She has to.

She stretches out her hand. "Help me up, will you?"

Anakin pulls her up and a wave of dizziness hits her. He holds her until she can see clearly again.

Together, they step out of the circular formation the Jedi have formed around them. Selyn tightens her grip around her saber, forcing the pain to become nothing but a distant ache.

She narrows her eyes, fixating on the droids before them, and their merciless firepower. The golden blades of her lightsaber hum around her, thrumming with energy, waiting to be unleashed on this army they're facing.

"Not the end, right?"

Anakin ignites his lightsaber. "Never."

And together they leap forward, violent and deadly, unyielding in the face of certain doom. The weight of the necklace is reassuring against her neck, and she is glad to have Anakin's gift with her.

They put up a good fight, but the droids are closing in, and there are far too many of them; deep down they all know that there's no way out. And apparently Count Dooku knows so, too, because with a simple gesture of his hand his army suddenly stops firing.

Selyn turns her head upwards to look at the Count, who is standing on a platform carved into the stone high above them, like a ruler looking down on his subjects.

His voice rings through the arena. "Master Windu, you have fought gallantly, worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi order. Now it is finished."

The Jedi around her lower their weapons carefully, exhausted by the fight but still alert.

"Surrender, and your lives will be spared."

But Windu is unyielding. However much Selyn is often irritated by his behaviour, now she is impressed by his strength. "We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku!"

The Count lowers his head as if he has expected nothing less. "Then, I am sorry, old friend," he answers gravely.

The clicking of metal pieces fitting into place echoes through the arena as the droid army readies itself to deliver the killing blow.

And if we die today know this: in our short lives the best thing that happened to me, was you.

Anakin's words ring in her ears, and it comforts her that he knows at least that she feels the same. That she got to kiss him again, and that she has found the bravery to speak out loud what is in her heart.

But suddenly the sky darkens. She can hear a distant rumble, like a thousand engines.

"Look!" Padmè shouts, pointing towards the sky.

From Geonosis' dusty atmosphere and yellow clouds a group of battle ships descends.

They're gunships, Selyn realizes. Republic gunships. And they're crowded with men in white armour she has never seen before.

They fire mercilessly at the Seperatist army, creating a safe perimeter around the Jedi left standing. As the droid's numbers cease the ships land around them, soldiers jumping off without hesitation and instantly engaging in combat, giving the Jedi enough cover so that they can save themselves by jumping on the gunships.

Anakin supports Selyn by holding her by the arm, and she is thankful for that because the pain has returned with unparalleled brutality now, tainting her vision with little white specks.

The metal floor of the ship sways and red dust is stirred up by the powerful engines as they ascend into the safety of the sky, leaving the arena and its deadly threat behind. Selyn collapses towards the floor, the cold metal offering some relief from that searing pain. Anakin is standing right next to her, watching her carefully without overstepping the display of friendship that they're allowed. She rests her head against his leg though, grateful even for the smallest touch.

One of the soldiers kneels down beside her, removing his helmet and critically analysing her wound. "You've been fried, huh?"

Selyn groans. "I suppose you could put it that way, yeah."

"Stay still," he orders. "You need medical treatment."

She raises an eyebrow, gazing to the black and red wound gaping at her side. "Oh, do I?" she asks dryly.

The man chuckles. "I'm the captain of the 501st legion, by the way. CT-7567."

"That's an easy name to remember."

Their ship dips lower unexpectedly, evading fire of the war machines that must have followed their escape.

"It's my identification number – I'm a clone, you see."

Selyn's mouth forms an o-shape. Clones.

The man crouching before her grins. "But you can call me Rex."

She manages a smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Selyn."

Her gaze drifts to the Seperatist's war machines readying themselves for combat on the ground below, and she thinks about this clone army that is on her side now. Strangely enough, she can't tell which army she considers to be more ethical. It should be the Republic's, shouldn't it? After all they're defending their values of freedom and democracy.

But she can't help thinking that using droids instead of men might be more merciful. At least the Seperatists have no deaths to mourn. And the fact that the Republic's soldiers are clones evokes a strange feeling within her. She thinks of Rex' identification number, just one soldier amongst many who doesn't even have the luxury of individuality.

The ship sways again, more violently this time, and everyone in it slides to the right. Rex holds her just in time before she falls off the ship, but the impact of his hand on her side is painful enough to send dark spots dancing around her vision.

She winces as a new wave of agony rolls over her. It's too much. Too painful.

Darkness is as welcoming as an old friend as it finally takes her in, consciousness slips away through her finders like fine sand and the world around her goes black.

✧･ﾟ:* 𝕬𝘜𝘛𝘏𝘖𝘙'𝘚 𝘕𝘖𝘛𝘌 *:･ﾟ✧

sooo...things will be getting serious now hehe 🤪🤪 we about to enter the interesting part. we got to see selyns relationship to the war in its roots, there's gonna be some good tasty development based on that 😋👀

also ABSOLUTELY skipping all those arena fighting scenes because I cannot be bothered to retell them all 🥴 also you have probably seen the movies, so if you want some spicy giant cockroach fighting action, you know what to do!

also SEXC CLONE WARS ACTION! YES!! and title drop hehe

hope you enjoyed! pls tell me what's on your mind 🫶🫶

* 　　　　　 ·

* . • 　 ·

•. ✶

˚ · .　　 ·

*.

|