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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍

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While Obi-Wan went to talk to Cody and the rest of the 212nd, Aurora stayed by the command center with Grizz and Laken. She still wasn't sure of what to make of her new Padawan. But she knew that she would have to work with the Diem girl for now. At least until they made it back to the Jedi Temple. Then Aurora could get some answers to her never-ending questions. On the bright side, the Jinn woman was looking forward to showing Laken what life was like on the battlefield. It would give her some battle experience before they found out whether her assignment was a mistake or not.

Aurora and Grizz were looking over some battle information on the command center's screen. Laken was watching from a few feet away with a stoic look on her face. She hadn't said a word since she introduced herself to her new Master. The Jinn woman knew this was a lot for the young girl. But she also knew the real reason Laken had been so quiet. Buried behind her expressionless look was a hint of emotion that Aurora picked up very quickly. The Diem girl was curious about something and it seemed she had been building up the courage to ask. But her question would have to wait. Not only because they were in the middle of a battle, but because Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex had returned with some very vital information.

After sending Laken to go get Obi-Wan and Cody, Aurora watched as Rex pulled up a map of Christophsis. Not even a second after that passed when he mapped out where the newly discovered energy shield was. The very thing that could give their enemy the upper hand. It wasn't long after that when Laken returned with Obi-Wan and Cody, both ready to join in planning out their next move.

"The shield generator is somewhere in this area," the Kenobi man said while pointing to a spot on the map just outside of the energy shield, "they're slowly increasing the diameter and keeping it just ahead of their troops."

"Heavy cannons are gonna be useless against that," Grizz announced after looking away from the map and at the Jedi.

"As they get closer, I suppose we could try to draw them into the buildings," Obi-Wan suggested without taking his eyes off the map, "that might level the playing field a bit."

Ahsoka's eyes scanned over the map once more before opening her mouth to speak what was on her mind. "If that shield's gonna be such a problem, why don't we just take it out?"

"Easier said than done," Aurora muttered under her breath while the three clones nodded along in agreement. When she earned confused looks from both the Padawans, the Jinn woman continued speaking. "In theory, that's a good plan. But it's reckless. We have no idea exactly where the shield generator is. And even if we did, there's an army of droids nearby. We'd lose too many men trying to get to it. It's too risky."

Silence surrounded them for a moment as they all took in everything that was just said. But it wasn't long before Anakin broke it. "I actually agree with her. Someone has to get to that shield generator and destroy it. That's the key."

"Right, then. Maybe you two can tiptoe through enemy lines and solve this particular problem together," Obi-Wan responded with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, something that went unnoticed by Anakin and his Padawan.

"Can do, Master Kenobi," Ahsoka said without bothering to hide the enthusiasm in her voice.

"I'll decide what we do," the Skywalker boy retaliated, earning an eye roll from Aurora that he chose to ignore.

"If Aurora and I can engage them here," the Kenobi man told them while pointing to an area on the map before his finger moved to another point near the energy shield. "You two might have a chance to get through their lines undetected, here."

"They won't have much time," Rex declared, drawing everyone's attention toward him before he continued speaking, "the droids far outnumber us, so our ability to street fight is limited without the use of heavy cannons. They will march forward under the protection of their shield until they are right on top of our cannons, then they'll blow them away."

"Wait, we're actually going through with this?" Aurora questioned, earning a cocky smirk from Anakin. The Jinn woman simply ignored his grin as she turned her full attention toward Obi-Wan. "This is too risky. There are too many droids. They won't find a way in."

"We'll figure out a way," the Tano girl said with confidence in her voice before looking over her shoulder at Anakin, "come on, Master, let's go."

Without waiting for a response, Ahsoka began walking away from the command center. The Skywalker boy just stared at his remaining allies with a hint of annoyance and shock in his eyes. It wasn't long after that when he raced after his Padawan. When he finally caught up, he said something inaudible to her, completely unaware of everyone watching their actions.

"They make quite a pair, don't they?" Rex said without taking his eyes off the retreating Jedi and his Padawan, "you think they have a chance?"

"They better," the Kenobi man sighed before turning his attention toward his remaining allies, "if they can't turn off that shield generator before it reaches the heavy cannons, there'll be no escape for any of us."

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Cannon fire was the only thing that could be heard as the droid continued to approach them. But their attacks did nothing to the Separatists' shield. The closer their enemy got to them, the more Aurora's nerves grew. Their energy shield still stood strong without any signs of coming down anytime soon. And the longer they stood there, the more the Jinn woman began to think that Anakin's reckless plan wouldn't work. They were able to lose so many clones to something that could've been easily avoided. However, that could be said about a lot of lost lives during the Clone Wars.

"That shield is certainly putting a crimp in my day," Obi-Wan sighed while looking at their approaching enemy through his binoculars.

"It's no use, sir! Even at full power the cannon doesn't affect it," Cody announced with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"I told you this was a terrible idea," Aurora scoffed after lowering her binoculars and looking over at the Kenobi man, who rolled his eyes at her.

"It was worth a try," Obi-Wan retaliated before looking over his shoulder at Cody, Rex, and Grizz, "tell the men to fall back!"

The Jinn woman stood with Laken and Obi-Wan as they watched the clones move their canons. As soon as they were out of sight, the battalion and their allies moved to the nearest buildings. Determination ran through their veins as they made their way up to the roof. The only one who seemed to be hesitant about their movements was Laken, but no one noticed. Or so she thought. It was obvious to Aurora that her Padawan wasn't ready for battle, but there was nothing she could do about that. All she could do was make sure the Diem girl was in the best position to make it out alive.

It wasn't long before they reached their destination. They all did their best to stay out of sight, resulting in most of them staying below the roof's half wall. No one said a word as they listened to their enemy get closer and closer. What felt like an eternity passed when a wall of red passed over them, signaling that they were exactly where they needed to be.

"We're inside the shield. Just stay away from those tanks," Obi-Wan announced before his attention landed on Aurora, "you ready?"

"Always," the Jinn woman responded before looking over at Laken, who still wasn't doing a great job at hiding her true emotions. Aurora just studied her until letting out a long sigh. "I want you to stay with Grizz. You'll be our backup. And make sure to watch out for each other."

After receiving nods in response from both Laken and Grizz, Aurora's attention returned to Obi-Wan. The two of them seemed to have an inaudible conversation before small smiles appeared on their faces. It wasn't long after that when they ignited their lightsabers and jumped over the roof's wall. They blocked all of their enemies' attacks on their way down. As soon as their feet hit the ground, they sprung into action. The two Jedi were in sync as they fought against their enemy. Their lightsabers easily sliced through the droids as they worked to even the odds. But despite how hard they tried, they both knew it would take more than just them to win this battle.

Behind them, the clones did their best to fight against the oncoming droids. They fired their blasters and took out as many robots as they could. Laken fought beside them and used her lightsaber to take out any droid that got close to them. But even though they worked well together and were taking down droids, they soon became overpowered. The Diem girl wanted to stay and fight longer to prove herself to her new Master and her allies. But it was obvious that they wouldn't last much longer. So instead of continuing the battle, she retreated into the building with Grizz, Rex, Cody, and the rest of the clone battalion.

It wasn't long after that when Laken and the clones reunited with Obi-Wan and Aurora. The pair of Jedi had just finished taking out a super battle droid, saving two clones.

"They're right behind us, sir!" Rex called out as he, Grizz, Cody, and Laken approached Obi-Wan and Aurora, "they wiped out most of my unit. We had to pull out of there."

The next thing anyone knew, a loud explosion came from somewhere behind them. That was all it took for the small group to take cover behind a large piece of debris. After taking a moment to catch his breath, Obi-Wan turned his attention toward his allies. "The shield has almost reached the heavy cannons."

"We need to figure out how to slow them down," Aurora said while trying to ignore the sound of blaster fire, "at least until Anakin and Ahsoka get back."

"We're not gonna be able to stop them," Cody declared as they continued to listen to the battle happening around them.

The Jedi once again seemed to have a silent conversation among themselves just by locking eyes. That lasted until they came to an understanding, fully knowing there was only one thing left to do. And even though Aurora agreed with what Obi-Wan wanted to do, she still felt a wave of dread wash over her.

"Move your troops back to the heavy cannons," the Kenobi man ordered while pointing in the direction he wanted his troops to go, "do everything you can to protect them. Aurora and I will delay the droids."

"You go with them, Laken," the Jinn woman declared, drawing the Padawan's attention toward her, "stick close to Rex, Cody, and Grizz. They'll watch your back."

"But-"

"That is an order!" Aurora exclaimed, not bothering to hide the urgency in her voice.

The Diem girl just stared at her for a moment before responding with a small nod. It wasn't long after that when the Padawan followed the clone battalion away from battle. A shaky breath soon passed over Aurora's lips as she and Obi-Wan reignited their lightsabers. They instantly raised their lightsabers in the air, taking out another super battle droid. After the Jinn woman used the Force to toss it aside, she and the Kenobi man jumped up to take out the rest of the droids in the clearing with them. Right as they defeated the last of their enemies, an explosion came from behind them. When they turned toward the sound, they found a whole battalion of super battle droids coming at them. Right behind the droids were half a dozen tanks.

The Jedi stood side-by-side as the droids inched closer and closer to them. Just as Aurora was about to jump into battle, Obi-Wan held his arm out in front of her. A wave of confusion washed over the Jinn woman as she watched the man next to her sheathe his lightsaber. The Kenobi man looked over at her with a determined look in his eyes, which was enough to make Aurora copy his actions. Not even a second after that passed when the droids stopped approaching them, but their blasters were still aimed at the Jedi. What felt like an eternity passed when the hatch of the closest tank opened to reveal a Kerkoiden.

"You must be the infamous General Kenobi," Whorm Loathsom said before his attention fell on the other Jedi, "ah, and Commander Jinn. I've heard a lot about both of you."

"We surrender," Obi-Wan announced, causing a droid to come forward and take both of the Jedi's lightsabers.

"Now, order your troops to stand down," the Separatist General demanded while keeping his eyes glued to the Jedi.

But the Kenobi man simply ignored his command. Instead, he used the Force to lift three large crystals into the air. Aurora just watched as he placed the objects between them and Whorm Loathsom. The Jinn woman hid her smile when she realized he set the crystals up to act as a table and chairs.

"General, have a seat," Obi-Wan said while gesturing toward the makeshift seating arrangement.

The Kerkoiden just stared at them for a long moment before responding. "Have you gone mad?"

"We've conceded the battle," Aurora told Whorm Loathsom after fully understanding what the Kenobi man was planning, "we have to negotiate the terms of surrender."

"Don't try any of your tricks, Jedi."

"Surely there's no reason we can't be civilized about this," Obi-Wan added when he saw the unconvinced look on the Kerkoiden's face.

Not even a second after that passed when the Separatist General disappeared into the tank. Aurora took that moment to send the Kenobi man an uncertain look. But he simply responded with a confident smile. She wished they had more time for her to ask about the details of his plan, but that was what they lacked. That was what they always lacked. It wasn't long before the tank's ramp opened, revealing Whorm Loathsom. He walked down the short set of stairs behind a small droid.

"It is a rare honor to be able to meet one's opponent face-to-face. You're a legend throughout the Inner Core," Obi-Wan said while keeping his eyes glued to the approaching Kerkoiden.

The odd-looking trio soon sat down at the Kenobi man's makeshift seating arrangement. As soon as they were settled, the Separatist General responded. "Thank you. The honor is all mine. I'm so glad you decided to surrender."

"Well, we were far outnumbered. We had to accept the reality of the situation," Aurora told the Kerkoiden with a forced smile on her lips. Lucky for her, Obi-Wan was the only one who knew her kindness was faked.

It wasn't long after that when the Kenobi man cleared his throat a few times, drawing all the attention back to him. "Might we have some refreshments?"

Whorm Loathsom instantly nodded before turning to face the droid beside him. "You! Bring us something liquid."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said with a smile of his own on his lips, "this shouldn't take long."

Aurora tuned out the rest of their conversation after being sucked into her own thoughts. She silently hoped he was right because deep down she knew they needed to get back to her allies. A small part of her wished that she stayed with Grizz and Laken. At least if she was with them she would know they were alive. Instead, she was left with the constant burden of the unknown, which was something she had always despised.

What felt like an eternity passed when the droid returned with their refreshments. It set the kettle and cups on the crystal they were using as a table. Everyone watched as it carefully poured three cups of tea before handing them out. Whorm Loathsom downed his drink in one gulp while Obi-Wan took his time, wanting to stall for as long as he could. Beside him, Aurora just stared at the cup in front of her. The expression she wore showed nothing to her enemy, but the Kenobi man knew she wanted nothing to do with the drink. She just wanted to get back to their men.

"And, of course, once you've taken custody of my troops, arrangements will need to be made for their food and shelter," Obi-Wan declared, drawing Aurora's attention back to the situation at hand.

"We do have quite a large group in our battalion," Aurora added, completely aware of the irritated look forming on the Kerkoiden's face, "do you have enough supplies-"

"Enough of this!" the Separatist General interrupted without bothering to conceal his annoyance, "you are stalling!"

"Nonsense, General, there are numerous details to be discussed," the Kenobi man said, still wearing a confident smile on his face.

An angry look soon appeared on Whorm Loathsom's face before he flipped the crystal table. Not even a second after that passed when he pointed at the Jedi in front of him. "Seize them!"

The next thing Aurora and Obi-Wan knew, four super battle droids stepped forward and grabbed the Jedi. The pair was left dangling a few feet in the air after the super battle droids lifted them off the ground. The Kerkoiden just stared at them for what felt like an eternity before opening his mouth to speak. "Unless you call off your troops right now, I will have no choice but to destroy you."

"Truthfully, I was hoping your shield would be knocked out by now," the Kenobi man said after glancing up at the red dome above them.

As if on cue, there was an explosion in the distance. It wasn't long after that when the energy shield began to disappear, signaling that Anakin and Ahsoka completed their task. Whorm Loathsom couldn't help but look around in confusion as his plans disappeared before his very eyes. The angry look in his eyes was soon replaced by worry. But whether it was because of the Jedi or his failure, Aurora didn't know.

A small laugh soon passed over the Jinn woman's lips as she looked over at Obi-Wan. The man beside her sent her a smile before flipping out of the super battle droids' grasps. As soon as he landed on his feet, he used the Force to smash them together, taking them out of the fight. The Kenobi man was standing behind the Kerkoiden in a matter of seconds. His arms wrapped around the Separatist General, restraining him from joining the battle. The droids continued to fire at the freed Jedi, only to stop when their leader called out for them to stop.

"Something appears to have happened to your shield, General," Obi-Wan announced with a large grin on his face.

"You and Anakin sure do love your dramatics, don't you?" Aurora said before flipping out the super battle droids' grasps and approaching the Kenobi man, "you trained him very well."

The redheaded man simply rolled his eyes at the Jinn woman. That caused a laugh to pass over her lips right as her communicator began beeping. Aurora didn't hesitate to grab the device from her belt and hold it out in front of her. It wasn't long before a small hologram of Admiral Yularen appeared in front of them. "General Kenobi, Commander Jinn, if you can hear me, we're through the blockade. The Separatist armada is in retreat. Your reinforcements should be landing in a moment."

Not even a second after that passed when ally ships flew through the air above them. Aurora and Obi-Wan watched as they circled in the air before landing in the clearing in front of them. Yoda just stared at the scene in front of him until exiting his ship with a group of clones behind him.

"Your timing is perfect, Master Yoda," the Kenobi man told the Jedi Grandmaster, only to receive an unamused look in response from the latter.

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