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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐆𝐔𝐄

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Aurora was out in the halls with the clone battalion in search of the missing virus vial. The alarm caused the corridors to flash green, making the lab feel eerier than it already was. It felt as though they had been searching for an eternity, and it didn't help that all the hallways looked the same. The more time the Jinn woman spent in the lab, the more claustrophobic she felt. She would give anything to get back to the surface, but she knew she couldn't leave without finding that last vial of the virus.

Just when they thought things couldn't get any worse, there was a loud explosion at the end of one of the halls. Not even a second after that passed when the alarm turned from green to red. The alarm blared louder than ever before, signaling that something terrible was about to happen. None of them hesitated to sprint back in the direction they came from, knowing they had passed a safe room during their search. Aurora made sure to keep her battalion in front of her. She was determined to get them out of this alive, especially since they were sent down into the lab to help her.

As they raced through the corridors, she couldn't help but glance behind her, only for her to wish she hadn't. A large blue cloud was quickly growing behind them at a much faster rate than they could run. Lucky for them, they had finally reached the safe room. Unfortunately, the doors were slowly closing. Aurora stopped in her tracks and threw her hands out in front of her, using the Force to hold the doors open. Her struggles were shown on every inch of her face as she watched the clones jump through the opening. Soon, the only one left was Grizz, whose gaze was glued to his General.

"Get inside, Grizz. I don't know how much longer I can hold it," the Jinn woman told her friend, who hesitated before jumping through the doors.

"Let's go, Aurora!" Grizz called out while he and Rex did their best to keep the doors from closing on her.

The brunette woman let out a shaky sigh before using the Force to jump toward the small opening. That gave her the momentum she needed to get through the gap right before it closed, sealing them inside the safe room. Aurora lay on the floor with her eyes glued to the ceiling as she took in deep breaths. She tried to wrap her head around everything that had happened, silently wishing they had been more careful with the vial they had. But her thoughts were soon interrupted by her comlinks starting to beep.

Aurora forced herself to her feet and hit the flashing green button. Not even a second after that passed when she was greeted by Obi-Wan's voice. "Aurora, what is going on down there?"

"A droid released the virus, but we managed to seal the lab," Aurora explained before hearing a familiar voice ask about Padmé in the distance, "I'm fine, Anakin. Thanks for asking. But I haven't heard from her since we left the greenhouse."

"Anakin didn't hear you. He's currently preoccupied with his conversation with Padmé," Obi-Wan told her in a mocking tone, only for it to turn more serious when he spoke once again, "are you alright, Aurora?"

"We're fine. At least, for the time being," the Jinn woman responded as her eyes scanned over the clones in the safe room with her, "even with the lab sealed, I'm afraid that any remaining droids will try to break out. We're going to have to find a way to stop them. We can't let that virus escape."

"Do what you must," the Kenobi man responded then briefly paused, long enough to make Aurora worried. But when he continued, she wasn't expecting the words he said. "Just be careful."

The Jedi Knight didn't answer right away, unsure of what to make of the concern in Obi-Wan's voice. But her hesitance didn't last long. "We will."

Just as Aurora ended her conversation with Obi-Wan, a loud alarm blared in the safe room. Confusion flowed through every inch of her as she turned toward Grizz, who was looking over information on one of the screens. He typed away on the keyboard for a moment before slamming his fist against it. He then turned to face Aurora, who knew he was extremely worried under his helmet. "Some of the virus got in here. We didn't close the door fast enough."

"We may be dead men, but we could still stop those droids," Rex added, determination laced within each word.

"We're not dead yet. Obi-Wan and Anakin will find a cure for this," Aurora told them, knowing that her allies wouldn't leave them to waste away in a Separatist lab.

"Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?"

A large grin instantly appeared on Aurora's lips when she heard her friend's voice. "Padmé. I'm so glad you're okay. We're trapped in the safe room at the end of complex 'B.'"

"We'll be right there," Padmé responded with determination in her voice, "are you contaminated?"

Just as the Jinn woman was about to respond, loud coughing cut through the air. When she turned toward the sound, she found that it was coming from Shade and Aster. Aurora let out another sigh before answering the Amidala girl's question. "Unfortunately, yes. Some of the virus slipped in before the door sealed."

"We're right outside your safety room," the Naboo Senator announced while the Jedi Knight continued to stare at the coughing clones, "Jar Jar is going to open the door."

Not even a second after that passed when the doors slipped open, allowing the eerie blue fog to travel inside the safe room. Padmé and Jar Jar soon entered, both dressed in yellow hazmat suits. While the Gungan looked around at the coughing clones, the Naboo Senator went straight to Aurora and pulled her in for a tight hug, one that the Jedi Knight didn't hesitate to return.

"I'm so sorry, Aurora," Padmé said after ending their embrace to look her childhood friend in the eyes.

"Don't worry, Padmé. Obi-Wan and Anakin will find a cure," the Jinn woman declared, but there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. Lucky for her, no one seemed to catch it. "We need to find any remaining droids before they find a way to the surface. We can't let the virus get out of the lab.

The Amidala girl instantly nodded. "There aren't very many left. We saw some heading toward the south entrance."

"We'll help you destroy those clankers for as long as we can," Rex told the Naboo Senator, earning cheers from the remaining clones in the room.

It wasn't long after that when the Captain offered Padmé his spare blaster, something she didn't hesitate to take from him. After sending Rex a thankful nod, the Amidala girl turned her attention back to Aurora. "You take the north corridor, and we'll take the south."

Once they made their plan, Aurora took Grizz and Rex with her while Shade and Aster went with Padmé and Jar Jar. They remained as quiet as possible as they walked through the north corridor, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to themselves. It wasn't long before they heard the sound of droids conversing with each other, causing their pace to slow. Rex and Grizz stayed close to Aurora as she approached the end of the corridor. When she peeked around the corner, she spotted the droids trying to get one of the hatches open. Not even a second after that passed when their allies began firing from the opposite hallway.

Most of the droids didn't hesitate to return fire, except for one who began climbing the ladder to the hatch. That was all it took for Aurora and her allies to spring into action. Grizz and Rex instantly began firing at the droids, taking them by surprise. That gave the Jinn woman enough cover to sprint toward the ladder. She dodged all the blaster bolts with ease before her hands made contact with the metal. Aurora didn't say a word as she climbed the ladder as quietly as possible. As soon as she was within arms' reach of the oblivious droid, she ignited her lightsaber and swung it through the air. Her allies below stepped back as the destroyed droid fell to the ground below. 

A satisfied smile made its way onto Aurora's lips as she slid down the ladder, landing gracefully between Padmé and Grizz. However, her joy soon faded when she heard a familiar sound coming toward them. They instantly turned around to find two destroyer droids rolling toward them. The Jinn woman didn't hesitate to reignite her lightsaber while her allies began blasting at the droids. Aurora was light on her feet as she ran toward their enemy, dodging and deflecting their attacks as she went. Once she was close enough to the destroyers, she leaped into the air, landing on top of the closest one. Adrenaline ran through her veins as she forced her lightsaber through the droid's shield, making contact with it and taking it out of commission. She didn't hesitate to do the same thing to the other destroyer, taking another droid out of the fight.

Aurora let out a relieved sigh as she looked over at her allies, only for her blood to run cold. Aster was lying on the ground getting looked over by Shade, but it didn't look good. And her thoughts were soon confirmed when she heard the bomb squad clone let out a defeated sigh. But Aurora didn't have time to mourn the loss of Aster. Instead, her attention moved to her childhood friend, who was no longer wearing her helmet.

"Senator, your suit's been compromised," Rex announced while helping the brunette girl to her feet right as Aurora rejoined them.

"I'm so sorry," the Jinn woman said, earning a sad smile from Padmé.

"Don't blame yourself. These things tend to happen in a war zone."

Despite wanting to respond to the Naboo Senator, Aurora's words got caught in her throat. Her attention was on her reflection in Padmé's helmet instead. Shock coursed through her veins at the sight of eerie blue rings around her eyes. When she looked down at her hands, she found her veins were becoming a sickly blue. If she were in that condition, Grizz, Rex, and Shade would most likely be in the same state. It was only a matter of time before the virus consumed them.

Aurora's thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of someone cutting metal. Everyone soon returned their attention to the situation at hand, which was keeping the droids and the virus in the lab. They sprang into action as they raced toward the noise, only to find two droids attempting to cut away at the hatch. Determination flowed through every inch of Aurora's body as she raced toward the droid at the bottom of the ladder. She didn't hesitate to swing her lightsaber at it, slicing it in two. She then used the Force to pull the droid at the top of the ladder directly onto her lightsaber, taking it out of the fight as well.

But what Aurora wasn't expecting was for a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness to wash over her. She instantly reached for the ladder to steady herself. When she looked back at her allies, she found all of them swaying on their feet. Well, except Jar Jar, who still wore his hazmat suit. But one thing was for certain. If they wanted to make it out of this lab alive, Obi-Wan and Anakin needed to hurry.

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The infected group soon found themselves back in the main room of the laboratory. While the clones took a moment to rest, Aurora and Padmé were at the holotable trying to contact Obi-Wan and Anakin. What felt like an eternity passed before they were finally able to connect with them. It wasn't long after that when the images of their allies appeared in front of them.

"Hello, can anyone hear me?" Aurora asked, her voice extremely weak. It wasn't long before their image became clearer, causing her to continue speaking. "We destroyed all the battle droids inside the compound. Naboo is safe from the virus."

The Jinn woman couldn't help but study the blank expression on Obi-Wan's face. It was the same expression the Skywalker boy wore as he stared at Padmé.

"Promise me that no one will ever open this bunker," the Amidala girl ordered, keeping her eyes locked with Anakin. When Padmé was greeted by silence from the Jedi Knight, she let out a cough before continuing to speak. "Good-bye, Anakin."

"Obi-Wan, make sure Laken finishes her training. She deserves to become a Jedi," Aurora said just loud enough for the holotable to pick up on. She hesitated for a moment as she stared at the man in front of her. A million thoughts bounced around in her head as she spoke her next two words. "I'm sorry."

Not even a second after that passed when their communication cut out. Aurora's legs soon gave out from under her, causing her to stumble backward. Lucky for her, Grizz was there to catch her before she hit the ground. The lieutenant escorted her to the nearest wall and helped her sit against it. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the condition of her allies. Padmé was getting a piece of cloth damp with water from a broken pipe before approaching Rex and Shade. She didn't hesitate to place it against the bomb squad clone's head, trying to bring his body temperature down. But her efforts were soon proven futile when Shade became lifeless, succumbing to the virus.

"What a waste," Padmé muttered under her breath while watching Rex carefully lay Shade on the ground.

"With all due respect, Senator, it's what these men were born to do," the captain responded before falling into a coughing fit.

The Amidala girl let out a long sigh as she rose to her feet. "I hope their sacrifice brings us closer to peace."

"It will, Padmé," Aurora told her friend before letting out a cough of her own, "you need to believe-"

Before the Jinn woman had a chance to finish her sentence, the world around her plunged into darkness.

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When Aurora finally came around from her forced slumber, she found herself staring up at the treetops. She didn't think much about it at first, that was until she remembered why she passed out in the first place. A wave of concern washed over her as she tried to get herself into a sitting position, only to be greeted by pain and a coughing fit. Just as the Jinn woman began to think they had failed their mission, infecting Naboo with the deadly virus, a familiar voice greeted her ears.

"You shouldn't push yourself, Aurora. Who knows what might happen?" When she looked toward the source of the voice, she found Obi-Wan standing beside her with a small smile on his face. His eyes scanned over every inch of her face before continuing to speak. "The medical droid expects you and the other survivors to make full recoveries."

Despite the pain coursing through her veins, Aurora managed to send him a small smile in return. "I never lost faith in you."

"Oh, that's good to hear," the Kenobi man responded before chuckling, "because there were a few moments where Anakin and I weren't so sure of ourselves."

"I'm just glad you got us out of there before things got worse," the Jinn woman admitted while taking his hand without thinking. Her actions shocked both of them, but neither of them pulled away. "Thank you, Obi-Wan."

"It was no problem at all. But you need to give yourself credit. You managed to save most of your squad down there. Even Shade, who was almost too far gone," Obi-Wan told her as the smile on his face grew, "you were great down there, Aurora."

Before the Jinn woman had a chance to respond, approaching footsteps greeted their ears. They instantly took their hands away as they looked toward the source of the sound. Neither of them were surprised to find Laken racing toward them.

"You're okay!" the Diem girl exclaimed after stopping at Aurora's other side, "I was worried about you."

"Can't get rid of me that easily," Aurora responded before letting out a small cough, "you still have a lot of training to get through."

A large grin soon replaced the worried look on the Padawan's face. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Alright, you two can continue this conversation later," Obi-Wan declared before turning his attention toward something Aurora couldn't see, "pilot, get the infected to the Capitol for treatment."

After sharing another smile with the Kenobi man, Aurora was loaded onto the ship with those who survived the virus. It wasn't long after that when it took off, taking them to get much-needed medical care.

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