Attack of the Clones (AU)/Chapter 28

The shuttle docked with the Federation’s flagship and Dooku went immediately to the war room, the Separatist leaders gathered around the holographic display of Caldera. The Jedi’s ship was moving in towards the city, it was time to proceed.

“Deploy the fleet below the city,” Viceroy Gunray said to his aide. “Send all droids to the designated areas. The Jedi will be outnumbered.”

Dooku smiled quietly to himself, intent on seeing the next stage played out.



“Move! Move!” Mace barked, jumping out of the air-born ship after Ki-Adi-Mundi. He raced with the others along the roof of the city, descending an access hatch as the sky began to erupt into laserfire. The city had been deserted when they had first made their approach, but now capital ships were emerging from the misty depths below, surrounding Caledra and cutting off any escape.

Either way, Mace knew as he ran down the narrow access corridor, they were running out of time.

As several Federation landing craft descended onto the roof the numbers of the battle droids multiplied, following the Jedi down the hatch, the blaster bolts bouncing off the walls. Despite their efforts, Jedi were killed by the laserfire yet they had to be left where they lay. The droids continued relentlessly as Mace and the others pressed on.



Obi-Wan and Anakin had the same problem as they were trying to rescue the Loyalists. Battledroids were in every corridor and while the Jedi and the guards could provide some sort of screen for the laser fire, their numbers were dwindling and some had to be left behind.

This is madness, Obi-Wan thought as they came to another dead end, there has to be a way out of here.

“Where’s your ship?” Nalanda shouted to him.

“Not far,” Obi-Wan shouted back. “But I’m not sure if we’ll all fit on there.”

“What about Padmé?” Anakin asked.

“Anakin, we haven’t got time!” Obi-Wan barked.

“I can’t leave her!” came Anakin’s anguished reply.

As much as he felt he needed to explain to Anakin further, this wasn’t the place and with all the droids coming in they couldn’t go after her now.



Breathing heavily, shaking uncontrollably, Padmé got to her feet leaning heavily against the window frame with her remaining hand. Remaining hand… Her right wrist had been severed off just below the elbow, it throbbed and smelt of burning flesh.

She looked away, staggering into the room and almost falling on the floor. She was still shaky from the lightning attack, the room seemed to be swirling around in most bizarre way and she was seeing three of everything.

Padmé closed her eyes, biting her lip and using the pain to bring her back to reality. When she opened them the floor kept bouncing up and down but at least the walls and ceiling remained where they were.

She stood up again, testing the floor and walking towards the table. As Padmé approached it the room span around again and she landed on the hard surface. She screwed her eyes up, ignoring the tears that welled there.

Anakin! that single desperate cry though the Force was all she could muster. But it was a big effort, she had to lie on the table for a few minutes before she could move again.



Anakin!

He felt her call just as Mace Windu arrived and they reached the lower levels to a large terraced open area. Anakin watched the Jedi Master and Obi-Wan exchange a few words before a rather battered Renust Nju joined them.

Yet there was little time for more discussion, the droids were quickly forming a ring around them and closing in fast. Some of the Loyalists were wounded, the Jedi were shadowing them closely but even they could not escape the carnage. Their numbers were dwindling, the droids were winning and then suddenly they stopped firing.

“What’s going on?” Anakin asked Obi-Wan, but his Master made a gesture to silence him as the droids parted to let someone through. That someone was the familiar armoured figure of Jango Fett. His helmeted gaze was directed at the Jedi, his pose defiant.

“I have been told to inform you,” the bounty hunter said slowly, “that if you surrender now your lives will be spared.”

“We will not be hostages to be bartered with,” Mace thundered.

“You speak for yourself, but what about them?” he nodded to the politicians.

“Neither will we,” said Nalanda, stepping forward and staring straight at the bounty hunter. Her blaster was still smoking and her combat suit was burnt in several places, but her gaze was determined. “And I know who you are.” Nalanda walked towards Jango before anyone could stop her, staring him down. “You’re not going to win.”

“We’ll see,” Jango said lightly, levelling his blaster at her and shooting the senator at point-blank range.

“No!” The scream came involuntarily from Anakin’s mouth just as Jango pulled the trigger. The blaster bolt hit Nalanda in the chest, throwing her back against him. He grabbed her wrist, but there was nothing he could have done.

Yet there was enough life in her to see Mace Windu respond, to see him deflect several shots before closing in on the bounty hunter and severing his head. Jango collapsed uselessly on the floor as the droids re-commenced firing. Anakin let Bail Organa take Senator Nalanda’s limp form off him, leaving him free to fight until he heard Padmé’s call through the Force again.

Anakin…suddenly the noise of the laserfire and the danger and everything disappeared. He could not only hear her he could feel her. He could feel how she felt about him and more, he could feel her pain.

A blaster bolt exploding into his arm brought him back, but the urge was still there. He had to go and help her, and he knew where she was. Despite what Obi-Wan or anyone said.

He just needed to find an opening.



“We’re picking up something large emerging from hyperspace,” said one of Neimoidian controllers to Gunray. “Several large capital ships, fighter…”

“But that can’t be one of ours, surely?” Shu Mai chattered.

“It can’t be…” Gunray muttered, a visual of the ships revealed them to have Republic markings. “The Republic have amassed a huge army, they’re moving on the…” His face paled as the ships passed below them unscathed.

They had but minimal forces in orbit around the planet, the majority were focused on Caledra to trap the fools who had gone there. But this meant…

“Attack them at their flank!” Gunray barked, his voice shaking with rage. “All fighters deploy at once!”

“Not a wise move, Viceroy,” Dooku told him as the Republic starfighters opened fire on them. They could only watch as gunships were deployed towards the city.



In the lead gunship sat Yoda, behind him were many, many more gunships that he had brought from Kamino along with the capital ships—called star destroyers—and the clonetroopers. It was all part of the plan he and Mace Windu had constructed back on Coruscant.

“Around the survivors a perimeter create,” Yoda ordered as his gunship approached the city.

“Yes sir,” the clone pilot said, relaying the order to all other units.