RESCUE ON GEONOSIS

By Jeff Kelly

Pojar stepped out of the tunnel and into the open, positioning himself at the ledge, which overlooked the circular arena.  The Aqualish Jedi activated his lightsaber, as did the other two hundred some Jedi surrounding the arena.  At the far end, on a raised dais he could see his former Master, Mace Windu facing off against an elderly bearded human who stood with another helmeted individual.  He was dressed in Mandalorian armor, but Pojar could not see his face.  But his stance was menacing enough.  Looking down below, at the center of the arena, Senator Padme Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker sat, weaponless atop a horned Reek.  Everyone and everything’s gaze was focused on the scene in the dais.

Without warning, a sudden burst of flame erupts from the outstretched arm of the Mandalorian.  Pojar sees Mace Windu leap clear of the attack, his cloak billowing smoke and flame as he falls toward the arena floor, like a falling comet.  Pojar holds his breath, unable to move as he watches Master Windu tumble out of the dais.  Relief fills him a moment later as the Jedi Master lands lightly on his feet, stripping his burning cloak away.  Moments later, the thundering march of hundreds of Federation battle droids fills the air as they pour out of the tunnels at the base of the arena.  Mace Windu moves toward the captives as a small group of Jedi Knights rush to assist their comrades.

Without hesitation, Pojar leaps from the ledge, dropping with the aid of the Force to the ground.  Around him scores of other Jedi follow suit, each fearlessly jumping into certain death.  Blaster fire erupts throughout the battlefield as battle droids open fire on the outnumbered Jedi.  Exploding into action, the stocky Aqualish leaps into the fight cutting down any battle droid that comes within reach of his lightsaber.  Deflecting blaster bolts as he runs, Pojar rushes toward the embattled Jedi spinning, twirling and leaping in a dance of blue death.  All around him, Pojar can sense his fellow Jedi dying one by one as they fall to the ever-increasing number of droids entering the arena.  Pojar ducks below the shot of a blue-armored Super Battle Droid swinging out with his weapon.  The blade slices through the giant droid’s knee joints and Pojar must spring back to avoid it toppling on him.  Spinning away, he sees the Mandalorian rocket toward Mace’s position.  Before Pojar could shout a warning, however, Mace spins to face the armored warrior. 

As his fellow Jedi fight valiantly around him, Pojar is suddenly distracted by a dark presence as the edge of his thoughts.  The gray-skinned Jedi cuts down another battle droid and reaches out with the Force, searching for the source of the disturbance.  Out of the corner of his black bulbous eyes, he glimpses a figure near the main entry tunnel.  He battles through a squad of battle droids and Force-pushes another in his path as he races toward the tunnel. 

Moving into the dimly lit tunnel with extreme caution, all of his senses in tune with the Force, Pojar searches for the dark presence he had sensed moments before.  Moving farther down the tunnel, Pojar is suddenly stopped by a lightsaber-wielding silhouette that detaches itself from the shadows.  A bald woman, sporting a single length of red hair tied with a leather thong stalks toward the Jedi with the grace of a Tatooine sand panther on the hunt.  In each long-fingered hand hums a lightsaber.  Her pasty white skin illuminated by the glow of lightsabers, gave her a ghostly appearance. Pojar lifts his own weapon in a defensive stance as the dark stranger continues to move toward him.  Closing out the sounds of the battle behind him, Pojar focuses on his opponent.

Aurra Sing grins evilly, “You know the Jedi are doomed.  It is only a matter of time before your kind is but a memory.” 

Realization dawns on Pojar as he recognizes the rumored Jedi-Killer who has been prowling the galaxy, murdering Jedi.  Anger rises unbidden within him as the faces of so many teachers, friends and allies flash into his mind’s eye.  Fighting his anger, Pojar begins to circle around Aurra, the words of Master Yoda, echoing in his mind.  “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense.”

In a sudden flash of movement, Aurra rushes forward, lightsabers flashing in a dazzling display of swordsmanship.  Pojar skillfully deflects each attack and forces his opponent back.  A cold-feral smile spreads across her white face, “Come, Jedi.  I am eager to add another Jedi weapon to my growing collection.  Cold sweat trickles down the Aqualish’s back, but still he remains calm.  Snarling, she leaps forward launching another series of attacks.  Pojar dances back deflecting or dodging each thrust.  Pressing the attack Aurra spins inside the Aqualish’s reach and delivers a backhand punch, fueled by the dark-side and reinforced by the metal handle of her lightsaber.  Pojar is thrown back by the force of the blow and crashes into the unyielding stone of the tunnel wall.  The impact sends his lightsaber flying from his hand.  Stunned by the powerful attack, Pojar is barely able to roll away as his attacker’s crimson blade slices into the wall where his head had been a split second before.  Regaining his feet and shaking his head, Pojar reaches out with the Force and summons his weapon back to his hand.  The battle continues with neither combatant able to penetrate the other’s defense.

The sudden whine of repulsors outside diverts Aurra Sing’s attention for only a nanosecond.  But it was all the Aqualish needed.  Batting aside one blade, Pojar slices into his opponent’s thigh.  She stumbles back growling in pain like an angry predator, moving her gaze from her leg to her opponent.  “I’m going to enjoy cutting you open.  I have never heard an Aqualish scream.”  The dark-side of the Force filling her with hate, the Jedi-killer rushes forward in a sudden flurry of motion.  Focusing through the Force, Pojar deflects each attack, almost seeing each strike before it arrives.  Swinging his weapon in a wide-arc, Pojar’s lightsaber cuts through the handle of her crimson-bladed weapon.  It explodes in a shower of sparks in her hand.  Her eyes wide in shock, she draws a blaster from her holster and fires several shots into the ceiling above Pojar.  The Jedi dives forward and rolls away from the resulting avalanche.  Taking advantage of her distraction, Aurra turns and runs deeper into the tunnel.  Pojar comes up running, racing off after the assassin.

As Pojar hurries through the maze of tunnels in pursuit of Aurra Sing, a squad of Geonosian warriors ambushes him.  Cutting through the insectoid aliens, Pojar continues his search for Aurra Sing.  The Jedi bursts into a huge chamber that was obviously used as a hangar and spots his quarry running up the boarding ramp of an unmarked ship, flanked by a pair of armored Nikto, probably pirates.  His powerful legs pumping, Pojar tries to reach the ship, before it can escape, but the sudden blast of the vessel’s repulsors send him tumbling away as the ship rises from the hangar deck and streaks away out of the hangar and into Geonosis’ red-tinged sky.

Pojar regains his feet and navigates his way out of the temple where he boards a waiting gunship, bearing the symbol of the Republic.  A platoon of white armored clonetroopers stands in the open doorway of the craft.  Pojar leaps aboard and the gunship lifts off to join another pair of ships.  Pojar watches from the open door as they rejoin the main assault group, swooping down on Separatist positions.  Rockets scream away from their racks and explode against enemy positions, turning deadly battled droids into piles of scrap.  In the distance, Pojar notices several Trade Federation Core Ships rising into the air, fleeing the advancing Republic Army.

Out of rockets, Pojar yells instructions to the pilot, “Make a pass over the top of the lead Core Ship.”

“Yes, sir!” answers the Clonetrooper pilot and pulls back on the stick forcing the gunship into a steep climb. 

Pojar steps to the edge of the open doorway as the pilot brings the gunship directly over the spherical ship.  The Jedi leaps from the doorway and lands on the hull with a metal clang.  Pulling his lightsaber from his belt, Pojar ignites the weapon with a snap-hiss and plunges the blade through the outer skin.  Slicing a hole large enough to fit through, the Aqualish disappears into the ship’s interior.

Racing down the corridor, Pojar is jolted to his knees as an explosion violently rocks the ship.  Neimoidian crewmembers rush panic-stricken through the ship, each desperately racing toward the nearest escape pods.  Spotting a Neimoidian official that he had seen on the dais in the arena, the Jedi captures the cowardly alien and forces him into a waiting escape pod.  Sealing the hatch, Pojar pulls the launch lever and the small pod blasts away from the dying vessel.  The escape pod’s trajectory drops it well behind Republic lines.  As the pod comes to rest in the soft, red sand of Geonosis, Pojar escorts his struggling prisoner out of the hatch.  The pair emerges surrounded by a ring of Clonetroopers.  Handing the Neimoidian over to a trooper wearing the yellow rank of a commander, Pojar returns to the forward Command Post to report to Master Yoda.

Later, safely aboard a Republic Cruiser, Mace Windu summons Pojar.  The daughter of a Loyalist Senator from Carida has been missing for some time.  Master Daapo Keegin, a snivvian Jedi Master has been investigating the disappearance.  Mace asks the Aqualish to go to Carida and aid Master Keegin in the search.  The Council believes that this may be related to the growing Separatist movement.