Chapter 1: Mahranee, part I

The alarms echoed in every corridor and the sound they made was exasperating. In each corner you could see a reddish light blinking in warning. The footsteps of the soldiers bounced down the corridors, the voices behind the hooves sounded like distant echoes; they all gave orders, mobilized civilians and ensured that the surroundings were safe.

Mahranee was a planet that had all the necessary resources to supply the rest of the galaxy. Their participation during the war had been neutral, but recently the government of the planet had to choose sides; Mahranee had decided to remain loyal to the Republic as he always had been. But that resulted in an imminent invasion by the Separatists.

"General" Commander Clone stood next to Lyra, making a respectful gesture, "the main streets have been sealed, and the civilians are under guard."

Lyra could not take her eyes off the screen; the enemy ships continued to cross the atmosphere of the planet and for that height of the day, there were dozens of droids advancing.

"We must find a way to get the Chancellor out of here," she murmured wearily as she looked up; they had spent the last twenty-four hours in vigil.

"His unexpected visit has been a stupid decision," the Jedi Master, Chubor said, clucking his tongue. "He must have stayed in the Capital, at most providing support to the people through a hologram."

"The present moral support is worth more than a projection, Master" replied the young Jedi, observing how a native platoon was mobilized along with a small group of Clones on the main street; they were deploying to cover every corner and prevent the entry of the enemy. "But I must agree, it has been really silly to come here."

"How long will it take for the Council to send reinforcements?" Chubor asked.

"I'm afraid our signals have been blocked; no call for help can leave the planet, General" a Clone replied.

"Commander, get your men and open a communication gap. If is successful, establish a connection with the Council and repeat the message for help. "Lyra asked, undoing the brooch of her tunic; the garment slid down her shoulders and fell to the floor with a heavy hiss.

The small General paced in front of the controls of the ship with both hands on his back and a slight frown. Lyra sat in the pilot's seat, and sighed softly. The planet had all the necessary resources to supply the galaxy, but it did not have the necessary army to defend the capital city; the habitants were miners, farmers, not warriors. And the Jedi emissaries had not come prepared enough to face the situation; there were only two squads of Clone soldiers, but they did not reach thirty individuals. And even if the government had disposed of its civilians, the number of combatants remained inferior to the enemy.

"I need some air," Lyra announced, standing up. The Clone Commander made a new respectful gesture and stepped aside, allowing her to leave the bridge.

Lyra left the ship, her arms around her body; her boots rang against the exit platform, producing a solitary bombast in the main square. Outside, the day seemed to be coming to an end, with the sky dying orange and through the clouds some glimpse of the moons.

The young Buleeana sat on a bench and raised her legs to the seat, and immediately regretted having left her cloak. In the uninhabited place a cold wind began to blow, which seemed to be taken from the very planet of Hoth. Lyra hugged herself, tightening her arms around her body and hiding her mouth inside the collar of her uniform.

"Danger makes the most picturesque places turn into grim scenarios." Lyra looked up, meeting Chancellor Palpatine beside her.

"My lord," she announced, standing up; she observed that the Chancellor's personal guard was nowhere to be seen, "you should not go out without an escort."

Palpatine raised a hand, with a subtle smile.

"Do not blame them; I have slipped away" The Chancellor sat at one end of the bench," The purpose of my visit was to give support to the people of this planet, but I have not been able to tolerate the suffering. There is too much desolation and sadness in there. "

"As long as they resist the bombings ..." Lyra sat down again, but keeping her distance.

"They see in the Jedi the spark of hope, my child" the Chancellor objected, "the fact of watching you fight is what motivates them not to give up." The young General allowed her shoulders to relax, "I was surprised not to see to Master Mace Windu here."

"We have all believed that it would be a simple situation to handle; a few droids, nothing more." She replied, watching a new group of clone troopers running through the main square, toward one of the watchtowers.

"Maybe not everything is as dark as you think, little one." Palpatine stretched out his arm and gently pressed her shoulder; Lyra watched that gesture with some curiosity and then, out of politeness, she smiled at him sideways.

"I'm positive about the result," she said. "I am certain that we will save this planet."

From inside the ship, Master Chubor ran down the ramp; his short legs and blue small body were not apt to move at great speeds, but he did his best.

"General Buleeana!" He exclaimed in agitation, "We have received direct communication-"

"From the Council?" Lyra stood up, almost completely forgetting that the Chancellor's hand rested on her shoulder.

"No!" Chubor burst out between gasps, "its Dooku."

The young Buleeana turned to the Chancellor and after biting her lip, she ran out into the ship. The ramp was crossed with a jump, falling in a silent, almost in a graceful way. Lyra watched the transmitter strapped around her wrist and saw the repetitive red light flickering again, announcing that the hologram she had recorded hours ago was still stuck there; The Separatists must have opened a single channel of communication, which was entirely controlled by them, probably intervening in every transmission that could be broadcast from the planet.

"Commander Boggs" she announced upon arriving at the bridge. The clone trooper turned away from the screen and Count Dooku's bluish face was the first thing Lyra saw.

"When they said there was a Jedi in charge, I thought it would be one of my old acquaintances," announced the velvety voice of Lord Sith.

"Yes, I am here because the Council thought it was convenient, Count." Lyra replied with a slight frown; moments after her arrival at the command post, she heard the steps of Master Chubor and the Chancellor.

"I see, I see," said Dooku, while his holographic hand caressed his beard, "but it has been a rather unfashionable decision. We have been able to perform a thermal scan, and I regret to inform you, girl, that there are few soldiers to defend this city. What will two Jedi and a handful of clones do against our weapons? "

Lyra shook her head slightly forward and with the Force recovered her cloak, and then neatly arranged it on the back of the pilot's seat.

"It is never wise to mock ahead of time, sir," she professed, without the least note of concern in his voice, "we had a recent meeting, but I still think it would be premature to think that you had won when this is not over yet."

Dooku laughed.

"Your courage makes me laugh, and I almost feel some compassion for it" he commented, "And tell me, girl, how will you do to stop my ships and my heavy artillery without the endorsement of the Capital and above, having to take care of the Chancellor?" Lyra looked over her shoulder as she heard new steps entering the ship; it was Palpatine's personal escort.

"It is a very heavy task for someone like you," Dooku continued, "but I have a proposal to offer you." His face looked peaceful, as if the victory was already his "we will invade the city, we will take everything we can without hurting to any civilian; I promise not to hurt anyone as long as there is participation and no one can think of becoming a hero- "

"We will not be your prisoners, Dooku" Chubor intervened, waving his short arm "nor for the offer of amnesty will we abandon our principles."

Suddenly, the image of the Count not only projected his face, but his entire figure. The Jedi Masters stepped aside, while Palpatine's guards took a defensive stance, as if fearing that the hologram might attack.

"You should reconsider it," said the Lord Sith, "my good friend, General Grievous will not be as generous as me when he arrives in the capital, you have seen him in the fields and you know what he is capable of doing; and here among us, he has a strange fascination for collecting lightsabers. And now, two more swords would be part of his collection-"

"Is that all you have to say, Count?" Lyra asked, noting the tall figure in front of her. Dooku's bright face turned towards her.

"It's really a pity that you do not accept my proposal" the figure shrugged, "I suppose the blood shed will remain on your consciences as soon as the first civilians fall. But I will not be spiteful, you can access my invitation even during the attack; I will stop everything immediately as soon as the first surrenders. "

"These people have hope in the Republic" announced Palpatine, breaking the wall of escorts.

"But everyone here has families, Chancellor," Dooku replied, "and if the Republic cannot save them, they will have to resort to other methods ... you do crazy things when you're desperate," The Count smiled. "And that is where you will understand that all of you did wrong to believe that you can always save the day."

The transmission was cut, dissolving the figure of Dooku. The command post was completely silent and even seemed to darken; outside, it was dark, and the streetlights were automatically lit.

"What are we going to do?" Asked Chubor, climbing toward one of the seats; even if he was an experienced Master, Lyra noticed a faint trace of fear in his words. But she could not blame him. The situation was complex to analyze; there were too many points to keep in mind. They had been stuck for days on the planet of Mahranee and by that time, the separatist army had consumed almost the entire population in a violent slaughter. On the other hand, was the Chancellor; Palpatine had chosen the worst moment to mix with the victims, being trapped on the planet in the same way.

"We must establish communication with the Capital, we must send a new message of help," Lyra reiterated, putting the cloak back on her shoulders; during the last few days a war had been unleashed outside the planet's atmosphere, but no ship in the Republic had managed to land with more troops.

"Lyra," Chubor called, holding her by the cloak. "We cannot keep waiting for them to answer us. We must do something now. "Lyra looked at the enormous eyes of the Master Aleenita, in them she could still see the sparks of hope, but that slowly it became dyed with despair; for four days they were resisting inside the capital, while in the sky a battle broke out between ships, it being common that with each awakening they saw starry ships.

"We have a fleet large enough to accommodate everyone;" Commander Boggs announced, "Running away from this planet would not make us look like cowards."

Leaving the planet had been one of her ideas from the beginning, but she had not had the courage to carry it out; she thought that if they fought in the outskirts, they would manage to save civilians... what they had not counted on was the decisive order that General Grievous had given: exterminate everything that crossed their path. The population had been reduced in a matter of hours.

"I will think in something, but now—juts give me a moment" she requested as she left the command post.

She slipped through the corridors of the ship and locked herself in her chamber. After locking the door from inside, she leaned against the wall with both hands around her head. She was overwhelmed, tired, and hungry. Once again, she looked at the transmitter but the answer was as daunting as an hour ago. She slipped to the floor, legs crossed and hands on her knees. She looked for a deep breath and sighed. Something inside her screamed that she must have been more cautious before leaving.

Being outside the ship, she could feel the presence of the other Jedi, fighting to liberate the planet. She had felt the presence of Kit Fisto and Obi-Wan, including Mace Windu; she had tried so hard to contact one of them through the Force, but they all seemed too busy to heed the call. But it was on the third day, when someone sent a signal that resonated like a bell on her head. At first it had been a simple projection; she was no longer in Mahranee, but she could see the galaxy without even taking off her feet from the ground. Then the connection with the Force increased its power, until Anakin reflected in front of her as clearly as if he were at her side. The young Skywalker had reassured her, assuring her that the Republic was doing the best it could to synthesize the attack on the planet, but that they needed time. Lyra had promised that they would resist as best they could. Anakin had given his word that they would soon come to their aid. But the connection between the two of them was cut off on the fourth day, when Anakin stopped passing his report.

She looked for the necklace that he had given her; again she had sewn it to her uniform so that it was close to her heart. She pressed the pendant between her fingers and felt a slight electric current creeping up her wrist.

She understood that things abroad could be as complicated as they were down there, so she quickly realized that they could not depend entirely on them either. She got back to her feet, quick as lightning and unlocked the doors of her chambers. She crossed the corridors with her cloak fluttering behind her and her boots booming loudly with each step she took.

"General," announced a Clone trooper when he saw her; Lyra told him to follow her and when they emerged from the ship, she found the rulers of the planet talking in whispers with Palpatine and Chubor; they seemed to be in an agitated exchange of ideas.

"Gentlemen" she spoke, seeing how the inhabitants of the planet emerged from their hiding places, attracted by the voices and almost afraid to look out on the streets. The governor of Mahranee had turned red while demanding answers, "Gentlemen!" Lyra shouted, tapping her boot cue against the cobbled street in order to get attention.

"What are we going to do?!" the governor questioned, almost on the verge of collapse, "We cannot remain entrenched in our homes, waiting for something to happen!"

"I understand your discomfort, sir," Lyra announced, taking one hand to her chest, "we appreciate your patience, but I fear the enemy troops outnumber us." The inhabitants began to approach, some whispering with the one they had at side; several women carried small children and did their best to reassure them.

"If you want to give us courage, girl, you're doing it wrong," said the governor, passing a handkerchief over his face; he perspired from nerves.

"You have let us stay because you have hope for the Republic, right? Otherwise, you would have thrown us before the first loss, "at the mention of the first attacks made by the battle droids, the murmur in the people began to grow, reaching tones of concern.

Lyra called everyone to join, forming a circle on the main street. The clones helped those who were injured and restrained those who could stand. Lyra watched each of the inhabitants and for a moment her heart contracted, but then she returned to a deadpan determination.

"The enemy has been pushing us since the first day, but all have shown unparalleled courage," she announced. "And even if it does not seem so, and many believe that all Jedi, clones and separatists only see war, we here present, understand the sacrifice that many of you had to do; I cannot guarantee immediate peace, but I can assure you a place where you can start over."

"What are you talking about, girl?" the governor asked, fanning himself with his handkerchief.

"The planet is lost," Master Chubor intervened, anticipating Lyra. "According to our scouts, there are battle droids in all directions." The small Aleenita observed the young Buleeana and Lyra felt that for a moment that he explored her thoughts. "We must immediately make a transfer."

The decision spread like fire among those present. There were complaints and protests. Others, perhaps the most frightened, were in favor. Again, the crying of some children and the comforting words of their mothers were heard.

"Runaway is better than being slaves!" Someone yelled, raising an arm in the air; a chorus of voices supported it and almost instantly, what remained of the population was completely agreed to leave.

"Chancellor, do you think you can give them temporary accommodation in the Capital?" Master Chubor asked, slapping Lyra's leg with evident pride.

Palpatine was stunned and Lyra could not decipher why; the hope was blooming in every face there present. They were taking the easy path, but the safest way, some judge people may say that they were acting like selfish and cowards, but they choose what the best was.

The Chancellor remains in silent when the people got back to their homes, with the order to take only the essential, and Master Chubor had to repeat the question again. Palpatine nodded almost carelessly, but it was a sufficient response.

"Remember, only pack what is necessary," Lyra repeated, helping a woman with her children as the crowd was almost disperse, "we will soon begin with the evacuation."

SW-SW-SW

Hey, everyone!

I know it's been a long time, I apologies for it. But now I am in my holy summer break, so I will have more time to update!

I hope everyone is having a great week, and see you soon in a new post!

Greetings!

PS: sorry for the grammar mistakes!