•.[STAR WARS].•
42 BBY
Attack of the clones
.•|{}|•.

It was early hours in the morning when Anakin returned with a deep sense of dejection, regret and sorrow, his emotions being arguably reasoned for once everyone's eyes set on the unmoving and lifeless body in his arms. His mother. He spoke of nothing, his actions speaking louder than a hundred words, as he prepared her grave in the orange abisque.

Odessa didn't know what to say, her words being nothing that could comfort the grieving man. She glanced from the sidelines as he buried her, sensing a strong and potent sense of anger that made her hesitant to approach him. He carried dark thoughts, ones that she knew there was no use with interfering with, as she allowed him to grieve alone, in the comfort of the building.

Grief was a funny and perplexing thing, one that Odessa had grown accustomed to through the years. Both her parents were long gone, her father's death being one that she was forced to embrace at a young age. She often looked for people to blame or in the circumstances were she couldn't, ways were she could blame herself. Her father's dead wasn't her fault, but only if she had forced him to stay, forced an illness or dangerous, immature mission of some sort. And her mother, if only she had been the one with the illness and not her.

She didn't wish that was Anakin however, she didn't desire him to drown in his own mental turmoil "You should eat, I brought you something."

Anakin didn't raise his gaze, only continuing to fix the objects in his hands "I used to fix things all the time in Watto's shop, he told me I had a knack for it. It always seemed so easy, so simple. It helped me in a lot of ways. I felt so helpless growing up here, if I could help in any way, if I could fix things and make someone's life better than maybe I could one day make a difference."

"You will make a difference." She consoled quietly "One day, you will."

He scoffed, shaking his head "I was a naive boy; thinking I could solve the galaxy's problems and make everyone feel safe. I couldn't even save my own mother, how could I possible save everyone else?"

Anakin began to feel outraged, the growing anger and fear in his body growing as the thought of what happened to his mother, repeating itself with someone else he loved. Someone like Odessa.

"Anakin, that wasn't your fault-"

"She didn't have to die." His throat tightened, as his eyes began to water "I know I'm powerful enough to have saved her, I know I am. Why couldn't I save her? Why? I'm the chosen one. I'm supposed to be the most powerful Jedi that has ever lived, the one who is supposed to be able to save everyone and yet she died anyways!"

"Sometimes there are things no body can fix, your not all powerful" Odessa explained

"Well I should be. Someday I will, the most powerful Jedi ever, I promise you. I will even learn to stop people from dying!" His voice belled
"It's all Obi-Wans fault-"

"You cannot seek blame for something like this, trust me Anakin it isn't the-"

"He's jealous, holding me back. He doesn't trust me, he never believes that I'm good enough. I could have saved her if he had let me achieve my true potential."

Odessa remained stagnant for a moment before moving towards him, placing her hands on his arm as she sensed that he was holding something back from her "There's something else. Tell me Anakin, what's wrong?"

He took a deep breath "I killed them, I killed them all. There dead every single one of them, and not just the men but the women, children. They're like animals and I slaughtered them like animals. I hate them, I hate them!"

She was taken back slightly, staring at the usually soft and gentle man, who had seemed to transform into someone surrounded by darkness. Darkness that send a shiver down her spine, and discomfort in her gut "To be angry is to be human."

They both sat down onto the small step, her head leaning into his embrace "It's going to be okay, Anakin. Everything is going to be fine."

.•|{}|•.

"Artoo, what are you doing here?" Padme questioned

Odessa peered down at her droid in confusion, looking up at Anakin slightly before kneeling to inspect it "I think it's something important."

Threepio nodded "It seems he is carrying a message from Obi-Wan Kenobi, does that name mean anything to you, Master Anakin."

At the sound of her old friend and Anakin's master, the group ushered the droid to play the message, Odessa standing out as she looked down at the blue hologram with a blank expression. She didn't have a good feeling about this, knowing the man would never seek out to them unless it was absolutely necessary.

It was presented, Obi-Wan normally speaking back to the droid as he reported his new found revelation "Alliance has pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming an .... it seems they are responsible for the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala and Queen Odessa-" The image began to become blurred, as loud uproar sounded from the background "Wait, ah .... attack ..... I don't make it .... agh!"

The hologram switched off as Anakin jumped up "I'm going after him-"

"We should retransmit his message to Coruscant." Padme interrupted "And wait for what the council has to say on the matter."

.•|{}|•.

"We will deal with Count Dooku." The hologram capturing Mace Windu spoke "The most important thing for you, Anakin is to stay where you are-"

Odessa couldn't help biting her tongue, raising her voice from her position on the chair "If I may Master Windu, Obi-Wan seems to be in grave danger, you won't make it in time."

"What matters to us, your majesty, is protecting yourself and the Senator at all costs. That is your priority, Anakin."

Anakin nodded "Understood Master."

The hologram switched off, Padme and Odessa instantly working simultaneously without even uttering words to each other.  The older of the two was tapping on the screen with an ease, whilst the darker haired brunette was unravelling her hair from the detailed braids, rapped around her head.

"They'll never get there in time to save him, why won't they just admit that?" Odessa huffed, slightly agitated

"They have to come half way across the galaxy. Look, Geonosis is less than a parsec away." Padme pointed, making the Queen stop what she was doing and stare at the screen

"If he's still alive." Anakin commented

The two females glanced at him, Odessa throwing  him layers of her uncomfortable outfit which she was stripping off unbothered. He caught a few, holding them in his arms without a thought "Ani, are you just going to sit here and let him die? He's our friend .... Your mentor."

He shock his head frustrated "...He's like my father, but you heard Master Windu. He gave me strict orders to stay here."

Odessa turned to him "And since when were you someone to follow orders?"

He knew exactly what she was hinting to, his profound eagerness to break the rules of commitment for their relationship. He was going to go against everyone for her and yet he couldn't bring himself to do the same, in this situation.

"He gave you strict instructions to protect us." Padme spoke, flicking on more switches as the engine fired ".... Myself and Odessa are going to save Obi-Wan. So if you plan to protect us, your just have to come along."

Anakin shock his head, looking at Odessa who was leaning on the controls, a smirk playing on her lips "You heard the lady."

.•|{}|•.

Odessa Tove was a woman who didn't shy away from a fight. She in fact relished in the adrenaline and anticipation which came with it. Although her physical strength and combat skills weren't as prized as the Jedis, she prided herself on being able to take care of herself, not only as a women, but a female in the democracy.

She was used to being underestimated, and most of the time, that benefitted to her advantage.

"Stay close to me." Anakin whispered down at the brunette, who despite his constant arguing, had somehow managed to negotiate herself and Padme a first hand ticket to the action

"Don't worry Anakin." She muttered teasingly "You don't have to follow me, I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you."

He shock his head at the smirking brunette, who even in the dark and gloomy pits of the Stalagmite city, showed no signs of fear or worry. Sometimes he caught himself questioning how she was so brave, before remembering who her father was, and her experiences considering her role of Queen.

She and Padme were truly contrasting next to each other, the pair wearing opposing colours despite their usually similar wardrobe choices. Odessa had a buckled skin tight suit on, which was rapped with multiple belts along the waist and shoulder. It was complete black, the leather on it having a few embroideries of holes and metals, which revealed her collar bone and chest. Anakin would have been lying if he said he had to draw his eyes away from her, every few seconds, the tightness of the outfit, revealing every single curve and feature of her body.

"That really is appreciated princess." He responded "But I think you're forgetting who has the lightsaber here."

"You Jedi, always so vein, with that little weapon of yours." She scoffed, turning around and pointing at his chest "The weapon which I, actually, help to produce."

He hummed, grabbing her hand and spinning her around, so they were walking side to side "I really should be thanking you then."

She nodded, her breath hitching as she felt his hand snake around her waist "Yes you should be, Anakin."

He smirked at the rush of nerves which began to radiate of her body, leaning closer into her ear, as she looked straight ahead "How would you like me to show you my appreciation?"

Odessa shock her head, feeling her cheeks get hotter "I don't know, how should you?"

He went to speak again, before Padme turned to the two, everyone collectively hearing strange sounds, which sent their hearts dropping in their chest's "Wait."

Odessa moved over to Padme, as Anakin turned around igniting his lightsaber, the blue flash of light, revealing the monstrous creatures, hiding in the dark "Anakin!"

As she shouted, the Jedi began to attack the swarm of creatures moving to attack him as they destroyed them with ease as they flew at him. Padme and Odessa ran towards the open door at the end of the corridor, looking back at Anakin anxiously, as he too rushed to follow them. They stood on the edge of a short walkway, extending over a deep crevasse, filled and brimmed with working machinery, sparks and flames igniting.

"Padme watch your step the-" Odessa was cut off as the walkway disappeared, Padme falling into the machinery, whilst Anakin held onto the door, one hand on the ledge and another onto Odessa's arm.

"Anakin, let go!" She shouted "I have to go down and help her!"

He groaned "Are you crazy?!"

Yanking her body out of his grip, Odessa dropped on the moving walkway, ignoring Anakin's shouts of irritation and urgency. She dropped and slid through a crushing machine, chasing after her cousin, who was too attempting to manoeuvre her way through the series of machines. She leaped over one with an ease, dodging another as she watched Padme tumble into a large pot of some sort.

She yelped as her body was pushed back by a swinging metal rod, knocking the breath out of her as she rolled away from a chilling gas, just in time "Artoo, go help Padme!"

Odessa picked herself back up, watching in alarm as the pots which were only rows away from Padme, began to fill up with hot lava, lava which melted away skin and turned bone into ash. The platform she was on was above hers, the jump being risky, but the only way she could get down to Padme's level.

She took a deep breath, before moving back slightly and running up across the platform until she could no longer. Her fingers reached out, a slightly scream escaping her lips as she landed onto the metal claw with an impactful landing.

"Odessa." Padme sighed, as she looked up to see her cousin catching her breath

She smirked "We're a team remember, I need you, can't have you being burnt to a crisp now can we?"

The senator smiled, jumping to clutch onto the brunette's hand which was just above her reach "Grab on."

She sighed "I can't reach, you have to go!"

"I'm not leaving you Padme!"

They both looked up in concern, hearing the dooming machine hover over their heads. They waited for the intense heat to hit them, waiting for their death, but the pain never came. It closed itself, simple turning away and unlocking the object from its grip, making both the two females roll with it, and fall out onto the cold floor.

Padme helped Odessa up, both of them looking at each other with a knowing expression. They were both surrounded and yet they didn't alter, only clutching onto each other's hands.