We're Different Than the Rest

Chapter Seven: Battle... Again

21 BBY
7 Months After Geonosis

.oOo.

Aayla saw it coming, but she couldn't stop it. She was too far away. "Bly! Watch-" Aayla's heart stopped. "Bly! Oh kriff." Aayla ran as fast as her feel could carry her as she watched Bly collapse on the cold dirt. "No no no Bly!" Aayla kneeled next to Bly's limp form, throwing off his helmet. "Bly! Bly, wake up. Come on." Aayla looked around the battle field. "Caro! Caro come in, this is Aayla!"

"I read you, General."

"I need cover now! Bly's down!"

"I'm coming."

"Bly, please wake up." Aayla moved to put Bly's head in her lap. "Why do you need to have such confusing armor?" Aayla was tearing at Bly's armor to get to the two-inch blaster hole in Bly's torso. 

"Caro! Where are you?"

"Almost there."

"Bly, please. Come on, wake up. Your vod can't lose you. I can't lose you." A clanker disappeared as fast as it appeared when Caro shot it down, protecting Aayla and an unconscious Bly.

"What happened to the Commander?"

"A clanker must have snuck up on us, I couldn't get him out of the way before it was too late." 

"Get him to Sid. He's half a click west."

Bly's eyes fluttered open. "Aayla? Help me up."

"What? Are you insane? No! You are NOT fighting. We're getting you to Sid."

"I'll be fine. I'm not just leaving you here to fight alone. Help me up." Bly's protest died when he attempted to stand up, but fell back into the dirt - grateful for Aayla catching him. 

"You are NOT fighting. You can't even stand!" 

Aayla ripped a piece of Bly's kama and held it to his injury. She took off her belt and tied it tight around his torso. "I'm fighting, Bly. You are going to go to Sid."

"No, I'm staying he-"

Aayla ignited her lightsaber just in time to stop a shot from hitting Bly in the chest, angling the bolt to knock down the clanker that had shot it. "Do you remember what I said after the Zillo Beast incident?" Bly nodded. "Then you know I have to stay, and you have to go. Caro, stay with the Commander, okay?"

"He'll be safe with me."

.oOo.

Bly met Caro and the General in the heart of the Seperatist base after they won the battle. "We finally did it." Aayla weakly smiled, a little tired. 

"You guys did it." Bly said, patting Caro on the back.

"Barely, but we did." His helmet was tucked beneath his arm, making his smile visible. "Can I talk to you for a minute, vod?"

"Uh, yeah sure." Aayla took the hint and walked away. "Everything okay, Caro?"

"When are you gonna tell her?"

"It's not possible, Caro. She's a Jedi. I'm a clone. We both have rules."

"For once in your life, don't care about the rules, vod."

"Caro, you know better than anyone that I have to follow them."

"So don't break them, bend them." He said with a wink. 

Bly scoffed. "Says the one who never breaks the rules."

"If I had the possibility of what you have, I would break any rules."