Child of War

Flesh

I choked on the dust as it settled around me. I pushed myself off the floor and examined the damage. A heap of crushed cement rubble covered the way out. I walked over and tried pulling at one of the stones. It shifted the whole pile and I stopped.

"Kickback! Anakin!" I shouted in vain. Who knew how thick the rubble was. Backing up a few steps, I lifted my hand and closed my eyes. Several of the rocks shifted as I connected to them with the Force.

There was a crack and pebbles showered down onto my head.

I lifted my arm and gazed at the ceiling. Little stones bounced off the Beskar armor I had kept from my mission with Obi wan on Mandalore. A web of cracks had spread across the roof above me. The explosion had weakened the integrity of the building. If I lifted the rubble, there was a good chance that ceiling would cave in on me.

I turned to look down the hall. I didn't have any other choice. I walked cautiously down the corridor. I didn't know why the assassin had set up a boobytrap, but I had a feeling that I was going to find out.
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The dark echoey corridor ended when I reached a large room with a half-built reactor in it. A reactor factory. Perfect.

I wandered the room, looking for another hallway that could lead me back to the others. As I passed the reactor, a shadow rushed from one pile of parts to another.

I tensed. "Who's there?"

A dark figure stood from behind the scattered scrap metal. He wore long black robes with a loose hood. A black cloth mask completely covered his face, creating a black void within his hood.

My eyes widened when I noticed the lightsaber hilt hanging from his belt.

He opened his hand and the weapon spun into his hand. He pressed a button and the lightsaber ignited, but, instead of a straight blade, the red energy bent and curled like a whip.

My heart skipped a beat and I reached for my own sabers. The orange blades cast eery shadows through the room, but not nearly as ominous as the assassin's red whip.

He flicked his wrist and the whip shot towards me. I jumped back, barely avoiding the blade, if it could even be called that.

The assassin reached out and wrenched a sheet of metal free from the reactor. I raised my hands above my head, stopping the jagged metal just before it reached me and threw it aside

Taking advantage of my distraction, the assassin lashed out with his whip. It wrapped around my arm. I held back a scream as the whip seared my arm. The Beskar armor protected me for the most part, but the unprotected areas burned.

Gritting my teeth, I jerked my arm back. The motion pulled the assassin towards me. I raised my free hand, lightsaber ignited. He deactivated his weapon and lunged backwards to avoid my attack. I panted, trying to focus through the pain. He flicked his wrist and the whip lashed out and circled my waist. Immediately, the burning shot through my body.

He yanked me forward and I fell to my knees. He snapped his whip again, wrapping my shoulder in the searing energy. The pain was unbearable.

As my vision started to blur, Anakin came running out of a nearby hall and charged the assassin. My opponent turned to face the Jedi Knight, pulling his whip free. The two fought ruthlessly around the room. Finally, Anakin kicked the assassin backwards into the reactor.

He stood over the slumped figure. "You're under arrest for crimes against the Republic."

The assassin tilted his featureless face up to look at Anakin. "Sorry." His voice was muffled by the cloth. "I don't take prisoners." He pulled his hand out from behind him, revealing a small detonator.

"No!" Anakin used the Force to throw the assassin into the corridor.

The blast sent us both flying backwards. I felt my back make violent impact with the wall and everything went black.

A/N
Credit for the whip/ floppy saber goes to Aleks - HaileyMayLomax's friend.