United in Battle

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Tori hid behind one of the many pillars that lined the main street of Theed. They had hurried through the secret passage under the city and were now waiting for the signal from the resistance hidden on the other side of the street. She felt rather than saw Sessho-Maru behind her. Inu-Yasha was hidden at the top of the pillar watching for his signal to take out Tetsusaiga and destroy the droids. James and Sirius had already transformed into their animal forms and waited beside the Jedi. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon held their lightsabers ready while Lily and Remus flanked Padme. Captain Panaka watched as Miroku and Sango climbed aboard Kirara. Anakin stayed close to Qui-Gon like he had been told. A flashing blue light came from across the street. It was the signal. Tori checked her blaster as Captain Panaka flashed his light in response. Suddenly the droids that were in the street started to explode. The battle had begun. Tori hurried across the square with Padme and Captain Panaka. Sessho-Maru followed after them with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon flanking his sides. Together they fought their way to the hangers where they had taken the Queen's transport to leave only a few days earlier. Pilots and droids fired upon each other. Tori ducked as a blaster bolt flew toward her. She could hear Sessho-Maru growling at the droid that dared to try and harm her. Tori's blaster found its mark and the droid exploded taking several of its companions with it. She whirled around when a piece of shrapnel whipped past her. Qui-Gon gave her a slight bow while Tori flashed him a brilliant smile. Anakin scrambled into one of the empty star-fighters.

"Stay there, Anakin." Qui-Gon quickly followed after Padme.

More droids flooded the hanger as several of the droids already in the hanger exploded.

"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!" Inu-Yasha's claws slashed through two droids.

"Thanks, doggy boy." Tori blasted the droid trying to sneak up on Inu-Yasha. "Can we get the hell out of here?"

"This way!" Captain Panaka led the way to the hanger.

Tori blasted at several droids just past the doors as the pilots hurried into the hanger. "Get to your ships! Take out that piece of shit up in space!"

Padme, Captain Panaka, Obi-Wan, James, Sirius, and Qui-Gon hurried toward the opposite door. Slowly the door opened. Before them stood the man that had tried to capture the Queen on Tatooine. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan removed their cloaks just as James and Sirius changed back into their human forms.

"We'll take care of this." Qui-Gon motioned to James and Sirius back to Padme.

"Like we're going to let you have all the fun." James twirled his wand between his fingers.

"Don't come back to me dead, James Potter!" Lily barely looked over at her fiancée as she attacked several droids around her.

"I wouldn't dream of it, darling." James flung his cloak to the floor of the hanger as Darth Maul took off his cloak.

Padme looked from the two Jedi and two wizards to the Sith Lord before starting toward another door. "We'll take the long way."

Lily, Tori, Sessho-Maru, Inu-Yasha, Koga, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara followed her for a moment before they had to duck behind several crates because several destroyer droids had rolled into the hanger. Anakin had hunkered down in the pilot's seat of the fighter and was trying to figure out which switch would fire the guns at the droids. The ship started to move and Tori about hit her head trying to see if Anakin was alright.

"Anakin!" Tori raced through the blaster fire and tried to grab the ladder that was attached to the side of the ship. "Stop that ship right now!"

"I can't! It's on autopilot!" Anakin managed to squeeze the trigger for the blasters on the ship. "I found the blasters!" The two droids exploded as a third flew out the hanger as the ship took off into the air.

Tori stood at the edge of the hanger watching the ship's cover slid over the cockpit. "Qui-Gon's going to kill me."

"You were not responsible for Anakin." Sessho-Maru ushered his mate back toward the door that Padme was running out of. "Come we must protect the Queen."

"Right." Tori cast one last desperate look at the disappearing star-fighter. "Let's go help the Queen." Sessho-Maru swung Tori onto his back and hurried after Padme.

-----

James, Sirius, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon circled around Darth Maul while he spun his double lightsaber and taunted the four men.

"Which one of us gets to beat his ass first?" Sirius grinned as Darth Maul turned to face him. "I guess I'm first. Stupefy!"

Darth Maul jumped to the left as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan rushed toward the Sith. James and Sirius hurried forward as well. Darth Maul was having a time trying to keep the wizards from attacking while the Jedi kept hitting his lightsaber with their own. The duel was becoming fierce. Darth Maul Force pushed James over the edge of the small bridge they were fighting on. Obi-Wan and Sirius jumped toward the edge to catch his hands and pull him up from the gaping chasm below.

"I get to kill that son of a bitch." James scrambled to his feet and ran after Qui-Gon and Darth Maul.

"Hey! You're going to have to fight me for that honor!" Sirius raced after his best friend.

Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber as he raced after his new friends. "Wait for me!"

They jumped back into the duel and with ach passing second more spells were rebounded off of the flashing lightsabers.

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Tori clung to Sessho-Maru's armor as he bounded after Padme. More droids fired upon them. Tori's blaster hung uselessly in her hand. The group had split from Sabe and her contingent of guards, which included Sango, Miroku, Remus, and Kirara. Tori looked around one of the pillars and pulled back quickly as the droids fired at the pillar.

"Shit! We've got to get out of here." Tori pointed her blaster at the droids and fired blindly at them.

"I agree." Sessho-Maru darted from behind the pillar and slashed the droids with his whip.

Captain Panaka watched in amazement as the demon lord destroyed the droids. Finally the corridor was clear of droids. "Let's move, people."

Suddenly the doors were blasted open and more droids filled the corridor. Padme had dove back behind the pillar while Lily, Tori, Sessho-Maru, and Inu-Yasha tried to take them out.

"Captain, this is taking too long." Padme aimed at the window across the way and Inu-Yasha pulled her back even further. Glass flew everywhere as the blaster fire soared through the glass. "Use your ascension guns." Padme aimed for the ledge several yards above them.

"What about the demon and his woman?" Captain Panaka looked over at the disguised Queen.

"My brother can take care of himself." Inu-Yasha, with Lily on his back, jumped up toward the ledge that Padme had her cable anchored.

Padme pointed back into the corridor. "You don't have to worry about them."

A large white dog was pawing at the droids around his feet. A human was darting out and blasting the droids. Captain Panaka rolled his eyes and pushed the button on his ascension gun. The cables wound back into the guns making the group rise toward the ledge. Padme backed up slightly and blasted the glass. They jumped through the window and raced toward the throne room, blasting droids along the way. Padme and her group didn't notice that Sessho-Maru and Tori had flown through the window moments earlier and hidden behind one of the pillars.

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Anakin was flipping the switches in the cockpit while R2-D2 beeped at him. "I don't know where we're going but we need to get the autopilot turned off."

Suddenly, a Trade Federation ship loomed before them. The Naboo pilots were fighting the droid ships. For every Naboo ship that exploded, six droid fighters were blown to bits. R2-D2 beeped to Anakin that the autopilot was turned off. Anakin simply took the controls and steered the ship around so that he could help the pilots that were fighting. He flew after several of the droid ships that were chasing one of the Naboo pilots. His blaster fire blew the droid ships apart. He chased one of the ships into the hanger of the control ship. It slid to a stop and all the lights were red.

"We're in trouble." Anakin started to play with the switches a third time.

-----

Jar Jar watched as the Gungans and the droids attacked each other. One by one the droids fell to the Gungans. Apparently the Trade Federation didn't know that one person protecting their home was better than a group trying to take it. Of course it helped that the droids' blasters couldn't get through the shields. It seemed that the world was moving in slow motion as the droids started to march on the Gungans. Jar Jar watched in horror as one by one the droids made their way through the shields. The other Gungans had started to throw their energy ball, a weapon that the Gungans had developed to drain the energy out of anything electrical. Koga was leaning against one of the trees as the droids and the Gungans started to battle. He raced out and dragged Jar Jar from his kaadu to keep him from the line of fire.

"Damn! Am I gonna have to keep you safe?" Koga pulled out his sword and started to hack through the droids slowly filling the shields.

-----

James raced toward Qui-Gon and Darth Maul. Slowly they started to push him back toward the far end of the power station. Sirius and Obi-Wan were trying to catch up to them. Suddenly James was flying toward them while Darth Maul flew down several levels.

"That asshole. I'm going to kill him!" James apparated down to where the Sith lord was taunting them from just as Qui-Gon jumped and landed beside the young wizard.

Sirius looked at Obi-Wan who had to scoop up his lightsaber from where he had dropped it. "Shall we join them?"

"I don't see why not." Obi-Wan jumped after his master and new friend.

Sirius shrugged and apparated beside Obi-Wan. They both ran after the trio headed for a corridor at the far end of the walkway they now stood on. They slid to a stop outside the corridor because the lasers had activated. Qui-Gon and James were halfway down the corridor when Qui-Gon pulled James to a stop just seconds before the lasers activated. Obi-Wan looked down the corridor and watched as Darth Maul kept taunting his master and friend.

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Anakin was still flipping switches trying to get to ship to start again. "R2, I'm trying. The lights are still all red." Suddenly the lights turned green. "Yes." Anakin pulled the trigger on his stick before flying out of the hanger.

If he would have stayed to watch he would have seen the two torpedoes explode on contact with the main power core.

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Tori and Sessho-Maru continued to hide behind the pillars that lined the corridors. Occasionally they would blast a droid but otherwise they kept themselves hidden from Padme and her group of people. Tori almost ran from behind the pillar when the droids finally got the better of Padme and her group.

"Hey, bakas. Take this." Inu-Yasha brought Tetsusaiga down and destroyed three droids. "Damn it all!"

The three destroyed droids were replaced with six more droids. Padme dropped her blaster and turned to the others. "Drop your weapons. They've won this round."

Slowly the guards dropped their blasters while Inu-Yasha laid his sword on the floor and Lily hid her wand up her sleeve. The droids marched them toward the throne room.

Tori looked up at Sessho-Maru with tears in her eyes. "We've got to help them."

"And we will, my mate. But first we must find Sabe and have her help us." Sessho-Maru swung Tori onto his back and hurried down the corridors to find the handmaiden that looked like the Queen.

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Jar Jar and Koga were running from the droids. Sure they could have destroyed them but Koga liked to play with the droids. He would let them chase after him and Jar Jar before he would destroy them. Suddenly Jar Jar wasn't beside him. Koga looked around and saw Jar Jar hanging on the barrel of on of the droid cannons. Koga rolled his eyes before hurrying back to the Gungan. Jar Jar dangled from the barrel as Koga came up underneath him. Captain Tarpals rode his kaadu next to them.

"Will you drop down here, baka?" Koga tried to pull Jar Jar off the cannon.

Jar Jar let go of the cannon and dropped toward Koga, effectively pulling Captain Tarpals to the ground as well. Suddenly they were surrounded by droids. Captain Tarpals looked around them.

"Wesa gotta do someding." Captain Tarpals slowly started to reach for one of the energy balls in a pouch on his belt.

Jar Jar, on the other hand, had other plans. He held up his hands. "Isa gib up."

He's going to get us all killed. Koga managed to keep himself from strangling the Gungan as he looked around them. He saw the groups of Gungans surrendering. Not good.

-----

Padme, Inu-Yasha, Captain Panaka, and four guards were ushered into the throne room. Viceroy Nute Gunray watched as his droids pushed the humans and Inu-Yasha toward him.

"You're resistance is futile, your highness." Nute Gunray gave a small smile as he turned to Lily and Inu-Yasha. "Darth Sidious will be happy have you back."

Lily spit in his face. "Kiss my ass, you ugly son of a bitch."

Inu-Yasha smirked slightly. "I'm proud of you, Lily. It's just a shame that James and Sirius weren't here to see it."

Nute Gunray snarled as he slapped Lily, making her head snap back and her lip bleed. "How dare you talk to me that way?"

Suddenly a blaster bolt struck one of the droids. Everyone turned to see the Queen standing outside the throne room. Nute Gunray growled slightly.

"Your insurrection here has, Viceroy." The Queen didn't reveal any emotions as she blasted another of the droids.

"After her!" Nute Gunray watched the droids hurry after the Queen before turning to face Padme. "You are nothing but a decoy."

Padme hung her head in shame as she dropped into the Queen's throne. Inu-Yasha smirked slightly as she pushed a button and pulled out two blasters. His claws made short work of the two droids guarding him and Lily while Padme tossed the second blaster to Captain Panaka. Together they took out the droids. Nute Gunray and his advisors stood shocked that the prisoners had managed to defeat them. Captain Panaka punched several codes into a panel beside the door.

"Now, Viceroy. We shall rewrite this treaty." Padme stood before Nute Gunray, who was quivering in anger at being deceived a second time.

Lily stepped up to him and smirked. "But first..." She pulled back a fist and knocked the ugly alien on his ass. "Never piss off a witch, jackass."

Inu-Yasha leaned toward Captain Panaka. "Remind me to never piss off Lily."

"I agree." Captain Panaka watched as the Neimoidian climbed to his feet.

-----

The lasers disengaged and James and Qui-Gon hurried toward the Sith Lord waiting for them. As they fought, Sirius and Obi-Wan were making their way toward the fight. Suddenly the lasers reengaged and Obi-Wan pulled Sirius to a stop before he was fried to a crisp. Together they watched as Qui-Gon and James fought. Darth Maul managed the Force push James into one of the walls, effectively knocking him out and taking him out of the battle.

"James!" Sirius tried to go to his friend only to find himself being restrained by Obi-Wan.

"There is nothing we can do, my friend." Obi-Wan only hoped that he could make himself believe that.

The battle raged on. Qui-Gon blocked an attack from above only feel searing pain in his chest a moment later. Darth Maul pulled his lightsaber out and smirked at Obi-Wan and Sirius.

Sirius shook his head in disbelief. "I'm going to kill that lousy, sorry, stupid son of a bitch."

"Only after I have killed him." Obi-Wan's voice was controlled but Sirius could hear the anger and sadness that surrounded the edges of it.

-----

Anakin flew out of the hanger of the control ship only to hear several of the pilots exclaiming.

"It's blowing up from the inside."

"Look! It's one of ours coming from the hanger!"

Anakin and the other pilots hurried away from the exploding ship. They knew that they had done their job and the droids were stopped.

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Jar Jar, Koga, and Captain Tarpals were among the captured Gungans when the droids started to droop as their power sources were drained.

"Whatsa happening?" Jar Jar cocked his head to the side.

"Dey'sa broken." Captain Tarpals pushed one of the droids and knocked it over.

One by one the Gungans knocked over the droids. Slowly they started to cheer. They had won the battle!

-----

The lasers disengaged a second after Qui-Gon fell. Sirius came running out shouting hexes and Obi-Wan came out swinging his lightsaber. Together they managed to break Darth Maul's lightsaber in half. Sirius had just sent a cutting hex at Darth Maul when he found himself flying toward one of the walls. Obi-Wan heard Sirius's arm crack with the impact.

This just leaves me. He swung at Darth Maul only to find himself falling down a hole. He managed to grab a small outcropping while his lightsaber fell into the depths.

Darth Maul was smirking as he swung his lightsaber along the edge of the hole and sent sparks toward Obi-Wan. Slowly Obi-Wan focused all his energy into jumping out of the hole and summoning Qui-Gon's lightsaber. Darth Maul wasn't expecting it but he managed to deflect three strikes before Obi-Wan sliced him in half and sent his body down the hole that he tried to send Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan dropped the lightsaber and hurried over to Qui-Gon. Sirius had managed to revive James and they joined the young Jedi.

"Master." Obi-Wan lifted qui-Gon's head slightly.

"I want...you to ...promise...me...that you will...train the boy." Qui-Gon fought for each breath.

"I promise." Obi-Wan tried to keep from crying before his Master.

"Rest, Qui-Gon. Lily will fix you up and you'll be able to do it yourself." James tried to keep the tears from his eyes.

"He is...the Chosen One...The Council...will see it soon." Qui-Gon's hand went limp in James's grip.

Sirius laid a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Together the three friends mourned the loss of a great man.