Rain threw herself on the ground as a blaster bolt ripped over her head. She glared up at the approaching clankers before climbing to her feet again, lightsaber at the ready.

Why did a crummy planet like Felucia have to be such an important part of our trade routes? Rain thought miserably.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mira holding her ground, maintaining a strong defence against incoming fire. The clones surrounding the twins were holding their ground as well, returning shot for shot.

It doesn't matter how many times we take Felucia or try to take it. The Separatists want it just as much as we do. Sometimes this war seems to be going in circles. They gain something, we lose something. They lose something, we gain something. To what end?

"Stupid!" Rain hissed under her breath, deflecting a blaster bolt with an overly aggressive slash of her lightsaber.

At this point, the Separatist and Republic forces were equally matched, neither side giving an inch for the other. Several clicks west of Rain's unit were Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his own squad, just as preoccupied with the enemy as she was.

If there were only someway to break this ridiculous deadlock!

We need to break their line of fire, Rain thought.

An idea struck her, a memory of a certain fight in her recent past. In the Senate building, she had done something unusual. She had stopped a blaster bolt in midair.

That was just a fluke. But if I could do it again on a greater level...

Rain took a deep breath, deactivating her lightsaber and attaching it to her belt. The surrounding clone troopers moved forward to cover her, and with a little effort, Rain cleared her mind, focusing solely on the inbound blaster bolts. She closed her eyes, extending her hand and letting the force flow through her. If she could create some sort of invisible net that would catch incoming fire, she might be able to keep it up just long enough for her forces to gain the edge. She waited a moment, then reached out with both hands, feeling the drain on her energy as she did so. She half expected to hear a gasp of surprise at her side, some sign that it was working. But she heard nothing. Rain opened her eyes to see with shock that nothing had happened. She let go, letting her arms fall to her sides and drawing several deep breaths. She couldn't understand it.

It should have worked! she thought, It hardly took any effort the first time!

"Rain."

Mira stood at her side, looking at her expectantly.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked curiously.

Rain sighed, "Something crazy. I'm trying to stop those incoming blaster bolts."

Mira arched an eyebrow quizzically, "Is that possible? I don't think I've ever heard of that force ability before."

"Don't ask me how, but I've done it before."

"When?"

"In the Senate building when that hostage crisis was going on."

"How come I'm just hearing about this now? Why didn't you tell Master Secura and I—"

"Because I didn't feel it was necessary."

"So you lied?" Mira demanded, "Rain, this is serious!"

"I don't see how," Rain said, frowning.

A trooper crouching nearby spoke up, sounding somewhat uncomfortable, "Look, ladies, maybe this isn't the best time to be having a conversation."

"Quite right, trooper," Rain replied airily, turning back to Mira, "Well, did you come over here just to lecture me?"

Mira took a calming breath and squared her shoulders, "No. I can help."

Rain nodded in acknowledgement, "Okay then. Let's do this."

Mira placed her hands on Rain's shoulders and Rain felt her sister's energy flowing through her, renewing her strength and granting her a whole new level of ability.

Let's try this again.

Rain reached out once more, feeling the force swirling around her, surging and moving at her request. She closed her eyes, concentrating. She could feel perspiration coating her skin as the minutes ticked away.

Then she heard it, the utterance of astonishment she had been awaiting.

"It's working!" Mira cried excitedly.

Rain's eyes snapped open and she drank in the sight before her. A long line of blaster bolts all clustered together in midair stood between her forces and the enemy. The Separatist droids seemed just as confused as the clones in Rain's unit and for a long moment, neither side moved.

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Then the clone commander stepped forward.

"Come on, men!" he shouted, "Don't just stand there!"

The clones sprang into action, shooting down row upon row of droids and advancing quickly before the stupid clankers could even recover. Rain waited until her squad was clear of the line of blaster bolts, then she released them, grabbing Mira and ducking. They shot overhead, striking the ground with explosive force and throwing up a cloud of dust. Mira coughed, climbing to her feet.

"Well," she said, waving a hand in front of her face in an attempt to clear the air, "That was impressive. I hope you realize I'm going to be including this in my full report when we get back."

Rain smiled sheepishly, "Of course. Now let's not try to get left behind, shall we? I'd hate to miss all the action after we finally got moving again. Shall I tell Master Kenobi the good new—"

A bright blaze of yellow shot out of the not-yet-settled dust cloud, snapping around Mira's frame and sending her hurtling forward. Rain was so shocked that for a moment all she could do was stare. Mira hit the ground, the shock net rendering her unconscious and trapped. Rain jumped to her feet, screaming as a second shock net slammed into her shoulder from behind, spinning her around and forcing her face-down into the dirt. Rain gritted her teeth as pain spread like fire through her shoulder, back, and arm. She reached tentative fingers to the spot where she'd been struck, the touch igniting a shock of greater pain and causing her to bite her lip to keep from screaming again.

Get up, Rain!

She clambered to her feet, drawing her lightsaber as the sound of heavy footsteps headed toward her. The dust was beginning to settle, allowing her to see the approaching enemy. It was a Trandoshan. As Rain watched, another one stepped into view. They were both armed, weapons at the ready.

"You missed," hissed the first to the second.

"Well, I won't miss this time," the second replied, levelling his blaster at Rain and pulling the trigger.

Rain leapt into the air, slicing the shock net in half and disabling the Trandoshan's blaster in a single swipe before tackling him. His buddy backed up several paces before turning to retrieve their captured spoils. Rain tried to break off her fight with the second so she could go after the first but she soon realized she wasn't going to get away that easily. In the few seconds she let her guard down, the second grabbed her arm and twisted, causing her grip on her lightsaber to open and let her weapon fall.

No!

Rain slammed the heel of her boot down on his throat, forcing him to let go of her. She stumbled away from him and he rose to his feet, coughing and grasping at his throat. His reptilian eyes glared at her, but she was hardly looking at him. Her gaze was on her lightsaber, lying just a few feet away. She reached out her hand and summoned it, but before it could reach her, the Trandoshan barrelled into her, knocking the wind out of her. Rain shouted in pain as she hit the ground, her head striking the turf so hard that her vision momentarily blacked out and the agony in her shoulder spiked again. Through her blurry eyes, she could see the first Trandoshan carrying Mira away.

"Leave her," he said to the second, "She's not worth the trouble. Besides, her unit will come looking for her soon. Let's just take this one and go."

The second nodded in acknowledgement, turning to follow the first. Rain dragged breath after breath of air into her lungs, reaching through the force and calling once again for her weapon. It flew through the air into her hand and she struggled to her feet, every muscle in her body screaming in protest. She ignited the blade, drawing the attention of the second.

The first hissed at him, "Come on!"

The second turned away from Rain slowly, and she took the opportunity to charge at him. The Trandoshan spun around last second and caught her full in the gut with a scaly fist. She collapsed backward, hitting the turf with a sickening thud and going limp. The Trandoshan laughed and walked away, disappearing into the enormous Felucian flora. Rain stared up at the sky, her body quivering.

Mira...

She'd promised herself she'd protect her little sister. But she'd failed.

I have to get up.

Rain rolled over, pushing herself into a sitting position.

I can do this.

Maybe there was a slim chance that Mira was not yet beyond reach. The Trandoshans must have been heading for a ship they'd hidden nearby. So if she followed their trail...

It's not too late.

Rain's eyes found what she was looking for, two sets of heavy-trodden footprints. She grabbed up her fallen lightsaber and hooked it to her belt before rising to her feet. She swayed a little, taking a moment to steady herself. She drew in a few deep breaths before starting out on the trail, only to be distracted by the sound of Master Kenobi's voice addressing her on her comlink.

"Padawan Callyn, why are you not with your unit? What's going on?"

Rain moved to answer, then hesitated. For every second she wasted explaining the situation to someone who would probably write her sister off as a goner by the time their conversation was over, she could perhaps be turning a hopeless situation around by catching up with and recovering her sister. Rain knew how vital she was to the success of her unit, but her interest in Felucia's fate paled in comparison to that of Mira's.

"Padawan Callyn, respond! You must return to your unit!"

Finally, Rain replied, "I can't."

"You wha—"

Rain switched off her comlink and broke into a run, silently praying she wouldn't be too late. The Trandoshans hadn't looked to be in too much of a hurry; maybe they had convinced themselves that Rain wasn't a threat.

I'm not done yet, and if I catch up to those slimy lizards, I'll remind them never to underestimate a Jedi again.

Rain skidded to a halt as a noise caught her ear. She stopped and listened for a second. The unmistakeable sound of a ship's engines firing up could be heard nearby. The blood drained from Rain's face and she flung herself into a dead run. She halted at the edge of a clearing, watching helplessly as a transport vessel rose into the air and pulled away from her, separating her from any hope of helping Mira.

Wait! If I can get to my ship...

The thought trailed away as she realized the futility of it all. By the time she got to her ship and left the planet, the Trandoshans would already be long gone. But there was still a slim chance for Mira. Rain had gotten a good look at both her kidnappers and their transport.

If I can get back to the Temple and have a look at the criminal records again, perhaps I can pinpoint where they'd be. And if all else fails, Trandosha would be the place to go. Though the Trandoshans are considered allies of the Republic, it might not be too much of a stretch to believe they have rats hiding among them without their knowing. And the sooner I can get started, the better.

Rain spun on her heel, heading back the way she'd come. She didn't even stop to consider what the consequences would be for defying orders and abandoning her post in the middle of the battle. She didn't care anymore. They could lock her up in the Temple, assign her some menial task, or send her off to a backwater outpost where she'd never get to see any action.

Or they could revoke her Jedi title.

But Rain had already made her choice.

Don't worry, Mira. I'm coming.