Fancy Meeting You Here

The heat of blaster fire spread over Ellbert's face like hot wind and he flinched instinctively, pulling himself farther into the wall at his back. The close miss had him slightly on edge – he could still feel the ghost of the shot on his skin, sensitive as it was. Unwanted images pressed in on him, memories struggling to surface at the most inopportune of moments. He could feel his heart rate increasing, his lungs tighten in his chest. A drop of sweat fell from his hair onto his neck.

He had to calm himself. This was not how he was trained to behave. He must not let his fear take over.

With blaster fire still passing before him, Ellbert shut his eyes. He focused on the beat of his heart and the way it sounded out the life force within him. Each pause before the next rush of blood through his veins was longer, more even. The grip of fear clutching his lungs lessened until he could again breath steadily. The images of fire and helplessness were gone.

When he opened his eyes he was calm, and a ping of shame hit him as he know he should never have been otherwise in the first place. He still had much to learn, it seemed. Perhaps that was why his master had sent him on his mission: to give him the chance to see how he reacted, to learn what needed to change within him. Rescuing the trapped soldiers was important, yes, but possibly an aside to the greater goal of this task.

It was a thought to consider another day, though. Now he had to focus only on the lives that depended on his next move. After one last deep breath Ellbert tightened the grips on his lightsabers and, watching the streaks of the blasters pass, leaped from his cover against the wall and into the fray.

The noise and movement was chaos around him, but his mind was clear and his sight true. With a thoughtfully aimed strike, so quick it seemed almost a reflex, Ellbert's main handed saber cut through one enemy while the other effectively disarmed another by taking off its arm at the shoulder. Again the heat of the enemy's fire washed over him but this time he thought no more of it than a passing summer breeze. He spun deftly on his heel, ducked low as a large armored fist passed harmlessly over his head. Bright blue streaks were left burned into his vision as his lightsabers moved in tandem to their target.

It must have lasted seconds only. To Ellbert, though, it was long enough to recall each movement and action in great detail, to later study and scold himself over, as there were no doubt many areas of improvement. He carefully placed the hilts of his weapons back into his belt and, with a stubbornly shaking hand, brushed back his sweat matted hair.

He had to be close to the trapped soldiers by now. He was deep within the maze of tight corridors and locked doors of the underground bunker that his master had sent him to, had fought off more Imperial soldiers than he cared to think to about. He had to be close – because if he wasn't, he might not make it.

Sneak deep into enemy territory, infiltrate their base of operations, and free the Republic prisoners of war. It was all a simple to understand, really, but pulling it off was another matter. One man had been sent in on his own to free the troops, but he was a jedi, more than capable, and with resources running thin, it had taken time for the Commander to assemble backup for the Jedi, and even now, Keliso was waiting for the other half of the reinforcement party; Illyan, a jedi she used to train with back at the Academy. But once the Commander mentioned the identity of the jedi who had been sent in alone to save the troops, Keliso rushed out of headquarters before the good Commander could so much as say farewell. Ellbert, another friend from the Academy, was out there in enemy territory alone. Keliso couldn't wait around for Illyan, and she knew if they got into trouble, he would make it in time to back them up.

***

So approached the Imperial compound with her senses trained on the front door. Where she expected to find guards, she merely saw corpses of fallen Imperial soldiers- so Bert just waltzed in through the front door? Keliso bit her lip. Had the Commander not sent her on that recon mission, she could have been here sooner to help, possibly prevent Bert from being sent into this danger at all. Stealth was her specialty, and she could have been in and out of here with the troops, without alerting the Imperials. But now that she was here, she wouldn't let any Republic lives be lost. She ran in, and with a deep breath, suppressed her own presence, until she faded from sight, invisible to any around her.

Her training allowed her to track down Bert pretty easily, and without being detected. It helped that her friend had left more bodies along the way to act as a bread crumb trail. As she came up on another corridor, she saw an Imperial soldier stooped down and peering down the other hall through a rifle scope. She was quick to assume who the soldier was aiming at, and quickly shouted a warning, "Look out Bert!" The soldier turned in confusion, and then a moment later, Keliso appeared in front of him, and with her lightsaber drawn and a quick 360 spin, she took the soldier's head clean off. She looked down the hall to see Bert staring back. It took a moment, and then she grinned, "You missed one." He was taller than she remembered, but that mustache was hard to miss.

Ellbert was still catching his breath and considering his next move when he heard his name shouted down the hallway. Surprising as it was he didn't hesitate to turn towards the sound and was quick enough to catch the action that followed.

A figure in a fitted robe had appeared as if fromm nowhere and drawn a lightsaber with the ease and grace of a trained jedi. With a perfect spin they struck the second figured that had emerged: another imperial agent, the scope of his weapon trained on Ellbert. The lightsaber cut through the air almost lazily, as if just an afterthought of the pirouette the jedi had made. In barely the span of a heartbeat the enemy was no longer a threat, his head completely severed by the force of the attack.

From his position down the hall Ellbert watched as the figure paused a moment and then looked his way. She grinned, and everything fell into place.

The unmistakable golden glow of the dual bladed saber should have given it away the moment he saw it, but it had been years. Years since he had seen her, since he had watched her face light up the way it was now. His first true friend, and for a while, his only friend.

His smile matched hers as it broke out onto his face. “Keliso?” he cautioned, certain it was her but still questioning because how could it be her? He made a quick study of her as she drifted down the hallway, seeming to never even touch the floor. She looked great – that much was the same. Her hair was longer, tied back and held into place so she could dance about without it getting into her eyes. There was still a liveliness in the way she spoke, the way she teased him even before greeting him. He could still sense the girl in her that he had known for so long, though surely there was much more to her now.

When she reached him he was uncertain how to react. Part of him wanted to pull her into a hug but he found he couldn't make his legs take the needed steps to meet her, and perhaps that type of greeting was now inappropriate. It was hard for Ellbert to tell, as he had little experience with the rules of newly reunited friends, or even friendship in general.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice even and quiet. “But...what are you doing here?” He was grateful for the backup, of course. Without it he might now be suffering from a blaster hit aimed by the solider he had missed, or worse. She had arrived just in time, but how?

It didn't take Ellbert long to figure it out, even before she explained. His master hadn't thought he could do it, after all. He had sent Ellbert here alone and then thought better of it and sent Kelios in after him. It was disheartening to think that he still had not proved himself, and Ellbert had to hold back the frown that threatened to expose his feelings. If this was a test he had surely failed.

As she moved to greet her old friend, he asked why she was here. She thought that much was obvious. "I was sent as backup of course. Though, I don't see why they didn't send me from the start. I've been trained for these kind of stealth missions." She shrugged, pointing her thumb at the lone head resting in the middle of the floor, "I mean, no offense, but you're much better suited for the battlefield. Sending you in here on your own was a huge risk." But then again, the General seemed to put the mission above the lives of his troops- something that Keliso just couldn't accept. But as big of a loudmouth Keliso was, she knew to at least bite her tongue when it came to the General. She had to be 'respectful'.

"Anyways, let's avoid any more troops from here on out, okay? What com frequency are you on? I'll take charge for the rest of the mission." She announced her own leadership so matter o' factly, that she didn't leave much room for argument. She felt confident that she was the most qualified given the circumstances, heck this was just the kind of mission she had been trained for! "We have to hurry, who knows what they've done to our troopers. Do you know where they are?"

Once he gave an answer, she gave a curt nod, "Okay I'll lead the way. I know you aren't used to my, er... invisibility, but just follow the sound of my footsteps." And with that, Keliso turned and started walking, cloaking herself once again so the only sign of her presence was, as she said, the soft sound of her feet. She headed in the direction Bert indicated (or if he didn't know, simply where her gut feeling lead her), and each intersecting corridor, she checked for more Imperial troops.

Though her words stung, Ellbert knew she was right. He was suited to be out in the battlefield, working as a team. Getting lost in the anonymity of a crowd was where he was best, where he didn't have such a great fear of being of little use. He was a part of a whole, not someone who could stand up on his own. At least not yet, it seemed.

“Of course,” he said, bowing his head in agreement. It was only fair, after all. She knew what she was doing, could execute this mission better than he could. He would defer to her from now on, and take whatever orders she gave. He trusted Kelios, and he trusted her when she said she knew better than he did.

He adjusted his com so they were both on the same channel and answered her question.“They should be just beyond the next two bends of that hallway,” he pointed off to the left, indicating a seemingly empty corridor that turned sharply some yards away. They should be, is what he was worried about. Now that Kelios was here if he was mistaken it would look all the worse. If he couldn't even get the simple task of locating their missing troopers correct, well, there was sure to be some snide looks and whispers following him around for a while.

His friend had learned some new tricks in her absence, as Ellbert soon found out. When she turned to walk away he saw her take two steps and then – nothing. She vanished in front of him, leaving no trace but the soft smell of her clothes and shampoo. He was impressed by the feat, surprised that she could be here one moment and gone the next. That was silly, though. She was still there, just hidden from sight. Now what she instructed made more sense, and he let the hum of machinery and the distant sounds of the building fade from his consciousness until all was silent. It was a task he was rather skilled at, blocking out distractions. He had learned early in his life how to ignore the words he didn't want to hear.

Now he could tell exactly where Kelios was. The quiet scrape of her padded shoes on the concrete floor gave her away as surely as if she were again visible. He followed behind her with as little noise as he could, but as she had said he wasn't cut out for this type of mission. To his ears he sounded as loud as a squadron of troopers banging their way down the hall. He cringed when he rounded a corner too fast and the sole of his boots squeaked as it skid on the floor.

Despite it, they manged to reach the end of the twisting corridor with no obstacles. They both stopped when they spotted their destination, Ellbert kneeling behind a group of crates so as to remain unseen. There was a closed and sealed door within the open chamber in front of them, behind which their missing troopers were likely being held. The problem was the door was guarded by a group of imperial soldiers, all weighed down with weapons and heavy armor.

Kelios wanted to avoid any more conflict. Ellbert was uncertain how she planned to achieve that now that they were faced with more of the enemy right in the way of their objective. He turned to where she stood, still invisible, and gave her a questioning look. He was going to wait to hear her plan before taking action – she was the one who was in charge, now.

Keliso was impressed at how well Bert kept pace with her, especially when he hesitated when she did at each cross-corridor. Then again, she should have realized his connection to the Force was stronger than ever. Keliso's patience with meditation and using the force surely weren't great from the start, and though she had made much improvement over the years, she was certain that Bert was still light years ahead of her. At most she could lift big rocks and turn invisible. That was about it.

But as they rounded the next corner and were faced with more guards blocking their path to the Republic troopers, she was reminded that she had other tools at her disposal. She stepped over and behind the crates beside Ellbert, and withdrew a small device from her belt. As the device hovered in her palm and she gently pushed it away, it flew up and attached to a wall just around the corner. Her cloak faltered ever so slightly, revealing a faint silhouette of her figure. As soon as she successfully placed the device however, she became invisible once more. She then pressed a button on her wrist, and started to move closer to the door, unnoticed by the guards.

The device on the wall started to emit the sound of blaster fire, and the whooshy sounds of a lightsaber. The guards at the door jumped, and many of them ran towards the sound; in other words, down the hall, and passed the crates Bert was hiding behind. Keliso positioned herself a few meters beyond Bert's location, so they could corner the group from both sides. She only realized now that she should have relayed the plan to Bert, but it was too late now- she was far too accustomed to working alone. But if he caught on, hopefully they could take the group down with little resistance, and then deal with the few remaining guards who remained at their stations in front of the door.

Bert was patient as he waited for any sign of action from the hidden Keliso. He wasn't sure what he was looking for – some quick flow of air that signaled her movements, some tremor in the Force around them that let him know she had a plan, or simply a spoken command. His eyes were still on where he knew she was standing when he saw a small device appear, hovering, in the air in front of him. He couldn't make out exactly what it was; Bert and technology never mixed as well as Keliso did. The device made its way to the end of the room and rounded a corner where he assumed it was sent to fulfill whatever purpose it had.

Not a moment later he heard the unmistakable sound of blaster fire and lightsabers coming from the corner the device had just went. It took him a second to realize that this was Keliso's intention and not yet another jedi sent in after him to clean up whatever mess he made of his mission. The sounds must have been caused by the device that she had sent away for when he focused he sensed no other life forces down the hall. It was a devious trick on Keliso's part, but if it helped to rescue their troopers then he supposed there wasn't much he could say against it.

The guards fell for the diversion. Four of them ran off towards the sound of what they likely thought was the intruding Jedi they had been warned of, leaving only two behind at the door. With the added sound of the phantom blasters and sabers Ellbert was unable to discern exactly where Keliso moved to next, her footsteps lost in the chaos.

Without the knowledge of her next move Ellbert had to consider what to do, and quickly. How had they trained together, years ago? He tried to recall what Keliso was prone to do, what advantages she liked to play on. The guards were split, and those that ran off were not expecting an attack from behind. They were distracted and separated; taking out the four now rushing around the corner would be simple.

With the hope that Keliso had the same idea, Ellbert sprinted from his hiding spot and into the group of imperials. His sabers were drawn before he even knew he was grabbing hold of them, into the middle of the nearest guard before he even registered the chill of the metal on his palms. The Force guided his motions like a beacon in storm. He let himself feel only its gentle call and his limbs did the rest.

He spun with deadly accuracy and landed a kick to a second guard's chest, knocking him to the floor. His saber raised, Ellbert stood over him and in the din of battle took a breath. He could kill this guard now with little effort. It would be just another downed soldier. Instead, Ellbert bent forward and slammed the hilt of one of his sabers onto the prone guard's helmet and his body went limp. There was tragedy in senseless loss of life.

When he straightened back up he found Keliso once again visible and the other two guards dealt with. He nodded to her in thanks and respect. She had come up with a plan that had worked well.

There were still the two guards left at the door, and Ellbert looked back towards them, though from his position around the hall he couldn't see them nor could they see him. He glanced over at Keliso and saw she was looking towards them as well. It was their last obstacle before their goal, and both of them seemed eager to finish. They rounded the corner at the same time, light sabers drawn. It was easy work incapacitating the guards, even with them on alert. They stood no chance against two fully trained jedis.

When they were out of the way, Ellbert approached the door that led to their troopers. It was shut tight.

Keliso was relieved to see that Bert followed the tactic perfectly, so she was able to come up from behind two of the guards and kill them just as easily as the sniper from earlier. Her smile was beaming as she looked to Bert who had dispatched his two targets easily. But then they had to turn their attention to the two remaining guards by the door. As Bert darted towards them, Keliso used the force to launch one of the crates at the guards, hitting and incapacitating one, so that Bert could easily take the other. With the two guards crumpled up on the floor, Keliso fisted the air, "Alright! Just like old times!" Not that 'old times' involved killing people, but their teamwork hadn't missed a beat in all these years.

Before approaching the door, Keliso hit the button on her wrist again to silence the blaster fire sounds from down the hallway, and she also quickly went and retrieved the small speaker device. Once she approached the door, and saw as Bert pointed out that it would not open, she examined the monitor on the right side of the door. "I think I can get this open." A little fiddling here and there, and a quick insert of a rectangular device from her pocket, and the door came open, "There!" She then went invisible again and entered the room. This time she was much quieter with each step she took as she glanced around for any more soldiers.

After a few moments, Keliso returned to the doorway to let Bert know it was, "All clear." And she was visible once again. The prison cells were at the other end of the room, and as the two jedi walked up to it, the Republic soldiers looked up at first with confusion, and then faint disbelief. "You're- you're jedi!" One said. Then another spoke up, "What're you doing here?"

Keliso smiled, "We're rescuing all of you, of course!" She then moved over to the cell's control panel, and with one flick disable the beams.

Just as he had thought, Keliso went right to the control panel for the door. With a few taps of her fingers on the screen he heard a mechanic click and the door began to open. She had always had a way with tech, and it was clear some things never changed. If he had still been alone he would probably have been forced to smash the panel with his saber and hope that it disconnected in the right way to open the door. He really was lucky she was here.

“Thank you, Keli.” He smiled over at her right as she disappeared from sight again. He would have to get used to her doing that, as it appeared to be a staple in her tactics now.

She was much harder to track this time. He was able to realize she had slipped into the open room, but not pinpoint exactly where she was. Figuring she was scoping out the area for any other guards he waited patiently for her to return. She materialized at the door a minute later and gave him the good news. No more guards inside, just the prisoners.

They walked in together and he headed straight for the astounded troopers while Keliso disabled their cells and explained to them why the two jedis were there. Ellbert reached down to help one of the men stand up, offering his hand in support. The look on troopers face was enough to prove to him that this mission was a success whether he had accomplished it on his own or not. These troopers were going to live now thanks to him and Keliso. That was the most important thing to take away from this, and not that he had been unable to do it by himself. The lives of others were more important than his pride.

“Are you alright? I have extra stimpacks if anyone is injured.” The group of troopers looked tired and hungry, but unharmed. They must have reached them in time to prevent any injury from coming to them. Ellbert wasn't sure what he would have done if instead they had found only bodies.

“I'm sorry it took us so long to get to you, but rest assured we will get you out of here safely.” He spoke calmly, his voice even and warm. He wanted to show these men and women that everything was ok now and that they had no need to fear. He wanted to be the rock on which they could now depend on. Plus, it would be easier to get them out of the compound if they remained calm and alert.

When all of the troopers were on their feet he looked to Keliso for confirmation of their departure. When she gave the ok he started towards the door. With any luck they could escape without any further altercations, thought Ellbert had a feeling deep in his chest that that was not to be.

Keli. She hadn't been called by that nickname since their time on Tython. She was glad that there didn't seem to be a need for formalities among old friends.

As Ellbert moved to help one of the trooper to their feet, and offered words of comfort to the others, Keliso couldn't help but watch at how the men reacted to the kindness. The squad leader, Jones, she heard him say, thanked Ellbert and Keliso for coming for them. Keliso simply gave a curt nod in response. Her work behind the scenes so far had left her with little contact with regular foot soldiers, the men and women who were really fighting in this war. They hadn't even expected a rescue like this. She couldn't quite place her feelings, but she had respect for these soldiers.

"I'll scout ahead and make sure the way stays clear." She quickly told Bert before vanishing once more to scout out the way they came in. She was better use to them as a scout so she left Bert to care for the soldiers. As before, Ellbert kept track of the sound of Keli's footsteps as they traveled back out of the base, whilst the soldiers followed closely behind him.

As they moved quietly through the halls, Jones spoke up again, though more quietly, so as not to give away their position, "Thank you again, jedi, on behalf of myself and my men." A few of the other soldiers nodded in agreement, and one of the younger ones looked on ahead with great interest, "You jedi sure are something else- I've never seen a jedi disappear like your friend did." A few more soldiers nodded- an invisible jedi seemed even more dangerous, and a good ally to have.

But meanwhile, as Keliso reached the exit she was greeted with a mass number of Imperial forces ready to ambush the group on their way out. They were all positioned outside the front door, their guns all pointed at the building, just waiting for the smallest glimpse of movement.

"There sir!" One of them suddenly called out, and Keliso whirled around to see a small probing droid had detected her despite being invisible. A single blast fired from the Imperial Commanding Officer hit Keliso in the shoulder, and her cloak faltered, making her visible, and in the center of their firing line. She grimaced but drew her double-bladed lightsaber just as the Commander ordered his troops to fire, and she was pinned down, forced to block all of the blaster fire. She had no opening to retreat and warn the others, and with her shoulder wounded, each block with her lightsaber was another jab of pain as she was forced to use her injured arm.

The way back through the winding corridors was surreal. They were empty, littered only with the bodies of those Ellbert had fought on his way in. The metallic hum of the overhead lights pierced into his ears, causing a slight headache to form. The alarms he had heard on his way in had stopped, and even the sound of heavy footfalls from the upper levels had ceased. It felt...wrong. Like walking in a dream.

He kept himself attuned to the sensation of the Force around him, trying to pinpoint exactly why he felt uneasy. Ellbert had always had a strong connection to the living energy that surrounded and weaved through all things, and often at times like this it alerted him to danger quicker than any of his other senses. Now, though, all he could tell was that something was amiss.

Jones, the leader of the squad of troopers they were rescuing, took a quiet moment to thank the jedi again and Ellbert lost the concentration he had been maintaining. He looked back to the man, and to the other soldiers. Most of them, the young ones especially, where looking at him like he was some sort of savior, a hero that they could never be. It was an odd sensation, to hear their praise. He felt a slight blush begin to form on his cheeks and willed it away as best he could.

“You're welcome,” he started, bowing his head so his hood fell over his face in a manner he had practiced since he was a child. “Though there is no need for thanks. The Republic wouldn't let you die here, alone.”

Or perhaps they would. These troopers were the lucky ones. There were many others, just like them, that would lose their lives to the war that raged between the Republic and the Empire. The loss of life was staggering, and sometimes Ellbert wondered if it was worth it. He was right there in the front lines for much of the last year and had seen many good men and women sacrifice themselves for the promise of peace. But when would that peace come?

Ellbert's attention was drawn back to Jones and his crew when they mentioned Keliso.“Yes, she is pretty remarkable.” He gave them all a friendly smile. “But us Jedi are no more special than you. We would be nowhere without troops like you.”

The continued on, Ellbert listening to which turns Kelios made and following behind until they neared the exit. Like before he waited while she scouted ahead, though this time he felt antsy staying behind. The unease that had been plaguing him swelled up each second she was away.

It was no shock, then, when he heard the sounds of blaster fire and a lightsaber being activated.

He took a quick glance back at Jones and motioned towards the cover granted by the rest of the empty corridor. “There's trouble up ahead. Please wait here while we clear the way.” Hoping the troopers would follow his order, Ellbert took off down the hall towards the sounds of battle. As he ran he took out both of his sabers, expecting trouble the instant he found Keliso.

As he rounded the last corner and came face to face with the exit he found himself staring into the blasters of a whole squad of Imperial soldiers. They had surrounded Keliso, who was now visible, on all sides except where he was coming from. She seemed to be holding her own for the moment, though Ellbert could see her movements slow with each new swing of her saber.

He wasted no time in considering his next move – he simply focused all his power and expended it in a blast of Force that threw the three nearest soldiers to Keliso off of their feet and into the air. They landed, hard, a few yards away where only one struggled to their feet. By then Ellbert was in the fray, his sabers slicing and swirling around him. Together he and Keliso took out the Imperials that rushed them, yet there seemed to be no end to those that took the fallen's place. Soon he was coated in sweat, his arms aching from wielding his weapons.

Things were looking grim, though Ellbert supposed if his life were to end at least he had his friend back at his side.

The hum of a lightsaber as it slid through the air sang in crescendo where it cut at the knees of imperial soldiers. Illyan caught it mid-air as it travelled back to him, directing the weapon towards disarming or otherwise incapacitating the enemy with overhead slashes. He never liked killing; the Force pulled at him with every last breath as it left the living. It was foolish, perhaps, to leave the wounded lying near his feet or to scurry off to find shelter. He knew that, were the roles reversed, they would not offer him the same luxury.

When Master Par’mi plucked him from the Balmorran front with an urgent call to aid in a retrieval mission, he hadn’t thought he’d be staring off at his dearest friends over a sea of imperials.

Not to be unkind, two trained jedi could breeze through a base this size on a good day. On a bad day, when information didn’t seem to quite keep up with them, they lost good men over stupid mistakes. Illyan had to remind himself that anger at such pointless loss of life did him no good; that his teachings invited belief that there was no death, only the Force.

He resumed moving in Soresu, his preferred battlefield technique, trusting his shield to take the necessary damage as his blade danced through his enemies. What would they say, once he made his way through to them? What would he say? He was vaguely aware of them fighting the other side as he cleaned up the way on his. They seemed well focused, if his appearance had ever even given them pause. Master Par’mi had mentioned soldiers. Illyan could sense them ahead, waiting, holding onto the flickering embers of hope that had started from the ashes when help first arrived.

“Kel,” he shouted, slamming an imperial close to her into a wall with more force than he’d intended. She was closer to him, so hopefully she’d heard him. “Fall back! You’re too far out in the open.” He could almost reach them now. Almost.

Keliso continued to block blaster fire until Ellbert entered the fray, as she could hear by the sound of his dual lightsabers, and she watched as a few imps in front of her were blasted away, landing yards away. Keliso took the opportunity to advance amidst the confusion, attacking maybe two or three enemies at a time with her double-bladed lightsaber that allowed her such a reach. Her aim was precise, either giving her enemies a painless death, or rendering them incapacitated and wounded- just as her master taught her.

Suddenly Keliso depicted another jedi entering the fray on the opposite side of the chaos and making his way in. As he fought his way through, he shouted an order to fall back, and it was only then that she realized how far she had moved away from Bert, leaving them both vulnerable. Without a word, Keliso did as Illyan said, swinging her saber around to block more blaster fire as she slowly retreated backwards.

She was relieved at Illyan's great sense of timing, as she surveyed the battle and saw how slim their chances were of getting their troops out unharmed. Perhaps Keli and Bert should have tried to arm the soldiers so they could help, but it was too late for that now. Then again, perhaps they could use the weapons off the fallen imperials, but it would be too risky for the troopers to run out to grab them, and there was no time for either Bert or Keli to run some weapons back to them. Well, unless Bert used his force pull.

When she drew closer to him, and downed a couple more soldiers she shouted, "Bert, our troops need weapons!" Once he turned his attention to her, she motioned towards the weapons lying around the fallen Imperial soldiers.

The world around Ellbert was a blur, the colors and shapes of wave after wave of Imperials turning his field of view into a kaleidoscope. He moved endlessly, never resting enough for so much as a breath. His mind was clear as he fought – only the motions of his body registering as he slashed out with one saber and then back with the other. His legs carried him up and over the fallen soldiers, leaped and landed and kicked and ran. It was a state he knew well, and one he felt comfortable in. He didn't think of the men whose lives he was taking; that would come later, when he was alone and full of deep and heavy remorse. For now he would work until his last ounce of strength to keep those behind him safe.

Through the gentle hum that Elbert had dimmed the noises of battle to a clear voice rang out, cutting through his self induced haze. It startled him from his meditative like state and he looked towards the source, pausing for the briefest moment.

Wading through the throng of Imperials was a tall togruta, headed straight for him and Keliso. It took Ellbert only one look to recognize the new jedi: Illyan, another friend thought light years away. The shock of his appearance did not show on his face, as little did, and he went immediately back to fending off his attackers.

With what little thought he could spare he wondered over Illyan's sudden appearance. Was it not enough to send Keliso in after him, but Illyan as well? Now the two closest friends he had would see his failure, would know he was not the jedi he wanted to be. The thought weighed heavy on him, and for a second he lost the flow of his movements and felt the searing burn of blaster fire hit his leg.

The wound was enough to cause him to fall back, closer to Keliso. She shouted off to his side, and he quickly looked to her, hoping she was ok. His worry faded when he realized she was only asking him to retrieve the fallen imperial's weapons. He hesitated with the decision; they could certainly use the extra help, but asking the wounded and exhausted soldiers to help fight didn't seem right. He was here to help them, not get them killed.

His misgivings were cast aside when he noticed Illyan still fighting his way towards them, soon to be over taken by the sheer number of men attacking him. With a sharp pull of the Force Ellbert caused a handful of blasters to rise from the ground and fly over their heads to land gently at the feet of the Republic troopers.