Geonosis
The roar of the Geonosian crowd echoes through the cavernous arena, a deafening chorus of excitement and bloodlust. Two guards shove Obi-wan and Thalia onto the chariot, their wrists bound in magnetic cuffs. Thalia keeps her head high, but the weight of the situation presses down on her. Thalia squinted against the harsh sunlight as she and Obi-Wan were led into the massive Geonosian arena, their wrists bound in heavy restraints. Towering sandstone walls enclosed them, rising high above where the stands were packed with thousands of Geonosians, their wings clicking in anticipation. The air was thick with dust and heat, and the scent of blood and sand lingered like a warning.
Thalia didn't know what to do. "So... this is bad." Obi-wan exhales sharply—half a laugh, half a sigh.
"Astute observation, my dear." They ride in silence for a few moments, the distant roar of creatures rattling in their cages making her stomach twist. The pillars loom closer. They are parading them around the arena. "I don’t think we’re getting out of this one, Obi." Obi-wan doesn’t respond immediately. His jaw tightens. He knows. He feels it too—the weight of inevitability. Obi-wan finally exhales, shaking his head slightly. His hand reaches over to grasp hers. Thalia swallows. Silence stretches between them, but in the Force, their bond thrums with unspoken words. If this is it… Thalia reaches out, tentative yet certain. Obi-Wan meets her there, his presence steady, warm, familiar. I never told you— she hesitates, the words caught in the space between their minds. I know, Obi-Wan replies, a quiet certainty in his tone. A flicker of something deeper, something unspoken for too long, passes between them. If this was the end, they would face it knowing the truth. Thalia lifts her head, meeting Obi-Wan’s gaze across the space between them.
Before either of them can say more, the crowd erupts into another deafening cheer. The chariot slows, and Thalia turns her head just in time to see another gate opening across the arena. Two more figures are brought out—Anakin and Padmé. Their hands are bound, their expressions grim, but Padmé holds herself with defiance, while Anakin’s face twists with barely contained rage.
Thalia’s stomach tightens. “Of course they’re here.” Their eyes meet again, and for a moment, there is nothing but understanding. They were all in this together now, for better or worse.
"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan called over to Padme. She was being placed next to Obi-wan, and Anakin next to Thalia
Padmé glanced at Obi-Wan and Thalia, then gave a small nod. "I've had worse welcomes."
Thalia exhaled sharply, shifting against her restraints. "Next time, let's not take separate ships."
A roar erupted from the crowd as Poggle the Lesser, Count Dooku, Viceroy Gunray, and the Fetts took their places in the archducal box. "Settle down, settle down," Poggle called to the audience. "The felons before you have been convicted of espionage against the Sovereign System of Geonosis. Their sentence of death is to be carried out in this public arena henceforth." More cheers erupted. "Let the executions begin," Poggle announced.
On cue, four vicious beasts were herded into the arena: a Reek, an Acklay, a Nexu, and a Gundark. The creatures were already furious. The Nexu, in particular, was so enraged that it promptly devoured the Geonosian attempting to herd it.
Anakin cast a sidelong glance at Thalia. "Any last-minute escape plans?"
Thalia flexed her fingers against the chains. "I was hoping you would have one." Meanwhile, Padmé had been using a hidden hairpin to pick the locks on her wrist binders. With her right hand free, she began to climb her pillar, using the chain as a rope.
"Just relax. Concentrate," Obi-Wan advised from his spot.
"What about Padmé?" Anakin asked.
"She seems to be on top of things," Obi-Wan replied nonchalantly as Padmé reached the top of her pillar and worked on her remaining binder.
The Acklay reached Obi-Wan and, with a vicious roar, struck at him with its massive pincers. Obi-Wan ducked just in time, and the Acklay’s claw sliced through his chains instead. Undeterred, the creature continued its assault, forcing Obi-Wan to dodge repeatedly.
The Reek charged at Anakin. Seeing only one option, Anakin jumped onto the beast’s back, wrapping his chain around its horn. As it backed away from the post, the force of the movement pulled the chain free from its mounting.
The Nexu reached Padmé’s post and reared onto its hind legs, attempting to climb up. Padmé snapped her chain at the creature, causing it to roar in fury. It swiped at her, catching her across the back and tearing part of her shirt, leaving deep scratches. She gasped in pain, while Gunray chuckled maliciously.
Thalia stood frozen for a moment as the Gundark advanced toward her. The massive creature raised its fists to strike. Thinking quickly, Thalia ducked at the last moment, and the Gundark’s powerful blow shattered her chains instead. "Thanks, I needed that," she muttered before sprinting away, the beast hot on her heels.
The Acklay continued its relentless attack on Obi-Wan, swiping at him with terrifying precision. Obi-Wan narrowly avoided each strike. The creature then attempted to flatten him by toppling the post he had been chained to, but Obi-Wan rolled away just in time. He spotted one of the Geonosian handlers and quickly snatched a pike from them. Flourishing it, he braced himself as the Acklay advanced, impaling the unfortunate Geonosian in the process. Obi-Wan hurled his pike at the Acklay, landing a solid hit in its shoulder. He smirked in satisfaction, but the moment was fleeting—the Acklay merely ripped out the weapon and snapped it in two with its powerful jaws. Obi-Wan’s expression fell. "Right," he muttered. A tug on his tunic made him glace behind him. Thalia was running in his direction with the Gundark behind her.
She had the hope that the two beasts would ignore them and fight each other. And boy did they ignore the two of them and go at it.
Thalia gritted her teeth, stealing a glance at Obi-Wan. Through the Force, his voice brushed against her mind: Stay close. She met his gaze, responding just as silently, I always do. All around the arena, over a hundred Jedi ignited their lightsabres, ready to do battle. The Geonosian spectators wisely fled the arena. The battle was on as the Jedi and droid forces engaged one another. Master Plo Koon tossed a lightsaber to Thalia from his position on the upper levels.
"Someone's got to shut down these droids!" Obi-Wan shouted.
"Don't worry, it's being taken care of," Windu replied.
Thalia grumbled as they hacked their way through endless waves of enemies. "Are we sure about that?"
"They've got a factory turning out thousands of them," Windu reported. "The Federation's built a whole army. It's gonna take a minute!"
Windu, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padmé, Thalia, and about 20 other Jedi stood in the center of the arena, surrounded by a ring of droids. The bloodied sand around them was strewn with the bodies of fallen Jedi, Geonosians, and the wreckage of battle droids. From the archducal box, Count Dooku gave a hand signal, and the droids lowered their weapons.
"Master Windu!" Dooku called out. "You have fought gallantly—worthy of recognition in the Jedi archives. But now, it is finished." Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, and Aayla Secura were herded into the group, having been captured by the droids on the upper levels. "Surrender, and your lives will be spared," Dooku offered.
"Somehow, I doubt that," Thalia muttered, glancing around at the carnage as she clutched her injured shoulder.
"We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku!" Windu called up defiantly.
Dooku sighed with false sincerity. "Then... I'm sorry, old friend." The droids raised their weapons, and the Jedi steeled themselves for what they were certain would be a fight to the death.
Padmé suddenly heard a noise from above and looked up. "Look!" she called, and the Jedi all followed her gaze. Descending from the sky were six Low Altitude Assault Transports, each loaded with Clone troopers. Spurred on by their timely arrival, the Jedi resumed the fight with renewed determination as the gunships swooped in, their weapons tearing through the droids.
Aboard the lead gunship, Yoda surveyed the battlefield. "Around the survivors, a perimeter create," he ordered.
The gunships landed in a cluster around the handful of Jedi. Clones spilled out, unleashing blaster fire to cover the Jedi as they scrambled aboard. Once the survivors were secured, the Clones climbed back onto the transports, and the gunships lifted off again, leaving the ruined battlefield behind. Blaster fire and explosions rang through the Geonosian arena as gunships swooped down, kicking up waves of dust and debris. The air was thick with the scent of scorched stone and burning flesh. Obi-Wan barely had time to register the chaos before a clone trooper yanked him up onto the transport. Thalia was lifted up and placed next to him seconds later.
She coughed against the smoke, eyes scanning the battlefield below. Jedi fought and fell. The bodies of their fallen brothers and sisters were left behind in the dirt. Her heart pounded in her chest, breath coming in shallow gasps.
So many…
She turned to Obi-Wan, finding his face set in a grim mask. His eyes, though, gave him away. He was feeling it too—the loss, the helplessness.
Obi-Wan… she reached out through the Force.
I know, his response was heavy, weighted with the same grief pressing on her chest. Thalia barely registered anything but the pain and loss in the force. She and Obi-Wan stood at the edge of the ramp, gripping the railing as the gunship banked sharply.