The Price of Freedom (Part 2)
Anakin jumped down from the mech and began directing the nearby Rebel Alliance warriors to start rescue operations and evacuate as quickly as possible. He had the remaining usable hover trucks drive into the fire, load up any wounded who could be saved, and get them out of this hell.
The Thor Mech remained motionless. The Rebel Alliance assumed that this terrifying mech had already been taken down by Anakin Skywalker. After all, the small melted hole in the cockpit was still there, and the mech had indeed ceased operating.
Yet none of those Rebel Alliance warriors felt like cheering...
The fervor and courage from the battle had faded, replaced by fear and sorrow. They could not even explain how they had charged forward just moments ago, facing such a terrifying giant weapon of war.
The battlefield suddenly fell much quieter, with only screams still echoing through the air.
The Thor Mech stood silently there, looming indistinctly amid the rising yellow smoke like a mountain.
Lux Bontri sat blankly on his knees. Before him lay the wounded man—who had already breathed his last in agony. Lux stared vacantly at the horribly burned Rebel Alliance warriors stumbling out of the thick smoke in twos and threes, supporting one another, utterly at a loss...
At last, he saw Stila Gerrera emerge. He opened his mouth, rose to his feet, and said softly, "I... I'm sorry... I couldn't save..."
He swallowed the rest of his words when he saw Saw Gerrera being supported by Stila—Saw Gerrera, whose face had likewise been burned beyond recognition and who had lost a leg.
Stila Gerrera ignored him. She did not even glance at him, simply walking away.
Lux stood there helplessly, looking around in confusion. Then he spotted a warrior