This was hard to write- Dov is not the easiest person to get inside, and he wasn't too happy that I did this. But, as he is one of the winners for the poll, he needed a one-shot, and this was born.

I don't own Star Wars or Geonosis, but Dov, Chip, and Holt are my OCs. :)

Enjoy!

Mistake

Even before the gunship's doors had opened, Dov decided he hated sand. It was already everywhere, covering the gunship floor with a thin layer. He brushed a few particles off his Deece, frowning. It was also blocking out the noises of battle below that should have been obvious, something else he didn't like. He adjusted the audio controls on his buy'ce, but it didn't do any good. Just increased the sound of the wind outside, the engines, and everyone's breathing.

He glanced over at Holt, but his brother didn't look his way. A tense silence had settled over the men, and Dov found himself sweating. It was the first time they'd been off Kamino, and it wasn't a sim or live-fire training. There was no default, no power off button for this.

The battle for Geonosis had begun.

The gunship doors slid open, and Dov launched himself off the smooth metal deck of the ship alongside his brothers. He hit the ground in a roll, grunting, and brought himself back up to fire at the Geonosians already swarming around. He focused in on the actions around him; duck, fire, repeat. It was a calming mantra he repeated to himself, though he did change it up once in a while by throwing a droid popper into the midst of the battle and watching as droids and bugs alike exploded in disembodied parts.

Dov crouched behind the stripped remains of a speeder, taking a quick breather. Chip was nearby, a Geonosian hanging onto his Deece. The creature's wings had been stripped, some of Chip's handiwork it looked like, although it seemed the nasty bugs were gaining the upper hand on the commando. Two others had joined their injured brother and were now attempting to lift Chip off the ground. Without a proper handle on his Deece, Chip was defenseless.

Dov stood, unlocking the safety on his Deece. It would take him .35 seconds to reach Chip, standing twenty yards away. Another .2 seconds to aim, and then he'd fire.

Even before he moved, Dov saw the Jedi. A Zabrak man, his HUD told him, and he recalled learning the various species in training a few years back. The Jedi's lightsaber flashed blue and the Geonosians fell away from Chip as if they hadn't even existed. Chip nodded once, and the Jedi turned away.

"Grenade!" someone from behind shouted, the voice hoarse and desperate. Dov didn't even turn, though he saw Chip's visor turn in his direction. Three seconds, his mind screamed. Too slow, too slow, too slow.

Dov lurched forward from the force of the blast just as his HUD nearly exploded with the noise. He grasped for something, anything, to hold onto, to anchor himself to the world. He squeezed the trigger of his Deece, but he didn't hear the shot. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling sweat pouring down his face and neck. His suit was overheating, the controls on his HUD were going crazy.

He scrambled forward, grasping at fistfuls of sand. Without vision, without hearing, he couldn't trust anything. Dov sucked in a breath and coughed.

"...Dov, look at me!" Two hands grabbed his shoulder plates, yanking him back. "Stop!"

He relaxed, finally opening his eyes. Chip popped the seal on his helmet and pulled it off. "Can you hear me, Dov?"

Dov managed a nod, coughing at the bits of sand he'd already swallowed. "What…what happened?"

"Grenade went off." Chip let go of his shoulder, sitting back. "Anything hurt?"

Dov rubbed his neck. "No."

And then he looked over and swallowed. "Chip, did I…?"

Chip followed his gaze, and Dov could only imagine the frown crossing his brother's face.

The Jedi lay dead.

If you're now staring at the screen in shock at what just occured, I don't blame you. Yes, I did originally plan this to occur, but I never thought to write it. Well, the truth is out.

If you have a moment, please review, and thanks for reading! :)