Return of the Zillo Beast (Ep. #10, Prod. #9, Feb. 2012)
An uncounted factor! As part of his plot to overthrow the Galactic Republic, Sith Lord Darth Sidious has hired four bounty hunters to destroy military outposts protecting Coruscant, the capital planet of the Republic. The quartet has devised a careful and decisive plan of execution for the first outpost, located on Brentaal IV.
Little do they know that the Jedi have lost contact with the outpost months ago, and have sent an investigation party, led by Jedi Masters Shaak Ti and Oppo Rancisis. What mysterious horrors await both opposing groups…?
A cargo cruiser came out of hyperspace over Brentaal IV. But it wasn't an ordinary cruiser; it was the disguised battleship that Darth Sidious had lent to his private army. It was being piloted by four dangerous bounty hunters. The blue Duros, Cad Bane, clad in a brown leather jacket and oversized sunhat; white skinned, long haired Aurra Sing, a former Jedi youngling turned assassin; the green lizard-like Trandoshan, Bossk; and the heavily bandaged Dengar.
They looked out of the forward viewport and observed Brentaal IV from space. It was mostly a planet of plains and mountains, but there was also one large ocean. The planet itself was at the crossroads of two major hyperspace lanes, and was only a dozen or so parsecs from Coruscant.
This location is what made the planet so important that the Republic would build and outpost there. In case the Separatists tried to attack Coruscant using either route, they would have to attempt to get past the outpost, which was fitted with equipment that would immediately sense the invasion fleet and report it to the Republic.
"Remember the plan," said Bane. "We go in disguised as a cargo ship delivering supplies to the base, then when we get close enough we attack the clones and ships…"
"…and then we storm the buildings and finish off the staff," finished Aurra, "and we hack into the computers and report our findings to our client. We know, Bane."
"You'd better, Aurra! We can't risk any setbacks." Bane turned back to the viewport and continued watching as the base drew nearer.
Bossk, who was at the controls, flicked his forked tongue and said, "We're almost in range. They'll be contacting us any moment."
Dengar stepped up to the transmitter. "I'll handle this." The bounty hunters waited patiently for the outpost's controller to ask for identification, but the transmission never came.
"What's going on?" asked Aurra finally. "Why haven't they contacted us yet?"
"I don't know," answered Bossk. "This base isn't following protocol."
"Do they know we're coming?" suggested Dengar.
"No, if they knew who we were they would have attacked already," said Bane. "There's something wrong here."
The ship flew ever closer to the base. It was situated on a small island far out into the ocean. When they were close enough, the bounty hunters saw that there was no movement on the landing pad. But as they got closer, they saw three clones, only they were…
"Dead!" exclaimed Aurra. "Someone else beat us to the job."
Not thinking of any other options, Bossk landed the ship. Nothing stopped them.
"Make sure your weapons are loaded," ordered Bane. "This could be a trap."
They grabbed their blasters and loaded them, and then Bane pushed the button that extended the loading ramp. All four cautiously descended the ramp, looking in all directions and holding their blasters ready. They half-expected some clones or a Jedi to leap out of hiding and attack them. But nothing did.
Something was definitely wrong!
A T-6 shuttle came out of hyperspace over Brentaal IV. With its central cockpit, three engines and single rotating semi-circular wing, this type of shuttle was commonly used by Jedi knights.
The shuttle was occupied by two such persons. One was the red-skinned Togruta Shaak Ti, who wore a brown robe. The other was Oppo Rancisis, a serpent-like Thisspiassian. They, too, were on a mission to Brentaal IV's Republic outpost. Only theirs was a rescue mission.
Less than a standard month prior, the outpost stopped reporting to the Jedi Temple, and none of the staff could be contacted. Fearing a Separatist trap, the Jedi Council sent Shaak and Oppo to inspect the base, accompanied by several clone troopers.
The clone pilot attempted to contact the base. "Republic outpost, Jedi Generals Ti and Rancisis are here for an inspection. Do you copy?" But the only reply that came was a wave of static. "We still can't get a hold of them, sirs."
The Jedi appeared to be only slightly concerned, though on the inside, they were probably as nervous as the clones were. Finally, Oppo spoke up. "Proceed with the landing cycle. We must face whatever is down there."
"Yes, sir," replied the pilot. He pushed on the throttle and the shuttle began to descend into the planet's atmosphere. When they emerged from the clouds, they saw the vast ocean below them. And in the middle of it was the island on which sat the outpost.
As they drew nearer, the Jedi could see no sign of any battle droids – or clone troopers. But there was a cargo ship on the landing platform. There was no definite explanation, though Shaak ventured a guess.
"Perhaps they were delivering supplies when something happened to prevent them from leaving."
Oppo stroked his long, white beard. "Or perhaps they just arrived and are still there."
The clone pilot checked his instruments. "The scanners are picking up life-form readings. There's something alive down there."
"Something friendly, I hope," commented the copilot.
The ship continued its descent.
The band of mercenaries walked through the main building cautiously. When they had come inside, they had only found more clone bodies and wreckage. On inspection, the clones' armor had no scorch marks or blaster burns, but was cracked and broken in several places.
Dengar tried to start the computers in the command station, hoping to find some clue as to what had happened. There was another body slumped over the keyboard. To his surprise, it was not the body of a clone, but that of a purple-skinned alien woman dressed in a white lab coat. He pushed the body onto the floor and began to type.
The computers slowly flickered to life. His delight was short-lived, as the computers then died after a few seconds. He truthfully hadn't expected the computers to work, for some had cracked or broken monitors or they had been crushed altogether. But he was still frustrated.
I response to Dengar's growl, Cad Bane spoke. "I don't think there's anything left for us here. I don't think the Separatists did this, but whatever happened, it destroyed the entire base."
Bossk hissed. "So you think we should go back to Korriban and say something already destroyed the base?"
"Of course not!" exclaimed Aurra Sing. "If we don't do our job, he'll kill us. You saw what happened to that Death Watch group. I say, we make it look like we did it, bring back proof of the base's destruction, and not tell anyone what really happened."
"But he's a Sith Lord! He'll see right through us!"
Bane spoke up. "I agree with Aurra. We have a better chance of survival if we lie. Start shooting around the place and grab a couple of bodies!"
When the Jedi landed, they inspected the cargo ship that was already landed there. "It appears fresh," observed Shaak Ti. "Someone was here recently."
"And they sure left a mess!" exclaimed one of the clone troopers, stepping over a body. "Look at the state of this place! The base was definitely attacked."
"Patience, Commander Nit," said Oppo Rancisis. "There are no blast marks or destroyed battle droids, so this may not have been a Separatist attack."
"Then who did this?"
The Jedi looked at each other, hoping they would have possible answers. But they had none.
Suddenly, several small explosions resonated from inside the main building. It sounded like blasterfire! The Jedi and clones ran to the doors and readied their weapons. Shaak drew her lightsaber, and, to her surprise, Oppo did as well. Oppo had a lightsaber, but he rarely ever used it, usually calling on the Force for combat.
Oppo held up three fingers, then two, and then one. Once no fingers were held up, the group stormed into the base. The clones immediately began firing at the bounty hunters, who responded with return fire. The Jedi used their lightsabers to deflect the bolts back at the hunters, though they had taken cover behind the computer consoles, popping up only to fire shots from their blasters.
The bounty hunters were skilled and swift, and didn't receive any damage. The clones, however, had barely any cover, and slowly fell one by one. But most of them were saved by the two Jedi. "So," yelled Commander Nit, "I suppose you're the ones behind this!"
Cad Bane yelled back, "We did no such thing! We found the base like this when we arrived. We don't know what happened."
The fight continued, with neither side gaining the upper hand. Suddenly, a piercing roar made everyone's blood freeze. Then everything went silent. A couple seconds later, there was a screeching sound, almost like metal against metal. Fearing that their ships were in danger, everyone stopped fighting and ran out of the building.
They were horrified by what they saw; the two ships were being torn apart by two Zillo beasts! Each Zillo beast was approximately 90 to 100 meters tall and completely covered by thick, brown scales that were immune to all weapons, including lightsabers. They also had three long, snakelike arms (one was situated above the spike-tipped tail), two legs, three-fingered hands and feet, and a large, round head with green eyes and a powerful jaw.
The Jedi, clones, and bounty hunters all stood and stared for a while at the magnificence of the creatures. Then the two Zillo beasts noticed the newcomers and growled with pleasure at the thought of having fresh meat for the first time in so long. Realizing the danger, the clones and bounty hunters opened fire.
The blaster bolts disappeared into sparks as they hit the beasts' scales without leaving a dent. "Don't shoot," exclaimed Oppo Rancisis, "Or they'll panic!"
"They'll panic?" repeated Commander Nit. "I'm about to panic!"
The group continued to fire until one of the beasts reared up and let out a roar that shook the entire base. That roar was answered by a series of other roars throughout the island. Everyone watched in horror as even more Zillo beasts popped up all over the island as far as the eye could see. Then all of the beasts looked in their direction.
"It's a rallying cry," realized Shaak Ti. "They're calling for help!"
Cad Bane pulled out a thermal detonator. "Well, this is our rallying cry." He released the trigger and threw the bomb at the two beasts attacking the ships. When it was practically right on top of them, it exploded with a giant ball of fire. When the blinding light subsided, everyone uncovered their eyes, only to see two Zillo beast heads emerge through the smoke.
"What the…?" gasped Dengar.
"They are immune to our weapons," explained Oppo. "They cannot be destroyed!"
"We'll see about that!" growled Aurra as she pulled out another detonator. Before anyone could stop her, she threw it at the two beasts. Instead of exploding into a fireball, like the last one did, this bomb burst a cloud of toxic gas. The Zillo beasts inhaled it and almost immediately began coughing. After a while, they groaned and fell to the ground.
"Are they dead?" asked Nit.
"No," replied Aurra, "they're just unconscious. I suggest we get out of here before the others get here." They all ran back into the main building to figure out what to do next.
The Jedi, clones, and bounty hunters stood panting after their encounter with the creatures. Finally, Bossk spoke up. "What were those things?"
"They are Zillo beasts," explained Shaak Ti. "They are supposed to be extinct. But somehow, they have come to live on this island."
Originally from the planet Malastare, the Zillo beasts were killed by the Dugs and believed to be extinct. But, halfway through the Clone Wars, a Republic bomb woke a beast that had been hibernating underground for hundreds of years.
The Jedi were able to subdue it with pulse lasers, and brought it back to Coruscant, where Chancellor Palpatine had ordered it to be studied. However, the beast escaped, and wreaked havoc on Coruscant. Choosing to save the lives of the Coruscanti, the Jedi were forced to kill it with toxic gas.
But, unbeknownst to them, Palpatine secretly ordered a Republic scientist to take the beast's body to a nearby outpost and clone it. Several clones of the beast were made and used for further study. The scientists also programmed genetic variations, including gender.
Unfortunately, the beasts began to breed too quickly, and they broke loose and killed the base's staff. That was the reason why the Jedi hadn't heard from them for so long.
"Well, they've destroyed our ships," said Aurra, "so we're all stuck here."
"Not necessarily," said Oppo. "Every Republic outpost is supposed to be equipped with an underground hanger for emergency escape ships."
"Where is it?" asked Nit.
"At the other end of the complex."
Bane laughed. "You expect to march right past those things? You Jedi are suicidal!"
Nit stepped forward threateningly. "Well, you're going to have to find your own way off this island. Because we aren't helping you!"
Shaak sighed. "I'm afraid, Commander, that as long as we are on this island together, we are all in the same boat. We will have to work together."
At this statement, many of the clones groaned in protest, and Bossk hissed, "I'm not helping you, Jedi filth!"
"I have to agree with the Jedi," said Bane. "If you want to get out of here alive, we'll need their help."
"I'll do it," said Dengar.
"I don't like it, but I'm in," agreed Aurra.
"Then we're all agreed?" asked Oppo. "Good. Now, we need to figure out how to get past the Zillo beasts. Any ideas?"
"I say we arm all of our detonators with toxic gas," said Bossk. "When they're all unconscious, they can't hurt us!"
"I don't think we have enough detonators or gas," retorted Nit.
"Maybe we can outrun them on speeders?" suggested another clone.
"Those beasts are smarter than they appear," said Bane. "They'll probably catch us in a net."
"Wait!" exclaimed another clone. "I remember when the beast attacked Coruscant. We were able to stop it with a stun laser! Maybe there are some tanks hidden around here that we could use?"
"Good idea," commented Shaak. "There may be extra tanks in the armory."
"Lead the way," said Dengar.
So the unlikely alliance left the building together.
After the Republic's SPHA tanks were successful in the Battle of Geonosis, a smaller variation was developed. The RX-200 assault tank measured about 30 meters long and had three prongs extending from the front of the vehicle, with the center one being thinner yet longer than the others.
On top of the vehicle was a dome-shaped energy housing with a long, elevating, disk-tipped cannon arm sticking out. This single weapon was a stun laser, which fired a continuous stream of pulse energy. During the Battle of Malastare, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker suggested using the tanks to short-circuit the Zillo beast's immune system, putting it into a deep sleep.
The Jedi, clones, and bounty hunters were relieved to find seven tanks in the armory; enough to carry everyone. "Each tank carries two people," said Oppo, slithering to the controls to open the hanger door. "We need to try to sneak past the beasts, but we also need to have our stun weapons ready just in case."
Aurra climbed on top of one tank and opened the hatch. "This shouldn't be too tough. I think I can get used to these controls quickly." She hopped into the driver's seat and Dengar sat in the gunner's seat.
Nit laughed. "We'll see who can master them the fastest!" He climbed into a tank with Oppo sitting next to him. Shaak Ti piloted the tank in front, with a clone trooper serving as gunner. Bane and Bossk got into their own tank, and the rest of the clones divided into the remaining three.
When Aurra studied the controls to her tank, she wasn't sure she would figure them out quickly after all. There were several buttons and switches on the dashboard, next to two levers that stood side by side. She started by pushing or throwing random buttons and switches to try to activate the tank.
Finally, the tank shuddered to life and began to rise off the ground. Next Aurra pushed the right lever. The tank turned sharply to the left. She quickly pushed the left lever to straighten out, but the tank instead lurched forward and hit Nit's tank.
"What the…? Hey!" Nit rammed Aurra's tank in revenge, and pretty soon they were in a fight.
"Stop this madness!" ordered Oppo.
Nit and Aurra hesitantly stopped hitting each other and turned to face forward.
"Everyone ready?" asked Shaak via intercom. "Let's go." All of the tanks began to move forward. When they were out in the open, they expected to see at least one Zillo beast waiting for them. Though, thankfully, there were none.
"We should probably travel along the edge of the island. Go around the beasts," suggested Bane.
The clone sitting next to Shaak scoffed. "That would take way too long! I think we should go down the middle and hit those things head-on!"
"That is not a good idea," replied Shaak. "The bounty hunter is right."
Bane chuckled with pleasure.
Shaak drove her tank towards the beach and the others followed.
For several minutes, the procession of RX-200 tanks glided over the sand-covered beach. They were quickly putting much distance between them and the main building. And they were drawing closer to their destination. What's more, they didn't encounter any Zillo beasts. Everyone was glad about that. But Oppo Rancisis had doubts.
"I wonder where all of the beasts went?" he asked. "I had thought at least some would follow us."
Bossk flicked his tongue. "As long as I don't have to deal with them, I'm as happy as possible."
"Then shut up before they hear you!" snapped Cad Bane.
"Shhh!" said Aurra Sing.
"Yeah, be quiet," agreed Commander Nit. "It's bad enough we're working with you people. At least…"
Aurra shushed again.
"I'm just sayin'…"
"Everybody, quiet!" interrupted the bounty hunter. "Listen."
It was hard to hear over the whine of the tanks' engines, but everyone could definitely hear a gradually loudening thudding sound.
"I don't like the sound of that," said a clone trooper.
An instant later, that clone's tank jumped up into the air and landed upside-down on the surface of the ocean. Then the cabin filled with water as the tank began to sink. The poor clones who occupied the vehicle screamed until they were completely submerged. They tried to hold their breath, but when they couldn't hold it any longer, they exhaled and breathed in water.
Shaak Ti and Oppo felt through the Force the drowning of the clones. But they didn't have time to mourn the loss. They had to concentrate on fighting the Zillo beast that had knocked the tank to its doom.
"Ready the pulse weapons!" ordered Oppo.
All of the gunners in the remaining six tanks began pushing buttons to activate the single weapons.
"Aim!"
The drivers all turned the tanks around and the gunners adjusted two levers similar to the drivers' to raise the cannons and point them at the beast.
"Fire!" As soon as he said this, Oppo held down the button that fired the cannon. The others followed suit. In a few seconds, each tank had a beam of continuous blue energy attempting to penetrate the beast's hide.
The beast groaned as it was hit with the pulse energy. It began to sway as it attempted to swipe at the tanks. When it realized it was beginning to go down, it let out a loud roar. "It's calling for help!" exclaimed Dengar. "Let's get out of here!"
"What?" laughed Shaak's clone gunner. "You want to run away? We clones stand up and fight!"
Shaak Ti shook her head. "The bounty hunter is right. We cannot hold up against these beasts for long. Everyone, continue to the bunker!" She turned her tank back to the main road and the other tanks followed.
The slowly tiring Zillo beast noticed that its prey was escaping, and with one final swing, crushed the tank Nit and Oppo were in.
"Stop!" ordered Shaak. "We have to go back."
"Make up your mind already," said Bane.
"We have to make sure they're alive."
"Just leave them!" replied Bossk. "I don't want to be lagging behind."
But Shaak had already turned her tank around and was driving up to the wreckage. She hopped out of the top hatch and used the Force to move the beast's hand. Then she pulled the hatch off of the smashed tank and dragged two bodies out and laid them on the ground. Neither Nit nor Oppo were conscious, and both were heavily bruised and beaten.
She checked for vital signs on both. She announced to the others, "Nit is dead. Master Rancisis is alive, but requires medical attention." She dragged Oppo back to her tank and tucked him into the cargo space. Then they started off again.
When the other Zillo beasts arrived and found their comrade unconscious, they began to roar in frustration. To the human ear, it sounded like an orchestra of roars of different pitches and lengths. But the Zillo beasts were actually discussing their course of action against these intruders.
Then one of the beasts sniffed the air and growled. In response, the other beasts did the same. They all began to growl again. There was no mistaking the smell of oil. The first beast followed the scent, and the others followed.
Incredibly, the Jedi and bounty hunters didn't encounter any more beasts on their way to the bunker. One of the clone trooper gunners got out of his RX-200 tank and opened the garage door, allowing the tanks to enter and glide down the sloping ramp into the underground hanger.
Once they were all inside, they powered off the tanks and got out. "Well," sighed Aurra, "I guess we made it. And now we can get off this rock." The hanger, they saw, was filled with more RX-200 tanks, capsules filled with toxic gas, and several escape pod launchers.
But there was only one with a pod still on it! "Where are all of the escape pods?" asked Cad Bane. "I would think you Jedi would have more of them."
Shaak Ti frowned. "The base's staff must have tried to use them to escape when the beasts attacked."
"The pods can only hold four people each," pointed out a clone trooper.
"Then I guess only four will be getting off of this rock," said Dengar slyly. He nodded to the other bounty hunters and they each punched a clone or Jedi, knocking them over. Then they ran as fast as they could for the escape pod.
"Hey!" yelled another clone trooper. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Sorry to leave you like this," said Bane. "But it doesn't seem fair that the people fighting this war should live, while those not fighting die. You should understand that." He tipped his wide-brimmed hat, smiled deviously, and climbed into the pod, closing the hatch behind him.
"Traitors!" screamed the first clone.
But nothing anyone could say would change anything. The ceiling above the pod opened, and the only hope of escape was blasted into space, leaving the Jedi and clones to the angry Zillo beasts.
Shaak Ti laid Oppo Rancisis' unconscious form on the ground and used the Force to supply him with enough energy to keep him alive. The five remaining clone troopers began pacing, trying to figure out another escaped method.
"I told you we couldn't trust them!" said one clone.
"They said we deserve to die!" exclaimed another.
"They should be the ones to die for betraying us like that!" yelled a third.
The fourth clone interrupted. "Well, like I said, we clones stand up and fight, not run away. I say we try to fight those beasts!"
"Talk about easier said than done," replied the first clone. "There are only six of us. How can we survive against, like, twenty of those?"
The fifth clone finally spoke up after a long thought. "What if we fixed the communications in this hanger and called a nearby cruiser to pick us up?"
"We'd still have to hold off the beasts," pointed out the fourth clone. "We can use these tanks and gas capsules to fight them."
Shaak Ti commented, "You clones have excellent ideas. We will call for help, and hold off the beasts for as long as we can."
The Jedi and five clones immediately got to work. Two clones found a tool kit and began to fix the base's communication systems. The others positioned twelve RX-200 tanks outside of the bunker so that their stun cannons pointed away. They also hooked them up to a remote control so that they could be controlled from inside the bunker.
Shaak Ti set all of the gas capsules in a pile at the entrance to the bunker so she could throw them at the Zillo beasts if the need arose. It seemed they were as prepared as possible.
One of the clones picked up the remote that would hopefully control the tanks. "Oh, I can't wait to try this!" He flipped a switch and all of the tanks hummed to life at the same time. "Ooh!" He moved a small joystick around in its socket and the tanks moved and turned with it. "Ha-ha!" Finally, he flipped a switch and moved a lever up and down. The stun cannons activated and moved up and down also.
Another clone chuckled. "I bet we could make a fortune off of this idea!"
"The other boys would probably be so jealous of us, though."
Inside the hanger's control center, one of the clones was lying on his back underneath the console, attempting to connect the correct wires. "Ugh, why are there so many wires we don't need?"
His companion shrugged. "Procedure, I guess. It's the same reason for everything else."
The first clone shrugged. "It just seems like a waste of time, if you ask me." He was about to give up when he finally connected the right wires. "It worked!"
The other clone began punching in a frequency on the panel. "Is there anyone out there? This is a priority one signal from Jedi Master Shaak Ti on Brentaal IV. We require immediate assistance."
Somewhere in space, en route to the planet Korriban, a fleet of Jedi cruisers, led by Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano, were preparing to assault a Separatist base. On the bridge of the flagship, Ahsoka was overseeing the flight crew when a controller announced, "Sir, we're picking up a transmission from our Republic outpost on Brentaal IV."
Ahsoka went to the controller's station and ordered, "Send it through."
The clone pushed a few buttons and a clone's voice spoke over a wave of static. "Is – anyone out there? This is – ority one signal from Jed – aster Shaak Ti – Brentaal IV. We re – ire immediate as – tance."
Ahsoka thought for a second. "Captain, set your course for Brentaal IV."
"Yes, sir," replied the captain. Then he announced to the rest of the crew, "You heard the commander! We've got a Jedi to save!"
Back on Brentaal IV, Shaak Ti and the clones were set for the upcoming fight. All they could do now was to wait for the Zillo beasts – and the Republic, if they were coming.
One of the clones was scanning the landscape with a pair of macrobinoculars. "There they are," he finally said. "Brought the whole family for a little bonding hunt, looks like."
He dropped the binoculars when a second clone hit him on the shoulder. "That's very funny, rookie. You know what's even funnier? We're the prey."
"Just trying to ease the tension!"
At that moment, Shaak came. "Keep your joke close to your heart, trooper. That may have been your last."
The remaining clones joined them. "This is it," breathed one of the newcomers.
"Hold your ground, men," ordered Shaak. "Be brave. Show no fear. Pray help will come. We fight for the Republic, no matter how impossible the odds, no matter how great the enemy. Do this and we will succeed."
The clones all nodded in acknowledgement. Their morale had been boosted just in time. "They're here!" exclaimed the second clone.
They were impossible to miss; nearly a dozen monstrous Zillo beasts, their green eyes burning with rage, their roars deafening, all hungry for revenge. The lead beast let out a roar, to which the others responded with similar roars.
"Seriously?" asked the first clone. "They have a war cry? Oh this just gets better all the time."
The fourth clone was holding the remote. "Should I activate the tanks, sir?"
"On my signal," replied Shaak. She held up her right hand to restrain the clones. Then, when the beasts were close enough, she brought it down. "Activate them now!"
The clone pushed the button to turn on the pulse lasers. Twelve beams of blue energy suddenly erupted from each RX-200 tank. The clone used the remote to point the beams at the approaching beasts. One could call it a laser light show.
As the lasers pummeled their hides, the beasts began to groan. One of them tripped, and all of the beasts behind it toppled one over the other. The remaining beasts continued to charge.
"This is going too slow!" exclaimed the third clone. "What else do we have?"
"Time to launch capsule one!" laughed the first clone.
Shaak opened one of the toxic gas containers and used the Force to throw it at the beasts. Upon impact, the capsule broke apart and released a cloud of green smoke. The beast it hit fell and began to cough. But about ten seconds later, it growled and continued towards them.
"Give 'em another!" said the clone, sounding less pleased.
Shaak threw another capsule. Combined with the first bomb, three beasts were completely engulfed in an even larger cloud. This time, the first beast was panting heavily and did not get back up.
"Whoo!" cheered the fifth clone. "That did it!" Unfortunately, the remaining beasts were even angrier than before. One of them picked up a tank and began tearing it in half! "Uh, on second thoughts, just keep on them, buddy,"
The third clone looked up. "What do think I'm trying to do?" He continued to fiddle with the remote. One beast had finally sustained enough damage and fell on top of a smaller one. The former had fallen unconscious, and the latter was struggling to break free. "Well, there's two more."
Now there was a larger beast fighting its way through the laser field towards the tanks. Shaak threw another capsule, but it hit the beast too late. It teetered for a few seconds, and began to lean towards the clones!
"Move!" yelled the fifth clone. All six darted away into the bunker, but only five made it. The third clone, with the remote, tripped and screamed as the beast landed on top of him and three of the tanks. The fifth clone winced under his helmet. "That's not good."
"You think?" asked the first clone. "They've smashed the remote! Now we'll never get out of here alive!"
"Wanna bet?" asked the fourth. "Because you'd lose that bet!" He pointed up at the sky, at a Venator-class star destroyer and three Republic LAAT/I gunships!
Shaak sighed in relief. "Help has arrived."
Two of the gunships circled the remaining Zillo beasts, drawing their attention away from the survivors, while the third gunship landed outside the bunker. The side doors opened and Captain Rex motioned with his hand. "Inside, quickly!"
The four clones boarded the gunship eagerly, but Shaak Ti went back in to get Oppo Rancisis' unconscious form. She dragged him onto the gunship and the doors closed. The ship lifted off and flew back to the cruiser, the other two in tow.
Once the ships landed on the cruiser, Rex activated his comlink. "All right, sir. We're ready to go."
On the bridge, Ahsoka Tano relayed the message to the pilots. Soon, they were out of the atmosphere and into hyperspace.
Oppo Rancsis was taken to the Jedi cruiser's medical center. After several hours of diagnostics, the medical droids finally reported that he would live, although he would have to be taken to a medical station for full recovery.
While the fleet flew to the nearest medical station, Ahsoka went up to Shaak Ti's quarters. When she opened the door, she saw the Jedi master sitting cross-legged on the floor in the center of the room, meditating.
Shaak opened her eyes. "Padawan Ahsoka, what may I do for you?"
Ahsoka sat down facing Shaak. "I was hoping you could explain what happened on that planet."
"Very well. Master Rancisis and I were sent to investigate the loss of contact with our base there. When we arrived, all of the base's personnel were dead. Then we encountered the bounty hunters…"
"Bounty hunters?" repeated Ahsoka, suddenly alert. "What bounty hunters?"
"They refused to say why they were there, but there were four of them, all on the same ship. There was a Cad Bane, Aurra Sing, and two mercenaries called Dengar and Bossk."
"I know them," said Ahsoka. "What happened to them?"
"We reluctantly formed an alliance to escape the planet and fight the Zillo beasts. But they betrayed us, and took the last escape pod, leaving us stranded."
Ahsoka scoffed. "Of course they did. They never change. There's something peculiar going on here. I bet they have something to do with Boba Fett."
"Boba Fett?" repeated Shaak. "The son of Jango Fett? You have him in custody?"
"Yes. We learned he was running an errand for Count Dooku, and we intercepted him. He confirmed that several other bounty hunters were also hired to perform similar errands. With his help, we captured AO-327. We also learned of a Separatist plot by Viceroy Gunray to build missile launchers in the Valley of the Sith Lords on Korriban. That's where we're headed now."
"A very interesting tale, Ahsoka," replied Shaak, nodding her head. "I hope Boba hasn't been too much trouble."
"No!" exclaimed Ahsoka. "In fact, he's quite the opposite! He's the reason we succeeded on Cato Neimoidia. He's being very kind to me."
In response to this last statement, Shaak raised an eyebrow in interest.
Ahsoka continued, "The real problem is this clone called 'Spider.' I've never met him before; he was transferred to my fleet just before we captured Boba. He keeps arguing with him for no reason."
Shaak thought long and hard. "I would certainly like to meet him."
"Sure." Then Ahsoka added half embarrassed, "I, uh, I'm letting him sleep in my quarters to thank him."
The four bounty hunters in their single escape pod had a long discussion about what they would say to Darth Sidious. "He's not going to be happy when he hears that we failed," pointed out Dengar.
"Like I said," emphasized Aurra Sing. "We should tell him we destroyed the base."
Bossk hissed. "And I still say he'll see right through us!"
"Do you have a better idea?" asked Cad Bane.
"You know what's usually a good alternative? Run away and forget the job!"
"I thought you weren't a coward, Bossk," said Aurra.
"There's a difference between being a coward and being smart."
"Fine!" exclaimed Dengar, ending the argument. "We'll stop at the nearest planet on the way to Korriban, and anyone who's ready to jump ship can get off there, while the rest of us go back."
"It'd better be civilized!" snapped Bossk.
Ahsoka Tano and Shaak Ti walked to Boba's room together. Ahsoka knew that Shaak suspected something, and she wasn't sure she could explain her problem to a fellow Jedi. But, then again, maybe a Jedi master would know how to deal with these things.
Ahsoka's thoughts ended when they reached the room. She took a deep breath and knocked. "Boba, can I come in?"
"Sure," replied a voice. Ahsoka pushed the button that opened the hatch and walked inside. Boba was sitting on the bed. He looked up and smiled at Ahsoka. Then his smile faded as a second person followed. "Ahsoka, who's this?"
"This is Jedi Master Shaak Ti," introduced Ahsoka. "We just rescued her from a little skirmish at a nearby Republic outpost… involving four bounty hunters."
Boba gasped. He had completely forgotten about the others. He was so busy thinking about Ahsoka….
"Do you know anything of these bounty hunters?" asked Shaak.
"Yes," replied Boba. "Our boss sent a few bounty hunters to sabotage some Republic outposts. I don't know why."
"Are they planning to attack other outposts?"
"I think so. Again, I'm not sure why."
Ahsoka nodded. "Thank you, Boba. We'll have to warn our other bases. We don't want any more accidents like the one on Brentaal IV."
As the two Jedi turned to leave, Boba spat out, "Ahsoka! You're welcome."
Was it a trick of his imagination, or was Ahsoka blushing? Whatever it was, it was over now. Ahsoka left the room, followed by Shaak. He was now alone, and his head was spinning.
Why in the universe did he say that? "You're welcome"? What kind of an idiot was he? He knew he wasn't supposed to like Ahsoka. But he didn't necessarily like her, but then did he…dare he think it…
…love her?
And did she love him? Boba couldn't tell. But he couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way of the mission. He had to get that holodisk back!
But what would he do after he did? Would he just leave her? Boba had a lot to think about before this next mission. Like if he would survive it.
The bounty hunters' escape pod crash-landed near the Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine, where Bossk and Dengar decided to stay. While Cad Bane and Aurra Sing stole a cargo ship to take them to Korriban, the other two decided to go to Jabba the Hutt's palace to work for him. As they were looking for a transport to take them across the Dune Sea, they were surprised when they encountered Greedo, the Rodian bounty hunter who had also been hired by Darth Sidious.
"Greedo," asked Dengar, "What are you doing out here?"
Greedo replied in his high, nasally voice, "That Fett kid sent me to get some power converters while he refueled his ship, and left me here! What are you doing here?"
Dengar and Bossk then explained to Greedo all that had happened on Brentaal IV. Afterwards, Bossk said, "We're going to visit Jabba the Hutt. Maybe he'll have some good jobs for us."
"I'll go with you," replied Greedo. The three began to walk down the busy Mos Eisley street. Then Greedo asked, "So, what was it like working with the Jedi?"
Bossk hissed. "They don't share our views, and the clones were arguing with us. I'm surprised we didn't kill each other."
"Well, why didn't you?"
Dengar answered, "Because we were all in the same boat. They say the most important rule of bounty hunting is to survive. I guess sometimes we have to rely on our enemies to help us."