Chapter 15

The Great Desert, Ryloth, the Ryloth System

The Republican cruisers moved through the hot atmosphere of Ryloth, descending to the troposphere. They opened fire on the Separatist ships, but their firepower was puny in comparison to the sheer size of the Separatist fleet.

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu rode in a gunship as it flew directly for the battlefront. The droid army was incredibly massive, and was overpowering the combined might of the Twi'lek and the Republic. Directly behind the droids was the immense figure of Gigan, stomping on an already vanquished village with what seemed to be joy. The sight sickened Obi-Wan to no end.

The gunships landed behind the thin army of Twi'lek and clone troopers. Mace and Obi-Wan left their gunship, while Anakin appeared from one of the other ships.

"About time you showed up, Master Jedi," Cham Syndulla said in relief.

"Don't thank us yet, Syndulla," Windu replied. "How many did we lose?"

"We were quick to evacuate, so only a few clones were killed," Waxer said, dismounting from his Blurrg.

From the front of the army, Waxer's brother, Boil, ran to them with a familiar girl in his arms.

Obi-Wan took Numa and spoke with her in her native tongue. She replied with enthusiasm, and Obi-Wan turned back to the others.

"Boil, she wants you or your brother to stay with her while the fight goes on," he said. "Has your Twi'lek improved any?"

"I'm a little better at it," Boil replied. He walked with Numa as Obi-Wan reunited with his fellow Jedi.

"Do you sense it?" he asked.

"I do," Windu replied. "More Titans are going to come. I only hope that some of them are on our side."

"Didn't Master Tiri say that the Titans 'on our side' are actually on their own side, which is against Ghidorah and his allies?"

"He did, but temporary allies are better than no allies at all."

"I agree," Anakin added. "Hopefully, Ahsoka and Tiri will be here before too much longer."

When he finished speaking, a tremulous shaking was felt in the ground. The rock cracked and shifted, revealing chasms that plummeted far into the depths of the planet.

One of the nearby mesas exploded in a flurry of boulders and dust. From the resulting caldera, multiple legs lifted a spider-like creature out of the cloud.

The spider was at the same scale as Gigan. It possessed eight legs that ended in sharp, hooked claws, and also had two arms near it's head. It's body was covered in stiff hairs that shimmered under the bright Ryloth sun. It's eyes glowed a piercing green.

From the chasms in the ground came yet another Titan. This one was easily recognized from it's golden fur and scaly red skin.

"Caesar," Anakin uttered quietly.


Caesar growled as he lumbered toward the battlefront. His spider companion skittered behind him.

"Kumonga," he growled, "take Gigan. I will aid the Republic."

"Got it," the spider hissed as he leaped onto a nearby mesa, then another, before landing on Gigan's back. Gigan swung his bladed arms wildly in an attempt to throw Kumonga off, but the spider held on.

As Kumonga fought with the robotic reptavian, Caesar stepped over the Republic army and began to swipe at the droids beneath him. They peppered his red hide with laser bolts, but they did little more than irritate him. In fact, the energy in their bolts was redirected to Caesar's eyes, where they shot out in thin streams of red laser light. The droid army was greatly hit by the laser attack, but it was only a small part of the Separatist's army.

Caesar sensed the presence of another Titan to his right. He swung his claws at them, eliciting a familiar scream.

"Jira," Caesar growled. He turned to see a saurian creature clutching it's face in pain.

Jira, or 'Zilla' to the underlings, had a similar body design to Godzilla, but more horizontal. Zilla's body was parallel to the ground, with the tail raised up off the ground. It's arms were longer than Godzilla's, and it had a square jaw that increased the force of it's bite.

"Why in the name of the Force would Ghidorah send you here?" Caesar inquired.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Zilla growled, leaping at Caesar effortlessly.

Caesar was thrown off balance by Zilla's weight, but he regained footing easily. He grasped Zilla's sides to keep it from clawing at his face.


The Steadfast pulled out of hyperspace with a thud. Noc-Ta and Ahsoka sat in the cockpit in silence.

The kiss caught both of them completely off guard. Ahsoka had no idea why she would do that, and Noc-Ta never expected to be kissed so soon after his first Sleep.

"Are you ready?" Noc-Ta asked.

"I don't know..." Ahsoka replied, uncertainty evident in her voice. "I don't think I can fight any better with these emotions."

"Ahsoka, emotion is a double-edged sword. Sure, it clouds your judgement, but it also gives you motivation to do the right thing."

"And that's the other thing! If emotion motivates me to do the right things, then what's the point of the Jedi forbidding it?"

"Nobody's perfect, Ahsoka. The Jedi only focus on the bad side and do everything to stay away from it. The trick is to find the balance."

"How do I do that?"

Noc-Ta placed his pale hand on her shoulder.

"Just keep your wits about you. Don't be afraid to talk to someone when you find yourself leaning too far in one direction."

The young Togruta gave him a small smile. The tension was still there, but it was easier to manage.

"Let's do this," she said confidently.

Noc-Ta nodded as he sent the Steadfast into the Separatist blockade at full throttle. The agile craft dodged the Vulture droids and laser bolts with ease. Noc-Ta's skill at the cockpit, coupled with the digital saviness of his droid, made the Steadfast a difficult target to hit.

"K!" Noc-Ta called to his droid. "How are we damage-wise?"

The droid beeped and whistled at him, telling him that the only damage they've sustained so far was cosmetic. Noc-Ta smiled as he fired his lasers at a droid that attempted a kamikaze attack.

Before long, the ship was in the atmosphere. Noc-Ta and Ahsoka left the cockpit while R2-K7 took control. Noc-Ta checked Killack's saddle and reins while Ahsoka got Snow hyped up for battle.

They jumped out of the ship when the cargo ramp opened, blasting hot wind into the faces. Noc-Ta was mounted on top of Killack, while Ahsoka held Snow in her arms. They landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

"You good?" Noc-Ta asked as Killack shook sand out of his fur.

"Yep," Ahsoka replied as she set Snow down.

They joined the Republic front in their fight against the droid army. Snow bashed his thick skull into multiple droids while Ahsoka finished them off with a quick lightsaber swipe. Anakin joined her before long.

"Glad you could make it, Snips," he said, blocking a laser bolt. "You get the answers you needed?"

Ahsoka almost froze at his question, but she recovered when Snow flashed in front of her and destroyed the torso of a battle droid.

"Maybe too many answers," she replied.

Anakin didn't press further, as he knew that it was likely a touchy subject for her. He would talk to her later.

After what seemed like an eternity of fighting, the droid army was cut in half by the persistence of the Republic and Twi'lek soldiers. The droids realized that they couldn't win just yet, so they retreated a short distance.

"Why are they retreating?" Ahsoka asked.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Noc-Ta said.

They saw the forms of Gigan and the saurian beast disintegrate and fade into nothingness. Caesar and the spider looked around in confusion.

The skies suddenly began to grow dark. Dark clouds formed from seemingly nowhere, yellow bolts of electricity flashing between them. They fused to form a massive storm, with winds that could knock an unsteady person off his feet.

A ghostly shriek was heard as the lightning began to strike a point above the ground. Each strike caused a ball of yellow energy to grow in that spot. As the lightning continued, the form of a tremendous beast appeared, striking fear into the hearts of the Republic.

The beast was draconic in appearance, with massive wings acting as forelegs to keep it upright. Two spiked tails trailed behind the monster. Three heads sprouted from the creature's shoulders, each head being armed with a frill of horns and a mouthful of sharp teeth. The yellow eyes stared at the Republican front.

"Ghidorah," Noc-Ta exclaimed quietly.

The dragon screamed loudly and charged at the spider Titan. The spider stood no chance as it's legs were ripped off and it's body was thrown at Caesar. Undistracted, Ghidorah raised his wings and flew the short distance to the Republic army.

"Run!" Waxer yelled.

The small army ran away from the Three-Headed Terror. They took refuge in a small system of caves, but they were unable to escape Ghidorah's sight.

He peered into the cave entrance. His brow furrowed as he inhaled deeply.

"Get into the next system!" Noc-Ta shouted. "Quickly!"

However, not everyone could be saved, as the dragon's electrical breath filled the cave and killed the straddlers who couldn't make it. Ghidorah, in his unending thirst for death, continued to dig into the narrow cave. The rock rumbled with his fury.

But, suddenly, it stopped.


Ghidorah raised his heads, his senses telling him that an enemy was nearby. He hissed as he looked around with all three heads.

He then saw a patch of ground, glowing red from extreme heat. Ghidorah hissed angrily and watched as a blue spire rose from the hot rocks. Ghidorah recognized the sight.

Godzilla stood up slowly and assumed a defensive posture. He knew that Ghidorah was unpredictable, and kept himself braced for anything that the dragon may have in store for him.

"Well," Ghidorah growled, "King of the Monsters, you've finally decided to show up."

Godzilla snarled as his back pulsated in anger.

"I killed you three times already," Godzilla growled in reply, "and I will kill you again, Devil."

"We shall see, False God. We shall see."

Ghidorah raised his wings in an intimidation display, the spikes on his tails shaking rapidly. Godzilla refused to shrink back, taking a defiant step forward.

The lightning flashed brightly as Godzilla and Ghidorah exchanged roars, both eager to fight the other.