Chapter 8 - Isn't This Space Neutral?

Sulani had been resting for a while, when she woke, she found that Anakin was already awake. He, Aayla and Ahsoka were having a conversation, a rather low one considering they believed her to be asleep. Wag Too was also in the room observing them as they spoke. She decided to make herself known, "How long have I been out?"

This had all eyes turn in her direction, including the still prone Anakin, Ahsoka wore a wide smile on her face as she speaks, "Mother, I am so glad to see you're awake, you also look a lot better."

Sulani simply sends a warm smile in her former youngling's direction before turning to Aayla who looked ready to answer her question, "It has been several hours since you arrived in the village, but what Padawan Ahsoka says is true, you are looking much better than you did when you got here."

Sulani closes her eyes and sighs gently, although she may appear better on the outside, so it seems, she cannot say she feels any better on the inside. The rest has certainly made her ankle feel better, but her head was aching, even more so than it was earlier in the day. She did not have much time to contemplate this further before Bly was entering their little hut. "General?"

Anakin had sat up when he entered, "Yes Commander?"

"We've got a Separatist ship incoming."

Wag Too turned to face Anakin and spoke with a confused tone, "This is neutral space."

"It won't be neutral for long," Anakin starts, "not if the Separatists have their way."

In his attempt to move, he can only grunt in pain, then asks for help in order to get up. This only makes him grunt more loudly. "Don't struggle," Wag Too advises. "I'm sorry, but you're still too injured to move."

This was the moment the incoming Separatist ship was close enough that they could hear its arrival. They turned to face the direction of the noise, apprehension on all faces. This caused Sulani concern, with the condition her and Anakin were in, she was not sure how this would go.

Barely a minute had passed, before the chief was entering through the doorway, his voice incredulous, "What menace have you brought to our village now, Jedi?"

Surprisingly, it was Wag Too that jumped to their defense, "Father, you can't blame them."

This helped blow on Ahsoka's sails of indignation, speaking before Sulani could even attempt to stop her, "He's right, the Separatists don't even know we're here."

"And they can't know," Aayla cuts in. "We've got to hide."

"Your presence here endangers us," the chief exclaims. "You must leave before your enemies find you."

Without fail, Ahsoka is the one who tries to argue, "But you'll need our help, you can't fight them alone."

Sulani was sure Ahsoka's attempts were never going to pierce that stubbornness as the chief stood firm, "We will not fight them at all, we would rather die than to kill others."

"You're going to surrender?" this seemed unfathomable to Ahsoka, giving up was not something she seemed to understand. "But how can you-"

"Ahsoka, stop," Anakin interrupts. "If the Lurmen want to remain neutral, we won't force them into war."

"Ahsoka," Sulani calls softly, "You have to understand that many people around the galaxy wish to keep neutrality and it is our duty as Jedi to respect that, even if at times you cannot understand."

Ahsoka looks down towards her lap, taking in her Mother's words and the chief leaves with a parting shot, "See to it that they leave." Sulani could only guess he was talking to his son. "I must see what out new visitors want."

Ahsoka focused on helping to pack the supplies the Lurmen were providing them and while the two clones helped Anakin up, asking him to take it easy, Aayla allowed Sulani to lean on her as they got ready to move. Honestly, Sulani was trying her hardest to keep in the pain she felt, yes her ankle was better, but it still throbbed. Then there was her headache, which was not helping the matter in the least, but they only needed to get out and away from the village, then they could rest again. As quickly as possible, Wag Too led them out of the hut and through to the back of the village, on the opposite side to where the Separatist ship had landed. They were not far out before they noticed the droids ransacking the village.

"Why are they attacking our homes?" Wag Too asks incredulously. "We've done nothing to them."

Ahsoka frowned at the scene as she answered him, "Violence, that's what those drones are programmed for," she watched some more before turning to face the other members of the party. "Can't we do anything?"

"No," Aayla says flatly, "and if we are discovered, all of the Lurmen will be slaughtered."

Anakin sighs, "We'll be okay, if we make it to the tall grasses."

With that being said, they carefully make their way into the grass, hoping to not be spotted by the droids mercilessly ransacking the village behind them. They made their way as far in as they could before both Sulani and Anakin needed a break. She could only sit there as her mind wondered to how in the world she ended up in a situation like this, she is supposed to be safely back on Coruscant with her younglings and only on occasion being included in briefings with the Jedi Masters. She started to worry about the direction the Order was taking, they were peacekeepers and yet were almost the most involved organisation in this war. This situation just felt like a whole new problem on her list of problems, but she also could not understand her unease. She had concluded that some of the reasons she still had a headache was how uneasy she was and yet she could not figure it out. She knew at least it had nothing to do with what was going on here, but something else in another corner of the galaxy. Her recent nightmare was also niggling its way back into her thoughts. This only made her mood worse.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Rex started to speak, "You know, I can't figure those villagers not wanting to fight. No pride I guess."

"I call it no courage," Ahsoka throws in her two cents.

"Sometimes it takes courage to stick to one's beliefs, young Padawan," Aayla lectures to Ahsoka, "as any Jedi well knows."

"We need to find a ship," Anakin interjects. "And I think the only one around here belongs to the Separatists. We know they have a landing ship, they might have a shuttle."

"Sir," Rex turns to face Anakin, "you talking about stealing from one of the clankers? Count me in."

"We need to find them first," Aayla reminds them, but seems otherwise to agree with the plan.

Ahsoka takes that very moment to look up from where she was eating, only to spot a recon droid hiding in the grass watching them, "I think we just did."

As Anakin called to blast it, everyone rose with the exception of Sulani who decided she was not going anywhere without any help. The clones quickly started firing their blasters at the droid and Aayla called out at them, "Jam its signal!"

Bly quickly did as she instructed while Rex continued to fire at it. It started to run and while Ahsoka called to go after it, with the clones and Aayla quick behind them, Anakin's attempts at running only pains him. Aayla is the only one to notice and turns to give him a questioning look, "I'm fine," he calls out, "Just go!"

With one last look at the two injured Jedi, Aayla follows behind the others. Anakin turned to see Sulani, still in the same position as before they had spotted the droid, and realised that he was currently the more able bodied between the two of them. He walks over to her, "Come Mother, we must catch up with the others, no matter how much slower we will be."

With a deep breath, Sulani allows Anakin to help her stand so that they can make their way after the others, "I feel so useless like this, Ani. Only my second time taking an active role out here, though not by choice, and I end up like this. From a crash no less, not even in a fight."

Anakin realised the words for what they were, frustration she was simply trying to release, he need not say anything in response, only listen. They continued forward at their slower pace, coming across the remains of the droid clearly having been struck down by a lightsaber. They look around and then towards a tree where they can see the others in its branches, trying to get a view of the area. Anakin and Sulani share a look before carefully, and a little bit painfully, climbing towards where the others were.

Ahsoka was looking out towards the horizon with binoculars when she noticed their arrival, "I hope you're feeling better Master, Mother, cause look what we found."

Her words are followed by her passing the binoculars in Anakin's direction. "Heh, I'm getting stronger all the time, Snips," he jokes as he takes the binoculars from her, but what he sees changes his mind, "but I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

He passes the binoculars to Sulani who also sees the over guarded base the Separatists had created since their arrival and she could not help but to agree with Anakin's assessment. She was definitely not ready for this.

They all watch morosely out towards the base, trying to think of something that could help this very unfortunate situation. With the binoculars now back in Anakin's hands, he surveys the base again, before spotting a shuttle, "That shuttle is our ticket off this rock."

"It's not gonna be easy, sir," Commander Bly says to him. "There don't seem to be any flaws in their security line."

They had much to think on as Anakin continued to watch what the Separatists were up to, noticing something else, "Apparently the Separatists have a new toy," he turns to face Bly. "See if you can get a closer look."

"I'll go with you Commander," says Rex and with that, the two clones take off to see what they can find out.

Anakin continued to watch from the tree using the binoculars and it appeared that two lone battle droids were heading off alone. Unfortunately, they were heading right for Bly and Rex. "Uh-oh, stay down, boys," Anakin says as if sending a mental message to the two clones.

The group then watched as the machine fires something into the air and the clones start to run away from the area. It hits the ground, making a large plume of fire spreading all around it. Aayla and Ahsoka head down to a lower branch in order to help the two fleeing clones heading towards their tree. Rex manages to ensnare the tree with his line, but Bly trips as his fires and misses the tree branch. Aayla does not hesitate before grabbing a vine, swinging down towards her clone commander and pulling him safely onto the tree. They all turn back towards where the weapon was burning the ground around where it had struck the ground and as the fire started to slow,

Ahsoka could not help but comment, "That is some toy. It took out every living thing."

After getting an eyeful of the damage, they turn back towards the Separatists and notice them moving, Aayla watching intently without the binoculars, "Where are they off to now?"

Anakin answers while handing the binoculars over to her, "They must be going back to the Lurmen village. There's nothing else in that direction."

"Those villagers won't stand a chance," Aayla says as they shuffle around on the tree.

"First we'll take out the droids' communication station," Anakin starts. "Then, after we get a shuttle, we'll go back and help the Lurmen."

Ahsoka, as always, is first to question him, "But Tee Watt Kaa said he doesn't need our help."

Anakin turns back to face her, "There's a difference between pulling innocents into a war and leaving them to extinction."

With those final words, the group make their way out of the tree and to prepare for what lies ahead, Sulani rather grudgingly.

A/N: and this is where I grovel on my knees begging for forgiveness for my lack of updates in over a year. I had said that work was going to pick, I wasn't kidding, but that was really until the end of last year. I really have no excuse for not doing anything this year except for, maybe…forgetting about it? Yeah let's go with that shall we. Anyway, I have written the second episode of the Lurmen arc in two chapters, just as I did for the first episode, this here is the first chapter, so you know what that means? A double update, yayyyyyy!
Seza, out.