Greetings everyone, and welcome to chapter 10 of Twilight Blade!
Creativity: We ain't dead yet, despite the world's best efforts! Okay, maybe not best efforts, but…
Author: ANYWAY, here we are at chapter 10! Officially in double digits! Feels like it should be a bigger deal!
Creativity: Also feels like it just isn't.
Author: Maybe we've reached this milestone too many times now, and it's lost its luster. Or maybe we're just having an off day.
Anyway, it's been… two months since our last upload! We've been working on a lot of stuff in the meantime, and we've gotten quite a bit done! Got at least one project that's almost ready to start uploading, a pretty solid idea of how this one's gonna end (and it's gonna end sooner than you think. This one could end within the next ten chapters)
But enough of the little stuff! Let's talk about the reviews for chapter 9! That don't exist!
Creativity: Well, without that to worry about, let's just give the Discord password: xtydzBf
Author: Thanks for getting that out of the way! And now, without further ado, allow us to proudly present chapter 10 of Star Wars: Twilight Blade!
As the LAAT gunships raced over the Felusian canopy, Arvos was quickly realizing just how different flight in and outside atmospheres. The jostling and jumping as the gunships approached the landing site due to the air currents was a far cry from the smoothness of empty space. The ships went in on a precise angle so that they wouldn't have to adjust course and throw off the balance of the passengers who had to stand up while the gunship was airborne.
It took about five minutes to reach the atmosphere of the planet, and about twenty more for them to make it down to canopy of fungi that completely covered Felucia. Not that Arvos could see the fungi. For all intents and purposes, he and everyone else were in a steel box that was moving very quickly towards… something. It was a bit unnerving, being able to only feel the movement, rather than see it, but Arvos kept himself in check, taking the time to focus his mind in preparation for the mission at hand.
The Clones were as disciplined as ever, no doubt due to a combination of intense training and experiencing this same scenario many times over the course of the War, a trait they also shared with Masters Se and Marahl.
Arvos' thoughts were interrupted by a loud tone over the intercom before the pilot informed them that they were approaching the drop-off zone.
"That would be a signal to brace yourselves and hold on tight!" ARC trooper Jax informed them before a brief laugh of excitement. Arvos quickly took the Clone's advice as he felt the ship begin descending to the forest floor, as well as losing speed. It was gradual at first, but the change in velocity quickly became more pronounced before it seemingly all came to a halt all at once. It did threaten to throw the padawan to his knees, but they managed to stay upright as the ship descended about a foot more before the large bay doors opened and they were able to step out into the fungal jungles of Felucia. The first major difference that Arvos noticed (aside from the abundance of vegetation) was that the air felt thicker. The heat and humidity made the air feel heavy, soupy even, when compared to the heavily filtered air of Coruscant.
"Alright, let's get moving! Master Secura needs this operation done quickly!" Master Se declared before he started the long march to the Sarlacc Pit. The Clones were quick to join the Jedi Master as he began walking down a large path heading towards Felucia's West. The sky above them was dark, but even if it weren't, the canopy was thick enough that not a lot of light would have penetrated. There was sparce vegetation along the path they were walking, which backed up the young padawan's original thoughts.
"Master Se, how long is the approach going to be?" Alvya asked her master, who shrugged.
"Approximately a half-hour, assuming we don't run into any unforeseen circumstances. Master Secura's forces launched a long-range artillery strike on the base two hours ago, to keep them occupied while we our approach. The hope is that once the strike ends, they'll either be softened up or conceited in victory, allowing us to sneak inside more easily." Master Se explained. The plan was reasonably sound at first glance, but a few more moments of thinking quickly had Arvos questioning it.
"But the Separatist Army is composed primarily of droids, which don't get tired or the capability of being conceited." Arvos pointed out, getting a similar look of confusion and concern from Alvya.
"Ah, but the primary force here is composed of standard-issue B1 Battle Droids," Master Marahl pointed out, tapping her green nose with an elegant finger and a mischievous smile. "Which are notorious for personality defects, among other things."
"Plus, the droids aren't perpetual motion machines." Master Se elaborated. "They run on a power source, just as much as any droid. If we time our arrival right, we'll infiltrate the base at a critical point in time where the droids are running low on power, but not before it's time for them to enter a recharge cycle while the replacements come online and receive a mission update to account for their downtime."
Arvos was still a little concerned, but he kept those to himself. The masters had been in this war since the beginning, and undoubtedly knew what they were doing. Alvya looked more reassured than he felt at least, so he let his worries go and turned his attention to their continuing trek through Felucia's jungles. However, as the infiltration party continued its way through the fungal forests, Arvos couldn't help but feel something wasn't quite right about the path they were on. It wasn't any manufactured road, being too rough for that, but the distinct lack of vegetation meant that this pathway had to have been made by something. Pathways like this didn't come from nowhere.
A loud rumbling noise quickly replaced Arvos' worries about the path with new ones as he quickly lowered himself down and began looking around for the source of the sound. The others had quickly emulated him and Master Se was quick to point towards a cluster of boulders off to the side of the path.
"Keep quiet and they won't notice us." Master Se whispered to the group as they began to slowly creep past the boulders, though Arvos wasn't sure what they were creeping past. Was it something behind the boulders? It was hard to imagine that something hiding behind them would be so large as to produce a sound like this. Then he saw one of the boulders shift and roll over, revealing a massive, triangular head with a mouth like a bolt-cutter. Its arms were covered in loose, leathery skin and stretched out scarily far, ending in large claws. Situated on the back was a massive, boney shell that looked to be able to repel most any blaster.
Despite his lack of experience visiting other worlds, he knew a Rancor when he saw one, especially a Felucian Jungle Rancor. The massive shell was what had initially disguised it as a boulder, and the ground-shaking rumbling was now obviously its snoring.
It was at this moment that Arvos realized where the trail they were on actually was: It was an animal track, worn down by decades of Rancor Crashes tamping down the soil and vegetation as they wandered around Felucia, with the clearing they'd landed in and this spot just off the side of the path being places where the massive reptiles would bed down for the night.
The party made scarcely any noise as they crept away from the Rancors, only resuming a normal walking pace once they were thirty feet away from the sleeping crash. Even from this distance, Arvos could feel the ground quaking beneath their feet from the rancor's slumber.
"Did you know that we'd run into them?" Arvos whispered to Master Se, who merely shrugged.
"I considered it a possibility on our way down to Felucia, but I also sensed them quite a ways back, before the snoring. I'm assuming you did not, based on how surprised you were." Master Se replied. Arvos quickly realized where this was going and hung his head in shame a bit, a gesture mirrored by Alvya.
"Take this lesson to heart, padawans. It is good to listen to the Force, for it almost always has something to say." Master Marahl lectured them as the group continued down the pathway.
"Hey General, when are we gonna get to the practical lessons?" Jax asked in a joking manner, drawing chuckles from a few other clones. Master Marahl, however, instead had a playful smirk playing at her lips.
"Oh, I think you'll find that these young ones are very quick learners, captain. When the time comes, they'll show their considerable mettle." The Theelin Jedi assured the ARC trooper, who shrugged.
"I'll take your word for it, sir." The clone replied.
The rest of the hike was done in silence before they saw a massive clearing up ahead which, if Arvos recalled, marked the beginning of their descent into the petrified remains of a Sarlacc. Sure enough, it didn't take long for Master Se to lead them off the rancor path and towards a large section of fungi and vegetation. A simple gesture with the Force, and the plant life parted aside to reveal a tunnel leading downwards, only wide enough for one person at a time.
"Night vision on, men." Quickdraw ordered as they began their descent into the petrified beast. At first, the tunnel was rough but well worn, obviously having been dug to reach the network of tunnels that stretched out underneath the ground. Upon reaching those tunnels, however, things rapidly changed. The tunnels were rounded and smooth, with small, raised lines snaking around the walls, ceiling and ground, likely former arteries or muscle tissue. The area also widened dramatically, allowing three to comfortably walk side by side.
"Alright, just a twenty-minute stroll to the landing bay and we can begin." Master Se declared as he began leading them through the network of tunnels. As they marched, Arvos reached out through the Force, sensing small buds of life all around them in the form of plantlife and fungi, with the occasional bright spot of an indigenous creature moving about on the planet's surface. However, what most got his attention was an incredibly large, and incredibly ancient life that was located a fair distance away and stretched out quite close to the tunnel systems they were now navigating.
Needless to say, this presence was the sarlacc that Master Se had warned them about. Strangely enough, despite how deep under the soil and rock the creature was buried, Arvos could sense that the creature was somehow… connected to the vast swaths of forest above, beyond the connection to the Force. In fact, this connection seemed to be shared amongst every mushroom, mold, fern and tree that made up the nigh endless jungles of Felucia. It was almost imperceptible at a first glance, but now Arvos couldn't not see it; an intricate, planet-spanning web of connections between the mightiest of stalks, to the smallest spore.
"What's with ya, kid? Not going weak on us, are ya?" One of the clone troopers asked in a teasing tone.
"Yeah, are you alright? You seem out of it." Alvya asked with concern prompting Arvos to shake himself out of his awed daze.
"I'm fine." Arvos answered before he turned his attention back to the tunnels they were traversing. "I was just using the Force to sense my surroundings and discovering something about Felucia."
"I was wondering which among you two would discover the network first, assuming you'd discover it at all." Master Marahl replied, sounding proud of her pupil.
"Network? What network?" Jax asked in concern, his voice low as his arms went for his blaster.
"Nothing you need to worry about, Commander." Master Se assured the ARC trooper. "Felucia's plant life is all connected by a vast network of tiny fibers, constantly relaying information across the entire planet between every plant connected to this network. Sensing it for the first time is an incredible experience.
It quickly became obvious that Alvya had also discovered the network, judging by the awestruck look upon her face. Arvos couldn't help but snicker a bit at it before he turned his attention back to the task at hand.
The tunnels criss-crossed and wound their way through the dark, but Arvos could tell they were going in the right direction, and he didn't need the Force to do it. The air was gradually becoming fresher, which meant they were coming to an opening. Sure enough, another five minutes and they'd reached open air. A whole section of the tunnels gave way to a near-completely clear view of the sarlacc pit they were technically walking around inside of. Arvos peered out a touch, feeling the urge to shrink back as he saw the giant hole, lined many inwardly pointing teeth.
"And there's our target." Master Se declared as he pointed to the left of the opening. Arvos followed the gesture and sure enough, he could see the landing bay; fortified with heavy guns and guarded by an assortment of B1 and B2 battle droids.
"Be extra careful from now on. We don't want to give ourselves away before we reach the platform. Needless to say, discovery will make our attack much more difficult." Master Marahl reminded them all, the padawans especially.
The advance was slower than Arvos had initially anticipated, but the did need to be more careful. They made sure to stay low and move quickly when they had to cross open spaces, just in case the droids were monitoring them. It took some time, careful treading and lots of patience, but they eventually reached their destination, only to find it barred by a durasteel door.
"It'll take some time, but I can slice this thing easy." Jax suggested, going for some slicing tools on his belt. However, Master Se had other plans.
"Just stand at the ready trooper." The master calmly instructed the trooper, removing his lightsaber from his belt as he did so, which the padawans took as a cue to do the same. "The door will open for us in three… two… one."
Sure enough, the doors slid open and a trio of B1 battle droids began to walk through, only to suddenly find themselves on the wrong end of a blue lightsaber blade! There wasn't even time for them to scream as they fell to the ground in pieces and the Jedi Masters stormed in, followed by the ARC troopers, the rest of the clone squad, and then the padawans bringing up the rear. Master Marahl had instructed them to enter the fray last, for their own safety, and to pick off the droids around the edges of the battle.
Arvos' abyssal blades cut a path of destruction through every droid in his path, humming in a low, melodic tone as he moved from one walking scrap-pile to the next. Even as he blocked stray blaster-fire and cut down yet more droids, he could still sense the ebb and flow of the battle around him. The masters had incredible coordination, cutting down droids in a manner that was more akin to dance. Alvya was acting in a more conservative manner, using Form 3 to block blaster bolts and get in closer to the droids so she could cut them down with ease. The clones were the image of efficiency. They blasted the droids down with pinpoint accuracy and moving almost as a single entity. None of them ever went for the same droid, except in the case of B2 battle droids. Those ones needed a little more firepower to bring down, unless they encounter a lightsaber.
In a matter of minutes, the bay was droid free and they began advancing down the rough-hewn corridor to the base entrance, in the form of a turbolift. Unfortunately, the lift wasn't spacious enough for everyone to go up at once, so the masters began planning.
"Alright, the operation begins as soon as we step out of the turbolift." Master Se began to explain before he turned to Quickdraw's squad. "You two will guard the turbolift down here, just in case there's a droid patrol that we missed or accidentally evaded." He ordered, gesturing to a pair of clones, who nodded in affirmation. Master Marahl turned to her apprentice and Jax's squad.
"We'll go up first and start on disabling the shield generators. You and you will guard the turbolift once we're inside the base. Remember to stay in radio contact with the troopers down here, just in case something goes wrong." She ordered before turning to Arvos.
"Remember to stick close to me, padawan. The skirmish before is nothing like a true, pitched battle." She reminded him before she turned and led her padawan and squad into the turbolift. As the door shut, Arvos felt a nervous knot beginning to form in his gut. In a few short minutes, he would exit this turbolift and step into a heavily fortified enemy base, filled with battle droids that were programmed to gun them down without hesitation.
"Steel yourself, padawan. Trust in the Force." Master Marahl reminded Arvos, who nodded before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, allowing his anxiety and nerves to ease before he removed his lightsabers from his belt and linked them together into his saberstaff. The Force flowed through him and he could feel that it would carry him through this battle.
The turbolift came to a stop and there was a palpable pause in the universe as they waited for the doors to slide open. The doors hissed open and Arvos' eyes snapped open as he and Master Marahl both lunged out the doors, igniting their weapons as they quickly cut down the B1 sentries guarding their end of the turbolift.
The clones quickly filed out of the lift before it shut and began its journey down.
"Alright, see you boys when the fireworks are done!" Jax joked in farewell to the clones who were taking the place of the droids before the group stole into the larger complex and got to work. They had shield generators to disable.
A bit of a shorter one today, but I think it's as long as it needs to be.
Creativity: So, next time is the base assault, and the one afterwards is… oh…
Author: Yep. And after that, things are gonna get weird… hehehehehe…
Despite the long break in between chapters, I do have this one all plotted out in my head. It's just taking time, what with real life and all my other projects that I wanna work on.
But that's for another time! For now, all I'll say is thanks for reading, please review, hope to see you on Discord and we'll see you next time!