First of all, sheesh! I need to quit uploading once every few months, terribly sorry about that. But it's here, right? So I'll shut up and let you get to the reading. Enjoy!
Tonight… Canines on rabies shots. A Clone threatens a squirrel. And Dynnal and Ahsoka get matching tattoos.
-Chapter 139: To Lend a Helping Hand-
Location: Nelvaan
"Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is within your power to act."
"Well, Commander, I'd say your body is mostly healed," the medic said, "your ribs could still use a few more days of inactivity, however."
"It's close enough." Ahsoka said, slipping her boots on.
"I don't know why the General ordered you out of sickbay so soon. I don't like it." The medic complained with a huff as he finished her clearance form.
"We have to do a lot of things we don't like these days." Ahsoka replied, quickly striding out the room. In reality, she was getting antsy just sitting in bed and was eager to return to Zolan ever since she could walk properly again. While some more bedrest might be recommended, the pressing situation and her dwindling patience did not afford such a luxury. Her brawl with Banshee had put her out of commission long enough and the Togruta was itching to get back in the action.
Returning to her quarters, Ahsoka quickly pieced together her kit before heading planetside. Her commlink, holoprojector, rations pack and lightsabers had all been returned to her quarters during her brief stay in the medbay. It was then that a tone sounded from her holocom, a steady beeping indicating an incoming communication. Curious, the Padawan switched it on, revealing a dual image of Anakin Skywalker and the Titan leader Corsair.
"Ahsoka! Feeling better?" Her master inquired.
"Even if that super-Seppie did put me down, it wasn't for long." She answered.
"That's good to hear. We could use you for a little something." Anakin continued. "How do you feel about a little scouting trip?" Not what she was expecting to hear, but also not complaining about getting to work again, Ahsoka shrugged.
"What's the deal?" She wondered. The image of the two men was replaced with the render of a single world, Corsair's voice narrating its importance.
"This 'ere's Nelvaan, close ta where you lot are. Recently, one a' my scouts beamed me a lil' message sayin' 'e picked up Seppie activity. We don't know fo' shor' what's what, so we could stand ta 'ave someone poke around an' see if it's somethin' or nothin'." Concentrating, Ahsoka scrunched up her brow markings as she sized up the simple-looking world before the image flickered back to Anakin and Corsair.
"Any idea what I'm looking for?" She asked. Corsair shrugged.
"Boyo said somethin' 'bout transports movin' 'round. I want ya to meet up wit' 'im an' see what they're up ta." The mercenary answered. "If it's small, deal wit' it. If it's big, give us a shout an' we'll level tha place."
"Take some of our reserves on the cruiser, Ahsoka." Anakin instructed. "You can use one of our troop carriers to make the jump." Ahsoka nodded in understanding. Nothing like another mission in solo command where she could call the shots. It made her anxious, but she stilled her feelings with a brief meditative mantra.
"I'll get right on it, Master."
Later…
Located in the Koobi system of the Navareen sector, Nelvaan was normally a verdant world of forests and terrestrial landscapes. This time, however, it was cold and snowy, a thick layer of white blanketing the landscape for miles around. Assuming it was during a season, the pilots of the CR-20 troop carrier thought little of it and proceeded to sweep the planet's surface for any signs of Separatist activity.
"Commander, scans show no signs of any forces in the area." One of them reported to Ahsoka.
"Nothing at all? You're sure?" She pried in surprise.
"Yes, ma'am. Just some strange geothermal readings in sector eight." He replied. With a disappointed sigh, Ahsoka continued,
"Alright. We'll check that out, take us there." She tasked, clicking off her comms.
"Something tells me these mercs are taking us on a wild goose chase." Sounder remarked.
"What do they think we are? Their errand boys?" Two-Two added in disgust.
"If they've found something, it's probably legit." Ahsoka told them. "I've worked with the Titans enough times to know that, while rough around the edges, they're usually dead to rights when it comes to intel."
"What if their scout got his wires all crossed?" Two-Two suggested, his finger drawing circles around the side of his head. Sounder snickered as Shadow shook his head.
"I guess we'll see." Ahsoka mused with a shrug.
The troop carrier made landfall next to a glassy-clear lake, frozen over by the frigid temperature. The Clones disembarked, Ahsoka wrapping a cloak around her exposed skin as she led the way. All was still, an eerie quiet hanging over the landscape. The dozen members of the 501st moved briskly but carefully, their blasts at the ready as they followed their commander into a sparse forested area. Peering out at the alien world from behind their helmets, they took in sights of foreign primates, six-legged rodents, and avians huddled in groups with their wings all bunched up. All of them seated high up in tree branches… and all of them very, very quiet.
The moment some nearby underbrush rustled, Shadow and another Clone quickly turned with blasters raised, on edge and prepared for danger of any kind. But when a tiny marsupial crawled out into the open, they both released a breath neither realized they were holding. "I don't think it's lethal, trooper." Ahsoka commented with a grin. Shadow sighed as his fellow troopers chuckled.
"Yes, Commander." He agreed in a dutiful yet mildly-embarrassed tone. Now at ease, the Clones kept walking. But Ahsoka swept the area with her senses, reaching out with the Force to entwine herself with the environment. She began to notice a pattern in the wildlife, a similar emotion threading through each one of them and filling her senses through the Force.
"Something startled them," she muttered to herself, "and it's not us…" The Togruta paused, her men coming to an abrupt halt behind her.
"Something wrong, Commander?" Sounder inquired.
"A disturbance." Ahsoka said simply. A soft wind rustled through the sparse snow-covered branches, followed closely by a distant rumbling. "I've got a bad feeling about this…"
"Troops, arms up. Watch for bogeys." Shadow ordered. The Clones did as asked, taking up firing positions in a complete defensive curve around their immediate position. Ahsoka's gaze narrowed, her brow scrunching up as she focused her senses on the disturbance rippling through the Force like a wave, growing larger and closer with each second…
Suddenly a massive Horax, the average Clone only as tall as the claws on its feet, rose up out of the woods and released a deafening roar that shook the area.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Two-Two cried.
"I dunno, but I don't like the way it's looking at me!" Shadow exclaimed, raising his blaster. Ahsoka could sense the beast's intentions and drew her blades.
"Scatter! I don't want any of you becoming its lunch!" She ordered, igniting her twin lightsabers.
"You heard the Commander! Split up and light it up!" Sounder shouted, the Clones doing exactly that, a chorus of staccatoing blaster fire shattering the silence of the woods as blue bolts struck the mighty beast's impenetrable hide.
But with only a few stomps of its massive feet, the Horax had reduced their numbers drastically, crushing several unfortunate troopers under its feet at a time. Ahsoka lept back, using the Force to pull Sounder, Two-Two and Shadow out of its range. They and two others were all that were left.
"Back to the ship! Now! We can't fight this thing!" Ahsoka frantically cried.
"Fall back! Retreat to the carrier!" Shadow echoed. The six survivors took off as fast they could move, the Horax's mighty tail pounding the ground and shaking snow from trees while felling others. It pounced forward, crossing hundreds of yards in a single movement, cutting off the fleeing Republic troops as it landed between them and the troop carrier. Another sweep of its tail knocked the ship over with a burst of smoke and a shower of sparks, the heavy vessel colliding with the snow-covered ground and rendered completely inorperable.
Ahsoka and her men froze in horrified realization, pausing just long enough for the Horax to dart in and try to attack with a snap of its massive jaws. Most of them avoided the strike, but two Clones were caught by the horns adorning its face and pitched high into the air, the remaining four losing sight of them. With a bellowing roar, the Horax whipped its tail around again, even the thinnest part at the tip enough to pitch Sounder across the ground until he slammed to a halt at the base of a tree. Thinking quickly, Ahsoka slashed her twin blades through the incoming tail, cutting clean through the fleshy appendage and depriving the Horax of at least one weapon.
The beast unleashed a deafening roar of pain as Ahsoka, Two-Two and Shadow split up once again, the Togruta Padawan moving to rescue Sounder. His unconscious body lay still in the snow, a significantly sized dent running a crease through his chest plating.
"Sounder!" She urged, shaking him. "Sounder! Come on! Wake up!" The Clone did not stir or rise, the two reduced to easy prey as the Horax used one of its massive paws to sweep a treee out of the ground and send it hurtling towards the pair. It moved with such speed, Ahsoka barely had time to see it before she reached to pull Sounder out of harm's way…
Suddenly, darting in like a streak of black and silver, a new figure smashed into the tree with a shoulder check and splintered it into billions of pieces, preventing it from impacting into Sounder and Ahsoka. The Togruta looked up just in time to see their savior stand his ground as the Horax sized up it's newest prey.
"Why does everybody end up starting a party without me?" Dynnal wondered in mock disappointment as he drew his twin heavy pistols and fired on the Horax. A direct barrage took out one of the creature's orange eyes, smoke pouring from the open wound as it uttered a piercing howl in response. Turning around to Ahsoka, he revealed he wore only an eyepiece affixed to ear-mounted comm receiver around his head, the rest of his body clad in black and silver Titan-issue arctic-environment gear. "Get him out of here, I'll draw its attention!" He told her, quickly sprinting towards the Horax and blitzing its jaw with more heavy fire.
The beast struck at him with one of its paws, Dynnal vaulting out of the way of its massive claws as it kicked up a storm of snow and ice. With extreme agility, the ex-super-soldier scaled the Horax's paw and sprinted up its leg with the speed and potential of a Force-sensitive, unleashing constant and persistent fire upon the beasts blind side. Forced to turn in pursuit of its attacked, the Horax attempt to snap its jaws in Dynnal's direction. But the Titan was already moving, launching off its thick hide and backflip ping through the air, his pistols shoved back into their holsters as he drew his sniper rifle from across his back. "Say 'ah'!" He taunted, firing a single shot that shattered one of its teeth.
As broken pieces filled the air, the Horax roared in furthered annoyance and pain-fuelled aggression, turning fully towards Dynnal as the Titan picked himself up out of the snow. But before the beast could attack him again, Ahsoka appeared from behind, having scaled its back while Dynnal distracted it. Surging in with a cry, Ahsoka drove both of her sabers down into its fleshy head, sinking straight through its skull and into its brain. The Horax utterly the equivalent of a gasp followed by a pained rumble before it collapsed limp and lifeless into the snow.
The forest fell still, returning to its original state of quiet as Ahsoka dropped down beside Dynnal, switching off her blades as he shouldered his rifle. "Good job." He complimented.
"Saw an opening." Ahsoka replied. "I'm guessing you're Corsair's scout?"
"I am." Her boyfriend affirmed with a nod. "I saw the ship and came to meet it. But, uh, I wasn't expecting this thing." He said, flicking his head towards the dead Horax.
"Yeah… me either." Ahsoka responded glumly. The Togruta sighed. "Stupid thing killed most of my men. We have to find the others, Shadow and Two-Two are-" She bruptly stopped, her senses alerting her to the presence of more organic beings… these ones far more sentient than mere native wildlife. She turned, following her guiding instincts until she went wide-eyed at the sight awaiting her. "Uh… Danny?" Her boyfriend turned and he too was surprised by what he saw.
A group of people, dressed in brown robes, large body-length ceremonial masks and carrying primitive spears, stood silently by as they watched the pair of foreigners. Then, a much shorter figure rounded the group and Dynnal recognized him as a male member of the Nelvaanian species. He appeared no older than an adolescent but also seemed to be very cross, given his expression.
"Az ördög az enyém, mindent elrontottál. Ez volt az én próbám!" He fumed, throwing his spear into the snow and shooting the two a glare.
"I, uh… get the feeling we've interrupted something." Ahsoka noted.
"More like we weren't supposed to do something." Dynnal mused in agreement. Reaching for his headpiece, he flicked a toggle that converted his singular optic HUD into a universal translator, allowing him to understand what the Nelvaanian was saying. Another of the group lifted the red and white mask to reveal the canine snout of a Nelvaanian female, who also looked at the two with mixed feelings of condescension and confusion.
"Te, kívülállók. Velünk jössz, az Orvos eldönti, mit kezdjen veled." She said at length. The words appeared in basic before Dynnal's eye and he turned to Ahsoka.
"It seems they want us to go with them to see someone called 'Orvos'."
"I can't go. I need to find Shadow and the others." Ahsoka protested with a shake of her head. But the Nelvaanian called out again.
"Jön! Este előtt el kell mennünk!" The group began to turn, moving away from the dead Horax as one.
"I don't think they're giving us any choice." Dynnal mused. "And since we've made them mad, I think we better go with." He added. Ahsoka could see the logic in this and her Jedi instincts encouraged her to try and be a peacekeeper, to work to make amends for disturbing the Nelvannians' way of life. With a sigh, she turned over her arm and triggered her wrist comm.
"Sounder? You copy?"
"Loud and clear, Commander." The Clone answered.
"I've linked up with the Titan scout. We're going to follow some locals to their village, I'll set up a location ping. Meet up with Shadow and Two-Two and try to find any survivors." She tasked.
"Understood, Commander. I'll contact you if we have any success." Sounder affirmed. Clicking off her comm, Ahsoka turned to Dynnal with a shrug.
"Let's go see what this 'Orvos' wants."
Mounting white-furred Banthas, the Nelvaanians led Dynnal and Ahsoka on a trek across the snow-covered world. The two foreigners each on a mount, they took in their surroundings while in the midst of the travel-herd.
Every inch of Nelvaan was snowed over and cold, rivers and streams frozen solid while trees stood near-dead and covered with thick snow that had not moved in some time. After a good half and hour of travel, Ahsoka turned to her compatriot and spoke her mind,
"I thought Nelvaan was supposed to be green and terrestrial."
"Which is what every galaxy survey listing tells," Dynnal agreed, "I've been here for two days and I haven't seen even a speck of green." Ahsoka turned back to peer at the white landscape from under her hood.
"Something's wrong. This place, i-it's… the whole planet is like a disturbance in the Force." She described. "The natural balance is… wrong." Taking that information in stride, Dynnal allowed his own senses to reach out and feel the planet's natural rhythm. Ahsoka was right, there was a chaos radiating from everything. The natural harmony of Nelvaan had been disturbed and something, or possibly someone, was causing it.
They soon arrived at a rocky outcrop, where a village was built into the side of a mountainous cliff. A winding path led them higher and Dynnal picked up vague muttering from the other Nelvaanians. They were all translated by his PUT and one word was consistent: Rokrul. Deeming it the name of this particular village, Dynnal and Ahsoka followed the Nelvaan into its midst where they were met by a crowd of onlookers. With her hood still raised, Ahsoka noted who these crowds were composed of.
"Danny, look." She said quietly, gesturing to them. "They're all women and children."
"Where are the men?" He wondered aloud, wracking his brain for a possible answer. When none presented itself, he concluded that something else was amiss. This village and its people seemed to play a role in this mystery…
The line of Banthas halted and the Nelvaanians began to dismount. Dynnal kept his head on a swivel as he and Ahsoka followed suite, his PUT picking up scattered chatter from several of the foremost Nelvaanians that promptly appeared on his eye-piece in Basic while his Togruta lover triggered her commlink's built-in transponder ping.
"Foglalkoznunk kell a kívülállókkal, Tuzes-Adaz." WE MUST DEAL WITH THE OUTSIDERS, TUZES-ADAZ
"Menj és mondd el Orvosnak. Elhozom őket." GO AND TELL ORVOS. I WILL BRING THEM Sensing what was to come, Dynnal nudged Ahsoka and gestured with a flick of his head. the two were standing side by side when Tuzes approached them. "Ti ketten. Jön." YOU TWO. COME
"She wants us to follow her to Orvos." Dynnal quickly translated. They did as asked and were led to a single hut near the outskirts of Rokrul, where the other Nelvaanian stood waiting. She ushered them inside, where Dynnal and Ahsoka were treated to quite the sight. Orvos, as it turned out, was a very old Nelvaanian whose body looked as if it had seen better years. Heavily wrinkled with mottled blue-gray skin, his eyes thin behind heavy, puffy lids, long white hair and whiskers wrapped in beads and other trinket adornments. Ahsoka raised a brow marking as she took in the old man seated before a pile of steaming embers.
"Not… what I was expecting." She said quietly as she and Dynnal took seats across the fire, the two Nelvaanian women sitting closer to Orvos. They started speaking rapidly in their own tongue, Dynnal gathering the gist from his translator.
"Elrontottátok a tesztet!"
"It seems we interrupted that boy's rite of passage… or test." He described, leaning over to speak quietly with Ahsoka.
"I really need to learn how to do that." The Togruta mused.
"Do what?" Dynnal asked quizzically.
"There's a Force technique that lets me learn languages by looking into the minds of others. It's pretty advanced." She explained.
"Helpful." Her boyfriend mused with a hum. He returned his attention back to the Nelvaanians, picking up more of their speech. "Something plagues their land. Champion after champion have been sent out. None have returned." Ahsoka furrowed her brow, paying careful attention to their animated speech and gestures while listening to Dynnal. She could sense the distress in Tuzes' voice and how fearful she was. "They were choosing another one when we, uh, intervened."
"That… They were gonna send that boy out?" Ahsoka wondered. "For what?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Dynnal replied. It was then that Orvos stirred with a groan, his eyes opening a little wider as he spoke in a deep, aged voice, heavy and gravelly.
"Meg kell ezt beszélnünk Anakitusz szellemével. Ma este a Tűz Lelkével fogunk beszélni."
"He says they will discuss this with the 'spirit of Anakitus." Dynnal told Ahsoka. "And that we must… travel into fire?" He said incredulously, shaking his head a little at the words on his screen. Ahsoka arched her brow again.
"Travel into fire…" She repeated thoughtfully. "That could go one of two ways."
"One of which being more preferable to the other." Dynnal remarked in agreement.
Orvos waited until after nightfall, then he summoned the tribe's elders to a large bonfire, positioned up against a wall away from the village. Dynnal and Ahsoka were also told to come and they joined the seated circle around the billowing flame, reaching high into the night sky and illuminating the entire area. High above, a canvas of stars revealed Nelvaan's three moons amid the dark sea of space, the night air crisp and chilling if not for the fire's enveloping warmth. Even at a distance, Ahsoka felt almost comfortable enough to remove her robe.
Orvos oversaw the event, the elderly shaman more alive and a little more animated, raising his hands high as he recounted a combined vision and current events. He spoke in a rhythmic voice, rising and falling in pitch as he waved his hands before the bonfire which cast a long and imposing shadow against the cliff wall.
"What's he doing?" Ahsoka wondered, in a hushed tone.
"Summoning the Spirit of the Fire." Dynnal answered, catching a few key words. After a moment of consideration, Ahsoka asked,
"Any idea what he's saying?"
"He's speaking to the Spirit, seeking guidance." Her boyfriend responded. Orvos' words were woven with respect and desperation, the Spirit clearly a religious figure held highly in Nelvaanian culture. Dynnal briefly wondered if the aforementioned Anakitus was the same spirit or a similar one.
"Az anya sír. Beteg. Harcosaink megbuktak. Nem sikerült meggyógyítani az Anyát. A soha véget nem érő télre idegenek jönnek. Mondja el, miért jöttek. Mi a céljuk?"
"The Mother weeps. She is sick. Our warriors have failed. Failed to heal the Mother. Into the never ending winter, strangers come. Tell us why they have come. What is their purpose?" Dynnal translated for Ahsoka. Orvos ceased to speak and took a bowl full of powder, ground up by his own overgrown claws. Flicking some into the fire, a great rush of flame resulting in a cloud of smoke was sent billowing above the bonfire, briefly taking the crude form of a man flexing his arms. Then the smoke changed again, forming the vague outline of a slender face topped by a pair of patching protrusions.
"Egy erős ember és egy szarvas nő." Orvos whispered. The other Nelvaanians quickly picked up on his words, chattering excitedly amongst themselves with curious looks on their faces.
"Szarvas nő. Erős ember."
"Erős ember. Szarvas nő."
"I take it that's something important to them." Ahsoka mused to Dynnal.
"It seems they're referring to a 'strongman' and a 'horned woman'." He replied. The Nelvaanians slowly turned to look at them, still muttering the same four words. "I think they are…" He trailed off, a thought suddenly coming to him. His eyes darted towards Ahsoka, realizing the Nelvaanians still had no clear image of what she looked like. "Ahsoka, stand up and throw back your hood!" He urged. The Togruta shook her head in bewilderment.
"What? Why?"
"Your montrals, they look like horns!" Dynnal explained. Eyes wide with realization, Ahsoka quickly did so, revealing her natural montrals and lekku. Dynnal stood alongside her. "Szarvas nő! Szarvas nő!" He repeated, pointing to her. The Nelvaanians collectively gasped, shocked expressions and awed whispers filling the air as the prophetic words took shape before their very eyes. Furthering his understanding of their terms, Dynnal shed his jacket, revealing a long-sleeved shirt underneath that clung to his muscular arms. "Erős ember." He said loudly. Orvos allowed himself to rasp, seeing and understanding for himself that these two were sent by the Spirit of the Fire to help save the Mother.
"A Lélek elküldött, hogy meggyógyítsd az Anyát." He said, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Fel kell készítenünk az előttünk álló útra. Akkor elmész, amikor az Anya felébred."
"He says he must prepare us for a journey, that we will leave… I think he's referring to sunrise." Dynnal told Ahsoka.
"So they want us to help them with something… but what about the Separatists you encountered here? We should deal with them first." The Togruta responded.
"If anything, the Separatists might be part of their problem." Dynnal replied. Then he spied Orvos moving again. "I'll explain later, we best follow him."
Orvos moved slowly, due to his age, but he led the couple back to his hut where he reached for a sack buried in the back behind his possessions.
"Vegye le a köntösét. A szertartáshoz viseld a mellkasodat." He tasked over his shoulder. With a raised brow, Dynnal respectfully did as asked, stripping off his armor and then his shirt to reveal his muscular lightly-scarred torso. Ahsoka looked at him quizzically.
"There a particular reason you're disrobing?" She asked.
"Just doing as he asked." He said defensively. Orvos returned and dropped the sack between them, opening it to reveal it was brimming with bruise-leech crawlers native to the planet. Annelids that were reddish-brown in color, with some having little black patches of fur toward their back ends. They had a circular mouth that was lined with teeth and two protrusions directly behind the head, looking very unappealing and causing Ahsoka to make a face.
"What in the 'verse could those be for?" She muttered to herself with a furrowed brow and wrinkled nose. Orvos picked up a handful and turned to Dynnal.
"Ez egy kicsit fájni fog." Ahsoka raised a brow marking.
"What'd he say?" Dynnal appeared unsettled by the words.
"That… this may hurt a bit?" He slowly repeated, hesitant and slightly concerned. Without another word, Orvos tossed the handful towards Dynnal and the leeches landed on his skin, quickly beginning to crawl across his body. Inhaling sharply and gritting his teeth, Dynnal grimaced and fought back the urge sweep them all off. "Ugh! Kriffin'… hell!" He rasped.
"Are… you okay?" Ahsoka wondered, slightly mesmerized by the way the leeches drew angular blue lines across his flesh, inadvertently (or perhaps intentionally?) forming intricate tattooed symbols across his chest and arms. One leech even crawled up his neck and up the left side of his face before turning around and making its way back down, etching a pair of lines running from the corner of his left eye down to the corner of his mouth.
"He-ngh! Wasn't kidding about… this being uncomfortable." Dynnal growled. Orvos remained static and unmoved,, watching as the leeches soon finished their work.
"Téged az Anya küldötteként jelöltek meg. Képviselni fogja őt, amikor a fájdalom forrását keresi." He said. One by one, the bruise-leech crawlers fell away from his body, revealing quite the artwork arrayed across his flesh. Most of it centred around his chest and abs, with close, blocky lines forming somewhat-circular patterns across his pectorals before the branched towards his left side. From there, the lines diverted, most of them snaking down the length of his left arm while one reached up his face. The blue stood in stark contrast to his skin, which moved in time with his heavy breathing.
Orvos reached into the bag and grabbed another handful of leeches, turning to Ahsoka. "Te jössz. Kérjük, vegye le a köntösét." He said. The Togruta swallowed nervously, not exactly wishing to experience the uncomfortable pain Dynnal had.
"Let me guess… my turn?" She wondered. Her boyfriend nodded. "I-Is it… really necessary?" Ahsoka pried.
"Well… it is a part of their ritual…" Dynnal mused. "If you refuse, he might not take to it very well."
"Y-Yeah… okay. Uh…" Ahsoka started searching for an answer. She didn't exactly want to go topless in front of the shaman. She needed something to preserve her modesty. Glancing down at her robe, she had an idea. "Just… gimme a sec." she quickly asked, turning around. Unclasping her gloves and sliding off her biscep bands, Ahsoka then removed her belted sash before reaching for the clasp on the neck of her tunic. Sliding it down her body and removing it like a dress, her bare back was exposed to the men. Dynnal had seen the sight before, along with the rest of her body, and couldn't help but grin a little.
Ripping off a strip from her heavy brown cloak, Ahsoka tied it around her chest to cover her breasts, turning back around once she was clad in her improvised tube top. "I haven't worn something like this in a long time." She mused, plucking the fabric when she realized it left a bit of room. With a sigh she stepped up to Orvos and spread her arms a little. "Okay. Go ahead." With a flick of his hand, Orvos tossed the leeches towards the Togruta, where they immediately latched onto her skin.
Ahsoka cringed and squirmed. "Ack! Ugh, as bad as I… f-figured!" She stammered with a grimace. Her skin felt like it was crawling, literally, as the leeches roamed across her abdomen and shoulders, tracing lines along her collar and around her abs. "Ngh! Y-You were right, Danny! This isn't exactly… p-pleasant." Ahsoka agreed in a strained voice.
"Just… hang in there. It's all you can really do." He offered. Ahsoka called on the Force to dampen her fear and disgust, fighting back every urge to grab each leech and throw it away. They crawled across her skin, leaving the same blue trails behind as they etched intricate lines, patterns and symbols into her skin. Ahsoka could feel one rising up her abdomen, crawling higher and higher until it reached a point that made the Togruta really uncomfortable. She looked down, eyes widening in shock and horror as a leech disappeared under her strap of cloth and started moving between her breasts.
"H-Hey! Get… Get outta there!" She exclaimed, embarrassed and more unnerved than ever. The creature paid little heed to her orders and went on its way, making her shiver as it crossed her chest and crawled up to meet the lines wrapping around her collar and shoulders. Ahsoka shuddered in pure revulsion, her headtail stripes dark in an embarrassed flush as Orvos started to speak again. Dynnal translated for her sake.
"Kövesse a szelet, mert ez az Anya kiáltása. Utazzon könnyeire, megdermedt a félelemtől. Írja be az anya száját, hogy felébressze belső lángját."
"You must follow the wind, for it is the Mother's cry. Travel her tears, they are frozen with fear. Enter the Mother's mouth to awake her inner flame." Crossing his arms, he bore a thoughtful expression for a moment. "Sounds like a riddle. Some metaphors and imagery all wrapped around proper directions." He mused.
"G-Great." Ahsoka stuttered, wiggling her arms a little as the last of the leeches left blue trails down her limbs before falling off. Most of them seemed to be along her right arm, but a few found their way down her left side like veins. Others marked her shoulders in rounded shapes, others lining her abdomen in vertical and horizontal lines. Looking herself over, Ahsoka made a face. The blue didn't exactly go with her natural orange hue and she had to wonder if this would ever wash out, or come off at all. "Well… we're, uh, all marked up now." She mused, looking up at Dynnal and Orvos. "What now?"
"Megteszed az utolsó előkészületeket, és elmegy, amikor az Anya felébred." Orvos answered with a rasp.
"We get ready and leave at dawn." Dynnal translated.
By the time Nelvaan's sun slowly breached the horizon, Ahsoka and Dynnal had saddled a simple Bantha and were prepared to depart. Their final preparations were halted when several Nelvaanians began to chatter excitedly, a boundary scout arriving with news.
"Külföldiek! Fehér, mint a hó, jönnek a faluba!" Their outbursts gave the two pause, Togruta and human turning towards the entrance to the village as the Nelvaanians advanced en masse. Peering a little further ahead through squinted eyes, Ahsoka was amazed and relieved to see Shadow appearing in full armor as he reached the top of the path. Breaking into a run, she unceremoniously pushed past the Nelvaanians to reach her men.
"Shadow!" She called out, bursting through the crowd.
"Commander!" The Clone quickly saluted her. "We tracked your transponder. Quite the location you picked." It was then that he noticed her changed attire and new tattoo lines. "Um… Commander?"
"Yes?"
"Your outfit… it's, uh…" He made a few simple gestures to her torso before Ahsoka clued in.
"It's a long story, I'll tell you later." She quickly said, brushing off his concerns. "Did you manage to find the others?"
"We did. Sounder and Two-Two located the men who were thrown by that thing." Shadow answered, slipping off his helmet. Turning around, he gestured to the other two Clones, who were busy dragging their brothers up the path on makeshift beds. "They're banged up pretty bad, Commander."
"This village has been good to us. I think they'll help." Ahsoka suggested. "We're going to try and help them. They're suffering from a problem that's taking their warriors, the men. I'm starting to think it has something to do with the Separatists the Titans found here."
"I certainly hope so, Commander. Because right now, this feels like a lot of time and effort spent for nothing." Shadow said grimly.
"Stay here and help these men recover. Get some rest, be vigilant. That's an order." Ahsoka told him.
"Yes ma'am." The trooper dutifully responded. Sounder and Two-Two arrived with their wounded brothers in tow, Ahsoka quickly venturing over to them to check on her men.
"How bad are they?"
"They fell from pretty high up, ma'am." Sounder replied. "Seems like most of their injuries are internal."
"We'll do our best to patch them up. But we're no medics. And our in-field training is… rudimentary at best." Two-Two continued.
"Just do what you can, okay? Ask the villagers if you must." Ahsoka told them. At that moment, Dynnal strode over and Sounder took note of him.
"Are you the Titan scout?" He asked.
"I am." Dynnal affirmed with a nod.
"This had better've been worth it." Two-Two grumbled.
"It will be." Reaching for his headpiece, Dynnal slipped it off. "Here, you'll need this. It comes with a personal universal translator. Should help you communicate with the locals a bit better." Two-Two accepted it with a nod.
"Appreciate it, merc." He said quietly.
"We have to go. The villagers have a problem that might be stemming from the Spearatists he found here. We'll be back, I promise." Ahsoka told them.
"If you need us, we'll come. Just say the word, Commander." Sounder replied. With a nod of affirmation, the couple returned to their fully-saddled Bantha.
"Your men think highly of you." Dynnal noted as he offered her a hand up. "They respect your position as a leader."
"I'm pretty sure that could be said of all Clones, Danny." Ahsoka mused in response.
"It's different with them." Dynnal replied, casting a glance back at the fivesome. "Their respect does not feel pre-programmed. It feels genuine. You've proven yourself to them and they'll honor any command you make." Ahsoka paused to consider that.
"You really think so?" She asked as Dynnal climbed up and took a seat behind her.
"I do. You're a good leader, Ahsoka. The fact that your men are loyal to you and obedient is proof of that." He said with a small smile. Ahsoka returned it as they went on their way.
Their journey from the village was quiet and uneventful. The snow-covered lands of Nelvaan passing by without incident as the couple ventured onwards atop their sturdy Bantha steed. Allowing her senses to reach out and meld with the natural energy of the planet, Ahsoka followed the guidance of the Force as it happened to align with Orvos' instructions. Between pillars of rock and boudlers, a steady wind whipped and howled from behind, as if spurring them along the path and onwards towards their goal.
The Togruta shivered in the cold, her exposed skin suffering from the ill-effects of the wind. She did her best to hide it, tried using the Force to numb her senses. But every time the wind bit her headtails, she couldn't help but shudder. Soon, though, she felt Dynnal's arms slip around her torso, his chest pressing into her back as his natural body heat transferred into her.
"The 'Mother's cry' sure is nippy, isn't it?" He remarked. Ahsoka chuckled lightly.
"Yeah, it is." She agreed, basking in the closeness for a moment. Silence briefly ensued.
"You've grown some." Dynnal commented.
"I… have?"
"Your headtails are a little longer." He clarified. Ahsoka hadn't noticed. She figured they were still the same size as always. But leave it to a keen-eyed super-soldier to tell the difference in measurement.
"So, tell me about what you found out here. What was so important that warranted our arrival?" Ahsoka queried.
"The other day, while I was prowling around tracking unique energy signatures, I spotted a ship making landfall here. It was of Techno Union design." He answered.
"And it doesn't seem like the Nelvaanians trade with them or anything." Ahsoka continued, stitching the pieces together in her mind.
"Speaking from experience; where they go, not much good follows." Dynnal remarked. "They're likely up to no good, seeing as they didn't meet with anyone apart from an envoy of battle droids."
"So you're saying there's something here." Ahsoka surmised. Her lover shrugged.
"Possibly. I marked it as suspicious activity and called it in, only to be told someone would come and meet me. I wasn't expecting you and your troops, or to be waylaid by this visit to the village… and everything that came with that."
"One lesson you should learn, Danny; always expect the unexpected." Ahsoka cheerfully remarked. Then she paused, realizing that Dynnal had seemingly lost his edge in that regard. As a whole, he seemed softer and less of a soldier than he was beforehand.
He was losing the very things Wraith had been trained to be… and she wasn't entirely sure if that was good or bad.
Their trek took them to a frozen river, so solidified by the freezing theperatures that their Bantha was able to walk across it without even a crack or grumble from the ice beneath. Clearly this was the 'Mother's tears' and the duo followed it, Ahsoka sensing the disturbance in the Force somewhere ahead. The river eventually led them to a cave, right where the river tapered off and grew narrow. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Dynnal wondered.
"It's here, somewhere. Probably in that cave or on the other side of it." Ahsoka confirmed. The Force was urging her to head inside, she was sure this place was the key. They dismounted the Bantha and left it to roam, venturing inside the craggy entrance. Dynnal offered to take point, leading the way as the cave grew wider and warmed.
"Do you feel that?" He asked.
"Yeah…" Ahsoka said slowly, coming to terms with the temperature change. "It feels… warmer." Taking a moment to analyze their surroundings, Dynnal reached a simple conclusion.
"Something must be-" He was cut off when a rush of hot steam broke through the ground, not too far from where they were standing, breifly startling them both. "High pressure." He realized.
"That must mean-woah!" Her danger sense alerting her at the last moment, Ahsoka lunged forward just as another burst of steam erupted right where she had been standing. As a result, she landed in Dynnal's arms as they collectively stumbled backwards into a wider part of the cave. The Titan managed to catch his footing before they fell, holding Ahsoka as she clung to him.
"You okay?" He inquired. Ahsoka gave her head a shake, lekku wagging as she gathered her senses.
"Yeah, I'm… I'm good." The air was growing thick with natural gases being vented up from below, she could smell it. Her enhanced, primal senses were painting a clear picture that this cave was dangerous. "We should keep moving. We can't linger here." She mumbled, untangling herself from Dynnal. Reaching out with the Force, she felt it drawing her further into the cave and Ahsoka took a turn in front.
They travelled deeper into the cave system, ground water forming small shallow lakes they crossed without issue. It opened expansively here, stalactites and stalagmites forming throughout the cavernous space as Dynnal and Ahsoka walked carefully and quietly through. It was only when the cave narrowed again and they were reduce to single-file travel that things grew interesting once more.
The air was thick with gas and steam wrought from the underground fissures, so much so that Ahsoka had to use the Force to clear a path forward, moving the vapours like a solid object. Suddenly, revealed to them on either side of the cave and behind the gas, they saw something remarkable.
Cave drawings. Dozens of them. Each one depicting Nelvaanian life.
"Woah…" Ahsoka breathed, walking forward and studying each one. "How old do you think these are?"
"I… don't know…" Dynnal said slowly. He too paused to linger on the pictograms, studying them out of curiosity. He felt drawn to them, his focus zeroing in on them, everything us felt strange… like he was spinning, light-weight, losing all sense of time and space.
Ahsoka felt similarly.
Clutching their heads, they paused as they continued to breathe in the thick, warm air. Their sense of balance faltered, their vision blurring as the pictograms began to shift… and move. Squinting her eyes, Ahsoka tried to focus on her wall, watching as a story began to play out…
Two ancient beings, godlike and superior to all else, representing dark and light. They were the order and balance of the universe, two halves of a whole. But when their time to pass came, they transferred their powers into an unlikely pair: two lovers, from different tribes. An unlikely attraction, their efforts to be together was difficult but worthwhile.
But the energies of the deities changed all of that.
They began to grow and change, becoming deities themselves. The man grew darker and fiercer, a warrior of death and destruction. She became pure and incarnation of light. The two fought, their conflict as strong as their love had once been. But the girl was determined, she had to try and reach her love. Who had been consumed by his hatred and saw her only as an enemy. She longed for him, pleaded with him, begged him to come back. But his snarl was vicious and primal, great wings of flame sprouting from his back as he gave himself over to a far more demonic persona.
The girl had no choice. If she wanted her lover back, she had to fight him.
She rose up on wings like a bird, chasing after him. He in turn attacked her, his eyes wide and his teeth bared as he rushed in with a roar of her name, "AHSOKA!"
Dynnal's tale was far different, the pictograms coming alive to tell a much more drastic tale…
One warrior, alone, troubled by who he was. Behind him a trail of destruction, before him other warriors, each one as vicious and bloodthirsty as he was. But beside him stood a girl, a young woman. She reached for his hand, promising him things would be alright. He dropped his spear and vowed to leave his life behind to spend his days with her.
Well, his fellow warriors didn't like that.
They attacked the couple, forcing them apart. Holding him down, they beat and assaulted the love of his life, attacking her with the same merciless viciousness they showed everyone else. The former warrior struggled and cried out, begging them to stop. They did not listen and presented him her wounded, broken body. Then they attacked him, proving that he was weak when he was not one of them. One of them picked up his spear, threatening to kill the girl. The warrior would have none of it, and with tears in his eyes, he became the very thing he swore to abandon. Unleashing his rage and hate, he turned into a monster, assuming a form so dark and hideous that even his former allies were unnerved. He attacked them, showing no mercy as he beat them all in the name of the woman he loved. But even she could not look at him, for she no longer recognized her lover as he was given to such bountiful hatred. And in a weeping, sobbing tone she wailed his name, "DYNNAL!"
Overwhelmed by their visions, the couple collapsed and fell unconscious on the cave floor. In the shadows of the walls, a small black bat and a convor bird watched them both.
Elsewhere in the galaxy…
She was not used to the prim and proper decorum of Republic Army offices. A life of leading a band of mercenaries had made dingy cantinas and the dirty streets of the lower levels more homely and welcoming. Talon hardly considered herself dressed for the occasion either, but assumed her simple robed attire would suffice for the purpose of this call.
Finding his office with ease, she knocked and entered without waiting for a response. Within, she found a desk illuminated by a trio of holodisplays, each one dedicated to a scrolling series of text and images. Behind them all was the man who had summoned her, a Chiss, an advisor to the Republic. Thrawn.
His crimson eyes turned to regard her, his motions straightforward and direct as always. "Welcome, Miss Shan. Or do you prefer 'Talon'?" He politely inquired. "Please, take a seat."
"Whatever comes naturally, Commander Thrawn." She replied as she took a seat in one of his simple, standard guest seats. "Barring how you know who I am, what do you need from me?"
"Information, primarily." Thrawn softly replied. He leaned against his desk, hands folded before him in a passive display. "What can you tell me about 'the Iron Demon'?" Talon's eyebrow twitched in mixed curiosity and amusement.
"That's a name I haven't heard in a long time." She said softly.
"But you have heard of it." Thrawn lightly pressed. Talon nodded. "I ask, Miss Shan, because you are one of the few living people to have a sort of… intrinsic connection to it." Talon nodded slowly. For generations, the knowledge had been passed down through her family. Some members had been obsessed with it. Others, dismissive.
"I take it you know of my family then." Talon determined. Thrawn nodded.
"All the way back to Bastila." He quietly affirmed. With that settled, Talon saw fit to lean forward in her seat.
"Have you ever heard of the 'Zakuul Relief'?" She asked.
"A pictogram of a figure, clearly the Iron Demon, surrounded in a language yet to be deciphered." Thrawn described. "Yes, I have seen it." With a slight smile, Talon leaned back in her chair again.
"Would you like to know what it says?" She wondered. Thrawn arched an eyebrow, his only sign of interest.
"You know what the tablet says?"
"I know a lot, Commander. If you've got the time, I can tell you a great many things about the Iron Demon." Talon replied.
Back on Nelvaan…
The sound of heavy, mechanized thrumming stirred him back to consciousness. Dynnal came to with a groan, pushing himself up off the cold cave ground. He glance to his left and spied Ahsoka's unconscious form beside him.
"'S-Soka…?" He mumbled, trying to find his voice. He shuffled over, gently rolling her onto her back and tapping her cheek. "'S-Soka… babe, wake up." After a sufficient number of taps, Ahsoka stirred with a groan, slowly blinking her eyes.
"D… Danny?" She asked in a moan. "What… What happened?"
"I… I think the gases might've gotten to us."
"Oh…" The Togruta sat up, Dynnal helping her do so. "I… I feel tired..."
"Same… it should wear off." Dynnal sympathized, "But… listen." Finally focusing her senses, Ahsoka craned her neck as the steady, rhythmic thumping filled her hearing.
"What is that?" She wondered.
"Let's find out." Dynnal stood and helped her to her feet before leading the way towards the noise. It grew louder and louder the closer they drew and before long they had reached the end of the cave. It opened up into an especially massive space where a single sight instilled shock within them both.
"A siphon generator!" Dynnal gasped. The massive sphere had multiple arm-like units pounding the ground beneath it, the source of the thumping noise.
"I've read about these things. The Separatists have used them before on Felucia's volcanoes. Master Secura took one of them down." Ahsoka realized, glancing at the arcs of electricity jumping from mounted rods near the top of the machine towards a single conductor above.
"Yeah, it draws on a planet's geothermal energy as a source of power. They're using so much that's probably why Nelvaan is in such a wintry state!" Dynnal realized with wide eyes. Ahsoka tapped her chin briefly.
"So if the Separatists are causing this, what could they possibly need to power? Obviously they need a lot of this is thing is causing such disruptions to the planet…" The Togruta wondered. Dynnal looked higher, craning his neck as he took in several floors made of durasteel above the generator.
"I believe the answer lies somewhere up there." He noted.
"Oh sing you choirs of stars, oh cry out you solar instruments. Speak to all of his mighty wrath and fearsome rage. Tell us of our doom while we might still care. Those who heed them not, beware. Look on his works you mighty and despair, for the reign of the Demon is near."
The words were chilling and haunting. If Thrawn felt any of those emotions, they did not register in his expression. He appeared clinical and thoughtful instead, dwelling on what Talon had just recited to him.
"Another piece of poetry." He mused.
"You've read the others?" Talon inquired.
"Yes. As well as the reports of ancient Jedi masters. Your ancestors' among them." Thrawn replied. Talon nodded in understanding.
"I'm told Revan always believed he would come again. Others in my lineage thought so too, some went mad trying to find dates and times." She described, knowing more than one of her ancestral family members had slowly gone insane while devoting their entire lives to exploring every connection to a simple journal entry of Revan's.
Thrawn leaned forward against his desk again. "If he does come again, what is there to do?" He politely asked. Talon allowed herself to smile a little.
"Not if, Commander. But when." She corrected in a quiet, almost bemused voice. "Everything points towards a second coming. When it happens, there's not a thing anyone can do about it. No mortal, no eternal, no Force-sensitive, no one." Taking that in stride, Thrawn moved on.
"There are some texts that say he will meet his end." He suggested.
"I know," Talon said, "to fell one empire only to be halted after the second. They say he has an equal who will do it."
"Yes, I've seen as much." Thrawn concurred. "A rather… angelic being."
"The Iron Angel." Talon mused. The Chiss cocked his head slightly.
"His equal?" He pried.
"And his opposite." The brunette continued. "There was a legend in my family that the Iron Angel would come to stop the Demon for good."
"The Angel can do that?"
"And then some. Like you said, Commander, the Angel is his equal. The Angel has enough power to stop him and, if they so chose, to kill him." Talon elaborated.
"Then the Angel will come and kill the Demon." Thrawn mused.
"I didn't say that."
"I did not say you did." He responded. "However, the word 'stop' means many things. 'To kill' is certainly among them, is it not?" Talon nodded in acceptance. "Do you know if there were any indicators of what will come with the Iron Demon's appearance?" Thrawn inquired.
"Some of Revan's later writings said he was 'doom' and that 'life could not find a way in his presence'. I don't know just how true that is, but others in my line have suggested that too." Talon described. Closing his hands, Thrawn pondered that for a moment.
"How many of your ancestors' writings do you possess?"
"Enough of them."
"Do you believe in what they have to say?"
"I believe in evidence, Commander." Talon said simply. "However, whenever he does appear, I want to speak with him face to face."
"I see." Thrawn said quietly. When he did not probe further, Talon stood.
"If that'll be all, I must return to work. Until next time, Commander." She offered cordially before seeing herself out. The moment her retreating form had passed the doorway, Thrawn whispered,
"Good day, Miss Shan."
The chief engineer and project overseer walked briskly down the corridor, passing rows of machinery and computer terminals as they did. Of the two Skakoans, one of which was far more concerned than the other.
"But sir, the brain modulations are not fully integrated or tested yet. Specimen control cannot be guaranteed." The engineer protested.
"No matter. The Separatist Council grows impatient. We must deliver the prototypes." The overseer responded.
"But sir, we're just not ready!"
"Our concerns are of little consequence to the Separatist Council." The overseer retorted. "Begin the final phase and bring the last specimen forward. I will perform the procedure myself." He commanded.
"Yes sir." The engineer relented with a disappointed sigh. The two and their B1 guardian kept walking, their footsteps growing quieter with every step. The moment they were gone, Dynnal and Ahsoka stepped out of their hiding place amongst some heavy cables. The Togruta watched to make sure the Skakoans did not come back while her human lover made to investigate a large holoscreen. In green, intricate blueprints of cybernetic models drew his attention to several footnotes at the bottom of the depiction.
"Project Spike…" He read aloud, quickly scanning over the data being projected. The holographic layout of a cyberized skeletal structure, combined with scientific annotations proved to reveal a startling discovery. "It seems they're running tests in this facility to try and use microelectronics to manipulate the body structure of sentient beings." He determined, swiping through more notes. He slowly put the pieces together, why they were testing this and what possible benefit this could provide, when the light switched on for him. "They're trying to find a cheap, expedient means to produce super-soldiers!" He exclaimed in a hushed tone. Turning around in surprise, Ahsoka hurried over to see for herself.
"Are you sure?" Dynnal swiped back to the full layout.
"Look at these charts, this layout. Body augmentation, cybernetic enhancement, they're trying a new method to produce more of them. I've seen this before, when another wing of the Techno Union built Reaper." He described. Seeing the truth for herself, Ahsoka now knew how and why the Titans had pinpointed this place along with its immense importance.
"Then we have to destroy this. All of it. We can't let them succeed in any way." She determined.
"Can we deal with this? Or should we call the Titans?" Dynnal wondered.
"We can't just sit around and wait! This is too important to not deal with, Danny!" Ahsoka urged. Without another word, she darted back to their former hiding place, hoping to retrace her steps and find out where the Skakoans were headed. Maybe she could arrive before they did and a plan a little surprise for them.
Instead, she rounded a corner and loosed a horrified gasp.
Within a glowing green test tank, a massive, bulky figure hung suspended in a liquid. She recognized several of its characteristics almost immediately; it was a male Nelvaan warrior! Heavily mutated almost beyond recognition, his massive body was wired up to tubes and cybernetic implants. It didn't look healthy. It didn't even look natural. "What have they done to you?" Ahsoka whispered in exclamation. Dynnal caught up to her and was equally horrified by what he saw.
"They're… destroying them. For their own means…" He muttered in a devastated tone. Past the rows of containment tanks, mechanized whirring drew thier attention. A final Nelvaanian, still appearing normal in height and weight, was strapped to a machine as battle droids stood guard while three Skakoans went ahead with their experiment. Encased in glass, the same green liquid began to fill the Nelvaanians tank until he was completely submerged, his expression still stern and defiant. Then with the flick of a switch, the Skakoans introduced the microelectronics into his tank from overhead wiring, the Nelvaanian gritting his teeth as his physiology was forcefully altered.
"No!" Ahsoka cried, bolting in and drawing her twin lightsabers to hack through a row of droids. Before the others could act, she dragged them to her with the Force and decapitated them all with a single swing.
"Jedi!" The Skakoans gasped in fear and surprise. Dynnal charged in next, drawing his twin pistols and scorching holes through a trio of droids with quick shots. From within his tank, the Nelvaanian watched in awe of these two foreigners adorned with the markings of his people. His own had grown thick and flabby, his flesh nearly in a liquid state as the forceful modifications took their toll on his body. "Unleash the specimens!" The chief overseer ordered.
"But they're not ready-" the engineer protested.
"I said, unleash them!" The overseer snapped, shoving past him to trigger a nearby panel. The wall turned into a doorway, parting to reveal an army of mutated Nelvaanians, all of them wired up to cybernetic control harnesses and thier right hands replaced with bio-electric autocannons. Ahsoka turned on them, saddened and horrified by their appearance as the overseer ordered them forwards. "Attack! Attack!" The Nelvaanians moved numbly in blind obedience.
"Wait!" The Togruta cried, pausing her attack as Dynnal backed her up. "We're here to help! You've been altered, you must gain control of yourselves." She begged them. The Nelvaanians did not heed her words, raising their arm cannons instead. "I don't want to hurt you!" Ahsoka cried as the leader roared an assault order.
"You're being manipulated. You are Nelvaan warriors," Dynnal continued, "you must control yourselves. You must stop!" His protests were equally futile and the Nelvaanians opened fire on them. Ahsoka flashed her blades back and forth, blocking each incoming bolt to protect herself and Dynnal. Her lover took aim at their blasters and started firing, breaking and jamming their weapons as he shot holes clean through the cybernetics.
Within his tube, the mutating Nelvaanian seen enough of his tribesmen suffering from the insidious Skakoans and summoned what strength he could, pushing past all pain and the body-altering effects of the microelectrics to shatter his bonds and break free. Splintering glass and rushing fluid caused Dynnal and Ahsoka to turn around, watching as the Nelvaanian barreled forward (now a lumbering, graceless mutant) and bolted past them.
"Stop! YA Kharvos, tvoy brat i tvoy drug! Razve vy ne vidite, chto oni pytayutsya nam pomoch'?" He roared, grabbing the control harness wrapped around one of his brothers. 'Harvos' tore it off, a spark of electricity inciting a howl of pain from the other Nelvaanian as his internal microelectronics were destroyed. He looked back to Dynnal and Ahsoka, holding out the crushed bundle of metal and circuits. "Eti. My dolzhny ikh unichtozhit'!" He bellowed.
"What?" Ahsoka wondered in confusion. Dynnal could not translate and did not know either.
"I-I don't know!" Harvos turned and grabbed another Nelvaanian, ripping off his harness and inducing a similar effect as he was freed from the mind control.
"Ta dolzhen eto ubrat." He said, pointing to his head. The couple finally understood.
"The harnesses. Go for the harnesses!" Dynnal cried, breaking away from Ahsoka and shooting several right in their glowing-green centre. They self-destructed, freeing the Nelvaanians with a burst of smoke and sparks. Ahsoka went her own way, craving through harness after harness as she freed an entire row of the creatures. Harvos did his part too, using his newfound brutish strength to rip and crush the harnesses closest to him.
In short order, all of the Nelvaanians were freed and stood slumped over, rubbing their heads as they recovered from the harsh electrostatic blow dealt to their heads. Harvos walked over to the closest ones, Dynnal and Ahsoka right behind him, and put his hand on their shoulders. "Vse v poryadke. Teper' ty svoboden. Vam nechego stydit'sya." Harvos told them, the other Nelvaanians sagging in shameful recognition of their actions. "Te, kto eto sdelali s nami, nastoyashchiye monstry zdes'." He growled, looking at his own pudgy hands. "Ne mozhem bolshe terpet!" Harvos turned and pointed towards Dynnal and Ahsoka. "My dolzhny ikh ostanovit'! Blagodarya erős ember és szarvas nő, my svobodny!" He shouted. "My mozhem idti domoy. Idyom domoy!" Raising his fist high, the other Nelvaanians echoed his salute before they turned and started to advance in the same direction the Skakoans had fled. Harvos then turned back to the couple. "Erős ember. Szarvas nő. Vy dolzhny unichtozhit' etu adskuyu shtuku." He urged emphatically, pointing to a single bundle of electricity above the siphon generator. It was focused in a single point, an epicentre of the power draw. "Eto to, chto prichinyayet Materi takuyu bol', vot pochemu yeye slezy zamerzayut, a yeye krik takoy pronzitel'nyy. Pozhaluysta, unichtozh'te yego, poka on ne unichtozhil Mat'!" Harvos cried. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes.
"I understand." She said aloud. "We have to destroy this. All of it. They want us to." Now more determined than ever to see her plan through, the Togruta looked up at her lover. "I'll go with the Nelvaanians. You take care of this." She ordered. Dynnal turned and kissed her on the cheek.
"Good luck!" He called, darting off towards the generator. Drawing a grapple from his belt, he took aim and fired a cable from the cylinder, finding a snug anchor-point on the conduit tower above the generator. Landing and maneuvering his way down with calculated ease, he landed on his feet atop the energy reflector dish. Directly beneath him was a crackling bundle of electrical energy. "I have to knock it out of alignment, that should cause a feedback loop." He determined after a quick study of the structure. Reaching for his belt again, he took hold of the handle and toggled the collapsible katana blade to slide out. Hacking open a hole in the metal, Dynnal proceeded to reach down and tug on the metal halves, applying his super-soldier strength to rend and twist the metal, physically tearing the dish away from the tower.
The energy beneath him started to crackle in an unstable manner as he applied the Force to his work and unleashed a roar as he pulled the dish apart, ripping open the tower and left dangling from his grapple. True to his suspicion, the energy was rerouted back into the generator and started a chain reaction, an overload of power subsequently blowing it to pieces as the lower levels of the lab began to explode.
Ahsoka and the Nelvaanians had chased the Skakoan crew of five to the surface, where their personal transported awaited to take them off-world. A series of B1 and B2 battle droids attacked the Nelvaanians but wound up being of little use as the brutish mutants beat their way through the ranks, dismembering droids and reducing them to scrap left and right as their dying screeches filled the air. Suddenly, gas vents began to burst open along the ground, wrought from the restored geothermal balance as the siphon generator was destroyed. Several of these vents destroyed battle droids, while others cut a clean path between the Nelvaanians and the fleeing Skakoans.
Ahsoka was not about to let that stop her.
Vaulting over the clouds of steam, the Togruta landed with lightsabers brandished and a snarl on her face before the five Separatist scientists. They all turned towards her out of fright, some brandishing personal ray-blasters to protect themselves. Ahsoka strode towards them at a steady pace, her frowning blue eyes slowly turning amber-yellow.
"If you think that after what you did to these people you could just get away with it… you are sorely mistaken!" She hissed, baring her fangs. Lashing out with the Force, she pulled all of their weapons towards her with the Force, forming a fist that crushed them into a ball of scrap metal. Then she unleashed herself upon the Skakoans, charging the closest one and splitting him into pieces with a swing of her blades. Snapping out her hand, a burst of telekinetic power threw another into the side of the boarding ramp, his head splitting wide open and painting the edge green with his blood. With a shrieking cry she grabbed another and threw him into a rock, taking great satisfaction in the way his bones and breathing pack shattered and crunched under her power. Turning and throwing her twin blades, Ahsoka impales the fourth with them before taking control of the steam beneath the ground to rupture and burst forth, searing clothes and skin with high temperature vapours that killed the scientist within seconds.
The final team member, the overseer, was forcefully dragged towards the raging Togruta and hung suspended in the air by the Force as he struggled vainly to free himself.
"M-Mercy!" He begged with a stammer. Ahsoka's eyes narrowed.
"Did you think to show them any?" She asked in a growl. Slowly closing her hand into a fist, the Skakoan's respirator crumpled and popped under her power, mechanics splintering and fracturing as the scientist uttered a death wail before his upper toros was crushed by the verymachine allowing him to live. Green blood exploded past breaking metal, finding its way through cracks and bent plating before his upper body popped in a gruesome display and Ahsoka finally dropped his corpse onto the rocks.
Seeing the vicious destruction of their tormentors, the Nelvaanians tore off their cybernetic arm cannons one by one, roaring in freedom as they banished the final shackles of their torture. As one they cried out to their savior, one of the two Orvos had prophesied about so long ago.
"Szarvas nő! Szarvas nő! Szarvas nő!" They chanted in deep, guttural voices as Ahsoka stood tall before them, panting slightly as her eyes returned to their natural oceanic color.
The restoration of the planet's geothermal rhythm began to change Nelvaan's landscape. Ice and snow began to melt, rivers thawed and started to flow, the wind was no longer biting and chilled. The inhabitants of Rokrul village took notice, as did Shadow and Sounder. While Two-Two did his best with Orvos to keep their two brothers alive, the other Clones took note of the change happening to Nelvaan, both of them realizing that it wouldn't be long before thermal layers became unnecessary.
But a disturbance on the horizon brought their attention to the village entrance, a sight that did not go unnoticed by the other villagers. The women and children ran to investigate, Orvos and Two-Two leaving the shaman's hut to see what was happening.
"Looks like someone's approaching." Sounder noted.
"Make that a lot of someones." Shadow corrected, striding forward with Two-Two and Orvos. They held back and watched as shadows became clearer and details grew starker. At the front of the crowd, Dynnal and Ahsoka led the mutated Nelvaanian men into the village grounds, each one of them far taller and broader than their rescuers. At first the women were overjoyed by the successful return… but then they were shocked by the transformation they had undergone. Many of them stopped and outright stepped back at the sight of these massive monstrosities that approached them. Harvos stepped forward, worried that they would not be accepted back into the village. He did not know what he could say or do to convince them they had not changed, their women did not even recognize them anymore.
But then, his own son walked out of the crowd, looking up at his mutated father with wide eyes.
Harvos held on to hope as his son crossed the gap between the two groups, stepping right up to his father and looking over every aspect of his new body. He bore no fear, only curiosity, as he reached for Harvos' hand.
"Apu!" He whispered in recognition. Harvos smiled and bent down to pick up his son in both hands, cradling him close as his child returned the hug. Replied washed over the women and they surged towards the men, seeking out their mates. Dynnal and Ahsoka turned to watch the emotional reunion, the mercenary feeling rather pleased by their efforts.
"Always nice to do a good deed." He mused.
"Yeah… shame we can't fix the men. They're stuck like this. Forever." Ahsoka said quietly. Dynnal glanced in her direction. A dark cloud had been hanging over her since they finished off the facility, something visible to his eyes and his Force senses. Something was amiss with his lover and he had to wonder what was gnawing at her. He was about to ask when a voice broke through the Nelvaanian crowds.
"Commander," the two turned at the sound of Ahsoka's title, seeing Sounder, Shadow and Two-Two approach them.
"Shadow! How are the men doing?" Ahsoka urgently asked.
"We've done our best to stabilize them. The village shaman helped a great deal, but these two need a proper medical facility." The Clone reported.
"The longer we linger, I'm afraid their condition will worsen." Two-Two added. "Just tell me you two managed to deal with the Seppies."
"We did. They won't be plaguing this planet or these people any longer." Ahsoka affirmed.
"Well… good. Maybe that'll ease their passing." The Clone mused grimly. The Togruta's gaze fell.
"If we can save them, we have to try." She urged.
"Unfortunately, Commander, we simply don't have what it takes to get them in good order." Sounder told her.
"If we could use the comms in the carrier, we might be able to call for a pick-up." Shadow offered.
"If they weren't smashed to kriffin' pieces." Two-Two huffed. "Damn wildlife… they're all gonna die needlessly, now." He grumbled. Having heard all of this, Dynnal felt in the mood to try and perform one more good deed and turned back to the saddled Bantha.
"Dan-… Dynnal? What're you doing?" Ahsoka asked, quickly catching herself before she used her pet name for him.
"I have an idea and I'm willing to try it." He answered, maneuvering the Bantha to leave again. Ahsoka quickly hopped up behind him as they left the village. Together they rode back to the crushed remains of the CR-20, a heavy indent left along the length of the ship from where the Horax's tail had crashed into it. Dynnal hopped off the Bantha and approached the edge of the ship. "In order to get the comms online, we'll need this thing upright to properly use the array." He mused.
"I don't know what you plan to do, but this thing is only good for scrap now." Ahsoka said aloud as she hopped off and followed him. Sensing the dimness of her mood but pushing past it, Dynnal knelt by the upper edge of the ship, now exposed as the snow around it slowly melted. He wasn't ready to give up just yet. He had to make an effort, even if it did seem a little extreme.
"We have to try and send a distress beacon. The Republic is close by, in the sector. They should detect this and come, we just have to get it up and running." Dynnal replied, sliding his hands under the edge of the ship,
With that, he started to lift.
Every muscle in his arms went taut as Dynnal called upon his natural physical strength and tapped into the Force to amplify it. As a result, the entire transport started to move. Ahsoka watched with growing shock as the barest of centimetres appeared between the hull and the ground, that amount soon growing into inches and then feet as Dynnal lifted the entire transport by himself. She could sense him using the Force to empower his muscles and essentially hold him together as he performed the mother of all squat presses.
Ahsoka watched as the muscles in his arms, shoulders and chest bulged while Dynnal continued with this display of awe-inspiring power, not to impress her but to help her and her men. The whole thing left her speechless, the sheer power he possessed amazing to behold. "Oh... My... Force..." Was all she could murmur as Dynnal slowly righted the CR-20, exerting enough strength to move a ship weighing over several hundred tonnes. The darkness still plucking at her strings quickly took advantage of her awe and surged through her body. Her cheeks grew darker, orange turning red, as did her headtails, blue stripes darkening to almost black, as she watched Dynnal shift his grip and push with all his might, putting his entire body into the effort of righting the CR-20. Still riding the seductively powerful ribbon of Dark Side energy that had driven her to kill the Skakoans, Ahsoka felt something powerful and needy well up within her as she watched the superhuman feat of strength. That kind of power… it wa shears and she knew it… she had to have it.
Inch by inch he lifted the transport, working his way from the top down the length of the hull as he pushed it into an upright position. With the landing struts only a few inches away, Dynnal turned to Ahsoka and asked, "Can you stabilize it?" His question hung in the air, taking a moment to register with Ahsoka's distant gaze.
"Wha-...? O-O-Oh yeah! Yeah..." She quickly responded upon realizing his need for aid. Holding out her arms, Ahsoka took hold of the transport with the Force and steadied it as Dynnal pushed the ship onto its landing struts, ensuring it did not tip over and came to a rest instead. With the troop carrier upright, Dynnal made for the entrance.
"Right. Now to see if the terminals have an auxiliary power source that will allow the ERB's transponder to ping." He said to himself, quickly prying open the side door and pushing his way into the carrier. Ahsoka did not immediately follow, watching his retreating back until he vanished from view. Still riding the high of combat and the adrenaline rush from their rescue, Ahsoka could feel a warmth running through her and kept spreading until the buildup could no longer be fought or suppressed. The Dark Side had woven its way into her feelings, taking ahold of her passion for Dynnal and turning it into a raw, driving lust that wormed its way into her head. Her lekku tingled with possibilities and, in a moment of naive vulnerability, Ahsoka allowed its influence to take control until she knew she needed a moment alone with her lover.
"Sounder? Got a copy?" She asked into her wrist-device, clearing her throat of the thickness that clouded it.
"Go ahead, Commander."
"Looks like we might be able to get a signal back to the fleet." She said hoarsely. "Tell Two-Two to have those survivors preppped for transport."
"Right away Commander-" Sounder affirmed, his voice dying off as Ahsoka cut the comm short, moving ver purposefully into the craft in pursuit of Dynnal.
