I had woken up all at once, rising to my feet swiftly and immediately being alert of my surroundings to determine that we were being watched. The sunrise was well underway, warmth spreading back into the planet and only once I was certain the generators had held through the night and the shield was still active did I allow myself to sit back down again. It would be a while yet before we would be able to move towards the jungle region and make contact with the Rothians. This was something which caused a great deal of anxiety, wondering if the hierarchy had changed since I was last here. Part of me wondered if Nar'Tja was still alive and chief, and if we were to meet one another, how would he respond?
"We should not have asked you to come here." Kit murmured to me quietly, sensing my anxiety and distress. "You are restless, I can sense it clearly."
"I worry for all our lives. I do not wish for anyone to die here, for it will be a horrible and painful way to end their living days." I responded, ensuring that my voice was quiet enough that the clones would not hear us. "The sooner we complete our mission, the better. I do not ever wish to see this planet again."
"So long as we reach our objective, you will not have to. If in a few days we are not successful, you can return to the ship and I will lead the ground party, I am certain I can navigate this planet's dangers after some practice." But this only made me worry all the more and determine that I was not going to leave his side for anything. I didn't trust the planet, I did not trust chance, I could only depend on myself, and my knowledge of this world to try and get everyone through it alive. The two clones one watch had their backs to us as we had moved slightly out of the way in order to talk, hidden behind Kit's tent and mine adjacent to it.
Desiring a small measure of comfort and a booster in confidence, I reached up in order to kiss Kit firmly and quickly, making him jolt in surprise as I pressed our lips together before then drawing back, quirking an eyebrow at him. "For luck." Rousing everyone else from their beds, I left five men to guard the camp and took the remaining clones out beyond the shield line and into the wild open, my hand constantly hovering above my lightsaber. I insisted on going first, moving slowly and low to the ground in order to test the waters before signalling for everyone else to follow. The early morning was the safest time to move, as not everything would wake up properly until it was warmer, and so I led our group towards the jungle region with our convoy of gifts and a protocol droid in order to translate for us, who was sat in the head of the land-speeder with two bikes flanking it either side, moving at a steady place. "Bode, step around that geyser, it's a spore pocket. Disturb it and you'll choke to death." I turned my head slightly in order to deliver my instructions, carefully sensing everyone around me to be fully aware of where they were and what they were doing. "Warren, you're straying too far from the path. Don't step where you cannot see."
Not a moment later, Warren's foot slipped and landed in a muddy ditch, making him curse as his commando armour became covered in the gloop, but as he dragged his foot out, the nesting predator that lay within launched forwards with a screech, the giant worm with three heads and layered rows of teeth in its gaping, circular mouth launched forwards in order to attach all three heads to him, grasping the front of his helmet, his chest and leg as he cried out in alarm and tried to shoot it. I vaulted forwards in a heartbeat, igniting my blade as I summersaulted and with two quick blurs of movement, I severed all three heads and the worm creature flopped in the mud with a squelch, dead at our feet. "Sorry sir, won't happen again." Warren quickly recovered, pulling myself back from the grass line more firmly onto the path as I nodded my head, glancing over him to ensure that he was alright before moving forwards.
Almost every few seconds something new occurred. There were predators, packs, the vegetation, even the air was as foul as I remembered. Kit and I worked tirelessly to keep most of the dangers off us, with the clones shooting at targets if he gave the order but for the most part, their instructions were to keep the convoy moving. We lost one of the speeder bikes to a giant plant creature which snatched it up with its vines and swallowed it, Kit and another clone having to go to the rider's rescue. Ironically, the clone's name was Vine. Allowing myself that brief moment of amusement, I had us all press on.
It was easier once we reached the outskirts of the jungle, as there were less predators as the acid pools kept them at bay, but there was still the plant life and insects to be concerned about. One of the clones, Zapp, got set upon by thousands upon thousands of tiny ant-beetles which began to try and eat through his armour to find his flesh. Kit and I used the Force to try and remove as many of the bugs that we could, until I had to run with him and find a mud pool where I launched him inside then battled the demon that dwelled there so that the bugs would stop eating him, the giant creature that lived in the pool then viewing us as food.
Zapp was now bleeding from the numerous cuts and bites which would soon become infected and forced the convoy to stop in order to treat him. Our medic, Stitches – or Stitch – promptly began to try and apply treatment, however the infection began to spread like a rapid disease, a poison to the system which caused Zapp to convulse and struggle for air. With a word to Kit, I launched myself up into the trees and hurried to search for the cure that I knew of, gathering together the leaves of a few plants as well as a large purple fruit before dropping back down. Without a word I began to chew, rub, mash and grind the ingredients together to make a paste before then slathering it onto the most severe areas and forcing Zapp to drink it, allowing him to breathe once more as the natural remedy sucked out the poison from the insects.
"How did you know to do that, sir?" Stitches questioned me, and I could already see him memorising the plants I had used and the method to make the treatment.
"I watched the Rothian people to see how they treated common injuries and afflictions here. A lot of the natural environment around us provides everything necessary to keep oneself healthy and alive, though the risk to acquiring the ingredients is often not worth the chance of being killed by something else." I explained as Stitches took some samples of the remedy and the poison that was now leaking out of Zapp in a bright, clear liquid. "We cannot remain here, it is too exposed. Follow me." I found us a place to rest for a while under the arching roots of a purple lichen covered tree, recognising it as one of the places I had once camped many years ago in a bid to hide from my hunters and allow myself to rest. I twitched at the unpleasantness of the memory. Zapp was recovering, but no longer in any shape to continue the march which would force us to slow down, though he tried to insist on being left behind. If we did that, he'd be dead before we were even out of sight. Even at this moment, I could feel the eyes of the world upon us.
"Rest and gather your strength. We will leave no one behind, it is too risky." Kit informed him, gripping his shoulder for a moment before standing up and looking over to me. "Theca, what is your advice?"
"Zapp will have to drive the convoy with the protocol droid, though he will have lost all sensation in his right arm due to the infection and poison. To be frank with you, trooper, I am not certain I can guarantee your survival now. Your senses will dull and you will experience feverish hallucinations soon. It should not last long, but you may draw more attention to us, so I want you to be aware that for a while, you will be completely unable to defend yourself. Is this clear?"
"Crystal, sir." Lifting his weapon up, he then took over driving the convoy which was then set on automatic, so as the fever and after effects of the insects attacking him, the rest of us dealt with any subsequent attacks that were drawn in from predators hearing the cries of a deranged man begging for death. It was nightmarish to listen to, the screams penetrating the otherwise bleak quietness of the jungle and through it I was reminded of the times I had also suffered the poisonous sting and the wild hallucinations thereafter, but I pushed onwards. I fought my way through, leading the way until I saw the border line which signified the Rothian inner circle of their tribe's territory, marked by the distinctive skulls and decaying bodies of wild bests and predators they had hunted and left to ward off any invaders, as well as the bubbling acid pools and blood line which splattered the ground and trees.
"Is that…blood?" Our fifth and final commando clone trooper, Artic, leaned in a little closer to inspect the gushing purplish blood which seemed to weep from the very trees.
"Yes. In general, red equals danger, purple means safety. The blood protects the tribespeople from predator attacks, and they have guards circling the perimeter. Look up, but do not react." All five of them did so, Zapp now quiet though he was pale and weak as he manoeuvred the convoy through the trees. I made him put his helmet back on so that he could hide his face and hopefully, the Rothians would not take any notice on him, distracted by the bigger game which was now entering their territory. With their faces raised, the clones were able to see the numerous pairs of sharp yellow eyes peering down at them, but I cautioned them to remain calm. "Everyone take a container, raise it up over your head and follow me."
Setting the example, I picked up one of the containers then lifted it over my head before stepping over the boundary line, waiting a few moments to see how the guards would react. They did nothing, and so I moved forwards, glancing back to see Kit organising the clones before he too then followed with a container above him. My heart was like thunder in my chest, the thick bursting of my blood through my veins swarming about me as I followed the marked path all the way towards the heart of the tribe's village, both knowing and uncertain of what awaited me there, and wanting nothing more than to run and flee as every instinct commanded me to do, fearful that after so many years after having escaped this world, the hunt would once again resume.