Though the Vanquisher returned to Utapau intact, scars were left on many of its crew. The doors to the bridge slid open for Ahsoka and Jesse to enter, but their expressions looked like those of people who had just seen the devil. Jesse had a hand to the side of his head as they approached the bridge's holotable. No matter how hard he tried, he could not remove the images of carnage from his mind.
"We need to contact Coruscant," the general said as he punched in commands on the terminal.
Ahsoka winced when her fingers glided along the cut on her cheek, and she was forced to steady herself by grabbing onto the table. "Agreed," she managed to grunt.
Jesse cocked an eyebrow at the woman's overexertion; he had seen Skywalker do it in the past, and watched the sleepless nights tear at their former general. "You should be in the medical bay with Commander Ridge," he remarked before returning to his work.
"I'm fine," Ahsoka said, her voice coming across as still, despite her shaking hand. "I just want to see this through. The Republic must be warned."
Jesse gave her an uneasy look. "We don't even know what that venom can do to your body." He would have continued arguing, but after seeing no communication with Coruscant, realized he had more important priorities. He turned to the officers of the bridge and asked, "Why aren't we getting a signal?"
The concerned gaze of an officer met his, and the clone reported, "We're being jammed. Origin is unknown, sir."
"Is communication with the fleet still up?" Jesse questioned.
"Yes sir. In fact, we're still receiving Lieutenant Kix's signal from the surface. It appears this jammer is preventing outbound communications from the system," the officer explained.
"Then we need to leave," Jesse stated. "We'll take the Vanquisher to the next system over and get a message out." His decision was made, but as the ship began to rumble, the officer suddenly reported a communication coming from the surface. It was the lieutenant. "Put it through," Jesse ordered, his eyes going to the holotable.
A static-filled image of the medical officer displayed before the room, and though they could not see beneath his helmet, the man appeared perturbed by the situation he was in. "General, we have a situation," Kix said. He went on to explain how the Pau'ans of the planet had heard reports from surface farmers having their livestock behave erratically. They seemed especially spooked by the nearby sinkhole of Crassnah. Following up on the reports, Kix had dispatched several teams to the sinkhole, only for all to go dark.
At hearing him, Jesse and Ahsoka shared a look of worry. "You don't think…" Jesse began to utter, when his shoulders sank.
"It's a possibility," Ahsoka said, a finger to her chin. "We have to investigate this."
"I'll get Scion Squad on it," Jesse said half-heartedly. "Right now, getting a signal out is more important."
Ahsoka cocked her head at him. "I want to agree with you, but we've already witnessed what the Vong can do. Scion Squad may be your best, but they'll end up just like the other teams that went down there."
Jesse looked at her with an intense gaze, only to reluctantly nod his head a moment later. "You're right." With that, he decided to keep Scion Squad aboard the Vanquisher while they left the system.
"What?!" Ahsoka snapped. "We need to get to the surface, Jesse, not run."
"What we need is to get a signal out," Jesse stated. "The Republic will send reinforcements, and then I'll feel comfortable taking to the surface."
"You're the best of the best, Jesse," Ahsoka said. "If we can't stop this here, little hope remains for the Republic."
"You're distorting logic," Jesse argued. "Numbers help, regardless of their individual strength." The pair continued their meaningless banter, each certain of their own reasoning, when warning lights went off in the bridge. Kix's image shuddered, and the trooper's posture made him suddenly smaller than the world around him.
"Something's coming up from the sink," Kix reported, blaster in hand as his troopers crowded around him. His gaze followed the object up, and his spine arched back. "It's a whole fleet!"
Jesse looked to the crew, and the giant red dots that appeared on their scanners. He turned quickly to Ahsoka, who appeared as bewildered as he was. Then, as his eyes moved to the viewport, he roared, "Battle formation!"
The Venators turned into a nosedive as they aimed for the surface, heat flowing across their shields as they penetrated Utapau's atmosphere. The cruisers followed close behind, with Jesse's intent being to keep the enemy at their front. The last thing he wanted was the fleet to be cut up from beneath. Yet, despite their maneuver, they could see nothing.
"Cloud coverage is too thick," Jesse groaned as he looked out the viewport, arms crossed over his chest as anxiousness gripped him.
"The legion's no good cooped up in these carriers," Ahsoka remarked. "If a ground invasion is imminent, we should deploy."
Jesse turned back to the holotable with the intention of gaining Kix's insight, but no words could be shared between them. The screen displayed Kix and his men firing on some unseen presence, and then cut out. A growl of frustration escaped the general as he watched static fill the display, only for it to shut off a moment later. "You may be right," he admitted while turning toward the bridge's turbolift. "I'll get the men on the ground." Only then did the bridge's viewport fill with light. Molten plasma. The shields fluttered as oncoming projectiles struck them, and managed to hold against the first volley. Jesse looked to the bridge one final time, and the officers back at him. "You know the drill, now get to it. I want main batteries firing consecutively, sterns after bow." With that, his helmet went on.
The officers saluted before returning to their operations. The doors to the bridge had just slid shut behind Ahsoka and Jesse when the ship rumbled under the force of its own guns firing on the enemy. While the warships swooped through the clouds to engage the enemy, Jesse and Ahsoka raced to the main hangar where their army awaited. They arrived to the sight of a war machine ready for use. Troops of the 501st were loaded into their gunships, and AT-TEs were strung to the underside of LAAT carriers. Jesse ran to the nearest vessel that still had its doors open, and was about to board when he heard Ahsoka groan from behind. Turning to her, he found the woman had stumbled, her hand back to the wound on her cheek.
"Ahsoka, you really should stay here," Jesse urged.
"No!" Ahsoka snapped, throwing her arm out before her. "I… I'm fine. I have to see this through."
Jesse hung his head in defeat, a sigh escaping his breath before he suddenly jabbed a finger in the woman's direction. "Alright, but if the wound inhibits your abilities, fall back. We're not losing a Jedi today." He quickly helped Ahsoka onto the gunship, and upon giving them clearance, felt his body rock as the score of vessels fired out of the hangar. Entering open air, hundreds of gunships found themselves accompanied by ARC-180s and Z-97 Headhunters which took the lead as they rocketed toward the open plains of Korak. There, what few farmers made a living on the surface had their homes near the Crassnah sinkhole. As the ships raced onward, Jesse took a look through the openings in the side doors, and what he saw made his blood race. It was like he was back in the Clone War, and the sensation he felt was anything other than what he wanted to feel.
A dozen Vong frigates emerged from the sinkhole with their weapons bared. Volleys tore open gunships to the right and left of Jesse's as the enemy ships launched upward to meet the Republic fleet in battle. Out of their animalistic husks came hundreds of starfighters, which one clone cleverly named coralskippers. Republic fighters broke away from the gunships to engage the enemy, and the sky devolved into clouds of smoke as wings severed from ships. Down on the plains, Jesse spotted Kix and his men hunkered near the main house of a large ranch, a building which had become tatters of what it once was. The clones were trying their best to keep out of the enemy's line of sight, but Vong warriors were closing in on three fronts.
"Form a circular perimeter!" Jesse ordered over comms. What gunships remained deployed as instructed, and Jesse's was the first to hit the ground with haste. Its doors opened, and the clones poured out alongside their Jedi.
Following just behind the general was Scion Squad, comprised of two ARC troopers and a single commando. "Ten years, and this is the fight we get?" Darius remarked as he glanced over at their other member with a hint of sarcasm.
The clone beside him, an ARC trooper whose helmet was marked by a blue, upside down triangle on its center, rolled his helmet at Darius's comment. "Focus on the battle, Darius!"
"As always, Fang," Darius replied. Just to his left raced Karma, and the three of them stayed close behind their field commanders as their first wave of troops pushed out.
All across the open plains, thousands of Yuuzhan Vong barreled onward, wielding amphistaffs and chitin carbines, organic rifles that fired what came to be known as thud bugs. In their first volley alone, a hundred clones dropped lifeless against the gently blowing grass. The Plains of Korak quickly became engulfed in blood as the two sides clashed. The Vong were larger, stronger, and faster than their adversaries, and their armor held up well against blaster fire. They were swift, merciless, and overtook the clones in a tide of destruction. Only one position held of the Republic, that being where the Jedi stood.
While the Vong were fast, Ahsoka was faster. She cleaved a brute through his midsection before deflecting fire from the enemy, cutting thud bugs in half before pulling the riflemen to her. Aiming for their necks, her lightsabers carved straight through them before she whipped about to clash with another. Ahsoka expected to cut through the Vong's amphistaff with ease, but the creature hardened at a twist of the Vong's wrist, and not even her lightsaber could cut it. She backed away, sizing up her adversary as the two circled one another like predators eager to conquer their rival. Before she could make a move, the Vong pushed off the ground in an effort to reach her. Ahsoka sidestepped the warrior as he returned to the ground, and she lowered her body to slide beneath his amphistaff before jamming the shorter of her blades in his underarm. She spiraled around to his back and severed the hamstring of his right leg, causing the warrior stumble. Before the Vong could react, Ahsoka plowed her remaining saber through his unprotected neck, and yanked her other blade from his underarm. She turned back to the battle as the Vong dropped dead.
Jesse's rifle was in hand, Scion Squad by his side as the four clones fired into the ranks of enemy warriors trying to reach them. Aiming for their eyes seemed to work best, and a dozen of their foes crumbled in a matter of seconds. However, by then the rest were upon them. Jesse ignited his plasma shield as a Vong rushed him head-on, his feet sliding into the dirt as the Vong pressed against his shield. It took everything within the ARC trooper to keep the creature at bay, when at the last moment, his pivoted on his left foot. The Vong fell forward to his right, and by then he had come full circle with his blaster at the ready. He blew through the back of the beast's head before turning to the others. Darius, Fang, and Karma had their backs to one another as they unloaded on the enemy. Karma quickly applied his launcher attachment before firing into a pack of Vong, the explosive severing limbs in the process. He switched back to his standard barrel and raised it to their right flank, only to be grabbed by another of the enemy. The Yuuzhan Vong's teeth were long enough to tear out Karma's throat, and the clone was instantly grateful for his armor. As the Vong raised his amphistaff to pierce Karma's chest, the commando extended the vibroblade of his left wrist and rammed it through the side of the Vong's neck. The creature dropped him, and Karma squeezed the trigger of his rifle to blast open the Vong's skull.
"Enemy down," Karma reported, when he heard shouts of terror to his left. Turning about, he found Darius on the ground with his leg broken.
Before the enemy could spear Darius, Fang blasted through the nearest Vong and tilted the barrel of his rifle to nail another in the knee. The enemy's armor held up, and the warrior crashed into Fang with the force of a starfighter. The Vong soldier knocked Fang's blaster from his hands before reaching for the clone's throat, only to lose his own hand in the process. Fang unsheathed a vibroblade from his back holster and severed the Vong's limb before throwing his own weight upon the creature. The pair rolled around on the ground, with the Vong coming out on top. The warrior reeled back his staff before thrusting it toward Fang's chest, only for his head to erupt in blue light. Fang shoved the three-hundred pound body off him and tilted his head to find Darius on the ground, blaster pointed in his direction.
"Saved your life. You're welcome," Darius said before gesturing to his leg. "Now get me out of here!"
Fang, huffing as he pushed himself off the ground, staggered toward his comrade with a hand outstretched. "I got you, brother." His body froze when teeth pierced armor, his eyes going wide as he felt death seep in. Behind him stood an eight foot Vong, with an amphistaff speared through his body. The clone toppled onto the ground as the amphistaff was torn from his body, and the venom killed him quickly.
Darius took aim, but the creature was already over him. His rifle was kicked from his grasp, and a foot came down on his helmet just before the Vong raised his amphistaff. The serpent came down, when the blast of a rifle knocked it off course. The Vong looked up to find another soldier rushing him head-on, and a moment later the Vong's head burst open as blue fire engulfed it. Darius, still dazed by the enemy's blow, tilted his head to find an unexpected figure standing over him. "Gage?"
The trooper held out a hand. "You're not dying out here," Gage said. He then helped the man to his one good foot before slowly moving him behind friendly lines. Karma was soon with them, his rifle spewing lasers at Yuuzhan Vong who continued to surge forward. It was only as the troopers were being overwhelmed that Karma noticed something off.
"Where's the general?!" he yelled to the others. He watched the pair look to one another, both unsure of the answer, when Karma finally spotted the general amongst the enemy. Jesse had strayed too far from the others as he attempted to keep pace with Ahsoka, and the pair were quickly becoming surrounded. Karma put a finger to his helmet, hoping his effort could save their lives. "This is CC-8904, requesting artillery support on section five of the enemy line." Static was all that replied at first, until seconds later when a voice entered his helmet.
"Walkers are available to assist, but the general will in danger of a misfire," an officer said over the line.
"He's going to die if we do nothing!" Karma snapped. Silence followed. Then, the voice of the indifferent officer finally came back to him.
"Walkers three through five have received their targets. I suggest you vacate the area immediately," the officer informed him before cutting communications.
Karma heard the heavy cannons of AT-TEs fire, and watched bright beams of light soar over his head before hearing destruction. He looked out on the enemy ranks and found pockets where bodies laid mutilated by the barrage. The walkers continued to fire, and as their weapons unloaded on the enemy, it suddenly felt as if the army had been freed of their engagements. Troops of the 501st pressed the attack in an effort to reach their commanding officers, and all across the Plains of Korak two sides clashed at close range. Z-6 rotary cannons were brought to the frontlines as a means of stemming the tide of foes, and for a few minutes the battle appeared a stalemate. Both sides lost and gained ground, with all manner of weaponry being used against one another. Yet, the greatest advantage of the Vong was their sheer power. Gradually, the tide began to shift, and the 501st caved on its flanks. The veterans were consolidated at the center, and while their effort to reach the general appeared to be succeeding, it was at the cost of their less experienced counterparts.
Jesse, nearly eviscerated by the enemy, was saved by the narrowly timed swing of Ahsoka's sabers, and upon the killing blow, both looked to their surroundings. The Yuuzhan Vong appeared as vast as the ocean, and they were everywhere. The grass of the plains was crushed beneath the tide of warriors, and for the briefest of moments Jesse felt retreat was the only option. "What do we do?" he uttered.
"Someone's leading this invasion," Ahsoka said, barely holding off an opponent when she stumbled back to the clone. "We need to find them and end this." She felt heat radiate off her shoulder as Jesse fired past her, and both watched the Vong ahead of them collapse against the ground.
"Won't be easy," Jesse replied. "Do you see how many of these things there are?"
Ahsoka shrugged. "We have to try something."
It was then a communication came in from Kix, and Jesse put his wrist to his helmet, desperate to make the conversation brief as Vong surged toward them. By then, many of his veterans had arrived to give support, but the fear of death lingered no matter the distance of the enemy. "Lieutenant, what is it?" Jesse questioned, blaster still aimed toward the Vong army.
"General, we believe we've located the enemy commander," Kix said. "One of their frigates is keeping a low profile, making sure to stay out of the fight as it hovers over Crassnah. Their field commander is likely overseeing the battle from there."
"Copy that," Jesse replied before ending communications. He then looked to Ahsoka. "We've got a lead. There's a frigate over the sinkhole, the perfect place for a cowering commander."
Ahsoka had just finished decapitating a Vong when she heard the general speak. "We need to get over there." Both of them tried to see over the heads of the enemy, but there were so many, and the aerial battle was so vast that nothing could be determined about the sinkhole in the distance.
"That could be a problem," Jesse sighed, taking note of the obstacles that lined their path.
It was then a coralskipper swooped low to the ground as it made an attack run one the AT-TEs, and it gave Ahsoka an idea. "Not for me," she remarked before leaping toward the enemy. Her lekku narrowly passed by an amphistaff as she spiraled over the head of a Vong and landed on the shoulders of another. Once firmly planted against the warrior's body, she waited half a second longer before shooting off his shoulders. Using the Force as her instrument, she further pushed away from the ground in an effort to reach the starfighter. A moment later she was balancing on the ship's cockpit, and pierced it with her lightsabers. The pilot was impaled through the chest, but as Ahsoka threw the body overboard, she accurately discerned she had no clue how to fly such a contraption. Realizing her effort had been in vain, she frowned at her lack of knowledge about the enemy's technology. However, she soon found another option in the form of a troop carrier heading toward the very frigate she wanted to visit. She leaped from the coralskipper and threw herself upon the carrier's roof.
From there, she had a clear view of the entire battlefield. She watched clones blast their way through waves of Vong, and likewise saw hordes of Vong cutting through 501st soldiers as if they were twigs. AT-TEs continued to provide support, but coralskippers were beginning to divert their attention from the aerial battle to deal a blow against the Republic's artillery. The walkers redirected their fire, blasting several ships from the sky before the remainder reached them. One shot out the legs of an AT-TE, and several divebombed the others. By the end of the ordeal, nearly half of the walkers had been crippled, with all of the fighters destroyed. The only silver lining for Ahsoka was the wave of gunships arriving on the battlefield with their second wave of troops. Thousands more of their men poured onto the open plains, with AT-AP walkers striding out to compensate for losses to their ground vehicles. Ahsoka was so caught up in the chaos that she failed to realize her ship arriving inside the Yuuzhan Vong's frigate. She felt the shadows around her, and lowered her body to the roof of the carrier as it docked within a large hangar. It was a strange place, seemingly like the normal interior of a shape, and yet there was life all around her. The ship was alive, and though she could not wrap her mind around it, she didn't have to. It was a threat to the galaxy, and would be destroyed along with the rest of these creatures.
Once inside, Ahsoka slid off the carrier's back and landed behind a pile of vonduun crabs. Peeking out from behind cover, she could see hordes of soldiers marching to refill the troop carriers. She wondered how many of these Yuuzhan Vong there could be, but had little time to think on the matter as she felt the heat of a transport shoot over her head and out of the hangar. She needed to find their leader. Sneaking through the hangar undetected proved challenging with the vast number of Yuuzhan Vong, but because of all the supplies lying about, it wasn't impossible. She had finally reached a shaft leading out of the hangar when she felt the frigate rumble. Shouts came from the hangar, and she could only assume her fleet was trying to press their attack. She rounded a bend in the hallway, lightsabers in hand, when something came through the ceiling above to land behind her. Ahsoka whipped about with her lightsabers swiping diagonally up to cleave open the creature that had tried to surprise her. She cut cleanly through it, but to her surprise, it was not a Yuuzhan Vong. It was a reptilian, bipedal being, and Ahsoka felt the presence of many like it around her. She looked about herself to find the creatures seeping through the walls of the ship to reach her, and raised her lightsabers for battle. She moved to carve through the nearest enemy when her ears caught the sound of thunderous footsteps from behind. She tried to turn, but it was too late. An amphistaff wrapped around her neck, and a Vong warrior pulled back on it tightly. Ahsoka dropped her lightsabers in the process, and reached to her throat in an effort to free herself from the strangling serpent. She gasped for air, but her neck was too tight to breathe in. She felt her heart slow, and the world grew hazy. The snarls of the Vong grew louder as its amphistaff squeezed tighter, and Ahsoka's vision faded.
#
The world was cold, and death was personified in every object that could be seen. The woman's eyes groggily opened, and she felt herself becoming one with the Force. At least, that was what she believed was happening. Ahsoka looked down to find her body was still in one piece, but when she tried touching herself to ensure she was still among the living, she found her wrists had been tied behind her back.
"Prefect," she heard a warrior say ahead of her. There was a large viewport beyond her position made of what appeared to be microorganisms chained together to create a sealed atmosphere, and she could only guess it was the bridge she had been taken to. "The sorcerer awakens."
A tall member of the Yuuzhan Vong stood with his dagger-like fingers behind his back. A dark purple cape made of crab silk flowed down from his back, and his head appeared like that of a skeleton. The figure turned, an unrealistically wide smile on his face as his big eyes locked with Ahsoka's. "Finally, I feared she would miss the final stages of this battle."
"Who are you?" Ahsoka asked, though she found her vocal cords stung with every word she spoke. She had little voice left in her after having the life nearly squeezed from her lungs.
The Vong put a hand to his chest. "Prefect Da'Gara, overseer for the Praetorite Vong." He then looked about the chamber, as if there was something that impressed him. "I must admit, you came sooner than expected. My fleet had spent months preparing for this invasion, what with tying up loose ends and creating dark zones across the planet's southern hemisphere." Then, his sharpened fingers pointed out the viewport. "But now… look at the wondrous job we have done." His warriors picked Ahsoka up by the shoulders so she could see what laid beyond their vessel, and her eyes widened in horror.
A Venator, its decks full of fire, smashed against the battlefield as it dropped out of the sky. Its engines broke off, its nose buckling under the pressure of its own weight, and thousands were crushed beneath its mass. In the distance, a Consular-class cruiser spiraled out of control before bursting apart in midair. At the center of it all, the Vanquisher still fought on despite the damage it had sustained. Turbolasers fired on all decks, and torpedoes lashed out at the encircling enemy frigates. Still, the outnumbered Republic fleet could barely sustain the damage being done to it. Across the battlefield, 501st soldiers threw themselves upon the enemy in an effort to hold them back. The only advantage they held was their walkers, which decimated entire companies of Vong troops. But, as soon as their fleet was dealt with, the enemy would divert everything they had to the ground, and the battle would be over.
"I must admit," Da'Gara uttered as he looked out the viewport with pride, "you impressed me. You infiltrated my ship all by yourself, which is not an easy thing to do." He then turned back to Ahsoka. "Of course, you failed all the same." He took a step toward the woman, his smile growing wider. "Your troops are strong, but we are stronger." He pointed once more to the viewport. "They're deaths are your burden to bear." Da'Gara was so prideful of his achievements on that day that he failed to notice the restraints loosening on Ahsoka's wrists.
In a burst of speed, Ahsoka flipped out of her captors' grip. She spiraled over their heads before landing behind them, her hands outstretching to the lightsabers at their hips a moment later. Before the warriors could turn, she had impaled them through their chests. Breathing heavily from the strain of battle, Ahsoka snarled up at Da'Gara. "This battle's not over yet."
Da'Gara stumbled away from the woman, his smile disappearing as he ordered others to slay the one person he hadn't the courage to. Yet, even as his men took to Ahsoka with their serpents raised, he too revealed an amphistaff from his hip.
Ahsoka sidestepped a spear before severing the leg of a warrior, and ducked beneath the swing of an amphistaff to ram a saber through another's throat. Her hacking and slashing was slowed only by her fatigue, yet the Force compensated her efforts, and by the end of her rampage six Yuuzhan Vong laid dead. She looked around to find the cause of this battle, and spotted Da'Gara escaping through a hatch at the rear of the bridge. She raced after him, hoping his defeat would save the lives of those still fighting. She followed him through the hatch, but the passage was not as she thought it would be. It was slimy, and moving, like it was some breathing chamber for the creature that was the frigate. It was a vile place to crawl through, yet all Ahsoka allowed to consume her mind was the thought of catching the enemy, and she continued to crawl up the shaft until, at last, she reached its exit. Upon stepping out, she felt the wind on her skin, and saw dark clouds coming up from the south. The air was cold, and her lekku fluttered in the wind as a massive storm prepared to set in. Standing atop the frigate, she had a clear view of the entire battlefield; it was as she had left it.
"You think this changes anything?!" a voice called out to her.
Ahsoka turned to find Da'Gara standing several paces away, his back arched forward as he lowered his stance. He whipped out his amphistaff, and the serpent became rigid within his grasp.
"You won't win," Ahsoka stated, pointing a lightsaber to her adversary as a challenge.
Da'Gara's eyes narrowed, his face stern, when a faint chuckle escaped between his serrated teeth. "I don't have to," he hissed.
A raindrop collided with Ahsoka's right eye, and by the time she had wiped it away, her adversary was on her. She watched him lunge through the air before thrusting his amphistaff toward her, and sidestepped at the last moment. She swung for his chest, but Da'Gara leaned backward, allowing the blade to glide harmlessly over his body. The prefect twisted sideways, his left foot coming off the ground to nail Ahsoka in the head as he spiraled through the air. Ahsoka staggered away several paces, and by then Da'Gara had returned his feet to the ground. He sent the rear end of his staff to meet Ahsoka, who easily deflected the weapon, only for Da'Gara to come around with his serpent's fangs bared. Ahsoka batted away the amphistaff before thrusting her sabers into Da'Gara's chest. Unlike the warriors below, his armor held, and he slashed at Ahsoka with his sharpened nails. Though he caught the edge of her lekku, Ahsoka's skin remained intact. The woman pushed off the ground as she backflipped away from him, and once she returned to the ground, the pair realized they were back to square one.
"Why are you here?!" Ahsoka shouted. "What's the meaning of all this?!"
"A fine question if ever there was one," Da'Gara remarked, his eyes sharp as he paced back and forth. "Our galaxy is dead. War destroyed it long ago." He snarled as he looked back on the past. "Machines destroyed it long ago. Technology cannot be trusted, and that is why vermin like yourselves must be subjugated, or exterminated."
Ahsoka shook her head. "This galaxy isn't yours to take."
"No?" Da'Gara questioned. "Then you'd better work harder to stop us." With that, he fell into a roll, with his feet coming back to the ground just as he reached Ahsoka. Their weapons collided, with Da'Gara shoving her sabers aside before twisting in a circle, and his elbow came around to strike Ahsoka's temple. He raised the rear end of his staff to pierce her chest, but Ahsoka ducked just as the serpent's jagged tail came down. She swung again, and their weapons bounced off one another. Da'Gara brought his weapon behind him, eyes locked on Ahsoka before he came at her again. Pushing off the ground with his right foot, he twisted in the air like an acrobat before coming down on the woman.
Ahsoka fell to her knees, her back arched as her lightsabers slammed against Da'Gara's amphistaff. Their hands trembled under the weight of their own might, when Ahsoka's fingertips suddenly extended. Calling upon the Force, she shot forth all the power she could muster. The menacing stare of Da'Gara never wavered, and his position over her never changed. Horrified, Ahsoka's eyes widened at the realization nothing had happened. The Force had no effect on him.
"What's the matter, heretic?" Da'Gara mocked her, his teeth inching closer with every word he uttered. A laugh escaped him as he saw the surprise in Ahsoka's eyes. "Through our actions, we have become untethered to your Vana."
Ahsoka twisted her wrists, allowing her sabers to become free of their clash, and rose to her feet as she backed away from him. By then, the storm clouds of the south were brushing up against the outskirts of the battle, and rain pelted the roof of the frigate they stood on. Ahsoka's cheek singed as the venom within her took hold once more, and she struggled to stay upright. Her body felt hot and cold at the same time, the world around her appearing to turn upside down as sensations intermixed within her. The only thing she could do was close her eyes and focus her mind. "I… I am one with the Force." She heard footsteps race along the frigate's hull to meet her, yet she remained still. Though exhaustion and pain fatigued her body, her mind fell into a sense of bliss. Even as the sinister voices of the enemy played inside her head, she found a way to blot them out. "I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me," she whispered. The footsteps drew nearer, became faster, and still the woman remained calm. She repeated the mantra again and again, until finally she understood. The world was perspective, and hers was about to change.
Her eyes opened just as Da'Gara came within striking distance, and she brought her hands to her chest. Her lightsabers crossed, and she caught the head of the serpent between them. Twisting to the side, she knocked the amphistaff downward before spiraling around her opponent to strike Da'Gara's back. Smoke sizzled off the Vong as he tried to extinguish the flames on the backside of his armor. Ahsoka called upon the Force once more as her opponent fumbled about, and her blood began to churn. She wanted to puke as she felt her body shift, and then it was over. The venom that had seeped into her body, and which had continued to punish her with its deadly effects, shot forth from her wound just as Da'Gara was turning to face her. The venom spat into his eyes, and the Vong roared in pain. He swung his amphistaff about in an effort to keep his opponent away from him, but Ahsoka found she did not need to move. She watched him stumble toward the edge of the frigate before tipping over the edge, where he fell into the abyss of the sinkhole.
Ahsoka felt the cooling rain on her skin, and breathed a sigh of relief, when she felt the frigate shudder. Cannon fire ripped across its surface, and the woman turned to see the Vanquisher still soaring proudly in the sky. It was bearing down on the frigate with its forward cannons, and Ahsoka quickly realized she needed an escape plan. She remembered how the hangar had been filled with ships, but she also remembered she hadn't the faintest clue how to fly anything made by the Yuuzhan Vong. Instead she just stood there trying to mull over her options as the Venator's guns tore open the frigate. It was only the roaring engines of a ship that finally stirred her of her thoughts, and she looked out to find a gunship lowering itself from among the clouds to reach her. Its doors opened to reveal Jesse inside, along with the injured survivors of Scion Squad and other battered troopers.
"Come on!" Jesse shouted as he extended a hand to reach her.
Ahsoka sprinted forward, pushing away from the frigate at the last second as another barrage of cannon fire ripped open its hull. She felt Jesse's hand grab hold of her own, and she was pulled safely aboard the gunship with haste. Once inside, the ship turned back to the war-torn landscape, and Ahsoka took a breath of satisfaction when she found the enemy retreating.
Thousands of 501st soldiers surged across the Plains of Korak, blasting through Vong remnants foolish enough to stand in their way. AT-RTs ran unhindered across the battlefield, cleaning up what resistant remained while the larger walkers kept their distance in case artillery support was called on. The skies were theirs, with the last of the enemy frigates crashing to the surface. Republic fighters flew in droves, clearing out enemy coralskippers with ease. Yet, despite their success, several decks of the Vanquisher were burning. What remained of the fleet was in moderate condition, beaten and battered but victorious nonetheless. Still, as Ahsoka's gunship flew across the region, she came to understand the price of their victory. Thousands of their own laid dead, intermingled with the corpses of their enemies. Twenty-five ARC troopers had been lost, and half the legion's walkers were piles of burning metal.
Jesse shook his masked face at the sight of the battlefield. "Wasn't pretty after you left," he said to Ahsoka. "Lost a lot of good men. The Retaliator tumbled out of the sky, and the Calypso had two of its hangar bays blown out. We've got one cruiser left, and all our shields have been overloaded."
Ahsoka frowned, sorrow settling in as she realized how much had been lost in a matter of hours. "At least we saved the planet. We stopped the Praetorite Vong dead in their tracks."
Jesse solemnly nodded his head. "Considering the three to one odds, we did good." Their gunship was returning to the Vanquisher when someone abruptly hailed the general on his comlink. "This is General Jesse, what is it?"
An officer's voice answered, and he seemed distressed. "Sir, you need to get back here quick. The deep space probes have reported thousands of signatures at the edge of the system, and they are making haste toward Utapau."
Jesse was grateful to be wearing a helmet. He looked to Ahsoka, then back to his comlink. "Can you identify the signatures?"
"They're Vong, sir. Thousands of ships. Warships, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, corvettes. You name it, they have it, even some planet-sized worldships," the officer reported.
"I'll get the legion aboard immediately," Jesse replied before ending communications. He then turned to Ahsoka. "We're leaving."
"What?!" Ahsoka questioned. "After all that, we're abandoning Utapau."
"We don't have a choice!" Jesse snapped, the others in the ship backing away as they noticed the conversation take a turn for the worst. "My men are tired, our fleet has been fractured, and they're coming with thousands of warships." He then took a step closer to Ahsoka and leaned in to make sure he got his point across. "If we stay, we'll die. All of us."
From behind the bickering pair, Gage watched with concerned eyes. What had just been unleashed on the galaxy?
#
Supreme Commander Rendis Carr bowed on his knees before the powerful figure on the throne before him.
"You should have been there instead of that fool Da'Gara," a deep, emboldened voice came from the throne.
"Apologies, Warmaster," Rendis uttered, his head down out of fear for what would occur if eye contact was made. "I was engaged by the enemy and felt it prudent to escape with what assets I had."
The figure on the throne appeared to mull his words over before speaking again. "The overlord has an agenda to keep, Supreme Commander. As keeper of his agendas, failure under my authority reflects poorly on me. I know you understand."
"Of course, Warmaster," Rendis acknowledged.
It was then the figure rose. He was taller than most, close to nine feet, and but his skin was smoother. He was pale, yet his teeth were black as the void. Thorns lined his skull, and to most he appeared like Yun-Yuuzhan in the flesh. "Take your fleets and scour the region. We are at a disadvantage in this distant land; the enemy knows the galaxy better. Acquire what knowledge you can, then conquer all you see," the warmaster instructed. "I shall dig in and prepare for the overlord's arrival."
"As you wish, Warmaster," Rendis said before vacating the shadowy war room.
Warmaster Velun Daraxus was many things, but a fool was not one of them, and he was ashamed he had allowed a fool beneath his command to lead the Praetorite to destruction. He had much work to do in order to make the overlord's arrival one of ease. Arriving on the space-faring world of Zonama Sekot, star systems needed to be quelled of opposition in order to give them a staging region from which to expand. Yet, even though he was slightly unnerved by the failure of the Praetorite fleet, the thousands of warships soaring through the vacuum of space to claim their first world filled him with pleasure.
#
Even from orbit, Ahsoka could see the fires of conquest spreading across Utapau's surface. She wondered what horrifying acts of savagery were being committed against the people of Pau City, and the thoughts made her stomach uneasy. They had seen the carnage the Yuuzhan Vong were capable of, and though she longed to return for the innocents of the world, she was just one person. A mortal who, despite the wonders of the Force, could not stand against the tide of millions.
"We'll be back," Jesse's voice came from near the holotable. "The Republic will know what happened today, and its wrath will be greater than anything the Vong can conjure."