It's been weeks since the Loth-cat had a real meal. On Jakku, they are rare.
But on this day, this Loth-cat may just be in luck. She has found her favorite delicacy: Loth-rats.
Loth-cats and Loth-rats aren't indigenous to Jakku. Loth-cats have been a favorite pet of many galactic travelers. Where settlements were constructed, often Loth-cats were common companions. To feed them, travelers would also travel with a crate of Loth-rats for their pet's meals.
But as with all animals, it is difficult to restrain nature. As travelers settled planets, so would their pets. This spread the Loth-cats across the galaxy. Even on such remote planets as Jakku.
There isn't much to hide behind in the deserts here. This Loth-cat must wait paitantly from a far distance. On the top of a large sand dune, she stalks her prey beneath.
A famliy of Loth-rats search for a meal of their own in a pile of ship parts and other trash left behind by some careless galactic traveler. Hopelessly, for the Loth-rats, the traveler was careless enough to dump some food.
There was once a time when food wasn't so hard to fine here. Intelligent creatures and many less so, populated the rich forests. Bellies were full and cycles of life went on smoothly.
The Loth-cat doesn't remember these times, but Count Dooku does. He was only a small child, before he was taken by the Jedi Order to begin training.
From the ledge at the top of his high tower, he can observe the Loth-cat's hunt. He watches it as it slowly crawls towards his prey, ready to pounce.
As is he.
From his tower, he can see the battle raging on between the clone troopers and his droid army.
Dooku holds a circular device in front of him. From it, a hologram of a man draped in a black robe that obsures most of his face.
Dooku reports the latest information to the hologram. "Master, the reinforcements have arrived. I beleive Skywalker is with them."
"Good. Just as we expected, my apprentice. Release them."
"As you wish." The hologram of the mysterious man vanishes.
Dooku leaves the ledge of his tower, disappearing in the darkness of a door way.
The Loth-cat still hasn't given up on it's quest. It inches towards the unsuspecting meal. They are now in its range. The Loth-cat prepares to spring into an attack, just as the ground beneath her starts to shake.
It seems like the entire sand duke is shifting under her paws. Sand begins pouring down the duke as something emerges from beneath.
She tries desperately to catch one of the Loth-rats as they scatter. But to no avail.
Emerging out of the sand is a metal box the size of an average settlement house.
For a moment everything becomes still. The Loth-cat investigates the structure. Tubes and wire are exposed through the shoddy construction. Perhaps there could be a meal here for her instead?
The walls shudder from a roar that comes from within. She's not taking any chances. Better to live another day to hunt for a new meal than die now from whatever thing is in there. She scurries away into the desert.
One of the walls of the structure slowly lower like a drawbridge. In the darkness of night, it's nearly impossible to make out what's inside. But when it steps forward, it's disturbing appearance is impossible to ignore.
The dreaded rancor is a fearsome create on its own, without the tinkering of the Separatist Army. The claws are enough to squeeze a man into mush, but they thought they could improve the design nature made.
The rancor lower arms have been replaced with large blades enhanced with an electro-plasma energy filament running along its edge. Half of it's face is now mechanical with a glowing red eye-sensor. These features match the shoddy construction of the structure. Exposed wires run from the creature's flesh to the metallic blades
It stomps out of its containment to scan its surroundings. It's red eye scans the horizon for its target.
In the distance two figures are spotted. They are in the midst of battle, but the technology in the rancor's head enable it to focus right on to them. The Droid Army scientists took the nature of of the beast and replaced it with their programming.
Its program has only one mission: destroy all Jedis.