The Planet of Life 3
"Sir, we've located where General Kenobi and Skywalker are." The clone spoke as he approached Master Yoda and Master Windu.
Windu turned around to face the trooper. "Thank you, Nexus. Where are they, then?"
"They are in some uncharted area, the place is filled with space storms and massive planets. Some of the moons are almost the size of Naboo, the planets being five times their size."
The Jedi there stood in shock, Yoda pondering the predicament. Hearing about a new system was no big deal, but knowing it had active storms, it would take some difficulty in rescuing the trio of Jedi. They still didn't know if the Separatists were still there waiting for another attack. There was the issue of the Separatists finding them first as well, they could already have the three in captivity.
"Send a rescue team, we will. Master Plo will seek for them, he shall." Yoda spoke as he still brooded over the matter.
"Of course, Master Yoda. I will leave with a team right away." Plo Koon said before leaving.
..In the Outskirts of the Metorlian System..
"Sir, we are ready to send down a search team to look for any signs of life on the mother planet of this system." A droid said to General Grievous.
"If you find Skywalker and Kenobi, bring them back." He told the droid. "What they did is unacceptable."
"Yes, sir! A dispatch team will be sent right away." The droid then left.
..Metorlia..
"This sure is boring," Anakin complained, kicking a rock out into the field of crops. "We have no purpose here, why can't the Republic just send a rescue team?"
"Anakin," Obi-Wan called to him from the shade of a large tree. "We have no choice, Master Windu told us they would send a rescue, but with the blockade, they can't at the moment. And if you're bored, why not help out some of the locals? Ahsoka already left to hang out with some of the kids here, you could probably do some exploring as well."
"But there's nothing to do." Anakin stated while scanning the large field filled with grains, vegetables, and fruits. Men and women worked in them, their ages ranging from a young child to an elder, all of them were working together in maintaining the order of the crops.
"They do have a training ground, why don't we go there and learn a bit more about them. Their way of attack and defense is a good area to start. We could teach them a few things, and they can teach us as well."
"Fine."
The two of them left their resting place and made their way back to the village. Once they were there, they went on a new path leading to the military base.
"I still can't shake that feeling either, Master. And it only seems to be getting stronger."
"Yes, I am beginning to sense it as well. I believe the force is here with these people, but it gives them different powers. Just like the Miraluka, they don't have eyes at all, but the force can give them sight. These people have another type of gift."
"And that's what I've been trying to tell you." Anakin said, stopping only moments later.
"Well, this is their military base." Obi-Wan spoke.
"It doesn't seem like much," Anakin said. He looked around and then returned his gaze to what was in front of him. Focusing his vision, he saw a thin and gray arrow coming right at his face. Out of instinct, he force-blocked it, causing it to fly back the way it came. A groan of irritation came from far off.
"Ha! You missed the Hvangling! That means I win!" A man's voice boomed.
Anakin looked down at the ground, seeing a bird just standing by his feet, ready to fly off. It was a metallic-looking animal with it's shiny, ash gray feathers, it's beak was a bright orange, and each wing had an arrangement of pastel feathers at the tips of them. The bird took off, a beep-like sound coming from it.
"I believe that person was hoping to hit that bird, and they shot in advance knowing that it would take off and be hit. Don't thank that the shooter was aiming at you." Obi-Wan said to Anakin, hoping he didn't get angry.
"It's fine," Anakin said with an exasperated sigh. He walked over to what seemed to be a battle arena and looked at the two people fighting.
One was a man, he was of a sturdy build. He had a thick metal blade in his left hand, about half a meter long, and a bold blue aura bleeding out of his right hand and into the air. His oppoent was a woman, she was short, but fit and muscular. She had a staff in one hand, dark green markings glowing against it, and a see-through dagger in the other, the core being hollow and having many little veins branching off of it and into other areas of the blade. It was clear that these two were using some type of magic.
"I think that's what I'm sensing, Master." Anakin said to Obi-Wan as he made his way over to where Anakin was standing.
"Yes, the power is greater around these two, and anyone else who's emitting this aura or whatever it is." Obi-Wan pinches the end of his beard as he thought, he was as curious as Anakin now.
..At the Lake..
Ahsoka sat on one of the weaved matts and watched as a few of the Metorlian teenagers goofed off by the shore. They seemed to be kind people, they asked her if she wanted to join them at the lake and even offered her some food if she got hungry. She looked over at the woods next to the lake, a dark shadow shifting in the bushes. Letting curiosity control her, Ahsoka got up and made her way over to the forest's edge to examine it.
"What in the universe was that?" She asked herself while looking through the bushes. Unknowing of the creature hiding by the roots of the flower bush, Ahsoka kept searching for what she saw. The animal looked at her intently, tilting it's furry black head to the side. It's gaze then dropped down to her foot, seeing the buckle strap a little loose. It scooted back a little before running towards her foot and pouncing on it.
"Gah!" Ahsoka yelped in surprise, backing up and falling down onto her bottom. She was stunned for a moment before realizing the small creature was now attached to her foot and gnawing on the strap of her boot.
"Hey, Ahsoka, are you alright?" A girl asked while running up to her.
"I'm fine, this little guy just scared me, that's all." She said with a smile.
The girl looked at Ahsoka's foot, seeing the animal. "Aww! That's a Rumpfrey! They are one of the cutesy animals on our planet! He seems to like you, or just likes the taste of your boot." She laughed and knelt down to pet the little guy's head. He reacted by rubbing his head against her hand.
"This Rumpfrey looks like a dog." Ahsoka stated while leaning back on her arms.
"Is that what you call your four-legged companions?" The girl asked.
"Yeah, we don't know the origin of the planet they came from though. Many believe it's the same place as where the humans came from. Back then, my race, the Togrutas, were sectioned off from the rest of the galaxy just like you guys are."
"Well, we aren't anymore." She said before getting back up to catch up with a small group of people who were going back to the village. There were still about seven other people at the lake with Ahsoka, though.
She watched as they chased each other through the mud and water. Feeling left out of the fun, she got up and walked over to them, the black fur ball following her.
"Hey, may I join you guys?" She asked as she stood by the water's edge, holding onto her left forearm loosely.
"Sure, but if you go under, then you're out of the game." A boy with shoulder-length brown hair said.
"What game is it?"
"Um, we really don't know what to call it. You mostly have to wrestle someone until one of you go under, then you go onto another person who has beaten their previous opponent and do the same to them."
"Oh, we have a game like this back on Coruscant, the entire galaxy really. We call this game Chicken, but usually, someone is sitting on someone else's shoulders and they fight someone else who's doing the same thing."
"That actually sounds more fun than our version." A girl spoke up. "Noel, we should try it!" She yelled at the brunette.
"Okay, we can try it. But I think it's best if girls are on top, since us men are stronger." Noel said while grinning.
"You're not a man, you're just a sixteen year old."
He stuck his tongue out at the girl before helping another one onto his shoulders. Ahsoka was lent a hand by another kid, he seemed to look her age. Once everyone was set, it was time to begin the game.
Ahsoka cleared her throat before speaking the next four words, "Okay! Ready, set, go!"
..Military Camp..
"How is this supposed to even work?" Anakin asked as he tried to string an arrow.
"Have you not used a bow before?" Sarah asked with a hint of frustration.
"Yes, I have, but this bow of yours seems difficult. I have no idea how to do it with all of these fancy gimmicks on it!"
"They are not gimmicks! That's the design of the bow! Each one is unique, they all have a certain design for that archer's taste."
"Well," Anakin started as he examined the bow. The wood was solid and painted an atroardesiacus blue with whimsical engravings filled in with a bright maize color, the ends had curved pieces of wood curling out far enough to make the bow look like a "W," the pieces were covered in metallic teal feathers. "This bow is a piece of junk!"
"What?!" Sarah screamed in anger. "This is my great grandfather's bow, it has been passed from hunter to hunter in my family. How dare you insult his name!"
"How can I if I don't know it?!" Anakin spat back, almost tossing the bow down in anger.
"Oh no, is everything alright?" Dannice asked Obi-Wan as they watched the two fight. They sat at a table, both looking over at the archery station, seeing Sarah and Anakin throwing insults and threats at each other.
"Anakin is fine, he usually will blow up from simple things like this. So, if you're asking if your friend, Sarah, over there is safe to be around him, it's fine." Obi-Wan stated as he continued to watch the heated argument.
"Oh, okay," he replied with a slightly wavering voice. "It's just, what happens if he were to be smacked?" Dannice asked Obi-Wan.
"Umm, I'm not sure, why must you ask?"
"Because Sarah sometimes gets a bit physical in fights, and I don't think it would be good if they did go into hand-to-hand combat. She might, do something a little brute."
"Then we should break them up quickly." Obi-Wan said as he stood up and started to run over towards Anakin and Sarah, Dannice following right behind.
"You need to learn to not be such an ass, you stinkin' Jedi!" Sarah screamed before being picked up by Dannice, trying to resist, she started to flail her legs and hit his arms that were holding her by the waist. "Argh! Dannice, let go!"
"Ha! It serves you right for not respecting me." Anakin mocked her. A sudden pull on his shoulder caused him to stumble backwards. He turned his head to see a very stern Obi-Wan.
"It's time to go, Anakin." Obi-Wan spoke as he let go of his former padawan.
Anakin turned around to face him. "What did I do? She started it!"
"No, Anakin. You did with the comment about the weapon's design." Obi-Wan said as he began to leave. Anakin followed behind, trying to tell him that he did not start it.
"Sarah," Dannice started, "If I let you go, will you promise not to chase after him for revenge?"
Sarah stopped her struggling and caught her breath before answering. "Yes, I will not chase him." She said while tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"Good," Dannice said before setting her on the ground and releasing his hold on her.
Once on the ground, Sarah stood there with her head hanging. "He's gonna pay!" She screamed before running off after him.
"Oh no you're not!" Dannice said as he caught her again. Sarah, once again, tried to free herself, but failed. "You need to control your anger, Sarah. It's not healthy for you at all."
"Oh yeah? How so?" She asked as she crossed her arms and leaned back against his chest.
"Anger causes many things to change in your body, your muscles will tighten, your hearts' rate will speed up, and unnecessary adrenaline is created which will cause both of your hearts to work even faster. It will cause damage and raise your blood pressure-"
"And then I'll have a heart attack and both of my hearts will stop working?" She asked while tilting her head back to look up at him.
"It's possible, but most likely that the heart attacks will cause damage and even cause blackouts. You just need to learn to control it."
"Fine," She said with a sigh. "By the way, you're causing my bun to fall apart."
"Then don't move your head, silly. Anyways, your hair is prettier when it's down." Dannice said with a smile before pulling on the loose ribbon in Sarah's hair.
Looking out at the valley, Sarah saw the sun disappearing from the horizon. She then looked to the opposite side where two of the moons were, one just now appearing over the forests, and the other moon already making its way into the night sky.
"It's getting late, we should head back." Sarah said before taking Dannice's arms off of her and taking her ribbon from him as well.
"Hey! I took that fair and square!" Dannice said jokingly.
"I don't think so, who's the one with the green Akbår?" She asked teasingly while pulling her hair back up and rolling it back into a bun.
Dannice made his way up to her and rested his arm on her shoulders, a light green mist started to snake its way out of his finger tips and started to move in front of them as they walked. The mist thinned itself out and started to turn into a hollow image of a heart.
"I think both of us have it," he spoke before planting a kiss on Sarah's head. "You can rest at my place tonight, can't you?" He asked her.
"I'm pretty sure my mother and sister won't mind." Sarah said as she looked up at him with a warm smile.
..In the Lower Rooms of the Castle..
"That girl has some nerve," Anakin complained as he sat against the wall. He was still pissed about what had happened earlier, and eating dinner didn't help him get it off his mind.
"Anakin, you started the whole argument by saying that bow of hers was ugly. She is not the only one to blame."
"Well, why was she taken away then? That doesn't seem proper when breaking up a fight."
"You don't know of what she does when pushed to the max, and I don't think you want to feel her wrath."
"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, lifting his head off of the clay wall and looking at Obi-Wan.
"You remember those very weak-looking women who opened our sleeping quarters for us, correct?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Yeah, they're pretty strong. Why are you bringing it up?"
"Well, if you had noticed, Miss Sarah is small like them, but she is not what you would call frail."
"What? You saw her when we came here, she was tiny. Only 1.56 meters if I remember. 26 centimeters shorter than me. That's small."
"But," Obi-Wan began, "If you saw the difference between her robes and military uniform, you can see she looks strong with her muscle mass."
"And what does this have to do with those women?" Anakin asked, not understanding the point Obi-Wan was trying to make.
"Those Metorlian women were not fit, yet they can open a door that weighs about twenty kilograms. Are you sure you want to be hit by a Metorlian women who has muscle? Think about the strength she possesses and what would have happened if she had lunged at you."
"So, you're saying I'd be a cripple if I had pushed her any further?"
"Yes."
Anakin went silent. He didn't even want to know about Metorlia's men, considering the women were already strong, the men had to have at least three times the strength of the women. Not to mention the children's power. Speaking of children, Ahsoka had not arrived to the castle yet.
Anakin quickly got up and raced out of the propped-open door and up the stairs. 'How could I have forgotten about Snips? She has to be lost or something!' He thought while racing through the corridors, stopping suddenly when he bumped into Ahsoka.
"Ahsoka, are you alright?" He asked a but worried.
"Yeah, Master, I'm just a bit sore. The kids here are pretty tough." She said while smiling about all the fun she had goofing off with them. She then rubbed her arm where a bruise was starting to form.
"Did they cause that?" Anakin asked while pointing at her arm.
"This? No, I got it when I fell. I hit a rock."
"Why would you have fallen anyways?"
"I showed them the game Chicken. They thought it was a good idea to play it." Ahsoka said before walking past him and down the corridor.
"Well, be careful when hanging out with them." Anakin warned her as he caught up to her.
"Why? Because of their strength?"
Anakin was surprised she already knew. "Wait, how did you-"
"I was hanging out with them, and we played Chicken, which I lost every single time. They are strong even if they don't look like it."
They continued to walk in silence after that. Echoes started to fill the hallway, mostly from the frantic scratching of claws against stone. The sound of someone breathing also became apparent, alerting the two Jedi of another presence. Anakin spun around and activated his lightsaber, preparing for battle. Ahsoka followed his suit, igniting both of her blades as well. The noises soon grew louder and came closer to them. Out of the shadows, a small fuzzy hound appeared, its black fur in a matted mess, and its tongue was hanging out of his mouth from exhaustion.
"What in the universe...?" Anakin asked, dumbfounded that the animal could make so much noise.
"Did you follow me all the way here, little guy?" Ahsoka asked as she deactivated her lightsabers and went to pick up the small animal. He yelped in excitement and tried to get closer to her face, only to be stopped by Ahsoka extending her arms away from her.
"Ahsoka, where did that dog come from?" Anakin asked while returning his lightsaber to his belt before walking over to her in order to see the small animal.
"I found him by the lake we were at, he's a playful little thing. He's pretty cute as well." She said as the dog struggled in her hands.
"Um, okay then. But he's your responsibility until we know what to do with him."
"That's fine with me." She said before setting the dog on the ground and walking to her room, the black fur ball following her. "Goodnight, Skyguy."
"Night, Snips." Anakin said before entering his room as well.
..In the Forest..
"Where are we?" A droid spoke as he exited the ship.
"We are on the planet and in the forest, you idiot! We have to find those Jedi!" Another droid spoke while scanning the plants and trees.
"Hey, I didn't ask you, I was just randomly asking a question!"
"Well, expect one of us to answer then, you stupid droid!"
"I am not stupid! My programming is one of the best! You should check yours!"
"I don't-" A sudden growl cut the droid off. "Need... To..." He looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. "What was that?"
"I don't know," another droid said as he backed up into the cluster of his metal brethren.
A sudden movement came from the trees, a dark figure perched on one of the branches. It's amber eyes fixed on the group of droids.
"Um, we come in peace?" One said while raising his hands in surrender.
The creature lunged at them, knocking a few droids to the ground. The other ones aimed their blasters at the creature and started to shoot at it. The animal screamed in pain, throwing one of it's arms at the droids shoot at it. It growled and chased after the few who were still intact.
One droid hid behind the wall of the ship, calling General Grievous. "Sir, there has been a slight issue."
"What is it?"
"Our search party was destroyed by an animal on the surface. We need backup."
"Fine, I'll come down myself if I need to." Grievous spoke before his holo-image disappeared.
..Up on the Separatist Ship..
"Those stupid droids! Do I have to do everything around here?!" Grievous boomed in anger. He left the hangar and walked towards the docking bay, his IG-100 MagnaGuards soon took their place beside him, ready to travel with him to the planets surface.
"Those Jedi scum are very clever at hiding apparently. They won't be for long.