Of the many ways the Paladin Unit expected this mission to go, they could chalk up "trailing behind a little green alien and his soldier escort while avoiding been shot by discount MARVINs" as one of the least likely ones. Knowing her team, someone would have bet on it, however.

Probably Harper. Prick.

Still, this was the reality of their situation. Seven pilots, harpooning themselves into the coral trees and swinging wildly over the heads of their four new acquaintances. More than once, the white-clad soldiers had gazed up at the Pilots, though whatever was their expression behind the T-shaped visors had remained unknown. The alien, however, seemed quite amused with the whole situation, considering the smile on his face. Nevermind the fact he seemed to trust them very quickly. Could it be a trap of some kind?

The rain of red bolts behind them served as a quick encouragement to keep swinging forward and don't look back.

… Well, except for shooting back. Which they did. Constantly.

"Seriously, how many of them ARE there?!" shouted Natalie in exasperation as she spun around and fired with the Devotion at the far-off horde of beige robots still somehow tailing them. Said robots were far enough that their accuracy was pathetic, but the sheer volume of bolts still made for a worrying spectacle. Their two reprieves were that the tanks had yet to continue the pursuit, deprived of drivers and still unable to cross the large corals in their path, and that their weapons worked just as well against these robots as they did against Spectres and other machines, maybe even better. The LMG rounds punched through their alloy bodies with impunity, launching skeletal limbs and twisted metal across the ground. Down below, the troopers would stop and fire off a few shots of bright blue lasers from their rifles and gatling gun, before turning around and resuming their run.

"Enough that they're pissing me off!" snarled Elyse, firing off another lance of energy from her Havoc Rifle at three lined up robots, who promptly melted on impact. "Anyone got any ideas?"

"You're not gonna like it a lot, commander!"

"Wolfe I officially don't give a shit, do it!"

With that incentive given, Wolfe fired up his Pilot Rig, boosting off to the side and ahead of the entire group approached a natural corridor formed by the coral. Launching both grapple hooks into one of the walls, the Pilot reeled himself onto them, hitting the coral wall and cracking it beneath his feet. Sparing only a moment, Wolfe holstered his Sidewinder and pulled from his chest piece several packs of C4 that he quickly and accurately began throwing towards the base of the nearby trees, where they stuck firmly with their impact-deployed adhesive. "Everybody get on the ground, things are about to get hectic!" he yelled back at them as he released the grapples and dropped down to the ground.

"Wolfe for fuck's sake—"

"Can it and do it, Gardner!"

Suddenly, a new group of robots came into view. And rather than being the lanky, beige robots that had been so numerous, these were a larger, bulkier model, painted in grey and with repeater weapons on their wrists that began raining even more laser fire than the groups before. Behind them, a few ball-like droids came rolling in, eliciting a warning cry of "droidekas!" from the white-clad soldiers. Said balls unfolded strange robots balancing in three legs, which quickly thickened the air even more with red bolts. One such bolt struck a trooper in the leg, sending the soldier to the ground with a cry of pain. His companions ran to stand between the injured trooper and the wave of metal, firing wildly with their own weapons at any enemy they could feasibly target.

Yet it was the green alien that surprised them most. The little one withdrew a small silver cylinder from inside his robe, and with a press of a button, a bright green blade lit from it. And with an agility to rival most Pilots, the alien jumped into the fray, spinning and waving his blade in practiced, masterful moves, each one sending the enemy laser shots either into the coral trees, or back at the robots.

The Paladin Unit quickly joined the fray, landing around the group to add their own firepower against the metal army. "Natalia, get us some cover!" yelled Jacob as he fired his G2A5 with deadly precision at the grey robots, striking them in their joints or weapons.

She, in response, made a boost-slide to the front of the gathered troops, flinging two metal disks between the living and the robots. And from the disks, two large orange walls sprung up, shielding the Pilots and their allies from the unrelenting fire coming from the robots. As bright plumes covered the near-indestructible A-Walls, the Pilots doubled down on their offensive, tearing through the gathered robots slowly but surely. Yet the enemy numbers kept being replenished, and their weapon fire could not break through the shields of the "droidekas" that now lined the corridor side-to-side.

"Harper, help that guy up! We're pulling back!" shouted Elyse over the roaring of gunfire as she paced back, Havoc Rifle glowing brightly from the sheer volume of bolts it shot. "Wolfe!"

And as the entire group broke into a full retreat, Harper with the injured soldier thrown over his back, Wolfe withdrew the detonator from one of his pouches, and without a moment's hesitation, pressed the trigger.

A low, discreet beep echoed, and the C4 exploded in a super-heated ball of fire, scattering and breaking apart any droid unfortunate enough to be standing close to it. A moment later, the trees they had been attached to came crashing down, burying beneath them both the escape route of the living, and the droids that remained.

With a satisfied smile hidden beneath her helmet, Elyse stared at the collapsing trees before returning her attention to the path ahead, and was greeted with the… interesting sight of the small green alien piggybacking on one of his troopers, and looking at her with that same amused look he had been this entire time. And after a long pause, Elyse finally spoke to it. Her first words to the first intelligent alien she ever encountered.

"I guess this makes us friends for now?"

And with a chuckle, the alien nodded.

"Very much agree, I do."

-O-

Not far from where the chase was taking place, two groups stood atop one of the tallest stone formations in the area. One composed of King Katuunko of Toydaria and his two royal guards. The other, of two B1 series battle droids, and a pale, lean woman clad in tight robes and with two curved cylinders hanging from the front of her waist.

Said woman's name was Asajj Ventress. Sith apprentice and assassin employed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Ventress turned to her Imagecaster communicator floating over the ground as soon as a transmission was detected, and indeed she was greeted with the image of a battle droid.

But not the one she was expecting.

"Where is 224?" she asked in annoyance at the standard model B1 that had appeared on the hologram.

"224 was destroyed, supreme leader," replied the droid with its expected monotone, and uncaring of the Sith's shock. "The other command units as well. Command has fallen to me."

"Destroyed? By whom, the Jedi?" asked Ventress in a low, venomous tone.

"Negative. We were bombarding the Jedi's position, when suddenly 224 and the other AAT units were taken out, possibly by sniper fire. We were unable to identify any other hostiles in the area."

"Then where are the Republic forces now?"

"Retreating. Our forces are chasing them down, it should not take long until they are found."

"Do not fail me then," she growled murderously at the droid, and with that the transmission ended. An amused chuckle from behind her back made the assassin whirl around in anger, glaring at the smiling Toydarian.

"It would seem fate has decided to even the odds, wouldn't you agree?" asked Katuunko in mirth. And though Ventress very much wished she could wipe the grin off his face, her… orders took precedence. Instead, all she could do was scowl and glare as the king took his own communicator and activated it, this time revealing the image of a clone trooper carefully watching his surroundings, and the unmistakable figure of Grand Master Yoda on the soldier's back. "Master Yoda. I hear you are having trouble with the droid army."

"Trouble? I know nothing of this trouble," replied the Jedi in an almost casual tone, his eyes focused solely on the king. "Look forward to our meeting soon I do, King Katuunko."

"Assuming we don't get any other surprise visits," spoke up a new voice, this one female, and with an electronic tone to it. Before Katuunko could speak any more, the communicator flew from his grasp, landing instead on Ventress' palm, who turned her scowl to the hologram.

"Who is this," almost spat the assassin, her anger barely restrained. "And what is your purpose here?" And to her growing frustration, the first reply the Sith received was a long, deliberate chuckle. The next was the image of Yoda and the clone trooper being replaced by that of a heavily armed soldier, her appearance close to what a spacer or bounty hunter would look like, a metal helmet with four diagonal lenses glaring back at the Separatist commander.

"Wouldn't you like to know that," replied the woman, before quickly cutting off the commlink. And in a slip of anger, Ventress crushed the communicator in her hand.

Yes, she was very much interested in whoever they were… So they could pay for their insolence.

-O-

"She sounded pissed."

"Mhm. Keeping your enemy unfocused, a sound strategy it is. Well-versed in it, you seem."

"Years of practice, I can guarantee."

One mad dash to escape their pursuers and several hectic minutes later, the erstwhile allies were finally given a moment of peace that let them kill the pace to a regular walk, especially Harper who was carrying another human being in his back. On the horizon, the sun had begun to set, covering the surroundings in a wave of varied shades of oranges. Ahead of the group, a deep trench cut through the land, with several natural stone platforms lined with holes on each side. Yoda led the group, walking at a sedated pace as he led the ten humans down onto the platforms and towards one of the holes.

"Are you sure we should go in there, general?" asked one of the troopers, waving his carbine at the hole. "There's no way out."

"Rest, we all require," replied the diminutive alien, his gaze lingering on the injured trooper on Harper's back. "Know of our position, our enemies do not. To our advantage, this situation we must use." The Jedi then turned towards the members of the Paladin Unit, giving each pilot a quick, analytical look, before finally turning to Elyse. "And of course, much to be shared between new friends, there is."

And so, they all filed into the cave, following the natural corridor until it ended up a large, circular room, with some large rocks lining the walls. One by one, the group sat in a circle around the cave, with one of the white-clad troopers pulling from his backpack a large cylindrical object, that with a flick of a switch lit the cave up with a soft, orange-tinted light.

As gently as he could, Harper lowered the injured trooper to the ground, careful not to put any weight on his injured leg. With a grunt, the man allowed himself to fall to the ground, leaning his back against the wall. The Pilot, meanwhile, swung his backpack around his body and onto the ground as two small metal arms unfolded from his back, rummaging through it until finally he pulled a medical field kit from inside. "Alright, let's have a look at that leg finally."

"I'm fine," muttered the trooper, running a hand down his thigh. "Just a graze wound."

Whack

And to his and his fellow troopers' surprise, Harper smacked the man's helmet, the Pilot's head still turned to his medical kit. "If I believed that every time I found someone injured, I wouldn't be a field doctor anymore," grumbled the man, finally withdrawing a canister of healing nanomachines, an auto-sealing suture and a small medical scanner from the kit. "Now get that leg armor off, before I rip it out."

"I'd listen to him if I were you," chuckled Gardner as he set his Sentinel rifle on the floor. "The last time I tried pretending I was fine, Harper tranquilized me and only woke me up when the mission ended."

The trooper stared at the Pilot for a long moment, before slowly moving to remove his thigh armor. The burnt white piece unclasped from the limb with a small hiss and a wince of pain from the soldier, but thankfully it had not fused onto the flesh with the heat. With the armor out, Harper quickly took to work on the injury, the mechanical arms of his suit handling the instruments and more delicate motor work. "So, what's the current plan?"

"Can't do a whole lot against those clankers," spoke the trooper hefting the minigun as he dug through his backpack. "Got one more power cell for each of our guns, two grenades, and one rocket for the launcher."

"We're still good on ammo for our infantry-level guns, commander, plus our grenades," said Wolfe as he made count of his colleagues' gear. "But nothing to take down heavy armor like that. Just the Sidewinder, and I only got two more boxes for that… Plus I used up all my C4 on the escape."

"Against a battalion?" asked another of the troopers in an incredulous tone, before letting out a scoff. "Forget it then, we lost."

"Don't throw the towel just yet, buddy," said Natalia as she tinkered with her Alternator. She unfolded and separated each addition individually, checking each for damage before sliding them back on. "You'd be surprised what a little trickery can do to turn a shitty situation to your favor."

Master Yoda giggled at the remark, tapping his cane on the ground. "Hmm, indeed. So certain of defeat are you, hmm? All around us is that which we need to prevail," continued the small alien as he waved the stick in his hands at the many humans surrounding him. "Your helmets, all of you. Remove them. Amongst friends we are, so our faces we will show."

For a moment, the Paladins turned to another, uncertain of how to proceed… Until finally, Elyse gave a slow but confident nod to her fellow Pilots.

And so, one by one, their helmets were removed.

There was Gardner, his surprisingly youthful face clean of any facial hair, short brown hair that rose to a small point at the forehead, and his bright grey eyes. Beside him, Wolfe shook some of his dreads free, the light of the lamp reflecting off his darkened skin and hazel eyes, while Jacob ran a gloved hand through his short brown hair, his oddly-colored red eyes shining lightly in the reduced light.

Harper was the fastest to remove his, revealing his fair complexion, blue eyes and military buzzcut hair, before quickly refocusing on closing the trooper's wound. Beside him was Natalia, with her platinum half-shaven hair, azure-colored eyes, and her prosthetic lower jaw.

And finally, Elyse removed her own helmet. And for the first time in their soon-to-be-born long alliance, Yoda saw the young woman beneath the visage of a Pilot: shoulder-length black-and-white hair, somehow still perfectly smooth. A lightly pale complexion, like that of a doll, with several circuitry lines running down the bottom of her silver-colored eyes and through her cheek, and a jagged twin scar running from her forehead down to her chin.

ADAM… Simply looked to his companions, then back to the four acquaintances. "I am a simulacrum. I cannot remove a helmet."

After a moment of contemplation, Yoda nodded gratefully to the Pilots, then turned to the troopers that accompanied him. The three looked at each other just as the Paladins had before, then calmly removed their own helmets.

And to the surprise of the Militia Pilots, all three had the exact same face. Two had the same military buzzcut, and one had their head completely shaved, but bar that, it was like the same man had been copy-pasted multiple times. "There's not much to look at here, sir," spoke the one with the injured leg from where he was sitting, wincing as Harper finished tending to his wound. "We all share the same face."

"You all triplets or something?" asked Natalia aloud, staring unashamedly at the three. Said troopers looked at the woman with a mix of surprise and confusion, while by the side Yoda let out another cheerful chuckle.

"Well, we are brothers… Or at least, consider ourselves such," replied the one with the minigun, motioning to the other two beside him. "Being clones means it's the closest we get to family."

That comment drew a surprised reaction, this time from the Pilots, who eyed the troopers with shocked expressions, not the least of which was Harper, whose eyes were almost bugging out as he stared at the soldier. "… Run that by me again. Clones? As in, you're all artificially bred?"

"We're the Republic's Clone Army, it's in the name after all," replied the last trooper, exchanging a look with his "brothers" around him. Yet when he turned back to the humans, their look of confusion remained. "… What?"

It was Gardner that replied first… Or, well, he coughed into his hand and gave the clone trooper a… strange look. "Yeah uhh, see… Here's the thing, we're… Not from around here."

"So what, you're saying you've never heard of the Grand Army?" asked the injured trooper before letting out a chuckle. "Next you'll be saying you don't know what the Republic is."

The silence that followed that statement only served to shock the clones further… And make Yoda chuckle louder. "… You're serious. Really? The Republic, the Seppies and their droids, the war… None of it means anything to all of you? Nothing?" The clone scoffed, throwing one arm out in frustration. "What, you're from another galaxy or something?"

"… Funny you'd word it that way."

Yet before any of the clones could give voice to their exasperation, Yoda tapped his cane again, his feet waving as the old master's laugh died down, and he opened his eyes to watch the humans around him once more. "Mmm, yes, yes. Curious, this situation is, no?" he spoke, waving at the Pilots. "Troubled, they seem to be by your words. Uncommon with what is common, they are, yet join the fight without hesitation they have. Curious, very curious indeed." The old Jedi slid off the rock he had been sitting and walked towards the clones, coming to a stop right in the middle of them. "And yet, much to learn you still have, hm? The same face you say have, but deceive you, your eyes can. In the Force, very different each of you are."

"Rys, always focused on the enemy are you," spoke Yoda to the first trooper, admittedly the most plain looking of the three, tapping his chest plate with his cane. "For inspiration, look to yourself, and to those beside you."

"Jek. Concerned about weapons you are," continued the alien, motioning to the open backpack of the clone wielding the minigun, before closing its flap. "Weapons do not win battles. Your mind, powerful it is. Outthink the droids, you can." Jek stared at his General for a moment, matching the old Jedi Master's gaze and seeing the trust and sincerity in the words he spoke, until finally Yoda turned to the last clone, the injured leader of the three soldiers.

"Thire, rush not into battle." And at that moment, the Pilots saw how the alien seemed to… sag, like his age had finally caught up all at once, before looking up at the trooper with a solemn look in his eyes. "Long is the war… Only by surviving it will you prevail."

These words spoken, Yoda paced back to the rock he had been seated on and resumed his previous position, resting his cane on his lap. "Clones, you may be, but the Force resides in all lifeforms… Or surrounds them, as it will," he added, casting a curious look towards Elyse and her companions, before turning his head back to his men, eyes closed pensively. "To calm your mind, delve into it, and to guide you allow it."

For a moment, there was silence, as the ten humans watched the Jedi with differing levels of awe.

A moment later, said silence was broken by the approaching sound of rumbling, some stone dust falling from the ceiling and onto the gathered group. The clones and Pilots all turned their heads up, before facing the path leading outside, where an ominous hum was echoing from.

"Gardner, ADAM," spoke Elyse as she and the other pilots (sans ADAM) and the clones redonned their helmets. Without a word, both snipers took their weapons, stood and walked to the entrance, disappearing into thin air with their Cloak kits along the way.

Judging by the way the clones perked up at the sight of that, she took note that maybe this kind of tech wasn't quite common on this galaxy. A few seconds later, both Pilots reappeared, with Gardner motioning with his head back down the tunnel. "They're here."

-O-

Ten soldiers and one Jedi peered from their hidden perches above the armored convoy that was slowly making its way through the valley. The three tanks from before, surrounded by both the beige-colored lanky robots and the heavier grey ones, all staring forward and marching in near-perfect unison. Thankfully, the machines seemed uncaring of looking up for their quarry, allowing the chased to scout out their enemy with minimal worry.

"Guess taking out the drivers only bought us time, huh," muttered Gardner, peering at the now-closed hatch of each tank through his scope. Beside him, Wolfe held his Sidewinder at the ready, though his finger was still far from the trigger. "Any hope of you taking it out?"

"You really gotta ask?" replied the pilot dryly, just as Natalia waved an Arc Star in front of him.

"Don't worry, we got options," said the woman in mirth, allowing her partner to take the weapon in his hand. Behind them, ADAM and Elyse gave the clones a few grenades of their own, pointing specifics of the explosives.

"These are Arc Grenades. They glue on impact, have a five-second delay on detonation after you let go of the lever," said the commander, pointing at each part and the clones nodded in return. "These are E-Smoke Grenades. These detonate on impact, blanket a good three meters in electrically charged smoke. Don't miss the throw, please." The clones took the grenades with eagerness, carefully balancing them in their hands before giving a nod to the pilots and joining the others watching the convoy.

Amongst all of them, Yoda watched with a calm, collected air. Finally, the Jedi began walking forward. "Greet them, I shall."

That declaration drew the attention of the others, who stared at the diminutive alien with varying emotions. "General, we can't let you fight that whole column by yourself. Let us help," said Thire, even as he winced from the still-lingering pain on his injured leg. Yet Yoda simply turned to them and smiled, waving at the present soldiers.

"At my side, all of you I have! Outnumbered, they are," he spoke cheerfully, walking right to the edge of the stone platform before casting a glance over his shoulder. "Know the time to help me, you will." And with that, the Jedi jumped down to the valley below, skipping from one rock platform to another until he reached the ground… And sat down in front of the convoy, eyes closed and cane resting on his lap. The droids and tanks jolted into a stop, with the frontmost vehicle remaining on the middle while the other two circled around to hover on each side of their lead, and the droid troops spread themselves into a semi-circle around the Jedi.

And as the machines readied their weapons and pointed them at the immobile Jedi sitting in front of them, the Pilots and clones above watched anxiously, clutching their weapons and explosives as they waited for the moment to step in…

-O-

At a far-off mountain, Ventress and Katuunko awaited the report of the Sith's droid army, or the arrival of the Jedi Master.

Each also awaited the arrival of the "unexpected assistance" that Master Yoda had received, though with… differing levels of enthusiasm.

Finally, Ventress' communicator beeped, with the woman quickly pulling it to her grasp with the Force. And with a click of a button, the hologram of a B1 droid sprung to life once more. "Supreme Leader, we have found the Jedi."

"Excellent," answered the Sith with a smile, unminding of the disapproved look that the Toydarian king was directing at her. "Where is he?"

"Immobile, currently in front of our forces."

And in a second, Ventress' calm slipped.

"SHOOT HIM! SHOOT HIM NOW!"

But it was too late.

-O-

In that one second, as the droids received their orders…

Yoda moved.

In a single, perfect move, the Jedi drew his lightsaber and leapt into the air, right as laser fire turned the space he had been sitting on into a smoking crater, and ignited the brilliant emerald blade. The droids began readjusting their aim, but yet again Yoda was already on the move when they began firing, leaping and spinning through the crowd of droids and cutting them into pieces with masterful strokes of his lightsaber, even deflecting what few bolts were aimed at him that came close to hitting their target. In a blur of speed, Yoda dashed beneath the frontmost tank, away from the aim of any droid. Once beneath, the Jedi stopped right at the middle of the vehicle and thrust his saber up, slicing a perfect circle out of the armor before pulling the armor out with a flick of his wrist.

From above, the clones watched in mild indifference as their general cut down the battalion of droids like a Krayt Dragon through a Bantha herd. The Pilots, on the other hand…

"… So, you… Think he needs anyhelp?" asked Natalia with uncertainty, watching as more destroyed droids were tossed from inside the tank, and several more parts fly off the now open canopy of the vehicle, over the gathered soldiers and off into the horizon. "Any at all?"

"You tend to get used to it," spoke up Jek, his gatling gun already set aside as he watched the carnage ensue. "Clankers never stand a chance against a Jedi."

"No excuse to just sit back and do nothing," said Elyse, one hand on the side of her helmet as she scanned her surroundings, until finally she turned to Thire. "Which way did you say your rendezvous was?"

Said clone tilted his head in curiosity, but indeed pointed to the desired direction. "Past those ridges, at the highest coral tree, why?"

"I think a certain someone deserves her answers."

-O-

Before, Ventress had been (admittedly) anxious. After the ambush had been successful, and Master Yoda seemingly driven away, the Sith felt satisfied. The plan had worked well.

And then Yoda contacted Katuunko, and this pathetic game turned into an exercise in patience as she awaited the arrival of the captured Jedi and his clones, the only thing standing in the way of an alliance with the Toydarians.

Not to mention those… Unknowns…

And now, to compound her fury, her droid forces would not answer her communications.

She could not fail now. She would not fail now.

Not against a Jedi.

The sudden chuckle of the king as he watched the far-off (and growing) smoke plumes only served to aggravate her tenuous calm. "It's a lot of smoke for a surrender, don't you think?" asked the Toydarian with an infuriatingly joking tone. And once more, Ventress raised the almost cracked communicator on her grasp up, ready to call out for a report that seemingly would never come…

Just as the Force blared on her mind in warning, giving the Sith warrior just enough time to ignite her sabers and leap into the air, just as a bolt of energy and a blur of white-and-blue torn apart her droid escorts. Ventress flipped in the air and landed back down with her guard tight and eyes sharp as she searched for her assailant, while Katuunko's guards moved to surround their liege.

And so Ventress watched as five armored figures landed at the edge of the cliff, their weapons drawn and aimed at her. The still-present sense of danger in the Force drew the assassin's gaze to the side, with the feeling growing stronger when she laid eyes on a far-off coral tree, along with the presence of one… No, two beings.

"Have to say, that hologram doesn't do you a lot of justice," said the lead figure, holding a still-humming rifle she had never seen before. "You really should find a planet with more sunlight and stay there. Would do wonders to you."

A biting remark rose up her throat, but Ventress forcefully kept it down, instead merely scowling and adjusting her grip on her lightsabers. "And it seems you finally reveal yourself to me. How gracious, to offer your life so easily to me."

"Sorry, but that's not happening." The armored figure then turned towards the king floating to the side, giving him a quick nod. "King Katuunko, I presume?"

"Correct," replied the Toydarian calmly. "And I assume you to be the group that assisted Master Yoda in his endeavor?"

"Well, let's just say when we see someone shooting down escape pods, it doesn't give us a good first impression of them," said another of the soldiers, this one hefting a long and deadly-looking shotgun. "Especially when they hunt four people with an army."

At hearing those words, Katuunko and Ventress had differing reactions: the king looked towards the Separatist assassin with anger and contempt, said assassin merely deepened her scowl, her rage at the unknowns somehow becoming even greater.

"So it would seem that there are some present that are unable to present a fair fight, after all," almost spat the king, his grip on the sword resting at his hip tightening. "What this tells me of the Separatists is… Most unpleasant."

"And who are you to interfere?" growled the Sith, as she began circling between the two parties until she was between both, and discreetly touched the command unit on her wrist against her waist. "Who do you work for? Speak, and my master will merit what mercy you are deserving of."

She had only need to delay them. The Droideka squads would make quick work of these fools were distracted, and then she would capture these interlopers.

"Work for? Miss, you insult us," spoke the other woman amidst the new arrivals. "Can't we just be good Samaritans and help in a daily firefight?"

"Or if you want to hear the truth, we just took the wrong turn and ended up on the neighborhood. There ain't no law against being lost," spoke another one, a male this time, with the same obnoxiously flippant tone the others had. "So how about we all lower these guns and stop this little Mexican stand-off we got going?"

"You presume much."

One second passed. Two.

On the third, Ventress began moving. With the Dark Side flowing through her body and empowering her entire being, she dashed forward, swinging her lightsabers in a pincer move against the two closest soldiers, the woman with the smaller gun and the man with the shotgun.

The assassin was little more than a white blur to the Toydarians and any other common being that would have been watching.

To Ventress' complete shock, the soldiers showed no sign of surprise at her speed. Instead, backpedaled by activating the boosters on their hips, firing their weapons as they went and forcing the assassin to turn her attack into a defense. She felt the sabers buckle and shake in her grasp as she blocked the oncoming projectiles, the first time it had ever happened, before leaping to the side to avoid a burst of a soldier's… Slugthrower?

Just how primitive were these fools?

Off the corner of her eye, Ventress saw another soldier readying his weapon, and quickly thrust her hand on, sending a powerful Force Push against the man, sweeping him off his feet…

That is, until he fired two hooks into the ground and reeled himself towards her, swinging a curved solid blade at her torso, with Ventress swinging her own sabers in return. Before their weapons could clash, the soldier fired his boosters and flew over the Sith's head, leaving behind two grenades that slowly arced towards her. And in a flash of blue, lightning coursed through Ventress' body, locking up her limbs and forcing the assassin to grit her teeth in pain.

It was only due to her brutal training under Dooku that the Sith managed to withstand the electric shock and remain conscious, or at least enough that another warning from the Force made her swing her sabers wildly just in time to deflect a brilliant flash of white that came from the same coral tree she had sensed danger before. Another attack from the same tree, three blue bursts of electricity, was promptly dodged, while another grenade thrown her way was pushed away with the Force. When she caught sight of yet another soldier charging towards her, Ventress took the opportunity and charged at him, both sabers pointed at his heart… Only to simply fly through the hologram, and find herself face-to-face with the barrel of the real soldier's missile launcher. The Sith was allowed only a split-second to draw back her blades and lift a barrier of Force energy to shield her body before the storm of warheads struck her, and though her body was spared the damage of the explosions, the heat and force still washed over her, pushing Ventress back just as a feeling of imminent danger blared on her mind, but from where—

Her answer came when the leader of the soldiers appeared from thin air and rammed her fist into Ventress' face, quickly following up with a knee to her gut, and finally a shot at her right shin from a particularly large pistol that burned into her limb and sent an agonizing burst of pain through her.

And as the assassin fell to one knee and her lightsabers deactivated, suddenly there were several gun barrels pointed towards her, the soldiers holding said weapons standing away from her swinging range and with fingers already ghosting the triggers. "So, any other magical tricks you'd like to try?" asked the leader, her hand cannon aimed directly at Ventress' head. "Careful though, I tend to get twitchy when I get impressed."

"You… Insolent…"

"Yeah, figured as much." The soldier then turned towards Katuunko, who was still hovering further away from where their battle had occurred. "Sorry for the mess, your majesty, things got a little out of hand."

"Well, I won't say it was not an interesting sight to behold," replied the Toydarian with a smile, before turning to the Separatist commander. "It'd seem that indeed, my decision to join the Republic was not a flawed one. Now, surrender, and you shall be treated fairly as a prisoner of the Toydarian Monarchy," he intoned far more dangerously, as his guards raised their weapons yet again towards the injured and scowling assassin.

That is, until a faint sound began echoing, and growing louder by the second.

"Commander, hostiles incoming," called out ADAM through the radio, just as several Droidekas crested to atop the coral tree and unfurled themselves into their walker modes.

"SCATTER!" shouted Elyse, and as one the Paladins did so, boosting away from one another just as blaster fire consumed the space they had previously occupied. When the Droidekas turned towards Katuunko and his guards, Wolfe, Jacob and Harper quickly hooked the ground around the Toydarians and dashed towards the three aliens, tackling them out of the way of the enemy fire, behind the A-Walls that Natalia began throwing to the ground.

And amidst the confusion, Ventress willed every ounce of her strength and every drop of the Force she could grasp before dashing towards her ship, quickly making way into the landed sloop. ADAM and Gardner fired upon the vehicle, but its triple-layer shields held against the infantry-scale easily, and soon the Separatist craft was naught but a shrinking dot in the sky.

"Dammit! Sorry, boss, she got away," called out Gardner, his remark soon followed by the crack of his Sentinel rifle as he fired upon the line of Droidekas still bombarding the hunkered down Pilots and Toydarians. Yet no matter how many shots he fired off, the shields would not drop.

"I care a lot more about us getting out of here alive right now!" shouted back the commander, letting fly several more shots of her HAVOC rifle through the A-Wall alongside the other Pilots and Toydarian guards, yet even with the enhanced firepower granted by the plasma walls, the Droidekas' shields held true. "Fucking—What does it take to stop these things?!"

That's when the blaster fire stopped, leaving the Pilots to watch agape beneath their helmets as, as calmly as he had been before, Master Yoda and his clone escort walked towards the huddled group, one of the Jedi's hand raised in the air…

And above, the Droidekas helplessly wiggled their limbs, suspended in mid-air by an unseen force.

"Master Yoda," called out Katuunko in a relieved tone. "I am very pleased to meet you at last."

"Share the feeling I do, King Katuunko," replied the small alien with a smile. And with a flick of his wrist, the Droidekas were sent flying down below and out of a sight, with a few muffled explosions marking their fate. Yoda walked the rest of the way towards the group, his expression and demeanor as cheerful as ever, while the Pilots and Toydarians left the safety of the A-Walls and moved towards the newly arrived group. "Perhaps now, begin negotiations we can."

"That will not be necessary," replied the king, drawing his scimitar from its sheath and letting its blade glimmer in the sun. "You have my faith, and my gratitude. Toydaria would be honored to hose a Republic base. My people are in your debt." Katuunko then turned to the gathered Pilots, gesturing to them with his weapon. "And of course, I hold my personal gratitude to these brave soldiers, who offered their assistance to both of us. To whom do we owe said debt?"

And for the second time in the day, Elyse removed her helmet, feeling the wind blow against her hair and skin.

The wind of a new world… A new beginning.

"Commander Elyse, of the Sentinel Fleet." She then turned to Yoda, kneeling down to his level as she withdrew a golden coin from one of her pouches. Engraved on said coin were two symbols, one on each side: the insignia of the 5th Fleet… And the insignia of the Militia. "And may I assume… Now friend, and ally?"

And with a warm smile, Yoda took the coin, flipping it calmly on his hand, before pocketing it on his robes and grasping her hand with his own.

"Mhm. Friends, indeed."

And in the skies above, with an almighty roar, a Venator-class Star Destroyer jumped into orbit, while from the other side of the horizon, a Draconis-class Dropship flew towards the meeting grounds, with a black-and-yellow Crow following close by.

On that day… History was changed.

-O-

In deep space, as her Punworcca-class sloop moved to rendezvous with the two Munificent-class frigates, Ventress growled in frustration as her medical droid removed the lodged slugs from her leg, one hand strangling the armrest of her seat to avoid crushing the machine out of anger…

The other holding a communicator, currently with the image of a very dour-looking Count Dooku.

"You were defeated."

"Yes… But not to the Jedi. An… Unknown party interfered."

"What third party?"

"… A troublesome one."

~O~

Happy New Year folks, we're starting good. :)

Apologies for the delay, but here we go. Delivered as promised still within the time-frame of "today" so none of you can lynch me.

Not much to say, took a bit more to finish this due to unforeseen events in my house, and some changes to the final act.

Next project to be updated is Discarded Blade, stay tuned… Kiddo~