Aayla moves around the wookie's camp in her smaller form, and offering help and comfort wherever she can. Though most of that was dealt with in the minutes after the battle as her warriors broke the collars off those who had already been enslaved, and volunteers from her sentient members spread out amongst the injured and dying to provide healing.
As she's directing her workers on how to help reconstruct the temporary shelters, her mind is also directing her warriors and scouts below the canopy to prevent any of the native wildlife following the scent of blood and attacking the camp. She's already lost 3 warriors, and it looks like she's going to lose another 10 soon, though the chest bursters they've become have been sent back to the local hive. At the same time, she's trying to locate Ulli, who is unconscious somewhere.
As she's passing the permanent shelter, a feeling of despair and self-loathing reverberates through the force so strongly, that she actually stops to check for Dark Jedi.
Carefully, she makes her way into the shelter, being sure to keep her tail moving smoothly, and near the ground, so that the twitchy warriors don't see her as a threat, and attack. Near the back wall, where the first victims that needed additional care had been placed, she finds Mallie rocking backwards and forwards on a makeshift bed made from skins.
As Aayla kneels down, she contacts Toe Toe and commands her to bring Galen here. As the worker appears in a pillar of fire, the warriors all turn their weapons towards it, only to relax slightly as Galen is revealed.
As Aayla takes Galen from Toe Toe, the baby wakes up and begins to cry as he doesn't recognise the person holding him. After nearly a minute of crying, Mallie looks up and numbly reaches out for her son.
As she hands Galen over, Aayla says, "It's not your fault he died."
Mallie looks up with red eyes, "How would you know, you weren't there."
Aayla says, "I wasn't there when he got shot, but I got here as soon as I became aware of a problem. I saw you defending him as I moved into the rest of the village."
Mallie snarls, "Why didn't you save him then?"
Aayla grimaces, "I literally can't cry anymore. It seems to be a side effect of dying and being reborn as a chest burster. This is as twi'lek as I can get these days."
At that admission, Mallie looks down and starts to cry again as a new feeling of self-loathing floods through her, "It's my fault he's dead."
Aayla shakes her head, "Why would you think that? You did everything you possibly could to keep him alive."
Mallie shakes her head, "I didn't, I could have joined your hive at any point before now, and I could have saved him."
Aayla shakes her head, "You can't know that. Nobody can, as you can't change the past, even if you can get there. Maybe you'd have dropped your lightsaber as soon as reinforcements arrived, and got shot as you tried to cry on his wound. Maybe your new feelings caused you to miss a bolt, and be reborn, and he died trying to defend you. Maybe you became overconfident, and he died when you were at another part of the battle. Maybe you were the one that died, as they killed you again just to make sure. His death is not your fault."
Mallie shakes her head, "You're just saying that, next you'll tell me that it was the will of the force."
Aayla shakes her head, "I wasn't going to say that, no, but I know many masters would have done. Is there anything I can get you?"
Mallie looks Aayla in the eyes, "A face hugger."
Aayla has to resist the urge to have a worker bring a face hugger, and instead looks at Mallie levelly, "Mallie, you are not mentally capable of making an informed decision at the moment. If you still want it in a couple of days' time, after you've had time have something to eat and drink, and get over the immediate shock of the situation. I will gladly take you to my egg chamber and hand you a face hugger myself. For now, you should see to Galen, and ask Toe Toe to get you anything you need, except a face hugger."
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Rhrillullosh sits on the steps leading down to the practice area, the broken remains of her smart disk and bowcaster in a pile at her feet. Despondently, she stares out over the canopy of the other trees in the forest.
The warrior that is buying a helmet sits down next to her, and they sit together for a while. Abruptly, he says, "You did well."
Rhrillullosh shakes her head, "I barely did anything worthwhile, I should have had a handheld weapon, enlarged the magazine on my…"
The warrior raises his hand, "You held them off long enough for help to arrive, and you killed six of the slavers yourself. You did well."
"But not well enough, they still got me, I could have used my claws to disarm the one that did."
In gentle rebuke, the warrior says, "You are young, and you are not trained as a warrior or a hunter. Do not expect to behave like a seasoned warrior. Even if you think you know everything you should know in your head, practice and experience is the only thing that teaches our bodies what our heads already know."
Rhrillullosh huffs, "Who are you to tell me that?"
The warrior chuckles, "To think it took a lecture to get you to ask a simple question. I am Chief Hrebrurk."
Rhrillullosh turns to stare at him, and spots the bald patches where he was hit by blaster fire in the battle, "You're famous for training some of the best warriors, why are you wasting time with me?"
Hrebrurk shakes his head, "There are plenty of warriors to congratulate the younger warriors. You are not a warrior. Tell me, do you know why princesses are not allowed to become hunters?"
Rhrillullosh sighs, "Something about being too valuable."
Hrebrurk chuckles, "That's what my mate said to my daughter. It is true as far as it goes. The truth is that the forest claims the life of around half of all hunters before they reach their 50th year. In the cities, that number is smaller, but more hunters leave for space, as well as many princesses."
Rhrillullosh removes her helmet, so she can look at Hrebrurk with her own eyes, "Why don't we hear about that?"
Hrebrurk shakes his head, "Ah, to be young. You do hear about it. Last year a Terentatek moved into Iron Whisper territory. I'm sure you heard about it."
Rhrillullosh nods, "It claimed the lives of 10 hunters before they drove, it, off. Are you saying they were all young hunters?"
Hrebrurk nods, "Seeking to prove their honour." As he stands up, he adds, "Another thing for you to think about, while no princesses have ever been warriors, as you lack rrakktorr, there have been many hunters. I look forward to receiving my bio mask."
Rhrillullosh nods thoughtfully as she goes back to looking out over the canopy, her thoughts no longer about how poorly she did, instead on how she could do better.
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Ulli slowly wakes up to the familiar feeling of being stunned unconscious. That is until she feels the collar resting against her lekku. Consciousness then comes back in a rush and she gracefully pushes herself into the appropriate position to greet her master, and closes her eyes. Her physical responses to reminders of her previous slavery buried deep inside.
As her mind drifts off into that place where time and pain can't reach her, her queen arrives in her mind.
Aayla first words are, "Ulli, thank the force you're alive. Are you ok?"
Ulli smiles, "Yes master, I'm ok."
Aayla's brain stutters, "Ulli, what happened to you?"
Ulli's serene response causes Aayla to almost recoil as she says, "I had the most wonderful dream that I was free for nearly a year, and I got to live with wookies."
"That's because you were free, it wasn't a dream."
"If it was real, you wouldn't have put a collar on me. I will wait here until you feel I remember my place, and then I will dance for you and treasure the gift that was the dream."
"It wasn't a dream, if you open your eyes, I'll prove it to you."
Ulli doesn't respond to that as she remains serene in her mind.
"Ulli, please. Open your eyes."
When she doesn't respond, Ulli feels Aayla look through her past, at her training. A brief question of why her master would need to do that passes, but it is quickly expelled from her safe serenity. Then Aayla's presence withdraws for a time.
When the presence comes back, Ulli has a brief moment to wonder why her master is sad before Aayla says in English, "Remember, the only thing a xenomorph won't eat is another xenomorph."
Suddenly her serenity is ripped away from her as she feels as though something is missing. A feeling that only lasts a fraction of a second before a wave of terror overtakes her. Then she's a young girl again watching as one of the creatures from her dream is bearing down at another girl, who is replaced by one of those creatures, then another, and another, and another. Finally the creature turns to her, and she can see the saliva drip from its maw, and hear the sizzle as it pits the stone floor beneath her feet. Then it leaps at her, and she screams only for her perspective to recede from the monster that's attacking her, and she can't see anymore.
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The sound of sobbing reaches Ulli's ears as she lies on the cold metal floor, and a hand strokes her flank. Slowly, her sense of the hive comes back, and her memory of the dream.
In a panic, Ulli tries to push herself into the proper position, only for her arms and legs not to move properly. She also can't feel her lekku, with the way she's been flailing around she should have squashed one at least once.
After a few moments of blindly trying to get to her knees, her master says, "It wasn't a dream Ulli, I really did save you. I removed the chip from the back of your head. I've done what I can to help you, and we are taking over the ship now. But now the rest is up to you. I need you to accept that it wasn't a dream, and the answer to your current issues lies in the hive. All you need to do is reach out through your fear and take it. To understand that what you're feeling inside is twisted by your fears until it no longer represents reality."
Ulli tries to say something, but what comes out of her mouth bears no resembles to speech.
A few seconds later, she feels the warmth of flames, though they don't burn, and her master says, "Mallie, this is Ulli. I had to force her to change before she was ready, as she believes her life with us was a dream. As she lived with you before, please look after her and help her come back to us. I don't know what else to do."
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The emperor sits stony faced as a recorded holo plays in front of him.
On the holo a trandoshian says, "We have 50 slaves, and a bonus force sensitive twi'lek."
In the holo, his aide leans forward, "I thought we agreed on 200."
The trandoshian nods, "We did, 50 for each ship. We were the only ones that got off planet. Our source didn't say anything about two jedi living with those villages, nor whatever this girl was."
"You can take her to the inquision, if she's force sensitive, you'll get your bounty. My client is willing to pay you 20% of the agreed upon price for the wookies, minus the standard fees if any of them are too damaged to work."
"Sithspit, no! 25% or I take my cargo elsewhere."
The aide replies mildly, "You are welcome to take your cargo wherever you want. Though I would suggest handing over the twi'lek as soon as possible, to avoid misunderstandings you understand."
The trandoshian grumbles before accepting, "Fine, we'll take your 20%. We'll do the trade on Junkfort Station."
The aide nods, "Acceptable, I will ensure that there is a factor to handle the transaction."
As the holo ends, the Emperor looks at his aide, "Where are the slaves?"
The aide looks up from his kneeling position, "They never arrived your excellency."
"What of the other ships?"
"The villages were deep in the forest. Overhead surveillance suggests that the fighting attracted the attention of the forest fauna."
The emperor nods, "Very well, return to your department and enjoy your promotion. Oh, and inform your predecessor that I do not appreciate my people sending their underlings to deliver bad news."
The aide nods and leaves as fast as is politically possible.
As soon as he's alone, lighting lashes out and scorches the back of the door. He needs those workers, and he needs them soon.