Chapter 93: Padawan Lost

Without humility, courage is a dangerous game.

Recap: Turmoil in the Outer Rim! Located near a major hyperspace lane, the planet Felucia is caught in an unending battle between Republic and Separatist forces. Clone tank divisions make a valiant push deep into Separatist-controlled territory led by Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano along with Twilight Sparkle and Storm. General Grievous, learning of the impending Jedi attack, has dispatched reinforcements to one of his droid outposts, hoping to secure his grip on the system.

On the planet Felucia, a battle was happening. The Separatists and the Republic were engaged in a fierce fight. It was now nighttime on the planet; the droids and their forces were in a fortress they had set up. A massive ship carrying reinforcements was shown landing inside the base.

Unbeknownst to the droids, they were being watched. Spying on them from a nearby hill where the Jedi and their forces.

"Droid reinforcements have just arrived," said Master Plo as he saw the enemy arrive through his binoculars before addressing the others. "We shall break into three groups to divide their defenses. I'll take the left flank. Skywalker and Storm attack the front gate; Ahsoka and Twilight, you two scale the back wall. We'll meet in the middle."

The four Jedi nodded as they broke up into their squads.

"Okay, scouts, find us a way down there, quiet-like," said Anakin to some Felucian farmers.

"Going through the front gate won't be easy," said Ahsoka.

"You have it tougher going over that wall," taunted Anakin.

"You taught me well. I can handle anything," said the Padawan with a smile.

"Don't get cocky," said Anakin as she left.

"Ready?" said Storm to Twilight.

"Ready," nodded the princess.

The pair raised their hands to high-five as they pulled back to show their pinkies still locked. The girl did something extra as she leaped at the boy and hugged him.

"Sparky, no hugging!" shouted Storm as he struggled to break free from the girl.

The boy managed to remove the girl from his grip. While he left to meet up with Anakin and the rest of the squad, Twilight just looked at him as she let out a blissful sigh. The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out the ribbon that Luna had Storm for his birthday that he'd given her.

"Twilight, you coming?!" shouted Ahsoka.

"Yeah!" responded the princess as she put the ribbon away and left to meet up with her friend.

The groups were now divided. The girls were shown sneaking and crouching about the forest near the back end of the fortress. They and the clones kept a sharp eye out for enemy scouts that might be watching the back. As the girls were taking some steps, their Jedi senses went off.

"Hold up, I sense something out there," said Ahsoka as she put her hand up and got the clones to stop.

Nobody moved as the girls looked around.

"A droid?" asked the clone commander to the girls.

"I don't think so," said Twilight as she and Ahsoka kept looking around. They looked but saw nothing but the plants. "Probably just an animal."

"Come on, we got to get to that wall," said Ahsoka as the pair continued their mission.

"Stay alert, men. Let's move," said the clone commander to the rest as they followed the girls.

Master Plo and his squad were shown as they were near the left side of the fortress. He put his hand up to stop the men as he peeked out to see the guards walking along the walls.

"Skywalker, Storm, are you in position?" asked the Jedi Master.

"Ready and waiting, Master Plo," said Anakin through his comlink as they were near the front gates.

"Ahsoka, Twilight?"

"We're in position," replied the Padawan as the girls had just reached the wall.

"We are detecting several Republic tanks moving in on the ridge in front of us," said one of the droids inside the base to the tactical droid in charge.

"Artillery, open fire," said Master Plo as he saw the guards starting to move.

The tanks heard the Jedi Master's orders as they aimed their guns upward and fired. The shots traveled forward and arched as they came crashing down inside the base.

"Form up for counterattack. Lower the gate." instructed the tactical droid.

"Forward, forward, attack!" shouted one of the droids to the others as they all marched toward the gate.

The gate was lowered as spider droids began to lead the march. They were heading in the direction of the attack as Storm and Anakin were shown. The droids were about to pass them as they and the clones got ready.

"Steady, steady, wait for my move," said Anakin.

"Copy that," responded Rex, who was on the other side of the trail.

The spider droids got closer as Anakin and Storm turned their lightsabers and popped out. They sliced the droids in front of them before jumping on them and taking out the others behind them. The clones popped out as they began to join in on the fight. Master Plo looked to the sky and saw an explosion as he could tell the Jedi Knights had already engaged the enemy.

"Follow me," said Master Plo as he pulled out his lightsaber and leaped high into the air. The clones merely looked at him before their jetpacks activated and lifted into the air.

The girls began to make their move. Two clones stepped forward and took out the droids watching as they fell.

"Comet, Sinker, Boost, get up there!" shouted Ahsoka as she approached the wall and gave the order.

The clones heard the girl's orders as they fired their blasters and shot their ascension cables. It attached to the wall as they began to climb up. All the while, Ahsoka had turned on both her lightsabers as she kept looking at the forest. Watching the girl was a set of eyes as it belonged to someone. The clones reached the wall as they hopped over.

"We're all clear, Commander. Come on up," said Comet to Ahsoka as Twilight started to climb the wall.

"I'll be right there," said Ahsoka.

The clone left as the Padawan was still looking out into the forest. She was looking as if someone was hiding in front of her.

"Hurry up, Ahsoka!" said Twilight as she reached the top of the wall and shouted to her friend.

The Padawan turned and looked to climb. From that moment, the figure made his move. He emerged from his hiding spot and aimed his weapon as he fired a stun net. Ahsoka turned back at the last second as she was caught in it and fell to the floor.

"Ahsoka!" shouted Twilight as she saw what had happened.

The girl jumped down to check on her friend when another net was fired, which affected the princess. She struggled against it as if trying to keep her senses alive before she succumbed to it and closed her eyes.

"I can't believe my luck, a Jedi youngling. And a Jedi Knight," chuckled the figure as it was a Trandoshan male hunter. He grabbed both girls' arms and began to drag them away.

Inside the base, the fight still went on. Storm and Anakin's forces managed to break through the front forces as they charged through the gates. At that moment, Master Plo and his forces appeared from the left side as they began to take out the section before them. The clones with the girls surprised the enemy as they appeared behind them, as all three forces began to meet in the middle. They took out the droids and their commander as they managed to succeed in their mission.

"The outpost is secure. Good job, Corporal," said Storm to the clone.

"Where's Commander Tano?" asked Anakin as he didn't see Ahsoka when they all converged.

"She was covering our flank when we scaled the wall," replied the Corporal.

"And where is Twilight?!" Storm asked as he was worried about the girl.

"We assume she was behind us," replied the clone.

"Everybody fan out. I want a perimeter sweep now!" shouted Anakin as the clones began to go in search of the girls.

"Ahsoka, state your location. Ahsoka, come in. Are you there? Can you hear me? Ahsoka, come in. Where could she be? Ahsoka, can you hear me? Ahsoka!"

Anakin was using his comlink to try and contact his student. It showed Ahsoka as the Padawan was stirring after getting stunned. She opened and gained her vision as she realized where she was. She also saw Twilight lying next to her; she looked up and found them to be in a cage. She put her hands to the bars above as standing above them was the Trandoshan hunter who captured them as he held their comlinks.

"You won't be needing these," taunted the hunter as he crushed the girls' comlinks and walked away while cackling.

At that moment, Twilight began to stir as Ahsoka noticed it. The princess blinked several times as she gained her vision and saw that she was locked with Ahsoka.

"What happened? Where are we?" said Twilight.

"I'm not sure," said Ahsoka as she saw another cage across from them, as there was someone inside it. "Hey, what is this place? Who are these pirates?"

"These are Trandoshans. They're gonna release us and hunt us down for sport," said the prisoner to the girls.

"Hunt us down?" shouted Twilight as she was terrified to hear that.

The Trandoshan pirate that captured the girls entered a room as there were his other comrades.

"We have found new prey for the hunt. The youngling and Jedi Knight will provide great sport," said the pirate to his leader named Garnac.

"Perhaps your first Jedi kills. Are you ready, Young Dar?" said Garnac as he looked at his son and decided to give the girls to him.

"They'll die by my claw!" assured Dar to his father as he looked to prove his mettle.

The ship they were on began to rise. It lifted from the forest that hid their ship as they took off and began to leave the planet.

"Your son will outplay all comers," said the Trandoshan to his leader as they entered hyperspace and disappeared.

It wasn't long before the ship exited hyperspace. They had arrived at their destination, which was a Trandoshan moon named Wasskah.

"We'll take this new batch to Island Four," said Garnac to his son and men.

Their ship entered the atmosphere as they descended. When they arrived at the island, the cages began to rock as they opened below the prisoners. They all fell as they landed on the ground below as the ship was facing them.

"Time to see who's smart enough to join the hunt. Open fire!" said Garnac.

The pirate operating the guns did just that. The ship's guns began to shoot at the prisoners as it mowed down some of them, spreading out the others. The girls quickly reacted as they dove behind some trees. The ship's spotlight tracked someone running before he was shot down. It then turned its attention to the girls hiding as they took off.

They managed to avoid the gunfire as they hid behind more dense shrubbery. They peeked out as the ship turned around as began to leave. The girls took a deep breath as their hearts raced; they soon turned as they ventured deeper into the forest.

The girls were later shown as Ahsoka was resting with Twilight keeping watch. At that moment, both girls sensed something as the Padawan stood up. They looked as they gazed out to the forest before them. Just then, figures landed behind them as the girls turned.

"You need to come with us," said one of the individuals as they began to slowly sneak away.

"Who are you?" asked Ahsoka to the individuals.

"We used to be Jedi younglings," said the person to both girls.

That got both of them to raise an eyebrow. They soon began to leave as the girls followed them. The mysterious figures led the girls to a secret place; it showed the night sky with figures hopping and climbing along a giant tree vine. The girls arrived at the place as they entered.

"We never stood a chance. They attacked us on a training mission," said one of the individuals to the girls.

"We were captured and brought here," said the teen that first spoke with the girls.

"Why would they take younglings?" asked Ahsoka.

"Because Jedi Knights are too powerful for them."

"Well, I'm a Jedi Knight," said Twilight, as technically, the pirates should be scared of her, given she was the most powerful among them.

"Well, seems they got lucky. Or you're too stupid to have fallen for their trap," said the teen, which got Twilight to scowl at them for questioning her intelligence. "I'm Kalifa. This is O-Mer and Jinx. Who are you?"

"Ahsoka Tano."

"Twilight Sparkle. And for the record, I'm not dumb. And yes, I've earned my rank as Jedi Knight all on my own!" said Twilight as she wanted to ensure that the teens knew who was standing before them so as not to mess with her.

"We were captured during the Battle of Felucia. I'm a Padawan learner," said Ahsoka to the teens as she was the easier one of the pair they caught. "What's the situation here?"

"You'd better sit down," said Kalifa as she gestured for the girls to sit by a small fire with the others. "We were taken by those foul lizards for their amusement. To be hunted, killed, and mounted on their wall as trophies."

"We've been stuck here for more rotations than we can count. No one has come for us. I doubt anyone is still looking." said O-mer to the pair.

"Chew on that, Padawan, Knight. Then rest. You'll need your strength." said Jinx as he was lying above the girl against tree bark and looked up while sighing.

As they looked ahead, the girls heard his words and began to lull over what was said.

Meanwhile, on Felucia, Anakin and Storm were still looking for their respective partners. The former was standing on top of the base they captured as he had his eyes closed. They had been trying to find the girls all night but with no luck.

"General, we've been over the same area a dozen times. There's no sign of Commander Tano or Commander Twilight," said Rex as he approached his General, who opened his eyes.

"Not good enough, Rex, try again!" stated Anakin, as he wasn't going to rest until the girls were found.

Rex nodded as he left to go search again. Master Plo was shown approaching from behind Anakin.

"We have alerted our forces throughout the Outer Rim and intelligence assets inside the Confederacy. If they're spotted, we shall know about it," stated Master Plo.

"Good," stated Anakin.

"Skywalker... our mission here is finished. We must return to Coruscant," stated the Jedi Master.

"I am not abandoning her!" shouted Anakin.

"Your emotions are clouding your judgment," stated Master Plo as he warned the Jedi Knight about letting his feelings and emotions do the talking rather than his brain.

"I will not leave her fate up to others," said Anakin.

"It's time to go," said Master Plo with a firm, soft-spoken voice.

The Jedi Master was heading to the gunship as Anakin took in words said by Master Plo. He soon sighed as he turned on his comlink and communicated with Rex.

"Call everybody in, Rex. We're leaving," said Anakin as he made the tough decision to abandon the search.

Anakin turned and began to walk toward the gunship as he kept his head down. Master Plo began to contact using his comlink. Since Storm had taken off on his own to search for Twilight, the Jedi Master relayed the same message to the boy. And like Anakin, he let his feelings and attachment to Twilight get the better as he refused to listen. So much so that he stormed off in the dead of night which didn't go unnoticed by the Jedi Master. While Master Plo couldn't convince the teen to give it up, he knew there was one person who could talk some sense into Storm.

The boy was trekking through the forest as he swatted away some bushes. Since hearing that Twilight didn't make it, he was more determined to find her. The teen needed to make sure the princess was found, not just for the sake of everyone he promised that he'd look out for her, but for himself. He needed to find Twilight, as he refused to not have her be a part of his life. Not after all they've been through since they first met.

Storm's comlink went off as the boy heard it.

"Master Plo, I am not in the mood to listen. I will not rest until I find Twilight!" stated the boy.

"STORM!" shouted the voice on the other line.

At that moment, the teen stopped in his tracks. He looked down at his comlink and saw that the Jedi Master he thought was trying to contact him wasn't who he thought it was. But rather a different Jedi Master, one who was not only his teacher but his mother. As it turned out, Master Plo contacted Luna directly to inform her how Storm was behaving. He told her everything, as Luna was not happy to hear that. Her voice was one of an angry mother, one that would be used when their child either misbehaved or did something they weren't supposed to do.

"Storm! I am ordering you to return to the ship and leave!" shouted Luna. "Do you understand?!"

"Luna, I can't..."

"NOW!" echoed Luna's voice throughout the forest. "I will not repeat myself again, mister!"

Storm heard the tone of Luna's voice as it showed him putting his arms down. The boy had his head down as he knew not to test his master's patience.

"Crystal," responded Storm as the transmission ended.

He turned around; he was soon spotted by the gunship with Master Plo and Anakin onboard as he got on. Once they arrived at Courscant, Luna was shown waiting as she was not in a happy mood. Storm got off as he approached the Jedi Master. Luna immediately grabbed his shoulder, and she made him look at her.

"That's the last time I have to tell you to not disobey my fellow Jedi Master brethren or me. Am I understood?" asked Luna with a demanding tone. Storm merely looked away for a sec before Luna grabbed his face to make sure he looked her dead in the eyes. "AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"

Storm didn't say anything but simply nodded his head before putting it down.

"Good. Now move!" said Luna.

She stepped to the side as Storm kept his head down and walked. As he was passing her, Luna raised her hand to smack the boy on the back of his head to give him a reminder to not disobey his mother. Storm rubbed the back of his head as he kept on walking.

"Teenagers," mumbled Luna as she followed behind her student.

It was now morning as Twilight was shown. She was awake as Ahsoka was fast asleep. The princess had tried to get some rest, but her mind kept wandering. All night, she sat silently as she'd been looking at the ribbon Storm gave her. The girl held the item as the image of the boy flashed in her head. Twilight pulled it close to her heart as she closed her eyes.

At that moment, Kalifa appeared as she crouched before the Padawan.

"Ahsoka, it's time to go."

"What's happened?" asked the girl as she woke up.

"The sun's almost up, which means we clear out," said Kalifa as the girls got up and began to walk with her.

"Where do you go?" asked Ahsoka.

"We keep moving and keep those disgusting hunters from picking up our scent," replied Kalifa.

"That's your plan?" stated Twilight.

"If you really are a Jedi Knight, you would know there's wisdom in experience. We've been here longer. You will learn if you listen and only... if you listen." said Kalifa to both girls as she and her friends were already jumping from tree to tree.

The pair soon followed them. With the hunters, their ship was shown high in the air as they prepared for what was about to happen. Inside a room, there was a throne chair all around, were Trandoshans as they were awaiting the signal from their leader Garnac.

"The sun has risen. Let the hunt begin!" declared Garnac as his men all rose and excitedly rallied.

They each grabbed their weapons from a table as the doors opened. They exited the room and went to the level below as three transports were waiting for them. They split up and got on the transports as they began to soar down to the ground level.

The group of teens was crawling along the treetops.

"Get down," said Kalifa to everyone as they stopped. "Someone's coming."

They all peeked over the edge and saw some people walking along the ground. The folks were part of the group that arrived with the girls and survived the initial gunfire the previous day.

"Those two came in with us. We should help them," said Ahsoka as she was about to drop when Kalifa stopped her.

"No, it's too late," said Kalifa, which got both girls to look at her with confused expressions.

They soon got their answers as down below, the two were walking. The one in the front was suddenly shot in the side as he fell. The person behind him heard the shots and began to take off as the hunters managed to locate the pair.

"Look at her run. It's your shot. Take her out." said the driver of the transport.

His comrade pulled out his sniper rifle and looked through his scope. The person was still moving about the trees as she tried to escape. The hunter pulled the trigger, and the shot flew forward and pierced through the woman as she fell to the ground. It took the teenagers aback as Kalifa gestured for them to follow her.

They silently moved away as they got to another part of the forest.

"We could've stopped them," said Ahsoka as they took a seat on some vines with the girls standing before them.

"No, Ahsoka, we are not saviors here. Here, we are survivors. If they had spotted us, we'd be dead now." said Kalifa.

"We'll never get out of here if we just keep hiding. We have to act," stated the Padawan.

"There were other Padawans here that once thought as you do now," said Jinx.

"All right, where are they?" asked Ahsoka.

"They're dead!" shouted Kalifa as she stood up and got in the face of the pair. Her voice itself displayed how angry and afraid she was.

"Just because they failed doesn't mean we will," stated Twilight as she showed her determination for the younglings to see.

"You don't understand. It's not that we don't want to fight. We're younglings. They have every advantage, " said O-mer as defeat sounded in his voice.

The pair looked at the group before them as they shook their heads. They soon turned to leave.

"Get back here," stated Kalifa.

"We can't do that. My Master would never forgive me for running and hiding in a situation like this," said Ahsoka.

"Do not overestimate your abilities," warned Kalifa.

"I'm not," replied the Padawan.

"Ahsoka, don't..."

The girls were already leaving as they left the group. They were willing to fight back against the hunters trying to track them.

Twilight landed as the girl was walking about a trail. She was watching her surroundings as she was on guard for anything suspicious. The princess came to a small clear of leaves as they were all on top. Sensing a trap, she waved her hand to use the Force to blow the leaves away to reveal nothing under it. At that moment, a blaster shot was fired.

Twilight immediately as she twirled with the blaster soaring just inches above her head as she bent all the way back. She recovered as she landed on her hands to make a back stand to get to her feet. A wave of blaster shots flew through the air as Twilight dodged them effortlessly, all as her hair waved about.

The girl stuck her hand out as some nearby bushes began to shake. Suddenly, they were pulled forward, and out emerged some Trandoshan hunters. They fell to the floor as Twilight stood in front of them with the pirates scrambling to grab their weapons. They opened fire on the princess as she put her hand up and a Force barrier appeared to shield the girl from getting pelted. The blaster shots disintegrated upon impact as mad contact. Twilight waved her other hand as the weapons flew from their hands and were destroyed in seconds.

At that moment, the Trandoshans realized who the girl was. The barrier came down as Twilight took a few steps forward, which caused the hunters to back up in fear.

"I'm no Padawan. I'm a Jedi Knight," smiled Twilight sinister as she raised her hands to show them glowing. The princess thrust them out as magic particles headed toward the hunters before a huge explosion of magic was shown that echoed throughout the forest.

Ahsoka landed on the ground below as she looked around. Seeing no sign of danger, she began to walk forward cautiously.

"Here, lizard, lizard. Come and find me," said Ahsoka.

The girl walked as an engine whirring was heard in the distance. At that moment, the girl turned to her side to see a Trandoshan hunter aimed at her. She quickly waved her hand to move it away as he fired. Ahsoka lifted her hand as she had the hunter in her grip and tossed him over her. He collided with a rock before quickly getting up and slashing at the girl who ducked his swipes.

Ahsoka managed to duck and get behind the hunter as she jumped on his back and began to apply a chokehold. The pirate managed to grab her as he tossed her off his back. Ahsoka tumbled through the ground as she was covered in dirt. The Trandoshan grabbed his weapon as he approached Ahsoka, as the Padawan saw him. He was about to fire when he was suddenly lifted into the air as he was being choked out. Behind him was Kalifa and the others as the girl had her hand out. She was shown with anger as she looked to choke out the hunter.

"Kalifa! Don't kill him out of hatred. It's not the Jedi way." said Ahsoka.

The Padawan approached the teen as she put her hands over hers. It resonated with Kalifa as she loosely her grip and anger as the Trandoshan fell to the floor. Ahsoka grabbed Kalifa's shoulders to look at her directly as she smiled to show support. They turned as the Trandoshan began to howl; he was signaling his comrades as they were in a hover pad when they heard the sound.

O-Mer and Jinx thrust their arms out as they used the Force to make the Trandoshan collide with a tree, as he fell unconscious.

"The others will be coming," said Kalifa.

The group all turned to run as Ahsoka quickly grabbed the hunter's weapon to take with them. Soon Ahsoka led the teens to where Twilight was as the princess managed to find a temporary hideout they could use. They were all gathered around the fire as the girls tried to understand the weapon as it didn't seem to function.

"I don't understand why won't this thing work?" said Ahsoka as she held the weapon.

"The Trandoshans deactivate the blasters if we take them. That is why none of us have any," said Jinx as he sat on a branch above the group.

Ahsoka merely grunted as she tossed the weapon away.

"It's been a long time since the Trandoshans captured another Padawan and brought them here. Not to mention a Jedi Knight," said Kalifa.

"Thanks," scoffed Ahsoka.

"I didn't mean it as an insult. I meant it as a sign, a mistake on their part. Especially with Twilight. Ahsoka, your energy, your strength, it's what we've been lacking. We were beginning to lose hope and forgot who we are." said Kalifa to both girls as they seemed to have given back something that the group had been missing for so long.

"And who are you?" asked Ahsoka.

"We are Jedi," said Kalifa as all three looked at the pair.

They smiled at hearing the teens had found their inner strength.

"All right, we need a strategy," said Twilight as they stood up.

"So, what do you suggest?" asked Jinx.

"What about a base? I mean, they must have a compound or something, right?" stated Ahsoka.

"Not that we've ever seen," responded Kalifa.

"So where do they come from?" stated Twilight.

"We don't know. We've only witnessed them hunting and in their hover pods," replied Kalifa.

"If we are gonna go on the offensive, we'll need to find out where they live. We'll start covering ground tomorrow," instructed Twilight.

With their plan set, the teens began to get some sleep. Twilight was shown looking out of the tree hole as she saw the moon. One thing was for certain, while she may be miles away from the people she loved, there was one thing that remained the same. And that was the sky, that despite being many worlds, they shared the same sky.

The princess opened her hand, and there was the blue ribbon. She sat down and pulled it close to her chest as she closed her eyes.

"Storm," spoke Twilight as she imagined the boy beside her, holding her to comfort her as she fell asleep.

While the girls and their friends were getting some rest, their enemies were shown inside their air fortress. The group of Trandoshan was chanting Garnac's son Dar as they were initiating him to their group. Sounds and cheers were heard as the young Trandoshan was getting into the hype as he bumped foreheads with others and did chest bumps. All the while, his father was seated when his son approached him. He stood up and put his claw on Dar's forehead as he howled toward the sky, with everyone else doing the same. All around, trophies of the many prisoners they hunted down were shown as their skins were hung about.

At that moment, Ahsoka awoke as she sensed it. She looked around as everyone else was fast asleep. Eventually, she laid back down and closed her eyes. Morning came, and the group was walking along the jungle. They'd searched the island for any compound the hunters might use but found nothing.

"We have already covered the beach area and most of the briar on this side of the bay," stated Jinx as the teens took a seat in front of the girls.

"If it was easy to find, you guys would have found it before we got here," scoffed Twilight.

"True enough," scoffed Jinx in response with a smile.

"Maybe we should try more inland?" suggested Ahsoka.

"It's worth a shot," said Kalifa.

"Guys, I think we're looking in the wrong place. That's their fortress," said O-mer as he was looking to the sky when he said that. He rose and pointed as everyone saw the aircraft emerging from the clouds.

The Trandoshans were shown getting on their hover pads as they descended to the island to continue their hunting game.

"Split up!" shouted Kalifa.

The girls went in one direction as the boys went the other way. A Trandoshan began to fire as he was aiming at the girls. Soon the two hover pods split up as they headed toward their respective targets. The boys were running through the forest when the hover pad appeared in front of them. The gattling gun on the front began to fire as it let loose a barrage of blaster shots. They all dove to each side as the hunters try to shoot at them. The boys were using their Jedi acrobatics as they flipped over some logs and ran up some trees to avoid the gunfire.

"O-Mer, this way!" shouted Jinx as he signaled for his friend at an escape.

The boy began to run toward his friend; the gunfire was still behind them as they ran. The girls were shown jumping and leaping from tree to tree as they avoided the blaster shots. The one leading the hunting squad for them was Dar, who wanted to prove to his father that he had what it took to be a part of the pack. Ahsoka and Twilight were up ahead as their experience was coming in clutch.

The hunters fired a shot as they shot a branch that Kalifa was about to jump on. Once the girl landed on it, she felt the branch's weight.

"Kalifa!" shouted Ahsoka.

The branch broke as the girl fell. She was falling through the air and tumbled along the ground as she came to a stop.

"Finish her, my son. The kill is yours," said Garnac.

"I will kill her with my own hands," stated Dar as he got out of the hover pod and began to make his way toward the girl.

Kalifa was shown crawling behind in fear as she clutched her side. She slipped past a small creak as he was back up against a rock. Soon the Trandoshan appeared as he slipped through the tree branches. Kalifa then thrust her hand out as she pushed Dar into the tree branches to give her some time as she scrambled up the rock.

"Come here, you Jedi whelp," said Dar as he jumped to reach Kalifa, who moved out of the way. She then kicked his arm as she began to run with the Trandoshan having climbed up.

Kalifa was shown walking along a branch as she still clutched her side. The Trandoshan was still on her tail as Ahsoka followed them.

"Not so impressive, are you? And yet you have the honor of being my first Jedi kill. First of many, I hope." said Dar as he managed to corner Kalifa and aimed his sniper at the girl.

He was about to fire when Ahsoka was shown above hugging a tree. She then jumped down and kicked Dar back. He quickly sat up and fired as Ahsoka jumped. She landed in front of Kalifa as the Trandoshan got up. The Padawan waved her arm to make his blaster move and miss his shot. Dar then went for a swing with his weapon as Ahsoka ducked and then jumped to kick him in the face.

The hunter then swept the girl as he jumped on top of her with his big hands covering her face. Ahsoka put a hand up to grab his face and then got her legs under him so she could flip him over her. Ahsoka then looked to get away as Dar sat up and grabbed ahold of her leg as she fell. He then began pulling as Ahsoka tried to get her leg free. Eventually, Ahsoka got her leg free from his claw as she got up, with Dar standing up.

They were now standing on the edge of the tree as they moved in a clockwise circle. Dar lunged at Ahsoka, who jumped over him. She quickly jumped on his back and began to punch at him. The Trandoshan managed to grab her and tossed her in front of her. Dar then leaped at the Padawan as they tumbled off the edge. However, Ahsoka was able to get her legs up in time as when Dar leaped at her, she used his momentum to throw him off as she held on when she rolled off the edge.

The Trandoshan fell as he landed on a spike that impaled him. Ahsoka looked down as she saw him dead. She climbed up and began to make her way to Kalifa, who was with Twilight, as the princess pulled out a healing stim to inject the girl into her side. Kalifa was still clutching her arm as it was still hurt.

"Careful," said Kalifa as Ahsoka and Twilight lifted her and put her arms around their shoulders. "It's okay. I can make it."

The girl removed her arms from the pair to show she could walk. At that moment, a blaster shot was fired. It pierced through Kalifa leaving a small hole in her chest.

"Kalifa!" shouted Ashoka.

The shot came from Garnac as he took the shot and hit the girl.

"Those Jedi whelps killed my son. Young Dar!" shouted Garnac as he was angry at seeing his son die and wanted revenge on the Jedi.

The Trandoshan leader began to fire into the forest as the girls pulled Kalifa to rest up against a tree. All around, shots were flying by as they looked at their comrade.

"There's no escape! I'll hunt you down!" shouted Garnac as his voice echoed. The girls looked out from the tree as a blaster shot zoomed, to which they quickly pulled their heads back to avoid being shot.

"Move us in closer!" demanded Garnac to the pilot.

"We can't. The brush is too thick," said the pilot to his leader.

"Kalifa, we have to move. Hurry!" said Ahsoka as shots continued to fly by them.

"Please... Ahsoka, leave me," said Kalifa as she breathed heavily.

"I won't."

"You have to. Ahsoka, Twilight, please take... care..." said Kalifa as she clutched their hands as she was taking even more deep breaths.

"We'll take care of the others," said Twilight as she assured their friend.

"I know you will," spoke Kalifa with a smile. The girl took one last gasp as it was her final one. She then closed her eyes as she leaned back against the tree.

The girls looked at their friend as they put their heads down to give a moment of remembrance.

"I'll kill you! You killed my son! I'll kill you! You can't hide from me!" screamed Garnac as he continued to fire into the bush.

Both girls merely looked toward the Trandoshan as they got up. They all turned to leave as Ahsoka ran deeper into the forest. Twilight took a moment to look at Kalifa for one final time; she then looked at the Trandoshan hunters as she waved her hands. Magic began to act as the bush responded to her power, and it closed up, allowing the girls to escape.

On Coruscant, Anakin was busy trying to find where Ahsoka might be. Since returning, he'd been working nonstop in the communications room to see if he could find a trace. Master Plo was shown entering the room as he could see how stressed out the Jedi Knight was.

"What is Ahsoka's strength?" asked Master Plo as he walked by Anakin.

"She is fearless," responded the Jedi.

"That can also be a weakness. Is she a worthy apprentice?" asked the Jedi Master.

"No one has her kind of determination," responded Anakin.

"Except you," stated Master Plo as he looked at the Jedi Knight.

"I'll find her," stated Anakin.

"This may not be within your power."

"Whatever you're trying to say, Master Plo, just say it," said Anakin as he had enough of the Jedi Master's antics.

"I am suggesting that perhaps if you have trained her well, she shall take care of herself and find a way back to you," said Master Plo to Anakin as he left the room. The Jedi Knight took in words said by the Jedi Master as he sighed. He then went back to looking at the map.

Storm was shown in his room as Luna stood in the doorway. Like his pal, he had been trying to locate where Twilight could be. So much so that he was trying to sneak out from the Jedi Temple and return to Felcuia. The Jedi Knight's antic didn't go unnoticed, as Luna caught him on several occasions trying to leave without permission. The Jedi Master had had enough of her student being concerned with Twilight that it was distracting him from his studies.

"You are not allowed to leave this room without my permission! Am I understood?!" shouted Luna to her apprentice.

Storm sat on his bed as he scoffed and didn't look in Luna's direction.

"Storm, look at me when I speak to you!" shouted the Jedi Master using her angry mother's voice. "Do I make myself clear!"

"Whatever," scoffed Storm.

Luna growled at seeing her son acting all rebellious against her authority. "Raising a kid is so easy. Especially a teenager," mumbled Luna under her breath as she exited the room.

The door closed behind her as she put her hand over the side panel. It was then sealed shut so that no one but her could open it whenever she wanted. Luna ensured that Storm listened to her order and did not risk him trying to sneak out. Once Luna left, Storm screamed as he grabbed an item from his desk and threw it against the wall to express his anger.

The boy growled as his hands were turned into fists. Storm felt angry that Luna wouldn't let him do what he wanted. And that was to go out and find Twilight to ensure she was safe. Luna had told Celestia about the situation as the Jedi Master was working tirelessly to find her student; Luna told Storm to let her sister handle this as it had nothing to do with him.

Storm's anger was soon suppressed as he saw his pendant hanging from his neck. The gift that Twilight gave to him for his birthday. The symbol on it was that of her crest as he recalled what he had said to the princess that night when they were in the tower. How he felt happy and that she made him smile whenever she was around. But how could he smile when she wasn't there with him.

"Twilight," spoke Storm softly as he grabbed his pendant and looked at it in his hand. "I swear, I will find you. Please... forgive me." At that moment, the teen began to form tears as he looked out of his window and saw the moon high in the sky.

Author's Note: What started out as a simple mission has now turned into a game of sport for the girls. And with no way to call for help, it seems like it's only a matter of time before they're caught or worst. And now having the responsibilityto honor the wish of their fallen comrade, things are very bleak. And as for Anakin and Storm, it seems they can't do anything. As always leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.