Shadowlands, Kashyyyk - Mid Rim
3rd person POV...
Jarik swings wide and fast with his two lightsabers to cut through and evade the numerous black vines lashing out in their attack. He leans his head aside to avoid a vine that shot itself toward him and cuts it with an upward strike, then immediately spins around to slash apart two more behind him. Beside him Ahsoka moves gracefully to avoid being struck, twirling and weaving around attacking vines and slicing them with her own twin blades, while her white cloak lay discarded on the ground somewhere to give her better mobility.
The husband and wife maintain their defense evenly but exhaustion is starting to kick in at an alarming rate. Having never fought a being like this they're unsure of how to go on the offensive. Most vines seemed focused on them but Codi still struggled himself, dodging many and using his sword to cut through others which came to close, though his strikes faced more resistance than the two saber wielders.
Jarik scowls in frustration as he's nearly tripped up by a vine which made a sweep toward his leg, though he regained his footing in time to cut it apart. Yet no matter how many vines they sliced up more kept appearing to replace them with no end in sight. Ahsoka notices the same thing Jarik did and grows more concerned.
"Is it just me or are these things growing back?" she asks anxiously.
"They're growing back!" Codi exclaims, chopping another vine.
"Kriff!" Jarik scowls.
Codi backs up a few steps as several vines surge forward at the same time. He manages to cut through two of them but a third snags his ankle and yanks hard to trip him up, then starts pulling him away.
"AGH! Get off me!" he shouts, swinging his sword wildly for the vine.
"Codi!" Jarik exclaims.
He rushes over to the togruta and swings his saber through the vine which was grappling his leg, freeing him. There's no time for Codi to thank him though as more vines kept coming, a hiss of fury audible around them. Ahsoka flips through the air to rejoin her companions and they form a defensive circle, trusting each other to cover their backs as they cut through attacking vines, albeit with growing difficulty.
"This is... not... going well!" Jarik grunts out between saber swings.
Ahsoka lifts her blades up to slice through two vines aimed for her head and then swings downward to cut apart two more. As she defends herself her instincts scream and her and she rolls forward to evade a much thicker vines that had slammed itself down where she stood. As she stands back up she catches sight of the Weeping Tree and the hunched figure of the woman in front of it and Ahsoka frowns, her eyes noting how the darkness seems more concentrated behind her. Focusing more with her senses she looks more intently at the source of the darkness and gasps in astonishment.
"By the Force...!" she whispers.
"Ahsoka!" Jarik exclaims.
Startled, Ahsoka whirls around and quickly jumps back into the defensive circle with her companions, slashing through a vine that had targeted Jarik's blind spot.
"Any ideas?!" Codi asks.
"I can sense something!" Ahsoka replies, cutting another vine. "There's a darkness centered on T'ra!"
"Really? I never noticed!" Codi scoffs sarcastically.
"It's not her! It's on her!" she clarifies.
That gives them pause for a moment but they quickly refocus on the attacking vines.
"What is it?!" Jarik asks.
"I don't know! We have to get closer!" Ahsoka states.
"Karking Sithspit!" Codi groans in frustration.
Nevertheless, with no other suggestions, the trio begin making an effort to approach the Weeping Tree with slow, tedious steps, communicating nonverbally as they fought. The Weeping Tree hisses at the Jedi yet again and darkness billows around her more angrily.
Imperial Complex, Kachirho - Kashyyyk
Veteran clone troopers Rex and Boil both sat on a bench inside of their shared prison cell, silently contemplating ways to get out of their current scenario. Rex's injury on the battlefield, while painful and ugly, was mostly superficial, so after the simplest bacta treatment to close up the worst of it he was left on his own to deal with the stinging pain.
Their silence is interrupted by the sound of footsteps and both soldiers look up to see Cody standing in front of the ray shield to their cell with a datapad in hand. The Imperial clone commander was noticeably aged, just like them, but still maintained his clean military cut while also with a body physique suggesting he was far more in shape than either of them.
No surprise there.
Boil glowers at Cody with silent fury and Rex expresses his own anger, though he's more composed and calm than his compatriot. Cody wordlessly presses a few buttons on his datapad, not looking up at either of them, before he finally spoke.
"You are designation CT-2376, also known as Boil, correct?" he inquires.
"So that's how it is, huh?" Boil scowls. "We're just a number to you?!"
"Yes or no?" Cody says without looking up.
"I'm not answering your bullschnipe question!" he snaps at him.
Boil stands up with his fists clenched while glaring at his former commander who finally looks up from his datapad with the same neutral expression, though his features noticebly grow more tense. Rex shakes his head with a frustrated sigh and grabs Boil's arm.
"Boil, calm down," he says firmly.
The former ARC trooper continues to glare at Cody but after a few moments opens his fists and turns away with a scowl. Cody hums to himself and types a few words into his datapad and then turns to Rex.
"And you are Captain CT-7567, also known as Rex. Am I correct?" he questions.
"Yes. And you should already know that, Cody," Rex replies, letting his own anger and disgust leak through.
"Confirming a prisoner's identity is just standard protocol," Cody dismisses him.
He looks back down at his datapad to type it in and then moves to walk away before Boil speaks up again.
"Yeah. Everyone knows all about how much you loved to followed the rules," he sneers mockingly.
Cody pauses in his step and breathes in deeply to calm himself before turning back to face the two troopers.
"Rules exist for a reason," he states firmly. "Without rules there is no organization. No structure. Just anarchy."
"I'll take anarchy over your Empire any day," Boil retorts.
Cody narrows his eyes at him and doesn't respond, though he doesn't walk away either. Rex then stands up himself and takes a few steps toward Cody.
"So what's the deal, Cody? You want information?" Rex asks.
"It would make things so much easier for all of us," Cody nods in confirmation before sighing. "But I highly doubt you'll share it no matter what I say."
"Got that right," Boil scoffs.
"Then why are you here?" Rex demands.
"Why are you fighting the Empire?" Cody asks instead.
"Why aren't you?" he shoots back instantly.
"Is that even a question?" the clone commander says incredulously. "It's what I was bred for―what we were bred for. How could you forget that?"
"Because we're soldiers of the Republic! Not some Empire!" Boil growls.
"And the Republic became the Empire. Times change," Cody argues in response. "It may have another name, but our loyalties should've remained no different."
"And hunting the Jedi?" he asks, his voice quiet and tense.
Cody doesn't respond right away. He stares intently at Boil, then Rex, his expression hard and unreadable.
"The Jedi betrayed the Republic, Boil," he replies calmly.
Rex scowls as he loses his temper now similarly to Boil.
"And you just accepted that?" he demands angrily. "After everything we've been through?"
"Good soldiers follow orders," Cody states coldly, glaring right back. "It seems you two forgot that."
Boil storms his way over to the cell door with a furious growl, but Cody doesn't flinch.
"When Order 66 was issued, you mean to tell me that you seriously didn't once question the idea of betraying our own General?!" he exclaims.
Cody scoffs at him with a frustrated glare and turns away from them before responding.
"Of course I did! Not a day goes by when General Kenobi's death doesn't haunt me," he mutters bitterly.
He stands silent for a moment and then sighs, gazing up at the ceiling with regret in his eyes before he a mask drops over his expression as he faces his brothers once more.
"But no matter how much I wish things could've been different, the reality comes first," he states simply. "I'm a soldier. And I have a duty to fulfill."
Boil snarls and punches the wall, seething with fury.
"Kriff you! Kriff you to the pits!" he yells at him. "Kriff you, traitor!"
Cody widens his eyes in outrage and stomps in front of the door with fury in his gaze.
"Traitor? You, of all people, would dare call me a traitor?!" he exclaims.
"Yeah I dare! You're a karking puppet for Palpatine! We all were!" Boil sneers at him. "And after we did everything he wanted he just threw us away like garbage! You're so blind to it that you make Slick look like a hero!"
"SHUT IT BOIL! You don't know ANYTHING!" Cody yells at him.
"Our brothers died to save the galaxy from tyranny and you're sitting here supporting the very thing that killed them!" he continues to rant.
"ENOUGH!" he roars, punching the shield.
Boil steps back in surprise at the flash of light that erupted from the strike. A few stormtroopers further down the hallway turned to look at the cause of the commotion, but Cody paid them no mind as he glowers at Boil with cold rage.
"You have no idea... NO IDEA... how hard I fought for my brothers! How hard I tried to save them," he hisses at him. "But this galaxy needs protection more than it needs us!"
He slowly straightens his stance again and then picks up his datapad, which he had dropped in the midst of his outburst. Boil continues to glare at him, unsympathetic to his former commander, and Rex walks up to the door himself.
"Cody... as long as the Empire exists it oppresses innocent people. It is not the Republic," he says quietly, almost pleading with him. "How can you not see that?"
Cody stares at him for a long while before his gaze softens only slightly and he gives a subtle nod of agreement.
"I know. It's not the same," he admits, shaking his head. "But I've lost far too much to let the galaxy suffer in a war. I'm not about to let it face another."
"It already has," Boil scorns him.
"No thanks to you!" Cody retorts.
Rex shakes his head and gazes at Cody, not with anger but disappointment.
"I hope you still keep your morals in mind the next time the Empire orders you to slaughter innocents," he states coldly.
Cody frowns at him in disagreement.
"There's always another way," he states confidently. "Because I guarantee it."
With that being said he turns away from his former compatriots and walks away, leaving the two clone troopers to their cell in silence.
Leaving the facility's detention level behind Cody maintained a mask of calm and composure, but the conversation he just had with Boil and Rex has him rattled internally. No matter how hard he tries to convince himself that he's doing the right thing, and he believes he is, he also can't shake off their voices in his head pointing out what he has known to be true for a long time.
As he turns down another corridor Cody comes to a surprised halt as he's met by General Kahdah. The general is dressed in his standard officer uniform, but over his tunic is a plate of specialized trooper armor.
"Commander Cody," he states.
"Sir," Cody acknowledges him with a salute.
Kahdah observes him with a critical eye.
"You seem a bit shaken," he remarks.
"Just fine, sir. It was a difficult battle," Cody replies.
"Really?" Kahdah asks with a raised brow.
"Even caught completely off guard, the wookiees are not someone to be underestimated, General," he reaffirms.
Kahdah frowns in response but concedes with a simple incline of his head. He steps by Cody and then pauses with a sigh.
"I suppose there is wisdom in that. Animals they may be, but they are strong," he comments, shaking his head. "However, we have a new objective. With the resistance leaders captured and their strike force neutralized, the only obstacle left is their remaining forces."
Cody nods his head in acknowledgement.
"Understood, sir. I'll gather my men and see to the capture of the rebel base, right away," he states.
"Actually, commander, I'd rather I take the lead on this one, if you don't mind," Kahdah interjects.
Cody pauses, partially surprised at that, and Kahdah merely smiles at him.
"Of course, General," the clone commander concedes.
In another prison cell Cara paced around the room with a heavy scowl on her face as she contemplates any possible way of escape. Ulvac stood in the corner with his arms crossed, pondering the same thing as her, whereas Tivik simply sat sulking on the bench.
"I hate you guys," he says irritably. "You know that?"
"Tell it to someone who cares," Ulvac retorts.
Tivik scoffs in reply while Cara makes an effort to ignore him. Outside the cell, a pair of stormtrooper guards slowly walked past with a vigilant eye.
"What were you guys even thinking with this plan of yours anyway?" Tivik speaks up again, making a fuss.
"I'm not answering that," Ulvac grumbles.
"Yeah, because you know it sucked!" he shouts angrily in reply.
Cara can't help but growl in annoyance and turns to glare at the Partisan member. Outside, one of the stormtroopers bangs his blast against their door.
"That's enough in there!" the guard snaps.
The three remain silent and the stormtroopers turn away from their cell, satisfied. After a few moments Cara notices Tivik looking her way and he makes a crude gesture with his finger in a mocking manner, infuriating the rebel shock trooper.
"What's your deal?" she snaps at him. "All you've done is whine and fuss like a kowakian monkey-lizard."
"Because you people are crazy!" Tivik heatedly shoots back.
"That's rich," Ulvac scoffs.
"Honestly, you might as well have just flown straight into the city to begin with," Tivik continues to rant. "Now we're all going to be tortured and executed, or worse!"
"At least we'd die having tried to do something rather than sit on your lazy arse!" Cara retorts.
"Better that than dead like the rest of your squad!" he sneers in reply.
Cara widens her eyes in outrage and glowers at him.
"That's it!" she exclaims.
The shock trooper lunges at her cellmate and the latter cries out in startled fright as he's tackled to the floor. Ulvac jumps in surprise and gapes at them both, unsure of how to react. The stormtroopers rush back to their cell seconds later and spot the commotion.
"Hey! Break it up!" one of them demands.
Cara and Tivik continue fighting, the former having the latter pinned to the floor. The guards open the cell and march inside with zap rods in hand to strike the prisoners. However, the moment they walk inside Cara and Tivik stop fighting and both they and Ulvac immediately lunge at the stormtroopers in a coordinated assault. Caught off guard they try to strike out with their zap rods but Cara catches one in her hand and shoves him against the wall while Ulvac dodges a strike, allowing Tivik to tackle the trooper. both of them sprawled on the floor, the stormtrooper makes a grab for his comlink.
"We need bac―" he starts to say.
Before he could finish Tivik grabs his arm and wrestles with the comlink before Ulvac jabs him with the trooper's zap rod, the guard screaming in pain until he falls unconscious. Cara likewise disarmed her own opponent of his zap rod and turns to toss the guard over her shoulder, after which she delivers a heavy kick to the head to knock him out. Cara takes a moment to breathe and then looks down at Tivik as he pulls himself up.
"Nice job," she remarks.
"Thanks. Wasn't too hard," he admits in reply, shrugging his shoulder.
"Who'd have guess?" Ulvac rolls his eyes.
Tivik makes a face at him but Cara interjects before they could argue.
"Zip it. We need to move fast before they realize we're out," she states firmly.
"The lieutenant of the guard should have codes for all the cell doors," Tivik says.
"You know where they're at?" Ulvac asks.
"Probably," he replies.
"Good enough," Cara nods. "Lets get going!"
The three rebels grab the guard's zap rods and then rush out of the cell, closing the ray shield to lock them inside.
Inside her own prison cell, the only source of light being a dim red glow around the edges of the ceiling, Mara remained shackled to the wall. With her ability to use the Force impeded by the cuff binders around her wrists there was little she could do on her own. Just then the door to her cell opens and she looks up to see Lumiya walks inside.
"Did the Emperor change his mind about letting me live?" Mara asks with a sigh.
"Not quite," the Emperor's Hand replies.
Lumiya doesn't say any more and moves to the corner of the cell to stand silently, and Mara frowns at her in confusion. After about a minute of nothing happening, making the Jedi Padawan more and more anxious, an alarm suddenly starts to blare in the facility. Mara perks her head up in surprise, followed by joy and satisfaction, and then turns to Lumiya with a grin on her face.
"Maybe you should go deal with that," she mockingly suggests.
However, Lumiya chuckles faintly in reply.
"They'll make their way here, soon enough, when they inevitably attempt to rescue you," she states calmly.
Mara's grin falters and she glares at the dark lady, whose face was unreadable behind her mask and goggles, yet she could almost imagine Lumiya was smiling.
"I will be waiting," she promises.
With that said Lumiya stretches her hand out to the door and uses the Force to close it shut, leaving the cell in darkness once more.
Ittummi, Kkowir forest - Kashyyyk
The sun was close to setting over the forests of Kashyyyk, early in the evening, and an orange beam of sunlight bathed the interior of a wooden home inside the city of Ittummi. Within the home Katarra held a baby wookiee in her arms, crooning softly as she gently rocks the young Lowbacca back and forth to lull him to sleep.
The peaceful atmosphere is suddenly disrupted by the sound of an explosion at the edge of the city. Katarra growls in surprise and alarm while Lowbacca starts to cry at the loud noise. She moves to the window and sees a multitude of wookiee warriors rushing through the streets with weapons, and she widens her eyes in dread upon realization the problem.
From out of the forest emerge platoons of Imperial stormtroopers and several troop transports, attacking strategic locations along the city outskirts. The wookiee warriors rush to defend the city, taking points along the city's edge and in the streets and shoot at the invading forces with their bowcasters. With their explosive shots they manage to hold the Imperial infantry to a standstill at the edge of the city. The stormtroopers struggle to push forward through open and remain stationary at the treeline, firing at the defending wookiees.
From within one of the armored Imperial transports, Kahdah and Cody observe the progress of the battle. Kahdah frowns upon noticing a halt in their advance and turns toward Cody.
"Status?" he questions.
"We've caught much of the enemy by surprise, but their defense is holding strong," Cody reports.
"Send in the artillery troopers," Kahdah orders. "I want this battle over quickly."
"At once, sir," he nods in response.
A squad of stormtroopers marked with yellow paint move up into the ranks of the infantry, though hang more towards the back of their line. Each trooper carries a Model 201 mortar system, which they each place on the ground and load with explosive shells. Cody takes note of the wookiee's defensive positions and sends the coordinates to the artillery troopers.
"Artillery units, focus fire on marked enemy defense positions," he starts to say.
"Cancel that order, commander," Kahdah interjects.
Cody looks at him in surprise and confusion.
"Sir?" he asks.
"If we target their positions directly, they'll simply move elsewhere," Kahdah states firmly. "Have them bombard the buildings. That'll force them into the open."
Cody straightens up in disbelief with a look of alarm on his face.
"But there may be civilians inside," he protests.
"Unfortunate, but acceptable," Kahdah sighs grimly, though without sympathy. "The wookiees must know what happens to those who choose to resist the Empire. Give the order, commander."
For a few seconds Cody stares at Kahdah in a mixture of astonishment, frustration, and dread. He's served under the general for a while now and, while their relationship has been questionable at times, Cody's never thought of Kahdah as one for unnecessarily cruel methods. Sure, what he's describing is makes perfect sense from a logical and tactical perspective, but it still feels a bit... discomforting.
Nevertheless, an order is an order. Good soldiers follow orders.
"Yes, General Kahdah..." he begrudgingly concedes, giving the order.
Imperial Complex, Kachirho - Kashyyyk
Inside one of the prison cells the wookiee chieftain is shackled to the wall, restraining him from using his deadly brute strength, and is closely guarded by a pair of troopers posted in his cell wielding zap rods. Tarfful continues to growl at them in anger but is otherwise unable to do anything else. When the alarms started sounding throughout the building, however, Tarfful looked up at the door hopefully while his guards grew more tense, tightening their grip on their zap rods. The ray shielded door then opens and a stormtrooper captain with an orange pauldron walks inside.
"Stay sharp. The escapees will be headed this way," he instructs the guards.
"Understood, Captain," one of the troopers nods in reply.
Just then a firefight erupts down the hallway and all three troopers whirl around in the direction of the noise. The captain rushes outside with his blaster but is almost immediately gunned down by a laser bolt.
The two guards glance at each other anxiously and move towards the entrance, putting aside their zap rods in favor of their blasters. However, in a blur of motion Cara Dune storms into the cell and barrels into one of the guards, knocking him down, and fires a shot at the second guard before he could react, then shoots the first. Tarfful growls in surprise and amazement and Cara grins.
"Nice to see you too, chief," she remarks.
She shoots the cuffs restraining his wrists and ankles and Tarfful stands up, cracking his limbs and neck to remove the soreness. Mari passes by outside but stops upon seeing Tarfful and Cara, who both look up at her.
"That's just about everyone!" she reports.
Cara nods in reply and they head outside into the hallway and are greeted by the survivors of the strike team who were taken captive, a mix of rebels and wookiees. A few cells down Rex and Boil emerge as they're freed themselves by a pair of rebel soldiers. Rex takes note of the group, recognizing Cara as the one in the lead and grins.
"Nice job, soldier," he congradulates.
"Had a good actor," she shrugs.
Mari, Idryssa, and Choyyssyk all turn to look at Tivik, who glowers back in response.
"Oh come on, really?" he scoffs.
Mari shakes her head in exasperation and refocuses.
"We need to get back to base, fast. Kahdah's probably attacking it as we speak," she deduces anxiously.
Tarfful growls angrily at the news, his sentiment shared among Choyyssyk and the other wookiees.
"I'll bet Cody's with him too," Boil adds, scowling.
"Did you find Mara?" Rex asks the group, and Cara shakes her head.
"Not yet. She's being kept somewhere else," she states.
Tarfful frowns and speaks up, still familiar with the layout of the former wookiee capital despite the changes made by the Empire, informing the group of where high-level prisoners were kept. Rex nods at the information, pleased.
"Alright. Tarfful, Cara, Boil, you go get Mara," he instructs them. "The rest of us will gather equipment and transportation back to base."
The assembled group of rebels acknowledge the orders and split off, Cara and Boil following the wookiee chieftain while Rex and Mari lead the rest elsewhere.
The small group of Cara, Boil, and Tarfful, soon reach a more secluded section of the prison and Tarfful points out a heavy door at the end of a dark hallway. Cara takes a stolen key card and uses it to open the door, revealing Mara shackled to the wall by her wrists with a gag in her mouth. She looks up at them with wide, panicked eyes.
"Mara!" Boil exclaims in relief.
He and Cara move forward into the cell but Mara shouts and pulls at her restraints in an attempt to warn them, prevented from doing so by her gag. Boil pauses in alarm, realizing the implication, however before he could react Lumiya jumps down from the ceiling to land behind the two soldiers and slashes her lightwhip. The crackling tendrils of her whip strike both of them in the back and they're flung aside with shouts of pain.
Mara pulls at her cuffs with a muffled scream in sheer panic. Beneath her mask, Lumiya smirks in satisfaction and advances on the two soldiers, who struggle to get up; Boil's armor plating protected him from the worst of the strike, though not without damage, whilst a tear in Cara's tunic gave way to a sizzling gash across her skin.
Suddenly, before Lumiya can strike them again a loud roar heralds a charging Tarfful. Startled, Lumiya whirls around but is caught of guard and sent flying from a huge hit by the towering wookiee chieftain. The dark lady grunts in pain as she hits the wall and Tarfful goes in for another attack, pulling back his fist to deliver a skull-shattering punch. Lumiya snarls and leaps into the air to evade the charging wookiee, flipping over his head and lashing out with her whip. Tarfful yelps in pain as the whip slashes across his back and turns around to attack her, but Lumiya throws him into the opposite wall with a Force push.
Lumiya advances but Tarfful surprises her and hits her into the wall. He charges but Lumiya evades and snaps her whip across his back then throws him.]
Pushing up to her feet Cara shoots Lumiya with her blaster but the dark lady ducks away from her shots and snaps her whip to cut the blaster apart. Scowling, Cara drops her destroyed weapon and lunges forward, throwing several hard punches at her opponent, but Lumiya deftly evades her blows and staggers her with a kick to the abdomen, then tosses her aside with another Force push. Boil also shoots at the dark lady but she uses her whip to destroy his blaster and also leave a nasty cut across his cheek. However, by evading his shots the laser bolts instead hit one of Mara's cuffs, freeing her right hand.
Feeling the Force returning to her Mara turns to her other cuff and telekinetically breaks it, then rips the gag out of her mouth. She turns toward Lumiya as the dark lady kicks Boil to the ground and dashes at her in a blur of speed.
Blindsided, Lumiya shouts in surprise as Mara tackles her to the ground and is met with a flurry of vicious punches and kicks. Hissing with rage now, Lumiya uses the hilt of her lightwhip to jab Mara in the gut and shoves her away to gain some distance, then lashes her whip out. Mara cries out in pain as the whip slashes her arm and she falls back. Lumiya advances on her but Tarfful makes another charge, grabbing the dark lady and throwing her up into the ceiling. Lumiya falls to the floor, stunned by the brutal hit, and Boil ushers the group outside.
"Move, move!" he yells urgently.
He helps Mara up and the four of them all make a run for the door while Lumiya gets back up. Screaming with rage she lunges toward them and lashes her whip out, but Boil slams a button on the control panel to shut the door, blocking the whip and trapped her inside. They take a second to recuperate and Mara manages a smile at them.
"Thanks for the save," she thanks them.
Tarfful growls in acknowledgement and Boil nods at her with a grin. Cara scoffs at the closed door.
"Hah! So much for an ambush!" she remarks.
A shout of fury is audible from inside and the metal door suddenly crumples down like paper, and Lumiya leaps out at the startled group. Reacting quickly, Mara blasts her back into the cell with a Force push and she hits the back wall hard.
"Dank farrik!" Cara yells in shock and disbelief.
"Anyone got my saber?!" Mara asks, eying Lumiya intently as she gets back up.
"T-the rest of the group has our things," Cara briefly stutters in reply, still baffled
"Oh, cool," Mara remarks casually. "Time to run then!"
She spins around and starts sprinting down the hallway, prompting the other three to quickly follow after her. Shaking her head and scowling with rage, Lumiya snarls and leaps up in pursuit of them.
Shadowlands - Kashyyyk
Despite gaining ground while advancing closer to the Weeping Tree, the trio's push was eventually halted as more effort was exerted to keep them back. Despite their defense, they also begin to slowly drift apart from each other and the tree's roots burrow through the ground underneath them, forcing them to now focus on attacks from the air and the ground.
Jarik spins around with a flourish of his sabers to cut through a few vines and then stops, startled, as a large boulder is hurled at him by a thick vine. He moves to cut through it but another vine lashes out to grab his left wrist, disarming him of one saber. Yelling, Jarik rips his arm free and then throws a desperate punch instead that shatters the boulder, and he flinches at the resulting debris. He tries to retrieve his saber but it's snatched by another vine and then flung away, and he growls in frustration as he's forced to step back.
"Sithspit!" he exclaims.
Meanwhile, Ahsoka is having her own issues against the wave of vines, ducking and weaving to evade gracefully yet also struggling to cut down the vines attacking her as they slip just out of range of her sabers. A large root springs out of the ground and she flips into the air to another spot, slicing through another vine. Upon landing she tries to make a dash for the Tree but is hampered as wave of roots surge up to block her, forcing her to jump to another spot.
"I can't... get... close!" she says between saber swings. "AGH!"
She's suddenly tripped up by a root which wrapped around her ankle and falls to the ground. Jarik notices and throws his saber like a buzzsaw to cut her free and holds up his left arm as a vine struck out at him, letting it grab the prosthetic, then cuts it off when his saber comes back to him.
Codi slashes his sword at several vines but misses them, leaving him open and one lashes out and smacks him away. He grunts in pain from the impact and the Weeping Tree focuses more intently on the other two.
Attacked on all sides, Jarik and Ahsoka backpedal so that they're beside each other again and then thrust out their arms when getting the chance, creating a Force bubble around them that the vines struggle to break through. Ahsoka snarls and Jarik grits his teeth in concentration as they pool their energy together into maintaining their shield as a multitude of heavy vines start pounding on it.
"Probably should've brought the Stone for this!" Jarik remarks.
"You know why we can't!" Ahsoka reminds him, and he scowls in agreement.
Codi gets back up and sees the pair trapped in their bubble with dozens of vines wrapped all around it, trying to break through. Seeing an opportunity he grabs his sword and takes off at a sprint around the edge of the clearing in an attempt to reach the Weeping Tree unnoticed. However, when he makes it halfway a vine swings out at him and he jumps over it but is then tripped up by a root. Several vines converge on him then, grabbing his ankles and lifting him into the air and he cries out in a panic.
"Codi!" Jarik shouts in alarm.
Using his right arm Jarik gathers a concentration of Force energy into his hand which manifests in the form of golden sparks, and then thrusts his hand forward with a shout to unleash electric judgment. A stream of golden Force lightning shoots out and strikes the vines holding Codi, which instantly drop him. A pained screech echoes through the air as the Weeping Tree recoils from the attack, and in its confusion Ahsoka blasts their Force bubble outward to throw the vines away. Getting to his feet, Codi turns to gape at Jarik in astonishment.
"The kriff was that?!" he exclaims in shock.
"You're welcome!" Jarik retorts.
Flickers of electricity still flash along his forearm and Jarik takes a step forward to unleash another burst of electric judgment at the Weeping Tree. A wall of thick roots are raised to defend itself and the Tree screeches in agony once more as the lightning starts to inflict noticeable burns. With the Tree distracted Ahsoka fashes forward in a burst of Force speed and rapidly approaches the humanoid figure of T'ra, which is hunched over and shrieking in reaction to Jarik's assault.
"Fight it off, T'ra! Fight this darkness!" she cries out.
When Ahsoka reaches within a few feet of T'ra, the crooked figure looks up at her with gleaming black eyes, filled with malice, and Ahsoka falters in unease at the frightening glare. A loud hiss escapes T'ra's mouth and she lifts her hands to send her own Force attack at the Jedi. Ahsoka skids to a halt and creates another Force shield to block a black cloud of dark energy that's shot at her, and she grits her teeth while attempting to resist the powerful attack.
Noticing his wife's plight Jarik starts advancing forward to reach her, maintaining his lightning, but the wall of roots suddenly lashes out at him in a violent strike. Caught off guard Jarik is struck and sent flying away. Codi likewise rushes to Ahsoka's aid but is forced to defend himself from more vines and desperately swings his to cut through another.
With Jarik and Codi briefly incapacitated T'ra turns all of her focus to Ahsoka, who pushes forward with painstakingly slow steps. Snarling with rage, T'ra exudes all of her power now in the Force attack that forces Ahsoka to a complete stop, even pushing her away now. As a result of her increased usage of energy T'ra almost seems to glow in a way.
Groaning, struggling to maintain her shield, Ahsoka glares defiantly at the Tree but after a few moments she notices that the faint glow isn't originating from T'ra's body, but rather is coming from behind her. Ahsoka looks more closely and notices the glow is centered around something at the base of the tree; a staff of sorts, imbedded in the trunk itself like a knife.
"It's in the trunk!" she says in realization.
Getting back to his feet Jarik retrieves his lightsaber when he hears Ahsoka's realization.
"What?" he calls out, confused.
"There's a staff embedded in the trunk!" she exclaims with wide eyes. "Can you see it?!"
Jarik tries to look, though can't see from his position and is forced to turn around to slice a vine with his saber. Codi, however, is closer to her and risks a brief glance to try and spot what Ahsoka saw. Though he doesn't notice it right away, Codi's thoughts start racing as he ponders the description and then gasps in realization, knowing exactly what it is; a walking stick, utilized by a Jedi before his death.
"It's Th―" he starts to say.
A painfully loud screech of rage from T'ra cuts through the air, stunning the Jedi, and T'ra unleashes a blast of dark energy that sends Ahsoka flying. She barely hits the ground before several vines lash out to grab her, disarming her of her lightsabers, ensnaring her limbs and wrapping around her chest before lifting her high into the air. The vines then start viciously constricting to crush her and Ahsoka screams in pain.
"Ahsoka!" Jarik shouts in a panic.
He dashes forward to save her but is struck down by a vine. Grunting in pain he furiously jumps back to his feet and spins around to cut three more vines with his lightsaber. However, another vine snuck up behind him and quickly grabs his ankles, yanking him up to slam him on the ground. Stunned, he swings his saber out wildly to free himself but another vine grabs his wrist and disarms him, and Jarik is quickly ensnared despite his struggles and lifted up, after which he also begins to get crushed in the vines' tight grip, yelling in pain.
Codi looks on in horror as everything happens to fast for him to process or react.
"No!" he cries out.
While T'ra continues constricting Ahsoka and Jarik swarm of vines surge toward Codi and he makes a desperate leap to avoid them, cutting through one with his sword. Turning around his gaze falls on the staff that Ahsoka noticed, stuck right into the base of the Weeping Tree's trunk. He makes a frantic rush for the staff and T'ra hisses, sending more vines after him, and he's soon forced to stop as several rise up to block his path. A few vines lash out behind him but Codi slices through them with his sword and stares at the demonic figure of T'ra, his eyes wide.
"T'ra! T'ra it's Codi!" he shouts, too frantic to question himself.
The Weeping Tree doesn't seem to notice and continues to assault him, forcing him away as he tries to defend himself. Up in the air Ahsoka screams again at a sudden constricting, though is visibly more haggard and close to falling unconscious. Codi yells in despair and cuts through another attacking vine, glaring at T'ra.
"Fight this demon, T'ra, PLEASE! For Tholme!" he screams.
T'ra pauses suddenly and her attack halts as she turns to gaze at Codi with frightening intensity, her focus on everything else lost for a second. Codi stares back at her, shocked, though a sudden flicker of hope sparks to life inside him.
However, the moment is very brief and T'ra snarls with newfound fury, his eyes practically glowing with beastly rage.
"Tholme is dead!" a withered voice screeches.
Codi flinches back in terror and is struck down by two vines that then wrap around him and lift him into the air like the other two. All three of them let out agonized yells as their ruthlessly crushed in the grip of the Weeping Tree, its hold threatening to break their bones at any moment.
Reaching out to one another over their dyad, Ahsoka and Jarik combined their energy and then exert all of their power in a desperate bid to free themselves. Their eyes glow bright with silver and gold, respectively, as they unleash a tremendous blast of power that blows apart the vines holding them, burning every inch that was in direct contact with them.
T'ra shrieks in pain and the two Jedi fall to the ground. Ahsoka collapses to her hands and knees for a short while with painful and ragged breaths, having been crushed the longest, whereas Jarik makes a mad dash to grab his lightsaber and throws it to free Codi, who falls to the ground himself. While T'ra shrieks and wails in pain the three of them struggle to recover themselves, gasping for breath and coughing.
"She's in there somewhere," Ahsoka says weakly. "She has to be."
"You sure?" Jarik asks skeptically.
"She responded when Codi mentioned Tholme," she points out.
Codi groans as he's unsure of what to believe. He wants to think T'ra is still alive, but it's also been many years since he saw her be turned into a monster.
"I don't know..." he whimpers fearfully.
Another enraged shriek bursts from T'ra as she refocuses on the Jedi. Gathering her power she unleashes another cloud of dark energy from her hands while also sending her vines out to strike. Utilizing their dyad to its potential, Jarik and Ahsoka fill themselves with the Force to heal some of their injuries and give them strength. Stretching out her hands Ahsoka creates a Force shield, visible this time through bright shimmers of white energy that block the oncoming cloud, while Jarik and Codi stand on opposite sides of her with their saber and sword to defend against the attacking vines.
"We have to destroy that staff!" Ahsoka states.
"Push forward! We'll cover you!" Jarik tells her.
Ahsoka nods and starts advancing with her shield, slowly but surely, while Jarik and Codi guard her from oncoming vines. T'ra hisses in frustration and adds more power to her assault, causing Ahsoka to stagger in place. Seeing this, Jarik tosses his saber to Codi and jumps up beside her to combine his power with hers to maintain the Force shield while Codi uses both his sword and Jarik's lightsaber to defend against the vines.
As the dyad pushes onward against the relentless onslaught their eyes start to glow once more, their bodies exuding raw power in the Force. Their advance becomes more steady and assured now and the crooked figure of T'ra backs away in confused panic, wailing in despair. Codi takes notice of the pair's display with awe and disbelief, his eyes wide.
"Holy kriff...!" he whispers.
He quickly refocuses back on his own task as another pair of vines strike out and he cuts them apart. In a final act of desperation and fear, equivalent to a cornered animal, T'ra draws back on her assault, surprising the Jedi, then resumes it at full intensity. Though Jarik and Ahsoka's Force shield held up against it, Codi was unable to defend himself from the wave of vines that struck out and is sent flying with a pained cry.
Jarik and Ahsoka glance back in alarm but are helpless to react in time to defend themselves. Grappled by probably a dozen vines the two Jedi and quickly tied together in a single spiral and lifted up once more. T'ra slams them down on the ground hard and crushes their bodies together in a ruthless constriction, causing them to scream in pain as T'ra whole focus is centered on them.
Getting back to his feet for what felt like the millionth time, Codi looks on in despair at seeing the same scenario yet again. However, gripping both weapons in his hands tight enough to see the bones of his knuckles, Codi sprints for the Weeping Tree in a final dash with the resolve to either succeed or die trying. Hearing his warcry T'ra attacks him with more vines but he slashes his blades around to cut through every single one, his focus entirely on reaching the walking stick.
Panicking, T'ra sends more and more vines, with them all being cut down, and then finally unleashes another blast of dark energy. Codi jumps into the air and flips over T'ra to land right in front of the Weeping Tree itself, dropping his sword and finally grabbing hold of the walking stick, which he rips out of the trunk.
A terrible screech of fury is Codi's only warning before a hot spike of agonizing pain fills his senses, and he looks down to see a sharp vine sprouting from his torso after impaling him through his back.
Codi can't breathe, only able to see red and the vine that stabbed him, barely able to hear the horrified screams of his fellow Jedi, barely able to feel as he's lifted up and brought face to face with the evil ghoul glaring at him through T'ra Saa's dead eyes.
"There is no T'ra," the demon sneers.
Seeing and hearing that demonic voice speaking through T'ra's lips ignites a fire in Codi and he glares into the source of that evil, his fear now gone.
"...wrong!" he manages to say, coughing up blood.
With a pained yell Codi uses Jarik's lightsaber to the walking stick in half. A bloodcurdling shriek bursts out of T'ra and all the vines retract, dropping Codi to the ground and freeing Jarik and Ahsoka. Rising from the broken ends of the walking stick is a thick black mist, a multitude of ghostly faces visible within it, their expressions locked in a horrible wail as the mist escapes the stick and dissipates into the air.
Jarik and Ahsoka painfully struggle to stand and look on with a shocked gaze, seeing the remnants of that evil mist escaping the stick. Meanwhile the crooked figure of T'ra hunches over in agony before falling to the ground, while the Weeping Tree itself cracks and crumbles in on itself before disintegrating into dust and ash, leaving no trace of it behind. With the Tree now gone and its evil vanquished, a faint but noticeable change occurs as the smothering darkness that covered the forest also begins to dissipate, allowing a little more light through the trees.
Though stunned over what they just witnessed, the two Jedi quickly remember the gruesome price Codi paid to ensure it.
"Codi!" Ahsoka shouts in a panic.
She and Jarik rush over to their friend and drop on either side of him. Codi is sprawled on his back and stares up at nothing in particular, his eyes wide and glossy. His chest rises and falls rapidly in an effort to breathe, but is getting very little air. Just barely underneath his ribcage is a large and nasty hole with blood gushing from it in deadly amounts, pooling around his body. His red skin is rapidly becoming more pale with every passing second.
"Oh no..." Ahsoka whispers in shock at the gruesome sight.
"He won't last a minute like this," Jarik says anxiously. "We need to heal him now."
Ahsoka nods quickly, too nervous and worried to respond.
"N-no..." Codi protests weakly.
They both gape at him in shock.
"What? Codi―" Jarik starts to say.
Codi coughs up blood and shakes his head.
"L-let me go..." he pleads desperately. "I n... need to... see her..."
Before they can respond and make an effort to start healing Codi a pained groan alerts them to T'ra as the Neti woman starts to move. She wearily pushes herself up from the ground and Jarik tenses up, ready to fight her, though both him and Ahsoka hold back at sensing no evil in her. No hostility of any kind.
T'ra lifts her head up and, right before their eyes, her face seems to visible de-age until she no longer looks like a withered old demon, but a beautiful woman in her mid-40s by human standards. The Neti woman opens her eyes, blinking them a few times, and quickly notices the two Jedi in front of her. She frowns at them, her expression showing both confusion and surprise. She opens her mouth to speak, but then pauses as her gaze falls to see Codi laying on the ground, his skin deathly pale now, and his eyes focused on her.
"Codi...?" she asks quietly.
Codi doesn't respond, incapable of doing so, but a smile of relief stretches across his face at seeing T'ra alive and well. However, the moment is brief before his eyes close in silence.
