Welcome back :D

The second chapter is officially starting. This is a rewriting of episode 113, Jedi Crash and it is my advice to watch it back :)

I've also launched a second story, Eezo and Chrome, a Cyberpunk 2077 x Mass Effect crossover that I encourage you to check ^^

As usual there will be more at the end, so dig in, I hope you'll enjoy :)

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The Republic fleet is on the defensive and pushed to the brink! As war rages
in the much contested Outer Rim Territories, chaos and fear mount as
the Separatist army wages an epic battle against heavily outnumbered
Republic ships in the far reaches of the Quell system.

Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka race across the galaxy to aid
Jedi Knight Aayla Secura who is in the midst of a fight
for her life as the sinister droid army closes in…

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The reinforcements Ayala had been waiting for were rushing to assist the ambushed Venator under heavy fire from the three Munificent frigates. The battle had gone horribly wrong and the Separatists were going for the kill. They were exploiting the situation, dispatching rocket droids to breach her flagship, the Liberty and Aayla felt the Venator shudder under the relentless assault, knowing there was little hope.

Trying to repel the droids attacking the ship, the situation seemed dire as the chaos was almost overwhelming, but Commander Bly had informed her that Anakin and Ahsoka were launching gunships to intercept the droids. Not so surprisingly considering Skywalker tactics, she met them shortly after, inside the damaged ship. Unfortunately, it was too late to save the Venator and the Liberty was clearly going down, the crew had evacuated or had been killed and now they needed to escape themselves.

The group, Anakin, Ahsoka, Bly, Rex, his squad and herself had to fight their way to a light cruiser in the lower docking bay. In the chaos, as explosions rocked the ship, Anakin saved them from a burst of flames and used the Force to close a bulkhead, attempting to contain the deflagration, but the concussive blast severely injured him. Ahsoka managed to haul him onto the cruiser and they finally abandoned the exploding Liberty to the Separatists.

Reaching the rest of the Republican fleet, the crew attempted to dock with the Resolute for medical attention, however, the battle was still very much ongoing and a squadron of vulture droids attacked, causing the hyperdrive to activate accidentally.

The cruiser shot off into hyperspace, but unfortunately, they realized that the coordinates were wrong and they were set on a collision course with a nearby star. Aayla ordered all power systems, including life support, to be shut down to reset the coordinates, bringing them out of hyperspace. Despite the loss of critical systems such as gravity, they managed to restart the power and avoid collision with the star, but their speed was out of control due to the gravitational slingshot effect and caused them to crash onto a planet in this unknown system.

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Aayla Secura looked around the crash site, her heart heavy with the weight of their situation, from the lost battle and her subordinate's death to their predicament as a stranded group and Anakin's wounds. But as a Jedi, she had duties, she sighed and focused on what she had to do. The dense foliage of the unknown planet surrounded them, an endless sea of towering trees that stretched into the horizon. The cruiser laid in several pieces, battered, burning and smoking, half-buried in the soft, loamy earth, its metal hull scorched from reentry and distorted by the crash.

The survivors, Ahsoka, Bly, Rex and three clones from the 501st, busied themselves with securing the area, treating their wounds and assessing the damage. They had set up a makeshift camp near the crash to provide shelter for Anakin, who lay unconscious on a hastily assembled stretcher and tried to little avail to salvage material from the ship. Besides a couple of crates of much needed basic supplies, mainly rations and ammo, they couldn't use any equipment from the ship and the material from the med-bay was shattered. The most problematic being that no energy could be produced and the long range communications were destroyed.

After some initial assessments, they agreed with her that without the ship's communications and with no hope of short-term rescue in this unknown system, they needed to explore this world to find help and with Anakin's injuries, the faster the better. The sun was still high in the sky, searches would be easier during the day and the thick forest looming around them would only become more treacherous as night fell.

Aayla noticed Ahsoka's reluctance to leave Anakin's side, her face etched with worry, gaze fixed on the unconscious man. She understood the depth of the Padawan attachment to her Master, it was a bond that she, too, had felt with her own master in the past. It was a dangerous attachment, one that could lead to fear and ultimately the dark side if not kept in check, as the Jedi Code sternly warned.

"Ahsoka," Aayla began gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know you want to stay with him, but we need to find help, quickly. Anakin is strong and he has Rex here to protect him. But without medical attention, there's only so much we can do. This world is unknown to us and if there's any chance of finding help, we have to take it. We need to secure help for not just Anakin, but for the entire group."

The Togrutan hesitated, her eyes filled with concern, but she knew Aayla was right. The attachment she felt to Anakin was evidently powerful and it was something she had to control. It was a challenge she faced as a Jedi, but her duty to the group and to her master, came first. "Yes, Master Secura. Let's find him some help," Ahsoka finally agreed with some obvious discomfort.

They decided that only Rex would stay behind to guard Anakin and the crash site, while Ahsoka, Bly, the other clones and herself would venture into the forest to explore. The towering trees created an impressive canopy, letting in slivers of daylight, which made their mission feel even more hard and urgent. The moment they stepped away from the crash site, the tall trees closed in around them, their branches intertwining to form an encasing as if they walked in an entirely other world.

Rushing deeper into the forest, Aayla and Ahsoka periodically scaled the tall trees to gain a better view of their surroundings, hoping to spot anything that could lead them to civilization, or at least to some form of help. Each climb revealed only more trees stretching into the distance, the horizon a seemingly endless sea of green. The higher they climbed, the more the forest seemed to stretch on forever, its vastness almost mocking their efforts to find a way out, lost in a wilderness that had no end.

It's only the third time that she climbed that Ahsoka caught sight of something unusual in the underbrush, the glint of something metallic caught her eye, reflecting the light that penetrates the foliage. She dropped back down to the ground to investigate, signaling the others to follow and as they approached the object, the air grew heavier. It felt as though the forest was holding its breath, the atmosphere thick with anticipation.

The source of the shine was revealed to be the mostly decayed and mangled corpse of a humanoid, his clothes tattered and his body impressively ravaged. The metallic glint had come from a broken blaster still clutched in his hand. After a brief examination, although hard to say from the remains, Aayla concluded that the man had likely been a Weequay and probably a mercenary or a pirate, part of a group that had met a grim fate on this planet.

"This isn't a good sign. He's been here for at least three or four months. It's hard to tell but I don't think he was wounded by a weapon or an explosion," Bly muttered, eyeing the corpse warily and grabbing the blaster, he showed the damage, "That looks like claws, big and sharp claws".

"Yes this is worrying," Aayla agreed, her voice low.

"The question is, what was he looking for? He must have been here for a reason." Said Ahsoka glancing around the dense forest.

The clone Commander nodded thoughtfully, keeping his eyes on the decayed corpse. "Pirates usually operate in crews or even small fleets. If this one ended up here, others were on this planet too. But considering his condition, whatever happened to him wasn't quick, we should be on the lookout for more bodies, or worse, whoever or whatever did this."

Aayla considered this for a moment. "If pirates came here, then there must have been something they were after. There could be resources on this planet that drew them here, or perhaps they were hiding out, lying low after a raid. If we are lucky it might be a settlement, a facility or even ships. We need to be cautious though, this planet clearly has its own dangers"

As they explored and discussed the possible implications of finding the pirate's remains, time passed and the light in the forest began to shift. The sun, which had been high in the sky when they first set out, was now beginning its descent, casting longer shadows through the thick canopy, stretching like claws reaching out to grasp them. The air grew cooler and the atmosphere of the forest was changing, progressively getting quieter, more ominous. If anything, the approaching night seemed to bring with it an increased awareness of how out of place they were in this environment.

Determined to find something useful, the group continued exploring and when visibility was soon going to be a problem, Aayla decided to climb one last tree to gain a better vantage point. As she scaled the rough bark, the forest below became a sea of shadows as the last rays of sunlight provided some dying light. This time, as she reached the top, she finally saw what they had been hoping for, a break in the dense foliage. In the distance, the forest appeared to thin out, revealing an end to this sea of trees. Using her binoculars for a moment, she even caught a glimpse of what she thought to be artificial lighting on the horizon, a faint glow that could indicate civilization.

She dropped back down to the ground and reported her findings to the group. "There's an end to the forest ahead," she said, her voice laced with cautious optimism. "And I think I saw a light in the distance. It could be a settlement or something else where we could find help."

The news of a possible light on the horizon brought a glimmer of hope, but as the dusk fell, the tension among the troopers became palpable. The vibrant forest that once felt like a living, breathing entity through the Force now seemed to close in around them, becoming a twisted maze of shadows and unknown. The clones' chatter became more frequent, their voices betraying their unease as they tightened their grips on their blasters, the weight of their weapons a small comfort against the encroaching darkness.

"Keep it together," Bly ordered in a sharp tone. "Ready your torches and stop chattering like scared civilians. We're soldiers, act like it."

The clones obeyed, activating their lights, which cast narrow beams into the night, making the darkness beyond their immediate surroundings feel even more oppressive. The beams of light seemed to create more shadows than they dispelled, revealing twisted shapes and half-glimpsed movements that made their imaginations run wild.

Despite their Commander's orders, Aayla could sense the fear emanating from the clones, a tension that was settling and dulling their minds. And it was not only the troopers, Ashoka and herself shared some of their unease. As the night settled in, a deep sense of foreboding began to weigh on her, pressing down like an invisible hand.

As she was focusing her mind, Ayala realized that the Force itself was stirring with something dark, a malevolent presence that seemed to be watching them from the shadows, waiting. The animal noises, which had been a constant background to their march, insects and distant animal calls, started to fade, leaving an eerie silence that seemed to swallow up even the sound of their footsteps.

Aayla's grip on her lightsaber tightened as the feeling intensified. It wasn't just the natural fear of the unknown, this was something more. The darkness wasn't merely the absence of light but seemed to have a weight of its own, creeping into their hearts and minds. She reached out in the Force, trying to discern the source of the darkness, but it was not the conscious malevolence of a Sith or dark side user that she felt during the war. What she found sent a chill down her spine, this was different, more primal, more feral. Worse, it was not just one presence, but many, scattered throughout the forest and closing in on them. These creatures were strong in the dark side, their very being intertwined with it.

The Padawan, walking beside her, suddenly slowed her pace. Aayla could see the realization dawning on her face as she, too, felt the darkness through the Force. "Master Secura... do you feel that? There's something out there." she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Aayla nodded, "Yes. The dark side is strong here. And whatever is out there, it's not far."

As they pressed on, the forest, which had already felt oppressive, now seemed to actively conspire against them. The path underfoot became less certain, with roots and uneven ground threatening to trip them up at every step. The trees themselves seemed to bend closer, their twisted branches forming grotesque shapes that loomed over them, as if the forest was closing in, tightening its grip. The atmosphere had shifted dramatically. The forest, once simply ominous, now felt completely hostile. The sense of being watched had intensified and every step they took felt like it was leading them deeper into a trap. The night seemed to press in on them from all sides and every sound, the rustling of leaves, the crack of a twig, felt like an imminent threat. The tension was almost unbearable and the fear among the clones was now manifest, even though they tried to mask it with forced bravado.

Then, as if to confirm their worst fears, the first howl echoed through the trees. It was a low, mournful sound that sent ominous chills down their spines. The silence that had followed dusk was now broken by repetitive, distant howls, each one seeming closer than the last. The clones exchanged nervous glances, their fingers twitching on their triggers as they turned their blasters in the changing directions.

"Eyes sharp boys! They're close!" Bly barked, his voice cutting through the mounting dread.

The presence of the creatures in the Force grew stronger with every step, a suffocating blanket of malevolence that wrapped around them. It wasn't just an ambient feeling anymore; it was tangible, almost as if the darkness itself was alive and reaching out to them. As Jedis, they could both sense the creatures moving through the forest, drawing closer with each passing moment. Whatever was out there was no longer watching, it was hunting.

She thought that Ashoka and herself could surely avoid combat and flea effectively, but the troopers wouldn't be able to in these circumstances. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ignited her lightsaber, the blue blade casting an eerie glow in the darkness. "Prepare yourselves," she whispered, the tension in her voice mirroring the growing fear in her heart. "Something's coming."

The four clones quickly formed a defensive circle, their blasters trained on the surrounding trees. Ahsoka ignited her own green lightsaber, her eyes scanning the darkness with fierce determination. The beams of their lights shook slightly as the troopers tried to steady their nerves, the eerie stillness of the forest giving way to an imminent sense of danger.

A low, menacing growl emerged from the night, causing everyone in the group to freeze. From the shadows, a creature emerged, its presence filling the air with dread and menace. The light from the clones' torches barely illuminated its grotesque form, but what they could see was enough to chill them to the bone.

The beast was massive, hunched over on all fours but still almost as tall as one of them. Its skin was a sickly, mottled black, glistening with a sheen that made it appear almost wet. The creature's body was muscular and massive, albeit it looked sick and twisted, with long, powerful limbs ending in razor-sharp claws that scraped the ground as it moved. Its head was the stuff of nightmares, a grotesque, elongated snout filled with rows of jagged, yellowed teeth, some the size of daggers. Its multiple glowing beady red eyes, three on each side of the snout, radiated a cruel malice and hunger as they focused on each one of them, its wide mouth drooling.

Aayla's heart skipped a beat as she recognized the creature. "It's a Barghest, but something is wrong with it," she muttered under her breath, her voice tight. She had seen this kind of creature before, many unsavory characters were using them as pets since despite their monstrous appearance they were very loyal to their owners. However these creatures were clearly different, she couldn't be sure of how and why, but they were steeped in the dark side of the Force, twisted in some evil and unnatural way, she could see deformed pulsating muscles and bilious tumor-like protuberances. She also observed from the way it recoiled slightly from the light that it despised the brightness.

The Barghest growled again, a deep, rumbling sound that reverberated through the forest. It slowly edged closer, its movements predatory, as if testing the group's defenses and determination. The clones, their fear momentarily forgotten in the face of such a tangible threat, raised their blasters while their commander sternly ordered, "Open fire!" and was immediately obeyed.

Blue blaster bolts illuminated the nights and some struck the creature. With each impact, the monster howled in pain, the bright bolts searing its flesh. The Barghest jumped haphazardly, its red eyes narrowing as it backed away into the shadows, trying to avoid the troopers firepower. But even as it retreated, Aayla knew this was far from over, creatures like this didn't give up so easily.

Just as she was about to warn the others to stay alert, a terrible scream pierced the air. A second Barghest, faster and quieter than the first, had snuck up from behind and pounced on one of the clones. Its claws slashed through armor and flesh with terrifying ease and in seconds, the trooper's life was snuffed out, his body falling limp to the ground.

"Ashoka!" Aayla shouted, but the Padawan was already in motion.

The Padawan's jumped, her green blade cutting through the darkness as she charged at the Barghest and with a fluid, practiced motion, she struck at the beast. The creature snarled in surprise and pain as the blade sliced across its side, leaving a smoking wound in its dark hide. The creature growled ferociously, but it hesitated, clearly not expecting such a fierce and painful retaliation.

With another swift strike, Ahsoka forced the Barghest back, her lightsaber spinning in a deadly dance that drove the creature away from the group. The creature, now wary of the young Jedi's prowess and the stinging light of her sabers, let out one last defiant roar before it retreated limping, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

The group had no time to rest as the forest erupted into chaos with more creatures emerging from the shadows, their glowing red eyes fixating on their prey. Aayla spun, her lightsaber moving in a blur as she met the attack of one of the beasts head-on. The Force flowed through her, heightening her reflexes as she avoided a vicious swipe of claws and countered with a powerful strike, severing the creature's head cleanly from its body and the creature collapsed to the ground in a heap.

The troopers moved to cover Aayla's flank, their blasters firing in unison as they repelled a wave of the beasts, thickening the air with the smell of burnt flesh as the blaster bolts found their mark, but for every Barghest that fell, it seemed two more took its place.

She turned and Force pushed a big specimen into smaller ones, trying to avoid her group from being overrun, "Keep fighting!" she urged, her voice filled with determination as she swung her lightsaber toward one that tried to bite her. The creature lunged at her, jaws snapping shut just inches from her face, but Aayla's reflexes were too quick. She twisted her body and brought her saber down in a deadly arc, splitting the beast's skull and sending it crashing to the ground. Without pausing, she Force-pushed another Barghest that attempted to leap at a distracted clone, sending it crashing into a tree with a sickening crunch.

Bly was firing his blasters at the oncoming creatures, but one of the Barghests was quicker than the others. It lunged at him, its claws slashing across his arm, causing him to drop one of his blasters. He grunted in pain, his left arm mangled, barely managing to kick the creature away as it circled back for another attack before being killed by repeated shots from a trooper.

Ahsoka moved to the Commander's side, her lightsaber flashing as she struck at another creature that tried to take advantage of Bly's injury. The Padawan's weapon cut through the air with lethal precision, severing the Barghest's limb before she followed through with another powerful strike that nearly cleaved the creature in two. The creature howled in agony, its momentum halted by the fierce attack and as another hesitated, the Commander raised his valid hand and killed it with several blaster shots while one of his brothers rushed to Bly's aid, firing at a Barghest that had been trying to flank them, buying Bly precious seconds to regain his footing.

Another clone was not as fortunate. While he was shooting and avoided a pounce from his target, another Barghest snuck behind him and leaped onto him, its powerful jaws clamping down on his neck with an abominable wet noise, the clone's scream cut short as he slumped to the ground, lifeless.

"We're getting overrun!" the last trooper shouted, his voice laced with desperation as the monsters closed in from all sides.

"We need to move!" Aayla shouted, her heart racing. She could feel her group's desperation and she knew they couldn't sustain this fight much longer, they had to retreat now or risk being completely overwhelmed.

With a final, powerful strike, Ahsoka slashed through the Barghest she was fighting, sending it stumbling back with a pained yelp before it collapsed to the ground, dead. "Let's go!" She answered before helping Bly get in motion despite his severe wound and his state of shock.

Taking advantage of a lull in the fight, the group began to retreat, moving quickly but cautiously through the dense forest. If they could exit it, the creatures might be easier to deal with without the cover of trees. The Barghests, though momentarily driven back, were not far behind, their howls echoing through the trees as they regrouped for another assault.

Just as they got a good pace, a loud roar echoed from behind them, followed by the sound of tearing flesh. Aayla turned just in time to see the last clone trooper being dragged into the darkness by one of the Barghests. His blaster fired wildly in a desperate attempt to fend off the creature, but it was too late. The forest quickly swallowed him whole and his cries were silenced.

The sight of the last trooper's death sent a cold wave of dread. "Ahsoka, now!" she shouted, her voice edged with urgency. Aayla didn't hesitate any longer, she grabbed Bly by his good arm and with a surge of the Force, lifted him off the ground. The Padawan followed as they both began to retreat from the battlefield, leaping and sprinting through the trees as fast as carrying the Commander allowed it. The monster howling in frustration as their prey began to slip away, their glowing eyes shining in the darkness as they gave chase.

"We need to keep going," Aayla said, her voice breathless but resolute. "We'll mourn our losses later. Right now, we need to survive."

The forest blurred around them as Aayla and Ahsoka ran, using the Force to increase their speed, making long leaps and putting as much distance as possible between them and the Barghests. Their hearts pounded in their chests, the adrenaline of the fight still coursing through their veins.

Aayla could feel the dark presence of the deadly creatures pursuing them, the creatures relentless in their hunt, but something else began to tug at her senses. It was not the malevolent darkness that the Barghests emanated, but something else. She shifted her focus, reaching out in Force to sense what lay ahead.

What she felt was an amalgam of life forms, moving with purpose, an organized and disciplined group, moving with intent and precision. It lacked the chaotic aggression of the monsters and was much more focused, with a goal. The overall feeling was one that she learned during the last year, a military unit on a mission.

But there was something unsettling; although she could sense these life forms, they did not seem to be connected to the Force in the way that all living beings were, or should be. It was as if they existed outside of it, a phenomenon she had never encountered or even thought possible. This mystery gnawed at her, adding another layer of unease to their already precarious situation.

Aayla's heart skipped a beat, they were rushing towards a large group and a potentially dangerous one. Her instincts told her that although this new presence might not be immediately hostile, it was certainly formidable. An army, no doubt on a mission, but composed of beings whose very existence seemed to defy the natural order.

"Ahsoka," she called out, her voice cutting through the wind as they leaped and sprinted through the trees. "There's something ahead of us. I don't know what, but it could be an opportunity against the creatures following us."

Ahsoka's eyes narrowed as she focused on the direction Aayla had indicated, her senses now attuned to the new presence as well. "I can feel it too," she replied, her voice filled with apprehension and curiosity. "But … there's something off with them."

They bursted from the dense forest, the trees finally thinning out as they approached the edge. Aayla, boots skidded slightly on the soft ground as she came to a halt, still half-carrying and half-dragging the wounded Bly. Ahsoka stopped beside her, both Jedi staring in astonishment at the scene that greeted them.

Spread out before them was a massive formation, hundreds strong, arrayed in organized ranks that spoke of disciplined military training. The beings were a little short, closer to the size of Ashoka, the young Togrutan still being a child, but their numbers and the way they held themselves spoke of confidence and experience. Their faces were twisted into expressions that were hard to read, unfamiliar and alien to Aayla's eyes, yet they carried an air of intelligence and purpose.

The front line was made up of heavily armored soldiers, their bodies encased in thick, heavily built and primitive-looking metal armor with helmets shaped to cover their entire heads. Each of these front-liners bore long, wicked-looking halberds and big shields, their blades glinting in the moonlight as they stood ready for a full fledged battle.

Behind them stood another group, equally disciplined and distinct in their attire, clad in hooded dark cloaks and armed with a various array of blasters. Their eyes were sharp and focused, their weapons held firmly in their hands, ready to unleash at a moment's notice firepower from their tight formation.

On the flanks of this formation were a few riders fidgeting, mounted on strange anuba-like creatures, predators known for their sharp senses and hunting skills, but these beasts were larger and with much longer fur. The riders themselves were clad in lighter armor, their sharp blade at the ready as they scanned the treeline, prepared for both pursuit and flanking maneuvers.

These beings were like nothing she had encountered before, not in all her travels through the galaxy Aayla thought, her eyes widening as she took in the sight. Their appearance was unsettling, reminding her of Gamorreans from Hutt space, mixing both primitive and futuristic equipment, their skin a sickly green or gray, with sharp, angular features and bulbous noses with large pointed ears that twitched as they moved with an unnerving precision. More so, the surprising uniformity of their appearance and perfect discipline struck her. She had spent a lot of time with a literal army of clones lately and in comparison, these people seemed even more identical to one another and even more 'made' for war.

But what unsettled her to a greater degree was the realization that despite their obvious intelligence and organization, these beings seemed completely disconnected from the Force. It was as though they existed in a parallel reality, one that defied the Cosmic Force as she had always understood it and to Aayla, this was a profound mystery, an impossibility that challenged everything she knew about life and the Force.

They stood in disciplined ranks like in a parade or at maneuvers, their eyes fixed on the two Jedi and the wounded Commander. The tension in the air was thick, the green skinned soldiers' grips tightening on their weapons as they assessed the newcomers. There was only the faint sound of wind troubling the silence, no guttural voices or barking commands breaking the stillness, which only heightened the surreal nature of the encounter.

Before Aayla could react, the Barghests that followed them, catched up. Suddenly, the backward row of soldiers with blasters shifted their aim, their weapons rising in perfect unison. Bly and Ahsoka instinctively tensed, fearing the worst as the barrels pointed toward them and she could sense Ahsoka preparing to spring into action, but Aayla, reaching out in Force, sensed their true intention.

"Wait!" she hissed, grabbing Ahsoka's arm just before the blasters fired. The familiar whine of blaster fire filled the air and the group instinctively ducked, but it wasn't aimed at them. Instead, the red lasers were directed into the forest behind them. The pursuing Barghests, just emerging from the thick treeline, were caught in the barrage. Precise shots brought down several of the beasts before they could even fully emerge, their monstrous forms crumpling under the intense fire.

Bly and Ahsoka shared a brief, wide-eyed look, the tension in their bodies relaxing just a fraction as they realized they were not the targets of the deafening volleys. "They're not shooting at us," Aayla confirmed, her voice low but steady. The Force had revealed the beings' intent to her, their focus clearly on eliminating the threat.

As the last of the Barghests fell or turned back, silence once again descended on the clearing and her group got back up. This was a moment that could determine their survival. Aayla knew they couldn't fight such numbers, not in their current state, on the contrary this was what they were looking for, people, both for Anakin's sake and to find a way off this planet.

Aayla took a cautious step forward, carefully lowering Bly to the ground beside her. With slow, deliberate movements, she raised her free hand in a gesture of peace, her lightsaber deactivated but still held in the other. Ahsoka followed suit, keeping a watchful eye on the beings around them, ready to react if the situation turned hostile.

Presumably the leader of the force stepped out from the ranks and unlike the heavily armored soldiers, this figure was smaller, almost unimpressive by comparison. His primitive armor was much less elaborate and lacked the imposing presence of those behind him. Yet there was an undeniable air of authority about him. He stepped forward with a confident stride, a hand resting on the hilt of a large sword that hung at his side.

He began to speak, his voice clear but in a language that was completely unfamiliar to Aayla, "Who are you girls? What are you doing here?" The language was smooth, almost melodic, in total contrast with the harsh, guttural tones that Aayla had expected from beings that resembled Gamorrean, who mainly talked using grunts and squeals.

Ahsoka's eyes widened in recognition as she whispered urgently, "Master Secura... that language… I think I've heard it before. It's the same language I heard when I accompanied the delegation to Nazarick."

The small leader continued to speak, his tone firm but not aggressive and Aayla could sense that while he was cautious, he was not immediately hostile. "Wait here while the Boss is coming, Enri-Sama will decide what to do with you."

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Hey :)

So this chapter is a replacement of the episode 113 as was voted on the discord, amongst several propositions. This choice was made because this is one of my least favorite episodes of Clone Wars and could use it for something better in this new timeline. You should definitely join FszvzGTgVu to get the timeline, early chapters, participate in votes, discuss lore and support my writings, which gives access to the current roadmap for the overall story.

It took some time to articulate the roadmap for this part, since as you get it now, it is the Enri introduction to this lore. I hope you liked this first part and what is there to come for this ARC. There is also the matter of the new story, Eezo and Chrome, launch that I had to do, this was in my mind for too long and I had to do something about it :)

See you around for the next part or on discord :D