Kachirho, Kashyyyk - Mid Rim
3rd person POV...
Following the dark lady's proclamation, Commander Cody and General Kahdah both listened intently as she explained more in-depth about her directive to eliminate the unknown, potentially Jedi, threat in the Shadowlands. Both of them displayed varying levels of caution and uncertainty to the whole ordeal.
"So... what's next, ma'am?" Cody questions.
"We find this, 'Weeping Tree,' as the locals say, and destroy them," Lumiya states firmly.
"And what makes you certain they are a Jedi?" Kahdah asks with narrowed eyes.
"The Emperor has decreed as such. He knows a Jedi is here," she states.
Kahdah sighs and looks down momentarily but otherwise doesn't voice any objection. Cody, however, is not as convinced.
"With all due respect, ma'am, I've served alongside the Jedi before and the Weeping Tree, whatever it is, does not act like one," the clone commander argues.
"You question the wisdom of His Majesty?" Lumiya demands, glaring at him.
"Of course not. If he says a Jedi is here, then those are the facts," he quickly responds. "I'm just skeptical about it being the Weeping Tree. It attacks resistance fighters as well as our own."
Lumiya ponders his reasoning for a moment, then turns to look behind them.
"Perhaps. Let us see if your spy knows more," she remarks thoughtfully.
Cody and Kahdah look at each other for a brief moment, confused, then turn around upon noticing one of the bridge officers is approaching them.
"Sir, one of our probes has transmitted a message from the rebel base, with a top priority code!" he reports earnestly.
Kahdah turns to face him fully with a hardened gaze, a subtle fire glinting in his eyes.
"Show me," he orders.
The officer slips a small drive into the holotable's port and presses a few buttons to display a written transcript sent by one of their Imperial probe droids. Kahdah, Cody, and Lumiya all read the report in silence for several long moments before Kahdah reacts first with a shocked expression.
"Jarik Shan? Here?!" he says incredulously.
Cody widens his eyes in astonishment and scans the report with greater intensity, making sure not a single detail is left unread. Lumiya likewise showcases her own surprise in a more subtle way, leaning back partially with a gleam in her eyes.
"Curious indeed," she says quietly.
Cody doesn't share his own thoughts about thus new development as a flurry of very differing emotions batters their way through his mind. Loyalty and strict military discipline would have him seek immediate solutions to counter and eliminate the Empire's most deadly adversary. His other side, however, the gentler one he's repressed out of duty to his government is panicking.
Having served alongside Shan and his Master during the Clone Wars, he knew the Jedi better than most could claim. He felt immense relief that he never had to carry out the Order against his commander, yet shame for having done it to his general. He's both worried for Shan and frightened, whether out of fighting him as an enemy or facing him as a traitor. But wasn't it the Jedi who betrayed the Republic? He simply fulfilled his duty as a soldier by following orders. None of it is even his fault.
And yet he knew his general and commander well: they were good leaders. Good men. Even if the Jedi Order as a whole betrayed the Republic, he knows they individually did not. So why did he choose to betray them? It's a decision he's had to live with for a long time.
The Emperor's Hand walks quietly into a dimly lit room in the Imperial facility, her feet barely making a sound. After the door closes shut behind her, and she ensures there is no possibility of any prying eyes, be they physical or virtual, she places a closed-circuit imagecaster on the ground in front of her and kneels as the holographic image of her Emperor appears before her.
"How fares your work, my child?" he inquires.
"There has been an... unexpected development, my Emperor," she informs him. "Jarik Shan is here. As is his family."
The Emperor's eyes widen slightly at the surprising revelation, and he hums with incredible curiosity.
"Are they now?" he asks.
"A probe discovered that the rebels will attempt to infiltrate the capital and assassinate the general and his officers," Lumiya reports. "Mara Jade will be with them, but Shan and Tano will not."
"For what purpose?" the Emperor frowns.
"They seek what the locals call the Weeping Tree, the entity that is responsible for destroying Imperial and rebel forces alike," she explains.
The Emperor ponders her report in silence, his brow furrowed and lips pressed thinly together.
"Shall I pursue them, my Emperor?" she questions.
"No. You are not yet a match for their power," he replies firmly, and she bows her head whilst he continues to think. "Hmm, let them be for now. They will prove useful in eradicating this phantom nuisance. And if it destroys them... even better."
He smiles in content, a faint gleam flickering through his yellow eyes.
"Very good, my Emperor," Lumiya agrees.
"As for Mara Jade, she is yours to challenge," he declares.
Lumiya bows her head once more with a smile on her face, eager to prove herself to her master.
Kkowir forest, Kashyyyk - Mid Rim
The rebel and wookiee strike team spent another hour planning out the details of their mission, after which they set off into the woods in the direction of Kachirho. Amongst the strike force are Mari Kosan's band of Partisans, current and former, Cara Dune's squad of shock troopers, Mara, Rex, Boil, Choyyssyyk, and a group of wookiee berserkers led by Tarfful. Jarik and Ahsoka also accompanied the group through the trees for some time, though eventually they paused in their journey to address the team.
"This is where we'll be splitting off," Jarik informs them.
"Because that's always been a great idea in the past," Mara rolls her eyes, though he ignores her.
"Tarfful, how close to the Weeping Tree will this map get us?" Ahsoka asks.
The wookiee chieftain garbles a response and she smiles at him, patting his shoulder in reassurance.
"Don't stress about it. We'll make do with it. Thank you," she replies graciously, and he nods back in kind.
"Try not to die will ya, Commander?" Boil tells Jarik.
"Can't get rid of me that easily, old friend," the Jedi replies with a smile.
They both grasp each other's forearms in comradery before separating, and the husband and wife begin trekking their own path through the trees.
"May the Force be with you," Mara calls out to them.
They both look back at her with a smile before pressing onward, vanishing rather quickly into the dense forest.
"Alright, let's keep moving," Rex calls out to the group.
The rebels and wookiees resume their march through the forest, their anticipation building the closer they get. Meanwhile, the Imperial probe droid continues to survey their progress from afar.
Shadowlands, Kashyyyk - Mid Rim
As they traversed farther into the depths of the forest, it didn't take long before they noticed a drastic shift in the environment around them upon entering the Shadowlands region. The air seemed thicker, as if attempting to choke them, and natural light was kept from the surface by more than just the dense canopy. The more calming sounds attributed to nature, such as birds chirping and singing, were nowhere to be heard. Instead, the only sound granted to travelers of the Shadowlands were haunting cries of strange bird-like creatures or the creaks and groans of drooping trees.
Using the map given to them by Tarfful, which highlighted the assumed general location of the Weeping Tree, Jarik and Ahsoka were making decent progress, utilizing their Jedi abilities if met with an obstacle most would otherwise be incapable of passing. Nevertheless, the dark and dreary nature of the forest was hard to ignore for even them, and Ahsoka was irritated at her inability to not look over her shoulder every once in a while.
'I love the wookiees, but so far I'm not liking their planet,' Ahsoka tells Jarik over their bond.
'I'm sure the rest isn't as creepy as this region,' he says in an attempt at a light-hearted shrug. 'It is called the Shadowlands after all.'
'Fair enough,' she agrees.
Their route is then halted by a large ravine in front of them that had no visible bottom, forcing the pair to take some time to jump across it. Jarik jumped first with a Force assist from Ahsoka, and he likewise did the same for her once she followed after him. After landing on the other side they continue onward through the shadowy forest before eventually coming to a halt to analyze their map once more. If they're correct they should be very close, but eventually they'll have to discard the map and trust in their instincts and the Force to guide them.
'Got a sense of it?' Jarik asks her.
Ahsoka closes her eyes and stretches out with her senses, seeking any trace of the Weeping Tree's presence; whether it's a former Jedi or simply a creature of the dark side, there should be a concentrated source to follow. However, all she can feel is a mere trickle of something unnatural amongst the trees, and she opens her eyes with a deep frown.
'It's hiding,' she says, glancing at him. 'You?'
Jarik takes a moment to do the same in stretching his senses out through the Force, though reaches the same conclusion.
'I can sense the darkness but nothing else. It's like a thin cloud all around us,' he states in displeasure. 'Finding this thing may take some time.'
Ahsoka narrows her eyes and tilts her head to the left slightly, sudden more tense and alert.
'Or none. Duck!' she cries out in alarm.
Without a second thought Jarik ducks down low as if dodging an enemy, which proves to save him from being skewered as a humanoid figure lunges out of the bushes at him. The man, seemingly a togruta at first glance, whirls around to face them with a primitive pike in his hands and dashes at him with a snarl for another attack. Jarik backpedals to evade a few jabs made at him and Ahsoka leaps forward to kick away the attacker. The man stumbles backward but then thrusts out one hand and Ahsoka cries out in surprise as she's blasted away by a Force push.
"What the...?" Jarik exclaims in bewilderment.
The togruta hurls his pike at Jarik with a wild shout but he smacks it out of the air with his left arm, after which the attacker throws another Force push. However, Jarik is prepared this time and tanks through the oncoming blast, causing only his cape to flutter behind him. The assailant is frozen in astonishment before he's struck by a retaliatory Force push from Ahsoka. He yells wildly and quickly scrambles to his feet whilst Ahsoka and Jarik face him side-by-side.
"Stand down!" Ahsoka demands.
The togrutan male snarls and starts muttering to himself, tense and hunches over as he eyes them.
"They have the Force! How? That can't be...!" he says anxiously.
'He seems a little out of it,' Jarik remarks to Ahsoka over their bond.
Ahsoka had to agree, though as she looked at the hostile togruta she can't help but find him strangely... familiar. He's covered in dirt and rags, and the lack of light makes it hard to see his face. Yet there's definitely... something.
'Yeah...' she replies quietly. 'Do you recognize him, or is that just me?'
Jarik frowns and looks at the wild man more closely.
"No, no no... servants of the dark mask!" the man growls, appearing more panicked. "No! They're back!"
Intrigued by the description, Jarik nevertheless holds his hands up in a placating gesture while taking a careful step toward him.
"Hey, calm down, we're not here to hurt..." he tries to say.
He trails off while talking as he got a better glimpse at the togruta's facial markings. He widens his eyes and gasps in recognition.
'What is it?' Ahsoka asks.
"Holy kriff..." Jarik breathes out in astonishment. "Codi?"
The man freezes in place upon hearing his name and stares directly at the two Jedi with wide eyes. With his face more visible Ahsoka quickly recognizes it to be Codi Ty, one of their friends from the Jedi Temple, and gives her own gasp of astonishment.
"By the Force!" she exclaims.
"What did you say?!" Codi demands, backing away from them.
"Codi It's me, Jarik! And Ahsoka!" Jarik says, taking another step forward.
However, Codi shakes his head furiously and glares at them with a crazed look of panic in his eyes.
"No, no!" he screams. "Not true! Lies!"
Without giving them a chance to respond Codi scrambles around and takes off sprinting through the trees.
"Codi, wait!" Ahsoka cries out.
She and Jarik immediately dash forward in pursuit, desperate to catch up to their lost friend from another time although Codi seemed even more desperate to escape them. He ran crazily, moving between a mix of standard running and leaping and scrambling like an animal. He jumps onto the side of a tree and pushes himself farther up into the canopy. Being the more agile of the two Ahsoka follows right behind him while Jarik continues the chase on the ground.
Codi snarls upon seeing her following him and jumps off a branch to swing away on a vine. Ahsoka gathers the Force around her and leaps into the air to follow, grabbing onto a thin branch of the next tree while Codi swung himself higher up on another one. Scowling, Ahsoka pulls herself up and jumps after him, flipping herself onto a branch and reaching Codi's tree, though the wild togruta simply jumps to the next one. Focusing more intently she then reaches out with her hand and makes a fist, causing the branch Codi was aiming for to snap apart.
With his intended footing destroyed Codi falls down with a panicked cry, flailing wildly before hitting the ground. He manages to soften his landing with the Force but still tumbled over in a messy heap, groaning in pain. Struggling to recover from his fall Codi scrambles up to keep running but is then caught by Jarik who tackles him to the ground. Codi roars and flails his arms around violent to punch, kick, and even claw at the Jedi. Jarik grunts in pain as he's struck across the face and attempts to restrain him.
"Codi, stop! We're friends!" he pleads with him.
"No! They're all DEAD!" Codi screams.
Ahsoka lands on the ground nearby as Jarik manages to grab one of Codi's arms, pinning it to the ground while kneeling on one leg.
"Codi!" he exclaims.
Ahsoka extends a hand and uses the Force to freeze the rabid Force user in place, allowing Jarik to successfully hold him down on the ground. Codi snarls and screams, trying to free himself from her grip, but to no avail.
"His mind is clouded," Ahsoka says with wide eyes. "It's like he's gone mad."
"Krayt spit," Jarik says anxiously. "How long have you been out here?"
"Liars! Servants! Let go of me!" Cody screeches.
"Keep him still. I'll see if I can help him," Ahsoka says.
Jarik nods and physically holds Codi's arms and legs himself and Ahsoka releases her Force grip. Immediately he thrashed and tries to throw Jarik off of him, forcing the Jedi Master to use all his weight to restrain him despite Codi being noticeably thinner and more frail. Ahsoka kneels down behind Codi's head and places her hands firmly on his temples to hold his head in place.
Taking a deep breath she closes her eyes and opens herself to the Force, stretching her mind out to Codi's. He growls when her mind touches his and fights even harder, almost pushing Jarik off but he slams him back down using his prosthetic.
"I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me," Ahsoka murmurs quietly.
Codi's struggling falters for a moment but he thrashes even harder, screaming at them. Ahsoka's face contorts and she exerts even more energy as she wrestled mentally against a dark cloud that clung to Codi like a leech.
"I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me," she says again.
A faint glow of white light shines from Ahsoka's hands as she lets the energy wash over Codi, cleansing the madness from his mind.
Slowly but surely Codi's struggling lessens, and after a minute it fades entirely. Sighing heavily she opens her eyes and pulls her hands away, prompting Jarik to release his grip on Codi as well. They both sit back in exhaustion, staring down at the togruta.
Codi groans softly, a pained look flickering across his face before he relaxes. His eyelids flutter open and he squints heavily with a dazed expression.
"Codi? Can you hear me?" Jarik asks him.
"What... who...?" Codi replies weakly.
"We're friends," he tells him. "Jarik and Ahsoka."
"What...?" he mutters.
Codi blinks his eyes a few more times and slowly sits up, groaning as he does so. He looks at the two Jedi beside him for a few moments, narrowing his eyes in confusion before incredulity and realization dawn on him.
"Jarik? Ahsoka?" he asks quietly in disbelief. "You're really... is it really you?"
"It is. We're really here," Ahsoka smiles in confirmation.
Codi gapes at them, still in a state of shock.
"Karking mudscuffer...!" he exclaims.
"Well, guess we know you're also the real deal," Jarik says dryly.
Codi scoffs at him in reply and tries to stand up but winces in pain. Jarik helps him up to his feet and steadies him as he regains his bearings.
"It's been a while. How're you feeling?" he asks him.
"Like I've been through hell and back," Codi replies.
"Must've been pretty bad given the sorry state you were in," Ahsoka remarks.
"Yeah," he grimaces in apology. "Sorry for attacking you guys."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just happy it's you and not someone else," Jarik reassures him. "I'd thought we'd found everybody that survived the Purge by now."
"Yeah, well, being expelled from the Order has its advantages," Codi says, giving Ahsoka a knowing look.
"Lucky you," she retorts with her arms crossed.
Codi lifts a brow, somewhat confused, but shrugs it off.
"So, what brings you two here?" he asks them, stretching his arm out. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm betting it wasn't because you knew I was here."
Jarik and Ahsoka both glance at each other before responding.
"Well... we are looking for someone, or something, here," Jarik admits. "You think you can help us?"
"Depends on what it is," he replies, a bit cautious.
Several of the trees around them suddenly creak and groan louder than usual while a faint breeze whistles through the trees. The three look around in unease at the strange feeling, Codi more anxious than the other two.
"It's not safe in this forest," he tells them. "I have a hideout close by, so fill me in on the way."
Kachirho outskirts, Kkowir forest - Kashyyyk
The company of rebel and wookiee soldiers maintained their course to the Imperial-occupied city of Kachirho, eventually entering new territory that Tarfful recognized to be on the very fringes of Imperial territory. Mari pulls up a map to analyze their path and confirms the Chieftain's thoughts.
"We're about ten klicks out from the city," she reports, glancing back at the wookiees. "How close do you need to be to start climbing?"
Choyyssyyk responds with a few low growls and she nods in understanding.
"And for those who can't swing on a vine, how're we supposed to..." Tivik points out cautiously.
"I could throw you if you want," Mara jokes.
Boil cracks a smile whilst Rex shakes his head in exasperation. Tivik merely casts a dry look at the Jedi Padawan, unamused.
"I think I'll pass," he says.
"Same here," Rex adds in agreement.
Boil scoffs at him and chuckles in amusement, bumping Rex on the shoulder.
"Heh, that story was funny," he says, recalling the time Rex was thrown off a giant wall.
"Not for me," the clone captain retorts with a scowl.
Choyyssyyk interjects into the conversation to address the group and explain the plan moving forward. When he's finished Xosad leans toward Idryssa with a questioning look on his face.
"Translation?" he inquires.
"Each of us is going with a wookiee," she explains.
"Sounds like fun. I think I'll enjoy this mission," Ulvac says with a grin.
Just then the wookiee chieftain tenses up and looks back behind the large group, a snarl quietly building in his throat. He stares as if communicating nonverbally with a fellow wookiee, making a few hand gestures. The rebels take notice of his behavior and become anxious themselves.
"What is it?" Cara asks, gripping her blaster tightly.
A fierce war cry then cuts over everybody and they whirl around to see one of the wookiee berserkers a short distance away leap down from a tree and slice his ryyk blade clean through a dark metal object that was hidden amongst heavy foliage. The berserker lands on the ground with enough force to create a divot and the two halves of what he struck clattered lifelessly on either side of him. The rebels quickly rush over to inspect the object's remains and are filled with dread as they instantly recognize it.
"A probe droid?!" Rex says in alarm.
"What!?" Tivik exclaims with wide eyes.
"How long has it been following us?" Cara asks anxiously.
Idryssa crouches down beside the destroyed probe and notices the antenna is sticking up.
"Long enough," Idryssa scowls, kicking the machine.
A flurry of tension and fear ripples outward among the rebels and Mara holds a hand up to her belt to grip her lightsaber, immediately stretching her senses out through the Force in search of enemy forces. Mari Kosan growls and pulls her blaster rifle into her hands, glaring at the droid.
"Dank farrik, we're compromised!" she states angrily. "We need to get back to base. Now!"
"Move it, move it!" Rex barks out orders, recognizing the danger.
The wookiees and rebels start shuffling back through the forest in the direction they just came from, moving with greater urgency. Mara follows after them before pausing as she senses dozens of life forms at the edge of her vision, surrounding them on all sides, their intentions now clear as day.
"Oh kriff! It's an ambush!" she shouts in warning.
A few of the rebels skid to a halt at her panicked declaration and spot multiple white-armored troopers emerging from the trees with their blasters raised. A barrage of red laser bolts are then sent hurtling their way without prejudice, killing two rebels and a wookiee on the spot. The rest of the company scatters and attempts to seek refuge behind the thick trees or among the dense foliage, though they still remain exposed as more blaster fire is shot at them from various angles.
Mara ignites her purple lightsaber and remains out in the open in an effort to draw incoming fire towards herself while the rebels took cover. She swings her blade fast to defend against various angles as multiple Imperial troopers focused on her. Though most of the troopers were clad in standard white armor there were also plenty that wore camouflaged armor as well, making them more difficult to see.
Cara ducks down behind a large fallen tree trunk and looks out to get a sense of where he allies were. She spots Ulvac crouched down behind a large lung plant and completely oblivious to a death trooper emerging from the brush behind him.
"Ulvac, on your six!" she calls out.
The rebel shock trooper quickly whirls around and leaps to the side to evade a shot from the death trooper. He lands on his side with a pained grunt but doesn't waste a second to take aim with his own blaster and fire off a shot that strikes the death trooper in the head.
"Thanks!" Ulvac exclaims in gratitude.
"They brought death troopers?" Xosad exclaims.
"This was a terrible plan!" Tivik cries out.
"Shut up and focus!" Idryssa snaps at him.
He scowls at her but peeks out to shoot a stormtrooper between the eyes. Nearby on the battlefield Rex and Boil both hunkered down together behind a fallen tree. A death trooper snuck around and attempted to charge at Boil, surprising him with a kick that knocks him down, but is swiftly gunned down by Rex. Boil scrambles back up and gives him a simple nod of acknowledgement and fires at an opposing trooper.
"This didn't go as planned!" Boil growls.
"He always kriffing knows," Rex replies bitterly.
Several of the wookiee berserkers began to push forward in retaliation. Their large stature helps them bound through the trees at frightening speed and two of them converge on a small group of five camouflaged troopers and mercilessly dispatch them with their ryyk blades. Unfortunately the two berserkers are then caught in the explosion of a thermal detonator that is thrown their way.
The remaining berserkers howl with anger and make a chaotic effort to avenge their fallen comrades, surging forward. They lose a few of their number but that only spurs them onward even more and they slaughter many troopers while Tarfful and Choyyssyyk follow from the rear to support them with ranged weaponry. However, this starts to leave the remaining rebels more vulnerable to attack and several squads of Imperial troops rush forward to take advantage of the opening. Rex notices this quickly and looks over to see Mara still out in the open deflecting a constant steam of blaster fire.
"Mara! Shore up our left flank!" he calls out to her.
"On it!" Mara acknowledges him.
"Kosan, we need an escape route!" Rex then says.
"Working on it!" she replies anxiously, dropping behind cover.
Cara crouches down herself and pulls a thermal detonator out of her own belt and primes it with a fierce look of determination.
"Time to thin the herd!" she says.
Looking out from her position in search of a denser group of enemies, Cara soon finds her target and quickly ducks out to hurl her detonator as far as she could. It lands amongst three stormtroopers, killing them instantly. A few of her fellow shock troopers likewise toss out their own grenades to halt the surge of enemy troops converging on their left flank.
On the opposite side of the battlefield Cody observes the chaos through his binoculars and scowls in frustration. Taking note of the enemy positions he opens up his comm channel to address his soldiers.
"Heavy troopers take charge! Focus on point A7!" he orders.
A few squads of stormtroopers take charge at the order, carrying an assortment of heavy blaster rifles, rotary blaster cannons, and grenade launchers. They unleash their payload on the rebel positions with prejudice, killing a few rebels caught out in the open and shredding the fallen logs to kill even some who were hidden. Cara drops to the ground with a pained grunt as bolts from a rotary cannon tear through the trunk she was hiding behind, a sure death sentence had she remained standing.
"Dank farrik!" she growls in frustration.
Boil leaps out of his position to give her team more support and rolls behind a rock, scoring a direct hit on one of the heavy troopers along the way. He and Cara both take out two more heavy troopers before they're forced to scatter as another detonator is thrown in their direction. Boil hits the ground hard and is caught out in the open, but Mara leaps to his defense just in time and throws a fallen tree trunk with the Force to wipe out a line of heavy troopers. From his position Cody spots her charge and alters his battle strategy.
"The Jedi has been spotted! Split around her!" he orders his troops.
Gripping his blaster rifle he then moves forward himself alongside his fellow soldiers, and though Mara continues to deflect a plethora of blaster bolts sent her way she fails to realize that the focus on her has lessened as the Imperial forces split up around her location. The already weak left flank starts crumbling under additional numbers of Imperials. At least half of the rebel's initial strike force is now dead.
"Mara! Left flank!" Rex yells at her.
Mara whirls around and curses in realization.
"Fratz!" she exclaims.
The Jedi Padawan dashes across the battlefield to assist the struggling rebel fighters, among them being Xosad and Idryssa. The two fighters are blasted out of their position by a grenade, but before three nearby stormtroopers could get to them Mara leaps forward and slashes her lightsaber through them and they collapse with pained cries.
"Thanks!" Xosad says.
"Don't mention it!" she responds.
Just then a strange cracking sound cuts loudly into her ears and Mara pauses at sensing a new source of danger. She whirls around to face the source only to see a flying log sent hurtling through the air that crashes right into her, tossing her back and causing her lightsaber to fly out of her hand.
Idryssa stumbles to the ground, having barely avoided the log herself, and Xosad turns in the direction of their attacker, seeing a small red-haired woman clad in all black lunging at him. He tries to shoot her but she dodges and snaps a long whip at him consisting of several tendrils that crackled with red volts of electricity. The tendrils of the whip strike him hard, wrapping around his neck, and Xosad releases a gurgling scream of agony before the whip is snapped back to its owner to remove the twi'lek of his head.
"NO!" Idryssa screams in horror.
She opens fire with her blaster but the woman ducks forward into a roll and snaps her whip out to disarm the rebel, then throws her away with a powerful Force push. Mara, having gotten back to her feet now and retrieved her lightsaber, gapes at this new foe in shock and disbelief.
"For Force's sake..." she groans.
The red-haired woman wore a cowl and goggles that hid her face. She doesn't offer any words to Mara before lashing out with her lightwhip, the red volts crackling with deadly intesnity. Mara backflips to avoid the whip and raises her lightsaber in a defensive stance, reacting just in time to block two followup strikes. The woman pushes forward and spins around to add greater momentum in a heavy strike of her lightwhip, causing Mara to stagger backward after it struck against her lightsaber. She gasps in panic, unsure of how to combat the wielder of a lightwhip, and repeatedly backpedals while her assailant continues to charge.
Having kept an eye out on the Jedi's position, Cody observed her duel with Lumiya commence and then waves his troopers forward with the rebels best combatant now occupied.
"Move in! We've got them pinned!" he declares.
The wookiee berserkers were still massacring scores of Imperial troopers but in the process they themselves were rapidly dwindling in numbers as only six berserkers remained along with Tarfful and Choyyssyk. Realizing they could not continue to throw themselves at the enemy with brute force Tarfful barks out an order for his remaining warriors to fall back to the rest of the rebel strike team. The rebels themselves were being forced to retreat into a smaller and smaller area, severely limiting their mobility.
"They're boxing us in!" Tivik exclaims.
"I see it!" Mari replies.
"Ulvac!" Cara shouts.
"We're out of grenades!" he tells her.
"Fark!" she curses angrily.
Their defense is strengthened when the wookiees return to their circle and switch out their blades for bowcasters, the explosive bolts helping them immensely. However the Imperial forces were well prepared for the attack and boasted far more troops to fill in for those who fell. Another death trooper moves closer and throws a grenade into the midst of the rebel's circle.
Tarfful looks over his shoulder in alarm as the grenade lands behind the lineup before exploding, causing him and several others to go flying while another three of their ranks are killed. Cara and Ulvac are blasted into a nearby tree and knocked unconscious from the impact.
Boil managed to evade the worst of the explosion. As he gets back to his feet he looks out at the Imperial line and spots a trooper wearing armor with a familiar pattern. Though the colors were switched from orange to gray, and the helmet's visor was stylized to match a stormtrooper, he could still recognize the individual as none other than Cody. He moved forward alongside his troops while firing at the rebels, his aim still true as he kills a wookiee berserker with a headshot.
Seeing a brother who he once greatly respected and admired fighting on the side of a tyrannical Empire, which goes against everything the clones had fought for, stirs a vicious burst of hatred and fury within Boil. He growls in anger and Rex quickly notices what had gotten his attention.
"Don't be stupid, Boil!" Rex barks at his brother.
"Krayt spit, he's going down!" Boil retorts scathingly.
The former ARC trooper then charges out into the open with a war cry, headed straight for Cody.
"Boil! Karabast!" Rex yells in frustration.
Rex sprints anxiously after his clone brother in a desperate effort to cover him from incoming attack. While charging Boil shot down two of the stormtroopers flanking the Imperial commander, which Cody takes notice of immediately. Another stormtrooper shifts his aim towards Boil to defend his commander but is swiftly gunned down by Rex.
Boil fires his blaster at his former commander and Cody ducks his head to the side, taking a step back in surprise. He retaliates with a few shots of his own but Boil leans forward to tank the bolts with his right shoulder plating, then lunges with a roar to tackle him. He and Cody go tumbling to the ground and wrestle briefly before Cody throws him off. He gets up and is immediately struck in the head by Rex and staggers back with a pained grunt. Rex swings at him once more with his weapon but Cody grabs his arm mid-strike and shoves him away. A nearby stormtrooper then lands an incapacitating shot on Rex that hits him in the gut and he collapses with a pained shout.
"Rex!" Boil shouts in worry.
He angrily charges Cody yet again but is shot by the Imperial commander in his unarmored shoulder, causing him to stumble. Cody then kicks him to the ground and points his blaster at him, concluding their fight.
"You're done, rebel! Hands above your head," he demands.
Boil glares at him with contempt in his eyes, refusing to comply.
"I said hands above your head!" Cody snaps at him harshly, taking a step forward.
"Kriff off," Boil spits at him.
Underneath his helmet Cody glares at his former ally and comrade, tightening his grip on his blaster.
"I guess you forgot what it means to do your duty, Boil," he states coldly.
With that Cody fires a stun blast that knocks Boil out cold and he falls to the ground with a cry.
Nearby, the duel between Mara and Lumiya continues with furious intensity. The Emperor's Hand lashes out with her whip relentlessly while the Jedi struggles to defend herself against a seriously unorthodox form of combat. She slaps her lightsaber in every direction she could to block the snapping tendrils of the lightwhip while being constantly forced to back away.
Growing desperate now, and noticing that the rebel strike team is nearly all but defeated, Mara dashes forward with a fierce shout at her opponent, rolling underneath a few tendrils of the lightwhip and lunging toward Lumiya for a stab. The dark lady snaps her whip back and quickly backpedals to avoid Mara's blade and twists underneath a following slash. Seeking to regain her distance Lumiya jumps backward several feet and Mara moves to follow, but is caught off guard by another snap of the lightwhip and connects with her hand, forcing her to drop her lightsaber with a cry of pain.
With her opponent disarmed Lumiya rushes at Mara and kicks her in the chest and she tumbles backward. While she attempts stand Lumiya lashes her out once more with one of the tangible non-electric tendrils of her lightwhip which snaps around Mara's neck. She grabs at the metal cord choking her with eyes wide in panic and Lumiya stares at her with an unreadable expression.
"I expected more, Mara," she sneers.
Mara struggles to pull the tendril off her neck but Lumiya yanks on the whip to pull her forward, bringing her knee up directly into her opponents face and knocking the Jedi Padawan out cold.
Codi's hideout, Shadowlands - Kashyyyk
While leading Jarik and Ahsoka to his hideout Codi listened in as they explained the purpose of why they were here. Needless to say he had very strong opinions about it which he made sure to express, using plenty of colorful language to do so.
Reaching his hideout, a small primitively constructed hut within the giant roots of a tree, he quickly ushered them inside and slammed the door shut behind him. He anxiously moved a few things around and grabbed a sword he had found in the trees as a replacement for his lost pike, then focused entirely on the issue at hand. He crosses his arms and glowers at the two Jedi with no small amount of displeasure.
"This is seriously just about the worst possible idea you could have for being here," he growls out.
"Well, that sounds like the usual deal for us," Jarik says calmly.
"Don't be a blope-head, Jarik, I'm not joking," Codi scowls at him.
"Me neither," he retorts evenly.
Codi glares at him incredulously before throwing his hands up in frustration.
"You know what, I don't even want to know!" he exclaims.
"Guys, come on. Focus," Ahsoka cuts in, glaring at them both before sighing. "Look, Codi. The Weeping Tree, whatever it is, has been causing a lot of problems here for everyone, including the wookiees; it's filled with the dark side, and it's killed too many. Is there anything you know about it that could help us deal with it?"
"I know all of that and more," he replies anxiously.
"Chief Tarfful told us that it first appeared after a battle between Vader and several Jedi," Jarik says, looking at him cautiously.
Codi gives a faint nod.
"And he would be right," he grimly confirms.
"Is the Tree a... a Jedi?" Jarik carefully asks him.
Codi doesn't answer for a long while, looking away from them.
"I don't want to relive it," he murmurs.
Ahsoka is empathetic as she looks on with a knowing gaze.
"I understand. We all have our demons," she tells him gently. "But please... tell us."
Codi glances at her and she catches the haunted look in his gaze. Eventually he concedes with a heavy sigh and nods his head.
"It is a Jedi," he confirms. "Or at least it used to be one. The Tree was Master T'ra Saa."
Jarik furrows his brow and glances at Ahsoka, pondering if she had more insight, but she knew just as much as he did.
"Master Saa? I don't know much about her except that she knew Quinlan," Jarik comments.
"Him, Master Saa, and Master Tholme were all here," Codi informs them.
"Tholme was here?" Jarik frowns in confusion, trying to recall what he had heard about the Jedi Master. "I thought Ventress killed him during the war."
"Maybe she thought she killed him, I don't know," Codi shrugs in dismissal. "All I know is that I met him, T'ra, and Quinlan here on Kashyyyk a few years after the Republic fell."
Ahsoka puts the dots together and a sad expression crosses her face.
"But Vader found you," she realizes.
Codi nods bitterly, and his face contorts into an angry scowl for a moment as he recalls the events which led to that.
"We were betrayed!" he seethes quietly. "And when Vader came here he killed..."
He pauses mid-sentence and trembles with emotion, unable to continue. Jarik and Ahsoka look on sadly, sensing a familiar state of grief from him.
"Kriff," he says, his voice shaky, and he sighs to compose himself. "He killed Quinlan first. Tholme died soon after that. That's when T'ra snapped."
"What do you mean?" Jarik asks.
"I don't what she did, but it caused an explosion. Cleared a whole section of the forest," Codi says, shaking his head in bewilderment. "Vader must've figured she was dead. I did too, but... she survived."
"How did she turn into the Weeping Tree?" Ahsoka asks him.
"She's a Neti. They're basically shapeshifting plants," he explains. "After the Empire left she took root over Tholme's body, and has been there ever since."
Jarik looks at Ahsoka in alarm and also confusion, baffled at the story Codi was telling them. Was that really all there was to it?
"So she's been killing everything around her ever since?" he asks skeptically with a hint of disbelief.
Codi fails to answer right away once more and the two immediately sense a new level of fear in him, confirming that there's more to the story. He's terrified, not just in the logical sense that he's wary of a person or situation. It's a much deeper level of fear in that it's irrational. Raw.
"What is it?" Ahsoka asks gently.
"... She didn't... become a monster right away," he whispers. "I... I'm not sure it was even her doing."
They both look at each other, confused, and he continues.
"Not long after everything happened I sensed something... off. It was dark, evil... wrong. I-I don't know how to describe it," he says shakily. "But it came from this... thing."
"Another Sith?" Jarik asks worriedly.
"No... maybe. I don't know. Crikking Force, I know it sounds crazy but I swear it was like Apoko itself spat a demon out here," he says frantically, surprising them. "I don't know if I was already mad or what, but I followed its presence to the clearing. That's when I saw it: a ghost."
Ahsoka frowns, sharing a confused look with Jarik.
"A ghost?" she repeats back and he nods.
"I hid myself in the foliage so I couldn't see much, but it was like a... like a ghoul. And it did... something... to T'ra's tree. Left something evil there," he explains, his body noticeably shivering. "Before I could figure out what it was doing it suddenly stopped and... and looked right at me...! I-It had two glowing red eyes that― it-it felt like they were looking into my soul!"
Codi was trembling now out of pure fear, his eyes wide and panicked at a level that had them both extremely worried.
"I ran away as fast as I could and didn't look back. But I could still feel it watching me, every day, driving me insane," he says in a quiet whisper.
He concludes the tale and takes a deep breath.
"So now you know," he mutters, hugging himself nervously. "Whatever that... that demon did... it turned T'ra into a monster. A vicious, bloodthirsty, monster."
Silence permeates the hut for a while as the Jedi ponder everything that Codi said, the latter making an effort to calm himself. Jarik and Ahsoka both share a worried look with each other, concerned about Codi and what his story could mean. They know there are much worse things out there than even Palpatine, they've seen some of them firsthand. But what Codi was describing was nothing short of a horror story. What sort of unknown entity could be lurking out in the blackness of space, capable of instilling terror into a hardened Jedi warrior and transforming a Jedi Master into a rabid beast?
"I'm sorry about everything, Codi," Ahsoka tells him sincerely. "Really."
"Me too," Jarik nods in agreement. "I wish we could've found you sooner."
Codi acknowledges them with a faint nod and sighs. After a while he looks back at them with bitter resignation.
"You're still going to fight her, aren't you?" he deduces knowingly.
They both nod.
"Karking drydaks," he mutters.
"You've been through a lot, Codi, and we don't want to make you―" Ahsoka starts to say.
"Let me stop you right there," he interjects. "This plan of yours to get farked by the Weeping Tree is pure bantha trish."
In the middle of his rant Codi rummaged through his things and grabbed his sword.
"But I'll be kriffed if I let you go without me," he declares.
"Codi, you don't have to do this," Jarik shakes his head in concern.
"I have to," he states heavily. "It's my fault they died."
"Don't say that. Don't ever say that!" Ahsoka snaps at him. "You should never blame yourself for losing a friend!"
Her gaze softens and she places a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Trust me, I get it," she says gently.
He acknowledges her words but remains unfazed in his decision.
"I don't care," he scowls. "I need this. I need closure."
Ahsoka gazes sadly at him and Jarik lets out a heavy sigh of resignation, nodding his head.
"Alright, if you insist," he says with a faint smile. "The more the merrier, right?"
"I'll go with that," he replies. "Let's get moving while the light is on our side."
Kachirho, Kashyyyk - Mid Rim
Stirring back into the world of consciousness, Mara wearily blinks her eyes a few times while slowly lifting her head, squinting at first and letting out a few quiet groans of pain and discomfort. Her nose is throbbing painfully from the brutal hit that took her out of commission. With her arms stretched out and aching she tries to pull them inward, only to find herself unable to do so at the feeling of cold hard metal trapping her wrists.
Becoming more alert, she looks over to see metal cuffs restraining her wrists to the wall that she's hanging limply off of, though her legs are free at least. Mara tests the strength of the cuffs for a moment and scowls before looking around at what is clearly a prison cell, the room's entrance locked with a ray shield. Movement out of her peripheral vision catches her attention and she nearly jumps in surprise at seeing another person in the cell with her, who she quickly recognizes as the female warrior she fought earlier.
No longer in the midst of a battle Mara gets a more detailed look at the mysterious figure. She's clad in all black spy suit that occasionally sported thin armor pieces, equally dark in color, as well as black cloth adorning her waist and shoulders. Her face was covered by a black cowl and over her eyes she wore black goggles. The only bit of color Mara can find in the woman's appearance was her startlingly red hair, which was eerily similar in color to her own.
The mysterious woman slowly paces in front of the captive Jedi Padawan, unnerving Mara at how she made little to no sound while moving as though she were a ghost.
"Mara Jade..." the woman says softly.
When she spoke, Mara was caught off guard by just how young her voice sounded... if she had to guess, the woman is the same age as her!
"Dancer. Spy. Agent. Assassin. Scalpel," she lists a few descriptive terms while Mara listens. "A Hand of the Emperor."
The Emperor's Hand, Lumiya, came to a stop in front of Mara and stares at her intently, her face unreadable behind the cowl and goggles.
"That is the life you could have had were it not for the intervention of the Jedi," she tells her.
"Sounds like a lousy life," Mara says dismissively, mustering her bravado.
"One that could've led to incredible promise for you," Lumiya rebukes her just as easily. "Though I suppose I should be grateful. Had you not lost your chance at that life, I would not be here now."
Mara scoffs in reply.
"Congratulations, an Inquisitor with a fancy name," she sneers.
Lumiya turns away from her and continues to pace once more, not acknowledging Mara's taunts.
"The Emperor told me you were a formidable adversary; someone he trained me to be an equal to," she states, a hint of contempt in her voice as she pauses to gaze at Mara yet again. "Yet here you are in a cage... and I barely broke a sweat."
Mara scowls at her faint mocking tone.
"You want a medal or something?" she snaps.
Lumiya suddenly dashes forward like a blur and Mara gasps as a thin hand grabs her by the chin, Lumiya's sharp nails scratching her skin.
"I want a challenge!" the Emperor's Hand hisses, showing a bit of emotion for the first time. "My purpose in life is to eliminate any and all who my Emperor deems fit!"
Despite her unease Mara refuses to back down against this apparent dark doppelganger.
"Then why haven't you killed me yet?" she points out.
Lumiya stares at her for a moment more, then removes her hand from her chin and takes a step back, once again calm and composed.
"There was no need," she states simply. "You are no adversary of mine. Just a nuisance."
With that the dark lady turns and starts to make her way out of the cell, the ray shield dropping as she approaches it.
"Keep dreaming, red," Mara calls after her, smirking. "You'll be wishing you followed your master's orders after I escape."
Lumiya pauses in her step and glances back at Mara.
"Don't worry, you'll be dead soon enough. We're just waiting for your parents to get here; if the Weeping Tree doesn't kill them first," she remarks with a careless shrug.
Mara's smirk falls and she glares at her foe, who simply gives a small wave in farewell with a smile underneath her cowl.
"Be seeing you, red," she says sweetly, then departs.
Shadowlands - Kashyyyk
Knowing the forest better than them, Codi led the way to where the Weeping Tree was rooted. As they traveler, in an effort to lift their spirits a little, the three caught up on what they had been up to over the years. Currently, Codi was listening to the Jedi duo with no small amount of incredulity.
"Marriage? Seriously?" he exclaims.
"Don't tell me you disapprove," Jarik rolls his eyes.
"Kriff the Code," he retorts to correct him. "I just don't see you two as a couple."
The husband and wife falter in their step and gape at him, then share a perplexed look, having never heard anyone say that about their relationship.
"That's a first," Ahsoka remarks.
"You kidding me? You guys were so abusive to each other, you especially," Codi shakes his head in disbelief. "If the roles were reversed I guarantee people would've flipped."
"That's ridiculous," Ahsoka scoffs at him, slightly offended.
Jarik quirks a faint smile of amusement, agreeing with Codi somewhat, though when Ahsoka looked his way it vanished before she could notice.
"We were kids to be fair," Jarik reasons, feeling somewhat obligated defend his wife.
"Sure, sure," Codi waves a hand in dismissal. "Keep telling yourself that."
Ahsoka scowls at him but doesn't respond while Jarik simply chuckles to himself at her plight. He feels like he should also be flustered by Codi's argument but he can't help but find it amusing, partly because he thinks it's true himself. For the jokester that he was as a kid he wasn't very good at defending his own honor when it came to close friends, though he supposed that was better than the revenge streaks that Weron and Kurhran committed themselves to against the three girls.
"So what else have you guys been up to? Besides getting... married," Codi asks them, making a face at the last part.
Ahsoka rolls her eyes in annoyance so Jarik decides to answer for them.
"That's... a very long story," he admits. "I'm not sure where to begin."
"That bad, huh?" Codi deadpans.
"And good," Ahsoka retorts. "Lots of both. Just... yeah, like he said. Long story."
How exactly were they supposed to explain everything that had happened to them over the years since the Republic fell? There simply was no end to the things they could say. Codi seemed to grasp this as he simply nodded back to them in understanding.
"Well, you'll have to share it with me some time," he comments.
Codi then slows to a stop all of a sudden, prompting the Jedi to do the same. He stands silently, his senses stretched out, his body tense in unease.
"What is it?" Jarik asks, worried.
"Shh!" he angrily shushes him, speaking at a whisper. "Tell me you can sense it."
They both stretch their minds out into the Force, probing the area ahead of them carefully. They didn't get very far before a wall of blackness washed over them, making Ahsoka gasp quietly in astonishment. A deep stirring in her soul immediately puts her on edge as she recognizes the feeling to be Morai herself reacting to the evil up ahead. And if Morai was concerned that meant they should be too.
"... I can," Ahsoka whispers nervously. "Is that...?"
Codi nods his head grimly in confirmation.
"We're close," he tells them.
They start walking again at a slow and careful pace, keeping their Force senses on high alert for any sign of danger. Like when they entered the Shadowlands the whole environment around them seems to change, but this time its much worse. The forest seems to darken at a frightening intensity and a thick fog rolls over them, making it impossible to see anything beyond a few dozen feet ahead of them. The air is so thick it feels like it can almost choke them, and the silence is deafening.
'Force… it's as if something's choking the forest,' Ahsoka relays her nervous thoughts to Jarik.
He nods in agreement as while not quite as bad as Remnicore was, the darkness permeating the forest around them was still deeply unsettling. Eventually the small group entered a clearing of trees and the blackness felt even more apparent without the silhouette of tree trunks surrounding them. Jarik takes a step forward and then looks down when hearing a crunch, widening his eyes to see the mangled corpse of a stormtrooper at his feet.
The decaying stench of death then hits them like a truck and the two Jedi hold a hand to their noses instinctively. As they continue onward, more slowly now, more corpses littering the ground come into view. They're mainly composed of stormtroopers, which hadn't been there for too long but occasionally they noticed wookiees amongst the dead, the latter being much further along in the decomposition process. Scattered throughout the clearing were even signs of destroyed vehicles, reduced to little more than wreckage. Codi surveys it all with a haunted gaze.
"She's been busy," he mutters.
"What could turn a Jedi into... this?" Jarik asks in shock.
"A demon," he answers softly.
They creep their way farther into the clearing, extremely tense now that they know they're in the domain of the malevolent tree. They can sense eyes watching their progress now, feeling like it was no longer making an effort to hide itself from them.
"All I'm feeling here is pain, sorrow... rage," Ahsoka says nervously.
A faint moan then echoes through the air and the trees creak and groan loudly. Reacting out of panic and instinct Jarik and Ahsoka ignite their lightsabers in a blinding flash of gold and silver. Codi grips his sword tighter in his hands and starts to hyperventilate, his eyes wide with fear.
"She knows we're here...!" he whispers frightfully.
Jarik quickly grabs his shoulder to both reassure him and make sure he didn't run off again.
"Hey, stay with us, Codi, alright?" he declares firmly. "You're not alone. We're in this together."
Codi furiously shakes his head in reply.
"It won't matter!" he snaps.
He then goes completely still, his body freezing in fear as he looked forward. Ahsoka and Jarik followed his gaze to see the silhouette of tree standing directly ahead of them at the edge of the fog. The tree itself looked nothing short of evil: its trunk was wide and twisted and its branches were gnarled and empty of any leaves, the ends of them drooping like rusted daggers seeking to impale their next unfortunate victim.
The Jedi knew immediately, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was the Weeping Tree. Steeling her trembling nerves Ahsoka steps forward ahead of everyone else and lowers her saber to address it.
"Master Saa? Can you hear me?" she calls out.
"The kriff are you doing―?!" Codi quietly shrieks in panic.
"I want to try at least," she rebukes him.
The Weeping Tree seems to hiss at them. Spotting something in his peripheral vision Jarik looks left and just barely spots something slither out of view before he could get a good look. A deep sense of dread drops painfully into his chest as he starts to realize what it is that makes the Weeping Tree, or rather the shapeshifting Neti that is T'ra, so deadly.
She's not simply rooted in front of them. She's all around them.
"We want to help you, T'ra!" Ahsoka continues to say.
"Ahsoka..." Jarik murmurs in warning, seeing another vine move on his right.
"Please, let us help you!" she pleads earnestly.
The forest became quiet then, the silence so thick that simply breathing sounded like cannon fire. Movement at the Tree catches their attention and draws their focus towards it. Though nearly impossible to see through the fog, to the Jedi it almost looks like emerging from the Tree is the ghostly figure of an old woman that is hunched over with a wild mane of hair cascading from her head like a terrible cloak.
On either side of the woman stretches forth two lanky arms ending in a gnarled hand that twitches sporadically, sporting terribly long fingernails.
The silence is then broken by a horrific otherworldly screech coming from the Tree that claws painfully at their ears, making all three of them cringe away in terror. All around them spring forth dozens of thick knotted vines which shoot up high into the air that leave completely surrounded. The Jedi whirl around to face all of the vines, hold up their weapons high in preparation for a fight, and the multitude of vines lash out at them in a wicked charge with the sole intent of mutilation.