Time passed by, and Areria and I were into battles after battles. I managed to squeeze some time to see Koltav, even if it was for a little while. But whenever I couldn't visit, I'd send him a message on our own comlink channels or through a hologram. Currently, Areria and I were helping Aayla Secura and Maya in the Quell system. Unfortunately we were heavily outnumbered. We were all on one ship, the Separatists destroyed all our other ships. Anakin and Ahsoka were on their way to rescue us.

"Our shields are gone, Master." Areria informed us.

Hurry, Skywalker. We're depending on you." Aayla said before turning to her Commander clone trooper. "Commander, get out there and stop those droids."

"I'm on it." He assured us.

Not too long after the Commander stormed out, another clone trooper spoke up. "General, Skywalker's here."

We let out relieved sighs at his words. That the Force he's here. 

"And none too soon." Aayla added.

"We're entering the atmosphere." Maya mentioned.

"Come, let's help them take down the droids." Aayla suggested.

We then rushed out of the command room and into the hallways to find a plethora of droids. I stood alongside Maya while Areria had my back, and together with the Bly and Aayla we began fighting off the droids. We sliced down the droids, while Bly blasted down as many as he possibly could. As we fought off the droids, they saw Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex enter along with their troops.

"Nice entrance, Skywalker." Aayla greeted.

Once they approached us, we began to run through the hallways, cutting down the droids along the way.

"How do you plan to get us out of this mess?" Maya asked.

"Well, I have a ship docking in the lower hangar as we speak." Anakin informed us.

As we made our way towards another hallway, we saw a single droid, who looked terrified upon seeing us. "Uh...Hold it."

However at that moment, several more droids came towards us, blasting at us. We deflected their blasts, as we ran down the hallway towards the hangar.

"We made it." Areria said.

"It's too late." Anakin mentioned.

I glanced back to see a huge ball of fire, heading our way. Without thinking twice, Anakin used the Force to push Rex, Ahsoka, Maya, Areria, and the others back into the hangar. They wore quite shocked and horrified. "Anakin! Storm!"

"Masters!" Ahsoka and Areria exclaimed.

We closed the door before using the Force to push the fire back with all our strength. We managed for a short while, closing a door before us...until an explosion occurred, burst through the wall. Both Anakin and I were knocked back against the wall, falling unconscious.

••• 

When I awoke, it was quite dark. I was inside a small tent with Anakin by my side. He was unconscious. I glanced over at the grass, sensing something in the tall grass. I narrowed my eyes to see what appeared to be a mastiff phalone. My eyes widened. That's impossible...they're only found on the planet Maridun. Unless we are on this planet. I winced as I climbed to my feet, limping and clutching my side as I got out of the tent. However, I didn't make it far as I stumbled over the dirt, falling to the ground. I heard footsteps approach me. I glanced up to see Rex.

"General? Are you alright?" Rex asked, sounding worried.

"Be...Behind you." I warned, forcing the words out.

Rex whipped around to see the mastiff phalone pounce towards him. "What the..."

I watched as Rex struggled with the creature. It pinned Rex down, prepared to eat him, when I used the Force with my last strength to push it off of Rex. Once the creature was pushed back, it ran off. I groaned as I collapsed back onto the ground.

The next morning, I woke up sensing more of those creatures heading our way. I groaned as Anakin and I slowly got up. Rex immediately approached us. "Generals, you need to maintain your rest."

"I can't rest. Rex, they're coming." Anakin mentioned.

"I can sense them too. We must fight." I urged. 

Two of the creatures came towards us. We managed to kill one, but the other came charging towards us at full speed, knocking Anakin and me back. I tried climbing to my feet, but fell back onto the ground.

"Master!" I heard Areria exclaim.

I glanced over to see Areria, Ahsoka, Rex, a Lurmen, and Bly.

"Good to see you, Snips." Anakin said.

"Areria, Ahsoka, you're alright?" I inquired.

"We're the ones who should asking that." Areria stated.

"This is Wag Too. He's a healer." Ahsoka informed us.

"They can make you well again." Areria added.

"Don't you worry. I can fix you both right up." Wag assured us.

With that we were taken on stretchers into a village, when I opened my eyes I saw several Lurmen, looking down at me. I was taken back. "Uh...Areria?"

I then heard Maya's voice. "Don't worry, sister. They'll take care of you."

And with that, the Lurmen took me into an empty hut that was shaped like an egg. He grabbed some of the liquid from what appeared to be pods. He then lathered the oil on some rags. "The oil from the pods will aid in the healing process."

Wag then placed the rags over my eyes, my legs, and my side. I closed my eyes as I felt the oils soothe my wounds. 

"Don't worry. You'll be well in no time." Wag said.

"Thank you, Wag." I replied. 

The next day passed by, and Aayla, Areria, Ahsoka, Anakin, Maya, and I were currently all in one hut as Wag tended to our wounds. Anakin and I had several bandages, yet we still weren't a hundred percent. It wasn't long until Commander Bly approached us. "General?" 

"Yes, Commander?" Anakin asked.

"We've got a Separatist ship incoming." Bly warned.

"This is neutral space." Wag commented.

"It won't be neutral for long, not if the Separatists have their way." I pointed out.

Anakin and I tried moving, but without help, we fell back down. Wag placed a hand on my shoulder to prevent me from getting back up. "Don't struggle. I'm sorry, but you're still too injured to move."

At that moment, the Lurmen elder, Tee Watt Kaa, Wag's father approached us. "What menace have you brought to our village now, Jedi?"

"Father, you can't blame them." Wag defended us.

"He's right. The Separatists don't even know we're here." Ahsoka added.

"And they can't know." Maya mentioned.

"We've got to hide." Aayla urged.

"Your presence here endangers us. You must leave before your enemies find you." Tee protested.

"But you'll need our help. You can't fight them alone." Ahsoka pointed out.

"We will not fight them at all. We would rather die than to kill others." Tee argued.

"You're going to surrender?" Areria asked, sounding baffled.

"But how can you..." Ahsoka began to protest.

Anakin cut her off at once. "Ahsoka, Areria stop. If the Lurmen want to remain neutral, we won't force them into war."

"It's the least we can do for all their troubles." I insisted.

"See to it that they leave." Tee said to his son before turning his back towards us. "I must see what our new visitors want." 

After Tee left, Wag helped us escape. Rex and Bly helped Anakin to stand and walk, while Areria and Maya helped me. As Wag helped us out of the village, we saw the droids ransacking the village and destroying everything. This devastated and shocked Wag. "Why are they tearing apart our homes? We've done nothing to them!"

"Violence, that's what those droids are programmed for." Ahsoka mentioned.

"Can't we do anything?" Areria inquired.

"No, and if we are discovered, all of the Lurmen will be slaughtered." Aayla mentioned.

"We'll be okay if we make it to the tall grasses." Anakin commented.

With that, we hastily made our way towards the tall grasses. Once we were far enough, we decided to rest and eat our snacks. As we ate and rested, we spoke about the Lurmen villages.

"You know, I can't figure those villagers not wanting to fight. No pride I guess." Rex suggested.

"I call it no courage." Ahsoka added.

"Sometimes it takes courage to stick to one's beliefs, young padawan, as any Jedi well knows." Aayla reminded her.

"We need to find a ship, and I think the only one around here belongs to the Separatists." Anakin advised.

Storm: We know they have a landing ship. They might have a shuttle.

"Generals, you talking about stealing from one of the clankers?" Rex asked before getting excited. "Count me in."

"We need to find them first." Aayla suggested.

"Uh...I think we just did." Areria said.

We then saw one of the Separatists spy droids emerge from the tall grass. It was going to escape and inform the Separatists of our whereabouts.

"Blast it!" Maya ordered.

Bly and Rex began firing at the droid, but it began to fly away. Aayla quickly turned towards Bly. "Jam its signal!"

"After it!" Maya urged.

They all rushed over the droid, while Anakin and I struggled to keep up, yet we assured the others that we were fine, and to run after that droid before it could alert our presence. Once Anakin and I caught up with the others, they were standing in a giant tree. And turns out, they destroyed the droid before alerting the Separatists. Ahsoka glanced over at us with an uneasy look. "I hope you're feeling better, Masters, 'cause look what we found."

Ahsoka then handed Anakin a pair of macrobinoculars. Anakin chuckled. "I'm getting stronger all the time, Snips. But I'm not sure I'm ready for that. That shuttle's our ticket off this rock."

I scoffed. "Oh come on. How bad can it be?" 

I then grabbed the macrobinoculars to check for myself, and I was shocked to see their ship inside a huge fort,  which was no doubt heavily guarded. I groaned. "Oh...well I take back what I said."

"That shuttle is our ticket off this rock." Anakin mentioned.

"It's not gonna be easy, sir. There don't seem to be any flaws in their security line." Bly explained.

"Apparently, the Separatists have a new toy. See if you can get a closer look." Anakin advised as he gave the macrobinoculars to Bly.

Bly nodded. "Yes, sir."

"I'll go with you, Commander." Rex offered.

With that Bly and Rex both climbed down the tree to get a closer look. We watched as two droids were sent towards the direction of Rex and Bly.

"Uh-oh. Stay down, boys." Anakin said, despite knowing they couldn't hear him.

We watched as they fired a weapon into the air before coming down right before the droids, releasing a huge wall of fire. However it didn't hurt the droids, but now it was heading towards Rex and Bly. Aayla managed to grab Bly in time, while Maya rescued Rex, bringing them safely back onto the tree. We watched horrified.

"That's some toy." Anakin said.

"It took out every living thing." I stated.

We then watched as the droids began walking towards the direction of the Lurmen village. Aayla furrowed her brows. "Where are they off to now?"

My face fell. "They must be going back to the Lurmen village."

Anakin nodded. "There's nothing else in that direction."

"Those villagers won't stand a chance." Maya mentioned.

"First we'll take out the droids' communication station. Then after we get a shuttle, we'll go back and help them." Anakin suggested.

"But Tee Watt Kaa said he doesn't need our help." Areria reminded us.

"There's a difference between pulling innocents into a war and leaving them to extinction." I clarified.

As night fell, we moved towards the fort to execute our plan. We slowly finished off the droids, guarding the doors one by one without triggering the alarm. Rex, Bly, Anakin, and I remained outside, while Aayla, Ahsoka, Areria, and Maya carefully climbed up into the front. Once they opened the front doors, the four of us quickly entered inside. We quickly attacked the droids one by one until we successfully reached the ship.

"Shield generator, sir." Rex commented.

"Let's take 'em with us." Anakin ordered.

We quickly grabbed the shield generator before climbing onto the ship. As dawn approached, we approached the Lurmen village. Once we landed, we got out, and approached the Lurmen.

"Everyone, please, please listen. The Separatists will be here in moments." Aayla warned.

"What are you doing here?" Tee asked. "I told you not to return." 

"I'm afraid the Separatists don't care whether you're in the war or not." Anakin explained.

"We need to get you to safety before they arrive." I advised.

"We will not abandon our homes." Tee argued.

"But they've got a new weapon. It'll burn this place to a crisp." Areria argued.

"Is this what all of you really want?" Ahsoka questioned as she looked around at the villagers.

"If it is our destiny to be destroyed in your war, so be it." Tee shot back before walking off.

With that we got to work. We made our way towards the entrance of the village, placing the shield generators on the ground. Rex, who stood on the top of a tall hut informed us where the droids were. "Droids inbound. We've got eight minutes tops."

"Come on, guys. Let's get these shield generators in place!" Anakin exclaimed.

We quickly activated the shield generators, but refrained from powering them up. I then noticed pods around the village. My eyes lit up. "Let's use the pods to barricade the village."

"Great idea, Storm." Anakin said.

With that, we used the Force to move the pods around the village, especially the front barricading the Lurmens' home. Unfortunately Tee didn't like this. "Pray stop what you're doing. Stop building that wall. I did not ask you to defend us."

"This battle is inevitable." Anakin informed him. "You can stand by your beliefs..."

"But let us stand by ours." I urged.

Wag then approached us with a gratified smile. "Thank you for what you're trying to do.I'm sorry, but I cannot help...My father is very strong willed and set in tradition. Many others agree with me, but we were raised under a very strict code. We must respect it, even if we don't agree."

"They're holding position." Rex mentioned.

"They're not going to charge us." Maya said.

"Not if they can hit us from long range first. But if we can withstand that weapon, we'll draw them in." Anakin advised. 

We then saw the weapon fired in our direction. Rex shouted out. "Incoming!"

"Power the shields!" Anakin ordered.

The shields were quickly powered up, creating a force field around the village. The flames quickly reached us, but did died out as it hit the force field. Anakin grinned. "Now they'll have to get their hands dirty and meet us face-to-face."

We then saw many droids heading our way. Ahsoka gasped. "That's a lot of clankers."

"We got to stop them before they get through that shield." I advised.

With that Aayla, Anakin, Ahsoka, Areria, Maya, and I went out of the shields as we made our way towards the droids, igniting our lightsabers at once. We cut through the droids in a heartbeat. Ahsoka wore a grin. "That wasn't so tough."

"That was just the first wave." Anakin informed her as more droids began to head towards us.

I scoffed. "No biggie, nothing we can't handle."

"Snips, get back to the village!" Anakin advised.

"Areria go with Ahsoka, Anakin and I will take care of the new weapon." I ordered.

As Anakin and I made our way towards the weapon, a General and a droid fired their tanks at us. We dodged the several blasts as we quickened our pace, determined to take out that weapon before it could destroy any of the villagers. We finally reached the weapon, destroying it along with the tanks. We watched as the General leading this Separatists troops tried running away. "Help! I'll be defoliated!"

As Anakin finished up, slicing down the last of the droids, I used the Force to stop the General from going anymore. I then lifted him up in the air as he groaned. "There goes my promotion."

I narrowed my eyes at him before speaking to Rex through comms. "The weapon has been disabled."

"Copy that, General." Rex replied.

Once all the droids were destroyed, we returned to the village. I handed the Separatist General over to Rex, who cuffed him before taking him onto our newly acquired ship. Ahsoka and Areria informed us that several of the Lurmen helped us thanks to Wag. I bowed my head to Wag as I gave him a smile. "Thank you, Wag Too."

"Thank you. Our village would certainly have been destroyed without your protection." Wag responded before turning around. "Father, I was just offering the Jedi our thanks."

Tee then approached us along with Aayla. He looked hesitant as he spoke. "Perhaps we do owe you thanks, but I still wonder, at what cost?"

"Come, the Republic still needs us." Aayla advised.

With that we said our final goodbyes before heading inside the ship, making our way to the nearest Republic fleet.