“General Jet Set, the enemy force is on the move.” A Kentoph royalist trooper enters the field command tent and salutes. The general, a gray skinned man with dark hair is at his desk and looks up, pushing the small pair of spectacles up his face.
“How many, corporal?” He asked as he stood up and exited the tent, the corporal following close behind.
“Estimates say around three thousand plus at least double the number in droids. Strange thing is they all appear to be armed with non-standard weapons: vibro-blades, pikes, slug throwers. Doesn't make a lot of sense.”
“No it doesn't, considering we still outnumber them four-to-one even with the droids. Seems the desperate times have mad them lose any semblance of tactics. Then again, I don't believe these rebels had much intelligence to begin with. Have our full force deploy and we'll crush them with a single strike and be home before the holidays.”
“Yes sir!” Soon the order was given for all troops to mobilize as they drew up in battle formation behind fortifications and in trenches. Jet Set sat atop a hill watching the approaching force march straight toward their mountainous position. “They'll never make it passed the first line of defenses. Prepare the artillery!” Jet ordered as the gunnery chief motioned and the guns began to triangulate their coordinates as the enemy force moved into position.
As the royalist forces took aim, several odd, probe droids emerged from the rebel formations and floated over them. They soon began to emit some sort of whit mist from vents on their frames and spread it over the advancing group until they were covered, mostly obscuring the force. Jet looked through his binoculars and chuckled to a trooper next to him. “Not much of a smokescreen if they were trying to flank us. It's just covering their current position. Open fire.” He gave the order as the troopers opened fire on the clouded, still advancing enemy force. The shots flew with lightning speed over the landscape toward the concealed targets. To the shock of the defenders, the blaster bolts dissipated upon contact with the mist that blanketed the rebels and their droid reinforcements.
“What the...” Jet Set said as the officers on the front lines called in that the flurry of fire was ineffective. “Give them everything you've got!” The troops fired their blasters into the thick of the quickly advancing troops but the effect was still the same. The com-links at the HQ were blasting from the officers across the line that the attack, even concentrated fire was having no success. “Open with the artillery.” The gunnery crews were doing their best to target the enemy force as one of them looked up in shock.
“Sir, we can't! Something is messing with our targeting systems. We'd be firing blind.” Suddenly they heard the distant sound of the slug throwing rifles that the enemy had armed themselves with as the com channels from the front lines blazed once again that the enemy had pierced their line and were overpowering their forces as the blaster proof cloud had overtaken the position as the droids continued to spread it in their advance. Reports came in that even at point blank range the bolts from the blasters didn't even travel a foot from the barrel. “We need to leave!” Jet rose from his seat where he'd previously been an entertained spectator before things had suddenly gone south for him and the communications from the front had gone silent and the menacing fog advanced with the sound of cheers and clanking droids in it's midst. “Gather all the....Gah!” He was stopped as he held his throat and his body floated in the air.
“Going somewhere...General?” Was all he heard before the very rare sound of a lightsaber caught his ear. “You should take a good look at what our brilliant minds in the lab have cooked up.” His body was spun toward the battlefield as he strained to see as his oxygen supply was steadily running out. He could just make out the stragglers of his former division scrambling to flee the cloud only to be cut down by the advancing rebel force that began to make itself visible. “Nice, isn't it? Trillions of nanites joined together to make a blaster resistant mobile cloud. Hisan and his beautiful queen will be in for a rude awakening very soon. But I think I've wasted enough of your time so...” The sudden burn of the intensely hot weapon burned into Jet Set's chest as he was allowed to take in his final breath.
A far ways away, the small team, led by Sunset Shimmer was on it's way through the jungles of enemy territory as she was hoping to find any type of lead that would explain the veil of mystery surrounding the true nature of this conflict. Alongside her were Zaza, the Celestial Knight Therma, and Rose and her two compatriots Lily and Daisy. The groups had been traveling unsupported aside from the supplies they carried from camp for about two days now. A pair of them would scout during the day while the others set up a temporary camp that they hunkered down in at night. So far they'd come up short on any solid evidence but they pressed on despite that fact. Zaza did her best to keep up with the group through the thick undergrowth as she hauled her pack of supplies, slightly lagging behind most of them.
The padawan's foot snagged on a tree root and she tumbled over under her pack. As she tried to get to her feet, Rose stepped over her, giving her a brief jeer of contempt as she passed her. Zaza managed to get to her hands and knees as an open hand was extended to her. Looking up she saw Therma who aided her and got her back to her feet. “Thank you.” She said with a small blush of embarrassment before the two walked in step with one another.
“Don't mention it. ” Therma glanced ahead at Rose who had picked up her pace. “Let's catch up, little sister.”
“Sister?” Zaza asked in confusion.
“Of course. Jedi, Celestial Knights, Zeisan Sha, even is we don't agree on everything, all of us are children of the Force. My father always says that makes us family.”
“Even the Sith?” The golden haired girl asked.
“Well, every family has those that need...correction.”
Eventually, the group made camp for a third night as they sat around a small fire. Sunset and Therma had left a while earlier to continue scouting the area for ambushes or any sudden movement of the rebels that might jeopardize their campsite and their mission. This left the others seated around the fire, with Daisy and Lily seated next to each other across from Zaza with Rose seated off to the side. The group passed the time by telling stories as Daisy was finishing off her tale as Lily did her best to hold down her laughter.
“And I swear, I never knew a Devaronian could turn any more red!” Her punchline elicited a few good chuckles from her compatriots as she turned to Zaza. “So, you got any good stories kiddo?”
“Oh no. I don't...well, I do have one about Master Fluttershy.”
“Well, let's hear it.” Lily said excitedly.
Rose rolled her eyes and, with a loud groan, she got up and turned to take a walk. “I'm going for a walk. I'll be back.” She marched off into the jungle.
Daisy and Lily looked at each other with concern before they noticed the downtrodden look that Zaza wore on her face. “I...think we've had enough stories for tonight.” Daisy said to break the tension as she placed a hand on the padawan's shoulder. “We've got another long day ahead of us and something tells me it won't be a peaceful one, so we better enjoy the rest while we can.”
“I'll keep first watch.” Lily said as she retrieved her blaster rifle. Daisy and Zaza went to their tents to get some rest. Daisy, albeit a bit put off by her friend's behavior, was eventually able to get some rest. Zaza, on the other hand, tossed and turned as she seemed to be fighting someone in her slumber. As she lay beneath her blanket, a mist rolled through the camp as Lily rested her back against the trunk of a tree. The latter took notice of the odd occurrence and, despite her limited training in the force, she could detect something wasn't right. Just as she was getting to her feet, a shadow sped through the mist and within seconds, she plopped back down and the figure crept into the campsite.
The shroud rolled into Zaza's tent as the young girl continued to turn uncomfortably in her sleep as the shadow seemed to wash over her, calming her night terrors as it made it's way into the tent on the opposite side of the camp, Rose's tent. It shot from one side of the temporary dwelling to the other, as if in search of something before it exited and saw a path cut through the dense jungle and followed the path to what it hoped was it's target.
Meanwhile
“There they are.” Sunset said as she sat in a tree while she looked through a pair of binoculars into one of the rebel camps. “Looks like they are fortifying their positions. They've got a gunship coming in too. Bigger than the usual models.”
“Might be for a commanding officer. Something big must be happening.” Therma said as she sat on the branch next to the jedi.
“Think you might be right. We should be careful if that's the case. They'll definitely be doubling up their patrols. Best we make ourselves scarce before first light. We should get as much rest as we can before then.” The duo stayed up in the tree, safely hidden from view from below by the thick leaves as they both rested on the wide branches. Sunset looked up as she could see the few streams of light that were able to pierce the canopy as she looked over to her temporary protege. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
Therma opened her eyes. “Ask away, Master Jedi.”
“I couldn't help but notice that your master, your father...he doesn't seem...”
“Old enough to have a daughter my age?” She chuckled. “Would it surprise you to know I'll be five this year?”
Sunset was certainly surprised by this news. “You're...a clone.”
“No. It's complicated. You see, I was born with a very rare disease. My parents and the others didn't think I would make it. I probably wouldn't have if not for a doctor on Kamino. They had some sort of chamber that they put me in and for the next few months that's where I stayed. It cost a high price for them but as you can see, I lived. The only side effect was an accelerated aging process. For the year I was in their, I'd aged thirteen years.”
“That must have been difficult for you. Having to grow up in such a unique circumstance.”
“Honestly, it never seemed that strange to me until I started to travel with them and saw other things. My training was the same, even if I had to train with other squires that were physically much younger than me. I still had to learn the basics, our code and combat. Though sometimes, I feel like my parents and I missed out on a lot on bonding like a normal family. It often felt like they were more stern older siblings than parents, but they loved me all the same. It's why I owe them to see this thing to the end.”
Sunset placed a hand on hers. “And we will. I promise you that. Things here are clearly not what they seem on the surface. A civil war and Sirens being here are undoubtedly making the situation immensely worse. Question is where are all these supplies...” She stopped as she sensed something as she and Therma both looked out in the direction of their main camp.
“I sense it too.” They leaped from the tree and proceeded to race back to the others.
Campsite
Rose stood on a cliff that overlooked the large jungle valley they'd marched through the last couple of days. She clutched her satchel close to her as she once again pulled out the gem that the specter had “gifted” her some days prior. The light of the full moon danced across its surface as she held it out. It was such a simple thing, but something that held the greatest of powers. That much was certain to her. She rolled it around in the palm of her hand before she sighed and looked up at the moonlit sky. “What should I do master? This...this has to be the way. It's the only way they'll see, isn't it?” She clutched the saber of Sandalwood, a weapon she never used, but likewise never left her side, as she grit her teeth. “I wish you were here. I need you now more than ever.” Her thoughts came to an abrupt end as she felt another presence behind her.
Quickly, she drew and ignited her own yellow blade and spun to face her assailant. Zaza stumbled back, her frightened expression greatly detailed by the glow of the drawn Jedi weapon. Rose's eyes showed the same disgust and contempt that seemed to be the only feeling she could express towards the girl as her words were cold and fierce. “What do you want?”
Zaza shook nervously, her hands starting to sweat as she was face to face with the anger filled Rose. She swallowed before she managed to utter out her words. “I wanted...to talk...to you.” Rose continued to train her weapon on the girl as she got her strength back and continued, though she turned her gaze to the ground. “I know you don't like me. Fluttershy...she told me everything.” This caused the other padawan's eyes to open wide as she looked in shock, having difficulty believing that Fluttershy would have told her the happenings of that day.
“She told me I was lost. That someone bad...used me as a tool to make them powerful. They used the dark side of the force to twist me into a monster, and I hurt people; a lot of people. You're master, Sandalwood...he saved me?” Rose, her eyes still trained on the girl, gave a small confirming nod. “Master Fluttershy told me that you loved him,” She began to get choked up as tears ran down her face. “and he died saving me. He'd still be alive if it wasn't for me. I killed him...and that's why you hate me and I'm sorry. If...I were stronger I could have...”
Rose stood for a moment looking down at the sobbing girl as she still held out her blade with her right hand while still clutching the stone in her left, keeping it hidden. She released the activation switch, shutting the blade off and turned away from the girl. “Go back to camp.” The young girl lingered for a moment as she brushed the tears out of her now red eyes. She slowly turned and walked back to the camp, stopping momentarily to look over her shoulder at Rose, who was once again turned back to look over the valley. The red haired padawan looked back down at the stone in her hand, a few tears wetting it before placing it in her satchel and turning back to follow Zaza, from a good distance of course.
A ways away someone is eyeing up the two of them as they disappeared back into the jungle. “Hmm, interesting. What do we have here? A couple of Jedi? It looks like that intel they fed us was correct after all. Things just got really fun.” A pink haired woman in military fatigues said as she sat in the commander's seat of her tank as she put her binoculars away.
“Commander Sweet, isn't Lemon Zest expecting you back for the meeting of the General Staff?” One of her troopers asked.
“Those meetings are all posturing and seeing who has the biggest set of...medals. Besides, I think she'll forgive me after I bag some Jedi and whatever loyalist contingent is snooping around in our territory. Get a few troopers with us and tell them to get that gunship ready. We'll hit them at the break of dawn.”
“Yes, ma'am.” The trooper raced off as she kept her eyes trained on the ridge and licked her lips with anticipation.