Shattered Stars (TCW)

Chapter 8 -- Unexpected Allies

The evil Separatist Army has invaded the forest planet of Nuluf, prompting the Jedi to respond with decisive action. Taska Rokanh and the 38th Attack Battalion make their slow way through the jungle to avoid enemy scanners and heavy artillery, hoping to join forces with Jedi General Tiplee once they are in position. From there, they will launch an assault on the base and factory that are under construction.

A stick snapped in the dense forest around them. Ace put up a fist, signalling the party. The two walkers behind them creaked to a stop. 

"You heard that too, right, General?"

"I did, commander. We could be in danger," Taska replied, hoping they were not about to be ambushed. 

"Moss, Habit, Zevi, Brick, you're with me," Ace said, turning to fully face the group. "Let's go check it out."

"I'm coming with you," Taska said. She suddenly couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to be there.

Ace nodded, and Habit and Zevi led the way, blasters drawn. 

Taska was constantly turning her head, looking for what could have made the sound. As far as they knew, the only wildlife that should have been there was small birds. 

A dark blur ran diagonally from her, dashing through the wood. "Go, go!" the commander shouted, giving chase. 

"Wait!" Taska cried. The feeling had gotten stronger, and she noticed the way the figure had limped. "I don't think they're here to hurt us."

She closed her eyes, reaching out through the Force. Now, she could clearly feel the connection—the fear, the dread. She stepped to the front of the men, gesturing for them to put down their weapons. 

"General," the commander warned. "All due respect, this is no time to be following some sort of intuition."

"It's not intuition, commander," she assured defiantly. "Have a little faith." She continued her quiet walk through the forest. 

Looking up a particularly large tree, she saw a person obscured in the red branches. "Hello," she said gently. "I'm not here to hurt you. I think you need help. I can give it to you, if you just come down."

A few moments of silence passed, a distant bird screeching. Eventually, the figure made its way down the tree, showing itself to be a female Twi'lek.

"Hello," Taska repeated. Observing her black-and-grey marked lekku, she saw what appeared to be a knife wound, likely infected. "What's your name?"

"Seryn," the Twi'lek mumbled, her Rylothian accent clear. "Seryn Tuolin."

 "Seryn, if you come with me, I have supplies that can help you," she told her. Wide pink eyes met her own. "And maybe some food."

The girl glanced at the ground, giving a small, barely detectable nod of assent. Taska finally dragged her eyes from the girl's face, noticing her poor state of dress.

"You must be cold," she stated, shrugging off her robe and stepping toward the Twi'lek. She flinched away before realizing who it was, and allowed the Jedi to wrap the robe around her. 

Taska turned to face her soldiers. "See, she's no threat," she told them, amplifying her voice while trying not to yell. "Let us get back to the others before they start looking for us."

As they made their way towards the commander, Taska noted the way Seryn seemed to draw ever farther back, trying to hide behind the shorter Jedi. 

"It's okay," the general said, but her heart grew heavy thinking of what could have possibly made the young girl act in such a way.