Whirlwind of Chaos

Chapter 31 - Brain Invaders

Author's Note: Thank you, loldelegate! :)

~ Amina Gila

"Still no sign of Poggle?" Ahsoka inquires. After finishing up the most major part of the battle – and finally getting a brief time to rest and recover – they came back to help the clones finish searching the surface for the Separatist leader.

"None, sir," the clone confirms, and she sighs. "We have clone squadrons spread out all over the area, but nothing yet."

Ahsoka frowns. They don't have time for this. "I'll join them," she decides, finally.

"I'm sure the clones will be able to handle it," Obi-Wan objects, approaching her.

She shrugs. "He has too much information. We cannot let him get away."

"Very well," he concedes grudgingly, "But we will have to finish the rest of the strategic planning without you."

"I'm sure you can handle it," she snips, turning and heading away. She takes a speeder of her own, heading to where the clones last reported signs of Poggle. It's easy to get lost in this terrain, but she knows what she's doing. She has experience with desert planets, after all.

The first thing that instantly catches her attention is a droid lying in the sand. Further away, there's a munitions container. A trail. She found one. It fills her with satisfaction, and she increases the speed of her bike now that she knows she's on the right path before pushing a button on her comm. "It appears Poggle is headed for the Progate Temple," she reports.

"That doesn't make sense," Obi-Wan objects, "Nothing could have survived there."

"Perhaps the bugs are stupider than we thought," Ahsoka offers. And she'll catch him unprepared. Although there must be some reason he's going out there. A secret hideout, perhaps? She'll have to be cautious.

"Ahsoka, I'm tracking a sandstorm headed your way," Anakin objects, appearing on the hologram next to his master.

A sandstorm? That's... not good, but she can't stop now. "I'll find a way," Ahsoka promises determinedly. "Poggle is out in the open, and I won't risk him escaping."

"You could get lost too," Obi-Wan warns. Always with that attitude?

"I grew up in sandstorms," she reminds, "I know what I'm doing." She ends the call at that before they can start arguing about something so stupid, then turns her focus back to the path.

The wind is picking up, sand whipping around her, but she pulls her googles down over her eyes, ignoring it as it stings against her montrals and lekku, continuing to press forwards.

Finally, she reaches the Temple, hurrying inside and drawing in a deep breath of air that's finally not full of sand. At least not completely; she can still taste and feel it in the air, but it's not as overwhelming as it was outside.

"There's no sign of him here," a clone reports as they scan the main room.

She frowns, glancing around. There's something... moving. It's near though she can't see it. "He probably went into the catacombs. I'll contact Obi-Wan."

But how will they catch him if he went down there? The networks go on endlessly and trying to track him would be... impossible. No, they have to find a way, somehow. Even if they have to search through every twist and turn in those tunnels.

Something suddenly moves out of the corner of her eye, and Ahsoka whips around right as one of those bugs comes flying straight for her head. She whips out her lightsaber, slashing through it except... It just keeps flying??? More of them are suddenly swarming out around them. Clones open fire but the blaster shots aren't affecting them. They fire back, and the clones collapse to the ground, dead.