Blaster fire dominated most of the sights and sounds. The surrounding area looked to be a large cargo bay, filled with crates and other items. Clones were quickly winning against the outnumbered slavers.
The video feed turned toward a cloaked figure, obviously a jedi, slashing the locks off of crates holding what looked like a mix of twi'lek and theelin slaves.
"Captain!" Ryla's voice crackled through the com channel. "Send some men to get these people to the ship!"
"But Commander!" Tags was cut off as and explosion rocked the cargo bay. He returned fire shooting down two more slavers, before diving behind a stack of crates and bringing the com back toward his mouth. "You'll be left out in the open alone, since the General is preoccupied elsewhere."
"I'll be fine Tags." Ryla argued as her saber redirected three blaster bolts back to back. "But I can't cover all of them for long."
"But Commander!" Tags tried again.
"That's an order soldier!" Ryla shot back. "The mission comes first!"
"Yes sir." Tags quietly agreed. "Gage, Claw, Briggs, fall back behind the Commander and get those people out of here!"
"Sir yes sir!" Was yelled through the coms as the soldiers quickly started evacuating the slaves.
That's were the plan turned sideways. Ryla wielded twin sabers quickly advancing on the slavers as the clones fought from the other angle. The slavers were quickly getting backed into a corner. One noticed this fact and lashed out, aiming a shot straight at a fuel canister close to Tags's position. The resulting explosion threw Tags through the air, destroying their forward momentum.
"Tags!" Ryla shouted in anguish. Tags turned his head toward her position only to see she had let her guard down. A shot went straight through her right shoulder causing her to drop her saber, leaving her to defend herself with her weaker left hand. Tags was yanked to his feet by another clone and they continued to press the attack to protect their injured Commander.
Finally it was down to the last few slavers. Five, four, three, but as it reached two, one chose to remotely activate a button on his wrist. A loud pop hiss sound echoed, signaling a cage had just been opened.
Panic spread through the air as a feline form slunk out of the cage. The nexu shook it's large head, it's blazing red eyes locked onto the last remaining slavers before it pounced. It's razor sharp teeth quickly finished them off before turning toward the clones.
It charged toward the clones with unexpected speed and ferocity. Clones dove out of the way trying to put distance between them and the beast. Ryla jumped into action, launching herself infront of the nexu while simultaneously force pushing the clones out of the way. She was holding both the clones and the nexu at bay, but she was quickly tiring.
Finally in one last ditch effort she used both hands to push the clones to the far side of the hangar. She threw her remaining saber which embedded itself hilt deep into a control panel, releasing a charged wall of plasma cutting her off from saftey.
"Commander!" Tags yelled as he slammed his body against the plasma wall. His body spasmed as the wall electrocuted him.
"Captain!" Clones surged forward and pulled him off the wall. Even though he was weak and still badly wounded he fought against his brothers' grasp. Tags fought hard but all he could do was watch in horror as his unarmed Commander was snatched up by the nexu and brutally shook from side to side.
Her screams echoed off the walls causing the nexu to fling her body against a wall. She slid down the wall landed in a crumpled heap and didn't stir.
"Ryla!" Erith Kovar yelled as he made it to their position.
Tags turned to face him. "General you have to do something!" Tags demanded.
But before either of them could do anything, Ryla's lightsaber glew from the wall, ignited and buried its glowing blade in the nexu's neck. The plasma wall dropped and Ryla shakily limped toward the creature and retrieved her weapon before collapsing. The footage cut off just as Tags was rushing toward her.
The next scene was obviously a medical of a ship. Ryla laid unmoving on a cot while clone medics worked on her.
"What's her status Kip?" Fear laced Tags's voice.
"It's not good sir." The clone Kip replied pulling up a full body scan. "Almost 75 percent of her left side is damaged. She has punctures and lacerations from her collarbone down to just below her knee. Multiple contusions everywhere and swelling in her lekku and montrals. Her left arm has several severed nerves. That's what we're working on now, we have to reconnect them or she might never be able to use that arm again. Even with her increased Jedi healing abilities and General Kovar's healing sessions, it will be a slow healing process. We will just have to wait and see what happens."
