The Varactyl Squadron Commander (A Star Wars: The Clone Wars Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Despite knowing that the vision playing out around him was a dream, Rex didn't want to take any unnecessary risks by putting himself in danger- which meant when Molindi raced past, Rex followed right on her tail as she and Bren ran for their lives.

It wasn't long before the dirt beneath Rex's feet turned to stone and the three emerged from the jungle onto the top of a rocky cliff-face. They barely had time to slide to a complete stop before reaching the edge, peering down at the sudden drop-off. Raging waves crashed against jagged boulders seated at the base of the cliff like the teeth of a sea-monster nearly two-hundred yards below.

"This way!" Rex whipped his head around just in time to see his brother grab onto Molindi's hand and lead her along the edge of the drop-off, barely a foot from falling into the churning waters beneath. One quick look showed the clone commander that the cliff-face extended for miles before curving and disappearing inland, revealing a large, flat expansion of black stone that inclined to a mountainous peak with a chimney of gray clouds pluming from the tip. "We can cut them off at the geysers!"

Though the sound of the cannibals shrieking hadn't lessened and the air was gradually beginning to get harder to breathe, Rex kept pace with the woman he knew and the man he'd never met.

"Where's Archer?" Lindi questioned her fellow-soldier. Rex couldn't see her eyes but he could tell from her tone just how horrified she was. The way her voice quivered and her pitch rose, it was almost too obvious that she was near hysterics.

"We got separated!" Bren's answer didn't do anything to put her nerves at ease. "We'll meet up with him and Klondike back at home base!"

'Archer? Klondike?' Molindi hadn't said much before about her old squadron-members, which made this whole situation even more uncomfortable for the commander of the 501st. He was used to being in danger; cannibals were a first, but danger nonetheless. What he wasn't used to was violating the personal privacy of someone he respected.

He wasn't doing it intentionally of course, he was asleep as far as Rex was aware. But it felt wrong to find out about Molindi's past without her blessing. As much as he wanted to believe this was all a figment of his imagination, he hadn't seen enough or even heard enough to fabricate something like this on his own. And the cannibals...

Nothing in his usual nightmares had ever disturbed him as much as the insatiable beasts closing in on their tails.

Rex could feel the ground beneath his feet rising in temperature, growing unstable as thin sheets of steaming water began to appear scattered across the stone. Bren hadn't been kidding when he mentioned geysers; narrow holes and crevices sent small tendrils of water vapor twirling into the sky, sending a fresh smell through Rex's nose that masked the disgusting sewage of the lunatics pursuing them.

"The tide is coming in! Hurry!" As if on cue, a strong rumble shot through the rock and seemed to vibrate a low, monotonous tone through the stone and channels that had formed under its surface thanks to the geysers that had littered its exterior. The ground was alive with building-tension; the little tendrils of vapor had turned into full pillars of billowing, blistering-hot air and Rex could feel the heat radiating off of the clouds whenever he stepped a little too close.

The perturbing blood-thirsty cries from the cannibals behind them began to die down, shifting from something of animalistic origins to a confused cacophony. The deeper they delved into the treacherous terrain, the more their lust for human flesh turned into fear and regret as the broiling-hot steam seared their skin. Rex had his armor, as well as Molindi and Bren, but the cannibals were exposed.

It was then that the ground quaked so hard the trio were knocked from their feet. The gray clouds from the mountaintop gave way to a column of water taller than the trees on Kashyyyk. Screams of hunger turned into screams of pain; Rex looked over his shoulder and witnessed the conglomeration of psychotic killers sprinting in the opposite direction as the smaller geysers burst, sending streams of water so hot it burned the remaining skin from their bodies. Although they were still yards away, the clone could see their flesh turn white and fall from their bodies, leaving trails of melted skin in their wake.