Unexpected

chapter forty-six: distant

As the V-Wing reaches Skako Minor, Elara attentively mans the controls to navigate through the dense fog and scattered lightning. The rushed beeps from within the ship inform her of the ground's proximity and she quickly pulls up to avoid crashing. Pulling up, however, causes her to hit something above her.

"What the-?" She furrows her eyebrows as she looks around.

A large reptile with enormous wings appears against the glass of her ship and screeches angrily. Elara's eyes widen as she steers away from the creature.

Rushed beeps return as she nears the ground once again but this time her V-Wing is pushed downward into the ground by the large keeradak. The nose of the V-Wing narrowly misses the ground as she pulls up with all of her strength, but the underbody of the ship is destroyed as it scrapes against the planet's coarse surface.

Knowing that her ship will be up in flames soon, she pushes the cockpit hatch open to climb out. The smoke from the landing causes her to cough and she jumps down from the V-Wing, stumbling as she meets the ground.

The high-pitched screeching returns and she looks around but isn't able to see anything until the creature is right above her. She tries to drop to the ground but the creature scoops her up in its talons and flies away from the crash site, which bursts into flames only moments later.

She tries to pry herself free, not wanting to be this thing's next meal, when she notices someone on top of the creature. Her eyebrows furrow as she squints but she can barely see two feet in front of her.

The ground becomes visible again just before she's pinned down by the massive creature. Whatever was flying that thing jumps down as it—and a few other like it—surround her. They begin speaking in an alien language as their eyes scan her and she shifts uncomfortably in the reptiles's grip.

"I don't understand." She grunts, trying to wriggle herself free. "I'm not here to hurt any of you." She explains.

The alien begins speaking again, this time receiving cheers of agreement from the others. Elara begins to panic as they approach her with a rope, which they use to restrain her before leading her to what looks like a prison of some sort.

"Please! I'm just here to find my friend." She argues, kicking the bars as they lock her in the cell.

The aliens quickly avert their attention towards the center of their small village once again as another keeradak lands. Angry alien voices can be heard from her position and her eyes widen as she spots General Skywalker in the same position she was in just moments ago.

A boulder begins rolling down the canyon wall, towards their village, and the aliens quickly panic as they run for cover. A blast to the creature's leg frees Anakin just in time to evade the large rock while Rex and a group of unfamiliar soldiers infiltrate the city. The aliens put their hands up as they speak incoherently.

"Tech, translate what he said." A trooper in red and black armor says, still holding the alien at gunpoint.

Another trooper in red and black armor steps forward, he seems to have glasses and an unusual visor as well as a utility belt around his waist. "He says he does not want our war on his planet. That is why he took the spy and our leader."

"Spy?" Rex asks, his pistols raised. "What spy?"

Tech uses his gadgets to translate between themselves and the aliens, repeating each sentence back to the other party in their native tongue.

"He claims that a spy was found a few klicks away from here only moments before we arrived." Tech explains.

The Poletec speaks to another, instructing him to retrieve the girl, before turning back to the group of soldiers and the Jedi. Rex watches as Elara is shoved out of the prison cell and towards the group. He lowers his pistols in disbelief as she's handed over to them.