Author's Note: I RETURN! And after a far too long of a hiatus in my opinion. But do not worry. I'm working to end all of the hiatus's on each of my stories by putting myself on an update schedule that will hopefully make everyone happy. And I don't know if I'm in the minority of this opinion, but the new Predator movie was NOT good. I don't know, it seemed a bit too action oriented in a series that supposed to be suspenseful in a way. I know people didn't really like Predators, but I felt at least that movie had suspense about it. I don't know. I may be wrong, but the reviews are confirming what I think. It's just my opinion, so if you enjoyed it, great! As for me... I'll hope for something better. But enough of that! Let's get back to the battle of survival at hand! Thank you for your continued support and well wishes! Favorite, Follow and Review if you enjoy! And to answer your question, Alien series (at least the first two) is my preferred series of the two! NEW CHAPTER!

Chapter Ten: Desperate Preparations

Hellfire

The snikting echoed across every sense of the warrior as it felt it's claws dig into the metal wall with immense speed. The almost pitch black of the hall was an arduous environment for any other species, but not for the Xenomorphs. If anything, the warrior felt more at home in the darkness and near it's Queen then anywhere else. And when it was near it's Queen, her commands broadcasted louder then ever before within the insects mind.

Orders of defense, collection and incubation. All of which was drawing Hellfire and the swarm still in the spaceport towards the resounding echoes and shouts of a group deep within the tunnels of the hive, their shouts carrying broadly across the nest. The mass of newborn and veteran warriors of the Hive all rushed alongside Hellfire to the sound of their next generation, their incubators. As they began to close in, the warriors picked up on the flashes in the darkness, the bolts of sound that had so often accompained the blare of the weapons that had been used in the death of their own.

There were about five in all, each bunched together as they fought against the advancing warriors, their light cutting through the sibling's armor like they were nothing. They were holding fast against the oncoming advance, but it would not help. Not against the full swarm of siblings coming their way. Wether the prey knew it or not, their end was coming soon enough.

Hellfire quickly and steadily sided the way past the explosion of a sibling as it's smoking body slinking to the floor with a hiss and methodically ducked as the shining fire flew past him. They were cutting down a fair amount of siblings. But not enough to save them. Definitely not enough.

The warrior continued his methodical dodging as he snikted across the wall, quickly closing the distance between itself and the group and lunging towards the lit section of the prey's barricade. He was quickly sided by five of his fellow warriors as they all impacted the ground around him. It's siblings senses told Hellfire that they had faced forces similar to this back near the center of the nest. They were no more, as this force soon would be.

Hellfire surged forward as the warriors present turned their weapons towards it and it's bretheren. Two of them were cut down beside him, but that was of little consequence to the warrior. He quickly raced forward to the warrior desperately trying to fire upon it, claws impacting noisily against the ground as drool frothed around it's fangs. Hellfire righted it's arms, leapt forward... and skidded past the humanoid warrior. As the desperate prey tried to follow the movements of Hellfire, he paid little heed to the fast swing of Hellfire's tail as it almost effortlessly cut through flesh and bone.

There was a mighty scream as the prey fell to the ground, it's leg now cut and bleeding profusely. His screams were quickly muffled as another two of Hellfire's siblings leapt on him and quickly began to claw at him. A good number of the prey turned their weapons on Hellfire's siblings and cut them down, but that did nothing to stop the flow of it's siblings blood.

As the hiss and full screams of the prey filled the hall and the number of the Queen's children continued to increase around them, the situation had become obvious to every warrior there. They were weakening. And they were ready to fall to the Queen.

Daniel

"MARDOS!" Daniel cried as the Cathar twisted on the ground in pure agony, skin peeling and smoking as he quickly kicked the two warriors husks off of him. Daniel didn't waste a breath and surged toward him, pulling him forward and into the circle formation him and his men had taken as blaster fire surged and fizzled around him, cutting down the pursuing creatures that had made their way towards him in his moments weakness.

Only after the commander of spaceport security had dragged the Cathar to the center of the defensive circle did he see the full extent of the damage. Mardos was heavily burned, his facial features now completely unrecognizable. What was left of his eyes were swollen and burned shut. And his body was now a calvacade of burned patches and falling skin. And a trail of blood now followed to the defensive circle, giving a clear signal to the fact of the bleeding stump that used to be the Cathar's left leg.

This, Daniel thought to himself as he stood and quickly fired into the advancing mass of creatures that was surging towards them. Is not good. Not at all.

"We need to leave!" Haynar shouted over to him as the head of spaceport security tried his best to ease Mardos's pain. "The wave is only going to get larger the longer we wait! We need to get out of here and-!"

"I'm not going anywhere without my men!" Daniel shouted back. "We came here to do a mission! I'm not going to let all of this be in vain!"

"Screw your men and your pride!" Haynar shouted back. "These things are coming in mass and they're coming fast! We need to LEAVE! Screw the spaceport and screw-!"

"We're not going ANYWHERE until that line is connected and my men are back!" Daniel shouted back over the blare of blaster fire and the hiss and scorch of the creatures dying. "Now you can leave if you want, but I'll be damned if I'm leaving and you can be for damn sure I'm not coming after you when those things catch up to you if you do! Now you can stand here and cry to me like a baby till were all dead, leave and die on your own time or stay and give me some support! Do whatever the hell you want, but I'm staying here!" With that, Daniel turned to the advancing creatures trying to move down the hall and added to the fire streaking down the hall.

Haynar stood in the center of the chaos for a moment, his expression twisted into one of pure anger and questioning before he muttered a quick "Damn you all" and raised his blaster, firing wildly at the wave of insects.

With the addition of Haynar's fire to make up for Mardos, the group was able to hold their own against the group of creatures that swarmed throughout the hall in front of them. But, even with that in mind, it did little to settle the thoughts shooting across Daniel's thoughts.

Haynar had said his entire group was ambushed by those creatures before he got to them. And the attack they faced was one of a massive surge of creatures, enough to easily outnumber everyone there, according to the Zabrak. If what he said was true, than this was only the beginning of a much larger... and deadlier... problem.

"We have to speed this up!" Daniel called out through the blaster fire. "You need to swing forward and cover the entrance to the hall with everything that you can manage! I'll pull back to the communicator and try to-!"

That was all the commander could manage before he was painfully slammed in the side and thrown with a crack against the hard metal floor. Fresh pain shot through his back and arms as the claws of the creature dug past his uniform and into the thick of his skins, driving a scream of pain from the spaceport commander. Drool splattered against his face as the gleam of it's fangs danced in front of Daniel, it's snarl filling his senses as it raised it's clawed hand up and prepared to drive it down.

Daniel drove every ounce of strength he had against the creatures arms that pinned against his arms, hoping to break the grip it had on him. But, after two days (More... or less? Days were so hard to count now) of no sleep, constant running, his present injuries and his overall present exhaustion, he had no strength left to give. All he could do was watch helplessly as the creature's claw shined through the flash of blaster fire, his hearing dull to all things as the creature prepared to bring down it's arm.

FZZZQQQH

The creature's hiss suddenly and violently warped into a horrific scream as it grabbed at the squirting stump where it's left claw used to be. The squirts of acidic blood rained down on Daniel, who instantly flinched in response to the hissing and smoking points in his clothes. It captured his attention, but it didn't distract him away from the chance that was presented to him.

He immediatly threw his fist forward and impacted against the lower jaw of the creature. It yelped and stumbled off of him, it's arm still twitching as it writhed for it's missing hand as Daniel shot up and ran back to the defense circle, his blaster bucking as he riddled the creature with fire. It let loose another scream before it fell back into the swathing darkness, but the commander couldn't confirm it's death as he felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him further into the line.

"Get to the communicator, Daniel!" Jecht yelled, his blaster still smoking from his previous shot. "We'll hold them off as long as we can!" Another hiss drew an immediate response from the landlord. He whirled around and quickly emptied the shots left in his weapon wildly into the smoke and flames in front of him, producing a distant squeal. "Go! Now!"

Daniel deeply hesitated. He didn't want to leave any of them on their own, especially against a rapidly increasing foe. With Mardos down, the enemies numbers influxing and their exhaustion reaching it's absolute peak, Daniel absolutely knew that retracting his gun from the fight would only worsen the situation they were in. But, at the same time, the whole reason they were down here was for that communicator. If they lost it, everything they were losing and fighting for... for nothing.

The commander pursed his lips for a moment before he firmly nodded. "I'll get us out of here, Jecht! If it takes everything I have, I'm getting you all out of here!"

Jecht nodded to him. "I know you will." Another hiss ripped through the air beside them and Jecht whirled around. "GO!"

Daniel immediately took off at a dead sprint through the center of the defensive circle, his boots squelching nosily as he all but slams into the communications panel. His fingers raced across the buttons of the panel, every flash of the system briefly illuminating the darkness around him as he desperately prepped for every ounce of energy that would possibly enter into the system.

As he flinched as the sounds of the blaster and the squeals of the creature circled around him and the flashes of heat encricling him, his hand shoots to his mobile communicator and quickly activates it.

"Hemmor, it's Daniel! Come in!" To his absolute horror, there was no response. "... Zabor!" There was no reply on that end either. Sweat began to bead across Daniel's forehead as he felt his fingers freeze mid-type. NO, He all but screamed in his thoughts. No! No! No! "This is Commander Daniel! Respond! Please! If anyone can hear my voice, please respond! If you can hear me, if the situation is too great, retreat! Anyone!"

A scream of pain behind him grabbed his attention and Daniel whirls around to see Jecht being thrown back by one of the creatures, snarling and frothing as it's tail whipped around furiously. The landlord had had his gun thrown away from him by the creature and was now struggling against the insectoid as it shot it's second-jaw out repeatedly. He puts up an immense fight, but can only do so much as the creature is joined by two others. Soon his screams are intertwined with the hisses of the creatures.

Evvin quickly took notice of the attack and drew her fire to the creatures in a desperate attempt to save her ally. She only manages to strike one and can only watch as they begin to drag Jecht into the darkness. Unwilling to see her friend die, Evvin charged towards the creature group, her vibro-blade drawn and she dissapears into the darkness.

Jaina, Haynar and Mardos (still able to pepper blaster fire from the ground) continue their support fire as best they can, but their fear and exhaustion was becoming very visible. Their grenades were running thin and their defensive line had lost strength while the attacking wave of creatures had only and continued to increase in strength and numbers.

Daniel felt his blood completely colden at the sight. Every ounce of him wanted to help, to assist them. But he steeled his nerves and turned back to the communicator controls and his own communicator.

"This is Commander Daniel! If anyone can hear my voice, connect the systems if you can, gather those who are still alive and leave NOW! We're holding our point for as long as we can, but there is absolutely NO way we'll be able to hold it for as long as a few more minutes! Please, if anyone-"

Through every ounce of sound exploding around him, there was no mistake for Daniel as he focused on the static crackle that flared in his ear. He felt his breathing instantly tighten. "HELLO?! Is anyone...?"

His voice trailed off as a flash of green caught his attention against the sea of red glowing against the communications control. The signal status, which had been disconnected for so long, was connected and at full power once more. And, with a whine of power and the click of mechanical gears given movement once more, Daniel watched in shock and absolute happiness as the words he had been waiting seemingly days for flashed on the screen at last.

SOS SIGNAL HAS BEEN SENT. PLEASE STANDBY FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS

If Daniel could have kissed the slime-covered machine right then and there, he would have. The joy within him was beyond description. Their signal had been sent. Their request for help was out there across the city.

Now all they had to do was hold out and pray that ANY kind of passing ship would catch their signal. It could have been Mandalorian bounty hunters or a Hutt slave ship. Daniel did not care. Anywhere in the galaxy was better then the center wave of these things.

His thoughts were soon interrupted by the flare of a voice as it shot through the static of the communicator. There was no way to determine who the voice belonged to, but he could pick out what it said from the distance of the communicator.

"Go! He's gone! Keep moving! Don't look back! RUN!"

There was a large streak of blaster fire in the distance of the signal and the screech of the creatures as heavy footfalls impacted against the sleek metal floor of the spaceport itself. It was a grainy, broken signal, but it was still enough to slightly steady the painful thumping in Daniel's heart.

They're alive, Daniel thought as he quickly finished with the last of the sent signal before he came to a full stand. It sounds like they've taken injuries and even casualties, but there are some that are still alive!

"If you can hear me, we're still active near the signal!" Daniel reported. "We've made a barricade around the controls and are holding, but we don't know for how long! If you can, make your way back here and-"

An immense blast of heat stopped Daniel mid-sentence as he was thrown against the controls and to the floor. As he tried to blink away the spots of light and dark in his eyes, he felt himself being pulled up and to his feet by the arm.

"Stay alive, Daniel!" Haynar yelled to him as he steadied him to his feet. "I'm not dying here because you chose to die now, Human!"

Daniel shook the daze (and Haynar) off of him as he fully took in the scene around him.

The blast he felt was from a grenade; Evvin's grenade to be exact as she slowly backpedaled towards them, her blaster kicking aggressively into the wall of flames roaring in front of her.

"Die, dammit! Die! Just DIE!" Evvin screamed at the top of her lungs, dark smudges streaked across her paled skin. Inhumane screeches followed most of her shots, but the amount of skittering still remaining through the crackle of the flames showed that ethier Evvin wasn't landing as many shots as she had hoped... or their numbers were now beginning to increase.

There was now only Haynar, Jaina, Evvin and himself left to hold the line. Mardos was on the ground, his injuries leaving him unable to regain his footing and only able to fire from a certain angle. As it stood, there were only four able bodied warriors to hold the line against the rapidly-increasing foe.

Daniel threw one last look at the connected signal before he quickly moved to Mardos, who laid back-first on the ground as he tried to regain his strength, his blaster bucking in his free hand. His expression gave a visible wince with every shot, but he continued his fight against the creatures as best as he possibly could.

"Daniel!" Mardos said as the commander quickly approached, clutching his wounds in absolute pain as he shifted. "Thank the Force! We need a plan! We're out of grenades and those things just keep coming! If we don't stop them now, we're screwed!"

"What we need is to get out of here while we still can!" Haynar added angrily. "Forget the others! They can damn well fend for themselves! They've been doing it for a while! We need to make headway back towards the main doors and find a way towards-!"

"NO." Daniel angrily countered. "We stay and defend this point! If a ship catches and responds to the signal, we need to know about it! And I am NOT leaving anyone behind!"

Haynar looked to him in absolute shock and anger. "Daniel, if-!"

That was all he got out before a screech filled the air around them. Three of the creatures leapt through the barrage of flames snaking towards the ceiling, their fangs watering with drool as their tails whipped aggressively behind them. Their claws scratched with an outright painful screech as they rushed at them all, slamming into both Daniel and Haynar as the third circled around to flank.

Mardos screamed something in the background, but Daniel couldn't register it. He could only note the foul, putrid stench of the creature's breath as it's spit splattered across his cheek. He moved to defend himself, but in the utter confusion of it all, he was too slow.

A scream of pain echoed through the halls as he felt his chest crack in response to the impact of the creature's claw digging and ripping into his side. It's second clawed hand slammed into his cheek, pinning him against the metal floor with such force, he felt his entire head crack. A hot daze filled his senses, numbing him to the reality that he had his weapon in hand and the screams of his allies around him.

He could only watch in the confusion of the head impact as the creature's tail whipped behind it and straightened in the air, it's aim shifting to his head.

I need to move, Daniel thought to himself. I need to react, kick, punch fire! Something! Move! But to his horror, his body wouldn't respond. In an instant, his mind flashed back to his first encounter with one of these creatures, it's jaws slowly parting as well, the flash of needle-thin teeth within the mouth itself.

This can't be the end. Not when there are so many people still trapped and fighting! People that need all the help they can get! Not now! It's jaw fully parted and the gleam of it's teeth were now fully visible. This can't be... Daniel clenched his jaw and his fists, preparing himself for the single painful impact that would end it all.

BOOM

Daniel felt the weight of the creature quickly and violently ripped off of him as he himself was thrown back through the air. He felt no impact, but he still felt the air leave his chest as he impacted against the metal floor. He heard the distant squeals of the creatures and the surprised exclamations of his allies as a pepper of explosions ripped across the barricade.

At first, his thoughts were that his militia were being systematically eradicated by the explosives, but as he turned back to the battle, he was shocked to see the explosions (pure blue flames at that) placed in such a way to target the greatest concentrations of creatures and miss the milita and barricades by the slightest of margins. Swaths of creatures were thrown through the air and sent scattering as flames engulfed the insects entirely.

As Daniel tried to process all that he could of the situation, there was a crack of metal as something of great weight landed near to him. He turned to his side and was met with the sight of a massive humanoid as it towered above him, glowing eyes shifting from Daniel, then to the waves of fire in front of them.

A series of clicks resounded through the air, followed by a quick snikt as a pair of shining claws appeared on both of the creature's fists. It flexed it's tree-trunk like arms in what seemed to be anticipation

Even with the confusion and daze rippling in his mind, Daniel could say he had never been more terrified of a person in his life.

"... Who are you?" Daniel weakly asked. "... What are you?"

The masked humanoid kept it's gaze throughly locked on the fire in front of it, but there was an audible crackle from it's faceplate.

To Daniel's shock, the warped voice of Haynar sounded out. "...These things are coming in mass and they're coming fast!" There was a pause and another crackle as Daniel heard his own warped voice come through. "... Defend this point!"

As the Spaceport Commander looked on in shock and horror at the realization that this thing had been stalking them all this time, a distant wave of screeches caught the attention of them both.

As Daniel hurriedly and weakly tried to come to a stand with his blaster clutched painfully tight in his hand, the humanoid beside him raised his blades to the oncoming swarm

"... Die..."

Drystan

"There is no pain. No darkness. No hate.

There is only the Force."

It was a phrase that was drilled into his mind since he was a young child. A phrase that all Jedi had lived and trained by since the beginning of the order. And, with that phrase, it gave him the clear minded thoughts he needed to powerfully and effectively wield the Force to it's full advantage. More effectively than most standard Force-Users, in fact. At least, according to his Master.

Though, if he was more powerful then his peers in thought process, it wasn't showing in him now as his very mind strained painfully in the effort to seize as much as the creature mass as he could.

He stood only a few inches in front of the 501st, flanked on his left and his right by two of the Jedi Sentinels that had followed him outside. In front of him, cloak billowing through the heated wind that rose from the massive fires that tore through the city itself, was Anakin Skywalker. His eyes shined through the darkness of the smoke and the night as his gloved hand reached forward and aggressively towards the swarm as it continued it's evergoing push to them.

Clones streamed past them in droves, their rifles barking as they fired every shot they had towards the creatures as they desperately back-peadeled behind the front makeshift line. Their blue laser fire streaked through the air and viciously cut through the first line of the advancing creatures. Ungodly screeches and wails warbled through the battlefield as the creatures lost limbs, jaws and intact chests. Body after body fell to the floor, clacking noisily against the metal floor as the hail of fire cut through their lines.

But, even with all the dead, the wave didn't hesitate. They showed no compassion or sorrow to their dead, quickly crawling over their fallen and rapidly moving to the line, their instinct still completely and utterly driven to the eradication of them all.

"By the Force," Drystan muttered as he painfully outstretched his senses, blood dripping down his nose . "There is absolutely no fear or hesitation in them. They are unstoppable."

"By the senses, yes," Skywalker said with a sneer. "But they can be physically crushed. Just like everything else." With that, the former Jedi let loose a very angry growl. Suddenly, a number of the front line creatures violently lifted in the air, flailing in anger and confusion. And just as suddenly as they lifted, they die. There's a series of painful cracks as their limbs and heads contorted and twisted within, halting their growls instantly as they enclose into small bleeding black balls before they drop back to the mass below.

Drystan watched in a mix of disgust yet relief, but before he can even think of what he's going to say to the former Jedi, Skywalker drew is saber and prepared a combat stance.

"I need some time before I can pull something like that again," Anakin said. "And it seems to me that these things can't handle or block Force attacks. Press the advantage, Drystan. And do it fast. I'll lead the front line and keep it from breaking."

"We'll only be able to stop so many," One of the Sentinels (Master Jen-Quo, Drystan remembered.) piped up. "There will still be creatures assaulting the line that we can't assist against. You'd better be able to handle yourself."

Anakin whipped around to the Sentinel, the blue light of his saber's glare clashing against the lava-yellow of his eyes. "I can handle myself. Far better on my own than with any of you." He stormed to the front line, his free fist clenched tightly in obvious and immense anger.

"He's truly fallen far," One of the Jedi's said as he extended his hand forward as well, mimicking every Jedi around him.

"For now, he's an ally against a greater threat," Drystan said as he felt his senses lock on a great number of the advancing insects. "And we need all the help we can get, especially now." His fists clenched as he felt the creatures in his grasp halt and flail against his psychic hold. "...Does everyone have their marks?"

A ripple of verification flowed through the Padwan's mind as his sight fell on a fair amount of creatures halting completely in mid-stride or violently seizing in shock and confusion.

"...NOW!" With that, there's a large ripple through the horde and instantly large swaths of the insects are sent flying through the air and carrening over the edge of the Temple landing pad and to the burning city below. The lowest held creatures were slammed into their siblings with such force, the cracks were audible across the entire battlefield.

Drystan felt beads of swear stream down his forehead as he threw back his arms against the strain. In synchronization with him, the creatures in his hold, alongside large swathes of the mass who were held by his fellow Jedi, were thrown through the air and over the landing pad, their screeches slowly vanishing as they fell to the sea of fire below.

But there was no time to breath, much less to celebrate what they had just done. Further behind the discarded mass of creatures was the second wave, all moving with the same determination their siblings had shown before.

Drystan, moving past the ache in his body, gets in his defensive position once again, alongside his fellow Jedi.

I can only handle one more of these, Drystan thought to himself. Before I'm reduced to physical combat just to keep my mind completely intact. He gritted his teeth as he came back to concentration. Let's hope I can make this attack as devestating to their numbers as before.

He felt his hands flex once more as he drove his senses to the next oncoming wave, locking onto every individual creature he could manage. Ignoring the pulsing pain in his head, he felt the struggling dark warriors freeze and even some of them disappear as they were struck by the oncoming bolts.

There were no words exchanged between the Jedi this time. Instead, a single fluctuation of questioning and confirmation quickly sparked through the force wielders minds and, with a roar of anger and exhaustion between the allies, they threw their arms forward, flinging the forms of the creatures through the increasingly darkening sky, their screams of anger vanishing among the chorus of screeches throughout the battlefield.

With that, Drystan stumbles back, his body exhausted from the pure Force exertion he had thrown forward. He looked to the other Jedi, a few equally as exhausted as him, but a few still standing, which was good.

Based on the fresh black wave of black armored mass that had once more come over the landing, they would need all the remaining power they could get.

"Those who can still wield the Force," A white haired Jedi Master called out. "Stay here and inflict as many losses to them as you can in any way you can! Those who cannot exert any more energy for Force attacks, draw your blades and man the front line! We cannot let a single one of those creatures break or take us! Cut down as many as you can and keep alive any way you can! For the Temple!"

There was no hesitation among the knights, each drawing their lightsabers and quickly began their advance down the Clone front-line, rushing to find their positions as the fresh wave of creatures surged towards them.

The Clones said nothing to them as they passed. And Drystan was fine with that. If it was out of concentration's sake, he didn't want to break it. If it was out of continued anger for the Jedi, he did not want to talk to the likes of the Clones either. They had slaughtered so many already across the galaxy. His friends. Jedi who had served the Republic loyally since day one.

He had no words to give them whatsoever. And if they had no words for him, that was just fine with him. But he hoped that wouldn't extend to their fighting, especially now.

Drystan's blue blade hissed and reveberated as he raced down the line, his once pure tan robe now blackened with a mix of stained black battle smoke, blood and sweat stains. His teeth were gritted tightly as he stopped in front of the slapped together Clone line. And nearest to Skywalker, who watched the mass with hate and anger.

A few peppered corpses of the creatures laid a couple of feet in front of him, their bodies ethier charred or contorted in such a way, it would be met with instant death. The line had, without a doubt, been held.

"We've done all we can with the Force," Drystan informed Anakin as he held his blade in front of him. "And discarded as many as we could. Unfortunately, I don't think it was enough."

"Of course it wasn't." Skywalker replied. "These things have seemingly matched the entire population of that section of the city based on what the last battle had shown me." He raises his hands. "We'll need a lot more power before this is all over. For now, I think we have more than enough to keep them at bay." Before Drystan could even ask what he had meant, Anakin extended his hand forward towards the regrouped mass of creatures. "OPEN FIRE."

It was as if every thunderclap Drystan had heard throughout his entire life ripped through the air behind him as the 501st opened up with their AT-TE and troop carrier ship cannons, rocket launchers and mini guns. The front line of creatures disappeared into a literal wave of fire, their horrific screeches piercing every inch of the very air. A massive wall of fire roared in front of the Jedi and the 501st, the black smoke stretching miles into the air and adding on to the already red sky.

"That won't hold them for long." Anakin shouted out as he drew his lightsaber. "Reload and pick your targets! Strike down as many as possible and DO NOT let them pass the front line! Head and legs are viable targets and watch for blood spray!" He looked to Drystan. "We'll hold the front as well. The sabers act well in cauterizing the creatures wounds and preventing any lingering acid feedback. And they're animalstic attacks are no match for the training we hold when it comes to close quarters. Keep up for as long as your training can provide you. I need all the combat-ready warriors I can get. Even you Jedi for now." He growled. "But don't think this ends the overthrow of your corrupt council."

"We will cross that bridge when we come back to it," Drystan said with his own glare. "And trust me, we will cross it. After we make it out of here alive."

As Drystan and the Jedi took up their positions along the 501st front line, there was visible movement near the wall of flames as the dark forms of the creatures began to leap through the flames, their attention solely fixed on the Clone and Jedi line. There was an echoing, melodious drone of snikts as the wave advanced, no longer manipulated by force abilites or heavy weaponry. They were continually assaulted by blaster fire, but it did not deter them before and it did not visibly deter them now.

All the Jedi continued to hold their position, Drystan's own grip tightning painfully on his own saber by the sheer size of them all. It was a wave that had no end in sight and it would seem hopeless for any others to continue to conflict at this point.

Pirates would run to save themselves. Mandalorians would pull back, leaving the world to the creatures. And the CIS would desolate it in it's entirety, ridding the City World of all life across the globe.

But the Jedi could not run. They had trainees, students, elders and younglings here, all vital to the survival of the Jedi Order in it's entirety, all of which needed all the time that they could provide to them. They HAD to hold the line. By any means necessary.

"There is no fear," Drystan said as the wave closed in around them, a slight shake in his voice. "There is no pain. There is only the Force."

Snowball

The attack that happened in the center of the cities... that was a mere training exercise when compared to what they faced on the Jedi landing pad. And even THAT battle had dealt serious casualties to their ranks.

So one could see why Snowball felt every portion of his skin was prickled with goosebumps and adrenaline as he faced down the line of creatures once more, his rife bucking in the familier kickback as he targeted with precision every creature he could. But the chilling difference to the Clone Captain between the two battles is that the last battle, one was cut down and two would take it place. Now, it seemed like five would rise for the the death of every ONE of their warriors. And that was alarming.

"You!" Snowball called out to one of the Clones manning a turret. "Bring that turret and line this position here! They need all the cover they can get!"

"Yes, sir!" The Clone called out as he pulled his turret to the position as Snowball turned his attention to the Clone a few feet away from him.

"Callback, message to the ships and tell them we need to bring fire back on these bugs soon! We need to scatter them further so they don't overrun the line!"

"They need time to fully reload, sir!" Callback told him over the roars of battle. "They don't have many missles left and they need time to prep the ones they do!"

"Tell them they don't get that time!" Snowball shouted, looking back to the front line of the battle. "That line needs all the help it can get! They need to take the missles they have and fire them to the wave! NOW!"

"Yes, sir!" Callback confirmed before turning his attention back to the communications.

Snowball quickly turned back to the front line and rushed forward, his rife bucking once more as he cut down five of the creatures attempting to climb the barricade they had forged. Once he got back into cover, he quickly scanned for Bunt among the sea of white armor as the Clones fought tooth and nail to hold onto every makeshift barricade they had managed to establish. He quickly found the heavy wielding his mini-gun to a deadly extent a ways down the barricade.

He quickly made his way down to his heavy squad mate and slapped his shoulder, garnering his attention.

"Status report." Snowball called to him as he fired a few more shots onto the forward barricade.

"The creatures have heavily impacted against the first half of the barricade and have inflicted heavy damage against both our forces and their artillery." The heavy looked forward. "But, alongside our fire, Anakin and the Jedi have been holding their own against the wave as well. They've been cutting through those bastards like they're warm butter, sir! And it is quite a sight!"

At that, Snowball found himself looking over the snaking fire of the battlefield and to the front line of the first barricade, where he was met with an endearing sight.

Flashes of color sparked in the front line of the wave as the single forms of the Jedi stood among the mass of death, their blades striking down form after form as the bodies began to pile around them.

Their speed was astounding. They seemingly gave the bugs no time to react as they surged forward onto any leaping bugs, limbs and heads clattering noisily to the floor as they were dismembered in the blink of an eye.

Vader stood a prominent sight above them all, his saber movements seemingly almost FASTER then the Jedi themselves. His strikes were seemingly guided by whatever religious being was out there, as every insect that came near him seemed to automatically fall apart and the inclination of mass of the wave being heavily reduced didn't seem so impossible as the bodies piled up around the Force Wielders.

And, for the first time since the attacks began, Snowball could honestly say that he felt true hope at the sight of that.

"That's it!" He cried out on his own, ignoring the thoughts in his head regarding the death of the Jedi. "Teach those bug bastards a lesson! Show them what happens when they mess with us!" He turned to Bunt. "The AT-TE's?"

"Primed with as much ammo as they can carry (which isn't much) and positioned. Though they say they'll need a clearer shot to make sure that they avoid any friendly fire."

Snowball nodded. "If it continues this way, we won't need to worry much. Advise to the commanders that we pull some of our forces back. Then we move the AT-TE's forward and-"

Snowball was stopped by the thunderous and grating snikt of claws against metal that echoed even through the sounds of battle. It was like something had just dug onto the side of the metal connected to the side of the metal walkway. Something MASSIVE.

"Snowball?" Bunt looked to him as the grinding continued to heighten and near them.

"There's no way." Snowball all but shouted out. "We've been fighting them for what seems like a lifetime! There's no way there's one that big! We would have seen it in the first scrap! We-"

Whatever he had planned to say quickly and painfully died in his throat as his sights set upon a massive form lumbering up the landing pad, it's Man sized claw cracking the metal as it slowly pulled itself up.

It resembled a bug, it's jagged white teeth bubbled with it's drool as it guttarly hissed, a long whipping tail behind. It had no visible eyes like it's brethren, but the top of it's head was something else. Instead of smooth, it's crest was a pattern of curves that dipped in and out of it's skull in a terrifying display as it finally climbed on the landing pad, it's very weight shaking the pad itself. And, if that situation wasn't enough to drive fear into everyone present, what came next surely would.

Following the large creature with a massive crack was a second and a third, their echoing growls carrying across the battlefield, only being rivaled by the planet-shattering roars that they all emitted at once.

Snowball was frozen in place, his blood feeling like it had cemented against his skin and his eyes seemingly firmly locked on the advancing creatures. He was so fixated on the three titans that, if not for Bunt, he would have been completely decapitated by a creature that had leapt over the barricade. He was shocked back to reality as he saw a stream of blue fire slam into the head of the smaller creature mid-air, sending it careening to the side.

"Snowball, snap out of it!" Bunt ordered as he let loose with his minigun. "The other captains are giving out engagement orders against those things! What are your orders?!"

The Clone Captain quickly shook off whatever daze he had retained and aimed his rifle forward once more. "What are my orders?! Direct heavy artillery and fire in this section towards those three behemoths! Aim for the legs! It doesn't seem like they have full control of their body weight like rancors! We're pulling the same attack plan!"

"Yes, sir!" Heavy replied before his hand to his communicator. "Target the three biggest of the creatures with everything you have! Aim any leftover scatter shots into the wave itself! Ground infantry will provide as much support as we can!"

As Snowball cut down another two creatures, there was a crack of booming thunder behind him as two of the AT-TE's a ways behind him opened fire on the creatures, who all dissapeared in a blaze. Their roars echoed for miles around.

The Clones watched on in pride as their shots made contact, assuring anything within that space was cooked and long gone. Unfortunately, that joy didn't last long as the two massive forms of the bigger creatures shadowed out of the fire and stomped forward, their skin smoking but very much alive.

"By the Force..." Snowball all but exclaimed in genuine fear. "All fire on them! Everyone's fire on them! Take them down! TAKE THEM DOWN!"

There was a ripple of fire throughout the entire 501st line as both rifle, missle and tank shots streaked through the very air, slamming into the creatures once more and letting the screeches eminate once more.

"FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" Snowball cried as the creatures dissapeared in a cloud of black smoke and combat dust. But, if it slowed them down in any way, they certainly didn't show it.

Throughout all of this, there was rumble and violent vibration that made it's way through the Clone ranks and, before Snowball could even react, both creatures charged forward, their jaws open and drool flowing from their fangs. All the Clone's fire was on them, but both behemeoths kept their pace the absolute same, charging messily through the Jedi lines before ramming through the Clone barricades, sending many of Snowballs brothers flying through the air.

They kept their advance until they slammed into the tank line, sending two AT-TE's to the ground with a rumbling crash. As the cries of anger and fear screamed through Snowball's communicator and he surveyed the continued destruction in absolute shock, another rumble caught his attention. He turned to see the bleeding, steaming form of the third creature, labored and pained steps apparent, but still visibly alive.

"Those two bastards have already torn a hole through our center line!" Bunt cried out from behind the Clone Captain before reaching for his communications. "Rally all regiments back and cover those holes! We can't let those bastards flank us!"

"AT-TE's need to take priorty on the bigger bugs! They're the only ones that can seem to hurt it!" Snowball was interrupted by another hiss and he quickly fired his rifle before following up with a thermal grenade, which quickly scattered any of the other advancing bugs. "Send the word out that we need to keep fire on the smaller and that one big bug front and center on the line. We'll need the cover while we pull our wounded back to the temple."

Bunt looked up to his superior. "Pull back our wounded? Are we retreating back, sir?"

"No," Snowball replied looking back to the battle. "Not yet. But I plan to relay that order. We've held out for as long as we could, but with these bugs continuing to come up the hanger and bringing along bigger versions of them that could rival our tanks, we need to pull back to the temple and regroup. Now." He looked to his heavy, his brother. "Keep this line up and running for as long as you can. I'll be back. Hopefully in one piece. I'll see on the other side, brother."

"Not if I see you first, brother." Bunt replied before standing and unleashing a fresh wave of plasma from his minigun as Snowball quickly raced down the line, past all the Clones fighting to keep their fear back and their barricade alive, and towards Clone Sargent Appo, who held his blaster extended out as he fired onto the advancing bugs.

"Sargent!" Snowball called out as he fired into the advancing wave. It took more than one call out for the Sargent, but Appo eventually turned his attention to the Clone, his facemask's reddish design gleaming off the blue of the fired shots.

"We need to pull back our forces, sir! Back towards the Jedi Temple!" Snowball flinched as another explosion shook the ground. "These thing's aren't stopping or slowing down! And the bigger bugs crushed an opening for the forces we were able to hold back and gave them the perfect way to flank us!" He stopped to fire. "We need to-"

"Retreat." Appo replied as he drew a vibro-blade and stuck it in the head of a bug that had gotten too close. "Yes, I heard you the first time. It's easier said than done." He pointed towards the third massive creature, who was still swiping away at the front lines. "That one is a lot harder to put down then expected. And we can't expect any kind of retreat until he's stopped tearing through our front barricades and providing a wide entry for the rest of the bugs!"

There was another explosion behind them as the battle to keep the bugs from flanking raged on. Snowball quickly turned and dropped a few more random bugs before getting a full view of the massive fight happening at the very edge near the Jedi Temple entrance. The AT-TE's let out another onslaught of massive shots as the titanic bugs continued their push against the machines, their strikes showering the floor with sparks as their claws screeched and scraped against the metal armor of the tanks.

One of the bigger tank shots slammed into one of the titanic bug's legs, but it didn't slow it from pushing forward on the tank and cracking the front of the hide. It's acidic blood complimenting it's attack as it dripped down to the already damaged section of the hide, leaving the pilot visibly exposed. The pilot quickly leaned back from the attack, visibly in shock. But he stayed in his position and continued to operate the tank in any way he could.

"The AT-TE's are fighting their own battle at the moment," Snowball said, looking back at the Sargent. "How do we take it down then? Regular blaster fire only seems to annoy that damn thing. We'd need an airstrike or-"

"Or nothing." Appo said, looking back towards the titanic creature on the front lines. "I just got a communication from Vader. He's making his move."

Before Snowball could even think to ask, there was a waver in the very air as the big bug at the front line suddenly halted it's swing. There was a thud as the left arm of the beast fell from it's body, the end still smoking and sizzling. The bug let loose an excrutiating roar as it stumbled back from the center line, back-pedaling as Vader's form came to a full stand, blue blade shimmering against the red haze of battle.

The general wasted little time, cutting down any of the creatures that stood between him and his enemy and finally cutting away at the bigger bug's leg with immense speed. The bug fell to the ground with the thunderous crash and, before it could even react to the attack that had been beset on it, it froze as the blades of multiple Jedi found their mark inside it's head. It jolted for a brief moment before finally laying still on the ground.

"YES!" Snowball cried out, echoing his brothers around him. "Take that, you bastards!"

The Clones weren't the only ones who took notice of the death and the air quickly filled with an immense roar as the two titanic bugs behind the lines quickly charged towards their fallen sibling and away from the already damaged AT-TE's. Straight towards the line where Snowball was.

"TAKE COVER!"

Snowball, with years of war engraving itself into his muscle memory, quickly combat-rolled away from the line alongside many of his brothers. By the way the creatures were charging, he had assumed that he would have moved fast enough to avoid any contact with the massive bugs. Unfortunately, he had underestimated their speed.

His side was torn into pure pain as he was impacted by the massive passing leg of one of the bug's, cracking the side of his armor and sending him spinning painfully across the ground, the speed of the roll causing his arm to bend painfully.

His yelp of pain was intercut with the tear and scrape of metal and the cries of Clones as the creature completely and utterly tore through their lines, tossing them all aside like they were rats.

As the small defensive walls and the guards of them were scattered and the two creatures quickly advanced on the Force users, the smaller bugs used the break in the onslaught to charge forward, quickly leaping onto any Clone on the ground and sinking both tail and claw into their prey. The garbled pained cries of the Clones freshly echoed through the air, alongside the clacks and screeches as the Clones that were still able to stand quickly attempted to defend themselves.

Snowball, though his arm is aching, struggled to an upright position, his rifle clutched painfully in his uninjured hand. As he sat up, he was met with the sight of a bug, it's jaws and teeth bright red and dripping as it tore into the body of a Clone.

Before Snowball could even think about what to do, the creature's head whipped up and, in a lightning fast motion, surged towards the downed Clone.

Time seemed to slow for Snowball as he attempted to draw his rifle at the same time the bug tried to close the distance between him and it. A thousand thoughts seemed to rush into the Clone's head in what felt like a second, ranging from hopeful to depressive. Just as it seemed the bug was about to slam into him, he pulled the trigger and there was a flash of blue followed by a wet splat.

The bug slammed into him and sent him back to the ground with a painful thunk. Snowball expected the next sound he would utter would be a liquid shout as he gargled his own blood. But, to his own shock, he found only a grunt of disgust as his sights sent on the unmoving husk of the dead bug, the back of it's head now a cavern.

Snowball wasted no time kicking it away as he quickly secured his rifle and dispatched of one of the advancing creatures before moving to help a wounded Clone, though his side screamed through the whole ordeal. As he lifted his brother and pulled him back from the now shattered line, he activated his communicator.

"Bunt," He groaned as he dragged across the scorched landing pad.

"Snowball!" The heavy crackled through the damaged recievor. "By the Force, you're alive! I thought after the line shattered, you were-"

"Bug food?" Snowball asked. "Not yet. What's your status like?"

"Not good. The front lines have fallen apart under the charge of those big bastards to Vader and the Jedi! We've got a lot of brothers dead and even more injured!" The communication halted as blaster fire ripped through air on the other end. "We need a new plan!"

"Already suggest a much needed one!" Snowball replied. "Stay alive, brother!" With that, he switched frequencies. "Appo, we're being slaughtered here! We need to pull back and regroup! Our defense outside is failing and, as much hate as we hold towards them, we need to pull back to the temple and assist the Jedi in evacuating!"

"I know!" An angry shout interlaced with constant fire spoke up. "I and Vader have come to that realization, but we are far from happy about the fact! The Jedi must be destroyed and we all know it! The sheer fact that we'll be helping them escape what they deserve is infuriating!" There was a pause. "But these abominations deserve destruction far more than any Jedi. Spread the word and fast! We fall back to the temple, set up defensive positions, seal the entrance and wait for further orders. Any who are not willing to follow those orders will be put on the position by force or left for dead. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Snowball recited without hesitation.

"We need time to space-proof the transports and interlace a full evacuation of the Council and ourselves from this forsaken planet. And we are going to provide that time by any means necessary. Vader will rendevous with us there with any surviving force wielders from the front lines back at the temple. Get yourself and your squad back in one piece. We'll need all the men we can get."

"Yes, sir!" Snowball relayed before switching back to Bunt. "Bunt, grab Callback and any clones still left on the line and pull back to the Jedi Temple. Vader plans to regroup with all surviving Clones. Gather every Clone you can. Wounded, insane, scarred, impotent. I don't care. Gather everyone. We need every Clone at that temple to even hope to fight against these things."

"Copy that!" Bunt relayed before his comm was silenced.

Even with the Clones we have, Snowball thought as he trudged forward. And the Jedi Temple forces... against that sheer mass of bugs... we'll be lucky to survive in any sense of the word. He grit his teeth. If there is any kind of Force diety somewhere in the stars... I hope to everything he has a plan to help us deal with this absolute hell. Some kind of factor or plan that none of us had even considered.

Snowball was so lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice the weight of the wounded Clone lessen as one of his brothers offered support.

"Here, brother." The Clone said. "I'll help you."

Snowball couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Thank you. If any more weight was put on my wounds, I think I would have-" That is when his train of thought stopped as he got a good look at the armor of the Clone in front of him.

The lines, patterns and markings of the Clone stoodout to him like a sore thumb; the medical symbol in the center of a carved hutt ball, the marked patters of wings around the mask eyes, the halo pattern circled around the top of his helmet. But, most importatnly, the squad symbol of a hand gripped tightly around a ball with cracks stretching across the item. The symbol of Hutt squad. HIS squad.

He looked up just as the other Clone did.

"Timeout." Snowball uttered.

"Captain Snowball." Timeout said, shock evident in his voice before being replaced with outright happiness. "You're alive."

Crossbones

Crossbones had always hunted with the odds stacked far against him. It's always been his way. The single hunt of the Spiked One on Ter Four, the hunt in the war on Juq Five and the hunt of the sea drainer on Ates. All of them drove Crossbones to the pinnacle of his strategies and strength. That strength led him to become the leader of his own clan and prodigies, respected among many other hunters on the homeworld. This kind of scenario was nothing new to the seasoned hunter.

However, that did not mean that the hunter was confident. Far from it. When it regarded the sheer mass of creatures that exhumed from every pore of this planet, he knew his odds in regards to success (which, against the wave, were not likely). The way this hunt has progressed, the infestation has escalated to the point of no return. Even with the death of the Queen, it would not stop this amount of serpents from quickly regrouping. As far as the city went, it was long gone. And far from Crossbone's main priority.

But the city's fate did not impact the hunter's mission as of now, so it gained none of his focus. His focus was more fixed on the grotesque serpent that had shoved it's way out of the vent and had come to an impacting stand in front of the two hunters, spittles of drool flying as it snarled. It's head slowly angled up, it's skull pattern angled in such a way that it reminded Crossbones of a rising volcano.

As it stretched to a full height, multiple small legs twitched across it's back, giving a full view to the six facehuggers that were latched across it's spine, their small tails whipping slightly as they adjusted to the stretch of their Carrier.

It's hide was smoking from the explosives that it had took from exiting the vent, acid blood dripping from wounds. But it still stood, it's claws arched and ready for combat.

Crossbones didn't need another second to know that this Serpent would take far more effort to strike down than any of the smaller Serpents encountered throughout the Hunt. And with his weapons system reduced due to intergration and Warzone's equipment almost completely crippled... this could prove a challenge. And that is exactly what the hunters relished in.

The serpent attacked first, quickly charging forward towards Crossbones, who stood in front of Warzone. Crossbones retaliated in an instant, waiting till the last possible moment before quickly rushing to the left side of the charging creature, blades extended and striking the thickness of the it's leg. A gush of acidic blood flowed against the metal of the floor and sent up a puff of smoke, the serpent quickly turning in reaction to the blow.

With the serpent's attention elsewhere, Warzone struck.

Quickly drawing his curved daggers, he let out a roar and leapt to the neck of the towering serpent, his sheer weight dragging the thin prey down towards the floor. Spittle flew from the jaws of the carrier, splattering across the entirety of Warzone as it's head arced to try and remove him from it's neck. But Warzone had chosen the ideal angle of attack; far enough away to keep out of range of the serpents claws and twisting tail.

Crossbones quickly added to the attack, bring his daggers forward and into the chest of the Serpent, earning yet another hiss like roar as it reared in response. It's claws were brought down in absolute fury, raking across the elite hunter's weapons as he shot them up in protection. Sparks flew as the two deadly objects collided and Crossbones quickly shot forward, using his forward momentum to lunge towards the creatures already injured leg.

His plan was simple: bring down one of the creatures legs and bind him to the spot as they finally brought down the killing blow on him. It was a tactic well executed before by the hunters when it came to dealing with prey larger than them. And it had saved himself and his allies numerous times. Unfortunately, it seemed this situation greatly deviated from the hunts of the past.

As Crossbones neared the ever weakening leg of the beast, he was shocked to feel a heavy and thick latch against his own leg, alongside a hellish burning. Pure instinct drove him to drive his daggers to his leg, where they met with the squirming form of a Facehugger.

The small creature all but exploded, shooting acidic blood across the entirety of the floor... and his unprotected leg. A responsive roar ripped from his fangs as his fists painfully clenched. Before he could even think to shift his focus back to the attack, a thick scuttling echoed around the elite hunter. The hunter had once thought that the Facehuggers on the Serpent's back were in a focused hibernation, unable to leave the beast. His initial thought was completely wrong. Time to adjust.

By this time, the prime attack point had passed and the Serpent had stepped around the Hunter, limp still visible but deadliness unaffected. Warzone still clung on, his fangs outstretched in anger as he drove his attack into the neck, but it did nothing to slow the large Serpent, which shot its tail at immense speed towards Crossbones.

The elite hunter prepared to leap to the left and follow up his dodge with the beginning of a fresh wave of attacks. He had hoped to salvage any remaining vestige of their plan, but he was stopped short as he felt a heavy hit and a quick scuttle up the length of his arm.

He reacted instantly, flinging his arm forward and throwing the facehugger to the floor. He could not risk an abomination. Not now. Taking out the risk of the facehugger was a priority for the hunter in the moment.

Unfortunately, it was a priority that left him far more open then any elite hunter could possibly risk. Before Crossbones could choose how to react further, he felt the massive muscle of the Carrier's tail slam into his broad chest.

The hunter was sent skidding a ways back, barely able to keep his footing as the Carrier, now temporarily down an opponent, turned it's attention to Warzone. It charged side first to a pillar and slammed into the structure with such force, it violently cracked. Warzone's roar of pure pain intertwined with the sound of the structure and, exhausted from the damage he had recieved across both battles, was finally thrown from the creature and to the marble floor below.

Crossbones felt his fangs set in anger as he watched the Carrier make it's way to the downed Warzone. This Serpent had been tossing them across the room long enough. It was time to end this.

With that, he finally heard the whir of his systems as it set the crystal within his combat blade systems. With a pop and a hiss of heat and energy, Crossbones drew his wrist blades, which now set a glow across the darkened room. Ignoring his pain and quickly solidifying a new plan in his mind, Crossbones set off at a full run towards his enemy. The large Serpent turned to the thunderous sound of the Hunter's run and readied it's tail to strike him away... just as Crossbones had expected.

Quickly cutting his way through two hopping Facehuggers, the elite advanced till the last possible moment of impact from the Serpent's tail. Then, with a flare of grace and experience, he threw himself back and slid under the attack. As he did so, he also raised his arms and his blades into strike range, cutting into the very thick of the Serpent's tail.

As Crossbones quickly jumped up to a running stance and swung around back to the Serpent, he heard a heavy thud behind him as the cut through tail fell to the ground. It was followed by the enraged roar of the beast as it turned to locate it's enemy, which also fit well into the elite's ever evolving plan.

He shot a quickly glance at Warzone, who, despite his injuries, was holding his own against the advancing facehuggers, stomping and tearing through the small serpent carriers with clicks and roars of rage. Crossbones was proud. Irregardless of how the hunter currently felt, he continued his fight with absolute vigor. He had been taught well.

With the facehuggers preoccupied with Warzone, Crossbones put every ounce of focus into his attack against the main Serpent. With lightning fast reflexes, his scaled hands shot to his belt, whipped out his combat discs and quickly threw them forward. Both discs effortlessly bore into the right leg of the beast, spreading a gout of acidic blood and begetting a pained roar from the Serpent.

In the midst of it's pain, Crossbones took his chance. He leapt from his running position, soared through the air and landed with his maximum weight on the back of the beast, shifting the creature just enough for Crossbones to advance to the base of it's crest and neck.

The hunter felt his head whip back as the creature violently twisted around, trying to shake the Yautja from itself. But Crossbones kept one, grabbing onto the creatures crest, gripped with all of it's strength, drew his glowing wrist blades and slashed into it's neck with one of the loudest roars he had ever emitted.

Acid sprayed from the top of it's neck as the Serpent screeched and stumbled, it's claws scraping loudly against the floor. Crossbones reared his arm back for a second strike, but was stopped by the sudden rush of wind at his side. He turned just in time to see the large black clawed hand of the Serpent shooting towards him. He only had seconds to slash away at the hand, which he did in a flurry of wrist blade movements.

A few of the Serpents fingers fell to the ground below, but he was unable to stop the blow in it's entirety. There was a piercing pain as the claws that remained slammed into his chest and broke his skin. With a splatter of green glowing blood, Crossbones was thrown back, his footing stumbling away from the Serpent's back and to the floor.

Crossbones was already thinking of another plan as he fell to the ground. He could re-use the plan and add on with Warzone when he was finished with the smaller Serpents. He also had full access to his weaponry now, meaning he can better utilize his minds to full effect. As the Serpent turned back towards him, he raised his claws once more. With a successful strike, he could begin to end this battle once and for-

SSSSSHHHH!

Crossbones looked on in shock, a blue streak the only proof that an attack occurred. The Serpent remained still for only a second before it's head slouched and fell away from it's neck, it's body following it to the ground shortly after.

The elite quickly turned to his fellow hunter, who had just ridded himself of the last of the facehuggers. He didn't have any opening for a strike like that, which means it did not come from him.

"Don't move."

Crossbones quickly whipped around the source of the voice, his claws extended and instincts ready for any attack. A ways away from him, Warzone did the same, preparing himself for any oncoming attack.

About thirty feet away from them, entering the room through a previously locked entrance. A good majority of them were cloaked white figures, each wielding a yellow-glowing spear like weapon in front of them in a defensive position. They looked to provide a decent fight to Crossbones, but they were not the main focus of attention for the hunter.

No, the ones that took that were the two in front of the figured warriors. One was a red-and-white skinned humanoid with a long brown cloak, fierce eyes and a glowing blue blade similar to what he had seen before. Her arm was held in an extended position, giving the obvious sign that she had been responsible for the attack that had brought down the beast. She held a very commanding presence among the group, giving Crossbones no trouble in labeling her the lead hunter of this group.

The second was a familer face to the hunter: the metal-armed warrior he had clashed with before, but with noticable differences. His tan robes were struck with patches of burned marks and tears, giving obvious indication that conditions had steadily worsened for them since they battled last. He also had visible scars, both old and new, across his face. But it did nothing to hinder his expression of hardened concentration, pain and determination as he stared down at Crossbones (something that the Yatuja had not experienced in a very long time)

The small ground held their ground and made no move to advance, but still held their weapons and their concentration on Crossbones and Warzone. Unwilling to fall now, not even a word had to pass between the two Hunters. They both assumed aggressive battle positions, each letting loose a growl and a show of sparks as they bared their claws, prepped their plasma casters and neared their reach to their belts.

The white-hooded figures flinched and prepped their own weapons, ready to begin the battle that the hunters were expecting. But, to the shock of both Yatuja, the metal-armed warrior raised his hand.

"Stop!" He yelled out. "Don't attack them!" He cast his gaze to the Hunters. "... We are not here to fight."

Warzone regarded the warrior in intense curiosity and much distrust. It had to be some kind of trap. There was no regard to mercy upon intial contact with this Temple's security forces. What could change now?

Crossbones, more inclined to see where the human was going with this interaction, sent the hold signal to Warzone and allowed the human to continue.

The human regarded them of a brief moment, waiting to see if they would take any action before continuing.

"I am Jedi Master Mace Windu. And this is my ally, Jedi Master Shaak Ti." He pursed his lips. "And it seems we have a common goal and enemy.

It seems obvious to me and all of us here that you don't hold any love for these creatures," The warrior continued, motioning to the bodies of the dead Serpents. "And you are very intelligent and admirable warriors. Most couldn't infiltrate the Jedi Temple on their own like you managed to do." He motioned around. "But, much like us, it seems that you are beginning to struggle in the midst of this invasion of these Dark Creatures. And are beginning to sustain some damages that are limiting your chances of leaving here in one piece."

Crossbones looked to his fellow hunter, his systems critically damaged and his injures very apparant to every avaliable eye. His own injures were just as massive as Warzone's.

"And you seem to have quite the respect for our weapons, seeing as how you broke into the vault and stole a good number of our crystals." He held out his hand in a defensive position. "Seeing as you somewhat respect our skill and weapons and we somewhat respect yours... and we all seem to be trapped by this wave of creatures, I have a proposition.

Since we can't go any further down the temple and to our vault to recover our crystals without putting more of our people in serious danger, and you seem to have gathered quite the mass of crystals during your own endeavor, we can make a deal. We have a ship and a way to get everyone out of the temple before it's overwhelmed. We just need more support. You aid us in dealing with any creatures we have near the top and ensuring all of our safety there, we'll provide you with a ship out and a good amount of the crystals you've obtained."

"Windu," The red warrior protested before being silenced by a wave from the metal-armed warrior.

"But in return for us guiding you to the top and providing you with a ship, you return some of those crystals to us. No lifeform in this galaxy, especially exclusive warriors like you, needs so many like you have now. And we need as many as we can to support our own losses at the end of this. We split the crystals, we fight our way to the top and we go our seperate ways." He fixed a glare to Crossbones. "What say you?"

Crossbone's mandibles clicked together in thought. The very thought of relying on warriors not of his clan was one to make Crossbones severely question his own skill. Why would he need them? He had been the conqueror of many hunts in the past. Destroyed many nests across many worlds. Cut down some of the fiercist warriors known in the galaxy. Even traded blows and slayed other Yatuja in his lifetime.

But, at the same time, he had never had to deal with this sheer size of Serpents before. Nor this amount of variety among the brood itself. And that was not even entailing the fact that the warriors on this world wielded an energy never before recorded in their long history and wielded weapons beyond what any hunter could have imagined.

Crossbones found himself quickly regarding the stories of old. The stories of past hunters who had stumbled across unwinnable situations or impossible odds and fought on to succeed in the end. Some made it out on their own, but most were found to rely on the most odd tactic of turning to natives they never gave a second-glance before and working with them to complete their mission. It was always a strategy that no Yatuja enjoyed... but it was often one that proved the most illuminating when it came to new tactics or new races to regard.

Crossbones had come into his clan thinking that he would always find the solution. He wouldn't need to rely on anyone other than himself and his own skill set. But now, with the situation spiraling into what it is now, and the Serpents aggrresively gaining numbers and more evolution, it seemed to be a situation that mimicked the stories of old.

With a moment of hesitation, Crossbones ordered Warzone to lower his weapons, but to keep his senses primed just in case. As Crossbones lowered his own weapons, he found his hand quickly moving to his wrist device as he slowly made his way to the group.

If he was going to be forced into this, he wanted to ensure that there was to be no miscommunication as to what the hunters were capable of, the extent of the Serpent wave, the crystals that they would be willing to part with and exactly how thin this alliance of theirs would be moving forward.

Night-Blood

It had cost the hunter a good amount of his plasma energy and stamina in general, but the Hunter and the group of survivors he had come across were finally able to route the wave.

At least the ones that were smart enough to leave, unlike the Serpent that Night-Blood found himself shoving his blades through. It's screams filled the air as it struggled fruitlessly against Night-Blood's arm before it finally stilled. With a whirr of energy, Night-Blood flung his final explosive forward and in front of the survivor's line, throwing a blue fire and energy and throwing a good many of the survivors back, but killing the four advancing Serpents.

Another flurry of metal in the dark of hall was the only indication of what happened next as Night-Blood quickly and efficiently carved through the remaining line of Serpents, sending a spray of acidic blood across every groove of the floor.

A few bolts of blue laser fire streaked past the form of the Hunter as each mark struck a few retreating Serpents, carving into their spines and casting them to the floor, screeching in absolute pain. They were quickly silenced by another cast of bolts.

As the last of the dying Serpents were destroyed and the small wave retreated back into the confines of the halls, Night-Blood took the moments break to stand and survey the area, turning all of the systems present in the confines of his mask towards outward scan.

He was the youngest hunter of the three, being only introduced into the clan a mere four years ago. But that was all the time he needed when it came to the experience of the hunt.

Crossbones had tirelessly drilled him in the proper tactics to take during the process of battle and the different decisions that would keep the honor of the clan or would outright destroy it. One of the most important ones was to always rely on himself within any situation, which he had stuck to a great deal throughout the course of this hunt.

That being said, he still didn't have the exact layout of this massive structure. Hallways seemed to stretch and bend across every inch of this place and it seemed there was never a way to properly solidify which route took him to the hottest part of the station.

The search was definitely not helped by the nest walls that were being rapidly constructed by the Serpents, making it almost impossible to define a proper route on his own. The odds looked to be rapidly turning in favor of the nest and away from the Hunters... but Night-Blood wasn't ready to admit any kind of defeat.

Crossbones had sent him on the mission to track down the Queen Serpent and bring her head, a mission that he had only given to the most promising of Yatuja. And he was not going to fail his clan and squander his chance.

The Serpents may have had the advantage in the darkness and the advantage of covering the area in their heat-reading nest parts, but Night-Blood had the advantage in one aspect: the Serpents were a hive mind and only capable of communicating with each other.

Night-Blood had no such weakness. And with that lack, he could only gain.

"Alright, they're cleared!"

Night-Blood turned back to the group of survivors he had saved as they scrambled back to the "safety" of their location. They each spared frightened glances towards him as they circled their leader, their expressions saying that they expected him to lash out at them now that the Serpents were dealt with.

Night-Blood had no reason to kill them. In fact, the very reason they still drew breath was because they fit exactly into what the Hunter had planned next.

The leader of the survivors quickly brought who was left (including the survivor with substantial injuries to his legs) and they began discussing. They went a distance away and what they thought was out of earshot of the Hunter, though with his technology and experience, they couldn't be more wrong about that fact.

"We have the signal out and going!" The leader said as he quickly reloaded his blaster. "Now what we need is to secure any survivors left from the top level and wait on a passing ship signal. I'll go up with another and we'll-"

"No," The spiked humanoid interjected. "I'm done with this place. SOS signal be damned, we need to get the hell out of here."

"For a Spaceport Officer," The injured survivor spat. "You are one selfish bastard."

"It's selfish to want to live?! I don't know if you've seen our circumstances, but they're not exactly in our absolute favor!"

"We can't just leave them all die." One of the females added.

"We won't." The leader added. "We're getting everyone and getting out. We already lost Jecht. I'm not willing to stand by and lose anyone else."

"Chances are they're already dead! Those insects are everywhere, by every ounce of the Force! Not to mention there's the fact that there's apparently creatures like that thing running around as well!" He said this as he pointed a finger towards Night-Blood.

All at once, the focus was driven towards the Hunter, their eyes analyzing him for any hint of movement or sign of what he intended to do next. Night-Blood simply kept his focus on the cleaning of his weapons, paying them no regard.

"... What does it want?" The female asked, her eyes still locked on him.

"Nothing that will benefit us," The spiked one replied. "Which is why I say we leave now while we still can."

"... Haynar, you take Evvin and explore the beginning's of the upper level. See if you can find any other survivors. Keep Haynar here and working. Find anyone you can and come back in exactly five minutes."

"... What will you do?"

"I'm going to question our new friend."

At this, Night-Blood turned towards the group just in time to see the group leader stand and cautiously advance to the Hunter. At the same time, two of the survivors stood and moved to the left and the stairwell. Night-Blood kept his attention at the leader as he advanced. The Yatuja stood to his full height and looked on to the man, his steps never faltering.

Good, Night-Blood thought. Fearlessness is needed now more than ever.

The leader came to a stop in front of him, his fists clenched in nervousness, but his eyes never disconnecting from the Hunter's.

"I'm not stupid." The leader said. "You probably saved us all for a reason, right? Because you sure don't look like a person who did it out of the good of their heart." He pursed his lips. "What do you need us for?"

Night-Blood stood silent for a moment, running through his mind the speed that they would need to accomplish this before raising his arm, tapping a few symbols on his gauntlet and accessing the system archives.

The outright red glow of the machine startled the man, who took a few instinctual steps back before focusing his eyes on the image now in front of him. His expression slacked and his eyes were full of understanding and even present fear as he found himself looking at the towering form of the Serpent Queen.

"By the Force," He muttered in absolute shock and fear. "... They have a Queen. You're hunting for their..." He stopped. "She's here in the Spaceport, isn't she? And you want me to lead you to the heart of the nest to end her?" He looked at Night-Blood in grim realization. "That's it, isn't it?"

Night-Blood, fists clenched in anticipation and excitement at the human's fast realization, slowly nodded.

Grandel

"I won't beat around the bush," Grandel said, flinching in slight pain as he brought up the hologram detailing the planet of Coruscant. "We're in a pretty screwed up situation. Broken, exhausted, bleeding and pretty much hopelessly outnumbered." He turned to face the circular gambler's table that held Officer Rashno and about four other Spaceport Officer leaders.

"But that does not mean we're defeated."

The officers looked to each other, some curious, others doubtful. And Grandel couldn't blame them. After everything he had seen, he could say that he was feeling pretty hopeless himself. But not completely. He came up with this definite crazy plan after all.

He drew his scorched hand to the planet map and widened it to show the various amounts of Republic Fleet Ships in orbit and desperately trying to evacuate as many people off-planet as they could.

"What you see here you no doubt recognize as the Republic Fleet. Hundreds strong, frakking massive and nearly each ship armed with the firepower to scorch an entire city down. No doubt a force to be reckoned with." He withdrew his hand. "Pretty much the perfect tools if you wanted to sow some precise destruction, wouldn't you say?"

"Grandel," One of the officers spoke up. "We've already received reports that the fleet was instructed to try to precisely hit certain pockets of the creature's, but they've dug themselves too deep. We can kill some but not all with these hits. These things have the full advantage when it comes to-"

"I'm not talking about just launching another barrage, genius," Grandel said as he winced once more, his skin painfully cracking. "I'm talking about the actual ships." The officers became even more confused and seemingly more unsure at this. But Rashno, being the trusting officer he was, motioned for Grandel to continue, which he did happily.

With another flick of his finger, he zoomed in on the prime city of Coruscant and to one specific area. "I have been told repeatedly about the durability and ferocity of these bugs so many times. About how we can't send men in because they're too dug in. And how we would need to wheel in special artillery units to clear tactical ways and we can't do that without getting close, so it's impossible." He smiled. "What if I told you there's a way to wipe out a lot of them all at once and to release something that would slow and kill them all at once?"

"How?" Rashno demanded.

Grandel turned back to his hologram, which now presented a large scale jutting circular building that looked just as war-torn as the others.

"I'm sure you all recognize the City Heating System," Grandel said. "Funnels so much of our towers with the heat necessary to combat the absolute cold around the system. A floating fortress that was heavily guarded and now heavily infested. I feel confident in saying that's there is no way of getting in from the ground." He looked to the others. "But the thing is we need it out of the way, now more than ever."

"Where are you going with this, smuggler?" One of the officers demanded. "You don't possibly mean you intend to-"

"Destroy it?" Grandel asked. "Yes. Fully. These insects seem to thrive in heat and wish to draw their young to it so they can have a happy healthy birth, yeah? Well the answer is simple enough to me. We take away the heaters, the frigid cold comes back. The frigid cold comes back, we can freeze these suckers where they are. There's nowhere to hide from the cold. We can freeze and stop the infestation here and now."

"That's all well and good," Rashno said. "But you're plan calls for us to destroy the heating systems, something we can't do without breaching the compound which is currently infested beyond belief. I'm sorry, Grandel, but there's no way we can access the compound controls with our current numbers and firepower."

"Who said anything about accessing controls?" Grandel asked as he moved the image back to the Republic Fleet. Alright, now on to the crazy side of the plan. "I know the hide of the station itself can withstand a fair amount of laser bombardment and it would take to long to punch a hole through it. So... how about instead of a barrage, we give a whole ship."

I say we choose one of the biggest ships in the Republic Fleet, evacuate her crew, position her right above the station and throw her full throttle at the station, engines primed and all. The explosion should be more than enough to wipe the station out and kill a few hundred of the bugs for our troubles as well. With the station out of commission, the cold comes and finishes off any of them that are left. And we stop these bugs once and for all."

Stunned silence was what Grandel was met with as the Officers fully took in what he had said, their faces a mix of pure stun, bewilderment, confusion and even a little thought.

"What you're asking for is insanity defined." One of the officers piped in. "To literally slam a ship into the heating compound is chaotic beyond belief. You'd be jeopardizing any kind of survivors that are-"

"No offense to you," One of the other officers piped up. "But if there were any survivors in that area, they're probably not there any longer with the amount of creatures amassed in that area. They ethier fled or were killed by now." He didn't say it with any lack of sadness in his voice.

"He's right," Grandel said. "By this point, the infestation spreading to the whole planet is a danger. We can still save survivors up until that point, but there has to be a time that the infestation takes priority over survivors."

"Why not now?" Another officer said. "The infestation has clearly reached it's max. I say, if we all agree with the plan, we go forward now."

"Grandel's right, Verimin." Rashno spoke out. "We can't do it now. We need to rally any remaining survivors with us before we go through with this. Save as many as we can before time runs out for them."

Verimin sighed. "With all due respect, Rashno, I don't see how their could be any survivors left in the city. It would take a miracle beyond the Force to ensure any kind of safety out there."

Grandel was about to speak up about the resilience of survivors when his ship decided that it could say his argument much better with a single announcement.

"SOS SIGNAL DETECTED. SOS SIGNAL DETECTED."

Grandel instantly perked up. "Where?"

"Coruscant Spaceport. Level Three."

The smuggler turned to the officers. "You wanted a miracle? Seems you've got one."

Rashno shot up from his seat, determination in his eyes. "Well then what are we waiting for?! There ARE survivors out there and they need our help! Now more then ever!" He turned to his officers. "Get every abled body man to the scout ships and tell them to search for any sign of life in the city while theirs still time! I want people found and brought back!" He turned to Grandel. "We'll take my ship and head to the Spaceport with a squad of our best. We didn't stop fighting till we got everyone we could out of the hanger. And I don't intend to stop at just once location. Are you with me?"

Grandel found himself shifting his skin, testing the pain in his body. It was still VERY much there, but not as bad as before. 21 would probably say he needed a lot more bedrest and medicine. And that charging into battle right now should probably be the last thing he would do.

But since when did he care what 21 thought about?

"I'm in." Grandel said with a smile. "All the way."

Next Chapter: Alliances. Rescue Attempts. A Final Battle at the Temple. A desperate plan. And a final push for survival in this world of death.

SCHEDULE IS NOW IN EFFECT. I know what you're thinking. "Wow. Jedi never updates. Man, he really does not care about his stories". First of all, I apologize for my crappy update schedule, but life does get in the way quite a bit, especially in the midst of college. But with everything soothing out, I hope to get on this schedule and stay on this schedule. This means chapters may be a bit shorter, but I'll be pushing the final road of this story as best I can!

Second of all, I want to say that I care about you all and thank you so much for enjoying this story so much! I'll try my darndest to keep you guys happy with the content and writing! Thank you for all the Favorites, Follows and Reviews to this story! You guys are just beyond awesome!

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(CHAPTERS MAY BE PRODUCED SOONER DEPENDING ON SCHEDULE!)