His pace had been a consistent jog the entire trek back to the ship. Even without the Jedi's lightsabers to lead the way, his vision had quickly adjusted to the murky darkness of the tunnels. The breeze whistling passed him became warmer as he neared the tunnel's entrance. His steps felt heavier; his resolve, more focused. General Rhok of the Grand Shilli Army was ready to aid the young Jedi however he could and to ease the minds of their concerned companions.

Orange light greeted him as he broke through to open air. What he expected to see were two young Togrutans and a human woman waiting around. Instead, he found an empty clearing. Much to his relief, the ship was still there. At least they haven't run off... he thought to himself. Circling around the back of the ship, he found the ramp and made his way inside.

The interior was far more cramped than the outside of the ship would've lead him to believe. It's pragmatic design left no room for flourishes of personality or decoration. There wasn't even a table. Simply a kitchenette, a cabin and a small refresher. There was still no sign of the others. A nagging pit begun forming in his gut. He casually noted it's presence as instinct. He continued to the cockpit with more caution. With each gentle step, the sound of murmuring grew louder.

"- warn me when you see it. I'll need to be ready to pick them up."

It was Vance. He had known the older human woman for just as long as the Jedi had. Her level, no nonsense tone was familiar to him. He recognised voices like that from his fellow warriors and army officers. But to hear that coming from a supposed diplomat set alarm bells off in his head. He inched closer, accidentally bashing his montrals against the roof of the doorway. A grunt escaped him.

"Hello? General Rhok, is that you?" He heard her call back.

Can't deny it now... he inwardly sighed. His hand slid to the compact spear in his pocket as he stepped inside. Vance sat at the controls, googles left hanging around her neck like she had just tinkered with the engine. In the copilot seat was a little astromech droid with purple and red markings. It produced a dopey beep that he failed to decipher.

"Yes, it's just me. Where's Commander Tano and the boy?" He asked sternly.

Vance sighed, exchanging a shameful glance with her droid.

"So you didn't see the smoke then, huh?" She said.

Rhok felt the pit balloon into a void.

"What smoke?" He pushed.

"The Padawan went back to the village with Haki. It's under attack..."

The news felt like a blaster bolt to the chest. The colourful, beaming faces of his friends and family flashed before his eyes. Kohma's was among them, beaming the brightest with a wickedly cheeky grin. His silence spoke volumes and his instinct to turn around and sprint back to his home was overwhelming. But something else gnawed at his very bones.

"Vance, who were you talking to..."

Her face was impervious as she quickly responded with "Haki, of course. If they see a flare, I'll need to be ready to pick up both groups."

For any other soldier, that answer would've been considered concise and logical. But it did nothing to settle General Rhok's nerves. If she was telling the truth that Haki and Ahsoka went to save the village, then how did the Seperatists know which village to target? And if she was lying, she was hiding something more dangerous anyway.

"I don't believe you." His voice was low and rumbled in his chest. His thumb hovered over the extension release on his spear.

Vance looked up at him, her face contorting into disbelief and shock. As she stammered for a reply, the coms blared again.

"Green light. Detainment is a go," blurted the garbled voice of a commando droid.

A split second of silence followed before he caught her mutter something.

"Kriff."

His spear was ready. In one fluid motion, he crashed it down on top of her. But Vance was surprisingly agile. With both hands she grabbed the back of the chair and kicked out her legs over the top of it. Her feet landed with a thud into his chest and he stumbled back, winded, into the corridor.

"R9S5 power up the engines and get us to that drop site!" She shouted, dodging to the side of an electrified jab. The droid whined back groggily. Rhok took the moment to push forward, trying to knock the tin can out of place.

Vance quickly intercepted him, grabbing the shaft of the spear with one hand and moving to punch his face with the other. Rhok ducked underneath it. As her fist flew over his shoulder, he stood up, suddenly propelling her into the ceiling. She grunted from the impact.

"NOW R9!" She roared, using her newfound vantage point to head butt General Rhok's lekku. Instant pain rushed down his spine and he dropped her with a sudden wave of nausea. The two of them fell back into the cramped living space and the cockpit doors hissed shut. The ramp was still hanging wide open and the engines growled from the effort of lifting the ship off of the ground.

"You traitor, this is our home!" General Rhok cried, backing Vance up into the kitchenette. Realising the threat, she jumped to the side and onto the little table top, twirling around to yank both ends of the spear around his neck.

"This is your home. And you would let it rot under the Republic's corruption!" She spat back.

He bellowed in response, throwing her over his shoulders. Vance careened into the floor, landing flat on her back. She gasped and twitched on the ground. More and more air flew into the ship as it climbed higher off the ground.

He held her still with the electrified tip of the spear pointed at her throat.

"Order your droid to stand down!" He commanded.

She heaved, looking between him and the weapon aimed at her throat. Her arms raised in a partial surrender, palms flat facing up at him.

"R9..." she called out weakly. "...bank right."

The ship lurched sideways toward the open ramp. Vance bashed aside General Rhok's spear as he begun to lose his balance. Both of them tumbled to the edge of the ramp. They were now hovering over the forest. A sea of red leaves raged below.

As General Rhok rolled towards the ramp, he made a grab for Vance's feet. They grappled, clawing and biting, using whatever they had to put the other out of commission.

Feeling both of them flying out the door, Vance latched onto the ramp's edge, leaving Rhok dangling above the forest by nothing but her bootstrap.

"Haki trusts you! You'll lead that boy to ruin!" He shouted back, desperate to get through to her however he could.

The wind thrashed them about and he could barley see her eyes underneath her greying frizzy hair. She kicked out at him. "The Jedi already did that, you fool!" She screeched. His partial shock left her room for one more kick as she threw off the boot he was clasping onto.

His grip was lost. General Rhok felt nothing but air.

Time slowed. Everything snapped into detail. He caught her eyes at last. The steel behind them, the grit, the ever present determination was still so familiar and yet so twisted. The rush of air did nothing to dampen those last sounds. Before the snapping of branches and the cracking of bones, he heard Vance speak for a final time.

"I won't let that happen to him again..."