Shadows of Tomorrow

Chapter 26 - Zygerria

"Anybody else think it's too quiet?" calls Ahsoka from next to Anakin on their speeder, looking around. "I haven't seen any colonists." The four of them have been sent to Kiros, home to a large colony of Togrutas. Apparently, the Separatists had just arrived, so why are they suddenly gone? It doesn't add up. It's been ten rotations since the Separatists got here, and anything could have happened since. Now that they're down on the ground, Theseus is on a speeder next to Cody while Obi-Wan is by Rex. Anakin and Ahsoka took their own speeder.

"They're probably hiding. Let's hope they stay hidden," Anakin replies as Obi-Wan pulls up next to them.

"It makes our job easier if we don't have to worry about them in battle," Obi-Wan adds optimistically.

"Point," Theseus agrees. He's been off the front so long he'd almost forgotten how thrilling the action was. It's good to be back, even if it shouldn't be. "It's better if they're out of sight, but something else is going on here."

"I don't like it," Rex comments, from his seat alongside Obi-Wan's, "The clankers have never been shy about using civvies as living shields. I'm sure they're here somewhere."

"I'm sure we'll find them eventually," Cody replies optimistically, where he sits next to Theseus.

"Let's make for the city center," Anakin decides.

They speed in between more buildings, but still, there's no sign of life whatsoever. It's like everything has been entirely abandoned.

"Biker droids dead ahead!" Ahsoka shouts in warning.

"Squad, tighten up! Form on me!" Anakin orders.

Rex and Cody start shooting at the oncoming droids, blasting several of them with their speeders. The droids instantly return their fire. Theseus swings the speeder to the side, igniting his lightsaber with one hand. He needs to focus on flying, or he'd turn those droids into scrap metal in a matter of seconds.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Ahsoka standing up and drawing her own lightsabers. Anakin pulls out his own, slashing through one of the droid's speeders as it zooms past his.

Theseus takes off a droid's head with its own blaster bolt and its speeder careens off-course into a nearby structure. The droids slow down their speeders and come around to attack from behind. Cody, Rex, and Ahsoka swing the guns on the speeders around to shoot back at the droids, taking down most of them. Theseus and Anakin finish off the rest.

"We're all clear, Master," Ahsoka calls, jumping from a droids' speeder back to her own seat.

They spot the droids gathered in the central plaza from afar, and instantly open fire. They have a multitude of battle droids there, and two tanks. One of them moves to shoot, and Rex pulls out a rocket launcher, destroying the tank before it has time to fire. Ahsoka jumps off the speeder, landing on the back of the other tank and throwing a bomb inside, before leaping back to her seat. The tank explodes in a shower of smoke and debris.

"Captain, have your men secure the area," Obi-Wan instructs.

Before long the clones are securing the area while Ahsoka and Theseus try searching for signs of life and any clues as to where the Togrutas could have disappeared to. These are her people, and he knows she senses much the same connection to them as he did on Mandalore. It's only a sudden flare of pure rage that draws his attention.

He looks up to see Cody standing in front of Obi-Wan, holding a comm with a transmission from a Zygerrian. Anakin stalks towards him, ripping the device away with the Force and crushing it. Uh... He's had a lot of random outbursts, but never something like this. "Zygerrian scum! I'll handle that slaver myself," Anakin snarls.