He stepped down from the shuttle, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun. Yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.
She kept him still and held his beating heart with one gaze, feeding off of him. She was a succubus, beauti...
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The sky was purple under the haze and clouds, which surpassed any silken or woven cloth. It was beautiful and mauve with red etching along the underside of the clouds like the departing sun was angry at them. Tendrils of mist swirled among them, and despite the tenseness in the air, there was a strange beauty to it, as if the heavens themselves were casting an enchanting spell upon the land below.
Standing amidst the chaos of the shipyard, Talia couldn't help but pause to admire the skyline of Anaxes. The planet was plagued with war, and yet a beautiful serenity remained despite it all.
And so she watched and bore witness cloud patterns no eye had ever seen before or will again. Come the dusk it was the same, such a casual beauty, transitory and eternal, changing and constant.
They had come at last to the cusp of a siege that had spanned many months. It was so palpable she could taste it.
Her gaze tore itself from the beautiful landscape, turning towards the gaping cavern etched into the cliff face. She found the others, past throngs of soldiers and fighters, gathered around the holotable atop the raised platform toward the cave's end. Determination etched into her features, she made her way towards them, steeling herself for the task ahead.
"We have more than a dozen active battlefronts on Anaxes, and we are losing nearly every one," Mace Windu began when she joined them. "But if Admiral Trench can no longer anticipate our moves, we now have the opportunity to retake the planet."
A hologram schematic of the terrestrial sphere was brought up above the table, outlining the many battlefronts, anticipated troop movements, and plans of attack.
"I can improve your chances."
They turned as one to see Echo escorted by a medical droid. He wore new armor that covered the cybernetic implants the Separatists had outfitted him with. Talia and Rex noted he was clad in blue—the same shade that was once on his ARC trooper armor.
"Eh, excuse me, Generals," Rex muttered before pulling Echo aside. "Echo, I'm sorry, but I just don't think you're ready for battle yet."
"I am not a liability, Rex," Echo dissuaded. "I'm the best chance we have to take back Anaxes."
Rex seemed unsure, but never had the chance to voice it.
"If the trooper has a plan, I'd like to hear it," Mace said.
Echo glanced at Rex's hand still holding his shoulder. "May I?" Rex stepped aside and let Echo connect his socket-arm to the port of the holotable. "While Master Windu leads a team to retake the assembly complex, the Bad Batch will escort me into Trench's new comm vault, which according to current intel, is now located on this Separatist Dreadnought above Anaxes."
The hologram schematic flashed, flickering to display the Providence-class starship.
"Once I'm plugged in, I can feed Trench strategies, but this time, you'll know every move before he makes it."
