The night was oppressively dark. Felucia's jungle, once vibrant with its surreal colors, became a black void with only the distant glow of bioluminescent plants providing any light. The faint hum of distant wildlife filled the air, but it did little to ease the tension weighing on my squad. We were deep in hostile territory, and every shadow felt like a threat.
Gear winced as I tightened the makeshift bandage on his arm. The arrow had gone deeper than I'd thought, but we didn't have the time or resources for anything more than a temporary fix. He gave me a tight nod, but I could see the pain in his eyes. He wouldn't say anything—none of us would. Pain was part of the job.
"Sergeant, how long do you think we'll be out here?" Lucky asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He was staring into the darkness, blaster at the ready. "The longer we stay, the more likely we'll have more run-ins with the Felucians or the droids."
I didn't have an answer. We had no way of contacting the Republic. No comms, no reinforcements. All we had was the jungle and the hope that we could find our way back to friendly lines. But I couldn't tell them that. They needed to believe we had a chance, that I had a plan.
"We keep moving at dawn," I said, forcing a sense of resolve into my voice. "We'll stay off the main paths, stick to the shadows. With luck, we'll avoid both the droids and the locals. The Republic forces won't be far."
Spark sat on a log nearby, running a hand over his helmet as he stared into the darkness. He hadn't said much since the ambush. I couldn't blame him. Tread's death had affected all of us, but Spark had been closest to him. I knew that look—the haunted expression of someone who felt responsible. I'd seen it in the mirror after Geonosis.
I moved to sit beside him, trying to find the words. I was his sergeant now, his leader, but what was I supposed to say? That it wasn't his fault? That wasn't how war worked. We all knew it.
"You're not responsible for Tread," I said quietly, knowing how hollow the words sounded.
Spark didn't look at me, his eyes still fixed on the jungle. "Aren't I? If I had just—"
"No," I interrupted, my voice firmer now. "You did what you could. We all did."
He clenched his jaw, the tension in his body clear. "It doesn't feel that way."
"War isn't fair," I said, my mind flashing back to Geonosis. To Pax. "You'll lose brothers, no matter how good you are. No matter how much you try to protect them. But we honor them by staying alive and finishing the mission."
Spark finally looked at me, his expression unreadable behind his visor. But he nodded. It wasn't much, but it was enough for now.
I stood, moving back to where Gear and Lucky sat, checking their equipment. The night stretched on, slow and silent, broken only by the occasional crack of a distant animal or the rustle of the leaves. My body ached, but I couldn't afford to sleep. My brothers were counting on me, and the jungle was unforgiving.
As I paced near the edge of the clearing, something caught my eye. A glint in the darkness—just for a second. I froze, my heart racing as I strained to see it again. Was it just the plants, or…?
I didn't have time to finish the thought. A blaster bolt sizzled through the air, slamming into a tree next to me.
"Contact!" I yelled, diving for cover as the jungle erupted into chaos.
Blaster fire filled the air, and I could hear the mechanical clanking of droids moving through the underbrush. They'd found us, and they were closing in fast. I fired blindly into the shadows, hoping to slow them down as the others scrambled to take defensive positions.
"They've got us pinned!" Lucky shouted, ducking behind a fallen tree as blaster bolts tore through the air above him. "There's too many!"
I pressed my back against a thick tree, trying to get a sense of the enemy's position. I could see the droids now, their glowing eyes cutting through the darkness like specters. B1 battle droids, moving in formation, supported by heavier B2s. This wasn't just a patrol—they were hunting us.
"We need to fall back," Gear grunted, still clutching his injured arm. "We can't hold this position."
I knew he was right. We were exposed, outnumbered, and outgunned. But where could we go? The jungle was vast, but it was no sanctuary.
"Retreat into the deeper jungle!" I ordered, firing another volley as we started to move. "Keep to the trees, stay low!"
We broke from cover, sprinting into the dense foliage as blaster bolts tore through the air behind us. The droids followed, relentless, their metal feet crunching through the undergrowth. The jungle was our only shield now, its thick vegetation giving us some cover as we scrambled deeper into its heart.
We ran for what felt like hours, the sound of the droids growing fainter, but never completely disappearing. My legs burned, and my lungs screamed for air, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. Not until my brothers were safe.
Finally, we found a small ravine, the walls lined with thick vines and overgrown trees. It was barely large enough to provide cover, but it was better than nothing. We slid down into it, pressing ourselves against the walls as we caught our breath.
"They're still out there," Spark muttered, peeking over the edge of the ravine. "They won't stop."
"They'll have to," I said, wiping sweat from my brow. "They can't stay in the jungle forever. They'll run out of power eventually."
But I wasn't sure I believed my own words. The droids were programmed to complete their mission at all costs, and we were their mission. As long as they had power, they would keep coming.
"We can't keep running," Lucky said, echoing Spark's earlier sentiment. "We need to find a way to fight back."
I nodded, looking around at my squad—my brothers. We were exhausted, wounded, and out of options. But they were right. We couldn't keep running.
"We'll set a trap," I said, the beginnings of a plan forming in my mind. "We use the jungle to our advantage. Force them into a bottleneck, pick them off one by one."
It was risky, but it was all we had. The jungle had been a curse since we'd landed, but now it was our only chance.