After retrieving essential supplies from the crashed starship, the clone troopers, Jedi Knights, and Avengers began establishing a temporary camp in the alien wilderness. The priority was clear—repair the communication systems to contact the outside world. Unfortunately, the communication equipment had been damaged beyond salvage during the violent crash landing, leaving them completely cut off from any potential rescue.
A small campfire crackled in the center of their makeshift camp as Rex and Steve Rogers worked together to construct a makeshift shelter for the still-unconscious Anakin Skywalker. The young Jedi's condition remained critical, his breathing shallow but steady.
Steve looked out across the landscape, taking in the endless expanse of rolling prairie that stretched to every horizon. The isolation was complete. "We can't stay here forever," he said, his voice carrying the weight of command and concern.
Aayla Secura nodded grimly, her blue skin pale with worry. "Skywalker won't hold out much longer without proper medical attention."
"So what's our play here?" Scott Lang asked, adjusting his Ant-Man suit's systems while keeping one eye on their injured Jedi ally.
"We split up," Steve decided, his tactical mind already working through the possibilities. "Divide our forces to expand the search radius. It's our best chance of finding help or a way off this planet."
Aayla agreed with Steve's assessment and began organizing the search teams with military precision. "Bly, Flash, Lucky, Cameron—the four of you will accompany Ahsoka and me to search the southern region."
"What?" Ahsoka's voice cracked with surprise and distress. The young Padawan clearly hadn't expected to be assigned to a search team. "But... I can't just abandon my Master like this. If I were the one lying there injured, Master Anakin would never leave my side."
Aayla placed a gentle but firm hand on the teenager's shoulder, her voice soft yet resolute. "Ahsoka, believe me when I say I understand your devotion to your Master completely. Master Quinlan Voss showed me the same loyalty when I was in your position. But right now, the only way you can truly help Anakin is by finding the rescue he needs. We must stay calm and rational, not let our emotions cloud our judgment."
Rex stepped forward, his weathered face showing the concern of a soldier who'd fought alongside Anakin through countless battles. "Don't worry, kid. I'll stay here and watch over the General. You have my word."
Steve turned to Scott with clear instructions. "You stay here with Rex. Keep Anakin stable and defend this position if anything goes wrong."
"Are you sure about this, Cap?" Scott asked, unable to hide his reluctance. The separation weighed heavily on him—the Avengers had been scattered and regrouped so many times recently, and frankly, he was getting tired of the constant divisions. "We work better as a team."
"I know, Scott, but we have to do this if we want to help Anakin and get everyone off this planet alive," Steve replied, understanding his teammate's frustration but knowing they had no choice.
"Hey, everyone! You need to see this!"
The urgent call came from Clone Trooper Echo, who came jogging toward them holding what appeared to be a carved wooden panel. His expression was a mixture of excitement and concern as he approached the group.
He held the artifact up for everyone to examine closely. "I don't think we're alone on this planet."
The wooden panel depicted a fascinating scene—a bipedal, clearly intelligent creature wielding a primitive spear as it faced off against some kind of large quadrupedal beast. The carving showed remarkable detail and artistic skill, suggesting a sophisticated native culture.
After a brief discussion and final equipment checks, the search teams prepared to depart. The Domino Squad, under Steve's leadership, would head north into the unknown terrain.
"General Secura, what exactly is our plan once we're out there?" Commander Bly asked as his team made final preparations.
"I know it sounds risky, but we need to locate the native inhabitants of this planet," Aayla replied, studying the carved panel one more time. "They might be our only hope for assistance."
"General, how do we even begin to find them in all this wilderness?" Bly pressed.
Ahsoka examined the wooden artifact that Echo had discovered, her young mind working through the visual clues. After several moments of careful consideration, she looked up with newfound determination. "I think the natives of this planet might live near or inside those massive trees we saw during our descent."
"Excellent observation, Ahsoka," Aayla praised, genuinely impressed by her Padawan's deductive reasoning. "Echo's discovery provides us with our first real lead. We should move out immediately while we still have daylight on our side."
Ahsoka walked over to where Anakin lay unconscious, kneeling beside her Master one final time. "Master, I'll be back soon, I promise. Rex and Scott will keep you safe until then."
Aayla also addressed Rex before departure: "Keep your locator beacon active at all times. We'll return before dawn, no matter what we find out there."
The two search teams quickly began moving in their designated directions, leaving the small camp behind.
Steve walked point for Domino Squad, his iconic shield ready in his hands. This was standard operating procedure for him—he never allowed team members to face unknown dangers ahead of him. Leadership meant taking the risks yourself.
The Domino Squad members followed at a tactical distance behind him, close enough for mutual support but spread out enough to avoid presenting a concentrated target.
"So this is the leader of the Avengers," Echo muttered with barely concealed awe, watching Steve's confident movements through the alien terrain.
"The guy who leads Colonel Rhodes around," Fives whispered back, equally impressed.
"I still don't understand how a colonel would willingly follow orders from a captain," Echo mused, trying to wrap his head around the unusual command structure.
"The fact that Colonel Rhodes follows him without question means Rogers must be something special," Fives observed from his elevated position. "Rank doesn't always tell the whole story."
Steve suddenly stopped and raised his hand in the universal military signal for the squad to halt. He immediately dropped into a crouch, and the clone troopers instinctively followed suit, their training kicking in seamlessly.
Steve glanced back at the clones and motioned for them to move closer for a whispered conference.
"There's movement nearby," Steve whispered, his enhanced senses picking up subtle signs that others might miss. "Something's out there."
Echo immediately produced his macrobinoculars and began systematically scanning the surrounding area. His gaze swept across the landscape methodically until his attention focused on a location not far from their position.
The creatures were unlike anything they'd encountered before—quadrupedal beings with thick fur covering their front and rear legs, three-clawed toes, and distinctive beaks that gave them an avian appearance. There were approximately six of them, and they moved with an intelligence that suggested more than mere animal instinct.
"They don't look particularly friendly," Echo stated bluntly, lowering his binoculars.
"What exactly are we looking at?" Fives asked.
"Not entirely sure, but they appear to be some kind of bird-like species," Echo replied, still studying the creatures.
"Captain, what's our move here?" Hardcase asked, his hand instinctively moving toward his blaster.
Steve made a quick tactical assessment. "We don't know enough about these creatures—their temperament, their territorial behavior, whether they're aggressive toward intruders. Let's circle around them and continue our advance. No unnecessary confrontations."
Suddenly, the creatures began making loud, agitated sounds and scattered rapidly into the distance, disappearing across the prairie with surprising speed.
"What spooked them? They shouldn't have detected our presence from this distance," Hardcase asked, his voice louder than intended in his surprise.
"Something else frightened them off," Echo speculated, scanning the area with renewed alertness.
Steve moved carefully to the location where the creatures had been gathered, hoping to find some clue about what had caused their sudden retreat. Among the disturbed ground, he discovered a primitive spear and lengths of woven rope.
"Captain, what did you find over there?" Fives called out.
"Looks like the local inhabitants have encountered these creatures before," Steve said, picking up the spear and examining its craftsmanship. The weapon was crude but functional, clearly made by intelligent hands.
"Do you think they hunt these things for food?" Echo speculated.
"More likely they're defending their territory..." Steve's words trailed off as his enhanced vision caught sight of something in the distance that made his blood run cold.
"Everyone get down, now," Steve immediately whispered with urgent authority.
"Cap? What's wrong? What did you spot out there?" Fives asked, concern evident in his voice.
Steve took the macrobinoculars from Fives and focused on the distant threat. At the same time, he directed Fives, who was also equipped with optical equipment: "Eleven o'clock position."
Fives blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar terminology.
Steve realized the clone trooper didn't understand Earth military expressions and quickly clarified: "That's how we give directions in Earth's military—I'll explain the system later. Look in that direction." He pointed clearly toward the area of concern.
Fives looked through his binoculars in the direction Steve indicated, and his entire body immediately tensed with recognition and alarm.
"What in the galaxy is that...?"
"Battle droids," Steve confirmed with grim certainty, his voice remaining calm despite the dangerous implications. "Looks like we've crash-landed on a Separatist-occupied world. Based on the number of AAT tanks and infantry units, I'd say we're looking at a standard patrol formation."
"What are battle droids doing on a remote, primitive planet like this?" Hardcase demanded, his blaster now in his hands despite the distance.
"Put the weapon down, Hardcase. You'll give away our position," Fives hissed urgently.
"Fives is absolutely right," Steve agreed, his mind already working through the tactical implications. "Aayla, Bly, Rex, and the others don't know there's a Separatist presence on this planet. We need to warn them immediately."
"Copy that, sir. But our communication range is limited—I can only reach Captain Rex at this distance. General Secura's team is too far out for our comm systems to reach," Echo reported after checking his equipment.
"Contact Rex immediately," Steve ordered. "Relay this intelligence and ask him to attempt contact with Aayla's team. They need to know what they're walking into."
"Captain, what's our next move?" Fives asked, studying the distant droid patrol through his binoculars.
"We follow them," Steve decided after a moment of tactical consideration. "If this is a patrol unit, they'll eventually return to their base of operations. Once we locate their command center, we might be able to infiltrate their communications and establish contact with the Galactic Republic. It's risky, but it might be our only shot at getting everyone off this planet alive."
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