Escape From Dagu

Written By: Blake Bouza

Based on a story never written by William C. Dietz

I do not own any of the characters.

Hey guys, I think this one was my first FanFic every written. So tell me what you think!

Era: Clone Wars [Nine months after the Battle of Geonosis.]

Dramatis Personae:

A-17, "Alpha"; ARC trooper

Artel Darc; Dark Jedi, (Human male)

Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus; Dark Lord of the Sith, (Human male)

Shaak Ti; Jedi Master, (Togruta female)

Nearohut; slave (male Rybet)

CHAPTER 1

Shaak Ti stepped out of her small hut. Dantooine's sun was setting in the distance. She glanced around the large valley that she and her troops occupied as a command post. She strode forward. Different huts were spread across the valley, clone troopers were moving about swiftly, each of them doing their own tasks. They were practically sitting mynocks in this valley.

If the Confederation of Independent Systems brought the fight to them, they'd be slaughtered immediately. Luckily, though, the CIS had no idea where this command post was, and Shaak Ti and her troops were moving to a different location the following morning. They kept changing positions to through the Separatists off, for what purpose, Shaak Ti had no clue.

It was all Admiral Arikakon Baraka's plan, and he refused to share it with Shaak Ti, and she was a Senior Jedi General. She shook her head. She'd have to talk some sense into that Mon Calamari some time. Her second in command A-17-Alpha-ran up beside her. "General," he saluted. "There's a call for you in the communications tent." Shaak Ti sighed in relief. "It better be Admiral Baraka."

The Advanced Recon Commando shrugged and said, "unknown, General." Shaak Ti hurried forward to the comm tent. An analyst was sitting at the small holo-table, tinkering with some sort of machinery. "Ah, General Ti," the clone said, standing. "Urgent message for you from the Capital." Shaak Ti was bewildered. "Coruscant?"

The clone nodded. "Thank you, sergeant." The clone saluted and left the tent. Shaak Ti sat on a small stool and opened up the comm wave. An image of Grand Master Yoda shimmered into the air. She bowed. "Master Yoda! It is so good to see you." Yoda inclined his head. "And you as well, Master Ti," he said in his raspy voice. "Something to tell you, I have." Shaak Ti waited. The Grand Master took a breath and continued, "a Republic courier from the Outer Rim, we are placing in your care. Escort him back to Coruscant, you will." Shaak Ti raised her eyebrows. "A courier, Master? What sort of courier?" Yoda fixed his gaze on her.

"Valuable information concerning hyperspace lanes, this courier has. Allow him to fall into Separatist hands, you cannot." Shaak Ti inclined her head, "Yes, Master Yoda...and, Master, if I may?" Yoda nodded, "Go ahead, Master Ti."

"When will I be receiving this courier?" Yoda gave her a crooked grin. "Ah, getting to this, I was. No patience have you, Master Ti? Hmm?" Shaak Ti looked down. "Sorry, Master." Yoda laughed. "Already in your midsts, this courier is, landing in a moment, he will be. Escort him tomorrow morning, you will." Shaak Ti felt unsure about leaving her troops without her. But, they do have Baraka, she thought to herself. Shaak Ti stood and bowed. "It will be done, Master Yoda." His image winked out. She walked out of the tent, looking p at the sky. Sure enough, there was a Republic gunship swinging down to the other side of the valley. She began making her way over to that side, when she felt a sudden disturbance in the Force.

"Oh, no," she breathed.

She flipped into the air just as a laser beam flashed out at her. Her lightsaber was already in her hands, blue blade humming. Clones yelp in surprise and dashed for their blaster rifles. Shaak Ti deflected more blaster bolts, her three striped head-tail like montrals lashing all around her. Suddenly hundreds of battle droids came pouring into the valley. Hr blade was in constant motion, deflecting bolts and sending them back to their owners. Her troops were firing blue blaster bolts at the oncoming enemy. She dodged out of the way of a huge explosion. Hailfire droids. The huge droids with their hoop wheels and missile launchers were joining the battle. A Republic tank exploded, instantly vaporizing the four troops surrounding it.

Shaak Ti launched herself into the air. She Force-hurled a super battle droid into and oncoming hailfire droid. It simply clanked off it wheels. Shaak Ti landed and dashed for cover. "General Ti!" Alpha ran up, crouching down next to her.

"There's too many of them, General!" Shaak Ti spit on the ground. "How did they find our location, Alpha?" Alpha shook his head and fired off two shots, then answered her, "unknown, General. A quick flyby in a starfighter may have done the trick." Shaak Ti stood and deflected more bolts. She shook her head.

"No! The surrounding mountains wouldn't have let the star fighters see us!" Alpha rolled out of the way of a red beam. Shaak Ti Force-hurled herself at a battle droid and stabbed it in the gut. She took hold of it and Force ran along the perimeter of the battle, holding onto the droid with the Force for cover from blaster fire. She needed to get the courier! A blaster bolt flew by, singing her orange-skinned hand. She gritted her teeth and ran on.

She reached the gunship just as it was lifting off. "Wait!" she cried. A missile flew out to meet it in the air. She reached out with the Force, desperately trying to grab hold of the missile and steer it off-course. Too late. The gunship blew up into flames, pieces of durasteel flying all over the valley. Shaak Ti raised her arm to cover her head. A searing pain erupted from it. A piece of durasteel had raked her. She bit her lip. She twisted around, drawing on the Force to help keep her strength up. She evaded more blaster fire. Everywhere she looked there were droids locked in combat with her troops. She saw a clone pilot dash behind a rock. She ran over to join him. "Did someone get off that gunship?" she yelled over the blaster fire.

"I think so, General!" Shaak Ti looked around. "Where?" The clone shrugged and shook his head, yanking out his blaster pistol. "Unknown, General! I'm sorry!" He ran, firing off blaster bolts. He was shot down an instant later. Her danger sense pricked up. Without turning she lashed her blade backward and redirected a bolt back to its sender. She leapt backwards, flipping in the air. She brought her blade down on a droid. Bodies littered the ground, clone and droid alike. She sent a wave of raw Force energy to a nearby droid. "Destroyers!" someone called out. She twisted around to see three rolling forms trundling onto the battle field.

One of them stopped three meters from her. It deployed itself and raised its shields. Shaak Ti raised her blade. It began firing off shots at her. She evaded and deflected them and, using the Force, made the earth under the droid implode. It went sailing into the air and came crashing down on another droid. Another hailfire rolled onto the battle field. It was onslaught, her troops were losing the battle. "General Ti," Alpha was suddenly at her side, "we must surrender! It's a bloodbath!" Shaak Ti knew the consequences if the Confederacy got their hands on the Republic courier. She shook her head. "We fight to the end, Alpha."

Alpha was silent a moment, then fired three rounds off at a droid. Quick as a viper, Shaak Ti moved out of the way of a red bolt and slashed at a droid's torso.

"General Ti!" Alpha's voice yelled. "Look out!" Shaak Ti twisted around. A Hailfire droid was zipping toward her. She didn't have time to steer it off course with the Force. She rose her lightsaber and jumped out of the way.

She slashed out with her lightsaber, destroying the link the droid had to its wheels and sent it off its course. The explosion that followed sent Shaak Ti fifty feet through the air. She came down on the ground, hard. Very hard. The last thing she remembered hearing before going unconscious, was Alpha yelling, "The General is down! Surrender!"

Then the world faded.

The sounds of battle became muffled.

Black.