EXT. DRIED-UP RIVERBED – EVENING
Night has fallen. Cody remains tied up, seated upon the ground, his back against a large boulder. For the others, all but Vaness and Kathe have fallen asleep, dead-tired from all the activity of the last couple days.
Vaness sits there in the space between Cody and Naad, legs crossed, hands in her lap, eyes on the Journeyman Protector and cryptographer both. Vaness is only Human, however, and she, too, is exhausted; it is only a matter of time before her resolve fails her and she joins her companions in slumber.
Her eyelids heavy, Vaness slowly blinks, then closes them for good. Kathe waits, and once she is certain the commander is asleep, she slowly rises to her feet. Straightening her neck, she tilts her head back and opens her mouth; gagging silently, she slowly regurgitates a solid metal cylinder – Anakin’s lightsaber. Taking the Jedi apprentice’s weapon into her hand, she walks toward the restrained Journeyman Protector. Cody, eyes hard on her, doesn’t say a word.
MSC. NAAD: Aren’t you going to call out to the others?
CMDR. CODY: (looks over Naad’s shoulder) No need.
Following his gaze, Naad turns around; standing behind her, wide awake and none too happy, is Anakin. Bringing the hilt up, the woman swings it down to bash the Jedi’s head in, but he catches her wrist and pulls the saber out of her grasp. Lunging forward, she sinks her teeth into his wrist.
ANAKIN: ARGH!
Acting on reflex, Anakin loses his hold on her wrist. Turning on her heel, Naad dashes off into the night. Scowling, he takes off after her.
CUT TO
Naad running madly through the darkness, desperate to escape the Jedi Knight. Initially running high on a rush of adrenaline, she soon begins to exhaust her stamina; her speed drops and she comes to an abrupt halt. Breathing heavily, she rests her hands upon her knees for support.
Catching up to Naad, Anakin comes to a stop; there’s no sign of weariness in his stance whatsoever.
ANAKIN: No more games, Kathe. It’s over.
Still out of breath, Kathe doesn’t answer. Taking her silence for surrender, the apprentice takes hold of her arm. Before he can leave with Naad in tow, he halts, eyes widening with sudden alarm.
In the featureless darkness before them, like burning embers suspended in the ether, are six pairs of glowing yellow eyes.
Releasing his hold on Naad, Anakin engages his lightsaber. Blazing bright, the cyan light illuminates their surroundings. Standing there away from the two Humans are SIX RAKGHOULS; hulking yellow humanoids, they have two vertically arranged slits for nostrils high up on their faces, black spines growing out of their backs and heads, twelve sharp claws each growing out of their hands and feet, and large, wide maws filled with sharp, jagged teeth.
ANAKIN: Kathe – behind me!
Kathe isn’t fast enough. Lunging forward, one of the rakghouls takes hold of her. Pulling the woman close to its body, it yanks out her arm and then bites down, shearing through the cloth, skin, muscle, and tendon above her elbow.
KATHE: YYYEEEAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!
Grinding its teeth back and forth, the rakghoul saws through her arm. As the bone gives way, Kathe collapses, SCREAMING as blood jets from the ragged stump.
CUT TO
The others at the camp. Already wide awake, they hear Kathe’s shrieks in the distance. Taking up their weapons, Obi-Wan and Bail break off into a run. Vaness, freeing Cmdr. Cody of his bonds, takes up her own spear and runs off to join them.
CUT TO
Anakin as he attacks the rakghoul who took Naad’s arm. Striking with his lightsaber, he bisects the monster through the shoulder, killing it with the gnawed arm still in its jaws.
Two other rakghouls quickly make their move; one slams its balled fists down on the Jedi’s back, knocking him flat to the ground, while the other goes for Kathe, grabbing her legs.
Arriving on the scene, Bail and Obi leap to the Jedi and cryptographer’s defense; hefting up his spear, Bail hurtles it at Kathe’s rakghoul, taking it right through the skull, while the knight leaps up and over Anakin’s rakghoul, carving a fatal gash through its spine as he completes his arc.
ROARING, one of the remaining three rakghouls makes a dash for Bail. Pulling out his blaster, Bail opens fire; unfortunately the blaster pack – already low on power – releases a few dim shots which only lightly sear the beast’s yellow flesh. Unscathed, it tackles Bail to the ground. Holding the captain to the ground fast, it opens its jaws wide and prepares to rip his throat out.
CMDR. VANESS: EEEEYYYYAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!
Screaming like a banshee, Vaness charges the rakghoul holding her commanding officer down, spear held out before her. Colliding with the abomination, she runs the spear right through the beast’s sternum, knocking it off and away from Bail.
Gritting her teeth, Vaness pins the rakghoul to the ground, applying as much pressure to the end of the spear as she can. HISSING, the rakghoul throws out its arms and runs its claws down her back, cutting her flesh open. Bearing with the pain, she pulls out a vibroblade; stabbing down, she pierces the monster’s throat, putting a final end to its misbegotten existence.
As Obi-Wan and Anakin quickly finish off the last of the rakghouls, Cmdr. Cody finally arrives. Moving up to Kathe, he takes her into his arms and immediately applies pressure to her injury.
CMDR. CODY: She’s bleeding out fast. (to the Jedi) You’re going to have to cauterize it.
Swallowing, Obi-Wan steps forward to do the job. Bringing out his azure blade, he cuts through the ragged end of the stump.
KATHE: AAAAHHHH!!!
With the deed done, the Jedi Knight takes a step back. Breathing rapidly, Naad finally passes out, the shock too much to bear.
Approaching Vaness, Bail lightly lays his fingers down on her wounded back.
BAIL: These look bad.
CMDR. VANESS: (winces) Just flesh wounds. I’ll survive.