Cap. 44 - Confusion

The Felucians led Icarus and the rest of the group through the interior of La Aldea. Belts of alleys and narrow passages, in which it would be very easy to get lost without a good guide. In addition, the height they had was not enough for the super tactical droid, who had to walk with his back bent to avoid hitting his head. Finally, they reached a kind of tower, where there was an improvised control room at the top, which was accessed by a long staircase.

Feluciano: - General Casiss, here are our guests. -

There were at least five Felucians in the command room, though one of them stood out among the rest. He had a rather tired face, and just by looking at him one could tell that he was the most experienced of all the inhabitants they had seen.

Casiss: - Commando droids, a super tactical droid and a clone together. I thought I had seen it all. Forgive my ignorance, young man, but I don't know your species. - He went to Wag Too.

Wag Too: - I am Wag Too, a lurmen. We come to help. -

Casiss: - Any help is welcome. But I want to apologize for my caution but... What reasons do you have to help us? -

Wag Too: - We are establishing a resistance... -

Ícaro: - We come to look for a friend. - He said suddenly, preventing the lurmen from giving too much information that they still couldn't reveal. - We believe that he came to this planet for some reason, but we don't know his whereabouts. If you help us find her, we'll help you with your problem with the Imperials. -

Casiss: - A friend? Felucia is not a good place to get lost, especially not with this war. -

The Felucian turned around for a moment and looked at the rest of the assembled leaders, but none of them were convinced. He was willing to reject the proposal, as it could well be a trap from his enemy, but before he could refuse, a voice was present in the place, a voice that made everyone turn around immediately.

????: - It's okay, Casiss. I think we can trust them. - (*)

Casiss: - Master Shaak Ti. It shouldn't show. It is very dangerous. -

Shaak Ti: - It's okay. I think we can trust these... individuals.

Boil: - ¿Shaak Ti? ¿Acaso eres...? -

Icarus: - Jedi Master. Member of the Jedi Council. Shaak Ti. It seems that he has managed to survive all these years. -

Shaak Ti: - I see that you are not impressed by my presence. -

Icarus: - Not really. I knew that the Felucians weren't great warriors, so I was wondering how they were able to take on the Empire in such a long war. But I already have my answer. -

Wag Too: - Do you know her? -

Icarus: - I have information on all the Jedi who once fought during the Clone War. Even if they were hiding in the Kamino facility. -

Shaak Ti: - I see that you are very well informed. -

Ícaro: - Information is my best weapon. -

Casiss: - Master, we must leave the presentations for another time. We have serious problems in the northern zone of the planet. -

After a slight nod from the Jedi, those present approached a control table, where a holoporjector showed the entirety of Felucia and the Arquitens cruiser in orbit, with hundreds of red dots showing the different conflicts on the surface. And after fiddling with the controls a bit, the map zoomed into the northern region where huge columns of stormtroopers could be seen advancing through the mushroom jungle while the resistance forces steadily fell back.

Casiss: - They are the gossam refugees, they are losing ground too fast. -

Shaat Ti: - We must send reinforcements. How many do we have? -

Casiss: - At least ten thousand troops. -

Those present pondered for a while, fearing that it might not be enough to stop the Empire's advance, but they seemed to have little choice. Then the Jedi turned to the super tactical droid.

Shaak Ti: - I understand that your kind are experts in strategy. I think this would be a good time to help us. - He told the droid.

However, Icarus did not give an immediate answer as he always used to. Instead, he remained thoughtful for a few seconds, until he finally began to speak.

Icarus: - No matter how many troops they send, they are still outnumbered. The most sensible thing to do at this point would be to evacuate the Gossam and join their forces. It is already too late to save the northern part of Felucia. -

Casiss: - Are you suggesting that we simply cede part of the planet to the Imperials? That is blasphemy. -

Icarus: - It is better to lose a part and not the whole planet. - He said bluntly, causing the silence of all present. - His forces are too spread out. -

Casiss: - The gossan are mostly refugees. He doesn't have many warriors. -

Icarus: - So our priority should be to save as many as we can. And avoid a direct confrontation. -

Shaak Ti: - I agree. We must guarantee the lives of civilians. Mobilize as many transports as you can. -

Casiss: - Yes my lady. - The Felucians left the room, leaving Icarus and his group alone with the Jedi.

Icarus: - Wag Too, Boil. Go with them. Give them all the help you can. Have all commando units set up a perimeter around the area. Just watch and avoid getting into any kind of conflict. They must not allow themselves to be seen.

Droids: - Roger. Roger. -

They all left the room, but Wag Too remained on the door for a moment. Dubious whether to go ahead or not.

Wag Too: - Is everything okay? -

Icarus: - What do you mean? -

Wag Too: - I know you well enough. Something wrong? -

Icarus: - Everything is fine. You have nothing to worry about. -

The lurmen smiled slightly, though he knew the droid wasn't telling him everything. He knew that Icarus had something bothering him, but he seemed unwilling to say so, so he decided to leave with the rest.

Shaak Ti: - You are not a very common droid. That I can know. But your friend seems to be worried about you. -

Icarus: - My presence is not as strange as yours. And why don't you go help the refugees? -

Shaak Ti: - As much as it hurts. I can't let anyone notice my presence or they will send the inquisitors after me. If our situation is already precarious in itself, the presence of some user of the dark side would make things much worse. - Then, the Jedi made a brief pause. - Tell me. Why can I feel the Force in you? -

The question left the droid in shock, because the truth was, he had no idea what to answer.

Ícaro: - That is an answer that I am not able to find either. The Force escapes beyond my logic, and I can't find a physical principle that explains its nature. The doubt in me is as big as it is for you. -

Master Shaak Ti stared at him for a moment, somewhat confused. Before her was a droid, a machine made of metal and wires. He wasn't a cyborg, that much he could know, but that the Force was present in him was a mystery, a mystery that broke with all his beliefs and what he had learned throughout his life as a Jedi. She remained pensive for a while, until a strange chill ran down her spine.

The togruta widened her eyes in shock, believing that she had sensed the presence of an old friend, one whose death was confirmed five years ago. He couldn't believe it, and he wasn't sure if what he felt was his will or a trick of the dark side, but he knew how to decipher them.

Shaak Ti: - Come with me. - He said as he left the place, without saying another word.

Icarus followed the togruta through the passageways of the Village. His walk was somewhat slow, serene and devoid of negative emotions, and although Icarus was a droid, he was beginning to get a little impatient, despite having a lot of things turning around in the circuits.

Icarus: - Where are we going? I have to find my partner while the rest help the refugees. -

Shaak Ti:- Patience is a very difficult thing to develop. -

Icarus: - I'm a droid. Patience is something I can achieve just by paying for my processor. -

Shaak Ti: - And still, you are not able to do it. - The droid had no choice but to remain silent, knowing that the Jedi was right. - Strange as it may seem, there are many doubts clouding your mind... your circuits. You must untie those knots in order to see the world more clearly. -

Icarus: - To see the world more clearly I need new optical sensors, not cleaning my circuits. -

Shaak TI: - It's just an expression. a metaphor. - He said after laughing for a few seconds at the rectitude of the droid's thinking.

The togruta guided the droid to the outskirts of the shelter, in an area deep in the forest. They walked for a while among the dense foliage and the enormous mushrooms that rose more than three meters high. The droid followed the Jedi closely, but had no idea where she was going, and despite several questions, Shaat Ti simply did not answer and continued on.

Finally they came to an area of ​​the forest, an area that seemed unremarkable, but for some reason felt strange, even to Icarus, who lacked that "sixth sense," so to speak. Shaat Ti came forward and sat on a stone, legs crossed and hands folded in her lap, in a clear meditative pose.

Icarus: - What are you doing? -

Shaak Ti: - The Force is the energy that guides living beings, the nature that surrounds us. If you want to feel it, you must get away from all signs of civilization, and let it flow in your body. -

Icarus: - I'm a droid. I myself am a product of civilization. -

Shaak Ti: - Just try it. -

And here he was once more, at the same crossroads he had found himself in the forests of Gwori. That strange place that seemed to defy all logic. The only difference, was that there was someone else who seemed to be trying to guide him, but he just sat there and didn't say anything else to him. The droid had no choice but to follow the togruta, and lean against a giant mushroom to prevent its body from being thrown off balance by its own weight. He crossed his legs and clasped his hands, and turned off the optical sensors waiting for "something" to show up. Although she had no idea what exactly.

But this was no time to waste time, his allies were near a battlefield, and he didn't know Mirana's whereabouts, but for some reason, he knew she was somewhere on Felucia. On the other hand, little Tova was alone with Titan and Delta, and anything could happen to her. It was simply impossible for him to "clear his mind," until:

????: - I see that many things cloud your mind. -

Icarus was shocked to hear that male voice once more. The same one he heard in the Gwori forest. He snapped his optics on, but to his surprise, he was not in the Felucian forests. Instead, it was a rather dark place, with a gray all over in all directions. He looked everywhere, but he couldn't see anything at all, he couldn't even see the ground on which he was resting.

Then, a strange whitish smoke began to swirl right in front of him, while some bluish tones became present, a few seconds passed, and that strange smoke took the shape of a being. He was a Cerean. A face that for some reason seemed very familiar.


(*) I must admit that I screwed up and didn't follow the Canon with this character, and thanks to @Shota_Fanfics for reminding me, but I will continue with the story that way for several reasons:

 1 - If you only saw the movies you will remember Shaak Ti as the Jedi that Grievous killed. (Although you probably didn't even know her name) and if you saw the clone series you will remember her as the Jedi who supervised the training of the clones on Kamino. (And period) Therefore, her death is actually somewhat "forgotten" in canon.

 2 - On the other hand, Leyend is another story, being a decisive pillar in the development of the character Galen Marek (Starkille) and the entire future of the Star Wars universe. Influencing even other characters. This the importance of her presence on Felucia at a time before the creation of the Rebel Alliance is so crucial. 

 For these reasons, for this character I will follow his role in Legend and not in Canon. Of course, in the actual Canon, because this change when productor want. 

https://youtu.be/siobPjds58U

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