"In the darkest of woods, even the smallest light can guide you home."

☠⚡⛓

Anakin's brow furrowed as Rex approached him, his posture tense and his voice edged with worry. "Sir, it's Nyx," Rex said, his tone heavy. "It's been issued as an order to kill her. All clones who don't follow are to be terminated."

Anakin's heart skipped a beat, a surge of disbelief and anger flooding his chest. Nyx—the one he had vowed to protect—was now marked for death by their own brothers. He could feel his grip on his emotions tightening, but Rex's expression showed that he, too, was struggling with the weight of the situation.

"Rex, you know what this means," Anakin said, his voice cold and filled with urgency. "We can't let this happen. We have to stop them."

Rex looked at Anakin, his loyalty never wavering. "I know, sir. I'm with you. But it's not just the clones we have to worry about. The order is coming from higher up."

Anakin's eyes narrowed as his mind raced. Tarkin, of course. The same person who had sent them on countless missions without a second thought, the same person who saw no value in those like Nyx. Anakin clenched his fists, ready to take action, but he knew they couldn't do it alone.

"We'll need to rally the others," Anakin muttered, his voice low. "Prepare for a fight. We're not losing her. Not this time."

Obi-Wan entered, his steps measured and heavy with the weight of the news he was about to share. His face, always calm, was now drawn with an unmistakable gravity that told both Anakin and Rex that this wasn't just another battle—it was a decision that could change everything.

"We need to find Ahsoka, then gather our troops," Obi-Wan said, his voice firm but filled with the urgency of their situation. "We need to retake the citadel, and we need to help them." He glanced at Rex and Anakin, the flicker of concern in his eyes barely perceptible. "We can't let this go unchallenged."

Rex winced, his posture stiff as the weight of the situation settled on him. "I..." he began, his voice faltering slightly as his thoughts spun, struggling to find the right words.

Before he could finish, Commander Cody entered, the familiar hum of the hologram projector accompanying his arrival. The image flickered to life, showing the chilling order now in effect. General Tarkin's cold, calculating face filled the space before them, his voice cutting through the air like a knife.

"There is a grand award for those clones and bounty hunters who can take care of the former Jedi General Nyx. She has betrayed us, joining the dark side. Please, kill her, and do not engage unless ordered to. These creatures are truly dangerous." Tarkin's words echoed through the room, his tone dripping with disdain for Nyx and anyone who might defy his command.

Anakin clenched his fists, the pulse of anger throbbing through his veins. The betrayal cut deeper than he had anticipated. Nyx, once an ally—one of them—was now marked as an enemy by the very people she had fought alongside. The thought of her being hunted like an animal, her life hanging by a thread, drove him to the brink of fury.

Obi-Wan's expression hardened, and his eyes met Anakin's, the silent understanding between them speaking volumes. They couldn't wait any longer. If they were going to stop this, they had to act now.

"We'll move quickly," Obi-Wan said, his voice steely. "Rex, Cody—gather the troops. Ahsoka will have to wait, but we can't afford to let this go any further."

Anakin nodded, his jaw set in determination. "Tarkin is making a mistake," he muttered, his voice low. "I won't let him turn us against each other."

Rex looked at him, his loyalty unwavering. "We're with you, sir," he said, standing straighter.

"We need to move fast," Obi-Wan reiterated, a sharp edge to his tone. "For Nyx. And for the future of the Republic."

SCENEBREAK

Under the emerald canopy of the primeval forest, where towering trees arched like ancient sentinels watching over the land, the very ground beneath them trembled with the presence of two colossal rexes—Rnyx and Rexy. Their massive forms, cast in dappled sunlight filtering through the thick leaves, moved with the kind of power that could shake mountains. The silence of the forest was shattered when Nyx, the larger of the two, unleashed a thunderous roar that reverberated through the very earth. It echoed against the tree trunks, causing leaves to flutter and birds to scatter in panic. The intensity of his voice rippled through the air, a warning to all who dared to trespass into their territory.

In an instant, Rnyx dropped low, narrowly evading the barrage of gunfire that erupted from the trees. The crack of blaster shots splintered the silence, the rounds hissing through the air with deadly precision, but none found their mark on the massive rex. He ducked with an agility that belied his size, his leathery hide rippling with each movement as the bullets sliced through the space he'd occupied only moments before. The forest seemed to hold its breath as the tension hung thick in the air.

Meanwhile, Rexy, standing at the ready beside Rnyx, locked her cold, calculating gaze onto the bounty hunter—a foolhardy soul who had dared to challenge them. Her predatory instincts kicked into overdrive as she stalked forward, her muscular legs carrying her swiftly toward her prey. With a fluid, predatory grace, she lunged, her powerful jaws snapping shut with the force of a steel trap. The bounty hunter never stood a chance, his body ensnared in an instant. She could feel the warmth of his body as her teeth crushed through the armor, her voice a guttural snarl that dripped with menace, "You'll die, you scum."

Before the hunter could even react, Rexy used her massive tail like a battering ram, swinging it with terrifying precision. The air around her tail seemed to whip into a frenzy as the force of the strike sent the bounty hunter hurtling through the air. His helmet shattered upon impact against the trunk of a towering, ancient tree, the crack resounding like thunder. The once-noisy battlefield fell into a stunned silence, broken only by the rustle of leaves and the heavy, victorious breaths of the rexes.

The quiet was short-lived. From above, the sharp whine of an approaching clone dropship cut through the atmosphere, its sleek hull gleaming in the dappled sunlight. The ship's engines roared as it descended rapidly, disrupting the calm of the forest floor with a cloud of disturbed leaves and dust. With practiced precision, it landed with a thud, the hatch swinging open almost immediately. Out stepped Rex, Cody, and Anakin, each move purposeful, their eyes scanning the surrounding jungle with practiced wariness. Unity and purpose defined their every step, a stark contrast to the chaos of the surrounding wilderness.

"Nyx!" Anakin's voice rang out, the urgency and concern in his tone palpable as he scanned the dense foliage, his hand instinctively reaching for his weapon, even though the threat was not yet clear. His eyes, clouded with fear, searched for any sign of his ally, his mind racing with worry for what might have become of her. The weight of their mission, the years of separation, and the unresolved feelings between them hung heavily in the air.

But before they could take another step, an unexpected obstacle arose.

Rexy, with a growl that rumbled from deep within her chest, planted herself firmly in their path, blocking their way. Her eyes, dark and menacing, narrowed as she assessed the soldiers before her. Her warning was unmistakable: "Hey, hey, back off." The low, guttural growl reverberated through the forest, a sound that carried authority and danger. Her powerful frame seemed to swell with defiance, daring them to challenge her.

The three soldiers halted abruptly, their instincts honed on the battlefields of the galaxy now attuned to a different, more primal threat. They froze, momentarily taken aback by the sheer magnitude of Rexy's presence. Tension crackled in the air, thick and oppressive, as they weighed their next move. The ancient, untamed power that Rexy embodied stood in stark contrast to the sleek, disciplined nature of the soldiers, but in that moment, both sides recognized the other's strength.

Nyx stepped forward, her gaze calm but tinged with the weight of all she had become. The forest around them seemed to bend toward her, as if the very trees recognized her as one of their own. With a gentle but firm nudge, she coaxed the massive Rexy to step aside, her voice soft but authoritative, "It's alright, Rexy. Stand down." Her words were like a balm against the rising tension, her presence an anchor that eased the threatening energy in the air. Rexy, her primal instincts still on high alert, relented, stepping back but keeping a watchful eye on the newcomers.

As Nyx turned to face the three soldiers, her expression shifted. The anger, sorrow, and guilt that had long festered within her seemed to ripple across her face. Her eyes, deep and swirling with red, conveyed an unspoken turmoil. There was a haunting depth to them, as if they had seen too much, carried too much.

"You shouldn't have come back," she said, her voice strained with emotion. Her words hung in the air like a heavy fog, each syllable weighed down by the burden of her past. "I'm not the same," she continued, her voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking the truth out loud would make it too real. Her gaze shifted to the ground, the forest floor beneath her feet suddenly seeming far more important than the three men standing before her. "I've crossed lines I can't uncross."

Anakin and the others stood silent, their hearts heavy with the weight of her words. The dense, ancient forest around them seemed to press in, amplifying the gravity of the moment. The reunion was bittersweet, and the sense of loss, of things that could never be repaired, seemed to hover like a dark cloud over them all.

In that stillness, the bonds of the past hung precariously, teetering on the edge of something irreversible. Each of them knew that this was more than just a reunion—it was a reckoning, a moment when the past collided with the present, and they would all have to face the choices that had led them to this point.

Rex stepped forward with a calm determination, his boots barely making a sound against the soft, moss-covered ground. His presence was a quiet force, radiating both strength and compassion as he closed the distance between them. Nyx, standing in the midst of the primal jungle, felt the weight of his gaze—firm but understanding. She had long ago learned to hide her emotions behind the masks of solitude and resilience, but Rex's presence was a reminder of what she had once known.

With a practiced hand, Rex reached out, and with deliberate tenderness, placed his palm on Nyx's massive snout. The contrast between the warmth of his touch and the cool, smooth surface of her scales felt grounding, as if the universe itself had held its breath in that moment. She could feel the sincerity in his gesture, the strength of his resolve, the unspoken understanding that had always been there between them, even in their darkest hours.

"We won't let you die to bounty hunters or our brothers, Nyx," Rex declared, his voice low but unwavering, the weight of his words sinking into the very fabric of the moment. His gaze held hers, the depths of his loyalty and commitment reflected in his eyes. "You are one of ours. Can't you see?"

The words hung in the air, breaking the quiet tension that had built between them. For a heartbeat, Nyx stood motionless, as if the forest itself had paused to listen. Her red eyes, once so filled with sorrow and guilt, seemed to soften—just a fraction. But the weight of her past, the burdens she carried, and the chasm that had grown between her and the world were not so easily erased by words alone.

"I don't deserve it," she murmured, her voice thick with the unspoken pain of years spent alone. The wind whispered through the canopy above, carrying with it the scent of rain and earth, but it couldn't wash away the doubts that had taken root deep within her. "I've done things... things I'm not proud of."

Rex's hand remained steady on her snout, his gaze unwavering as he met her struggle with the kind of quiet resolve only he could offer. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you are one of us, and we don't leave our own behind. Not now. Not ever."

Nyx's heart, already raw from the weight of her own isolation, felt the crack of something inside her—a shift, a stirring that hadn't been there before. She could feel the pull of his words, the strength of their shared history, and the undeniable bond that still existed between them. Despite the years and the changes, despite the fear and the guilt that had long controlled her actions, Rex's voice reached through it all, like a beacon in the darkness.

With a heavy sigh, Nyx closed her eyes, leaning into the warmth of his touch, even as the doubts lingered. For the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to entertain the possibility that maybe—just maybe—she could find redemption. She was one of them. And for that fleeting moment, that thought was enough to make her believe that she might still have a place among them, despite everything.

"I can't go back," she whispered, her words barely audible over the rustling of the leaves. "But maybe... maybe I don't have to. Not anymore."

Rex gave a small nod, his fingers pressing just a little harder against her snout, the simple act of reassurance carrying with it a promise that no matter what came next, she wouldn't face it alone.