Wrecker could be seen sneaking down a long hallway on one of several screens showing live feeds from a series of cameras placed throughout the temple. Unamused, Jar Jar turned his attention to his disheveled prisoner motionless in Force stasis.

“Just kill me and get it over with,” Tech said defiantly. “I definitely don’t plan on being friendly if you release me.”

“All-n youse clones da same,” Jar Jar said as he took a reverse grip of his lightsaber hilt and ran his finger along the Colo claw fish tooth. “Nutsen.”

“I may be crazy, but-“

Before Tech could finish his sentence, Jar Jar released him from stasis and sliced him across the back with the Colo tooth blade causing him to cry out in pain as he dropped to the floor. Jar Jar calmly motioned for a medical droid and three battle droids to roll over a medical cart.

“Mesa goen to be havin a bombad hisen clone army now,” Jar Jar said as the battle droids grabbed Tech’s arms and dragged him to a nearby surgical table as the medical droid began preparations to extract tissue and blood. “Then mesa honor yousa request and kill yousa.”

As the droids took care of Tech, a B2 super battle droid walked over to Jar Jar.

“Sir, we have reports that two clone troopers have managed to gain entry to the temple despite our best efforts. Also, a B1 unit has reported that Commander Meatbag has been damaged and his attacker is loose in the underground tunnels.”

“Seal disa room and let nutten maken happen with takin of dat clone DNA,” Jar Jar commanded.

“Yes, sir,” the super battle droid replied as he prepared to lock down the room.

“Wesa let dat failsafe dealin with them-sa bombad troopers,” Jar Jar said as his grip tightened around the hilt of his lightsaber.

Suddenly the piercing scream of the Acklay could be heard from depths of the temple all the way near the top where Hunter and Crosshair had managed to break inside. The two clone troopers stopped to listen to the scream coming from far below their feet.

“What do you suppose that was,” Crosshair asked.

“I thought the only wildlife on this planet that’d kill ya lived in the water,” Hunter replied with a shrug.

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Crosshair said as they rounded the corner where several battle droids met them with guns drawn.

“Hold it right there, clone scum!

A Droideka suddenly rolled up behind them. As it put up it’s shield and lowered it’s blasters, Hunter saw a way out.

“In here,” he yelled as he grabbed Crosshair’s collar and ducked into an open side room just as the barrage of fire from the Droideka sprayed against the stone wall behind them.

Dust and smoke filled the doorway from the blaster fire, leaving little light to enter into the room. Crosshair switched his scope to night vision and peered through it, making his way into the darkness with Hunter on his six.

“What do you see,” Hunter whispered.

“Ancient writing and depictions…everywhere,” Crosshair told him.

“Those droids will be on us any time now,” Hunter told him. “Find us an exit fast!”

Crosshair could see drawings of hooded figures fighting men with what appear to be lightsabers. The mural seemed to cover a large swath of the wall. In the center, two men, one hooded, one not, stood face-to-face on what appeared to be mountain. Both secretly held daggers above the other’s head as countless people knelt down worshiping them.

“The Sith is one kooky religion,” Crosshair said aloud.

Hunter looked back down towards the door that they ducked into at the other end of the room moments ago. The smoke had cleared and droids began to pile in.

“Now or ever,” he urged. “We need an escape plan!”

“Wait, I think I found something,” Crosshair said as he saw light breaking behind a triangle carved into the wall. “I think it’s a release plate…”

“The intruders are just ahead, sir.”

“Roger. Roger. Fire when ready.”

“Aye, aye, sir.”

“Push it!”

Crosshair pushed the triangle and it slid back, emitting a red light as the stone floor suddenly dropped out from beneath them, sending them into a freefall twenty feet below.

Crosshair landed at the top of an embankment feet-first and his ankle cracked, forcing him forward onto the rocky terrain ledge, losing his rifle in the darkness further below. Hunter crashed down on his side at the same time as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. He gasped for air and saw Crosshair nursing his broken ankle as he casually looked back up from where they fell to see blaster fire headed straight down.

“Move,” Hunter managed to yell as he moved forward and pulled Crosshair clear of the onslaught of blaster fire that pummeled the ground from above.

“Tell me again why we do this,” Crosshair asked.

“Because it’s who we are,” Hunter said wincing in pain holding his bruised ribs.

A metallic clank grabbed the men’s attention and they looked over at the smoking ground beneath the hole to see a red flashing light.

“Grenade!”

Hunter shoved Crosshair off the rocky ledge and slid off right behind him as the grenade explosion decimated the area. They half-slid, half-bounced down the jagged embankment until they splashed down in the foot-deep water of an underground marsh.

“Crosshair,” Hunter called out. “You good?”

“I’m alive if that’s what you’re asking,” Crosshair replied as he sat up in the marsh. “At least we got away from the clankers.”

Hunter stood up and looked around. Fresh torches lit the circumference of the marsh which appeared more man-made than natural.

“This place just gets weirder and weirder,” Hunter said as he began to walk towards the edge of the marsh as his foot ran into something. He reached down under the water and pulled up a gnarled arm bone. “Crosshair…”

Crosshair looked over at Hunter who held up the bone. He then looked into the water near him and he could make out the image of a skull.

“Time to go!”

Hunter ran over to help Crosshair to his feet and they began to hurry out of the marsh just as the Acklay crawled over the embankment and blocked their path. The beast’s row of razor sharp fangs glistened in the firelight as it growled at the troopers, stomping its front claw-like legs into the ground as a show of aggression.

Hunter pulled out his blaster and fired at the Acklay, which only seemed to make it angrier as it let out a piercing scream and charged the men. Knowing Crosshair couldn’t make it clear on his own, Hunter pushed him out of the way and then braced for impact.

The Acklay swung its front leg up and knocked Hunter back, spinning him through the air and into the marsh waters. It turned back and briefly poked around for Crosshair, but Hunter popped up and pulled a large serrated dagger from the sheath on his forearm.

“Hey…ugly!”

The Acklay stomped his legs and began crawling towards Hunter who reversed his grip on the dagger ready to strike. As it neared, it repeated the same upswing from before and this time Hunter ducked the hit and impaled the leg from underneath with the blade.

The beast screamed in pain and lifted its leg up high, with the knife and Hunter still attached. Hunter grabbed onto the leg for support and began to repeatedly stab the leg again and again until one powerful flail made him lose his grip and fly into the rocky embankment, temporarily knocking him unconscious.

The Acklay tried to lower the leg and put pressure on it, but it was so damaged it stumbled forward and slammed into the marsh. It screamed out in anger and pain as it lifted itself up and turned towards Hunter who was out cold on the edge of the marsh.

As it hobbled towards him, it hissed and chomped its fangs. As it lifted up its other front claw to impale Hunter, a crackling noise sailing through the air caught its attention. It turned in time to see a charged electrostaff hit the water next to it. Instantly, the entire marsh was electrified and the Acklay screamed out as it cooked in the water, helplessly frozen to do anything about it.

The wails of the Acklay woke Hunter who looked up to see Wrecker and Crosshair walking towards him.

“That was a wild ride,” Hunter said as he rubbed his head and watched the Acklay sizzle and smoke. He then looked at the rigged electrostaff sticking up out of the water. “How’d you get it to stay on?”

“Taped it,” Wrecker replied. “How else?”

Hunter got up and patted Wrecker on the back. “How did you get down here,” he asked Wrecker.

“There’s a doorway other side of the rocks,” Wrecker replied. “But there’s a lot of clankers on patrol.”

“Numbers?”

“At least a dozen,” Wrecker replied.

Hunter checked the charge on his blaster pistol and nodded. “We’ve handled worse.”

“Wrecker, what’s the word on Tech,” Crosshair said as he hobbled over to the men.

Wrecker shook his head. “Clankers were surrounding us on all sides. It’s like they knew we were coming. Every time we advanced, another wave would push us back. I looked over at Tech just in time to see him take a direct hit. Last thing I remember was calling you on the comlink and hearing their proton cannon fire.”

Hunter placed his hand on Wrecker’s shoulder. “We got there too late. We saw the carnage and that someone got dragged inside the temple. Tech wasn’t out there, so there’s still hope.”

“How are you not knee deep in clankers right now,” Crosshair wondered.

“I was at first,” Wrecker said proudly. “When I woke up, a few attacked me and I took them out with my bare hands. I even took out an HK assassin droid.”

Crosshair perked up. “You saw an HK assassin droid? In the swamps of Naboo? In this temple?”

Hunter noticed the concern on Crosshair’s face. “What if he did? What’s the significance, Crosshair?”

“A defunct Czerka Corporation killing machine being dusted off to boss around a bunch of battle droids is one thing,” Crosshair stated. “But, one that has ties to an ancient Sith temple is something else entirely. Boys…I’m beginning to think this Senator is much more dangerous than people are giving him credit for.”