Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 136-137 - Eavesdropping
Ahsoka originally thought it would be colder riding on the back of the war beast.

She wasn't really sure what she was expecting, since she had never ridden a dragon in her life (referring to Ondron's war beast, whose awe-inspiring nature is similar to that of the legendary dragon).

Scorching steam was rising from the gaps in the thick scales of the enormous creature beneath them.

Each powerful flap of its giant wings brought a violent jolt, making her feel as if she had traversed a steep mountain in just a few seconds.

She curled herself up in the narrow gap formed by several huge spikes on the back of the war beast, her hands gripping tightly the crisscrossing, worn ropes that resembled an old fishing net.

She simply couldn't understand how those Ondron riders could walk so confidently on the back of such a turbulent beast as if it were flat ground.

Some riders would symbolically grasp the few simple reins for a bit of psychological comfort, while others relied entirely on their steady steps and the long spears supporting their bodies to maintain a delicate balance in the howling wind.

However, the fear of falling from a great height and being smashed to pieces clearly did not stop Ahsoka from trying to imitate the rider's movements.

She was trying to imitate them, gripping the rope tightly, her distinctive Togruta horns swaying from side to side in the strong airflow.

Scout watched with growing anxiety; if Ahsoka were to suffer any mishap, this might be the last time they ever saw each other.

“You’re scared,” Ryan’s voice rang out beside me. “Don’t worry too much. Most of the time, someone will catch you before you actually hit the ground.”

“Most of the time?!” Scout felt a wave of nausea wash over him.

Raine shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back against the base of a thick, curved horn. "We have to learn to fly eventually, don't we? There are over a dozen people on this Drexler right now, more than half of them have experienced freefall, and look at them, they're all alive and well."

Despite the lingering fear, intense curiosity prevailed.

Scout couldn't help but ask, "So... have you ever fallen down before?"

Renn turned his head, a wry smile on his face. "My role is usually to catch others, not to fall down myself. See those smaller war beasts over there?"

He pointed to several swirling black dots in the distance. “I used to ride Lupinmon, not these big guys. Lupinmon are too small to let people stand on their backs. But Skrefmon and Drexmon are different. They can fly for days on end, crossing those high-altitude ‘oxygen bridges,’ so their riders have to learn to eat and sleep during the flight.”

If you see someone walking on the ground with a strange, unsteady gait, it's probably a mark left from riding the Dexton War Beast for a long time.

Just then, Captain Van der, the "master" or captain of this war beast, caught Scout's attention.

She had just witnessed him performing a perilous balancing act on the narrowest edge of the giant beast's wings, as if dancing on a knife's edge.

He would be easily flung away if his wings flapped even slightly.

He quickly exchanged a few hand gestures with the rider of a smaller war beast that resembled a bird of prey, before lightly leaping back to the central rein platform.

"Bontri! The Heragos Seth is heading towards Dallas Ted!" Van der shouted as he pulled hard on the rope.

The behemoth beneath them sensed the command, let out a low growl, and its massive body reluctantly tilted to the right.

“Notify the Oar family to handle it,” Ryan replied, looking up. “Then lower the altitude, and we’ll continue to Jalen’s base as planned.”

"I suspect that the appearance of the Heragosses in this area is not common?" Master Pro asked calmly, sitting cross-legged in the center of the relatively stable beast's spine.

"To ensure the security of the summit, we have had to reduce the scope of our daily patrols." Captain Van der had just finished explaining when a nearby Drex beast suddenly folded its wings and swooped down like a cannonball! Its thick tail lashed violently at high speed, creating a powerful turbulence that swept right past where Ahsoka was standing!
"Whoa!" Asoka screamed, instantly thrown into the air by the gust of wind, her body uncontrollably crashing into a row of menacing bone spikes! At the critical moment, a gentle yet powerful force enveloped her.

It's the Force of Procon!
Drawn by an unseen force, Ahsoka floated back to Scout's side.

"This fall wasn't my fault!" Asoka, still shaken, steadied himself and protested indignantly.

"Haha! What's that!" Captain Van der seemed completely unconcerned about the passengers nearly losing their lives, instead bursting into laughter. "I can't even imagine what it's like to fly through the clouds, let alone in a storm!"

"In a storm—?" Ahsoka pressed, then realized the crucial point, "How will you hold on? You're not the Jedi!"

"Hold on tight!" Van der patted the rough, thick scales of the giant beast beneath him. "This old fellow doesn't care about the weather. We can only trust it, hold on with all our might, and pray that it can carry us through."

Ahsoka looked at the two Ondren people thoughtfully, his eyes filled with curiosity.

At this moment, the war beast began to descend, and the emerald green canopy of the vast jungle below quickly magnified in the field of vision, interspersed with large patches of purplish-red flower crowns, the colors intertwined into a blurry patchwork of colors.

If Scout were brave enough to climb to the edge of the behemoth and peer down, she even felt she could reach out and touch the rapidly passing treetops.

Of course, the more likely outcome is the loss of a hand.

“Since the people of Ondron dislike neither separatists nor the Republic,” Ahsoka suddenly spoke, looking directly at Renn. Scout couldn’t help but envy his friend’s straightforward courage, “then why did you join the war?”

Rennes and Van der exchanged a glance, a tacit understanding that could only be formed through years of fighting side by side.

Then, Ryan turned back to Ahsoka. "Why would anyone fight for separatism? Some fight because they believe in separatist ideals, many more fight simply to protect their homeland, and me?" He paused, his voice lowering. "I fight to stop some very, very bad things from happening in the galaxy."

Vander lowered his head and pulled hard on a rope that was already loose and about to come apart. "We're almost at Jaylen. I'll prepare for the landing."

With a final, powerful tug, he snapped the badly worn section of rope, watching the end disappear rapidly into the wind.

He stood up and walked to his position of control.

Raine did not elaborate on the meaning of his words, but simply rested his booted foot on a raised scale and closed his eyes.

Scout looked at him and figured he was definitely not as relaxed as he appeared.

How could anyone feel comfortable lying on a "bed" covered in spikes and hard armor?

She felt uncomfortable all over.

Perhaps these Ondren riders naturally have much thicker skin than someone like her who grew up in the city.

Prokhom seems to be quite comfortable, but he doesn't count; he's a Kyle Dor.

“Lord Bontri, Ahsoka and Scout are trustworthy,” Master Pro leaned forward slightly, breaking the brief silence. “I think you know the true purpose of my trip.”

"Asoka?" Raine's voice rang out, his eyes still closed. "What's it like being Anakin's apprentice?"

The topic shifted so abruptly that Asoka was startled by the unexpected question and nearly pricked by a sharp spike beside him. "Apprentice? Uh...he's...a nice guy?"

Raine finally opened one eye and looked at her with a strange expression.

Ahsoka inwardly groaned; this answer was utterly stupid.

“I mean—” she took a deep breath of the cold air high in the sky, trying to find the right words, “He cares about people a lot more than he seems, at least that’s what I know.”

"Hmm," Renn responded noncommittally. "And what about your training? How's his teaching going?"

"Wh-why are you asking this?" Ahsoka immediately became alert, his body tensing slightly. "What's it to you?"

“I’ve faced him twice on the battlefield,” Ryan said casually, as if discussing the weather. “Both times I beat him badly.”

He spoke so casually and naturally that Asoka even suspected he was deliberately showing off. "I just want to know what kind of person he is, whether he has improved, and whether I can beat him next time we meet?"

“How could you possibly get an answer from me?” Ahsoka retorted warily.

"Accept your answer." Renn finally opened his other eye, his face expressionless.

Ahsoka couldn't figure out what Renn was thinking at all, and felt a sense of frustration.

“Asoka, just tell the truth,” Pro Cone advised gently. “There’s nothing to hide about the Jedi’s teachings.”

“…Okay,” Ahsoka readily admitted, “Master Skywalker… wasn’t really good at teaching me, because I’m not like him, so… he arranged for me to train with clone soldiers.”

Ryan scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "And you, Scout? How's your training going?"

“It’s just the stuff that Jedi apprentices are supposed to learn,” Scout shrugged, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness. “It feels like the core of every lesson revolves around the word ‘patience.’”

The vast, boundless jungle below was gradually replaced by an open, walled area.

In the center of the area stands the ruins of an ancient castle.

The architectural style here is completely different from the brick and stone structures of the capital, Izzi. Dozens of old steel barracks and transport vehicles reflect a dull luster in the sunlight.

Soldiers in uniform patrolled the base in an orderly manner.

The enormous war beasts were moving in and out of a structure that resembled a huge pit; it was clearly a specially built enclosure for them.

As their Drex beast began to slow down in preparation for landing, Scout's stomach sank sharply.

With a dull thud and a tremor in the ground, the giant beast's massive body crashed heavily onto the ground.

The small shuttle parked on the tarmac next to it appears exceptionally tiny in comparison, creating an almost comical visual contrast.

(End of this chapter)