Battling the Separatists

[Vitani Edarin]

Vitani and her troops emerged from the dense forests of Kashyyk to aid the Wookies in battling General Grievous. He was attacking the main shipment docks of Kashyyk, and from there he could easily infiltrate the forest and take over the planet. She was not about to let that happen.

Vitani greeted the Wookies and addressed them and her troops. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. You," she pointed to 5 of her soldiers, "Go up onto the pier and cover us with your sniper rifles." They nodded and went up the rope bridge that went up onto one of the piers, where there were more Wookies waiting for them. While they were getting into position, she turned to everyone else. "The rest of us are going to attack their main base, on that island." She motioned to an island that was about 400 meters away from the docks, out in the water. "It's fairly shallow, so we should be alright. I want some of you to circle on the outsides of the docks and attempt to sneak up on them, while I lead the main attack down across the beach." The soldiers and Wookies she had referred to left them and sneaked off to the outsides of the docks, making their way as silently as possible to their destination. She turned to the remaining clones and Wookies, "Okay, our main goal is to wipe out their vehicles and the Droidekas. Let's move out!" She led them to the beach, from where they could see the CIS troops coming towards them.

Vitani took out her blue lightsaber and waved it in the air above her head, then said, "For the Republic!" Then, she began running down the beach, troops and Wookies close behind. Droids began shooting at her, but she blocked and dodged them with ease. The two lines met, and Vitani became a blur, her lightsaber slicing through air and droids. She let the Force flow through her, become a part of her, guided her lightsaber to each droid that would be one of her victims. She was halfway to the island now.

Then, she saw Droidekas rolling at them. She shouted a warning to her troops, then rushed at them, destroying as many as possible before they were able to put up their shields. One did manage it, but she quickly let a wave of the Force at it and knocked it over, which let its shield down. One of her captains immediatly shot it, before it was able to right itself and commense its attack. Vitani turned back to the new wave of droids, and found herself facing at least a dozen of them. She began slicing and dicing them. She also sent a few flying by means of the Force.

However, Vitani could tell she was in trouble. She had outrun many of her troops, and while she had left much of the main battle behind, there were more droids converging on her. She let herself go, moved and fought purely with the power of the Force. But it still wasn't quite enough--there were just too many. But then, a ray of hope shone her way. Some of her snipers had found her and were picking off droids one by one. Her eyes sparkling with determination, the Force running through her veins, Vitani kept at it, battling with all her might.

After making it through the main brunt of the CIS army with most of her troops, Vitani started the assault on what her troops had dubbed "Death Island"--this was its nickname because many attempts at taking it over so far had been in vain, and caused the deaths of many Clones and a few Jedi. But not Vitani's troops. As they neared the banks of the island, the rest of her troops and Wookies were joining them, the weary soldiers dropping back for these fresh men and Wookies to take their place on the front lines.

Vitani motioned for her men with missle launchers, and they came forward, launching an attack on the tanks and other machines of the CIS army. In the meantime, Vitani led the rest of her troops to the main base of the CIS. They killed many more droids and knocked out the transmissions so that the remaining droids could not call for aid. The men with the missile launchers had rejoined them and they attacked the remaining CIS troops, outnumbering them easily.

The Separatists put up a good fight, to be sure, but the Republic troops had Vitani and the Force on their side, as well as strength in numbers. And so, Vitani led her troops into victory that day, and Kashyyk was ridded of more Separatist troops. She sighed with satisfaction, then, after leaving some troops behind to guard their newly captured base, Vitani returned to the main base in the forest to give her report to Yoda.

[Cole Torin]

As the battle raged on below him, Cole Torin watched from a mountain peak overlooking the shoreline and smiled. The freelance pilot, currently hired by the Republic Council to assist with operations in the Kashyyk sector, saw the battle rage on as a arrowhead formation of Republic forces charged on the equally spread CIS army. Blaster fire of blue and red hues began trading sides, some hitting their targets, others missing close or wide, evaporating water, lighting fires in fallen trees, or sizzling out of existence on a rock or other object. Torin watched with interest as a female Jedi charged forward at the head of the Republic formation, her blue lightsaber blurring through the air as she worked her way slowly towards the enemy shoreline.

This was Cole's kind of fight. Donning his helmet and sliding his flight gloves on, Cole leapt up into his cockpit and began running through an abbreviated pre-flight checklist. As soon as his twin fusial thrust engines began thrumming at a steady pace, Cole shot into the sky on his repulsors, then punched the throttle to full forward power before diving into the valley that made up the beachhead and the shallow waters leading to the island.

Checking to ensure that his blaster cannons were charged at full power and his concussion magazines were ready to fire, Cole smiled and armed his weapons, then mashed on the trigger, sending a pair of linked concussion missiles jetting out on tongues of orange flame. The projectiles hit just behind the front line of CIS troops, creating a single large hole in the formation, which the Republic forces instantly took advantage of.

Quickly switching to blaster cannons, Torin tightened the grip on his trigger and began tracing a line through the CIS formation, evaporating chest armor and leg joints, arm sockets and heads. It didn't matter. His blasters were equally deadly to anyone in his crosshairs. As he made his way low over the main body of the CIS troops, Cole's missile alarm began blaring through the cockpit speakers, and the pilot immediately slammed the stick to the left and pulled up sharply, retreating farther towards the Republic forces. The missile tracking him couldn't hold the tight turn and lost it's target, detonating over an empty portion of water a second later.

His port wing pointed down, his starboard up, Cole continued the turn until he was heading straight over the point of the Republic arrowhead. Placing his nose slightly downward, Cole depressed his trigger yet again, walking his blaster fire in front of the Jedi leading the charge, then through the CIS formation and all the way to the enemy shoreline, detonating a pair of heavy turbolaser batteries before he pulled up and away from the weak return fire coming back at him.

His nose pointed towards the sky, Cole inverted, then pulled back on the stick, returning his Headhunter towards the earth below. Selecting his concussion missiles again, Cole sent another linked pair out towards the line of Droidekas guarding the enemy shoreline, sending hot molten metal flying in all directions as the Republic forces broke through the CIS defenses and began taking control of the island.

Cole's job was almost complete as he skimmed the water before slowing to a hover and saluting the commander of the Republic forces and the female Jedi, then turned around and flew back towards the Republic shoreline, anxious to meet Jedi Master Yoda face-to-face.

[Joruus C'baoth]

The battle was over before he arrived, not that it mattered. There would be other fights, other chances to test his skills. Joruus C'baoth looked out over the battlefield, and watched as the remaining clones set up defensive positions around their newly acquired base. He was suppressing his presence in the force, attempting to be perceived as just another person, but he could still sense more machines on the planet, as well as the clone army, and several Jedi. This could be interesting. He thought, his mind lingering on one of the Jedi slightly longer than he should have, but he thought he had gotten away with it.

He heard something moving in the trees behind his position, and turned to look. Several squads of super battle droids were approaching, more than enough to take care of the clones on the island. He smiled to himself, then leaped out of the tree, landing silently on the ground near the front of the group. He launched force lightning at them, taking out several of the droids, then cursed under his breath. If the Jedi had missed his earlier use of the force, then it was unlikely that they missed that, unless their minds were preoccupied.

He summoned his lightsaber to his hands and ignited it, then quickly went through a training exercise from his time as a Padawan. He rarely used his lightsaber, trusting his force abilities more, and was out of practice. He closed his eyes, muttered "It's just a training remote" then dropped into a ready position. He blocked left, right, then left again, deflecting blaster bolts back at the droids, and dropping two more. I need to work on my aiming. He thought as he opened his eyes and advanced, slicing more blaster bolts out of the air. When he was closer to a target, he leaped high into the air, somersaulting over the droid and slicing trough it as he passed. He deflected several more bolts, then looked around. All of the droids had been destroyed, and there was the sounds of something approaching from the direction of the island.

Joruus deactivated his lightsaber, and leaped up into a tree, looking back down to see several clones entering the area. One of the clones ran over to the severed droid, and said "Looks like Master Edarin's work, this area's clear." The other clones nodded at the first in acknowledgment, then one of them added, "Best patrol the area for a bit in case she missed any. You return to base and report, we'll finish up here." He watched as the clones left in their separate directions, then breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. He thought, Master Edarin, not a name I'm familiar with, must be a fairly recent appointment.

He looked around the forest, making sure the coast was clear before he left the tree and headed off back towards his ship. it was in roughly the same direction that the main army had headed in, and he contemplated swinging over to the Republic's main HQ on the way, depending on how heavy the guard was.

[Yoda]

All around Yoda was a flurry of movement. Clones going here, droids carrying messages there, Wookies having their own meetings, and when the news of Master Edarin's victory came to them there was an uproar. The Wookies had wanted Kashyyk's main port to be rid of the CIS troops for a long time now, so they were more than ready to celebrate this.

But the ancient Jedi Master did not share in their joyous hollaring and stamping their feet. He was wary of another presence, of one strong in the Force, somewhere nearby. Whoever it was had been hiding their abilities until, apparently, a group of CIS droids went by and they used the Force to kill them. Yoda did not recognize the presence right away, which worried him. It could be a Sith, but he would have noticed it immediately...

Before he could try and ponder this mystery more, Master Edarin showed up. Yoda picked up his cane (he had been sitting at the holo-station, watching a hologram of the battle) and hobbled over to her. "Well done," he said, "Well done, Master. For Kashyyk, a great victory this is. But another complication there is."

[Cole Torin]

Cole swooped in low over the command center on the Republic shoreline, observing the celebration going on within. Landing his Headhunter on a pad nearby, Cole quickly made his way out and over towards the command area. As he hopped down from the cockpit and doffed his helmet, a clone soldier approached him and spoke, holding his rifle at attention.

"Sorry, sir. Nobody is allowed on this pad without Master Yoda's or the Council's permission. You'll have to take your craft elsewhere."

Cole flashed his ID and official Republic notice, showing that he was part of the Republic's efforts on Kashyyk, but the soldier refused to give in.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Torin, but you'll have to move your ship or we'll move it for you."

"Look," sighed Cole, "I'm only going to be here for a few minutes. I need to meet with Master Yoda to get my next assignment. If I don't work I don't get paid. You understand what that is like, don't you?"

The clone trooper just stared back at him through his helmet's eyepieces.

"Erm...I guess not," Cole frowned, puzzled.

Finally, the clone moved aside, for reasons unknown to the pilot. Cole merely shrugged and closed his Headhunter's canopy, activating the proximity alarm.

"Don't get too close to my ship, ok? Otherwise your eardrums might start ringing."

The freelance pilot finally made his way towards the command center, again flashing his ID cards at the clone troopers guarding the entranceway. Soon he found himself amidst a congregation of Wookies, a few clone troopers overseeing the last remnants of the cleanup from the battle, and Master Yoda standing out at the edge of the platform, seemingly deep in thought. Soon he turned to face a female Jedi that approached from the other side of the command area. He listened in on the conversation and stood quietly at attention, his helmet resting under his left arm.

Ah...so this is the Jedi who I buzzed down there, thought Cole as he looked over the woman as she listened to the wise old Master Jedi.

Yoda was one of the beings that surprised Cole the most. Of all the humans, aliens, and otherwise throughout the galaxy, the fact that Yoda was one of the most highly respected Jedi gave Cole a sense of respect for him.

Cole continued to stand silently at attention while the two Jedi discussed the matters at hand, Cole's eyes occasionally glancing at the screens and holoprojectors around him that showed various units performing their necessary duties. One holotable showed a group of CIS leaders being escorted to a medium transport for eventual interrogation on Coruscant. Another showed burned-out battle droids being piled up for transport elsewhere for smelting and manufacture of other, more beneficial things. A third showed a Republic transport landing to evacuate wounded clone troopers. The last holotable he viewed was a security feed of the surrounding area. At the edge of the projection, Cole could barely make out his Headhunter, sitting quietly on the pad with a pair of clone troopers inspecting it from afar.

Before long, Cole felt a hint of something on his left side and turned his head to find Yoda's wise old eyes staring at him...

[Vitani Edarin]

Vitani must have been quite a sight as she traipsed into the command center. The bottom half of her robe was wet and muddy, her maroon-purple hair had gone askew of the formerly neat and tidy bun, and there were a few beads of sweat formed around her hairline. Nevertheless, she received many pats on the back and even a bit of applause from the Wookies surrounding her. She thanked them for their support, but hurried on her way to find Master Yoda.

Vitani met the Jedi master in the holo-station. "Master Yoda," she greeted him with a bow signifying her respect. She accepted his praise with a smile, but then furrowed her brow as Yoda said that there was another complication. "What is it, Master Yoda?" She wondered if it could have been the surge in the Force that she'd felt on her way back--someone, who wasn't a Sith (thankfully), had used the Force, and they were strong with it. But she had only felt it for a few fleeting moments before it the sensation passed.

But then she sensed someone watching them. Vitani said, "Master Yoda, I believe there is someone who wishes to speak with us." She turned her head to look and fixed her emerald green eyes on the man watching them. He was outfitted as a pilot, but obviously wasn't one of the clone troopers. She thought back to the battle and remembered the pilot who she hadn't recognized but left alone, as he was aiding the Republic and not the Separatists.

However, he did let loose some blaster fire right in front of her, which proved effective but disconcerting. Smiling in a friendly manner, she called to him, "Come here," and motioned for him to do so.

[Cole Torin]

As Cole swiveled his head to face Yoda and the female Jedi, the taller of the two spoke to him. She motioned for him to come towards her, which he obeyed by nodding and smiling, taking two steps forward so that there was only a few feet between the pilot and the two Jedi.

"Pilot Cole Torin, reporting, Master Yoda, Master..." Cole paused, realizing that he didn't know the name of the Jedi he was referring to. "Well, in any regard. I'm here to collect my next assignment and payment for services rendered."

Cole smirked as his mind briefly flashed through the recently-completed battle, remembering how surprised the female Jedi must have been when he showed up with little warning, carving a path through the sea of droids and blaster fire for the Republic troops to use.

"I must apologize to you, Master Jedi," said Torin, referring to Vitani. "I hope you weren't caught too off-guard by my strafing run? I'm sure you used the moment to your advantage."

Cole's blue-green eyes locked with the female Jedi's own for a moment, his eyes glinting at her own, before he returned his gaze straight ahead, respectfully at attention for the two more powerful beings. Normally he wouldn't act in a manner such as this, but Cole had heard stories of the things Jedi could do to others given the right provocation.

Around the trio, Wookie and Republic troops continued to direct the cleanup efforts from the day's battle. A few occasionally glanced at the two Jedi and the pilot, wondering what they were discussing. Cole wondered what the day's battle had resulted in for the Republic. He wondered if it had done any good for the cause that they supposedly held so dear. Cole had seen the Supreme Chancellor briefly before being sent off to Kashyyk. He had spoken of the Republic he dreamed of and how every being willing to forward that cause was worthy in his eyes.

Something else had bothered Torin, though. As he left, he could have sworn he heard the Chancellor inside his head, speaking in a tongue unlike the one he had used in his office. It was dark, without any hint of respect for those unlike himself. It sent a chill down his spine, as it did now as he remembered the event only a few days ago. The hyperspace jump from Coruscant to Kashyyk was not long, and he had immediately taken action upon his arrival in-system.

Returning his thoughts to the present, Cole stood at rigid attention, his eyes moving only slightly as he viewed a wing pair of Republic ARC-170 starfighters fly by the tower, their wings waggling as a sign of respect.

[Vitani Edarin]

Vitani watched the pilot carefully as he approached. She sensed--and saw--great respect for the Jedi. But there was also excitement, an air of anticipation about him. Clearly he hadn't yet made Master Yoda's acquaintence. Then again, Vitani herself hadn't yet met the pilot, who was very talented while flying. Although that was a close call...

He didn't know her name. Vitani mentally shrugged it off; not many did, after all. "I'm Master Edarin. I thank you for helping us out back there." She listened to his apology--and was that a hint of smugness she detected?

Now it was Vitani's turn to smirk, which was not usually appropriate for a Jedi, but she decided that she could ignore decorum just once. "I'm flattered by your concern, Torin," she said sweetly, "but you'll find it's not easy to suprise a Jedi. I sensed your approach. However, my troops were a bit startled, but in the end your close call was of great assistance."

His blue eyes locked on to her brilliantly green ones, and she held his gaze steadily. Then he looked away again, resuming being respectful, and Vitani resisted the urge to probe his mind. She'd sensed his daring attitude that had reared itself in those few moments, but he supressed it nearly as well as a Jedi could. Then, she followed his gaze to the remains of the battle, looming below and behind them like the tail end of a bad dream.

At the sight, Vitani's face fell, and her pointed ears--not unlike Master Yoda's except in coloring--drooped a little. It was an ugly sight, the battlefield, covered with bodies of both clones and droids. A tiny weight lifted from her conscience when Vitani remembered that she had killed machines, not people, but her heart was weighed down with tears for the fallen clones, and the smaller-scale civilian casualties. A life was a life, and it killed her to end it.

[Joruus C'baoth]

Joruus C'baoth stalked through the undergrowth of the forest world, heading for the Republic HQ, keeping very quiet about it. He had already had some near misses, with both Republic and CIS patrols and scouting parties, and really didn't want to attract any more attention to himself, not this close to the base anyway. There was a strong presence in the force on this planet, and not the master who had been present for the battle. If they were on the Republic's side, then this was where they would be, for he had sensed no conflict in the moments when he found him.

He leaped up into a tree, and observed the forward entrance for a while. A heavy guard had been placed, as was to be expected, and several groups of clones were checking in every so often, probably from patrolling the perimeter and surrounding areas. There was no way he would be able to get past them all, but that wasn't his intention. He reached for the macro binoculars hanging at his side, then stopped and looked around. Something caught his glance as he surveyed the area, a glint of light reflected from one of the platforms. Looking around he saw a few more in the trees.Snipers, there goes plan A then. He thought, checking the reflections to see where there sights were aiming. None of them had seen him, but one of them had a bearing just off of the tree he occupied, which meant that using the binoculars would give him away.

He reached out in the force, raising his presence in it slightly, and felt out the occupants of the base. Around him he could feel the forest's inhabitants, but that wasn't what interested him. He focused his mind on the inside of the base, finding mainly clones and wookies, and then he found them. Two presences, both strong in the force, and another, neither clone or wookie, in close proximity to them. He raised his presence to more detectable levels briefly, while probing the third mind. It was worried about something, but he didn't have time to find out what, he could only risk searching for the information he needed before he had to cover his presence again. He found it quickly, and then hid his presence once more.

He remembered the information he had gathered, his stay in the man's mind was so short that he couldn't do anything with the information, only commit it to memory. Now he thought about what he had picked up, the names of the two Jedi he had felt, Master Edarin, the Jedi from the battle, and Master Yoda. That was a name he knew, a name from his past. His memories tried to fight their way back into his head, and he forced them out. He was remembering things from long before he was born, and it was going to drive him mad. He had to keep his memories out, at least for the time being. He jumped out of the tree, landing silently on the ground, and walked back to his ship. He was finished on this planet, for now, but there would be other fights.

[Cole Torin]

Cole nodded and nodded respectfully as Master Edarin finished her last sentence regarding the surprise on the clone's faces as he had flown over them. Torin smiled to himself. He prided himself on his excellent flying ability. Without it, he was just another nameless, unremarkable being in the universe.

"I see now. I should have expected that only a Master Jedi so proficient in the ways of the Force would be permitted to lead such an important battle on her own," Cole remarked, giving the female Jedi a boyish grin before continuing the conversation. During all this time the most Yoda had done was look around a little bit and converse with a few commanding officers of the clone troops. He was obviously deep in thought, reaching out through his masterful use of the force to sense anything and everything.

"Your security to get in here was quite impressive. The guards at the entrace to the command post were quite persistent in refusing to let me in, or to land my snubfighter where it is. It was only after I showed Palpatine's personal orders that they allowed me to pass."

Cole turned to look back towards his Headhunter, barely visible through the sea of Wookie and clone bodies in motion. The two guards were still standing just outside the edge of the snubfighter's security zone. As one of the clone troopers picked up a small rock and hurled it towards Cole's ship, Cole reached into his pocket and turned to Master Edarin again.

"Forgive me, if you please. It seems your troops don't understand the concept of a security sensor," and with that said, Cole pressed the little red button on the back of his comlink as he had done many times before. This set off the warning alarm prematurely, blaring loudly. Nearby creatures took flight as the shrill noise echoed through the surrounding area. The two guards placed their hands over their ears, despite the fact that their hearing was directly connected to headsets within the helmet. After a few seconds, Cole chuckled and hit the button again, cutting off the alarm. He could see through the security feed that the two troops were removing their helmets, doing their best to remove the obvious ringing in their ears.

Suddenly Cole gasped as he felt a cold sensation creep up his spine. It felt like someone had just used Force powers to look inside his mind. Then the feeling was gone. Obviously whomever had done that hadn't found anything of use within Cole's head.

"Did...did you feel that?" asked Cole, his voice slightly shaky from the intruder's brief presence. If anyone else had sensed the probe, it would have been the two Jedi he stood before.

OOC: Forgive me for the lack of length this time. I just had my wisdom teeth pulled this morning and I took my pill that helps me sleep, so I'm a little woozy.

[Vitani Edarin]

((don't worry, you post better than a lot of people I see attempt it, and that was still pretty good.))

Vitani couldn't help but beam when he gave her praise like that--anyone would, especially since she was a generally new Jedi Master and enjoyed all the support she received--but almost started laughing when he gave her that 'boyish' smile. It was just amusing to her. She just plain wasn't used to attention like this; different attention she was used to, being a Jedi at the forefront of the war and all, but this was not at all the same. However, Vitani pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind. They were distracting, and distracted was one thing she definitely didn't want to be.

His comment on the security was a welcome distraction from...distraction. Almost chuckling at her own mental redundancy, Vitani said, "Yes, we have snipers in the trees, guards at the gates as you saw, and also have space cruisers orbiting the planet to moniter who comes here. We find it more effective to track other space vehicles from in space--less radio interference."

She stopped her ramble when she saw Cole turn around to look back at his ship, and she, too, saw the clones, one of them picking up a rock to throw at it. Vitani frowned, moving to go over there and stop them, but Cole beat her to it. Rather, he didn't move, except to set off the alarm. Vitani's long pointed ears quivered at the high frequency; her eyes shut, her teeth ground together, and she had to clamp her slim hands over her ears. She had very sensitive hearing, a little bit better than a dog's, even, and the alarm hurt for her to hear it.

Thankfully, with some help from the Force, Vitani managed to block out most of the noise, so it wasn't damaging. When Cole turned it off, she breathed a sigh of relief while releasing her ears. A few new beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, but she quickly wiped them off with her sleeve, a highly undignified move, but she didn't care at that point. "That alarm certainly is effective," she muttered, waiting for the slight ring in her ears to quiet itself.

She sensed the presence, though, before Cole did. It was first a tremor in the Force, focused in one of the trees near a sniper station--but she knew it wasn't one of the clones. None of them were that attuned to the Force. As the tremor grew into a full-out wave, Vitani stiffened, bracing herself for battle (an instinct she'd developed from the war), but part of her knew that she wouldn't need to fight. The person was not a Sith, that much was certain, but it was someone very strong in the Force who was not a registered Jedi.

And that could be very dangerous.

The Jedi Master took a deep breath and her muscles relaxed slightly as the user's presence faded from her senses, but she did not let her guard down. They were still out there, just harder to see now. She focused on Cole, who was clearly distressed, all the while paying rapt attention to everything around them. "Yes, I sensed it," she said shortly, "Someone used the Force to break into your mind."

She pursed her lips, as such a practice was not thought of highly, but continued: "Whoever it is, it's not a Sith, but they're powerful." Turning to look down at Master Yoda, Vitani asked him, "Master, what do you think we should do? Send out a scout to track this mysterious person down? Or leave him be?"

[Yoda]

Yoda watched everything with interest, as was his practice. He wasn't always much of a talker, finding it easier to understand things by just watching, listening, and waiting patiently. He had watched Vitani while she was training as a Padawan, and knew she was always determined--but also, in the way of most females, quite a talker. So he simply let her speak with the pilot, nodding in response to his greeting, but for the most part remaining silently attentive to both their conversation and the activity around them.

It was a sad sight, the clean-up of a battlefield, one that he never enjoyed. Yoda's ears drooped slightly, and he watched the scene with tired eyes. He vehemently opposed war, as it went against everything the Jedi stood for, and it pained him to know that they were at the forefront of this one. Sighing, he turned back to the two very tall beings in front of him, now observing them studiously.

It was all he could do to remain passive as Cole repeatedly complimented Master Edarin; he could sense her pleasure at such flattery, and noted the large smile which she displayed for it. Yoda almost wanted to laugh. Vitani Edarin was old by human standards--she had been living for over a century--but to him, she was still young, and perhaps a little naive at times. He simply sighed again, resisting the urge to shake his head at them.

Then something caught his attention.

A surge in the Force, from somewhere in the trees above them. It struck like lightning on the pilot, and Yoda saw him go rigid. His expression hardened, knowing that Cole's mind was being penetrated. But why? For information, no doubt. Yoda had recognized the one using the Force as the presence who used it earlier, but he still did not know who it was. This time he knew it was not a Sith, for the Dark Side was not present, but he wanted to know who this unregistered Force-user was.

"Stay here; return soon, I will," said Yoda to his two companions, then he set off at a suprising speed towards the edge of the complex, searching for this mysterious being.

[Joruus C'baoth]

He had blown his cover, not only had he alerted them to his presence, but he now had Master Yoda tracking him. It was not going his way, and he had to be fast. He lowered his force presence as far as he could, not wanting to draw attention to himself, but still wanting to use it's power to alert him to danger. He managed to avoid all of the snipers, and only had to stop once to hide from a squad of clones on patrol. he got back to his ship, a YT1100 frigate, without much trouble, then just needed to leave the planet undetected.

He couldn't risk using the force to search for anyone nearby, and the scanners on his ship would probably draw attention to him as well. He powered up the ship to the minimum levels for take off, and allowed his scanners to make a quick sweep of the immediate area. He wasn't being alerted to any danger by the force, and his scanners didn't pick up any troops in the immediate area, so he activated the repulsor engines and launched up through the trees, hovered at canopy level while making sure there were no missile locks on him, then launched up into the upper atmosphere.

There were so many fighters and supply ships going from the orbiting ships to the planet, that the Republic cruisers in orbit couldn't risk attacking him until he was in comm range, even if his vessel had unknown markings. He kept the comm link turned off so that he wasn't distracted by any attempts to make contact, and found a safe route past the capital ships, and on a hyperspace route straight to Bimmisaari, and from there he could plan his route back to the unknown regions. He wasn't going to take any chances, and would make several stops on the way.