Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars

While Steve Rogers and Domino Squad continued their northward trek through the alien wilderness, Aayla's team—consisting of herself, Ahsoka, and their clone escort—took a brief rest before resuming their southern search pattern. The landscape remained monotonously unchanged: endless rolling grasslands stretching to every horizon.

Aayla maintained point position, with Ahsoka walking beside her, both Jedi remaining alert for any signs of native life or potential threats. The terrain offered little variation from the vast prairies they'd been crossing since dawn.

Commander Bly suddenly called out from his forward position, "General, there's a massive tree structure ahead."

Everyone looked up to see an enormous tree rising from the plains in the distance, its scale dwarfing anything they'd encountered so far. The group quickly covered the remaining distance and began a systematic search around the tree's base, but their initial sweep revealed no obvious traces of indigenous inhabitants.

Clone Trooper Lucky offered a suggestion while studying the massive trunk: "Maybe they live inside the tree itself, Commander. Could be hollow."

"I found something interesting over here," Bly's voice echoed from behind a huge exposed tree root that formed a natural archway above the ground.

The others moved around the twisted root system to find Commander Bly and Clone Flash standing before an oddly shaped oval object that seemed out of place among the natural surroundings.

Ahsoka approached the strange artifact with curiosity, tapping it gently with her knuckles before making her assessment. "This probably isn't a stone at all. It feels more like some kind of oversized nut or seed pod."

"Everyone back away, now!" Aayla shouted urgently, using the Force to pull Ahsoka, Bly, and Flash away from their position just as another massive seed pod crashed down exactly where they'd been standing. Several more fell around them in a dangerous cascade from the tree canopy above.

"No wonder nobody lives around this place," Ahsoka exclaimed, brushing dust from her robes. "It's like a natural bombardment zone."

While the clones and Ahsoka kept their eyes trained on the tree canopy above, watching for more falling hazards, Aayla took the opportunity to survey their surroundings more carefully. Her tactical training noticed several peculiar details: a series of impact craters near the tree's base that seemed too regular to be natural, and on the opposite side, what appeared to be a well-worn trail leading down the hillside toward lower ground.

Back at the crash site, Scott Lang sat inside their makeshift shelter, methodically checking and adjusting his Ant-Man suit's systems while Rex conducted a security sweep of the tall grass surrounding their temporary camp.

"Did you hear that rustling sound again?" Scott called out from inside the tent, his enhanced hearing picking up subtle movements in the vegetation.

"Yeah, there's definitely something out there moving around," Rex confirmed, his veteran instincts on high alert.

"Battle droids?" Scott asked nervously, remembering the mechanical threats they'd faced before.

"No, if they were droids, they would have launched a direct assault by now," Rex replied with the confidence of someone who'd faced countless droid attacks. "Their programming doesn't allow for stealth or patience."

Rex made his way back to the crashed Republic frigate to retrieve additional weapons and ammunition, wanting to be prepared for any contingency. Meanwhile, Scott continued his equipment maintenance routine, trying to stay calm and focused while waiting for Steve and the others to return from their reconnaissance mission.

Suddenly, he was startled by a pained groan from beside him. Looking down, he saw that Anakin had regained consciousness, his eyes struggling to focus in the dim light filtering through the tent fabric.

"Anakin, don't try to move," Scott whispered urgently. "You've got some serious injuries that need to heal."

"Ant-Man's right, General," Rex added as he returned with additional supplies. "You've been unconscious for over a day. Your body needs time to recover."

Anakin weakly shook his head, his Jedi senses detecting something that the others couldn't perceive yet. "There's something dangerous out there," he managed to say with difficulty. "Something hostile... and it's close."

As if summoned by his words, a piercing, inhuman scream split the air. From the tall grass directly in front of their position, a four-legged predator with a distinctive bird-like beak burst from concealment and charged toward them at terrifying speed.

Scott's eyes widened in shock at the creature's sudden appearance, while Rex immediately moved forward, attempting to intercept the beast and drive it away from their injured companion. However, the unknown predator's head struck Rex squarely in the chest with tremendous force, sending him flying backward as their tent collapsed instantly, trapping both Scott and Anakin beneath the fabric and support poles.

The bird-beaked beast then leaped directly at the helpless Anakin, its powerful jaws gaping wide as it prepared to deliver a killing bite.

"No!" Scott shouted, throwing himself between the predator and Anakin despite being partially tangled in the collapsed tent.

The creature's powerful jaws immediately clamped down on Scott's armored forearm, its razor-sharp beak penetrating the suit's outer layer as it began thrashing him around like a rag doll. Scott screamed in pain as the beast's grip tightened, threatening to crush his arm completely.

Just as the creature's jaws continued to exert crushing pressure, it suddenly went rigid and toppled over, taking Scott with it as Rex recovered from his impact and put a precise blaster bolt through the predator's skull, killing it instantly.

Scott managed to extract his injured arm from the creature's beak, moving it carefully to assess the damage. Fortunately, it appeared to be only a flesh wound—painful but not life-threatening. He quickly improvised a bandage using strips of cloth torn from their ruined tent.

After this dangerous encounter, neither Scott nor Rex dared to let their guard down again. They remained in constant vigilance around Anakin's position, knowing that where there was one predator, there might be others.

It wasn't until the first light of dawn that Aayla's team finally reached what could only be described as a village. The settlement was unlike anything they'd expected—the "houses" were actually the same type of massive seed pods they'd encountered beneath the great tree, but these had been hollowed out and converted into dwellings.

As the group entered the village perimeter, they discovered it was inhabited by a species of short, slender, fur-covered beings that resembled lemurs. The creatures were clearly intelligent, as evidenced by their organized community and the tools they carried.

Many of the villagers retreated in obvious fear and nervousness upon seeing the strangers, watching the newcomers with suspicious eyes and defensive postures as they approached the village center.

"Lurmen," Aayla said with recognition, identifying the species from her extensive xenobiology training.

"You know what they are?" Ahsoka asked, unfamiliar with this particular alien race.

"They're native to the planet Mygeeto originally. I had no idea they'd established a colony out here in the Outer Rim."

The village leader, distinguished by his graying beard and yellow ceremonial robes, approached their group with obvious wariness and examined them carefully before speaking.

"Who are you people? Separatists coming to claim more territory for your so-called 'Glorious Revolution'?" he asked with barely concealed hostility, his voice carrying the weight of recent negative experiences.

"Separatists?!" Ahsoka repeated in horror, the implications immediately clear to her.

"We are Jedi Knights serving the Galactic Republic," Aayla replied quickly, hoping to defuse the situation. "Our starship crashed nearby and one of our companions was seriously injured in the landing. We've come seeking your assistance."

However, the Lurmen leader's expression only grew more troubled as he responded with obvious anxiety: "When this galactic war began, my people came to this remote planet specifically to escape the conflict and maintain our neutrality in exchange for peace. But those Separatists and their battle droid forces discovered our world anyway, and they've been systematically harassing our village and terrorizing my people ever since. Fortunately, none of us have been killed or seriously injured yet, but with your arrival here, this already fragile peace we've managed to maintain will likely be shattered completely."

"But we represent the side of justice in this conflict," Ahsoka said with the passionate conviction of youth. "We're fighting for freedom and liberty, not to see entire populations enslaved like what's happening to you here."

"We are not enslaved," the leader corrected firmly, shaking his head. "And you are not fighting for true freedom either. Only you Jedi Knights deceive yourselves into believing that your war brings justice and liberty to the galaxy. The reality is far more complex than your simplistic worldview allows. Now, please leave our village immediately. I have no desire to provoke the wrath of the droid garrison stationed on this planet."

Ahsoka shook her head with equal firmness, her sense of duty overriding diplomatic concerns. "If there are battle droids harassing innocent civilians on this planet, then it is our absolute duty as Jedi Knights and Republic soldiers to stand against them and protect you."

"Violence only begets more violence," the Chief retorted with the weariness of someone who'd seen too much conflict. "It's an endless, destructive cycle that consumes everything it touches. There have been other off-worlders harassing the droid base recently. Even though the perpetrator hasn't been identified yet, the situation is already deteriorating. I know I probably shouldn't be helping her, but..."

Clone Trooper Cameron was confused by the female individual the Lurmen leader had mentioned, but before he could ask for clarification, he suddenly began waving his arms frantically and shouting in surprise.

"Cameron? What's wrong with you?" Bly demanded, concerned by his subordinate's unusual behavior.

Cameron removed his helmet and looked around with a mixture of confusion and amazement written across his face.

"I just saw something fly directly in front of my visor," he explained, still trying to process what he'd witnessed. "It looked almost... human-like, but tiny. Like some kind of fairy tale creature. It had wings, but they were incredibly small relative to its body size."

"Ah! There she goes again," the village leader said with an exasperated eye roll, clearly familiar with this phenomenon.

A younger Lurmen wearing a practical vest and wide-brimmed hat interjected, "Father, you shouldn't be so dismissive. You know perfectly well that if it weren't for her interventions, our situation would be far worse than it currently is."

Although the chief clearly wanted to argue the point, he couldn't deny that his son was speaking the truth about their mysterious benefactor.

The leader lowered his head and muttered something inaudible under his breath, then raised his eyes and called out to the air around them: "Hope, you can come out now. These aren't Separatist agents—they mean no harm to our people."

Ahsoka's head snapped toward the leader's position with sudden recognition before she quickly scanned the surrounding area. "Hope van Dyne? Also known to the Avengers as the Wasp?"

After a tense moment, a figure materialized in front of them, and her appearance was remarkably similar to Scott's Ant-Man equipment. Although her suit displayed different colors and design patterns, the technological similarities were unmistakable to anyone familiar with both pieces of equipment.

The helmet retracted with a soft hiss, revealing the features of a young woman with her hair styled in practical twin braids, her expression showing both curiosity and caution.

She stared suspiciously at Ahsoka, who was smiling warmly at her, and asked with careful wariness, "How could you possibly know who I am? We're in the middle of nowhere in a completely different galaxy."

Ahsoka's smile widened as she delivered news she knew would change everything: "Scott is going to be absolutely thrilled to see you again."

Hope van Dyne felt her heart nearly stop beating as the implications hit her like a physical blow.

"Scott...?" Hope whispered, hardly daring to believe it wasn't some cruel joke. "Scott Lang is here? On this planet?"

The leader of the Lurmen observed this emotional reunion with growing understanding, but he simply sighed with resignation and addressed his son: "Gather medical supplies and provisions for their journey. Although I don't want to involve our people in this conflict, I cannot ignore a legitimate request for humanitarian assistance."

Ahsoka smiled gratefully at this display of compassion overcoming fear.

The leader added his conditions with the gravity of someone responsible for an entire community's safety: "However, I must insist on one non-negotiable condition—one of you Jedi Knights must remain here as a guarantee of our village's safety, while the rest must leave immediately. If the Separatist forces return and discover so many armed strangers in our village, it will mean the complete destruction of everything my people have built here."

Aayla stepped forward without hesitation, accepting the responsibility that came with leadership. "I'll stay behind to ensure your people's safety." She then issued orders to her team: "Ahsoka, take the clones and escort our new Lurmen allies back to the crash site. Anakin needs medical attention that we can't provide here, and Scott... Scott needs to know that Hope is alive and fighting alongside us."

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