On the Avengers and clones' side of the battlefield, they were doing an excellent job holding off the droid forces.
"How much longer can we keep this up?" one of the clone troopers called out between blaster volleys.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Commander Bly replied, ducking behind cover as more battle droids advanced. "We just have to hold the line until the Jedi find that child."
Unknown to most of them, several droids suddenly ceased their attack patterns, their optical sensors flickering momentarily. After a brief pause, they quietly repositioned themselves and slipped away from the main battle to rendezvous with the Dark Side acolytes.
Meanwhile, Caedan found herself bound by energy restraints, courtesy of Aayla's quick thinking, and was being escorted away by the clone troopers.
Aayla approached the blind Force wielder who had helped turn the tide of their lightsaber battle.
"I'm surprised to encounter another Jedi here," Aayla said respectfully. "Are you just passing through this system, or do you have a separate mission?"
Chirrut shook his head slowly. "I am not a Jedi Knight. I am simply a devoted follower and practitioner of the Force."
"A follower of the Force?" Aayla asked with genuine curiosity. "How did you come to possess a lightsaber?"
"The Force guided me to it," Chirrut replied with quiet wisdom. "You believe that only Jedi and Sith in the galaxy can wield the Force. However, there are far more mysteries in this universe than even the Jedi Council knows."
Aayla nodded thoughtfully, contemplating his words.
"Master Aayla!"
The Twi'lek Jedi turned to see Ahsoka running toward her, with the 501st Legion close behind.
"Good to see you made it, Ahsoka."
"Commando droids," Rex reported grimly. "Much more advanced than the standard models we've been facing."
"It seems the Separatists have been upgrading their forces in many ways lately," Aayla murmured to herself, her hand unconsciously moving to Caedan's confiscated lightsaber hanging from her belt.
"Hey, everyone!"
Spider-Man swung in and landed gracefully beside them, followed moments later by Black Widow, Baze, Daredevil, and the 327th Star Corps.
"Looks like we've got everything under control," Baze called out, shouldering his heavy blaster.
Just when it seemed like the situation was finally stabilized, another squad of commando droids emerged from concealment and launched a surprise attack on the gathered heroes.
Caedan smiled grimly as her contingency plan unfolded perfectly.
With everyone distracted by the new threat, the Zabrak acolyte struck Aayla across the face with her bound hands, then used the Force to violently push her and several others backward. In the chaos that followed, Bil Valen managed to break free from his own restraints and escape alongside his partner.
The Avengers and clone troopers immediately gave chase, but the remaining droid squad effectively blocked their pursuit.
"Give me a few minutes and I might be able to—" Spider-Man started to say.
"Don't bother, Peter," Aayla said, watching as a Separatist transport ship lifted off and quickly disappeared into the atmosphere.
Inside the fleeing vessel, Valen was tending to his wounds while his partner established contact with their master.
A few minutes later, a holographic projection of Count Dooku materialized on the ship's deck. The moment the image appeared, both acolytes dropped to one knee before him.
"Report. Was the mission successful?"
"No, Master," Valen said simply.
Dooku's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Explain."
"Everything proceeded as you predicted, Master," Caedan said. "The Jedi and their clone army arrived to retrieve the child, just as you anticipated."
"But there was a complication," Valen added. "We encountered a blind man who can wield the Force, Master. He is not a Jedi."
The Count considered this unexpected information with visible interest.
"Provide me with a full debrief when you return," Dooku commanded before the transmission ended.
"So... what's the plan now?" Spider-Man asked, looking around at the assembled group.
"The immediate area is secure," Rex reported, scanning their surroundings.
Daredevil kept his enhanced senses alert. "No hostile forces in the vicinity, but there's definitely something inside that base..."
The clones, Jedi, and Avengers stood before the pirate stronghold alongside the two Jedha natives and their newly discovered ally.
Moving into the facility, several clone troopers began systematically searching the complex. They remembered seeing pirates retreat deeper into the base when the battle first began, sealing off certain sections.
As they advanced, a few remaining pirates attempted to ambush the search party. However, they quickly surrendered under the overwhelming return fire from the clones.
The Jedi and Avengers soon joined the search effort, methodically clearing each area.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Spider-Man asked as they moved through the corridors.
"A child, silly," Ahsoka said, playfully poking him in the head with her finger.
"Split up and check every room," Aayla ordered. She and Black Widow headed down one corridor while the others took different routes.
Daredevil tilted his head, his enhanced hearing picking up something the others missed. "This way," he said confidently.
The two younger heroes shrugged and followed Daredevil down the hallway opposite to where Aayla and Black Widow had gone. They systematically checked each room until they approached a sealed door at the end of the passage. Ahsoka paused as she reached for the door controls.
Spider-Man noticed her hesitation. "Ahsoka? Everything okay?"
She didn't respond immediately, then quickly activated the door. It slid open to reveal the last remaining pirate, who raised his blaster in desperation. Before he could fire, the weapon was immediately enveloped in webbing, and the pirate was yanked to the ground.
Daredevil patted the young New Yorker on the shoulder and gave Spider-Man an appreciative nod. Ahsoka entered the room first, with Peter right behind her. Initially, they didn't notice anything unusual about the space. It seemed like just another storage room until...
"What is that?" Spider-Man asked, pointing at a spherical object floating mysteriously in the air.
To get a better look, Ahsoka moved closer and carefully pulled away what appeared to be a blanket covering the hovering cradle. It wasn't long before both teenagers' eyes slowly widened in complete disbelief.
"Ahsoka..."
"Yeah?"
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Inside the floating cradle was a small child, pushing the blanket away with a tiny three-fingered green hand while staring up at the two figures with large, curious eyes.
"Have you ever seen anyone from Yoda's species before?" Peter whispered.
"Other than Master Yaddle? No."
"Okay, so we're both seeing the same thing then."
The two continued to stare in amazement, not noticing Aayla and Black Widow entering the room behind them.
"Alright, you two, did you find—"
Aayla stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she spotted the infant in the floating cradle.
"Is that...?"
"Wow," Black Widow began, clearly impressed. "Is that a baby... what do you call Yoda's species anyway? Do they even have a species name?"
Spider-Man crouched down so he was at eye level with the Force-sensitive child.
"Hey there, little guy," Peter said softly. "Aren't you just the cutest thing?"
The Yoda-like infant simply cooed adorably and reached out to grasp Spider-Man's outstretched finger with his tiny hand.
Aayla looked around at the assembled group, a smile spreading across her face. "Excellent work, everyone. Mission accomplished. Let's pack up and head home."
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