Their landing sequence was unfortunately familiar, but once again they managed to escape with their lives and bodies mostly intact. As Yerbol helped his wife to her feet, he couldn't suppress a chuckle at her anguish regarding their routine crash-landings. 
"I'm sure at this point we should write it into the Qyaari Code. Champions can NEVER land on a planet without some kind of grand entrance or massive crash. Just not how we roll." Neta swore a couple of times before letting them know that they would be grounded for a while.
"For the sake of our own skins, I hope we can actually stay alive long enough to fix her. I don't know if that'll be possible, though." Ethan wisely observed, looking to his Master as he asked:
"Could you somehow shield us from any incoming fire while Neta and I worked on the ship?"
"I doubt the barrier would hold under a barrage of turbo-laser fire for an hour, let alone the timeframe that you both would need to get the ship operational."
"If there's one thing I've learned from my time in the field, kids..." Neta was fully upright now in the CIC, a blaster rifle slung across her back and pistol casually dangling from a holster on her leggings. 
"It's that we're not gonna get anything solved just sitting here talking about it. We have to move."
"Agreed. If we were intercepted, they'll want to finish the job. Grab your gear, Knights: we're on foot until further notice." 

The squadron managed to worm their way out of the ship through an emergency hatch accessible by way of the hangar, Yerbol letting out a low whistle as he saw the ship leaning to the left so much that it looked like it would tip over. It's once flawless exterior was scorched and pockmarked with enemy fire, Ethan observing aloud that the turrets on the belly of the ship were probably crushed in the landing, leaving them with little defensive capability "even if they COULD make it out alive". 

There's that optimistic spirit Ethan was known for. 

Yerbol and Ethan were shaken from their evaluation of the ship by Kytra's observation of the sky, the rest of the party following her lead as well as Aria's timely suggestion to run from the green and purple bolts that rained from the battle ships screaming overhead. Ducking underneath the interlacing canopy that the nearby trees provided, Neta asked a question that Yerbol was considering the moment they had forcefully entered this part of the unknown galactic frontier. 
"Well, what did the Nav computer tell you before we were summarily dropped from FTL?"
"We were on pace towards the coordinates for Odessen...maybe a few clicks out?" 
"So maybe we're on a nearby moon?" Ethan offered.
"Potentially. Hard to judge with our limited knowledge of the place, bu-" Yerbol's thought was interrupted by the whine of engines above their position, forms dropping through the canopy and landing on their now visibly robotic feet, glowing yellow orbs for eyes surveying the newcomers. 
"Halt in the name of Arcann, Emperor of the Eternal Order." 
"Eternal Order?" The question by Ethan seemed to prompt the droids to withdraw their blaster rifles, Yerbol cracking his saber to life only to survey their surroundings and find they were encircled by at least twenty droids, rifles trained on them with accurate precision. 
"You are to be detained and questioned by our forces. Please drop your weapons or we will use force to obtain your cooperation." 
"They're just droids, right?! Come on, we can take em!" 
"Ethan, don't-" With a flash of light, Ethan threw his saber in a circular arc, running forward only to be jolted onto the ground by a swift retort from a droid's left arm. Piercing bolts of energy had flown through the air, incapacitating the young man instantly. The reflex of that droid to take down a Knight was..alarming. Yerbol reached out with the Force towards the droids, trying to survey-

His blood ran cold. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong. They needed to get out of this situation and fast. 

[i]Ari, we can take them out with lightning reflecting off of my saber, but there's gonna be more reinforcements. We take out this wave and we run further into the forest. Something is off here and we need time to evaluate our next move.[/i]

"We will commence with a show of force in sixty seconds." That should be plenty of time. 
"NETA, KYTRA, DUCK AND RUN! WE'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" Yerbol began to twirl his saber from right to left, looking to his partner.
"Light em up!" They had only done this technique a couple of times in the past with moderate success, but in a situation like this, moderate success was better than absolute failure. 

So he hoped. 

____

"You sent droids after them? Brother, why not have me there?" Vaylin pouted slightly, Arcann grimacing at the gesture (though his sibling couldn't see thanks to the metallic mask that covered half of his face). 
"The droids will be a good preliminary test. I assume they've never countered our...enhanced combat droids before."
"But you don't necessarily know that, do you?"
"No. But that is why this is a test. If they survive, I give you full reign to bring them to me." He paused, then added with a glare:
"Alive." Vaylin clicked her tongue off the roof of her mouth, then conceded:
"Fine, brother. I'll do as you ask." For now.