The Tanowhans continued to build their defenses in terms of protecting the village, as well as following the Skywalker sisters' teachings of how to defeat the enemy, when they heard drums beating, and they looked and saw several Togruta from neighboring tribes arriving to aid them in their fight.

Ahsokahontas arrived and saw her father greeting the chief of the Hotahn tribe, stopping when she ran into Jinja.

"Ahsokahontas, are you crazy?" Jinja whisper yelled. "What were you doing with one of the men?"

"There you are!" said Kokum, approaching Ahsokahontas. "Look at them! Now we have enough warriors to destroy those white demons!"

Chied Pav-ti and the Hotahn chief stood tall high up on the hill, where Pav-ti introduced the latter to Grace and Leena.

"Now that we are joined by our brothers, and trained by the rogue sisters of the enemy, we shall defeat the enemy."

Ahsokahontas immediately panicked! Were the two sisters even aware that they were putting their own father at risk? And what about Rax? She had to do something.

"Father, I need to speak with you." Ahsokahontas said, running to Pav-ti.

"Not now, my daughter. The council is gathering."

"We don't have to fight them. There must be a better way."

"Sometimes our paths are chosen for us."

"But maybe we should try talking to them, like Grace and Leena did with us."

"They do not want to talk to their own girls."

"It's true," said Leena. Unfortunately, men in our region are not nearly competent enough to listen to reason when it comes from a woman."

"Most of them, anyway." Grace said. "We don't like that this puts our father at risk, but we can't let any more innocent tribes be harmed by our kind's ignorance."

"What if one of their men did want to talk?" Ahsokahontas suggested, looking at her father. "You would listen to him, wouldn't you?"

"Ahsokahontas..."

"Wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would, but it is not that simple. Nothing is simple anymore."

"But, your daughter does have a point." Grace said. "Leena, continue on with the Togruta. I wish to speak more with Ahsokahontas."

_____________________________________________

Rax walked through the woods, heading back to camp, where the men were on high alert. A more nervous young fighter named Peter jumped when he heard a twig snap, and he held up a rifle, one of few weapons that was left in the shed.

"Easy, Peter, it's me." Rax said, coming into the light.

"Oh, Rax. I could've killed you." Peter said.

"With that aim? No way." Rax teased, and he showed him how to aim better.

"Rax!" There you are," said Anakim.

"We've been looking everywhere for you," said Kenobi.

"Raxon Fett!" Palpatine bellowed angrily, arriving at the scene. "Where have you been?"

"I was out scouting the terrain, sir." Rax said.

"Excellent. Then you must know the Indians' whereabouts. We'll need that information for the battle."

"What battle?"

"We will eliminate these savages once and for all."

"No! You can't do that!"

"Oh, can't I?""

"Look. We don't have to fight them."

"Rax, what's gotten into you?" asked Peter.

"I met one of them." Rax explained, and looked at Anakim. "And so have your daughters."

"What?!" Anakim said. "Now I know you're making things up. They know they're not allowed on voyages."

"And you met a savage, on top of it?" Ben said.

"They're not savages. They can help us." Rax said. "They know the land. They know how to navigate the rivers."

Rax then pulled out the corn Ahsokahontas gave him.

"And look. It's food."

"What is this?" Anakim said, taking a bite of this stuff. "Mmm. It's sweet."

"See? It even tastes better than hardtack and gruel, that's for sure."

But Palpatine didn't like the way Rax was up-talking the Togrutas.

"They don't want to feed us, you ninnies! They want to kill us! All of us!" Palpatine bellowed. "They've got our gold, and they'll do anything to keep it!"

"They don't have any gold!" said a female voice, and in came Grace dressed in the Tanowhan garb she was gifted.

"Graciella?!" Anakim gasped.

"Told you they were here," said Rax.

"What are you doing here?"

"Stopping you from making the biggest and stupidest mistake you ever could! There's no gold here."

"It's true," said Rax. "No gold. They didn't even know what it was when I showed them a piece."

"No gold?" said Ben.

"And I suppose more of your Indian friends told you this?" said Palpatine.

"Yes, and they have no use for gold here, even if we brought it to them." Grace said. "These natives only want to be let to raise their families just like we do. They've done nothing to you, and here you are calling them savages. Leena and I have met more than a few, and they have treated us very well. Would savages gift anyone a beautiful dress?"

"That is an unusual garment." Ben said, taking a look at Grace's outfit.

"Where is Leena?" Anakim said.

"She's fine. She stayed with our friends. Both of us have been safe since we got here."

"Lies. Lies! All of it!" said Palpatine. "Murderous thieves. There's no room for their kind in civilized society."

"They're more civilized than you could ever hope to be! They are not fueled by greed, nor do they sell their souls for something as heartless as money. This is their land!"

"This is my land! I make the laws here. And I say who so much as looks at an Indian without killing him on sight will be tried for treason and hanged. Starting with you, treacherous woman!"

Palpatine grabbed Grace by the arm... hard.

"No! Governor, please!" Anakim begged. "She's is young."

"You know the law." Palpatine said, commanding two men to hold Grace and put her in restraints, but the girl punched the two men and did the only thing she could do... run, Force jump over the fence, and run some more.

_____________________________________________

Ahsokahontas ran out in the dark of night; Grace hadn't returned yet, and she was worried. And she had to see Rax too.

"Ahsokahontas, don't go out there." Jinja said, stopping her best friend. "I lied for you once, don't ask me to do it again."

"I have to do this."

"They're both one of them!" Jinja said.

"You don't know Grace, and you don't know him either."

"If you go out there, you'll be turning your back on your own people."

"I'm trying to help my people."

"Ahsokahontas, please, you're my best friend. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't. I know what I'm doing."

"Ahsokahontas, no!"

But Ahsokahontas was already gone.

_____________________________________________

Rax turned out the candlelight in his tent and quietly snuck out, where he overheard some of his men talking.

"Palpatine wouldn't take us halfway across the galaxy for nothing." said one man.

"But what if Fett is right? What if there is no gold?" Ben said.

"If you ask me, Palpatine's been lying to us since we left Dawnland. You saw how he was willing to execute my daughter right in front of me."

"Listen to you, you bunch of idiots!" said one man. "Those savages didn't attack us for nothing."

"Maybe it was because they felt their families were being threatened!" Anakim said, angrily standing up. "Forget about Palpatine, those are my children he threatened. As high spirited and rebellious as Grace is, she's not stupid. And I won't compromise my children for gold that may or not exist here."

And so, Anakim left to go and find his daughters and hopefully a way to get them home safely. Peter went with him, but he also noticed Anakim wasn't the only one sneaking out from camp.

 As Anakim was running to find his daughters, Peter stopped and watched Rax.
Suddenly, Palpatine pushed Peter from behind and ordered him to follow Rax.

"If you happen to see any Indians..." Palpatine continued, tossing the boy a gun. "Shoot them."
Peter was about to leave, but Palpatine had one last thing to say.

"Oh, and, Peter, you've been a slipshod pilot and a poor excuse for a soldier. Don't disappoint me again."

("I really can't believe this guy!" Omega said angrily. "How can anyone want gold so badly they're willing to kill people even though they've been told so many times there's none?"

"People were a lot more ignorant during those times, unfortunately," said Ahsoka. "At least Anakim cared about his daughters more than image or gold."

"It looks like loving fathers aren't an entirely new concept, after all." Gabby smiled. "I've heard too many historical studies about fathers who cared more about wealth and status than their own kids.")

Jinja, not knowing what else to do, ran to the only Togruta warrior she believed could help at this point.

"Kokum!"

"What is it?" said Kokum.

"It's Ahsokahontas."

That immediately worried Kokum.

"What's wrong? Is she alright?"

"I think she's in trouble.

_____________________________________________

Ahsokahontas ran and ran until she came upon Queen Willowmena. She sounded worried when she saw the princess.

"The earth is trembling child. What's happened?"

"The warriors are here!" Ahsokahontas panicked.

"Ahsokahontas." said a familiar voice.

"Rax!"

The two joined hands.

"Listen to me," said Rax. "My men are planning to attack your people. Grace tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen. You've got to warn your village."

"Maybe it's not too late to stop this." Ahsokahontas said. "You have to come with me and talk to my father."

"Ahsokahontas, talking isn't going to do any good. Grace and I both talked to my men, but everything about this land has them spooked."

"Only because they aren't as knowledgeable as they portray themselves to be," said Grace.

"Graciella! You're okay."

"Yes, I was able to slip away. But I don't know what else we can do. Leena and I have taught the Togrutas to fight as best we could, but i don't know if it will be enough."

("For the first time in my life, I actually held doubt. For now, all I can do is, as my master would say, leave it to the will of the Force." Gabby read. "I was taught only to use the Force as a last resort, and I fear it may come to that sooner than anticipated.")

"Listen, all of you," said Willowmena. There is something I want to show you."

Willowmena summoned the willow vines and had one of them touch the river bellow, making ripples in the water.

"The ripples," gasped Ahsokahontas.

"What about them?" Rax asked, sounding confused.

"So small at first, then look how they grow." Willowmena said. "But someone has to start them."

"But they wouldn't listen even when Rax and I spoke together." Grace said.
"To be fair, women are often ignored where we come from."

"Young man, young lady, sometimes the right path is not the easiest one." Willowmena said. "Don't you see? Only when the fighting stops..."

Willowmena placed Rax so he and Ahsokahontas were closer together.

"Can you be together."

Ahsokahontas and Rax looked into each other's eyes, feeling something inside them they'd felt earlier, but this time more strongly. Both came to realize Willowmena was right; until their families stopped fighting, they couldn't be together.

"Alright," said Rax. "Let's go talk to your father."

Ahsokahontas hugged Rax, and he hugged her back. Then, they looked into each other's eyes again before leaning forward until their lips touched in a passionate kiss.
But neither of them realized that more than just Grace were witnessing their romantic moment.
Right out of the blue, there was the sound of war whooping from Kokum, who came rushing in and attacking Rax.

"Kokum!" Ahsokahonts gasped. "No!"

Rax and Kokum fought each other, Rax trying desperately to defend himself without harming Kocum. Grace and Ahsokahontas tried to pull the two men apart, but Kokum pushed Ahsokahontas off, and hit Grace hard enough for her to get knocked almost completely unconscious against a tree. But then, out from the bushes...

BOOM!

Everyone gasped as Kokum was hit! Kokum grabbed Ahsokahontas' necklace as he collapsed into the water.

Ahsokahontas rushed to Kokum while Rax went to Peter.

"Is he...?" Peter gasped.

"You killed him!" Ahsokahontas said furiously.

"I thought that..." said Peter.

"Get away from him!"

"Ahsokahontas, it won't help." Rax said, holding the princess back.

"He killed him!"

"Peter, get out of here!"

Peter did run, but another man came onto the scene and saw his unconscious daughter on the ground.

"Graciella!" Anakim exclaimed, rushing to his daughter. "No... no... please."

Grace was barely alive, but that didn't lessen Anakim's tears when he saw his daughter paying the price for his actions, and that of the rest of his men.

More Togruta came along and restrained Anakim and Rax, while some of them came for Grace and Kokum. One held the girl bridal style to get her to a healer, while three more carefully picked up Kokum's body to prepare him for a funeral.

Ahsokahontas looked down in grief of all the tragedy that was occurring before her, and as she did, she spotted her mother's broken necklace, which she picked up piece by piece.

"Oh, Mom. If only you were here to answer. What should we do now?"

_____________________________________________

The entire Tanowhan tribe was infuriated or weeping when they learned of Kokum's death, his body being brought before the chief.

"Who did this?" Pav-ti demanded.

"Ahsokahontas was out in the woods." One of Kokum's friends said. "Kokum went to find her and these white men attacked them."

"Daddy?" said a familiar voice.

Anakim looked and saw both of his daughters, safe and well. But they looked worried.

"Grace! Leena!" Anakim struggled, but the Togruta held him.

"You know these men?"

"That's our father." Leena confessed. "Anakim Skywalker."

"Please! We didn't attack anyone. I was only looking for my daughters."

"Your weapons were strong, but now our anger is stronger." Pav-Ti said. "And thanks to your daughters, we know how to defeat your kind."

Anakim looked at his daughters in despair.

"You taught them how to fight us?" He gasped.

"And we took most of your weapons. It was the only way to ensure you didn't make the same mistake as you did with many other tribes. Leena and I have been sneaking onto your voyages for years."

"At sunrise, one of these men will be the first to die!"

"No!" Leena and Grace gasped.

"But Father!" Ahsokahontas said, stepping in.

"I told you to stay in the village," said Pav-ti. "You disobeyed me. You have shamed your father."

"I was only trying to help." Ahsokahontas reasoned. 

"Because of your foolishness, Kokum is dead!"

"You can't pin that on her!" said Grace. "Kokum was killed by one of our people being ignorant, and I have no doubt it's because of Governor Palpatine. He's the one you want. He's the one who started all this. Go after him, not my father!"

"Take them away!" Pav-Ti ordered, and the Togruta took the two human males away.

Leena and Grace tried to stop them, but Pav-Ti reminded them that it was they who taught them to fight in the first place.

"Daddy!" Leena cried.

"Please, we don't have to do this. Not all the men want to fight."

While the Skywalker sisters went with the Togrutas and continued trying to reason with them, Ahsokahontas just sat on the ground on her knees, when Jinja slowly approached.

"Kokum was just coming to protect me," said Ahsokahontas.

"Ahsokahontas... I sent Kokum after you," Jinja confessed. "I was worried about you. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"All this happened because of me." Ahsokahontas started to cry. "And now not only will Grace and Leena lose their father, but I'll never see Rax again."

But then, Jinja had an idea.

"Come with me."