That Rarest of Things; To Begin Again

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 1: A New Old Day

Tythelia, On the Eastern Fringes of The Outer Rim, 21 B.B.Y.

Anakin Skywalker let the wind of a far-flung world blow on his face, cool and refreshing in the early morning, as he closed his eyes and took a moment to center his focus.

The world of Tythelia was like a lot of other worlds scattered throughout the galaxy; rather unremarkable. Sure, it was largely temperate, of a decent gravity and temperature for most species, and had little in the way of dangerous flora or fauna. It could even be considered, at any other time, safe.

But that it was not, because it was unlike most other worlds in the galaxy; strategically important. This world was known for the confluence of its central position on the Perlemian Trade Route and its proximity to several gas giants that were rich with the tibana gas used for weapons. Add in the fact that the rather new capital of the Confederacy, Raxus, was relatively close by, along with several worlds used for industry, and it explained why he, along with his padawan and elements of the 501st, was here.

For as temperate and populous as the world was, it had, shockingly, remained largely neutral. And, being as far removed from most of the battles out in this sector of space as it was, largely uncontested. That, of course, hadn't prevented their target from coming into being.

As Anakin opened his eyes, he put away the stuffy, rather boring briefing he'd received before infiltrating Confederacy space, looking at the refinery that bore the hexagonal mark of their foes. It was remarkably large, what intelligence agents they had here underselling its sprawl. Shuttles, all of them likely packed with harvested raw tibana, flew in and out as they had for the last three days that he and his men had spent camping on this forested hillside.

Speaking of camping, he heard and felt someone walking up to stand next to him, stretching as she yawned deeply. "So, Skyguy, when are we going to be done with sleeping in holes in the ground?"

"When we're done scouting out the refinery, Ahsoka," he said with a smile. "Don't worry. It'll be soon, I'm sure."

Ahsoka, rubbing her twin white and blue striped head-tails and then her eyes, nodded. "Yeah. I've gotta say, this is probably a new record for you, Master."

"Record, Snips?" Anakin asked archly.

"For how long it takes before something around you explodes. I think I'm going to owe credits if we don't see action in another few days."

"Credits?" Anakin said somewhat incredulously. "You're betting on me? With who?"

"That would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?" Ahsoka replied as she grinned mischievously.

Anakin sighed quietly. "As your master, and someone who's seen what gambling can do to someone… don't get too serious with it. It can get bad. Really bad."

"Are we talking about the situation, sir?"

Anikin found himself somewhat surprised that Captain Rex had managed to sneak up behind him. "Something like that, yeah," he said, grateful for the change in topic. "Has Fives gotten back to you yet?"

Rex shook his head, his face exposed as he held his helmet by his side. "No, sir. I'm guessing he's still trying to find some way into our target."

Anakin sighed as he nodded, taking a pair of electrobinoculars that had been sitting on a stool next to them and scanning the facility, the view zooming in to allow him to clearly see what Fives was likely seeing as well.

"He's probably going to be looking for a while if we want to stay quiet," he said as he considered the remarkable amount of defenses. "This is supposed to be their primary refinery, if I remember correctly."

"And they certainly treat it like it is," Rex remarked. "Guard towers, automated defenses, regular ground and air patrols, and enough sensor tech to spot a flea jumping off a bantha in the middle of the night. And not a single non-droid worker to try and replace in an infiltration."

"That's a lot to ask of two Jedi and a dozen clone troopers. Even if they're the best. Maybe…" Ahsoka said as she cupped her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe there's a secondary station somewhere that this place draws power from. If that's the case, we could make an opening we can slip into to cause some chaos."

"Not a bad idea," Anakin said as he lowered his electrobinocs. There was a part of him, small as it was now, that hated that he was complimenting the military strategy of a now 15-year-old. But it was a part that he pushed aside, set in that little box labeled 'things Jedi shouldn't be focusing on right now'. She had saved their lives more than a few times. As long as he trusted her instincts, he was sure it would happen again.

"Problem with that," Rex remarked as Anakin found himself lost in thought for a moment, "is that the base is large enough that they could do all their power generation on-site. We might find secondary stations to hit, but I doubt that knocking something like that out would do much for long."

"All we need is a few seconds if we're ready," Ahsoka said confidently. "If we can get their attention focussed on something else, even for just a moment, we-"

There was a flash of light in the sky accompanied by a distant, growling sound unlike anything any of them had heard before, one that caught everyone's attention and ended any and all conversation as it drew the eyes of the entire camp. It allowed everyone to see the flickering… something, white mixed in with a multitude of colors, that flashed once, then again, then disappeared.

"What was that?" Rex asked as he put his helmet on.

Anakin once again raised his electrobinoculars, pointing to where he last saw the flashes. Zooming in… zooming in… there.

"It's a ship," he said, studying the smoking, spiraling craft. "Looks like a shuttle of some sort."

"A gas transport shuttle?" Rex asked. "Maybe there was an accident."

"No, too small. It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before," Anakin said as he tracked its descent. It began to right itself, but couldn't stop its rapid fall. A fall that would put it in the refinery. "I've also never seen an explosion like that before. Some sort of hyperdrive failure?"

"I've never seen any hyperdrive fail like that," Ahsoka replied. "Not that I've seen many drives detonate before."

It took long seconds for the ship to finally crash into the plant itself, a long line of smoke and flames drawn behind it as it barreled through the inside of the refinery, going through one of the tibana silos and causing a massive explosion as the gas lit up from the trailing flames.

Even from here, they could hear the alarms beginning to wail as Anakin focused on the endpoint of the shuttle's crash.

"Crikk…" he breathed. "That ship's mostly intact still. Its shields must have still been functioning during the crash."

He handed the binocs to Ahsoka so she could see, thinking silently for a moment as he made a decision. "If their shields were still on…" Ahsoka said as he thought. "Could there be survivors in there?"

As the question was asked, Anakin made his decision. "We're about to find out. Rex, get everyone ready. We have to act now, while they're focused on the shuttle."

"Yes, sir," Rex replied, turning and ordering the other troopers, their explosives specialists Blink and Thundercut especially, to make sure they were ready to go.

'This is going to be interesting,' Anakin mused as he caught, from the corner of his eye, another clone, Artila, sliding Ahsoka a credit chip.

He had no idea.

. . .

In the compound itself, the garrison of battle droids, B1s and B2s accompanied by somewhat heavier spider droids, began to surround the strange craft that had just made a remarkable mess of their refinery.

It was a long, somewhat thin shuttle, two pairs of wings that folded to be flush to the sides of the body mangled and forced out, at least those two that had remained on the shuttle during its crash landing. The hull was blackened, pitted, and scored, though from before the crash or because of it the droids weren't entirely sure.

One B1, scanning the wreck, focussed on the insignia, what was left of it that could be discerned at least, that was emblazoned on the side. "Does that look like the Republic symbol to you?" it asked its companion.

"It's not Republic," the other B1 said in slight exasperation. "How much junk code is there in your processor? You think that," it said as it pointed at the bright blue, almost bird-like design, "looks like a Republic cog?"

"Well, it could be the Republic trying to trick us." the first B1 said pointedly.

"You think that about every ship that isn't one of ours," the other replied. "Let's go and…"

It paused as a thunk came from inside the ship, at one of the side hatches. Guns were raised, and the droids advanced cautiously to the hatch as the sound repeated. "Come out with your hands up!" the first B1 shouted.

"They probably didn't mean to crash into us, CY-17," the other droid said. "They'll need help more than anything."

Finally, the hatch opened, a booted foot retreating as a human man in black robes made his way out. He was followed for a moment by another woman wrapped in brown robes before the man in black waved her back into the shuttlecraft. He looked to be in his 30s, with a short head of dark blond hair and a well-trimmed beard. There were more than a few nicks and scratches on him, a notable bruise peeking out on his right cheek from under his beard.

"Get the others out!" he said, the woman pausing before she nodded and made her way back in.

"Excuse me, sir," the second B1 said, walking up to the man as he stumbled forward and looked around the scene with no small amount of shock. "Are you in need of medical assistance?"

The man looked at the droid for a moment and nodded. "Yes. Yes, there are wounded people in the shuttle. We have our own medic, but…"

He turned, and as he turned, his cloak billowed from the fires that were beside them to reveal a gleaming hilt that could only be one thing. A lightsaber.

CY-17 was the first to spot it. And the first to react. "He's a Jedi!" it shouted as it stepped back and raised its blaster. "Blast him!"

In a flash, the man's saber was out, a snap-hum preceding a trail of brilliant green light that cut CY-17 down, the first of dozens more to follow as he deflected blaster bolts and sent the droids around him flying with the Force.

In an instant, the woman reappeared as well, activating a lightsaber of her own and leaping into the fray, a purple blade carving into the droids that approached him as she blocked the blaster bolts that came in torrents towards them.

"Are the others safe, Mara?" the man asked as he grasped a spider droid's cannon with the Force, bending it into uselessness.

"Of course they are," Mara replied as she pulled a blaster pistol from its holster, aiming at and shattering the eye sensors of the spider droid. "We just need a way out of here."

"Easier said than done," the man muttered as he dashed towards a bulky B2, running it through and using the Force to crush the two others that stood beside it like tin cans as he used the first like a shield.

Another lightsaber, a brilliant beam of blue, flew out, a whirlwind that twirled and tore through several droids before returning to its user's hands, another man in a more utilitarian outfit, his red hair unkempt and his beard somewhat longer and scruffier than the first man's. He got to work covering their left flank, taking to the fight with practiced ease.

After a moment more, he looked out to one side, pointing. "Look! Someone else is coming!"

The man turned his head and saw… the impossible.

Soldiers in white armor with blue markings, ones that were almost but not quite familiar, spread out and laid down fire, two of them dashing off with a third to plant what looked like explosives on some of the tanks that were still standing.

Driving through the crowd of droids, blades of blue and green making a path of twisted, sizzling metal, were two Jedi, one a human man, armed and armored, just as all the holograms the man had ever found showed him, the other a Togruta woman, more a girl, by his side.

After long moments, the two groups of Jedi united. "Are you alright?" the man who was nominally their rescuer asked.

The man nodded. "We're fine. There's three more…"

He looked back, and saw the final trio emerging from the ruined shuttle; a young woman with strawberry-blonde hair carrying a much older man, his hair white and his fair skin wrinkled. The woman looked around at the chaos before adjusting her carry of the man, pulling out a heavy blaster pistol and beginning to take shots as best she could. Behind her, perhaps the most striking sight of all; a Dathomiri woman, her short hair an ashen gray, almost silver, and her eyes framed by dark gray tattoos on pale skin.

She pulled out, of all things, a spear that she leveled at a droid, her throw skewering the frail armature before a flash of green made it disappear, the weapon reappearing in her hand.

"We'll clear a path out of here for you!" the Togruta Jedi said. "Come with us!"

"Not like we have much of a choice!" the other man said, covering them from the left. "We stay here, these battle droids will cut us to pieces!"

"Come on!" their Jedi rescuer, a man who was clearly in command, said as he turned back to where he'd come from. "Follow me to the clones!"

With that, the group made a concerted push towards the clone troopers, Mara and the other man falling back to the two women and the older man to protect them as they went. After long moments where the weight of fire falling on them finally slackened due to how many droids they'd destroyed, they made it back to the line of clones taking cover behind a building.

"Sir," one of the troopers, wielding two pistols, said as the Jedi and company joined them, "Blink and Thundercut are almost done setting charges. We'll need to be out of here as quickly as we can before the window for getting off-planet closes. The Seps have to be broadcasting a distress call."

"Please," the Dathomiri woman said, looking around, "allow me to help. I can make this quick once you need a way out."

"I'm not exactly in the business of trusting Dathomiri women," the Togruta Jedi said skeptically. "The one we know is usually trying to kill us."

"If she's friendly to us, then I don't see a reason to turn down help, Snips," the commander said. He paused and looked at the Dathomiri woman meaningfully. "You… will help us with whatever you're going to do, right?"

She nodded. "I don't have any intention of making enemies today," she said firmly. "You're our way out as much as we are yours."

"I hope this works, General Skywalker," the pistol-wielding clone said.

"You and me both, Rex," General Skywalker replied.

"Here they come!" one of the clones shouted, pointing at the trio that had peeled off. They raced back towards the collected group as fast as they could, one of them turning to shoot some droids that were trying to follow.

"Charges planted, sir!" one of the clones called out.

"Whatever you're going to do," General Skywalker said, "do it now."

The Dathomiri woman walked past them, taking out a phial-shaped metal flask and using a thumb to unscrew the top. Green mist trailed from it as she traced a large circle, as wide and tall as she was in the air before her. As she completed it, it became a vortex, transparent waves being pulled in… somewhere.

"I'll go first," the Dathomiri woman said. "Follow me in a few seconds."

With that, she stepped through and vanished. The red-haired man was first to follow after her. Soon enough, the others followed suit, the man watching as he flew through the world in a green-tinged tunnel, zipping up and over the wall into the forest beyond it.

He emerged with sure footing, walking confidently. Not all of the clones were so fortunate. Or even all of the Jedi.

The Togruta Jedi lay on her back, groaning softly. "Thanks for the rescue…" she began, looking up at the Dathomiri woman.

"Merrin," she said simply.

"Merrin," the Togruta Jedi replied. "Again, thanks, but I'd rather not do something like that again."

The man walked past her to General Skywalker. "Your men said they planted charges. How far away should we be before they blow?"

"This is a tibana refinery," General Skywalker began.

"Ah," the man replied. "So, far away, then."

"Pretty much," General Skywalker nodded, casting his gaze across the now fully reunited group. "Let's get moving, everyone."

He turned to walk away, then looked back at the man. "I don't think I've ever seen you around. "I'm Anakin Skywalker, that's Ahsoka, and Rex and Fives lead the clone squad here. You are…?"

The man was silent for long moments. It was so strange seeing him like this. In his prime. Without the overflowing rage and pain that had defined so much of him as the man knew him.

"I'm Luke," the man said. "That's Mara, Cal, and of course, Merrin."

"Good to meet you, Luke," Anakin replied. He glanced back at the last two who hadn't been introduced yet. "Who are they?"

Luke looked back at the couple. "They're Dan and Elle. He's… how we got here."

The last words were almost murmured, Anakin not noticing as he returned his attention to the troopers and getting clear of the blast radius this refinery was going to make.

. . .

It was something of a long walk, the group making it to a camp that had been established well back in the hills. It gave a commanding view of the refinery in question. And, as Blink pressed a button, the remarkable red, blue, and green fireball that all that tibana made the refinery in question.

The older man was attended to by one of the other clones, a medic the others named Malachite. "He's still breathing, ma'am," he said to Elle. "Besides the bumps and bruises, he should pull through just fine. I'll want to see him in a dedicated medical facility, though. Likely onboard our flagship. Should pick us up when we get out of here."

Elle nodded. "Do you have a shuttle close by?" she asked before nodding to the burning refinery. "That's probably going to call a whole fleet down on us."

"We hid one here," Anakin replied, the clones pulling off a camouflage tarp to reveal the nondescript shuttle in question. "It's what we came in on."

"Then let's not waste any time," Luke said. "The last thing we need is to get noticed this far into your mission."

"Agreed," Anakin said. "Let's load up."

For as regular-looking as the pill-shaped shuttle was, it was remarkably fast. It was only a minute or so until they were clear of the atmosphere. They were long past the planet beyond it when the first Confederacy ships began to come out of warp.

"And there they are," one of the clones, the one Anakin called Drum, said with a chuckle as he watched the sensor readout. "Just in time to see Blink and Thundercut's fine work."

"Hardly our work," Thundercut said with a shrug. "Sitting on that much tibana, it only took about a quarter of the explosives any sensible refinery would have needed to start a chain reaction. And now, they'll be keeping track of their shots for months to come on this front."

"Which is exactly what we needed," Anakin said, sitting next to Ahsoka and Rex at a small table. He looked at Luke after a moment. "Which leads me to the people who made that possible. What had you guys all the way into Separatist space like this?"
That question was better answered by someone else, Luke knew. He looked over at Elle, sitting next to Dan as the man lay on the gurney. Elle looked back at Luke, then at an expectant Anakin and Ahsoka.

She closed bright green eyes and sighed quietly. "Well, Commander Skywalker… as ridiculous as it sounds, we're from the future."

The words, like a spell, made the entire shuttle fall silent, all eyes turning to the resolute expression on Elle's face. "You're joking," Ahsoka finally said. "You have to be."

"We came in on a New Republic shuttle," Elle continued. "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't see the insignia. Honestly, we should probably thank you for destroying it along with the refinery. Where — when — we came from, it's likely nothing that might have been lodged in or attached to our hull could have survived."

"Survived?" Fives said incredulously. "And wait a minute. New Republic? What happened to this one?"

Elle opened her mouth, then closed it silently as she looked over at Luke and the others. "A lot." she finally said. "Coming from the future, knowing what we do, there are things that we could say that have the potential to destroy everything that you hold dear if the wrong people hear them. I'm sorry… but I hope you'll understand why we might keep secrets. Though there are some things that we can explain once my husband wakes up."

Anakin's jaw clenched for a moment before he sighed quietly. "As long as those secrets don't endanger my men, I guess that's fine for now. But the instant they might, I'm going to ask."

Elle nodded.

"And hold on," Ahsoka interjected. "I've seen a lot of things, but the old man is your husband?"

"Well, like Luke said," Elle explained, "he's the reason we're here. Manipulating time like he did has deep effects for even the most minor of uses. And… well, this wasn't minor."

"How far back in time did you people come from, exactly?" Malachite asked somewhat slowly.

Elle frowned slightly looking at Luke, then at Cal. "I'd say… a little over 30 years."

"That long?" Rex said skeptically. "I have to ask, but are you all sure that the crash didn't knock you all senseless?"

"I can confirm that," Malachite said. "Besides the physical injuries, there's no signs of any other trauma. That includes cranial."

"So that leaves scamming us," Rex said. "Tell me something that only someone from the future would know."

"That old saw?" Elle said skeptically. She was silent for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought as she looked down at Dan.

Finally, she nodded, sighing quietly. "Has Kamino been attacked for the third time? Or is it the second?"

"Third?" Anakin asked. "There was a battle on Kamino about two months after the war kicked off. Then… I guess you could count the Mandalorian raid about a year ago as a battle. Are you saying the Separatists are going to try and attack Kamino again?"

Elle nodded. "Yes. And 99 is going to be a casualty of that event."

"99?" Rex asked. "Who's that?"

"A defective clone," Fives interjected quietly, his eyes wide, almost… haunted.

"One of my friends, back on Kamino," he continued. "Everyone in Domino Squad looked up to him. Just ask Echo once we get back to the Resolute."

He looked at Elle intensely. "How do you know 99?"

"Because he earns a combat commendation, the highest one possible, for trying to get more ammo for an ambush you participate in," Elle replied. "They name a task force after him."

"You're not kidding," Fives whispered after a shocked moment. "You really don't think you're kidding."

"I wish I wasn't," Elle said quietly. "From what little I could tell… he seemed like a good man."

"One of the best," Fives replied.

"If you're not bluffing, or trying to scam us…" Rex began slowly, "Then you might be a real valuable intelligence asset."

"Like she said, bucket-head," Mara piped up, "some secrets we can't tell until it's appropriate. And some we might never share. All told, we're probably better off closer to the action than sitting in some dim room on Coruscant."

"Ouch," one of the clones, one Anakin introduced as Kep, said. "That's a little uncalled for. Bad experience with clones?"

Mara looked at Kep for a moment, then the helmet that was at the man's side. "Let's just say that people who wear armor that looks like yours become really unpopular in a few years."

It was silent as the shuttle continued on its way, eventually leaving hyperspace in a system well away from the front.

"Well," Anakin said as he stood from his seat, going to the window to see the massive asteroid field, and the fleet base that settled within it, "welcome to the Roche fleet posting. We'll transfer you over to our flagship, the Resolute. Then, we're going to report you to the Council."

Luke, Mara, Cal, and Merrin stepped to the window, looking out over the collected fleet with no small amount of awe. "I count… what 50 capital ships?" Mara said. "Along with attending cruisers and corvettes… There must be hundreds of ships here."

"It's our hub for keeping an eye on the entire galactic northeast," Anakin explained as they made their way towards one of the ships that looked as though it was preparing to leave. It was a mighty Venator, wedge-shaped and striped in red across its gray surface. "That, there, is the Resolute. Home away from home."

They ascended into the lower hangar bay entrance, the massive corridor of the ship's hangar filled with fighters, bombers, and transports. Clone soldiers, along with other human and alien technicians and engineers, made the bay a bustling place.

As the shuttle came in to land, it gathered a crowd of clone troopers and a gray-clad human, standing sternly at attention in amusing contrast to the rather more raucous clones.

The shuttle touched down, and the hatch opened to the cheers of clone troopers, the sound only intensifying as Anakin, Ahsoka, and Captain Rex, along with a few of the other clones, stepped down the ramp.

The cheers quieted as Luke and his group emerged, Malachite helping Elle bring Dan down the ramp on a collapsable stretcher.

"Sir," the gray-uniformed man, looking at Anakin with an arched brow that sat over deep blue eyes and a thin mustache, said, "may I ask who you've brought home this time?"

"Some guests who helped us out against the droids, Admiral," Anakin replied. "Come meet us in the medbay when you can. I'm going to want to talk with you about them."

Malachite waved away the clones that were beginning to crowd around the new arrivals as they made their way towards what Malachite assured them was a medbay of the ship, the Admiral following them for a moment as the clones largely stayed behind with their comrades, only Rex following along. "And Admiral," Anakin said, "we looked like we were heading out of here, right?"

"General Kenobi and the 212th requested our assistance over in the Boz Pity system," the Admiral replied. "Apparently, the Separatists are using it as a forward staging area for their assaults further into the Mid-Rim. Resistance is somewhat greater than expected."

"We'll make our way over there and punch the Seps in the face, then," Anakin said with a slight grin. "Far be it from me to turn down my master asking for help."

"I expected as much," Yularen replied, a ghost of a smile on his own face. "I'll get us underway as soon as I'm able to."

"Good." Anakin continued for a moment in silence, his grin slowly disappearing. "And Yularen."

"Yes?"

"Once we're done there… could you try and pull some strings to get us assigned somewhere close to Kamino?"

"Why Kamino, sir?" Yularen asked with no small amount of surprise.

"It has to do with our guests," Anakin said simply. "I'll explain after we meet in the medbay. Or I could let them explain."

"Very well," Yularen said after a moment. "I'll see what I can do."

With that, he turned down a side corridor, the rest of the party making their way soon enough to an auxiliary medbay.

It was relatively small, with only 8 gurneys with medical equipment taking up a majority of the room, with two bacta tanks in the corners of the wall on their right, shedding a blue glow that tinged the white space around them.

"This place'll keep you out of the way of the other soldiers, offer some privacy," Malachite explained as Dan was hoisted onto a bed. "I'll do a quick scan, then try and wake him up."

Elle nodded, looking over at Rex, Anakin, and Ahsoka. "And are we expected to be under guard?"

"Well," Rex said, "until we can verify that you won't be a security threat, we'll keep two soldiers posted at the entrance. That's all. We'll clear out a bunk room for some privacy close by, but until we're sure, that'll be the extent of you all wandering around the ship."

"That's entirely reasonable," Luke said. "Operational security is a must, especially during wartime."

"And are you a wartime Jedi, Luke?" Ahsoka asked as Rex stepped out of the room to make the necessary calls.

"For quite a while, yes," Luke admitted. "Though not war quite like you might be used to."

The answer seemed to visibly unsettle Ahsoka, Anakin's brow furrowing slightly. "What kind of war?" he asked.

"Guerilla fighting, hit and fade tactics, supply interdiction," Mara replied glibly. "Your mission writ-galactically-large."

"Does the Galactic Republic…" Ahsoka said slowly. "Do we lose this war where you're from?"

Before anyone could reply, movement from the gurney put all attention on the stirring form of Dan, his eyes open, a clear, sharp blue that scanned his hands and then the room, focusing on Ahsoka.

"There's not much we can tell you right at this moment," he said, a weathered but firm tone to his voice. "But I think I can say this. At the end of this war, everyone loses."

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 2: Introspections And Examinations

Auxiliary Medical Bay 4, The Resolute

"Everyone?" Ahsoka asked. "That doesn't make sense. Either the Republic wins, or the Separatists win. Does a faction come out of nowhere when we're weakened?"

Dan shifted to sit on the edge of the table. "You could say that, yes. But, as I'm sure my wife and the others have said, until we can be sure that whatever we say doesn't reach the wrong ears, we'll have to be frustratingly vague."

Anakin sighed quietly. "I suppose you have your own version of op-sec."

Before he could continue, the doors opened again, Admiral Yularen passing between the arms of two clones in full armor guarding the door. "We're on our way to Boz Pity, General," he said. "I suppose I'm here to learn about our new guests, sir?"

"That you are," Anakin replied. "I'm going to make a call to the Council, inform them of what I've heard. Ahsoka, stay here and get friendly. I think our guests might be here for a while."

He began to turn towards the door, then paused as he looked at Dan. "Are you going to need any mobility aids while you're recovering?"

Dan looked down at himself and chuckled. "No. And even if I recovered, I wouldn't need them anyway. I'll be back to my former age given a couple of days working on myself."

That raised more than a few eyebrows. "You can… de-age yourself?" Ahsoka asked incredulously.

"Part of the power that allowed us to come back to this time can, at least," Elle explained. "It allows for control over one's physiology."

"So, you aren't Force-users?" Ahsoka asked.

"Not exactly," Dan replied.

He paused for a moment as Anakin let himself out, then looked around the medbay silently. "Tell an old soul if you could, which planet did we crash on?"

"We were on Tythelia," Ahsoka replied.

"That's a new one to me," Dan said quietly after a moment of contemplation. "Where's that near?"

"I guess…" Ahsoka looked over at Yularen, somewhat questioningly.

Yularen looked over at Dan and Elle. "The planet you were found on was rather close to the Separatist capital world of Raxus Prime."

"Raxus," Dan said, nodding slightly. "So, Raxus to Boz Pity…"

He glanced at Luke. "Call that 2, 3 days hyperspace travel?"

"Sounds about right to me," Luke said.

Luke looked over at Yularen. "So, what would you like to learn that we can tell you?"

. . .

"At the end of this war, everyone loses."

Anakin couldn't shake the words from his mind even as he waited for the Council, plus Obi-Wan, to connect with his call on the bridge, the doors to the navigation section closed. As vague as the words were, something about them rippled through the Force. They were… ominous. Did that mean they were true?

He didn't know. And if there was something he hated, it was not knowing.

The holotable bloomed to life, showing Master Windu and Master Yoda hovering somewhat above him.

"Master Skywalker," Yoda said, smiling slightly. "Your mission a success, I trust it was?"

"Yes, Master Yoda," Anakin replied. "The northeast front is going to be able to breathe a little easier, now that their refinery has been reduced to so much burning tibana."

As he spoke, the ever-familiar visage of Obi-Wan appeared, shifting Windu and Yoda to the right.

"Hello, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "I'm not sure that calling us about a successful mission, even one as high-stakes as yours was, is entirely necessary."

He said the words in a slightly chastising tone, with an arched brow followed by a slight smile that said that while he was used to Anakin's behavior, it would be wise to shift the topic.

"Well, I called to talk about the reason for our success, Obi-Wan," Anakin replied. "The reason we were able to enter the facility at all was due to a strange shuttle crash. Inside the shuttle were three Jedi and three other people, one of them Dathomiri, who helped us escape."

"Strange, for a Dathomiri to be so helpful to… anyone, really," Windu said, cupping his chin thoughtfully.

"That's not the weirdest part," Anakin said. "All of them claim to be from the future."

"The future?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously. "Are you sure that they weren't concussed by the crash?"

"They weren't," Anakin said. "Malachite cleared them medically, and I did some research before calling you. Of the three Jedi, there aren't any records I can find out here of a Luke or a Mara."

"What about the third?" Obi-Wan asked.

"That's what convinced me, more than anything they've said yet," Anakin said. "Because there is a Cal. Specifically, Padawan Cal Kestis, under Master Tapal. They're serving with the 13th Battalion on the Albedo Brave, deeper and lower in the Mid-Rim. But the Cal that I picked up on Tythelia was easily in his 30s, maybe his 40s. He could be a little older, due to how the Force can lengthen lifespans."

The semitransparent masters looked at each other critically. "Concerning, this is." Yoda finally said. "Things we may not be meant to know, they might possess."

"Or things we really should know," Obi-Wan interjected meaningfully. "Have they said anything that might help us at all, Anakin?"

"They're fairly tight-lipped," Anakin admitted. "They seem to know that what they know could have some big effects on us. But they have mentioned where they're from. A New Republic."

"New?" Windu said with a grimace. "Something happens to this one. The Confederacy wins?"

"Not from what they say," Anakin said darkly. "According to them, both the Republic and the Separatists lose at the end of this war."

"The Sith, then," Obi-Wan said, his expression equally dour. "They play the Confederacy and the Republic and take advantage of our weakness."

"Not unsurprising, that would be," Yoda said, his brow furled in thought. "Long obscured, our sight of the future has been. To blame, the chaos of the galaxy is."

"They also tried to prove they were who they said they were by telling us that there's going to be another attack by the Separatists on Kamino, one that might be happening soon, by saying that a defective trooper that one of my soldiers' knows would be a casualty. It had him pretty shaken up." Anakin mentioned.

"Another attack on Kamino…" Windu said. "If that is going to be imminent, then we should prepare at least somewhat. If Kamino were to fall, the entire war effort ends there."

"But if we prepare too obviously," Obi-Wan retorted, "That might tip our hand to the Separatists. If these people are telling the truth at all."

"Vexing, the ideas of time travel are," Yoda said somewhat wearily. "However, warn Kamino, we can. Give them time to prepare."

"In the meantime," Windu said, "keep an eye on these people. The last thing we need is a grip of wildcards at the heart of one of our fleets."

"I doubt they'll be trouble for us," Anakin said with a shrug. "They seem to want to help more than anything. And at least Luke seems to have some kind of military experience. I'll vet them on my way to you, Obi-Wan. Besides, if three experienced Jedi are willing to help boost our numbers, I can't fully say I'd turn them down."

"Honestly… neither can I," Obi-Wan admitted. "I'd like to meet them once you arrive. If nothing else, they've piqued my interest."

"I'll be sure to introduce the Jedi from the future to you," Anakin said with a slight smile. "Otherwise, I'm looking forward to wrapping up Boz Pity quickly."

"We have to actually land on the surface first, my boisterous apprentice," Obi-Wan said meaningfully. "Their blockade in the orbitals, by starship and station, is remarkably steadfast."

"We'll see about that," Anakin said confidently. "I'll be there in about 3 and a half days. There's a pretty big ion storm we're apparently going to have to circumvent in between us and you."

"I look forward to your arrival," Obi-Wan said, disappearing as he cut off his call.

"Thank you for informing us about these new Jedi, Skywalker," Windu said. "Keep us informed on anything else they might say."

"I'll do my best to, Masters."

With that, the remaining masters disappeared, and Anakin sighed quietly. This war was already interesting enough. To have people who knew what the end of it was going to look like…

'I have a bad feeling about this.' he thought with grim amusement.

. . .

The group was led by the two guards, Sprig and Rynnd, to their bunk room, where 12 bunks, more than enough for 6 people who had, by all accounts, next to nothing.

As the door closed, and they took a moment to take in the silence, Luke looked over at Dan skeptically. "Starkiller? Really? That's what I had to go along with?"

"Would you rather I gave them your real last name?" Dan asked archly, his voice pitched low. "Anakin is already hiding a relationship at this point. To find out he has a son, here? That would cascade things completely out of our control. For now, we feed them information slowly. The easy stuff first. Then the really galaxy-shattering stuff when they're ready."

With that, Dan made his way to the floor in front of a bunk and sat cross-legged in front of it, closing his eyes and breathing deeply as Luke scoffed softly at what the idea of 'the easy stuff' had become.

"Besides," he said with a slight smile, "where I'm from, it was going to be your name for a little while there."

Luke arched a brow, then sighed as he shook his head.

"Hey," Mara said with a wry grin as she gently patted his shoulder, "I would have taken that name too. Even if I would give you grief over how dark and brooding it sounded."

"I'm not surprised, dear," Luke said with a slight smile of his own.

They fell silent as they watched Dan begin to glow softly, pinpricks of light, arrayed in several different colors, spreading across his arms and face. After a few moments, they began to lift off, slowly spinning around him as they formed a star cluster of breathtaking spectacle.

Luke still couldn't fully believe the depths of his powers. Or Elle's, as she sat down in the midst of the little galaxy and put a hand on her husband's shoulder, transparent water coalescing around the hand.

His studies of the Force showed that there were miraculous feats that even the Jedi and Sith of this era couldn't match. Things that quite literally changed star systems. But if a Force user could learn even a quarter of what these two could do…

They would be the most powerful Jedi or Sith in the galaxy.

As the pair began their mediation, the remaining pairs made their way to separate ends of the room for some privacy.

Merrin lay on one of the bunks, while Cal sat on the floor opposite of it. It was silent between them for a moment. "About as comfortable as I expected," she remarked.

"Yeah, that's… about right," Cal said quietly.

"Bad memories?" Merrin asked quietly after a moment.

"That too," Cal admitted. "As horrible as the Purge was… there were good memories too, being on a ship like this. I had a friend in the Iron Battalion. His name was Captain Lancer. We could be more relaxed when Master Tapal was off playing General or diplomat. And he always kept an eye on me when we were in battle together."

It was silent for a moment, Cal looking down at the ground. Merrin slid out from the bunk, making her way to sit by Cal. After a moment, she took his hand. "Did he…" she began quietly.

Cal shook his head. "No. He must have been somewhere else on the ship when the Purge started. I didn't see him while we tried to escape."

Merrin squeezed Cal's hand. "You may not be able to take away the pain that you went through. But you might help us make a better future for this version of you."

Cal nodded. "Yeah. We can do that."

They sat there for long moments, simply leaning against each other. "Do you think," Cal said after a moment, "that changing the past like this could change me?"

Merrin looked past Cal at Dan as he meditated. "That's a question that I would ask him. We might not remain long enough for such things to matter."

As Cal nodded, Merrin looked back at him. "And besides, I love you just the way you are. What you've gone through made you strong. Capable. Able to relate to me in a way some high and mighty Jedi knight never could."

Cal smiled warmly, resting his head against Merrin's.

The Force stirred Cal, and he looked over at Dan to see him looking back. "Time will not change you, should you change the future here."

Dan glanced away for a moment, seeming to consider something for a moment. "And, as for if we'll be leaving… if I know you, and Luke — and myself — well enough… well, I think there's something you've already been thinking about."

. . .

1 Day Later

Ahsoka found these in-between times when they were traveling somewhere to be at once the calmest moments and perhaps one of the most boring points of being at war. It didn't help that, on the same ship, there were people who could make life far, far more interesting.

She paced in her quarters, something that was rather… new for her. Skyguy would likely give her some gentle ribbing about meditating and centering her expectations and emotions. Mindful of such Jedi training, she took a deep breath and considered her options.

There were always things she could be doing. Training, maintenance on her lightsaber, finally getting fitted for some sort of armor, speaking with the soldiers that she served with and getting to know them better…

Fives. Fives and Echo. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for them and their friend, 99. Perhaps… there was a way that she could find out a way to change the future?

'Wait,' she mused, 'wouldn't trying to change the future just cement the event in the first place? Or is that just something epic tragedies use to try and teach a lesson?'

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Time travel…" she muttered, the words tumbling out almost like a curse.

She looked over at her door, pausing where she stood, and standing there for long moments before, at last, she made her decision.

She strode over to the door and opened it, looking out before she made her way towards the medbay where their guests were staying.

The halls were only somewhat busy, the ship having settled into a regular rhythm that she could almost sense in the Force like a heartbeat. It was always fascinating how the clone legions she got the chance to work with not only had such a breathtaking breadth of individuality in their soldiers, but different imprints that the legions as a whole left in the Force. For her, the thrum of the 'spirit' of the 501st was a comfort now, a reminder of bravery and the capacity of self-sacrifice that would make any Jedi who noticed it all the more wise.

She blinked, coming out of her reverie to find two soldiers in her way at a T-junction she meant to turn down. "Fives. Echo," she said, somewhat startled. "Are you…"

"Going the same way you are?" Echo asked. "Yeah, probably. Fives told me about his run-in with these new passengers. I'm the only one he's told. Otherwise, these people are still confidential."

"99?" Ahsoka asked as they began to walk down the corridor.

Echo nodded. "Yeah. I… I have to hear this for myself. At least find out if it's only a few crazy people or if the galaxy really is about to go insane."

"You talked to these people with the Admiral," Fives said after a moment of silence. "Anything you've learned since?"

"Well," Ahsoka replied, "Nothing world-shattering. Luke is, apparently, skilled behind a fighter's controls."

"Probably not as good as General Skywalker," Fives said with a slight grin. "He'll fly circles around the man if he ever gets into a cockpit."

"He seemed pretty confident of his skills," Ahsoka replied, "but not overly boastful. His friends backed it up as well. I guess we'll just have to see."

"Anything else?" Echo asked. "Anything they weren't saying that the Force allowed you to see?"

Ahsoka was silent for a moment, her expression becoming somewhat sad. "Cal, he's… skittish around clones. I picked it up, and I'm sure Anakin picked it up, while we were on our way back here. Something happened to him involving clones, a long time ago. For him, at least. I'm not sure how much he'll trust you guys."

"What could have happened to make him scared of us?" Echo asked. "He didn't go rogue, did he?"

"I don't think he went rogue, Echo," Fives said quietly, his expression dark. "Mara said that people who wore armor like ours would become 'unpopular' in the future. What if… we are the ones who go rogue?"

"Impossible," Echo said almost instinctively. "We wouldn't turn on our commanding officers, our friends, like that. Much less the Republic."

"Not even if we're ordered to?" Fives asked.

The rest of the walk was taken in a tense, almost fearful silence. One that was only interrupted by coming to a stop at the medbay door, two guards at each side.

"Commander Tano," one of the guards said. "Are you here to see our guests?"

"I am, Sprig," Ahsoka replied. "How are they doing?"

Sprig looked over at Rynnd, his helmet obscuring his expression, but the Force revealed both soldiers' hesitation and wonderment. "Well, Malachite's in there right now. Hasn't come out since he arrived about two hours ago. You might want to check on him."

Ahsoka, Fives, and Echo looked at each other with no small amount of confusion. "Is there… something wrong?"

"You'll have to go in and see," Rynnd said. "We're just here to keep trouble from happening."

Ahsoka nodded. "I'll go in and make sure for you."

With that, she opened the door and entered, Fives and Echo coming after her. As the door shut behind them, all eyes, now wide and shocked, were on the sight on the table.

Malachite, who was dressed in his burgundy casuals was, shockingly, talking a mile a minute, poking and prodding at Dan. Dan, also quite shockingly, actually looked younger, his shoulder-length hair, tied in a tail, and beard now gray and silver instead of stark white. His skin was tighter now, almost but not quite free of wrinkles. Now, instead of looking at least 90, he looked to be in his 60s.

It made the scars on his face and arm stand out all the more. Around his left eye, there was a starburst of lines seemingly radiating from his eye. On his right arm, a long line of slightly puckered, pale white began on top of his arm and traced down the middle of it, wrapped through in between his middle and ring fingers, and ended on the bottom where it started above.

The man looked over at the trio with a slight smile. "Miss Ahsoka, Fives, Echo. Good to see you again. And good to meet you, Echo. Something we can help you with?"

"I wanted to check up on you…" Ahsoka began. "See if there was anything new to learn."

Dan smiled slightly, shrugging somewhat theatrically as Malachite moved away from him. "I'm sure you have plenty of questions, especially now that you've seen me in the process of recovery."

"Where'd you get those scars?" Fives asked. "That a cybernetic eye?"

Dan was silent for a moment, idly feeling the scars around his eye. "No, this eye is real. Not the original, but then again, there isn't much of me anymore that's 'original'."

Ahsoka pushed aside the intrusive thought of asking what, exactly, was still original. Or what that statement meant. "That doesn't explain where you got the scars," she said.

Dan sighed quietly. "I'll fully admit, you wouldn't believe me in the slightest if I told you the whole truth. But I did earn them in battle from a particularly vindictive foe."

"Some sort of Sith?" she asked. "I could see someone that twisted giving you those."

Dan was silent, contemplative for a moment. "Something worse," he said quietly.

After a moment, he shook his head. "I can guess why you're here, Echo. Fives told you about what Elle said."

"He did," Echo said, his face drawn tense. "I don't believe you. You could have accessed documents surrounding us somehow. Sliced into records at some point to try and manipulate us towards whatever end you're getting at. How can we tell you aren't spies?"

It was silent for a moment. "You have only our word at the moment. And the assurance that just because 99's death is history in the 'when' which we came from, that here it could, perhaps, be circumvented. Time is far more resilient than you might think. Though trying to restrain 99 in any way is out of the question."

Echo opened his mouth, then closed it. "You want to protect him?" he asked.

Dan nodded. "If we can. If we're able to join you in battle, we can promise more."

He looked over at Ahsoka. "I'm not entirely sure what monitoring you have on us, but we've been talking about joining your war efforts."

"We only have monitoring at the detention centers," Fives said. "Everywhere else is a private space. You're guests, and you are suspicious, but you aren't prisoners."

"That, at least, is good to know," Mara interjected. "Especially seeing as you're all such a nice bunch of people."

"Thanks," Fives said, slightly sardonically. "I'm glad the soldiers on the warship keeping you detained are decent company."

Mara only grinned slightly at the reply as Luke took up the conversation. "Ahsoka here has already learned that I'm skilled in a cockpit. If you have… a spare Z-95 around, I can take part in any space battles. And we'd be willing to put ourselves under your command for any ground battles."

"I appreciate the offer," Ahsoka replied. "However, I'd have to clear it with Master Skywalker first. Maybe Captain Rex, too."

"But three Jedi and three soldiers who know how to fight alongside them is tough to pass up," Cal said. "Isn't it?"

Ahsoka sighed. "You're not wrong. And I doubt Master Skywalker would say any different. I'll go and talk to him."

Thank you, Ahsoka," Elle said. "I'm glad we might be able to help."

Ahsoka nodded, looking over at Fives and Echo. "Anything else you two might need?"

The two troopers both shook their heads. "No, ma'am," Echo replied. "I'm not completely satisfied right now… but, but I can work with them if they'll protect my brothers."

Dan nodded, looking over at Malachite. "Are any more examinations needed?" he said with an amused smile.

"I think I've reached the limits of what I can see," Malachite admitted.

Dan nodded, then looked at the trooper's buzz-cut head, his eyes narrowing slightly. "That scar, on the side of your head. I saw the same scar in the same place on Rex." he gestured to the top right part of his hand. "It looks old. Remarkably so. Where'd you get that from?"

Malachite's hand went to where Dan mentioned, frowning slightly as he went to a mirror, peering closely at what was likely an almost invisible mark. "I… don't know. Doesn't feel or look like a battle scar. More like a… surgery mark."

Malachite looked over at Fives and Echo. "Do either of you two have something like that?"

Fives and Echo both reached up, felt through their hair. "I can't…" Fives began, then paused as he frowned. "Wait. Maybe…"

"Come with me," Malachite said promptly and firmly. "If there's something cranial that was either taken out of or put into us, then I want to know what that is before it might hamper us in combat."

With that, Malachite walked over to Fives and Echo, shepherding them out of the auxiliary medbay, leaving Ahsoka with the group.

Dan hummed softly, then smiled slightly. "Amazing, what a few words can reveal."

"Did you just… change something?" Ahsoka asked.

"I would certainly hope so."

Ahsoka wondered what he might mean. Wondered what Cal's confused expression meant.

"I'll go ahead and talk to Master Skywalker," Ahsoka said, beginning to turn the door. She paused for a moment and looked back at Dan.

"I hope your… recovery goes well," she said, then exited.

. . .

As the group found themselves alone, three pairs of eyes turned to Daniel with some confusion.

"What was that all about?" Cal asked. "Do they have something inside them?"

Dan frowned, then his brows rose as he nodded slowly. "You never realized, did you?"

"What?"

"That many of the clones didn't have a choice," Dan said. "How new was your Battalion?"

"We'd just received a lot of fresh troops, but…" Cal shook his head. "What does something in their heads have to do with anything?"

"Insurance, Cal," Elle said. "For the ones that might be too close."

"Like Lancer," Cal said quietly, his head falling into his hands. "Oh, hell…"

Dan nodded. "It's not much. But it's a start."

"A start to what?" Luke asked. "We're staying here to help, but how far do we go?"

"We're going to bring Sidious's entire scheme crashing down around his ears," Dan said firmly. "One piece at a time."

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 3: High Orbitals

The Resolute, 8 Hours From Boz Pity

Anakin Skywalker made his way to the medbay with purpose, bracing himself for whatever Malachite had to say. Whatever he discovered, he claimed that it could potentially impact their effectiveness in the field significantly. Something that had Malachite that rattled… that was worth paying attention to.

Rex walked alongside him. At the end of the day, these were his clones, and this was his command as much as it was Anakin's. "Any plans to talk to our guests afterward, sir?" he asked. "I heard what Ahsoka told you about her last meeting with them."

Anakin nodded. "Yes. As much as they are confusing, what they did at the refinery tells me that they can be a real help in battle. If we have an advantage the Seps don't know about, it'll wrap up this war quickly."

Rex nodded. "That makes sense to me," he admitted.

"Speaking of things that are happening because of our guests," Anakin said, "did Malachite ever tell you about… whatever this is? The fact that it's taken this long for him to say anything…"

"That's to be expected," Rex replied. "Out of all the combat medics, he's the one that wants to be the most confident in his findings before saying something. Whatever he's found, he's absolutely sure It's worth mentioning."

Anakin nodded. "You've probably worked with him more than I have," he admitted. "I'll trust you on that one."

With that, they entered the primary medbay of the Resolute. What was immediately obvious was the group of a little over a dozen clones clustered around a medical droid and its readout.

They turned to look at him, and Anakin, through the unique ripples in the Force they produced, remembered their names. Krayt. Galler. Jahaala. Bubble. Cutup. All of them medics, and Malachite, along with Fives and Echo, at their center.

Some of them whispered to one another, some in Basic, others in the clones' unofficial second language of Mando'a. All of them were tense, uncertain… afraid. He could feel it rippling off them in the Force. Was what Malachite found really that distressing?

"General. Captain," Malachite said. "Thank you for coming. What I've found… well, it has deep implications, and that's putting it lightly."

"What is it?" Rex asked.

Malachite was silent for a moment as he checked a data pad for something, then looked back at the two men. "It started when Dan noticed an old surgical scar right here."

He reached up to a spot on his head, showing the remarkably faint scar there. "He said that Rex had one as well. Then I asked Fives and Echo, who were there too. Fives found it as well. Then I started looking elsewhere, pulling some of the other medics in. We looked past the skin and found… it."

"It?" Anakin asked uneasily as Rex put a hand to his own head.

Malachite looked over to the smooth, ovaloid medical droid, nodding at it. "M70?"

The medbay's CZ-M70 droid hovered forward through the cloud of clones, dispersing it only for a moment before it spoke. "All clones present have, at a point early in their creation, been implanted with a bio-technological chip on the right side of the cranial structure. The purpose of this chip is currently unknown, and requires extraction for further examination."

An anatomical hologram appeared, likely a scan of Fives or Echo's head, showing a red dot right where the droid said the chip was. A rough image of what must have been the chip, a roughly rectangular mass with bright dots that must have been the tech part of the chip, came up beside the scan.

"Are you saying that every clone in the 501st could have one of these things inside their head?" Rex said with growing concern, the hand on his head beginning to become a claw.

"Bigger," Fives said, standing from leaning on the bed that the clones surrounded as he swept his gaze across the group before landing on Rex. "These things could only have been implanted back on Kamino. There's a chance every clone has one of these chips."

The medbay fell silent, the weight of the possibility pressing down on all present. "That leaves one last question," Echo said darkly. "What are these things supposed to do?"

"I wish there was time to find out," Anakin finally said with a quiet sigh, drawing all attention to him. "We're only hours out from Boz Pity. We've got a planet to liberate. Once we've got time and space to breathe, yes, I want this thing out and understood. But I trust it won't impact any of you. It hasn't yet, so we'll just keep an eye on it."

Malachite nodded, the others following slowly. "That's about the best I can recommend at the moment," he said with a slight grimace. "I'll wrap things up here, and get ready for combat."

Anakin nodded. "That's all I can ask of you. I'll talk to Master Kenobi and Commander Cody, too. If any of his soldiers have this, we should know."

Malachite nodded, and Anakin turned to leave, leaving Rex to talk with the clones.

It left Anakin alone with his thoughts as he walked to the bunk room that contained their guests. These chips… they had an ominous effect on the Force. Even just knowing they existed set him on edge. Had the creator of the clones decided these things were needed? What did Sifo-Dyas have in mind? What did Dooku, who picked out the template in whose image the clones were made in, have in mind?

Dark thoughts, indeed. But dark thoughts that might distract him from the battle ahead. 'Be mindful of the future, but not at the expense of the present.' Obi-Wan had taught him. They both knew that teaching had been one that Qui-Gon had emphasized. There was a part of Anakin that would have liked Qui-Gon's continued wisdom. That he'd given his life fighting Maul was a grievous blow indeed. And a sorrow he told few, if any, about. He didn't even need to say anything to Obi-Wan. He had realized many years ago that was something that they shared.

He found himself at the door of the bunk room, pausing at the door for a moment as he gathered his thoughts with a few deep breaths.

After a moment, he opened the door, and stepped in.

The most eye-catching thing was the young man that stood next to Elle. His hair was now blond, his skin smooth, though not without the remarkable scars that Ahsoka had described. He looked to be about as old as Anakin was now. If he hadn't heard Ahsoka's description, seen the pictures that Malachite had taken, he would have thought that this man was some sort of changeling species.

All eyes turned to him. "General Skywalker," who was obviously Dan said. "I'm ready for duty, as we all are."

Anakin nodded. "That's what I came to talk about. I'm allowing you all to come into combat with us on Boz Pity."

He looked over at Luke. "Master Starkiller, you'll be getting that Z-95 you asked for. I can hope you'll help us swing the balance in space in our favor."

Luke nodded, and Anakin put away his wonderment at the man's last name as he regarded the non-Jedi complement. "You'll need to get fitted for some armor, get some blasters from the armory. But Rex will be in command of you. Stick near him, follow his orders, and you should come out just fine."

Elle and Dan nodded, but Merrin crossed her arms. "I'll take your armor, but I have my own weapons," she said. "The only thing I'll need is a pistol for backup."

Anakin shrugged. "Fair enough," he said. "Master Starkiller, meet us in the hangar when you're ready. Otherwise, all of you should get to the armory for some armor. Jedi robes are nice, but an extra layer of armor is always wise."

He paused for a moment as he looked around the room. "I'm looking forward to working with you. You've already got the attention of my master, Master Kenobi. After this battle wraps up, you'll likely be meeting him."

He sensed something from Luke. Some pang of… confused emotions. Melancholy? Nostalgia? Did Luke know Obi-Wan somehow?

Again, a question for the future. He turned and left the room. There was a war to prosecute.

. . .

As the door closed, Dan looked down at his hand, once again, and tried to focus.

He was silent for long moments, his brow furrowing and his jaw clenching. Finally, a tiny flicker of light coalesced in the center of his palm.

He held it for long moments, then let it go with a quiet gasp, the light disappearing. "Damn…"

"Did traveling here do this to you?" Luke asked, no small amount of concern in his voice.

Dan nodded. "My very soul's almost gone to pieces with how it's shattered. It's a wonder I even managed to survive like this."

He shook his head. "I can barely even mimic the Force at this point. It'll take time and focus to put it back together and regain access to my former powers."

Mara looked between Dan and Elle. "Is that the case for both of you?"

Elle nodded. "With how I helped him to not be destroyed and scattered across time, that's true for me too."

"We'll need those blasters and armor for a little while," Dan admitted. "At least until I can approach your level and feel confident with a lightsaber or something like it."

The others nodded as the door opened, Fives walking in and regarding the group. "Alright, I'm to lead you to the armory, get you all kitted out." he nodded toward the door. "Now, if you'll all follow me?"

The group trailed out of the bunk room, following Fives through the corridors. Most trailed behind Fives. Cal, however, was just beside Fives as they walked. Something the man noticed.

"You know your way around a Venator, don't you?" he said after glancing at the man yet again.

Cal blinked, then sighed quietly. "It's been a while. But I've been on a few."

Fives nodded. "Didn't know they still used these ships after the war."

"Those with enough credits to buy one and modernize it spent their money well," Dan remarked. "It's a solid design."

"I'll say," Fives said as he nodded, pausing in front of a rather thick door.

"Welcome to Tibana Lane," Fives said as he inserted a data capsule into the door, which slid open after a moment. "Everything you'll ever need to fight a war."

They walked into the stark gray space, the walls lined with racks and the floor taken up with still more, blaster carbines, rifles, and pistols filling them alongside other weapons as they saw unpainted armor in a separate screened-off area, a table with blue stains and what were likely painting materials on it next to other tools opposite of the doorway.

A trooper, in battle dress save for a helmet, with swirling, remarkably intricate designs on the armor's arms and one side of the chest, emerged from the armor locker, taking in the group in an instant before he smiled.

"Jate haa'taylir gar, Fives!" the clone said. "Tion olar bah tsikador kaysh?"

Fives smiled ruefully. "Basic, Gaid. Yes, I'm going to need some armor and for them to take a blaster or two for the fight ahead."

Gaid nodded. "Good to hear. It's going to be a little uncomfortable for them without doing some finework on the armor, but it won't be anywhere near osik, and better than just robes. Let me take a look while you keep an eye on them."

With that, Gaid disappeared back into the armor locker while Fives nodded to the racks.

As the group examined the weapons with critical eyes, Dan looked over at Fives after slinging a rifle over his shoulder. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but was that Mandalorian?"

Fives nodded. "Yes. Mando'a. As the war started dragging on and we started operating in the Mid and Outer Rim, especially near Mandalore, we found ourselves fighting alongside a bunch of Mandalorian mercenary groups. 'Traditionalists', they called themselves, fighting for the honor of their home, and by extension the Republic it was a part of. Even if the Mandalorian government denied their connections. When they saw our armor, learned who our template was, it didn't matter that we all had the same face. We were vod. Comrades. Brothers."

"And they taught you the language?" Merin asked as she belted on a holster, sliding a pistol into it.

"The ones that were the most eager to learn the culture and language first did," Fives replied. "And I can't say I don't understand. After growing up learning only what the Kaminoans understood was exactly what we needed to wage war, the Mandalorian culture was… a start. A foundation we could make a more complete identity for ourselves on."

He chuckled softly. "Now, even if you don't follow the culture or take part in the little rituals that have sprung up like Gaid does, you have to learn the language just to keep up with some of them. And besides, it sounds… right, sometimes."

Before Fives could continue, Gaid emerged with a few chestplates stacked on top of each other, a stripe of blue down the right side. "Now," he said as he handed out the armor, "even if you don't have a kute for these to fully lock on to, they'll still have a strap system to secure them in place. I'll have some greaves, gloves, vambraces, and boots in a minute."

"Vor'e, Gaid," Dan said as he began to slide into the chestplate. "I appreciate your work."

A huge grin grew on Gaid's face. "Ba'gedet'ye, burc'ya. Always a nice surprise to see someone else who knows Mando'a."

"I don't know much," Dan admitted, "but I get the feeling I have a chance to learn more."

"That you will," Gaid replied. "Good luck on the battlefield. I hope you'll do well."

After a few more moments, they were as ready as they could be. "We'll get going now, Gaid," Fives said. "Don't go too crazy in here."

"Oye, Fives!" Gaid replied. "Shoot a clanker for me, would you?"

"I always can, you know that," Fives replied with a slight smile.

. . .

The Resolute, alongside the Venators Prism, Tempest, and Momentum, with screening elements, dropped out of hyperspace at the edge of the Boz Pity system, making their way with all due haste toward the battle lines.

The system, Anakin and a hologram of Obi-Wan explained in the hangar bay, was cut in half between the Republic-controlled world of Pine and its stations and the world of Boz Pity itself, under the control of the Confederacy. The 501st was to be the siege-breakers, probing Boz Pity, its stations, and its sibling in a synchronous orbit, the dead volcanic world of Mourn, for any weak spots.

Luke listened intently as Anakin continued the briefing. "Master Kenobi has already identified a station that's in between Pine and Boz Pity, which is going to be our first target. It's not too heavily fortified, and should we capture it, it'll give us a commanding place to strike out at Boz Pity proper."

Obi-Wan's hologram was joined by a recreation of the station in question, a blocky, dumbbell-shaped thing with no small amount of heavy firepower evident if one looked close enough.

"I'd advise caution on any approach," Obi-Wan said, "The station has significant anti-capital defenses and a dedicated defense fleet to cover the station's weaknesses. It's necessary for there to be a distraction."

"Which is why the Prism, Tempest, and Momentum will be joining Master Kenobi's fleet to make a move towards the planet," Anakin replied. "With 11 capital ships and their screening elements, there's a good chance that the defense fleet will be drawn away. When that happens, we'll move into position and launch fighters to disable these hangar defenses."

The holographic station model began to show a glowing ring around the hangar bays in question, two on each lobe. "After we do our part, transports will launch and make for the bays with troops under Commanders Tano and Appo. Once we've taken command of the station and its defenses, Master Kenobi's fleet will press the attack toward the station, pinning our enemies."

Luke found the plan as daring as any he'd put into action during his time in the Rebellion. Even then, it was rather… brash. Moreso than he'd expected. His fall must have burned that out of him. There was every chance that the station might still have sufficient fighter defenses to ward them off or pick off transports. But that was a far easier risk to take than trying to move an entire fleet in to pound it to dust.

There were no questions or comments, and Anakin proceeded to partition the squads to their designated targets. "Master Starkiller will be flying alongside me and Titan Squadron as we take this top hangar," he said, looking at Luke as he pointed to the hangar in question. "I'm looking forward to working with you. Don't worry about trying to keep up with me. Just focus on keeping yourself alive and completing our objectives."

Luke smiled slightly. He may have been a Jedi, but even before that, he was a damn good pilot. "I'll be able to keep up with you, Master Skywalker," he replied. He'd done it before. And he could do it again.

Arched brows from Anakin accompanied the murmuring and muted chuckling of the clones. "I have to warn you," he said somewhat warningly, "I've got far more piloting experience than most Jedi. You'd better be ready to back that claim up."

"I had a notable amount of combat starcraft experience before I fully became a knight as well," Luke said assuringly. "I may not quite be in the same league as you, but I'll watch your back."

"Fair enough," Anakin said after a moment, turning his attention to the rest of the pilots. "We'll be lifting off in 1 hour. Make sure you and your craft are ready. Good luck, and may the Force be with you."

With that, the pilots rose, making their way to their respective fighters and bombers. Luke walked past the rather strange V-19 Torrent fighters and the far more familiar-looking BTL-B Y-wings to his craft, a simple Z-95, painted in the red and white of the Republic and bearing its cog on the wall near the open cockpit. It was different than the ones he'd been used to seeing in the days of Rebellion, small, rather stubby canards near the tip of a rectangular nose that tapered as it drew away from the body of the ship. As well, the laser cannons at its wingtips were short-barreled, the familiar arch cone not more than a meter or two away from the wing proper.

But the space superiority fighter would have the weaponry to protect himself and his wingmates, Luke knew. The controls he might find inside the cockpit were another matter. He climbed the ladder, taking a seat inside the cockpit and considering the layout with a critical, practiced eye.

Control stick, throttle, weapons display, sensors, altimeter, artificial horizon… there was some oddity in the placement of some things compared to what he knew, but otherwise…

'Incom knows when something works, it seems,' Luke mused with a slight smile. Skyhoppers, X-wings… now this. He could make this work just fine.

He looked out the cockpit canopy window, across the bay, at Anakin as he prepared his fighter. It was a blade-shaped thing, gray and yellow, with an astromech socket centered in front of its rearward cockpit. A compartment was open, Anakin working on it himself with several tools nearby. Also with him was an all too familiar silver and blue astromech droid.

R2-D2 shone a small light into the compartment Anakin was working on, conversing with the man who was his master as they made whatever modifications to the fighter.

For the briefest of moments, Luke felt the strangest sensation, a mix of melancholy and longing. His little friend was right there… well before Luke Skywalker even existed. He wondered, for a second, how strange it would be to go over and introduce himself to the droid, even if it might mean so little.

He shook his head as he took himself to task. 'R2 — my R2 — is safe, waiting for me when we decide to get out of here, right alongside everyone else we managed to get out. Thank the Force for that.'

"Sir?"

His attention was pulled to the clone pilot standing beside the fighter, another astromech, with deep purple colors accented by bright blue highlights, beside the man. "We wanted to make sure you had an astromech for your ship. This is R2-S8. It'll accompany you into battle."

"Thank you…" Luke said, trailing off as he waited for a name.

"Thundercrack, sir," the pilot said, saluting sharply. "Fly well, sir."

"You too, Thundercrack," Luke replied, returning the salute with a slight smile.

As Thundercrack turned and walked back to his fighter, Luke began to get out of the cockpit of his fighter, coming to stand before S8. "Hello, S8. Pleasure to meet you," he replied.

S8 beeped and chirped inquisitively, somewhat plaintively.

"Not used to someone trying to get to know you?" Luke said. "I guess when there are so many pilots you could be working with back to back, mission to mission, connections can get be a little weird beyond the niceties." he sighed quietly. "But that's wartime for you. Even for a Jedi."

S8 began to warble and beep quite animatedly after a few seconds of silence, Luke's brows rising slightly as he chuckled after a moment. "Slow down, slow down," he said, raising his hand slightly. "Being assigned a Jedi shouldn't be too much different when it comes to flying. Besides, I don't know how long we'll be flying together."

S8 squawked assertively. Luke nodded. "I see. Well, that's not a bad way to think about it. I'll see if I can put in a good word for you."

. . .

In the darkness between planets, a fortress hung. The Confederacy codenamed the battle station 'Shadow Hammer', and built it to repel the mightiest of the Republic's naval might.

Its attendant fleet was equally strong, 3 trios of beetle-like Munificents and almost a dozen spire-like Recusants able to cover every other type of ship that might try to cross them.

At least, until an armored spear of Republic durasteel several light-seconds away began to charge toward Boz Pity.

As the space between planets lit up with blue and red bolts of plasma-wrought fury that scored and stabbed through shields and metal, the local defense line found itself beginning to buckle under the weight of fire.

The Separatist ships began to lose more and more ships in balls of fire and scrap, one after the other. Finally, their commander put out the call for help, system-wide.

By what surely had to be remarkable coincidence, the closest fleet available to reinforce was the Shadow Hammer's. After a brief, but tense discussion between the station and fleet commanders, the ships turned aside from their posts and got underway towards the battlespace.

As the fleet disappeared from sight though, one last Venator powered up from silent running, opening its hangar doors.

Luke was ready, feeling the thrum of the engines kicking on and revving them as he followed Anakin's Aethersprite out of the Resolute's hangar, the stars enveloping him as he let himself slip into the flow of following the Force, the feel of the seat and the joystick in his hand almost seeming to sharpen.

"Titan, form up on me, reverse claw formation," Anakin said over the comms. "Honor, Laser, Stalwart, break off now and head to your targets. Bomber squads, split off as well, one for each fighter squad."

"Copy that, sir," came the replies as fighters and bombers began to scatter like seeds from a cluster-flower.

"Fighters incoming on sensors," Anakin said, Luke spotting the dots as they flew from the hangars, anti-fighter cannons, remarkably few for a station this large, beginning to open up as they came within effective range. "Brace for contact."

Luke modulated the shields, gave some instruction to S8, and sent the Z-95 into a spinning dive opposite Anakin's steep climb, a barrel roll sending him swirling through the vulture droids that now began to pass them. He let his trigger pull on finely honed instinct, a brief, flashing fireball following after 2 or 3 smooth trigger pulls each time a droid strayed into his path. Sensing whenever a fighter decided to try and tag him from behind, along with S8's remarkably calm warnings, he began a random selection of several evasive maneuvers, the ghosts of the pillars and arches of Beggar's Canyon still with him in his mind as he either shook his pursuers or got behind them and ended them.

As he went, he weaved through the fighter cloud, between friend and foe, like an artisan seamster, lasers flashing as S8 made calculations and necessary repairs.

Luke blinked, and found himself on two fighters that were doggedly pursuing Anakin's fighter, which dipped and swerved the shots with what would have been maddening speed for a biological opponent. This was easy.

He gunned the fighter's accelerator, sending it blazing forward as he pulled the trigger, a long burst of fire sending both foes up in flames. He blazed through the rapidly fading fireballs and swooped up and over Anakin's fighter, glancing up at the cockpit and, for the briefest of moments, meeting somewhat startled eyes as he pulled out of the barrel roll ahead of the Aethersprite.

Was it remarkably showy? Oh, certainly. Completely unnecessary, too. But there was a certain satisfaction in showing Anakin Skywalker, however unknowingly it might be at the moment, that great pilots would run in the family.

Now, though, he drove towards the anti-fighter defenses, letting proton torpedoes, deftly aimed, fly out, sending gun stations and secondary shield generators up in so many superheated atoms. It was quick work with as many fighters and bombers as they had, all told. Now, though, came the more difficult part.

"Titan, break off and escort the troop transports!" Anakin said, turning and burning through the droid fighters that stood between them and the glittering dust that was the LAATs in the distance. "All other squadrons, follow suit once your objectives are completed."

The squadron followed along with remarkable spacing and precision, the pilots managing to follow far closer and in tighter formation than Luke had expected. What the clones lacked in the sort of current experience and skill that he'd seen from some Rebel pilots, they made up for with a remarkable amount of competence and adaptability.

The droid fighters found themselves forced to turn again to face their initial attackers, the furball intensifying all over again as the troop transports blazed past. The droid's numbers were thinning, though, especially as more and more fighter squads began to return from their newly opened hangars.

The transports, at last, began to land in the wide bays that had been opened for them. All told, Luke's part in this battle was likely now largely over, as the last pockets of vulture droids began to be surrounded, swept up, and shot down.

"I hope they're able to be quick," he mentioned over the comms. "This thing's probably broadcasting a distress call across the whole system."

"You're probably right," Anakin replied, his starfighter turning away from the waiting Resolute and towards the station. "If you want to follow me, we can land and go help the infiltration teams."

Luke didn't even have to think it over, his own Z-95 turning away as well. "That sounds like a good idea to me."

With that, they drove towards the battle that was surely commencing within the station with all due haste.

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 4: In The Midst of Shadows

The Shadow Hammer

Cal Kestis found this whole experience maddeningly familiar, like he was in the throes of a remarkably detailed dream or nightmare. The alarms on the Resolute had set him on edge as they rushed towards the gunships that would be ferrying them to the station, Merrin at his side and the others close by.

But then, the dream was banished as Merrin's gauntleted hand took his, squeezed it gently in the darkness of the rather packed gunship's dim red lighting. He didn't need the Force to tell him what she was trying to say without words as they began their flight.

It was taken in relative silence, their objective clear from the briefing that Commander Appo and Ahsoka had given in the hours before they began their attack. Land in one of the lower hangars. Clear out any resistance and secure their sector of the station. Then make their way up toward the core of the station. Whether they found the main reactor or a control room first, they would shut the station down, allow the Resolute to come into range, then suborn the station's systems to accept their IFF patterns.

Simple enough. But as Cal knew all too well, simple only lasted until you met the enemy.

The sealed gunships began to pass through what was likely combat between their fighter escort and the remaining vulture droids, the silence within the gunship smothering as the pilots began to chatter amongst each other, calling out over comms to try and steer everyone through the fight or comment on particularly impressive flying.

Then, they were past, the comms falling mostly quiet again. After long minutes, an alarm sounded a single, long tone. "5 minutes to drop, boys," their pilot called. "I'd recommend weapons at the ready."

Cal responded by taking a lightsaber from his belt. His master's, repaired as best he could make it. It was not the only saber he had, but it always felt… wrong to lay it aside after he'd finished making his. Who knew? Maybe now that they were here, back in time, it'd finally stick.

At last, there was a moment of sound, air allowing for those within the transport to hear the thrum of the repulsors that they felt, however slightly, within their boots. Then, the transport stilled, the staccato sound of blasterfire beginning to make itself known as the seal on the LAAT's doors hissed.

Then, the doors opened, and he stepped off smoothly, the activation button found instinctively as the blue blade buzzed to life, blocking red blaster bolts and reflecting them back to the droids that fired them. He heard three more lightsabers blaze to life, glancing to the side to see the twin green blades of Ahsoka and the brilliant purple blade of Mara begin to do the same as other transports began to land, disgorging their troops into the fray.

He glanced over at Merrin as she disappeared in a flash of green fire and smoke, appearing behind the droid lines and causing chaos with her Dathomiri spear as it flowed from form to form, its wielder darting out of the way of any shots leveled at her, intentionally or otherwise. 'I wonder why she still hesitates to use it,' he mused, pressing forward as the clones formed a battle line behind him. 'I'll ask when we have a moment.'

The clones, having found cover, were nothing if not effective, hemming in the droids and pressing them towards the two main doors out of the hangar. Cal managed to find Captain Rex in the chaos, leading out as he picked off the droids that popped their heads out of cover. At this point, Mara and Ahsoka had pushed up towards separate doors, Ahsoka over to their right as Mara made for the one to its left that they were in front of.

Cal leaped into the fray with Merrin, landing by her side as she reappeared and slicing through the droids with the near-contemptuous ease that only a lightsaber blade could hold claim to. His appearance at her side, and Mara's determined charge as she drew the clones with her toward the door, allowed the pair to press into the corridor beyond, seeing that the doors connected to the same long hallway, Ahsoka appearing as they cut off those between the doors.

It took only a moment's glance across the hall between Cal and Ahsoka to come to the same strategy, the Jedi pressing in like a vice to squeeze the droids out of existence. Merrin and Mara watched his back as, guided by the Force, he watched for the pattern that Ahsoka took from droid to droid, felt the prescient ripples and eddies of where she would move next, easily read intent becoming action as, finally, coming back to back, they pivoted and sliced through the last two droids that stood against them.

At last, a moment of peace as the clones began to file into the hallway, setting up lines of fire as Rex made his way towards the gathering Jedi and companions. "Not bad," he said. "We didn't lose all that many people thanks to a few more Jedi."

Merrin gave Rex a meaningful glare, and Cal didn't need the Force to see the flash of discomfort. He could read body language well enough from the turn of Rex's helmeted head. "And the… Dathomiri Nightsister," he added.

Merrin smiled slightly as Ahsoka looked around. "Alright," she began, "we're going to need a slicer to get into whatever databases we find. Do we have enough clones versed in that?"

"We should…" Rex said, looking back at the hangar bay. And at the dead clones that lay there. "I can't vouch for all of them. Cable was one of the ones who bit it back there. Otherwise, we have people who can do it, I'm sure. It's just going to depend on how much time we have."

"Not much, probably," Cal replied. "This place is probably shouting for whatever kind of help it can get."

"We'll have to split up," Ahsoka said. "That way, we stand more of a chance of finding a map, then finding our way to the command center or the reactor core. Rex, you take the others with you down to our… left. I'll go right with some of our boys, see what I can find."

"Yes, ma'am," Rex replied, his voice still clearly holding a note of hesitation. "Are you sure you won't need one of the Jedi with you? Cal or Mara? I'd hate to leave you without a Jedi able to watch your back. And I'm sure General Skywalker would too."

"Come on," Ahsoka said with a slight grin. "I'm able to take care of myself. Besides, I trust the clones I'll be going with."

Before anyone else could speak, they were interrupted by another ship coming in to land where many of the LAATs had vacated, a now somewhat scuffed Z-95 touching down. The cockpit opened, and Luke hopped down as the droid socket released a purple astromech that quickly followed behind.

"Luke," Mara said as he joined them. "Glad to have you with us. Space get a little too boring?"

"Master Skywalker and I figured we could help," Luke replied. "He's leading the way up top of the station. How can I help?"

"You can go with Commander Tano," Rex said before anyone else could. "She could use the backup, and…" he glanced over at the droid. "An astromech should be able to slice into any Sep databases here."

Luke looked down at his companion, who beeped stringently. "Well, S8, it's a lot different being in a combat zone on the ground than it is in the sky. Stay by the clones. They should be able to protect you."

S8 hummed for a moment, then warbled in somewhat resigned acquiescence. "Good," Luke said with a slight smile. "I'd hate to repay your trust with blasterfire."

"Well, sounds like she trusts you," Ahsoka said. "Come on. We should get going."

. . .

Ahsoka Tano, as much as she focused on the battle that started and paused in fits and starts as they encountered enemy squads, couldn't help but feel some slight annoyance at Rex. They'd fought side by side for over a year at this point. By all rights, she was his commanding officer. But, as he was fond of saying, 'experience outranks everything'.

'So let's go and get some experience, shall we?' she mused as she pressed forward, scouting ahead of the clones that she led. If there was anyone who could clear the way so that her boys would be safe, it was her and Master Starkiller.

"Ahsoka," she heard Luke said warningly, "be mindful of your surroundings. We are in enemy territory, after all."

"Got it," she said, beginning to slow so that Luke and the clones could catch up. She still kept her head on a swivel as one of the clones found an access terminal. Luke's droid, S8, trundled up to it and logged in with its scomp link. After a moment, it trilled and beeped at Luke.

"She should find us a map soon, she says," Luke told the clones. "We'll hold here for a moment."

Ahsoka nodded. "Hopefully, the Seps haven't got the station maps too heavily encrypted."

"I'd be surprised if they were," Luke assured her. "For now, we just have to be patient, then find a direct way to the station's command center. Take a moment to center yourself in the Force so that it can guide you, and us."

Ahsoka nodded, smiling slightly. "You sound like Master Kenobi. He'd certainly say something like that if he was here with us."

Luke's slight, sure smile became sad. "Master Kenobi was the first Jedi I met. And the one who first trained me. Even after I stopped being officially taught by him, there's a lot his example managed to teach me."

"Oh," Ahsoka said as her brows rose. "I guess it must be a little weird to see him now, before he trained you."

Luke nodded. "Yeah. It's been a long time since I've seen him. It's weird, yes… but it's good."

Ahsoka couldn't help but wonder on what that meant. Before she could ponder for long, however, a door opened up, another hallway with a few droids approaching. It was just a cluster of B1s. She could take care of it herself.

"I've got them," she said, charging down the hallway toward the droids, easily blocking the blaster bolts that the half dozen or so droids fired at her.

"Something's not right about this," Luke said as he began to go after her. "Watch out for anything-"

He was cut off as, from ports in the ceiling, four more droids dropped in to surround her. These, however, weren't the spindly B1s or bulky, top-heavy B2s. They were lean, almost muscular-seeming things, draped in tan cloaks and wielding staffs whose ends were capped with crackling purple lightning as they activated.

MagnaGuards. Either Grievous was here, or he was at least in the system. Either way, the realization that she had gotten herself in way over her head crashed down on her at about the same time as she blocked an overhead strike from one of the droids, shouting as another crackling staff end slammed into her torso.

In a moment, however, another green blade sliced through one of the MagnaGuards, the droid sliding apart at the diagonal cut Luke had made as its companion turned to face him, its staff swirling dangerously as the man fell back into a defensive stance, letting his enemy make it s attacks as he blocked them, somewhat uncertainly at first, then more confidently even as his blade bounced off the MagnaGuard's electropike.

It left Ahsoka with two of the droids to deal with. Still dicey, but better than before. Her lightsabers became a swirl of motion and attack, each block only a brief obstacle before she attempted a different angle of attack.

Sensing an opening, she leaped past the shoulders of the two droids, ending up behind them as one of the MagnaGuards turned to face her, the other stopped by Luke's charge, leaving her to deal with only a single droid. As challenging as they could be, Ahsoka could take one of them out reasonably quickly.

One upward slash to batter the staff out of the way, and her shorter shoto saber darted forward, plunging into the MagnaGuard's chest before she sliced it apart, the two now lifeless halves falling to the floor at about the same time as Luke's armless one, sliced up the middle, did the same.

At last, the hall was silent, and Ahsoka winced slightly as she gingerly felt at the burns she'd sustained from the electropikes.

She heard a quiet sigh from Luke as he stood in front of her. "Are you alright?"

Ahsoka nodded. "I'll be fine. Just a little shocking, that's all,"

Luke's only response to the quip was a slight smile that vanished after a moment. "When it comes to both the Force and battle, it's much easier to wait for a moment and examine what the situation might be than to rush in and spring a trap. Patience brings balance, and a balanced Jedi can overcome anything."

Ahsoka nodded. "Thank you, master," she said, somewhat begrudgingly.

Luke smiled slightly again. "Don't be too hard on yourself. It's a lesson every Jedi has to learn. More than once. I know I did."

"That sounds… exhausting," Ahsoka said as they began to make their way back to the waiting clones. "It's already challenging enough to learn something once."

"That's the biggest part of both life and the Force," Luke said. "There are many, many different lessons to learn, and many ways in which to learn them. Few mutually exclusive or easy in their application."

As they emerged into the hallway, S8 made her way over to them warbling excitedly, showing them a hologram of the starbase along with a bright yellow line that traced its way from their position through the hallways up to what was likely the command center.

"Good job, S8," Luke said. "Anyway that we can transmit the map to everyone else?"

S8 warbled in the affirmative.

"Alright," Ahsoka said firmly. "Let's get moving!"

. . .

Mara Jade Skywalker charged through the station's interior and wondered for a moment if the old link that she had had with the Emperor could be exploited by the man who would become him in this time.

It was entirely possible, she thought between deflecting blaster bolts and cutting through metal, both moving and not. Something about that possibility ate at her very soul. She'd need Luke's help, possibly. It would never have been a problem before now after Luke and his father had killed the Emperor. Now…

Now, she looked down to see a holomap, showing the way courtesy of Luke. She smiled slightly, looking up to see the way forward. "Captain!" she said as she cut down the last droid in this patrol, looking over at Rex. "You seeing this?"

"I certainly am," Rex replied, looking critically at the map. "Down that hallway to the left, everyone! We'll hit the main elevator shaft!"

The troopers, their direction given, charged out with shouts of "Oye!" and "Come on!", making a plasteel spearhead down the hallway, Rex, Mara, and Cal at their head.

The droid garrison, split as it surely was with the four-pronged attack, offered little in the way of an obstacle to their push. In only a few moments, they made it to a cluster of three elevator doors.

"Any chance they just left them open for us?" Cal asked somewhat flippantly as one of the troopers slowly approached the control panel and pressed one of the buttons. After long moments, there was a whole lot of… nothing.

"Well, at least they didn't trap the kriffing things," the trooper said, "but they still shut them down."

"Well, it's a good thing we have alternative methods of opening doors, then," Rex said as he looked at Mara and Cal, likely quite meaningfully.

Mara and Cal looked at each other, then at the doors. "Shouldn't be too hard," Mara said, taking a deep breath as she deactivated her lightsaber, Cal following her lead.

She reached out with the Force, almost feeling the edges of the doors on her palms as she mimicked the motion of forcing them open. Motion reinforced will and turned it into reality as two of the three doors shuddered and groaned open, revealing the dark elevator shaft concealed within, a rather simple ladder stretching up and down.

As the doors finished opening, those closest to them gathered around, aiming rifles up and down its length. Dan and Elle looked back at Rex. "There's as good a chance as any they're waiting at the command center for someone to try and break in," Dan said warningly.

"And even if they aren't," Elle said, glancing back up, "it's a long way up. Several stories, if the map's anything to go by."

"Well, we aren't afraid of a little climb, are we?" one of the other clones said. "Even if the ladder weren't there at the far end, our ascenders should hold us just fine."

"Let's get to climbing, then," Rex said, preparing a small grapple launcher as the others began to follow suit. "If you Jedi would like to lead the way, we'll make sure to follow. It's easier for you to cut through the doors, after all."

Mara grinned. "It's one of the most useful parts of a lightsaber, after all."

She looked over at Cal. "Hope you aren't afraid of heights."

Cal chuckled. "Not a bit."

He demonstrated as such by jumping over to the ladder, beginning to climb as Merrin watched on with a quiet sigh. "Always on the move," she said, most missing the slight smile she gave as she followed after. Mara took the adjacent one, the clones next to it following her lead.

With that, the gathered squads began their long, largely silent ascent, lights flickering on from the helmets of the clones that sliced through the darkness with all-too-thin blades. The command center was located on a floor well on 200 meters up.

The silence of the climb set most on a prepared edge, every door that the ladder went around watched with the intensity of a Kasshyyyk stalk-hawk. But no doors opened, no droids pointed their blasters at the largely helpless troops as they secured and climbed, secured and climbed.

"Why doesn't anyone on these sorts of stations use stairs?" one of the clones mused aloud. "I don't have to fix stairs or climb them like this."

"The joys of modern convenience, I suppose," Mara replied dryly as she anchored herself at the limit of her grapple cable, hit the release, and waited for the end to automatically spool up to her launcher. After it did, she aimed it up and pulled the trigger, the line disappearing into the darkness with a puff as others did the same, the click of it securing echoing through the shaft. She attached the launcher to its secured position on her belt and began to climb again.

"Besides," she continued with a sly smile, "isn't this just another fitness exercise for you strong, able men, defenders of the Republic, mister…?"

"Stembolt, ma'am. And we could get just as much of a workout going up the stairs," the clone replied meaningfully. "In fact, I think you could cheat that, being a Jedi and all. Here at least, you get the same experience we do. Makes for good teambuilding."

"You know how to make the best of a situation, don't you?" Mara chuckled.

"It's either that or go insane out here, ma'am," Stembolt replied. "Besides, always interesting to work with another Jedi. Especially ones… like you."

"Like me?" she asked idly.

"Word gets around the barracks quickly," Stembolt replied. "Especially with soldiers like Kep."

"Hey!" Kep, who was apparently a little further down the line, said somewhat indignantly.

A quiet chuckle rose through the elevator shaft, Mara pausing for a moment as she glanced over at what was likely a floor number, anchoring herself with one arm as she checked the schematics. After a few moments, she smiled and looked down at Rex behind her, trying not to pay attention to the long, long drop below them. "Here's our floor, boys!"

More than a few sighs of relief were the reply. "We'll let our master slicer get to work, then," one of the clones in the line called out.

That managed to get a laugh out of Mara. "First time I've been called that!" she said as she anchored herself by the left door and grabbed her lightsaber. "The history books never said you boys could be this funny."

She punctuated the statement by activating her lightsaber, a purple glow casting away the shadows before she plunged it into the door, beginning her cut. They hadn't reinforced the door against lightsabers. Not even an alloying of phrik metal, like she'd seen on anything that the Emperor had made on anything that surrounded him. All too easy.

Long moments and a little reaching later, Mara drew her lightsaber back, reaching out to the now free-floating surface with the Force and pushing.

The door flew forward, and Mara swung in with graceful ease, her saber raised in a guard as she looked around the slightly curving corridor. No droids. Yet.

She saw another lightsaber blade, a brilliant orange, stab through the elevator door next to them as the clones that were with her began to secure the area. Its cut was less refined than Mara's but it still did the job as it flew out, Cal stepping out of it carefully to avoid the rather burned edges.

"So you decided to use yours this time?" Mara asked as the clones began to push towards one of the doors.

Cal looked down at his saber as he deactivated it, a hilt of deceptively simple, yet intricate metal paneling with a round emitter surrounded by four short, hexagonal panels, the parts closest to the edge of the emitter stretched to go slightly past it.

"I figured now's as good a time as any," Cal replied as they began to make their way toward the control center doors. "As much as I admire Master Tapal and all he did for me… I need to fully trust in my own work now. Prove I'm truly my own Jedi."

"That takes some doing sometimes," Mara said quietly.

"Don't I know it," Cal replied.

They arrived at the doors of the control center unopposed. Suspiciously so. "They're probably trying to make this doorway a kill corridor," Mara said. "Bet on us losing our strength as attackers to having to get through the doors first."

"That's as good an idea as these clankers can have," Rex replied. "Any chance we can surround them?"

Mara closed her eyes, letting her perception expand through the Force to seek out the others in the strike force. She found Luke and Ahsoka and the men that followed him. After a moment more, she felt Anakin and his men. If they weren't on the level yet, they'd be here soon. "The others aren't far behind. If we attack now, or at least in a few minutes, we'll have their help."

"It'd be a good way to disorient them," Rex said as a clone moved to the door panel, taking out a tool hanging from his belt and beginning to slice the door — digitally this time — to open them without warning and perhaps take the droids by surprise. "Everyone ready. Jedi lead in, then we spread out and find cover. Just like the simulations."

Mara wondered for a moment what kind of simulations these clone troopers had been run through. Then she remembered that they skated on the very edge of being flash-grown. It was a very sobering thought, indeed.

Before she could ruminate on how young these soldiers were, the clone slicing the door looked back and gave a thumbs up. "Ready on your marks, master Jedi," Rex said, stepping back to let Mara and Cal fill the gap, Merrin, Dan, and Elle right behind them.

Mara once again reached out in the Force, finding Luke and giving him a general idea of what was about to happen and how he could help. She felt his reply, wordless yet determined as he began to come into position. Good.

Mara took a deep breath, and activated her lightsaber. "Now!"

The doors opened, and she charged in, cutting down the first droid in front of her before it could even finish turning. The rest, a few B1s and B2s scattered across the bridge, a strange looking droid at the centers that her studies had told her was a command droid…

And 12 MagnaGuard droids making their way towards her and Cal, electropikes crackling. They reminded her of the Purge troopers the rest of the Inquisition used that wielded such weapons, no less deadly with skin instead of circuitry under their specialized armor.

A MagnaGuard clashed with Mara once before she cut through it, Cal igniting his blue-bladed saber to catch an attack from his side as he held off another, Merrin taking her chance and charging the one Cal had blocked, stabbing through its chest with her spear.

If they weren't careful, they'd be surrounded, and even as one of the MagnaGuards fell to focused fire, they wouldn't last long enough to not appreciate it.

Then, she felt a brief soothing in the Force that was followed by three green blades slicing through two of the droids they faced, the mechanical corpses falling apart to reveal Luke and Ahsoka, who joined their sides quickly.

At that point, it was only a matter of patience and persistence, one droid falling after another to the humming, buzzing blades. At last, it was silent.

"Good of you to join us so dramatically," she said to Luke with a slight smile as lightsabers began to deactivate.

"I aim to please," Luke replied as the clones made their way towards what consoles hadn't been damaged from the brief, furious firefight.

Ahsoka wasted no time activating a wrist comm. "Master," she said with no small amount of satisfaction, "the control room is ours."

"Excellent work, Ahsoka," Anakin replied. "See if you can automate the station's weaponry through there. Even if you can't, at least lock the Seps out."

"Got it," Ahsoka replied, looking up at Rex.

The trooper nodded. "Cypri, Byte, Kaler, get your hooks into the station and get those IFF profiles changed. Quickly! General Kenobi's fight is depending on us!"

. . .

General Obi-Wan Kenobi stood on the bridge of his preferred flagship, all too aptly named the Negotiator, a rock amidst the swirling chaos that was taking place on the combat bridge.

For the past 30 minutes, Admiral Block had been cycling the capital ships to and from the fiery edge of battle, shoring up those places with ships that still had the least damaged armor and shields on one side or another. If there were any biological commanders aboard the Separatist fleet, he was sure that it would have made for a striking display.

But they were reaching their limit. Already, 8 of the up-gunned Acclamator-II's had been lost in blazes of fire, nearly double that number of anti-fighter picket corvettes having gone with them. The Sunrise and the River Lithe had sustained enough damage that they'd been ordered to the center of the fleet, where they would find the most protection while still serving as carrier pads and fire control networks.

'Come on, Anakin,' Obi-Wan thought. 'We don't have much time left.'

"Sir!" one of the officers in the crew pit to his left shouted. "Transmission from General Skywalker! He confirms that the station has been secured! All guns are under our control!"

Obi-Wan allowed himself a slight smile. 'As expected, he again pulls off the heroic.'

"Excellent," Admiral Block replied. "Inform all ships to turn about and make for the station! All ships on the starboard flank, prepare for an arrowhead formation and punch through their lines."

The crew relaid his orders, and soon the Prism, the Forlorn Hope, and the Star Dragon had turned about, becoming the new head of the fleet as they made their charge, guns blazing as they fired on the cruisers before them.

The toll of battle had been heavy on the right flank for the Separatists, their ships already heavily damaged there. Now, as their line became the focus of a concerted push, it finally gave way, hulls and superstructures buckling under the thunder of the guns as the Republic fleet began to make its way toward the station.

"Now we just hope that there isn't another fleet on its way to the station," Block said somewhat grimly as they made their run.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they took the shutting down of the alarm as a good thing, either," Kenobi replied. "Either way, we have a formidable station under our control now. We should be rather more secure than we were before."

Block nodded, looking out the window and cupping a closely cut goatee that almost disappeared into a milk chocolate face, hard, lined, and with equally hard black eyes. "It looks like the Confederacy seems to believe their station is still under their control. This is easy. Almost too easy."

"Let's hope they don't know something we don't," Obi-Wan said as he picked out the station coming into view. The Resolute was peeking out from behind it. Perhaps trying to hide from any pursuers that the fleet might be dragging along?

"How long until we're within range of the guns, Admiral?" Obi-Wan asked.

Block motioned the flag captain, a woman named Rhosikk, over to him, who handed him a datapad that he tapped on intently. "Our best guess says we should be within range within 3 minutes," he said.

3 minutes. 3 minutes to see whether or not this station would help them, be of no threat at all… or still might fire on them, regardless of Anakin's promise.

'Anakin will come through,' he reminded himself. 'He always seems to find a way to.'

2 minutes had passed. Then 2:30…

Then they were under the umbrella of the guns. Long seconds stretched out as they braced for a renewed hail of turbolaser fire. Then, the first exhale, like a stone tossed into water, caused a ripple of relief.

"Well," Obi-Wan said, "at least we won't have to worry about the station."

"Thank the stars for that," Block said. "We can focus on defending a point, let our fighters do some more of the work."

Block turned to one of the other officers. "What word do we have on the Confederacy fleet?"

"Still trailing us, sir," the officer replied. "Quarterstaff just lost its engines and is beginning to fall behind."

"Have Impunity and Stalwart fall back and provide cover," Block replied. "At least we'll be able to turn around and use the station as an anchor once we reach it. We just need to get that far."

Obi-Wan looked over to a display that showed the Separatist fleet, now ardently in pursuit. And the Venators that trailed too far behind for anyone's comfort.

Now, he looked stridently to the Force for Anakin to have found a way…

And like that, the station's guns blazed to life, massive walls of laser fire tearing through what gaps were in between the fleet to slam into the Separatist ships.

In spite of all military protocol, a cheer went up on the bridge, Obi-Wan's slight smile growing. He had done it.

"All ships," Block said, "go to loose formation and give the station as clear a line of fire as possible! We'll have this fleet dealt with in no time."

In the next 10 minutes, Block was exactly right.

But of course, though the battle here was won, there was still an entire system's worth of Separatists.

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 5: Revelations To Preparations

The Shadow Hammer, 2 Days Later

The Separatist-built space station held a commanding position over the planet of Boz Pity, as well as a wealth of information on the planet below that the droids had been trying to wipe before they'd been stopped.

As Obi-Wan and Commander Cody's shuttle made its way to the now bustling station, passing the satellite-based anti-fighter defense web that was being constructed around it, it was that info that somewhat concerned the Jedi Master so.

They hadn't retrieved much yet; slicing into military databases like this often took weeks, but what they had retrieved was rather sobering. The Separatists had dug deep into the surface of Boz Pity in multiple locations. Even with the nominally uninhabited status of the planet, there were certain concerns of satisfying the needs of engagement. You never knew what kind of targets they might be hiding just out of sight of the gunner's cameras.

Their shuttle touched down, and Obi-Wan and Cody stood as the forward ramp came down, walking into a bustling hangar bay. Waiting there in front of him were Anakin, Ahsoka, and Captain Rex.

Obi-Wan gave a casual glance around the station. "I must say, the risk you took was well worth it, Anakin. This station should speed things up considerably."

"I aim to please, master," Anakin replied with a confident grin. "It's not quite set up to be homey, but there's somewhere to sleep that's a little more comfortable than a bunk room."

"That's fair enough," Obi-Wan replied as they walked out of the landing bay. "Is there a planning area we can go to? I'd like to have some preliminary discussions about our approach to Boz Pity."

"Preliminary?" Anakin asked. "We aren't preparing to attack now?"

"I've gotten word from the Council that a few more forces are moving in to ensure that we can take the planet," Obi-Wan explained.

"Any word on who?" Ahsoka asked.

"We have at least 3 more legions coming in the next day," Obi-Wan replied. "With Depa Billaba's 76th Airborne, Luminara's 41st Elite, and Baylan Skoll's 117th Mechanized Infantry, we should have enough manpower to liberate and secure this world. Quinlan Vos and his 84th will come in and fully secure the world once we've done our part, allowing us to move on to other battlefields that might need us."

"Or maybe get a second to rest and replenish," Ahsoka said meaningfully. "We've been pushing the troops hard this last year. I can feel a certain weariness in them here."

"She's right," Rex admitted. "As much as I would like us to be able to keep going, we've lost more than a few in the way of men and equipment, especially on that assault on Maridun. It might not be a bad idea to put in for a little breathing room."

"That's not a bad idea at all," Anakin replied. "I'll talk to High Command, see what I can do."

Rex nodded, and Obi-Wan looked at Anakin meaningfully. "Now, with the particulars of that out of the way, I'd like to go ahead and meet the other reason why we're here."

"Ah, yes," Anakin said with a slight grin, "our time-traveling Jedi and friends. They're in one of the guest rooms. Do you want to go and see them now?"

"I suppose now's as good a time as any," Obi-Wan admitted with a shrug. "It gives the others time to arrive, at the very least. Cody, do you want to come along?"

Cody shrugged. "It sounds as interesting as anything, I suppose."

With that, the group made its way toward the guest quarters, entering to see the time travelers lounging around for the moment. If any of them had to guess, this was likely a Trade Federation-designed station, due to how lavishly the rather wide space was organized and furnished, a wide window into space on the far wall.

Dan and Luke stood from the rather plush seats that they were sitting in, the others following suit as Anakin began to introduce them. "This is Luke Starkiller, Mara Jade, Cal Kestis, Nightsister Merrin, and Dan and Elle. All of you, this is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Commander Cody of the 212th."

Obi-Wan studied them in turn, searching through the Force and his own perceptions for any hint of deception. He found nothing of the sort. All of them at least believed themselves to truly be from the future. From Luke, he got a strange sense of… relief. Had seeing him triggered something? Was Luke familiar with him somehow?

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Dan replied. "How are the clones doing? Has any progress been made on that chip that Malachite found?"

Obi-Wan looked over at Anakin. He'd been informed of the discovery but hadn't made the time to have anyone in the 212th undergo such an examination. They were in the middle of a battlefield at the moment.

"Not yet," Anakin admitted. "Malachite got pretty heavily wounded helping us secure the top hangars. We've got him in a bacta tank now, but it's going to be quite a while before he's back up on his feet."

Dan nodded, a grave expression on his face. "I'm sorry to hear that. We'll probably stop by the medical bay, and give him our sympathies and well wishes."

"I'm sure he'd appreciate that," Anakin replied.

Dan was silent for long moments, studying the group before him with a critical eye before looking around him at Elle and the others. As if they were silently deciding something.

"Is there something you'd like to say to us?" Obi-Wan ventured.

"Yes," Dan finally said after a moment. "Now that the people we know we can trust are here, we'd like to talk to you about the truth. The truth of where Elle and I come from. And of who's running this war."

. . .

Dan waited patiently for the response, watching calmly as the Jedi and clones looked at each other with some small amount of indecision. Finally, Anakin nodded. "If we can trust that what you're about to say is true…"

He wished it wasn't. But he nodded. "It will be. I promise. First, though, has this room been swept for bugs? Republic, Confederacy, any kind?"

Anakin and Obi-Wan looked over at Rex, who shook his head. "Not yet. But Cody and I can do a quick sweep."

"Please, do so. Either kind of bug could mean the death of us all, as I'll explain in a moment." Dan said.

That gained him a look of confusion. "Why Republic bugs?" Ahsoka asked as Rex and Cody took out sensors from their belts and began to slowly pace the length of the room, one to each wall. "Wouldn't those be safe?"

"Not necessarily," Dan said with a sigh as they waited for Rex and Cody to finish their sweep.

Soon enough, Rex and Cody, now standing near the window, shook their heads. "This room is clear of any bugs," Rex said. "Whatever you're going to say…"

"Is likely going to take some time," Elle replied. "Get comfortable."

The clones and the Jedi took their seats, the time travelers doing the same. Dan clasped his hands and sighed quietly. 'Here we go. Into the raging depths of uncertainty, yet again…'

He looked around the room. "Elle and I aren't just strangers to this time in galactic history, as the others are. No being here could interact with the flow of time as we have. Not without help from… where we're from."

"You're telling me you're… what?" Anakin asked incredulously, a feeling he was sure that his compatriots all shared. "Interdimensional?"

"Yes," Elle replied. "Explaining exactly how would take too much time and require a proper demonstration. As it stands, time is of the essence. Suffice it to say, there are things we know that even Luke, Mara, and the others don't or didn't."

"Such as the truth of who the Sith lord is," Dan said.

As he'd expected, all eyes turned to him. "You know Dooku's master?" Obi-Wan asked. "Ventress and Grievous's?"

"Yes," Dan said quietly. "And it all comes back to the fact that Dooku was not trying to deceive you."

"Trying to deceive me?" Obi-Wan's brow furled. "What… what does that even mean?"

"Think back to Geonosis, just before the war," Dan said. "You'd been captured after trailing Jango Fett from Kamino. Dooku had entered the room. And there was one question that he asked you."

Obi-Wan's brow furled deeper, then his eyes began to widen. "No…"

"What if I told you that the Galactic Republic was under the control of a Dark Lord of the Sith?" Dan asked, echoing the words of Count Dooku.

Everyone's eyes went wide. "You mean…" Anakin asked. "Someone's manipulating Chancellor Palpatine?"

Daniel closed his eyes, chuckled grimly as he bowed his head for a moment. He was so close…

"No, Anakin," Dan replied as he looked back at Anakin. "Palpatine is the Sith Lord. He is Darth Sidious."

Anakin's eyes went wide, his face draining of color. "No," he said. He began to stand. "No, that can't be true. That's impossible! He's doing everything he can to make sure we win this war! Why would he be the Sith Lord?"

"I wish it weren't true that your friend of many years hadn't been manipulating you," Elle said sorrowfully. "But he's been manipulating things and people politically, emotionally, and mentally ever since he found the dark side of the Force on Naboo in his youth. He only cares for you until you have outlived your usefulness, and the fact that you, specifically, are the Chosen One."

"I…" Anakin said, his breath almost heaving now as he looked down at his hands. "I…"

Dan looked over at Luke, who stood and walked over to Anakin, placing a black-gloved hand on the man's shoulder. Anakin's head jerked up to meet Luke's eyes, his eyes wide and slightly unfocused.

"Breathe, Anakin," Luke said quietly. "There is no shame in feeling anger for a moment. Such an emotion is just a part of living beings, and that cannot be changed. But it can be controlled. Give it its time, acknowledge it… and then let it go. Breathe deeply."

Anakin, his expression twisted into a masque of despair and confusion, followed Luke's lead, taking deep breaths for a long moment before he closed his eyes and took one final, deep breath.

As he opened his eyes, still simmering with hurt, he glanced over at Luke's hand on his shoulder, then down at the bare left hand hanging at Luke's side. "Is that a prosthetic hand?" he asked, his voice somewhat husky.

Luke smiled sadly. "Yes, it is. I lost mine in a battle with one of the Emperor's commanders. His apprentice, Darth Vader."

Anakin chuckled, a slightly wet sound. "I lost mine to Dooku. What a way to be alike, huh?"

Luke nodded as he removed his hand from Anakin's shoulder, stepping back to his seat. "That it is," he said as he sat back down.

"Thanks," Anakin said as he took his seat next to the ashen-faced Obi-Wan and Ahsoka again. "That helped."

"But what do we do now?" Ahsoka asked. "The Chancellor's been interacting with us for years, and we haven't sensed a thing. How could he hide from us for so long?"

"The longer you spend in the light," Mara said, "the longer the shadows can become. And the easier it becomes to hide within them."

"Are you saying…" Obi-Wan said incredulously. "Are you saying our very Order is how this Sidious has managed to maintain the guise he has?"

"Partly," Dan admitted. "The Jedi Order, in our time, falls at the end of the war, blinded by the careful chaos that Sidious sowed as Palpatine and by the ascetic dogma and long entwining of the Order into the Republic as a state apparatus that carried all Jedi away from true balance. It makes it all too easy for Sidious to wipe your order out with three simple words as he reveals himself to the Jedi."

"Three words?" Rex said. "How could three simple words do something that drastic?"

Dan looked at the others, at Cal, who looked back at him with carefully concealed fear. Then he looked back at Rex and Cody. "It all has to do with the reason the chip is in there."

Rex's look of concern deepened, Cody's beginning to match it. "Sidious wanted that thing in our heads?" he asked slowly.

"It all has to do with General Order 66," Cal said, his expression hard. "It's right there, in front of everyone's noses, and no one would have thought to see it."

"General Order…" Cody said, his eyes going wide. "In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander, GAR officers will remove those officers… by lethal force…"

"No," Rex said firmly, his hand darting to Cody's shoulder. "Not after everything we've been through. The galaxy would have to go mad before the Jedi start acting like that. General Skywalker, Commander Tano, none of them would betray the people like that. No one who serves under the Jedi for any length of time would follow that order."

"But good soldiers follow orders, right?" Dan asked quietly. "That's what they drilled into you on Kamino, after all."

"They have no idea of what it's like out here on Kamino," Cody said. "Good soldiers might follow orders, but the best soldiers know that not every order should be followed in order to complete the mission. And we are the best soldiers in the galaxy."

"Which is why the chip feeds you the mission," Dan said. "The nightmares."

"The mission?" Ahsoka said hesitantly. She and the other two Jedi looked up…

And saw the look of slack-faced horror. "You know… the mission?" Rex asked.

"What is the mission?" Obi-Wan asked, rising to look at Cody directly.

"It's a neverending mission in our dreams," Rex replied. "We can't stop and rest. We can't retreat. We don't even know what our objective is. Only that it has to be completed at all costs. And every clone I've ever talked to about it has the same nightmare."

Dan nodded. "And when the time comes, and the order is given, the chip switches modes. Induces a PTSD trance. And the mission becomes real. The shinies don't fully realize the difference. And the ones that could disobey are brought into line as they're locked in their own head, screaming as they pound at the back of their skulls. I wish it weren't true. Fives died for that truth. Then… the Jedi Order did, too."

Rex reached for the scar on his head. "We've gotta get this out," he nearly whispered. "We've gotta get this out now. I won't betray my commanding officers, my friends. Not like that."

"And we will," Anakin said firmly as he stood and walked over to Rex. "Rex, when we're done here, talk to Appo and get that process started as soon as you can. I won't let my soldiers become slaves. Ever."

"Nor will I," Obi-Wan rejoined. "Cody, you get that process started as well. Have our medics confer with the 501st medics who know about this."

"Yes, sir," Cody said, relief breaking through the professional facade he wore.

"That still leaves millions, even billions of clones that are going to be getting chipped during their growth on Kamino," Ahsoka said. "What about them?"

"Right now," Elle said with a grimace, "any big moves we make might tip off Sidious that someone is aware of his plans. Then he could activate Order 66 early, and doom the Jedi and the galaxy. For now, we need to keep our circle of conspirators small." she paused as she chuckled darkly. "Welcome to your first long-haul intelligence op, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka fidgeted slightly As Obi-Wan nodded. "With information like this, when is going to be just as important as how. But as confident as I am in our abilities, we'll need more than half a dozen Jedi, two clone legions, and three other conspirators if we're going to move against this Darth Sidious."

"Of course," Dan admitted. "But Palpatine has made it so that Sidious, and any of the Sith, can't be defeated on the field of battle like in centuries past. Stealth has been the game of the Sith ever since the war that led to the Ruusan Reformation ended in their defeat and the creation of the Rule of Two. It is a game that Sidious plays with exceptional skill. It is a game we must play exceptionally carefully."

Dan noticed more than a few glances at him from both sides. There were certainly some terms in there, especially the 'Rule of Two' he was sure, that would require some further explanation. "For now," he continued, "our objectives are clear; divest the clones of as many of these chips as we can in a quiet, safe fashion. Then, we do some scouting for those whom we can trust within the Jedi Order with this information. And as much as I'm sure you three trust everyone in the Order, there are some who I would hesitate to bring into our little scheme."

"Like who?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Those traditionalists such as Master Windu or Master Yoda, unfortunately," Dan admitted. "As I said, it is the rigidity, some might call it the arrogance, of many in the Jedi Order that allowed Sidious to maneuver them so deftly to their downfall. Both they, along with many others, are just as likely to charge into the Chancellor's office and try to kill him on the spot. Not only would that throw the galaxy into even more chaos, but even if they succeed, it might also trigger a deadman's switch in the chips to make it so the clones avenge his death on the rest of the Order."

"So what kind of Jedi are we looking for, then?" Anakin asked. "Because tradition is… y'know… one of the pillars of the Order."

"The sort of people who can be convinced that reformation is not an evil, but a necessity," Luke said. "Adaptation and flexibility is the only way that the concept of the Jedi survived past the Purge, just as they allowed Sidious to become powerful enough to destroy the Order. It was the only way that I was able to be trained by Obi-Wan and Yoda. And even then, those teachings needed to be reconsidered as the galaxy changed."

It was silent for long moments, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan looking at each other with no small amount of hesitation. "That's a lot to ask in what is relatively a short time," Obi-Wan said slowly. "You're asking me and my fellow Jedi to question the teachings not only of our Order, but that my master and all the masters we learned under have taught us will keep me safe from the dark side of the Force."

"When the alternative is death, not only of your body, but of those teachings, what choice is there?" Cal asked. "We're not asking you to open yourselves up to the dark side of the Force. Just to look at the teachings of the Order with a critical eye and an open mind."

Again, it was silent for long moments before Obi-Wan sighed quietly. "I shall have to meditate on what you're asking of us," he said as he stood. "In the meantime, we have a planet to liberate. I have to go and prepare for that as well."

He began to walk out of the room, Cody following after him. He paused just before the closed door. "Thank you for giving us this information," he said quietly. "I do hope we can act on it."

With that, the two men exited. Anakin sighed quietly as the doors closed. "He'll probably come around," he said to the others. "He always meditates on big things like that, and I'm sure he wants to help us."

"I think he will," Luke said. "If he wasn't capable of changing, I likely would never have been a Jedi."

Anakin nodded as he and Ahsoka stood, Rex standing with them. "He is right, though. We do have to get ready to break the Sep blockade and storm the planet. You're invited to our planning sessions. The privilege of Generals and all that."

"Thank you," Luke said. "We'll probably be along for that soon enough."

Anakin nodded, beginning to turn and walk to the door with the others, then pausing halfway.

Ahsoka and Rex looked back at him as the door opened. "Something wrong, master?" Ahsoka asked.

Anakin shook his head. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up with you. I just have one more question to ask."

Ahsoka nodded, then the pair walked out the door, leaving Anakin alone with the group out of their time.

He turned to face them. Turned to face Luke. "Did you learn that calming technique from Obi-Wan?" he asked. "Nothing… nothing's quite worked like that."

Luke shook his head. "No, actually. It came from a holocron, one of a series of them that we searched out."

"Holocrons scattered around the galaxy?" Anakin said. "Were the Jedi holocrons scattered after the Purge?"

"Well, yes," Luke said. "But these holocrons aren't like any I think you've seen before."

"Wait a minute," Mara interjected as Anakin quirked a brow, "didn't you find one of those holocrons on Boz Pity?"

"That's right," Cal said as he nodded. "And because we've traveled through time…"

"That means it'll still be there," Dan said with a smile. "That might be the ticket."

"Wait a minute," Anakin said, frowning slightly. "If you found it here, wouldn't you need to leave it here for your future selves?"

Dan glanced over at Elle for a moment. "A lesson in how time works is in order, it seems," he replied. "But suffice it to say that no, it won't impact our future."

He stood, the others standing with him. "Now, there's a planning session we need to be at, isn't there?"

. . .

16 Hours Later

The conference room, its center taken up by a rectangular holotable, was slowly beginning to fill as clones and Jedi strode in, taking in the rather unfamiliar surroundings. Those who were already present began the niceties of greeting their new arrivals.

The first new arrivals in the room were two women in dark robes, the taller and somewhat older one with a slightly elaborate headdress, with yellowish-green skin, quite early by all accounts. Between and slightly behind them was a clone trooper marked in a somewhat darker shade of green. They stopped before Obi-Wan, the older bowing as the younger curtsied.

"It's good to see you again, Luminara," Obi-Wan said with a slight bow of his own. "And you as well, Padawn Offee."

"Thank you," Luminara Unduli replied. "It is good to see you as well. You remember Commander Rook, I hope."

The trooper stood at attention and saluted, Obi-Wan saluting back. "That I do. It's been some time since the surprise assault on Rendili."

"That it has, General," Rook replied.

Luminara nodded, sweeping her gaze across the room… and finding her brow furling slightly at the strangers. "I recognize Knight Skywalker and Padawan Tano, but the others are new to me. Who are they?"

"Well," Obi-Wan began, "This is Master Luke Starkiller, Master Mara Jade, Knight Kestis, Nightsister Merrin, and Dan and Elle Thisan, some Jedi and outside advisors that Anakin picked up from his mission to Tytheria."

Luminara nodded slightly. "I see. Hello to you all. I look forward to working with you."

"And we with you," Luke replied as the trio took their place at the holotable.

"I was unaware we were able to bring in civilian assets for more than local guidance," Barris Offee said as she studied Dan and Elle intently.

"Well," Ahsoka said, drawing Barris's attention to her, "part of picking them up was rescuing them from the shuttle they crashed in the middle of the refinery. Then they helped take the station, and are willing to fight further with us."

"I see," Barris replied. "Well met, Padawan Tano. My Master speaks highly of you due to your assistance on the Tranquility."

"Please," Ahsoka said somewhat sheepishly, "just Ahsoka is fine. I'm glad I was able to help, even if Gunray and Ventress escaped."

Barriss blinked, but nodded. "Very well, Ahsoka."

Rook made his way over to Appo and Cody, conversing quietly with them for a moment before the door opened again, this time allowing through a woman and a young man, a clone in pale sky-blue armor beside them. The woman, her hair in distinctive loops and her tanned face marked with twin jewels one atop the other, scanned the room, smiling slightly at Obi-Wan. "I see you haven't gotten around to internal decorating yet, Master Kenobi," she said.

"Master Billaba," Obi-Wan said with a nod, "no, we certainly haven't. Though the Neimodian quarters are quite well furnished, I can assure you that."

"And I'm sure that it seems positively spare to them," Depa Billaba replied. "I'm not sure if you've heard of my newest apprentice, Caleb Dume. My commander here is Grey."

"Good to meet you, sir," Grey said.

"Pleasure to meet you as well, Commander," Obi-Wan said. "And you as well, Padawan Dume."

"Thank you, Master," Caleb said. "Who are the others?"

Obi-Wan steeled himself for another round of introductions when Dan stepped forward. "I'm Dan Thisan. This is my wife, Elle. With me are Masters Starkiller and Jade, Knight Kestis, and Nightsister Merrin."

"Nightsister?" Depa said, her brow arched. "How strange to see a witch of Dathomir out this far from home."

Merrin simply nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly as Depa's gaze fell on Cal. "And Knight Kestis…" she said quietly. "I served with Master Tapal in the Corellian Run Offensive. Alongside Padawan Kestis."

Obi-Wan and Anakin both saw Depa beginning to reach for her lightsaber. "There's a perfect explanation for all that, actually," Anakin was first to say.

"That there is, strange as it might sound," Obi-Wan continued. "The Jedi, along with their friends, are from 30 years into the future."

Depa's other brow joined its sister. "I find that hard to believe," she said levelly.

"I would too," Cal said. "But I remember the Corellian Run Offensive. We fought together on Druckenwell. You saved my life from a squad of B2s."

Depa looked at Cal for moments longer before her eyes closed and she nodded. "I suppose that proves it then," she said. "That would mean you likely know the outcome of the war."

"We do," Elle said. "However, that's going to be a secret. Much as we'd like to tell all, if some of what we know goes too far beyond our control, it would have dire ramifications for everyone in this room. For now, what we know stays between us and those we know we can trust. Hopefully, someday, we can add you to that number."

"That is fair enough, I suppose," Depa said with a shrug. "With so much of the future at stake, it takes a steady hand to know where to steer it. I hope you have such."

"The Force will guide us, Master Billaba," Luke said assuagingly. "As I hope it will all of us."

Before anyone could continue, the doors opened once again, admitting one last trio, two men and a young woman. The non-clone was tall, remarkably so, as he strode over towards Anakin. Just slightly taller than the man to whom he extended his hand. "Anakin Skywalker," the Jedi said, a rather bushy black beard not fully concealing a warm smile. "It's a pleasure to work with you at last. I've heard tell of a fair few of your exploits. Master Kenobi has trained you well."

Anakin took the proffered hand somewhat hesitantly. "Master Skoll, I presume."

"Indeed," Baylan Skoll replied. "This is my new apprentice, Shin Hati, and my clone Commander Cinder. The 117th Firehounds are ready to fight."

Cinder, his armor striped in bold orange down the left side, nodded silently as he made his way over to the other clones. Shin, who like all others so focused on the current spectacle, missed the glance and arched brows that Dan and Elle shared, simply bowed slightly, her blue eyes containing a strange, cool intensity to them, a wary thing, that seemed to match her pale blonde, almost silver hair.

Baylan put a hand on Shin's shoulder. "You'll forgive her for being so quiet. She recently lost her first master during the campaign on Eiattu. I know the pain such a thing can leave on one so young."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Shin," Ahsoka said. "It's nice to meet you."

Shin closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the intensity faded as she opened them again. "Thank you. You're Ahsoka, right?"

"That I am," Ahsoka said with a slight smile.

Baylan looked at the other group. "And I see we have guests, as well," he said.

"That we do," Anakin said, "but we also have a battle to plan out. I'll introduce them to you afterward."

"Of course," Baylan said as the holotable, worked by Obi-Wan, lit up. The center of the table bloomed with a remarkably large sphere that showed the world of Boz Pity.

After a moment, several misshapen dots, resolving themselves into small outposts and far larger main factories and control centers, sprang up on the surface of the planet's single large continent. As those finished appearing, a cloud of Separatist ships seemed to bloom over the planet's hemisphere.

"This is a collation of both our current sensor readings and the information that the droids were unsuccessful in fully wiping during Anakin's seizing of this station. We have readings on at least 4 major droid stations and over a dozen minor ones scattered across the surface of the planet."

"Do we know which surface station is the primary signal transmitter?" Luminara asked. It was the great weakness of the droids. For all their numbers, they were largely ineffective on a strategic level without some sort of large signal transmitter. In some cases, such as with the droids of the Trade Federation, its deactivation or destruction shut them down completely.

"Unfortunately, no," Obi-Wan admitted. "That was part of the data that was successfully wiped before we could stop the process. For now, we'll have to resort to guesswork. And that would be after we surmount this defensive blockade."

"They've really put the screws on this planet, haven't they?" Ahsoka mused as the composition of the fleet began to be broken down in detail. 10 Providence-class destroyers, 35 Munificent-class frigates, 22 Recusant-class light destroyers, and hundreds of smaller corvettes, fighters, and bombers.

"Maybe so," Baylan said, "but they've focused on the most direct approach our current location can offer. Their defenses are weak on the far side of the planet. With so little in the way of oceans, we could land a force there that's capable of long-range attacks."

"My Strike Comets would be in the ideal position for airborne engagements and drops," Depa said. "However, if we aren't at least contesting the orbit of the planet, they could just as easily shift to a bombardment of our forces."

"And that's not even accounting for any surface-to-orbit batteries that could be set up," Luke interjected, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Master Kenobi, do we have any data that could suggest those sorts of guns are set up?"

"Let's see…" Obi-Wan said, tapping at a screen on the holotable. After a moment, a web of green dots appeared, spread out across the surface of the planet.

"It's a well-constructed net of defenses," Shin said. "I can't see any weaknesses. But maybe a small commando team could go down and open a hole at least. Begin subverting the cannons to fire for us."

"A wise idea, Shin," Baylan agreed. "I would imagine there to be no shortage of such commandos with how many legions are here. The Firehounds' Theta and Halcyon Squads are eminently capable."

"They would probably appreciate a distraction to get down to the surface without the Seps noticing," Appo said. "We have 2 commando squads of our own, Quintessential and Royal. I'd be unsurprised if there weren't at least 10 squads with all of us here. With a combined commando presence and the enemy focused on us, I'd be surprised if they didn't find a way to get all the guns under our control."

"A simultaneous attack seems to be in order, then," Luminara said as she studied the map. "As we strike, we release the gathered commando squads to go to one of the less defended portions of the planet. Perhaps a polar cap or the far side of the planet. As the battle progresses, we could land a clone legion in one of the areas where the orbital batteries are secured. The 76th Legion could strike out towards one of the major droid stations with ease while supporting the commandos as they capture more anti-orbital batteries."

"A sound plan," Obi-Wan said, nodding. "But until we know the location of the main transmitter, it's still going to be a process of elimination that requires more than one legion on the ground."

"For now, though," Anakin said, "I think we've laid out about as much as we can on the planetary invasion itself for now. We'll need to consider the space battle as well. And we should bring our admirals into that."

"Then, for now, we'll adjourn," Obi-Wan said as he began to shut down the holotable. "Spend a day at rest and undergo meditation, and preparation, over what we've discussed today."

With that, the meeting was adjourned, the officers going their separate ways.

. . .

Cal found himself musing on the Corellian Run Offensive as he made his way to the quarters they'd been assigned to. He did remember Master Billaba. How scared he had been in the moment. How he'd tried to put the teachings that Master Tapal had taught him to seemingly little avail. How she'd managed to calm him down, bring him back to balance with the Force.

"Your first time in combat?" she'd asked. He'd nodded shakily. "Don't be afraid. It happens to all who go through it the first time. Take your fear, your shame, and cast them away. The Force will strengthen you, and bring peace."

It had worked then. After a while. But he still had nightmares about B2s.

"Something on your mind, Cal?" Merrin asked quietly.

Cal nodded. "Just reminiscing. I'm glad Master Billaba remembered me. I wouldn't be shocked if she'd forgotten me."

Merrin nodded. "I see. A shame she seemed ready to try to kill you under the assumption you were an impostor."

"Master Billaba is a skilled duelist," Cal said meaningfully as they entered their quarters, one of the few spaces set aside for living beings at the moment. "She was Master Windu's apprentice, and he's one of the most famous people to use a lightsaber in this time."

"She's also never fought a Nightsister before, I would think," Merrin said matter-of-factly. "I have weapons and skills she's not aware of."

"Including the one you haven't used yet?" Cal said with an arched brow as they sat together on one of the couches. "You must be saving it for a special occasion."

Merrin was silent for a moment before she nodded. "A very special moment, yes," she admitted rather levelly.

It was silent again. "Merrin," Cal said quietly, "does something about it bother you?"

Merrin, somewhat surprisingly, fidgeted slightly. "Making it was practical," she murmured. "With what you and Luke taught me, it makes sense to have it. But every time I light it up, even for a moment… I see it happening all over again."

Cal's expression became one of understanding, quickly followed by sympathy, as he grabbed her hand, stroking her face gently. "Merrin… I'm sorry if we forced you into making it."

"No, no, you didn't force me into anything," Merrin replied. "I just… I need just a little more time to get used to it. Seeing Luke with such a weapon, seeing you… well, it helps. And now I'm surrounded by them. I'll be desensitized to it at some point, surely."

Cal chuckled softly. "If you need to talk to me…"
"I will. You know it."

They leaned in… closer…

And then, thank the Force, the door chimed to warn them instead of just opening.

They retreated from each other as if shocked, trying to hide the flush on their faces. Cal had warned them all how strictly the Jedi viewed such intimacy. They needed to be careful here, at least for the moment.

"One moment," Cal called out, taking deep breaths.

"Damn," Merrin muttered. "A moment of privacy, please…"

"We'll get back to it," Cal promised, composing himself as he rose and went to the door.

He opened it and found his view blocked as he looked up at the Jedi who waited outside, looking up to see a bearded smile.

"Knight Kestis," Baylan said, reaching out a hand that Cal took. "It's a pleasure to meet you. May I come in?"

"Uh, certainly," Cal said, stepping aside.

"Have I interrupted something?" Baylan asked rather innocently. "I can return at a better time if I have."

"Not at all," Cal replied, hoping that Master Skoll couldn't sense his lingering embarrassment through the Force. "Have you met Masters Luke or Mara yet? Or Dan and Elle?"

"Not yet," Baylan said as he took a seat, not needing to incline his head much to continue looking at Cal. "Master Skywalker filled me in on what he could concerning your… peculiar circumstances. As far as I'm aware, Luke and Mara, as well as Dan and Elle, have no past stake in this war. You though, Cal… you do."

The man's expression softened. "I imagine it must be hard for you, to relive all this. The war that shaped your formative years. I sense that something weighs on you. Something familiar to you that had been resolved before this."

He paused for a meaningful moment. "Are you able to talk about it?"

Cal wondered that himself. Then, he took a deep breath as he sat down again next to Merrin. "My master, Master Tapal… he died at the end of the war. I was left stranded on the planet we'd been fighting on for five years after that. Alone. Hunted. I had to survive. And so I did."

It was silent again as Baylan nodded. "I see. I lost my first master when I was young, before the war. A mediation, the first one I led out, gone terribly wrong. I spent… years, the better part of a decade, blaming myself. I suspect that's what you did too."

Cal nodded. "Yeah. It was tough. But I managed to realize that I didn't need to blame myself after a while, and some help from my friends."

Baylan smiled slightly. "Good. Your master continues on with you in the Living Force. All Jedi do. In fact, there's a part of me that thinks the Living Force might have led you here."

Cal smiled slightly. "Maybe so."

"I wouldn't bet against it," Baylan said.

He paused as his focus turned to Merrin. "And a Nightsister of Dathomir. You are a rare sight beyond your homeworld, Miss Merrin, the subject of many different tales. Most… quite exaggerated, I'm sure."

"I'm surprised that there are stories of us to begin with," Merrin replied. "Most people who visited Dathomir didn't leave."

"I'd like to get to know your people better," Baylan replied. "Learn your views on the galaxy and the Force."

"I must admit," Merrin said after a moment's surprise, "I'm even more surprised that a Jedi would be interested in our ways."

"The Living Force has made us all unique beings, Merrin," Baylan said. "I am firmly of the belief that understanding the nature of the Force means understanding the many different people that comprise it. That the war has set so many against each other… it saddens me greatly. It is my hope that the war ends quickly, that we may have the chance to recognize each other not as Republicans or Confederates, but as people who can help each other make the galaxy a better place."

"A noble goal," Merrin said with a slight smile. "I hope that you find satisfaction in it."

"As much satisfaction as a Jedi is allowed to have in his work," Baylan replied as he stood. "But for now, I and the rest of the Order must focus on far more dire work. I can only hope that we can lead the galaxy out of this war safely, as we have in the past."

He nodded, turning and making his way to the door. "I'll leave you be for now. I look forward to fighting by your side."

Cal and Merrin nodded, then Cal reached out his hand. "Master Skoll…"

Baylan paused at the doorway, looking back and waiting for Cal to speak again. "I know what your apprentice is going through, too," Cal continued. "It's fresh for her still. We both know how long it takes for it to stop being like that. If she needs someone other than her Master to talk to… I'm here."

Baylan smiled slightly. "I appreciate the offer, and I'll let her know."

He paused for the briefest of moments. "I don't know how long we'll be fighting by your side," he continued, "but if you need to talk to someone about this, share the burden again… I'm available as well."

"Thank you, Master Skoll," Cal said quietly.

Baylan chuckled. "Please, just call me Baylan. We'll have our lives in each other's hands soon enough, I sense."

With that, he departed, the doors shutting once again. After long, somewhat hesitant moments, Cal and Merrin looked back at each other. "Now," Merrin said with a cool expression and an arched brow, "as I recall, we were about to do something that would be very helpful for the both of us."

Cal smiled softly, a gleam in his eyes. "That we were."

. . .

Luke and Mara found themselves in a secluded observation platform at the bottom of the station, guided quite helpfully by S8. The windows showed the sweep of the stars, the pale green dot that was Boz Pity coming into view every so often.

The droid was now standing watch outside the door as Luke and Mara sat cross-legged on the floor in front of each other.

Mara held Luke's hands to keep them from trembling. "I hope this works," she said, taking a deep breath.

Luke nodded. "So do I. We're treading uncharted territory here. I'm not sure if I'll be able to find this link let alone ensure that it's severed."

"We have to," Mara said firmly. "Otherwise I'm a danger to us all. If Sidious finds this link…"

"Don't worry about that now," Luke said firmly. "It's likely that Sidious hasn't even heard of us yet. We have time to find this connection and see what it does. Now, do you recall if he could ever see the contents of your mind without you wanting him to?"

Mara was quiet for a moment. "There wasn't anything I didn't want him to see then, I don't think," she said quietly. "I'm not sure."

"Then there's every chance that, as long as he doesn't find you in the Force, we might not need to worry about it," Luke replied assuringly. "But let's at least get some mental defenses up, shall we?"

Mara nodded. "It's as good an idea as any."

The pair fell silent, and set about the task of fortifying Mara's mind.

Luke focused on his connection to Mara through the Force, an easy task after all the years spent together. He focused on her mind, her thoughts, carding through the usual slight chaos that was at the surface of every mind and diving deeper with her as she led the way.

Eventually, he felt it, a dangling thread in her mind that had no connection. Luke and Mara's brows furrowed slightly as they focused, visualizing the Force covering it as shield barriers, layer upon layer, pushing the thread down.

Time was lost to them as they worked, minutes slipping by into an hour. Then two.

Then, rather crude though they were, the barriers were done. With a deep breath, Luke pulled himself out of Mara's mind.

Opening eyes that had been closed in concentration, Luke found himself concerned at the lingering fear in Mara's expression. "You aren't satisfied," he deduced.

Mara nodded. "Yeah. This is only a stopgap measure. We both know that. I don't think I'll be satisfied until we get rid of the connection for good."

Luke took a deep breath. "That, I think, is beyond our abilities. But it might not be beyond the Jedi archives."

"You're right," Mara said quietly as she nodded. "If there's something there on Coruscant about breaking Force connections, we could learn and use that."

"It's certainly worth a shot," Luke said. "But we have to get this planet liberated from an army of droids first."

"Oh, that?" Mara said with a grin that still made Luke's heart beat a little faster. "Compared to what we've done already, that's nothing."

"I admire your confidence," Luke said with a smile of his own. "Don't let it get to your head."

"With you around? There isn't a chance."

With that, they shared a gentle kiss on the eve of battle.

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 6: Starfire

The Space Around the Shadow Hammer, Boz Pity, 2 Days Later

Anakin Skywalker stood on the bridge of the Resolute, watching the brief optical illusions of ships dropping out of hyperspace close by to the station. Their reinforcements. And they'd gotten a fair few of them now, he mused as he looked at the largest of their recent additions.

It was one of the newer Maelstrom-class Battlecruisers, the Principality, a ship shaped almost like the Venator it was based on except almost half again its length, and well over half again its width, with its dorsal hangar doors and most of the space set aside for carrier duties replaced by guns. Big guns.

But for all its size, its escort to this battlefield, 20 of the also rather recent Victory-class heavy cruisers, were no less important. They would provide medium-range heavy firepower that their Dreadnaughts and Acclamator-IIs could only hope to fully match, along with plenty of banks of concussion missile launchers, to allow the Venators to fulfill their best use case; long-range fire and carrier operation. Where Obi-Wan's diversion that led to the capture of the Shadow Hammer, as the Seps had called it, was a strategic risk that paid off, this battle would have them operating in their element.

Of course, he wouldn't just be sitting up here with Admiral Yularen watching as things went one way or another, he mused as the fleet, gently beginning to split off into the three maniples that the operation called for, began the operation to move towards the planet. No, he'd be with Titan Squadron, flying in the thick of it with all the other thousands of fighters that would help clear the way for their bombers. Getting a nice, long look at the Separatist's reinforcements.

They'd been busy too, he thought after speaking briefly with Yularen and excusing himself from the bridge, as they shuffled around damaged ships and added to their defense. Three Lucrehulks were nothing to sniff at. But otherwise, the layout was the same; 5 'nodes' of ships, anchored by 2 Providences that led the other elements of the node to be able to react quickly to any threat that was posed against another node close by. It was a standard defensive formation for both the Republic and the Seps. Which meant that they could exploit it.

He made his way to the Resolute's hangar bay, one of 6 Venators in the center maniple's group of capital ships, accompanied by the Principality, and found it buzzing with activity, fighters and bomber pilots getting prepped for the fighter screen that would be the opening move of the Republic's battle plan.

Looking around the bay, he managed to pick out Luke working on his Z-95, talking with Thundercrack and another two pilots he couldn't quite pick out from this distance. 'No reason not to visit with him for a moment,' Anakin thought as he made his way over to the man. Besides, maybe he'd have some more tricks that he could show him on how to handle his emotions. They'd been in chaos ever since he'd found out that Palpatine, his… well, he couldn't call him a friend anymore. The man who'd been friendly with him, he decided, was really a Sith Lord pulling strings behind the scenes. Most attempts at following his Jedi meditation had their same muted, temporary effect, much to his frustration. Only the technique he'd remembered from Luke calming him down had any real impact.

Luke noticed him as he approached, as did Thundercrack, Starwarp, and Uric. The clones snapped to attention, Anakin returning the salute. "Keeping our newest pilot busy?" he asked with a slight smile.

Starwarp nodded slowly. "We were just talking about his flying during that last battle. Wondered if he might teach us a few tricks."

'I'm just amazed he was able to keep his promise,' Anakin thought, remembering the all too showy way that Luke had shown he could. He'd have to ask about where he trained that made him so skilled.

But there were other things to worry about. "Well, I'm sure there'll be time after we win this battle," he said firmly. "Right now, we'll be lifting off in 2 hours, and briefing in 30 minutes. I'll see you there."

The troopers nodded, saluting before they walked off toward their fighters. For long moments, Anakin found himself wondering what exactly to say.

"I have to say," Luke admitted, "I've been involved in plenty of space battles in my time, but never something on this scale."

"It gets pretty hectic," Anakin agreed. "But I think you know to trust in the Force to guide you through what's coming."

Luke nodded. "It's a trust in the Living Force that we'll need more than ever," he said quietly.

The Living Force. He'd heard Cal, Luke, and Mara mention it infrequently. But enough to pique his interest. "You've mentioned the Living Force a few times. Did you ever hear about Qui-gon Jinn?" he asked.

Luke's brow furrowed a moment before he shook his head. "I can't say that I have."

"He was Master Kenobi's master," Anakin said, thinking back to the tall, kind, sagely man of his early youth. "He found me on Tatooine. Freed me, and tried to free my mother. Then… he died on Naboo fighting a Sith apprentice."

Luke hummed quietly. "Obi-Wan never really mentioned his master to me. With how he talked about Yoda, I'd assumed he was his master."

"I think you and Qui-gon would have gotten along," Anakin said quietly.

It was silent for long moments before he shook his head. "Anyway, I'll see you at the briefing," he said as he began to walk towards an open space that often served as the briefing area. "Good luck, master Starkiller."

"You as well," Luke replied. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you."

. . .

Far above the green dome, mottled with blue, that was the world of Boz Pity, two fleets, alike in stature and power, released their clouds of fighter craft, swarming like insects as they composed themselves into something more orderly, more effective.

Admiral Yularen watched as Torrents, Aethersprites, and Headhunters began to peel away from their carriers, streaking past the frigates and corvettes that made up the leading edge of the maniple's picket line.

"Any read on the Separatist response?" he asked his officers in the crew pits.

"Sensors are still adjusting for jamming," one of them responded, "but we're starting to pick up what are likely fighter launches in response. Time to target is 3 minutes for our leading fighters."

"Very good, Lieutenant," Yularen replied.

He glanced back as their fighters held at just ahead of the picket line, the enemy fighters clustered around theirs, and motioned for his Flag Captain to come forward, the young Mirialan man coming to stand at his side. "You've always had a better grasp at mass fighter combat than I have, Sayranan. What's your read of the situation?"

Captain Kar Sayranan cupped his chin thoughtfully, studying both the dark, fuzzy cloud of fighters that had settled over the enemy picket line and a datapad that was slung over his shoulder. "Now that our sensors are clearing up," the man said calmly, "it seems that they're still launching fighters, along with what look to be bombers. They may intend to overwhelm our fighters with sheer numbers in order to get their bombers into our midst."

Yularen nodded. "I see. What do you suggest?"

"I would recommend pulling about half of our current fighter complement back behind the picket line, increasing the layering of our defenses while giving those that remain just in front a loose formation. The corvettes and frigates will be able to engage at a longer range, thinning out the droid fighters before they hit our front-line fighters."

Yularen nodded, looking back out at the battlefield. "Have half of the squadrons pull back to behind the picket line," he ordered, "and have the remaining half take up positions above and below the picket line's immediate front."

. . .

Luke Skywalker listened to his orders, banking his starfighter alongside the rest of Titan Squadron and pulling back from their advance position to rest just before the picket line, spreading out to give the larger ships clear lines of fire.

As he turned back to face the enemy fleet, he marveled at his current place. Here he was, in the middle of the sort of battles that had almost become tall tales by the time he'd experienced anything close to them, fighting alongside some of the greatest Jedi the galaxy had ever seen!

And yet, the wonderment of it all was a muted, distant thing as, pulling out of his turn, he saw the great mass of droid fighters beginning to rise from their positions in the thousands to scream towards their lines.

"Just hold steady," Anakin said over comms. "Let the picket line do its work before we dive in."

Luke took a deep breath, steeling himself as he felt the unsurprising pull of fear at the sight of so, so many fighters.

He breathed again. 'Fear is the beginning of two paths,' he recited silently. 'One to the loss of self-control. One to its completion. I will take the higher path, and leave fear behind for understanding.'

Fear became determination and caution under Luke's intentional minding. The fighters heading towards them would be a steep challenge. There was every chance that, if he wasn't very careful, he could die. But the Force would guide him, and Anakin, and all the pilots that, whether they knew it or not, turned to its guidance. And those that did would survive, and perhaps win.

As Luke centered himself, the droid fighters continued their mad charge. The picket line would open up at any moment now…

The blaster cannons of the corvettes, and the light laser cannons of the frigates, began to send bolts of brilliant blue into the approaching wave of metal and programming. The droids were packed in somewhat separated clusters, flying in a tighter formation than most biological pilots would have dared.

Every hit from the picket line sent one fighter up and caught its tight-knit fellows in the blast, sometimes taking out entire clusters and leaving what droids technically remained 'alive' spinning through space.

But there were still so many of them. The loss of ten, twenty, a hundred, it seemed to matter little as they barreled on. Luke tightened his grip on his joystick as he watched the fighters looking over them.

"Get ready, everyone," Anakin said as the droid fighters began to come within range. "Break and engage on my mark. Don't worry about them getting past you."

The droids came within range, the leading elements beginning to open fire…

"Mark!"

With that, Luke, and 450 other fighters on this front, kicked on their accelerators and charged into the fray. For now, Luke focused on the remarkably delicate task of trying not to get shot too much.

After several minutes of dodging, weaving, and pulling off maneuvers that required no small amount of skill mixed with the Force to accomplish, Luke began to notice patterns within the programmed fighters that they clashed against. For all their deadly potential, they still had to follow specific programming. Well-designed programming, for sure, but even the best programming was subject to the creator's fallibility.

He turned off the atmospheric flight mimicry system, using the repulsors to help push him up and over a group of fighters that had begun to tail him, flipping the Headhunter end over end until his nose was pointing at the rapidly passing fighters, the aural simulators mimicking them screaming through space above the noise of long-range tubolaser exchanges.

He let the laser cannons roar as he fell behind them and engaged the mimicry system again, rendering a good chunk of the little 'squadron' into so much expanding gas and shards of metal.

'How unsurprising,' Luke mused as he looked around for his next targets, picking out a flight of bombers that had been trailing behind the wall of droid fighters, 'you just have to outsmart them.'

He glanced to his right… and saw the frigates and corvettes of the Confederacy, a motley bunch of ships but no less dangerous for it, beginning to pull away from their fleet's front lines, advancing on.

"Looks like we've got trouble incoming," Luke said over squad comms as the ships, nimble and quick compared to their heavier brethren, began to open fire into the furball. "Stay sharp, or we'll get cut to pieces."

"Good copy," Anakin said, "but I think we'll be alright. The admirals are looking out for us."

Luke glanced towards their lines… and had to suppress a slight shiver as he saw the Victorys and Dreadnaughts beginning to move up together, pounding the frigates and corvettes that dared approach them. It reminded him all too much of the Imperial Star Destroyers that had loomed large over any Alliance op gone wrong. But they were on his side, here, sending fire over his starfighter as he, and other pilots, began to use the ships of the picket line themselves as cover and concealment.

Swooping out from behind to catch a trio of bombers off-guard, he saw from the corner of his eye as three LAATs, dipping low under the plane of battle, began to streak away toward the planet. He hoped that they'd be safe. Mara had volunteered to assist with the commandos' missions planetside and was now on one of the shuttles.

But for now, he had to turn his focus back to keeping the fighters busy enough to not notice a trio of gunships going past.

Looking around the battlefield, he saw a squad to their right, in disarray as they tried to deal with a particularly nasty snarl of fighters. The Force began to nudge him in that direction, pulling away from the fighters he was chasing to go and gather them up.

These ones were Honor Squadron, as he recalled, and he did as decent of a count as one could in the midst of pulling evasive maneuvers. They were down two or three members. One of them must have been their squadron lead.

"Honor Squadron," Luke said as he saw, through the rapidly dispersing cloud of droid fighters, their capital ships moving into the gaps the three-pronged strike had left open, "form up on my flanks and follow me. We're going to go protect those bombers that are heading towards the enemy capitals."

"Yes, sir," the clone pilots said one by one, forming up in a classic arrowhead formation, and started making their way towards the wave of Y-wings that was sweeping towards the capital ships.

. . .

Yularen watched, bracing himself against the impact of turbolaser bolts as the enemy fleet began to fill in the gaps left between the fleet's maniples, frowning slightly as he watched the action unfold. Were they trying to reach for their Venators? The possibility was a real one.

But the action, even with all three of the Lucrehulks bearing down on their center maniple, was ultimately an unwise one. With their anti-fighter elements now competing for space with their far larger compatriots, the picket line had been diluted to near uselessness. It allowed their bombers to strike out and supplement their cruiser's firepower with proton torpedoes.

His focus, for a moment, stayed on the flickering lights of dozens of concussion missiles launched from the Victorys homing in on a Recusant whose shields had just failed, raking it with explosive fire before it began to break apart. The ship was now a wreck instead of an enemy combatant, a barrier not only for the enemy ships to try and surmount but cover from their guns as well. He heard Flag Captain Sayranan give orders to adjust positioning slightly to allow for maximum targeting capability of the enemy capital ships.

"Sir," one of the crew pit officers said, calling his attention away from the display of sundering firepower, "our front-line cruisers are starting to sustain heavy damage from the Lucrehulks. The battle line may be in danger of collapsing. They're requesting orders, sir."

Yularen nodded, looking back out the window to consider for a moment the situation at hand, and what responses he might have available to him. After a few moments, he came to his decision.

"Have the cruiser and frigate complements pull back from their forward position to take up a sphere formation around our Venators and the Principality. Then have us begin moving forward towards the Lucrehulks and focus our fire on them. I want to put as heavy of a weight of fire as we possibly can on them."

As calls of compliance preceded the bridge beginning to buzz even more with the increased activity, Yularen looked out at the three massive, nearly circular ships, arranged in an inverse arrowhead as they sent turbolaser barrages towards them. They knew that there was more weight behind this central thrust than in the others, and were trying to defeat the fleet in detail.

'Well, sometimes the correct answer to a tactical move is the simplest,' Yularen mused as the center maniple became a durasteel fist.

. . .

Anakin Skywalker had shifted his focus away from paring down the swarms of fighters to guarding the bombers that were now beginning to weave through the burning wrecks to strike at those capital ships that were still up and fighting. As expected, the nominal middle of the battlefield had become an artificial asteroid belt, Republic and Separatist ships mingling in death to provide cover and obstacles only fighter-sized craft were nimble enough to weave through.

Luke had split off from Titan Squadron, and last he heard and seen, was taking up leading Honor as they escorted two bomber squadrons against one of the Providence destroyers. Their torpedoes hammered against the destroyer's shields, supplemented by fire from a now much tighter ship formation, until at last, one of the Torrent's concussion missiles slammed into the main bridge, the decompression and flash-ignition of the atmosphere within flinging fire, transparisteel, and the dead crew out into space.

"All fighter and bomber squads," he heard what was likely one of the officers aboard either the Principality or the Resolute say, "focus heavy weapons fire on the Lucrehulk battleships."

"You heard the woman," he said to Titan Squadron as he pulled up and out of the debris field. "Let's find a bomber squad or two and help them get to the pastries."

They did so with little in the way of trouble, linking up with three squadrons of Y-wings and making a drive toward one of the gray and blue monstrosities.

The battleships, for all their heavy firepower, were remarkably short on much resembling anti-fighter defenses. And with most of their fighters either tied up in trying to keep their own bombers from being torn to shreds or floating in pieces as they tumbled through space… they were a perfect target.

The relatively light fire coming from the quad blaster cannons that tried to shoot them down did little in the way of dissuading the nimble fighters and bombers from flying close and tight to the battleship's surface, tracing the circumference of the ship's arms, then firing into the neck that connected the sphere suspended in the middle to the rest of the ship.

Wave after wave of proton torpedoes fell on the wavering shields like a crashing tide, at last breaching them as the ones launched after carved through the neck like a lightsaber blade. As the sphere began to float away, the guns fell silent, and Anakin, along with the rest of the fighters and bombers, peeled away from the floundering hulk as the capital ships flung fire at it to ensure its destruction was complete.

"Alright, boys," Anakin said as he pulled a turn to bank to the right. "Let's go see if the other Lucrehulks decide to wise up or not."

As he spoke, he saw that, to some extent or another, the two remaining vessels were, the ships beginning an agonizingly slow turn to try and make their way towards one of the other maniples that, thanks to the middle taking up so much attention, were making good progress.

"Come on," Anakin whispered to himself more than anything. "Just a little more…"

. . .

Admiral Yularen watched as the Lucrehulk continued to disintegrate under the fire of the guns for a moment longer before tasking their fire to more lively targets, satisfied that the Federation starship was destroyed.

There weren't many targets left on this front of the battle. Most seemed to have given up on the center's sphere of resistance, turning their attention towards other, less well-defended targets. It left them in a good position with few guns focused on them. And an opportunity.

"Have all remaining combat-worthy ships make their way towards the planet in two parallel lines," he began. "Once the enemy fleet's back line has been crossed, turn and engage the ships on each flank. We'll encircle them and defeat them in detail."

"Sir," Sayranan said, "that's likely to put the leading elements in range of the planet's anti-orbital cannons. Our victory would come at a great cost."

Yularen nodded. That much was true. But it didn't render the idea completely unsound. "Contact the admirals leading the other maniples. Relay the plan to them, and recommend that they begin backing their maniples off until we're beyond the range of the planet's defenses. I don't think droids can feel desperate, but they may see it as a tactical opening to try and further press us back. Have us begin doing the same as soon as they acknowledge."

Sayranan nodded. "Yes, sir. Right away."

With that, the Flag Captain turned away and made his way to the communications console behind them, Yularen watching the battle as he heard the man carrying out his instructions.

At first, they remained where they were, the maniples to their left and right doing much the same. Then, slowly, far more slowly than if they were to turn, the planet and the wreckage of the battle began to recede. He kept his eye on those Separatist ships that were still firing on them. He conceded that all too much of this plan he'd come up with was reliant on the enemy fleet pursuing them. 'Come on…'

Then, he saw the Separatist line beginning to move with them. And he allowed himself a small smile. "Inform our leading cruisers of their orders to begin encircling the two fleets," he said. "We've got them now."

. . .

Luke watched as the fleet continued to back off, their maniple's heavy cruisers beginning to pull away from the tight formation that they'd taken earlier, and couldn't help but wonder for a moment as he and Honor Squadron found another Aethersprite, red and white with accents of green, leading Stalwart as they mopped up what bombers remained here in the center of the battlefield. That would be Ahsoka, he thought.

She'd probably appreciate help with the squadron of droid fighters that was weaving their way through the wrecks to come up behind them. Luke decided to remedy that potential surprise as he led Honor Squadron toward the fighters.

As they went, Luke glanced at the cruisers that were beginning to move past them, and the strategy clicked in his head. This was a classic encirclement strategy. If the Separatists were smart, they'd slip under the majority of the guns and try to escape the entrapment. How well that would work depended on a number of factors, many likely out of the Separatists' hands now.

Honor Squad swept over Stalwart to rake through the vulture droids, most of them going up in the first few moments. A few of Stalwart's fighters turned to assist them, the battle over almost as quickly as it began.

"Thanks, Starhopper," Ahsoka said as they got above the debris field, getting a fine look as the fleet closed its twin jaws around the Separatists. "That would have been bad.

"No problem," Luke replied as he led Honor on a somewhat leisurely patrol, Stalwart following his lead. After a moment, he blinked. "Starhopper?"

It was silent for a moment before some of the clones chuckled. "Oh," Ahsoka said somewhat sheepishly. "I… kinda have a habit of giving people nicknames. You can ignore it if you want."

Luke smiled slightly as he began a turn over to the left. "It's the most unique nickname I've ever gotten. I appreciate it."

"Thanks," Ahsoka said after a silent moment. "I guess the battle's mostly over, isn't it?"

"Up here, at least," Luke said as the number of enemy capitals began to decrease more and more rapidly. "Now we've got to worry about ground warfare."

He silently hoped Mara was going to be okay. With commandos under her command… she should be, to some extent or another, in her element.

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 7: Planetfall

Above Boz Pity Airspace

Mara Jade Skywalker was completely relaxed as she sat in the LAAT (the Larty, the troops nicknamed it) and felt the moment that they hit atmosphere, a whistling sound accompanied by a slight rumble as they descended.

'Good. We didn't get blown up in space,' she mused. 'That's as good a way to start the operation as any.'

She looked around the dimly lit cabin and held the gaze of the eight slightly glowing visors that looked back at her. These were the clone commandos attached to the 501st Legion. Two squads of four men split into Decision and Verity Squads. Each had decorated their armor in different ways with unique colors and patterns, rather unlike their uniformly blue-patterned brothers.

She took a moment to flip through the channels on her com-bead, finding all of them free of chatter. "So," she said as the rumbling of atmospheric entry began to subside, "what are your names? I'm not going to just shout numbers or colors at you."

The men looked at each other for a moment, Mara feeling the somewhat quizzical feelings that they had towards the question. Finally, though, one of them, his armor painted in purple waves, nodded. "I'm Shout," he said. "In the GAR's infinite wisdom, they decided I should lead Verity Squad. My mates are Bouncer with the yellow circles, Sparkle with the black starburst outlines, and Spike with the brown triangles on his arms and helmet."

She looked at each of the men as Shout introduced them, each returning her gaze in their own way. Bouncer offered a quick salute. Sparkle waved. Spike simply nodded.

"Good to meet you all," she said, looking over at the commandos who hadn't spoken up yet. "And who is Decsion Squad?"

Decision Squad looked amongst themselves for a moment before one of their number, painted with red claw marks, nodded. "RC-3672, ma'am," the commander began. "Though you can call me Rake. I'm the captain of Decision. My squadmates are Dent, Slider, and Ink. Dent's in the blue jagged circles, Slider's the one with gray lines, and Ink's the black scribbles."

The troopers greeted her in turn, and Mara smiled slightly. "Alright. Any chance the other squads will be backing us up if we come across any snarls taking and turning this facility?"

"With this many squads, there's always a chance ma'am," Sparkle said rather glibly. "Whether or not it happens… well, that's another thing entirely."

"Just try not to tip off any perimeter guards this time, Sparkle," Bouncer said in a slightly teasing tone. "As fun as our little 'unplanned distraction' was and how well it worked for the others, I'd rather not get that close to biting a blaster bolt."

"Aw, come on," Sparkle said, his voice radiating hurt, "at least the explosions were worth the risk, right?"

"Right," Bouncer drawled somewhat darkly.

The LAAT touched down, and the door slid open to reveal their target sitting at the top of a valley about two kilometers away and looming large over them, a great humpbacked beast of metal and transparisteel, two rows of two massive spines stretching out towards orbit like the skeletal hand of a dead titan or the hunkered corpse of an insect.

Mara and the other commandos stepped out of the transport, Mara focusing as she felt out the immediate area, verdant and dotted with foliage and trees, for any danger. After long moments of feeling nothing, Mara looked back up at the orbital defense facility. "Well," she said quietly, "no sense in wasting time. Let's get moving."

Mara and the commandos found a copse of trees nearby, making their way quickly into concealment. At the edge of the treeline, close to the cliff that made up the other half of the valley that separated them, Mara looked at the complex with a compact pair of macrobinoculars.

"Right next to the wall of the valley," she said with a slight twist of her mouth. "Lovely."

"No caves, either," Dent said, studying the rockface from next to her. "That might be a garbage chute there. We could always try ascending the cliffside anyway. I doubt that the clankers would expect that way of getting in."

"Maybe so," Shout said as he joined them, Rake by his side. "But I want to know all our options before committing to one way in."

"We'll keep an eye on the cliffside wall, see if there are any openings we can take," Rake said. "Your team can have the freedom to scout around."

"Fine by me," Shout replied. "It's going to take a day or two to get across the canyon, but we'll keep in touch."

Shout wasted no time as he rose from where he was, waving his men over to him. "Good luck," Rake said simply.

After a moment, Rake glanced over at Mara. "You going with them, ma'am? We can take care of ourselves."

"It's as good an idea as any," Mara said. "I'm sure you know not to stay here, though. They'll probably be searching the area our LAAT touched down in."

"We'll find somewhere to go," Rake said almost assuringly. "Keep an eye on Verity. They seem to have a habit of getting themselves singed by their explosions, but they get the job done more often than not. I'd hate to see them bite it without a Jedi to help them out."

Mara smiled slightly. "I'll see what I can do."

. . .

Mara followed easily after Verity as they made their way to a path down the canyon wall, old training on fieldwork coming to her as easily as when it had first been drilled into her so long ago. 'I doubt the Emperor would have had me flaunting myself this openly. As opposed to the rest of the ranks I was pulled from.'

Her presence was acknowledged only briefly as they continued down into the canyon, a river surrounded by trees at the bottom that grew stark against the sunset.

They crossed the river after waiting out the hum and roar of what were most likely droid gunships passing overhead, all of them going hand over hand across an ascension cable that had been secured to a particularly stout tree.

As day slipped into night, the five of them settled into a quiet camp, the soldiers breaking out instant meals and some spare camping equipment. They ate in silence before sleeping in watches.

It left Mara with a lot of time to think as she let her perception of the area and the immediate future expand in the Force, sitting on a knarled tree branch that reminded her of another time, past for her and potential future for the clones that now slept as best they could with their armor and weapons.

Through the gaps in the branches, she glanced up at the night sky every once in a while. Beyond the reach of the trees, the sky was clear, the stars littering in a largely untouched night. It almost reminded her of…

'Myrkr,' Mara thought with a quiet, slight grin. Another time and place where the whole galaxy seemed to be a tinderbox waiting for an errant spark.

'That always seems to be the case, doesn't it?' she mused grimly. After this war was a civil war, then bushfires on the peripheries of the galaxy. On and on and on.

'But not anymore.' Mara thought grimly, thinking about their all-too-narrow escape. Then, as she continued her silent pondering a thought struck her.

'What happens if we succeed here? Will this version of me ever meet Luke Skywalker?'

The entire impetus for their meeting was the fact that the Empire, whose Emperor had plucked one of Vader's Inquisitors to be his Hand, had fallen apart, its leader after sending her to kill the man who'd slain him. With no Inquisitors, no Hands, No Empire…

'The Living Force would find a way,' she reminded herself. 'That's what Luke would say. And on matters of the Force… he has a funny way of being right.'

"Ma'am?"

Mara blinked, looking back to see Sparkle standing behind her. She simply nodded, standing from her position and stretching as she walked past the man who now took up his watch.

Sitting in the little circle, she took a deep breath and slipped into a meditative resting trance. This way, at least, the rest of the squad wouldn't be left with just one set of eyes, however enhanced they might have been.

. . .

Bariss Offee never liked these sorts of missions. Were she any other person, she'd probably say that she hated them.

But she never really said anything about it to her master. Never mentioned it to anyone, really. She was a Jedi Padawan. She was supposed to be able to deal with those sorts of feelings using the teachings of her order and her master. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

Peace never really stopped the nightmares, though. Nothing seemed to.

She was in one of the medical tents that they were usually in when they were on any other campaign with the 41st. There were… so many bodies, draped in sheets of white dappled with the red of human blood where wounds, stitched up as they were, had wept into the fabric. The stench of antiseptic mixed with blasterfire threatened to double her over and make her retch.

She walked towards the exit, parting the curtain to step into… the back of the tent again.

But it was different now. One of the sheets… was sitting up.

Slowly, Bariss stepped forward. As she came to a stop in front of the gurney, the head beneath the sheet turned, and it fell from a head that looked intently at her, one shared by every other clone… except for the massive burn that gripped and pulled at the left side of his face, scalp, and neck.

"Commander…" the clone rasped, reaching out to her with a shuddering hand. "Help me…"

"Asicc…" Bariss said, her eyes wide with horror as she tried, and failed, to step back. "You're dead. I'm sorry."

"Not in here," Asicc said as he clutched the side of his head, his fingers squeezing into a fist and taking burnt, crackling flesh with it. "Why won't you let us die?"

"It's my duty to try and heal you," Bariss said, looking around as more and more clones began to sit up and have their veils fall away. Her throat was growing more and more tight as she remembered the clones by their wounds. Kogin, his arm blown off. Blynn, his jaw gone from a predator. Sarcee, his bowls spilling out from a commando droid's blade. "I had to try."

"We trusted you," Sarcee called out, standing from his gurney with the others and walking toward her. "Let us go!"

"I'm trying to!" Bariss shouted as she finally seemed to find the strength to back away from Asicc… right into the waiting arms of Blynn. "I need to! Help me!"

"Let us go!" Kogin shouted at her. The others, joined by more and more clones she'd tried and failed to save, began to crowd into her, taking up the cry as it grew louder and louder, pounding into her skull as she felt fingers closing around her throat.

"Let us go! Let us go! Let us go!"

"LET US GO!"

"Ma'am? Ma'am."

Bariss' eyes snapped open and she took a deep, shuddering breath. Where…

She was on Boz Pity. The commando waking her up for early morning watch, painted in mottled orange was, well, Sunrise. She was here to assist in taking and subverting an anti-orbital cannon.

"You alright?" Sunrise asked. "Looked like you were having a pretty bad dream."

Bariss felt the explanation welling up in her throat, threatening to spill out and feed her darker emotions. She paused, her mind traveling the well-worn path of the Jedi Code and letting it calm her down. At least, as much as it could.

"I'll be fine," she replied as she stood, taking a deep breath as she took in the two hills they found themselves situated in. "You get your rest. We have a busy day coming up, I think."

"That we do," Sunrise replied after a moment of silence. She could feel his slight suspicion at her deflection. Right now, that didn't matter.

With that, he settled down, and Bariss felt the moment he drifted off into a guarded sleep.

She looked around the barren little camp again and saw her master meditating. There was little point in trying to talk to Master Unduli about these nightmares she had been having since she first saw action in the war. She would say the same things, give her the same mantras to repeat before and during rest. Any other time, they might have worked. But here, where death and violence were so prevalent… it didn't seem to do much of anything anymore.

She went to the spot that Jelik had first taken up when they'd settled down for the night and took a seat, allowing her perception to expand in the Force as she focused on making sure there were no droids around to spot them and attack.

It gave her time to think. Something she'd found herself doing a lot of as the war dragged on.

Could she talk to someone else? Would that not break the bond between master and apprentice? Master Unduli was supposed to be her teacher, supposed to have the experience to guide her into becoming a Jedi anyone could look to for guidance and wisdom and not be found lacking. But Master Unduli was taught and worked largely in a time of peace. A time when the sort of things that Bariss saw that were once reserved for major disasters, once-in-a-lifetime events for people, had now become… every single day.

The Jedi Masters from the future, Starkiller and Jade… they felt rather different in the Force, from what little exploring she'd done during their briefing. It still felt strange to go beyond her master's bounds like that, but consulting other Masters who might have more experience was part of her training in the temple. Padawan Tano had even taken some time away from her master's side to learn from Master Unduli.

Perhaps she could talk to them. Jade was even on the planet with her. Perhaps she could talk to Padawan Tano. She saw more combat than most Padawans under Master Skywalker. Maybe she had something that would work. But, for now, as the sun began to rise, there were other things to worry about.

. . .

Mara studied the ground before them as they came up the valley wall that the cannon sat on, and pursed her lips. Clear-cut and level ground, with nowhere to go for cover within what looked like 2 kilometers surrounding the facility.

"Well," she said softly. "I guess we could always knock on the front door."

"There's always the option of going up," Sparkle said helpfully. "No one ever really seems to look up."

"I don't see any access points up the way at first glance," Spike said. "There might be maintenance hatches we could get into though."

Shout nodded. "It's worth a try. With those windows though, there's every chance we might be spotted while we're ascending, or even on approach."

"Sounds like we need a distraction, then," Bouncer said, glancing back across the canyon to where they'd come from.

"Gonna have to be a hell of a distraction," Mara said. "Rake said you guys were the explosion specialists."

"I wouldn't underestimate Dent on that front," Sparkle said. Mara could hear the grin in his voice. "He didn't get that name for nothing."

"Well, give them a call then," Mara said. "And let's see what it takes to pull a droids attention."

Mara listened in silently as Sparkle keyed Decision's coms. "Decision, this is Sparkle."

"Go ahead," she heard Rake say.

"How would you boys like to make something blow up?"

It was silent before Rake sighed quietly. "What needs an application of explosives?"

"Any point you like on the right side of this installation," Shout replied. "We'll be ascending the left searching for a maintenance hatch or other way in. We'll even invite you in once we've started making things exciting."

"Sounds like a decent enough start to me," Rake replied. "Dent and Ink will get to work. Hold tight. You'll know what our signal is."

"Good copy," Shout replied. "Decision out."

Mara and Verity Squad hunkered down, watching across the valley as Decision worked on whatever they were going to try.

After minutes began to stretch into hours, Spike grunted. "I'll be damned. They're trying for a remote delivery of the explosives."

Mara's macrobinoculars rose to where Spike pointed, and she saw the rather kludged-together drone flying across the span of the canyon after a moment of searching. "I'm surprised you boys don't have the kit for something less… fragile-looking."

"I'm surprised they're that desperate," Shout said. "Don't know what it's like where you're from, but anything a little more sophisticated than that risks getting sliced by the Seps. Last thing you need is a fancy automated munition or scout droid deciding it sympathizes with the Confederacy."

"Fair enough, I guess," Mara said quietly as she continued to track the drone's progress. After long minutes, it passed them by, disappearing behind the complex wall.

"Ascension guns," Shout said, the commandos drawing the compact, liquid cable pistols, with Mara following suit. "Once we start climbing, avoid the windows and enter any hatch you can find. We'll meet up inside. Try and be quick before some sort of air support arrives."

Again, they settled into a tense readiness, waiting at the edge of the canyon wall and straining to listen for the explosion that would come… any second now…

A thudding boom echoed across the canyon, and alarms began to wail. Mara had to keep herself from going into a mad dash the instant the explosion sounded. 'Give them a second to look the other way…'

"Go!" Shout said, and Mara allowed herself to sprint at last, her legs pumping as she picked out a spot that was a little ways away but seemed to have an access door only about 10 or so meters up.

She stepped a little ways away, aimed her ascension gun at a point above the door, and fired, the whir of the cable forming punctuated by the thunk of the magnetic head finding purchase.

Giving it a tug to ensure it was secured, Mara dashed to the wall, sparing a glance at the other soldiers as they began to climb. She planted her feet on the wall and withdrew the cable into the launcher, climbing as she did. It was quick business, slowed only by needing to skirt around a window just below the hatch.

Then, she was there in front of the circular hatch, reaching out with the Force and unlocking the door to swing it open. Swinging in, she deactivated the ascension cable, sliding into the rather tight space with smooth dexterity.

There wasn't much space to maneuver in here, her arms largely confined to above her head, and she had to make do with crawling backward from the surface hatch she'd entered. It still wasn't the tightest squeeze she'd been in.

She reached out with the Force, probing the area around her to try and find… there. A ceiling hatch about 5 meters away from her feet. Easy enough.

She began the slow process of crawling backward towards the hatch as she, with no small amount of effort, keyed the squad coms. "Everyone in?"

"We've made entry, ma'am," Spike replied. "We're meeting up now. Are you in need of assistance?"

"Not at all, Spike," Mara replied as she saw the hatch beneath her. "Just taking the scenic route, is all."

She looked around herself for some sort of switch or button, turning on her side and looking up above her to see the control panel, right above the door. "Of all the places to put it…" she muttered to herself as she shuffled back a little more and pressed the most prominent button she could find.

The door opened, and Mara slid out, flipping to land on the floor gracefully, her lightsaber in her hand in an instant as she looked around the somewhat familiar surroundings. Reaching out in the Force, she found the small cluster of commandos. It was so strange, feeling the presence of 10-year-olds, teenagers at most, and feeling confident that they were the soldiers she was looking for.

"No need to find me," she said as she started walking. "I'll make my way to you."

"Copy that," Shout said. "We'll start trying to find a terminal to slice for a map."

"Be seeing you," Mara said, keeping her senses sharp as she focused on navigating the halls of the base. With men like this… if the Emperor had managed to work out the shortcomings of those Spaarti Creations cloning tubes he'd secreted away in Mount Tantiss, the galaxy would have looked very different from whence she'd come.

It didn't take long to find the commando squad, Spike sharing the map as Shout led the way, the squad moving smoothly and swiftly. Mara contented herself with being the early warning system that spoiled the incoming droid patrols. Every action was done in seconds, the longer ones only taking a few minutes as she focused on taking down B2s and destroyer droids with the Force and her lightsaber, the B1s that accompanied them popping in seconds under the precise fire of Verity Squad.

So it went, battle ebbing and flowing until they got to the door of the control center.

"What's the plan for the guns? Shut down or subvert?" Mara asked.

"It'd take too long for us to try and turn these things," Shout said. "We'll leave it for the techies to sort out once they've made it to the ground."

"Fine by me," Mara said, deflecting the incoming blaster bolts as the door opened.

The control room, unsurprisingly, was filled with droids. A few MagnaGuards, 3 in all, stood sentinel here as well. And unlike the training models she'd dueled in the Inquisitorius, their staffs would kill much more quickly.

She darted towards the closest one as the commandos took out the other droids in the command center, trading blows and pressing forward almost relentlessly as a mind honed by combating these droids over and over made the connection to the pattern of its attacks. This droid was using what the Empire called 'Delta-35b', falling back to a cautious defense while waiting for openings. Easy enough to surmount.

She pressed the attack, going for the arms and managing to catch one of them with her blade, taking advantage of the moment of imbalance to go for the armored processor in its chest, stabbing then slicing up. The droid fell lifeless before her.

The other two were easy by this point. One's programming was Theta-18, relentless and aiming to send Mara to the floor by sweeping her legs. Jumping over it was its weakness. The last MagnaGuard used Kilo-89, trying to leverage its staff's ability to resist lightsaber blades to maneuver her blade out of the way or back into her. That required disengaging for a moment, getting behind it, and striking quickly while its back was turned.

As the last MagaGuard fell, and Mara brought her attention back to the rest of the room, the fight was already over, Verity moving towards the consoles that weren't smoking.

"We can't have gone through the entire garrison of a facility this big," Mara said as she glanced between the two doors and the window to the outside. "Is there a way to tell how well-staffed this place is?"

"Give us a second, and we'll find out," Sparkle said, beginning to access one of the consoles.

"Right," Mara said, striding over to the far door on their right. "I'll make sure no one can catch us in a pincer."
As Verity worked, Mara paused in front of the door, raising her lightsaber and ever so gently touching the seam where door met frame. In an instant, the metal began to heat up, Mara guiding it like a welding torch around the door's circumference.

After a few moments, she stepped back and admired her handiwork for a moment. "We should be all set here. Any updates?"

"Looks like this place is staffed by about 150 droids at any given time," Bouncer replied. "Given that, by my count, we've deactivated about 25 or 30 of them… we've still got some work to do."

"That shouldn't be too difficult," Mara replied. "Hell, we might even clear this place out before Decision arrives."

"That's an awfully tempting prospect, ma'am, I've gotta admit," Sparkle chimed in. "The guns are offline, now. As long as we hold this point, we can keep it that way."

"A Jedi shouldn't have too much trouble dealing with the rest of the base," Mara said. "Now, I'd appreciate some company if I go. I'd hate to have something sweep behind and overwhelm me."

"Sparkle, you want to go droid hunting with Master Jade?" Shout said. "We can hold down the fort."

"Works for me," Sparkle said, Mara able to hear the slight smile in the man's voice as he reloaded his rifle.

"Let's go, then," Mara said as the pair strode towards the working door.

. . .

Up in orbit, Anakin and Obi-Wan stood on the bridge of the Resolute, looking at the CIC display intently as it displayed the surface of Boz Pity, the anti-orbital stations that the dozen commando squads, Master Unduli, Master Jade, and Master Skoll, were working on capturing in different shades.

Master Skoll and his teams were sitting on one of the liberated batteries, glowing green. Master Unduli, Daybreak, and Lock Squads, along with Master Jade and her squads, were still in the act of securing their anti-orbital batteries, highlighted in orange.

That triad of batteries was the only barrier keeping them from their initial landing zone. Once they established a forward base, they could open more zones.

The air on the bridge was thick with anticipation as Master Unduli's battery flicked to green with the confirmation signal from Daybreak Squad. That was two.

Silence reigned, and it almost seemed hard to breathe for long moments.

Then, at last, a flicker to green, a simple change in hue, elicited cheers and applause.

Obi-Wan simply nodded. "Alright. Let's get to the transports. And let's hope we can resolve this quickly."

Anakin nodded, and thought about the holocron somewhere on the surface. He thought for a moment about Obi-Wan about it.

'I'm sure the others will show Obi-Wan the holocron,' Anakin decided. 'He'll see it at the same time as everyone else they trust.'

Something about this holocron drew him to it. If there was a way to make balancing his emotions and his duties, his passions with his training, work…

If he could make this all work… then it would be worth any risk.

 

[StriderInCosmos]

Chapter 8: Delving into Olden Days

Boz Pity, 6 Weeks Later

Luke Skywalker, once again, stood on the temperate, green world of Boz Pity, looking out over one of its many canyon systems.

Where this view differed from the ones of years past, however, was in the remarkable number of men, machines, and prefabricated structures that had taken over the valley itself. Did he see the marks of this occupation and assault when last he walked the surface of this world? Or was he too preoccupied with what he would be doing once again?

"Master Starkiller."

Luke looked back at Anakin as the man stopped by his side. "It's quite a view," he said. "Have you ever seen something like this before?"

"A few times," Luke replied. "Not quite like this, but something like it."

"I see," Anakin replied, his tone somewhat subdued. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "So, where is this holocron hidden?"

Luke took the opportunity to open up a holo map, studying it for a second as he thought back several years, for him at least. The Force had guided them…

He pointed at a spot on the map that was in between two of the major droid bases. "It was around here. In a rather well-preserved little hideaway. It couldn't have been much older than the Clone Wars."

Anakin hummed as he nodded. "I see. Think we can sneak a few Jedi in there?"

"With where it's positioned… it's risky. At least when we did it the first time, there weren't two rather major bases full of droids we needed to worry about."

Anakin cupped his chin thoughtfully, likely considering the strategic and tactical options available to them. "Maybe we could devote forces to attack and draw away the attention of the bases. Give us some time to search."

"Us?" Luke asked, his brow slightly arched. "As I recall, you're in charge of a whole 1/5th of the army currently invading."

"They're smart men," Anakin replied. "They've made miracles on their own, and this is a pretty by-the-book planetary invasion. We can tell them what to do and let them work. They aren't droids, after all."

The pair was silent for a moment, the memory of those damned chips once again intruding. The progress of taking the chips out was slow, certainly. Several million clones undergoing cranial surgery took time, and a lot of it. But progress was steady, and the results were remarkably promising. The clones that had undergone the process had reported a much better quality of life even only after a day or two.

"Any progress on finding out what the chips are?" Luke asked quietly. "Whether there's some sort of trail to follow?"

Anakin sighed, equally quietly. "Not really. Pal… Sidious likely covered his tracks well enough that trying to conclusively link them to him would probably be next to pointless."

"Makes sense," Luke said with a grimace. "But we'll cross that line when we come to it. Right now, we'll need to find the holocron and liberate the planet."

"That easy, huh?" Anakin snarked.

"Well, we've already ruled out one major base by destroying it," Luke said. "It's just a matter of the process of elimination."

Anakin chuckled. "You sound like Obi-Wan. Maybe you should hang around him more often."

Luke nodded, smiling slightly. "I should. Perhaps he should come along as well."

Luke found the stirring of… hesitation from Anakin rather odd. "Maybe," Anakin said. "But he likes to lead his troops alongside Commander Cody. He isn't exactly one for unexpected adventures."

"You haven't told him?" Luke asked.

Anakin's jaw clenched. "He's… he's a real stickler for the rules. The Jedi Order is his life. Having been around him since you and yours… told us about the future, he's been in… well, let's call it a mood."

Luke's expression began to match Anakin's. "I understand. But talking with the Obi-Wan I know, he was either going to experience it now… or at the fall of the Order."

Anakin sighed quietly. "Let's get Rex, Cody, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka together. We need to figure out how to get this holocron. Who knows? Maybe we kneecap this planet in the process."

. . .

The small number of people that gathered around the holotable in the planning chamber peered at the state of the quadrant they focused on, pondering their options.

"So, sir," Rex said, "how are you planning to take both of these stations at once?"

"That's not entirely the plan," Anakin replied. "A lot of this is going to be a probing attack. Both sites have a high probability of being the strategic transmitter's location. Depending on the droid response we get when someone attacks one or the other, we'll know which one to focus our efforts on."

"Which leaves us with who attacks where," Obi-Wan replied. "This one in the northeast, here, can be attacked by the 212th. The other can be the focus of the 501st."

"Sounds good to me," Rex said. "When do we attack?"

"We'll leave that to you," Anakin said. "Obi-Wan will be accompanying me, Master Starkiller, and a few others to go and find a particular artifact. You and Commander Tano will be in charge of the 501st, along with Appo."

Ahsoka's brows rose. "Master?" she said incredulously. "Why am I not coming with you?"

"We won't be long," Anakin replied. "But I need to make sure there's a chain of command that we'll return to. Don't worry too much. Rex and Appo can take things from here."

Ahsoka mulled on the words for a moment, then nodded. "Alright," she said quietly. "I'll do my best while I'm in command."

"I trust you'll do your best, Snips," Anakin said with a slight smile.
Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin silently, Luke watching on and wondering what he might be thinking.

"Well," Anakin said, "we'll let you get to planning, then. We'll await your signal before we go treasure hunting."

"What kind of treasure are we trying to look for, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.

"A holocron that has valuable information that can serve as… a guidestone for our new course," Luke replied. "My friends and I found it very useful as we navigated the galaxy of our time."

"I see," Obi-Wan said quietly. "I cannot help but wonder where this holocron might have come from. Not that I doubt your good intentions, but uniqueness can often carry danger with it."

"It is a light side holocron, I can promise you that," Luke replied. "It may be unique, but the dark side does not taint it."

Obi-Wan nodded. "With how things have begun to change… guidance from other sources might not be unwise."

"Good luck out there, sir," Cody replied.

"Thank you, Cody. I just hope we won't need too much of it," Obi-Wan replied.

. . .

A squad-transport speeder, low to the ground and built for quiet operation, thrummed softly as it sped across the surface of the world.

The about half-dozen in the speeder's passenger cabin waited patiently as Luke and Cal guided the clone driver to their destination.

Anakin looked out the window as he watched the terrain fall by as they went, allowing Luke and Cal to take the reins on getting them where they needed to go. Even in the midst of war, there was a certain beauty to the place, with rolling green fields, small forests being passed by, and bright blue skies.

"So," the driver said, "word gets around quickly about why we're having cranial surgery."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Cal replied.

"You guys are part of why we're getting those damn chips out of our heads, so… thanks."

"Well, that's more Dan and Elle than anything," Luke replied. "I wouldn't give any of us too much credit."

"Still," the driver replied. "You've given us a chance at something more. Your secret's safe with us. Even the more chatty troopers are keeping a tight lid on things. I've got to say, knowing guys like Kep, you've worked something of a minor miracle."

"Certainly sounds like it," Cal said with a slight chuckle.

Luke interrupted the somewhat cheerful atmosphere as their destination came into sight. "There it is."

More than a few began to look out the viewscreen as best they could, taking in the ruined city that they fast approached. What architecture could be made out in the rubble was flowing, curved, and yet almost scaled, the tallest buildings that remained somewhat whole in one orientation or another seemed almost like trees of some aquatic world.

"I didn't know Boz Pity was inhabited before the war," Anakin said quietly as they made their way around the ruins before finding a way into the city proper.

"Neither did I," Obi-Wan replied. "Not this recently, at least. I knew there was life here, but as for what happened… no one knows."

"It doesn't look like whoever was here went peacefully," Elle said, holding Dan's hand. "This looks like the ruins of a bombardment. Turbolaser, traditional bombs… can't say, with how old everything looks."

"Stop us here," Cal said. "We'll take it from here."

The driver stopped the speeder. "Best of luck to you. Hope you find whatever it is you're looking for."

"Thanks," Anakin said as the group finished disembarking. "Stay safe on your way back."

He paused for a moment, his head tilting slightly as he listened. In the distance, the subtle, but unmistakable thunder of artillery was beginning to rumble on their left and their right. The battles were starting far more simultaneously than any of them had been expecting.

The speeder pulled away, leaving the group to their devices as the sound of the vehicle quieted to silence.

"Alright," Anakin said as he looked at the group. "Lead on."

Luke nodded, walking past Anakin and Obi-Wan, the others of his group following after.

It gave Anakin a chance to watch the people who had brought him there as they interacted with each other. It proved… enlightening.

Dan and Elle, unsurprisingly, were quite clear in being husband and wife. The others, though, were more subtle, but no less recognizable.

Maybe it was the experience of hiding his relationship with Padmé, but he could see how the Jedi were around their partners. The closeness that wasn't too close, the quiet conversations that happened that weren't fully able to be overheard.

Luke and Mara were more flagrant about it, but perhaps they didn't care. Cal and Merrin, though, were more subtle about it.

'What do they have to hide?' Anakin wondered. 'They must know about the Order's views on attachment. Do they… not have to hide, usually?'

It would fit, if the Order didn't exist in their time. As bad as what destroyed the Order had to be, the idea of not having to hide sounded… nice.

He glanced over at Obi-Wan, wondering if he saw what Anakin saw. He seemed more focused on the architecture, but he caught the glances that Obi-Wan cast at Luke and Mara.

He drew back from the group somewhat, and Obi-Wan followed his lead. "So," he said quietly. "What do you think about them?"

"They're… strange," Obi-Wan admitted. "I can see things that they're trying to hide. Things that… well…"

"Some other people in the Order would be rather upset about?" Anakin asked archly.

Obi-Wan sighed quietly. "That's putting it mildly," he replied. "But if their secrecy is tantamount to keeping the Order from falling-"

"I don't think they fully view that as an entirely bad thing, Master," Anakin replied. "If Sidious was able to sneak under our noses and take everything apart around us while being able to sit in front of Master Windu and Master Yoda without breaking a sweat… then maybe the Order really does need to change… at least somewhat."

"But how much?" Obi-Wan asked. "I don't doubt that the Order isn't infallible, but how much must change to save us? And will we still be Jedi at the end of it?"

"By whose definition?" Anakin asked. "Ours? Or theirs?"

Obi-Wan was silent as they came to a stop in front of a ruined building, its carvings more unique and ornate than most around them.

"Alright, here we are. Let's get started," Luke said, reaching out and lifting a piece of debris with the Force and throwing it aside. Behind it, there was a passageway, rubble-strewn and rough. He took out his lightsaber and ignited it as he made his way into the darkness.

Anakin and Obi-Wan gave each other a glance before following the others in the space tight and the light of Luke's lightsaber splashing on the crumbled, ad-hoc walls and ceiling as they slowly descended down a gentle slope.

After minutes of descending, they emerged from the tunnel, the space expanding into a massive room, the darkness again pressing in and making the light of Luke's lightsaber small before other blades, along with a few flashlights, ignited to drive back the darkness. The only thing that pierced the silence of the space's dread repose, for long moments, was the collected hum of five lightsaber blades.

"I'm half surprised archaeologists haven't made any forrays into this city as of yet," Obi-Wan remarked as they began to make their way further into the space. "The entire city looks almost untouched, besides the obvious ruin."

"Well," Daniel piped up, "a largely unimportant planet in the Mid-Rim that only recently became an issue due to military action tells me that… I don't think this city's inhabitants wanted to be found."

"Speaking of inhabitants," Elle said, looking around at the ruins as they came to a charred, human-sized archway, "why haven't we seen any bodies yet? You'd think with how violent this city's fall was, we'd see some sort of remains. Bones, clothing… something."

The emptiness of the space suddenly took on a much sharper, more hostile edge, Anakin shifting his grip on his saber as they continued. "You're right…" he said slowly.

"Come to think of it…" Luke said as they once again began to descend again, this time down a staircase. "I don't think we found any bodies the last time most of us were here either. It was just… empty."

Anakin expanded his senses in the Force, trying to find just how much merit the claims made thus far had. Besides the ten of them that were right here, there was… absolutely nothing. They were the only living beings within a dozen meters in any direction. It did nothing to comfort him.

"I could see why the Rebellion might have given this place a shot," Mara said as they continued their descent. "The Empire might have just… not paid much attention to what was going on here on the planet."

A Rebellion and an Empire. That tracked for Anakin, based on what he'd heard tell of. But there were other, more pressing matters to think about. "How much further do we have until we reach the holocron?"

"We should be reaching the catacombs…" Luke began.

Before he could finish speaking, the stairs leveled out, and the stairway again opened into a room. Instead of a massive space, however, the walls were only a few meters away on either side, the ceiling a few meters higher than it was in the stairway. And on either wall, stacked three high, were carved stone caskets, what must have been their occupants carved into the lids in remarkable detail.

Looking around as they walked, the occupants of this chamber were diverse in their racial makeup, humans a minority next to dozens of alien species, the light of the sabers casting shadows across their stone bodies and faces.

"Alright," Obi-Wan said slowly as they continued down the hallway, "are we about to plunder a grave to find this holocron?"

"No, this won't involve any desecration," Cal replied. "If this is who I think it is…"

Luke paused in front of one of the middle caskets on their right, at about chest height with them. The others gathered around and regarded the figure depicted on the lid of the casket, a reptilian with a crest emerging from its head. They were dressed in what was unmistakably Jedi robes.

"A Vurk Jedi," Anakin said as he studied the casket. "I think that's the first easily recognizable Jedi I've seen here. How did they know to come here?"

"Or maybe the better question might be what they were hiding from," Obi-Wan mused as Luke deactivated his saber, Dan and Elle helpfully aiming their flashlights at the base of the casket as he crouched to consider it. After a moment, Luke held a hand over a decorated section of the base, likely applying the Force to it.

Finally, a click accompanied a box a little larger than Luke's hand popping out, Luke nodding slightly as he slid out the compartment fully to reveal perhaps the most strangely shaped holocron Anakin had ever seen in his life.

The holocron was a strange, lopsided trapezoid, like two five-sided pyramids stuck together offsides at their bases, that was a deep shade of green. Anakin didn't feel anything overtly malicious from the holocron in the Force, just something… strange. Not the usual feeling he'd had around the holocrons he'd interacted with in the Jedi Temple.

It didn't seem to faze Obi-Wan, either, the man just quirking a brow as he looked at the holocron, Luke allowing the two to get a good look before stowing it away.

"Our job is done here," Luke said. "Let's get back to the surface."

"Yes," Obi-Wan said with a nod. "We do still have a battle to prosecute."

. . .

Ahsoka Tano was fairly sure that the 501st had found the primary droid transmitter.

Her lightsabers were a blur of brilliant green, deflecting a pouring rain of incoming blaster bolts back at the fortress from atop one of the command vehicles of the assault, a massive Juggernaut.

Ahsoka, in some sense, was satisfied with how outstanding of a target she was. The more fire came at her, the less her troops would take, giving them the time and ability to do their jobs.

'They wouldn't defend a place this strongly if it wasn't the transmitter,' Ahsoka mused, her state of mind almost trance-like as she let the Force guide her.

"Ahsoka. Do you copy?"

Ahsoka ducked behind the turret on the driver's module. "I hear you, Skyguy. What is it?"

"We're on our way to your position. What's the status of the assault?"

"Going alright," Ahsoka replied. "Could be pushing a little harder, in my opinion."

"Just hold your position," Obi-Wan's voice cut in. "The 212th has just finished its assault and is on its way. We've confirmed that your position is the strategic transmitter."

"Then why wait?" Ahsoka asked. "We're so close, I can feel it!"

"We'll be able to ensure that this goes easily with the 212th there," Anakin replied. "The more we have, the less we risk losing."

"And if we just hold back, that gives them a chance to regroup and take us out before Master Kenobi's troops can arrive!" Ahsoka retorted. "We can't afford to hold back."

"At least let us get there first, Ahsoka!" Anakin argued.

"We'd certainly appreciate the help!" Ahsoka said, killing her comms and getting back to protecting her comrades. There were still a lot of droids to take apart, and the walls were so close…

. . .

Anakin surveyed the carnage that surrounded him as he and Obi-Wan picked their way through the wreckage of the fortress, scorched metal and bodies scattered around them. Smoke rose from blaster marks and explosion sites that dotted the walls, textured the hulks of vehicles that were silent, save for whatever flames might still be burning.

Such smoke had stopped rising from smaller targets hours ago by this point. The remains of droid soldiers were mingled with the bodies of clone troopers, a sea of white and blue that never failed to make Anakin's stomach clench.

Ahsoka had decided, quite evidently, to keep pushing, despite warnings to hold back and wait for the 212th. And the price she'd paid was equally evident.

Finally, they found her, talking with Commander Appo in the rubble-strewn path that led into the command center proper.

Appo noticed them first, turning and saluting to them. "Sir," he said to Anakin, "I've got reports on the battle almost ready for you to review."

"I'll see to them later," Anakin said quietly, looking over at Ahsoka, who glanced away from him with a somber expression. "I'd like to talk to Ahsoka."

"Sir," was Appo's only reply as he walked away. Silently, Obi-Wan turned away as well, leaving the two Jedi alone amongst the carnage.

Anakin considered his Padawan for long, silent moments before sighing quietly. "You broke the chain of command," he said simply.

"Master…" Ahsoka began. "We were so close. I made the decision I felt was right. And it worked. We won."

"When we could have saved lives taking this place on with the 212th," Anakin retorted. "Look around you. How many of these soldiers would still be alive right now?"

"I don't know," Ahsoka replied. "But holding them back and waiting would have been a mistake. You were coming, but what about the droids? We saw how they got reinforcements too. They even got here just before you did. If we didn't have fortified positions here to hold out in while you arrived, how many more would be dead?"

Anakin didn't know. And that was the worst part of this entire war.

Again, he sighed, heavily now as he turned and began to walk to their new command post. "I'm not sure I want to find out. For now, we've got other things to worry about. Master Vos and his clones are coming to take charge of the mop-up operation. We'll be receiving our new assignment after we get done hunting commander droids."

"Alright," Ahsoka said, following after. "And…"

She paused for a moment, glancing around to ensure that they were alone. "What did you guys find out there?" she said quietly.

"A holocron," Anakin replied. "Of what, we don't know. I don't think we'll be opening it here just yet, though. Something tells me…"

"Tells you what?"

"Something tells me there's a reason the Jedi we found it with took it to their grave."