Anakin took a deep breath as he stepped onto the bridge of the Republic Cruiser he was currently stationed at, he and his men headed to battle, near the Corellian system, which both thrilled and frightened Anakin, knowing that the Republic's tensions with the Corellian government were very fragile, and that the Corellia's relationship with the Jedi was also fragile. He was just about to debrief with a few men from the 212th battalion, who were aiding Anakin and the 501st on this mission to Corellia.

Anakin stood in front of the group of Clones, mix of 212th members as well as 501st. Captain Rex stood at his side, helmet beneath one arm as he awaited his orders as Second In Command.

Anakin began to explain details of the mission, where they'd be going and what they were accomplishing.

"Cody, you and your men will pair up with Comm…" Anakin stopped himself, he'd done this twice now, almost calling Rex 'Commander Tano', out of habit. "Captain Rex," he finished, his statement amended. "We'll rendezvous at 15 clicks East at 1500 hours. Sound good?"

Once he received nods and exclamations of agreement and confirmation, Anakin dismissed his men, taking a seat at a commstation on the bridge, which was now nearly abandoned. Rex stood behind Anakin, waiting for the General to speak.

"Sorry Rex," he apologized, holding his head in his hands. "I'm still trying to get used to this."

Rex nodded understandingly. Commander Tano had left only two weeks ago, abandoning the Jedi Order and Anakin. Rex had to admit that he felt abandoned too, Ahsoka had been his dear friend and comrade, and now she was gone. He didn't want to believe that the Jedi Order was so quick to convict her, and when he heard of her decision to leave the Order, he couldn't say he blamed her. After the incident on Umbara, Rex's opinion and thoughts about the Jedi Order had changed, if not diminished. He still trusted Anakin, and even General Kenobi, and he trusted Ahsoka more than either of them. To see Ahsoka so quickly betrayed by the very people she'd been fighting for and with for so long….it shook him. He was concerned.

Now to see Anakin so despondent and upset, Rex was even more worried. They were about to go into battle, trying to rid Corellia of a Separatist invasion which had torn through the area recently. Rex was ready to go, he and his men prepared. But was Anakin?

"Are you going to be alright, Sir?" Rex asked, standing to face Anakin.

Anakin looked up and rubbed a hand over his face, nodding tiredly. "Yes. I'm sorry for being so out of it…I'm focused now. We have to get this job done."

"Just…let me know if you need anything, Sir." Rex replied, and Anakin nodded.

"I will, thank you, Rex."

"And, for what it's worth," Rex started, looking Anakin in the eye, "I miss her too."

Anakin glanced away, swallowing sudden emotion. "I know you do," Anakin responded, "I'm sorry."

Rex shrugged. "I'm sorry that it came to that. The whole situation was so wrong. We knew it."

Anakin nodded numbly. They did know. He and Rex, they searched for Ahsoka. They tried to find her, they tried to bring her home. Rex has been with him that entire time, he knew what was going on. Like Anakin, Rex had never doubted Ahsoka, never doubted that she was blameless. Even when he had to state the appeared-facts, he never gave up on Ahsoka being innocent.

"I know." Anakin said softly, sadness building up inside him, but also anger. He was so bitterly angry with the Jedi and with the Jedi council. He didn't know how he'd continue to do his job when he was so angry.

"I'll be seeing you when we take off," Rex said, shaking Anakin's hand as he started back down the hall.

"Thanks Rex," Anakin said as he watched his friend leave, and turned back to his console. He heaved a sigh. The Republic hadn't done a very good job of clearing their data. Ahsoka's comm frequency was still programmed into his unit, his commstation had her information still plugged in, and everything was the same, except that she wasn't there.

Anakin wasn't sure why, but he clicked on the datacard on the screen with Ahsoka's name on it.

'Tano, Ahsoka.' Anakin read to himself, sadness evident in his features, 'Jedi Apprentice to Skywalker, Anakin, Jedi Commander in the Galactic Clone War.'

Anakin grimaced, his eyes lingering on the term "Jedi Apprentice". 'Not anymore' he thought to himself bitterly, his hand clenching unconsciously into a fist. His anger bubbled in him, though he hid it well. This would be his first battle without Ahsoka, the first time he'd stepped onto a battlefield without her there to back him up, assist and help in battle plans, and even save him when need be. She knew his battle strategy and plans better than anyone, and could pick up on them instantly. They were a team.

Now Anakin felt like he was going in blind, his other half now gone from him. It bothered him deeply, mostly because the only reason he felt this way in this situation was because the Jedi Council put him there. They ordered him to go into battle and they pushed Ahsoka away. He was so filled with anger he couldn't get past it. And even though he knew it was wrong, he didn't meditate it away or try to focus on the good, because there wasn't any good. His Padawan was gone. She left, she left him she left the Jedi. Even now, weeks later, it still hit him like a cold slap of reality every day.

Anakin groaned as he stood from his seat at the commstation after clearing the screen. He stalked away to head to the hangar bay. Fixing things always helped him feel better, he'd go make more modifications to his starfighter or something, anything to burn off his angry energy before battle. He needed to have a clear head.

Anakin stood surrounded by a wave of droidekas. Out of all the Separatist creations, the droidekas were his least favorite of them. He was still 8 clicks short of the rendezvous point, and clearly without help. He held his lightsaber firm in his grip, dodging and returning as many shots as he possibly could. He was trying in vain to contact Rex, but his commsignal was being blocked. He really wished Ahsoka were here right now, she'd pull some stunt like the one when they fought together for the first time on Christophsis, something that was crazy…so crazy it worked. Anakin cried out slightly as he was shot in the shoulder, the blast going straight through his armor. He growled in anger and determination and continued to fight, starting to retreat.

The fast droidekas followed him, shooting to kill. Anakin ran across the rooftop he stood on, leaping from one rooftop to the other via the Force, only to find himself becoming more and more surrounded. He looked up for something he could use to his advantage. There was a billboard above him, and several more Separatist ships in the atmosphere, starting a blockade.

Anakin looked around desperately, trying to protect himself as he was now being herded to the corner of the building's roof, a small, garbage filled alley below. He braced himself, focusing in on the Force. He really wished he had back up right then.

Just as he wished, Anakin felt a familiar flicker in the Force and opened his eyes to see the billboard falling down, narrowly missing him but crushing the wave of droidekas fatally.

Anakin gaped in surprise and looked around, spotting a flickering silhouette of some blue and white striped lekku and a slender figure as they flipped off the buildings into the setting sun.

Anakin grinned, looking off in amusement. "Thanks, Snips." He said softly, the grin still on his face, "You've always got my back, haven't you?"

Just then, Rex came running to Anakin, followed by two more troopers. "Sir!" Rex called, "We got an anonymous tip you were in trouble, I was going to send an evac shuttle. But it seems you worked it out."

Anakin nodded, feeling better than he had in quite a while. "I've got this," he said confidently, "We have a mission to finish. Come on Rex, we're supposed to rendezvous in ten minutes!"

Rex glanced at his commlink on his wrist commpad and shook his helmeted head in amusement. Anonymous tip. Looking around at the scene of crushed droidekas, Rex could easily figure out who the anonymous tip came from. And for Anakin's sake, Rex was sure glad that Ahsoka was looking out for him.

Rex looked at his commpad again, a message flashing across the small screen.

"You're welcome" it read.

Rex smiled. "Thanks" he wrote back in reply.

"Anytime. You know how to reach me. A."

For the first time since Ahsoka left the Jedi Order, he felt at peace with her decision. She left the Jedi, but not him and not the war. She was still helping and doing all she could. He knew she would. She was way too invested in the war to let it go. And anonymous help was something he could definitely use more often.

Anakin looked over his shoulder at Rex, and waved for him to follow. Rex obliged, following after his Jedi General. They both felt much more confident than they did going into this battle. They had backup, they had a friend. They weren't alone.

Ahsoka Tano would never leave her friends, especially when they're in the thick of battle.

'A for anonymous,' Rex mused, 'Or A for Ahsoka?'

Rex thought a moment more before deciding. 'Both.'