"We're on our way back home," said Pluck, smiling.

Beck nodded, certainly not as lighthearted as his brother.

Grey couldn't actually smile in his state of worry. He was born and raised on Orahu instead of the standard Tipoca clone, so the small elevated city was of personal value to him and a few of his brothers in the 618th.

Lea heard the crash of thunder before she saw it all. Heavy rainfall attacked the sides of the ship, pelting the open areas and drenching the Jedi and her legion. She shivered drastically.

Grey noticed it. Oddly enough, the chill of the stormy weather never got to him. He smiled slightly, but shook it off, returning to his hard and concerned expression.

The gunship touched down on one pristine white landing pad, the troops unboarding.

Commander Hero ran to greet them, a batch of rag-tag soldiers coming behind.

"Good to see some Orahu faces," said Hero, nodding to Grey. "We saved who we could. Almost no cloners got out of that heat alive."

Grey frowned, looking hurt in every way. "This is the surviving party?"

The five behind the commander looked down at their boots as Hero nodded. "Said they survived the heat. Didn't survive the next wave. Meet Eastside, Cock, Tailwind, Drum, and Jabberwocky."

"You were picked off like that?" whispered Lea. "That's horrible!"

"We're strong enough to take it, General," said Hero halfheartedly. "Consider this... sifting through the rough ends."

Grey followed Hero and the batch, the three troopers who came with them tailing behind Lea, who caught up with her commander.

"He doesn't really believe that?" she whispered to him.

Grey shook his head. "Hero's our optimist. Thinks optimism comes with a price, though."

She believe this commander's need to be optimistic right now. Countless clones - brothers of his - were killed.

"How much time do we have until the next wave?" asked Lea.

"It's quiet for about an hour interval before the next wave of Seps comes," whispered Drum. "Then Hell breaks out again."

"Captain Sidekick," said Grey hopefully. "Did he-"

Hero shook his head. "No. Sidekick, Blindside, Afterburner, they're bodies are still back in the barracks if you need proof."

Grey blinked, shaking his head absently. Almost as if in a daze, he kept walking towards the dry refuge from the rain.

Lea swallowed hard. "When was the last wave?"

Hero hesitated. "'Bout an hour ago."

Pluck, Beck, and Cuff each cocked his own pistol and was ready to shoot rounds at the next droid he saw.

"If we don't find the source," said Grey, "we're as good as dead meat. Where're they all coming from?"

Hero stomped a boot on the landing pad on which they stood. "Down here. All sides. No exceptions, perfect timing, perfect sync. No way out."

Grey rested his chin in his hand, frowning. "That could mean they're barnacling…"

Lea furrowed her brow. "Excuse me?"

"Barnacling," said Hero. "It's a tactic used on planets like Kamino. Transports grapple the elevation, allowing their troops a quiet and perfect surprise attack." He turned back to Grey. "That's exactly what the Seps are doing. They knew that Tipoca was too big to try and take again, and Orahu is a lovely victim. We can't contact Mistress Ti once they take the control and communications facility, which they took first, so we have no automatic way to help." He nodded to the three tagalongs. "They had a ship, so I had them leave for you quietly."

"You have hydro-troops?"

Hero motioned to the survivors. "They're all that's left."

Grey looked desperately at the door. "Do you have a way to the armory?"

The surviving commander shook his head. "We have nothing."

Lea's commander nodded slowly. "We need a plan."

The landing pad shook ferociously, and a wave of aqua droids crawled over all sides, chirping and making too much chatter to focus on one thing. Lea activated her lightsaber and shoto, Grey training his aim at the expansive queue of Separatist droids around him. The survivors hefted their own weapons, as did his trio of troopers.

"Can you make a plan while givin' them two?" grumbled Hero.