Chapter 3. What Wonderful Luck?

After several tense minutes of silence in the landing bay, the impact finally came, and the two clones and young padawan worked to keep the Duchess and Senator from being thrown out of the ship. Though it couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, Cody thought the ride would never end, and was relieved when they came to a stop and he felt the Duchess move from off the top of him. Rex, though more concerned for Ahsoka, whose small frame wouldn't be able to protect her from any serious impact, was as equally relieved to feel Padme climb off of him. In the end, he decided he was more afraid of General Skywalker if he had let the Senator fall than he was of Ahsoka being able to protect herself. She had proven herself capable many times before, he knew.

Their lungs and eyes burned with the smoke rising from the wreck, so all four of them struggled to find their way out onto the planet. Stepping gingerly on bruised legs and banged-up hips, they were blinded by the sudden sun light.

"Is everyone ok," Padme reluctantly asked, for fear of a lack of response.

"Satine?"

"I'm fine, Padme."

"Captain? Commander?"

"We're fine, Senator," Cody responded. Rex begged to differ, rubbing his shoulder where he had been slammed into Cody's blaster, but thought better of it.

"Ahsoka? Are you ok," she asked. Ahsoka was limping and Rex couldn't help but notice the laceration above her left eye, but she nodded and proved she could move everything without help by flexing each of her limbs. But it wasn't for several long moments until the absence of both Generals was noticed.

"Senator, Duchess, why don't you two go sit under that tree right there and wait while myself, Rex, and Cody look for them. We wouldn't want you to be crushed in this... hunk-a-junk," Ahsoka joked, obviously trying to lighten the mood when she thought better of using the word "deathtrap". The two women complied and left for the shade. Then turning to Rex and Cody, she added, "If either of you find… something… quietly find me. We don't want to worry Padme or Satine anymore than they already are."

"Agreed," Cody said, obviously noting what Ahsoka meant by "something". With that, the three split up and searched the carnage of the ship. However, curiosity got the better of Rex, and he turned towards the back of the ship to inspect the engines.

Running his hands along the still warm metal, he stopped when his suspicions had been proven. "Scorch marks," he noted. Continuing his inspection, his eyes widened as he reached an all too familiar sight. "No… blaster marks." Rex's expression turned grim as the realization that last night's attackers had almost succeeded. Or, at least, hoped had almost succeeded. With his new discovery, he walked around to the other side of the ship where he found Cody helping General Skywalker to his feet. He was burned and holding his ribs, but was fortunately conscious and talking.

"I don't understand it," Anakin was saying, "Everything was fine. And then all of the sudden-"

"I think I have your explanation, Sir," Rex interjected, "but it can wait until later. The Senator is under that tree with the Duchess.

"Thank you, Captain," Anakin replied as he walked in the direction of Rex's finger.

"Have you found General Kenobi, yet," Cody asked.

"No..." As soon as the word left his mouth, Ahsoka walked up to them with a grim face.

Cody had been in too many battles and knew all too well what that face meant. His stomach suddenly lurched into his chest. "I found him," she began. "He's alive, but it's not good." She lead them around a fallen control panel and back into the darkness of the ship. Under what used to be a support beam in the bridge was Obi-Wan Kenobi, lying on his back unconscious with the beam crushing his abdomen and chest. "If you two lift and I use the Force, we might be able to free him."

Immediately agreeing, they used all of their strength to move the beam, being careful not to drop it back on to him or crush his skull. It was exhausting work, but after several minutes, Obi-Wan was free and had been moved outside into the sun. Cody immediately went to checking his vitals. "He's alive, but fading," he said grimly. "We need to find a place to shelter ourselves for the night until transport can come."

It wasn't until Cody had said that that Rex made the realization of where he was. "There's no way," he said.

Ahsoka and Cody looked at each other and then at Rex with curious faces.

"There is no way… No way our luck is this good," Rex whispered.

"Uh, sorry, mate, but in case you haven't noticed," Cody began, "it's not. You must have hit your head harder than you thought."

"I can't believe it," Rex continued. By now, Satine, Padme, and Anakin had made it to Obi-Wan's side with worried faces.

"Can't believe what? Rex," Ahsoka asked.

Rex answered with a sly grin, "Farmland." Rex immediately instructed everyone to gather their things and load the speeders. He took point and led the rest of the group down the all too familiar dirt pathway to the all too familiar homestead.

Getting off of his speeder, Rex tucked his helmet under his arm, left the rest of the group and made his way up the steps of the house, surprised he had not been greeted at blaster-point yet. He rapped his knuckles on the wooden door and waited as he heard boots walking across the floor. When the door opened, Rex was staring into his own face, except it wasn't him, but one of his brothers.

"Well, I'll be damned," Cut exclaimed from the middle of the doorway, a look of surprise and knowing flooding his rich brown eyes.

"Hello, brother," responded Rex, and they shook hands Mando'a style.