ACCCK! Sorry all for the HUGE delay. I was chasing some bright, sparkly distractions in another fandom and...well...yeah...*sighs* My bad. I think one more long chapter should do it for this story, and I'll get it out before the next season starts. I'm traveling all next week though, so my writing time will be nil then.

Dragunz - You know, I wasn't sure about the name Alexsandr at first, but it's growing on me. Still feels weird, you know? I might need more time before I can use it in any writing without looking at it just a little sideways. Yeah...and...huh...thanks for the kick in the pants? *laughs* I guess I needed that. My muse for this story has been a little silent and I'd been struggling with trying to get my writing to stick to the page. I'm just not feeling great about it, but that just meant it was time to stop fiddling and post!

Lynn Friedman-kinsey - Oh yeah, Thrawn was only sloppy as a distraction. He totally took that hit so he could get a clean jab at Kallus. I'm sure he'd calculated the risk and felt it worth it. Julia is an interesting character. I'd love to explore her backstory more, but that might be something I'll hold off on until after this series is over. I'm really excited to see where this next season goes! *does a happy dance that the season starts soon*

XinterestingX - *grins* Well..maybe...

Kgirl1 - Thanks for the reviews! I did really like writing the scene with the guys and the kids. They were so adorable!


Zeb started his speeder bike, feeling a wave of relief as the machine readily purred to life. With the luck they'd been having, he expected to find no working speeders at the end of the assembly line. Of course, just because the bikes started didn't mean they wouldn't blow up as they got up to speed. Zeb only hoped that Kallus' reports had been correct and there weren't any solitary rebels in the area with sabotage on their minds.

A faint creak, slight, almost inaudible sounded from somewhere within the factory. Zeb swiveled his ears, straining to hear more, to sort out what danger could be lurking, but the seemingly abandoned factory had gone silent once again.

The sense of danger didn't fade though, and Zeb felt his hackles rise as he cast his gaze about in search of hidden enemies. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

Beside him, Kallus shifted on his bike, and Zeb's attention slowly turned to the ex-agent.

It was strange seeing the man decked out in Stormtrooper gear. Having Rex in the gear was bad enough, but Kallus still had so much Imperial stiffness to him. He looked a little too authentic. It was…unsettling.

"Get ready, Chop," Kallus said, his voice distorted through the helmet. "As soon as we are outside, set off the explosives." He paused, tilting his head toward Zeb and then Rex. "Good luck."

Atop his bike, Rex forced a grim smile, and Chopper, from his sidecar beside the clone, merely shifted his gaze from Kallus to Zeb. It was never a good sign when the little droid started to look nervous.

Zeb opened his mouth, intending to offer some quip about how they could handle this, how they'd handled worse in the past, but he couldn't force the words out. Something was off about this place – some danger was hanging over them, waiting for an opportune moment to strike. With Thrawn involved, this wasn't going to be easy.

Then, Kallus and Rex turned their bikes toward the exit.

By the time Zeb angled his speeder into position, the clone had started off. In a few short seconds he would breach the exit and Chopper would trigger the explosions. There was no turning back.

After uttering one last curse under his breath, Zeb followed, pushing his bike to full speed as quickly as possible so that he could catch up to Rex, but he allowed himself a glance back to ensure Kallus followed.

Kallus had started off, but Zeb didn't like how far behind them the man was, and the fact that a thick volley of blaster fire started really wasn't helping the matter either.

From somewhere within the factory, at least two dozen Stormtroopers suddenly appeared. Luckily, the bucketheads were lousy shots.

Zeb turned his attention back to the exit ahead. They just had to keep moving, as long as they could keep moving, they'd make it out of the compound.

The large factory door gave a low squeal – the gears soft clatter sounding as the metal barrier started to lower.

Only a split second of alarm triggered in Zeb, and then he realized the door was moving too slowly to be of any real concern. All it would succeed in doing was locking the bucketheads in.

They were almost to the door when the rhythm of the speeder bikes changed. In the hum of straining engines, there was the sudden groan and clatter of metal coming to an abrupt halt.

Just as he made it outside, Zeb glanced back. Explosions, triggered by Chopper, sounded from nearby, but Zeb's attention was fully on the lone figure lying on the factory floor. The Stormtrooper armor was dusty and scuffed and a smoldering, twisted speeder bike lay a fair distance from the individual. The figure moved slightly. A single arm reaching up to shakily slide the trooper helmet off.

With his face exposed, Kallus' dazed, darting gaze was wide, revealing how disorientated the man surely felt.

Zeb cursed and turned his bike, hearing a shout of surprise from Rex. The blaster fire was getting thicker. Chopper's explosions were only meant to be a momentary distraction. They didn't have much time left.

Kallus sat up, his movements jerky, uncoordinated. The ex-agent eyed the lowering door in alarm. Already it was half way down and picking up speed as it went.

Dodging blaster fire, Zeb pushed the bike as hard as he could, but he knew…He wouldn't get to Kal in time, and yet he couldn't turn away. He couldn't leave him.

Kallus looked up, the fear and anxiety draining from his expression as his eyes settled on Zeb. For a split second, the man held a look of such relief, and then he too must have done the calculations. This rescue would not reach him in time. Zeb watched the man's elation melt as dread set in once more.

Behind Kallus, out of his line of sight, around two dozen Stormtroopers had emerged from their cover from within the factory. Slowly, they crept forward, shock sticks at the ready as they advanced on their target.

Kallus stood, his wobbly legs looking ready to give out at any moment, but the man forced himself forward. Zeb clenched his jaw, watching each struggled step.

"Behind you," Zeb bellowed, leaning forward on his bike, as if that would amplify his voice. "Look behind you, Kal."

Slowing his pace, Kallus blinked. Eyes glossy with shock and confusion, he hesitated a moment and then turned his back to Zeb – so that he faced the troopers.

The door lowered further and Zeb could only see Kallus' legs. Still facing his enemy, the man took one unsteady step back, and then the door sealed shut.

So focused on the scene before him, Zeb almost didn't turn his speeder in time. Pulling hard to the left, sparks flew as his bike skimmed the door.

With a growled curse, he veered wildly into the compound's yard, looking for Rex and Chopper, but he could find no sight of them. He hoped they'd more sense than he had and had used the opportunity for escape. With both the explosions and Zeb's race through the compound as a distraction, the other two should have easily been able to get away. Maybe they would be able to find help and return.

Zeb winced as a blaster bolt nearly grazed his left ear. He had to make a decision – try to make it through the gate and escape this madness or continue to be a kriffin' fool and probably get himself killed.

His thoughts screamed to choose escape. It was the logical choice. He even started to turn the bike toward the gate, but then he changed course back to the factory.

Muttering under his breath every curse that came to mind, he reached into his pouch pocket, pulling out some of the small round smoke bombs Sabine had made him. He hated using them. The things smelled awful. The smoke burned his eyes and dulled his sense of smell, but they would provide him just enough cover to disappear.

He raced along the wall of the factory until he found what he'd been looking for. Tossing the smoke bombs down, he drew in one last deep breath and held it as the smoke billowed up around him. Then, with one break-neck leap, he sprang from the moving bike and grabbed hold of a pipe running vertically up the factory's wall.

Eyes watering, lungs burning – begging him to draw in a breath, Zeb climbed.

He could hear his speeder continue on, crashing loudly somewhere below, but he didn't look down. The smoke would only last so long, and he had to get as high as possible, out of sight if he could, before the bucketheads looked up.

Hauling himself over the roof's edge, Zeb was panting hard now – the horrible sulfur taste of the smoke bomb lingering in his mouth. He suppressed his urge to cough and carefully chanced a glance down at the scene below.

Troopers were running about. Only thin wisps of smoke remained. A few bucketheads stopped to inspect the mangled remains of Zeb's speeder, as if they were desperately hoping to find his body hidden within the meager crash.

That's when Zeb spotted them.

Tucked nearly out of sight in a grouping of cargo crates, Rex and Chopper were hunkered down.

"Karabast…"

Zeb felt his heart drop. Those blooming idiots didn't leave. They stayed and now they were all in danger. If they managed to get out of this, Hera was going to kill all of them for being such imbeciles.

Rex had his eyes fixed on Zeb, and the Lasat could just barely make out the wide smile the clone gave him, and then the man and droid slunk back out of view.

Impossible odds of escape, no plan, everyone separated, one member captured…yep, this mission was going about as well as any of their other missions.

Muttering to himself, Zeb explored the rooftop, hoping to find some entrance into the factory. He was not that lucky though. The only opening he found was a series of skylights that were much too small for him to squeeze his bulk through. He could, however, peer down into the factory below, and what he found instantly had him letting out a low growl.

Kallus had his back to the large factory door. Thrawn stood before the rebel with seven Stormtroopers surrounding the two. Even from so high above, Zeb could see that Kallus' body heave with each breath he took in. The man was exhausted, but his fight was far from over.

It appeared that Thrawn and Kallus were talking, but, from so far off, Zeb couldn't overhear their conversation. He leaned in, as if a few inches would make a difference, and suddenly Thrawn was looking up, scanning the rafters.

Zeb pulled back, aware that he must have blocked the light of day streaming into the room, drawing the Chiss' attention. He strode over to a different skylight, waited a few moments and then carefully peeked into the factory.

Thrawn's attention was back on Kallus, and the two were still conversing. Zeb watched, not daring to blink, hardly able to breath.

Kallus managed to slowly pick up a shock stick that had been on the ground near him without causing the Chiss to leap into action.

Good, get a weapon…that will help…a little…

It wouldn't be enough, not when he was winded and possibly wounded. Even in his peak of health, Thrawn had beaten him. A lone shock stick would hardly make them equals in a fight.

Zeb tensed as Thrawn sprang at Kallus, but the Chiss' moves seemed sloppy, almost intentionally so. Kal landed a strike easily and Thrawn managed to take a couple of steps before crumpling to the ground.

Kallus was quick to move forward, body tensed, ready to land another blow, but something was wrong. He teetered slightly, the shock baton falling from his grasp before he reached the Chiss. In moments, the ex-agent sank to the floor, sitting, confusion and fear washing over his face.

Zeb leaned closer, a throaty growl emitting from deep within him.

Thrawn was on his feet again, standing over Kal. It took Zeb a moment to register that the Chiss held a hypo-syringe in one hand, that he'd used the sloppy, rushed attack as a distraction to administer…whatever he had to Kal.

Kallus swayed, the last of his energy obviously spent, but Thrawn crouched down, catching the man before his head could impact the hard floor. The Chiss lowered Kal to the ground, rose and then motioned toward the Stormtroopers.

As Thrawn walked away, the troopers came forward, roughly flipping Kallus onto his stomach and tugging his arms behind his back. They put him in binders, though Zeb was sure, at this point, the man was already unconscious. Thrawn probably wasn't willing to take any chances after Kal had escaped from him near Atollon.

The troopers grabbed Kallus by the shoulders and started dragging him across the dusty floor. Zeb tracked them, moving from skylight to skylight until he found himself at the edge of the building. They exited from a small door, hauling the unconscious man into the open.

For a split second, Zeb considered launching himself off the rooftop and tackling the troopers, but they weren't the only enemy nearby. Others would be on him instantly. In the end, that surprise attack would only get him killed or captured.

Karabast…

He watched them head in the direction of the shuttle pads. Thrawn probably had his private transport there waiting. If that ship left with Kal on it, they might never get him back.

Quickly, Zeb circled the building, carefully searching the compound below. Finally, he found what he was looking for – an area devoid of trooper activity. Using his opportunity before it vanished, he hefted himself over the edge of the building and began climbing down.

As soon as he felt the ground beneath his feet, he was moving, running in the direction he'd last seen Kal. He'd stumbled upon a couple of troopers, but he was quick to grab them by their helmets and bash their heads together. Not wasting a moment, he leapt over them as they crumpled to the floor.

The insanity of his frantic, haphazard rescue wasn't lost on Zeb. He could feel the overwhelming odds of failure growing with each step he took, and yet he couldn't stop. He couldn't just let Kallus be taken into the torment that surely awaited him.

Rounding a corner, Zeb found himself standing before four Stormtroopers. Behind them, Thrawn stood near a shuttle. The back cargo door to the ship was open, and within it were two Deathtroopers holding a slumped Kallus.

With no time to think, Zeb sprang forward, tackling two of the Stormtrooper. He managed to incapacitate them, but the jolt of a shock stick in his back had him writhing in pain. Though his muscles spasmed and burned, he forced himself up, and managed to launch his bulk at the two remaining Stormtroopers. It only took a couple punches to still them both.

Panting for breath, shaking, Zeb got back to his feet and turned his gaze to Thrawn. The Chiss stood, arm raised, blaster leveled at the Lasat.

"You were an admirable foe." Thrawn said quietly, his intent clear.

What the Chiss failed to notice though, and what Zeb's surprised gasp almost gave away, was the small droid, that had been hiding in the shadow of the shuttle, was now speeding forward with this shock arm out.

Chopper must have had his shocker set to high, because the Chiss' body instantly tensed and contorted as he barred his teeth, a gurgled, strangled groan escaping him. As the droid pulled back, Thrawn collapsed, and, in the shuttle, one of the Deathtroopers turned his blaster on his comrade and fired.

Zeb blinked. His dazed mind unable to comprehend how this turn of good fortune had occurred.

The lone conscious Deathtrooper gingerly set Kallus aside and waved to Zeb.

"Get your get purple, hairy butt in here before the whole compound realizes what's happened!"

Rex?

Chopper gave an angry string of chirps, ramming himself into Thrawn one last time before turning and heading up the ramp into the shuttle.

Shedding his Deathtrooper helmet, Rex grabbed the other Deathtrooper by the arm and hauled him roughly from the shuttle.

"Sorry, bud," Rex chuckled, "We need to travel light." Here the clone turned back toward Zeb. "I was kind of being serious about us getting a move on."

Zeb started forward, picking up his pace when a new round of blaster fire started up behind him. By the time he was in the shuttle, hitting the controls for the door, Rex was already in the pilot seat lifting them off.

The ride was less than smooth, but, taking into account how much fire was being directed at them, Zeb just thanked the Force that they made it out at all. After checking to make sure Kal wasn't serious injured, and removing the binders from the unconscious man, Zeb took a seat next to Rex.

"So…How exactly did you and Chop manage that?" Zeb asked.

"What?" Rex grinned. "I just thought I'd look good in black. It's rather slimming, you know."

Zeb chuckled. If not now, he would hear the harrowing tale from Rex at some point. He was sure of it.

The smile faded from Rex's face as he glanced back at Kallus. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah," Zeb answered with a shrug, "a bit banged up, and knocked out from whatever Thrawn pumped into him, but he'll be okay. I imagine he'll be out for quite a while."

"I thought…" The clone paused, his words soft, strained. "I thought we were going to lose him back there, and…I kept picturing what was going to happen to him. I just couldn't…I couldn't…leave."

Rex went silent, his sad gaze fixed on the controls before him.

"I know," Zeb whispered. "I know…"