Because of a lapse in school I was able to get this out a little earlier then hoped. I promised I would try to get another chapter out over the weekend, so here you go :)

By the way, we are over 4,300 views on the story! Thanks a ton guys!

I can finally begin wrapping up the battle of Bakura in this chapter, so you get to see how the world ends. On Bakura, of course. Hopefully, my interpretation of several major characters are worthy of their true selves!

"There is no Greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." -Jesus Christ


Salis D'aar, Eastern District, Abandoned Warehouse

06:21 Salis D'aar time, 11:44 Senate Time

Varan felt the transport come to a stop, and leapt out as soon as the doors opened. He landed in a puddle in the street, almost like a child puddle jumping. Soon, his actions were mirrored by the other 15 people he rode with.

He followed Captain Jett to the door of the old building. He had no idea when it was last used, but it looked like it had been shut-up for years. Varan watched with mirth as the Captain fiddled with the long dead electronic lock, trying to get it to come to life. He said,"Sir, why don't we go through a window?"

Captain Jett tried one more thing, then gave up,"I guess we don't get a choice, this lock's fried."

"I'm not surprised, it looks like it saw the Jedi Sith wars."

Jett smirked, and walked over to the nearest window without a word. After a single shot, the glass shattered and fell to the ground. He turned back to the street, facing his men,"Alright, were in. Climb in one at a time, and we'll take a look around." He pulled himself up with gloved hands, and through the window. Varan was right behind him, landing on some broken glass on the floor.

Jett glanced at his boots and shook his head,"Your not very good at being quiet, Corporal."

Varan kicked some of the glass away, trying not to snap at the man. He finally said,"Sorry sir, I guess I shouldn't have broken the window. Then there wouldn't be any glass on the floor."

Captain Jett smiled and shook his head,"Yeah, I wonder who was stupid enough to break that?"

Varan felt the anger leave him as he realized the captain was joking. He pulled a light from his pocket and turned it on.

The room was mostly dark, but from what Varan could see, it was pretty big, large enough to fit all of them easily. The sun was obstructed by the rain, preventing its light from illuminating the rest of the building, which was dark.

He shuffled around the room, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. After he felt like it was clear, he said,"Captain, would you like me to take first guard shift so the others can sleep?"

He couldn't see him clearly, but he almost sensed he was shaking his head,"Its ok, Corporal. You and your men, and your girl, get some sleep." Varan made out his hand gesturing across the room,"Not much in accommodations, I hope your good with sleeping on the floor."

Varan glanced at the window, and saw Jimas climbing through,"I guess it will have to do. Wake me when you need me."

He laid down next to a wall, and motioned Jimas to come over and join him. The smaller man eagerly complied, and joined him on the floor.

Varan rubbed his eyes,"I'm going to wait for Mith and Mara. You go ahead and sleep."

Jimas mumbled,"Yes sir. Right.. as soon as-" He drifted off into a slumber. Varan smiled, they would all need it for whatever the day held. He saw Mith and Mara walking over to him, and patted the ground to his side. They laid down next to him, and started trying to find a comfortable position on the hard floor.

Varan felt like he needed to tell them something, but decided it could wait until later. He closed his eyes, and within moments, slipped into deep sleep.


Venator-Class,"Resolute"

20:41 Hours

Admiral Yularen cringed as the Lucrehulk sent a barrage of lasers at the nearest Acclamator, causing it to explode in a brilliant flash of light. Another ship, thousands more perished because of this war.

He pressed a button on the hologram projector, and the captains of all friendly ships immediately appeared. Yularen wasted no time getting to the point,"Gentlemen, concentrate all fire on that battleship. We were all supposed to come home today."

The officers saluted with a chorus of,"Yes Sir!"

He glanced out the window again. The Separatist fleet was crumbling, slowly but surely. Unless they could get their bombers through, victory was assured for the Republic. And Yularen knew he had one of the best pilots in the galaxy out there.


Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter

20:43 Hours

"Good shot master!"

Anakin felt the rush of adrenaline that only came with battle. He just shot down another tri-fighter, a particularly pesky one that took more effort then usual to take down. As he flew through its explosion, he immediately spotted another bomber, and flew straight for it.

Before he could get a lock, a wave of missiles sliced through space, causing the bomber to explode in another brilliant flash. Ashoka's red starfighter flew right in front of his, as if claiming the kill for herself. Anakin said,"Looks like you've still got it, Ashoka."

He heard her voice float across the mike,"Are we keeping score? Because that was six for me."

Anakin smiled. Same old Ashoka,"I haven't been keeping track, want to restart?"

"Nope, you just start at zero."

He turned his fighter hard to the right to get a lock on a Vulture droid. He immediately let loose with his cannon, causing it to explode,"Alright Snips, I've got one."

A clone's voice came over the intercom,"I've got a tri-fighter on my six! I can't shake him!"

Anakin called out,"Sit tight, soldier, I'm on my way." He spotted a ARC-170 to his left being followed by a tri-fighter. Despite some impressive maneuvers, the clone just couldn't shake him.

Anakin flipped his starfighter on its side and turned on his thrust, closing the gap in a matter of a few seconds. In that time, the tri-fighter managed to clip the ARC-170 with his cannon, causing its left engine to break off. The clone called out,"Now or never, sir!"

Anakin didn't take the time to get a solid lock, he just aimed and let loose with everything he had. A combination of unguided missiles and cannon obliterated the droid ship, causing it to disappear in the resulting explosion.

"Thanks, sir. I owe you one."

Anakin replied,"No problem, clone. Get back to your hangar for repairs."

"Sir, you see that Acclamator blowing apart?"

Anakin bent down so he could see,"Yeah.."

"That was my ship, sir."

"Okay, head to the Resolute, your in no fighting shape right now."

The clone replied,"Yes sir. And thank you sir." He turned the ship a full 180, and set course for the Venator flagship.

Anakin spotted Ashoka's red starfighter in the distance, twisting and turning with 4 Vultures right outside of the Lucrehulk's hangar. He smiled,"Snips, what have you gotten yourself into?"

Her voice sounded innocent,"They were ignoring me, master, so I went to their door."

He saw several tri-fighters turn sharply toward the dogfight,"Well, they aren't ignoring you now. You've got more company."

She replied non-chalantly,"The more the merrier, master." She added emphasis by shooting a vulture droid down. It spun out of control, and smacked into the Lucrehulk's hull.

"Alright, Snips, call me if you need me." He started tailing another droid starfighter.

"Thanks, but I should be good."

He shook his head as he destroyed another tri-fighter. He spotted a wing of bombers headed for the Venators, and set course to cut them off. The four bombers, which actually had pilots, spotted the Jedi starfighter speeding toward them, and spread out, spinning and trying to prevent Anakin from getting a lock.

It failed. Anakin got a lock, and fired his missiles at the bomber. The missiles smacked into the bomber, but was unable to destroy it. Anakin muttered,"Since when did they armor their bombers so well?"

A ARC-170 flew up beside him,"Need a hand, sir?" The clone started firing at the bomber Anakin hit, causing it to explode.

"Thanks soldier, lets get the rest of them." He got another lock, and fired at the bomber with his missiles and cannon. The bomber was unable to withstand the assault, and with another flash of light, it disappeared.

"Uh, master, I think I'm in a little over my head."

Anakin smiled,"You sure? You sounded pretty confident."

Her voice was slightly frantic,"No, really! I made them really mad, Skyguy. A little help please?"

He turned toward her last position. His jaw dropped when he saw she was against 15 or so droid fighters, all buzzing around Ashoka's ship. She was fighting valiantly, but Anakin knew it was a miracle she didn't already have buzz droids on her ship.

Too late,"Master, I've got Buzz droids on me! I need help now!"

"On my way, Ashoka!" He pushed the little interceptor as hard as he could, achieving a impressive top speed.

He watched with horror as a vulture droid thrashed her ship with laser fire. She yelled,"I'm going down master! I have to land in their hangar!"

"Ashoka, are you crazy? There's no way you'll survive that landing!"

"If I don't land there, I'm not landing at all!" He saw her flaming ship barreling toward the Separatist hangar,"It was good working with you, master. May the force be with you."

"Ashoka!" The ship disappeared into the Lucrehulk hangar. Anakin immediately reached out with the force, trying to detect her life force. It was there, but rather faint.

Hold on, Ashoka! Anakin immediately contacted Yularen, but he couldn't raise him. Instead, he got the captain of one of the Venators. The officer saluted,"What can I do for you, Jedi?"

"Sir, you need to order your fleet to hold fire on that battleship! My apprentice just crashed in its hangar!"

The officer shook his head,"I'm sorry sir, I can't do that."

Anakin yelled,"That's an order! Stand down and engage the other ships!"

The captain's face registered some anger,"At what cost, sir?! That Lucrehulk has already cost us two good ships, how many more will we lose if we leave it be?"

Anakin felt anger toward the man, but he knew he was right. He pleaded,"Captain, just give me 5 minutes to get her off. That's all I ask."

"Your one man, Skywalker. Stay off that ship or you will die too."

Anakin growled,"Stop firing on that ship, commander."

The captain's voice was cold,"No, sir. I'm sorry."

Another voice came across the mike, one belonging to a clone,"General, cover my ship, I'll get her off."

"Rex, is that you?"

"In the flesh, sir."

Anakin felt a glimmer of hope,"You understand you could die without even getting to her, right Captain?"

"Yes, sir. Just-"

Another captain piped up,"Clone, I'm ordering you to stay off that ship! You and your teammates are to remain in place!"

Rex replied,"With all due respect, no sir."

"That's a direct order, Captain!"

"That's nice sir. General Skywalker, cover my gunship."

The fleet commander cried out,"Security! Lock down the hangars to the Resolute!"

"Sorry, sir, the comms array on the Resolute is down."

Anakin began engaging the horde of droid starfighters again,"Godspeed, Rex."


Lucrehulk-Class,"Annihilator" Hangar 43

20:49 Hours

Ashoka had the weirdest dream. She dreamed that she and Anakin were in a dogfight over the planet of Taris, and she got shot down by a horde of Vulture droids. She felt some amusement at the thought of getting shot down. If I got shot down, I'd be dead, she thought. Besides, droids are awful pilots. It would take at least 10 to shoot me down. For whatever reason though, she had a headache, not something that was caused by a dream.

She heard a mechanical voice,"Hey, what is that?"

Suddenly, it all came rushing back to her. She really did get shot down in her starfighter over Taris. Could I be dead? She tried to move her fingers, and realized she could. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn't see where she was, but at least she could move a little.

She felt a sudden burst of pain in her chest as if a switch had been turned on. She was alive. Slowly, her mind began to clear, and she let out a groan of pain.

The mechanical voice returned,"Whatever it is, its alive."

"How do you know that?"

"It just made a sound, genius."

Ashoka popped her eyes open. Right in front of her, two B-1 battle droids were standing over her in the cockpit. They stared at each other for a moment in shock, until Ashoka summoned the force and threw them into the wall. She smiled at their mechanical screams, then the sound of metal smacking against metal.

She tried to sit up, but the same sharp pain in her chest forced her back down. She moved her other limbs to see if anything was broken, and felt more pain in her right arm. As far as she was aware, her legs felt ok, if a little sore. Ashoka grabbed her lightsaber, and gingerly crawled through the hole in her cockpit.

Ashoka looked around, she saw her ship had crashed into a Separatist hangar. Surrounding her starfighter, in one large, seemingly endless circle, were hundreds of battle droids. Great, she thought, at least they're dumb. Since she was out of options, she decided to try and talk her way out.

Ashoka smiled at the nearest one,"Sorry about that landing, I guess I'm not the pilot I used to be."

The battle droids aimed their blasters at her, creating a forest of barrels pointed in her direction. The one she spoke to said,"Surrender, Jedi scum!"

Ashoka feigned a look of ignorance, putting her hand over her heart,"Jedi? What do you mean? I'm no jedi, I am a Separatist!"

The battle droids looked at each other, their mechanical faces unable to display their confusion. The droid she spoke to said,"Uh, she looks like a jedi. She's not one of us, is she?"

Another responded,"Beats me. She says she isn't one, but your probably to stupid to tell the difference between one and a rock."

The original droids glared at him,"Hey! I resent that! You can't tell either!"

The other seemed to be insulted, if that were possible. He motioned with his blaster in Ashoka's direction,"Well, I know she isn't, because she said so!"

"But what if she's tricking you? She could be lying!"

Another added,"Hey, your right!" He aimed his blaster at her,"Can you prove your not a jedi?"

Ashoka bit her lip. She felt every photoreceptor and blaster aimed straight at her. She stuttered,"Well of course, because, well, uh-" She glanced around,"Does this look like a jedi starfighter to you?"

The droid responded,"Yes, it does."

Ashoka laughed, brushing her lekku to the side,"Your crazy! Jedi starfighters are shaped like squares."

"Uh, what?"

I just need to seize the initiative, she thought. Ashoka raised her voice, trying to imitate the way she had seen Mace Windu speak to large crowds,"Yeah, haven't you ever seen one before? It should be obvious I'm on your side!" She jumped down to the ground, trying not to cry out from the stabbing pain in her ribs,"I need a new ship! The clones are destroying us out there!"

Another voice, one that did not belong to a battle droid, rang through the hangar,"Indeed we are, Jedi." The droids began to part to both sides, forming a clear path for the coming stranger,"The droids may not be very intelligent, but you won't fool me." About 30 meters away from her, clad in a admiral's uniform, stood a human she didn't recognize. Ashoka narrowed her eyes, racking her brain for any memory of the man. The stranger approached slowly, a very serious look on his face,"What is your rank, jedi? You don't look very old, are you a Knight, or a Padawan?" He made a motion with his hands to the droids, who trained all their blasters on her.

Ashoka sighed, a feeling of defeat washing over her. There was no way she was fighting her way out of here, meaning she had to talk. She looked sadly at the ground,"Why? What difference does it make?"

The man crossed his arms,"I'm giving you a choice jedi: Surrender, and come quietly, or die where you stand."

She pursed her lips, and shook her head,"You say that like I have a choice. Why not just kill me outright?"

He motioned a couple of magnaguards toward her. Ashoka tensed, but sensed they weren't being ordered to kill her. One of the droids took her lightsaber, and clipped it to his belt. The other took her hands, and put restraints on them. The Separatist admiral, seemingly satisfied, said,"Because I need your help. For both our sakes, and the sakes or your comrades, I need to know who you are, and I need to know now."

A magnaguard grabbed her arm, and walked her over to the man. Ashoka guessed he was in his 30's, with short, dark hair and a short beard. His gaze was a mix of urgency and anger, his brown eyes almost seemed to look through her. Is he trying to trick me? She realized at this point it made no difference. She said quietly,"I am Ashoka Tano, 16, Padawan of the Jedi order."

The man nodded, glancing nervously at the floor as it shook under the fire of Republic ships,"Good, now follow me. There isn't much time."


Venator-Class,"Resolute"

20:47 Hours

"Darn it, Dek, we need to move!"

Captain Rex stood in the LAAT gunship, the urgency of the situation pressing on him. He knew that the captain would be mad at him for going, what he didn't anticipate was a moral crises among his own men.

Dek, the clone in question, shook his head,"Sir, good soldiers follow orders. And we've been ordered to stay."

Rex held his hands out to his sides, glancing at the 7 other clones in the ship,"But general Tano's in danger. We need to move now!"

Dek shook his head, and climbed out of the ship,"Sorry, sir, I can't disobey an order."

The other clones expressed their agreement with Dek. Rex growled,"In that case, as your superior, I order you to come with me on this mission."

Dek replied,"Sir, doesn't the acting admiral pull rank over you?"

"We're the 501st, we have a little more free reign when it comes to operating procedure."

Dek sighed,"I'm sorry sir, good soldiers follow orders, you should all get out of the ship." Several of the other clones hopped out with him.

Rex cried,"Guys, are you going to leave me to do this by myself? Leave a girl you owe your life too for dead because a stuck-up superior ordered you to stay?"

Three of the clones, Crest, Chip, and Slasher, stood next to him,"We're with you sir, your in charge here, not captain whats-his-face."

Rex breathed a sigh of relief, giving all of them thankful glances. He called out,"Now, are any of you robots coming with us?"

The other clones shook their head as one. Dek growled,"You insulting me, sir? You know good soldiers-"

Rex pulled the door shut, cutting off Dek's objection. He called out over his mike to the pilot,"Lets go! We don't have much time!"

"On it sir!" The gunship lifted off, and flew out into space. Rex could see the Lucrehulk's shields glowing under the constant fire from the whole fleet. Apparently, the officer in charge wanted to destroy the ship before Rex and his men could get there. He shook his head. If only the comms for the Resolute were still up, Admiral Yularen would have never allowed this to happen.

He called out over his mike again, this time to the starfighter engaging a dozen Vulture droids outside of the Lucrehulk's hangar,"General Skywalker, cover us. We're on our way."

Anakin's voice came through,"Thanks, Rex. Go get her back."

Rex couldn't help but think about what Dek had said. Good soldiers follow orders. Was he a good soldier? He shook his head, it was as if Dek was in a trance, like he was programed for this. Rex just hoped his gamble wouldn't lead to the deaths of him and his men, also.

He turned to face the 3 clones who came with him. They seemed as cold and collected as always, their rifles aimed at the floor. Rex said,"You guys understand we may not come back, right?"

Slasher replied,"Good soldiers follow orders sir, and we're made to be expendable. Lead the way, and we'll follow."


Salis D'aar, Eastern District, Abandoned Warehouse

13:23 Salis D'aar Time, 18:46 Senate Time

"Sir, wake up!"

Varan felt the unwelcome shaking of someone trying to wake him up. He groaned, and rolled over,"What now?"

He recognized Jimas' voice,"Sir, Captain Jett wishes to see you."

Varan opened his eyes. What time was it anyway? He could still hear raining outside, but it was definitely past lunchtime. He said,"Alright, I'm awake."

Jimas stood,"Other room, as soon as you can." He quickly walked off into another room of the warehouse.

Varan sat up, and looked around. Of their group of 20 or so survivors, 8 or so were asleep on the ground. He quietly stood up, tucked his helmet under his arm, and went toward the new room.

When he entered, Captain Jett, as well as Mith, Mara, Jimas, and the other soldiers, were huddled around a table. Varan saw a hand drawn map of the city, with a few arrows scribbled on. Jett looked up, and said,"Good to see your awake Corporal."

Varan saluted,"Sir, what's the plan?"

Jett yawned, and motioned for the others to be quiet."Supposedly, there is some sort of small shipping port about half a mile deeper into the city. We're going to try and commandeer a ship."

Varan raised a brow,"Are we retreating, sir?"

Jet frowned,"Corporal, we picked up an emergency broadcast about an hour ago. Salis D'aar is listed as fallen, as well as every other city above the size of 25,000, and every military base I can think of. We've already lost."

Varan's shoulders slumped. Already? The planet was normal 24 hours ago! He said quietly,"Alright, when do we move out?"

Jett pointed to a timepiece in the corner of the room,"Top of the hour, Corporal. Make sure you and your squad are ready."


Lucrehulk-Class,"Annihilator"

20:51 Hours

"Sir! Shields are at 29 percent!"

The captain sped up,"Come, Padawan Ashoka, there isn't much time!"

Ashoka still had no idea where they were going, or what he planned to do with her, but she knew she didn't really have a choice. She was being rushed through the ship, which still made no sense to her. She asked,"Captain, I've got two questions: What is your name? Second, what is going on?"

The man didn't even turn around,"I am Captain Royce Tharell. You are my prisoner, the ship is about to blow up with all hands on board, and I am trying to prevent that."

She raised a brow,"How?"

"Simple, I am going to contact the head of the Republic fleet, and use you as a human shield. I will propose a seize fire, then we can negotiate rather then die. You just need to appear weak and desperate, young Ashoka."

She bristled when she called her that. Ashoka didn't care for being reminded she was so young, even if she didn't like the alternative. Feeling a little confrontational, she said,"And if I refuse?"

He stopped, and turned to face her,"Then you die, I die, everybody on board our ship dies, and another Acclamator dies." He turned, and continued on his path.

Feeling sufficiently chastised, she tried to speed up, but felt another sharp pain in her chest. She cried out, instantly regretting since he noticed. Tharell asked,"Are you hurt?"

"Nothing critical, Captain Tharell. I think I busted a rib or two."

He went through a doorway,"If we live long enough, I'll make sure your lung isn't punctured."

The Magnaguards on either side of her moved back, allowing her to enter first. She said,"Well, at least your looking on the bright side."

He smirked, but didn't respond. In front of them was a hologram projector, apparently the main attraction in the room. He turned, and said,"I need you to kneel right there. Don't say anything stupid, and I'll see if I can get us out of this."

She did as she was told, albeit very slowly because of her injuries. The magnaguards put a mechanical hand under her shoulders, and helped her down. She observed,"You don't seem like the other Separatist fleet commanders. How did you get mixed up with the situation when you have an IQ above 80?"

Despite the situation, he laughed,"That's because I'm not fighting for money or power, Ashoka. I am fighting for the freedom of my planet, freedom from a oppressive government."

"Oppressive, you say? What have you to say about the CIS, then?"

He didn't look at her,"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If I live long enough, and we win this war, I will probably be fighting the bankers, too. But that's still down the road. Right now, I'm fighting a government that regulates everything, is run by a corrupt Senate, and restricts personal liberties. I've never met a jedi before, I don't know if you are as you claim to be, but I can tell you the,"Republic" is anything but." He waved a hand,"Trivial matters, I suppose. Wish me luck."

Tharell straightened his posture, pushed his chest out, and waited for the images of the enemy fleet commanders to appear. About 12 different holograms appeared, all of captains of the different republic ships. They seemed to register surprise when they saw they were fighting a human, then shock when they noticed Ashoka in the background.

Tharell cut to the chase,"I need to speak to the Admiral of your little fleet."

One of the officers raised a hand,"Admiral Yularen is unreachable right now, so I am in charge. I assume you are surrendering?"

Tharell took an instant disliking to the man,"Not exactly. As you see, I have one of your own, a jedi, prisoner on my ship. I thought perhaps we could talk. What is your name, captain?"

The officer clasped his hands behind his back,"Captain Brom Titus, and no, unless you are willing to surrender your fleet, we cannot talk."

Tharell growled,"This battleship will be destroyed, but it will take several more ships with it." He pointed to the captains in the background,"Which of you are going to die because he is unwilling to negotiate, hmm? Will you sacrifice your ship and your men-"

Titus shouted,"Quiet! You will not cause a mutiny among the other captains! I am ordering you to surrender your ship, or be destroyed!"

"So, the lives of your men don't matter to you, hmm? This jedi girl doesn't matter either?"

One of the other officers said,"Uh, sir, can we at least hear him out?"

Titus crossed his arms, glaring at both of them. Tharell held his stare, until Titus looked away. Finally, after a tense moment, he said,"Ok, speak, traitor."

Tharell ignored the obvious jab at him,"My proposition is that our fleets immediately cease fire. Once we are done killing each other, I will give you Padawan Tano in exchange for free passage from the system. No one else will have to die, except maybe me, when my superiors realize the deal I made with you." He glared at Titus, who still had a somewhat smug look on his face,"Captain Titus, I don't want to die any more then your men do. This is your chance to cease the bloodshed."

Titus seemed to think for a second. He stroked his nonexistent beard with one hand, keeping the other behind his back,"You Separatist scum can't be dealt with. I'm ordering you to surrender your-"

"I will not, sir!" Tharell slammed his fist against the holoprojector to add emphasis. He turned back to Ashoka,"Padawan, do you think you can talk sense into this fool?"

"I resent that, you-"

Ashoka cut in,"Captain Titus, please accept his offer. Save the lives of your men. Please don't leave me to die for nothing." She watched the Captain's expressions, hoping to see any sign of him wavering.

Before Titus could respond, one of the holograms fizzled out. Tharell snarled,"Another thousand senseless deaths, Captain. What are you going to do about it?"

Titus' face registered a sliver of guilt for a moment. He seemed to consider Tharell's offer, closing his eyes in thought. After a moment, he regained his composure,"Your that jedi that abandoned the order, aren't you? I see no reason why we shouldn't finish this Separatist battleship, and we will."

Ashoka cried,"But captain-"

Titus sighed,"I'm sorry, jedi." And with that, his hologram disappeared.


LAAT Gunship, Taris orbit

20:49 Hours

Rex felt a wave of relief as a couple of ARC-170's flew in to relieve Anakin, who truly had his hands full with the horde of droid fighters. He was relying on Skywalker to get him safely into the droid ship. Good thing I am relying on the best, he thought. The LAAT gunship continued its rocky expenditure toward the massive droid battleship, weaving its way through the hail of laser fire between both sides.

Rex checked his his twin DC-17's, which were both fully loaded and ready to go. He holstered the two weapons, and pulled up his communicator,"General, were coming in, cover our gunship."

Skywalker replied,"Move quickly, Rex. The ship looks like it is about to go." A pause,"By the way, we've pinpointed Ashoka's location, I'm sending it to you now."

"Thank you sir." Rex saw as a small red square appeared in his helmet, somewhere in the large ship. He turned and asked the other clones,"You guys got that?"

Crest replied,"Yes sir!"

"Good, cause we're going to land hot. The ship's engines could fail any moment, so we have to move triple time. Understand?"

A resounding,"Yes sir!"

Rex banged his fist against the door,"Good, lets do this brothers!"

The LAAT made a very ungraceful landing in the hangar, but the pilot succeeded in not crashing the ship. As soon as the door flung open, Rex rolled out before a torrent of lasers was unleashed. Sure enough, not 2 seconds after he got out, the lasers started coming. Rex took cover behind a crate and watched the door to confirm all the others got out alive. When he counted three, he called out,"Lets move! We don't have time for this!"

Crest, Chip and Slasher ran as hard as they could after their Captain, who sprinted through a door on the edge of the hangar. When the door opened, Rex shot a wandering B-1 several times in the chest, causing it to crumple to the ground in a hail of sparks. He leapt over the body, and ran as fast as he could toward the red box. It indicated he was still 84 meters away.

Sprinting like a madman, he covered the distance in a few seconds, diving behind a crate by a door as a group of B-2's spotted him and let out a hail of fire. When he stood up to return fire, the battle droids were already falling to the ground with laser burns, courtesy of his teammates. The three clones stacked up behind him along the wall.

Rex called out over his comms,"3,2,1.." He barreled into the door, which opened too slowly, causing him to smack into the steel door. When he regained his barrings, he shot the handful of B-2's in the room, sending them straight to the ground.

He motioned for the other clones to follow him,"Come on! 12 meters to go!" The three clones followed, and Rex noticed Chip was holding onto his right arm. Rex brushed it off, and sprinted for the next door.

When it opened, he saw Ashoka, sitting on her legs on the floor, in the middle of the room. Also there was a tactical droid, standing next to a man wearing a Captain's uniform. Unfortunately, 2 magnaguards were also present.

"The Tactical droid was in the middle of saying,"Are down to 9 per-" There was an awkward silence as Tharell and the Magnaguards turned to face the clone standing in the doorway.

Rex took advantage of the confusion, and opened up on the Magnaguards, who rolled either direction to avoid the fire. Chip, Slasher and Crest ran into the room also, firing and destroying the tactical droid with a well placed shot. The enemy officer dived behind to hologram terminal, but took a round to the leg before he was fully protected.

Rex fired as quickly as he could at the magnaguard approaching them. The droid deflected several bolts with its electrostaff, and swung its weapon at him. Rex ducked, avoiding the blow, and dived for the droid's torso, tackling it to the ground. The magnaguard seemed dazed for a moment, giving Rex the time he needed to stick his pistol in its gut and pull the trigger. The droids tried to push him off, but Rex got several more rounds into its chest, causing its photoreceptors to go dark.

Rex grabbed the electrostaff, and stood up. The other magnaguard was having a field day with his teammates. Crest's body was lying on the ground, the burn on his chestplate evidence of a good smack from the guard's staff. Slasher was firing frantically at the droid, which had pinned Chip down, but was unable to finish him as his staff was busy deflecting Slasher's shots.

Suddenly, the magnaguard lifted off the ground, and flew across the air into the wall. Stunned, Rex took advantage of its lapse of attention, shooting it several times in the chest. The droid fell to the ground, dead.

Rex swept the room with his blasters,"Where's the last one?"

Slasher searched the room, freezing when he set his eyes behind the projector,"Found him, sir!"

Ashoka called out,"Rex? What are you doing here?"

The captain knelt down beside her,"You remember those 20 credits you owe me?"

Ashoka smiled,"Your ridiculous, but thanks."

Slasher shouted,"Sir, what do I do with the last one?"

Rex started to say something, but Ashoka cut in,"Take him with us, if we have the room. He seems to be a good man."

Slasher shot her a look,"A Separatist, good?"

"He may not be on our side, but he isn't one of those slug Neimodians we usually fight."

Rex started to walk over to the enemy captain, but the ship suddenly shook violently, knocking Rex off his feet. Grunting, he pushed himself back up, and jogged over to the enemy captain,"Where is General Ashoka's lightsaber?"

The man said,"Its on the Magnaguard's belt." The ship shook again,"We have to get out of here! Shields are about to fail!"

Chip, who was still alive, crawled over to the Magnaguard Ashoka killed,"Found it sir!" In an attempt to make his point, Chip turned the lightsaber on. Unfortunately, the blade ignited right through his helmet. His lifeless body went limp and hit the floor.

Rex ran over to him,"Chip! You bloody idiot!" He turned Ashoka's lightsaber off, and gathered his dead comrade up in his arms.

The captain carefully rose to his feet,"You guys need to get out of here now! This ship won't last another minute!"

Rex hated leaving his brothers behind, but he didn't have a choice. He laid Chip down on the ground, and put his arm over his chest,"Rest in peace, brother." He then grabbed Ashoka's lightsaber, clipped it to his belt, walked over to her, and scooped her up in his arms,"Slasher, you help the captain! We need to go!"

The ship shook again, but not as violently as before. Slasher went over to the captain, who put up a hand,"Go! I'll just slow you down! Save yourselves!"

Slasher picked the injured man up,"Good soldiers follow orders. Lets go!"

Ashoka added,"I was just beginning to like this place."

Rex would have grinned were it not for the urgency of the situation. He ran as fast as he could toward the hangar, Ashoka in his arms. He yelled,"General, use the force to take out any droid who tries to stop us. Ok?"

A battle droid walked in the hall, and promptly flew out,"Already on it!"

Slasher yelled,"Let's go! Let's go!" As the ship shook again, this time pieces of the roof began to fall. Rex sprinted as fast as he could through the door back in the hangar. The gunship had, surprisingly, been ignored by the droids, who were running around in a panic, arms waving in the air. Rex ran past them, leapt into the ship, put Ashoka down, and offered some covering fire for Slasher, who was carrying a far heavier package.

Suddenly, Rex heard a sound like a ship breaking apart. The Lucrehulk shook violently, knocking Rex to the ground. Slasher, however, somehow managed to stay on his feet.

Rex screamed,"Slasher! Run!"

The clone reached the LAAT, threw his cargo in, and jumped in himself. Rex yelled,"Let's go! Let's go!" The pilot didn't respond.

Rex turned, and saw that the Pilot had been shot in the head. Rex swore, threw the body out of his seat, and took the cockpit. While he was no pilot, he had watched LAAT's take off a thousand times. He pressed a button which shut the doors, and the LAAT left the ground. Despite the explosions, and Rex's bad piloting, he made it out the hangar doors just as the ship began to explode.

Rex laid his head against the chair. He and Ashoka and Slasher were all alive, but at the cost of Chip and Crest. At least their sacrifice wasn't in vain. It could be worse, I suppose. He directed the ship toward the Venator, causing the LAAT to turn sharply to the left.

He heard a crashing sound, followed by Ashoka's voice,"Take it easy, Rex! I don't want to die today!"

Rex smiled,"Buckle up, kids. You've get a rookie pilot today!"

Anakin's voice came across the mike,"Rex, come in! Are you ok?"

Rex replied,"I'm alive sir. We've got Ashoka."

He could almost feel Anakin's relief,"Thanks, Captain. You seem to be experiencing a little turbulence."

"The pilot's dead sir, so are Chip and Crest. I'm flying this ship."

There was a sad pause over the mike. Anakin said,"I'm sorry, Rex. I'll give you some extra cover on the way back. Make sure to land slowly, ok?"

"Yes sir."


Salis D'aar, Eastern District, Shritoku Corporation Shipping point #49

14:32 Hours Salis D'aar time, 19:55 Hours Senate time

"I've got numerous bogies on the landing pad, copy?"

Varan listened for the response,"Copy, let's move in." Across the street from the apartment complex he was hiding in, a small shipping yard was about to become the next battlefield between the flood and the surviving Bakurans. Varan and his team had been tasked with scouting out the complex, and now that they were done, they rushed toward the first level to join the rest of the survivors. Captain Jett had split his 14 men into three teams in case one team was spotted and attacked, which proved unnecessary as all three teams made it to the rally point alive.

Varan looked both ways, then sprinted across the street. Mith, Jimas, and Mara all quickly followed suit. They stacked up along the perimeter fence, and headed toward the gate where they were supposed to meet the others.

When they got there, one of the soldiers was finishing hacking the lock, and the doors flew open. The group of survivors immediately opened up on the combat forms standing on the pad, which fell with satisfying swiftness as the red lasers found their marks. They ran across the open in teams, leaving them all on the pad when they were done.

A flood scream, several, in fact, pierced the air. Captain Jett, who was working on a small hangar with Mr. Lockpick, said,"Alright, I have no idea what size these ships will be, or if they will fit everyone." He swallowed, regretting the fact he had to ask,"I volunteer to stay behind if there are to few spots. Do I have any more?"

Slowly, the soldiers all glanced at each other, waiting to see if anyone raised their hand. Eventually, Varan's hand went up,"Sir, count me in."

Jimas said,"Sir, are you sure?"

Varan nodded,"Yes, make sure Mara gets off this graveyard alive." Is that what are planet is now? A graveyard? He shook his head sadly.

Mith raised his hand,"If Varan is staying, so am I."

Varan raised his voice, the sounds of flood approaching adding emphasis,"No you don't, Mith! You need to make it off this rock!"

Jett raised his hand,"We have 18 souls, everyone break up into 3 groups of 6. Varan's and my group leaves last." He pointed at Mara,"Your group leaves first."

Varan walked over to Jett, and Mith tried to follow. Varan turned around,"Please, Mith, I can't let you or Jimas or Mara die. Stay with her, and get out alive."

Mith tried to protest,"But sir-"

Varan said sternly,"That's an order. Now go."

Mith hesitated for a moment, then saluted him,"If this is the end, it was an honor serving with you sir."

Varan returned his salute sadly,"Same here, my friend. Now go."

The survivors quickly broke up into 3 groups, with Varan in the group that left last. Eventually, Lockpick opened the hangar doors, revealing a large shipping vessel. Easily enough to fit them all.

Unfortunately, the flood was already at the gates. Literally. Combat forms started leaping over the walls and pouring through the gates. Jett shouted,"Group 1, get on now!"

Group 1 ran to the ship, with Lockpick also finding a way to get the ramp down. Groups 2 and 3 fired at the advancing horde of infected, which started firing back at the survivors. Varan shot as fast as he could, downing a couple of combat forms.

The nearest flood began leaping in the air. Screaming horridly, they plunged down onto the horrified survivors, any that managed to land lashing out with their claws at the defenders. Several survivors collapsed as their chests and stomachs were ripped open.

Varan stood next to Jett, and shot a combat form not 10 feet from them in the air. He looked back, and saw the ramp go down on the shipping vessel. The members of group 1 ran on board, and the ship soon lit up as its engines came to life.

Varan shouted,"Fall back! Get on the ship!" He ran as fast as he could toward the hangar, trying to cover the distance in time. The handful of defenders still alive followed him, but several were shot down by the flood. Varan watched sadly as Captain Jett took a round to the back of the leg, collapsing in pain as the combat forms barreled down onto him.

By the time they were in the hangar, only 5 of the original 12 were still alive, all sprinting toward the ramp. Toward safety and salvation. Varan pushed his body even harder, desperate to reach the ramp before it was too late.

His heart sank as the ramp started to go up. Varan yelled,"Wait!" to whoever was piloting the ship, but to no avail. The others still alive all shouted and waved their arms, but the pilot was either too scared or too cold to put the ramp down. Varan tried to flag him down, but the ship left the ground, and flew through the hangar door out into the atmosphere.

Varan waved and shouted at the vessel as if it could hear him, and watched as it disappeared into the sky. This is it, I'm not making it out of this one. Varan dropped down to a supported position and fired at the hordes of combat forms charging him. Slowly, one by one, the other shrieking survivors were shot, and fell to the ground. Varan himself took a round to his injured shoulder, causing him to lose feeling in his left arm. He cried out in pain, but continued firing at the combat forms, who were now making way for the little infection forms. Varan shot as many as he could, until his cartridge was empty.

Still, he refused to go down without a fight. As a infection form leapt to his chest, he pulled out a knife and stabbed in in the side, slamming the squirming monster down to the ground. He pulled his blade out, and stabbed the next one, when a scorching hot laser slammed into his other shoulder, causing him to collapse.

His last thought, as least, as a human, was a sense of peace knowing Mara and the others made it out alive, before a sharp pain in his chest caused him to lose his own consciousness.


Please, leave a review! I haven't gotten any in the past 8 days, and I eat up like candy :)

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Again, thanks to all my readers!