Hey everyone! I'm finally back. Sorry for the extremely long wait. I got stuck after the last chapter and ended up reconsidering a lot of things. Not to long ago I even nearly dropped the story completely, but remembering how I hate it when other people do that, I decided that I would finish this. So, after much thought, I have the next chapter.

However, before I start, there are some things I need to note.

1) I am not going for total realism. I will try to keep it within the realm of disbelief. However, the premise of this story alone should tell you that I will have to play a little fast and loose with science. However, that said, I will try to be consistent and if I'm not please tell me. Also, if something is absolutely driving you nuts, let me know and I'll see about fixing it.

2)I know this is a world wide event we are talking about. I also know that I have centered around the US. I will be honest. This is because I am American. I was born and raised here. I know the language, customs, and- to a point- the military. I may show bits in other countries, but out of fear of making a total idiot out of myself, don't expect a ton.

So with all of that covered, I give you chapter 12.


(CIS Invisible Hand: high orbit over Earth: three days later)

General Grievous watched happily as seven more ships dropped into orbit around the planet. Each one was carrying a full complement of droids, all ready for immediate deployment. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that Dooku had seen it fit to personally arrive with the fleet. Grievous didn't bother to turn as the door snapped open, thinking that it was one of his droids.

"General Grievous," growled a deep voice from behind him.

Startled, Grievous spun around before bowing his head in respect, "Count Dooku. Your presence here is most unexpected."

"Spare me the pleasantries General," Dooku stated with a dismissive wave of his hand, "I am here because of the pathetic job you seem to be doing at securing our newest investment."

Grievous felt himself flood with anger, and he was forced to bite back his rather violent response due to who he was dealing with. However, that didn't stop him from protesting.

"My lord, I assure you that all is well in hand. The humans are desperate and on their back heal. We underestimated their resourcefulness. However, I have remedied that already," Grievous argued.

"That's not what your tactical droid has said, General," Count Dooku calmly stated.

Grievous suddenly felt the urge to rip his tactical droid to pieces and would have if it had happened to be within arms reach. Seeing as it was, Grievous settled for glaring at the Sith Lord.

"That tactical droid wouldn't know progress if it got hit in the head with it," Grievous barked.

Dooku didn't flinch but slowly dropped his hand to his lightsaber as Grievous closed the small space between them. He was under no illusion as to who he was dealing with. The pair fell into a tense silence as Dooku's eyes wandered up and down the General slowly and methodically.

After a handful of seconds, Dooku spoke, "Perhaps it would be more convincing if you were to produce a lightsaber to go with it."

Grievous stared at Dooku for another moment, processing what he was implying. Count Dooku was about to say something, but Grievous broke the silence instead.

"Yes my lord. I will begin preparations," Grievous replied with another bow before barking orders to the crew.

(South-central British Columbia, Canada)

The line of trucks rumbled down the paved road, or at least what was left of it. The pavement was ripped up and dotted with craters from a multitude of bombing runs. One each side of the road were the twisted and charred remains of various vehicles and tanks. Strewn throughout the twisted metal and in the ditches were the bodies of those that had met their end on this road. The burned and jagged tree trunks lining the road added to the foreboding atmosphere.

Agent Garner looked out the passenger side window of the lead MRAP as they worked their way down the road. Without headlights it was slow going, but neither Sergeant Jackman next to him or any of the other drivers were willing to use any kind of light, and the full moon ensured that they didn't have too.

"What the hell?" mumbled the Sergeant as he leaned forward in his seat.

It took only a second to find what the man was talking about. Up ahead three military trucks sat in the road. Two were blown to either side while the other was sat overturned and laying across the road.

"This is Eagle 1, we've got an obstacle in our path. It looks like we now know what happened to that missing convoy. Eagles 1 through 6, we're up," Sergeant Jackman stated solemnly as he brought the vehicle to a stop.

"Copy that. Watch yourselves out there. We can't see anything past those vehicles," crackled a voice over his radio.

At the same time the back doors flew open as a squad of Spec Ops soldiers poured out. After adjusting the hold on his rifle, Agent Garner went to get out.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" barked the Sergeant.

"To help," Agent Garner asked as he furrowed his brow in confusion.

"No, I need someone to drive the MRAP. That hunk of metal isn't going to move itself," the Sergeant replied before a playful glint filled his eyes, "Besides I'll be damned before I trust a Yankee with our dead… Especially a Yankee spook."

Despite the fact that the man was joking, Agent Garner couldn't suppress an annoyed roll of the eyes. Being in the CIA had its perks, but it came at the price of being insulted in every way possible and after a while, even in joking, it got old.

Outside, the squad, all carrying Saber 4's, formed up as they approached the destroyed vehicles.

"Alright, spread out and get dog tags. Unfortunately, we're in a hurry so bodies are going to have to stay," Sergeant Jackman ordered.

With a series of nods they went to work. With rifles raised they checked the vehicles and recovered the dog tags from the fallen. As the Sergeant went to check the first vehicle, a soft-top supply truck, he noticed something. He would never fully know what caused him to look down, but he quickly noticed a series of parallel streaks. With a frown, he clicked on his flashlight just long enough to confirm his suspicions. His eyes widened as he snapped off his light.

"Watch it. This truck's been dragged into place," He quickly barked through the radio.

"Copy that," crackled a response.

He became aware of the faint sound of the mounted .50 cal.'s turning as they watched the area. From inside the convoy, the soft crunch of gravel could be heard as more soldiers got out and started to help with security. Upon determining that there were just the two soldiers in the cab and several destroyed crates, he yanked off the men's dog tags, let out a sigh, and turned to the truck.

"Agent Garner, bring the truck up," he ordered.

"Understood."

There was a sharp grind as Agent Garner found the right gear. Then he slowly drove it forward and to the side as he tried to line it up to move the scrapped truck.

BOOM!

The back left corner of the MRAP was instantly shredded in a ball of fire as the shockwave sent a couple soldiers flying. The force of the blast was strong enough to send the multitoned, armored transport several inches off the ground and throw it four feet into the ditch. The MRAP had barely stopped moving before the first shots rang out. It was a series of three simultaneous sniper shots that took out the men on the remaining machine guns. At the same moment two squads of commando droids rushed out of the brush on the left side. Using the advantage of surprise, the droids rushed the group. Instantly the rest of the soldiers rushed out as they struggled to take control of the situation.

Sergeant Jackman's squad, have abandoned their previous mission, joyed the fray as they engaged the two squads of droids. Sergeant Jackman turned just in time to step sideways of a laser shot. Raising his rifle, he shot the droid in the head at least three times before shifting his aim and emptying his magazine into the next droid.


Inside the overturned MRAP, Agent Garner found himself facing up at the nighttime sky, through his driver's door window, or at least where that window had been. In the blast, it had shattered into the side of his face and barely missed his eyes. His initial response was panic as he heard gunshots and laser fire. He knew exactly what had happened. It was the oldest trick in the book and everyone, including himself fell for it.

Of course that's probably why it's the oldest, he thought as he cut free of his seatbelt.

His eyes widened as he realized his mistake. Near instantly, gravity slammed him into the ground that was six feet below him. As he fell, he ended up pulling his Saber 4 down with him, which sent his world black.


Outside, one of the members of Eagle team sprinted from cover to cover unnoticed. All of the fighting was funneled to the front of the convoy which left an opportunity if he could make it happen. Staying low, he did his best not to draw attention to himself as he slid into the ditch behind the disabled MRAP.

With a sigh, he clutched his rifle, crouched, and ran as the rest of the men, or at least those left, kept the droids occupied. Using the blast of a frag grenade and the resulting confusion to mask his movements, he sprinted to the back doors of the rear MRAP. He quickly wrapped his arms around the limp gunner and drug him out of the way. Taking his place, the JTF soldier spun the gun around, ensured that a round was chambered, and took aim.

As the gun came alive, two droids were instantly shredded by the armor piercing rounds. Those that immediately die were forced to dive for cover as the soldier sprayed hot lead across the area. One tried to duck beside the Humvee, but was quickly picked off as he shot through the Humvee and blew apart its head. Taking advantage of the situation the Eagle Team and the other few soldiers pressed a counter attack. The machine gun cut off their escape as the soldiers forced them into the left ditch. Within the space of fifteen minutes the firefight started and ended. Sergeant Jackman solemnly began pulling dog tags and assessing the situation. The Captain in charge, as well as most of the others, were dead which meant that he was officially in charge. They had successfully repelled the attack, but it came at the cost of all except maybe ten soldiers, the JTF team included.

Most of the team was soon working at clearing a path through the small mine field while Sergeant Jackman and a couple other soldiers went over to see about Agent Garner. Inside the overturned MRAP, Agent Garner had just come to and was trying to untangle himself. He shook his head as he pushed himself up. The motion hurt from the half dozen bruises he had, but he made it work. He grabbed his rifle and went to toss it over the side. He stopped mid motion as Sergeant Jackman's head appeared through the driver's window.

"Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing," he protested, though the annoyance failed to reach his eyes.

"Well, would you mind taking it?" Agent Garner asked, ignoring the comment.

"Aren't you spooks suppose to be self-sufficient?" he asked jokingly as he grabbed the rifle.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean we have three hands," Agent Garner answered as he pulled himself up out of the vehicle.

He noted with some worry that about every part of his body had protested the move. A shot of pain through his left leg forced him to sit on the door. Despite his efforts, there was no hiding the pain. As a response Sergeant Jackman's eyes worked their way across the agent, taking in every detail.

"I want a medic to look you over," he stated.

"I'm fine."

"That wasn't a question," the Sergeant countered, "It doesn't take fifteen minutes to climb out of a truck."

Agent Garner simply nodded as he climbed down.

"Fine, but only after we're moving," he agreed as felt a stab of pain course through his back.

Within minutes of that, they were on the road again. While they were going, a medic gave Agent Garner a look over. All things considered, he had come away unscathed. He had several cuts that needed patched up, a sprained ankle, and an an impressive assortment of bruises that were going to hurt like hell for the foreseeable future. Overall, it was just another day in another hell hole.

Within a few hours of that, they were rolling into a military base. It wasn't much more than an ammo dump with a command post in the basement of the town's city hall. As a small group of soldiers worked on unloading what was left of the equipment and assigning people, Agent Garner and the Spec Ops team made their way into the building. The only immediate light was from the rising rays of sunlight that poked in through the windows. They cast an ominous glow on the worn faces of the guards.

After what felt like forever, they were lead into a dimly lit room that was dominated by a large table with a map spread across it. He didn't look to carefully, but judging by first glace, Agent Garner guessed that things weren't going well. Behind the table was a grim faced General that he figured was clean shaven at one point. Currently he was sporting a day old stubble that ran quite contrary to his crisp uniform.

"At ease gentlemen," started the General.

This caused Agent Garner to look to his left. He hadn't even noticed the squad draw up into attention when they entered. At the command, he watched them relax slightly.

"I heard the results of the attack. Were there any other issues?" the General quizzed.

"No sir," Sergeant Jackman replied crisply.

"Good. Then let's begin," the General acknowledged, "Currently the threat of nuclear annihilation has forced the cruisers to cut back their use in combat roles, with a few even leaving for the safety of low orbit. However, this son of a bitch," -the General angrily stabbed his finger into the marker on his map that indicated a CIS cruiser- "is being rather prolific with its use of bombers."

"So, are we just nuking it?" asked the Sergeant.

"No. We can't. After San Francisco, the U.S. and Russia went on a week long nuclear binge. The amount of bombs detonated has left NASA nervous about the state of the atmosphere. Currently we are laying off for the moment. Not to mention, the ship is too close to our lines. If it comes down in an uncontrolled explosion, it'll hurt us as bad as it will hurt them," he replied with a hint of disappointment behind his professional mask, "So, we get to do this the hard way. The Cruiser is apart of a chain moving supplies to the surface. We have managed to obtain the security codes used to gain clearance for a shuttle. You will use it to get in close to the ship. From there, you will land on the upper hull of the ship and proceed to the bridge. That will be how you take it down."

The next several minutes were spent with Agent Garner listening as the Squad and General discussed the finer points of the plan. After they were dismissed, the General turned to Alex.

"Your task is unique," he noted, "You have to connect us to their communications system."

"Yes. If I am correct, it has to be on the Invisible Hand," he confirmed.

"Correct. It is not posing a direct problem to us, and thus is not on our hit list. Command needs that thing to be working, but wants the ability to destroy targets that are doing us immediate harm," he explained as he brought out a printed layout of the Invisible hand, "There is a central communication terminal there" -he pointed to a spot near the middle of the ship- "You are to proceed there from the central hangar bay. Insert the device, confirm that it works, and get the hell out. exfil will be self-determined."

Agent Garner nodded as he processed the info. There wasn't a lot to this. Most of the important info was covered in the briefing for the altered mission in New Orleans. As such they just needed to cover the issues of supplies and insertion.

He was informed that insertion would be with the help of a commandeered shuttle, while he would be getting ammo and supplies from the ammo dump that was down the block. The idea of a self-determined exfil was one of the many parts that Agent Garner didn't like. It meant that he was on his own for escaping. Not that he was surprised. Resources were thin.

"There is a target of interest on board," the General added at the end as he produced a picture of Grievous, "If you get a chance, take it. However, not at the expense of the primary mission."

"Understood. One last question… Do you have any high explosives?" Agent Garner asked with a twinkle in his eye.

The General slowly nodded his head as the unspoken questions rolled across his head. In the end, the man decided that he probably didn't want to know and sent the foreign agent away.

The walk to the ammo dump was quick but cold as rain began its descent. Upon entering, he was greeted with the last thing he expected. Two soldiers were leaning over a large wooden table with an assortment of tool and a couple computers. A closer look revealed a deactivated commando droid as the occupant of the table. Lined up along the side wall was a series of other deactivated commando droids with crudely painted red stripes down their torso and across the head.

"I see it's not just us getting creative," Agent Garner noted.

The man looked up and, noting the U.S. uniform, smiled.

"Yep. We figured that we would see how they like their own equipment turned against them. However," -he grunted as he pulled a piece of a bullet out of the head- "I'm afraid this one is a little too dead. For most of them, it's just a matter of rerouting the power lines and repairing a little of the superficial damage. However, the sniper was a little too dead on with this one."

"Hmm… Well good luck," Agent Garner concluded with a nod.

There was nothing else to be said or done. Knowing this, he simply proceeded and picked up his equipment. There was more ammo for his Saber-4, extra frag grenades, a small handful of C-4 bricks, a blasting cap, and some Republic charges.

With that covered, he made his way out past the town and into the woods. Waiting for him was a shuttle that was also guarded by a couple soldiers. This caused him to sigh in relief. Unlike the JTF, he wouldn't need to steal his ride. Upon showing his ID to the men, he made his way up the ramp and into the cockpit.

With a sigh, he climbed into the cockpit and took a second to ensure that he knew what and where all the controls were. He didn't realize it, but he caught his breath as he fired up the shuttle. Only after it was safely above the air and on an autopilot course for the Invisible Hand did he breathe normally again.

However, his semi relaxed state gave way to a knot of dread in his stomach as he saw all of the ships in the atmosphere. They sat there, fresh and full of troops waiting to finish off the planet. Agent Garner forced himself to focus as the flagship demanded his access code. Knowing time was of the essence, he quickly punched it in and waited for a response. Second by second, and mile by mile ticked by as he waited. He tightly gripped the controls as he prepared to dodge a volley of laser fire. At the last possible second, a light flashed green on his control board. That was his cue to proceed to the main hanger.

With a sigh of relief, he let the autopilot take over as it entered the hanger. While it landed, he produced two Republic charges and set them as proximity mines. What was even more relieving was the fact that the hanger was relatively empty. This mixed with the fact that he set it down in the rear corner near a set of blast doors was a blessing. There were some B1s milling around, but they seemed to be preoccupied. The few security droids that went to meet him would be an easy fix. As the ramp lowered, he ducked into the shadows and shut off the work lights. Curious about the sudden loss of lighting, the four droids entered. They saw him, but it was too late.

Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

The silence rifle coughed four times, producing four dead droids. He cringed as one fell into the entryway. As he rushed out the door, he activated the two charges, stuck them in the entryway and sprinted out. Staying to the shadows, and keeping himself low, Agent Garner willed himself invisible as he hurried for the small secondary entrance. As a lone operator, Agent Garner was trained for every scenario, qualified with every weapon that fired a projectile or had a sharpened edge, knew at least seven different languages, and could blend in almost anywhere in the world. However, little of that would matter if there was another droid on the other side of the door. Only reflexes would help him there. However, what greeted him was an empty corridor.

As he moved down the passage, his eyes drifted up as he checked for cameras. Seeing one, he made it go away. Knowing that he was more than likely spotted, Agent Garner started tossing the Republic charges along each side of the passage. If his time in the espionage business had taught him anything, it was the value of confusion, and no matter how disciplined you were, a massive explosion was bound to cause that even if there was no serious damage. At the next intersection, he shot a camera and placed a couple bricks of C-4. Working quickly, he made sure everything was set and kept moving. Every now and then as he proceeded, he would stop just long enough to hide and set some explosives. After what felt like forever, but wasn't really that long, he had used up his whole supply.

As he moved from passage to passage, he found his eyes drifting up. He had been repeatedly warned about ray shields, and it wouldn't do to get captured prematurely due to carelessly walking into one. More than once he was forced duck into a room or deep into the shadows of the dimly lit corridors as droid patrols passed by. About three minutes after leaving the hangar, he noticed a spike in droid patrols. Clearly they had been silently alerted to an intruder. For a while he ignored the revelation as he went further into the ship, until he was at just the right spot.

"Well, it looks like we'll need to up the ante," he mumbled as he produced a detonator.

He made sure he was well away from the area of the blast, out of sight of any cameras or sensors, and pressed the detonator. He heard a click from the trigger, followed by a muffled explosion. Suddenly the corridors came alive with alarms as the shockwave vibrated the massive ship. Knowing he had just woken the entire ship, he doubled back and now went for his true target. The path of explosives and camera images would tell people he was headed for the main reactor. However, his true target was several decks up, and well forward of that location. He quickly ran into a droid patrol. Hearing them approach down the intersecting passage, Agent Garner sent two frag grenades skipping toward them. The cries of alarm were drowned out by the blast. With his rifle shouldered, Agent Garner swung around the corner and finished off the two survivors.


Count Dooku awoke from his meditation to the sound of shrieking alarms. The force alerted him to no immediate danger. However, there was an unwanted presence on board. A quick probe in the force found it to be one singular, insignificant person. With a grace all unto his own, the Count pulled out his comm link and keyed the bridge.

"Count Dooku to Command. Report," he ordered.

"There was an explosion in three of the corridors leading from the main hangar. Security feeds and the location of the blast suggests one person moving to the main reactor," replied a tactical droid.

The response would've been surprising if the General Grievous was still on the bridge. However, much to Dooku's current annoyance, the volatile commander was planetside proving his worth. The distraction was so obvious that it was almost insulting. While Dooku knew not of the mans exact destination, he had a pretty good guess.

"Belay that order. Redirect all droids forward of the main hangar and lock down the bridge," he ordered.

"Yes my lord," acknowledged the robotic voice of a tactical droid.


Agent Garner wanted to shout with joy as he reached the relay center. Ducking around the security cameras was hard and dodging patrols was even harder. More than a few droids had been forced to disappear. However, now he was there. Judging by the number of droids moving this way, he knew two things. First, there was definitely droids in there. Second, his original escape plan was out.

The time it took to work his way through the lock was the longest few seconds of his life. Finally, there was a click and hiss as the lock disengaged and the door slid open. As he entered, Agent Garner swept his rifle from left to right across the visible area. Each of the three droids were killed before they could react. The room was dominated by three towering aisles of equipment, and he cleared each one. Then, moving quickly, Agent Garner hid the bodies and moved for a nearby communication terminal. Ignoring the control screen, he went straight for the maintenance panel below. In the dim light, it was slow going as he linked the device to the terminal. This would give the people on the ground the physical connection needed to tap into their comm system. As he shut the maintenance panel, Agent Garner heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He thought about fighting it out. However, the amount of footsteps put a quick end to that idea. Traps would only usher in more security. Fighting the surge of panic, Agent Garner came up with a plan b. Few people, even trained professionals, looked up when they entered or cleared a room. As he climbed up one of the shelves of equipment, Agent Garner hoped this was true with droids to. As he reached the top, he laid flat on the structure while making sure that all of his limbs were totally on the narrow metal structure. The same second that he was hidden, two squads of droids poured into the room. The next few minutes were agonizing as the droids searched for any lifeforms or obvious signs of tamper. The long shadows cast by the open door added to the foreboding atmosphere as the lifeless machines searched. The thump of their footsteps and the whine of their servomotors acted as a constant reminder that he was one mistake away from being another statistic in this war.

Seeing no immediate problems, the battle droids slowly began to exit the room. Wary of a trap, Agent Garner stayed put for another couple minutes. After he was satisfied that no one was waiting to jump him, Agent Garner climbed down and moved for the exit.

"This is Phantom 1 to Command, do you read?" Agent Garner asked into communication device in his ear.

"Affirmative. We hear you," confirmed a tired voice on the other end.

He produced a small flexi cam and sidestepped behind the durasteel wall as the door snapped open. He checked one way, saw that it was clear, and snaked the camera around to check the other side of the blind corner. Seeing nothing, he began the dicey trek to the escape pods. A quick consultation of his map showed that it wasn't far.

"Copy, how's the device working?" he quizzed.

"Loud and clear. Now get out of there," the person quickly replied.

"Good. Phantom 1, out," he concluded.

With a sigh of relief, he quickly but quietly made his way down the corridors. The entry to area housing the escape pods was predictably guarded by a couple battle droids. Two bullets to the head dealt with them. Upon entering, Alex selected the nearest escape pod, got in, and launched it. The thump of it leaving was music to his ears, despite the fact that the logical side of his brain knew he wasn't clear. In this flying ball, he was a sitting duck. Any droid could easily pick him off. It wasn't until he finally entered the atmosphere, that he felt semi-safe.

(West-Central Oregon, United States)

Ahsoka swore to herself that she would never complain about Republic transports ever again. She gripped the handle above her head tighter as the Humvee bounced down the muddy road. More than once she heard the tires spin as the rear end drifted sideways, and after about the second time she hit her head on the ceiling, she decided she couldn't wait to be out of the vehicle. Taking it in stride, Lieutenant Pierce seemed to be the only one who wasn't fazed by the road conditions. Even the clones shifted uncomfortably as the journey progressed.

"We'll leave the truck up here and proceed on foot," he told someone over the radio, as he ignored the discomfort from the rest of the people in the Humvee.

"You sure you know where you're going?" asked Rex from behind him.

"Yes sir. I grew up in the town we're headed for," he replied as he bounced over a broken chunk of pavement.

Being one of the highways to the coast, the droids had blown it to pieces. Add that to the near constant rains over the last twenty-four hours and you had a nearly impossible obstacle course. As they rounded the corner, Lieutenant Pierce took the corner sharper than needed, and Rex was about to protest when he noted the officer was pulling the vehicle onto a barely visible ATV trail. Behind them, there was a secondary crunch of gravel as another Humvee followed them. After he was satisfied that the trucks wouldn't be easily found from the road, he stopped and put his vehicle in park.

Ahsoka shivered as the heated vehicle gave way to the cold night air. Looking over, she watched as a squad of arch troopers and "regulars" climbed out. The differences were striking. While the clones were the same height and build, the Rangers were all different sizes and builds, and contrary to the intimidating white gear of the Republic troops, theirs was a relatively unimposing camouflage pattern of dark greens and browns. She had to admit that seeing their faces was a refreshing change to the anonymity of the clone armor.

Knowing that Commander Tano was technically in charge, Lieutenant Pierce waited for her order to move. Though he didn't think he needed to. Tano had unofficially handed the op to Rex who had unofficially handed it to him do to his knowledge of the terrain.

"Let's go," she stated as she motioned him forward.

"Yes ma'am," he replied as he led the way forward.

Moving at a steady pace, the group went back to the highway, and sticking to the side of the road, continued toward town. As he walked, his thoughts moved to the Commander. He had mixed feelings about her. She was young to be in the military, let alone be an officer. However, not knowing much about her race of people, he decided to give some leeway on his opinion. While she was young, she seemed mature beyond her age. More than once, he had silently watched as she defused low moral induced arguments amongst the men. In combat she had proven herself competent, even if a little on the reckless side. After seeing General Skywalker, he had a feeling she had help in that area.

Behind him, Lieutenant Pierce heard the troops spread out. The road was empty and having everyone in a ditch was just asking for some droid fighter to end all of their lives. After what felt like forever, he lead them off the road and well into the trees and thick undergrowth before motioning everyone closer.

As he took a seat on a tree stump, he produced a map and used his flashlight to illuminate the area in question.

"Alright, this is a small town. If you follow the trail, you can loop around to the other side. There is an old log road that comes in here. Your best vantage point for calling shots will be further up there," -he pointed further up into the mountains- "When the shooting starts, this area in and around the town will become ground zero. Those 16 inch shells aren't precision weapons… They're more of a to whom it may concern," he explained with a thin smile.

The way he explained it elicited a small snicker from Rex.

"Alright, how long to you think it will take?" Ahsoka asked.

Daylight was only a couple hours out, and she hoped to be in position. The dejected sigh that started his reply sunk her hopes.

"This is why I wish that the designer of your men's armor wasn't so… shall I say-"

"Dumb… at least when it came to colors?" Rex finished for him.

"Yes... With all due respect of course," he agreed hesitantly as he remembered that the people he was talking to outranked him by a lot.

"None taken. How long?" Rex pressed.

Though the man was clearly expecting to be reprimanded for his remark, Rex didn't even bat an eye. The Lieutenant had just voiced Rex's own feelings.

"Most of today and a fair chunk of tomorrow," he replied.

No one liked it, but they knew there wasn't a choice. Driving would've been quicker, but it too loud. With that, they began the march for their destination. Much to their surprise, there was next to no droid patrols. However, this far behind the lines, it made sense. They were an easy twenty miles south of the front and insurgency operations had been stopped before they could start.

As Ahsoka walked, she was soon given glimpses of the stormy blue ocean that laid out to her left. Rain soaked evergreens, dark brown mud, and the dismal grey clouds only created a very depressing atmosphere. The scattered bodies -both droid and human- only added to it. At one point, they stopped long enough to check their position. This gave her enough time to see what was left of the town below. Heavy combat had left it in ruins. Many of the structures were either half destroyed or nonexistent anymore. However, in the wake of the destruction, the CIS had turned it into a major staging area for their offensive. Instead of a nice coastal town, it was now an armory for a ruthless invader.

"Let's move out," the Lieutenant ordered

"This was where you grew up," she observed as she fell in step next to him.

"Yep. That burned out building at the south entryway into town made the best clam chowder ever," the Lieutenant replied solemnly as he pointed in the general direction of the main highway.

"Why did you leave?" she asked, more to break the uncomfortable silence than true interest.

"These small towns… They're great to be from, but not to live in," he answered firmly.

The sharpness of his words peaked her interest.

"Why?" she quizzed.

"Many of them were built on logging. When that industry went down, it drug these towns with them," he answered.

The spike in anger told Ahsoka that there was a more personal reason- not that there wasn't truth in his statement- but she figured she had no right to press.

The hours ticked on as they slowly made their way to the lookout point. It was clear when they arrived. Though it was a ways away, they were rewarded with a view of the town and the surrounding area. Hidden in the trees, by a cliff, they would get to direct the fireworks.