Anaxes - Azure System

Jarik POV...

The next day, we went with what forces we could spare to defend the shipyard in sector three. Unfortunately when the assault came, we ended up with a defeat.

We were prepared for the droids assault using Master Malicos's strategy, and for a while it worked. Just like he predicated, the droids attacked from three different positions, having their artillery set up at the top of the canyons, their tanks and transports in the field, and their infantry units moving through the forest. While Obi-Wan and I led Ghost Company to eliminate the enemy artillery, Master Malicos and Master Windu defended the shipyard from enemy forces. And despite a few mishaps, we ended up pulling our strategy off pretty well.

The moment things started to fall apart was when the Separatists sent in vulture droids and hyena bombers to attack us from the air.

Due to the constant battle up in space Admiral Yularen could only spare one squadron of Y-Wing bombers to assist us in destroying the droid transports, but afterwards they had to return to assist the fleet up in orbit. We weren't expecting an aerial strike from the Separatists since they should've been preoccupied up in orbit like we were, but as it turns out Admiral Trench had gotten busy at the Assembly Complex, bolstering his own forces. As a result, we had no effective defense against their fighter droids and were forced to retreat before we could lose any more troops.

"So, what'd our game plan now?" Boil asks.

"Keep defending what we have left?" I suggest, sighing in defeat.

"Yeah. For how much longer?" he scoffs in reply.

We were headed over to the command center that evening for another briefing, to gather our wits and resume planning for whatever Trench has planned next. I wasn't very optimistic, due to the simple fact that Master Windu wasn't wrong in the meeting yesterday; with the loss of that shipyard it's now only a matter of time before we lose the rest.

"I know this isn't the ideal situation, but we have to stay focused on our goal," Obi-Wan tells us. "If we lose Anaxes to the Separatists, then our entire navy will be put in jeopardy."

"Honestly master, our situation sucks right now," I state bluntly in reply. "Today was our last shot at securing an advantage in this siege, and we lost. Even though we have Master Malicos here, it's not enough. We simply don't have the forces necessary to win."

"I understand Jarik," he responds grimly. "I suppose now we just have to trust that Anakin will return with good news."

As if the universe deemed to give us a blessing, at that moment I noticed the shuttle used by the Bad Batch approaching in the sky, coming in for a landing. I get the others attention, and we head over to the open spot where they're coming in for a landing. Thankfully they don't barge in wildly like the last time, which leads me to suspect that their minds are more focused on something else; or Anakin and Rex are making sure they don't fly in stupidly.

"Huh. Right on time," Boil scoffs in amusement.

I shrug my shoulders with a small grin while Obi-Wan shakes his head, and we make our way over to the shuttle as it comes in for a landing. Once it does, we wait a few feet away from the door, which opens to let Anakin step out, meeting our gaze instantly.

"I do so hope you have good news to share, Anakin," Obi-Wan says expectantly.

"Come on Master, have I ever let you down?" he replies jokingly.

Obi-Wan crosses his arms with a raised eyebrow, but Anakin steps down from the ship, allowing the others to get off. I look on in surprise and pleasant joy at seeing Echo with them, however at the same time I'm appalled by his appearance. His skin is very pale, his body extremely skinny from malnourishment... what's left of his body anyways. Cybernetic legs are in place of his real ones, he's missing his right arm, a droid socket-arm taking its place, and his skull is littered with a bunch of neural implants.

"What in the name of..." Boil murmurs in shock, appalled by his appearance.

Obviously very weak, Echo was being supported by Rex with an arm around his shoulder, and Boil moves to his other side to assist.

"You crazy sons of kriffers," he scoffs. "I can't believe you're alive."

"Boil? Is that you?" Echo asks, focused enough despite seeming a little out of it.

"Sure is brother," he replies. "What have they done to you?"

"Honestly... I don't even know," he groans bitterly.

"Let's worry about that later. Right now we just need to get you to medical," Rex says firmly.

We watch as Rex and Boil help support Echo on the way to the medical facility while the Bad Batch step out of their shuttle, joining us.

"It seems your captain was right in his theory," Obi-Wan remarks, looking at Anakin.

"Sure was," he nods in confirmation. "I just can't stand the thought that Echo had to suffer like that."

"They turned him into a computer," I say with a scowl, disgusted by the thought. "Neural implants like that are supposed to be outlawed."

"Like those scumbags care," Hunter scoffs, frowning angrily. "Regs or not, no one does that to our brothers if I can help it."

His squad give their own expressions of agreement, even Crosshair, and Anakin turns to us.

"So, how've things been on your end?" he asks.

"Aside from the fact that we now might very well lose the entire planet? Just fine," I respond sarcastically, crossing my arms.

"That bad huh?" he replies in exasperation.

"Disregarding Jarik's bluntness," Obi-Wan says, giving me a look. "I'm afraid he's right. Our defenses in sector three weren't able to hold out under the Separatist assault, so we had to pull out of there."

"Sector three? That's not good," Anakin says in concern. "We're gonna need all the help we can get now if we want to pull this off."

"We did recently gain the support of General Malicos after you left on your mission, but unfortunately it wasn't enough," he continues.

"Master Malicos?" he questions, perplexed. "If he was helping out in the defense then why did we still lose? He's a military genius, and a bit out of the box. Trench couldn't use the algorithm against him."

"Actually, his plan worked quite well for us," Obi-Wan explains. "The problem is that the droids increased their forces. We were bombed, and had no effective defense against aerial attack."

"Trench is using the Assembly Complex to make more vulture droids and hyena bombers," I add.

"Well, if you don't mind me chiming in," Hunter says, getting our attention. "Sounds like we need to take back the assembly complex."

"Now we're talking! We could blow up the whole thing!" Wrecker yells eagerly.

"We can't blow up the assembly complex Wrecker, the Republic needs it for our navy," Tech replies with a frown. "Besides, there would be far too many droids there to pull off a mission like that, even for us."

Wrecker groans in disappointment while Crosshair shakes his head.

"Blowing up the complex isn't an option, but I do agree that taking it back should be our next move," a voice interrupts.

I look over to see Master Malicos approaching us, and Anakin inclines his head respectfully.

"Master Malicos, it's a pleasure," he greets politely.

"Same to you Skywalker. For someone as young as you, your feats are quite impressive," he responds in kind. "I'm assuming the clone being led to medical is the one giving us so much trouble?"

"Not willingly, master," Anakin corrects him. "Wat Tambor was forcing him to feed Trench our strategies."

"In any case, it's good to know that problem is solved," he states. "It's that particular reason that I think we should go on the offensive."

"We should probably discuss this at the command center. We need to plan out our next move before we do anything else," Obi-Wan advises.


About an hour later, Obi-Wan and I gathered in the command center with Anakin, Boil, Rex, Jesse, Master Windu, Master Malicos, and Captain Nox. Cody was still healing from his injury, and Echo of course was being looked at by our medical team, Kix among them to help out. Right now however, Master Windu was explaining a strategy that he and Master Malicos recently came up with.

"We have over a dozen active battlefronts on Anaxes, and we are losing nearly every one," he explains grimly. "But, if Admiral Trench can no longer anticipate our moves, we now have the opportunity to retake the planet."

"I can improve your chances," Echo interrupts.

We look over at the sudden interruption, seeing Echo step forwards with a confident look on his face. He was now wearing armor to cover up most of his cybernetics, not regular clone armor but with a similar paint job and design. A medical droid still hovered behind him.

"Uhh, excuse me generals," Rex says cautiously.

I glance over at Boil curiously, but he just shrugs helplessly in reply. Echo walks over to join us, but Rex halts him with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Echo, I'm sorry, but I don't think you're ready for battle yet," he says.

"I'm not a liability Rex. I'm the best chance we have to take back Anaxes," he responds firmly.

"Well, if the man has a plan, I'm interested in hearing it," Master Malicos says.

"May I?" Echo asks Rex.

Reluctantly, Rex allows Echo to move forward to the holotable. Holding up his cybernetic socket-arm, he plugs into the table.

"While Master Windu leads a team to retake the assembly complex, the Bad Batch will escort me into Trench's new com port, which, according to current intel, is now located on this Separatist dreadnaught above Anaxes," Echo explains, bringing up a hologram of the ship. "Once I'm plugged in, I can feed Trench strategies, but this time you'll know every move before he makes it."

"And you are certain that if we get you on board that ship, that you can convince Trench's army, to do what you want?" Master Windu asks.

"Absolutely," he nods confidently.

"It sounds good, but we rescued you from the Separatist's control. Wouldn't Trench know that?" I point out cautiously.

"The Techno Union are a bunch of greedy cowards," Malicos states. "They won't reveal a thing unless it'll benefit them."

I think it over, shrugging in agreement with his theory. It's risky, but it does make sense too.

"Unfortunately, I've been doing this for a while. But this time, I can bring about a Republic victory, instead of a defeat," Echo declares.

Obi-Wan, Master Windu and Master Malicos all share nods of agreement with each other while Boil pats Echo on the back, grinning at home.

"Good to see your sense of planning is still intact," he comments.

"Captain, get our troopers ready for the strike. This mission will require some flight capability," Malicos tells his captain, Nox.

"Yes General," Nox acknowledges with a salute.

"Think I'll need to do any slice-n-dice on this master?" I ask Obi-Wan.

"I wouldn't think so," he replies.

"This operation is a distraction, meant to draw Trench's attention to us," Master Windu states dismissively. "Slicing won't be necessary."

I make a face at the dismissive, contemptuous tone of his voice and cross my arms, opting to not respond.


After the plan was determined at the meeting, Boil and I went to medical center to see how Cody was doing. We found him sitting on a bed, datapad in hand while he was being tended too by a hovering medical droid. I notice that his datapad is displaying information about the current battle situation we're in, and scoff quietly in amusement. Even on medical leave, with no requirement to worry about the war, he was still trying to figure out battle strategies and determine the next move to make.

Classic Cody. Makes me wonder what he would do, without a war...

"How you doing brother?" Boil asks.

Cody looks up at us and then sets his datapad aside with an irritated sigh.

"Good news is that the doctors say my injuries should be completely healed very soon," he tells us, waving the droid away with narrowed eyes. "They're very insistent I stay in the bed though."

"Yeah, bed leave is no fun," I say in agreement, crossing my arms.

"It is fun to watch you fretting over it though," Boil adds teasingly.

"You better watch it soldier, I still outrank you," Cody threatens, looking at me. "I heard the Bad Batch was successful in retrieving Echo recently."

"Yep. Now that he's back, we're planning one final assault on the assembly complex to try and regain control of Anaxes," I say in response. "Echo's planning to trick Trench by feeding him false strategies."

"Sounds risky, commander," Cody comments thoughtfully. "Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from Domino squad."

"Crazy kriffers, they were," Boil scoffs, sighing sadly.

Cody catches on, looking at us with a concerned expression.

"Does he know?" he ask quietly.

I nod my head in confirmation.

"Kix told him. He's... upset obviously, but a lot more determined now. I'd say he wants to bring about a victory in Fives's memory," I theorize.

"Poor kid's been through a lot," Cody lets out a sad sigh. "He lost his team at the Rishi Outpost, was held captive and mutilated by the Separatists for over a year before finally being rescued, only to find out his last squad member is gone."

"I wish you guys weren't forced into these circumstances," I say regretfully.

"Well, what's done is done. Fortunately, we were made to be tough. We can deal with it," Boil declares confidently.

Why doesn't that make me feel any better?

"Jarik, are you there?" Obi-Wan's voice asks through my wrist com.

"Yes master, I'm here," I reply. "What'd up?"

"I need you to meet up with us. We're beginning our final preparations for the assault," he tells me.

"On my way," I tell him, nodding my head to the others. "Be seeing you guys."

"Yeah, I'll be out soon," Boil tells me.

"Go grab us a win commander," Cody adds for encouragement.

I smile at them before walking out of the door, and start making my way over to the others. Along the way I pass by Master Malicos in the hangar, who's conversing with the clones in his legion that he brought with him. He takes notice of me and separates from them, coming over to intercept me.

"Padawan Shan," he calls out. "Could you spare a moment?"

I stop at his call and turn to face him curiously.

"Sure. You need help with something, master?" I ask him.

"No thank you. I was just curious to speak to you about a few things that interested me," he says.

I glance at him, slightly cautious, but nod my head.

"Yeah, sure thing master," I acknowledge.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've noticed there seems to be a bit of tension between you and Mace," he says knowingly.

I'm a bit more wary and suspicious now, but I nod my head in confirmation.

"I guess you could say that. We don't exactly see eye to eye," I admit.

"Because of how you defied him and the Jedi Council?" he points out with a raised eyebrow.

I pause in my step and turn to face Malicos fully, crossing my arms suspiciously and narrowing my eyes at him. Malicos comes to a stop as well and casually holds his arms behind his back with a neutral expression on his face, looking down at me expectantly.

"Your point?" I demand, allowing some of my irritation to leak through.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not at all judging you, and it is not my place to do so," he quickly informs me. "I actually share a bit of sympathy and understanding of the position you were in."

"Really?" I ask him doubtfully. "How would you know?"

"I admit, I've held my own reservations about the Order. Being gifted as a tactician requires me to be much more of a realist. Your case especially seemed very misjudged by the Council. Your friend was framed for a crime she did not do, and after leaving the Order, it was demanded of you to sever your Force bond with her," Malicos rambles on, and I don't fail to recognize the genuine sympathy in his gaze. "An attachment like that is a distraction... but to break it, especially when in the midst of war, seems a bit harsh to demand of you."

I raise an eyebrow at him but ease up my tension, nodding in agreement with his statement.

"Not many people have felt the same way about my bond with her. I'm glad you're different," I admit gratefully. "Don't get me wrong, I fully support what the Order stands for, but the way the Council goes about it sometimes..."

"You think they're not making the right decisions," he says.

"I guess so," I shrug in reply. "Even though Barriss was absolutely wrong in bombing the Temple, she did make a valid point. The Jedi Order isn't what it should be. Not now."

"I've conversed with one of the guards that escorted Offee to the trial before, and we felt much the same way," Malicos nods in agreement. "He's felt a bit disillusioned after the trial, though I've done my best to talk him through it."

"Who was that?" I ask him.

"The guards remain anonymous of course, so I wouldn't know," he shrugs casually in reply, giving me a small grin. "Regardless, I just felt I should let you know that you shouldn't have to feel ashamed in your disagreements with Mace and the Jedi Council. As difficult as they can be at times, I'm sure that they only mean well."

"I'm sure they do to," I say in response. "Just wish they were more willing to listen."

"We all have our faults, Padawan Shan. Eventually, things will be different for us. Better, even," he says, giving me a reassuring past on the back. "Now, you best get to your master. We have a big fight ahead of us."

He heads off back to his troopers, and after a few moments of contemplation I continue on my way, feeling a bit more relieved. It's nice to see someone else who can understand my reasoning in regards to my issues with the Order, and it does make sense as to why he would think that way. Being a realist would mean he's not as caught up in tradition like most Jedi are.


Assembly Complex - Anaxes

3rd person POV...

With Anakin, Rex, Echo, and the Bad Batch underway to Admiral Trench's command ship, Obi-Wan, Jarik, Windu, and Malicos gathered the full might of their forces and headed straight for the assembly complex. With the support of three Venator cruisers and a squadron of y-wing bombers to back them up, they were ready to strike a deadly blow against the Separatists.

At the complex, the Separatists didn't take very long to detect the incoming assault headed their way, and moved to counterattack. With squads of new vulture droids ready for deployment, they took to the skies while the proton cannons stationed on top of the complex turned their aim in the direction of the Republic forces far in the distance. Loading up their cannons they opened fire, the heavy artillery traveling the distance of several miles to strike the approaching ships with deadly accuracy. Multiple gunships and squadrons of ARC fighters were met with heavy flak in moments, the barrage only being added too once the vulture droids were within range.

The vulture droids scored hits on a few gunships, blasting one out of the sky, and the ARC fighters moved to engage them in order to defend their escorts. Windu watches the battle from his gunship and raises his arm to speak into his wrist com.

"Gold leader, you're clear for launch," he says.

From the star destroyer behind them, the Junior Negotiator, a squadron of y-wing bombers flew out of the hangar in response to General Windu's order. They soared through the cloud cover and came into view above the complex, flying straight down in a bombing run. The proton cannons attempted to shoot them down, but the bombers moved much faster and swiftly took out a good portion of them with their laser cannons, dropping torpedoes on the others as they flew past them.


Trench's command ship - Anaxes orbit

Seated in his chair on the bridge of his cruiser, Admiral Trench observed the monitors as new information was being displayed, narrowing his eyes at the bold move taken by the Republic. He taps his cane in his hand, clicking his mandibles in thought.

"Admiral Trench, the Jedi are attacking the assembly plant with a large force," the tactical droid reports.

"Yes," he hisses, clicking his mandibles. "Now I shall use their arrogance and desperation, to our advantage."

Trench stands up from his chair, turning towards the tactical droid.

"Contact Skako. I want to use the algorithm to calculate the best possible counter attack," he orders.

"As you command," the droid acknowledges in reply.


Assembly Complex - Anaxes

Jarik POV...

Having broken through the initial defenses, our gunships flew us over to our entry point while the ARC fighters and y-wing bombers provided us cover from the vulture droids and whatever proton cannons survived the initial bombing run.

"You ever used a jetpack before Boil?" I ask him.

"Not really sir," he replies, a bit uncomfortable about it. "Have you?"

"Don't need one," I say with a grin.

"We're about to drop in," Obi-Wan says with an exasperated look on his face. "Try to stay focused you two."

"Of course General," Boil acknowledges.

"Not a problem master," I add.

Hovering over the roof of the complex, we look out at the other gunships to see Master Windu and Master Malicos also on standby with their own troops. They give us a nod, Windu igniting his purple lightsaber while Malicos ignites his two blue sabers. They jump out of the gunships, breaking through the glass to fall down to the space below several hundred feet. Obi-Wan and I leap after them with our own blue lightsabers out while Boil and the clones follow behind us, using their jetpacks to safely travel down. Using the Force, I soften my fall to land in a crouch beside Obi-Wan, shattered glass raining all around us as we get into battle ready stances.

While the rest of our troopers all come in for a landing around us, the gathered droids forces turned around to face us, aiming their blasters. We prepared ourselves for battle, Boil coming to land next to us on his jetpack, before Master Windu suddenly lowers his lightsaber and steps forward.

"My name is General Mace Windu, of the Jedi Order," he starts to say.

I look over at him incredulously, noticing that Boil and Master Malicos were also a bit surprised; even Obi-Wan was looking with a baffled expression on his face, which is saying a lot.

"At this point in the Clone War, I have dismantled and destroyed over 100,000 of you type one battle droids," he continues.

"Is he serious right now?" Boil murmurs to me.

"I think so," I mutter in reply, tempted to rub my forehead in annoyance.

I don't fail to notice how a few of the droids even gave a few shrugs to each other, just as perplexed as the rest of us at Master Windu's little speech.

"I am giving you an opportunity to peacefully lay down your weapons, so that you may be reprogrammed to serve a better purpose than spreading the mindless violence and chaos which you have inflicted upon the galaxy," he finishes, leaving us in silence for a few moments.

The droids all stare up at him before one points a hand in his direction.

"Blast him!" it orders.

Without hesitation the battle droids open fire. The four of us use our lightsabers to deflect the incoming blaster bolts while Boil, Nox, and the clones return fire with their own blasters.

"Well, I guess it was worth a try!" Obi-Wan remarks casually.

"'Peacefully lay down your weapons' he said. Peacefully!" I tell myself mockingly, rolling my eyes as I deflect another shot. "It's not like they're programmed for war or anything!"

"Got to hand it to you Mace, you certainly seemed to outdo Kenobi at his own game," Malicos remarks, a bit amused.

Obi-Wan sighs in exasperation while Master Windu doesn't respond, and we refocus on the ensuing battle. Support comes in the form of more clone troopers jumping down to our level, either on jetpacks or cables, shooting at the droids all the while. Boil manages to duck away from some of the bolts headed his way, but more of the me aren't as talented or lucky in doing so, and get shot down. However, the droids are falling much faster than the clones are because of how they stand still out in the open, making them easy targets.


Trench's command ship - Anaxes orbit

3rd person POV...

Having received new data, a battle droid technician hands a datapad over to the super tactical droid, who stares down analytically at the screen before walking over to Admiral Trench, who continued to observe the battle at the assembly complex.

"Here is the new strategy from Skako, Admiral," the droid reports. "Mobilize all troops on Anaxes to the assembly complex. The Republic will not send reinforcements: they will put all their faith in the Jedi."

Trench gets up from his chair and takes a few steps closer to the monitors, chuckling to himself in satisfaction.

"Give the order," he says in delight.


Assembly Complex - Anaxes

Jarik POV...

Since it began, the battle down here in the complex has dissolved into nothing but chaos. Explosions and blaster fire were being shot around everywhere, and for every droid destroyed more of them would keep coming. We had the advantage of using the large crates stacked around the complex as cover from the large force of droids, as well as superior skill and tactical awareness, but it was still very intense. Master Malicos and Captain Nox stood with their troopers on one side of our protective barriers, facing down a platoon of B1's and B2's, while Master Windu stood with his men on the opposite side doing much the same thing.

From what I've see of Malicos so far he definitely lives up to his reputation; he barely shows a hint of fear or concern as he defiantly faces the enemy, and the troopers of his legion were just as determined as he seemed. Throughout the past two and a half years of my time fighting in the war I've come to understand a lot about the art of war from Cody. Having a good leader who knows what they're doing is one of the most important factors for success in battle; a platoon of thirty soldiers led by a smart, confident, and inspiring leader has a better chance of victory than an army of over a hundred soldiers who lack such a leader.

Unfortunately, many of the Jedi today aren't the most capable of that, due to giving up any ties to military over a thousand years ago. That's partly why Admiral Yularen had a rough start with Anakin and Ahsoka in the beginning, not to mention there are a surprising amount of Jedi who don't treat the clones as well as they should, since while being just as alive as anyone else, they are still technically artificial beings. Needless to say it's good to see that Master Malicos's success rates are from quality leadership, rather than the blatant throwing away of troopers that Pong Krell seemed to enjoy.

"How you doing Jarik?" Obi-Wan asks me.

I refocus on the battle ad deflect a bolt shot at me by a super battle droid, throwing my lightsaber at it to slice it in half.

"Just fine master!" I reply, calling the saber back to stab a B1 droid behind me. "It's actually kind of fun!"

"I thought you'd say that," he sighs in exasperation, cutting through another droid before looking my way with a hint of a smile. "However I should warn you that I currently have a higher kill count than you."

I whip my head around to stare at him incredulously, but his brief grin is already gone as he deflects more blaster fire.

"Excuse me?" I ask, unsure if I heard him right.

"You heard me my young apprentice!" he replies casually, deflecting another shot.

I stand still for a second, baffled, before a slow smile of amusement spreads across my own face, and I refocus on the droids with a shake of my head. Never in my entire life did I think Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi would join in on the battlefield competition, and yet here we are. A B2 rocket droid comes flying in my direction, guns blazing, and I awkwardly roll out of the way in surprise to avoid the shots. Before it could resume charging however, Boil drops in on his own jetpack and lands on top of the droid, shooting several rounds into its head to destroy it, landing on his feet right after.

"Thanks," I say with a nod.

"Not a problem sir," he replies, holding his pistols up gleefully. "I'm just starting to have a bit of fun!"

"Great. I think you left Jesse hanging though," I remind him, cutting through a B1 droid.

"Oh, he'll be fine," he scoffs carelessly.

"Well in that case, Master Kenobi's trying to win the competition this time around!" I tell him.

"Seriously General?" Boil asks, bewildered.

"Not that it matters much, we're all on the same side," Obi-Wan replies, giving me a dull look.

"Yeah, the side where I get the highest head count," he retorts confidently.

Obi-Wan shakes his head while I grin back at him, and we refocus our efforts on the droids. Seeing several of them try to flank us through the crates, I jump down with Obi-Wan, Boil, and Ghost Company to push them back and keep our sides protected. As I cut through a few droids easily, Master Windu's voice shouting in our direction gets our attention.

"Obi-Wan! Skywalker just contacted me!" he says. "He said we've got a lot more droids headed our way."

"I see Anakin is being as insightful as ever," Obi-Wan replies sarcastically.

"I was told not to worry. It was all part of their plan?" Master Windu says, a doubtful look on his face.

"If I know Anakin we've got the easy part," he says in response.

"Well as long as they aren't discovered, Echo should have no problem doing whatever he needs to do if his cybernetics are any indication," I point out.

"If they're mobilizing more droids, we need to clear out the ones already here before they arrive," Malicos shouts in advisement, pausing for a moment to turn and look at us. "These crates can only cover us for so long!"


Trench's command ship - Anaxes orbit

3rd person POV...

From his monitors, Trench could see the battle turning in favor of the Republic forces as the Jedi and clones whittled down the droids currently in combat. On the screens he also had a clear view of Jedi General Taron Malicos in the fight, supported by some troopers in his own legion, and he narrows his eight eyes at him.

Seeing Malicos instantly gives Trench clear indication of why the Republic defense of the shipyard in sector three worked so well; Malicos is a cunning tactician, with strategies beyond what the algorithm has knowledge of, and if it wasn't for his hyena bombers they likely would've held off his forces and maintained control of the shipyard. But the support of General Malicos in this fight would not help the Republic this time.

Trench clicks his mandibles in satisfaction as he watches the monitors displaying the vast expanse of his droid forces mobilizing together on their way into the complex, ready to destroy his enemies.

"The droids are going to overwhelm the Jedi! They don't stand a chance," he chuckles.

Much like at sector three, the Jedi and their forces will be overwhelmed as a result of his superior numbers, leaving Malicos's tactical advantages worthless. Only so much can be done in the face of being both outnumbered and outgunned, and with the crushing defeat of four of the most effective Jedi commanders the Republic has to offer, victory will be his.


Assembly Complex - Anaxes

Jarik POV...

With the droid forces rapidly decreasing in number we moved out from our cover of the large storage crates in order to take out the remainder. Our jetpack troopers flew around through the air to destroy their B2 rocket droids while the rest of us converged on the remaining droids on the ground.

Obi-Wan and I worked flawlessly to cut through the droids in our path, as only master and apprentice could do, while Master Windu struck down his droids with wide, powerful swings. Master Malicos had a much more swift, yet simplistic style based around Form's III and IV. He would cut through droids with his sabers that got to close, dodge blaster fire set his way, or take out rows at a time with one powerful Force push. Jar'Kai was obvious in his combat style as a wielder of two sabers, but he utilized it a bit slower, striking out with cold, but efficient blows.

In very little time, we managed to destroyed all of the droids in the room, finally bringing a pause in the chaos. Unfortunately, a good number of troopers died during the battle as there was a noticeable difference right now in comparison to when we first started.

"Well, there weren't as many as I thought there were going to be," Obi-Wan remarks.

Before he even finished his sentence, multiple doors all around us open to allow hundreds upon hundreds of battle droids to come marching; mostly B1's, but there were also a good amount of B2's, rocket droids, and even a few spider droids in the mix.

"Every time, master. Every time!" I groan irritably.

"I wish I could say I've had worse circumstances," Master Malicos grumbles grimly.

"Does this meet your expectations?" Master Windu asks Obi-Wan.

"This, exceeds my expectations," Obi-Wan replies with a sigh.

"This'll be fun," Boil mutters.

With no more than twenty of us left against at least two hundred battle droids surrounding us in a circle, I don't see our chances of making it through this one as very high; not even close. Preparing myself mentally, I also pull out my second lightsaber, allowing the familiarity of Ahsoka's glowing green blade to comfort me. Before any of us could initiate the fight, an electrical pulse suddenly spreads throughout the droids much like a droid popper would, disabling each one in mere moments. We look on in pleasant surprise as the pulse spreads across the room, wiping out the droid army before they could offer any resistance.

"How about that. Looks like Skywalker came through," Master Malicos remarks with an amused scoff.


Trench's command ship - Anaxes orbit

3rd person POV...

Trench looks on in anger and disbelief as he sees all of the droids being disabled by an electric pulse, jumping to his feet with a look of outrage.

"What?!" he exclaims furiously, whipping around to glare at the tactical droid. "What, was that?!"

"We monitored a powerful energy surge, which has overloaded the droids circuitry," the droid explains. "We are tracking the origin of this pulse now."

Trench looks up at the monitors with narrowed eyes, deep in thought and growing suspicious.

"The algorithm has never been wrong before," he murmurs, turning back around. "How could we have missed this?"

"The source originated from onboard this ship," the droid reports.

"Dispatch security droids," Trench scowls in frustration, coming to an understanding. "It seems that the algorithm is no longer operating in favor."

"What about our apparent defeat?" the droid asks.

Despite the heavy loss, Trench simply chuckles in reply, facing the monitor without much worry in his stride.

"A wise leader does not rely completely on things such as algorithms," he states, clicking his mandibles. "My personal strategy is through total annihilation."


Assembly Complex - Anaxes

Jarik POV...

With the droids all defeated, it didn't take us very long to gain complete control of the assembly complex with reinforcements we received afterwards. Reports soon came in from around Anaxes that multiple battlefronts were also beginning to turn in our favor. The sudden change of advantage in our favor has got to be one of the most relieving things I've experienced in a long time. Unfortunately, with victory all but ours that now means we have to start working on the more boring tasks: searching the battle site for stragglers and cleaning up the mess.

"Jesse, Boil, continue your sweep of the area," Obi-Wan orders. "We don't want to miss any surprises Trench may have left over."

"Sir," Jesse nods in acknowledgement.

"Ugh. What fun," Boil grumbles, heading off with him reluctantly.

"Oh lighten up soldier," Jesse teases him.

"I have to say, this has been one of my finer victories. Plan worked flawlessly," Master Malicos remarks in satisfaction.

"Indeed. Now we just have to hope we can capture Admiral Trench before he leaves the system," Master Windu says.

"Commander Shan, this is Tech!" my comlink suddenly comes alive, and I raise my arm up to listen better. "There's a bomb in the fusion reactor! We need someone to go down there and disarm it!"

"Tell him I'm on my way," Master Windu orders firmly.

"We're on it Tech," I say into my com, before rushing after him. "I'm going with you!"

"No. Remain here Padawan, that's an order!" he reply sternly.

"This is my area of expertise, Master Windu! I'm going with!" I retort in determination.

"Jarik-" Obi-Wan starts to say.

"I'll be fine master, I got this!" I assure him.

"Fine," Master Windu scowls, reluctantly conceding. "Get the men out of here!"

With the order given to Obi-Wan and Master Malicos, we step onto the elevator and begin our descent down into the fusion reactor chamber. I look over to see the reactor sparking with powerful energy in the center, and immediately start scanning the room for any sign of the bomb. Once the elevator stops we get off and onto the catwalk, looking around.

"You check that side, I'll check this one," Master Windu tells me.

I nod in confirmation and sprint around the core of the fusion reactor, looking for the bomb. So far I don't see anything on the main level or up above, so I direct my gaze downward, spotting the bomb below. It's glowing red, a stark contrast to the coloration of the rest of the facility and, judging by its size and ingenuity, deadly enough to obliterate most of the entire planet.

"Master! Over here!" I call out.

Master Windu runs over to me, catching sight of the bomb, and we both jump down to the level it's on. Approaching the bomb, I narrow my eyes at the control console in front of it and move forwards to get to work, reaching a hand out. However, just before I could touch it Master Windu suddenly grabs my shoulder and pulls me back, just in time to avoid getting my right arm and probably a good chunk of my face from being hit with a shield popping up.

"Thanks," I tell him, a bit startled, and he simply nods in reply.

"This certainly complicates things," he states with a frown.

"Yeah. Ray shield," I reply in agreement, moving forward to analyze it.

"Can you disarm it?" he asks me.

"Maybe. Once I find the source," I admit cautiously, looking around the bomb.

"We may not have the time," Master Windu responds, raising his comlink. "Echo, we've found the bomb. Tell us the sequence to shut it down."

"I'm decrypting it now," he replies. "The first number in the sequence is three."

"Shan," Master Windu says urgently.

"Yup, I'm on it," I reply, giving up on looking for the shield. It doesn't stop us very much anyways.

Raising my arms, I close my eyes and open myself up to the Force and stretch my senses out to the console, finding the first switch. Gesturing with my hands, I flip the switch down to the correct number and wait for the next to follow.

"The next is... one" Echo informs us.

I shift my focus to the second switch on the console, moving it down to the proper position. This continues for the next five numbers until a scream of pain suddenly sounds from Echo's end before falling silent, and I'm broken out of my focus with an alarmed look on my face.

"What just happened?!" I ask anxiously.

"Echo. Echo! Echo, are you there?" Master Windu calls insistently.

"General Windu, Trench took out Echo. We can't get you the last number in the sequence!" Rex's voice comes through urgently, and I turn around to stare at the bomb with a silent curse. "Sorry general, but you'll have to disarm the bomb without us."

"Don't worry about us captain. Just get your men out of there," he orders.

"Yes sir!" he replies, ending the transmission.


Trench's command ship - Anaxes orbit

3rd person POV...

"The Jedi lack the final sequences to stop the detonation," Trench states with a satisfied hiss, turning off the monitor and getting to his feet. "The loss of clones at the shipyard will seal the Republic's fate."

He starts walking to the bridge exit with his tactical droid commander, giving him a stern look.

"Dispatch more units to deal with the infiltrators on the ship, and prepare our landing craft for our next assault," Trench orders.

"As you command," the tactical droid acknowledges in reply.

Before he could leave the bridge however, the door opens to reveal the angry, scowl face of Anakin Skywalker. Trench lets out a startled exclamation of surprise and steps back while Anakin ignites his lightsaber, cutting through the tactical droid with a snarl.

"Jedi scum!" Trench hisses.

A pair of commando droids leap up from the front of the bridge and open fire with their blasters, standing defensively on either side of Trench. Anakin casually deflects the blaster bolts sent his way and then raises an arm, grabbing one of the droids with the Force. He throws the droid harshly against the wall, and the other droid rushes for him. He slashes his lightsaber in front of him to cut the droid apart, but it swiftly jumps above the swing and flips around to land on the other side of Anakin, who turns to face it.

Narrowing his eyes, Trench raises his mechanical arm and fires a hidden electronet, but Anakin jumps out of the way to allow it to hit the droid instead. Anakin lands on his feet in front of Trench and pins him against the back of his chair by holding his lightsaber to his throat, a threatening scowl on his face.

"Tell me the sequence to disarm the bomb!" he demands.

"Never! Dooku would kill me for losing Anaxes!" Trench replies.

"And you think I won't?" Anakin asks coldly.

"You're a Jedi," Trench sneers mockingly, prompting a wild glare from Anakin. "Your nobility-"

Before Trench could continue any further, Anakin raises his lightsaber and cuts all three of his mechanical arms clean off. Trench stumbles back with a startled cry of disbelief, and looks at Anakin with newfound fear as the lightsaber is thrust closer to his face, cowering nervously.

"I DON'T HAVE SUCH WEAKNESSES!" Anakin snarls, narrowing his eyes. "Now lets try that again."


Assembly Complex - Anaxes

Jarik POV...

"Well this is just great," I scowl in frustration.

"Now's not the time to lose our focus Padawan," Master Windu tells me.

"I know, master, I know," I sigh in response, glaring at the ray shield. "If I could just get the ray shield down and access the terminal I wouldn't even need the sequence to disarm the countdown. And if I'm reading it correctly, we've only got two more minutes before it blows."

"Would that be enough time for you?" he asks me.

"Without the ray shield in the way?" I ask, glancing back at him uncertainly. "It'd be really close."

Before he could respond my comlink starts to beep again, and I answer the call.

"Jarik, if you and Mace can't stop the detonation you must leave now!" Obi-Wan tells us urgently.

"But I can do it, master. I have to do it!" I argue insistently. "Leaving right now is not an option."

"I agree with you Jarik, but Obi-Wan's right," Master Windu states, stepping in my direction with a firm look. "You get out of here with him, and I'll stay to disarm it."

"Master-" I start to protest.

"This is not up for discussion Padawan," he interrupts, leaving no room for argument. "This way we may have a chance, even if it's down to my best guess."

"How about I take the guesswork out of it for you master?" Anakin suddenly chimes in, surprising us. "Admiral Trench was kind enough to give me the final number himself! Try seven."

I look up at Master Windu, noticing his hesitation and momentary suspicion. Admittedly I'm a little cautious at the idea of how Anakin might've learned the sequence, particularly from a guy like Trench. I've known him long enough, and heard enough from Ahsoka and Obi-Wan to understand his interrogation methods aren't really the most 'Jedi-like.' Still, I'm more than ready to trust his word, and give Master Windu a nod.

Conceding, Master Windu raises his arms and closes his eyes, directing his focus to the terminal. Using the Force, he slides the switch down into the correct position; the effect is immediate. The ray shield deactivates, and the red glow generated the bomb disappears so that it looks like nothing more than a lifeless hunk of scrap metal.

"Oh thank the Force," I sigh in relief. "Nice job master, the number worked."

"Indeed. The bomb is now disarmed, Skywalker," Master Windu adds in approval. "Good work."


Trench's command ship - Anaxes orbit

3rd person POV...

"All three of you owe me one now," Anakin says with a grin.

Narrowing his eyes in fury, Trench clicks his mandibles together and discretely taps his cane against the floor, activating an electrical pulse on the end. Sensing the danger Anakin whips his head around to face Trench, but is unable to avoid the incoming assault. Anakin groans in agonizing pain as Trench jabs his cane into his side, sneering at him as he's hit with a high voltage of shocking energy. To his surprise however, Anakin fights through the pain and points his lightsaber directly at him, gritting his teeth with rage in his eyes.

Startled, Trench pulls back with a terrified look on his face and tries to move out of the way, but Anakin thrusts his blade forwards. Trench chokes with pain as the lightsaber impales him directly through his chest and then through the back of his chair, his mandibles clicking uncontrollably. Anakin stares him directly in the eyes with a sick sense of pleasure at the kill, and then rips his lightsaber away. Deactivating his saber, he turns away from Trench and walks off, leaving him to sputter and choke from the pain of his fatal injury.

Approaching one of the consoles on the bridge, Anakin types in a few codes. A self-destruct detonator for the cruiser pops up out of the arm of Trench's chair, meant for destroying the ship and prevent enemies from acquiring intel in the case of a loss. Anakin however walks over to the detonator and picks it up with a smirk on his face, scoffing carelessly.

"Wrecker's gonna love this," he remarks.

Giving Trench one final look he takes off for the door at a run, saluting the Separatist Admiral as he stumbles around and collapses on the ground, the wound in his chest still smoking.

"Admiral, it was a pleasure," Anakin calls out mockingly.

The only response he receives is a death rattle from Trench before he goes still, his remaining organic eyes staring up at the ceiling lifelessly.


Anaxes - Azure system

Jarik POV...

After the bomb was disarmed, the battle came to an end with the destruction of the Separatist fleet in orbit, resulting in Admiral Trench's death and granting us complete control over the planet. Apparently, Anakin decided to help out the Bad Batch in destroying Trench's cruiser, giving Wrecker a self-destruct detonator to do so. Returning back to our base, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Malicos, Master Windu, Boil and I all stood before Rex, Echo, and the Bad Batch to congratulate them on their accomplishments today. Cody was now fully healed from his injury, and stood with us as well.

"Captain Rex, Corporal Echo, and clone force 99. You have all done a great service for the Republic. Thanks to your courage and effort, Republic shipyards will be up and running again," Master Windu informs them.

"You've got some medals coming your way," Obi-Wan adds with a smile.

"Thank you General," Rex replies gratefully.

With that being said we depart from them on our way to fulfill the rest of our duties, with Boil and Cody nodding to them in support along the way. As we head off, Master Malicos glances at us with a satisfied smile on his face.

"It was certainly good to fight alongside you all," he tells us. "Maybe we'll do so another time."

"I could definitely say the same, master," Anakin replies in agreement.

"Hmph. That's good to hear Skywalker," Malicos nods in content, glancing at me. "Remember what we talked about Padawan Shan. Keep doing yourself good."

"I will master," I tell him.

Satisfied, he continues on with Master Windu while Obi-Wan, Anakin, Boil and I come to a stop, watching them go.

"I'm gonna be honest Master Kenobi, I think Master Malicos is kind of cool," I remark.

"He's certainly a great commander," Anakin adds in agreement.

"You compliment him now, just wait until you know him better, and he's a nightmare," Obi-Wan replies in disagreement.

"You only say that because he jokes about you like Master Vos does," I accuse him.

He sighs in exasperation while Anakin shakes his head in amusement.


Author's Note: Hello readers! Hope you all are still going strong despite the chaos happening globally right now!

Fun chapter I hope, and we a got a bit of interaction between Jarik and Malicos discussing their views of the Jedi Order. I enjoyed writing that, and it provides a bit more insight to the character of Malicos. There's was a mention of another character in that conversation, maybe you caught it! :D

Didn't really showcase the defense of the shipyard that was discussed at the end of last chapter and start of this one, but I didn't really think I needed to. It wouldn't be much different than any other Clone Wars battle I've written, especially since I wrote that type of storyline only three chapters back, but the point was made. Also not as much of the Bad Batch in this chapter, as this is Jarik's story, and mainly from his POV.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'm thankful for your support! The next story arc with Ahsoka wouldn't really feature Jarik too much, if at all, so I'm working my way through that in a way I think would make sense. Afterwards however is the Siege of Mandalore, which I can't wait for! Really eager to see that story finally being told! :D

Likely means I'll have to retcon a couple of things in Revenge of the Sith to fit it though... oh well lol.