The Shroud of The Dark Side (CW AU)

by SkywalkerStories13

Sequel to A New Padawan's Journey. Rosella and her family must fight to bring peace back to both the Republic and the galaxy. Palpatine, who has now discovered the Sun and Star Prophecy, vows to discover just who the child is and eliminate her for she could completely disrupt his plans for the Chosen One and the rest of the galaxy.

13. Saving Family

"aaaa" - talking through a holocomunicator or comlink. aaaa - inner thoughts and Force Visions. 'aaaa' - talking through a bond.

AN: Thank you princesselsaamidala22 for your review of the last chapter.

This chapter took me a little longer to write than I had hoped as I had to explain how the other clones got out of the bunker since we don't see them or the other members of the bomb squad for the rest of the episode. I took some inspiration for a few scenes in this chapter from the fanfic Perfectly Broken (But All Still Here) by Sealure. I also loved the piece of work titled Surrogate by AzuraJoe on AO3 (I included a few lines in here, some of them I changed around and some I didn't because I thought they were fine on their own)

I got the Clone Unit names off of Wookiepedia, just in case anyone is wondering.

While cleaning up, an accident happens, forcing Anakin and Obi-Wan to go find a cure for the Blue Shadow Virus while Padmè, Rosella and a few men from the 501st are trapped in Vindi's underground bunker.

Happy reading!

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Chapter 13: Saving Family

Obi-Wan walked over to Dr. Vindi, who was still sitting on the ground over on the right side of the landing platform. The doctor was still being guarded by two of the troopers who had come up with the Jedi Master after he had made sure that the vials he had caught were properly disposed of. Satisfied that the doctor wouldn't be going anywhere for now, he glanced over at Anakin, who had his back turned to him since he was speaking into his wrist communicator.

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Rosella and Rex met up with Padmè, Jar-Jar and the other clone units near the intersection that led to the safe room, which also doubled as the greenhouse that Vindi used while he had been down in the bunker for the past ten years. The padawan looked down at her wrist communicator as it went off. Pressing the answer button, she said, "I'm here Master."

"Rosella, is everyone there with you?" Anakin asked as his voice came out of the device.

"Everyone's here," she responded.

"Good," Anakin responded. "Listen up. I'm leaving you down here to oversee the cleanup of the lab while Obi-Wan and I take Vindi back to Theed. I also want you to send Calm Tree, Wildfire and most of the bomb squad back up to the surface. I'm leaving Rex, the Snow Wolves unit and two members of their squad down there with you."

"Consider it done Master," Rosella replied.

"I want everyone to be careful as you all clear out every one of those vials that are down there," Anakin told the group. "Make sure you handle that last gas vial very carefully."

"Yes Master," Rosella replied. "Is that all you want us to do down here?"

"Yes. Now get moving," Anakin said as he ended the communication.

Rosella took her hand off her wrist communicator and dismissed the units that Anakin had told her to send back up to the surface. Then she nodded to the remaining members of her group.

As she saw the Senator and the Gungan leave, she got the sense that Padmè wanted to double-check the greenhouse to see if she could find some clue as to whether there was anything more that Vindi had been planning other than just bringing back a virus that had been wiped out generations ago. "Senator," she said.

"Yes?" Padmè asked, turning around to face the padawan.

"I want you to take Happy, Crusher, and the remaining two members of the bomb squad with you just to be safe," Rosella told her.

The Naboo woman nodded. After they had departed, she split up the rest and had a group of four troopers make their way back to the room that Vindi had used to try and escape, while she and the rest of her squad made their way to the lab that Padmè and Jar-Jar had been trapped in with orders to clear out and safely dispose of all those vials that were in the room. She ordered two others to patrol the area and see if they could find that small rabbit droid since none of them had seen it since Anakin had left them down here.

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As soon as the clone units that Rosella had sent away arrived in the room were the landing platform was, they used their grapple launchers to get up to the surface. When they got up to the surface, Anakin called over the two troopers who had been guarding Vindi. Once the doctor had been restrained by his brother, the Jedi Knight dismissed them, watching as they made their way onto each of the gunships that had landed on the ground. Once the pilots were ready, they lifted off and headed back up to the Resolute.

Once he could no longer see the gunships, Anakin walked over to Obi-Wan and Dr. Vindi. Once the Jedi Knight had taken Vindi from him, Obi-Wan walked towards the rear of the shuttle, then stepped to the side and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Anakin give the captured doctor a shove, forcing him to walk towards the ramp and into the craft that the mad doctor would have taken had he actually been able to escape the planet with his now deactivated bombs.

It was early afternoon on Naboo. Just yesterday, both of them, along with Rosella, Rex, three units from the 501st, the bomb squad, Senator Amidala and Jar-Jar Binks stopped Dr. Vindi from rereleasing his newly made deadlier version of the Blue Shadow Virus back into the galaxy.

While Rosella and the others were down in the lab, it was their job to transport the doctor back to Theed for his trial and eventual imprisonment.

Vindi walked up the shuttle's ramp, with Anakin right behind him to make sure he didn't try and escape.

"That was close," Anakin said as he turned to face his brother. Vindi had stopped at the top of the ramp, clearly not pleased that his plan had been foiled. Neither Anakin or Obi-Wan noticed as the Knight kept talking. "If even one of those bombs had gotten out of the bunker and been detonated, everyone on Naboo would be dead now."

"Oh well," Obi-Wan responded. "Let's just say that last night was another boring day saving the universe."

Anakin sighed. "Fine," he said. "Let's get this sleemo back to Theed and come back so we can help Padmè and Rosella with the cleanup."

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The group of four troopers that Rosella had sent to secure the landing platform had reached the room and were currently double-checking to make sure it was clean and that there were no extra vials that they had missed. One of them was standing near the broken door, while two others ran over it and made their way underneath the platform which was still up in the air. The fourth trooper walked towards his brother who was standing by the door.

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On the other side of the bunker, the second clone who had accompanied Padmè, Jar-Jar, and the remaining members of the bomb squad as well as his fellow trooper, walked into the greenhouse and headed off to the right side to check the plants that were nearest to the door.

Padmè and Jar-Jar were speaking to one another while his fellow trooper and one of the bomb squad members were looking through the plants that Vindi had kept down in the bunker. She suspected that some of them were for his experiments since he needed something to test the virus on, others were to be made into food that he needed in order to survive and maybe a few of them had been used in the creation of the airborne version of the virus.

The other trooper, who was apart of the bomb squad was standing behind the Senator, looking at the last bomb that Drak had deactivated. The clone, whose name was Cash, noticed that the vial was gone. He knew that this was going to be a problem because if it had found its way into the hands of the enemy, there was no telling what could happen. He picked up the empty casing.

"Senator, I think you should take a look at this," he said, turning towards the Naboo woman as she and Jar-Jar ceased their conversation. He showed her the empty bomb. "It's the last bomb that Drak disarmed."

"The chamber where the glass vial is supposed to be. It's gone," Padmè said.

"That bunny droid must have taken it while we were busy meeting with the Commander and General Skywalker via her wrist communicator," Cash said.

"Sound the alarm and put this lab on high alert. We need to find that droid," Padmè told him.

A few seconds later, the alarm began to blare and the sign changed from green to yellow as it continued to flash.

Then she contacted Rosella and told her what was going on.

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As Rosella was overseeing her men, who were still clearing out the lab, she heard the alarm go off. When she looked up and saw the sign change colour, she received the communication from Padmé. Once she heard that the small rabbit droid had gotten hold of the last vial that contained the deadly new form of the virus and was running around somewhere in the underground lab, she told the Senator that she had already sent two troopers to go look for it and that her group would join them as soon as the lab was clear.

After ending the communication, the teenager sighed quietly to herself. She knew the Senator was making sure that she was aware of what was going on, but she wasn't all that worried as she sensed that her father and uncle were about to take the mad doctor, who was bound with a pair of cuffs, into custody. There wasn't anything that the Faust could do from up there and even if anything were to happen, she was a Jedi.

Plus, she had Rex by her side. The Captain, as well as his men, were loyal to both her and Anakin. She was pretty sure he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. Once the room was cleared out and all the vials had been properly disposed of, they left, running down the hallway to begin their own search for the droid.

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"I don't understand. How could that small little droid have gotten a hold of one of the virus containers?" One clone asked as he heard the alarm. "I thought we safely got rid of all the gas versions."

"I don't know. But I don't want to be in the area if that droid manages to set it off," the other clone responded.

LEP-86C8 flattened himself against the corner of the bunker wall as the two clones walked right by him. The small droid wasn't able to fully understand the work that the doctor had done to create the small vial of blue gas that he now clutched in his small metal hands.

Once he was sure that the clones hadn't seen him, he pushed himself off of the wall and quietly followed the troopers into the bomb room where row after row of empty and deactivated bombs hung from their hooks.

"I doubt that droid would come back here since we have already taken the virus containers out of these bombs," the first clone said.

"Still, let's check these bombs one last time in case we happened to miss a vial," the second one told his partner.

The droid crept behind them, silently heading towards the nearest bomb.

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Up on the landing pad, Vindi was still standing at the top of the ramp when all of a sudden, Anakin looked over at his brother, having heard the distant and muffled sound of a blaring alarm. The look that was on Obi-Wan's face all but confirmed that he had heard the noise as well.

"It looks like the virus has been liberated," Vindi said, causing both Jedi to look at him as he cackled. "All your efforts to stop it from being set off has now been undone young Jedi. This planet and everyone on it is now doomed."

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Inside the bomb room, one of the clones spotted the little droid putting the virus container into a bomb. "Hey!" The clone yelled at the droid.

The bunny droid looked at the clones as it reached over and pressed the button in the middle, activating the bomb.

"Get away from there!" The second one yelled as both of the clones ran towards the droid and the bomb.

The bomb exploded, doing four things at once. It killed both of the clones, destroyed the rabbit droid, blew the door apart and freed the virus.

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The ground above the underground bunker shook, causing Anakin and Obi-Wan to almost lose their balance.

"I hope that wasn't what I think it is," Anakin said as he looked at his brother.

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The sign changed from yellow to red.

Rosella wasn't sure she liked the way that Rex had stopped in the middle of the hallway, his body tense, stance almost rigid. She saw him look up at the red flashing light, then over at her.

"The virus has gotten loose," Rex said, causing the young girl to run over to him. "We have to get to the safe room that's at the end of this corridor. Come on!" He took off, with Rosella and the three other clones who were part of their squad right behind him.

The virus, which was rapidly spreading throughout the facility, was right on their heels as they raced down the hallway, hoping to make it to the safe room in time. Several doors were already closing in a last ditch attempt to halt the blue-colored gas from going any further as the entire lab was going into lockdown in order to prevent it from escaping.

"I see the safe room!" One of the men said to the group as they saw the small, circular room.

"I don't think we're going to make it!" Another one said.

"Hurry," Rex said as he and two of his men bolted for the door, which had started to close as the gas got closer. "We have to stop those doors from closing!"

Both of the troopers placed their blasters between the moving doors in an attempt to keep the gap open long enough for them to get inside.

"Don't worry about the doors," Rosella said as she stopped moving, closed her eyes and opened them again. Then she raised her hands, palms facing forward and reached out with the force, letting it flow through her as she called on it to aid her in her time of need.

Both of the clones, and Captain Rex, were now using their hands to try and keep both halves of the door from fully shutting on their group. All three of them let go as soon as they realized that it was no longer going to close.

"Rex! You and your men get inside the safe room!" Rosella told him.

Rex and his men all dove through the gap in the door. Then two of them turned around and held it up as the blasters that they had used fell from the edges of the open door.

Then Rex popped up, waved his left arm in the accompanying motion and yelled, "Hurry up Commander!"

With the virus now on her heels, Rosella ran and used the force to leap through the gap. Once she was safely on the ground, the clones as well as Rex, who had held the door open, let go and watched as it closed on their group. The 501st Captain turned around as one the clones held up his right arm and leaned away as a small bit of the gas had managed to get through, contaminating the room.

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Obi-Wan and Anakin were on board the shuttle. R2, who had been on one of the gunships and had stayed behind when they left, had just rolled up the ramp and into the ship as Anakin contacted Rosella on his wrist com. "Rosella, what is going on down there?" He asked, a small hint of desperation in his voice as R2 rolled past him and then retracted his middle strut.

"That small bunny droid somehow got a hold of the virus. I'm guessing that it managed to find the bomb room and set one of the bombs off, since the virus is running loose down here. The entire bunker, including the holes that we made to get in, has been sealed to prevent any of the gas from escaping," Rosella told him.

"Have you heard from Padmè?" He asked as he could hear Obi-Wan patting the doctor on the shoulders and forcing him into a seat.

"No," Rosella said, causing Anakin to worry for his wife's safety as well as hers. "I haven't heard from her since the bomb went off."

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"Anakin, can you hear me? Anakin!" Padmè called over a comlink that she held in her left hand as she wasn't sure if Anakin could hear her through the helmet of her EVA suit. She had removed it from her belt before she and Jar-Jar had put on the yellow suits over their clothing.

Jar-Jar was frantically running around in the background.

"Padmé, I'm here," Anakin said. "Are you and Jar-Jar alright?"

"Where's Ani?" The Gungan cried as he ran behind Padmè.

"Yes," Padmè replied. "We're fine for the time being. Jar-Jar and I are in the greenhouse that also doubles as a safe room since the door sealed shut as soon as we heard the explosion. Don't worry. We're wearing protective suits."

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Anakin sighed in relief upon hearing that his wife was safe, though he did wonder why Vindi would need a greenhouse. "The virus is loose, but Rosella has sealed off the entire facility. That should keep the virus from spreading any further," he told her.

Behind him, Obi-Wan had finished speaking to R2, who rolled away to do the task that he had been assigned to do.

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"Yes, but any of the remaining droids that Vindi still has down here will do everything that they can to escape the lab. I'll see what I can do to stop them. I'm not letting that virus leave this place," Padmè told him.

"Be careful," Anakin said.

Then they ended the call. Padmè put away her comlink and picked up Jar-Jar's helmet, watching as he ran into it. "Put your helmet on," she told him.

The Gungan did as he was told and placed the helmet on his head, hearing the locks click into place.

"Follow me Jar-Jar. We are going to look for Rosella as we'll need her help, along with Captain Rex and his squad to stop those droids," Padmé told him as she and the clones made their way out of the lab.

Jar-Jar followed the group.

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Obi-Wan looked at Anakin and could sense the hidden fear as well as the small amount of rage that was building up inside of him. While he knew that the fear was for his sister-in-law and his niece, he got the feeling that the rage was for Vindi. He was angry at the doctor as well, for the Faust was playing with a virus that not even Obi-Wan believed the man completely understood himself.

This new version of the virus that the doctor had created was even more deadly now that it was in its gas form as it would harm all lifeforms that it came into contact with. It was currently running free, but only had metal walls and doors to keep it from destroying not just Naboo and its people, but the rest of the galaxy.

The Jedi Master didn't say anything as he watched Anakin grab his lightsaber with the force and ignite it. He too turned towards the doctor.

The bright blue blade hummed as the tip of the saber hovered in an unspoken threat in front of Vindi's throat.

"You'd better hand over the antidote right now, Vindi," Anakin told him.

Vindi laughed as he kept his head down. "I'm afraid you have mistaken my role, young Jedi," he said. Then he lifted his head. "I was told only to make the plague, not to cure it."

"We don't have time for any of your games," Anakin said, his saber still pointed at the man.

"Calm down Anakin. You must show some restraint here. After all, there is more than one way to skin a womp rat," Obi-Wan told him.

That answer didn't seem to appease Anakin's anger, as he thrust his lightsaber dangerously close to Vindi's throat. He narrowed his eyes, almost glaring at the Faust. "I want to know where that antidote is right now!" He growled.

"Yes, kill me! Kill me now and spare me from the effects of the virus because once one of my remaining droids breaks out of that lab, all of Naboo is doomed!" Vindi said with a mad smile on his face.

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed as he heard what the man was saying. Then he looked up and saw how Anakin was fighting the urge to end the doctor's life right then and there. "Anakin, no," he said as he laid his left hand on the younger man's right wrist. "This is not the right way to go about this. We won't win this battle if you go through with killing him. The fastest way to save both the Senator and your padawan is to take Vindi back to the capital and start looking for an actual antidote."

Deep down, Anakin knew that Obi-Wan was right. Then he remembered that he was a Jedi and his duty came first, even when the lives of his very own family were on the line. The Jedi Knight deactivated his blade, the bright blue vanishing back into its hilt.

The ship then took off and headed back to Theed.

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"No!" One of the men, whose name was Tug said as he slammed both of his fists down on the panel that was below the air quality screen that he had been looking at over in the back corner of the room. One of the items on the screen was red and spinning around, another one was causing the alarm to blare inside the room and the third was flashing red as it steadily filled up. Both Rex and Rosella came to stand next to the clone as he turned to face them. "We didn't close the door fast enough Commander. A tiny amount of that blasted virus got in here."

Rex looked down at the Padawan who stood next to him as he placed his hands on his hips. "Even the smallest amount will be enough to start killing us. We may be dead men Commander, but we still need to stop those remaining droids from breaking out of here and spreading the virus to the surface," he told her.

Rosella knew that this was a serious situation, but her eyes blazed with hope as she trusted in the Force to keep them all alive. She also had faith in her family as she knew that they would do everything that they could to find an antidote. "We are not giving up. I know that Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker will find a cure for this virus. Besides, we aren't dead yet," she said, trying to stay positive.

Suddenly the young girl's wrist com went off. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Padmè asked as her voice came out of it.

Rosella's eyes briefly lit up as she heard her adopted mother's voice and she raised her right arm, pressing the button to answer the tiny device that was attached to her right bracer. "It's such a relief to hear your voice Senator," she said. "My squad and I made it to the safe room at the end of complex B. We are trapped in here with nowhere else to go."

"Jar-Jar and I will be right there," Padmè said. "Are you contaminated?"

As soon as the Senator had finished speaking, Rosella heard coughing, causing her to look up and glance to her left. Two of the men who were with her had taken off their helmets and were coughing into their hands.

"I'm afraid so," Rosella said grimly. Then she leaned away from her arm as she too lightly began to cough. After she was finished, she drew near to her wrist mounted communicator. "I'll see you both when you arrive." Once she had ended the communication, she closed her eyes, called on the Force and concentrated on dimming the bond that she shared with her father as well as the one that she had with her uncle.

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Up in the cockpit of the ship that Obi-Wan and Anakin were using to transport Dr. Vindi to Theed, both Jedi could feel the bond that each of them shared with Rosella being dimmed. When the process was finished, they barely felt her bright presence that was a soothing comfort to them both in the Force.

Since this was their first time doing this, it left Anakin and Obi-Wan feeling uncomfortable and on edge.

Both adults knew the reason why Rosella had done what she did.

The Jedi Master and Knight needed to be focused on finding the antidote for the virus. Focusing on how Rosella, Padmè, Jar-Jar and the men from the 501st were doing would serve as nothing but a distraction for them as they wouldn't be able to concentrate on their more important task that lay ahead of them.

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As the shuttle flew in, turned around and landed in the hangar of the Royal Palace, Obi-Wan sensed that Captain Typho and two members of the Royal Guard were waiting for them. Placing his left hand on Anakin's shoulder, he got up and headed to the back of the ship.

A few minutes later, he heard a pair of footsteps and looked up as he saw Anakin join him.

Once Vindi was ready, Obi-Wan reached over and pressed a button. The doors that led to the back of the ship opened and the ramp was extended. Anakin gave the captive Faust a light push that made him move out of the ship and down the ramp. Both Jedi were right behind him as they came to a stop in front of Captain Typho and his men.

Things weren't looking so good for the two of them as they had no other choice but to leave the Senator, Rosella and some of the men from the 501st behind as they remained trapped in the bunker.

"Dr. Vindi, now that you have been caught, you are going to answer for the crimes that you have committed and I can assure you, there will be severe consequences for what you have done. Take him away," Typho said. Then he stepped back as both members of the Naboo Guard came forward and grabbed Vindi by the arms, leading him to his cell.

"Now we need to be focused on finding an antidote for this virus," Obi-Wan said.

"I think I may have found something that will help you in your search," Typho said. He had received word of what had happened down in the underground bunker and although he was glad that none of the virus had escaped, deep down, he was very worried for the lives of the Senator and Jedi padawan who were trapped down there.

Obi-Wan and Anakin's heads jerked up and they began to follow the Captain.

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Anakin, Obi-Wan and Typho walked into the communication room and stood around the holotable.

"What have you found for us?" Anakin asked as he ran up to the Naboo Security Captain, his voice sounding a little lighter than it had before. "Hopefully it's a cure, so no one else will have to go through this in the near future."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms.

"That's what we think this is," Typho said as the men stood around the holotable. He pressed a button on the side of the table and pointed as a holo of a root appeared and began to turn around. "We did some digging and were able to find out that there is a small known extract that can be made from reeksa root which is a weed-like vine that is found only on Iego, the world of a thousand moons." The holo changed into a planet, surrounded by a lot of moons and debris. "The not so good news is that the planet is deep within Separatist-controlled space."

Anakin could feel his body going tense as he stood there, clenching his fists as his sides. HIs face almost paled when he heard where the planet was located. "That complicates things for us," he said.

"If you are going to go there, I suggest that you move with caution," Typho told them.

The Jedi Knight turned away and stalked towards the stairs that led to the hanger. "Thank you for the advice, Captain, but I'm afraid that we don't have the time to be cautious right now," Anakin responded in a calm voice, choosing to focus on the cure rather than his own feelings. He walked past Obi-Wan, who placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to stop in his tracks. "The lives of my padawan, the Senator, Jar-Jar and my men are on the line."

"I applaud your courage General, but I think it would be better if you thought this plan through a little more," Typho said. "I suggest that we at least try to contain the virus first. Then we combine our forces and go get the root."

Anakin nodded at Obi-Wan, who removed his hand from his shoulder. "No offence Captain," he said, "But I think it would be best if Obi-Wan and I went to get the root. You and your men need to stay here and continue protecting the palace and the planet." Then he left the room, heading down the steps.

"I agree with you Anakin," Obi-Wan said as he turned around and followed his brother down the stairs.

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The Twilight was currently heading away from Naboo's atmosphere and gravitational pull.

"Anakin, you know Padmè and Rosella will pull through this. We will see them again," Obi-Wan said as he sat in the co-pilot's seat.

Anakin flicked three switches on a panel above him as he said, "I know Obi-Wan. I have faith that we will succeed and get that root."

As soon as they were ready, Anakin reached over and pulled the lever, sending the Twilight into hyperspace. He refused to let this virus take both his daughter and wife away from him. They were going to make it. He was sure of it.

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"All of the doors are locked. How are we supposed to get out of here?" One of the droids asked his companions.

Padmè and Jar-Jar peered out from behind a wall as they waited for the trio of battle droids to pass by as they walked down of the many corridors. The men who had been with them had given their lives to protect the Senator and the Gungan when they had almost been spotted by a group of droids while making their way to Rosella's safe room. It was clear that the three droids hadn't seen them, so on Padmè's command, the duo silently followed the trio.

"At least it's not our problem to deal with," another one of the droids replied.

The third droid was a little happier as he said, "Boy, that's a relief."

Padmè and Jar-Jar stopped in the middle of the corridor and waited until the droids had disappeared through another doorway.

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As soon as Rosella sensed that her father and uncle were no longer in the Naboo system, she delved into the force and sealed off her end of the bonds that she shared with them. She had thought about doing the same to the one that she shared with Qui-Gon but then remembered that he was on Coruscant, not here with them.

One of the two men was coughing again as his lungs were trying to get rid of whatever the virus had left in his system. His fellow clone looked over at him and then at Rex and Rosella. Already their skin was starting to turn blue.

Rex knew that he and his men didn't have long_. The 501st Captain took in some comfort knowing that the Senator and Jar-Jar were out there, trying to get to them so they could discuss what to do next.

Rosella turned away from the two men and softly sighed, wondering if this was how her father felt whenever he knew that he was about to lose someone under his command. The teenage padawan knew that not all of her men would be leaving this bunker alive. She also knew that when the doors to the safe room opened, they would have to face the virus head on and that it wouldn't be able to cause them more harm, not when they were already sick thanks to the small amount that was already in the room. Then she lifted her right arm up and tapped her wrist communicator. "Senator, where are you?" She asked.

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Padmè and Jar-Jar ran right up to the door of the safe room. "We've just reached the door to your safe room," she said.

"Can either you or Jar-Jar get the door open?" Rosella asked.

Padmè then motioned to Jar-Jar. "Go ahead and open the door, Jar-Jar," she said.

Jar-Jar nodded and reached forward, pressing the button for the door.

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Rosella turned around as she heard the sound of the door opening. She heard a rush of air come into the room and was very glad to see Padmè and Jar-Jar, even though they were both clad in bright yellow suits, moving through the wall of blue gas that represented the virus.

They both walked over to the padawan. One of the men coughed as Padmé placed a hand on Rosella's shoulder. "I'm sorry Rosella," she said.

Rosella looked at her mother and replied, "Don't worry about me or my men Senator. What we need to do right now is stop those droids before one of them breaches the surface."

"There aren't that many droids left down here. Jar-Jar and I saw a few of them heading towards the south entrance," Padmè told the group.

"As long as we can still fight, we'll help you defeat those droids before they breach the compound," Rosella told her in a firm voice. She nodded at Rex who handed his blaster to Padmè.

Padmè nodded, grateful for Rosella's help as she replied, "You and your troops take the north corridor." Then she took the blaster that Captain Rex had given her. "Jar-Jar and I will take the south one."

Rosella, who had frowned at the idea of letting the Senator and Jar-Jar go off on their own, turned to face her men. "Rex, you and Tug are with me," she said. "Sting, Garr, go with the Senator and Representative Binks."

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Padmè, Jar-Jar and the two clones who had accompanied her on Rosella's orders were quietly walking down one of the corridors as they could hear the sounds of something being cut.

"The droids are close. I can hear them cutting through the wall," she said as they peered around the corner to see a small group of battle droids armed with blasters surrounding a ladder that led up to one of the entrances. She heard the sounds of a saw and figured one of the droids had it and was doing his best to break out of the bunker. Padmè nodded, stepped out from her hiding spot and raised the blaster that she had been given. Sting and Garr followed suit.

The corridor erupted with blaster fire as the group charged down the hall.

Some, if not most of the droids were too surprised and overwhelmed to do anything. During the battle, one of the battle droids made a mad dash up the ladder to the door set in the ceiling. A few minutes later, the remaining droids were lying in a heap of scrap and metal.

From the other end of the same corridor came more blaster fire. Two more droids came into view, but were quickly taken out by Rex and Tug. Rosella was with them. The group came running up to meet with Padmè, Jar-Jar and her two men.

Once they met up, both Rex and Padmè gathered around the bottom of the ladder and aimed their blasters up at the droid.

"Stop!" Rex said.

"Don't you dare open that hatch!" Padmè said.

"Ha! You're too late!" The droid responded. Then it turned around and aimed its blaster at the locked door, pulling the trigger.

The shot that came out of the blaster bounced around the circular tube that led up to the hatch. The shocked droid cried out as it ducked in fear as it was destroyed. The last noise that the group heard was the droid's scream as it fell to the ground, with everyone watching as the blaster fell and smacked the machine in the head.

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The Twilight arrived in the Separatist system where the planet Iego was located.

"Looks like we made it to Iego," Obi-Wan said. He didn't sound very happy, even though this meant they were one step closer to saving their family.

"What do you think happened to all those ships?" Anakin asked as he noticed all the destruction that was floating around.

"I don't know, but it looks like we've stumbled upon some sort of graveyard. Those look like ships that have been torn apart," Obi-Wan said, wincing slightly as he saw the body that was floating there. Then he glanced at his brother. "Anakin, I think we had better be careful and heed Captain Typho's advice. Even though there are no signs of any Separatists around, anything could happen to us out here."

Anakin nodded and navigated the graveyard without a thought, making his way towards the planet.

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Anakin landed the ship outside what looked like the local spaceport. Waiting for the two Jedi were a lot of battle droids and three vulture droids.

As soon as the Twilight's engines had powered down, Anakin released the controls and stood up. "Come on Obi-Wan. Let's go get that root and leave," he said.

"Anakin…" Obi-Wan said as he turned just in time to see the Knight leave the cockpit.

As soon as the ramp that led to the hallway lowered, Anakin ran down it. When he got to the bottom, he stopped in his tracks. Coming towards him was an entire company of battle droids. Right behind them were two vulture droids. "This is not good," he said. Grabbing his lightsaber off his belt, he ignited it and stood there as he narrowed his eyes at the droids.

"Welcome to Iego...Roger, roger!" The battle droids said.

"Anakin, think about what you're about to do in this situation," Obi-Wan called out as he came down the ramp behind him.

Anakin lowered his left hand as he listened to his brother. Taking another look at the droids, he realized that the droids weren't attacking either of them, but repeating the same sentence over and over again. He also saw that none of them even had their weapons on them at all. Deactivating his lightsaber, he hung it back on his belt.

Once Obi-Wan had walked up to him, they both made their way over to the droids.

A battle droid that had a wide, toothy grin drawn on its bright yellow head spoke to both of them. "The honorable Jaybo Hood would like to speak with you."

"Jaybo?" They asked, a little confused.

"That would be me," A voice said. "I'm surprised that neither of you decided to destroy any of my droids."

Both Jedi were taken aback when a small boy came walking out from among the entire company of droids.

Anakin laughed a little, unsure about how to proceed. "You're Jaybo?" He asked.

The kid nodded as he replied, "Yup." Then he proceeded to walk away from the men and flung himself onto a hammock that had been strung between the pair of vulture droids that Anakin had seen earlier.

Anakin stepped up beside Obi-Wan and they glanced at each other.

As the hammock started to rock back and forth, Jaybo clapped his hands.

"That's our cue!" A droid holding a fan said as he tok a step back and began to fan the boy.

Another one stepped forward and held out a plate of snacks.

"Channel 2," a third droid whose head was facing backwards said as it twisted a knob on its chest and music filtered through a speaker that had been tied to its head.

The two Jedi began to walk up to the boy. Anakin walked over to one of the droids and took a closer look at it. He had to admit, that whatever this kid had done was impressive. "Care to explain how a kid like yourself happened to get his hands on this many droids?" He asked.

"The answer to that question is very simple," Jaybo said. "When the Separatists decided to leave Iego, they left all this stuff behind. I got a whole warehouse full of 'em right over there." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

"So, you decided to reprogram them to get them to serve you?" Obi-Wan asked, as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"Yup," Jaybo said, not seeming to care that his answer didn't seem to impress Obi-Wan. "They're perfectly good droids and I had no reason to let them sit there and rust."

Anakin felt his brother watching him as he studied the battle droids. "Mmm-hm," he said. "It seems like you used a macro-protocol to wipe them all at once. That's rather impressive for a boy your age."

Jaybo sat up in his hammock as he replied, "Wow. I see that you know a lot about droids." Then he tilted his head. "Woah. You guys are Jedi, aren't you? Do you want me to show you how I did it?"

"Maybe another time," Obi-Wan said as he held up a hand. He sensed Anakin tear himself away from the droids and come stand next to him. "We are here for something that can only be found on this planet. It's known as Reeksa root. Would you happen to know where we can find some?"

"Yeah, I do," Jaybo said. "Here, there…pretty much everywhere you look." The kid flung himself into his hammock.

Anakin narrowed his eyes as he stepped up beside Obi-Wan. He wasn't too happy with the way that this kid was speaking and he sensed the same from Obi-Wan. The admiration that he had earlier for the boy quickly vanished. "My brother and I are not all that happy with your attitude right now, kid," he said. "Just tell us where the root is."

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin, raised his eyebrow in disapproval and then turned his attention back to Jaybo. "What my friend means to say is that we really need that root right away as we are in a bit of a hurry."

"Not anymore," Jaybo said, a little humor in his voice.

Anakin almost lost his temper, but managed to hold back on completely swearing at the kid as he said, "Look, you little-"

Jaybo just rocked back and forth, not at all scared of whatever Anakin had been about to say to him. "Iego happens to be haunted, cursed or whatever you want to think. Anyway, Jedi or not, even if you do manage to get what you came here for, no one ever leaves this rock alive," he said. Then he sat up. "Even if you try, Drol will stop you before you can get away."

"Drol?!" The droid playing the music said, a little scared and the others around him began to shake, their heads darting around as fast as they could.

"Drol?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yeah, Drol," Jaybo said as he reached over and plucked a snack from the plate that the droid was holding. "He is the phantom ruler of Iego. Anything that tries to leave the planet gets destroyed."

Obi-Wan and Anakin glanced at each other.

"Fifty of the best star pilots in the galaxy have tried already," Jaybo said as he tossed his snack in his mouth. He chewed it as he continued speaking. "None of them made it." Then he spit out the seed.

"That would explain the ruined ships that we saw in the moonbelt," Obi-Wan said, referring to all the debris that they had seen when the Twilight had first arrived in the system.

"The first thing we need to do is grab that root. We'll figure out how to get past this Drol once that is done," Anakin said.

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Two droidekas came rolling down another corridor and turned to the right, coming into view of Padmè, Jar-Jar, Rosella, Rex and the clones, forcing them to come to a halt as the padawan grabbed her lightsaber from her belt and ignited it. Rex already had one of his DC-17 blaster pistols in his left hand, ready to defend the Senator and Jar-Jar. He knew that his men had their blasters on them and would help however they could.

Rosella was beginning to show some signs of the virus, but not many. She was beginning to feel the effects as well but used the force to push it away as she didn't want to be hampered by the illness and have something happen to the group. Her skin had gone pale, she had dark circles around her eyes, and a few blue lines were already beginning to appear on her face. She hadn't started coughing yet and that was a very good sign.

The droidekas came to a stop, uncurled from their balls, activated their protective shields and started firing.

The group split in half, with Padmè, Rex and Sting on one side of the corridor and Jar-Jar, Garr and Tug on the other side. Rosella, who had been left in the middle of the corridor, knew she had to defeat them so they could finish clearing out the underground lab and get back to the safe room.

While Rex and the rest of the remaining clones fired back on the two rolling death balls, Rosella ran forward towards one of the droidekas. She ran up the right side of the corridor, leapt over to the left wall and back to the right, managing to dodge all of the lasers that both of the droidekas were firing at her and her group. Then she leapt forward, twisted around and landed on the shield that was currently protecting the second machine.

Sensing that the first droideka was turning around to face her, she knew that she had to make this quick and deactivated her saber. After placing her hand on top of the bottom of the hilt to help keep her hand steady, she slipped it beneath the blue bubble and reignited it, beginning to destroy the machine.

Jar-Jar, being the clumsy Gungan that he was, thought it would be a great idea if he could shoot the other droideka, even though its shield was still active. "This-a-help," he said as he closed his right eye and aimed the other DC-17 at the machine. Rex had given him the blaster in order to make the Gungan feel useful as Jar-Jar didn't have a weapon of his own.

"Jar-Jar, do not fire that blaster!" Padmè half-yelled as she ran over to him, placed one of her hands on his arms and pushed them back. The Gungan seemed to listen to her, but then his finger slipped and accidentally squeezed the trigger, firing the blaster. She stumbled back as the ricochet from the gun caused him to shake her off.

Rosella, who had already destroyed the second droideka and was just about to destroy the first one using the same technique, - she had already slipped her saber hilt beneath the shield - looked up when she heard Padmè yell at Jar-Jar. When she saw the blue laser heading in her direction, she jerked her weapon back up in the air as she backflipped off of the droid, landing behind it and gaining its attention.

Watching as the laser hit the shield and bounced off it, she knew that something bad was going to happen as the force screamed at her in warning.

The teenager gasped as she saw the laser heading straight for Jar-Jar. She didn't want him nor the Senator to get infected with the virus, so she made her choice to try and save them and destroy the machine at the same time. "Rex!" She yelled at the 501st Captain. "Get one of your droid poppers ready!"

Rex, who knew what she was thinking of doing, nodded as he followed her order.

Everything seemed to slow down for Padmè as she watched Rosella make a leap that was impossible for anyone but a Jedi.

As the padawan landed a few feet in front of both the Senator and the Gungan, she reignited her lightsaber and deflected the bolt back towards the open space where the second droideka still stood. As the bolt flew through the air, Rex slowly but carefully rolled the droid popper which penetrated the force field and short-circuited the droid, causing the bubble to collapse.

"Yes!" Rosella happily cheered as she saw the laser slam into the droid. She quickly pulled a force shield around herself as the machine exploded in a fiery explosion of superheated twisted metal.

Padmè saw the explosion and grew worried. "Rosella!" She cried, hoping that her adopted daughter was alright.

When the smoke cleared, Rosella stood there, her deactivated lightsaber in her hand. As she placed the hilt back onto her belt, Rex, Padmè, Jar-Jar and the other clones, who had done their best to help Rosella as she set about her task of destroying the droidekas, came rushing forward.

The Senator ran over to Rosella, dropping her blaster on the ground as she pulled the girl into a hug.

Rosella closed her eyes and leaned into Padmè's embrace as much as she could without damaging the suit that she was wearing. She was the closest thing she had to a mother since her biological parents had died. "I'm fine, Senator," she said, hoping that would appease the worry that she sensed was coming from the older woman.

Padmè swallowed, pulled away a little and lightly glared at the teenager. "Rosella, your skin is pale, you have dark circles around your eyes and your veins are turning blue. You are not alright," she said.

"I know," Rosella said, a small hint of humor in her tone. "I meant that I didn't get shot or blown up."

"Thank you for clearing that up," Padmè said as she let go of the teenager. Then she bent down and picked up her blaster, turning to Jar-Jar, Rex and the rest of the clones. "Come on. We know there are still some leftover droids running around down here. We need to find them and destroy them."

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Back on Iego, Anakin and Obi-Wan were currently halfway down a cliffside. Apparently, the reeksa root that they were looking for, the one that could be found anywhere, could only be found at the bottom of said cliff.

"Are you sure that you don't want to come with us?" Obi-Wan asked the boy as Jaybo peered over the edge of the cliff at the both of them.

Jaybo replied, "You have got to be kidding me. There is no way you're getting me to go down there with you. Even I'm not that stupid."

Anakin lightly grunted as he continued to climb down. "Are you trying to tell us something kid?" He asked as he looked back up.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine as long as you follow my instructions. Follow the vines all the way to the bottom, and dig up as many roots as you need. Just make sure not to actually touch the vine," Jaybo instructed.

"Why not?" Obi-Wan asked.

"The plants don't like it and they happen to have really big and sharp teeth," Jaybo called down to them.

"Did he just say teeth?" Anakin asked as he looked down into the darkness. "This keeps getting better and better."

"One more thing! Watch out for the flying Xandu!" Jaybo called for the last time.

"What's a xandu?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan jumped and felt his feet come into contact with a small ledge that was jutting out from the cliff face. He took the opportunity to rest for a little bit as Anakin continued to climb down. "I'm not sure," he replied.

The cliff began to shake.

Anakin, who lost his grip on the wall and would have fallen all the way down, saw a huge shape with claws and four wings came flying out of nowhere. Deciding that the animal was a better option to get down to the bottom, he leapt off of the cliff face out and grabbed on to the creature's ankle. "Whoa!" He cried.

The creature clearly wasn't happy to have a heavy weight dangling from its ankle and shrieked wildly as it flew around, trying to shake Anakin loose.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa!" The Knight cried as he was jerked from side to side.

As the creature flew past Obi-Wan with Anakin hanging on for dear life, Anakin looked over at Obi-Wan and called out, "Master, hop on!"

Obi-Wan jumped from the cliff ledge that he was standing on and grabbed onto the creature's other ankle. "This will never work Anakin!" He told his brother as the creature was pulled downwards by both of the Jedi.

Jaybo watched from up above as both Obi-Wan and Anakin disappeared from his view.

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"How are you doing up there?" One of the battle droids asked as he made his way up the ladder to the hatch that his fellow droids had tried to break out of earlier.

"I'm almost finished," the other battle droid replied as it was currently cutting through the locked entrance with a buzzsaw.

As Rosella and the others progressed through the corridors, hoping to make their way back to the safe room, while also looking for any remaining droids that were loose, she tried her best to shield herself with the force to keep the virus from attacking her respiratory system any more than it already had. She could feel her body being weighed down by the exhaustion from all the running that she was doing. Each breath that she took hurt her lungs more than the last, but she kept going.

As the group ran around the corner, they spotted the two droids that were trying to break out of the bunker.

"Droids, up ahead!" The padawan shouted as she took her saber off of her belt and ignited it.

Everyone else stopped and watched as Rosella ran full speed towards the droids. There was no way she was going to let those droids breach through the lockdown. That door was the only thing keeping the blue gas from infecting the entire planet.

She reached the ladder and sliced through the first droid's leg. She let the droid fall and then sliced through it a second time. After making sure that the droid was truly dead, Rosella used the force to yank down the droid that was trying to cut through the door. The droid cried out as it lost its grip on the ladder and fell. She sliced neatly through the second droid as it fell towards the ground.

That was all Rosella had left. She could feel her strength leave her body as she deactivated her lightsaber, swayed a little and fell against the ladder with a low sounding groan as she steadied herself.

"Rosella!" Padmè cried, worried for her daughter's life as she and the others rushed towards her.

The young girl caught her breath as she leaned against the ladder. "I'm alright," Rosella said, turning to look at the Senator. She knew that Padmè probably didn't believe her. "Come on. We're almost reached the safe room."

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Anakin and Obi-Wan were currently controlling a Xandu by using their weight to drag the poor creature as close as they could get to the ground.

"There, those are the roots that we are looking for," Obi-Wan said.

"Oh poodoo!" Anakin cursed.

Both Anakin and Obi-Wan let go of the creature and rolled on the ground, not caring about the small cuts that they were getting from the many rocks that were on the ground or the dirt that was getting all over their clothes. As they both came to a stop, they realized that one of them must have either stepped on or rolled over the vines that they were told not to touch.

A giant vine came out of the ground.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan said as he glanced over at Anakin before focusing on the green vine in front of him.

The younger man reached into the pack that was strapped on his back and pulled out a collapsible shovel.

Obi-Wan pulled his lightsaber from his belt and ignited the bright blue blade. "Anakin, don't take too much time getting the root," he said as he stood guard.

"Just take care of Toothy here and I'll go as fast as I can!" Anakin said as he started digging. He loosened a flat rock and lifted it out of the way.

Just as Jaybo had described, it did indeed have rather large teeth. Instead of just one huge green plant with a maw full of big, razor sharp teeth, there were now four heads, all full of sharp teeth.

"Anakin, do hurry up," Obi-Wan said as the plant turned its attention on the older Jedi. "Anakin, now!" He turned his head slightly and looked at his brother, who was still digging.

"Okay, Okay. Don't rush me," Anakin said as he continued to dig underneath the root, in order to get a better grip on it. "I got it." With a triumphant grunt, Anakin yanked the much needed root from the ground and jumped up. He reached back and placed the shovel in his own pack before going over to Obi-Wan. The giant plant lunged each of its heads at the Jedi.

"Hold still, will you?" Anakin asked as he placed the root inside the one that Obi-Wan had on his own back. He pulled the top down and gave it a good thump.

"We have got to get out of here before we become that plant's next meal!" Obi-Wan said as he glanced to the side to see the plant coming straight for them.

Anakin ignited his lightsaber and thrust it towards the plant's gaping mouth to distract it for a few seconds while he and Obi-Wan began to made their escape. As they jumped off of a small platform that they had been standing on, the Knight deactivated his lightsaber and hung it back on his belt.

Now it was a race. A race to see whether the Jedi could get to the top of the cliff before one of the four plants had them for lunch. They reached the bottom and used the force to jump up high. They grabbed onto the side of the cliff and began to climb up. Two of the plants reached out, hoping to eat the Jedi.

Obi-Wan and Anakin sensed that the plants were reaching for them. As one, they both took their sabers off their belts and activated them. Then they both cut off one head each. The rest of the plant cried out in pain and retreated back into the darkness.

Up above, Jaybo was waiting. As soon as he saw Anakin climbing up from the edge of the cliff, he rushed over and placed his hands on the Knight's arms. "You made it!" He said. "I just knew that you would. You know, I'm a little surprised that nether one of you didn't die while you were down there."

Obi-Wan, who appeared after Anakin did, looked at Jaybo and asked, "Oh really?"

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Anakin desperately wanted to get back to the Twilight and leave. Every minute that they spent on the planet was time wasted, which meant that the troopers that he had left down in the bunker, Captain Rex included, along with Padmè and Rosella could very well die from the virus if they didn't get back to Naboo soon.

Unfortunately, Jaybo had insisted on giving them a small tour before they left. The Jedi had tried to tell the boy that they needed to leave, but after multiple tries, just gave in and followed him around. There weren't that many inhabitants, and not enough supplies.

Obi-Wan asked what had happened to their planet.

"The place went dry after the spice convoys stopped coming here," Jaybo responded. "Iego is one of the millions of little backwaters that no one cares about. Those of us who decided to remain can't leave even though we want to. The curse has put a stop to that."

"The boy is right!" A voice called out from behind them. Both Jedi turned when they heard the voice speak. "This planet is cursed!" The voice belonged to an older looking Quarren who popped out from behind some boxes.

"Whom has cursed this planet, my twitchy friend?" Obi-Wan asked as he fully turned around to face the Quarren.

"A ghost who goes by the name of Drol, that's who," the aquatic creature said as he leaned forward on the boxes.

"A ghost?" Anakin asked, dry humor in his voice.

"He is the spirit that haunts our corner of the galaxy. Also known as our protector and our destroyer," the Quarren responded.

Anakin didn't believe the Quarren and replied, "That sounds like a load of-"

"Superstition?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Not the exact word that I would have said, but sure. That would be one word for it," Anakin told him.

"Do either of you call this superstition?" The Quarren asked as he placed a small image caster down on one of the boxes then turned it on. A holorecording played for both Jedi as they walked over.

A Rodian sat in the Captain's chair of a ship, his face alive with horror. "I can't hold on for much…Someone help me!" With a sharp crackle, the recording vanished.

It left both Jedi with no more information to go off of. Jaybo, for the first time since they had met him looked sad and lonely.

"That was Taqito. He was a friend of mine..." Jaybo said from behind them.

"If you try to leave, your fate will be the same!" The Quarren told them. Anakin didn't look happy to be hearing that.

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"The Quarren is right you know. You won't stand a chance at making it past Drol," Jaybo said as he held a handheld radio in his right hand. He watched as the Twilight powered up and flew away, rising into Iego's atmosphere.

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When Obi-Wan came onto the bridge, Anakin was already sitting behind the controls as he guided the freighter through the air.

"Just because this ghost is a local superstition, doesn't mean we should take our situation lightly," Obi-Wan said as he was setting the pack with the root in it on the floor. "I have a feeling that something real did indeed blow up those ships and it we're not careful, we could end up in that same situation."

"We'll be able to handle it, whatever it is," Anakin said as he finished prepping the freighter and looked up at his brother.

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"It's too bad that they couldn't stay. I was really beginning to like those guys," Jaybo said as he put a pair of electrobinoculars up to his face. He wanted to see if the Jedi were really going to make it past Drol.

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"Hey kid, thanks for all your help back there. If it wasn't for your help, we would never have gotten the root," Anakin said as he flew the ship into space and masterfully began to dodge and weave around all the debris that floated in front of the freighter.

R2 had unplugged himself after setting their hyperspace coordinates for Naboo and had placed himself behind Anakin and Obi-Wan.

"Have you run into Drol yet?" Jaybo asked, his voice coming through the Twilight's communication system.

"Not yet," Obi-Wan said.

As soon as the Twilight flew past a motion sensor, it turned yellow and started to beep. On one of the nearby planets, a yellow beam shot out, making contact with other asteroids that had mini emitters placed on them.

R2 began to beep and shake. Something was out there that the droid didn't like.

Anakin heard it and asked, "What's the matter R2? Afraid of a ghost? Drol is just a superstition…"

"I believe that we have found our ghost!" Obi-Wan said.

Grey and sky-blue eyes widened as yellow lines suddenly appeared outside the viewport. They bounced off the moons forming a web that not even Anakin would be able to get the Twilight through.

"Lasers!" Anakin said. He couldn't believe it as he jerked the controls to one side, just narrowly missing one of the bright yellow lasers.

"We've triggered an energy field." Obi-Wan said.

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Down on Iego's surface, Jaybo and the rest of the citizens watched at the web of lasers appeared in the sky.

"No…" Jaybo said, as he looked through his electrobinoculars. He thought his new friends had perished.

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"Anakin, turn the ship around. If you don't, we'll never get through and won't be able to go back to Naboo," Obi-Wan told him.

As Anakin rolled to the right to avoid hitting another laser that had just appeared, he knew that he had no other choice and did as Obi-Wan said. He made it to the edge of the energy field and spun the Twilight around a large piece of what used to be some sort of engine. Then he guided the freighter back down to Iego's surface.

"The Separatists must have installed those lasers as a parting gift to prevent anyone from leaving Iego," Obi-Wan said as he watched the lasers disappear as soon as the Twilight was out of range.

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"They're coming back!" Jaybo said as he lowered his electrobinoculars from his face.

The crowd of people watched as the Twilight's stabilizer moved to the right to allow the ship's landing struts to come out and land on the ground.

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Up in the cockpit, both Anakin and Obi-Wan were quiet as they went through the process of cutting the ship down. Even R2 didn't make a sound.

A soft beep alerted both Jedi of an incoming transmission. A holo appeared on the small projector that was built into the console. Anakin's heart nearly broke when he realized that the holo was of his wife and daughter. He softly sighed in relief as he saw that Padmè was still wearing her protective suit and was safe from the virus.

"Master, can you hear me?" Rosella asked as she stood up straight, her voice could barely coming through as the transmission was weak.

Anakin turned to his astromech and said, "R2, see if you can boost the signal."

R2 did as Anakin told him. He plugged himself into the port and turned the dial until the transmission came through clear and strong.

Padmè was now holding up Rosella as the teenager was partially hunched over, her arms wrapped around her stomach as if she had been coughing just a few minutes ago. It was clear to both Anakin and Obi-Wan that the teenager was infected with the virus. Her skin was very pale, she had a few blue lines on her face, and her eyes, which still held the dark circles around them, didn't have the normal hazel colour that they once held.

Anakin could see that his wife looked worried for the padawan as she helped keep the teenager upright. Once the young girl was standing on her own, the Senator let go of her.

"We managed to destroy all the droids inside the bunker Master. Naboo is safe from further contamination. I repeat. Naboo is…" Rosella said in her weakened voice before she was cut off mid-sentence by a harsh coughing fit.

Anakin winced when he heard Rosella's voice. He had never heard her speak like that before and hoped that he would never have to hear it again. The Knight watched with worried eyes as Rosella gasped for air in between coughs as she held her hand over her mouth, glancing at Padmè when she was finished.

Padmè looked at Anakin and spoke with a strong voice. "Promise me that no one will ever open this bunker. Goodbye Ani. We-" The holo cut out as Rosella went into another coughing fit.

"No!" Anakin cried, his eyes going wide as the transmission ended.

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A crowd awaited their return.

Anakin stormed down the ramp of the Twilight as soon as it opened. Obi-Wan was right behind him, as he too was worried for his niece. It was clear that the Knight had been in the middle of a sentence when Obi-Wan interrupted him.

"Anakin, you need to take a deep breath and slow down," Obi-Wan told him.

"Slow down?!" Anakin asked as he whirled around to face his brother. "You're asking me to slow down?" It was clear that he was panicking as he was worried for the lives of his family and his men. "You saw the same holo. If we don't get back to Naboo soon, we could very well loose whomever is still alive aside from my padawan and the Senator."

Obi-Wan walked down the ramp towards him as he said, "Look, we can't just rush into this head on. We need a plan if we want to be able to get through that energy field, free this planet and continue with our current mission. I think we may need to take at least two steps back."

"But what if all we need to do is jump?" Anakin asked.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said as he reached his brother's side and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Let's take another look at our situation. I believe that we need to talk to the leaders of Iego. Who knows? We may find another solution to our mutual problem that will benefit all who are involved."

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All of Iego's citizens as well as the two Jedi were gathered in the main chamber that was used for meetings.

Obi-Wan was currently speaking. "Citizens of Iego," he said. "Drol is not a ghost. The Separatists are the ones responsible for keeping you all here as they have created a security system that is currently surrounding the planet."

"That's nonsense! You were lucky to get as far as you did! Simple as that," the same Quarren from earlier said as he stood and pounded a hand on the table.

"Oh really? Who's to say that we didn't make our own luck?" Anakin asked as he leaned forward in his chair.

The Quarren pounded his fist on the table again and replied, "The ghost of Drol does, that's who!"

Two of the citizens looked at him.

"Was there anyone who inhabited the moons of Iego before the Separatists came here?" Obi-Wan asked as he remained standing.

"Yes. The angels were here first," the Quarren replied.

"Angels?" Obi-Wan asked.

A door opened and two citizens who were standing near a door moved to the side, as a heavily cloaked being with six wings, milky white skin, blue eyes and blond hair approached them.

"We were a peaceful people before the Separatists came here. As such, we were unable to fight back and that's what allowed them to kick us out of our homes and steal our moon from us," the angel told Obi-Wan in her soft, yet strong voice.

"And which moon was that?" Obi-Wan asked the glowing, yet still hooded being.

The Angel held up her right hand, an image caster resting on her palm. She pressed a button and a map of Iego appeared. The largest of the moons flashed red. "We lived on Millius Prime," she said.

"The Separatists must have placed the primary node for the laser grid near Millius Prime," Anakin said.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard in thought. They need to break through that field. Glancing up, he peered through an open doorway and saw vulture droids lined up next to each other inside the room. "Hmm, vulture droids…" he said. Then he, as well as Anakin, who still had his arms crossed over his chest, turned to look at the young boy who was seated at the table with them. "Jaybo, are you able to reactivate those vulture droids?"

"Yeah," Jaybo told him. "I can even fly them by remote control if you want."

"Good. Once Jaybo activates them, he can transfer control over to R2, who will fly the vulture droids into the laser field as a distraction," Obi-Wan told Anakin.

"And now that we know what we are up against, we can destroy the laser emitter," Anakin responded as he knew what Obi-Wan was planning to do.

"And cut a path right to Millius Prime," Obi-Wan finished.

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Padmè felt tired, even though she was safe from the virus. Her protective suit was still functioning, and she was glad. It had been a few hours since their last transmission with Anakin and Obi-Wan. She had faith that they would find the cure and be back in time to use it. As she bent down and wet a small cloth with some water from a busted pipe, she knew that when this was over, no one else would have to go through what she was currently dealing with.

The safe room that they were in was now a hospice with the sick and slowly dying clones scattered around the room. The Senator got up and headed over to Tug while behind her, Rosella walked over to check on Sting, who was sitting against a broken piece of debris. After the teenager had made sure the clone was alright and resting comfortably, she took a break herself as she was starting to get tired.

Behind them, Rex had knelt down and was taking Garr's pulse as the trooper had been quiet ever since they had returned. He also hadn't moved from the spot where Rex had helped him sit down.

Jar-Jar had been bending over the trooper, trying to see if he could do anything to comfort the sick clone, but knew there wasn't really anything that he could do. The Gungan moved out of the way as Padmè came over and bent down, wiping away beads of sweat from Tug's face. Then she looked over at Rex and noticed that he had a sheet in his hand. Her heart dropped as she realized that it was going to become a shroud for the brave trooper. The squad member who had stayed behind to help with the clean-up was now among the first victims of the plague. "It seems like such a waste," she said.

Rex coughed and looked over at Padmè. "Senator," he said with a sigh, "with all due respect, this is what my men and I were born to do. Our purpose is to serve the Republic until we die."

Padmè stood up and watched as Rex covered his fellow trooper with the sheet while saying, "I can only hope that their sacrifice isn't in vain and will someday bring us closer to peace." A coughing sound made her turn and watch as Rosella, who had been resting, forced herself to her feet while she was in the middle of another coughing fit. Once she was able to take in enough air, she spoke.

"It will Padmè!" The teenager said, trying to keep the hopeful optimism that her voice had once held alive, but her chest was hurting and she was also having trouble breathing, so it sounded a lot harsher than it was meant to. She coughed again as the virus was draining her strength much faster than it was supposed to. "We have to believe that…" Rosella stopped speaking, starting to sway back and forth as the strength that she had used to get to her feet was starting to fade away. The young teenager felt her knees beginning to buckle underneath her. Then her body went limp as her eyes closed and she fell towards the ground.

"Rosella!" Padmè said in worry and terror as she moved away from Jar-Jar's side and towards the young child, whom she now wished had gone with Anakin and Obi-Wan instead of staying down here in the lab with her, Rex and the other clones. She saw Rex move ahead of her and watched as he was able to catch the teenage Padawan in his arms.

Rex placed two of his fingers against Rosella's neck to check for a pulse. He let out a relieved breath that he had been holding as he found one. It was faint, but there. "Don't worry Senator," he said as he looked over at the woman. "She's still with us. The virus must have been too much for her body to handle as it caused her to faint. I just hope that she can hold on until General Skywalker and General Kenobi get back here with the antidote."

"So do I Rex," Padmè told him.

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"I'm all set down here General Kenobi," Jaybo said as he stood outside with his communication device in his right hand.

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"Alright Jaybo," Anakin said, pure determination in his voice. He and Obi-Wan were back in the Twilight's cockpit getting ready to take off and put their plan in action. "Go ahead and activate the droids." He was confident that their plan would work and that in no time, they would be on their way back to Naboo.

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Jaybo pressed a button on his device and all four of the vulture droids activated, each one stepping forward. The last one knocked over a battle droid that had been standing there.

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The Knight turned a little in his chair. "Go ahead and transfer control of the vulture droids over to R2," he said.

The astromech extended his third strut, turned around, rolled over to the port, plugged himself in and turned the dial.

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The vulture droid's eyes turned green and then with a roar of the engines, the Twilight lifted off from the platform and flew into the skies, the vulture droids following behind her. Anakin pushed the ship to its maximum limit, wanting to leave Iego behind. They hadn't even in been in space for more than a few seconds when the energy field turned on and its web began to twist and turn around the moons and graveyard.

"R2, intercept the lasers," Obi-Wan told the droid. Anakin was content to fly and let Obi-Wan take the lead. It was his brother's plan after all. "Send those vulture droids straight into the generator!"

In the space around them, the vulture droids flew full speed into the lasers and the generator.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes as he had to time it just right. He waited until he saw a clear opening and then pressed as hard as he could on the buttons that controlled the Twilight's lasers. His aim was precise as the lasers instantly hit their target.

He and Anakin watched as the primary node on Millius Prime burst into flames and shattered metal. The explosion raced along the lines of yellow lasers. More explosions rocked the Twilight, but Anakin didn't mind. He kept a tight grip on the controls and flew through the flames.

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Down below on Iego's surface, Jaybo stared up at the sky with his friends and neighbors, the light show holding their attention and captivating them.

There had been shows like this in the past. But those ones were when those lines had stolen their fellow citizens' lives. This light show was different as the lines fell apart and booms echoed dimly overhead.

"Woah," Jaybo said as he looked up at the sky. Then he lifted the radio that was now in his left hand. "Are you guys alright?" There was nothing but silence and static. "Guys?"

"We're fine kid," Anakin responded.

The boy nearly dropped the unit in shock.

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"I'm sorry to say this, but it looks like you'll need some new droids to order around, Jaybo," Anakin told him. "The ones that you loaned us are nothing but scrap metal."

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All around the young boy, everyone cheered.

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"But the good news is that you and everyone else are now free to leave Iego whenever you want," Obi-Wan said.

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As the connection faded and died, Jaybo walked forward and looked up at the sky. It looked like fireworks were exploding.

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"R2, set a course for Naboo," Anakin told him.

R2 beeped and whistled happily as he turned around and went to do as Anakin had ordered. After the coordinates had been put in and they were ready, Anakin reached forward and pulled the lever, sending the freighter into hyperspace.

Hopefully they would get there in time.

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Down in the safe room, Padmè had opted to sit with Rosella while Rex went around and checked on Sting and Tug, who were the only other clones, besides himself, who were still breathing. The Senator held the unconscious padawan in her arms as she gently pressed two of her fingers to the side of her neck, sighing in relief as she felt a light pulse throb against her fingers. Taking her fingers away, she hoped that the teenager would wake up and smiled slightly when she saw a glazed pair of eyes flutter open. "Rosella?" She softly asked.

"Hi, Padmè…" Rosella quietly replied before she coughed again.

"You had me worried there…" Padmè told her in a soft voice.

The young teenager offered her a weak smile in response before she shut her eyes as her chest heaved up and down, her body being racked with another round of harsh coughing.

Padmé's heart nearly broke as she saw how small Rosella was. She had stood tall and proud during this whole operation, but was now weak and vulnerable thanks to this virus that was stealing her life away. The teenager would only be thirteen if she died here. In the Senator's mind, that was way too young as she had so much more to live for.

Rosella's eyes suddenly opened and they grew a tiny bit brighter as she could faintly sense the presences of both her father and uncle as they got closer and closer to Naboo. She closed her eyes and reached out into the force, trying to open her end of the bonds that she shared with them. As she successfully accomplished her task, she felt another coughing fit overtake her body again. After she had finished coughing, she slowly opened her eyes and softly smiled as they focused on the Senator's face for what she hoped wouldn't be the last time. Then she faded back into the realm of unconsciousness as her head fell against Padmè's protective suit.

"Rosella?!" Padmè asked alarmingly as she saw the young girl's eyes close. When she didn't get a response, she grew even more distressed. "Rosella! Open your eyes! Please!"

Rex heard the commotion and got up from where he was sitting. He slowly, but quickly made his way to Padmè's side. "Wake up, Commander! Come on, little one!" He said.

The teenager didn't stir even as Padmè and the Captain tried to get her to wake up.

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As the Twilight travelled through hyperspace, Anakin's eyes stayed pinned on the view outside as blue, silver and black lines raced past the freighter. That hologram of his wife and padawan had done nothing to relieve his worry. Padme's suit hadn't been compromised, to which he let out a sigh of relief. But his hands tightened on the controls in front of him as that image of Rosella popped up again in the back of his mind. She was dying. Her posture had been slumped over and weary in a way that just seemed wrong to him. Sighing, he snuck a quick look at his older brother.

Even though Obi-Wan looked calm and pulled together, Anakin knew him better than that. He could see that the Jedi Master's gaze stayed pinned to the viewport and that his eyes were a steely grey instead of their usual warm grey-blue. Reaching out into the Force, he sensed that Obi-Wan was just as afraid of losing them as he was.

The younger Knight turned his chair to the side, removed the grip that he had on his controls and opened his mouth to say something when he felt a massive wave of pain slam into him. Focusing on the pain, he followed it right to the source.

It was coming from Rosella, radiating off her in waves.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, having felt the wave of pain through his lightly growing bond with his niece. When he didn't get a response, he looked over at his brother. Jumping up from his seat, he hurried over, knelt before him, reached out and shook his shoulders. "Anakin!"

Anakin could hear Obi-Wan calling out to him and forced his eyes open, unsure of when he had closed them. He slowly sat up as he blocked out the pain and let it go with his former Master's help. He lightly reached out into the Force, sensing that it was getting worse for his apprentice, even though she couldn't feel it.

As soon as Anakin had opened his eyes, Obi-Wan could see that they were wide with fear. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"You felt it, didn't you?" Anakin quietly asked, wiping at his face when he realized he was weeping.

Obi-Wan swallowed convulsively and nodded once.

"Rosella…" Anakin whispered as he stared at the floor of the freighter. Then he looked up at his brother. "Obi-Wan, I can't feel her presence anymore."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and looked away for a moment as he reached out into the Force and tried to see if he could locate his niece's bright and soothing Force presence. When he finally did, he sensed that it was faint, but still there. Withdrawing from the force, he turned back and locked eyes with Anakin. "She is not dead. I can sense her presence, but it is faint," he said in a soft voice. "We still have a chance to save her."

"Do you really believe that?" Anakin quietly asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes Anakin," he replied as he stood up. "I do. I also know that Rosella would not want you to give up on her either. She and the others are counting on us to get back to Naboo with the cure."

"You're right," Anakin said as he turned around and placed his hands on the controls again. "Thanks Obi-Wan…"

"You're welcome, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied as he sat in his seat. "We are family after all."

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Once both Jedi reached Naboo, they flew to the palace and dropped off the root. Once the cure had been made, a vacuum tube had been brought out to the location of the bunker and placed over the hatch that was the only entrance into the facility. Then Typho, who had found the controls for the hatch, remotely opened it and used the tube to pump a gas version of the cure into the bunker to clear out the virus. Once the tube had been removed and it was safe to go inside, five medical droids headed in and administered another dose to all those who had survived as a vaccination.

Once they knew it was safe and were given clearance to depart, Anakin all but ran for the Twilight, with Obi-Wan and Typho joining him. He desperately wanted to know how his men, Padmè and Rosella were doing.

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All the survivors had been removed from the bunker.

Anakin and Obi-Wan, - Typho had stayed aboard the freighter - who had waited off to the side as two gunships landed on the landing pad, watched as they opened their doors, letting the medical droids know that they could start moving their patients. As soon as the Knight saw the stretchers move, he bolted across the clearing.

Having been cleared by the droids, Padmè had already shed her EVA suit. "Anakin!" She joyfully said as she saw him running over to them. Anakin stopped as he came up to the one that Padmè was walking alongside. "I want you to know that none of us lost faith in you or Obi-Wan."

"I'm glad to hear that, since there were quite a few times where we weren't so sure of ourselves," Anakin replied as he lovingly gazed at Padmè, having thought that he would never see her or his padawan again.

Padmè looked down at the teenager, who was laying on the stretcher in front of them as one of the medical droids walked the floating bed towards the craft. "Well, you both made it and that's a good thing," she said. "By the way, your padawan did really well down there."

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Obi-Wan finished checking on Sting when he noticed that Jar-Jar was having trouble taking off his helmet. He walked over, letting the medical droid take the trooper away and knelt down beside the Gungan, who ended up sitting on the ground when he hadn't been able to get if off. "I heard that you were quite brave fending off the battle droids, Jar-Jar," he said as he helped the Gungan take it off.

"Really?" He asked.

Obi-Wan nodded as he stood up. "Senator Amidala has suggested that we offer you training to help hone your skills with a blaster," he said, helping the Gungan to his feet.

"Really," Jar-Jar said.

"Really," Obi-Wan confirmed as he dusted off the helmet and then handed it to Jar-Jar.

"Oh, boy, I'm-a gonna be trained!" Jar-Jar said as he jumped up and down, very happy with the news.

Rex floated by, escorted by a med droid. Glancing at the Gungan, he said, "I will not be training him."

Obi-Wan smirked and crossed his arms over his chest as Jar-Jar waved with his free hand.

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Anakin and Padmè stood on the other side of Rosella's stretcher as it was ready to be loaded on the gunship. The Knight was proud of how well the young girl had done.

Rosella's eyes fluttered open and she smiled slightly as she saw her adopted parents standing there. "Hi Master, Senator…" She said, her voice still weak.

Anakin smiled at her. "I heard that you did a great job today, Rosella," he said. "I spoke with the medical droid while Obi-Wan and I waited for you and the others. You, Rex, Sting and Tug are expected to make a full recovery."

"All thanks to your training Master," the teenager responded. "Let me guess, we aren't doing any further training for a few weeks?"

"No," Anakin said. Then he chuckled as he ran a hand over her forehead, watching as she fought to keep her eyes open. "Rest now, my padawan. The next time you wake up will be on the Resolute in the med bay."

Rosella didn't say anything as she had already fallen asleep, a small smile on her face.

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Anakin looked at the other gunship and saw that Rex, Sting and Tug had been loaded on and they were ready to be transported out of the Eastern Swamps. He knew that once they got back to Coruscant, the 501st would be grounded since Rex, Sting and Tug would be isolated from the rest of the legion while they continued to get better. Turning towards the pilots, he told them to take off and head for the Palace to get them checked out. Once they got the all clear from the doctors there, then they were to be flown to the Resolute.

Padmè gave Anakin a hug and told him that she would head back to the palace with Rosella's stretcher so she could make sure that the padawan stayed in her bed while she was getting looked over. Anakin nodded and watched as the Senator boarded the gunship and grabbed onto one of the handles that were above her head.

Then the doors to both gunships closed as Obi-Wan came over to stand next to Anakin. The Knight waved as they took off.