Assault on Ryloth

Maul stared at the stars through the viewport of the med station, seated in the repulsorlift chair provided to him by the Separatist medics. The station was Republic-built, one of their Haven-class deep space stations constructed when the war first broke out. The Separatists eventually captured it and Grievous turned it into his personal base of operations, using its hyperdrive capabilities to stay one step ahead of the Republic for the last four years. Maul admired the general's ingenuity, but the time for hiding was over.

Hearing the doors behind him hiss open, Maul powered his chair around back toward the large table to the room's center and watched as General Grievous entered, flanked by two of his MagnaGuards.

The metal exoskeleton of the great Kaleesh warrior clanked menacingly as Grievous walked to the table and took his seat. Before his paralysis, Maul had always thought of Grievous as a monstrosity, barely better than a droid, kept alive by machinations. Now, however, Maul knew he would have to submit himself to the same treatment if he was ever going to fight again.

"Darth Maul." Grievous inclined his head slightly in greeting. "It has been too long. You were presumed dead after the lose of your flagship above Alderaan."

"I escaped. Though not, as you can see, unscathed." He sensed Grievous was wary of him. The general waited a beat before speaking again.

"Why have you chosen to return to us now?" Grievous asked, his tone laden with suspicion.

"I have been seeking a way to return for many years. However, my condition has made things difficult. I will require the aid of your physicians."

"Of course," Grievous said with a nod.

"Then I intend to resume my command," Maul said firmly.

"Much has happened since Alderaan," Grievous said, sidestepping Maul's statement. "We don't have the numbers we once did, even with the clones. The Republic presses in on us from all sides. They just landed a massive force on Ryloth."

"None of that matters now," Maul said dismissively.

"I will not lose another system," Grievous said, clenching his metal claws.

"The number of systems we hold isn't important," Maul said. "We have to inspire fear, that is the only thing people really understand. Fear gives us leverage." Grievous was silent a moment, fixing his yellow eyes on the Sith Lord.

"What do you propose?"

"The ruling delegations from the Republic worlds are gathered on Coruscant right now. There is no better time to send a message." Maul had listened carefully to the reports coming in over the holonet during his journey to the station. A plan was already formed in his mind. He knew what had to be done. Grievous, however, shook his head.

"You are living in the past," the general growled. "Coruscant is unassailable. They know you planned to attack it four years ago. The defenses are triple what they were then."

"I am not talking about an invasion," Maul insisted, leaning forward over the table. He had to make Grievous understand. "What is required is a precision strike. We must show them they are not safe." He could see it now. If the Senate building could be infiltrated, it wouldn't take much to wreck havoc among the government officials and politicians collected there. And the Jedi...Maul still had the command code that would turn their clones against them. It was all so simple, but before he could explain it to Grievous, the general stood as if to leave.

"I am not going to allow you to destroy us with another foolish plot," Grievous said, looming above Maul.

"You will not allow me?" Maul felt the fury rising in his chest. Grievous would never have dared to challenge him like this before.

"You no longer have any say here, this is my army, and I will fight this war my way." Without thinking, Maul lunged at Grievous, but the powercells of his leg braces were all but drained and he crumpled to the floor as they failed to hold him, while Grievous stepped easily out of the way. Metal claws closed around Maul's shoulders and dragged him up, pinning him against the wall.

"Ryloth is where we will make our stand," Grievous said as he held Maul in his vice-like grip. "Your dream of attacking Coruscant died above Alderaan, and you should have done the same." He threw Maul to the ground. Maul pushed himself up with his arms. His whole body was burning with anger.

"You short-sighted fool!" he snarled at Grievous. "You are going to lose this war!"

"We shall see." Grievous turned to the two MagnaGuards at the door. They'd activated their electrostaffs when Maul attacked, and the electric ends of the weapons hummed dangerously. Maul cursed himself for agreeing to come to this meeting unarmed. "Take Lord Maul to the brig," Grievous ordered as he opened the door. "I have business to attend to on Ryloth."

Anakin woke well before dawn. He checked the time and found he had more than an hour before the assault was scheduled to begin. Rolling over in the bunk, he tried to go back to sleep, but rest alluded him. After a few fretful minutes of tossing and turning he gave up. Pushing back the covers, he hung his legs over the edge of the bunk and quietly jumped down. Obi-Wan was still sleeping soundly in the lower bunk.

Anakin pulled on his undershirt and his boots and left the room, making his way down the corridor and up the steps that led out of the bunker. Ryloth's climate was arid, not unlike his homeworld of Tatooine, but in the darkness of the very early morning the air was cool. The Republic encampment was positioned in a shallow valley and the landscape was dotted with odd rock formations created by a winding river that had dried up millenia before.

Finding a spot beneath one of the rock formations near the bunker entrance, Anakin sat with his back against the rock and folded his legs in front of him, resting his hands on his knees. He closed his eyes, attempting to clear his mind and enter a state of meditation. Obi-Wan was always trying to get him to practice his meditative exercises, but Anakin found it difficult to control the path his mind took. It often wandered to places he didn't want to go, forcing him to relive painful moments from his past.

Although Anakin struggled with the practice, he was determined to master it. The most powerful and disciplined of the Jedi Masters, like Master Yoda, could use their connection to the Force to seek out specific times and places, even to see the comings and goings of specific people thousands of lightyears away. And the one person Anakin wanted to see right now was very far away indeed.

He took a series of deep, calming breaths. He was determined not to lose control this time. He focused his mind, feeling the power of the Force flow through him. He waited, for what seemed like hours, hoping the Force would show him what he wanted to see. Slowly, he became less and less aware of his own body. Then, suddenly, he could see her.

Padme stood on the balcony of her Coruscant apartment, leaning on the rail and looking out over the city. It was evening there. Her hair was down, her dark curls framing her face. Her expression was pensive and difficult to read.

He felt a pang of longing. Their time together on Scipio had come to a sudden end when he'd been called away to the front. There had been so much they couldn't say in their hurried goodbye on the landing platform as Obi-Wan and the troop transport waited only meters away. He wondered if she could sense his presence now. He reached out to her through the Force, hoping that she could. But as he did so, his mind became clouded. Something was troubling her. Something was wrong.

Fear begin to creep into the edges of his mind. What was happening? Was she in danger? His chest seized with panic. His hold on the image was slipping. He tried to maintain his focus, but the Force seemed to have other ideas. It was pulling him away, towards something else. He couldn't stop it.

The vision of Padme on Coruscant dissolved and was replaced with a new scene. He found himself once more on Scipio, in a room with stunning views of the planet's snow-capped mountains, their rocky faces glinting in the moonlight. Padme was there too, sitting next to him on the chaise in front of the fireplace. There was barely any space between them. His meditation had taken him from the present back into the past.

His pulse quickened as he relived each moment. It had begun innocently enough, his fingers brushing hers as he passed her a drink, the gentle pressure of her hand against his arm as they shared a moment of laughter. And then he was telling her that he should go, even as the only movement he made was to lean in closer to her.

They gave in simultaneously, an unseen energy crackling between them as their lips met in an intense kiss, and they were soon wrapped in each other's arms. He felt once more the dangerous rush of freedom as they succumbed to temptation, laying aside the oaths and responsibilities that had kept them apart for so long. Her fingers found the clasp of his utility belt and then began to pull away the layers of his tunic. He slipped the dress from her shoulders. Every curve of her body, every blemish and scar on her skin, felt familiar beneath his hands.

But the warm glow of the memory didn't last long. The vision before him grew hazy and unfocused. Some unseen force was pulling Padme away from him. The lush furnishings of the room on Scipio fade, leaving him in darkness. It was impossible to tell where they were. The only thing that was clear to him was the pained expression on Padme's face.

He couldn't see what was happening, but there was no doubt she was suffering. He had to stop it, he had to help her, but try as he might he couldn't close the space between them. Helpless, he looked on as she cried out in anguish. He called her name, but she didn't respond. Instead, all he heard was the terrible echo of mechanized breath, growing louder, and louder...

Anakin forced his eyes open, dragging himself out of his meditative state. He was sweating and shaking. Dark silhouettes ran to and fro between the bunkers, making ready for the attack. The battle would begin soon, but his meditation had left him rattled, not centered. He took deep breathes, trying to calm himself, but he was unnerved. Had the Force shown him a vision of the future?

Up on the ridge he could see that the Republic's artillery guns were moving into position. Before long they would open fire, weakening the Separatist line in preparation for the assault. Anakin stood up, trying to wipe the final scene of his meditation from his mind. There was no time for him to ruminate on what he had seen. Walking back towards the bunker, Anakin told himself over and over again that Padme was safe, that his vision meant nothing, that the future was impossible to predict...but he could not quite shake the cold feeling of dread that had lodged in his chest.

Obi-Wan awoke to find the bunk above him empty. He checked his chrono and let loose a heavy sigh. Where was his apprentice? Anakin was often a source of anxiety for his master, but lately it seemed worse. Something had happened on Scipio. There had been a growing tension between them ever since his pupil had returned from that mission.

As Obi-Wan dressed, he found himself once again wishing he had not sent Anakin to Scipio. It was never supposed to happen at all, but the Jedi originally assigned to assist Senator Naberrie in negotiating additional loans from the Banking Clan had been captured en route. Obi-Wan and Anakin were already in the system, trying to keep the fragile peace on Muunilist. Logistically, it had made perfect sense for his apprentice to go while he continued their original mission, but Obi-Wan knew he had sent Anakin into a potentially compromising situation.

The door hissed open and Anakin came in, still only half-dressed. He barely glanced at Obi-Wan as he entered the room. "There you are," Obi-Wan said as his apprentice went to his trunk, gathering the pieces of his tunic and pulling them on hurriedly over his undershirt. He looked pale and shaky. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Anakin said, not looking up.

"You look terrible."

"I was meditating," Anakin said shortly. Obi-Wan frowned. Anakin had learned many Jedi skills with an ease and speed that made him the envy of other students, but a mastery of meditation eluded him. No doubt his latest attempt had gone poorly as well. Obi-Wan knew better than to press the matter.

"Well, you'd better get dressed, we're about to move out," he said, fastening his lightsaber to his belt and moving toward the door.

"I'll meet you out there," Anakin said. Obi-Wan gave him a nod, then headed out into the corridor, his mind now clouded by worry. It wasn't like Anakin to attempt to meditate without being prodded into it. What had he been trying to see? Padme, his mind whispered, but Obi-Wan dismissed the thought. Whatever Anakin's feelings for her had been, whatever they still were, he knew that his apprentice understood his commitment to the Jedi Order. He had to trust that Anakin would not do anything to jeopardize that commitment.

Obi-Wan hurried up the bunker steps and headed toward the assembly point. The cool night air was beginning to give way to a warm day, and a thin fog now hung over the valley. The sun was not yet risen, but the sky was turning lighter, bit by bit. If he'd read the charts right, the sun would rise just as they began their assault. He hoped the semi-darkness would provide them with some cover.

"Good morning, sir," Commander Appo greeted him as he arrived at the assembly area, which was filled with clone troopers, tanks, walkers, and the more unusual sight of Twi'lek fighters mounted on blurrgs.

"Good morning, Appo. Everything ready to go?"

"Yes, sir, just finishing the loading process."

"Keep it moving, we want to launch this offensive on schedule," Obi-Wan ordered. Appo saluted and jogged off, barking orders at some straggling support crew. Obi-Wan located his assigned HAVw A6 Juggernaut, the massive ten-wheeled turbo tank that would transport many of the Republic's troops into battle. The fast and heavily armored vehicles would be at the front of the line as they advanced across the valley.

As Obi-Wan checked in with the tank's crew, he saw Anakin come out of the bunker, now fully clad in his Jedi robes, his lightsaber bouncing at his hip. Obi-Wan excused himself and went over to Anakin. He thought his apprentice looked more composed, though he could still sense an imbalance in the energy that surrounded his pupil.

"Feeling better?" he asked as Anakin walked over to meet him.

"I'm fine," Anakin said, a bit defensively. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, and Anakin, seeing his master's face, took the edge out of his tone. "I'm ready," he said, more calmly.

"Good," Obi-Wan said, clapping a reassuring hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Better load up, here come the others." KeAnn and her Strikers were now approaching from the bunker, an imposing group of sixteen black-clad warriors, each armed to the teeth. KeAnn offered Obi-Wan a quick salute as she ordered her team into two of the Juggernauts. As they loaded up, Cham Syndulla and his small band of Twi'lek fighters rode up on their fearsome blurrgs, kicking up a wake of dust.

"General Kenobi," the Twi'lek said, bowing his head at Obi-Wan from above as he remained mounted on the blurrg. "My fighters are ready. We await your signal."

"It won't be long," Obi-Wan said as he watched the last of the clone troopers loading into the Juggernauts and slower AT-TEs, while the nimbler one-man recon walkers formed up alongside the bigger vehicles. "The Juggernauts will lead the assault. Keep your people with the walkers as we cross the valley, once we get in close range you can move up for the main assault." Cham gave a quick nod to show he understood.

"Commander Syndulla, are you sure you wouldn't prefer to ride with us?" KeAnn called out to Cham as he wheeled his blurrg around. He looked back at her, then up at the giant tank she stood beneath.

"My people will not ride into battle in these...contraptions," the Twi'Lek commander said, looking distrustfully at the Juggernaut.

"Suit yourself," KeAnn said with a shrug as she climbed into the belly of the tank. One by one the tanks and walkers fell into position, forming the main line of the assault. The support crews were starting to move off. It was time.

"Appo, all set?" Obi-Wan asked into his wristlink.

"Yes, sir." Obi-Wan looked over to Anakin, who was standing at the loading ladder of the adjacent Juggernaut. He gave his apprentice a nod, and Anakin disappeared inside the vehicle. Obi-Wan found a foothold and heaved himself up to the top of his Juggernaut. At the front of the vehicle, he knelt down and banged his fist on the hull three times, signalling to the driver to start the engines.

As the tank roared to life, so did the other vehicles around it. Obi-Wan stood to his full height and ignited his lightsaber. He held the blue blade aloft for a moment, then swung it forward, pointing it across the valley toward the Separatist line. At the signal, the Republic forces began their advance. The tank beneath him began to move, and Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber and ran lightly toward the middle of the tank. He opened the top hatch and dropped inside, just as the first Separatist shell whistled overhead.

Inside the Juggernaut, Anakin took the seat closest to the exit hatches. He wanted to be the first out when they deployed from the tank. He needed not only to expend the restless energy that had been building within him since his failed meditation, but also to prove to Obi-Wan, and to himself, that everything was fine. As the tank bounced over the rocky terrain, he clutched the gleaming metal tube of his lightsaber hilt in his hand, keeping his weapon at the ready.

The Republic troops crossed some invisible line, bringing them into range of the Separatists. Blaster bolts rocked the tank, but it was a sturdy metal beast. Anakin heard the Republic gunners began to return fire. He shifted in his seat, ready to bolt for the hatch as soon as the order came.

The sounds of the attack outside were getting louder and louder. Anakin braced his feet against the floor as the tank took a hard hit. They were getting closer. A few moments later the tank came to a crashing halt that threw half the troops inside onto the floor. This was it, they had reached the line. The indicator light above them began to flash and there was a sharp hiss as the driver released the top and bottom hatches.

"Let's go!" Anakin shouted back to the clones as he grabbed the rungs of the ladder and launched himself up through the top hatch, followed by the clone troopers. He landed on the top of the tank, his lightsaber already ignited. All around him blaster fire burned through the early morning haze, lighting up the still dusky sky. The tank had nearly rammed into the cliffside below the plateau where the Separatists were mounting their defense.

"Fives, set up on top of the tank and keep them off our flank and the rear," he ordered as the clones joined him on top of the vehicle, kneeling to try and stay below the line of fire. "Bolt, Zen, Camo, you're with me," he said, pointing to three clones in turn. With his troopers in tow, Anakin sprinted forward along the dorsal hull of the tank, deflecting blaster fire with his blue-bladed lightsaber.

From the ground it was easily fifteen meters to the top of the cliff, but from the dorsal side of the tank it was closer to five or six meters. Anakin leapt the distance easily, landing in a crouch. He deflected the fire directed at him as the three clones came up behind him, zipping up the cliffside with the help of their grappling guns.

The Separatist defenses were mounted in two tiers, in front of and above the cave entrances. The stepped plateau afforded the Separatists many excellent firing positions. At a glance he saw that none of the troops were clones. That struck him as odd, given their extreme proximity to a facility designed to produce clone soldiers, but there wasn't time to analyze that now. First, he had to deal with the Separatist artillery that was hammering the Republic troops below.

Anakin again charged forward, closing the short distance between the cliff's edge and the nearest Separatist gun. His lightsaber sizzled as he cut down the lightly armored Separatists manning the massive piece of artillery. The clones followed his lead, blasting any enemy troops that came within range. Anakin fought his way to the gun's controls and quickly dispatched the gunner.

"Zen, this one's yours," Anakin shouted down as the clone trooper pulled himself up to the gun's controls. Anakin gestured sharply at the guns above the caves. "Hammer the top of that cliff until those guns are gone." Zen nodded and swerved the gun around, aiming it's barrell back toward the Separatists. Anakin jumped down, rejoining the other two clone troopers on the ground.

"Do you have thermal detonators?" Both clone troopers nodded. "Good. I'll deal with the gun crews, you two follow behind to give me cover and take out the guns. One detonator down the barrell ought to do it."

"Yes, sir," Bolt and Camo said in unison.

"Follow me." Anakin took off down the line, the blue blade of his lightsaber a deadly blur as he attacked the next artillery placement. One by one they worked their way through the guns, laying waste to the enemy artillery. By the time the Separatists realized what was happening, there was only one gun still operating in their section of the plateau.

The last gun, however, was not going to go down without a fight. The gunner turned her weapon away from the troops coming up over the cliff edge and began to fire on Anakin and the two clones, while the guards at the base of the gun laid down a steady stream of fire.

Bolt and Camo ducked behind the bulk of the gun they had just disabled, but Anakin was several meters ahead of them and very much out in the open. Jedi though he was, he knew his lightsaber couldn't deflect an artillery blast, and there was no decent cover in front of him.

A shell hit dangerously close, knocking him sideways off his feet. He instinctively threw his hands over his head as dirt and debris from the blast sprayed over him. There was a slight ringing in Anakin's ears from the nearness of the blast. Not far from him he could see Bolt and Camo leaning out from behind the gun, laying down a stream of suppressing fire to try and cover for their commander.

"Get up sir, come on!" He heard Bolt shout, though his voice still sounded muffled. Anakin scrambled to his feet and zig-zagged toward them, but as he approached the gun his senses prickled with danger.

It all happened in an instant. Anakin never even heard the shell. He was hardly more than two meters from Bolt and Camo when the gun they'd taken cover behind went up in a ball of fire. Once again Anakin was thrown back by the blast. He hit the ground harder this time, and the impact knocked the air out of him.

As he struggled to catch his breath he looked back at where his troopers had been a moment before, but now there was only a charred crater in the earth. His anger flared a the loss of his troops, but the Separatists were still shelling his position. He crawled forward and threw himself into the crater knowing the shells were imprecise and unlikely to hit the same place twice.

He poked his head up just enough so that he could get a read on the situation. He saw that only two guns remained on his side of the plateau. Ramps were extending from the assault line below, with clones and mounted Twi'lek fighters running up them, blasters blazing. Not too far away he could make out the blue whirl of Obi-Wan lightsaber. But the remaining guns were taking their toll on the advancing troops.

Anakin took a moment to tap into the power of the Force, feeling its energy surround him. He allowed his anger in as well. Obi-Wan didn't approve of such things, but Anakin found his rage to be a powerful weapon. With the Force flowing through him, Anakin ignited his lightsaber and leapt from the crater, heading straight for the Separatist gun that had blown Bolt and Camo apart minutes before.

Seeing his approach, the gun started firing, but Anakin let the Force guide his actions this time. It was as though he could see each shell hit before it even left the barrel of the gun. He dodged and weaved his way forward. He saw the wide-eyed fear of the two Duros guards at the base of the gun as he closed in on them. They raised their blasters and fired, but he deflected the laser bolts away and his lightsaber hummed as it sliced through their bodies.

Above him, the Rodian gunner had abandoned the controls and was pointing a blaster pistol at Anakin's head, but the Jedi reached out a hand and the blaster zipped out of her fingers and into his own. Anakin fired three shots in quick succession, and the gunner dropped, lifeless, from her raised seat. Pulling himself up the gun's base, Anakin sliced the gun barrel above him with his lightsaber and stepped out of the way as it clattered to the ground.

Clambering up to the top of the now-destroyed gun, Anakin could see Obi-Wan and his clone troopers, as well as the Strikers and the Twi'lek fighters overrunning the remaining Separatist defenses along the cliff. Their first objective was complete. They had broken the Separatist line.

As Obi-Wan led his troops up over the cliff, he saw Anakin's death-defying run against the last of the Separatists guns. Preoccupied though he was with deflecting blaster fire and directing his troops, he couldn't stop himself from watching as his apprentice ran headlong through the shell bursts, striking his enemies down with brutal, powerful efficiency. When he saw Anakin fight, he was never sure whether he should be awed or horrified. Maybe a bit of both.

With the last of the guns out of commission and the Republic troops and their Twi'lek allies pouring over the cliffside, the Separatist defenses began to break apart and retreat, moving further up the stepped terrain of the plateau. Obi-Wan sent a portion of his troops after them, but kept two companies behind with him in case a renewed attack came from the rear.

KeAnn appeared by his side, clad all in black and carrying a heavily modified blaster-rifle. She pulled down the black face-covering that concealed her nose and mouth, squinting through the swirling dust kicked up by the movement of troops. "They didn't put up too much of a fight, did they?" she asked Obi-Wan as they watched the Separatists fall back, pursued by the clones.

"No, they didn't," Obi-Wan agreed. It was worrying. If they were giving up the position so easily, they couldn't place much value on it. And if that was true, it indicated that the enemy had anticipated the attack on the cloning facility and made preparations accordingly.

"I didn't see a single clone among them either," KeAn said. Obi-Wan nodded. He hadn't either. It was odd. Something was wrong about the whole situation, but he knew they didn't have much choice but to press onward.

"That wasn't so hard," Anakin said as he jogged up to them. "And you were worried," he said, gently teasing his master.

"It isn't over yet," Obi-Wan reminded him, but Anakin only grinned. At least his sour mood from earlier seemed to have dissipated. Cham Syndulla joined the group, dismounting his fearsome blurrg and holding its reins. Appo and another clone Obi-Wan didn't recognize approached from the line of clones forming around the cave entrances. Appo saluted the trio as he snapped to attention.

"Sir, we've secured the perimeter," he reported to Obi-Wan.

"Good work," Obi-Wan said. "Who is this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the second clone, who wore a commander's insignia.

"Commander Cody, sir, 212th," the clone answered, saluting. "Director Organa sent us up from reserves to provide additional assistance. My unit was most recently assigned to Kessel, we have experience working in a subterranean environment. Thought we might be of service to you."

"Very good, commander," Obi-Wan said with a nod. "Right, Appo, you'll stay up top to guard the access points. Hold the perimeter and make sure no Separatists follow us in. Keep sharp, a counter-attack could come from almost any direction. Cody and his men will come with us into the caves."

Appo saluted and took off. Obi-Wan looked back over at the series of cave entrances dotting the far cliff. "We'll need to strategize our approach." He turned to the Twi'lek leader. "Commander Syndulla, your thoughts?"

"These caves were built by our ancestors," Syndulla said. "Traditionally, all the tunnels lead to a main chamber. That will be the deepest point in the system."

"And where we will likely find the cloning facility," Anakin noted.

"We will need to divide our forces in order to cover as many of the tunnels as we can," Obi-Wan said, but Syndulla shook his head.

"There are always two primary tunnels," the Twi'lek said, gesturing to markings above the cave entrances Obi-Wan hadn't noticed before. "It will be best to follow those, they will lead us to the center more quickly."

"We'll take this side," KeAnn said, pointing to the southern entrance.

"I will assign a squad of my people to go with you as guides," Syndulla said. "The rest of us will accompany the Jedi." KeAnn and Cham moved off to organize their people, while Commander Cody dashed off to gather his clone troopers. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Anakin moved toward the northern cave entrance, trying to assess it from the outside.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan said as he peered into the darkness of the cave. Anakin gave him a sideways glance, but remained silent as Cody and his clones, as well as Cham and a group of Twi'leks, joined them in front of the cave. Obi-Wan unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it. Beside him, Anakin did the same and the others in the group activated glowrods and helmet lamps. Obi-Wan tried to cast off his growing sense of unease.

"Let's go," Obi-Wan said, gesturing for the others to follow him. He stepped forward into the darkness, his way lit by the pale blue glow of his weapon. The rest of the group fell into step behind him, and they made their way forward in tense silence.

Deeper and deeper into the tunnel they went without any sign of any habitation at all, let alone a full-fledged cloning facility. Obi-Wan was beginning to wonder if the intelligence on this operation had been wrong from start to finish, but then Anakin, who had taken the lead came to a sudden halt.

The gentle glow of Anakin's lightsaber fell on the body of a human man, one Obi-Wan recognized as matching one of the Separatist clone templates, except that this clone had an extra, stunted arm growing from his left side.

"A deformed clone," he said as the others gathered around to see. "It's more likely to happen if their growth is accelerated too quickly."

"I wonder what he did to deserve that?" Anakin asked, pointing to the blaster hole in the man's chest.

"We must consider the possibility that the cloners killed him, rather than risk his capture," Obi-Wan said quietly. Beside him Obi-Wan heard one of the clones make a sound of disgust, and he heard Commander Cody say something about "savages" under his breath.

The dead clone was leaning against the wall near an open doorway, they first one they'd come across. Anakin took the lead, holding his blade aloft as he entered the room, followed closely by Cody and the clones. Obi-Wan remained in the main corridor with the Twi'lek's, peering into the room from outside to give the others room to investigate.

"Not much here," Anakin called back as he shifted around through the mess of discarded equipment that littered the chamber. "It looks like someone emptied this place out in a hurry." As Anakin made his way back toward the door, his boot kicked something and Obi-Wan heard the distinct clink of glass.

"What was that?" he asked, squinting in the low light. Anakin knelt down, feeling around on the floor with his hands.

"Got it," he said, standing up with several vials in his hands. "Multiple genetic templates...mostly human," Anakin said, examining the labels on each vial. Unlike the Republic, the Separatists didn't rely on just a single template for all their cloning, but most of their clones were human. Humans were, relatively speaking, among the less genetically complex species in the galaxy, and the primarily non-human Separatist leaders seemed more comfortable putting human clones out as cannon fodder than clones from their own species.

"Republic Intelligence will want those," Obi-Wan said. "Cody, bag them up." Anakin handed the vials over to Cody, who stored them in a pouch on his utility belt. Their search of the rest of the room yielded nothing, and the group soon moved on, continuing down the tunnel. For a brief moment, Obi-Wan wondered how deep under ground they really were, but he quickly realized he was better off not thinking about it.

At last the tunnel began to widen and then open up into a vast cavern, the central chamber Syndulla had told them about. Durasteel walkways crisscrossed every section of the chamber, dividing it into many sections. Obi-Wan could make out the remnants of cloning pods and other equipment, but everything was shot through with blaster fire. It seemed someone had already done their job for them.

He heard a sound from across the cavern and a moment later KeAnn and the other half of the team emerged from their tunnel. They came across the join Obi-Wan and the others, KeAnn in the lead, wearing a headlamp.

"Anything on your side?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, nothing the way we came in except a bunch of abandoned equipment," she said. "It seems like they've cleared everything out."

"They must have known we were coming," Anakin said. "They won't have left anything valuable behind to be taken or destroyed." Obi-Wan could hear the frustration in his voice. He felt some of it too. Afterall, they had hoped to take the facility by surprise and gather useful intel before destroying it. Their mission now seemed pointless.

"We're still getting lifesign readings from deeper in," Commander Cody said, coming up beside Obi-Wan and holding a scanner in his hand. Obi-Wan nodded. Cody was right, he could feel that they were not alone down here, and the cavern was enormous. They needed to explore it more thoroughly.

"Spread out, I want every inch of this place covered," Obi-Wan ordered. "Set charges at regular intervals, we want to make sure they can never return to this facility, and keep an eye out for anything that may have been left behind."

The group fanned out across the cavern, stepping careful amongst the debris and the unfamiliar walkways. Obi-Wan stayed on the main level and moved toward the back of the cavern, as did Cody, Anakin, and KeAnn. He could sense, as he suspected KeAnn and Anakin could as well, that whatever presence he felt was emanating from the rear of the chamber.

"Sir, over here," Cody called to Obi-Wan. He walked over to Cody, who was standing in front of a small cell at the very back of the cavern. Anakin and KeAnn followed, curious to see what Cody had discovered. When Obi-Wan saw what was inside the cell, he took a step back in shock.

"He's a Republic clone," KeAnn said quietly as the lights of the Cody's helmet lit up figure inside.

"Trooper, what is your designation?" Cody asked through the metal grate that served as a door to the cell. The clone inside looked at him, but said nothing.

"Trooper!" Cody shouted this time, banging the butt of his blaster rifle against the door of the cell. Obi-Wan jumped at the sound. The man inside, who was cowering in the corner, jumped at the sound. "What's your designation?"

"CT...CT…" the clone's face was crunched in concentration, but then a light seemed to go off inside his mind. "CT-7567."

"I don't believe it," Obi-Wan said as he stared at the huddled figure on the cell floor. "It's Rex."

"Who is he?" Anakin asked, confused.

"He was one of my captains," Obi-Wan said quietly, still staring at the clone. "He was with me at Geonosis." Anakin's eyes went wide. He knew what that meant. How well he knew the story of how the clone troopers had betrayed the Jedi in that battle. The investigation conducted by the Republic had concluded it was a malfunction with the inhibitor chip and corrected the problem in all the clones.

"What is he doing here?" KeAnn asked.

"Disengage the barrier," Obi-Wan ordered.

"Sir?" Cody asked, clearly uncertain about whether this was a good idea.

"Do it," Obi-Wan said firmly.

Anakin watched with trepidation as the door opened and his master entered the cell. Obi-Wan knelt in front of the clone and gently touched his arm. The man recoiled, and Anakin could only imagine what he might have endured as a prisoner in this place.

"Rex, it's me. General Kenobi," Obi-Wan said gently. The clone started at him blankly for a few moments, but suddenly his eyes lit up with recognition.

"Kenobi...Kenobi," he said, repeating the name to himself. Obi-Wan nodded, smiling. Anakin felt some of the tension in the room ease off. But then, Rex lunged. He went straight for Obi-Wan's throat. Obi-Wan tried to spring back, but he clearly hadn't anticipated this turn of events and Rex had him in the corner.

Anakin saw the clone's strong fingers closing around Obi-Wan's throat and sprang into action, grabbing Rex around the middle and then throwing himself backwards, successfully pulling Rex away from Obi-Wan. The two of them went sprawling, and Anakin hurried to find his footing as Rex got up as well and charged at him.

Before Rex could reach him, Cody and three other clone troopers jumped on the rogue clone and held him down, though it was clear it was a struggle. KeAnn pulled her blaster pistol from her hip holster and leveled it at Rex.

"No!" Obi-Wan said, holding up his hand in protest. KeAnn looked over at him, exasperated.

"I'm only going to stun him."

"The stress of that could kill him," Obi-Wan said.

"He just tried to kill you, in case you didn't notice," KeAnn said, not lowering her weapon.

"He needs medical attention. We have to get him out to the surface," he said. Personally, Anakin thought KeAnn had the right idea. "Get some binders," Obi-Wan told him. Anakin retrieved a set of binders from one of the Strikers and handed them over to Cody, who cuffed Rex's hands behind his back. Obi-Wan came out of the cell, massaging his neck and looking worriedly at the clone prisoner.

"Commander, he isn't the only person down here," one of the Strikers said to KeAnn, holding up his glowrod. The device threw a soft light on rows of cells extending into the back of the cavern, holding dozens, perhaps hundreds of people. They were clones alright, but not Republic ones. They were clones from the Separatist templates.

"Why are they here?" Cham Syndulla asked, coming up closer to one of the caged clones.

"They all have some kind of physical deviation," Cody said, joining Cham. Anakin looked more closely and saw that Cody was right. Like the clone they'd encountered in the entry tunnel, these clones all had some type of deformity. "They must have been deemed unfit for service."

"But why leave them behind?" Anakin asked.

"Maybe the Separatists decided they weren't worth the trouble," Cody said.

"Please, please help us," one of the clones said, lacing his hands through the metal grate over his cell. His cheeks were gaunt. Anakin wondered how long they had been trapped down here.

"We have to get them out of here," Obi-Wan said.

"This is no time for a rescue mission," KeAnn said in a frustrated whisper, so only Obi-Wan and Anakin could hear. "We are supposed to be destroying this facility."

"She has a point," Anakin said. He felt some sympathy for the clones, but they were still Separatists, still the enemy. Obi-Wan shot him a look of warning.

"That is not the Jedi way."

"Fine, but whatever you are going to do, let's do it quickly. We shouldn't be down here any longer than necessary." The words were no sooner out of KeAnn's mouth than the cavern shook and a muffled boom sounded from above. Everyone went quiet. A moment later, there was another loud tremor.

"Sir! Sir!" Appo's frantic voice came in through Obi-Wan's wristlink.

"Appo, what's going on?"

"They're bombing us! They came out of nowhere, I don't...we can't hold them!" The panic in the clone commander's voice was unnerving. "They've taken the northern entrance. You have to get out of there, he'll reach you in minutes."

"Who, Appo? Who is coming for us?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Grievous."