Ryloth had been on the to-do list for the Republic for a while now, and even with the current plans, it was feared that the mission would be a failure. The Republic was stretched thin as is, the Separatists bringing fights on hundreds of different fronts. Ryloth was heavily guarded, especially for the amount of forces the Republic could spare. However, this kind of impossible mission was where Anakin shined. That did not, however, stop Vex from having nightmares, and foreboding visions of the mission to come. The bustle onboard the Resolute kept him company, as well as Arsix, who followed him around wherever he went. They make their way down to the hangers, finding Ahsoka working on her Delta 7B in preparation. Her Arseven unit was chirping about as he helped her. Ahsoka's excitement radiated off of her, and it somewhat amused Vex, but also gave him concern, hence why he had come to see her.

"How are you holding up?" He asks her gently, as she emerges from beneath the raised fighter.

"I'm scared, yet excited at the same time. The last time I felt this was when I had been chosen to be Anakin's Padawan." Ahsoka replies, giddy all over and barely restraining her hyperactivity. Vex glances around the hanger bays, noticing that only the V-19 Torrents were being prepared.

"Why aren't the Y-Wing's being prepared?" Vex questions.

"The plan is to strike quickly, and the Y-Wings are too slow and cumbersome for that." Ahsoka explains. "I wish you were joining us up there though. Your piloting skills are brilliant."

"Unless someone plans on adding armour and shields to the Delta 7, or they suddenly bring out the Y-Wing's, I don't plan to go out there. I may be able to pilot, but the lack of armour and shields on the standard fighter is appalling, and concerning." Vex explains. To add onto that, Vex knew that the Y-Wings were being kept back, in case they would be needed later. While a great ship, they were difficult to keep in shape. Vex went with the mechanics after the Malevolence mission, and learned that while the Y-Wing was well armoured, it was an absolute pain to keep in working condition. Their armour plates often blocked off important areas to fix issues, thus resulting in the armour needing to be removed. The only ship that Vex found to be well armed and armoured, while also decently reliable, were they old Z-95's.

Said starfighter was still in use, after being first designed almost 80 years ago. Vex was actually getting some assistance with obtaining and refitting one, but it was kept secret from most, as it wasn't under Republic jurisdiction or authority. As he ponders, and watches, the alarms begin to blare, and he looks to Ahsoka, who returns his gaze.

"Be careful, and always take note of what is happening around you." He warns.

"I will." She assures. Finally adhering to the alarms, Vex heads to the bridge, the hallways bustling with activity, elevators crammed and filled with officers, but it felt like home. It reminded him of the years spent aboard the U.S.S Valkyrie, or, more specifically, a certain mission, where everyone prepared for a daring assault, just like this one.

"Warriors on the Valkyrie. I know we are tired. All of us have suffered - lost friends, loved ones. We will ensure it was not in vain. The storm has grounded enemy aircraft - but it won't be for long. We may be the only ship left, but we will not go down without a fight. Let this storm carry us home."

Before long, the elevator opened up to the bridge, allowing Vex to walk to Anakin, Admiral Yularan already at his side.

"All ships, prepare for launch." The Admiral alerts, and the fighter squadrons begin to call in, with Ahsoka's being the loudest to Vex's senses.

"Alright, are you boys ready?" Her voice seems to echo, a feeling of dread spreading through Vex. He couldn't explain it, but he knew, that something was going to go wrong.

"This is Two Ax. Ready when you are, Skipper." The first pilot under her command calls in, followed by the rest.

"Ready on three, this is Slava, over."

"Ready on four. Kick-back checking in."

"Soup to Blue Leader. Group Two is standing by."

"Taco on five. Waiting for mother bird, over." All fighter leaders were checked in, prepared for launch.

"Commander, you're all clear." Yularan informs Ahsoka. With the approval of launch, the mass of fighters streaks toward the enemy, with droid fighters meeting them halfway.

"Clear!"

"I'm on it."

"Nice work!"

"Two new targets closing in!" The incessant chatter of pilots was almost calming, if not for the fact that they were fighting a battle as well as their own survival.

"We've got their fighters occupied. Ax, time for us to make a run for the battleship." Ahsoka orders, but as they begin to move towards their target, Vex feels something shift, as though the tides had just changed drastically.

"Something's coming." Vex warns ominously, his gaze focused on the distant stars, as though unable to tear himself from their glow.

"What do-" Anakin begins to ask, but an officer cuts in, as four Munificent-Class Frigates emerge from Hyperspace, arriving in range to fire upon the three Venators, while a good hundred Vulture Droids launch, making their way to the Capital Ships.

"Admiral, four more enemy cruisers have joined the blockade!"

"Get them out of there!" Vex shouts, though Yularen is a step ahead of him.

"Commander, we've been caught in a trap!" He exclaims.

"You're overreacting Admiral. I can get us through." Ahsoka responds stubbornly. "Blue Squadron, stay the course."

"I'm ordering you to return to the ship. We're going to need your help." Yularan presses.

"Ahsoka, it's too risky. Get your pilots out of there" Anakin adds, but Ahsoka does not respond, and continues on her course.

"Ax, are you still there?" Ahsoka asks in concern.

"Got two on my tail. I can't shake 'em." Ax replies.

"I can't help you, Ax, I've got my own problem." Slava responds. Moment's later, Slava's transponder fades away, his life snuffed out in an instant.

"Ahsoka, they are breaking our lines. If you don't return now, you may not have a cruiser to return to!" Vex argues desperately, as the droid fighters begin to suicide ram into the ship, their small, sharp frames piercing through less armoured sectors.

"Alright… Let's go squad." She relents, her voice somber. "Pull back to the command ship."

"Why are we retreating?" Ax asks, unsure as to why Ahsoka had changed her mind.

"We're not. We're following orders." Ahsoka clarifies through the comms.

"Intensify deflector shields!" Yularan orders as the enemy fighters begin breaching the hull in several areas.

"There's too many. We can't shoot them all down!" An officer replies in frustration over the fact.

"Fighter squadron, where are you?" Yularan asks in desperation.

"We're almost there." Ahsoka assures, but she was too late, as a lone droid fighter began spiraling towards the bridge.

"It's too late! RUN!" Vex's warning echoes through the bridge. As though he could prevent them all from dying, he thrusts his hands forward, moments before the fighter impacts with the viewport, which cracks under the damage, the entire crew being knocked off their feet, several others, including Vex and Yularen, being thrown back by the force of impact, as parts of the bridge collapse and fall. In the damage, no one notices as roots of darkness had tried to seep across the bridge, before retreating into nothingness. Mechanics and repair men, medics and more rush in to help, the bridge being sealed up to prevent any oxygen leaks. Vex stands up, finding his hands covered in blood.

"Get us out of here…" The Admiral rasps out from beside him, Anakin leaning down with him, his body falling limp as Anakin relays the order, while Vex looks down at his body.

"Get those fighters on-board and prepare for lightspeed!"

"Anakin." Vex calls to the Jedi, who looks to him, his face contorting in horror as he notices the metal rod impaling through his abdomen. His vision darkens.

"I need a medic here now!" Anakin's terrified shout is the last thing he hears before everything returns to nothingness, a dark void, as Vex feels his body standing on solid ground within the void. He tries to walk, succeeding as he traverses the empty surroundings. From nowhere, roots that seemed to absorb the void reach out, darker than the void of which Vex stands in. The roots from a doorway, and a bright light pierces the darkness, yet, leaves it as it is. The light begins to fade, as figures form from it.

"I'm so sorry. You warned me about keeping watch of what was happening around me, but I was blind. I lost my whole squadron, all because I didn't listen to anyone around me, I nearly lost you. I just wanted to prove I could succeed on my own." Ahsoka's trembling voice echoes, her figure but a shadow in the medical bay, as she holds someone's hand.

Vex can almost feel her breath, feel the weight of her hand on his own, feel as she squeezes his hand. For a moment, it's like he is in her mind. He sees her memories, of when Master Plo Koon found her on Shili, soon after someone dark had tried to take her. He sees as she is brought to the Temple, how the others seem to tease her for her advanced skillset, for the way she acts, for who she is, and nothing is done about it. He feels how she does, in each of these moments, as a thread of golden silk seems to tie them together, before the doorway closes.

The void around him begins to fade, as blocked light shines through. His eyes flutter open. He hears the incessant, repetitive The first he notices, is sound, as the incessant, repetitive beeping of a heart-rate monitor brings him back, his eyes opening, before he tries to sit up, failing and groaning in pain, as the door opens, and a medical droid walks in.

"I advise that you stay still. You are still healing." The monotonous tone warns. "You were impales by a metal rod, which pierced your right lung. You're luck to be alive." Normally, Vex would listen, but his instincts scream for him to get up. He shuffles along the cot, moving until he can push himself against a wall, using it to support him as he stands, legs shaking, as though he was a newborn animal.

"Ohh I feel so weak; legs wobbling like a newborn calf's… like something just... drained the life from me"

"The Beast. The Soul Stealer. Pluto. The Grim Reaper."

He blinks as the voices fade, their tones, and pitches unfamiliar, yet strike a chord with him, before he notices the medical droid in a fallen heap on the floor, all the power in his system run dry. He finds that he is no longer leaning against the wall, and the pain from earlier had faded to a dull ache. Deciding to leave for now, Vex wanders around the hallways of the Venator, before taking the elevator to the bridge, stopping before entering the range of the door activation sensors, as voices catch his attention.

"Master, are you sure you won't reconsider this?" Ahsoka's voice asks nervously.

"This is the only way. Trust me." Anakin replies gently, before a few moments of silence pass.

"Better fill us in, Commander." Rex advises.

"Alright. General Skywalker will be piloting the Defender to crash into the battleship. And then we need to finish off the remains, while also picking up his escape pod in a shuttle." Ahsoka states bluntly, surprising everyone. She had never spoke that way before.

"He's doing what now?" Rex asks, but he isn't given a repeat.

"When the Defender collides with their command ship, the droids would be in chaos, unsure as to what they should do with the lack of command. At least momentarily. In that chaos, we'll jump into the system." Ahsoka explains.

"We'll still be outnumbered. How are we supposed to stand up to the combined fire power of the remaining frigates?." The voice of an officer asks in doubt. A hand on Vex's shoulder catches his attention, as he turns to face a bandaged Admiral Yularen.

"Do you plan on going in?" He asks gently.

"No. I won't be allowed to participate anyway. It's better I stay out of this." Vex admits. Yularan nods in understanding, and gestures for him to step out of the view from the door. Once he's out of sight, Yularan steps into the sensor range and the door opens, revealing himself to those beyond the door.

"The Commander is right." His voice carries through the bridge. "I know this strategy is very bold, but these circumstances call for drastic measures."

"Then, the strategy will work, sir?" The officer asks.

"Well, will it?" Yularan asks as well.

"Yes. It will." Ahsoka replies with confidence. As Yularan begins to dish out orders, Ahsoka departs the bridge.

"Let's make the end memorable!"

Again, voices echo in the air, their stories calling to Vex, who takes note of a hologram of the planet of Ryloth. As though being called there, he takes a seat, eyeing the display carefully.

"If we reconfigure the fuel system, we can turn the ship into a bomb big enough to collapse the pass here. The enemy will then only be able to engage us on one front from this ravine. While we provide cover, the Twi'leks will have time to escape with their families over the mountains."

As the voice fades once more, the hologram changes, as though by it's own accord, until Vex realizes he had input a set of coordinates that reveal a large ravine, running along a plateau before opening into a massive desert pain, stretching for kilometers on end. To the opposite side, mountains of sand and stone pile into the heavens, valleys separating mountains from each other. A sudden embrace snaps Vex out of the trance, as an orange from curls around him protectively.

"I thought I lost you." Ahsoka whispers, her head buried against his clothes, the result muffling her voice further.

"It'll take more than something impaling my abdomen to kill me." Vex retorts, yet returns the embrace. It's brief, but meaningful to Vex, that the people around him do truly care. Ahsoka releases him and steps back.

"I need to go help Anakin. Can... can I spend some time with you afterwards?" She asks, uncertain of herself.

"Of course." Vex affirms. "Just know, that I will need to contact Obi-Wan before that, and take a shuttle to the surface. There's something there." Ahsoka nods, before departing.


Ahsoka's mission ends with success, a shuttle picking up Anakin from his escape pod, as the Defender had plowed right through the main command ship. With the blockade broken, Obi-Wan arrived shortly after, alongside Mace Windu. The two had their opening, and were sent planet side, as they began to liberate Ryloth once and for all.

Once the planet is liberated, Vex contacts Obi-Wan, who picks him up, and takes him to the coordinates that Vex had unconsciously found. Remnants of Battle Droids and Clone Soldiers alike litter the area, the faint smell of decay covering the area. The echoes of battle still linger across the land.

"This place is a graveyard." Vex notes, opening a transmission to Anakin.

"Skywalker here."

"Anakin. See if you can find out who was stationed on Ryloth when the Separatists first invaded." Vex states, as a glint of metal catches his eye. Whatever Anakin replies with is drowned out, as Vex's sole focus is on the two corpses, side by side, one armoured, one robed, but both long dead. Their stories seem to resonate and arc in the air, mirages of battle standing amongst the dust. Half buried from dust and sand storms, a lightsaber hilt lies. The crystal within sang, sad, lost, forgotten. He picks the hilt up, his body seized by memories, sensations of another's life, the muscle memory of training with others, of fighting alongside others, of feeling each blaster bolt piercing his body before he passes.

"For the Republic! For the Twi'leks!"

"Jedi Master Ima-Gun Di was stationed on Ryloth. His fleet had contacted the Jedi Council in an attempt to obtain assistance. They lost contact with the fleet before they could even give an answer. Master Di was declared dead a few days later, but his body was never found." Anakin's voice returns Vex from his trance, as his explanation is filled with sorrow. Vex looks to Obi-Wan, who had been watching, a frown on his face as he strokes his beard in though.

"Until now." Vex notes. "I think we just found his resting place." Vex eyes the hilt in his hands, as he grasps it tightly. Maybe he could find a way to keep it and use it, a way to honour the fallen Jedi and his troops. To honour their sacrifice.