As Anakin, Obi-Wan, Plo Koon and Vex walk out of the briefing room, Ahsoka swiftly jogs up to us, excitement written over her face.

"Master. I'm sorry I'm late. I just heard about the briefing. We're going to rescue Master Piell, right?" She asks for confirmation, her words earning Anakin glances of amusement.

"You two have much to discuss." Plo Koon notes, as he and Obi-Wan continue walking off.

"Too bad. They get to miss the show." Vex grins, turning to Anakin. "I've already ensured she is coming on the mission, whether you like it or not."

"You what?" He asks in shock and anger.

"You can't stop her, Anakin. What happened on Mortis shouldn't stop you from allowing her on missions that she may very well be needed for." Vex scolds gently. "You can only prepare her."

"The Citadel was built to contain Dark Jedi. I don't want to risk her on this mission." Anakin argues back.

"Master, you're just being protective again." Ahsoka complains with a roll of her eyes. "How can you expect me to learn and improve if you don't share the risk?"

"This isn't a mission for learning!" Anakin snaps. "You either do or die. And I can't lose you again."

"I have that sorted already, Anakin." I assure. "You know how I feel. I won't be leaving her side."

"You can't handle everything, Vex." Anakin retorts in pain.

"Maybe not, but you ensured I was here, and Ahsoka has nearly the same training as me. I've given her military training in the small down time we have travelling through Hyperspace over the last year. She will be a valuable help to this mission. We have outdated schematics, outdated intel, we are going in blind." Vex admonishes. Anakin relents, as they head to the shuttle, meeting up with the troopers that would be joining us on the mission. Fives, Echo, Rex and Cody were in charge of the contingent of troopers.

"We're trusting those droids to get us into the Citadel?" Fives asks skeptically. It had been a while since Vex had seen him and Echo. It was hard to keep in contact once they went off for ARC Training, and even after it.

"Anakin reprogrammed them. We'll be fine." Obi-Wan assures. Every Republic soldier knew how good Anakin was with droids, so this fact helped relieve the more concerned ones. Together, with everyone now grouped, they continued on to a large chamber, where several Ugnaughts were preparing a Carbonite chamber.

"I've never been Carbon-Frozen before, General." Rex admits.

"This will be a first for all of us." Anakin notes, as Obi-Wan walks to his side.

"This is your idea? Carbon-freezing?" He asks incredulously.

"Hey, you wanted to shield us from the life-form scanners. Besides, the Hutts transported slaves the same way if they had to pass through core worlds." Anakin explains.

"Are, uh, we sure this thing is safe?" Fives asks with a shudder. "I don't want to end up a wall decoration."

"Try to relax. We'll be unfrozen as soon as we arrive." Vex attempts to assure the ARC Trooper, but even he has his doubts, with how high the Separatists had the bounty on Obi-Wan and Anakin, it was a small possibility that the Ugnaughts could inform them of their plan. One by one, they are frozen in Carbonite, Vex being the last. The freezing material stings for a moment, before darkness encompasses his vision, sleeping in a sort of hibernation.

As another spark of life faded, another page of writing appeared. Dread was dead. The fifth one to die from this horrid game. At least, the Archangel was free. Though I fear Asmodai already knows. But the question is: What does he plan to do now?

"What. Are. You?"

"Who. Are. You?"

"From. Before. Everything. Happened."

"WAKE UP!"

The voices disappear as the Carbonite thaws, freeing Vex from what some would ensure is an eternal prison. Vex stumbles forward, off balance as he regains his bearings. The heat of the surface lava burns through him, his form already sweating from the high temperatures. A few deep breaths, and a slight change to his powers stops the perspiration, his body becoming cooler from the Null, a helping hand to his senses.

"I must have carbon-sickness, because I could swear that's Ahsoka." Obi-Wan notes with confusion, as he eyes Ahsoka's form.

"I'm surprised you didn't notice her with us in the freezing-chamber. But that would mean you don't have carbon-sickness, just poor awareness." Vex retorts.

"Recker had her assigned to the mission." Cody explains to his General.

"I need to find a way to erase that name from everyone's memory." He mutters with a groan, having somewhat wished the name would never really be brought up. His past was something he doesn't enjoy remembering, with the pain of it all. Once everyone collected their gear, they began to walk across the ledge, following along as the cliff face that adorned an entrance to the Citadel stands out in the distance. Taking out a pair of macro-binoculars, Anakin begins to scan the cliff.

"You were right. The wind conditions are too strong for jetpacks." He reports solemnly.

"Yes. We'll have to do it the old-fashioned way. Ascension cables and a steel grip." Obi-Wan affirms.

"Not gonna work." Vex denies swiftly.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asks, his voice concerned.

"Electro-mines." Anakin explains, noticing the same thing.

"We cant get a hook that high, and if we hit one of those mines, it's over. They'll know we're here." Vex adds solemnly.

"I suppose that means we have to free-climb it." Obi-Wan sighs.

"Let's get this over with." Vex groans. While not afraid of heights, he does hold a fear of falling to his death. Obi-Wan takes point, Anakin and Ahsoka trailing behind him. Vex takes up position at the back. As they begin to climb, the wind picks up, the higher they get, the more ferocious. Each grasp is difficult, for everyone, and each hold is uncertain, the fear of failure, of death, permeates the air. Every here and there, Anakin took the time to check over the men and his Padawan, ensuring everyone was alright.

"The entry point is just a few more meters!" Obi-Wan calls, before picking up in speed to reach the platform and check it over. After a few moments, he ducks down, facing us. "They locked the door! It's ray-shielded!"

"Ray-Shielded? That wasn't part of the plan." Anakin notes.

"It's in the plan now. We were going in blind anyway." Vex retorts with distaste, but notices something that was looked over. "Ahsoka, there's a ventilation duct up there. Think you can get through?"

"Not a problem." She assures, making her way up and removing the duct, slipping through with ease and deactivating the ray-shields. Fives and I begin helping the others to get up. As the last trooper reaches up to Fives, the rock he used as a foothold detached.

"Charger!" Fives calls desperately, attempting to grab his arm, as does Vex, calling for the Null, but with no success, as the trooper tumbles down the cliff, gaining too much distance for Vex to pull him back up, even with help. His body impacts with one of the mines, the electric current painfully ending his life, and alerting the enemy.

"Well, they know we're here." Obi-Wan states. Without hesitation, they continue on their mission, with Fives being forced to drag Vex away from the site of their first casualty. As they walk through the halls, they check each corner, finding nothing waiting to kill them. They soon reach a large intersection, where dozens of surveillance cameras watch their every move.

"Take out their surveillance." Cody orders, his words resulting in the immediate elimination of all cameras within mere seconds. A distant buzzing begins to sound, as it increases in volume, until arcs of electricity became visible as they spanned the width and height of the hallway, moving towards them with intent.

"The walls are electrified!" Obi-Wan warns, spurring everyone to dash back to the last intersection, the thin halls leaving a line of troops that rush for the safety of a corner.

"Go! Go! Go!" Cody urges, as another trooper dives around the corner. One is too slow, however, and just as he reaches the intersection, the wall of electricity hits him full force, his lifeless body launching a few meters. "Longshot!"

"We must keep moving." Obi-Wan pushes, his voice harsh and cold. Not the normal kind of reaction that he would give.

As they reach the cell that Master Piell is being tortured in, no one wastes time. A blade straight through the door takes out the first droid. Once it opens completely, blaster fire eliminates the rest, with Anakin dismantling the torture droid himself. Obi-Wan slashes at the restraints, freeing the Jedi from his prison. "Master Piell, are you alright?"

"Obi-Van, vhat took you guys so long?" He retorts, his thick accent rolling across with his voice.

"At least your sense of humour is still intact." Anakin notes with a faint smirk.

"It takes more then they got to break me, Skyvalker" Piell assures.

"So you have the Nexus Route coordinates?" Obi-Wan asks swiftly.

"I got them alright. Half of them anyvay. My Captain's got the other half. I erased the computers vhen ve vere boarded and had both of us memorize part of the intel. That vay, if somehow I cracked, the information vould be useless to them vithout the other half." He explains.

"Issue is that if you cracked about that, it may be a possibility you crack about your Captain having the other half." Vex admits, earning a look of amusement from the rescued Jedi.

"Where's your Captain?" Obi-Wan questions.

"Being held vith the other officers, I assume." Piell answers with a shrug.

"Hate to interrupt, but we are about to have company." Vex warns, the sound of heavy, metal feet echoing through the small halls, Null enhanced hearing working a charm. As they depart the cell, the droids arrive and block the way forward. As everyone makes to raise their weapons, a magnetic fields takes them from their grasp, or, in Anakin's case, taking him up too, attaching them to the roof.

Obi-Wan attempts to push the droids away with the Force, but his attempt is unsuccessful as the droids had magnetized their feet. Anakin's pained scream garners attention, as an electrical charge courses through his body, before he pushes through and destroys the magnetic field, returning our weapons and equipment from their slight vacation, with Anakin landing gracefully.

"Are you alright Sir?" Rex asks in concern.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." Anakin assures, taking the lead as he navigates through the prison, stopping at an unguarded cell, opening it to reveal the target.

"General." The Captain greets, his 'royal' voice already setting alarm bells off in Vex's thoughts.

"Captain Tarkin." Piell retorts simply.

"I never thought I'd see you again." Tarkin admits bluntly. "And you brought friends."

"Tarkin, this is Obi-Van Kenobi and Anakin Skyvalker." The two Jedi are quickly introduced.

"Well, now that you've found us, how do you expect to get us out? If they've locked this fortress down, there's at least ten squads on their way. It's going to be impossible to escape." Tarkin complains.

"Well, we escape. How else?" Vex asks in sarcasm, yet he is ignored, with Rex glancing at him, shrugging.

"What if we split up? My team will create a diversion, while Anakin leads the others away. That way, if one of us is captured, the enemy will only have part of the information." Obi-Wan offers.

"It would be better if we stick together, General Kenobi. That way we would have a better chance at protecting the information." Tarkin denies the first idea, giving his own.

"Does anyone plan on letting me give an idea?" Vex asks, only to be ignored.

"Obi-Van has a point. I'll go vith him. You go vith Skyvalker." Piell orders Tarkin, the decision now seeming to be final. At this, Vex sighs, walking to Ahsoka's side, his mind whirring.

"They don't seem intent on listening to reason, do they?" He notes quietly.

"It definitely seems worse than usual." She agrees with a frown. "I haven't seen them like this on missions that are more important and dangerous than this, which makes me worried."

"You aren't the only ones concerned." Echo suddenly whispers, walking by their side, Fives beside him. "It's like they are entirely different people." His words begin making more sense, and Vex realizes why the Generals are like this.

"It's because of Mortis." He sighs. "It makes sense as well." Ahsoka sighs herself, realizing the point. Before she can say anything, Obi-Wan, Piell and their group leave the cell, leaving the rest with Anakin, who ignites his saber and cuts into the wall, pushing the incision away, to reveal a tunnel.

"Everybody in." Anakin orders, waiting until the others went through before entering and replacing the section he had cut out. Being the only other Jedi, Ahsoka takes the lead, scouting out ahead to ensure our path is clear.

"This is one of the original Fortress tunnels." Echo notes with awe.

"One of the very few advantages of old archive data." Vex admits with a smirk.

"The tunnel is clear." Ahsoka calls to us in assurance.

"Looks like Obi-Wan's distraction worked." Anakin smirks. "Things seem to be going as planned."

"It's when things do not go to plan that concerns me. What then?" Tarkin asks with criticism.

"It's when things don't go as planned that we Jedi are at our best. Trust me." Anakin retorts.

"I reserve my trust for those who take action, General Skywalker." Tarkin snaps back.

"Then let me remind you, that we saved your sorry ass from prison, Tarkin. Now shut up before I throw you in lava, Nexus Coordinates be damned." Vex growls, his temper flaring. While Tarkin may be known for his tactics, he was not a man of faith, and trust. He has his good aspects, but in Vex's eye, a dark shroud covers him. He walks away, before he can try to follow through with his threat, taking the lead. They traverse through the old tunnels for a good half an hour, positions ever changing to keep a sharp eye on their surroundings.

"Artoo, are you and your battle droids ready to go?" Anakin asks, a comlink channel open between himself and the astromech. The shrill, familiar beep of an affirmative reply was surprisingly calming in the backdrop of the chaotic mission. "Alright. Get the ship fired up. We'll meet you at the pipeline exit after you've picked up Obi-Wan, assuming he's still on schedule." His words fade, as Vex finds himself elsewhere.

A war-torn shipyard. Red-blades. Mechanical breathing. The clashing of sabers. The howl of a wolf. The detonation of a mountain, the millions of people killed as a massive warship erupts from beneath the crust. The sorrow. The pain. The anger. The death.

"Vex? Vex!"

"General!"

Ahsoka's hand upon his shoulder grounds him back in the moment. His body shakes, such a vision a bad omen for the mission, but he keeps pressing on. Bad omen, or not, he would do what he can to help, to fight for what is right.

"You alright?" She asks him quietly, voice full of concern.

"I don't know." He answers with a shaky voice. He is unable to explain further, as Tarkin begins to speak.

"I am beginning to admire the design of this Fortress. It's rather formidable to evade." He notes with a hint of sadistic glee.

"How can you admire such a horrid place?" Ahsoka asks in revulsion.

"Ah, you reveal your short-sightedness." Tarkin admonishes. "This ordeal only demonstrates how effective facilities like The Citadel are. Pity it ended up in Separatist hands and not ours."

"Your desire to be feared will one day bring your downfall, Tarkin." Vex warns, seeing through his words, the veil unable to block the truth.

"He has a point, though." Anakin admits. "It would have helped having a place like this for when we captured Separatists so they would have a tougher time escaping and returning to fight us again."

"But wouldn't that make us no better than those we fight?" Ahsoka asks with conviction.

"A blaster does not kill. It is the one who pulls the trigger that kills." Vex explains solemnly. "War takes away the black and white. All that is left are the blurred lines of grey."

"And on that note, you guys continue on ahead. I'll catch up." Anakin ends the conversation without batting an eye. "Keep on following the tunnel."

"Where are you going?" She asks with curiosity.

"Obi-Wan's not here, so someone has to watch our asses." Anakin retorts with a smile, before vanishing from sight.

"Always a dramatic entrance and exit." Vex notes with humour, while Ahsoka simply rolls her eyes. With orders given, the two of of them dash ahead to lead the group, ignoring Tarkin's complaints over the fact children were leading. At least Rex attempted to defend them by explaining he had trust in their abilities.

As they round the corner, the path is blocked by a massive wall of rock, or, at least that was to any outsiders perspective anyway. Behind the wall, the path continued, hidden tunnels leading further on. Vex takes the explosives from Fives, walking over to the wall and setting the charge one by one, ignoring the sound of blaster fire behind him. Once the final charge is set, he tosses two Droid Poppers behind him, letting the EMP charge fry the circuitry, as he dives away from the wall, the charges detonating, sending rock everywhere, but revealing the path. The shockwave pushed Vex towards the group, where he tucks and rolls, before standing back up, where he feels the pain.

The sound of a single shot echoes in my mind, before a barrage that followed.

"I promised Murat no bombs. But I didn't think he'd mind if I gave some 20mm support."

The world begins to spin, sending him to the ground once more, the others not noticing, having begun to move onward. He puts a hand to his abdomen, the feeling of blood sending concern through his mind.

"Ah, shit." He curses aloud. His words catch Ahsoka's attention, as she backtracks to try and help him up, but he stops her. "Stop, 'Soka." As she steps back, she notices why she was told to stop. Anakin and the others were already moving ahead, having not kept still long enough to see him fall back down.

"Anakin, wait!" Ahsoka calls, her concerned voice catching Anakin's immediate attention, where he notes Vex still on the ground. He sends a quick hand signal to the others, as he walks over to them.

"Did you get hit by shrapnel?" He asks with worry.

"That doesn't matter. I just need to be patched up so we can keep moving." Vex declares with a snarl of pain. Anakin calls for Echo, who comes over, the medical equipment with him. He looks to him with a silent question, Vex nodding, placing his hand over the wound, as Echo prepares a bacta patch. With a yank of his powers, the shard of rock is brought out, with Echo immediately placing the patch over the wound, stopping the blood flow, the healing bacteria immediately working on helping the would seal up, the internal damage sealed until he could be submerged into a bacta tank.

"I would say 'try not to strain yourself' but sadly, that won't be possible." Echo notes with concern, yet does not speak about what had just happened.

"I'll pull through." Vex assures, the pain fading away as the bacta worked its magic. Vex stands, and notices the deactivated energy shields discarded by the fried droids, and picks one up, finding it in decent condition and still working.

"We need to keep moving." Anakin urges, with Vex managing to stand up, Echo keeping close by him, Ahsoka on the other side, to ensure he would be fine. As they continue on, Vex inspects the piece of shrapnel, noticing, that what should have been a simple shard of rock, was a small amount of lead, the size of a bullet. As though he had momentarily taken a hit for someone. Once the others had moved far enough ahead, Echo speaks up.

"That wound, was from a slug-thrower, not the shard of rock that you pulled out." His voice is still a whisper, as though he felt the others could still hear him.

"Yeah." Vex confirms with a sigh, turning the bloodstained metal in his hand, the lead seeming to resonate with his powers, as though it was bound to him.

"You don't even know how it happened, do you." Echo states, rather than questions.

"Not really. I might have ideas, but nothing that even explains it." Vex affirms. The trio eventually catch up to the others, a massive fuel-line pipe standing before them. Anakin opens the hatch, the sound of the creaking metal echoing through the area.

"This pipe leads up to the ridge, where Artoo will pick us up and get us out of here." He explains, gesturing for everyone to enter.

"Keep your lights off, and weapons locked. Even the slightest electronic pulse could end it all." Vex warns, his voice echoing lightly through the pipe.

"I hope somebody tells that to the droids." Tarkin quips, as the clicking of weapon locks echo in the backdrop of his irritating voice. Ahsoka then takes the lead, her predatory instincts and montrals the most effective to lead them to the exit.

The fact of travelling through a fuel line was already bad enough, but Tarkin's constant nagging and complaining made it even worse. The longest fifteen minutes of everyone's life.

"How much longer are we going to wander through this tunnel in the dark?" He complains once more.

"Captain Tarkin, haven't you learned to trust me by now?" Anakin asks him.

"You may have earned my trust, General Skywalker, but my faith in your comrades is still lacking." Tarkin retorts.

"You lack faith in the Jedi." Anakin notes.

"I find their tactics ineffective. The Jedi Code prevents them from going far enough to achieve victory, to do whatever it takes to win, the very reason why peacekeepers should not be leading a war." He rambles, before noticing Anakin's frustration. "Have I offended you?"

"No. I've also found that we sometimes fall short of victory because of our methods." He admits.

"While that may be, that doesn't mean victory should be achieved with the annihilation of an entire population. Or with extreme casualties." Vex notes. "While the Jedi may not be effective, it is something to respect, that they try to stay by their beliefs." Echo still walks by his side, but his words strike a chord within the others, as they lower their heads slightly in thought, before returning to look forward. Tarkin prepares to make a comeback, but Ahsoka's voice stops him.

"I think I found a way out." She climbs the ladder and opens up the hatch, scanning the surroundings that she could.

"What do you see, Snips?" Anakin asks.

"The coast is clear." She calls down.

"Any sign of Obi-Wan or the shuttle?" Anakin then questions.

"No. I don't see him or Artoo anywhere…" She breaks of, before igniting her sabers and slashing through two droids without any part of them falling into the pipe.

"I think we need to get out of here." Vex notes the obvious. Tarkin looks as though he is about to retort on instinct, but stops himself and simply nods in agreement. Once everyone has slid down the pipe, they make a mad dash to the rocks that stood a few hundred meters away, taking cover as the droids begin to open fire, finding elevation atop the pipe.

"Plan's been compromised. The Shuttle isn't coming. Even if it does, we won't be here, nor will the pipe." Anakin explains, grabbing a charge from Rex and tossing it into the fuel line with a bounce off the hatch, the force of impact closing up the pipe. As the charge detonated, so did the entire fuel line as the pressure increased beyond the structural limit, taking the droids out in an instant in the massive explosion.

"Good throw." Vex compliments. "Plan 'B' then?"

"There's a plan 'B'?" Tarkin asks incredulously.

"When we're involved, there's always a plan 'B'" Anakin retorts, leading us forward. "We'll meet Obi-Wan at his position."


AT OBI-WAN'S POSITION

"I think Plan 'B' is compromised as well." Vex notes, as Anakin's group watches Obi-Wan and his group fighting against an increasing number of droids, all moving to surround and prevent escape aboard the shuttle.

"Do you have a Plan 'C'?" Tarkin asks sarcastically, though no one bothers to answer him. Plan C was worst case scenario after all. Once again, Anakin leads them to battle, joining up with Obi-Wan with a vigor. Vex doesn't ignite his saber, the injury still aching, and the pain slowly returning the more he moves. He instead uses the DC17m, once more firing bursts of bolts to eliminate his targets.

"Sorry I'm late." Anakin apologises with sarcasm.

"How nice of you to join us." Obi-Wan retorts. "The ship is surrounded."

"We need to launch a full forward assault and take that vessel." Tarkin yells.

"And get killed? Not happening." Vex shuts him down. "Those turrets are our biggest issue." He gestures to the emplacements, aiming and firing at one with no effect, to prove the point.

"Which is why we should get aboard that shuttle and use its weapon systems to decimate those droids!" Tarkin reiterates his point.

"THEY WILL SHOOT US DOWN BEFORE WE FIRE A SHOT! NOW SHUT UP!" Vex shouts, firing a bolt of lightning at the droids as his anger and rage flows outward, before the arcs of energy withdraw, and he returns to using his rifle. They manage to thin the horde of droids, but reinforcements arrive. Crab-Droids and Commando's with shields swiftly join the fray.

"Well, whatever we're gonna do, we better do it fast." Obi-Wan notes, pointing to the reinforcements. As a small flight of STAPS began to fire upon them, Anakin goes and steals one of them, as usual, with Piell jumping on his back to deflect enemy fire from behind, pulling a move that would make Grand Master Yoda proud. Echo tosses a grenade at a group of shielded Commando's, the detonation destroying all but one, which rushes to an unmanned turret.

"General Skywalker, a commando is manning one of those turrets. They're gonna blow up the shuttle." Echo alerts. With the advanced warning, Anakin pilots the speeder towards the turret, firing at the emplacement, attempting to gun down the Commando, but without success, as he and Piell are thrown off after taking a hit from the high powered turret.

By Echo and Fives' side, Vex watches as they scan the droid, which begins to re-aim the turret towards the shuttle.

"This is our only chance. We've got to stop him." Echo states, moving forward and picking up a discarded shield, making his way to the shuttle, the turret almost aimed on target.

"Echo, look out!" Fives shouts in warning, but too late. The turret hits the shuttle, taking it out in a large explosion, Echo going along with it. "ECHO!" The pain and despair in Fives' voice apart a piece of Vex's soul, his own pain at the loss of a good friend tearing him apart once more. The charred, and severely damaged helmet of Echo lands nearby, with Vex calling it to his hand, keeping it with him, the heat that burns his hands ignored with the pain of loss.

"We have to move, now!" Obi-Wan orders, forcing them to retreat. He opens a comm channel to the Jedi Council, enacting Plan C.

"Master Kenobi, what has happened?" Plo Koon asks, his concern evident.

"I'm afraid we've had a situation with the shuttle." Obi-Wan replies, before I run to his side.

"He means the fuckers blew it up. Get a fleet out here now, or I will make sure that no one gets the fucking coordinates!" Vex nearly screams out, his words resulting in a moment of silence.

"It will be done. I'll bring Wolfpack to get you." Plo assures with a hint of sorrow in his voice.

"Thank you, General." The genuine appreciation Vex releases is not lost on those running by his side. He tosses several Droid Poppers behind him, frying dozens of droids, allowing them to gain more distance, time that they use to find a cave and hide within.

"We'll need to hold out until the Wolfpack can get to us." Obi-Wan explains.

"Not a problem. We've beat them once, we can do it again." Anakin assures, though his eyes spoke something completely different. He knew we were going to take more losses, but that there would be nothing we can do to prevent as such.

"This landscape is almost impossible to cross!" Tarkin complains. "How are we going to get to the rendezvous point?"

"That is the trap of The Citadel." Vex states. "It was designed so that it would be borderline impossible for fugitives to get off the surface, even if they escaped the tower."

"Good thing we aren't just any fugitives." Anakin retorts.

"Let's hope that you are right." Obi-Wan admits solemnly. Alcatraz was starting to look like paradise compared to this place. They swiftly move onward, taking short rests in any cave they find, while also fighting off the following droids that would sometimes catch up with them.

"Incoming!" Rex calls in warning, as multiple STAP vehicles strafe towards the group. Anakin ignites his saber and deflects the bolts fired, sending them back to a single speeder, taking it down with ease. Fives takes out the pilot of the second while Vex does the same to the third, the unmanned speeders spiraling into the ground and impacting with a small explosion.

"That won't be the last of them." Vex notes with a grimace. "What's the plan?"

"Our rendezvous will be on this small island." Obi-Wan says, activating a holo-map with the area in question. "There, Master Plo will have gunships pick us up, but we only have a small window of time to do it." At this, a blaster bolt flies past, as droids begin to pour into their position.

"They're boxing us in!" Anakin exclaims, his blade a blur as he protects them from the barrage of fire, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka by his side. Cody glances at the cliff drop behind them, an idea forming in his mind.

"Lock in your cables!" He orders, gesturing to the ledge, where they attach three cables in haste.

"Artoo, we need your droids to hold off the enemy as long as possible." Obi-Wan explains to the astromech, who immediately relays the orders to the reprogrammed droids. As they focus on the distraction, the group rappels down the cliff.

"What if your Jedi friends are not there when we arrive?" Tarkin suddenly asks.

"Keep moving and you won't have to worry about that, Tarkin." Vex retorts with a growl. As they continue on, the pain of his wound begins to increase. There was only so much a bacta patch could do. Ahsoka walks to his side, a frown on her features.

"Why did Master Piell have to share half the intel with that guy? It's like he's not even grateful we rescued him." She snarls quietly, her emotions breaking through the surface.

"Tarkin feels that the Jedi should not be leading the war effort." He explain to her.

"But that's ridiculous." She argues.

"He's not entirely wrong, though. The Jedi Code does prevent some from achieving victory. But I would prefer the Jedi over people like him." Vex admit with a sighs. A distant howl has everyone stopping in their tracks.

"That doesn't sound good." Anakin notes with worry.

"We're going to have company soon." Obi-Wan agrees. With renewed vigor, they push onward. Not long after, another howl echoes across the landscape, closer than before.

"I don't think we are going to escape them." Vex warns.

"We have no choice. We need to surprise them. Obi-Wan and I will create a distraction, the rest of you continue on to the Rendezvous point." Anakin explains, igniting his saber alongside Obi-Wan before backtracking to meet the tracking force head on.

With the orders received, the remaining group immediately pushes on, a light jog keeping them further ahead. As they enter a large clearing, several crab droids climb up, attempting to box them in.

"Keep going! Ahsoka, Vex and I vill take care ov the droids" Piell orders, his lightsaber a blur as he leaps onto a crab droid and slashes through its circuitry. Ahsoka has her sabers in a defensive guard, covering the others until they clear the area. Having no choice, Vex ignites his own saber, ignoring the pain as he deflects bolt after bolt, returning them to where they came, slowly eliminating more of the crab droids. Another howl, from a few meters away, bears warning.

"They're here!" His warning is too late, as an Anooba pounces on Piell, it's teeth shredding through his flesh, piercing his lungs, and tearing a hole in his heart, his life bound to end, help or not.

"Master Piell!" Ahsoka cries out, rushing to help him as Vex focuses the rest of the hounds, cutting and slashing, throwing some into the lava, their howls echoing with pain. The numbers continue to thin, before no more hounds are alive, allowing Vex the time to join Ahsoka by Piell's figure, his breathing short, his lungs filling with blood, his heart beat slowing each second.

"I have to get help." She cries, only for his hand to stop her.

"No. Don't leave. Listen carefully to me, child. The information, I need you to deliver it back to the Council." He rasps to her.

"I should find Anakin or Obi-Wan. They need to hear this." Ahsoka argues.

"He will die before you can get them, 'Soka." Vex stops her, his voice solemn.

"He is right, child. Now, remember this, and see to it that the information I give to you will be revealed to no one but the Jedi Council." He orders, before Ahsoka leans down to listen as he gives her his half of the intel. As he finishes, he breathes his last and passes on.

"Leave his body here, Ahsoka." I state. "It is unfair to the others who have died on this mission if we bring his body to the others. He would understand." Vex places a hand around her waist, bringing her close, sending emotional support through their bond, as they make their way to the others. As they arrive at the cave, Obi-Wan looks to them in sorrow.

"He's gone. Isn't he?" He asks gently.

"Yeah. Ahsoka has the information. He told her before he died." Vex affirms softly. "But we must move on. The extraction point is just ahead." From where they stand, the small island is visible, a few hundred meters away, surrounded by a moat of lava. Anakin and Obi-Wan take the lead once more, while Cody, Fives and Rex ready their cables as the group reaches the edge of the rocky ground, firing the cables with ease. Tarkin, Ahsoka and Rex are the first three to cross, Cody, Fives and Vex follow, then Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the last surviving 212th trooper.

"The rescue ship should be here shortly." Obi-Wan assures once he has crossed, only for the hymn of speeder engines to disprove his assurance.

"You just had to jinx us, didn't you." Vex groans. He watches as the Commando Droids, piloting STAP's open fire, their shots being reflected by Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. Osi Sobeck, having joined the attack force, leaps off his speeder, speeding past Fives, who manages to get a grazing shot on him, and grabs Tarkin, lifting him in the air, holding him ready to throw into the lava.

"If I can't have the information, it will die with you!" Sobeck declares, but before he can go through with his threat, his limbs freeze up, tendrils of darkness creeping up his legs

"Hello, Sobeck." Vex greets, his eyes as black as the depths of space, without any star held. A calm, yet creepy smile adorns his face, while beneath, rage swells, creating a storm within, empowering the Null as more and more tendrils wrap around him. "I heard that you were the Warden of this place." With his body held in place, Ahsoka calmly walks forward, helping Tarkin free himself, guiding him away from the Warden.

"My thanks, Padawan Tano." He sighs in relief, only to flinch at the crack and scream that originates from the Warden, as his limbs are broken bone by bone, the flesh tearing as the tendrils tear him apart, his body slowly breaking. A final crack sounds, before the tendrils each pull a part of his body, limbs, pieces of the torso and head, organs, internal matter, grey matter, all spraying across the rock, before each piece is taken within a portal. Tarkin is looking at Vex in awe, and fear, along with everyone but Ahsoka, who merely sighed in exasperation.

"Why did you do that?" Obi-Wan finally asks.

"While you Jedi may not be able to act on revenge, I can. All your emotions, deep down, fuel me at times. The loss you feel, the pain, the hate, the rage, it builds within me, until moments like this happen." Vex admits. "I'm surprised Ahsoka didn't give you all a warning."

"It wasn't my place to tell." She answers softly, earning a nod of understanding from Vex, as lights shine through the foggy atmosphere, a 104th Gunship breaking through to land, General Plo Koon standing within.

"I believe you've worn out your welcome." Plo Koon muses.

"You don't say." Obi-Wan replies with a slight smirk, his disgust, his fear, his confusion, hidden by his mask of normalcy. Plo Koon does notice the corpse, what remains, and glances at Vex, before filing it away for later. The survivors enter the Gunship, which leaves moment before several crab droids converge on the island. Once the doors close, Vex slides down to the floor, the patch and wrap around his wound stained with his blood. Ahsoka and Fives go to his side, sliding to the floor with a little more grace, as they sit beside him.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you made Sobeck suffer." Fives admits softly.

"After what he did to Echo, to all those who died on this mission, it was the least he deserved." Vex responds. "And I am sorry, about Echo."

"There's nothing you could have done. Nothing anyone could have done." Fives shakes his head. Ahsoka squeezes his hand, gently scolding him, but her expression is nothing but understanding. Ever since Mortis, she seemed to be more open, more understanding of what Vex dealt with, and while he was grateful for it, he was somewhat concerned. As the Gunship docks, the two help him to the med-bay, where he is taken into a bacta tank, his vision darkening as he is submerged.