After a short briefing, the crew crept noiselessly onto the landing bay and, with muffled footsteps, inched their way toward the main facilities.

The troopers held fast to their blasters, prepared at any moment to be on the defensive, should the separatists rear their ugly heads. But there was no need.

The place was ghost town

Nothing beyond the soft hiss of magma disturbed the heated silence of the rocky shores. The silence was hot, it as sticky, despite the planet's dry surface. Ahsoka could feel it stealing her breath away, crushing her. Perhaps it was a particularly dense atmosphere, or a higher gravitational force. There had probably been something about it in the briefing, but she couldn't be sure. Her mind was clouded. She would ask Rex about it later.

As she glanced over the vast expanse of helmets in search of him, her eyes fell on a small astromech trundling along behind them, as silently as he could. She smiled; she had missed the little droid. When Anakin ordered him to stay behind, she'd noticed his uneasiness, and insisted he come along.

'After all,' she'd said, 'He may be of some use in the mission.'

Really, she had done it because she shared his uneasiness. As of late Anakin had seemed distant, and his thoughts and feelings had been hidden from her by some cloud or fog. At first it hadn't surprised her. She hadn't expected that after her sudden departure, and equally as sudden return she would be immediately welcomed back in. Of course, they had been happy to see each other, but the bond they'd shared was bent, trust like that would take time and work to heal. She'd expected no less, in some ways her return had even been taken better than she thought it would.

But the cloud around him had grown darker as of late. Beyond any emotional barrier she could explain. Whatever storm was coming, she would want R-2 there to brave it with them.

She spotted Rex out of the corner of her eye and jogged ahead to match his pace.

"Commander," she nodded to him, and beneath his helmet he smiled.

Ahead of them was General Kenobi, and ahead of him, much farther ahead than the rest of them was General Skywalker. Both Kenobi and Ahsoka frowned to see him, gliding, as he rarely did, with such purpose toward their destination. His robes billowed out behind him uncharacteristically. He never wore his robe in the field. Yet when Ahsoka had re-entered the bridge, there he had stood, swallowed up in them like so great shadowy beast. Yet another layer to hide behind.

Obi-wan had, at first, tried to keep pace with his padawan, but he seemed fueled by something the rest of them did not feel. Even as they walked side by side, he'd been taciturn and distracted. So, he'd hung back, if it could be called that, for he was still ahead of the rest, and observed him from there.

Obi-wan was no fool. He saw the darkness in Anakin, felt it. These bouts of darkside were frightening at best, dangerous at worst.

Obi-wan was no fool, but Obi-wan was no teacher either, he knew this. His own training had been incomplete when he'd taken on Anakin, or rather, Anakin had been thrust upon him. He had known nothing about raising a padawan, nothing about raising a child. He had hoped, that by giving Anakin a padawan of his own he might teach him through her, and to some extent it had worked. Anakin had someone to look out for, someone in whom he'd seen himself. And, in some ways, the young togruta had taught him just as much as he had taught her. She had given him a sense of responsibility. But she had not tamed the wildness. That was something neither of them could touch.

By now he was several feet ahead of them, when he and the 501st should have split off to survey for back entrances minutes before. Cody must have noticed this as well, for as soon as Obi-wan noticed Cody's voice radioed in.

"Sir—"

"I'll take care of it Cody," Obi-wan assured him, though as he jogged ahead to match his padawan's pace, he began to doubt he could. The mission had only begun and already he had a sense it would not go as smoothly as the briefing.

"Anakin?"

"Yes master?"

Obi-wan paused.

Had he only imagined the flash of gold in his padawan's deep blue eyes?

He frowned; the light was playing tricks on him.

"Anakin," he continued, repressing the choked feeling in his throat, "The 501'st is supposed to—"

"There's been a change of plans," he snapped, and, gaze downcast in discomfort, hastened forward.

Obi-wan ought to have pursued it further, but he was thrown off. Anakin was often emotional, and to a greater extent than most jedi. But what he sensed now came close to…

Mortis

He shuddered, his memories of that time were clouded and vague at best.

Unconsciously he closed his eyes in concentration. It was, painful, that much he could tell. And dark, it was very dark. Anakin had disappeared, Obi-wan had gone to find him. Yes, he'd gone down, down past falls of lava and obsidian. Down where… where he found Anakin. And Anakin- Anakin, he was… he-

His eyes snapped open.

No

He could remember nothing.

"Change of plans Cody," he said, he slowed his pace, though his eyes never left Anakin's hastening steps, "Tell the 212th to split off and circle around the back, General Skywalker will be heading operations up here."

"Yes sir,"

Obi-wan shook his head gravely. Perhaps he still knew nothing of raising a padawan

"This isn't going to go as planned," Ahsoka whispered. She watched Obi-wan out of the corner of her eye as he and his battalion veered off.

"It's general Skywalker," Rex chuckled softly, "When does it ever go as planned?"

She nodded absentmindedly, greeting his comment with a quiet strained laugh. Her gaze was trained on the cloaked figure a few paces ahead of them. Rex fixed his eye in the same direction and frowned. He had many questions he wanted to ask the general.

Where were the twins?

Where was Padme?

Was she safe? Was she alright?

Ahsoka was right, and in truth, Rex was just as uneasy as she was. This wasn't the general's characteristic recklessness. It flared in his eyes, in his every step. Reckless, graceful, it wasn't him. It wasn't Anakin. And though the Jedi had indicated to him that all was well with his family, his every action seemed to cry out the opposite.

He turned to Ahsoka; the glow of the magma seemed to reflect the anxiety flowing off her in waves.

"Ahsoka—" he stopped himself. He'd a feeling it'd be easier if she knew. But he had the general's trust, and he could not betray his Jedi.

She quirked her head up at him in concerned curiosity. Rather than look back at her he brushed his knuckles against her hands, walking closer than before. She looked down and gave his gloved finger a sympathetic squeeze. Nodding that she understood, they were in this together.

He knew they were. Still, as they neared the fortress entrance, he felt himself wishing more and more that she knew.