Synopsis: Luminara and Anakin's plan to create a diversion on the Droid Factory comes into effect so that their Padawans along with Vaessa and Emeryx can sneak inside and destroy the factory.

The Final Surge!

Having learned of warlord Poggle the Lesser's plot to rebuild a separatist droid foundry on Geonosis,

Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano along with padawans Vaessa Orin and Emeryx Taelor

prepare to assault this heavily-fortified installation.

Their mission: destroy the factory at all cost.

Anticipating stiff resistance,

Republic commanders send Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and her Padawan Barriss Offee to reinforce the attack.

But time runs short for our intrepid heroes as the dreaded droid mill nears completion.

Me and Emeryx were standing behind Anakin and Ahsoka as they briefed the troopers - or tried to, depending on how you looked at it.

"This bridge is our first waypoint," Ahsoka told them, gesturing to a holomap. "Focus your fire on the gun emplacements here and here..."

"Because it's only after we neutralize the guns that we can push for the factory," Anakin interrupted.

"I was..." Ahsoka started annoyedly. "We can push for the factory," she continued. "Now, expect stiff resistance from..."

"And don't forget to top off your energy cells and ration packs," Anakin continued. "Once we leave, there will be no resupply. Anything else, Ahsoka?"

"I think you've pretty much covered everything... in my briefing," Ahsoka said pointedly.

"Very well," Anakin said. "Squad dismissed."

The troops walked away. "This is gonna go down wonderfully," I muttered to Emeryx. He laughed.

"What's next?" Anakin asked.

"Master, my briefings might go better if you didn't interrupt me every time I try to..." Ahsoka started.

"I wasn't," Anakin interrupted. "I was trying to help you."

"Which I would appreciate if you didn't interrupt me to do it," Ahsoka replied. "I just think maybe you don't trust me to give the briefing."

"It's not about trust," he corrected her. "It's about getting the job done right."

"So you don't trust me to get the job done right," Ahsoka said. "I knew it."

"Snips, I never said..."

"No, it's okay. I understand. I'm the Padawan. You're the Master."

Anakin ran after his padawan as an argument sparked. "Barriss!" I said, spotting my friend walking out of a gunship with her master. Barriss had been in Tooka Clan too, and had graduated a year after I did.

I ran over to them, Emeryx close behind. "Greetings, Vaessa, Emeryx," Barriss said politely, just as her master had taught her to.

"Hey Barriss," said Emeryx.

"Greetings, Padawan Orin, Padawan Taelor," Master Unduli greeted. She looked at Anakin and Ahsoka disapprovingly. "At it again, are they?"

"Again, Master?" Barriss asked.

"They have a tendency to disobey orders and break rules," I explained. "They're sort of known for it at this point."

"If you don't trust me, then maybe you should send me back," Ahsoka was saying.

"Don't tempt me, Snips," Anakin replied.

"If you're both finished with your little discussion, we do have a factory to destroy," Master Unduli interrupted. She looked at Barriss. "Well, Barriss, aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

Barriss bowed in the traditional Jedi miralian greeting. "Padawan learner Barriss Offee at your service," she said.

Anakin looked at Ahsoka smugly. She looked annoyed before turning to Barriss. "Glad to meet you. I'm Ahsoka," she replied.

"It's good to see both of you again," Anakin greeted.

"I wish it was under more peaceful circumstances," Master Unduli said gravely.

We studied the holomap. "A frontal assault is risky," Master Unduli commented. "Our losses will be high."

"But not as high as they'll be if that factory comes online," Anakin countered.

"Indeed, but there is an alternative," Master Unduli informed us. "Every Geonosian building has a series of catacombs beneath it that run deep underground. Some of the tunnels are close enough to this cliff wall so that you could cut a hole and make an entry point. Once inside, we could find the main reactor, plant the explosives, and blow the factory inside out."

"Looks like a good way to get lost, if you ask me," Anakin commented.

"For the unprepared perhaps, but I have instructed Barriss to memorize the labyrinth, all 200 junctions," she said. I raised an eyebrow at Barriss.

"You always were thorough," Anakin said.

"It pays for one to be prepared," Master Unduli quoted. "Right, Barriss?"

"Especially when other people's lives depend on your success," Barriss said.

"How do we keep the Geonosians occupied while someone else is setting the bombs?" Ahsoka asked.

"Good point, snips," Anakin said. "If whoever's going in there is going to be successful, we'll need to create a diversion."

"Precisely," Master Unduli said. "That task will be carried out by you and I, while the destruction of the factory falls to the Padawans."

"Now, hold on," Anakin said, alarmed. "Who decided that? Walking into that factory could be suicide."

"Not if you and I are successful holding Poggle's attention at the bridge," Master Unduli countered.

"We'll be there too," I reassured him. "We can deal with stuff like this, you know. We helped win the first battle of Geonosis, remember?"

Emeryx nodded. "It seems like a pretty easy plan, we'll be able to pull it off."

"It's not completing the plan I'm worried about," Anakin answered.

"Master, I can do this. I've had riskier assignments," Ahsoka replied.

"But unlike Barriss you aren't prepared for this mission," Anakin countered.

"Not to worry," Master Unduli said. "My Padawan is reliable. She and the others can lead Ahsoka."

"We'll be in and out, Master," Barriss reassured them.

"See?" Ahsoka asked. "Dependable Barriss will get us through. Don't worry, Master. As you well know, I can follow orders.

"It's decided, then," Master Unduli said, handing me a backpack.

"I guess it is," Anakin grumbled.

"We'll monitor your progress on these chronometers," Master Unduli said, handing us each a chronometer. "Three, two, one, mark," she said, and the chronometers flashed green.

"Let's get going," I said, and me and Emeryx set off towards the bridge.

"After you, Barriss," Ahsoka said, and she and Barriss followed us.

We made our way to a part of the wall on Barriss's instructions. She felt around for a second before cutting a square out of it with her blue lightsaber. She used to pull it out and let it drop to the ground.

"Good work," I said.

"Here goes nothing," Ahsoka said and tried to climb into the hole, but I stopped her.

"Maybe Barriss should go in first?" Emeryx suggested. "She knows the way, after all."

Barriss nodded. Ahsoka sighed. "Okay."

We climbed in, Barriss in the lead.

Ahsoka lingered behind to introduce herself to Emeryx as I went ahead to catch up with Barriss. "So, how have things been?" I asked her.

"Very well," Barriss replied. "And you?"

"Not bad," I replied. "Anakin and Ahsoka can be annoying, but they're like family by now."

"I can hear you," Ahsoka called irritably.

"I know," I called back. She ran up to us, Emeryx on her heels.

"All Emeryx talks about is ships," she grumbled.

"Hey!" Emeryx protested. "Ships are interesting."

"Said no-one ever," Ahsoka scoffed. She paused. "Well, maybe my master, but no-one else."

"I see you're getting alo-" Barriss grabbed all three of us and slammed us into a wall.

"What?" I hissed. Barriss gestured to a group of sleeping Geonosians. "Ah."

"Wha - oh." Ahsoka looked around the corner to see our line of sight.

Emeryx followed suit. "What are we going to do about that?" he asked.

"They're sleeping," Ahsoka hissed. "We have to find another way."

Emeryx nodded in agreement. "We can't go past them, it's too dangerous."

"We don't have time," Barriss told us. "This direction is the fastest."

"Maybe you're wrong," Ahsoka suggested.

"Trust me," Barriss told her.

They looked at me. "Barriss does know her way around," I whispered.

Ahsoka sighed. "Fine," she said, and the four of us continued to move.

"Guys!" Barriss hissed, and we turned around to see that a sleeping Geonosian had a hand on her head. Emeryx held the thing still as I unclasped the fingers. We rushed out to an anxious Ahsoka and continued on.

"Left at the next junction," Barriss told us.

We turned a corner to find the end of the tunnel. "Dead end," Ahsoka whispered.

"We could've made a wrong turn," I said slowly. "But if we have, we might never find our way out."

"You do remember the way, don't you?" Emeryx asked anxiously.

"Of course I do," Barriss snapped.

Following a hunch, I looked up and nudged Barriss. She followed suit.

"It's not left, it's up," she said in realization. She turned to the other two. "It's this way."

We jumped up into the factory. "That's a lot of droids," Ahsoka commented.

"Too many," I said. "If this thing survives the plan, everyone's pretty much dead."

Emeryx gulped. "Come on," Barriss whispered. "The main control room is this way." We walked away with her in the lead.

We climbed up a metal tube. "This is it," Barriss informed us. "We're here."

We opened a hatch and climbed out. We were in a large circular room with the main reactor in the middle. We ran over to it and me and Ahsoka began detaching explosives while the other two were on the lookout - Emeryx guarding me, Barriss guarding Ahsoka.

Once we placed the final one down we pressed our chronometers and slipped our backpacks back on. "And now we make ourselves scarce," she said, and the four of us ran off.

Then a blast door opened and none other than Poggle the Lesser climbed out along with a droid, a tank and a few geonosians. "Oh, no," I muttered. We drew our lightsabers, ready to fight.

We managed to dodge all their blasts. Poggle clicked something. "You heard his highness," the droid said. "Collect their pathetic little bombs, then we will kill them." I hate geonosians.

The tanks started firing. We blocked as many as we could, but we were forced to back away. Geonosians began removing the bombs.

Ahsoka put away her saber. "See if your stupid tank can take this," she said, removing a bomb from her backpack and throwing it at the tank.

The droid laughed. "Fool, the super tank is impervious to all weapons -" it was blown to pieces. The tank, meanwhile, had survived without a scratch, and continued firing.

"Any ideas?" I asked.

"No!" Ahsoka replied. "You?"

I nodded. "One. But it's crazy."

"Considering the circumstances, I'll take crazy," Emeryx yelled.

Ahsoka smirked. "Crazy is my middle na- argh!" she dodged a blast.

"I'm sure it is," I replied. "Me and Emeryx will try to get inside the tank while Ahsoka and Barriss keep the geonosians distracted. Once inside, we'll be able to keep the geonosians occupied."

"You're crazy," Barriss said.

"That sounds like something my master would come up with," Ahsoka grumbled.

"Yeah well, Anakin's plans actually sometimes work," I yelled back.

Me and Emeryx jumped on top of the tank. It tried to fire on us, but Ahsoka attempted to smack it with her lightsaber.

"You take out the shield, I climb in?" I suggested. Emeryx nodded, looking scared but determined. He started climbing along the side as I started jabbing at the tank.

The shield fell. I cut a hole in the tank, jumping in with Emeryx close behind. Ahsoka and Barriss followed not long after.

"The geonosians are gone," Barriss reported. "But the bombs..." she trailed off.

"The surviving geonosians took the bombs," Ahsoka explained. "We've got none left."

There was a silence. "What do we do?" Emeryx asked.

"This tank could destroy the power generator..." Ahsoka suggested. "And probably us along with it."

"If that's what it takes," I said softly.

"We're all in agreement then?" Ahsoka asked. We nodded.

I shut the hatch. Ahsoka held up her comlink. "Master, can you hear me?"

"Set off the bombs!" Anakin replied. "We're trapped!"

"I'm sorry, Master," Ahsoka said gravely. "We can't make it out."

"Can't make it out? Ahsoka, wait!"

"Fire," she ordered, and I pressed a button to fire the tank.

There was a violent shaking sound. The tank lurched. Something hit my head and everything went black.

I woke up, coughing and spluttering. I couldn't see anything, but it was variously warm, a good sign I wasn't the only one alive. "Anyone there?" I asked between coughs.

"Yeah," a male voice replied from my left. Emeryx.

"I'm fine," Barriss's voice replied from opposite me.

"Where's Ahsoka?" Emeryx asked.

"Ahsoka?" I asked. No reply. "Ahsoka!"

Someone - a girl - started coughing. "Yeah, Vaer?" Ahsoka asked.

"Good, you're alive," I replied.

"Takes more than that to kill me," she said. I laughed, but soon regretted it when the coughs started up again. I reached for my lightsaber, turning it on to illuminate the others. They followed suit.

"How deep do you think we're buried?" Emeryx asked.

"We probably lost consciousness when the tank caved in, which had to have been recent if we're still alive, and not much happened before then, so not that deep," I answered.

"Hand me that power cell, would you?" Ahsoka asked. I handed her a power cell from the metal that surrounded us.

"Thanks," she replied. "Mind holding the light?"

She handed me her lightsaber. "Whatever you're doing, I hope it works, because..." Barriss sighed. "I'd sure rather have died fighting up there than starve to death down here."

"Don't worry," Ahsoka reassured her. "We'll run out of air long before we starve."

"That's a comforting thought. Thanks." I couldn't quite work out whether she was serious or not.

"Master Skywalker has taught me a trick or two," Ahsoka told us. "I think I can get this communicator working..."

"What happens to us now doesn't matter," Barriss told us.

Emeryx nodded. "By destroying this factory, we've saved thousands of lives elsewhere. Millions, maybe," he agreed.

"I'm about to save four more," Ahsoka said.

"I know you're out there, and I know you're looking for me," Ahsoka sighed before losing consciousness.

"Ahsoka!" I yelled. This reminded me all too much of the blue shadow virus, of Ahsoka losing consciousness first because she was the youngest, the smallest, the one with the least muscle.

Except this time, no-one was looking for us. Everyone thought we were dead.

The ceiling started shaking. "Oh, great," I muttered. The last thing I needed was for the walls to cave in on us. But as the noises progressed, I realized that that wasn't what this was.

"Someone's digging," Barriss whispered.

I looked up just as a large slab of metal was removed, and we stared into the smiling eyes of Anakin Skywalker and Luminara Unduli.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin cried, pulling her out of the alcove.

"We're alive too, you know," I said, climbing out with Emeryx and Barriss.

"I knew you'd come looking for me," Ahsoka said sleepily. "I never doubted you for a second."

"Padawan, you did well," Master Unduli said to Barriss.

"Thank you, Master, but if it weren't for Ahsoka, we'd still be down there," Barriss said.

"Indeed," Master Unduli said, turning to Ahsoka. "Your Master never lost faith in you."

Ahsoka smiled happily, fully conscious now. We made our way to the gunships, victory won for the day.