Skylar sat alone in the cockpit of the YT-1300 and listened to her boys' comm chatter while she thought back to just a few hours, when they'd arrived on Mandalore. They'd emerged out of hyperspace to Kenobi's 212th battleships trading fire with CIS forces. Sparks of blue and red had constantly flared up between the larger ships, pinpointing dogfights of individual starfighters.

She remembered feeling grateful for the cloaking device that she'd had installed in the old YT. She also thought about how desperate she'd been during the last many arguments she'd had with Jinx since she and Lyle had started planning this mission. This last fight had started when she'd insisted that they'd have to land on Mandalore to get away from the battle. She'd been right, of course, and Jinx had not been happy about it. Not at all.

She thought about her anger at General Zey, for keeping her out of the loop by not telling her that the Separatists had invaded Mandalore and that the Republic had already sent forces to aid the planet. I may not have been born on Manda'yaim, but it's still my home-planet. So many of my people, True Mandos that Kryze hadn't found and exiled, are still there. Plus, her and her boys could have avoided coming out of hyperspace so close to an ongoing battle.

However, her biggest problem when they'd arrived was this: There was no way her and her brothers could do what they'd come here for and no way they could assist with the battle without being found out.

Jinx, being as irritated as he was with her and the situation, had been the one to figure out the solution.

Once they'd landed in a secure location, not far from the New Mandalorians' capital city of Sundari, Jinx had commed Zey. While talking with the Jedi General, Jinx had made it seem that Tor Squad had merely taken a small trip off Coruscant while on leave, that they happened to be in the vicinity of Mandalore, and that they were happy to assist. Jinx purposefully left out that Skylar and Coruscant Guard Lieutenant Lyle were with him and his squad.

Any such trip for a clone, even one that was on leave, was expressly forbidden and Jinx knew he'd likely be court-martialed for this. Before making the call, Jinx had told her that he was hoping Zey would be grateful enough that Tor Squad were close enough to assist Generals Kenobi and Kolar that he would be willing to let them off with a stern warning.

Thank the Force that Jinx was right.

From where Skylar had sat to the side of the holoprojector, out of Zey and Maze's range of sight, she had watched the annoyance flash across Zey's face and had almost chuckled at Maze's expression of incredulity. Zey had sighed, closed his eyes, and shook his head before voicing his approval to Jinx and making it very clear what would happen to Jinx should something like this ever happen again.

Then, Zey had ordered Jinx to take Tor Squad and rendezvous with Generals Kenobi and Kolar back at the makeshift base that the 212th had set up closer to Sundari. Jinx gave an acceptable ETA that made it seem like his men were still a few hours from the planet, closed the link, then commed General Kenobi as he'd been ordered.

Kenobi had responded with an affirmation code and coordinates for a rendezvous.

After waiting a few hours to make Jinx's words seem like the truth, Tor Squad had taken one of the two speeders in the YT's hold, leaving Lyle to guard Skylar.

Skylar shifted in her seat, trying to take pressure off her aching back. She'd been none too happy with having someone babysit her, but Jinx had put his foot down. It made sense, Jinx had pointed out, for Lyle to stay behind, given that he wasn't a commando and also not under Zey's jurisdiction. If Lyle was caught out here, there wouldn't be a slap on the wrist for him, he would be court-martialed for abandoning his post. A court-martial for a member of the Coruscant Guard was almost always followed by re-conditioning.

Footsteps sounded behind her, bringing her out of her thoughts. "You okay there, Skylar?"

She rested her hand on her belly, and kept her eyes forward, watching explosions light up the night sky. She couldn't see the city of Sundari itself, due to the sand dunes surrounding their hiding place. "I'm fine. Where's Katarcca?"

He sat beside her in the co-pilot's seat. "I think he's sleeping. He growled something and waved me off. I think he means for me to wake him in a couple hours so we can take shifts keeping an eye on you." He shifted his eyes to the sky ahead of them, "And you're not fine," he responded, "You're worried about your men."

She sighed, "I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Lyle. Once I saw those battleships….. I guess I really didn't think this through, did I?"

"I don't think any of us did." He turned his chair towards her, and Skylar turned her head to meet his eyes. "Skylar, I'm thinking, given how Zey responded to Jinx's call earlier, that maybe we should have brought this to him before taking off like we did."

She sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose, a habit that she'd picked up from her husband, who in turn had picked it up from Captain Rex. "You're absolutely right, we should have, but, even if we'd thought of that, we just didn't have the time. I couldn't just sit by. When the Kyr'stad, the Death Watch, ruled Mandalore thousands of years ago, they conquered more than half the galaxy. They win here, the Republic is their next target."

"You mean, 'your brothers' are the next target."

"You know when I say that, I don't mean just the boys my father and I trained, right?"

He nodded, "I know, you've built up quite the reputation among the ranks of doing anything to protect us clones." He lifted an eyebrow, "Especially your baby's father.

Skylar whipped her head around to stare at him, "What?"

"ARC Trooper Fives is the father, isn't he?"

She stared at him in disbelief. How….? "What makes you think that?"

He shook his head, smiling slightly. "I knew something was going on between you two the first time you came to the prison to investigate Evalo, Bane, and Hardeen's escape." He cleared his throat, "I mean Evalo, Bane, and General Kenobi's escape."

She tilted her head, brows furrowing, "Again, what makes you think Fives and I…" How could he have noticed anything? Fives and I weren't even together then!

Lyle chuckled, "I have a son, Theo, who lives with his grandfather." He paused, a far off look on his face. "The way you looked at Fives reminded me of how my Theo's mother used to look at me."

Kriff, I've got to be more careful. She groaned and covered her face. "Gedet'ye tell me that the entire army doesn't think this about me and Fives," she said, her voice muffled by her hands.

He chuckled softly, "No, just me."

She almost sighed in relief until she realized what he'd just said. She pulled her hands away from her face and sat straighter, "Wait, you said 'used to'. Did something happen?"

He nodded his head, his eyes still distant, "Speeder accident coming home from her job. Our boy was a few days old then, and I was keeping him while on a leave." His distant expression turned wistful, "He's two now."

"Two? That means…"

"I met his mother after the first battle of Geonosis and only a few days after my battalion was re-assigned as Coruscant Guard. She was one of the civilian contractors on base."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

He smiled, "Don't be. I admit, that first year was hard, but knowing my boy needed me helped. I miss her, but now I find I can bear the pain. It means she was real." His face turned thoughtful, "It means they all were real."

Skylar smiled sadly at him and nodded as she reached out to squeeze his shoulder. Memories of her father, of the brothers that she'd lost, and even blurry images of her mother filled her head and she felt tears in her eyes. "Yeah, it does," she answered her voice cracking on the last word as her breath caught in her throat.

Lyle chuckled, his hand covering hers, "Let me guess, 'damn hormones', huh?"

She laughed and nodded again, "And you are right about me and Fives. But…"

"Your secret's safe with me. I have a son to protect too."

She smiled and gave a quick nod, pulling her hand back to rest on her belly again.

They watched the night sky in silence, still listening to the comm chatter from Tor Squad as they rendezvoused with General Kenobi. Thank the Manda.

She jumped in her chair when the ship's perimeter alarms went off. Her hands flew over the console, bringing up the ship's read-outs. A Separatist commando transport was approaching. Fast.

She met Lyle's eyes and he slid his blaster from its holster.

Shab, shab, shab! Osik! They've found us!

Her commlink went off and she recognized the code. Fives.

Little busy at the moment, Cyar'ika.

Fives cursed under his breath when the call to his wife's personal comm didn't go through. He tapped the device and tried again. Nothing. He let a few more choice words fly.

Osik! Now is not the time to go silent on me Skylar. Tea said you left yesterday, which means you've already made it Mandalore. Knowing you, you're already way too close to the battle!

He tried Jinx and didn't get an answer either. Then he tried Wreck.

Wreck responded, bewildered. "Fives? What is going on?"

"Cut the osik, Wreck. I know you're here on Mandalore, and I know that Sky's with you." Unlike with how he'd responded to Tea, Fives didn't even bother hiding the anger in his voice. "What the haran were you thinking bringing her here? She's pregnant!

Wreck didn't answer right away.

"Wreck…," Fives said, a note of warning in his voice.

The commando sighed, "She's fine, Fives. She's away from the battle."

"That doesn't matter, she still shouldn't be here! And definitely not in her condition! If something happens to her and the baby…. You're a father too, I thought at least you'd understand!" That was hitting below the belt, but Fives just didn't care.

Wreck exploded, "And you think we can make her do anything!? This was the only way we could think of to keep her on the sidelines!"

Fives bellowed back, "This isn't the sidelines Wreck! In case you haven't noticed there's a battle going on around the entire planet! Where is she!? Where. Is. My. Wife!?"

He could hear Wreck inhale to respond, but Jinx cut in, using his 'I'm the sergeant and you're not, so shut up' voice, "Keep your shebs on Fives. You too, Wreck."

He's listening in on Wreck's comm. That means they're armored…. If my wife and baby are anywhere near a fight, I'll kill them. I'll strangle them.

Fives opened his mouth to tell Jinx just where he could shove it and how far, but Tor's sergeant wasn't quite finished.

"Look, I'm not happy that Sky's here either. I've been fighting with her non-stop since before we left Corrie, but she wouldn't budge. She kept insisting that this is Buir's homeworld, even when I tried telling her that our father would be pissed if he were still alive. I told her that our Buir would be furious if he knew that she was risking herself and his grandkid, but she still wouldn't give it up."

Jinx's tone implied that there was more, but that he wasn't going to waste words. He knew how serious this was, thankfully.

Jinx gave an exasperated sigh, and Fives began to feel somewhat sorry for him. Skylar was good at giving people hell, especially when she thought they were getting in her way. "We won't be able to get to her for some time, but I'm sending her coordinates to you now." Fives' comm beeped, indicating that an information transfer was complete. "We're a good distance away, in the city. I was able to convince Zey and Kenobi that my squad are the only ones that came out here."

Fives sighed too, trying to let go of his anger so that he could think, "I appreciate it, Jinx. I'll find a way to get to her." He picked up the comm and started walking to the door of his office. I need to get my armor. I also have to find a good reason that the Generals will accept for me leaving the base.

His anger had dissipated enough so that he could think clearly, so he asked, "Do you know why Sky's not answering her comm?"

There was a pause that was long enough to make Fives panic again. It didn't help that, when Jinx answered, he sounded worried. "No, she should be responding right now. She's been monitoring our comms from the moment we left the freighter. She should have heard you. It's not like her to ignore any of us like this, especially when it's you."

Terror filled him, threatening to cloud his judgement. This is not good. "I'll get her, keep your heads in the battle, Jinx. K'oyaci, ner vode."

"K'oyaci, F'ika," replied all of Tor Squad in unison before the link went dead.

Fives closed his fist around the now silent comm and all but raced to the barracks to grab his armor.

Minutes later and fully armored, he ran to what Cody's boys had been calling the 'speeder pen', trying to comm General Kenobi at the same time. A few of the men that he'd shared the barracks with had tried to slow him down enough to find out what was going on, but he'd stopped each one with an angry glare before he'd shoved his helmet on.

When General Kenobi finally answered, he sounded out of breath, "Fives, now is not a good time."

Fives slid to a stop and caught his breath, trying his hardest not to sound panicked, "Sorry General, but I heard Tor Squad is in the city looking for refugees. Permission to assist?"

Shab, I forgot to ask Jinx what he and his squad were assigned to do!

Thankfully, luck was on his side. "How did you know that they…," Kenobi sighed. "Nevermind, I've given up trying to understand special forces. Permission granted, Fives."

Fives nodded, forgetting that the Jedi couldn't see him, "Thank you sir."

"May the Force be with you."

Fives shut off the comm. May the Force be with Sky if she doesn't have a good reason for not answering her comm…. He thought grimly, fighting terror and fury as they again threatened to cloud his mind. The memory of Echo's empty, smoking helmet on Lola Sayu popped into his head.

The horrible image kept shifting between Echo's helmet and Sky's.

Fives jumped on a speeder bike. As soon as he was out of the barrack's gates, he turned the bike towards his wife's coordinates and opened the throttle. The bike shot forward, taking him out into the explosion lit night.

By the time he was halfway to his wife's coordinates, another speeder bike appeared from the dunes behind him. Fives was so focused on getting to his wife and making sure that she was okay that he didn't even notice.

The cloaked rider, a purple and white astromech droid strapped to the back of the speeder, stayed far enough back that Fives' helmet sensors wouldn't have picked up anything anyway.