Author's Note: Who's all finished his semester? This guy! Who's getting more chapters on a regualr basis? You guys! Getting back into canon territory now, been a while since I've done this and I've forgotten how much fun it is to insert a character into an episode. Hope y'all enjoy!


-Chapter 44: Locked Down-

Location: The Citadel, Lola Sayu

"The scale tips in favor of those whose actions have cost the most."

Wraith couldn't believe it.

There she was, alive and well, sitting by herself in a room that had to be within the Jedi Temple. He couldn't explain what he was seeing, but he did know that the sight filled him with great elation. He took a few steps closer to the strange and mesmerizing sight.

"What the hell...?" He whispered. He was almost beside her now. "Ahsoka?" He asked her name, louder this time. The Togruta girl suddenly looked up at the mention of her name and started when she saw the Separatist super-soldier towering over her.

He hadn't been there a minute ago.

"GYAAHH!" She screamed, leaping away. Lightsaber flying into her hand, her green blade ignited. "Wraith, what're you...!" She asked, making to slash at him. Wraith instinctively raised his gauntlet to block the incoming strike, but as soon as it looked like her blade made contact with him, she vanished.

On Ahsoka's end, she finished her swing only to realize that she had struck nothing and that Wraith was nowhere to be seen. "Doing... here...?" She trailed off, completely and utterly confused. Giving her head a shake she looked around her room, performing a quick three-sixty only to find herself completely alone and totally confused. She deactivated her lightsaber, left dazed and shocked by what had just transpired.

Wraith looked up from his block to see only the durasteel wall of his room, the vision of Ahsoka having vanished entirely. He straightened up, looking around for some sign of her. But she was gone and he was alone once more.

"Just like the last time..." he whispered, recalling his conversation with the dark and corrupted Ahsoka and how it had ended so abruptly when she tried attacking him. Frustration suddenly overtook him, his fist clenching as he struggled to make sense of this. "What the hell is going on?!" He growled, punching the wall out of frustration and leaving a sizeable dent in the shape of his fist behind. "None of this makes any sense!"

You're telling me! What the blue heck was that? Voice wondered.

"I do not know." Wraith breathed, gathering his thoughts and trying to logically deduce what was happening to him. "But... she recognized me. This was no mere mirage like her death was. She was tangible, she was... right there." He hoarsely stated, still trying to comprehend all of this. A sudden thought struck him. "You know what that means?"

You mean apart from the fact that you're not crazy because I saw this too? Voice quipped. Wraith ignored his remark.

"She's alive." He stated, more confident than ever in his words.


Later, on Coruscant, in the Republic Army Hospital...

"So there was... no way you could reattach the other one?" Captain Rex inquired of a nearby medical droid as he flexed the servos of his new mechanical hand.

"I'm sorry Captain. But severed nerve endings are impossible to salvage." The droid replied. "The science simply does not exist for us to successfully re-integrate such sensitive components such as nerves, hence the reason prosthetics are the general norm."

"Sorry Rex." Anakin apologized. The Knight was standing nearby, ready to help Rex up and about as his Captain recovered from the serious beating he'd suffered by Wraith's hand. Rex was well on his way to making a full recover, minus his torn-off arm, of course.

"It's alright General. You've got nothing to apologize for." The Clone replied, sitting up and flexing his new prosthetic. It had been outfitted with specially-designed panels to replicate the appearance of his arm under the sleeve, making him look whole instead of one normal and one spindly metal arm. "As a matter of fact... I think I owe you one. You saved my life." Rex added. "I know there's somebody else to blame for this." He said in a low voice that took an audible edge.

"All I did was cauterize the wound to keep you from bleeding out." Anakin replied. "Besides, anything for my best man." The Jedi added, setting a hand on the Clone's shoulder.

"Thank you, sir." Rex responded with a salute from his seated position. Anakin grinned.

"Gonna need you for an upcoming job. Think you're up for it?" He asked.

"I've been cooped up here for too long, sir. Count me in." Rex eagerly replied. Anakin patted him on the shoulder.

"Suit up and make your way to the comms room. We have to have this meeting now before you're cleared to leave." He instructed before making his way out. As he did, he passed Ahsoka on her way to also see Rex. "Hey Snips." He greeted.

"Master." Ahsoka replied, stepping past him. Entering the room, the Clone Captain, clad in white medical garb, saluted his Commander as he climbed off the bed.

"Commander." He stated.

"At ease, Captain. How's the arm?" Ahsoka asked.

"Not the same. But it'll have to do." The Clone replied, rolling his new mechanical shoulder. As he started to gather his things, Rex gave Ahsoka a sideways glance. "Still think he can be saved, Commander?" He wondered, rather cynically. Ahsoka was momentarily taken aback before she realized he was referring to Wraith.

"I believe there's good in everybody Rex. Sometimes it just needs to be brought to the surface." She confidently replied. Ahsoka had always been something of an optimist, even when others couldn't see it. Rex gave a simple grunt as he disregarded her higher ways, feeling too obsessed with owing Wraith some due payback. "Just like there's a little bit of bitterness in everybody." She quietly added as an aside.

"I wouldn't be so bitter if I still had my arm. My real arm." Rex remarked. "All I know is, the next time I see that monster, I won't hesitate to light him up."

"Says you and everyone else." Ahsoka sighed with a roll of her eyes.


Back onboard the Dominance...

Wraith was summoned once again to the briefing room aboard the Dominance where a holographic display of Count Dooku awaited him alongside Scipio.

"We have need of your skills once more Wraith," Dooku announced upon his arrival, "we need you to visit the Citadel prison on Lola Sayu." The Sith explained. "We recently captured Jedi General Even Piell and his navigational crew. They have information on the Nexus Route that we could use. And you know how such high-end officers are-"

"Stubborn and refusing to talk." The super-soldier stated, crossing his arms. "Until I enter the room." He darkly added.

"A fact, we hope, will come in handy. We need you to help Warden Sobeck interrogate them. Get the Nexus Route coordinates from them." Dooku commanded. "You shall leave for the Citadel as soon as possible."

"Understood, my lord." Wraith replied with a bow as the transmission came to an end. "Doc, what do we know about the Citadel?" The Pau'an stepped over to the holotable and triggered a map of said prison.

"It's an old Jedi prison built on a hunk of space rock known as Lola Sayu." He reported.

"I take it Lola Sayu isn't exactly something to write home about." Wraith mused.

"You presume correctly. It's a barren place full of lava falls and lakes." Scipio replied, gesturing to a particular pool of molten rock that surrounded the prison. "But the prison is something else entirely. It was built by Jedi to house supposed 'rogues' before we took it over early on in the war." He added, explaining its history to Wraith.

"Any previous prisoners still on board?" The super-soldier wondered.

"Apparently we had some of them moved off-world when the place was redesigned for our purposes. The majority of inhabitants you'll find there now are prisoners that we've taken throughout the war."

"Piell and his crew chief among them." Wraith concluded. "I'll get ready and head over momentarily." He determined, moving to return to his quarters in order to prep for an interrogation mission.

"No need to hurry, my boy. I'm quite confident in the fact that Piell won't be going anywhere any time soon." Scipio reassured him.

Back in his quarters, Wraith strapped his gauntlets on tight as he ensured his load-out was updated for this mission. While he anticipated something straightforward for an interrogation assignment, there was always the other possibilities his advanced mind grappled with.

And it were these possibilities that he was preparing for.

Ensuring his belt was fully loaded with a few new gadgets Scipio had designed, Wraith tightened the straps and loaded his pistols, ensuring each blaster had a fresh energy cell and each slugthrower had a full clip. As he tucked them into their holsters, Wraith suddenly felt like he was no longer alone. The same sixth sense was running hot once more and Wraith turned to see Ahsoka again, standing in her room this time. And just like the last time, it was like a portal had opened that allowed Wraith and her to become connected across space and time. Although he knew he had a job to get to, Wraith was willing to pause and get some answers.

Besides, it was like Scipio had said; Even Piell wasn't going anywhere.

"Before you do anything," he quickly said, grabbing her attention, "swinging your lightsaber at me isn't going to work." Ahsoka whirled about to face him, just as surprised as last time, but took his advice and did not immediately attack him.

"W-W-What's going on?" She asked with a stammer, obviously startled.

"I'd like to ask you the same question." Wraith remarked, his mouthguard opening up and sliding away. "But... I can feel your presence." He whispered, awed by the strange situation. To Ahsoka, his voice had an echo to it, as if he were in a cavern and not right there in front of her. He stepped a little closer. "You're... You're here. But I know you're not here." He muttered, trying to wrap his head around this odd occurrence he''d never experienced before. "How are you doing this?"

"I'm... I'm actually not." Ahsoka told him. "I was just sitting alone in my quarters when this... link opened up. Both this time and the last time." She explained. Both of them were surprised by the suddenness of this moment. First Wraith was alone in his quarters and then Ahsoka was suddenly sitting right there in front of him, on her own bed in the Jedi Temple. Ahsoka herself was left wondering why she was seeing Wraith in his quarters all of a sudden, and in such vivid clarity. The super-soldier couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Wasn't this kind of bizarreness only supposed to happen with Force-sensitive people?

"I-I think this is a vision. I can see you and hear you, but I know I'm not there." Ahsoka tried to explain.

"Sounds more like you've connected with me... somehow." Wraith replied, mulling over their situation. Deciding to forgo understanding this event and simply roll with it, Wraith moved on as he looked Ahsoka over. "You're... You're well." He commented, knowing the last time he'd seen her she looked anything but normal. "You look so much better." Ahsoka looked at him confused.

"I... I do?"

"Yes." Wraith could sense the uncertainty in her voice and knew something was off. "Don't you remember?" He pried.

"R-Remember what?" Ahsoka asked, still confused.

"You spoke to me." Wraith answered, recalling the last connection they shared... even though he didn't want to. "It was... like a vision. It was just like this." Ahsoka continued to stare at Wraith, befuddled by his words. Wraith took note and realized Ahsoka had no memory of the event.

Maybe that wasn't her after all.

"You have no idea, do you?" He asked Ahsoka shook her head. Thinking quickly in order to try and prove himself, Wraith quickly developed an idea. Reaching into his jacket he withdrew a holoprojector before heading over to his nearby desk and retrieving a small chip. "My optics were recording the encounter. Here." He explained as he plugged in the chip and powered on the device, adjusting it so Ahsoka could see. The Togruta Padawan watched as an image of her Son-corrupted self appeared and continued to watch with a mixture of surprise and shock as the conversation between them unfolded.

She had no memory of that interaction, leading her to believe that some darkness from deep within her subconscious had been brought to the surface after the Son had taken her over.

Ahsoka listened to the atrocious things she had said, a light blush from raw embarrassment creeping over her face as she watched herself tease Wraith with provocative actions. She bore a horrified look as the recording came to an end, mortified by her actions.

"I... I-I did all that? I said those things?" Wraith nodded.

"You did. Everything from call me a monster to trying to give me a striptease."

"I-I'm sorry." She apologized with a slight stammer, still totally embarrassed. Wraith shrugged.

"I'm used to the whole 'monster' part," he replied, "but if you wanted to try teasing me again, I wouldn't say no." He remarked with a smirk. Ahsoka frowned and opened her mouth to say something when Wraith stopped her with a quick, "I'm kidding." Ahsoka relaxed.

"Oh." She muttered, brushing her forehead with her fingertips. After her slight fluster, things got awkwardly quiet between them until Wraith started speaking again.

"Can I be honest with you?" He suddenly asked. Ahsoka nodded. "The whole time that was going on... I was scared." He admitted in a quiet voice. Ahsoka was taken aback by his sudden boldness and her expression showed it.

"You?" She wondered incredulously. "Of what?"

"Of what had happened to you." He responded. "I didn't know what to think. I knew that was you... but, at the same time... it wasn't. I knew you don't act like that." The super-soldier explained. "That's how I knew something was wrong."

"A lot of crazy things happened to us." Ahsoka agreed.

"Us?" Wraith wondered.

"I wasn't the only one affected." Ahsoka started to explain. "Obi-Wan was there too, but Anakin went really dark on us-"

"To hell with him. Are you okay?" Wraith interrupted, his focus solely on Ahsoka. Who the hell cared about Anakin anyway? The Togruta stopped and pondered his question for a moment. Then, she answered.

"What would you do if I wasn't?" She asked, suddenly exhibiting very mature perceptiveness. Her answer slightly surprising Wraith, the man was forced to pause as her words sank in.

"I would hunt down the one responsible... and make him wish he had never been born." He finally responded.

"Wraith..."

"Ahsoka, please," the super-soldier interjected, "you have no idea what that did to me. My mind has been a... a dark place for a long time." He confessed, suddenly growing very personal with her. "Just being able to see you whole and normal... it's a relief." He whispered. Ahsoka was a little startled by his sudden openness. The super-soldier she had known prior to all this was generally closed off when it came to his feelings. But not now...

For the first time, maybe in forever, Wraith was willing to wear his heart on his sleeve.

"I can only imagine... seeing me like that. Anakin said something similar to you..." She informed him, trying to calm any disturbed feelings he still might have. "I know about an ability other Masters practice called Projection. They use the Force to create an image of themselves elsewhere as a means of interacting with somebody distant." She told him.

"So you could've projected yourself and never remembered it..." Wraith realized, connecting the dots. Ahsoka shrugged.

"Maybe." She said, still trying to figure this out herself. "But then, what's this right now? I'm not cussing it." She wondered. Wraith sighed, his shoulders visibly heaving.

"I don't know." He honestly answered. Wraith said nothing more, his gaze distant. Ahsoka could tell there was something on his mind... something he was hesitant to say.

"Wraith? Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm just happy to see you alive." He replied, his gaze meeting hers again. "I..." he started to say before trailing off, forcing himself to regain his composure, "I watched you die." He finally said. Ahsoka gave a quiet gasp as she heard this. She vaguely remembered that moment. It was like a bad dream she eventually woke up from. But for Wraith to watch it... "It wasn't like this, like I could reach out and touch you. It was like... a bunch of scenes flashing through my mind." He explained. "But I knew it was real. It felt so real." He recalled the scene with vivid clarity, even though he didn't want to. It had tormented him for so long, he practically knew it by heart. "Did you actually die?" He wondered.

"That's what my master says."

"I guess you wouldn't remember dying... not in that state at least." Wraith surmised. After a moment, he looked up at Ahsoka's thoughtful expression. "Are you okay?" He repeated his earlier question.

"I will be. It was all just really... weird." Ahsoka softly replied. "But Anakin hasn't let me go on any 'dangerous' missions since then. I think he's still reeling from it all." She added.

"He's worried about you." Wraith determined, nodding a little as he quickly put two and two together.

"He's getting ready to go on another one... but he refuses to take me with him."

"What's the assignment?" Wraith wondered. Ahsoka smirked and chuckled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She cheekily replied with a smile. Wraith smirked too. Of course she wouldn't tell him.

"I do not care for what Skywalker says." He continued. "Therefore, I encourage you to choose what you think is best. Follow your heart on this one." Ahsoka smiled, reflecting on his words. While Anakin was being picky about which mission she could go on, Wraith was encouraging her sense of personal freedom.

How thoughtful...

"You don't think this one's too dangerous for me?" She wondered, still smiling. Wraith leaned back and smiled himself.

"I know that you can handle anything." He replied. Ahsoka softly chuckled, accepting the compliment... her cheeks turning a darker shade of orange once more.

"There's something I still don't understand..." She continued. Wraith cocked his head, curious and wondering if he could help. "What she was telling you... the Jedi have never told me anything about how you feel about me." She revealed. "I mean... I-I've kinda gathered you have a crush on me... or something like that. But what she said..." Then she looked him dead in his optics, her crystal blue gaze holding his steady crimson stare. "Wraith? Do... Do you... love me?" She hesitantly wondered. Wraith was startled by her question, caught off-guard with no idea how to respond.

Sure he liked her. But this whole experience... it had exposed the depths of his feelings for her and he knew them well enough. But how would she respond?

He didn't know. He didn't know what to say or think. He himself hadn't had time to process this either. The voice in his head might say otherwise, but Wraith wasn't about to commit to any one word just yet. At least not until he had sorted this out for himself. The past few days had been rocky, enough to bring his feelings to the surface... but now that she was back...

He just wasn't ready to profess it to her.

"Ahsoka... I..." He started to say, trailing off as if he were trying to find the right words. He quickly developed a way out of this and feigned receiving an incoming communication, reaching for the side of his helmet as if to accept the call. After a moment of forced silence, he stood. "I have to go." He quietly told her. "I'm not sure if or when we'll pick this up again... this... connection is new to me." He muttered as he made his way out, leaving Ahsoka alone with her question hanging in the air.

But to her, his hesitation to respond was an answer all by itself.


Later...

Lola Sayu wasn't much to look at.

The planet was mostly barren and sulfurous, half of it missing after some cataclysm in the planet's past had done away with the land of the lower hemisphere. It's sulfuric core glowed bright yellow, offsetting the dull purple of the rest of the world's crust. As much as the lava flows and fiery pools of molten rock were colourful, they were the only attractive part of this whole place. The rest was just boring, uninviting spacerock.

But Wraith wasn't here for scenery. He had a job to do.

His shuttle touched down in the middle of the prison's yard where the Phindian warden Osi Sobeck was waiting with a pair of commando droids and his tactical droid K2-B4. Wraith emerged from his ship and stepped over to the Phindian, who was technically a few inches taller than him, but you couldn't tell from the way he was hunched over almost all the time. He sized up the warden with pre-memorized information in mind. Wraith knew Sobeck to be something of a sadist who enjoyed torturing others, as well a tiny bit insane. But despite these flaws, Sobeck had proven himself to be both cunning and calculating, leaving Wraith to wonder how his time with this warden would be spent.

"Ah... welcome, soldier." Osi greeted.

"Warden Sobeck," Wraith greeted with a half-bow, "I understand you require some assistance."

"Count Dooku believes I require some assistance." The Phindian corrected with a slight hint of anger in his voice, "But I welcome the opportunity to work with such a... bloodthirsty individual like yourself." He stated, gesturing for Wraith to follow him. The two walked side by side as they ventured into the prison, the droids following right behind them.

"And as much as I'd like to kill someone, I understand we're attempting to extract some coordinates from these Republic scum. So I'll settle for hurting them for now." Wraith replied.

"I trust you'll be able to put your skills to good use extracting the Nexus Route coordinates?"

"Count Dooku has informed me how valuable they are. I'll get them." Wraith assured him. "Instilling fear happens to be my specialty... and a favourite pastime."

"Good. Good!" Sobeck readily agreed, smiling at his words. "I have my top interrogation droid working on Piell. I need you to work on his captain, a man by the name of Tarkin. It's possible he might also know the coordinates as well." Wraith knew the name from Republic crew manifests, but had never seen the man in person.

"I understand you captured the bridge crew as well." He added, quickly performing a mental review of what he would need to successfully complete this interrogation.

"We did. Why do you ask?"

"Depending on the kind of man Tarkin is, I might be able to use his crew against him." Wraith responded, the gears turning as one of the oldest interrogation tactics came to fruition. "If he cares for them, they'll be perfect for leverage." Sobeck chuckled darkly.

"And if not?" He wondered. Wraith paused, as if mulling over what he would do next.

"How do you dispose of corpses around here?" He wondered, earning yet another chuckle from the depraved Phindian.

Wraith was ushered into Citadel Command; a large room dedicated to overseeing every aspect of the prison, with multiple AV feeds put on display through a single network, allowing Warden Sobeck to see and hear everything as it happened. The super-soldier paused to take in the technology before him as Sobeck continued over to one of the monitors.

"I have Piell and his men under constant surveillance." Sobeck stated, gesturing to a particular screen that display Piell being tortured by a commando droid wielding an electrostaff while an EV-series interrogator droid looked on. "I wish to savour every second of their pain-filled existence."

"As the desire to withstand gives way to thoughts of death's release..." Wraith mused, striding over to one of the consoles. "To watch the will to live leave their eyes... I know the look well." As he trailed off, he withdrew the computation equipment from within his gauntlet and plugged himself into the console, immediately beginning to scroll through the Citadel's network.

"What are you doing?" Sobeck inquired.

"I need access to the Citadel's network so I can use the AV systems myself." Wraith replied as he continued to splice through the servers and upload the feeds to his HUD.

"And why is that?" Sobeck questioned.

"You never know when stuff like this might come in handy." Wraith cryptically stated, not looking up from his work. In truth, he wanted to have a Plan B on file in case he needed to oversee the entire complex at some time. With such a high-value prisoner like Even Piell, one never knew what the Republic might try in order to see him rescued. As he continued to survey the data, a history of the Citadel's prisoners was also uploaded to his systems but was quickly filed away by Wraith onto one of several datachips stored in his gauntlets. He would add them to the database back on the Dominance as it was of little importance to him right now.

Once a remote connection had been established and a secondary feed uploaded to his optical HUD, Wraith unplugged and got ready for his true mission. "Where is Tarkin being held?"

"Adjacent to Even Piell, along with the rest of his bridge crew." Sobeck told him, highlighting the cell on a nearby holomap. "Feel free to do as you please. I'll be watching." He added with a sadistic grin.

"With pleasure." Wraith rumbled.

Venturing into the maze of corridors that made up the Citadel, Wraith walked in silence with only the sound of his heavy boots echoing in the hall. He moved at a determined pace, mentally psyching himself up in order to appear as intimidating as possible when he arrived at the cell.

Intimidating hapless, worthless Clones on the battlefield was one thing. Intimidating prisoners with sensitive information was another.

The cell arrived all too soon and Wraith rolled his shoulders as he made ready to enter, slipping a piece of tech into his left hand. Hopefully his reputation alone would be enough to force the information out of Tarkin. But in the face of certain doom, natural resiliency could toughen up to a point where not even he could break these men.

Regardless, he had a job to do and he was going to do it.

Entering the cell, Wraith stomped down into the cell as the Republic officers looked up first in surprise and then in fear. The two commando droids on either side of the cell's access stairs turned to face Wraith but said nothing. Quickly scanning the room, the super-soldier laid eyes on an older officer sitting off to one side, with silver streaks in his hair that he recognized from report portfolios. "Tarkin!" He growled, stomping over to the senior officer and hoisting him up off the ground. With his hand around the man's throat, Wraith shoved him up against the wall. "The Nexus Route coordinates... I want them! NOW!" He thundered, taking the direct approach.

"General Piell never gave me the coordinates!" Tarkin retorted. "I've already told you this-"

"You lie!" Wraith growled, shaking the captain. He pulled him in close, his left hand grasping Tarkin's belt tightly. "Listen to me and listen well you old fool, unless you give me what I want your crew is gonna start dying!" He rumbled, releasing him and unceremoniously dumping Tarkin on the ground.

"I see the Separatists called in some additional help apart from the local Warden." Tarkin noted with a cough as he gathered his senses. "But it is all in vain. General Piell will never give up the coordinates and you are interrogating the wrong man." He stated.

"We'll see about that." Wraith growled as he walked away from him, surveying the seated bridge crew. Turning around near the last man, Wraith's gaze settled on Tarkin again. He determined that the Captain would not easily break with physical persuasion, so perhaps it was time for him to employ other measures. "Do you take me for a man who makes empty threats? Oh I do not make mere threats, Captain... I make promises." With that, he suddenly drew his knife and stabbed into the nearest officer's leg, the man crying out in pain as he did. His knife sank deep into the officer's thigh, blood seeping through the pants of his uniform as the blade tore deep. Wraith ripped his weapon free with a trail of blood in its wake, the officer clasping his bleeding wake while the others watched, struck dumb with terror.

"Stop!" Tarkin demanded, rising to his feet. "I swear to you... I give you my word as an officer of the Republic, I do not know the Nexus Route coordinates and neither do my crew!"

"The word of a Republic officer means nothing to me." Wraith rumbled as he sheathed his knife and stalked back over to Tarkin, towering over the Republican. "We will find those coordinates soon enough. If not from you then from Piell. He will break, given time."

"Jedi never break." Tarkin stated defiantly, although to Wraith there didn't seem to be much stock in his words.

"Then he will die." The super-soldier growled. "As will you and the rest of your crew if you don't give me what I want." Grabbing Tarkin's lapel, he pulled him in close. "I will give you some time to consider my offer. But mark my words, Tarkin, choose poorly and their blood will be on your hands." The super-soldier growled, gesturing to the frightened bridge crew. With that he released the Captian with a shove and turned and left the cell, informing the commando droids to keep a careful watch. Exiting the cell, the door sealing behind him, Wraith reflected on what he had learned. Tarkin was indeed stubborn, but his threat and presence might've been enough to unnerve him a little. He could keep this up for as long as pleased, though, and he would fulfill his threat to Tarkin. But he would honour his word and give the Captain a moment to consider his offer. If not, that cell would soon be filled with dead bodies.

A task he was looking forward to... should push come to shove.

Returning to the command deck, Wraith walked over to the seated warden and gave his report.

"Tarkin's a stubborn piece of Sithspit, I'll give him that." He announced upon arrival. "I'll try again in a little while."

"He says nothing?" Sobeck wondered in his gravelly voice.

"Not yet. I gave him an ultimatum: the coordinates or the life of his crew." Wraith responded, crossing his arms as he stood next to the Phindian. "We'll see what he does."

"Yes... a choice between life and death. Good... very good. Making him suffer mentally..." Sobeck mused, starting to talk to himself. Wraith ignored his bout of insanity and turned to focus on the monitors, scanning over the prison's surveillance systems. There were other systems around the command deck as well, ones designed to deal with exterior issues stemming from the orbital blockade. These were managed by K2-B4, Sobeck's personal tactical droid. Leaving Sobeck's side, Wraith watched as the droid filed a report about an incoming vessel, dated today. A Sheathipede-class Type B shuttle was entering Lola Sayu's orbit, already cleared by the blockade above. Wraith recognized the design, an elongated version of the craft typically used by elite Separatist officials. Admiral Sereva had arrived on one when she came to the Dominance.

"What's this?" He asked aloud.

"Shuttle Eight One Five Seven Two. Frozen rations." K2 reported in a monotone voice.

"We must feed the prisoners somehow... even if we don't want to." Sobeck added, trailing off. Wraith rolled his eyes as Sobeck started talking to himself again.

Then, for some reason, Wraith felt a strange sensation build within him. It was a sense of uneasiness he got every time he looked at the incoming craft. Closing his eyes, Wraith made to steady himself... but instead felt something even stranger.

His sixth sense, the ability to sense a person within his immediate vicinity but outside his vision, suddenly kicked in to the highest degree with the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He could feel the presence of three individuals, but where they were he didn't know.

Opening his eyes, the super-soldier gave his head a brief wag as he realized the only people here were right in front of him, shaking off the sensation yet unable to deny how real it felt. Deciding he needed a moment to clear his head, Wraith left the command deck and breathed deeply, calming his mind.

But there was something unshakable about what he'd sensed.

"I've got a funny feeling about that transport..." He mumbled under his breath. He started walking, trying to regain his tactical mindset. He roamed the upper halls of the Citadel for several minutes before it became a fruitless endeavour, the incessant thoughts hounding him every second. Fed up with such bothersome notions, Wraith decided to do something about this. While he didn't know if he could trust such senses, his gut told him to check and make certain everything was as it should be. And he knew to trust his instincts.

Accessing the prison's surveillance network, he started cycling through the various listening devices set up throughout the Citadel until he started picking up some chatter coming from the lower levels of the prison's perimeter.

This wasn't within the building... this was coming from outside of it.

"I must have carbon-sickness, because I can swear that's Ahsoka." A voice was saying. Wraith recognized the man immediately.

"Kenobi..." He growled.

"Your eyes are fine. It's Ahsoka's hearing that needs help." Another voice stated. Wraith had heard it enough times to know exactly who that was: Anakin Skywalker.

"I received orders to join the team. I thought you knew." Wraith smirked as he recognized the third voice. His dear Ahsoka was now planetside... perhaps today would be a good day after all.

"Orders? From who?" Anakin wondered.

"I discussed it with Master Plo." Ahsoka told him.

"He didn't tell me." Anakin replied, sounding a little perturbed.

"You were already in carbonite." Wraith continued to listen, realizing Ahsoka technically wasn't supposed to be here by the sounds of things, and also detected the voices of Clones. Who, he couldn't tell, they all sounded like the same damn person. From listening, he could guess there were maybe six, seven... maybe eight? Who knew? A small squad for certain... enough to comprise a rescue party. With the data confirmed, Wraith shut down his feed and turned on heel. "We've got a problem..." He muttered, heading back to the command deck. Upon arrival, he marched inside and strode over to Sobeck. "The Republic's here." He stated. The Phindian warden whirled about in surprise.

"What?!" He exclaimed.

"Those 'frozen rations' aboard that incoming shuttle turned out to be blocks of carbonite with Jedi frozen inside." He explained, deducing the plan from what Kenobi had said about 'carbon-sickness'.

"What an insidious maneuver." Sobeck muttered, then gasped, "They have come for their brother!" He realized.

"Can't think of anyone else they'd want free." The super-soldier replied. "Skywalker's leading the rescue," Wraith grumbled as he crossed his arms and continued, "I couldn't imagine anyone bolder, or dumber, to lead a suicide mission like this. But he's got Kenobi with him, along with some significant Clone backup."

"Quickly! We must secure the cellblocks, the Jedi must not be freed!" Sobeck declared, scrambling to get the prison's defences online. But as he did, he saw that Wraith hadn't move, remaining stationary. "Are you just gonna stand there?" The warden demanded.

"You want me to attack them and waste my element of surprise? Nah. I have a different plan in mind." Wraith replied. He had been busy thinking while Sobeck was panicking and he believed he had a solution to this problem. "Wait until they make their presence known then do what you would to secure the prison; lock it down, roll out reinforcements, whatever. Make them think they're up against you and you alone." He explained. "Let them see, feel, even taste hope... and then I'll tear it away from them." He added with a growl, clenching a fist. Sobeck smiled at his words, the plan making perfect sense now.

"The death of hope... The most delicious kind of suffering." The warden muttered with a grin.


Sobeck and Wraith waited for the Republic to slip up or appear within the prison's visual sensors. Wraith had adjusted his optical HUD to display the feed coming from Piell and Tarkin's cells, wanting to make sure the Republic didn't pull a fast one.

They waited with baited breath, anticipating something... anything.

Time ticked by as the two Separatist commanders remained tense and still, ready to react the moment something happened.

And then... several security monitors began to flash red, a steady beeping following. One of the security droids quickly analyzed the incoming data.

"Sir, a mine in sector nineteen was just detonated." The droid reported. Sobeck took that as his cue to begin his part of Wraith's plan.

"Activate all security protocols! Lock everything down!" He commanded. "Where are my special units?" He demanded of K2.

"They are here, sir." The droid replied. Triggering a door release, a squad of commando droids entered the command deck, causing Wraith to grin under his mask.

"Now these I like..." He surmised. He'd worked with commando droids before and knew them to be tough, agile and deadly fighters. Perfect for dealing with Jedi.

The commando droids were ordered to the corridors where the Republic forces had been detected: the halls nearest Piell's cell. Sobeck was more than ready to unleash a few of the pre-installed traps in the Citadels' hallways, but knew his legions stood a better chance by comparison to the traps alone. Wraith stood by his side and watched through the monitors as Sobeck unleashed his forces against the invading Republic, spying Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and a crew of Clones attempting to destroy their surveillance monitors but also having to deal with the wall-mounted defense turrets. The turrets were disposed of rather quickly by the Jedi and Sobeck chose now to unleash the first of the Citadel's built-in traps: an electrical grid. The wall of arcing lightning bolts surged down the hallway, the Republic narrowly avoiding the trap save for one unfortunate Clone who suffered a quick death by electrocution. The Clones then disappeared from sight and Wraith quickly tapped into his own feeds. He watched as the Republic invaded Even Piell's cell and liberated their fellow Jedi. "They got Piell. My guess is they're going after the bridge crew next." He reported.

"They won't get very far!" Sobeck growled with determination. "They may have entered the Citadel... but they won't be leaving it any time soon!" The Warden declared.

"That's not all. I listened to what they had to say, turns out Piell and Tarkin memorized half of the coordinates apiece. Our suspicions about them were right after all." Wraith revealed.

"Then that makes stopping this rescue even more important." The Phindian replied. Triggering a switch on his panel, Sobeck leaned back and clasped his hands together, chuckling darkly as his gaze returned to the monitors. Together, he and Wraith watched as the Republic snuck out of Piell's cell and carefully crept through the halls towards where Tarkin and the other officers were being held.

That's when the commando droids struck.

Exercising their surprising agility by somersaulting down the hall, the group surrounded the Republic as the approached from either end of the hall.

"This oughtta be good." Wraith mused as he crossed his arms. The battle began as the droids advanced, opening fire while simultaneously somersaulting around the narrow corridor, avoiding and generally confusing the aim of the Clones. The rushed in, drawing in close like Wraith would and assaulting the Clones with their steel fists.

Oh how Wraith wished to be a part of that fight, but he knew he needed to hang back until the time was right.

One of the droids suddenly tackled Ahsoka, pinning her to the ground while the chaos of combat raged around them. Wraith started, ready to move at a moment's notice to rush down and defend her, but soon found his thoughts preemptive as Ahsoka promptly cut the head off the droid as the Republic started to successfully push back. Wraith watched her climb to her feet and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Get a hold of yourself, soldier. He commanded internally. She's tough, she can handle a pesky droid. Wraith blamed his experiences on Celanon for his emotional upheaval, but soon pushed the thoughts aside as he returned to the task at hand. The Republic were up and moving, and Sobeck was looking none too pleased by the failure of his commando droids. But he did not lash out anger and, instead, calmly pressed a button on his console. The result was a shrill noise that echoed through the hallway, forcing the Republic to stop and cover their ears. "Ultrasonic generators. Not bad." Wraith commented.

"That's not the only surprise I have in store for them..." Sobeck replied and, within moments, a powerful magnet had ripped the Republic's weapons from their hands and forced them to the ceiling, both blasters and lightsabers. The magnet was so powerful, in fact, that Anakin was pulled off the ground and dragged to the ceiling by his mechanical arm, as was Rex by his replacement limb.

"What a pair of fools." Wraith chuckled. The metal of his armor and his weaponry had been purposefully demagnetized in order to prevent situations like this one. Together they hung suspended from the ceiling and, with a sinister grin, Sobeck triggered another switch that resulted in a powerful electrical shock that ripped through Anakin and Rex, electrocuting them harshly. Sobeck started cackling with sadistic glee as the two were electrocuted, Wraith joining him as Rex and Anakin fell limp.

"You fools! I hope you enjoy your reunion with your fellow Jedi, because you're going to be my guests for a very long time!" The Warden exclaimed through a broadcasting system, his voice echoing in the hall as more commando droids surrounded the Republic party. Just then, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Piell collectively used the Force to try and throw the droids back, only to watched them recoil as their feet remained rooted to the ground.

"Magnetic foot-plates. Not a bad idea." Wraith commented as he watched the Jedi struggle to overcome the droids with harder Force-pushes. The Clones decided to take the fight to the droids and attacked them with their own punches, the droids fighting back with equal force despite the Jedi trying to keep them at bay. But as they did, Anakin had found his second wind and made to reach for his lightsaber, a move that did not go unnoticed by Sobeck.

"Oh no you don't!" He exclaimed, jamming his console and triggering another electric shock. Anakin recoiled in agony, but somehow found the strength to push past the pain and grab his lightsaber, igniting it and cutting clean through the magnetic generators and shutting down the trap. He and Rex dropped like rocks, landing unceremoniously on the ground as their freed weapons clattered down around them, leaving Sobeck to growl in frustration.

"He's persistent, I'll give him that much." Wraith rumbled, equally disappointed. The Republic quickly made short work of the commando droids and pulled themselves back together, ready to move on. As they did, Rex took aim with one of his DC-17's and blasted the surveillance camera, cutting off Sobeck and Wraith. Sobeck pounded his console with an angry grunt and made to leave.

"Wraith! Come with me! We must secure the officers' cell at all costs!" He commanded. Wraith followed him without a word... but did power up his cloaking device.

Joined by some of Sobeck's security droids, the Warden and Wraith journeyed towards Tarkin's cell, the super-soldier adjusting his feed just in time to see the Republic leaving the cell with the bridge crew and splitting into two groups.

"Sobeck, we've got a problem. The Republic has the bridge crew and they're splitting up. Kenobi and Piell are heading one way while Skywalker's taking Tarkin and the others in the opposite direction." He informed him. Sobeck stopped with a growl as he realized they were too late.

"I guess tapping my network did have some benefits." He said to himself before fully regarding the super-soldier. "Where are they going?"

"I can't tell. Better have your legions lock down the corridors... they could be trying to reach the upper levels." Wraith theorized. Knowing the Citadel a bit better than him, Sobeck quickly drew a conclusion.

"They're trying to steal a transport." He surmised. Wraith mulled over his idea and nodded.

"A very distinct probability." He replied, but Sobeck was already giving orders to his droids.

"Seal the landing platform and send all battalions to their positions! Bring them back... alive!" He commanded. As he did, Wraith realized a major flaw in his desire to keep his presence a secret and quickly tapped a switch on his gauntlet, remotely triggering his shuttle's cloaking system so that it would be hidden from Republic view.

"Warden," Wraith stated, drawing his attention, "I suggest you seal off every possible route to the landing platform. We can't afford to have them get anywhere close to freedom." The Phindian nodded.

"A wise suggestion, soldier." He concurred. Just then, both of them were rocked by a violent explosion from somewhere within the prison. Wraith quickly pinged his scanners but found nothing within their immediate vicinity.

"Are they trying to blow their way out?" He wondered aloud. "Helluva bold move. They could easily be caught in the explosion with the size of these corridors."

"No... I will not let them escape!" Sobeck exclaimed, suddenly worried that the Republic might take drastic measures. "Quickly! Back to the command deck!" He cried, taking off down the hall with Wraith hot on his heels.


The two commanders quickly began running scans of the prison, Sobeck nearly in a full-on panic as he hurriedly instructed his droids to start sweeping the area, unleashing probe droids to hunt down the wayward Republic party. Wraith started sweeping his own surveillance network as he searched for some sign of Skywalker or Kenobi's party. If they left no evidence behind, there was always the chance that they would slip up and make their presence known once more.

But could they afford to count on that possibility?

As they went about their work, K2 appeared from within a communications room and approached Sobeck.

"Count Dooku insists that you speak with him, Commander." K2 informed the warden. Sobeck looked up from his work and made to follow the droid, as did Wraith.

"He likely wants a progress report." Wraith surmised.

"Well... let's not keep him waiting then." Sobeck mused.

"He's already waiting, sir." K2 replied, opening the door to reveal a holographic render of Count Dooku standing with his back to them. Surprised by Dooku's sudden presence, Sobeck cautiously entered the room, more bent over than usual. Wraith followed him, far-less worried than Sobeck seemed to be.

"Count Dooku, my lord... how unexpected." The Phindian greeted reverently. But Dooku saw through his emotional facade.

"You may cease the propriety, Commander Sobeck. I understand there is a problem with the Jedi prisoner?" He questioned, getting straight to the point.

"An incursion team attempted a rescue. But the situation is taken care of." Sobeck firmly assured him. Dooku's gaze left the warden and landed on Wraith.

"Is this true, soldier?" He inquired.

"A team led by Skywalker and Kenobi has infiltrated the prison, my lord. But they will not get far. We have almost finished tracking them down." The super-soldier replied. Dooku nodded in understanding.

"Warden, are you in possession of the information the prisoner is carrying?" He asked, his questions now back on Sobeck.

"Not... yet. We will soon have it." Sobeck slowly answered.

"You are aware that this information will tip the scale of the war to the side that controls it? Perhaps this is a matter that requires my presence..." Dooku suggested.

"No, my lord." Sobeck hurried responded. Dooku could sense the fear in his voice and turned around, his back to them once more.

"Find them, Commander. Get the information... and kill whoever you must to acquire it." He added in a dark tone before the communication ended. With a growl, Sobeck turned and grabbed K2 shoving the droid against the wall.

"Don't ever surprise me with a transmission from Count Dooku..." he growled, "I need time to prepare!"

"Yes Commander." K2 meekly replied. Wraith put his hand on the Phindian's shoulder.

"We will find them, Warden. Might I suggest we focus our energies on that task?" He said. Osi regraded him over his shoulder as he dropped K2 from his grip.

"Agreed." He growled.

They went about their work once more, Wraith studying the channels provided by the concealed listening devices spread out across the prison's perimeter while Sobeck continued his interior sweep of the Citadel's corridors and access shafts. Back behind his command console, the Phindian watched and waited as his surveillance systems were gradually restored, restoring his view of the Citadel's interior.

Time passed as the two set about searching for their lost quarry. Things seemed bleak and Wraith was about ready to forgo his plan to remain hidden and straight up hunt down this rescue party himself. But it was then that Sobeck received an incoming call from K2 as a projection of the tactical droid appeared on his console.

"We have captured the shuttle that infiltrated our defenses." The droid declared. Sobeck grinned.

"Good. Guard the shuttle and we'll lure the Jedi into a trap." He replied, a plan forming in his mind.

"Sounds like progress." Wraith observed as he walked over to the warden.

"It's a start." Sobeck agreed. "Have you anything?" He inquired.

"Not yet, but I do have a backup in mind." The super-soldier responded. "Should the rescue party lose their means of escape, it will require an entire fleet to bypass our planetary blockade in order to come and pick them up. If we force their hand in this manner, we'll buy ourselves some time to hunt them down."

"Indeed. And we'll start by locating them with this trap I'll set." Sobeck replied, affirming the notion. "Continue to sweep your systems, I'll let you know when we're ready to begin." Wraith nodded and returned to his work, using his gauntlet tools to plug into the surveillance console and begin his work. His computation systems could perform additional sensor sweeps that were not available in the base server, including electromagnetic energy and thermal energy sweeps, by connecting with his optical HUD. Wraith performed one more sweep of the actual building before he started a broad scan of the prison's grounds. As he did, a ripple of energy spikes quickly caught his attention, coming from the tunnels near the prison's base. The electrical radiation was similar to what droids put out, but the thermal readings seemed more like an explosion to him. He quickly cross referenced the location with a map of the prison and pinpointed a spot near the prison's external pipeline.

"Warden, I'm detecting some strange readings from the lower tunnels. I think one of our scouting parties may have found the Republic." He reported.

"That's not the only thing we've found!" The Phindian remarked in a particularly pleased tone. Wraith looked up to see one of the surveillance cams focused directly on Obi-Wan, Piell and their men as they stood outside the prison on a landing platform. Running his fingers along his console, Sobeck tapped into Obi-Wan's wrist comms just as the Jedi was attempting to call his partner.

"Anakin?" He wondered.

"I must commend you on your escape tactics. But in the end it was easy to predict your every move." The Warden gloated. Pressing a key on his console, defence turrets came online and took aim at the Republic party, joined moments later by a crab droid and a squad of droidekas and commando droids. Sobeck started to gleefully chuckle at the successful capture of the party as Wraith made to join him, observing the troubled look coming over Obi-Wan and Piell.

"Nice work. Now, to get those coordinates." The super-soldier rumbled, pleased by the positive outcome.


Kenobi, Piell, their Clones and the bridge crew were escorted to the command deck, relieved of their weapons. K2 and Sobeck stood waiting for them while Wraith was cloaked and sitting off to the side as to remain undetected by the Jedi's senses. They were filed in and lined up, Sobeck waiting with his back to them and a triumphant look on his face.

"Welcome back." He greeted them, making to walk over as he did.

"I must say, you're not at all what I pictured." Obi-Wan commented.

"What were you expecting? The Wraith?" Sobeck wondered. The cloaked Wraith stifled a chuckle at the irony of the remark. If only Obi-Wan knew...

"Such a soft voice..." Obi-Wan continued, clearly mocking the warden now. Sobeck merely growled in response.

"I want your half of the information. Give it to me now... or I'll start executing your men!" He demanded of Piell stalking back and forth as he examined the line of prisoners.

"This is war, Sobeck." Piell replied. "We're all prepared to die to protect intel." Sobeck chuckled darkly as he took a blaster off one of his droids.

"Really?" He wondered, pointing the weapon at one of the Clones and shooting him dead seconds later. Kenobi grimaced as one of his men slumped over on the floor, Piell maintaining his steely and unflinching gaze even as Sobeck trained his weapon on another Clone.

"Sir, we have confirmed the location of the other group." K2 suddenly reported, interrupting him. "Our droids are closing in on them." Sobeck tossed the blaster back to his droid and made his way to the terminal.

"Your Jedi resolve only delays the inevitable." He muttered. "Take 'em to interrogation, torture them... slowly." He ordered his droids with a sadistic look in his eyes. The Republic were led out and, as soon as they were all gone, Wraith decloaked.

"Guess my findings were right on after all." He mused.

"Indeed they were, soldier. Now to wrap up this diversion and capture the other Jedi." Sobeck stated. "My battalions will take up position around the shuttle on the upper levels. We'll strike the Republic when they least expect it!"

"A classic maneuver, one I doubt they'll anticipate." Wraith agreed, crossing his arms. "They'll be desperate to leave and likely miss the warning signs." Their attention returned to Sobeck's vast surveillance feeds as they shifted to the external feed. They watched as Ahsoka, Anakin and the other Republic affiliates emerged from the fuel pipe and took off running as battle droids and crab droids attacked them. "Looks like the detachment near the pipeline has found them." Wraith commented, making a mental note of the location in case they needed to give chase. But as the battle continued to unfold, the Republic seemingly on the ropes, a sudden explosion ripped through the pipe and incinerated the droid forces in a fiery plume. "That's not good." Wraith sighed, realizing the Republic had evaded capture once more. Sobeck growled in frustration and left his seat.

"Droid! Pull up a holomap!" He commanded K2. The tactical droid obeyed and soon the Citadel and its perimeter were revealed to both he and Wraith. The two commanders studied the layout intensely, attempting to get into the minds of the Republic and out-think them. It was a task Wraith delved into on a regular basis.

And yet it seemed they had covered all the angles already. Did the Republic have another ploy in mind...?

"Based on their recent position, we believe they are using this cave system." K2 reported, having compiled the recent sightings together a run a tactical analysis.

"Now that we know where they are and what passages they're using, we can track them more effectively." Wraith noted, attempting positivity. As he spoke, a security droid approached Sobeck with a datapad in hand.

"Uh, sir, the prisoners did not make it to the interrogation level." He reported. Sobeck's expression suddenly turned to that of being livid, his anger barely kept in check. Wraith's hearing perked up at the sound, but he assessed the information much more calmly.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?" Sobeck growled threatening, getting in the droid's space as it shied away from him. Wraith said nothing, continuing to ponder this change. How else could the Republic escape an armed guard... unless...

They had help...

"We think they might've-" The droid timidly started to say.

"Sir, Count Dooku commands you to contact him immediately." K2 interrupted, likely sparing the poor droid's existence. Sobeck looked none too pleased, not willing to face Count Dooku again without a report of success. But as his gaze returned to the holomap and he started tracking the pipeline and the tunnels where the Republic had been seen, he started to put the pieces together and Wraith did too both of them coming to similar realizations.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Wraith asked the warden as Sobeck returned to his seat.

"Inform Count Dooku that I am unreachable." He ordered K2. "Send all units to the airfield and have them focus on the pipeline access!" He then commanded his security droids. "It's their only possible way of escape." He muttered to himself.

"This is their Plan B. They had planned to rendezvous elsewhere until we waylaid Kenobi and Piell. That's why they've been using the tunnels and the pipeline." Wraith revealed, the Republic's plan now plain as day. "This has Skywalker written all over it. Only he would be willing to pull such a move." He surmised.

"We've interrupted their plans more than once. They are getting desperate." Sobeck realized with a chuckle. It was then that Wraith decided to act on his hunch about Kenobi and Piell's getaway.

"K2, contact the security droids guarding the shuttle. Tell them the Republic is using reprogrammed droids as a cover." He stated. K2 moved to obey, putting out the call moments later.

"The prisoners are escaping with reprogrammed battle droids. Let no one on board that shuttle."

"Do we have access to the landing pad surveillance?" Wraith asked Sobeck. Said footage was immediately drawn up, revealing a full-on firefight immediately underway. The defense turrets were already attacking the fleeing Republic affiliates as battle droids and crab droids poured into the area. "Good thing I parked in the exterior yard." Wraith mused. They continued to watch the battle unfold, Wraith growing tense with each passing second. He knew he needed to be down there, he could keep the Republic from escaping.

But deep down, he wasn't convince this was over just yet.

Anakin and Ahsoka's team rejoined Obi-Wan's, forcing all of the Republic forces into a single area. It was perfect... too perfect. As the fighting continued, Sobeck suddenly spoke up.

"Soldier, I need you to do something for me." Wraith turned to him.

"And that would be?"

"Get down there and keep tabs on the Republic. Should they somehow survive this, track them from the shadows and keep me informed of their movements." The Warden explained. Wraith nodded and made to leave.

"Consider it done." He replied. But before he left the command deck, he looked back over his shoulder. "And if they do try to escape?" He asked.

"You have my express permission to kill them all." Sobeck responded with a dark grin. Wraith nodded, cracked his neck and headed out.


As Wraith made his way down to the landing pad, he could hear the muffled sound of a large explosion from outside.

"Soldier! We've destroyed their shuttle! Get out there and follow the Republic!" Sobeck's voice ordered through his comms.

"On my way!" Wraith replied as the lift carrying him came to a halt and its doors slid open. Breaking into a sprint, Wraith switched on his cloaking device as he ran past the droid legions and followed after the fleeing Republic party. His enhanced body and training allowed him to catch up to the fleeing Republic no problem and his now-invisible form stayed close behind them, completely undetected. He quickly pinged his sensors and triggered his audio receptors to allow him the ability to hear the Republic as they spoke. As he did, a communication between Jedi which he quickly honed in on.

"Master Kenobi. What is it?" Plo Koon answered.

"I'm afraid we've had a situation with the shuttle." Obi-Wan replied, tip-toeing around the obvious.

"By 'situation' he means big explosion." Anakin interjected. "We're gonna need a rescue."

"It will be done." Koon stated in response. "I'm sending our cruisers now." The communication came to an end and the Republic kept running. Wraith realized they were on the clock now, the order had been given and now there was only a short amount of time left for him and Sobeck to gather the Nexus Route coordinates.

"It has begun..." He muttered, continuing to trail his fleeing foes.

He followed the Republic unseen as they came to a halt within the deeper caves of Lola Sayu, pausing for breath as the Clones used a nearby gap in the rock to keep tabs on the droid forces, who were absolutely buzzing about as they searched for the missing rescue party. Wraith kept his distance, but made sure to adjust his audio receptors so that he could hear their every word. He was at a crucial moment now. Not a single word could be missed!

"We'll need to hold out until the Council sends a ship." Kenobi was saying.

"Not a problem. We've beat them once, we'll beat them again." Piell replied, keeping his hopes up.

"This landscape is almost impossible to cross. How are we going to get to the rendezvous point?" A Clone wondered.

"That is the trap of the Citadel. It's designed so that it'd be almost impossible for fugitives to get off the surface. Even if they escape the tower." Obi-Wan thoughtfully replied, now fully understanding the reason why this place had been constructed on Lola Sayu.

"Luckily we're not just any fugitives." Anakin remarked with a grin.

"I hope you're right." Piell mused. The Republic made to leave the caves, now convinced they were safe and away from the Separatists prying gaze.

They couldn't be further from the truth.

From his distant, cloaked position, Wraith had heard everything and quickly pieced together the information. With a report ready, he reached for his comms. It was time to put in a call to the Warden.

"Sobeck, do you read?" He called in a low voice to avoid being heard.

"Loud and clear. Report, soldier." Sobeck commanded.

"I've got good news and bad news." Wraith began. "The bad news is the Republic rescue party has called for aid and they're making for a rendezvous point. The good news is I know exactly where they are and when to intercept them." He explained.

"Perfect... Perfect!" Wraith could practically hear his smile over the comms.

"I recommend you inform the orbital fleet of the Republic's impending arrival. We just need enough time to retrieve the coordinates from them." Wraith suggested, knowing there was limited opportunity for them to work and that they needed all the breathing room they could afford.

"Yes... it shall be done! I am dispatching our forces now and am sending a pack of Anoobas ahead. They will be perfect for locating the Republic, no one can hide from them!" Sobeck added. "I will join this battle myself to ensure that we succeed. Continue to tail them, soldier!" Wraith agreed... but had one final idea in mind.

"Warden, permission for a detachment of battle droids to accompany me. I might need to ambush the Republic at some point." He requested.

"Permission granted. I'll throw in some commando droids too." Sobeck replied through the comms.

"Even better. Make sure they're all equipped with shackles for when we inevitably capture the Republic." Wraith added before terminating the call. Now that Sobeck had a lock on him and the Republic's location, all he had to do was wait until the droids were ready to attack.

This would be the beginning of the end of their little 'rescue mission'.

The Republic continued to move deeper into the cave system, yellow rivers of lava lighting their way as they carefully stepped between paths of rock. The heat was bearable, surprisingly so considering all the lava about. All the while Wraith tailed them, stalking them from the shadows like an invisible predator. His jacket and helmet were designed to keep his body at acceptable temperatures that were contrary to his environment. He felt none of the heat the Republic felt and was able to move much more efficiently because of it. Up ahead, Rex and a 501st Clone scanned the path ahead, finding it empty and devoid of droids.

"We're clear!" Rex declared, stowing his pistols. Relieved to be in the clear, the Jedi met to discuss their new plan of action.

"What's our next move?" Ahsoka wondered.

"We're gonna have to fight our way off this rock." Anakin replied.

"Contact the Council, see when they plan to rescue us." Obi-Wan suggested. They needed to establish some key details first before they could go on the move again.

"I'll handle it." Piell volunteered. He walked over to R2-D2, who was a new addition since Wraith's arrival on the scene, and activated a holoprojection of Mace Windu.

"Master Piell. It's good to see you alive, my friend." The Jedi Master greeted.

"Likewise, Master Windu." Piell responded. "Our escape route has been compromised and there are several squads of droids closing in on us." He informed him.

"When can we expect your arrival?" Anakin inquired.

"Master Plo is already en route." Mace told him.

"Gunships will arrive to evacuate you and your men. But do not delay. Only a small window of opportunity, shall we have." Master Yoda chimed in. The projection changed to a holomap of Lola Sayu's volcanic landscape, a series of arrows pointing to an island in the midst of a lava lake. "Your rendezvous point will be this island." Yoda told them. Piell nodded.

"Understood."

"May the Force be with you." Mace signed off as the communication came to an end. The Jedi made to discuss their next move some more, while Wraith was stifling a pleased chuckle.

He now knew exactly where the Republic was headed.

"Sobeck, rendezvous point confirmed." He whispered into his radio. "The Republic are holed up deep in the cave system. Feel free to unleash your droids." He stated. Within moments, as if to answer him, a small squad of commando droids entered the caves and started firing on the Republic. "Talk about timing." Wraith mused. The Clones immediately counterattacked, using the pillars of rock around the cave as cover. One droid was shot down and fell into a river of lava, melting on contact. The others were promptly blown up by a thermal detonator thrown by an ARC trooper, causing a minor cave-in in the process. All in all, the droids were dealt with fairly quickly, but had caused enough of a presence to keep the Republic busy with no time to rest for long.

"No doubt there's more on the way." Obi-Wan gravely surmised as the Republic made to leave. Wraith made to follow them but was slowed when he recieved an incoming communication. Opening the feed, he expected it to be the Warden.

Instead, it was Count Dooku.

"Soldier, Commander Sobeck tells me that the prisoners have not yet been captured." The Sith bluntly stated. "Don't tell me you mean to fail me as well..."

"Hardly, my lord. I'm tailing the Republic party as we speak. It's all part of an elaborate plan to force them into our hands. Rest assured, the Nexus Route will be ours." Wraith replied, attempting to restore Dooku's hope in this endeavour.

"I trust your word soldier, moreso than Sobeck's. Right now, his honesty is the only thing keeping him alive." Dooku said, revealing just how disappointed he was. "If not him, then I expect you to deliver."

"I always have... and I always will." Wraith replied as he signed off. The heat was on now. Rolling his shoulders, the super-soldier got back to work... and started to develop a Plan B of his own.

"Soldier!" Sobeck's commanding voice crackled in his comms. Before he could say anything more, Wraith spoke up.

"The Republic's extraction point is an island in the midst of a lava lake." He revealed. Sobeck fell quiet, thoughtfully digesting the available information.

"Yes... I know the one." He mused.

"I suggest you split our forces and trap the Republic in a pincer move. Cut off their access to the island and then strike them from behind." Wraith added, his mind already in a state of tactical overdrive.

"Agreed. I am on my way as we speak... and the Anoobas are on the prowl." Sobeck replied.

"Good. Send more droid squads to pursue them. We'll keep hounding them, wear them down. And then, when the time is right, we'll strike and take 'em down for good." Wraith responded.


The super-soldier continued to tail the Republic, witnessing them fend off another droid assault, but also lose a Clone and a bridge officer in the process. They were following the shore of the lake now and Wraith kept his distance while using his advanced receptors to pick up every word they said.

Which, at the moment, was mostly comprised of Tarkin complaining and going on about how this plan had the high potential to fail.

"Blah blah blah... Force what I wouldn't give to shut that kriffer up permanently." Wraith grumbled as he listened to Tarkin drone on. Finally, the conversation shifted.

"Why did Master Piell have to share half the intel with that guy? It's like he's not even grateful we rescued him." Ahsoka asked her master.

"Captain Tarkin feels the Jedi should be... relieved from the burden of leading the war effort." Anakin replied.

"That's ridiculous." Wraith chuckled at her response.

"Easy for you to say, my dear. No more Jedi would make half my troubles go away." Wraith whispered.

"Maybe. But we aren't soldiers, we're peacekeepers. The Jedi Code often prevents us from going far enough to achieve victory." Anakin replied.

"A rather simple point of view." Obi-Wan chided him with a questioning look.

"Either way, he is a good captain." Anakin relented. The party continued on as Wraith quickly digested what Anakin had to say.

"I believe I've found a psychological exploit..." He mused. A sudden howling stirred him from his thoughts as he realized the Anoobas had arrived. He decided to give Sobeck a status update and reached for his comms. "Warden, your pets have arrived." He informed him.

"Good. I have news for you as well, soldier," Sobeck replied, "additional reinforcements have arrived to bolster our orbital fleet. K-Two-B-Four has gone to participate in leading the defense."

"A step in the right direction." Wraith said. "Now to tighten the noose..." His focus returned to the Republic as they split up and entered a cave system, the Anoobas hot on their tail and a small squad of STAP speeders zipping by overhead. Wraith quickly found himself a better vantage point, choosing to tail Ahsoka and Piell's group instead of Obi-Wan and Anakin. Crab droids suddenly crawled up from beneath them, cutting down a member of Piell's bridge crew before the Lannik Jedi Master destroyed it.

"Keep going! Ahsoka and I will deal with the droids." Piell commanded the others. The Clones and officers took off as Ahsoka drew her own lightsabers and stood with Piell. The two of them were kept busy by encircling droids as the STAP's strafed Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Now this was a firefight.

The Clones quickly rejoined Anakin and Obi-Wan and made quick work of the STAP's while Ahsoka and Piell held their own and dismantled the crab droids one by one.

"Dammit..." Wraith sighed. "I mean, I love her for being this skilled... but can't we pin them down just once? Force, I hate being ringside and not actively participating." He muttered.

But then, things took a turn.

A stray Anooba managed to get the jump on Even, mauling him with his claws and teeth.

"Master Piell!" Ahsoka fearfully cried as the Anooba whipped the Lannik Jedi around in its jaws.

"Uh oh..." The super-soldier quietly said. Wraith realized that if they lost Piell, then there went half of the Nexus Route. Ahsoka promptly jumped to aid him and threw the Anooba off a clif with a strong Force push.

But her efforts seemed to be too late.

She knelt by Piell and realized he was in a very bad way.

"I have to get help!" She determined, rising to leave.

"No... Don't leave." Piell rasped from the ground. "Listen to me carefully, child. The information... I need you to deliver it, but only to the Council." He instructed her. Wraith's hearing pricked up at the words and began to move closer as Ahsoka felt otherwise about Piell's words.

"I should find Anakin or Obi-Wan. They need to hear this." She replied, believing them to be better qualified.

"No. You must listen..." Piell repeated.

"But I wasn't assigned to the team. I lied just so I could be a part of the mission." Ahsoka protested, revealing her true reason for being here. Wraith carefully drew closer, still unseen and hanging on to every word.

"Whether you were meant to be on this mission or not... you are now the most important part of it." Piell told her. "Remember this... and see to it that the information I'm about to give you is revealed... to no one... but the Jedi Council." He rasped, struggling to breathe. He beckoned her closer and Ahsoka listened carefully as Piell whispered the coordinates to her...

And, by extension, The Wraith.

His audio receptors picked up everything and saved it to the recording features built into his helmet. Wraith grinned broadly beneath his helmet.

He now had Piell's portion of the Nexus Route coordinates.

"Thank you, my dear." He whispered. If it hadn't been for Ahsoka being the only one here, he doubted he would've ever managed to get the info out of Piell.

Stepping back into the shadows, Wraith watched as Ahsoka carried Piell's body over to the others, taking a second to replace the power cell in his cloaking device. Once renewed, he crept back over to the Republic party and bore witness as they consigned Piell's body to the lava, watching it burn in typical Jedi fashion before going over the nearby falls.

Fortunately, his information was now in good hands.

Choosing not to inform Sobeck about this development, Wraith reached for his comms.

"Sobeck, The Republic are on the move again. Any time now."

"I'm on my way!" The Warden replied. "Your requested squad should be arriving soon." He added.

"Have them approach from the west. They cannot be allowed to reveal themselves just yet." Wraith stated. "I suspect that the Republic will be approaching via a narrow shore line that leads to that lake. Pin them down there."

"On it!" With the plan in place, Wraith continued to tail the Republic from a distance, the party now in a significantly more somber mood after the death of Piell. Sure enough, they followed the route Wraith had anticipated they would take, following the shoreline as it dropped until they were a mere few miles from their extraction point.

And they were walking right into their trap.

From his vantage point, Wraith watched the Republic draw closer and hesitantly wondered if he should intervene. But before they could round a bend, a line of battle droids and crab droids came marching around the path, opening fire as they appeared.

"Great! The Separatists were waiting for us!" Anakin exclaimed, igniting his lightsaber and swiftly deflecting the incoming shots.

"How did they get so far ahead of us?" Obi-Wan wondered, his blue blade humming as he deflected incoming fire right and left.

"We are on something of a one-way street!" Anakin replied, a deflected bolt taking down one of the crab droids.

"Better yet, how did they know we were coming this way?" Ahsoka asked as her twin blades carved clean through a pair of battle droids. The Clones behind them opened fire as their Generals provided a defensive break. Then, from overhead, Sobeck and a series of STAP's swooped down from above, their weapons blazing as they entered a strafing run.

"Look what I've found!" Sobeck cackled as they divebombed the Republic party. Red blaster bolts struck the ground around the Republic party as they scrambled to dispatch the foes attacking them on both fronts. Wraith looked on with eager anticipation, biding his time and waiting to see if he would be needed. "Soldier! Your troops await you on the ridge behind the Republic." Sobeck informed him over his comms.

"Perfect." Wraith rose and sprinted across the rocky terrain until he found a small company of mixed commando droids and battle droids. Powering down his cloaking field for a moment, he commanded their attention. "Sneak up on the Republic forces from behind and, whatever you do, do not reveal yourselves until I tell you."

"Roger roger." The lead battle droid replied. With a nod, Wraith was back in stealth mode and creeping up on the Republic forces, watching the battle unfold. The Jedi and Clones had successfully managed to hold off the initial droid force with relative ease, the Jedi making short work of even the STAPs. As Sobeck came around for another pass, Rex managed to fire off a few lucky shots that ripped through the Phindian's STAP, smoke and flame belching from the damage before the speeder crashed, sending Sobeck tumbling. With the Jedi otherwise occupied, Tarkin approached the downed warden with a raised blaster and took a single shot that glanced off Sobeck's shoulder. With a growl, the Phindian pounced on Tarkin, grappling with the Captain until his blaster was knocked aside and Tarkin was trapped in Sobeck's grip.

"If I can't have the information then it will die with you!" He shouted, hoisting Tarkin over his head and ready to throw him into the lava. Wraith saw his move and started to panic.

"Sobeck! No! You idiot!" He shouted, fearful that the warden would cost them victory.

If Tarkin died, this mission was over!

Suddenly, Ahsoka rushed Sobeck from behind and stabbed her yellow shoto clean through his back, killing him instantly. His body fell back and hit the ground, Tarkin also falling from his grip. Wraith breathed a sigh of relief. "You have no idea how much I appreciate you, my dear." He whispered under his breath. He wasn't the only one thankful though as Tarkin gave a nod of understanding in her direction.

"My thanks, Padawan Tano." He said, albeit a little begrudgingly. With Sobeck dead, the Republic mopped up the remaining droid forces until not a single one was left. R2 beeped in relief as the Jedi got ready to cross over to the island. From Wraith's perspective, there would not be another force coming to aid him.

"Of course a prison wouldn't have enough forces to route them." He surmised, looking at all the husks of offlined droids. "Guess that's why they called me." He rumbled, rolling his shoulders and starting to advance.

It was time for him to act.

Dusting themselves off, the Republic were more than ready to leave this Force-forsaken place.

"Come on, let's get to that island. The rescue ship should be here-" Obi-Wan was saying when Anakin stopped him.

"Hold on..." He quietly said, focusing on the Force. His senses had picked up something in their immediate area. It felt like a pair of eyes were boring into them, a steady gaze that was intense and hot...

Hot... like a raging fire.

"You feel that?" He asked, looking around.

"Like we're being watched?" Obi-Wan replied, now sensing it too. Anakin turned around to face the seemingly empty land before them... but his enhances senses told him otherwise.

"We're not alone." He quietly said, reaching for his lightsaber. All of a sudden, Wraith's cloaker deactivated as he lunged Anakin with a roar, taking him by surprise. Tackling the Jedi, Wraith rolled him across the ground before rising and throwing him into Obi-Wan. The super-soldier struck with lightning speed, charging Tarkin and forcing him into his grip before anyone else could act. He put the Captain in a chokehold and drew his slugthrower, pressing its cold barrel up against Tarkin's temple.

"Nobody move!" He shouted. Nobody did. The Clones froze in place, their blasters trained on him. But none of them dared open fire. "Sobeck's right. If we can't have the Nexus Route coordinates, then nobody can!" Wraith growled. "My suggestion is, if you still want your precious coordinates so badly, you'll throw down your arms and surrender." He told them. "If you wish to persist, go ahead. I dare you. But if you do, the Nexus Route is gonna get spilled all over the ground when I put a slug through Tarkin's head." He added in a threatening tone. From the ground, Anakin looked up in shock.

"You wouldn't!" Anakin exclaimed, knowing how valuable the Nexus Route coordinates were. Wraith shifted towards him and, in response, calmly pulled back the hammer of his pistol.

"Try me." He growled. Anakin gave Wraith the hardest death-stare he could muster, but he also know it was not wise to try and cross Wraith. The man always lived up to his threats, no matter how heinous the could be. They couldn't afford to lose Tarkin, not now.

Wraith was right. They needed that intel badly.

Anakin and Obi-Wan signalled their men and the Clones begrudgingly lowered their weapons. "That's better." Wraith rumbled, pleased he had achieved the upper hand. "Droids! Cuff 'em all!" He ordered. His hidden squad of battle droids and commando droids suddenly appeared on the ridge, the commandos leaping down with their blasters pointed at the Republic. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Rex shared looks of defeat as they slowly raised their hands.


The Republic affiliates soon had their weapons removed, hands cuffed behind their heads, lined up against the nearby ridge wall and forced to their knees. The droids surrounded them, blasters armed and ready. R2 was under considerable watch in the form of two commando droids, Wraith knowing the little astromech could tend to be trouble if not handled carefully. Most people underestimated R2, which often led to him being the reason for their downfall.

Wraith would not make the same mistake.

The super-soldier paced back and forth in front of the Republic, attempting to discern how best to deal with them. He decided to keep his knowledge of Even Piell's half a secret. If they knew, their resolve might harden and he might never get the codes in time.

"The lot of you have gone to considerable lengths to get out of here. Quite frankly, I'm not sure if I should be impressed or tired of your determination." Wraith stated.

"We'll take that as a compliment." Anakin sardonically remarked.

"Do so, Skywalker. I never give them out to the likes of you." Wraith growled. "You all know what I want: the Nexus Route coordinates. So, who's going to break first?" He asked them. No one made to reply. "Better yet, who am I going to have to break first?"

"Start with your own neck, Bucket-head!" One of the ARC troopers remarked. While his comrade snickered, Wraith didn't find the retort humorous at all and stalked over to him. Reaching down, he grabbed the Clone by the collar of his armor and promptly pitched him towards the lake of lava. Tumbling across the ground, the Clone managed to stop himself just in the nick of time, his head hanging over the edge of the bank as he bent backwards to avoid the searing heat. His brothers breathed a sigh of relief, believing Wraith had missed.

But that was his plan all along.

Stalking up behind the Clone, Wraith planted his boot on the back of the Clone's head and began to force it down into the lava. The Clone struggled to keep his head from becoming submerged in the molten rock, but determined as he was, it was all in vain. "No! NO!" He cried before Wraith shoved his face down into the lake, his body writhing and convulsing as his face was burned away under the molten substance. All the while Wraith kept his boot where it was, holding the trooper under as the horrified Republic watched helplessly. When the Clone's body finally fell still, Wraith released his foot, knowing the Clone had suffered an agonizing death being slowly burned alive.

How satisfying.

Turning back to the captured Republic, Wraith savored their looks of mortification. "'Nuff said, I take it?" He wondered. "Let that be a lesson to anyone wishing to mouth off again..." He warned them, stomping back over to the captured group. "Now... the coordinates." He growled, crossing his arms.

"Even if we wanted to give them to you, we couldn't. Master Piell is dead." Anakin retorted.

"I am aware of that, Skywalker. I've been tailing you this entire time, waiting for the right moment to appear." Wraith replied, surprising them. The Republic shared startled looks at the revelation. "Oh yes, I've seen everything. I've been watching and learning as you've all gone on. Understanding how you operate and who is reliable... and who isn't." Wraith continued. His gaze suddenly snapped to one end of the line. "Like you, Tarkin. From what I've been hearing you're nothing but an ungrateful little Huttspawn." Wraith growled as he approached the captain. "You should be thankful the Jedi even bothered to save your worthless self."

"Perhaps I would be a little more thankful if the Jedi were competent in their ways and did not place a mere child in a position of leadership." Tarkin bit back in response, maintaining his air of a haughty, privileged Republic officer. Ahsoka turned to glare at him, while Wraith knew exactly who he was talking about... and it caused his anger to burn hot.

"Or is it that the 'child' is better suited for this... and that chafes you." The super-soldier continued.

"Hardly. I am more perturbed by the fact they would prefer to trust in a petulant brat than in classical military structure." Tarkin replied in a calm, defiant voice. By now, Ahsoka was done with being picked on like this.

"Hey!" She snapped, but Wraith had already grabbed Tarkin's neck in a vise grip and hoisted him off the ground, his feet dangling as he was trapped in Wraith's iron grip.

"I would pick your next words very carefully." He growled in a low, threatening tone. "The Padawan who saved your life is far more qualified than you could ever hope to be, you wretched old fool."

"What does a monster like yourself care for how I view a Jedi child?" Tarkin rasped, struggling to breathe. Wraith paused for a moment, letting the Captain dangle in his grip a moment longer.

"My actions may be monsterous, but under all of this," Wraith rumbled as he reached to the side of his helmet and pressed his mouthguard release, the twin panels over his mouth folding away to reveal his human jaw and lips, "I'm still a man." With that, he dropped Tarkin to the ground, the older man coughing as the droids trained their blasters on him to ensure he didn't try anything. "A man with thoughts and feelings... not that any of you care." Wraith continued, letting his true voice continue. "But I'm not here to let you psychoanalyze me. I want the Nexus Route. And I'm going to get it... one way or another." As he finished, he knelt before Ahsoka, tha Padawan gazing at his crimson optics as he arrived on her level. Wraith took in the sight of his crush with a measure of relief and satisfaction. It felt good to see her alive in person and his heart stirred at the notion that he could be close to her again. "So... what's say we torture your master for a little bit?" He wondered. Ahsoka frowned.

"You know I'd prefer it if you didn't." She replied. While she was trying to redeem Wraith and Anakin's own efforts often got in the way, she did not like to see her master be beaten so brutally as Wraith was known to do. But there was obviously something afoot when Wraith chuckled, the corners of his mouth turned upwards in a smile.

"I wasn't referring to physical torture." He replied, voice low. "No, no... I was referring to something more... psychological." He clarified, his fingers gently caressing Ahsoka's chin as he looked her in the eyes. Ahsoka raised a brow-marking, wondering what kind of maniacal machinations he had in mind. His current tone sounded... playful. Too playful for any kind of serious brutality...

And then, Wraith kissed her.

All sorts of eyes widened at the act, Ahsoka's mostly but Anakin, Obi-Wan, the Clones and the other Republic affiliates couldn't help but stare agape at the bold move.

Never had Wraith been known to pull a stunt like this before.

His touch was not exploratory, but it was strong, enough to make Ahsoka whimper a little. She could feel her mind reeling and spinning as he released her, a hot blush of mixed surprise and embarrassment appearing on her cheeks and darkening her montrals. Wraith knew he was pushing his luck, but the few seconds of lip contact felt utterly heavenly. He pulled back with the same playful grin on his face. "You have no idea how much I've wanted to do that." He whispered, voice soft. Ahsoka said nothing, her senses momentarily overwhelmed. Her mouth hung slightly open and she was breathing heavily, but not quite gasping for air. Wraith took note of her flustered state and cocked his head, smirking a little. "Was I your first kiss?" He softly wondered. "I get the feeling I was." Ahsoka still said nothing, Wraith's fingers gently sliding up along the length of her cheek, his touch soft and... rather soothing.

If it weren't for embarrassment, she might've been able to enjoy it a little more. "Would you like me to do it again?" Wraith asked her. But before either of them could say anything further-

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Anakin shouted, struggling fiercely against his bonds as if he wanted to tear Wraith apart. The super-soldier sighed and rolled his eyes, standing up in order to deal with this meddlesome menace.

"Skywalker, Skywalker, Skywalker..." he chided with a shake of his head, "always ready to ruin someone's fun!" He growled, decking Anakin's jaw with such tremendous force it was a wonder it didn't break. The Jedi's head snapped to the side, the fight temporarily taken out of him as Wraith dusted off his knuckles. "Force, that felt good." He muttered. He suddenly reefed Anakin's head up by his hair. "I heard the Citadel was designed to hold wayward Jedi. You know, you fit that description perfectly... 'Chosen One'." He sneered, practically throwing Anakin down. Wraith continued on as the Jedi recovered. "I overheard your surprise when Ahsoka appeared out of that Carbonite block. I take it you're not supposed to be here, my dear?" He wondered, casting Ahsoka a glance. But the Padawan dared not look up, her skin dark from blush. Wraith's gaze returned to Skywalker as the Jedi looked up at him with contempt. "Something in your eyes... Something happened. You're scared, aren't you?" Wraith wondered as he took a turn kneeling next to Skywalker. "You have every reason to be afraid. You're right to keep her out of missions like this, away from all the fighting. She's just not strong enough. Not with your training, anyway." His words were like a venom to Anakin, one he refused to accept and continued to glare at Wraith. "This war's only gonna ramp up... best you play things safe and keep her locked up in that Temple of yours." The super-soldier finished before he stood again. "Now... where was I?" He mused, triggering his mouthplates again as he walked over to Tarkin. "Ah yes... the coordinates, Tarkin! NOW!" He shouted, suddenly growing quite frightening again.

"I am sworn to tell this information only to people of supreme Republic authority. And no one else." Tarkin replied, maintaining his calm. Wraith's shoulders heaved, he was growing fed up with Tarkin's arrogant resistance. He wanted nothing more than to drown this Sithspawn in the lava himself. But he couldn't. Not until he got the intel out of him.

"Fine. Be that way." He growled. Drawing his slugthrower, Wraith took aim at one of the surviving bridge crew and promptly pulled the trigger, blowing out the officer's head and splattering the back wall with blood and brain matter.

"You monster!" Tarkin spat in a low voice.

"This is what you chose, Tarkin, when you defied me. All of this is your doing!" Wraith thundered, promptly executing the other officer with a CRACK from his slugthrower.

"Wraith! Stop!" Obi-Wan cried, trying to prevent a massacre from occurring.

"I'll stop when either when all of you are dead or when Tarkin gives me the coordinates!" He retorted, promptly killing the other ARC trooper and emptying one more round from his pistol. "It's his call. But I wouldn't be too worried. Your troops are a dime a dozen. Easily replaceable." Wraith added.

"What they are is good, living, breathing men!" Cody retorted. "Good souls whom you slaughter without hesitation."

"Because to me, you're nothing more than a waste of flesh." Wraith growled. "You're not men. You're no better than droids. Easily replaceable. Easily forgettable." Cody glared at him, neither of the two flinching or willing to back down. Without even looking away, Wraith raised his pistol and fired a shot clean through the head of the 212th Clone beside Cody, his dead body falling over. "What was his name?" Wraith asked in a rather smug tone.

Cody's only reply was to spit in his face.

Wraith recoiled slightly as a wad of spittle dripped down the front of his helm, the ultimate act of disrespect. "Filthy wretched Clone!" He growled, the last word sounding particularly vile to him. Slugging Cody across the face, he then pistol-whipped the trooper to the ground, opening a nasty gash across Cody's forehead. With the Clone down, Wraith planted his heavy boot directly on top of Cody's throat. "Treat me like that again... and I will crush your neck." He threatened, stepping back long enough to deliver a swift kick to Cody's side, the steel toe of his boot crushing several of the Clone's ribs. Cody growled in pain as Wraith moved on, stowing his weapon. "I'm getting tired of waiting, Tarkin. Give me the codes, now!" Wraith demanded. Tarkin said nothing, keeping his mouth shut. "You really do enjoy seeing others suffer for your own stupid mistakes, don't you?" The super-soldier remarked as he stopped in front of Rex. The Clone looked up at him, causing Wraith to chuckle briefly. "This is the perfect posture for you."

"I bet you tell that to all the guys." Rex spat back. His patience already on a razor-thin line, Wraith snapped and planted his boot right in Rex's face, knocking him down as blood flew from his nose. Anakin instantly started moving to aid his captain, but was halted as Wraith delivered another hard kick to Rex's head, blood spurting from his mouth. Planting his boot on the Clone's forehead, Wraith turned to Anakin with a withering gaze.

"Has the Republic still not taught these animals to respect their superiors?" He wondered with a growl.

"He's not an animal!" Anakin shouted back in retort.

"No. You're right. He's less than an animal... he's sub-human!" Drawing one of his knives, Wraith dropped down and promptly buried it in Rex's mechanical arm, tearing it away with a crackle of electricity and sending bits of metal flying. Rex cried out in pain as the synthetic nerves flared up in full force. "Now... is someone going to tell me what I want to know or am I going to have to keep killing people?" Wraith wondered as he stalked down the line, sheathing his blade. Before anyone else could say a word, a low droning could be heard in the skies overhead. Everyone looked up to see what is, Wraith having a sneaking suspicion that he knew. That's when a beam of green energy ploughed into the ground beside Wraith, annihilating two droids and throwing the super-soldier aside. The droids quickly turned their blasters upwards as a gunship made to land.

The Republic fleet had broken through.

The Clones inside opened fire, aided by the beam cannons mounted on the gunship's exterior. Commander Wolffe and his Wolf Pack went to work destroying the droids guarding the pinned Jedi. They ripped apart the droids as the Republic affiliates on the ground quickly freed themselves and collected their weapons, R2 zapping the two droids guarding him as he made his own break for freedom. Rex and Cody were helped on board, as was Tarkin, the bodies of the dead left behind.

"This is not the location we agreed to meet at." Plo Koon remarked with a bit of dry wit.

"What can we say? We stopped to take in the scenery." Obi-Wan remarked in reply. Down on the ground, Wraith picked himself up in time to see the gunship getting ready to take off.

"No... No!" He shouted, jumping to his feet and chasing the gunship with pistols raised, firing at the Clones on the inside. But as he did, Ahsoka quickly used the Force to lift a nearby boulder and used it to trip Wraith up, knowing him over and buying the ship enough time to take off and leave Lola Sayu behind.

"Nice move, Snips." Anakin complimented her.

"Are you glad Master Plo sent me, Master?" Ahsoka replied with a smirk.

"You know what? I think I am." Anakin responded with a grin of his own. "You know something else?

"What's that, Master?"

"Wraith's wrong. You are strong enough. I'm the one that's been worried about you. But today you proved that you can handle dangerous missions like this one... even if you weren't supposed to be here." He said. Ahsoka brightened.

Looks like she was going to be back in the action full-time.

"Thanks Master." She said with a smile.


Later that day, back aboard the Dominance...

Having returned from Lola Sayu, Wraith stood before a holographic render of Count Dooku, Doctor Scipio and Admiral Sereva standing alongside him.

"I understand Master Piell was killed during the escape attempt." The Count said.

"Yes. But as he was dying, he passed on the information to Ahsoka Tano... and I was close enough to record everything." Wraith replied, tapping the side of his helmet. Dooku nodded, pleased by this.

"So we have the first half of the coordinates. What of the half that was with Tarkin?" He inquired. That required a different explanation.

"Tarkin refused to give up the information even when I interrogated him a second time." Wraith explained, disappointed he couldn't have worked the intel out of Tarkin while he had the chance. Dooku frowned, suddenly taking on a rim expression.

"So you failed us after all." He darkly stated.

"Sir, I-"

"Without the Nexus Route coordinates, we will be unable to strike a crucial blow against the Republic. I hope you understand what you're failure has cost us, soldier." Dooku stated, chiding him. Wraith decided it was pointless to try talking and, instead, decided to show what else he had in store. Walking up to the holotable, Wraith inserted a chip from his gauntlet and tapped a few keys, bringing up a sound wavelength moments later. Everyone eyed the projection curiously.

"What is-?" Scipio wondered.

"While I was interrogating Tarkin the first time, I slipped one of your new micro-listening devices onto the inside of his belt, Doc. So far it's gone unnoticed, meaning we should be able to hear his portion of the Nexus Route when he reveals it to the Chancellor." Wraith stated, gesturing to the incoming audio feed. They listened for a moment, revealing Tarkin making minor small talk with some officers as he recounted his recovery from Lola Sayu and his intention to visit Palpatine shortly. Wraith looked back to his audience, knowing this wasn't quite what he wanted to show off. "Look, I know what that sounds like, but trust me, this'll work out for us." He quickly stated, covering himself.

"How very interesting. Doctor, see to it this data is transferred directly to me." Dooku commanded. Scipio obeyed and went to the holotable controls as Dooku continued. "A job well done after all, soldier. I apologize for doubting you." He added.

"Everynow and then you have to trust someone even when it looks like they don't know what they're doing. I've served under enough commanders to know this feeling well enough." Wraith replied. "I accept your apology, sir." Dooku nodded in understanding.

"Very good then. Take some time to recuperate, soldier. I'm sure we'll have need of you again." He said before signing off.

"Now that's using tech smartly!" Scipio commented from the holotable. "I must admit, that was a very slick and clever move, my boy!" He applauded. Sereva agreed and approached him.

"Nice work Wraith. I can see why high command likes you so much." She commented.

"We all have a part to play, Admiral." Wraith calmly replied. "Which reminds me: what exactly do we have in store for this Nexus Route?"

"I think I can fill you in on that." Sereva replied. "The Nexus Route coordinates have the potential to change the outcome of the Clone Wars as they provide a direct link between Separatist homeworlds and the Republic's Core Worlds." She explained. This Wraith knew. "We need the Nexus Route in order to access the Core Worlds. Coruscant, specifically." She added. Wraith quickly put two and two together.

"You mean... we're planning an invasion?" He realized. Sereva nodded.

"It is the purpose for which these Subjugator warships, including the Dominance, were built for and why I'm here now." The Twi'lek told him. "But it's still in the planning phase, so don't tell anyone else." She cautioned him. Wraith nodded and reveled in the fact that they would soon be taking the fight straight to Coruscant... an easy deathblow if ever he saw one coming.

"No wonder we need six." He mused. Scipio chuckled lightly.

"My boy, you have only been informed about the first six." He stated.


Wraith sat alone in his quarters, devoid of all his armor except for his helmet. He was resting on his bed, taking some time to wind down after the long day he'd had on Lola Sayu.

But things wouldn't stay quiet for long.

Just as he was feeling relaxed, he felt the familiar sensation of another presence here in his quarters. Turning around, Wraith saw Ahsoka again, alone in her quarters.

"I had a feeling we'd meet again like this." He announced. Ahsoka looked up in surprise, before releasing a breath as she realized it was just Wraith.

"I really wish I'd have some warning before this started up." She said.

"Ditto." Wraith agreed. "So... Lola Sayu... quite the experience, wasn't it?"

"I guess it was. Had me wondering a few times if we were gonna make it out." She replied. "Oh, hey, Anakin's decided to quit picking my missions for me and is letting me go with him again." She announced, quite happy by that fact. Wraith smirked.

"Then it appears my reverse psychology worked." He stated. Ahsoka looked at him questioningly before her eyes widened and she realized the meaning behind his words.

"You purposefully told him those things so he'd want to prove you wrong!" She exclaimed. Wraith chuckled in response.

"Excellent deduction, my dear." He congratulated her. "It appears that was the only success I managed to have." He added.

"Aw, don't feel too bad Wraith. You did something for me at least." She encouraged him, genuinely grateful for his intervention.

"I know. I couldn't bear to fight this war without seeing you all the time." He replied, smiling softly. "You make my days a little brighter." He whispered, looking at her. Ahsoka blushed at his compliment.

Force, she'd been doing that a lot lately!

"Still... it's a good thing we kept you from stealing those coordinates." She added.

"But what I did manage to steal was just as worthwhile." He replied with a knowing smirk. Ahsoka maintained her composure, but couldn't help turning a shade darker as she recalled the kiss he'd stolen.

It did feel kinda nice...

"Why do you hide behind your helmet?" She suddenly asked him.

"I don't 'hide' behind it. It protects my face and creates an identity for people to recognize." He answered.

"But... it's not the real you. I really like getting to talk to you, even if it is random and strange like this." Ahsoka implored. "But I'd really prefer it if there was a real, organic face for me to talk to." Wraith felt touched by her words, but also pained by them. His true face was a secret, not even fellow Separatist commanders knew what he looked like beneath the mask.

That... and there were some aspects of his appearance he was convinced she'd be repulsed by.

"There are some... alterations that were made to me that I'm... not ready to show you." He explained in a soft tone.

"Like what?" She asked. It was then she remembered the confrontation on Aphran Four and how his optic had been shattered. When his eye opened, there was an amber and unnatural hue that stared out. "Are... Are those your eyes? I mean, they're not, right? You're human, humans don't have eyes like that, so surely it was because of that second wind you got... right?" She wondered. Wraith realized Ahsoka was on to the truth, but still held reservations about opening up like this to her. After everything they'd been through, after everything he'd seen and experience, he was worried about how the two of them would end up. Wraith wanted to be with her... but wasn't sure if destiny would be so kind.

Still, he couldn't make up her mind for her. Maybe it was time she knew the truth about his appearance.

Rising from his seat he walked over to a nearby lightswitch and triggered it, his room turning completely dark save for a minor glow coming from a nearby viewport. His crimson optics glowed brightly in the dark and Ahsoka watched as he appeared to sit down before the topics powered off. The viewport glow offered her a tiny amount of illumination, enough for her to make out the outline of his body. He seemed to have taken his helmet off as she could see the faint outline of hair where the normal rounded shape of his helmet should've been.

"Can you see my face?" He asked. "Can you see any of my face at all?" Ahsoka squinted, trying hard to see his appearance in the dark, but could see nothing further than his outline.

"No." She honestly replied. He was completely cloaked in shadow.

"Good." He whispered. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and Ahsoka jumped in fright, gasping in shock.

His eyes were like a lizard's; amber in color with a distinct vertical pupil. They glowed in the dark, eerily set against the shadowy outline of his head. They were not what she was expecting at all.

"Wha... What..." She stammered, not sure what to say. Wraith closed his eyes and sighed.

"Now you see why I wear this." He murmured, moving to stand. "You think I'm hideous." He donned his helmet again as Ahsoka found her tongue.

"I... No, Wraith. I-I never said that." She replied.

"Your reaction told all." He responded, his mouthguard now closed.

"Wraith, please, just... just let me-"

"I'm sorry. But I have to go." Wraith muttered and quickly left his quarters, the door sealing behind him. Walking the halls of the Dominance, Wraith breathed deeply and sighed. He never should've done that. Now she no doubt hated him, feared him.

He was afraid that would be her reaction.

But Ahsoka was experiencing the opposite reaction.

She realized that Wraith had been experimented on so badly that it had changed even his appearance, so much so that he'd reached a point where he was afraid of what she thought of him.

And that made her break for him.

It was just another sign of the hurting man underneath. The man who needed a friend more than he needed another enemy or a domineering superior.

"What have they done to you?" She softly wondered aloud, her voice pained by the reality she'd just witnessed.