-Chapter 113: No Rest for the Weary-

Location: Orron III

"When everyone sits, dare to stand."

Taking Corsair's advice, the Republic launched an assault on Orron III in conjunction to other assaults being launched against newly-discovered droid factories, thanks to some intel Ahsoka was able to provide. A joint task force consisting of the 187th Legion, the 41st Elite Corps, the 327th Star Corps and the 501st Legion were deployed with the sole mission of destroying Orron's manufacturing plants in order to deprive the Separatists of their foodstuffs. The few aerial and naval defences positioned around the planet were swiftly dispatched with efficient ease, the armies of the Republic making landfall and destroying three manufacturing plants on that first day. The population of that town were quickly subjugated as their source of livelihood was destroyed by the Republic. The Republic was not welcome here, the populace making that much known. But the armies shrugged off their complaints and demonstrations and moved on.

The planetary capitol was far more fortified by comparison to the other townships the Republic conquered, and soon received a steady stream of refugees who begged the governor for aid. Knowing that they lacked the defensive means to repulse four of the Republic's greatest armies, he put in a call to Count Dooku and begged for help. The Count agreed and sent ships to move the populace off-world, seeing as the Republic was on the warpath. But the denizens of Orron III were numerous and the relocation process would take time, a luxury the advancing Republic forces would not give them. Their defending forces were stretched thin, however, and so Dooku needed to determine who was needed where the most. And so, the Sith called upon one of his special operatives to do something about the developing situation on Orron III...


The blue bolts came fast and hard, salvo after salvo slamming into heavy armor. The man went unfazed, his expression calm in the face of such adversity. His steely eyes were almost hypnotizing as he offered her his gloved hand...

Aayla awoke with a start, jarred from her restless sleep as the vision ended almost as suddenly as it had begun. The Twi'lek rubbed her eyes in tired confusion, wanting to sleep but also concerned by the nature of this dream. She knew from the teachings of fellow Jedi that dreams were often of great importance, influenced by the Force as a means of communication. The question now was what the Force was trying to tell her. Was it a warning, a portent of what was to come? Was it a glimpse of the future? She did not know. At the moment, though, the Rutian Twi'lek was too tired to care. Two days of nonstop movement as the joint Republic force attacked and destroyed multiple factories and settlements had wearied her and she needed to regain her strength for the tasks still to come. She would meditate on this another time, Aayla determined. It was late, after all. Another day of marching lay before them and Aayla knew she'd prefer to be well-rested instead of having to rely on the Force to keep herself energized. The Twi'lek laid down and closed her eyes, allowing the Force to sweep through her body and calm her. Hopefully this attempt would be dreamless...

But in another part of the camp, another Jedi was also sleepless.

Barriss Offee sat across from her master in the shelter they shared. After today, she was troubled by the Republic's mission and how it was unfolding. In order to deal with the conflict springing up within her, she decided her Master, Luminara Unduli, would be the best source of information. Now that they were alone, Barriss revealed her trouble.

"Master, I am... conflicted by our actions today." She said in a quiet voice. "Today we destroyed places where many of the Orronians make their living. They produce food for the galaxy and for themselves, and now they are without."

"Your concern is admirable, Padawan." Luminara gently responded. "And I understand your thoughts. But today's actions were necessary ones."

"But the armed insurgents, those who tried to defend their livelihood with what few weapons they could find were killed on the spot." She recalled both Master Skywalker and Master Windu ordering their troops to cut down the small pockets of resistance that sprang up as they levelled the manufacturing plants. "They were just trying to fight for their lives. they shouldn't have had to die."

"It is most unfortunate, Barriss. You are right. But today you have seen one of the many necessary evils in the galaxy," Luminara replied, "in order to do what is right, sometimes you must do a dark deed. The Code warns of this; If a Jedi ignites their lightsaber, they must be prepared to take a life. We did what we had to."

"But... I thought, as Jedi, we're supposed to be helping people. Today we destroyed a people's way of life without giving them an alternative. We did not help them in any way." Barriss countered, her distress and concern obvious to Luminara.

"Today we acted as peacekeepers, Barriss. On the road to restoring peace in the galaxy, we must ensure those who would thwart us are not allowed to continue unhindered." The senior Mirialan answered. "We would never take lives needlessly, nor would we seek to destroy without cause. Our Codes guide us, young one. They keep us from losing sight of who we are and from becoming wayward, ruthless beings of violence." The war had pushed the Jedi far beyond their normal roles of diplomats and moderators. Now they were active leaders, soldiers in a way, and Luminara supposed some took to this better than others. But the cloud surrounding her fellow Mirialan still did not shift. "Something about this troubles you." She commented.

"There are times when it seems Master Skywalker does not act like a Jedi at all, a trait that... sometimes Ahsoka can mimic." Barriss told her. Luminara chuckled.

"Anakin may not be like every Jedi, but he acts with the Order in mind. In many ways he and Ahsoka compliment one another and balance out each other's extremes." She told her. Barriss' expression did not change, and through the Force Luminara could tell she was still troubled. "Take heart, Barriss. We will help these people when it is time to do so. But we must cut out the Separatist influence first." She promised. "Sleep now, Padawan. We will need your insights tomorrow."

"Yes, Master." Barriss obeyed and crawled back into her cot. Clearly she would receive no further answers, so she sought out none. But it seemed to her that her Master was not admitting the sense of wrong she felt or agreeing with the notions she put forth. Instead, if anything, it seemed like Luminara was defending their actions. This was not how Jedi acted. From her time before the war, Barriss believed that a Jedi would simply convene a meeting with the manufacturers and come to a reasonable settlement that would result in the temporary closure of the plants and halting the distribution of the foodstuffs, instead of charging in with lightsabers drawn like they had today. This seemed wrong, but she felt alone in this. Ahsoka had heartily joined her Master in his every effort to destroy the plants, there was no kinship to be found with her. There seemed to be nothing more Barriss could do...


The next morning...

The Republic camp stirred as dawn broke, streaks of pink and orange lining the sky as Clone troopers quickly packed up and got ready to move out under the direction of the Jedi.

And then the early morning stillness was broken as the explosions started.

One by one they detonated, as Clones clustered around supply crates, sending bodies and pieces of bodies flying through the air. The Jedi scrambled to intervene as fireball after fireball ripped through the camp and took out entire groups of Clones. But the detonations were seconds apart. By the time the Jedi were ready to act, the damage had already been done. The arrived to find bodies strewn about, many dismembered and blown to pieces... and some of them were still alive. The horror of the moment gripped the Clones and leading members such as Rex, the 187th's Commander Kord the 327th's Commander Gould, and the 41st's Commander Dusk were concerned that more might be planted but left undetonated.

"So far there's forty deaths, but that number continues to rise." Rex stated. "This was planned and coordinated, those explosives placed and timed so that they might deal maximum damage."

"The locals are fighting back?" Aayla wondered.

"Or they got some help." Anakin grimly replied.

"We need to check the rest of our resources to see if there's anymore explosives." Kord said. "We can't lose anyone else."

"Then we'll sweep the whole area before we move on." Mace determined.

"We'll head up a party to do so, General." Gould volunteered.

"Try to make it quick, Commander. We're losing precious time." Aayla encouraged.

The Clones were methodical and efficient, searching every crate, every pack, anywhere small enough to hide an explosive. They even checked under rocks within the radius of the camp, being as thorough as possible for the sake of their still-living brothers. But they found nothing and they reported to the Jedi that the armies were ready to advance. By the time they were on the move, the sun had breached the horizon, the sky bathed in a rainbow of shimmering color as the Republic moved on.

And then their transports exploded.

The explosions took out the drivetrains and maneuverability systems, effectively crippling the AT-OT's. But the added flame and heat detonated the flammable reserves located in the underbelly, the secondary explosion more massive than the first as entire walkers were either obliterated in balls of fire or snapped in two and sending crashing to the ground. Each one had been full of men, the first shift to ride before changing out with those who were marching. Most of them were killed instantly, only a handful of survivors able to crawl away from the burning wreckage. The armies halted as Clones scrambled to help their brothers and assess the situation, the Jedi not far behind.

"So far, it's just one thing after another today!" Anakin complained as he used the Force to move part of a transport leg that pinned several Clones.

From a distance, hidden behind a rock, The Wraith watched the fruits of his labor come to bear with a sense of achievement. He spent all of last night preparing an elaborate series of traps that would slow the Republic's advance, as well as some sabotage that would severely hamper their efforts to fight. Two of which had just been made known, but he had plenty more ready and waiting for them.

Since arriving, he'd seen the helpless Orronians being loaded onto transports, forced to leave their world behind in order to avoid being subjugated by the Republic. None of them wanted to, but they were farmers and a simple people. There wasn't a soldier among them. Orron was important to the Confederacy, one of the few worlds supplying them foodstuffs whereas most other agriworlds had strong ties with the Republic. Now the Republic sought to deprive a people of their livelihood, of their homes, all in the name of straying to crush the Confederacy. Seeing desperation and sorrow in the faces of the people, Wraith vowed to protect their world no matter what.

Since conquering three of the major plants the previous day, the Republic was now making for the capitol on the other side of a vast valley. A world of rocky savannahs and grasslands, there were few places of Wraith to launch a stealth attack and even fewer places where he could hide from the Republic. Trees were sparse and rocks were low to the ground. He knew he could make due, but this assignment would certainly be a tricky one. Given the odds he faced, there was no way he could launch an assault of any kind. He'd have to be stealthy and careful, relying on traps and trickery instead of brute force. His first act of sabotage worked wonderfully, his explosive emplacements eliminating dozens, if not hundreds, of Clones from the equation. His primary objective was to slow them down and buy the removal teams time to relocate the Orronian refugees before the Republic could attack. His second objective was to, if at all possible, keep the Republic out of the capitol. A job easier said than done given how he had to keep four armies at bay.

He'd devised a simple strategy to run them ragged: eliminate means of expedient travel, plant traps to slow their progress and keep them second-guessing, hound them as they travel, and fight in person only when it's necessary. Hopefully, they would lose the manpower and resources to take the capitol... hopefully.

Watching as the last of the wrecked transports were moved by the Jedi, Wraith contemplated where their travels might take them next. But also seeing as that such a massive disruption would waylay them for a while, he pulled a pair of throwing knives from his belt and made to circle the armies.

A pair of purple-painted 187th Clones were examining a collapsed walker from behind, out of sight and out of view of the rest of their forces. With their focus on the ruined and scorched machine, neither of them heard the whistle until both throwing knives had been imbedded in their necks. Springing from his cover, Wraith quickly dragged their bodies away and hid them under some rocks, ensuring they would not be found by any searchers.

He moved on, continuing his trek around the Republic forces, and singled out a pair of 327th Clones leaving the company. With all the chaos happening, no one saw them leave, no one saw Wraith sneak up behind and jam knives into the backs of their heads, and no one saw him cart the bodies away. Their bodies were also hidden and as Wraith dusted off his hads, he was quite pleased with the smoothness of his moves. But he had to be careful with the chances he took. They'd be on high-alert now, virtually expecting further misfortune... something he planned to give them in full.


It was mid-morning by the time the Republic was ready to move again. The sun had risen fully and the colours of dawn had given way to blue, cloudless skies. Having spent several additional hours cleaning up the wrecked walkers and saving as many wounded men as they possibly could, they were way behind schedule. The valley was long and would easily take several days to cross, meaning they needed to cover as much distance as possible within those allotted days. But then came the news...

"General, one of our companies reported two of their men missing." Kord revealed to Mace. The dark-skinned Jedi turned to him with a look of concern.

"Were they supposed to be on the transports?" He asked.

"No, sir. That's what's got them all worried." Kord answered. Mace's brow furrowed, his next question halted as Gould approached Aayla.

"General, Keeradak Battalion reports several of their men have gone missing." As he finished, Commander Dusk arrived beside him,

"What? You too?" He realized, before he could report to Luminara. The Jedi all came to the same conclusion, Anakin being the one to vocalize it.

"Someone's here, hounding us." His statement sank in just before Rex arrived on the scene. "Let me guess, some of our troopers have gone missing." He wondered before the Captain spoke. Rex froze, stunned by how Anakin knew what he was going to say.

"...yes sir. And they weren't on the transports." He eventually continued. Anakin sighed.

"Great. Just great." He muttered.

"There seems to be something systematic about this. A big distraction to draw our attention so that someone might operate unseen." Aayla said aloud.

"Such a move would suggest plenty of planning beforehand." Barriss agreed. "They'd have to be very tactical and precise with their actions."

"And I highly doubt its the Orronians doing this. What weapons they have barely qualify as 'weapons'." Ahsoka chimed in. "It has to be someone else, someone-"

"Like a super-soldier." Mace concluded. Several eyes lit up at his words.

"The Wraith." Anakin growled.

"Not necessarily. Master Tiin revealed to us the identity of the second super-soldier as well as the possible existence of a third." Mace told him, shocking his fellow Jedi.

"A third super-soldier?!" Ahsoka cried.

"We really do have our pick of them now." Rex grimly mused.

"So how do we know who it is? We have to be able to deal with them." Kord wondered.

"Keep in mind, we have a schedule to keep and a deadline to make." Dusk added.

"But if one super-soldier could pull this off... we're not even at the objective yet!" Gould said. "Who knows what they've done to prepare for us."

"All things we'll have to take in stride." Anakin determined. "Right now, we need to move. Super-soldier or not, we need to take the capitol. We'll start on our way, follow the path we chose beforehand, and keep watch for anything that looks like super-soldier activity. We'll perform regular check-ins and keep a tight web of updates so that nothing goes unnoticed. If we do find something, we act on it appropriately." He suggested, keeping their objective in mind. The Clones quickly agreed and made to ready their men, the Jedi also agreeing with Anakin's plan.

Several medics stayed behind to tend to the wounded, a new camp being formed as a field hospital for those who survived this attack. The rest of the armies moved on, the watchful optics of Wraith analyzing their maneuvers. Part of him wanted to eradicate the field hospital and permanently deal with this portion of their forces. But he knew that the more Clones he could force into that field hospital, the less the Jedi would have to use in their siege against the capitol. To that end, he began to develop a new plan as he calculated the distance between the Republic and the rest of his traps.

"If 'General Skywalker leads from the front', I'd best hit him from behind." He mused, screwing some new silencers onto his slugthrowers.


Mid-morning turned to early afternoon as the Republic marched on, long columns of Clones winding their way through the grasslands of Orron as the barest appearance of a distant ridgeline made itself known. The capitol was somewhere beyond that, their final destination. Ahsoka walked with Anakin in relative silence, their small talk from yesterday rather hindered by the weighty events of this morning. At first it seemed like this would be a straightforward mission, the sort that was done in a day and they'd be home before dinner. Now it seemed like someone was out to get them, trying to keep them from progressing. After Clones started disappearing, the air was thick with apprehension. Testing her senses, Ahsoka found many of the Clones to be nervous or wary when they were jovial the previous day. The mod shift was rather depressing, and Ahsoka knew from experience that seeing a lot of Clones die would easily sully any high spirits.

"There's... a lot of Clones here, Master. How are we gonna protect them all?" She wondered aloud.

"We can only try, Ahsoka. I don't want to lose any more either." Anakin replied, sympathizing with her.

"I know it's hard to predict the unpredictable. But surely we can do a little something extra to keep an eye out." She offered.

"Well, if you sense anything out of the ordinary, call it out. Right now our best preventative measure is an early-warning system, even if we just have seconds to act." Anakin suggested, his apprentice agreeing with him. On the far side of the column, where the 187th marched, Mace and Kord continued their silent, steady advance until a pair of Clones suddenly fell dead behind them, blood exploding from the sides of their helmets. There had been no movement, no indication, nothing. Mace hadn't even sensed his men were in danger.

The Legion halted as the two commanding officers stopped to check the dead. Single penetration marks in the sides of their helmets offered them a clue, and given the bloody residue left behind, no blaster was involved.

"Slugs. Definitely a sign of Wraith." Mace determined.

"Hopefully so, sir. Him we know how to deal with. Any new super-soldiers... we have no idea." Kord replied with much trepidation in his voice. "Maybe we should send out a scouting party, try and find whoever's shooting at us."

"No. Splitting us up now would only give them more targets to pick off." Mace stated. Then, suddenly, two more Clones fell dead with blood trailing in the wake of their corpses. The startled troopers raised their weapons and started sweeping the perimeter, only for two more to drop dead just like the others.

"Down! Get down!" Kord ordered, dropping to the ground flat on his stomach. His men copied him as Mace ignited his lightsaber, violet blade humming as he looked about. He could see nothing but he knew someone was there, the Force revealing that much to him.

"General Windu to all points, we're under fire from an invisible assailant." He radioed into his comms. "Maintain visual scanning. There could be more."

"We copy, Master Windu. Do you require assistance?" Luminara answered. Mace paused and looked around. His men remained on the ground, all of them looking about for a further attack. But nothing came. The air was still once more.

"Not yet. The threat may have passed. Remain vigilant, Master Unduli." Mace responded.

Having also heard the transmission, Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex stopped to consider their options.

"If he's using a cloaking device then there's no accurate way we can pinpoint him. Unless we can tag him with a dye, or something." Rex mused.

"What we need are some stealth-crackers." Anakin concurred.

"Feeling hungry, Master?" Ahsoka quipped.

"Very funny, Snips." Anakin dryly responded with a smirk. "Stealth-crackers are a new technology, kinda like the proposed 'hyperspace tracking'. It's a scanner that also generates multi-spectrum frequencies. As soon as it detects a distortion, like a cloaking field, the frequencies pierce the photo-arrays and short circuit the device... in theory, anyway. It's still experimental." He explained. Ahsoka nodded in understanding.

"Sounds cool." She said. "Though if we want to use something experimental, I bet the Titans have something." She offered. Anakin sighed.

"Yeah.. you're right." He reluctantly agreed before putting out a call. "Master Windu, while I'm loathe to make the suggestion, might now be a good time to call in the Titans? They could probably keep our mystery attacker off our backs." He suggested.

"Agreed, Skywalker. However, our pressing schedule demands we do not linger around waiting for anyone. Let's cover some more ground and, wghen we need to stop, we'll call them in." Mace replied. While they might all share the rank of General, since Mace was a leading member of the Jedi Council, he had seniority over all of them. The final say was ultimately his. Anakin clicked off the comms as Ahsoka protested,

"But the longer we wait, the higher the odds are that more Clones could die! We should call them in now."

"You heard Master Windu, nothing doing until it's absolutely necessary." Anakin replied. "We're probably not even gonna make our original destination, and we still have a lot of ground to cover before we reach the capitol."

"Just pray to the Force nothing forces us to stop, Commander." Rex offered. "Although, at this point General, I really wouldn't say no to some transports." Anakin could emphasize.

"I wouldn't either, Rex. But you remember the reports; the capitol's a hotbed of activity. Dooku's supplied them with anti-air defences. We'd be shot out of the sky as soon as they spot us. Our best bet was to take the city on foot, where there's minimal ground defences to get in our way." The Jedi said. His hand patted Rex on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Rex. We've still got this." While the odds might've shifted, Rex still had full confidence in his General and nodded in agreement.

Watching the 187th pick themselves up, Wraith was grateful he'd brought enough power cells to keep his cloaker at full charge. At the same time, he couldn't help but chuckle as the Clones took a few wary steps forward, still glancing around for signs they were being shot at.

He loved mind games.

Mentally calculating the distance they could still cover, Wraith realized his next trap was within their reach. He chose to hold off on these little skirmishing attacks for a while. Let them build up the hope that they were in the clear, that nothing more would happen to them...

Retrieving a detonator from within his duster, he couldn't wait to dash those hopes to pieces.


The Republic continued its march as the sun rose and shifted, morning turning to afternoon. High in the sky, the sun beat down on the columns of Clones without any clouds to bar its heat and light. The temperature and the mundane nature of the terrain began to wear on the troopers, many of them forgetting to keep an eye out for traps in an effort to focus on taking another step forward. This was by no means ideal, but they could do it. They'd been through worse. The 501st found this task sufficiently less daunting. They'd put up with Krell's hard twelve-hour march without any rest. A few hours in the sun wouldn't slow them down. They just kept moving, bypassing rocks and wading through the shifting grass, determined to do their duty.

Unfortunately for them all, neon of them noticed the rather symmetrical line of stones they all passed. A line that was now deep in the column of Clones.

Wraith's thumb hovered over the detonator trigger. Just a moment longer...

It was Ahsoka who sensed something first. Something wrong, just... out of place. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was enough to make her stop and dwell on it. Anakin's voice calling to her was dulled and distant as her senses tracked the odd sensation she felt. Her danger senses heightened and spiked, directing her to somewhere back within the column of troops. Ahsoka started moving, the men parting to let her through and watching her continue down the line. Her senses flashed like a spark as she realized something dangerous was about to happen within her line of troops.

"Split up! Spread out!" She cried, breaking into a run. Maybe she could stop it...

CLICK

The first explosion came from within the 187th Legion, a buried proton bomb exploding with such force it flung men into the air. Those immediately on top of the bomb were obliterated by the blast. The second detonated in the midst of the Star Corps, the ensuing shockwave flattening Clones as others were consumed by fire. A third hit the Elite Corps and the fourth and final bomb ripped through the midst of the 501st Legion, killing dozens in an instant. Ahsoka found herself suddenly hitting an invisible wall and felt the Force pulling her onto her back as the shockwave rolled past her. Clones all around her were flung to the ground, while those closest to the epicentre were destroyed in an instant.

Ahsoka assumed Anakin had pulled her back, but she didn't know especially with how rattled her senses were. It took her a full two minutes to recover, the ringing reverberating through her montrals gradually dying down as she shifted to an upright position. Bits of dirt slid away from her body as she realized she was surrounded by bodies. Some were stirring in moving, Clones shaking off the blast as they picked themselves up... others didn't move at all.

Blackened bodies were just scratching the surface of the devastation. All around the area were charred pieces of scorched armor with cooked flesh still attached. Ahsoka spied a broken helmet lying not far away from her, the shattered visor revealing a single eye that started vacantly back at her. She was helped up by Sounder and Sixshot, her battered senses still recalibration as she noticed Two-Two, Jolt and Reverb helping up other Clones. Ransack was busy tending to those who seemed to be in one piece. The whole situation was just... awful.

Ahsoka vaguely realized Anakin was beside her, talking. She clued in as her hearing returned and grew crisp, the white noise reduced to nothing. Her gaze slowly turned to meet his, the shock still pounding beneath her ribcage. "I sensed it Master..." she quietly told him, "I... I thought I could save them."

"You sensed it before I could, Ahsoka. And you tried. That's all anyone could've asked for." Anakin assured her, offering a few words of comfort that did nothing to fill the hollowness Ahsoka felt. Her gaze was drawn back to the chaos. More Clones were up and about, but even more remained on the ground, either wounded or dead.

"What do we do now?" She softly asked. Anakin's eyes also lingered on his men, both the living and the dead. This was showing the signs of careful planning, it had been orchestrated with maximum damage in mind. The bombs had been detonated within the column where the most men would be, not at the front or the rear. This had been designed deliberately.

"Now we call in the Titans." Anakin stated.


The Republic did not cover any more ground that day, the casualties of the bombing enough to force them to stop and reassess their situation. The waiting Titans arrived on the scene and Corsair took control of the situation, the Republic told to continue with their plans while the Titans would provide security and deal with their invisible attacker. It was effectively out of the Jedi's hands now.

That night, as another cloudless sky revealed the tapestry of a billion stars and other celestial bodies in the Orron System, Ahsoka found herself a quiet spot near the edge of the camp that was away from the hotbed of Clones working hard to keep their wounded brothers alive. The moment of the detonation still plagued her subconscious, invading her dormant thoughts even during the most hard-pressed of moments. It was all so sudden and quick, part of her found it hard to believe it had even happened at all.

But it had happened. And the guilt that crept into her mind made reality all the harsher.

If only she'd said something sooner... if only she'd pinpointed the danger earlier...

The Clones didn't even had a moment to dive for cover. They might've had she ordered them to, instead of trying to ensure she was right. Once again, she had tried to save them... and failed.

The thought weighed heavily on the girl's mind, her next exhale shuddering as it left her. She needed something to ease the stress, to help purge her mind of these thoughts. Old habits died hard ad she reached for her belt, finding the familiar pocket where her razor blade was hidden. The thin piece of metal emerged into the moonlight, its silver texture gleaming as though it had been freshly polished. She knew it's shape and edge well, knew how it felt between her fingers. It was familiar... comfortable.

Using the Force, she loosened the straps on her opposite glove one at a time. Then, suddenly, the razor fell from between her fingers. At first, Ahsoka thought she dropped it, but then she saw it whizzing through the air, guided by an unseen hand.

"Hey!" She said aloud, mixed surprise and agitation fuelling her cry. For a fearful second she glanced back at the camp, hoping no one had noticed her. Thankfully, no one had. Tightening the straps on her glove, Ahsoka scrambled to her feet and gave chase, the razor seemingly picking up speed as it whisked away from her outstretched hand. "Get back here!" She growled through gritted teeth, simply desperate to have it back. The razor led her away from the camp to a rocky outcrop where boulders taller than her created quite the wall. The silver blade whipped around the corner and Ahsoka pursued it... but she came to a screeching halt when a gloved hand caught the razor... a hand belonging to Wraith.

He was sitting on the ground, helmet removed and eyes closed. Ahsoka could feel the Force radiating from him and realized he had summoned her razor from across this great distance by simply focusing. His eyes slowly opened, their amber hue glowing in the dark as they turned to regard her. Ahsoka stood still, waiting with baited breath. He finally spoke,

"It was not your fault." He quietly told her. In light of his display of power, his statement seemed so off and... haughty to Ahsoka. A sudden fury erupted within her, how dare he tell her what to do!

"I wouldn't need it if it wasn't for you planting those bombs!" She spat with a huff, using the Force to rip the razor from his hands and back into hers. That was a crutch and Wraith knew it. Still, her words were an indicator she definitely had something further to work out with him.

"What else am I supposed to do? Refute my orders? Tell them that the peace-loving Orronians should just roll over and let their way of life be trampled and that I shouldn't fight for their peace?" He questioned. "A soldier who does not fight is a dead one, surely you get that from being around dozens of them all the time." Ahsoka turned away, offering him only her back as Wraith rose to his feet. "And if I recall the reports correctly, Skywalker ordered the lone Orronian with a cycler rifle shot by Torrent Company, like a firing squad." Wraith sharply responded. "Where's the peace in that?"

"The peace is that he was a Separatist and he's gone now." Ahsoka retorted derisively, all sense of logical tact having flown out the nearest viewport as her emotions ran hot. She wasn't sure if she really meant that, she just wanted to get under Wraith's skin.

"He was just fighting to protect his job, his way of providing for his family. Does that mean his life is worth less than a Republic citizen's?!" Wraith shot back. Ahsoka said nothing more. "Admit it, Ahsoka. It was wrong and it shouldn't have happened."

"Just like Lux! But you won't admit it, will you?!" She snapped in reply. Wraith let out a growling sigh.

"Here we go with Lux again..." He growled. The very mention of the boy's name stirred his irritation and caused it to flare tremendously. As much as he tried to keep a cool head and contain his emotions, knowing logical thought trumped anything else, he was starting to lose his cool.

"Well, get used to it! You need to know your actions have consequences!" Ahsoka carried on, and a sudden thought struck him. "You killed Mina, you paralyzed Lux and now you've-"

"Enough!" Wraith shouted, whirling around to face her, a livid look on his face. Ahsoka was wide-eyed, her eyes filled with shock at his outburst. "Enough. Of the holier-than-thou act. Mina's blood is on your hands as well." Wraith growled, his gaze narrowed and borderline furious.

"No it isn-" Ahsoka tried to rebuff,

"IT IS TOO!" Wraith shouted. Ahsoka could see the veins in his neck bulging as he gave in to his agitation and allowed it to transform into anger. "You agreed to use your Jedi status to smuggle Amidala to Onderon to meet with Mina. Had you refused, Mina would still be alive!" He advanced towards her, his body tall and towering over her. Ahsoka suddenly very small compared to him as a icy sensation rolled over her body. It was the Dark Side, stronger than she'd ever felt it before.

She understood where it was coming from when she witnessed a terrifying transformation.

Wraith's eyes suddenly turned back as his pupils grew large enough to consume them entirely. Then a simple ring of red appeared in the middle of them, sparking to life like a lit match. The temperature around them increased as flames of conjured Force-fire spread across his body, engulfing Wraith in flames as Ahsoka's former irritation was chased out by sheer terror. When he spoke again, his voice was dark and demonic. "YOU ARE JUST AS GUILTY AS I AM! YOU SEALED HER FATE THE MOMENT YOU AGREED TO HELP AMIDALA! IF YOU HAD TURNED HER DOWN, MINA WOULD STILL! BE! ALIVE! LUX IS ON THIS PATH THANKS TO YOU!" He bellowed, his fury battering her raised defences through the Force. Wraith had never been this angry before, not even towards her. But his words were spoken with power and intention. It was like everything she'd ever said had fallen on deaf ears. He clearly meant every word and had not even taken a step towards showing remorse for his actions.

And that really irked her.

"Don't. Turn. This. On. Me." Ahsoka retorted in a low voice, terror vacating as it was replaced by a furious fervor. Her defiance seemed to stop him and the flames died down as Wraith's attitude simmered, his darkened appearance shifting until he was back to normal. Ahsoka continued to fix him with a steady gaze of furious indignation. For a brief second, her blue eyes grew lighter and almost yellow, but then the flicker passed. "If I ever see you again, it'll be too soon!" She finally snapped, turning on heel and leaving with fists clenched. Rounding the boulder, she stalked back towards the camp, absolutely steaming after that little interaction. She didn't feel any better, just a whole lot worse.

"He can't change. He doesn't want to." She muttered to herself. Still feeling sour and angry over everything, Ahsoka reached a frightening conclusion. "I don't love him. I can't love someone like that." She bitterly determined, trying to convince herself that this was better.


The next morning...

The Republic warily arose and double-checked their supplies, a team of hand-picked Clones investigating everything for any explosives or potential threats of any kind. They returned with a clean sweep and a report of nothing. Considering that a definite improvement over yesterday, the Jedi ordered the Clones fit for duty to move out on another march towards the capitol.

Ahsoka yawned and stretched, then rubbed her eyes in a failed effort to hide the evidence of her exhaustion.

"Feeling alright, Ahsoka?" Anakin wondered. No, not particularly. Ahsoka would've said, but knew she would then have to reveal everything going on with her and Wraith.

"I just, uh, didn't sleep well, Master. Yesterday was... rough." That was technically the truth... technically. Her Master nodded.

"Yeah. I hear you, Snips." Anakin quietly sympathized, believing she was still distraught over the bombing. Nearby, Barriss couldn't help but overhear the conversation and assumed that Ahsoka was more bent out of shape over the deaths of Clones than she was over robbing people of their livelihoods...

As the Republic prepared for another march, Corsair led a squad of Titans on a long-range perimeter check. Accompanied by Theris, Hater, Arro, Cager and three other mercenaries, the Titan leader had spent the night prepping for a mixed offence/defence strategy that would keep the Republic alive while keeping Wraith at bay. His scattergun across his back and his M-45 Roba in hand, Corsair led the way with a tightened bandanna and a steely gaze.

"I'm surprised you didn't want to break out any sort of special rounds or weapons for this one, boss." Theris remarked.

"'Parently, Wraith's wearin' 'is ol' armah aftah we trashed tha last fancy set. Guess what 'e 'ad on Korda's mor' permanent than we first figahed." Corsair replied, a cigarra clenched between his teeth.

"You wanna handle him like we did on Takodana?" Theris theorized.

"Naw, we'll worry 'bout 'im latah. Right now, we gotta keep tha Republic safe." Corsair replied with a snicker. "Tha Jedi said a buncha traps was laid along their route that took out a buncha Clones. I figah we'll take a look an' see what othah nasty sahprises are waitin' fo' 'em."

"So we'll clear a path, eh boss?" Cager wondered.

"Maybe. If tha route's too booby-trapped, we'll find anothah for 'em ta use." Corsair responded. "Linah's mannin' tha drone back at camp an' I got Jammah runnin' a frequency scan. They'll call if they find somethin' worthwhile."

"What kind of traps are we looking for, boss?" Theris inquired.

"Tha Jedi described plenty a' explosives doin' a numbah on their men, Theris. So prolly somethin' along those lines." Corsair informed her. "But I got a feelin'..." He paused as he set eyes on a tree growing beside a boulder. One of the lower branches was bent around the tree, the tip obscured from view. It didn't look normal, but it might if one were approaching from a different position. Corsair had his team hold as he trained his ion repeater on a piece of twine that circled the trunk. A single shot evaporated it, allowing the branch to swing around. What they found was a sharpened piece of wood tied to the limb, ready to spring forth and stab whoever tripped the line. The branch wobbled back and forth as the Titans realized just what might've happened had this not been found. "One a' them Clones woulda had a real bad bellyache aftah that." Corsair mused with a shake of his head.

Some distance away, Wraith snapped his fingers in mild frustration as one of his traps was lost. No matter. There were still a few more for him to employ.


The Republic embarked on another slow yet steady march through the valley, the Titans taking point as they coordinated security and perimeter defence. Corsair had begun to see the pattern in Wraith's work and was now keeping a keen eye forward as he watched for signs of further traps. Seraj Liner had cleared the forward route for the Republic, no sign of any Separatist activity to be found within her sweeps. Jammer had also yet to confirm anything, a few trace signals crossing his scanners that might be comms chatter but had yet to be confirmed. Until then, the Republic's safekeeping rested in his hands... and he wanted to get paid for a job well-done.

Following the Republic's pre-determined path, Corsair and his selected team kept a few paces ahead of the leading Jedi Generals. The Titan leader's gaze swept back and forth across the savanna, forgoing getting immersed in the waving grass in order to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Well into his fifties, Corsair had seen plenty of action and knew his way around a potential ambush. So much so, in fact, that he could recognize a pattern and know what kind of traps to look for within mere seconds. While the Jedi were still attempting to work out who was hunting them, Corsair was already on how they were being hunted.

Their path cut between a pair of grassy knolls dotted with trees. Corsair's good eye swept the path between them, observing the few rocks, sparse shrubs... and the slight variation in the shifting blades of grass. He ordered his men to halt, taking a moment longer to study the disturbance. The Jedi approached him.

"Why have we stopped?" Mace inquired, but the mercenary did not reply. Setting his Roba on the ground, Corsair produced a pair of slugthrowers from his belt, the same ones he'd taken from Wraith, and fired off four shots spread evenly across the way forward. Each shot suddenly produced an impressive explosion as it impacted with the ground, tripping the hidden explosives that would've surely taken out dozens of Clones as they moved in singular columns.

"That's why." Corsair remarked as he looked over his shoulder with a grin. The Jedi did not respond, simply accepting his successful handling of the situation. Corsair stowed his pistols and retrieved his Roba. "Move on!" He called out, the Titans following him forward as the Jedi beckoned their Clones to continue.

From a distance Wraith sighed in disappointment. "Foiled again..." He grumbled. "At this rate, I'll have to get up-close and personal... but with these damn Titans around, I won't last long if I do." It was a tricky play, especially with the murderous mercenaries on hand to make his life difficult. But he had to make up for these two failed attempts and needed to thin the Republic's numbers...

His mind drifted to his conversation with Ahsoka the previous night and how she had felt the urge to cut... because of his actions. A pang of guilt struck him, and he felt a sudden conflict with his orders. He had to save the Orronians from the Republic... but his love also needed to be saved...

With a sigh, Wraith stood and started walking, trapped in a mental battle over how to proceed next.

Unfortunately for him, Corsair had been quick to notice the shifting grasses as well as the subtle shifts in the wind that caused certain areas of the hill to shimmer like radiating heat. Putting two and two together, Corsair came up with a plan.

"Hatah, drop some mortahs on tha southern hilltop." He ordered.

"Confirmed. Engaging 'silent but violent' protocol." The HK droid replied. Corsair facepalmed.

"Really wish ya'd change that bloody name." He grumbled as Hater sprouted a pair of shoulder-mounted mortar launchers.

"Don't, boss. It's the only time he's funny." Theris dryly quipped. Seconds later, two projectiles went whistling through the air in a wide overhead arc, the barest of contrails allowing the observers to track them before they impacted with the distant ground and sent columns of fire high into the air. Corsair watched the epicentre of the explosion as the Republic stopped to question the sudden commotion. It was then that Corsair saw the air shimmer again as flames brushed past a body running down the hill and across their path. He grinned. "Titans! Full barrage, mark four through eight!" He commanded, using a simple directional code they'd devised years ago. Priming their custom slugthrower rifles, the Titans took Corsair's lead as he unleashed a torrent of blue bolts from his Roba, the chatter of semi-auto rifles on either side of him lighting up the straight line their cloaked target traversed. Corsair noted a few sparkling impacts from his ionic energy, but it was the two spurts of crimson from out of thin air that told him they'd hit their mark.

Shortly afterwards, their shots began to miss and Corsair ordered his crew to cease. The Titan leader jogged over to where he saw the point of impact, knelt, and found several dark droplets of blood staining the pale green grass. "Blood. Nice an' fresh." He mused with a grin. Where there was a wound, there was bound to be leakage. And that was something to go on. A sudden thought came to him and Corsair plucked one of the bloody blades of grass and tucked it into a container he produced from his vest, tucking it away for safekeeping. "Hatah, go thermal and pursue." Corsair commanded.

"Affirmative. Engaging 'hunter-killer' protocol." The HK droid dutifully complied. Hater started walking by the time the Jedi caught up to them.

"You lot carry on, we'll be back." Corsair stated as he rose.

"You wanna tell us what the hell is going on first?" Anakin demanded.

"Simple Skywalkah: we're goin' supah-soldiah huntin'." Corsair remarked as he shouldered his Roba. "Don't worry, we'll meet ya furthah ahead." He added as he walked off along with the rest of the Titans. The Jedi stood alone for a moment, momentarily stunned by the sudden actions of the Titans. They preferred to be in the know about things, but the Titans tended to act of their own accord without a need for a ranking system.

Wraith pushed past the pain from the twin slug wounds in his thigh and continued to run. A pair of lucky shots had pegged him where he was least armored, both rounds passing through his leg. It wasn't enough to make him limp, but the pain was obvious and the wounds noticeable. Pulling an injector from within his duster, Wraith injected a shot of bacta into his leg. The substance would begin to heal his leg fairly quickly, but these Titans posed a whole new problem. With slugthrowers at the ready, he remembered the beating he took on Takodana and how useless his armored duster was. They were far better prepared to handle him than the Republic was, meaning they'd hamper his efforts significantly.

Maybe he needed to deal with them first...

With Hater leading the way, the Titans followed Wraith's trail of blood for a few miles before Arro paused and knelt beside the trail.

"Boss, over here!" He called to Corsair, holding up a small device that had been discarded. The titan leader examined his find, recognizing it instantly.

"An injectah. Yeah, we got 'im alright." He mused.

"So he's hurt... but where's he going?" Theris wondered aloud.

"Tuff ta say." Corsair replied, growing thoughtful. "He'd shoulda turned off ta loop 'round so 'e'd be near tha Clones. But 'e's obviously goin' straight on."

"So why didn't he?" Cager asked. Corsair didn't have an immediate answer, but did have an idea.

"Theris, show me tha topography data." Producing a projector from her belt, Theris toggle the map containing the Republic's route through the valley. Tracing the blue line, Corsair stopped over a single portion of the valley and grinned. "Bingo."

"What is it?"

"Bit of a rock field, perfect place fo' 'im ta launch anothah ambush." Corsair stated as Theris tucked her projector away. "We get there b'fore tha Republic an' I got a couple ideas ta try out..."


Hours later...

The four Jedi Generals and two Jedi commanders marched towards the waiting squad of Titan mercenaries, Corsair beckoning them over. It had been some time since they had split up, the Republic covering much ground with any hinderance or impediment. But the Jedi did have to wonder what the mercenaries were up to. While grateful for their assistance, they didn't exactly trust them.

But the Titans weren't interested in trust. They'd been busy doing their job...

Having arrived at the rock field, they'd quickly coordinated with Jammer and Liner at their mobile command and made a discovery. Using Jammer's tech at their mobile base, the Twi'lek comms expert had been able to isolate the frequencies he'd detected earlier, thanks to Corsair's long-range data scans. Running them through his equipment, Jammer had developed a counter-frequency which allowed him to hijack and interrupt the signals, letting him cut in and use them as he saw fit. Now that they had pinned down the frequency they simply needed an opportunity to use it.

"I trust you've been productive?" Anakin wondered in his usual curt tone.

"But a' course, Skywalkah. Nothin' but tha best fo' our benefactahs." Corsair replied, seemingly as happy and care-free as he could be.

"Well... this oughta be good." Anakin mused, crossing his arms.

"What have you found, Corsair?" Mace inquired.

"Well, if ya'll follow me, I've got a multi-part demonstration fo' ya." The Titan leader replied, arms outstretched as he prompted Mace to walk with him. The dark-skinned Jedi did so, his compatriots watching with mixed levels of interest. Corsair led him into the rocks, the two stepping around boulders of varying sizes. "As ya can see, looks pretty run a' tha mill, don't it?" Corsair said as they walked. "But I'll have ya know 's prime ambush territory."

"I'd believe that." Mace simply replied. "And I take it you've done something about it?" The two came to a standstill.

"'Course we 'ave!" Corsair said proudly. Nearby, cloaked and hidden, Wraith frantically mashed the remote detonator trigger, only for nothing to happen.

"What the hell's going on?!" He quietly growled in frustration. He had two prime targets he could eliminate right here and now, and of course the remote detonation sequence failed! Corsair and Mace started walking back to their allies.

"Now comes tha fun part, Mastah Jedi." Corsair stated, queuing his comms. "Stand by, Jammah."

"Ready tenii nu su, bosku." The Twi'lek responded. Corsair turned his attention to the rest of the Jedi as the other Titans primed their weapons.

"I sahggest ya get some a' yor boys ready ta fire." Mace looked to Anakin and nodded, the Knight triggering his wrist comm.

"Rex, bring Tempest Company up here." He tasked his Captain. "Hopefully you're not wasting their time, Corsair."

"Pretty shor' patience is one a' yor Jedi virtues, Skywalkah. May wanna exercise some a' it." The Titan remarked with a grin as he turned and joined his men. Anakin shook his head, his temper easily sparked by Corsair in general. The rest of the Jedi could emphasize with his sense of irritation, but did not voice it. Rex approached Anakin with his men in tow,

"What do you need, General?"

"Form a line, facing ahead. Not too sure yet, but I think you might have to shoot something." Anakin replied. Rex saluted and did as told.

Meanwhile, Wraith had crept down into the field now that Corsair and Mace had departed. He checked over his explosives, each one of them appearing to be in perfect condition. So why hadn't they received the detonation signal?

Corsair watched the air slightly shimmer and rustle, the body hard to make out due to all the light. He preferred to fight cloaked opponents in dark places where there was very little light to bend around the body, but had fought enough to recognize the telltale signs even in broad daylight. He activated his comms again and sent a simple command,

"Jammah... now."

The explosive Wraith was eyeing suddenly turned red as the device was armed and the countdown began. Beneath his optics, the super-soldier's eyes widened. "Kriffing hell-!" He exclaimed just as all five explosives detonated.

The balls of fire took the Republic by surprise, the Jedi wondering what in the universe Corsair was doing. But then, the flames parted as Wraith's cloaker shorted out, revealing a blackened super-soldier stumbling away from the explosion. Corsair primed his Roba within a grin.

"Light 'im up!" He ordered, blasting away as the Titans followed suit. Rex quickly took some initiative as well, he and all of Tempest Company attacking with their weapons. The Jedi promptly drew their lightsabers, ready to engage if necessary.

Wraith scrambled to flee, feeling every shot that struck his armor. The metal had been heated, allowing the Titan's slugs to punch deep dents into his armor and bruise his skin as its protective capabilities were halved. Drawing a slugthrower, he fired a few scattered rounds towards the Titans, attempting to cover his escape. But as he did, Tempest Company's Lieutenant Jolt unslung his 'Wraithkiller' railgun from behind and charged up the coils within. Pressing it into his shoulder, Jolt gave the dampeners time to warm up as his brothers assaulted Wraith with round after round from their blasters. With the super-soldier under constant attack, Jolt took aim and fired a single shot from his weapon, the hypersonic round slamming into Wraith's side and throwing him into a nearby boulder with such force the rock cracked under the impact. Wraith himself gave a loud cry as his ribs were suddenly shattered, his armor protecting him but only just. A second round crashed into him and Wraith screamed as his shoulder was suddenly, and violently, dislocated.

Ahsoka let out an involuntary gasp, her heart racing from fear as she watched Wraith be slowly dismantled by the joint attacks. Part of her wanted to help him, wanted to stop this, but her feet remained rooted to the ground...

Wraith crumpled and staggered as he made to ran away, his left arm limp and useless to him now. That last shot had torn away his shoulder armor, bloody skin exposed and soon scorched by an incoming round. Sixshot's rotary cannon pounded his armor with a steady stream of fire, but it was the slugs pegging his back that hurt the most. It was soon amplified by a third round from Jolt, his armor splintering as his shoulder blade as cracked. The force of them impact sent him lurching forward and tumbling across the ground. A fresh bolt of pain electrified his systems in the worse possible way, Wraith growling fiercely as he forced himself to get up and keep going. Managing to conceal himself behind a rock, Wraith quickly propped his shoulder up against the solid surface and twisted sharply, forcibly resetting his dislocated limb. Knowing he had just seconds left before his enemies pursued him, the super-soldier rebooted his cloaker, slotted a fresh energy cell into it, and then disappeared from sight moments later. It might not last long, but it would hopefully provide him enough time to escape this ambush. He started moving again, pushing past the pain that spread throughout his body as his sensors detected incoming signatures drawing ever closer.

By the time the Titans and the Republic rounded the rocks, Wraith was nowhere to be seen.

"Clever little kriffah, ain't 'e?" Corsair whistled. "He's tough, I'll give 'im that."

"Sir, should we pursue?" Theris asked.

"Have Hatah go thermal and do a scan. We'll see if 'e's still around." Corsair responded. "But I figah he won't be givin' us any mor' trouble t'night. He's got his own problems now." The merc chuckled.

"Your strategies, Corsair, continue prove successful." Mace applauded. "Now if only they might lead to you defeating The Wraith once and for all."

"Gimme time an' they will, Jedi." Corsair replied, pulling a cigarra from his vest. "Couple mor' good thrashin's like this one an' he'll nevah bothah ya again." He promised. "Y'all are prolly gonna be free a' incahdents tahnight. So why don't ya find someplace ta cozy up?" He suggested.

"A few more miles and we'll do just that." Luminara decided. "We should make the most of The Wraith's hasty retreat." The Jedi unanimously agreed and went to summon their troops. But Ahsoka lingered behind and saw a large patch of blood on the ground, possibly from where Wraith had lain. Turning to follow her masters, she swallowed her welling emotions...


As the sun set on Orron III, the Republic one day closer to reaching the capitol, Wraith took shelter under a tree. His fourth bacta injector lay discarded on the ground, its contents now coursing through him and working on his wounds. Today had not gone as planned, the Titans throwing a serious wrench into his operation. Not only had they been able to undermine his traps, but now they had also damaged him rather severely. This situation had gone from barely possible to very questionable. If he was to successfully defend the capitol, he would need support.

Pulling a holocom from his belt, Wraith triggered a communication that, moments later, connected him with Count Dooku.

"You wish to report, soldier?" The Sith inquired.

"Sir, things just took a turn and have compromised my situation." Wraith told him. "The Republic has been supplanted by the Titan mercenaries and their combined efforts have not only wounded me but are almost hampering my efforts. I could use some assistance." He had hoped that there might be someone or something he could take advanatge of. Some additional firepower, a vehicle, another super-soldier, just something to keep these Titans off his back. Dooku's response was negative,

"The vast majority of our forces are occupied with defending our droid factories, soldier. The Republic is hitting our resources hard and as often as possible, Banshee and Reaper are equally occupied with defensive efforts." There was nothing that could be spared. He was alone, all that stood between the Orronians and unjust Republic subjugation. With a quiet exhale, Wraith nodded.

"I understand, sir." He simply responded, Dooku ending the call on his end. Wraith leaned back against the tree, taking a moment to breath as he realized the gravity of his situation. He was all that kept the Republic from conquering this world, and wounds or not he would have to find a way to do his duty. The Orronians were a peaceful people, free from the war until the Republic brought it to them. They deserved to live their peaceful lives and he felt bound to help return them to that state... even though it would not be easy. Checking his wounds, Wraith knew he was in no state to continue. But he had no choice. He would defend the people of Orron III... even if it killed him.