"Among our most recent losses was the battlegroup at Falleen." Obi-Wan informed Anakin and me through the holographic communicator. "The Separatist fleet commanded by General Grievous is headed your way."

"Seems like that coward always knows where and when to attack us." Anakin growled.

"You're heavily outnumbered, Anakin. I advise retreat."

"If we run, the Separatists will take control of this sector. I can't let them do that."

"And that is your problem."

"Master Kenobi is right." I spoke up to Anakin. "We should regroup. We don't stand a chance against—"

"Aroara." Anakin snapped my name.

"Suicide is not the Jedi way, Master."

"You should listen to your Padawan." Obi-Wan told Anakin.

"As you listened to yours, my old Master?" Anakin challenged Obi-Wan. "No, we are going to stay and fight. And I think I know how to beat Grievous at his own game."

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I stood in front of the map on the Republic ship while Anakin lead a squadron out to meet the enemy fleet. Another squadron led by Rex was waiting on sides of astroids to attack the enemy fleet from behind.

"Resolute command to Gold Leader." I called to Anakin. "We are standing by."

"Enemy closing to zone six." A clone informed me as Grievous' ship got closer and closer to us.

"Patience, Aroara." Anakin reminded and I sighed at the way he said my name.

"Zone four. . . Zone three. . . They're right on top of us. Should we commence firing?"

"Wait." I ordered as the ship got closer and closer. "Wait." A low rumbling sound shook the ship causing a few clones and me to stumble back a couple steps. I stood up straight and looked at the map with worry as I saw that we were losing before battle had even begun. "We're outgunned. We're not gonna last a mynock minute out here.

"Hang on, Aroara." Anakin said. "We've got 'em right where we want 'em. Aroara, they're in position. Unveil our little surprise."

"Right away, Master. Rex, old boy, it's time you joined the party."

"With pleasure, Sir." Rex answered me.

"Forward cannon, let 'em have it." The Republic ships began to fight back and combine that with the forces that were shooting from behind, one by one the enemy ships began to fight.

"This is too easy!" Anakin laughed.

"Let's finish this. All batteries, target that command bucket." An explosion came from Anakin's ship and I looked at the map to see his ship go off the grid. "Master, is everything ok?" No answer. "Master!"

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I stood behind the medical droid with Rex by my side as I watch the droid take care of Anakin. Rex had found Anakin unconscious in his ship that malfunctioned. Anakin groaned as he stirred and began to look around until his sky blue eyes landed on me.

"What happened?" He asked. The medical droid stepped out of the way and I walked over to his bed side.

"You owe Rexster your skin, Skyguy." I said.

"Just doing my job, sir." Rex explained. "It was your plan that won the day."

"Grievous is AWOL, but his fleet of tinnies is nothing but spare parts."

"Good work, both of you." Anakin groaned as he propped himself up on his elbows. He looked around the room as if he was searching for something. "Where's Artoo?"

"I'm sorry, Master. He's gone." Anakin sighed and landed back on the medical bed on his back.

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"Congratulations, Anakin." Obi-Wan praised him after Anakin recovered and got back in the war room. "Your resourcefulness always amazes me."

"Thank you, Master." Anakin muttered, hanging his head, still beating himself up for losing R2-D2.

"You look troubled."

"I lost Artoo in the field."

"Well, R2 units are a dime a dozen." I looked down to see Anakin clenching his fists. "I'm sure you'll find a suitable replacement."

"I could take a squad out there, track him down."

"Anakin, it's only a droid. You know attachment is not acceptable for a Jedi."

"It's not just that, Master. Uh, how do I put this? I didn't wipe Artoo's memory."

"What? He's still programmed with our tactics and base locations?" Anakin hung his head with shame as his old master scolded him. "If the Separatists get a hold of him. . . What possessed you not to erase that droid's memory?"

"Master Obi-Wan, sometimes Artoo having that extra information has come in handy." I explained.

"Well, then find that droid, Anakin. Our necks might very well depend on it." Anakin lifted his head, his blue eyes glowing as Obi-Wan gave the order.

"Right away, Master." Anakin said.

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I stood on the platform of the cruiser as Anakin climbed up the ladder to the platform. Right beside me was a new astromech droid.

"Ready to go, Snips?" Anakin asked me as he climbed up onto the platform.

"Master, they just delivered your replacement astromech droid." I informed him. "This is R3-S6." R3 beeped his greeting to Anakin but Anakin ignored him and continued to walk past me. "I've heard that the new R3s are far faster in thinking skills and more powerful than the old R2 units. And best of all, Master, he's gold. A gold droid for Gold leader of Gold Squadron."

"You can't replace Artoo." R3 blipped.

"Don't worry, Goldie. You'll get to know him later. Come on." I followed after my master with R3 right behind me with a chirp.

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We traveled through the wreckage of the battle with Grievous. We shone the light on everything we saw and the light landed on a starfighter.

"There's my ship." Anakin exclaimed. The starfighter floated to its other side and to reveal that it was empty. "Artoo's gone. He must have escaped. He's got to be around here somewhere." I checked the scanners to see if I could pick up anything.

"Artoo isn't on the scanners." I said as a dot appeared on the scanner. "But there is a ship out there." A long ship appeared in front of us.

"Looks like a Trandoshan scavenger. Probably combing the battlefield for salvage."

"The historical texts says—"

"Archive texts can only teach you a part of the picture, my young Padawan. You'll learn a lot more through some hands-on experience." The ship sputtered and the air locked hissed as we docked the ship. Anakin tossed me a shaw and I threw it over my head as he threw one on him too. We boarded the elevator and rode it up to the main floor. A horrible stench clouded my sense of smell as I inhaled deeply.

"Ugh! What's that smell?" I sniffed again but being a Caninis, I had a strong sense of smell. "Ugh."

"You'll get used to it." Something clicked in front of us and two cameras appeared in front of us and searched us up and down as it started speaking an alien language. "Hey, we'd like to buy a droid. You sellin'?" The camera continued to speak the same alien language before it laughed and the cameras disappeared. Anakin and I exchanged a curious look with each other. The door hissed open but stopped halfway and an ugly, fat green alien squeezed through and turned towards us. "We're looking for an R2 unit. You happen to pick up any recently?"

"An R series?" The alien questioned Anakin. "No, no, not for a long time."

"Pookums here really has her heart set on another R2. She lost the last one." I looked up at him like he was crazy."

"Nice R3 unit." R3 squeaked. "Trade for a C-14?"

"Not on your life, lizardo." Anakin pulled some credits out and held them in the palm on his hand.

"Now let's see how much I have here." He muttered as the alien stared with awe at the credits.

"I tell you what." The alien said. "I may have an R2 unit buried somewhere in the hold."

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"Help yourself." The alien said as he opened a door to a storage unit. "But be careful. There are many, um, unique items down here." Anakin and I walked in side by side as the alien closed the door behind us. On both sides were shelves full of boxes and useless junk. We made our way down the narrow path looking from left to right to see if there were any R2 units. Anakin took the lead, using the Force to push crates out of our path. R3 beeped behind me and I turned to see two dead droids behind us.

"Master?" I called to Anakin. He stopped and turned to walk back over to my side.

"These must be the unique items we were warned about." Anakin said. "These assassin droids can be very unpredictable."

"They're switched off. They don't look so tough to me."

"Nothing looks tough to you. That's what I like about you but take my word for it: they're deadly." We turned our backs on the droids and continue to walk with R3 chirping behind us. "R3, access the computer and find the inventory manifest. Artoo's gotta be around here somewhere." R3 beeped and hacked into a control panel. Anakin's head snapped up as if he heard something. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That sounded like Artoo." Anakin took off running towards the exit while I just stood there dumbfounded.

"How can you tell the difference?"

"It came from down here. R3, get this open." R3 beeped and the lights came on. "We don't need the lights on!"

"No, Goldie. The hatch."

"Never mind. I'll do it myself." Anakin pulled out his lightsaber and began to use it to cut a hole in the door while R3 beeped. Something came up behind me and grabbed both my arms and I cried out in surprise to see the two dead droids.

"Uh, Master!" Anakin immediately stopped what he was doing and rushed over to me and used the Force to push them away from me. "Goldie, shut these droids down!" I grabbed my lightsaber and held it out in front of me, ready to fight. "I'm afraid R3 is a little slow on the uptake." The droids jumped onto the shelves above us and pulled out their guns and began to fire at us. I blocked a fire and went right back at the droid. "Back at you, piston head." The droid jumped down from the shelf and pushed a crate into me. I grunted as I felt the impact of the crate in my stomach and the droid went up to behind Anakin and pointed the gun to his head. I pushed the crate away and jumped in the air and slammed my lightsaber down on the droid, cutting it in half. Anakin turned to look at me. "You were right about the hands-on experience, Master. Much better than the archives."

"Good job, but you missed one." He turned back around to cut the last droid in half. R3 beeped. "As for you, Stubby, you'd make a poor excuse for a light switch." R3 beeped.

"I'm sure he did his best."

"His best to get us killed?" I took a step back, shocked by Anakin's anger, taking a respective and defensive stance as I turned off my lightsaber. "Artoo would have never made that mistake. R3 can't even get the door open." R3 hacked back into the control panel and opened the door. "A little late, Stubby." A cry sounded and I rushed to the door with Anakin to see the alien. Anakin pulled out his lightsaber again and turned it on.

"If you didn't have a lightsaber, you'd be a dead man." The alien said.

"Where's my droid?"

"Master, what are you doing?" I questioned him, placing my hand on his arm and trying to pull him back from the alien. "Artoo's not here." Anakin looked down at me and I saw the anger leave his eyes with each second that he looked at me. He finally put his lightsaber away.

"Let's get out of here."

"I told you there were no R2 droids down here. Look at this mess you made. You owe me, Jedi." We ignored him and continued our way to our ship.

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"We have to assume that Artoo was destroyed in the explosion that claimed your ship." Obi-Wan said when we got back to the main ship and contacted him.

"Yes, Master." Anakin murmured.

"Our intelligence has confirmed that Grievous' spies have been intercepting our transmissions."

"He must have some sort of secret listening post out there somewhere." I suggested.

"That would explain how he's been able to ambush our fleets."

"Split up your squadrons, Anakin." Obi-Wan ordered.

"It's as good as done, Master Kenobi." I said.

"May the Force be with you both."

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I stood on the main ship while Anakin took a starfighter out with R3 and enter hyperspace. I examined the maps with Rex to my right to see Anakin's tracking beacon go off. I looked at the ship in confusion and observed the surrounding areas but there were no enemy ships anywhere.

"That's Master Skywalker's tracking beacon." I told Rex. "What's he doing? Rex, get a hold of as many men as you can."

"Right away, sir!" Rex agreed and walked off while I continued to look at Anakin's ship with worry.

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A couple of clones, Rex and I jumped aboard a ship and I piloted the ship to the space where Anakin's tracking beacon went off. When we got out of hyperspace, we saw two massive fleets with a bunch of vulture droids firing at Anakin's starfighter. I hacked into the communication system so I could contact Anakin's ship as I prepped the cargo bay for him.

"Cargo bay doors open." I informed Anakin. "You better get inside."

"I'd love to, but R3's having a problem with the engines." Anakin snapped at me just as his engines kicked in and his fighter stuttered in my direction.

"Let's give him some cover, boys."

"Yes, sir!" Rex said as he ordered the clones to grab the guns.

"I'm inside." Anakin said. "Now let's get out of here, Aroara."

"Power it up, Rex." I ordered. "We're going right between those tin cans." I piloted the ship between the two ships as the space got smaller and smaller to the point I was scraping metal between the two ships by the time I got through. "Hit it, Rex." A low explosion sounded behind us as Rex entered the ship in hyperspace.

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I sat at the scanners, checking the surrounding areas to make sure that Grievous wasn't following us with Anakin standing behind me. The door to the back hatch opened and R3 came in. I turned to him and he chirped at me.

"Hey, Goldie!" I greeted him. "What did you think of your first adventure?"

"I'll tell you what I think." Anakin snapped loudly. "I think I'm lucky to be alive." R3 beeped and turned his back on Anakin and rolled back into the back hatch.

"Great, now your hurt his feelings."

"His feelings? What about Artoo? He's still out there, Aroara. I know it." I sighed and turned back to my scanners.