I promise the next chapter is when stuff starts happening. Here is the next chapter of The Lizard War!

"Yes, Anakin," Mace Windu said. "I believe you have already heard of your mission to Verocia?"

"Master," Anakin interjected. "What problem could have possibly risen since we were last there?" he asked. "We made sure that the Separatists left the planet and its people alone, and now they're safe."

Mace Windu's silence unnerved Anakin. "Not relatively safe," he answered finally.

"What's the supposed to mean?" Anakin asked, wearing a carefully guarded expression.

"The Separatists have been found hanging around a moon system of Verocia."

"And you can't send anyone else to help?" Anakin wished it didn't happen, but he felt his face twist with displeasure.

"Anakin, there's more to the story," Master Ti said. Anakin frowned.

"More?"

"Yes," Mace Windu said. "There have been…sightings."

Anakin felt his blood run cold. "Sightings," he muttered under his breath prompting Master Windu.

"The Queen believes that the threat from a few years ago has not been completely eradicated," Master Ti said.

"That's impossible!" Anakin said, fully realizing what they were implying. "We blew up the factory, and they are supposed to be extinct! There's absolutely no way those monsters could have possibly survived that blast!"

"Anakin," Obi-wan said. "We never said that they had come back, but we need you and Kiki to go and investigate the—"

"There's no one else you can send for this mission? I'm sorry, Master, but I can't go back," Anakin said, looking all of them in the eye.

"Anakin," Master Yoda said. "Go back, you must. Let these old memories haunt you, you must not," he said, his wise words ringing somewhat true to Anakin. "Trust anyone else, the queen does not," he said. Anakin sighed.

Anakin didn't answer, already knowing he didn't have a say in the matter. He was going on the mission.

"You will be leaving soon," Obi-wan said. "Anakin, I understand what you are going through right now," he said, trying to console Anakin. His floating blue image clicked off.

"May the Force be with you, young Skywalker," Yoda said, his image fading as well.

"There's no way you could understand what I'm going through," Anakin said to the empty space where the council once stood. He could feel apprehension begin to build in his stomach, like a tight, twisted knot that refused to loosen.

##

The medical droid tilted its head at Rex, as if it was trying to go for a confused look. "Did you not know of this?" the droid asked in its monotonous voice.

Rex had gone to check on Kiki after she left the mess hall. He expected her to be fine after spending some time in the med bay, but what was ailing her was something he never would have been able to imagine.

"No. There has to be some mistake," he ground out, biting back the other choice words he had for the med droid. Rex's head was spinning. What am I going to do? he thought. I'm supposed to report these kinds of things, but she might court-martial me if I get into her privacy.

What he knew was potentially compromising to their mission. He wasn't supposed to know. He didn't want to know, wished that someone other than him had gone to check General Jorani's status.

Rex went towards the computer on the left side of the room, scanning through the names of the recent patients. "You're sure they came out positive?" With relative ease, Rex accessed Kiki's recent medical files. If knowing about her condition didn't get him court martialed, then going through a commanding officer's personal medical files surely would.

"You can check the tests yourself. All of them came out positive." The 2-1B's dull and supposedly placating tone was fraying Rex's nerves.

Rex gripped the control panel to the computer, reading over every test that Kiki had gone through. The droid was right. A sort of cold tightness gripped Rex's stomach, clenching his gut and slowly making its way to his chest.

This was not the kind of information a Captain could keep about a Jedi General. He made up his mind. "You stay here and don't repeat a word. I'm going to tell—" Rex was cut off when the door to one of the private rooms in the infirmary opened. Kiki stepped out, appearing to be less sick. She looked around the room, from the medical droid, to the computer with her medical record on the screen, to Rex with the carefully guarded look on his face.

"What happened?" she asked. Before Rex could cover up his discovery, the medical droid cut in.

"Captain Rex did not know of your condition. Was I not supposed to tell him?" the droid almost seemed apologetic. Almost.

Kiki eyes first widened in shock, and then narrowed in anger. She Force- pushed the medical droid against the wall and stormed up to it. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone!" she seethed. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't scrap you and turn you into spare parts right now!" Kiki had a cold look in her eyes that told the medical droid she was dead serious.

"T-the other medical droid is u-under repairs. You wouldn't risk destroying me when we're so close to S-Separatist space, would you?" it asked, fear being the only emotion to break its monotone. The droid was becoming desperate and started spewing off other random reasons why it shouldn't be sold for spare parts.

"I only asked for one reason, and that wasn't even good enough," Kiki said darkly.

"Please no—" Kiki dragged it over to the computer and plugged it in. "W-what are you doing?" The medical droid asked frantically.

"Formatting your system," she answered. If she didn't do it right, then she could delete more than just the information she needed to. At that particular moment, she didn't care.

Rex took this as his moment to leave. He started inching his way to the door, his boots barely making a noise against the durasteel. Only a few meters and he would be out of the infirmary.

Kiki was typing at lightning speed, selecting the files she wanted erased. Rex was a meter from the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kiki sent a chilled glare at Rex. She could sense him trying to escape.

Rex froze and slowly turned around. Kiki put her hand up, keeping the door shut.

"I was just leaving; it looked like you were busy." Rex knew that that was a feeble excuse for trying to escape.

"You were going to tell someone, weren't you?" Kiki asked, seeing through Rex's lie. Rex stayed silent.

"Rex you can't tell anyone," her voice suddenly caught the barest undertone of fear.

Rex swallowed and averted his gaze, staring at the wall behind her. "I'm sorry, sir, but I have to. I can't just let something like this—"

"Rex, you can't tell anyone!" Kiki stepped forward dropping her hand. "You don't understand. You can't tell anyone. It's none of their business to begin with." Kiki glanced around nervously, as if ears could be listening to their conversation at that very moment.

Rex had a decision to make; either he hides the secret and risk serious trouble with Command—should they ever find out—or get into trouble with Kiki by telling the Council. Either way, there was a risk of court martial for carrying this kind of information and telling—or not telling—someone. Rex swallowed and suppressed. He had a feeling he was going to regret this decision, but decided that he would cross that bridge when he got there. For one horrifying second, Rex thought he heard the door opening, or the crackle of the intercom turning on.

After mulling over his decision for a last time, Rex spoke: "I won't tell."

Kiki sagged with relief. "Thank you Rex!" The computer beeped and Kiki went over to unplug the medical droid.

This doesn't seem very responsible for a Jedi, Rex thought.Kiki whirled on him, having sensed his thoughts and not appreciating them.

"You think I'm being irresponsible…" Kiki's deep purple eyes darkened a shade in anger. "What do you mean it's not very responsible?" Kiki didn't give Rex any time to answer. "You don't even know what I'm risking right now, letting you get away with knowing this kind of thing. You don't even know my side of the story and what I am going through right now. You can't possibly say that I'm being irresponsible." Kiki walked past Rex out the door of the infirmary.

##

"Rex, we need to speak, it's about our next mission." The message came over Rex's wrist comm link.

Rex wondered what the problem was as he followed went down the hall that led to the designated private briefing room.

"Rex." Anakin half smiled in greeting. "I trust you've heard about our next mission on Verocia," he said.

Rex nodded his head and forced the memories down. He preferred not to live through them again. "Yes sir."

"Our sources have told us that there are Separatists hanging around the planet, and the queen personally requested the Republic's help." Rex saw something in Anakin's eyes just then, but it was too quick for him to catch it. He felt his chest tighten up; the last planet he wanted to re-visit was Verocia. Too many unspeakable things had happened and Rex knew it was going to stir up unpleasant memories.

But Rex had to wonder, why was she asking now? The first time they'd had cleared the Separatists off of the planet and that part of the system, and she had refused to join the Republic.

"Do you want me to tell the men, sir?" Rex asked a little uncertainly. He knew this kind of news was not something Crusade Squad wanted to hear. He didn't even want to hear it. Anakin nodded and turned around, dismissing Rex. After saluting, he spun around and walked out the door, contemplating how he would tell Crusade Squad. He didn't know where Bliz was, but this should have been his job.

"What happened, sir?" Jax asked.

"It's about the next mission," Rex began. "I'm sure Bliz has already told you this but…Separatists have been found around the planet Verocia and we have to go there for our next mission." Silence hung in the air, and was Rex starting to regret telling them the news so bluntly.

He sighed and relaxed his shoulders. "It's just a scout mission. Go there, protect the people, and maybe blast a few droids. Nothing much, we should be done within a few days, a week at the most," Rex tried to reassure his men. He could already see Cord stiffen and turn around in his seat, lips in a hard line and paling slightly.

"It'll be alright men, just a little insignificant mission. Over and done with before you even know it," Rex tried again.

"It will be alright," Rex voiced again. He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself more than the others.

"There is no way I'm going back," Cord said. He remained turned around in his chair, but Rex could see how the normally emotionless clone's fists were clenched and how he shook slightly. "I am not going back," he repeated.

Rex sighed and turned towards the door as Commander Cody walked in. "What happened?" he asked tentatively. The silence only got thicker and Cody immediately regretted asking the question at all.

"We're going on another mission for Verocia," Rex spoke up when no one else would. Cody made a face that said he understood, but he never really would. He was in the space battle of The Lizard War, not the ground battle.

The intercom system crackled, and a clone's voice came over the speaker. 'Crusade Squad, report to deck D4 immediately. Room A3.' The system clicked off and everyone looked around nervously. Room A3; General Kiki's special room for confidential meetings and briefings.

"This can't be good," Bliz said. He got up and headed out the door, followed by Rex, and the rest of Crusade Squad.

And thus begins the danger of the beautiful neutral planet of Verocia. It's an OC planet (OP) so don't try looking it up.

Edit: Had to fix some major plot issues in this. Should be better.