Insulting a sitting member of the Jedi Council was the last thing on Joystick's bucket list, right after punching a Gamorrean in the ugly face, flying an IPV-2C Stealth Ship, and having four kids from healthy marriage, though he guessed it was best to do the most dangerous ones first so that he could live to accomplish the long-term goals. Thus, insult he did.

Riddler Six, Ahsoka, and Vaughn entered into the starboard bridge of the Resolute through the heavy blast-door, revealing it to be buzzing with activity. Officers bustled to and fro, talking amongst themselves and taking in reports. The beeping of various devices filled the air with the underlying sounds of clicking of keys and buttons complimenting it. A large holo-table sat in the centre of the back half of the command room, projecting a star-chart above its surface. Standing beside it was Anakin Skywalker. Alongside him were two men in Jedi's robes. One had blonde hair and neatly kept beard of a matching colouration, looking about thirty years of age. His blue eyes held a look of intelligent curiosity and judgement as he glanced up from the table towards the approaching group. The other was tall and bald, probably somewhere in his middle-ages. Joystick thought he looked brooding and overly serious, noting the scowl lines between his brows and the determined set of his jaw. Captain Rex, helmet off and tucked beneath and arm, revealing his close shaven blonde hair, stood one the other side of General Skywalker. A second clone with orange markings on his armour stood there too. Like Rex, he held his helmet beneath an arm. His, unlike Rex's which had a range finder attached, incorporated an orange officer's visor. The clone had a standard cut to his black hair and a scar that crawled up the left side of his face.

"Commander on deck!" A clone declared, and everyone present stopped what they were doing to salute Ahsoka Tano before resuming their various activities.

"Welcome back Ahsoka," the blonde man greeted. "I see you've brought your new friends."

She bowed slightly. "Master Kenobi, these are Joystick, Dusty, Shuriken, and Mate the droid."

"An honour," he said, nodding to the troopers who saluted. "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is Jedi Master Mace Windu." He gestured to the other man, who regarded them coolly. He had a piercing gaze that made Joystick fidget under his attention. Dusty looked just as uncomfortable, grinning uneasily and sweating slightly, though it was probably more from being in the presence of his idol, Anakin Skywalker. "I trust you recognise Captain Rex and Commander Cody."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintances," Shuriken said, dipping his head respectfully. "I've heard a lot of your reputations. Truly, we are lucky to meet you, sirs."

"That brings us to the matter at hand," General Windu grimly stated, deep voice full of authority. "You are the survivors of the Outer Rim Garrison. What can you tell us of the fall of Master Di and his men?"

Joystick glanced out the windows of the bridge, the vast expanse of space spread out before them endlessly and uninterrupted, stars twinkling and sparkling in the distance, tiny specks of light in the eternal darkness. "We are unaware of what happened," he admitted. "We were already here when it happened, but we do know the situation on Ryloth was dire. Dwindling troops, supplies, and an unending mass of Seppies."

"Scattered reports seem to indicate they made a sacrificial ploy to buy the Twi'lek resistance time to escape," General Kenobi said, rubbing his chin. "The loss of a Jedi Master and his entire clone unit is a devastating blow, especially this early in the war. With entire task forces going missing due to the mystery warship, things are seeming perilous."

"I agree, which is why we must catch it before it does any worse damage," Mace Windu agreed, putting his hands on the table and looking to the other Jedi Generals. Joystick got the feeling the clones weren't part of the conversation anymore. "Master Yoda and I have dispatched several fleet, headed seperatly by Masters Plo Koon, Adi Gallia, Eeth Koth, and Aayla Secura to hunt the beast. Skywalker, it is imperative that you make hast to the Bith system. We cannot allow this unknown battleship to destroy our stations there."

"Of course, the fleet is always ready to move," General Skywalker replied, looking at the star-chart. "Ahsoka, do you have all of your gear in order? We have to be ready to fight at a moment's notice."

The Togruta girl bit her lip, looking down. "Not quite, Master. I, uh, seem to have forgotten some of it somewhere." She grinned sheepishly as Obi-Wan smirked towards Anakin, who shook his head.

"Snips, you've got to keep better track of your equipment. Go and search quickly. You may have left it in the Obex after that last mission."

"Yes Master," she said quickly, bowing before retreating the room. The Jedi continued discussing what actions and measures had to be taken to defend against the mystery warship when Captain Rex pulled Joystick, Shuriken, Dusty, and Vaughn aside. Mate followed silently, wheeling at Joystick's heels.

"So, Vaughn tells me you boys want to join the 501st, is that right?" He asked, arms crossed. He had a nonthreatening posture and tone, but his blue eyes were calculating and hard, seeming to bypass the armour and bodies of the gathered troopers and examine their souls. Joystick cleared his throat and smiled.

"Yes sir, that's accurate."

"You think you have what it takes?"

"I think that's entirely up to what you decide is the criteria," Shuriken said. Rex smirked.

"Oh yeah, shiny? What's your specialties? All of you."

"I'm a pilot," Dusty replied, standing straight. "So is Joystick."

"That I can tell, seeing as you crashed into my hangar in a starfighter," he snarked, and Dusty shrunk back shyly. Rex turned to Shuriken. "What about you? You don't seem like these two."

"I am a sniper, sir. I only was flying 'cause there was a lack of gunners," Shuriken griped.

"We have to adapt and deal with the cards dealt us. That's a soldier's life," Rex observed. "We don't have a lot of snipers in Torrent Company, and we could always use fighter pilots. What do you fly?"

"Anything with wings," Joystick responded confidently. Dusty nodded, grinning in his crazed way. Shuriken rolled his eyes, and Mate smacked him in the shin with a retractable arm.

"Cocky I see. Well, a few bouts of combat will likely cure you of that. I don't see why you couldn't join Torrent Company. After we get underway, I can gather the boys together and-"

"Generals!" A clone officer yelled from his station, drawing the attention of everyone on the bridge. "We're picking up on transmission from the Gaulus Sector! It repeats, like a distress signal."

"Put it through," Anakin ordered. The sound of interference began crackling out loud. A voice could be heard, but not understood.

"There's too much noise," Commander Cody said.

"Boost the signal," Anakin said. The trooper's hands flew across the dashboard, and the interference lessened. The transmission was a clone's voice:

"Mayday! May... CT 5432... Requesting an evac... position seventy-two minutes, twelve... Separatist Vultures... Repeat, we have sustained major... we are in a Sheathipede Class Shuttle without..." The message descended into static.

"CT 543- that's Awe!" Joystick exclaimed, eyes widened in surprise.

"The transmission is coming from Ryloth, sirs!" The trooper reported.

"Awe is alive!" Dusty practically screamed in joy, running to the holo-table. "And he said we! There are others!"

"We have to launch a rescue mission," Shuriken said. "We can be ready in minutes, Generals. We need a shuttle with a hyperdrive and-"

"I am sorry," Windu interrupted in a not-so-sorry-sounding voice. "We cannot launch a rescue mission." The clones froze in disbelief, staring open mouthed at the man. Most of the officers on the deck stopped as well, shocked expressions decorating their faces.

"What do you mean?!" Dusty cried. "Our brothers are stranded on that hellish rock; you can't expect us to-"

"There is a planetary blockade that has already decimated an entire fleet surrounding Ryloth," the Jedi cut him off. "We cannot risk more men to save a few; it would be a tactical folly."

"Surely there's something we can do," Anakin protested.

"We cannot spare enough forces to lead an assault on an occupied world to break the blockade. We are spread thin and engaged in combatting a deadly and mysterioous enemy..."

As Windu talked, Joystick moved his right hand behind his leg and made a sign. While Dusty and Shuriken continued arguing, Joystick heard Mate wheeling away silently, leaving the bridge.

"-can't let them die!" Dusty was saying, brows furrowed in an expression of rage. "I will not stand by for that to happen!"

"Dusty," Joystick said calmly, putting a hand on his fellow pilot's shoulder. His friend looked at him, fiery passion burning in his fierce stare. "The General is right. I don't like it, but we can't allocate forces to this. We'd be putting extra lives at risk needlessly."

Both Shuriken and Dusty gaped at him, unsure if their brave, defiant, reckless buddy was really there, speaking those words.

"I-I..." Dusty choked, looking around helplessly.

"We are sorry," Obi-Wan Kenobi apologised, looking just as disturbed. "I wish there were something we could do."

"Generals, if you'd allow us to leave. We need time to ourselves," Joystick sued. Mace Windu nodded, and Joystick led his crew into the hallway outside. Nobody spoke as they got into an elevator. Joystick hit down, and they began to descend.

Dusty whirled on him, seething in rage. "How the hell can you agree not to help our brothers?!"

"I never said that," Joystick said coolly.

"But you said-"

"That we can't use our forces to do it, I dind't say anything about us."

Dusty froze, looking confused. "But-?"

Joystick rolled his eyes, smirking. "You think I would buy any of that Bantha crap the General was saying? Of course we're gonna go help Awe, otherwise who would I brag to about my flight skills?"

Shuriken began laughing hard, slapping Joystick's shoulder. "You, sir, are crazy. Let's do this."

"Hey, uh, where are we getting a ship?" Dusty asked.

"If you would've been more perceptive, you would notice that Mate is absent. I sent him to 'tactfully acquire' some transportation." Joystick had that mischievous glint in his eyes; the one that always led to someone's pants being glued to their butts or cockroaches in a trooper's bunk.

Great minds think alike, or so the saying goes, so cloned minds must think exactly the same, otherwise, how come Vaughn was on to them from the get-go?

Joysick, Shuriken, and Dusty walked casually to the Nu-Class Attack shuttle and towards the open nose ramp. It was a large craft, room enough inside for thirty men. It was pretty epic looking with the top fin and the folded wings. It had a standard armament of laser-cannons. Sadly, it lacked missiles, but Joystick could work with it. He quickly slapped the sign he'd been carrying around all day on the side of the nose, attaching it with several pins from his pocket. He then followed his brothers inside.

"All right, this is a two-man craft, so Shuriken, you're a passenger."

The sniper smiled, DC-15X sniper-rifle slung over his shoulder with a bandolier. "All good with me."

"Good, someone to keep me company back here," a familiar voice said. They all stared at the now open door to the cabin, revealing Mate and Vaughn, the latter holding a DC-15A rifle.

"Vaughn? What are you-?"

"Can't let you have all the fun," he said casually, placing his helmet on his head. "You can use all the help you can get."

Joystick frowned. "Are you sure? We're going AWOL here. If we survive, we won't be that well received upon returning."

"We deal with that then," Vaughn waved off his concern. "What matters is the now. There are lives to save, counting on us now, and we can't afford to wuss out. Our brothers called, and I'm not one to ignore my family."

Joystick grinned widely, putting on his helmet. "Then let's go before the Generals figure us out." Vaughn and Shuriken ran into the back, while Dusty and Joystick mounted the seats in the entry area. Each hitting the 'up' button, they ascended into their cockpits. Powering up, Joystick noted that Mate had refueled the engines and restocked the ammo. He eased the throttle, turned on the repulsor, and pulled on his namesake. The shuttle slowly lifted off and Joystick steered it towards the shielded opening on the floor.

"Sir!" An officer called, drawing Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Mace Windu's attention. "We have an unauthorized launch in the hangar."

"What?" Anakin asked, eyes jumping to the window as a shape passed by. A shuttle. His shuttle. "Who-?"

"The clones," Windu said sternly. "I sense their determination. Somewhat admirable, their intent."

Anakin hit a button on the command centre. "Obex, this is Anakin Skywalker. Joystick, I know you can hear me."

"Hey there General, how's the weather?"

Anakin, despite his amusement, continued. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Caching in some leave days to visit another planet. Want me to bring you a souvenir?"

Anakin snorted a laugh, stepping back as Master Windu walked up. "Joystick, this is General Windu. Return immediately."

This time, Dusty spoke over the channel. "Don't take this the wrong way, but nah uh."

Anakin put a hand over his mouth when Windu scowled. These guys were really pushing their luck.

"Listen to me; I understand your loyalty to your brothers, and under different circumstances we would launch a recovery operation, but that blockade will tear you apart."

"All right, I'll put your advice under consideration..." Joystick said dejectedly.

"Good."

"Then completely ignore it!"

Anakin coughed, trying desperately to cover a laugh. The clones in the room were attempting to hide their amusement, and even Obi-Wan cracked a smile. Mace, though, was not amused. "You will not survive their blockade; it's too strong for one ship."

"Do you know who you're talking to?" Joystick challenged over the comms.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" Windu retorted coolly. "I am your General."

"No, my General died, saving lives, unlike you; hiding in your Venator like a coward and saying who's worth saving and not worth saving."

The room was stunned into silence at the audacious retort. Anakin had never heard someone openly disrespect a Jedi Master, much less a clone to a General. It was uncharacteristically rebellious.

Windu's face was hard to read, but he had his normal scowl in place as he replied. "Watch your tone trooper. You can't just-"

"I am, and I can. Sir, at first I meant no disrespect, but you cannot expect me sit down and allow my brothers to die. Is it against your Jedi code to sacrifice one's own life to save those in need? I think not. The five of us are doing it, and nobody else has to get involved. We are prepared to pay whatever price is dealt our way."

"Five of you?" Skywalker asked.

"General," Vaughn said over the communication. "I've gotten to know these guys, and I want to help."

Obi-Wan rubbed his face, sighing. "At least tell Ahsoka to be careful, and to bring you all back in one piece."

"... Ahsoka? The commander isn't onboa-"

"Sorry, Masters," the Padawan's voice came to Anakin's utter shock. "I was here looking for my gear, and when they came in, something told me that I should hide. I didn't mean to stow away."

"And we didn't mean to bring her!" Shuriken said quickly. "Believe me, we are not kidnapping your Padawan."

"Ahsoka..." Anakin groaned.

"Masters, I think we can pull it off. They were talking about Mate blocking the signal, and Joystick says he can get us through. Please, we can't abandon our troops."

There was silence as all eyes were on Mace Windu. Seconds felt like hours as he stood there, chin in his hand.

"Sir," an officer said nervously. "They're within tractor beam range. Do we-?"

"Let them go," Windu decided. "Riddler Six, we will not stop you, but know that no reinforcements are forthcoming and that you may be subject to discipline if you return." After a brief silence with muted conversation on the other end, Joystick answered.

"Understood. Tango Mike, General. Joystick out."

"They've jumped," the officer said.

"May the force be with you," Anakin muttered.

"Well, I'm out of ideas!" Shock yelled, guiding the shuttle through the canyon. "Shields are finally dead."

In the back, at the open ramp in the back of the ship, Raid tossed their second to last rifle out. As it hit the cliff side, it exploded, raining rocks, debris, and dust on the pursuing Vulture droids, sending a few crashing to the ground. He gripped the final one, whipping his helmet off and clipping it to his belt, smiling grimly because of his ingenious trick. "Overloading the rifles may be effective, but we're out of them. How much fuel is left?"

"On a scale of Full to Empty? Fumes," Shock said through clenched teeth. "Did anyone pick up that beacon, Awe?"

"Not that I can tell," he spat. "I don't think we're getting any help."

"It's been a good run," Raid said sadly. "An hour-long chase isn't bad."

"More like an hour and a half. That's plenty of time for the Republic to catch the signal."

Shock jerked right as a Vulture droid descended into the canyon, firing at them. A red laser streaked into the cabin, making a panel explode near Awe, who shielded his face. Raid, charging up the rifle, took careful aim. With a sound louder than it should make, he fired an unstable bolt, striking the enemy fighter in one of its engines. It spun out of control, blowing up on impact with the dirt. "That's half the ammo gone. We need to find somewhere to make our last stand."

"Another last stand," Awe laughed. "The point of a last stand is for it to be your last, yet here we are, ready to do a second one. Captain Keeli would be proud."

"I'm setting down!" Shock yelled. "Brace yourselves!" Both troopers gripped onto handlebars as the Sheathipede hit the ground, bumping and skidding for yards. Awe slammed hard into a seat, and Raid felt his jaw clacking together. He kept his tongue safely on the floor of his mouth, hoping he didn't accidentally bite it off. Violent crunching and shredding sounds were heard as the shuttle scraped across the surface of the planet, and bits of debris landed inside. Finally, the ship came to a rest. "Aaaaand, that's all of the fuel," Shock announced, leaving his seat, helmet donned.

"That was... bumpy," Raid said, slightly nauseous.

Awe groaned, standing and stretching. "I think I saw Jango Fett briefly," he said rubbing his head before putting his helmet back on. Raid did the same before pausing to listen. The recognisable sound of Separatist shuttle engines rumbled.

"We've got incoming," Raid said, tossing the rifle to Awe. Shock knelt by the body of Scuff and drew a dagger from its sheath. "Let's go meet-and-greet the neighbours." They piled out into the trench dug by the ship. Bits of rock and plants lay littered about, evidence of the nature massacre. Taking up positions in a triangle formation around the shuttle's doorway, the clone prepared for the five Sheathipedes slowly descending. Shock knelt behind a tree, Awe stood beside a rock, and Raid took point out in the open, carbine in hand.

Right before the approaching ships touched down, Awe let out a battle cry. "For the Republic!" He fired an overpower shot, using up the rest of the rifle's ammunition, blasting a hole in the engines of the highest enemy craft. It careened out of control, taking another ship down with it, both landing with a thundering boom, flames erupting from their bulks. Awe cast the rifle away as the rest landed, depositing masses of B1s and B2s out the rears.

"For the Garrison, the Republic, and our brothers!" Raid shouted, blasting a battle droid off its feet.

The clones began firing, taking out countless droids. The automated soldiers marched head on, ignoring losses or lack of cover. Raid dove away from a bolt and into the trench. Standing, he picked the head off of an unfortunate B1. As they mowed through droids, three charged out of the mass, different than the others. Taller and dark brown, they had rounded heads with strange markings. They wielded vibro-blade swords, and advanced straight at Raid. Awe shot one in the chest with his carbine, but it kept on charging. Raid retrieved the lightsaber and ignited it. As the first droid reached him, he swung to block its strike. He barely had time to block a second, a third, then a fourth. Raid dodged backwards as the others joined in, swinging at him. He danced and bobbed and weaved, desperate not to be cut down.

A ferocious scream sounded as Awe barreled from his position and tackled one of the attacking droids in the head, taking it down. While they were distracted by the sudden assault, Raid slashed one with all his might, severing the head at the base of the neck. As he tried to recover, he felt the blade of the second one slash across his chest, splitting the armour. He cried out in pain as it cut his flesh, spurting blood into the air. The impact alone threw him to the dirt, banging his head. Dazed and wounded, he stared up as the droid prepared to stab down. Raid stared into its lifeless, unblinking, blood-stained optics, praying for a painless end that never came.

A dagger whooshed through the air, burying itself into the head of the droid with a sickening shriek of metal. Seizing the moment, Raid slashed out with his saber, removing its legs. After it hit the ground, Raid made sure to remove its head. Standing shakily and wincing at the burning sensation across his chest, Raid began to fall back, pulling out a pistol to replace his fallen carbine. Awe dashed over and helped his retreat towards their shuttle, leaving the third droid with a snapped neck.

The three brothers held their ground before the open shuttle, side by side. Droids pressed dangerously close, narrowly missing shots. Shock grunted when a red bolt impacted his injured leg in the kama, but kept fighting.

'This is it? This where death gets me, on my feet and seven feet ahead of me?" Raid thought, glancing at his brothers. 'Side by side, to the end, that's how we'll fall? Force, I'm going out fighting and I'll give it my all.'

A laser knocked Awe down, striking his shoulder. From the ground he continued firing, yelling defiantly. Two more shuttles bore down on them, filled with more droids. There was no way out.

Suddenly, both approaching ships exploded, raining fiery wreckage upon a few of the landed craft. All firing stopped as everyone, clone and droid, cast their gaze upwards. A single, large starship flew in, blue laser strafing the battlefield. Raid found his focus on the sign that adorned the Republic shuttle:

Kiss My Butt.

"JOYSTICK!" Awe, Shock, and Raid screamed elatedly, shaking their fists as the door in the front opened. Out leapt an orange-skinned Togruta wearing a very revealing top, a clone with blue markings, and a familiar clone with red-brown designs. As Shuriken and the other trooper took up positions beside the survivors, the Togruta ignited her green lightsaber and began cutting through droids.

"Go! Get aboard!" She yelled, deflecting laser after laser. The Nu-Class shuttle hovered down, Dusty waving frantically from the gunner's seat. above the entrance.

"You heard the Princess," Shuriken said, firing his rifle with pinpoint accuracy. "Get in!" The other trooper helped Awe to his feet and onto the awaiting ramp. Shock limped his way onboard as well, and Raid ducked inside the crashed Sheathipede. Abandoning his pistol and ignoring his pains, Raid scooped up the lifeless body of Scuff, carrying it outside.

"Don't worry buddy, we're not leaving you behind," he whispered, clambering up the ramp and inside the shuttle. The three rescuers all boarded, and the door closed. Raid, setting Scuff on the floor, stumbled into a seat, sitting down hard. Awe lay on the floor, helmet off, and grinning despite his pain. Raid tossed his own bucket off his head and across the shuttle.

A familiar astromech rolled up to Shock and whooped, tapping his knee. Shock chuckled. "Good to see you too, Mate."

The Togruta examined them each in turn, eyes stopping on Raid's slashed armour. Her eyes widened.

"What did that?" She asked, concern evident in her voice. "It looks bad."

Raid, with considerable effort, forced a chuckle, which sounded pathetic in his own ears. "It's... nothing." He could tell he wasn't very convincing as he winced from the effort of even talking. "Some crazy droid attacked with swords. They were... faster, more agile. They also could take some punishment." The other trooper with blue removed his helmet, revealing standard hair and a goatee.

"That was quite a battle. There were easily fifty dead clankers down there, along with two shuttles blasted. I'm Vaughn."

"I'm Raid. That's Shock and Awe."

"Is he..." the Togruta stared at Scuff apprehensively.

"Yeah... Scuff didn't make it pass our theft of the shuttle, nor did Twitch and Diego."

"Poor Twitch," Shuriken said in grief, pulling off his helmet and slinging his rifle across his back. "He went down as a fighter?"

"We may not have gotten far without him, or even the others," Shock replied sadly. "They were true soldiers."

The shuttle shuddered and banked slightly to Portside. Awe wrinkled his nose. "That can't be Joystick flying, he's much too good of a pilot to make these sloppy banks," he said sarcastically.

"I do have Dusty as a co-pilot," Joystick informed him. Awe nodded understandingly.

"Well, that explains it."

"Don't mind me, trying to keep us alive here," Dusty shot back. "We're exiting the atmosphere. There's too much flak and fighters, though. We might not make it out of here."

"Blind jump?" Shock asked.

"Negative," Joystick replied. "Too much heat."

"Ahsoka, any Force tricks you know that could help?" Shuriken asked the Togruta, who frowned.

"This is up to the pilots' skill." Ahsoka grimaced. "I wish Master Skywalker would've come. He's a great pilot."

"What, you don't think I can do it?!" Joystick hollered from the cockpit.

"No, I think she just wants a smoother ride," a voice said over the comms.

"Master?!" Ahsoka yelped excitedly. "You're here?"

"Yep; and tell your ace pilot he forgot to turn off the short-range transmitter. Once I got in range, I could hear the whole conversation."

"How much is 'the whole conversation?'" Vaughn asked.

"About ten seconds?"

"I see incoming friendlies!" Dusty announced, clearly excited. "A Jedi fighter and four V-19s!"

A clone's voice came over the comms. "We'll clear a path and guard your flank. Jump at will."

"Acknowledged. Thanks Hawk," Joystick said, gratitude in his voice. The shuttle ride became much smoother. Raid could see flashes of light from the cockpit area as explosions abounded. Laser streaked past the cockpits by the dozens, but they kept steady. "Preparing to jump!" Raid closed his eyes as the engine powered up, finally safe and homeward bound.