A/N: I predict that for the rest of this ThunderCats/Clone Wars chronology, "Thundera Joins the Republic and Jedi" will have more and longer chapters than "Plun-Darr Joins the Confederacy" most of the time, because with the possible exception of Revenge of the Sith, the Clone Wars time period concentrated more on the Jedi/Republic point of view than it did on the Sith/Confederacy perspective. I just thought I should mention that for those who are following these stories.

Like Fire Across the Galaxy

The Battle of Geonosis was over. Back on Coruscant, Obi-Wan Kenobi, mostly healed of his wounds, was discussing with Mace, Yoda, Anet, and the Cats what he had heard Dooku and Mumm-Ra say regarding Darth Sidious.

"Do you believe what Dooku said about Sidious controlling the Republic?" he asked them. "It doesn't feel right."

"Hmm," said Yoda, "Trust Dooku, we cannot. Lies, deceit, the way of the dark side, that is."

"Nevertheless," said Mace, "I believe we should keep a closer eye on the Senate from now on."

"I agree," said Yoda.

"Hearing that another evil being might be controlling the side we've taken doesn't bode well for the Cats, either," said Cheetara.

"On your side, the Jedi always will be, noble ThunderCats," Yoda assured her.

"Besides," said Tygra, "they can't throw anything at us we haven't been able to handle before."

"I wouldn't get too confident if I were you, Tygra," said Panthro, "If Dooku was serious, this Sidious is probably more dangerous than even the Soul Sever."

"That's what bothers me too," remarked Lion-O.

As if to change the subject, Mace asked Obi-Wan, "Where is your apprentice?"

"On his way to Naboo, escorting Senator Amidala back home," answered Obi-Wan.

"Yes," said Lion-O, "Snarf and the Kittens really wanted to go with them, so we let them to get them out of our fur for a little while. They said something about wanting to get better acquainted with a couple of 'cute droids' that apparently belong to Anakin and the Senator."

"I have to admit," said Obi-Wan, "If it hadn't been for the clones, the battle would not have been a victory."

"Victory?" said Yoda with sad skepticism. "Victory, you say, Obi-Wan? Nay, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."

"I sense it, too, my friends," said Anet. "We may have won a battle, but we are far from winning a war, and my meditations tell me that this one will tear the fabric of harmony apart like no other. Beware! Mumm-Ra may have a greater advantage over us than we know, even if you do find the Soul Stone before he does."

The Cats exchanged anxious glances. They obviously didn't like the sound of this at all, not even Tygra, who took it the least seriously.

Outside the Senate building, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and his Loyalist senators, including Bail Organa, and Horus the Pigeon, watched as thousands of clone troopers marched into Acclamator assault ships to be sent off into war to battle the Separatists. Many Ravenmen entered the ships with them. They had volunteered to supplement the clones in the battles to come, since the Birds on Lion-O's side were the most plentiful of the Animals on his side.

The assault ships took off into the depths of space, while countless more clone troops stood by, ready to enter more ships, while others were assigned to defend the galactic capital itself. As they watched what was happening, Bail and Horus looked down and not very happy with what was taking place, while all the other senators looked on with anticipation, or even glee, as was the case with Ask Aak and a few others. Palpatine's feelings were unreadable. Bail and Horus, alone of those on the balcony, seemed to foresee the inevitable darkness that was to come.

And on Naboo, as C-3PO, R2-D2, Snarf, and the ThunderKittens looked on, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala were secretly married to each other by a Naboo holy man.

The Kittens were always amused by displays of soft, mushy emotions, but this time, they held their tongues, knowing better than to interrupt the moment, because Anakin and Padmé considered this moment a very special one. Snarf looked on with a little trepidation as Anakin took Padmé's hand with a mechanical hand, to replace the arm Dooku had cut off on Geonosis. Threepio and Artoo merely stood by and watched. It was hard to read the thoughts of a droid, but they were plainly moved by this scene of deep love too.

After Anakin and Padmé kissed, they looked off into the Naboo sunset, with hope, and at the same time concern, for their future, as a Jedi marriage wasn't allowed in the Jedi Order because of the rule of no attachments. It was clear that they could be walking down a dark path, but their love was too strong for them not to walk down it.

"Like fire across the galaxy, the Clone Wars spread."

Battle are fought all over the galaxy in the early months of the Clone Wars. Yoda rides a kybuck toward an embattled city. Shaak Ti leads gunships into battle against a superior force of super battle droids and homing spider droids. Cheetara, Dogs, Fishmen, and Birds help the clones fight, while Lizards supplement the droids. Saesee Tiin, one of the best Jedi fighter pilots in the galaxy, drops seismic charges on the droid forces to destroy more of them.

"In league with the wicked Count Dooku, more and more planets slip."

Count Dooku shakes hands with a Quarren leader named Tikkes, and together they forge the Quarren Isolation League. Starfighters and SkyCutters engage each other above the mountains on a planet. Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee defend themselves from some droids. Kit Fisto swims underwater with clone SCUBA troopers to fight underwater Separatist forces on Mon Calamari. Mace Windu single-handedly fights droids on Dantooine. Clone forces shoot their DC-15s on many worlds.

And everywhere, the ThunderCats and their Animal allies support them in every endeavor.

"Against this threat, upon the Jedi Knights and the ThunderCats, falls the duty to lead the newly formed Army of the Republic…"

The Cats leap into battle with their new close friends, the legendary Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker.

"…And as the heat of war grows, so too grows the prowess of one most gifted student of the Force."

Anakin shows that nothing can stand against him, but as he fights, we can tell that in his eyes burn a secret anger and a zest for battle.

In the Chancellor's office, Obi-Wan, Lion-O, Anakin, Tygra, and Yoda were discussing the state of the war and an upcoming mission with each other and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

"There are plans to make more and better clone troopers," explained Palpatine, "I believe you are familiar by now with the ARC troopers?"

"Yes, we are, Chancellor," said Obi-Wan, "They are elite, independent soldiers who can carry out special missions alone as well as fill the command gap between Jedi Generals and the regular clone troopers."

"Hmpf," said Yoda, "Like the sound of Jedi Generals, I do not. As peacemakers, the Jedi were intended, not generals. Too few in number are we, besides. Agree with me, Anet does, that this will take us down a dark path in the end."

"I don't like it any more than you do, Master Yoda, believe me," said Palpatine, "But for now, we have little choice. Ordinary people are less suited at this point to lead so many valiant troops into battle, even with the Ravens, other Birds, Dogs, and Fishmen supporting them."

"I'm not so sure I would agree with that, Chancellor," said Lion-O, "The Animals are excellent and loyal fighters, and I would think that they, too, could lead your forces into war."

"Too true," said Palpatine, "Too true. But we still need the Jedi as well. They have amazing powers of their own with the Force, and think of what the Force could do to devastate those troublesome Separatists. Now, to get back to the subject I was talking about before," he said before anyone could interject again, "An ARC trooper named Alpha is stationed on Kamino right now, and he is training about one hundred clone commanders to become ARC commanders, who will each be assigned to lead an elite clone unit and serve under a Jedi General. It's Alpha's belief, as well as the Senate's, that they will bring a new sense of creativity to the Grand Army in battle, because he's training each of them to be an individual with his own style of handling combat and leading his forces."

"I hope they'll have names," said Anakin, "In the middle of battle, 1456728 doesn't always come right to mind, and besides, a name might make them feel even more individual."

"I agree with Anakin," said Tygra.

"Yes," said Palpatine, doing push-ups with his fingers, "Alpha is strongly considering that. He will probably come through on that desire."

"In the meantime, Chancellor," said Obi-Wan, "there is some concern about Separatist affairs on the planet Muunilinst. Clone intelligence reported that the Banking Clan is hiding huge factories on their base world, building huge droid armies and massive warships. We must act quickly."

"I agree," said Palpatine, clicking his fingertips together. "But who to send? Master Windu still fights on Dantooine."

"Lead the assault, Master Obi-Wan can," said Yoda.

"My army is ready, Chancellor," said Obi-Wan, "We can leave immediately."

"I'd like to help, too, Chancellor," said Lion-O, "We have a group of ARC troopers led by a captain named Fordo, which he is thinking of calling the Munnilinst 10. And some Ravenmen are willing to lend a wing to Fordo and his troops, and Fordo accepted their offer."

"Yes," said Palpatine, smiling, "That sounds like a good idea to me. And perhaps you should take young Skywalker as well. I suggest that we give him special command of your space forces. His exceptional skill will be quite useful."

Tygra blinked. "Uh, pardon me, Chancellor, but I also have exceptional skill as a pilot. My extinct ancestors were pilots in the distant past, and flying feels natural to me." He grinned.

Palpatine thought about it for a moment. "Very well," he said, "Perhaps both Tygra and young Skywalker will do an excellent job of leading the space forces in this battle." Anakin smiled.

Obi-Wan stood up and said, "Chancellor, I feel that Padawan Anakin is not yet ready for such responsibility."

Lion-O couldn't help noticing that Anakin's smile had changed to a slight frown as he looked at Obi-Wan.

"True," agreed Yoda, "With his Master, a Padawan's place is. But undeniably strong, he has become. Perhaps-"

"Then it is decided!" said Palpatine, sounding satisfied. He meant, of course, that Anakin would be going along to fly in the space battle. Yoda and Obi-Wan frowned uneasily at each other for a moment. Lion-O and Tygra shrugged at each other, still not sure what to make of this exchange of words and facial expressions.

Clone troopers marched in perfect synchronization up the ramps to their Acclamator-class assault ships. AT-TEs and SPHA-Ts plodded up the ramps, too. Gunships were loaded into the hangar bays.

Recently, the clone pilots had been provided with their first class of starfighters, a fleet of ships shaped similarly to the Chancellor's personal shuttle, with two wings pointing downwards at a 45 degree angle and another pointing straight downwards directly below the ships' underside, called V-19 Torrents. They climbed aboard, readied for takeoff, and the ground staff gave them the a-okay.

Before going onboard one of the assault ships, Obi-Wan and Lion-O watched this process from above for a few minutes. Obi-Wan pulled back his hood, shook his head, and said to Lion-O, "I doubt even Master Qui-Gon could've prepared a Jedi for this."

Lion-O replied, "I doubt if even my father Claudus, or Jaga the Wise, could've prepared me or the other ThunderCats for a war on this massive scale, either."

For the mission, Anakin and Tygra were each flying a personal starfighter as commanders of the Republic fleet. Anakin's ship had an astromech droid other than R2-D2, because Anakin was flying his first space battle in a massive war, and he didn't want to risk losing Artoo while he still needed to learn to adapt to the way the Separatist starfighters fought. As he took off, he saw his close friends, Artoo and Threepio, watching from a window, and Senator Padmé, too. They looked sadly at each other for a moment, and pressed a hand against their respective glass windows in goodbye. Then, before Tygra could ask him why he was stalling, Anakin joined him in following the fleet into hyperspace.

In hyperspace, Obi-Wan and Lion-O addressed the Muunilinst 10, Captain Fordo, and their Raven backups.

"ARC troopers. Ravenmen. You have been selected for this task because you are the best, the elite. You all know what to do. The success of your mission is our key to a swift victory. When you get into position, send word as planned. Then, we will join you."

The Jedi and Cat then left the room. Next stop, they went to the hangar bay, where Anakin was doing some mechanic's work on his ship, and Panthro was helping Tygra do the same with his own.

"I'd say this is gonna be a pretty winnable battle, don't you think?" said Tygra.

"Don't get too cocky, Tygra," advised Panthro, "We're all going to have our hands full on the surface. You and Anakin have got to make sure that the Separatists don't gain the upper hand in space, or the ground battle won't matter too much in the end."

"Relax, Panthro," said Tygra, "The only reason I didn't do a good job at Avista is because first Vultaire didn't train his fleet very well, and then he betrayed both us and his own people when Mumm-Ra scared him stiff."

"Just be careful, is all we're saying," said Cheetara, "I don't want this battle to end and then we find out that you were shot down, okay?"

"Relax, babe," said Tygra, winking, "Have I ever let you down before?"

Cheetara shook her head and smiled. "That's a rhetorical question, isn't it?"

Tygra kissed her. "You could say that."

Anakin noticed their kiss, and a tiny note of envy went through his heart. Why can't Padmé and I love each other that openly?

Obi-Wan walked over to check on Anakin. Anakin sensed this and said, "Master, I know you don't think I'm ready for a command of my own, but I am the best pilot in the Order! Chancellor Palpatine knows it. I don't know why you can't-"

"Padawan!" interrupted Obi-Wan, "Your skills have never been in question. It is your maturity. I've argued this before. But the decision has been made. May the Force be with you, Commander."

He walked away. Anakin watched him leave, looking slightly dejected. Lion-O asked Obi-Wan, "What exactly is it between you and Anakin, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment. His face was stony. Finally, he said, "Oh, I don't know. It's Anakin's feelings, I suppose. He's restless, he's moody, he's arrogant, he acts like something's always bothering him. But perhaps it's also because I never really chose him as my Padawan. Just before he died, Qui-Gon, who was very close with Anakin, made me promise that I would train Anakin in the ways of the Force in his place. I gave Qui-Gon my word, and I've always kept that word. But because I didn't exactly choose Anakin as my apprentice, Anakin feels like I appreciate him less than Qui-Gon did, which isn't entirely true. But it may also have to do with the Jedi High Council. They treated him rather coldly when they first met him, and made him feel uncomfortable. Ironically, they were uncomfortable with him too, because they thought he was dangerous, even Master Yoda. And initially, I agreed with them, even though Qui-Gon did not. In spite of teaching him about the ways of the Force like an expert, I feel like I may be failing Anakin in some way."

"Maybe it's time you and the Council made him feel more accepted," suggested Lion-O. "Maybe it's time you did accept Anakin as your apprentice. It seems to me that the only person who appreciates him for who he is is Chancellor Palpatine."

"Yes," said Obi-Wan, "But Palpatine credits Anakin's accomplishments more than his maturity as a Jedi. It's like the Chancellor thinks the Jedi Order should be a meritocracy, or something."

"That's not always bad," said Lion-O, "Thundera wasn't a meritocracy, exactly, but there was a hierarchy, in which certain people were seen as better than others, not that I ever approved of that, however."

"Well, it's certainly something to think about," decided Obi-Wan, "I hope that after this battle, Anakin and I can become a little closer. Perhaps it's time he and I became more like friends instead of Master and Padawan."

"That's an idea," agreed Lion-O.

A while later, they reached the Muunilinst system. The banking planet did not look too inviting when they saw a number of rounded, hilt-shaped gun platforms orbiting the planet, and soon enough, many vulture droids and Geonosian fighters flew out of their hangar bays and towards the Republic fleet. In answer, a fleet of V-19 Torrents flew out of the hangars of some of the RASs, led by Anakin Skywalker and Tygra.

"All squadrons to me!" ordered Anakin.

"I sure hope you can lead your pilots better than Vultaire could!" said Tygra.

"Don't worry about it, Tygra," said Anakin, "We just have to concentrate on the here and now if we hope to prevail!"

"I already knew that!" replied Tygra.

But Anakin didn't respond this time. The battle was underway in the sky. V-19s engaged Geonosian ships in fierce combat, and in a matter of seconds, ships were already being obliterated.

Out of another RAS came many space-worthy Republic gunships, which flew down through the atmosphere and towards the capital city of Muunilinst. They came to ground level and coasted along to meet the Separatist forces. On board his gunship, Obi-Wan said into his wrist comlink, "ARC troopers, deploy!"

"Yes, sir!" said Fordo's voice as another gunship split off from the others and approached the city in a different direction.

The fleet of LAATs continued on to the city. Word was that San Hill, the chairman of the IG Banking Clan, was holed up in one of those banking skyscrapers with some of his fellow Muuns, and it was imperative that he be captured alive and his defenders defeated. Suddenly, many powerful missiles fired at them from the city outskirts, presumably Hailfire droid missiles.

"Evasive action!" shouted Obi-Wan. The gunships split apart from their collective flight pattern.

"ThunderCats, HO!" yelled Lion-O, making the Eye of Thundera shoot fire at the missiles. Many of them were destroyed in midair by the Sword of Omens, but some got past the flames and hit a few of the gunships, destroying them. Battle droids, Jackals and Lizards were running toward them, firing their blasters all at once. Hailfire droids were also backing up the droids, as well as a few Warbots. The gunships landed, one by one, and the clones, Jedi, and Cats jumped out and attacked the enemy.

The guns of the clones were good enough to take down some of the Hailfires and Warbots, and other clones, along with the Jedi and the Cats, started tearing into the battle droids and the Lizards.

Meanwhile, the ARC troopers and their Bird backups were flying into the heart of the city, which was a lot quieter at the moment than the outskirts were. They nimbly flew between the skyscrapers, searching for their target, a very tall banking tower with a massive laser cannon at its base. When they found the district of Harnaidan, where the tower was supposed to be, they got into a position to land.

However, a battle droid with a rocket launcher had been watching out for them, and while saying, "Roger, roger!" to an unknown recipient, he fired the missile into the rear of the gunship, crippling it. Fortunately, the pilot and co-pilot were able to prevent the ship from burning up in an explosion as it crashed, skidding across the pavement noisily and burning on its behind. After it skidded to a stop, Fordo poked his head out and looked around cautiously. The pilot and co-pilot were dead, but everybody else was in good enough shape to fight. He gave a few hand signals silently, and the other nine members of the Muunilinst 10 piled out of the gunship, along with seven Ravenmen. The clones and the Birds stood at different positions, keeping their eyes out for danger from any direction.

Alas, sometimes, even the keen sight of a bird can occasionally miss something, and two battle droid snipers and a Lizard sniper were hiding high up in one of the buildings, watching them. The Separatist soldiers opened fire.

The troops and the Ravens returned fire immediately, but one Raven and a clone known as CT-43/002 were quickly gunned down. The others got behind the cover of the gunship or nearby structures as the Sep snipers continued to fire down on them.

Fordo made some hand signals again, a military protocol that many of the clone troops often employed on the battlefield, and some of his men moved to other positions. Then, after a few more signals, one trooper risked coming out in the open to use a target imager to create a composite sonic image of the nearby buildings. With it, he was able to figure out where the closest patrol points for Separatist troops were. He returned to Fordo and signaled to him, and then Fordo signaled for an ARC with a missile launcher to fire missiles into each guarded location. With help from a Raven with another missile launcher, he fired each missile at each target accurately, including the balcony where the snipers were still firing at them, silencing their nearest enemies for good.

The Muunilinst 10 walked down the street, watching for more danger. One Raven took to the air to get a better view of the surrounding area. As a suspicious sound could be heard not far away, the Raven gave Fordo a warning sign. Fordo acknowledged it and ordered his men to halt and prepare for combat again. Around the corner ahead came an Armored Assault Tank (AAT), a battle droid-driven monstrosity used by the Trade Federation for war purposes. It fired at them, killing a few more clones and Ravens. Fordo signaled to the Raven above, and the Bird soldier swooped down and blew his way into the tank with his blaster. Subsequently, several blaster shots poked holes in the AAT from the inside out and it stopped. The Raven evacuated the tank, and it exploded.

Fordo ordered the same Raven to carry a ball-shaped probe droid high into the air to search for the tower. The Raven took the droid up to the sky and helped it scan the area, until they found the tower with the laser cannon at its base. Fordo used a hologram to see everything the Raven and the probe droid were seeing. He then used a rangefinder to locate the places where the droid/Lizard security was posted.

Before moving on, he contacted Obi-Wan and said, "General Kenobi, target has been sighted."

"Very good, Captain," said Obi-Wan, "Proceed with the next phase."

The clones used grappling hooks and ascension cables to climb up the vertical face of the lower part of the tower, while the Ravens silently flew up there. Taking the droids and Lizards by surprise, they shot down any that got in their way. Ravens stabbed Lizards with their shock spears, and electrocuted droids with the same weapons. Fordo single-handedly blasted every droid he could find with two handheld blasters as if he had had experience all his life. Then an ARC lieutenant fired another missile at the window in the top of the tower, destroying the room inside and the Separatist security within.

Fordo proceeded to spin one of his blasters on his finger before re-holstering it. Evidently, he had picked this talent up from Jango Fett himself.

The Muunilinst 10 set explosives at the base of the cannon, and then rappelled up the face of the tower, followed closely by the winged Ravens. Below them, the cannon exploded in flames. Then, at the top of the tower, they stood on one of the narrow parts of the tower's roof (it looked as if the Ravens were literally perching there), and waited for the next orders in their mission.

Elsewhere in the city, other Birds and clones were having the time of their lives tearing away at the Separatist forces. AT-TEs had joined the fight by now, as well as the ThunderTank, which Panthro had insisted on using in the battle.

Panthro fired some missiles and lasers into the fray, blasting away some battle droids and Lizards. A Jackal leapt onto the cockpit of the ThunderTank to try to tackle Panthro, but the big Panther wrestled with him for a second and then threw him off the tank.

"I may not like all-out war," said Panthro to himself, "But I'll do almost anything to see my baby get some good action!"

As several dwarf and homing spider droids were destroyed, the Republic brought forward a large number of SPHA-T guns, and they shot a concentrated amount of laser fire into the banking skyscrapers all over Harnaidan, totaling them from top to bottom and bringing them down to the ground. Obviously, the Republic had the upper hand at the moment, because their SPHA-Ts made it possible to break through the Seps' defenses. One SPHA-T sent a blast near the tower, at the location where the cannon used to be.

Suddenly, after a Stork fired a missile into an AAT, blowing it up, out from behind the smoke came a small army of IG lancer droids on speeder bikes, and they were being led by Addicus, and some kind of hulking brute in ancient, ugly armor. The Stork stopped and gaped for a moment.

It was a moment too long for his life. Addicus and the big, ugly guy both speared him at the same time. Then they and their lancer droids moved on to cut their way through the other clones and Birds. Even the AT-TEs couldn't stand up to the lances of the droid battalion, which amazed Panthro at how strong they were. Just then, he noticed that the guy in armor was coming right at him, intending to destroy the ThunderTank and him with it.

"Oh, cripes!" said Panthro, knowing he couldn't get around the bike in time.

But then, Cheetara ran at top Cheetah speed and used her staff to knock the creature slightly off course, saving Panthro and his "baby."

"Thanks, Cheetara," he said. "I don't know what I would've done without my tank, or my life."

"Any time," replied Cheetara, "Although I think now isn't the time to chat about it. Look!"

The big guy and Addicus, after sweeping aside the clone/Bird infantry, including a few left behind who tried to shoot them in the back, were on their way to do some similar damage to the SPHA-Ts. Some clones, Ravens, and other Birds guarded them, but if the more numerous forces that were in front of them were ineffectual, these would likely be, too.

And that was true. The big, armored guy shredded the side of one of the huge cannons, and somehow, that was enough to make it blow up. A lancer droid tossed a magnetic explosive onto the side of another cannon, making it blow up, too. And so it continued. Cannon after cannon was blown away by lances or explosives, as the battle started to turn in the Separatists' favor.

"We've got to stop them!" said Cheetara, "before they decimate the entire army!"

"Yeah," said Panthro, "A guy with a mighty tank shouldn't be so easily beaten with a hulk and his spindly droids armed only with bombs and pointed sticks!"

Cheetara ran, again at top speed, to try and stop them. Panthro followed in the ThunderTank, keeping one eye on his back so as not to be snuck up on.

As each of them blew up another SPHA-T, Addicus and his ugly partner both released a victory howl.

A/N: A cookie to anyone who guessed, correctly, that the "big, ugly guy in ancient armor" was Durge the bounty hunter! In the next chapter of this story, you'll see how Obi-Wan and Lion-O defeat him and drive away Addicus, as well as the space battle and what Anakin and Tygra do in it. But first, the next part of the story will be chapter 3 of "Plun-Darr Joins the Confederacy," where Asajj Ventress is introduced, made Dooku's apprentice, and partnered with Mumm-Ra's "beloved."