Hey Look, another chapter! I feel so accomplished when I get one of these chapters done considering how I plan on tackling the entire clone wars series (But not every episode. still, it's a daunting thought)

I hope you guys enjoy! Keep up the amazing reviews, i love the feedback!

Enjoy!

Zelina had not left Anakin's side since they had entered the Lurmen settlement. He was a stubborn spirit, as well as a restless one, and she had made it her own mission to keep him resting so that he could re-gather his strength again. He wasn't too keen with being forced to lie back down every time he tried to sit up,ut she didn't care. He needed his rest, and by the Force she was going to make sure that he got it.

"Anakin Skywalker, lie down already!" Zelina scolded him as Anakin tried once more to sit up.

He groaned. "Uhg, Zee, spare me, please! I can't take just lying here any longer."

"Well deal with it tough guy, you need your rest."

"So you keep telling me."

"You two have got to be the most amusing people in the Galaxy," Ahsoka quipped, helping Zelina to push Anakin back down onto his makeshift bed. Aayla stood off to the side, watching the conversation with silent amusement.

Commander Blye suddenly appeared in the doorway. "General," he said sternly, his gaze centered on Anakin.

"Yes Commander?" Anakin responded firmly.

"We've got a Separatist ship incoming."

"This is neutral space," said Wang Too in surprise, meeting Anakin's gaze.

"It won't be neutral for long," Anakin said grimly. "Not if the Separatists have their way."

He grunted and groaned, pushing himself onto his arms. "Help me up," he said determinedly.

"Anakin," Zelina protested as he gasped in pain, collapsing back to the ground.

"Don't struggle! I-I'm sorry but you're still too injured to move," Wang Too said as Zelina and Ahsoka got Anakin to lie down again.

"We can't…stay here. I have to move, I have to get up," Anakin gasped. "Now help me up!"

Reluctantly, Zelina helped him into a sitting position as the Lumen's leader appeared in the doorway.

"What menace have you brought to our village now Jedi?" the Lumen demanded.

"Father, you can't blame them," Wang Too protested.

"He's right; the Separatists don't even know we're here!" Ahsoka added as she stood up.

"And they can't know; we've got to hide," Aayla added. Meanwhile, Zelina slowly helped Anakin to his feet, wrapping his arm around her shoulders so he could lean on her for support.

"Your presence here endangers us; you must leave before your enemies find you," the Lumen leader continued.

"But you'll need our help!" Ahsoka protested. "You can't fight them alone!"

"We will not fight them at all. We would rather die than to kill others."

"You're going to surrender? But, how can you—"

"Ahsoka," Anakin suddenly said, cutting her off. "Stop…if the Lurmen…want to remain neutral, we won't force them into war," he said softly, leaning on Zelina a little more as he spoke.

"See to it that they leave," the Lurmen leader said a little harshly. "I must see what our new visitors want."

Zelina sighed. "Blye, can you help me with him? Carrying the Good General is going to be a two person job," she said, smiling slightly at Anakin and causing him to chuckle as Blye approached Anakin's other side, hooking Anakin's other arm around his shoulders.

"Take it easy sir; we'll assist you," Blye assured him while Ahsoka packed a backpack of food with Wang Too.

They all formed a small group, Rex taking up the rear while Wang Too lead them out of the village. Zelina gently kept her hand on Anakin's chest, feeling the pained rise and fall with every breath he took. She had to resist the temptation to turn her head and kiss his cheek; at this rate, she was going to regret giving him that kiss back in the makeshift tent if the temptations were just going to get stronger.

They slipped quietly behind one of the Lurmen houses, watching helplessly as blaster fire rang throughout the village and the Separatists started to ransack the settlement.

"Why are they tearing apart our homes? We've done nothing to them!" Wang Too exclaimed angrily.

"Violence. That's what those droids are programmed for," Ahsoka said angrily before turning to the rest of them. "Can't we do anything?"

"No. And if we're discovered, all of the Lurmen will be slaughtered."

"Well then, let's try to find a better hiding place than behind this house; like the brush," Zelina said softly.

Anakin nodded. "We'll be okay if we make it to the tall grasses."

Zelina tightened her grip on him once more, trying not to agitate his injuries. "Come on then…take it easy Ani…" she murmured to him as they made their way slowly to the brush behind the village.

She tried not to think of the terrified cries of the Lurmen behind her.

"You know I can't figure those villagers not wanting to fight. No pride I guess…" Rex was saying as they all rested in a small clearing.

"I call it no courage," Ahsoka said in a judgmental tone.

"Sometimes it takes courage to stick to ones beliefs young Padawan," Aayla chided her. Zelina, of course, had already heard and mastered this particular lesson a long time ago, and made no movement to expand on the conversation. "As any Jedi well knows."

"We need to find a ship," Anakin said in a determined voice. He was doing much better than earlier, putting on a brave face and at least sitting up on his own. "And I think the only one around here belongs to the Separatists. We know they have a landing ship; they might have a shuttle."

"Sir…you talking about stealing from one of the clankers?" Rex asked dubiously. "Count me in!"

"We need to find them first," Aayla pointed out.

"I think we just did!" Ahsoka suddenly exclaimed, launching to her feet and pointing out a probe droid that had escaped their notice.

"Blast it!" Anakin commanded, rocketing to his feet and causing Zelina to support him when he weaved dangerously. Rex and Blye opened fire immediately, though it weaved in and out of the shots, already making its escape.

"Jam its signal!" Aayla commanded. Blye did just that, though it seemed Ahsoka was done just sitting around.

"After it!" she cried out, rushing after the droid. Everyone did just that, even Anakin, though he slowed down, grasping his waist and giving a gasp of pain. Zelina had expected as much, and had stayed by his side, giving him support once more.

"Take it easy Ani, you're not clear just yet," she said soothingly. Aayla paused, turning to see if he was all right.

"I'm fine, just go!" he commanded her, leaning into Zelina as he took some steadying breaths.

"I've got him," Zelina assured Aayla, who nodded and continued her pursuit. She turned to Anakin. "I'm guessing this means we're staying here?"

He smiled just slightly. "I guess so…"

"If I tell you to sit down and rest, are you going to fight me again? Even if I don't make you lie down this time?"

"Perhaps," Anakin said, though he obliged as Zelina gently guided him into a sitting position. He shot a worried glance in the direction the others had taken off in.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll get that droid."

"I hope so; I don't want to endanger the Lurmens any more than we already have."

"You know Ani, we can't control everything."

"But we can at least try," he said firmly, and she sighed.

"That kind of thinking is going to get you into trouble one of these days."

Anakin sighed, promptly changing the subject. "Come on…we should probably catch up to them, just in case they find something."

"Point taken. Are you feeling up for the long walk?"

"As much as I ever am," Anakin said with a thin smile.

"Alright then, come here…"

It didn't take them too long to find the rest of the group; they were all crowded in a large tree, obviously looking for where the droid had been heading. Zelina helped Anakin scale the tree, only giving him assistance when it was obvious he needed it since he kept protesting the help. Oh, Anakin and his pride…

"I hope you're feeling better Master…" Ahsoka said as they approached the group from behind.

"Oh, what is it now," Zelina said with a sigh.

"Look what we found," Ahsoka said grimly, holding the binoculars out to Anakin. He chuckled a little.

"I'm getting stronger all the time Snips." He was silent for a few moments as he took in whatever was ahead of them. "But…I'm not sure I'm ready for that…"

"Here let me see. I don't want to be the only one that doesn't know what's going on," Zelina grumbled lightly. Anakin handed her the binoculars.

"I don't think you want to know, but sure Zee, knock yourself out," he said as she peered through the binoculars.

A heavily reinforced Separatist base…lovely…

Anakin took the binoculars out of her hands once she saw what it was, inspecting the base closer, probably trying to find a weakness.

"That shuttles our ticket off this rock," Anakin suddenly said, dropping the binoculars and staring determinedly off into the distance.

"It's not going to be easy sir, there don't seem to be any flaws in their security line," said Blye.

"Apparently the Separatists have a new toy," Anakin said scathingly after a few more moments of watching the base through the binoculars. "See if you can get a closer look."

"Yes sir," Blye said.

"I'll go with you commander," Rex said, and they both scaled down the tree as commanded. Zelina watched them go with a frown.

"I don't like this Ani…something's wrong…" she muttered.

"Of course something's wrong; the Separatists are involved," Anakin muttered, tracking their progress through the binoculars. Some time passed before he spoke again. "Uh oh…stay down boys…" he murmured.

"Are you going to keep commenting without letting us see, or are you going to tell us what's going on?" Zelina asked, slightly annoyed. Anakin rolled his eyes.

"There's two droids about to cross paths with Rex and Blye," he said grimly.

"Oh, lovely," Zelina muttered.

They were silenced as the Separatists fired their weapon, watching as the missile arched high in the air before it struck the ground in a blinding flash of light and fire. Zelina placed a steadying hand on Anakin's back as Aayla and Ahsoka dropped lower to assist Rex and Blye, who were rushing to get back to the tree before they could be swallowed up by the inferno that was rushing towards them. Gingerly Zelina helped Anakin to his feet before they made their way to the branch that Blye, Rex, Ahsoka, and Aayla were on.

"That's some toy…" Ahsoka said wearily, staring at the smoldering remains of the land that had been in the blast zone. "It took out every living thing!"

Anakin crouched down at the front of the group, pulling out the binoculars once more and studying the base. Even from this distance, Zelina could make out the movements of the Separatists as they suddenly started to leave the base.

"Where are they off to now…?" Aayla muttered.

"They must be going back to the Lurmen village," Anakin stated as he handed Aayla the binoculars. "There's nothing else in that direction."

A horrific thought suddenly struck Zelina. "You don't think…"

Anakin simply nodded in grim response.

"Those villagers won't stand a chance," Aayla said softly.

"First we'll take out the droids' communication station; then after we get a shuttle, we'll go back and help the Lurmen," Anakin said, standing up on his own this time.

"But…Tee Watt Kaa says he doesn't need our help!" Ahsoka said, obviously confused at the moment.

"There's a difference between pulling innocents into a war, and leaving them to extinction," Anakin said before starting his decent down the tree.

Zelina had to smile a little. She was proud of how much Anakin had grown in so short of time and how noble he had become was rather touching as well. He truly was somehow becoming even better every day.

Later, when they were attempting to sneak into the Separatist base, Zelina found herself doubled over in silent laughter as Anakin distracted the droids by rolling a rock around in the dirt. Their befuddlement; their absolute bemusement was too much for her to handle, and she had to constantly stifle her chuckles as they followed the rock, absolutely clueless as to what was going on. It was pretty pathetic.

Still, she had to keep her mind on the here and now. They couldn't distract them with a rock forever. Even now, Anakin was leaving the grass, calling the rock into his hand before activating his lightsaber with a smirk, watching as the droids all group together in a sudden bout of fear.

It didn't take long for Anakin to cut them down, even in his weakened state. Zelina ushered Rex and Blye to take their spots by the door, scanning the Separatist base for Aayla and Ahsoka's positions. It seemed they had split up inside.

Zelina met up with Anakin just out of view of any droids above, coming level with Rex and Blye by the door. "Any moment now," Zelina murmured, tracking Ahsoka's presence as she neared the other side of the door.

Sure enough, the door slid open, and they all slipped inside, using the crates for cover. They were utterly quiet, the only sound coming from them their hurried footsteps. For how intimidating the base had looked from the outside, Zelina believed it was almost too easy for them to break in and steal the shuttle. Still, she would take easy whenever she could get it. They even got a bonus and were able to steal some shield generators with the shuttle

It had been a very productive night, that was for sure.

"Well…let's see how well this goes," Zelina murmured as they approached the Lurmen village in the shuttle.

"It will definitely take some convincing, that's for sure," Anakin replied as he gently landed the shuttle.

"At least you're doing better," Zelina quipped.

"Much better," he said with a smirk as he stood up. "Come on, let's go; we probably don't have much time."

"Everyone please; please listen!" Aayla pleaded the moment they were off the shuttle. "The Separatists will be here in moments!"

"What are you doing here!" Tee Watt Kaa exclaimed as they approached him. "I told you not to return!"

"I'm afraid the Separatists don't care whether you're in the war or not," Anakin said sternly, approaching them confidently despite his battered form. "We need to get you to safety before they arrive."

"We will not abandon our homes!" Tee Watt Kaa exclaimed hotly.

"But they've got a new weapon," Ahsoka argued gently. "It'll burn this place to a crisp! Is this what all of you really want?"

"If it is our destiny to be destroyed in your war…so be it."

"Droids in-bound. We've got eight minutes tops."

Zelina sighed while Anakin turned to give out more orders. "Come on guys; let's get these shield generators in place!"

Ahsoka and Aayla activated the generators immediately while Zelina fingered her lightsaber, staying by Rex at the front as she worked to finish the blockade with the pods, dragging the pods into place with the Force. She was itching for a fight; she had a lot of pent up energy she needed to get out of her system.

"Kay, stop what you're doing! Stop building those walls!" Tee Watt Kaa's voice suddenly came, breaking Zelina's concentration. "I did not ask you to defend us!"

"This battle is inevitable," Anakin said sharply. "You can stand by your beliefs, but let us stand by ours."

"Thank you for what you're trying to do," Wang Too said quietly as Tee Watt Kaa hobbled away without another word. "I'm sorry but I cannot help. My father is very…strong willed and set in tradition. Many others agree with me, but we were raised under a very strict code. We must respect it even if we don't agree."

"Their holding position!" Rex said a few moments later after the pod wall was completed.

"They're not going to charge us; not if they can hit us from long range first. But if we can withstand that weapon, we'll draw them in," Anakin said with conviction.

"I sure hope this works, or else we're about to get a lot warmer," Zelina muttered.

"Have a little faith Zee," Anakin said with a frown. She smiled back at him.

"Who said I doubted you?"

"Incoming!" Rex cried out, hopping down from the pods he was perched on.

"Power the shields!" Anakin commanded.

Zelina tensed, watching as the inferno rushed towards them before harmlessly roiling over the shields, encasing them in the inferno but not harming them. She breathed a sigh of relief, letting herself relax slightly.

"Now they'll have to get their hands dirty and meet us face to face," Anakin said smugly. Zelina unhooked her lightsaber, watching as the Separatists began their advance.

"That's a lot of clankers," Ahsoka noted softly.

"We've got to stop them before they get through that shield," Anakin said firmly.

"I'm up for the challenge. Are you up for the fighting in general Ani?" Zelina asked him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he said grimly as they stepped through the shield, activating their lightsabers. Two blue, one green, and one purple.

Zelina could tell this was going to be an interesting fight.

They started off simply deflecting the shots fired at them by the droids, covered by the fire from Rex and Blye as they broke the ranks of the droids and started to carve their way through the ranks, leaving a path of destruction in their wake as they all took different paths to maximize their effectiveness. Zelina soon lost herself in the rhythmic action of battle, in tune with the force as she slashed, dodged, rolled, cut, jabbed, jumped, rolled, and any other movement she found necessary.

It wasn't long before they'd cut through the first squad, and she turned to Anakin. "How are you holding up over there Ani?"

"I'm fine Zee, I can take care of myself, stop worrying," he said with a small smile.

"That wasn't so tough," Ahsoka said cheerily.

Anakin huffed. "That was just the first wave."

"Here comes the second wave; and it's even larger than the first. I've got the right flank," Zelina said, moving to the right so she could intercept the group. Blaster fire rang out again, and Zelina found herself much harder pressed to avoid the shots this time. She also noticed that despite their efforts, some were still managing to break through.

"Snips! Get back to the village; I'll take care of the new weapon!" Anakin suddenly called out over the blaster fire. Zelina groaned; enough must have made it passed them to pose a threat to the villagers.

"Should I go help her?" she called out.

"Just hold off as many as you can, wherever you can" Anakin commanded, his voice growing distant as he sprinted towards the Separatist weapon. By the sound of more blaster fire behind her than in front of her, Zelina figured that she was needed further back, and she retreated back into the lines of the village, back underneath the shield. With a soft grunt, Zelina powered herself over to the shield generators, positive that the droids would target it to make way for the new weapon. Sure enough, several droid advanced towards her, and she held them off for a while simply deflecting and slashing at any droid that got too close.

Off to her side, she heard one generator go up in flames, causing her to protect the generator she was by more vigorously. Of course, she could only handle so many droids at once. She was lucky that when they managed to get past her defenses, all that happened was she was knocked aside. Still, she was sure it would be the end of her as she heard a blaster shot ring out, clearing aimed at her. She looked up just in time to see a green lightsaber deflect the shot though, and got to her feet with a groan of relief that she would live to see another day.

"Thanks Ahsoka," she said quietly.

"Anytime," Ahsoka grunted, focused on holding off the droids that were bearing down on them.

Zelina was slightly startled when the Lurmens suddenly started to fight back, taking down several of the droids themselves. However, she wasn't about to complain; the more the merrier.

To Zelina's relief, the last of the droids were finally destroyed, and a cheer of relief echoed throughout the Lurmen village as she sheathed her lightsaber, clipping it back onto her belt with a small sigh.

"Ani…lie down already. Do I really have to fight with you about this so much?" Zelina growled later after the Republic cruisers had picked them up from the Lurmens' village. She was struggling to get him to rest again in his chambers, having noticed he was moving slower and limping slightly, favoring his side after the battle. It had put a strain on him when he needed to rest, and had definitely done nothing but hinder his healing process. Still, he struggled against the bed rest.

"Uhg, Zee…I'm perfectly fine, I don't need the bed rest! I can fight, I don't have to rest," Anakin complained.

Zelina rolled her eyes. "Talk all you want big guy; I saw you limping earlier, I know that the fight took its toll on you. You're going to get your bed rest whether you like it or not, even if I have to monitor you for the next few days!"

He groaned. "I won't be on bed rest for a few more days!"

"You will if you keep straining yourself," she said with a smile, getting a glass of water from off to the side. "Now here, why don't you have something to drink?"

"I feel like you're babying me," Anakin grumbled, though he accepted the glass, downing the entire thing in a few gulps. Subconsciously, Zelina brushed some hair out of his face, her hand resting against his cheek a little longer than she meant it too.

"Well, maybe someone needs to baby you," she said with a small smile. Anakin chuckled a little, though at the contact of her hand against his cheek he looked down at the glass intently, as if it held the answer to some deep question.

"Zee…you know…after the crash, back in the tent…I told you about that dream, where Padme kissed me?" he asked hesitantly.

Zelina cocked an eyebrow, her hand freezing where it was cupping his cheek as she tried to figure out where he was going with this. "Yes…I remember."

"The more I think about it…the less I think it was a dream…it just…it seemed too real to be a dream," he said quietly, meeting her gaze suddenly with his own intense crystalline blue stare.

Zelina pulled her hand away at that moment, wondering if perhaps the contact had stirred the memory before she spoke. "Well if it wasn't a dream than what do you think it was?" she asked him gently.

Anakin's eyes searched her own, and for a few heart-stopping moments, Zelina wondered if he had already figured out the truth. A flicker of—what was it? Acceptance? Realization?—flashed across his eyes, so fast that Zelina wondered if it had been real or not before Anakin shrugged.

"Never mind…forget I said anything. I don't know what I'm talking about," he said with a small smile.

Zelina smiled, shaking her head. "All right then Ani, if you say so."

Still…Zelina couldn't help but wonder what she had seen in his eyes, and if he really did know what happened back in that small makeshift tent after the crash.