Another thunderous roar of an AT-TE cannon hit Anakin's ears as the walker fired at the incoming Spider Droid once again, this time scoring a direct hit on one of the machine's legs. The droid wobbled at the loss of one leg, but it fell forward, crushing several droids in the process.

'That's one threat down. Now for the droidekas!' Anakin thought as he shifted his blade to deflect another barrage of cannon fire from the line of droidekas ahead. Despite Ranger's well placed missile earlier, the defensive line had reorganized quickly, and was proving to be a struggle to break. The 501st couldn't advance any further than they currently had, and that was thanks to the droidekas. For now they were forced to dig in and hold the line.

And then there was the case of the second anti aircraft cannon still being online. With that still up they couldn't rely on air support either.

"Ranger! You got any more missiles?" Anakin called over the chaos to the rising star within the 501st ranks.

"Sorry Sir! Used my last one up! Gonna have to take these things out the old fashioned way!" Ranger replied as he fired at an incoming droideka, one that again had been rolling straight towards them for some unknown reason.

Glancing at the defensive line ahead, Anakin could count at least thirty droidekas set up and firing. How the kriff were they gonna break that?

"AT-TE driver! Can you get a shot on those destroyers?" Appo's voice echoed over the comm, the plan already being formulated. The Walker had been kept back, far enough so it was out of range of any real threats. It had to be kept safe. Even droidekas could do serious damage to it.

And considering the size of them, as well as how far away they were from the AT-TE, it would not be easy to get a good shot.

"Sergeant Appo! We've got two AAT's approaching behind the droideka line. I'm afraid our focus is going to have to be on them!"

"Copy that pilot!" Appo sounded frustrated by the response, understandably so. The AT-TE had been their only real bet of taking out the…

"What the!" Ranger's voice yelled in dread suddenly as movement caught Anakin's eyes. All thirty of the droidekas that had been stationary moments ago had now packed up and were rolling straight towards them at frightening speed.

"Blast those things!" Appo ordered from behind as a barrage of blue bolts continued to soar past Anakin, impacting against the incoming droideka army.

A few of the droidekas were destroyed by the fire, but not enough, and eventually they were right on top of the Republic forces.

And then it happened.

Across from him, Anakin witnessed one of the droidekas roll right up next to a small squad of six clones behind cover, before promptly exploding in a bright blue-green explosion.

Anakin recognized the threat at once. Those droidekas had Rhydonium fueled explosives inside of them!

They were suicide droidekas!

"General!" The cry of a trooper alerted Anakin moments before it was too late. Another droideka had rolled up to him, and Anakin could see the pulsating red light within its shell accelerating.

Anakin was about to evade backwards when a white armoured form crashed into him, knocking him to the floor as a bright light washed over him, heat burning his skin in the process before everything went dark.

Ahsoka reacted on instinct, bringing her saber to cover her body, just in case. Was Boil really going to shoot her?

A few tense seconds passed by as Ahsoka stared the Clone down, who's finger seemed to be on the edge of his rifle's trigger, inches away from pulling it.

And then, movement, but not from Boil.

Jesse darted in front of the 212th member, between him and Ahsoka, blocking the Togruta's view of Boil in the process, and likewise blocking Boil's view of her.

"Boil! Hey… it's ok. Slow deep breaths buddy." Jesse spoke as he rested his hands on Boil's shoulders, evidently trying to calm him down. Ahsoka kept her blade up, defending herself, just in case. The Force was still screaming at her in danger.

"Je… Jesse?" Boil spoke softly, all previous malice and hatred gone from his voice. It was back to normal, as was Boil from the looks of it. The Clone lowered his rifle, dropping it to the floor as his hands came up to his head, removing the helmet and tossing it to the side. "Jesse… it hurts."

"I know brother… I know. Rex! Get Kix on the line!" Jesse replied as he continued to comfort Boil as Rex ran over, already on the comm link. Ahsoka was unsure exactly what was happening, but she trusted Rex and Jesse. They knew what was best when it came to their brothers.

Clearly, Boil was unwell.

"Kix! Do you read me? Kix!" Rex's voice was louder than Ahsoka expected, his tone bordering on panic. "Kix!"

Static came from the other end of the comm link for a few seconds before a voice finally answered. However, it was not Kix.

"Rex? It's Coric! Kix is up front with General Skywalker. He's a bit preoccupied right now. Can I be of any help?"

"Coric! We've got a 'Code 5385' up here. I repeat, a 'Code 5385'. I need advice pronto or we are going to have fatalities on our hands!" Rex replied instantaneously, not caring who he was speaking too. Ahsoka could tell now that whatever the situation was could have dire consequences.

"Jesse… my head!" Boil groaned again, his hands moving up to clutch his head like a newborn would a parent's finger. Moving slightly to the side to get a better view of him, Ahsoka could see him begin to massage his temple.

She wanted to go over and help him. Maybe use the Force to take some of the pain away, but something told her not to. She had a bad feeling that her presence would only make matters worse.

Turning her attention back to Rex, Ahsoka realized that Coric hadn't actually responded yet. She could hear him on the other end of Rex's comm breathing, but not speaking.

"Coric! I need answers!" Rex spoke again, his desperation beginning to worry Ahsoka. She had never seen Rex like this before.

This time round, Coric replied. "Right… sorry Captain. You need to sedate the trooper now! That should prevent any fatalities and give us time to operate on him."

"Copy that Coric. Captain Rex out!"

Ahsoka watched as Rex cut the comm, before he turned to Jesse and nodded his head. The ARC Trooper nodded back, clearly understanding what his Captain was telling him.

"Ok Boil, I'm going to give you something for the pain. It'll knock you out cold, however it's important you take it. Life or death important. Do you understand?" Rex began to explain as he removed a syringe from a pouch on his armour. Ahsoka could tell it whatever was inside the syringe was not bacta.

Boil didn't reply verbally, instead choosing to nod his head, still cradled in his hands from whatever pain was coursing through his body. Again, Ahsoka wanted to approach and help, but the Force still screamed at her to stay away.

"Ok, hold still brother." Jesse spoke next as he removed one of Boil's armoured gauntlets, rolling the black undersuit up his arm to expose a vein for Rex to administer the syringe.

The Captain hesitated briefly before he inserted the needle gently, using what Kix had evidently taught him at one point to his advantage. Around them, the only sound was the distant echoes of explosions and blaster fire. Despite the war they were currently in however, both Rex and Jesse had their attention solely on Boil. Behind them Ridge continued to use his rifle to assist the Clone legions below, taking occasional glances back at the Clones treating their brother in the process.

Ahsoka heard Boil's sharp hiss as the needle penetrated his skin, before she witnessed Rex push the top of the syringe down, slowly administering the drugs within.

Seconds later, Boil was out cold. Thankfully, he was still breathing.

A sigh of relief escaped Rex as the Clone Captain removed his helmet. Ahsoka could see the level of stress and panic in his eyes slowly fade away. Now she was really worried.

"That's the first 212th member this has hit. How soon before the entire legion ends up…"

"We'll sort it Jesse. Kix and Coric will sort it."

"I hope you're right Rex, I really do. I hate this!"

"Me too brother, me too."

Part of Ahsoka wanted to ask what the hell had just happened. One minute it looked like Boil was going to shoot her, the next he was on the floor, cradled in Jesse's arms complaining about a headache. Was he ill? Had he contracted an illness of some kind? And what sort of operation had Coric been talking about over the comm?

The Force had shifted, no longer warning her of imminent danger. It wasn't peaceful of course, it never was these days, not with the Clone War raging around the galaxy.

It was however stable, the new 'normal' of the times they lived in. Ahsoka had grown used to the conflict within the Force since becoming a Padawan. It was a constant battle of up and down, or light and dark. Neither side seemed to prevail, and Ahsoka honestly didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Rex turned his head away from Boil's now unconscious form and looked up at her, a look of deep concern on his face. His hazel eyes locked with her blue ones beneath her helmet, watching, waiting to see if she would say anything.

Ahsoka chose not to. She knew she didn't need to. Rex could read her like an open book, even if she was covered head to toe in armour. He had always been able to. He could tell she was worried, but didn't want to overstep her boundaries, and he was grateful for that.

The message Rex spoke with only his eyes was clear enough to Ahsoka.

Later. He would explain later.

Ahsoka had full faith in Rex. If he wanted to tell her later, he would.

"Hey guys! I've got good news. The clanker army is in retreat. The 501st and 212th just took out the last AA cannons and are moving to secure the central building. I think we won!" Ridge's voice brought the group back to the raging battle around them.

Moving towards the edge of the platform, Ahsoka bent down to scoop up one of the fallen sniper rifles, before peering down the scope.

Ridge was right. The entire droid army was in full retreat. They had abandoned their positions on the bridges, giving the group up to the quickly advancing 501st and 212th, whilst simultaneously abandoning their position where they had Depa Billaba and her legion pinned down. Ahsoka could see Clones emerge from the central structure, blasters firing at the retreating droid army.

Continuing to survey, Ahsoka moved the scope up, following the path of the retreating droids. On the opposite side of the central platform was another bridge, one that was twice as long as the bridges the 501st and 212th now controlled.

And there, at the end of the bridge in the distance was a towering structure, protected by a shield.

If the intel she had been given by Chancellor Palpatine was correct, then that was the central lab for 'Project Nullify'.

Now all she had to do was convince the Jedi to help her inside.

And if that failed, then she would be forced to flex her political muscles.

Upon being satisfied that the battle was won, Rex had called Hawk for an extraction, who had arrived minutes later, ready to transport them to the structure below.

The ride down had been smooth and quick, a far cry from the previous one. Now that the Separatist AA had been destroyed, and the army put on full retreat, there was little in the way of resistance. It was a nice period of calm before what Ahsoka knew would be the next storm. The battle to get into the facility would be a nightmare, and they would need every resource they had available to succeed, whether the Jedi leadership liked it or not.

Ahsoka knew Anakin would have her back. He always did. Obi-Wan and Billaba however could be a very different story.

The LAAT began to slow as it approached the newly established Republic assembly point, preparing to land. The plan was to drop off everyone aside from Boil, who would then be taken back to the Venators in orbit above for whatever treatment Kix and Coric had planned.

Hopefully they would be able to help Boil. Ahsoka would hate to lose such a good soldier to some illness. The members of the 501st who had died to the Blue Shadow Virus back on Naboo had been bad enough.

As the LAAT settled and the side doors opened, Ahsoka was greeted with the sight of Commander Cody, helmet in his hand, an apprehensive look on his face.

"Rex, Tano… I've got bad news." Cody began as the two began to move over to him. Behind them Ahsoka felt Jesse and Ridge move off to help a group of Clones from Master Billaba's legion load up wounded men onto another pair of LAAT's.

"Cody? What's wrong?" Rex asked first as he too removed his helmet. Deciding that the polite thing to do would be to join the 'no helmet club', Ahsoka too removed her own, exposing her face to the cool air around her.

Yes, the smell of smoke and blood was bad, but she was used to it now. The cool air on her face made it all worthwhile however.

"General Skywalker was critically wounded during the battle. He got caught in an explosion at point blank range. The General is alive, thanks to a heroic trooper who sacrificed themselves for Skywalker, but he's out of action for the rest of this campaign. Command of the 501st had been officially passed onto you for this operation Captain Rex." Cody explained, his posture rigid as he delivered the bad news.

Ahsoka felt a chill go down her spine. Anakin was hurt! And he was hurt bad!

If she had been by his side… if she had…

"I see. What was the name of the trooper that saved General Skywalker?" Rex's question faded somewhat into the background as images of Anakin's burnt and broken body ran through Ahsoka's mind. The pain he must have felt after surviving such a wound would have been immense. She was honestly surprised she hadn't felt it through the Force!

"It was a shiny Rex. Name was Ranger. Appo has already had the body collected, as well as those of the fallen in the 501st. They will be honored."

"Good. Where is General Kenobi?"

"Inside with General Billaba. I've been asked to bring you both to them."

"Then lead the way Cody."

Ahsoka followed on instinct, not really paying attention to the surroundings, or anything that was going on around them.

Anakin was hurt! She had to see him. She wanted to make sure he was alright. He would if she was hurt!

A hand gently wrapped around her arm, bringing her out of her despair briefly as they continued to move forward.

Rex. Once again, Rex had been there to offer her support. To comfort her.

"He'll be fine kid. Skywalker is tougher than Beskar plating."

"Yeah… thanks Rex." Ahsoka chuckled in response, earning a smile from Rex as he released her arm.

The two continued to follow Cody through several hallways, passing by several Clones from Billaba's legion. She didn't recognize any of them from the last time she had helped them. and from the looks of it they didn't recognize her either. Perhaps these were fresh recruits.

Moving through the building, they eventually found themselves coming into a central chamber. The sound of familiar voices caught Ahsoka's hearing as Cody led them over to the group.

Master Kenobi stood beside Master Billaba, studying a holomap of the surrounding area. Beside Billaba was Commander Grey, who too was studying the map, pointing towards the large structure that the Separatist forces had retreated to.

The lab. Were they already planning how to attack it?

"Ahsoka?!" The voice of Padawan Caleb Dume reminded Ahsoka that he too was here. The young Jedi stood on the other side of the holomap, beside Captain Styles, who seemed to tense at her appearance.

"Hey Caleb. Playing damsel in distress again are you?" Ahsoka quipped as she moved to join him, Rex following her and standing by her side all the time. Cody broke off to stand beside Obi-Wan, ever the loyal Clone Commander.

"Ha.. yeah.. sorry you had to rescue us again." Caleb replied with a guilty look on his face, his signature in the Force flooding with a rush of sadness.

"It's no worry buddy. I was happy to do it. Weren't we Rex?"

"Indeed. No man left behind I always say." Rex joined in as he nodded at the young Padawan, instantly taking a like to him. Ahsoka was pleased to see her friends getting along, even if they had only just met.

"Yes, shame you came so late though." Styles interrupted suddenly, venom in his tone, directed at Ahsoka, who tilted her head in confusion at him. She knew that Styles could be a bit of a grump at times… but this was something else.

"Styles! They had to come all the way from Coruscant to help us! That's just over a week's trip!" Grey snapped in response, defending the new arrivals corner, for which Ahsoka was grateful.

She was pleased to see that someone appreciated the rescue.

"Tell that to the hundreds dead Grey!" Styles spat before her turned and walked away, refusing to acknowledge anyone present at the holomap. Ahsoka felt Rex stiffen in annoyance at Styles' attitude, something she quickly helped to alleviate with a gentle touch to his forearm, just as he had done earlier.

Rex calmed instantly, nodding at her with gratitude in response.

"Remind me to put him on latrine duty when we get out of here General." Grey muttered to Billaba once Styles was out of the room, something that earned a chuckled from Caleb.

"No need to be so harsh, Grey. Styles is just concerned. You know he doesn't take the deaths of his fellow brothers well." Depa offered in response, before glancing over at Ahsoka and nodding her head. "I am pleased to see you again 'Huntress'. Master Kenobi has informed me of your desire to infiltrate this Separatist facility. Might I ask why we need to?"

Out of the corner of her eyes, Ahsoka spotted the eyes of Obi-Wan lock onto hers, offering the floor to her. Why he hadn't told Master Billaba about what was inside the lab was unknown. Perhaps he was simply offering her a chance to take the lead. It was her mission after all.

"Of course Master Billaba. If intelligence is correct, that facility houses the main lab for the Separatist project known as 'Nullify'."

"That's the same project name as the one from the Hypori facility!" Grey joined in, worry on his face.

"Right… the experimental bioweapon capable of neutralizing the Force sensitivity of a Jedi. This is our chance to eliminate the project and safeguard the Republic's biggest asset in the war outside of the Clone army." Ahsoka continued, bringing her hand forward to highlight the holomap, pointing at the long bridge that led towards the lab. "This large structure houses a serious threat to the Republic. If it isn't taken out today, whilst we have the chance, then all could be lost. I propose a joint attack. The 501st and 212th, as well as any volunteers from your legion Master Billaba will face the droids head on on this bridge whilst a small strike team sneaks in and sabotages the facility from within."

"So like those droid foundries on Geonosis then Commander? Sign me up." Rex said from beside her with great confidence.

"Exactly. Rex, since you are in command of the 501st in Skywalker's absence, I'll need you to hold the line here whilst the Jedi and I sneak in. Do you think you can do it?"

"Sir... no offense… but I know we can. Those clankers won't know what hit them."

"If those droids are wise Rex they'll surrender at the mere sight of you. Master Kenobi, do you have anything you'd like to add to the plan?" Ahsoka continued on, locking eyes with the Jedi Master, who was as per usual stroking his beard, deep in thought.

"The Separatists have an energy shield guarding the facility as a whole, as well as a ray shield guarding the entrance. How do you propose we bypass them?"

"We only need to breach the ray shield. The facility shield is to prevent long ranged artillery such as the AT-TE's destroying the facility from afar. It shouldn't be an issue, especially since the bulk of the fighting will be taking place on this bridge." Ahsoka replied to Obi-Wan's inquiry, gesturing towards the hologram of the bridge leading to the main lab once again.

"So how do we breach the ray shield? Those things are next to impervious!" Caleb joined the discussion, looking to Ahsoka for answers.

Luckily, she had them.

"I've already thought about that. Simple answer is I'm going to call in some support. Trust me."

Caleb nodded his head with some apprehension at Ahsoka's answer, clearly not fully liking it. Truth be told Ahsoka had a plan in mind, she just had to convince a certain someone to help them.

"What's the plan once we infiltrate the facility?" Depa spoke next, surprising Ahsoka even more at just how willing everyone was to go along with this mission. She had honestly expected to encounter a lot of resistance from the other Jedi Generals present. The fact that she was not was either a good thing or a bad thing. Which though, she didn't know.

Besides, how could it be a bad thing? Surely their willingness to trust and help her was a good sign that perhaps not all Jedi were foolish enough to ignore threats such as these.

If the Jedi Council had more Obi-Wans or Depa Billabas… or even Anakin Skywalkers on them, then perhaps she'd have considered returning one day.

Still, there was no turning back now, and she was happy in her role as Palpatine's personal agent.

"Simply put, we shut the project down through any means necessary. Scorched earth policy." Ahsoka replied, leaving off the information regarding Palpatine's personal request. She might trust the likes of Obi-Wan, Depa, Caleb and Rex, but at the end of the day, Palpatine was her boss now, and she was loyal to him.

He had asked something of her, and she would obey.

"I'll get the 212th prepared then." Cody chimed in from beside Obi-Wan, standing tall and nodding his head respectfully at the Jedi present.

"Good idea Cody. I want you on the front lines with us as we sneak into the facility. We could use some Clone backup." Obi-Wan commanded on his loyal second, who saluted in response before marching out.

Beside her, Ahsoka spotted Rex glance questionably at her, as if asking permission to leave as well. He clearly intended on organizing the 501st as well.

Nodding in confirmation, Ahsoka watched as Rex turned to follow Cody, who was then in turn followed by Commander Grey.

That left Ahsoka with the three Jedi, who she chose to address once more.

"I know this plan isn't foolproof, but with the Separatist forces on the retreat and anti aircraft disabled, we stand a good chance of brute forcing our way in. The Clones will keep the droids occupied once we are inside. We get in, destroy the project, and then get out. Clear?"

"I only wish we had more time 'Huntress'." Billaba responded before she gestured for Caleb to follow her, something the Padawan did with no hesitation, throwing a small smile Ahsoka's way in the process. Ahsoka returned the smile.

Turning her head, Ahsoka faced the one person she was left with. Obi-Wan.

Her grandmaster stood before her, a small smile on his lips as he looked at her, fondness in his eyes. She could already tell what was coming.

"You have certainly become very bold in your time away from the Order, Ahsoka. Do not tell Anakin I said this, but it was the right choice for you."

"Wanted me out of the Order that desperately did you?" Ahsoka quipped in response, lacing her tone with humour so that Obi-Wan understood she held no ill will towards him.

From the way Obi-wan chuckled in response, it was clear he had understood the joke and taken no offense to it.

"Oh believe me Ahsoka, it is probably for the best. Had you stayed I fear that between you and Anakin, I would already be grey with stress. I thank you for the personal favour."

Ahsoka laughed at Obi-Wan's reply, glad to see that he still had his own sense of humour intact, and that he was still willing to share it with her. They hadn't properly had a mission together for months now.

"Speaking of Anakin…" Ahsoka inquired, wondering what Obi-Wan had to say on the matter of his former Padawan being wounded. Perhaps he would be able to point her in Anakin's direction.

"He's in the building. Coric and the other medics are treating the wounded at a triage area. Out that door, take a right and then it's the third door on the left. If you hurry you might catch him." Obi-Wan answered, knowing full well what Ahsoka wanted to do.

"Thank you Master Kenobi." Ahsoka replied gratefully, bowing to the Jedi Master in a sign of respect, a gesture he reciprocated. She wouldn't bow before many Jedi willingly these days. Obi-Wan was one of the few.

"Skyguy! What have you done to yourself now!"

Anakin couldn't stop the wide smile that came to his face as the sound of Ahsoka's voice, even a Coric poked him with another needle, administering another dosage of painkillers to ease the pain he was in.

Whilst poor Ranger had taken the lethal brunt of the exploding droideka, Anakin hadn't been spared from significant damage either. The rush of heat that had hit him had left blisters all over his skin. Nothing that wouldn't heal with a dip in a bacta tank mind you, but bad enough that simply moving was borderline agony.

That however wasn't the worst of the pain.

A fragment of the suicide droideka had embedded itself into Anakin's side, causing him to lose a significant amount of blood in the process. Coric had been reluctant to remove it, but in the end he had to.

It had been agonizing for several minutes, yes, but with the quick actions of both Coric and the 212th medic, Anakin had been rendered stable via a heavy dosage of bacta onto the wound directly. It had stung, but it would hold, at least for now.

Anakin would have another scar to add to the collection of course, but Padmé liked his scars, so they were worth it.

"Oh… you know me Snips. I just love blowing up now and then. Good for the health."

"You keep this up Skyguy and you'll end up in more pieces than a dismantled battledroid. Mind you, you are already part droid, what with the hand and all."

Anakin's cybernetic hand had been another fatality of the near enough point blank explosion. Shrapnel had pierced the hand itself, disabling it's motor functions and rendering it useless, for now. It could easily be repaired, and Anakin would do that himself, with perhaps a helping hand from Artoo.

"Yeah yeah… did you just come here to brag and insult me or have you come out of the kindness of your heart?"

"Bragging of course. Why else would I come?"

"Ouch Snips! That hurt."

"Poor baby Skyguy."

"Skywalker! Please stop moving!" Coric hissed from beside him as he administered another needle, causing Anakin to scowl and grumble once again. Across from him he could see Ahsoka refraining from chuckling.

"So… what's the plan now then? Full retreat?" Anakin inquired, eager to help however he could. He might be bedridden thanks to Kix and Coric's orders, but that didn't mean he was useless.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could borrow Artoo for the mission. There's a ray shield that we need to break through, and I think Artoo would be able to slice it."

A sudden cacophony of beeps came from behind where Anakin was resting, as the astromech in question rolled out to see Ahsoka, his head spinning in glee. The droid had been helping the 212th medic a few minutes ago by precisely cutting off armour of wounded Clones, but now that job appeared to be complete.

"I'd say from his enthusiasm that it's a yes Snips! You'll help her, won't you buddy?" Anakin inquired of his ever loyal white and blue astromech.

Artoo beeped again as he gently butt his head against Ahsoka's leg, who patted the top affectionately several times.

"Good, but if you come back dirty, she's giving you an oil bath, not me. That's the payment."

Artoo beeped again several times, sounded almost affronted.

"He's right Anakin. When is the last time you gave him an oil bath?" Ahsoka quipped as well, joining in with Artoo's joking insult.

"Good point… guess that means you are cleaning him as payment then, huh Snips?"

"You're intolerable sometimes, you know that?"

"Yep!"

Author's thoughts

Soooooo... I bet some of you were expecting that cliffhanger to be resolved in a very different manner huh? Is this what they call subverting expectations? If so... I hope I did it right and not 'Rex still has his chip in despite telling Kanan he took it out and actually did betray is Jedi' level of subversion (also known as a lazy retcon if you ask me... which no one did. XD)

As for why Ahsoka isn't acting right away with the problem, well, simply put she is in the middle of a campaign right now, so she is entrusting Rex and the others with it. She trusts them to tell her what she needs to know when she needs to know it. The situation works vice versa as well. Put simply she's got bigger fish to fry right now. :)

Other than that, Anakin is now out of actions. (R.I.P Clone OC Ranger... and sorry person who they were named after... hope you don't mind being killed off. But hey, at least they saved Anakin in the process right? I'm sure that won't be a mistake! XD)

So yeah, that's pretty much all I have to say for this chapter. Some calm in the middle of the storm if anything. At least the team have the plan for next time.

Thanks once again to my awesome beta reader 'ArrinSnyders', who still lets me live when I give him a really annoying cliffhanger to beta read! XD

Next time round, the Republic forces storm the lab!

As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:

rogerfranz: Oh really? Funny how that passed by both me and my beta... though it's easy to do. Thanks for the heads up.

Australian Dealer: All hell very nearly broke loose once again. Luckily Jesse was there to intervene. XD
I wonder what consequences this will have for the future? XD

Cat-Gods-Of-The-Cat-People: You are welcome for the chapter. I'm really pleased you enjoyed it, especially considering how long it was!
Yes... it does look like some secrets are about to come out huh? I wonder what effect that will have?
And yes, the dynamic between Ahsoka and the Clones was great fun to write. Gotta love character dynamics. :)

1saaa: I have an obsession with making my readers suffer? I don't know what you mean?!
(remembers that cliffhanger with Ahsoka being offscreen kidnapped by Maul)
Ooooohhh.. ok yeah I do know what you mean! XD
Oh believe me... either way Ahsoka will be needing lots of hugs from people once this is over. Could be from Anakin... could be from Rex or Obi-Wan. Could even be from Palpatine! ... ok maybe not that last one... but the point remains. XD
As for you theories... you'll have to wait and see. XD

the Mandalorian terminator: We are a while off of those revelations yet... assuming they even happen! Still, plenty of stuff to come that I think you'll enjoy.
And I'm pleased you enjoyed the action scenes. I hate writing them as they really aren't my forte, but they are necessary.

Adamantium-Soldier74: Yeeaahhhh.. sorry about that cliffhanger. Maybe it would have been tenser if it had been reserved for later on, but I wanted to spring it nice and early and get it out of the way. It's not the focal point of this arc, but it is important down the line. :)
And please... by all means... come and get me. :)

TragicFiction: Hey... don't worry. Not like this. Not ever like this. I promise. :)
Hope you liked the update.

tf330129: Doing my best.

RyanSquad: Wow! Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy the story that much! Also... sorry about literally blowing Anakin up in this chapter. I promise he'll be back on his feet soon. I just needed him out of the way for the rest of this arc for a certain reason. :)
More of Appo is coming too, don't worry. He might not get as much spotlight as others, but he will be getting some, believe me. :)
As for Boil... you can rest easy for now. He's fine... and no one got Order 66'ed. :)
As for Ahsoka putting pieces together... you'll have to wait and see. She's a bit busy right now. XD