The surgeries went well.

Coric and Kix had worked on Cody first upon Rex's insistence.

"If I have to make this an order, I will. You take his out first."

Recovery didn't take long. They'd put bacta patches on their heads, gave them some pain meds, and sent them away with orders to rest for two rotations. The orders were taken grudgingly. The 212th and 501st were both on break, waiting for deployment again, so the Resolute and Negotiator sat together in orbit above Coruscant for weeks.

That day, Soph waited with Rex for the Twilight to get back. She rocked back and forth on her feet, wringing her hands together. Rex stood by her, looking amused.

"Patience. Isn't that what they teach you at the Jedi temple?" he wondered. She scrunched up her nose.

"Technically, yes."

"It doesn't seem to have stuck," he smiled at her, laughing at the look of offense.

"I can be patient, Rex."

"About as well as General Skywalker," a clone - Attie, Soph realized as she looked at the blue 501st paint on his armor - joked. "Jinx is here. Just waiting for permission to board."

"Send them through," she requested. Attie typed something into his datapad, and she grinned as she saw the ship land. "I'm glad we sent the Twilight for them. She's much faster than anything Kamino would send them in."

"You're just proving my point," Rex pointed out. "You're too impatient."

Soph laughed, his teasing unable to touch her good mood. She'd been planning for a while, and she would be able to set the plans into motion soon. A moment after the ship touched down, the doors opened and she grinned as Domino walked out together.

The first thing she noticed was how they held themselves - instead of the inexperienced men she'd found on Rishi, she found five confident men standing tall as they strode toward her.

The second thing she noticed was that they'd painted their armor while in training. She wasn't sure how they'd gotten ahold of the 501st blue paint, but she had a feeling they'd nicked some the day they'd come to the Resolute before being shipped off back to Kamino.

"General!" Echo said, pulling off his helmet. His brothers followed his lead.

"I'm glad you guys came back in one piece," she grinned. "I've heard how… extreme the training is."

"I'm pretty sure we almost died at least four times," Hevy told her with a lopsided grin.

"I will say, the questions about why we got advanced, rushed training were mildly annoying," Fives said.

"I probably should've found something you could say to that," she realized, suddenly feeling bad. They'd been forced to safeguard her secret with little support from her. "And I'm sorry for sending you to training right away, but I need your help."

"Our help, sir?" Droidbait questioned.

"Don't worry about it now," she waved them off. "Settle in first. We'll leave tomorrow."

"It may be easier for them to settle in after Serenno," Rex suggested. "He won't be there long, if your information is correct."

"We can wait," Cutup promised. "What's on Serenno?"

"Dooku," Soph answered. "We need him, and I need Domino to help me get to him."

"We're ready, sir," Echo promised. "When do we leave?"

She exchanged a glance with Rex. He nodded. "Well, we can leave now, then. Is Jinx still in the Twilight?"

"Think so," Cutup glanced around. "I don't see him out here."

"Well, in that case, let's go," she said, waving toward the ship. The group made their way over. Inside, she let Jinx know of the change in plans. He grinned and nodded, setting the coordinates for Serenno.

Soph came to sit by her men, leaning back in her chair as Jinx took off. "So, do any of you regret it? Becoming ARC?"

"In the middle there, I cursed the Force," Fives laughed. "I'd never have done this on my own."

Soph smiled, but her eyes were heavy with sadness. "You and Echo became ARCs together. You were amazing. You saved a lot of lives."

"They helped us develop a lot of our natural talents," Droidbait told her after a quiet moment. News of Cutup, Droidbait, and Hevy's previous deaths had haunted them. Even still, they tried not to talk or think about it. "I've gotten pretty good at tracking."

"They put me through a course on tech," Echo agreed. "I didn't even realize I had an affinity for it."

"I got better at stealth," Cutup grinned. "Plus, I'm a damn good shot now. They trained me as a sniper."

"I'm the same as always," Hevy laughed when she looked at him curiously.

"Not true," Echo disagreed. "You fight like a maniac."

"Use my anger," he shrugged.

"Fives?" Soph wondered.

"After these idiots voted me to be the leader, the Kaminoans made me follow through on that," Fives rolled his eyes. "So, leadership, I guess."

"He moves as fast as a Jedi," Cutup told Soph. "You should see it, it's crazy."

"Well, I'm glad you all made it out of there."

"Anything interesting happen while we were gone?" Hevy wondered.

"I told Anakin and Master Kenobi about the chips," she said, surprising them.

"Cody and I got ours out," Rex told them.

"Kix and Coric, two of our medics, are studying them, but they're running into issues studying the tech in the chips," Soph sighed. "I asked them not to share the information with anyone else, but it looks like we need to bring someone in on this."

"I could help," Echo offered. "I did some studying on biotech."

"That would be much appreciated," she nodded gratefully. "We're looking for a way to deactivate the chips without doing brain surgery on the entire GAR."

Echo looked thoughtful. "With some more information, I may be able to create a sort of… permanent biological EMP for the chips."

"We'll get you working on that as soon as you've had a chance to settle in," she suggested.

There was a moment of silence before Rex spoke up. "I think this is a terrible plan."

"Noted, Captain."

"Fixing the chips?" Droidbait asked, confused.

"Going to Dooku," Soph explained. "We just disagree on the best way to handle things."

"Dooku is in the middle of Separatist controlled territory in the Outer Rim," Rex reasoned. "If we get through their ships fine, you have to find him, and then there's his guards and the man himself, who is-,"

"A Sith, I know," Soph rolled her eyes. "But I think he's redeemable."

"A Sith being redeemable," Rex repeated. She shrugged.

"Okay, it sounds… bad," she allowed. "But with a little convincing-,"

"You mean kidnapping," he interrupted. She coughed.

"I'm just going to suggest he help us," she said sheepishly when she saw the looks Domino gave her. "We can't stay on Serenno long."

"And after we find him," Droidbait said. "Then what?"

"Then I convince him to help us."

"How?"

Soph sighed. "Look, Jedi… there's lines of Jedi, you know. Like families, we have the people that trained us. My line can be traced all the way back to Master Yoda."

"Force, you trained under Yoda?" Cutup asked, amazed.

"Yes and no. Yes in the sense that he trains every Jedi as younglings. But also no, because Obi Wan trained Anakin and I. The Council wasn't too happy he took on a second Padawan, but they'd assigned me to him just before Master Qui Gon died, and Anakin was taken on alongside me."

"So if Obi Wan trained you-,"

"Let me describe the line," she offered. "I'll start from the bottom - Anakin and I are training Ahsoka. Then there's the two of us, then Obi Wan trained us. Master Qui Gon trained Obi Wan, and Dooku… he trained Master Qui Gon. Yoda trained Dooku."

"So Dooku's like… your great-grandfather?"

She snorted. "If you want to look at it that way, sure."

"Why do you think you can reach him?" Fives wondered.

"Because I know why he left the Jedi Order. He left because the Senate and, to an extent, even the Jedi Order is corrupt. We've lost our way. It's part of what I'm trying to fix. Then, Master Qui Gon died and he just… I was young, but he seemed to snap. He left, and not long after, we got word that he'd been recruited by Sidious. I think that only happened because Dooku had lost faith in us and… everyone can be corrupted somehow. If we aren't careful as Jedi, we can fall the way Dooku and… and Anakin fell."

"So you think you can reach him by proving you're working to fix things," Echo summed up. She nodded. "Sounds risky."

"I have to try," she shrugged. "He's the best chance we have at finding proof that Palpatine is Sidious."

"So do the Jedi Council know about Sidious?" Fives wondered.

"Mm. They know there's a Sith Lord, and they know the name Sidious, but not who he is," she explained. "And Anakin… he's too close to Palpatine. He's going to need proof to believe it."

"And once he believes it, then what?"

She sighed. "Then we go to the Jedi Council. The hard part will be arresting him."

"Why?"

"Because the senate will get involved," she said. "And it's split. We just have to hope the senate stays swung in our favor when it happens."

"The war probably won't end just from his arrest," Fives pointed out. "It'll slow them down, but who's to say someone won't step up?"

"This is where I disagree," Rex cut in. "The whole thing relies on Dooku agreeing to help. If he doesn't and we find a different way to get rid of Palpatine, Dooku will just step up and take over."

"But he wouldn't have the senate behind him," Soph reasoned. "They already know he's Separatist."

"I guess we'd better hope Dooku agrees to help, then," Droidbait sighed. "Do you know where he is on Serenna?"

"I'd assume in his palace."

"Dooku has a palace?"

"Yep. We've known about it for a while, but we haven't had the resources to devote to taking the planet," she told them. "Which is why we need to do this as quietly as possible."

"Quiet is something we can do," Echo promised with a grin. "They practically beat it into us."

"Down in five," Jinx called. Soph turned to look out the window. The planet was a small one, but it was certainly beautiful. It was filled with beautiful swirls of grey, blue, and green. She watched as they descended until they reached the ground, landing on some grass by a lake.

"What's the plan, General?"

"There's some tunnels that lead to this lake," she explained. "We'll go in through the tunnels and it should take us to what's said to be locked up servant's quarters. I can get us through there, and we'll find Dooku. Again, I want this done as quietly as possible."

"Let's get moving, men," Rex ordered, waving them toward the shallow end of the lake, where they saw a tunnel covered by a grate. "General."

"Right," she pulled her lightsaber out, turned it on, and cut through the grate like butter. She clicked it off and turned to tell them to move, but stopped to laugh at the amazed looks Domino gave her. "Fives, haven't you already seen it?"

"I was a bit distracted by the eel, sir," he reminded her.

"Let's go," Rex waved. Soph jumped through into the tunnel first, followed by Domino, and then Rex. The tunnels were long, nearly two miles away from the palace. It was a long thirty minutes before they cautiously entered the servant's quarters. They were, in fact, empty and closed. Soph closed her eyes and took a breath, trying to focus on the ripples in the Force that came with the presence of a person. There didn't seem to be anyone around, so she used the Force to unlock the door and stepped into the hall, nodding when she didn't see anyone around.

"So far, so good," she said. "Let's go."

Wandering through the palace wasn't hard. Soph went first. She blended in well enough that she could scout ahead and clear a path for her men, who would've stuck out like a sore thumb dressed in their armor.

By the time they reached an office on the third floor, she'd dropped and hidden three people and sent another six away using the Force.

Soph's heart clenched in her chest at the sight of Dooku in the office. She turned and waved at Domino and held up two fingers - there were two droids in the office to guard Dooku. She waved them forward and watched as Hevy and Cutup each took a droid out, startling Dooku. Before he could turn and attack them, Soph stepped inside and turned her lightsaber on to block his attack on Hevy. Rex was behind her, waving Domino back.

"Dooku," she nodded. "I'm here to talk."

His eyes narrowed, and he looked at her closely. "Soph-Katarina. I wondered when we would meet. One of Obi Wan's treasured Padawans."

"I'm no longer a Padawan," she warned him. "Let's talk. I truly don't want to fight you."

"Why should I not strike you down where you stand?" Rex twitched behind her. She held up a hand to stop him.

"Because I think you'll want to hear what I have to say."

Eyeing her hesitantly, Dooku stepped back and turned off his lightsaber. Relief flooded Soph and she turned hers off, too.

"Sit, please," he waved at the chairs in front of his desk. Soph sat down, but no one else did. Domino posted themselves at the exits and windows and Rex positioned himself directly behind Soph, more than ready to grab his pistols. "What's this about? Bold of you to come to me. I could have you killed."

"Rex'll get twitchy if you suggest that again," she warned him. "Just listen, Dooku."

"I'm listening."

Soph took in a deep breath. She'd put a lot of thought into how to handle the conversation, and she knew there were no great options. "I believe that I'm only the Jedi that I am because of the way those before me were trained. That includes you, Dooku. I appreciate the way you taught Master Qui Gon. It led me to be who I am today."

"An enemy."

She sighed. "Look. I know you think the Jedi council are… not on the right path. That the senate is corrupt."

"Yes."

"I agree," she said honestly. It clearly surprised him if the way his eyebrows rose said anything. "Your solution was to leave and join those doing the corrupting. Mine… is to fix things," she said slowly.

"There are some things which cannot be fixed, child," he warned. "You waste your energy."

"No, you're wasting your energy," she disagreed. "I can tell you how this path ends for you. You're going to die, Dooku. Let me help you. Help us, and I'll have you pardoned."

"General," Rex said, surprised. "Is that something you can promise?"

"I can promise that what I need is enough for the Jedi Council to agree to not arrest him," she told him. She turned back to Dooku. "I don't think they'd let you back on the Council or back in the Jedi Order, but you'd be free. I know you spent time by yourself before Master Qui Gon died. You could be free again, no master dictating what you do."

Dooku shook his head. "And what is it that you want from me, child?"

"I need proof."

"Proof of what?"

"That Sidious… is Palpatine."

His eyes sharpened on her and she knew that her gamble had paid off. She hadn't told her boys, but she hadn't been completely certain that Dooku knew who Sidious was yet, but she'd known she had to try. "Keep speaking and you'll get us both killed."

"Give me the proof," she requested. "Give it to me and we can work together to get rid of him, to rid the senate of corruption."

"Your dreams are unattainable," he warned. "You assume I have not already tried to fix things."

"But we can work together," she argued. "You worked alone before. Now, we can work together. Things can be fixed. Palpatine is using you."

"The Council used me, too."

"You don't work for them. You don't have to go back, Dooku. Just do… do one good thing. Help me get proof."

"No."

"But-,"

"You have one chance to leave before I have you arrested."

Soph turned around to look at Rex. Looking in his eyes, she knew he stood with her. He'd wait and he'd fight for her to accomplish what she needed. She turned back to Dooku, making a quick, calculated decision. "I've seen the end of this war."

"You cannot predict the war, no matter how strong you are in the Force," he said, unimpressed.

"How do you think I know about Palpatine?" she wondered. "I've seen the end. I saw what he did, who he is, and I saw him have you killed by his next… apprentice."

"Why would he do that?"

"You'd served your purpose," she shrugged. "He faked his own kidnapping. When we came to save him, he had you killed. He didn't care. He's using you, but you can help me. Help me fix the broken system."

Dooku couldn't argue that there was no way she'd know about Palpatine. "How? How did you see the end of the war?"

"I lived it," she breathed, feeling everyone's eyes on her. She could feel the disapproval from them, but ignored it. "I lived the end of the war. I saw… I saw things I have to change."

He looked at her like she was insane. She figured that was fair. If it hadn't happened to her, she'd have done the same.

Taking a breath, she removed her cloak to reveal the scar on her chest. His eyes locked onto it darkly. "That would kill you. A lightsaber did that."

"It did kill me," she replied. "I saw the entire Jedi order fall, and then I…" Soph trailed off, her own death flashing behind her eyes. Anakin staring at her, the window Master Windu had been thrown out of, clones reporting multiple Jedi deaths, Palpatine in the background, watching silently as Anakin-

"General," Rex said sharply. She blinked and shook her head.

"Right," she muttered. She turned back to Dooku. "I died. The Cosmic Force… for reasons I don't understand, it sent me back. I plan to fix this shit."

Dooku was quiet. He seemed to be considering her words. They sat silently in the tense room for a while before he answered her. "The Republic as it stands now cannot continue."

"I agree. That's why I'm looking for the root of the corruption. Right now, that's Palpatine."

"Palpatine approached me shortly after I officially left the Order," he told her. "Shortly after Qui Gon was killed."

"I'm sorry," she said honestly. Ahsoka was Anakin's padawan, but Soph cared for the young girl the same as her friend did - she trained her, too. She couldn't imagine losing her. Attachment wasn't the Jedi way, but it was impossible not to grow attached to others. It was one of the rules Soph chose to ignore.

"He offered a change. He offered to fix things, bring order to the galaxy," he continued. "Instead, he's assumed control and further divided the senate."

"He's not the answer," she agreed. "I'm not saying I am, but… but I've seen what he'll do, and we can't reach that. We have to create our own change, Dooku. Help me."

Dooku met her eyes. She stared back, and they sat like that for a moment. She wasn't sure what he was looking for in her, but she let him look and hoped he found what he needed. "I have suspected he's been using me. I began a collection of incriminating evidence. I have documents, videos, audio. It's yours."

Soph breathed out, relief flooding her. "Thank you."

"Do not tell anyone the information came from me until after he's been taken care of," he demanded.

"Of course," she bowed her head. She grabbed and passed over her datapad. As he transferred the proof she needed over to it, she leaned back in her chair. "You have no idea how much you've helped me."

"Don't get killed in this process," he requested. "I will change things, but I'd like you by my side."

It surprised Soph. She still didn't trust him, of course, but what was there to do? He could help. He was a priceless ally. "Please keep working, business as usual. I'll contact you when it's done."

"I look forward to our… partnership."

Soph bowed her head and took the datapad back. She replaced her cloak and stood. She definitely didn't want to outstay their welcome. "Thank you."

The group of seven made their way out of the palace, this time without any issue. When they got back to the ship, Jinx grinned at them. "Well, you didn't die."

"Not yet," Soph laughed. "I can't believe that worked."

"It could've gotten you killed," Rex told her, startling Domino as he scolded her. "Why would you trust him with that information?"

"Uh, sir-,"

Soph put a hand up to silence Echo as she stared at Rex. "I had to convince him, Rex."

"Not at the cost of your life."

"Nothing happened."

"It could've, Kat!"

"Rex, calm down!" she snapped. "I'm alive! Okay? I'm alive. Look at me. Look in my eyes. I'm here."

Rex's eyes snapped to hers, and she watched as he frantically searched them. She realized that he was struggling with the realization that she wasn't invincible. He'd never truly thought so, but he'd also never considered that she could lose. Lose hard enough to die. She was reckless, and her guilt and fear had gotten her killed. The way he saw it, she'd taken a risk out of fear that could've killed her again. It was the idea of losing her and having lost her, even in a past life, that left him so afraid for her. "Don't take another risk like that."

A small smile flashed across her lips. "I won't die on you, Captain."

They lapsed into silence. "Do they always argue like that?" Droidbait asked Jinx quietly. The other man chuckled.

"Not usually, but they are… overly familiar," he told him quietly. "It's a widespread secret that they're-,"

"Finish that sentence and I'll have you on traffic duty on Coruscant for half a cycle," Soph warned. She eyed the pilot and suppressed a laugh at the look of horror on his face.

"Yes, sir," he managed.

"Calm down," she laughed. "I'd never ground a pilot. Sounds like torture."

"It certainly is, General."

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