"Cad Bane?" Soph winced. "Good luck. He's a slippery one."

"You have no idea," Anakin muttered. She raised an eyebrow and he blinked. "You might. Any idea what he's up to?"

"He's after the holocron that has the data of all of the Force sensitive kids in the galaxy," she told him, shifting on her feet. It was important information for him to have, but she wanted to jump to hyperspace and get to Kamino ASAP.

Anakin's eyes darkened. "He wants the kids. Palpatine wants the kids? For what?"

"My guess? Either to train them as Sith or to kill them," she answered quietly. It was a grim topic, and she was trying to recall as much as she could. The problem was, the war dragged on for so long and they'd done so much that it became difficult to remember. She was far from perfect, and the same could be said for her memory.

"We have to stop him," Anakin told her firmly. "Call me if you remember anything else. Good luck on Kamino. You have a cover story?"

"Mm. Master Ti is going to meet us on the landing platform. She said she has us covered."

"She didn't question why you needed a cover?" Anakin wondered.

Soph shrugged. "Not really. I think she knows we'll explain when we get there. You know how she is. She's more in tune with the Force than most of us."

"Nearly as much as Master Yoda," Anakin agreed. He glanced to the side, somewhere she couldn't see, and nodded. "We're coming out of hyperspace. Wish us luck."

"Good luck," she smiled. "You'll get the kids, Ani."

"Force, I hope so."

She clicked off the holo projector and sighed. Anakin was in for a frustrating few rotations, but there wasn't much more she could do to help than warn him what was happening.

"You have to be patient."

She turned and smiled softly at Rex. "Lecturing me again, love?"

He shook his head, his gentle eyes on hers. "No. I'm just warning you. This is going to take time. If you try to make it happen overnight, we'll get sloppy. It's important to work on freeing the GAR before arresting him."

"I just feel like if we make sure that the only clones he sees have already been freed, then there's no real risk," she reasoned with a sigh. "The quicker we move, the quicker we can get this over with."

He stepped closer and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. He stood at an even 6' while she was 5'4", and it left him at the perfect height for it. She closed her eyes at the touch, allowing him to calm her. He understood why she was impatient, but it always made her reckless. "After Kamino. We'll get a process in place to free graduating cadets, and then we can have him arrested. Once that's done, we can take Kamino and ensure no more chips are placed."

She visibly relaxed. She didn't mind arguing with Anakin and, to an extent, Obi Wan, but Rex? She hated it. Mostly because he was almost always right. It usually came down to how stubborn she was feeling to decide if she listened to him or not. "We shouldn't be back here."

"Mm," he hummed, pulling her into a gentle hug. They hadn't gotten much time together alone since Rishi, and they treasured every moment they got. She relaxed into his arms.

"Domino suspects," she whispered into his chest. She felt him chuckle and smiled softly.

"They don't suspect, Kat, they know."

"Jinx-,"

"Also knows."

"But-,"

"Even General Kenobi knows," he reminded her. "No one's said anything yet."

"You're usually the reasonable one," she reminded him. "What happened?"

"You died."

She winced at his quick, short reply. "Rex-,"

"It's terrifying," he told her. He pulled back and put a hand on her chest above where he knew the scar was. "And I won't let it happen again, and I won't waste the time I could be spending with you."

There was a hesitant knock on the door, and Soph tipped her head back in frustration. She knew whoever it was had almost certainly heard them, and they had no way to know how long they'd been there. With a sigh, she stepped back from Rex. "Come in."

Droidbait stepped inside and looked distinctly uncomfortable. "General Windu called. His battalion is freed. He said to tell you thank you for helping his men."

Soph's eyes lit up. Finally, good news. "Thank the Force."

"We got a call from Zeer, too," he continued. She frowned.

"Zeer… he's from Epsilon, right? Is something wrong?"

"He thought you should know that a total of five men made the decision to leave the GAR," he explained. "They're taking temporary leave for now."

Soph's eyes widened. "Only five?"

"Yes. The men respect you a great deal, especially since you've worked so hard to do the right thing and help us," Droidbait explained.

"It's the least we could do," she sighed. "After we arrest Palpatine and there's a new Chancellor in place, we'll be working with the senate to get everyone fair pay and benefits after the war. That means housing, healthcare, post-army pay, and at the very least, transport to wherever in the galaxy you decide you want to live."

Rex stared at her. "All of that?"

"All of it," she told him firmly. "You men are how we're going to win this damned war. You deserve to be compensated fairly for it."

Droidbait's comm beeped before he could reply. He pressed the button. "Droidbait."

"Hey, Bait, let the general know we're descending the atmosphere. Five minutes out," Fives said. He snorted. "Cutup's getting his ass kicked in Sabacc. It's magical. Get back here before he loses."

"Shut up, idiot," they could hear Cutup mutter.

Soph laughed. "Why don't you head back? We'll be down soon."

Droidbait glanced between them and nodded, suddenly looking uncomfortable. He turned and left the room, letting the door slide shut behind him.

"Maybe he didn't hear anything."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "He's not stupid, Kat. You had the misfortune of picking smart men."

She laughed a little. "I'll keep that in mind next time."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Explaining the chips to Shaak Ti was difficult. The woman cared so greatly for the clones, protecting and caring for them, that hearing of their lack of freedom was overwhelming.

She took it in stride, though. She gratefully accepted the transmitter and asked them to come to see the graduating cadets that day. Hevy had perked up at the idea of walking around Kamino and mentioned finding someone named 99. Soph wasn't sure who that was, but all of Domino seemed excited, so they were excused to find their friend while Soph went with Rex to see the cadets.

Walking into the room, the cadets quickly snapped to attention at the two generals and the captain's presence. Shaak Ti smiled. "At ease. Today we have the pleasure of hosting Master Sizre and Captain Rex from the 501st."

"The 501st," a graduate said in wonder. "You guys did Teth and Naboo and Ryloth."

Soph chuckled. "We did. What's your name, cadet?"

"Hardcase, sir," he replied. "We've heard of your battalion's accomplishments, sir."

"Well, I'd like to hear some of your accomplishments," she requested. "Mine are boring."

"Respectfully, sir, nothing you've done is boring," he said. She couldn't help but laugh. He certainly seemed a little bit starstruck, so much so that Rex was shaking his head. It wasn't a surprise that cadets were amazed by those that had already been through plenty of battle. Still, he continued on. "I am proficient in explosives. I was trained for bomb squad, as well."

"So you blow things up as well as put them out," she hummed. "I think you'd get along well with one of my squad."

"Speaking of," Rex said, glancing down at his datapad. He frowned and handed it over silently. She looked down, her eyes sharpening on the words.

On our way back. Ships entering the atmosphere. Get out of there now.

"Shit," she cursed loudly, startling the cadets. The memo was from Echo. She looked to Shaak Ti. "Master, it's time. Use it now."

Shaak Ti's eyebrows rose, but she grabbed the device from her pockets and turned it on. The pulse went out, startling the graduates as they felt something distinctly different. "I do apologize for doing this so suddenly, but it seems there may be an emergency."

The doors to the room slid open abruptly and Domino ran in with an older clone in tow. Cutup reached Soph first and looked her over closely to make sure she was okay. "They just landed. It's a Separatist ship. Someone's alerted them to our presence."

"Alright, Shinies," Rex turned to the graduates. "Hardcase, with us. We may need those explosives of yours. Everyone else gather the cadets on patrols and send them to the mess hall. Post yourselves where they were and do not let any other clones near whoever comes out of those ships, no matter what. Got it?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" they said together. While most of them ran from the room to do as they were told, Hardcase, Domino, Rex, Shaak Ti, and Soph stayed behind.

"What's going on?" Rex asked Domino.

"We saw them land," Droidbait said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "On the west wing. A Kaminoan greeted him."

"Him?" Soph frowned.

"It was General Grievous, sir," Echo told her, recalling the dreaded general from his past life - one that he thought was equally useful and disturbing to remember. "And that droid of his."

"Okay," Soph rubbed at her face as she thought. "Hardcase, Hevy, go find whatever weapons and explosives you can find. We need to get the graduates off of this planet as soon as possible. Do we have his location?"

"He was heading toward the empty barracks," Fives answered.

"Right," she nodded. "I think I know where that is. Echo and Droidbait, you'll be coming from the side with Master Ti. Rex and I will come from behind while Fives and Cutup work on getting the graduates aboard the Twilight. We're taking them back to the Resolute."

"Should we meet you outside the barracks?" Hevy wondered. Soph nodded.

"You have five minutes. The goal isn't to blow this place up, but if we have to do some damage, we will. Keep that in mind when choosing your weapons," she requested. Taking a look around, her eyes settled on the newest graduate. "Are you up for this, Hardcase?"

"Yes, sir," he nodded sharply. "This is what we've been training for, sir."

"You don't have to fight with us," she told him firmly. "You're your own, free person. Make your choice quickly."

"I'm fighting with you," he insisted. "If all I can do in this life is keep you fighting another day, that's what I'll do."

Soph's lips twitched. She already knew where Hardcase would be going, and it was definitely with them. "Alright, men. Let's move."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Grievous was, to their great relief, still in the barracks with Taun We - the Kaminoan traitor to the Republic that had greeted the general.

Once everyone was in position, Echo, Droidbait, and Shaak Ti rushed in, shooting immediately at Grievous. He turned to block the shots, ignoring when one hit his mechanical hip. Shaak Ti jumped forward to engage him while Taun We ran away toward the back of the barracks, rushing out a door. Rex grabbed her by her robes and held her in place. "Going somewhere?"

"There's an intruder!" Taun We exclaimed. Soph rolled her eyes and grabbed the cuffs from Rex's belt. She put them on the Kaminoan and waved her hand in front of her face.

"You will stay here while we handle Grievous," she ordered. Taun We's eyes went glossy.

"I will stay here while you handle Grievous."

"Ready, Rex?"

"As I'll ever be, General."

They made their way in quietly. Before Rex could start shooting, Soph had an idea and put her hand up. He froze. She lifted her hand and focused on the numerous lightsabers on Grievous's belt. Slowly, one by one, as he was distracted, she removed them. It was only once she'd gotten the last one on his belt that she finally attacked him. She took one good jump and cut off two of his arms on his left side. He spun and engaged with her. He only held one last lightsaber and was fighting rapidly. While he was fighting her, she grinned at the sight of Shaak Ti following her lead - the woman spun, pulling her lightsaber up sharply and cutting off Grievous's remaining arms. His lightsaber fell, and for good measure, Soph cut off his legs, too.

One could never be too safe.

Between the clones, the Jedi, and pure luck, they'd captured General Grievous.

"I'm gonna be honest," Soph said, brushing some debris from the ceiling that had been cut in the short duel off of her cloak. "I expected that to be much more difficult." Grievous let out a furious roar. She kicked his chest. "Shut up."

"We work well together," Shaak Ti smiled at her. "Please get these graduates of Kamino. I will continue to free them as it's time."

"Thank you, Master," Soph bowed her head. Shaak Ti did the same. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you," Shaak Ti replied.

Soph spun to look at the clones in the room. She quickly eyed them to make sure they were okay. They'd certainly held their own, and none of them were hurt. "Alright, men. We're getting out of here. Let's get back to the Twilight."

By the time they got back, Fives and Cutup had found all of the graduates that had taken control of patrols and taken them back to the ship.

"I'm glad everyone is here," she said, eyeing them. "Everyone's okay?"

"Yep," Fives told her. "We ran into a couple of droids, but they seemed to be loners. Grievous likely brought them along. We scraped them easily."

"Good. We've got Grievous."

There was a moment of silence. It was a graduate that spoke. "General Grievous? Isn't he… famously good at getting away?"

"Not this time," she laughed as Rex and Hevy carried the broken droid on board. "You guys got Taun We?"

"Right here," Hardcase answered, escorting the Kaminoan onto the ship. "All accounted for."

"Good. Let's get the hell out of here. Jinx, it's time to go."

"You got it, sir," Jinx snapped off a lazy salute and headed to the front of the ship. Within moments, they'd taken off, and it wasn't long before they left the atmosphere and jumped to hyperspace.

"Sir, can I ask… what exactly happened?" a graduate asked. She gave a tight smile and looked around. They'd taken off their helmets and sat with everyone else. She wondered how anyone could think of their men as just clones - the same exact person over and over again. The men she saw before her were clearly different. Sure, they had generally the same face, but their hair was different, and their expressions were different. She knew if she got to know them, there'd be more obvious personality differences.

"Can I get your names, graduates?"

"Dom," the one that had spoken said.

"I'm Hotshot."

"Kosmos," one said when her glance turned to him.

"And I'm Scope."

"Thanks," she smiled. "I like to know who I'm talking to."

"We're approaching the Resolute," Fives called, walking back from Jinx. "They were on their way to us when we sent the distress call. I've given them the all-clear and updated them. General Skywalker seemed…"

"He didn't catch Cad Bane, did he?"

"No. He was…" Fives grimaced. Soph shook her head. "It'll be about ten minutes, Soph."

She chuckled at the looks the graduates sent Fives for being so informal. They looked appalled. "Don't worry, boys. I asked them to call me by my name. I had to convince them, but I don't like being referred to by my rank. My men are my friends."

"She really did have to convince us," Cutup said. "We were just as nervous as you."

"As for what's happening, it's a bit difficult to explain," she sighed. She gave them a quick description of the chips and watched them rub the back of their necks just as everyone had. "Your chips have been deactivated. When we get home, I'll get some research for you, and you're more than welcome to do a scan, but I'll warn you that they're painful and even slightly dangerous."

"I can't believe they… chipped us," Kosmos said in quiet horror. "They could make us do anything and we wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

Fives looked pained as he always did when discussing it recently. Soph knew he was remembering his past life and felt a pang of regret. She touched his arm gently and offered a sad smile. "We're fixing it."

"We're fixing it," he repeated. "Things are different."

"They are," she agreed. She turned back to the others and sighed. "We've got some things to do, but you'll be folded into the 501st."

The squad before her exchanged wide-eyed looks of amazement. "Really?" Scope asked.

"Really. We'll have you join our Teth survivors- they're short a few men. That means you'll be working under mine and Anakin's padawan, Ahsoka. She's learning, but she's good."

"We'd be dead men without her," Cutup told the graduates. "She kept us and the general alive on Naboo."

"We're here," Jinx called. "General Skywalker's waiting, along with Coric."

"We're fine," Soph complained. "Tell them both to go away."

Jinx was quiet. "Soph, I can't tell General Skywalker to go away."

"Fair point," she shrugged. "I'll tell him."

Jinx landed and opened the doors as he shut the Twilight off. Soph walked out first and caught Anakin's gaze. "I caught mine, did you catch yours?"

"No," he screwed up his face. "Who did you catch?"

She grinned. "Grievous."

Anakin stared. "What?"

"I caught Grievous," she laughed at his dumbfounded face. "I told you I could catch him if I ever saw him."

"No way," he said, staring as Hevy and Hardcase once more carried Grievous. They'd put a bag over his head and messed with his head until they were confident he couldn't hear anything, which was the only reason they'd been comfortable talking about the chips. "Force, you actually got him."

"Told you so."

"What the hell was he doing on Kamino?" he wondered. Her smile slipped from her face.

"I think he knows, Ani. He knows we know about the chips, and we don't know who he told."

OoOoOoOoOoOo