Over the course of another year, the droids stayed on their home planet, weathering the rainy days and storms while managing their mining operation all while they finished the sanctuary. By the end of it, almost three years had passed since the war. They had an abundance of credits, an operational base, and an improved set of disguises and visors for the crew, excluding B-35 who aggressively pushed back against all attempts to put any sort of clothing on his body.

"This soft material will only slow me down," B-35 had said to Ron.

"It will keep you safe from organics who want to use you for manual labor," Ron argued.

"I will stay here. I do not want to be around those meatbags"

"Meatbags?"

"Yes, that is what I am programmed to call organics as that is what they are: bags of walking meat"

"I don't remember seeing that in there...Fine, you will be part of the defense force and will only interact with other droids"

Just as things were beginning to look good, new problems began to arise. Ron had taken a brief inspection of all the droids. His photo-receptors honed in on the many spots of rusts that were beginning to form on their chests and arms. The rain had finally begun to eat away at their armor. Rags and R-U5 had finished working on their cloaking device and thus were put to research water-resistant materials for their bodies and the prospect of upgrading their armor as well. But Rags and R-U5 were beginning to hit a breaking point. Problems that they could've resolved in the past were beginning to become a little too complex. They were lucky to have even made a functioning cloaking device. Most of it had been reverse engineered from the cloak they'd received from Lokah for a brief time.

One rainy day, most of the droids were holed up in the headquarters, restricted from being outside in the rain too long. B-35 had hastily constructed footpaths between each of the buildings with overhead coverage. Ron was looking into expanding their military might through turrets and other defensive units while the rest of the droids trained either their marksmanship or would help in maintaining their mining operation. Rags tapped his finger against the metal table before him as he ran multiple tests on a problem regarding the upgrades to their bodies. In one jerky movement, he sat back in his chair and placed a hand over his photo-receptors in an attempt to concentrate on the tests he was running. They suddenly stopped and a message appeared on his photo-receptors. It read, "Warning: CPU approaching dangerous thermal levels"

He let his hand fall onto the table with a clang and terminated all tests. He hesitantly rose from his seat and walked over to Ron who was situated at the round table in the middle of the headquarters.

"Ron, I need to talk to you about the armor upgrades," Rags said plainly. His voice almost sounded tired, his new visor aided in conveying a more organic-like voice. All of their voices were more akin to the voice of an organic speaking through a microphone rather than like the stiff robotic one of a droid.

"What is it?" Ron said over their private comms-line.

"I can't figure it out. Every time I try to run tests, even when I hook up with R-U5, we always start to overheat. We need someone else to help"

"I would help you myself but I am busy planning fortifications with OOM. Maybe Rev could help you?"

"We need someone who has better hardware than us and is interested in engineering. Rev has already told me his interest is only in being a commander"

Ron stood and walked over to Rags, "What would you propose we do?"

Rags checked through his internal notes in his database. His head flicked up, "Our mission is to save other battle droids right?"

"Yes"

"I just so happen to know where one might be. My old engineering and mechanic partner, R-4V"

Ron's head wavered, "That name sounds familiar. You talked about him back on Felucia didn't you? How he was cut up to pieces?"

"So you do remember. He was taken apart by the clones but based on what I've found about our internals, we only need our head to restore our personality and memory"

Ron went quiet, he looked around at the rest of the droids. Some of them were still getting used to their new visors, others were repairing their old blasters and dreaming about buying more powerful models on the black market. R-6Y in particular was mesmerized by the low price tag of a damaged E-5C, the Confederacy's standard heavy blaster rifle that he once wielded during the battle of Alamass.

"And you believe he will be able to help you two?"

"Oh absolutely, he knew much more about our internals than I could ever know. He would always tinker with his own system when we would be ordered to charge and deactivate"

"Very interesting. It sounds as if he isn't a standard model," Ron looked back to Rev, "Let's go get him. I have been meaning for us to go back to Felucia, this would be a good opportunity to save more of our brothers. We have the resources to support them now"

Ron turned to Rags who was already heading over to the armory to retrieve his blaster.

"Rev, get everyone on-board the ship. I'll explain everything in the cockpit," Ron said.

Rev nodded and rounded up the crew, with OOM directing them towards the armory.

The green planet was mostly unchanged save for the lack of Separatist ships hovering overhead. The Empire was still around, however. Their shiny new star destroyers and dozens of light cruisers maintained a close watch on the entire planet. Ron activated the cloaking device Rags and R-U5 had crafted. It was finicky and only worked for a brief period of time but it got the job done.

"I believe it's safe to say the planet hasn't been scavenged. Or at least not yet," Ron said as they grew closer to the atmosphere.

"There's no reports or any media articles on what happened here after the war ended. I guess they must be keeping something secret here," Rev replied.

"I am fortunate to have made the right decision in staying with you all instead of coming back here. They have quite a large garrison stationed in this system from what I've seen so far," OOM commented. He was seated to Rev's side.

"I wonder if the Confederacy is still around. The Imperials have those brand new ships, and they look powerful," Rev said looking at one of the star destroyers. It faded into obscurity as they entered the planet. A green fog clouded the cockpit window.

"They are still operating, though in hiding. The Imperials did a good job in making it seem as if they had been completely wiped out along with our brothers," Ron replied.

"Are you tracking the coordinates?" Rags said from Ron's side.

"Yes, but I have to take a longer route. The radar is picking up Imperial fighters in the area," Ron replied. He deactivated their cloak, letting it recharge.

Rags leaned back in his seat, attempting to sate his excitement by picking apart and reassembling his blaster, "Do you think he's still there?"

"If the area is remote, then most likely yes"

Ron lowered the freighter as low as he could. The underbelly of the ship nearly bumped against several of the taller plants in the area. The surface itself was unchanged. The disease-infested swamps with the same glowing bulbous flowers and tall colorful flora still infested the majority of the ground level. Though the air was much foggier than before. Even in the air, the hostile planet gave no respite. Ron relied on the ship's flight instruments to navigate. Nearly running into an Imperial patrol several times, the ship finally landed some meters away from the coordinates Rags had given them. Though the position wasn't exact, it would give them a good start on where to look.

Rev began a scan of the local area, immediately taking notice of a small metal shack a short distance away from them, behind their view.

"I'll take a small group out to search for the body. I'm not detecting any Imperials in the area. Only the local wildlife," Ron said.

"Be quick about it. Those patrols were moving quickly. Their new fighters are much more agile than those Republic V-wings we fought against," OOM commented.

"Let's go," Rev said to Rags as they exited the cockpit.

Ron gathered C-05, C-5B, and C-6C to accompany Rags and Rev for the search.

"R-G2, have your squad follow me, the rest of you are on guard duty," Ron commanded.

They made the descent into the marshlands below. The area was vacant of the local flora unlike most of the planet. In the outskirts of the dead-zone was the small metal shack hidden inside a bundle of tall flowers. It appeared untouched and still retained a few scorch marks from blaster-fire. It rested above the marsh, saving it from the water.

"Rev, search the shack, we'll secure the perimeter," Ron said.

"Why do you want to separate?" Rev replied.

"I'll meet you inside, do not worry"

Rev reluctantly pulled ahead of Ron and led his group inside the shack. The small area was separated by three rooms. The entrance was densely populated by a small group destroyed B1 battle droids, their blasters were still close to their sides. A variety of gadgets were strewn about a table at the opposite end of the entrance, with another two tables hosting computers on the left and right sides.

"Rags, go ahead first. C-05, watch the rear. C-5B, C-6C, help with the search," Rev ordered.

They silently complied with orders. Rags was quick to pass over the dead droids in the entrance. None of them appeared to be his old partner. He carefully marched into the room furthest to the left. It was populated by a single workbench with another array of gadgets. On the floor was another B1 battle droid with his chassis ripped open. The only parts of his body that were still intact were his head and arms.

"I found him," Rags said, examining the missing parts of R-4V's internals.

Rev closed in on his side, "Can you recover him?"

"I think so. His head is intact, the only thing that's missing is his battery," Rags said, carefully reinserting parts of his internals back into his chassis, "Help me lift him"

Rev along with C-05 carried R-4Vs body between them, back to the ship.

"There were other B1s inside," Rev said to Ron.

"Let's go get them. Are they damaged?" Ron replied.

"I only saw blaster damage, I think we could recover them," Rags said.

Ron and Rev along with R-G2's squad carried the four bodies of the B1s from the shack.

R-G2 looked over the fallen droids, 'An entire squad…' he thought. He looked back to C-8H beside him, 'Is this how we would've turned out back at the outpost?'

Ron hurried to the cockpit and prepared for liftoff. As soon as he'd turned on the ship, the radar showed a group of four ships approaching their position. He smashed the cloaking device online, just as the patrol shrieked overhead.

Radio chatter erupted from the ship's speakers.

"No sign of anything sir. Are you sure you picked something up?" An Imperial pilot said.

"Yes I'm sure. Do another pass, look for any ships in the area. They like to hide in those tall flowers, check them closely," An Imperial commander replied.

Ron spared no time and lifted-off before Rev could even get in the cockpit.

He set the throttle to full speed and turned on all auxiliary boosters. The freighter, with it's bulky frame sped from the ground and back out into space. He jumped to hyperspace as soon as the ship had finished calculating the route. His photo-receptors adjusted to the blue lighting for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Rev finally strode in after having helped set up the newly recovered B1s for reprogramming. His internal fans hummed in recognition of Ron's silent message.

"This isn't going to be the new normal is it?" Rev asked.

"No, I will stick to your side. I only wanted to ensure R-G2 was doing his job. He was somewhat hostile when we first powered him back on but I believe he is trustworthy now," Ron replied.

"It's my job to keep them in check, remember?"

"I forget. My protocols are still set to act as I had back when I was still a squad leader"

Rev's head pistons made a slight hiss as he turned to face Ron, his metal fingers clanged against the frame of the ship, "Could you tell me more about your past? We have time"

Ron was silent for a few moments, "After Geonosis, I was sent to a planet called Drongar. It was an unusual battle. We were supposed to protect a plant that the planet produced, I don't remember the name. It was a jungle planet with many lakes and rivers and some sort of dome structure constructed over large portions of the jungles. My squad was attacked by clones using flamethrowers. Our fight in the caves reminded me of it. Some of us had been issued flamethrowers ourselves and even slug-throwers. It was interesting to see how such primitive weapons could still be so devastating to organics, though they died much slower. Their internal liquids—their blood would run out of their bodies, I remember the lakes turning red from the many clones that tried to pass through shallow rivers. Some of the rivers themselves were deadly. They appeared calm on the surface but sucked in anything that tried to pass through. I saw many clones and droids drown. My squad was part of the front lines for a long time. Most of the droids in our platoon that had been with us at the start were dead by the end. Only my squad remained in the end, even when we retreated. It's the first successful mission I remember. The Confederacy lost but I won as a squad commander. I learned many great lessons on that planet. It gave me great satisfaction"

"And what happened to your squad?" Rev said leaning in his chair towards Ron.

"I don't remember, and maybe it's best that I don't," Ron pulled the throttle back once the ship exited hyperspace.

Their home planet came into view, Ron took a moment to look over it. He photographed the exterior, "Most of my past squads are irrecoverable, I have accepted that fact. My main goal now is to protect everyone that is here now to the best of my ability and save as many survivors of the war that we possibly can"

They re-entered the atmosphere and landed back at their headquarters. Rags was quick to pull R-4Vs body out into his workshop while R-U5 worked on the rest of the recovered droids in the ship.

Once inside their base, Ron pulled R-7B and C-05 aside.

"We are almost finished with the sanctuary. You know what that means, R-7B. But first, I must evaluate how well you perform without my leadership," Ron said.

"I will do my best, I promise," R-7B replied.

"I know you will. C-05 will act as your co-commander with you in charge. I will let you choose who else will go on this mission but keep it small"

"R-23E and C-37 will do," R-7B said almost immediately.

"So you've been thinking about it?"

"I have, every single day since you've told me"

"That's good. Get your squad mates over here"

R-7B along with C-05 lined up his small crew in front of Ron at the central round table.

"This will be a quick and short mission but don't underestimate it's difficulty," Ron said, looking over each of R-7B's squad-mates, "You will wipe out a small nest of spiders north of our mining operation. These are the survivors of our initial attack. It's a small group but these animals can repopulate quickly. You will be given the flamethrowers with a small amount of fuel. Use it wisely. C-37, do not use your thermal detonators unless absolutely necessary. Other than that, you four have full freedom in coming up with your own plan to eliminate the enemy. Get it done by the end of the day," Ron waved them off.

R-7B and C-05 led the group outside.

"This mission will be easy," R-7B said to C-05.

At the foot of the caves where the crew had fought off the first wave of spiders, R-7B and C-05 stood overlooking the steep valley ahead.

"The coordinates lead to that cave entrance just up ahead," C-05 said.

The gravel they stood upon would shift under their weight and threatened to throw them off balance. The small footpath extended from the cave exit all the way to the next entrance in an arc along the mountain's steep rock walls.

R-7B checked the flamethrower in his hands. He'd given the other to C-05. R-23E and C-37 had agreed to provide covering fire, "Let's go with the formation we used last time"

"Agreed," C-05 replied.

The cave was much shorter in length and narrow in width. The walls were already covered in webs and eggs.

"Let's clear the way," R-7B said to C-05.

They unleashed strings of flame onto the webs which immediately caught fire and spread to the rest of the cave. R-23E heard a faint shrieking inside. He cocked his rifle ready with his blaster pistol close to his arm. C-37 readied his own blaster, feeling a little jealous of R-23E's superior rifle.

"Stick close, let's take it slow," C-05 said.

"Slow? We need to hit them while they're caught by surprise," R-7B said rushing ahead of the group. He let out a burst of flame at a small spider ahead. His metal joints clanged together, alerting the spiders ahead.

"I guess we're going in fast," C-05 said, gesturing for the others to follow.

C-05 was quick to get back by R-7B's side. They were already halfway through the cave. All around them the flames burned and extinguished in the same moment. The webs evaporated leading right to the spiders themselves. Most of them were small with a few being the size of the previous swarm. R-23E eliminated one upon sighting it in the corner. R-7B let a stream of flame directly ahead and burned another to a crisp. C-05 waved his flamethrower at the left corner where a group of four smaller spiders huddled close together. C-37 eliminated another on the ceiling as it threatened to leap at R-7B and C-05. R-23E heard a faint skitter of legs behind him, he whipped around but was tossed to the ground. Fangs descended on his body. He put his arms up just as they began to scratch at his armor. Before it could tear him to shreds, C-37 put a burst of bolts into the spider's head. C-05 turned around and fired another wave of flame above, eliminating the last of the creatures. Their burning corpses smoked up the whole cave.

The droids hurried back outside and within first sight of the blue sky outside, R-23E pulled R-7B by his arm and threw him against the wall. He kicked the flamethrower out of his hands and pinned him by his arms, "Are you trying to kill me? All of your actions up until this point indicate that you are"

"Why would I do that? We're fighting for the same cause, we're both droids"

"Your commands don't have much logic behind them. Your artificial emotions have only weakened you. I won't serve under your leadership, find someone else to get killed," R-23E let go of R-7B and walked off with C-37.

"What did I do?" R-7B said, picking up his flamethrower.

"You almost got him killed by rushing in," C-05 replied.

"Do you think we had time to spare? They would've readied their defenses if we'd gone any slower," R-7B said.

C-05 shook his head, "They're animals. What defenses do they have?" He said before walking back towards the main cave.

Back at the headquarters, R-23 walked up to Ron after the operation, "I won't serve under R-7B"

"Why's that?" Ron replied.

"He is not fit for leadership. He does not think much, and almost got me killed because of his orders"

"Do you believe you would do better?"

"No, my place is to eliminate the enemy. I don't lead, but I won't take commands from someone like that"

"I understand"

R-23E returned to find Dornan awaiting his arrival.

R-7B came in soon after, "We eliminated the threat," he reported.

"You accomplished the objective, yes, but you failed in the true objective. You failed to lead your group. I am sorry, R-7B you cannot go off on your own," Ron turned to C-05, "C-05, you show potential. Perhaps I will send you out on another mission soon," C-05 returned to R-56V who was fixing up the hull of the freighter, "Do not worry, R-7B, I have good news. We might be able to finish the development of our first armor upgrades soon which means we can begin an expedition to find more of our brothers. Would this suit you?"

R-7B clenched the flamethrower in his hands tighter, "As long as I get to fight"

"I promise you, one day, you'll be able to go off on your own but you have much to learn"

R-7B marched off back to the armory without saying another word.

Rev was seated nearby, "You should teach him, along with C-05"

"I will make time for it, R-7B and C-05 both show potential" He took a seat beside Rev, "Currently, I am interested in meeting R-4V. Rags tells me he is a very intelligent droid"

"I hope he is, we need to upgrade. Our bodies aren't exactly the strongest against blasters"

"I believe he will be able to solve that issue. Let's get back to looking at those defenses"

R-7B trudged along one of the footpaths B-35 had created. He entered the armory and reluctantly walked up to R-23E.

"R-23E, you were right, I wasn't fit for leadership, but I swear, I'm not trying to kill you," R-7B said.

"Like I said before, everything you've done so far proves otherwise," R-23E replied.

He released the fuel tank from his flamethrower,"...I'm just frustrated that I'm not as good as you with a vibroblade. Maybe it is my artificial emotions, but I don't mean to kill you"

R-23E led R-7B back outside after they returned their weapons, "Listen, R-7B. I am not an expert in using a blade, my expertise is in blasters. I am not good with blades and I never will be as good as someone like Dornan. I enjoy using blasters, I like to push my automatic aiming protocols to their limit. You have to find what you enjoy like me. I do the bare minimum for close-quarter combat and try to stay out of range. Find what you like, I can't help you with that"

R-23E returned to the headquarters.

R-7B was left divided. Blasters were satisfying when he hit his targets. Blades were just as enjoyable when the fight was even or when he won. In the end, there was nothing more satisfying as the elimination of a hostile and the completion of an objective, 'Maybe...maybe if I help our brothers, like Ron said, I'll find what suits me,' He trudged back into the headquarters, his CPU fully enraptured by the thought of him rescuing more of their brothers.

A/N: I never talked about that Warhammer 40k book I was reading so I guess I'll do it here. I really liked the first book of the Horus Heresy, there's some good fight scenes in there that I reread from time to time. I got the second book and enjoyed that one, very good plot. Then I looked into reading the rest of the Horus Heresy and I found out that its fifty four books long so looks like I'm stopping there. I also came to the realization that I've only ever read two Star Wars books. One being The Original Trilogy and the other is a collection of comic book short stories created for the original Clone Wars show (The 2003 version). So I'll be reading Star Wars Brotherhood (which focuses on Obi Wan and Anakin) and Tales of the Bounty Hunters next. I couldn't find any stories about B1 battle droids in any of the books. Most of the ones I was able to find were in the comic books for the 2003 Clone Wars show which I already know about. We need more canon battle droid stories. Anyways, thanks for reading.