Happy holidays, if you celebrate one, and a merry weekend in December if you don't. I'm back home with family right now, but I made sure I had this chapter prepped and ready to go beforehand. I haven't gotten three chapters out in one month long time, so I hope you enjoy.

Please give whatever support you can to Ukraine. I hope this is the last time I have to write this message over Christmas.

Not much of a foreword, but I have plenty to say in the AN at the end. Now, to the good stuff.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Chapter 48

Death.

Any Jedi could feel a nearby death through the Force. That sudden absence where there had been presence. A delicate pattern of foam dissolving into the grand ocean of the universe. Peaceful deaths were nothing to shy away from. Just another part of the pattern of life. They came and went like the wind, and even Initiates could sense them without flinching. Violent, painful deaths, on the other hand, cut across the mind like a whip. That final, desperate burst of shock, fear, and anger clawed at the soul. There was a reason one of the first lessons a child learned in the Temple was how to shield their mind. Sometimes, though, even the mightiest shields weren't enough. Too many violent deaths nearby could cut a Jedi to their core. On this day, on the barren plains of Geonosis, Yoda didn't think anyone would die peacefully. Already he could feel the first lashes across his shields from far below. Master Tiin and the bomber wings had found success. It was a familiar feeling, easy to ignore, but he did not. He had a hand in every death today, and he would let himself feel them before he moved on.

The LAAT was a dim, loud, claustrophobic thing. From his perspective, it was a forest of armored legs, with rifle barrels hanging at just the right height for him to bash his head. A fine sight that would be. The Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, leader of the invasion, splitting his wrinkly green head open on a clone's rifle. But he had long since grown accustomed to how absurdly tall most species insisted on getting, and it was second nature to keep clear. Even as the whole ship rattled and bucked under anti-air fire, he kept his balance. A dribble of chakra kept his feet glued to the floor, and a few subtle nudges with the Force kept the clones upright.

There was surprisingly little AA fire, considering all their intelligence reports said the Geonosians had enough cannons and turrets to turn night into noon. It grew more intense as they descended through the atmosphere, but even as they drew close to the ground, it never reached anything like what he'd expected. Nevertheless, he kept a light touch of the Force on the controls of every LAAT he could reach, just in case he needed to maneuver them away from incoming fire in a hurry. It only happened twice, though, and all twenty gunships made it to their destination. Hope surged in his heart that young Naruto had succeeded in his mission and was responsible for their good fortune.

"Forward of the troopships land us," he called out to the pilots. "When expended your munitions you have, transport wounded back to the Aspiration you will."

"Yes, sir."

The doors of the LAAT opened, revealing the battle going on below. An advance force of several dozen gunships had landed ahead of the two Acclamator troop ships to secure their landing zone, and now legions of clones were pouring out of the larger ships to press the attack. Huge, lumbering walkers moved alongside them, easily visible from the clouds of dust they kicked up. Ahead of them was an army of battle droids. Arrayed all in neat squares, from up above it looked orderly. Even artificial. Rank after rank of tan B1s, with the larger, gray B2s behind them, and massive, wheeled tanks behind those. Lumbering spider droids and towering tri-droids walked between the ranks. Tiny streaks of blaster fire, red and blue contrasting against each other, flickered between the two groups, along with the smoke trails from missiles and the larger flashes of heavy artillery. The noise reached him as a low rumble of thunder, barely audible over the LAAT engines. As he watched, one of these missiles streaked into one of the Republic walkers. The massive machine exploded in a ball of fire, and a two dozen lives winked out.

"Focus fire on the droid tanks," he ordered. Another missile flew threatened to penetrate a walker's armor, but he tugged it off course and it plowed through a knot of B1s. "Bring them down we must."

A trooper relayed his order, and he watched as the massive heavy artillery and the smaller, single man cannons shifted their fire to the wheeled monstrosities that were lobbing missiles over their heads. Bright beams of turbolaser fire burned lines in his vision, and explosions of plasma left him blinking away spots. The Separatist missile tanks were fast and well-armed, but poorly armored. They couldn't withstand a hit from either of those weapons. With their focus on avoiding destruction, they could no longer launch their payload of deadly missiles. Freed from the assault, the Republic walkers continued their advance, with the infantry right alongside them.

Interspersed amongst the clones, he could see the glow of lightsabers. Over 100 of them, he knew. They were still too high to make out details, but such distance was nothing to the Force. There was Master Windu, all steel resolve and leashed fire. A storm honed into a scalpel blade, that one. He had overall command of the ground forces of this battle group. And there was Master Halsey and his Padawan Knox. Their bond was a complex tangle of glowing wire in his mind, and their teamwork kept an entire company of clones safe. There were more. Young Bultar Swan, Pablo-Jill, Siri Tachi, Coleman Trebor, and others. Out of sight, leading the clones against the Federation starships, there were hundreds more. Yoda knew them all, by face, name and Force signature. And there, too, was death. Not nearly as much as among the clones, but in the time it took them to reach the ground, he felt three Jedi fall.

Just as he'd ordered, the pilot brought them down just forward of the troopships. The frontline of clones was less than a hundred meters away, advancing steadily despite withering fire from the droids. He could feel scores of deaths every second as clone after clone fell. There was nowhere to take cover on the flat, sloping plain in front of the hive-city. Well, Yoda meant to change that.

He opened himself to the Force and summoned as much power as he could, until the whole world felt like it was bending towards him, as if he were generating his own gravity. With an effort of will, he channeled it into chakra. His awareness of the world around him dwindled to just his physical senses. The sharp jab of death, the buzz of the immediate future, the eternal background sensation of the universe shifting in majestic patterns all went away. He felt as if he'd stuffed wool in his ears and wrapped a cloth around his eyes. At the same time, his body practically swelled with strength and energy. He felt three hundred years younger, as if he could juggle the clones around him with naught but his hands. Channeling chakra always brought that strange mixture of loss and exhilaration. Such a strange way to use the Force. So limited, and yet not. Truly, the Order could spend the next thousand years exploring the new avenues Jiraiya and Naruto had opened up for them and still just scratch the surface.

Once he was satisfied he'd gathered enough power for his goal, formed a few modified hand seals. With only three fingers, the originals were impossible for him, but Jiraiya had helped him formulate adequate substitutes. With those gestures, he bent the power within him to his purpose, changing its shape, changing its nature, and then weaving it into a pattern as intricate as any tapestry. He slammed both hands onto the hard-packed ground and spliced that weave into the pattern of the world. The power left him in a rush, and the universe rearranged itself more to his liking. In front of the clones, the ground split in a thousand places. Waist deep trenches and chest high walls appeared all across the plain between them and the droids. Larger, slanted earthworks rose in front of the artillery, and the ground beneath the walkers sank so each was peering over the lip of a shallow, sloping pit. At the same time, the ground beneath the droids sank. Not much, but enough to form a moderate slope leading up to the front ranks of the clones. In ten seconds, the clones went from facing enemy fire with no cover but their brothers to standing before an abundance of ideal, elevated shooting positions. They rushed to take advantage of the newly shaped terrain.

"Inform the commanders to hold their advance," Yoda panted. A ninjutsu that large was tiring, even for him. "To keep the enemy focused on us, vital it is."

Then, with the Force back in his head, he reached for the link between him and his Padawan. Through it, he could feel Jiraiya's mind like a mountain forest, full of hidden corners and shadowed secrets, but also captivating beauty. Into his mind, he sent a simple message. 'Now, Padawan.'

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

'Now, Padawan.'

Jiraiya opened his eyes when he heard his master's voice in his head. "We have the signal. Bring us down. Fast."

The pilot took his instructions to heart and pitched them into a steep dive. Jiraiya had to stick himself to the deck of the ship with chakra to avoid flying into the ceiling. The other clones in the gunship with him had apparently trained for maneuvers like this, because they braced themselves against the hull and leaned into the sudden change in gravity. Even those LAATs modified for space flight, like this one, had only the bare minimum in artificial gravity and inertial dampers.

Wind howled just beyond the thin hull, filling the ship with a dull roar and rattling them so hard Jiraiya thought his teeth might shake loose. There was no AA fire, though, and he thanked the Force for that. With so many critical targets, the Geonosians just couldn't afford to worry about a group of LAATs, even fifty of them. They were a drop in the ocean compared to the main force Yoda led, let alone the other attack groups targeting the Trade Federation and Techno Union ships. It just so happened this particular drop was going to land in just the right place.

Several of those LAATs held a Jedi among the clones. Automatically, he searched the other LAATs until he found Luminara and Barriss. Just as they had been the last ten times he'd checked, both were alive and as calm as anyone could be in their position. He could picture them just as if they were standing in the same ship. Luminara would look as serene as ever. Even if her ship disintegrated around her, he doubted she would do more than sniff at the inconvenience. And yet, for all her outward calm, she would be shooting furtive glances at Barriss, reassuring herself the girl was still there. Barriss, who would be doing her best to imitate her master's composure. She'd do a good job, too, but there would be some tell to give away her nervousness. Fists clenched around her robes, perhaps, or teeth worrying at her bottom lip. Unbidden, the image of them as they had been the morning this all began rose in his mind. Barriss half-asleep and Luminara with her barely concealed amusement. He wondered if he'd ever see a scene like that again.

'Don't be stupid,' he told himself. 'They'll be fine, just like Naruto is fine. Force, let it be so.'

"Approaching LZ," the pilot said.

"Copy that." He turned to Alpha-09 next to him. "You know what to do. It's just like I said in the brief. Mace is the anvil. We're the hammer. Brace yourselves." Jiraiya waited until the cabin lights turned green and then opened the door.

Wind howled into the ship, but the atmospheric shields kept the worst of it at bay. Of course, given the speed at which they were still traveling, that meant it only threatened to rip the clothes off his body rather than throw him out of the ship altogether. Several thousand meters below, he could see the hive-city, and before it, the battle. As Yoda had said, Mace's battle group was in position. From his perspective, the battle looked evenly matched, neither side advancing. Without a push, it would doubtless be a long, bloody affair, one in which victory would only differ from defeat by the slimmest of margins.

'So it's time to push.' Despite the wind, the cold, the noise, and the steep descent, Jiraiya went still. Utterly motionless. Even the micro-movements of his eyes stopped. He became a focal point in the world. Everything happened around him, but he remained untouched. After a moment, power began to flow into him.

The Nature Energy of this world (the Living Force, he told himself) was shockingly strong. Given its desolate appearance, he'd expected a paltry trickle, but it flowed as strong as he might have expected on a planet of grassy savannas. Strong, but sour. Bitter. There was a taint to the energy, one that went beyond the traces of the Dark Side he sensed from Dooku. That was just a faint tinge of rancid oil on the edges of the flow. This was a corruption right at the wellspring. There was something dark and rotten about this planet. Something unfriendly. It scuttled away from his probe like an insect caught in the light, and he didn't dare go chasing after it. It took most of his focus just to purify the Nature Energy so he could balance it within him. He wanted to cough at the bitter taint, but years of training (and experience with Ma's cooking) kept him still.

After a few moments, he got the balance right and felt the power of Sage Mode settle into his bones. From what Luminara had told him, every Jedi on the planet could probably feel it as well. His awareness of the world, already heightened, expanded to heights not even the Force could offer. He could feel everything. The rock steady heartbeats of the clones next to him. The frantic rush of the battle below. The exact positions of the sun and moons in the sky. All the Geonosians crawling about the hive-city, more like cells in a larger organism than true individuals. Everything.

His eyes had shifted into bars and his red markings now surrounded them and covered half his cheeks. That was the extent of the physical changes, though. His hands and feet stayed the same, his nose didn't grow any more warts, and he didn't even grow the beard. Naruto wasn't the only one Pa had been working with this last year.

Once he was satisfied the Sage Mode was stable and he wasn't about to turn to stone, he jumped out of the LAAT. Hard. Hard enough to propel him out hundreds of meters, until he hung over the center of the droid army. As he rocketed through the air, he bit his thumb. It was time for Jiraiya of the Sannin to make himself known once more.

Far across the battlefield, Yoda could indeed feel his Padawan enter Sage Mode. His presence in the Force grew heavy, like a mountain of thick blankets pressing on his chest, but also strangely diffuse. It was hard to tell where he ended and the rest of the world began. It was more like sensing a Jiraiya shaped forest than the man himself. Things like his exact location were difficult to pin down. As such, it was something of a shock when he fell out of the sky atop an enormous red toad. He landed directly atop one of the towering tri-droids with enough force to shake the ground for kilometers around, smashing it flat along with every droid in its immediate vicinity. Dust billowed hundreds of meters into the air and signaled for all to see that the tide of battle had just turned.

On Gamabunta's head, Jiraiya grunted from the impact. Even in Sage Mode and cushioned by the enormous toad, a fall like that was hard on the knees. Gamabunta drew his sword and cleaved through a whole company of super battle droids in one swing. Jiraiya couldn't see his expression, but he could feel the Toad Boss' irritation well enough.

"Dammit Jiraiya! A desert? You know I hate deserts. They're too dry, and all this dust makes my skin itch."

"Sorry Gamabunta," he said, and meant it. It didn't pay to have the Chief Toad angry at him. "I just need your help with one jutsu, then you can go."

"You need oil?"

"If you would."

The Toad sighed. "Fine. But no more deserts."

Gamabunta puffed up his throat and Jiraiya readied his chakra. The Boss Toad spat a stream of oil thicker than two men were tall, and at the same time, Jiraiya breathed white-hot fire as bright as the sun. The two collided and, with a sound like a meteor hitting the ground, a raging inferno of burning oil crashed into the droid army below.

"Senpō: Gamayu Endan."

The light and heat made it impossible to look at directly, but Jiraiya could feel the results through his Sage Mode. A thousand droids instantly vanished. They just… weren't there anymore. Melted to slag or even vaporized, it made no difference. Thousands more crumpled as their joints welded together and their internal components burned to a crisp. And not only droids fell to the blaze. There were plenty of Geonosians in the defending army. Many, those closest to him, died instantly, without pain or fear. Those further away weren't so lucky. They screamed long and loud and shrill as their blood boiled and their carapaces cracked from the heat. The stench was almost unbearable. With Sage chakra enhancing it, the conflagration spread out in a wide cone for nearly a kilometer. He thought it was probably visible from orbit. There was no way to tell how many droids and Geonosians it had destroyed. Ten thousand, perhaps. Enough to get their attention. Half a million more pivoted to face the threat that had just destroyed a good portion of their left flank.

Once their collaboration ninjutsu was done, Gamabunta vanished without a word. He really did not like deserts. Jiraiya didn't doubt he would hear about it at length later, but for now, he had more droids to scrap. His Sage energy was limited, though. He didn't want to bring out Ma and Pa for this, but it meant he only had so long in his enhanced mode. Long enough for two or three more big jutsu before it ran out, he estimated. No sooner had he hit the ground than he leaped again, this time aiming for the left corner of the droids' front ranks. He was already running through hand seals before he landed.

"Doton: Yomi Numa!"

His hand slapped the ground, chakra surged, and sandy dirt that hadn't seen rain in twenty millennia turned to mud. Thick, black, and sticky, the mud spread in the blink of an eye to trap droids all along the front ranks of their battle formation. He kept the swamp shallow, favoring spread over depth this time. When the strain became too much for even his Sage enhanced chakra coils, he broke the jutsu and let the mud revert to hard-packed ground. A swath of droids, fifty meters wide and stretching halfway across their front rank, had sunk up to their waist in dirt that could do a fair impression of stone for durability.

A burst of rapid, blue blaster fire over his head announced the arrival of the rest of his strike team. He didn't need to look around to see what they were doing. He'd picked those clones specifically for one qualification. They were all heavy weapons specialists. Each LAAT had held a mix of E-Web crews and Z-6 gunners. Any who weren't on one of the heavier weapons had their fully automatic blaster rifles, and all of them were expert shots. Luminara, Barriss, and the other Jedi must have used the Force to get them set up in such record speed, and the results spoke for themselves. Burst after burst of electric blue destruction raked through the droids trapped in the dirt. At the same time, Mace's battle group transitioned seamlessly from defense to furious offense. Jiraiya's clones really were a hammer to Mace's anvil. They began an immediate advance towards the left flank. The much weakened and confused left flank, thanks to Jiraiya's efforts. Mortar strikes scattered droids in pieces while fire from two directions cut them to shreds. Jiraiya blinked spots out of his eyes when a lightning jutsu from Mace sent a whole platoon of droids twitching to the ground.

He could feel Sage mode deserting him, but there was still time for one last blow to soften the droids up even more. The sight of the automatic fires sparked a grim smile on his face. The clones weren't the only ones who could use that trick.

"Hari Jigoku!"

His hair turned harder than durasteel and puffed up like a Narglatch's mane. With a sound like angry hornets, he fired countless thousands of needle sharp hairs at the droids he hadn't already burned to slag or trapped in mud. Dust billowed as the darts smashed through metal, flesh, and stone alike. More screams. More lives cut short. More clones saved. One step closer to victory.

His limbs grew leaden as Sage Mode left him. The crash didn't touch coming down from a soldier pill, but it still hit like a kick from a kybuck. Even the relatively small amount of nature energy he'd taken in left his body wrung out. He drew heavily on the Force to keep from sagging. A battlefield was no place to have a nap, after all. Not unless he wanted it to turn permanent. The point made itself when a smattering of blaster bolts headed his way. Apparently, the droids had finally spotted him. His emerald blade flashed to life and sent the red bolts into the dirt, but more were sure to come. He jumped backwards and made his way up the slope to where Luminara, Barriss, and the clones had set up. As he approached, he could hear the sergeants and officers calling out directions.

"Gun 4, traverse left."

"Pick up suppression on sector 12."

"Gun 1, shift fire! Friendlies from the left."

"I need more power packs here."

The LAATs were back in the air and swooped above the mass of droids to provide air support to the clones. Rockets, blaster bolts, and bright green laser beams pummeled the faltering droids from above, even as Mace led his clones around their flank bit by bit. Some of the Jedi with him must have been earth types, because new walls and trenches appeared to offer cover for the advancing clones. Alpha-09 ran from his position observing the battle and saluted.

"Sir. The plan worked. We have fire superiority over the enemy. The droid formations are collapsing. I think they'll start retreating soon. General Windu should be able to start securing the city within the hour."

Jiraiya nodded. "Good. How's our position?"

The Alpha took another long look at the battlefield before he answered. "We're good here for now. The droids are too busy with General Windu's forces to mount any serious attack on us. We'll have to move eventually, though, or else we'll be shooting into our own men."

"Have the gun teams pick up one at a time and reposition as Mace advances," Jiraiya ordered. "I want as few breaks in fire as possible. Keep hammering them. I want us to link back up with the main force before they reach the city. And make sure you keep an eye on the droids they pass. We don't want them facing an attack from behind."

He could almost hear the wolfish grin in the clone's voice. "Yes, sir. Oh, and I figured out my name. I'm Hammer, sir."

Jiraiya felt the first genuine smile of the day split his face almost in two. He clapped a hand against Hammer's pauldron. "That's a good name, Hammer. I look forward to hearing it in the future. Now go. We've got a battle to win."

The newly named Hammer stalked off to implement his orders and Jiraiya went to where Luminara and Barriss were busy defending the most exposed of the E-Web positions. Busy was a relative term, in this case. What fire came their way was sparse and inaccurate. Only once every few seconds did they have to move their blades to deflect a lucky shot. Luminara looked unruffled, as he knew she would. She'd even somehow kept dust off her robes. The enormous battle, easily three times larger than any he'd seen before, may as well have been a friendly sports match for all it seemed to bother her. As she blocked, she kept up a steady stream of instructions; to Barriss, to the gunners near her, and into a comm he assumed linked to more of the gun teams. The Force offered her a few seconds of foreknowledge of parts of the battle, and that bit of warning could mean the difference for dozens or even hundreds of clones. Naturally, she also took the chance to correct Barriss' sword technique.

Barriss herself looked pale, even a little ill. That didn't surprise him. She was a healer, a scholar. So much death and suffering happening right in front of her, and her helpless to do a thing to stop it, must have been like knives in the gut. Battle was the last place she belonged, and he cursed every god he'd ever heard of that she was here. Luminara had tried to get her to stay in the Temple, but she wouldn't hear it. Soft-spoken the girl may have been, but she'd learned stubbornness from Naruto and Ahsoka. Jiraiya doubted anything less than a direct command from Master Yoda could have kept her behind, and maybe not even that. Her loyalty to Luminara was too great. At least here she was relatively safe. For now, anyway.

"Pivot into your block more. It allows for better recovery. That was quite a display. Well done on not getting yourself killed," Luminara said without breaking flow. "Was it necessary to be so flashy?"

"You didn't approve?"

She spared him a glance that had libraries written in it. "Of you? Never."

He grinned, despite himself. "I tried subtlety, once. It wasn't me."

"Mmm. I suppose not. Pilots, take out that tank in sector 18."

He'd seen it too; a Trade Federation AAT that had somehow escaped the aerial bombardment and the constant artillery. Its main gun pivoted around until it was aiming right for them. "Too late! Shield."

Luminara stretched both hands out, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. Their Force presences linked and intermingled until it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. His own power became hers, and she shaped it like a sculptor with clay. A shimmering white half-dome appeared in front of them and the gun team just in time to catch the incoming shot from the main laser cannon. For a moment, the world blurred into sound and color. He felt the strain, just as Luminara did. Blocking something like that, even with two powerful Jedi working together, still felt like catching a rolling boulder with your bare hands. Fortunately, before the tank could fire again, a rocket from a gunship turned it to scrap. Luminara lowered the shield and, reluctantly, he let their gestalt fade. The sudden absence of someone else in his head, especially her, left him feeling hollow.

"You have got to teach me how to do all that," Barriss breathed, all wide eyes and open mouth. He smiled. Prim and proper Padawan or not, she was still a teenager.

"Oh, were we impressed?" His smile widened into a grin and he flourished his hands out to the side. "There's a reason I was known all across-"

"I swear, if you try that whole ridiculous routine here, I may actually stab you," Luminara said. Her voice could have sharpened razors, but he heard the faintest hints of amusement under it. Playing along, he pouted dramatically and slumped like a child denied a favorite treat. Barriss smiled, just a little, and the grim pallor lifted from her face. Yes, she really was a teenager. A teenager in a war zone. His grin vanished as quickly as it had come.

"One day you can learn such things," Luminara said. "Consider it an incentive to be careful. For now, stick close to either myself or Jiraiya. Once Master Windu secures the left flank, we will join the commando teams to secure the city. Your job will be to triage any wounded and provide first aid until we can evacuate them."

"Yes, master." She still looked a little awestruck, and Jiraiya decided to reinforce the point.

"Leave the heavy fighting for the rest of us, got it? We've got plenty of people who can swing a lightsaber or shoot a blaster. We do not have a surplus of Healers. Do not take unnecessary risks." He refused to take any more chances with her life than he had to. She'd been Naruto's friend for a long time, now, and had heard of and seen him pull off plenty of crazy stunts, but he didn't think she realized just how well-trained his godson truly was. Trying to imitate him could quickly get her killed.

"I- yes, sir," she said, more subdued now. That was good. Better a bruised ego than a blaster bolt in the heart.

"Good." He clapped her on the shoulder and gave Luminara a kiss on the cheek before pulling out his own lightsaber. "Now, let's do our job."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Darth Tyranus looked over the battlefield with a well-hidden sense of satisfaction. Everything was unfolding as he and his master had predicted. The Plan, the great work of a millennium of hidden Sith, was finally in its last phase. Nothing could stop it now.

That wasn't to say there hadn't been surprises. He hadn't expected the Jedi to be so well prepared. They should have been fumbling children in a battle like this. They were monks and diplomats, after all. The world of military strategy should have been foreign to them. Yet here they were, pulling off as competent an operation as any veteran commander could want. Clearly, someone had been teaching them modern military strategy. Jiraiya, he would bet. He would need to adjust his plans going forward to account for this development.

Speaking of Jiraiya, the man had proved himself far more powerful than Tyranus could ever have imagined. That enormous Toad he'd somehow conjured out of nowhere could have single-handedly destroyed an entire legion of droids before they brought it down. At least. And those other techniques, especially the fire. He'd rarely seen such destruction. It compared favorably to heavy naval weaponry. And all that from one man. Any doubts Tyrannus had about the utility of chakra were now firmly laid to rest. Still, those surprises were of little consequence in the grand scheme of things. He and his master had always meant this to be a victory for the Republic, after all.

Hah. A "victory".

Thoughts of Jiraiya and the power of chakra swirled in his head, and the vague shape of an idea began to form. Just a notion, really, but one well worth exploring. Chakra could well be the edge against his master he'd been looking for. If Jiraiya could produce destruction such as this, and he doubted the man had yet shown his full strength, what might an even more powerful chakra user be capable of, given the right guidance? And there just so happened to be a young Jedi, already well versed in using chakra, with the potential to rival Sidious' chosen pet. Yes, that was a worthy idea indeed. Ventress was a useful tool, but one of limited potential. Aurra Sing had similar limitations, and was more useful in her current position, anyway. What he needed was a true apprentice. If Darth Sidious could take one of the Order's prodigies as his weapon, why not Darth Tyranus? And the boy just so happened to be in the city at this very moment. The Dark Side favored him. He could feel it.

"My lord?"

He arranged his face into an expression of controlled worry before looking up to face the others in the room. Most of the senior Separatist leadership had left days ago, at his behest, but Archduke Poggle and a few mid-level Federation commanders had stayed behind to coordinate the droid army.

"I do not know how the Jedi were able to raise an army so quickly, my friends," Dooku said solemnly. "It is most disturbing."

"The Republic has obviously been planning this for years," one of the Nemoideans said. "They mean to seize control of the independent systems by force. The Jedi have always wanted more power there."

"We will not let that happen." Inside, Tyranus was smiling. Such a credulous fool. A few words to outline a picture and his imagination constructed a towering edifice of conspiracy and suspicion. Of course, that was his value. His theory, and a thousand more like it, would spread like wildfire after today. In a week, the whole Confederacy would have heard it. In a month, the Republic would as well. Most would dismiss it as the propaganda it so obviously was, but not all. And even those who brushed it off would always wonder. What if? What if? And bit by bit, the seed would take root.

"Geonosis is lost, for now. We must move quickly if we are to survive. Quickly and separately. If the Jedi capture us all, we may never regain the planet."

"{They will never hold our home,}" Poggle clicked. "{Not against what will come for them. I will lead my people's retreat. We will wait, and strike when they think themselves safe.}"

Dooku nodded. "Very well, my friend. May the Force be with you. The rest of you, it is vital we get as many ships away as possible. Direct all our remaining forces to that end."

"At once, my lord," the obsequious Nemoidean commander said. The others made similar sounds, all with varying degrees of oiliness.

"I leave you to it." A touch of Tyranus crept into his voice as he leaned over the slime. "Do not fail me."

He gave no time for the man, now wide-eyed and pale, to make a reply. With long purposeful strides, he left the room, ostensibly to make good his escape before the Republic forces locked down the city. That was his intent, in part, but he had a stop to make along the way. And a potential apprentice to test.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Death.

That was the first thing Naruto felt when he came to. Death hung in the air like a fog. It raged and surged in a storm of broken bodies and choked screams. Somewhere nearby, thousands of people were dying. He didn't know who, but he could sense the lights winking out. Then the whole galaxy rang like a sonorous bell. A star vanished from the sky. That had been a Jedi. A Jedi had just died. His eyes opened, and he shot upright. If that Jedi had been-

"Anakin!" He shouted. His voice echoed off stone walls, and he almost choked on the dust in the air. "Anakin?"

A groan answered him and he sagged in relief. That was his brother's voice. As his brain got used to being awake again, he could feel his presence not three meters away. It may as well have been three light-years, as far as seeing him was concerned, though. Not the faintest glimmer of light pierced the inky darkness around him. For a moment, he wondered if he'd gone blind, but no. The Kyuubi would have fixed it even if he had. He had already healed all his other injuries. No, they were just underground. That fall must have taken them into an unlit section of the city. Hopefully, unlit also meant uninhabited.

"Padmé? Obi-Wan? Boss? Come on, guys, sound off if you're not-" He swallowed. "Just give a shout, okay?"

Anakin groaned again, but that was all. The battle above (that was all it could be) raged on and he had to strengthen his shields. The screaming receded into the distance, but it was still there, like a hot coal in the back of his mind. Once again, he called out, and this time Anakin managed words.

"Errrgh. That sucked. Naruto, you there?"

"I'm here." Naruto didn't try to keep the relief out of his voice. "I think we fell through the floor. I'm not sure where the others are, though."

"Have you tried the-"

The triple beep of a commlink sounded from Naruto's belt and made him jump.

"- commlink?" Anakin finished. "I guess not."

"Shut up," Naruto muttered. He took the commlink from his belt and answered it.

"Commander Uzumaki, this is Boss. What's your status?"

"Boss, this is Naruto. I'm with Anakin. We're both fine. What about you guys? Do you have eyes on Obi-Wan or Padmé?"

Obi-Wan's voice came over the comm. "I'm here, Padawan. So is the Senator. No one was hurt. Do you know where you are?"

Naruto ignited his lightsaber and looked around. Anakin was there, pushing himself to his knees and squinting against the sudden light. "I'm not sure. We're in a tunnel. There's rubble everywhere. I can't hear you guys through it, though."

Anakin motioned for the comm and he passed it over. "I can sense you, master. You're above us, and not close. We must have fallen in different directions when the floor collapsed."

There was a pause, and Naruto could picture Obi-Wan stroking his beard and working out what to do next. He didn't doubt the man would come up with something. Those times he and Mace had worked with Obi-Wan and Anakin, the Knight had always had a plan tucked away, or else could cobble one together in a few moments.

"We cannot stay in the city. You two can sense the battle, I trust?"

"Yeah. Mace is here," Naruto said. "Just north of the city, I think. So is Jiraiya."

"Then Yoda likely is there as well. We will find a way to the surface and tell him what has happened. He may be able to send help. Find a place to wait if you can."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "I'll see you outside, master. That is, if we don't beat you getting out of here."

"No, Anakin don't-"

He cut the call off and tossed the commlink back to Naruto, who just raised an eyebrow. "What? I've had enough staying put in the last few days. I'm not about to just wait for rescue when I can get out on my own. You with me?"

"Oh, I'm with you," Naruto said with an eye-smile. "But I'm totally gonna throw you under the speeder when Master Windu asks why we didn't stay put like good little Padawans."

"And after all I've done for you." Anakin placed a hand over his heart in mock offense. "Betrayed by my little brother. How shall I ever trust again?"

"Shut up and get moving before I show you just how 'little' I am."

Anakin lit his own blade, and they set off into the gloom, sniping back and forth. It wasn't long before the darkness swallowed any sign they had ever been there.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Obi-Wan looked at the silent commlink Boss had given him and tried not to sigh. Tried, and failed. That boy would be the death of him one day. He just knew it. If nothing else, he'd give him a fatal stomach ulcer with one of his foolhardy stunts. And people called him reckless? They didn't know the meaning of the word. And to think, Anakin was with Naruto. What in the frozen Sith hells had he done to deserve this situation? If Anakin was reckless, Naruto was downright insane. The boy had no sense of self-preservation whatsoever. How Mace had survived training him for this long, he was sure he didn't know.

"Do you think they'll actually stay put?" Padmé asked. He had to work hard to not laugh.

"Oh, I doubt those two would stay put if I tied them up and broke their legs," he said, a touch sharper than he intended. This was what those two drove him to. Rudeness to a Senator. At least Ahsoka wasn't with them. Yet. Now there was a thought to put ice in his stomach.

Padmé just smiled, though, which he appreciated. She had always been brighter than most. "Then we'll just have to get to Master Yoda as quickly as we can, before those two land themselves in more trouble than they can get out of."

"Indeed. Let us be off," he said, though privately he mused that would take a great deal of trouble. A very great deal. Likely more than even those two could find. Yes, they would be alright.

'Let them be alright,' he pleaded. 'Force, let them be alright.'

He swallowed a groan as they climbed over a few chunks of rubble to reach a clear corridor. It had, perhaps, not been entirely accurate for him to say no one had been hurt in the fall. His ribs, still fragile from his encounter with Jango Fett, had not fared well when a fully armored clone commando landed on his chest. Two- no, three were definitely broken, and a few more were suspect. Each breath he took set his chest on fire. He had to use an old trick of his to let the Force swallow up the pain, until it was a distant curiosity, nothing more. It was dangerous to use the Force like that, not least because Bant would have his hide for a wall hanging if she ever found out, but medics weren't about to spring out of the rocks, and making himself a burden on the others was hardly an option. So he washed the pain away and hoped he didn't puncture anything too important.

Navigating the hive-city proved even more frustrating without an astromech present to give directions, but there was nothing for it. R2 was safely stored away in a scroll in Naruto's robes. There were more Geonosians about now, too, and more battle droids. They weren't any more welcoming than they had been before, either. Swinging his lightsaber with his ribs in the state they were was about as fun as bathing in acid. Each fight, and there were so many, felt longer and harder, until they all blurred together. Dimly, he was aware of using a few earth ninjutsu to open up blocked pathways or avoid guarded areas, but mostly he just focused on not passing out. His trick only went so far. Eliminate too much sensory input, and you could go into shock without realizing it.

The commandos were the only saving grace he had. Without them, he doubted he and Padmé would have lasted ten minutes. They moved through the halls like silent death and fought with a skill many Mandalorians would have envied. Then again, they were Mandalorians, at least somewhat. He wasn't sure what they considered themselves. It seemed rude to ask.

As they drew closer to the surface, the sounds of battle began to seep through the rock. Dull thumps, accompanied by tremors, had to be heavy artillery landing above them. Each one sent a trickle of dust pouring down from the ceiling. Something about that seemed important. It had been a few minutes since they last saw an enemy, and he was starting to catch his breath. The ice cold agony in his chest didn't recede, exactly, but it began the slow journey back to non-crippling pain. With that came a bit of clarity, and he called for a halt.

"What is it, sir?" A clone asked. He thought his name was Fixer.

"I think we're close enough to the surface for me to tunnel through," he answered. "I just need to find a safe spot."

That took another few minutes, which wasn't surprising considering there was a battle going on above them. Eventually, though, the Force led him to a bit of tunnel no different from any other bit of tunnel, at least to his eyes. The Force told him it was the right place for them to tunnel up, though, and he trusted those instincts to his core.

"Here. Stand back." He molded chakra and turned a three meter wide circle of the ceiling to sand. It poured out with a quiet hiss and formed a ramp leading up to the sloping tunnel he'd formed. Sunlight, glorious, beautiful sunlight, streamed into the corridor. The sounds of combat went from muffled to painfully sharp. Blaster shots, explosions, shouts, and screams all fused into some twisted mockery of music. The commandos readied their weapons, and he realized he'd taken hold of his lightsaber once again.

The sight that greeted him when he poked his head out of the tunnel took his breath away. Dust turned the air red and choking. It stung at his eyes, his nose, his lungs. Red and blue flickered back and forth as droid and clone alike fired relentlessly. The ground rocked beneath him and an explosion sent a four of dirt a dozen meters into the air. In front of him lay a knot of dead clones and two still alive, fighting like demons.

One man, armor striped with blue, snatched a grenade from a fallen comrade and tossed it into the approaching group of B2s. The explosion sent three of them to the ground, and he took the opportunity to grab a second blaster pistol from the same dead clone and laid down a withering base of fire. The other, with yellow on his armor and a nasty crack in his helmet, hoisted his rifle as if it weighed nothing and sent bolt after bolt into an advancing crab droid.

That was all Obi-Wan needed to see. He was at their side in an instant, deflecting blaster bolts.

"Good to see you, sir," the blue armored man said, cool as a morning breeze. He never let up with his pistols. The other didn't acknowledge him, but he shifted his fire to let Obi-Wan maneuver around him. A second later, the commandos and Padmé flanked the super battle droids and let loose with their own volley. The droids didn't last long after that.

"More incoming," Boss said and nodded to an advancing platoon of droids. From the sound, there were droidekas among them. "Senator, take cover."

Wisely, Padmé didn't argue. For a woman who normally loathes being told what to do, she knew when to shut up, swallow her pride, and listen to someone who knew what they were doing. For that, at least, Obi-Wan was grateful. He'd protected too many self-important Senate windbags over the years who couldn't wrap their minds around the concept of listening once in a while.

"Cody, stay here," the blue one said. "I've got an idea."

"No, don't-"

The yellow armored clone, Cody, didn't have a chance to ask what, exactly, that idea was before the other man went bounding off through the dust. Rather worryingly, he was running toward some sort of heavy cannon. Obi-Wan could see the shapes of multiple Geonosians around the weapon.

"Damnit, vod," Cody swore before he turned to Delta squad. "Sergeant, set your men. We need to slow them down. General, see if you can split their fire."

'Madmen,' Obi-Wan thought, even as he nodded in agreement. 'I'm surrounded by madmen. It's the only explanation.'

That was the last coherent thought he had for a while. The droids spotted them and opened fire. Naturally, because that was just how his life worked, the three Droidekas chose him as their target. Even in perfect health, he would have struggled against an assault like that. As it was, all he could do was look for cover. Their combined fire drove him back until he found a piece of overturned tank to shelter behind. He dove behind it just as a solid stream of blaster fire turned the ground where he'd just been to slag.

'Mandalore wasn't half as bad as this,' he thought. 'Even Melida-Daan wasn't this bad.'

His ribs hurt so badly it was a struggle to stay conscious. Something grated when he breathed. He could hear the commandos, faintly, but he wasn't sure where they were. In the confusion, he'd lost track of them. Whoever that clone had been, his idea had better have been a brilliant one.

Obi-Wan summoned a few thermal detonators from the bodies of fallen troopers and tossed them over his scrap of cover into the advancing droids. He let the Force guide his throw and didn't need to look to know they had flown true. It wasn't enough, though. The metal at his back was growing uncomfortably warm, even through his robes. The destroyers would melt through it eventually, if the others didn't flank him and finish him first.

'Anytime n-'

A new noise drowned out everything else. A sort of pulsing, rippling hum that shook his bones and made his teeth buzz sympathetically. Once, twice, three times, four… he lost count of how many times it sounded. When it finally stopped, though, there were no more blaster bolts flying over his head. The clank of metal feet advancing on his position was gone. Cautiously, he poked his head around the half-melted bit of tank and gaped.

Something had shattered the droids like glass. Shards of metal armor and bits of sparking circuitry were all that remained to identify them. Great furrows now marred the ground as if scooped with an enormous garden hoe. Padmé and the clones looked unharmed, and they were staring at something to his left. He followed their gazes and his jaw dropped further. The heavy cannon he'd spotted earlier, the one with Geonosian soldiers all around it, now had a white and blue armored figure at the controls, firing blast after blast of green energy at the distant droids. He could hear the same sound from earlier, fainter now it wasn't pointed at him, with every shot. The Geonosians who had once crewed the weapon lay in huddled lumps on the ground. Cody just shook his head.

"I swear he was raised better than this," he muttered.

"That di'kut is crazy," Scorch muttered. "Can we keep him?"

"Absolutely not." Cody sounded affronted at the suggestion. "He's mine."

Apparently satisfied he'd wrought enough destruction for the moment, the clone left the cannon and walked over to them. He stopped in front of Obi-Wan and nodded respectfully. "Sorry about the quick exit, sir. I didn't want the bugs to notice me."

Obi-Wan nodded. It seemed the only viable response. "Yes. Well done…"

"I'm Commander Cody," the yellow striped one said. He jerked a thumb at his fellow. "This thing is Lieutenant Rex. Soon to be Trooper Rex after that stunt."

"It was a perfectly reasonable plan," Rex said in a tone Obi-Wan recognized. He'd heard it from Anakin often enough. He wanted to interrupt their friendly bickering, but his voice suddenly wouldn't respond. Everything was swimming in and out of focus, and the ground wouldn't stop wobbling under him. No, not the ground. His legs were wobbling. Just standing suddenly took all his strength. He drew more on the Force and the world rolled back into view. Someone was speaking.

"-speak to Master Yoda at once," Padmé was saying. Her voice was calm, but she kept shooting concerned glances his way. If he looked anything like he felt, he couldn't blame her. There were still things to do before he could collapse, though.

"I'm not sure about General Yoda, but we can take you to General Windu," Cody said. The rank sounded wrong in front of those names.

"That will be fine," Obi-Wan said. His tongue felt thick and slow. The words echoed strangely in his ears. His chest was really hurting quite badly, now.

He didn't really remember how they got to Mace. There may have been a ship involved. Maybe not. It was all a blur. At some point, Padmé said something sharp and one of the clones was supporting him. He didn't know who it was. Cody? Remembering would have taken too much effort. Eventually, the blur resolved into Mace. The man stood in the middle of a group of clones and other Jedi, some of them projected in via holocomm.

"-adjust their fires to the east. Ponds, have the commando squads move into position to enter the city. I want them in there the moment we secure the entrance. Master Fisto, lead your walkers along the eastern ridgeline once the artillery is done. I want that flank secure." He turned to look at the newcomers. His face was as stony as ever, but Obi-Wan thought he could see a note of weary resignation behind the mask. His eyes took in each of them, as well as the two who weren't there. There was no surprise at seeing them.

"Where are Naruto and Skywalker?" He asked sharply.

"Still in the city," Obi-Wan said. Even those few words left him breathless. Thankfully, Padmé took over.

"We got separated. They're probably looking for a way back to the surface right now."

Mace's brow dropped into a frown, and Padmé took an involuntary step back. Obi-Wan didn't blame her. He'd have done the same himself if his legs would only listen to him. Sometimes Mace forgot how frightening he could be.

"They are in danger," the Korun Jedi Master said. "I can feel it. The Dark Side surrounds that city. Dooku is in there, and if he tries to flee…"

He didn't need to finish the sentence. Anyone who knew Naruto and Anakin knew they attracted trouble like Hutts attracted smugglers. If Dooku was anywhere within a dozen kilometers of them, they would meet. Obi-Wan would stake his life on it. The concern in his stomach curdled into acid fear.

"We have to get to them," he said. "A small team could-"

Mace cut him off. "You are going to a medevac ship on the double, Obi-Wan. You look half dead. And you are going with him, Senator. That is final. You have more value to the Republic than fighting here. I will go." He raised his voice to be heard over the din of battle. "Commander Ponds, do whatever you have to do, but get that entrance secure in the next five minutes. We have people trapped in the city and we are going in now! You'll be with me. Get moving."

"Right away, sir!"

"We'll go with you, sir," Boss said. "Delta squad is still fully combat capable. We can join the rest of the commando teams."

Mace nodded. Obi-Wan wanted to argue, but his tongue had gone numb. So had his face. No matter how tightly he clutched at it, the Force was slipping through his grasp. The pain in his chest swelled until it was all-consuming. Gravity danced and capered about, light receded into the distance, and he was powerless to stop someone from lowering him onto a stretcher. A needle jabbed into his neck, something cool flowed through his veins, and then his body shut down for repairs.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Omake 2: Take Two 4

Barriss felt as if she'd been climbing for days. Weeks, even. When she'd first started down the tunnel she'd chosen at random, she'd been so confident. The Force had told her all the paths led to her crystal, so it hadn't mattered which one she took. Looking back, that confidence may have been misplaced. She doubted the other paths included climbing down a seemingly endless pit. Then again, from what she'd read about Ilum, they might have had worse. Strangely, that thought wasn't very comforting next to her numb fingers, aching shoulders, and the yawning black void ready to swallow her whole. More than once she slipped and only caught herself by a fingernail. The fourth time it happened, as she dangled precariously over nothing, she actually indulged in some of the foul language Naruto and Ahsoka were so fond of. Blushing, she told herself it was getting her feet back on the wall that made her feel a little better, not the blue, black, and purple streak she'd just cursed through the air.

Eventually, mercifully, she came to the bottom. Looking up, she could only just make out the light at the top, like a tiny, glimmering star. Shadows lay thick around her, shrouding the cave and choking the air. She could practically taste the darkness. The ground was only a feel of solid rock under her feet. The walls were just an echo of her breathing. She felt fear rise in her stomach from where she always buried it. Gritting her teeth, she shoved it back down into the tiny, walled off corner of her soul where she could ignore it.

"Focus," she told herself, and pounded her head with an open palm. "You need to focus. Stop being weak."

The smallest glint of light caught her eye. There, on the ground by her feet, something glowed blue. Eagerly, she scrabbled at the hard stone, wedging her nails under the smooth warmth of the crystal. It popped free with surprising ease, and she hefted it in her hand. It was almost round, with so many facets it felt more like a marble than a crystal. Tiny flecks of purple and black danced amidst the royal blue. It was beautiful. Perfect. She laughed and held it closer to her face so she could see the swirling patterns of color better. They shimmered and shifted in perfect time with its song, like a school of tiny fish darting about in an ocean the size of her thumb. She could have stared, mesmerized, for hours at the iridescent dance.

Then the crystal shattered in her fingers. Its light faded, the song died, and those wonderful, beautiful colors winked out in an instant.

"No! Nonononono!" She fumbled for the shards, but they slipped out of her grasp and vanished into the darkness. "Nooo! That's not- it's not supposed to- no!"

Her knees buckled, and bile rose in her throat. She pawed uselessly at the ground, desperate to find some trace of the broken kyber, but there was nothing. That crystal, her crystal, might as well have never existed. A choked scream burst from her mouth, fading into a sob at the end. She'd been soclose. So close. How had she broken her kyber crystal? How was she such a failure? With another scream, she let the tears flow. In the cave's darkness, she couldn't tell how long she stayed like that, weeping and shouting at nothing. It could have been minutes or hours in those shadows, howling. Eventually, though, her tears dried up. Shaking hands curled into fists, and she bit off her last sob with a growl. Lessons ingrained bone deep came back to her, and when she next took a breath, it was sharp, but steady.

'Think. Stop being a stupid weakling and think. You can solve any problem if you stay calm and use your head. What happened?'

Her crystal had shattered. Except that was impossible. Kyber crystals didn't shatter like that. They might explode under the right circumstances, but crack like cheap glass? No. They weren't like other crystals. Kyber was alive. That crystal had been alive. She had felt the Force pulse through it. Nothing could have destroyed it like that. It was impossible. Which meant it hadn't happened. Whatever she had seen, it wasn't true. Her crystal was still out there. She repeated it like a mantra until she believed it.

Once she was sure she had her emotions back in check, she reached out for the Force. Just for a moment, in the split second before she touched it, an awful dread welled up in her that it wouldn't be there. It was irrational. Crazy, even. The Force was everywhere, in every corner of every cave on every planet in the universe. But she couldn't help the spine cracking terror that maybe this time she would reach and feel… nothing. There was just something about the eerie, impenetrable darkness that invited irrational fear to set up camp in her brain. The impossible had already happened once. Who was to say it wouldn't happen again?

After a fraction of a second, which lasted no more than a week, the Force rushed through her just as it had every time since before she could walk. Her heart started beating again and breath rushed into her lungs. Best of all, tiny glimmers of light appeared in the darkness. She could see her crystal. In fact, she could see dozens of kyber crystals. Hundreds all around her, shining like a field of tiny stars. They were in the floor, in the walls, even embedded in stalagmites. All of them were unique and beautiful, glowing with a hundred colors and singing a hundred different songs. And she had absolutely no idea which one was hers.

"Oh, come on," she groaned, slumping. It was petty, and childish, and unworthy of the Jedi she was trying to be, but she couldn't help it. "The climb wasn't bad enough?"

For a solid minute, she let herself give in to self-pity again. Her fist left a small dent in the stone wall when she punched it from frustration, and then she was very thankful for the cold that had already numbed her hands. She gave herself another five minutes to heal her broken fingers, decided that fell into the category of Things No One Else Needed to Know About, and set to work. If the cave was going to make her search through a hundred kyber crystals, then she was going to search through a hundred kyber crystals until she found hers.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

I've been looking forward to putting this chapter out for months, now. The Battle of Geonosis is easily the most ambitious action scene I've ever attempted, and I'm amazed it turned out as well as it has so far. Parts of this battle, such as Jiraiya landing with Gamabunta and Yoda using the earth jutsu, have been in my head for years. It is a great feeling to finally be able to share them with you all.

Regarding Jiraiya's power, I really wanted to avoid nerfing him, and I wanted to make it clear he is still both stronger and more skilled than Naruto. That gap is closing, but it's still pretty wide. Sage Mode Jiraiya in particular kicks ass. At the same time, I want to strike a balance between respecting his power in canon and not making him too OP. Sage Mode still has a nasty crash, the Toads don't often stick around, etc. Jiraiya can tip the balance of any battle, but he can't win on his own. As for Yoda, I think of him like Hiruzen. He's absurdly powerful, but age has taken its toll on his endurance. In the end, they can both fight on the frontlines, but that's not necessarily where either of them is the most useful.

A point I will always disagree on canon with is that of tactics and technology in the Clone War. The GAR has several startling capability gaps (i.e. no strategic bombers) and the clones often fight with laughably amateurish tactics, despite being the best soldiers in the galaxy. I know this is due to a mix of ignorance by the writers, time constraints, and a visual aesthetic of WWII but with lasers. I don't care. I don't want it to take over the story, but I intend to include tech the Republic would have had and to have the clones fight as if they had brains Hence the vertical envelopment, the mostly accurate combined arms tactics, and the clones' use of cover.

That said, the sort of war I know how to fight is not the sort of peer on peer, multi-theater slugfest of the Clone War. I was trained for counter insurgency and the like, so if you think I'm missing something obvious, please let me know.

Regarding the Omake, I'm sure you all noticed Barriss is going through it in the crystal cave worse than Ahsoka. Given the sort of mental garbage I have her carrying around, I just didn't think her challenge in the cave would be as straightforward as Ahsoka's. Ahsoka's was about patience, clear-headedness, and observation. Barriss' is about her deep seated flaws and insecurities as a person and a Jedi. Despite how she projects herself to others, she is not a mentally healthy person, and that means an extra bit of mindfuck in the cave. I'm curious to see what you all think the cave is testing her on and why.

As always, leave any questions you may have in a review. I'll see you next year.