Dear Reader, Thank you to my reviewers: Ms CT-782, RohirrimGirl, Darth Pancake, The Unnamed Guest, Shadow Wanderer, Undercover Dreamer, Sued 13, GuestLori, and OkietheOakTree. Your reviews are very much appreciated! So, we are now headed into the Citadel Arc. While I will not be including every scene from the TV show, I really wanted to include this arc because of what we all know happens to Echo, its effect on Fives and also on Rex. The title of this chapter should give away some of what the emphasis in this chapter is about. I focus a lot on the bonds between characters here, so not too much action yet! Enjoy! CS

Chapter 86 Bonds, Their Breaking, and a New Mission

"Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure."

The Shawshank Redemption
Stephen King

"I always knew you'd be the one. You'd be the one to go off and do your own thing."

"If I could bring the rest of you with me, I would; but you know the captain would never agree to that, and I wouldn't ask him to."

"I know. I just . . . I wish you hadn't agreed to take that position, but like I said, I'm not surprised you did. You're a lot like the captain. Wherever the biggest challenge is, that's where you want to be. You're drawn towards conflict, and that call is stronger than the bond you feel with us—"

"That's not fair, Little Brother. Nothing is stronger than the bond I have with my squad mates. But for me, I know that bond can survive even if I'm not with you. It's not something that depends on proximity."

"You were the one who always said, 'Live together, fight together, die together.' I don't blame you for making the decision you did. But you know that it means the end of your creed – for you and for the rest of us."

"No, it doesn't. I still believe those things. You four will always be my family, but I can't turn my back on the rest of the brotherhood. They need me—"

"You talk as if we don't."

"LB . . . Kix, you know there's a difference. My presence in Saber Squad adds a level of comfort. My presence with the 808th will be a necessary part of their recovery."

"You think we only see you as a level of comfort?"

"That isn't what I said. Why are you trying to make me feel bad about taking this position?"

A long and painful silence.

"Because I'm afraid of what we'll become without you."

"Kix?"

Kix flinched in his jump seat. "What? What?" He looked up to see Pitch sitting down beside him.

"We're on our final approach to Coruscant. You need to strap in."

"Oh. Yeah. Okay."

"You looked deep in thought," Pitch noted. "I guess we all have a lot to think about, huh?" When he received no answer, he went on. "You still angry?"

"I'm not angry," Kix denied, pulling his shoulder belts down.

Pitch saw no reason to contradict him. "We're all pretty upset, but Top was always the guy who would put the needs of the army ahead of everything else. We can't be angry when he stays true to who he is."

"I told you I'm not angry," Kix replied. It wasn't a complete lie. Anger might not have been the most accurate word to describe what he'd been feeling since learning of Top's decision. There might be an element of bitterness, even a vague sense of betrayal, but more than anything else, Kix felt plain sadness. The promise of a life spent fighting side-by-side had come to an end – not through death or forced reassignment, but through the choice of one man. True, Kix had long known that Top was a leader in search of followers, the sort of clone officer whose skills were best employed in a position of command. Yet, somehow, the medic had never actually envisioned the day when his brother would choose to leave the squad.

Spending the night in the holo-station with his squad-mates, recounting stories, laughing and pretending as if the breaking of the squad was simply the next step in a series of expectations . . . none of that had done a thing to lessen Kix's sense that he was coming face-to-face with his first true loss of the war, even though it was not a loss at all, in the meaning of finality.

In the late hours of morning, they had left the holo-station to get some little sleep, meeting later in the dining facility for lunch; and then, after tending to pre-departure tasks, they'd met once more in the holo-station for a sort of formal farewell, where Jesse could take part.

Kix had dream-walked through each moment, waiting for his brother to announce that he'd changed his mind and would not be leaving. Of course, he knew that would never happen; but it was a hope that prevented him from being utterly maudlin as they passed their final hours together as a squad.

The struggle was between wanting to convince Top to stay and knowing that he must not make him feel guilty for the decision he'd made. Their last conversation together—just the two of them, shortly before meeting in the holo-station for the last time—had turned a bit more accusatory than Kix had intended. It was the very same conversation he'd been recalling when Pitch had interrupted with news of their impending arrival on Coruscant.

Kix would never have done anything to willingly hurt Top. Without question, Top was the brother with whom he felt the greatest affinity, despite their differences. Yet, Kix knew his words at their last meeting had been tainted with a callous rebuke, despite his attempts to be even-tempered.

Now, he wished he had handled himself better.

"Well, at least we might now get to use some of our remaining shore leave," Pitch said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I think . . . I think I'd rather just get back to work."

Pitch was a good brother. Like Jesse, he was a realist. Like Top, he believed in the intangible and unseen. And like Hardcase, he could be blunt and coarse.

"You can't be like this, Kix," he chided with just the right combination of compassion and chastisement. "Top would box your ears. You need to stay sharp."

"I'm okay," Kix insisted. "You worry as much as he does."

"We're all going to miss him, but it's not like he's dead. He's just gone to another unit," Pitch said. "We all knew he'd get reassigned someday. He was too good an officer not to be given a command billet."

"I know all that, Pitch," Kix replied with a weak smile. "I know all that, and I still wish he was here."

"We all do."

"You look good," Rex stated. "You're walking a lot better. How does it feel?"

Cody had known Rex long enough to recognize the tone in his voice and the glint in his eye. "It feels much better, but not well enough to get into some contest with you."

"I wasn't going to suggest any kind of contest," Rex replied with feigned indignation.

"Oh yes, you were," Cody shot back.

Rex tilted his head to one side in concession. "Maybe I was, but if you're not up to it—"

"I'm not up to it," Cody said with emphasis. "I'm still on convalescent leave, in case you forgot."

"It's been almost two weeks," Rex pointed out.

"I haven't returned to duty, Rex," Cody stated. "Just because we're shipside again doesn't mean I've had some miraculous recovery." A self-satisfied grin appeared on his face. "But I have to say I am healing up quite nicely. Kix's battlefield skills probably stopped me from tearing the ligaments even further."

"He's the best," Rex praised. "Going through a tough time right now. They all are, but it's hitting him the hardest."

"They were close," Cody noted.

"Yeah."

"Speaking of close," Cody went on, "I believe there was something you were going to tell me if we survived the Kettrun mission. And here we are."

Rex eyed him sideways. "Oh yeah, I recall saying something like that. So, what was it you wanted to know?"

"I want to know what happened on Bertegad," Cody went straight to the point.

"Why do you assume something happened?" Rex asked.

"Because I know you." Cody stopped walking. They had come to the officers' mess, but the commander was not ready to go inside. "I know you never used to talk about things like souls and life after death. Hell, Rex, you didn't even like to talk about the Force. Battle and competition were your two favorite subjects. So, what happened?"

"I already told you what happened," Rex replied. "I told you what the Doma showed me."

"No, no, Captain, you're not getting off that easily," Cody said, shaking his head. "I distinctly remember on the shuttle down to Bertegard, you said 'it caught you by surprise'. When I asked you what it was, you didn't want to discuss it in front of the others. Well, it's just you and me now. So, let's have it."

Rex simpered. "I despise your memory."

"Un-huh. Get on with it."

"Okay. She caught me by surprise." Rex's answer was straightforward and simple.

"She? The Doma."

"Yes. I'm not an expert on the matter, but I think it's safe to say that I developed a strong attraction to her," Rex explained, sounding as if he were reading a technical manual.

Cody simpered. "A strong attraction? That's what Hardcase feels towards his weapons."

Rex chuckled. "So, maybe it was a bit more than a strong attraction." Then, deciding that it was no use to downplay his feelings, he grew serious. "I'm in love with her."

And even though Cody had been expecting this revelation, now that he was hearing it from Rex's own lips, he was momentarily speechless. At last, he managed, "Now, that's something of a problem, don't you think?"

"Are we going to discuss this here in the corridor?" Rex quipped. "It doesn't seem like the best place."

"There's CCR 2. Looks empty. We can go in there."

The command conference room was, in fact, empty. Once inside, Cody closed the door and received his companion's pre-emptive strike.

"Cody, you don't need to worry," Rex began. "I mean that. We won't be going back to Bertegad, and even if we did, Maree and I already decided that there can't be anything between us." He conveniently left out some of the more incredible details of their agreement.

"It seems there already is something between you," Cody put forth. "I'm no expert either, but I don't think you can say you're in love with someone and then say there's nothing between you."

"Yes, but everything that's between us is in the past," Rex asserted.

"I don't think so."

Rex drew in a deep breath and sat on the edge of the briefing table. "Cody . . . our life—our world—is centered around violence. We were created to fight. That's the one reason for our existence. And a love of fighting in ingrained in all of us."

"Rex, that's not—"

"Let me finish. It's not the fighting we hate. It's the dying, the suffering." He paused. "Seeing our brothers killed and injured. It's something we can never get away from. We're bred to be mentally tough, and, for the most part, we are." A pause. "But when you get a glimpse of . . . what it means to be at peace . . . it's something you don't want to let go of."

"Peace is what we're fighting for—"

"I don't mean that kind of peace. I don't mean peace in the sense of an absence of war," Rex interrupted. "I mean the kind of peace that exists in the midst of war, when everything is falling apart." He looked Cody straight in the eye. "That's what I felt when I was with her. It's not—it's not even a natural peace. It came from something outside of her." He heaved a deep breath, feeling that he could not possibly give an adequate explanation. "But it made her who she was, and . . . I won't lie, Cody: I wanted that peace and the woman who possessed it. It was a peace that meant freedom."

Cody absorbed this scattered explanation. "And the Doma? Did she feel the same way about you?"

"Yes. But we both recognized our situations. Her position as Doma, my status as property of the Republic . . . there was nothing to be done. The freedom I wanted was right there at my fingertips, and I didn't dare take it." He gave a wan smile. "You know, I . . . I had this idea that when the war was over, General Skywalker would give me my freedom, and I'd go to be with her. But . . . when I think of leaving the general, I can't imagine my future anywhere but at his side. How's that for genetic programming?"

Cody replied with understanding. "That's not genetic programming, Rex. That's the bond between a general and his captain. And I would say that bond between you and General Skywalker is probably the strongest I've ever seen."

Rex stood up and paced slowly around the holo table. "I've always known what I wanted Cody. Ever since I was able to form my first words, I knew what I wanted. I wanted to be the best soldier in the best unit working for the best general." He stopped and put his hands on the outer console. "I still want all those things, but now, I want something else, as well. I want their complete opposite. I want a place where I can go inside and there's only peace. Maree is that place."

Cody waited before replying carefully, "You said, yourself, that being with her isn't possible. But you've brought a lot with you from your time at the Monastica. Maybe that peace needs to be inside you now." He grinned. "So long as you don't bring it to the battlefield. I don't need to turn around and see you trying to make nice with the tinnies."

Rex gave a slight smile. "There's no danger of that ever happening." The smile gave way to a wistful frown. "In a way, I'm glad the war keeps us busy. Thinking about her only makes things harder."

"Well, we're all attracted to women," Cody noted. "But there's not much opportunity to fall in love, to my eternal gratitude. Otherwise, we'd have soldiers distracted and going AWOL left and right." He stood behind Rex and put a hand on his shoulder. "Still, you're the last one I would have expected to be affected so strongly. I don't want you to become a casualty of distraction."

"No worries there, Commander," Rex replied with surety. "After everything I saw at the Monastica, I have a vested interest in making sure I do things right. I made her a promise, and I'm going to do everything in my power to keep it."

"What promise did you make?"

"That's between me and Maree. Some things are private. But let's just say, the future depends on the actions we take in the present."

Cody grinned. "That doesn't allow for unplanned circumstances. A man can do all the right things, but the unexpected can still ruin his plans."

Rex straightened up. "As long as he's done all the right things, the outcome of his plans doesn't matter."

Cody was perplexed by this statement. "Of course, it does."

Rex was curt. "Only to the course of history."

"What does that mean?"

Rex put his arm around Cody's shoulders and began steering him towards the door. "It means I've answered all the questions I'm going to, I'm hungry and so are you, and if we wait much longer, the dining hall will be packed."

"You're impossible."

"I learned it from General Skywalker."

Anakin slapped Rex on the shoulder. His voice was mirthful, almost teasing. "They're sending us to rescue Master Piell. What do you think of that, Rex?"

Two months after the mission on Kettrun, GAR Headquarters finally felt confident enough to launch a rescue operation based on the intelligence obtained by Commander Ki'weya. The Citadel was not a place to be taken lightly. Designed as a detention center for any Jedi that might lose his way, it was a fortress from which escape was nearly impossible. It had been built upon the lava caves of Lola Sayu, an inhospitable place on an inhospitable planet. Constructed with Jedi in mind, it contained every manner of physical barrier, sensor and visual surveillance, and now a contingent of droids operating under the overseership of Osi Sobeck, a Phindian male with a penchant for cruelty. He was a perfect fit as warden for such a dark and foreboding place.

But it was not the prospect of the Citadel itself—or Osi Sobeck—that made Rex cringe upon learning of the mission.

"I think you should probably take Jesse with you instead of me," the captain replied.

"Now, why would I want to do that? I'm actually looking forward to seeing the expression on Master Piell's face when you bust into his cell and free him," Anakin quipped, sounding far too happy about the impending highly dangerous mission.

"When he sees me, he might decide to stay in his cell," Rex said.

Anakin chuckled. "You may be right." A pause, after which he added with wry grin, "You know, I still think you did it on purpose."

Rex actually colored. "It, uh, wasn't exactly the impression I wanted to make at our first meeting."

Anakin beamed with happiness at a fond memory. "You left an impression, that's for sure."

"I thought you were going to throw me back and ask for a new officer," Rex said.

"Well, I thought about it," Anakin admitted. "But my curiosity won out. Besides, you weren't alone in it."

"Yeah." Now, it was Rex's turn to grin. "How is that Denal is always right beside me when chaos happens?"

"You're the one who brought him with you when you came to the 501st," Anakin reminded him. "Don't tell me you didn't know what you were getting." He grew somewhat more somber. "How's he doing, by the way? I heard he did great on Kettrun. He seems to be fully recovered."

"He's back to one hundred percent," Rex replied.

"That didn't take too long."

"It's been almost six months, Sir; but you're right, he bounced back quickly."

"Well, either way, he's lucky. We're lucky. He would have been a tough loss," Anakin concluded.

He was referring to incident eight months earlier that had almost cost the trooper his life. A bounty hunter named Cad Bane had broken into the library vaults of the Jedi Temple and stolen a holocron containing a list of all the known Force-sensitive children in the galaxy. A small task force from the 501st had boarded Bane's ship in order to retrieve it. As usually happened during any mission led by General Skywalker, the task force had ended up breaking into several elements, each going its own way with its own mission.

Ultimately, as the ship had begun to self-destruct around them, Rex had sent Denal and another trooper, Koho, to find General Skywalker and Commander Tano, both of whom had disappeared after Bane. But the two troopers never found their commanding officers. They did, however, find Bane. The details of what followed were never fully fleshed out, for Denal remembered very little. He recalled that he and Koho had encountered Bane overlooking the hangar bay and confronted him. His last recollection was attempting to put binders around Bane's wrists and a micro-second of searing, intense pain. When he later regained consciousness, he was naked, disoriented, alone, and surrounded by the sights and sounds of a ship only moments from destruction. A pile of clone armor lay not far from where he lay, and recognized the markings as belonging to Koho. He could not concern himself with more than the most basic facts, for he knew he was running out of time. The way the ship was shuddering and warping around him, he had to get out of there. Only, his body had not reacted the way it should. He could get to his feet, but his legs were sluggish to obey his brain's commands, and at last, he'd been reduced to a crawl. Absorbing the brunt of falling debris and navigating the maze of suddenly jutted, torn and twisted metal, he'd made his way to the hangar bay.

But the shuttle that was to have been his escape was gone.

All that remained was single bank of escape pods. And that was how he'd made his escape. The force of the final destruction of the ship had sent his pod careening off into space to become part of the debris field left by the explosion.

It wasn't until two weeks later, after the oxygen had been nearly depleted and the emergency rations fully consumed, that a GAR combat salvage unit had arrived to scour the wreckage for anything useful, that Denal's pod had been discovered with its occupant teetering on the verge of death.

During his recovery, Denal had learned what had transpired in those waning minutes aboard Bane's frigate; how Bane had dressed in Denal's armor, somehow managed to force Koho to wear the bounty hunter's garb, and then staged a scene in which it looked as Bane himself had been killed by Denal.

Upon learning the truth, Denal had been despondent, nearly inconsolable. He felt the loss of Koho as his own failure, given he'd been the senior of the two. And the fact that they'd had Bane there at gunpoint, only to be foiled by the bounty hunter, allowing him to escape . . .

Had it not been for Rex, Denal might have never snapped back. But when the captain had learned that his esteemed First Escort was still alive, he'd immediately asked General Skywalker for permission to go the clone medical facility at Krigo-1. To say that Rex was overjoyed would have been an understatement, and that optimism and reassurance had gone a long way towards Denal's recovery. Within six weeks, he was back with the 501st, side-by-side with Back Up, and once again serving under the man whom he considered to be the finest clone officer to ever grace the ranks of the Republic. From that point on, his recovery had been marked by its rapidity.

And Rex could not have been more pleased. He and Denal shared a greater past than the mere four days of E&E, and the latter's presence was always cool and reassuring.

"You, uh, weren't intending for him to go on this mission, were you, Sir?" Rex asked. "Seeing me will be bad enough for Master Piell. Denal could send him over the top. You know that Jedi has a temper."

Anakin smiled broadly. "As much as I would love to see that, I think Denal's earned a stand-down on this one. As always, I'll leave it up to you to pick your team."

"Yes, Sir."

The mission briefing was the following morning, but Rex would be attending it remotely. He had some business to attend to onboard the Zephyr, one of the Resolute battle group's attending minesweeper ships. Apparently, some prohibited paraphernalia of a drug-related sort had been found in the crew's quarters; and Rex, falling outside the Zephyr's chain-of-command, had been tasked as the initial inquiry officer.

Ridiculous, really. Rex despised such taskings, as they took him away from his primary job of leading his men; but this investigation was just about wrapped up. This morning's visit was nothing more than the formal presentation of his findings to the appointing officer, who happened to be the captain of the Zephyr. And so long as he could use the Zephyr's holo projector, he could participate in the Citadel mission briefing without actually being present.

And given the lack of intelligence data, it turned out there was very little substance to the initial briefing.

General Plo Koon opened the discussion. "As you are aware, the Citadel is the most isolated and impenetrable detention facility. No one has ever escaped."

Anakin, grave but undeterred, replied, "There's a first time for everything."

"Indeed there is," Obi-wan agreed.

Plo Koon went on. "Their security has prevented our probes from obtaining recent reconnaissance, so we've been forced to construct a crude map based on data from the archives." As he spoke, he pulled up a simplistic holograph of the fortress.

"And since the data's extremely old, the map will be difficult to rely on," Obi-wan added grimly.

Anakin was as direct and no-nonsense as ever. "So, we're essentially going in blind."

Standing directly behind the holographic image of their captain, Fives and Echo exchanged subtle glances which bespoke the thoughts shared between the two men: how do they ever expect to pull this off?

At his point, Rex spoke up. "Beg your pardon, General, but how do we know Master Piell is still alive?"

Anakin couldn't help himself from snickering internally at this question. "You know damned well he's too stubborn and crotchety to die until he has a chance to get even with you, Rex."

Obi-wan gave the reasonable answer. "The Separatists won't dare kill Master Piell until they have what they need."

"They want to obtain the coordinates of a secret hyperspace lane known as the Nexus route, which travels into the heart of the both the Republic and Separatist home worlds," Plo stated.

"They could prove vital in maneuvering our forces deep into remote separatist sectors." This from Obi-wan.

Anakin spoke up, "Or the enemy could use them to slip through our defenses and attack Coruscant."

General Plo summed it up nicely and succinctly. "These hyperspace lanes of immense interest to both sides and could tip the scale of the war to whomever is in possession of them." He paused, then announced, "That is all. We will meet again at 0700 tomorrow morning to finalize our plans."

The briefing broke up. The three Jedi generals left the conference room together. They still had some planning to do prior to the next meeting.

"Based on the archive schematics, we've narrowed it down to three possible locations they could be holding Master Piell," Master Plo began. "The main prison block, the isolation cells on level six, or the medical wing cells."

"I agree," Obi-wan concurred. "Those do seem like the most likely locations, but we mustn't forget that Osi Sobeck will be expecting a rescue attempt and may be holding Master Piell in a less likely location." A pause. "My greatest concern is infiltrating their outer security. Life form scanners will not be easy to fool."

Anakin spoke up with a provocative grin. "I've got a thought about that."

Before they could discuss Anakin's thoughts on the matter, a voice diverted their attention. It was Ahsoka, approaching from behind them.

"Master, I'm sorry I'm late. I just heard about the briefing. We're going to rescue Master Piell, right?"

Master Plo took Anakin's hesitation as the cue for him and Obi-wan to depart. "You two have much to discuss," he said.

Anakin turned to his padawan. "Ahsoka, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but you won't be coming along on this one." He put his hand on her shoulder to soften the blow.

"Not coming?" Ahsoka was incredulous. "But you're breaking into the Citadel. No one's ever done it."

Anakin began walking. "The Citadel wasn't designed to hold common criminals. It was created to hold Jedi if any of us lost our way. It's not a place for padawans," he said pointedly.

Ahsoka had heard this line of reasoning before on many a mission that her master had decided was too dangerous for a padawan. She wasn't about to let this instance go uncontested. Breaking into the Citadel was the sort of mission that would likely only come about once. She had no intention of being left out of the action. "You're just being protective again. That's not fair. How am I supposed to learn if you won't let me share the risk?

Anakin turn to face her briefly. "This isn't a mission for learning." His voice was firm. "You either do or die." In a gesture a finality, he turned and began walking away, effectively ending discussion. "And that's not a risk I'm willing to share."

"Well, the one thing about being an ARC trooper . . . we get to go on just about every mission," Echo stated. It was clear from his voice that he considered inclusion in every mission to be a boon and an honor.

Fives did not share his brother's enthusiasm. Not that Fives would ever shrink from a battle; rather he was finding himself, more often lately, questioning—internally, at least—the purpose and wisdom of some of the assignments he and his battalion mates were being asked to carry out.

Unlike Echo, who approached every situation with the eagerness and can-do attitude of a cadet, Fives had become more circumspect, more wary . . . perhaps even somewhat cynical. Whatever the reason behind the changes, he still comported himself professionally and obediently. His devotion to his captain was undiminished, as was his bond with Echo. Yet, a subtle skepticism had crept into his manner – not enough to cause concern, but enough to tweak his first-in-command's notice. Fives knew Rex had thought twice about whether or not to include him and Echo on this mission, reasoning that the two had, as Echo had just stated, been involved in every major undertaking since coming to the battalion, and certainly since being made ARC troopers. A break was in order, but then Echo had insisted that ARC troopers were just the sort of soldier needed for a mission like the Citadel, and the captain had ultimately agreed.

And so here they were in Hangar 8, preparing for their most difficult mission yet.

"We're only going on this one because you volunteered," Fives reminded him.

"The captain's going to need us," Echo replied, undaunted. "This is going to be dangerous."

"You ever think of spreading the danger around? Letting other troopers get their fair share?" Fives grinned. "Being an ARC has gone to your head."

"Don't be stupid," Echo rejoined. "Anytime I can be there to protect General Skywalker and Captain Rex, I'm going to be there. I felt that way before becoming an ARC."

"Yeah, that's true." Fives clapped him on the shoulder. "You're a natural soldier, Echo."

"We're all natural soldiers," Echo replied.

A high-pitched whistle interrupted their conversation, and a moment later, the unmistakable voice of Skywalker's high-strung protocol droid rose up throughout the hangar.

"Artoo! Look out, behind you! You're being followed by battle droids!"

Echo and Fives turned to see what all the commotion was about.

"Huh, they are battle droids," Echo noted curiously.

The protocol droid and the R2 unit were having a conversation, only one side of which was comprehensible to the two clones. The protocol droid, a C-3PO model – and whom Fives found gratingly annoying—was providing the essence of the exchange.

"These are your troops? But they're battle droids. What do you mean they've been reprogrammed to follow your orders?"

Echo smiled. The protocol droid did not get on his nerves at all. In fact, he enjoyed listening to the borderline paranoid, doom and gloom, ever-worrying manner that the droid displayed. Perhaps it was because Echo himself was such an opposite to the droid in demeanor and outlook. Echo viewed events with an optimism that was almost baffling in its consistency.

The argument between the two droids concluded with the protocol droid scolding, "Don't you go thumbing your gears at me just because you have a bunch of dimwitted droids following you about. Oh!"

Fives expressed his doubt in a low voice. "We're trusting those droids to get us into the Citadel?"

Cody, overhearing the remark, answered in manner that would brook no dissent. "It's the only way. Fly right into the heart of separatist territory. Droids won't be detected."

Fives held his peace. Echo nudged him in the side. "You're sounding as grim as the droid."

"Do not compare me to a droid," Fives warned.

"Come on. Time to go," Cody ordered. A crooked grin gave an almost sinister slant to his face. "I hope you're all ready for a new experience."

There were times when Rex wondered if maybe he had too much blind trust in his commanding general. It might just be possible that followership could go too far . . . even for a clone.

His thoughts weren't exactly warm and revering as he crossed the hangar on his way towards a shipping device, the use of which was being contemplated for something never before attempted.

"I've never been carbon frozen before, General," he stated. And he was not happy about it.

Anakin overlooked his captain's less-than-enthusiastic tone of voice. "It's the first time for us, too."

"And what if this kills us? Or ends up injuring us beyond repair? What if we can't be unfrozen? Fek and all, this is crazy." Rex kept these thoughts to himself. If nothing else, he would set the example to his men by going forward with the calm and determination of a duty-driven man.

Obi-wan did not care about setting the example. "This is your idea? Carbon freezing?" He sounded incredulous and unconvinced.

Anakin shrugged. "Hey, as long as it shields us from the life form scanners."

Fives, apparently, was also not fully sold on the idea. "Are, uh, you sure this thing is safe? I don't want to end up a wall decoration."

Obi-wan now felt it was his place to ease any feelings of worry. "Try to relax. We'll be unfrozen as soon as we arrive."

"Oh, good," Fives thought cynically. "I can't wait to turn into a puddle on the floor."

Two platforms away, Rex's thoughts were only marginally less sarcastic. "Here goes nothing."

NOTE:

Kix's statement about his fear of what will happen to the squad without Top is a direct arrow towards Umbara (which is a later chapter, of course!). I'm sure everyone recognizes how different Jesse and Kix are moving from The Deserter to Umbara. Well, in my version of things, this is where I start to set the stage for what happens to account for the changes.

I really struggled (and I mean, really!) with the conversation between Cody and Rex regarding Bertegad. It's hard to write a realistic scene between two very masculine men, neither of whom really seems like the type to "bare his soul" regarding issues of sentiment. But I did my best, and I hope it wasn't too saccharin!

Also, with regard to Denal . . . I loved the character too much to accept his demise in the series, so I wrote his "resurrection" into my story. I didn't want to go into the entire Holocron story in detail, so I referenced it in a flashback. You'll also note the allusion to Rex's and Anakin's first meeting (subject of a later chapter) and the fact that Denal had a part to play in it.