~~~
There are moments in life where you feel like you're going in circles, returning to the same spot but in a different place.
Over and over again. And even better, you don't know what you're doing.
Yeah, that's how doing an off the books mission with the Republic's beloved hero feels.
~~~
"Who are these people?" Evelyn whispers through her teeth to Anakin as their transport approached Skako Minor with the Bad Batch and Captain Rex by their side.
"Clone Force 99. The Bad Batch," Anakin tells her through the force, "Experimental clones that take on high profile missions. No one knows they exist other than higher ranking officers," Evelyn nodded in response as they prepared for landing. As the ship touched down, the two Jedi made their way to the cockpit.
"Rex, what do we know about this place?" Anakin turns, asking his Captain.
"On this part of Skako, there's a race of locals, the Poletec," Rex says as Anakin nods, "All we know is they're very primitive."
"Primitive is being kind," Tech chimed in, swiveling his chair around to face them, "My intel says the Poletecs worship flying reptiles," and just as he said that, one of those very reptiles slammed into the cockpit window, startling Evelyn, inadvertently causing her to jump right into Anakin's chest.
"Scared much?" Anakin says with a chuckle as Evelyn's face is filled by a blush, "Don't worry, I'll always keep you safe," Evelyn looks at Anakin with a smile, time seeming to stand still.
"Oh! What the heck was that?!" Wrecker screams as he gets himself off the cockpit, jolting the Jedi out of their moment.
"It's one of those reptiles," Tech says frantically as he looks at his data pad, Evelyn reluctantly untangling her arms from around Anakin's neck as he lets her go.
"I want that thing off my ship," Hunter yells as the Batch open the doors and get ready to defend against the reptiles.
"Hold on! Hold on! Don't just run out there," Rex says as they ignore him and run out. Evelyn chuckles and pats him on the shoulder as she grabs her lightsaber off her belt along with Anakin as they follow them out, seeing Poletecs on said reptiles.
"Hey!" Wrecker yells as he motions to the Poletec, "Get off of there!"
"Hey, calm down!" Anakin yells as Evelyn jumps back at her master's sudden anger, "We need to talk to them," he says forcefully.
"Why?" Hunter questioned roughly, but Anakin's stern gaze silenced him.
"Anakin's right-"
"Look out, Ev!" Anakin shouted, and Evelyn was suddenly pushed to the ground. When she looked up, she saw the reptile carrying Anakin away.
"Anakin!" She yells as she tries to hold the Poletec back with the Force, but fails, turning towards the clones, desperation in her eyes, "How do we get him back?"
"I have a thermal reading," Tech answers her as he pulls down his visor, "Point-two-five east, elevation 175," Evelyn smiles in thanks at Tech.
"Job's not done Commander," Tech says blankly as Evelyn rolls her eyes, looking down by her foot seeing "Relax, I'll handle this," Crosshair declared, sniping a wire onto the reptile as Hunter grabbed the wire and attached it to his belt.
"What are you doing?" Rex asked, stepping forward to take command, but Evelyn stopped him, hooking her arm through his, holding him back.
"Going for a ride," Hunter said with a confident grin, visible through his helmet. Evelyn knew it was there as the reptile carried Hunter away.
"Gotta work on being less controlling, Rex," Evelyn remarked with a playful smile, then ran back to the ship to keep up with Hunter.
"Where are you going?" Wrecker asked in a puzzled tone, while Tech just rolled his eyes.
"To find the General," Evelyn responded with a shrug, and the remaining members of the squad followed her onto the ship.
~~~
After the rescue of Anakin, the Poletecs provide the squad with intel on Wat Tambor's whereabouts on the planet. As they approach the tower, Anakin notices that Evelyn is struggling to shield herself from the blowing dust. He pulls her closer into his chest, shielding her from the gritty particles.
"How are you so good at this?" Evelyn says softly, her voice barely audible amidst the wind and dust.
Anakin chuckles, his voice carrying through the commotion. "Good at what, blocking the sand?" Evelyn nods in his chest in response, prompting Anakin to continue, "I lived on Tatooine before I became a Jedi," he explains with a shrug, avoiding the darker details of his past life as a slave.
Evelyn, knowing there was more to the story, merely nods and keeps walking, knowing he'll tell her when he's ready.
Hunter approaches the two, "We're in business, General," he announces, nodding to Anakin. Evelyn reluctantly releases her hold on Anakin, her face faintly flushed, as they prepare to move forward.
"Tech picked up Echo's signal from this tower," Hunter continues, turning to Tech for confirmation.
Tech, so engrossed in his data pad, doesn't bother to respond verbally. He simply presses a button, and the doors to the tower slide open, allowing the group to proceed, "It's a lift," Crosshair remarks, and Wrecker stands outside, looking around nervously.
"Wait wait wait, a lift?" Wrecker asks with a bit of fear in his voice, "How far up are we going?"
Hunter turns to his comrade, "Don't worry Wrecker, I'll hold your hand," he says with sarcasm laced in his voice.
"Hey, cut it out Sarge," Wrecker quips back as he bumps his shoulder, "Just give me some droids to crush."
As they ascend in the lift, Anakin breaks the awkward silence, "Remember, this is a stealth mission," he reminds the group. He points to Crosshair, "No blasting," then, he looks at Wrecker, "No blowing things up," finally, he turns to Hunter. "Nobody should know we're here."
However, their attempts at stealth are quickly thwarted. Because as soon as the doors open, Wrecker lets out a war cry and charges into a group of battle droids. The rest of the clones follow suit.
"So much for stealth," Evelyn remarks with a wry smile, looking at Anakin.
"Let them have their fun," he says as Evelyn subtly makes her way closer to Anakin loving his presence, "In the meantime, I want to talk to you about something."
Evelyn nods, "About what?" She asks curiously as Anakin chuckles when he senses her sudden fear.
"Don't worry, it's nothing negative," he says with the wave of his hand as Evelyn lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding in, "I want to talk about The Trials," Evelyn's eyes get wide.
"You think I'm ready?" She asks with shock as Anakin nods, "I don't even think I'm ready."
"Well, as an experienced Jedi, I know you're ready," Anakin says teasingly, getting an eye roll out of his partner.
Looking deep into her ocean blue eyes, almost getting lost in them until he snaps out of it, "And who knows? My trials were unorthodox given I defeated Asajj Ventress, yours could be too."
Evelyn tilts her head in confusion, "What do you mean by that?" Knowing exactly what it means, just wanting to hear his voice tell it to her.
"I mean that maybe on one of these missions we face Dooku or Grievous and win," Anakin says as he puts a hand on her shoulder, "I mean that you could become a Knight any day now," he says with pride as Evelyn nods in excitement.
Their moment is broken by Wrecker's celebrations, "Yeah! Hah! Ha-ha! Yeah!" Everyone looks at him like he's crazy, which he is, "Uh sorry. I just got excited," the big guy apologizes.
Anakin traces his hand down Evelyn's arm until he reaches her hand, "Come on, we've got work to do," he says with a smile as Evelyn smirks and nods as they run to the door.
"I've still got a lock on Echo's signal," Tech reports, his attention still on his data pad.
"All right, men. Let's hunt some droids," Hunter commands, and the clones follow him through the door, with Anakin and Evelyn trailing behind, savoring each other's presence.
At the end of the corridor is a closed door. Anakin takes charge. "Breach the door, and then we look for Echo," he orders. Rex and Hunter quickly open the door, swiftly taking down two droids each.
"Where exactly is Echo's signal coming from?" Anakin asks Tech.
"Strange. I just lost the signal," Tech admits, surprised by the sudden glitch in his electronics.
"What? How can that be?" Rex demands, his frustration evident.
"Well, I have a new theory," Tech states as he raises his finger, "I'm surprised I did not consider it earlier," he continues as Evelyn and Anakin cross their arms at the same time, "The signal is only traceable during data transmissions. So, until Echo dispenses more intel, I cannot pick up the signal," Tech finishes as Anakin nods, knowing his plan.
"Okay, we're splitting up," Anakin announced, using hand gestures to illustrate his plan, which brought a smile to Evelyn's face, "Search every door. If someone finds Echo, contact the others," he directed, giving Rex a pointed look to ensure the message was clear, "We go in together, just in case there's trouble," he concluded before dashing off, with Rex and Evelyn following to the left while the Bad Batch went right.
"Ev, take the second door, I'll handle the first," Anakin instructed his Padawan as she continued running, "Buy as much time as you can," he communicated through the Force as they entered their respective rooms.
Once Evelyn finished checking her room, she sensed that Anakin was in trouble. She Force-ran out of her room and into Anakin's. However, when she arrived, she noticed that Anakin was toying with the droids. Anakin's playful antics ended when he raised all seven droids in the air and crushed them with the Force, leaving Evelyn in awe. Anakin spotted her and gave her one of his signature smirks.
"Teach me?" Evelyn asked, her face still filled with wonder, as Anakin nodded and rushed past her, "Wait, where are you going?" she called after him, following him out the door to join the rest of the clones. They were met with the sight of dozens of battle droids marching toward the main entrance.
Anakin puts an arm out in front of Evelyn, "Find a moment to strike and take it. This isn't one of those moments," Anakin tells Evelyn as she nods, waiting for their next move.
They hear the clones shooting at the droids, then at that point, Anakin force pushes all of the droids to the ground as the two run to the clones, "Act fast, we don't have much time," he tells Tech as he starts working on the door.
As more droids converged on their location, Tech managed to get the door open. Both he and Rex rushed inside to locate Echo.
In just a matter of minutes, the five of them dismantled approximately 500 droids. Anakin hurried to the door Rex and Tech had entered, with Evelyn and the Bad Batch following closely behind. They took positions guarding the door. "The situation's under control, but more are coming," Anakin yells out, turning his attention to the Bad Batch, "We have to move fast."
"How is he, Rex?" Evelyn asked with concern.
"He's too weak to walk, very disoriented. He doesn't even remember how he got here," Rex reported, and Anakin nodded, his worry deepening, "He remembers being at the Citadel, but that's about it."
Evelyn chimed in, "Any word on the extraction squad?"
"We called it in, but no word back yet," Rex replied, his expression blank.
"Well, that's no surprise," Anakin scoffed, "We knew when we got into this that we'd be on our own," he added, offering Evelyn a weak smile.
"It's going to get more difficult to get out of here!" Crosshair warned as he examined his scanner. "There are several squads of droids closing in!"
Suddenly, battle droids managed to pry open the door. Crosshair and Hunter attempted to close it again, but a droid's head got stuck in the door, causing Wrecker to rip it off. Hunter tossed Crosshair a torch, and the two quickly welded the door shut to buy themselves more time.
Crosshair brought down his thermal reader from his helmet and relayed the information, "Enemy approaching. Droids. Lots of 'em."
Anakin turned to the strong members of the Bad Batch. "How long can you hold them off?" he shouts back at Echo, pale as ever.
"How long do you need?" Hunter asked Anakin, but Evelyn beat him to the punch.
"Tech, how much longer?!" She asks the clone with a tone Anakin had never picked up from her.
"Not yet. I need more time," Tech responded, typing frantically at the controls. The droids were getting dangerously close to breaching the door. Hunter and Crosshair had to retreat to the last door and repeat the process they had done earlier, "I've got it!" Tech finally announced, "You can unplug him now."
Rex began the process of unplugging the tubes connected to Echo's robotics, but with each tube removed, Echo stumbled until Rex could stabilize him.
Echo started coughing but managed to speak, "Rex?"
"What is it?" Rex asked, kneeling down to Echo. Anakin looked back at the door, his mind racing.
"I've got a big headache," Echo said with a faint smile, and Rex struggled to return it.
"It's better to feel something than nothing, old buddy," Rex said as he placed an arm on Echo's shoulder.
"It's a touching reunion, guys, but we need to get out of here, now!" Anakin exclaimed as the door was nearly breached.
"There's an exhaust vent that leads to the cooling systems right there," Echo says weakly as he barely manages to get his arm up to point to the ceiling where the vent is.
"They've breached the front door! It won't be long before they're through the second," Hunter reported, concern etched on his face.
Just then, the battle droids managed to pry open the door again, and Crosshair and Hunter tried to close it. Wrecker intervened, tearing off a droid's head before the doors sealed shut again. Hunter passed a torch to Crosshair, and they began welding the door once more.
There's a click as Echo stands up, "That should get it open," he says with a grim smirk as the vent opens.
"Great," Hunter says as he looks at the vent in the ceiling, "Now how do we get up there?"
Wrecker walks towards Hunter, "Oh, I can help with that," he chuckles as he grabs Hunter by the shoulders.
"Wait, what?" Hunter asks as Wrecker pushes him to underneath the vent, "Wrecker, what are you doing?" Just then, Wrecker throws Hunter up to the vent as he stabilizes himself.
"A heads-up would've been nice!" Hunter yells before he starts climbing and soon following Hunter is Crosshair, then Tech, then Rex and Echo.
Wrecker reaches for Evelyn, but she puts her hand up, "It's okay, Wrecker. I've got this," she says as she leaps up to the vent with ease.
Anakin jumps up after her, but sees Wrecker running back, "What are you doing?" He yells as Wrecker starts throwing charges.
"I'm putting an end to Tambor's little science experiment," he says with pride as he runs back to plant more bombs.
"Are you done?" Anakin asks before the droid breaches the door, "Time's up!" He yells as he lifts Wrecker in the air with the Force as he and Evelyn climb up a little more to make room.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Wrecker says as the exterminator starts shooting purple electricity out of it, "Oh, no! What is that thing? I don't like it!" He yells as the lightning gets a bit too close to his chest, "I don't like it! It's trying to get me! Whoa!" After Anakin gets him into the vent, it automatically shuts.
"Come on," Anakin grunts as the three make their way up to the ventilation shaft.
"Huh," Tech looks in interest, "This ventilation corridor acts as a cooling system for all the computers in the facility," he says as he looks at his data pad.
"How did you know it was up here, Echo?" Anakin asks as they turn a corner. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Evelyn breathing hard intentionally so she could see her breath which brings him to smile at her.
"Well, they got access to my memory, and I got access to the Techno Union database," Echo explains as Anakin nods, "All their plans, inventory, building schematics... everything."
"You mean you can find us a safe way out of here?" Hunter asks as Echo lets go of Rex.
"Well, there is a way, but you're not gonna like it," Echo says as he opens the door to a metal pipe that's about 100 meters long. "There's a landing pad on that other building," Echo says as he points to the other side of the suspended pipe.
"So, you think there's a ship there we can steal?" Crosshair asks as he lets go of the door.
"Well, I hope there's a ship we can steal," Echo quips back as he stands up.
Anakin stood beside Evelyn, "I'll go first; you go last. If something happens, buy us some time," he instructed. Evelyn nodded, a hint of concern in her eyes.
"Let's hope this plan isn't for nothing!" Crosshair exclaimed as they followed Anakin and Hunter onto the bridge.
"Oh, boy. I can't even look," Wrecker says as he hesitantly steps onto the bridge, "Just keep walking, Tech."
"That's fine, but if you fall, don't take me with you," Tech responded dryly as Evelyn made her way onto the bridge.
"Hang on, Wrecker," Hunter reassured him, "We're almost there."
"Uh-oh. I looked!" Wrecker says as Evelyn stops as Wrecker flails his arms for a quick moment, "Ahh! I think I'm gonna be sick. Not gonna panic."
"Wrecker, if you fall, I'll catch you, but I really don't want to," she says with a smirk as Wrecker stabilizes himself.
Suddenly, droids appeared on the edges of the pipe, trapping the group. Anakin and Evelyn ignited their lightsabers, ready for a fight. "Hunter, take over," Anakin said as he backflipped to Evelyn's side of the bridge.
"Change of plans," he told her, and she nodded, blocking blaster bolts with her lightsaber.
"What's the new one?" She asked as Anakin took a step back to stand beside her.
"Go to the front and charge through the droids," Anakin says as he looks at the dozen droids blocking the entrance.
A shot gets past Anakin's sight as Evelyn gets shot in the hand wielding her lightsaber as it immediately gets shattered to pieces falling to the abyss, "No!" He yells, unleashing a powerful Force push that sent the remaining droids scattering. He rushed to Evelyn's side, concerned about her injury.
Evelyn attempted to shrug it off, but the pain was evident in her eyes. "Ow," she said shakily, and Anakin examined her wound, seeing a hole the size of several credits burned through her hand.
Anakin called for Rex, who quickly arrived. "Take her to the ship; I'll be there in a few moments," Anakin ordered.
"No way, I'm not leaving without you," Evelyn protested weakly as Wrecker prepared to lug her over his shoulder.
"I'm gonna jump to the other side when I cut that side off. I'll be fine," Anakin says as he places a hand on her cheek, "I promise. I'll take care of you on the ship, okay?" He says gently as Evelyn weakly nods as Wrecker takes her away.
"What about the General?" Hunter asks as Anakin jumps off the entrance to the other platform and slices the entry and exit points, causing the pipe to fall as he jumps back over to where everyone is standing, "Oh," Hunter says with a chuckle, impressed by the Jedi.
"We gotta move fast," Anakin insists, taking Evelyn from Wrecker and making his way down to the platform, seeing a decently sized ship, "That one," he says, motioning towards it with his head.
"Wait what about our ship?" Hunter asks as he stands in front of Anakin, "We still need it."
"If we go back to the Poletec, all of these droids will follow," Anakin says seriously, "I have a plan that gets us back to the ship as well as getting us off this planet alive," he says as Hunter nods.
With that, Anakin and Tech boarded a nearby speeder. "Evelyn, Tech, and I will take the speeder to the village. The rest of you create a distraction and blow this place to smithereens. Got it?" Anakin ordered, and the clones immediately complied, boarding the ship.
"It hurts," Evelyn tells Anakin as he rubs circles on her arm. Just through that act, she knows what exactly he's saying.
"Get us there as fast as you can, Tech," Anakin says darkly as Tech nods. Knowing how much he hates this; he presses two fingers on her forehead as she immediately passes out in his arms, relieving her from the pain of her injury.
~~~
Evelyn was settled beside Anakin in the dimly lit barracks aboard the cruiser, her gaze soft and inquisitive. Anakin's fingers moved delicately as he worked on bandaging her hand, taking great care to avoid the intricate web of wires and robotic components that now occupied a portion of her palm. The shot that had caused her injury had obliterated the natural tissue, causing her to get electrical implants in her palm.
With a gentle smile, she began, "So tell me," her eyes gleaming with curiosity, "How did you become such a mastermind on the battlefield?" The sincerity in her voice was evident, and her playfulness as she bumped her shoulder against his was endearing.
Anakin chuckled softly, his blue eyes occasionally flickering away from his task to meet her gaze. "I don't know," he admitted, a hint of humility in his voice, "It's like a second nature to me. I see different strategies, different ways to gain an advantage, and I try to never hesitate to make the call because I have this certainty that it'll work," he explained, his eyes returning to his work as he continued to bandage her hand, filtering hints of bacta to heal the edges of her wound. Evelyn nodded in understanding, her expression filled with respect and admiration for the man in front of her.
As he finished wrapping the gauze around her hand, Anakin let his hand linger on her knee, a gentle, reassuring gesture. "All better," he said with a soft smile, and Evelyn returned the smile with gratitude shining in her eyes. In that moment, the dimly lit barracks seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them in their own world.
There was an unspoken connection between them, something that's been there since the beginning. Anakin didn't see her solely as his mentee; she was his equal, his confidante. Her presence had a unique aura, a magnetic pull that was difficult to resist.
Their four blue eyes locked onto each other, and for that fleeting moment, it felt as if nothing else in the galaxy mattered.
As soon as Evelyn's eyes flickered just a few inches south of Anakin's eyes, the door slams open, Rex urgently walking in, "Sirs, General Kenobi has requested to see you in the communications room," the captain says as the two Jedi nod as they stand up and walk to the holo-table, sneaking quick glances at each other pretending that the other didn't notice.
Anakin entered the room to find his old master waiting for him, "Everything alright, Master?" Evelyn inquired, showing her concern as Obi-Wan turned to face them.
"I'm afraid not," the Council Member replied, running his fingers through his beard, "Anaxes is almost lost-"
"And we need your help," Obi-Wan's statement was interrupted by the entrance of Mace Windu, "How far are you from this location?"
"Not far," Anakin responded, pushing a button on the table, "We'll be there within the hour," he confirmed, appreciating how Evelyn had already taken the initiative to reroute the course to Anaxes, causing a warm smile to grow across his face.
~~~
Once the squad reaches Anaxes, they take the Marauder to Mace Windu's Cruiser, "This is the one we don't like, right?" Evelyn asks with curiosity as Anakin keeps a stern look while crossing his arms.
"Sometimes," he responds as Evelyn nods, getting the hint to not talk about it. As they land, Anakin and Evelyn depart to the bridge as the clones stay back and prepare while Echo is carted away for medical examination.
Anakin chuckles when he sees that Evelyn is still fiddling with her new palm which has been healed by robotic implants, "It takes a while to get used to it, but it'll be great once you do," Anakin say as Evelyn smiles at her friend, entering the bridge to see Mace and Obi-Wan on the holo table.
"We have more than a dozen active battlefronts on Anaxes, and we are losing nearly everyone," Mace says, briefing Anakin and Evelyn on the mission as he pulls up a holo map of Anaxes, "But if Admiral Trench can no longer anticipate our moves, we now have the opportunity to retake the planet," he finishes as he clenches his fist.
"I can improve your chances," Echo says, walking up to the meeting as the five turn to him in shock, not expecting him to be on his feet that quickly.
"Eh, excuse me, Generals," Rex says as he walks over to the recovering Arc Trooper. They make their ways to each other before Rex puts a hand on Echo's shoulder, "Echo, I'm sorry, but I just don't think you're ready for battle yet."
"I am not a liability, Rex," Echo reassures with a bit of anger, "I'm the best chance we have to take back Anaxes," Echo says as Rex still looks unsure.
"If the trooper has a plan, I'd like to hear it," Mace says as Anakin nods in agreement for once.
"May I?" Echo asks his captain as Rex steps aside and Echo walks to the table, readying his robotic arm, "While Master Windu leads a team to retake the assembly complex, the Bad Batch will escort me into Trench's new comm vault, which, according to current intel, is now located on this Separatist Dreadnought above Anaxes," Echo says, switching the projection to a Separatist Dreadnaught ,"Once I'm plugged in, I can feed Trench strategies, but this time, you'll know every move before he makes it," he continues, looking at the Generals before pulling his arm out of the system.
"And you are certain that if we get you onboard that ship, that you can convince Trench's army to do what you want?" Mace Windu asks, bringing a hand to his chin.
"Absolutely," Echo responds without hesitation, "Unfortunately, I've been doing this for a while," he says in shame before lifting his head back up, "but this time I can help bring about a Republic victory instead of a defeat," Echo finishes passionately as Mace and Obi-Wan nod at each other.
Anakin and Evelyn make their way out of the bridge with Rex and Echo, "Rex, you and Echo go get the Bad Batch ready while I go get Commander Zaad prepared."
"Yes, sir," Rex says as he and Echo run off to the docking bay.
"Come on," Anakin urged, tilting his head toward the storage room, "You need a weapon," His words were laced with seriousness and a touch of playfulness. Evelyn bit down hard on her lip, trying to hide the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips.
"Lead the way, Skywalker," she replied with a light giggle, falling into step beside him as they briskly headed to the storage room.
"Be glad Master Yoda made sure to supply Jedi Cruisers with crystals after the situation on Cato Nemoidia," Anakin remarked with a chuckle, his voice filled with a mix of nostalgia and amusement. Evelyn, however, furrowed her eyebrows in curiosity.
"What situation?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. Anakin simply shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Nah, I can't tell you," Anakin admitted, a smirk dancing on his lips, Evelyn's gaze pressing him for the answer, "Obi-Wan would kill me if I told you!" He raised his hands in a mock defensive gesture, as if to shield himself from Evelyn's inquiries.
"Uh huh," Evelyn responded with a sassy tilt of her head, her playful demeanor matching his. "Just give me a fucking laser sword, please," she quipped back with a hint of sarcasm, her impatience showing. Anakin couldn't help but burst into laughter, his vibrant laughter filling the room.
As he reached into the drawer and handed her a silver lightsaber with wooden detailing on the side, Evelyn ignited it to reveal a bright orange blade. Anakin's eyes widened in surprise and slight dismay.
"Kriff!" he exclaimed, attempting to retrieve the saber from her grasp, but Evelyn skillfully avoided his attempt, shaking her head with a playful smile, "Wasn't supposed to give you that one, but I guess it's fine," Anakin conceded with a nonchalant shrug. They continued their journey, saber in hand, toward the docking bay, their laughter echoing in the corridors of the cruiser.
~~~
As Anakin, Evelyn, and the clones make their way through the Separatist cruiser, they finally set their sights on the command tower they're looking for, "There it is," Evelyn says, letting a sigh of relief leave her mouth.
"Impatient I see," Anakin turns to her with a smile as Evelyn shrugs, "You're not wrong," he says, turning back around to face Tech, who's running an interface on the panel.
Echo turns to Anakin, "General, we should make sure there's no other entrances to this facility," Anakin nods and runs out to do some recon.
Echo squats down and connects to the tower, "All right, I have access to everything and good timing," he says, turning to his comrades, "I just scanned a strategy request Trench sent to the Techno Union."
"Wait," Tech interrupts as he puts an arm out, "You can't just send a signal from here," he reasons.
"Why not?" Echo asks in confusion, clearly not aware of how the system works.
"We have to make it appear as if your signal is originating from Skako Minor," Tech explains with diligence, "Otherwise, they'll know we are here," he finishes as Echo nods at him.
While the clones are arguing, Evelyn felt a gentle hand on her arm and was pulled out of the room. She turned around to find Anakin with a mischievous smile, his finger pressed to her lips in a hushed gesture.
He held his com-link in the air, ensuring that the both of them could hear the transmission coming through, "At this point in the Clone War, I have dismantled and destroyed over 100,000 of your Type One battle droids," they heard Mace Windu's voice over the comm.
Though, Evelyn wasn't really focused on what was happening on the comm, rather on how close she and Anakin were standing. She was slowly inching closer to him by the second, and she realized that Anakin was doing the exact same thing, causing a warmth to spread onto her face.
"I'm giving you an opportunity to peacefully lay down your weapons so that you may be reprogrammed to serve a better purpose than spreading mindless violence and chaos throughout the galaxy," Windu continued, his voice echoing in the message.
Anakin quickly turned off the comm, and Evelyn couldn't help but burst into laughter at the naiveness of the Jedi Master, unconsciously placing her hands on Anakin's chest for stability.
"He does know that they're programmed to destroy anyone and everything right?" She asks as Anakin can't get words out, flustered by the fact that Evelyn's chest is now flushed against his, "I mean, they're not very good at it, but they still try."
~~~
"What do you mean there's a bomb?" Obi-Wan's voice crackled through Anakin's comm link, urgency lacing his words.
Anakin ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident on his face. "There's a bomb showing up on the scan we ran," he replied, his brows furrowing as he processed the information. "It's in the fusion reactor."
"I'm on my way," Anakin heard Mace Windu's voice chiming in, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes as he disconnected the comm link.
Anakin swiftly turns to Echo, "I found the bomb. Echo, what's the sequence?" Anakin asked, taking charge of the situation.
Echo began relaying the sequence, but he was abruptly cut off as a wave of electricity surged through him, rendering him unconscious. Evelyn reacted quickly, catching the fallen clone before he hit the floor.
"Shit!" Evelyn exclaimed, her voice tinged with frustration, as she cradled Echo in her arms.
"Echo, are you there?" Windu's voice echoed over the comm.
"Master Windu, Trench took out Echo," she panted, her concern evident, "We can't get you the last number of the sequence. I'm sorry," Evelyn reluctantly admitted.
"It's quite alright, Padawan," Mace replied, using a tone that irritated Evelyn. She felt that he was condescending, and it gets on her nerves every time he mindlessly tells her what to do, "Get to safety and get everyone out of there," he instructed, dismissing her.
Anakin looks at Evelyn, "You got this?"
She gives him a reassuring nod, "Alright, meet you in the hangar," he says, turning on his heel and running towards the command bridge.
~~~
Anakin ignited his lightsaber, ready for action, as the doors to Trench's chamber slid open, revealing the imposing command droid. With a swift and calculated strike, Anakin sliced off the droid's head, sending it tumbling backward.
"Jedi scum," Trench hissed, and the surrounding battle droids began to encircle Anakin. However, they were no match for his skill and agility, and he swiftly dispatched them with ease.
Trench attempted to catch Skywalker off guard, firing a shock web at him, but Anakin executed a gravity-defying flip to evade it. He cornered Trench, placing his ignited lightsaber dangerously close to the alien's throat.
"Tell me the sequence to disarm the bomb," Anakin demanded, his tone resolute.
"Never," Trench defiantly responded. "Dooku would kill me for losing Anaxes."
Anakin's eyes bore into Trench, a steely coldness that sent shivers down the cyborg's spine, "And you think I won't?" Anakin retorted, his voice dripping with menace.
"You're a Jedi," Trench mockingly sneered. "You're nobility—"
Anakin swiftly silences Trench's taunts by slicing off all three of his arms in one fluid motion. "I don't have such weaknesses!" Anakin roared, pointing his saber at Trench's throat, "Now, let's try this again. Tell me the sequence to the bomb!" Anakin's voice was unwavering as Trench finally gave in.
"It's seven!" Trench yells as Anakin keeps his saber to Trench's throat.
"Master Windu," Anakin says into the comm link, "Trench was kind enough to tell me the code himself. Try seven," Anakin says as Mace agrees.
"Good work, Skywalker," Mace Windu acknowledged after successfully disarming the bomb, his tone indicating a grudging respect, somewhat enjoying working with the unorthodox knight.
"You both owe me one now," Anakin says with a chuckle. Just then Trench electrocutes Anakin with his staff before Anakin stabs trench through the throat, killing the Separatist Admiral immediately.
As Trench fell lifeless to the floor, Anakin walked over to a nearby panel, swiftly entering a sequence of keys. A trigger popped out, and Anakin couldn't help but grin.
"Wrecker's gonna love this," he muttered to himself before dashing out of the room, leaving Trench's lifeless form behind.
"Admiral, it was a pleasure," Anakin said almost casually, paying his respects to the fallen enemy before rejoining the fight.
~~~
"Wrecker!" Evelyn's voice cut through the chaos, her squad struggling against the relentless onslaught of droids, "Go!"
Wrecker grinned ear to ear, handing his blaster to Hunter, cracking his knuckles, "Time to release the wrecking ball!" he bellowed, charging headlong into the hallway, his massive frame crashing through and dismantling the droids left and right.
Hunter glanced at Evelyn, a wry smile on his face, "I honestly feel bad for those droids," he remarked, earning a light chuckle from her.
"It's all clear!" Wrecker's triumphant voice echoed back to them as he dispatched the last of the droids.
But Tech's alert interrupted their moment of relief, "There's more!" he warned, and Crosshair swiftly moved to the front.
"Go!" Crosshair ordered, his blaster at the ready, "I'll buy you some time."
Evelyn nodded, leading her squad out of the hallway. Crosshair swiftly threw reflectors on the walls, as the squad fought off the droids.
"Aw man!" Wrecker's voice echoed down the hall, "He's gonna try and top me!"
Tech's sensors picked up more approaching droids, and Evelyn racked her brain, attempting to embrace her inner Skywalker senses, but failing to do so.
"Hope you're not waiting on me!" Anakin's voice boomed as he sprinted toward them. Evelyn's face lit up as he winked at her in passing.
"Now all we're missing is Crosshair," Hunter remarked, and as if on cue, Crosshair raced down the hallway, methodically attaching reflectors to every available surface.
"You miss me?" Crosshair asked dryly, aiming his rifle as the droids poured into the corridor, "How touching," he chuckled, shooting the first reflector, his blaster shot ricocheting off the walls, annihilating the oncoming droids.
Wrecker stood dumbfounded, but Hunter approached him with reassurance, "Relax, Wrecker. You'll top him next time."
"No, he won't," Crosshair retorted, walking past Wrecker, and boarding their ship nonchalantly.
"Hey, Wrecker," Anakin said with a grin as the squad was back in the ship, "I've got a present for you."
He held out a trigger, and Evelyn couldn't help but smile at his kindness.
"Aw, seriously?" Wrecker's eyes practically sparkled with excitement. "I get to blow it up? The whole stinking thing?!" His grin grew even wider as he eagerly accepted the trigger. Blinking back a tear, he added, "This is the happiest day of my life."
With a press of the button, Wrecker triggered the explosion that obliterated the entire Separatist fleet.
~~~
As they touched down on the Republic base of Anaxes, Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi were there to meet them. Anakin and Evelyn stood next to their superior Masters, the proud looks on their faces evident.
"Captain Rex, Corporal Echo, and Clone Force 99," Mace Windu began, his voice resolute, "you have all done a great service for the Republic. Thanks to your courage and effort, Republic shipyards will soon be up and running again. You've got some medals coming your way," he concluded before departing with Obi-Wan.
"Thank you, General," Rex said sincerely, but he turned to the Bad Batch. "You coming?"
"Not really our thing," Tech responded, with Echo nodding in agreement.
Taking that as their cue to leave, Anakin and Evelyn turned around. Evelyn playfully body-checked Anakin, causing him to sway slightly. Her action drew a playful laugh from him, "You know, if I did that to you, you'd be flying across this shipyard."
Evelyn rolled her eyes, a mischievous pout gracing her lips. "Of course, I know that, and that's why I take advantage of the fact that you could never bring yourself to hurt me in any way possible," Her teasing tone flipping Anakin's stomach upside down, and back around again.
"You're not wrong," Anakin admitted with a soft smile. Evelyn's fingers traced along his right arm, sending a pleasant shiver through him.
"Race you to the mess hall!" Evelyn declared before swiftly yanking Anakin's sleeve out of its tucked position and dashing away.
Anakin looks at her running off and shakes his head a little before he starts to sprint out after her.
another thursday, another chapter. thanks for reading!