Star Wars: This War, Page 3

had when he was trying to come up with an answer. Why hadn't the Seps gone hot as the Republic cruisers entered the system? "They are damaged," Rex finally said. The idea had come to him like a flash. It has something to do with the training he had received. Speed training made ideas speed into the brain. Or at least that is what he thought. Maybe he was just lucky sometimes and the generals were the ones putting the thoughts in his head. If that was the case, it gave him the creeps.

  "What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked her voice growing slightly shrill. "They are waiting for us, it's a trap."

  Anakin considered what Rex had said. "Commander Cody," Anakin asked looking at the replica of Rex, wearing yellow highlighted armor, who stood next to Obi-wan. "Your thoughts."

  "I agree," Cody said through the helmet. "They aren't able to move or power up. Otherwise they would be hot on our tails by now. They can't maneuver or they are just as stupid as we thought them always to be."

  This comment solicited a laugh from Rex and Anakin. Anakin gave Obi-wan a wary look and stopped laughing.

  "If you two are finished. I say we pay them a visit," Obi-wan said punching a button and watching the display disappear. "Let's go over and say hello."

  "Yes Sir," Cody and Rex said enthusiastically. They were always up for a chance to blow up some droids.

  "You are either brilliant," Anakin said to Rex clamping him on the shoulder, "Or you are going to get us killed."

  "I hope neither," Rex laughed with a wry sound to his voice. "I still owe you shore leave."

  Anakin laughed as he and Ahsoka jogged to catch up with Obi-wan and Cody. "I'll keep you to that."

  The Mission

  Anakin pulled back the yoke of his fighter, sending it into a spiraling dive towards Pelicd, a barren rock with only one moon. There was no cloud cover to hide the incoming fighters, but Anakin had come up with a plan. He thought the best course of action was to swing low over the planet and follow the gravitational pull as the planet rotated towards the position of the Separatist cruisers. It was risky, but if anyone could pull it off, Anakin was sure this was the group who could do it.

  "Everyone report in," Anakin said keying his comm unit. He pulled back on the yoke and brought his fighter parallel to the face of Pelicd. He eased off the thrust, coasting easily through the thin layer of atmosphere.

  "Gold one standing by," Ahsoka chirped through the intercom. He could hear the smile in her voice. She had become a much more competent pilot as the days had gone by. The jedi trained in flying, but being rated for the use of all the equipment used during campaigns was something that took time. He was very impressed with her abilities and the way she caught on to everything quickly. It kept them from having to retrain her every time it was time to go up on a flight.

  "Gold two standing by," Obi-wan said precisely through the intercom. Anakin thought he noted a tightness in his former master's voice, but he put the sound down to interference from the gravitational pull of Pelicd. Obi-wan had been in more skirmishes than Anakin could possibly imagine. Sometimes, Anakin had to remember that Obi-wan had been involved in the war on Naboo. He had seen more than Anakin could imagine. And then he had been made a knight overnight and become his master and he had to put up with everything Anakin brought with him. That was something to be commended.

  "Gold three standing by," Rex said. The intercom cut off quickly. Either he was having a conversation with Commander Cody privately through their helmet comm or it was the training. Anakin shook his head and smiled. Rex was good company for Anakin. Someone who knew what it was like to lead troops. Someone who didn't ask questions when orders were given because Rex didn't talk back to those in charge. Rex didn't let Anakin get away with sloppy orders though and it felt good to be accountable to someone. Someone who understood.

  "Gold four standing by," Cody said in the same voice as Rex. For all Anakin knew it could've been Rex, but he knew that the clones wouldn't do something like that, it just wasn't in their nature. They weren't the best at practical jokes and Anakin had seen some of their jokes go terribly wrong. Plus, Anakin hated to say it, it was bred out of them. It felt strange to think of them that way, like they were animals, but it was the terminology most of the Kaminoans used when talking about the clones. They were products and nothing more to the scientists who created them.

  "You okay sir?" Rex asked through the ship-to-ship channel. Rex didn't want the others to hear what he was asking. "You seem distracted and now is not the best time to be that way."

  "Thanks Rex," Anakin said after he had switched to the same channel. "Just getting some of that pre-boarding energy. Ya know the feeling." Rex laughed. His filtered voice ringing through the cockpit of Anakin's fighter.

  "I do," Rex agreed. "It'll be all over soon and we will be blowing up some tinnies." Rex clicked off the comm and Anakin maneuvered into position. The other fighters formed a V shape behind him and they all slowed. It was crucial to catch the rotation movement of the planet. To slip into the orbit and wait to come around.

  "We'll only have minutes to get into those ships," Ahsoka said. She was excited and running through the possibilities in her head. The nervousness and excitement playing a careful dance within her body.

  "Just sit tight Snips!" Anakin said and slowed even more. The key was making it into the slot. Anakin checked his scope and the rotational information. "Insertion in three, two, one."

  The seconds ticked away and Anakin angled for the planet, the rest of the group followed suit and they were in. Now they only had to wait to come around to where the ships were. Anakin powered down all non-essential operating systems and waited. His body was primed and tense for battle.

  "Are you sure this will work?" Obi-wan asked on the ship-to-ship channel. "I know you have some great plans, but will we have enough time to get across to space to where the ships are?"

  "I feel it master," Anakin said closing his eyes and meditating on the plan. He could see it there in his mind. All the things which the force would help him with and guide his hands to do. "I know I'm right about this."

  "I'm right behind you," Obi-wan said. "As always."

  Anakin smiled. His eyes still closed he continued to watch through the force. The planet shifting underneath his fighter. The two ships hiding out behind Pelicd were almost in sight now. Anakin saw it in his mind. His hands hovered over his controls waiting for the exact moment when he would blast his engines and head at break neck speed towards the two ships.

  "I can't get a read on shielding," Ahsoka came across the comm. "How do we know if they are up or down?"

  "Shhh," Anakin said, eyes still closed and concentrating. "We will know."

  He was at peace. One with the planet, the moon and the fighters. Anakin knew where they were going and he knew now the precise moment to get there. "Fire them up!"

  Leading the way, Anakin charged towards the ships, burying his yoke into the main console of his ship. Pushing the ship to it's limit, even with all the modifications which he had made. He could feel the ship's engines pulsing under him as he made it perform a spiral towards the main hanger of the Sep ships.

  The others followed behind Anakin spreading out into a staggered arc as they headed towards the landing bay. They were going to enter the bay hot and shut down once they had passed through the forcefield which stopped the atmosphere from leaking out of the ship. Anakin could never understand why this was standard on a Sep ship. They were mostly droids and didn't need to breath.

  "We are almost there," Anakin said getting a bad feeling about the lack of laser fire. "Anyone see any droids?"

  "None on the scope," Rex stated briefly his voice tense with the heat of impending battle.

  They were almost to the portal. Something didn't feel right to Anakin. "Do you feel it Obi-wan?" Anakin asked in a concentrated voice. Something just on the edge of his consciousness, nagging at him, pulling him to stop.

  "I do," Obi-wan said. "Pull up, it's a trap!"

  Anakin yanked back on the stick and his fighter barely
skimmed the hull of the other ship. Sparks spat from underneath his fighter as he fought to get control of it again. He wobbled to either side. Finally he leveled out and what he saw frightened him. A huge mass of vulture droids already in the air and waiting. How had they not seen them? Maybe a new shielding technology. Anakin couldn't imagine how he had made such a mistake.

  "Master!" Ahsoka cried in a shrill voice. "Get out of there."

  Anakin could see that the other fighters were already looping back around to head back to the cruisers and safety. Anakin, however, hadn't had as much notice to pull up and now found himself flying straight into the middle of the swarm of droids.

  "Go back to the cruisers!" Anakin shouted snapping off volley after volley at the droids. "Get them out of here!"

  Anakin twisted and turned, looping back on his own trajectory several times to get a better shot at some of the droids. This was an elaborate trap. There had been a lot of thought put into it. There was only one person who wanted them that badly. Grievous.

  "We won't leave you master," Ahsoka said. She started to turn her fighter towards where he continued to fight the droids now baring down on his position.

  "Ahsoka," Anakin snapped. "I'll be fine. Meet you back at the ship. Now hurry."

  He wasn't sure how he would meet her back at the ship, but he had to say something to get her to go back. Anakin was trying to