"She's everything to me. She is- they are. I should be with them. I should never... I should never have..."
Anakin nodded. "We're doing everything we can." At the single utterance of those words, Shining Armor's head bolted upward. Anakin Skywalker tried to make his voice, his demeanor, even his presence in the Force as calm and reassuring as it could be. "We need you to focus. Right now, they need you. We all do."
Shining Armor nodded. He was fighting back an emotional storm just behind his eyes, bucking at them like a wave crashing against a door, beckoning them to start leaking. He was able to hold it back, for now.
Anakin put a hand on the pony's shoulder. "It's never easy, especially when it's those we care about."
"General..." Shining Armor said again, "She..."
Anakin nodded again, locking eyes with him. "I know, your highness. Believe me, I know exactly what you're going through. We'll get her back to you, no matter what." He turned and walked away, knowing there was nothing more he could say.
Anakin stepped into the room. "Alright, we know what the situation is. The royal family is being held hostage in the Crystal Palace. The entire city's been evacuated but some bizarre weather interference is preventing us from sending in gunships or even getting a good scan of the area. That is where you come in."
Captain Rex, the General's able clone adviser, practically spun on his heels as he turned to address them. If Anakin Skywalker was a swift blade, Captain Rex was a giant hammer.
"We're gonna smash our way right up to the heart of the city. Blast any clanker that gets in our way, turn whatever defenses they've got into rubble. These Seps are dug in, they're supplied and they will hit hard. So we will hit them harder," Rex said. The captain had the gift of straightening spines and stiffening resolve with words alone.
Finally, Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's Jedi padawan approached from the side. She stood in between her master and Rex. She was a small and young togruta, but with surprising skill... and a skill for surprise.
"As soon as the attack begins, a covert team will make our way into the city from the opposite side. Their goal will be to infiltrate the Crystal Palace and rescue the royal family being held hostage." Ahsoka was still a learner, but had a knack for outflanking the enemy and hitting them where they were weakest. She was also quite quick on her feet and highly adaptable, like her master, as well as aggressive on the offense and very sneaky. There was no doubt among the men that she was leading the infiltration team.
Rex nodded. "But you boys will be doing more than providing a diversion. The royal family are under heavy guard inside the Crystal Palace. As you penetrate the Separatists' defenses, you'll be creating the exit route for the rescue team. We can't use gunships, so we will be using speeders to get the team out quickly. I will be leading the ground assault with the five-oh-first. Our objectives will be to knock out power to defenses and any hardened anti-armor positions."
No one flinched at the sound of anti-armor. Long-range artillery, rocket droids, even landmines and the Separatists' expansive arsenal of droid tanks all posed a threat to the tankers' All-Terrain Tactical Enforcers. Nothing they hadn't seen before, nothing they hadn't all lost brothers to. They'd lock horns with anything if they had to for the Republic.
"You can expect a lot of those," Anakin said. "You men have the most important job of all- clearing the way. To get the hostages out as quickly as possible, we'll be using speeders to get them out. That path is going to have to be clear."
"You have your assignment," Rex bellowed, shouldering between Anakin and Ahsoka. "Now, get to your stations. Five-oh-first, prepare for combat!"
"Sir, yes sir!" was there unified response, a chorus combined into a single booming voice. The clones filed out as orderly and efficiently as could be expected from their years of drills and constant training. The soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic, brothers all, were in many ways more precise and disciplined in their actions than the droids they'd be facing.
Although they wouldn't just be facing droids. None of them knew that at the time. The hangar emptied quickly leaving only Anakin, Ahsoka and Rex. The doors opened from behind. Shining Armor quietly rejoined them.
"They'll get the job done, your highness," Skywalker said.
"I know," Shining said. "Because I'm coming with you."
"Your highness, sir..." Rex and the others began. But Prince Shining Armor would have none of it.
"Your planning on sneaking into the Crystal Palace? Well, you'll need somepony that knows the in's and out's. I know that palace better than anypony else," Shining said, voice full of confidence. "I want to be on the infiltration team."
"Prince Armor, we understand you're wanting to help, but it's very dangerous," Ahsoka said. "You should really-"
Let us handle it was what she was about to say. But she never got the chance. Anakin stepped forward and said, "Alright."
"Master?"
"Sir?"
"He's right- no one else knows the Crystal Palace better than him. And time will be of the essence. The best chance of getting them out safely and fast is to have him come with us," Anakin said.
"I... but, I already have my team picked out," Ahsoka protested. "Ply, Stock, Skifter and Slide and me."
"And Shining Armor," Skywalker added, also a way of confirming his order. "He'll be added to the team."
"We'll get you suited up, sir. Follow me," Rex said. Less insubordinate than Ahsoka, Rex wasn't just blindly loyal; he knew there was a reason Skywalker did things his way. His methods weren't always clear, but the clone captain had long ago learned to accept his reasoning. He led Shining Armor out of the hangar and to the armory to get him kitted for the mission.
Ahsoka had already folded her arms. Her mission just got more difficult. You didn't have to be a Jedi to know what was on her mind.
"Snips, I know what you're going to say."
"No, you're right," she said, mock-throwing her hands up. "He'll probably know a secret passage or something right into the center of the palace."
"That does tend to be the case with royalty."
"And what if he leads us right into a trap? Master, we've already planned our route into AND out of the palace. This decision doesn't make sense- he's not a soldier."
Anakin looked over his shoulder. "He was. More than that, he is a husband. And a father," he said, his voice sounding heavy. "Telling him he couldn't do this would be..." He stopped. Padme came to mind, his own wife. She'd been in danger before and he'd been unable to help her right away. He knew that feeling. Even then, it was too overwhelming to deal with so he pushed aside, focused on the mission. "It's better this way. For him and for us."
The slightest tinge of pain from that feeling, the thought of being unable to help Padme, it welled up in Anakin but didn't quite surface. Still, it was powerful enough in the Force for Ahsoka to just barely feel it, like a fish moving underneath the surface of a vast lake. It didn't break the surface, but it bubbled up just a bit. Ahsoka didn't think much of it; to her, it was just a strong emotion. She could have had no idea it was linked to someone else she knew.
"I understand, Skyguy."
"Uh-uh," Skywalker stopped her. "While we're on deck."
"Yes, master."
"There we go. Let's hope Admiral Yularen hasn't drank all the caf again."
"Or eaten all the meat rolls," Ahsoka added.
Anakin shrugged. "Actually, that was me last time."
"Figures. Master."
The trio of Venators that made up the Republic task force cruised toward Equestria at a slow speed, the R.A.S. Arbitrator in the lead. There were a couple of reasons for this: one, to not appear aggressive and two, to keep active scanning. The ships moved at a slow but steady speed, keeping up regular scans, collecting all sensor data after each sweep and analyzing it. All very precise, steady and methodical, like the Grand Army of the Republic itself.
As they got to a certain point, their hangar doors on their dorsal prows opened. Starfighters, gunships and shuttles launched rapidly from each of the three vessels, streaming towards the planet. Nothing but empty space between them and the bright orb of the Far Rim World.
Payday and Archer Squadron were some of the first out. He flew his BTL-B Y-Wing squadron in a tight but smooth formation, heading straight for the planet.
"Keep it close but loose, boys. Close but loose," Payday said. He pulled up on the controls, rising a bit and then leveled out to stay even with Equestria's equator.
All was quiet. Peaceful. For a few brief moments, his squadron circled the deploying gunships as they made their way to Equestria like migrating birds.
And then came the ping.
"Separatist contact! Northern hemisphere, contact active!"
Payday grinned. Those quiet moments didn't last long, usually. It was time to get to work once again.
He gunned his ship and banked sharply towards the planet, racing back over the LAAT/i and LAAT/cs deploying.
"Archer Squadron, form up! Our tanks are gonna have their work cut out for them today. Let's make their job easier before they land, boys!"
The bombers and gunships broke through Equestria's atmosphere like arrows. The Republic operations had begun.