Chapter 52: The Deserter
It is the quest for honor that makes one honorable.
Recap: Fugitive! Though the Republic has won many decisive battles against the Separatist army in the Outer Rim, the Jedi have failed to capture the elusive General Grievous. After specifically targeting members of the Jedi Council, a trap was set, but following a fierce confrontation, the droid general managed to escape to the surface of the planet Saleucami. Now the chase is on as General Kenobi and General Storm lead a squadron of clone troopers and closes in on his desperate target.
After escaping, Grievous had managed to make it down to the planet Saleucami. However, the Jedi and their forces were hot on their trail as they didn't have much time before they were found.
"We must find a way off this planet before they find us," said Grievous as he then looked up into the sky to see some Republic cruisers, "Kenobi! We need to hurry and find an escape pod."
The Republic cruiser landed as the Republic forces were all descending the ramp. They brought everything they could muster as they so badly wanted to capture Grievous. Storm and Obi-wan were walking with Rex as they were going over their plan to find the cyborg.
"Instead of scattering our troops looking for all the escape pods, we shall head towards the wreckage of the landing transport first," instructed Obi-wan.
They were coming over a hill as all around them were nothing but clones and all types of machinery.
"Contact the fleet," said Grievous as he could hear the sounds of the Republic forces coming to get him from miles away.
"Sir, our transmitter is destroyed. There is only one escape pod that survived," said a B1 droid as he had a device in his hand.
"We must get there as quickly as possible. Let's hope the transmitter is still intact. Now, find me some transportation." ordered Grievous to his droids.
The AT-TE walkers were marching as they were on the hunt for their prey. Clones all walked next to them as they were keeping an eye out for Grievous. On top of some AT-TE walkers, were Storm and Obi-wan as the pair were looking through binoculars. Both looked over a hill that the walker climbed over as they saw something in the distance. It was the wreckage of Grievous' ship that crash-landed.
"General Kenobi! General Storm! Sirs, the cruisers returned to orbit. Any sign of Grievous?" called out Rex as he and Sark appeared alongside the walkers on speeders.
"I believe we've found Grievous' ship," said the Jedi Master.
Meanwhile, the General was currently moving. The droids had managed to find him some transportation. They found a Reek as the General was currently riding it while they also managed to wrangle up some Eopies who served as pack mules. They were all currently traveling as the B1 droids were dragging their feet.
"Power low. Shutting down. I can't go on." said all the droids as they were running out of energy.
"Sir, we need to get our power recharged," said one of the B1 droids to Grievous.
"Not this again! How could your power cells be so depleted?" growled Grievous.
"You would not let us ride on one of those creatures with you, sir. If you would allow us to close down for a few..." said the droid before Grievous pulled out his lightsaber and cut him down.
"Any more complaints?" shouted Grievous to the others.
"No. Nope. No. No. I don't think so." said all the other droids as they were suddenly full of energy.
"That's what I thought. Now, let's find that pod," stated Grievous as he kept moving forward.
"Yikes," said one of the B1 droids as he saw the sliced body of his comrade.
With Obi-wan and Storm, the pair along with their forces had made it to the wreckage. They were now lifting parts and scouring the area to see if Grievous was nearby. They looked and looked.
"Thermal housing intakes are still warm. This couldn't have happened too long ago," said Cody to the Jedi.
"The crew compartment's almost entirely destroyed," said Rex to both Jedi.
"We'll split into teams," stated Storm.
"Rex, take Jesse, Hardcase, and Kix and search those wetlands. Sark, you and your men accompany them as backup," instructed Obi-wan.
"Yes, sir," replied Sark.
Both clone commanders then left to round up the individuals of their small squad.
"Cody, you, Crys, Storm, and I will pick it up from here. And, commanders, if you get a visual on Grievous, contact us before you engage," instructed the Jedi Master to both clone captains to not recklessly take on the cyborg.
Both nodded as they put on their helmets and met up with the small task force. All seven clones then got on their respective speeders as they were now zooming out into the wastelands.
"Rex is a smart man. And Sark's cunning will help give them an edge in tracking down Grievous," stated Cody as he saw his two best friends leave.
"Indeed. Always thinking on their feet," said Storm as he watched them disappear. "Now all I have to hope is that they don't get killed. Cause if Luna finds out her clones died under my watch. She's gonna kill me."
With that, the Jedi and Cody began to continue their search through the wreckage.
"These droids are too gone to give us any good intel," said a clone as all around them lay pieces of droids.
"Here's one!" shouted a clone as he looked inside of a wrecked pod.
Inside the pod was a droid fully intact.
"Let's load the droid in the tank. We'll inspect it on the go," stated Obi-wan.
Rex and Sark were leading the men through the wastelands. They were looking for any signs of their foes. As they were traveling, on the hill in front of them were some commando droids. Two of them had sniper rifles and each one of them was looking through them. Their weapons were aimed at both clone commanders as they aimed for their helmets.
"In range. Take the shot," said the commando droid next to them that was also lying down and looking through binoculars.
The droids then pulled the trigger. The blast traveled the droids managed to hit their targets. Both clone commanders were flung from their bikes as they hit the ground and tumbled.
"Protect the Captains!" shouted Jesse to both Kix and Claude as they turned to go back for their leaders while the others saw the droids.
The droids now turned to run as the others were shooting the guns on their speeders. They managed to take out two of them as one of them was still running. Ricochet pulled out his blaster as he began to aim while riding. He had the droid in his sights as he pointed the weapon a few inches to the left. The blast traveled as it went in the wrong direction. However, it then bounced off several objects before it returned and made contact with the droid's head. From afar, the body of the droid was shown as it stopped. Soon the head rolled off as it then slumped to the ground.
"Commando droids," said Hardcase to his brothers.
Both Claude and Kix made it to the fallen clone commanders as their armor showed the blast fired by the droids hitting them in the chest. They removed their helmets as they didn't open their eyes.
"This isn't good," said Claude as he put his hand on Sark's neck and felt the pulse slowly dying.
"Jesse, you better get back here," said Kix as he informed the others that the situation wasn't good.
Obi-wan and Storm were continuing their march with their massive army as the droid they picked up was being inspected. Cody and Crys had the droid hooked up as the commander had a pad in his hand.
"What do you have?" asked Storm as he and Obi-wan approached them.
"We've broken the access codes and powered up the droid's guidance system," said Crys to both Jedi.
"According to his memory logs, he fired the emergency thrusters on the escape pod to avoid a midair collision," said Cody.
"Collision with what?" asked Obi-wan.
"Another escape pod," answered Crys.
"There was no time to correct for the steeper glide path, which is why this droid's pod crashed," added Cody.
"Can you pinpoint the landing zone for the other pod?" asked Storm to the clone commander.
"I can put us within two to three clicks of it, sir."
"Alert the men. We've picked up the scent," said Obi-wan to Crys.
Meanwhile with the other group of clones...
"How bad?" asked Jesse to the medics.
"Pretty bad," said Claude.
"We need to remove their armor to see the full extent of the damage," added Kix.
"Those snipers might have called for backup," said Hardcase.
"Unless we want to start getting picked off one by one, we should find better cover first," responded Ricochet.
"Mmm-hmm. Wait a minute. Those critters are domesticated." said Jesse as the clones noticed some Eopies nearby as they were sniffing the ground.
"Sir?" asked Claude.
"I think we're on farmland. And where there's a farm, there's usually a farmer. Let's find his homestead," instructed Jesse to the others.
They all began to help their commanders as they loaded each of them on a med bay that was next to the speeders. Rex was loaded onto Jesse's speeder while Sark was on Claude's as they all zoomed away searching for the farm these animals belonged to.
The group of clones soon found their place as they came to a small farm. They came to the middle of the farm as next to them was a house. Upon parking, the door immediately opened up as out there stood Twi'lek women who had a blaster rifle aimed at Jesse.
"We want no trouble here," said the woman.
"Easy with that weapon, ma'am. We're here as friends," said Jesse as he took off his helmet and put his hands up. The others followed his lead as they did the same.
"State your business," said the women.
"Our captains have been hurt. We need..." said Hardcase as he was cut off.
"I'm no doctor, so just..."
"We have medics, ma'am. We just need a place to tend to him overnight," said Ricochet as he cut off the women.
"Mommy, who's..."
The voice belonged to some children as they appeared behind the women's leg. The voice that spoke belonged to a Twi'lek girl as they both saw the clones.
"Get back inside, both of you!" ordered the woman to her children.
"Oh! Mom!" complained the boy as he and his sister left in annoyance.
"Look, there are some benches out back in the barn. It's the best I can do," said the Twi'lek.
"That'll be fine, ma'am. Thank you," said Jesse as they got off their bikes and made their way to the barn.
Upon entering, both Kix and Claude got to work on treating their leaders. They managed to remove their armor as they saw the wound that was inflicted on them by the droids. They had to work quickly if they were going to save their commander's lives. It wasn't easy, but soon the procedure was done as the pair put a bandage on their chest. At that moment, both clone commanders awoke.
"What... What happened?" spoke Rex.
"Commando droids took a potshot. That would've gone straight through both your hearts had it been two inches to the left," said Hardcase to both clone commanders.
"I can't move my arm," said Sark.
"You have some nerve damage," replied Claude.
"Understood. Now patch us up, and let's get on with it," said Rex as they had a mission to complete.
"Sirs, you're both in no condition. It will heal, but it will take time," said Kix.
"We're getting underway, Kix. That's an order!" stated Rex as he and Sark were the highest-ranking among them.
"Sir, as the team medic, when it comes to the health of the men, including you, I outrank everyone," said Kix.
"Claude!!" shouted Sark, hoping his men would listen to him.
"Sorry, sir. But this is one of those times when you're not in charge. You listen to me now." stated Claude as he confirmed with Kix about their role on the team.
"So we respectfully order you, sir, to get some..." Kix was cut off as a voice was heard clearing its throat.
"Excuse me. If there's not enough..." said the Twi'lek woman as she was carrying a tray of fruit to give to the clones.
"That's plenty. Thank you, uh..." said Ricochet as he went to grab the tray.
"Suu," said the Twi'lek woman as she told the clone her name.
Suddenly a ball came rolling into the barn. It kept on rolling as it stopped under the bench that Rex and Sark were lying on. Soon in came the Twi'lek girl from before.
"I told you to stay in the house," said the Twi'lek to her daughter as she had an unhappy look.
"I couldn't help it, Mom. It got away," said the girl as she bent down under the benches to grab her ball. She then got up and looked at both clone commanders. "You both look like my daddy."
"Shaeeah, don't bother the soldiers. Now get inside with your brother," stated Suu.
All the clones looked at each other when they heard that statement.
"Yes, Mom," replied the girl as she obeyed her mother.
"My husband is away delivering our first harvest. Do you require anything else?" asked Suu as he handed the plate to Ricochet.
"No. Thank you, Suu," thanked Ricochet as she and her daughter left.
Hardcase reached down to grab one of Rex's and Sark's pistols as he placed them by the commanders' side as they were lying down to get some rest.
"Resume the search without us," said Sark to the group.
"What?" said Claude.
"Jesse, you're in command," stated Rex as he passed over his and Sark's authority to his friend. The clone merely nodded as he was handed a fruit by Ricochet.
"We'll be fine," stated Sark as both he and Rex closed their eyes and fell asleep.
The group was now beginning to leave the barn as both Claude and Ricochet took one last glance at their commander.
"You sure Sark will be alright?" asked Ricochet to Claude.
"As long as he rests, both he and Rex will be back in the action in no time. Besides, it's not like anything hectic will happen here," said Claude.
"Right, let's go then. General Storm is probably worried about us," replied the sharpshooter as they left.
Elsewhere, Kenobi and Storm were searching for the missing pod they were able to track. Nighttime had already fallen on the planet as they kept on marching with their army of clones. The pair were on top of their AT-TE walkers as they were looking through binoculars. They soon spotted something as they made the hand signal for the clones to stop marching. They got off and approached Cody who was next to them on a speeder.
"There's our escape pod. Any sign of Grievous?" stated Storm as he and Obi-wan looked through their binoculars once more.
"It looks deserted," responded Cody as he too looked through his binoculars and saw nothing.
"He must be heading to a second escape pod. Captain Rex, Commander Sark, come in, please," said Obi-wan as he touched his comlink to make contact with the clone commanders.
"It's Jesse, sir. Rex and Sark were injured," said the clone as he was leading the rest of them on their speeders.
"What's their condition?" asked Storm as he was worried about his commander and that Luna might kill for letting her clones get hurt.
"They'll be fine. But we had to find him shelter for the night," replied Jesse.
"Grievous is on the move. We're headed to the west. Swing around and we can meet up at the final escape pod. We're going to need all the firepower we can muster." stated Kenobi.
"Roger that, sir. We're speeding towards you," replied Jesse as the transmission ended. He then gunned the bike as the others began to follow him to meet up with the Jedi.
Later in the night, both Rex and Sark were fast asleep. It didn't last long as the Eopies that were also stationed in the barn were present. They began to lick the clone's faces as they woke them up with annoyance on their faces.
"No, no, no, no, no," stated Rex at the thing licking his face.
"Get away from me!" shouted Sark as he pushed the nose away from his face.
Both clones wiped their faces from the eopie spit as they soon fell back asleep.
In another part of the planet, Grievous was still trekking along with his squad of droids.
"We should be there by now!" growled the General.
"We are sir, there almost," said the B1 droid carrying the pad as his voice was starting to fade from almost no power left.
"You had better be interpreting the coordinates correctly!" shouted Grievous.
"Oh, no," said the droid as he shut down.
The droid in front of him grabbed the device before he hit the floor.
"We're almost there, sir. One klick out. Straight ahead." said the droid as he pointed.
Grievous growled some more as he mushed his ride.
"I'm losing power," said the droid as he now shut down.
Behind the cyborg were the rest of the droids as they were completely tired and dragged their bodies along.
Back in the barn, both clone commanders were still resting. However, at that moment, someone entered the place. In the darkness, a hand was shown as it reached for something. It got a hold of a farming implement as it saw the two clones. Both Sark and Rex sensed something as they opened their eye. They remained still on the table as their hands slowly made their way to the blaster hidden on their side. The shadow now began to approach them. Once it got close to them, both clone commanders pointed their weapons at it, before they were knocked out of their hands by the farm equipment.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" said the person as their face came into the moonlight.
Both Rex and Sark took a long look at the person as the face was a striking resemblance to theirs.
"You're a clone," said Sark.
"So, I see the war has finally made its way out here. And I guess I can expect a visit from some droids soon," said the stranger as both clone commanders sat up.
"What's your number and rank?" demanded Rex.
"Heh. My name is Lawquane. Cut Lawquane. And I'm just a simple farmer."
"You're a deserter," clarified Sark with a scowl on both his and Rex's faces.
"Well, I like to think I'm merely exercising my freedom to choose. To choose not to kill for a living," explained Lawquane with a smile as he turned the lights on.
"That is not your choice to make. You swore an oath to the Republic. You have a duty." said Rex with a disapproving look on his face.
"I have a duty. You're right. But it's to my family. Does that count, or do you both still plan to turn me in?" asked Lawquane.
"Do we have a choice?" growled Sark with anger.
At that moment, a voice was heard.
"Daddy, you're home!" said the Twi'lek girl as she and the rest of her family came into the barn.
"Look what I drew you, Dad!" said the boy as he handed his father a drawing.
"Well, well, well. That's great, Jek," chuckled Lawquane as he put his daughter down and smiled at his kids.
"I see you all have met," said Suu to her husband and the two clone commanders.
"He looks just like you, Daddy. I told him," said the girl Twi'lek.
"Oh, you did, huh? I was just making our guest, Captain, um... What's your number?" mocked Lawquane with a smile.
"Rex. I also have a name, believe it or not," growled the clone.
"It's Commander Sark," replied the other clone as he held his angry look.
"They were injured. Their men brought them here. I told them they could stay just for the night." said Suu to her husband.
"Course they can. We never turn away those in need, do we?" asked Lawquane to his kids with a smile.
"No, we always help anyone we can," said Jek.
"Right. You, um... You look hungry, Rex, Sark," stated Lawquane.
"No, we're fine. We'll stay here," said Sark as he and Rex politely decline the invitation.
"No, you have to eat with us, please! Please! Please! Please!" pleaded the kids.
"They're never gonna stop till you say yes," chuckled Lawquane.
"All right, we'll join you," said Rex to get the kids to stop.
He then grabbed Rex's non-injured arm as he helped the captain to stand up. They all turned to leave as Sark helped his buddy to the home and to sit down at the dinner table. Soon a conversation was struck as Lawquane was cutting the roast.
"Yes, well, you and I may be clones, but we're still individuals. You both have names rather than a number. Why is that?" asked Lawquane to both clone commanders as that was a good question.
"Perhaps our leaders feel it's a more efficient way of distinguishing us," answered Rex.
"More efficient than a number?" countered the farmer.
"When me and my men were assigned to our General, we told her our numbers. But instead, she decided to give us names. We assumed that she didn't want to bother with memorizing each of our numbers." said Sark as it was Luna who named him and his buddies when they first met.
(Quick Memory)
Luna was on Kamino as she was walking the halls of the cloning facility. She was looking out to see the many squads doing their training sessions while eyeing them with a close eye. Accompanying her was Lama Su as the Kaminoan was surprised by what the Jedi Master had wanted.
"General Luna? Will you not reconsider your decision?" asked the Kaminoan.
"No, I'm sure. I don't want to have an entire platoon assigned to me. But rather... some trusted individuals who I believe can handle the other footsoldiers just as a Jedi can. I want men who I can trust, not soldiers." stated Luna as she stood looking out of the window with her hands behind her back.
"Very well, after much time and selection, we have what you requested," stated Lama Su as he began to lead the Jedi Master down the hall.
The pair came to a room and inside were three clones running a standard drill exercise. It soon shut down as they all looked at one another. Their attention was soon caught as they saw Lama Su, but also Luna. The three clones all stood at attention.
"I believe these clones will prove useful to you and your apprentice," said Lama Su.
Luna walked forward, still having her hands behind her back as she looked at the men before her. Neither of them said a word as the Jedi Master was inspecting them. She then stopped in front of them as she began to speak.
"Greetings, I am Jedi Master Luna."
"Greetings, General!" shouted all three clones in unison.
"Today is your lucky day, boys. You are to be assigned to me and my student. Which means you're taking part in the war, very soon." stated the Jedi Master.
The clone commander in charge stepped forward as he began to speak.
"Reporting for duty, General. My number is:..."
Luna put her hand out as that got the clone to stop speaking. The Jedi Master closed her eyes for a sec. She then opened them and began to point at each one of them.
"Sark, Ricochet, and... Claude," spoke Luna.
"Sir?" said all of them as they had confused looks on their faces through their helmets.
"Your names. Those are your names," said Luna.
"But, General..." started Sark.
"From now on, that is what I will address each one of you by. I do not care for your numbers. To me, that's meaningless. It has no value. But... a name. That is priceless." spoke Luna with wisdom.
She then began to head towards the door as the three clones stood there still baffled by what she said.
"Well, gentleman. Are you coming or not?" smiled Luna turning her head back to the men she assigned as her most loyalist clones.
"Yes, General!!" shouted all three in unison as they began to follow the Jedi Master.
(End of Memory)
"Well, that's touching. But I doubt the Kaminoans think that way. Still, a name has to make you feel unique. Especially in an army where everyone looks like you and talks like you--" said Lawquane as what he was saying was ringing true.
"Actually, we've never really thought about it," responded Rex.
"Yes, you have," stated the farmer with a smile.
"Well, how would you know?" asked Sark.
"Because I am as close to you as any life form can be," said Lawquane as he handed both commanders their plates and stared them in the eyes. "I've seen how you both look at my family, our home... Come on, Rex, Sark, admit it. You've thought about what your life could look like if you were to also leave the army, choose the life you want."
Both clone commanders looked at the kids for a moment as they took those words in.
"What if we are choosing the life we want? What if we're staying in the army because it's meaningful to us?" countered Sark.
"And how is it meaningful?" countered Lawquane.
"Because we're part of the most pivotal moment in the history of the Republic. If we fail, then our children and their children could be forced to live under an evil we can't well imagine," responded Rex backing up his buddy.
"If you were to have children, of course. But that would be against the rules, wouldn't it?" countered Lawquane once more. "Isn't that what somebody programmed you to believe, Captain? Commander?"
"No, Cut, it's simply what we believe. It doesn't matter if it's my children or other people's children. Does that meet with your approval?" glared Rex as did Sark.
"Perfectly. To each his own. That's what I always say." smiled Lawquane.
"What does that mean, Daddy?" asked the Twi'lek girl.
"It means you can do anything with your life that you want to."
Both Rex and Sark took that in as they began to form thoughts. For Sark, he was reminded of what was said to him by Storm when Luna first introduced her student to them.
If I can ask you guys, what are your ambitions for when the war ends?
With Storm and Obi-wan, they were still trekking. The Jedi Master touched his comlink.
"How are you doing, Jesse?" asked Obi-wan.
"Closing in, sir. We have a visual," responded the clone.
"Very well, we'll meet you in the middle," stated Storm.
With Grievous, he managed to reach the remaining intact capsule.
"Is your transmitter working?" asked the cyborg.
"I don't know. I haven't used it yet," answered the B1 droid. He was knocked in the head by the General for giving such a stupid answer. "All right, I'll check on it."
"Stupid battle droids!" stated Grievous at how idiotic they all were.
"Sir, you made it," said another droid with happiness.
"Get back in the pod and send out a distress signal to what's left of our fleet. We need to get a shuttle down here immediately!" shouted Grievous in anger.
"Roger, roger, but I must inform you, sir, multiple life forms are approaching from the east and west," said the droid as the Jedi and Jesse's squad were closing in on them.
"Battle positions!" ordered Grievous.
Back at the farm, both Sark and Rex were currently keeping themselves busy. Rex was taking on Lawquane in a game of dejarik. The clone captain made his move as one of his pieces attacked and took out another creature.
"Good move. Very good move," complimented Lawquane to Rex.
"So what was it?" asked Sark.
"What made me decide to leave the corps?" answered the farmer as he made his move and his monster took out one of Rex's. He then let out a sigh as he explained.
"Shortly after the Battle of Geonosis, our troop transport got caught between two Separatist gunships. They fired on us with everything they had. We crashed. Most of us were either dead or severely injured. So when they started working their way through the wounded, killing us off, I knew there was no hope. I ran. It still haunts me."
"I'm sorry," said Rex as he and Sark could relate with the farmer.
"It's the day I felt my life didn't have any meaning. Everyone I cared about, my team, was gone. I was just another expendable clone waiting for my turn to be slaughtered in a war that made no sense to me. Can you understand that, Rex? Sark?" asked Lawquane as he got up to which his family was nearby listening to the three men talk.
"I've been in countless battles and lost many brothers. They were my family, my home," said Rex.
"I'm fortunate to have my men still with me. But I can't help but wonder if there comes a time when either of them gets killed. Still, they're the only ones I trust the most with my life." replied Sark.
"Daddy, we finished our chores. Can we go outside and play? Please." asked the Twi'lek girl.
"Okay, only for a few minutes," replied Lawquane.
"Thank you, Daddy! Come on, Jek," said the girl to her brother.
"And keep the house in view," stressed the farmer as both Rex and Sark couldn't help but smile at the kids.
"We will," shouted both kids as they exited.
"You have wonderful children," replied Rex.
"I know you think I'm a coward, Rex, Sark. But believe me, I'll fight to my last breath to keep them safe," stated Lawquane.
"Fire!" shouted a droid as he had a rocket launcher.
He fired his shot as the rocket was traveling at high speeds. It was coming at Obi-wan as he flipped off of the AT-TE walker he was on as it got hit.
Storm jumped off of the other one as he and Kenobi turned on their lightsabers. They now ran forward with their clones to engage the droids. The droids fired another rocket as the clone in its path moved out of the way and it zipped past him.
"Tank two! Portside!" shouted the clone to his comlink to warn them.
The AT-TE walker turned its gun in the direction as it fired a shot and it intercepted the rocket as it blew up.
"Great shot!" shouted the clone.
"Where is that ship?" shouted Grievous as his foes were closing in.
Out in the fields, the kids were playing hide and seek.
"Shaeeah? Where are you? Shaeeah, where are you? Stop fooling around." stated Jek as he was looking for his sister.
"Boo!" said the girl as she managed to scare her brother who screamed.
"You're not funny," pouted the boy.
"Am too!" snickered the girl.
Jek then silenced his sister as he got her to be quiet.
"Look. In the field," spoke the boy softly.
"What is it?" asked his sister as she saw it.
The kids were now looking at one of the Separatist escape pods as it crashed into one of their fields.
"It wasn't there before. It's some kind of spaceship, I think," said the boy as they approached the thing.
"Hello? Hello?" called out the girl as she looked at it.
"Do... do you think somebody's in there?" said the boy.
The kids began to enter the pod as they walked along the small entrance towards the inside. As they were entering, the girl unintentionally had her elbow hit a button on the wall. It now turned on the droids inside as they were none other than commando droids. They were damaged due to the crash but still functional as they turned their heads to look at the kids.
"Uh-oh," said the girl.
"I didn't do it. You did it," said the brother.
The eyes glowed once more as the kids screamed. Their screams were heard by the adults as Lawquane ran out of the house.
"Monsters!" screamed the kids as they made it back.
"Shaeeah? Jek? What's wrong?" asked Cut to his kids.
"Monsters! They're chasing us!" said the girl as she pointed.
"What monsters, honey? Where?" asked Suu as he held her son in her arms.
In the distance, the commando droids were walking in a line as they followed the field's trail.
"They hatched from the big egg in the field!" replied the daughter.
"Ah. This is not good. I count 20." said the farmer as he grabbed a pair of binoculars hanging on the wall and looked out to where they were.
"Cut, what's out there?" asked Suu to her husband.
"Commando droids," replied Cut to his wife while still looking.
"What are they doing?" asked Rex.
Suu, get the kids upstairs," instructed Cut.
"Come. Come, children. Come now!" said the woman as she took her kids to safety.
Cut closed the door as he sealed it shut.
"What weapons do you have?" asked Sark.
Lawquane approached a hidden compartment as inside were only a few guns.
"We can catch them in a crossfire. You take that corner," instructed Rex.
"No, Captain. With respect, you're not in charge here," said Cut as when it came to the safety of his family, he knew best.
"We can be useful" replied Res.
"Sir, you're injured. You have only one good arm," replied Cut to Rex. "And you're not any better with your side all bandaged up."
"But we can fight," stated Sark.
"So can I. Rex, Sark. I need you both to be the last line of defense for my family." said Cut.
The two clones looked at the farmer as they could see he needed to be the only one to deal with the problem. Both let out a sigh as they knew they couldn't change his mind.
"We'll take care of them," responded Sark.
"Thank you," said Cut.
He then began to make the final preparations. He turned off all the lights as he loaded himself up with his blasters. He unlocked the front door as he got to a knee and prepared for when they entered. The sounds of footsteps were heard as Cut could see the shadows of the droids passing by. He then heard a sound as behind him the backdoor busted down. He turned around and began to fire at the commando droids entering as he took them down. He then took cover against the wall as he heard more sounds. He was searching in the darkness as he was expecting more. A droid appeared as it smashed and grabbed him through the window. He had the farmer in a hold before he broke free and shot the droid in the head.
With Storm and Obi-wan, they were cutting down the droids in their path as Grievous was but a few meters in front of them. Above a shuttle was shown landing as it was here to pick up the cyborg.
"Finally!" stated the cyborg.
"General Grievous, sir. We see you below us. Are you ready to depart?" asked one of the pilot droids.
"Concentrate your fire on that ship!" instructed Obi-wan as he cut down more droids and pointed.
The AT-TE walker heard the order as the gunner aimed the cannon at the ship and began to fire at it.
"Hey! They're shooting at us! Coming back around." said one of the droids.
"Sir, that ship's coming around for another landing attempt," said Jesse and he and his crew were zooming about the battlefield on their speeder bikes.
"Keep firing! Don't let that ship land!" shouted Storm as he took out more droids.
"The guns are overheated!" shouted the gunner to the Jedi.
"Always something," said Obi-wan as he couldn't believe their luck.
"Cody, Storm, Jesse, cover me," instructed Kenobi as he raced to engage Grievous to cut him off before he escaped.
"General, behind you!" shouted a B1 droid as Obi-wan was zigging and zagging towards the cyborg in seconds. He went for a downward strike as Grievous turned to block it in time.
Cut was still dealing with the commando droids invading his home as he took out the latest wave. He then looked to both entrances but he didn't see anything. He then heard some creaking sounds as he looked at a cellar on the floor. He quietly approached it as he prepared himself. He lifted the top as there were commando droids. They leaped out and began to fire. The farmer returned fire as he continued to take out some more.
Up above with the family, Sark and Rex were guarding Suu and her kids. They heard and saw blaster shots as the kids were frightened. At that moment, a part of the ceiling came down and pinned down Cut as he let out a grunt. His weapon was knocked out of his hand as his foot was trapped. He tried to escape as the commando droids were now heading up the stairs.
"Rex, Sark! They're coming for you!" shouted the clone to both commanders.
Both took cover near the doorway to where they were hidden as they had blaster pistols in their hands. Cut managed to get out from under the table as he tossed it onto one of the commando droids. He then took a part of the table and began to swing it at the remaining droids as he knocked the blaster out of one of them. Upstairs, Rex and Sark emerged as they caught the droids off guard and shot them.
Downstairs, Cut punched one of the commando droids in the face as it merely turned. The droid then grabbed his head as it began to try to crush his skull while moving about as Cut grunted. Upstairs, Rex and Sark rolled out of the way of some shots as they were leading the rest of the droids away from the family. They fired some shots that took out the head of the last droids. The droids' heads were taken off, but they managed to fire a shot that was aimed at where they were in position, and they now fell through to the floor and landed next to Cut. The remaining commando droid grabbed Rex by his throat and lifted him. Cut then grabbed Rex's blaster as he aimed it at the head and took out the droid.
"Daddy? Daddy?" called out the kids as they saw through the hole.
"I'm okay. It's over," said Cut with a smile.
"No!" shouted a droid as he ran away. He waved his arms about as Obi-wan was fighting Grievous in an attempt to stop him.
The cyborg turned as he took his cap off and threw it at the Jedi Master. Obi-wan quickly got it out of his line of vision as he managed to block Grievous' sneak attack. He managed to kick Obi-wan away as he looked up. Storm had finished with the last of the droids as he ran to help his friend.
"Forget trying to land!" growled Grievous as he climbed to the top of the pod as Obi-wan was coming to. The cyborg extended his arm out as he shot out a cable to attach to the ship. "Fire the engines."
The ship was now taking off as Storm threw his lightsaber in an attempt to cut the cable but it moved out of its way. The clones fired at the cyborg as he deflected their shots.
"Jedi scum!" chuckled Grievous as he managed to escape from our heroes again.
"Son of a bitch!" shouted Storm as his lightsaber returned to his hand.
"Are you all right, sir?" asked Cody as he appeared on his bike.
"No. We're right back where we started. Call the cruisers. See if they can stop that ship." said Obi-wan.
"Right away, sir!" responded Cody.
"And tell them to send someone to pick us up," said Storm as both he and Obi-wan were disappointed in their attempt to capture Grievous.
It was now morning as both Rex and Sark needed to head out. They knew that the others were possibly looking for them as they needed to go. The good thing is that they were now fully healed from their injuries.
"All right, that should do it," said Sark as he finished loading the Eopies that would take them.
"Captain Rex, Commander Sark. Are you going to turn in my husband?" asked Suu.
"I'm sorry, Suu, it's my duty," said Rex.
"You're husband took an oath to serve in the army. And by breaking that oath, he's committed treason. So we have to turn him in for the consequences of his actions." said Sark as that was the protocol for being labeled as a traitor.
"But in our condition, we probably won't remember any of this," smiled Rex as he and Sark were willing to keep this a secret.
"Thank you," smiled Suu with happiness on her face.
"You're still a deserter, Cut, but you're certainly not a coward," stated Rex.
"Captain Rex, are you still with us?"
"Sark, you there?"
Both Jedi were contacting the clone commanders through their comlinks.
"Yes, General Kenobi. I'm still with you and thankfully on the mend, sir," replied Rex.
"I'm all good, General Storm," replied Sark.
"That's great news. We certainly missed you at the party," stated Storm. In the background, ships were coming to pick them up.
"Sorry, sir. We had to attend one of my own," explained Rex.
"Can't wait to hear about it. We're standing by," said Obi-wan as he ended the transmission.
"You're welcome to stay, Rex, Sark." offered Cut to both clone commanders.
"This is your home, Cut. Our family is elsewhere," said Rex with a smile.
"To each, his own," replied Sark as he said the phrase to the farmer and his family as they smiled.
"Goodbye! Bye! Bye! Bye-bye!" shouted the kids as both clones got on their rides.
With both of them respecting their fellow brother's wishes to have a peaceful life, the two clones waved goodbye. They were now traveling off into the sunrise. They traveled for a bit as a gunship soon landed in front of them. The doors opened to reveal Storm, Claude, and Ricochet as they were sent to fetch their friends. Both commanders got off their Eopies as Storm went to go meet them.
"Glad to see you two are back to full health," stated the boy.
"Ready and willing, sir," replied Rex as he got on board.
"Reporting for duty, sir," said Sark as he stood at attention and gave a salute to his general.
"Good. Now come on, Sark. Let's go home." said Storm.
"Yes, General Storm," smiled the clone commander as he got on with the Jedi Knight.
They got on as Sark saw Claude and Ricochet. He then looked at Storm as he couldn't help but smile as this was his family. And he was willing to do anything to protect it and make sure that they would all be here for when the war ended.
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What a great chapter. Love it.
Though I know I already said this, I'm surprised Kenobi and Storm didn't talk about certain events.
Oh well, one can dream, especially since it means following the storyline.
Glad to see how Sark sees what others can see.
Can't wait for the next chapter.
11242190
What do you mean by certain events?
11242193
Advice from one friend to another.
I know we already had this discussion. Just like to lay it down on the table, if you know what i mean.
I was kind of hoping storm Wood joint Captain Rex and storm seeing the family and thinking about Twilight. Always been one of my favorite episodes of the entire series
11242193
So... What are they going to do with the droid?
11242261
Droid?
11242262
The intact B1 they found
11242287
Nothing much.
11242289
Just seems like a waste of a soldier.
11242335
The Droid could be used as a spy. And always kind of funny how the Droid took off screaming no
11242591
Exactly