It was another day won for the Galactic Republic in the Clone Wars. Upon the green fields of the planet Muunilinst far away from the regular hustle and bustle of the many cities that dotted the world, the Jedi and the clone troopers battled the Separatist battle droids as they had so many times before. Each day making it out alive felt like luck, but each victory felt like a blessing, reaffirming their purpose.

It had been several years since the declaration of war from the Confederacy of Independent Systems had become official. It was no longer a cold war, it had become full out fighting. The first battles were vicious and unrelenting and left everyone from the average person to the clone troopers worn and weary. Yet after so much time had passed, the skirmishes remained fierce.

The Jedi and the troopers still found cause to celebrate though. After each battle, they were all weary and tired. Yet perhaps it was because of the ferocity of the fighting that they were able to enjoy the peace afterwards. Even in those fights where the carnage had hit it's peak, they were grateful to still be alive and have each other's company.

More now than ever. The Republic forces had just taken a base that was vital to the Separatists' operations on the planet of Muunilinst. This planet was one that liked to play both sides, receiving the backing from both the Confederacy and the Republic. That was all the more reason the clone troopers fought like their lives depended on it, securing it for their side and not the enemy's. It was not the first time Anakin and Obi-Wan had fought on it's soil before thanks to the machinations of the Muun Banking Clan. This battle now was nowhere near as brutal, yet no conflict in the Clone Wars was ever easy. They had wondered at the logistics of even doing such a thing given what a fickle world it was.

The base they just took was a part of the greater Separatist transportation network throughout the galaxy. As such, it was heavily fortified. Given the strategic important of this location, it also conducted it's rendezvous operations with other Separatist ships at night to prevent would be invaders from launching any surprise attacks. So the Republic offensive started in the morning.

There were still a few things that seemed odd. None of the Dark Acolytes were present, and even Ventress was nowhere to be seen. In their absence, the Jedi were expecting to see Dooku or General Grievous ready to defend this base. But they too were also missing. Even in that post battle high, everyone was waiting to see what else might happen today.

Still, even with the absence of the Separatist vanguard, it had been a trying conflict. It was far away from the city of Harnaidan where a similar battle rocked it years ago when Anakin was only a padawan, and though urban warfare presented its own set of nightmares, no one present would have called this battle easy. The compound they were aiming to take was on top of a tall hill in the outback and the perimeter was lined with surface to air missiles. So there was no choice in taking the fight on foot.

It was a trying battle and from their position, the battle droids had the advantage, blasting down on their foes with cold and calculating precision. If it were not for their Jedi allies reflecting shots back at the battle droids, the clone troopers would have suffered far heavier losses than what they did. Worse yet, just as there were surface to air missiles designed to prevent aerial bombardment, so too had the base had been fortified with heavy cannons raining chaos down on the Republic forces. When it came to that problem, the Jedi could not simply use their lightsabers to protect their allies. All they could do was use the force as best they could to predict where to disperse and alert the clone troopers accordingly.

But it had to be done. It was the first time that Republic intelligence had reported that any of the Dark Acolytes, let alone Count Dooku or General Grievous, were not present at the base. It would not be wise to let such a rare opportunity slip through their fingers. That figure was helped by Quinlan Vos who was currently away on a mission spying on Dooku. He confirmed that Repubic intelligence was correct. So the order was given the go ahead.

Despite this victory, Anakin still felt a great sorrow. He was standing outside the base, looking over the smoldering destruction about. Atop the hill he stood upon, the sky was a clear blue and the billowy white clouds crested and sailed like ships of legend unconcerned to the plights of the mere mortals suffering upon the earthbound under them. The wounded clone troopers had been put in the bacta tanks stored onboard his personal vessel, the Resolute. There were now only a few left.

He breathed wearily. He had risen from a mere slave on a desert plan notorious as an outpost for the criminal underworld to becoming an actual Jedi Knight. It was a station of no small standing, and as a Padawan, he sometimes thought if he would ever attain the same level of prestige so many other Jedi had before him. But he had.

Yet right now, he hated it. If he had known this life was the one that awaited him, he might have even preferred staying on Tattooine with his mother. It was a thought that had often occurred to him. Just like her, he had been powerless to protect those closest to him. Even having a wife that loved him, sometimes he wondered if things would have been better if Amidala and the Jedi had never come to Tattooine.

Nor did the sight before him offer any solace. On the horizon it was nothing but verdant fields and more of that same blue sky. But despite the calmness of it, he did not feel peace. All he could think of was how austere it seemed in it's serenity, desolate even. He knew that many more such battles were being fought on such peaceful lands, under such beautiful skies. It was awesome and it was tragic that something as awful as war could come to such a place. No matter where he went, it seemed his life would never be free of tragedy.

Not that he had much time to ruminate on such things. As he was lost in his thoughts, he was suddenly hit from behind by a someone tackling him. He was not so mired in sorrow that he didn't know who it was. Even without his strong connection to the force active in such a situation, he knew.

“Master! We won!” It was the voice of Ahsoka. He looked back and saw the small Togrutan. Her eyes were beaming at him and she had a big smile on her face.

“Yeah,” he said. He couldn't stay down for too long with that infectious attitude of hers. “Yeah, we did.”

“I saw you looking rather morose,” said Obi-Wan, walking out of the base. “I didn't know what to say to comfort you. But Ahsoka here had just the right idea.”

“Are you feeling better now Skyguy?” she said.

“Of course I am Snips!” he said. “How couldn't I be? We just won.”

Obi-Wan smiled and shook his head. Though Anakin was no longer strictly under his tutelage, he still knew his Padawan very well. Despite taking the role of teacher himself with Ahsoka, there was still a lot about him that hadn't changed.

“Things could have been a lot worse,” Ahsoka said.

“But things can still be better, can't they?” Obi-Wan said.

Despite those words being the opposite of Ahsoka's cheeriness, it warmed something in Anakin more than his Padawan's exuberance. He looked past her at Obi-Wan. “Yeah they can be,” he said.

“But we still won. We should be grateful for that.”

“And we still have each other,” Ahsoka said.

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“Yeah, you're right,” Anakin said. But as much as those words cheered him up at first, they stung harsher than ever the more he thought about it. The Separatists suffered a heavy blow this day. That only meant they would get more violent in the time to come. More than that, he knew that the likes of General Grievous and Ventress were not ones to lay down lightly. Even if someone like Dooku, hardly the most pleasant of souls but still the most reasonable, were to see reason and surrender, those two in particular would only revive the movement and fight on.

“General Kenobi, General Skywalker.” It was Rex. He saluted them, never once looking at Ahsoka. “We have done a thorough search of the area. The only ones left inside beside the dismantled battle droids were scientists and they all surrendered without a second thought. We did not find any traps either.”

“Good,” Anakin said. Though his mind had been left adrift thinking on other things, that announcement took a heavy weight off his heart. The lack of Grievous and Ventress at this battle had nagged at his mind more than a few times, making him wonder that even after all the fighting here if this battle had been too easy, knowing fully what the Separatists were capable of. But even though his worries still left him with doubts on what path the future might hold, he felt his spirits cheering up already.

“Captain Rex, keep a strong hold around the perimeter and maintain a lookout,” said Obi-Wan. He looked at Anakin, and nodded, sensing his apprentice shared much of the same dispositions. “If there are more of them lying in wait with a greater army looking to catch us off guard, we must be vigilant.” He sighed. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Yessir,” Rex said. “These days I've found it's much better to have sleepless nights. That's your instincts telling you that something is wrong. Just like I'd rather be bleeding from a hole in my stomach than be poisoned by someone and have no clue what's going on.”

Ahsoka frowned at that one. She had hoped to lighten her master's mood. But then again, after hearing Obi-Wan voice his concerns, she knew he was right.

But there were other things lying in wait. Just as the three Jedi at hand were set to make a formal report to the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan's communicator went off. He took it out and it showed a hologram of Mace Windu.

“Master Windu,” said Obi-Wan. “We have successfully captured the base. We suffered heavy casualties but we were still victorious.”

“Good work Master Kenobi,” said Windu.

“Though I am worried. I wonder what would give cause to the likes of Dooku and Grievous to abandon such a vital location.”

“I'm not surprised. I always knew they were cowards...” In a a rare moment of mirth, the stoic Jedi smiled to himself.

“Has Master Vos received any word on Dooku's plans?”

As if on cue, Windu was receiving a transmission on his own communicator from Quinlan. “Excuse me.”

Windu himself was not within the safe confines of the Jedi Temple. Instead he was on guard duty for Senator Bail Organa set to make a speech on Alderaan. What's more, he was at a decorated government building, hosting important people from all over the galaxy, and even this aloof Jedi Master when offered some refreshments and appetizers could not resist the opportunity. The fresh sunlight was shining in through the windows and there were plenty of verdant bushes native to the planet which could be seen surrounding every inch of the beautiful mansion. Nowhere near as dangerous as the battlefield where Kenobi was currently stationed.

Though despite the relative safety of his position, there were still separatists lying in every corner. Important senators most of all had reason to fear for their lives. So it was that even on this momentous occasion and important day that Mace Windu's heart was not in high spirits as the other officials present.

But Windu was to glad to have received word back from Quinlan Vos. The spying mission on Dooku was of no small importance. Even someone like him so strong in the force was able to mask his signature from the likes of this fallen Jedi Master and his Dark Acolytes. The sight of Quinlan's face, vicious yet also bearing a quiet serenity from his eyes, also appealed to him far more than the pomp of his current surroundings. “Master Vos. What is the issue?”

“Master Windu, Count Dooku has found an uncharted planet in the Outer Rim on the border of Wild Space which supposedly holds an ancient Sith weapon. He is on his way there with Ventress as we speak.”

“Were you able to discover what this weapon is?”

“No. Dooku doesn't know what it is either. But he is intent on seizing it as soon as possible.”

“I see. Thank you Master Vos. This effort is greatly appreciated.”

Vos nodded then shut off his message. When Windu reopened his connection with Kenobi, Anakin and Ahsoka were close by, right at Obi-Wan's shoulders. He ignored them.

“Master Kenobi, it's urgent. Vos has told me from his spy work that Dooku is on a mission to an uncharted planet in the Outer Rim. He is searching for an ancient Sith weapon.”

“Well that sets my mind at ease,” said Obi-Wan. “Here we were worried about why we were still alive at a battle that should have by all accounts seen us dead, and now we know!”

“He's with Ventress. We need all our people we can to keep him from acquiring this weapon. And right now, you are the closest force we have in the Outer Rim.”

“Master Windu, are you proposing that we abandon this location?”

“It's very possible that this whole thing was just a decoy. We don't know what this Sith weapon is. But we can't afford to take any chances. Make your decisions and go to this strange planet immediately. There is no other choice.”

Then Windu's hologram vanished.

“Pleasant as usual,” Ahsoka said.

“Captain Rex, search the database of this stronghold,” said Obi-Wan. “I need all the maps they have on record. Anything that seems out of the ordinary will be helpful. I don't think it will be helpful either, but we should also salvage what we can from the battle droids' data chips. Anything can help. We don't even know where Dooku is headed save that he is going somewhere in the Outer Rim close to the verges of uncharted territory. It could be anywhere.” Rex nodded and went back inside.

“We're spies now?” Anakin. “We went to all this work and now...”

“I know,” Ahsoka said. “First the council is sending us off to war and now we're skulking in the shadows? This isn't a mission for Jedi!”

“Enough you two,” said Obi-Wan. “Master Vos went to great lengths to acquire this information. We can't just ignore it.”

The two of them both thought to say something. But they couldn't. It wasn't just their dissatisfaction with the work they were given. It was that they were also too weary to complain. The Clone Wars had been like that, and now even after a mission as harrowing as this one had been, their spirits were winded. And despite being so tired, they knew that Dooku had to be stopped.

Obi-Wan looked at the both of them and sighed. He struggled to find the words to soothe their doubts. In the wake of their most recent battle which was supposed to be a crucial victory for the Republic and was won with the lives of many clone troopers, they had not expected another mission right after.

Especially not one involving Dooku and the ancient Sith. It would have been one thing if this assignment had been a trap by the Separatists and they would have to continued fighting pincered as they were. It was another thing to deal with the awful knowledge that this whole task had been bait, a ruse to distract them from their real target. Or perhaps Dooku and Ventress had already left, and it was merely a coincidence that they had to fight this battle at all while their real targets were away.

Rex had come out later with a collection of datapads as per Obi-Wan's request. The magna guards and battle droids would have resisted to the end but the Muun people present were not so stubborn in the face of someone as hard as Rex and relented without any trouble. He thanked the captain and looked over the maps stored on the devices. Of all the planets listed in the Outer Rim there was one unlabeled that stood out as being unfamiliar.

“We've found our target,” said Obi-Wan. “Let's move.”

“And abandon this stronghold?” said Anakin. “We were told this location was important on retaking this planet for the Republic.”

Rex looked between the two of them. For once he was at a loss on what to say. His lot in life was to be a soldier, and with every battle, that only deepened his conviction. Every scar on his body and him still standing on his own two feet in spite of all the odds he had faced was proof that he was exactly the man for this sort of job. Yet the constant warfare had not broken his spirit and instead sharpened him to an instrument that was not afraid to voice aloud his concerns at foolish decisions that threatened both his life and those of his comrades. Despite that, he never felt more conflicted on what to do.

“Look at it this way,” Obi-Wan said. “This may be our final battle.” They all perked up when he said that one, even someone as hard as Rex. “If we catch Dooku and Ventress, the Separatists will suffer a decisive blow. And I know that those two will fight tooth and nail to preserve whatever this Sith weapon may be. One way or another, it could very well be the decisive conflict.”

“What exactly do you mean by 'One way or another?'” Ahsoka said.

“We still don't even know what this weapon is. And of course,” he said with a small grin, “things might not end up entirely in our favor.”

“And people have called me a handful before,” Anakin said.

“General Kenobi, I will be blunt and say you scare and inspire me,” Rex said.

He smiled. “If we're to catch Dooku, every second counts. Let's move!”