Author's Note: It's here! I'm so sorry this took so long, but it has finally been completed. I struggled a lot with this chapter (until Megan forced me to finish), but I hope you enjoy it as much as the first ones. Take note, this is the last chapter that will follow the show's timeline, and this is also the first "episode" not centered on the Jedi and the Republic. Anyway, thank you all so much for the reviews. Enjoy!

Episode 3

"Commander, we've received intel regarding the 501st."

"Read it to me."

"There's been a murder. One of the clones, Tup, killed a Jedi master. Should we investigate?"

"Yes, but be cautious. Śikariňa out."

Anakin frowns heavily as the ship sputters into a landing. Shaak Ti gracefully maintains her balance next to him, a calming presence next to his raging storm of emotions. She looks to him, obviously feeling his distress and her eyes expressing concern, but Anakin turns away, giving her his back, his body language obviously communicating that he was not in the mood to engage in any conversation about emotions or feelings.

He is solely mission focused at this moment.

He had heard Obi-Wan conversing with Yoda that this was not a healthy way for him to cope with the loss of his padawan, that maybe they should force him to train another padawan so they could distract him from his grief. But the old master had just rumbled sagely and voiced his disagreement. They needed to wait for Anakin to heal. But Anakin knew when he looked at the oldest master that you never really healed from that kind of pain and betrayal. Padawans were essentially the children of their masters by the time they were full grown. A child that you essentially raised turning their back on you was a kind of hurt only understood by the people who have experienced it.

Anakin pushes those thoughts away as the doors open and the hellishly windy and rainy conditions of Kamino pushed their way under his cloak, chilling him to the bone immediately and the simple walk from the landing platform to the inside of the clone facility had soaked his robes and made the inside of his boots squelch with moisture at every step. Shaak Ti, although, somehow remains perfectly calm and somewhat drier than her dreary companion. They are greeted by a doctor in all white, the large eyes of the native species of Kamino somehow gave them a docile look, like someone you could trust. Her robes swish soothingly around her feet as she walks.

"Hello, Master Jedi." She bows slightly, her long form and gentle movements making it look somewhat graceful even with her large stature. The Jedi bow back as the native custom dictates, letting the serene feeling of the facility wash over them after the stressful journey here.

"Greetings, Head Director. My companion, Master Anakin Skywalker, and I have come here at the bidding of Master Yoda to investigate the recent clone malfunctions that have been seeming to arise on the battlefield. We have been sent to make sure that the malfunctions are only with specific clones and that the cloning system that we are still using is safe and humane."

The Kaminoan nods before the master has finished speaking. "Yes, we have been experiencing recent clone malfunctions and have started our own investigation to aid in yours, but sadly our results are little and the pace at which we find any evidence is slow and unreliable. We may have to cull this entire batch of clones just to make sure the virus that we believe has infected some will not endanger future masters in battle.

The Jedi nod in understanding. Their dwindling numbers need to be protected at all costs. Jedi are not easily replaceable and children born with the force were getting fewer and fewer in each generation. Shaak Ti is the first to speak. "Please lead the way, we are eager to see whatever evidence you may have gathered and to start our own investigations." The Kaminoan bows and turns on a heel to being leading them down the hallway, all medically white and sterile, looking exactly alike with no differentiating features. It is like a never ending maze and made Anakin anxious as there was no clear escape route.

The masters take in everything in as they walk, looking down with interest at the clone training going on below on one side of the bay windows and on the other side, battle simulations were in session. They are separated between simple games of capture the flag and more practical battle simulations for the more advanced clones in training. After the malfunction in the field, it makes Anakin feel this sense of safety to see such an efficient system.

But there is then something suddenly, a feeling that he can't quite name. Something is off. Anakin looks around but sees nothing that looks amiss. But as his master taught him, a Jedi's eyes are merely cursory, as the Force should be for finally seeing what really lurks beyond physical sight.

The medical ship hooks on to the landing platform with a hiss and a sudden drop of the doors, revealing clones in medical gear unloading the wounded from a recent battle. Two clones walk off the ship carrying a comrade followed by another set of clones carrying another fallen. They look as if they belong here, inconspicuously flowing with the traffic. The clones and Kaminoans around them do not ask what their business is as they seem to be in a hurry. No one notices as they duck down a hallway leading to the changing rooms.

One oblivious clone is unloading his gear and is confused when he sees the team enter the chamber. The beginning of a sentence forms on his lips before the smallest clone on a gurney suddenly comes alive, flipping into a crouching position before lunging at his unfortunate look-alike, snapping his victim's neck before the clone can even finish his sentence. The attacker gets up slowly from his position on the ground next to his now dead "brother." One of the transporters steps forward, his leadership role clearly established.

He sighs heavily as the shorter clone turns to him. The small one looks to his superior with an unapologetic expression, a reprimand coming to him no doubt. "You didn't have to kill him, Bub. You could have shot him with the amnesiac darts Wrench created last week."

Bub just shrugs, uninterested. "He was going to trigger the alarm and we had limited time to act, Cap. Just doin' my job."

The leader sighs again, pinching the bridge of his nose. He feels a headache coming on already. "Hide the body." He turns to the rest of the team.

"Alright men you all heard the mission debrief from Śikariňa earlier. Blackout and Bub, you are in the air vents, Casper and Kale are boots on the ground, Cut-throat and and I will be recon. You have your target mission objective, men. Get a move on!" As the others head out to their ordered directions, Shadow, the leader, hangs back for a moment. He places his hand up to his ear and clicks on his modified com-link. "We are all on the move, Śikariňa. This covert operation is on the go."

A steady sound of static is his reply until a firm voice overpowers it. "Glad to hear it. Make sure the droid stays with the escapee. Obtaining that information is of great importance."

"Of course, general," Shadow replies. He turns to his team and commands,"Get out the droid, and make sure it knows its job." Casper nods and reaches under and into the bottom of the gurney which had previously been covered by false panels. He pulls out a plain grey box and opens into see the unblinking eyes of a medical droid.

"Hello," it says.

"Hey, buddy," Casper responds. "It's time to get to work."

"Commander, we're in position."

"Then get a move on. You don't have much time."

Anakin knows they are lying. The Kaminoans have had 3 months to conduct investigations and they have nothing. Absolutely nothing.

He feels everything is too fake, too wrong. This facility should be bustling with researchers and biologists who can figure out what is going on, but there is none of that. It is in fact almost too desolate.

Anakin takes a tour of the facility and feels as if he is going to crawl out of his skin. His senses are buzzing and he feels like a live wire. He reaches out and tries to find the source of whatever is causing such discomfort. What he finds is the fading force of a being nearby, and while that is not uncommon, especially given there is a medical facility within the base, it is far too close when the medical rooms are on the other side of the compound. He proceeds to follow the feeling and enters into one of the many dressing rooms. Anakin turns in a full circle, studying the area and finds nothing out of sorts. He turns to leave when he hears small, minuscule sound behind him.

He turns an ear towards the sound and listens for the sound again. Anakin holds his breath calmly and strains his ears for any sound. He hears it again. The noise is like droplets hitting the metallic floor behind him. It could be nothing more than a leak, perhaps, but Anakin hasn't made it this far in his war-filled life on could-be's.

Anakin turns towards the sound and analyzes the area for a second time, and there, on the floor, he finds the beginnings of a dark puddle. Kneeling down gently, he reaches out with his right hand and dips his fingers into mysterious liquid. He raises his hand to his face and takes in the crimson color and rustic smell.

Blood.

He upturns his head to find the source when more drops splash gently against his face and trail down. He closes his eyes and let the thick fluid it run its course as gravity forces it down before opening the again to find the blood's owner.

He notices the stark white ceiling is like any other, with one difference- A panel seems to be bulging out revealing a dark, empty space of shadows. He looks more closely and sees that the ceiling is bulging out slightly at an odd angle, and a small trail of blood drips from the lowest slope. Anakin climbs up onto one of the benches. He pulls at the bulging ceiling panel until it collapses.

There on the ground is the lifeless body of a clone trooper. His neck is bent at an odd looking angle and his eyes are forever open in surprise at whoever had done this too him. The Jedi Knight looks on in brief horror before he moves to code in an intruder alert.

A little grey droid floats through the halls of the Republic cloning facility. He beeps and whirs like any other droid in the compound, and he wears the medic symbol like any other., but Mio is fairly certain that droids are not supposed to break access panels to get inside a heavily armoured door. He stands in front of one of said doors and tries again— for the fifth time— to have the door slide open.

"Blast it!" the little sentient droid spits. A little red light and a negative buzzer sounds. Mio lets his robotic head bump against the door repeatedly. Honestly, doors should not be this hard to open. It doesn't even have high security for kriff's sake! He lets out a hum of displeasure and slams his head again, and again, and again—

"Mission status, Mio," Śikariňa commands quietly.

"The key card is unresponsive, commander." She sighs in frustration and the little medical droid briefly contemplates how one action explains the entirety of one's emotions. He's pulled out of his pondering by her command.

"Plug into the port." He scans the side and finally locates it. He plugs in using his own built-in cables and breaks the minor protection on the security system before reporting back.

"I'm in, commander." The port suddenly gives him a hint for the password. "What does 'A. BIRTHDAY' mean to you, commander?" She is quiet for a few moments until she sucks in a breath and let's it out. In a shaky voice she responds, "Enter 00852." The security system seems to be considering accepting this and then a green light chirps a positive sound and a small automated voice from the panel says, "Welcome, Master Skywalker."

The door clicks open and Mio enters before continuing on. He comes into a medical area and flips down his visor. "Commander, I'm in the medical chamber, but no one is here." He hears her growl into the mic.

"Where the crink is Fives!"

"Commander," Shadow calls soothingly yet firm, "we will find him. We haven't failed yet, have we?" Though he is a mere droid, Mio has no problem expressing his gratitude to Shadow for calming down his commanding officer. Shadow replies knowing full well their commander can hear, "It's a gift." Focusing back on the mission, Mio continues his report. "The clone's whereabouts are unknown."

Mio continues to study the room when he takes note of two clear slides filled with an unknown tissue sample. He picks them up and looks inside and it seems to be some sort of medical tumor that had been previously removed, perhaps from a clone. He notices that one seems perfectly intact with a rather bright vibrant red color while the other one seems to be broken, or combusted, as if it had been defective. Not knowing why, he takes pictures of them as if the were important in some way. "Commander, I found something rather interesting."

He goes to further explain his findings when he is interrupted by a fellow teammate. "This is Casper, I have eyes on the objective. He is boarding a ship with the Jedi."

Shadow, the leader of said operation answers back. "Can you acquire the location the ship is headed to?"

"Of course." No further response is given for a few precious minutes. "I have the information, sir."

"And?"

"And you're really not going to like it. They're heading towards Coruscant, sir. It seems our target is going to have a chat with the Chancellor." Mio hears the irritation in Shadow's voice as clear as day.

"Did you get that, Śikariňa?"

"Loud and clear. Gather the rest of the team and meet back on the ship. I'll be waiting." Mio, understanding the change in objective, peeks his head outside the door, and upon seeing the hallways empty, rushes back to the meeting point and awaits the rest of the C.O. team.

She doesn't believe it to be dramatically quiet, but it is still. And wet. But honestly, could she expect any more from a planet like Kamino? A quiet sigh escapes her lips, and she shifts to pull one knee to her chest. The outer hull of the ship is slick with rain and soaks through her bindings, but she refuses move.

Instead she focuses on the incoming storm dead ahead. The clouds are dark and ominous, and with them comes a feeling of foreboding. She can see lightning striking the water and the sinking feeling in her gut grows. Something about this darkness is unnatural. Her brow furrows as she tries to focus on it.

"Are you okay?" She startles as the voice of her second-in-command surrounds her. His deep baritone voice soothes her and she welcomes the warmth his hand brings when placed upon her shoulder.

"No." Though she would rather lie, she can never do so, at least not to him. His hand tightens on her shoulder before falling away.

"Don't worry, we'll save him. We'll save Fives." She shakes her head in disagreement.

"I don't think we will. It's just a feeling but. . ." She sighs and shakes her head again. "Never mind."

"But what? You've never had such little faith in our success the sudden change? Are you trying to save yourself from the pain if we fail?" He meant no disrespect in his questioning, but her head whips around in fury, and her blues eyes pin her companion in place with the fierceness of their glare.

"Ace, I've lost hundreds of men in battle, and none was easier than the last. The pain will never lessen with each death."

"Then what is it?" She turns back to the storm moving and studies the darkness the lurks behind the clouds' shade.

"Nothing. Like I said it's just a feeling." She gets up and starts towards the opened hatch. "Let's go," she commands, "the men are waiting." She pushes her shoulders back and stands tall. It won't pay for the rest of her men to see her so low. She needs to be strong against the oncoming storm.

"Shadow, what's your position?"

"We're on route, commander. ETA to Coruscant, ten minutes."

"Glad to hear it. Śikariňa out."

"Commander, I've managed to tail the target, but his current course of action is still unknown. Should I continue to follow?" Mio floats above the dusty ground of the lower levels of Coruscant fiddling with his metallic fingers. He is intelligent enough to hide his body behind a group of drunk individuals, and only cares to peek his head out every few seconds to make sure not to lose his target.

"Yes, but be cautious. You are not the only one following him," Śikariňa warns.

"Are making a reference to the Master Jedi also following the target?"

"Yes. He is incredibly focused when it comes to being aware of his surroundings."

"Are you speaking from experience, commander?" Mio asks innocently as he moves to trail the unsuspecting clone.

"If I am, it doesn't matter. My answer is irrelevant to the task at hand. Maintain focus on the target."

"Of course, commander." The droid nods as if his commander can see it and picks up his place to be closer to the clone. He notices that the clone's movement are sure and familiar as if this area is well known to him. The clone crosses the alley and heads for a well lit building. "Commander, it seems our target is feeling like a drink. Should I send Shadow to retrieve him?"

"Relay the signal, but stay close by. Shadow will need you to be his eyes and ears."

"Yes, commander." The small droid turns and waves towards the outline of a figure hanging in the shadows. Shadow walks calmly to the techno medical droid. "The commander suggests you head inside. I will be your eyes and ears so nothing may occur while you cannot be reached. It is important you have no form of communication as the target might become suspicious. Would you like me to accompany you inside?"

"No. Just enter a few minutes after I do, and don't be seen." Shadow casually walks to the entrance and stares into a face much like his own. "Am I in?" he asks the bouncer. A nod is his reply and he ducks into the dark entrance.

The strobe lights reflect brightly off of every shiny surface in the club, and there are a lot of them. It's almost blinding. Shadow raises a hand to shield his eyes from the lights and find his target, ARC Trooper Fives. He suspects the runaway clone has some form of disguise to hide his appearance.

He glances around the crowd, but nothing stands out aside from the techno medical droid entering the establishment. Not wanting to seem suspicious, Shadow moves to the bar and orders himself a drink. He turns to look over the crowd for a second time as he waits for his order to be placed in front of him. He hears the clank of the glass landing on the bar.

"Thanks," he nods before he knocks the drink back and casually moves to the edge of the dance floor. He is by no means a dancer, but he needs to find a good vantage point. It's as he's walking through the middle of the glowing floor that he is bumped into by a nervous looking clone with a grey hat upon his head. Shadow stares at the figure and nearly scoffs at the ease of it all. Rather than having to hunt for his target, his target appears to be rather keen on being found.

"Excuse me," Fives mutters.

"Ah, no worries, brother!" Shadow plasters a wide smile is on his face and attempts to appear happy, though he feels anything but. Fives moves around him and Shadow's smile falls. He watches the trooper enter in bathroom before following himself. As he nears the doors, Shadow can't help but hear the end of the conversation.

"-highest levels are involved in the conspiracy!"

Shadow's eyes narrow at the words. What conspiracy? He leans in closer, but the conversation is coming to a close.

"I have to talk to General Skywalker and Captain Rex, alone." Shadow cannot make out the response of Fives' companion as the music changes and grows louder than before. He only hears random words, but they are enough to paint a picture. ". . .coordinates. . . General. . .meets. . ."

He steps away from the door as the first clone leaves. He is prepared to turn and enter the bathroom when the music cuts out. He turns to investigate the occurrence and witnesses his little droid distracting a squadron of clones who, no doubt, share a common target with him.

"Pardon me . . ." He hears Mio start and uses the bided time to swiftly enter the room. As the door moves shut, Shadow bumps directly into Fives. Fives moves to walk around him when Shadow grabs his wrist and tugs him towards the vents.

"Trust me, brother, you do not want to go that way." He opens the vent and forces Fives inside. "It's time for us to disappear." He enters the vent behind Fives and closes the hatch just as the squadron of troops storms the stalls.

Fives is the first to exit the vile ventilation shaft, and grabs the wall for support as he bends and releases haggard coughs in an attempt to clear his senses of the wretched smell. He looks around the alleyway as his "ally," for lack of a better word, follows him out. After his coughing subsides he turns to the stranger who saved his life. "Who are you?"

"A middleman of sorts," Shadow casually shrugs. Fives looks at him skeptically.

"A middleman? For who?"

"For someone who believes you, and that's all you need to know."

"They 'believe me?' No," Fives denies, shaking his head, "no one believes me."

"Well, my commander does. We know about the conspiracy, and we know the Republic is after you because of the knowledge you have." Fives crosses his arms and steps away.

"And just how do you know this?" Shadow shrugs and leans his body against the alley wall as a slight smirk creeps onto his face.

"You've become a very popular topic of interest, and an old friend of yours caught wind of the information."

"This 'old friend,'" he quotes, "they're your commander?"

"That's right. Ever since she heard, my commander has been looking out for you. We've had eyes on you since the incident with Tup."

"And just how do you know about that? That information is classified," Fives growls. Shadow, however, is unimpressed.

"Like I said, you're story's a catch among the Underground." Shadow casually glances past Fives' head and notices Mio afloat in the distance. Mio motions for them to get a move on before setting off towards the meeting point. Shadow sighs and pushes himself into an upright position. "Look, we need to get a move on. I'm going to take you somewhere safe." Fives shakes his head and steps out of range of attack.

"No. I need to speak to General Skywalker." A sound of frustration escapes Shadow's throat at the naïveté of his doppelganger. Shadow is the type who enjoys talking people in circles and laughing at their expense, but he's done playing games, and he is done with the idiotic belief Fives' holds that someone of the Republic will believe him. Only a fool would truly believe in the "good-heartedness" of the Republic, and Shadow sneers at the thought of anyone being so ignorant, especially a fellow clone.

"Are you stupid?" he demands of Fives. "Do you honestly think staying here is the best course of action when you are a fugitive?" Shadow reaches out and grabs Fives by the arm. "I am done playing this childish game of make believe; you are coming with me."

Fives looks down at the arm grabbing him tightly and lifts his hand to remove is when he notices a strange inky symbol on the inside portion of Shadow's wrist. His cloning number is scratched out, and above it is a tattoo inked in black. The tattoo defines a distinct pair of small hands dividing two cities. It is a tattoo Fives has seen before. He tears his arm away and moves out of reaching distance.

"You're no brother! You're a deserter! A traitor!" Fives shakes his head to clear his thoughts. He rakes his hands over his head and clenches fistfuls of his short hair in frustration. "I need to go," he whispers to himself, "I have to speak to General Skywalker." Before Shadow can respond, Fives turns and runs down the alley.

"Damn it." He watched Fives leaves and moves to follow when he is joined by Mio.

"We need to go," Mio claims. "The commander has found where Fives intends to meet the General and his Captain." Shadow processes the information before following his small droid.

"Shadow, what's the status with Fives?"

"I'm working on it," he grumbles.

Shadow runs quickly and silently in the direction of the warehouses. His path is shrouded in darkness and empty of any life form besides his own and that of Mio. For the first time since coming to Coruscant he feels immersed in his element. After all, his name is Shadow, and what better place to find him in a place surrounded by darkness? However, that being said, he distaste for the area far outweighs that of enjoyment of poor lighting. A grimace falls over his face as he runs through a puddle of something that is far too dense to be water. For what feel like the hundredth time he silently curses his lack of communication to call for a drop off.

Mio eyes shine with the lowest light built into his small robotic body, but they're still bright enough to poorly light a path for Shadow to trace. He keeps his whirring to a minimum. He hovers virtually on top of Shadow and attempts to refrain from bumping into his mission buddy. It's nothing he hasn't done before, and the ducking and sneaking has essentially become his second nature. He quietly murmurs the directions they need to take to follow the tracker placed on their target.

Together the two make their way through a narrow alley and into an open area. He cuts across several openings into different warehouses. "501, 501, 501," Shadow mutters, searching for the correct storage facility. He cuts in between two buildings and ends up in the high 400s. He moves to dash again but throws his body back into the shadows when several clone shock troopers rush past. He watches as they head in the same direction he was headed.

"Do you think they are searching for ARC trooper Fives?" Mio asks lowly.

"Undoubtedly," Shadow answers. He motions forward and says, "Come on. We need to find a shortcut." He moves again and his loyal robot follows. Turn after turn they make their way. Halfway to his destination Shadow hears the red-bearing clones issuing commands as he passes by unnoticed.

With a final sprint he finds the warehouse he was searching for. Knowing he cannot simply waltz through the front door, he circles around the building to find a secondary access point. Mio lightly grips Shadows shoulder with his small hands and motions further ahead. "There," he points. "There are crates up ahead. If you can climb them, you can access the window of the second level." Shadow nods his understanding and runs. He jumps, launching his body in the air, and climbs up the first crate. He jumps again and grips the top of the second crate. The process continues as he makes his way up. When he reaches the top he drags his body through the small opening of the broken glass and lands on the floor of a balcony overlooking the main level. Easily he climbs to his feet and moves forward.

Shadow makes his way to the railing to find Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his first-in-command Rex trapped. He listens as Fives tries to explain himself; he watches as Skywalker and Rex discredit Fives; he witnesses Fives break and loose himself as his trusted commander refuses to believe him; he remains unmoving as a flash of light moves through the air and pierces Fives' chest plate.

He stares down as Fives falls in seemingly slow motion. The sound of his body hitting the floor fills Shadow's ears twice as loud as the sound of the bullet did. He hears the cry of the fallen clone's names from none other than the ones who refused to believe him. Mio floats around his head and wrings his hand as if worry was an emotion he could experience.

"Sir, I am a techno medical droid. I am well equipped with the knowledge to save him. Shall I proceed and do so?" He inches forward and begins his dissent, but Shadow calls out, "No. There's nothing we can do for him. He made his choice."

"But, Shadow—" Mio tries again.

"My answer is no." He turns and retraces his steps back to the window. "Come. We need to report to Śikariňa." Without looking back, he jumps from the window and heads out to his extraction point.

Shadow walks calmly to the edge of the platform where his ride awaits. He steps onto the lowered hatch opening and looks into the illuminated eyes of his commander. Without saying a word, they both make their way to front of the ship. The back opening raises and they take off.

"Commander?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

Additional Note: It's officially done! Please, don't forget to review. Meg and I love anything you have to say or being shown any mistakes we may have made. Keep an eye out for the next chapter. Message you soon! -AJ