Flashback:

All I got to do is what's in front of me? I sat for anther moment or so, contemplating Rex's apparently hard learned advice. I wonder what he was like fresh out of the cloning facility? I began to ponder. How this order changed everything for so many? Even for the millions (or billions) of us who weren't directly involved? Makes Rex philosophical, Jester redeemable, Chopper suicidal, and poor Ray just plain nuts; (but than again Ray was nuts before the order; or maybe rather he really wasn't the one that was nuts at all)? Too much bobbaly boo for one frustrated clone to figure out right now. I let out a sigh as I got up, cleaned my dish and wandered back into the livingroom.

"Well Alexandria... uh, Ma'am? Do you have something you need me to do?" I made a half-hearted inquire.

"Yes, I do Nakam." Alexandria answered abruptly. "Stop calling me Ma'am!" She shook her head. "This is not the Grand Army of the Republic any more. I don't have to tolerate that." She sighed as she folded her arms, looked around and than smiled wryly at me. "Other wise; here, go take these to Rex's hacker friends." She chuckled as she stuffed a bunch of components into a duffle bag and handed it to me.

"O.K..." I nodded, having to exercise considerable self control to not let a 'Ma'am' slip out. I shouldered the bag, snuck out the door and down two flights of stairs.

"Caleb!" Ace hollered as he was just leaving the apartment I was headed too. "Got company." He whistled as he gestured toward me. "Hey." He slapped me on the back as I slipped inside.

"Morning." Caleb acknowledged and than handed me a data pad in exchange for the duffle bag. He pointed to the back room. O.K.? I shrugged with indecisive curiosity as I glanced at the pad and strolled down another short hall. This apartment looked like an exact mirror image replica of the one I'd left upstairs; with the exception of stacks of prehistoric computer equipment, obviously waiting to fossilize.

"Hello?" I quietly inquired as I could hear whisperings amongst the numerous and multiplying dust bunnies that scurried away upon my opening of the door.

"Hey, come on in." One of the confiding voices responded as an arm reached out and pulled me behind a changing screen. Hey, at least it wasn't a giant dust bunny talking to me. I chuckled to myself. Standing there were both Bethie and Katook, half arrayed in Jango clone apparel.

"Oh good." Katook mumbled as he exchanged the data pad for another clone jump-suit - casually flung in my direction . I just looked dumbly at him. "Well, what are you waiting for; get dressed." He remarked as if I should already know what's going on here. I just stood there staring at the two of them.

"We need a third person; and it looks like you've been elected." Bethie grinned as she pulled her top off and went rifling though a pile of jump-suits, looking for which ever it would be that was to her best liking. Despite the fact she was wearing adequate underclothes; I think it was still more of any Jango clone than I ever really wanted to see. I politely turned around.

"Hurry up." Katook elbowed me as he was struggling to figure out this armor.

"O.K." I sort of mumbled as I reluctantly held the jumper top up before me and subtly pointed toward Bethie.

"O.K. O.K. " Katook grinned in a mixture of amusement and annoyance as he leaned over and whispered to her. She turned around a minute and looked at me; than smiled, reached out and affectionately thumbed my cheek between her fingers.

"Such sweet innocence." She giggled as she left a big sloppy kiss on the side of my face, failing to resist the urge to bounce my curls a few times. Finally she excused herself so 'your shyness' here could change. Katook, you really didn't have to tell her that. I would have been happy to leave myself. I only glared at him and shook my head.

"Nakam, it's alright." Katook sighed as he grabbed me by the head, pulled me toward him and threw his arms around me. "I love you bro; and there's nothing that's ever going to change that!" He said as he gave me a giant bear hug and than a good shake. I took a deep breath and let out a long sigh, for though I felt tremendous sorrow in the depth of my soul. The last thing I wanted to do was start crying again.

"The tears this army has shed could drown the planets they've saved." I remember Captain San Wan once saying to Professor Sha Wii.

"Yeah, I know." She responded. "But it's not the first time in this universe someone's freedom has been purchased with the blood, sweat and tears of another. It's your job to share with them that hope."

The captain stood for a long time, just looking at the professor.

"I will restore unto you the years the locust has eaten." He quoted.

"For I know my thoughts toward you; says the Lord. To do good and not evil and to give you an expected end." She added.

To give me an expected end. The words hung in my memory as I peered behind me at Bethie who was babbling a cheery "so long" to Gracie. I wonder what my expected end will be now? The thoughts rolled around in my head before they came to rest on something Shiloh had said. "I used to fantasize about what I wanted to be when I grew up." He laughed. "Now my dreams of being famous will have to take place after I'm dead." He grinned contentedly. "If my obedience has been used to bring one person to God; than my life will have meaning." He paused a moment "or at least eternally speaking."

Little things that you had done, sacrifices made, un-noticed on the Earth, in heaven now proclaimed. A phrase from a rather old; (and rather sappy) song floated through my memory. Do you really want glory in eternity though? Another question seeped in. Is that what we do any of this for? I glanced over at Katook as I pulled the jump-suit bottoms on. Oh how much I'd rather hear Jesus say "Welcome home." than "I'm proud of you." I paused a moment as I looked around at the people in my presence. I know you'd miss me if I wasn't here. I began to ponder. But I never did any of this because I wanted you to write a good eulogy. No, not even for accolades from God, or the love of righteousness. I did it because He first loved me.

I plopped down in a chair and fiddled with this funky armor a bit. Yes Shiloh; farewell old friend. I sighed as I'd suddenly come to a new conclusion. I guess things are going to be alright after all. I thought about that for a long minute. Did I still feel... abandon by Katook; or maybe even mad at Shiloh for dying? (Like any of that really makes any sense what's so ever!) Yeah maybe; but like Rex said, we all make our own choices. I can't change the circumstances, but maybe I can come to terms with them? We all have to let go eventually. I sucked back a sniffle and sat listening to the quietness in my soul.

Peace? No matter what I feel of the circumstances in my life. Of which yes, sometimes they really suck. No denying that. I chuckled. But I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's. Thank you. Thank you God, for something I can't really put words too. I sighed one last time. My mind now quiet; empty of anxiety and pain. It's not permanent I know; fear and sorrow will return. For right now though; my world has struck an equilibrium. The "force" is in balance. As I guess maybe they'd say here? I chuckled to myself. I'd like to stay in this space forever; but... I got work to do.

So we holstered a few blasters and grabbed some mismatched helmets. I guess we are headed to go pick up someone who's been "extracted". I thought a moment as I looked over the data pad that had inadvertently been handed to me. High ranking clone who's identity has not been disclosed. The instructions said. Wonder if Ace is right. Maybe it is this Cody fellow this time around? My mind drifted a bit as I thought of a conversation Ace had with one very discouraged Rex the prior afternoon.

And I do suppose we also get to see what kind of a soldier Bethie is. My mind tracked down an alternate path. If she's as good at fighting as she was at seducing Katook; than I guess this could be an interesting mission. (I know that really wasn't fair to say. It was just as much his choice as it was anyone else's. We all make choices.) Yes, Rex 'ol boy; we all make choices.

"Check, check; you both hear me?" Bethie's crackled utterances came over the com-link in my helmet. The monitor was flashing 'private channel'.

"Yep." We answered simultaneously.

"OK good." She sighed. "This shouldn't take long; done plenty of these." She continued. "There's an outpost on a moon two parsecs from here. It's sort of a quasi-prison. In the past; the army took clones there that were slated to be sent back to Kamino for 'reconditioning' or 'decommission'." Bethie explained as we climbed out the window and followed her down the fire escape. "Now it's supposedly a 'relocation' center. Mostly political prisoners though. We're the 'medical escort' to Coruscant." She paused a moment and surveyed the streets. "The chief doctor up there checks in clones that might be recoverable'; ones with promising displays of troubled conscience. We get the 'irreparable clone madness' cases." She chuckled. "That's where most of the underground clones here came from."

"Interesting." I mumbled in response.

"Come on; this way." She indicated with a jerk of her head. "We've got to get to the transportation block."

We jogged down the street, through a couple of turnstiles and down two flights of stairs; that apparently lead to some sort of subway. Many of Coruscant's finest rode these rails. I noticed as we edged our way into the next car. They were mostly civilians though; the vast majority of which made plenty of room for us. Advantages of running around with loaded weapons, I suppose. I chuckled as I cased my own surroundings.

We exited the subway four stops down the rail and backtracked two blocks to what looked like an abandon military installation. There was one lone guard lazily stretched out with his feet on a messy desk, absorbed in some cheesy, mildly pornographic hologram novel.

"Yeah, what do ya want." He murmured as he reluctantly got up and scanned us in.

"M M 12's Alpha yard." Katook answered.

"Ah, a crazy clone crates." The guard mumbled to himself. "Don't even know why the bother?" He shrugged as he waved us through. "Next tram leaves in about 10 minutes." He instructed as he pointed out the side door. "Unless of course you wanna walk." He muttered as he went and sat down again.

"Charming fellow." Katook snickered while he took up residency on one of the outside benches. "Hee Hee -ihh ha ha." He giggled as he wiggled around trying to adjust how he was seated in this armor. "Who's tin can was this; Tiny's?" He started to laugh excitedly as he looked at Bethie and continued to squirm. "Wooooh!" He exclaimed.

"O.K. Keep a lid on it kids." I mumbled as I took a quick look around. "Considering they think we're all guys."

"Oh that doesn't matter to some of these clones." Bethie expounded. "Pick an orifice."

"Alright, Alright TMI!" I gave the signal while my traveling companions just snickered at me.

The tram arrived shortly and we filed in, sitting next to a few (not so happy looking) souls. It was very dingy and dirty and noisy too. Factories across the river belched out noxious smog as the docking bays right next to us squeaked and squealed and boomed with all manner of machinery that didn't sound like it was in adequate repair. Boy, I hope the ship we pick up doesn't sound like that. I cringed.

"What was this place any ways?" I inquired in an attempt to occupy the time with some small talk.

"Old Naval base." Bethie answered as I watched endless rows of what looked like warehouses fade into a distant yellow haze.

"And there's still parts of it active?" I inquired.

"Yeah, now it's mostly used for civilian cargo; but there's a few military support units left here." Bethie answered.

"Looks old." I posed a casual observance while we passed a huge brick structure.

"Yeah well; it didn't start out as a military installation." Bethie went on to expound. "Back in the hay day of Alderanian cultural influence; this complex was copied from one of their ancient fair grounds. People used to come from all over Coruscant to see the displays of modern engineering marvel." She chuckled. "Stuff we all take for granted now."

"So these were all fair buildings?" I clarified.

"Yep." She confirmed. "Inside of some of them are crates full of statues and stained glass windows that had been part of the building edifices for the fairs. A lot of the stuff has been lost, or pillaged, or broken over the years." She shrugged. "But that was what; more than a century ago now?"

"Yeah well, time and tide wait for no man; do they?" I commented.

"Nope, they don't." She answered.

"Interesting." I mumbled to myself.

We got off the tram and headed into a small yard behind a crumbling air terminal. Well, this doesn't look any more promising. I shook my head as I turned around a couple of times trying to get my bearings. The buildings were in disrepair and half the machinery was leaking... something? In the abandon airfields behind us lay rows of mangled military hardware. Relics of a bygone era I suppose. All parked out here to rot; for lack of better place to put them? I guess. What a shame; they are even too rusted to recycle. I stood looking out over the wreckage.

"Hey Nakam; come on let's go." Katook poked me, as they both turned into a yard behind a gigantic gate.

"Here we are." Bethie announced with about as much enthusiasm as a bowl of soggy cereal.

"Yummy." I commented, when I got my first load of what options were available to us in the transportation realm. She just glanced back at me and shook her head.

We proceeded on, to a small desk where another ill tempered custodian of the wears complained incessantly about how issuing vehicle trip tickets wasn't even his job.

"I'm now a protocol droid." He kept repeating. "I'm fluent in thirty thousand language and an additional three million sub dialects of those languages."

"Well Good! Translate me a ship!" Bethie growled.

"Oh sir, yes sir; kind clone trooper, please don't shoot me." The droid continued to babble. "I was just reprogrammed and they fixed my memory circuits three days ago. Problem with the binary processor you know. Oh how these things wear out when we get older."

Bethie just dropped her head on the counter and banged it there a couple of times.

"Oh you clones really shouldn't do that." The droid went on. "I have seen helmets that failed to work properly, because the clone destroyed the external sensors from banging his head on tables."

Katook cocked the firing relay on his blaster and fixed it on the droid.

"Yes, yes I have your transportation voucher right here." The annoying tinny fluttered as it shoved a bunch of miscellaneous data chips at us.

"Thank you." Bethie growled again.

"Oh yes, now you clones have a good trip and please do try to control your tempers." The droid chattered on. "I just heard on the news; now the empire has come up with pills you can take for that."

"And these were the kind of droids you guys were fighting?" I giggled at Bethie as she forcefully shoved the door leading into the equipment yard out of her way.

"Recycled battle droids. I guess the empire has gone green!" Katook smirked.

"Roger. Roger." was Bethie's only comment.

We scampered through the yard and finally up the ramp of the small craft we'd obviously been assigned to.

"Well, here we are." Bethie sighed as she closed the docking bay ramp, pulled her helmet off and tossed it into a chair. We all followed suit. "Reminds me of the shuttle I hocked from Kamino." She muttered in reflective sadness, as we both just stood watching her a moment or so.

"What's the matter? Katook asked inquisitively.

"Oh?" Bethie suddenly snapped back to the present. "Nothing, fire up the engines." She instructed as she sat down. "I'll set the navi-computer."

"OK?" We both just shrugged.

We waited a moment or so while this sad and tired ship sputtered and coughed to life. It took a bit of tinkering with the fuel feed regulators; but we got it off the ground and headed out of the compound. Bethie seemed sullen and quiet as we made our ring through civilian traffic intersects and finally headed to the outer atmosphere of the planet.

"I've flown dozens of these sorties and never had a ship like this." Bethie finally spoke.

"Yeah, you said something about escaping Kamino in a shuttle." Katook reflected. "What happened that this ship suddenly makes you so sad?"

"Oh, nothing ... and everything." Bethie let out a little chuckle. "My daughter was conceived on the floor." She mumbled a reluctant confession.

"Well, that was good." Katook answered empathetically.

"Yeah it was." Bethie thoughtlessly agreed.

I just burst out laughing.

"Oh man!" Bethie started to snicker when she suddenly caught her own Freudian slip. "You have my permission to hit him." She told Katook.

Katook only cast an equivocal glare at me.

"Well uh, Katook; it's good that you agree." I tried as delicately as I could to re-frame the context. "Shows maturity." I grinned in confirmation and gave him a thumbs up.

"Oh Nakam." Katook just started shaking his head. "Tsk, tsk." He sighed. "Naughty clone."

"Well not really." Bethie continued to snicker as she sat up and looked straitly at me. "It wasn't you; you weren't there either!" She howled as she slapped her hand on the console, jumped up and just about pounced on Katook.

"Ohhhhhh!" He seethed with excitement.

"AND I DON'T WANT TO BE THERE THIS TIME!" I screeched as I scrunched my face up and stuck my hands out in the air.

"NAKAM!" Katook hollered in panicked response. "OPEN YOUR EYES DUDE; YOU'RE FLYING THIS THING!"

"OH SHIT!" I feigned a sudden lapse of memory before I turned to Katook. "Don't worry. It's on auto-piolet." I grinned.

"AHHH!" Katook yelled as he attempted to jump up and hit me. Instead though, he managed to dump Bethie on the floor and land on top of her.

"Whaaaa." They both laughed as they rolled around a few times and commenced with totally unconvincing and ridiculous sound effects.

"O.K. PEOPLE!" I finally scolded them. "Time to pull yourselves... apart; we're almost there."

Katook jumped back into his seat and started clawing wildly at his armor. I just turned and looked at him. "You're so stupid; you know that!" I laughed.

So after we calmed down a bit from this little bought of silly banter and Katook's trying to 'pull himself apart'; we dawned our helmets and began the docking procedure. It wasn't long before the hatches and doors were squealing their hissing air through our shuttle compartment and we waited for guards to bring us our sick prisoner. A strange little alien suddenly stuck his head in the door and looked around. Bethie waved a two fingered "V" at him; to which he nodded and smiled.

"That's Doctor Rigal." She informed us over our com-links, as I watched him scamper back down the loading ramp.

A few moments passed before the prisoner came out. He was cuffed and shackled and when the guards brought him aboard; they tossed him in one of the empty seats and Katook and I strapped him in. Bethie was busy reprogramming the navi-computer for the trip home. She turned to secure the hatch when she got a glimpse of the prisoner. She paused a moment and than quickly latched everything up and sealed the door. Once the docking procedure began it's reverse sequence; Bethie pulled her helmet off.

"Cody." She whispered. "It really is you."

The sullen prisoner's eyes drifted toward her. "Daisy?" He mumbled.

"Yeah, Ace was right. Rex didn't think we'd ever find you." Bethie whispered in profound astonishment.

"Rex?" The man murmured in disbelief. "Rex is alive?"

"Yeah, Rex is alive." Bethie answered.

"What about Anakin and Ashoka?" Cody gasped.

"Don't know." Bethie explained. "We think Ashoka is still alive but no-one seems to know where she is. We only..." Bethie sighed as her voice trailed off a bit. "We only have rumors as to what happened to Anakin."

"Rumors? What kind of rumors?" Cody began to demand as he pulled at his straps and tried to stand up. "Rumors that he's Darth Vader? WELL I BELIEVE IT!" Cody yelled as he fitfully struggled against the seatbelts. "And I Think He Knows Where She Is! AND HE'S TRYING TO KILL HER!" Cody started to scream like a trapped animal.

"Woah, Woah, Woah. Wait, wait." Bethie spoke softly as she tried to quiet Cody. "We know what happened to you." She reassured him. "But you may have information that we don't. Rex is trying to find her and if we're going to get to her before Vader does; you're going to have to be calm to help us."

"Be calm, be calm, be calm." Cody began to chant as he rocked back and forth. "Be calm, be calm. Cody needs his meds." He mumbled unintelligibly. "Cody Needs His Meds. CODY NEEDS HIS MEDS!" He began to yell. "CO -DDY NEEED HISS MED!"

I peered over at Bethie and casually pulled out my phaser. Cody's med? I indicated Yes? No? I shook my head.

"O.K." She nodded in reluctant agreement as I waited for a moment when Cody's head was not turned toward me; than I zapped him into unconsciousness.