Months had passed since Ahsoka left the order. It was certainly different. Anakin was more ruthless. Rex seemed more closed off to everyone except for Ashara. The entire crew's demeanor had changed without the young Jedi on board. Even Ashara was a little calmer. And Teriko... Poor Teriko was even quieter than before. He seemed to be more strict in following the rules, and he was taking after Anakin in that he was becoming more ruthless. It scared Ashara, and she tried to keep him on a more sane level, but it was hard, when they were constantly with Anakin.

They barely had any time to rest, constantly being sent on mission after mission. It was wearing Ashara down, as well as the troops. Currently they were on Ringo Vinda, a spacestation encircling an entire planet.

Blaster fire shot past Ashara from both directions, one side friendly, one side not. A few stray shots almost hit her, but she blocked them expertly with her lightsaber. She could sense Anakin and Teriko doing the same on either side of her They managed to creep forward through the hallways into a more open room, where there were fewer droids that they were easily able to take out.

Master Tiplee, twin sister of Jedi Master Tiplar spoke. "Master Skywalker, we must get to the command post. Admiral Trench has sent for reinforcements. We must take this post before they arrive."

Ashara stood behind Tiplee and Anakin as they knelt beside a hologram that Rex had set up. Anakin pointed at a spot on the map.

"It's time for Phase Two. We're at this position", Anakin said. There were three passageways leading to the next open room. Anakin pointed at the passage farthest from him. "Tiplar and Ashara, you'll take your men down this passageway. Tiplee, you'll move along here. They'll have to divide their forces to conquer us, and when they do, Rex, Teriko and I will press through the middle. If we time it right, we'll all converge on this spot at the same time and the droids won't know what hit em."

"If we're making a run, we'll need backup. My men are severely depleted", one of the clone commanders said. Anakin nodded, and turned to two of Ashara's favorite clone troopers, just after Rex.

"Fives, you and Tup take ten of your best men and support Master Tiplar", he said.

"We're on it, sir!"

Ashara moved away, but Teriko didn't follow her. She paused before sighing softly. 

"Good luck out there, Teriko", she said softly. He just scoffed, and trod toward Anakin. She frowned, but didn't say anything, instead moving to stand next to Tiplar.

"Follow me", Tiplar said, raising the hilt of her lightsaber in the air. Ashara pulled hers out as well, and the two Jedi ran down the hallway side by side. They were quickly met with droids, and without hesitation, Ashara leaped away of the pack, dancing her way through the droids. Of course, several got through, but she took down a lot. When Tiplar caught up to the togruta, she yelled out over the battle

"Master Ki! You need to stay with the troops!"

Ashara glanced back at the other Jedi, who had an exasperated look on her face. "You have your style, Master Tiplar, I have mine."

She continued to do what she does, before pausing just out of the droids reach at the next doorway. Master Tiplar and the troops caught up to her, and together they ran out into the room at the same time as the other two groups. They pushed back the droids to the crates, but there was a spider droid. Both Ashara and Tiplar leaped onto it, and shoved their lightsabers into it's central wiring, rendering it useless. The duo leapt off the spider, cutting down droids. Ashara felt someone approach her from behind, someone with malicious intent. She turned to look and found herself staring down the barrel of a blaster. She looked up, and saw Tup staring at her with a strange look in his eyes. She realized a moment too late what he was planning to do. 

And then all at once, she was out of the way, and a different body fell to the ground. She twisted around to look at who it was, and she saw Master Tiplar laying at Tup's feet, smoke coming out of his blaster. Ashara heard Tiplee's cry and she looked up at the twin who likely felt her sister's death. She looked at the oncoming droids, and shook her head, their strategy wouldn't work without Tiplar. 

"Hold your position!" Anakin yelled as Tiplee leaped over to her fallen sister.

"Anakin, we must retreat!" she called over to her friend, her brother. 

"No, Master, we must keep pressing forward!" Teriko yelled back. She shot a look at her apprentice, then turned back to the approaching droids, defending them off as she protected Tiplar's body, which Tiplee held gently. She could feel the confusion radiating off of Tup.

"Anakin!" she yelled again when destroyers and flying super droids moved themselves to the front of the pack. Anakin relented. 

"We've lost our momentum. Fall back!" Ashara was angry that he hadn't listened to her the first time, now they would have to be defending against these guys while running. She was glad when they managed to get back to safety, and she sighed softly as she looked at Tiplee mourning her sister. Ashara watched as Teriko walked over to her.

"Why did you tell Anakin to fall back?" Teriko spat. "We could have handled them!"

Ashara crossed her arms, and looked at him sternly. "We just lost a Jedi, Teriko. We needed to fall back, because us Jedi would not be at our best and we would lose many troops."

"And?" Teriko spat.

Ashara frowned. "We need every clone we can get out there. Besides, Fives and Tup needed to get out of there, or who knows who else Tup would have killed. It could have been me, you, Master Skywalker, or even the clones. We need all the clones we have to win this fight, and I'd like to see as many of them return from this fight as possible."

Teriko's glare darkened, and Ashara swear she saw a flash of gold around the rims of his baby blue eyes. She looked again, but there was nothing, so she figured she must have imagined it.

"I don't see why we can't just get more", he muttered, looking away from Ashara. "I mean, they are just clones after all."

Ashara froze in her spot, and her entire presence darkened. "Don't you ever say that again, Teriko Che. The clones are so much more than that! You should know this by now!"

Teriko just shrugged and walked away, leaving Ashara standing by herself, frustration radiating off of her. A calming presence moved closer to her, and she found herself turning as Rex approached. He gave her a gentle smile.

"I saw you and Teriko arguing", he said softly. "Are things okay?"

Ashara huffed. "Teriko is changing", she muttered. "And not in a good way."

"How do you mean?" Rex asked, gently prying her for more information.

"Just, the past few months, ever since Ahsoka left, he's becoming more and more angry. I can sense it within him. He's becoming cold and distant to everyone, even me. I'm supposed to be his mentor, but how can I teach him when he won't let me? Everywhere I turn, he's with Anakin, they're always together. They train together, they take breaks together, they plan strategies together, they eat meals with each other. It's almost like I'm the one who lost a padawan instead of Anakin!" Rex rested a hand on her shoulder, and she immediately crumbled under his touch. A few tears fell from her cheeks. "Rex, I'm scared for him. Just now... I swear I saw his eyes flash yellow. Just barely, but it was there. I know it was."

"I don't understand. What do yellow eyes mean?" Rex pried. Ashara squeezed her eyes shut.

"Yellow eyes are indicative of a force user completely succumbing to the power of the dark side", Ashara whispered. "I fear that Ahsoka leaving will have a much grander impact than one might believe."

Rex sighed softly. "I wish I could help you with this", he mumbled, as he pulled her slightly closer. Not close enough that they were touching, but close enough that their presences calmed the other. "They're taking Tup to medical. Kix can't figure out what's going on with him, but whatever it is, is caused by being around the Jedi. He'll be able to get better readings there."

Ashara frowned. "I do hope he turns out to be okay. He's one of the few ones that knows what's going on between us, whatever that is."

Rex chuckled. "We'll figure it out one day, I'm sure." Ashara nodded, and gently gripped his hand before pulling away, and walking over to Anakin and Teriko. There was a lot that they needed to figure out.

~~~~~~

Ashara stood next to Teriko on a medical frigate, who seemed to be stiff as a board. She hated it. He was always tense, but not stiff or rigid. He was still treating her coldly, and she hoped that one day she would be able to figure it out. Maybe when they got back to Coruscant, she would meditate, see if that could help her figure out what to do.

Tup was fighting against his restraints, confused about what was happening.

"Fives, what's happening to me?" he asked. Fives sent a surprised look at the Jedi nearby.

"You don't remember?" the ARC trooper asked. Ashara had found out after she returned from her trip visiting different planets that he had been promoted after the battle for Kamino.

"No", Tup said. Ashara focused on his teardrop tattoo. She remembered when he was talking about getting it. She wasn't there when he did get it, but it made him more memorable, easier to recognize from all his brothers. She was glad that they found a way to distinguish themselves.

"You murdered General Tiplar", Fives told him harshly. She winced, especially when she noticed that Tup was even more confused.

"Why are we even wasting time with this?" Teriko spoke up. "Just send him off, so we can get back to the battle." Ashara whipped her head around to view her padawan. He was putting on a bored face, one that was filled with maliciousness. It scared her, knowing that her padawan was going dark, and she didn't know what she could do about it.

"Teriko!" Ashara whisper-shouted. "Be quiet!"

"Why should I?" he muttered. "We're all thinking it."

"Teriko", Anakin said sternly. "Quiet."

"Yes, Master Skywalker", the padawan said softly. Ashara frowned, and pulled back a little bit, standing close to Tiplee. 

"I'm sorry about my padawan", she murmured to the older Jedi. "He's... changing, and he doesn't really care for much anymore."

Tiplee just nodded, though the togruta could feel the Jedi's anger radiating off of her. She could also feel concern, and she knew it was for what she said. Things were not going well at all. They eventually had to sedate him, as he was getting out of control. Kix and Rex were arguing over whatever was going on with Tup. Ashara could feel the amusement radiating off of Teriko, and it horrified her. She backed out into the hall, just enough so she could hear them, but not where they could see her. She was panicking, as everything just seemed to be going wrong. Somehow, she got the feeling that the Republic would not be coming out on top in this war, even if things seemed to be going in their favor for now.

The rest of the group moved outward, and she stilled her emotions. She met Rex's worried gaze, and she tried to give him a smile, but she knew it was forced, and appeared that way as well.

"He'll have to be taken to Kamino", Kix said gravely. Ashara frowned but didn't argue. The medic knew best after all.

~~~~~~

Ashara watched silently as they loaded Tup onto a medical frigate to take him to Kamino. She frowned as the door closed, getting a bad feeling about that. She didn't hesitate to say so to Anakin as they were walking away.

"Ani, I have a bad feeling about this", she murmured, once she was out of earshot of Fives. She didn't want to make him unnecessarily worry. Teriko scoffed.

"About what?" he muttered. "We got the broken meat-droid out of the way, so now we can continue to battle that you made us leave, even though we could have totally beat them and be done with this place."

Ashara had finally had enough. "The clones are not meat-droids!" she snapped. "What is your problem lately, Teriko?"

Teriko scoffed. "Like you don't know."

"I really don't! All I know is that you've been cold toward me ever since Ahsoka left!" Ashara shouted.

"Exactly!" Teriko shouted back. At this point they had the attention of everyone in the area. "You didn't even try to stop her from leaving!"

"Of course I didn't! She didn't want to stay! She would've hated all of us if we had forced her to stay!"

"Even if you didn't force her, you could've tried to change her mind!" Ashara didn't even notice Teriko's eyes slowly turning to yellow. Half of each eye was yellow, and the other half was blue, the two swirling around each other in the middle, but not mixing. 

"That wasn't my responsibility! She wasn't my padawan!"

"So if I wanted to leave you wouldn't stop me?" Teriko asked dangerously. He wasn't yelling anymore, which scared Ashara even more. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"If it was what you truly wanted, then no, I wouldn't."

Teriko scoffed. "I knew it. You don't really care for me."

Ashara's eyes widened. "Teriko, it's because I care about you that I'm not afraid to let you go!" She tried to continue, but Teriko cut her off.

"Yeah, right", he spat. "It doesn't matter now. I already asked the council to shift the responsibility of teaching me to someone else. When we return to Coruscant, they will have their answer."

Ashara's froze, and she found herself staring at Teriko with pained eyes. But she chose to remain by her words, and reluctantly resigned in the conversation. "If that is what you wish, then I won't fight you. Just know, Teriko, that I will miss you dearly if they do assign you to someone else."

Teriko rolled his eyes and walked away. Ashara watched as he did, but said nothing. She squeezed her eyes shut, holding back the tears. Anakin rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay, Ash?" he whispered. Ashara took a deep breath, and let her emotions settle. 

"I am", she confirmed, without so much as a waver in her voice. While she put on a strong facade, deep inside was turmoil. Her emotions thrashed around under the net she put over them, choosing to let herself be serene instead of chaotic to all those around her. She could tell Anakin didn't believe her, but she had to be strong in front of the troops. The Jedi were said to be emotionless, and she wanted to keep up that front, even if she had just gotten into a screaming match with her padawan. She would sort out her feelings when she had time to. Maybe when she meditated when they returned to Coruscant. 

The thought of returning to Coruscant brought bile to her throat, but she kept it down, choosing to ignore what could potentially happen when they return to Coruscant. Not even a minute later, they got a distress call from the frigate they had just sent out and Ashara groaned. Time to mount a rescue mission.

However, Anakin spoke before she even could. "I need you and Master Tiplar to stay here. Manage the front. Rex, Fives, Teriko and I will go check out the frigate."

Ashara hesitated before nodding. It would be for the best, and give her time away from her padawan. Maybe that would help the two of them begin to make amends. The togruta knew it was wishful thinking, but she continued to hope.

When Anakin returned, he didn't have any of the three clones with him, just Teriko. Before Ashara could question him about it, the Jedi Knight spoke.

"Rex and Fives are going with Tup to Kamino", he said. "Rex will meet us back here as soon as they reach Kamino."

Ashara nodded, and hoped that Rex would be back to Ringo Vinda soon.

~~~~~~

After that, the battle went by quickly, with everyone just wanting to be done, the Jedi especially. It had been a long and arduous battle, and they were grateful when Admiral Trench fled, leaving behind the droids for them to dismantle, which was easier than it had been before. Maybe it was because Teriko was channeling something, something that Ashara couldn't make out. All she knew was that the golden rim around his eyes hadn't disappeared like it had before and that scared her. 

The flight back to Coruscant was a few hours long, which Rex and Ashara spent sequestered away in her room, talking. Ashara was sitting on the bed, while Rex sat on the floor in front of her, the togruta rubbing his shoulders. They were stiff from all the shooting, and it was something they had begun doing after every battle. She would rant about something while she rubbed his shoulders, or he would rant about something. Every time was different, but it was something that both of them appreciated.

"Let me get this straight", Rex said, trying to sort through everything that the togruta had spewed to him. "Teriko is mad at you, because you didn't trying to stop Ahsoka from leaving?"

Ashara nodded, and Rex continued. "And then when he found out that if he tried to leave, you wouldn't stop him, he told you that he was going trying to get a new master?"

"Yeah" the Jedi said softly. "He thinks I don't care about him."

"But he's like your little brother", Rex finished. "I know." Ashara sighed softly for a moment, and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her nose into his neck. It wasn't the most comfortable position, being bent over like that, but it was comforting, and that was what matter to her. Rex shifted so he could hug her tightly. His arms wrapped around her back, and they didn't let go until she let go.

"I'm so sorry about Teriko, Ash", Rex murmured. "I really wish I could talk to him, but from what it sounds like, he doesn't take too kindly to clones anymore."

Ashara chuckled drily. "He called you guys meat-droids."

Instantly she felt Rex's anger rise, and she hugged him again. The heat in his soul calmed down a bit, and he sighed softly. As he let out that long breath, the fire inside dimmed completely. 

"Someone needs to teach that kid a lesson", he muttered. Ashara rolled her eyes.

"Well, neither of us are going to do it", she replied. "He won't listen to me, and he hates clones for some reason now."

Rex nodded, but wasn't able to say anything else due to Ashara's comm-link beeping. "Hey, Ash, have you seen Rex anywhere? I haven't been able to find him and we're about to land on Coruscant."

Rex cursed quietly as Ashara replied. "Yeah, I've seen him recently."

"Do you know why he hasn't answered his comm? I've been trying to get a hold of him for a while."

"I have no idea why he doesn't have his comm on him", Ashara tried to say nonchalantly, but Anakin knew her too well to be able to recognize her tone.

"He's with you isn't he?" Anakin said. Before she could reply, he continued. "You guys better not have been doing anything weird."

"Oh for the love of- Ani! We're not even to that stage yet! We haven't even kissed" Ashara yelled into her comm while Rex snickered. "And for the record, yes, he is with me. I was giving him a massage."

"Oh, I'm sure you were", Anakin teased. Ashara's cheeks flushed, and she turned off the comm-link.

"And this is why I didn't want Anakin to know about this", Ashara muttered. Rex was just chuckling as she glared at him. 

"Yeah, but it's cute to see you when you're flustered", Rex teased as he stood up, putting his shoulder armor on. He grabbed his helmet, and bent over so he could look Ashara in the eye, who's cheeks were more flamed up from embarrassment. 

"I'll see you later", he smirked, walking to the door. He hesitated, before he sent back an even bigger grin. "And if you ever want a kiss, just let me know."

~~~~~~

Ashara sat in a meditation chamber in the temple. She cleared her mind, and focused on the force, letting it flow in and out of her. She could feel the younglings in the classrooms, some with Master Yoda, or with other Jedi Masters. There were a few padawans running about here and there, but most seemed to be training either outside in the temple gardens, or inside in the training room.  Jedi Knights mingled in small groups as they walked around the temple to their destination though there were fewer here than there had ever been in the past hundred years. Most of them were either dead now, or they were on the front lines. Oftentimes, Ashara wondered how she and Anakin even managed to become knights, let alone lead a battalion of clone troopers.

She spread further out, feeling into the bustling city of Coruscant. She could feel the people moving about, she could sense all the different species. Everything was connected through the force. It was at this moment, that a searing pain went through her head, and images upon images raced past her eyes. 

Fives removing the tumor from Tup's head. Tup dying. Fives getting in trouble. Fives doing research, and then removing a healthier looking tumor from his head. The images changed, going from smooth, clear scenes to flashes of blurred images. Blaster fire rained out, Jedi screaming out. Two pairs of familiar eyes stared at her, but neither of them were blue as they were supposed to be. Two blue blades clashed against  two cyan ones. She faintly heard someone yell something, but the end of it cut out.

'You were my brother Te-' 

Ashara was jolted out of the vision, and she stood up from the small pad shakily. She walked over to the window, hugging her arms together. She was afraid for the future, more so now than she ever had been before.

"Fear leads to the dark side, young one", a familiar voice spoke. Ashara jumped, and turned to see the Grand Master. 

"Master Yoda", she greeted softly. He jumped up onto one of the pads, and sat with his feet touching each other. Ashara sat on a pad facing him. 

"Troubling vision, you are having, hmm?" Ashara nodded, squeezing her eyes shut.

"The clone trooper Tup is dead", she mumbled. "I worry for Teriko, and all the Jedi. Something is coming, Master, something none of us will be able to see coming."

"And yet flashes you are getting", Yoda pointed out. "Seeing things, you are, that I cannot. A powerful Jedi you have become, Master Ki."

Ashara remained quiet, sensing that the Jedi Master was not finished. "Your padawan, request a different master, he has. No longer wishes to be under your tutelage, hmm?" 

The togruta sighed. "He is... angry with me. He believes that I could have convinced Ahsoka to stay. He refuses to listen to me."

"Anger also leads to the dark side", Master Yoda responds. "Seen things, you have, that your padawan has done."

Ashara nodded. "He seems to be losing the side of him that allows him to care for other people. Ever since Ahsoka left, he doesn't seem to care about anything but ending battles. And... just recently... his eyes have started shifting to yellow. I saw a brief flash of gold around the rims of his irises, but we got into an argument on Ringo Vinda, and now it appears that they are permanently that way."

The grand master hummed thoughtfully. "Dangerous, your padawan is becoming. Watch him, we must. To Master Kenobi, we will transfer his training."

Ashara nodded, knowing that it was for the best. Teriko needed someone experienced who could watch him, and she was not an experienced Jedi.

"I understand, Master Yoda", the togruta said and she stood. "I will inform him of this change immediately."

Master Yoda shook his green head. "To the council chambers, bring him. Inform him there, we will."

Ashara nodded, and left the room, searching through her emotions to find the right one for what was to come. She squeezed her eyes shut, and went to find Teriko, who was training with Anakin. She was not surprised, and she softly sighed, as she knocked on the doorframe, gaining the duos attention. 

"The council has requested to see us, Teriko", she said softly. 

"Finally", the young twi'lek muttered. "I'll finally be transferred to a new master, and get away from you."

Ashara winced, but said nothing else as she led the way to the council chamber. They waited outside the door, and when it opened, they both moved to the center of the room. Ashara looked to Master Windu's holographic form, who was the one to start speaking. 

"Teriko Che, a few weeks ago, you put in a request for a new master", he said. "Is that still the case, or are you satisfied with Master Ki."

"I want a new master", he said sharply. "This one doesn't know what she's doing."

Ashara didn't visibly flinch, but his words left a mark on her soul. She cast her eyes down to the floor, and didn't look up until Master Windu started to speak again.

"Padawan Che, we remove you from the tutelage of the Jedi Knight Ashara Ki, and instead place you under the tutelage of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi." The said Jedi stood up from his seat and came to stand in the middle of the room. Ashara met his gaze, and she saw his sympathetic eyes. While they held gazes, they seemed to have a silent conversation, one that Ashara was grateful for. 

'Take care of him.'

'I will.'

Ashara returned her gaze to Master Windu who dismissed them. Obi-Wan and Teriko walked past her, and she was about to follow, when the Jedi Master called her name. She turned, confused.

"Ashara Ki", Master Windu said. "You have grown a lot since you first became a Jedi Knight. You have shown bravery and resilience, and you have grown to be wise beyond your years."

"Revealed to us, that us, after Ahsoka left", Master Yoda said. "Powerful voice, you have, young one."

"You are never afraid to save those around you, even if it puts you in danger", Master Ki-Adi-Mundi said.

"Grant upon you the rank of Master, we do", Master Yoda said. Ashara was stunned, but before she could say anything, Master Windu continued. 

"You will also be given a seat on this council." Ashara hesitated, before shaking her head.

"No", she refused. "I can't."

When the confused murmurs died down, she continued to speak. "I am honored that you would think that someone as young as I is worthy enough to be on the council. But I still have much to learn. I am ever changing, and I am not like you. I feel things too strongly, and I have attachments. I am much like Master Qui-Gon. He saved me from slavery, and he helped me find a strong family within the Order. I struggle, and I will continue to struggle. But I am not worthy to be on the council. Not yet. When I will be, I do not know, but as of right now, this is not it."

"Very well", Master Windu conceded. "You will still receive the rank of Master."

"And I thank you for that", Ashara said, before turning away from the council. "I only hope I can live up to the expectations set in front of me."

She left the room, and searched for Rex, wanting to share the news with him. However, before she could find him, she got a call on her comm-link. She answered it, and was greeted with Anakin's voice.

"What's going on?" she asked immediately. 

"There's something you need to see. Come to the debriefing room immediately", he said. Ashara nodded, not even questioning which debriefing room. When she got there, she was shocked by the holographic image of Fives pushing past several people. 

"What's going on?" she asked more urgently.

"Fives tried to attack the chancellor", Anakin said. Ashara furrowed her forehead in confusion.

"Why would he do that?" she asked. "He must have had a reason."

"The Kaminoans feel a virus infected the clone's inhibitor chip, which has led to this behavior", Master Shaak Ti said. Ashara hadn't even noticed her presence. "ARC trooper Fives feels he is the victim of a plot, Separatist or otherwise."

"All security and clone forces have been ordered to join the manhunt", Master Windu said. "The Chancellor has been moved to his senate quarters, and the perimeter has been secured. "However, Jedi involvement has not been requested." Ashara bit back a scoff. She was held to a new standard now that she had the rank of Master, and she wished to keep it that way.

"That's a little odd, isn't it?" Anakin questioned. Ashara couldn't help but agree.

Master Yoda hummed. "Discover the truth, we must."

"If there is a plot involving the clones, we must get to the bottom of it", Master Windu said. "We must investigate quietly, undercover. We must make sure this clone is not killed."

Ashara and Anakin nodded. "We'll handle the investigation", Anakin stated. "Fives was part of the 501st. If Rex, Ashara, and I find him, he'll trust us."

"Be wary", Master Shaak Ti said. "Since he removed his inhibitor chip, Fives may no longer be the man you once knew."

Ashara and Anakin started their investigation, Rex joining them shortly after with a message from Kix. Fives had given him coordinates. They made their way there, and were greeted by a large crate filled room.

Anakin ignited his lightsaber, but Ashara kept hers doused.

"Fives?" Anakin called out. "Fives, we're here. Come on out, we just want to talk to you."

"Fives!" Ashara spoke next. "We're not going to harm you!"

"General Skywalker, General Ki", Fives finally replied. He sounded anxious, and it worried Ashara. "Thank you. Thank you for trusting me. Now, have you come without troops?"

"We have", Anakin said. 

"Put down your weapons then", Fives asked. Ashara realized that he must be close enough to see them.

"I don't think so, Fives", Anakin said. Ashara agreed with Anakin. While they trusted Fives enough to come to his aid, he was still unpredictable. There was too much unknown.

"Please, sir!" Fives shouted, before his voice went soft again. "Please. I'm unarmed."

Anakin nodded to Rex and Ashara, and they put their weapons on a nearby crate.

"What are we here for, Fives?" Anakin asked. 

"I need your help", Fives said after a pause. 

"We know you do, Fives", Ashara said. "But we can't do that if you don't come out."

Anakin and Rex managed to locate where his voice was coming from and the trio started walking forward. They didn't move very far when an energy shield came down from the ceiling and trapped the three of them. Only then did Fives come out.

"I just need you to listen to me. Please", Fives begged.

"I'm not sure we have any other choice", Anakin snapped, crossing his arms.

"What is the matter, Fives?" Ashara said gently, moving next to Anakin and placing her hand on his shoulder, calming him slightly.

Fives started to explain a plot against the Jedi, that it was controlled by chips inside the clone's head. As he spoke he became more and more frantic, seemingly going crazy, but Ashara could sense that he believed he was telling the truth. And as he explained, a sense of dread came over her. She could sense Anakin was worried, that he might've started to believe Fives, but the the clone trooper revealed who was behind the plot. He said that the Chancellor orchestrated the war, the plot against the Jedi. Ashara could sense Anakin growing angry, and she knew it was because he trusted and believed the Chancellor, much more than a seemingly half-crazed clone. She kept quiet, knowing that Anakin would turn on her, if she agreed with Fives.

The rest happened in a blur. Fives was surrounded by red armored clone troopers. He tried to fight back. Commander Fox shot Fives, and then released the three trapped in there. Rex immediately grabbed Fives, while Ashara stared on in horror. One of her few clone friends was gone. And Rex was torn up about it. She squeezed her eyes shut, and allowed a single tear to trickle out, but she stayed strong, because Rex would need her in the coming hours.

Eheheheh. I started this chapter, and then I realized that it was the arc where Fives dies. On Chapter 55. So then I'm like... well... what if we make it the longest chapter ever, and make it be exactly 5555 words. Well, I couldn't do that, but it is super close. '^^