Caleb would never say as much to Depa, but he liked the 501st Legion. A lot. Depa would never have let the clone troopers organize chicken fight tournaments.

Some of the other clones had convinced Rex to referee the fights, much to his amusement. They had to teach O-Mer and Jinx how to play, but once they did they loved fighting against each other. Caleb and his partner, Dogma, ended up the victors, much to the annoyance of Fox and Jesse. Someone offered to referee if Rex wanted to join in, but he insisted that he was the best referee they had. The real reason he didn't play? His partner was Ahsoka, and the two of them always won. It was why he hadn't played in the past year.

Everyone had dispersed, except for Rex and the Padawans, who were cleaning up a little bit of the mess from the fights. It was at this time that Ahsoka's voice came through the PA system, penetrating the air.

"501st, this is Commander Tano. At this time, all soldiers on shift need to finish up whatever they're doing. I need Captain Rex, Commander Dume, Commander Majal, Commander Daru, Kix, Fox, Jesse, Appo, Dogma, and Hawk to report to the command center for debriefing. We will be arriving on Lokori in 5 parsecs."

As soon as she finished, every person on the cruiser immediately began transitioning. It was time to get down to business. All of the goofing around was over. Right now, it was 'yes, sir,' and no questions asked. Commander Tano was ready to fight, and that meant everyone else needed to be too.

Rex was the first one in the command center, and he stood next to Ahsoka as she pulled up a hologram of Scarlet Haven. "You ready?" he asked her, certain that she was.

"As long as everyone else is," she answered. "If everything goes how it should, then we'll be in and out."

"We're all behind you," he reminded her. "We'll follow your lead."

She smiled back at him, however briefly. "Thanks, Captain."

He returned the grin. "Anytime, Commander."

The others started filing in. When everyone was circled around the holotable in the middle, Ahsoka enlarged the holomap so everyone could see.

"Republic scouts managed to scan Scarlett Haven and the area surrounding it a few hours ago. When we arrive on Lokori, it will be in the middle of the day, so if you're bringing night vision gear, stow it until you need it. We're going to aim for a thirty-minute mission if everyone does their part. Everyone is going to know everyone else's job, no excuses. Clear?"

Everyone nodded silently. The clone troopers couldn't help but feel proud of how far their commander had come since Day 1. If Ahsoka had tried to order them around like this four years ago, they probably would have all laughed. Not anymore.

Caleb found himself taking note of how she held herself, and how she spoke to the others. Even after two years of trying, he still didn't have the same confidence she did. He doubted he ever would. Jinx and O-Mer, on the other hand, were astonished at how much authority she spoke with. If they tried to talk to the clones that way, they normally got reprimanded for not knowing their place.

"We're sending out four teams: One to free the slaves, one to knock out the towers, one to extract the Jedi, and one to destroy the base once everyone is clear. I'm assigning one commander to each team, as well as myself. Dogma," she turned to him, and he gave her his full attention. "I'm putting you in here. Every communication within the legion comes through you, and I want you to keep an eye on everyone out in the field. If something happens, you are the first to know, and I am the second. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir," he confirmed, nodding.

Then Ahsoka turned to Appo. "If you hear the word from Dogma, you are leading a backup squadron to reinforce anyone who requests it. I'm not expecting anyone to need it, but I'm not taking chances either. I want you and your squadron on standby from the time we exit hyperspace until the time we jump back in. That means you need to know everyone's role, more so than anyone else."

Appo saluted. "Understood, Commander."

She pressed a button on the control panel, and the map zoomed out until it showed up to fifty kilometers around the base. "During the day, the slaves work under guard at a mega-farm ten kilometer from the base, so if a revolt rises during work hours, backup can intercept the slaves before they can escape to the nearest village, forty kilometers away. Fox, you're leading one sniper squadron, on two gunships, down to destroy all droids on-site before they send out a distress signal. Your shots need to be swift and effective, and under no circumstances are you to injure any of the slaves."

Fox nodded, not speaking. There were a few things missing, but he knew the commander would explain in time.

"Jinx, you're going with them as their ace in the hole. The droids are not above using the slaves as meat shields, or as blackmail. If they show any sign of endangering the slaves, step in and use the Force, or your lightsaber, whichever is safer and quicker. Do not give the droids any time to react."

The Twi'lek nodded. "Short, simple, and to the point, just like with Master Gallia."

She nodded. "Exactly. You've done this before with her a few times, so this shouldn't be difficult. Once all of the guards are destroyed, use the extra gunship to transport all of the slaves back to the nearest village, here." She highlighted the location on the map. "I'll send the coordinates to the pilots. Make sure all of them are being taken care of before returning to the cruiser. Unless the other groups work faster than you, you should be the first squad to return. Any questions?"

"No sir," Fox answered, and Jinx shook his head. It was just target practice, after all. Piece of cake.

Ahsoka zoomed in the holomap until it was focused on a singular guard tower, one of the five surrounding the base. "The tower squad is going to be lead by Jesse. I want your squad loaded with heavy artillery, explosives, all of the big guns. Other than destroying the towers, your job is to create as much of a ruckus as possible."

"That won't be hard for him," Fox teased, and a round of chuckles went around the room.

She smirked but continued all the same. "I certainly hope not. Your squad will the first on the ground, and I need you to draw the fire away from the extraction team. That's why I want five men to carry shields as well. While the rest of the squad is setting the bombs, the shields need to cover their backs. Scarlet Haven has a defense system, and by Separatist standards, not a half-bad one either.

"Caleb, you're going to go with the tower squad. However, I don't want you focusing on the towers themselves. Line up the troopers with shields and let Jesse take care of the explosives. I assure you, he is more than capable."

"It certainly sounds like it," Caleb remarked, and Jesse gave him the stink eye before concentrating on Ahsoka again. "When the towers are down?"

She zoomed the map back out so he could see the whole base. "Do whatever you have to do to keep their defenses away from this exit. Draw out as many droids as humanly possible. Caleb, if that means you have to pull them within firing range, do it. However, leave the base intact. We don't want to risk injuring any of the Jedi inside. When the extraction team is clear of the site, I'll signal you to return to the gunships and get back up to the cruiser. I want you third in line to touch back down in the hangar."

"So our job is to give them hell," Jesse summarized. "No problem."

Caleb smirked. "I think I'm going to like this."

"Good," Ahsoka praised. "That's what I like to hear.

"The reason we need you to draw attention is that Captain Rex is leading a team of fourteen other troopers into the base to extract the Jedi. Take two gunships, because they will be coming back with twelve injured and most likely unconscious generals who will not be able to walk. Using the same exit Commander Dume and Jesse are going to avoid drawing attention to," she highlighted said exit, "you will take the stairs down the hall and to the right, down to the cells. If the tower group is obnoxious enough, the droids won't have time to focus on the Jedi. I'll go with them since I know the layout of the base the best." She looked back at Rex for approval, and he nodded at her, excited to get on the battlefield with her again.

Ahsoka cleared the highlights on the map, starting fresh. "We will be second back on the cruiser. When we clear the base, I'll signal Hawk and his fighter squadron to start their descent out of orbit," she explained, as holographic fighters materialized in front of her. "When Caleb signals O-Mer, who will be covering them, you are clear to blow that building to hell. Leave no piece of that slave house standing." She made eye contact with O-Mer. "You've done bombing runs with Master Plo, I'm sure. Hawk keeps his men brushed up on formations, patterns, and drills. I expect the two of you to make quick work of the place."

"I understand, Ahsoka," O-Mer affirmed, and Hawk had a gleam in his eyes that Ahsoka was grateful for. It wasn't every day you got permission to lay waste to a target.

"Kix, I need twelve stretchers in the hangar, ready to operate by the time we touch down. We don't know what kind of condition the Jedi will be in, and one of them happens to be the general of the 501st. Your entire medical team needs to be ready for them before they arrive. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," he responded, already rationing out how many supplies were going to be needed in every unit.

Ahsoka looked to Dogma. "When the fighter squadron confirms touchdown in the hangar, give the bridge the green light. We'll stop at the medical station 8 parsecs away, transfer the Jedi if we have to, and then jump to Coruscant. If this runs smoothly, we'll have the Jedi Council and the Chosen One back to the Temple by noon. Questions?"

There were none. Commander Tano had omitted no detail, spared no soldier standing in the room. Everyone had a job to do, and everyone knew how to do it. No excused now.

She summarized the bulk of the debrief, just to reiterate it. "Free the slaves, knock down the towers, extract the Jedi, destroy the base. In and out, thirty minutes tops. You know your stations, you know your groups. 4 parsecs until we drop out. May the Force be with us."

Everyone left the room swiftly, except for Dogma, each to fulfill their duties. Kix made contact with his medical team and started preparing the operating room for twelve patients. Appo rounded up a squadron and let them know the essentials of the mission. Fox led O-Mer to meet his squadron and to discuss the best positions for the men to take upon reaching the surface. Jesse and Caleb hit off instantly, noting some of the weaponry to take down. Hawk and Jinx went to the fighter hangar to get him acquainted with a 501st starfighter.

Ahsoka and Rex walked side by side until they reached the hallway leading to the gunship hangars. "I'm going to assign pilots to the teams," she told him, pausing at the intersection. "Choose fourteen to come with us, and I'll meet you with 1 parsec to go."

"Nice work, Commander," he praised her, stopping her in her tracks. "I got a feeling this will go a lot better than your first mission."

She snorted, painfully remembering the failure that still haunted her some nights. "I hope so," she replied honestly. "For everyone's sake."