"Take cover! Take cover!" Cody shouted out the orders to his men, fighting against the droid army on a bridge.

"Look out! Look out!"

"Look out!"

"Aim for their eyes!"

A shot had fired out of a cannon, a bomb headed straight towards Cody, but Kenobi jumped in just in time to cut it in half and protect the Commander, dust surrounding us all. I had calmly walked up behind them, working my way through the clones to get to the front lines.

"Generals!" Cody cheered in shock at the sight of us arriving to the battle.

"Always making a grand entrance." I laughed at my former master.

"You know me, Lyra" Kenobi joked back. More shots were fired towards us quickly as I pulled out my two lightsabers to deflect them back.

"Just like old times, master!" I called over the blaster fire.

"Cody, get down!" Kenobi instructed as we worked to deflect blasts from the men. Kenobi and I moved to take cover with them quickly as we were outgunned. "Well, I can see things are going splendidly on this front." He commented to his commander.

"It's no good. We can't locate the tactical droid. He's staying out of sight." Cody explained the situation as another blast hit us, shaking the ground.

"Anakin, where are you?" Obi Wan asked himself in a quiet voice.

"I'm right here." Anakin walked up to us from behind calmly. "What are you doing down there?" He swiftly dodged an incoming shot by tilting his head to the side.

"We are taking cover. Now get down!" Kenobi ordered strictly to the reckless General of the 501st.

"You're not serious. There's only a thousand droids down there, tops." Anakin walked out calmly towards the droid army.

"What are you up to?" Obi Wan asked sternly, peeking up as Anakin stood on the rubble that gave us cover.

"Where's Captain Rex?" I questioned next, noticing none of his men were in sight.

"We already finished our battle, so we decided to come help you with yours." Anakin shrugged with a smirk towards my question.

"You're overdoing it. Again!" Kenobi scolded.

"Master, I mean no disrespect." Anakin knelt to face us from his spot on the rubble. "If you want, I can hide here with you, and we can let the people in the city suffer longer."

"Now, Anakin, you know --" Obi Wan started.

"Or... we can do things my way and help them now." Anakin cut him off.

"All right. I know better than to try and stop you. What's your plan this time?" Obi Wan agreed with a reluctant sigh.

"Stay here." Anakin told us simply. "Oh and Lyra, don't worry, Rex will be here soon" he smirked with a quick wink before walking out towards the droids, stopping as all of the guns were aimed at him. "Hold your fire! Hold your fire." Anakin called out to them with his hands raised. "I have come to surrender." We peaked over the rubble.

"What?" I watched with confusion as he continued his speech.

"Your forces fought valiantly, and I must admit that we are overmatched by your superior firepower. I congratulate you, for I have fought in many battles on many planets"

"Let's hope his plan works" Obi Wan looked towards me before we focused on Anakin again.

"So, it is with these thoughts in mind that I gladly surrender myself to the mercy of the Separatist forces." Anakin finished his speech. "Now, Artoo!" Anakin called over to his droid as we noticed the Tactical droid had come out of hiding to listen to Anakin. Anakin pulled the droid forward with the force and cut him in half with his lightsaber. I looked up with a smile as I noticed the 501st flying out with jet packs, shooting down the army across from us.

"Generals." Cody started to the both of us.

"Yes, Cody. You may join the fun as well." Kenobi sighed with a smile.

"Yes, sir." Cody waved his men out as they all jumped over and raced into the fight eagerly.

"Blast them!"

"Fire!"

"Go! Go, go, go!"

"Move it! Move it!"

"Bravo, Anakin. You've done it again." Kenobi told him as we walked out to stand beside him and watch our men take down the army.

"Oh, I can't take all the credit. Your state of helplessness really sold them on my surrender talk." Anakin smirked back.

"Always glad to help, my friend." Obi Wan said. Out of nowhere Rex had crashed in front of me with a harsh thud.

"Rex! Oh my force! Are you okay?" I rushed to help him up.

"Y-yes sir, I'm alright" he stuttered slightly, standing to his feet with a scramble.

"Good" I nodded.

"Yeah"

"Rex, why don't you take Lyra to go destroy some droids?" Obi Wan suggested with a knowing smirk. I shot him a look before Anakin's comm link went off pulling my attention towards the message.

"Skywalker here. What is it, Admiral?" Anakin started.

"Sir, we've received a transmission from someone using your subspace frequency 'Fulcrum.'" The Admiral reported.

"Saw Gerrera?" Anakin questioned.

"Perhaps the siege at Onderon has taken a turn for the worse." Obi Wan thought out loud, Rex and I still standing side by side to listen to them.

"No, sir, it's not Gerrera. You had best take this transmission here on the ship. All three of you." The Admiral called us back on a gunship. We loaded onto the ship and we're carried back to the cruiser up above to see who was sending us a transmission.

"All right, Admiral. What's so important you brought us all the way back here?" Anakin trailed off at the sight as we saw a figure on the hologram before us.

"Hello, Master. It's been a while." Ahsoka turned around to face us with Bo Katan next to her. My eyes grew wide as my mouth hung slightly open in shock at seeing my friend again after so long.

"Ah-Ahsoka. Wha... I don't believe it! How are you? Where are you? Are-Are you okay?" Anakin started hurriedly as though he would only have so much time with his former Padawan.

"I'm all right. Thank you. I wish we had more time to talk, but I have urgent information for both of you." She told us in a stricter tone than she used to have.

"What is it, Ahsoka?" Kenobi inquired.

"Lady Bo-Katan and I have located the renegade Sith Lord, Maul. And if we move swiftly, we believe we can capture him."

With nods from all of us we had agreed to meet with them on our cruiser to discuss further.

"Lyra, I was thinking and I thought that it would be a good time for you to put in for a Padawan" He said calmly, having put much thought into the idea. "I could put in for one for you and you could meet them after this mission" he proposed the idea further.

"I would love that. Do you really think I'm ready for a Padawan?" I asked with hope.

"You are more than ready, I'm sure" he replied proudly. "I'll go speak to the council about it after we discuss the matter of Maul"

"It all makes sense now." Anakin stated as he joined us, Obi Wan, R2-D2 and I walking through the hanger towards the shuttle that would be landing soon.

"What?" Obi Wan asked with confusion at Anakin's words.

"If Ahsoka hadn't left the Order, then she wouldn't have been where she needed to be." Anakin explained his thoughts with a happy tone.

"That's one way to look at it, I suppose." Obi Wan said.

"It's the only way to look at it. We're gonna capture Maul, finally." Anakin jumped in front of us to make us pause. "I thought you would be more excited about this."

"I am cautiously optimistic." Obi Wan told him.

"This is war, Anakin, we don't have the time to catch up with old friends" I reminded in a sad tone as I too was once close with the former Padawan. We moved past Anakin to see Ahsoka walking off the ramp of her shuttle, reminding me of when we had first become the Padawans of Kenobi and Skywalker on Christophsis. R2 rolled right over to her where she gently placed a hand on his head before looking to us while the Mandolorians stepped off behind her.

"Ahsoka, I'm so glad—" Anakin started to greet with excitement when Ahsoka raised her hand and cut him off.

"We'll have to catch up another time. Things are moving quickly." She sternly told us, cutting straight to business. I gave Anakin a disappointed 'told you so' look.

"Every minute we waste here gives Maul an opportunity to slip away." Bo Katan stepped in next with her urge to discuss the problem with Maul.

"We understand. Please, follow me." Obi Wan led us off as Ahsoka avoided her former master.

"Bo-Katan had been tracking Maul's movements for several months. I was able to obtain some transmission codes from the Pykes on Oba Diah, which helped her pinpoint some of his previous locations." Ahsoka explained their findings to us, standing around a hologram table in the control room.

"What were you doing on Oba Diah?" Anakin worried for the girl.

"That's a long story and not really relevant right now." Ahsoka shook her head, moving back on task.

"What is relevant is that we know Maul is on Mandalore in the city of Sundari." Bo Katan pulled up a holo map to present.

"You're certain of this?" Obi Wan questioned with some sceptical thoughts.

"He arrived two days ago." Bo Katan reported confidently.

"So why not take him yourself? Or, to be more specific, what do you want from the Republic?" Obi Wan seemed harsh with his questions when Ahsoka nodded at Bo Katan to explain.

"I don't have the numbers needed for a siege. Without a complete lockdown of the city, Maul will escape again. That's why I'm proposing a joint operation. If we are successful, you'll have Maul and I'll have Mandalore." She explained her plan to us as I listened with deep thought on the idea.

"If Republic forces aid you in your assault, it will break treaties that are 100 years old. We will effectively be drawn into yet another war." Obi Wan protested helping.

"What's one more?" Bo Katan asked back with sass.

"Well, we're not finished with our first one yet." Anakin commented with a shrug.

"I will advise the Jedi Council of this development and the matter we discussed." Obi Wan sent me a nod and began to walk off when Bo Katan spoke up.

"There's no time! Maul's influence on Mandalore is destroying my people! He murdered their ruler, my sister! I thought she meant something to you!" Bo Katan shouted at him with anger.

"She did. And still does." Obi Wan thought sadly of the woman he had watched die. "But I cannot allow my feelings to cloud my judgment. The council will decide what our course of action will be."

"I told you this was a waste of time." Bo Katan sighed to Ahsoka. She walked out leaving Ahsoka, Anakin and I standing around the table in silence.

"It's good to see you again Ahsoka. I'll go check on the men" I walked out swiftly, not wanting to be alone with their awkward tension.

~~~

"Rex! Hey" I ran over to him as I spotted him walking into the hanger with two helmets that had recently been painted with a new design.

"General, is she here?" Rex questioned entering the hanger to greet his troopers.

"Yes, she is with Anakin right now," I told him. "Wow, these look great" I commented as he showed me the helmet in his hands and I examined them with a smile.

"Thank you, sir" he smiled back proudly.

"She is going to love this. Do you have the box?"

"Here you go" he handed me a flat brown box.

"They are coming" I warned as I felt them with the force.

"How do you— never mind" Rex was about to ask before he cut himself off with a sigh, standing next to me in front of the troopers.

The doors ahead opened to reveal Anakin and Ahsoka. The latter gasping at the sight before her. Helmets of the clones had been decorated to resemble her with her tattoos and orange skin.

"Company, attention!" Rex called to the men and they all stood at attention while he and I stepped off to the side to show them all off.

"Go ahead. They've been waiting to see you." Anakin nudged Ahsoka inside. She looked at all the helmets carefully in awe. "As soon as Rex and the guys knew you were back, they got to work." Anakin explained with a smile.

"The paint job is a little crude, but we think it gets the idea across." Rex held out the helmet for Ahsoka to see. "Glad to have you back, Commander."

"Rex, thank you. But you don't have to call me commander anymore." Ahsoka told him with a slight frown.

"Sure thing, Commander." He smiled back.

"Oh. I have one more surprise for you." Anakin spoke up and I handed him the small box. She reached out to touch the box as Anakin held it out for her, but pulled back as the alarms sounded out.

"Anakin, Lyra, Rex, prepare all forces. We're jumping to hyperspace immediately." Obi Wan raced into the hangar as men ran around to their stations.

.............................................

Question of the day: did you like Ahsokas return?