Obi-Wan's words rang through his mind as he sat cross legged on his bunk trying to meditate and relieve some of the tension from his body. Plus he needed to come up with a strategy for Hypori. It wasn't something which was going to solve itself. The problem was, he couldn't stop thinking about what his former Master had said.

To let go. He couldn't. There were some things he couldn't let go. One, letting his newly named Padawan become an orange spot on the battlefield, and his wife. These were the two things in his life which meant the most to him in this place and in this time. Anakin had said it in his mind so many times...his wife. He wondered now what she was doing, where she was and if she was worrying about him. Anakin even thought of trying to reach out and find her, but feared being caught by the two other Jedi on the ship. He worried about her. She was never far from his thoughts, although when around other Jedi, he tried to block her from his mind completely. It was hard to keep such a secret hidden deep inside when all he wanted to do was shout it from the top of every sand dune on Tatooine.

He attempted to close his eyes even tighter, willing the meditation to come, but it was really no use. There was no way he was going to make any strides towards his strategy at this rate. You couldn't force meditation to happen. He had learned that a long time ago when he was trying to fool Obi-wan. He was going to have to do something to get his mind off of everything that had gone on during the day. There was so much to think over. There were so many details to what needed to be done. Anakin was sure this would be a turning point in the war and that destroying the machine works and shipyards at Hypori would be just the thing to get other systems to join with the Republic and to fight against the Seps. How could they wish to continue this futile war? Although, Anakin had to admit, the Seps had some very strong holds around the galaxy. Plus, they had the financing and purpose that maybe the Republic was lacking. How could he think such things?

He was loyal, as loyal as anyone else in the Republic. He just wanted to return to the temple and Coruscant where he was supposed to be. Where life wasn't always up and down and was more predictable. Where he wanted to be right now so that he could be closer to the one person who understood more than anyone else. He shook his head trying to clear everything from it. Anakin rose from his cot and triggered his internal ship comlink above his cot. "Rex," he spoke into the speaker. "Meet me in the shooting range."

"Yes sir," Rex returned through the speaker in his brisk voice. "ETA five minutes." Anakin slipped the glove over his recently replaced hand and flexed it. It had become a habit to remove the glove when he was trying to relax.  He checked to make sure the pommel of his lightsaber was clipped to his belt where it always was these days. Now was the time when he would find his calmness. With his Lightsaber in his hand and deflecting whatever came his way, it would be the force which guided his moves and freed his mind from all these things that just kept clouding it up. This would be his chance to get away from the ghost of her which his mind brought into his dreams every night. He moved towards the door and pressed the release button, the door slid open silently. Maybe he should call Ahsoka to come and workout with him, they hadn't had a chance to train recently. It wasn't very often during the skirmishes that they had time to hone their skills. Anakin was sure he wasn't doing as good a job as he should be with her training. He didn't consider calling Obi-wan, who never really approved of the methods Anakin used to find his answers. It was just another lecture that he wanted to avoid.

Anakin keyed his comlink. "Ahsoka," he said waiting as he flexed his hand inside the glove again. It was chaffing him more than normal today. Possibly a problem with the organic circuit interface. He would have to check it before he began any serious combat. There had been several upgrades to it recently and sometimes it took time for the flesh to adjust. It would do him no good to have an arm that wasn't working during a tense battle.

"Yes Master," her voice said back.

"Do you feel like some Lightsaber training today?" Anakin asked smiling. In his mind, he pictured her face smiling at the thought. She really hadn't had much of a chance to stretch herself and use the skills which were taught to her in the temple. War was strange as it gave you skills and  took things away. Anakin's mind drifted again back to Padme. He closed his eyes and just thought of her face for moment. It was a brief respite he allowed himself now and again.

"Where?" Ahsoka asked the excitement brimming in her voice. Anakin had no idea where she was right now. Sometimes she could be found tinkering with the clones as they repaired equipment from battle. He really didn't know where she was most of the time and that discouraged him. It seemed he was with Obi-wan all the time when he was a padawan. Or maybe that was what it had felt like to him at the time because he could never get a moments peace to do as he wished.

"Shooting range the guys rigged up over in Bay Q9," Anakin stated and stepped into the corridor and shut his door behind him. "You in?"

"Absolutely Master," Ahsoka said back to him with emphasis on master. She usually did that when prodding him or when she was really excited. "About 5 minutes."

"That's what Rex said," Anakin laughed and clicked off the comlink, leaving her to wonder why Rex was coming to Lightsaber practice. Anakin smiled to himself. This may be the best workout yet. His muscles tensed at the thought of getting to use his skills.

The Jedi strode purposefully down the hall towards one of the main turbolifts. He liked that his quarters were close to the lift because it was the true centre of the ship and it made it easy for him to get to the bridge, or his fighter, in a hurry. Several clones stepped out of his way as he walked down the corridor, making way for him to get where he was going.

When he finally reached the bay, Anakin walked to the makeshift shooting range the clones had constructed. Not that they needed practice, but Rex explained that they thought they did because it was part of who they are.

If they weren't shooting, Rex had said, they were bound to get in trouble and fights would break out. Anakin could understand. Sometimes he didn't need the practice with his lightsaber, he felt an overwhelming urge to use it. The range consisted of a two plastoid walls, which made a narrow hall. The hall was divided lengthwise with more plastoid walls to make places for several clones to shoot all at once. At the end of the gallery was a dissipation field. This was charged up to absorb blaster fire as it came down the gallery. It stopped them from shooting a hole in the ship or each other. A good thing, Anakin thought, because he would hate to have to explain to Obi-wan how he managed to lose clones to friendly fire. Anakin thought the mock up was very useful at keeping the clones out of trouble and it really didn't take up much of the floor space in the bay. That was important too because the hanger was stuffed so full of equipment that it was hard to squeeze between some of the ships. There were many things needed to wage the kind of war they were waging.

"General," Anakin heard the crisp voice behind him. He made sure to turn around before addressing Rex. It had happened before that Anakin had said something to Rex and it wasn't Rex. That is what he got for not checking the force before speaking.

So Anakin made a conscious decision to turn around before opening his mouth and sticking his foot inside. "Rex," Anakin said, noting the blue Armor and the lack of hair. Plus the Kama Rex wore kinda gave him away.

"Feel like shooting?' Rex unholstered his blaster and pulled out the energy pack with a sharp click, checking the amount of shots he had left and then shoving it back into the hilt of the blaster with a snap.

"I would like nothing better," he said and smiled widely at Anakin. "What do you have in mind?"

"I'll wait for Ahsoka before I explain," Anakin said gesturing towards the door where Ahsoka had appeared and was eagerly making her way towards the two of them. She almost skipped towards the two.

A bright smile lit her face. "You don't have to wait any longer," Ahsoka said and smiled at both Anakin and Rex. She pulled her lightsaber into her hands with the force and placed a finger over the activation button. "What are we doing, Skyguy?"

Anakin indicated the firing range. "We are going to stand where the dissipation field normally is," he said and looked at Rex. "Rex is going to fire at us at full power."

"I'm sorry sir," Rex said. If he would've been drinking, Anakin was pretty sure he would have spurted the fluid everywhere. It wasn't very often you caught a clone off guard. Anakin had succeeded and it brought a smile to his face.

"You heard me," Anakin said checking his lightsaber over nonchalantly. "I want you to live fire at Ahsoka and myself." Rex stepped back two steps and holstered his blaster.

"I can't sir," Rex said putting his hands up in a placating gesture. "It's in the orders." Anakin's head snapped up to look at Rex. Orders? What orders? He'd never heard this mentioned before by Rex or a clone. "What are you talking about?" Anakin asked looking at Rex with a furrowed brow trying discern just what the captain was talking about.

"I'm telling you this is what you are going to do." Ahsoka stepped towards Rex. She was always very motherly with the clones, although she was younger than they were. She reached out to touch his arm. Anakin had never witnessed a clone act this way and he wasn't sure what to make of it. It felt strange and Anakin could feel the hair on the back of his neck start to prickle giving him the sense that danger was near. "Rex," Ahsoka said in a soothing tone. "We won't be hurt." Rex looked blankly at Anakin.

"I could be in big trouble for this," he finally said the look in his eyes never changing. It wasn't Rex there, it was as though his brain had taken over and was giving the answers. Rex was on autopilot.

"I'm not turning you into anyone," Anakin said trying to comfort his friend. "I just want to have live fire practice. I know you guys have done it. Why can't we be afforded the same luxury?" Rex's faced changed. Anakin noted that his eyes became full of the life, which marked him as Rex. It was strange to note that for a split second, Rex seemed not to be there and not to be in control of himself. It was odd behaviour. Anakin would have to ask the next Kaminoian he saw about it. Unfortunately, in the middle of the war, Kaminoians were few and far between. They didn't like to leave their home world.

"Alright," Rex said with the strength returning to his voice. "I'll do it, if that is what you are ordering."

"I'm ordering it," Anakin said and headed down to the end of the range. He could forgive a slight hiccup by his captain. They couldn't always be on. "Give it your best shot." Rex breathed in and held his blaster at arm's length. He exhaled and pulled the trigger. He hoped this wouldn't end up landing him in the brig for killing his general. 

********************************************************

"How long has he been down here?" Obi wan asked as he knelt next to Rex, who had discarded his helmet next to his feet and was now wiping sweat from his face with a gloved hand.

"Well sir," Rex said his voice . "I've gone through six fully charged energy cells and I think Fives, Echo, Jesse and Kix have been through about twenty eight charged energy cells. It's been a long time." Obi-wan stood and looked down the firing range toward Anakin.

Anakin was deep in meditation, his blue blade whirling from side to side as he deflected bolt after bolt which was being aimed towards him by the skilled hand of a clone. His hair was matted to his head with sweat. Obi-wan thought it was time to call it off.

Ahsoka had come to get him because she was concerned for Anakin's wellbeing and he could see why.

"Cease fire!" Obi-wan called to the clone who had just stepped in to take place of the one who had emptied his energy cell. The Kix lowered his weapon and turned to face Obi-wan.

"Yes sir," Kix said and holstered his weapon.

"Anakin!" he called to his former padawan. "Don't you think you should give these clones a rest. They have work that they will need to be doing soon and having them be too tired is not good strategy." Anakin nodded and strode towards Obi-wan, a scowl plastered securely on his face.

"I'm just trying to work things out about Hypori," Anakin said and ran his gloved hand through his wet hair making it stand on end. He hadn't realized he had been fighting for so long. Time had slowed to a crawl when he had touched the force, minutes became hours.

"There are other ways we can think these things out," Obi-wan said clamping Anakin on the shoulder. "Maybe we should go up to the tactical command centre and talk about it. Now that you have cleared your head with the force, the ideas will come to you easily."

Anakin shrugged. Obi-wan was obviously teaching him another lesson about the force. Anakin didn't go through his usual resentment routine though, he just felt weary and tired.

"We should include Cody and Rex," Anakin said gesturing towards Rex who was sitting nearby

. "I think that we should talk privately first," Obi-wan said pointing towards Ahsoka.

"Padawan Tano will need to be included." Anakin looked from Obi-wan to Ahsoka and his eyes narrowed.

This would be the lecture that Anakin had been waiting on ever since he had taken Ahsoka out of the leadership role. Ahsoka would have to command a large group of troops for this assault and he knew there was no way around it.

Maybe that is why he had tried so hard to bury himself in the force, so that he didn't have to make this hard decision. The time had come though and he had to resign himself to the facts. It would take all of them leading troops to be able to come out the winner on Hypori.

"As you wish," Anakin said and stalked off towards the turbolift. It would be hard enough to plan the strategy without having to worry about what would happen to Ahsoka while she was leading troops. Obi-wan surely had this all planned out and now Anakin would be forced to follow along, like the good padawan, although he had stopped being a padawan a long time ago. He was angry with Obi-wan for this whole situation and he knew he shouldn't be. There was no one else close by to blame and Anakin would be sure to let his former Master know exactly what he thought of his plan when they were in private and Ahsoka wasn't eavesdropping. She didn't need to hear that he thought she shouldn't be in the lead. "Are you coming?" Anakin asked as he entered the turbolift and faced them. He raised an eyebrow at Ahsoka and Obi-wan beckoning them to come along.