"Blue leader to red leader, we are good to go." Ahsoka said over her intercom. Her helmet was fogged slightly with her breath. It normally filtered the moisture away, but she was practically hyperventilating in a silent panic. 

Part of it was because she could feel Rex's apprehension from across the galaxy. The small bond that snaked through her mind and both reassured her and terrified her. The other was that she was, admittedly, scared to go back into the field. Just when she'd thought she'd master her panic, it would rise up like a dark shadow behind her and suck the oxygen from the clear plastiglass  mask in front of her face.

"Acknowledged, Blue leader." Master Fisto's voice crackled over the intercom. "Red squadron is good to go."  The bay doors to her troop transport slid open, revealing the surface of the ocean that covered the whole of Mon Cala rushing by. 

"Right, this is the drop point. Move it soldiers." She called, grabbing a speeder and falling backwards. She hit the water first, and the splashes of the troops told her that they were right behind her

She flipped around, the water speeder propelling her forward as she dived through the battle, giving aid wherever she could. The troops had been dropped behind enemy lines, but the surprise was only a momentary advantage. She sighed when she spotted her master dispatching droids left and right without his helmet. She gave a small laugh, the first since earlier that afternoon when she was giggling with Rex.

Flipping around, she shot away the rest of the aquadroids and retrieved his rapidly sinking helmet. As the seal was put in place, the water was quickly drained out. 

"I had it, hck, under control, Snips." He coughed and gasped at the recycled oxygen that filled his helmet. 

"Yeah, it sure looked like you were doing just fine without oxygen. Missing the desert yet, Master?" she quipped, spinning around to take in the rest of the battle. Anakin flinched, and a dark look crossed his face for a fraction of a second. But it was gone as soon as she caught sight of it, and she couldn't really be sure if it was there at all. 

"Not one bit, but I hear that Krios is nice this time of year." He joked.

"You've never been to Krios. That's a Togruta colony!" She responded. 

"Anakin, I found senator Tills, do you have eyes on the prince?" Padme's voice crackled over Anakin caught sight of the prince, and pointed him out to Ahsoka. 

"That's prince Lee-Char. I need you to keep him alive. Safe would be nice too, but alive seems the most probable in this battle. I'm going after the senators." He gave her a small grin. "Nice to have you back, Snips."

"Good to be back, Master." She gave him a nod, and swam off towards the prince. Aquadroids came after him too, but she had her lightsabers. Igniting them with the two familiar snap-hiss she cut through the droids easily. No, this was not the trandoshan jungle. This was the frontlines, on Mon Cala. And she was a jedi padawan-commander, not prey.

"C'mmon!" She barked, swinging a nearby speeder to bear. A shark like figure was making their way towards them. This must be Tamson, the Seppie leader that Dokku had sent for the Quarran. She flicked her lightsaber around, forcing him to back up. "Grab on!" 

"Good idea." He said, clinging to the side of the speeder. Ahsoka speed up the speeder, trying to shake the blood-thirsty Seppie. "Get us out of here!" He yelped as Tamson snapped at his heels. 

"Hang on!" Ahsoka gritted, she found an entrance to the tubes and dived for it.

"I am! I am!" The prince yelped. They dived for the tube, making it in. The entrance sealed behind them. Between the speeder and the current in the tubes, they were going fast. Tamson, however, was fast without any aid. "I'm slipping!" The prince now had both hands on the tail of the speeder.

Ahsoka looked up just in time to see aquadroids coming at them from the other side of the tube. She gasped, they were heading right towards them! Thinking quickly, she had an idea.

"I'm letting go." She shouted, and flew backward, taking the prince along with her. The speeder flew forward, smashing into the droids. Tamson was circling the tube and slammed into it, shaking the whole structure. 

"It's ok, as long as we're in the tube we're safe." The prince said, his face telling her that he himself didn't quite believe it. Tamson's head crashed through the plastiglass, the glass stinging Ahsoka's exposed montrails as it whipped through the current around them. 

She dimly saw a small group of Mon Calamari soldiers swimming up behind Tamson, pointing and shouting something she couldn't make out. It didn't matter. Tamson cut through the water like a lightsaber, tearing through them in seconds. Blood misted the water, almost enough that Ahsoka could smell it, mask or not.

"Let go." She grabbed the prince, swimming along the current in the tubes, finding the door and diving down, deep into the caves below the city. They found the Generals and Senators, along with a few remaining soldiers. 

"Prince Lee-Char." Senator Tills greeted him as they neared. The droids were retreating, either heading to to the ships above the water, or the coral on the ocean floor. 

"Master." She swam up to Anakin. He was frowning at something being deployed above water.

"Master Fisto, if I may?" He motioned to the binoculars in his hand. Master Fisto passed them over, and Anakin took a look for himself. 

"What is it, master?" Ahsoka strained her eyes to see what she could. Senator Tills was talking about a Quarran surrender, but Captain Ackbar jumped in cutting her off.

"We may have won the first battle, Senator, but the real battle is about to begin." Ackbar said, looking at the Generals who agreed.

"Your highness, I take it that these are not from Mon Cala?" Anakin said, looking over the edge of the cave. A brilliant golden glow covered his face as giant half mechanical monsters rose out. The bodies that littered the various surfaces were being vaporized. 

"We have no defence against that!" He exclaimed, panic showing in his eyes.

"All troops, battle stations!" General Fisto yelled. There was scurrying as the troops, both clone and Mon Calamari, hurried to position. Ahsoka took up a position in front of the prince, who had a spear from a fallen warrior in his hand. 

"Fire only on the prince's command." Ackbar said, standing next to the prince. "Steady." Anakin ignited his lightsaber, the snap-hiss slightly muffled by the water. "Steady." Ahsoka and Master Fisto brought their own blades to bear. "Now, your highness." The captain told the prince. 

"Attack." The prince yelled as loudly as he could, the battle cry going up around the different sections of troops. They started to fire at the undersides of the creatures, but the shots fizzled out without harming it. Then came the droids. Ahsoka defended the shots, trying to deflect them away from the troops. 

"Ahsoka!" Anakin yelled, trying to protect the senators. "Get the prince to safety." Ahsoka nodded, turning to the prince. 

"Your highness, where's the safest place?" She asked, trying to keep her voice as calm as to not alarm him even more.

"Uh... The caves below the city!" He said, pointing back down the tunnel.

"I agree, your highness." Captain Ackbar interjected, making his way over. "There is a time to retreat and a time to be brave, and now is not the time to be brave." He took a few shots over his shoulder. "Follow me." Ahsoka obeyed, following the captain and the prince as they made their way into the caves.

A/N ~ Well, another chapter done. More of a filler chapter, but to be honest I was never a big fan of the Mon Cala arc. Well, thanks for reading a story from a 'Psychotic Mandalorian', bear with me through the filler chapters. Riddle of the day, What man can't live in a house?