"𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙥 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮."

"Feel like killing anybody yet?" I asked Trip playfully. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. I gave him a nudge. Since he got his chip removed, I was to observe his behavior and see if there were any side effects.

"Nah," he replied. "Unless you count wanting to blast a bunch of clankers."

I smiled in response. It had been almost a week now and Trip was completely fine. Minus his shaved head and the new scar, not one thing about him had changed. Trip remained his regular, cheerful self.

"Do you think Kix figured out the chip yet?" Trip asked me quietly.

"I don't know, but I hope he does soon," I said. "The sooner he finds out, the sooner we can inform the Generals."

Even though we had won Anaxes, battles continued to rage in the Outer Rim. In their respective cruisers, the 212th and 501st were headed for Yerbana to free its people from Separatist control. I hadn't been able to keep in contact with Kix as much as I'd liked, regarding both my pregnancy and the chips.

***

It was late on the cruiser when my comlink started beeping. Only Obi-Wan or Cody would try contacting me at this hour, but I knew they were both knocked out by now.

"Yes?" I spoke quietly into my comm.

"It's Kix," a voice said quickly. "Get Trip, I have to tell you both something!"

I scrambled to cover my comm and stop his voice from echoing down the halls. Thankfully, none of the troops on patrol heard anything.

"Keep it down, will you?" I whispered aggressively. "You're gonna wake up the entire attack battalion."

There was a pause. "Aren't you in your quarters?"

"No..." I answered sheepishly. "I'm in the mess."

"After hours?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

I couldn't seem to shake off the habit of sneaking around to get food and hiding it away. It was something me and a lot of kids did to survive on my home planet. I knew that I had no reason to do this anymore. I always had what I needed now, but some habits just stuck.

I could hear Kix sigh over the comms. "Just get Trip and get somewhere secure."

I told him I would and snuck towards the barracks. Lucky for me, Trip always liked sleeping on the bunk closest to the entrance. Unfortunately, his best friend Wooley who slept right above him, was a light sleeper.

I poked my head in and heard the snores of troopers filling up the dark room. I approached the end of Trip's bed and shook his foot to wake him. I didn't dare come any closer in case of waking up Wooley.

Trip groggily lifted his head to see me and understood it was something important. He lazily rolled out of his bunk and landed on the floor with a thud making me flinch. He made himself presentable and I gestured for him to follow me. I led him to my quarters only for Trip to crash onto my bed. I shook my head in amusement and sent a transmission. Kix's holographic image lit up the room.

"Did you bring Trip?" he asked.

I pointed behind me to show Trip nearly passed out. I gave him a hard shove and he sat up, facing the hologram. Kix pulled out his datapad.

"Did you figure out the chip?" I asked him.

"Not completely, but I've learned a lot," Kix answered in an ominous tone. Trip and I shared a concerned look.

"Like what?" Trip asked.

Kix leaned in and spoke quieter. "The chip has a series of protocols implanted in it," he said. "Ready to be executed at any time. It's just waiting for the order."

My brows knit together in suspicion. "What kind of protocols?"

"That's what I'm about to figure out," Kix said. "I just discovered the commands so I thought I'd tell you two."

I nodded in understanding and mulled over the information. Trip violently rubbed the sleep from his eyes and faced Kix.

"What's the big deal about putting these orders in our heads?" Trip asked unimpressed. "We don't even know what they are. Even if we did, what if decide not to follow them?"

"That's the thing, Trip," Kix said sadly. "When the protocol is issued, we'll know exactly what it is. And we'll have no choice but to follow through with it."

"What do you mean you'll have no choice?" I asked.

"These chips... they can control us. Once activated, they can control our minds," Kix said growing slightly frantic.

The nature of these chips was starting to sound a lot like what Fives had been saying. He had said the Chancellor was in on it.

"Who has the authority to issue these orders?" I asked.

Kix matched my expression. He knew who I was thinking of. "The Chancellor."

I brought my hand up to my head feeling dizzy. Trip suddenly stood up looking agitated.

"This isn't right!" he growled and then turned to Kix. "What are these protocols? What do they call for?"

"I don't know yet," Kix said through this teeth. "There's 150 of them and I'm trying my best to access them."

"Good," I said to him. "Get to the bottom of this and then we can make a case."

"I will, and Sil?" Kix asked me.

"Yes?"

"Do you think you could talk to General Skywalker about this? I saw him outside the mess earlier. I'm sure he'll speak with you if you comm him." Kix looked at me hopefully.

I breathed a defeated sigh and looked down. "He's not going to listen to me, Kix," I said softly. Kix and Trip looked at me perplexed. "He trusts the Chancellor too much. I'll never get through to Anakin."

Kix exhaled deeply. "What about Cody? General Kenobi?"

"Cody will shut us down for sure," Trip said and I agreed.

"Kix, how about you finish your investigation and then we'll show the evidence to Rex. He might be more willing to listen," I said. "We may not be able to convince Cody, but Rex can. And with the evidence, I can talk to the generals."

Kix smiled lightly and nodded. "Sounds like a plan," he said. "I'll comm you when I figure this out."

We all shared smiles and ended the transmission. Little did I know, this plan was doomed from the start.

***

The next day came and an emergency frequency brought me, Obi-Wan, and Cody running to the communications sector of the cruiser. Anakin's cruiser was under attack.

"What's the status, Admiral?" Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes as Admiral Yularen's hologram flickered to life.

"The Separatists... they came in the night," he answered stiffly. "They managed to kidnap our clone medic."

"Kix," I breathed. The same thing had happened to Tup. Then Fives. Once a chip was on the brink of exposure, a brave clone had to pay the price for it. A sick feeling settled in my stomach and my legs wavered. I brought a hand to my stomach and stared painfully at the floor. A wave of fatigue washed over me and I remembered I had a child in me. The news was taking a toll on my body.

"Where's Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked in a strong tone.

"General Skywalker took his men to get the missing trooper back," Yularen answered with false confidence.

Obi-Wan brought a hand to his head and sighed deeply, his eyes closing for a moment. "How did this happen?"

The admiral's eyes darted to the side and he stood rigidly. It was clear that this incident had been unexpected. "We stopped to refuel on the way to Yerbana," Yularen explained. "But for unknown reasons, the Separatists attacked our troops and took the medic hostage."

"A strange move for them to make, don't you think, Admiral?" Obi-Wan asked to try and get a better understanding of this attack.

"Well... yes," Yularen agreed.

Obi-Wan ran a hand over his beard and glanced to the side to look at me and Cody. I was slightly hunched over the table in pain. I drove away every thought I had about being pregnant and tried to look relaxed. Obi-Wan dropped his hand and faced the hologram again.

"Thank you, Admiral," he said. "Have Anakin contact me when he gets back."

The Admiral nodded and the transmission ended. Obi-Wan turned and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

I managed a nod and forced the nausea down my throat. "I'm just worried," I said. "I think they've got Kix."

Obi-Wan hummed in agreement. "Most likely."

"But why would they take him?" Cody asked in disbelief. He shared a confused look with Obi-Wan while I turned my eyes away. I knew exactly why they would take Kix.

The hours slowly crawled by. I was a nervous wreck. Kix's life was on the line and the mystery we were so close to revealing was losing any chance of being brought to light. A knock on my door pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Sil?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan?"

I let the door slide open and faced the Jedi. He looked tired. His normally poised posture was now broken. A dark haze rested over his eyes. He did not have good news.

"What happened?" I asked carefully. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what I was about to hear.

"Kix is gone," Obi-Wan said and my heart plummeted. "They tried to get him back, but the droids launched into hyperspace to an unknown destination."

A slow breath escaped my mouth as I tried to hold back overwhelming grief. Kix didn't deserve this. He had been nothing but loyal, kind, understanding. He worked tirelessly to uncover a secret that probably put us all at risk. And now he was gone. Another brave soul who never asked to be in this fight but gave his life for it anyways.

***

We arrived on Yerbana and the men were dropping like flies. On all sides, blaster fire ended the life of another soldier in less than a second. Explosions filled my ears and knocked me off my feet. I was filled with intense fear, not just for my life, but also for the life inside me.

I shot down droids and pushed forward. But with every step came the sound of more heart-wrenching screams. I stared ahead as the enemy launched missiles that ripped apart our formation.

I looked down at my stomach and ran a delicate hand over it. I choked out a sob because of the situation I was in. I wanted to be fighting side by side with the men who had become my brothers, but the guilt of endangering my child tore me apart. I continued to cry hopelessly and slumped to my knees.

"Hey, hey! Get up, Sil." Trip grabbed my arm and pulled me up. "Now's not the time to panic. Freak out about war when we're having dinner in the mess, not now."

Normally I would be telling others these things, burying my own emotions, but I couldn't seem to do that anymore. My feelings were difficult to contain and it was becoming unbearable. I didn't listen to Trip and stayed where I was, wiping the tears from my face.

Trip glanced around and sighed. He led me behind the lines and sat us down away from the firefight.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?" Trip nudged me. I only sniffled in response. His voice turned sympathetic. "Come on, what is it?"

I shook my head. "I can't tell you."

"Look," he said grabbing my shoulders. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

I lazily looked up at him. Was it such a big deal if I told him? I was so... so tired. I couldn't deal with this secret on my own.

"Come on, Sil," Trip urged me. "We've been through a lot together. You can tell me."

I finally gave in. "I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened in shock. "Y-you're, well what the hell are you doing here?!"

More tears spilled out of my eyes as I had been wondering the same thing. "I don't know, Trip," I said and covered my face. "I don't know what's going on anymore."

Trip breathed in sharply and swung his head around, observing the battlefield. He gripped my arm and pulled me up slowly. "Okay, look. Let's get through this battle and then we'll figure something out."

I nodded as I regained my senses. I pushed the hysteria out of my mind and picked up the blaster I had dropped.

"We've been on worse missions," Trip added.

"You're right," I nodded shakily. "Let's go."

We managed to gain more ground, even without Obi-Wan's help. He was supporting a different front at the moment. The attack battalion was on a large bridge, finishing off droids at a slow rate. I caught up with Cody who was firing frantically into a sea of droids. He was performing a move he liked to call 'mowing the lawn'.

"Make sure your blaster doesn't overheat," I called out to Cody.

He sent me a sideways glance. "I know my blaster's limits."

I let out a chuckle and felt the panic slowly leave my body. I could do this.

The battle continued to go horribly. Cody almost died, but his lucky ass got saved by Obi-Wan Kenobi leaping down and gracefully slicing a missile in half. Eventually, Anakin showed up as well, dodging blaster fire like they were just pesky insects. The two had their differences, but they couldn't be more alike when it came to their dramatic flare.

I glared Anakin down as he casually conversed with Obi-Wan despite the heat of the battle. Cody and I were sharing horrified looks as Anakin refused to take cover. I couldn't see Cody's face, but I recognized the unmistakably appalled tilt of his helmet well enough.

"Master, I mean no disrespect," Anakin said in response to Obi-Wan's pleas for him to take cover. "If you want, I can hide here with you, and we can let the people in the city suffer longer."

I shook my head in disbelief as raged filled me to the brink of eruption. It had not been easy for the men to reach this point and Anakin was acting as if were not doing our best to win the fight. As if I hadn't just watched countless soldiers fall down left and right.

Obi-Wan's tone matched my fury and he retaliated. "Now, Anakin, you know I-"

Anakin cut his master off and continued to be his arrogant self.

"I'm gonna kill him," I muttered murderously under my breath.

"You're gonna kill the father of your child?" Trip whispered jokingly.

My mouth dropped open in surprise. A sigh escaped my lips and I rolled my eyes. "I don't know, I might shave his head or something, I'll figure it out."

"Shave his head?"

A laugh escaped my lips as I watched Anakin send me a knowing smile and walk confidently into the torrent of blaster fire.

"Yeah," I said. "He's been growing it out recently. It'll be nice to see him in despair for once."

Next to me, Obi-Wan was trying to contain a smile as he overheard my plans. "It would be a humbling experience for him."

I smiled hearing Obi-Wan agree with me. We peeked over the rubble to see what insane plan Anakin had come up with. He had gotten the droids to stop firing, claiming he was going to surrender. I knew him better than that. So did

Obi-Wan as he watched him curiously. Anakin was up to something.

After his long speech, the tactical droid we had trying to find during the entire battle appeared before us. My heart leapt with excitement. This bloody battle would finally be over. In a swift motion, Anakin pulled the droid towards him and destroyed it. I couldn't sustain a smile as 501st jet troopers flew out from under the bridge and took out the remaining droid forces.

"Those tactics are a little questionable..." Cody said softly, but the lilt in his voice told me he was relieved.

"But who cares, right?" I smiled.

"I mean, is it really a war crime if they're droids?" Trip added and we all laughed.

The jet troopers released heavy damage onto the droids and the battle quickly turned in our favor. I noticed Cody turning giddy in a way I hadn't seen before.

"General?" he asked Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Yes, Cody. You may join the fun as well."

"Yes, sir," Cody replied enthusiastically. He led the men into the chaos to have a share at blasting away the droids.

Obi-Wan and I walked up to Anakin to give him our regards for turning around the state of the battle. After he finished speaking with Obi-Wan, Anakin greeted me with a bright smile. I briefly shared it as I remembered what I had to speak with him about. Anakin's expression changed as he undoubtedly sensed my apprehension. I was becoming familiar with the way he could see right through me.

"You want to talk to me about Kix?" he asked with his eyes darkening.

I only nodded.

"Sil, we did our best-"

"I know you did," I cut him off and shut my eyes for a moment. I continued after a deep sigh. "I know you did everything you could, but there's something else I need to talk to you about. Something Kix was onto."

Anakin looked at me curiously as did Obi-Wan. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by his comlink.

"Skywalker here. What is it Admiral?" he answered.

Whatever the news was, it required Anakin and Obi-Wan to return to the ship. After he was done speaking, Anakin turned to me.

"Is it okay if we talk about it later?" he asked.

I sighed lightly. I glanced behind me to see that Trip had already joined in on the fight. I would need him with me to tell Anakin about the chips anyways.

"Yeah, we can discuss it on the ship," I agreed.

He sent me a smile. "Great, I'll see you then."

I nodded in response and watched briefly as Anakin and Obi-Wan headed for a gunship. It occurred to me that Trip and I were the only ones aware of the possibility of what these chips could do. We had to make it known. But without Kix, it was going to be harder than I thought.

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