Steve and Anakin arrived at the lower deck to find Rex, Cody, and several other clone troopers gathered in front of the main elevator shaft, their expressions tense with concern.
"Alright, everyone. What's the situation?" Anakin asked immediately.
"Any signs of Red Eye?" Steve added with professional urgency.
"We're not certain yet, sir," Rex reported grimly. "Mixer was the last to see him during their patrol sweep, but we haven't heard from him since, and we can't locate him anywhere in his assigned sector."
R2-D2 suddenly began emitting a series of agitated beeps and concerned whistles that echoed through the corridor.
"What is it, buddy?" Anakin asked his faithful astromech droid with obvious concern.
The little droid responded with an increasingly frantic flurry of electronic sounds and worried whines.
"I know, I know, but I'm here now. Activate your scanners and see if you can detect anything out of the ordinary," Anakin instructed.
A small compartment on R2's dome-shaped head opened with a mechanical whir, and as he began scanning the immediate area, a sophisticated sensor array that resembled a miniature satellite dish extended upward. As they followed the droid's scanning pattern, Steve found himself staring up at the unusually dark ceiling above them.
"That's definitely not a good sign," Steve commented, keeping his eyes fixed upward while Anakin glanced at him before following his gaze toward the shadows above.
"Yeah... this lighting pattern seems completely wrong, doesn't it?" Anakin pointed out with growing unease.
"Gentlemen," came Rex's voice from ahead.
Both Steve and Anakin turned to see Rex, Cody, and the other clones standing around a large, open shipping container that was clearly empty.
"Well, what do we have here?" Anakin muttered with obvious concern.
"It appears that whatever was stored in this container is now missing," Fives announced, his voice carrying across the cargo bay.
"Or it escaped and walked away on its own," Steve said ominously, and Anakin nodded in grim agreement.
"Alright, spread out and search the area systematically. I'll contact Obi-Wan with an update," Anakin ordered, raising his wrist communicator to his mouth.
Echo moved to stand beside Steve and noticed the Captain's increasingly worried expression.
"Sir? What are you thinking?"
Steve didn't respond immediately, processing the tactical implications. "Where exactly did Red Eye disappear?"
"That corridor junction was the last place I saw him, sir," Mixer stepped forward to answer the question directly.
"Then that's where we start. Echo, Hardcase, you're with me," Steve commanded.
Steve departed with the trio of clone troopers while Anakin maintained communication with his former Master.
"Anakin, what have you discovered down there?" Obi-Wan's voice came through clearly from the dining hall above.
"There's a large shipping container that's been opened and whatever was inside is now missing," Anakin reported, looking back at the empty container surrounded by concerned clone troopers. "Steve has taken three soldiers to search for our missing man."
Kenobi considered this troubling information for a moment before responding. "Keep this quiet for now. I'll remain here with the senators and maintain security."
"Understood," Anakin confirmed, then turned to address the remaining clones. "Rex, Fives, you're staying with me. Cody, divide the remaining men into two search teams and sweep the area thoroughly."
"Yes, sir," Cody acknowledged, immediately directing the clone troopers to carry out their orders.
Meanwhile, Steve, Echo, and Hardcase followed Mixer back to the corridor junction where he and Red Eye had separated during their patrol.
"This way," Mixer said, leading them down the passage that Red Eye had taken.
The search team quickly reached what appeared to be a dead end, though Hardcase kicked something metallic on the deck plating. He looked down and discovered a standard-issue blaster rifle lying abandoned.
"Found something," Hardcase announced, picking up the weapon and displaying it to the others for examination.
"Well, we found his rifle," Echo said grimly. "The problem is..."
"Where's our missing trooper?" Steve finished the thought just as they heard the unmistakable sound of blaster fire echoing from the direction where Anakin and the other clones were positioned.
"Let's move!" Steve commanded, and the group immediately ran back toward the source of the commotion.
They arrived just in time to witness the clone troopers firing concentrated volleys at a spider-like assassin droid, which collapsed heavily, its glowing red optical sensors dimming to black.
As they approached the scene, Mixer spotted movement from the corner of his eye and shouted a warning just as another multi-legged mechanical creature dropped from the overhead ventilation system and tackled him to the deck.
The clone trooper struggled desperately with the mechanical assassin, and after several tense moments he breathed a sigh of relief when Steve grabbed the droid and physically pulled it off the soldier. He hurled it away with considerable force, and the mechanical creature flew through the air before managing to stabilize itself.
"The elevator!" Anakin suddenly shouted urgently, and several heads turned toward the elevator doors.
There they observed another assassin droid forcing open the doors and rapidly climbing up the shaft toward the upper levels.
"Damn it!" Steve cursed loudly, immediately throwing his vibranium shield at the remaining droid that was still active and threatening.
Anakin quickly contacted his fellow Jedi Master. "Obi-Wan, we have assassin droids down here. One of them has accessed the elevator shaft and is heading upward. I'm leaving the others here to continue the search."
Back in the dining hall, Obi-Wan and the others received the warning, with Matt immediately moving into position while Natasha drew her electrified batons.
"Quickly, secure the elevator entrance!" Kenobi ordered with authority, igniting his blue lightsaber as the dining hall doors suddenly burst open.
The senators immediately stepped back in alarm, and Cham Syndulla drew a compact blaster pistol he had kept concealed on his person for emergencies.
The assassin droid entered the elegant chamber, easily sweeping aside the furniture before extending its razor-sharp legs to attack Matt's defensive position. The mechanical creature attempted to regain its footing when Natasha swiftly struck it in the head with her electrified baton, sending a powerful jolt of electricity coursing through its systems.
After a moment of electrical discharge, Obi-Wan's lightsaber found its mark, piercing the droid's central processor, and the machine collapsed to the floor moments later.
However, as the main unit hit the deck, dozens of smaller assassin droids emerged from compartments within its head, all immediately targeting the people in the room with deadly intent.
Cham was the first to respond, firing rapidly at the swarm of mini-droids as they scattered across the dining area.
Natasha connected her two batons together to form a single electrified staff, which she swung in wide, devastating arcs to eliminate multiple targets simultaneously.
Matt employed his billy club in a similar manner, knocking down any mini-droids that came within striking distance as he positioned himself to defend the civilian senators.
Moving quickly through the chaos, Satine produced what appeared to be a small, specialized weapon from her sleeve. When she pulled the trigger, it fired a concentrated electromagnetic pulse. The moment it struck one droid, many of the nearby mini-droids shut down due to the electronic interference effect. Observing this, Obi-Wan noticed the sophisticated weapon in the Duchess's hand.
While deflecting and slicing through a concentrated swarm of mini-droids with his lightsaber, Obi-Wan directed his surprised inquiry toward Satine. "Do you always carry a deactivator with you?"
"Just because I'm a committed pacifist doesn't mean I won't defend myself when necessary," Satine replied with determination.
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