As the battle intensified, Grievous cut down a nearby clone trooper with ruthless efficiency. Scanning the battlefield for Kenobi, his optical sensors detected a Separatist transport approaching from above.
"Finally!" the General snarled with satisfaction.
"General Grievous, we have visual on your position. Are you ready for extraction?" a battle droid pilot transmitted over the comm.
After dispatching several B-1 droids, Kenobi spotted the Separatist vessel that had just arrived on scene. Immediately recognizing the threat, he issued orders to his forces. "Concentrate all firepower on that transport!"
The AT-TE rotated its main cannon and fired at the enemy ship. The shot went wide, but they might get another opportunity as the transport circled back for another approach.
Across the battlefield, Jesse, Kix, and Hardcase were racing toward the action on their speeder bikes.
Jesse fired several shots from his moving vehicle while observing the transport's maneuvers. "General," he reported over comms, "that ship's making another landing attempt."
Hearing this update, Kenobi gave urgent orders to the AT-TE crew. "Keep firing! Don't let that ship reach the ground!"
Then disaster struck.
"Main cannon's overheating!" a clone gunner shouted in frustration.
"There's always something," Kenobi muttered under his breath before charging forward. "Cody, Sam, Jesse—cover me!"
The Avenger and clone troopers obeyed immediately, laying down suppressing fire against the surrounding B-1s and commando droids.
Grievous was so focused on deflecting incoming blaster bolts that he failed to notice the Jedi General approaching from behind—until one of his remaining droids alerted him at the last second.
"General, behind you!"
Grievous spun around just in time to block Kenobi's lightsaber strike.
Shoving the Jedi backward, the cybernetic general pressed his attack, swinging his weapon with mechanical precision. Both combatants circled each other, seeking any advantage in their deadly dance. At one point during their duel, Grievous unclasped his cape and hurled it at Kenobi, hoping to temporarily blind his opponent. The tactic barely succeeded, as Kenobi sliced through the fabric before parrying his enemy's follow-up strike.
Inside the Separatist shuttle, Asajj Ventress observed the battle unfolding below with cold calculation.
"Lower the boarding ramp," she commanded.
The droid pilot complied, opening the rear access while still in flight. Ventress walked to the edge and surveyed the battlefield. She could see debris scattered near several droids that would be overwhelmed within minutes.
The Republic forces would undoubtedly corner the cyborg general soon.
Reaching out with the Force, she lifted several large pieces of wreckage and hurled them toward the clone positions. Shouts of alarm and surprise filled the air as Sam looked around frantically, only to be caught by an invisible force that sent him spinning through the sky.
It didn't take long for the mechanical general to identify his benefactor.
"Grievous, time to leave," the Sith assassin called out.
When the cyborg didn't immediately respond, she used the Force to leap skyward, landing briefly on the escape pod before jumping back to the transport.
"Do not attempt to land!" Grievous ordered as he climbed aboard the escape pod. Once positioned on top, he fired a grappling cable that quickly secured itself to the ship's hull. "Engines to full power!"
The Separatist transport accelerated forward, yanking Grievous into the air behind it. Clone troopers opened fire on the ascending general, who simply deflected their shots with his spinning lightsaber.
"Farewell, Republic scum!"
Sam pursued them through the air. As he closed distance, he fired at the enemy vessel. However, another Force push sent him tumbling off course. After regaining control, he saw Ventress waving mockingly while Grievous climbed aboard the ramp before it sealed shut. The enemy ship was already beyond effective pursuit range.
"I really hate that witch," Sam snarled, his fists clenched in frustration.
Back on the surface, Kenobi witnessed the escape and shook his head in disappointment.
"Sir, are you injured?" Cody asked, approaching the Jedi General.
"No. But we're back where we started," Obi-Wan replied with evident frustration. "Contact the fleet. See if they can intercept that transport."
"Immediately, sir."
"And request extraction for our forces."
Kenobi surveyed the battlefield as Sam rejoined him on the ground.
"This day... hasn't exactly gone according to plan, has it?" Sam asked grimly.
The Jedi Master sighed and placed a reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder.
"No, I think it's safe to say it has not," Obi-Wan agreed.
Night came and went, and Saleucami's sun rose on a new day.
The clone squad departed the Lawquane homestead with Captain Rex shortly after dawn.
He reunited with General Kenobi and the rest of his brothers, and soon afterward, they all departed the planet and returned to Coruscant.
Several days had passed since their return to the galactic capital.
During that time, Jedi Master Eeth Koth received a proper Jedi funeral, attended by the entire Jedi Council as well as hundreds of other Jedi Knights, either in person or via holographic transmission.
It was a somber day, with Scott, Hope, and Koth's clone battalion all particularly affected by the loss.
The Jedi Master had essentially sacrificed himself to protect Hope, Scott, and his men during their mission.
A noble end for a noble Jedi Knight.
At the moment, Captain Rex found himself in a small recreational area of the Jedi Temple, joined by Domino Squad, Anakin, Ahsoka, and several of the Avengers.
Their conversation centered on a particular topic:
A certain farmer he had encountered on Saleucami.
"I couldn't turn Cut in. It was my duty, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it," Rex admitted, slumping slightly in his seat.
"So what did you end up doing?" Steve Rogers asked with genuine interest.
"Nothing. I filed a report saying I didn't encounter him—that I was unconscious during the events at the farm," Rex confessed openly.
"Really?" Anakin asked in surprise.
"Yes," Rex nodded firmly. "I... I know what regulations require..."
"But seeing what Cut accomplished and what he stood for..." James Rhodes observed.
Rex nodded, understanding the Colonel's meaning perfectly.
"He's technically a deserter, but he's certainly not a coward."
"It took real courage to make that choice, Rex," Anakin said, placing a supportive hand on the captain's shoulder.
"General, how can you be certain?" Rex asked, seeking reassurance.
"We all face choices, Rex," Steve explained thoughtfully. "You have yours, and we have ours. Sometimes... we can't always know if we've chosen the right path. We just have to live with the consequences when they come."
"But how do you know for sure?" Fives pressed.
"The truth is, we don't," Steve admitted candidly. "All we can really do is take things one step at a time and hope the galaxy doesn't fall apart in our hands."
Following that exchange, the room fell into contemplative silence. Everyone present shared an indefinable feeling that couldn't be easily articulated.
All they could do was sit, stand, or lean against the walls as they pondered the true heart of their discussion:
Choice.