As Republic forces closed in on Grievous' position, Kenobi wondered where Rex's group was currently.

"How are you, Jesse?" Obi-Wan said into his wrist communicator.

“Almost there, sir.

“Very good. We’ll see you in the middle.

Over there in the Separatist escape pod, Grievous was delighted to see it. He really wanted to get off this backwater planet and back into Separatist space.

Hopping down from the animal he'd been riding for hours, Grievous addressed one of the B-1 droids. "Is your transmitter working?"

"I don't know. I haven't used it yet." This caused the robot to be slapped on the head, causing it to fall to the ground. "Okay! I'll go check it out!"

"Stupid battle droid." The general growled, then looked at the droid that had entered the pod earlier. "Send a distress signal to the rest of our fleet.

"Roger that, Roger that. But I must tell you, sir, there are multiple life forms approaching.

This alerted the Separatist general, causing him to call out to his current troops. "Fighting positions!"

Republic AT-RTs, AT-TEs, and speeders soon arrived on the scene. They began firing at Grievous' position with just about anything they had in their possession in an effort to capture the cyborg general. The battle droids responded quickly, with one in particular pulling out a rocket launcher and firing a round into the AT-TE.

Seeing the projectiles coming towards him, he jumped off the transporter, landed on the ground, and ignited his lightsaber. He rushed forward with several other clone troopers beside him.

One soldier quickly moved to the side when he saw a projectile coming towards him. He was nearly hit, but was called into the AT-TE in order to shoot down the enemy projectile.

"Tank Two! Port side!

The barrel of the main gun turned, and the gunner quickly aimed. The clone fired a round, destroying the projectile before it got close enough.

"here you go!"

Grievous could only bark orders as blaster fire filled the air. "Open those commando droids in the escape pods now!" Then he spoke the burning question on his mind. "Where is that ship?!"

……

In a corner of Lao Kun's house, the patriarch and his guests were playing games.

“Good move. Very good move. Carter commented on Rex’s recent play against him.

"why?"

"What made me decide to leave the Corps?" Carter leaned back in his seat and told his story. "Shortly after the Battle of Geonosis, our troop transport was caught between two Separatist gunships. They fired at us with everything they had. We broke down. Most of us were either dead or badly wounded. So when they started slaughtering the wounded, I knew there was no hope. I ran. But it still haunts me.

"...sorry.

"That day I felt like my life had no meaning. Everyone I cared about, my team, was gone. I was just another expendable clone, waiting for my turn to be slaughtered in a war that meant nothing to me. Can you understand that, Rex?"

Rex just sighed and looked at the deserter seriously. "I have fought in countless battles and lost many brothers. They are my family.

Shay quickly walked up to her father, her brother not far behind her. "Dad, we're done with our chores. Can we go out and play?"

"Please?" Jack pleaded along with his sister.

Carter smiled. "Okay, just a few minutes."

Shay smiled. "Thank you, Dad. Come on, Jack.

"You have wonderful children," Rex said as he saw the Twi'lek children running out of the house.

Carter saw the look in Rex's eyes and remembered the look from before. "If you're wondering, they're not mine. I just adopted them when I married their mother.

Rex let out a chuckle. “Yeah, I was thinking about that. Almost gave me a headache.

Carter nodded and they continued their game.

“So…what do you know about those Avengers?

Rex blinked. "Excuse me?"

“You know who I’m talking about. Who are they?

"How do you know about them?" Rex asked. "This is a backwater planet."

"I may not be in the military anymore, but that doesn't mean I count myself out," Carter said. "I make sure there's at least a semblance of what's going on in the rest of the galaxy. These Avengers have been appearing on the HoloNet day after day for the past few months."

Rex was silent and didn't respond at first, prompting Carter to ask.

"Who are they, then?"

Rex pondered the question in his mind, thinking hard about this group of people who, frankly, had radically changed the lives of so many people in a short period of time.

“They are… unique to say the least,” Rex began. “Actually, the word unique understates it. These guys are some of the craziest, and possibly most powerful, people I’ve ever met.”

"Really?" Carter leaned over, very interested. "How powerful is it?"

"Strong enough to not lose to any Jedi, they fight for what they believe in," Rex said, causing Carter to lean back in disbelief.

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen them do things that I haven't seen the Jedi do yet," Rex said. "Things that I can barely comprehend."

"Have you...actually seen them?" Carter asked, causing Rex to grin.

"It's more than that. I've been fighting alongside them for months now." Rex said, leaving Carter stunned.

"What are they like?" the clone trooper turned farmer asked. "I've been hearing some crazy rumors about what they can do.

"What did you hear?"

"Some of them have power armor that's well beyond the pay grade that clones get from the Republic. Another one's in a blue costume, and he fights with a shield.

"Well, that's Colonel Rhodes and Captain Rogers you were talking about," Rex said. "Each of them is worth an army. Most of the Jedi are really after what I've seen them do.

Rex continued to tell Lauquin about the amazing feats he had witnessed over the past few months.

Captain Rogers' combat skills and leadership qualities, while using his shield in an almost magical way.

Sam Wilson with his wingsuit, playful mouth and creative flying combat style.

Colonel James Rhodes is armored and has overwhelming firepower.

Natasha Romanoff has movement-based, assassin-based combat abilities.

Then came even crazier powers that Carter couldn't fully comprehend.

Pietro's super speed, Scott and Hope's shrinking and gigantism, Peter's amazing dexterity and web-swinging, and Matt Murdock's blindness do not hinder his combat abilities in the least. In fact, his senses are enhanced to the point of being unreal, as they allow him to gauge scenes and environments with precision and accuracy.

“From what they told me recently, there are three more somewhere in the galaxy.

"Wow," Carter muttered. "Where the hell did they come from?"

“They told me their planet was called Earth.

At this point, Carter couldn't help but snorted loudly. "They come from a planet called Mud?"

Rex laughed. "They had a similar reaction after they told me and General Skywalker what they went through here. Captain Rogers told us there were more like them on their planet. Some were well known, and some were just waiting to show up."

“That sounds crazy.”

"That's crazy," Rex said. "You should have heard some of those rumors about them.

"You seem close to them," Carter noted, causing Rex to ponder.

Is he close to them?

...

He was willing to think so, considering how much they had endured together over the past year. They certainly treated him with great respect and kindness. Clone casualties had plummeted since they had been directly involved in the war.

While casualties were high in battles like the one on Geonosis, the Avengers working with the Jedi and the clones allowed more people to survive.

They have saved the lives of clones many times.

“I think…even if they’re not in the Republic, I can consider them…friends.

"really?"

Rex took a moment to nod. "Yes, we are friends. We are comrades.

Carter pondered. “And…what do you think they think of me?

Since... this was certainly not the question he expected.

What will they think of Carter Lauquin?

A clone trooper who chose to go from a life of war to a life of peace.

"I...I'm not really sure," Rex admitted.

He thought of people like Steve, Natasha, Sam, and Peter. They, like the rest of the Avengers, got along well with all the clones for the most part.

They were gracious and very friendly.

They have been introducing the entertainment, food, and culture of their planet, and they have been saying that what they have so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

"I think..." Rex said after a moment of silence. "They will respect your choice in the end."

"Really?" Carter was quite surprised by the reaction.

Rex nodded. "Yes. I think there are one or two people who might not agree with you leaving your duty, but find a new one... they'll accept it.

Carter leaned back in his seat, thinking carefully about what Rex had said.

If he was honest with himself, he wanted very much to meet these Avengers.

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