On another front, Aayla and Natasha had established a defensive perimeter around the droid factory they were assaulting.
"Natasha! Aayla!"
Both women looked behind them to see Steve, Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex, Peter, and Domino Squad finally reaching the front lines.
Natasha smirked. "Captain, what took you so long? Those old legs can't handle the desert terrain?"
"Very funny," Steve replied, taking cover beside her. "What's our tactical situation?"
"We've managed to push the Separatists back, but they've activated a ray shield preventing us from entering the droid facility," Commander Bly informed the arriving reinforcements. "Unless that barrier is destroyed, we won't be able to breach the factory and continue our assault."
"That's what we're here for," Anakin declared. "Where are those Dark Jedi you mentioned?"
"I lost visual contact with them," Aayla reported.
Just overhead, Rhodes streaked past their position, dropping a devastating barrage of repulsor-guided missiles that obliterated most of the droids and Geonosians in front of their advance.
"Well, we have our window to advance," Anakin observed. "Aayla, maintain your current position. We'll neutralize the defensive fortress."
"I should go with Aayla, Steve," Natasha told her friend, and Steve simply nodded as he, Anakin, Ahsoka, Peter, Rex, and a dozen clone troopers rushed toward the fortified position.
"If we don't destroy those defensive installations, we can't breach the factory. This is what we need to do to get our forces inside," Steve explained.
While crossing the barrier-like defensive wall, Anakin and Steve's team came under intensive enemy fire. They had already lost several men during their advance, and the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
"Stay sharp, soldiers!" Steve shouted to his troops. Then, addressing his strike team: "Ahsoka, Anakin, Peter—get ready."
"We'll provide covering fire!"
The two Jedi burst from cover and sprinted toward the rock face, with Peter following close behind. Anakin and Ahsoka deployed their ascension cables and fired grappling lines toward the summit. Peter quickly wall-crawled up behind them.
Once at the top of the defensive wall, Peter rapidly ensnared several battle droids in his webbing and yanked them toward him. As they flew through the air, Peter ducked low and let them collide with Anakin's ignited lightsaber, instantly destroying the droids.
Ahsoka simultaneously used her lightsaber to slice through several droids positioned in front of her, while deflecting multiple blaster bolts aimed in her direction.
"How many droids have you eliminated so far?" Anakin asked as the two fought side by side.
"Twenty-five," Ahsoka replied.
"Then you're falling behind," Anakin teased.
Peter webbed up several more droids and hurled them over the fortress wall.
"Including these last few, I've taken down thirty-three already," Peter joked. "I'm ahead of both of you."
"That only counts as one," Anakin protested.
"What?!"
Down below, a fresh battalion of battle droids was attacking Republic forces and breaking through their defensive lines.
Steve struck down a B1 battle droid, and the robot shattered into pieces, though its upper torso remained partially functional. Steve turned to continue fighting elsewhere, when suddenly—
"No... strings... on... me..."
A chill ran down Steve's spine as he spun around to see the B1 he had just destroyed attempting to reactivate.
A sense of dread washed over him, but he had to maintain focus on the battle at hand.
Suddenly, he felt himself being hurled forward by an invisible Force push.
Steve hit the ground hard and rolled quickly when he saw a blonde man wielding a crimson lightsaber leaping toward him from above.
He raised his shield just in time to block the lightsaber strike that ricocheted off the vibranium surface. Steve kicked out reflexively, driving his boot into the Dark Jedi's chest and sending him flying backward.
The Dark Jedi crashed to the ground and clutched his chest, feeling a burning pain where Steve's kick had connected.
He was immediately targeted by clone troopers with blaster fire.
"Fall back!" Steve called out to the clones, but his warning came too late.
The blonde Dark Jedi deflected the blaster bolts with his saber, then cut down the closest clone trooper.
In response, Steve hurled his shield at the Dark Jedi, who ducked beneath it. The shield ricocheted off the rocks before returning to Steve's outstretched hand.
"So you must be the legendary Captain Rogers," the Dark Jedi sneered.
"You know who I am," Steve replied without inflection.
"Master Dooku has made your presence known to all who serve him. Your arrival has created ripples in the Force that have destabilized the natural order and must be corrected."
"And you're the one appointed to do this?" Steve asked in a calm tone.
The blonde Dark Jedi stood and raised his lightsaber to an attack position.
"Skorr will be the one to eliminate the leader of the Avengers. If I accomplish such a feat, perhaps Master Dooku will reward me generously."
Steve remained silent, his eyes fixed on the Dark Jedi who made the first aggressive move. Skorr leaped forward, and Steve took a defensive step back, raising his shield and preparing for combat.
The lightsaber collided with his shield, but Skorr quickly launched another series of strikes, with Steve blocking each attack with practiced precision.
On top of the defensive wall, the battle droids had received focused attention from the others, allowing the three Republic operatives to take a brief respite.
"Find an access point," Anakin ordered. "We need to plant the explosives inside the wall structure."
It didn't take long for Ahsoka to locate one, but a droideka rolled out and activated its deflector shields.
"Found one!"
Looking back, the two Jedi were about to assist her when another hatch opened and a second super battle droid emerged.
As Anakin engaged the second droid, Peter slid along the ground. Once he had maneuvered past the obstacle, he delivered a powerful uppercut to the droid's head, destroying it completely. After eliminating that threat, Peter moved to help the Padawan.
As both droids fell, another hatch opened. The two Jedi and the Avenger remained on guard, anticipating the sudden appearance of another droid. Fortunately for them, it was only a standard B1 battle droid.
"Hey, catch this!"
Anakin untied the backpack containing the thermal detonators and tossed it to the droid. "Catch!"
"Huh?" The B1 caught the explosives reflexively. Then both Jedi used the Force to push the B1 battle droid back into the access shaft, causing it to scream in electronic panic: "Oh no—this is bad!"
Seeing their mission accomplished, the Jedi Master and Padawan duo grinned at Peter.
"Come on, Peter."
"Time to go."
"Whoa! Wait!" Peter protested as he was lifted against the wall by the Force. "I could have jumped down myself!"
Moments after they collectively manipulated the young Earth hero's position, both Jedi leaped down and dove toward the battle below, just as the wall exploded from the inside out.
As Peter fell, he fired a web-line at a nearby rock formation to control his descent, then glared at the two Force-users who had caused the wall to collapse.
"Next time, just tell me to jump—don't Force-push me."
"Wasn't that exciting?" Anakin joked. "Come on, we can't keep Aayla waiting any longer."
"Captain!" Peter shouted, spotting Steve engaged in combat with a Dark Jedi.
"Skorr," Anakin said grimly, recognizing the opponent.
"The Dark Jedi you encountered on Mustafar?" Ahsoka asked with concern.
"Ahsoka, Peter—you two advance and assist Aayla with the others," Anakin commanded. "I'll help Steve deal with the Dark Jedi."
Ahsoka wanted to argue, but they were in the middle of active combat. This wasn't the time to question orders.
"Come on, Peter," Ahsoka said. "We can't keep Rex and Master Aayla waiting. They're advancing on the droid factory."
Peter looked at Ahsoka for a moment before glancing at Anakin, who was rushing forward to assist Steve.
"Alright, let's move."
The two sprinted toward the droid installation.