Chapter 31: Ni Kyr'tayl Gai Sa'adNotes:HA! Suck it, computer! You tried to put me behind schedule and I said "Not today, bitch!" I mean, I am still behind schedule but at least I got this chapter up before May so I'm still hitting my goal of 2 chapters per month.
Anyways. Enjoy the chapter!
Trigger Warnings: Suicidal thoughts and suicide.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text"Here you go," Miko said as she plopped two heaping, steaming piles of crispy noodles in front of her friend. "Apparently, these are the best things on the menu. But I got medium spicy. I was warned hot spicy is way too spicy."
Her fried, a rodian named Bita, grinned and broke apart her chopsticks. "Thanks for the thought. I don't like spicy." She started digging in. Her face lit up once the noodles hit her tongue.
Miko decided to follow and slurped up the noodles, not caring about how gross the sound was. There were no expectations to be civilized here . Just good people enjoying good food.
"Oh, oh these are so good," she moaned as the mix of salty, sweet, spicy, and umami hit her tongue in almost a perfect balance. The noodles were soft and squishy, a little squeaky even. The oil that coated the noodles shone in the dim streetlights of the lower levels and made everything slippery. The chili was fried until it was crispy and the vegetables helped provide some reprieve from the heat. "I'm never eating anything else ever again." She dove in for another bite.
"Your new boyfriend suggested this place?" Bita asked.
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Not yet."
"I just broke up with Revie. I feel like I need to take at least a few months to mourn."
Bita rolled her eyes. "Please, you couldn't get out of that relationship fast enough."
Bita knew of Miko's side hustle as a high-end escort and didn't judge. What she didn't know was that Miko's side hustle turned into another side hustle spying for the troopers and a handmaiden of all things. She didn't want to risk Bita's safety. Also, Dormé made it clear that their spy work was on a need-to-know basis. And really, no one but her and Wolffe needed to know. Honestly, Miko didn't even know who else was in on it. She suspected a few of her fellow escorts and some other sex workers she knew hung around Wolffe. But other than that, nothing. She wasn't even sure Wolffe's brothers (besides Fox) knew who she was. Fox certainly didn't seem to know that she, personally existed . Just that someone like her existed.
It was kind of lonely. She couldn't wait for all this to be over so she could stop lying to people. Granted, she did feel good about helping the war effort and potentially making the Galaxy a better place. But it was exhausting and the people she had to entertain were often horrible.
Then again, did she think they were horrible because she was spying on them? Or were they actually horrible ? That's where Bita came in. She allowed Miko to have access to a less biased opinion.
"Do you think I was too harsh?"
Bita stared at her for a few seconds before slurping up more noodles. "Girl, you weren't hard enough. Remember how he said I'd be so much prettier if I lost fifteen pounds?"
She did remember that.
"I am at a healthy weight for my species! I'm sorry that Rodian's don't have snatched waists like twi'leks. No offense."
"None taken."
"That man is going to end up dying alone unless he can fix his attitude."
"I hope he fixes his attitude. I don't want him to end up alone."
Bita laughed. "You're too nice. If it were me, I'd want to burn his world to the ground."
Wolffe was probably working on that at this very moment.
"Still," Bita continued, "quite a trade from an upper-class citizen and assistant to a well-respected member of the Navy to like, the poorest guy in all of Coruscant."
"Archer isn't the poorest guy in Coruscant." Miko rolled her eyes. "Maybe like the second poorest, but I'm sure we could find someone poorer. We'd have to go , like, really far down in the lower levels, but we could find one."
"I don't think you can. I was writing my report for my Galactic Labor Studies class and decided to analyze trooper pay in comparison to the amount of work they do, the type of work they do, and the amount of risk to their persons, and it's bad . There are literally slaves that get paid better than those guys. Isn't that crazy ? How they haven't banded together to unionize yet is beyond me. They could cripple the government if they just stopped working."
"Maybe they're working on it," Miko said weakly. "And they're good people. They don't want to cripple the government." They just wanted to overthrow it. Or something. She still wasn't quite sure what Wolffe's plan was.
"I'm still sending my report to Rodia's Bureau of Labor. This kind of practice is so illegal. I've also sent it to a few sentient rights groups to see if we can get a class action lawsuit that will at least raise the wages. Though the goal is back pay and benefits."
That was the thing she loved about Bita. Once she got going on the subject of Labor, there was nothing that could stop her from rambling for hours. But tonight, Miko wasn't really into it. Maybe it was because now she had a personal stake in Bita's work. She now knew everything the troopers were willing to sacrifice. It wasn't so much that she was burying her head in the sand. It was more like if she stopped to think just how shitty of a hand the troopers were dealt , she'd throw Wolffe and Dormé's plan to the wind and overthrow the government herself.
"I mean, you're right. But money isn't everything," Miko said, hoping her friend would get the subtle hint to stop talking about labor unions and back pay.
Thankfully, Bita did. "True. But you went from getting wined and dined in some of the fanciest restaurants in the Galaxy to eating noodles on a paper plate in an alleyway from a place that I'm not sure has all their proper permits. The difference is striking. That's all."
Miko shrugged. "I'm about to be a neurosurgeon. I'll make enough money for the both of us."
"So long as you're good with that."
"I think I am. Besides, Archer's sweet. And authentic. And he respects me."
"The bar is in Hell. And yet most men still don't clear it," she sighed.
"Most of the troopers clear it."
Bita perked up. "Does he have a brother?"
Miko looked at her unimpressed .
"Right, stupid question. But if he knows anyone single and not a complete dick. Set me up. Please. My mother is becoming unbearable."
"And you think you marrying a trooper would make her more bearable?"
"She says she just wants grand kids. She doesn't care what the species is at this point."
Miko laughed. She was about to ask for more details on Bita's perfect man, certain that she could find a trooper that fit those requirements when something made her pause.
Her heart rate sped up slightly.
Her instincts told her something dangerous was near them.
Something had caught her eye.
At first, she didn't know what exactly had put her body on high alert or what she had seen. Before training with Dormé, she would have brushed it off. Her just overreacting to something.
But after training on how to be a better spy, she had learned that she had noticed something. Her brain, even if she didn't consciously notice it, had picked out a potential threat. It was telling her that something was wrong. She needed to be on high alert. She had to be ready to fight or flee.
And she knew what to do now.
The first thing she needed to do was figure out what threat had set her off. Different threats would require different reactions. React to the threat the wrong way and she could escalate the situation and end up dead.
She slurped her noodles and asked Bita a question on her course load. Her friend played her part beautifully, even if she didn't know she was playing, rambling on and on about her Industrial Relations Major and the different things she was learning in her final year.
While she rambled, Miko slurped her noodles and looked around, subtly shifting her body so that she could survey the busy street in front of them.
This part of town wasn't the most dangerous part of Coruscant, but it was rougher. There were a fair amount of shady characters with their hoods pulled over their heads rushing off to do illegal things. Those people weren't what set her off, though. They were probably dangerous, but just in general. Not to her specifically. She needed to figure out who was standing still. Who may have been watching her. Who was acting out of character for this part of town?
At first, no one stuck out to her.
Then, she saw her.
Ever since working with Wolffe and Dormé, Miko had started paying more attention to the Separatist leaders. She figured she might need to know what they looked like should they ever come to Coruscant. It was a little unnecessary, she'd admit. The chances of a Separatist leader coming to Coruscant were low. And if they did show up, she would likely not be the first to know. But Miko was nothing if not an overachiever. If she was going to be a spy, then she was going to know everything about her enemies. Including what they looked like.
And that diligence was paying off.
There, standing on a corner, staring off into space, was none other than Asajj Ventress.
Miko's heart rate picked up. She quickly clamped down on her fear; not knowing if Ventress could sense her recognition of her. She wasn't sure what powers the Jedi had. They seemed … inconsistent most of the time. And any attempts to get more info from Wolffe were ultimately brushed off as being 'Force osik ' . Which was not helpful in the very least.
But Miko did not want to risk Ventress sensing her.
Right now, it seemed like she was the only one in the area that recognized her. Most people brushed past her without a second thought.
But Miko wasn't going to let this go.
If Ventress was here, then that was bad . Very bad. She had to let Wolffe and Dormé know.
The area of Coruscant they were in now was notorious for illegal immigration. Something about the way the ports and shipping were set up here made it easy to smuggle people in and out of Coruscant. So Ventress being here wasn't necessarily shocking. But Ventress being here on Coruscant in general was. She wasn't here for anything good. That much, Miko knew.
But what should she do?
She was not going to fight her. And she wasn't entirely sure she could seduce her either. Even if she did, what would her plan be? Bung a rock at her and knock her out? Oh yeah, that was how one would take out a Sith assassin.
And, could she even be sure that this was Asajj Ventress? Miko tried to do her best to tell the difference between individuals of a species, but sometimes it was hard. And photos could warp a person's face anyway. It was entirely possible that the Dathomirian woman she was staring at wasn't Ventress. But if it was , then Ventress would be here to kill someone. Or hurt someone.
Okay, she had to take a step back and think of the situation logically.
Logically, she wasn't going to fight this woman. She couldn't. And she wasn't going to seduce her either. She also needed to figure out if it was Ventress that she was looking at.
A plan formed in her head.
"I need to get going. I have to get up early tomorrow for a lab," she said. "Thanks for hanging out."
She didn't want to leave Bita here , but she was good at reading people's body language. It was necessary for her job (all of them at this point). Ventress did not look like she was about to start swinging a lightsaber.
She looked … almost sad. Resigned. Morose. Her eyes had the haunted look of someone who was resigned to their fate, and it wasn't a good one.
What a strange sight. She always thought Ventress would be glaring at everything. Maybe this was her twin sister.
Miko had to focus. She had a job to do.
Wolffe and Dormé could use their resources and facial recognition software to determine if it was Ventress . Which meant that Miko had to snap the best photo she could.
"Alright, get home safe. I should go as well. I have that econ paper I have to finish. I can't wait to graduate," Bita groaned.
Miko felt relief wash over her. Even if Ventress wasn't going to be killing civilians, at least Bita wouldn't be around her for much longer.
Miko waved her friend goodbye and then pulled out her MiniPad. A part of her job as an escort required her to be very good at taking pictures. Particularly candid photos. Everything in focus that she wanted to be in focus. The right things highlighted. The light perfectly shining on her cheekbones and eyes. A sexy expression on her face that hinted at what she was like in the bedroom.
There was an art to taking photos. An art Miko had perfected.
She strutted past Ventress. Head tilted to the side. Her eyes slightly hooded. Mouth slightly opened.
Just as Ventress was about to fall out of the frame of the camera , she snapped the picture, tossing her lek back as she did so. Controlling it just enough so that it was pointing to Ventress. All to give the appearance that she was taking a selfie and not a covert photo of a potentially deadly assassin.
And then Ventress slipped from the frame and Miko turned the corner. She continued walking, texting on the MiniPad and trying to look as casual as possible.
She strained her hearing. Trying to see if Ventress was following her or not.
She didn't relax fully the entire way to her apartment. And only once she was inside did she send the photo to Dormé and Wolffe.
*****
Miko: Single life is treating me well.
Miko has attached a photo
Dormé: Is that who I think it is?
Miko: I don't know. You tell me.
Dormé: Wolffe's not answering his comms. I'm headed to the Temple .
Miko: How do you know he's at the temple ?
Dormé: I put a tracker on him.
Miko: Oh.
Miko: That's a little ….
Miko: Stalkerish
Dormé: He knows about the tracker.
Miko: Kinky
Miko: Think the Jedi will believe you?
Dormé: I'm not going to give them a choice. And I'm not giving you a choice either?
Miko: ?
Dormé: You're going to go to the Port and get the first shuttle off Coruscant to Naboo. Talk to Harlee Nosti. She's a Pantoran that works at the ticket counter. She'll get you a ticket. I'll let you know who you'll meet once you get to Naboo.
Miko: I'm sorry, what?
Dormé: You just discovered a separatist assassin on Coruscant and took a picture of her. Get off the planet. Now.
Miko: I have an interview tomorrow for an internship. I can't go to Naboo!
Dormé: You took this job knowing it would be dangerous. Knowing you'd have to make sacrifices. You can't become a doctor if you're dead. Get off the planet so I can focus on Wolffe and the Jedi without having to worry about you.
Miko: Fine. Alright. I had a friend with me. Should I take her?
Dormé: Yes.
Miko: I'm going to have to tell her what's going on.
Dormé: I'll handle it. But if you can handle it if she dies, then you can leave her.
Miko: No, I'll get her.
Dormé: Good. Leave.
Miko: Okay. Harlee Nosti. Pantoran. Talk to her. Get to Naboo. You'll tell me who to meet up with later . Got it.
Dormé: I sent you an official letter. She shouldn't ask questions. It'll be accepted at immigration.
Miko: Thanks, Dormé
Dormé: Quit wasting time. You have to go.
*****
"Come on. You got to want to do something for your birthday," Hardcase said as Ahsoka lay on her stomach on his bed. She was playing some game on the datapad that seemed to involve planting tubers and collecting things for other villagers. Rex didn't get the appeal.
Cody wasn't allowed to play it.
He was too efficient and broke the game.
"Too many people want to do something for my birthday," Ahsoka said. "I'm not sure I have the time. I do want to sleep on this leave, you know?"
" I know, I know," Hardcase said. He flopped down on her.
"Hardcase! You're squishing me!"
"Hmm, this bed is very lumpy. We should get new ones, captain."
"Hardcase is killing me with his body odor! I'm going to die! Rex, save me."
Rex rolled his eyes. "Hardcase quit killing Ahsoka with your body odor."
"I showered!"
"Last week," Echo snorted.
"Yesterday!"
"Air growing thin! I see the light. Goodbye cruel world. Give my lightsaber … give my lightsaber … to Dice."
Hardcase rolled off of Ahsoka. "Dice? Why Dice?"
"Because I think it'd be really funny if he threatened Fox with a lightsaber," Ahsoka said, sitting up and straightening up her clothes.
"A medic with a lightsaber would be terrifying," Jesse shuddered.
"It's only terrifying when you don't listen to us," Kix replied.
Jesse flipped him off. Kix put him in a headlock. Rex stepped over the two as they grappled to sit down next to Ahsoka.
"Are you sure you don't want to do something for your birthday? It doesn't have to be big. We could watch a movie with the boys from the 212th when they get here."
Ahsoka thought about it for a second. "That might be fun. So long as Cody bakes me a cake."
"Hell yeah! Commander has to bake you a cake," Hardcase said.
"You can ask Cody to bake you a cake when he gets here," Rex said. "But he might be too busy."
"Lame," Ahsoka flopped over onto Hardcase. "We're supposed to be on shore leave. What's he doing that's so important?"
"Stopping the entire GAR from collapsing because we're understaffed, underfunded, and working with a bunch of natborns who never had to deal with a threat bigger than pirates," Echo said, ticking off the issues on his fingers. "That and he likes to take time to restructure his spreadsheets. Makes a whole event out of it."
Everyone shuddered. The thought of making an event out of spreadsheets sounded like hell.
"Let's see, I'm going to breakfast with Master Obi-Wan, Master Plo, Master Vos, Wolffe, Rex, Cody, and Fox at Dex's tomorrow. And then when Anakin gets back from his super-secret council mission, I'm going out to dinner with him and Padmé. Maybe tomorrow for dinner we can do a movie night?"
"I'll put it on the schedule," Echo said.
"Alright! I'll grab the snacks," Hardcase said.
Rex felt bad. Ahsoka knew that the birthday dinner at Dex's was just a cover. Cody and Fox had found something bad . Really bad. Bad enough for Cody to look like shit. Bad enough for him to finally decide to bring the Jedi in on what was happening. They had proof.
Rex didn't get the whole story but apparently, there were files on them. Extensive files detailing everything they did, said, searched on the holonet, ate. Everything. And these were being used to gather data about potential weaknesses that could be exploited . They needed an excuse for several generals and clone commanders to meet at Dex's. And Ahsoka's birthday was just that excuse. General Kenobi had come up with it.
And Rex felt awful. Ahsoka shouldn't be using her birthday as a cover to discuss treason and separatists. She should be actually eating greasy diner food with some of her favorite people in the Galaxy. But she wasn't . Because she wasn't a kid. Not anymore. Not since she stepped off that transport shuttle and declared herself General Skywalker's new padawan. She was a soldier first, a child second. And soldiers didn't celebrate birthdays. They used them as excuses to pass off information.
He hoped that whatever Cody and Kenobi's plans were, next year Ahsoka would be able to celebrate her birthday properly.
In fact, Rex was calling it now. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure that next year there was no war and Ahsoka could be a kid . Even if it killed him.
She had already sacrificed too much. He was going to put an end to it one way or another.
"What about you guys? We should celebrate your birthdays," she said.
"We get decanted, not born," Echo reminded her.
She rolled her eyes dramatically at him. "Fine. Then we should celebrate your decant day."
"Don't know when we were decanted ," Echo said.
Ahsoka flicked a rock at him. "It's like you don't want to have fun."
"He doesn't," Fives said.
Echo flicked the rock at him.
"Hey! What about Tech?"
"What about him?" Echo asked.
"What if he hacked into the records to see when you were decanted ? The Kaminoans must have that stored away somewhere."
"They probably do," Fives said. "But then we'd be celebrating our decant with thousands of other brothers. Wouldn't make it that special." He shrugged.
"So? I'm not the only one who was born today. You'll get the real experience of a birthday. Sharing it with a bunch of strangers!"
"Huh. Never thought of it that way." Fives looked at Echo. "Wouldn't it be cool if I shared my decant day with Commander Cody?"
"The Commander would kill you before he let that happen," Echo deadpanned.
"Oh, but I could even do an episode on it," Ahsoka said. "Like discussing how you guys would like to celebrate your decant day."
"Think people would be interested in that?" Jesse asked.
"People sat through your piece of shit episodes. They'd sit through anything," Fives said.
Jesse stopped trying to bite Kix and tackled Fives to the ground.
Sometimes Rex wondered how in the hell he managed to put together such a childish crew.
"It's important so you guys seem human and not like droids." Ahsoka pulled her legs up as Jesse and Fives rolled beneath her. Fives started biting Jesse. It was a mess. "And I think it'd be fun regardless so you guys can start thinking about how you'd like to celebrate. Togrutas mark the major ones with a hunt. My next birthday hunt will be when all my adult fangs come in. I'm so excited."
"You mean you don't have all your adult teeth yet?" Hardcase asked.
Ahsoka grinned at him, showing off her sharp incisors. "Of course not. They get much sharper."
Hardcase shuddered.
"Do you know when the General's coming back?" Echo asked.
"Nope. Super-secret mission. Remember? I know nothing. I guess it came up last minute. I feel like, now that I'm fifteen, I should get to go on these super-secret missions. I'm fifteen! I'm not a kid anymore."
"I'm eleven but I'm tall for my age," Rex said.
Ahsoka giggled.
" Well if he's not coming back tonight, maybe we should celebrate with the troopers tonight," Tup said.
"Movie night is tomorrow."
"Yeah, but that's with the 212th. We should do something with just Torrent."
"That's not a bad idea," Hardcase said. "Where should we go?"
"How about—"
"Not 79s," Rex cut in as he knew what she was about to ask for.
Ahsoka pouted. "You're no fun."
"Rules are rules, kid."
She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Well, I am going to have to miss out if you go someplace," Jesse said, finally releasing Fives from his headlock."
"Got another date?" Kix asked.
Jesse turned a bright shade of red and refused to meet his eyes. "None of your business."
"So the boyfriend is fake," Fives teased.
"He's not!"
"I'll believe it when I see it."
Just because you can't figure out how to talk to someone who's not a brother, doesn't mean I suffer from the same problem."
"Oh, I can talk to non-brothers. In fact, I talked a lot with your mother last night."
"Don't have a mother, Fives," Echo muttered.
"It's a joke!" he and Jesse shouted at the same time.
"If you got a date, why are you going in your armor?" Hardcase asked, wrinkling his nose at Jesse's kit.
"Because Jesse's fling has a thing for men in armor," Fives cackled. He didn't cackle for long as Jesse proceeded to jump on him and shove his face into the pillows by Ahsoka. Ahsoka shrieked with joy and jumped into Hardcase's arms to get out of the line of fire.
"I've got volunteer duty with the Corries tonight," Jesse said, looking to Hardcase as Fives continued to flail in his pathetic attempts to dislodge him. Jesse seemed unbothered. "I don't have time for a full-on date so we're meeting up for a quick bite before I head over to the Senate Building to do whatever the Corries do late at night when most of the senators are home sleeping."
"Well, have fun," Ahsoka said brightly.
Rex smiled softly. He could tell just how happy she was that even after all these months, the volunteer program she, Offee, and Gree set up was still in place and just as popular as ever. The baby Jedi were never a question. Stone loved them too much to ever go more than a few days without seeing them. Though Rex still wasn't clear what work they did. They seemed to play more than they worked. But it wasn't his time so he couldn't comment.
The padawans and troopers were another issue. Rex wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to spend what little leave they had relaxing instead of helping the Corries out. But he couldn't say he wasn't surprised when they did help out.
Both the Jedi and Troopers had a much bigger emphasis on communal culture than most of the rest of the galaxy. He couldn't exactly speak for the Jedi, but he knew that they put a heavy emphasis on helping each other out and providing support whenever needed and it could be given .
He could, however, speak for the troopers. There was this idea amongst the vode that if they helped each other out , that would make everything better for everyone. So, Jesse wasn't just volunteering for fun or to build up different skills. He was doing so with the understanding that most of the people on Coruscant, particularly the policymakers, regularly came into contact with the Corries and not the rest of the GAR. So, if they wanted to seem more sympathetic to some of the most powerful people in the Galaxy, having a well-rested, well-oiled machine would make it easier to argue in support. A tired, overworked mess would merely show that taxpayer dollars were being wasted on the troopers. There were other benefits, of course. But in general, Jesse volunteered, they all volunteered, because they understood that helping one trooper would help every trooper.
"Have fun on your date and volunteering," Ahsoka chirped.
Fives finally managed to poke his head up. He didn't use this opportunity to take a deep breath and reflect on his choices , though . Instead, he used this opportunity to antagonize Jesse further.
"Yeah, when do we get to meet him? I want to make sure he's fully aware of how subpar you are for a clone. He's seen your face , right? He knows about the dumb tattoo?"
Jesse shoved his head back into the pillows. "Keep talking like that and I'll kill you before you can meet him and then no one gets to meet him."
"Ah, but I wanted to meet him." Ahsoka pouted slightly.
Jesse smiled at her. "Of course, you can meet him. You and Tup. Maybe Wooley. I don't trust anyone else in this room and the Commander would scare him off."
Fives shoved his head back up. "Rude."
"Valid," Echo said, scrolling nonchalantly on his datapad.
"I'd get going if I were you," Rex said, deciding to save Fives . Mostly because it would be a pain to train another ARC. "You don't want to be late for the Corries. Fox will kill you."
Jesse sighed and finally let Fives up for good. "Don't know why they're so strict about it. I'm volunteering! They should be thankful I show up at all," he grumbled.
"Try not to scare him off. He's the only person in the galaxy who'll put up with you," Fives shouted.
"Fuck you!" Jesse flipped him off and disappeared before Fives could argue anymore.
They went back to chatting, throwing out different things they could do though most of it was shot down in favor of just sitting around like they already were.
As much as Rex hated to admit it, he was kind of glad they weren't doing anything big for Ahsoka's birthday. He was exhausted and the thought of trying to corral the usual suspects into behaving while out on the town (even if no alcohol was involved) was making his exhaustion even worse. And this was on top of the anticipatory exhaustion he was having towards whatever osik Cody was going to be throwing his way tomorrow morning. So, yeah, a nice low-key night in with some of Ahoska's closest vode was good enough for Rex.
Ahsoka's datapad pinged.
"Kid, you got a message," Echo said, tossing it to her.
"Thanks!" She caught it with ease and scrolled to the message. She bit her lip. Her brow furrowed.
Something set Rex's senses off. "What is it? Something the matter?"
Something was wrong. What was wrong?
"Padmé wants to meet with me tonight."
"Tonight? You're going out with them when Skywalker gets back." There was a niggling in the back of Rex's mind. Something was wrong. But he couldn't put his finger on it.
"No, not for my birthday." Ahsoka slipped off her bunk to grab her lightsaber and boots. "The Food Donation Bill. She wants something specific for the padawans. She feels like we keep getting pushed aside." She handed him the datapad.
Rex read through Amidala's message, his brow furrowed even further.
Hey Soka! I was just wondering if you had time to stop by my office tonight to discuss the food donation bill and perhaps another amendment. Since the others have been so successful. I feel like the padawans keep getting lost in the conversation with all this clone talk. I'm so happy the clones are getting what they rightfully deserve and a few extras. But we shouldn't forget about the brave padawans. How about we meet at my office at 1030? I'll let the guards know so they can let you up. Security gets tight after hours.
It was signed with her official Senate seal.
"And you're going to go?" Rex asked, handing her the datapad back.
There was something off about the message. Something weird. Was it how it was written ? Was it the fact that Amidala called Ahsoka 'Soka'? He couldn't recall her ever using that nickname. Wolffe did all the time. As did Koon. Rex did when he was feeling particularly sentimental and he had heard versions of Sok'ika, particularly from Hardcase. But Amidala usually called Ahsoka 'Ahsoka'. Unless she called her something different in private? That was a possibility. After all, Rex still referred to Ahsoka as 'Commander' when around other natborns or on the battlefield. And it wasn't like he ever clocked exactly what Amidala called her. It was entirely possible that she called Ahsoka 'Soka' before and he just never realized it. Or it could be a new thing now that they had gotten closer.
"Why wouldn't I?" Ahsoka asked. "She's right. The padawans are being neglected . I can handle myself, but Barriss has been having a lot of nightmares recently and I wonder if it's just too much on her. And poor Cal and Caleb struggle a lot. Not to mention all the initiates who are worried about becoming padawans and needing to be commanders. I'm fine. But I worry about the others."
Rex wasn't sure if he'd describe Ahsoka as 'fine '. She was good at compartmentalizing and understood how to get back on her feet, if only so that she could survive. But one day the house of cards would fall. Ahsoka would be pushed too far. And then she'd crumble. He could only hope that she crumbled when she was safe and not on the battlefield. So, while he agreed with the sentiment that Padawans needed more support, he didn't know if now was the best time to talk about it. There was still something off about it.
"I'm not sure the Food Donation Bill is the right move," Ahsoka continued. "But maybe we can get Master Obi-Wan on the line and discuss a better option."
Rex grabbed his bucket and his blasters. "I'm going with you."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Rex, it's the Senate. I'll be fine. It's not even that late!"
"I know. I jus t… I have a bad feeling about this."
Ahsoka closed her eyes and was silent for a minute. Then, she shook her head. "The Force feels fine."
"And my gut says it's not," Rex argued back. He was keenly aware that the rest of the men had stopped talking and were now watching the argument unfold.
"The Force is more accurate than your gut," Ahsoka snapped back.
Rex physically recoiled. They hadn't had an argument since the one in Wolffe's bunk after the fight club incident. They had gotten snippy with one another on occasion . As was likely to happen due to stress and trauma. But Ahsoka hadn't snapped at him in a long time.
Echo cleared his throat.
Ahsoka whipped towards him. Glaring at him.
Echo did not wither under her glare and merely tapped the side of his head. Where there was a faint scar . Hair would likely never grow back there.
Ahsoka sighed dramatically. "Fine, Rex. You can come with me since you think I can't handle myself. But it's going to be really boring."
"Trust me, I've had my fair share of boring assignments," he said, glad for Echo's quick thinking. "And don't put words in my mouth. I know you're capable. But having backup is always a good thing. There's a reason we send out scouts in pairs."
He still wasn't sure what caused Ahsoka to snap like that. She was usually able to control herself better. Or else he could tell she was about to blow up because her waspish remarks and temper were getting more and more obvious . But that wasn't what happened here.
Instead, she had seemed happy up until she got the message. She actually seemed happy for the past few weeks. There was nothing to indicate a blow-up was imminent.
Maybe it was a teenager thing.
Or maybe she was annoyed that Amidala chose her birthday to talk about this when Ahsoka had already settled on spending the evening with the vode .
Maybe he should feel happy that she felt safe enough to argue with him. Rex certainly never had that. He had made the inside of his cheek bleed from how many times he had bitten it trying not to snap at an instructor.
"Come on, Rex. Let's not keep the Senator waiting," Ahsoka called, still a bit too harsh for his liking.
"Good luck, mate," Kix said as Rex followed her out the door.
"I'm sure it's nothing," he said.
But, even as he followed Ahsoka out the door and got into the speeder (She still wasn't allowed to drive. No matter what Skywalker said. Especially because Skywalker was the one teaching her to drive), the bad feeling in his gut did not dissipate. He hoped once they got to the Senate building and met with the Senator , everything would sort itself out .
*****
It took about twenty minutes to get to the Senate building. And it was the longest twenty minutes of Rex's life. The entire time Ahsoka just got more and more agitated.
He could tell she was trying to keep a lid on her temper, but they were quickly approaching an explosion. Rex was stuck trying to decide if it would be better to let it be or try and release at least a little pressure.
He decided on the latter. The last thing he needed was for Ahsoka to explode around Senator Amidala, who was just trying to help them. He didn't doubt she'd understand. But that still didn't mean that he wanted one of their only consistent allies to get yelled at by a pissed-off teenager. Besides, the sudden mood swings still bothered him. There had been no indication that Ahsoka was annoyed prior to receiving the message. And there was no clear reason for her sudden agitation. That coupled with the fact that Rex's gut still told him something was wrong set his teeth on edge. Maybe if he could get Ahsoka to talk, he could figure out what was wrong.
"What is with you, kid? You're acting like a rancor with a toothache."
"Nothing," Ahsoka snapped. "I'm just angry because everyone keeps treating me like a little kid one minute and then the next minute expecting me to lead troopers like an adult."
Ah. That was valid.
"Is this about the general's secret mission?"
She didn't respond.
"Look, that's got nothing to do with you being a kid or not. A secret mission is a secret mission. Kenobi gets them all the time."
"Last time someone I cared about went on a secret mission, they almost died." She hissed.
Ah.
That was also valid.
And Rex couldn't exactly reassure her that it wouldn't happen to Skywalker. After all, if Palpatine was targeting her and his other plans failed, he might just turn to her master.
"The general's too stubborn to die. He'll figure a way out of it."
"I still hate that everyone treats me like a little kid. You won't even let me go to the Senate building alone but when we ship out in a few days, you'll be deferring to me to make choices on the battlefield. So which is it, Rex? Am I too weak to go to the Senate building by myself or am I skilled enough to lead troops into battle where they'll die?"
Shit, he was once again losing control of the situation. Was it too late to call Wolffe?
He didn't want to make the situation worse. He also didn't know how to make it better. But he was willing to try. He had to try. He understood her frustrations. Maybe not exactly but he did know where she was coming from.
He tried a different approach. "I'm sorry. I know it's frustrating to be a commander in charge of people's lives one minute and then not even be allowed to walk back to the Temple alone the next."
Ahsoka looked at him. For a second, he was worried she'd snap at him again. Instead, her shoulders slumped and she started playing with the hem of the shirt Wolffe got for her.
Rex took this as a good sign and pressed forward. "It's… it's hard . The balance. For me at least it's hard trying to find a good balance for you. If it were up to me, you wouldn't be on the front lines at all . Not because you can't handle it—" he rushed to say before she started arguing. "But because you deserve to be a kid. I mean, what was General Skywalker getting up to when he was your age? Probably not fighting a war."
According to General Kenobi, he was entering into illegal pod races on the lower levels.
Ahsoka's shoulders slumped some more.
"It's hard. I'm sorry that I can be overprotective sometimes. It's like … fuck!" He struggled to find the words. "You're capable. You can face any threat that comes your way. But you shouldn't have to. So when we're safe on Coruscant, I don't want you to fight because I know you don't have that luxury when we're on a campaign. It's not that you're not strong. It's that you deserve to let others protect you when we can. Understand?"
Please say yes. He wasn't sure he even managed to make his point. It felt more like a rambling mess than an actual discussion of his feelings.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I understand. I'm sorry, Rex. I don't know what's going on with me. I just feel angry for some reason. Like everything annoys me even if I logically know it shouldn't."
"I know the feeling." He sighed. "It's just one of those days."
"More like one of those months."
He laughed. "Maybe we're all just tired and a bit stressed about Dex's tomorrow. But hey, soon it'll be Kenobi and Koon's problem and then we can kick back and let them deal with this mess."
"You think they're going to?"
"I'm not going to give them a choice. I'm tired, kid. I want to sleep for once."
"Yeah. Maybe you'll get to." She returned to silence. She still seemed a little pissed off, but less so.
Rex counted that as a win and hoped that seeing Amidala would help get her out of this funk. Maybe helping the padawans would make her feel less useless. Less like she was a little kid getting unfairly shielded from the world. She liked to help people. Maybe a bit too much, though that wasn't an Ahsoka problem and seemed to be a general issue with the Jedi as a whole . So, if the pattern held true, then helping Amidala help the padawans would help her feel better.
At least, he hoped that was the case.
This could just make everything worse.
"Those aren't Corries," Ahsoka said. She narrowed her eyes and leaned over to get a better look at the two guards in front of the Senate Building's main entrance.
Rex's senses immediately went on high alert.
Prior to the Corries, there was a private security force that kept the Senators safe in the Senate building. These were in addition to any personal guards for Senators usually supplied by their home planets and militaries.
After the Corries, most of the guards had been let go.
Abruptly.
There had been a big outcry about it. And, now that Rex thought about it, that was the first bit of anti-clone sentiment he had heard about. The Corries were actively taking the jobs of people who had made careers out of being guards at the Senate building. They may take your job next. So they had to be stopped and kicked off the planet.
The protests grew so violent that Palpatine had been forced (or was this planned all along) to allow a set number of guards to continue working there.
It barely quelled the outcry or did anything to mitigate fears that the clones were going to start stealing jobs from the working-class citizens of Coruscant . Even when droids were already stealing most of those jobs.
Needless to say, the natborn guards and the Corries did not get along well. It was a major headache for Fox and now Thorn to deal with and any attempts to help mend bridges between the two groups was met with severe resistance from the Union. Not that Rex blamed them. He'd be pretty pissed if a bunch of people came in and stole his job out from underneath him without warning.
Still, he would need to be prepared for some name-calling. Possibly a fight depending on just how angry these two guards were. He could only hope that Ahsoka's presence might dissuade them from actually fighting and instead just throwing a few insults here or there. Though, with her current temperament, that probably wasn't a good idea either.
She was getting bitey lately and the last thing he needed was to file a report with the Jedi about how he allowed his commander to bite one of the nat-born senate guards.
Ahsoka hopped out of the speeder and went up to them. Rex followed behind her. Eyes never leaving the two as he assessed them for a threat.
They weren't well trained. He could win a fight even without Ahsoka. But he didn't want it to come to that. He couldn't allow it to come to that. A clone fighting with the nat-born guards would cause outrage amongst the citizens and all the good work Ahsoka, Amidala, and Fox had done to improve clone-nat-born relations would be wiped out . No matter what happened, he had to make sure neither he nor Ahsoka fought with these guys. He wouldn't even let her call them names.
"State your business," one said.
The other one was staring at Rex.
No, not staring.
Glaring.
Like he wanted to punch him. A subtle clench of his right hand (So he was right-handed. Good to know) and a flex of his jaw. He was looking for a fight . A fight specifically against Rex.
Ahsoka didn't seem to notice.
"Senator Amidala has requested my presence. We have a meeting at 1030." She handed him her datapad with the information.
The guard talking to Ahsoka turned to message Amidala, typing out on his datapad to confirm the information.
Rex forced himself to pull his eyes away from the guard glaring at him.
"You know my brother got fired because of you people," he hissed.
"I'm sorry, sir. But I am not in charge of policy. We go where we're told to go." He kept his voice monotone and his shoulders relaxed. Arm's at his side and palms open so he wouldn't appear as a threat . Even as his fingers twitched for his blasters.
"Of course you do," the guard scoffed. "Not even a real person in there, are you? Just a droid. Following orders. No matter who it hurts."
"Heldoff," his companion snapped. "Knock it off."
Heldoff rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else. Rex's heart hammered in his throat. It wouldn't come to a fight. Not with Ahsoka around. And his partner seemed to be at least a little more in control of himself. That was good. Things wouldn't escalate.
"Okay, you can go in. You know the floor?" the guard said, motioning Ahsoka to the doors.
"Yes. I've been to the Senator's office enough. I can find it."
He handed her a key card. "This will—"
"Only allow me to access the floor Senator Amidala is on and the lobby. I told you, I've been here before," she snapped.
The guard huffed and glared at her as she snatched the key card from his hand and walked towards the door.
Rex went to follow her, only to have a hand slammed on the front of his chest.
"What?"
"She's allowed. You are not," Heldoff said. Smirking at the fact that he could continue to harass Rex.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, clone. You're not allowed in." He sneered.
Alright, Rex was willing to put up with some name-calling. But he was not going to sit by and let Ahsoka go in there alone when he still had no idea what was setting him off.
"Listen here—"
"Rex," Ahsoka hissed. "I'll be fine. Jesse will be by in like ten minutes anyway. He can come up with me since you seem to think the Senator is going to kill me."
"I don't think she's going to kill you."
"Then I'll be fine. The Senate building is like the safest building in all of Coruscant."
Except for the fact that Bane had already bombed it once and there were a bunch of chipped Corries wandering around that could be blacked out at any time not to mention a horde of angry nat-born guards who weren't happy that their friends and family were fired to make room for the cheaper (and arguably better) option.
"Ahsoka—"
"It's ten minutes. Force what is with you tonight? I can blow up a droid factory but I can't ride an elevator by myself ?"
A lot could happen in ten minutes. Too much could happen in ten minutes.
"If you don't step back, I'll be forced to use force," Heldoff said. He was grinning. He wanted Rex to disobey. He wanted to have to hurt him.
Rex couldn't have that. He couldn't risk that. Not when they were so close to their goals.
"Don't get in trouble," he said to Ahsoka. He took a step back before the situation could escalate anymore.
"It's Padmé, Rex. Trouble will come whether I want it to or not."
"That doesn't make me feel better."
"I'll be fine." She disappeared through the doors before Rex could reply.
He sighed and crossed his arms.
"No loitering," Heldoff snarled.
"Seriously?"
"You could be a terrorist. Would hate to have to arrest you."
Rex looked to the other guard, hoping for some sympathy. It looked like his sympathy started and ended with him telling Heldoff not to antagonize him. He wasn't going to get any help from him.
"Fine. I won't loiter." He went back to the speeder and pulled it around the corner, just out of sight of the guards. He shot Jesse a message and told him what happened.
Jesse confirmed that he'd be by soon and he'd ask if it would be alright for him to go up to where Ahsoka and Amidala were just to keep an eye on things.
After that was sorted out , Rex kicked his feet up on the dash and waited.
One second ticked by.
Then two.
Then three.
Then four.
"Dammit," he cursed and took his feet off the dash.
He felt restless. Really restless. It was like every hair on his body was standing on edge. He wanted to fight. He needed to fight. He was in the middle of a battle and if he didn't fight, he would die. Only, he couldn't figure out where the battle was or who he was supposed to be fighting.
It certainly wasn't from that one nat born. He was hardly a challenge. Rex had gotten called worse walking home from 79s. Sure, it wasn't fun to have that happen, especially not in front of Ahsoka. But that wasn't the reason for his restlessness.
So what was it?
What was setting his teeth so on edge?
Why did his body scream at him that it was time to fight?
"Fuck this," he grumbled and called up Thorn on his unregistered datapad.
"Captain?" Thorn said, picking up immediately.
"Commander, can you bring up the cameras in Senator Amidala's office and send me them?"
Thorn grunted and started typing something. "Yeah. Why?"
"Because Ahsoka's got a meeting with her and… something's not sitting right with me. Something weird's going on. The guards won't let me in either."
"Corries?" he asked. Blacked out? Was left unsaid.
"Nat borns. One of them was named Heldoff."
"Shit, Heldoff is a dick. Sorry about that."
"It's fine. I asked if Jesse could go up with her when he gets there, but until then I want some sort of eyes on them. Just in case another bounty hunter decides to take a shot. We both know Ahsoka and Amidala are like magnets for them."
"That they are. Huh." Thorn's brow furrowed. "You're there now?"
"Yeah?"
"The meeting is tonight?"
"Yes, sir. It was a last-minute thing. Something about wanting to amend the food donation bill for the padawans . We just got here. The meeting is for 1030."
"Pamdé Amidala is the one who sent you the request? Not Chuchi, Mothma, or Organa?"
Rex's heart sped up. He was right. Something was wrong. "No. It was definitely Amidala. It had her official Senate seal. Commander, what's going on?" What did he just send Ahsoka into alone?
"Padmé Amidala and General Anakin Skywalker were sent on a mission. The details aren't listed as it was deemed top secret, but I do know they won't be back until tomorrow."
Rex's heart stopped.
Skywalker's top-secret, sudden mission.
That's who he was with.
That's why he wasn't here.
"Shit, Rex, I can't get the cameras to work. They're all blacked out. Static. Something weird is going on." Thorn typed frantically at something. "Fuck! None of the Corries on duty are answering either. I think they're blacked out ."
Rex didn't hear him, though.
Because at that moment he realized what was off about the message. What set his senses on high alert.
Padmé Amidala would never refer to the troopers as 'clones '. She was one of the only nat-borns who , from the beginning, referred to them as troopers or clone troopers.
The letter was forged .
It was all a trap to get Ahsoka in the Senate building alone.
And who had the power to forge a legitimate Senate seal?
Palpatine.
She was alone with Palpatine.
"I got to help her," he gasped.
"I'll let Fox know what's going on and get you back up." Thorn hung up.
Rex didn't wait.
He couldn't wait.
He allowed his body to do what it wanted to do since he read that message. He allowed it to fight.
He lunged back towards the front door; only barely thinking straight enough to flick his blasters to stun before rounding the corner.
"What the—"
He stunned both of the guards before they even had a chance to register who he was or that he was about to attack.
He grabbed Heldoff's key card and sprinted towards the elevators. Thankfully, no other brothers were out. He didn't have to fight anyone else.
With shaking hands, he input the codes to Amidala's floor and prayed that Ahsoka was okay.
That he wasn't too late.
That he would make good on his promise and allow her to have a proper birthday next year.
*****
Ahsoka slumped against the elevator wall on the silent ride up.
She didn't know why she had been so snippy with Rex earlier. She was feeling fine. Better than fine , actually. Sure, she was a little nervous about the meeting with Master Obi-Wan and the others tomorrow. But, hey, Cody was going to be doing most of the talking and everyone liked Cody. Everyone trusted Cody. Besides, at this point, having Master Obi-Wan, Master Plo, and Master Vos would be a blessing. If they knew what was going on , they could make it all better .
Unles s…
Unless they couldn't.
There was something burrowing in her mind.
Doubt, that had only been a little worm wiggling at the back of her head on nights when she was alone in her room. The echoes of her failures becoming so loud they were all she could hear.
It was starting to creep up again.
Louder and louder and louder.
That's the reason she had snapped at Rex.
Because all she could hear was her failures.
She pressed her hands to the sides of her head; desperate to drown out the voices of everyone who had died under her command.
"Make it stop," she whimpered.
It got louder.
All the pain and suffering she had gone through and had put others through.
The squad she had lost over Ryloth because of her reckless decisions. She could still hear the troopers whispering when they thought she couldn't hear them . Asking if she was fit to lead.
"I am."
Then why did they die?
Master Plo and Wolffe's original battalion. Wiped out by a super weapon and left to die.
"I saved them though ."
Only three troopers and Koon. Or do the others not matter because you didn't know they're names? Are they not real to you because you didn't see their faces?
She and Barriss, stuck in a tank under a collapsed droid factory slowly suffocating to death.
"We're not there anymore."
Maybe they should have left you behind. Skywalker never wanted a padawan anyway and look at what your decisions have led to. How many have died because of your calls? Because you weren't fast enough to save them? Because you thought you knew better than everyone else?
Rex, getting shot on Saleucami and almost dying.
"I wasn't even there," She whimpered.
And why was that? What was so important that you couldn't be there to save him? What was so important that it was worth him almost dying?
When Bane shot her and almost killed her.
She gasped and pressed a hand to her chest. It felt like she had been shot again. Right in the same spot. Pain radiated out until it was all she could feel.
And now that she could feel it, the voices of the dead screamed in her ears. Blaming her for their deaths. Their destruction. The war that she had not ended. The war she was complacent in starting and continuing.
Louder.
Louder.
Louder.
LOUDER.
"Stop!" She screamed.
The elevator dinged and came to a stop. The doors slip open.
She nearly collapsed onto the ground, only just barely managing to hold herself up in the dim light.
It felt empty up here. It was pretty late so it made sense that most people would be going home. And she knew Padmé often urged her advisors, interns, and assistants to go home at a reasonable hour . Even when she would stay up for hours trying to get through the never-ending workload and pressures of trying to make the Galaxy a better place.
Normally , Ahsoka would be grateful no one was here to witness her breakdown. She tried to keep them contained in her rooms, where not even Rex could see how weak she truly was.
But now, now she wanted someone to be there for her. Anyone. Padmé's secretary who would bring her tea and cookies. Or that one intern who gave Ahsoka her copies of books she liked. Someone to help tether her to the ground and tell her the voices weren't real. She wasn't hearing anything.
We are real.
She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She wished Rex were here. She wished she had pushed back against the stupid guard and called him names for being so mean to him. She wished she had called Padmé and demanded that Rex come up. After all, Padmé probably didn't know Ahsoka was bringing him.
Wish all you like. You still have blood on your hands.
"I'm going to ask her if he can come up. He's probably still waiting."
The silence was so thick it swallowed her voice. The words got lost as soon as they came out of her mouth.
What if Rex didn't want to come up, though?
What if her attitude and behavior from earlier made him so mad, that he wanted nothing to do with her ever again?
What if her list of sins was so long, that this was the straw that broke the Bantha's back and he decided to walk away for good?
She put one foot in front of the other. It was a struggle to lift it even a centimeter off the ground. She had to look down to make sure she wasn't wading through molasses.
She wasn't.
Her feet just didn't want to move.
She forced the left one up and in front of the right.
No. No, Rex loved her. He wouldn't let a silly little argument get between them.
But it was more than just a silly little argument. She didn't stand up for him when the guard was being mean. She didn't demand he come up with her. She snapped at him and argued with him.
Right foot.
Left foot.
And it wasn't just today. She had yelled at him when all he wanted to do was protect her after she got shot.
Right foot.
Left foot.
She had made calls that led his brothers to get hurt.
Left foot.
Right foot.
That caused his brothers to die.
Left foot.
Right foot.
She had caused so much suffering. She hadn't stopped this war. She hadn't done anything to help the troopers. Even now, she was just hoping that Master Obi-Wan and Master Plo would magically make everything better.
Did Rex even want them to help?
Did he even trust them to help?
He didn't want her involved. He had gone out of his way to make sure she wasn't involved but she did so anyway. What if she ruined everything? What if by not doing what she was told she caused everything to fall apart?
She gasped for air. The molasses was getting thicker. Moving up her body until it crushed her chest and she was unable to breathe.
She was close to Padmé's office. So close and then she could call Rex and beg for his forgiveness.
Should she even go in there? Did she even deserve to go in there?
Maybe she shouldn't even go to Padmé. Maybe she should run right back down to Rex and hug him and say sorry for all the horrible things she had done.
She was crying now.
All of her failures and inadequacies were on full display. The screaming voices were back. She couldn't escape them.
She didn't deserve to escape them.
Everything she had done was self-serving to a horrible degree. She had done nothing to make the Galaxy a better place. In fact, she had actively made it worse by participating in this war. She didn't deserve to live.
She was a horrible person.
A horrible Jedi.
She wasn't a peacekeeper.
She was a warmonger who gained power off the backs of others. Off the backs of the innocent. Off the backs of slaves. And she honestly thought that they liked her. That they wanted to be around her.
She fell into Padmé's office and onto her knees.
"Padmé?" she called, looking up at the dark room around her.
"Rex?" her voice cracked. "Master Plo? Wolffe?" Her hands clenched into fists, pulling out the fibers of the carpet as she did so. "Master? Cody? Someone? I'm sorry," she sobbed.
Was that enough? Would they believe her?
Would they forgive her?
Did she even deserve their forgiveness?
The voices screamed at her that she did not deserve their forgiveness. She would never deserve their forgiveness.
"I'm sorry." Tears dripped off the tip of her nose and landed on the backs of her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm scared. I'm sorry."
"You are forgiven ," a voice answered.
Ahsoka heard the distinctive hiss of a lightsaber. Saw the light bathe the right side of her face.
She turned to see a man shrouded in darkness . A blood-red lightsaber in each hand. The darkness of his presence had her completely pinned. She couldn't even sense the light he was so dark. Almost like any light that existed was being pulled to him and crushed until it no longer existed.
And the lightsabers.
They were screaming from all the pain and suffering. The kyber crystals shrieked as they recounted every death. Every ounce of pain. Every bit of evil they had committed while in the hands of their master.
"And you will not ruin any more of my plans," he snarled, lunging towards her.
Ahsoka could only watch as the scarlet blades swung towards her head.
Her entire body screamed at her to move. To grab her lightsaber. Her knife. Her boot and lob it at him. Anything!
But she couldn't.
All she could do was sit there and watch as Palpatine (Yes, that's who it was. Palpatine) came closer to her.
This was it.
This was how she was going to die.
And wasn't this what she deserved?
Wouldn't her death make everything better?
At least if she were dead, she would no longer be responsible for the deaths of others. Her master would be free. Rex wouldn't have to deal with her horrible decisions. And maybe someone could actually end the war instead of messing up like she did.
"Ahsoka!" Rex vaulted into the room and wasted no time shooting at Palpatine.
Palpatine snarled and leaped back. He didn't land right, though, and stumbled. Still, Rex didn't manage to hit him as he deflected the bolts with expert ease. One of them went straight to the window, shattering the glass. The wind ripped through the room and made Palpatine look like a black tornado with his swirling robes.
"Impudent clone!" He lunged at Rex once more.
Rex responded by lobbing his helmet at Palpatine. It hit him square in the head and caused both the helmet and one of the lightsabers to fly out of the window. Crashing on the street hundreds of feet below. Palpatine stumbled and smacked against the desk.
Rex did not wait to see his victory , though, and grabbed Ahsoka. He threw her over his shoulder and sprinted out of the room.
"Have to call Cody. Fuck, I have to call Cody," he panted.
Palpatine howled with rage.
They weren't going to make it to the elevator. Rex knew they weren't going to make it to the elevator. Palpatine would not let them.
It was time for Plan B. Or, Plan A rather. Maybe not even Plan A. He was kind of making this up as he went along.
He lunged into the first door he could, hoping Palpatine would suspect they had done to the elevator and chase after them that way. Granted, it was a valid theory. With Rex panicking the way he was, it would make sense that he'd do anything to get out of the building as efficiently as possible. And the elevator was that way.
He dove under the desk and pulled Ahsoka close.
"Alright?" He signed to her. He noticed tears were coming out of her eyes and she was shaking like a leaf.
Ahsoka didn't respond and threw her arms around him. Through the sobs and hiccups, he could make out what sounded like apologies spilling from her lips.
He wasn't quite sure what she was apologizing for . Maybe for not attacking Palpatine. But, to be fair, Rex would probably have hesitated too if he had just discovered that Palpatine was a karking Sith lord. Where that fuck did that come from?
That wasn't any of their crackpot theories!
And here he was thinking Hardcase's "Is Palpatine a Separatist" banthashit statement was the most out-of-left-field theory they were going to have to deal with.
Rex didn't hesitate because Rex was already planning on putting a bolt through his skull the second he saw him , Cody's poisoning plans be damned ! But now that he was sitting here and had time to come to terms with the fact that fucking Sheeve Palpatine was a Sith lord … holy fuck he just chucked his helmet at a Sith lord! How the fuck was he still alive?
No, no. No time for panicking now. A Sith lord was trying to kill him. He was hundreds of stories in the air. And he had no idea how long it would take for Fox to get his ass over here with Vos and give them some help.
Oh, and Fox didn't know about the whole Sith lord thing either. Rex should probably tell him that.
Right. Ahsoka was clearly in no state to fight at the moment. Rex could compartmentalize long enough to get them out of this situation and Ahsoka to safety. He just had to think.
"It's okay, ner ad'ika. Just take a deep breath. I'm getting you out of here." He pulled up the Commander chat he was a part of and fired off a message to Cody . To Wolffe. To Fox. To everyone he could think of. He needed help and he needed it now.
Once that was done , it was time to figure out how to get out of here. The elevators were a no-go. If he were Palpatine, he'd have them all watched. And given that all the Corries in the building were currently blacked out, according to Thorn, he couldn't count on any of them. It would be a bloodbath if Rex tried to use any of the conventional exits.
Bu t…
He saw several speeders zooming past them.
But, if they never made it to the ground, then Palpatine wouldn't have a chance to stop them. It would be risky. He had never jumped with Ahsoka before. There was a possibility he would miscalculate the weight and plummet to their deaths. But that was their only way out. That was their best chance at survival.
"Kid, I need you to listen to me. We're going to jump out that window and onto a speeder. I'm going to need you to use the Force and push us as far away from the building as possible."
Ahsoka sniffed and looked up at him. She didn't answer.
She looked so small. So young. Too young to be dealing with this shit. That was fine. Rex would deal with it for her. He would not let Palpatine win.
"I know you're shaken . But you have to do this. We can't go out the front. And I don't know how long it will take for Cody to get people together to help us out. Can you do it?"
Ahsoka took a deep breath and scrubbed at her eyes. "Yeah. I can do it," she said quietly.
The door slid open.
Rex wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back under the desk, praying that it was just a cleaning droid and not Palpatine.
Ahsoka clasped a shaking hand over her mouth. He held her tighter, mind racing with what he should do.
Should he stay quiet and hope whatever was in the room with them went away ?
Or should he make the first move?
What would Seventeen do?
What would Cody do?
Make the first move.
Palpatine was counting on his fear to paralyze him, as it had with Ahsoka. He was toying with them . Playing a game of cat and mouse.
But Rex made a promise to himself. And he intended to keep that promise. He couldn't do that cowering under the desk.
He pulled out his blasters and moved so that Ahsoka was pressed to the other side of the desk.
She looked at him, large blue eyes practically begging him to not do what he was about to do.
" Stay here," he signed. " When I move, jump out the window. Get help."
She shook her head.
"That is an order, soldier." Because he was not going to let Ahsoka fight Palpatine . He was going to give her every chance of escape possible, even if it killed him. That was his job and he would gladly do it if it meant she had even a small chance of surviving.
He didn't wait to see her reaction.
He crouched, ready to spring up the second he had a good shot.
Something grabbed him by the back and threw him out the window.
"Rex!" Ahsoka shouted. She lunged forward and just barely caught his wrist as he dangled helplessly out the window. One of his blasters had been flung across the room. He was still holding onto the other one for dear life. He went to shoot at Palpatine only to realize he couldn't see him. The room was too dark. He was hiding in the shadows. And if he shot Palpatine, there was a chance he'd ricochet the bolt into Ahsoka, killing them both.
"Isn't this touching," Palpatine snarled.
Fuck, where was he at? It was like his voice was everywhere. Behind him. Above him. Below him. It shouldn't be possible. Why was he everywhere?
What was this man?
Ahsoka struggled to pull him up. Gasping and straining as she yanked on his hand with all her might. But no matter how much she pulled, he didn't budge. In fact, it felt like something was grabbing ahold of his legs and pulling him down.
Oh. The Force. He's using the Force to pin me and stop Ahsoka from pulling me back up. His mind was strangely, calmly detached from the chaos going on around him.
"No! Rex!" Ahsoka begged. "Let him go. Please!"
There was the hiss of a lightsaber.
Rex gasped as it lit up Ahsoka's face. He was behind her.
Right behind her. This whole time. And Rex didn't even see him.
Her back was to him. Did she even know he was there? It didn't matter because he knew that so long as Rex was hanging out the window, Ahsoka wouldn't turn to fight him. She couldn't, not without letting him go.
But she couldn't pull him up either. Her entire body shook as she struggled to fight the Force. And she was losing.
She's not going to win. He realized. Palpatine will use the Force to hold me in place. Which means she won't be able to fight him.
"Ahsoka, you have to let me go," he said.
Palpatine grinned. His face turned into a grotesque monster with yellow eyes and skin that reminded Rex of the folds of a reptile. He was enjoying this. The only reason Ahsoka didn't have a lightsaber through her heart was because he wanted her to suffer. He wanted her to lose hope and faith as she failed to pull Rex to safety .
"No, I'm not going to. I'm not going to lose you." More tears fell from her eyes. Rex felt them on his face. Dripping down his cheeks and falling from his chin.
"Quite attached, aren't we, padawan?" Palpatine crooned. "Going against the Jedi Code? Isn't that right?"
"Fuck off!" Rex turned his attention back to Ahsoka. "You need to fight him. You can't let him win. Let me go. I'll be fine."
"You're lying."
She was right. From this angle, there weren't any speeders he could fall into. It was too close to the Senate building. He'd be going straight down and onto the street.
"Ahsoka," he said in a stern voice. "Let me go."
"That's an order."
"Then arrest me for insubordination!"
Palpatine's smile widened.
He really wished this kid wasn't so stubborn.
"No matter, clone. When I kill her , she'll let go of you all the same."
Rex saw the writing on the wall. He knew that there was only one way this was ever going to end. He refused to let Ahsoka die at his expense. He didn't know if she was strong enough to defeat Palpatine, especially on her own . But like this, she would never win. And she would never get to her next birthday.
He would not let that happen.
"Ahsoka," he said quietly. He was glad he had chucked his bucket at Palpatine earlier. He wanted to see her face without anything between them. No HUD display reading out information. No fuzzy lines that mildly distorted the image. Just her.
He just wanted to see her one last time with his own eyes.
She looked down at him. "No, Rex. I'm not letting go."
"I know you're not, kid." He chuckled and holstered his remaining blaster.
He pulled off his glove with his teeth and spat it out. It floated to the ground; buffeted by the wind of passing speeders.
There were worse ways to die, he supposed. At least he knew for certain that his death would give Ahsoka a fighting chance. He could live with that.
"Ahsoka," he said, once more, pressing his hand to her cheek. He felt the warmth. Bathed in it. "It's not your fault."
"Rex." More tears poured from her eyes. Her hands tightened on his just a fraction.
He knew what he was going to say next . What he had to say next. He had never spoken the words aloud , so they would be clumsy on his tongue. Pidgin Mando'a. A farce. Because that's what he was. A fake Mandalorian cloned from a bitter man who forgot The Way. He didn't even know if Ahsoka knew what they meant. But he was going to say them anyway. A middle finger to Prime and his belief that the clones were cattle. More importantly, a reminder to Ahsoka of everything she meant to him. Because it wasn't the words or the pronunciation that mattered . It was the meaning. It was the promise.
" Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad, Ahsoka."
He pressed his feet into the side of the wall and pushed off with all his might.
His hand ripped from Ahsoka's grasp and he plummeted down to the streets of Coruscant.
The last thing he saw was Ahsoka, desperately reaching out for him. And Palpatine, standing behind her, red lightsaber ready to strike.
He hit something hard.
*****
Rex: Palpatine's a Sith. He's trying to kill Ahsoka. We're pinned at the Senate Building. Send help.
Cody: Rex? What's going on? I need a status report.
Fox: Thorn just told me. Cameras are all down at the Senate building and someone lured Ahsoka there pretending to be Amidala.
Wolffe: Fuck. I'm at the temple with Koon now. I'll debrief him.
Bly: We're debriefing them?
Cody: Yes. Everyone go dark and take over command. We're debriefing them.
Fox: I've got Vos. We're headed to the Senate now.
Notes:Hey, so remember how a few characters have mentioned that Rex is the type of guy to jump out a window and figure out how not to die on the way down. I wonder if he'll do that.
Mandoa: Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad: I know your name as my child. Mandalorian Adoption vow.
I've mentioned before how certain scenes have been driving this whole fic and how I've been excited to get to them. But the final scene, with Rex hanging off the side of the building as Ahsoka desperately holds on and he says the adoption vow knowing he's about to die, thatis the scene that started this fic. I thought of it and then went "I have got to figure out how they get in that position". And I did! Go me. Though, it may be a little cruel of me to post Rex's death the hours before the Bad Batch finale. IDK. We'll see how that plays out. Also, side note, rodians and pantorans are my two favorite species in Star Wars.
And with that, I have one final thing to say: Welcome to the War Arc. It's going to be so much fun.