Maul's being taken to the prison block on our Star Cruiser. There, he will stay until we reach Coruscant.
If we reach Coruscant.
The tech clones salute Ahsoka, Rex and I as we walk into the bridge of the Cruiser. The tree of us stand at the window and watch as the ship jumps into hyperspace.
"Something on your mind?" Rex asks Ahsoka. Come to think of it, she has been acting a little strange since the meeting with the Council.
"As a Jedi, we were trained to be keepers of the peace, not soldiers," she starts. I know where she's going with this. I feel it too. "But all I've been since I was a Padawan is a soldier."
"Well," Rex starts. I turn to face him. "I've known I other way. Gives us clones all a mixed feeling about the war. Many people wish it never happened. But without it, we clones wouldn't exist."
He's right. Without this war, my friends, my family, even my life; wouldn't exist. And even though I may or may not ever know why I was brought to this time or it's all fake and I'm just being shown what is happening, I'm glad.
I'm glad that I get to learn first hand what happened in such a galaxy-wide turning point. I'm glad that I met the people I did. I'm glad that they've learned to trust me as I have them.
And I'm glad this war exists.
Though there are many downfalls from this war, one being the Empire, something that could begin any second, along with trillions of deaths and casualties. I'm glad this war happened.
It sounds really strange, but if you stop and think about it; there are some good things that come out of war.
"Well, then perhaps some good has come from all of it," I smile at Rex.
"I agree. The Republic couldn't have asked for better soldiers, nor I a better friend," Ahsoka adds. Ahsoka salutes Rex and I, making me chuckle and copy her actions.
The door opens behind Rex and a tech clone walks up to us.
"Commander Rex, the latest briefing has come in," he says.
"Want to have a look? It might have an update on General Kenobi's efforts," Rex asks us. I shake my head, not wanting to sit through another meeting.
"You go. I'm sure it's more good news," Ahsoka says. Rex nods and heads out the door of the bridge. Ahsoka and I turn back to the window. "You seem troubled. What is it?"
I take a deep breath. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," I tell her. She grabs my hand like she has so many a time before.
"Go for it."
"Alright then," I breathe out. I go to open my mouth again to tell her but she stumbles back grabbing her head. "Ahsoka?"
I grab her shoulders as she grabs her head in pain. Almost exactly like I did that time on Onderon, and in the Chancellor's office.
"Execute Order 66," A voice rings out in my head. I shake it away. Ahsoka's in pain and now is not the time for voices in my head to speak to me.
"Anakin?" Ahsoka whispers. She maintains her balance.
"Ahsoka, what's wrong?" I ask her.
"We need to get Rex. It's Anakin. I think something terrible has happened."
Oh no, it's starting.
We both run to the door Rex just went out of and see him standing at a holotable.
"Rex. It's Anakin. I feel like something terrible has happened," Ahsoka says, repeating what she told me. Rex starts to shake, his helmet falling to the ground from his hands. His back is facing us, but he slowly turns around.
"Rex?" I say uncertainty. Two clones behind us point their blasters at us. What is happening.
"No!" Rex shouts. "I'll do it."
"Rex, what's happening?" Ahsoka asks him, worry and confusion written all over her face. Rex pulls out his blasters and aims them at us, his hands shaking.
"Stay back!" he yells. A tear falls down his face, something I've never seen happen before. "Find him. Find him. Fives. Find him! Fives!"
Both the clones and Rex start to fire at us. I take out my lightsaber and start deflecting the shots while Ahsoka tackles Rex, making him hit his head on the holotable. I jump up onto it with Ahsoka and we go back to back deflecting shots. She ricochets two of the blaster shots back at the two clones, killing them.
I use the Force to close the door Ahsoka and I originally came out of, leaving the room to be just Rex, Ahsoka and I.
What the heck is going on!? Is this how the Empire rises? Making the clones shoot at us. Is this happening everywhere?
"Rex!" Ahsoka yells as he starts to get up. The door in front of me opens and more clones run in, all of them pointing their guns at us. They all start firing. Ahsoka and I switch sides, with me just now deflecting Rex's shots and her deflecting the other clones.
I look up for a second and see that I can cut a way out through the roof. I signal to Ahsoka quickly that we should go up and she nods briefly. While she blocks the shots, I cut the roof open and we both jump up, leaving the clones hopefully confused.
Now I know what Papa meant when he said it was too painful.
Ahsoka and I crawl through the vents together. I can sense her emotions going wild. They're going from confused to worried, and then to sadness. I can't even imagine what's going through her head right now. At least I knew about the Empire forming, but she had no clue.
"We need a distraction," she suddenly speaks up.
"What do you suggest?" I ask. "Wait, you don't mean."
"Maul. It's our only option if we want to take Rex."
"Wait, what do you mean by 'take Rex'?"
"I don't know what's going on. And, Maul knew this was going to happen, right? He has answers, and he can be used as a distraction," she says, ignoring my question. She crawls faster before I can say anything more.
We drop down into the small cell block where Maul is being kept. Ahsoka takes out the two clones who look like they are about to shoot Maul. I walk forward, glaring at Maul as I do so, and stand next to the side of the box he's in's control panel.
Ahsoka holds one of her lightsabers up to Maul's chest.
"Don't make me regret this," she threatens. "Open it."
I press a button that opens the latch to his box and Maul comes falling out.
"You.." he coughs. "You survived."
"Is this your doing?" Ahsoka asks darkly.
"Choose your words carefully," I threaten as Ahsoka holds her lightsaber to his throat.
"No, no. It was not my doing. I do not know what has occurred, but, surely, you have felt it," Maul says. "The voices crying out. The death."
I don't take my eyes off of him but I can now hear screaming within my mind. Screams of death.
"The clones turned against us. Even Rex," Ahsoka tells him. "I don't know why, they just suddenly weren't themselves."
"Brilliant. Brilliant," Maul chuckles. "I was not privy to my master's plan, but now, now I see it. He turned the Jedi's own army against them."
Maul knows. He knows too much. I scowl as he stands up.
"Well, you've done the right thing by coming to me. Only together can we survive this," he starts. "Now, if you will follow my lead.."
"You don't understand. We're not here to team up with you," I spit at him.
"We need a diversion, and you're it," Ahsoka commands him. "Now go cause some chaos. It's what you're good at."
I walk out first with Ahsoka following me, her lightsaber still pointing at Maul. I look up and down the hallway and luckily there's no one here.
"Uh," Maul sighs. "care to give me a fighting chance?"
"I'm not rooting for you," Ahsoka snips. "Now get going."
Ahsoka and I make our way out of the cell block just in time before a group of clones run in. We run down halls, making sure to check each one before going forward. We make our way into a room with astromech droids in it. They'll be able to help us.
Ahsoke walks towards the droids while I seal the door. She powers on one of the droids, R7, and he starts to beep loudly.
"Shh. R7, we need your help," Ahsoka says to the little red and white droid. He continues to beep rapidly. "I know. I know. Shh. Quiet."
R7 turns the lights on, along with the other two droids in the room. Their names are Cheep and G-G. All three of them are asking what's going on and why the clones are acting like this.
"I don't know. I don't know why the clones are doing this," Ahsoka whispers to them. "But we might be able to do something about it."
"Are you sure you want to help? It could be dangerous," I ask them. All three of them beep in agreement. "Okay, let's get started."
"R7, patch into the central computer," Ahsoka commands. "Bring up every secure file on Clone Trooper CT-5555."
"Okay, Rex. What are we looking for? What happened to Fives?" I question aloud. A series of images on a hologram flash in front of us. They stop once a video of a Kaminoan woman pops up. She's quite lengthy and very pale.
"An independent investigation confirmed that the Clone Trooper CT-5555 experienced a malfunction with his inhibitor chip," her calm voice explains. "Both the Senate committee and the Jedi Council have accepted these findings. However, a grievance report was filled by CT-7567."
A grievance report? That means; Fives died. He died and I didn't get to say goodbye. He was one of my first friends here and now he's gone.
"R7, bring up that report," Ahsoka commands, grabbing my wrist and squeezing it in an attempt of comfort. R7 beeps, telling us that it cannot be opened.
"It's sealed? Try Anakin's pass code. 8-1-0-8," I tell the little droid. A hologram of Rex pops up making me flinch. We need to save him from whatever has him like this.
"I already know this report is gonna fall on deaf ears," Rex sighs, his small holographic figure looking down. "but I owe it to Fives to record what I saw. I'm not sure I believe it myself, but there's a possibility that the inhibitor chips the Kaminoans put inside of us have a purpose that we don't yet fully understand."
So Fives knew this was going to happen? And he was killed for it? Poor Fives. An idea pops into my head.
"R7, I need you to record what I'm about to say, alright?" I ask the astromech. He unplugs from the computer system and turns around ready to record me.
"What are you doing?" Ahsoka asks me.
"You said we needed to get Rex, I agree," I tell her and turn to R7.
"Rex. I think I know what's happening," I start. "I saw your report on Fives. It isn't your fault. You were programmed. Your mind was altered to do this when you were very young. We can help you."
I nod to R7 to let him know I'm finished and I turn back to Ahsoka.
"Now all we need to do is get him alone," I tell her.
"I think I see what you're going for. I know exactly what to do," she says. She turns to the other two droids, G-G and Cheep, and explains her plan. I go over to the door and put my hand up against it. I use the Force to sense if anyone is outside of the room. There isn't.
"Coast is clear right now. We better get moving," I tell Ahsoka.
"Okay, stay behind me," she commands.
She takes the lead as the door opens and we all sneak out of the room. R7 uses a plug to locate where Rex is, or at least where he is going, and we take off in that direction.
We reach a hallway where footsteps are approaching. Ahsoka pulls me to the side and the droids go on the other. G-G seals the blast doors behind us and behind them. They're going to trap him in.
A group of clones runs by, Rex at the back luckily. Once the group of clones passes us, R7 rolls in front of Rex, tripping him.
"Hey, hey. Out of the way!" he commands. Cheep closes the blast doors in front of Rex and behind him. He's trapped with us. "Are you cross-wired?"
The droids beep triumphantly and R7 pulls up the message I had just recorded.
"Rex. I think I know what's happening," I start. "I saw your report on Fives. It isn't your fault. You were programmed. Your mind was altered to do this when you were very young. We can help you," my voice rings out.
"Where are they?" Rex demands. He points his blaster at R7. I step out with Ahsoka next to me.
"We're right here," I say. Rex whips around and points his blaster at us now, but R7 zaps him making him fall to the ground, unconscious. Ahsoka drops down next to him kneeling. She flips him onto his back.
"Careful. We're trying not to hurt him," Ahsoka warns.
"They've got the commander. Bring the charges," I hear a clone say through the door.
"Cheep, are all the doors sealed so the way is clear?" I ask the droid. Cheep waves his arms in confirmation.
"Okay. Let's get him to the medical bay," Ahsoka says. I help lift Rex onto all of the droids, and we run down the hall to where the medical bay is, just as the door in front of us blasts open. I hit the blast door seal as we pass each hallway, making the large doors close behind us.
We reach the medical bay and Ahsoka takes Rex's helmet off while I help set Rex on the medical bay's table.
"R7, run a scan," Ahsoka instructs. "See if you can find the inhibitor chip the report talked about."
Another droid comes up next to Rex's unconscious figure and starts to scan his head. Nothing comes back on the report.
"But the chip has to be there. Check again," I say. The droid runs the scan again.
Cheep beeps, letting us know that the clones are breaking through the door.
"How close are they?" Ahsoka asks. Cheep beeps again and I don't like the answer. "G-G, if they override the door controls, you have to reseal it fast."
G-G beeps in understanding and rolls over to the door.
"R7, anything?" Ahsoka asks. The answer is no. I watch as Ahsoka goes over to the side of Rex. She places her hand on the side of his face. "I am on with the Force, and the Force is with me."
I walk up on the other side of the table and stand next to the droid that is scanning Rex's head. Ahsoka is chanting her saying over and over again. I might be going a little crazy, but Rex is saying it too.
"I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me," they chant together. They stop when the machine beeps. I look over and see a red dot glowing over a spot in Rex's head.
"You found it?" Ahsoka asks. I go over to the control panel.
"R7, get him under and remove that thing," I command. "I don't know if it will work, but if it doesn't, we're dead anyway."
"Get ready on the door," Ahsoka says to G-G.
The table Rex's body is on moves backwards and the surgery begins. But the door is almost open. It starts to spark and flash until it flies open. I take out my lightsaber, the yellow glow illuminating the room, and I stand ready. The clones start to fire at us and both Ahsoka and I are blocking, trying to buy more time for Rex.
Ahsoka gets grazed in the shoulder, knocking her back a bit and I use the Force to push some of the clones back.
"The door. G-G, the door!" Ahsoka yells. I think this is it. There's too many of them.
Blaster fire comes from behind us, killing some of the clones and allowing the door to close. G-G and Cheep start to seal the door manually. I turn around to see Rex with a terrified look on his face.
"Rex? Are you okay?" I ask him, my voice just above a whisper. I'm afraid if I speak any louder he will shatter into pieces. He just killed his own brothers to save us.
"Yeah. Yeah, kid. I'm okay," he breathes. He puts his hand to his head. There's a bandage on it now. "I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I almost killed you both."
"How widespread is this?" Ahsoka asks him.
"Ahsoka, it's all of us," he says. "The entire Grand Army of the Republic has been ordered to hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights."
The door starts to spark open again.
We're going to have to get through that door; and this time, there's no saving anyone.