Note: First off, thank you so much WildHoneyProse for editing this chapter! Second, thank you to anyone who is following along and my apologies for taking forever. It was a crazy semester.
Ahsoka stared as the med-rigs raced past her, loaded with wounded 212th troopers groaning from the brusque transfer from the floor of the larties to the medical transport.
She felt a deep, raw ache settle into her bones from their pain. Ahsoka knew that Rex felt part of the pain despite her best efforts to block what she could.
While the 501st swooped in with just enough success to ensure there wasn't a massacre, the number of men injured and dead was unsettling. Even Obi-Wan got nicked by a stray blaster bolt.
Cody's voice drew her back to the conversation at hand, the hard edge of his tone difficult to miss.
"Our strategy was originally adapted from one of Rex's. It's been used before, but the terrain, circumstances, and schematics were just different enough that the Seppies should have been thrown off – especially because it was originally a surprise," the Marshal Commander said.
The anger in Rex's words matched his emotions.
"But they weren't. They weren't surprised at all," Rex bit out.
His hands were balled into fists across his chest as he frowned, concentrating on a point somewhere behind his brother.
Ahsoka knew what he was thinking. She would know regardless of their bond because it was the same thing they had both been thinking since they stepped foot on this Force forsaken planet. It was becoming a pattern.
Cody met Ahsoka's gaze with an eerily familiar arch of his brow before turning back to the Captain.
"What is it, Rex?" he asked. Of course he could tell something was off.
Rex's eyes instinctually darted to Ahsoka's, the question startling him out of his revere.
"Ahsoka?" he asked.
She dipped her head ever so. Cody needed to know.
"Since our arrival to Anaxes, we've had... difficulties in operations that should've been straightforward. You heard about what happened when we took the fort? It's happening again and it can't be allowed to continue."
The Marshal Commander's face fell into a stoic façade. "You think we might have another Slick on our hands, Rex?"
Ahsoka felt Rex's answer before he opened his mouth.
"No."
There was confusion-denial-shame in his answer, but Ahsoka couldn't figure out why. It wasn't his fault that their strategies had been so perfectly combatted.
"Then what do you think it is? A new algorithm or decryption program?" Cody demanded, brow furrowed in thought.
Ahsoka almost snorted. If it was either of those, they were done for. Strategic masterminds like Admiral Trench could be killed or captured. Ensuring the complete erasure of programs already uploaded onto the Separatist mainframe was a delicate and tedious operation. Oftentimes, it was damn near impossible.
Rex was hesitant in his response. "I... I'm not sure yet, but I think everything that we've seen as of yet points to a new, extremely intelligent AI. An algorithm of the sorts that we've not yet seen."
Ahsoka was staring at Rex, but she couldn't help it. Something was off about his words – off in his aura - not malicious but tinted with uncertainty.
Cody hummed before glancing at his comm. "I suppose all we can do for now is continue working out new strategies with a multitude of backup plans. Right now though, I'm going to go check on my men. Thanks for the rescue, Commander. Rex." He nodded at them then headed toward the medbay.
Ahsoka nodded distractedly in response, her gaze still fixed on her Captain, who was pointedly ignoring her attention.
"Rex?"
He exhaled sharply through his nose, still refusing to meet her eyes, conflict visibly warring within him.
"What weren't you telling Cody?" she pressed.
"It's just an itch, Ahsoka. An impossible idea. It doesn't matter," he replied, a sharp edge in his words.
Ahsoka wouldn't force him to tell her, but whatever this 'idea' was, was clearly eating at him. She wanted to help.
But she was already in his mind more than she had any right to be.
She took a breath, closing her eyes for just a moment.
"It does matter, Rex, but I'll drop it. I'm going to go rinse off then grab some grub if you want to join me later."
The man snorted, grateful for the turn in conversation, peering at her from the corner of his eye. "I'd never miss a chance to dig into a ration bar."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes, punching his shoulder as she turned away. "Yeah, and Grievous has surrendered."
His deep chuckle reached her montrals, soothing her. They would get through it – they always did.
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Ahsoka was no longer sure if they would get through it this time.
Two standard weeks had passed since they rescued Obi-Wan and the 212th and things hadn't improved in the least.
Shortly after the 212th had gotten to Fort Anaxes, they were redeployed with 501st and the 187th troopers to bolster what spots needed to be filled. Ahsoka and Rex were a part of that attachment and had spent day after day, battle after battle with defeats and draws trailing after them like a hungry mastiff.
Ahsoka, Rex, Cody, Obi-Wan and a holographic Windu stood around the holotable, analyzing their most recent battle. Their most recent defeat.
Frustration-despair shimmered just below Rex's surface. Ahsoka knew she reflected him despite her shield. They had been at this for too long for nothing to change. Well, nothing besides more men lost and ground given up.
"I'm pulling Commander Tano and Captain Rex. As the Separatists have blocked the signal between the us and the navy, Skywalker will be joining us soon to sync our strategies and add his thoughts on our... struggles," General Windu explained. "I'll deploy more troops to your command, Obi-Wan, as soon as they arrive with young Skywalker."
The General Kenobi ran a contemplative hand through his beard, nodding wearily. "My thanks, Mace. However, I would like to send Commander Cody back to base as well. His tactical work with Captain Rex has been one of the few things which has kept us from sinking entirely. I believe it would be beneficial for all of us if they could continue their strategizing."
General Windu nodded. "Of course." He turned his attention to the soldiers in discussion. "I expect the three of you here on the next ship available. May the Force be with you."
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Commander Cody, Rex, and Ahsoka had been separated shortly after they arrived back at Fort Anaxes, briefly checking in before General Windu dismissed them to continue their work. There wasn't any planning for them to contribute to as it was just a debrief for Anakin's benefit.
Despite her appreciation at being able to catch up with Anakin, Ahsoka was itching to speak with Kix and see if he'd made any progress. They'd been gone long enough for him to make at least some headway.
And she needed to talk with Rex. She had told him she'd drop it, but whatever the impossibility was, it still hadn't left him. If anything, the stronghold it had on his mind had only expanded.
It was driving her up the wall.
"The droids have overrun our main production facility. It won't be long before the Separatists take Anaxes, compromising our entire reserve fleet," General Windu explained.
Though, to be fair, it's not like Ahsoka needed nor wanted to hear about their slipping grip on the key planet.
Anakin was... off. Like he too was distracted, for reasons beyond the disheartening report that he was being given.
His attention was suddenly drawn away from the holotable, taking Ahsoka's along with it. Her eyes widened in surprise. Why were Rex and Cody here?
Her confusion brushed up against him, but Rex met her gaze for just a moment. "Just wait," was all he said.
She frowned but acquiesced.
"Pardon the interruption, General, but Rex here has a good theory on why we keep, uh...losing," Cody finished awkwardly.
Ahsoka would've smirked if she wasn't so curious, and their situation wasn't so dire.
General Windu gestured for him to continue. "Please, Captain."
Rex wasted no time. "The droid army uses analytics to predict our strategy. The first time we use a tactic, it's very effective. The next, less so. In fact, the more we use a certain tactic, the less effective it becomes. They learn our tendencies and use that data against us. To counter them, we're constantly working out ways to vary our attack."
Ahsoka nodded in agreement. That matched everything they had seen so far.
"But the losses we are experiencing on Anaxes are not commonplace," Windu countered.
"Exactly," Rex replied. "The counter attacks are so specific, it's my strategy the droid know, my playbook."
Ahsoka crossed her arms, glancing at Anakin from the corner of her eye. Rex was right, but where was he going with this?
Cody stepped in. "My concern is that Rex is one of our best. If the droids can learn to defeat him, we may all be vulnerable."
Underneath the intense wave of pride that washed over her from Rex, Ahsoka felt another layer. From the dangerously contemplative look on Anakin's face, she'd say he sensed it too.
However, General Windu appeared unaware. "What do you propose?" he asked.
"Let Rex and me take a small squad behind enemy lines. There's a Separatist Cyber Center which relays all battlefield intel to their command ship. If we're going to find anything, it will be there."
When Rex finally turned their way, Ahsoka silently arched a brow. Rex was searching for something. Something besides the answer to the recent Seppy success.
"If you think it will help turn this fight around, get going," Windu said.
Ahsoka wanted to go with him, but it would have been an overkill and she had things she needed to get done here. Rex was more than capable of infiltrating behind Separatist lines in a get in, get out mission.
"Thank you, General," Rex breathed, his relief rolling over Ahsoka.
But he was fooling himself if he didn't think they'd be talking before he left.
And apparently she wasn't the only one intent on talking with him.
"Rex, is there anything else?" Anakin piqued up for the first time.
Rex's shock spoke for itself. Yes. Yes, there definitely was.
"No, General."
Ahsoka didn't mean to, but she met Anakin's grey-blue eyes, both of them with the same thought: Rex was hiding something.
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Ahsoka dithered silently before the entrance of the recently installed barracks. General Windu had dismissed her shortly after Rex and Cody had left and, as Anakin wouldn't be leaving at least until tomorrow, she didn't have to worry about missing a chance to speak with him.
First, however, she needed to speak with Rex before he headed out.
"Ahsoka, just come in."
He sounded resigned even in her head. She winced. Apparently, she had been a bit louder than she originally thought.
Taking a breath, she tapped the control panel. As she stepped into the dimly lit container, Rex stood out like a bantha in the otherwise empty room. Her durasteel-reinforced boots echoed loudly in the silence.
But not loud enough to cover up the volume of his emotions. They swam around her like dust on the battlefield of Geonosis: invasive, inescapable, and overwhelming.
"Hey, Rex," she said softly, resting an orange palm on his pauldron as she lowered herself to sit at his side.
"Ahsoka." His eyes had yet to lift from the datapad in his hands.
After a moment where he hadn't attempted to continue, she leaned against him. "You know, Anakin and I both sensed there is something more to your proposition. I know I told you earlier I would drop it, but it's... I can feel how deeply this is getting to you. Please, whatever it is, I want to hear it," she implored.
Silence continued to reign supreme while his emotions buffeted against her with an almost visceral force – fear-shame-hope.
"You're right. You're both right," he began with a sigh. "It's just...there's so many troopers gone."
The screen tilted just enough for her to catch a glimpse of an image she had never seen before. A younger group of familiar men. Only three of whom were still with them.
His words hit her with the force of a blaster bolt and she gently wrapped her hand around his gauntlet. Despite all the men that had managed to make it, they had lost so many along the way. Force, he'd lost almost his entire company on her first day.
Echo's serious stare caught her eye.
Kriff, she missed those ARCs so much.
"Yeah," she nodded after a pause. "I don't think it's something that regular folks really understand. I think Cody had it right when he said that, sometimes in war, it's hard to be the one that survives."
His grief weaved into her own, spiking sharply with his next words. "That's what I'm worried about."
Ahsoka's brow furrowed and her hand dropped back down to her lap as she met his deep brown eyes. "What do you mean?"
There was a pause as he seemed to steel himself before her eyes.
"I didn't tell the Generals. They might think I'm crazy. In fact, you might think I'm crazy."
Ahsoka wanted to shake her head, but something about his tone, the way he had been hiding this from her – well, she didn't want to make a promise she couldn't keep.
"What is it?" she asked quietly.
She felt it this time – the way he mentally prepared himself for her immediate rejection. She hated it.
"I think Echo's alive."
At first, the words didn't fully process. She didn't exactly understand what he meant. Echo? Echo who died at the Citadel? Echo who helped her study for her Jedi exams? Echo who –
"Echo?" she repeated dumbly, staring at him.
He nodded vehemently. "I know it's crazy – I know – but the way the droids are countering us here, the strategies I'm using, they're all old battle plans Echo and I drew up together."
Her instinctual reaction was to deny him, to deny that possibility – that glimmer of hope that shined so brightly in his eyes, but she could feel everything he did.
She could feel the way he was still trying to kill that dangerous, foolish hope himself. How he had meticulously and logically went through every possible explanation, but this one still trumped all else. How he acknowledged the exorbitantly slim chances that he was right. He wasn't trying to fool himself. If anything, he wanted to be wrong.
Death was better than being a POW, specifically when you were a clone.
"Ahsoka?" he urged after she hadn't responded.
"I...I don't know what to say. Echo died at the Citadel, but – if what you're saying is true then – I don't know."
She didn't want to give him false hope, but Rex had always believed in her even when all the evidence pointed otherwise. If he was sure, she would at least be willing to hear him out.
"You believe me?" he asked, surprise evident in his tone.
Ahsoka almost felt wounded that he doubted her trust. "Rex, I don't want to promise you anything, but you've always believed in me, from day one, regardless of the odds. This is the first time you've ever asked the same in return. Even if it doesn't work out, I trust you enough to find out for yourself."
Love washed over her like a roaring tide, both deafening and silencing all at once. It was warmth.
Her lekku flushed under the onslaught, fingers unconsciously tightening against his armor as a soft smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Reaching just behind him, Rex set the tablet down before turning back around to face her. His eyes dipped down to where her hand laid on him. Rolling his arm over, Rex's gloved hand wrapped around the soft skin of the inside of her elbow, rubbing his thumb in small circles.
His intention was clear well before she felt his hand slide beneath her back lek and she closed her eyes, a contented smile stretching across her lips as she fell into the sacred movement.
The warm skin of his forehead pressed against hers, his hair just barely brushing the crease of her now unadorned montral ridge, and his breath tickled her face.
No words were needed for them in that moment.
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She left Rex with a kiss to his crown. Cody sent her a two-finger salute as he went in to retrieve his brother. At the base of the ramp, Jesse and Coric sat, waiting. Jesse had returned on the same transport with the new shipment of shinies from Kamino, fresh from his accelerated ARC training. Even from behind, Ahsoka could see a new confidence in the set of his shoulders. This would be his first mission since his return.
She called out with a smirk. "I see I can't call you rank-and-file anymore, Jesse."
He whipped his head around to face her, a lazy grin adorning his lips. "That's the sole reason I became an ARC, Commander."
With a chuckle, she shook her head, coming to stand before the two men. "Well, congratulations, I can't imagine it was easy. But, even with your new rank, isn't four slightly too small a squad? Where's the rest of you guys?"
"Commander Cody told us we're taking 'the Bad Batch.' They apparently have a 100% success rate," Coric informed her with a shrug.
Jesse rolled his eyes. "Well, I've heard mixed things about them."
Ahsoka frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Yeah, they win, but how they win worries me. There is no chain of command, but some of their reports I read in training were crazy. At first, I thought they were just making things up, but all their missions were like that. At least the ones I read, anyway."
If Jesse – who had been in Torrent for a while now – thought their methods were out there, they really must have eccentric tactics.
"As long as they get the job done with minimal losses – they can be as wild as they want. It's not my squad," Coric snorted.
The medic did have a point.
Ahsoka hummed. "Well, I wish you boys luck." She turned toward the medbay. "Say hi to the clankers for me, won't you?"
Their laughs followed her across the landing bay. However, the easy smile pulling at her mouth soon morphed back to frown at the concerned clone's voice coming in over the PA.
"Repeat, coming in hot on platform TT-3-9-7."
The hum of the engines reached her montrals as her eyes scanned the horizon for the offending ship. Her brow-markings crawled up her forehead as she stopped to watch.
It was a nice ship. Clearly an Omicron-class attack shuttle, but it had some modifications made, screaming money, knowledge, and confidence.
But the ship wasn't stopping.
Her eyes grew wider, and her hands fell to the sabers at her hips. Was it a suicide run? How'd it make it past their defenses? She felt no warning from the Force, but that wasn't a failsafe.
"Clear the airfield!" the voice on the PA shouted. She watched in shock as the ship got closer and closer to the tarmac. A tarmac filled with panicking personnel and equipment and materials literally thrown into disarray.
Ahsoka scowled as it finally landed.
While they weren't technically a threat, whoever was flying that ship was an arrogant arse.
She shook her head, turning her attention back to getting to the medbay.
Kix was the next person she needed to have a chat with.
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Despite his new, uniform haircut, the medic was still easy to find as one of the few non-droid medical staff in the med bay.
There was a hush in the large room, so Ahsoka stood near the entrance, waiting for either Kix or one of the non-combat aids to notice her. Before long, Kix stepped out from his half-hidden position behind a curtain, drawing it closed, datapad in hand.
As quietly as she could, Ahsoka cleared her throat and arched her brow mark in a silent question. Without a word, he nodded, jaw set in a tight line.
"Brook, I'll be in the office. Come get me only if it's an emergency," he said to one of the aids.
"Yes, sir," the clone replied.
Ahsoka followed him without a word, standing behind the single durasteel chair as the door closed behind them and silence engulfed them.
"Any news?" she asked as she watched him kneel and disappear on the other side of the desk, digging into a drawer.
He didn't answer immediately, but she bit her tongue, waiting as patiently as she could. That was until he finally stood up with a bundle in his hand that caused her brows to raise.
Paper.
A full stack of plain, bleach white paper wrapped in what appeared to be a tan colored folder, yellowed with age and a single datapad.
"I found it in the storage closets when we were first getting settled in. I thought using the GAR's datapads as little as possible would be more secure," he said, answering her silent question.
Ahsoka nodded, surface level-curiosity satisfied, though her true inquiry was left unanswered. Still, she said nothing more. She could wait.
Another minute of shuffling papers and low, anxious humming passed before Kix seemed to find what he was looking for. His fingers tightened around the edge, crinkling it in his grasp as his breath stopped, eyes fixated on the sheet.
"What is it?" Ahsoka demanded, unable to stop herself. Had he decoded the chip and not told her?
His dark brown eyes merely lifted to meet hers, no response given. But there was something in them that had her holding her own breath.
"Kix?" she pressed.
He only shook his head and outstretched his hand, his Adam's apple bobbing.
She frowned, eyes flitting between the paper outstretched to her and his face, but she eventually acquiesced.
The pads of her fingers felt overly dry even as the palms of her hands sweated as the sheet bent, rustling as it transferred hands, brown to orange.
Tight, meticulous aurebesh lined the page, top to bottom.
Contingency Orders for the Grand Army of the Republic.
Her heart hammered against the restraints of her chest. Her eyes jumped down the page, flashing from word to word.
Order 1. Order 2. Order 4. Order 8. Order 37. Order 65.
What breath she had left was eradicated as her gaze fell upon Order 66.
"In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander, GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander until a new command structure is established."
What?
The orders went on and on. She was tempted to flip the page over, but her fingers refused to move.
"Kix," she croaked. "Is this what I think it is?"
His voice sounded far away. Like she was back down in the tunnel.
"Yes, sir. I – I didn't inform you immediately because I wanted to make sure it wasn't only Rex's chip. I needed to do it again. To confirm. I couldn't get this wrong, and I thought... I thought this had to be wrong. It had to be, but I decoded the chip again and it wasn't."
Her mind felt sluggish, like she was swimming through a bog.
"How could you do it again? Rex's is the only chip we ha–" She stopped as the medic nervously ran a hand through his hair, her eyes narrowing. "You didn't?"
"Commander, not doing it again wasn't an option. To accuse the Chancellor – the Supreme Commander of the entire Republic – of high treason isn't something I could base on one chip. I needed a second trial, so, yes, sir, I used my own chip."
Ahsoka knew he was right, but the dangers that came with such an operation could have been disastrous. She sighed and shook her head. She should be grateful. "Thank you, Kix."
Her gaze fell back down to the handwritten notes, contemplating. After a pause, Kix spoke.
"So what are you going to do, Commander?" he asked tentatively, as if he could feel the weight that was slowly settling on her shoulders – that was slowly suffocating her.
Her words came slowly from her lips. "Do you have the official results on the datapad?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll grab a spare datapad, wipe it, then bring it to you. I want you to copy everything you have onto the second datapad. This first one though, I want you to keep it. Should anything happen to Master Windu or I, you're responsible to see that the datapad is given straight to Bail Organa. Do not inform Anakin of any of this."
She could tell he had questions – questions she was unwilling to answer.
"Thank you, Kix. The Republic owes more than I think it will ever understand. I owe you," she said, fully bowing her head.
He dipped his chin. "Thank you for convincing me to get involved. But, when this is all over, I do expect answers." His voice hardened slightly as he spoke and Ahsoka knew that when that time came, she would tell him everything.
Right now, however, she needed to meditate.