Beep. Beep. Beep.
The monitor pulled Senna from her sleep, grumbling slightly. Without thinking, she tried to turn her head and winced as she was reminded why she needed medical equipment at all. Her fingers of her right hand drifted up to gently press against her throat, and she swore soundlessly as pain rippled across the muscles in her neck. She swallowed experimentally and tears sprang to her eyes from the burn and strain. At least I'm breathing I suppose.
The beeping continued. A familiar presence stirred next to her, and she smiled as Rex slipped his hand into hers.
"What's that alarm for?" he asked quietly.
"Means I'm due for another dose of pain meds," she rasped. "If I need it."
"Do you?"
She swallowed again, her tongue feeling like sandpaper and lead. The ache radiated up and down her throat, making her wince. "Yes please," she responded. Rex rose, hitting the illuminated button on the monitor. Senna felt the coolness as the IV in her arm injected the drug into her system. The medicine immediately did its work, and she felt herself relax as the pain in her throat lessened. "Thank you," she whispered. "Tech's been taking care of that, but I know he's got other things to worry about." Finally able to turn her head slightly, she shifted and found Rex at her side with a packet of water, extending the straw towards her lips.
"The medic says you probably shouldn't eat anything solid for a while so the muscles don't work too hard, but that you should definitely drink as much water as you can." She opened her mouth, and he slid the straw in. The first swallow was still painful, but the feeling of the dryness in her mouth being washed away helped. After a few careful gulps, she laid back, breathing deeply with a bit of relief as Rex set aside the water packet and came to sit next to her once more.
"Wolffe?" she asked.
"Still being kept under sedation," Rex replied. She could see he was hurting immensely, and she gave his hand a squeeze. "Gregor's going to take him somewhere to heal once this is all done."
Senna knew what was coming, not because she sensed it through the Force, but because Rex couldn't meet her eyes. "You're going with them," she said quietly.
He finally glanced up at her, his eyes glistening even in the dim lighting. "Tell me to stay, and I will," he replied, his voice cracking. "This is up to you."
She smiled, fighting the lump that was quickly rising in her throat, bringing her pain soaring back, although she couldn't be sure it was entirely due to the injury. "You should go."
"Senna-"
She squeezed his hand, and he fell silent. "I know he needs you. And you need to do this for him, Rex. I understand that."
Tears were falling from Rex's eyes now, and he let loose a quiet sob. "But our future...our plans..."
Senna tugged him closer, and he scooted so that his forehead was resting against hers, his hand carefully stroking her cheek. "Our future is still intact," she whispered. "It's changed again, but we will still have it." Her breath shuddered as she tried to stand firm. "But you and Gregor are the only hope Wolffe has at a future, one where he's not haunted by what happened. I know what he means to you, and I am grateful to him for making sure you survived the war so that we could find each other. This is the least I can do for him."
Rex sobbed again, and Senna let herself grieve with him, holding onto him tightly as their future slipped through their fingers once more. It's what's required. Wolffe needs this. There will be plenty of time later. Or at least some. It'll have to be enough. We can make this work.
After a few minutes, they sat back from one another, Rex leaning on the edge of the bed, clasping Senna's hands as she relaxed back against the pillow. He absently traced the Jaig eyes etched on her left ring finger, and she squeezed his hand gently. "Do you know where you'll go?" she asked.
"Gregor's got a few options he's pulled together. They're all off the beaten path, out of the way so we won't draw attention and Wolffe won't be a risk."
"How will you get supplies?" she asked.
"Gregor or I will head in when we need to."
Senna chewed at her lip. "What if...I brought them to you?"
Rex glanced at her, his eyes sad. "Wolffe might try to kill you again. I can't take that risk, Senna."
"I won't come all the way. Just make the run out to say, orbit or something. You can come meet me in the ship, and then we'll at least have some time." She shifted, rolling onto her side so she was facing him. "I can't be without you permanently, Rex. Not again. So let's try and find some moments to steal for ourselves. Even if it's only a few hours every month, it's better than nothing."
"Is it?" he asked, his voice cracking. "Almost feels like that's going to be more torturous."
"You know it's not," she said, giving him a small smile. "Think of what it was like when we were apart and didn't know where the other was. When you didn't know if I was safe, if I still loved you. Now you'll know all that, and we'll find time to visit, however brief. That has to be better than what we were doing. And some day, we'll be together again. That's the goal, and you and I are too stubborn to let things go differently."
He let out a huff of a laugh as he stroked the back of her hand. "I suppose you're right."
A soft sound at the door caught Senna's attention, and she turned to see Tech standing there, looking sheepish. "I...I got the notification that your pain management system had gone off."
"Rex just took care of it," Senna said softly. "Thanks for checking, Tech."
She expected him to leave, but he stood there, shuffling his feet. His eyes met hers, and she felt her heart leap into her throat.
"I...I have news," he said quietly, and there was no doubt between the two of them as to what that news was about.
Senna could feel Rex's eyes on her, curiously examining her, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from Tech, trying to determine if what he was going to tell them was going to break her or not.
If it didn't work, you're no worse off than you are, she tried to reassure herself, but with Rex leaving again for who knows how long, she knew that definitely wouldn't be true. She needed this to have worked, needed her time with Rex after the sacrifice they'd both just agreed to.
"I thought you had a few more days," she said, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice.
"I did. But I became impatient. As I stated, the two weeks for skin cell regeneration is an average. It turns out, my cells regenerate at a slightly faster rate than that average."
Rex's eyes flicked between the two of them. "Can someone tell me what's going on?"
"Tech." Senna's voice was barely above a whisper.
A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, and as he met her gaze once more, she could see there was a mist in his eyes, but they were shining in a way she hadn't seen since before Kestia died.
"It worked."
Senna could hear Rex asking for clarification next to her, but it was drowned out by the blood rushing in her ears. He did it. She turned to Rex, tears flooding her eyes, and she had to fight the urge to burst out laughing at his clear confusion. Taking his hand in hers, she waved Tech further into the room. The goggled clone took a seat next to Rex, pulling out his datapad.
"Tech, you'll have to do most of the talking since I'm struggling at the moment," Senna rasped, wincing at the lump rising in her throat. "I know that shouldn't be too terrible for you."
He smiled at her teasing as he held the datapad out to Rex. "With pleasure."
Rex scanned the data, his face blank before he looked between the two of them.
"Someone please put this in terms I can understand. I see a lot of information about cellular regeneration and slowing it down but..." His voice trailed off as he said the last words. He mouthed them again, and Senna's hands shook as she saw the pieces fall into place in his mind.
"Slowing it down." He repeated the phrase, glancing between the two of them.
"We didn't want to tell you in case the treatment was unsuccessful, but in the files Senna recovered from Wayland, there was information about how the clone accelerated aging worked. Using that data, I was able to create a method by which to slow the process to a normal rate." Tech reached over, flipping through a few images on the datapad. "I made the first attempt with skin cells on my arm. Thus the bandage I've seen you note the last week or so. I reprogrammed a group of skin cells and implanted them on my arm with the hopes that they would influence the cells around them as they divided. You can see them marked in blue in this first image." He flipped to a second image. "And here is the same patch of skin on my arm today."
Rex glanced between the two. "Entirely blue cells."
"Indeed. All of the faster regenerating cells have been replaced with cells that regenerate at a normal human rate. In theory, I should be able to expand this process to reprogram the cells in every part of our bodies. It's just a matter of strategic placement and monitoring to ensure that the spread is efficient enough to continue the lifecycle of the normal regeneration."
"And slow our aging," Rex finished, his voice cracking.
"Yes. It will take three to five years for the process to be completed, so our bodies would continue to age at the accelerated rate up until that point, but after that, we would age at a normal rate. We will live normal adulthoods barring us getting ourselves killed in some other fashion."
Senna reached out, wiggling the fingers of her right hand at Tech until he moved to the opposite side of the bed, taking her hand in his.
"Thank you," she whispered, her eyes misting over. "You've given us more time together than we ever could have hoped for. And you and your brothers..." her voice cracked. "None of us will ever be able to repay you."
Tech smirked, giving her hand a squeeze. "I can assure you that getting to see everyone I care for getting to live longer lives will be repayment enough." He huffed a laugh. "I would be remiss to not note that I too will benefit from this."
Senna grinned. "I look forward to arguing with you for many decades to come."
He laughed at that, the first genuine laugh she'd heard from him in months. "As do I."
They all turned at the sound of footsteps running down the hall towards the room. Omega tore in, skidding to a halt at the foot of Senna's bed, her face twisted with concern.
"Echo said-"
"I'm alright," Senna rasped, but she could see the young girl's eyes dart to the bruises on her throat, taking in the extent of her injuries, which only seemed to upset her more. Hunter, Wrecker, and Echo were right behind Omega, crowding in through the doorway. Echo had an apologetic look on his face while Hunter and Wrecker mirrored Omega's concern in their own way.
"I promise. Really. It looks worse than it is," Senna tried to reassure them again. "Anyway, this should be a day for celebration. Tech has news to share." As Tech began to excitedly speak to his brothers and sister to disclose the details of his discovery, Senna turned back to Rex. He still was slack-jawed, but his eyes were misted over.
"We'll have our time," Senna whispered to him quietly, and he pressed his forehead to hers. "It may not be now, but we will have it, Rex. So much more than we thought."
"We will," he said quietly, stroking his thumb over her cheek. "I promise."
---
A few rotations later, Senna stood on the tarmac, arms hugged around herself as Rex and Gregor took off from Yavin 4 to go scout the potential planets Gregor had chosen to become their home while Wolffe healed. The former commander remained at the base, placed in a medpod to keep him sedated until he could be moved. From everything Rex had told her, Wolffe hadn't resisted the move to the pod, and somehow, that broke Senna's heart even more for him. It might be when his mind is most at ease. Perhaps the nightmares of Order 66 don't haunt him there.
She was annoyed at the emotion that had crept up on her as she'd bid Rex goodbye. He'll be back in a few rotations. Don't be ridiculous. But she couldn't shake the feeling that this was a rehearsal somehow for what was to come, that the next time she'd be doing this, it would be permanent. She'd done her best to keep her emotions at bay, but she knew her voice had cracked as she'd told Rex to be safe and hurry back. His eyes had searched hers, and she was certain that he'd seen the tears threatening to spill over her lids as he enveloped her in his arms, hugging her tightly against his chest.
"I won't be gone long."
"I know. I love you."
"And I love you."
She watched as the pinprick on the horizon that was their ship faded from view before she turned and walked back into the base. Her fingers absently drifted up to her throat, carefully pressing at the fading bruises. Her neck was still a little sore from Wolffe's attack, and she still was on a mostly liquid diet, but she was improving, even if the feeling of Wolffe's hands on her throat continued to haunt her when she allowed her mind to wander.
Feeling somewhat aimless, she roamed the halls, searching for her friends. Tech's lab was empty, and Echo and Fives weren't anywhere to be found. After a while, she assumed that they'd all wandered off together. Probably getting up to trouble somewhere or maybe discussing the logistics of the treatment.
All of the clones had been thrilled at the prospect of slowing their aging, if not slightly apprehensive at the thought of undergoing a major medical procedure. Tech had attempted to reassure them all that the method that he'd chosen for distribution of the cells within their bodies should be relatively painless, but his assurances had done little to assuage them all. Fives had seemed the most nervous of all, and Senna had quietly slipped over to stand next to him, nudging him in the shoulder as Tech continued to ramble.
It'll be alright. I'll stay with you the entire time if you want.
He'd glanced over to meet her gaze as she'd reached out to him through the Force and he gave her a small smirk that didn't reach his eyes. He nodded slightly, and she slipped her hand around his forearm, giving it a light squeeze.
I understand your fear. And it's alright to feel. No shame, Fives. But I wouldn't let you become a wall decoration around here. Doesn't exactly match the decor scheme we've got going.
His fingers had slipped over hers, squeezing back gently before they both dropped their hands to their sides, returning their attention to Tech's lecture about the nanobot delivery system he'd come up with. Overall, Senna was quite impressed. It wouldn't require incisions as the nanobots worked their way through the body, entering orally in a capsule or by injection, and other than feeling queasy from the intrusion and perhaps sore in certain areas, the procedure would be largely unobtrusive. She had helped Tech try it out a few rotations ago in only a targeted area in a few select organs, and while he'd definitely been nauseous and uncomfortable for a day or so afterwards, they'd used the medpod to image the areas where the cells had been deployed and could already see them starting to take root and divide. She'd hugged Tech so hard he'd grunted in her ear that he couldn't breathe. Now, she laughed to herself as she continued to search for them. I guess with all that extra time they're going to have, they're fine with slipping off to take an extra nap or two. Or get up to some other sort of mischief. She sighed to herself. But I'd rather not be alone right now. There were others around the base of course, but no one she felt like being around right now. Quietly, she slipped back outside into the humid jungle air.
Something tickled at her senses, and she smiled as she recognized the presence in the Force.
Omega.
Following the signature, she found a trailhead at the edge of the tarmac that led her deeper into the jungle. Her hair stuck to her neck as she began to sweat, carefully picking her way over vines and uneven ground until she found herself standing at the bottom of one of the pyramids that surrounded the base. Perched on one of the mossy stones that made up the base layer of the pyramid was Omega, her legs crossed and her eyes closed, a stone hovering a meter or so off the ground in front of her. Senna smiled as she carefully made her way over to her padawan, sitting quietly next to her.
They sat in silence for a few moments until Senna watched the stone gently drift back to the ground and felt Omega stir next to her. Glancing down, she found the young girl's amber eyes staring at her intently.
"Good meditation?" she asked, and Omega nodded.
"I was able to sense when you arrived. Your signature is really interesting."
Senna cocked her eyebrow. "How so?"
"It's a dark blue, like I'm swimming in ocean depths, and it kind of surrounds me. You know when you're swimming in deep water, and you just kind of feel at peace, and the only thing you hear is the waves above you? It's kind of like that."
Senna raised an eyebrow at her. "You do a lot of swimming? There aren't exactly many oceans on this moon."
Omega grinned. "I snuck out of the lab once when we had a sunny day on Kamino. Climbed out on one of the ladders and dove into the water. I swam until my lungs burned, just to see how deep I could go. It was so peaceful. I was so eager to do it that I didn't really plan very well. Nala Se noticed my damp hair pretty quickly, and I got in trouble. It was still one of my favorite memories though, especially just looking below my toes and seeing the dark blue of the depths stretching out before me. It was so...enveloping. Your signature is like that, calming, but also much warmer. That's what it feels like to sense you."
Senna smiled. She liked that. Feeling Omega's eyes on her once more, she met the young girl's gaze. "What's on your mind?"
Omega paused, clearly searching for the right words. "How...how are you alright with him still being here? After what he did to you?"
Senna chewed her lip for a moment as she searched for the right words. "You forgave Wrecker when his chip activated, didn't you?"
Omega's expression grew serious. "Yes, but that was different. I knew Wrecker, I knew that wasn't him. Wolffe did that, not some chip." Her brow furrowed. "He would have killed you. He still probably would."
Senna nodded. "Perhaps, but I know that wasn't Wolffe though. Not really."
"How?" The young clone asked. "You'd never met him before, right?"
"No, but I know Rex, and I've heard enough stories to know that's not the commander that he fought with during the war. Wolffe was serious, stoic to a fault from what I understand, but loyal. He served under a Jedi master I greatly admired, Master Plo Koon. From everything I've heard, he loved him as he did his brothers. So, I don't think that's actually how Wolffe is, especially not after Rex spoke with him about why he did what he did." She sighed. "We all deal with grief and tragedy in different ways, Omega. I think Wolffe is doing the best he can to deal with what happened, but unfortunately, that involves lying to himself. That lie is what made him attack me, not any animosity towards me necessarily, but the fact that he can't face a hard truth. And I can't hold that against him." Her gaze grew distant. "The Jedi and clones have gone through very different but equally tragic situations. The Jedi were massacred by those that we trusted and cared for, and the clones were forced to turn their weapons on those that they were loyal to and in some cases, cared very deeply for."
Omega tapped her leg nervously. "Still, how can you forgive him so easily?"
Senna laughed quietly. "Forgiveness wasn't always easy for me. It still isn't sometimes. The first time I saw Rex, I...I saw the face of those that had tried to kill me. I knew of him, knew that he was a good man by all accounts, but men that shared his face had chased me through the jungle with blasters and murdered my friends and peers. At the time, I wasn't sure if he'd carried out the order or not, and that was difficult to live with." She rubbed her hands over her hair, smoothing the wisps that had begun to curl in the humidity. "Part of being a Jedi is finding compassion and empathy, even for those that don't seem to deserve it. We are to be merciful to those not worthy of mercy. I don't think Wolffe necessarily falls into either of those categories, in fact, I'd argue he's more worthy of forgiveness and mercy given everything he's been through." Some will be harder to ever forgive, she thought, her mind drifting back to an expressionless mask and a red lightsaber. She took a deep breath. "But holding onto hatred and anger, that's the path to the Dark Side. Those are things I can never do. And, in a way, I feel as though I owe Wolffe. He kept Rex alive during the war. Saved his life several times. Without him, I don't have Rex, and my life is set on a very different path. I don't have your brothers in my life unless I managed to haphazardly meet them some other way." She leaned over, nudging her padawan's shoulder. "I don't have you, Omega."
The young girl's mouth twitched as she turned everything over in her mind before nodding carefully. "I guess you're right. And so, I suppose I forgive Wolffe as well." The young girl leaned over towards Senna, and the Jedi stiffened for a moment before slipping her arm around Omega's shoulders. Omega slid her arms around her waist, hugging her, and Senna felt her shudder.
"What's wrong, Omega?"
Omega took a deep stuttering breath. "When...when Echo came in to tell us what happened, I could sense how shaken he was. He was scared and angry and sad. I talked to him about it later, and he said finding you lying on the floor, barely conscious was the scariest thing that's happened to him in a while. He thought you were dead for a second, and that haunted him for a while."
Senna felt a lump rise in her throat, making a mental note to give Echo a big hug the next time she saw him. One thing she'd always admired about Echo was that he never really treated Omega like a child; he was always upfront and honest with her about his feelings. He'd confided in Senna that he felt treating her with an overabundance of caution wouldn't be fair, and she'd always seemed to know when he was lying or trying to shield her, so in the end, honesty had seemed to be the best way forward, even when it was hard. For once, she wished he'd perhaps been a little less honest with his younger sister.
Giving her padawan another squeeze, she stood, pulling Omega to her feet. "Come on. Let's get back and find the others. We've got planning to do."
Omega's brow furrowed in confusion. "What are we planning?"
Senna grinned at her. "Well, when Rex gets back, I think it might be about time he and I got married. I'm terrible at planning big things like that though, so might need to enlist some help. You in?"
Omega's eyes were practically glowing, her smile threatening to envelop her entire face as she vibrated with excitement.
"ABSOLUTELY."