Rex was waiting, as usual, for his leaders to step off of the gunship when they arrived. He wasn't particularly excited to answer to anyone other than General Skywalker, but unfortunately, he was among the missing, so they didn't have much of a choice. He recognized Commander Dume, although the other two didn't seem familiar. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too hard to work with.
When the cruiser had received word that General Skywalker, along with General Kenobi and several others, had gone missing, they had immediately begun contacting as many sources as they could for possible whereabouts. When they had gotten instructions to get ready to find and rescue them, every single soldier had leaped into action, ready to get their general back. They could deal with a few guest commanders if it meant their general was on the way.
The Padawans were all smiling as they approached the Captain. Caleb spoke since he had met Rex before. "Captain, this is Commander Majal and Commander Daru. They're going to be a part of the retrieval squad for the generals if you don't mind too much."
Rex almost smirked. Dume was one of the friendliest commanders in the Republic, and it showed. He had a feeling it was because of Ahsoka but chose not to mention it. "Our orders didn't specify which base we were heading to, sir. I don't suppose you would happen to know?"
R2-D2, who happened to be rolling by, paused when he saw the Padawans. They weren't usual presences among the 501st. Where was Anakin?
Caleb nodded in response to Rex. "They're being held at the Scarlet Haven base on Lokori."
"Have you heard of it?" Jinx asked, curious.
Rex shrugged. "A few times, but I've never been. If you don't mind my asking, sirs, who is leading the mission this time?"
O-Mer smiled. "Probably her," he answered, pointing back to the gunship, where Ahsoka had come out of her hiding spot. When the clones in the hangar saw her, they all froze still. Some of the shinies were confused, but the veterans could hardly believe it.
One full second of complete silence passed, right before the entire room erupted into euphoric cheers. Rex ran and hugged the ex-commander, and Ahsoka laughed and jumped to meet him. About half a second passed before the hug turned into a 501st group hug. Ahsoka was nearly tackled to the floor, but she just laughed with them and tried to stay in one piece. This was why she loved them: because of their crazy, unwavering loyalty to a person who definitely did not deserve it.
The next ten minutes or so were a whirlwind of blue and white armor. Ahsoka called every clone she had met by name and made sure to learn the names of the people she hadn't met yet. Some of them were over the moon that she hadn't forgotten them, others were astounded at how much she had changed. Many of them commented on how tall she had gotten, and by the end of the reunion, she was scheduled for six arm-wrestling matches, each with different people. After a storm of hugs and a few tears, the crowd finally thinned out enough that Ahsoka could take a breath.
The Padawans, who had fled the stampede of armored men, approached her and Rex, who hadn't left her side. "That was some welcome," Caleb joked, and Ahsoka grinned.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she answered, then looked around. "It's been a while."
"What do you want us to do?" O-Mer asked. "It's your mission."
Ahsoka turned her head. "I never decided that. We never decided that."
O-Mer crossed his arms. "Alright, then. All in favor of Ahsoka leading the mission, raise your hand."
Everyone except Ahsoka, including Rex and a few passersby who were listening in to the conversation, raised their hand.
Ahsoka smiled, grateful for their confidence. "If you're sure, then get word to the bridge. As soon as we get the coordinates for Lokori, punch them in. The sooner we get to Scarlet Haven, the better."
"We'll do the engine checks too," Caleb offered, and Ahsoka smiled. The three ran off towards the hallway, leaving Ahsoka and Rex to themselves. They had some catching up to do.
"Where the hell have you been?" He asked sternly, even though he was more than glad to see her.
Ahsoka smirked as she recalled her story. "Traveling. I moved to Coruscant permanently about three months ago."
"And you didn't bother to stop by?"
"That's not how the Republic works, Rex. You know that better than anyone."
He grinned and gave up trying to be mad with her. Ahsoka was the last person he expected to see come off that gunship, but if Skywalker was down she was the next best leader, all options considered. "Then how come you made it here?"
Ahsoka looked back at the Padawans. "The Jedi decided they needed me to crack open the base, and I said yes."
Rex had to agree with them. He was about to say as much when he noticed the hardened stare as she saw some of the tanks and fighters in the hangar. "Do you miss it?"
"Miss what?"
"Fighting," Rex answered. "I've seen you do it, it's in your blood."
She sighed as she looked down. "Maybe the action, or the adrenaline rush, I miss a little bit. The war, though?" Ahsoka looked back up at Rex. "Not for a second."
The born and bred soldier understood perfectly. Fighting was an action, but war meant losing the people standing beside you. War meant doubting your morals. War meant sacrifice, war meant pain, war meant loss. It had taken him a while too, but the captain and the commander that had met on Christophsis, both of whom had been shiny and naive, now had the battle scars to prove that war was a murderer.
"Why did you agree to come, then?"
"Other than to see you, you mean?"
Rex smiled, and Ahsoka grinned before she went on.
"This base, Scarlet Haven, it's horrible. I saw it a while ago, Rex. It's slavery, really, that's all it is. If I have a chance to help the prisoners and wipe it out for good, I'm willing to take it."
He nodded. He had served under her and Anakin long enough to know that slavery was not tolerated in the 501st Legion.
Rex was about to respond when R2-D2 came rolling up, chirping and beeping for Ahsoka. She smiled as she recognized the daredevil droid, and knelt down to him.
"Artoo!" She laughed, to which he immediately started complaining about how long she had been gone.
"It's been crazy, buddy," she tried to explain, "not everything went as I hoped it would."
He whistled and turned his head so his projector was facing beside her. He replayed the clip from when Ahsoka got tackled by about fifty-some grown men in full body armor. Rex and Ahsoka laughed as she stumbled backward in the clip.
Ahsoka rested a hand on his metal body. "At least I know not everything has changed, don't I?"
Artoo agreed with her, then let out a sad whistle and looked at her.
"Yeah, I know, I've missed you too," she assured him, and she gave him a quick hug. Artoo couldn't stay long, though, because he had his own work to do. He rolled away, chirping happily and spreading the news as much as he could.
"He's not the only one," Rex told her, kneeling down next to her. "You left us hanging there for a while, Commander."
Ahsoka sighed. "I know, Captain, but you know I'm not a commander anymore. I don't work for the Republic, I'm not a Jedi. This is just temporary, civilians don't hold a rank."
"In my book, experience outranks everything," he reminded her, and she looked up at him.
The last time Ahsoka had heard that it was because she had immaturely assumed that her Padawan status earned rank on its own. Back then, she didn't understand the concept of respect, or humility, or sacrifice. Back then, Rex was teaching her that she didn't know a thing about war yet.
Now, Rex was saying that she did. He acknowledged that she was a commander, not because of what some Jedi or politicians had said, but because of her growth and her history. She had earned the rank now, even when it was no longer being handed to her.
Ahsoka leaned up against Rex, grateful that she was able to call someone like him her friend. He wrapped an arm around the Togruta, reminding her that he was going to stand by her no matter where they went, and he knew that no matter what they faced, she was going to protect him and lead him forward, along with all of his brothers and anyone else that would follow her. This wasn't a clone trooper and a Padawan anymore, or even a soldier and a civilian. This was a brother and a sister in arms, for better or for worse.