Chapter 25 - ch22 part 1

Chapter 22: Reunions, Meet Ups, and ConfrontationsNotes:The working title for this chapter was originally Obes Kenobes Goes Apeshit. So, you have that to look forward to ;)

And happy birthday to AnotherInternetUser, who puts up with my nonsense by occasionally reading bits and pieces of my drafts to make sure everything looks okay while hyping me up and acting as my own personal Wookiepedia! I added extra cuddles, just for you.

Also, little note, I'm coding Tech as Autistic. Please note that everyone on the spectrum experiences things differently. This is based off of my experiences and not representative of the Autistic community as a whole.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextWaking up in the med bay on The Negotiator had been a downright dream compared to what Rex had to deal with on Mian's ship of spare parts. For one, there weren't a bunch of tubes down his throat. And, for another, he had been properly submerged in bacta, not pumped full of it like Kix was trying to fill up a water balloon. He had plenty of painkillers coursing through his body and he was lying on an actual bed, not whatever metal slab Kix had dug out of the garbage pit.

So, when he woke up, he felt as good as new. Better than new. He felt like he could fight a god!

Don't tell Cody.

He was still mad about the whole 'going MIA' thing. Even though it wasn't Rex's fault. Besides, where would he even find a god to fight?

Rex pushed all thoughts of god fighting out of his head and focused on recovering. The time he had spent on The Negotiator was possibly as close to a vacation as he had ever gotten. He wasn't required to fill out any flimsiwork. Corralling rowdy, stir-crazy brothers and trying to find activities to do wasn't his problem. He didn't even have to train or anything. Though, by the third day, he was itching to lift some weights or something. Rex was still a trooper designed to fight. He got stir crazy too and without any annoying brothers to keep track of, he was starting to get fidgety as well.

He tried his best to relax and enjoy the break. After he got back to the 501st, he'd have to return to normal duties and go back to fighting in the war. He could handle one week of rest and relaxation.

Though, apparently, Palpatine had tried to recall Rex and the rest of the team back to Coruscant for a post-mission debrief.

General Kenobi sent him one word in response:

DENIED

Rex was extremely salty when he came out of the bacta and heard about that. He would have paid good money to see Kenobi's face when he read that request. And even more money to see the stroke Cody had when he sent that response.

Thankfully, the Corries had gotten a video of Palpatine reading the response.

It.

Was.

Glorious.

Rex had never been so convinced that spontaneous human combustion was a possibility until he had watched that video. Palpatine gripped the datapad so hard, it cracked under his hands.

For such a fragile old man, he certainly had good grip strength.

The video had been spread around the GAR in a matter of minutes and turned into a trooper meme.

Caption: When your Jedi General shows up with a pint-sized Jedi Commander who thinks a tube top is perfectly acceptable to wear in the middle of a war. 

Caption: When your Jedi General loses his lightsaber in a duel with Dooku and you have to dig it out of a mud pit for the eighth time this week

Caption: When your Jedi General decides to touch a mystical artifact after you repeatedly told her not to for 'science' and 'research' purposes and now there are ghosts chilling on your ship

So many good ones on there.

Cody requested that is stay off the neverd network and away from the natborn officers. The Padawans would probably get a kick out of it. Most of the Jedi Generals would find it amusing. The rest of the natborns were… not worth the risk.

The troopers seemed to agree and it hadn't made its way into the hands of the natborns.

Yet.

It was interesting to watch General Kenobi, though. It seemed as though the man had hit his breaking point with how inept the senate was at handling the war and the troops. Now he didn't give a shit. Now he was stubborn. Now Rex understood why Seventeen had given Cody a nearly five-hour debrief on how to handle the man who (at the time) seemed like the perfect Jedi and General.

Serene. Intelligent. A poster child of self-control and acceptance.

Yeah, that was a fucking lie and Rex was having to rethink everything he knew about the man. Perhaps Anakin "I've never changed my mind in my entire goddamn life" Skywalker was not the more stubborn and feral of the two. He supposed the guy had to get it from somewhere.

But, all times of peace must come to an end. The Negotiator was due to meet up with The Resolute in about ten hours.

Finally, Rex would be able to see Ahsoka. Finally, he'd be able to hug her tightly and tell her that none of this was her fault. He'd tell her that he never meant for this to happen. He'd never leave her again.

Cody had let Rex borrow his datapad to catch up on messages. The messages Ahsoka had sent broke him.

That 'ori'vod' at the very end had him sitting in a dark room, staring at a blank wall, for over an hour. She had never called him that out loud before. Sure, he knew how she felt about him. But, whether it was because of the war or the Jedi or even just Ahsoka being Ahsoka, she had always kept Rex at arms' distance. Referring to him as a friend and not a brother.

She must have been so scared if she was willing to reveal something she had previously kept so close to her chest.

He messaged her.

She messaged back.

She seemed happy, if not a little reserved. A little clipped.

Maybe it was just the chatlogs that were causing that. After all, how does one convey the sheer, overwhelming relief she must have been feeling through a few short sentences and some emojis?

Ten hours. Just ten hours and he could see her and hug her.

Of course, it would be nice if the only thing Rex had to think about was Ahsoka's feelings and General Kenobi possibly gearing up to fistfight the chancellor.

The chips weighed heavily on his mind. Even when he was trying not to think about them, they always called back to him.

Why were they in his head?

Why did the Kaminoans go to such lengths to hide them?

Who ordered them?

Did the Jedi know about them? The Senate?

Was Kix right and could they be used to control Rex? To completely wipe away his free will and force him to do heinous acts like murdering an unarmed man in custody?

He let Echo take charge of contacting Tech and figuring out a way to hand off the chip and do a debrief. The chip itself, preserved in the vial from Mian's ship, was also with him. It was too dangerous to keep it on Rex's person since he was the captain. Palpatine could pull him back to Coruscant at any point for a mission debrief, even if Kenobi was doing a good job at preventing that at the moment. Echo was less likely to be pulled.

And then, because Rex's life just had to be more complicated, Cody pulled him aside. He explained to Rex that they were working on getting unregulated datapads to a select few members of command so that something like this didn't happen again. Rex was supposed to get one when he was on Coruscant but had been shipped off before Fox could get to him.

"Probably a good thing I didn't have one on me," Rex said softly in one of the blind spots on the ship. Turns out, there were more of them than Rex realized, but most were not comfortable and could only be accessed during certain times of the day.

He examined Cody's unregulated pad. It, from far away, looked just like the GAR-issued ones. But the symbol was a bit off and it was missing a few words. Also, Cody's chatlogs didn't have his number or rank, only his name. It would have been obvious to Tarkin what these were.

"Rex—"

"He took everything from me, Codes," Rex said, handing him back the datapad. "My comms, my datapad, everything I could use to contact anyone. If I had handed that over, the game would have been up. And all of you would have been found out. We're talking mass decommissioning. Not even Kenobi can get you out of that. This is treason!"

Cody's jaw tightened. "You're probably right. No. You are right. You're right. I still hate that we couldn't get to you in time."

"I know, vod. Fox did his best. Tarkin and Palpatine were just a little too fast. But we're fine. We survived."

Cody gave him a flat look. "Speaking of surviving, how about you tell me what you need a month to research?"

Rex glanced around. He still wasn't sure how secure this area was. "Cody—"

"None of that now, Rex. Either you tell me, or I call this whole thing off and drag you to Kenobi so he can mind trick it out of you. I'm sick and tired of everyone running their own investigations. We have got to start coordinating. What did you find?"

Rex sighed. There was no way around it. Cody could be just as stubborn as Rex could, if not more so.

"Tarkin said that the leak, the one that almost got Ahsoka killed by Bane, was a Jedi. We were supposed to go to some coordinates and do… something. I never could get an answer as to what we were supposed to be doing or looking for. He just kept calling me stupid."

Cody's eyes narrowed. "Who's the Jedi?"

"Don't know. Don't even know gender or species. It's fake, Cody. It's all fake. Our ship was sabotaged so that we'd crash on that moon and never be found. The only reason we were was that Mian took off minutes, maybe seconds after we did, and was alerted that we crashed."

"Something tells me that's not what you're researching, though."

Rex swallowed. "There are chips. In our heads."

Cody's eyes widened.

"Kix says that the kind they are, are similar to chips that can control the brain for things like depression. But, the Kaminoans went out of their way to hide it. We're trying to figure out what they do and who knows about them."

He cursed under his breath. "Chips? Seriously?"

Rex shrugged. "Yup. It's in me, Fives, Echo, Hardcase, Kix, and even Fox's Shiny. He wasn't supposed to be there."

"So Palpatine wasn't targeting people specifically with these chips, which means it's likely in all of us," Cody said, painting the picture that Rex had realized when Kix first found the chips.

"There's more," Rex said.

"Of course there is. Why wouldn't we end with 'there are chips in our heads that can possibly control us'?"

"The shiny, Robin, do you know what happened?"

"Not really. Fox just said he killed Bane and needed transport off Coruscant before he was decommed. Before I could get much more information, you were sent to your death."

He winced. "Sorry about that. But we were talking to him. He said he had blacked out when he killed Bane. A voice told him to do it and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Kix doesn't think he was suffering from a psychotic break or anything. And the kid looked rough. I believed him when he said he didn't want to do it. And Fox must have believed him too—"

"Otherwise he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of smuggling him off Coruscant," Cody finished. "And if it was caused by the chips, they're already being used to control us."

Rex nodded. While he was hesitant at first to bring Cody into the loop, he couldn't help but feel relieved now that he had done it. It was another person to bounce ideas off of and determine plans of action.

"We think Fox might be aware of them blacking out. He didn't seem surprised when Robin blacked out, after all.

Cody cursed again. "Well, that certainly would have been nice to know. His troopers randomly blacking out, after all."

"Something tells me that he's not all there because of lack of sleep," Rex said.

"Yeah, we've got on him about that. He needs a solid four hours a night if he's going to keep helping us. I told him to let some things slide for now. We need him at his best."

"Right." There was something bugging him about the way Cody spoke. "Are you going to tell me what you're planning on doing?" Might as well cut straight to the point, since they were sharing each other's treason projects and all. The datapads could not be everything. It was too complex just for a way to bitch about command without being watched.

Cody flinched and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't think you want to know."

Rex crossed his arms and gave Cody his best impression of a very unimpressed Alpha-17. He had gotten much better at it since Echo and Fives had joined.

"Don't even think about it, vod. I told you about the chips. You tell me what the hell you're up to."

"I don't want you to get involved."

"Palpatine tried to kill me. I'm pretty fucking involved at this point. And he's not going to stop just because we managed to come out of his last trap alive."

He sighed. "We're going to kill Palpatine," he said simply; as if he were discussing the weather.

Rex regretted pushing him for details. His heart may have stopped. And he may have aged about ten years.

"What?" He hissed. "What do you mean you're going to kill the chancellor?"

Cody ran a hand down his face; looking so tired and old, worn down by all that this war asked of him.

"Exactly that. We're going to assassinate him. Or pay someone to do it. I don't know. Wolffe and Fox are hammering out the details."

Rex continued to stare at him. Maybe he wasn't alive. Maybe he had died in that crash and this was some weird fever dream before he went marching on. His brother, his ori'vod, his rule-following older brother would never jump straight to killing the chancellor. He had to be a fake. A hallucination.

Cody looked at him. "He's already tried to kill Ahsoka and now he's tried to kill you. There are chips in our heads- which, granted, I didn't know about when I made the decision. He's gaining more and more power with every emergency act. He's got the Jedi Council so enmeshed in the bureaucracy they're practically his slaves and the corruption runs deep."

"What happened to trying to dig up dirt on him?"

He shrugged. "It's taking too long. We can't wait anymore. He's more powerful than anyone is willing to admit and he needs to be stopped. To be honest, Rex'ika, even if we did show up with hard proof that he was corrupt and evil, I'm not sure anyone has the power to stop him legally."

"Cody, are you insane? This is the Chancellor of the Republic we're talking about. Not some random senator. What's going to happen when we kill him? To the government? To the war? The Separatists aren't just going to go away because he's gone."

"Which is why we're not rushing to kill him immediately," Cody said, gritting his teeth. "I'm giving you a month to figure out these chips. And for Wolffe, Fox, and I, we're going to be taking our time with this. We need to consider every angle. If we do find proof of wrongdoing, then we'll bring in someone else. For now, we keep this with the vod'e. No Jedi. No senators. No natborns."

"Why not get Kenobi involved? He doesn't like the man and having the Jedi on our side can help," Rex said. He wasn't sure how he felt about Cody acting without orders. It made him feel like he was freefalling with no jetpack to catch him. His older brother was usually more conservative than this. For him to act so far removed from what was expected was throwing Rex through a lot of loops.

"No. I trust him, but the Jedi are in a weird place when it comes to the Chancellor and the Senate. They're controlled by them. Whether they want to admit it or not."

"We're controlled by them too." Rex pointed out.

"Yes, and we're willing to admit that," Cody replied. I'm not sure the Jedi are willing to admit that. And with these chips, I don't know if I trust them. A Jedi was the one who ordered the army. Who's to say a Jedi also isn't the one forcing us to act against our will."

He… He had a point. They didn't know who was on the other end of these orders. While he was fairly certain it wasn't the Jedi Order as a whole, it could be individuals. Every organization has corrupt individuals.

"Besides," Cody continued, "they might suggest we go and arrest the man. But he's powerful. Powerful men don't get arrested and go quietly to jail. We cannot give him a chance to unleash his full power. Not anymore. He's blinded by his bloodlust and addiction to power. If we want this done, we need to get rid of him ourselves. We'll figure out what to do with the government too so that we're not thrown into chaos."

Of course, Cody was right. He was always right. A fact that infuriated Rex even after all this time. Palpatine was not the type to go quietly into the night. If they caught him, he'd try to wreak as much havoc as possible. Like a child destroying a toy so that no other kid could play with it. How anyone was fooled by his kind grandfather act was beyond Rex. The man was cruel, greedy, and selfish. He always had been and would always be.

He sighed. "Alright, ori'vod. I trust that you know what you're doing."

Cody clapped him on the back. "Always."

A timer sounded. They needed to get out of the blind spot before it was flagged and they were found. Rex stepped out first, followed a few seconds later by Cody.

It was pretty late in the night cycle and Rex was supposed to be resting. He could go to the temporary barracks the rest of his men were sleeping in.

He didn't want to. He was drained. Tired. Overwhelmed. Stressed out. And had just been told that his older brother was not just committing treason, but was trying to overthrow a government, no matter how Cody framed it. If he went back to where Fives and the others were, he'd be expected to be the Captain. The Leader. The one in charge and with all the answers. The older brother. He was tired of being an older brother.

There were so many decisions to make and lives resting on his shoulders. He didn't want that responsibility. Just for a bit.

Cody took one look at him and sighed dramatically. "Fine. You can stay with me for the night," he said, tossing an arm around Rex's shoulders and leading him to his room. As Marshal Commander, he got a private room with the rest of the high-ranking officers. Rex knew that General Kenobi was a few doors down.

Cody's room was neat but well-lived in. There was a soft orange knitted blanket on the bed with a red sunrise (or sunset?). He had a small box of tea bags on his desk, which were definitely for General Kenobi because Cody once described tea as 'gross hot leaf juice'. There wasn't much in the way of decorations, just a few photos hung neatly on the walls. A handful of Ghost; a picture of Cody with the rest of his batchmates, a photo taken the day Rex was promoted to Captain, and one of him and General Kenobi passed out on each other in a mud pit at the end of a campaign.

"Thanks, ori'vod," Rex said as he shuffled in and began taking off his armor.

"You're getting too old for this, you know," Cody said. He stacked his armor neatly in the corner.

"You always say that."

"Because it's always true."

"Then kick me out." Rex pulled back the quilt to crawl under the blankets.

"Can't. You'll bitch about it to Bly. Then Bly will call me and ask why I'm being mean. And somehow Kenobi will hear about it and ask why I'm being mean. And then Ahsoka will hear about it and ask why I'm being mean." Cody collapsed on the bed, only partially squishing Rex in revenge.

"You are mean. That's not my fault."

"I'm not mean," Cody grumbled, pulling Rex to his chest just like he did when they were cadets and he was scared of the storms.

"Very mean," Rex affirmed.

Cody just huffed and squeezed him a little tighter. "I'm glad you're okay, Rex."

"Me too." Rex let his eyes slip closed.

He could feel Cody's heartbeat against his ear. A steady thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump. His brother's warm arms were wrapped tightly around his shoulders, protecting him from whatever Rex was afraid of.

His mind was quiet for the first time since Ahsoka had been shot and he finally fell into a restful sleep.

*****

Tech was not used to regs contacting him out of the blue. In fact, Tech was not used to regs contacting him at all. The one exception, of course, was Echo.

Approximately 9 months ago, an ARC trooper had gotten ahold of his comm code asking for help. Tech, figuring it was a prank, ignored it. There was no reason for a reg to contact him unless they were working together on a mission. Based on his research, this 'Echo' person was not going to be joining them.

But, Echo was persistent.

Echo: I hear you're great with tech stuff (it is your name). Any interest in helping me run a holosite? It's for Creche to Command. 

Ignored.

Echo: Hey, how do you change the background of a holosite? I don't like that it's white and I want to get Ahsoka's markings like… IDK? Embedded into the background? Is that a thing you can do? 

Ignored.

Echo: So if I wanted to have a playlist of videos, does that need to be its own separate site or can I use the same site? 

Ignored.

Echo: Alright, there's some sick fucks that are commenting on some of the padwans (who are all cadets) any way I can track down where these guys are and… um… not punch them in the face?

That was the one that got Tech's attention and he finally responded. He did not think Echo would make up something so heinous just to mess with him. And he hadn't.

After messaging back and forth for a bit, Tech tracked down the people commenting truly sickening and atrocious things on some of the padawans that appeared on the site. And then sent Wrecker, Hunter, and Crosshair to "talk" to them. Crosshair enjoyed the target practice.

After that, it became easy to message back and forth with Echo, helping him figure out some of the more technical aspects of running a holonet site. It was fun for Tech as well. He could be creative in a way that wasn't usually allowed by their missions.

Throughout their back-and-forth chatter, he had grown somewhat of a friendship with Echo. He wasn't sure if one could call it a friendship. They had never met in person as far as he was aware and they just talked over the chatlogs. But, Tech didn't have a lot of friends so he was willing to call what he had with Echo a friendship, even if it wasn't as personal as one would normally require for that sort of relationship. Echo wasn't bad, as far as regs went. And, he seemed to have no issues with some of Tech's… eccentricities, as Ninety-nine called them. 

Echo didn't tell Tech to shut up when he started rambling. He didn't mock his sometimes long-winded and complicated explanations. He asked questions about his interests, no matter how weird or esoteric they might be. And was generally a pleasant companion to have. 

When he had heard about Echo's status of MIA, and then KIA, he had been surprised by the intensity of his feelings. Again, he had thought his and Echo's relationship was one of colleagues who were also friends. Not quite the same depth of emotion he shared with the rest of the Bad Batch, but perhaps more friendly than an acquaintance. 

If that were the case, why then did it feel like someone had punched a hole through his chest? 

He had thought about reaching out to Jesse and Ahsoka, two people who were closest to Echo. For what reason, he was unsure. Perhaps to offer his condolences. Perhaps to discuss Echo when he was alive. Perhaps to not feel so alone as he felt his heart get ripped to pieces and his lungs refuse to fill with air. 

It wasn't that the rest of his brothers didn't understand Tech's feelings towards the loss of Echo, but they didn't know him like Tech did. They didn't have the same relationship. They were sad, but not deeply so. 

How could Tech talk about his friend with people who didn't know him? And would they even want to hear about it? Why should they care that Echo was gone? 

He could not come up with an answer. This was the first time in their lives Tech had something outside of the group. He was not sure how to navigate it. Perhaps that was something he should have thought about before his friend died in the line of duty. It was too late now. 

He mourned alone so as not to bother his brothers.

He did not contact Ahsoka or Jesse to speak with them about Echo. They didn't know him, after all.

It was fine. 

He was a logical person. He could logic through his feelings. He could read various books and research materials on the matter of grief and how to deal with it. 

Suggestion One: Reach out to friends and family, people in your support network, to help support you in this difficult time. 

Alright, maybe the materials weren't that helpful. He had already determined that he had no one in his support network to help him with this. 

Suggestion Two: Talk to a therapist, particularly one that specializes in grief. 

Also not going to happen. He wasn't sure the Kaminoans knew what a 'therapist' was. 

General Ti did pull him aside one day for tea and to ask how he was dealing with things. He was very proud of himself for not crying and telling her that Echo was a soldier. Dying was a risk all soldiers took. 

She seemed so sad when he said this. He didn't understand why. Surely, as a Jedi, she knew that sometimes, things happened and you couldn't do anything to stop it. Death comes for all eventually. 

He thanked her for the tea and then rushed out of the room to the empty bowels of Tipoca City. He sat there for hours; hand pressed to his mouth, rocking slightly on the floor as he tried to get his emotions to follow logic. They refused. 

Crosshair found him after about three hours. He scoffed, hauled Tech up to his feet, and frog-marched him back to their barracks. He stripped Tech of his armor, shoved him onto Wrecker's bed (and Wrecker himself, who did not seem to mind Tech's sudden presence), and then shoved his way behind Tech so that he was pinned between his two brothers. It felt nice, the weight of their bodies pinning him. Not so much that it was crushing him. Just enough so that he felt grounded. The knot in his chest loosened just a bit. He did not cry. For that, he was proud of himself. 

In the end, he hadn't had a chance to reach out to Jesse or Ahsoka to talk about Echo. Because Echo had, somehow, miraculously survived whatever had tried to kill him. 

When he first heard the news over the comm chatter, coming from Commander Cody's battalion, that they were on their way to pick up Captain Rex and Echo's wayward squad, he didn't believe it. How could he? Miracles were wasted on clones, as their trainers and the Kaminoans so gracefully reminded them day in and day out. They were expendable and replaceable. So why would the universe waste its energy on keeping them alive? 

Then he had heard General Kenobi himself went to pick up Captain Rex, Echo, and the others. General Ti pulled him aside and told him the news herself. It was true. Echo was still alive and the universe decided to give the clones one miracle. Perhaps the only time it had done so. Not that Tech believed in miracles. There was a reasonable explanation for everything. One simply had to ask the right questions to find the right answers. 

Once it was confirmed that, no, this was not a joke, and yes, Echo was alive and well, there had been an overwhelming emotion in his body. It had to get out somehow. The Kaminoans didn't like it when Tech let out the excess emotion in front of people. 

So, once more, he found himself practically sprinting to the lower levels of Tipoca City. The levels there were mostly populated with droids. Once alone, he let out a screech and flailed his arms. The emotions had to go somewhere. 

And there were a lot of emotions. Happy and sad. All mixed together. Mostly happiness, though. 

After about an hour of bouncing off the walls, flexing and stretching his body, wiggling his fingers, and clapping his hands, he felt better. He walked back to his barracks with a bounce in his step and a small smile on his face. 

Wrecker, hearing the good news, swept Tech up into a big hug when he returned. He sobbed on his shoulder and got sticky snot all over his neck, saying how happy he was that Tech's friend had survived. It was endearing. Gross, but endearing. Tech would take a shower later. 

Hunter also gave his congratulations for Echo's survival with a pat on Tech's shoulder. Even Crosshair said he was happy for him, in his own weird, Crosshair way that seemed more of an insult than a genuine compliment. Tech had grown up with him, though. He could tell the difference. And it was nice to know that even though his brothers didn't know Echo, they still supported Tech. Perhaps next time he wouldn't try so hard to hide his emotions. Then again, he was hoping there wasn't a next time. 

He wanted to reach out to Echo immediately and ask how he was doing, but he also didn't want it to be weird. After all, maybe Echo didn't feel the same way about him as Tech did. Echo had lots of brothers who cared about him. He didn't need Tech to be anything more than a work colleague. Tech wasn't sure how to go about determining that. He had been told many times that he didn't 'get' people or how regular social interactions were supposed to go. Which was saying something considering none of the troopers had what could be considered healthy social skills. Except for maybe Commander Wolffe. He had heard stories. 

Thankfully, he didn't have to think about it long as Echo actually messaged him first. 

Echo: Hey, Tech, how's it going? 

Tech allowed himself one little wiggle of happiness before clamping down on it. There were no trainers of Kaminoans on the Maurader, but years of 'lessons' weren't easy to ignore. 

Tech: I am quite well. Congratulations on not dying. 

Was that callous? Or weird? Did he just make this weird? 

Despite having unlimited access to the wealth of knowledge throughout the galaxy; endless books and articles and holosites, no one source seemed to agree on how to interact with one's peers. There was certainly no article on how to speak to someone after they went missing, were presumed dead, and then showed back up. Furthermore, it was hard to tell when he offended someone unless they said so outright (or tried to punch him in the face). So, he had no idea how to quantify his interactions in a way that would allow for improvement. 

Echo: Ha! Thanks. I think you're the first person to congratulate us. Commander Cody just keeps threatening to kill the Captain if he ever does something like that again. 

Okay, that was promising. It didn't sound like Echo was offended by his words. He even indicated that he laughed at Tech's statement. 

Echo: Actually, it's been a while since we've had a chance to catch up. And I don't know what Jesse was doing to the C2C site but it's a mess. You should stop by the Resolute next week for your restock. Don't let the others sit in on it, though. I still haven't forgiven Hunter and Crosshair for last time and Wrecker is too loud. 

Tech adjusted his goggles and reread the message a few more times, confused. They weren't due for a restock next week. Even if they were, how would Echo know? And, as far as he was aware, Crosshair and Hunter had never done anything to Echo to warrant forgiveness. He also hadn't met anyone in person yet so he didn't know how loud Wrecker could be. An accurate statement, to be sure, but one he did not have first-hand experience in. 

A coded message, then? "I need to talk to you and you alone. Don't tell the others." 

How odd. Echo disappears on a top-secret mission that is so buried that even Tech couldn't find any indication as to what he was supposed to be doing. He's declared KIA after only a few days despite that being against regulation. Then, he miraculously reappears a few days later and requests to talk to Tech and Tech alone. Something was up. He wondered if it had anything to do with Commander Cody, Commander Wolffe, and Commander Fox's mission to give all commanders unregulated datapads. 

He glanced at his brothers, milling about on the Marauder as they waited for their next mission; not wanting to go home to Kamino quite yet. 

"Everything alright, Tech?" Hunter asked. Of course, he'd be the one to realize something was up. 

Tech looked back down at the message. Echo didn't have access to an unregulated datapad, and they needed to get the Captain one anyway. Perhaps that would be enough reason and Hunter wouldn't ask questions. 

"Do we have an upcoming mission in the next week?" 

"Not that I know of. Why?" Hunter asked, twirling his blade in his fingers. One of these days, that blade was going to slip and cut something. 

"Then I request we restock on The Resolute." 

"Why'd you want to go to The Resolute?" Wrecker asked. 

Tech winced. He never was very good at lying. And he was starting to doubt his abilities to convince Hunter that it was purely to hand Captain Rex a datapad. Especially when, for most other commanders, it was getting slipped in with supplies by the quartermaster so Tech didn't have to show up personally. 

"He wants to see Echo, you idiot," Crosshair grunted from where he had been trying to sleep on the bunk.

"Oh," Wrecker said, nodding. "That's a good idea. You were really sad when he went missing." 

Tech relaxed slightly. At least when he disappeared with Echo upon meeting up, it wouldn't be suspicious. "Yes. It is fine if we do not go. I understand we have other missions—" 

"It's fine," Hunter said, waving a hand at him. "They can wait a day or two." 

"Thank you." He was relieved. He tried to tell himself it was simply because Hunter had not asked for more information. He knew that was not the whole truth. 

It felt wrong to lie to them, to leave them out of the loop. They always did things as a team. But, the fact that Echo seemed desperate to talk to him and him alone, in person, after everything that had happened, that was something worth investigating and taking very seriously. 

As he punched in the flight path to where The Resolute was currently stationed, he messaged Echo back. 

Tech: Of course, I shall be there tomorrow. 

Echo: Excellent! I'll be happy to see you in person. You can even meet Fives!

Tech wrinkled his nose. He had heard enough about Fives to know he was chaotic. But, if he could handle Wrecker, Hunter, and Crosshair, he could handle Echo's twin. 

Tech: I look forward to it. 

Echo: I can hear the sarcasm from here, vod. 

*****

Ahsoka shifted from foot to foot. She wanted to pace across the bay until the ship arrived, but that wouldn't be what a proper Jedi did. Proper Jedi didn't pace. They didn't bite their lips or rub at their arms; eyes darting across the room in anticipation. They were calm. Collected. In control of their emotions. Rex was going to be here in a few short minutes. She'd finally see him again after he went missing. She should be happy. Excited. Ecstatic even. Instead, she felt twitchy. She tried to release these feelings into the Force like she had been taught. They didn't release.

They seemed stuck to her. And all she could do was shift from foot to foot and wiggle her toes in her boots. Anakin didn't even seem nervous! And Anakin had all the emotions all the time.

"They're okay, snips," Anakin said from his place beside her. He looked down with a soft smile on his face and an even softer look in his eyes. "No permanent injuries and all in one piece. Obi-Wan promised."

Ever since Master Obi-Wan had called them to give them the good news, he had been much calmer. Much more in control. She still wasn't happy that he ran off on his own to try and find Rex and the others. He left Ahsoka with Master Windu (she could never tell if he was glaring at her or not) for the bulk of the campaign. Master Windu was upset. She could feel it in the Force even if the man himself gave no outward indication that was the case. He passed Ahsoka off to Commander Ponds to work the battle from the air while Master Windu dealt with the ground forces. They had squeaked out a win when Anakin came back and helped them out at the last minute. Ahsoka had been standing outside his door when Master Obi-Wan and Master Windu both took turns arguing with Anakin about his reckless behavior. Ponds found her and pulled her away, sharing stories of him and his batchmates and the trouble they got into on Kamino. Well, as much trouble as one could get into when one was being constantly watched and the threat of decommissioning hung over every cadet's head. His stories didn't help as much as he probably wanted them to.

She crossed her arms. Then became very aware that they were crossed and uncrossed them. Then became very aware that they were hanging at her side feeling funny. So, she crossed them again. 

"I know. I know. It's just…" Just what? Just that she and Rex had a huge argument before he left on his mission? Just that she felt guilty that she had been so angry with him last they talked? Just that she ignored his messages like a child? Just what?

Anakin rested a hand on top of her head. "They're okay," he said once more. "And they'll be happy to see you."

Of course.

Of course, they would. She knew that.

She and Rex had messaged a few times when he had access to Commander Cody's datapad. He assured her it wasn't her fault and he wasn't mad at her or anything. But was he saying that to be nice? Or did he actually mean it?

Jesse said that it wasn't her fault either. She couldn't have known that Rex was going to go MIA. And, even if she had, it wasn't like her ignoring his messages caused it.

It made sense.

Logically, she knew that everything everyone was saying was true.

She still felt like a horrible person. All he wanted to do was look out for her and protect her. He had been scared when she got shot. He was trying to keep her safe the only way he knew how. The only way he could. And how did she repay him? By arguing with him and ignoring him.

She was a terrible person.

Someone announced that the ship was approaching. Ahsoka sucked in a breath.

She could do this. She was a good Jedi. She wouldn't break down in tears or throw herself at Rex. She didn't know what their relationship would be like after all this time. After all, it felt like she had changed so much in just the month and a half since she last saw him.

Had it really been that long?

That short?

Time lost a lot of meaning when you were in the middle of a war.

The ship landed without much fanfare and out popped Rex, Fives, Echo, Hardcase, Tup, and Kix. Master Obi-Wan and Commander Cody followed behind them.

Anakin was right. They were all alive and in one piece. She couldn't even see the bruises on their faces. They were all walking without limps or pinched, pained expressions. Fives and Echo were even playfully shoving one another. It was like they had never left. However, the one indication that something was different was the fact that none of their armor had been painted. Apparently, that hadn't been recovered in the crash so they looked like shinies once more.

"General," Rex said as he stopped in front of them, giving Anakin a salute. "Commander." He smiled softly at Ahsoka.

Something in her chest seized. She tried to breathe through it and release it into the force; untangling the emotion like one would untangle a ball of yarn. It kind of worked. She didn't cry, at the very least.

"Good to have you back, Captain. You were sorely missed," Anakin said.

"What the hell are you wearing, kid?" Fives asked. He swooped down to get a look at Ahsoka's new shirt and dodged an elbow Echo sent his way in the process.

"Oh, Wolffe gave it to me. It's got a few hidden knives in it," she said. She looked down and picked at the fabric. "Apparently this is blaster-resistant fabric."

Rex's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing. "How many knives?"

"Just two. In the shirt."

He crossed his arms and looked down at her. "Uh-huh. And how many are not in the shirt."

"Just one. In my boot."

Anakin looked offended. "Hang on. How come I didn't know about all the hidden knives?"

"You never asked," Ahsoka replied, trying to sound cheerful and playful. Like her heart hadn't been ripping itself to pieces ever since she had read about Rex's disappearance. "Besides, Barriss got more."

"Of course, Offee got more. Gree's crazy," Rex grumbled.

Master Obi-Wan stepped forward. "May I, my dear?" he said, holding out his hands.

Ahsoka nodded and pulled out the one in her boot.

He took it, brow furrowing slightly. "This is pure beskar. How in the galaxy did Commander Wolffe manage to get this?"

Ahsoka winced. She didn't want to get Wolffe in trouble.

Master Obi-Wan seemed to sense her hesitation. "We are not at war with the Mandalorians. So long as Wolffe didn't steal this, I have no problem with him talking with one." He held the knife to the light, still examining it thoroughly.

"He didn't," Ahsoka said quickly. "He said she gave it to him."

Rex made a face and there was a flash of exasperation from Cody.

"He also said she tried to give him her vambraces, but he said they wouldn't fit me."

Master Obi-Wan froze, his eyes widened and he handed the sword back to her. "I think I need to call Commander Wolffe after we leave here."

"Sir?" Cody asked.

"Nothing to worry about. Just need a bit of a culture lesson that's all." He cleared his throat. "The knife is long enough. You should be able to use Jar'Kai with it. Are you familiar with that form?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "I know Ventress uses that form though." She wasn't sure how to feel about using the same form as a dark sider.

"Anakin's proficient enough at the form. He can help train you. And I've had experience as well."

Ahsoka smiled. "Thank you, Master Obi-Wan. I look forward to learning." She bowed.

"Hang on! Where are my hidden knives?" Anakin said.

"Wolffe doesn't like you enough to give you hidden knives, sir," Rex said.

He huffed dramatically. "Do you like me enough to give me hidden knives?"

Rex didn't respond.

"Rex? You okay, buddy?" Anakin asked.

He blinked rapidly. "Sorry, sir. Your life was flashing before my eyes."

"Ugh, you know I'm a capable Jedi."

"Yes, sir. I'm sure."

"Very capable! Capable with many knives."

"Of course, sir."

"Probably a good thing you don't have any hidden knives," Master Obi-Wan said. His eyes crinkled just slightly. "Do you remember that time on Scarif?"

Anakin turned bright red. "Can't seem to recall." His voice squeaked out.

Master Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Ah, I remember now." He snapped his fingers and grinned.

"Master, please!"

"That lovely young lady gave you a ceremonial knife as thanks for helping defend her home."

"I'm begging you. I will do anything you ask of me."

"And then you promptly fumbled it whilst trying to impress her, almost cutting off your hand in the process."

Around them, everyone snickered. Everyone except for Cody, who stood like the perfect soldier. The only crack in his façade was the amusement Ahsoka could feel in the force.

Anakin buried his head in his hands, groaning. "Why do you hate me?"

Master Obi-Wan smiled more openly. "I don't hate you, my dear padawan. All I'm saying is that you're very lucky you only have one prosthetic limb."

"And you still gave him a lightsaber after that, sir?" Cody said.

Master Obi-Wan hummed. "Perhaps not one of my finest decisions, I'll admit. But he has yet to cut off any limbs so I think we're fine."

Anakin threw his hands in hands in the air with a huff. "You know what? I don't have to take this! I'm going to go fill out paperwork."

Rex looked at him. "Since when have you ever filled out paperwork?"

"I'll have you know, I'm a changed man, Rex. I've matured!" Anakin called as he stomped out of the bay.

"In the two weeks I was gone? I doubt it," Rex called back.

Master Obi-Wan laughed. "We do have things to discuss. Commander, shall we?"

Commander Cody nodded. "Sir."

Master Obi-Wan patted Rex on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back home, Captain. Remember to rest." He turned to Ahsoka and squeezed her shoulder. "My dear, feel free to contact me if you need help with dual wielding. Especially since that's not a lightsaber, you'll have to adapt. I have faith in your abilities, though."

"Thank you, Master Obi-Wan." She bowed to him again.

Master Obi-Wan and Cody left them standing in the bay. Ahsoka didn't know what to do. What to say. Without the buffer of her master and grandmaster there to lighten the mood and tell fun stories, it was just her. Her and Rex.

Rex was the first to speak. "Good to see you're doing better, kid," he said. He lifted his hand as if to reach out and touch her, but then hesitated and dropped it. His hesitation burned her. Perhaps she truly had destroyed their relationship beyond repair.

She cleared her throat. There was a lump building in it. A pressure behind her eyes. A tightness in her chest. She did her best to release these feelings into the Force. "Yeah, you look good too."

Did Rex not want her to touch him? Was he still mad but pretending he wasn't for the sake of the men? The mission? She knew it would be a good idea to ask. That was the only way to truly know for sure. Master Plo was always reminding her that Jedi were not mind-readers and to assume someone's thoughts and opinions would lead to more negative feelings in the long run. But she also didn't know if she could handle the truth.

Right now, in her mind, Rex both hated her and loved her. He both had forgiven her for what she had said and not. While that left her in the lurch, with fear entangling in her chest until it threatened to choke her, she could still hold out hope that Rex didn't hate her. But if she asked and got her answer, then there would be no hope.

Maybe this was why the Jedi were so against attachments. She was attached to Rex, so she couldn't bear to know his true feelings.

And that scared her.

And Fear led to the Darkside.

"Ah, enough of that now," Fives said, breaking Ahsoka from her spiraling thoughts to wrap her up in a hug. "We missed you, vod'ika." 

Echo came around and hugged her tightly as well. Then Tup. Then Hardcase. Then Kix. At that point, she wasn't sure if Rex was hugging her or not. She liked to think that he was. She liked to think that she wasn't in danger of falling because of his disappearance. She liked to think that she wasn't attached to anyone. Though, that last one was harder to believe with Fives holding her so tightly.

That ball of emotion that had been sitting in her chest for weeks now finally started to loosen and unwind. Just a bit.

"I…" Her lip wobbled and tears leaked from her eyes. She did her best to suck them back in. "I'm sorry, Fives." Her voice cracked as the last shreds of self-control slipped from her fingers.

Fives pulled back. "For what?"

For a lot of things. For not protecting them. For getting angry at Rex. For getting shot in the first place. For not being there to tell Tarkin no when he took them. For not being a good enough Jedi.

Maybe that was the issue.

Maybe if she was a better Jedi she wouldn't have gotten shot; wouldn't have let her anger get the best of her; would have been there to protect the people she cared about.

She didn't voice any of this to Fives, though. He'd assure her that she was a perfectly good Jedi and none of this was her fault.

Instead, she apologized for the one thing that could be blamed on her. The one thing that she promised to do.

"Your obituaries. I promised you that I'd write them but… I didn't." She couldn't. She tried after the KIA determination came in.

She sat at the datapad for hours trying to come up with something to say, but she could never get the words down. If she did start to write, it was like admitting Rex and the others were dead.

Again, this further proved just how terrible of a Jedi she was. She should have released these feelings into the Force and accepted it. Actually, she probably shouldn't have those feelings at all. Eventually, all living things become one with the Force.

Instead, she hid from them. She refused to face them. She refused to let Rex and the others go. And, because of that, she wasn't able to do the one thing she promised her brother she would do when he died.

Fives tutted and scooped Ahsoka up into his arms. "It's okay. I should have given it to Jesse anyway. He hates paperwork and if I die, I want him to suffer with me, even if it's only in spirit."

He started walking, still carrying her in his arms. She didn't ask where he was going.

"Now come on. I haven't slept well in weeks and I'd like to put off doing my job for just a bit longer. There are perks with going MIA, after all."

He stepped into the barracks. "Aw, Jesse. Did you put together a clone pile just for us?"

Ahsoka peeled her face off of Fives' neck to look around. Jesse, along with Dogma and Denal, had pulled all the mattresses, blankets, and pillows onto a gigantic pile on the floor.

"Not for you, di'kut. For Sok'ika." Jesse responded.

"Why Jesse, you wound me!" Fives said, setting Ahsoka down in the middle and pulling off her boots.

"Then get wounded, vod. This place has smelled so much better since your shebs left. Force, Fives, you couldn't have stolen some of Commander Cody's water rations and gotten yourself a shower before you came here?"

"And to think, I spent days worrying about you while you were in Bacta," Fives sighed dramatically and dropped down next to Ahsoka.

"I don't need your pity." Jesse dropped behind him and hugged him tight.

Echo came to curl around Ahsoka's back. Kix shoved his way under Jesse's other free arm. Hardcase was by her head. Rex and Tup were somewhere by her feet. Other members of the 501st piled in until it felt like every trooper on the ship had shoved their way in here.

Ahsoka still felt raw and exposed. She still needed to talk to Rex. She still needed to let these emotions go into the Force.

For now, though, she let herself relax, fully surrounded by the Force signatures of the people she loved most in the world.

*****

Something was off about Ahsoka. She seemed to be putting a lot of distance between herself and Rex. While on the chatlogs he chalked it up to something getting lost in the messages, something that could not be conveyed with written words alone, now that he was back with the 501st and Ahsoka, he could no longer ignore it.

Something was off with her. And he could not, for the life of him, figure out what that was.

She seemed to be perfectly alright with Fives and the others. She laughed and joked with them like before. She ate with them in the mess hall. She didn't seem to shy away from their touches and hugs; laughing as Hardcase carried her off to yet another vod pile to sleep or relax.

But with Rex it was different. There was a distance between them like never before. Even when she was just a wide-eyed cadet walking off that transporter with not a stitch of armor, there was still a warmth to their interactions. A familiarity. She trailed after Rex like a lost tooka kitten; trusting that he'd help her get through the next battle. Now that was gone.

He assured her time and time again that he wasn't mad at her. He first thought that maybe she was still mad at him, but that didn't feel right in Rex's gut. There was something else going on there.

When he took the chance to observe her, she almost seemed like she was two seconds away from breaking down and crying. Her lip seemed to wobble. Her eyes seemed to constantly be wet though no tears were ever shed. And, she couldn't hold Rex's gaze like she used to; always looking away quickly whenever he tried to talk to her. It was weird. And he didn't know what to do about it.

Should he confront her directly? Wait for her to come to him? Ignore it entirely and hope that everything went back to normal?

It wasn't like 'Handling Your Teenage Padawan Commander's Emotions' was a course taught by the Kaminoans. Actually, 'Handling Any Emotions, Including Your Own' was a curriculum that was sorely lacking with the cadets.

He tried looking at this like he would a battle, hoping that the correct strategy would leap out at him. But none of his options seemed like they were good options. Force her to talk and she could run away. Wait for her to come to him and she might never come. Pretend everything was normal and things could explode.

While he was used to having no good options, he didn't want to pick one and pray like normal. He wanted things to go right. He wanted him and Ahsoka to be back to normal. He wanted to know what was wrong and do whatever he could to help.

In the end, he called the only person he knew who seemed to have semi-healthy emotional regulation.

"Just pull her aside and assure her that you're here for her no matter what," Wolffe said.

Rex furrowed his brow. "Isn't that just ignoring the problem?"

"No, think about it, Rex," Wolffe said, shaking his head. "She almost died. She's been stuck on Coruscant for a month. Then you go MIA while she's busy fighting in a war. Her master's a basket case so he hasn't been much help. A lot has happened. She's trying to process it. You need to give her space, but also assure her that you're there if she needs you. It's a balance. Shit like this is hard."

He wrinkled his nose. "Sounds complicated."

"You work for Skywalker. Complicated should be your middle name."

"I don't have a last name so I can't have a middle name."

Wolffe gave him the most unimpressed look ever. It could rival Cody and Seventeen's. "Alright, smartass. I'm telling you, pull her aside, give her a hug, tell her you'll be there for her if she ever wants to talk, and then let her come to you."

"That's it?"

"Weren't you just saying it sounded complicated?"

He did. But when broken up like that, it sounded almost too simple. And, from experience, simple things were never simple. There were hidden traps somewhere. Missing them could mean failing the mission. And failure wasn't an option.

Wolffe sighed and pinched his brow. "Look, a lot of communication isn't exactly the words you say, it's how you say them. Yeah, saying 'I'm here if you need me' is a super simple sentence that even your pea-sized brain could come up with—"

"I scored top marks in all my classes!"

"No one likes a braggart, Rex. But, saying them earnestly-- hell, even just saying them out loud-- does a world of good."

He might have a point. Rex had assured Ahsoka time and time again that he wasn't mad and it wasn't her fault. He hadn't said he was there to talk, though. That could be the missing piece. He thought that sort of thing would be obvious, but maybe it wasn't.

"Alright. I'll try it your way." He sighed. "What happens if it doesn't work?"

"Fuck it I know. I shoot things for a living. I'm not a therapist. I just go to a lot of them."

That was very true. "I guess if things do go sideways I'll call again."

"Yeah, you do that."

"Thanks, Wolffe."

"You owe me," Wolffe scowled. "And tell Cody to call me. He missed the last three commander gossip sessions."

"What do you guys gossip about?"

"Mostly how stupid Bly and Cody are around their generals."

"That doesn't sound like gossip."

"So, we don't have a shit ton to gossip about. Sue me. Now get out of here. I got a hot date that I cannot miss."

Rex wrinkled his nose again. "Mian says hi by the way. And General Kenobi knows about the Mandalorian that gave you Ahsoka's beskar knife."

"Neither of those is my hot date, but I appreciate it. I should give both of them a call. See if they're free while I'm on leave in Coruscant next month."

"And with that, I'm out of here. I know way too much about your sex life already."

"You know what I want you to know," Wolffe said.

"Ew, ori'vod, please stop."

Wolffe grinned. "Get out of here, Rex'ika. And go hug Sok'ika. You both could use it." He hung up, leaving Rex to mull over his suggestion.

Right. His advice sounded simple enough.

Step One: Pull Ahsoka to the side.

Step Two: Tell her you're here if she needs to talk.

Step Three: Hug and wait.

Truly, there weren't a lot of things that could go wrong. Nothing Rex could spot anyway.

Plan firmly established and laid out, he went searching for Ahsoka. Might as well have the conversation now while everything was still fresh in his mind.

He found her in the mess hall with Fives and Hardcase.

"Commander, I need to speak to you about something," he said. He hoped he sounded urgent, but not too urgent. He didn't need to stress her out.

Alright, maybe this was more complicated than he initially thought.

"Everything alright, Captain?" Fives asked.

Rex nodded. "Need to speak to the Commander about something, that's all."

"Oh, okay," Ahsoka said. She once more avoided his gaze as she slid off the bench and fell in step with him.

He could feel her gaze occasionally sliding up to look at his face. When he turned to look at her, though, she had pulled her eyes away.

Step One: Complete.

Just two more steps to go.

He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to use the blind spots. On one hand, he did not want Palpatine to be anywhere near this conversation. He didn't want the man to know he had successfully shaken Ahsoka or learn of any more weaknesses. Rex wanted to protect her as much as possible from his prying, slimy eyes.

On the other hand, it would look suspicious if he and Ahsoka disappeared for a few minutes. Especially since Rex wasn't supposed to be suspicious of any wrongdoing.

As much as he hated to admit it, he was going to have to do this in full view of a listening device or camera. It made him sick, thinking that this information was going to be stored away somewhere. Possibly watched by Palpatine, Tarkin, or any number of loyal stooges as they plotted their next move.

Rex didn't have any other choice. He was a good soldier following orders. He didn't question why Tarkin had sent him and his men out to the Galaxy. He didn't question his superiors' intent. He certainly had no reason to assume that any conversations between him and his padawan commander would possibly used against them. The conversation itself wasn't illicit. It wasn't against the reg manual. Why would Rex need to hide such a thing?

He didn't.

Which was why he couldn't use a blind spot.

He still did his best to make it as private as possible. He pulled Ahsoka into her room where there was only one listening device. At least Palpatine had the decency to keep cameras out of the padawans' rooms.

"What's up, Rexster," Ahsoka said. She had a tight smile on her face. It was almost scary to look at since it was clearly forced. Stiff and unyielding like a doll's as she tried to keep the cracks from showing.

Step Two: Tell her you're here if she needs to talk.

"Look, kid," he said, unsure of his words. He had the script, but he doubted that the simple sentence would be enough, no matter what Wolffe said. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about getting on you about the fight. You're capable. I know that."

Alright, not what he meant to say, but it served as a good jumping-off point. Right?

"I know," Ahsoka said. She seemed to be looking at him, but her eyes were glued to his chest, not his face. As if looking at his face would cause everything to come crashing down.

He could do this. One little sentence. That was it. "And, I just wanted to let you know that if you need to talk, about any of this, I'm here for you."

A bit wordier than he meant, but close enough.

Step Two: Complete.

Just a hug to go and they'd be out of here.

"Why would I need to talk to you about any of this?" Ahsoka asked. Her hands were squeezed into fists at her side and she still had that stiff, almost unnatural smile on her face.

This was not part of Wolffe's three-step plan. She wasn't supposed to push back like this. He was great at improvising when it came to shooting or blowing things up. He had to be when working for Skywalker. But when it came to emotions? Nope. Not a chance.

What was he supposed to do now? Should he just hug her?

"I… I, um, I mean, this had to be hard on you too. Given that we were MIA and then presumed KIA."

"Yeah, but it wasn't like I was MIA presumed KIA. I'm good. I'm fine. No negative emotions here. I've already released them into the force." Her voice cracked slightly on that last sentence.

So, the Force thing was a fucking lie.

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Would it be okay if he called Wolffe back to ask him how to deal with this?

You know what, he should just go for a hug.

He went to do just that when Ahsoka flinched.

His blood turned to ice in his veins and he stumbled back as if he had been burned.

No hug.

What was he supposed to do now?

Maybe reassure her again?

He crouched down so he could look her in the eye. "It's okay if you were sad or scared or anything else by our disappearance. You know that. Right?"

She was shaking now. Her entire body trembling even as she tried to hold a stiff and rigid posture. "I know. But I didn't feel any of those things. I'm fine. I should be asking how you are. Are you okay? Were you sad or scared?" She wasn't looking at him and still smiling.

He was starting to think he was making everything worse. How did Wolffe's three-step plan fall apart so quickly?

Maybe he should abort?

His gut was telling him that was a bad idea. Not when Ahsoka was clearly upset.

He'd try one more thing, and then call Wolffe for help.

"Hey," he said softly. "It's okay. It's just us here. I'm not a Jedi. I don't care if you've managed to release anything into the Force or not." He reached up to touch her cheek, hoping to gently direct her to finally look him in the eyes.

She burst into tears and threw herself at him; wrapping her arms around his neck and tackling him into the bed.

Rex managed to keep them from collapsing completely onto the floor while still holding her tight.

"You died. They said you died," she gasped in between sobs. "But you can't die. You can't."

"And I didn't, ad'ika," he said, holding her tightly and stroking the back of her head. He remembered how, after Ahsoka had been shot, she was the one to comfort him as he sobbed about almost losing her.

It was almost poetic in a way. She almost died so she comforted him. He almost died so he comforted her. Honestly, he preferred the latter. He'd almost die a thousand times if it meant keeping her safe from harm.

"But I didn't know where you were. I couldn't feel you in the Force. You were too far away." She wailed.

"I know. I know," he said, rocking her gently. It felt like the right thing to do. "But I'm here now. We're okay. No permanent injuries."

"I'm sorry." She gasped, hiccupped, and then dissolved into another wave of sobs. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything I said and I'm sorry I ignored you and I'll never do it again. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He squeezed her tight. She was warm and alive in his arms. Anything else they could deal with. "It's okay. I know you were going through a lot."

"It's not okay! I'm a Jedi. We're not supposed to let our anger get the best of us. And then when you died, I couldn't let you go. I was supposed to release you into the Force but I couldn't do that. I'm a terrible Jedi! I hurt you because of it."

Great. Just what he needed. Jedi osik. He could barely handle normal human emotions and now he had to deal with whatever shit the Jedi taught.

"You are not a terrible Jedi. And we weren't dead so there was nothing to release into the Force."

"My anger. My grief. I couldn't do it, though. And you got hurt! It hurt you when I ignored you."

She had a point.

"Ahsoka, you're a sentient being. You're going to feel negative emotions at least once in your life."

"But—"

"But nothing. Other Jedi have had years to practice releasing things into the Force. You're still a kid. They can't expect you to react the same way an adult would."

"I'm… I'm attached though. I know I am."

"Yeah. And? You still worked with Ponds to take back Christophsis. You didn't let your grief get in the way of the mission."

Rex had been pissed when he heard Skywalker had left Ahsoka on her own to go find them. Granted, it was nice to know that he and the astromech were on the same level when it came to Skywalker's possessiveness. But that was no excuse for leaving his grieving padawan with an unfamiliar battalion during an active campaign.

Thank the Force Windu was there to help them out.

"Besides, our attachments are what give us purpose and hope." He continued. "Fighting this war without attachments sounds like hell. You did the best you could. And I'm sure that in time, you'd be able to release all those emotions into the Force. But it would take time. And there is no shame in that."

Ahsoka let out another soft hiccup, burrowing into Rex's arms and shaking.

"Have you talked to another Jedi about this? Like General Koon or General Kenobi?" Then, because he didn't want to open any other can of worms at the moment. "Or General Skywalker?"

Skywalker was not the person he'd go to for help when it came to regulating one's emotions in a healthy way. But he was technically her master so he should be first on that list.

"I… I don't want them to be disappointed," she said, voice muffled by his armor.

"I don't think they would be. They're supposed to help you with this sort of thing, not leave you to figure it out on their own. Talk to them. Okay?"

She sniffed. "Okay."

He squeezed her again. "I can't promise you that this will never happen again. And I think you know that."

"There is no death, there is only the Force," she responded.

"Exactly." He had no clue what that meant, but it seemed to bring her comfort so he let it slide. "Know that no matter what happens, I will never, ever blame you for something like this. I don't care what you do. If you ignore me or call me names. Something like this will never be your fault. Understood?"

Mostly because this time was one hundred percent Palpatine's fault. But he wasn't about to tell her that.

"Feels like my fault. How can it not be my fault? If I hadn't gotten shot, then I could have been there when Tarkin pulled you away." 

"Maybe. Or maybe you would have been called away to the meeting Yularen and Skywalker had. We can't know how things could have been different in the past. And we can't know how our choices will impact the future. All we can do is react in the present. Besides, it wasn't your fault you got shot. Bane was the one who pulled the trigger. Okay?"

Ahsoka's sobs had died down considerably, though she still let out the odd hiccup and cry.

It was early in the night cycle. He had a ton of paperwork left to do. He had to start planning for their next campaign. He should probably check in with Echo to see how his coordination with Tech was going.

He didn't do any of that.

He pulled Ahsoka off the floor and onto the bed. He kicked off his armor (Seventeen would kill him for not properly stacking it), pulled off her boots, de-knifed her (seriously, Wolffe? Three hidden blades), and then laid down next to her. He pulled a blanket over both of them and pulled her into his chest. No wonder Cody always let him share a bunk whenever Rex needed it. There was something calming about knowing the person you cared about was safe and tucked up next to you. It felt easier to protect her this way

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ahsoka asked.

Rex nodded and tucked her under his chin. "Yeah, kid. I'm okay. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you are." She yawned. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. It didn't take long for her breaths to even out.

Rex stayed awake a bit longer, on the lookout for nightmares that might disturb her sleep. Once he was convinced that she wasn't going to have any, he let himself drift off as well. No one disturbed him for the rest of the night cycle. He was forever grateful.

*****

"Tech, over here," Echo called from across the bay.

 Tech did not smile, but he did feel happy seeing his friend was alive and well. He adjusted his goggles and made his way over to Echo.

"Get here okay?" Echo asked.

"Certainly. It was no trouble. The coordinates you gave me were accurate and you are not currently being attacked by Separatists or pirates."

Echo laughed. "Yeah, lucky us."

Tech wasn't sure what in his last statement was supposed to be funny. "Good to see that you are alive, and currently unharmed."

He looked over Echo. There were no physical signs that he had almost died, if that was indeed what happened. The post-mission report had been frustratingly vague. However, he did hear that Captain Rex had spent some time in a bacta tank upon returning to General Kenobi's ship. And, Kix had sent a memo detailing a new emergency procedure in which the body was turned into a bacta tank if one was not available for use. Truly disturbing to read and Tech hoped he would not have to use such a technique in the future.

Still, Echo looked fine. There were no new scars or bruises that he could see. He appeared to be at a healthy weight and well-rested. That was good news.

Now that he was standing here in front of Tech, he finally felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Yes, he had received the news that Echo was alive and messaged back and forth with the man. But none of those things were quite like seeing him alive and in person. Real. Alive. Breathing. Not missing any limbs.

Tech had the desire to provide some sort of physical affection to Echo. Not a hug, though. Normally, when he wanted physical affection from his brothers but didn't want too much in the way of touching, he'd rest his forehead on their shoulders for a bit. He was not certain his and Echo's relationship would allow that.

"Miss me much?" Echo said, putting a hand on Tech's shoulder, but making no moves to draw him closer. That was acceptable.

"Quite. It is nice to have someone to talk to who is not part of your batch."

"Hey, nerds, don't you have nerdy shit to do?" Someone called from across the bay.

Echo winced. "I know exactly what you mean."

"You dorks are messing up the vibe of this place. It's losing its cool factor every second you're standing there."

"Fives, shut up!" Echo called back.

"Never, nerd!" Fives shouted back, flipping Echo off in the process.

"I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Can't. I don't lose to nerds!"

"Your brother is…" Tech was trying to figure out how to describe Fives without offending Echo.

"An annoying little shit? Yeah. Can you kill him for me?"

Tech was about to answer in the negative when he heard a crash from behind him. He turned to see Wrecker and Crosshair arguing. Then Crosshair leaped onto Wrecker's back and started biting his ear while Hunter fruitlessly pulled at Crosshair's boot to get him off.

"Only if you kill my brothers as well."

Echo studied them for a bit and then clicked his tongue. "I reckon, if I get him from behind, I could take Wrecker out at the very least."

"Given his bulk, he has many blind spots. I shall point them out to you."

"Much appreciated. Any advice on Hunter and Crosshair."

"Crosshair likes to be up high. Push him. Hunter…." He thought about it for a second. "Do you believe in any particular religion?"

Echo shook his head.

"I suggest you choose one and start praying."

"Yeesh. For Fives, if you just get him from the top, he should go down easy."

"A stealth attack from the vents, then. Thank you for the advice. I shall take it into consideration." He adjusted his goggles and pulled out a standard regulation datapad. The unregulated one was in his side pouch. "Your brother is correct, though. We do have things we need to discuss. I took a look at the Creche to Command holosite. I believe I have fixed many of the issues. But I take it you would like something else to be done?"

"Yeah, come on. Unless you need to help with the resupply." Echo gestured for him to follow.

There was more crashing as Hunter finally got Crosshair off Wrecker.

"Truthfully, I would rather have a few hours where I don't have to deal with my brothers."

"Don't I know it," Echo muttered.

"I shall check everything once more before we leave."

"Sounds good. Follow me."

They walked through the ship, neither making small talk. Tech supposed he should be making small talk. That's what people did. But it always seemed pointless. What good would talking about the weather do? They were in space. And, given Echo's MIA status, he had missed the last "Clone Fights" event between Baccara and Gray's battalions. Grey won. But was that any surprise. Baccara had taken out Commander Dume the round before. There was a saying amongst the vod: Don't attack the padawan until their clone commander is dead. Baccara should have thrown the fight.

He supposed they could speak about entertainment, Though, he didn't even know what Echo enjoyed in terms of entertainment, though. Did that make him a bad friend? There was that holodrama starring Sari Mundalan that he was pretty sure Echo liked.

Tech attempted to watch it, given how popular it was amongst the vod. He found the entire thing melodramatic and the acting awful. There were only so many times a secret evil twin could be revealed before it became trite. However, he had heard there was a new one coming out detailing the illicit romance between a clone commander and his Jedi General. According to Commander Gree, the whole thing was so laughably bad (and the actor playing the commander didn't even look like a clone) that many troopers and Jedis alike were watching it simply to see how ridiculous it would get and how many robes the Jedi would lose in battle before they were down to their underclothes. Supposedly, there was a plot line about how Jedi couldn't have sex. He had no idea where that belief came from.

Thankfully, Echo didn't make small talk about poorly ached holodramas and fake Jedi and Commanders. Nor did he attempt to talk about the weather. He seemed comfortable with the silence and led Tech through the ship to a small blind spot right in front of the bathrooms. Then, keeping out of line from the cameras, they slipped into a storage cupboard and locked the doors.

"So, I was correct. This is not about the holosite," Tech said.

Echo shook his head. "Something worse, Tech." He pulled a small vial out of a pouch on his hip and handed it to him.

"Ah. I see." Tech held it up to the light. "Curious. What is it?"

"It's a chip," Echo said quietly.

"A chip?"

He nodded. "Kix says it's like the kind of chips they use for chemical imbalances in the brain."

"Interesting. But not worth all this secrecy. Besides, this appears to be organic in nature. The chips you're referring to are normally silicon."

"It was in Tup's head," Echo all but growled.

That gave Tech pause.

"It's in my head too. And Fives' and the Captain's. Kix. Hardcase, even the shiny that was on the ship. It's in all of our heads."

"And it's biological in nature. Which means it wasn't put in your heads. It was…" Grown. It was grown in their brains, just like the grey matter itself."

Echo nodded. "What's more, the Corries blackout and are given orders they can't disobey. The chip doesn't show up unless you do a level-five scan. Even then, it doesn't say what it is. Only that it's there. Kix thought we all had brain cancer before he managed to dig this one out. This thing doesn't appear in any of our medical records and the medics aren't aware that they're even there."

"But the fact that it was grown suggests the Kaminoans had to be aware of it at one point. It had to be a purposeful part of our design."

A picture was starting to fully emerge for Tech. A bad picture. He swallowed.

"Kix says that chips like these could, theoretically, be used for mind control. Ethically speaking, there have been no experiments. But, the Kaminoans aren't exactly known for their rigid ethical standards," Echo said, looking pointedly at Tech.

Tech fiddled with his goggles again. Indeed, General Ti had been most distressed upon learning about the experimentation that originally created him and his brothers. And Ninety-nine.

"All activity in the body is simply a series of chemical signals from the brain telling other parts to do something. Whether it is unconscious, like breathing, or conscious, like forming words. If a chip can send signals to produce dopamine, then I concur with Kix's conclusion. It can be used for more complex processes. And it being organic means the body is less likely to reject it."

"And lower-level scans wouldn't mark anything as wrong. Calibrated correctly, our machines could completely ignore this instead of flagging it as a growth. Just like any other naturally occurring organ."

Tech hummed his approval. "The Kaminoans would not have put this in for no reason. And, given that they have gone to great lengths to keep it from the Jedi, that worries me."

"We don't know that they've kept it from the Jedi, though. A Jedi originally hired them to create us."

"A Jedi who, if Jedi records are correct, was killed not long after the contract started."

"But the Kaminoans coordinated with someone for ten years." Echo pointed out.

"And now there are biochips in our head that someone has gone to great lengths to hide."

"Exactly. We need to know what they do and what purpose they serve. Someone on Kamino tried to hide this from us. Can you help? The Captain thinks we're all going to be closely monitored since we didn't die like we were supposed to. But you aren't monitored. No one knows where you are half the time. You have resources and freedom that we don't."

Out of everything Echo said, one thing stuck in Tech's mind. "You were meant to die? What even was this mission?"

Echo shrugged. "Tarkin said a Jedi was the one who sold Ahsoka out. We were supposed to go gather evidence. Only, he didn't tell us what 'evidence' we were supposed to be gathering, and our ship was sabotaged. We think that because Ahsoka wasn't killed by Bane like she was supposed to, Palpatine tried to get her to stop her series by getting rid of us."

"It worked. No one posted anything while you were missing. Not even Waxer and Boil's segment," Tech said. Anger boiled in his veins even as his voice remained calm.

He could accept a mission gone wrong. He could accept the realities of war. He could accept that every day they lived was another chance to die. He could not accept someone purposefully going out of their way to try and kill his friend. Especially if the person giving the orders was supposed to be an ally. That made him want to march directly to Palpatine's office and shoot him himself. He'd have to get in line, though. Commander Cody was likely also hoping to shoot Palpatine. If Commander Fox hadn't already.

"Who else knows about this?" he asked. Right now, shooting Palpatine would help no one. He had to focus on the chip.

"Commander Cody and, obviously, anyone who went MIA. A Corrie shiny named Robin that Fox smuggled off Coruscant to avoid decom. But, other than that, no one. And we'd like to keep it that way. We don't know exactly what activates these things or what they can do. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to keep this from Hunter and the others."

Tech frowned. "I dislike lying to my brothers. Besides, we are deviant. How do you even know we have chips in our heads?"

"We don't. But is that a risk you want to take? The shiny that was with us killed Bane despite not wanting to. I have a feeling the Corries were forced to sabotage our ship. These chips, if the chips caused them to do those things, can make us hurt people against our will. What if Hunter or Crosshair is forced to hurt you to keep the truth from getting out? We keep it small for now. Just until we know what they can do. Then we start bringing others in."

Echo's logic was sound, and Tech did not want to risk activating them by telling people.

"The commander is giving us a month before we have to report in. So, I'd drop everything and get working on that."

"Not everything," Tech said, pulling out an unregulated datapad. "The Captain was supposed to receive one of these when he was on Coruscant. I believe it ended up with Commander Ponds instead. They're off the GAR network and bug-free so you can speak without being monitored. There's an introductory video with more explanation. I'll contact him on this when I have answers."

Echo took the datapad. "Thanks, Tech."

"Of course. It is no problem. I have found it a delightful challenge to scavenge for the appropriate parts."

"Only you could think of things that way." He chuckled. "Here's Robin's comm code. He's registered as dead in the system and Fox has got him with some of Wolffe's contacts. If we're compromised, go to him instead. Mind you, the kid's a nervous wreck, but he's the only one we know for certain isn't being watched by Palpatine."

"Understood."

Tech slipped the chip into his own hip pouch and stepped out of the closet.

"Keep safe, Tech," Echo said.

"I should be asking you to do that as well. After all, only one of us has been KIA recently. And it was not me."

"Yeah, yeah. Alright. I'll keep safe too."

Before he could overthink things again, he leaned forward and rested his forehead on Echo's shoulder.

Echo huffed and patted the back of his head. Satisfied with the comfort, Tech stood up and followed Echo out of the blind spot.

He spent some time with him, meeting Fives properly along with a few other members of the 501st. They weren't like the Regs on Kamino. They seemed to accept Tech's eccentricities with stride. Though, given what he knew about General Skywalker, perhaps that made sense.

He also met Commander Tano. She was… energetic in a way only a child could be. She got along swimmingly with Wrecker, who had taken to throwing her as high as he could, much to Captain Rex's dismay. Surprisingly, Crosshair also seemed to enjoy spending time with her, teaching her how to throw her knives with increasing accuracy while Hunter explained some of the other ways to use them.

It was nice. Tech could almost forget about the chip in his pouch or all that was at stake should it be discovered.

Then, just like that. It was time to leave. He did one last check to ensure they had enough supplies and then set course for their next engagement.

"What were you and Echo discussing?" Crosshair said, studying him like a hunter studied their prey.

Tech never was very good at lying. Echo's parameters had been clear, though. No one was allowed to know about the chips. But just because no one was allowed to know, did not mean Tech had to make up a flimsy excuse. He grew up with his brothers. He knew how to get them to do what he wanted.

"We were discussing the ramifications of—"

"Never mind. I don't want to know," Crosshair said, standing and making his way to the bunk area.

That was the only way to get his brothers off his back. Simply say enough big words in a rambling and complex sentence, and they'd leave him alone. No lying needed.

He felt the chip burning a hole in his pocket, though, and shivered. The Kaminoans were brilliant scientists who also lacked ethics so long as they were paid enough money. When one put those two things together, there were no limits to the havoc they could wreak if their technology fell into the wrong hands.

Ten years was a very long time for that technology to end up in the wrong hands.

Once the ship was on course and on autopilot, Tech slipped into his bunk, pulled out his tools, and cracked the chip open. He'd find their secrets. Nothing ever hid from him for long.