Chapter 24: 99 Inverted and MirroredNotes:Happy Holidays everyone! I originally wanted to post this on December 25 as an actual Christmas present to everyone, but I'm not sure I'm going to have service where I'm going so instead, you get it early. And if you celebrate any of the other myriad of holidays that are around this time of year, I hope you've enjoyed them. For those of you in school, I hope finals went well. For those of you not in school, I hope you enjoyed nothaving to do finals. This year has been so busy for me with all my writing projects and I'm so happy so many people enjoy this fic. Fun fact, it was originally supposed to be 12 to 15 chapters and about 100K words. You see how well that turned out. I will probably not be posting anything else until the New Year so until 2024, have a great rest of 2023.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextIt had taken a little over a week and a half for Tech to figure out what the chips did. He made it his top priority, but there were other priorities also vying for his attention. Between the datapads, the missions he completed with his brothers, and every other little thing that came across his plate, it had been a struggle. He sacrificed sleep to keep on top of it all. He even tried one of Commander Fox's favorite energy drinks.
He got more done in twenty minutes than he had in twenty hours.
Hunter banned the drinks from The Marauder for the rest of his life once Tech came down from the caffeine high. He agreed to the ban, if only because the subsequent anxiety, headache, and heart palpitations were not something he wanted to experience again.
Still, he pushed his mind and body harder than he ever had in his life to figure out what the Kaminoans were hiding. They were implanting things in the troopers' heads and then going out of their way to make sure they weren't discovered. That was worrying on so many levels.
Tech also hurried his research along because he wanted to crack the code before they got back to Kamino. Echo was right. The Kaminoans didn't tend to care much about what the Bad Batch did on their time off. They let Tech drag all manner of Separatist droids and datasticks into his room without question. But, if all this sneaking around to get datapads had taught Tech anything, it was that someone was always watching.
He could not guarantee that in the confines of their bunk on Kamino there wasn't some camera he had missed; some listening device stuck in a crevice; some equipment monitoring what he was researching. This research, if it truly were a conspiracy to control the troopers' minds, was dangerous to have out in the open on Kamino.
What was surprising, though, was the lack of interest his brothers seemed to have in his projects. The Marauder was a small ship, after all. Half the time, they were practically on top of each other due to the cramped space. While he wasn't actively looking to tell his brother what was going on, he had decided that if they pressed the issue, he'd let them know. It wasn't like the Kaminoans would let his brothers off if Tech was caught after all. They should know the risks as well. Besides, Tech was a terrible liar so hiding such an investigation would be next to impossible even if he wanted to. Best come clean if they asked.
Only, that was the thing. They didn't ask. They figured this was one of Tech's hyper-fixations and seemed content to let him work it out in their downtime so long as it didn't interfere with their other work.
Crosshair was the only one who ever asked. And Tech stuck true to his word. He began explaining the chip. Only, Crosshair rolled his eyes, and said, "Never mind. I don't want to know." And then skulked off to another part of the ship to sleep.
And that was that. No one else ever asked him about the research.
Hunter forced him to sleep a few times. Wrecker made sure to bring him food and water at regular intervals. Crosshair sometimes sat up in their little nook watching him while he cleaned his weapons. But other than that, he was left undisturbed to complete his project by the due date on which Commander Cody had requested the information. Which was a good thing because this was turning into a much more complicated project than he initially thought.
Upon first glance, Kix's assumption that the chip was based on biochips used to treat patients with mental health conditions that impacted chemical production in the brain appeared to be correct. Chips like this operated offline; running on their own code without needing constant inputs from a larger network. If the chip needed to be updated, say a doctor got the dosage of dopamine wrong, then that required a link into a larger network for updates. But other than that, these chips were designed to operate uninterrupted and not needing to be linked to a larger control system. So, all Tech needed to do was crack the coding of the chip and see what signals it was either sending or interrupting.
Only, when he cracked the code, he realized that these specific chips did patch into a larger network. It appeared to be offline for now, like a computer that hadn't been booted up, but therein lay the problem. Without knowing how to activate the chips, Tech couldn't figure out what they were supposed to do. He tried turning on Tup's chip but was met with nothing. The chips were designed to be activated in a very specific way. Voice commands were a potential start-up option. But, without knowing what voice commands activated the chip, Tech was at a loss. Furthermore, the chip itself appeared to be completely blank of orders. It was likely an attempt to keep orders from getting confused. He couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to erase a person's free will.
Theoretically, the chip could be voice-activated. The person could say a code word or phrase to activate it and that would then link the chip to the network to download the command in question. Then, once the command had been carried out the chip would wipe itself back to being a blank slate so that the next command could be carried out uninhibited by the previous cache of inputs and data.
So, if Tech wanted to figure out what these chips did, he was going to have to figure out where the data was stored. Once more, easier said than done. He had made it a habit of regularly hacking into the Kaminoan network; mostly because he was bored and it gave him something to do during long stretches between missions. He knew how to slip around the basic firewalls easily. But if the Kaminoans went through all this trouble to hide the chips, what he needed was going to be much harder to find.
He went deeper into the system than he ever had before. He read paper after paper on the cloning process. Their early experiments with the alphas and nulls. Jango Fett's specifications. Jango Fett's medical history. The tubies that died before they could decant because of miscalculations to the growth enhancements. Some of the other troopers deformed from other experiments to enhance certain characteristics. He even stumbled across a file labeled 'Project Omega'. A quick scan revealed that it had something to do with creating female clones. Tech filed that away for future research. Given that there were no female clones currently, it likely didn't have the information on the chips that he needed.
For a week straight he hacked through file after file. He followed red herrings and met with dead ends and found new firewalls that blocked his path and sometimes ended up in the exact place that he started. For a week straight he felt like his mind was melting with the work presented before him. He was slammed with research and observation reports and decades of research on cloning that predated the contract with the Jedi and Republic. He read through the specifics of what Sifo-Dyas wanted and the ins and outs of how Jango Fett was to get paid.
Eventually, he decided to focus specifically on the Null and Alpha class. After all, they were the first batches to be created. They'd have the biggest margin of error as the Kaminoans tried to perfect whatever it was they were implanting in their heads. And, because the nulls especially were considered to be too "independent" it was entirely likely that any attempts to control them via chip didn't work. And if anyone had previously researched what the heck was going on with the clone troopers, it'd be Skirata.
With this new path forward, Tech dug.
And dug.
And dug.
Another day passed.
Then another.
Then another.
Then, a footnote at the bottom of a two-hundred-page document by Nala Se.
"Alpha Class enhancements render the chip inactive."
Finally, Tech had a date of the first recorded mention of the chips and a name. Finally, he had something to go off of. He took a look back at the document to see if that could lead to any results.
"Neuropharmacological Modulation of Aggression and Post-Traumatic Stress Responses: A Comprehensive Analysis of Behavioral, Neurobiological, and Clinical Perspectives" was the name of the journal article in question.
It wasn't written by a Kaminoan, surprisingly. Furthermore, it was not connected to the profiles of the troopers in any way; unlike other aspects of their enhancements such as increased lung capacity for the SCUBA troopers, enhanced memory and problem-solving skills for the Command Class, and faster reflexes along with slightly slimmer and smaller bodies to make pilots more agile. But, it was a start. Once Tech found that paper, the trail became much easier to also find. It was like his path had been illuminated.
He continued digging through records; following memos and messages and calls until he finally found the network he was looking for. The thing that sent orders to the chips.
It was almost laughably easy to break through those firewalls. Then again, to find the network this information was being stored on required nearly a week and a half of constant research and breaking through much harder firewalls and hacking protection software. And the hope that one article with one footnote would be enough to guide him. Maybe the Kaminoans figured no one would even get this far. Besides, the server this information was being kept on wasn't immediately jumping out as a potential conspiracy for mind control. Much like the paper that set Tech on the right path, most of the files in this server seemed to be discussions and attempts to decrease aggression and PTSD responses in the troopers. Nothing inherently illegal or immoral about that.
And then, just like that, almost anti-climatically he might add, in one of the source codes for a random .exe file, he figured out what the chips did.
He put the datapad down; hands shaking as his mind raced with problems and possible solutions.
Hunter bolted upright, whipping towards him. "Tech, what's wrong?" His hurried and frantic question caught Crosshair and Wrecker's attention.
Oh. His heart rate was rather elevated.
"I am alright," he assured his brother.
Even if he didn't feel that way.
Even if he felt like he was going to puke.
"Are you sure?" Your heart rate just skyrocketed." Hunter stood from his chair.
"And you're looking a little pale," Wrecker added.
He could not tell them. Not yet. The .exe file told him what the orders were, but not how or who could activate the chips. That would require more research. Research he wasn't sure he had time for.
He couldn't hide it, though. Not when Hunter recognized the increase in his heart rate. Not when Crosshair and Wrecker had been alerted to the fact that something was wrong. They would not leave this alone.
He could tell them. After all, that was the plan: when they asked, tell them the truth. Only, Tech was walking on thin ice as it was simply knowing about them. Not to mention Captain Rex, Fives, Echo, Kix, and Hardcase all knew and still had their chips intact. His initial research showed the chips were inert and not collecting any data, but that didn't mean the Kaminoans hadn't implanted other things into their bodies to monitor them. Just look at how much work it took for Tech to figure out what one chip did! There could be a listening device implanted in his ear. Or a tracker in the lining of his stomach. Perhaps an implant in his eye that recorded everything he saw. If the Kaminoans were willing to hide and lie about this, there was no telling what else they were willing to lie and hide.
His hands shook as he put them on his blasters. "I have made a breakthrough in my research. That is all."
Crosshair's eyes narrowed. "You never did tell us what you were researching."
He flicked his blasters to stun. Did they notice? Were they putting their hands on blasters and knives right now?
"I tried. You walked away and said it was boring."
"Does it have to do with your meetup with Echo?" Hunter asked. He sounded suspicious, but not accusatory. He still trusted Tech. That was good. That gave him a chance.
He had one shot at this.
"Yes. It does. I shall debrief you in a bit. After I have taken care of some things."
"What—"
He didn't give Wrecker a chance to finish his sentence. He whirled around and shot Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair in quick succession. Thankfully, they hadn't anticipated his attack and were unable to dodge or engage. Crosshair did get off a shot that grazed Tech's shoulder and embedded itself into the wall behind him. He probably should have taken him out first and not Hunter and Wrecker. Something to keep in mind for next time.
He hoped there wasn't going to be a next time.
He shook himself out of his thoughts and scrambled to get the sedative out of the med kit. They were not going to be out for long and Tech was not looking forward to how they'd react to him shooting them.
Oh.
Oh, Force.
He had shot his brothers.
He had shot them point blank. Sure, his blasters were on stun so they weren't dead. He had still shot them. Had barely even hesitated really.
His hands shook as he brought his fingers up to where the chip was approximately located. Was that a side effect of the chip? Were they not as inert as he initially thought? Were they sending signals that made it easy for him to hurt the people he loved? Clearly, they were intended to do just that.
"I need a hospital," he said. He forced his growing horror over his actions down. He'd panic about it later. Right now, he needed to get these chips out and this information to Captain Rex.
He handcuffed his brothers just in case they woke up and injected them with a sedative to keep them down.
"I need a hospital," he said once more. "One capable of brain surgery and isn't linked to the GAR system. Preferably, one that isn't linked to the Separatist system either."
If the Separatists found out that there were chips in the troopers' heads that could control them, they could hack into the system, much like Tech had, and change the code. Then again, given the horrors that were on those chips, he couldn't imagine the Separatists would have to change the code in the first place.
Perhaps it would be easier for Tech to simply change a few items of code around and render them null.
But, what if the Kaminoans noticed? What if they were monitoring the code? What if Tech went through all the trouble to change the code only to have the Kaminoans realize, kill him, and then change the code back? What if they had some other contingency that could activate the chips if the .exe file was tampered with?
No, It was better to get the chips out now so that they couldn't be activated than to hope the Kaminoans simply didn't notice something they had gone through such great lengths to hide had changed in the course of an afternoon.
He went through the systems; quickly getting rid of ones that didn't fit his criteria. He needed somewhere remote. Somewhere close by so they wouldn't be considered AWOL and raise even more flags. Somewhere not crawling with troopers. Somewhere with the medical equipment necessary to get the chips out cleanly and safely. Should he try to do this legally?
No. The hospital might alert the GAR that Tech had showed up with three unconscious troopers, conducted brain surgery on all of them, and then left. It would be suspicious, to say the least.
Thankfully, he found exactly what he was looking for. A moon on the mid-rim approximately thirty minutes from here. A medical center that would be closed at this time.
He'd still have to break in, do the surgeries, wipe the cameras and droids, and then break out.
He glanced over at his brothers, still unconscious on the floor. There was also the matter of transporting them. He could probably do Crosshair and Hunter no problem. Wrecker was going to be another problem.
He'd figure it out. There had to be a wheelbarrow or something he could put him in.
Oh, and Captain Rex. He should probably alert Captain Rex.
For now, he punched in the coordinates and set off to his destination.
*****
Kix flicked through a book, not really reading any of the words on the pages; more just trying to pass the time. Thankfully, no one had gotten seriously injured on their last assignment so the med bay was quiet for now. But, while he was grateful no one was hurt, a quiet med bay made for a boring shift. One medic was required to be on duty at all times in case some di'kut got injured in hyperspace.
The 501st was accident-prone.
It happened more than you'd think.
Yes, the people you're thinking of as being the main culprits were, in fact, the main culprits.
No, they were not currently in the med bay.
Yes, Kix was expecting one or two of them to show up in the next three hours if the previous patterns of injuries held true.
Hypercompetent troopers plus hours in hyperspace, as they went to their next assignment, equals troopers doing dumb things because they were bored and wanted to see if they could mattress surf down some pipes in the cargo hold.
Yes, the people you think did that, are the ones who did that.
Locke was lucky. His troopers started up a book club where they read romance novels in funny voices while knitting and embroidering. He had to admit, Commander Gree's impression of Chancellor Palpatine was pretty spot on.
He wondered if Helix ever had any issues with his troopers.
Scratch that, Kix just remembered that Commander Cody and General Kenobi were under Helix's tender, loving care. Helix definitely had issues with his troopers.
And poor Dice had to deal with Commander Fox.
Ah, the curse of a medic. Being surrounded by people who would rather die than get a broken bone set.
"Why can't we start up a book club?" Kix grumbled, still flicking through the novel. "Surely this is less accident-prone than what they normally do?"
Then again, it was the 501st. Someone would find a way to make a book club accident-prone.
Just as Kix was starting to debate the merits of taking a power nap on one of the medical cots, the unregulated comm Tech had given them lit up with an incoming message.
Rex had given it to Kix for safekeeping since Tech might need to coordinate with him on the chip research.
While Kix wasn't exactly looking forward to figuring out what the Kaminoans were trying to hide, at least this was something to do.
Slipping the comm in his pocket, he ducked into a blindspot and answered it.
"Are you alone?" Tech asked as soon as the call connected. He looked rough. Eyes wide and breathing slightly elevated.
"Yes. Are you okay?" Kix asked.
"Do you have access to the proper medical equipment to remove it?" Tech asked instead of answering his question.
"For the—"
Tech held up a fist. The universal signal for 'halt'. Kix snapped his mouth shut.
"Get it out. Now. Tell no one. Wipe the droid and the cameras. By my calculations, you should be able to do this twice without raising any flags. Get out the captain's. Do not tell him, though. I do not know what triggers it," he hissed.
"It didn't trigger with Tup's so it shouldn't trigger Rex's," Kix said.
"Do. Not. Take. That. Chance."
Kix physically recoiled at how serious Tech sounded. Serious. Panicked. Desperate. These were not the words of a man who was being overly cautious. These were the words of a man who was terrified that they could accidentally activate these chips.
"We may have been lucky with Tup. I am begging you, Kix. Do not risk this. Me telling you right now, is a risk, but I have no other choice. Get it out. Of both of you."
"How am I supposed to perform brain surgery on the Captain without alerting him. He wasn't injured in the last engagement," Kix hissed. Tech may have a point on not tempting fate, but he had to understand that Rex would notice if Kix strapped him to a table to slice open his skull.
"I suggest you stun him when he least expects it," Tech said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.
Oh, sure, just shoot the Captain with his blaster. That was going so easy to do.
"Should I get Fives and the others as well?"
"No. Too many wipes may trigger something. Too many surgeries in the same spot might trigger something as well." Tech shook his head. "Focus on you and the captain as well. Once you are done, contact me again so I can debrief. I have to go. I need to get ours out."
Before Kix could respond, Tech hung up.
He sighed and thumped his head against the wall. Never mind, he took all his earlier complaining back. He wanted the 501st to be filling up the med bay because they did a bunch of stupid shit.
Instead, what he got was sneaking around, wiping droids, shooting his commanding officer and just hoping Tech hadn't gone crazy and was actively encouraging Kix to commit treason for the fun of it.
Still, Tech said they'd talk after the surgery was complete. And Tup didn't seem to have any negative impacts after the surgery. So, if nothing else, getting the chips out wasn't going to hurt him. At least, for now.
He stepped out of the blind spot and pretended to putter around the med bay. He checked on their stock of bandages and bacta. He reorganized some files. He put some datapads away. Eventually, he made his way over to where they kept the machines for more intensive surgeries. These were private rooms that only held one machine. He messaged Corric that he was checking in on the surgical machines and asked if he could man the med bay for the next hour or so until he was done. Once he got the confirmation, he started on the second phase of his plan.
He locked the door behind him and spent some time puttering around the room as well; organizing this, checking in on that. Until finally he had enough footage from the cameras to start a loop. Once the loop was in place, he laid down on the bed, took a deep breath, and held his body steady as the droid injected him with a sedative.
He counted out loud down from ten.
He couldn't remember reaching five.
When he woke up, he felt… good.
Better than good, he felt great.
While he never doubted that Tup was telling the truth about how he felt after the removal of the chip, he was starting to think he had downplayed just how good it felt to have that thing out of his head.
The persistent headache that never seemed to go away was gone. Kix's vision was clearer. His head was clearer. His body felt light and looser. He could breathe easier. More importantly, he felt like… himself.
It was almost as if the person he was with the chip was a simulacrum of who he was as a person. His opinions, thoughts, and feelings on things felt more like him. They were no longer being suppressed. He was himself. Fully and completely. There was nothing else in his head trying to dictate what he did with his mind, body, or life.
He didn't dwell on the feeling for long. Before the surgery could be uploaded to the GAR network, he wiped the droid and the machine's memory and then stopped the loop.
Just to be safe, he put another bandage on his chin and around his fingers so that it looked like he had gotten scraped up while trying to fix the surgical machine. He felt guilty for using the equipment. They were still lacking in medical supplies. Though, from what he heard, the 501st wasn't doing as bad as some of the other battalions. Either Palpatine liked Skywalker too much to leave him without medical supplies, or else Ahsoka's near-death and her popularity with the civilians made him want to avoid the bad optics of a popular influencer dying due to his incompetence. Or perhaps both. Either way, it still wasn't enough and he should not be wasting bandages like this. Only, if he didn't and they were being watched, someone may put it together that they were conducting surgery. He'd have to look into a way to potentially get rid of the need for a bandage.
Tech was right, ultimately. It would be harder to hide the brain surgery for five people as opposed to three.
He checked his chrono. Only ten minutes had passed since he went under the knife. Tup's surgery had likely taken longer due to the materials he was working with.
"Now onto the Captain," he muttered to himself.
Get it out. Do not tell him.
What was so frightening about these chips that Tech refused to even mention them out loud? Why was he so worried about the mere risk of them activating?
He supposed, the only way to find out was to do as Tech said: remove Rex's chip and then call him back for a report.
"Corric, do you know where the Captain is?" Kix asked.
"No." Corric looked up from his data. "The fuck happened to you?"
"Machine 4 was giving some weird readings. I went to rewire it and got some scrapes in the process."
"Damn, that machine's acting up again? I just calibrated it," Corric said.
"Hopefully it's better now. The captain?"
"Hmm? Oh, right. He's down in the rec room one with the usual suspects."
"And have there been any accidents?"
"Not yet. Thank the Force. They're actually behaving themselves for once."
Kix clapped him on the shoulder and headed to the door. "Don't worry, Corric. There are still thirty more hours of the trip left. Plenty of time for Hardcase and Fives to get into some trouble."
"Please, don't tease. I'm not strong enough to deal with them." Corric groaned.
Kix laughed. "I'm going to run a few more tests on the captain. Watch my place, yeah?"
"Lek, lek."
"Vor'e."
Kix walked with purpose to the rec room; fast, but not so fast as to be suspicious. Thankfully, Rex was there; indeed with the usual suspects. Sadly, though, one of those suspects happened to be Ahsoka.
She'd be the biggest problem for Kix. Ever since they had gotten back and she and Rex had a chance to talk, she had been glued to his side. Almost as if leaving him out of sight would cause him to disappear. This time for good.
He wasn't about to let her in on their investigation. Not when they still weren't sure what exactly the chips did or who ordered them. Rex had barely managed to convince her to not wait outside the sonic when he wanted a shower. And now Kix would have to have her left behind while he conducted medical testing on Rex? Yeah, that was going to be difficult to pull off.
But, Fives was there and he could usually distract her.
Well, there was only one way to check. And stalling wasn't going to make it less likely that Ahsoka would let Rex go.
"Captain," Kix said, drawing Rex's attention from the holodrama they were watching on screen.
"Something the matter, Kix?"
"I wanted to scan you again and see how your lungs held up after that last battle. I'm still worried about pneumonia." He hoped Rex would read in between the lines and wouldn't put up too much of a fuss.
"Come on, Kix," Jesse groaned. "It never takes us this long to heal. You're being overbearing at this point."
Shit, Ahsoka wasn't the only wild card in this equation. Jesse didn't know what was going on either.
"It doesn't take that long when we have bacta tanks. We didn't have bacta tanks," He crossed his arms to give his best 'I'm a medic do as I say' stare at Jesse. "And, to make matters worse, I performed a medical procedure that, up until a few weeks ago, had only ever been theorized as being possible. I have no idea what the side effects are. And the Captain, while not injured on our last engagement, did still participate in strenuous activity that may have caused some harm that isn't normal. So, until I'm sure the Captain isn't going to keel over from a torn lung, all of you will go to the Med Bay as often as I tell you to."
Fives and Echo caught his eye. A flash of realization passed over them. Echo went to grab Ahsoka and pull her so she was trapped between them instead of cuddled up by Rex's side as she had been. She went willingly, if not a bit sleepy due to the late hour. Though, she was watching Rex and Kix, observing them. With each second more alertness seeped into her body.
"Alright, alright. If it'll get you off my back," Rex said, standing up.
Ahsoka went to stand with him.
"Oh no you don't, vod'ika." Fives pulled her back to the ground and tucked her under his arm. "Let's give the captain some privacy."
"But—"
Rex reached down and rubbed the top of her head. "I'm just going with Kix. Besides, you know if you go to the Med Bay, he's going to start scanning you. And then he'll probably keep you there for observation."
Ahsoka looked like this might actually be the preferable option. It broke Kix's heart that he couldn't indulge her.
"I'll have him back before you know it, ad'ika," he said softly. "Just a check-up. Should be less than an hour." Unless Tech really had gone off the rails and now Rex needed to get Cody involved to do damage control before their whole operation was exposed.
"Fine." She crossed her arms and glared at him.
Rex chuckled and leaned down to gently bring their foreheads together for a beat. Once Ahsoka relaxed, he stood and followed Kix back out the door.
They chatted about a bunch of osik just in case someone was watching them on the cams. Their being silent would have been a red flag. So, they talked about Cody. About their upcoming leave to Coruscant and what Rex was planning on doing. About the newest batch of shinies that had just been delivered and if they were any good. And a bunch of other meaningless shit that would hopefully fool their observers into thinking that they didn't suspect a thing.
"I'm using Room 5, Corric," Kix called out as he led Rex through the med bay.
"Knock yourself out." Corric didn't even look up from the magazine he was reading.
Rex looked at him questioningly. Room 5 wasn't a known blind spot, after all.
Kix ignored his look, and his pounding heart, and directed him inside. His palms felt clammy as Rex went to sit on the bed. Kix started up a camera loop.
"Wait, is this not about—"
He stunned him before he could finish the sentence. Rex fell back on the bed in a heap. Knowing he only had so much time before people came looking, Kix hauled him up on the table, typed in the surgery, and started.
It went as smoothly as Tup and his own. The chip was out in about five minutes. It took about fifteen for Rex to wake up. Probably because Kix hadn't just sedated him, he had stunned him as well.
When he did wake up, though, he wasn't happy.
"What the fuck was that? Did you shoot me?"
Okay, fair response. Kix could admit maybe he shouldn't have taken Tech so literally. In his defense, Tech had spooked him and he was already feeling jumpy with all this sneaking around.
"Tech called. We need to call him back, but we should do it someplace a little more secluded." He wiped the droid and machine's memories once more.
"You're really not going to explain why you needed to shoot me?"
"Don't be dramatic. I stunned you and it was necessary." Unclear if it was necessary or not. Kix was going to keep telling Rex that it was. If only to get out of latrine duty.
"Don't be dramatic!" Rex cried.
"I'm breaking the loop now so quit making a fuss."
Rex snapped his mouth shut but continued to glare at Kix. Once the loop was broken, he sent a message to Fives telling them they'd be a little longer and to keep Ahsoka distracted. Once all of that was done, they slipped out of the room and to the belly of the ship. The biggest blind spot in the ship.
*****
Rex was not happy with Kix. The fucker had just shot him and performed brain surgery on him without telling him that was what was happening. And then he had the balls to break the loop on the security cameras before Rex could finish properly admonishing him. Was he losing his touch? Did his men not respect him anymore?
As much as he wanted to remain angry at Kix, something else gnawed at him. It took him a second to place it.
He felt… good. Very good. Better than he ever had in his entire life.
His headache was gone. His mind felt clearer. His body felt lighter. Seriously, what the fuck was going on with those chips? Hopefully, Tech had the answers.
He probably did, given the fact that Kix wouldn't have performed the surgery without some sort of go-ahead from him. Still, what exactly he had was a mystery.
Once they wedged themselves into the blind spot, Kix sent Tech a message saying they were ready.
"You shot me," Rex growled. Now out of hearing range of the listening devices, he could properly admonish Kix.
"Tech suggested it. And you're being dramatic. You're fine. You've survived worse."
"I'll be as dramatic as I want to be. And what do you mean Tech suggested it? What's going on? What did he tell you?"
Kix looked at him, grave. It was so grave it made Rex pause and his heart rate pick up just a bit.
"I know about as much as you do, Captain," he said. "He called. He was panicked, that much was clear. Wouldn't even let me mention the…." He hesitated, then shook his head. "He was afraid even so much as mentioning them would activate them. Was adamant I not take the risk. I know it's not ideal, but you didn't see him, Rex. These things, in our heads, whatever they do it's bad. Bad enough that Tech thought it was better for me to stun you than to risk telling you and putting you under like normal."
Rex nodded. Kix was right. If Tech was panicked enough that even the mention made him worried, then they should be careful. He didn't like getting stunned any more than the next guy, but it was better than not activating the chips.
That still wasn't going to stop Rex from tearing both of them a new one for this stupid plan in the first place. He was pissed. He needed to take it out on someone.
Tech messaged back that he was available to talk.
Rex turned on the holoprojector, fully ready to launch into his tirade with threats of latrine duty and cleaning Monnk's SCUBA gear for the next month. Who cares if technically they weren't under his command. He was still going to do it.
Only, he never got the chance.
Because Tech was having his own problems.
"You shot me!" Wrecker roared.
"If you just let me explain," Tech said, hands held up in surrender but inching away from his brothers as if they might attack him.
"He shot all of us and as soon as I get out of these cuffs, I'm wringing your skinny little neck, you traitor," Crosshair said, rattling the cuffs.
"If you would please listen to me," Tech said. "I will explain it all—"
"What reason could you possibly have had to shoot us?" Hunter shouted.
"I merely stunned you. I did not shoot—"
"We don't care!" Wrecker snarled.
Rex groaned. He would have loved to join in on the shouting and blaming and whatnot. But, once again, he was the captain. And being the captain meant putting his own desires aside for the sake of the mission. It looked like he wouldn't have the opportunity to yell at Tech. Not if he wanted answers at least.
"Troopers, fall in!" He snapped, making sure his voice stayed low enough so the cameras and listening devices didn't catch him. But also making sure it was threatening enough to get even the unruliest of troopers to listen to him.
He channeled his inner Seventeen to do so.
It worked. Everyone stopped shouting at Tech to look towards him.
"Oh, great. A reg's involved," Crosshair sneered.
Oh, how Rex wished he punched the little punk when he had the chance.
"This reg has been leading your mission. Whether you knew it or not. Whether you even knew you were on a mission or not." Rex growled. "But guess what, trooper, you are on a mission. And I am reporting directly to Commander Cody so if you don't want to deal with me, you can deal with him. And Commander Cody does not have time nor patience to deal with the likes of you. So, if you want to ever get out of those handcuffs, you will shut up and listen. Keep arguing, and I will have you thrown on the most miserable, isolated outpost on an ice planet far away from your brothers where you will never see another trooper until this mission is completed. Is that understood?"
Crosshair looked away, looking suitably mollified but Rex wasn't happy just yet.
"I said, is that understood?" His tone dipped lower, more threatening. He was not playing around. Not with this. If Crosshair wasn't going to follow orders, then Crosshair wasn't going to be around. There was too much at stake to risk it all because one trooper didn't like him.
"Yes, sir," Crosshair growled.
Content that there would be no more arguing, Rex turned to Tech.
"Report. Now."
Tech adjusted his goggles and wrung his hands together. Nervous. He wasn't looking Rex in the eye. He turned his head and there it was. A bandage on his temple. In the same place that Tup (and now he and Kix) had one. What's more, he was fairly certain that Wrecker, Crosshair, and Hunter all had one as well. It was a little difficult to determine due to the quality of the image, but he was certain it was there.
When Tech didn't say anything, Rex prompted him again. "Is this about the—"
"No!" Tech shouted, whipping towards Rex clearly panicked. "Don't say anything. I'm not sure how they activate and we cannot risk them activating."
Rex took a deep breath. Kix was right (again), Tech was panicked. Much more high-strung than usual. He had to keep control of this situation before the only person who knew anything had a panic attack.
"I don't think saying the word itself is going to activate them. Otherwise, we'd be shit out of luck with the slicers and droid mechanics. Or even just ordering them at a restaurant."
"Tech," Kix said softly, "we're all clean here. There's nothing in our heads to activate."
"What does that mean? What's in our heads?" Hunter asked. He had calmed down considerably, all things considered. That was good. There was someone with Tech who could help keep him calm.
"I just… I'm not sure…" Tech waved his hands around his head as the words struggled to form into a coherent sentence.
"We need to know what's going on. To do that, you need to speak plainly," Rex said. "Kix is right. We're all clean. There's nothing to activate.
Tech nodded. "Right. You are correct. Besides, I suppose it would be difficult to have this discussion without saying it directly. Not until we have a code at the very least."
"Can you uncuff us?" Hunter asked, voice still calm as he recognized something bigger was going on here.
"Depends. Are you going to punch me?"
"Later. Once the Captain's hung up," Hunter said. His mouth quirked into a smile. A little joke to help ease Tech's mind.
Tech sighed.
"Uncuff them. No need to have this conversation uncomfortable on the floor," Rex said.
Tech sighed again. "Very well. Captain, while I am doing that, would you like to start by explaining what is going on and I can fill in the gaps from there?"
Rex nodded. Straight to the point, he spoke. "When we crashed, we were picked up by some scrappers. Their medical equipment was faulty and revealed that there was a mass inside our heads."
"What? Like a tumor?" Wrecker asked.
"Worse," Kix cut in. "A tumor, I know what it is and I know how to deal with it. I can just cut it out. This was a chip. A biochip. Based on its construction and where it was in our heads, I hypothesized that the Kaminoans put it there on purpose. The only problem was I couldn't figure out what exactly it was supposed to be doing."
"It could only be found with a level five scan," Rex added. "There is no reference to it in any of our medical charts. Kix didn't know it was there and has been recommending surgeries and treatments based on the assumption that nothing like that was in our heads. And it was in all of us. Fives, Echo, myself, Hardcase, Kix, Tup, and even a random shiny Wolffe smuggled off of Coruscant. And, given the bandages on your heads, it was in all of you too. We had to figure out what it did. But, because we're being watched so closely and we lacked resources while with the scrappers, we couldn't properly decode it. Hence why we had Echo slip it to Tech.
"I can't believe you didn't tell us," Crosshair said. He sounded genuinely hurt.
"It may be a control chip. We had to make sure it didn't get accidentally activated," Kix said.
"Cody knows. But he only knows because, like I said, he's leading the mission. Fives, Echo, Tup, and Hardcase all know because they were there. Everyone else, we're keeping them out of the loop until we know what it does." Rex finished. "Tech, I assume you figured out what it does? Was Kix right? Is it a control chip?"
Tech's face grew grave. "It's worse than that. I mean, yes, it is a control chip. But what it can make us do is…" He shuddered and ran a hand down his face. "Orders. There is a program full of orders. I hypothesize that it may be voice-activated, but there may be other ways to activate it. I haven't had time to dig into that yet, but I'm assuming a person authorized by the system says the order in question, and the trooper is forced to comply with it.
"And it's in our heads?" Hunter looked like he might vomit.
Rex couldn't imagine how he must be feeling. He had some idea that what was on the chips could be horrific, especially if Robin's chip was activated to make him kill Cad Bane. He had some time to prepare for this. But Hunter and the others… this was the first time they were learning about this. It had to be a lot.
"Was," Tech said. "I got them out. Ours don't appear to be as operational as the one that Echo gave me. I recovered a document where Nala Se suggests that the chips were unable to be operated in the Alpha Class, likely due to the enhancements. I hypothesize ours are much the same. Our deviancy makes them non-functioning. But, I was unwilling to take the risk. Just because they do not appear to be active now does not mean they cannot become active."
"What sort of orders are on these things?" Kix asked.
That's what Rex wanted to know. That's what he needed to know if they were going to make decisions moving forward.
"Horrifying ones. Whoever put these in our heads can use them to—" Tech shook his head and looked away.
"To kill an unarmed prisoner?" Rex suggested.
Crosshair whipped towards him, eyes narrowed. "What? How would anyone ever get away with that?"
"They didn't," Rex said. "Cad Bane was shot by a shiny."
"And a shiny just so happened to be on the ship who rescued you," Hunter said.
Rex ran a hand down his face. "It's looking more and more likely that his chip was activated and he was forced to kill Cad Bane against his will. According to him, there was no fighting it. The only thing he managed to fight was the order to make Cad Bane suffer."
"The coding may be responsible for that," Tech said. "There are limits to the code and anything outside of the code is easier to ignore or fight against. But anything directly coded for is impossible to ignore."
"We also have reason to believe that the Corries sabotaged our ship. And when we questioned them, they were like zombies. They didn't respond to names, only numbers. And when they didn't have orders, they just stood there." Rex added.
"Hang on, if the Corries killed Bane, and sabotaged the ship, then it's clear they're the ones whose chips are currently being activated regularly. Why not just go and get theirs out?" Crosshair asked.
"It's not that simple," Tech said. "They're the ones currently being used by whoever can activate them to do the dirty work, but we all have the potential to be controlled. This is in everyone's heads. We are looking at a highly skilled army that can lose their free will with the snap of someone's fingers. We are pre-loaded with orders we don't even know about and will be forced to comply with without question or input from our own brains. The fact that someone is already using the Corries is proof that this wasn't a design detail left over from the original contract that was never taken out—"
"It was purposeful and someone knows about it," Rex finished. Oh, this was getting better and better by the second. Furthermore, he got the sense there was something Tech was avoiding. Something he wasn't saying. "What other orders are on these chips? What else can we expect from them?"
Tech cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot. "Several of them. There's Six, which is to dump all comm devices immediately."
"That doesn't seem like something you'd need a conspiracy to cover up," Hunter said.
"Or a chip implanted in your brain to comply with," Crosshair added.
"Isn't there something in the Reg Manual about that already?" Wrecker asked.
"I don't know, I didn't bring Echo," Rex said. He was done playing games though. He didn't care about something as useless as Order Six. Tech was leading him around. Trying to get him to stop talking. He wasn't going to comply. He was going to figure out what these chips did even if he had to drag it out of Tech. "What is the one you clearly don't want to talk about?"
He had never seen the man this evasive. It was unsettling.
"That would be… um, well," Tech glanced at his brothers for help and support. There was no more running. He'd have to say it now. "I don't want to say it. As stated earlier, these are likely voice-activated and I do not know whose voice activates them. Let's say ninety-nine. Except invert and mirror the numbers."
Ninety-nine inverted and mirrored would be Sixty-six. That was the order Tech was so afraid of. It meant nothing to Rex, though. Which meant Tech was still evading the question.
"What does it do?" Leave it to Crosshair to be blunt. Even if Rex still thought he was a little punk who probably needed to be knocked down a few pegs.
Tech did not answer the question. Instead, he paled several shades so that it was obvious even on the poor video quality. And he made a strangled sound in the back of his throat. Perhaps more worryingly was the fact that he took several steps back as if he was going to run away. His breathing increased and he seemed genuinely distressed by the question.
Hunter, thank the Force he was there, was quick to bring Tech back. He put a hand on his shoulder and directed his attention to his face. "We need to know so we understand the danger. If we don't know, we can't plan."
Tech nodded and took a deep breath. "You are correct. Yes. You need to know. The scope of this is… alarming to say the least. Prisoner executions are, quite frankly, the least of our worries if these get activated." He cleared his throat and took a few more deep breaths.
This time, Rex did not push. He let Tech gather and center himself. One last deep breath in before everything changed once again.
"Kill all Jedi."
For a second, Rex was convinced he hadn't heard that properly.
"Pardon?" He must have misheard it. That was the only explanation because there was no way that was an order.
"Ninety-nine is, to put it bluntly, to kill all Jedi. There appears to be additional overrides to ensure that we…." Tech let out a shudder. "The Jedi tubies and cadets. They're included. It's specific. It's clear. There is no room for a trooper to fight this if their chip is working properly."
"Woah, captain." Kix was by his side in an instant, hands on his elbow to steady him as his legs gave out.
Rex didn't care.
He didn't even hear him.
The world seemed to go grayscale.
Additional overrides for the Jedi tubies and cadets.
Additional overrides to ensure they killed the Jedi initiates and padawans.
The order included the children.
Order 66 would have troopers murdering the children.
Without hesitation.
Without question.
All it took was one order from, presumably, one person, and the entire Jedi order could be wiped out in an instant. The troopers outnumbered the Jedi. The Jedi let their guard down around them. Sometimes Cody had Kenobi's lightsaber! Ahsoka slept with them in their barracks!
Oh
Ahsoka.
Tubies and Cadets.
She was included in that order.
If the chip in Rex's had activated before he had managed to get it out….
Only, he wasn't the only one with a chip in his head.
"Fives is with her. And Echo. Hardcase. Jesse," Rex said, his voice cracking and breaking.
"Tup is too. He'll keep her safe," Kix said.
"No. There's too many…" He pressed his hand to his mouth to keep from vomiting.
"Did it say why?" Crosshair asked.
Rex's head buzzed. His limbs felt like they weren't actually there. Kix had propped him up against the wall. He was telling him to breathe and focus on his voice and whatnot. Rex couldn't hear him. Rex couldn't breathe.
"Does it matter why? In what world is killing a kid okay?" Hunter snapped.
"A Jedi was the one that ordered us. So why would he have us kill the other Jedi without a reason?" Crosshair snapped back.
There was a rock on his chest. A slab of granite crushing him. It was his chest plate. That's what was so heavy. He clawed at it to try and get it off.
"Captain," Kix's voice was clearer now. More insistent. He helped Rex pull the armor off. It didn't help. He was still being crushed.
"Captain, you need to breathe. Deep breaths, in and out. We can't fix this if you panic. The orders have not been activated yet and we have no reason to suspect they'll be activated right now."
Right. He was right. The order was horrifying but they had gotten their chips out. His chip was out. That meant he couldn't hurt Ahsoka.
But Fives and Echo. Force, Jesse, and Hardcase.
Cody.
What would happen to Cody if he was forced to kill Kenobi?
And Bly. And Gree. And Fox. And everyone else out there.
"Breathe, Rex. We can fix this, but you have to breathe."
Right.
Breathe.
With great effort, Rex managed to fill his lungs with the stale oxygen pumped through the ship. He forcefully expelled it out of his mouth, holding his breath at the bottom for four counts before repeating the process.
He could have repeated the process for seconds or hours. He wasn't sure. What he did know was that with every inhale and exhale his limbs became a little less numb. His ears didn't buzz as harshly. The weight on his chest lifted slightly. And the world returned to color.
"We have to get the chips out," He gasped, still not fully recovered. "Kix, has Tup shown any signs of negative repercussions from having his out?"
Kix shook his head. "Negative, sir. All vitals and bioprocesses appear to be okay."
"Hang on," Crosshair said. "We still don't know why the order is on there in the first place."
"You want to start killing kids?" Wrecker growled.
"Of course not!" Crosshair argued back. "But this whole thing is suspicious. Why would a Jedi order us to kill the rest of the Jedi? Why is that order in our heads? What else is going on here and who else knows about it? Do the Jedi know? Is this just a Kaminoan thing?"
"All questions that can be answered while we're getting the chips out," Tech said.
Feeling better, Rex pushed himself back to his feet, thankful no one said anything about his brief lapse of control.
"I agree. I don't care why they're in our heads. I care that if I want to kill someone, I'm doing it of my own free will. The rest of the men should have that choice," Rex growled. "As for who can voice activate it, I have a feeling Palpatine might be one of them."
"Hmm, it would make sense," Tech said. "It sounds as though the Corries are currently the ones being controlled the most. Which means someone on Coruscant is monitoring their missions. And, being the commander in chief, it would make sense that he would want complete control over the army."
"He would also have direct access to the Kaminoans to ask them for upgrades as needed," Rex added.
"A lot of roads seem to be leading back to Palpatine," Kix said.
"But why?" Crosshair asked, practically begging for an explanation. "What does he have to gain from killing all the Jedi. The Senate already pretty much controls them. You heard Kenobi. The Jedi order is being forced into this war, same as we are."
"Power," Rex said. "He gets more power. You said it yourself, Kenobi's started openly critiquing Palpatine. If he pushes the Jedi too far; if he becomes too much of a tyrant, they may leave or overthrow him. We're the contingency to make sure that doesn't happen."
"So, theoretically, as long as the Jedi stay in line and don't make themselves a target, he shouldn't activate ninety-nine and kill all of them," Wrecker said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
"Except, Kenobi is throwing himself into the line of fire like it's his job. And Palpatine's been trying to get Ahsoka to stop her series for ages. We don't know what line he wants them kept in," Rex said.
"But, if he has the option to have us kill her, why hasn't he done that? Why go through all the trouble of hiring Bane?" Hunter asked.
"Too obvious," Kix shrugged. "The 501st is too close to her and most of the other battalions are obviously protective over the Jedi Cadets. If we kill her, it'll be obvious to the Jedi that something is going on."
"But a Jedi ordered us," Crosshair said. "What if they know about these chips?"
"Why would they have orders to kill themselves?" Wrecker argued. "And why hide them?"
"Or maybe not everyone knows," Hunter said. "We were a surprise to the Jedi Order. Maybe only a few of them are in on it."
"Count Dooku was a member of the Jedi Order before turning," Tech added. "It is possible there are others that share his sentiment but are trying to hide."
And, just like that, the headache that had disappeared with the chip's removal was back in full force.
Rex rubbed the back of his neck. "We can't be certain. There has to be something we're missing. I'll report to Cody, Fox, and Wolffe. Maybe they know more about what's going on."
"I suggest you get their chips out before you talk to them," Tech said. "Palpatine may be one of the people to activate the chips, and potentially whatever Jedi are on his side, but we still need to be careful. They may be activated in other ways. It doesn't make sense that he would have to individually call all of us for ninety-nine."
"You think there's a possibility that the commanders would also be able to activate the chips?" Rex asked.
"Potentially. I am unsure. Once I saw ninety-nine, getting them out was my priority. I have the file that details their specs. I will continue digging to see what else I can find."
"A list as to who's authorized to activate them would be very helpful," Hunter said. "Then we would know who to trust."
Rex agreed. "Kix, start stunning people and digging them out of their heads. I want the 501st cleaned as soon as possible."
"That would be unwise, captain," Tech said.
"We need to get them out," he groaned. Did Tech not understand that Ahsoka's life was at risk?
And Skywalker's.
But mostly Ahsoka's.