Chapter Text
Samelucai is as cold and windy as its reputation. Rex watched as his fighter is carrying away to a ships nurse warehouse by some dock droids. He was uneasy and hopes that he will have no need of run out of this planet. Then he turned around and walked in, with the rest of the people.
During the winter, the city was underground. Keep it warm is easy that way when you can use the heat of the planet himself. Outside is noting, but ice, snow, and death.
It's no a really bad place, he thought, if you are looking for a hide. But to live here for 15 years is another different thing. Rex wondered how someone could end here. Or, by the way, how could stay.
In the front desk of the hotel, a twi'lek counted his credits.
"First floor, the last room in the hall. Don't make noises after the sleep hour or I'll kick you out."
Rex nodded.
"I understand. I'm looking for someone. Perhaps you could help me."
"I doubt it" answered the twi'lek. "Many persons looked for many persons down here. I never was able to help anybody of them."
"I see. I'm really no looking for problems here. I have a wound in my back, for so many years. It's still hurt, you know? A friend of mine talks to me about a healer. A woman who can take care of this kind of injuries"
It's a long shot. He really doesn't have reasons to think that she‘s using her knowledge here. But she needs to eat, and as far as he knows, is the only thing she can do, besides…
The twi'lek seems to think.
"My aunt can see your injury if you want. For some credits, I can take you to her. She's very good at those things and, you know, she's still young."
The last came with a mischievous grin.
"Your aunt… ¿any chance she is a twi'lek?" asked Rex.
"Of course she's a twi'lek! She's the sister of my mother!"
Rex made a bow.
"In that case is not the person I'm looking for. The healer I heard about is a mirilian."
Rex turned around and grabbed his things.
"Wait." said the twi'lek "I may have heard of a witch. I'd never been there, but a couple of persons talked about her…"
Rex turned around again and with a casual move drops some credits on the desk. "Is she a mirilian?" The twi'lek took the money and save it quickly.
"Like I said, I never had been there. You'll need a speeder. It's no near."
The city under the planet goes far beyond Rex's imagination. After leaved the dock areas, he crossed the commercial compounds, and then, the government's squares. No troopers were visible, just local forces in grey and green uniforms. The Empire no needs to put a garrison in a place like this. It will be a waste of resources. With a regular visit and a corrupt government, it's far more effective. The rent speeder ran by residential areas until the fancy buildings been replaced by others more regulars. The low places. A neighborhood made it of people who wanted no to be seen. The forgotten ones.
Trash of the Empire.
Rex stopped the speeder by a local cantina; the seventh in the last three days. Inside, the air is heavy and cloud. The smell shocked him for a second. He went right to the bar, no glances to the sides, no scanning of the place. He wasn't looking for problems and pretended to make it obvious.
A human was behind the bar, watching him with attention.
"What can I do for you, soldier?"
A couple of heads turned in his directions. That's fine.
Rex smiled.
"I'm no soldier anymore. I'm just a clone now."
"Not good enough for the Empire?"
Rex answered with a shrug.
"I guess"
The bartender watched him for another second and looked like he made a decision.
"Okay, drink something and then go on with your business. Nobody will mess with you."
Rex nodded.
"Thank you"
Rex drunk in silence. The mirror on the stool allowed him to take a better look of the place. Ten, fifteen mans spread around the room. Nobody is paying too much attention, and Rex is grateful for that. Everyone here was human. Maybe it was a clan bar or something. Rex understood that the bartender just decided about how much of a human a clone is. And called it on his side. At the end of the stool was sitting a young girl. She looked to him openly, and when she caught his eyes, she smiled.
"Hi" she said.
"Hello" answered Rex with a nod.
"Aren't you a little too old to be a soldier?"
"I'm not old. And I'm not a soldier anymore. I used to be, many years ago."
"Oh, you fought in The Clone Wars?"
Before Rex could answer the bartender interrupted them.
"Jirylla!"
The young girl rolled her eyes. Rex felt a memory coming back to him. She's the same age, he thought, the same age of Ahsoka when she arrived at Cristopsis, that afternoon.
"Father, I'm only asking. I'm being polite."
The bartender turned to him. "Okay, times up. Made your questions and get out"
"I'm just looking for someone…"
"I already figured out that. Nobody comes down here to see our monuments. Now spill it so I can decide if is someone I want to talk or not."
Rex nodded. He made a glance to the young girl and smiled.
"I'm looking for a woman, a healer. A mirilian…"
"Sure! She's…"
"Jirylla!" Her father cut her before she can say another word. Jirylla froze in the place. The bartender looked at him. "Get out".
Rex finished his drink.
"What? You don't want to talk about her?"
The bartender approached across the stool. Behind him, by the mirror, Rex saw a couple men coming in his direction.
"No, the problem is suddenly I don't like your face anymore. It remembers me something with the stinky smell of treason." The man spat the last part with disdain. Rex stood up before the others mans can come closer.
"I understand."
He dropped a credit on the bar and turned around. Before left, he looked to Jirylla and winked an eye.
"Good evening." He said. Then he walked out.
Find a place to hide the speeder was the rough part. Then, he walked back to the cantina and waited outside, across the street. Two of the cantina's scums sneaked outside a couple times. Then, the bartender himself went out and take a look. But Rex was far enough to no to be seen. He continued surveying the entrance of the place with his binoculars for another half hour until finally happened. Jirylla came out and sprint up the street. Rex remained motionless until the kid past and turned around the corner, and then followed her. After a couple blocks more she turned to the left and left the main road. Here the street becomes thinner and the houses at each side become closer. The only lights on the path were from the windows of the smalls and simple cabins. Lucky for him, Jirylla walked confidently and never turned around. There was no place to hide down here. Finally, the girl stopped by one of the latest houses.
It was really one of the last. One hundred feets more and there was the hard cold stone of the end of the tunnel; the very end of the city. The bottom of the bottom.
Jirylla knocked on the door and waited for a second. A voice came from the inside and she opened the door and entered. Rex approached quickly. He needs to be out of the road before the girls came out. He sneaked beside the house and looked for a window to take a look. Inside was a light and a quiet conversation. Finally, the door opened again and Jirylla came out and sprinted back to the cantina. Rex waited for another minute. There was only a way to be sure.
He walked to the door and knocked.
"You can come in" The voice came from inside.
Rex opened the door and entered.
"I'm sorry. I'm looking for the healer" Said Rex. He looked around. There is no much; a simple carpet, a cabinet with some books, an old couch and nothing more. The place was small and a couple of candles are the only light in there.
"Are you?"
The voice came from the other room, probably from the dorm.
"I will not harm you. I just want to talk to you."
The lights of the candles tremble as the woman entered the room.
"Then be welcome clone. You just find your healer and the end of your road I think."
Yes, he found her.
"Barriss Offee…"
--------------------------
Barriss seat down to the carpet with the same gingerly grace Rex used to remember. The ages affected her in imperceptible ways. Of all, if there‘s a place where you can see how much older Barriss became, it was in her eyes.
"Tell me clon; you came up all this way for revenge?"
Rex dropped his bag on the floor. Then he took his blaster and put it on top of it. "The thought crossed my mind more then once if I have to be honest with you, but no. That's not the reason I came here. I'm looking for help."
Barriss pointed to the floor.
"Then sit down. You must be tired."
Rex seated at the other end of the carpet.
"Tell me, do you know who I am?"
Barriss smiled to him.
"I used to have a close friend who can recognize one clon for another just for the tone of their voices. It always amused me. But I was never able to reach it."
Rex nodded.
"I know who you friend was. I'm CT-7567, former Captain of the Torrent Company, 501th Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic. I served loyalty under the orders of Commander Tano for many years."
The silence filled the room. Rex cannot say his full title without feeling an inch of pain. Pain for what they lost with the victory in that war.
"Captain Rex. I remember you. Ahsoka talked about you all the time"
Rex remained silent for a moment. The old Ahsoka came to his mind. The tiny Snips was loved by all the clones in the regiment. We have many brothers; they used to say, but just one sister…
"Tell me, Captain, do you continue your relationship with Ahsoka thru the years?" The face of Barriss remained stoic, but something in the air that changed around them.
"You know, there was this Order …" started Rex.
Barriss interrupted him.
"I know Ahsoka survived the order 66."
Rex stared at her.
"How do you know? You were in prison at the time."
Barriss nodded and fixed her gaze on the void.
"Indeed Captain. I was in a cell back then. I only had meditation to look past the days waiting for my execution. When the Order 66 happened it struck me like a lightning. I barely survived to the commotion in the force."
"But Ahsoka…" said Rex.
"Ahsoka didn't fall that day. I looked for her in the Force. I found her. She was alive"
Rex stared at the floor with the memory of that day.
"It was my duty to kill Ahsoka. But I can't. We fake our deaths and run in separate ways"
Barriss looked at the face of the clone.
"Ahsoka's expectations on you were certainly right Captain. No wonder why she insisted in call you his friend."
"I do what I have to do" answered Rex dryly.
"Fine sir Captain. You bring feelings to my heart and a name to my lips that I refused to say out loud for many years. Tell me now what you need and leave me alone with my memories"
A lonely tear showed up in the corner of one of her eyes. The flame of the candle made it bright, just before Barriss wiped it away with the back of her hand.
"Like I said, I have no intentions of harm you. But memories have their own agendas. I need you to answer one thing to me and only one. Is Ahsoka alive?"
Barriss look at him and her eyes became icy.
"I don't know Captain"
"But you said you can felt her. When the order 66 came you felt her alive. You two share a bond. If someone can find her, it's you."
Barriss closed her eyes.
"I stop looking for her in the Force long time ago."
Rex leaned forward.
"Something happens, recently. You must felt something ¡Tell me!"
Barriss remained with her eyes closed. She lowed her head till she faced the floor.
"Indeed, something happened in the force not long time ago. I felt a tremor and my thoughts went to Ahsoka. But my thoughts go to Ahsoka every day for the last 15 years, so I didn't make a bond."
Barriss raised her head and opened her eyes. Her gaze was somber.
"Tell me, Rex, what happened to her?"
Rex stared at his hands.
"She disappears. She had an encounter with the Emperor's apprentice…"
"Lord Vader"
Rex looked at her.
"Yes. Last time she has seen she was fighting with him in a Sith temple, in Malachor. Then she disappears."
"But you think she's alive"
"I'm… I…" Rex dropped his head. "I don't know what to think. The Jedis who were with her at that moment didn't saw her fall. After that, I asked them to track her down in the Force, but they can't found her. They said that a bond is necessary to find someone in the force."
Barriss smiled lightly.
"Oh, the Force…"
"What do you mean?"
"Long time ago I came to this place for hiding. With all the Jedi gone I always was aware of the importance of not make sounds in the Force. Not go there. It was important for my security to remained invisible at the eyes of the Emperor and of those who work with him."
Rex nodded.
"I understand, but you can, I mean, you don't forget…"
Barriss raised a hand and stopped him.
"And besides, I made a promise to myself. Not look for Ahsoka in the force anymore. As you said, we share a bond. And the last thing I want is giving her clues about what my location is."
"You don't need to hide from Ahsoka. She doesn't have hate or anger."
"I know. Is not Ahsoka anger what I fear most."
Rex made an exasperated sigh.
"Then what? Tell me you'll help me. Tell me you won't betray her again."
Barriss looked at him with a fierce look. For a moment, Rex waited to hear the familiar noise of a lightsaber being ignited. But one moment later the look was gone. The same old eyes looked at him with warm pity.
"Is that what you need? Sleep well again?"
"How do you know?"
"Your entire body is aching for the lack of sleep. And it's been for a while, isn't?
"I have visions of Ahsoka."
"So do I."
"Then, found her! You owe me this! You owe to her! Tell me where she is so I can go for her! It's all I ask! After that, you can remain here in your sneaky hole of guilt and regret as long as you want. No ones will know for my mouth where you are. I'll release you from your debt. Let me help Ahsoka, please."
Rex wasn't aware of his own fist till he saw it in front of his face. With or without a lightsabre, he can't stand a chance against a Jedi. He knows that. But he wasn't leaving this rock with empty hands, that's for sure.
Barriss raised a hand in his direction.
"Relax Captain. Violence will not be necessary. My fate was doomed the moment you cross that door. Or even before. I'm fighting against the inevitable. I always knew the force had not forgotten me. Now I come to realize that it has a sense of humor too"
"Will you help me?"
Barriss close her eyes and embrace the reality.
"I will."
Rex shifted uncomfortably in his place. The truth was around the corner. All this time and the answer he can get after all is that Ahsoka was nothing but death. Will he accept that? Will he let her go?
"Okay, what do you need?"
Barriss kept her eyes closed.
"That you remain silent, Captain."
After a moment Barriss opened her eyes and stood up.
"So? What? Did you find her?"
Barriss walked to her little library and took a book from it.
"Patience Captain. The things with the Force are not the same. In the times of the Republic, thousands of Jedi was making use of the Force every day. That made it strong and alive. After the fall of the order, the force more and more turned like an old and dry three. It's like it was sleeping."
She came back to the floor with the book. Once she opened it he saw between the pages a braid of silka beads.
"That… I recognize it… Is…"
"It's from Ahsoka."
Rex stared blankly.
"How do you get it?"
Barriss answered without looking him.
"I stole it."
She looked at the braid for a moment.
"I have not seen it in years. I knew it was here all the time, but… I just didn't touch it."
"Do it, please."
Barriss gave him a somber look.
"Once I got in, they will know. They know me. And they will find me."
Rex nods.
"I understand."
Barriss smiled at him with a mournful look.
"No, I don't think you do."
With that, Barriss take the braid and closed her eyes.
It was two seconds.
"She's alive."
It took Rex so off guard.
"What? How? Are you sure?"
"I sense the presence of Ahsoka clearer than I feel your presence here. And now she is feeling me too."
A smile spread in the face of the woman. Suddenly, every candle in the room becomes brighter.
"I've missed you so much"
The woman spoked almost to herself. The warm smiles become a tight rictus as she fought against invisible forces.
"She's alive, but she isn't okay."
"Where? Where she is?" almost yell Rex.
Barriss opened her eyes and closed her fist around the braid.
"In the darkness"
---------------------------------
Rex found the speeder where he left it. In the eternal night of the big cavern, this part of the day was called the Sleep time. It was easy to noted by the lack of people and vehicles outside. He started the engine and headed back. He was in front of the little cabin just one minute later. Barriss was standing in the front door, leaning gracefully against the frame.
“So, you made a decision?” asked Rex.
As an answer, Barriss turned around and took a look of the cabin. Her little house in the bottom of the hole. Then she took a bag from the floor and put it in back seat of the speeder.
“The decision was made. Doesn’t care who took it”
Rex nodded as the former Jedi seated besides him.
“Okay. Let’s go then.”
The Y-Wing leaved the atmosphere of Samelucai and headed into the space.
“There was a time when the stars were my only home. I spend so much time in a real home that I almost forgotten what it was to be up here.”
The voice of Barriss came from the gunner turret, in the back of the fighter.
“I’m sorry for bringing just this small ship. I never realized I could need a passenger area. Frankly, when I came here I didn’t know if I were found you. There was more like a “looking for peace mission” then this rescue mission” Rex felt the need to apologize.
“It’s okay Captain. Besides, I get a better look from here.”
“We are clear for hiper space. Do you remember that?”
Rex could sensed the smile of the woman as she answered.
“Oh, I was waiting for that.”