Chapter Text
Without thinking, Rex told Ahsoka about the Citadel mission.
Immediately, he recognized his oversight - and it was a major oversight. She hadn’t been at the briefing for a reason. Yet she was his commanding officer, and a more than capable Jedi - why wouldn't she go on the mission?
When she commed him, stating she "wanted to see what you were up to, Rexter," it had been an automatic response.
"Prepping the last of the charges for the mission to retrieve General Piell from the Citadel, sir. Sorry to miss you at briefing."
Her confused response and rush to end the chat left Rex feeling unsettled in a way he couldn't explain. He was not one to slip up protocol in such a blatant manner.
Was this it? Was he approaching the invisible line he had tried to tell himself was not, in fact, creeping up on him? That he was not becoming a little too comfortable with his Commander? The one who gave him a nickname, who sometimes stole sips of his caf because she knew he would let her, whose experience had begun to speak for itself?
He still called her ‘kid’ sometimes but the truth was she had been at war for two years; she was far more than a child. And how he saw her now had changed. Yet, she was still a Padawan, and General Skywalker expected Rex’s help in taking care of her. Telling her about highly-classified missions she was not part of was not good.
She would no doubt call him back before his departure to complain about her exclusion and to have him reassure her that, of course, he would have preferred to have her at his six.
Which was true.
In the meantime, he would continue his prep, focus on the mission, not worry about seeing her until after he had returned from Lola Sayu.
“So, how’d you do it, kid?”
Ahsoka had known the question was coming. She steeled herself, and with the widest eyes she could muster she cooed, “Whatever do you mean, Captain?”
She could feel his eye-roll through the Force despite the fact his face hid beneath his helmet. “You know full well what I mean. How did you sneak onboard?”
“Master Plo-”
“Has no idea you’re here,” Rex cut off her lie. He knew her too well, as Anakin and Obi-Wan did. She had no doubt that she had failed to fool either Master and that they were already planning how they would follow up with Plo Koon. But that wasn’t her focus. Her focus was proving herself to her Masters so they realized they didn’t need fear. She would show them how capable she was. Then they would trust her with these missions.
Ahsoka gave Rex a sly grin. She knew she could trust him enough with the truth. “I was going to bribe Artooey but he ended up helping me because he wanted to. He sneaked me into a carbon-freezing chamber while Master Plo wasn’t looking.” Rex shook his head.
“That droid is something else,” his voice was dry. She laughed.
“Rex, backpack!” Anakin’s voice interrupted their amused moods, and they both jogged ahead to catch up with her Master.
Anakin removed the scopes from the pack his Captain handed to him, raising them to his eyes. He was not happy with the result. Electro-mines along the wall. That meant grappling hooks and ascension cables were out of the question.
“I suppose that means we free-climb it, sir,” Rex's voice conveyed his displeasure. As the group pushed forward Rex inclined his head slightly toward Ahsoka. She could imagine the sardonic grin he was likely wearing.
“Any regrets yet, Commander?”
“Ha! Never.”
“Don’t get cocky, kid.” His voice was friendly but she noted the sincere warning. “This isn’t going to be a sporting climb.”
“We can handle this.”
“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be on guard.”
She flashed her teeth at him. “Don’t you worry, Rexter. I’ll watch my back, and yours.”
The windy, cold climb to the top was a challenge, but nothing she hadn’t dealt with before. And then Obi-Wan shouted to the group their entry-point was ray shielded. Not the plan. Her keen eyes spotted the ventilation shaft. With a thrill she knew that this was why she had felt the pull of the Force to come along - they needed her. Without her, they wouldn’t be able to advance beyond this point. She drew her Master’s attention to it.
“We know, the shaft is too small for anyone to fit through it!”
“Too small for you, maybe, but I think I can fit through,” she countered.
“We hadn’t planned on Ahsoka being here,” Obi-Wan pointed out to Anakin. In that moment she saw her Master’s mind open, and a smile appeared on his face. Yes, he realized, this was fortunate; this was the Force.
She scaled the wall and made it to the platform. As she climbed into the vent she could feel through the Force the surge of pride and relief from the men, and the confidence of her Masters growing. She deftly climbed through the shaft and into the hallway. She had done it. She, Commander Ahsoka Tano, was the first person to ever break into the Citadel. She felt a thrill she unlocked the shield, and couldn’t contain herself as Anakin approached. “See? I can handle myself after all.” He rolled his eyes at her.
The shriek of a security alarm resounded through her montrals. She briefly registered Captain Rex and Obi-Wan looking aghast over the ledge of the platform; a trooper, Charger, had fallen and had set off an electro-mine on his way down.
“Well, they know we’re here now," Obi-Wan's voice strained.
As the group ran into the prison and Rex took his customary position at her six. She heard his dry voice, so low she suspected it was only for her montrals to hear. “Buckle up, kid. This just got a lot more fun.”
“That’s the spirit, Rexter," she quipped.
Captain Rex was none too pleased.
It was bad enough that the plan had gone pear shaped. Sure, they had found Master Piell, but that meant nothing without finding the other prisoners, too.
It was bad enough that one of the prisoners had the gall to argue with General Kenobi about their plan when time was so crucial.
And it was bad enough when the impertinent behavior continued as the other Captain stopped Skywalker in the passageway to argue. Even Rex had instinctively snapped to attention when the General raised his voice, but Tarkin seemed disinclined to react. He seemed to think them beneath him.
That alone cemented Rex's disgust of the man. But it wasn't that alone.
Rex noticed. Of course he did. He didn't spend the past several years watching her back to not notice when someone was noticing her.
And Tarkin was noticing. Since they first entered the prison cell, the man had given her a strange, twisted look. Rex felt in his gut more than he could actually prove that Tarkin's expression was a mixture of disgust and desire.
It set Rex on edge, burned a fire in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know what to make of any of it. There were too many competing emotions and he had no time or space to process them. He felt a deep loathing of Tarkin and a spike of protectiveness for Ahsoka.
He would keep extra close to her while the other Captain was around.
They split from Skywalker, and Ahsoka led them through the winding paths of the old chambers. Rex watched with pride as she executed perfect command, guiding the group through the use of efficient hand signals. She was soaking in her surroundings, completely aware. He recognized the protective edge in her posture.
He felt in his gut she also must have noticed the Officer behind her. Tarkin's pale countenance further whitened as he gripped the side of the cavern path, glaring at Ahsoka's leading form. Rex snorted to himself, shaking his head. Some Captain.
They made it beyond the narrow path and the route opened wider, allowing Rex to hasten his stride to surpass Tarkin and rejoin Ahsoka. But Tarkin engaged him in a conversation he was not expecting.
"I am concerned that the Jedi have elected this child to lead the group.”
Rex clamped down on his anger, not allowing his displeasure with Tarkin to further fray into a rage. He couldn't afford to lose focus - the mission came first.
But he would not give Tarkin what he wanted.
"I've served with her many times, and I trust her." He saw Tarkin's eye roll, but Rex found he didn't much care.
His words weren't for Tarkin, anyway.
Tarkin was pushing Ahsoka over the edge. She noticed his stares and eye-rolls. She heard his comment to Rex about her "being a child." How could she not, with him not even bothering to cover his words? She was grateful Rex didn't hesitate to come to her defense.
“I trust her.” It was validation that he viewed her as more than a youngling. She was capable; she was an equal. Rex was a good, decent man, and she smiled to herself, grateful to have him. Now, she needed to focus on the mission.
And that meant doing her best to ignore Tarkin. Who was doing his best to be an ass.
Her aggravation only multiplied when they rounded on a dead end. Her heart sank as she felt Tarkin's smug sense of superiority inflate.
Rex placed a hand on her shoulder. "We can turn around and scout a different path."
She nodded, relying on her Captain's sound advice, though it didn't matter.
"Incoming!" Fives was already firing. She and her Captain fell into their stance. Her saber activated and deflected the oncoming blasts.
"What happened?! Why didn’t you blow the wall? That part of the plan was your job!" Ahsoka heard Anakin shout as he protected their flank.
Oh.
OH.
The realization hit Ahsoka, and she forced herself to tamp down on her embarrassment. She couldn't believe that she didn't think to blow the damn wall anyway; her Master's plans usually involved blowing stuff up. But that wasn't important now.
She needed charges. The charges were in Rex's backpack.
She didn't even need to move. He was there, kneeling and ready, and they moved so fluidly it was as if they'd done it a million times before.
"I thought it was a dead end!" She snapped at Anakin as she grabbed the pack from Rex. She didn't think of a quick retort when he pointed out that if Master Plo had actually assigned her he would have briefed her on the mission. Fortunately, she was quick to think she should throw the charge at the onslaught of droids.
It worked. They rolled beneath the commando droids' shields, and then blasted them to bits. Ahsoka dusted herself off and shot a smug, defiant smirk toward Anakin as she sauntered by.
She saw Rex nod in approval as she sidled up to where he was adjusting the backpack on one shoulder. He had begun to reach for the other strap, and automatically Ahsoka reached over to help him put it on.
A "tsk" from behind them made them both start, and Ahsoka didn't need to turn to know who it was. She made an exaggerated expression for Rex, rolling her eyes comically to convey her annoyance. He tilted his head, and she knew he was smirking.
Ahsoka barely restrained herself from snapping as she turned around to face Tarkin. "What?"
Tarkin had folded his arms and was scrutinizing them, upper lip curled in a snarl. "I suppose this explains it." Neither Rex nor Ahsoka understood his meaning, something reflected on the latter's face. He continued, an expression of hauteur creeping into his eyes.
"I can hardly fault you, Captain, I imagine the individual attention is nice. It certainly explains why you have no qualms reporting to such a young and inexperienced commander. Tell me, does she order you to wear the pack? Or is it a mutual agreement? An awfully convenient excuse for proximity, isn't it? Though I must say, Padawan Tano, it is rather unbecoming; ‘attachment’ is a violation of your own Code, is it not?"
Ahsoka blanched, the evidence of her discomfort etched in the graying lines of her lekku. She felt Rex's body stiffen, and his Force signature surged with anger. Before either of them could retort Anakin's voice rang clear.
"We have to move it! We need to get to Obi-Wan's position!"
Tarkin immediately turned and fell into stride with the other Jedi, leaving Ahsoka and Rex behind, shaken.
"Ignore him, Commander." Rex exhaled, the tension corded in his body and mind released, at least partly. He turned to her and, in a rare show, lifted his helmet off his face. He did not completely take it off, but it was enough to see his bright eyes and watch as his lips curled into a half-smile.
"You’re a young female that outranks him, and you're a thousand times the leader he is. He resents you for it and he’s trying to get to you. Let it go." He dropped the bucket back over his face, securing it. “And don’t ever regret helping a fellow soldier. A Captain who fails to tend to his brothers is no Captain at all.”
Ahsoka exhaled the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and smiled back at him. To prove she wasn't cowed by Tarkin, she adjusted the backpack one final time, and let both her hands rest on his shoulders for an intentional second.
He understood, and she was sure she could feel through the Force his smile under the helmet. He nodded, and they moved forward in tandem.
Rex strode in step with Ahsoka, following their General’s path towards the Citadel’s fuel line. At Skywalker’s command, Rex instructed his men to switch the safety latch of their blasters as they climbed inside the pipe. Tarkin didn’t miss the opportunity to make a snide comment to Anakin about “telling that to the droids."
Skywalker, whose face barely contained his annoyance, could only stare with an incredulous expression. Rex bit his tongue, but when the General turned to him he allowed himself to nod in what communicated a shared feeling of distaste. If Skywalker couldn’t tell from his body language, Rex was sure he knew from his own Force signature. He was having a hard time keeping his emotions concerning Tarkin in check.
His General smirked, shaking his head. Rex could tell there was a slight hesitation. He noticed that Skywalker seemed to tolerate Tarkin better than Ahsoka or Kenobi. Rex thought it would be wise to keep his mouth shut around Anakin, for now.
A skill Tarkin didn’t seem to care to learn.
Rex saw that Ahsoka had stood off to the side to wait for him to enter, and with a low voice, said, “I do not trust that guy.”
That surprised Rex. He thought she'd comment on Tarkin’s petulance but her voice had a sharpness that put him on edge. He lowered his head to her and asked in a low voice, “What do you mean, sir?”
“It’s a feeling I get through the Force. It’s hard to describe it. I just…” her voice trailed off, as if unsure how to say what she felt. She looked at him but he found he could not read her expression. “Watch my back, Captain?”
“Always, Commander.”
She nodded, and then again surprised him by taking a running leap and vaulting herself upward. She climbed the outer part of the ladder, once again attracting Tarkin’s attention. Then, Ahsoka launched herself and flipped, landing on the upper deck. Rex noticed Anakin’s amused expression and Tarkin’s contemptuous attraction. Heck, a few of the men were also staring in what he could only assume was appreciation.
Her skills had certainly grown.
He watched her at length as they made their way through the pipe. He knew he shouldn’t approve of her joining the mission against his General’s orders, but without Ahsoka, none of them would have survived this far. She had more than proved herself as capable to handle the most extreme assignments.
“I think I found a way out!” He heard her upbeat statement to the General and by extension the other Captain.
Her upbeat attitude vanished when she saw what was waiting outside. “We have to go now!” She commanded, fearless as she leaped to deflect oncoming laser bolts. The group escaped the pipe, and before Skywalker began to ask, Rex pulled out a charge from the backpack and tossed it over. The General launched it with perfect accuracy into the fuel line. The explosion was forceful enough it would buy them all the time they needed to escape.
They made their way to the other group in short time, rushing head-first into a firefight. “Glad you left some fun for the rest of us,” Rex called to Cody, who barely acknowledged him. Blast the droids, keep the turrets from blowing the shuttle - they had their work cut out for them.
He made quick work of the droids to his left, keeping his blasters in constant motion as he rattled off shot after shot. Around him, droids fell and he spared not a second glance. For the larger droids, he pulled out what was becoming a fast-depleting supply of charges and rolled one towards the onslaught. He didn’t bother to watch his handiwork, quickly moving away.
Then he saw Echo, rushing a turret. But the turret was already locked onto the shuttle. Echo would be in the line of fire…
Rex couldn't voice his horror as he watched a soldier he’d given warpaint get caught in the blast that decimated their means of escape. His automatic response kicked into gear - keep moving; remember, but do not delay; mission first.
Mission first.
Mission first, she told herself, mission first. She felt so much. Grief at losing Echo, frustration with her Master for being in seeming agreement with Tarkin, and anxiety at the fact that they were stranded.
They had become more tense, less talkative; well, everyone except Tarkin. The Captain seemed to be enjoying pushing the buttons of the Jedi. Ahsoka observed he would study their expressions after he would make a comment. She didn’t understand why he was doing it, though. How a Master like Even Piell could so easily trust the man? Master Piell seemed to judicious, so scrutinizing.
The droids and tracking hounds were closing in, and fast. Anakin and Obi-Wan separated from the group to create a distraction; she went with Master Piell to protect the others. A solid plan…until the droids overran them.
“Ahsoka and I vill hold them off!” Master Piell’s voice left no room for argument, and she saw Rex nod as he and Cody led them away from the fight. She moved like lightning, spinning and darting, feeling exhilarated. She channeled the Force as she worked through the droids.
A clarion scream of the Force prompted her to turn. “Master Piell!” She screamed before she even saw, moving as fast as she could but knowing she was too late. A rogue anooba, one that had escaped Anakin and Obi-Wan’s trap, had sunk its teeth into the elder Master’s neck. She hastily dispatched the beast. As she knelt beside the other Jedi she felt the sinking pit of failure in her stomach.
He was going to give her the information, she realized, and she felt ashamed. “But I wasn’t supposed to be part of the mission.” She had lied, and now she felt so foolish.
She had wanted to prove herself, and now here she was, a 16-year-old girl, about to own half of the most important intel in the galaxy. And she wanted nothing more to shirk the responsibility because she felt unworthy.
“Whether or not you were assigned this mission, you are now the most important part." Now was not the time for self-pity. She steeled herself and bent low to receive the hyperspace coordinates so valuable to the war.
As she felt his Force signature dissipate into something larger, she wondered what she should do with his body. The clone troopers weren’t granted the luxury burials. It was a discrepancy, but it also felt wrong to leave the Jedi Master here. She picked him up, his weight manageable draped over her shoulder, and hurried,
With haste she joined them, feeling through the Force the bright signatures of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Rex. She felt heavy with her grief, but she also felt the Force so keenly and allowed herself to accept it. Through it, she felt Master Piell helping to guide her in this moment.
She felt the stares of the men bearing down upon her. She was silent as she lowered the fallen Master to the ground, but proclaimed to the group, “He died honorably.”
“And the intel?” Someone asked; it didn’t register with her who.
“I have it.” She felt Tarkin's disdain, his resentment that his General had fallen and allowed her to share his glory. His thoughts felt shrouded by thick, dark clouds of single-minded self-interest. She shivered, that ringing warning through the Force resounding in the space between her montrals and lekku. She stood and walked past Tarkin, nearer to Rex. She felt his warmth and empathy through the Force and leaned into it as a shield against Tarkin’s cold contempt.
She would not let that man distract her from her mission. She refused to let him bring her down.
Rex felt numb as he watched Ahsoka approach. The weight of her grief plain in her face, she held the fallen General hoisted on her shoulder. He felt a stab of regret. If he had stayed to cover the Jedi, as he had done countless times before with Skywalker at the helm, how would things have turned out?
Rex stood behind her and Cody as Anakin and Obi-Wan lowered General Piell into the lava flow with the Force. As he took a moment to remember the Jedi, Rex mentally listed names of his fallen brothers (Charger, Longshot, Echo, and the brothers whose names he didn't know). He reached out and rested his hand on Cody’s shoulder as he did so. The Commander understood, placing his hand on the Captain's in return. Most of the galaxy didn’t know or remember but didn’t mean they would ever forget.
The team wasted no time refocusing on their mission. Their escape point was ahead, and Rex rigged his cable gun to fire across the lava lake, securing itself into the rock of the island across the flow. He and Tarkin were the first to cross. After helping the other Captain to his feet, Rex spied the onslaught and readied his blasters. The Seppies knew where they were. Their only option was to hunker down and hope they held out long enough for the evac team to arrive.
Rex spied out of his periphery Fives shoot down the Citadel Commander, Sobeck. He aimed at a series of droid fast approaching. Rolling to his left he took cover behind a boulder, pulled a charge out of his pack. He tossed it, and it dismantled the herd. Then, he heard his Commander’s voice. “Captain!”
He turned, frantically searching for Ahsoka.
And that’s when he realized she hadn’t been calling for him. She had been calling after Tarkin, held by Sobeck, who was threatening to throw him into the lava.
Before Rex could raise his blaster, Ahsoka was on the move. He stared as she didn’t hesitate to plunge her saber through the Separatist’s back. Tarkin fell to the hard rock floor, stunned. Ahsoka stepped away, looking breathless.
The other Jedi made their way over to their Padawan. Rex made to join them but there were more droids closing in. He raised his blasters again and savored their sweet song as the bolts found their marks. Then, he heard an even sweeter sound. The gunships had arrived, and not a minute too soon. The Jedi and Tarkin caught up to Rex’s position as they moved toward the gunships. Despite the rumbling of the engines and the fire of blaster bolts, Rex still could hear Tarkin’s voice above the din.
“I see you’ve trained her well,” he commented as he jaunted toward the gunship.
Rex felt his blood boil. Even now that damned impertinent fool was dismissive of the Commander. If Rex didn’t hate Tarkin before, he sure as hell did now. He didn’t have time to ruminate on that, though. Rex hopped onto the gunship, covering his team. He watched as Ahsoka and Tarkin boarded among the last of them.
And then they were off.