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Chapter Text

Ahsoka awoke to Vader grabbing onto her shoulders to pull her into a hug, and if she wasn’t so disoriented, she might have noticed that he was sans the dark attire that had quickly become the face of the Empire, that there was no longer the overwhelming darkness that shrouded his person. She might even have noticed Obi-wan standing a little way to the side of them, and that might have been enough for her to refrain from acting rashly.

But she was disoriented. She was exhausted from her sleepless nights that had preceded her last confrontation, and high on adrenaline because only moments before, the man before her was swinging his red blade towards her head, pounding her mind with cold, betrayal and unconditional hate, and her arms were straining and shaking from his sheer power as she pushed back with her sabers behind her back.

And so with a sharp cry she pushed him back with the force, called her old sabers from Obi-Wan’s grip into her own and swiped down towards his fumbling form on the ground, blades ignited.

But her former master had always had fast reflexes, and his own saber collided with hers, stopping them in the path towards his head.

“Snips! It’s just me.”

The nickname was like a stab to the gut. But it jolted her awake and out of her trance. Because Vader might be cruel enough to use it against her, but no one said it like Anakin did except well… Anakin.

And all of a sudden, she couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe, because Anakin Skywalker was on the ground at her feet, looking not a day older than she had remembered from the last time she’d seen him running off to save the Chancellor. The last time he was truly Anakin.

She choked back a sob.

She retracted her sabers and pressed a wrist hard to her lips. She looked up at Obi-wan, who had paused from his frantic rush forward, now eyeing her carefully with concern. Obi-wan, who was very much alive, despite being pronounced dead by Bail Organa in the wake of the purge.

Was she dead? Was this the force? She wouldn’t have been surprised. She knew, stepping into her fight against Vader, that she was no match for his brute strength and ruthless control of the force. She knew that there was no coming back from that, but somehow she knew that was not the case. Because if she was dead, then why was she still fighting desperately to breathe, her pulse beating hotly in the back of her throat?

No, she wasn’t dead, she decided as she shakingly looked around to the familiar planet. She was on Mortis. And judging from Obi-wan's nervous hovering and Anakin’s clumsy attempt for a hug, it didn’t take long for it to occur to her exactly when she was.

And that might have been worse, because despite everything the force had put her through, despite everything she had lost time and time again, the force was clearly not done with her. And this time Rex wasn’t-

Oh Rex, I’m so sorry, and the thought of leaving the last of her family behind suddenly pushed all the other thoughts into the back of her mind. Her promise to make it back to him, her promise to make up for all the time they had lost. Her promise to outlive the Empire with him, to find a quiet farmland and finally give into retirement.

Now he was lightyears out of her reach.

Anakin laughed nervously as he dusted himself off and stood up.

“I was worried for a moment, thought you finally snapped.”

Ahsoka didn’t laugh back. How could she? Neither did Obi-wan, who was too busy looking at Ahsoka with more concern than she was comfortable with.

“Ahsoka, are you… alright?”

She gathered her bearings before they realised she was more affected than she should be. She knew why he was asking, knew what he assumed her outburst to be, remembering years ago how she had been used by the Son during her first visit to the planet, about how she died. Still, she couldn’t help the twinge of panic that came with his question. Obi-wan has always been more sensitive to the force, and something was telling her that whatever had happened to bring her back here, he wasn’t supposed to know. After all, years of experience had helped her become attuned to the force’s will as well.

“Sorry Master. I don’t know what came over me.”

“That’s quite alright, Ahsoka. It’s been a long day, and Anakin does have a habit of getting on the nerves.”

“Hey!”

And Ahsoka couldn’t help the slight smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. If there was any comfort to find from this situation, it was this. A familiarity enough to allow her to truly appreciate her chance to relive this moment. Because where she was from, where she should be, Master Kenobi was pronounced dead, and her Master met a fate so much worse. But not at this moment. She tried to allow herself to relax.

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Everything else played out exactly how she remembered, though Ahsoka took much more notice of things. She kept her sense of deja vu and dread tightly shielded in her mind when a gold eyed Anakin stormed out of the sabotaged shuttle growling her name. She didn’t miss the fleeting glance the Father gave her when he explained the broken rules of time. She shuddered at what Anakin might have been shown. Did he know what he would become?

She didn’t know. All she knew was the pressing and urgent instinct in her to get the kriff out of here.

And they soon did, Because then Anakin was back and he killed the Son and before they knew it, they were flying back to the Resolute with the two masters acting as if nothing had happened.

And then Rex was there, waiting outside the shuttle. Armour sans the scratchy fade of the paintjob that had come with the sandy winds of Seelos.

And for a moment, she had hope, but then he greeted her with a stiff “commander,” and it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

“Generals, I hear you’ve got quite the story to debrief,” Admiral Yularen said from Rex’s side. Ahsoka barely heard him.

She was glad he had his bucket on so she could stare at his jaig eyes, and not his actual ones. She suspected that if she could, she would only see his military respect for her as his commanding officer. Maybe the beginnings of a friendship, but nothing more.

And it wouldn’t be his fault. He didn’t know what they would be forced to endure together, how well they would come to know each other. How they would mean everything to each other. But force if that didn’t make her want to scream

She absently followed her masters’ steps off the shuttle and towards the briefing room, and he walked behind her, forcing her to keep the pace in front of him.

She hoped that if her Rex still existed out there somewhere, he would forgive her.

The debrief that came after Mortis was short, she suspected only because she didn’t hear a word that was said. Her mind was positively swimming with thoughts, too fast for her to focus on a single one. She breathed, willing herself to focus.

She failed.

If Admiral Yularen didn’t call for a recess when he did, she was convinced she would have run out on her accord. Anything to escape the suffocating feeling that was slowly engulfing her and making it hard to breathe. For the first time in years, for the first time since the purge, she was well and truly alone. A part of her was surprised she even remembered the way to her quarters. Of course I remember. This was home. The other part of her could only focus on getting out, her vision already blurring with tears.

She wished she could stay strong, like she had somehow managed for all these years. To be able to have the galaxy deal its absolute worst but still manage to march on. And she had. She had stayed strong for too long, resisting and fighting with everything she was as the galaxy slowly but surely crumbled around her, and she was just tired.

So she keyed in the code to her room, collapsed onto the bed and fully prepared herself for the emotions welling to the surface, waiting to break free.

But there was a knock at the door.

Karking… ugh… She scrubbed at her eyes.

“Come in,” and it was Rex. Stepping into her room and looking at her, with an intensity that she almost thought maybe. Please! And then…

“Commander.” Oh.

“Captain.”

Because that’s who he was. Captain Rex. Not my Rex.

Then again, Rex always took pleasure in proving her wrong, and as the doors hissed closed from the lack of motion he did just that. With a grin spreading on his face, he stepped towards her and crossed his arms at his chestplate.

“So… how was Malachor?”

Chapter Text

Rex couldn’t say how he knew. In fact, he knew very little of what was going on, how this was even possible. But the moment she stepped out of the shuttle, looking exactly like he remembered during the Clone Wars, her lekku significantly shorter than when he’d last seen her, but her blue eyes holding a weight that had come with a lifetime of fighting a losing battle, he just did.

Call it sharp instincts if you will. But the truth was, two decades was a lot of time to know a person, to become so attuned to them that you knew them better than you knew yourself. He’d recognise his Ahsoka anywhere.

He didn’t say anything right away, though force knows he wanted to. As she followed Skywalker and Kenobi out of the ship and through the hangar bay, he noticed that aside from the subtle differences he saw in Ahsoka, nothing seemed out of place, playing out the same way he remembered all those years ago. She must not have told them, and so neither would he.

During the debrief, he forced himself to act as hesitant and disbelieving as he had been when he had first heard of the Jedi on Mortis. He didn’t need to reach too far for it, the second time was just as confusing as the first, but he supposed that throughout the years, Rex had become slightly more aware of what the force was capable of.

But most importantly, he forced himself to keep his eyes forward on the monitor, and not on Ahsoka, who’s frequent glances were slowly burning into his skull. She was dead, or at least that was what he was told. Slain by the dar’jetti to allow the others to escape. Kriffing Ahsoka and her kriffing hero complex and her big heart (he told her it was going to be the death of her). No, he would wait until they were alone before he allowed himself to meet her eyes.

Because even though his eyes were safely hidden under his bucket, he might be asked to speak. And his throat was thick with emotions as it was.

He didn’t have to wait for long though, because the Jedi were tired and retired to their quarters after only a brief recount. Ahsoka darted out at the Admiral’s dismissal and rushed out the corridor and the generals chuckled, mistaking her rush for childish impatience.

Rex knew better.

He followed her after a half-hearted salute and “sirs.” His steps though, were much more deliberate as he walked through the corridors, catching her rear lek flying away every corner he rounded.

When he arrived outside her door, he stood outside for a while. His nerves were no match for his incessant need to see her, but they were there nonetheless, existent in the tremors of his fingers as he raised his hand to knock, and just enough to make him hesitate.

For a moment, there was a silence, and he was afraid she wouldn’t answer, but then she did.

“Come in,” and the door hissed open to reveal Ahsoka standing up from the slightly crumpled blankets on her bunk, her eyes scanning his form. He reached up to the airlock on his helmet, disengaging it before he slipped it off his head. He needed to see her with his own eyes.

“Commander,” he said in his military voice. Testing the waters. After all, what if he was mistaken?

But he wasn’t. He knew when Ahsoka met his eyes, when he saw her crack for a split second, and then attempt a brave face. It would have worked if he didn’t know her so well. After everything they had lost together, he was more than familiar with her look of grieving. And whatever it was, it was more than sixteen year old Ahsoka would have had to grieve.

“Captain.”

And then there were so many things to be said at once, all at the tip of his tongue. I missed you. Don’t you ever do that again. But the only words that escaped him were his witty attempts to lighten the mood.

They sent her into tears and into his arms nevertheless.

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They stayed up for hours after that, cooped up in her bunk, his head resting between her montrals as she curled up into his chest. He told her about the Ghost’s return from Malachor, what Ezra had told him about her fate, about how he cried himself to sleep after choking out remembrances for his closest friend, and how he was woken up in the clone barracks by the raucous of brothers he knew to be dead.

She told him about Anakin, and of what she learnt he had become. Of what he tried to do, what she could not and what it might have cost her if Ezra hadn’t pulled her out of the moment and into another one. She chuckled tearily about how she woke up, grabbed her lightsaber and tried to gut him.

“Good,” Rex grunted, earning himself a slap on the chest. After what his general had nearly taken away from him, he would have deserved it. He had never been as forgiving as Ahsoka was.

They expressed their relief, that despite everything that had happened (will happen?) they were together, and how they had learnt time and time again that as long as they were together, everything somehow turned out alright.

They speculated about their purpose here. After all, it wasn’t everyday you were thrown back in time. Rex was sceptical about the whole thing, but Ahsoka thought it was obvious. He believed her, she did have more experience with the force side of things after all.

“My master Rex,” Ahsoka breathed. “The vode, the Jedi, everyone. We could… we could save them all.”

Rex nodded, tightening his arms around her. He would help her. Of course he would, regardless of whether or not he understood. Because here they were, two people that had come from a world where they had nothing left to lose but each other, and all of a sudden, with everything to gain. A second chance to save those they could not. And if it meant giving up what they had come to know, the rebellion, the Ghost crew, Wolffe and Gregor, it would be worth it.

Rex and Ahsoka’s comms went off once throughout the night. It was the generals letting them know they were heading for Coruscant to talk to the council about the mess on Mortis. They and the men could take it easy for the night and the next day. He thinks they deserve it.

The remainder of the night was spent planning. They were military after all, and the captain in Rex knew that going into a mission unprepared was unwise if his general was anything to go by. They needed to take things slow, and one at a time. Stay under the radar. They were here to save lives, but more could be lost than last time if they were too hasty. No revealing battle outcomes before they happened, only nudging it in the right direction in that moment. This was war after all, an intricate game of Dejarik with the Chancellor on both sides of the board. And the last thing they needed was for the karking dar’jetti to feel as if his hands were twisted behind his back.

Ahsoka would deal with the general. She was closer to him after all, and she was one of the only people he actually listened to (when he wasn’t being a stubborn di’kut anyway). Rex was reluctant to even let her near him.

“It’s not him Rex,” Ahsoka told him quietly at his tenseness. “But it could be if we don’t get this right. We can’t avoid this.” He knew she was right. Besides, there was only a certain amount of time a padawan could ignore their master before questions were asked. That didn’t mean he had to like it, but he trusted her.

He would work on the chips. The smoothness on the side of his temple told him that as long as that piece of junk was in his head, his mind belonged to the Chancellor. Not a smart move if they were attempting treason. He’d get it out of himself the next time he had access to a med droid, and gather as much evidence as he could. Fives would need his help when the time came for him to discover them.

The same thought that plagued them both before every dangerous mission hung heavily in the air. Maybe everything would go right. Maybe the future they liked to talk about, the one after the war, was well within their grasp if they played things right. But maybe it wasn’t and they would lose the very last thing either of them had. One thing was for sure though, Rex didn’t know a single thing about how the force worked. But he knew her. His best friend, his jetti, his aliit. And against death, the force had brought them back to each other. To right here in this moment.

It would take more than a war, or a kriffing Empire to stop them.

Chapter Text

Rex woke up to a lek in the face and his arm tingling with numbness from its spot under a snoring Ahsoka. He smiled. This had become one of his favourite ways to wake up since he joined the rebellion, a reminder that not everything he knew and loved was left to die in the wreckage of the Venator all those years ago, that he could very much feel Ahsoka's heart beating against the palm she cradled against her chest as she slept. Overtime, he had learnt to cherish these moments, to allow himself to sleep in just a little if it meant he could stay curled around Ahsoka's sleeping form for a moment longer. He had to, with her duties as Fulcrum often leading to her having short-noticed extended periods of time away from base, running all kinds of classified and fate-tempting missions.

But he couldn't allow himself that luxury today. Not with the strict GAR military protocols they would have to readjust to. Troopers should be up by 0600, he remembered. And troopers should definitely not be caught in their commanding officer's quarters.

He attempted to slide his arm out from under the sleeping togruta, trying his best not to wake her. It didn't work, and she muttered in protest, wrapping herself around his arm tighter, awake now but pretending not to be. Her cold feet, which were normally entangled with his, were now pressed into his shins for warmth. He chuckled, having a sudden urge to poke fun at her new height. He could imagine she wouldn't be happy with the regression after waiting so long to hold her elegant growth over his head (quite literally if they counted her montrals, though Rex had always argued that they didn't count).

"Morning littl'un," he teased, unable to help himself. Ahsoka turned and poked a sleepy head up at him to glare. He grinned at her, barely refrained from rubbing it in further by calling her smaller montrals "cute."

"Not a word," she grumbled, pointing a finger in front of his face in warning, before rolling off of him and sitting up to stretch. She smiled coyly at him. "Just so you know, you were way more comfy before."

Rex barked out a laugh. "Speak for yourself. I missed being in this shape." Not that he ever became unfit, but he had grown soft with the lack of rigorous strength and stamina training he practiced as a soldier. To his pleasant surprise, he also noticed that the subtle heaviness he had slowly accumulated in his bones with age was long gone.

"Hey," she turned to him suddenly, already halfway out of bed. "You know we should try sparring again. Now that we're like… this again." She gestured to their bodies. "It could be interesting."

He hummed in agreement, following her off the bunk. He started to collect his armour plates from their stack by the door. Ahsoka hardly ever won a fight against him hand-to-hand in her padawan days, not if he wasn't pulling his punches. But she thrashed him almost every time during their spars back on rebel base, with her forms growing to easily rival his over the years, and his body slowly losing its strength and speed. He guessed they would be more or less evenly matched now.

"I might take you up on that," Rex told her, now fully kitted up. Ahsoka smiled at him and reached forward for one more hug. "I'll find you this afternoon. There are some things I need to do first." Namely the daily reports and orders he remembered having to send through to command. He had some catching up to do if he intended to keep those up.

"Always the diligent captain, Rex," she teased him. He snapped to attention in response, giving her a crisp salute, making her snort. "I'll see you in the afternoon then."

He marched out the door, pretending not to see her shake her head at his antics on his way out. He couldn't stop the wide grin on his face if he tried.

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"Captain, you better not tell me you were cooped up here all night."

Rex looked up from his datapad to see a trooper barging into his office. The action in itself was enough to tell him who it was, only a handful of men would dare such a thing. But the shaved and tattooed head, with his signature accusing glare was what made him smile. Kix always took pleasure in pulling rank on anyone he could in the GAR, loved to chew him out for his apparent "lack of self-preservation." He had always wondered what happened to Kix, who seemingly just vanished one day during a 501st leave on Coruscant.

It was good to see him again.

"What can I do for you Kix?" he asked, saving his progress on the latest report.

"If I had my way? Your shebs in the medbay with a sedative shoved into your kriffing neck." Rex couldn't help but glance at Kix's hands. No hypo hidden in his fingers waiting for the plunge, that was good. If Kix was still anything like he remembered, it definitely wouldn't be beyond him to pull a stunt like that. Of course, it wasn't actually necessary, Rex had just had one of the best sleeps he could remember, including his time as a captain, wanderer and rebel. Given he never actually showed up to the barracks though, he figured he should keep that bit of information to himself.

"And if you didn't have your way then?" he asked instead. Kix sighed at him and shook his head, but thankfully let it go, handing Rex his datapad instead.

"Fives and Echo are back, and they need you to sign them off for temporary placement with the 501st. Apparently you boys have a little errand to run together?"

Lola Sayu. The Citadel. Yes, Rex remembered what was coming. Absently, he replaced his datapad with Kix's and scribbled a CT-7567 at the bottom of the document. They needed a plan for this, if they were going to fight the losses. He'd speak to Ahsoka later.

"Thanks, Kix." He handed the pad back to him. Kix nodded, but didn't look like he was about to leave. "Anything else?"

"Mess hall, sir. You're coming with me, before I decide to mix a nutrient pack with your sedative."

He barely repressed his groan. Kix's eyes were set with determination, and Rex knew that meant he wasn't leaving without him. Stubborn di'kut. He stood up, knowing better than to fight a losing battle, following Kix out the door.

Walking down the corridor was different, now that more troopers were awake. Of course, Rex had seen them roaming around the day before, but he hadn't been able to take it in properly, more concerned on what the kriff was going on at the time. This time though, the sight of them all filled him with a sudden ache in his chest. Shinies in unmarked, unscathed armour stopped mid step with a salute as he passed, and the more seasoned troopers sniggered at their antics with a push and shove. When he and Kix arrived at the mess hall, he almost couldn't enter. All he could see was a sea of 501st blue. Brothers.

For the first time in years, he was finally home.

And when Fives and Echo stood up from their table to greet him, Hardcase sitting behind them, he allowed himself a wide smile. It was nice to see them back together, where they both belonged.

"Captain!" They came to attention with a snap of their heels, crazy grins on their faces. Kix sniggered at the newly minted ARCs. Hardcase, who still had his mouth full of his rations, noticed them approaching and waved a hand. His grin made his cheeks bulge.

"They've been waiting to show off their new getup," Hardcase called out, and Fives gave him an offended look.

"Oh 'fess up Hardcase, if you looked this awesome you'd show it off too," Fives broke out of his stance to cross his arms. Echo, ever the regs abiding clone, only relaxed at the wave of Rex's hand. Rex couldn't wait for him to grow out of that. "You're all just mad because I'm better looking than your ugly shebs!"

Kix threw his arms up exasperatedly. "We're clones! Clones Fives!"

"Whatever." Fives spun around to face Rex again with a crazy "Fives" smile. "So Captain, did you miss us?"

Did he miss them? 16 years was too long ago for Rex to remember his response to the question, but he was sure he would have made a smart remark. He probably joked about there being nothing to miss to make Fives scoff. He might have done the same again now if it were any other clone.

But before him stood two of his finest men. He'd watched them grow from shinies to battle hardened soldiers who had gone through too much, abandonment, betrayal, sacrifice, loss, and somehow they still let it shape them into better men. They didn't know that they would inspire Rex during some of his hardest years, but he did. He clasped a hand on each of their shoulders and squeezed, offering each of them a smile.

"Of course I missed you, men. And I couldn't be more proud of you," he stated firmly. He wished it would be appropriate to say more. Though maybe it was better that he didn't. Fives already looked on the verge of squirming away at the sudden show of praise.

Echo though, was always the more sentimental of the two, and gave a sheepish smile.

"Thanks Captain," he said softly. "We're glad to be back."

Hardcase, who had filled up his mouth even more now, started spewing puffs of crumbs onto the table as he attempted to speak, earning groans and a "disgusting!" from his brothers.

Rex turned away and glanced at Kix, not forgetting why he was here in the first place. Kix, for all his nagging and ordering around, now looked comically out of place with the captain's show of emotion.

"If I bring a bar back to my office, will I be safe from the medbay visit?" Rex asked him.

"Take two. I know you're not planning on coming out for a while."

Rex laughed. "At least you'll know where to find me, Kix."

He ended up grabbing four bars, just in case Ahsoka didn't make it to the mess before their spar in the afternoon, and headed back to his office. He would have ended up staying in the mess with the rest of the troopers, but he really did have reports to finish. The Battle of Kamino, though some months ago now, had taken a lot of the 501st, and trooper statuses weren't yet updated. And, of course, the fact that for Rex it took place too many years ago made the process much slower.

It was the hardest part of being a captain, no matter how much he fell in love with his rank. The endless status to be updated to KIA, the endless troopers too unfit to return to the front lines to sign off. The endless remembrances to be said, because he'd die before he let a brother be forgotten. Rex knew loss. He had once lost all his brothers, but he didn't think he would be able to lose anyone else. Not this time.

Because there came a time that the KIA was under Hardcase's CT number. Where Fives was unlawfully executed, and Kix had vanished. Where Echo was turned into something unrecognisable, and Jesse's body lay buried on a desolate and uninhabited moon. Dogma would be executed for doing what Rex could not, and Tup would be taken over by what would one day take over all of them. Dogma and Tup, who were not even stationed with them yet.

As long as there was breath in Rex's body, he would do everything he could to not fail his men again.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka and Rex circled each other again, fists held high and waiting to strike. Ahsoka scanned her eyes over Rex's form, but it was perfect as always and left her no openings to take advantage of. She knew he was doing the same thing.

Normally, sparring with Rex was full of laughter and snarky remarks when good hits were placed, but Ahsoka couldn't afford the distraction right now. Fighting as her younger self meant that the lean muscle she had gained from years of training was gone, and though she still knew how to work around an opponent with a larger muscle mass, Rex's slightly slower speed was no longer something she could use. Like Ahsoka, he was countering every move she made before she even made it, much to her chagrin.

Rex made the first move this time. Ahsoka darted away at the subtle tense of Rex's upper body, and was well out of the way when his fist swung out. She used her momentum to drop and spin, swiping a foot behind his knees to take him down, but it was predictable, and Rex's footwork was deft and precise. She retracted her leg before he could use it to unbalance her, and was on her feet just in time to throw up a quick flurry of blocks and counterattacks to the jabs flying towards her face and ribs.

Force, Rex wasn't holding back, and each impact rattled her bones in her arms. Knowing she wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, she grabbed onto his upper arm and used it as leverage to get both her feet up, kicking him in the chest and sending them both flying away in opposite directions. She flipped up quickly, and charged forward, hoping to catch Rex still on the floor, but he was already up, so she wrapped her arms around his torso and swung her body weight to the side, throwing them both off balance and sending them crashing to the floor.

Upperhand, upperhand, upperhand, Ahsoka chanted frantically in her mind as they rolled, fighting for the top. It was a risk, bringing the fight to the ground, and she'd pay for it if she couldn't lock him in or get back up quick enough. There was no way she could wrestle with him and win. She came out on top for a split second, and sent a fist to his face. He moved his head with the motion to slow the impact like she had expected, and she came up with her knee pressed to his temple to keep his head to the side. But when his leg came up, swift and with deadly force, Ahsoka was forced to shift to avoid the hit. The kick grazed her ribs, and she grunted with the force of even that.

Then he was on top, working quickly to restrict her limbs. He already had her arms locked, so she swung a leg up above his shoulder and around his neck, forcing him to either push to the side or have his air cut off. She didn't let him choose, and jerked her thigh to the ground, taking his mass with it.

He landed on his side, and Ahsoka made quick work of him, one knee against his neck, another on the small of his back, and an arm twisted behind him. She tapped the back of his head in the perfect spot they both knew would knock him out if she delivered a swift blow. He groaned in defeat, and she grinned.

"I win again," she taunted. Rex made a sound of amused annoyance and reached behind him with his free hand to smack the knee keeping him down.

"Let me up," he grunted. Laughing, she loosened her hold on him and helped him to his feet.

Delightful cheering came from the sidelines, and they turned to see Fives and Echo pumping their fists in the air with glee. Cody, who they had just picked up along with Obi-wan, was standing beside them and had his arms crossed in front of him looking pleased. Ahsoka caught the smirk he was sending to Rex, and she looked back, half with mirth and half with apology. Beaten by a "padawan." He wouldn't be living it down anytime soon.

Ahsoka, though still catching her breath, was buzzing with adrenaline. That felt good, being able to let loose and not have to hold back on each other. Ahsoka had won two out of three rounds, but she knew that if they went for a fourth, his stamina would long outlast hers.

"Hey boys!" She called out, joining them on the sidelines.

"Commander, that was insane!" Echo exclaimed, eyes wide and grinning. "When did that happen?"

"You sure you're not the one fresh out of ARC training sir?" Fives added, elbowing Echo's side who grabbed his arm in excitement.

"Aww no," Ahsoka laughed, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. "I heard you boys had all the fun without us."

"Not to worry Commander! There'll be plenty of fun when we-" Cody quickly interrupted Fives with a clearing of his throat. Fives suddenly looked sheepish. Never being able to lie even implicitly to save his life, he rubbed the back of his neck, words turning into stutters. "Er… I mean… now that we're back!"

Ahsoka smiled to hide her frown. That was right, she wasn't assigned to the mission on Lola Sayu. Not that it stopped her of course, nor would it stop her this time.

"Looking forward to it Fives! That's if the Captain doesn't end up hogging all of your time." She cast Rex a sly look, who huffed back at her, looking just as exhausted as she felt. If it were just the two of them, he might even have shoved her. Oh well. She guessed it would have been out of character.

"If they've got off time," he told them, crossing his arms in front of him. "ARC or not, you'll remember that all troopers onboard the Resolute pull their weight."

"As if we could forget the KP trauma," Fives grumbled softly.

"You only get KP when you ask for it, Fives," Rex said back.

Cody turned to Ahsoka. "Speaking of off time, General Skywalker and General Kenobi have got some now, and they were looking for you last I checked."

Ahsoka nodded, glancing over at Rex who had unnoticeably tensed up. It'll be fine, she told him with her eyes, tapping the comms on his arm softly. If I need you, I'll comm. Rex nodded.

"Best not to keep them waiting then Commander," he said out loud dismissively, as if nothing was wrong. Cody and the ARCs didn't seem to notice anything strange. "Thanks for the spar."

"Well, I'll catch up with you boys later then." She waved at them, heading towards the door. "Not too much fun without me, remember!"

"Never!" Fives called out.

"Bye Commander!" Echo waved back.

Ahsoka smiled to herself, shaking her head. Don't get her wrong, the Ghost Crew was great fun, their hectic dynamic never failing to bring a bout of nostalgia. But nothing compared to this. Past, present or future, she'd always have a special place in her heart for her boys.

-----------------------------------

As it turned out, Anakin and Obi-wan were looking for her to join their meditation session. She shouldn't have been surprised, given the constant disapproval Obi-wan used to voice out at Anakin's lack of teaching in that aspect. Everytime the 501st and 212th were together, he always made a point to force the two of them down to meditate. This wasn't any different, and neither was Anakin's whinging.

"... just don't see how this is going to help us win the war."

Ahsoka entered Anakin's quarters just in time to hear Obi-wan sigh. Her two masters were sitting cross legged on the floor on their meditation mats, a third one laid out for her. She held her hands behind her back to turn her comms on and off in a way that made the green lights flash in a sequence to Rex. A language commonly used on rebel stealth missions after the empire adopted the republic hand signals.

Meditation, it read.

She couldn't see the flashes he sent back, but she could feel the vibration on her forearm. Affirmative.

"You say that every time, Anakin, and the answer hasn't changed." Obi-wan's eyes were still closed. "It's good practice for Jedi to meditate. If you're not planning to do it, at least teach Ahsoka."

"Well, Ahsoka doesn't want to either." Anakin looked up when Ahsoka complied, sitting cross legged on her mat. "Right Snips?"

"Best not to fight him on it, master," she said back to him. She still hadn't gotten used to both of her masters' presence after so long. As much as she missed them, she was slightly more on edge around them than with the men, knowing what she did. Obi-wan's eyes cracked open to send a pleased look over to Ahsoka.

"Huh… maybe you did teach her something."

"What, subordination?" Anakin scoffed jokingly. "I didn't teach her that."

"No I suppose not," Obi-wan looked back at Anakin with a frown, before closing his eyes again. "You're also getting distracted." The creases in his forehead disappeared.

Anakin shot a knowing smirk Ahsoka's way before falling silent and shutting his eyes in an attempt to imitate his master. As usual, he wasn't succeeding.

Ahsoka… well…

Over the years, she had learnt to master meditation. Awareness of her thoughts, and of her surroundings became a pivotal skill for any surviving jedi. Strong mind shields kept them away from detection, after all, and that only came from diligent self-awareness and sentience.

She had found the ability to meditate in any situation she found herself in, had moved beyond hindrances like distraction that she faced as a padawan. Rebel base, after all, was no Jedi Temple, and she had to make do. There was never silence, between constant drill alarms and hurrying footsteps of crews passing, their thoughts always echoing back some degree of paranoia. She learnt to meditate without the guidance of a master, without the lack of stimulation, and definitely without her meditation mat. So this? This shouldn't have been a problem.

Except that it was. Ahsoka couldn't even find herself able to close her eyes. Because kriff, her master was loud. Not in a physical sense, but in a way that was so much worse. In a way that she feared.

Anakin's thoughts were very much out in the open, but they weren't dissipating as they should have been if he was releasing them into the force. They were running wild, his focus being passed to each thought one by one, but never truly letting go. There were a few that were more easily read. Surface thoughts.

Worry for the upcoming mission, desire to be a good master for her, annoyance at the council after a recent disagreement...

… but then he delved into the deeper ones, and with those came hints of dangerous passion and agony.

Padme… his slavery…

… and the deeper he spiralled, the more his presence started to resemble...

… I couldn't save my mother...

"Anakin," Obi-wan chided, breaking her out of her horror. "I can practically hear your thoughts." Ahsoka was shocked at how casually he said it, like it wasn't anything new. Had Anakin always been like this?

"Sorry," Anakin said lightly, as if he wasn't on the path to losing himself. But his thoughts did quieten down. Still not released, but suppressed.

Why hadn't Obi-wan ever said anything? Done anything? Maybe he wasn't as sensitive to the thoughts as she was, didn't practice the paranoid habit of sensing the intentions of those around him like she did. That must have been it, because she knew that Obi-wan would never have ignored this if he knew. But then that brought up the question of exactly how ignorant the Jedi had become of the dark side.

Is he beyond saving? She didn't want to believe it, because why was she here if that was the case? Is it too late? Ahsoka, for all her trust in the force, now better understood Rex's hesitance from yesterday. What if this was too big for them?

"You too Ahsoka. Be mindful of your emotions."

...Oh

Luckily Obi-wan and Anakin's eyes were still closed, because Ahsoka, now snapped out of her thoughts, was sure her lekku had turned dark with embarrassment. Of course, she should have known that nothing, not even age and experience, made you safe from a lecture from Obi-wan.

Comforted by the familiarity, and finding her mental balance, Ahsoka allowed herself to sink into her usual meditative trance.

Is he beyond saving? She asked herself again, only this time she released the question into the force. The force will set things right, even if he is.

Is it too late? Trust in the force.

One by one, the thoughts that swirled her mind lay to rest. Her sudden bout of emotion gave way to a sense of peace, the initial shock of her ignorance towards her master's pain dissipated, and in its wake lay profound and pivotal knowledge. Passion dissolved around her to reveal serenity. Chaos morphed into harmony.

She breathed.

Death, yet there is the force.

Chapter Text

The closer they got to the Lola Sayu system, the more Rex’s pre-battle jitters started to show. More often than not, Rex caught himself tapping absently on his desk or bouncing his leg when he found time to run through the mission in his head. It was kind of funny how Rex of all people could become so skittish about a battle, almost as if he was a shiny all over again. To be fair though, considering even Ahsoka’s jedi-freakishness and meditation wasn’t enough to fully conceal her apprehensiveness either, he wasn’t doing so bad.

Despite having the advantage of knowing how things turned out the first time, he couldn’t help but feel as though they were all too unprepared for the mission. In fact, the way things turned out the first time was proof that they were unprepared for the mission. Second time or not, there was no doubt that this was a bad idea. And that was before adding the force and time travel to the mix.

“Rex!”

Rex snapped his head up to look at Ahsoka’s waving hand in front of his face.

“Sorry, just… tired.” Rex ran a hand over his face to bring himself back to the present. It wasn’t a lie. After a little trial and error, Rex and Ahsoka learnt that the best time they had to discuss their plan without curious ears was under the privacy of the night cycle. That meant late night talks at the back of the empty mess hall, and while it did provide them with the solitude they needed, it came with the cost of sleep.

Ahsoka reached over the table and pushed his cup of caf closer to his fingers, studying him. “Not just tired,” she noted. “You’re worried too. What’s up?”

Rex sighed and took a sip of the bitter drink. “Nothing new. You know how I feel about the mission, ‘Soka. This is a bad idea and you know it.”

Ahsoka frowned, seemingly deep in thought. Her fingers tapped absently at her own cup. “I know Rex, but it’s too important to not go through with it. The Republic needs the Nexus coordinates from Tarkin and Master Piell, you know how crucial that route was in the war.”

“We’re risking too much for information we already have. We know where it is, we could send an anonymous tip or-”

“It’s too suspicious,” Ahsoka said. “Besides, we need to rescue Master Piell and Tarkin from... Rex, he’s still an officer,” she added at the resentful look he gave at Tarkin’s name. If it were up to Rex, he’d leave that son of a Hutt in Seperatist hands, it would save them a lot of trouble. Knowing Ahsoka though, that wasn’t an option.

“Piell didn’t even make it out,” Rex said instead.

“Better death than torture,” Ahsoka muttered, eyes frowning at her twisted fingers.

At that, his thoughts were no longer on the torture in the Citadel, drifting instead to the horrors he found on Skako Minor. To Echo. Echo got captured during this mission, and from the state he found him in when they rescued him, he imagined that the torture he went through far surpassed anything in the Citadel. Was it worth the risk of repeating history to potentially achieve so little? As far as Rex remembered, they had lost more men than they had gained.

Ahsoka must have known what he was thinking because her frown deepened with determination. “We’re not doing the mission to trade lives, Rex. We’re doing it to save them. All of them if we can.”

Rex grumbled in frustration but he knew she was right. Risk came with every mission and campaign, but they couldn’t afford to let that stop them. It wasn’t like they had the freedom to deny the deployment anyway, and maybe with knowing what went wrong the last time, things wouldn’t turn out so bad.

“Alright,” he sighed in defeat and perched his elbows on top of the table. “What do we know?”

“Well,” Ahsoka started, “I wasn’t assigned to the mission. I snuck on, and I’m probably gonna have to do the same.”

A chuckle escaped him. He remembered her trying to convince them that General Koon had sent her after them. Unknownst to her, she did a pretty shoddy job of it. Only Ahsoka would want to be part of a mission like the Citadel rescue.

“Other than that, we’ve got Anakin and Obi-wan, Cody, Fives and Echo…”

“Charger, a few of Cody’s men, and a trooper from General Piell’s unit going in,” Rex added to her list. “And General Piell, Tarkin and several unarmoured men going out if everything goes accordingly.”

Which it won’t, he thought.

“Right. Well the main reason the mission was a botch was because we underestimated everything,” Ahsoka started to plan. “They’re planning for an in and out rescue and are expecting to be gone before our cargo ship is missed, but we know that’s not possible.”

Rex hummed in agreement. She was right. With the short timeframe they had before the Separatists caught on, they were inevitably going to be detected. Their best play was to delay the inevitable as long as they could.

“So we buy them time,” Rex decided. “Avoid the traps we know. The electromines, the security cams and the turrets.”

“Mhm, and improvise for the rest. We’ll be in new territory if we make it through that far undetected. We’re good at that though, right?” Ahsoka gave him a small one-sided smirk, which he returned easily.

They discussed strategies and stealth tactics for the rest of the night. What didn’t work, what might have worked if it was better executed, and what could be worth a shot. They discussed the layout of the Citadel with surprisingly vivid memory. After all, the Citadel was hell, and not a place that was easily forgotten. It certainly wasn’t the mission he would have picked as a first to test the impact of his and Ahsoka’s presence, but Ahsoka believed they could do it and by now, he knew better than to doubt her. By the time Rex and Ahsoka finished discussing all they could, they did have a plan in place, crude as it was, and that was enough to put him at least slightly more at ease.

There was no light in space to keep track of time passed, but if there was, sunlight would have started to break through by the time Rex drained the last of his caf and made it back to his quarters. It was going to be another long, tiresome day ahead of him, one which he’d have to face with only a few hours of sleep. It didn’t matter though, because Rex was sure sleep would evade him as it so often did nowadays.

-----------------------------------

“Commandos!” Cody shouted as the men scattered to avoid the sudden rain of blaster fire.

Rex darted behind the nearest cover, breathing hard. Beside him, Fives threw his head back against and swore frustratedly.

“Captain, this is insane,” he groaned. “We’ll never make it out.”

Rex ignored him, risking a look over the top of the shelter . There were twenty of them, and advancing fast. Slightly ahead of them, Ahsoka met his eye questioningly from her own cover, waiting for him to make the first move. Cody was with her, firing shots over their barricade but not making much progress, with the clankers coming faster than he could shoot down.

With their deployment scheduled for the next day, Rex decided that with the odd mix of 501st, 212th and ARC’s, it would be useful to spend a day training together. The men chosen for this mission were among the best, but flawless teamwork only came with practice, and most of these men had only just met. They had never worked together in a way that they would soon be expected to. Ahsoka had joined them under the guise of having a Jedi amongst them with both General Skywalker and Kenobi too busy planning to participate.

Rex crouched to the side of the cover with his blaster peeking out, firing pin point shots straight into the heads of the closest commandos. From the comms, he heard a tired curse, along with an announcement that two more of Cody’s men were down. Longshot and Dimer. They dragged themselves tiredly to the sidelines where Charger and Scoop were already sprawled, helmets off and panting.

This was a disaster.

“They’re flanking us,” Rex spoke into his comms. “Cody, if you take your men to the sides with Fives and Echo, Ahsoka and I will handle them up front.”

Cody nodded and moved quickly. Haz and Kuur followed him to the right while Fives and Echo took the left. Rex used the distraction of movement to sprint towards where Ahsoka stood in the middle of the field, blocking blaster fire and redirecting it back when she could.

Ahsoka grinned as he arrived just behind her, under the protection of her lightsabers. He grinned under his helmet at the familiarity of it. Just like old times.

“Sword and shield?” she asked him.

“Sword and shield,” he agreed, and they moved as one. Ahsoka’s sabers were a blur, moving so fast that the space around her was almost a solid wall of green and yellow. Rex twisted and darted around her, moving and firing where she allowed for a small gap. From the comms, he heard Fives and Echo go down, and they moved to cover their side. From the sound of it, Cody wasn’t faring too well either.

“We need to move out Rex,” Ahsoka called over her shoulder, struggling to be heard over the ring of blasters. “Take the flank while I keep at it.”

She didn’t look back at him, and he didn’t respond as he ran out, twin blasters firing in quick succession as he made up for his loss of cover. They trusted each other enough to know that they were moving. At some point during the frantic exchange, Cody lost Haz and Kuur, and Rex found himself taking fire from both sides. Cody held his own for a while, but without the reinforcements, he was soon overwhelmed.

Then it was just Rex and Ahsoka, and they were completely surrounded.

With a cry, Ahsoka flew forward, lightsabers slicing cleanly through the droids like they were butter. Rex took her six, providing as much cover fire as he could with only his two blasters. The droids fell one by one, falling victim to his precise aim. When their numbers started to overwhelm him, he noticed offhandedly how the droid’s blaster bolts bent around him, flying too far out to catch him. Ahsoka’s doing, just as he had expected her to. When the droids moved to position themselves where they were out of his range, he moved an arm around to fire at Ahsoka’s blades, where he knew she would redirect them to aim where he couldn’t.

Conscious thought gave way to instinct as the two of them worked together, moving in a way that showed flawless teamwork and unconditional trust. Off-handedly, Rex wondered if they were being too conspicuous with each other under the scrutiny of the men, whether they would know something was different about the way they moved. He brushed it off. Whether or not they found it strange, staying alive was much more important, and they needed all the practice they could get. Maybe it was a good thing for them to get used to it anyway. This was who Rex and Ahsoka were now. More than just the captain and a padawan that the men knew, but an unshakeable team.

He almost missed the green flash of success from the tower. Success.

“Oh,” Ahsoka groaned tiredly before dropping to the floor in exhaustion. Rex followed suit, still buzzing with adrenaline but too fatigued to act on it. The rest of the men, who had somewhat regained enough energy to stand, made their way over to them, collapsing where the two of them lay. Cody handed Rex a bottle of water, and he took it gratefully.

“That,” Scoop panted, “was the most insane thing I’ve ever done.”

Haz barked out a laugh from where he was leaning heavily against Longshot. “Blame the 501st. Skywalker’s suicidal tendencies are rubbing off on them.”

“Nah.” Charger grinned. Being the first out, he had the most time to recharge. “Skywalker never made us crank up the sims to the max. That was all the captain.”

“What the kriff, Rex!” Fives exclaimed, hands flying up before flopping back down dramatically to his sides. “We just got back and you’re already trying to get rid of us. What was that?”

“Stop complaining!” Scoop snapped jokingly. “At least you two got ARC training to prepare for this. What about us? A little warning would have been nice!”

Rex chuckled and sat up. Ahsoka eyed him with a grin. “You boys saying you can’t handle it?” he provoked. It got the response he expected, as a chorus of indignant cries sounded. Cody, who sat next to him, snorted loudly.

“You 501st think you’re tough,” Cody smirked at him. “Try us, we could do this all day.” Another round of cries from the men made Rex laugh.

“Haar’chak, commander!” Haz exclaimed. “I’d rather admit defeat to the 501st than go through that again!”

Ahsoka jumped to her feet, reaching her hands down to pull a groaning and unwilling Fives and Echo up off the floor. Echo hauled himself to his feet painfully, but Fives made no move to help her. “Too late! Cody has spoken. We’re going again.”

“Argh, kriff me!” Fives dropped to the floor with a thump when Ahsoka let go of his hand. The rest of the men slowly and reluctantly sat up as Rex stood, making his way over to the simulation controls. He didn’t wait for the men before he pressed the start button. At the sound of the automated kaminoan voice announcing the start of the sim, the men hurriedly scrambled to their feet, weapons in hand.

“MISSION TERRAIN: THE CITADEL. DIFFICULTY: 10. SIMULATION WILL BEGIN IN 5….4….3….2….1….”

-----------------------------------

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” Cody drawled from where he leaned against the entrance to Rex’s office.

Rex startled at the voice, though not visibly. His breath hitched and his fingers stilled on his datapad. From the time Cody had joined them on the Resolute until now, they hadn’t had any time alone. In a way, it was a good thing. If anyone knew Rex well enough to know something was amiss, it was Cody, and Rex didn’t want to know what Cody would see if he really took the time to observe him.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t something he had an explanation for. It didn’t help that Cody was a marshal commander either. Unlike with his men, Rex couldn’t hide under the guise of rank if he had to.

Rex glanced up from his work to Cody’s expectant look. “Noticed what?”

Cody chuckled, before walking inside and making himself home on the chair in front of Rex’s desk. “You and the commander.”

“Tano?” Rex asked, carefully casual, looking down to his datapad again. Uh oh. He didn’t suspect, did he?

Cody scoffed, kicking his feet up into the chair next to him. From his peripheral, Rex could see Cody giving him the stink eye. “Don’t play dumb Rex. Of course Tano.”

“What about her?” He cringed at the tone of his voice, silently cursing the infamous clone trait they all seemed to inherit; the lack of ability to lie. He could feel his heartbeat picking up. Whatever it was about her that he wanted to know, he couldn’t.

“I don’t know vod, you tell me,” Cody laughed.

Too casual for him to be suspicious of anything, Rex noted with some relief.

“I was only going to say that you two were a surprisingly excellent team during that practice session, but now you’re getting all defensive.”

“We’ve been training,” Rex offered more easily. It wasn’t exactly a lie, just not the whole truth. Cody would buy it, he’d watched them after all.

“Yeah, I know. It's kind of refreshing actually, seeing the Jedi take after the vod. She’s Skywalker’s padawan alright, but I’d recognise 17’s handiwork anywhere.”

Rex snorted lightly before falling silent once more. If his time with the 501st seemed a lifetime ago, then ARC training with kniffing Alpha-17 was so distant he was almost surprised he could recall it.

Almost. He was certain that no amount of prancing around in this messed up galaxy would ever rid him of the memories of the demon.

Cody eyed him funnily one more time before seemingly letting him go, tossing his DC-15A on the desk and starting to disassemble it. “What’s up with you anyway, Rex? I haven’t seen you since Tipoca City and you can’t even spare a minute to talk to your brother?”

It’s been a lot longer than that, Rex thought. He was surprised at the sharp moment of bitterness that accompanied it, and quickly swallowed it back. Now was not the time.

“Not much new to talk about since then,” Rex shrugged. “I’ve been trying to replenish the troops since Tipoca.”

“Need to borrow men?” Cody asked.

Rex shook his head. “No, vod.” He knew the war took as much 212th as it did 501st. He couldn’t do that to his brother.

Cody hummed sceptically, not looking up from fiddling with the power adapter. “Still. You’ve been avoiding me, I can tell.”

Rex prepared to go on the defensive again but Cody simply waved a hand in the air. “I don’t care, your broody shebs isn’t great company anyway.” He looked up and smirked. “I just thought I’d make sure it was just you being an idiot and not being stupid.”

“Stupid?”

“Pulling rank and avoiding your officers to overwork yourself and kriff up your health.” Cody’s eyebrows raised. “Don’t pretend you’re above that. I know you.”

A hint of irritation flared up in Rex, though thankfully not enough for it to leak into his facial expressions. Why don’t you try to be a good captain to your men when you’ve gotten kriffed by the force and have no idea what’s going on.

“Alright.”

“Rex, I’m serio-“

“Alright Cody,” Rex said again, pushing a little more certainty into the words. “I’m fine, I just want to be done with the mission. That’s all.”

Cody stared hard at him for a moment, brow furrowed like he was something to be deciphered. Rex didn’t know if he found what he was looking for or not, but thankfully decided not to push. All of a sudden and with quick, practiced movements, Cody reassembled his blaster and stood up.

“You’re an idiot for sure Rex, but don’t be stupid. You hear me?” he eyed him one more time before standing from his seat and walking towards the door.

He jammed his fingers into the control panel on the wall. The door opened and Cody marched out, sparing only a quick look over your shoulder. “I’ll see you at 0400 for deployment then.”

It didn’t occur to Rex until the door hissed closed and he sat by himself in his office once more. He could feel his heart beating slightly faster, but only out of caution, only out of wariness. Not for Cody, no ache for his closest brother and oldest friend, Ahsoka aside. Maybe it should have alarmed him, should have saddened him, but it didn’t. The realisation came with surprise and a bit of shame.

Frowning, Rex looked back down at his datapad, now dim from disuse and rubbed an armoured knuckle against his face. That was… he was hesitant to call it disappointing. Seeing Cody again could never be disappointing... but after going so long wondering what had become of his ori’vod, only to have to avoid his company...

Well, it wasn’t quite the reunion he had imagined.

Focus, he thought to himself, and shook the fog out of his mind. There wasn’t time to think like that. They had a mission to prepare for, and this wasn’t something worth losing sleep over. Besides, he was low on sleep as it was.

-----------------------------------

The early morning cycle came too early for Rex’s liking. It caught him in a groggy and grumpy mood, awake too early for him to be happy as he emerged from his quarters fully kitted up and ready for deployment.

He managed to catch Ashoka for a moment, enough to share breakfast in the mess, before she was commed by General Koon to the Jedi Temple. She left him shortly after, grumbling about ‘stupid kriffing masters,’ and ‘just a padawan,’ leaving Rex on his own until his own comm went off. It was General Skywalker, letting him know to gather the men.

Rex had made an effort to keep himself clear from General Skywalker’s path. At first it had been out of anger, though the sharp burn had long since turned duller, into more of an aching resentment, one Rex could more easily keep to himself. Now though, it was unease that kept him away from the man. What Ahsoka had told him about their meditation session the other day did nothing to ease his nerves.

But of course, Rex was his captain, and avoidance could only take him so far. War came with many battles, and Rex’s place during those was always by the General’s side.

“Nervous?” General Skywalker asked him as they stood in front of the carbon chambers.

Rex shrugged. “Never been carbon frozen before,” he told the man.

“First time for us too,” he chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry, we won’t even feel a thing.”

That wasn’t what Rex was worried about. The first time on this mission, Rex didn’t know enough about carbon freezing to be properly worried. Now that it was more commonly used by the Empire, he had heard the stories. Some never regained full movement of their limbs or bodily functions. Some never woke up.

He wasn’t about to tell him that though.

The General left Rex to his thoughts, approaching Fives and Echo who were having their own hushed conversation in the corner. From across the room, he caught Ahsoka’s eye from where she was sitting on a stack of crates. She smiled and made her way over to her.

“Nervous?” she asked as she stood where the General had just been.

Rex snorted. At least he could give her his truthful answer. “No, just thinking about that one Rodian you came across who went blind.”

Ahsoka laughed, gesturing to the glowing hunk of machinery in front of them. “That was because of the chamber malfunction. This one? This one’s fine.”

“I hope you know that didn’t help,” Rex grumbled.

“Don’t tell me after everything, you’re scared of a little carbon freezing,” Ahsoka grinned before her face turned more serious. “Are we good with the mission?”

Rex ran through the parameters in his head. “Avoid detection, don’t trip the mines, watch out for the turrets, rescue Piell and Tarkin.”

“And watch the men,” Ahsoka added.

“And watch the men.”

From behind them, General Skywalker called for the men to gather around, and he gave Ahsoka one last smile. It was time for him to go under, time for her to convince someone to let her come along.

“I’ll see you on the other side,” he told her.

“Yeah, see you on the other side.”

He made his way over to the General, who was next to General Kenobi as he briefed. This was it, their one shot at making this work. Avoid detection, don’t trip the mines, watch out for the turrets, rescue Piell and Tarkin. Watch the men. Watch Charger and Echo. Come home.

The group dispersed to make their way to their platforms, Rex following suit, until they all stood in position, waiting for the chamber worker to bring them under.

As the platform lowered, his eyes followed Ahsoka as she tentatively started to approach General Koon, ready to make her case. Then she was out of sight, and he was surrounded by oddly lit and intimidating machinery. There was a horribly suspenseful whirring sound, before he was suddenly doused in a white mist.

“I kriffing hope this works,” he muttered apprehensively, though the notion was quickly escaping from him. Drowsiness overtook his brain, and if he was more alert, he might have found that confusing; how his muscles were relaxing and his heartbeat was slowing despite the fact that his nerves were being fried by the burning cold.

Carbon freezing isn’t any more fun the second time, was his last thought before he became nothing more than a slab of rock on its way into the heart of the Citadel.