Work Text:
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
***
Wolffe watched, mesmerized as the water from the shower ran down the Kel Dor's orange back.
"I thought you were getting towels for us." Plo's amused voice startled him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, ye-yes. I was." Wolffe stammered, going pink. He turned around and grabbed two towels. Then, turning back around, he handed one to Plo. Plo took it and stepped out of the shower and into the light, illuminating the rest of his body. Wolffe stared.
"Like what you see?" Plo said with a low chuckle. Wolffe's shade of pink went even darker, and he found himself wishing he had his helmet so he could hide his embarrassment.
***
A broken heart is all that's left
I'm still fixing all the cracks
Lost a couple of pieces when
I carried it, carried it, carried it home
I'm afraid of all I am
My mind feels like a foreign land
Silence ringing inside of my head
Please carry me, carry me, carry me home
***
Wolffe sat on his bed, trying to stop the tears from falling. It wasn't working very well. Plo had always been the one to calm him down. He didn't know what to do without Plo there. He was broken into too many pieces to count, and the only person who could fix him was dead. And he was responsible.
Everything was wrong. Nothing had gone the way it was supposed to. Plo was supposed to be alive. The time he'd spent under the influence of the chip was all wrong. His mind hadn't been his own, but at the same time, it was his. He had blindly carried out orders without emotions, but the memories were undoubtedly his.
Now all that was left of Plo were his memories.
"Wolffe, are you ok?" Rex startled him out of his thoughts.
"Fine." Wolffe managed to get out between shaky breaths, drying his eyes.
"I know that's a lie. Do you want to talk about it?" Rex asked, sitting down at the foot of the bed.
"How do you deal with it?" Wolffe asked darkly.
"Not healthily, that's for sure." Rex responded, "Although, knowing Ahsoka is still alive helps."
"Ah yes, because I can totally say the same about General Plo." Wolffe says sarcastically. Sarcasm always made hiding his feelings easier. He could hide the fear of it being his fault behind it.
"You miss him."
Wolffe sighed. Of course, Rex saw through him.
"Can I ask you something, Wolffe?"
Wolffe hesitated, then nodded.
"Did you love him?" The question was quiet. But it echoed so loud in Wolffe's head Rex might as well have shouted it.
"Yes." Wolffe couldn't stop the tears as he responded. "He loved me too, but we didn't tell anybody. Not with the Jedi code the way it was."
"I'm so sorry." And Rex genuinely looked it.
"I-I don't know what to do without him." Wolffe stammered. He just wished Plo was there to hold him. Like he used to hold him on the ship they had called home.
***
I've spent all of the love I saved
We were always a losing game
Small town boy in a big arcade
I got addicted to a losing game
***
"Fall back. Fall back." Wolffe yelled at the men. He shot a couple more droids down on his way back to the rock formations.
Wolffe watched as the last few men filed behind the rocks to hide, looking for Plo. The Jedi was nowhere in sight.
"Has anybody seen the General?" Wolffe's question was met with heads shaking no. He would never admit it out loud, but that worried the Commander. He tried to comm Plo, but all he got was static. Blast it.
"Uh Sir," Boost spoke up, "I think I see him." he pointed where the droids were marching. Sure enough, there was the General. He was walking calmly towards the droids through their blaster fire.
"What is he doing? There are too many of them!" Wolffe exclaimed. Before he got a chance to do anything, the air was filled with green lightning.
*
Wolffe stood at attention in his General's quarters as Plo told the council of the events that had taken place earlier that day.
"What did you do that for?" Wolffe questioned as soon as the meeting finished. Plo looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"You could have died!"
"And you could have died if I hadn't, Wolffe. As well as the pack."
"We're soldiers, Sir. We were bread for this."
"Wolffe I-"
"Value our lives. I know." Wolffe said. He stared at Plo, then deflated and looked down at the floor and muttered, "But if they find out... You're already risking your life for me."
"The Jedi would not take my life if they found out about us, Wolffe. I would only be expelled from the order not executed."
"Being a Jedi is the only life you've ever known. So you would lose it." Wolffe whispered.
***
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
All I know, all I know
Loving you is a losing game
***
The first thing he noticed was the smell of bacta, then the dull throbbing pain radiating through his head from his eye. He opened the eye that didn't hurt and was met with a blinding light that made his head hurt more. He quickly shut it again. How did he end up in the med bay?
"He's awake, Generals."
"Thank you, Kix." General Skywalkers voice.
"How is he?" General Koon's voice, Wolffe, would recognize it anywhere. He sounded worried, but why would he be worried. There wasn't any danger as far as Wolffe could tell.
"He's on the highest dosage of painkillers I can safely give him, and I've had to change his bandages twice, other than that the same as when you were down here earlier, General."
"Commander Wolffe, are you able to talk?"
"General Skywalker, I believe it would be best if he kept his talking to a minimum, so he doesn't open anything back up. I just got the bleeding to mostly stop."
"Ok. Wolffe, I just finished telling Master Plo what happened." General Skywalker told him. Well, that's great, but Wolffe wouldn't mind if someone told him what happened. The last thing he remembers is the briefing.
His confusion must have shown itself somehow because Kix asked, "Do you remember anything?" Wolffe shook his head slightly.
"Do you remember giving the briefing?" Kix questioned. Wolffe nodded. "What about any of the mission? Anything at all." Wolffe shook his head.
"Kix, I think maybe we should let Master Plo and Commander Wolffe speak privately." There was a bit of shuffling, and then Wolffe was alone with Plo.
"You don't remember anything?" Plo's voice gave no hint about anything he might be thinking. Wolffe could only shake his head again.
He felt the bed shift as Plo's weight settled at the foot of it. Wolffe opened his eye again. At first, he couldn't see through the onslaught of pain. He gasped but kept his eye open. The pain slowly receded back to a dull throb, and his vision returned. He looked at Plo.
"What happened?" Wolffe asked.
Plo didn't respond. He just looked at Wolffe sadly.
"General, what happened?" Still no response, Wolffe pressed on, "How did I end up in the med bay?"
Plo looked down at his hands.
"Plo, please." Wolffe was begging now. That got Plo to respond.
"Asajj Ventress was leading the separatist forces..." But that was all Wolffe heard before his mind threw him back on the battlefield. Ventress was running towards him. Her red lightsaber slashed at his eye, and after that, his vision went black.
"Commander, are you alright?" Plo asked in a concerned voice. Wolffe nodded yes, but he knew Plo saw right through his lie. He wasn't ok. He was terrified. He could barely move, and it felt like he couldn't get any air in his lungs. Plo came and sat closer to him. The Kaminoans would think of him as defective. He would be replaced for sure. They would take him away from Plo. He couldn't see anymore. But then he could see again, although he wished he couldn't. Dead bodies, so many of his brothers dead. Too many. Droids had shot most of them, but a few had slashes from a lightsaber. Plo's voice pulled him back again, but he couldn't tell what the Jedi was saying. It sounded like comfort, though. Plo always comforted him when he needed it. But the Kaminoans would take him away from Plo. No. He felt tears streaming down his face, but he didn't care. He couldn't do this without Plo, and they were going to take him away. The next thing he knew was Plo's arms were wrapping around him. One of his clawed hands was resting on his head. And then sleep welcomed him back. The last thing he registered before he was asleep again was Plo's voice whispering, "I love you," in his ear.
***
How many pennies in the slot?
Giving us up didn't take a lot
I saw the end before it began
Still, I carried, I carried, I carried on
***
The battle was going better than anticipated. But the dread Wolffe had felt all day continued to grow. He knew he shouldn't be worried. Plo would be home safe, but he couldn't shake it no matter how hard he tried.
"Execute order 66."
"Yes, my Lord."
Good soldiers follow orders. All the emotions he had always covered up under his hardened demeanour were gone. The dread from earlier left. In its place, there was nothing but cold calculations and the knowledge that the Jedi had betrayed them. And they were to be executed for their treason. There was no need to send the message to the 104th battalion. Every single clone in the GAR had received the transmission.
Wolffe's eyes snapped open. He sat up, gasping. It was just a dream. Nothing more than a nightmare. Except that wasn't true. It had happened. Wolffe let out a quiet sob.
Logically he knew it wasn't his fault, but it felt like it was. He had known Plo would be killed. He should have done something. But he hadn't. He knew he couldn't have stopped it. The chip was what had controlled his mind at the time. But he'd carried out order 66, and Plo was dead because of it.
As he quietly cried, he wished in vain that Plo had survived. He wished Plo would come and curl up around him. He wished Plo would tell him it was all ok. But Plo was dead, and nothing was ok anymore. He couldn't do this alone. He needed Plo by his side. He always had. But Plo wasn't there anymore. Plo would never be there again.
Wolffe curled up alone, just like he had since Rex removed his chip. He tried to keep his crying quiet so he wouldn't wake Rex and Greger. He stayed like that until he fell asleep again.
***
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
All I know, all I know
Loving you is a losing game
***
Wolffe sighs as the door closes behind him. The room is dark, but he can make out Plo's form on the bed.
"Busy day?" The Jedi asks, turning to look at him.
"You could say that." Wolffe responded as he started taking his armour off.
"I see. You had better hurry with taking your armour off then. That way, you can come rest."
"Sir, yes, Sir." Wolffe agreed.
He finished taking his armour off and climbed into bed. He curled up contently in Plo's arms, and before he knew it, he was drifting off to sleep.
***
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
All I know, all I know
Loving you is a losing game
***
Wolffe stared at the holo map. He had been for the past two hours. He was almost finished. He had multiple battle strategies planned out. Now he just needed to discuss them with the General.
He straightened, looking across the table to where he knew Plo was. Plo was already looking at him. Wolffe had learned to read Plo's facial expressions even behind the mask. The only words Wolffe could find to describe Plo's current expression were amazed and intrigued.
"Sir?" Wolffe asked.
"Yes, Wolffe."
"Are you thinking about something, Sir?"
"Why yes, I was just thinking how lucky I am." Plo mumbled, too quietly for anyone in the room other than Wolffe to hear.
***
I don't need your games, game over
Get me off this roller coaster
***
Good soldiers follow orders. Rex had betrayed the Republic. He hadn't executed order 66. He had instead tried to escape with Ahsoka Tano. Both, however, had been reported dead when Rex's helmet and Ahsoka Tano's lightsabers were found where the 501st's ship had crashed. But here Rex was, right in front of him. Good soldiers follow orders. Clones who went against order 66 were to be executed for treason against the Republic, the same as the Jedi.
The only problem was that Rex knew he was there long before he had seen Rex. Wolffe fired at Rex, but it was too late. Rex had already retreated into the shadows. Wolffe took chase. Good soldiers follow orders.
He rounded a corner, and the next thing he knew was blackness engulfing him as he fell to the ground.
*
Good soldiers follow orders.
*
It was over. The nightmares were over.
*
Wolffe opened his eyes.
"Welcome back, Wolffe." A voice to his left said. Wolffe looked over and saw Rex, smiling sadly at him. He placed a glass of water on the table beside Wolffe's bed. He then walked to the door. Turning, he looked at Wolffe. "Don't blame yourself. It was the chips that Fives warned us about. They took our free will away. You're not responsible for what you did." He closed the door behind himself, leaving Wolffe alone.
Wolffe sat up, looking around the room.
The Jedi had betrayed them. Rex had betrayed them. Except they hadn't. But one of them had. Wolffe didn't know who it was, only that he now went by the name Darth Vader.
The past month was all wrong in Wolffe's head. It was all clouded. He hadn't made any decisions, but at the time, he thought he had. It didn't make sense. And Plo Koon was dead.
Order 66 had been executed. He had executed order 66. That was all that had mattered to him at the time. But something deep inside Wolffe had shattered, broken into thousands of pieces that could never be put back together again. Tears rolled down his face. He was screaming, and he was crying. But none of that mattered. Plo was dead. That's all that mattered. 'Good soldiers follow orders.' That mantra had drowned out the pain. But it was gone now. Plo was dead. Plo was dead. And with the new mantra came pain he hadn't felt before.
***
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
All I know, all I know
Loving you is a losing game
***
"General." Wolffe called, sprinting towards Plo's starfighter. He rounded the corner, and the Jedi looked up at him from the ship. The sight of his General didn't erase the feeling of dread coiled in his stomach like he had hoped it would.
"Commander." he greeted.
"Am I interrupting anything, Sir?"
"No, Wolffe. I just finished checking everything." Plo said as he climbed down the ladder. When he reached the bottom, he pulled Wolffe close and pressed their foreheads together. Wolffe closed his eyes, savouring the moment.
"I wish I could come with you." Wolffe whispered, opening his eyes again.
"You are needed here on the ship today."
"I know." Wolffe sighed.
"What is troubling you, my Wolffe?"
"It's nothing. I don't want to waste your time." Wolffe said, casting his eyes to the side
"Wolffe."
"I just feel like something bad is going to happen today." Wolffe muttered quietly. He couldn't tell if Plo had heard him or not. Half of him hoped the General didn't hear him, but the other half really hoped he did.
"The Force is even more clouded than usual." Plo stated. Wolffe saw that he also seemed worried.
"Is that supposed to be comforting?" Wolffe teased, trying to lighten the mood. Plo granted him a small laugh at that, although it didn't sound as free as his laugh usually did.
"When will we be arriving, Commander?" Plo asked as he stepped back, giving Wolffe space.
"We will be arriving at Cato Neimoidia in approximately ten minutes, Sir."
"You should head back to the bridge then, Commander."
"I know, I know." Wolffe said sadly, closing the gap between them and pressing their foreheads together again.
"I love you, Wolffe."
"I love you too."
They stayed there a moment longer before the Jedi drew back again.
"May the Force be with you, Commander."
"You too, General." Wolffe said. Plo climbed back up the ladder into his starfighter. Wolffe turned to go back to the bridge, then he paused and looked back.
"Plo..." he called.
"Yes, Wolffe?"
"Fly safe."
"I will." Plo said reassuringly.
And with that, Wolffe turned and went back to the bridge. The feeling of dread growing and twisting in the pit of his stomach.
***
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
All I know, all I know
Loving you is a losing game
***
"Status report?" Wolffe said, his voice the coldest it had ever been.
"General Koon has been executed, Commander." Came the reply over the comlink.
"Good." Wolffe said in the same cold voice as before.
Good soldiers follow orders. Order 66 had been executed. That was all that mattered. Good soldiers follow orders. Something deep inside Wolffe shattered, broken into thousands of pieces that could never be put back together again. Somewhere, deep inside, he was screaming, somewhere he was crying. But none of that mattered. Good soldiers follow orders. That's all that mattered. Good soldiers follow orders. The mantra drowned out the pain. Good soldiers follow orders.
Good soldiers follow orders.
***
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
***
Wolffe didn't go into the Jedi temple very often. He'd only been a few times, and before now only to the briefing room. Now, however, Plo was excitedly pulling him down a hallway filled with Jedi quarters. Finally, he stopped outside one of the doors and opened it. There was a shield in the doorway that Plo walked through. He handed Wolffe an oxygen mask then gestured for his Commander to come in.
Wolffe entered, and the door closed behind him. He looked around. There wasn't much. There was just a bed and a desk. He looked back over at Plo, who looked at him happily.
"Close your eyes." The Jedi instructed. Wolffe did as he was told. A minute later, Plo spoke again, instructing, "Open your eyes, Commander."
Wolffe opened his eyes. Plo had removed his mask and goggles. He'd never seen Plo without them before. He had a small beak where a human would have a nose and a sort of chasm that ran from his beak down to his mouth. His tusks were black like his claws. But what caught Wolffe's attention most were the Kel Dor's eyes. They were silver, and Wolffe felt as though he could get lost staring into them.
Wolffe's eyes slowly opened. He was staring up at the ceiling. It had been over a year, and he still couldn't tell if it was worse when his dreams showed him the bad memories or the good ones.