Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Horses neigh. A rooster crows. Steady footsteps pounding on the dirt. A squeaky gate. Rustling hay. These sounds were as familiar to Rex as his own voice. The sky shone with vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows behind the tree line; a reminder that God is the best artist out there. 

Rex couldn’t imagine life away from the farm. Each day was a new adventure- the Lord never painted the same sky twice- but Rex still enjoyed his morning routine. Every day he was the first to wake up and go out back to the barn, let the horses out, clean and fill water buckets, throw morning hay, and start cleaning stalls. He savored the short time he had to himself in the light of dawn. He took a few slow breaths of the humid morning air, admiring the land he’d been blessed to call home. It was here among the waking horses that Rex felt most at ease. Soon after, the Fetts’ little crew of employees arrived ready to tackle another day out in the fields. They grew a little bit of everything here- corn, beans, and squash (the three sisters) of course, plus strawberries, tomatoes, blueberries, apples, leafy greens. Their fields were small but many, always rotating crops, planting things for any growing season. But the Fetts did have one thing that set them apart from all the other family farms in the county. Their hay fields. They boasted the largest hay farm in Eastern Massachusetts. Farming was their livelihood and the hayfield made it possible to actually make a profit. It was the heart and soul of the farm.

On the other side of town, a flash of blue and orange flurried around the house in search of proper footwear. And sunscreen, and a hat, and her special steel water bottle with her iced coffee in it, and - actually a lot of things. 

“Aha! There they are!” 

Ahsoka beamed with satisfaction as she found a suitable pair of boots to put on. It’s not every day you do a complete career one-eighty. Ahsoka couldn’t wait to start her internship! She’d passed the farm plenty of times and always took note of the way some fields were barren while others overflowed with green, changing spots every season. The house was close enough to the road that she could see the ever changing splashes of color in the flower boxes. And to one side of the house was a single field that seemed to stretch on forever as she drove past. Now she would be a part of this living, breathing piece of land. She’d tried to find her place in the hustle and bustle of city life as an engineer, following in her brother’s footsteps. She’d been indecisive about her career path until Anakin took her under his wing. She still remembers his advice. 

“It’s a competitive job market and it’s tough to get into a position that pays well. You might not make it as Obi Wan’s apprentice,” he’d said. “But you just might make it as mine.”

Well, she did make it. She made it big. But Ahsoka felt there was something missing in her life in Boston. She just couldn’t figure out what it was. Now she was back in her hometown, in her old house, with Anakin and Obi Wan, hoping to find herself… or something like that, anyway. Being back felt so normal and seamless, yet so… new. Like something life changing was on the horizon. 

Ahsoka had been emailing back and forth between the owner of the farm looking for an work, and was promptly welcomed onto the team as an intern. Earlier in the week she was given brief, clear instructions for her first day. They were as follows:

1. Arrive by 7:00 am
2. Park in the gravel area in front of the barn marked ‘employees’
3. Find me in the barn and I will give you your daily tasks

The gravel crunched satisfyingly under her car’s tires as she slowed to a stop in the driveway. The ‘employees’ sign was barely visible beyond the row of pickup trucks. At least her Corolla would be easy to find. In the barn the smell of leather, hay, dirt, and sweat assaulted Ahsoka’s nostrils almost as fast as the horse who’d decided to take a bite out of her hat.

“Give that back!” she commanded, reaching her arm between the bars, to no avail. The thief was in the back corner, proudly waving the baseball cap around. Ahsoka blew it a raspberry.

“Fives what the f- oh, you must be the new intern,” an approaching voice faltered.

Ahsoka whirled around and had to look up to see the man’s face. And boy did he have a handsome face. Kind golden eyes, a broad nose, sharp, strong jawline. His blond hair spilling out from a straw cowboy hat of the same color contrasted his tan skin perfectly. Ahsoka realized she was staring.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m looking for-” the man politely held up a hand, walked past Ahsoka, and retrieved her hat from the horse. He inspected the bedazzled UMASS logo and promptly handed it back to her.

“Yours I'm guessing? Sorry ‘bout that. What were you saying?”

“I’m uh, looking for Rex Fett?” Ahsoka said as evenly as she could with horse slobber dripping off her hat.

“Already found him.”

“ You’re the owner of this place?” Ahsoka couldn’t believe someone so young was in charge of such a large operation.

“Yeah, had to take over last year due to unexpected circumstances. I can give you something easy since you’re new or you can pull your weight with the rest of us from the start.”

Ahsoka, of course, chose to jump headfirst into work. 

Chapter Text

Stuck to the boards of the tack room wall sits a little plexiglas- roughly box shaped- box. And shoved in that box are two dewormer syringes, one canister of bute powder, and an empty space where anti-inflammatory eye drops are supposed to be. Laan’i is done with today. It’s only seven a.m. and the day is already falling apart in much the same way as when you pull on a loose thread to break it off and end up unraveling your sweater. Laan’i has already been at it for two hours, after discovering a horrible mess of a flood in the barn. Further investigation revealed a burst water pipe for the wash rack is to blame. This rendered the hose and, by extension wash rack, useless. Great start to the day. So Laan’i called her brother Nik to help with damage control. And that leads us to the siblings’  present situation of carting five gallon buckets between the kitchen sink and the barn in the bed of a truck.

The cherry on top of all this was when Laan’i’s “give the psycho his eye drops” alarm rang promptly at 7:00 while she was cleaning a stall. Letting her pitchfork slide down the wall, she whipped her phone out of her pocket and angrily swiped at the screen until the ringing stopped. Adding to the morning’s excitement the phone slipped out of her hand, bouncing twice on the concrete aisle before the back of it popped off, allowing the battery to slide across the river of gray; almost as if even Laan’i’s phone was attempting to run away from its problems. 

Slamming the pieces back together as she walked, Laan’i nearly dropped them upon seeing the empty space in the box. So she decided to call the last person to use the eye drops. The person who put the vial in his pocket last night. The person who is probably a mile from his phone in a tractor right now.

Ring...ring… click!

“ What’s shakin’ bacon?”

“Where are the pants you were wearing yesterday?”

“ Hello to you too.”

“Where are they, Fives?”

“Wearing ‘em.”

“Where are you ?”

“ Why? Miss me already?”

“I need Gator’s eye drops, do you have ‘em?.”

“ Shit. Yeah I got it,” he sighed.

“On my way.” Laan’i took her keys and strode off to her truck.

“ On the tractor, just started baling hay.”

“Ugh, alright I’ll come to you.” One hand turned the key and the other hung up the phone.

The engine roars to life and whistles as Laan’i takes off toward Fett Family Farm. 

Besides nearly totalling a Corolla parked in her usual spot in the Fett Family Farm driveway, Laan’i made it to the farm without issue. Hopefully a good sign for the rest of the day.

“Hey Rex! Echo?” Laan’i shouts. No one answers so she slides open a stall and greets the bay horse inside, when suddenly a chipper, feminine voice answers from the shadows.

“Uhhh, I think he’s still out in the fields. Do you work here?” 

Laan’i doesn’t bother to look towards whoever the voice belongs to. She simply pulls a soft rope over the horse’s head and replies,“Sometimes. Just visiting today.”

Laan’i catches a glimpse of a girl with white and blue french braids and a maroon shirt as she leads the Morgan out of the barn. She rides off to the hay field. By no means a large farm compared to those in America’s heartland, the Fetts boast a hay field just big enough to be a pain in the ass to cross. So Laan’i and Commander canter through the fields, inching towards the slow-moving tractor. 

Closer. Closer. Closer. Passed it. Laan’i slows to a trot now that Fives has seen her. The tractor slows to walking speed and so does she. 

“Hey!” Fives greets.

“Hay.” Laan’i gestures to the surroundings.

“Haha, very funny. Here’s the eyedrops.”

Laan’i accepts the vial, wishes Fives good luck, and tips her hat in a goodbye. “See you around!”

“Wait!” 

“Yes?” 

Fives makes a thoughtful face. “Well you see, we have this new intern. And,” he hesitates, searching for the right words like a biology student might search for termites suitable to study for the next two semesters. “She’s pretty new to the whole farm thing. I really think she could use some riding lessons. Plus, you’ll be seeing each other around here anyway, might as well get to know each other.”

Realization hit Laan’i like a slap in the face. The girl. The braids. The car. The dirt. The dirt all over the car she almost wrecked. Laan’i doesn’t hesitate. “Tell her to stop by this afternoon. One o’clock or four thirty.”

“Will do!” Fives returns the hat tip and plows ahead.

Laan’i is so done with today.

However, she also knows that Fives will definitely not remember to tell the girl to stop by. He probably won’t even get off the tractor until dinner. With no Rex and no intern in sight, Laan’i takes matters into her own hands. She scribbles a note on a piece of paper from the office and sticks it in the window pane of the door. Feeling the vial in her pocket when she reaches for her keys, Laan’i smiles. That’s one success so far and it’s only seven thirty.

Chapter Text

After a successful week of planting early fall crops and tending mid summer crops, fixing fences and tractors among other odds and ends, bringing in the big bucks through the farm’s “Pick Your Own…” programs, and generally working their asses off, Rex invited his crew over for a Saturday night bonfire. Besides celebrating a successful start to the season, he figured it would benefit Ahsoka to have a proper welcome to the team. And among all the softly illuminated faces, Ahsoka’s was the one Rex’s eyes kept darting back to like a stubborn mosquito that just won't leave you alone. He couldn't help it. Hers was a very nice face to look at. There was a certain wonder and liveliness in her bright blue eyes he just couldn't explain. 

“Earth to Rex!” Cody’s hand waved in front of his face, breaking Rex out of his musings.

“Huh?”

“I said, ‘Do you have any more ice?’”

“Uh, yeah, I’ll go get it.”

“Nah I got it.” Cody clapped Rex on the shoulder. “Do us all a favor and go talk to her, would ya?”

“Talk to who…” Oh. Rex wasn’t an idiot. He could put the puzzle pieces together; Cody leaving an empty seat next to Ahsoka, Cody asking to go to the house, the fleeting glances Rex caught Ahsoka throwing his way while he was doing some glancing of his own. Cody always saw right through him.

"Friggin' mind reader," Rex muttered.

Not wanting to make an awkwardly obvious approach, Rex made a point of tossing another scrap of wood into the fire before asking Ahsoka if he could sit in Cody’s seat.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Wh- uh, sure!” 

“Thanks.” Rex tried his best to look relaxed despite his racing heart. “I know it’s been pretty hectic around here since you came on, and I’ve had you guys all working pretty hard. How ‘bout you do the talking now?”

“Well…” Blush crept across Ahsoka’s face and she nervously played with her braids. “Where do I start?”

“What brought you here?”

“You invited me-”

Rex laughed warmly. “I know that , what made you want to do farm work?”

“ Ohh ,” Ahsoka giggled and her blue eyes shone like chrome. “I actually went to college for engineering,” she started.

But once again Rex had to stop her there.

Down the road were the sprawling white headlights of at least three vehicles creeping along. Everyone around the fire looked to the glowing caravan, on the edge of their seats. The woods and fields around them were suddenly dead silent. 

“What is it?” Ahsoka whispered, leaning close enough that her hair brushed Rex’s shoulder.

“Shh..” someone across the circle hushed.

Rex kept his voice low. “Don’t know yet. But it’s definitely not anyone we know.

Hands hovered over holsters. The cars came closer. The black SUVs and lead Suburban slowly turned into the driveway. Cody froze on the steps before casually hurrying down to the fire.

“I see we have company.”

A heavy door opened and closed, engines still making barely more than a hum. By the time a man’s silhouette came around the house, there were already at least two Fetts and a Ma’rek in the trees, and a good handful of very unwelcoming farmers standing around the fire.

The firelight cast an eerie shadow on the old businessman’s sinister smile.

“This is the Fett residence, is it not?” His amicable voice dripped with venom.

“Who’s asking?” Rex demanded.

“Sheeve Palpatine; Empire Real Estate CEO. I feel this letter explains everything quite thoroughly. Call the number on my card if you have any questions.”

And with that, he turned and left with his fleet. 

Rex stared silently at the stupid piece of paper. 

“What does it say?” Cody asked. 

Rex couldn’t say anything. He wanted to choke out the words but he just couldn’t make any sound. “This can’t be real. This can’t be happening,” he wanted to say. His friends and family drew closer to him, but suddenly their presence was anything but comforting. He vaguely heard someone call his name as he marched to the barn. He’d blow off steam later when no one was around to see him break down.

Chapter Text

“Good job, Tano, take a walk break!” Laan’i called from the middle of the dusty dressage ring. Well, it was more like a desert with the weather lately. Ahsoka and the horse gladly obliged and switched gaits.

“I don’t know how you guys do this all summer,” Ahsoka sighed.

Laan’i shrugged. “You get used to it— keep his head straight.”

“Right.” Ahsoka tugged her inside rein. “Don’t get me wrong, I love these lessons, but how exactly are they supposed to help me at work? The past week all I’ve been doing is sitting at the Pick-Your-Own booth. I mean— I thought I was supposed to be, y’know, diving headfirst into farm work?”

“What happened to you fixing fences?”

“I don’t know! Ever since the bonfire Rex has been giving me the lamest assignments.”

Laan’i was silent for a few thoughtful seconds. “He’s probably still got his feathers ruffled after whatever that weirdo said. He’ll come around eventually– back up to trot– and don’t take it personally– posting, shoulders back!”

----

The first thing Ahsoka did when she got home was take a nice, cold shower. The second thing was look up everything she could about Sheeve Palpatine and Empire Real Estate. After clicking away on her keyboard, and scribbling in a frenzy of ink and sticky notes like a madman, she ended up with only a few morsels of useful information. But a few morsels were better than an empty plate.

“Ok, let’s see here,” she muttered. Golden sunlight streamed in through her window, making the words seem to float off the pages. 

Empire Real Estate:

• National co.

• Buys neighborhoods/large plots of land and sells to developers

• Lawsuit against them in 1997 for illegally purchasing/selling a cranberry bog 

• Somehow stayed in business 1998-present

Sheeve Palpatine:

• CEO of Empire Real Estate since establishment in 1980

Ahsoka sighed and flopped onto her bed, letting the air conditioning take her notes in a whirlwind. All that digging and for what? Yes, she learned a bit about the company, but next to nothing about Palpatine. And what was he even doing at the Fetts’ farm?  From what her notes said, nothing good.

She abruptly sat up. Rex. Does he know? He must at least know this means bad news. But does he know just how bad it could be?

Ahsoka was not about to sit around and find out. As much as she hated bringing bad news, and as much as she didn’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill, she wanted to give Rex as much of a fighting chance as she could. So. Her feet took her down the stairs, left at the front door, and over to the coffee table where her laptop waited for her. She made herself sit down. Just open the laptop, Ahsoka , she willed herself. Navigating through her plethora of tabs to compose a new email took about three seconds but felt like an eternity. Deep breath. Here we go. He’ll appreciate this. You’re doing him a favor, right? But what if he thinks I’m annoying? No, it’s better for him to already know this than to not know it at all. Do I seem nosy? It doesn’t matter, I’m part of the farm now, too. Ok.

Hey Rexter,

Ahsoka here. Feel free to ignore this if I’m telling you things you already know, but I found some info on Empire Real Estate you might find useful…

Chapter Text

Beep beep… beep beep! 

Rex groaned.

Beep beep…beep–

His hand limply slapped the snooze button on his alarm before he was even aware of it. Now he could drift off into the lazy river they call sleep. He could barely even keep his eyes open. It was all just too much. He’d really been stretching himself thin the past few months, scrambling to make a profit. Why are property taxes so damn high in this state , he wondered. It felt so good to lie there just… falling. Weightlessly… falling… asleep…

Rex awoke with a gasp, blood rushing through his veins like ice. His eyes darted around the room, landing on the alarm clock on the pine bedside table. Damn. Ten minutes late.

He found a clean pair of jeans and a light t-shirt folded neatly in his closet, and grabbed his straw hat on his way to the bathroom down the hall. The glimpse he caught of himself in the mirror looked about as tired as he felt.

He made his way to the barn to feed the horses. They were creatures of habit like him, and the fact that he was only a few minutes late didn’t matter to them. Commander was kicking his stall door with the urgency of a horse who hasn’t eaten in days.

“Calm down!” Rex yelled. He was definitely at the end of his rope.

To stay on schedule he half-assed stall cleaning, which left him feeling irritated and like he forgot something. But seeing his crew filter into the wide barn aisle reminded him that he’s got a farm to run, and it was his own fault for waking up late. Time to get this show on the road.

“Awaiting orders, boss man!” Fives beamed.

Rex sighed. “You and Jesse finish baling hay. Go ahead and get started on that.”

“Wow, really crackin’ the whip today, huh?”

“Fives.” Rex sent his best annoyed older brother death-stare Fives’ way.

“Ok, ok. We’re going.”

Rex quickly sent everyone else in various directions. Except one. While everyone else was buzzing about like bees, Rex took Ahsoka to the office. Ahsoka stood stiffly by the saddle racks while Rex rifled through some folders on a bench. She let the silence stretch on for a moment. And a half. Ugh. She couldn’t take it anymore.

“So am I actually gonna get to do anything today or am I just gonna sit here and watch you do paperwork?”

“I’m not doing paperwork, I’m looking for something. Your email had some pretty good information. I never knew all that about the lawsuit against Palpatine. Ah– here it is!” Rex held up a paper but kept looking through the papers. 

“I still don’t know what exactly he wants with my farm but after reading your email I might have an idea.” Rex sighed. “It’s not in here. Must be at the house.” He closed the folder.

Ahsoka cocked an eyebrow. “What else are you looking for?”

“A newspaper clipping. I don’t remember the details but when I was little, a family we knew lost their bog and it got developed. There was a blurb about it in the local paper and it might mention who bought it, and if it’s our friend Sheeve…”

“...then we know why he wants your farm,” Ahsoka interjected. 

“Read this.” Rex handed her the paper. 

June 26, 2023

Sheeve Palpatine

Empire Real Estate Company, Inc.

66 Senate Drive

Coruscant, RI, 07720

To whom it may concern, 

As you should already know, your property will be seized by the town of Midboroughtonhaven, MA, 07567 on September 1, 2023 due to unpaid taxes amounting to 12,800 dollars. Should this eviction take place, you will obviously lose quite a valuable form of equity.

This brings me to the point of my letter to you, the homeowner. I have a client who is interested in a property just like yours. I estimate the value of your property to be $1.5 million. Should you choose to sell your property through my company, you will get 90% of the profits from the sale. 

I truly hope that you decide to work with Empire Real Estate, as it will benefit both of us.

Best regards,

Sheeve Palpatine

Ahsoka stood in shock, her braids swaying as she looked up to meet Rex’s eyes. She couldn’t say anything because, for once, she had nothing to say but, “Rex…”

He let out a small laugh. “That bad, huh?”

“Do your brothers know how bad it is?”

Rex was silent. He shifted to the dusty window overlooking the horse paddock.

“No.”

“Why? Rex you need all the help you can get right now, why not start with your family?”

“I thought I could handle it all myself, y’know, amp up production, make a shit ton of money and pay back our debt. Then Fives and Echo wouldn’t even have to worry about all this bureaucratic bullshit.” He leaned on the windowsill and sighed.

“Well, after last week’s visit, I don’t think you can keep this a secret much longer. You have to tell them. It’s only fair.”

“Yeah… I just– I really hoped I could fix this.” 

Ahsoka saw the look of defeat in Rex’s eyes, in his posture. The warmth in his golden eyes was lost in the shadow cast by his hat. Ahsoka stepped closer and gently touched his shoulder.

“We still can fix this. But we’ll do it as a team , okay?”

“And how do you suppose we’ll fix this?”

“I have a few ideas… But if I’m gonna help you save the farm, I’m gonna need some more interesting assignments than the Pick-Your-Own booth.”

“Alright.” Rex walked out of the office. “Come on, let’s get you baling some hay.”

Chapter Text

The next few days felt like a balancing act in a tornado for Rex and Ahsoka as they racked their brains for ways to scare off Palpatine while also pulling 12 hour days at the farm.  Stealing a few minutes here and there to brainstorm. Staying late in the office. Digging through junk in the loft to find the perfect piece. Rex and Ahsoka spent almost all of their time either working or scheming together, both pouring blood, sweat, and tears into saving the farm. But despite all that, Ahsoka still had some surprises up her sleeve.

Rex leaned back in the old lawn chair, propping his dusty boots up on the desk with a clunk . He reached his hands behind his head, soaking up this moment of quiet in the eye of the storm. And boy, was it a short moment.

Ahsoka barreled into the office without knocking, though to be fair Rex left the door half open, holding two paper bags.

“Hey, Rexter, brought us some dinner,” she said, placing the bags on the desk. Rex opened the bag, finding a burger and fries that could have only come from one place.

“Did you go to Dex’s?” Rex asked incredulously.

“Yeah, did you know they do online orders?”

“No, that must be new. Thanks for this.” Rex picked up the burger, ready to dig in. He scrutinized the crispy bacon and gooey cheese peeking out of the burger.  “How’d you guess my favorite burger?” he asked lightheartedly.

Ahsoka quirked an eyebrow, looking at Rex as if he’d just asked what his own name was. “ You told me. Remember? When I told you how we were going to Dex’s for Anakin’s birthday dinner and you said ‘You should try the bacon cheeseburger, it’s the best one I’ve ever had.’” She crossed her arms and smiled. Rex looked at the burger in his hands.

“Guess I forgot about that. I’ve been so distracted with this whole… ordeal.” Rex was amazed by Ahsoka’s memory and attention to detail. It was one of the reasons she made such a good intern, but the acts of kindness that stemmed from those talents of hers were what made her such a good friend. Rex wished he could return the favor but he’s been so wrapped up with work lately he can’t remember the last time he even opened his Bible. Wow, Rex thought. I’m a real piece of shit. No point in sulking now.

“Well thank you again. What do I owe you?”

“Nothing,” Ahsoka answered immediately. A mischievous smirk tugged at her lips. “Unless you feel like taking me out to dinner one of these days. Maybe somewhere not in a barn?”

Rex shook her hand from across the table. “Deal. I got a few places in mind.”

Rex’s burger and fries disappeared quickly, as did Ahsoka’s meatball sub. Crumpling up the paper bags, Rex tentatively asked, “So, since I don’t suppose you just came by to eat dinner in a dusty barn after work, what’s the real reason you’re here?”

Ahsoka’s bright blue eyes looked right into Rex’s shimmering brown eyes. Rex felt blush creeping across his cheeks.

“I understand if you’re tired and don’t want to talk right now,” she started earnestly, “but I was hoping to find out more about this farm’s history. It might help me a bit with our plans, but mostly I was just curious. I mean, this place has been my second home for six weeks now, so I got to wondering where it all began.”

Rex stood up and walked to the door, motioning for Ahsoka to follow. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

As Rex led Ahsoka up the front steps of the house, she took in all the details of the place. The bare, worn wood planks that made up the spacious porch showed clear signs of routine-bound feet leaving their tracks up and down the stairs, which creaked and sagged with age. The rough hewn, splintery texture of the beams holding up the roof was dulled yet preserved by the thick layer of white paint, likely the handiwork of a former Fett looking to add curb appeal. The same color white, but much more worn out and probably as old as the house itself, adorned the whole exterior of the house, with dirt and dust accumulating on the lower boards and window sills. The window sills which held vibrant flowers and herbs, obviously well taken care of with regular water and good soil. Ahsoka could picture Rex out here after work meticulously weeding around the plants as the sun cast long shadows behind him. 

The squeal of the screen door opening pulled Ahsoka out of her musings. Rex, ever the gentleman, held the door open for Ahsoka, and she found herself hoping this wouldn’t be the last time he did. He led her to the left of the staircase to the living room, where remnants of Jenga and beer cans lay on the floor in front of the couch. Rex muttered something along the lines of “dammit Fives” as he picked up the empty cans and kicked the Jenga pieces into a pile.

“I’m just gonna throw these away.” he looked to Ahsoka apologetically. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable.”

The living room, like the entryway and likely the rest of the house, screamed New England farm house. Lots of wood. Big old beams on the ceiling. Windows that looked like they could have witnessed Paul Revere’s ride. But still, this wasn’t some Hallmark movie set; it was a home that bore the evidence of its residents. The green power button of an Xbox glowed on the lower shelf of the TV table. Baseball caps of varying brands and cleanliness levels were strewn about on any flat surface available. A pocketknife, cellphone, and lanyard with more keychains than keys, as well as a soil sample, had found a home on the coffee table. This house was beautiful but it was also lived in.

When Rex came back, he brought a cardboard box with him. He sat down next to Ahsoka, so close that his leg brushed up against hers for a fraction of a second. He pulled a delicate photo out of the box, handing it to Ahsoka.

“You wanted to see history, that’s about as historic as you get.”

Standing in front of a wood frame in a sprawling field of rolling hills was a man and woman in drab, modest clothes that looked exactly as one would expect for the time period. A German Shepherd sat regally in front of the couple.

“Those are my great-great-great-great grandparents. They built this place and,” Rex looked around the room. “I think they did a pretty good job.”

Ahsoka turned the picture around, seeing the barely legible but beautiful cursive that gave the date: 1855. 

“They came here from Ireland to escape the famine, worked their asses off doing odd jobs, and finally saved enough to buy land and build a new life,” Rex said while sifting through more photos. He handed another to Ahsoka, this time a man in a service uniform. Ahsoka listened intently as Rex told the story of how his great grandma fended off two burglars while her husband was overseas on the frontlines of the second world war. 

“If these walls could talk…,” Ahsoka mused.

“I’m sure they’d have crazier stories than that one.”

As they looked through photos that spanned decades, they became more colorful and full of action and everyday moments, and eventually a familiar blond Fett appeared.

Ahsoka grabbed a glossy photo of a little boy with wavy blond hair, a big coat, and an even bigger smile as he sat in front of a man with black hair on a horse that looked in no hurry to be anywhere. She pointed enthusiastically to the boy in the picture. “Is this you ? You were so cute!”

“Cute, eh?” Rex joked.

“Yeah.”

Rex chuckled. “Thanks… Y’know, that was the first time I rode a horse. My dad, Jango, made me feel like I was a real cowboy there. He was always doing things like that when me and the twins were little; always playing with us, hyping us up. Then we got older and could do things for real, but he never ran out of things to teach us.”

“Sounds like he was a great dad.” Ahsoka knew from the sadness in Rex’s golden eyes that his dad was gone. And that probably had something to do with Rex being in charge of the farm.

Rex nodded sagely. “He was. We all really miss him.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Rex let out a long sigh. “Last summer he was in a car crash and didn’t make it. Drunk driver swerved into his lane– no headlights, speeding. I saw the dash cam footage and it was… rough. Me and the boys got to say goodbye to him in the hospital, but it didn’t make it any easier.” 

Rex hung his head. Ahsoka reached out to place her hand on his.

“I must’ve cried more in the following week than I had in the rest of my life,” Rex continued. “But I had to pick up the pieces of my sanity and get back to work. Thank God my dad showed me the ropes when I was younger, ‘cause there’s a lot that goes into running this place. Even though I knew what to do, I didn’t really know what I was doing . Plus, I inherited all that debt that you know so much about.”

“You’re doing the best you can. And hey,” Ahsoka looked right into Rex’s downcast eyes. “We’ll get through this. Together.”

“Yeah… yeah, we will.” Rex looked at Ahsoka. “Thanks again for all your help with this. And… for listening.”

“Of course, anytime. And for what it’s worth I think your dad would be very proud of you. And I think your ancestors would be proud of you too. You’re carrying on their legacy.”

“Thank you. That means a lot, honestly.”

“And thank you for sharing all this history with me. I actually do have a few more ideas for how we can save this place now.” Ahsoka checked the time on her phone. “But they can wait until tomorrow.”

Rex walked Ahsoka out to her car, but just before she closed her door Rex added, “Just so you know, you’re welcome at my place any time. And not just to talk about work, either.”

This time Ahsoka blushed. “I think I’ll take you up on that. Do you like board games?”

“Love ‘em. Bring some of your favorites over?”

“Deal.”

“Deal.”

The two said their goodbyes and Ahsoka headed straight for her stack of board games.