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"Let's see where do I begin?" Commander Rex stood in a room richly decorated, on a table was a recorder, but sitting in a chair opposite of him was Master Plo Koon.
"Commander Tano, if this is the wrong time then you can come by another day" Truth be told there wasn't, Rex was ordered here due to an accident, or incident depending on one's point of view.
"No, no, I'm fine, I think it's just a lot has happened and I need to put the record straight since General skywalker ain't the best one to talk to." Despite his best efforts tears streamed down his face, after years of holding it in Rex might as well vent after everything that has happened.
"Very well Commander, please continue?" Plo requested, the force around Rex being a whirlwind of emotions.
"It started with her death. The doctors informed us that hybrids between humans and togruta were rare, and surviving childbirth was slim as well. Still, we didn't think we could even have a child but when we found out we were expecting"
Exhaling, " We were ecstatic about becoming parents. Now to be fair as you already know we had to keep this under wraps until we could no longer hide it and Ahsoka had to leave the order and worked for Senator Amidala." Skipping over several months Rex moved from those happy days to the worst ones of his life.
Clenching his fists to the point of changing color Rex continued. "The 501st was lucky to be back when her water broke, you should have seen the looks on Skywalker and Kenobi's faces they were just as happy as I was. Until we all felt a disturbance that wasn't good. I rushed to the doc" Sniff, " The prognosis wasn't good. My wife was dying and I was given the decision, no sorry, it wasn't my decision."
Master Koon raised his eyebrow behind his optics, then it finally clicked, "Clones didn't have citizenship at the time so the decision was hers."
"Yes, she was in so much pain" Rex could barely keep it together as the tears streamed now more freely, Wiping away his tears as best he can, he continued. "The doctors said they could save her but in order to do so it would mean losing our child, worse we would never be able to have children again as the damage to Ahsoka's reproductive system was, in a word shot as the pregnancy wasn't a painless one.
Ahsoka wouldn't have this, I could sense her deliberately channeling the force to keep our child alive. She assured me she loved me dearly and that the force was saying this was the right call."
Standing up Rex paced around the room.
"It must have been painful, given that the bond you two shared often confused many Jedi. I myself thought you were Ahsoka on several occasions"
Rex chuckled at that having been confused on more than one occasion for someone else, it led to a lot of hilarious encounters.
"Before parting, She gave me the best and last kiss of my life as well as cured me of my accelerated aging, which provided a template to cure all my brothers as well.
When our Daughter was born, she was the most beautiful child I'd ever held, while not having her mother's lekku and montrails, she did have her facial markings and skin. Honestly, even now she looks like a human version of her mother."
Relaxing his breathing Rex sat down on the chair, eyes red with loss. "After that, despite everyone saying and even ordering that I hand my daughter over to someone else to raise, I vehemently refused, I would sooner see the galaxy burn than to have my daughter be raised like her parents, that is not having any at all and never know how much they loved her. Skywalker took over my training and when the time came I still had to go to Ilum. For the first year, I got less sleep than in combat. Actually, I was taken off duty unofficially. Jesse had to wear my armor to keep up the facade. I still did all the reports, drills, and other training but my daughter came first.
Let me tell you, no credits, no home, no wife, only brothers, a hot-headed general, and a very generous senator to help me." Rex finally sat down again waiting for an answer to his rant.
"If I recall Commander, it was your ability to deal with your loss that oddly enough saved the Republic was it not?"
Rex nodded at this.
"Then tell me, why did you seek me out of all people besides the familiar history?" Plo inquired hands folded under his chin.
This is where Rex's tears stopped and the feelings of rage became apparent.
"I gave her the best life I could, but now, sixteen years later, she has decided to go on dates, which I don't have a problem with since they don't last long and I usually scare her new boyfriends but her most recent one has really hit a nerve." Objects began shaking around him.
"Rex, get it under control, focus relax"Plo ordered, not wanting to deal with this again.
"Relax, huh, yea let's see you relax if you have a padawan dating a sith, or in this case the son of a man I hate with every fiber of my being. A man who even after he got married some years ago still has the nerve to say Ahsoka made the wrong choice and should have been with him. His son is a year or so younger than my daughter but this little Chakarr has manners, money, and above all has the attention of my daughter." Rex was clenching his teeth at this point, bringing a hand to his nose he breathed and cooled down a bit.
"When my daughter finally brought him to meet me, well I never told her about Bonteri because there was no reason to, but as soon as I met this little turd whose name is not important other than he's a Bonteri. I know I shouldn't be angry about this but my daughter has gotten really serious with this kid and upon meeting Lux again for the first time in over a decade, he had the audacity to say we may become in-laws. Not on my watch." Rex's tone was like acid coming out.
" Taking a page out of Five's book, I then decided to do what no one would ever do with the force. So I smiled back and discretely squeezed his lower intestines and caused a massive bowel movement"
If Plo was drinking he could swear he would spit it out, even so, there was no escaping his chuckle.
"I've never seen anyone more humiliated than Lux was at that moment with a bunch of guests as this was a government social function. I don't know what the man ate but the massive brown stains and liquid draining onto the floor created an odor so foul that several senators gagged including his own wife. Meanwhile, my daughter gave me the stink eye, General skywalker was breaking down laughing, as were Fives, Kix, Jesse, and even Fox.
General Windu was not amused so I decided why the kriff not and squeezed Bonteri's bladder as well. At which point Lux finally decided to walk to the nearest fresher leaving a literal trail of shame in his wake.
A day later Lux forced his son to break up with my daughter, she now hates me since she knew it was my doing, and to top it all off, she even said to my face that Lux would have been a better father than me and that mother should have married him instead." Pausing for a moment "I was then ordered to speak to a Jedi master about my misuse by Windu, Yoda, and senator Skywalker.
That brings us here all of a week after that incident and now my daughter hates me" Rex finished
Master Plo Koon contemplated for a few short minutes before responding. " Perhaps it's time you tell her your history with Senator Bonteri, perhaps she'll understand where you are coming from. Furthermore you of all people Rex need to learn to let go of past resentments even if they are justified. As for Lux's son, in many ways, he is nothing like his father."
Rex stared at the Jedi master with a raised eyebrow.
"I've met the boy on several occasions and as a friend of your family did some investigating. As it turned out Lux forced his son to have a relationship with your daughter. He just wanted to be her friend, not be romantically involved but his father wanted otherwise. His father's humiliation put things into perspective and showed many things kept hidden. Suffice to say Rex you owe Bonteri's son an apology I'm sure you'll carry out but not now"
"Why not now?" Rex asked, grateful to have all this off his chest.
"Let's just say Bonteri has made himself scarce and a new senator has been appointed in his place for now." Sensing someone on the other side of the door then looks at the time "It appears its time for my next appointment"
Rex looks at the door, senses who it is, and can't help but be confused.
Master Plo smiles at this knowing Rex wasn't going to like this at all but then it was Anakin's idea and is one that is surely either doomed to fail or allow them both to grow better. "Come in Padawan Tano"
Abena comes in looking at her buir for the first time in days given everything that has happened it was clear he felt sorry for his actions or just needed someone to talk to.
"Padawan Tano, it is with great humility that we have found you a master suitable to train you"
" I look forward to learning from you master Koon" Still giving her father the stink eye then a chuckle was heard then another one and sure enough the great master Skywalker was behind her laughing as though this situation was hilarious. "Uh, I'm confused here, I was told I'd be finally getting a master today, don't tell me it's master Skywalker"
The chuckling increased further Plo wanted to tell her but Anakin beat him to the punch with absolute glee. " Padawan Tano, you get to learn and serve under Master Tano"
Abena was confused there was no master Tano, in fact, the only other Tano was her buir, and. "Oh no, no, no, no, he is not a Jedi, he is just a clone," Abena said with malice.
Sighing from that and feeling Rex's further discomfort, Anakin decided to fix this."Abena, Lux, kidnapped your mother, twice, almost a third time but by that time she was already married to your father, and well Lux had to choose either to risk getting killed by a woman who never loved him and her husband or focus on freeing his world.
As for why we are pairing you up with your father, well the answer is simple, just like your mother you don't seem to work well with others unless your buir is around. Well, that and Rex is at master level despite not being a Jedi but then even your mom grew to not like the order as it was back in the day."
Finally getting up, Rex walked over to her and after so long decided to give her the gift her mother had wanted her to have when she was ready. Grabbing and wrapping her in his arms, a force bond was formed and with it, Rex shared his wife's memories, memories that caused him to despise Lux but also one memory that was meant strictly for their daughter when she came of age.
The Bond was unexpected, Abena found herself no longer in the Jedi temple but on the surface of a planet surrounded by skyscrapers and green crystals, the landscape was cratered showing signs of battle.
"This is where we first met" Abena turned around and what she saw took her breath away. It was her mother but much younger and wearing just a tube top and skirt.
Buir would kill me if I wore anything that revealing.
"Rex had the same thought when he first saw me, I'm glad to see he raised you well and wow, you do look exactly like me, only with hair." The love coming from her was like a star, it was warm comforting and safe.
With tears in her eyes, she now felt guilty for calling her buir just a clone. " I'm sorry, I didn't know, It's just." Unable to finish her sentence she fell and cried.
"Just that he was trying to protect you and failed to see you growing up. Don't worry, it'll pass after all we got married when I was just your age though not without some serious convincing since your father is a stickler for rules"
Abena's eye's widened "Ewe, gross, I'm not even ready yet to settle down, and again ew"
Ahsoka chuckled at that. "Well, when you don't have parents and are thrust into a war at just fourteen, one tends to grow up fast, literally in your Buirs case but the force put us together for a reason. Just to be clear though I never once loved anyone else other than him, millions of clones and I chose him." Coming down and rubbing Mariasha's back Ahsoka brought her up to face her.
Upon looking up, Abena noticed that Ahsoka was no longer young but now full-grown with longer lekku and wearing a blue armored outfit, she was breathtaking.
"Abena, my beautiful daughter, remember this, a jeti you maybe but your father is a Mandalorian, and Mandalorians hold family above everything else, a family I joined and sacrificed to bring you into this galaxy. I'm deeply proud of you and your father, please send him my love. Goodby ad'ika, I love you and will see you again." Abena hugged her mother for the first and last time, even as the surrounding landscape disappeared into white.
Opening her eyes stained with tears, she looked up to see happiness in her father's eyes. "I'm sorry buir, can you forgive me"
"Always, just as long you can forgive your old dikute of a father for being ignorant" For the first time in a while Rex smiled.
Abena chuckled at that. "Deal, master, also mother sends her love"
"I know Ad'ika I know" Thank you Cyare, till we meet again.
Anakin and Plo discreetly left the family alone in their embrace knowing that whatever comes next the force will always be with them.