Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hardcase loved going to Coruscant. Sure, many citizens looked at them like they were the scum of the galaxy, and the Coruscant Guard felt the need to watch them carefully like they couldn't be trusted. Many places wouldn't serve clones, and even if they did it wasn't as though they had a lot of money to throw around. They were given a small leave allowance, and most of it was spent on drinks.

Still, Hardcase always enjoyed their breaks. For just a few days he could breathe easy and not have to worry about when the next campaign was and which of his brothers he might end up losing next. For a short period of time, Hardcase could at least pretend that he was just like everybody else in the galaxy, instead of just a soldier.

Usually he spent most of his leave at 79's, drinking himself to oblivion and gambling away his credits. Sometimes he went to the bar, but stayed sober because it was his turn to be the designated responsible one who made sure everyone in their group made it back safely. Even that could be fun, because he was a lot better at sabacc when he was sober, and it was hilarious to see his brothers make fools of themselves when they messed around.

Being the sober one also meant that he wasn't locked in the drunk tank itself, though he was still escorted to the small building so he could wait for their commander with the others. The drunk tank really wasn't so bad from the other side of the bars.

Hardcase didn't like schedules and plans. He was more of a go-with-the-flow kinda guy. Having plans just took up space in his brain, and then he couldn't focus on actually doing his job. This leave though was different. Hardcase came up with a plan, albeit a sloppy one. Because while this was just another visit to Coruscant, it was the shinies' first time, and they deserved to have a good time.

Hardcase had been especially worried about Dogma. The kid was so tense all the time. He wasn't really looking forward to the break, and Hardcase knew that if it was a bad experience for him then he would just dread all future leaves, and nobody should be made to resent a well-deserved break.

Most shinies relaxed as soon as they got their first drink in their hand, or when they were able to walk on the streets in just their blacks as opposed to their armor. Most of them preferred to wear their armor, but it was nice to have the option.

Dogma wasn't most shinies. Hardcase doubted that he would want to drink anything, let alone get drunk. Dogma probably wouldn't even like going to 79's at all because it was crowded, loud, and full of clones who loved to rant about the injustices of their lives. That was about as far off from fun as things could get for Dogma.

Still, it was tradition to go to 79's on the first day of leave, so when Fives and Jesse started inviting people, Hardcase agreed, and he suggested that Dogma could come along too. Because as awkward as Dogma might feel if he went to 79's, he would feel left out and lonely if he was left behind without even an invitation.

So they'd do 79's on the first day, and then Hardcase would make a tentative schedule that might appeal to Dogma. He wasn't good at this kind of thing, but Hardcase could focus if it was something important to him. And making sure that Dogma had a good time was very important.

The plan was a simple one. Hardcase thought of a few places that were cheap, clone-friendly, and quiet. It didn't leave a lot of options, but they were all the kind of thing that Dogma might be interested in. There were a number of museums on Coruscant, and some of them were even free to the public, including clones. There were some parks that had statues and stuff of significance. It was like a museum, but outside.

Hardcase wanted to show Dogma more than just parks and museums though, because while the kid would enjoy them, it wasn't exactly the stuff of an amazing experience. So Hardcase expanded on his plan a bit. Usually they went to 79's in the early evening, because many of them wanted to take things easy before getting hammered. Hardcase had planned on sleeping in until the afternoon, but because he had things to do he resisted that temptation. Instead, he was one of the first to leave the ship the second they landed on Coruscant.

Hardcase started walking around, talking to people and getting some information. He learned about an old store in the lower levels that apparently sold flimsi and paper books. Physical, antiquated sources of information. Dogma would love that, and Hardcase would love to see the look on his face if he was able to see them, let alone hold or even purchase a book.

Hardcase knew that the books were probably acquired through questionable methods, but hopefully Dogma would be too excited about the books to even think about it.

Hardcase learned about some other places that might interest Dogma. There were some diners that weren't popular because they had food native to planets that people from Coruscant considered to be primitive. The food itself sounded like it was really good, and the owners were happy to serve anybody, even clones. Hardcase thought that Dogma might be fascinated by the different foods and cultures, and he'd probably appreciate the quieter atmosphere of the small diners.

Hardcase stopped at just one more place before heading to 79's. He made his way to the Jedi Temple. He knew it was a sacred place, but it was also found in the heart of the Republic, and nothing on Coruscant was truly private. So Hardcase went to the temple just to ask if there were any tours or something available to the public, or even just to the clones who were serving under a general.

It turned out that they did have occasional tours. They couldn't see most of the temple, just some of the more public areas, but they could walk around a bit and learn more about the culture and teachings of the Jedi. If this wasn't the kind of thing that Dogma would love, Hardcase didn't know what was.

He hadn't been looking forward to coming up with a plan, but once Hardcase got into it he soon lost track of time. It felt like the day had just started, but Hardcase got a message from Jesse, asking if he was going to be coming to 79's. He finally looked at the time and realized that he was running late. Hardcase hurriedly made his way to the bar, after telling Jesse that they should get started without him.

Hardcase got there about an hour later than they'd arranged. He saw Jesse sitting at the bar, and it looked like he was alone. Hardcase joined him, ordering something for himself and another drink for Jesse.

"Did you invite Dogma?" Hardcase asked. Jesse grimaced.

"I tried, but I think I messed it up." Jesse said. "I told you he wouldn't come if I was the one that invited him."

"Dogma thinks you hate him." Hardcase said quietly. It was something the kid had confided in him during one of their sparring sessions, when nobody else was around. "I thought it would help if you extended an olive branch."

"And then I ruined it." Jesse raised his glass. "He said he was busy working. I called him out on his bluff. I was annoyed and kinda frustrated, but I didn't mean to upset him so much."

Hardcase frowned. He remembered when he had seen Dogma the other day. He'd seemed distracted and upset then too, and he'd told Hardcase that he had been busy, even though he shouldn't have had a shift. Either the kid was lying about work because he was trying to avoid them, or there was something actually going on with him, and that was why he was upset.

Well, that was what their leave was for. Relaxing and just forgetting about things that were bothering them. And if Dogma really had been given extra work to do, Hardcase would go right to General Skywalker and demand that the kid get the break he deserved.

Hardcase was tempted to go back to the ship and find Dogma to drag him out of his wallowing and make him spend some time with his brothers. If Hardcase didn't know that Dogma would fight him every step of the way, he would do just that. Hardcase decided to give him tonight. In the morning he would find Dogma and take him to the bookstore or a museum. That should cheer the kid up.

"Do you think Tup knows what's up with Dogma?" Hardcase asked. Jesse snorted and shook his head.

"If he does, good luck getting it out of him." Jesse gestured over his shoulder towards a booth near the wall. Hardcase looked to see Tup sobbing into his drink while Fives held him close and whispered reassurances to him.

They were already here when I got here." Jesse said. "I don't know when they started, but it looks like Tup is a sad drunk."

Hardcase grimaced and watched his brothers for a moment before he turned away. He had never known how to deal with sad drunks, and neither did Jesse. They enjoyed a stiff drink because they liked to have fun.

They didn't judge Tup for crying, but they weren't about to go over to comfort him when it was probably just the alcohol messing with his head. Fives was keeping an eye on him, and they'd make sure he went to see Kix when the night was over. In the meantime, Hardcase was going to be following Jesse's example of turning the other way and trying to ignore it.

"Maybe it's a good thing Dogma isn't here." Hardcase said. "Can you imagine how he'd react to Tup crying?"

Jesse snorted. "Oh, he'd drive himself nuts trying to find a way to fix the problem and cheer up his vod."

"He'd probably try to reason away the drunkenness." Hardcase laughed. He could almost see it. Dogma was even worse with intense emotions than Hardcase and Jesse were. He wasn't devoid of empathy, Dogma was actually very caring, but he didn't know how to show it. Hardcase sometimes felt bad for finding Dogma's efforts amusing sometimes, but it was a little adorable. Like watching a small child struggle with a simple puzzle. You know you shouldn't laugh, but you can't help it.

The evening picked up after that. Jesse's mood brightened now that he was no longer alone. They drank, laughed about nothingness that probably wasn't even funny, and just had a good time, even if it was just the two of them. Hardcase normally went too strong with his drinking, but he tried to have more control this time. He didn't want to be unbearably hungover tomorrow, and he wanted to save some of his spending money.

Jesse was a good drinking buddy. They had fun with each other, but he didn't hesitate to remind Hardcase to take it easy when he started to forget.

"Were you able to find places that our resident stick-in-the-mud would enjoy?" Jesse asked. His tone was both teasing and sincere. Jesse didn't completely understand why someone wouldn't enjoy 79's, but at the same time he really did want Dogma to have a good leave. Jesse wasn't close to Dogma, but they were still brothers.

"I think so." Hardcase said. "He'll like museums, right?"

"Somehow, probably." Jesse shook his head. "You sure you don't want someone to come with you guys?"

"Fives said he was going to show Tup around town." Hardcase said. "And while I appreciate the offer, I know you're not going to like the stuff he likes, and we both know he won't be able to relax if you're there."

Jesse sighed. "I know." There was a pained look in his eyes. Hardcase gave him a sympathetic look.

"You know, he really does want to get to know you guys better." Hardcase said. He'd seen Dogma push himself out of his comfort zone to try to spend time with the others. Fives wouldn't let him in, and Hardcase thought that ship had long-since sailed for the two of them. Dogma was just too much like Echo for Fives to even take the chance and get to know the kid and see how he was different from his lost twin.

Dogma's struggle with Jesse was simple, but harder to fix. Hardcase knew that Dogma did best getting to know people one-on-one. Dogma didn't like sparring, but he still did it with Hardcase, and he enjoyed it, because it was something they could do together. Just them. It was why Dogma's favorite thing to do with a brother was to cuddle and either read or just chat.

Dogma could even handle light teasing when he was with just one brother, because he didn't feel like he was being ganged-up on. There had been a few times when Hardcase would say something a little mean, and Dogma would just roll his eyes, smirk, and send back a barb of his own. But he couldn't do it in a group.

Jesse struggled with that kind of interaction. He preferred group activities. If he was with just one other person Jesse would feel pressure to keep the conversation going, and if there was silence he would feel awkward and a little anxious because he wasn't sure if he was supposed to fill the silence himself, or if the quiet was a sign that the interaction was over and it was his cue to leave.

Jesse and Dogma thrived in different situations, and neither of them knew how to get over that hurdle. What made things worse was that Hardcase didn't think Dogma knew about Jesse's struggle with solo interactions. The only reason Hardcase himself knew was because Jesse had told him the last time they'd gotten drunk together and it was just the two of them.

Jesse could handle just a single drinking buddy as long as they were at a bar, surrounded by brothers. As long as Jesse had social energy he could feed off of, he'd be fine. Hardcase thought that might be the key to getting Jesse and Dogma to actually start a real relationship beyond just crewmates. They needed to do something alone, but surrounded by other people.

The problem was that Hardcase wondered if it was too late for that. Dogma now had his walls up around Jesse, and it would take a lot to tear them down. Jesse tried, but he got frustrated with Dogma for not letting him in, and furious with himself for making Dogma feel like he had to put up those walls in the first place.

Jesse rested his head in his hands. "Maybe I can see if he'll want to watch that holofilm I've been wanting to see, and none of you are interested in."

Hardcase smiled. That sounded like a perfect plan. "Just know that he's going to comment on every little inaccuracy. And don't get offended if he reads the whole time."

Jesse snorted. "Sounds like watching something with Kix." He looked more cheerful now. "You know, I think I'll do that sometime. We can do it while we're on Coruscant. The ship is a lot quieter when everybody's out on the town." Jesse was more than capable of accommodating someone else's needs, he just needed a guiding push in the right direction.

They chatted for a little longer before Hardcase decided to call it a night. Jesse usually liked to stay out for all hours, but he didn't like drinking alone, and he didn't want to join Fives and Tup, who was still crying in the corner. They headed back to the ship. While Jesse made his way to the medbay to force Kix to sit down and relax for a few minutes, Hardcase went to the barracks to look for Dogma.

He thought the kid would be reading on his bunk, taking advantage of the quiet ship. He found his bed empty, which wasn't too weird. What made Hardcase stop and think twice about it was that it looked like the bedding had been stripped completely.

They had designated wash days for their were only two reasons why a lone bedding set would be washed before schedule. One, the one who used the bunk would, for one reason or another, not be using it again, so the bedding needed to be replaced with a fresh set for the next brother to use.

Hardcase couldn't imagine that being the case at all, so his mind went to the second option. The bedding needed to be washed because it was dirty. Because Dogma didn't eat food in his bunk, something else had to make it dirty enough for the kid to feel the need to wash it. The only thing Hardcase could imagine was that Dogma was sick, and that was why he'd been so upset these past few days.

Dogma was still fairly fresh off of Kamino. He might still believe that he was supposed to be above getting sick. Hardcase wouldn't be surprised if Dogma was just saying he was working and busy because he was hiding away because he didn't feel well and was hiding his perceived failure.

There was no guarantee that Dogma was sick, or even a real indication of it, but the thought had crossed Hardcase's mind, and his head wouldn't let go of the idea. He was now convinced that this was fact, and that he had a sick little brother who was hiding himself away somewhere because he didn't want to burden anybody.

Hardcase knew his plans with Dogma were probably going to go out the window. He didn't mind. All of this was for Dogma anyway. If the kid needed something else, Hardcase would pivot and see if he could do it.

He just needed to find the kid first. He was probably somewhere on the ship, but there were still a lot of places to search, and he could only cover so much ground by himself. This was probably going to take a while. That was fine. Hardcase would search for Dogma all night if he had to, because somebody had to make sure the kid was okay, and it might as well be him.

Chapter Text

Kix never really got a break. Even when the 501st was on leave he didn't get to relax like the others did. When they were on Coruscant it was Kix' job to make sure they were restocked properly. He needed to make sure that anybody who was just a little too injured was brought to the Jedi temple so they could get just that little bit more healing.

It was technically against protocol, but General Skywalker had been able to pull some extraordinary strings. The Hero With No Fear did so much for the war, and the Jedi Council was willing to grant some simple favors.

When Kix got his chores done he still had to stay in the medbay to keep his idiot brothers from doing something stupid. If somebody had a lingering injury, Kix would keep them confined to the ship while they were docked. If someone wasn't fit for battle, he didn't think they were fit for a bar brawl, and he didn't trust his brothers' promises that they'd be careful and take it easy. He'd fallen for such promises before, and he wasn't doing it again.

So Kix put himself on babysitting duty when they were on leave. It wasn't the relaxing break that everybody else got, but it was better than he usually had the chance to get, so he wasn't going to complain. This time around there was just one brother who couldn't leave the ship, and he was petty enough to give Kix the silent treatment. At least he wasn't screaming and fighting him about his judgement.

While his brother pouted, Kix was left alone to do some paperwork. He filled reports, filed records, and double-checked that he had transferred Dogma's medical history to the Coruscant Guard, because he didn't want them breathing down his neck.

Kix frowned and looked at his communicator as he thought about Dogma. As a medic he tried so hard to not get overly attached to his brothers, because then it would just hurt that much more when they got hurt, or when he lost them. He needed to be professional about his work.

He had a soft spot for Torrent, and Dogma was no exception. Kix didn't know the kid well, but he'd been hoping to get the chance to. He remembered when he'd given the new shinies their first physical, just to make sure they were in good condition and to give them the chance to get to know him. All of the shinies had been wide-eyed and confident. Practically children who thought they knew everything. It was both endearing and heartbreaking.

Dogma had been an exception. He was closed off during the physical. When Kix asked him questions the kid would give him the literal textbook answers. That was when Kid knew that Dogma was different. Most brothers wouldn't answer the question 'how are you feeling?' with 'I'm fit for duty, Sir'.

That was the kind of thing that the Kaminoans would believe was the only appropriate response, though it wasn't something they actually taught on Kamino. Kix had spent a lot of time in the medbay when he was in training, learning under the watchful eye of the Kaminoans. He had seen for himself that when somebody was frequently sent to the medbay for one reason or another, they started to pick up on what to say to the Kaminoans to get out of there quickly.

Kix had been suspicious immediately. He was more thorough with Dogma's physical than the others. It was both much more and much less informative than he thought it would be. According to Dogma himself, as well as his medical records, he somewhat regularly ended up in the medbay, but it wasn't because he got hurt. All the records said was that he was in there for laziness, and that didn't even make sense.

Trying to get answers from Dogma wasn't much easier. Kix asked him why he ended up in the medbay if he didn't get hurt, and the kid's eyes would go a bit dull. He claimed he didn't remember, but Kix knew that wasn't entirely true. He could always tell. But what was he supposed to do? Report the already terrified kid to the Captain? That wouldn't get him to calm down.

The main reason behind these physicals was to get the shinies to warm up to him so they knew that he was a safe person to come to if they needed him. He had known that if he pushed Dogma too far then the kid wouldn't trust him, and that would be problematic if there actually was an underlying medical issue like Kix suspected. So against his better judgement Kix finished the physical and sent the kid on his way, telling himself that he'd keep a close eye on him.

Kix tried, but he was the main medic over a whole battalion. There was only so much individual attention he could give to a single brother who never came to see him. He only saw Dogma around because he was pulled into Torrent, so Kix saw him around. He was a little relieved that Dogma had brothers keeping an eye on him, but also frustrated that it wasn't enough. Dogma still acted like an outsider stuck looking in.

Hardcase did a lot to try to get Dogma to come out of his shell, and in many ways he was successful, but in countless other ways he wasn't, and Kix had a suspicion as to why. They all treated Dogma like they did any other shiny that came their way, but he wasn't like the others.

Kix didn't know why, but Dogma wasn't a bright-eyed, eager to please new soldier who wanted to prove himself. When Kix looked in Dogma's eyes he saw the haunted, tired look of someone who had seen things that people couldn't imagine. He looked more weighed down than many seasoned soldiers that Kix knew. Dogma shouldn't look like that when he was fresh off of Kamino.

Something was terribly wrong, and when Kix overheard Jesse and Fives teasingly ask Dogma if he'd been reconditioned, he realized what a horrifying possibility that might be.

Everybody thought that reconditioning was just a myth. Nobody actually knew somebody that had gone through it. They all just heard stories. But the stories had to come from somewhere. Kix was scared that there was a hint of truth there, and if there was, and Dogma had been exposed to it then it would explain so much.

Kix tried to ask Dogma about it, but the kid closed himself off. Jesse and Fives had teased him about it, and Kix suspected that they hadn't been the first and wouldn't be the last. Dogma put his guard up the second anybody asked about reconditioning, even if it was a genuine question born out of concern.

Kix felt that as a medic it was his job to push the kid for answers, for his own good. But as a brother he didn't want to push Dogma beyond what he was ready for. He had found himself somewhere in the middle, pushing Dogma, but not far enough that he actually got answers from him. It was the worst of both worlds.

Kix had never figured out what went on with Dogma, and now he lost the opportunity. The kid had been transferred. The guard would take care of him. Everybody in the GAR told horror stories about the Coruscant Guard. Kix didn't believe most of it, but he hoped that at least the stories about how loyal the guard were to each other was accurate.

And though Kix didn't want the rumors about reconditioning happening in the guard to be true, he thought it might help Dogma if it was true. If they had experience with reconditioning, they'd be able to understand Dogma in a way that Kix couldn't.

That was what he tried to tell himself, because he wasn't in a position where he could help Dogma anymore. As a medic, he had done what he could. Kix looked down at his communicator with a frown. He couldn't help but wonder if, as a brother, he could have done more.

Dogma had come to him for help before he left. Kix had done his job as a medic, but he felt like he'd failed as a brother. Kix did the physical as he was supposed to do, but that was all he'd done. When Dogma said that he was feeling nervous, even though it wasn't like him, and he'd admitted that he wanted to talk to him about something, Kix had tried to listen but it hadn't been enough.

Dogma couldn't get his words out. Kix knew how to get brothers to talk when they didn't want to. He could get the most closed-off brother to talk about their medical issues, and he could even get traumatized brothers to open up about their feelings. But he didn't do that with Dogma. He'd given the kid his comm link, and gone back to work, telling himself that Dogma would reach out if he needed him, and he hadn't.

At times like this Kix would remember when Jesse pointed out to him that sometimes he let the line between medic and brother get blurred. He went into a situation that he knew needed a brotherly approach, and he acted as a medic. Or he would know that he needed to be a medic, but he was too emotional and he acted as a brother.

Kix knew that Dogma had been looking for help from his older brother, and he'd tried to give it to him, but he'd messed up somehow, though he didn't know where. He'd approached it as a brother. He treated Dogma as a brother. And Dogma walked away without advice, or proper reassurance, and he hadn't commed to give Kix another chance.

He knew that he could just as easily comm Dogma himself, but what if the kid didn't want to hear from him? They barely knew each other, and most of his brotherly concern for Dogma came from a place of a medic. Dogma was one of those clones that brought out the blurred lines between Kix' jobs, and what if he acted poorly again and just made things worse?

He told himself that Dogma was busy adjusting to his new work and new brothers. He didn't need his old medic breathing down his neck and making him feel like there was something wrong with him. Because Kix knew that was what Dogma would think. That Kix wasn't reaching out as a brother, but as a medic who saw a problem that needed to be solved.

So many brothers saw medics as a reminder of their time on Kamino. It was why so many of them resisted medical care and had to be dragged to the medbay kicking and screaming. If Dogma had faced trauma of some sort on Kamino, as Kix suspected he had, then maybe he wouldn't be the best person to reach out. Dogma had other brothers. Brothers who knew how to talk to him and how to be what he needed. He didn't need Kix.

So he looked away from his communicator and just focused on the work he had to do.

The days passed quickly, as they always did for Kix when they went on leave. Soon it was the night before they were set to take off. Most of the clones were off the ship, trying to get as drunk as possible before they lost their chance. Even the brother that Kix had kept confined to the ship had recovered enough to go out and enjoy himself. He had the medbay all to himself, and as he'd already made sure they were restocked properly and all his paperwork was turned in he could finally take a few minutes and relax.

Kix had just closed his eyes when he heard someone stumble into the room, making a crashing sound as they hit something. Kix groaned. Either someone had gotten more drunk than they should have, and they'd already been released from the drunk tank, or he had an overexcited visitor.

"What do you want, Hardcase?" Kix asked. If his brother needed his help, he'd give it to him, but if he was just here to talk or look for Jesse, then Kix wasn't afraid to show how annoyed he was.

"Hey, Kix, I was wondering if you've seen Dogma." Hardcase said. "You know, since we've docked." Kix frowned and opened his eyes to look at his brother. Hardcase looked a little concerned. It was definitely a genuine question, but that didn't make it make any more sense.

"Why are you looking for Dogma here?" Kix asked. If he wasn't working he would be at the guard barracks.

"I've looked in the rest of the ship, and I thought if he's been hiding this long then he must be more sick than I thought." Hardcase said. "I thought he'd come see you."

Kix sat up, leaning forward. Hardcase must be confused. Maybe he was the one who was actually sick. "Did you hit your head?"

"I'm fine." Hardcase said. "But Dogma was acting really weird before we got here, and I haven't seen him since. I know he was reluctant about leave, but he wouldn't avoid it like this, so something must be wrong with him."

Kix frowned. There was definitely something wrong here. "You don't know where Dogma is?"

"I've looked for him all leave, and I can't find him." Hardcase said. He was starting to sound worried now. "What if he wandered off the ship, and we leave without him tomorrow?"

Kix' stomach dropped. He hated being the one to deliver bad news. This wasn't the worst thing he had to share, but this shouldn't be his job. Rex should have taken care of it.

"Hardcase, Dogma isn't here." Kix said slowly. Hardcase rolled his eyes.

"I know that. That's why I've been looking for him." Hardcase said.

Kix sighed. He wasn't in the mood for this, and it wasn't his job in the first place. "You know what? Let's go see Captain Rex." Let him break the news to Hardcase. Kix led his brother out of the medbay and down the halls. He ignored Hardcase's questions. He was starting to get a headache. It was Rex' job to deal with the transfer. He was the one who had chosen Dogma. He should be the one to explain himself.

Rex was overseeing the restocking of supplies, working with Jesse to make sure they were ready to go. Kix stood before him, waiting until he had Rex' attention before addressing him.

"Captain, Hardcase here has been looking for Dogma." Kix said. "Do you care to tell him why he isn't here? And while you're at it, why don't you tell me why he doesn't already know?"

Rex looked stunned. "I thought Dogma talked to you."

"This is Dogma we're talking about." Kix crossed his arms. "You know he has a hard time talking. Unless he said that he specifically wanted to be the one to break the news to the others, you should have done it." Kix knew because he'd been involved in the transfer itself. He knew that Fives knew, because he'd mentioned it in passing the last time Kix had pulled him aside to see how he was doing after Echo. He knew that Tup knew, because everybody in the 501st had seen how upset that kid had been these past few days. Were they the only ones that knew?

Looking at Jesse's face, Kix realized that maybe it was.

"What news?" Jesse asked. "Where's Dogma?"

Kix looked at Rex expectantly. The Captain sighed and shook his head. "He was transferred to the Coruscant Guard. He's been there since the first day we got here."

Jesse frowned and looked thoughtful for a minute before he groaned and brought his hand to his forehead. "He really did have to work. And I acted like a di'kut." Kix wanted to talk to him about what he meant, but his attention was on Hardcase. His expression had gone blank as he turned and started to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Kix asked.

"I'm going to find Dogma and drag him back here. "Hardcase said plainly. "They don't deserve him, and I'm not letting him leave without having the chance to even say goodbye." He stormed off and Kix knew that he was going to storm right to the guards barracks, and he wasn't going to leave unless he had Dogma with him.

The 501st already had a strained relationship with the guard. The whole GAR did. They didn't need to give the guard more reason to hate them and think they were crazy and considered themselves above the rules. Whether Hardcase liked it or not, Dogma had been transferred, and he wasn't coming back. They needed to let him go.

If Kix thought for a second that Hardcase just wanted to say goodbye and wouldn't start anything with the guard, he would let him go. Some closure could probably be good for him. But if they antagonized the guard then they would be closing the door on any opportunity to see Dogma on good terms again in the future.

"Hardcase, no." Kix followed behind his brother. He cursed Rex for putting him in this position. "You can't go after him."

"I'm not abandoning him." Hardcase said stiffly.

"You have to let him go." Kix said.

"No." Hardcase growled.

"That wasn't a request." Kix said. He hated playing the part of the hard-ass, but he knew what needed to be done. "Because I declare you unfit for duty. For the next twenty four hours, you can't leave the ship."

Hardcase stopped where he stood. He didn't turn to face Kix, but it was clear from the stiffness in his shoulders that he was seething.

"I just want to talk to him." Hardcase growled.

"No, you want to fight with the guard for taking your brother away from you." Kix said. He knew Hardcase. Maybe not as well as Fives and Jesse did, but he stil knew him. "Whether you like it or not, Dogma's with the guard now, and he's there to stay. If you go there right now and fight with the guards, how do you think he'd feel?"

Hardcase didn't answer. He didn't look at Kix. He just stood there.

"And when we leave, and Dogma's still with the guard, how do you think it'll be for him? Kix asked. "Do you think the guard are going to welcome him with open arms if he's known as the shiny with an overprotective ori'vod who will beat them up if they so much as look at him wrong? Dogma deserves better than that?"

Hardcase was still for an incredibly long moment. Kix slowly stepped closer to him, not knowing how he was going to respond. He touched his brother's shoulder, and Hardcase whirled around. Kix thought for a wild second that he was going to hit him, so it was a shock when Hardcase wrapped his arms around him and hugged him instead, sniffling into his shoulder.

Kix swallowed thickly and pat Hardcase's back. His brother wasn't crying, but he nearly was.

"I wanted to be his ori'vod." Hardcase said quietly. "But I never told him. I thought I could wait until later, and he'd be more open to it, but now he's gone."

"It's not like you'll never see him again." Kix said, but he knew his words weren't as comforting as they should be. Everybody in the GAR who had brothers they knew the guard quickly lost contact with them. The GAR hated the guard, and the guard didn't trust the GAR. Kix didn't like that tradition, and he'd always wanted to break the cycle. He was always so busy though, and he hadn't had a personal motivation. Now he did.

"You can tell Dogma he's your vod'ika next time we come to Coruscant." Kix said. "But you can't do it right now. It wouldn't be fair to him. You know it wouldn't." Hardcase shook his head and tightened his grip on Kix, like he was afraid of letting yet another brother slip through his fingers.

"I know." Hardcase said. He held onto Kix for another long moment before he let him go. "I gotta go to the gym. I need to hit something."

"Take Jesse with you." Kix suggested. Jesse didn't express his emotions as physically as Hardcase did, but he still needed to get that tension out. Hardcase nodded, gave Kix one more tight hug, and then he left. Kix let him go. He could trust that Hardcase understood the importance of giving Dogma space, at least for now.

Kix sighed and made his way back to the medbay. He felt so tired. He needed a break from this break. At times like this Kix hated his responsibilities. He loved being a medic, and he loved being a brother, but things would be so much easier if he wasn't trying in vain to juggle both of his jobs.

Chapter Text

Jesse felt like he was a good brother. He was one of the only ones who could get Kix to relax for longer than five minutes. When Fives started closing in on himself in his grief after what had happened to Echo, Jesse was the one who was able to break through that and get him out of his own head. He was able to make shinies feel welcome.

But sometimes he felt like nothing short of a failure, like everything he did was wrong, and lately that seemed to happen mostly with Dogma.

He just didn't know how to connect with the kid. Not like Hardcase could. He liked Dogma well-enough, but he was confused by him. The shiny didn't shut up about rules and regulations. Jesse had thought he was used to that from Echo, but they did it differently. Echo used to repeat the rules often, in an attempt to help his frantic brothers regain control and focus. He just wanted them to be on the same page, and the rules could be a good starting point for that.

Dogma treated the guidelines as religious text almost, and Jesse was baffled. Didn't the kid know that he wasn't on Kamino anymore, and there weren't any long-necks that would decommission them if they stepped a toe out of line?

Jesse had thought that Dogma just needed encouragement to calm down and let himself actually think for himself. He teased Dogma about the rules, trying to get him to see how unrealistic and silly the regulations were. All it accomplished was making Dogma buckle down. The more Jesse pushed, the more firm Dogma got, and it wasn't long before most of their interactions became arguments about their differences of opinion.

That wouldn't be so bad, except both Dogma and Jesse eventually adopted a tone that implied that they knew they were right, and if someone disagreed with them then it was a moral failing. Jesse didn't really feel that way about Dogma, but he definitely felt that way about the rules on principle. He didn't know how to explain what the difference was though, so Dogma got it into his head that Jesse thought there was something wrong with him.

Honestly, Jesse thought there was something wrong with all of them. They were all flawed products of the Kaminoan's initial design, even if they weren't defected. Hardcase had the attention span worse than a cadet. Tup was overly emotional. Rex sometimes had a hard time remembering that just because somebody shared a different opinion about something didn't mean they were inherently wrong. Though, the Kaminoans probably didn't consider that a flaw at all. It was something they had tried to drill into the clones from a young age.

Kix put way too much pressure on himself. As for Jesse, he could probably spend all day just writing down all of his faults and flaws and still barely scratch the surface. Right now though at the very top of that list was that he hadn't done enough to try to understand Dogma. He wondered if maybe he had, then the kid wouldn't have felt the need to request a transfer.

Jesse was convinced that was what had to have happened. To his knowledge, people were only sent to the guard if they weren't fit for the frontlines anymore. It was like retirement for clones. Dogma wasn't hurt, which meant that he must have requested this transfer himself. Maybe he got so tired of the teasing that bordered on bullying, and decided that he would be better off with people who understood him.

And maybe he was right, but Jesse still felt bad. He could have tried a little harder. The 501st, and especially Torrent, were supposed to be a family. They shouldn't give up on each other.

Jesse wasn't torn up about it the way that Tup and Hardcase were. He felt bad about pushing Dogma into this position, but he would get over his absence. If the kid thought he'd do better in the Coruscant Guard, who was Jesse to drag him back to a place where he didn't feel appreciated?

Life went on as normal, and then General Skywalker got called back to Coruscant for a meeting with the Chancellor. They would probably only be there for a day or two, so more people than usual were given a shift so they could get restocked to head back out at a moment's notice. Hardcase was scheduled to work, so Jesse and Fives had to miss out on having another drinking buddy.

They invited Tup to 79's, but the kid refused. He made some kind of plans with Hardcase when his shift was over. And Tup had had about as much fun getting drunk as they'd had watching him.

So Jesse and Fives went alone. They were usually pretty good at drinking together, but this time, after getting buzzed, Fives came up with the idea of playing 'what's your biggest regret right now?'

Jesse didn't like that game. It turned fun drinking into sad drinking, and when clones were drunk it could be so easy to forget the lines between topics that should be handled delicately, and topics that were okay to make fun of. More than once Jesse had seen brothers start fighting with each other because somebody thought that someone else's biggest regret was funny, and they laughed at it, undermining the very serious emotions.

Not that Jesse thought he and Fives would start throwing punches, but he still didn't want to play this particular game.

But he agreed, because Jesse knew that Fives' biggest regret had to do with Echo, and so far Fives had only really felt like talking about his twin to Rex or Kix, and only because he was given no other choice. If Fives was ready to open up about his feelings about Echo's death, then Jesse would listen.

Fives went first, as it had been his idea. His drunk ramblings were a little hard to follow, and it was a real bummer and nothing that Jesse didn't already know, but it was good for Fives to talk about it. It was a sign that he was one more step through the grieving process.

"You seem like you're doing better." Jesse said.

"I feel better." Fives said. "Not having the shadow of him following me around everywhere helps."

Jesse frowned. Just after Dogma and Tup had been brought into the 501st, Fives had gotten himself absolutely plastered. They didn't keep a lot of alcohol on the ship, but it seemed like Fives drank all of it. Jesse had been worried about Fives' mental state, and the possibility of alcohol poisoning. He'd brought him to Kix and stayed there as the medic had looked him over, just in case Fives was so drunk that he started swinging his fist.

Jesse had been right there as Kix forced Fives to talk about what was going on, and he confessed that it all came back to Echo. He said that the new shiny, Dogma, felt like a cheap imitation of the brother he had lost. A cruel mockery. A shadow of Echo.

Jesse had been horrified by Fives' words. Kix had been so furious that Jesse was sure that he was about to refuse to treat Fives, but he took a deep breath and did his job. That was when Kix had insisted that Fives talk to him about Echo. Jesse didn't know if there was any more talk about Dogma like that. He'd hoped it was just a drunk thing. After hearing what Fives had to say now, Jesse wasn't so sure.

"Dogma is more than just a shadow of your vod." Jesse said, trying to be both stern and comforting. "And you never should have talked about him like he was."

Fives didn't really answer him. He didn't seem too drunk, but neither of them were sober. Jesse hoped he remembered to bring this up again when they weren't under the influence.

"Okay, it's your turn." Fives said. "What's your regret?"

Jesse hadn't had a true answer before, but now he had Dogma on his mind, and there were a lot of regrets that came with that.

"That I let things get out of hand with Dogma." Jesse said. "He shouldn't have felt the need to request a transfer."

Fives looked at him in confusion. "He didn't ask for this. The guard needed more soldiers. Rex wanted to send Hardcase. I convinced him to send Dogma instead."

Jesse felt his blood go cold and he suddenly wished he was twice as drunk. "Why would you do that?"

Fives shrugged. "I thought it would be better if Rex sent away someone that wouldn't be missed."

Jesse saw red. He normally wouldn't fight with a brother, but he also wouldn't just sit there and let someone speak badly about his brother. He was a defender at heart, so when he heard those poisonous words come out of his mouth he reacted without thinking about it. He lunged forward and hit Fives across the face before he could realize what was happening.

Fives staggered back and looked at him with a wounded expression, but when Jesse went in for another hit he defended himself and fought back. In the span of a few seconds their civil discussion had turned into a brawl, and Jesse didn't stop even when the bartender threatened to call the guard on them. Let them come. Jesse would gladly spend the night in the drunk tank if it meant giving Fives a few more solid hits. It was the least that he deserved.

"I can't believe you two." Rex said, sounding both disappointed and furious. He'd had to pick them up from the drunk tank, and he wasn't impressed. That was fine. Jesse wasn't feeling impressed with Rex and Fives either. "What's this all about?"

"This is about him making his grief everyone else's problem." Jesse pointed harshly at Fives. "And you're just enabling him."

Fives' eyes flashed and he looked ready to start the fight all over again. Rex recognized the danger, and didn't let it get that far. He put himself between Fives and Jesse.

"Go to the medbay." Rex said to Jesse. "We'll discuss this more later." He then grabbed Fives' arm and started leading him to his office, both to separate them and to get his side of the story. Jesse was still seething, but with the sources of his anger walking away from him he was left feeling guilty, drained, and horrified.

He'd seen Dogma, and the poor kid had looked frightened when he was recognized. He'd never been scared of Jesse before. Had the guard messed him up that bad? Or had Jesse been the one to mess him up?

He desperately wanted to blame the guard, but Jesse had seen the way that the other guards had treated Dogma. They hadn't yelled at him for freezing up. They'd treated him carefully, and when they were brought to the drunk tank the other guard pulled Dogma away from them, just so he didn't have to see them.

And Fox had been beyond pissed at them. Jesse had heard about Fox' temperament, but this was his first time being on the receiving end of it. The Commander had acted like they had personally offended him. Jesse felt like he could still feel Fox' cold gaze as he examined him, trying to read into his very soul.

Dogma had told Fox about them. He hadn't had nice things to say, and Jesse couldn't blame him for one second.

He walked numbly to the medbay, not because he thought he needed to be treated, but because he needed his vod. Jesse could live with having a split lip. He probably deserved it. But he needed somebody to comfort him while also knocking some sense into him, and Kix was the perfect person to do just that.

He let himself in. Kix was doing paperwork, and Jesse knew that it wasn't work that he couldn't put off. Kix looked up when he came in, his bored expression quickly falling away to one of concern.

"What did you do?!" Kix got up and rushed to Jesse's side. He could be calm in the face of a life-threatening injury, but Kix had a tendency to freak out about the small things if there was nothing more concerning to freak about. Jesse thought that Kix just subconsciously used this opportunity to get out all of his general concern over his brothers, when he usually had to hide it away under a mask of professionalism.

"Got in a fight." Jesse muttered as Kix moved his face from side to side, looking at every scrape and bruise. "Trust me, the other guy has it worse." Jesse had been far more brutal than Fives had been. Maybe he should feel guilty that Fives had clearly been pulling his punches because he didn't want to hurt him, and yet Jesse hadn't held back, but he couldn't bring himself to feel bad.

"That doesn't make me feel better." Kix gave him an unimpressed look. He had a lecture on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back when he looked at Jesse's eyes. He imagined that his anger and sadness were still reflected in them. Jesse had never been very good at hiding his emotions from his brothers. None of the clones were.

"What happened?" Kix asked gently.

"Fives is an idiot, and Dogma deserves better." Jesse muttered. He still felt somewhat buzzed. He wished he was either completely hammered, or sober. This was the worst of both worlds.

"Dogma?" Kix glanced to the side. Jesse didn't bother following his gaze. "Maybe we should talk somewhere else." He heard the words, but he didn't understand the reason behind it, and his mind was just fuzzy enough that he couldn't try to think of why he should think twice.

"I thought he wanted to leave us, and he had every right to." Jesse said. "But it was Fives. He…he didn't know how to cope with Dogma, so he got it into his head to convince Rex to send him away." Jesse's throat was tight. He was so mad at the both of them. "And our Captain didn't see a problem with it."

"Jesse," Kix' voice had taken on a slightly warning tone to it. Maybe Jesse was pushing things by talking disrespectfully about Rex, but he didn't really care.

"He said that Dogma should go because nobody cared about him." Jesse gave a low chuckle. He leaned forward and rested his head on Kix' shoulder. He wasn't really drunk, but between the alcohol, the anger, and the guilt, his mind was making it very hard for him to focus. "So I hit him."

"Fives said what?" Jesse blinked. That was a brother's voice, but it wasn't Kix. He lifted his head and looked to the side. It took Jesse a long moment to realize that he was looking at Tup. The kid's eyes were shining, but they weren't tears of despair. He looked furious. Jesse had never seen Tup look so mad. He didn't know the kid had it in him.

That was the face of someone who was ready to raise hell. A brother should never be responsible for making any clone feel this way. As mad as Jesse was at Fives, it was nothing compared to Tup. He looked like he wanted to do far worse to Fives than give him a few punches.

Kix could tell the same, and he would never allow it.

"Where is he?" Kix asked.

"Rex is talking to him." Jesse said. Kix nodded.

"I'm going to figure out what's going on here." Kix said. He pointed to Jesse. "Keep Tup here. And you," He pointed at Tup. "Keep Jesse here. I don't want to hear about any more fights." He left before either of them could complain, locking the door behind him. He didn't trust them to not encourage each other to find Fives, and probably for good reason.

Tup still looked furious, but he took a deep breath and sat down, rubbing his eyes. Jesse felt bad. Tup deserved to know the truth, but not like this. He needed to cheer the kid up.

Jesse sighed and sat next to him. "You know, I saw Dogma."

Tup sniffled and looked at him. "Is he okay?"

"I think I scared him a bit, but he's doing well for himself." Jesse said. "He threw himself in the middle of a bar fight, almost single-handedly putting a stop to it." Jesse didn't even consider it an exaggeration. Dogma had stopped him, and Fives would have calmed down and stopped as soon as he wasn't being assaulted. Fives only threw a punch out of anger instead of out of defense because Jesse hadn't kept his own mouth shut.

Tup gave him a small smile. "Really?"

"Oh yeah." Jesse said. It took guts for someone to throw themself in the middle of a fight. "And I think the guard are treating him well. Commander Fox sure seemed protective of him, and I think I heard someone call him vod'ika."

Tup was still smiling, but it was bittersweet. "Good. That's good." Tup's smile was shaky, and while he wasn't forcing it, it was clear that he was hurting a lot. "I just want him to be happy. Me and Hardcase were thinking of going to the barracks to see him."

"You can go tonight." Jesse said. "I-I don't think Dogma is working." He'd completely frozen up after recognizing Jesse, and he didn't think anybody in that state was fit to work. Surely the guard recognized that.

Tup shook his head. "I-I don't think I should. I'm so worked up right now, and I wouldn't be able to stop crying. Dogma hates it when I cry. He doesn't know what to do about it, and he just feels guilty about it. And when Hardcase finds out about Fives he's going to be mad, and Dogma won't know that he's not mad at him."

Tup sounded devastated that he couldn't see his vod, but Jesse thought he was right. Dogma hadn't really been in a great place last time he saw him, and when Dogma got worked up it was so easy for those feelings to get worse. They didn't want to overwhelm him and make him shut down completely.

Jesse had heard Tup and Dogma talking about it once. He didn't know what they meant, and as he'd overheard it by accident it hadn't felt right to clarify. But it had sounded serious. It was something that had happened to Dogma multiple times on Kamino, and they made it sound like it wasn't a matter of if, but rather when it would happen again.

Whatever this shutting down entailed, it happened when Dogma was too overwhelmed and upset. It had seemed like he was getting to that point, and Jesse didn't think it would be fair if they pushed him more.

"We'll give Dogma some time to calm down." Jesse said. "And then I think maybe it would be good to contact him."

Tup nodded, wiping his eyes again. "I've thought about it, but I always talked myself out of it, or over-thought it. I'll talk to him though, as soon as I don't think I'll start crying as soon as I hear his voice." Jesse knew Tup. After everything that had happened it would probably take at least a few days for Tup to reach that point. Hopefully it would be enough time for Dogma to get over whatever issues seeing Jesse and Fives had caused.

Jesse wished he knew how to make things right. Dogma had been so stiff when he recognized him. He had clearly been scared. Brothers should never have reason to be afraid of each other, and Jesse hated that he didn't know how to fix it.

Chapter Text

Today Tup would reach out to Dogma. He'd make sure his brother was okay. He'd tell him that he still loved him, and everything would be fine.

Tup had been telling himself that same thing for the past week, and every day he came up with an excuse to put it off. He was working. Dogma was probably working. It was late and it would probably be better to wait a few more hours.

Tup really did want to talk to Dogma. He was desperate to hear his vod's voice, but he was scared. What if Dogma was mad at him for not properly saying goodbye? What if he hated him for it? Tup hadn't meant to ignore him, but he'd been so caught up in his own grief that he'd been crying about missing Dogma before he was even gone. Of course his tears would scare Dogma away, or make him feel like he shouldn't talk to him, for fear of making him feel worse.

And it didn't help that after finding out about the reassignment Tup had stuck close to Fives' side, even more than usual. He'd always known that Dogma felt awkward around Fives, and that the ARC trooper sometimes seemed like he avoided Dogma, but Tup hadn't really considered that they hadn't liked each other.

They were all brothers. They were all part of Torrent. And Fives was nice to Tup. It was hard for him to imagine that someone so kind to him could be outright cruel to his vod. Tup had convinced himself that Fives wasn't trying to be mean to Dogma. That he was just teasing him, like Jesse and Hardcase. It wasn't nice, but that was just because they didn't know Dogma enough to know otherwise.

Tup had given Fives the benefit of the doubt, and he was so mad at himself for it, and absolutely furious at the trooper he had started to see as an ori'vod. Fives was the reason why Dogma was gone. He'd sent him away, and said that he wouldn't be missed. He probably hadn't said as much to Dogma's face, but he was much more observant than people gave him credit for.

Dogma knew that people didn't understand him. He had a lot of fears of people not liking him. Tup had dismissed all of those uncertainties, reassuring Dogma that their brothers didn't hate him, but at the same time teasing him for doubting them. Because Tup just couldn't fathom the thought of Torrent being as bad as the bullies on Kamino.

Tup felt bad for not taking Dogma's feelings seriously. It was no wonder his vod didn't feel comfortable saying goodbye when Tup was always right there with Fives. Dogma had probably thought that Fives would take the opportunity to get in one last supposably playful dig, and he wouldn't have deserved that. He'd never deserved any of it.

Tup had wanted to know Fives, who he admired so much, had done something so horrible. But he didn't want to ask Fives himself. Tup had been avoiding Fives all week. Whenever the ARC trooper approached him he would quickly leave, and Hardcase, Jesse, and Kix would help him to do so.

Jesse was the one that told Tup about Fives' motives, and it didn't make him any less angry. He'd heard about Echo. Fives mentioned him sometimes, and Tup had felt so sorry for him. He couldn't imagine losing a vod. But in a way, he had lost his vod, and Fives was the reason why. He'd hurt Dogma, and Tup, and even the others, just because he missed Echo and couldn't move on. It wasn't fair.

Tup wanted to talk to Dogma, but he felt guilty. He'd been so close to the brother who had alienated Dogma and sent him away. Did Dogma know that Fives was the one responsible? If he did, how did he feel about Tup having been friends with him? Had he betrayed Dogma without realizing it? How could he even apologize for that? Because if Dogma didn't know, then Tup's apology would end up revealing the truth to him, and then he'd just be hurt.

So he continued to put it off, every day promising himself that he would finally call. He was tempted to go to Hardcase and asking him to make the call, starting things off for him. Tup was in the middle of his shift, but he told himself that after dinner he would go to Hardcase, and he'd finally do what he should have done days ago.

Tup was working when his communicator went off. Looking at it he felt his heart stop when he recognized Dogma's frequency. His vod was calling him. He'd finally be able to talk.

Despite his hesitancy before, Tup didn't wait for one more moment. He dropped what he was doing, took off his helmet, and answered, smiling broadly with tears streaming down his cheeks. He didn't care. Dogma didn't really care about his tears. He just didn't like when he was upset.

Tup's face fell when the holo turned on and showed that the person on the other end wasn't his vod. This clone was older. One of the oldest clones that Tup had seen on duty. His eyes held a frightening amount of caution in them.

"Tup." The other clone said. His voice was professional, but there was a vulnerability there. He was emotional, but was so out of practice in showing it. Tup met a number of clones like that. "My name is Commander Fox of the-"

The Coruscant Guard. This was Dogma's commander. Calling Tup using Dogma's communicator. Tup felt like he couldn't breathe.

"Is Dogma okay?!" Tup asked desperately. He knew he shouldn't interrupt a commander, but he couldn't contain his concern. "Is he hurt?"

Fox glanced behind him, though Tup couldn't see what he was looking at. "That's what I'm calling about. There's been an incident, and Dogma has been completely unresponsive. He won't talk. He won't move. His medical files are vague at best. Our medic doesn't know what's wrong. I'm sorry for worrying you, but do you have additional information we can use to help him?"

Tup felt his knees shake. He knew about this. He'd seen it happen at two different instances on Kamino. He didn't see what caused it either time. All he knew was that Dogma would be called away by their instructors. Tup hadn't thought much of it. Dogma and a few of their peers were always taking some additional classes.

On those days though Tup would then find out that Dogma was in the medbay, not because he was hurt, but because he was unresponsive. It was like he was sleeping, but he was conscious. When the Kaminoans had determined that, by their definition, nothing was wrong with Dogma, he would be relinquished into Tup's care because they had more important things to worry about than a 'lazy' clone.

The first time it had happened, Dogma came back to himself during the walk back to the barracks. He was still out of it, but he could walk on his own, and he was at least a little responsive. He hadn't been able to tell Tup what had happened though.

The second time it happened, he'd been in that state for three days. It had scared Tup to death, and he had refused to leave Dogma's side during that time. He'd been so relieved when Dogma 'woke up' that he coudn't stop crying.

Dogma had felt so bad about worrying him. He'd apologized, even though it wasn't his fault, and told Tup that this kind of thing just happened sometimes, usually after a demonstration, which just didn't make sense. They had demonstrations all the time, and Dogma was always fine.

Dogma tried to tell Tup that he didn't have to take care of him when he was like this. He didn't want to scare Tup. But he couldn't abandon Dogma. Not when something so frightening was happening to him and he didn't understand why. It may not happen very often, but it was frequently enough, and Dogma shouldn't go through it alone. Even if he claimed that he didn't remember most of it.

Tup and Dogma had both hoped that these shut-downs, or black-outs, or whatever they were, were just results of the stress of Kamino. That they would go away after they were deployed. They should have known better.

"I don't know a lot about them." Tup wiped at his eyes. Now was not the time to cry. He needed to focus and help Dogma. "But this has happened before. I've seen it twice, but Dogma told me it might have been six or seven times."

"How long does it last?" Fox asked. "He's been like this for about ten hours now."

Tup's heart hurt at the thought of his vod in the guard barracks, curled up and not moving. That wasn't Dogma. It was a shell of his vod, and Tup hated it.

"Dogma said it sometimes lasts for just a few hours." Tup said. "But he said he thinks the longest was a week." Dogma talked about it like it was a normal thing. Tup hated that his brother was so normal and casual about not even knowing how much time had passed.

Fox frowned. "Is there nothing we can do except wait?"

"I think so." Tup said slowly. "Dogma told me that this happens when his mind doesn't feel safe, so I would try to make sure he was okay. But just because he's safe doesn't mean he's going to feel it." Tup didn't know if he was explaining it well. He was the only one who knew what Dogma was going through, and he felt like he knew nothing.

Fox sighed. "The guard isn't really known for being a safe place. Our brothers are the ones who make this place remotely safe. We take care of each other, and Dogma has only just started to warm up to it, but I don't know if he'll find comfort from a vod-pile. Not after what happened."

Tup shuddered. "What did happen?" If he heard that one of the guards was responsible for putting Dogma in this state, he would go rogue and make his way to Coruscant to knock some sense into them.

Fox looked conflicted for a moment. "It's a little sensitive, and I don't think it would be wise to talk about it through comms."

Tup was feeling worse and worse. "What if I come to Coruscant in person? I-I can help Dogma. Will you tell me?"

Fox looked a little conflicted. "I don't think Dogma would want you to know, but this isn't something he can get through alone, and I'm afraid that he's going to push us away after what happened. He needs a vod right now, and I think you're the only one who can do it."

"I'll get there as soon as I can." Tup said. "And thank you for calling me."

"I didn't want to." Fox admitted. "No offense to you, but I haven't been impressed with how the 501st handled Dogma when he was under their care."

"Honestly, neither am I." Tup said. Most of his anger was towards Fives, but he was also frustrated with Rex, Jesse, Hardcase, and Kix. He wondered if all of them had tried harder to make Dogma feel like he belonged, then Fives wouldn't have so easily been able to send him away with the excuse that he wouldn't be missed.

"Does…does Dogma talk about me?" Tup asked. Fox smiled.

All the time." Fox said. "He misses you a lot. I've got mixed messages about everybody else, but he only has good things to say about you."

Tup was glad to hear it, though it was more than he felt he deserved. He didn't think he'd been a good vod for Dogma. He didn't understand him as much as he wanted to. Tup had always been more friendly than Dogma, and he didn't want to feel bad about getting close to the other brothers, but he should have been better at balancing spending time with the others, and making time for Dogma.

Tup hadn't tried to neglect Dogma, but the rest of Torrent was still new and exciting for him. He would eat meals with the others, dragging Dogma along with him, even when the other clearly wanted to eat alone. He would join Dogma for a snuggle and a good read, but when one of the others walked by and asked if he wanted to do something, he would accept without hesitation. He left Dogma, telling himself that he would make it up to him later, and he never did.

Tup wanted to ask if Dogma had made any friends or found any vode in the guard, but he was distracted when his comm went off again. It didn't cut off his call with Fox, but he got a message saying that Kix was trying to call him.

"My medic's calling me." Tup said.

"Probably because our medic called him." Fox said. "Gamma's trying to get answers. He doesn't really like feeling helpless." Fox sighed. "He's not going to like that I don't have anything for him."

"Sorry." Tup wished he could do more.

"No, kid, don't apologize." Fox said. "You're more help than you know. I'll keep you updated if something else happens."

"I'd appreciate it." Tup said. "Thanks again."

Fox nodded and gave him a small salute before ending the call. Tup let out a shuddered breath. He brought his hands to the top of his head and undid his topknot, letting his hair down. He wished that Dogma was here to brush his fingers through his hair. Tup found the feeling to be soothing, and Dogma found the repetitive motions to be grounding. They had wondered if this kind of thing could help snap Dogma out of his own mind when he shut down like this.

Tup wished he was with Dogma so they could at least try.

He stood there alone for a long minute before he could find the will to move. Kix had called him. He probably wanted to know about Dogma's shutdowns. It wasn't the first thing that Tup wanted to talk about, but talking about Dogma at all felt like a weight was being taken off his chest.

Tup hadn't realized that not talking about Dogma, or talking about him like he was dead, almost made him feel like his vod had gone somewhere he couldn't ever find him again. Dogma wasn't gone. He was just on Coruscant. The 501st went there all the time. Tup could still see him. He could still talk to him. Even if they were apart, they were still vode, and that wasn't going to change.

Tup made his way to the medbay, not at all caring that he was walking away from his shift without even telling his supervisor. Dogma was far more important. And he could just imagine Dogma's face if he knew that Tup had abandoned his work for him. He would be so mad, and Tup couldn't help but find the thought funny.

Oh, he missed his vod so much.

He entered the medbay to find Kix frantically going through notes and files. Tup had never seen him look so frantic. Jesse was standing next to him, looking lost and accepting any file that Kix thrust at him. The medic sounded so angry and frustrated as he spoke in Mando'a. Tup only caught a few words, but he could get the gist of it. Kix was mad at the Kaminoans.

"What's he doing?" Tup asked Jesse.

"Looking for Dogma's medical files." Jesse said. He looked at Tup, his eyes full of concern and a touch of frustration. "When you said Dogma had a tendency to shut down when he was overwhelmed, I didn't think you meant that he went comatose."

"Catatonic, Jess," Kix said tensely. "And it's something I should have known about."

"I thought Dogma told you." Tup said. "Sorry." He'd told Dogma that he needed to tell Kix everything, even if he didn't think it was relevant. He hoped that Dogma had just forgotten. Tup just didn't want Dogma to be so dismissive of something that he thought was normal and couldn't be fixed. Just because they didn't know how to treat this didn't mean they couldn't help him.

Kix sighed and set his files down. "The Kaminoans are the ones who should have told me, but of course they don't care. As long as Dogma's able to work, it's not a concern." He sighed and sat down. He looked exhausted. "Gamma said Commander Fox spoke to you."

Tup nodded. "I want to go back to Coruscant. I need to see Dogma." Even if he got there after Dogma came back to himself, Tup knew that it could take several days for Dogma to feel completely like himself again. Tup wanted to help him with that.

"I'll take care of it." Kix said. "Medics override everybody. If I say you're needed on Coruscant for a medical emergency, and I do think this qualifies as one, then it'll happen and nobody can complain about it."

"Can you work your magic for me and Hardcase too?" Jesse asked. "I don't know just what's happening to Dogma, but I know he's stressed, and I don't think what happened last week is helping. If I can just talk to him and make things right-"

"I can't make any promises." Kix said. "But I'll see what I can do." He looked at Tup. "Whether they go with you or not, I'm getting you to Coruscant if I have to fly you there myself."

Tup's chest seemed to fill with warmth. Tears of relief came to his eyes. He was going to see Dogma, and everything was going to be okay again.

Chapter Text

Dogma hated 'waking up' after he shut down. It happened slowly. He would ease back to awareness, and if there was a hint of danger, or if his memories of the Demonstration were still too fresh, he would retreat back into the safety of his mind.

He didn't try to do any of this. Dogma had never liked shutting down so dramatically. He knew what the Kaminoans said about him. They tried to cure him of this flaw, but nothing they did worked, so they just pretended it didn't exist while reporting that he was lazy.

Dogma tried to resist shutting down, but it just happened whether he wanted it to or not. He had tried to tell Tup once that it was like it was in his programming, but that had just made his vod cry. Tup didn't like it when Dogma used droid terms to describe himself, even if he couldn't think of any other way to explain how he was feeling.

Dogma had tried to do research about his shutdowns, but it was difficult. He knew the Demonstrations caused them, but he could never remember what happened in the Demonstrations to trigger such a serious reaction. The Kaminoans didn't like it, so he knew it wasn't something they'd taught him. Dogma had started doing this by himself, even if it wasn't on purpose.

He was actually decently aware when he shut down. Not enough to knock himself out of it, or to react to what was going on around him, but he wasn't sleeping. He could still see, and think, and hear, but it was as though those things were trapped behind a thick fog that only some things could get through.

Dogma was aware enough that he knew that Fox didn't really leave his side while he was like this. Dogma knew that realistically, Fox had a lot of work to do and he couldn't remain with him constantly. Logically, the commander probably spent more time than not away from Dogma, doing his job. But any time Dogma was even remotely aware of his surroundings during his shutdown, Fox was right there, sitting with him. Talking to him, even though he never got a response.

Dogma was used to that kind of thing from Tup. His vod used to refuse to go to his classes and training when Dogma was incapacitated, though Tup didn't know that he knew. But this was different. Most clones put their brothers first, no matter what. Even the most loyal of clones would border the line of insubordination for the sake of a brother.

But Dogma wasn't like that. He had shot…he had…he just couldn't do that. He never could. And Fox was the same way. He would do anything to help his brothers, but that meant being willing to sacrifice one or two disposable clones if it meant protecting the whole. He was the commander of the guard. Fox had a lot on his shoulders, and thousands of senators, civilians, and generals watching his every move, waiting for him to screw up.

Fox couldn't afford to put his job aside for a few hours, let alone days, just to sit next to a clone that he could do nothing for. And yet that's exactly what Fox did. He stayed by Dogma's side as much as he could afford to, and Dogma felt like he didn't deserve it, but it also made him feel seen. It made him feel like he mattered. Like he was cared for.

Like he was loved.

"...Buir?" Dogma muttered. He didn't even realize that he was really back until the word came out. He blinked and turned his head, making the first conscious movement in he didn't even know how long. Fox had been sitting next to him, reading something over and looking far too exhausted. At the sound of Dogma's voice he dropped his work and looked wide awake.

"Ad'ika." Fox slowly put his arms around Dogma, like he was scared of hurting him. When Dogma leaned into his touch, basking in the warmth and security it brought, Fox tightened the hold into a firm embrace. "I was so worried about you, kid."

Dogma felt a little awkward in the hug, but he didn't want to pull away. He just stayed there, leaning against his commander. His buir.

"How long was I-" Dogma's voice trailed off. He didn't like to talk about his shutdowns. He was ashamed they were even there at all.

"Just over a week." Fox said, and Dogma felt his stomach drop at the revelation. That was a new record. Normally it just lasted less than a day. His longest one till now had barely been a week, and Dogma was pretty sure it had only been so bad because it had been his first one. He wasn't five standard anymore. He wasn't being watched over by the Kaminoans who couldn't care less about him. He was supposed to be better than this.

"What happened?" Dogma asked quietly, afraid to hear the answer.

Fox frowned. "You don't remember?"

Dogma thought about it. What he remembered last was that he was working in the senate building with…someone. Dogma closed his eyes and pushed at his memories. He normally wouldn't, because he knew that whatever happened was the reason why he shut down in the first place, so maybe forgetting it all was for the best.

But Fox looked so concerned, and Dogma just knew that this was important. It had to have been serious to make him shut down for so long. He needed to remember, at least a little.

Dogma didn't really have a solid memory of the incident, but he felt sure that he'd been with Thire. He didn't know why, but that felt right. So he and Thire had been working, and then…

"Show me your loyalty to the Republic."

Then…

He'd been given an order.

He…he had…

And good soldiers followed orders

"Dogma!" He gasped and jolted when he felt gentle but firm hands on his face. He blinked and saw Fox looking at him with blatant concern. He brushed away the tears on Dogma's face. "It's okay. You don't have to remember. Please. Stay with me."

Dogma took in a shuddered breath. He'd almost slipped back, even though he'd just come out. That hadn't happened before. Was Dogma even more broken now? What if he'd gone too far and now he couldn't properly come back? What if he was always at risk of being just one word away from shutting down? He'd be an even more useless soldier than he already was.

"Come on, D'ika." Fox said. "Focus."

Dogma didn't want to worry his commander, who had already spent enough time just sitting with him. Dogma's mind was still on the brink, like he wasn't fully back, but talking usually helped. It forced him to focus on something other than what he was hiding from.

"Y-you said my name." Dogma said. "You know it."

Fox gave him a sad smile that wasn't quite apologetic. "I knew it the whole time. It was on your records. But you were cautious about your name. If you still don't feel comfortable being called by your name-"

"Y-you can use it." Dogma said. He had been wanting to use it more. Something nudged at the back of his head, saying that his name was dangerous and he shouldn't share it, but he shoved that back. His name wasn't dangerous. He was just being a little more cautious about who he trusted it with now. And Fox had definitely earned his trust.

Fox leaned forward, resting his forehead against Dogma's, giving him a Keldabe Kiss. Dogma closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

"For the record, I think it's a great name." Fox said quietly. Dogma's throat tightened. Nobody had ever said that they liked his name. They said that it suited him, and Dogma was never sure if it was said maliciously or not. Tup had beamed broadly at him when Dogma had chosen his name, just happy that he'd chosen a name at all. But Fox was the first person to say that it was a good name, other than the Kaminoans.

Dogma knew that he should step away and get back to work. If he couldn't function and needed to rest some more, he needed to at least let Fox work. He'd dedicated far too much time to Dogma. He appreciated it, but he wasn't worth it. But he didn't want to step away. He just wanted to stay right here with Fox, just for a little longer.

But good things couldn't last. Fox' comm went off. He sighed and reluctantly pulled away from Dogma, looking at his comm. Fox relaxed a little, though he still seemed slightly annoyed.

"It's Gamma." Fox said. "He was reluctant to let you out of his sight, but he agreed to let you stay in my office if I kept him updated. He's going to be happy that you're up, but I'm warning you, he's going to have a lot of questions."

Dogma let out a shaky breath. He normally didn't mind going to the medbay, because being in good health was important to being a good soldier. But he hated it when it happened after his Demonstrations and shutdowns. The Kaminoans always wanted to know what he remembered, how he felt, why he'd been so 'lazy' afterwards, and all sorts of other questions that he didn't know the answers to.

They also did a lot of scans of his head that made him almost feel like he could actually feel his brain literally pounding, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

He knew Gamma would be nicer than the Kaminoans, but Dogma still hated that he was going to ask questions that he just couldn't answer.

Fox squeezed his hand reassuringly. "It's okay. I'll be right there with you."

"That's not necessary." Dogma said. He wasn't a cadet. Even the cadets on Kamino were stronger than needing somebody to hold their hand for a standard visit to the medbay.

Fox gave him a knowing look. "You don't need to worry about me and the work I need to do. Thorn, Thire, and Stone have been picking up my slack, and this has given me the chance to finally catch up on my paperwork." Fox grinned. "You should have seen the Chancellor's face when he saw that I had all the paperwork finished."

Dogma felt his mouth twitch, but he was able to keep himself from smiling. It wasn't his place to speak badly of the great Chancellor, but he couldn't blame Fox for feeling a little smug and happy that he was able to catch the Chancellor off guard. Dogma knew the man was hard on Fox, and expected impossible things from him. It must feel good to actually be able to finally meet one of those impossible demands.

It took Dogma a long moment to process the first part of what Fox said. He'd mentioned the other commanders. Dogma's breath hitched in his throat for a reason that he didn't completely understand and didn't want to think about.

"Commander Thire, is he…" Dogma trailed off. He was worried, but he couldn't remember why. He was probably just concerned because he'd been working with Thire when he was asked to give a Demonstration. Thire had probably been subjected to it as well.

"He's fine." Fox gave him a sad but understanding look. "He's been asking about you. You scared him pretty badly."

Dogma felt guilty. He looked at the ground. "Sorry."

Fox sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. Right now we just have to figure out how to prevent this kind of thing from happening again."

Dogma frowned, because he just didn't understand. This couldn't be stopped. Even the Kaminoans couldn't figure out just why it happened. If they couldn't fix him, why would a bunch of overworked clones who had more important things to worry about be able to?

"Come on, Ad'ika." Fox said. "Let's get this visit to Gamma over with, and then I've got something important to talk to you about."

Dogma didn't like that tone, because it could mean a number of things. "Is it good or bad?" For once, Dogma's first thought wasn't that he was in trouble.

"Well, that depends." Fox said. "I hope it's good, but you could also find it overwhelming. I don't want to do anything you're not ready for, but you need help beyond what I feel like we can give to you."

Dogma still felt bad. He didn't deserve all of this concern and care. Especially not when he felt like he was beyond help. But he knew he couldn't convince Fox otherwise. Whether he deserved it or not, the guard cared for him, and it warmed Dogma's heart just as much as it churned his stomach.

He followed Fox out of his office and towards the medbay. His legs shook from not using them for more than a week, but Fox supported him. It was the middle of the day, so there weren't any clones wandering around. They were busy working, as Dogma and Fox should be.

They entered the medbay, and Gamma lifted his gaze at the sound of the door opening. Dogma had never seen him look so relieved. "Vod'ika. You're awake." He gave Fox a stern look. "And nobody told me."

"It just happened." Fox said. "Any word on when we can expect our visitors?"

"They just landed." Gamma said. "They'll be here in no more than an hour."

"Visitors?" Dogma frowned. They didn't get visitors. If they did, it wasn't a good thing.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Fox said. "Just let Gamma look you over first."

Dogma pouted, but he let Gamma pull him to a bed and go over his vitals. He answered his questions, even if most of his answers were just that he didn't know. He was able to tell Gamma that this had been happening since he was five standard, and to his knowledge this was the seventh time it had happened. He didn't feel like his information was useful at all, but Gamma made note of it all anyway.

"What caused it to happen the other times?" Gamma asked, almost to himself. "I like to think that I would have heard about cases where cadets were shot by each other on Kamino."

Dogma froze, feeling like his ears were filled with static. Cadets shooting each other. Clones shooting each other. Dogma shooting…shooting…

"Ad'ika!" Fox's voice was stern and urgent, but Dogma didn't feel the need to pay attention like he always did. He felt…he didn't even know what he felt. He was numb. He was cold. He couldn't think at all.

"Do you hear me, Dogma?" Gamma asked. He knew he should respond, but his mouth wouldn't move, and he couldn't even think of nodding. He just sat there. Gamma and Fox both looked panicked, and he felt bad. He wanted to answer and make them stop worrying about him, but he couldn't do anything. He just sat there. He could feel himself slipping away.

He could hear Fox shouting. Gamma was talking sternly. He could see them arguing. They both looked tense and worried, and it was all Dogma's fault.

He whimpered, the sound somehow seeming impossibly loud. It was far too loud, cutting through Fox' and Gamma's raised voices. His legs curled up to his chest. He didn't mean for them to. He didn't know what was wrong with him. He was acting like a cadet. He was acting worse than a cadet. They at least had the training to be proper soldiers

It was bad enough that he shut down and couldn't function. He was awake and aware now. That was supposed to mean that he could get back to work. The Kaminoans had trained him to be better than this. They tolerated his shutdowns, and sent him back to work as soon as he could move and think again. They'd been ruthless, and harsh, but if they didn't push him then he'd never be able to be the kind of soldier that he was supposed to be.

Why couldn't he just pull himself together and be better? He was making a big deal out of nothing. Dogma had just followed his orders. That was what he'd been created for. It was his very purpose. If he couldn't handle following orders, what was he even good for?

But he'd hurt…he'd…what kind of a brother did that? What was wrong with him? He couldn't be a good soldier without being a horrible brother who wasn't worthy of the title. And he couldn't be a good brother without being a sorry excuse of a soldier.

Everybody else managed it. As frustratingly defiant as the other clones could be sometimes, they still did their job well enough. And even though the trolls could take their teasing too far sometimes, they were still good brothers and vode. And they found a balance. Why couldn't Dogma?

He'd been trained more than the others. The Kaminoans had wasted time and energy to make him better, and he was a pathetic excuse of a soldier who couldn't even sit through a medical check up without panicking because he couldn't handle the consequences of his own actions.

Fox tried to talk to him, and Gamma tried to get a reaction, but Dogma didn't answer either of them. Eventually Fox gave up. He walked away, leaving Dogma alone for the first time since he'd fallen apart. It was probably what Dogma deserved.

He closed his eyes shut tight and buried his head in his knees. He wished he could just retreat into his mind fully and actually shut down the way he'd done before. It would hurt less than this. If he couldn't do anything or be of any worth, then at the very least he wanted to not feel the pain that came with being a failure.

He shuddered when he felt a warm touch on his hand. It was such a stark contrast from the chill he was feeling. The warmth was painful, but also soothing, but it wasn't what he deserved. He flinched and tried to pull back, but the touch didn't let go.

His hand was pulled gently away from the steel grip he'd had on his knees. It was brought up to something soft and familiar. Hair. Long, slightly tangled hair.

By instinct Dogma ran his fingers through the hair, brushing through it in a way that was ultimately useless, but made him feel better with every stroke.

Dogma's frustrations with himself and fears didn't go away, but they were eased. The coldness slowly turned to a manageable numbness that, while not ideal, wasn't anywhere near as painful.

He could hear talking. It was a lot softer and gentle than Fox' shouting. It sounded familiar. Like something he didn't think he would ever hear again.

Dogma took in a shuddered breath and lifted his head away from his knees. The first thing he saw was a small tattoo. A teardrop.

"...Tup?" Dogma blinked. He looked at his brother. His vod. Tup smiled brightly at him, his eyes gentle and understanding.

"There you are." Tup pulled Dogma into his arms, hugging him tighter than he ever had. "It's going to be okay now, D'ika. You're going to be just fine." And Dogma didn't know what else to do but believe him, because Tup had never lied to him before. He had his vod, even if he didn't deserve him. Tup always made everything right.

Dogma didn't know how to be a good brother, but he could trust his vod. Even a failure like him could do something as simple as that. And the great thing about Tup was that that was all he asked from Dogma. He could be the biggest failure in the world, but he would still be good enough for Tup.

He didn't need him to be a good soldier. He didn't even need him to be a good brother. All Tup wanted was that he was Dogma, and even if he didn't know what that meant sometimes, being himself was all he knew how to be.

It was enough for Tup. It was enough for Fox. Dogma just wished that he knew how to make it be good enough for himself.

Chapter Text

Fox was just one man. He knew that he couldn't do everything by himself. He wasn't enough to give the Guard what they needed, but he did his best. Between him, the other commanders, and sacrifices made on the part of the guard, they were able to make things work. Fox wished things could be better, but it was always good enough.

He wasn't able to give that to Dogma.

He didn't know if it was because the kid needed more than they could give, or if Fox' feelings about Dogma made him want to give him more. Either way, it wasn't enough, and Dogma suffered for it.

The kid didn't complain. He stuck through it like the toughest of them. But he was hurting, and he shouldn't be. That was why, as much as Fox had hated to do so, he had called in the 501st. It was a bittersweet experience when Tup arrived and was able to pull Dogma out of the spiraling that Fox had only been able to push him deeper into.

He was glad his ad'ika was okay, but it was hard to know that Fox had only made things worse for him when he'd just been trying to help. That seemed to be a pattern in Fox' life. He could be a great commander and take care of his men, but he stumbled and failed when it came to being a vod and buir.

But Fox wasn't in the habit of admitting defeat. He kept trying, because if he stopped then he would fall to pieces. When Fox saw that Dogma was pulled back to himself by Tup, he didn't sulk. Instead he got to work.

He left the two vode to enjoy each other's company, giving Gamma the responsibility of watching them and comming Fox if anything changed, whether it be for the better or for the worse. With Dogma in Tup and Gamma's capable hands, Fox left the medbay and went to front halls of the barracks where he had left their other visitors.

He recognized one of them. Jesse. One of the di'kute whose mere presence had made Dogma close himself off and wish that he was as emotionless and unfeeling as the kaminoans had wanted them to be. The only thing that kept Fox from stunning them and sending them right back to Rex was that Jesse had shown hints of regret when Fox had met him. That had earned him the chance to explain himself.

His companion was pacing around, but Fox wasn't paying attention to him. He wasn't Fives, which meant that, at least right at that moment, he wasn't a potential threat to his men. Instead Fox turned his complete attention to Jesse, who still needed to prove himself.

As soon as Jesse saw him he stood up straight and saluted. They hadn't left on good terms last time they had seen each other, but Jesse was treating him with respect that he deserved. Fox could tell that he did so reluctantly, but he didn't think it came from a place of defiance. Jesse's expression held nothing but concern.

"Sir." Jesse said. "Is Dogma okay?" His concern made sense. Fox didn't know what Jesse knew about Dogma's condition, but the instant they had arrived at the barracks Fox had grabbed Tup, told him that Dogma needed him, and pulled him to the medbay without another word of explanation to the other two. Jesse and his friend had been left in the dark to imagine the worst.

"He's doing better." Fox said. That was as much as he could say. He had come back to himself, and Tup had hopefully saved him from falling again. It wasn't a lot, but it was something. "Now tell me why I should let you anywhere near him."

A funny expression came across Jesse's face, like he felt both indignant and chastised. Before he could begin to explain himself his companion put himself between him and Fox.

"Hey, we're just worried about our vod'ika." The other clone said.

"Calm down, Hardcase." Jesse said. "He has every right to be cautious about me. I wasn't really much better than Fives."

Hardcase snapped his glare around to Jesse. "You never sent him away."

"But I never made him feel welcome either." Jesse said. He looked Fox in the eyes. "I wasn't the best to Dogma. I took things too far and let too much slide. But I didn't want to hurt him. He can be mad at me if he wants, but I want to at least explain things. I need him to know that the problem wasn't with him, it was with me."

Fox crossed his arms. Jesse certainly sounded sincere, and Fox was inclined to believe him, but he didn't think the other man quite understood just how bad things got.

"Did you know that Dogma doesn't feel comfortable telling his own brothers his name?" Fox asked. Jesse and Hardcase looked appropriately horrified. "He's scared of getting teased again. And within days of getting here he was already overworking himself, not because of ambition, but because he wanted to ease the others burdens. Dogma had convinced himself that that was the only way he could show he cared, because you di'kote got it into his head that he couldn't just talk to them. You made Dogma think that anything he had to say would just make things worse."

Fox took another step towards Jesse and Hardcase, looming over them despite their shared height. "You have no idea how badly you messed that kid up." He said in a low voice. Hardcase looked upset, and any sign of defensiveness was gone from Jesse's eyes. It was still incredibly tempting to send them on their way and keep Dogma exclusively with the guard.

But he could see that they cared about him, and he knew by listening to Dogma that he cared about them too. He talked most about Tup, but Dogma hadn't failed to talk about how Hardcase had been encouraging and pulled him out of his comfort zone, and even though he hadn't always had nice things to say about Jesse, Dogma had also mentioned that the ARC trooper was the one that he felt comfortable going to if he had a nightmare and didn't want to bother Tup.

Dogma needed them, and Fox wasn't going to let his protectiveness be the reason that the kid didn't get what he needed.

Fox sighed and forced himself to back down. "The thing is, I think Kamino broke him first." He didn't like to use that term. When his men got hurt and maimed he still didn't call them broken. That implied that there was something inside of them that couldn't be fixed.

With Dogma though, Fox thought that might just be the case. He casually mentioned so many things he'd faced on Kamino, not knowing that none of it had been right or normal. He'd been shaped by the long-necks, even more than the generic clone had. They had torn him down and tried to reshape him in their image, and Fox was sure that was why Dogma was barely holding things together now

"I don't like you." Fox said to Jesse. "But if you really want to help Dogma, I think there's something you can do to help. Something I can't do myself." Jesse and Hardcase just looked at him with serious determination. They were willing to cooperate. "I need you to help me figure out what is at the root of what's wrong with him."

"Why can't you do it yourself?" Hardcase asked.

"Because I know traumatized clones." Fox said. "That's how I've seen Dogma from the start." Fox could work with trauma. All of the Coruscant Guard had it in some capacity. Fox knew that what was going on with Dogma included more than just a small amount of trauma, but there was something else there too. Something that Fox didn't understand, and he wouldn't be able to because all he knew was the trauma.

He looked at Hardcase. "You know him as a brother. Dogma told me you're friendly with everybody, but you don't treat people the same. You being nice to Jesse looks different than you being nice to Tup, which is a lot different than when you're nice to Dogma. From what I've heard, you're observant and adaptable, even if you don't know it. Perhaps you've noticed some things about Dogma that can help us get to the bottom of things."

Hardcase smirked slightly, looking eager to have the chance to be of some use to Dogma. Jesse didn't look so sure.

"What can I do?" Jesse asked. "I don't know the kid well."

"No, but how you do know him may actually give some necessary insight." Fox said, as much as he might want to admit it. "You treated him like he was a nuisance. A meat-droid. An annoyance and an inconvenience to be around."

Jesse seemed to pale more and more with every word he said. "I didn't mean to-" But Fox didn't let him continue. He wasn't trying to scold him anymore. He was trying to make a point.

"Dogma can't be the only clone you've ever known who is a stickler for the rules." Fox said. "Did you make things hard on them?"

"N-no, Sir." Jesse said. "I don't think so."

"So why did you for Dogma?" Fox asked. Jesse shook his head. "Why was he harder to get along with?"

"I don't know." Jesse said quickly. "He was just…different."

"Exactly." Fox said. "For better or worse, you know how to recognize that Dogma is different. You know how to see what is wrong with him. You used it to bully him before. Now we can use it to help him." If Jesse could pin down what, exactly, made Dogma different from his peers, they could at least have a guess as to what made him that way. Why did he shut down? Why had the Kaminoans blatantly taught him to not have emotions? And why had he gone through Demonstrations when those weren't even supposed to happen on Kamino in the first place?

Jesse didn't look too happy about his role, and that was part of the reason why Fox felt more comfortable trusting him with Dogma. Jesse didn't want to hurt the kid anymore, and Fox would be right there to make sure he didn't.

"Can we see him now?" Hardcase asked eagerly.

"Give him a few more minutes with Tup." Fox said. Dogma needed the peace and quiet for just a little longer. "In the meantime there's someone else we can talk to who can give some insight on what is happening with Dogma." Thire had been asking endlessly about Dogma, and he'd been getting more and more worked up when all Fox could tell him was that nothing had changed. He wasn't going to be happy that Fox hadn't told him right away the second that Dogma had woken up.

At first Fox hadn't told him because it simply hadn't crossed his mind. Now he wasn't sure if it would be smart to bring Thire in so soon. Maybe Dogma would feel better when he saw that Thire was just fine, with only the smallest limp from his nearly healed injury. Or maybe he would start to spiral and shut down again at the reminder of what he had done.

Dogma was subconsciously forcing himself to forget the Demonstration. Fox didn't feel like that was healthy, but he was scared that if he forced the kid to remember things he couldn't handle then his mind would just snap and he wouldn't be able to come back. He felt like the kid was hanging on by a thread, and it was Fox' responsibility to help him hold on.

At least for right now, Fox felt like it would be for the best to keep Thire away from Dogma, just for a little bit until he was steadier and not at risk of relapsing.

Fox brought the 501st fools deeper into the barracks. It felt weird to not be wearing his helmet when he wasn't in the safety of his office, but this was the first time that the guard barracks had outside visitors. The guards would be anxious to see outsiders here. If they saw that they were accompanied by Fox, and he felt safe enough around them to show his face, then his men would recognize that these soldiers weren't a threat.

While most of the guard were currently on shift, Thire wasn't one of them. There needed to be a commander available and on shift in the barracks at all times. Because Thire was still considered to be injured, he was on the evening barrack's duty, because that was when it was least likely for there to be an emergency on Coruscant that needed to be addressed, but there was a higher than normal amount of guards lingering around the barracks. It kept Thire busy without putting him in a situation where he might get hurt.

Fox found Thire in the sleeping quarters, laying on one of the beds and looking bored out of his mind. Fox knew that the second he could walk without a noticeable limp he was going to be going back onto the streets, not because they needed the manpower, though they did, but because he was getting antsy. Clones weren't made for desk work. Not even the Coruscant Guard, despite what the GAR said.

When Thire saw him and the 501st boys behind him, he sat up, looking both hopeful and anxious. He knew this was about Dogma. "How is he?"

"He's aware." Fox said. "He almost slipped back when Gamma referenced how you got hurt, but his vod is with him now."

"So, uh, what exactly is going on with Dogma?" Hardcase asked. "Nobody's telling me."

"There was an incident a week ago." Fox said. He pulled up a chair and faced Thire. "I think it's time I get a full report on what happened."

Thire stiffened and sent an uneasy glance towards Hardcase and Jesse. "Now, Sir?"

"Yes." Fox said. If he was going to trust these two to help him figure out what was going on with Dogma, then, they would need the full story first. They claim to want what's best for Dogma. If that's true, they'll listen without interruption.

Thire steeled his expression, nodding seriously. "I was working with Dogma in the senate building. We could tell there were some visitors around, and things were tense. I suspected that a Demonstration was imminent, and during our break Dogma said that he thought the same thing." Thire was trying to sound professional, but there was a dip of frustration and concern in his voice already.

Fox already knew that Dogma was aware of Demonstrations from his time on Kamino. That was something he wished he could ask the kid about, except after today he knew that he couldn't ask Dogma about them. If those Demonstrations were like this one, he wouldn't, and couldn't, remember them, and Fox would just hurt him if he tried to force him to.

Thire had already informed him of what Dogma had told him about the Demonstrations. That wasn't what Fox was here for, and Thire knew it.

"I got a summons from Jedi General Pong Krell." Thire said, his voice dripping with hatred. "Dogma was reluctant to leave me alone. He insisted on accompanying me until he was commanded otherwise. When the General saw Dogma he asked for his name, and he then asked if he had been appropriately named. H-he wanted to test it. So instead of using me for the Demonstration, as I'm sure he intended, he took both of us."

Fox could feel how tense Jesse and Hardcase were behind him, but he kept his focus on Thire. "What was the nature of this Demonstration?"

The General wanted to prove that the Coruscant Guard were more loyal and obedient than the GAR." Thire said tensely. Fox could hear that he was on the edge of losing himself in the memory himself. "I was told to stand in the center of the room. The General then went to Dogma, told him to take his blaster off of stun, and then take aim at me." Thire's voice was getting tight. Fox hated to make his brother talk about it, but they didn't have much of a choice."

"...Dogma didn't shoot you, did he?" Jesse's tone was hard to interpret. Fox turned and looked at him, only to see that Jesse's gaze was on Thire's leg, where the injury was visible and unwrapped, as Gamma wanted to let it breathe.

"He didn't have a choice." Thire said tensely. "He was given orders."

"But we're not just mindless droids." Jesse said. A common argument from the GAR who didn't understand just what sacrifices the guard needed to make. "We can think for ourselves."

"And what would the consequences have been if he had?" Fox raised an eyebrow at Jesse and Hardcase. "Your general may be fine with defiance, but not all of them are. General Pong Krell has the highest rate of clone deaths among all the Jedi, because he simply doesn't care. All he cares about us is how efficient we can be."

"He was testing Dogma's loyalty." Thire said. "Using him as an example in front of potential investors. If Dogma disobeyed, he would have proven General Krell wrong in front of the investors, humiliating him and losing the Republic hundreds upon thousands of credits. Do you really think me or Dogma would have walked away from that with just a slap on the wrist?"

Hardcase was breathing harshly now. His hands were clenched and held on his side. "I can't believe a Jedi would do something like that." None of them had expected it. Fox had always had neutral opinions about the Jedi. He really should have looked more into things when Dogma had mentioned on his very first day that both senators and the Jedi could single out the guard when Fox had only seen the senators do it.

Fox didn't know what he could have done to prepare for this, but he felt like he should have done something.

"Dogma knew." Fox said. "He knew it would happen the whole time." If General Skywalker hadn't put the idea into Dogma's head that the Jedi were a threat, then the Kaminoans had to have done it. But why would they teach any clone to fear their generals when they'd been created to serve them? It just didn't make sense.

Fox reached a hand out and put it on Thire's uninjured leg. "What happened after the Demonstration?"

Thire swallowed thickly. "General Krell and the investors left. I couldn't really walk, but I was more worried about Dogma. He was completely frozen and unresponsive. The blaster was still half raised, and he looked like he wouldn't lower it, even though I could see his hands shaking from the other side of the room. I dragged myself to Dogma, and he still didn't react at all. I practically pulled him to the ground so he would relax and get off his feet. I had to pull his helmet off, and he still didn't move. He just…turned off.

"And he was like that for a week?!" Jesse looked like he was going to be sick. "What was wrong with him?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Fox said. "The way Dogma thinks, the things he says about Kamino, it's different than anybody else I've ever met."

"Hang on." Hardcase frowned. "Why would things have been different on Kamino for him? We all got the same training. I mean, yeah, there's ARC training, and the commanders went through more than everyone else, but why would Dogma have?"

Fox had been asking himself the same thing for a while. He had a vague idea that kept crossing his mind, but he didn't ask about it because Dogma had gotten so upset when he had.

Jesse didn't have those reservations.

The ARC trooper frowned. "Okay, I know we were probably out of line when we joked about it, but are we sure Dogma wasn't reconditioned? I mean, we've all heard the stories about the Kaminoans taking disobedient clones and torturing them until they're submissive, perfect little flesh-droids. Maybe they're not just stories."

Having someone else say it out loud was what Fox needed. "I've thought the same thing. But Dogma got rather defensive when I asked about it. He insists he's always been like this, and the Kaminoans didn't hurt him any more than anybody else. He hates the implication that he was reconditioned."

Jesse sighed. "Kix said he told him the same thing."

Hardcase looked between the two of them. "Can't he have been reconditioned without knowing that was what it was? I mean, it's not like the long-necks would straight up say 'we're going to brainwash you now'."

Jesse and Fox exchanged glances. They had been thinking of reconditioning according to the rumors, but not all of those could be true. For example, Dogma insisted he had never been defiant, and that was the main reason why the stories claimed someone was reconditioned in the first place. If that was off, who knew what else was?

But then, who knew what was correct?

As uncomfortable as it was going to make Dogma, they were going to need to talk to him about this. They needed to know exactly what had happened to him on Kamino. Even if he didn't think there was anything odd about it, they'd be able to know if it was or not. And if they knew what was wrong with Dogma, they could help him get better.

They just needed to figure out how to address the issue without making him close in on himself all over again. His mind was protecting him from harmful memories, but maybe it wouldn't need to if they could help him get past all he'd been through, whatever that had been.

Fox wanted to get started right away, but he forced himself to hold back. Dogma was still overwhelmed and recovering. He needed to relax with his brother, at least for a few more minutes. Fox could wait a little longer before throwing more stress at him.

Chapter Text

Tup wasn't as naive as many of his brothers thought he was. He was hopeful, and sometimes he let that hope cloud his judgement, but when things went wrong he didn't just look stubbornly the other way and refuse to see it. Despite what many of the other clones seemed to imply, Tup had been trained to be a soldier. He fought his battles head-on, just like the rest of them.

Tup knew that being reunited with Dogma wouldn't immediately fix anything. His vod was still going to live and serve with the guard. He was probably still going to feel ostracized by the 501st, and despite Hardcase and Jesse's best efforts Tup didn't think that was ever going to change. They'd lost their chance with him.

Dogma was still going to have shutdowns, clearly, and Tup wouldn't always be here to help pick up the pieces. But he was here now, and that was what mattered. It was like being allowed onto a battlefield that he'd been grounded from. The battle had just started, but at least Tup could help his brother fight through it.

Things weren't fine yet, but it was going to be, because Tup wouldn't rest until it was. He'd let his grief get the best of him and he'd allowed Dogma to slip through his fingers before either of them were truly prepared for it. He wasn't going to make that mistake again. When Tup eventually returned to the 501st, he would be leaving Dogma with the promise that he still cared about him, a vow that he would call him at the very least once a week, and he would personally see to it that the guards knew how to take care of Dogma and give him what he needed.

Tup sat with Dogma in the guards' medbay, just letting his vod braid his hair. The guard's medic was catching Tup up on how Dogma had been for the past week, grilling him for any bit of advice on how to help Dogma should this happen in the future. Gamma seemed relieved that this only happened when Dogma had to give a capital D Demonstration. But that just raised a question for Tup that he'd never been able to get a straight answer for.

"What, exactly, is a Demonstration?" Tup asked. Dogma stiffened and slowed in his brushing of Tup's hair. Tup hummed slightly and leaned into his touch. He knew how to get Dogma to relax when he was on the brink of falling to pieces.

"It's exactly what it sounds like." Gamma said. "When the senators, or apparently the Jedi or Kaminoans, want to bring in new investors, they give demonstrations of what exactly they're investing in. Weapons. Fighting strategies. Armor upgrades. But those of us in the guard know that they just use it as an excuse to torture us and make it evident that we're expandable."

Dogma made an odd sound that Tup knew meant that he wanted to disagree, but felt that he couldn't for one reason or another. Whether he couldn't because he knew his argument would go nowhere, or because he knew the other person was right but he was too far in denial to even begin to wrap his head around it, he just couldn't argue. Tup hated when Dogma got like this. He wanted to hear his brother's opinions. Even if he didn't agree with his brother all the time, he still felt like Dogma had the right to have his opinions, and he had the right to be heard.

"Do you think there's more to the Demonstrations than that?" Tup asked, his voice far calmer than the twisting in his stomach might suggest. "Do you think we're not expandable? That the senators and Jedi see us as more than that?" The odd thing was, Tup didn't actually know what Dogma's opinion on the matter was, because he'd heard his brother argue it both ways. Dogma would insist with every fiber of his being that they mattered to the Republic, and it wasn't possible for them to be betrayed by the system they'd been created for. But Dogma also said that their own personal feelings and safety didn't matter, because they were born to serve the Republic above everything else, but so were countless other clones.

Dogma's mouth twitched. "...No. They don't. We were created to be expandable. That's our very purpose. We live to die." Dogma's voice was closed off and cold, and Tup realized that he wasn't just disillusioned to the Republic after what happened, or trying to dehumanize the clones. This particular tone of Dogma's was what he used when he was repeating what the Kaminoans had drilled into him.

Tup turned to look at his brother. Dogma's eyes widened when Tup's hair was pulled out of his reach. He already looked overwhelmed, and Tup felt bad for being the source of this, but he needed to look at Dogma. He needed to make sure that he understood Dogma perfectly.

"Vod, did the Kaminoans tell you we were expendable?" Tup asked. "Did they say you were expendable?"

"Of course." Dogma said, as though it was obvious. "That…that was one of the first lessons I learned."

"But did they teach you, or did you learn it?" Tup asked somewhat urgently. Dogma blinked, his gaze glazing over ever so slightly.

"That's…I don't know what you mean." Dogma said. "It's the same thing."

"No, no, I see what you're saying." Gamma said. He crossed his arms. "Dogma, did the Kaminoans actually use the word expendable? Or did you just pick up their meaning through context?"

"Both." Dogma looked from Tup to Gamma. "Why does everybody ask me about what I learned on Kamino. W-we all were trained on Kamino. We were all taught the same thing."

Tup took Dogma's hands. "D'ika, I was never told I was expendable." Dogma narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to argue, probably to say something along the lines of suggesting that Tup had just forgotten the specifics of what he was taught, even though clones never did. Tup didn't let him get that far.

"Dogma, listen to me." Tup squeezed his vod's hands. "You know me. You know me better than anybody else. You know that if I was ever told by the Kaminoans that any of us were expendable, I would have cried about it for weeks. I didn't, because I wasn't."

Dogma blinked rapidly. Tup could practically see him trying to put all the pieces together, but the pieces that were supposed to fit perfectly didn't fit quite right. The puzzle that was Dogma's mind had been meddled with too much, and the pieces that should finish the whole picture just wouldn't fit in the holes anymore.

"But…But I was." Dogma said. "I did the Demonstrations…but you never did." Dogma's hands were shaking. "Fox said the Kaminoans never talked to him about why it was inappropriate for clones to have attachments with each other, but I was. I have the notes from when I learned that lesson three different times. Did…did they teach you about it? Even just once?"

Dogma sounded scared and desperate. He wanted to understand. He wanted to know that he wasn't completely alone. Tup wished he could tell him what he wanted to hear, but he searched his memories and couldn't think of a single instance where the Kaminoans had tried to even imply that clones shouldn't be close to each other. He'd heard rumors that some of the very first batches had been taught something like that, but the Kaminoans had quickly realized that clones latched onto each other, and they couldn't be forced to stop.

"I'm sorry, Dogma." Tup said. "They didn't."

Dogma's face fell. He looked so vulnerable and young. It was a reminder to Tup of just how young both of them were, and Dogma had never been given the chance to actually be young. He'd tried so hard to show how strong and capable he was, even when they had just been cadets.

All of them had been desperate to prove themselves as cadets, but Dogma's desperation had felt different somehow. He didn't just want to show that he was ready for the war they'd been created for, he had almost seemed afraid of failing. Tup had tried asking Dogma what the consequences would be if he really did fail, but his explanations hadn't made sense.

Tup couldn't remember what exactly Dogma had said, but he remembered that while he had understood the words he'd said, they didn't make sense in the context of what had been asked. A part of Tup wanted to ask Dogma again why he was afraid of being seen as a failure in the Kaminoans eyes, but he knew his vod was in too fragile a state of mind right now. Asking him now might make him shut down. If not, it would at the very least frighten and overwhelm him, and Tup didn't want to do that.

"I-It doesn't make sense." Dogma said, using that tone of voice that meant that he was slipping into denial of something that he knew was probably true. It was a tone he adopted often when he argued with Jesse and Fives about their more innocent rule-breaking that didn't really hurt anybody. "The Kaminoans train everyone the same. I-I had some extra classes, but I was still just taught the same thing as everybody else."

Gamma frowned. "Were you failing your lessons?"

"No, of course not." Dogma sounded offended. "I was always top of my class."

"So why did you need extra lessons to teach you the same things you were already learning?" Gamma asked. He was asking the question that Tup felt like a fool for not asking years ago. Dogma had always been what the Kaminoans considered to be a perfect example of a cadet. He remembered all the rules, followed them to a T, even if it ended up getting him hurt. He only asked appropriate questions at appropriate times, and he would impatiently answer any questions that other cadets who hadn't been paying attention might have, because Dogma hadn't thought that the Kaminoans should waste their time reteaching something they'd already taught.

If Dogma had been such a great cadet, why had he been given the extra attention?

"I…the Kaminoans were impressed with my dedication." Dogma said. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "They knew I could handle more."

"More?" Tup couldn't help but ask. "I thought you said the Kaminoans taught you the same thing that they taught everybody else."

"...They did?" Dogma just sounded confused. Tup wished he could understand what his brother had gone through, but it was clear that Dogma didn't even understand it, and asking him about it was just making him question everything.

"Why don't we go get some fresh air?" Tup suggested. Dogma just looked lost. Tup got off the bed and pulled Dogma up. His vod followed him numbly. Gamma didn't say a word when Tup started to lead Dogma away from the medbay. He was busy writing something down. Gamma was probably trying to make sense of the mystery that was Dogma.

Tup wished him luck. He'd been trying to solve this particular mystery for years, and he felt no closer to understanding his vod now than he did when they first met.

"I'm sorry." Tup said as they walked down the halls. "I think Coruscant can be good for you, but I should never have let you go without a fight."

"There wasn't anything you could have done." Dogma said. "You can't fight a reassignment."

"Oh yes I can." Tup scowled. "Fives did." Jesse had told him everything, about how Rex had planned on transferring Hardcase, but Fives had talked him out of it and put Dogma under the chopping block instead. Tup could empathize with Fives' fear of losing a vod so soon after losing his twin, but he was never going to forgive him for what he did to Dogma.

Tup had understood why Fives couldn't stand to let himself be close to Dogma, even if he didn't like it. He could even forgive Fives suggesting that Dogma would do better with the Coruscant Guard, because it was clear that he was. What was inexcusable was that Fives suggested that nobody cared about Dogma. That he wouldn't be missed.

He was Tup's vod. He was Hardcase's vod'ika, even if they hadn't put the words to it yet. Jesse was trying to make amends, and Kix had pulled some major strings to make that possible. Torrent cared about Dogma, whether Fives knew it or not, and Tup knew they weren't going to leave Coruscant until Dogma understood that he was, in fact, missed.

Tup squeezed Dogma's hand. "If you wanted to come back to the 501st, I'd make it happen." Tup said. He'd fight anybody that tried to fight him on it. "Or if you wanted me to come to Coruscant, I'd get a transfer here and now."

Dogma gave him a small smile. "I-I like it here. It's hard, but I feel like I fit in here." Dogma's eyes were sad, but he was still smiling. "While I would love to have you here with me, you belong with Torrent. You always have." And Tup knew he was right. He'd felt at home with Torrent from the second he'd joined them. He just hated that his brother didn't feel the same.

"I'll call you." Tup promised. "I'll call you so often that you're going to be begging for space from me." Dogma laughed, and it was a rare sound that Tup rarely ever heard. His heart warmed at the sound.

"That's not going to happen." Dogma said.

"And I'll visit you every leave." Tup said. "I know that you won't have a break just because I do, and maybe going out for drinks would be too much to ask, but I can at least visit when your shift is over."

"Fox would probably give me a shift off if he knew you were here to see me." Dogma said. Tup beamed at him, and Dogma just looked confused. "What?"

"You called him Fox." Tup said. "I don't think I've ever heard you refer to a Commander without their title."

Dogma's face went just a little red. "I guess things changed." Tup hadn't expected Dogma to become more lenient on his personal rules and structures for himself, let alone for it to happen while he worked on Coruscant, but Tup couldn't be happier about it. Dogma deserved to let himself relax.

And the fact that Dogma wasn't frantically trying to correct or explain himself when Tup pointed out that he was technically disrespecting his Commander by not addressing him appropriately, it said a lot about just how safe Dogma truly felt here. He had changed so much that he wasn't fighting it, at least on this matter.

"So, Fox is a good Commander for you?" Tup asked.

"He's more than that." Dogma said. He started going on and on about the accommodations that Fox made for him, all without breaking the rules. Tup could tell that he admired Fox and appreciated him, and it was clear that the Commander was treating Dogma with the care that he so deserved and needed.

"It sounds like Fox really cares about you." Tup said.

"He does." Dogma said. "Buir has even helped me figure out how to show I care. He makes me feel like a bit less of a failure of a brother."

Tup didn't miss the term that Dogma used for Fox. He didn't call it out this time, because he knew that Dogma really would get defensive. If Dogma felt safe enough to call his Commander that, then he really was good here.

"You've never been a failure of a brother." Tup said. Dogma didn't see just how much he did for Tup. He seemed oblivious of the way that he had let Tup curl up in his bed with him when he couldn't sleep, or the times that Tup was being picked on and Dogma would purposefully bring up the rules and regulations, just to bring their ire onto him so they would leave Tup alone.

Dogma cared so much, even if he was scared to. It had always been good enough for Tup. He wished his brother could see how good he was, and he was eternally grateful to Fox for helping Dogma to see the truth.

Dogma gave him a very brief tour of the guards' barracks, telling him all sorts of tidbits and 'fun facts'. Tup didn't personally think that Dogma having a closet to consider his personal space was a 'fun fact', but it made his brother happy, which meant that it made Tup happy. Their tour ended in the barracks, where Tup could see Jesse and Hardcase talking in hushed voices to Fox and another clone.

Dogma froze, stopping in the middle of what he was saying. He was looking towards the group, a distant look in his eyes. Tup was scared for a moment that he had lost his brother.

"Dogma?" Tup squeezed his hand. He remembered Jesse saying that Dogma had frozen up and seemed scared when he'd seen him and Fives. Was that what was happening now? Was he really that scared of Torrent?

Dogma moved as suddenly as he had frozen. He ran towards the bed. Tup lurched forward, worried that Dogma was going to be hitting their brothers, but he stopped himself when he saw Dogma move straight past Jesse and Hardcase, instead embracing the clone sitting on the bed.

Dogma was completely distraught. Tup didn't think he had ever seen his vod like this. He cautiously went closer, and he heard Dogma muttering apology after apology as he clung to the other clone. The clone held on to him just as tightly. Fox watched the two of them cautiously, like he expected something to go wrong at any second. Tup just felt lost.

"What are you apologizing for?" Fox asked slowly.

Dogma stiffened and slowly pulled away from the other clone. He looked at him, and then at Fox, and then he looked at Tup. "I-I don't know." Dogma sounded confused. "I did…I sh-sho…" Dogma's voice shook and trailed off. His eyes were completely closed off. Tup realized what was happening. Dogma sometimes got like this just after a Demonstration, when he was still in the process of forgetting the incident to protect his mind.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Fox said quickly. "You don't have to remember. You're okay. Thire's okay. That's all that matters."

"I'm fine, vod'ika." Thire insisted. "You scared me, you know."

"Sorry." Dogma muttered.

"You really did forget." Jesse said, more to himself than anything. Dogma stiffened and looked at Jesse with wide eyes, like he hadn't realized he was even there before.

"Jesse?" Dogma's gaze shifted over. "Hardcase. What are you guys doing here?"

"We were worried about you." Hardcase said. "And I wanted the chance to say a proper goodbye."

Jesse's mouth thinned. "I was unfair to you before you left. I'm sorry."

Dogma stared at Jesse, trying to read him. Tup held his breath. He knew that Dogma wasn't a forgiving person by nature. He had been hurt too many times to let people in. But Dogma knew that Jesse didn't easily admit when he was wrong, and he didn't apologize unless he meant it.

"It's okay." Dogma eventually said slowly. "I might have overreacted that day." Tup didn't know what happened between the two of them. They weren't going into specifics. It was clear that both Jesse and Dogma just wanted to move on without really addressing what happened. Tup didn't know if that would work, but it might, and couldn't intervene. Jesse and Dogma wouldn't build a relationship if someone was holding their hand the whole way. They needed to do things on their own.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tup asked, moving the conversation away from awkward, somewhat unnatural and forced reconciliation. He had been thinking it would just be along the lines of finding some common ground between the guard and the GAR, and about time too. For some reason though Fox looked guilty, Jesse looked uncomfortable, and they both sent Hardcase a warning look, which he was oblivious to.

"We're trying to figure out how the long-necks reconditioned you without you knowing." Hardcase said without a care in the world. Jesse sighed and Fox grimaced. Tup stiffened and cast a concerned look at his brother, because while there were a lot of things that could set Dogma off, none hit him as hard as the implication that he'd been reconditioned.

Sure enough, Dogma had gone stiff as a board and his eyes had gone hard and cold, almost vacant.

"I wasn't reconditioned." Dogma hissed tensely. He sounded almost angry, but Tup knew his vod. He knew this was just a mask, and that he was going to break down as soon as he thought it was safe to do so. "I'm not a broken, malfunctioning meat-droid whose wires got rearranged."

"We never said you were." Fox said. Dogma's mouth was pressed into a thin line as he pointed at Jesse, not even looking at him.

"He has." Dogma said. "He thinks there's something wrong with me, and he thinks it's funny."

"I've never thought it was funny." Jesse said. Dogma's eye twitched.

"But you think there's something wrong with me." Dogma said. It wasn't a question. Jesse grimaced, but he didn't refute it. Tup felt a little bad for him. He knew that Jesse meant will. He did think that Dogma had something fundamentally wrong with him, but so did Tup. The Kaminoans had done something to him. But for a clone to be told they're wrong or flawed, that they were just an imperfect byproduct of the Kaminoans cloning process, was a painful thing for any of them to consider.

Dogma swallowed thickly as he stepped away from the four of them. Thire and Fox both reached for Dogma, but he ducked out of both of their reach.

"There's nothing wrong with me." Dogma's voice shook, but it still sounded emotionless. "I didn't need to be fixed before. I don't need to be fixed now. I'm a good soldier."

"Of course you're a good soldier." Tup put a hand on Dogma's shoulder. His vod jumped at the contact, but didn't pull away. "We all know you're a good soldier."

"There's nothing wrong with me." Dogma just repeated.

Tup considered his words carefully. "You've done nothing wrong." Tup said slowly. "But I-I think something was wrong with your training. It was…different. We're just trying to figure out how your training was different so we can figure out how to help you."

"I don't need to be fixed." Dogma insisted.

"But I think you do need help." Tup said. "Like…like how Hardcase needs help to focus sometimes. Or how I need help to sleep when I have a nightmare."

"You're always jumping at the chance to help your brothers." Fox said. "When they can't handle their shift, you don't blame them for not being strong enough to do their job. You just help them, because you know they don't have to be strong all the time. We've talked about you accepting help. Let us give it to you."

Dogma blinked. "I wasn't reconditioned, but…I don't know."

Tup took Dogma's hands and held them tightly. He leaned his forehead against Dogma's, feeling something inside of him both ease and break at the way that his vod let out a shuddered breath and leaned in to his touch.

"It's okay." Tup said. It's okay if you don't know. That's why we're here. We can help you figure things out. But we need you to let us." Dogma's face fell and closed his eyes tightly with a very quiet whimper. Tup rubbed the back of Dogma's head, because he knew he found comfort in his hair being touched, and he wanted to provide that same touch. If Dogma flinched away from him, he would stop, but his vod accepted it.

"I know it's a lot to ask." Tup said quietly, just loud enough for Dogma to hear. Nobody else needed to hear this. "It seems so deceptively simple to let go, but it's so hard. But you can't do this anymore. Not by yourself. But you don't have to. I want to help you. Fox, Hardcase, Jesse, Kix, Thire, we all just want to help us. But the hardest job is yours. Can you do it? Can you let us in?"

Dogma sighed. "You won't leave me? No matter what?" Dogma opened his eyes and looked at him. "I don't mean literally, I just-"

"I know what you mean." Tup said. Dogma was just asking for his support, whether Tup was here on Coruscant, or when he was with the 501st. And he would do it. "I'm here for you, no matter what."

Dogma's body seemed to lose all of its tension as he leaned against Tup, who quickly wrapped his arms around him. He felt Dogma nod, and Tup couldn't remember if he had ever been more relieved. He kissed Dogma's forehead and gave him a very small nuzzle.

"I'm not broken." Dogma muttered. "I can't be fixed if I'm not broken." And Tup understood what he meant. Dogma was scared. He didn't want people to go to all this effort to fix him, because what if nothing changed? Would they give up on him and decide he was a lost cause? Would they try to change him in the name of 'fixing' who he was?

"You're not broken." Tup said, because Dogma really needed to hear those words from someone else. "But we're going to help you anyway. I promise."

Chapter Text

Hardcase knew that his time in Coruscant wasn't a vacation. He wasn't on leave. He was here to make sure his vod'ika was okay and well-taken care of. They probably should have returned to the 501st after just a few days, but they'd been able to be here for nearly two weeks. The GAR didn't listen to the guard about most things, but there were apparently a few very specific things that Fox could ask for that they just couldn't say no to.

Rex commed Fox, Jesse, or Hardcase at least once a day, asking what was going on, and if the 'emergency' had been taken care of. He didn't know what had happened to Dogma, and he definitely didn't know that they were sticking around to try to figure out things that had happened years ago. Hardcase didn't like to keep secrets from his commander and friend, but they didn't have proper answers about Dogma yet. Until they had something of substance to tell him, it was better to just say that they needed more time, and let Kix take care of everything else.

Getting answers from Dogma himself was like pulling teeth, but it didn't take them long to figure out that Hardcase was the best at getting something that resembled a direct answer from him. It was because he had his guard up around all of the others. Dogma tried so hard to be 'good enough' for Tup and Fox, so he subconsciously tried to tell them what he thought they wanted to hear. His relationship with Jesse was better than before, but still tense. Dogma was still defensive around Jesse, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

With Hardcase, Dogma relaxed. He wasn't as open with Hardcase about his emotions, not like he was with Tup or Fox, but Dogma let himself talk openly about what he learned on Kamino.

Dogma had tried to talk to the others about it. He really had tried. But now that he knew that there was pressure to figure out what was going on he was tense whenever anybody tried to talk about it. Dogma was scared of what they might learn, and he was scared of being told that he was overreacting or making things up.

Dogma still got so worked up. He still claimed that his lessons were normal and followed the regulations, even though he knew by now that they hadn't been. Hardcase was pretty sure that at least part of what had been ingrained in Dogma's head was how 'normal' what he was taught was. It got to the point that he looked like he was about to start either yelling or crying whenever anybody else mentioned or implied that they weren't taught something he'd been taught.

But that didn't happen with Hardcase.

Maybe Hardcase just didn't have a tell that let Dogma know the moment that he said something weird. Maybe Dogma thought that Hardcase was so unfocused that he had genuinely forgotten the specifics of his own lessons, so he could just pretend that anything he talked about was something that Hardcase had been taught and just forgotten about. Whatever the case, Dogma talked both openly and casually about Kamino with Hardcase. With Dogma's permission, Hardcase then shared anything potentially weird with the others.

They learned a fair amount this way. For one, Dogma's training hours on Kamino had been longer than was normal. Every day Dogma had precisely seven hours of lessons, reading, or observational training, and seven hours of physical training, drills, or simulations. Because the Kaminoans had been very strict about clones getting precisely seven hours of sleep to optimize efficiency, that left Dogma just three hours every single day to take care of everything else, including eating, showering, getting ready for the day and ready for bed, not to mention relaxing and socializing. It was no wonder Dogma had such a hard time connecting with clones. For whatever reason, he had grown up never having the time to.

Hardcase was pretty sure his days on Kamino had never been longer than twelve hours of training total. Even Jesse and Fox, who had trained more for their ARC and Commander training said their longest days were fourteen hours, but those were for their final tests and definitely not an everyday occurrence.

Hardcase hadn't made a big deal about it when he'd heard it. When he told the others Jesse had sworn up a storm and he went to do some drills with the guard to get over his frustration. Fox had sighed and said that at least now he understood why Dogma was so desperate to work. He didn't know anything else.

Tup had hugged Dogma tightly after he got the news, but he didn't talk about it. By that time they all knew that making a big deal about what they had learned.

Other discoveries were smaller, but still significant. Dogma had just as much training in firearms and explosives as Hardcase did. He knew battle strategies and codes that only commanders were privy to. After taking a chance and telling Dogma what kinds of training Jesse had gone through to become an ARC trooper Hardcase was able to figure out that he'd received all that training and much more. After everything he'd gone through, Dogma could easily outrank all of them if he tried.

And if the Kaminoans hadn't worked him so hard that he was turned into a nervous wreck.

So they were able to figure out that Dogma's training had definitely been different than normal. Hardcase didn't think he'd received any of the normal training at all, but he wouldn't ever say as much to Dogma, because the kid already felt like he was one bad day away from being the worst soldier produced by Kamino. He didn't need to have additional doubts caused by the knowledge that he might be lacking in the most basic of training.

Because Hardcase wouldn't put it past the Kaminoans to jump right over the basics to start the advanced training.

What they couldn't figure out was why Dogma's training had been different. And what about those that Dogma had been trained with? Because Dogma regularly talked about clones that he took classes with, and only some of them had been with Tup. Half the time Dogma said names, the other half the time he just said 'this clone', or 'a brother', and when Hardcase asked what their name was he would look confused and blank before he said that he didn't remember.

Clones didn't just forget each other's names. Even the most insensitive brother remembered names that were given to them, because it was all they had. Hardcase wondered if Dogma didn't know the names of those clones not because he couldn't be bothered to remember, but because he'd never been told it. Because maybe they'd been in a stricter class where the Kaminoans had forbidden that kind of thing.

So there were other clones out there who were just like Dogma, and they didn't know who or where they were. Maybe they were still on Kamino, because Dogma and Tup had been sent out early, but that didn't mean everybody had. Maybe they'd been shipped out as well and were serving in other battalions and legions.

Maybe they felt underappreciated and unwanted among their brothers as well, and nobody bothered to notice or care because, like Dogma, they were dismissed as being strange.

They needed to figure out why this had happened to Dogma, or else they'd never be able to figure out how to help both him and everybody else like him.

Hardcase wanted to help him, but he knew that Dogma had far too much work and focus in his life. He needed to figure out how to relax. Getting answers was important, but Dogma was more than just a science project or test results. He was a brother. A vod. Even if he was just a clone, he was still a person, and he needed to treat himself with the proper respect.

Fox had insisted that Dogma be put on half shifts, and he wasn't hearing an argument about it from anybody. He wouldn't let Dogma say that he could do more, and he wouldn't let Tup, Hardcase, or Jesse argue that he shouldn't be working at all yet. Fox just sternly said that he was the commander here, and he knew what was best for his men. They couldn't argue with his authority.

When Dogma and Fox were working Hardcase and Tup would hit the town. Everywhere that Hardcase had thought of taking Dogma, he took Tup instead. He still wanted to take Dogma there, but he knew he wouldn't go easily. Dogma didn't let himself relax, but he liked to hear about Tup having fun. So Hardcase hoped that Dogma could find some second-hand enjoyment from Tup telling him about his day, and maybe he would be able to be persuaded to join them when he had a day off.

Jesse joined them sometimes, but he spent most of his days with the guard. He was getting to know them, learning about the way they worked. He didn't understand the guard, but he was trying more than anybody else in the GAR had. Jesse had also taken to reading from Dogma's datapad, which he had apparently loaned to Fox and forgotten about. Neither Dogma nor Fox knew that Jesse was reading from the datapad, and he had sworn Hardcase to secrecy. If he didn't know that Jesse was just trying to help Dogma in the only way he knew how right now, Hardcase would tell on him without a second thought.

Dogma didn't trust Jesse, but Hardcase did.

Jesse kept Kix up to date on what they were doing and what they learned about Dogma. Kix may not be Dogma's medic anymore, but he was the key to them staying here. Kix didn't have to give Rex the specifics, but he needed to say with confidence that they were still needed in Coruscant. And Jesse thought that Kix could use the information about Dogma to recognize the signs in other potential troopers. For all they knew, Dogma wasn't the only one in the 501st who had been given additional training. The very thought made Hardcase feel slightly ill.

While Dogma worked most days, he had a fair amount of off time. He never left the barracks, but he was slowly making himself relax, just as long as Hardcase or Tup was there to make sure it happened. They would sit on the floor of the sleeping quarters, Dogma leaning against Hardcase, with Tup's head on his lap as Dogma brushed his hair. If Dogma was in a good mood Jesse would join them, as he was doing today.

They were just relaxing when Kix called Jesse one day to get their daily update and let them know that he might not have the chance to talk to them for a while.

"A new campaign about to start?" Jesse asked. "Are we needed back?"

"Probably." Kix said. He already sounded stressed. "But I'm glad you're not going to be here. I can tell it's going to be a killer." They all grimaced. They knew that Kix wasn't exaggerating or using a turn of phrase. The campaign was going to be brutal.

Dogma sat up, frowning. It was already clear what he was about to say. "If they need more firepower, maybe you guys should go back. They need you more than me."

"I'm not sure how much of a difference three men will make." Kix said. "They'll probably be able to help you more than they'll help us." Kix sighed and lowered his voice. "Honestly, I'm worried that the biggest problem isn't our enemies."

"What do you mean?" Tup asked. They were starting to get attention from the other clones, but the guard were polite enough to pretend otherwise.

"General Skywalker has been called away to Coruscant." Kix said. His voice showed his displeasure. This wasn't the first time that Skywalker had been treated like more of an errand boy for those on Coruscant than a General. But Hardcase thought it might be the first time that he'd been pulled from a campaign.

"So Rex is in charge?" Jesse asked. Kix scoffed.

"I wish." Kix said. "Another Jedi General is going to be leading us in General Skywalker's absence." He sounded nervous, and it wasn't easy to unease Kix. Hardcase was starting to feel pretty nervous himself.

"Who?" Jesse asked. That was what Hardcase was wondering. How bad was the General that he could scare Kix like this?

"Pong Krell." Kix said. Jesse jolted and Dogma paled so quickly that he looked like he was going to faint. Hardcase didn't understand why at first. The name sounded familiar, but he was having a hard time placing it.

Dogma seized the communicator from Jesse with shaking hands. "General Skywalker. Is he on Coruscant by now?"

Kix frowned. "He should be." Dogma didn't wait for him to say more. He dropped the communicator. He ran out of the room without a word of explanation. Jesse sent a conflicted look at the communicator before he ran after him. Hardcase and Tup were still sitting on the floor, equally confused.

"What's going on?" Tup asked. His voice was shaking. "What's wrong?"

Hardcase thought carefully, doing his best to spark his memory. Pong Krell. He knew that name, he had to. A Jedi General that could scare Dogma like this. Hardcase suddenly realized what was going on, and he was furious. He was a little frustrated with himself that he had forgotten a detail that was so important, but he was mostly mad at the monster who dared to call himself a Jedi.

Hardcase picked up the communicator. "Kix, listen to me. That Jedi's dangerous. He doesn't care about clones. He…he made Dogma shoot one of the guard's commanders, just to prove a point."

Tup looked like he was going to be sick. Hardcase forgot that he hadn't heard the specifics.

"What?!" Kix sounded just as horrified.

"Don't trust him." Hardcase said sternly. He looked towards the door. He wondered where Dogma had gone. At least Jesse was keeping an eye on him. Dogma would be fine. But Hardcase had an obligation to the rest of the 501st, and right now they were in danger. They were being led by someone who shouldn't be a general at all.

"Hang on." Kix sounded like he was on the move. "Whatever you have to say, Captain Rex should hear it." That would probably be for the best. This wasn't how Hardcase thought Rex should find out what had been going on with Dogma, but if it would keep the 501st out of the hands of Pong Krell then it was necessary.

Really, Rex should have known a long time ago. Because this wasn't just about a brother who felt like he didn't belong. So much was going on here, and if those in charge didn't know about it, then nothing would ever change.

Still, Hardcase looked at Tup for approval. If he didn't want to bring Dogma's issues into this, then they'd warn Rex without mentioning the details. Tup looked shaken and he was clenching his fists so tightly that Hardcase thought he might start bleeding. Tup swallowed thickly and looked from the door to the communicator before he looked back to Hardcase and nodded. He understood what needed to be done.

That so-called Jedi wasn't going to be hurting any more of Hardcase's brothers. Not if there was anything he could do about it.

Chapter Text

Jesse ran after Dogma, and it didn't take him long to catch up to him. Dogma was just as in shape as the rest of them, but Jesse's legs were just a touch longer. He knew he'd be able to get to Dogma, but he was shocked and concerned how soon he caught up to him. Dogma was shaking so much that he was stumbling around worse than someone who was drunk or drugged. This kid was going to drag himself to the ground.

"Dogma." Jesse went up to his brother and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back. Normally such an action would make someone pause in their tracks at least long enough to listen. Dogma didn't stop for a second. He pulled against Jesse's grip, weakly resisting him.

"Let me go." Dogma said, his voice devoid of all emotion.

"Just stop for a second." Jesse said. "I know why you're freaked out." Jesse was pretty sure he knew more than Dogma did about why he was so scared. Jesse may not understand everything about what Pong Krell had done, but he knew enough. The so-called Jedi was a monster, and he shouldn't be anywhere near any clone, let alone leading them in battle.

Jesse didn't want that man near the 501st. The thought disgusted and horrified him. But running away from it would solve nothing. They needed to talk about this and figure out how a handful of clones could stop a Jedi General all the way on the other side of the galaxy.

"We'll figure things out." Jesse said quietly. "But we need to stop and think about it before we run and act."

"I can't." Dogma said shakily. "I can't stop. I can't think. If I let myself think then I'm going to listen to the voice screaming in my head that I'm making a mistake." Dogma's voice was still free from any emotion, and it was unnerving. Jesse had heard Dogma get upset and frustrated. He showed his emotions in an extremely passionate way. He was locking them up tight right now.

"What are you doing?" Jesse asked. "Where are you going?"

"I-I have to speak to General Skywalker." Dogma said. He finally turned to look at Jesse. While his voice was numb, his eyes were full of an impossible amount of feeling. Jesse saw anger, fear, and determination. "We can't stop General Krell. He's a Jedi. He's a General. But he's not your General. Skywalker is. I don't know what General Krell's position in the military is, but when it comes to the 501st General Skywalker has superiority. General Krell can't do anything if General Skywalker says he can't, which means that General Skywalker needs to go back to his men. He needs to protect them."

"Do you know why Krell is a threat to the 501st?" Jesse asked without thinking. That wasn't what he meant to say. Trying to get Dogma to remember something that his mind couldn't handle was far from his top priority right now. Jesse didn't like that Dogma didn't remember something so significant, but he couldn't force him to remember. This wasn't Jesse's decision to make. Dogma, Tup, and Fox were the ones who had the most say. Even Hardcase and Kix would know what was best for Dogma, and not just let their personal thoughts get in the way.

Jesse was kicking himself when he saw Dogma's eyes glaze over slightly. The numbness in his voice had spread to his gaze. Jesse was scared he had pushed too far. He was relieved when Dogma shook his head and looked to the side in a way that Jesse was very familiar with. That was what Dogma did when he went into denial and ignored the truth right in front of him. Dogma was pushing back the memories that were creeping in on him. He wasn't going to let himself get lost in his mind. Not when he had a job to do.

Dogma was stubborn. Jesse had always known this, but he had never been so proud of it before.

"It doesn't matter if I know or not." Dogma said. "I know he's a threat. That's what matters." He seemed fairly confident and sure, but Jesse could feel Dogma's arm shaking. His brother was afraid, and Jesse didn't think it was because of what Krell might do. Dogma didn't get scared easily, especially not like this. While he had every reason to be afraid of Krell, he didn't know what those reasons were, and Jesse didn't think Dogma would be nearly immobilized by a fear that was basically just instinctive. He was afraid of something else.

"What are you scared of?" Jesse asked as kindly and gently as he could. He tried so hard to be comforting as opposed to judgmental. He was here to help Dogma, not mock him for being afraid.

Dogma's face twitched. "We need to tell General Skywalker what's going on, but he's a busy man. He wouldn't be called back to Coruscant for nothing."

"I don't know about that." Jesse scoffed. "But let's just suppose that he was called back for something important. This would matter so much more to him."

"I know." Dogma said, but his arm was still shaking.

"So what's the problem?" Jesse asked. Dogma's breathing had become really harsh. Jesse knew that he couldn't question Dogma for much longer, or else he would just stop responding for one reason or another.

"It's not my place to tell him where he's needed." Dogma said. There was finally some emotion in his voice. It was raw desperation with a hint of fear.

"Your place?" Jesse barely kept himself from hissing or shouting in irritation. He didn't understand Dogma. He really didn't. But he was trying. "Our brothers could get killed under that monster's command, and you're hesitating because you don't think you have the right to get help?"

Dogma's mouth was trembling and Jesse didn't know if he was going to start crying or yelling. "I know, okay? I know I'm a freak that cares more about the regulations than my own brothers." Jesse had thought that very thing about Dogma more than once, but it was concerning to hear him say it for himself. And the raw emotion in Dogma's eyes was heartbreaking.

"I'm trying." Dogma's voice cracked. Jesse almost wished he sounded emotionless again. "I'm trying so hard, but I can't. I can't be good enough. I can't care enough."

"Don't talk about yourself like that." Jesse said. "Of course you care. You wouldn't even think of going to Skywalker if you didn't."

"But my head's telling me to stop, and it's so hard to ignore." Dogma said.

"So don't listen to that voice." Jesse said. "Listen to my voice." Jesse had no issue ignoring the regulations, which should be just guidelines anyway. Especially the regs that tried to tell them what their position in life was. Jesse didn't let anybody tell him that he was less than human. And now he would help Dogma do the same.

"We're going to General Skywalker." Jesse said, leaving no room for argument. "He's going to save our brothers. And I'm not going to let anybody, not even you, say a single word about how we had no right to do so. Understand?"

Dogma looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. Jesse nodded back and finally let go of Dogma's hand. They started to head to the exit of the barracks, but Dogma insisted on stopping at a closet to grab a spare helmet first, since he'd run off without grabbing his own.

Jesse didn't think they had time for this, but he didn't say a word about it. Outside of the barracks, nobody ever saw the guard without their full armor. Jesse, wearing the blue paint of the 501st, wouldn't be given a second glance or a moment of judgement. As a member of the guard, Dogma would have all eyes on him the second anybody saw him without the helmet. The last thing they wanted right now was for a self-righteous senator or civilian to stop them in their tracks to scold or report Dogma for being 'out of uniform'. That would waste even more time than grabbing a helmet would.

Jesse didn't know if Dogma had thought that far ahead or if he was just wanting a helmet out of habit and a need to follow the regs. Whatever the case, Jesse, for once, thought the rules might be doing them a favor.

When they left the barracks Dogma made Jesse drop his arm, and he insisted that they not run. They could walk quickly, but they couldn't run. They needed to remain professional, even if this was an emergency and neither of them were on duty.

When Jesse had first arrived in Coruscant he would see this type of behavior as the exact kind of stuck-up behavior that the GAR hated about the guard. After getting to know the guards more and training with them Jesse understood that they didn't do this because they thought they were better soldiers than the others, but because it was a survival method.

Jesse still had his doubts about if Coruscant was actually that dangerous, but he wasn't completely ignoring the possibility. Dogma and Thire had been hurt by a General, and apparently these kinds of sick Demonstrations were normal for senators and investors to request.

Even if the guards weren't getting hurt in the line of duty, they were being abused by the people they had sworn to protect, and Jesse thought that was even worse.

They went to the senate building, and Jesse was beginning to understand why Dogma was so nervous. They needed to talk to Skywalker, but if he'd been called back to Coruscant it had probably been by the Chancellor himself. Even Jesse was reluctant to interrupt a meeting with the Chancellor, even if he thought that it was probably unimportant.

He didn't let his unease show. He had a job to do. Jesse needed to be here to nudge Dogma along. If Dogma sensed even a little bit of doubt and hesitancy from him, he would turn back immediately.

Jesse was really good at two things. He could urge people to do what was right, which was why he'd been chosen to be an ARC trooper in the first place. And he could encourage a bending of the rules when it was appropriate. This situation right now was a mix between the two, and this was where Jesse thrived.

Despite both of their nerves, anybody that looked at the two of them wouldn't know it. Dogma and Jesse knew how to play the part of a soldier well. Nobody questioned why a helmetless ARC trooper from the 501st was walking side by side with a lone Coruscant guard. Jesse and Dogma walked quickly and with purpose.

As they entered the senate building The shaking in Dogma's hands got worse. Every time it started to spread to his legs and make his gait unsteady, making it clear that he was fighting against his own mind, Jesse would step in.

"We're doing the right thing." Jesse would say, as though it was as simple as that. Dogma would normally fight him on that statement, starting a passionate debate between them. Somehow, right now, Dogma was reassured by his words. He would take a deep breath and relax for another minute or two. It wasn't a lot, but it made it so that Jesse could buy enough time to get them through the senate building. Eventually they found themselves standing in front of the Chancellor's office.

Commander Fox was standing guard, still as a statue. He could probably stand at attention for hours without so much as shifting an inch. When he saw Dogma though he visibly jolted.

"What are you doing here?" Fox asked tensely. Dogma made an odd sound, just quiet enough that Jesse barely heard him. His legs were shaking again. He'd come this far, but Dogma hadn't prepared himself to stand up to his commander.

Dogma trusted Fox, and Jesse knew he saw him as far more than his Commander, but he was not in a good place of mind to remember that.

Jesse thought that Dogma could talk to Skywalker. It's what he was mentally steeling himself up for. But he couldn't be questioned anymore. He just needed the chance to do it, and Jesse could give him that much.

Jesse stepped forward, drawing Fox' attention to him. "Is General Skywalker in there with the Chancellor? I need to talk to him." Let Fox think this was all on him. Let him think that Dogma was just here because he'd tried to stop Jesse. If Fox didn't show a hint of disappointment in Dogma, then he could focus on doing what needed to be done.

"They're having an important meeting." Fox said. "You'll have to wait for them to finish."

Dogma seemed to be deaf to Fox' words. He walked right past him, just like Jesse had hoped he would. Dogma opened the door and let himself in, immediately bringing the attention of the Chancellor and General to him.

Dogma didn't look at the Chancellor. He'd probably back down if he saw him. He was focused completely on Skywalker.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, General." Dogma stood at attention. "There's something that I think requires your attention." His tone was purely professional and left little room for argument.

"Commander." Chancellor Palpatine's voice sounded forcibly kind. It was clear that he was angry, and he was just hiding it. "I thought I made it clear that we weren't to be disturbed."

"I'm sorry, Sir." Fox said. He gave no explanations. No excuses. He just took the reprimand for what it was, even though he really hadn't done anything wrong.

Skywalker gave Dogma a confused look, and then he looked at Jesse. "What's going on?"

"It's complicated, General." Jesse said. "But it's important. You need to go back to the 501st."

"General Skywalker has a lot of responsibilities." The Chancellor said in a very patronizing tone. "His men should be competent enough to take care of themselves for a few days." The thing was, the Chancellor was right. The 501st didn't need Skywalker to hold their hands at all times. But this wasn't an issue they could solve on their own.

Jesse looked at Skywalker imploringly. "I know you're busy, Sir, but we wouldn't have come if it wasn't important. Please. Just hear us out."

Skywalker gave Jesse a long look before he turned back to the Chancellor, an apologetic look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Chancellor, I won't be gone long, but I think I need to at least hear them out."

The Chancellor was tense for a long moment before he sighed and made a dismissive gesture. "As you will, Anakin. Do what you think is best. I trust your judgement." His tone still sounded off, like he was testing Skywalker, letting him make his own choice, but with the expectation of what the right decision was.

Fortunately, the General didn't rise to the bait. He nodded respectfully at the Chancellor and then followed Jesse and Dogma out of the office. On their way out Jesse heard the Chancellor address Fox.

"If I may have a word, Commander." Chancellor Palpatine said. "I think you need a reminder of how to obey instructions."

Fox went rigid again. "Yes, Sir." Jesse thought he would probably just get a stern talking to, and that was nothing to be afraid of, but he couldn't help but feel nervous on Fox' behalf. He couldn't do anything though. He and Dogma needed to talk to Skywalker. Fox could take care of himself.

They left the office, and Dogma walked confidently back down the halls, leading the way. Jesse walked just behind him, keeping a careful eye on him. Dogma looked like he was fine now, but Jesse felt like it was just a matter of time before he fell apart.

"What's this all about?" Skywalker asked.

"Not here." Dogma said shortly, and Jesse was impressed with his gumption. He'd all but given the General an order. He thought that Dogma realized it too, because his hands had started shaking again. When Dogma spoke, that uncertainty didn't show at all. "We need somewhere with more privacy."

Skywalker frowned slightly. He was clearly concerned and confused. There was anger hidden in his eyes, but Jesse knew that anger was a mask to hide his fear. If there was one thing the General couldn't stand it was a lack of control. He didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"I think I know the place." General Skywalker increased his pace so he was walking in the front. He took the lead as they made their way to the offices of the senators. Jesse hid a smirk as he realized where they were going. He should have known.

They were soon walking up to Senator Amidala's office. Skywalker opened the door and let himself in, not even bothering to knock. When he did things like this Jesse found himself wondering just who Skywalker thought he was fooling.

Senator Amidala was sitting at her desk, but she stood up when she saw that she had visitors. "Ani…General Skywalker. What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, Padmé." Skywalker said. "We needed somewhere to talk." He turned to close the door. As soon as they had their privacy Dogma's legs gave out beneath him. He knelt on the ground and even through the helmet Jesse could hear how rapid his breathing was. He'd kept his mask on as long as he could, but it had slipped away now.

"Dogma." Jesse knelt next to him. He took the helmet off and set it aside. Dogma was breathing harshly and his gaze was a little unfocused. Jesse put a hand on his shoulder, and Dogma's gaze shifted to him, meeting his eyes. "You did so good, Dogma. So good."

"I interrupted a meeting with the Chancellor." Dogma gave a small, slightly panicked laugh. He was trembling.

"I know." Jesse laughed and leaned forward, resting his forehead against Dogma's. "It was amazing."

"Jesse." Skywalker was looking at them, just a touch of impatience in his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Is he alright?" Amidala asked. Jesse hesitated for just a moment. Dogma definitely wasn't okay, but he wasn't their priority right now. They had come here to talk to General Skywalker about what Krell was doing and the threat he was. Every second mattered.

"General, you need to return to the fleet." Jesse said. "I know you left General Krell in charge in your absence, but he's absolutely psychotic. He's going to get everybody killed!"

Dogma made a weird sound, like he was going to disagree, but he stopped himself. Maybe Jesse was being too blunt, but they didn't have time to beat around the bush, and that had never been something he was very good at.

General Skywalker just looked bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

"He-" Jesse started. Dogma put a hand on his arm.

"Wait." Dogma said. "You can't just tell him. H-he's not going to believe you."

Jesse was a little offended on his General's behalf. "He has to know, and he won't know if we don't tell him." He gave Dogma a reassuring look. "He's not like Krell. He's a good one."

"But Krell's still a Jedi, and we're still just clones." Dogma said. "It'll be our word against his. I don't know what happened, and you only know because of a second-hand account. Who do you think they're going to believe?" And Jesse hated that he was right.

"Would someone just tell me what's going on?" Anakin asked tensely. Jesse ignored him for just a second.

"What do you want to do?" Jesse asked Dogma. There was that fear and determination in his eyes again. He looked to General Skywalker.

"Sir, can you look into someone's memories?" Dogma asked.

"I don't like to, because it's invasive." Skywalker said. "But yes."

"No!' Jesse gave Dogma a stern look as he realized what his brother was planning. It was a decent plan. What better way to show Skywalker that Krell was a threat than to literally show him? But Jesse really didn't like this plan. "Dogma, you don't remember what happened for a reason." Jesse knew the memory was still in his head, but it was locked away in an instinctive form of self-defense. Having it not only be revisited, but potentially relived through the Force, was not going to be easy to deal with.

"Do you have a better plan?" Dogma gave Jesse a challenging look.

"What about something that doesn't hurt you?" Jesse growled.

Skywalker cleared his throat. "Dogma, is it?" Dogma started and looked at Skywalker with as much professionalism as he could while still sitting on the ground. "Have you had a bad interaction with General Krell?" Dogma nodded.

"I-I've blocked out the memory." Dogma said. "But I think you should be able to find it."

"I can." Skywalker said. There was a kind look in his eyes. "And you won't have to see it with me."

Dogma looked relieved, and Jesse had no more reason to argue against the idea. He stood up and stepped back, giving his General space to kneel in front of Dogma.

"Just clear your mind and relax." Skywalker said. Something about his tone made Jesse feel calmer. He wondered if this was the influence of the Force, or if this was just because he trusted his General. "It's not easy to let someone into your mind. It can be scary, but I'm not going to hurt you. I know what I'm doing."

"I know, Sir." Dogma said. He closed his eyes as Skywalker put his hands against his forehead. They both grew very still and quiet, and there was nothing Jesse could do but stand and wait.

"Jesse." Senator Amidala put a hand on his arm, giving a grounding touch. "What's wrong?"

Jesse's mouth thinned. "Krell hurt Dogma. I-I don't know what happened, exactly, but the General made Dogma shoot Commander Thire."

Amidala's grip on him tightened. "What?" She whispered. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"Fox says it's called a Demonstration." Jesse said. "He made it sound like this kind of thing happens to guards all the time." Jesse had talked to a few guards that had also given Demonstrations. They weren't all violent and physically harmful, but they were all dehumanizing in one way or another. Jesse wondered if that was the point.

Jesse clenched his fists. "I think this is the first time a Jedi has done it though."

Amidala made a disgusted sound. "More people are responsible for this kind of behavior? Who?"

"With all due respect, Senator, from what I've heard it was other senators." Jesse said. He refused to think for a second that she had been involved with such a thing, but it had still happened in her circles. Maybe she had the power to do something about it. Just like Skywalker had the power to do something about Krell.

Amidala probably had more questions. Jesse knew that he would have. But she was distracted from answering when Skywalker slowly pulled away from Dogma. There was a fury and disgust rolling off of the Jedi's shoulders. Jesse had never seen him quite this angry before.

"...Ani?" Amidala reached out for Skywalker, putting a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened at first before he relaxed into her touch. "Is what Jesse said true?"

"I saw it." Skywalker said tensely. "More than that, I felt it. I felt everything that Dogma did when he was given his orders."

Skywalker knew the truth. Jesse expected to storm out right then and there and get Krell away from his men. Instead Skywalker adjusted his position and scooted closer to Dogma, bringing his hands to his head again.

"Have you known any other Jedi besides Krell?" Skywalker asked. "Did you follow anyone else's commands?"

"Yours, Sir." Dogma said. He and Skywalker stared at each other for a long minute before the General blinked and looked slightly ill.

"You were one of mine." Skywalker muttered. "And you saw me as…" He didn't finish his sentence. Jesse wished he had.

"Anybody else?" Skywalker said tensely. Now he was the one who sounded like he was seconds away from falling to pieces, but giving everything he had to keep it together until he had fulfilled his duty, whatever that was. Jesse wished he knew what was going on. "Did you ever meet Master Shaak Ti?" Dogma nodded. "Think about that moment. Think about her. What do you see?"

Once again Skywalker went into Dogma's mind and his memories. It only lasted for a few seconds. Finally Skywalker pulled away from Dogma and stood up. He looked visibly upset and furious. Dogma grew more nervous.

"Did I do something wrong, Sir?" Dogma asked. Skywalker grimaced and gave Dogma an apologetic look.

"You did nothing wrong." General Skywalker said. "You're the one who's been wronged. If you'll give me the chance, I'll do what I can to make things right."

"I-I don't understand." Dogma said. Skywalker just looked pained. Amidala put a comforting hand on his arm and he leaned into her touch.

"I know you don't." Skywalker said. "And that's part of the problem." He took a deep breath, and then focus came back to his eyes. He was ready to get to work.

"I'll deal with Krell." Skywalker said with barely restrained fury. He looked at Jesse, gesturing to him. "May I-?" He didn't specify what he wanted, but Jesse immediately agreed. He trusted his General with his life. Skywalker touched his forehead, just as he had done with Dogma. He felt his General reach into his mind. It was an odd feeling, like the opposite of dissociation. He wondered what the man was looking for.

Skywalker let go after just a few seconds, looking relieved but still upset. "Jesse, I have a job for you while I'm back with the 501st."

"I thought I was returning with you." Jesse said. He was looking forward to shooting Krell in the leg and seeing how much he liked it.

Skywalker shook his head. "You're needed here. I'll take care of Krell, but I think there's something bigger going on." He looked at Dogma. "Do you think you can spend a few days in the Jedi Temple? There are mind healers there that are better suited for this than I am."

Dogma frowned. "This?"

Skywalker's mouth thinned. "Dogma, were you aware that you see the Jedi as your masters? In the same way that a slave might?"

Jesse felt bile rise in his throat, and Dogma paled so quickly that he probably felt light-headed. Jesse had known that something was wrong. They'd been trying for weeks to figure it out. What Skywalker was suggesting was horrible, and had terrifying implications, but somehow it fit all too well with everything else they'd figured out.

Skywalker looked at the two of them, his frown deepening at their reactions. "I'll take that as a no."

"I-I'm not a slave." Dogma said. "I'm just loyal. I'm dedicated. I-I was created to serve the Republic. The Jedi."

"I know what I saw. What I felt." Skywalker said. "I've seen it before. I've felt it before. That's not something that comes instinctively. That behavior, that submission, is taught. Whether you knew it or not, whether they called it slavery or not, someone taught you to be a slave. And I mean to find out who, and why."

Dogma looked faint. If he wasn't still on the ground he might have collapsed. This was a lot to try to wrap his head around. Jesse was having a hard time understanding it all, and he wasn't the one who had lived through it.

Skywalker sighed and held a hand out to Dogma. It took him a long time to accept it and let himself be pulled to his feet. Skywalker held onto his hand for a long minute, trying to give reassurance and comfort.

"I need to go to Umbara." General Skywalker said. "You'll be safe in the Jedi's care, if you'll let them. I know you don't trust me, and you probably don't think any Jedi is safe, but they just want to help you. I promise. Will you let them try?"

Dogma had a familiar calculating look on his face. He was trying to figure out what the best thing to say was. He was trying to think of what the General wanted to hear.

"If you want me to go to the Jedi Temple, that's where I'll go." Dogma said. Skywalker looked stricken. He released Dogma's hand and looked at Jesse.

"Stay with him." Skywalker said. "Don't let a Jedi give him orders, even for his own good. If he gets even a little uncomfortable around any of them, make them back off. Take care of him."

Jesse thought he was the worst person to do this, but at least for this second he was the only one here. Later Hardcase, Fox, or Tup would take care of Dogma and protect him from ones who meant him no harm. But for right now it was Jesse's responsibility, and he wasn't going to fail.

Jesse looked at Dogma. "I'll do my best." That was a promise.

General Skywalker nodded and quickly left the office, getting out his communicator before he was even out the door. He had a job to do. Jesse didn't know how he could focus on helping his men and saving them from Krell after such a discovery about Dogma. Jesse couldn't do that. Right now Dogma was his only priority, and the 501st was a distant concern at the back of his mind that he couldn't afford to think about.

This was why General Skywalker was a war hero. He could focus on different issues without completely forgetting about any of them.

Amidala cleared her throat. "I have some work to do as well. I need to learn more about these so-called Demonstrations." She gave Dogma a concerned look. "Will you be okay? I can escort you to the Temple."

"I've got him." Jesse said. He didn't know where Dogma stood when it came to the Senators, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was the same as the Jedi.

They were going to the Jedi Temple. Jesse knew that it was for Dogma's own good. That the Jedi could help him in ways that Jesse and the others couldn't. But they were still their superiors. Dogma was about to be exposed to all that power and influence. The very least he deserved was to walk there side-by-side with someone rather than behind or under them.

And if they took the long way to the Temple and passed by Dex' diner on the way, and just so happened to get hungry and decide to stop for a bite to eat, nobody would have to know.

"Come on, D'ika." Jesse put an arm around Dogma's shoulder. It was a gesture he'd done before. Dogma had always scoffed and shrugged him off, seeing the contact as demeaning and frustrating. This time Dogma leaned into the touch and let Jesse support him. "You're going to be okay, kid." He would see to it personally.

Chapter Text

Everything hurt. His chest burned in several different ways, all of them fighting for dominance. His ribs stung and his bones felt like they were itchy and sensitive. Maybe it didn't make any sense for bones to feel like anything, but he didn't know how else to describe it. His lungs were burning, aching for air that his body seemed to have forgotten how to give it. He couldn't breathe.

His chest also literally burned. A sharp pain that seemed to dance around his skin, somehow like a tickling sensation, except a thousand times worse and feeling overwhelmingly torturous. He couldn't see his skin, but he could feel the burning redness that branched out across his skin. He knew from experience that the physical marks would go away in the next few days, but he would be feeling echoes of the aches and tickling sensations under his skin for weeks afterward, at the very least.

All of the physical pain was agonizing and felt like more than he could handle, but he knew he could. He had before. Many times. And he would endure it many more times, because he would never stop messing things up, despite how many times he was disciplined and punished for his mistakes. He never learned. He was incapable of learning, and he didn't really know why the Chancellor was wasting his time on him.

But the worst part of all was the darkness that rested in his chest. It made him feel like his heart was being devoured by the shadows that lived inside of him. The darkness was too strong. It was as though his soul had been stripped of every positive emotion he had ever felt in his life. Any happiness he'd had had just been him deluding himself. Any comfort he'd received or love he had felt had all been a lie. Nobody really cared about him, because he wasn't somebody worth caring about, and he never would be, no matter how hard he tried.

"-nder. Commander!" A familiar voice called out to him. It sounded muffled, like he was hearing it from a distance while he was underwater and had thick pillows pressed against his ear. He heard it, but trying to focus on it was too hard. He hated himself that while he knew the voice belonged to a brother, he couldn't tell who.

What kind of a brother was he? He couldn't differentiate one clone from another just by voice alone. He should, and normally he could, but right now it was impossible for him. That was how much of a failure he was. Even something as simple as listening was too much.

"Get him out of my sight." He recognized the Chancellor's voice. Of course he did. No matter how pathetic he was, he wouldn't be so far gone that he wouldn't recognize the Chancellor when he heard him. His whole purpose was to hear the Chancellor and obey him. He wasn't very good at obeying, which was why he was in this position in the first place, but he was a great listener.

He felt a feather-light touch on his arm that seemed to light his nerves on fire. He couldn't hold back his quiet moan of pain.

"I know." The brother's voice said in his ear. "I'm sorry. Just hold on. We'll get you home." He felt two sets of hands grab his arms and lift him to his feet. He finally got a breath in, only because the pain was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but gasp in pain.

He was half carried and half dragged out of the room. Out of the Chancellor's office. He wanted to get his feet under him and at least walk, even if it would be with assistance, but he couldn't even do that. Just trying to move his legs made them spasm painfully. He had no choice but to let himself be carried in a painful and humiliating way.

"Come on, Fox." One of his brothers said. He…Fox. He was Fox. It was so easy to forget sometimes, because he couldn't be Fox with the Chancellor. He was just a clone for him. A loyal Commander who was replaceable if he kept failing his most basic duties.

But he wasn't before the Chancellor anymore. He was with his brothers. And with his brothers he didn't necessarily have to be the Commander. He just needed to be Fox.

"...Ow." Fox said. The first word he'd said in hours. He felt like something in his brain shifted as he could turn away from the part of himself that he needed to be when the Chancellor disciplined him. "It hasn't been that bad in a while." His voice was weak, and every word hurt, but he couldn't just not talk. Staying silent would mean letting the Chancellor take his voice and liberty from him more than he already had.

Fox knew his freedom was just an illusion, but it was one he clung to with a fierce desperation because it was all he had.

Fox lifted his head as much as he could so he could look at the brothers supporting him. He hadn't recognized their voices, but he knew their helmets as well as he knew his own. Thorn and Stone. They had come to retrieve him from the Chancellor's office, just like they always did.

"What did you do to anger him this time?" Thorn asked.

"I let his meeting get interrupted." Fox said, his voice slurring. "I didn't try to. I told Jesse he had to wait, but I underestimated…" Fox' eyes widened. "Dogma!" He jolted, trying to get his feet under him. Thorn held him back while Stone steadied him when he faltered.

"Take it easy, Fox." Stone said. Fox barely heard him.

"Where's Dogma?!" Fox felt his panic rise. He wasn't normally so unprofessional and weak, but he always had a hard time focusing on his job after a disciplinary session with the Chancellor. And in general it was getting increasingly harder for him to be professional when it came to Dogma.

He didn't know where the kid was, but he knew who he was with and that didn't make him feel better. Dogma was probably with Jesse, who Fox still didn't trust with him. Worse than that, he was with General Skywalker. Fox didn't know the General well, but he knew that he was the Chancellor's favorite Jedi and puppet. They had frequent meetings and discussions. Fox didn't know what the Chancellor was teaching the General, but he didn't think it was anything good.

Fox didn't want any of his men to be exposed to the Chancellor's influence, but especially not Dogma.

"Where is he?!" Fox' voice trembled and his breathing grew harsh, which just made his chest hurt more. He groaned and slumped in their hold.

"Calm down." Thorn said. "We'll find him. Just let us get you out of sight before someone sees us."

Fox wished that he didn't have to care about being seen. He knew that they would all be in big trouble if a senator or citizen saw them. It was late, so there weren't a lot of people around, but there was always the possibility that there was a night owl lingering around.

He couldn't let himself be seen. Fox knew that he wasn't in his armor. He was never allowed his armor when he was disciplined by the Chancellor, both because the painful lessons wouldn't take as easily if he had protection from them, and because the Chancellor knew that clones didn't really feel like themselves if they weren't in their armor.

Fox might as well be naked right now, though he didn't know just how much that was actually the case. Sometimes he was allowed to keep his blacks on. Sometimes he was just in his undergarments. Sometimes he was in nothing at all. It was hard to remember what the Chancellor had requested of him this time.

Fortunately they were able to get to one of their safe closets without running into issues. There were two guards already inside. One of them looked like he was barely recovering from a breakdown. He would have probably wanted to take another few minutes to gather himself before getting back to his patrols. When they saw the Commanders standing there before them though both guards stood.

"Commanders." The stressed clone rubbed at his cheek, brushing away any stray wetness. "Did you need the closet?"

"If we can." Thorn said. Fox wanted to say that he was fine. He didn't need to hide away. He didn't want to take a safe space from one of his men. They deserved it more than he did.

"Of course, Sirs." The other clone said before Fox could say a word. The two guards put their helmets on again and slipped past them, going back out on their patrols. Thorn settled Fox on the ground while Stone closed the door and kept an eye out for trouble.

Now that they were out of sight and away from the public eye Fox focused on what he had wanted to come here for. He reached over and took Thorn's communicator, not even bothering to ask if he could borrow it. He put in Dogma's frequency and waited tensely for it to go through.

It was only about fifteen seconds before his call was answered, but it felt like a lifetime to Fox. He breathed a sigh of relief when the call went through, but his breath hitched again when he heard a voice that didn't belong to Dogma.

"Lieutenant Jesse speaking." Was the answer he got.

Fox growled. He didn't want to talk to this guy. "Lieutenant, this is Commander Fox. Where is Dogma?"

"Calm down, he's with me." Jesse said, as though that should be reassuring. "He's sleeping. It's been a long day and it took him forever to relax, and I didn't want to wake him."

Fox relaxed ever so slightly. That was one of the few excuses he would accept as to why Dogma didn't answer him. The kid really didn't sleep nearly enough.

"Is he okay?" Fox asked. He swore that if General Skywalker had done anything to him he would shoot him right in the back, regardless of whether he was the Chancellor's favorite or not.

"He's…fine." Jesse said. He gave a small humorless laugh. "Honestly, he's handling this whole thing way better than I would have if our positions were reversed."

Fox' relief fell away so quickly that he felt a little cold at the loss. "What happened?"

"It's…complicated." Jesse said. "I'm with Dogma at the Jedi Temple. General Skywalker went to deal with an issue with the 501st, but he wants Dogma to wait at the temple until he gets back."

Thorn and Stone looked as suspicious as Fox felt. "Why?"

"I think this'll be better to talk about in person." Jesse said. "Dogma'll be happy to have you here."

Fox normally wouldn't ever consider doing such a thing, least of all because he was too busy to go to the Jedi Temple just to sit and wait with one of his men. But he couldn't use that as an excuse this time. Fox always had no choice but to take a few days off after he was disciplined by the Chancellor. His body was too weak for him to move too much, and his mind and soul were too fragile. It took him days to even be functional enough to just do paperwork.

Fox normally spent this time in the medbay or in his office. But if Dogma wanted him there, and if the Generals would tolerate his presence, then that was where Fox wanted to be.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Fox said. He ended the communication, because he really had no further interest in talking to Jesse. Dogma was okay, and that was all Fox needed to know for now. He looked at Thorn and Stone. "Can you help me get to the Jedi Temple?"

"Of course." Stone said. Thorn didn't agree as quickly.

"The Chancellor won't like it very much." Thorn said. "You know he doesn't like the guard interacting with the Jedi unless we have no other choice."

"I know." Fox said. He didn't like to do things against the Chancellor's will, but even when he wasn't trying to disobey him he still ended up letting the man down. If he was just going to disappoint him anyway, why not do something that he wanted to do for once?

The Chancellor would find out eventually, because he always did, and Fox would be punished for it severely, but right now he didn't care. He just wanted to see for himself that Dogma was okay.

"I'll be careful." Fox said, though they all knew that wasn't completely true. He could try to be careful, but that wouldn't matter much when he was dealing with the Jedi.

Thorn gave him a sad but understanding look. "Okay." He trusted Fox to make his own decisions, and he would be right there to help him deal with the consequences.

Fox wanted to go right away, but he needed a few minutes to catch his breath. His adrenalin was going away, leaving him feeling completely drained. He rested, but did his best not to doze off. He didn't want to sleep yet. Not until he was away from the dangers of the senate building. He didn't know if he'd feel comfortable enough to sleep at the Jedi Temple. He would have to wait and see.

Eventually Thorn and Stone deemed him well enough to make the journey. They supported him between them again. Fox' legs still wouldn't cooperate with him, but he had some strength in his arms and he was able to use them to take just a little weight off of his brothers' shoulders.

It probably took them more than an hour to get to the temple, but he couldn't focus during any of it. Fox' mind strayed, though it didn't really go anywhere. He didn't have any truly focused thoughts. It was just general anxiety, shame, and that darkness that was still clinging to him. If he didn't have to think about anything in particular, that was where his thoughts would be returning to until he was fit enough to get back to work.

Fox forced himself to focus when they started walking up the steps of the temple. They were about to be surrounded by the Jedi. He couldn't afford to be anything less than focused. He just hoped they didn't mind that he was out of uniform. The Chancellor would keep his armor until Fox was fit enough to personally go to him and prove that he deserved it. And he couldn't wear someone else's armor. He'd tried that once, and the Chancellor had made it clear that he was to never do it again. Until he could get his own armor back he would remain in just his blacks.

That is, if he was even wearing that much.

They entered the front hall of the temple. It was still really late, so there weren't too many Jedi around. Fox was surprised to see that two of the people in the main hall were Jesse and Dogma. They were sitting on the ground, with Dogma curled up against Jesse, using him as a pillow. Jesse was looking around, glaring at everybody else in the front hall, but his expression brightened when he saw the three commanders making their way towards them.

"You made it." Jesse said. His smile fell away to a look of shock as he looked at Fox. "What happened to you?"

"Don't worry about it." Fox said. He didn't think anybody in the GAR would ever believe that the grandfatherly Chancellor of the Republic would ever be capable of doing this kind of thing. He didn't want to waste his time trying to convince someone of Jesse like this. Not when it didn't really matter.

Jesse looked like he wanted to put up a fight, but he didn't. He just sighed and gestured to Dogma's other side. "Well, take a seat. There's plenty of floor to go around."

"Why are you out here?" Thorn asked. "Do the Jedi not have beds they can spare?"

"Oh, they do." Jesse said. "But Dogma didn't feel comfortable going any deeper into the temple. He said he wasn't worthy. I would have fought him about it, but he was getting himself really worked up, and I didn't want to make him worse. So we went as far as he felt comfortable going, and I've been chasing off any Jedi that tries to suggest we go somewhere else."

Fox didn't know whether to be amused or horrified by Jesse's brash nature. He supposed he was grateful, because Jesse was using that brashness to defend and protect Dogma. Fox had to be glad for that.

Fox was set down next to Dogma. The ground was harsh and hard, but he'd had worse. He grabbed Dogma's arms and gently pulled him his way so he would use Fox as a pillow instead. Jesse stood up and stretched, rolling his shoulders. He'd probably been sitting uncomfortably for a while, and he would want to stretch those stiff muscles.

Jesse glanced at Fox, eyeing him carefully. Fox realized that even if he was wearing his shirt it would have been burned away by the lightning. The scars on his chest were probably clear to see, and they had a very specific look to them.

Fox met Jesse's gaze. "What?"

Jesse's mouth thinned. "You were fine when I saw you before. You're not fine now."

"The scars will fade in a few days." Fox said. They weren't as bad as they looked.

"That's not the point." Jesse said. There was anger in his eyes. "We got you in trouble with the Chancellor. I thought you were going to be lectured and scolded, not tortured."

"It's not torture." Fox said, though that was certainly what it felt like. "It's discipline, because how else am I supposed to learn my lessons?" He wouldn't tell anybody in the GAR what he went through, because he didn't want to be called a liar. But Jesse had figured it out. What was the point in lying to him?

Jesse glared at him. "What lesson was this supposed to teach you?"

"To not disappoint the Chancellor." Fox said plainly. What else was he supposed to learn?

"So he sicced his red guards on you just because we needed to speak to the General?" Jesse had a protective fury in his eyes. Fox was just confused. He wasn't used to having that kind of anger on his behalf. Especially not from a brother who was practically a stranger to him.

Fox looked down at his chest, finally taking in the sight. He didn't like seeing the scars that he knew were there, so he had pointedly avoided looking at them. He was, in fact, not wearing a shirt, making the bruising and distinct lightning scars perfectly visible to everybody who looked his way.

The red guards hadn't been responsible for this, but Fox could understand the assumption. The red guards wielded electric force pikes, and they did the Chancellor's bidding. There had certainly been a handful of times when the Chancellor couldn't be bothered to discipline him himself, so he had left it to his personal bodyguards.

Jesse looked at Dogma, the anger fading from his eyes, leaving him looking confused and heartbroken. He looked back at Fox, and the pained look didn't go away. "General Skywalker figured out something about Dogma. Something really concerning. He looked into Dogma's mind and-"

"He did what?" Fox growled. The darkness in his chest was temporarily replaced by a burning anger. He wanted to destroy that Jedi, but he wasn't here. Jesse was though. "How could you let your General hurt him like that?!"

"Hurt him?" Jesse frowned. "I didn't. It was painless. Dogma didn't even relive the memories that the General looked into."

Fox was still angry, but he was also confused. "What do you mean it was painless? Having somebody look into your mind is…agonizing. It's like your brain being pulled apart little by little until there's nothing remaining." Stone and Thorn nodded. They hadn't experienced it as much as Fox had, but they'd still been subjected to it. All of the Commanders in the guard had.

Now Jesse looked confused, but horror was starting to build in his eyes. "No. It shouldn't hurt. The General looked into my mind too. It felt weird, but not painful. You…someone hurt you. Who did it?"

"Wondering the same thing, we are." An odd voice said. It shouldn't have sounded intimidating, but it definitely did. Fox sat up and looked towards the small group of Jedi Masters that were approaching them. Fox had never really interacted with these people personally, but he would recognize the handful of members on the Jedi Council. Especially Master Yoda.

"Generals." Fox nodded at them. Thorn and Stone stood at attention. Fox would have done the same except he had Dogma still leaning against him, and he didn't think he could get his legs under him if he tried.

"Commander." Master Mace Windu gave him a look that was impossible to interpret. "I think there are a few things we need to discuss."

Fox' chest tightened. He knew that the Chancellor wouldn't have approved of him coming here, but he hadn't thought that he would have to face the Jedi so directly so soon. He didn't know what they wanted from him, but he knew that whatever it was he wouldn't be able to lie to them. For one, they were his Generals, even if he didn't necessarily serve under them directly. He still needed to follow their orders.

And they were Jedi. They had the Force. Fox knew they'd probably be able to tell that he was lying, and that they could just rip the truth right out of his head, and he doubted they would be as gentle as Jesse claimed they could be.

Fox tightened his grip on Dogma, who fortunately remained asleep. Maybe coming here was a mistake.

Chapter Text

Rex had fought in many different campaigns and battles. It was what he had trained for his whole life. He hadn't been nervous about this kind of thing since he had been a cadet. But he also hadn't found himself in a situation like this.

He hated Umbara. He hadn't seen much of the planet. It was dark and full of the unknown, but that wasn't what scared him most. What really worried him was what was going on within their ranks. There was trouble brewing, and Rex felt helpless to do anything about it. He felt stuck, forced to watch the tense battle happening between General Krell and Kix.

They had all been reluctant to obey General Krell, but they hadn't had a choice. He may not be their Commanding Officer, but he was still their superior, and he'd been left in charge in General Skywalker's absence. That should have been the start and end of any of their defiance and doubts. They may not like his orders and decisions, but he was in charge, and it was their job to obey him.

And then Hardcase called.

He said that General Krell was dangerous. That he would just lead the clones to their deaths pointlessly. That he saw the clones as nothing more than tools to be used and thrown away as he pleased.

Rex had grown tense at those words. He'd asked Hardcase for more details, and what he got was confusing at best. Hardcase wasn't reporting from experience, but from a second-hand account. It was an 'I-heard-someone-say' situation, and Rex didn't know if rumors were enough of a reason to not do as they were told. Especially not rumors that were so unbelievable.

Hardcase talked about a Demonstration. A cruel and torturous experience that apparently the Coruscant Guard were put through somewhat regularly, where they were forced to do unthinkable things all in the name of getting more funding for the war.

It made no sense. Rex had heard Senator Amidala rant about the funding and budgets for the military enough to know that they didn't get their money through the methods that Hardcase was talking about. Surely they would know if Senators and Jedi were using the Coruscant Guard to put on twisted shows for investors. It wouldn't be covered up like this, because it didn't have to be. Rex knew as well as anybody that nobody would bat an eye about clones being treated questionably.

And even if it wasn't public knowledge, Rex knew that Fox at least would have told them about this kind of thing happening. Things may be tense between the guard and the GAR, but they were still brothers. They were still vode. If the Demonstrations were actually a thing, and if they were actually as bad as Hardcase was making them out to be, then Fox would have told them about it. He would have asked for help.

At the very least he would have used this as evidence that the Coruscant Guard was not as safe and cushy a job as they all teased him for. But Fox hadn't said anything, so things must not be that bad. Right?

While Rex had his doubts about the Demonstration, especially since neither Tup nor Hardcase would give him the names of the clones involved, Kix had no such issues. He believed them. He saw Krell as a threat, and he wasn't going to let the General get the chance to hurt anybody else.

General Krell tried to send them out on another mission that they all knew would be another suicide mission. They were going to get needlessly slaughtered, and Rex hated it because he knew that if they did things just a little more carefully then the sacrifices wouldn't be necessary. But this wasn't his decision to make. General Krell was in charge for a reason. He was recognized as a great and successful general. It was his duty to make the tough decisions.

Rex thought that they would have no choice but to obey and do what they were told. Kix didn't accept that, and he had the insane idea to do something about it.

As the medic in charge Kix had the authority to override most decisions but most any superior officer. If Kix thought that somebody wasn't fit for the field, they weren't going out onto the field, no matter how much they might be needed. In extreme cases, if neither Kix nor their Commanding Officer was backing down, they would take the matter to the Jedi Council.

That was what Krell was threatening to do now. Kix had announced that Umbara was a dangerous and unfamiliar environment, and for all they knew the planet was full of toxins and poisons that were slowly seeping into their bloodstream. Kix insisted that until he was 100% sure that the planet was safe in that sense, nobody was going out onto the field, which meant that General Krell had nobody to send on a mission.

The General was furious. He threatened to have Kix court martialed if he didn't take back his decision. He threatened to have all of them court martialed if they didn't go against the words of their medic, even though at the moment Kix was the one with the final say. General Skywalker wouldn't have been able to overrule him, and General Krell, who was just substituting in the absence of their Commanding Officer, certainly couldn't.

The Jedi had said that because of Kix' paranoia and laziness the 212th, who they were supposed to be providing support for, would all die, and did he really want the death of his brothers on his conscience?

Kix had held his head high and looked the general in the eye. "No, I don't." Kix had said. His tone had been the kind of thing that Rex hadn't heard from him very much. It was dark, and stubborn, and a clear reminder that just because he was a medic didn't mean that he couldn't fight for what he thought was right. "And that's exactly why my decision stands. We're staying right where we are."

Rex could feel a fight approaching, and it had nothing to do with the Separatists. He was caught in the middle of General Krell and Kix. The General wanted him to twist Kix' arm and get him to back down. Kix wanted him to realize how dangerous Krell was, but still wouldn't tell him just why he was dangerous aside from a supposed Demonstration that they barely understood.

The days passed tensely, and Rex was sure that any minute now the other shoe was going to drop. General Krell was on edge, and his hands were always lingering too close to his lightsabers for Rex to be comfortable with it. None of the clones knew what to do, and they were all just waiting for this stand-off to end. Because one way or another, it would end. Kix was just stalling. For what, they didn't know. They didn't know if even Kix knew. But they all hoped he would hold out long enough for whatever it was that they were waiting for.

What none of them had expected was for a very familiar ship to land in the capital without a word. General Krell strode over to the ship, but his confidence and temper seemed to ease back when he saw who came out of the ship.

"General Skywalker." General Krell said. It was odd to hear the respect in his tone. It contrasted so much with the way he'd been speaking to all of the clones, and that made it clear to Rex just how little the Jedi thought of the clones.

"Krell." General Skywalker glared at General Krell as though he had personally offended him. Rex felt like he was missing something. "What have you done to my men?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." General Krell said.

"I'm sure you don't.' General Skywalker nearly growled. He sounded fiercely protective. He usually got like this when it came to Senator Amidala, General Kenobi, Commander Tano, and those droids of his. It wasn't unheard of for him to be protective of his clones, but Rex still wasn't used to it.

Skywalker leaned close to Krell. "I know what you did to Dogma, and I'm not going to let you turn any more of my men against each other for your own amusement."

Rex stiffened. The Demonstration. Hardcase, Jesse, and Tup's absence for the past few weeks. Someone in the Coruscant Guard had apparently been forced to shoot one of their brothers. Dogma was in the Coruscant Guard now, and he was one of the few brothers that Rex could think of who would actually be able to be convinced to shoot another clone, or allow himself to be shot, just because a Jedi ordered it.

Was Dogma hurt? If he was, why wouldn't they have just told him? If this was the reason why the others were gone, Kix should have just said so. Rex would have understood. He would have allowed it. He probably would have wanted to go to Coruscant to check on Dogma himself. Just because they didn't serve together didn't mean that Dogma wasn't his brother anymore. Did they think that Rex wouldn't care?

He was concerned and stressed at just the thought of something bad having happened to Dogma, and his brothers not saying a word to him about it. General Krell on the other hand just crossed his arms and gave General Skywalker an unimpressed look.

"Who?" General Krell asked. Skywalker just seethed. General Krell didn't scoff, but he very nearly did. "If you think I offended any of your men, it wasn't personal. I'm just doing my job, just like you."

"I'm not like you." Anakin shouted, because he really was Anakin right now as opposed to the great Jedi General. He was too emotional. Too personally invested. And Rex didn't understand why he was getting like this about Dogma. He shouldn't even know who Dogma was, let alone care.

"Tread carefully, Skywalker." General Krell said in a patronizing way that wasn't too different from the way he spoke to the clones. Rex fumed on behalf of his General. "You're letting your attachments show."

"Good." Anakin said defiantly, even though he usually got so defensive and upset when other Jedi implied that he was too attached and unprofessional to be a Jedi. Now he somehow seemed proud of it. "I'd rather be attached than be the kind of person that my men only follow because they have to. I'm not a master." He said this word the same way he might say the word 'monster'.

"No, you are not." General Krell said.

The two Jedi stared at each other, looking like they were wanting to start fighting, and Rex hated being in the middle of it. He felt lost. He'd seen the Jedi disagree before, but not like this. This was too blatant. Not passive aggressive enough. Not patronizing enough. Not that Rex thought that the Jedi were patronizing, but Anakin did. He always got defensive around them, but not like this.

Anakin wasn't defending his pride. He was a protector and guardian right now, and that was when he was at his most undefeatable. He wasn't going to take no for an answer, even from the Jedi.

"I'll be telling the Council what you've done." Anakin said. He didn't clarify what he meant. Rex assumed he was talking about whatever that Demonstration had been with the Coruscant Guard. Now he was considering that it wasn't just a rumor.

"Rex, catch me up on anything that's happened." Anakin said. He wasn't even looking at Krell anymore. "I'll be taking things over from here, General." He nearly spat out that last word, like it was an insult. Rex never would have dreamed of walking away from Krell without being dismissed first, but Anakin didn't have those issues. He turned his back on Krell and just left. Rex followed behind him.

Anakin's posturing went away when they were out of sight of Krell, but he didn't relax. Anakin was still incredibly tense. It was more than a little concerning. Something was wrong.

"Is everything okay, General?" Rex asked.

"No." Anakin said. His steps slowed slightly. Rex wondered where they were going. Did Anakin have a destination in mind? Or did he just feel the need to walk and move because he just couldn't hold still?

"How long has Dogma been in the Coruscant Guard?" Anakin asked. "He seems so young." Most of the Jedi didn't really pay attention to the age standards of clones. To them a nine year old was the same as a ten year old. Their age didn't matter. Just their experience did. Anakin didn't quite see it that way. He could always tell when a clone was a little older or a little younger than the others. He had noticed immediately when the batches they were being sent from Kamino were getting younger and younger.

"He's the same age as Tup, Sir." Rex said. "They joined the 501st together, and he was transferred to Coruscant shortly after."

"Why?" Anakin asked. "Were there issues? Was he hurt?"

"The Guard were understaffed." Rex said. "Commander Fox asked for some more men. I thought that Dogma would be well-suited for the guard."

Anakin gave him an odd look. He always seemed to know when Rex wasn't quite being entirely honest with him, and it didn't have anything to do with the Force. Rex internally sighed.

"Dogma had a difficult time fitting in with Torrent." Rex said. "He was frequently at odds with Jesse and Fives."

Anakin frowned slightly. "Jesse and Dogma don't get along? But Jesse was so protective of him."

Rex' mouth thinned. "He's been like that since Dogma's transfer. Some of the men haven't been too happy about the decision. I may have been a bit hasty in choosing Dogma. I genuinely thought the guard would be a good fit for him. From what I hear he's doing fine there, but things have gotten tense in Torrent."

"I've noticed that." Anakin said slowly. Rex wasn't surprised. Anakin noticed a lot. He had probably thought that they could deal with their own internal conflicts. "Is this what Jesse and Fives have been fighting about?"

Rex nodded. "It was Fives' suggestion to transfer Dogma. He thought…he thought he wouldn't be missed too much." Saying it out loud just reminded Rex how cruel that was, as well as untrue. The others clearly wanted Dogma back, but even if they didn't it still wouldn't have been fair to send him away just on that basis. They were supposed to be professional soldiers who could put aside their childish differences. Cadets knew better than to act like this.

There was a fire in Anakin's eyes as that protectiveness reared its head again. The General was going to have some choice words for Fives when he next saw him, that much was clear. Rex cleared his throat.

"Sir, why do you care so much about Dogma?" Rex asked. "You didn't even know him."

Anakin was quiet for a long minute. He took a deep breath and seemed to steel himself. "There's something you need to understand about life on Tatooine. Money wasn't the most important resource there. Power was, because if you had power, then you had control."

Rex didn't know where Anakin was going with this, but he listened carefully. He could count on one hand the number of times that Anakin had willingly talked about Tatooine. He hated his home planet.

"There were hierarchies of power. The slaves were at the bottom, of course. So low that they weren't even considered to be worth thinking about." Anakin scowled as he always did when somebody mentioned slaves. "But even among slaves there was still a hierarchy. Slaves who are given the job of taskmaster are at the top. As far as free citizens are concerned, they're worse than the sand under their feet. But to the other slaves, the taskmasters are practically nobility. They have power and influence, even if it's just a little bit. If you anger a taskmaster they can make your life hell, and you can't do anything about it."

Anakin looked at Rex, a sad and calculating look in his eyes. "Do you know what happened to the slaves at the bottom of the hierarchy?"

Rex wished he knew, but he really didn't know that much about slaves. It wasn't the kind of thing that the Republic openly talked about, and Anakin was shut off about it as well. If he was talking about it now it was for a reason.

"Were they given the worst jobs? Rex asked. "The most dangerous and humiliating ones." That was how it had been for the clones on Kamino. The few who were considered as 'less than' were given all of the undesirable jobs. Rex knew that Kamino wasn't anything like Tatooine and the lives of the slaves there, but it was the best basis he had.

"Actually, no." Anakin crossed his arms. "Those people were low on the ladder, don't get me wrong, but they were at least on the ladder. The other slaves still considered them to be like them."

Anakin grew tense and Rex could see his hands shaking. He was getting upset. "The slaves at the bottom were the loners. The ones without friends. If a slave house was too full and they were out of resources and space, those were the ones who were 'forgotten'. They're the ones who just 'disappear' one night, because they didn't have someone to speak for them, and they didn't have the power to speak for themselves."

Anakin had continued pacing up to this point, but he stopped now. The hall was abandoned, but it felt weird to be talking about something so personal out in the open.

"No disrespect, Sir, but what does this have to do with Dogma?" Rex asked.

"He couldn't tell me what Krell did to him." Anakin said. "So I looked into his mind, and it was…horrible. Dogma saw Krell the same way that a slave would see their master."

Rex grimaced. "But Dogma's not-"

"I know he isn't." Anakin growled. "He's not supposed to be. None of the clones should be slaves. But that's how Dogma feels, and not just about Krell. He saw me the same way, and Shaak Ti. Whether Dogma knows it or not he sees himself as a slave, and that's…that's not okay."

Rex felt like he should be surprised, but he really wasn't. It made sense. He didn't know where Dogma got this mindset from, but it explained so much about him. Why he saw the words of the Jedi as law. Why he was so insistent on obeying the rules. Why he had such a hard time even comprehending the idea of doing things for himself.

And they had sent him away. Rex had sent him away, justifying it to himself just because it was the most convenient choice. Dogma deserved better than that. Especially after what Anakin had said about the slaves on the bottom of the social hierarchy. Clones were brothers. They were supposed to stick together, because they didn't have anybody else but themselves. In that one way they were similar to slaves.

Except apparently slaves were willing to turn a blind eye and 'forget' about one of their own, just to make their own lives a little easier. But clearly clones were more than capable of doing the same thing.

"I-I didn't know." Rex said. It wasn't an excuse. It wasn't even an explanation or reason. It was a confession, because he should have known. He should have known there was something wrong with Dogma. He should have made it clear to his men that they could talk to him if there was something going on. He didn't want his men to feel the need to keep secrets from him because they didn't think he would approve. And he definitely didn't want his men to feel like they were slaves who didn't have the right to voice their concerns.

He needed to do better. For Dogma. For all of his men.

"Is Dogma okay?" Rex asked. He'd told himself that Fox would take good care of Dogma, and he knew he probably had, but there was only so much he could do. Commander or not, Fox was still just a clone.

Rex tried to ignore the voice in his head that told him that Fox was like the taskmasters that Anakin had mentioned. Clones weren't slaves, no matter how many uncomfortable similarities there were. Dogma wasn't a slave. Fox wasn't a slave. None of them were.

"I don't know." Anakin said. "I want to get to the bottom of whatever's going on with him, but I needed to make sure you were all okay first. He's at the Jedi Temple, because I thought the masters could figure out how to help him. But if he sees them as masters…" Anakin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The Jedi wouldn't hurt him, but I don't think Dogma knows that. Maybe I shouldn't have sent him to the Temple, but it was the only way I knew for sure that he would be safe until I got back."

"Dogma will be fine." Rex said, even though he was second-guessing himself. "He's strong." Even if being around the Jedi would make him nervous, Dogma would get through it. And if Jesse was there to keep an eye on him then Rex couldn't imagine him as anything less than fine. The two of them had never gotten along great, but Jesse had been fiercely protective of Dogma since he'd joined the guard. If he was willing to fight Fives for Dogma's sake, he'd be more than happy to take on the Jedi.

Anakin gave him a very small smile. "I know he's strong. It takes guts to storm into the Chancellor's office because you think that what you have to say is more important."

Rex blinked. "Dogma did that?"

"He was determined to not let Krell do anything to the 501st." Anakin said. "Even though I know he was terrified of being punished." Anakin looked both proud and sad. "It's a shame I didn't get the chance to serve with him before. He's a good soldier."

"He's a good brother." Rex said. He just wished that he had seen it before.

Anakin put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. We need to secure the planet. The sooner we're done here the sooner we can get back to Coruscant and figure out what's going on."

"Sounds like a plan, Sir." Rex said. Now that Anakin was back Rex was sure that Kix would be more than happy to announce that he deemed the planet relatively safe, and they could resume their missions. They would help the 212th, hopefully with less casualties than he was sure they would have faced under Krell, and then they could put this battle, like so many others, behind them.

It would be hard to focus on what was going on on Umbara though. Now that Rex had just a small idea of what was going on with Dogma he didn't know if he could concentrate. He would have to though. Rex still had a job to do. When they were done here, then maybe he could take a break from being a Captain and just be a brother, at least for a little bit.

It had been far too long since he had just let himself be a brother. He hoped he still remembered how to be good enough. He couldn't let his brothers down again.

Chapter Text

Dogma didn't know how he felt about being at the Jedi Temple. He was fascinated about the place. If the place was abandoned and he had no work or other obligations, he would love to explore and look around. He was fascinated by the Jedi and their beliefs, and he wanted to learn more. A part of him wanted to accept the Jedi's offer of a tour. He wanted to ask a million different questions about whether the Jedi Temple was a sacred place, or just their home. Was it sacrilegious and disrespectful for someone who wasn't worthy to even set foot here? Could somebody who wasn't in tune with the Force still live like a Jedi, or was that seen as a mockery of their way of life?

He kept all his questions to himself, partially because he didn't want to accidentally insult the Jedi, and partially because he was already in enough trouble as it was and he didn't want to make things worse.

He hadn't meant to fall asleep in the Jedi Temple, but the place had a peaceful aura about it, and Jesse's protective energy was surprisingly comforting. Dogma woke up feeling better rested than he could ever remember feeling, and he didn't know if it was because the temple was giving off a weird energy, or if he'd gotten way more sleep than he normally did.

But his good sleep didn't mean that he woke up in good spirits. He felt fine for just a few seconds before he remembered where he was and why he was here. As soon as he registered that he stiffened and wished he could go back to sleep, but he knew that wasn't an option. The Jedi could probably sense that he was awake, even if they were too polite to say anything.

But they were his Generals. He wasn't supposed to be lazing around in front of them. Especially not when he'd been sent here for a reason, even if he didn't entirely understand what that reason was. So he mentally groaned and started to sit up, only to be grabbed and pulled back down again.

"Easy, ad'ika." Fox' voice said, and he couldn't help but relax at the sound of his Commander's voice. He was anxious about the Jedi, but it was hard to feel nervous when he was being held by Fox.

"Buir." Dogma muttered. His head still felt a little muddled. It took him too long to realize what was wrong with Fox being there. "You have work. Please don't tell me you're not working to babysit me again."

Fox let out a low chuckle. "Don't worry. I've got a few days off."

Dogma immediately felt more awake. He shifted and turned towards Fox. He moved too quickly and Fox hissed in pain. Dogma froze, horrified.

"You're hurt." Dogma said. He knew he wasn't responsible for accidentally hurting Fox, because they'd barely brushed against each other. It wasn't unusual for the guard to be able to hide injuries until they were nudged in just the wrong way, but they tried to not hide it from each other. It was concerning to know that Fox had an injury that Dogma didn't know about. How often did this happen?

"I-it's not too bad." Fox said. Dogma gave him an unimpressed look and Fox sighed. Maybe Dogma could have believed him if it wasn't for the stutter.

"Can I see?" Dogma asked.

"...Sure, kid." Fox said tiredly. He scooted away from Dogma to give him a better look. Fox had a brown robe draped over his shoulders and it was covering his chest. He slipped it off and Dogma saw some clear scars that looked like streaks of lightning. Something about them didn't seem like normal scars. They were harsh and somehow gave off a terrible energy.

Clones had all kinds of scars, and they were all pretty good at looking at a scar and being able to tell if it was a traumatic injury or not. Sometimes terrible scars came from terrible situations, but sometimes the worst experiences left the smallest of scars, and sometimes really bad scars had a genuinely funny story behind them.

Fox' lightning scars didn't look too bad compared to other injuries Dogma had seen, but they seemed to have a darkness about them. Dogma didn't know how, but he could just tell that the situation was actually a lot worse than it looked.

"Lightning." Dogma muttered. He wasn't a medic, far from it, but he was fairly decent at the basics. He knew what the cause of these particular scars were. Dogma reached a hand out, looking to Fox for permission. The Commander nodded and Dogma put his hand against Fox' chest in a feather-light touch. Fox gasped and his stomach seemed to spasm. His legs jolted and his fingers twitched as his nerves were irritated. Dogma quickly pulled his hand away.

"Can you stand like this?" Dogma asked. Fox grimaced.

"Not really." Fox admitted. "And thinking is…hard. Which is why I'm taking a few days off." Dogma knew how bad it felt to feel the need to work and being unable to do so. He wished there was something he could do to get Fox back on his feet.

He had an idea. One he was a little nervous to speak. But they were in the Jedi Temple, and they had a unique opportunity here that they might never be able to take advantage of again. It was a risky opportunity, and it was probably a mistake, but maybe the Jedi were as compassionate as the Republic's propaganda made them out to be.

"Maybe…Maybe the Jedi can heal you." Dogma suggested quietly. "Some of them can do some amazing healing with the Force."

Fox grimaced. "They already tried that." He said. "They said the nature of the injury makes it hard to heal right now." His tone was tense as he repeated something that he didn't understand but had been told.

"What does that mean?" Dogma asked. Fox rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Who knows?" Fox asked. "The Jedi speak in mysteries. Master Yoda's just the only one who leans into that."

Dogma's mouth twitched. "I don't think his speaking patterns are on purpose. It's just how he talks." He didn't know whether he was amused, defensive, or scared of even implying disrespect.

Fox gave him a very small smile. "I know." He said before his smile dimmed. He looked so tired. He needed to heal from whatever had happened to him, and Dogma knew that it was hard to recover when you weren't in a safe place.

"You should go back to the barracks." Dogma suggested. "Jesse can stay with me." He didn't really know if he trusted Jesse yet, but he wanted to. Dogma couldn't leave the temple because General Skywalker wanted him to remain for now. He didn't feel comfortable here, but there were very few places where he actually felt safe. He wasn't going to make Fox suffer just because he didn't know how to relax around the Jedi.

Fox shook his head. "I'm not leaving you to face the Generals on your own. But even if I wanted to, I couldn't. The Jedi want me here too."

Dogma felt slightly dizzy as the blood rushed from his head. He was familiar with the feeling of adrenaline, and this felt like the opposite. It was a little frightening. "Why do they want you?" The Jedi weren't supposed to get involved in Guard business, and when they did work together it was with a lot of tension. What could the Jedi want from Fox now? They couldn't heal him, so Dogma didn't think they were working with the intention of helping him.

Fox pulled back on the brown robe, pulling it back on and covering his scars again. Dogma somehow got more and less tense when he took another look at the robe. It looked like the kind of thing that the Jedi wore. It seemed like one of the Jedi had loaned Fox his robe to provide him just the smallest amount of privacy.

It was a considerate gesture, but it wouldn't be necessary if they would just let him go home and get his own shirt. Fox had a means of covering himself now, but only in a way that made the scars easily accessible should the Jedi want a closer look.

"They want to question me." Fox said. "This injury, they think it came from a dark Jedi."

"A Sith." Dogma remembered the term from some reading he'd done.

Fox nodded. "There have been theories that a Sith is near Coruscant, and that they have more power and influence than the Jedi can imagine. And then I show up with the marks of a Sith."

"They're worried there's been a breach in security." Dogma realized. No wonder Fox looked so uncomfortable. Dogma would be panicking if he thought he had been compromised. But there was something else. Fox wouldn't look so confused if that was all. "Why didn't you tell the Jedi who did it? They'll know who the Sith is, and you can go." Fox wouldn't be seen as a liability, he'd be seen as a hero.

Fox' mouth thinned and it was hard to tell if he was frustrated or anxious. "I did. They didn't believe me."

Now Dogma was feeling frustrated and anxious himself. "Why would you lie about something like this?" They'd been created to serve the Jedi and obey orders. Why did so many people feel the need to test their loyalty?

"They don't think I'm lying." Fox said. "They think my memories are false." Fox didn't sound convinced.

"What do you think happened?" Dogma asked.

Fox sighed. Dogma wondered how many times he had answered that exact question. "The Chancellor was disciplining me for my mistakes. This is not the first time it's happened. It's not the last time it will happen. I've never reported it before because he's the Chancellor. Who am I supposed to report him to?" Fox' eyes widened as he suddenly seemed to remember that he wasn't speaking to the Jedi.

Fox tried to tone things down when talking to the guard because he didn't want them to worry about him. But he had to be completely honest with the Jedi. If they had directly asked him for a report, especially now when his thoughts were a little dull, he wouldn't be able to twist things to make it not seem so bad.

"You were punished?" Dogma gave Fox a pained look. "Was it my fault?" The Chancellor hadn't been happy that his meeting had been interrupted. Dogma had been too worried about the 501st to consider the consequences of his actions. If he'd stopped to think about it for a second he never would have been able to go to General Skywalker for help.

"No, ad'ika, no." Fox pulled him close again, and Dogma didn't dare to move away. He didn't want to risk causing more pain to Fox. "The Chancellor…he has high expectations, and he can get tense when his demands aren't met. I was given a job, and I let him down."

"But it was because of me." Dogma protested. Fox pulled him into a Keldabe Kiss.

"I'm the Commander. If there's a perceived failing in the guard, it's my responsibility." Fox said. His tone made it clear that while the Chancellor had been unimpressed with Dogma's actions, Fox wasn't disappointed. "I'll take any punishment if it means none of you have to."

Dogma felt a little ill at the thought of Fox getting hurt because of him, but he knew he couldn't talk him out of it. By nature all clones had just a bit of a martyr complex. It was part of their programming. They were supposed to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. He couldn't take Fox' pain away, and he couldn't convince him to not do something like this again. All Dogma could do was nuzzle closer to Fox.

"Why didn't the Jedi believe you?" Dogma asked.

Fox scoffed. "They called my disciplining 'torture', and they don't think the Chancellor is capable of such a thing. They think it's more likely that in the few hours since the meeting got interrupted I stumbled upon the Sith, they tortured me, modified not just my memory, but also the Chancellor's, and then sent me back to the Chancellor's office where Thorn and Stone found me."

The way that Fox said it, it didn't sound very plausible. Especially since Fox had casually said that this kind of thing had happened before. For this to happen once without anybody noticing was odd, but technically possible. It got more and more unbelievable the more times it happened. Surely somebody would have noticed a Sith so close to the Chancellor.

But…but it wasn't Dogma's place to question the Jedi. They knew more about the Sith than he did. They knew what they were talking about, except…except their theory didn't make any sense. But Dogma couldn't question them. They were the Jedi. They were his Generals. He was just a replaceable clone. A soldier who followed orders.

'A slave' General Skywalker's voice echoed in his head, but Dogma pushed it back. He wasn't a slave. The General was just seeing something that wasn't there…but why would he see something that would give Dogma a reason to question the Jedi? Were they testing his loyalty? Seeing just how devoted to the Republic he was? Did they just want to know if he would still willingly serve them even if he thought he was being forced?

Dogma's head hurt. He wished he was back on the frontline. Those orders were much less confusing to follow.

"What are the Jedi going to do to you?" Dogma asked.

"I think they're trying to figure out how to look past the modified memories." Fox said.

"But what if the memories aren't modified?" Dogma asked. Fox' grip on him tightened.

"Jesse wondered the same thing." Fox' voice shook ever so slightly. "That's why they're debating it. Apparently just going into someone's mind shouldn't hurt unless they fight you on it. If they're trying to see a modified memory, they'll be met with some resistance, so it'll be uncomfortable and a little painful."

Dogma stiffened when he heard Fox' breathing grow a bit harsh. He sounded scared. "If no modifications have been made and they try to fix something that isn't broken, they could end up damaging my mind."

Dogma had a healthy caution and respect for the Jedi, but he'd never been truly scared of them until now. He knew their powers were capable of doing a lot of frightening things, but the Jedi themselves were peacekeepers. They didn't cause damage without a good reason. If looking into Fox' mind had even the chance of revealing who the Sith was, that should be a risk worth taking. Even if the Jedi were wrong and Fox ended up getting hurt in the process, well, that would just mean that his account was true and the Jedi would know that the Chancellor was responsible for the torture.

This was war, and sacrifices had to be made. If Dogma was in Fox' position he would volunteer to let his mind be read, no matter how much it might be hurt. But Dogma wasn't the one who would suffer. Fox would, and that wasn't okay. It wasn't okay at all.

"They're not looking into your mind." Dogma said fiercely, surprising himself with the determination that he said it. "I-I won't let them." And Dogma was elated and terrified to realize that he meant it. He shouldn't even consider questioning the Jedi, let alone fighting them on their decision, but if the alternative was to let Fox suffer he would take on the entirety of the Jedi Council. It was a fight he knew he would lose, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. Nobody was getting to his buir.

Fox hummed slightly. "We both know you wouldn't be able to stop them."

He was probably right, but that wouldn't stop Dogma from trying, and he knew he wasn't the only one. "The guard will fight for you."

Fox shook his head. "You shouldn't, but you're not the only ones. Jesse, Thorn, and Stone are in the Council room now, throwing themselves in a debate that they have no place in." Dogma had briefly wondered where Jesse had gone. It warmed his heart that his brother was fighting for his Commander.

He knew that Jesse had been spending some time with the guards. He seemed to be understanding them a little more. Dogma had been slow to trust him, because he didn't know why he would change so suddenly. But Jesse wasn't a liar . He didn't play deceitful games. He wore his heart on his sleeve. If he saw a problem, he said so, even if it meant speaking up against the Jedi. That was nothing new. Dogma just wasn't used to being someone that Jesse would think was worth fighting for.

He was just one soldier. Expandable. A single face in a crowd of millions. Dogma's life meant nothing. He knew that, and he'd accepted it, but he wasn't going to accept the same thing about Fox. His Commander wasn't a pawn in the fight between the Sith and the Jedi, free to be moved around and manipulated as they pleased. Fox was far more than that, and Dogma would die before he let the Jedi even consider that he wasn't.

"You fight for me." Dogma said. "For all of us. Let someone fight for you for once."

Fox huffed and nudged Dogma. "Look, why don't we just fight with each other? Side by side. Together."

Dogma smiled to himself. "Together." He liked the sound of that. He didn't want to think about who they were fighting. He knew if he let his thoughts go there then he would shut down and stop fighting altogether, and then Fox and his vode would have to pick up his slack. He couldn't do that to them. Not again.

On Kamino they had been taught to fight and not really question why. They knew who their enemies were. They knew who they followed. They didn't need more than that.

But now Dogma had more. He had a 'why'. He had people to defend. People to fight for. He had vode, and all he wanted to do was fight by their side. Even if he didn't know who they were fighting anymore, he was with his brothers. They would fight together.

They would probably lose because no clone could stand a chance against a Jedi, let alone the entire Council, but that didn't matter. They were soldiers. It was their purpose to fight for a seemingly hopeless cause. And maybe tomorrow Dogma's reasoning would catch up to his fondness for his Commander. Maybe his cowardice and awkwardness would rear its head again the second there was a confrontation.

But right now, sitting with Fox in the otherwise empty entry halls of the Jedi Temple, Dogma felt strong, safe, and protective. The guard, his family, were the most important thing in his life, and he wasn't going to let the Jedi hurt Fox just because they didn't trust him. He deserved better than that. Maybe they all did.

Chapter Text

Anakin was tired. He always was after a campaign. Some battles weighed heavier on him than others though. There had been many times when they would spend months on end on a campaign, or have a mission that ended in countless casualties. Those were the battles that weighed on Anakin's soul and made him feel like he was a thousand years old. Those sorts of missions left him wondering just what all of this was for? What was the point in fighting for freedom when the battle never ended, and those he was fighting for and with died before they saw the fruit of their labor?

Umbara hadn't been a battle like that, but Anakin had the horrible feeling that it could have been. If he hadn't returned, what would Krell have done? Anakin had heard vaguely about Krell before this whole thing. The Jedi spoke highly of him and called him a good leader. He got good results, so Anakin hadn't questioned it. After witnessing and feeling his cruelty as seen in Dogma's eyes, that opinion had changed immediately.

Anakin spent the entire flight to Umbara taking another look at Krell's history. His reports contained a massive and concerning number of casualties of the troopers that served under him. Anakin had noted that before, but he hadn't thought anything of it because he had high casualty numbers too. It came with being part of as many campaigns as they were. When you served more frequently, and in more dangerous situations, you lost more men. It was an unfortunate fact of life.

After what he had learned from Dogma and Jesse though, Anakin began to wonder just how many of those casualties had been unavoidable. Was Krell actually a good leader, or was he just someone who knew how to use and throw away the tools at his disposal?

Just thinking that made Anakin feel sick. He had a strong suspicion which way Krell leaned, and he wasn't going to let it stand. Anakin couldn't do anything about Krell other than stop him from doing anything to the 501st, but he could report him to the Jedi Council. They would figure out the truth.

But Krell wasn't Anakin's biggest concern. Dealing with him on Umbara had been the immediate issue, but now that that was dealt with he needed to let it go. Krell was a problem, but there was far more than that.

Dogma was a slave. Anakin didn't know if he literally was, or if he just had one bad trainer who put the idea into his head, and those who were in positions of power over him didn't know enough to recognize the problem for what it was.

In a way, it didn't really matter if this was all in Dogma's head or if it was so much bigger than that. It was real to Dogma. Anakin knew from personal experience how hard it was to fight the 'slave instincts' that were drilled into you. Even when nobody else around him saw him as an inferior slave, that didn't change how he felt about himself. On really bad days Anakin still felt like he was that same little slave boy.

Anakin felt like he was the worst person to help Dogma with this. He knew that Dogma was worth just as much as anybody else, but how was he supposed to show him how to see himself that way when Anakin struggled to do just that?

Anakin just hoped that the Council would be able to do more than he could. Sometimes he felt like he despised the Jedi Council, because they talked in riddles and talked in a way that made him feel like they looked down on him. Usually though he respected the Jedi Council and looked up to them. He wanted to have the inner-peace that all of them had. He wanted to be a good leader that the people around him admired.

They'd be able to figure out why Dogma felt the way he did. More than that, they'd be able to help him heal. They had to. This was the exact kind of thing that the Jedi stood for, and Anakin liked to think that nobody on the Council would be happy with the idea that any of their troopers were only following them because they were too scared of what the consequences would be if they didn't.

Anakin liked to relax after coming back from a campaign. His men deserved a break, and he wanted to at least have the chance to spend the night with his wife before he had to think about his work again. He couldn't do that this time. He had to return to the Jedi Temple immediately and take care of this Dogma situation.

When they landed on Coruscant Anakin wasted no time. He didn't stop to say hi to Padmé. He didn't make sure they had gotten through the proper landing procedures, or take care of his droids or ship. He didn't touch the mission reports he was supposed to fill out immediately. He just went to the Temple. Rex and Kix followed just behind him. They both had far too much work to do, but they were too worried about Dogma to be convinced to stick around.

He had expected to find Dogma in the halls of healing. He had been through a lot of trauma, and he didn't know how to deal with it. The healers could get through his blocked memories, and they would know how to get him past it. To be able to find enough peace in the painful memories that he didn't have to block them out completely.

Anakin walked with purpose to the halls of healing, and he could immediately tell that something was wrong. He could feel a tension in the air that didn't belong in the temple, let alone in these rooms. He heard shouting. He didn't sense a threat, but it was clear that there was conflict.

He followed the noise and the bad feelings until he came to one of the more private rooms. A room intended for injuries of the mind. This was supposed to be one of the calmest rooms in the halls, but it was far from peaceful.

There were a number of clones there. He recognized Dogma, Jesse, Hardcase, and Tup. The two others were strangers to him. One of the unknown clones was clearly the injured one. He was sitting on one of the beds. He wasn't in his armor, and Anakin saw the hints of fresh injuries on his chest. Injuries that were nearly completely healed. Based on the tension in his shoulders, and what room they were in, Anakin knew that he still had a lot of recovering to do.

Half of the Jedi Council was in this room. Mace Windu was trying to speak calmly, rationally, and slightly patronizingly, but Anakin couldn't make out his words because Jesse and Hardcase were shouting over him.

Anakin scowled. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't like it. Jesse and Hardcase could be disrespectful and outspoken sometimes, just like many of Anakin's men would be, but they wouldn't yell at the Jedi Council and glare at them like they were a threat for no reason. Something was bothering his men, and he intended to find out what.

"What's going on here?" Anakin raised his voice, using his General voice to cut over the noise. Jesse and Hardcase stopped yelling, but the anger in their eyes didn't go away.

"Apparently the Jedi don't know how to take 'no' for an answer." Hardcase spat. Mace Windu's mouth thinned.

"This matter is too big to ignore just because it makes you uncomfortable." Windu said. "We've talked about it, and we believe that the benefits outweigh the potential risks."

"That's easy to say when you're not the one in danger." The uninjured unknown clone said. By his armor it was clear that he was in the Coruscant Guard, though Anakin had never seen a guard without his helmet before. It was unsettling just how human he looked. The guard had always acted far more stiff and obediently than the GAR. Anakin knew they were clones, just like any other, but it was still odd to see the evidence of that right in front of him.

"He's not in danger." Windu said tiredly. He sounded as though he had said this same thing a dozen times.

"You said it will hurt if he's right." Jesse said. "Looking into someone's mind isn't supposed to hurt."

"You c-can't punish him for being right." Dogma pushed himself in front of Jesse, getting directly between the Jedi and the clone on the bed. "It's not fair."

And Anakin knew that tone of his. He knew it all too well. That shaky and determined tone was just like what he had heard back on Tatooine. His mom used it all the time. It was the tone that a slave would adopt when they dared to speak against their master to defend someone else.

Anakin felt that familiar protectiveness rise. Dogma shouldn't feel like this. Nobody should.

"Dogma." Anakin reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. Dogma stiffened and the cold bravery in his eyes faltered as he made a barely audible sound of fear. Anakin was sure he was the only one who heard it, and he hated himself for being responsible for this.

"I-I'm not going to let them hurt him." Dogma said quietly.

"Believe me, it isn't our intention to hurt anybody." Windu said. "But for his own good, and for the good of the entire galaxy, I must insist that you stand aside."

Anakin's protective fury came out in an instant. He pulled Dogma behind him and glared at Windu. "Do not tell him what to do. Ever."

Windu sighed tiredly. "Skywalker, this is bigger than just one clone."

"He's a person." Anakin growled. "And his name is Dogma."

"Refuting that, we are not." Yoda said. "However, find the Sith, we must."

Anakin felt lost. "What does this have to do with the Sith?"

"The Jedi say that Commander Fox was hurt by the Sith." Jesse said. "They're trying to get their identity from him, but they don't believe what he has to say, so they want to torture it out of him instead?"

Anakin was feeling a little dizzy by now. The Sith? Anakin had come here to deal with Dogma, and now there was a Sith? And they'd managed to get to the Commander of the Coruscant Guard, who worked with the most influential people in the galaxy. How did the Sith get to him without any of the Jedi noticing? And what was this that Jesse said about the Jedi torturing the Commander for information? They would never do that. But the clones' fear was genuine.

As Anakin tried to wrap his head around what had just been said he heard Rex make a wounded sound behind him.

"Ori-vod?" Rex sounded so vulnerable.

The clone on the bed, Fox, grimaced and sat up straighter. "I'm fine, Rex."

"Fine?" Rex sounded flabbergasted. "You had a run-in with the Sith, and you expect me to believe that you're fine?"

"I wasn't hurt by the Sith." Fox scoffed. "It was…" He trailed off and gave Anakin an odd look. He seemed scared of telling him the truth. Anakin didn't want anybody to look like that ever again.

"Who was it?" Anakin asked. He put as much of a calming influence as he could into his voice. He wasn't nearly as good at it as Obi-Wan was, but he'd picked up a thing or two.

Fox took a deep breath. "You're not going to believe me, but it was the Chancellor."

Things were just getting weirder and weirder. "The Chancellor hurt you? Why would he do that?" Anakin couldn't even comprehend the idea. He wanted to brush it aside without a second thought, but he couldn't bring himself to just disbelieve Fox. Not when he could hear his mom's voice in the back of his head telling him to always believe a slave and give them the benefit of the doubt, regardless of how unbelievable their story was.

"I disobeyed him." Fox said plainly. "I needed to be disciplined." This was sounding more and more familiar. Anakin knew that not all clones saw themselves as slaves, but he wondered if Dogma might not be the only one.

He wanted to ask Fox about this and figure out where this mind-set had come from, but Windu was already talking, and he had a completely different set of concerns.

"It couldn't have been the Chancellor." Windu said. "You were hurt by Force lightning and had signs of the dark side lingering in you."

Fox frowned. "I know."

"Only a Sith could have been responsible for this." Windu said. "Are you claiming that the Chancellor is the Sith?"

"Of course not." Fox made a face.

"And yet you believe he disciplined you with an ability that only the Sith would use." Windu said. "You can see why we suspect your memory has been modified." Fox just looked confused and a little frustrated. Anakin got the feeling that they'd had this same discussion multiple times.

"This is getting us nowhere." Anakin looked at Fox. "I think I have an idea, but I'll need to go into your memories." He didn't want to do anything without permission. Not when it was becoming clear that Fox might have had a lot of his choices and free-will taken from him. Anakin wasn't going to take anything else.

Fox looked wary, and Anakin didn't know how to start to convince him. Dogma sat next to Fox and made the commander turn his head to look at him. Dogma rested his forehead against Fox' in a clear sign of affection.

"It doesn't hurt." Dogma said. "He did it to me, and I didn't feel anything."

Fox sighed and closed his eyes. "If you trust him, D'ika, then I'll trust him."

Dogma gave him a small smile before pulling away and giving Anakin a warning look. He had no intention of betraying their trust.

"You were hurt." Anakin put one hand on Fox' chest, where he felt the most amount of lingering darkness. It was a swirling, ugly, heavy feeling, and he couldn't imagine how it felt to Fox. He put his other hand on Fox' head. "There was darkness. Anger. Pain. Show me." He pushed past Fox' natural barriers and let himself into his head. He didn't see much. There was a block there. Something powerful was obstructing things.

Anakin could probably force his way past the blockage, but that would hurt Fox and he wouldn't become a liar about this. Besides, while Anakin couldn't see a lot he could feel plenty. This memory had a strong presence in the Force. It radiated in power and potent energy that carried the feeling of darkness and rage.

The sound of crackling was dancing in his ears, and it took Anakin a long time to realize that there were two distinct sounds. He heard the electrical surge of lightning, and he heard the dark sadistic laughter of someone who thrived in the darkness surrounding them.

"You know why you deserve this." The voice behind the laughter said. "You know you've left me no choice."

Anakin pulled away from Fox, and it took him several long moments to calm down and recenter himself. He was fine. He wasn't drowning in darkness. Any lingering shadows he felt came from his own anger, and Anakin needed to push past that. He couldn't let himself be consumed by the darkness. Not again.

"Was that okay?" Anakin asked Fox. "Any pain?"

Fox was still for a bit before shaking his head. "No pain, Sir."

"Good, because we're going to do it again." Anakin said. "This time just think about the Chancellor. Try not to think about your punishment. Just the Chancellor." Maybe Fox' memories had been modified, but there was a way to figure out if that was the case or not. A way that didn't involve tearing his mind apart to get to the truth.

The soul was a powerful thing. Stronger than mere memories. Even if the mind forgot, the body and soul remembered. That was why Dogma had been able to warn Anakin of Krell being a threat, even though he'd repressed his memories of interacting with him. Anakin had at least an idea of what Fox had experienced with the Sith. Now he needed to know what his experiences with the Chancellor were, and see if they were remotely similar.

Even if the Sith had changed Fox' memories, they couldn't change the commander's feelings.

Anakin went into Fox' mind again, and was confused to find that his thoughts on the Chancellor were just as blocked as his ones about the Sith were. There was still a feeling of lingering darkness around, but it was quieter and more subdued, lying in wait instead of actively choking. He felt reluctance and resignation from Fox, as well as a dash of fear. It was far too similar to how Dogma had felt about Krell.

"I really had expected more from you, Commander." It sounded like the Chancellor's voice, but the tone wasn't quite right. That wasn't how he talked to Anakin. It wasn't how he talked to the public, or the senators, or the Jedi Council. But then, he used a different tone for all those groups. Padmé had told Anakin once that it came with being a politician, that they needed to adopt a different tone depending on who they were talking to. Anakin understood that, but he didn't like it.

"You were trained to be better than this." The Chancellor's voice sounded both patronizing and passive aggressive. It was like hearing the worst of the Jedi Council. "I really am quite disappointed."

Anakin had seen enough. This was far from proof that the Chancellor was the Sith, which still felt unreal and impossible, but that wasn't what Anakin could bring himself to worry about right now. That was something that the Jedi focused on. Anakin was still stuck in the mind-set of an ex-slave. He couldn't think like a Jedi right now. He would leave that to the Council.

Anakin pulled back from Fox, giving him a sad look that was too sympathetic and real to be pity. "You see the Chancellor the same way that Dogma sees the Jedi." Fox didn't seem to understand, but Dogma and Rex both paled and Jesse immediately started swearing up a storm.

The Jedi didn't seem to know what he was talking about, and they didn't care. "What did you see?" Windu asked.

Anakin turned away from the clones and faced the Jedi. "The Commander's thoughts about the Sith are clouded, but so are his thoughts about the Chancellor. Why would the Sith modify his memories about Palpatine?"

"A good question, that is." Yoda hummed. "Meditate on it, we must. Consider all possibilities." He looked at Fox, who was starting to look uncomfortable with the attention he was getting from Dogma and Rex. "More questions we will have for you, but not for tonight. Rest. Calm your thoughts, and let go of the fear inside of you. Force or no, vulnerable to the dark side it makes you. When ready you are, talk we shall." Yoda left the room. Some of the Council members followed him.

Windu stayed behind for a minute. He looked at both Dogma and Fox. "I know we asked a lot from you. You have every right to be upset. But you need to understand that we asked out of necessity, not because we wanted to make you uncomfortable."

Tup had been quiet this whole time, but he finally spoke up. "If you ask something, there's the possibility of getting refused. Hardcase is right. You didn't let Fox say no. Is that a question, or a command?"

Dogma gave Tup an odd look and Fox raised an eyebrow at him. They both seemed confused, like they didn't understand the difference between the two things. When Anakin was younger it had taken him a long time to understand the difference himself. Obi-Wan and the Jedi had helped him to learn how to say 'no'.

Anakin wondered at what point the Jedi had started to turn their questions and suggestions into orders. Windu looked thoughtful as he seemed to start to wonder the same thing. He nodded at Tup and the other clones, nodded at Anakin, and then left the room. As soon as he was gone Dogma visibly relaxed. Anakin hadn't realized how tense he was. He wondered how much more Dogma would relax if he wasn't here.

Anakin sighed. He was so tired. "I'll speak to the Council. I'm not going to let any of them hurt you." He looked at Fox. "I'll see what I can do about keeping the clones away from the Chancellor. The red guards can take over for a bit." He didn't really believe that the Chancellor could or would hurt anybody, but Fox' fear was real, and Anakin was going to respect that. Until they knew what was going on, making such a simple change was the least they could do.

Fox looked relieved but confused, like he didn't understand why Anakin would do anything for him. "Thank you, Sir." He didn't really sound convinced that Anakin was going to follow through with his promise. He would just have to prove himself. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Do you guys want to see a mind healer?" Anakin asked. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but it might help."

Tup raised his hand. "I do." He gave Dogma a pleading look.

"I guess I've been curious about their methods." Dogma admitted. Tup beamed at him, and Anakin took that to mean that it was an agreement.

"I've been curious about the same thing." Kix said.

"I'm fine." Fox said. Rex shot him a stern look.

"No, you're not getting out of this." Rex said. "You're seeing a mind healer."

"For once we agree about something." The other guard said, and Anakin was furious with himself that he didn't know his name. He'd never bothered to learn any of the names of the guard, other than Commander Fox, and that was just because he was in charge. It didn't seem like it had mattered before.

Well, it mattered now.

"Anakin Skywalker." He introduced himself, holding his hand out to the guard, who looked at him for a long minute before accepting his hand and giving it a firm shake.

"Commander Stone." He said. "I'm the one currently on Fox babysitting duty. He's not allowed to be alone after he gets disciplined this badly." Which meant that this kind of thing had not just happened before, but somewhat regularly. From the way that Stone was looking at him Anakin got the feeling that he'd let this information slip on purpose to see how he would react.

"Sounds like a good protocol." Anakin said. Stone looked stunned by the response, and Anakin hoped that meant he had done something right. "I'll get the mind healers, and then I'll leave you in peace."

He left the room and started to make his way out of the halls of healing. He paused when he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

"General!" Jesse ran to catch up with him. "Is everything okay with Krell?"

"I got there before anything happened." Anakin said. "And I'm about to report him to the Council." He looked at Jesse, who was holding something in his hands. He looked slightly hesitant. "Is there something else?"

"I didn't know that Fox saw himself as a slave." Jesse said quickly. "But we've known that something's been weird about Dogma. He learned all kinds of crazy things on Kamino, and he's convinced that it was all normal. You said he would have been taught to be a slave. I don't know where Fox learned it, but if Dogma learned it anywhere it was on Kamino."

Jesse held out the datapad in his hands. "Dogma takes very thorough notes. There's a lot to get through."

Anakin accepted the datapad. "Does Dogma know you have his notes?"

"He doesn't." Jesse said. "But he's accepted our help to figure this out." Jesse was pushing the boundaries of what he'd been given permission to do. That was what he did.

"I'll see what I can get from this." Anakin said. He'd talk to Shaak Ti about this whole thing. She knew better than any of the other Jedi what kinds of things they taught on Kamino. She would know how these notes compared to what the clones were supposably taught. "Thank you."

"Thank you, Sir." Jesse said. "For fighting for us."

"You guys have been fighting for the entire Republic." Anakin said. "It's only fair that somebody returns the favor." Anakin knew how it felt to be in their position. Now that he had the power and influence to do something about it, he was going to.

Maybe he should be worrying about finding the Sith. There were bigger things to worry about. But nobody else was fighting for the clones. What was the point in saving the galaxy if the people who lived in it would continue to suffer?

Anakin knew he couldn't save everybody, but he wasn't ever going to stop trying.

Chapter Text

Hardcase wasn't too smart. It was something he knew about himself, and he had long-since accepted it. He had a lot of other things that he was good at, and he'd rather focus on those than his flaws.

He knew how to have fun, even during the war that their lives revolved around. He didn't let the constant fighting and blood-shed get to him, because he had figured out how to focus on the moments of brightness and fun in-between the battles. And he knew how to help his brothers do the same.

And though Hardcase struggled to focus sometimes, he was attentive. One didn't become an expert in firearms unless they could have an eye for detail. Hardcase couldn't notice everything the way that Kix and Dogma seemed to, but he still noticed more than most other clones did. He noticed when something was a little bigger or a little smaller than it should be. When he saw movements or shadows out of the corner of his eye he fixated on it until he knew what it was. He couldn't dismiss it like apparently most brothers could.

So Hardcase noticed when they were being followed. He and Tup had finally found the right time to bring Dogma out onto the town. He'd been resistant. It was hard to get Dogma to let go and relax. It had taken the combined efforts of Hardcase's persistence and strong-arming, Tup's tooka eyes and assurances that they would return to the barracks as soon as he wanted to, and Fox' insistence that Dogma take a day off for him to reluctantly agree. Even then he'd only gone willingly when Jesse had pointed out that Hardcase had a tendency to find trouble, and that maybe he should have someone there to make sure he didn't find himself in a mess he couldn't get out of.

They had started by going down to the lower levels, but they hadn't stayed as long as they wanted to. Hardcase had wanted to go to that store with the flimsi books and pages, or to look at some of those smaller restaurants and diners that were only on the lower levels because the snobs on the upper levels would have kicked up a fuss if they had to look at it at all.

Dogma probably would have liked those places, and he might have been able to relax, but they had to get through the streets to get there, and that was where the problem was. They weren't on the very low levels, but they were low enough that things were fairly sketchy. Nobody caused trouble, but Dogma couldn't help but keep an eye out for suspicious activity.

He was acting like he was on the job, which wouldn't be that bad except that he was supposed to be taking it easy. If they saw a crime in progress they would all step in to do something about it, but Dogma was actively looking for said crime.

What Hardcase was worried about was that if Dogma saw, say, a burglar, he would run off after them without telling his brothers why. They would go after him, of course, but on Coruscant, regardless of what level you were on, it was far too easy to lose sight of someone. Fox had hammered it into all of their heads that no clone should be alone on Coruscant, no excuses. A month ago Hardcase would have dismissed the warning without a second thought. Now, after knowing about the Demonstrations, and seeing Fox recovering from his Sith encounter and/or disciplinary meeting with the Chancellor, Hardcase wasn't going to take the chance.

So staying on the lower levels was out of the question. That was fine. There was other stuff to do with Dogma on the upper levels, and Hardcase could always come back here later to grab something for him.

It was when they were waiting for transit to get them back to the surface that Hardcase noticed their stalker, though he wasn't sure what he saw at first. There were a lot of suspicious figures around, and most of them barely spared them a second glance. He probably could have convinced himself that he was letting Dogma's paranoia get the best of him, but his mind couldn't help but fixate on the shadow that he had probably imagined.

Hardcase stared intently at the corner where he had seen the movement from. He continued to stare until their transport arrived. Tup and Dogma got on, and it would have left without him if Dogma hadn't gone back and grabbed his arm, pulling him on.

"What are you doing?" Dogma hissed, half accusatory and half curiously as the doors started to close. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." Hardcase spared one last look towards the corner before turning away. He was ready to brush the whole thing under the rug, but then, right before the doors closed, he saw movement and a flash of white out of the corner of his eye again.

He was on high alert after that, though Hardcase pretended that it was nothing, because maybe it was. Their day continued on, and the longer they were out the move convinced Hardcase was that he wasn't imagining anything.

He saw a flash of movement again when they were at the small museum. When they went to the botany garden he noticed some white and blue that just didn't match the colors of the rest of the place.

Hardcase acted normal through it all, not saying a word to the others. At first he stayed silent because he thought he was just seeing things. After seeing the movement for the fifth or so time he was fairly confident that something was actually there, but he still didn't tell Tup and Dogma. They were enjoying their day out. Dogma was smiling as he rambled on about things that Hardcase was too distracted to follow. Tup seemed enthralled though, hanging on to Dogma's every word.

Both of them were acting young, like kids, and Hardcase was more than happy to let them keep doing so. Clones had never gotten the chance to be kids, and Dogma especially hadn't been able to just grow and enjoy himself without impossible expectations.

They had been soldiers their whole lives, and they would be until the day they died. What was the harm in letting them take just a single day to pretend they could be something else?

When they went to one of Coruscant's few parks Dogma took over the role of tour guide. Apparently the guard frequently came to the parks during their patrols. They said it was because there were a lot of illegal transactions and suspicious activity that happened here, which there was, but the parks were also one of the few quiet places on Coruscant, and the patrolling guards came here when they needed a break but couldn't leave their patrol.

Dogma, being Dogma, frequently came to these parks on his patrols, because he would regularly get overwhelmed at work and refuse to admit it. His patrolling partner at the time would bring him to the park so they could continue doing their job, but not have to deal with the two-faced senators or the hustle and bustle of the city.

Back in the 501st, Dogma would have fought any and all accommodations that someone would try to make for him. He would insist that he wasn't a cadet, and that he was supposed to be better. Better than what, he wouldn't say. Just better.

Hardcase didn't know what type of magic the Coruscant Guard had managed to pull off, but Dogma clearly didn't struggle as much with accepting help as he used to. If one of the guard offered to let Dogma have the bed an hour earlier than usual, he accepted the extra sleep with a quiet appreciation, instead of insisting that he was fine because he couldn't fathom the thought that he was as entitled to sleep as anybody else.

Before, Tup was always the one who had to ask Dogma if he would brush his hair, and Dogma had always agreed with clear reluctance. Now Dogma was the one who went to Tup when he needed the grounding and comforting motions.

It wasn't perfect. Dogma didn't accept help all the time, and not from everybody, but he was making progress. Just the other day Jesse had 'accidentally' bought too much of a sugary treat (using money that was given to him by General Skywalker for this very purpose). Jesse had offered the extra to Dogma, and he'd accepted it. Sure, Dogma had first asked if Jesse was sure he didn't want it, and then he'd offered it to Hardcase, just in case he might want it more, but after that he had accepted the treat.

Maybe not everybody would see this as a big deal, but Hardcase did. He didn't think Dogma would ever be able to be completely selfish. It was hard to find any clone who was capable of pure selfishness. But he was thinking about himself more, and if that wasn't a sign that he was doing better than Hardcase didn't know what was.

It was nice to see the kid excited to show them his favorite places to relax. Hardcase wanted to see them, but he saw that movement out of the corner of his eyes again, and he wanted to try something. Obviously they were being followed, but which of them was the primary target?

When Dogma pulled Tup towards a series of bushes to show him a small pond and waterfall that was hidden behind there, Hardcase stayed behind. "Nah, you guys go ahead. I want to rest my feet for a minute."

Dogma looked just a little disappointed, but it didn't last. Tup grabbed his hand and pulled him along. His enthusiasm was more than enough to make up for Hardcase's temporary absence. The two kids disappeared behind the bushes and trees. Hardcase went to a bench in the opposite direction, where he would have a better view of the place where he had seen the movement and shadows.

He leaned back and made his body relax even as he remained completely aware. He looked like he was resting his eyes, but he was focusing intently on the corner. Sure enough he soon saw the movement again. White and blue, and sure they weren't being noticed. It was his first good look at their stalker, and he wasn't at all surprised at who it was. He had half expected this. It just made him glad that he hadn't told the others, because he knew that Tup wouldn't be happy with their follower, and Dogma would put all of his walls up again.

"Hey, Fives." Hardcase said easily. There was a moment of stillness before Fives made his way out of the darkness. He looked more uncertain that Hardcase had ever seen him. He'd always been so confident and sure of himself.

"Hey, 'case." Fives said with forced casualness. "Haven't seen you guys in a while."

"Sorry 'bout that." Hardcase scooted over on the bench to make room for Fives. "We've been busy."

"I know." Fives said. "Though nobody's told me with what."

Hardcase shrugged. "Didn't think you cared."

Fives sighed and sat down. He looked tired. "I don't hate Dogma." He looked at Hardcase. "Kix said there was a medical emergency, and that's why you had to leave. But he seems fine, and I know you're all fine. So did you guys come here because something was wrong and it's better now, or did you come here because you wanted to see him so you bent the rules?"

Hardcase gave Fives a careful look. "You know the answer." Anybody who knew anything about Dogma would know that he wouldn't tolerate such a blatant display of breaking the rules and abusing the system. He'd barely tolerated their presence even when he knew he genuinely needed their support. He wouldn't stand for them being there if it was just for fun.

"Yeah, guess I do." Fives seemed to slump. "Is he…is he doing better?"

Hardcase had gotten so used to looking for secondary meanings in what Dogma said that he noticed the slight inconsistency between this question and a previous comment. "You said he seemed fine." That implied that Fives thought that Dogma was doing better, so why would he ask?

Fives huffed. "Dogma's good at faking he's okay. He has a thousand different masks that say 'I'm fine'." He shook his head. There was a hint of something in his eyes. Hardcase didn't know if it was sadness, regret, or resentment. "I don't know how to recognize when he's wearing a mask. I just know they're there because me and Jess would tear them away so often. We could always get him to freak out, and it just makes more sense that he was always freaking out, and he just had his masks to hide it."

So Fives had noticed things about Dogma. The whole mask thing made sense, and it was something that Hardcase had noticed but hadn't really thought about or bothered to put words to. He didn't think Jesse knew about the masks. As far as he was concerned, Dogma really did seem to lose it over absolutely nothing.

Hardcase was fascinated by Fives' observation, because it went against something that the other had made perfectly clear a long time ago. "Echo didn't have masks. He didn't pretend."

Fives flinched ever so slightly at the mention of his twin. "No, he didn't." He sounded resigned, like he knew where Hardcase was going with this.

"You've called Dogma a shadow of Echo." Hardcase said. "Numerous times."

Fives' eye twitched. "I did."

"But you saw how he was different." Hardcase said. Fives had found a difference that the others hadn't, or at least hadn't realized they'd seen. "You focused on it, all while trying to convince us and yourself that he was just a 'cheap replacement'."

Fives clenched his hands into fists. He looked pained and frustrated. "I didn't…I didn't mean that. I just-"

"He reminded you of Echo." Hardcase said.

"He reminded me of what Echo used to be." Fives said. "Before we left Kamino. He was such a stickler, and a suck up. I could barely stand him." Fives smiled bitterly. "I only tolerated him because we were part of the same squad, and we all knew we would never leave Kamino if we couldn't work together."

Hardcase frowned. Fives and Echo hadn't always been the inseparable twins? That was news to him. "What changed?"

"I don't even know." Fives said. "Maybe he eased up on the rules a bit. Maybe after so long of forcing myself to get along with him he just grew on me. Maybe he just needed to get away from the Kaminoans and those assessment classes."

Hardcase's chest tightened before he even registered what he had heard. "Assessment classes?" He'd never heard that term before.

"That's what Echo called them." Fives said far too casually, like this was normal for him, even though Hardcase was so unfamiliar with it. "Echo and some others in different squads had a few more classes every week. When we asked him what the classes were about he said they were just more of the same of what we were already learning."

Now that was something that Hardcase was familiar with. Dogma had said the same thing before, and it didn't take them long to figure out that it was definitely not true. Hardcase knew that there were other clones out there who had gone through the same training as Dogma, but he hadn't thought that Echo would have been one of them.

Hardcase didn't know what expression was on his face. Horror. Anger. Something else completely different. Whatever was there it made Fives chuckle slightly.

"I know. I made the same face when I heard about extra classes." Fives said. "Who wants to spend more time with those long-necks? What's even the point?" Fives' casual and somewhat playful expression slipped away as he looked at Hardcase, whose stomach was twisting up more with every second. "Why are you so mad?"

Hardcase didn't know how much to tell Fives. Would he care? Maybe. Maybe not. There was only one way to know for sure. "Dogma had extra classes."

Fives rolled his eyes. "Figures."

"He was in them starting when he was five." Hardcase said. Fives grew still.

"Funny." He said. "Echo was in them when we were eight. It didn't even last a whole year before they cancelled the classes."

"Why'd they cancel them?" Hardcase asked.

Fives was quiet for a minute as he thought about it. It had been years since they were eight. "They were getting ready for a test or a demonstration or something. Echo can normally ace any test, but he was nervous about this one and never told us why. Then one day he came back and said the classes were over and they weren't going to be tested. When I asked why he just said that the Kaminoans thought it would be a waste of resources to continue. That they needed more time to make a real judgment."

"More time." Hardcase didn't pay a lot of attention to clone ages, because once you were on the field it didn't really matter how old you were. But he knew how old Fives and Echo were, and how old Dogma was. Echo's classes would have ended around the same time when Dogma's started.

"What does assessment classes mean?" Hardcase said. "Were they assessing the skills of the clones? Or teaching them how to assess better?" Both seemed like they could be the case. The Demonstrations, and the tests that Echo had been nervous about, suggested that the Kaminoans had been watching and testing them carefully, even more so than they did with the rest of the clones. On the other hand, Dogma was able to assess situations in a way that most others couldn't, and they assumed that was something he'd learned in those classes. Could both be the case?

"I don't even know." Fives said. "I have better things to do than think about classes that stopped years ago."

"But they didn't stop." Hardcase said. "They just started over with younger cadets."

Fives looked uncomfortable, but that stubborn dismissal remained in his eyes. He knew something was wrong, but he didn't want to think about it. Hardcase pushed the issue.

"You said Echo was scared of being tested." Hardcase was sure that it wasn't a traditional test. It had to be a Demonstration. The Kaminoans weren't planning on testing their knowledge or skills, they were going to test their loyalty. Their effectiveness as soldiers. "Dogma's been through those tests. Seven times now. The last one, it happened here, on Coruscant."

Fives' mouth thinned and he wouldn't look at Hardcase now. He just stared ahead. He didn't point out that Dogma couldn't have been tested by the Kaminoans recently, because the long-necks didn't really care what happened to the clones when they weren't on Kamino anymore. Maybe Fives knew that this wasn't a normal test either.

"What happened?" Fives asked, his voice lacking emotion.

This was it. The final chance to see if Fives was willing to give Dogma a chance.

"A Jedi told him to shoot a brother." Hardcase said. Fives' breath hitched in his throat. "So he did."

"Why would he do that?" Fives asked. He wasn't shouting. He didn't even sound confused. He just sounded broken. "What test is worth harming a brother?"

"He had to." Hardcase said. All of them understood that much by now, though Hardcase remembered how horrified and confused he'd been when he'd first heard the news. "He was ordered to. And good soldiers follow orders." That was what Dogma said. What the Kaminoans said. What the little voice in the back of Hardcase's head that he didn't want to think about said.

There was far more to it than that. Dogma had fired the shot because he'd been made to feel like he couldn't say no. It wasn't his right. Skywalker understood it better than any of the rest of them, including Dogma, did. They didn't know how to fix things, but the General was working on it.

"Dogma's more than just a good soldier." Fives said defensively. Something about his tone was hard to understand. At first Hardcase thought that he was speaking badly of Dogma's 'choice'. That Fives was going to go on another rant about how they weren't meat droids, and they shouldn't act like they were. But this tone was different. This was how Fives sounded when someone tried to speak badly about a brother, or if he thought that teasing was going too far. Fives sounded like he was defending Dogma.

It was a step in the right direction.

"He is." Hardcase agreed. "But it's been hard to try to convince Dogma of that."

Fives was quiet for a moment. "You guys came here for a medical emergency. For Dogma. Did it have to do with him…with the test?"

Hardcase nodded. "He shut down. It was pretty bad." Hardcase hadn't seen it for himself, and he was glad for it. He got antsy and anxious at the thought of being completely still and silent for just a few minutes. The thought of seeing a brother completely unresponsive for a whole week was terrifying. "He couldn't handle thinking about what he'd done, so he blocked it out, just like he blocked out the other tests."

None of them knew what kinds of horrors he'd been made to do during the Demonstrations on Kamino. They would probably never know.

Fives groaned and rested his head in his hands. "Echo was so scared of the test. I didn't get it. He was impossibly relieved when it was cancelled. He'd be horrified if he knew that a bunch of kids were tested instead." He grew tense and dug his fingers into his head. If he had longer hair he would probably be pulling harshly at it. "He'd be horrified if he knew how I treated one of those kids." He scoffed and shook his head. "And the fact that it did it in his name…Jesse's right. He'd be ashamed."

It was the first time Fives had acknowledged that he might have done something wrong when it came to Dogma.

"So what do you want to do about it?" Hardcase asked. "That's why you were following us, right? You wanted to check on Dogma, and you didn't know how to approach him."

"I still don't know what to say to him." Fives said. "I know he's not Echo, but every time he looks at me I just see him, and it hurts all over again."

"That's why you pushed him so much." Hardcase didn't know for sure, but he suspected. "You wanted to bring out the part of him that didn't remind you of your vod."

Fives smiled in a self-deprecating way. "I guess I did." And Hardcase didn't know if it had been cruel or not. Yes, it hadn't been nice, and Dogma had all sorts of problems with trusting his brothers because of it, but it wasn't as simple as teasing that went too far. No matter how much Fives pushed Dogma, he would surely still be reminded of Echo, but he did it anyway. He wanted to interact with Dogma. He wanted to get to know him. This was just the easiest way for him to do so, even though it just ended up hurting both of them.

Hardcase didn't understand nuances and complicated relationships that well. Would it have been better for Fives to have just ignored Dogma completely so he didn't treat him badly, or for him to be mean and yet include him with Torrent. He honestly didn't know.

"I don't know how to start making things right." Fives said. "He's happy now. He's comfortable. That's going to change as soon as he sees me around. Me getting closure isn't worth it if I have to upset him to do so."

"I think clearing the air could be good for both of you." Hardcase said. If Dogma could start to make a tentative relationship with Jesse, then he could have at least tolerance and a small understanding with Fives. Though Hardcase didn't think Dogma needed to know that Fives had said that nobody would miss him. That knowledge would just be needlessly harmful and not get them anywhere.

Hardcase knew that Fives hadn't entirely meant it. He'd just been trying to convince himself of it so he didn't feel guilty for suggesting Dogma's transfer. It had been a mistake. Acknowledge it, don't do it again, and move on.

"We're trying to help Dogma." Hardcase said. "It's hard, because we don't know what's wrong. Everything we figure out just adds more questions. The classes are the key, but Dogma can't tell us what's going on because he doesn't really understand what we're looking for. He was in those classes since he was a kid. He doesn't know what made them different."

Hardcase gave Fives a careful look. "Echo didn't start until he was older. He told you about the classes."

Fives didn't look like he understood where Hardcase was going with this. Hardcase honestly wasn't sure if he knew himself, but this felt important. It felt like the last missing piece that would make everything make sense.

Hardcase wished Echo was here. He had gone through the classes, but not so much so that Hardcase would call it reconditioning the way he would with Dogma. Echo had been the middle ground. The cipher to solve the code.

Echo wasn't here, but Fives was.

"Can you help?" Hardcase asked. He wasn't sure what that help would look like. Maybe he would look over Dogma's notes and see if any of them rang a bell. Maybe he could tell Shaak Ti more about the lessons that Echo had taken, because from what Hardcase could tell she seemed to be having a hard time finding any information. Maybe he could just talk to Dogma. After all, Fives had been able to get information from Echo. Maybe he could get information from Dogma.

Maybe this wouldn't get them anywhere, but Hardcase wanted to try. Fives was his vod. Dogma was his vod'ika. All of Torrent, including Dogma, was his family, and Hardcase just really wanted them to be on friendly terms. He didn't want to feel like he had to pick a side.

They were all brothers. They should all take care of each other. As far as Hardcase was concerned it really was as simple as that.

Fives looked reluctant, but he nodded as he stood up. "I don't really understand what's going on, but if you need something from me just ask. After everything, it's the least I can do." He looked towards the bushes that Tup and Dogma had gone behind. "And for the record, I'm sorry. I honestly didn't think you cared about him as much as you do." And Hardcase couldn't blame him. For so many of their brothers Hardcase showed affection in the same way. He did it differently for Dogma, because that was what he needed, but for Fives, who had tried so hard to not look at Dogma, he would have just seen the different treatment, and not the reason behind it.

He hadn't understood then, but he did now. He was willing to at least open his eyes and see Dogma as more than just a painful reminder. It wasn't a lot, but it was a start, and it was more than Hardcase thought they would get.

"There's a small dive bar near Dex' diner." Fives said. "Echo used to love to go there. It was quieter, and they have a secret menu of non-alcoholic drinks that have similar names to the alcoholic ones, so the people around you don't have to know that you're staying sober. I know Dogma wouldn't like 79's, but-" He trailed off and looked uncomfortable. Hardcase just smiled at him.

"I'll see if he wants to go." Hardcase said. "And I won't tell him it was your idea." Dogma didn't need to know about this conversation. He wouldn't like being talked about behind his back, so he didn't have to know.

Fives nodded his thanks and walked away. Hardcase watched him go as he made himself comfortable on the bench. He closed his eyes, genuinely relaxed this time, and waited for Tup and Dogma to return.

Chapter Text

Everybody seemed to be busy doing something or other. The Jedi were trying to find the Sith, and they were even reluctantly investigating the Chancellor. Senator Amidala was working with some close associates of hers to do an investigation of their own about the senate and the Demonstrations. General Skywalker was working with Shaak Ti to figure out what had happened with Dogma and his slavery mindset.

Jesse was invested in all these issues, but he didn't get directly involved in any of them. He watched. He listened. And he tried to work out the details for his own plan.

All those other things were important. Stopping the Sith would theoretically stop the war, and Jesse was all for that. Finding corruption within the senate was vital, because that was what would save the clones from these Demonstrations, and it would prevent the creation of another group of Separatists who were willing to fight to get away from an oppressive rule.

Of course Jesse wanted to get to the bottom of Dogma's possible reconditioning, or whatever he'd been through. He wanted the kid to be okay. He wanted to know how to help him heal, and how to stop this kind of thing from happening to any other clone. Jesse had done what he could to give Skywalker the resources and information he needed to figure things out, but he couldn't do more than that for a few reasons.

For one thing, Jesse was just a clone. He could fight as hard as he wanted, and nobody would listen to him. Skywalker was a General. He'd been a hero of the war. If he wasn't listened to, nobody would be. If Jesse meddled he would just make his fight harder.

More than that, Jesse didn't know if he actually wanted to know the details of Dogma's reconditioning. He'd been teasing the kid since he had met him, using his reconditioning, his torture, essentially, against him. Fox hadn't been exaggerating when he'd accused Jesse of being a bully. Just because he hadn't had truly malicious intentions didn't make it any less hurtful.

He'd hurt Dogma. He was trying to do better now, but he didn't think he had any right to know the little details of what he'd been through. He hadn't earned that yet.

He didn't really want to be directly involved in catching the Sith either. That was a Force issue, and the Jedi had it covered. If Jesse was involved he would just be another soldier on the field, and he didn't want to do any of this as a soldier. He wanted to do this as a brother. And as a brother, he didn't want to work with the Jedi Council right now because they were still looking for any reason to not believe what Fox had to say to them, even though he and the guard were their best chance of quickly finding the Sith.

The Jedi would figure it out eventually, but Jesse didn't want to follow their orders as they ran in circles until they got over themselves and saw what was right in front of them.

At first Jesse had tried to help find information about the Demonstrations, back when he'd first gotten to Coruscant and they didn't know about the slavery thing or the Sith. The only problem to worry about was the abusive Demonstrations, and the only mystery was what Dogma had learned on Kamino.

Jesse had known from the start that he wouldn't be able to get information from Dogma, either about his lessons or about the Demonstration that he didn't even remember. So he got answers elsewhere. Specifically from the guard.

It had started with him just asking Thire more details about what had happened and why. Some of the other guards overheard them talking about the Demonstration, and they shared their own personal stories. It soon became a bit of an event, with dozens of guards all crowding around the sleeping quarters, exchanging stories and rumors. It was very informative, and not just because he learned more about the Demonstrations.

Until that moment Jesse hadn't truly seen the guards as brothers. He knew they were clones, of course, but they had always seemed like they didn't quite fit in. They were outsiders. Wannabe soldiers who didn't truly understand the war, and couldn't possibly have the kinds of connections with each other that the brothers got in the GAR.

After Dogma had been sent to the guard Jesse had tried to look at them differently. He tried to think of them as brothers, just like the rest of them, because if they weren't brothers then there wouldn't even be the possibility of Dogma having the support he needed. The support that Torrent had failed to properly give him.

It had been a massive relief for Jesse to actually see for himself that the guard took care of Dogma. They protected him, even from other clones. That had been a weight off of Jesse's shoulders, but that one experience wasn't enough to help him see that everything the GAR said about the guard was a harmful lie.

Sitting with the guards, with nobody else there to strengthen the distance between them, Jesse saw just how similar they all were. The guard sat around and shared horrifying stories so casually, just like the companies would gather in their own sleeping piles and talk about their experiences in the most recent campaign. The guard teased each other kind-heartedly about their names or tattoos, just like they did in the GAR, except the guard never took it too far. If someone looked the least bit uncomfortable with a comment the teasing would stop immediately, they would get an apology hug, and then they would all move on like nothing had happened.

They were still brothers. With each other, and with the GAR, and the more time Jesse spent with them the more that became clear.

He came to Coruscant for Dogma, but the kid wasn't exactly the reason why he stayed. Dogma would have probably been so much more comfortable if Jesse wasn't there, and if he had returned to the 501st then he could have eased some of the strain that Kix was under in trying to keep them there.

Jesse stayed to learn more about the guard. They didn't trust him at first, but the thing about clones was that it was easy to get them to talk. Jesse just had to share some of his rations, which the guard had been generous enough for him to have in the first place, and a grateful brother would talk while he ate. He invited the guards to spar with him, because all clones wanted to vent their frustrations with their words as well as with their fists. He was rarely refused, because many of the guards wanted an excuse to hit someone in the GAR.

Jesse gave them a scapegoat in a way, and they gave him information. More than they probably knew. Because the guard were a lot like Dogma when it came to his lessons. Most of the didn't understand how abnormal their situation was. They didn't know that the GAR didn't have to deal with sleep cycles like this, or not having access to something as basic as bacta. They didn't know that their superiors weren't supposed to be using them as doormats. The only guards who knew the truth were those who had been transferred from the frontlines, and it was an alarmingly small number.

The guard may not lose scores of men at a time like they did in the field, but that didn't mean that they didn't lose brothers. Prison riots went badly. Senators were too harsh and uncaring with their 'punishments'. Tracking down criminals and escort missions went sideways. And sometimes brothers just disappeared, which was something else that the guard didn't realize wasn't supposed to be normal.

The guard lost men, but they didn't get any back. Fox didn't want shinies from Kamino, and they weren't giving them experienced soldiers in transfers, so their numbers were slowly dwindling. If it went on like this Jesse wondered just how bad it would be before somebody in a position of power finally did something. And would their solution actually help the guard, or just hurt them even more? He really didn't know.

The guard needed help. That much was very clear. But they didn't have a General to fight for them. The best they had was their Commanders, who did their best, but they couldn't fight the galaxy to get justice for their neglected men. Nobody else would fight for them.

Jesse would.

He had come here to fight for Dogma. Then he had started to see the issues in the guard itself. The final nail in the coffin was seeing the abuse and pressure that Commander Fox had to deal with. He needed help. They all did. And that was when Jesse's idea had started to form.

He couldn't see this through on his own. He needed to run the idea by at least four people, and he needed all of their approval or he would have to figure something else out.

Jesse waited for an opportunity, and he stumbled upon it by accident. It was the middle of the night. Rex was with Fox in his office, talking about vod stuff. Kix, Hardcase and Tup were all sound asleep. Jesse had tried to sleep at first, but it just wasn't coming to him. He eventually got up and decided to take a walk around the barracks or maybe get some sparring in. He hoped it would get him tired enough to sleep.

He was just strolling down the halls when he saw Dogma in front of him. The kid looked at ease. Jesse didn't know if he would ever get used to seeing how comfortable Dogma was here. He always used to be so tense with Torrent. Did they really make him that uncomfortable?

Dogma stopped in his tracks when he saw Jesse. The smallest amount of tension was visible in his shoulders, but a moment later it eased away and Dogma gave him a sincere smile.

"Hey." Dogma said. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah." Jesse said. "What about you?"

Dogma shrugged. "The bed's not mine for another three hours. Click's shift became a shift and a half at the last minute, so my shift tomorrow has been rescheduled to a late half shift so we can both get a full sleep."

Jesse crossed his arms, hoping he looked casual as opposed to intimidating. He wasn't trying to scare Dogma. "And you're fine with that? I thought you would have insisted on getting just half a night's sleep."

"I thought about it." Dogma admitted. "But Gamma has threatened to drug me if I don't have a good sleep schedule." Jesse snorted. It sounded like something that Kix would do. What was it about the head medics that made them so threatening in their care?

"So what are you going to do to pass the time?" Jesse asked. "Paperwork?" He was only half joking. Dogma's mouth twitched and there was annoyance in his eyes, but also humor.

"Funny." Dogma said. "Normally I would, but Fox is with his vod, and I don't want to get in the way of that."

"You know Rex wouldn't mind." Jesse said. If anything the Captain would probably feel more comfortable if there was a buffer there.

Dogma shrugged. "I have other stuff I can do anyway." He didn't elaborate. That was fair. Jesse didn't think he had a right to Dogma's personal life.

He expected Dogma to walk away and go about his business. That was what he used to do. But he just stood there. Both of them seemed to be waiting for the other to do or say something.

Dogma brushed some invisible dirt off of his armor. "You've been spending a lot of time with the guard. Are you getting along with them?"

"I mean, I think so." Jesse said. "For all I know they still hate my guts."

"They don't hate you." Dogma said confidently. "You're a brother. You have to do something really bad to be hated by brothers."

"Well, that's reassuring." Jesse said. He hesitated before asking the question on his mind. "Does being an oblivious di'kut who bullies a brother for things he can't help count as something really bad?"

There was no hesitation from Dogma. He just gave Jesse a small smile. "No. At least, I don't think so." It was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, though Jesse's stomach sank again when Dogma continued.

"And you don't-" Dogma trailed off as he tried to find his words. It was odd to see him so unsure of himself. "I didn't do anything really wrong to you, did I?" He was asking the same thing as Jesse had.

"No, you didn't." Jesse said, and Dogma relaxed. "I just didn't know how to talk to you."

"I don't know how to talk to most people." Dogma said, complete understanding in his voice. "It's okay."

"But it wasn't." Jesse said. "What I did wasn't okay." He knew Dogma understood that. He just thought that Dogma was just trying to tell himself that it was fine because he was trying to forgive Jesse, and it was difficult to understand that you could forgive someone and still condemn their actions.

Jesse leaned against the wall. "You may not believe me, but I did miss you when you were gone. I was so mad at myself, thinking I wouldn't have the chance to make things right. I thought I would never get the chance to really bond with you."

Dogma's brow furrowed. "You had chances. You just didn't take them." And that hurt like a slap to the face, because Jesse knew he was right. "I invited you to read with me all the time. You never did."

"Right. That." Jesse was embarrassed and ashamed at the reminder. "This is gonna sound really dumb, and like a terrible excuse, but I'm not really good at the one-on-one stuff. It doesn't really feel personal to me. If I do something one-on-one, it has to be something special that's just between the two of us. You know, like the way that you brush Tup's hair, or spar with Hardcase."

Recognition sparked in Dogma' s eyes. "Like when I do paperwork with Fox."

"Yeah, like that." Jesse felt a little pathetic talking about this. "You liked reading with everybody, so it kinda felt like you didn't want to do something with me, you just wanted to do it with someone. I knew you wanted company, but I really didn't think I was your best bet for that." They would have just started fighting.

Dogma blinked and looked thoughtful. He was staring intently at Jesse's armor, and he didn't know why. Finally Dogma spoke. "Your armor is dented."

Jesse was thrown off by the sudden change in topic. He looked at the small scuffs and dents in his armor. It was barely noticeable. "I guess so."

"Do you want to see my closet?" Dogma asked. Jesse didn't know what he meant, but Dogma seemed to be making himself vulnerable, and he wasn't going to push him away now. He nodded. Dogma smiled and led him down the halls. He stopped in front of a door and opened it to reveal a small closet with all kinds of armor pieces and cleaning supplies in it. There were also a few pillows and a small blanket.

Dogma sat down. "Fox gave me this closet. It's a place to go when I need to be alone, and it gives me work to do when I need to keep myself busy." Dogma grabbed the things to buff out armor. Jesse wordlessly took off his pauldrons, which had the worst of the dents in it because they were the pieces he frequently forgot about.

He handed one of the pauldrons to Dogma. In return Dogma handed him the tools to work on the other pauldron. It took him a long time to recognize the invitation for what it was. Dogma had let him into his personal space and was giving him something for the two of them to do together. Something that Jesse assumed he didn't do with anybody else.

It was a little awkward, but Jesse felt far too honored to really notice it. Dogma was trusting him. Opening up to him. He was showing Jesse another thing that he could very well tease him about. Not that Jesse would now, but Dogma had every right to be cautious.

They worked in a silence that wasn't quite comfortable, but it was the closest that the two of them had ever gotten just with each other. It made Jesse feel hopeful about breaching the topic that he wanted to bring up.

"I've been spending a lot of time with the guards." Jesse said. "I think I understand them better. I understand you better. And what I understand better than anything is that you guys don't have nearly enough people on your side."

Dogma grimaced. He knew he was right. "We take care of each other."

"I know." Jesse said. He'd seen that much. It was a great support system, but it wasn't nearly enough. "And I want to take care of you guys too." He decided to just get to the point and just state very plainly what he was thinking. "I want to request a transfer to the guard."

Dogma froze and just looked at him. Jesse felt like he had overstepped, but he couldn't take it back. So he just waited. Finally Dogma seemed to get over his shock.

"You…want to join the guard?" Dogma's tone made it hard to tell what he was thinking. "Why?"

"I want to protect the guard." Jesse said. "I want to fight for them when they can't fight for themselves." He gave Dogma a pointed look. "I want to help you."

Dogma looked young and vulnerable. "You…you want to leave the 501st, Torrent, for me. But why?"

"I wasn't a good brother to you." Jesse said. "I want to make up for it. And you know the guards need the extra help more than the 501st does." He leaned closer to Dogma. "But if you aren't going to feel comfortable with me being here, then forget it. I'm doing this for you. If you hate it then that kinda defeats the purpose."

Dogma still looked very stunned, but he didn't seem mad or defensive, so that was a good sign. He swallowed thickly and put the pauldron and cleaning stuff down. "The guard is a lot different than the GAR."

"I know it is." Jesse said. "And I'm sure that Commander Fox will make sure I understand it well." He wasn't planning on Fox going easy on him. He'd gone through ARC training. He knew how to play the game.

Dogma's fingers tapped against his leg. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure." Jesse said. "As long as you're okay with it, I want to be here."

Dogma was still for a long moment before he got to his feet. Jesse said. He watched as Dogma casually grabbed a pauldron with the red paint of the guard. Jesse held still as Dogma came up to him and put the pauldron on his shoulder. He attached it and then took a step back. Dogma was eyeing him. Jesse straightened his back and tilted his shoulder towards Dogma.

"So?" Jesse said. "What do you think?"

Dogma smiled. "I think red's a good color on you." He was still for a long moment before stepping towards Jesse again and leaning forward to rest his forehead against his. Jesse's throat tightened as Dogma initiated a Keldabe Kiss. "You'd be good for the guard. And I'd like to have you around."

"I'll be better this time." Jesse promised. Dogma nodded, believing him without any more reassurance. "I'll be a good ori'vod." It was the first time he'd called himself Dogma's ori'vod. He hadn't really meant to say it. He hadn't realized that was how he felt. After everything he'd learned and all the time he'd dedicated to protecting Dogma and the guard here on Coruscant, how could he not see himself as a big brother?

Dogma made a sound of contentment and leaned against him. Jesse held onto him. He was glad for this chance, and he wasn't going to mess it up.

It wasn't a guarantee that he could join the guard. Rex and Fox both needed to approve the transfer, and he wasn't going to leave Kix without a word. But Dogma wanted him there, and Jesse would fight with everything he had to stay here with him.

Chapter Text

Anakin wasn't a big fan of meditation. It didn't come easy to him, and it never had. More often than not he would give up on his meditation halfway through and do some lightsaber training. His form and stance always needed improvement. When he was younger Obi-Wan would discourage him from doing so, because meditation was so important for a Jedi. Eventually, through a lot of trial and error, they had both figured out that running through the katas was meditation for Anakin.

It was second nature to him, and always had been. He moved fluidly, using his lightsaber as easily as though it was just another limb. Because it came so easily to him he let his mind wander as he practiced, just relying on instinct. When he was a child he'd been scolded for doing it out of laziness, but then Master Yoda had bothered to feel his presence in the Force when he used his lightsaber. He had been the one who had realized that Anakin's mind was perfectly aware, and just content and at peace, the way it should be when he meditated.

He was still encouraged to at least try meditating in the traditional way, but for the most part he was allowed to use his lightsaber training as his meditation. That was usually what he was happy with, but sometimes Anakin found himself in a situation where he desperately needed peace.

Usually he could find peace when doing his casual lightsaber training, but he could never manage it when he needed it most. Sometimes his mind would be too full of anxiety and terrible what-if situations. His anger was too strong, and when he was angry when wielding his lightsaber it sometimes made his fury so much worse. Those were the times when he wanted justice, and to punish someone, and doing katas wasn't very satisfying when he wasn't accomplishing anything with it, the way he felt he should.

He had a lot of anger in him right now. He wanted to wring the long necks of every single Kaminoan. This kind of anger made him stronger and more efficient when it came to defeating his enemies, but he wasn't going onto the battlefield today. He needed to play the part of a diplomat.

He was on his way to Kamino . He needed to talk to Shaak Ti. He'd been reading over Dogma's datapad these past few weeks, and Shaak Ti had been doing her own investigations. They would be comparing notes, and they'd be talking to the Kaminoans to try to get further answers.

Anakin was technically doing this without approval from the Council. He hadn't told them what his plans were, because he didn't want to do the whole song and dance. He didn't want to jump through their hoops, and then the senate's hoops, and then finally the Kaminoans hoops.

He wasn't just being defiant because he was impatient and annoyed though. Anakin had thought carefully about this. He'd planned, and replanned, and talked things through with Padmé to get some tips on how to approach this delicately. But he didn't want to go through the Jedi about this, because he didn't know if they would think it as important as he did.

The Council was all busy looking for the Sith. They were finally investigating the Chancellor, but until they figured things out for sure that would be their priority. That was fine. They could focus on that. Anakin would focus on this.

The Jedi had been suspicious of the circumstances around the creation and training of the clones, which was why Shaak Ti had been permanently stationed on Kamino, but other than that they made very little steps to investigate more. The war was their biggest concern, and they didn't want to waste resources and lose such an important asset and ally in the fight against the Separatists. So until it was deemed safe to do so, the Jedi pointedly ignored their suspicions of the Kaminoans.

Anakin was through with doing that, because this wasn't just about an army being created for them. This wasn't about genetically engineered clones. This was about men who had been created specifically to be slaves, and Anakin wasn't going to just stand by and let it happen. Not anymore.

A part of him was desperate to take his lightsaber and slaughter every single one of Kaminoans. It was frightening how tempting it was to give in to his anger and make them pay for what they had done. After all, if they couldn't be bothered to treat the clones like they were living beings worthy of respect and life, then didn't they deserve the same treatment?

But Anakin had played the part of judge, jury, and executioner before. He'd given in to his anger and killed the tuskens that had taken his mother from him. Even now he felt justified in it, but being right didn't take away how wrong he felt about the whole thing. It made him ill to think about how easy it had been to let go of his control and give in to his anger, and how easy it would be to do it again. But there were a few reasons why he wouldn't this time.

For one, Padmé had made him promise to not let things get out of hand. She had seen what destroying the tuskens had done to him, and she didn't want to see him go through that again. He didn't want to hurt or scare her, so he hadn't hesitated to give his word.

The other reason why he needed to remain in control was because this wasn't about revenge. This was about getting justice. For Dogma. For all of the clones. There would be a lot of things that would go into getting justice for them, and Anakin knew that if he killed the Kaminoans he would just be hurting the clones in the long-run.

They needed to make the Republic see and understand the injustices that had been happening in the name of freedom and democracy. Only the Kaminoans truly understood what they had done. Anakin knew what the end result was, but he couldn't testify about the details. The senate and the Jedi wouldn't just take his word for it, and especially not if he eradicated the entire species the way he so desperately wanted to.

The Kaminoans needed to live, because they needed to be tried justly and fairly. The clones would only be given what they were due if the Kaminoans were as well. So Anakin needed to control his anger. He wasn't here for revenge, he was here for answers, and he wasn't going to leave without them.

This wasn't going to be a negotiation. It wasn't going to be a surface-level investigation that overlooked anything that was remotely hidden. Anakin was going to be as thorough about this as he could possibly be, which meant doing things a bit differently than the Jedi would.

He had a plan. He knew the Jedi wouldn't approve. He knew it wasn't the way of the Light. But it was the simplest way he could think of to do what was right. As long as the war had been going on the Jedi had been compromising their oaths and beliefs, and justifying that it was for the greater good. That was all Anakin was doing now. Compromising.

And it had to be a compromise. Not too dark, because he knew where that path led. Not too light, because he wouldn't know how to accomplish what needed to be done. It had to be both, and yet not quite either. Somewhere in the middle. A balance.

"General Skywalker." Anakin took a deep breath and opened his eyes to see Fives looking at him. "We're approaching Kamino." How interesting. They had been several hours away when Anakin had started his meditation. He must have been more successful at it than he thought.

He felt at peace. The anger was still there. It wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and he didn't want it to. His anger was righteous, and it would serve him well as long as he didn't let it control him.

"I told you not to call me that." Anakin said. "I'm not acting as a general out here."

Fives gave him an apologetic look. "Of course, Sir." At his pointed look, Fives smirked slightly and corrected himself. "Anakin."

He nodded in appreciation and stood up. It was time to make landing preparations. "Thank you for coming with me."

"It's the least I can do." Fives said. There was a familiar pained look in his eyes. "It was what Echo would want." All of Anakin's men knew where he was going and why. Most of them didn't completely understand it, but they trusted him as they always did.

As soon as Fives had heard what he was doing he had begged to come with him. Anakin hadn't wanted to bring any clones with him, because he wasn't doing this as a General of the Republic. But Fives wasn't coming as a soldier. He was a concerned brother, and one who might be able to provide information that neither Anakin nor Shaak Ti would be able to get on their own.

Such as the name of Echo's old instructor from years ago, back when he'd been part of the system that had tried to indoctrinate the clones.

Anakin and Fives went to the cockpit. Anakin got ready to approach the planet and land. Fives sat in the co-pilot's seat and read from Dogma's datapad. Anakin had found so much of the information there very concerning. Fives was able to give a little more insight, because he vaguely remembered when Echo had talked about learning similar things. Fives' memory wasn't perfect, but it was nice to have an idea of how many of the ideas had been around in Echo's time, and which ones had likely been changed or added later.

Landing was as easy as anything. The two of them were greeted by Shaak Ti and some Kaminoans that Anakin didn't know the name of, and didn't want to know the names of.

"General." Shaak Ti nodded at him in respect. "We've been awaiting your arrival."

He really wasn't in the mood for formalities. He wanted to shout and rant, but he refrained. He needed to be in control of himself. He couldn't trust himself to speak, so he kept his mouth shut and simply nodded. It was all he could manage.

"Shall we speak?" Shaak Ti said simply.

Anakin took a deep breath. "I need a little more information first. There's a Kaminoan I need to speak to. An instructor from about five years ago." It was odd. Five years ago didn't seem that long ago, but at the same time it was an impossibly long time to be forced to go through something.

Anakin forced himself to look at the Kaminoans. "I'm looking for someone named Tami Hei." He'd been worried that the name would reveal to the Kaminoans what his motivation was. He and Shaak Ti had agreed that they wouldn't tell the Kaminoans that they were investigating their methods. Not yet.

If the Kaminoans were shocked or concerned by his words they didn't show it. Anakin couldn't even sense their emotions in the Force. They were either masters at hiding their intentions in the Force, which he doubted but wouldn't be surprised by, or they just didn't feel anything intensely enough for him to feel without delving deeper.

"As you wish, General Skywalker." One of the Kaminoans said in that infuriating tone of theirs that wasn't quite monotone, but certainly felt like it.. "We'll arrange a meeting for you." Anakin didn't want to rely on them for anything, but it wasn't as though he knew where to find Tami Hei. If he could get their cooperation, he would take it.

Anakin nodded again, because as much as he was willing to play nice he refused to actually thank these creatures.

One of the Kaminoans, a different one, gestured for him to follow them. Anakin did so, but not before looking at Fives. "Go with Shaak Ti. Tell her anything she may need to know." Maybe he should refer to her by 'Master', but he couldn't bring himself to call any of the Jedi by that title. Not now.

Anakin was led into the city, down the halls and into a meeting room where he was told to wait, and Tami Hei would be in to see him soon.

Normally he would pace the floor impatiently. Waiting wasn't his strong suit. But he needed peace today. He needed control. He needed to be calm, or he'd ruin everything before he even started.

He took a deep breath and sat on the floor. He meditated. He tried to hold onto the peace that he'd been able to find on the ship. He didn't quite get there, but he came decently close. By the time the door opened and a Kaminoan came in, presumably Tami Hei, Anakin felt calm enough that he could address the Kaminoan without losing his temper. He would use it instead.

"You wished to see me, General Skywalker?" Tami Hei approached him slowly. Anakin used the Force to close and lock the door behind them. He wanted this to be a private conversation.

"I did." Anakin said. He would just get right to the point. "I've learned some disturbing things about the way the clones have been trained and raised."

"If you're dissatisfied with our product-" Tami Hei began. Anakin's temper flared.

"Do not call them that." Anakin growled. He almost lost his control. He had to take several calming breaths before he could pull it back in.

Tami Hei was unbothered by his anger. They just bowed and said "Of course." They were trying to appease Anakin, even though they clearly believed he was wrong. He hated them. He really did.

"One of my men learned under you." Anakin said through clenched teeth. "Tell me about the assessment classes." Fives had told him the term.

Tami Hei didn't even blink. "Assessment classes? I am not familiar with that in our curriculum."

Anakin didn't have the patience for these games. He wasn't going to go back and forth about it. He was here for answers, not to do this old song and dance.

He'd asked politely. He'd tried to be civil. If Tami Hei didn't want to give him answers, then he would find them himself. He knew how.

The Jedi didn't approve of looking into people's minds without their consent. They believed that it was toeing a line they should never get close to. Looking into one's mind was one thing, but if somebody was making a point to keep their thoughts private and you force your way in anyway it was seen as incredibly impolite at best, and evil at worst. Breaking and entering was a crime, after all, and breaking into someone's mind was a lot more private than going into their home. Anakin didn't like doing it for his own reasons. But desperate times call for desperate measures. One way or another, he would get answers.

Anakin used the Force to hold Tami Hei in place. They were taller than him, but he still loomed over him. He could feel the Force swirling around him, making him feel, and probably appear, larger than he was.

"No more games." Anakin said. "If you don't tell me what I want to know, I'll figure it out for myself." He didn't give the Kaminoan a second chance. He reached out and put a hand on their head. He breached past the walls of their mind, taking far less care than he had with Dogma and Fox. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for, and so much more.

This was beyond questionable classes and experimental programs.

Chapter Text

Tup walked down the halls of the Jedi temple, trying to push down his frustration and ignore his pounding headache.  He was in a bad mood.  He didn’t want to be, and he tried his best not to be, but he couldn’t help it.

He had come here to support Dogma and Fox as they went to their mind healing sessions with the Jedi.  Fox’ mind was apparently muddled and rearranged in all kinds of concerning ways that had something to do with the Sith, but Dogma was making progress.  Tup wanted to be happy for him.  He wanted to be grateful to the Jedi, but he couldn’t.

Every time he thought of the Jedi going into Dogma’s mind he remembered that his vod considered himself to be a slave to them.  Visiting a mind healer meant putting yourself in a vulnerable position, submitting to the power of somebody else.  Tup wanted Dogma to heal, but he felt sick and furious at the thought of him submitting to the Jedi in any way.

It had been just a small paranoid thought at first.  An intrusive and unpleasant anxious thought that had been easy enough to dismiss, because Tup had known that the Jedi wouldn’t hurt Dogma, and going to the healer would hopefully get him to stop seeing himself as a slave at all.  

As time went on though the thought just kept showing up, and it was getting harder and harder to push away.  It didn’t help that there were now so many other worries and frustrations that Tup had about the Jedi.

Someone from the Jedi Council would come to update the clones on the progress, or lack thereof, on finding the Sith, and Tup would bitterly think about how they pointedly weren’t believing the word of Fox, who they considered to be their key witness.  Tup would see young Jedi training, and all he could think about were the countless cadets on Kamino, some of whom may be facing the same harsh training that Dogma had.

He would hear news about the frontlines, and instead of feeling the righteous pride in being a soldier of the Republic all he felt was disillusioned.  He had brothers dying out there, serving under their Jedi Generals, who were just standing in the back and telling their men to throw their lives away, and then taking all the credit for every battle they won.

Tup knew that wasn’t what was happening.  Some of the Jedi generals could be harsh or cruel, such as Krell, but most of them cared about their men.  They were good leaders, and they were some of the best advocates for clones rights out there.  Tup knew this, but every time he saw the Jedi those facts went out the window and all he could feel was an inexplicable rage.

It was exhausting and frightening.  He didn’t know why he was so mad, and he didn’t know how to make it stop.  He’d tried to see a Jedi mind healer about it, and it helped for a day or so, but then the anger just came back stronger than before.

Tup would prefer to avoid the Jedi altogether.  If he wasn’t thinking about them he wouldn’t get so needlessly mad.  That strategy would work if it weren’t for the fact that Dogma needed the Jedi’s help, and Tup needed his brother to be okay, even if he had to trust the Jedi t r a itors to take care of him.

Tup was going to trust the Jedi with his brother’s well-being, but not his safety.  If Dogma had a healing session, Tup was determined to be there with him.  He couldn’t leave his vod .  Not now.  Not ever.

Tup walked into the halls of healing.  He saw Dogma sitting on the ground.  He wasn’t wearing his helmet.  He was cleaning it with care.  Tup didn’t know if this was a good sign of not.  On the one hand, Dogma felt safe enough near the Jedi to let his guard down.  He showed his face.  He was sitting instead of standing at attention.  He wasn’t thinking twice about showing them that he was human.

But he wasn’t relaxing.  He was still doing work.  He felt like he couldn’t stop.  It had been far too deeply ingrained in him.

Tup had a surefire way to get his brother to calm down.  He went closer to his brother and sat next to him.  He took his hair out of its bun, shaking it out.  He turned so his back was to Dogma, who sighed.  There was the sound of him setting his helmet down.  He started brushing his fingers through Tup’s hair, and the both of them relaxed.

“How’s the healing?”  Tup asked.

“I don’t know.”  Dogma said.  “I don’t think I feel any different, but…I’m not as scared anymore.”  Dogma let out a small scoff.  “It makes no sense.  There is so much to be scared of.  The fight’s only gotten bigger.  But I have people fighting for me.”  He reached one of his hands around, and Tup took it, giving it a squeeze.  “And I have people to fight for.”

Tup didn’t say a word about how they had always had people to fight for.  They fought for the citizens of the Republic.  They fought for freedom.  They fought on behalf of the senate and their Jedi generals.  All of that was still true, but it wasn’t what Dogma was talking about.

Dying for a cause was noble.  No clone could argue that much.  But giving your life and becoming just one of countless soldiers who died in the name of democracy just wasn’t the same as living with and for the people you care about.  Tup had learned this as a cadet, as soon as he learned just what it meant to be a vod.   It was painful to know that Dogma hadn’t let himself learn it until now, but Tup couldn’t be more grateful that at least he learned it at all.  Better late than never.

“Is Fox still in there?”  Tup asked needlessly.  He knew that unless Dogma was seeing the Jedi himself he wouldn’t be here unless Fox was.

Dogma huffed slightly in frustration and concern.  “They said they wouldn’t be working with him for too long today, but it’s been almost three hours.”

Tup grimaced.  “I thought he was here for healing today?  Not an interrogation.”  They had Fox come in for both.  He didn’t appreciate either of the sessions, but the healing work with the Jedi was at least for his own good.  Being questioned was just demeaning.  He wasn’t being treated as an equal, but as a subordinate.

Tup knew that technically Fox wasn’t equal with the Jedi.  How could he be?  It wasn’t possible for clones to rise in the ranks that far.  Even as far as clones were concerned, Fox’ status as Commander, not even Marshal Commander, meant that he still wasn’t the highest chain of command.  But that was just according to ranks and nothing else.

Tup had seen Fox work.  He’d seen what the Coruscant guards did, and how Fox led them just as well, if not better, than many of the Jedi did their own men.  Fox was an impressive and loyal soldier, and it bothered Tup to no end that the Jedi weren’t giving him the respect he felt he deserved.

“They’re not interrogating him.”  Dogma insisted.  “They’re not torturing him.  They’re not punishing him.  They’re not even looking into his mind.  They’re just…questioning him.”

Tup scowled.  “It’s not the questions I have a problem with, it’s the fact that they don’t want to hear the answers they’re given, and they’re making Fox feel like that’s somehow his fault.”  Fox was a commander.  He had better things to do than sit around the Jedi temple, having his claims be questioned at every turn.

Dogma stopped brushing his hair.  Tup turned to look at his brother.  He was ready to apologize.  Dogma was concerned enough about Fox as it was.  He didn’t need to hear Tup’s complaints and harsh words.  When Tup looked at Dogma though he stopped.  His vod was looking at him with blatant concern.

“You’re upset.”  Dogma said.  He squeezed Tup’s hand.  “What’s wrong?”

Tup sighed.  “I don’t know.”  And that just upset him even more.  “I’m just…I’m just so mad at the Jedi, and I don’t even know why.  I don’t like them.  I don’t trust them.  I hate feeling like this.”

“They’re doing their best.”  Dogma said.  Tup rolled his eyes and a sharp pain went through his head, making him scowl.

“Well, maybe their best isn’t good enough.”  Tup said sharper than he meant.  This wasn’t like him at all.  He wasn’t an angry person.  It took him a lot to break him down, but lately it felt like any little thing could sour his mood, and it was just getting worse.

Tup rubbed his forehead.  “Sorry.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Dogma scooted closer to him so Tup was nearly sitting on his lap.  “Have you seen the medic about it?”

Tup gave his brother an odd look.  “The medics don’t deal with grumpiness.”

“Maybe not.”  Dogma admitted.  “But they can see if there is a  physical issue that is affecting your mood.  Maybe you’re not getting enough food, or you’re having a hard time getting used to the new diet.  Maybe you’ve been having a hard time sleeping.  Or you might be looking for a fight because the soldier in you is getting antsy after so long of not having a battle to fight.  That happens to a lot of men in the guard.”

Tup hadn’t considered that there might be an explanation for how he’d been feeling.  He had thought that he was just overreacting, getting worked up on Dogma and Fox’ behalf because he felt like they weren’t upset enough.  It felt too good to be true that there might be something he could do to stop this.

“I have been getting headaches.”  Tup admitted.  “And sleep is…hard.”  He’d been avoiding it more than normal since coming to Coruscant.

“Nightmares?”  Dogma asked.

“Nightmares.”  Tup said.  The nightmares that all clones had, and none of them could remember.  They were stronger than some for others, and different events could make the bad dreams more recurring, but they weren’t usually so persistent.  Tup had been getting them  more and more lately.  Now he couldn’t go more than three days without having the nightmare once or twice.

Dogma nodded in understanding.  “The nightmares get worse for a lot of clones in the guard.  Maybe there’s something in the air.”

Tup felt a spike of concern.  “Have your nightmares gotten worse?”

Dogma shook his head.  “Not really.  I can’t remember the last time I had one of those nightmares.  Fox gets them all the time though.”

“Does he know what makes them stop?”  Tup asked, though he knew it would be in vain.  If Fox knew how to not have the nightmares, he wouldn’t be having them.

“No.  Sorry.”  Dogma sounded genuinely apologetic, and Tup felt bad for worrying him.

“It’s okay.”  Tup said.  “I’ll talk to Kix.  He might have some ideas.”  He wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t want to worry Dogma any more than he already had.  When Dogma relaxed, so did Tup.  His head still ached, and the anger was still there just below the surface, but being with his vod helped.

Dogma went back to brushing Tup’s hair, and he started to doze off.  He didn’t truly sleep, but he drifted off for a while until they heard a door open and Fox came out of the chamber.  Tup was relieved that the Jedi he’d been speaking to remained in the room.  He knew they were probably talking about things that he wouldn’t like, but at least he didn’t have to see them.  

Besides, if they came out with Fox Tup thought it would just look like they were escorting him like he was a dangerous criminal, and he wouldn’t be able to stand the sight.

Fox didn’t look great, but he had looked far worse.  Tup didn’t feel like he was going to shut down as soon as they returned to the barracks.  It had been concerning the first few times it had happened.  Still, he looked tired and very unimpressed.  Tup wouldn’t be surprised if Fox had worked a shift before coming to the temple, and the Jedi either had no idea or they just didn’t care.  After all, what did too long of hours matter when it came to catching a Sith?

Dogma got up from the floor and went to stand near Fox, who drew him into a Keldabe Kiss.

“I’m fine, kid.”  Fox said.  “It’s just been a long day.”  He released Dogma, who still refused to leave his side.  Tup stood up and grabbed his vod’s helmet.  The three of them started to make their way out of the temple.  None of them said another word until they were on the streets and waiting for a shuttle.

“What took them so long?”  Tup asked.

“They wanted to know about every other time I’ve been disciplined by the Chancellor.”  Fox said.  “They wanted to know when it happened, why it happened, and what my punishment consisted of.  I don’t think they were expecting how many instances there would be, but I do my job well.”  Fox smirked slightly.  “Everything’s documented, down to my recovery time and any lingering scars I might have had.”

“And the Jedi still aren’t convinced that you know what you’re talking about?”  Tup asked.

“I think some of them might be.”  Fox said.  “Masters Yoda, Windu, Kenobi, and Plo Koon all seem to believe that even if the Chancellor isn’t the Sith, at least some of my memories about the punishments haven’t been modified, so they want to investigate him regardless.”

Dogma breathed a sigh of relief, but the tight feeling in Tup’s chest just got worse.  Why did it take so long for only about half the Jedi Council to even consider that Fox, and the other guard commanders, had been mistreated by the Chancellor.  Were they really that deep in the senate’s pockets?

Tup tried not to make his annoyance too obvious, but Dogma gave him a meaningful look.  He took Tup’s hand and squeezed it.  

“Don’t forget to see Kix.”  Dogma said.  “Maybe he can’t do anything, but you never know.”

“Don’t worry.  I’ll see him as soon as we get back to the barracks.”  Tup promised.  The trip back wasn’t a long one.  As soon as they were behind closed doors again Fox seemed to droop.  He  groaned and his stiff posture vanished.  He didn’t look like he was going to literally collapse, but he looked like he desperately wanted to.  Dogma took his hand.  

“Vod pile.”  Dogma said in a tone that left no room for argument.

“Sounds nice.”  Fox said.

“I’ll join you guys later.”  Tup said.  He needed to check in on Kix.  “Make sure you tell Rex about your vod pile.  You know how disappointed he’ll be if you do one without him.”  Fox looked equally amused and annoyed.  Dogma chuckled and led the way to the sleeping quarters.  Tup went the other way to the medbay.

Kix had been doing a lot of work with Gamma, learning the guard’s procedures so he could help them, and sharing supplies with them from the 501st.  He seemed so stressed and busy every time Tup saw him, but he still seemed very content.  He was pleased with the work he was doing.

Tup went in and he saw Kix setting up a holoprojector, talking frantically to his communicator as he did so.  Tup had seen him do this kind of thing before.  Sometimes medics called each other for medical advice, and they used holoprojectors to get a better idea of what they were working with.  It didn’t happen often though, only for very large and complicated procedures, or when a surveillance team needed to treat their injuries themselves and needed to be talked through it.  

Kix usually handled these situations calmly, but he looked stressed right now.  Gamma was going around the medbay, wiping down everything and setting aside equipment, asking Kix if they could ‘use this’, or substitute one device for another.  They both looked like they were getting ready for a surgery.

“What’s going on?”  Tup asked anxiously.  Whatever it was, Fox had no idea about it, or else he would have come here the second he returned to the barracks.

Kix turned away from the holoprojector, a frantic look in his eyes.  “Tup.”  He looked at the communicator.  “Is something wrong?  We’re…we’re a little busy here right now.”

Tup took a step back.  “I’m okay.  It can wait.”  But nothing made Kix worry like somebody denying that they needed help.  He stepped towards Tup, holding a hand out to him to invite him further into the medbay.

“No, I’m sorry, I have time.”  Kix said.  “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”  Tup insisted.  Kix gave him an unimpressed look.  Tup sighed.  “I was just wanting a bit of a check-up.  My head’s been hurting, and my mood has been terrible.  I’ve just been getting so mad for no reason, and I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Have you been getting nightmares?”  Gamma asked over his shoulder as he continued gathering things.  Medics were great at multi-tasking.

“A lot of them.”  Tup said.

“Nightmares?”  General Skywalker’s voice came over Kix’ communicator.  “And your head’s been hurting?”

“Uh…yes.  Yes, Sir.”  Tup said.  He wondered what the General was doing talking to Kix.  “If I may ask, what’s going on?”  He had thought that Skywalker had gone to Kamino to figure out what had happened to Dogma.  Any medical emergency that might have happened could be handled by the Kaminoans.

“I found something.”  General Skywalker said.  “I talked to a Kaminoan, and got more than I was looking for.  They said…well…Kix, why don’t you show him?  Then we’ll know if your scans work for this.”

“I’m setting up the scanner now.”  Gamma said.  He brought Tup to a medical bed, getting him situated so he was under a make-shift scanner.  He sat still and let Gamma maneuver him as needed.  It wasn’t the first time he had done to cooperate for a medic when he had no idea what was happening.

The scan was done in a matter of seconds.  Gamma pulled up a screen that showed his brain.  Tup didn’t see a problem, but he heard Gamma give a very small gasp.

“There it is.”  Gamma said breathlessly.

“I don’t know why you’re surprised.”  Kix said.  He turned on the holoprojector, establishing a call with General Skywalker.  “We checked each other, and we found it.”

“Yeah, but it feels different now.”  Gamma said.  “Bigger.  More real.”

“What?”  Tup asked.  He sat up.  Kix sat on the bed next to him, gesturing to the screen.  

“Do you see that anomaly there?”  Kix said.  There was a dark spot.  Tup would have overlooked it without a second thought.  It had to be important if Skywalker had called about it.  “The Kaminoans call it an inhibitor chip.”

Tup brought a hand to his head.  “A chip?”

“Supposably it’s to rein in any aggressive traits we might have gotten from Jango Fett.”  Gamma said.  His tone made it clear that he didn’t believe it for a second.  “But if that were the case they would have at least told the medics and commanders, or at least the Jedi Generals, about it, just in case something went wrong.”

“So what are they for?”  Tup asked.

“Control.”  Skywalker said.  Tup looked at the man’s hologram.  “These chips can be used to control you.  Force you to do something you might not want to do.”  He scowled darkly.  “Sounds like a slave chip to me.”

Tup felt ill.  “Dogma was trained to see himself as a slave.  D-do you think we were created to be slaves?”  How many of the clones had chips?  All of them?

General Skywalker’s voice was gentle and reassuring.  “It doesn’t matter what you were ‘created’ for.  You’re living beings.  You have hopes, and needs, and lives , and I’m not going to let some chips take that away from you.”  General Skywalker stepped back, revealing that he was standing near a medical bed that Fives was sitting on.  “So we’re going to do something about it.”

“What?”  Tup asked, though he already had a pretty good idea.

“We’re going to get the chip out.”  Fives said.  He sounded nervous, but determined.  Tup had never seen Fives scared of a medical procedure before.  His heart thumped at the thought of what getting the chip out would involve.  If it was implanted in their heads then it would involve a very delicate operation to get it out.  Tup wasn’t a medic, but he knew that brains were sensitive.

“B-but isn’t that dangerous?”  Tup asked.

“We’ve got a medical droid here who knows what he’s doing.”  Skywalker said.  “AZI-3 will take care of Fives, and I’ll be right here to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“Gamma and I will watch the procedure through the hologram.”  Kix said.  “If AZI-3 tries something, we’ll know.”  That explained why they had the holoprojector, but not why Kix and Gamma looked like they were getting ready for surgery themselves.

“You look like you’re the ones about to operate.”  Tup said.

“I just want to make sure we have everything on hand.”  Kix said.  “If the procedure goes well, which it should, then General Skywalker wants me to be familiar with how it’s done.”

“We’re going to need all hands on deck to get these chips out of as many clones as we can as soon as possible.”  Skywalker said.

Tup frowned slightly.  He thought about his headache, possibly caused by the chip.  He didn’t think that was supposed to happen.  He looked at Fives, who had signed up to be a test subject of sorts.  He looked at Kix and Gamma, who were going to be expected to do this same procedure after watching it through a slightly glitchy hologram.

Tup swallowed thickly.  “W-would it help if Kix and Gamma had someone over here to do the surgery on?  So they can do it alongside AZI-3?”

“Yes.”  Gamma said.

“Absolutely not.”  Kix looked at him and Gamma like they were insane.  “This is an experimental procedure.  We don’t even know if it will work.  Or if there will be any ill-effects to the chips being taken out.”

“But we need to know.”  Tup said.  “What if there are side-effects, but Fives just doesn’t show them?  I’ve listened to Dogma enough to know that you can’t make a judgement based off of one set of data.  You need all the information you can get.”

“Tup, listen to me.”  Kix positioned himself in front of Tup, putting his hands on his shoulders.  “More information is good, yes, but you don’t have to do this.  We can afford to wait.”

“I don’t know if we can.”  Tup rubbed his forehead.  “I-I have a bad feeling.  I haven’t been feeling like myself, and I don’t know why.  If it’s because of this chip, if it’s doing something to me, then I want it out before it gets even worse.”

Kix stared at him for a long minute before he sighed and stepped back.  “Gamma, get him ready for surgery.  AZI-3, talk me through every single step of what we’re going to be doing.”

Tup took a deep breath of both relief and fear as he started to take off his armor.  He wanted to be comfortable.  The holoprojector was moved closer to the bed.  AZI-3 was talking to Kix, but Tup could see Fives behind him, sitting there looking as nervous as he felt.

He wanted to talk to Fives.  He wanted to know why he was doing this.  He wanted reassurance that things would be okay.  He wanted a brother there, even if that brother was one that he was still really mad at.

But the others were talking, and that was more important than Tup’s comfort. So he just sat there and stared at Fives.  The older clone gave him a small smile and a nod.  The kind of gesture that brothers gave to each other when they were about to step onto a battlefield that they hoped to walk away from, but knew that they might not.

No matter how Tup felt about Fives, he was still his brother, and they were still fighting on the same side.  Tup couldn’t help but smile back at him and return the gesture.  He stared at Fives for as long as he could, barely paying attention when Gamma explained to him what was about to happen.  He only tore his gaze away when Kix addressed him.

“We’re ready to start.”  Kix said.  “Are you sure about this?”

Tup nodded, even as his stomach twisted in knots.  “I’m sure.”

Kix gave him a small smile.  “It won’t take long.  You’ll be awake before you know it, and everything will be just fine.”

“See you on the other side, brother.”  He heard Fives’ voice.  Tup took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“See you on the other side.”  He said as he felt consciousness slip away from him.

Chapter Text

The guards were pulled from duty. Not just escort and senate shifts, but all work. They were even told to put their paperwork on hold. The Senate weren't happy, but a handful of the senators spoke very loudly in their defense, and the Jedi took care of the rest.

The guard didn't want to be forbidden from working, but they were told it was a medical emergency, and nobody was going to fight the medics about it.

The commanders were some of the first to get the chips out of their heads. As the leaders of the guard it was their job to make sure that any procedure they demanded from their men was entirely safe, and what better way of demonstrating that than by volunteering to do it first?

Fox had thought that the Jedi would be reluctant to get these supposed inhibitor chips taken out. What if something went wrong and all the clones became violent? They didn't voice those concerns for long. Skywalker had taken out Fives' chip, and he had carefully gone through every bit of the programming found on it. He turned in a detailed report that covered every concerning order that the chips could force the clones to follow. The Jedi Council had unanimously agreed that it was too risky for the chips to remain, even if they did inhibit the clones' more violent tendencies.

Most clones hadn't yet been told about the details. Just knowing that the chips could take away their free will was enough to make them want to get rid of them. Only Fox, Rex, Kix, Gamma, and Tup had been told about what Skywalker had found about Order 66. The only reason Tup had been told is because his chip had started to malfunction and influence his mood and judgement. The Jedi hadn't wanted him to know, but Fox had thought that it was only fair that Tup knew how bad it could have gotten.

Besides, now Tup could tell the medics every little detail about how he'd been feeling so they could look for the signs in any other clone. They hadn't found other deteriorating chips yet, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Fox rubbed at his forehead and paced around his office, trying to run away from the dark feeling that was sinking deeper and deeper into his chest. Something bad was about to happen, he just knew it.

This wasn't just anxiety about the chips or concern about his men. This was far more than the normal restlessness that he always felt when he couldn't do his work the way he was supposed to. This was a heavy and familiar dread, and he knew exactly what it meant.

He looked at his arms, devoid of their armor. It had been confiscated from him when the Chancellor had disciplined him for his disobedience, and he still hadn't gotten it back. That was the rule. Fox couldn't just be given his armor back when it was taken from him. He had to prove himself worthy and earn it.

That part usually wasn't so bad. It gave Fox a headache every time, and it felt like something twisted its way into his mind. Something that shouldn't be there. But the discomfort didn't usually last long. Fox just had to bear through it, report on what he had learned and how he would correct his behavior, and his armor would be returned. It would be dented, scuffed, and in some places scorched, but he didn't care because it was his.

He would normally only have to live without his armor for a few days, until he was well enough to return to work. There had only been one or two times where his recovery had taken nearly a week, but it had never been longer than that. The Chancellor didn't want the public to see one of the clone commanders so vulnerable. How would they trust the Coruscant Guard to protect them if their commander couldn't even protect himself?

It had been far longer than just a few days though. Fox didn't know exactly how long, because time blurred together when he wasn't busy working, but he knew it had to have been a few weeks at the very least. He knew the Chancellor would want to see him eventually, and every day that went by without being summoned by him made the dread grow. He had long-since healed from his punishment. The scars were gone, and his muscles hadn't spasmed in weeks. What was the Chancellor waiting for?

Whatever his motivation had been, Fox knew the wait was over. If the darkness in his chest wasn't a big enough indication, he felt the occasional burning shocks through his arms that made his muscles tighten painfully. He knew this was a reminder of his punishment, because the Chancellor didn't like to repeat his lessons. He expected Fox to have learned the first time around, and these little shocks certainly did the job of reminding him of what he would rather forget.

Fox wanted to get it over with, but he had made the mistake once of trying to anticipate the Chancellor's needs. Never again. No, he couldn't go until he was called in. Even if the Chancellor would probably scold him for 'being late', that was better than getting another punishment for presuming that he knew better than the Chancellor.

Palpatine thrived on power. Nothing made him happier than to have the opportunity to passive aggressively, or just aggressively, demonstrate how much better he was than everybody else. Fox got in trouble for his incompetence, but he knew it also made the Chancellor happy, and when he was happy he was sometimes more forgiving of Fox' mistakes. Not all the time, but sometimes.

So Fox paced in his room and just waited. He jumped terribly when he heard a knock on his door. He was far too jumpy, and he knew that the Chancellor would get at him for it. He looked at the door as it was opened by Dogma. He had permission to come into Fox' office whenever he pleased, but insisted on knocking first, even if he just let himself in immediately afterwards. Fox didn't know if that had been part of Dogma's training, and he was in no mood to try to figure it out right now.

"Ad'ika." Fox said. Just seeing Dogma soothed a small amount of the anxiety he had about his inevitable meeting with the Chancellor. "Is your surgery soon?" One look at Dogma's head made it clear that he hadn't gotten the chip out. Fox didn't know why. He had wanted Dogma to be one of the first guards to get the chip removed, as soon as they knew it was safe. Kix had agreed, because they had both thought that the chip might have at least something to do with Dogma's more concerning thoughts and behavior, and the sooner that was taken care of the better. Why had it been put off?

Dogma's fingers twitched slightly. If he hadn't been trained so well he would probably be fiddling with his fingers anxiously. "Gamma arranged for me to be at the back of the list." Dogma said. Fox raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you scared?" Fox' tone was free of all judgment. They all knew the procedure was safe. Even Tup, with his slightly decayed chip, had his surgery go down without a hitch. But fear wasn't a logical thing. Just because somebody knew that they were safe didn't mean they were immune to fear.

But Dogma was always so practical and logical. All of his fears and concerns were carefully rationalized in his head. Why would he be afraid of such a short and safe surgery.

"I'm not nervous about the procedure." Dogma said stiffly. "I-" He trailed off, looking ashamed and more than just a little scared. This wasn't just a fear that was nudging at the back of his mind. He was truly afraid.

Dogma took a deep breath. "Kix said the chip might have something to do with why I'm the way I am. What if I'm someone new when it's gone?"

Fox hadn't considered that possibility, and now he found himself with the same fear. He wanted Dogma to get better, yes, but he didn't want to 'fix' or 'cure' him. Fox didn't think there was anything wrong with Dogma's more strict and 'by-the-book' behavior. There was nothing wrong with him struggling to express his emotions with his words, and deciding to show it through his actions instead.

Fox wanted to reassure him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. That Dogma was far more than the protocol and the procedures that had been drilled into him, and even if he changed he would still be Dogma. He would still be the loyal brother who wouldn't hesitate to make sacrifices in the name of bringing happiness to someone else. That wasn't the kind of thing that the chip or his training had taught him. That was just who Dogma was.

But he didn't know how to make any such promise. He didn't know how to find the words, and he was worried that if he said it wrong then he would just give Dogma false hope. He didn't want to unintentionally lie to him. But the longer Fox was silent, just staring at Dogma in horror at the very idea that he would become someone new, the more he practically confirmed the fear in Dogma's mind.

Fox was feeling overwhelmed. Should he comfort Dogma? Talk about him logically about this? Send him Kix' way and have the medics address these very real concerns? He didn't know what was best, and he had too many things on his mind to even think about how he should talk Dogma through his problems.

Fox was both saved and condemned when he heard his communicator go off. It was a cheap one that didn't relay messages. It just beeped. But the only person who had the frequency for this little communicator was the Chancellor. He had given it to Fox specifically so he could summon him when it was time for him to try to get his armor back.

Fox didn't have a second to spare. He gave Dogma an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry. I have to go. Talk to Tup. Take some deep breaths. You'll be fine." He hated how dismissive he sounded, but he couldn't afford to linger. Every moment he wasn't in the Chancellor's office after being summoned like this was a moment too long.

Tup would probably be better suited to help Dogma with these issues. He knew how to calm and comfort him. And Tup, of all the clones, knew how it felt to have his thoughts and feelings suddenly change with the chip's absence. His situation wasn't the same as Dogma's, but it was similar enough.

Fox left his office and quickly started walking down the halls of the barracks. His chest tightened when he heard Dogma come after him and start walking at his side. He couldn't deal with this right now.

"Where are you going?" Dogma asked. He didn't sound as nervous anymore. He sounded determined and concerned. Fox knew he was probably more worried about him than he was about himself. It was probably a great distraction for Dogma, but it was such bad timing for Fox.

"I have a meeting with the Chancellor." Fox said stiffly.

"General Skywalker said you wouldn't need to talk to the Chancellor anymore." Dogma said.

"General Skywalker isn't here." Fox said. "And I can't just wait for him."

Dogma grabbed his arm and made him stop in his tracks. Fox's chest tightened, and he didn't know if it was from anxiety or if it was an echoing reminder of what was waiting for him should he take too long. Getting shocked with electricity would be the least of his worries.

"Let me go." Fox said.

"No." Dogma said boldly. "You don't have to do what the Chancellor says." Did he even hear himself? That was bordering on treasonous, but what was most shocking of all was that it was coming from Dogma of all people.

"I have my orders." Fox said. "And good soldiers follow orders." It was odd how foreign the familiar phrase felt on his tongue. The phrase felt like second nature to say, and Fox had said it before without a second thought, but now it felt unnatural.

"But you're not a soldier with the Chancellor." Dogma said. "Skywalker said you act like a slave."

"What's the difference?" Fox asked, only half kidding. Dogma's grip on his arm tightened and Fox remembered who he was talking to. "Sorry."

"You've all been trying to help me to stop acting like a slave to the Jedi." Dogma said. Fox didn't like the way he phrased that. It made it sound like Dogma's behavior was his fault when he was just a victim in this. They had been trying to help him overcome the indoctrination though, so he wasn't wrong about that.

"I just want to help you do the same." Dogma said quietly. He was a sweet kid. Fox' heart ached with pride and appreciation for him, but it wasn't strong enough to hide the growing darkness in his chest. He needed to leave. Now.

"The Jedi are cooperative." Fox said. Perhaps they were more than a bit willfully ignorant, but they meant well, and Fox had seen that they genuinely tried to not give direct orders to Dogma or any other clone that wasn't working directly under them. "The Chancellor isn't. And he has a lot more power than the Jedi do."

"Then I'll go with you." Dogma said. Fox felt a spike of anxiety so sharp that it actually felt like his heart had stopped. He couldn't breathe. He would swear that his heart was being squeezed. He felt like he was going to die, and there was just a single thing that kept him going.

"Absolutely not!" Fox ripped his arm out of Dogma's grip, glaring harshly at him. "You are to do no such thing."

"You're not going alone." Dogma protested. "That's one of your rules. No clones alone on Coruscant."

Dogma was so loyal. So kind. So determined. He was truly one of the best men that Fox had ever had the pleasure of meeting. He couldn't allow him to be exposed to the Chancellor's cruelties, and that was exactly what would happen if Dogma came with him. It would be the situation with Krell all over again, except that Palpatine wouldn't be anywhere near as merciful as the demagolka had been.

He didn't know what the Chancellor would do, but he refused to find out. No matter what he couldn't let Dogma get hurt again. Not because of him. He wouldn't be able to take it.

"You're not coming." Fox' voice was cold and commanding. He hated to speak like the commander that he was, especially to his own men when they didn't have to play any parts for civilians or senators, but he didn't have a choice. Dogma was too concerned about Fox to listen to him. But no matter how worried Dogma was, he was also obedient to those in authority over him. Fox had never once abused that power, and he loathed to do so now, but he wouldn't hesitate to do so if it meant that Dogma was safe.

"You are to stay within the barracks until my return." Fox commanded. Dogma opened his mouth to argue, and Fox pulled out his trump card. "That's an order, soldier."

Dogma's mouth snapped close and he became really stiff. His eyes became closed off. Fox knew he had won the little argument, but that was hardly something to be proud of. He knew he would hate himself forever for this, but he didn't know what else to do. He didn't have time to think of another way to convince Dogma to stay.

He wanted to apologize. He wanted to tell Dogma that he didn't mean it, but he was just doing the best that he could, even though he knew it wasn't good enough. He wanted to give empty promises that he would be just fine and that Dogma didn't need to worry about him. But he had given Dogma his orders as his Commander, and being soft on him would make it all be for nothing.

So Fox, the coward that he was, didn't say anything. He turned away from Dogma and marched away. He was relieved and heartbroken when he didn't hear Dogma follow him. Fox was able to leave the barracks uninterrupted, and then he started going through the motions. He didn't really think or make conscious decisions, but somehow he was able to get from the barracks, find a transport, and get to the senate building without any problem.

He didn't want to be here. Fox felt like he should be running the other way, but his feet kept moving forward as he approached the Chancellor's office. It felt like moving through a dream. You're not really aware of how you get from point A to point B, but somehow it just happens. All too soon he was standing in front of the office doors.

The red guards were standing in front of the door. They were expecting him, because they opened the door and let him in without a word. Fox didn't falter at all in his steps as he entered. He saw the Chancellor standing in front of the windows, looking out over the city. He didn't turn or acknowledge Fox' presence at all, but he didn't need to. Fox already knew what was expected of him.

He stepped into the middle of the room and knelt on the ground, his shoulders hunched and his head lowered. He could only imagine how lowly he looked. If only people knew that this was what the great Commander Fox had been reduced to. None of his men would respect him. The Jedi would probably doubt the strength of all of the clones serving under them.

The part that broke Fox the most was how he knew his vode would respond. They had always thought that he was too proud. They mocked him for being 'high and mighty'. They'd probably get a kick out of knowing how far he had fallen. They would laugh at him. Mock him.

Or maybe some of them would be like Rex and they would pity him, and that would be even worse.

"Fox." Palpatine's voice was deceivingly calm, but Fox wasn't fooled for a second. The Chancellor wasn't even calling him by his title. Fox hadn't earned that right. "How gracious of you to honor me with your presence. I hope I'm not interrupting your busy schedule."

Fox swallowed thickly. He kept his head lowered. He didn't dare look up at the Chancellor. He didn't deserve that privilege. "Of course not, Sir." He said. There was nothing else he could say.

"I should hope not." He flinched when he heard the swishing of fabric. He could vividly imagine the Chancellor turning towards him. Who would have thought that an old man turning around could be enough to strike fear into someone's heart? Or maybe Fox was just that pathetic.

"After all," He heard the Chancellor walk closer, his voice far too casual. "We have a lot to discuss, don't we?" The way he said it made Fox feel like he should know what to expect, but he never did. Fox knew that the Chancellor would ask him to repeat the lesson he had learned all those weeks ago when he had let Dogma interrupt his meeting with Skywalker. Palpatine would probably want him to confess to wasting the Jedi's time, even though the guard had been repeatedly told to not bother them unless commanded otherwise.

But there had to be more than that. There was always more.

Fox' breath got caught in his throat when he saw the Chancellor's feet in front of him. He must be standing very close if Fox could see him even with his head lowered as it was. He didn't feel comfortable or safe at all, but since when did his feelings matter?

"So," Fox shuddered and felt his chest tighten when the Chancellor put a hand on his shoulder. The touch itself was gentle, but he knew it wouldn't last. "Shall we begin?"

He didn't want to. Fox would rather do anything else. He would rather be at the Jedi Temple, being interrogated, only to not be believed. That humiliation and pain was worlds better than this. But he didn't have a choice. He never did, and he never would.

The other clones deserved autonomy. They deserved to be treated as the sentient beings that they were, free to make their own choices. Fox wasn't. The Chancellor had made that perfectly clear. The only freedom Fox had was the choice to either accept it, or fight fruitlessly and make things worse for himself.

He knew he should fight, but he was too much of a coward. So instead Fox closed his eyes and said what was expected of him.

"Of course, Sir."

Chapter Text

Dogma’s head was pounding, but that pain was nothing compared to the burning in his chest. He was anxious, terrified, frustrated, and so many other things. He paced up and down the halls, heading towards the medbay, and then away from it. He was supposed to get his chip taken out soon. Kix wasn’t going to let him put it off for much longer. Dogma knew that if he tried his patience too much then Kix would just order him to go through with the procedure, and he didn’t know if he could handle any more orders. Especially not those that came from a place of care and concern.

His chest tightened painfully and he felt like he wanted to hit something. He took a deep breath and for the dozenth time walked away from the medbay. He was frustrated with himself. He was supposed to be better than this. He needed to focus and get something done. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do, but he had to do something.

He could think of about a dozen different things he could do. He could tell the other commanders or Captain Rex about where Fox had gone and hope that they could do something about it. Something more than pace around and hope for the best. He could go to the medbay, for real, and finally get this chip taken care of.

He was following the orders that had been given to him, which he should feel content with, but he still felt like he was failing. Because he was. He was being a good soldier, but not a good vod. Not a good ad. He was here, safe in the barracks, while Fox was dealing with who even knew what.

He had gotten in trouble with the Chancellor in the first place because of Dogma. The least he could do was step in and actually do something about it. But he had his orders. He wasn’t supposed to leave the barracks.

But where did that leave Fox? Alone. Abandoned. He fought for everybody, but who was fighting for him? The other Commanders tried. They tried really hard, but Fox always needed so much more help than the rest of the guard. And he did so much more than everybody else. Dogma didn’t know how he did it, but with everything that Fox did it took all of the other commanders to make up for it if he was unavailable. They couldn’t take care of the rest of the guard and Fox.

Dogma wanted to help him, but he couldn’t. He’d been specifically ordered to not do just that. He couldn’t just disobey his orders, and Fox knew it. That was why he had given the orders in the first place. Dogma knew it. He understood. If he was in Fox’ position he would have done the same thing. But that didn’t make the pain about it go away. It didn’t stop the guilt and conflict.

He should go after Fox and make sure he was okay, but he couldn’t. But he couldn’t just stay here pathetically. He was desperate to make sure that Fox was okay. He wished that he could bring himself to disobey the order, but that wasn’t his thing. Even when he knew that breaking the rules was harmless, or when the rule was more like a suggestion, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wasn’t a rule-breaker. He wasn’t like Fives, or Hardcase, or-

“D’ika.” Jesse grabbed his arm and stopped him, keeping him from continuing his pacing. “Are you okay? Kix says you’ve walked past the medbay twelve times in the past half hour.”

Dogma stiffened and just looked at him. Jesse. He was a rule-breaker. And he had helped Dogma before, back when he had needed to tell General Skywalker about Krell. He hadn’t broken the rules, but he had stepped out of line. He had done what he’d been taught was wrong for the sake of what he knew was right.

Fox needed help. Dogma thought that he could help him, but he couldn’t do it alone. He knew he couldn’t. Jesse could help him though. He could push Dogma into doing what was necessary.

“How do I disobey an order?” Dogma asked.

Jesse blinked. “Uh, it depends on the order, I guess.” There was a look of concern in his eyes. “Look, I’m all for encouraging some disobedience, but if this is about why you’re putting off getting the chip taken out, I think this is one thing where you really should see it through.”

Dogma shook his head. “It’s not about the chip.” He was still nervous about that, but it was far from his first concern. “Fox went to talk to the Chancellor, and he ordered me to stay here in the barracks until he came back, but I can’t just stay here while he might just be getting tortured again.”

Jesse crossed his arms. “Oh, yeah, no, that’s…” He took in a slow breath. “You Commander is a self-sacrificing di’kut. You know that, right?”

“I know.” Dogma said. He had no arguments about that.

“Okay, we’ve got some options here.” Jesse said. “I can go after Fox myself, and you don’t have to worry about disobeying your orders. You can come with me, but I’ll take charge. Or I’ll go with you and keep you on track.”

All of those possibilities were great and exactly what Dogma felt like he needed, but none of them felt good enough. He knew whatever he chose he would still feel anxious and terrified. But he couldn’t sit around indecisively anymore. Not when Jesse was giving him solutions.

“Come with me.” Dogma said. “You helped me before. I thought you could help me this time too.”

Jesse smiled at him. “Gladly. Just give me a second.” He opened the door to the medbay and poked his head inside. “Hey, Kix, I’ve corrupted Dogma, and now we’re going to save Fox from himself. Bye!”

“What? Jesse!” Kix shouted from the medbay, but Jesse shut the door. He grabbed Dogma’s hand and started pulling him down the halls and towards the exit.

“First step to disobeying orders or breaking rules is to tell someone else what you’re doing, but in vague enough terms that they can’t get you in trouble for it now, but when they try to get mad at you for it later you can truthfully say ‘I told you what I was doing’.” Jesse said as they practically ran down the halls.

“I know.” Dogma said as he pulled Jesse to the closet to get some helmets. Emergency or not, they were not going to run around Coruscant in just half a uniform. “You guys used to do that kind of thing to me all the time.” It had been so infuriating and humiliating when Dogma knew that the others were doing something wrong, but he couldn’t report them because he didn’t know the specifics. More than once he’d gotten into minor trouble too because he had ‘known’ about their mischief and didn’t tell Rex.

Those had not been fun times, and Dogma didn’t appreciate the reminder, but he didn’t linger on it. He needed to focus on Fox.

Dogma’s mind went to a weird place the second they stepped outside of the barracks. Every step they took closer to the exit he felt more and more anxious and worried about actually following through with this. He thought that he would have frozen at the doorway and needed several minutes of coaxing before he was able to take that final step. But that didn’t happen. He was able to walk outside just fine, and then his mind shut down.

It wasn’t quite like what happened after a Demonstration. He couldn’t really move at all during those shutdowns, and they snuck up on him gradually. He was definitely moving right now though, still walking with Jesse down the streets of Coruscant, but his mind immediately went somewhere else  

That wasn’t quite right either though, because that implied that he had thoughts and focus, and it just wasn’t in the here and now. That happened to Dogma occasionally, though not often. This wasn’t that. It was like his mind went blank. He didn’t really think. He saw things, but didn’t really register them. He only really processed the passage of time because he would blink, suddenly understand that Jesse had been talking to him, and realize that they were several minutes away from the last place he could remember being.

Dogma knew this was a dangerous mind-set to be in. He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he was unfocused. Soldiers on the battlefield couldn’t afford to be unfocused. It made them sloppy and caused them to make stupid mistakes. They were trained better than that.

…But Dogma wasn’t acting like a soldier right now. He didn’t want to be a soldier, because a good soldier would still be back in the barracks, and good soldiers followed orders. That was all that Dogma had ever known.

“...Jess?” Dogma said quietly. He felt Jesse’s hold on his hand tighten. He hadn’t even realized that neither of them had let go. Maybe he should be embarrassed or concerned about what the civilians would think about such blatant sentimentality and weakness from clones, but all he could think about at that moment was how grateful he was that Jesse was holding his hand, showing support and preventing him from just freezing completely.

Jesse didn’t say anything for a long minute, and it took Dogma far too long to realize that he was waiting for him to continue. But Jesse eventually urged him on. “What’s up, Dogma?”

He swallowed thickly, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry. This was the longest he’d been focused since leaving the barracks, and his head was spinning. Thinking was difficult, and he wanted to retreat into the nothingness that was just at the edges of his awareness, waiting to pull him back in the second he let down his guard.

More than that though, he wanted answers.

“Soldiers can’t be unfocused.” Dogma said. “But I can’t help it. Is it okay for vod to be unfocused?”

Jesse sighed. He squeezed Dogma’s hand again. It felt nice. “Yeah, Dogma, it’s okay. Try not to go too far that you get all catatonic again, but if you need to retreat into your mind go right ahead. I’ll get us where we need to go, and I’ll watch your back while we go.”

Dogma was unspeakably grateful to Jesse. If Hardcase or Tup were here they would have stopped and made sure he was okay, insisting on at least taking a break before moving on. Kix or Fox would have taken things further and had him go home, because they thought his well-being was more important than whatever he was trying to accomplish outside.

Dogma had been trying to take better care of himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that if it came at the cost of a vod’s safety. He never could. That was why he had always been a bit of a snitch, even when brothers were breaking harmless rules. Because the rules were there for a reason, and even if they didn’t get hurt while breaking the rules, they’d get in trouble for it, and Dogma couldn’t stand the thought. He told on troublemakers because even if they got in trouble, it was never as bad if they were caught during the act as opposed to after the fact. 

Dogma ended up getting ostracized by his brothers because of it, but so what? It was more important that his brothers were safe than for him to be liked. And Dogma considered this to be a similar concept. Disobeying an order hurt, but better he be hurt than Fox.

He didn’t retreat fully into his mind again. He didn’t lose his focus completely. He just drifted a little bit. Knowing that Jesse was there in case things went too far was actually exactly the thing that kept his mind from wandering where it shouldn’t. His thoughts were a little slow, and he definitely wasn’t as attentive as he should be, but he was there in his own mind.

Eventually they got to the senate building, and Dogma felt like he couldn’t breathe. This was it. It was real. They were going right up to the Chancellor’s office to save Fox from they didn’t even know what. Did he even need their help? What if Dogma just made things worse for him again? After all, Fox had only been disciplined in the first place because Dogma had done the very thing that he was on his way to do right now.

“You with me, Dogma?” Jesse asked? Dogma nodded, though he couldn’t trust himself to speak. “And you still wanna see this through?”

Dogma took a deep breath and nodded again. He had to do this. He had to make sure that Fox was okay, and if he wasn’t then he needed to protect him, because Fox clearly wasn’t going to help himself.

Because just like Dogma, Fox put the safety of the others above his own, even if he was in a more vulnerable position. That was just how they were.

They went deeper and deeper into the senate building until they were in the hallway to the Chancellor’s office. Dogma stiffened when he saw the red guard standing outside his office door. He didn’t have a lot of experience with these guys, but he knew they weren’t to be messed with, and they weren’t brothers. He didn’t think they’d be able to talk their way past them, but what other choice did they have? They couldn’t fight with them.

Jesse solved the problem without a moment of hesitation. He pulled out his blaster, grabbed Dogma’s, set them both to stun, and fired them at the guards, knocking them out before they could even consider that Jesse and Dogma weren’t supposed to be there.

Dogma stared stunned at the unconscious guards. Jesse roughly handed his blaster back to him and made his way towards the door. Dogma took a second to gather himself before hurrying after him.

“Another piece of advice for disobeying direct orders.” Jesse said. “Act first, ask for forgiveness later.”

The Chancellor's door was locked. Dogma decided to take Jesse's advice. He lifted his blaster, took it off of stun, and, before he could remember how stupid an idea this was, he shot the electric lock, frying and disabling it.

He pushed past Jesse, stepping over the red guards as he did so. He pushed the door open and immediately froze. Not out of fear or shock. It felt like an obsessive force had surrounded him, making it impossible to move.

He saw Fox slumped on the ground, breathing harshly. The smell of burnt flesh filled the room, and Dogma could see lightning scars across his bare back. They were harsher and more numerous than the scars he'd carried after the last time he had been ‘disciplined’ by the Chancellor.

Dogma only had less than a second to really take in any of this information. Very suddenly his mind went blank and he could no longer process what he saw. His vision didn't go dark, he could still technically see, but none of it registered.

He heard a few voices, but they blurred together and the words sounded like muffled gibberish. He could hear one voice loud and clear though. It seemed to be speaking directly into his mind.

“I have given our Commander many chances, and yet he still disappoints me.” The voice said. Dogma felt a darkness in his chest. The kind that usually came with high anxiety and made him feel like he couldn't move at all. Strangely, he didn't feel anxious. It seemed that his body didn't get the memo.

“I've been gracious and more than forgiving this far. Unfortunately, I do not believe that he will learn from threats and warnings. He needs to learn a lesson. That there are consequences to disobedience.”

That made sense to Dogma. They were made to serve. It was their purpose. If they couldn't do what they were told, then they had to be taught. He knew Fox wasn't being defiant on purpose. He was too good a soldier for that. If he couldn't meet expectations, then he had to learn.

It was generous of the voice to have the patience to teach Fox how he should be.

“Yes.” The voice hissed. “He will learn.” The voice then said…something. Honestly, Dogma didn't understand the word or phrase or whatever it was. However, he still understood what it meant. It was an order, and Dogma didn't hesitate to obey, moving without even realizing what he was doing.

He felt his arm moving. He felt his fingers tighten, ready to pull the trigger. And he felt it when he aimed his own blaster right at the side of his head.

“No!” Fox’ scream cut through the haze of his mind. For just an instant Dogma saw Fox again. He looked terrified, furious, and heartbroken all at once. It was an expression of raw emotion, and even though Dogma only saw it for a short moment before the mental fog returned, that one look was enough to make his hands shake as he lowered the blaster slightly.

“You have your order.” The voice said calmly. “I know you know how to obey. You've done it before.”

There was a sharp pain in Dogma's head, and then he saw himself in another situation. A similar one. He was holding a blaster, looking at a brother, and being told to shoot. And he'd followed through with it.

It had been one of the worst things he'd ever done, he knew that, but his memory didn't come with the feelings. He just remembered the actions, and it hadn't been that hard.

It was like leaving the barracks. The first step was the hardest, and then he could just let go and let his body take over. One step. One action. That was all he needed to do.

“That's all it takes.” The voice sounded pleased. The shaking in Dogma's hands eased as he lifted the blaster back into position. “Just like before.”

His fingers started to tighten, but he could hear echoes of Fox’ voice in his ears. He was scared. Dogma wasn't scared. He could obey this order. But Fox didn't sound like he wanted him to. He sounded so upset. Dogma didn't need to understand his words to understand that much.

His chest tightened. It was a different feeling from the overwhelming force around him. It didn't clear his mind. Not even close. It was just strong enough to make him wonder 

He needed to follow this order. He knew that. He didn't have a choice. But he couldn't let Fox down and upset him more than he already had.

But he couldn't do both…although…

Just like before. That was what the voice had said. It wasn't what it meant, but it was what it said.

His blaster was aimed towards his head. That was what the voice wanted. But before he had pointedly and purposely aimed for the leg, causing a painful and debilitating injury, but one that would heal.

Dogma knew that neither the voice nor his commander would be happy with his decision. It wasn't what either of them wanted. But it was something. It was the best Dogma could do.

Before he could talk himself out of it, or before the voice or Fox could try to do the same, Dogma lowered his blaster, changed the target and, just like before, fired.

He felt a burning pain and the haze of his mind was replaced by a white-hot pain. He heard a few screams, and he didn't know which, if any, belonged to him. He felt a terror in his chest unlike anything he'd ever felt before. That fear, not the burning in his leg, made him feel like he was dying.

It seemed to last for an eternity until finally, mercifully, it was too much for him. He slumped forward, unconscious before he hit the ground.

Chapter Text

Most clones only ever had one name that they settled into. They didn't tend to try names out to see what suited them. Many of them might have wanted to, but they ultimately didn't because to a clone, being accepted as an individual was the most important thing, regardless of just who that individual was.

People already didn't take clones seriously. They didn't think their names meant more than just fun little nicknames, like they were all playing a game with their entire identities. So even when a clone found themself with a name that might be demeaning, or they might not be the biggest fans of, they continued to use it and let it grow on them. They knew that if they started changing names and experimenting with who they were then the Kaminoans, and everybody else, would see it as an excuse to dismiss them and their names.

Fox was an exception, because this hadn't been his first name, or even his second. He'd had two previous ones before he'd settled on Fox. The first had been just Tens. 1010. That was his designation, and one of the trainers had decided to shorten it to just Tens. Fox hadn't really seen it as a name, but his vode had jumped right on it.

He still didn't know if they thought the nickname had been funny and wanted it to stick so they could tease him about it, or if they just latched onto the name because they'd been worried that he wouldn't have one otherwise. As a cadet he had never thought much about his name. It had always been the least of his concerns. He had wanted one, but he hadn't wanted to think about it.

He had been Tens for a bit, and then they had a training session with Prime. Jango Fett didn't bother with the training of clones. Fox saw him around every once and a while, but he was completely disinterested. He only came to this particular sparring session because the Kaminoans had insisted.

Fett had been hard on them. He didn't hold back when he sparred against them, even though they had only been about six years old at the time. They all got bruised and beat up when it was their turn against him. Wolffe got a concussion within seconds. Bly got a black eye so swollen that it took a week for it to go down. Gree's ribs got bruised. But those were all expected injuries that came with sparring. They were on the extreme end, but not too unusual.

And then it was Cody's turn. Fox remembered this part vividly. He could still see the moment when Fett's foot came down harshly on his vod's upper leg. He could remember the harsh cracking sound, immediately followed by one of the most agonized screams that he had ever heard.

Things were a blur for Fox after that. His next memories were of Alpha-17 restraining him while he kicked and lashed out violently. He'd had the taste of blood in his mouth, and something else. A musky taste that lingered on his tongue and made him feel furious and slightly ill. And standing just in front of him had been Fett.

The man had had bloody marks all over him. Most of them looked like scratches, but at least one of them was clearly teeth marks. Fox wasn't a fool. It wasn't hard to figure out what happened.

He had been sure that he was going to be decommissioned for his behavior. He thought that Fett would take him out himself. But the man hadn't been angry. He had looked amused and impressed more than anything. He had grinned broadly and approached Fox, ruffling his hair, laughing when he almost got bitten again for his efforts.

"You're a feral little one, aren't you?" Fett had said. "That will serve you well one day."

Word had spread like wildfire. It wasn't long before everybody was whispering behind their back about the 'feral' clone that had caught Fett's attention. His vode had tried to give him his privacy. They somehow kept everybody from learning just who this 'feral' clone was, but that didn't keep everybody from talking about it. Because nobody knew who had attacked Fett, they started referring to him as Feral behind his back.

Alpha-17 had loved the name. Cody had thought it was something to be proud of, because he had truly earned it. Fox hadn't agreed at the time, and he had been a bit hurt about it, but he hadn't blamed Cody. He was the one that Fox had defended. He would much prefer his brother feel proud of him than feel guilty about the whole thing.

Gree and Bly thought the name suited him, and Fox hadn't been able to figure out how to say why he hated it. Wolffe was the only one who got it, and he was the one who pulled Fox aside and gave him some alternative names to use. Fox was the easiest, and obviously the one he'd settled on. It made him feel like he matched with his vod, and it started with the same letter as 'Feral' did, so the others would accept it easier.

He hadn't thought about the name in years. It wasn't who he was. Fox was in control. He had been trained to be a leader, and he took his job seriously. Feral was…well, feral.

Sometimes though he felt that fierce fury building up inside of him, begging to come out. He could control himself, and he hadn't lost it since that incident with Fett, but that protectiveness was always there. He had felt it building up the second that he saw Dogma come into the office. It got stronger when Dogma froze, clearly under the influence of the Chancellor's power. It was practically screaming at him when Dogma aimed his blaster at himself.

But there was nothing he could do, and it all happened so quickly. Before he could even process his terror he saw Dogma shoot himself in the leg and collapse to the ground with a scream that echoed Fox' own.

He couldn't control his fury anymore, and more important than that he wanted to try to hold back anymore. He let go and for the first time since he was a child he lashed out and let himself be Feral again.

He screamed in fury and lunged. His body ached and his limbs spasmed because of the lightning, but that didn't matter. He could push past that pain. His discomfort was literally the least of his concerns. All that mattered was that Dogma was hurt. The Chancellor had hurt him, and he needed to pay.

The Chancellor was always careful to make sure that there was never anything in the room that Fox could use against him. He was reluctant to even allow Fox in there at the same time as the red guards, just in case he tried to steal their weapons. He never would, but the Chancellor was never too careful.

He'd made Fox feel vulnerable and weak, and he'd made sure that it was clear that there was no escape for him. He couldn't save himself, and nobody could save him. The pain would only stop when the Chancellor got bored or decided to show mercy, and the Chancellor never felt mercy.

It had been this way since Fox had first been assigned to Coruscant. He had endured this torture for years because what other choice did he have. If he defended himself he might as well be signing his own death sentence.

But as careful as the Chancellor had been, it wasn't careful enough. Fox wouldn't fight back for his own sake, but then he'd hurt Dogma, and now he didn't have a reason to hold back.

The Chancellor was a fool if he thought that the only reason Fox hadn't attacked before was because he'd been stripped of his weapons. He'd been trained by the best trainers on Kamino. His ferocity had been recognized by Fett himself, and it wasn't as though Fox had any weapons back then. He didn't need a blaster or a blade. He had his hands, his legs, and his teeth. All he needed was a push to make him want to fight, and the Chancellor had just given it to him.

Fox, feeling more Feral than he had all those years ago, he struck. He let out a primal cry and dashed towards the Chancellor. He had a very small window of opportunity, because he knew that even if the Chancellor didn't expect him to attack, his shock wouldn't last long. He was a lot stronger than Fox. He had powers that he didn't really understand. But Fox had seen those powers at work more often than he could count, and he knew of a weakness.

Whatever the Chancellor did, it took focus. He had to concentrate. Fox knew this, because whenever the Chancellor went into his mind, or somehow made the room feel like it was full of a thick darkness, or when he used that electricity, there was always a break if there was a knock on the door or if he got a call on his comms. If the Chancellor was interrupted, his influence over Fox faltered. It was just a little, but that little was enough for Fox to recognize the weakness for what it was.

The chancellor needed to focus, and Fox knew for a fact just how hard it was to focus when one couldn't breathe.

He didn't waste one movement. He swept a leg around the Chancellor's and pulled, making him unsteady on his feet. It was only a little bit, but it was enough. Fox wrapped his hands around the Chancellor's throat. He positioned his hands just right, just like Alpha-17 had taught him. He positioned his thumbs right where the air pipes were, and he pushed down like he had never pushed down before.

He could feel the familiar dark force from the Chancellor. The expected lightning was there. Fox could feel it, and he didn't care about it at all. In fact, he appreciated the lightning, because it made his body instinctively stiffen, which made him push down even harder.

There was a pressure around Fox' own throat. He didn't know if the Chancellor was doing something, or if maybe he was screaming or growling and didn't even realize it. He didn't really care. Why should it matter if his throat was a little sore? Dogma was on the ground behind him, forced by the Chancellor to hurt himself. Fox would push through any pain in the world if there was even a small chance that he could save Dogma or any other vod from suffering.

Fox was strong and he caught the Chancellor off guard, but the old man was incredibly willful. His concentration didn't break. The Chancellor scowled dangerously and his eyes flashed a sickly yellow, and suddenly Fox was thrust away from him, thrown back with all the carelessness and effort that one might toss aside an unwanted doll.

Fox hit the wall harshly. He felt something in his back shift. Not quite break, but there was a pressure there that he knew would be agony to deal with the second he was no longer running on adrenaline and fury. He knew this, and he didn't care. He pushed himself back to his feet, ignoring the pain, and lunged towards the Chancellor again.

He knew he probably wouldn't get anywhere near him this time. The Chancellor was expecting him, and he was ready for it. Fox was going to go down, but he was going to use every bit of his strength to show the Chancellor just how feral he was.

There was an odd sound. Fox recognized it as a blaster going off, but he didn't understand why he would be hearing it. Dogma was down. The Chancellor didn't use blasters. Fox certainly didn't have a weapon. He didn't even consider that there might be somebody else there, because why would there be?

But Fox didn't question it. He just saw it as a miracle when the Chancellor flinched ever so slightly and turned his attention away from Fox and towards the doorway. His attention wouldn't be diverted for long, and Fox was going to take advantage of it while he could. He grabbed one of the Chancellor's most expensive and strong vases. He'd knocked his head against this particular vase more times than he could count, and it didn't have so much as a scratch on it. Fox wondered if it would be as durable if he used it to bash the Chancellor's head in.

He would love to test that theory out, but even at his most feral he was still smart. The Chancellor was expecting him to fight with weapons, because why wouldn't he? So Fox threw the vase right towards the Chancellor, aiming just a little high. He hoped the man would duck away. He didn't. He just waved his hand and sent the vase flying in the other direction. No matter. It had still served its purpose.

The second the vase left his hands Fox was diving towards the Chancellor, wanting to knock him down to the ground again while his attention was on the vase. It was a lot easier to maul on someone if they couldn't fight back or run away, and Fox knew how hard it was to do anything if you couldn't get your legs properly under you.

Fox tried to scratch and attack every bit of the Chancellor's skin that he could reach. He didn't have a lot of time to work, because the Chancellor still had that weird power of his. Fox barely got a really good attack in right at those eyes of his when he felt a pressure wrap around him and yank him away. He didn't slam into the wall this time though. The hold was firm, but it was weirdly gentle and he didn't think he liked it.

"What is going on in here?" He heard a familiar voice, and it didn't make him feel any better. He growled and glared towards the doorway. He saw Anakin Skywalker standing there, one hand held up towards Fox, and the other held up towards the Chancellor, who also looked like he was being held back.

It was a sight for sore eyes, but Fox knew it wouldn't last. Skywalker was just as much the Chancellor's pet as Fox was. Just because Fox had gnashed his teeth and let himself be feral didn't mean that Skywalker would do the same. He would let the Chancellor go, and Fox would be punished for his behavior.

He should be afraid, but he wasn't. He was just frustrated that he hadn't been able to finish the job. Oh well. Skywalker was really protective of Dogma. He would take care of him. As for what happened to Fox, well, who cared what happened to him?

Chapter Text

Anakin was tired. He hadn't slept much since learning about Dogma and the way he viewed the Jedi. He hadn't slept at all since going to Kamino to try to get to the bottom of things.

Obi-Wan would probably scold him for getting reckless in taking care of himself, and Ahsoka would laugh at him for doing something that he had scolded her for countless times. How was he supposed to sleep though? He thought he had gotten away from slave culture. Like it was just a bad dream, or something he could pretend didn't exist.

He wasn't ashamed of where he came from and who his people were, but it was a painful thing to think about. What right did he have to fly wherever he wanted in the galaxy when many slaves never left the city they were born in, let alone the planet? Whenever he thought about slavery he would reel an overwhelming responsibility on his shoulders. He felt like he needed to demolish all of it, and the fact was that he couldn't.

He tried to help people when he had the opportunity, but the chances didn't come up a lot. He'd only recently been knighted, and he didn't have the freedom he'd been promised, and he understood why. They were at war. Sacrifices needed to be made. Anakin was more than happy to sacrifice his time and safety.

But he knew that it wasn't fair that any slaves he might have tried to free would have to wait even longer for him to do so. Why should they have to suffer just because the galaxy was at war?

Anakin had never suspected that slavery was going on right under his nose, and he was disgusted at himself for being so blind to it.

He didn't know how they would fix things. He tried, but everything he did just revealed more problems. He had thought that Dogma's mindset was a result of a flaw in the training system. It was, but there was also so much more than that. This was a systematic issue that went all the way from the top to the bottom, and Anakin was still trying to figure out just what it all meant.

He wanted to tear the Kaminoans apart, but what would that solve? They were the ones who had done this to the clones, but Anakin wasn't sure if it had been their idea. The Kaminoans were creatures of business. They were far from innocent, and Anakin would personally see to it that they faced justice eventually, but there had to be somebody else out there who was responsible for all of this.

The Kaminoans refused to tell him about who had commissioned the clones, besides just repeating the same lies they'd been telling from the start. He wasn't going to let that stop him though. He was going to find out who had done this, and he was going to make sure they never did it again.

Anakin had planned on getting right on that as soon as getting back from Kamino, but he allowed himself a small break first. He was exhausted, and furious, and he could feel his anger just under the surface, begging for a reason to come out. Obi-Wan was always warning him about control, and Anakin tried his best, but at times like this it felt impossible.

Seeing Padmé always helped him to calm down. She just had something about her that brought peace to his soul. The way she carried herself made him feel safe, because he knew that she knew what she was doing. Her soft-spoken but stern and confident way of speaking was reassuring when he felt like he was spiraling. She validated his emotions, but always tried to bring logic and reasoning in. He wasn't always in a good mindset to listen, but he tried to be.

Maybe she would know what he was supposed to do with everything that he'd found. At the very least he was sure that she would appreciate knowing about the chips and all the different ways they'd been programmed to manipulate the clones.

Anakin made his way to the senate building, only to be disappointed to find that Padmé was too busy to see him. It was frustrating, but he didn't hold it against her. He knew she was busy with her job and he couldn't expect her to drop everything any time he wanted to see her. In an ideal world he and his wife could see each other as often as they wanted, but that wasn't the way things were, and he had to deal with it.

Since he was already at the senate building he decided to visit the Chancellor. He was desperate to talk about this whole thing. The Chancellor was always available when Anakin needed to get things off his chest. Sometimes he was confused about the convenience of Palpatine being free every time Anakin needed a listening ear. Mostly though he just appreciated the help, and he didn't question it too much. Maybe it was just the will of the Force or something.

Anakin was always able to stop by the Chancellor's office unannounced, so he didn't even consider calling ahead to let him know he was coming. He just made his way down the familiar halls to the office. He didn't even consider that there was something wrong until he saw the doorway.

There were two red guards unconscious on the floor and the door was open. Anakin couldn't see what was going on inside, but he could hear signs of a struggle. He put up his guard and reached for his lightsaber as he ran towards the office. The first thing he saw was two clones on the ground. He didn't know if they were hurt or not. Before he could process that he saw a more immediate concern.

The Chancellor was being attacked. Anakin reacted immediately. In one fluid movement he put his lightsaber away and used the Force to separate the Chancellor from his attacker.

"What is going on in here?" Anakin asked sternly. He was about to release the Chancellor from his hold, because he was the victim here and shouldn't be restrained. But then he saw who the attacker had been.

Fox growled and snarled, fighting against Anakin's hold. He could feel the animosity from him, which was really impressive. The entire room was full of a suffocating pressure that made Anakin feel like he was drowning. It took every bit of his effort to remain focused. This room felt far too much like the aura on Mortis. It was like raw, unfiltered power of the Force. It was so overwhelming that it was nearly painful.

Anakin focused on Fox' anger. It was dark, as all anger was, but there was something bright in there too. Something pure. This was a righteous anger. Whatever had driven him to lash out, he felt justified in his actions.

"Anakin." Palpatine's voice shook. He sounded scared. "The clones have lost their minds. They've had their inhibitor chips removed, and now they've become violent."

Anakin frowned. Fox was certainly acting like what the Kaminoans had described when they'd tried to excuse the inhibitor chips. Anakin did a quick glance at his surface thoughts, and they were raw and feral. He was acting on instinct. But this was still a righteous anger. He wasn't just acting out because he couldn't control himself. Something had set him off.

Still keeping a firm grip on both Fox and the Chancellor, Anakin looked at the clones on the ground. He recognized Jesse, who seemed unharmed. He was holding the other protectively. Jesse looked up at him, fire in his eyes.

"This isn't the chips." Jesse growled. "Between us, Dogma's the only one who was influenced by the chips."

Dogma. Anakin felt his chest tighten and he subconsciously tightened his hold on Fox and the Chancellor. He looked at Dogma, who was definitely unconscious. There was a blaster wound on his leg.

Anakin didn't ask what happened. He didn't need to. There were only two blasters in the room. One was in Jesse's hand, and it was aimed towards the Chancellor. The other was on the ground near him and Dogma. Jesse wouldn't have shot Dogma, and if he had he would be acting much more differently.

Anakin didn't want to think that Dogma would have shot himself, except he had looked over those codes and programming used for the chips. He remembered all of the different horrible things that the clones might have been forced to do.

The Jedi had been worried about the order that would force the clones to kill the Jedi, but that was far from the only concerning command. The ones that Anakin was most concerned about right now were the orders that could make a clone harm themselves.

Dogma shouldn't have a chip still, but one look at his hair confirmed it was still there. He didn't have the same surgery scar that Jesse and Fives did. Dogma was still vulnerable to the chip's commands.

And the Chancellor had been aware of the chip's existence.

Anakin looked at the Chancellor. "You knew about the chips."

He felt something odd from the Chancellor but the emotion was shielded away before he could get a good read on it. It would be so easy to convince himself that he had just imagined whatever he had felt, but he didn't want to ignore it. He'd been ignoring far too many issues lately.

"The inhibitor chips are an unfortunate necessity." Palpatine said in his slow, appeasing way of speaking. Anakin's mouth thinned. He wasn't in the senate, and he wasn't part of a panicked public. He didn't need the Chancellor to play the part of a politician in front of him.

"Just look at what they're reduced to without them." The Chancellor gave Fox a disgusted look that got under Anakin's skin. He knew that look. It was how he looked at Hutts, and Tuskens. It was how many people looked at slaves.

It was a look that easily communicated that someone didn't see you as a sentient creature.

Fox bared his teeth and glared at the chancellor with a very familiar hatred in his eyes. "Give me the chance and I'll show him just what I've been reduced to." There was a desperation in his eyes. This wasn't just a threat, it was something he truly wanted.

Anakin was getting a headache. There were too many intense emotions swarming in this room, and his own anger wanted to both feed off of it and add to it. It was draining to hold himself back.

He wanted to ask about what was going on. He wanted to follow Obi-Wan's example and deescalate the situation, but he wasn't good at that kind of thing. He would probably just make things worse.

And it wasn't possible to find a compromise in this situation. Fox saw himself as a slave to the Chancellor. The power imbalance, whether it was real or just in Fox' head, was far too great. The closest thing to a compromise that they would get would be to pretend this never happened. Fox wouldn't harm the Chancellor, and he wouldn't be punished for attacking him either.

But even if both of them were willing to go for it, and Anakin doubted they were, it wouldn't fix anything. The imbalance would still be there, and something like this couldn't just be forgotten about. Fox was going to face consequences one way or another.

Taking a second look at Fox, Anakin wondered if he had already been punished. His body was incredibly tense, and he didn't think it was because of his grip. He wasn't wearing his armor, or even their blacks. His chest was bare and full of burns and scars.

Lightning scars.

Anakin didn't dare look at the Chancellor. He thought he would lose his nerve if he did.

"Where did you get those marks?" Anakin asked. Fox blinked. He looked confused for a long moment, like he had completely forgotten about the new burn marks that were probably causing him agony.

Fox didn't answer at all. He looked at Anakin, and then towards the Chancellor darkly. He then lowered his gaze and wouldn't look at either of this. He didn't look shy or anxious. He was defeated.

Fox was carrying a truth in his heart, and he wasn't going to bother sharing it because he didn't think he'd be believed.

Anakin straightened. "Why did you attack the Chancellor?"

Fox still didn't look at him, but his mouth twisted into a sneer. "Does it matter?"

"I think it matters a lot." Anakin said. He knew a lot of people wouldn't think so. The Chancellor was one of those people that was untouchable, and any attack against him was unforgivable, no matter who was responsible or why.

Anakin had believed that just a few weeks ago, and now he wasn't sure. He wanted answers, and he would make his decision from there.

Fox looked towards Dogma. "He hurt one of my men."

"I didn't touch the clone." The Chancellor said.

"You don't need to touch someone to hurt them." Anakin said. He still wasn't looking at the other man. He couldn't do anything to block out the slight scoff he heard in his voice.

"You can't believe the word of a mere clone." Palpatine said. "Take my word for it, this particular clone has always been unstable."

Anakin hadn't known Fox well before all this. He'd only met him a few times, and heard second-hand stories about him from the 501st. He'd known the Chancellor for his entire adult life. This man had mentored him and provided a listening ear whenever he needed it.

A part of him wanted to believe the Chancellor. That was the simple thing to do. To walk away and pretend that he didn't feel Fox' righteous fury. That he didn't see his scars. That he didn't care.

But he did.

"I know better than to take the word of a master above that of a slave." Anakin said. He released his grip on Fox. He could feel the Chancellor's fury.

"What are you doing?" Palpatine sounded angry. Anakin didn't think he had ever heard him sound anything but peaceful. It was odd, but only now that he was hearing it did he realize how real it felt.

Fox prowled towards The Chancellor. Anakin finally turned towards him. It was probably a trick of the light, but the man's eyes looked yellow. Anakin met his gaze head-on.

The Chancellor wasn't paying any attention to Fox. He was probably doing it on purpose, to send the message that a 'mere clone', and 'unstable' one at that, wasn't worth his time.

Anakin had seen what happened to slavers when they turned their back on the people they abused and underestimated them. He knew what was coming. Part of him wanted to stop it, because he really had considered the Chancellor to be his friend. He had been there for Anakin when he felt like nobody else was.

But the stronger part of him, the part of him that would always be little Ani from Tatooine, watched as Fox, without a moment of hesitation, came up behind the Chancellor and snapped his neck.

There was no resistance. There was just a brief moment of fear, or recognition, or possibly anger from the Chancellor, but he didn't fight it. He couldn't. Because Anakin still had a Force grip on him, restraining him.

Anakin could feel it the moment the Chancellor died. The entire room felt lighter. Fox gasped and almost collapsed to the ground. Anakin wondered if he felt the same thing.

"It's over." Fox let out a shaky laugh of disbelief. "It's finally over."

Anakin didn't agree, but he didn't say so. He knew the issues had just started. The second that the Jedi and the senators found out what happened things were going to fall apart. Anakin's work was just starting. But he intended on keeping the clones out of it. Especially Fox and Dogma. They had been through enough.

If Anakin had his way, it was over for them, and he was planning on doing everything in his power to make that happen. As far as he was concerned, the only responsibilities the clones should have right now was to take care of each other.

"Let's get Dogma back to Kix." Anakin said. "That leg needs to get taken care of, and that chip needs to come out." He didn't understand what it was still doing there.

Jesse stood up, lifting Dogma and carrying him with an effortless ease. Fox looked like he wanted to help, but he wasn't in a great place right now, either physically or mentally. He needed to trust Dogma with somebody else and just worry about himself.

"Come on." Anakin held a hand out to Fox. The commander looked at him as though he was nuts. "Let's get you guys home." Fox' gaze didn't soften, but he took Anakin's hand and allowed him to support some of his weight. It was a sign of trust that he didn't feel like he deserved, but he appreciated it.

Anakin still didn't know most of what had happened, and that was okay. It was clear they'd had a long day, and that was all Anakin needed to know. He could always get answers later.

Chapter Text

Dogma's head hurt.  His chest hurt.  His soul hurt.  He didn't know how to explain the sensation, but it was what it was.  His leg was somehow both numb and in agony at the same time.

And he wasn't even properly awake yet.  He couldn't really think.  He definitely couldn't remember what had happened.  He had the feeling that he was missing something important  but he couldn't think about it.  He didn't want to, but even if he did he didn't think he was capable of it.

Dogma was so tired, even though he'd just woken up and felt like he'd been asleep for far too long.  He wanted to get up, but the best he could do was groan and turn his head.

“Shh,” He was hushed.  He whimpered.  “You're alright, ad’ika. ” He didn't feel alright, but Fox was the only one who called him that, and if he said things were fine, then things had to be fine.  Dogma trusted his words.

“ Buir.” He muttered.  Something pinged in his head and rang familiar.  Whatever he was remembering had something to do with Fox.  He tried to focus and remember, because it had to be important.  

What did he last remember?  He remembered the Chancellor.  There had been a cold voice in his soul.  Fox had been there.  He'd been hurt.

He whimpered and leaned towards the voice.  He tried to open his eyes.  The room felt far too bright and it made his aching head hurt even worse, but he pushed past the pain.  He needed to see that Fox was okay.

It took him several long minutes to overcome the blinding light and actually look.  He was still too tired and sore to move, but he could see Fox right next to him, gently holding him.  He looked as hurt and tired as Dogma felt, but he was here, and he seemed to be relatively okay.

“You with me, Dogma?” Fox asked.  He hummed in acknowledgement.  “That's good.  How're you feeling?”

“Bad.” Dogma muttered.  He nuzzled against Fox's side.  The Commander pulled him close.  “You?”

“I've never been better.” Fox said.  He sounded like he meant it, but Dogma didn't see how he could.  What could be good about this situation?

“You're safe, I'm free, and the Chancellor isn't going to hurt any of us ever again.” Fox said.  “What else could I hope for?”

“Fox, we've got to work on raising your expectations.” Dogma stiffened when he heard another voice.  It was clear that it was a clone, but he couldn't see them, and he was still out of it and couldn't tell who it was.

“So my men keep telling me.” Fox said.  “I guess that includes you now.”

“Good to know I'll fit right in.” He could now tell that it was Jesse.  Nobody else talked to Fox like that.

“Jess,” Dogma muttered. “Don' like disobeying.  Hurts.”

Jesse chuckled and put a hand on Dogma's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.  It didn't hurt like he thought it would.  “Yeah, leave it to the professionals.  When you disobey you do it hard .  You've been recovering for days.”

Dogma's mind cleared a bit.  “Days?” He'd been asleep for that long?  Why?

“You were in and out of it for a bit.” Fox said. “It's normal for the guards.  It happens the first few times someone shuffles through your mind.  It takes a lot of time and energy to feel like yourself again.”

“Getting that chip out probably didn't help.” Jesse pointed out.  It took Dogma a second to realize what he said.  He felt a strike of fear and quiet awe when he realized that the pain in his head was focused around the area that his chip would have been.  He'd been given the surgery while he was out of it.  He still felt like himself though.  Tired in about a dozen different ways, but still himself.

“Sorry.” Fox said.  He rubbed Dogma's arm.  “I wanted to wait until you were aware, but Kix didn't want to take any more chances.”

“That chip made you shoot yourself.” Jesse said bitterly.  “Kix didn't want a repeat performance, and we didn't know if you being out of it would have stopped you from following any orders you were given.”

Fox’ hold on him tightened.  “The chip didn't yell Dogma what to do, the Chancellor did.  If Dogma didn't have the chip he would have made him hurt himself another way.” 

Dogma blinked as he remembered something else.  “Oh, he didn't tell me to shoot my leg.  That was my idea.”

He could feel their confused stares.  “Why would you do that?” Jesse asked dangerously.  Dogma knew that if he gave an answer he wasn't satisfied with them he would probably never be allowed near a blaster again.

“The voice said to shoot myself.” Dogma said bluntly.  Fox made a wounded sound and Jesse growled.  Maybe he should have said it more tactfully. “I knew what it meant, but it didn't say what it meant.  It just said to shoot, so I did.”

They were quiet for a moment before Fox let out a quiet chuckle that quickly built to an almost frightening sounding guffaw.

“Oh, Dogma,” Fox said when he got his laughter under control. “You're so much stronger than I could have ever been.”

“But I let it win.” Dogma didn't feel strong.

“Maybe, but you let him win on your terms, and that took away his power over both of us.” Fox said.  Dogma didn't completely understand what he was saying, but Fox sounded proud of him and Dogma took comfort in that.

“I’ve never been so glad that you decided to follow the letter of the law instead of thinking about the intention behind it.”  Jesse said.  He gave Dogma’s shoulder one more squeeze before taking a step back.  Dogma nuzzled closer to Fox to try to replace the loss of contact.

“I should go tell the others you’re up now, and didn’t slip into that shutdown thing from earlier.”  Jesse said.  “Tup’s been really worried about you.”

“Where is he?”  Dogma asked.  He was used to his vod never stepping away from his side when he was hurt.  He was glad that Tup was doing something else with his life than just sit around for days at a time.  He just didn’t understand where this change of behavior was coming from.

“The entire 501st has been working non-stop these past few days.”  Jesse said.  “Skywalker’s been working around the clock.  Between the Jedi and the senators, Coruscant is in chaos.”

Dogma had no idea what he was talking about.  The Jedi and the Senators were always getting into trouble.  Why should Skywalker be any busier now than any other time?  Fox didn’t seem confused, but he didn’t look happy.

“I still don’t like that he’s out there cleaning up my mess, and I’m stuck here relaxing .”  Fox grumbled.

“Someone needs to figure out how to get you two to figure out that having a break isn’t a punishment.”  Jesse’s tone was teasing, but the look in his eyes made it clear that he wasn’t joking.  “And are you kidding me?  Your mess ?  You single-handedly ended the war!”

Dogma raised an eyebrow and looked at Fox.  “How much of an exaggeration is that?”  He knew better than to believe Jesse’s word for even a second, but he wasn’t really a liar either.

Fox seemed to be fighting really hard to keep a smile off his face.  “He’s being dramatic.  I used both hands.”

Now Dogma stared at Fox in shock and awe.  “What did you do?”

“He killed the Sith master.”  Jesse said with a smirk.  

“What?!”  Dogma felt a little dizzy.  He couldn’t even process what he had just heard.

“I killed the Chancellor.”  Fox corrected, as though that was any more believable.  “I still don’t think he was a Sith lord.”

“Oh, no, yeah, you’re right.”  Jesse said sarcastically.  “He was just a normal old man who could read people’s minds, and shoot lightning out of his hands, and use that Force magic that only the Jedi and Sith can use.”

Fox grew tense.  Dogma knew how it felt when Jesse got under his skin and made him feel like an idiot.  He didn’t mean to do so, but his snarking could go too far.

“Jess,”  Dogma said sharply.  “I’m tired.”  He and Jesse had decided on a phrase for him to say when the other was starting to go too far, without admitting to everybody around him that his feelings were hurt.  Dogma rarely ever admitted that he was tired, but it was easier to say that than to say that he was being too sensitive.

Jesse’s eyes widened.  He looked at Fox and grimaced.  “Right.  Right.  I’ll…go find the others.”  He left looking sheepish and a little awkward.  They hadn’t figured out what to do when Dogma gave that code phrase.  That would have to be figured out later.

With Jesse gone Dogma forced himself to sit up.  He wanted to stay down, but it was also embarrassing.  He could stay close to Fox, but he couldn’t lay against him.

“You attacked the Chancellor?”  Dogma felt in awe.  Fox nodded.  “Wow.  I don’t know if I could attack a Jedi, let alone kill them.”  He could barely defy Fox .  “You’re incredible.”  He tried not to think about the state that the galaxy was in right now.  The Chancellor had been murdered.  That kind of thing was messy business.  Dogma felt like he should be out there being useful, but just thinking about moving was overwhelming.  Thinking was practically out of the question.

“I lost control of myself.”  Fox growled.  There was a dark resentment in his eyes.  “It’s not something to be admired.”

Dogma fell quiet.  He didn’t know what to say.  “I know what it’s like to lose control.”  Dogma said eventually.  “I get so scared and shut down because I’m too much of a coward to face the horrible things I’ve done.”  He had mentally blocked out entire weeks of his life.  If that wasn’t a lack of control, he didn’t know what was.

Fox grimaced.  “You’re not a coward.  Your mind has found a way to protect itself.  It’s done what it felt was necessary.”

Dogma had heard that kind of thing before.  He didn’t completely believe it, but he didn’t resist the sentiment as much as he used to.  He hoped to at least get Fox to that level.

“Were you protecting yourself from the Chancellor?”  Dogma asked.  Fox scoffed.

“Nah, he knocked that fight out of me years ago.”  Fox said far too casually.  “I only ever go Feral when someone I care about has been hurt excessively and unfairly.”

Dogma blinked.  He felt his chest warm at the thought of Fox fighting for him like that.  But Fox still seemed to think it was a source of shame rather than one of pride.

“You don’t think that’s admirable?”  Dogma asked.  “Fighting for someone you care about?”

“It’s admirable when someone chooses to do so.”  Fox said.  “I didn’t.  It just happened.  My instincts took over.”

“Your instincts were to protect me.”  Dogma had never thought he would reach a point in his life where he would have someone who cared for him like this.  Tup was his vod and closest friend, but that kind of care was different.  “Losing control is frightening.  I get it.  But my instincts are to protect myself, and you say that’s not a bad thing.  Your instincts protect others.  If you had been in control, would you have done things differently?”

Fox was quiet for a moment.  “I would have been too scared to even think of defying the Chancellor, no matter how much I might have wanted to.”  He sighed and shook his head.  “I don’t regret what I did, I just regret how it happened.  I don’t…I don’t like that part of me.”

Dogma had tried to make him feel better, and he had failed.  He wasn’t surprised though.  He had never been great with his words.  “I’m sorry I brought that out in you, then.”

Fox looked at him as though he’d grown a second head.  “Don’t apologize for being someone worth protecting.”  Dogma felt his face grow warm as he felt the warmth in his chest grow.  Tup had said before that Dogma shouldn’t apologize for the fact that he cared about him.  It was the same sentiment as what Fox had said, but it felt completely different, and Dogma felt slightly high on contentment.

“You’re not going to get in trouble, are you?”  Dogma asked.  As great as it felt to be protected, it wouldn’t be worth it if Fox was going to be tried for treason.

“Not if Skywalker has anything to do about it.”  Fox said.  “He’s fighting for me just as much as he’s been fighting for you.”  Fox gave him a small smile, looking more relaxed than Dogma had ever seen him.  “He really seems to care about clones.”

“I think he does.”  Dogma said.  He hadn’t interacted with Skywalker much personally, but the General had done nothing but fight for him and all of the other clones.  He had found out about the chips before anything terrible happened, and just for that Dogma had to be grateful to him.

“With him fighting for us, I don’t have to fight nearly as hard.”  Fox said.  “He has the Jedi, the senators, and a whole war to deal with, and he’s still taking care of the guard.  Gamma checked in on us yesterday, and he told me he’d just received a shipment of medical supplies, courtesy of Skywalker.  We got bacta. ”

Dogma whistled lowly, impressed.  Skywalker wasn’t just trying to assure their freedom, he was giving them the means of thriving in a way that the guard hadn’t been able to manage before.  He was taking care of them.

“I bet Gamma’s having fun.”  Dogma said.  “Finally taking care of all of those long-term injuries that he didn’t have the resources to take care of before.”  Dogma was far from a medic, but he knew a fair share.  He’d helped Gamma organize his paperwork, because he was one of the few clones who understood the medical jargon.  Gamma had a whole series of files about different injuries that he hadn’t been able to treat properly.

It was a whole range of injuries.  Scars.  Cracks in bones that hadn’t healed over properly and needed constant monitoring.  Sore muscles and unexpected spasming.  Loss of sight and hearing.  Limps.  Even things like hair loss.  Gamma had it all documented, just waiting for the time and resources to address everything he wanted to deal with.

“Oh, he’s having a field day.”  Fox laughed.  “He’s going to be bothering you about that leg of yours soon.”

“My leg’s fine.”  Dogma said.  It would heal fine on its own in time.  Bacta may heal it faster and with a lot less risk of infection, but it should be fine if they kept an eye on it.  

“It will be fine, because Gamma’s not going to take a chance.”  Fox said.  “We have the resources that we can afford to be safe rather than sorry.  So, you’re getting that leg taken care of, whether you like it or not.”

It wasn’t an order or command, but Dogma knew that this wasn’t something he could avoid.  But that didn’t mean that he couldn’t at least try to negotiate.

“Only if you let Gamma try to treat your muscle issues.”  Dogma said.  “Those lightning scars are gone, but the damage isn’t.”  Gamma had a lot of ideas about what he could do about it.  He would be up the wall to be allowed to experiment with it.

Fox smirked slightly.  “Considering Gamma’s already started bugging me about that very thing, you’ve got a deal.”  Of course Gamma would be on top of it all.  Dogma was just glad that Fox was taking care of himself, or at least letting the others take care of him.

Dogma adjusted himself, rolling his neck and sitting up a bit.  His body was physically feeling better, but his mind was still telling him that he was drained.  He didn’t want to stay exhausted.  He wanted to fight it.

“So, do we have a plan going forward?”  Dogma asked.  “I don’t think any of the guard would be content with just sitting around and recovering.”  He was feeling uneasy just having been in bed for a few days.  And because of everything that had been happening with the chips none of the guard had been working for a lot longer than that.  They all understood why, and a part of them appreciated the break, but clones had a strong work ethic drilled into them since they were young.  They couldn’t sit around and feel useless for long.  Sooner or later they were going to start getting antsy.

Fox grinned.  There was an excited spark in his eyes.  “I’ve been thinking about that.  The senate has been talking about reinstating the old police force.  We wouldn’t have to worry about the drunk tank, or bodyguarding, or guard duty at the prison.  With all that extra time, and all of these new resources, we can finally tackle some of the things that we’ve been wanting to address.”

Dogma hadn’t heard of any such things.  Fox had always been too stressed about his work to spare too much time thinking about the way he wished that things could be.

“What kind of issues?”  Dogma asked.

Fox’ smile brightened.  He leaned forward.  “Everything involving the lower levels.”  Fox said.  “It’s riddled with crime, because nobody in charge of all the wealth on Coruscant cares about those who can’t benefit them, so the people on the lower levels are desperate and have to fight to survive, and there’s far too much scum who have been allowed to take advantage of it.”

Fox stood up and started pacing around.  He wasn’t trying to get rid of his anxious energy, but his excited energy.  Dogma was feeling his own excitement heighten as he watched him.  It was contagious.

“There are crime rings and all kinds of sick syndicates in the lower levels, and I’ve had to ignore them.”  Fox said.  “I’ve wanted to deal with them and investigate, but I was always forbidden.  The Chancellor thought it was a waste of time and resources, and I was always punished for it.  Well, he’s not around to punish me now.”

“We’re not going to be law enforcement.”  Dogma was both thrilled and overwhelmed at the idea.  “We’re going to be protectors.”  They would still be enforcing the rules, but they were doing it for the sake of the citizens.  They were finally going to be doing the very thing that the war’s propaganda had always promised.  Dogma had always been happy to follow the rules set before them, because that was how he’d been taught.  It was what he’d been made for.

But they’d also been made to protect the citizens.  It didn’t matter if that was just a pretty lie that the senate gave to the public, it was the way that things were supposed to be.

It wasn’t what Dogma was used to.  He liked the thought of it, but it wasn’t what their training covered.  He wasn’t sure if he could handle it in the moment.  When he was actually out there doing the work would he get overwhelmed and panic because he was lost?  He hoped not.  He really hoped not.

He would have Fox, and the rest of the guards.  Even if he didn’t know what he was doing, he knew that they would help him figure it out.  That was what they’d been doing since he had joined them.  He just needed to let them in.  To trust them.

It was hard, but it was getting easier.

“What about you?”  Fox asked.  “What do you want to do with all the time and resources we have now?  Any goals?  Dreams?”  Dogma understood why he was asking.  This wasn’t about their resources, it was about Dogma’s training.  This was Fox’ way of encouraging him to step out of his bubble and think about what he wanted with his life outside of what he’d been taught to want.  

This was Fox’ way of saying that Dogma should think for himself and not act like such a flesh-droid, but it was not nearly as harsh as how Fives and Jesse, or even Hardcase, would say it.

“I think…”  Dogma trailed off.  There was something he’d been thinking, but he hadn’t known if it was a really good or a really bad idea.  He wouldn’t even know how to start making it happen, so he hadn’t thought about it too much.  This was the chance he was waiting for, and maybe Fox would have a better idea about whether this would be a mistake or not.

“There were other clones that were trained the same way I was.”  Dogma said.  Those who had been in his classes, and who even knew how many others.  The Kaminoans probably had records about them.  Their designations, their names, their assignments, everything.  If General Skywalker could find out about the clones, he could find the training records.  “I want to talk to them.”

He wanted to compare notes.  It was really confusing that nobody around him had been taught the very basic things that he’d learned.  Sometimes Dogma felt like he was going insane, or that he had made up the whole thing.  He needed the validation and acknowledgement.

He needed to know if everybody else struggled to interact with their brothers.  He needed to know that he wasn’t alone in those particular struggles.  And Dogma had never really had the experience of serving under a Jedi.  His time with General Skywalker had been far too brief.  Were there clones out there that were practically slaves to their generals, and the Jedi were unknowingly taking advantage of that? 

Dogma didn’t know what he thought he could do.  He didn’t think he could give advice or comfort.  He could never find the right words.  But all he needed from the others was to know that he wasn’t alone.  Maybe that was all they needed too.

Fox gave him a gentle smile, a look of fondness in his eyes.  He was the only one who ever looked like Dogma like that.  Tup’s expressions came close, but they weren’t quite the same.

“I think that’s a great idea.”  Fox said.  “If Skywalker can’t make it happen, I will.”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”  Dogma muttered.  Fox narrowed his eyes at him.

“You wanting something is a big deal.”  Fox said.  “We’re doing it.”  That tone of his was one that made it clear that he wasn’t to be argued with.  Dogma was annoyed, but he was also incredibly grateful and even relieved.  He wasn’t used to being able to share his concerns and just let someone else take care of something for him.

Even though Fox had been doing it for him from the start, Dogma didn’t know if he would ever be used to it.

Dogma pushed himself away from the bed.  His head spun at the movement, his breath got caught in his throat, and his leg had a burning pain go through it when he put pressure on it.  Fox was immediately at his side, keeping him from collapsing to the ground.

“Easy, D’ika.”   Fox said.  “Trust me, you want to take it easy.”

“I’m fine.”  Dogma leaned his forehead against Fox’.  “Thank you.”  For catching him.  For keeping an eye on him and taking care of him when he didn’t know how to take care of himself.  For defying the Chancellor for his sake.  For everything.

“Anytime.”  Fox said.  “I mean it.  Anytime.  Just say the word.”  He nudged Dogma back onto the bed.  “Later.  For now, just do me a favor and rest.  I’ll catch you up on everything that’s happened while you were out.”

Dogma didn’t want to do that, but he really was far too tired.  If he hurt himself because he was too impatient to give himself time to recover, Fox would never let him out of his sight again.  Tup wouldn’t let him live it down.  Jesse would probably laugh at him, and then tie him down until he was completely fine, and then some.

“Fine.”  He sighed and let himself get settled back into the bed.  “But you’d better not spare any details.”  Dogma wasn’t a fan of gossip, but he liked a good story.  He thought that all of the clones did.

“Of course.”  Fox settled back next to him, relaxing immediately despite the excess energy he’d had before.  ”So, after leaving the Chancellor’s office the very first thing Skywalker did was call Kenobi.”

“Nobody’s better at getting General Skywalker out of trouble than Kenobi.”  Dogma may not have served under Skywalker for long, but everybody in the galaxy knew that much.

Fox scoffed.  “That’s because Kenobi’s even more of a trouble magnet than he is.”  Dogma snorted, realizing how true that was.  Kenobi attracted trouble, Skywalker went looking for it.  It made serving under them needlessly difficult.

“Kenobi somehow wasn’t even surprised about what happened.”  Fox said.  “He just seemed tired about it.  I only remember his reaction because I related to it.  I never thought I would relate to a Jedi so much.”

Dogma smiled and leaned against Fox as he went on with the story.  He would still prefer to be productive, but this was nice.  He didn’t think he would ever get used to it, but he really wanted to.  Maybe someday.

Chapter Text

Tup had been excited the second he had heard that Dogma was awake and okay.  They had all been worried that he would slip into shutting down all over again.  He knew that Dogma would ultimately be okay, because he always was, and now he had so many others standing by just in case.  If Dogma could handle the tortures he’d experienced in Kamino, even before Tup had become his vod , then he could handle a shot to the leg with support from Fox, Skywalker, Jesse, Hardcase, Kix, Tup, and basically everybody from the Coruscant Guard.

Dogma was strong.  He’d be okay.  Tup had to keep telling himself that, because as much as he wanted to be by his vod’s side all while he recovered he had work to do.  Coruscant was a mess, and none of them wanted the guard to have to handle it.  They’d done far too much already, and they had more than earned a break.

Tup was more than happy to make the sacrifice and work even when he didn’t want to if it meant that Dogma’s new vode and buir could get taken care of.  It was the very least he could do.  He missed Dogma, and he wanted to be right by his side, but he had to keep working.

The week was very long and Tup was given very limited opportunities to take a break.  Jesse kept them updated on Dogma and the rest of the guard, but Tup didn’t have the chance to check on them himself. 

A lot of their work was maintaining control of the senate.  The senators were fighting, the citizens weren’t happy, and everything seemed to be hanging by a thread.  They had to keep fights from breaking out, protect the senators, act as security for countless political discussions, and a number of other things that he didn’t really pay attention to. 

Most of Tup’s work was somewhat brainless.  Their job was to look intimidating and make it look like those they were supporting had more authority than those who didn’t like them might try to claim.  He wasn’t used to working like this.  It was oddly draining.

Finally, several days after they were told that Dogma had woken up and was properly on his way to recovering, Tup was given a break.  Things had started to stabilize a little, and Skywalker, much to all of their relief, was getting ready to head out on a new mission.  They didn’t know if they were going to Kamino to deal with the fallout of what was happening there, or if they were going to escort a senator to have peace talks with the Separatists, or if they were going to meet up with some of the other clones and get their chips taken care of, or if they were just going to go to a planet that had been ravaged during the war and provide some much needed relief.  None of them really cared what they were doing.  They were all just happy to be able to get away from Coruscant.

Tup refused to leave without saying goodbye.  Not again.  He would defy orders if it came to that.  Rex seemed to know as much, and he gave Tup and Hardcase the day off, and made them promise to tell Fox to call his vode more.  And then Rex had amended it and told them to inform him that he and the other commanders would be the ones reaching out to him.

They made their way to the barracks.  Tup would have practically run there if Hardcase hadn’t kept reminding him to slow down.  

“We’re not in a rush.”  Hardcase said with a small laugh, even though he was also nearly speed walking as they went.  “Dogma’s not going anywhere.”

“I just miss him.”  Tup said.  “I miss talking to him.”

“Hey, I hear you.”  Hardcase said.  “Being away from a vod hurts, and it never really gets easier.”

When they got to the barracks there were a few guards at the front, just talking to each other.  They were still making sure that nobody could just walk in if they weren’t wanted.  They weren’t tense and strict like the guard always were when they could be seen by the public.  They weren’t even wearing their helmets.  They still looked more uptight than the usual clone in the GAR was, but compared to how the guard always was they were practically lounging around.

The guards barely raised an eyebrow at them.  Tup didn’t recognize these particular guards, but they seemed to recognize him and Hardcase.

“Hey, it’s Vod’ika’s vode.”   One of the guards said.

“You know, I’ll never get used to hearing you guys call him that.”  Hardcase said.  The other guard snorted.

“We also call him Kit.”  The guard said.  His tone was teasing, but not cruel.  It was coming from a place of fondness.  Tup smiled, both because he was glad that Dogma was fitting in so well here, and because that nickname was funny.  Hardcase didn’t quite understand it the way Tup did.

“Why Kit?”  Hardcase asked.  The guards just beamed, like they’d been waiting to have the chance to tell this story.

“He likes to clean armor.”  One of the guards put his helmet down on the desk and sat back against it.  “He has his own personal space to do it and everything.  So, he works with the kits.”

“And everybody knows he’s been adopted by Fox.”  The other guard said.  He almost sounded proud.  Whether that was for Dogma’s sake or Fox’, Tup couldn’t say.  “That makes him a baby Fox.  A kit.”

Hardcase was quiet for a moment before he guffawed loudly and harshly.  Tup chuckled and shook his head.

“Have you called him that to his face?”  Tup asked.  He didn’t think Dogma would be offended by the nickname.  He would just be baffled.  Clones didn’t really get nicknames.  Being called by anything less than their chosen names was one of the biggest insults, but Dogma hadn’t wanted to be called by his own name, and he’d told Tup that while he liked the guard calling him Vod’ika, he didn’t really see it as his name.  If Dogma wasn’t even sure what he wanted to be called, why wouldn’t he accept a genuine and well-meaning nickname?

Tup just wanted to see Dogma’s face when he was called by a name that directly referenced his relationship with Fox.

“Not yet.”  The guards looked at each other.  “The kid’s been through enough, and we don’t know if this would be too much for him.”  If Tup hadn’t already known that the guard were good for Dogma, he would know now.  They were treating him with the care he deserved. 

But just because Dogma had been hurt by teasing in the past didn’t mean that he couldn’t take something like this.

“I think it suits him.”  Tup said.  “And I want to see Fox’ face when he hears it.”  That got the guard laughing at the idea of their Commander’s embarrassed but pleased expression.

“They’re just in the sleeping quarters with the others.”  One of the guard gestured down the hall.  “The shiny’s started a painting party.”

Shiny?  Tup didn’t think they were talking about Dogma, but he didn’t think they’d gotten any new guards after him.  Unless they were talking about Jesse, but they wouldn’t call him that, would they?  Taking a look at Hardcase’s mirth filled expression, Tup thought that maybe they would.

They heard the rest of the guard before they got to the sleeping quarters.  They were laughing and talking, and just sounding the way that clones should when they weren’t working.  It was odd to hear such a familiar sound in such an unfamiliar environment.  Tup didn’t know if he’d heard the guard being so relaxed.

Walking into the room they saw what looked like most of the guard.  They were sitting on the ground, surrounded by paint and armor.  Some of the guard were entirely focused on their painting, working on their designs.  Tup knew that everybody in the guard, save for the commanding officers, had been forbidden from individualizing their armor.  This was a first for them, and for many of them it was just as important to their identity as their names.  They had every right to take it seriously.

The rest of them were just talking and laughing, finally relaxing for once.  Dogma was doing a bit of both.  He was painting, adding his iconic triangle design to his helmet, but he was also leaning against Fox’ side, looking completely calm and at ease.  

Tup felt happy for him, but it was a bittersweet happiness.  It wasn’t that he was jealous that it wasn’t him, but there was some twisting in his stomach because he knew he hadn’t been able to give that to Dogma.  They were vode, nothing would ever change that, but Tup had needs that Dogma couldn’t fill, and clearly Tup couldn’t do everything for Dogma that he needed.

He was glad that Dogma had people who could do that for him, but he would always wonder if he could have done things differently and been enough for his brother.

Tup could have stood there and watched Dogma with his new family, his brother saw him.  Dogma’s face lit up.  He started to stand up, but Fox grabbed his arm and yanked him down.  They ended up in a clumsy pile.

“Your leg is injured.”  Fox said sternly as he wrapped his arms around Dogma to hold him down.  “Gamma says you haven’t been approved for standing up.”

“But I’m approved for standing.”  Dogma whined.

“With help.”  Fox said.  Dogma looked like he was going to keep arguing.  Tup was all for his brother arguing with authority, but not at the risk of him hurting himself.  That was the kind of dumb thing that Jesse did.  Tup thought there were a lot of things that Dogma could learn from Jesse, but not this.

Tup went to sit next to Dogma, curling up on the ground against him.  Dogma pouted, but didn’t try to stand up again.  They hugged from the ground.

“How’s your work going?”  Dogma asked.

“It’s a mess.”  Hardcase sat down, nudging Jesse.  “But I think things are starting to calm down.”

“We’re going to be heading out soon.”  Tup said.  “I needed to see for myself that you were okay first.”

“I’m fine.”  Dogma said.  He would say that even if he was bleeding out, but Tup believed him.  Dogma really was fine.

Tup leaned his head against Dogma’s shoulder.  “I wish I could stay with you.”

Dogma ran his hands through Tup’s hair.  “You’d make a great guard, but we both know your home’s with the 501st.”

“They’re my home, but you’re my family.”  Tup straightened and leaned his head against Dogma’s, giving him a Keldabe Kiss.  “Always.”

“Always.”  Dogma muttered.  “I’ll call.”

“I will if you don’t.”  Tup promised.  “And I’ll visit whenever I can.  And if you need me just send word.  Skywalker will make it happen, you know he will.”

“I know.”  Dogma said.

“Don’t worry.”  Fox said.  “I won’t let him wallow.  I called when he needed you before, I won’t hesitate to do it again.”

Dogma gave Fox an annoyed look.  “I’m doing the same thing with Rex.”

“You’d better.”  Fox gave Dogma a serious look.  “If I need help that badly, call someone.  No more jumping into situations that are too much for you to handle.”

“Only if you stop doing the same.”  Dogma muttered.

“If both of you would refrain from fighting against insane Sith it would make everybody’s life a lot easier.”  Hardcase said.

“I don’t know if we can make that promise.”  Fox said.  He sounded completely serious.  Dogma snorted though, so maybe he was joking.  Tup seriously hoped he was.

Dogma settled against Tup.  “You can’t stay here for long, but I’m glad you came.”  Dogma said.  “You’d better be careful out there.  If you get in trouble, I’m finding a way off this planet and going after you.”

“I’m counting on it.”  Tup said. 

Dogma sat up, adjusting the armor pieces in front of him on the ground.  “Can you help me paint?”

Tup’s chest warmed.  He may not be able to give Dogma everything he needed, but he had to be doing something right.  Painting armor was a very personal and private thing.  Clones liked to have company when they painted, but nobody touched each other’s armor.  Not unless it was an emergency, or it was used as a significant sign of trust.

The two of them sat together and painted.  They didn’t talk much, they just painted.  Dogma and Fox also painted pieces on each other’s armor.  Everybody noticed it, and none of them mentioned it.  They just painted.

As the hours passed clones came and went.  Fox was somehow convinced to take a nap.  Hardcase and Jesse left to go spar with each and a number of other guards.  Dogma and Tup stayed on the floor, not really moving at all.  They just enjoyed each other’s company.  They didn’t need anything else at the moment.

Far too soon Tup’s communicator went off.  There was no message, it was just a signal.  He had an assignment, and he was being called in.  It was time to go.

Tup didn’t know how to tell Dogma.  He didn’t have to.  His vod knew better than he did that he had work to do.  Dogma pulled away first.

“Take care of yourself.”  Tup said.  Dogma gave him a small smile.

“You know I’m not very good at that.”  Dogma said.  “But I have people I can count on to pick up the slack when I falter.”  Dogma didn’t seem to understand that letting people take care of him was probably the best thing he could do to take care of himself.

“I’ll call when I have time.”  Tup said.  He remembered what Rex had said and looked over towards Fox.  “Tell your buir that his vode will be doing the same.”

“I’ve heard that before.”  Fox grumbled from one of the beds.  Tup jolted and felt his face warm.  He hadn’t realized that Fox was awake.  “It’s always ‘oh, we’re in the middle of a campaign, but we’ll call you back when we have time’.  And then they don’t.”

“Rex will.”  Tup said.  “I’ll tie him down and shove a communicator in his face if that’s what it’ll take.”

Fox snorted, but he didn’t get up from the bed or even roll over to face them.  He just laid there, clearly unconvinced.  “I’ll believe it when I see it.”  Fox said.  “Good look out there, Tup.”

“What will you guys be doing?”  Dogma asked.

“I don’t know.”  Tup said.  He’d heard a lot of different options.  “Skywalker’s mentioned an escort mission to Serenno to help with negotiations.  There were rumors that the Separatists have a secret weapon or something in the Skako System, and I know that Skywalker wanted to investigate that.  He would love to deal with everything back on Kamino.  There’s so much Skywalker wants to do.”

“Well, he wouldn’t be Skywalker if he didn’t feel like he had to single-handedly save the galaxy, or else it wouldn’t happen.”  Fox said.

Tup gave him an odd look.  “You’re one to talk.”  He didn’t know Fox well, but he knew that he handled far more than he needed to.  Fox scoffed, but Dogma laughed.  Tup hadn’t meant to make a joke out of it, but he appreciated being able to make his brother laugh.

“Yes, yes, I’m a hypocrite and it’s hilarious.”  Fox dismissively waved his hand.  “Get out of here before my men decide we need another guard around to call me out.”

Tup smiled.  He liked this fun side of Fox.  He hoped in the future he’d be able to see more of it.  “I’ll see you around.”  Tup gave Dogma one more long hug.  “I love you, vod.”

“Love you.”  Dogma muttered into his shoulder before he finally let him go.  Tup had to force himself to walk away.  He didn’t look back, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep going if he did.  He went to the entrance of the barracks.  Hardcase was there waiting for him, just talking to Jesse.  It was going to be weird to walk away without him.

“Take care of Dogma for me.”  Tup said.  Jesse put a hand on his shoulder.

“That’s the whole plan.”  Jesse said.  “You’ll kill it out there.”

Tup would prefer it if he didn’t have to kill anybody ever again.  He was a soldier, they’d been at war, and he’d done what was necessary.  He understood that.  He was fine with it.  But he didn’t want to be responsible for taking someone’s life.  He didn’t want to be the reason why somebody didn’t have a parent, child, or friend anymore.

He knew that wasn’t what Jesse had meant.  He’d basically just been wishing them luck, and Tup appreciated it, even if he didn’t know what exactly that luck was for.

He wasn’t entirely sure what he was fighting for now.  He’d never really thought about it.  He fought for his brothers, of course, always.  But why did they have to fight at all?

At this very moment, today, Tup was fighting because he could work to spare Dogma and the rest of the guard from needing to make that sacrifice.  He was going to be working with the 501st to help other brothers who probably didn’t even know what danger they were in.  He fought so those he cared about wouldn’t have to, but what about when the day came when he didn’t need to fight anymore?  What would he do?

He knew it was something he needed to figure out eventually, and he would surely need his brothers’ help with that.  In the meantime he had a job to do.  War or no war, there was a galaxy to save, and chip or no chip, Tup was going to do whatever he could to do just that.  It was what he’d been trained for, and at least for now it was all he knew.

Tup joined Hardcase and the two of them left the guard barracks and went to reunite with the 501st.  The war had ended, but they were still soldiers, and the fight went on.