Chapter Text
19 Years Earlier
“Fives?” the general called, his voice echoing in the seemingly empty warehouse. His saber cast an eerie blue glow as he uses it to illuminate the surroundings, calling, “Fives, we’re here! Come on out. We just want to talk.”
There was no reply. The last few days had been tense. General Skywalker might have been skeptical, but there was nothing that could make Rex believe that Fives was a traitor. There had been a mistake- there had to be.
“General Skywalker!” Fives’ voice finally rebounded, sounding strangely close to the ceiling. “Thank you. Thank you for trusting me. Now, have you come without troops?”
“We have,” Skywalker replied, glancing around warily.
“Put down your weapons, then!”
“I don’t think so, Fives.”
“Please, sir! Please. I’m unarmed.”
They share a glance, and then the general powers down his lightsaber. “Alright, I’m putting my pistols down,” Rex called, setting his guns down on a cargo crate loud enough for Fives to hear, wherever he was hiding. Skywalker clipped his lightsaber to his belt. “What are we here for, Fives?”
“I need your help!”
“I know you do,” Skywalker replied, sounding cautiously empathetic. “We know you’re not well. It’s been rough for you these past couple days.”
“I’m not crazy!” Fives shouted defensively, sounding increasingly desperate as he begged, “Please, please, just… just hear what I have to say.”
“We’re here to help you, Fives, just come with us,” Skywalker coaxed. “Let us take you back to the temple.”
A sudden noise and flash of light came from the ceiling above, startling Rex as a ray shield activated around them. “No!” Skywalker snapped, pounding his fist against the wall of energy. Fives finally emerged from behind a wall, with the look of a wild dog that would do anything to get his jaws on a slab of meat. He was staggering like he’d spent all night at 79’s, and one of his eyes was twitching as he begged, “I just need you to listen to me, please!”
“I’m not sure we have any other choice,” Skywalker bitterly replied.
“I was framed, because I know the truth. The truth about a plot, a massive deception.”
“By whom?” Rex asked.
“Well, there’s a sinister plot in the works against the jedi!” Fives insists, clutching his head in between aggressive gestures. “I have proof of it. I can prove that everything I know is true, beyond a shadow of a doubt!”
“Show me the evidence,” Skywalker calmly demanded.
“The- the evidence, it’s in here,” Fives muttered, pointing to his temple. “It’s in all of us, every clone.”
“What is it?” Rex asked, his sense of dread growing every second. He felt as though deep down, he knew the answer, but couldn’t place it.
“Organic chips built into our genetic code to make us do whatever someone wants, even kill the jedi. It’s… all in here!”
Skywalker furrowed his brow suspiciously. “Let’s just get you some help first. Then we can review everything. It’ll be okay, Fives, we can sort this out.”
“Oh, you don’t believe me,” Fives howls, shaking his fist before clutching his head again.
“Fives, we are listening to you,” Rex insisted. “We only want to help.”
“How do I know you’re not tricking me? How do I know it’s not a trap? The Chancellor will try to kill me. Oh, I can promise you that!”
“The Chancellor?” Skywalker questioned.
“He’s in on it!” Fives swore. “I don’t know to what extent. But I know he orchestrated much of this. He told me in the medical bay.”
“He told you? When you tried to assassinate him?” Skywalker retorted, stepping forward. “You have gone too far, Fives. The Chancellor isn’t capable of what you claim.”
“He is! I swear to you, General. You have no idea.”
Just then, Captain Rex spotted a squad in red Coruscant Guard armor lurking in the shadows, but before he could signal for them to back off, they advanced, Commander Fox yelling, “Stand down, soldier! Stand down! Get on your knees!”
“No! No! No! Stay back!” Fives yelled, glancing at where Rex had left his blasters.
“Don’t do it, soldier!” Fox warned, continuing to advance.
Fives reached for the blasters, letting out a panicked yell. “Get away from me!”
Commander Fox pulled the trigger.
His blaster was not set on stun.
Rex felt his heart jump into his throat, and then-
The bullet collided with the ray shield.
Where Fives had stood a moment before was nothing but empty space.
Somehow, he had simply vanished.
And the Republic never found him.