Rexsoka Week 2021 Day 2: Some Like It Hot

Something for the Tech fans (including me. I am a Tech fan)

Okay, so I know that the ship I write for isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But there are some scenes that don’t involve the ship that I’m really proud of and I think would appeal to a wider audience. So I’m going to start posting scenes that I really like with enough context for things to make sense. 

For my regular followers and readers, this will be things that you’ve seen before.

Today’s sample!

Tech has a breakdown

The context:

In a world where Order 66 kind of happens, but Anakin doesn’t turn and starts an early rebellion with the clones, Omega is kidnapped by bounty hunters sent by the Empire in order to win Nala Se’s cooperation. The Bad Batch works with Anakin’s rebellion in the hopes of finding some clue of her whereabouts. They’ve found the bounty hunters who took Omega: Taja and Admani Desai, Togruta siblings who were lied to by Nala Se and have agreed to help the Batch find Omega. Tech especially has taken this badly, spending weeks pushing himself to his limit trying to crack the deeper Imperial codes in order to find Omega. Taja has formed a connection with Tech as they’ve worked together, empathizing with him as she has lost siblings as well. Crosshair has also never left the Batch.

That should be everything! I hope you enjoy!

Tech stared at the information on his datapad. He did not understand it. He needed to understand it. He tightened his grip on the datapad and tried to focus on each character one at a time. 

It did not help that he could hear the others talk quietly on the other end of the ship. He would not be here if Hunter had not forbidden him from finding somewhere he could do his work in peace.

It took far too long for him to realize that the pad was telling him his latest attempt at cracking the Imperial's secrets was unsuccessful.

Tech swore.

Frustration and anger like he had rarely felt before consumed his chest. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he do this simple kriffing thing?

"Tech." 

The rage he felt at himself redirected at the interruption. 

"What is it?" Tech snapped.

"You need to take a break." Hunter said.

He and Wrecker had approached Tech.

"No." Tech said. "What I need is to succeed. I need to find a way to bypass their security."

Burning tears sprang to his eyes. He furiously dug the heel of his palm under his goggles to press them away.

"It needs to work." He mumbled. "I need it to work."

"Give me your data pad." Hunter said. 

Tech pulled away from him. 

"No." He said. "I can continue. I am fine."

"You're not." Hunter said. "You haven't slept or eaten in a rotation and you've barely gone to the fresher. Give me the data pad. That's an order." 

Tech pulled it away from him.

“Come on, Tech.” Wrecker said, reaching for the pad. “Don’t-”

“If you touch this, I will destroy Lula.” Tech said. “If you cared for Omega a fraction of how you dote on that idiotic toy, we would not have lost her!”

Wrecker drew back as if punched. Shame mingled with Tech’s anger and frustration as he saw the wounded look in Wrecker’s eyes. Crosshair, Hunter, and Echo were staring at him. He could feel their disapproval. Crosshair opened his mouth and Tech knew he could not hear the words his brother would throw at him.

Tech tucked his datapad to his chest and fled.

The sunlight of Yavin IV blinded him momentarily. He hurried across the landing area and to the main temple. Surely there would be somewhere he could hide from his brothers' anger and censure. 

He found himself in a cold, dark stone room. There was nothing in it save a few containers of spare equipment. Good. He could be alone here.

Tech held out his datapad with trembling hands. He still felt a pang when he saw the negative result there. He took a deep breath. He could do this. He had to.

The next six attempts were failures.

He was a failure.

Tech hurled the datapad at the wall. The crunch of the screen breaking made no dent in his miasma of emotions. 

It wasn't working and he had hurt Wrecker and Omega was still out of reach-

The words ran over and over in his head, interrupted only by thoughts of worthless and failure. 

Tech fell to his knees and curled in on himself. Shameful tears stung his eyes. For the first time since Omega was taken, for the first time since he was a child, Tech cried. He dug his fingernails into his arms as he sobbed. The pain was welcome. 

The door opened and Tech cringed away from the light. There was no one that he wished to be the one to find him. The regs would be cruel and even worse, his brothers would attempt to help him.

He waited for the questions, the demands.

What are you doing?

Why are you in here?

Are you crying?

Come out of there.

 None came. The door closed again, leaving Tech in the soothing darkness. There was no silhouette joining him in the room when he looked up. 

Tech curled up again on the floor, trying to keep his mind away from what had pushed him to this state. He let it go blank, and the world seemed to disappear from around him.

Voices jolted Tech back to reality. He sat up, unsure of where he was. To his surprise, a blanket fell off of his shoulders. He looked around and slowly the memory of his breakdown came back to him. 

But then- where did the blanket come from? If his brothers had found him, they would have taken him back to the Marauder. Tech became more confused as he picked up a ration bar and a canteen that had not been there before. He would have thought it was Omega if she were not gone. It was something she would do.

The voices outside sounded again and this time Tech could distinguish the words.

"Ma'am, I need you to stand aside now." 

That was a trooper's voice.

"I'm under orders from Clone Force 99." A familiar, melodic voice said. "No one is to enter this room."

Taja?

Tech got to his feet. He hesitated, and then picked up his broken data pad from the floor.

"Uh huh." The trooper said. "Why don't I just comm Sergeant Hunter and see if that's true."

"That won't be necessary." Tech said, opening the door. 

His ears had not deceived him. It was Taja standing as if on guard duty outside the closet door. 

"She was doing me a favor. I needed some quiet for my research." Tech was surprised with how steady his voice was.

The clone trooper looked between the two of them before shrugging and moving on.

Tech wanted to speak the moment the guard was out of earshot, but found himself unable. The shame of the moment seemed to seep in. She had seen him at his lowest. Words seemed inconsequential in the wake of it.

The long moments dragged before he finally managed to speak.

"How did you know?" He asked.

He did not understand. She should have left him alone. Tech was sure that most of the individuals at the base would have done so, or, if they cared to, have gotten his brothers.

Taja's pale green eyes met his and he averted his gaze. 

"My sister would have similar episodes." She said. "I assumed you did not need more stimulation.

Tech didn't know quite how to reply. He merely pressed his broken datapad to his chest.

"Thank you." He finally mumbled. 

"I am glad to help." Taja replied. 

Tech cleared his throat.

"I was unaware you and your brother had returned." He said.

Taja nodded.

"We have been in contact with some of the leaders of the Rebellion, concerning the increasing number of slavers in the galaxy." She said. "We have come to discuss the possibility of raiding a slave camp near here."

"And by some of the leaders, you mean General Skywalker." Tech said.

Taja smiled.

"Too clever by half." She said.

For the first time since Omega was taken, Tech felt a faint urge to smile.

That urge fled when a loud voice cracked through the air.

"Tech!"

Wrecker was barreling towards them. Taja took a step back as he drew near. He skidded to a stop in front of them, looking between them with his brow creased with worry. He lifted his hands, as if he wanted to grab Tech in a hug, which he probably did. Tech was glad that he abstained.

"You okay?" Wrecker asked. "It's been hours and we couldn't find you."

Tech felt some of his guilt return at Wrecker's concerned tone.

"I apologize." He muttered. "I did not intend-"

"It’s okay!" Wrecker said quickly. "I’m not mad, you know. Just worried."

He paused. 

"We're all worried, Tech." 

Tech looked down at the ground. His wretchedness that he had forgotten for a moment returned in full force. 

"I do not understand." He finally said. "Omega is gone. How can you stand not doing anything?"

Wrecker looked again as if Tech had hit him and more guilt piled onto Tech. 

"Cause I can't do anything." Wrecker said. He sounded close to tears. "I'm not smart like you. If I could help Omega by blowin' things up, or taking apart a bomb, or punching something, I would. But I can't."

"Then you understand that my work is of the utmost importance." Tech said. "I am the only one who can find her."

"Maybe." Wrecker said. "The Rebellion still might find somethin' out. But Tech, what would Omega say if she saw you doing this yourself?"

Tech knew exactly how she would react. Her eyes would go wide. He could hear her voice.

"Tech!" She would say. 

And it would be all she needed to say.

"I miss her." Tech said.

"Me too." Wrecker said. 

Tech became aware of Taja looking between them. 

"If I may," She said. "I understand what you are going through. You hurt, you are angry. You feel that the hole in your heart will never be filled."

Tech blinked at her astute description of how he was feeling. Taja looked at him. 

"It will not be this painful forever." She said. "But regardless, your sister is alive. There is hope."

"Yeah!" Wrecker said. "We're gonna find her and we're gonna bring her home, okay?"

Tech looked between Taja and Wrecker. For once, he felt no urge to contradict Wrecker or point out the probability.

"Okay." He said.

"I must go." Taja said. "Admani and I have our meeting."

Tech nodded to her. She smiled back. He liked it when she smiled. 

"So, is she your girlfriend?" Wrecker whispered as Taja disappeared around a corner.

Tech frowned.

"That is not the nature of our relationship." He said.

Wrecker grinned in a way that Tech was not fond of. 

"Uh huh." Wrecker said.

Tech shook his head. 

Romance and partners were never something that Tech had considered. They were clones bred to fight a war. The things that other beings considered natural were not options for them. Even now, Tech had far more pressing matters than whether or not he had a partner. It was even difficult for him to conceptualize.

Though, when it came to potential mates, he could do far worse. She was pleasing to the eye, even with her disfigurement. Perhaps more so because of it. She stood with pride, as if challenging others to mention it. 

He found her coloring aesthetically pleasing and her eyes striking. She was intelligent, worked well with him, and also seemed to understand how Tech's mind worked. And she cared about him, for whatever reason.

No, he doubted he could do better when it came to a possible partner.

He doubted she felt the same way. It was one thing to help him with his troubles and to be a good mission partner. It was quite another to consider Tech in a romantic light. Tech had no data on how partners he found attractive reacted to him. But he had a feeling that any testing would not end with the results he wanted.

Rexsoka Week 2021 Day 1: Boredom

I finally worked up the courage to post my fics on Tumblr for Rexsoka week. I’ll be posting every day for each prompt. These will all be SFW, but I’ll let you know if there’s anything I think might be a problem.

Today’s is just a drabble. Some will be longer, but I don’t think any are shorter than this.

Here we go!

Day 1: Boredom

Rex had imagined the end of the war countless times. He had imagined cheering and shouts of joy. He'd imagined new lives for his brothers and change. He'd imagined rest.

It hadn't been any of that. Instead of cheering, his brothers had been silenced. Instead of new lives, the clones were worked until their usefulness ran out. Instead of rest, they had been given pain.

Rex tried not to dwell on any of that. He tried to focus on his life with the few brothers he had left on Seelos.

Unfortunately, that left him with another unexpected result of the end of the war: boredom.

"What's the matter, Rex?" Gregor asked cheerfully.

Rex looked up from his work on upgrading the cooling system; Seelos could get hot.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You keep sighing over there." Wolffe said.

"I guess I'm a bit bored." Rex confessed.

"Bored?" Gregor asked. "How're you bored? You've been busy all day!"

"You manage to find the most to do out of the three of us." Wolffe said. "Just today you've recalibrated the steering, checked the legs, and now this."

Rex shrugged and refocused on his work. He was bored, there was no other way to describe it.

He had never been bored in the GAR, especially with Commander Tano around. She had made writing and reading reports enjoyable.

No, that was a lie. He had been bored, when she wasn't there. The time after she had left the Order had been wrought with boredom, but not at the level Rex felt now.

He wished being bored wasn't so painful. It was a gnawing at his heart, making him lie awake at night. He tried to relieve the symptoms by thinking of the Commander, but it always seemed to make it worse. Probably because he knew if she were here, things wouldn't be so dull. 

If the Galaxy were free and he didn't have his brothers to look after, Rex would take a ship and just go. He'd probably go wherever Commander Tano was. Yes, that felt right.

But as it were, he had to learn to live with his boredom. That aching, tormenting boredom that felt like a piece of his heart was missing.

Yes, that was the word.

Boredom.

Check it out and my other on going Rexsoka fics on my A03!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34125910/chapters/84903028

https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExecutiveCucumber/works

You know, Crosshair is probably the only character that turned out softer than I imagined them, but also while staying completely in character. And I am loving it.

Executive Cucumber's Thoughts on The Bad Batch 03×12!

Spoilers under the cut

Let start out by saying holy heck that was the cool down episode I needed. My sister watched it before me and was able to tell me that Tech/CX-2 wasn't in it for a significant amount, so I was able to get past my disappointment and not be stressed out during the episode. Yes, I'm still on the 'Tech is CX-2 Bandwagon.' I do think they should have revealed him to the audience earlier, because I have to actively avoid Bad Batch social media (*cough*reddit*cough*) for my own mental health because of the negativity around the idea. It's really draining.

Anyway, on to the actual episode!

Today I realized that I might be triggered by Omega being trapped at Tantiss because of some past experiences. (And yes, if you've read my fics you know that I've done it to her too, but I have control over that and I think the problem is the lack of control I have)

Hi Tech! I love you! Please be un brainwashed soon!

I want to murder Hemlock. I don't know if I've ever hated a Star Wars villain like this before. It feels so personal.

It devastates me that they're going to take Omega's clothes away. Clothes that were given to her by people who love her. Ow.

Also you're playing a dangerous game, not keeping those binders on her, Hemlock.

'Is everything all right, Dr. Karr?' 'No, the Jango parent gene got awakened in me and that does not go away'

Why does Emerie think she HAS to do this?

I'm a little disappointed we didn't see Hunter find out about Omega. He's probably just in 'go' mode, honestly. Adrenaline and all that.

Crosshair is so proud of Omega oh my gosh.

PHEE MY QUEEEEEEEEEN

Oh my gosh Tech told Phee about Crosshair. That implies that had more time than we saw. That makes me so happy and sad.

Phee talks about Tech with such fondness. You can tell how much she cared about him. I feel like I'm watching a widow who's processed her grief but still talks about her husband because she loved him.

Also, looking at Phee, she doesn't really have any implied make up on. She's very natural. Good for her.

...Rampart looks kinda good with a beard.

Okay Tech would find the stunt Phee pulled extremely attractive.

This is the closest we've gotten to the original Batch we've gotten in a very long time. It feels good to see them go mission mode with Crosshair.

This is reminding me of Eriadu and I don't like it.

Crosshair asking Wrecker if he remembered whatever plan and then patiently waiting for him to remember lives rent free in my head he's so sweet.

WRECKER'S THEME IS BACK BABY

Also, Crosshair's theme is played in this really fun way?

Crosshair should be allowed to kick Rampart in the balls. As a treat.

Rampart you snake. Crosshair should have shot him in the leg instead of stunning him.

My sister pointed out that the juggernaut represents how the Batch is right now. You cannot stop them.

Man, it's nice to not to be as conflicted when the TK troopers die, as opposed to when clones were sent against them. Quick thought though, does Wolffe have all the remaining clones?

Man these guys get BRUTALIZED.

Them throwing around passed out Rampart is amazing and should continue to happen.

Okay Wrecker has his knife out HE IS READY TO TORTURE A MAN.

Frick you Rampart. He is the worst replacement for Omega.

Aww they probably didn't bring Batcher on the mission to protect her. (Plus she a half trained dog and it was a stealth mission)

And then the boys spent the next hour arguing over who has to call Echo and tell him.

Hemlock you FOULE you're giving Omega ALLIES. Also why are you telling her all this. She will use it against you.

Gall, I hate Hemlock.

Again, I really needed this cool down episode. Though I'm afraid the final three episodes are going to hurt. THIS IS MY FAVORITE SHOW WHY IS IT STRESSING ME OUT SO MUCH. ALSO WAITING A WEEK FOR EPISODES ALSO SUCKS. A LOT.

Guys. I was going back and reading my first fic (not Star Wars related at all) and I have:

A brother of a six man found family sacrifices himself by falling from a vehicle to his presumed death. The leader of the group then has to tell the blonde smallest member of the group, and I QUOTE, "*name*, *other name* didn't make it." And all of this happened in an attempt to save another brother.

I keep somehow predicting the Bad Batch BEFORE I EVEN LIKED CLONES.

So if Tech comes back with a missing arm and PTSD, I officially am a witch and likely should be burned.

Rexsoka Week 2021 Day 7: FUBAR

I hope everyone enjoyed my Rexsoka week contributions. I've had a lot of fun with them. Thanks for all the support!

This one is a little less focused on their relationship and more on the...effed up part of things.

TW: Non Graphic Torture

Day 7: FUBAR

Rex had hung for hours. They'd stripped him of his armor and blacks. His arms were wrenched upward and over a horizontal bar of metal. His legs were forced in an uncomfortable position, as if he was doing a squat midair. Most of his weight was on his bent knees. The device he was entangled with seemed to be a relic of the Separatists.

Rex had no hope of getting out of here alive. It would be foolish to go so deep into Imperial territory for one soldier, even as high ranking as he was. And Rex prided himself with the knowledge that he would never give any sensitive information away.

They'd started the normal Imperial interrogation process with him, using an IT-0 droid to try and get him to talk. Rex was better than that. The clones had been trained to resist the mundane mind probe that the droids used.

But then they had stopped. Some higher up wanted to interrogate Rex themselves, and Rex was to be untouched until they got there.

So Rex hung. The pain of his shoulders and knees was probably more effective than what any of the average Imperial idiots could inflict. By the whispered tones of the Imps in charge of him, whoever was coming for Rex was far from average.

Rex didn't fear pain. He'd been under extreme distress, physical, mental, and emotional, before. He hadn't broken then. He wouldn't break now.

Finally, the door slid open, and a tall, dark figure swept in. Its head was covered in a helmet that hid any trace of humanity. The sound of rasping breathing accompanied it, as if each breath was forced in and out of the thing's body. It stared at Rex, and Rex was so transfixed by its blank stare that he almost didn't notice the thing's companion.

A clone, holding his black helmet at his side, with greying hair and a wandering scar down the left side of his face.

Rex's breath caught.

"Cody? " He asked.

He didn't need it confirmed. It was Cody. Rex could never forget his ori'vod's face.

It seemed that Cody had forgotten Rex. He looked Rex over with a blank stare. His chip was still active.

"Captain Rex." The dark figure said in a deep, robotic voice that nudged something in Rex's memory. "You were listed as killed in action."

"Well," Rex said, though he could not tear his eyes from Cody's face. "Reports can be wrong."

"Yes." The figure said. "It seems so. Which leads me to believe that others that were believed dead may yet be alive."

Rex tried not to let his fear show in his face. He knew who this man wanted.

"Tell me." The figure stepped forward. "Where is Ahsoka Tano?"

Rex managed to look away from his brother and into the figure's helmeted face.

"Ahsoka Tano is dead." He said with as much conviction as he could muster.

"I see." The figure said. "Commander, you may begin."

"Yes, Lord Vader." Cody said.

In a fluid movement he withdrew an electrostaff and slammed it into Rex's side. Rex hissed through his teeth as he felt ribs break. Then the electricity began coursing through his body in burning waves. Rex’s jaw clenched involuntarily, keeping him from making much noise.

Rex fell limp as Cody finally drew the staff away.

"Where is Ahsoka Tano?" Vader asked again.

Rex struggled to lift his head.

"She's dead." He said.

Vader stared at him for a long time before turning to Cody.

"Continue."

Ahsoka stole through the halls of the Imperial facility. Rex was here somewhere. At least, that’s what she prayed. The chances of him surviving at the hands of the Imperials seven days were-

Ahsoka refused to let herself dwell on it.

She paused at a corner when she heard the idle chatter of two TK troopers nearby.

"I wish Lord Vader would hurry up and kill the wretch." One complained. "Patrolling the detention level is becoming a real pain."

"Gives me a headache." The other grumbled. "Judging by its screams, I doubt it can last much longer."

Ahsoka's heart quickened. He was alive. She waited for the troopers to move past and quickly made her way to the nearest lift. The Force guided her hands to hit level B3.

The lift opened and Ahsoka felt sick. Rex's screams were echoing throughout the hallway. There was something else; whatever was torturing him was a Force user. A powerful and Dark one at that.

Ahsoka grit her teeth. There went her plan to go in sabers blazing. She edged closer to the area from which Rex's noises of distress were coming from. Soon she could make out words.

" SHE'S DEAD! SHE'S DEAD!" Rex was screaming.

So that's what they wanted to know. Ahsoka tried to reach for Rex's mind, but it was saturated with pain, oblivious to everything but the torture being inflicted on him.

Ahsoka found a storage closet adjacent to the room Rex was in. She would have to wait this out, no matter how badly she wanted to stop Rex's tormentors.

After a while Rex's screams turned to sobs, and the words he said changed.

" Kote, vod, gedet'ye!"

Cody, brother, please.

Ahsoka's heart clenched as she translated the words in her head. He was calling for Cody. She prayed that he was seeing some delusion, and that Cody was not playing a part in his torture.

His sobs began to fade. Ahsoka pressed a montral to the wall. A door opened and shut. Ahsoka waited a minute before unsheathing her sabers. She drew them in a circle in the wall and forced the cut section forward. The room she stepped into was overly bright. The floor was tacky and pinkish. Ahsoka swallowed bile before looking at the back of the room.

Rex was twisted around a metal frame, forced into what looked like an excruciating position. He was mostly naked, save for his grey undershorts. It seemed there wasn't a bit of skin that wasn't bruised, burned, or cut. Blood ran in dribbles from fresh slashes on his chest. He didn't look up as she approached him. His head lolled forwards.

" She's dead. " He whispered through chapped lips. " Kote, gedet'ye, she's dead. "

Ahsoka shook herself and wasted no more time in releasing him from his bindings. He'd lost weight in the few days he'd been here, and Ahsoka easily lifted him. A soft groan escaped him as she shouldered most of his weight.

"It's okay, Rex." Ahsoka promised him. "It's over now."

It would be. Even if they were caught, the answer the Imperials wanted was given by her presence. There would be no need to continue his interrogations.

Of course, they could always use him against her.

She quickly scanned near her. There was one guard nearby. The dark presence was getting further away.

Ahsoka set Rex down before slipping out the door. The startled guard didn't have time to make a noise before Ahsoka slammed him against the wall. He crumpled. Ahsoka retrieved Rex and started their painfully slow way down the corridor.

Rex occasionally made soft noises of pain as she jostled him. They got to the turbolift with no incidents. Ahsoka could sense the guards on the level on which her stolen Imperial shuttle was docked. There weren’t many, and by some miracle of the Force she managed to get Rex to the hangar without being seen. He let out a pitiful groan as she quickened her pace.

"I'm sorry." Ahsoka whispered. "We're almost out. Just-"

The dark presence suddenly reappeared, looming between them and the shuttle.

Ahsoka had no time, not with Rex's dead weight, to move before the man to which the presence belonged stepped from behind another ship. If it could be called a man. It seemed more like a droid.

"Ahsoka Tano." It said. "Captain Rex has become a more convincing liar. I almost believed him when he said you were dead."

Ahsoka tensed. She would not leave Rex. But she didn't see a way out of this.

"Something I'm sure you're eager to rectify." Ahsoka spat.

"There is a way for you to survive. For you both to survive." It said. "Join the Empire and you will both live."

"And become whatever you are? No." Ahsoka said.

The figure did not immediately attack.

"You think this path leads to anything else?" It asked. "Your attachment to the clone is far too deep."

"I'm sure it was only attachment that made you fall." Ahsoka said.

Her mind raced. What could she do? She would not leave Rex, but she couldn’t move quickly with his weight. And this thing was powerful .

"I see that you are resolved." The thing said. "Then I offer you this. Surrender, and I will give you both painless deaths."

For half a moment Ahsoka was tempted. Rex's pain was saturating the Force. She didn't want him to hurt anymore. And she saw no way out.

Her hesitation was seen as a refusal. The thing reached out a clawed hand. Ahsoka tensed, but nothing touched her. Rex, on the other hand, stiffened. Ahsoka nearly dropped him as he struggled for air.

"No!" Ahsoka said. "I didn't-"

A blaster shot rang through the hangar. The thing whirled to the side and deflected it with a hand. Rex relaxed.

Ahsoka only paused long enough to see a familiar clone pointing a blaster at the thing. She drew upon the Force and darted forward, past the figure who was concerned with blocking the barrage of blaster fire raining down on it.

"No more!" She heard Cody shout. " No more! "

She reached out briefly to try to connect with Cody and found a shattered mind. Whatever they had done to Rex had been too much for him.

Ahsoka dragged Rex the last few feet to the shuttle.

"Now, R-7!" She shouted.

The shuttle's door began to rise. Right before it shut, Ahsoka saw the Dark creature shear through Cody's chest with a blood red blade.

There was no med bay in the Imperial shuttle, so Ahsoka had to lay Rex on a clean sheet in the middle of the passenger bay. It had taken nearly two hours to dress Rex's injuries. Ahsoka had to set his broken fingers, wrap his ribs, and put bacta on every burn and laceration. He began to stir as she was finishing wrapping the cut up soles of his feet.

He groaned as he shifted, eyes opening to a slit.

"'Soka." He mumbled.

He struggled to lift himself.

"Shhh." Ahsoka said, gently easing himself back down. "Lie still."

She began running her fingers through his short hair in a hopefully soothing manner. He closed his eyes again and his head sagged to the side.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Hurts." He slurred.

Ahsoka frowned. She already had him on pretty heavy painkillers. She couldn't give him more, but she hated that he was still in pain.

She continued to massage his head. She hoped he was heading back to sleep.

"Cody?" He asked.

Ahsoka felt sick at his hopeful tone.

"I'm so sorry, Rex." She said. "He didn't make it."

Rex didn't say anything at first. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Was it-" He struggled to form the words. "You?"

Ahsoka moved her hand to the side of his face.

"That thing killed him." Ahsoka said. "He died so we could escape."

Rex squeezed his eyes shut. The agony that warped the Force around him deepened. He turned his head away from her, a tear tracing down his cheek.

“No more.” He muttered. “ No more. ”

Check it out and my other Rexsoka Fics on A03!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34125910/chapters/85234081

https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExecutiveCucumber/works

FORGET EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON IN THE FANDOM RIGHT NOW:

I think I've finally come up with a ship name for TechPhee:

TechnoloPhee.

Like Technology.

You're welcome.

Not me clutching this screenshot to my chest, grinning like an idiot, because YES. YES HE'S BACK. I AM SEEING IT WITH MY EYEBALLS. IT'S REAL NOW

THAT’S CROSSHAIR AND HUNTER.

I REPEAT.

THAT’S CROSSHAIR AND HUNTER.

WHY ARE THEY SHOWING US THIS????

THEY HAVE TO GET TOGETHER BEFORE EPISODE 7.

SO I’M 95% SURE THAT THE SECOND PART OF THE SEASON IS ABOUT GETTING TECH BACK.

LOOK AT THEM.

CROSS IS WITH HUNTER. WITHOUT HIS HELMET. THEY CANNOT DENY IT ANYMORE!

I've watched it like 5 times, and I don't really rewatch episodes normally, so I think this is an accurate statement.

i think we can all collectively agree that ep 5 the return is now The comfort episode, right?

i mean… we got so many things. echo came back, we got a little chuckle and a smile out of crosshair, his old armor, hunter and crosshair bickering (again) and the batch becoming whole again 🥹🥹

Anyone else completely normal about the scene with Omega and Tech in The Crossing and Omega says 'we're a family, aren't we?' and the writers could have 100 percent could have had Tech say 'technically, we do not fall under the traditional family structure' or something like that and we would have been mildly disappointed but unsurprised but instead they had him acknowledge that they are a family and even saying 'of course' they're a family which just was such a beautiful moment in which he breaks autism stereotypes and is just a beautiful person that I love?