Curate, connect, and discover
Honestly, I’m considering fleshing this one out into a full fic.
Day 5: Show Me Your Dark Side
Commander Rex stood at the communications station. He was not supposed to be here, but as both Lord Vader's and the First Sister's favored pet, few would challenge him. Rex never thought he'd be grateful for that position, especially now that he was leaking information to the Rebels. But it gave him protection from the clone-hating higher ups, like Tarkin, who would have him killed in a moment.
Rex tried to look business-like as he entered the frequency for whoever received his information. Part of him clung to a hope that it was his brothers that used his knowledge to fight against the Empire. He had been able to wake up from the chip; surely there were others.
"This is King." He muttered into the receiver. "Sending coordinates for Imperial supply rendezvous now."
He entered the data stick that would wipe itself after it transferred the information. He waited, tense as it uploaded the coordinates.
"Coordinates received." A distorted voice crackled through the comm. "Thank you, King."
"May the Force be with you." Rex said before shutting the comm off.
It was easy to erase the logs of his communication. He crushed the datastick under his heel and threw it down the garbage chute. He sent a few sanctioned messages before turning to the doorway.
It was occupied.
The First Sister's sickly yellow eyes narrowed as Rex met her gaze.
"My lady." Rex said calmly, though his heart was in his mouth. "Do you need something?"
"What were you doing?" Her voice was harsh.
"I was sending communications to-"
"Don't lie to me, Commander."
Rex stood straight as she stalked around him.
"Did you think we haven't noticed?" She hissed in his ear. "Your work is sloppy and obvious. You think Lord Vader and I will protect you. You are wrong."
A lightsaber ignited behind him and Rex tried not to flinch.
"Why now?" Rex asked, hit with a surge of boldness. "If you've known this whole time, why only now?"
The First Sister did not immediately run him through.
"It is the Emperor's will." She said softly, sounding more like herself than Rex had heard in months.
Then Rex was correct. She, along with Vader, had tolerated his treachery out of, if not affection, respect for their previous bonds. Rex slowly turned to again meet her gaze.
"Ahsoka-"
"That is not my name!" She hissed.
"You know this is wrong." Rex plowed on. "You've always known."
Silence.
"I thought you were above stalling for your own life, Commander." She said.
"I'm not stalling for mine." Rex said. "I'm trying to save yours."
She once again didn't respond.
"This isn't who you are, Ahsoka." Rex said. This time she didn't protest the use of her old name. "You're like me. We are meant to protect."
"There is no turning back." Ahsoka said. "The person I was is dead. It's- too late for me, Rex."
Rex shook his head. He refused to believe the woman he had loved was gone.
"I don't think it is." Rex said. "And I don't think you're going to kill me."
For a moment, Rex thought he was wrong. Her eyes grew hard and she lifted her sabers.
Rex tried not to shake as he reached past the red blades to touch her face. Immediately she closed her eyes against his touch and her lightsabers lowered. They shut off.
"I can't, Rex." She whispered. "You know what we've- what I've done."
"I can be with you." Rex said. "I'll help you. We can undo the harm we've caused."
Pain crossed Ahsoka's face. Rex could see her slipping back under into the shroud of the First Sister.
“Ahsoka-” Rex pleaded, desperate to keep her here with him.
“So, you have caught the traitor in the act.”
The deep voice of Vader made Rex’s blood freeze. He barely turned his head to see the imposing figure of his general in the doorway.
“Why do you hesitate?” Vader said. “The Emperor has ordered his death.”
Ahsoka’s lightsabers ignited again. Rex closed his eyes and readied himself for her strike.
It did not come.
“He’s been leaking information to the Rebellion.” Ahsoka said. “There is much he could tell us.”
“The Emperor was clear in his instructions.” Vader’s voice was flat. “If you are too weak to do it, then I will.”
He ignited his own lightsaber. Rex flinched as the red blade swung towards him. It was caught by Ahsoka’s sabers. Ahsoka stumbled back, as Vader lifted his blade. She seemed surprised by what she had done.
“You are not only weak, but a traitor as well.” Vader said.
“No, Master, I did not mean-” Ahsoka stammered. “His information is beneficial to us! Master-”
She sounded like the padawan Rex had first met on Christophsis.
“I had deluded myself into believing you would not be a disappointment.” Vader went on. “I should have trusted my instincts.”
Rex did not expect the pain that flashed across Ahsoka’s face. Nor did he expect Vader to raise his hand and hurl Rex backwards into the wall of screens. Rex let out a strangled shout and then darkness fell.
Rex woke with a throbbing headache. His training kicked in and he forced his eyes open regardless. The first thing he saw was the glowing streaks of hyperspace and the dashboard of a ship. He was propped up in the co-pilot's chair of a Lambda-class Imperial shuttle. He knew who would be in the pilot's seat, but he still slowly turned his head.
Ahsoka was silently controlling the craft. What he could see of her face was pale, but her hands were steady. She was turned slightly away from him and he couldn't see her eyes.
"Ahsoka?" Rex asked.
"How do you feel?" There was something in her voice that hadn't been there since before the Empire rose to power.
Rex reached his hand up to feel the back of his head. His fingers met bacta patches.
"Like I've been thrown against a wall of screens." He said.
Ahsoka was silent.
"I'm sorry." She finally said. "I should have realized he would have gone for you.”
“It’s okay.” Rex said. “How- how did we survive?”
He had served under Vader long enough to know that few escaped his wrath.
Ahsoka shrugged.
“I knew there was a storage bay beneath that room. I managed to cut through the floor and grab you. I was able to lose him there. You know he can’t move that quickly.”
Rex nodded slowly.
“Thank you.” He said.
She didn’t reply. For a moment Rex let the silence hold, but eventually he needed to know.
"Where are we going?"
"Away."
"From where?" Rex asked.
"Everything. The Empire, the Rebellion, all of it." Ahsoka said.
Rex sat up straighter. This- wasn't what he expected. He supposed it was foolish to think she would turn back into the idealistic young woman he had known. Too much had happened to them.
"Ahsoka, we don't have to run away." He said. "There's good we could do."
"No." Ahsoka said. "No, the Empire is searching for us. We would do more harm."
"Ahsoka-"
"You're all I have left." Ahsoka said.
She turned to look at him. One of her eyes shone a soft blue at him. The other was still a sharp yellow.
Rex was suddenly glad they were not going to the Rebellion.
"Okay." Rex said. "Okay. We'll lay low."
For a while. He added in his head. They would have to do something about that eye. Rex wasn't very knowledgeable about the Force, but he knew Ahsoka's eyes had changed when she had.
But he was confident that he would be able to turn her to the Rebellion's cause.
She leaned forward to take his hand. She studied it for a moment, before pressing it to her lips. He shivered at the touch.
"I will protect you." She said against his skin. "I won't let them have you."
Rex cupped her cheek with his other hand. He swiped his thumb across the white markings of her cheek. He relished in having her back..
But the back of his mind shuddered at her words. Protect him from what? And at what cost?
Check it out and my ongoing Rexsoka fics on A03!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/34125910/chapters/85106296
https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExecutiveCucumber/works