The Lost Commanders
Ugh. Okay, so this comes from the new season two teaser trailer, if you haven't seen yet, go watch it.
watch/disneyxd-season-2-teaser-51ea23972f4fe08a98d86bf3
A one shot.
Stupid desert planets, Kanan thought. By this planet's standards, Lothal was a paradise. Shifting his feet, the leader of the Ghost sighed. They were meeting up with a friend of Ahsoka's, an ally for the rebellion. The Togruta was out looking for the Sith Lord. Kanan didn't envy her, but that didn't mean he had to like this stupid wasteland.
At last, the old droid head Ahsoka had given them beeped. Kanan wasn't sure how the head of a tactical droid had survived, but at least it had served its purpose.
The Phantom flew towards the coordinates, and once they drew close, Kanan saw something he hadn't ever expected to see again.
A Republic All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE). His breath caught in his throat as memories flooded him, of standing with his master inside one, of Styles teaching him how to pilot it, being cooped up inside one as they approached the Separatists lines.
Swallowing, Kanan pushed the memories away as the Phantom landed. He wondered just who Ahsoka's friend was, that he had an old, apparently still working, AT-TE.
The crew filed out with him as the AT-TE ground to a halt.
Three men came out single-file, the way they walked sending faint bells of recollection through Kanan's mind.
The two groups regarded each other carefully.
"You guys are Ahsoka's friends?" Ezra finally asked, breaking the silence.
The man in front (why did they all look alike?) straightened. "You're the crew of the Ghost?"
Time froze. That voice. That voice, though older and rougher, was unmistakable. That voice had haunted him for years, and been in his nightmares.
The voice of the majority of the Grand Army of the Republic.
The voice of Jango Fett.
The voice of the clones.
It clicked together. The way the three walked, held themselves, the face they all shared, the old, cracked, dirty armor they wore.
"Kanan?" Ezra had turned towards him, concern evident. He had pulled back in surprise, his every muscle tense, fear and anger and betrayal filling the Force around him.
Kanan's eyes landed on the gun one of the clones held.
"Kanan?"
"They're clones." He spat.
The three clones' eyes widened, and he could feel the surprise of them and his crew. The clone on the left immediately hefted his gun, aiming at him, at Ezra.
No. No, no one else would get hurt because of them. He would make sure of it.
His lightsaber was instantly ignited, and he moved in front of Ezra, making sure the clones couldn't get a shot at him.
The clone fired at him, and he deflected the shots, Zeb and Sabine pulling out their guns.
The clones may have had beards and were wearing old armor, but all Kanan could see was clean shaven faces, and red streaked armor.
His blood rushed as blaster fire sounded, both in front of him and in his head.
'Run!'
He couldn't run this time. To run would be to leave his crew, Sabine, Zeb, and Ezra, his padawan. His heart was pounding, but he made sure Ezra was still behind him.
Zeb and Sabine fired back, prompting the clones to take cover.
"Kanan?" Ezra's voice was barely a whisper.
"Stay behind me." Kanan ordered. He would not lose someone else to clones.
The sharp smell of discharged tibanna filled the air.
"Back to the ship!" He ordered. "Now!" He deflected another shot, aiming it right back at the clone.
The leader stood up, "wait!"
Sabine promptly shot at him.
"Get on the Phantom!"
"Wait!"
The lead clone had grabbed the gun from the other and had thrown it down. Then he jumped down the ladder on the side of the AT-TE.
Pushing Ezra firmly behind him, Kanan pointed his saber at the clone.
"Wait." The clone said again. "Look, I'm unarmed. Obviously, Commander Tano didn't inform you who exactly we are. But we're on the same side, we mean you no harm."
"Oh re'lly? Some welcomin' committee." Zeb snarled.
The clone threw a look back at his brother. "That was a mistake." He turned back to Kanan. "Look," he said. "We're on the same side here."
Anger blazed within Kanan. "Just like we were at the end of the Clone Wars?"
The clone winced at that.
"If you're worried we'll kill ya, don't be!" The third clone laughed. "We all had our chips removed ages ago!" He threw his hands up for emphasis, laughing crazily.
The crew stared at him.
The lead clone sighed. "Don't mind Gregor. But he is right, we won't kill you."
"And why in all of space should I believe you?"
"Use your Force powers, Jedi. I'm telling the truth." The clone shot back.
"He is." Ezra whispered.
"What?" Kanan asked increduously, not taking his eyes of the clone before him.
"He's telling the truth."
Kanan risked a glance at his padawan. Ezra was convinced that the clone was telling the truth. A small voice in the back of his head also pointed out Ahsoka wouldn't send them to clones that were going to kill them.
"Your padawan can sense it." The clone said. He seemed extremely calm despite the fact he had a lightsaber aimed at his throat.
Kanan's gaze snapped back to the clone. "Say I do believe you. Why now? Why would you help us? After Order 66, after the Empire's risen, why now?"
"We never carried that order out."
Kanan raised an eyebrow.
"We were never with the Empire, in fact, I helped Commander Tano escape Jedi hunters many times."
Could he risk this? Could these clones be lying, and simply waiting for him to drop his guard?
And yet, the Force did not lie. It said the clone was telling the truth.
Suddenly, Ahsoka's words to him before she left made perfect sense. 'Trust him.'
Yeah right.
He could feel Ezra's hand on his shoulder, clutching the fabric of his shirt.
Fine. He would get what they needed, then they were blasting off.
Kanan's lightsaber deactivated, and he slowly holstered it.
The clone looked relieved. "My name is Rex. Captain. 501st clone battalion. I fought with Commander Tano during the Clone Wars. Any friend of hers, is a friend of mine. That there is Wolffe and Gregor."
Gregor cheerfully waved while Wolffe scowled.
The 501st? Casting his memory back, Kanan vaguely recalled that the 501st was Anakin Skywalker's battalion.
The 501st was also the battalion that had marched on the Temple, and had become Vader's Elite.
"Kanan Jarrus." Kanan managed through his anger.
"I'm Zeb."
"Sabine."
"I'm Ezra." Rex nodded.
"Why don't we go in?" Rex asked, gesturing towards the door.
Ahsoka had called them not too long ago, to tell them to expect company, an ally of hers.
Rex sighed, staring forlornly at the old comm station aboard the old AT-TE. If you had asked him, years ago, if he had thought he would in up in this situation, he would have laughed. Secretly living on an AT-TE in the middle of a wasteland, with Gregor and Wolffe, and with all the Jedi dead and the Empire ruling with a durasteel fist?
"Who was that?" Rex turned at Wolffe's grumble.
"Commander Tano. We're gonna have company."
"Why?"
Rex shot his brother a look. "Did you forget that we agreed to help Ahsoka with the Rebellion?"
Wolffe snorted.
"Company?" Gregor asked excitedly. "Oh this is great!" The other clone started laughing. Wolffe and Rex shared a look, but otherwise didn't say anything. Gregor had been like this when they'd found him, brain blasted by the explosion he'd caused for General Gascon and the droids to escape. He was still sharp as ever, just…wacked.
Rex sighed again, standing and stretching his back. They had to get ready for guests. This was gonna be fun.
In retrospect, he should have made sure Wolffe had left the gun inside.
The radar of the AT-TE pinged, and Rex pulled up the HUD. A small ship was approaching.
The three clones walked outside as the ship landed. Two humans, a Mandalorian, and a Lasat filed out. The first human was male, maybe thirty years, wearing shoulder armor on side. It was obvious he was the leader. The other human, also male, was a youngling, wearing an orange jumpsuit, with dark hair that was either black or dark blue (he seemed the same age Ahsoka was when she and Rex had first met). The Mandalorian seemed female, and was wearing colorful armor, colorful enough to shame a sunrise. The Lasat was purple, and wore green armor, and had a bo-rifle strapped to his back.
"You guys are Ahsoka's friends?" The youngling asked.
Rex straightened. "You're the crew of the Ghost?" The former captain saw instantly something was wrong. The Ghost's leader had stiffened, and drawn back, away from the clones. The look in his eyes…
Kriffing haran.
"Kanan?" The kid asked, looking to the man. "Kanan?"
"They're clones." Kanan spat, looking fit to kill. Rex's eyes widened, and he could feel Wolffe moving beside him. Before he could say anything, the grizzled former commander had already fired twice.
Kanan instantly jumped in front of the youngling, and whipped out a lightsaber, the familiar snap-hiss echoing as the shots were deflected.
Fierfek.
The Mando and Lasat started firing at them, forcing the old soldiers to dodge.
"Get back to the ship!" He heard the Jedi shout. He stood quickly.
"Wait!"
Dodging the Mando's shot, he lunged and Wolffe and wrestled the gun away.
"What are you doing?"
"This is making it worse!" Rex snapped at the other. He threw the gun down, and jumped down the side of the AT-TE. The Jedi aimed his saber at Rex's throat, but he didn't flinch.
"Wait." He said again. "Look, I'm unarmed. Obviously, Commander Tano didn't inform you who exactly we are. But we're on the same side, we mean you no harm."
"Oh re'lly? Some welcomin' committee." The Lasat snarled.
Rex threw a glare back at Wolffe. "That was a mistake." He turned back to Kanan. "Look," he said. "We're on the same side here." He didn't have to be a Jedi to tell the man was angry.
"Just like we were at the end of the Clone Wars?"
Rex winced at that. The Jedi had a point, really.
"If you're worried we'll kill ya, don't be!" Gregor piped up. "We all had our chips removed ages ago!" He threw his hands up for emphasis, laughing crazily.
Rex sighed. Why me? He asked the universe. Why?
"Don't mind Gregor." Rex said. "But he is right, we won't kill you."
"And why in all of space should I believe you?" Kanan shot at him.
"Use your Force powers, Jedi. I'm telling the truth." Rex shot back.
"He is." The youngling whispered.
"What?" Kanan asked incredulously.
"He's telling the truth." The youngling said again.
"Your padawan can sense it." Rex said. Former Jedi, with a kid who could tell they were telling the truth? Pretty obvious.
The Jedi turned back towards him. "Say I do believe you. Why now? Why would you help us? After Order 66, after the Empire's risen, why now?"
"We never carried that order out." A pang went through the old captain at the mention of Order 66. The Jedi merely raised an eyebrow. "We were never with the Empire, in fact, I helped Commander Tano escape Jedi hunters many times." Rex continued.
The Jedi didn't reply, simply studied him.
After a long, tense, moment, the Jedi finally lowered his lightsaber and deactivated it.
Thank the Jedi's ever-loving Force.
"My name is Rex. Captain. 501st clone battalion." Boy, it felt good to say that. "I fought with Commander Tano during the Clone Wars. Any friend of hers, is a friend of mine. That there is Wolffe and Gregor."
Gregor cheerfully waved while Wolffe scowled.
The Jedi glared at him for a moment before replying.
"Kanan Jarrus."
"I'm Zeb." The Lasat grumbled.
"Sabine." The Mandalorian said.
"I'm Ezra." The youngling said, eyes darting between Kanan and Rex.
Rex nodded. "Why don't we go in?" He asked, gesturing towards the door.
This was going to be fun.