Disclaimer: Star wars franchise belongs to many people and companies from Gorge Lucas to Disney, however I'm not among them.
A/N: there is no Anakin Skywalker in this work, in any of the chapters. This story is mainly about Ahsoka and the clone troopers (it sounds like a name of a band!). If you seek stories containing Anakin feels, this work will, most likely, not quench your thirst.
Kix entered the barrack angrily, kicking helmets lying on his way. he was ready to call it a day, having enough of his brothers' whining and moaning and guilt tripping him from Coruscant to Tipoca City. He was fed up with hearing how lousily set bones and quickly sewed; inflamed wounds eaten raw by infections were just a scratch or just a flesh wound. Sometimes Kix wandered if his brothers respected his medical expertise at all or had him around just for his medkits and sick leaves.
No more mister nice clone!
Doctor is out!
He sighed tiredly, stretching his neck and hearing familiar popping of vertebras as they shifted with every move.
There was a faint movement in the corner of his eye followed by a sleepy moan. He froze, mid-gesture, his hand slowly crept to his blaster. There was something or someone curled up in the captain's bed. Kix was sure it wasn't Rex himself as he just saw the man giving an earful to some shinies who goofed up training. Although in the semi-darkness, the shape looked familiar, Kix approached the blanket cocoon with caution, expecting everything and anything. The medic carefully took the rim of the fabric and peeked inside.
It was Ahsoka.
The clone was taken aback. What was she doing here?
Togruta's disappearance was a mystery to whole GAR, or at least to five-oh-first. For the first time, General Skywalker was uncooperative, withholding information about that matter. Even Rex, informally delegated by the rest of the Torrent Company to snoop around, came empty-handed - the chosen one acted as if he never had a padawan in the first place.
But Clones didn't forget, as they never forgot about their fallen brothers. One squadron even decided to commemorate Ahsoka in form of a nose art of their gunship. They really outdid themselves, as it was, undoubtedly, an excellent piece of art. Even Rex, who was never really into nose artworks himself, would drop by from time to time just to look at the painting. The captain could stare at it for hours, as in trance, with strangely glossy eyes. If caught, he would put his helmet back on in a flash and praise, in somewhat shaky voice, well-captured likeness of the ex-commander. Unfortunately, the nose art had to be removed after General Skywalker saw it and threw a fit.
Kix had no doubt that the sleeping togruta girl was their Ahsoka, yet there was something odd about her features. In some ways, she looked like a shadow of her former self. Her cheeks were hollower, skin had ashen-orange hue, she wasn't starved but looked as if she hadn't eaten enough or not well enough. The medic doubted that in her state anything would wake her up, not even a whole army of rusty clankers marching on glassware.
Kix took off his gloves and, more bravely now, checked her vitals. She had a fever, that's for sure. He reached for his backpack, and took out a medkit, with already torn-out sealing so he wouldn't need to report using it outside the battlefield. The clone swiftly loaded the pneumatic dispenser with necessary vials and applied the concoction to the girl's skinny arm.
The medic took a while to observe the medication kicking in: how the togruta's tensed muscles loosened, how shivering stopped, how the girl sighed relieved in her sleep as the temperature dropped to her usual colder-than-human's levels.
Kix didn't hear approaching man, too mesmerized by the girl's presence.
"Kix can you-?"the medic turned around, caught totally off guard.
Behind him stood captain Rex.
"is that?" Rex threw himself forward, shunning the medic aside.
Captain's leg guards racketed against a cold floor as he knelt beside his own bed.
"how?"
"Autopilot, I guess"
"you guess?"
Kix only shrug his arms in reply.
"did she say anything?" Rex asked frantically "Where does she works? Where she lives?"
"She was out cold, sir." Kix admitted, "I just administrated her some meds."
Rex looked at him with dread written all over his face.
"A cold" Kix patted his brother's shoulder reassuringly "I presume it's her first time getting sick outside the temple, got scared, autopiloted to us."
"She a civilian now" Rex stated the obvious.
"Maybe she has an ID or business card-?"
The captain nodded; he slowly peeled the blanket off her, searching for any indication where his ex-commander currently resides. Ex-Jedi was wearing something similar to what waitresses at 79's wore. So… she was working at a canteen or a restaurant of some sort. Although they were hoping she would end up as a bodyguard of some rich senator, it didn't surprised them at all: the girl was agile, quick-witted and capable. She would have no problem juggling plates, outsmarting drunken customers and even throwing them out of the establishment if necessary. Rex found her wallet but it was bare except couple of credits - Most likely a spare change for a fair or a taxi. That was it, no IDs, business cards or even a scribble on piece of paper.
They were on their wits end. She could work and live anywhere at Coruscant.
Unless…
"Get Commander Fox" the captain ordered, "it's time for him to redeem himself"