Again, cowritten with collegefangirl3791. Content warning for graphic depictions of violence, slavery, physical abuse, manipulation, psychological trauma, PTSD, depression, probably some disassociation. Dark. The warnings mostly don't apply until the second chapter.

Ahsoka would be lying to herself if she said she's not nervous for this-her first mission since the disaster that was Umbara-but, in a way, she's almost excited too. No, not excited, that's the wrong word; she doesn't think she'll ever again be able to be excited for a battle, for more of her men dying.

But at least it's better than slinking around the Resolute's corridors, avoiding the men she'd once called family, afraid to meet their eyes and see the blame therein. At least out in the field she has a purpose. (Out in the field, she'll be the closest she's been to Rex in the weeks since Krell.)

Part of her thinks she's not ready. It's not the medical side of things-yes, her ribs still pain her, but they're mostly healed and her concussion is all but gone. No, it's the way she still flinches every time she hears a lightsaber that's not her own. The way she can hardly stand to be in the same room as half her soldiers. The way she's terrified to relax her shields even enough to sense other Force-signatures, leaving her jumpy and always checking behind her back.

The way she only feels safe in a space where she's surrounded by all four walls, close enough to touch.

Anakin had asked her if she felt sure about this, before leaving. "You could stay here, Snips," he'd said, concerned. "No one would fault you." He'd tried to nudge her mind through the training bond, and she'd let him, but gently pulled back before he could see just how scared she still is.

"I'm fine," she'd said. "Promise, Master. This is an easy mission, it'll be perfect to get me used to being in the field again." And hopefully she won't have any panic attacks.

"Ahsoka," he'd said quietly, softly, "why don't you trust me anymore?"

Rex had ducked into the room then, his presence like a magnet pulling her attention, but she'd managed to keep herself from looking at him. (She's not sure she wants to see what he thinks of her.) "I do trust you, Master," she'd said.

"Just not enough to tell me everything," he'd murmured, nearly inaudibly, and she hadn't been able to completely ignore the hurt on his face.

Now she's sitting on the turret attached to the side of Anakin's speeder, trying to look over at Obi-Wan without looking at Rex.

It's not going very well. Especially since he keeps glancing over at her like he's worried, or something, and-

"Planetside to Snips," Anakin says, waving his hand in front of her face; she blinks, tries not to jump back.

"Yes, Master?"

He just looks at her. "Were you listening to any of that?"

Shavit, she needs to think of an excuse. "I was… well, looking for the Togrutans. I can't feel any Force-signatures," she explains, and hopes that's true, since she hasn't lowered her shields enough to tell.

"Hmm, you're right," Obi-Wan says after a moment of concentration. "That's… odd."

"That doesn't fit," Rex says, and she can tell by his tone that he's frowning thoughtfully inside his helmet. "Clankers are never shy about using civvies as a living shield."

He's right, of course, but there's no chance to discuss it further, because droids on speeders show up and then they're in the middle of a firefight. (She hears a couple troopers scream as their speeders blow up underneath them and tries not to flinch.) She pulls out her 'sabers, cutting through a few of the droids before dropping back down onto the turret's seat and using the gun to take out a few more. It doesn't take long until the droids are all destroyed, but then there's a blockade to deal with-a couple tanks, guarded by maybe forty battle droids. (She shouldn't be afraid of these tanks, one grenade will blow a tank up easily, but all she can see is her men dying under the heavy fire of Umbaran tank-things and there's a scream trapped in her throat, and she clings to the grenade like it's a lifeline.)

Rex blows up the first tank with a shot from a rocket launcher, and it's her turn; she swallows her horror and Force-jumps onto the tank, opens the hatch and drops the grenade in (don't freeze, don't freeze, she can do this), and another Force-jump gets her out of the way and landing on the speeder beside Anakin.

The tank blows.

Ahsoka realizes, distantly, that she's shaking-she drops back into her seat to cover the motion, tries to breathe (tries not to notice the way Rex is watching her, obvious even with his helmet on), tries to pretend she isn't already one sudden move away from a panic attack. She stays sitting on the turret attached to the speeder while Anakin and Obi-Wan discuss plans (and she really should be listening, but she can't seem to focus), torn between being relieved and irrationally annoyed that neither of them noticed, stares at her hands until her breathing is something approximatingnormal and she can think again.

(Rex is still watching her. She's not sure what to think about that.)

"Captain," Obi-Wan says, "take your men and secure the perimeter."

"Yes, sir," Rex says, and she thinks she's the only one who hears his voice shake, just a little tiny bit. (He doesn't look away from her until he drives off.)

...

Rex wishes he could just focus , but he can't help but keep an eye on Ahsoka. It's been a long time since he's talked to her, and he barely even sees her anymore. She looks healthy again, and when she talks to General Skywalker she almost seems normal. It's just the small things: flinches and things she doesn't say and a loss of the ease she used to have fighting.

He heard her talking to General Skywalker and it worries him that she doesn't seem to have talked to anyone about Umbara.

He wishes he dared to ask her how she's doing, but he's afraid of the answer, afraid he'll see accusation in her eyes.

And he's afraid that she might be afraid to talk to him too, and what little closeness they'd found on Umbara will have been shattered. Not that this is much better, he thinks wryly.

Missions are beginning to be more routine again, although he knows now that nothing will really ever be the same. He notices all the deaths now, takes almost as much responsibility for them as when he was a new Captain and he'd lost half a platoon in a skirmish. Now it's less grief and more heaviness, and he finds he feels almost as responsible for Ahsoka as he does for his men. Thankfully, one thing hasn't changed much: Ahsoka is perfectly able to handle herself on the battlefield, like her Master. A routine mission will be good for them both. Maybe this will help things go back to normal for her, for them .

At the very least they're working together again and he can see her and see she's doing alright. At Kenobi's order, he nods to Cody and the two of them drive off to give their men their orders so the Generals and Ahsoka can do what they need to do. That's his job, after all.

...

So Anakin used to be a slave. It certainly explains a lot of things, Ahsoka thinks, but she doesn't have much time to focus on it because she has tolisten as Obi-Wan's conversation with the Zygerrian echoes from Anakin's wristcomm. And then, as if things aren't bad enough, the city is full of bombs-one of which explodes too close to them for her comfort. A few of the troopers go down in the blast, and she crouches in front of one in 212th orange as Kix runs up. (It's not that she doesn't want Kix to see her, it's just that… well, she doesn't want to worry him, and he has other things to focus on besides if her ribs are doing fine. And her ribs are sore, yes, but she's fine, she doesn't need to help him with the wounded. Even if this mission is quickly going from easy and routine to, well-honestly, this is pretty routine for them, but still.)

And then Anakin's yelling for her, and so she follows him to one of the AT-RTs that aren't in use, following Artoo's directions to the first bomb. She tries to disarm it, but Anakin just ignites his lightsaber and cuts the thing in half, which works surprisingly well. At least the thing didn't explode on them. (She's not sure Rex would forgive her for getting blown up.)

"Come on!" Anakin shouts, already on his walker again and darting off, and she swears under her breath.

"Don't bother waiting for me," she mumbles, leaping back onto the AT-RT and taking off after him. It takes-longer than it should, to disarm the bombs, especially the last two, but true to form they manage to get it done. (Skywalker and Tano do it again, she hears a few of the men say after, and once she would've preened at the attention. Now she just feels sick, imagining what would've happened had they not done it again.)

...

It turns out that the Kiros mission isn't over for them. They hadn't been able to find the Togrutan colonists (which Rex could see worried Ahsoka a great deal), and the Jedi Council hears this news with an appropriate amount of concern. Rex is allowed to listen in on the report (that's been happening more lately, per Skywalker's request, and Rex is pretty sure it's an attempt to reestablish trust), and he's alarmed to hear Master Windu suggesting that the best way to find the colonists is to send them to Zygerria to find them.

"Dooku's involvement with the slavers is troubling indeed," General Plo says. "However, Padawan Tano - we understand you are still recovering from the battle on Umbara." Rex thinks the General looks at him for a moment, although it's always hard to tell with him. "You may stay here and recover, if you wish."

Rex hopes she agrees to - he thinks this mission to Zygerria sounds ill-advised, especially for General Skywalker. He's seen how Skywalker reacts to slavery of any kind and knows that sending him on a mission to deal with slavers is unwise . And Ahsoka is still recovering from Umbara - he doesn't want her anywhere near this mess.

"I have to go, Master Plo," Ahsoka says, and Rex stifles a curse. "Those are my people, and anyway, I have to get used to being back in the field."

Plo doesn't look pleased, but he nods once. "It is your decision, Ahsoka."

Rex crosses his arms where he stands by the door. This is a bad idea.

"Come up with a plan and we will approve it. If at all possible, we'd like to send you there within two days so we have a better chance of finding all the colonists."

"Careful, we must be," Yoda adds, brow furrowed. "Sense, I do, a larger hand at work. A great tool, slavery is, for the rise of the Dark Side."

General Skywalker shifts his weight from foot to foot, the only hint of his discomfort.

"We'll figure something out," Ahsoka says, and she almost sounds normal again. He can hear a smirk in her voice.

"I hope you do," Master Windu says, deadly serious. "We are all the help those colonists have, and we cannot allow the Zygerrian slave empire to rise again."

It is a light dismissal - the few times Rex has been in the Council chambers, he's been amused and bewildered by their rather vague ways of signalling the end of a conversation. But since Skywalker, Kenobi, and Ahsoka are all walking towards him now, he'd guess it's time to leave.

To his surprise, Ahsoka actually falls into step next to him, although she seems reluctant to meet his eyes. Rex searches for something to say, anything, and after a moment of fumbling, comes up with, "How are your ribs healing, Commander Tano?"

Ahsoka blinks and looks at him in surprise, and he's reminded how expressive and bright her eyes are. "They're fine. Kind of sore still, but I can do almost everything I'm used to, now. When Kix lets me."

Rex laughs, and she does too, and it's a relief - hell, it's almost easy. "Good," he says, sincerely, smiling a little. He almost asks about the other things, the nervousness and the mistrust, but Kenobi and Skywalker are right in front of them, and he doesn't think she'd appreciate him bringing that up just now. Which means he lapses into silence again and looks down at the floor, disappointed in himself. It shouldn't be this difficult to talk to her.

...

Ahsoka fidgets with the hem of her shirt, darting nervous glances over at Rex out of the corner of her eye. She curses herself, silently-it's Rex, it shouldn't be this hard to talk to him. "Um," she starts, eloquent as ever. "So it's back to Commander Tano, is it?"

That was not what she'd meant to say.

The bitterness in her voice surprises her, and she swallows, rushes to try and save the first real conversation she's had with him in weeks. "I mean, not that it's surprising, after Umbara…"

She trails off, wincing internally. Way to go, Ahsoka, she thinks to herself, acidic and frustrated. Real nice conversation skills you've got there.

...

"I'm sorry, I just thought-" Rex cringes internally, hunting for a way to explain what he'd thought. He's been worried she'd still be angry at him, and besides, she doesn't seem interested in being as close to him as he wants to be with her. It's a little easier all around if he sticks to formality again. Except now he thinks he might have hurt her. Congratulations, Rex , he tells himself. He's done it again. "I'm sorry, it's just what I'm used to with missions." It's a really bad lie, but it's better than the truth.

"Oh." Ahsoka nods although Rex can tell she's still not happy. Kriff.

Kenobi saves him, turning with a faint smile on his face. "Captain Rex, we may need a fourth person on this mission. Would you be willing to tag along if we do?"

Rex nods. "Of course, General." He's not anxious to go, but if Ahsoka has to, he'd rather be with her than worrying about her here.

He excuses himself from helping to plan the mission; it's a Jedi mission and he may not even be involved, so he thinks it would be wiser to make plans with his battalion for what to do while he's gone. They haven't had to fight without him since Umbara.

General Skywalker tells him the plan the next day. Rex doesn't tell him it's a dangerous plan; he can tell Skywalker already knows.

...

When Obi-Wan finally decides they'll need Rex to come along, it's only a couple hours before they're due to leave. The Master hands her a pile of weird-looking armor and says, "Would you take this to Captain Rex, please, Ahsoka? Let him know when we're due to leave."

Ahsoka swallows and nods, taking the armor and hurrying towards the barracks. Technically, Rex is allotted his own room, as the Captain, but he's never used it, instead preferring to stay in the main barracks with the rest of the men. She knows where his bunk is (just in case she needed to find him at a time like this, of course, not for any other reason), and if she's lucky, he'll be there. If he's not there, then, well… she'll have to comm him.

She finds herself not looking forward to that option.

Fortunately, Rex is sprawled on his bunk with his upper body armor removed, reading something on a datapad. He looks relaxed, more than she thinks she's ever seen him (except for when he fell asleep next to her on Umbara, but no, she can't think of that now, can't think of how happy she was, of how she hasn't felt happy since), and she almost feels bad that she has to disturb him. For a few moments, she just stands there andwatches, drinking in the sight of him, a little smile flickering across her face-he's so peaceful, and she wants nothing more than to just drop this ridiculous armor and curl up next to him. And for a moment, she almost does, but-

Commander Tano, he'd called her, and he'd lied when he'd said it's just what I'm used to with missions.

What else could he have meant, then, beyond that he doesn't want that closeness with her? She's broken the trust between them, ruined any chance of-of anything. And that hurts.

She's too loud when she speaks. "Master Obi-Wan gave me this for you," she says, all in a rush, dumping the armor down by his bunk (he doesn't jump at her voice, just looks over at her, and she's scared to see what he thinks so she avoids his eyes). "We leave in two hours."

She pauses. (Her hands are shaking. She twists them into the hem of her shirt to hide that fact, even though Rex's probably already noticed.) And then, even though it feels like she's literally ripping her own heart out, she manages, "You can-call me Commander Tano, it's-fine."

It's not fine.

There are tears welling up in her eyes and she turns to flee before she can let them fall.

...

Rex hadn't taken long to notice Ahsoka standing near his bunk, but he doesn't say anything to her. For whatever reason, she doesn't seem to want to come up to him - although she's holding a big bundle of what looks like armor, which he suspects is for him. He goes back to going over the specs for potential clone armor upgrades. He'll let her decide when she wants to approach him, if she even does.

It's a moment or so before she speaks suddenly, fast and shaky. "Master Obi-Wan gave me this for you." She comes over and drops her bundle on the floor by his bunk. It is armor, and from the looks of it, it's horrible armor. "We leave in two hours." He looks at her, but she won't meet his eyes, and he feels like there's a gulf between them that he can't see the bottom of. She's twisting her hands in her shirt, looking sheepish, and he frowns. "You can - call me Commander Tano, it's-" and Rex sets his datapad aside and sits up because he doesn't understand what she's saying. "-fine."

This is not fine.

And then suddenly Ahsoka turns and half-walks, half-runs away from his bunk. He pushes himself upright, heart pounding, because he isn't sure what's happening but he can't just let her leave. "Wait," he says, taking a step after her. He doesn't understand what's changed - she'd said before that she liked when he called her Ahsoka, and it stings that now she seems to have changed her mind. He's been afraid she's angry at him, and this seems like proof - at least until she stops, looking down, and her shoulders shake and he could swear she's crying .

"What, Rex?" she asks, sharply, and he knows from her voice that he was right, she is crying.

Something is wrong, and he realizes what she said about him calling her "Commander" must have something to do with it, or else have been caused by it. "Ahsoka…" he says, almost reaching out to her, but hesitating. "Ahsoka, what's wrong?"

...

He says her name, and that alone is nearly enough to send her into full-on sobbing. Ahsoka wipes at the tears on her cheeks, trying to breathe, to be calm. This might be her only chance to apologize, and-and she doesn't think she could keep the words in even if she wanted to.

She misses him. So so much.

"Krell was right," she whispers, staring at the floor, hunching her shoulders. "If I was better, I could've saved Hardcase and Waxer and Decker and-" she hiccups, closing her eyes, swallows hard. "I failed you and I'm sorry and you hate me now and they're scared."

She's shaking hard, now, but she knows Rex doesn't want her here, and so she bows her head even more, curling into herself, and murmurs, "I'm sorry, I'll go."

...

Rex isn't even sure what he feels for a moment: there's relief and worry and sorrow and warmth and he closes the remaining distance between them before Ahsoka can run away again. Kriff, he's been so stupid . " Wait , Soka. You didn't fail me or my men." If anyone failed his men, it's him, but he's not worrying about that just now. He reaches out, tentatively taking her elbow, giving her a moment to pull away if she wants. When she doesn't, he steps around in front of her, and he wants to hold her close because she still can't look at him and she's sobbing.

"But he was right, if I had been stronger or, or if I'd just- I could have pushed past the pain if I'd just-"

Rex doesn't have to ask who "he" is (and there's a familiar twist of anger and nausea that he has to stifle), and he's finding it hard to speak for some reason so he steps in close and puts his arms around her - carefully, because he's a little afraid she's going to run. He can't tell if it really helps but she does seem to lean into him, so he doesn't let go. "I don't recall him being right a lot," he says quietly. "Or at all." He can hardly believe that Ahsoka thinks any of that was her fault - that she thinks he could hate her - and he feels like he should have seen this a long time ago. But he thought she would be angry with him .

"Well, he was right about me," she says into his chest, and Rex forces himself not to be angry because she might feel it, might misunderstand.

"He wasn't," he says, firmly, rubbing small circles into her shoulder. "'Soka, none of that was your fault."

...

Stars, she's missed him.

Ahsoka makes a small, choked sound and melts into him, slipping her arms around his waist and pressing her face into his chest. "I thought-" and she stops, just breathing, just feeling, and slowly she lets her shields down enough to feel the brilliant warmth Rex exudes.

His hand slips from her shoulder to the small of her back, still moving in soothing circles. "I thought," she tries again, "but-they're scared of me, Rex. And Kix was so angry-"

Her voice breaks off and she shifts closer to Rex.

...

"It isn't about you, Ahsoka." If anyone's afraid of her, it's because of Krell, not her. He's not afraid of her or Anakin, but he still flinches when he hears their sabers. And maybe saying it won't make her believe it, but he tries. "We're all trying to deal with it."

"But I-"

"Most of the time I feel like I should have stopped him sooner," he admits, almost whispers. "I feel like I shouldn't have commed you because if you hadn't come you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I followed his orders instead of protecting my men, and you." And he can't forget it. He always has nightmares, but they've gotten worse, and he sometimes doesn't feel like he can look Fives and Jesse in the eye (he'd almost let them be executed rather than break the command structure and he's afraid they hate him).

Ahsoka's arms around his waist tighten, and he closes his eyes, focuses on right now so he can maybe ignore the parade of faces that he sees when he gets too much time to think.

He's missed her, missed this - that's one thing he doesn't regret about Umbara, although he had found he couldn't think much about that either. Up until now, it had felt too much like loss .

...

"I can't sleep anymore," Ahsoka whispers, closing her eyes and taking a shuddering breath. "I close my eyes, and Krell kills you, or Anakin, and I-I don't know which one is worse!"

She doesn't tell him about the dreams where Krell gets inside her mind and steals everything, or the ones where she tries and fails to kill him, and all she can see are the disappointed faces of her men, of Anakin even, turning away from her, leaving her on the planet's darkened surface. But the images fill her mind anyway, and she can't swallow another sob.

"A-and I'm a Jedi," she adds, "not supposed to have emotions, to-still wake up screaming over a stupid mission!"

...

Kriff the Jedi , Rex thinks, but he can't say that. He puts his hands on her shoulders and pulls back, shaking his head. He almost wants to tell her about the nightmares - but it's something he and his brothers don't talk about , although he's slowly learned that all of them have them. "I'm aclone , Ahsoka - we're not supposed to either." The only reason he doesn't wake up screaming is because he doesn't sleep, and when he does it's in fitful spurts, never long enough to dream. "You're not a droid , Soka." And he's not a Jedi, so he says, "You went through a lot, and you're expecting to just be able to ignore it and move on?"

"I have to," she says, and he scowls. "Obi-Wan says a Jedi must be able to release their pain and attachments into the Force."

Rex doesn't even know what that means . "All I mean is," he says, sighing, "You can't blame yourself for Krell, or for the nightmares, or any of it." He remembers telling his first Captain that he felt responsible when his brothers died; his Captain had told him that he had to learn to know what was really his fault and what was not, and it hadn't helped at the time but Rex is learning to understand. "None of that is your fault, and you can't stop the nightmares by wishing you could ignore them."

She's looking up at him, and he knows he's talking like a soldier, and really he shouldn't give her this advice because she's a Jedi and they do everything differently, probably for a reason. But it's what he knows. He sighs and looks down, smiling wryly. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka." He takes his hands off her shoulders, rubs the back of his neck with one hand. "I'm sorry you thought I hated you, because I don't." I couldn't. "I was afraid you blamed me." And he'd been selfish, really, because here she was hurting and he'd been worried about his own fears. He meets her eyes and makes himself smile, even though he's still a little afraid of what he'll see there.

...

"Blame you?" Ahsoka stares up at him, eyes going wide in shock. "Rex, how could I blame you? You did everything you could."

He shakes his head. "I don't mean-if I hadn't commed you, you wouldn't have been hurt."

She rolls her eyes. "Rex, how many more men would've been killed if I hadn't been there?" She shakes her head, a ghost of a smile crossing her face. "I don't regret it, really. I mean-it wasn't all bad, right?" And she really shouldn't do this, it goes against everything she's ever been taught, but-

She lifts one hand, very carefully touching his cheek, just in case he wants to pull away. Her hand is shaking, but not from fear-it's some kind of nervous anticipation that has her stomach doing flips.

...

Rex is frozen for a moment. He automatically leans his head into her hand, although his thoughts are spinning. There's sparkling warmth where her palm rests against his jaw and he's not sure what it means because she's a Jedi and they don't do… this, but she's looking at him like she's nervous and her eyes are so soft .

And Rex earned his place as Captain for a reason, is allowed to wear the jaig eyes for a reason, so he slips one arm around her waist again, pulls her close. She looks surprised but it's not a bad kind of surprised, and Rex dares to lift one hand to her face and trace the white markings along her cheekbones. Her eyes flutter closed for a moment and his heart is pounding because maybe he's dreamed of this, and she doesn't hate him and she's right here and it's exactly what he's been hoping for since… he's not sure when.

And somebody clears their throat very loudly and Rex automatically yanks his hands back, steps back, silently swearing in every language he knows. He turns, trying for some semblance of composure, and it's kriffing Fives . "What?" he snaps.

...

Ahsoka doesn't swear when Fives shows up (finally alerts them to his presence?), but it's a near thing, and if she was less embarrassed maybe shewould. Instead, she jerks her hand from Rex's face like she's been burned, flushing a bright sienna, and reaches desperately for something-anything-to say.

"Um, so, we're taking the Zygerrian ship," stumbles out of her mouth, and Rex briefly looks confused before catching on, "and you don't have to be dressed until later, so." The words run out, and she has to fight the impulse to just-kiss him anyway, kriff Fives.

She doesn't.

"Anyway, uh, I should get going," and she deliberately does not look at Fives. (She wonders if his timing was that atrocious on purpose.) More quietly, for only Rex to hear, she adds, "Thank you."

And she means it.

Because maybe Umbara really wasn't her fault.

With the hand Fives can't see, she catches one of Rex's hands and squeezes it, lightly, smiling when he squeezes back, and then she turns and leaves.

...

Rex wishes Ahsoka wouldn't go for a number of reasons, all of them selfish. Including so that Fives can't do what he's doing right now: grinning and shrugging like he has no idea why Rex is furious .

"Sorry, Captain, did I interrupt something?"

"No, actually, you didn't," Rex growls, striding back to his bunk to look at his new armor so he doesn't have to look at Fives. He knows he's gone red and also that he was technically breaking all the rules trying to… trying to kiss Commander Tano.

"I just wanted to know if you know where Tup is?"

"You-!" Rex stops himself, grits his teeth, and picks up the helmet that lays on top of the rest of the armor. It's a horrible helmet, heavy and tall and… and he can physically feel Fives smirking. "I don't know where he is Fives, I've been busy getting ready for the mission."

"Getting ready," Fives says flatly. "Really."

"Kriff you," Rex grumbles, setting the helmet down with a thud.

"I'm not judging, Captain."

"Unless you have something actually important to say, Fives, I strongly suggest you go find someone else to bother."

"Well, actually-" and the change in Fives' tone has Rex looking up at him, listening, "- I'm worried about this mission, sir."

"That makes two of us, but it'll be fine." It's odd that Fives is worried.

"You remember what General Skywalker did the time we fought those Hutt slavers," Fives says, and Rex nods. "They shouldn't have sent him to do this. And Kix is furious that the Commander is being sent before she's totally recovered."

"I know," Rex says wearily. "But I'm going to keep an eye on them, Fives."

"Don't forget to watch yourself, too, Captain." His brother shakes his head. "We need you back."

Rex nods, promises. "I will."

...

The stupid kriffing armor looks far better on Rex and Anakin than it does on her, and the helmet pinches her montrals, but at least she's not having to play the slave like Master Obi-Wan.

If Anakin had tried to make her, she would've punched him. Master or not.

But she doesn't get to keep her sabers and she's uncomfortable and she really just wants this over with, partially because she finally has a reason to want to be back on the Resolute that's not about safety and familiar durasteel walls.

Every time she thinks about the moment in the barracks, she's torn between frustration and, well, confusion. It'd seemed so much simpler, then, and she hadn't had to worry about rules or-anything else (there are so many rules forbidding this… whatever this is she doesn't even know where to start, and she's still not entirely convinced that Rex is right, that Umbara wasn't her fault). But now, here, on a ship flying straight for the largest slave empire in the galaxy (in the company of her Master, who used to be a slave, and a clone trooper, who is a slave in just about everything but name), she fidgets with the stupid armor and tries not to feel like something is about to go very, very wrong.

"I don't quite understand why I have to be the slave," Master Obi-Wan says dryly, quite clearly uncomfortable in the rather… revealing attire he's wearing.

Anakin levels his former Master with a glare. "You're better at it than I am," he says, almost sharply, "I'd probably kill all of them on sight. And Ineed you at my back."

"I know, Anakin," Obi-Wan says, more quietly, more softly, something changing in his expression, his eyes unfocusing briefly as the two communicate through their training bond.

Ahsoka tries not to wonder what they're saying. Instead, she distracts herself by looking over at Rex, rather sheepishly. "I'm not sure I've even got this on right," she admits, glancing down at the armor. It feels odd to admit that she's never worn armor before to a clone trooper, of all people, but… "I've-never actually worn armor before," and she fidgets with her hands, scuffing the toe of her boot against the worn durasteel floor of the ship. To be perfectly honest, the armor is stifling, and she feels almost trapped by it, without the freedom of movement her usual simple, form-fitting leggings, dress, and boots afford her.

She's not claustrophobic, not by any sense of the word, but this is her first mission since Umbara and Krell and they're infiltrating a massive slaver empire and she's not even allowed to have her 'sabers with her. Her hands keep drifting down to where her lightsabers should be, seeking to ground herself in the familiarity of the hilts beneath her questing fingers, her anchor and her protection all in one. Without them, she feels almostnaked, no matter that she's probably wearing more sheer layers of clothing than she's ever worn in her life-she feels vulnerable.

She has to fight to keep from wrapping her arms around her chest.

Something about this mission just feels wrong.

...

Rex gives her armor a quick appraising glance as he says, "Yeah, Kix complains about you Jedi's lack of armor a lot." Cody still hasn't stopped grumbling about General Kenobi's decision to forego pauldrons and greaves.

She's done a good job putting her armor on, for her first time, although there are loose and tangled straps in some places and really she needs to tighten the bracers more so they don't move. He fights his instinct to reach out and fix the mistakes like he would with a shiny; she's a Commander and besides, it feels too intimate. "You haven't tied these straps right," he says, indicating them on his own armor. "I don't blame you though, this stuff is impractical." It's made of some kind of metal alloy, so it's too heavy. He's sure it's all very traditional for the Zygerrians but really it's just ancient. "And you want to tighten your bracers and pauldrons," he adds.

Ahsoka makes a face and he smiles; no one likes tightening their armor when it already feels new and uncomfortable, but one battle with loose armor pieces and they learn it's better to do it right.

He's relieved to learn he and Ahsoka have the safest job: play Zygerrian guards and try to find the Togrutan colonists while Skywalker and Kenobi find out what the Zygerrian queen wants with Count Dooku. Although he doesn't think sending Skywalker that close to a queen of a slave empire is a good idea, General Kenobi will be there, so he can keep an eye on Rex's General.

Ahsoka peers at his armor for a minute before working on fixing hers - he stops her part way through to show her how to tie the right kind of knot so the straps won't come undone. He tells himself he doesn't feel at all awkward as he does, because this is just making sure she's safe and ready for the mission like he'd do for any of his men.

Granted, he doesn't usually try to kiss his men before missions, so that may be why he's feeling uncomfortable. And now he's not even sure that was a good idea, so it's hard to stay focused on their goal.

Which is to save Ahsoka's people and hopefully take down the whole karking empire while they're at it.

Ahsoka finishes fixing her armor and smiles up at him, but it's an uncertain smile and she looks too small to be Zygerrian and Rex thinks (not for the first time) that this is a dangerous, dangerous plan. They enter the planet's upper atmosphere and Rex crosses his arms over his chest, forces down his nervousness. "Ahsoka," he says quietly, hesitating, "Keep yourself safe, alright?" He knows she's going to have trouble sticking to a cover; he thinks this place is going to be full of the worst kinds of people and the cruelest, but he wants her not to risk it, not to get caught. But all he can ask is that she be safe.

...

"Don't worry, Rex," Ahsoka says, smiling faintly up at him, "I've got you watching my back-of course I'll be safe."

She wants to tell him to watch himself, to stay safe, to not do anything reckless, but Rex will do what needs to be done no matter what (Umbara proved that, in multiple ways), and he's going to protect her no matter what she says, too. (Umbara proved that, also.)

So instead she just turns to the Masters and says, "Be careful, Master, and don't do anything reckless. Please?"

Anakin grins, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Now, Snips, when have you ever known me to be reckless?"

That's not very reassuring.

...

Rex snorts, torn between being amused and worried. General Skywalker is reckless a lot . "All due respect, sir," he says dryly, "but it's a very regular occurrence and it tends to jeopardize plans." So much so, in fact, that he, Ahsoka, and Skywalker had to work up a plan Beta that essentially consisted of fighting the Zygerrians and running, should something go wrong. That's why R2-D2 has his and Ahsoka's and Kenobi's sabers and why the droid is supposed to stay as close to General Skywalker as he can.

Kenobi doesn't know about plan Beta, as it's unlikely he would approve. He would say they shouldn't abandon plan Alpha unless it is totally, absolutely necessary.

But Rex knows General Skywalker and Ahsoka - it's likely they'll need plan Beta sooner than even Skywalker thinks.

They make planetfall in a dusty shipyard and strike out for the slave markets. The plan is to find a way to attract the queen's attention there, in a favorable light, hopefully. General Skywalker's cover is actually fairly clever - he's masquerading as an outlaw who'd happened to kill an enemy of the queen's and now wants to earn her favor. A human in Zygerrian armor and showing interest in Zygerrian culture will, Rex suspects, be intriguing enough to get Skywalker at least an audience.

After that, General Kenobi is to be given to her as a gift of good faith, and with any luck, the ticket into the queen's good graces.

That's plan Alpha, which is really why they need plan Beta. Because plan Alpha could go very wrong very quickly.

Rex pulls his long blaster out of its holster, not for the first time, and tests the weight of it, the sights, the trigger. Hopefully this thing actually works because this is all he has until the mission is over.

He stays close behind Ahsoka and to her right, trying not to focus on their surroundings. (There's a child crying as she sweeps off cobbled steps, a bruise on her small cheek. Two Twi'lek girls flinch away from the wandering hands of a human customer, and their master strikes them with a glowing shock whip to make them stand still. A human man pulling a cart has innumerable criss-crossing scars across his back and arms and even chest, and as Rex walks by the man's master raises a whip, sure to add another scar.)

This place is sick , but Rex forces down the bile that rises in his throat because their mission is important , and if it succeeds, might stop all this. It has to.

...

Ahsoka can't stop staring.

She'd never imagined such a place could exist, especially with the Republic's anti-slavery laws, but-

It's sick.

When they pass a group of Twi'lek slaves, she feels her stomach twist in revulsion; the slave master snarls at an older male who's fallen to the ground, brandishing his shock whip. Ahsoka goes to move, to grab the man's arm before he can use the whip, but before she can even take a step Rex has her arm.

"No, Soka," he says in an undertone.

"But, Rex," she says, looking up at him pleadingly, they're hurting, I can feel it."

And she can, that's the thing; the slaves' pain and misery and hopelessness and fear beats down on her. "We have to help them, Rexter," she whispers.

...

It's hard to pull her onward when she's looking at him like she's desperate for him to understand, but he does, although they're really just walking from one scene of cruelty to another. "I know," he says gruffly. "We're trying, Ahsoka." That's the whole point of this mission, he wants to say, but he doesn't, just carefully lets go of her arm.

He can tell from Anakin's stiff posture and almost military stride that he's angry too, but the General keeps his eyes front, no matter how many times they walk past someone they should help.

He doesn't want to ignore these people, it feels wrong , but he has the big picture to think about - finding the colonists and stopping Separatist involvement here.

It's not long before they reach some sort of main square, where it's obvious that most slaves are sold and purchased here. There's a contingent just leaving the square, a Zygerrian in fine, clean clothes and a gold collar leading a handful of tired-looking slaves, two guards bringing up the rear. Skywalker and Kenobi share a glance - this Zygerrian looks like the sort who could be a useful contact, if they can get his attention.

They start toward the group just as a slave stumbles and falls, barely managing to catch himself on his hands. He struggles to get up and Rex frowns, knowing he's not going to be able to, knowing that's not good. The richly-dressed Zygerrian stops and turns, but he doesn't say anything. His guards do instead.

"Get up, slave," one says, and both unclip whips from their belts. General Skywalker is walking faster, and Rex hurries to keep up, not sure what his General is planning or hoping for.

"Please, sir," the slave says, and the whips light up gold with electricity, crackling audibly. Rex curls his hands into fists.

...

Ahsoka can't bear to stand by this time and just watch, no matter that she's supposed to be one of them. But before she can move, Anakin's stepping forward, catching the man's arm.

"You don't want to do that," he says easily, casually, showing no sign of the rage Ahsoka knows is boiling up in him. "That one's already almost dead, and whipping him only kills him faster."

"Why should I care?" the Zygerrian in charge growls, stepping forward.

Anakin smiles, shark-sharp and dangerous, steps away from the guard to face the man in charge. "It's bad for business," he says knowingly. "You can't sell a dead slave."

And the Zygerrian goes still, staring openly for a moment before motioning at his guard to put the whip away, almost awed. "You have quite the mind for business," he says, and his entire demeanor changes, becoming open and friendly. "Who are you, friend? I would thank the man who saved me from making a poor decision."

...

Rex lets out a slow, soft sigh of relief as General Skywalker smiles coolly and nods. "Lars Quell, at your service. It was no trouble. And you are?"

The Zygerrian curls his lip in an unimpressed smirk. "I am Prime Minister Atai Molec, Lars Quell."

Rex can tell Skywalker is quickly reevaluating his approach. It's good that they've run into someone so powerful so soon, but that means they can't afford to slip up. Molec's eyes are proud and sharp, his bearing comfortable. He's powerful, and he knows he is.

"Ah, forgive me, Minister. I'm new to your fine planet."

"I can see that," Molec says, chuckling wryly. "What brings you here, to Zygerria? Something to sell?" His eyes dart to General Kenobi.

"Actually," and General Skywalker hesitates for just a second, and Rex knows he's weighing the situation carefully, "I was hoping for an audience with her majesty."

Molec laughs, although his eyes have sharpened, calculating. "And why would you be allowed to speak to our queen, foreigner? You may be a good businessman, but you will need more than that to recommend you."

There are surveillance droids humming around them now, and Rex wonders whether they're common around here or just accompanying the Prime Minister. He glances at Ahsoka, and she meets his eyes. They have to be careful.

"I believe the queen would appreciate hearing what I have to say," General Skywalker says calmly, smiling. "It's about Bruno Denturri."

Molec narrows his eyes, but one of the surveillance droids beeps a few times before relaying a message. "Minister, you will bring Lars Quell to the palace immediately. By the order of Her Majesty."

The Prime Minister smiles a little, although his eyes are still sharp. "Well, Lars Quell, it seems you've intrigued the queen. You may come with me." It's not really a request, but an order. "You may bring your slave, but the guards must stay behind."

General Skywalker inclines his head respectfully. "Of course, Prime Minister." He looks back at Rex and Ahsoka, and Rex nods to him. This is good, this is what they were hoping for.

Rex watches General Skywalker fall in next to Molec, and General Kenobi shuffle in amongst the other slaves, keeping his head down.

Rex has a bad feeling about this.

...

Ahsoka watches the two Masters walk away, Artoo trailing along behind, and tries not to feel like they're making a huge mistake. Instead, she gestures at Rex, one of the small hand signals used by the GAR in combat, and starts towards the slave pits.

Every time she passes a slave, she has to fight the urge to stop and help, to do something, but they have a mission to accomplish and she feels like the longer they take the worse it will be. The Force feels thick, ominous, weighing heavily on her shoulders, swirling with all the feelings of the slaves gathered here. She thinks there might even be some Force-sensitives here, that would make sense, and she wishes she could go exploring but the mission comes first.

She finally finds the Togrutan governor in one of the pits, and she quickly pulls off her helmet. "Rex, keep watch," she orders, and then she jumps down into the pit.

The older man looks terrified, although there's an equal mix of confusion and hope when he sees her montrals. "Who are you?" he asks, his voice quavering.

She glances around before lowering her voice to answer. "Padawan Ahsoka Tano," she murmurs. "We're here to rescue your people. Come on," and she grabs him and Force-jumps out of the pit.

...

Rex steadies Ahsoka as she jumps free of the pit, taking her elbow and nodding. She sets the governor down against a nearby wall and Rex crouches next to them, eyeing the governor worriedly. He looks bad - and it hasn't been very long. "Did you find out where the others are?" he asks Ahsoka, softly.

"Not yet. We need to get him away from here," she says, and Rex looks up and sees one of the pit guards sitting on a brezak. If they could get one of those creatures, they'd have a fast exit.

"Could you take care of that guard?" he asks quietly. He can't quite get high enough to reach the brezak, but Ahsoka could. "I think we should borrow his ride."

"With pleasure," she tells him, grinning, and with a single leap she's up to the creature's level, with another she's kicked the guard in the face and thrown him down into the slave pits. Rex stands, helping the governor stand too, as Ahsoka lands the brezak near them and jumps off, taking his place supporting the governor's weight.

"What are you doing with that slave?" It's an infuriated shout, and Rex runs ahead of Ahsoka to clamber onto the brezak's back and pick up its reins. He can see more Zygerrian guards coming and he curses under his breath, helps Ahsoka get the governor seated on their mount's back.

Then he leans forward and snaps the reins, and the brezak leaps into a gliding run. The best path to freedom seems to be right over the slave pits, so Rex grits his teeth and steers the brezak that way - if he was worried about avoiding the pits, he didn't have to be, because the animal clears them easily. There's blaster fire coming from three sides now and Rex tries to urge the brezak faster with a kick to its side.

They've almost made it when suddenly Ahsoka shouts and he whips around just as she tumbles off the creature's back - and the governor, without her support, falls too. Kriff, kriff, kriff . He keeps going, it makes the most sense and he talked about this with Ahsoka and Skywalker, but he can't help but glance back over his shoulder. She and the governor are surrounded and he swears (at length) in Mando'a. He'll find a way to get her back. He has to.

...

The Zygerrians drag her, cuffed and blindfolded, for a ways; she tries to use the Force to feel where she's going, but it's hard. She doesn't know what happened to the governor, or to Rex. She hopes Rex survived.

When the blindfold is finally removed, she's in some room, being cuffed to a ring in the wall. She can't see anything, can only faintly hear people moving around, and that makes her more nervous than she's willing to admit.

And then a shock whip hisses to electrified life behind her and she flinches against her will.

"You will answer our questions, imposter," a voice says. "Who are you?"

Ahsoka stays silent, and the whip cracks down, biting into her back; she instinctively arches away, smacks into the wall, sending a flash of pain through her still-healing ribs. "I'm not going to tell you anything, slaver scum," she hisses.

The whip comes again, and again, sending shivers of electricity through every muscle, until she's biting her tongue and lower lip to keep from screaming. Her legs give out, and all her weight hangs from the ring in the wall, her shoulders throbbing from the pain and the awkward angle.

But she won't tell.

And then a familiar voice comes from the room behind her. "Wait." It's the Zygerrian from the square. Molec. He steps to her side, reaches out, grabs her jaw in one strong hand, forcing her to look at him (for a moment, she sees Krell, not Molec, and she can't stop panicking). "I've seen that face before, on the HoloNet." Cold sets into her bones, freezing the very breath in her lungs. "And I never forget the face of a Jedi. Padawan Ahsoka Tano."

She can't breathe.

"And, as everyone knows, where Tano is, Skywalker is also-" and he swears. "Continue the interrogation, I must speak with the queen."

Ahsoka swears silently. Everything's gone all wrong and they never should've come and- please stay away, Rex, she wishes she could tell him, save yourself. Please.

...

Once he's well away from the slave pits, Rex feels safe enough to halt his brezak on top of a building and get his bearings. He's panting and his heart is beating out of control - it's because of the chase and the adrenaline, surely. He can see a massive stadium-like building near the palace - he thinks it's the auction arena, and that seems like the best place for him to go to look for the colonists and Ahsoka.

This isn't good. He's lost track of her and the governor, and he can't protect her if he doesn't know where she is . General Skywalker hasn't commed him to let him know how his plan is going, so for all he knows both he and Kenobi have been found out or kicked back out on the street. And Ahsoka's been captured by slavers and he doesn't want to think about what that means, about what these… creatures will do to her. They'll want to know why she tried to rescue the governor and was wearing their armor, and if that isn't bad enough, he worries that whether or not she gives them answers, they'll try to sell her with the colonists.

What if he can't find her, or them? What if this all goes wrong and he loses her and Skywalker and Kenobi can't infiltrate the palace and they never even find the colonists and they can't save these slaves and- And he forces himself to stop and breathe , deliberately slowing his breaths, trying to calm his heartrate. There's been no word that the mission has gone wrong for Skywalker and Kenobi, so with luck General Skywalker will be at the slave auction, as they planned. If he's there, Rex can talk to him about what happened, maybe get his help looking for Ahsoka.

He's not going to fail them. He will do his part in this mission and look for the colonists and try to get everything back on track.

He refuses to think about what will happen if he can't find Ahsoka.

...

They don't bind her when she's led from the room; instead, she's escorted by multiple armored Zygerrians with long blasters. They'd stripped the armor off her, leaving her in just her dress and leggings-she'd call that a blessing, except for the fact that the whipping hurt far worse without the armor than it would've with the extra layers on. (And, no matter how ridiculous the armor looks, or how flimsy it is when compared to the clones' armor, it did protect her from that blaster shot she'd taken. Which is a blessing; if she was injured, the fight that's probably about to happen would be way worse.)

Ahsoka can hear the queen's technologically amplified voice echoing even in the tunnel underneath the arena as she introduces her special guest, Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and she really hopes Anakin doesn't react too overtly.

The gate opens, and she's shoved out into the bright light (she blinks, one arm staying wrapped protectively around her, the other lifting to shield her eyes) of the arena. There's a stone platform in the center, and she's pushed towards it. One of the ridiculous long blasters stabs into her ribs, to encourage her forward, she's sure, and it sends a flare of pain running up her side. She barely manages to bite back a whimper.

Her mouth is still full of the taste of blood, the metallic tang coating the back of her throat, a constant reminder of the whipping she'd just endured. It's disgusting and she wants to spit it out, but she can't, because the Zygerrians are forcing her onto the platform and then one slams his blaster into her back and shoulders, dropping her hard onto her knees. She can't see behind her-doesn't dare to look-but the crowd is screaming whip the Jedi! and there's someone approaching from the back-the guards grab her wrists hard enough to leave darkly bruised sections of skin in the shape of fingerprints behind, wrangle her hands above her head, and-

"Looks like I have to save you again, Snips," a familiar voice says, and she can't help but smile.

"I knew you'd get here eventually, Skyguy," she says, and she can't help but wonder-does this mean Rex is here, too?

She's not paying attention, misses whatever the queen says, but then Anakin responds with, "You leave me no choice, your highness," and she hears the whip blaze to life behind her.

Her first response is instant, utter panic, and she flinches, jerking away from the hated whip-but it's Anakin, her Master, he would never hurt her. Never. Now! he shouts, through their bond, and Ahsoka throws herself into the Zygerrian at her side, knocks him unconscious with a few easy blows (she's shaky and in pain, but she pushes through it). The three lightsabers Artoo has been keeping safe come flying through the air, and she Force-pulls her own to her hands, ignites them, settles into a defensive stance, her back to Anakin's, and then she starts searching the crowd.

Where is Rex?

...

Rex finds his way to a common standing area balcony in the auction arena, not long before it starts. It horrifies him how many people are here, how they are cheering and chatting and laughing. He looks across the arena and sees a row of viewing boxes, probably for royalty. And he sees General Skywalker and General Kenobi in one of the boxes with a slender Zygerrian in a dress. It's looking good for that part of their plan, anyway.

A Zygerrian steps onto the platform in the middle of the arena, announces the beginning of the auction. Rex crosses his arms and makes himself not react when it's the governor who's led into the arena, flinching at the sunlight. Where's Ahsoka? Rex partly hopes she's here, close by, where he can find her, but this place is terrible - the crowd has a violent energy, and given the chance, they will howl for blood.

They seem prepared to start the bidding when suddenly a rich, cold voice comes over the loudspeakers. Rex looks across the arena and sees there's another person in the queen's box - and it appears to be the queen who is speaking.

"Before we begin the bidding on this one," she says, voice echoing, "I would like to introduce you to a very special guest." Rex leans forward, as the arena doors open, sudden dread making him shiver. The governor is pulled off the platform, to the side. "Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano!" Rex's stomach plummets and he pushes straight to the front of the balcony, grabbing the edge of it so hard his knuckles turn white.

He's found her.

They prod her out into the arena, and she's squinting up at her surroundings, her shoulders and back scored with black burn marks. Someone stabs a blaster into her side and she cringes away - he knows it will have hurt her ribs. He looks across the arena again and he sees General Skywalker meet his eyes and nod once.

It's definitely time for plan Beta.

Ahsoka climbs onto the platform and Rex's stomach tightens as the Zygerrian guards slam their blasters into her back and she falls. Oh, little gods. Ahsoka.

When he looks back towards the royal box, General Skywalker is gone, and he sees R2-D2 near the railing. He puts his hand on his blaster. The crowd is roaring, an animal sound, and he can't focus . "Whip the Jedi! Whip the Jedi!"

It's General Skywalker, stepping up onto the platform, and Rex thinks he's holding a shock whip. This is too much, too cruel.

"Swing that whip." It's the queen's voice, icy cold. "Prove to me you are a slaver."

Rex knows that Skywalker can't, won't whip Ahsoka. Still, he's terrified because this is sick and this isn't an ideal place to start a battle, even with three Jedi fighting. They are outnumbered and unprepared.

"Well, Lars Quell ," the queen says, and Rex slowly draws his blaster, starts scanning the balcony. "Whip the Jedi, or else die with her."

The shock whip flares to life and Rex moves as Skywalker does, flinging the nearest Zygerrian off the balcony as General Skywalker catches a Zygerrian with his whip and R2 sends his and Ahsoka's sabers flying down to them. Rex shoots the guards (and some civilians, if he's honest) around him, running toward the exit so he can get down to the arena and help his Jedi.

There are guards catching on already, the crowd of people pointing at him, shouting that he's a traitor. He sprints around a corner and is confronted by three guards with blasters; he shoots one before someone behind him tackles him and suddenly they're falling. Off the balcony. Rex has just time to brace for impact when he slams into the ground and rolls, his helmet jolted off his head, the metal scratching his cheek. Ahsoka and Skywalker have ignited their sabers, and Rex scrambles to get to his feet and join them, although he's dazed and feels like he's forgotten something.

Then the arena doors open, and he swallows as dozens of Zygerrians with whips swarm into the arena. He tries to run to Ahsoka and Anakin but something burns his wrist and his arm is paralyzed; he realizes it's a shock whip and kriff it hurts. He falls to his knees, both because of the electricity and because he thinks maybe he can yank the whip out of the guard's hand that way. It doesn't work, and distantly he sees shock whips, two or three, he's not sure, curling around Ahsoka and he growls , forces himself back upright. Another whip lashes around his leg and it buckles. Both weapons still send waves of pain into his limbs and he collapses, struggling still. The last thing he sees before he blacks out is Anakin, alone on the platform, trying desperately to fend off almost all the Zygerrians.

Please not them too.

...

The blaster shots are easy, routine; even with her back and shoulders still burning from the pain of the shock whip and her ribs aching, she deflects the bolts back at the Zygerrians who'd fired them without thinking. Rex is up on the balcony, and she notices he takes down quite a few Zygerrians before he gets tackled by one, crashing to the arena floor. Ahsoka barely manages to keep from sprinting over to him-he's awake but dazed, the helmet having rolled off his face, and he'll be fine, and she won't be if she doesn't focus, because there's dozens of Zygerrians all with shock whips coming out, now.

Anakin is doing well, defending himself easily against the whips, but he's so good with his 'saber. And she's good too, but she's only a Padawan, and she's never really fought against whips before-

One catches her wrist and jerks her yellow lightsaber out of her hand. Sparks sear up her arm and she swallows a scream, slashes at the whip with her green 'saber (and she glances over and sees Rex struggling to stand with a whip around his arm, and please no not him). Another shock whip coils around her leg, and her knee buckles, unable to support her weight-she fights to stay on her feet, blocks a couple more strikes, but the electricity is overpowering and her teeth rattle and she can smell ozone and there are burned rings around her wrist and calf.

When the third whip wraps around her neck, Ahsoka finally does scream, her 'saber falling from her limp hand as she falls to her knees, spine arching against the voltage. The last thing she sees is Rex already unconscious, Anakin slowly being overwhelmed.

She can only hope Obi-Wan's faring better.