Green Boots, a star wars: the clone wars fanfic

Star Wars the Clone Wars Fanfiction

Green Boots

The deceit only lasts as long as there are those who are being deceived.

Trouble! Anakin Skywalker was last seen in what appeared to be a robbery aided by the notorious Cad Bane, Count Dooku, and Ventress. His current whereabouts are unknown. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka Tano were given a mission to search for Anakin Skywalker along with Captain Rex in order to try to solve this mystery and prove Anakin Skywalker's innocence.

"I can't believe the Jedi Council is only giving us two days to find Master Skywalker!" Ahsoka complained. She was walking with Obi-Wan and Rex in busy a market on Coruscant.
"Well, there is a war going on, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan pointed out as the group passed by a sign that was advertising free droid repairs. "The Republic cannot spare many resources for small side missions like this. We are lucky they allowed Captain Rex to come along with us."

Ahsoka sighed. She knew Master Kenobi was right.

"Yeah," Captain Rex said, "I just wish I didn't have to wear civilian clothes."

"It's so you don't stick out so much," Ahsoka said looking at Rex's gray shirt, dark coat, black pants, and uncharacteristically bright green boots.

"I just wish they had more shoes in my size," Rex said looking disdainfully down at his brightly colored boots. "It was either this or bright pink."

Ahsoka smiled. "Where are we going again?" she asked Obi-Wan as they turned a corner and nearly ran into a fruit stand.

"I know someone who is very good at finding people who lives in this area. I was hoping maybe he could help us find Anakin," Obi-Wan answered. They continued to walk through the market place and passed a sign that was advertising free droid repairs.

"Master?"

"Yes, Ahsoka?"

"Are we lost? We've been here before."

Obi-Wan paused and stroked his beard, "I've never been that good at navigating large cities."

"Maybe we can ask for directions," Ahsoka suggested.

Suddenly, someone screamed. Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and Rex all spun around. A woman was pointing to someone dressed in black quickly running down the street, "He took my bag!" she hollered. They raced after the thief. He quickly ducked into a dark alley, but they were hot on his trail. The thief sprang up to one of the fire escapes and smoothly climbed up onto the roof of the building. Both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka used the Force to jump onto the roof, still chasing the thief, leaving Rex in the alley. Rex quickly ran around the building hoping to maybe get in front of the thief while he raced across the rooftops.

Rex pushed through the crowded streets of Coruscant with his eyes on the roofs of the building, trying to locate the thief. He spotted the thief and quickly turned the corner, but accidentally ran into someone in the process. The man he ran into let out an "oof!" as he fell to the ground. Rex paused to help the man up, but while he was doing so someone tapped him on the shoulder. Rex murmured an apology to the man he knocked down and turned to see who tapped his shoulder.

A well-dressed man in red flowing robes with grayish white hair looked at Rex and then promptly embraced him. Rex stood there totally shocked for a second, until the man pulled away and put his hands on Rex's shoulders. He smiled at Rex with warm brown eyes, "It's really you, isn't it?" he asked Rex. Before Rex could reply a woman appeared at the man's side. She was wearing similar clothing and was about the same age as the man.

"Oh, Adriano," she said to the old man while looking at Rex, "is that really him?"

"It is, Amata, it is."

The woman suddenly hugged Rex.

"Um," Rex said as the woman pulled away, "I think you have me confused with someone else."

"Nonsense," Adriano said. "I think I'd be able to recognize my own son, even if he had been missing for ten years."

"And," Amata added, "you contacted us and said you'd meet us here at this place at this time."

"And you're wearing the boots," Adriano said, nodding at Rex's neon green boots.

"Look," Rex said, "I really think you've got me mistaken for someone else."

"I know you're probably a bit overwhelmed," Amata said with tears in her eyes. "I know I am, but I am so glad that you reached out to us, son. Please," she begged, her eyes sparkling "let us take you home."

"Really I think you – " Rex started.

"C'mon, son," Adriano said, wrapping his arm around Rex's shoulders and guiding him out of the alley. "You're going home."

Rex was about to protest when Amata grabbed Rex's hand as silent tears of joy ran down her cheeks. He paused. Then he took a deep breath, "I'm not your son."

The old couple exchanged a look.

"You told us about your memory problems in your letters to us," Amata said.

"What?" Rex asked.

"About how you sometimes forget things, even if they are extremely important," Adriano explained.

"You may have forgotten you were meeting us today," Amata said. "That's okay, though," she added as she lovingly patted Rex's hand, which was still held tightly by hers.

Adriano had been guiding Rex towards the spaceship stations were people leave the planet. Rex's heart skipped a beat. Adriano noticed Rex's discomfort. He squeezed Rex's shoulder, "Don't worry, son, you will probably be able to remember us later. Your memory lapses. It's no big deal."

They approached a ship that was the same crimson color as the couple's robes. Several guards armed with spears stood outside of the ship. They looked like some sort of royal guards and their uniforms were also crimson. "Uh," Rex said uncertainly, "where are we going?"

"Home," Amata said happily. "It's only a couple planets away."

They were very close to the ship now. The door slowly opened and the guards were at attention. "Well," Adriano said. "It's more like half the system, but you know."

"What?!" Rex stopped walking. "Look, I just," he paused as he saw the expressions on the old couple's faces, "need more time."

"We've been waiting ten years, son" Adriano said. He nodded to one of the guards who quickly shocked Rex with the end of his spear. "I hope you can understand." Rex crumpled to the ground and the guards lifted him onto the ship.

Anakin was furious. After he parted ways with Count Dooku, he had wandered the city until his memory returned. He tried to figure out where he was, but it was a bit distracting when his memories would come back slamming into his mind. He had found a park bench to sit on while his memories painfully came back to him. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was a small trickle of memories returning into his mind, but it wasn't like that at all. Instead, his memories would erupt in waves of whirlwinds of color and emotion. This process had taken nearly three hours, and by the time it ended he had a jarring headache and was quite thirsty. He also had very little money.

Anakin slowly and painfully stood up from the park bench that he had sat on for nearly three painful hours. He walked back into the city. It was moderately urbanized and it should be easy for him to find a way to contact Obi-Wan. He had no idea how he was going to explain this one. Anakin quickly found a communication device, but it was extremely expensive. He hesitated, but then gave the machine his money. He pressed a few buttons and waited for the device to connect him to Obi-Wan. The machine suddenly chimed and told him his connection had timed out. Anakin angrily banged the machine with his fake hand, leaving a good dent behind.

Anakin looked at his remaining credits and realized that he didn't have enough to try to contact Obi-Wan again. Anakin banged the machine again, but this time he hit it a bit harder. He turned around and realized that a little girl was watching him. They paused as they acknowledged each other for a moment, but then Anakin stormed off down the street.

Rex awoke to the sound of a ship cruising at hyperspeed. He opened his eyes. He was in a small room lying on a small cot. He immediately sat up. He had to get off this ship. He couldn't believe he had let things get this far. Rex opened the door, but saw that two of the maroon clad guards were standing outside of his room. One guard was on each side of the door and their spears crossed in front of the door creating an X, which prevented Rex from leaving the small room. It didn't stop him from trying. He cleared his throat. The guards looked at him. The one on the left said, "You are to stay in your room until further notice." He then closed the door. Rex reopened the door.

"I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding," Rex said. "I'm not their long lost son."

"You are to stay in your room until further notice," the guard on the left repeated. He closed the door again. Rex opened the door again.

"I need to leave. I'm a Republic clone trooper. I can prove it. Just let me contact the Senate."

The guards exchanged a look. The one on the right activated a communicator on his wrist. "Tell His Majesty that his son is awake and is claiming to be a Republic clone trooper." There was an awkward pause.

"His Majesty?" Rex asked.

"You are to stay in your room until further notice," the left guard said yet again. He closed the door. Rex opened the door. The guard on the left sighed wearily.

"King Adriano?" Rex said recalling the old man's name and putting two and two together.

"You are to stay in your room until further notice," the guard on the left said. He paused, "please." And then closed the door. Rex opened the door.

"King Adriano the main benefactor of the Separatist cause?" There was another awkward pause. "He risked coming to Coruscant to find his son?" Rex knew he had a better chance of survival being the long lost son than a Republic clone trooper. He was gonna have to play the part. Great.

"You are to stay in your room until further notice." The door closed.

Anakin had to find a way to get some more money. The thought occurred to him that he could make people help him get a way off of the planet by using the Force, but his memories of Obi-Wan's teachings were fresh in his mind, so he dismissed that thought. He could probably make some money by repairing droids, ships, or just anything mechanical, so Anakin went down to the nearby spaceship departure station. It didn't take long for him to see people with problems or clanky old ships that he could repair. All he had to do was offer his assistance and he could get a ride back to the Jedi Temple. Hopefully he could be off of this planet within the hour.

The door to Rex's small room opened. King Adriano and Queen Amata stepped inside. Rex stood up as they entered. They quietly walked towards him.

"You're a Republic clone trooper?" Queen Amata asked timidly.

"Ah, no sorry," Rex apologized looking at his green boots. He forced his eyes to meet the queen's, "that's a side effect of the memory lapse. Sometimes I say things I don't quite understand."

The queen looked hopefully at Rex, "so you remember?"

Rex managed a smile, "Yes I do."

The king and the queen beamed and they both hugged Rex tightly.

"I'm sorry for all of the security," the king said. "I just wasn't sure if your memory had returned." He paused, "sorry about stunning you, too. I just couldn't wait any longer. I thought I'd lost you forever."

The king and queen both smiled at Rex. It soon turned into an awkward pause. Rex was having a lot of those lately. Luckily, a communicator on the king's arm dinged. He answered it.

A voice said, "Your Highness, we are coming out of hyperspace. We will arrive shortly."

"Son," the king said looking into Rex's eyes, "you're almost home."

The queen eye's brimmed with tears.

"Yay," Rex said quite unconvincingly.

Anakin was having the worst luck. It took him half an hour until he finally found someone who was willing to let him repair a ship. He was sitting in the pilot's seat of a ship putting the finishing touches on his repairs. A few of the controls on the console had short-circuited. It was an easy fix.

"Alright," he said to the pilot, "that should do it." The pilot approached the console and Anakin got out of the chair. The pilot sat down and flipped a few switches and pressed a few buttons. Things seemed to be in working order,

"Thanks," he said to Anakin. "How much do I owe you?"

"Actually I was hoping I could get a ride."

"That's what I guessed. Where would you like to go?"

"I need to go to Coruscant."

The pilot chuckled and then realized Anakin wasn't joking. "Wait," he said. "You're serious?"

"Yes I'm serious."

The pilot gave Anakin a funny look, "You know where you are, don't you?"

Anakin hesitated.

"This is the home of King Adriano and Queen Amata."

"The Separatist benefactors?"

"Yes," the pilot answered. "And I'm officially a citizen of this planet and all citizens are banned from travelling to any Republican planets. You probably won't find anyone who can take you there." The pilot paused at seeing Anakin's expression. "I know a guy who sells ships quite cheaply."

Anakin remained silent.

The pilot gave Anakin the address, "I hope it helps."

Anakin nodded and then angrily walked out of the ship. This was not his day.

As he was exiting the spaceship departure hangar, he saw a big red ship fly overhead. It was magnificent. In fact, it was probably the king and queen's ship. It was the right color, and as he watched, Anakin saw it land near the castle. He needed to get off of this planet. He needed a ship.

As soon as they landed, Rex was separated from the king and queen, whirled off to the castle, led through countless hallways, and into a large room with lush carpets and plush couches. He had his own guard unit. It was very strange. They had escorted him down the many hallways and into the room where he currently resided. The guards stayed by the door as Rex wandered into the room. Everything was its own shade of red; the lush carpets, the plush couches, the shades, the lamps, the small coffee table, everything.

Suddenly a ridiculously dressed woman seemed to emerge from one of the walls of the room. Her hair was piled so high on top of her head that Rex thought it would topple over at any moment. Her face was painted stark white with makeup and her lips, hair, eyebrows, and eyes were all red. All Rex could do was stare.

"Oh hello, darling!" the woman said with mock surprise. She immediately drowned Rex in a hug that smelled so strongly of perfume he thought he would die.

Rex managed to choke out a hello.

"My name is Branwren," the woman said gesturing to herself. "And you must be the long lost son." She paused, "What was your name again?"

Rex hesitated. He didn't know what the lost son's name was.

"Oh," Branwren said with fake sympathy. She rubbed Rex's arm, "I heard you had a memory problem. I'll just have to make up a name for you." She paused thoughtfully. "I know! I'll call you my little monkey!"

Rex opened his mouth to say something. Branwren put a finger to Rex's lips. She had a really long red fingernail. Rex stared at it in horror.

"Shh now, my little monkey," Branwren cooed. "I'm here to dress you up so you look presentable for dinner." Branwren then took a step back and studied Rex's clothing. She stood with one hand on her hip and one finger thoughtfully on her chin. She tisked at his clothing, "I'll be right back." Branwren swaggered to the back of the room and opened a red door to reveal a closet full of red clothing. The closet was bigger than the room that Rex slept on in the ship. He crept closer. Branwren picked out several items from the closet and handed them to Rex, "Try these on." Rex looked at the pile of clothing in Branwren's hands and sighed.

An hour later, Rex still didn't have an outfit. He rejected everything Branwren liked on him. She was becoming upset.

"My little monkey! Why do you fight me so? That last outfit looked gorgeous on you!"

"I know," Rex said thoughtfully, his patience thinning, "how about I pick something out?"

Branwren hesitated then bit her lip, "Fine."

Rex went into the closet, closed the door, and emerged a few minutes later dressed in a red shirt, a red leather jacket, and nice red pants. Branwren looked him over critically.

"I guess it will do," she finally sniffed. "You forgot shoes."

"I couldn't find any my size."

Branwren smiled and picked something up off of the floor. Rex sighed and then took the bright green boots from Branwren and put them on.

Rex was late for dinner. When he finally arrived to the dining room, King Adriano and Queen Amata were already sitting at the table along with nearly forty other people all dressed in red. The table was huge. The king sat at one end of the table and the queen sat at the other. Rex had no idea where to sit. As Rex entered the room, everyone at the table stood up. It made Rex uncomfortable. Rex looked at King Adriano. He smiled at Rex. "You sit next to me, son," he said waving his hand to the empty seat to his right. Rex went to his seat. Everyone sat down except the king.

"Before we begin our meal," the king announced. "I would like you all to meet our son, Zaire."

Everyone cheered.

King Adriano continued, "Ever since we lost our son nearly ten years ago, my wife and I have been in great torment."

Some of the people nodded their heads or murmured in agreement.

"But when he contacted us four months ago that he was alive and he wanted to see us, I was absolutely overjoyed."

More nods and murmurs.

"I cannot believe this day has come." The king raised his glass, "to my son."

Everyone else raised his or her glass and drank.

Rex was asked many questions throughout the dinner. He tried to answer them as vaguely as possible. For example, when someone asked,

"So where have you been all this time?"

"Um, travelling."

"Oo, where?" someone else would ask.

"Many places," which was actually true. Rex had fought many battles in many different places.

Someone else would ask, "How do you feel that you've been reunited with your parents?"

"Happy."

And the questions kept coming and Rex would continue to be short and vague with his answers. After dessert was eaten, people began to leave. Soon the only people left were the king, queen, and Rex.

The queen got up and sat next to Rex. The queen looked at Rex's plate or plates, rather, since it was a five course meal. He hadn't eaten much. She held his hand. Rex stiffened. He was clearly uncomfortable with this gesture.

"This must be a bit overwhelming," she said. There was a pause when Rex didn't answer. The king and queen exchanged a look.

"Son," the king said. "I know you've been through a lot, but there's something I need you to do."

Rex looked at the king expectantly. He had to get out of here before things got too complicated.

"You know that part of being a king means I'm involved in politics, don't you?"

Rex nodded.

"Well, our planet has not been getting along with our neighbors, and we have decided on a plan that will help unite us." The king looked at Rex and then looked at the queen.

The queen continued for him, "When we knew that we would be reunited with you, we made a deal with our neighboring planet that you, our son, would marry the princess of the neighboring planet."

Things suddenly got too complicated. There was a pause as this sunk in.

"We told you this before," the queen said. "Through our letters. I guess you forgot."

He had already agreed to this?! "When's the wedding?" Rex asked, his voice slightly panicked. The king and the queen exchanged a look.

"You don't remember?" the queen asked gently.

"No," Rex said. He was becoming upset, "otherwise I wouldn't've asked."

"It's tomorrow, honey," the queen said. She was still holding Rex's hand. Rex stood up. He had to get out of here.

"Now, son," the king said also standing. "We thought it would be wise to have the wedding as soon as possible so our issues with the neighboring planet could be resolved. Also, it can be a celebration of your return."

Rex had to come clean. He had to tell them he was a Republican clone trooper. He would rather be imprisoned than wed. The king saw the fire in Rex's eyes and pulled a blaster from out of his robes. The queen dropped Rex's hand. This caught Rex off guard. It shouldn't've. They're Separatists. This is how they do things.

"Son," the king said sternly. "You need to do this or there will be consequences."

"You think pointing a blaster at me will change anything?" Rex said, his inner clone coming out.

"I hoped it might." The king nodded to the guards at the door. They opened the door. Two more guards burst through the doors. One of them roughly pushed a crying Branwren to the floor while the other pointed an electrified spear at her head. Rex stared angrily at the king,

"I'm not your son."

"I don't care. As long as everyone else thinks you are; that's fine by me." There was a pause as Rex and the king regarded each other angrily.

"You never contacted your lost son, have you?" Rex said, the truth dawning on him. "You just needed someone to unite your planets and you picked me. This was a setup from the start."

"I knew we had a bright son," the queen said icily, picking up a knife off of the table.

"You will marry the girl," the king said still pointing his blaster at Rex. Rex angrily curled his hands into tight fists. The king waved his free hand. The guard with the electrified spear jabbed Branwren in the back. She cried out in pain.

"Fine," Rex said.

Anakin only managed to get enough money to buy a room at a run-down hotel. When he checked in, the host asked him if he came to see the wedding.

"What wedding?" Anakin had asked.

"With the king and queen's long lost son and the princess of the adjacent planet. I heard it's going to be the event of the year!"

Anakin had thought nothing of it until the next morning. The noise of an excited crowd woke him up. He angrily took a shower, got ready, and checked out of the hotel. He opened the door of the nasty hotel and stared in disbelief.

All of the screens in sight were advertising for the big event. The words "The Son Has Returned" and "The Most Exciting Wedding Ever" accompanied a picture of Rex's face. What was going on?! Anakin walked up to a nearby citizen. She was dressed in all red and was clearly excited for the event.

"Excuse me," Anakin said tapping her shoulder. "Who is that?" he said pointing to one of the many pictures of Rex.

She gasped in disbelief, "You don't know?! Why, that's King Adriano and Queen Amata's lost son."

Anakin looked back at the screen. "That guy?" he pointed.

The girl nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, yes. He's getting married today, too! Isn't that exciting?!"

This had to be a part of some plan. "Where's the wedding?"

"In the town square. Everyone's invited!"

Anakin paused. Why didn't he think of this before? "Do you have a communication device I could borrow?"

"Sure."

First Master Skywalker and now Rex. Ahsoka was very worried. After she and Master Kenobi apprehended the thief, Rex was nowhere to be found. They searched everywhere. And if things couldn't get worse, Master Kenobi's friend, the one who could find people, had died a few days ago. Ahsoka and Master Kenobi spent that night and the next day searching for Master Skywalker and Rex using every means possible. It was no use!

Ahsoka had tried to get some sleep like Master Kenobi advised, but it was impossible. When she felt like she was finally beginning to drift off, her communicator bleeped.

"Hello?" she asked sleepily.

"Ahsoka?"

"Master!" Ahsoka exclaimed excitedly, shooting out of bed. Her master was somewhere crowded. You could hear a lot of people talking in the background. Before she could ask her master where he was he said,

"Please tell me this is part of some plan."

"What is, Master?"

"Rex getting married."

"Rex is doing what?!"'

"What about the long lost son thing?"

"Master, what are you talking about?"

"I think Rex is in trouble."

"Where are you?"

Anakin told her.

"A Separatist planet? What are you doing there?"

"That's not important. I think Rex needs help." The crowd on Anakin's end suddenly cheered. "Ahsoka, I have to go."

"No, Master! Wait!"

The transmission ended.

Anakin had followed the crowd to the town square while speaking to Ahsoka. The square hadn't been officially opened yet, so everyone was standing in anticipation for it to be opened. Anakin had just told Ahsoka which planet he was on.

"A Separatist planet?" she asked him. It was a bit hard to hear her through the noise of the crowd. "What are you doing there?"

Anakin looked at one of the posters featuring Rex, "That's not important. I think Rex needs help." That's when the town square was officially opened and the people were allowed to enter. The crowd cheered. "Ahsoka, I have to go." Anakin ended the transmission and gave the communication device back to the girl. He tried to push his way to the front of the crowd, but everyone was trying to push to the front of the crowd as well, so he essentially got nowhere. He sighed angrily and tried to see past the people in front of him.

A large stage had been set up in the center of the town square. Armed guards were surrounding it. The stage had a red flowery backdrop and a light red wooden arch in the middle. The arch was probably where Rex was supposed to get married. There were red roses everywhere, and someone must have been selling them or handing them out because more and more of the people in the crowd were holding red roses or putting them in their hair or clothing.

A red vehicle parked by the stage and King Adriano and Queen Amata stepped out. The crowd cheered as they smiled and waved. On the opposite side of the stage another red vehicle pulled up. The king and queen of the neighboring planet arose from the vehicle. The crowd cheered. Both couples walked onto the stage. Anakin had been to enough of these things with Padmé to know that both couples would have speeches prepared. So while the speeches went on, Anakin searched for a way to get to the stage to stop the wedding for when the opportune moment arose.

Rex hadn't slept a wink. Part of it was because the king had sent him to the detention level and he was basically in a prison cell. The other part was because he was supposed to get married the next day to someone he didn't know, and he had no idea how to stop it without endangering Branwren.

When morning finally arrived, the guards escorted Rex to another dressing room. This time there were guards inside and outside the room. When he got into the room, he saw Branwren sitting tensely on one of the couches. She smiled when she saw Rex. She appeared unharmed.

"Are you alright?"

"I am thanks to you, my little monkey," she said and gave him a sad smile. "Today's a big day for you!" and with that her attitude changed. "We need to find the perfect outfit!"

Obi-Wan woke up to the sound of someone frantically knocking on his door in the middle of the night. He was pretty used to this by now; it was war after all. He quickly got out of bed and opened the door expecting to see Cody ready to tell him what the crisis was. He was not expecting Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka?" he asked, clearly surprised.

She looked extremely worried, "Master Kenobi, it's Master Skywalker."

"I thought I told you to get some rest."

"I was resting, Master! He contacted me!"

"Anakin contacted you?"

Ahsoka nodded, "I think he and Rex are in trouble. He told me where he was."

"I'm listening."

Rex stared at himself in the mirror. He never thought he'd see this sight in his entire life. He was wearing a red tuxedo with a matching red bowtie and red rose pinned to the lapel. He was never wearing red again. At least Branwren let him keep the neon green boots. They did not match at all and stuck out like a sore thumb, but they weren't red.

"Okay, my little monkey," Branwren said, straightening Rex's bowtie, "you're ready."

The speeches had been awful. They were full of fake tears and fake happiness and fake gratefulness. There was not a single genuine word spoken the entire time. Anakin had sort of a plan to save Rex, but it was pretty flimsy. That never stopped him, though. Near the end of the speeches another vehicle pulled up, but no one got out yet. He guessed it was either Rex or the bride. When the horrible speeches finally ended, King Adriano stepped up to the middle of the stage.

"And now the moment you have all been waiting for…"

The crowd became silent.

The king looked at the newly arrived vehicle, "My son and the groom, Zaire."

The crowd roared as Rex got out of the vehicle. Anakin couldn't save him now. Everyone was too excited. Just hold in there, Rex, he thought.

Rex slowly walked up to the stage as if walking slowly would slow down time. How was this happening? Rex got to the top of the stage and the king rushed to hug him; the crowd loved it. Rex hugged him stiffly back.

"Remember," King Adriano said. "Do this and no one gets hurt."

Rex hugged the king a bit more heartily.

"That's a good boy."

Rex wanted to squeeze him to death, but instead he let go and gave the king his best glare. The king smiled back. Rex then hugged the queen and the other royals from the neighboring planet. When the crowd finally died down, King Adriano came to the front of the stage and said,

"Now, my son has been through a lot, but he will still deliver a speech," the king gave a meaningful glance to Rex.

The crowd cheered. Rex paled visibly. The king gestured for Rex to step forward. Rex hesitated. The crowd was silent. The king raised an eyebrow. Someone in the crowd coughed loudly, catching Rex's attention.

Anakin aggressively pushed his way to the front of the crowd despite the annoyed glares and rude comments. By the time Rex had hugged the last royal, Anakin was almost to the front of the stage. The king came to the front of the stage and said,

"Now, my son has been through a lot, but he will still deliver a speech."

While the crowd cheered, Anakin saw the king look at Rex. The speech looked like it was a surprise to Rex. Rex's hesitation caused the crowd to quiet. In all his years of battling beside this clone, Anakin had never seen Rex so scared. Now or never. He had to get Rex's attention.

Anakin coughed loudly. Rex saw him. Anakin nodded.

It had taken Obi-Wan longer than expected to get the Jedi Council's permission to go rescue Anakin and Captain Rex. It was almost dawn by the time he and Ahsoka left the planet.

Anakin used the Force to jump from the crowd onto the stage while he activated his lightsaber. The guards surrounded the stage immediately rushed him, but he easily blasted them off their feet with the Force. While the guards were down, Anakin and Rex raced off the stage. They both jumped into a vehicle and Anakin started it and began to fly away from the town square.

"We need to go to the palace!" Rex said.

"What?! Rex, are you crazy?!"

"My friend is in there!"

Anakin looked at Rex, "They'll get us for sure!"

"They don't really know what you look like, General. You could disguise or sneak in easier than I could."

Anakin turned the vehicle in the direction of the palace.

"Thank you, General."

"So who am I looking for and where is this person?"

Anakin parked the vehicle a few blocks away from the palace. He easily got over the palace gates by using the Force to jump over them, distracted the guards by rustling some bushes with the Force, and climbed into one of the windows with great agility that all Jedi possess. He quietly landed on red carpeted floors. The detention level was downstairs. He stealthily made his way downstairs and avoided detection from servants and guards by hiding behind various pieces of furniture that were placed throughout the house.

He finally made it to the detention level. He used the Force to sense Rex's "friend." When he found the cell she was in, he cut a hole in the door with his lightsaber. The woman, Branwren, looked terrified as Anakin entered her cell.

He held out his hand. She looked up at him with big eyes and took it. Anakin guided Branwren through the palace until he found a window on the first floor. He opened it, jumped through it, and then helped Branwren get through it. Unfortunately, a guard outside the palace saw them escaping.

"Hey!" he shouted, running at Anakin and Branwren with spear in hand. Anakin blasted him with the Force. More guards headed their way.

"They're coming!" Branwren commented lamely.

Anakin then ran over to the gate and cut a hole in it with his lightsaber. He and Branwren stepped through. He grabbed her hand and raced to where he parked the vehicle. Rex was waiting for them. Rex opened a door for Branwren to get inside, and Anakin rushed to the driver's seat.

"My little monkey!" Branwren exclaimed happily. She hugged Rex.

"What did she just call you?" Anakin asked Rex.

"Uh, nothing, sir," Rex said, flushing.

Anakin chuckled and flew away from the palace. They immediately heard sirens. Anakin looked behind his shoulder, "They found us." Two vehicles with flashing lights and sirens were closely following them. Anakin sharply turned right, but they were still being followed. Branwren looked ill. Suddenly, more sirens sounded in front of them and Anakin yanked the vehicle upwards. Branwren nearly fainted. They were now being followed by five vehicles. The vehicles began to fire at them. Anakin spun the vehicle, barely avoiding the shots. He then turned sharply around a nearby building, barely avoiding it. Anakin turned another corner and nearly ran into another vehicle with flashing lights. Branwren struggled to breath. Now there were six vehicles following them. Anakin was having trouble shaking them. That's when the vehicle began to sputter and make jerky movements.

"No!" Anakin said. "No no no no no no!"

"General?"

"We're running out of fuel!"

The vehicle sputtered loudly and then began to plummet downward. Branwren grabbed Rex's hand tightly. The flashing vehicles were in hot pursuit and began to shoot. One of the shots landed and the plummeting vehicle caught fire.

"This is not good," Anakin said, stating the obvious. "We're gonna have to jump."

"Wait, what?!" Branwren exclaimed, barely holding on to her sanity.

"He's a Jedi," Rex said. "He can cushion our fall."

Branwren looked nervously at Anakin.

"Ready?" Anakin asked Rex.

Rex nodded and held onto Branwren and then jumped from the flaming vehicle. Branwren screamed as they fell. Anakin jumped after them. They safely landed on the ground and then moved out of the way of the flaming vehicle. It landed with a loud crash and a burst of flames. Anakin took out his lightsaber and prepared for attack as the six vehicles with flashing lights and sirens surrounded the group.

One of the flashing vehicles suddenly exploded. Anakin, Rex, and Branwren flinched from the explosion. A small Republican fighter emerged from the smoke.

Rex beamed, "General, it's Ahsoka!"

Another flashing vehicle blew up.

"And Obi-Wan!" Anakin said, happily as Obi-Wan's fighter followed Ahsoka's.

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan quickly destroyed the enemy. They circled around and landed next to Anakin, Rex, and Branwren.

Obi-Wan stepped out of his ship. "We have a small ship coming to pick us up," he said while taking in Rex's outfit.

"Master!" Ahsoka exclaimed happily as she got out of her ship. She raced to her master and embraced him. He hugged her back.

"Hey, Snips!"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said seriously, "you have a lot of explaining to do when we get back."

Anakin sighed, "I know."

"Rex," Ahsoka said looking at Rex full of amusement, "what are you wearing?"

"It's a long story."

"Still wearing the green boots," Ahsoka noted.

"I think he looks fabulous," Branwren said.

Obi-Wan smiled at her, "Hello, I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi." He held out his hand to Branwren. She shook it.

"I'm Branwren."

A gray ship began to descend near the group.

"That's your ride home," Obi-Wan said to Anakin, Rex, and Branwren. "We need to go quickly before they find us."

Anakin nodded. He looked at Ahsoka, "See you later." She hugged him one last time before she got back into her ship. Anakin, Rex, and Branwren boarded the gray ship and followed Ahsoka and Obi-Wan off of the planet.

The grand meeting room was dark except for a small purple glow in the center of the room. A small square stone with soft edges emitted a gentle glow in the middle of a large elliptical table. The table was covered with elaborate golden circular designs. The meeting room was eerily silent. A lone figure seemed to form from the shadows in the corner of the room. It walked to the table. The figure's features began to become more defined as it approached the light.

He was a young man, but his eyes looked very old. His once magnificent robes were in tatters. His robes were a rich red adorned with golden circular patterns that matched those on the table. He was once the leader of the council that met in this room. Now he was nothing but a fading memory. His whole planet was. They were trapped in an echo of the universe, and they didn't have much time.

The man heard something outside of the meeting room. Footsteps. The door to the meeting room opened. Another man dressed in tattered robes walked inside. He looked older than the first man, but his eyes also had the same ancient feel.

"You found it," the second man stated, looking at the purple glowing stone.

"Yes," the first man replied. "But it alone is not enough to bring us back to reality."

"I know. We need an anchoring object in reality that can pull us back into existence."

"Preferably something that originated from here."

"That's why I've come." The second man placed a golden circular metal object on the table. It was engraved with the circular patterns that were on the men's robes and the table.

"Is that…?" the first man started.

"It is," the second man confirmed. "The Doctor's Confession Dial."

The End

A/N: I don't know where this last scene came from…