Echo was aware of himself, but only just. He could barely form cohesive thoughts. Images were flooding through his mind with crisp clarity, but disappearing as quickly as they came before he could make sense of them. And then the images stopped, and he felt like he had gone into an unconscious blackness…. but he wasn't unconscious! Was he in a coma? He remembered things… actions, words, things he thought he had done, but the memories felt distant and impersonal, like he had merely witnessed them, and he wasn't sure when. And how heavy his body felt.

Suddenly Echo realized he was awake, and opened his eyes. White light flooded into them and his first thought was that he must be on Kamino. Everything was blurred.

A shadow fell over him and instinctually he recoiled, attempting to get into a defensive position, but his body was sluggish and his limbs seemed to barely obey.

"Sir!" A voice said. A clone voice. At least he knew that much. "Don't move."

Echo swallowed but his throat still felt dry. "What's going on—where am I?" His own voice sounded foreign in his ears, low, parched. The sound of it triggered a collection of memories that he was certain must go together: a commando unit, a kind of digital telepathy, endless tests administered by Kaminoans… a rainy city, feathered aliens, and… Rex. Captain Rex. Echo jerked, someone's hand coming to rest on his shoulder. Rex… Rex was dead. Echo weakened as he saw it in his mind's eye, the hole in his captain's chest, him falling and getting shot again, crying in agony in a way Echo had heard too many times in his life coming out of the mouths of dead men. Then Echo realized that the hand on the trigger was his own.

Echo's chest heaved and he felt he couldn't get oxygen. He panted, and his lungs felt like they were collapsing. The sensation was painfully familiar.

"Sir," the clone said again, putting a hand on his chest. "Are you alright?"

Echo looked at him, looked through the hazy blur, and realized the man had been talking. "W…."

"We're in Drann. How do you feel?"

"D…. I killed… I killed Rex…" Echo gulped. "When?"

"The captain isn't dead," the clone said. "Are your motor systems functioning?"

"My… my what?" Echo swallowed again and tried to move his hand. The muscles in his arm contracted beneath the skin but nothing happened. "I don't understand what's going on. I can't…."

Suddenly all of his muscles seized up, but as soon as the feeling came, it was gone, and he realized he could move again. He lifted his hand and brought it in front of his face. The light of the room was still so bright.

"Sorry, sir. We're attempting to restore your systems incrementally without triggering the chip."

"When did I…. Where's Rex?"

"He's here."

"Where?!" Echo spun around and his surroundings meshed together in a nauseating way. "Rex?"

"He's not conscious. Are you experiencing any other physical malfunctions?"

"What are you—why are you talking like that?" Echo turned back to the voice. "No, I… I can't see right, everything's—oh, wait, I can now."

"Very good," the clone said, and Echo finally saw that he looked very young but was wearing black commando armor.

"You… I remember you." He realized there were two others just like him in the room. "Diode Squad. But something's different."

"Sorry, sir. We limited our link to a one-way network, and of the most restricted kind. We judged it to be the safest, given the circumstances. Your side is receiving only."

Echo put a hand to his head and felt the implant. Memories fell into place. "I'm…." He glanced at Rex, finally getting a clear look at him and his throat tightened. "I don't understand…." He pushed himself off the bed and stepped unsteadily to Rex's side.

He didn't look good. The blaster wounds were patched up but his skin was a lifeless shade of gray, his lips faintly blue. Echo put his fingertips on Rex's neck and was almost surprised to feel a pulse. He leaned down and could hear a faint wheeze underneath his shallow breathing.

Echo closed his eyes. "Is he going to live?"

"If he gets professional medical attention soon enough, he should live," the clone said. "But sir, there was something really important—"

"We must call General Skywalker."

"Sir, we haven't finished the mission."

Echo clenched his fists. "The mission? We need to regroup, clearly. Are there any others but us in this room?"

"There is one member of Diode Squad outside of the facility. The mission is to destroy the computer virus that's disabling the Republic Navy."

Yes, now Echo remembered. "We did, didn't we? We found the terminal."

"No, you—Sir, Captain Rex was very insistent that we tell you about the chip installed by the chancellor to kill the Jedi."

Echo did a double take at the commando. "W-what?!"

"You shot the captain because of the chip."

"What chip? The chancellor would never turn on the Jedi. They're the ones leading his army!" Echo would have laughed if the idea wasn't so horrific.

"I don't understand it either, sir, but the captain insisted that I tell you this. He said you would know what to do."

Echo blinked hard and shook his head. "No… I'm afraid I don't… understand what you're talking about."

The young clone looked away for a moment, then said, "I will transfer our memories of the events since your chip was triggered."

Echo looked from the commando to Rex, and realized he now remembered things, could see himself, mostly doing nothing but sitting and staring off blankly. He saw the hologram of the chancellor and heard his own rasping voice affirming the chancellor's vague orders, and saw himself going on to execute them with brutal efficiency. He shot the Mrlssi scientists, and saw his body fall to a stun bolt after taking down Rex. None of it made sense… it didn't! He tried to focus but the memories swarmed around each other in a dizzying array. Echo wasn't even sure which ones came first but for the embedded time stamp.

"I need to talk to Rex," he said, desperate for some voice of reason to cut through this stifling confusion. "I need to know what happened to me."

The commando half shrugged. "He'll be out for another hour at least on that hypo. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. Sir, we must complete the mission."

"The mission," Echo breathed. "The computer virus… but the Mrlssi…."

"We must complete this no matter the opposition."

Echo swallowed again and looked at the commando's face. It was set in a determined frown. He caught from the memories that had been transferred to him a sense that the commandos were intimidated by completing the mission without him. They didn't think they could do it. But right now Echo didn't think he could do it. He barely understood their memories of him. He had been so detached and unemotional. Why…? He felt the answer was somewhere right in front of him, and that all of this made sense and was clear and obvious, but every time he tried to focus, the words and images he was sure were there slipped further away.

Then Echo heard a beep. And there it was again. He looked around and realized it was coming from a holoprojector in a box on Rex's belt. He pulled it out and immediately General Skywalker's form appeared.

"General," Echo said weakly.

"Echo? You are Echo, aren't you? Where's Rex?" The general's voice was stern and impatient.

"Yes, sir. Rex is…." he faltered.

"What…? Echo, what?"

Echo wasn't sure how to say it.

"… Is he… dead?" Skywalker's face was impossible to make out, but his voice weakened. "Echo—"

"No! He's not dead! Not yet. I… he… he was shot, sir, shot twice. He's sedated but he needs medical attention."

Skywalker's voice hardened again. "Did you destroy the virus?"

"No, sir, but—"

"Rrghh! This isn't good enough!"

"General, I'm not sure we can." He glanced at the commando next to him, whose eyes bored into his in disapproval. "The truth is… something went wrong, really wrong, with me… a… malfunction… and I'm unable to complete this mission. I'm… I'm sorry. I don't think Diode Squad can do it without me. I recommend a new approach to taking this virus out. The Mrlssi are going to be hostile now."

The general's stance was rigid, his face downcast, his fists clenched.

"Can you extract yourselves or do you need an assist," he said in a bitter monotone.

Echo looked at Rex propped up like a dead man on the bed, the patches on his chest, his ill complexion, and sighed. "We'll need a pick up and a medic. I'll transmit the coordinates, sir."

Skywalker was shaking his head as the hologram disappeared. Echo stared at the holoprojector, aware of a ringing in his ears. Sometimes missions failed. Sometimes you couldn't do anything about it. The general would understand.

…

Rex came abruptly out of sleep, unable to remember falling into it. He was on a ship.

"Rex," someone said. It was Skywalker. He came into Rex's line of vision. "Good, you're awake." He relaxed and almost laughed. "I was afraid you actually might not come back this time."

"General," Rex said, a thick drugged daze interfering with his attempt to become alert. He felt pain in his chest but it seemed far away. Suddenly his latest memories came back to him and his blood turned to ice. Echo… the gunshots… the chip.

He was still alive to stop this.

Skywalker was waiting for him to go on, but Rex wasn't sure what to say. "The mission…?"

Rex could read everything in Skywalker's face. They had failed. Every aspect of this mission had failed.

"We'll talk about that," the general said solemnly. "I'm glad you're still with us, Rex." He stood up and stepped a few paces to the door. "Admiral Bet is asking for an immediate debriefing, but… I can tell her the medical droid wouldn't let me wake you."

Rex took a deep breath, the fog in his head already beginning to clear. "I… I'm ready sir."

He tried to sit up, putting an elbow beneath him, and grunted as, despite the painkillers, a heavy spreading pain moved through his chest like being crushed by heavy spikes. His arm shook and he fell back against the bed, panting, a chilly sweat prickling on his neck and head.

Skywalker's forehead creased. "Easy, Rex… I'm sure we can hold the debriefing in here. I'll have the room secured."

The med droid tittered and helped him sit up as Echo and all four members of Diode Squad entered the room. Rex wondered if he imagined that Echo was avoiding eye contact. Skywalker shut and locked the door behind them before pulling out his holoprojector, then he set it down on a cart by Rex's bed. After a few moments, Admiral Bet and Admiral Konneck appeared.

"Is the channel secure?" asked Admiral Bet.

"Yes, Admiral," said the general.

"Very good," said Bet calmly. "Well, let's begin the debriefing." She sighed. "First of all, let me just say that I am extremely disappointed in the outcome of this mission, although I understand there were unforeseen circumstances involved. Captain Rex, you came to this mission highly recommended for your years of courage, adaptability, and experience with situations where discretion was necessary. I would have expected better of such a renowned officer."

Rex felt a heaviness overtake the chill in his stomach. He knew she could say nothing less. From the outside, this situation looked like it had been completely awash in ineptitude, and he wasn't sure how he could explain the events to the admiral without mentioning the chip or getting Echo sent straight back to Kamino for termination or further experimentation.

"Captain, I request your account of the events leading up to your first encounter with the Mrlssi scientists."

"Yes sir," said Rex, concentrating on the early events of the mission. They felt weeks old. "We were dropped off just inside the fence and hiked into the city, about three klicks. We didn't encounter anyone on the way in. Once we reached the edge of the city, Echo led us to the nearest computer terminal he was aware of. It was located on an upper floor of a residential building. We inspected the terminal but it didn't contain the virus. Diode Squad then disabled it and we continued on to where other signals were transmitting. From the outside, it was impossible to tell what the building was, but there were many Mrssli around it, entering and exiting. We decided to wait until the hour grew later. Once one of our scouts reported that the numbers had diminished, we entered by a side door into an unused work room. We followed the signal until it took us into a decontamination unit. On the other side of the unit, the building was clean and sterile. It was immediately clear that Mrssli were still in the building in the areas we needed to go, but we still weren't aware that this was an active lab."

"Any further observations… Echo?" asked the admiral.

"Sir. We will transfer our digitized observations of the facility at your request."

"Please do," said Bet darkly.

"Yes, Admiral."

"Alright, Captain," she said. "Please continue."

"Sir. We decided the best way to clear the Mrssli from the area where the virus seemed to be transmitting was to trigger a local biocontamination alarm already installed in the facility's system."

"Seems like a rather loud way to stay undetected," Bet sighed.

"It seemed to be the most effective option at the time, sir," Rex said simply. "We needed to ensure that they would stay out of the area long enough for us to do our job."

"And did they?" Bet folded her arms.

Rex glanced at General Skywalker. The general's eyebrow twitched and Rex couldn't tell if it was aimed at him or at the admiral's accusatory tone of voice. He took a deep breath.

"Yes, Admiral. Once we were in that area, I was certain that the facility had the capability to be manufacturing a biological weapon, and the evidence was plenty suggestive. We located what we thought was the source of the virus without being detected, but when Echo connected with the local network it was transmitting from, his implant malfunctioned, and a member of Diode Squad informed me that the terminal was a decoy."

"Malfunctioned?" Konneck frowned. "In what way?"

"He became completely unresponsive, sir. He wouldn't focus on any of us, or respond to commands."

"Curious. Were the Mrlssi alerted to your presence through the computer network?"

"It's… possible, sir. I wasn't sure what to do with Echo, so when the commandos located a small medical lab on the ground floor, we took Echo there. But on the way, we were ambushed by Mrlssi in a hallway we thought was deserted. They had blasters, and one of our men was shot in the foot, but we managed to make it to the lab without any further injury. We used stun beams on the Mrlssi, but the effects didn't last very long. They surrounded the door a few minutes later and tried to talk us into surrendering."

Rex took a deep breath.

"After our brief communication, sir, I tried to reason with the Mrlssi and gain their support in helping us to remove the virus, which they claimed they had no knowledge of. I felt a show of trust was needed and let them into the room once they seemed willing to listen. I told them of our problem and… and they went to talk with the rest of their kind in the facility. It took a very long time to get a reply, time that I understand could have been put to use destroying the virus ourselves, but I decided that completing the mission peacefully was the best option now that we had been detected, even if it did take longer."

Bet raised an eyebrow with a frown, though not at Rex or anyone else, seeming to consider his story. Rex was glad at this moment that Diode Squad never had any expression. "Go on," Bet said.

"When the Mrssli came back, they appeared friendly, but then unexpectedly they drew weapons on us. I was shot but Diode Squad managed to subdue them after a brief altercation. Then, as you know, General Skywalker and his troops extracted us after a brief firefight. That is essentially what happened. I understand that Diode Squad repaired Echo's malfunction while I was unconscious, sir."

There was an awkward silence wherein Bet just shook her head. Rex was all too aware of Skywalker's eyes on him, and he desperately hoped he would keep silent until the briefing was completed.

"This situation is not good, to say the least," Bet sighed. "As I said, it is disappointing that you were not more successful with this, given the state of the Navy but at the same time… your actions are understandable to a point. It's unfortunate that Diode Squad is not all that was promised."

"Diode Squad is still experimental, Admiral," Echo said softly, surprising Rex. He seemed… different.

Bet shook her head again and crossed her arms. "We shall have to take things into our own hands. We are out of time to find a diplomatic way of stopping the virus. Now that we know exactly where it's transmitting from, I expect short work of it."

"What?" Skywalker said. "What do you mean?"

"We haven't found any further information on who is responsible for this facility. If the captain's report is accurate, and I have no reason to doubt it is, we cannot have such a project happening on Anaxes, especially if it's intended to be used against us. It might be that the Mrlssi have organized and decided to strike back at us for years of what they see as oppression, but… I sense a larger hand behind this."

The general sighed. "The chancellor did recently tell me explicitly that he had no knowledge of any lab, and that he wasn't worried about what the Mrlssi thought they were accomplishing. All he cares about is seeing that computer virus gone."

"As do we all," Bet said. "And that is exactly why we are done dancing around this issue. Politically, the presence of this facility will condemn the Mrlssi in the eyes of the Anaxsi people, and Diode Squad's visual reports will be evidence enough for them. And on that note, we must finish this, so I will bid you and your troopers goodbye, General Skywalker." Bet lifted one hand. "I won't say 'good job' but at least you brought these actions to our knowledge."

"The Anaxsi government thanks you," added Konneck. "May you heal quickly, Captain."

Skywalker bowed his head to the admiral and the holoprojector went out. The sudden relief of knowing the admirals accepted his report hit Rex and he exhaled slowly. But then he caught the general's eye and knew things weren't over yet.

"I'm sorry, again, General," Echo said, and Rex realized he sounded aggrieved. "I never expected to malfunction and compromise the mission."

"I know you didn't," Skywalker said, putting a hand on Echo's shoulder. But his eyes were on Rex, and the doubtful look on his face was hard to ignore.

Anakin pocketed the holoprojector and gave Echo a forced smile.

"Why don't you and your squad go get some rest," he said, in a voice that obviously meant clear out, troopers.

"Yes, sir," Echo said, with an uneasy glance at Rex. It was the first time he had looked at him.

Skywalker watched them go. The moment they were out the door, his face relaxed out of its affected pleasantry. He turned back toward the hospital bed.

"Rex," he said seriously, "Admiral Bet may have bought your tale, and I only pray you had a good reason for lying to an admiral of the Republic Navy, but I will not have you lying to me."

Rex cast his eyes down and sighed. He tried to remind himself that no matter what the general said, everything he had done and would do was for the good of the Republic.

"What really happened, Rex? And why are you keeping it to yourself? …It's Echo, isn't it?"

"I…."

"You're protecting him. There's more to this malfunction than you're saying—he… Rex, was he the one who shot you?" Skywalker's voice took on notes of both outrage and shock.

"Yes, sir," Rex said miserably.

Skywalker didn't say anything immediately. He merely paced a few feet then turned back toward Rex, aggressively grasping the bar at the end of his bed.

"Is there more you're not telling me?"

"Yes, sir" Rex looked up at Skywalker on the end of his bed and their eyes met.

"I don't want a 'yes, sir,'" he breathed. "I want answers! What's going on with you, suddenly? You're better than this. You were made to be better than this! And I've seen you deal with harder missions than this one, and you never lose your head. You're dependable. You know the mission priorities. You told me you were ready to lead this mission."

Rex had never seen such disappointment in his general's face before. To see it coupled with such confusion, such surprise, knowing that the general had such trust in him, was so much worse than he imagined. He didn't know what to say.

"I hope you didn't compromise the entire mission just because of Echo. Unfortunately, I don't know what parts of your story are true," he said, punctuating his severe words with a pointed look. "Is it because he came back from the dead?" Skywalker waved a hand questioningly. "Is that enough to distract you? You have other brothers on the battlefield, on those ships that were being disabled by this virus." Skywalker flung an arm up to point off in a random direction. "I know you care about them. Did you risk all their lives by getting distracted by Echo's problem? You were ready to shoot yourself to protect the army from the parasite from Ringo Vinda, weren't you?"

"General," Rex broke in, raising a hand for a moment before his exhaustion brought it back down onto his lap. "I can explain. But I would appreciate it, sir, if you would hear me out to the end."

Skywalker's face was contracted, fists at his sides. Whether he was angry or just intensely worried, it was hard to say. "Alright. I'm listening."

Rex gathered himself. "The commandos didn't find the virus in Echo's implant. The implant was in conflict with another device. It was his inhibitor chip, sir."

Skywalker began shaking his head slowly, his jaw clenched.

Rex pressed on steadily. "I asked them to analyze what it was designed to do. They said it was putting him into some sort of hypnosis… something about the exposure to the virus, or the transmitter, made his chip activate. They said it was like he was on standby. We couldn't get him to respond to anything. I thought, when I called you, that maybe it was nothing to worry about after all. His behavior didn't change when he saw a Jedi, not like Tup did. And we did negotiate with the Mrlssi, and they said they would help us investigate the chip—"

"You what?!" Skywalker blurted, aghast. "Rex, the Mrlssi are our enemies! They can't be trusted! How could you risk the security of the Republic like this? If they found a way to create a biogenic weapon that would work against clone troopers—"

"It was the only way!" Rex cut him off. "I had to know the truth! I can't get what Fives said out of my head. I've tried, General, I have! This was a chance to learn more and I had to take it." Rex panted, reeling from the experience of arguing with Skywalker about such a terrible thing. Skywalker was looking at him as if he barely knew him. Rex swallowed and pushed on. "After some time, they said…well… one of them said they could manufacture a contagion that would disable the chips—"

"Rex, you didn't," Skywalker warned darkly.

"It doesn't matter now…. After you sent us that message from the chancellor—" Skywalker's eyes locked onto him with intense disbelief and Rex hurried to finish "—that was when Echo went crazy. He responded to it like it was a direct order to go and kill the Mrlssi. And he did shoot me, General, when I tried to stop him—"

"No." Skywalker's voice had the same hard-edged quality it had taken on in the face of Fives' accusations. "You listen to me. You keep trying to find evidence against the chancellor, and I won't be able to protect you anymore! I know you're not a traitor, Rex. You're just…." He blew out a breath. "You're just confused." The general paused, agitated, not looking at him. He pinched the bridge of his nose in a very General-Kenobi-like movement, and his voice softened. "Look, I know it's not easy, what you went through with Fives. And maybe Echo coming back… just brings up more of the same kinds of memories. I know it's been hard! But I need you to be honest with me, and I need you to listen to me. There is no—conspiracy—!"

Rex was sure that if he hadn't been injured, the general's violent jabs at the air with his finger would have landed right on his chest.

"General," he said softly. "I'm just… reporting what I learned during the mission…."

"I know you trusted Fives," Skywalker went on. "But you've got to accept that he was sick! He was out of his mind."

"I would, sir, if there weren't evidence like this! How can you ignore this possibility? General… you know I wouldn't keep pursuing this if I didn't think it was a real and imminent threat."

"I know. I know you think you're doing the right thing," Skywalker said dully, teeth gritted. "Normally, that would be enough. But I don't know if I can trust your judgment any more. It's too clouded by your emotions."

Rex stared back at him, shocked and with part of him crying out that it was the general whose judgment was clouded. But the rest of him flinched for a moment, wondering again if what Skywalker said was true. Skywalker was a Jedi. He had the Force to guide his instincts, to warn him of danger, to clarify his thoughts. And he was a good Jedi, a friend, an inspiring and protective leader. How could such a great Jedi's sense of the truth be so wrong?

But he couldn't dismiss what he had seen. Skywalker's discomfort only fueled his own.

"Don't let this swallow you," Skywalker said, the same pleading note in his voice as he'd had on the transit platform the night Fives had died. "You're stronger than this, Rex. And you promised me you would never turn against me."

"That's what I'm trying to prevent, General," Rex half-whispered hoarsely, finding it a struggle to breathe again, as if the sheer awful weight of his own questionable loyalty in Skywalker's eyes was blocking his throat. "If there is someone out there who wants to control the army… to turn them against the Jedi… I can't let that happen! I can't let them turn me against you. Sir, please," he struggled, unable to keep his weakened voice from shaking. "I'm only doing this… to keep the nightmares from coming true!"

Skywalker straightened slowly, looked down at him with a detachment that chilled Rex to the bone.

"Haven't we talked about self-fulfilling prophecies, Captain? Sometimes, if you try too hard to prevent the future you fear, you create it all on your own. I think it's pretty obvious that's what's happening here."

"No… General, I…."

Skywalker turned toward the door, but paused a moment. "You've been a good friend, and a good captain. It's been an honor serving with you, and I always knew I could trust you to carry out any orders I gave. You always had my back, and I don't want that to change. I need you at your best. Your real best. We have to trust each other, or no mission we serve on together will succeed. I just want you to keep that in mind." He sighed. "I won't report this. This time. But the way the war is going… I can't afford to give you many more chances either. I've probably given you too many already. You have to get past this, for everyone's sake."

Rex swallowed, gathering what strength had not been blown out of him by the general's disorienting words. "Yes, sir," he breathed in an uneven crackle, and Skywalker left the room.

…

Rex had been confined to hospitals and medical bays several times in his life, and medical droids were always crowing in disapproval at how quickly he pushed himself to get on with his duties. Truth was, Rex couldn't stand to lie around, not when he knew others were still out there fighting and dying. He was young and fit, and that youthful energy had always served him well and put him back on his feet. But this time was different.

He was off the heaviest of the painkillers, but Rex could barely summon the energy to complete the physical tests required by the droid. His left arm was weak and unsteady at the best of times, completely numb at the worst. Try as he might, he couldn't keep away the feeling that everything was hopeless, that his true purpose was a mockery of his beliefs, and that this was one mission that was well beyond his capabilities. These, compounded with the ever present pain and his physical limitations, were causing his droid nurse to treat him in a way that Rex could only describe as concerned.

Currently, it was lifting his arm from the bed and shaking its head. "Not good, CT-7567, not good at all."

Rex jerked his arm away and sighed.

"Seeing as this is the second injury to your left brachial plexus, we should be realistic about the prognosis."

"I thought you already were," Rex snapped.

"I was trying to be tactful," it said. "But I'm afraid it's appearing as though you will need complete nerve reconstruction in your shoulder if you wish to use your left arm normally again."

Rex clenched his right fist. "How long does that take?"

"The procedure itself is simple, but it takes several months of therapy to completely return to normal"

"Let me guess: you've never done this on a clone before."

The droid took a step back and seemed to think about it. "Well, I have, but none of my patients survived long enough to complete the therapy."

"Great. You're telling me this is a death sentence, then."

"If you return to infantry duty, yes. I recommend seeking a less action oriented position until you are ready for the front."

"You know that's not up to me."

The droid picked up a tray of medical instruments and said, "yes, I shall file a report to General Skywalker. I expect to proceed with the reconstruction within the next day." It then walked away to treat another patient.

That was it, then. The termination of his service under Skywalker had come whether they were ready for it or not. The general might even be relieved; it meant he didn't have to make what was clearly a difficult decision. And as for himself… Rex exhaled slowly. He could barely imagine contributing to the forces in a way that didn't include having his DC-17s firmly in hand, but maybe this was for the best. He would certainly have a better chance of surviving longer. And if he could transfer to an assignment on Coruscant, he would be in a prime position to investigate the chancellor. But he had no idea how he could procure such a position—any request he made to the general would be seen through instantly.

And Rex still hadn't talked to Echo. Or rather, it was Echo who hadn't come to talk to him. The team Appo had led with Skywalker to find the Verpine, all of them had come to see him in twos or threes: Kix and Jesse, Singer and Index and Knees, Ice and Rabbit, Afterthought and Coe. Each little group brought tidbits of news and encouraging words, expecting to see a full recovery. But no sight or mention of Echo anywhere.

Rex hadn't had the will to fight the droid about leaving the medical bay since he woke up those couple days ago. He knew he was in a Venator-class destroyer—the Hurricane, most likely—and that they were still orbiting Anaxes, as the droid and his visitors had told him that much, but Rex wasn't even sure Echo and Diode Squad were still on board. They knew too much—if they left before Rex got a chance to square things off with Echo, Rex would consider it a fatal weak point in his attempt to fight the chancellor's plot undetected.

Rex called the droid back, and when he told it his plan to walk the decks, its mechanical voice lit up with positivity. It seemed to be relieved to see him take some initiative toward exercise and socialization. After it helped Rex get dressed into his service uniform and fitted his arm into a sling, Rex left the medical bay, clenching his jaw against the almost crippling soreness in his chest.

Venator-class destroyers were big, but the area an off-duty crew member might be found was generally the lower decks only. Even if Echo and Diode Squad were gone, surely some of the crew members had noticed them at one point.

As Rex walked along the corridors of level three, he kept an eye on the Republic Navy uniforms he passed. At last he saw one that indicated lieutenant rank.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant," he said, keeping his voice strong as he stepped a bit into the officer's path. The lieutenant stopped. "I'm looking for a squad of commandos. Would you happen to know if they're still on board?"

"Ah, right. I've seen 'em around. You can double-check with the men on the flight deck. Last I heard that squad was staying on zero level, section… B-Eight? I'd have to look at the files."

"That's close enough. Thank you, sir."

It wasn't a long walk, but Rex already felt breathless by the time he'd reached the lift. He kept himself standing tall by the armored or uniformed clones who came in and out on level two, one… and then it was zero. A pretty busy deck, from the number of troops in the hallway, but as Rex walked along, the groups passing him queued up for the lift—probably headed for a briefing.

Once they'd gone, the hall was quiet. Rex leaned against the wall for a moment to catch his breath, trying not to think too hard about what the med droid had said.

"There's more than one stall in there you know," said a joking voice, and Rex looked up to see a grinning ARC trooper coming out of the refresher he'd happened to stop next to. "You don't have to wait out here."

Rex tried to laugh but it came out more as a short sigh. "I'm looking for someone, actually."

"Most of us on this deck are headed up, so unless you're looking for the commandos—"

"I am."

"Oh." The trooper gave Rex's sling an intrigued look. "Well then, try that door. Fourth one down." He pointed to the left side of the corridor.

"Thanks."

"Are you the captain who led them on Anaxes?"

Rex raised an eyebrow and stepped away toward the door. "Better hurry up the lift, or you're gonna be late."

The trooper shrugged and walked off. Rex went to the door he'd indicated, trying to shake off the shame that had been brought up by the relatively innocent question. He wondered how much any average soldier on this ship knew now about what had happened down there. Perhaps these men were being sent down to help clean up after him somehow.

Rex opened the door. The room was the basic design for a five-man squad's quarters, unadorned and with no commandos in sight. Echo was lying out of armor on one of the bunks, but he turned his head and sat up when Rex walked in.

Rex stopped a few feet away, but Echo still didn't speak or move anything except his eyes—a thorough sweep of his torso and sling, then away. There was the same troubled look on his face as during the briefing. Rex wondered how to begin.

"Well," Echo finally creaked. "I see you're… recovering…."

"I might be reassigned," Rex sighed. "Which is why I need to talk to you about what happened. Is this room secure?"

"You can lock the door." Echo gestured hesitantly toward it with one hand.

He turned to do just that. "Where's your squad?"

"They're working out how to remove the virus from naval systems once it stops transmitting…. Turns out the Verpine really was the one responsible."

"And you?"

Echo's mouth pulled tight. He shook his head at the floor, voice low and husky. "I can't connect with any systems until my malfunction is corrected. I'm sure I'll be sent back to Kamino any day now for repairs…."

"And what do you plan to tell them about this malfunction?" Rex gestured for Echo to move aside so he could sit as well. He felt like he was quaking incessantly inside even though on the surface he knew he looked more or less steady.

Echo's forehead wrinkled and he looked away again. "I haven't decided yet."

Rex sat on the edge of the bed sideways, so he could lean a little against one of the poles. "What did the squad tell you about the chip?"

"Rex," Echo began uncomfortably. "I'm… I don't think you should trust me with this."

"Why?" Rex frowned.

Echo sighed. "Any information I know could be removed and analyzed when I return to Kamino. I wish I could help you, but even if I understood what's going on… even if I had a choice, it would probably do more harm than good." His restless gaze settled on Rex's left hand. "You'd be better off choosing someone who has a mind of his own," he muttered.

"I take it they didn't tell you about the chip, then," Rex said intently. "Because if they did, you would understand that none of us are safe from what you were made to do."

Echo just shook his head. "This wouldn't have happened if I weren't… like this…."

"Like what? Like a droid?"

Echo flinched, barely.

"That's not the problem here," Rex insisted. "The fact that you're talking to me like this now proves that you're still yourself. You do have a choice, as much as any of the rest of us. But these chips take away that choice. It wasn't your implant. It wasn't you. It was him."

Echo exhaled sharply and shook his head again. "You shouldn't be telling me this. I don't…." Echo clenched his fists in his lap, his voice rasping bitterly. "I don't have any power to help you. As soon as my malfunction is repaired, it will be like none of this ever happened. I'm not going to care about any of it. You're wasting your time with me."

"What do you mean you won't care about any of it?" Rex asked, fighting down a rising desperation. "The malfunction was caused by a conflict between your implant and the chip, right? That's what your men said."

"Yes." Echo's voice was dull. "The others have had to turn off certain functions of my implant to minimize the conflict."

"Like what?"

"Well…." Echo rubbed a hand up and down one of his arms absentmindedly. "Like I said, I can't communicate with any computer networks at the moment. When I first woke up, I couldn't even see…."

Rex felt sickened at remembering just how much Echo's body was at the mercy of his implant. Echo had already suffered once through the painful process of adjusting to it, having it dictate his senses and his experience of the world. Of course he would look to it as the source of his actions on Anaxes, rather than the chip.

"But why does any of that mean you'll stop caring about this once your implant is functioning normally again? As I said, this did not happen because of some kind of flaw in you or your implant. We all have this chip, every clone! Everyone except Diode Squad. We all have the potential to be turned into mindless killing machines. What could possibly make that seem inconsequential?"

Echo didn't respond right away, and Rex tried to wait patiently, recognizing that Echo seemed extremely uncomfortable in his presence. At last Echo took a deep breath, still downcast.

"You… may have noticed, before all this happened," he began miserably, "I'm not much like the Echo you used to know. I don't even recognize myself, to be honest. The implant is designed to regulate my brain functions, including emotion. It… does make me just like a droid." Echo ran a hand over his face, grimacing. "Normally, I don't really care about anything, you know. Or anyone. All that matters is following orders, getting the job done…." He breathed a quiet, mirthless laugh. "But I don't have any pride in what I do! I don't care about my men, or the missions, or the Republic. Not like when I was human. Right now is the exception! It's just a fluke that I feel anything about this situation, and as soon as the scientist back on Kamino figures out what's wrong, I'll be back to how I was before, or worse. So, I wouldn't get your hopes up. My involvement in… whatever is going on right now, well, it's just made things worse, hasn't it?"

"No," Rex said seriously. "If this hadn't happened, I would still be trying to convince myself that…." He hesitated, but pressed on. "That there isn't a traitor in our midst. That the chips are harmless. I'd still be thinking Fives was a traitor, just like everyone said."

Echo finally did look at him then, eyes wide. "Fives?" he asked faintly. "Why… why does anyone think Fives is a traitor?" Echo's face fell before Rex could reply. "You said was. He's… dead, then. Isn't he?" Echo swallowed and put his head in his hands. "Fives…."

"I'm sorry," Rex said quietly, giving him a moment. In the silence, he thought back for a moment to when he'd first met Echo and Fives at the Rishi outpost, and that awful mission to the Citadel where they'd left Echo behind. So many good men lost in that forsaken place, and in heinous ways. But most of them were the normal sort of terrible, almost expected. Rex was glad Echo hadn't had to see Fives' end.

"What happened?" Echo said after a space of silence. He straightened to look at Rex again with a defeated expression, suddenly appearing as exhausted and hopeless as Rex felt. "Why did people call him a traitor? Was he executed? Is that why he's gone?" With each question, Echo sounded more lost.

"Well… the story now is that he wasn't really a traitor… just… crazy." Rex clenched his right fist, feeling again the awful disapproval in General Skywalker's voice. "Fives is the one who found out about the chips in the first place. His friend Tup killed one of the Jedi… General Tiplar. We were in the middle of a battle, and he just snapped and shot her."

Echo stared at him intently, eyebrows contracting.

"Nobody knew what was wrong with him, so we decided to send Tup to Kamino so the doctors there could try to fix it. Fives went with him. He must have investigated while he was there. Next thing I knew, Tup was dead, and Fives was back on Coruscant. We were being ordered to hunt him down because he tried to kill the chancellor."

"What?" Echo's voice cracked, and Rex thought he saw a flash of anger. "That's… impossible. Fives would never do something like that!"

"I know. When General Skywalker and I found him, he said he'd been framed. He said he had proof that the chips were designed to control the army, to make us kill Jedi. And that the chancellor was in on this plan. But then, before he could say anything else, Commander Fox and the city guard surrounded him, and shot him down when he tried to grab a weapon to defend himself."

"He was killed by one of us?" Echo shook his head. "Why would… do you think Commander Fox knew?"

"Maybe," Rex said grimly. "He does work closely with the chancellor. But he could have just been following orders. Fives was considered dangerous, not only as a threat to the chancellor, but because we thought he was infected with a parasite. The Kaminoans wanted us to believe it was a parasite that made Tup go insane, and we thought Fives had it too."

"I can't believe this," Echo said under his breath, slumping where he sat. He reached up to grip the edge of the upper bunk.

"Fives mentioned nightmares, just before he died," Rex said. "And a mission. I think it's the same nightmare I have… a nightmare where I'm forced to kill Jedi. Even my own general. I asked some of the other men… we all have the same dreams, and I'm convinced it's because of this chip. The chancellor's going to turn us against the Jedi, someday, and we'll be powerless to stop it unless we remove this chip from every soldier, or destroy them somehow. Maybe with some kind of contagion like the Mrlssi suggested. That's the only thing that would be fast enough and affect the entire army. Either that, or we have to find a way to help the Jedi stop him before he knows that we know."

Echo was starting to look appropriately worried, but all he said was, "If only General Skywalker hadn't called before you went ahead with the extraction…."

Rex felt a chill of guilty relief at remembering how close he'd come to killing Echo, and yet his hesitation had resulted in the deaths of their best hope to stop this madness.

"Echo," Rex said in a low, insistent voice. "We have to focus on what we can do now that the Mrlssi can't help us anymore. You could gather information on the chip from the computer systems on Kamino. You might even be able to use the medical equipment there to research how such a contagion could work. Then we have to find a scientist who's willing to create it for us."

"I don't think I'll be able to do anything," Echo protested, voice tight. He glared at the floor. "For all I know, my memory of this entire incident could end up being wiped. The best I can do is tell them the truth about why I malfunctioned, and suggest they remove the chip. I doubt they'd let me examine it. And they might find some other way to fix me, anyway, maybe even one that would integrate the two systems. I'm just an experiment. I'm sure a study like that would seem useful to the Kaminoans… if we all really do have this chip."

Rex felt sick at the thought. "We can't give up yet. I'm hoping that if they reassign me, it will be somewhere I can keep investigating this, but I can't count on that. You have to do whatever you can to stop this. Please… at least tell me you'll try if you get a chance."

"I don't want to make promises I can't keep," Echo muttered. "Isn't there someone else?"

"Who else is going to believe me? General Skywalker's too close to the chancellor. I tried to tell him the truth about what happened but he wouldn't listen."

"It's over then, isn't it?" Echo looked at Rex. "If he knows, he'll probably tell, and you'll be court-martialed."

"He said he wouldn't report it," Rex sighed. "But I can't mention it again."

Silence fell between them, and Rex gathered himself for one more attempt.

"Echo… you're still a soldier of the Republic. You're still one of us. We all swore to protect and serve to the best of our ability. Sometimes the odds are stacked against us. Sometimes, we make mistakes, and we fail… and our failure comes at the cost of many lives, civilians, brothers…." Rex took a deep breath. "But we… our duty remains. Better to face the consequences of acting in good faith, instead of standing by and wondering if there's something more we could have done after we've all been turned against each other. I don't know what more I can do, especially in this condition, but I am not going to just duck my head while everyone I care about is destroyed, and pretend I didn't have a chance to stop it! Even if that chance is a million to one, it's still a chance!"

Rex took another deep breath, shivering. Lying down was starting to seem like a good idea again.

"Fives gave up everything to uncover the truth. Now that I'm the only one who knows what's really going on, I have to try and finish what he started. But I don't think I can do it alone. I don't know who else to turn to, and now you and your squad are the only ones who can help."

Echo struggled visibly, squinting at the floor.

"If," Echo began, and stopped to clear his throat in vain. "If I can help… if I'm still myself after this… then I'll try." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm not sure it will make a difference, but…."

"I know," Rex agreed grimly. "It's a long shot."

"I'll be helpless to stop them if they decide to look deeper into any of this," Echo sighed. "You realize that."

Rex felt an awful wave of helplessness. He was asking so much of Echo, when really Echo was the one who had been left alone with no one to defend him. And Rex still couldn't help him, only lay a greater burden on his shoulders and let him fall back into the cold mercy of the Kaminoan scientists.

"I do," he said softly. "I understand the risk."

"I'll need a way to get the information to you," Echo said wearily. "I might be able to program a private long-range channel into your communicator."

"How long will that take?"

"I'm not sure…." Echo looked embarrassed. "It's not easy for me to focus right now. I'll ask the squad for help if I have to. It shouldn't be more than a few hours."

Rex took off his communicator and held it out. Echo slowly raised his head to look at Rex and lifted one hand to take it. Rex held on for a moment before letting Echo pull the comm away.

"Thank you," he said, relief and guilt and fear all roiling together in the pulsing pain of his chest.

Echo stared back at him, and Rex thought—he hoped—he saw a small awakening of purpose or understanding in Echo's face. A weak reflection of the trust Echo and Fives and the rest of Domino Squad had placed in him and Cody the moment they'd arrived at the Rishi outpost. Echo wasn't a shiny anymore; this wasn't blind confidence now. That was long gone, burned out of him. But this was something to work with, anyway.

"The odds of us succeeding are pretty bad," Echo looked at the comm in his hand. "But… this conversation was just as unlikely, I guess."

Rex managed a tiny smile at that.

"I'll stay in contact as long as I can," Echo whispered.

The ache in his lungs was starting to nauseate Rex. He stood slowly, bracing himself against the upper bunk. "I should head back to the medical bay."

"You don't look so good," Echo agreed. "But won't they ask where your communicator is?"

"You're right." Rex hesitated. "Someone might notice."

"Here." Echo went to the end of his bed and pulled open the armor chest. "Take mine. If anyone calls, I'll just answer for you. They won't know the difference, even with my voice…."

Rex took the offered comm and attached it to his useless arm. "Good thinking. Besides… I'm due for surgery in the next day. Who knows, I could be sleeping."

Echo nodded. "I'll see you in a few hours."