Chapter 11
Finality
Rex dropped into a combative stance, his pistols moving from their holsters to his hands in one quick motion. He just waited, pressed up against the wall, until Anakin gave him the go ahead. The two could hear the distinct voices of Dooku's battle droids from the control room of Elom's base. So far, it had been completely deserted, so hearing the droids, who most likely slaughtered all his clone brothers, nearly sent Rex over the edge.
"They don't have feelings," he thought bitterly. "Kriffing clankers can't feel a thing."
Skywalker waved at him, and it was all Rex could do not to scream in rage as he leapt out from his hiding place, blasters firing, gunning down the startled droids easily. In less than a second, Skywalker had leapt over Rex's head and was slicing through droids in fluid, smooth movements.
"Huh. Wish I could jump like that."
The droids were all down after a few minutes, and Anakin logged into a computer console nearby. "Alright, then," he muttered. "Time to figure out what happened here. Rex, watch the door."
"Yes, Sir!" the clone captain replied wholeheartedly. He was disinterested in what his general was doing. Most likely it was video feed of what had caused the disappearances of the clones. Glancing back, Rex saw that that was the truth, and averted his eyes quickly. He didn't want to see all the ways the droids murdered his brethren. Unlike Skywalker, Rex wasn't curious. He'd just accept that the droids killed them and leave it at that.
"Rex, come here." Anakin was motioning to him.
"Sir, with all due respect, I've seen enough death."
"That's just it. There's no death. Look at this." He stepped aside to let Rex through to the screen, and Rex saw several white-clad clone troopers, DC-15 rifles in hand.
"The Seps will be on us soon. We need to get out of here," one said.
"No! We stay and fight!" another argued.
"This facility isn't a fortress, Powerhouse," the first clone said. "We don't know how many droids are going to be coming, not with the storm knocking out our sensors like this. I've already wiped the databanks, it's safe to leave now. But five clones can't take on an army."
"You'd be surprised," Powerhouse growled. "Remember that I came from the front lines."
"Remember that this isn't the front lines. And that we have two recruits coming here straight from Kamino who've never been in a war zone before."
Powerhouse glanced at two clones, who were watching the confrontation intently, for a second. "Alright, Sting, you win. We leave now."
Powerhouse and Sting started down the hall, followed by the other three clones. Before they were completely out of sight, however, Sting turned. "Niner! Crash! Deal with that security camera!"
The two clones who'd been marked as new recruits pivoted, argued for a moment on the best way to get the job done, before one raised his rifle and shot it, ending the feed. The screen went static.
Rex raised an eyebrow. "So they aren't dead, but where are they?"
Anakin smiled. "That's what we find out." He turned and started for the facility's exit.
Rex groaned inwardly. "This mission just keeps getting better."
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Ahsoka opened her eyes with a yawn. For a moment, she was surprised and embarrassed to be huddled up in Carter's arms before she remembered what had happened the previous day. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyelids again, pressing her cheek to his chest.
He grinned down at her. "About time you woke up. I was getting tired of watching you."
"You were just watching me sleep?" she asked.
"Well, I didn't want to wake you up. Besides, you're so calm when you're sleeping. And quieter." He gave her a joking smile.
She huffed, sitting up and feigning anger. "You think I'm too loud?"
"I didn't say that."
"But you meant it."
He grinned, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her into his lap. "I'm sorry," he said gently with the slightest touch of his lips to her cheek.
She sighed, exasperated, as she craned her neck to talk to him face-to-face. "I can't even pretend to be mad, you're just too… too…"
"Too awesome? Yeah, I know I am."
She pushed him playfully. "Conceited is more like it."
"I can live with that," he said with a shrug. He pressed his lips to hers tenderly for a fleeting second. "Besides, I do have a good life… right now."
"Right now?" she repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He smiled and kissed her again, a bit deeper, longer, more passionately than before. "Because you're here with me and that's all. And I don't have to worry about that dumb Code."
"That dumb Code has kept the galaxy running for thousands of years, Carter."
"Yeah? Well look how the galaxy is running now, 'Soka. War?"
"Started by a man who didn't follow the Code," she said. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do, but the Jedi Code is the Jedi Code, and two Padawans aren't gonna be able to do anything to change it."
His arms tightened around her waist. "I know," he mumbled with a sad smile.
She brushed a strand of hair from his eye before cupping his cheek in her palm. "We aren't gonna be able to keep this up, are we? I mean, after Elom, it's all gotta be over."
He nodded. "All of it. I… I'll miss you."
"Relax, we'll still have missions together."
"I don't think so. Ahsoka, I can't even stand being around you. Your presence is… it's intoxicating. My feelings take over, I don't think straight."
"Are you saying that… that you…" she couldn't finish her sentence. Her throat closed up and hot tears sprang to her eyes as she began to comprehend what Carter meant. He couldn't see her anymore.
"Shh…" Carter soothed, rubbing her back.
"Don't! You said you wouldn't let go!" she sobbed. "You-"
He cut her off by crushing his mouth to hers. Instantly, she went limp in his arms, just barely getting her hands around his neck. He kissed hungrily, as if to prove his point that this would be their last mission together, as if he wanted something to really remember her by before he left her.
Carter pulled back, spent by his exertion in shutting her up. "Look, we both swore to protect the galaxy, and what good will we be if we turn our backs on that promise for personal feelings?"
She nodded. "I… I understand. It's just…"
"I know. But we still have these last moments together." He was about to lower his lips to hers again when the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the cave.
"Skyguy and Rex," Ahsoka groaned.
Carter rolled his eyes and lightly pushed her off of him. She wiped the tears from her eyes hastily. The sounds of the boots on ice got closer and closer, and he gave her a concerned look. "What if it's not them?"
Ahsoka's eyes widened. She almost instantly leapt up and had her lightsaber in hand. Carter's was also out, though all he could really do with it was deflect blaster fire from where he was sitting. "I'll be right back," she said to him, and began to walk toward the sound, her footsteps nearly completely silent.
A startled yell escaped her lips when two armored clones walked around the corner. Activating her lightsaber and holding it to their throats, she put on the best threatening voice she could. "Helmets off." She didn't know if these were Separatist decoys.
"Yes, Ma'am," they replied in the same voice she'd heard from Rex, Matchstick, Cody, and nearly any other active soldier she'd spent time with. There was really no need for them to take off their helmets once she'd heard their voices, but it was done, and she was looking at two identical faces. Like most clones, they'd done some personalization when it came to their hair. The first one was clean shaven, with his brown hair neatly spiked in every which way, held in place by gel. The second's hair was buzzed, though he sported a full goatee, which seemed as if it was taken care of daily.
"Just making sure," she said with a smile. "What are your names?"
"I'm Theta C-276. Crash, Ma'am," Spiky-hair said.
"Theta C-999," said Goatee. "They call me Niner."
"I'm Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Padawan. Back there is Carter Draik, also a Padawan, but he's pretty badly injured. We were sent to investigate the communications disruption."
"It's the Seps, Ma'am," Niner said. "There were only five of us on duty at the base, so we high-tailed it. Not my idea, Ma'am."
"You ran?" Ahsoka asked.
"It was our commanding officer's orders, Ma'am," Crash said. "It was five against we didn't know how many, so we wiped the memory systems and took all important data with us on a pad, and then we ran. I would have rather fought, but orders are orders."
"Powerhouse didn't recognize that," Niner said. "But he was… um… lost, so I guess we shouldn't talk about him like that."
"Well, Vice was lost too, but he followed command," Crash replied.
"Just forget it. Past is past."
Ahsoka frowned. "Who is your commanding officer, did he make it?"
"Well, I could go get him if you want, he's the one you'll wanna talk to," Niner told her.
"I'd appreciate it," she said with a smile. "I would go, but Carter's in no position to move."
Niner nodded and walked away. "I'll be back," he called.
Ahsoka led Crash to the temporary camp she and R2 had set up. "Carter, this is Crash."
"Hi," Carter said casually. "Hey, Ahsoka, could you turn R2 on, we'll need him to boost the transmission signal if we want to tell Master Skywalker you found one of the Clones."
She smiled at him. "More than one," was all she said as she bent down to activate the little Astromech.
Crash just rocked back and forth on his heels impatiently, whistling slightly to himself.
"Hey, what General you under?" Carter asked him with a smile.
"Oh, I'm a new recruit. So is my partner, Niner. So we don't really have a certain General quite yet."
"Maybe I could talk to Greer, see if I can get you in under my Master, Kento Marek."
"General Marek?" Crash asked, his eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "His courage at the battle of Rodia is legendary."
Carter grinned. "That's my Master! What about his apprentice?"
"Um, sorry, I'm going to have to say no to that one. Never heard of you."
"I took out Separatist communications… on his orders of course, but still."
Crash smiled. "Cool. I'd love to serve under you."
"Link's set up," Ahsoka said. "Cut the chatter."
"Yes, Ma'am," Crash said.
Within a few moments, the holographic forms of Anakin and Rex appeared from R2's projection emitter. "Master, found the clones for you," she said.
At the same time, Rex said, "The clones aren't at the base, are they somewhere in those ice caves?" Then, hearing Ahsoka's words, he laughed a bit.
"Don't move," Anakin said. "We're on our way."
"Don't move?" Carter repeated. "Darn."
"Very funny," Anakin replied, smiling. The link was cut, and Ahsoka turned to Crash.
"Maybe you should go check on your buddy," she said.
He nodded. "Good idea, Ma'am." He stood and walked around the corner where they'd first met.
As soon as he was out of sight and earshot, Ahsoka knelt down next to Carter. "This is it?" she asked.
"Not quite," he said, and he locked his arms around her neck and pulled her in for a final kiss.