Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to Disney and is the intellectual property of George Lucas; he created the sandbox. I'm making no money off of this and am simply destroying the sandcastles.

SPOILER ALERT! THIS VIGNETTE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 7, EPISODE 09 OF TCW.

Title: Commander Squared

Author: Jade_Max

Characters: Commander Rex, Ahsoka Tano

Genre: Missing Moment Vignette

Era: The Clone Wars

Summary: Season 7, Episode 09

Author's note: This is the series of Vignettes I never expected to write, because I never expected we'd get an official return on the show... yet here it is! I'm so psyched about this arc that it's not even funny. Let the plot bunnies breed – there will be more than one of these!

Commander Squared

Examining the strategy map he had laid out before him in the officer's mess as they transitioned through hyperspace, Rex chewed on one of the tasteless nutrient cubes that passed for field rations, referencing and cross referencing the battle plan that he'd been given by Bo Katan with the known data for Mandalore. A warrior through and through, Bo Katan had presented him with a detailed schematic and he'd even he had been impressed by the boldness. It was reckless, though, even for someone who had served beside, and learned war from, General Anakin Skywalker. Making notes on a separate datapad, he sipped his caf absently as he made revisions and areas for suggestion and improvement.

"Commander Rex, huh? It has a nice ring to it."

Rex glanced up, the smile that crossed his lips unbidden, but brief, before his stoic mask slipped back into place; he hadn't heard the door. "Commander."

"Ahsoka." With a shake of her head, Ahsoka crossed the room towards him. "I thought I'd find you here." She paused, dropping into the chair across from him as her gaze focused on the battle map. Leaning on the table, she looked back at him and cocked her head. "What do you think?"

"Bo Katan is a good strategist," he conceded, taking the last bite of his meal and pushing the tray to the side.

"But?"

His lips twisted in a faint smile; she could still read him. "This is not a sustainable plan, Commander."

"Ahsoka, Rex; please." Her eyes lifted from the map to meet his. "There's no one else here."

He didn't bother to look around; he knew they were. He'd just never had a friend outside the GAR and having her return, but not in an official capacity, left him foundering for what to say and do. It had been over a year since they'd been in the same room; she was still Ahsoka... just different. Without addressing her request, he jumped straight back to what was he was comfortable with. "Bo Katan's plan is ambitious." Using his utensils to outline the plans for the so called siege, he pointed to the various sections as he spoke. "By bringing the invasion force in here, here and here, what it lacks in surprise we make up for in speed. If we're quick, and capture the port immediately, we can cut off most outgoing traffic. If the militia is as disorganized as she says, it will still be a running fight."

"When is it not?"

He shot her a look but continued. "Mandalorians are a warrior people; even if the militia is disorganized, there will be resistance. Trained resistance. We might have the forces to lock down the city, but it will be a short siege. If we don't capture Maul within the first few hours-"

"-it will be a blood bath," Ahsoka finished for him, nodding. "I've told her as much. She's pretty certain we can accomplish our goals fairly quickly."

"Confidence is good. Overconfidence will get men killed."

"And luck will ensure we depose the puppet ruler Almec and Maul at the same time."

Rex chuckled, shutting down the holo as he reached for his glass. "I'm not about to put the lives of our men in the hands of just luck."

Our men.

The words hung between them for a long moment and Rex felt an affinity, a connection, with her that he hadn't felt in a long time. He left everything hanging between them as he rose to his feet to get more caf and dispose of his tray. He could feel her gaze on him as he refilled his glass and collected a second. He was retaking his seat and sliding the other glass across to her before she spoke again, her words soft.

"Our men, huh?" He simply held her gaze, arching an eyebrow, daring her to dispute him. He'd said it because it was right; formally a part of the GAR or not, Ahsoka would always be their Commander and the Torrent Company would always be her men. "It's been a long time."

"Not that long."

"No... I guess not." Her gaze darted away from his before coming back. "I've missed this... missed you, Rex."

"Me too." His agreement was short, but Rex wasn't about to dwell on the fact that a pressurized band around his chest had loosened the moment his General had informed him Ahsoka had made contact; that she would be on board ship and they would, potentially, be working together again. He and his men had been as eager to see her as newly batched clones were for their final test. More so. To a man, they had been eager to honor her. "Things haven't been the same without you."

"So much has happened. I... don't know where to start."

"At the beginning?"

Her laughter was surprised, "You make it sound so easy."

"It's the logical start for any tale."

"True."

And, to his delight, she obliged him.

Time lost all meaning as he was caught up on where she'd been since she'd left the order and effectively walked out of his life. She'd had an adventure or two and he shared in her triumphs and failures. Rex returned the courtesy, and they laughed together over Anakin's antics regarding his not-so-secret transmissions with Senator Amidala. Ahsoka reached for him when he'd shared the story of Five's death, grasping his hand and not letting go. That transitioned into tales of each of the men he'd lost in the time she'd left, sharing his memory of their lives with her in a rough voice. Saving the best for last, he told her about Echo's rescue and was rewarded with a brilliant smile that only dimmed a touch when he had to tell her Echo was with a new squad and couldn't see her.

"Maybe our paths will cross," Ahsoka offered with a smile. "You never can know where an unorthodox group of clones is going to be seen."

Rex chuckled.

"And now you're a Commander."

"I didn't ask for it."

"You never do, Rex."

"It's just a rank."

"One that you've more than earned, though." She exhaled on a long breath. "It's so good to see you, Rex."

"It is."

"Oh! I have something for you."

Surprised, he arched both eyebrows at her as she slipped away from the table, disappearing out the door. She was back within moments, a bag in hand.

Placing it on the table, she smiled as she pushed it towards him. "Here."

He made no move to touch it.

"If you're about to quote me some regulation about accepting gifts, need I remind you I'm here as an adviser and I'm not official GAR anymore?" There was a teasing smugness in her words that made him chuckle again. "Just open it."

"Official or not, you'll always be one of us, Ahsoka."

She touched one of her gauntlets and reached under the edge, extracting a familiar pendant and flashing it his way. Tucking it back out of sight, she offered him a smile. "Tokens aside, I'll never forget it, Rex."

He nodded, reaching for the bag, and undid the top. Grasping the bottom of the bag, he hesitated. "Is it breakable?"

"Like I would give you something breakable?"

Upending the sack, he dumped the contents on the table top. The bag dropped to the side unheeded as he stared at the weapon's belt and pair of blasters lying before him. Blasters. His old blasters; the ones he'd given her on the day she'd walked away from the Jedi order; the day she'd walked away from everything.

Reaching out one hand, he traced the familiar lines of the blasters, the scoring of many a battle still visible on their casings. He'd modified his reissued blasters, but these... these had seen him through battles at her side. These were their history and it was somehow fitting they'd come back to him, just as she had.

"I figure, since I have my sabers back, it's only fair I give these back to you."

"You weren't wearing them."

"I did at the start," she admitted, "but they drew a lot of attention. Attention I didn't need. I thought about selling one of them, like you told me to, but I couldn't part with them. Not even one."

"I'm glad you didn't."

"When did you give Anakin my lightsabers, Rex?"

Lifting his gaze from the blasters, he met her gaze. "Just before we found Echo. Anakin was restless. He needed a project."

"So you gave him my lightsabers?"

At least she seemed amused. "He needed a reminder. We both did."

"A reminder of what?"

"When you gave me your lightsabers, you told me to do what I wanted with them." After every loss he and the General had been through, all the friends who had been killed one after another, he'd agonized over the decision. Having a part of her had been a comfort he'd needed; it had bolstered his strength to continue pushing forward. "Giving them to the General... it just made sense."

"What do you mean?"

Rex wasn't sure how to explain it, but tried anyway, rising to his feet to go refill his caf as he did and taking her empty cup with him. He considered his answer as he did, the movements absent minded as the wheels in his head turned. He didn't even try to answer her until he was back at the table and placing her caf in front of her. And even then, he hesitated. What made sense in his head didn't always make sense when he spoke with her. Still, she'd never judged him for his thoughts and opinions, thoughts and opinions he could now freely share, he realized somewhat belatedly, without worrying about breaking a fraternization regulation.

"Thanks."

He nodded once, wrapping both hands around his glass and staring at the liquid, still trying to find the words to answer her question.

"Rex?"

"I don't know if I can explain."

"Try. Please?"

Taking a sip of his caf, he braced himself and just went for it. What the hell; it wouldn't be the first time he'd given her an explanation without completely thinking it through first. "After you left, we tried to continue as we had been. It... wasn't the same."

"How could it be?"

"Exactly." He nodded, warming to the subject as her tried to organize his thoughts. "Something was missing. You were missing. We all felt it. We all knew it. The General would turn during battle, calling for you to take the flank, or guard a retreat. We both would."

"You've lost soldiers before, Rex."

"This was different." How to explain it? With a shake of his head, Rex decided for bluntness. "You didn't die. You left."

Ahsoka flinched.

"That's not criticism," he hastily assured her, struggling to find the right words. "I know why you did, Ahsoka. I understand what you chose to do. I didn't like it; I still don't. That doesn't mean I don't respect your decision."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to hear it."

"You asked why I gave your lightsabers to Anakin." Rex reminded her, bringing them back to the subject at hand. "When you left, it was like there was nothing of you left. Nothing for him to hold on to. I had that something."

"I imagine that was an awkward conversation."

Rex reached out to run his fingers over the familiar feel of the blaster's barrel, greeting his old blasters by touch and drawing strength and comfort from it. His conversation with the General had been uncomfortable and awkward but, ultimately rewarding. "Yes."

"Obviously he kept them."

"And modified them," Rex offered her a faint smile. "Not that they needed it."

"Any idea what he did to them?"

"Don't you trust him?"

"Anakin might be brash and impulsive, but he's the best Jedi I know, Rex."

"At the rate he's lost lightsabers..."

"On the bright side, he knows how to build new ones really well." They shared a laugh at Anakin's expense. "Whatever he did to them, it can only be good."

Rex agreed with her assessment. "They'll serve you well; if you're still up to wielding them."

"I might have been out of the game, but I haven't forgotten everything I learned."

Cocking an eyebrow at her in challenge, Rex pushed to his feet. "Care to prove it, Commander?"

"Happily, Commander." Ahsoka sassed him with a grin as she eagerly got to her feet. "I've been waiting for the day I could say that. Come on; I've picked up a trick or two since you and I were last on the mat."

"Challenge accepted."

"Oh Rex," she laughed, heading for the door, "I'm going to enjoy wiping the mat with you."

"And I," his bravado was teasing, "am going to enjoy having you try."

For however long she chose to remain, for however long they were together and whatever the future would bring, Rex was going to take advantage of having her back at his side. Sparring was a good place to start.

fin