A/N.

Hi,

I know many of you won't like this version of Cody, and I'm sorry about that.

Sued 13

CHAPTER Seventy Five

She leaned back down, Kallie was tucked up in a nest again. Ana lay next to her daughter in a protective curl around her. She was so tired but it had been impossible to sleep, with the level of anxiety about what was happening and what she had done. She was drifting until she became aware, of footsteps coming down the corridor. Bracing herself for whatever was coming next, she took deep breaths, she was alert now.

Ana heard the new voice, instantly recognisable; she was torn, part relieved he had come for them and part scared at what the Imperial Commander was going to do with them all. She strained but could not hear the exact words of the conversation, just the mumbling of the participants. Voices were raised at one point but it still did not become any clearer.

The door opened and her breath stopped, apprehensive and relieved at the same time.

"Rex." His name came out as a whisper, as he was pushed into the room by the stormtroopers; she slipped off the bunk, as he came to her and stood, eyes darting between her and Kallie, still sleeping, oblivious, in the nest of bedclothes.

He leant over and gently moved the lock of strawberry blond hair from his daughter's face. It sprang back. He drank in the sight of his daughter

"Have they hurt her?" His voice was more hoarse than she remembered but their last conversation had been stilted. She shook her head, resisting the urge to fall on him in an embrace. He looked at their daughter again, with a sadness in his eyes, she had not seen before.

"She's Ok?" He had to confirm it.

Ana turned to watch her daughter stretch in her sleep. "They threatened her but haven't physically hurt her. But this…." she didn't know how it was going to finish and what her daughter would remember.

"You?" He gently touched the purple, blue bruise that covered the left hand side of her face.

"Only this."

"Which one?"

"I don't know, but not the Commander, or Sergeant."

"It's me they're after." Rex said simply.

"I know." Her voice hitched, as she confessed, "I gave him the comlink code." A flash of something she couldn't identify, showed on his face when she said that.

"When they threatened Kallie?" He asked; she nodded, no longer able to speak to confirm she had had to choose between her daughter and her husband.

Rex pulled her to him, it was unexpected, "You did right, Cyar'ika. You did right."

Holding her tight, he continued, "I should never have left you that night, I should have listened to you, talked it through."

"I'm sorry." She murmured into his chest.

"No more than I." He whispered and pulled her tighter, chin resting on her head.

.

The stormtrooper Commander was watching the intimate scene play out on the screens before him; this was not his brother and friend before him. It was some cruel copy of the soldier he knew. CT7576 and the woman he called 'wife'. CT 7567, a parody of his former self, an overweight, has been soldier, playing war games with the Rebellion. He would ensure she knew exactly who she was married to.

He would end this now. He jabbed the switch and called for the guard.

.

Rex could barely contain himself, his anger was threatening his self control. They had taken his family, threatened his daughter, assaulted Ana. He needed to channel this anger and use it.

He struggled against the Stormtroopers, as they dragged him through the corridor.

"Ana!" He shouted attempting to turn his head to see her and Kallie.

"We're here Rex."

"Shut it!" He heard the mechanised growl of a vocabulator.

"If you…" a plastoid covered hand hit him in the kidneys, shutting off his threat.

"Rex?"

"Shut it. I don't want to say it again."

The anger roiled in his stomach, as he was dragged into another room and pushed in front of a Commander.

"It's been a long time CT7567."

Rex wasn't sure how to treat his old friend, or if he could even call him that now. "Let them go. It's me you want."

The Commander didn't reply but faced Ana.

"How much did he tell you of his service to the Republic, or should I say treachery to the Empire."

Ana glanced at Rex, his face was blank.

"He escaped while hundreds of his brothers, yes brothers, died after he committed treason with the traitorous Jedi, Tano."

Ana watched; she couldn't work out if he was actually enjoying baiting Rex.

"He had his chip removed by the Jedi, Tano."

The commander paused to let her understand.

"And then he fought and killed his brothers."

He wanted to make sure she understood

"Has he told you that?"

She didn't answer.

"He wasn't some brave soldier who removed his chip, like he told Jarrus; that he chose not to kill his Jedi. Oh no, it was forcibly removed from him, by Tano and then they both turned on his brothers, hundreds of them and escaped."

How did he know that about Kanan?

Ana finally replied; her voice, a whisper, "I know. He explained everything to me. The chips. I understand…..It makes no difference to me."

She was lying, except for the last part.

"Take her away; leave the child."

"No!" Screamed Ana; Rex moved, to try to help but was pulled back by two of the Stormtroopers, as the other dragged her away. He watched helpless, as his daughter was held by a one of the troopers.

He had never been totally helpless in his life before.

"Cody, she's my daughter, …..my daughter. Something none of us ever thought we would ever have."

"Exactly. But Captain Rex has."

"It wasn't planned like that; Ana and I met late ….and Kallie was an unexpected miracle. Me and you, we shouldn't be alive, but we are."

"A child born of treachery."

Rex stopped struggling; he could do this.

Cody nodded for him to be released.

"Born of love."

"Hah! We weren't born to love, Rex. We were born to fight and die, for the Republic and the Empire."

"So did you feel righteous, when you killed your General?" His eyes flicked over to check on his daughter then back to Cody.

He saw a flicker of movement in his eyes.

"They were all traitors; all of them. Not just the ones who went after the Emperor. There would have been more to finish him off, when they failed. So they all had to die."

"Some were no longer Jedi."

"You were too attached to Tano. The Jedi had one thing right, attachment or love, whatever you like to call it, causes problems for soldiers like us. No attachment, no problems. If you had not married and had a child you would not be here now."

Rex shook his head.

"We were bred to fight for them as slaves, with no rights, no choice. Slick had the right idea but the wrong actions. We knew that even then."

Rex waited for a response, nothing.

"Fek! We were part of a bigger plan just for some power addled Sith to gain more; some thousand year feud between force users."

There was no response.

"You know what Bacara said."

Rex shook his head.

"I quote, 'The last thing I expected was a Jedi coup. Did I feel betrayed? You bet I did. I thought of all my men who'd died under Ki-Adi-Mundi's command, and if I'd known then that he and his buddies were gearing up to do the Separatists' work for them and overthrow the government, I'd have shot him as a traitor a lot earlier. He betrayed the trust of every one of us."1

"Bacara was a cold fish."

"I think that applied to a lot of us Rex. I know when you killed separatists, you showed no mercy. The orders were always there; right from the beginning. The chips were just an insurance policy."

Rex planted his hands on the desk and leaned across.

"You said I was insane, when I launched a grievance about Fives death; that I would be reconditioned. Why would you need to recondition a soldier who simply makes a complaint using the proper channels? Why would you kill a soldier for doing that? Because that's what it was, a death sentence."

"Always back to Fives."

Rex glanced back, seeing the two troopers come forward, until Cody shook his head.

"Even these sorry excuses for troopers have more choice and rights than we had."

Cody did not reply. Rex returned to his standing position; there was no convincing him. He checked on Kallie; the Stormtrooper was moving backwards and forwards on his heels, rocking her.

"He only wants you." Cody drew him back.

"Who?"

"Vader."

"Why me?"

"You would have to ask him that. I only follow orders."

"Who or what is he, this Red Blade?"

"The Emperors's right hand man."

"I know that but he had to be somebody, come from somewhere; who, where?"

The Commander had his own ideas on that but he wasn't going to voice them; he probably wouldn't live long enough to get back to Kamino if he did.

At that time, when everyone in the room, had forgotten about her, his daughter made her feelings known; she was hungry. Rex immediately went to pick her up but was pulled back.

"She needs feeding."

"Ever the thoughtful father." Cody nodded to the Trooper again.

"We need something from her first. This is the first hybrid we've found."

One of the troopers, quickly jabbed into her arm and pulled some blood. The scream from her was heart wrenching and he could have killed the Stormtrooper just for that.

Another nod from Cody and the door opened to a frantic Ana, who had heard her daughter scream. She quickly cradled her in her arms soothing her as they were pushed back into the other room.

.

"Was all that true?" Asked Ana, as she finished feeding Kallie, who was dozing now. She laid her down.

Rex looked away, his eyes closed. He nodded.

"You must hate me; all my talk about loyalty, brotherhood…...hypocrite."

Ana twisted his face back towards her.

"No, you're a soldier, a good one. One who, when he found out the truth, made the best choice he could. There was no 'good choice' to make."

Ana watched him; all she said made no impression.

"I still love you Rex, I always will."

There was silence in that cold, damp, industrial room, until Rex spoke again.

"In Mandoa, there's a saying. Cin Vhetin. It means white field, virgin snow. Usually when someone actually becomes a Mandalorian. You make a fresh start. Clean slate. Ana can we have a fresh start?"

"Of course." The reply was immediate, no thought required.

"We may have to wait a while."

Ana frowned. "Why?"

"There's only one way out of this. It's me they want."

Her eyes closed and she started to say No… but Rex's finger was at her lips.

"It's the only way."

.

She hadn't been privy to the conversation with Cody but it led to her and Kallie being released. Gregor and Jom picked them up from an empty industrial complex, on an abandoned planetoid, courtesy of a com message from Rex.

There was silence on the ship, apart from the hum of the hyperdrive; Ana was hugging Kallie like it would be the last time, taking solace in her daughter. Dried tears stained her cheeks.

"You'll be back home soon." Commented Jom, feeling it was necessary to break the silence.

"It won't ever be home again until Rex is back with us." Ana was adamant about that. At least she didn't say 'how could he?' Again, thought Jom. They would have stood no chance. He may be old like the other clones but Cody was a master strategist; you didn't get to be a Clone Marshall Commander without having some impressive additional attributes. And he was still around, surviving the Empire.

Gregor was uncharacteristically silent; then he addressed Jom. "When we get to Seelos, I need to get to the walker, ASAP, Ner Vod."

"Why?" This was not part of their plan.

"I'll be going back to hunt some specific Stormies."

Ana's head whipped around, "Rex said…"

"I know what he said but this is my decision, my type of work, I was bred for these missions. I just need my equipment." He paused."and a ship."

Jom looked at the older clone and opened his mouth to say something but decided against it, comming Wolfe instead, to warn him. The journey continued in silence, with Gregor staring at the bulkhead, minute movements of his head giving away the fact that he was planning his mission.

Jom looked straight ahead at the hyperspace patterns.

Ana held Kallie tightly.

.

"TK6521!"

The older trooper came to attention.

"I think it's time for a transfer. I've noted that you have become sloppy of late. Getting old."

"We all are Sir."

"Report to Wobani Labour Camp."

"Sir?" There had been a time when he would have called him Cody, Brother.

"You heard me. The transfer's gone through. You can travel with the prisoner."

"Yes Sir." The salute wasn't as crisp, as it should have been and in the past he would have argued but recently….

Cody saluted back and the Trooper headed to the door and stopped when he heard the Commander speak again.

"It's been an honour Boil."

"Likewise, Sir."

.

1 Star Wars Republic Commando: Order 66. Karen Traviss