Chapter 40 - Malfunction

"We'll be waiting for you here, sir."

His hand already resting on the door to his master's office, Vader paused briefly. He turned a little and let his cold gaze wander over the soldier, the head of the 501st, which had helped him to clean the temple. The trooper immediately straightened and tensed as his eyes pierced through the blue and white armor. Even though the helmet didn't let him see the clone's face, he knew that those brown eyes were wide open now, darting nervously from left to right. The man was afraid of him, Vader could almost smell it. How pathetic. CT-7567. There was something strange about this clone. The man had hesitated when they had killed the traitors in the temple. There had only been a pause of a few seconds before he finally pulled the trigger, but something like that didn't escape Vader. The soldiers had orders to follow. That was what they were made for.

He let his hand slip from the door and faced the soldier fully. "You hesitated, Trooper," he growled, stepping closer to the clone. The man flinched and backed away until his armor hit the wall behind him. The clack echoed through the silent hallway. "Sir, I'm sorry-" the soldier raised his hands, sensing what was coming toward him, "They were children, sir."

Vader raised his hand and the clone lifted off the floor, desperately clawing at his neck. "Now you listen to me, clone," with a twitch of his finger he let the soldier's head bend in his direction, "Child or not. They're traitors. If I see you hesitate on one of my orders again... I'll kill you myself. Is that clear, soldier?"

With just a wave of his hand, the man would be dead at his feet. The Force literally screamed it at him. Do it. Do it. A flick of a wrist, the tightening of a muscle. How quickly a life could be over. Unfortunately, they needed the clones for the expansion of the empire. Even something pathetic like this worm.

He sent the clone crashing to the ground. Still kneeling and desperately gasping for breath, the man managed a nod.

"Stand up and speak as you've been taught," Vader roared, his hands clenched into fists. He would not tolerate such behavior.

The threat seemed to awaken unimagined strength in the soldier, as he got to his feet a bit awkwardly, but still took his position immediately. Back straight, hand at his temple. "Yes, Lord Vader. It will never happen again."

Vader grinned with amusement. "Good. Never forget your place, soldier."

With that, he turned away from the still trembling clone and stepped into his master's office.

He bowed slightly and stood in front of the desk; hands folded behind his back. "You asked for me, my Master?"

Sidious sat with his back to him, legs slightly crossed, watching the remains of the temple in the window. Their troops were still searching the rubble for survivors and valuable items.

Hand on his chin and not turning around, his master began to speak. "I think you heard about Kenobi's escape."

Vader's mouth twisted into a grimace. Of course, he had heard. He had killed the few surviving guards himself for their failure. Once more the Jedi would not escape him, he would finish the job himself.

"Of course," he spoke with little hidden anger, "our intel told us the man had help. A former Jedi. Quinlan Vos."

His master rose quietly from his chair and stepped in front of the desk as well. His golden-yellow eyes sparkled as he put his hand to Vader's cheek. "The time for your revenge will come, my boy," the hand disappeared again, leaving an uncomfortable coldness behind, "I have heard that some of the traitors have entrenched themselves in the tunnel systems beneath the Temple. Mostly younglings and padawans, but apparently also the master healer Che and Master Windu."

"Do you want us to destroy them?" he asked, watching as Sidious slowly paced the room, his shoes clacking on the floor.

"We lack information," his master grumbled, shaking his head, "These tunnels are old, there are no plans of their exact locations. Our only lead is Vos; if we can get him, we can get access to the tunnels. And I'm sure he knows where Kenobi is."

Sidious stopped and looked at him piercingly. "I want you to find him, my apprentice. Bring him to me, but we need him alive. If you can do that, I will reward you."

"Consider it done, Master," Vader bowed, a wicked smile on his face.

Time to hunt a Jedi.

The headaches got worse. Something was ripping his head apart. CT-7567 pressed his hands against his helmet, trying to block out the pain. His men watched him with blank stares behind their visors. It was driving him crazy. His ears were buzzing, his throat hurting from being choked. Skywalker, Gener- Lord Vader.

A sharp pain shot through his head again and Rex had to brace himself against the wall.

Good soldiers follow ord- You killed children. Turned against the people you fought endless battles with. Kenobi, Tano, Skywalk-

CT-7567 felt like he was going to be sick. What was happening to him? The other soldiers in his unit were still staring. Like ghosts. Empty shells. Statues.

Next to him, the door suddenly slammed open and -Rex's General- Lord Vader rushed out, his black cape billowing behind him. "Move it, men," he barked, "I want you to form groups, search the lower levels. Our target is the ex-Jedi Quinlan Vos. Fire on contact, but do not kill him. We need him alive."

Almost mechanical, the men snapped to attention and scrambled after the man. Rex CT-7567 lagged behind, the droning inside his head becoming worse every second.

This is all wrong.

As they stormed out of the Senate building, he could barely stay on his feet. Hoping they would not notice his absence, he moved away from the rest of the group and slipped into a side alley. He could see nothing. Resting his hand against a wall, the clone sank to the ground and tore his helmet from his head. The impact sounded as if a cannon had just been fired next to his ears. Too loud. It was too much. Something warm began to run over his lips. A trembling hand reached up and came back bloody. His nose was bleeding. CT-7567 felt sick. Gasping for breath, he threw up in the corner where he knelt. The buzzing in his head got worse and before he knew it his temple made contact with the hard concrete floor, knocking him out like a light.

Rex woke up panting. His head seemed to be stuck to something. As he carefully propped himself up on his arms, the ground beneath his body began to sway again. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to fight the nausea. When he opened them, he noticed that he had apparently been lying in his own blood. Rubbing a hand through his face, he noticed that his nose had bled. Scraping dried clots of blood from his chin, he tried to remember. Had he had too much to drink with his brothers? That would at least explain the severe headache. But actually, he wouldn't wake up bleeding in some alley after that. Something was wrong. He leaned against the wall at his back and let his eyes wander. He was wearing his armor. His helmet lay next to him on the floor.

His circulation still threatening to collapse again, he shakily got to his feet. He blew out a breath and leaned briefly against the wall before trusting his balance again. Awkwardly, he bent down for his helmet and held it in front of his face. Nothing out of the ordinary. White helmet with the blue markings of the 501st.

Rex focused on his surroundings again. It was late afternoon. The Senate building was nearby. Turning his head to the other side, he was met with a picture that would burn itself inside his mind forever.

The Jedi Temple was nothing but a charred pile of rubble. Rex remembered now. Heard the screams of the children again as he and his men shot them down. Under command of General Skywalker - no, Lord Vader. The captain felt sick again and now got rid of the last remnants in his stomach.

The blood of innocents was on his hands. His vision blurred as tears gathered in his eyes. Rex did not understand. How could this happen? What had turned him into such a monster? He had created Vader. Had shot down his own general. Had played into the Chancellor's hands. The man had done something to them, something that turned them into mindless puppets.

The headache grew sharper the longer Rex thought about it.

He had to help the remaining Jedi. The ex-Jedi Quinlan Vos. Rex had to find him before the others did. It was his only chance. Determined, he slid the helmet onto his head and sprinted toward the transport lines to the lower levels.

People dodged him as he sped past. Even though he couldn't see their looks, he knew they were filled with disgust and aversion. One knew what they had done. No one dared to openly contradict the empire; many followed the chancellor. But the few who stood for democracy and for whom the Jedi had been protectors; their eyes now bored into the back of Rex's head.

He was glad for the protection his helmet offered him. It made him anonymous. One of many. Most Jedi saw him and his brothers as individuals. But now he was glad to be just a clone in the crowd. To the people, they were all the same. They had been the fighters of the Republic; now they were the tools of the Empire. To the chancellor, they were replaceable - no more than a pair of hands that knew how to hold and fire a gun. Skywalker - no, Vader, the man was not his general - had tried to kill him. Just like that. Because Rex hadn't functioned as he'd wanted. His throat felt swollen and it hurt to breathe. It wouldn't have taken much more and his windpipe would have simply been crushed.

But he couldn't stop now. If his absence had already been discovered, he was a dead man anyway. But maybe he could still save his brothers. And the Jedi to whom he had once pledged his life.

He had almost reached the lower levels. But how did you find a Jedi who didn't want to be found? Rex didn't know Vos, and the name had never come up in the other units either. Ex-Jedi. Had the man left the Order before the war? Rex snorted as he continued to weave through the streets. Probably, in retrospect, that had been the smartest decision. No war. No obligation as a general.

He came to a skidding halt when he suddenly heard the voices of his brothers down the street. Jesse and Hardcase. "Blast," Rex muttered, wondering what to do. Had he already been reported? It was too dangerous to face them openly. He didn't want this to turn into a fight as long as it remained avoidable. As quietly as possible, he crept closer and tried to heighten his sensor so he could eavesdrop on their conversation.

"…haven't found a trace yet."

"Lord Vader is furious. We cannot fail."

Their voices sounded so unnatural. So empty. They might be all the same, but everyone of them was special in their own way. Every trooper had their own skills and quirks. But what Rex was hearing now was nothing of the sort. Even the clankers of the separatists showed more character.

Why was he himself no longer under this control? Questions upon questions. And no answers.

".. heard that they're checking some kind of warehouse right now. Lord Vader apparently had one of his feelings."

"Should we join them?"

Rex watched as Hardcase shook his head. "No, we're in better position here in case we have to cut that traitor off."

The warehouse. He knew that building. A shady place, perfect to hide. Or to lure someone in a trap.

Maybe he should take a look there as well. He ducked past a few boxes and made his way to his new destination. It wasn't far, but Rex still felt permanently watched. Perhaps whatever was afflicting him had also made him paranoid.

The warehouse was now directly in front of him. Rusty and half-ruined, it had not been used for a long time. At least not for legal business. Rex used the scanner on his helmet and checked the area. No one there. Strange.

A dull feeling spread through his insides. "Get a grip, Rex," he muttered to himself and slipped over to the building. The main entrance was blocked, of course, so he tried the sides. There. A small door. He gave it a good tug and it creaked open, chipping off its paint. Rex drew his gun as a precaution and entered the hall.

It was dead silent when Rex entered. An icy chill ran down his spine and he involuntarily tightened his grip on the blaster. Where was everyone? He couldn't be the first. The light on his helmet provided him with only a small cone of light. The rest was still hidden in total darkness. Rex moved forward with small but deliberate steps until his foot bumped against something. He lowered his head to illuminate the ground at his feet.

An arm. An armored arm. Rex already knew where it was going, but looked anyway. There he laid; his chest pierced by a lightsaber.

Coric.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath, kneeling down beside his fallen brother. Rex had fought many battles with him by his side. They had been good friends. With a little trembling hand, he removed Coric's helmet. His head was already cold as Rex gently guided him back to the ground. "I'm sorry, brother." Carefully, he closed his friend's eyes and placed the helmet on his chest. "Rest in peace."

Rex squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. He wasn't alone here, he sensed that somehow. Carefully, he stood back up and repositioned his weapon. Just as he took a step forward, he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Rex whirled around but it was too late. A green blade sped forward, sliced through the blaster in his hands, and swung right through the visor of his helmet. Instantly blinded, he screamed out and let the steaming remains of the weapon clatter to the ground. With frantic movements, he ripped the helmet from his head and scanned his face. He had been lucky. The sword had burned the skin around his eyes a little, but he could still see. Rex didn't have time to be thankful any longer when he heard the devastating hum of the sword again. Blindly throwing his hands over his head, he tried to stop his onrushing fate. "Quinlan Vos!" he shouted, "Stop, please!"

The buzzing did not stop, but a dark voice broke the silence. "How do you know my name? And who are you?"

Rex still didn't dare move. "I am Rex. Captain of the 501st Battalion."

A beat of silence. "A malfunction. I can't believe it."

I toyed with the idea of Anakin killing Rex. But than I realized that I might need him later on :D Hope you enjoy!