Dawn came upon Mandalore like that of a savior, with the fires of war beginning to die out as the final pockets of resistance crumbled. Across the city of Sundari, citizens held their breath for what would come next, with one warrior regime being replaced by that of another.

Republic gunships flew throughout the city, rounding up remnants of the 332nd Company for departure as Mandalorian members of the Nite Owls prepared to transport the remaining super commandos to the royal prison.

Amidst the settling chaos stood Bo-Katan Kryze, the only figurehead with enough support to lead the people of Mandalore, with the death of Prime Minister Almec and the capture of Maul ensuring no rivals were left to challenge her authority.

"What a mess we've made," Bo remarked as she looked to the shattered streets and ruined structures of her home. In her mind the death toll was necessary, yet there was still something unsettling about it all. So many warriors and citizens dead, all in an effort to capture one Zabrak. Her train of thought was disrupted by the landing of a Republic LAAT behind her.

Out of the gunship stepped the young Togruta, Ahsoka Tano, and behind her the incapacitated body of Maul, a former Sith Apprentice. Despite the immense success of their operation, a disturbed expression laid on Ahsoka's face as she approached Bo, with Mandalorian Nite Owls dragging Maul's unconscious body out of the gunship.

While the pair talked on their way through the upper districts of Sundari, the clone known as Commander Rex was just leaving his meeting with the Jedi Council in order to find Ahsoka. As he walked along the troop-covered road, he was surprised to find his men joking with one another this soon after a siege. Comments of the war being over reached his ears, and for a moment there was a spark of excitement in his eyes. It seemed everything had worked out for the better in the end.

The commander was nearly upon his field advisor when he bumped against the blue-colored armor of his good friend, the ARC trooper known to most as Jesse. "Commander," the trooper spoke with a sensation of joy in his throat. "Good to see you after what happened last night."

"To you as well, Jesse," Rex nodded to the man before looking back at where Ahsoka and Bo-Katan stood talking. He was about to approach the pair when Jesse again spoke up.

"Sir, before you go, I received a communication from CT-1409. Sounds like he's been trying to get in contact with you for a while now," Jesse said to his commanding officer.

"Echo? What could he possibly want at this time?" Rex asked.

"Not sure. Sounded liking something was eating at him when he spoke to me. He and the rest of Clone Force 99 appear to have just finished up an assignment on Mygeeto, and he's been wanting to see if you're alright."

"Tell him I'm alright, Jesse," Rex ordered before trying to move away yet again.

"I did, sir," Jesse answered with a shrug. "Seems he wants to speak with you directly, and isn't taking no for an answer."

Rex rolled his eyes as he came to the sensible conclusion of getting in contact with his long-time comrade. After stepping away from the others, he unveiled his Imagecaster and accessed Echo's frequency. A moment later, a holographic display of the clone, still with his unique robotic right arm, came into focus. The trooper had his helmet removed, allowing Rex to see the metal inserts still across his skull, reminders of the horrid experiments performed on him by the Techno Union.

"Rex!" Echo beamed. "I've been trying to get ahold of you for a while now. Glad to see you're still kicking."

"To you as well, Echo," Rex replied. "Unfortunately, I'm a little preoccupied at the moment. Is there something that requires my immediate attention right now?"

It was then that Echo's demeanor began to shift. His smile slowly turned into a grim wince, and his eyes began darting about the location he was in. "We found a name while searching archives deep behind enemy lines," he said, slightly unnerved by the name he was pondering. "Darth Sidious."

"The criminal, Maul, mentioned the same name during his encounter with Lady Tano," Rex replied. "Did you uncover anything else?"

Echo's eyes went wide as a wave of sadness appeared to descend upon him. "There was documentation on two troopers. One was Kix, who as you know was kidnapped by Separatists. The other was…" he paused, feeling hesitant to continue.

"Who?!"

Echo looked Rex coldly in the eyes. "What happened to Fives, Rex?"

The commander was forced to divert his gaze from the hologram, remembering the sad tale of a soldier he had come to know as one of his closest friends. "He was killed."

"How?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does!"

"Why?!" Rex snapped. "Why is this so important?"

Echo appeared just as stern as the fabled commander of the 501st. "I have a theory he was silenced for knowing too much."

Rex's eyes went wide. "What theory?"

"You first, Rex," Echo insisted. "What happened to him?"

Rex sighed before reluctantly agreeing to explain everything. After all, Echo was closer to Fives than any other, and deserved to know. "Fives believed he had uncovered some conspiracy about our inhibitor chips, and so he removed his. While I hate to admit it, he seemed to have gone crazy after doing so. He even attempted to kill the Chancellor."

"What do these inhibitor chips do?"

"They keep us stable," Rex explained. "After one of my men, Tup, had his chip malfunction, he shot and killed a Jedi. When Fives removed his chip, he appeared to go just as mad as Tup had."

Echo cocked his head, not believing his comrade could truly have become the monster Rex was making him out to be. "So, about this trooper, Tup. Was the Jedi the closest thing to him when his inhibitor chip malfunctioned?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean was Fives by his side? Were droids encroaching on their position? How far away was this Jedi?" Echo continued to ask.

"I don't remember," Rex admitted. "But he and Fives were never far from one another, and the generals were leading the assault when it happened, so I'd guess Fives was likely closer to him than any other."

Echo was left speechless, his mouth wide as he began to fit the puzzle pieces together. "Did anything else happen?"

Rex delved into the recesses of his mind for any bit of information he felt could help Echo, when finally he remembered something. "Tup kept muttering that good soldiers follow orders, and even lunged at the fallen Jedi's sister when he got the chance."

"You knew all this, and still you did nothing?"

"What could I do?!" Rex countered. "And what does all this have to do with anything? Fives was one of my best men, and a good friend, but in the end he seemed to be losing it. I wanted to believe in him, but I just couldn't. There wasn't enough evidence to support what he was saying."

"There was plenty," Echo growled.

Rex simply shook his head, feeling the younger of them was unable to comprehend the situation at hand. "I told you what you wanted to know. Now tell me what this theory of yours is."

"Those chips do not make us stable, Rex. Those chips are to kill the Jedi," Echo stated.

"That's quite the accusation."

"Think about it, Rex!" Echo snapped. "When Tup's malfunctioned, he sought out a Jedi. He would've kept trying to kill them if he had not been detained. As for Fives, if he believed a conspiracy like this was real, then I would have believed him. Kix did, which is why we believe the Separatists kidnapped him."

Rex lowered his eyes as he thought it over. "That still doesn't explain why Fives attacked the Chancellor."

Echo tilted his head at the man, knowing what needed to be said next would likely be too far a stretch for the commander. "He may very well be this Darth Sidious we've caught wind of."

Rex stood motionless, speechless at the treasonous words Echo was speaking. He was about to chastise the soldier when, in the back of his mind, he came to find a sense of hope in Echo's words. Maybe they had figured it out after all. The pieces of the puzzle were finally connected… but no one would believe them. More than that, every clone in the army had these chips in their heads. Even if the theory Echo had was true, it seemed they were too late to do anything about it. Perhaps Maul was right when he claimed the Republic had already fallen, as it had been in a false sense of control for nearly three years.

"Maybe you're right," Rex said, his eyes cleared of the haze that had been clouding them since Fives's death.

Echo nodded his head. "The Bad Batch and I are making preparations to remove our inhibitor chips. I'd recommend you do the same."

"What about everyone else?" Rex asked.

"The Jedi Council should know of this development, no matter how crazy it may sound to them," Echo stated. "It would seem, of the two of us, you're in a better position to persuade them than I, a former Separatist pawn."

"Alright," Rex reluctantly agreed. "I'll take care of it."

"The war's coming to a close, Rex," Echo reminded him. "We'd better act fast, or this Darth Sidious may make his move before we do."

"I agree," Rex added. "Good luck, Echo." With that, they cut communications with one another, and Rex turned to approach Ahsoka. All the while, his mind was teaming with the thoughts Echo had placed in his head. What if he was ordered to kill Ahsoka right then and there? He still had his chip, so would he follow through? Was there any way to resist such a thing? His mind was put at ease only when he came to stand before the former Jedi, with several of his troopers standing nearby. "Commander, I have the Council waiting," he said to her.

"And Master Skywalker? Were you able to contact him?" Ahsoka asked as she stepped closer to him.

"He was in the meeting when I left to get you."

Ahsoka had a look of finality in her eyes, as if this might be the only opportunity to speak to Anakin before he did something rash. Her master was always like that, but this time he had neither her nor Obi-Wan to reel him in since Master Kenobi was on Utapau dealing with General Grievous.

"Go on," Bo-Katan said as she looked to the young woman. "I can handle this," she continued to say, gesturing to the injured and wounded on the streets below them.

After giving a gentle nod to the Mandalorian, Ahsoka turned back to Rex and followed him toward the nearest gunship.

#

The outside of the command center was bustling with clone troopers as Ahsoka and Rex approached the main door. Upon entering, the pair was greeted by the faces of Mace Windu, Kai-Adi-Mundi, Aayla Secura, and Yoda, all of whom had come to be known as some of the greatest Jedi in the Order.

"I understand your mission was a success," Windu greeted the pair as they drew near.

"Yes," Ahsoka replied. "I have Maul in custody. I will escort Commander Rex when he delivers him to Coruscant."

"A great service to the Republic, you have done," Yoda announced as he gave a slight nod of the head to Ahsoka, one of the greatest gestures he could give.

"I did my duty as a citizen," Ahsoka said in response.

"Not as a Jedi?" Yoda inquired, sensing the conflicting emotions within the young Togruta. In that moment, it was as if he were offering her a second chance to return, and he hoped Ahsoka would take it.

"No," she replied, though her gaze was not immediately on Yoda. "Not yet," she added after tilting her head slightly in the master's direction. Silence filled the space between them, until finally Ahsoka spoke up again. "Actually, I was hoping to speak with General Skywalker."

It was then that Mace Windu interjected. "I sent him to inform the Chancellor that General Grievous has indeed been located on Utapau."

"Master Kenobi?"

"Engaged the enemy, he has," Yoda stated.

Ahsoka looked to the floorboards, realizing two worlds were finally being made into one again. "Then the war could be over soon."

Windu crossed his arms in response. "That depends on the Chancellor."

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka questioned, tilting her head toward the taller figure.

Windu cocked an eyebrow at her before backpedaling. "I'm sorry, citizen. These matters are for the Council to discuss." There was a hint of condescension in his tone as he spoke.

A surprised look came across Rex's face. For a moment he believed the Jedi had figured it out as he had, but now they were trying to cover it up, and for what? Were they afraid like Fives was?

"I understand," Ahsoka reluctantly replied in an effort to keep her demeanor respectful. After giving a quick nod to her, the Jedi generals began to disconnect their transmissions one by one. Aayla Secura faded away, as did Kai-Adi-Mundi a moment later, and after a brief nod to her from Mace Windu, he too vanished. All that remained was Yoda, whose expression appeared to be one of curiosity. He could sense unease filling the young Togruta, though he was too respectful and patience a creature to outright call her on it.

"Ahsoka, more to say, have you?" Yoda asked. "A message for Skywalker, perhaps?"

The woman mulled over the idea in her head before shaking her head. "No, Master. Thank you. I'll tell him myself when I see him."

No, no, no. "Wait, General," Rex blurted out before Yoda could vanish from sight like the rest. "There's something you should know."

A concerned look came across Ahsoka's face. "What're you doing?"

"I'm sorry," Rex apologized despite what he was going to say. "This just can't wait. I know it sounds crazy but, well, I believe I've figured it out. All of it."

"Your mind, speak it, Commander," Yoda said, gesturing for the soldier to continue.

"I know it's going to sound crazy," Rex admitted, a hand to his temple as he spoke. "But… Darth Sidious may just be the Chancellor himself. He's the only one with the power to direct the armies of the Republic by himself, outside the authority of the Jedi."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ahsoka asked, not wholly rebuking Rex's claim, though she was far from believing him.

"The inhibitor chips in us. They're the key," Rex stated. "We all thought Fives was crazy, but his theory may be the reason another trooper of mine, Kix, was kidnapped by the Separatists."

"Meant to keep you stable, those chips are," Yoda explained, thoughtfully trying to convey reality in the best way he could.

"No!" Rex snapped, surprising even himself. "Trooper Tup could have shot anyone when his chip malfunctioned, but he ran to the nearest Jedi and killed her. He even tried to do it again while being detained. The chips in our heads are meant to act as a kill switch for all Jedi, and Fives knew it. That's why he tried to kill the Chancellor. He knew."

Yoda's eyes widened a tad more than normal, a sign Rex's words had gotten through to him. "Believed to be the Sith Lord, the Chancellor has been," Yoda admitted. "Long suspicious, the Council has been."

"And everyone has those chips?" Ahsoka asked.

Rex nodded, shaken to the core by the horrid revelation. It was one thing to believe it for himself, but now others believed him too, and it all suddenly felt real. "The entire Grand Army of the Republic is imbedded with inhibitor chips."

Yoda was motionless, his gaze on Rex as he made sense of everything. He thought long and hard about their next course of action, even making Rex slightly unnerved by how long he was staring at him. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, Yoda looked to both Ahsoka and Rex. "Act on this development, we must."

Rex nodded his head. "I'll see what I can do about removing those chips from my company."

"Inform the generals of this, I will," Yoda said. "Swiftly, we must move. Stop the Sith, we will," he spoke with stern determination. He was about to cut his transmission when Ahsoka caught his attention one last time.

"Master, Maul said Anakin was the key to all of this," she reluctantly confessed. "He said Darth Sidious had been grooming him to be his next apprentice."

Yoda nodded at her words. "Then indeed, the Sith Lord Chancellor Palpatine is." It was then that Commander Gree, a clone adorned with camouflaged armor for the jungles of Kashyyyk, stepped into frame.

"Sir, the droids are making a final push up the beachhead," he informed Yoda.

"Finish them, we must," Yoda declared before returning his attention to Ahsoka. "Deal with the Separatists, I will. To Coruscant, you must go," he said to the young Togruta.

"I'll depart at once," Ahsoka nodded. "May the Force be with you."

"To you as well, young padawan," Yoda said before ending his transmission.

Ahsoka and Rex looked to one another, speechless at the revelations the past twenty minutes had yielded. Yet, despite the chaotic thoughts swirling in their minds, they understood one necessity that never left them: the need to protect one another. They had been through many struggles over the past three years, and the thought of losing the other was something neither would accept.

"Rex…" Ahsoka began to say, when the commander cut her off.

"Let's talk after I get this thing out," Rex said, pointing to the side of his skull.

"Right," Ahsoka agreed. The pair moved toward the exit shortly after.

#

All was quiet as the prisoner transport landed at the docks of Sundari. Clones and Mandalorians alike stood at attention as Bo-Katan Kryze and Ursa Wren escorted Maul's containment unit toward the transport shuttle, where Ahsoka and Rex stood waiting. Coruscant guards flanked the former Jedi and her commander as the Mandalorians approached. Once upon them, Rex moved toward the transport alongside Ursa and the other Mandalorians as they pushed Maul inside.

"Impressive," Ahsoka remarked as Bo came to stand beside her. "I suspect not even Maul could get out of there."

"A relic of a bygone era when Mandalorians had reason to imprison you Force-wielding maniacs," Bo replied, a confident look on her face at how helpless Maul was inside his tomb.

"I thought your sister outlawed such devices," Ahsoka replied, watching Rex enter the transport from afar.

"She did," Bo admitted. "This is the last one." Facing Ahsoka, she then took her hand. "Goodbye, Ahsoka Tano."

The young woman nodded out of respect before releasing her hand from Bo's, and stepped away. With gunships arriving for the rest of the 332nd, Ahsoka knew what laid ahead would be far worse than anything Maul could conjure up.