Ahsoka stared out into the expanse of the wasteland, the ship crumpled like a tossed tissue, and at the painted helmets of her fallen men. Hot tears stung her eyes as the cold wind blew. My men, she thought. My men would never do this. My men were murdered.
The lifeless helmets stared back at her silently. She made herself look in each one of them. I deserve this punishment. I couldn't save them and it's my fault, she scolded herself harshly. Rex worked tirelessly at repairing the ship behind her, but she didn't hear him. All she could hear was the crashing of metal, the screams of her men, and the voice in her head chanting they're all dead. All your friends, everything you loved, they're all dead at the hands of your master, your brother- and you.
"Commander…" Rex whispered behind her. Ahsoka held her lightsaber in her trembling hand as Rex watched sorrowfully. With pained trepidation, she cast it to the ground- everything she ever was or could have been gone from her now. She turned to Rex, her eyes welling with defeated, angry, heartbroken tears.
"Ahsoka…" Rex breathed tiredly. "The separatists will most likely be sending a follow up patrol our way soon. Let's get out of here, if you're ready…"
"I'm ready" she croaked hoarsely. Rex nodded, and Ahsoka followed him to the ship. With one last look out the window, her life in the Republic as a former Jedi had ended.
1 Month Later
Despite their closeness, Rex and Ahsoka had little to say to each other since the fateful day Order 66 was carried out. He'd taken them somewhere even the Imperial army wouldn't care for, in the deserts of Tatooine, where the scourge of the galaxy had hailed from. They'd found a meager shelter, a refurbished shed owned by a farmhand Rex had taken to working for in order to support themselves. The most they'd spoken to each other was over three weeks ago when they'd first arrived. Ahsoka remembered it as she laid in bed:
"Can we stay here?" she asked tiredly.
"The farmer said that'd be fine; he needs the help. He'll pay two credits per day, which isn't enough to live on, but it's something" Rex replied.
"Well, with the both of us working, four credits could at least cover our food for the day" she sighed.
"Forgive me commander, but I refuse to allow you to work" Rex said firmly.
"What?" she scoffed.
"It's not safe for you to be outside or be seen, don't you think?"
"Rex, the Empire has no idea I'm even alive. We both died in a shipwreck for all they know."
"Look, we don't know what they know. They might think you're dead, but what if they don't? What if they want proof? With all due respect Commander, you don't blend in as easily as I can. Tatooine doesn't have a lot of Togrutas coming through" he argued gently.
"So what am I supposed to do? Sit here and do nothing?" she spat, tears beginning to well in her eyes.
"For now. Please, Commander, I'm begging you for your own safety. You need to rest, too. You need time to process everything, and we need to take our time in developing a plan on what to do next" Rex pleaded softly. Ahsoka sighed, and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"You're right, Rex. Thank you" she murmured. Rex nodded, and besides polite conversation, their days consisted of being without one another, and night consisted of troubled sleep.
That was many nights ago, and every day Ahsoka sat stewing in the shed replaying everything in her head over and over again.
Why didn't you know? How could you not have foreseen it? Why didn't you sense it in Palpatine, in Anakin of all people, your brother? Why didn't you listen to Maul and end this? Why did you let all your men die? Why does Rex slave away while you sit here and do nothing? Why? Why? Why?
Tears streamed down her face, and Ahsoka knew that she'd had enough. They needed a plan, and she couldn't sit by idly knowing what was going on in the galaxy. Just then, Rex entered.
"I'm home" Rex announced quietly. He saw her puffy eyes, heard her sniffling.
"Commander, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.
"Rex, I can't do this anymore" she sobbed, burying her head in her hands. Rex walked to the bed and sat beside her, putting an arm around her gently. She responded by hugging him tightly, and Rex reciprocated. It had been too long of pretending everything was fine, and the time for processing was over.
"We need a plan. I can't sit here while the Empire takes over and murders innocents" she choked out.
"What can we do?" Rex asked gently.
"I don't know, but I have to do something," she sniffled. Rex stood up and paced for a few moments in thought.
"I've thought of a few things, but I didn't want to disturb you until you were ready" Rex said. "I've thought about salvaging as many of my brothers as I can. I know the layouts of the ships, how to get my brothers to where I can remove their chips, and maybe we can start building some sort of resistance" Rex said. Ahsoka's eyes lit up at the thought of saving as many clones as they could, and bringing an end to Palpatine and Anakin's rule.
"When can we leave?" she asked fiercely.
"I need to do this alone," he said. It was a slap in the face to her.
"No," she murmured.
"Commander, they'll kill you on sight. I can infiltrate them without being detected, I can't take you on this mission" he pleaded with her. Ahsoka began to cry angrily.
"Rex, if I sit one more day in this shed, I'm going to go insane. What am I to do while you're gone? I refuse to be separated from you while you potentially get yourself killed! Rex, please, you're all I have left…" her sobs cut her short, and Rex hugged her tightly as he consoled her.
"Ahsoka, please, you know I don't want to split up, but I'd rather die than see you be killed by my brothers. I have a plan you can execute in the meantime, and we can meet back in time to put an end to the Empire" Rex said firmly. Ahsoka listened as he explained.
"You survived. I'm sure there are Jedi out there who also survived, you can't be the only one. Even if you are, the galaxy is littered with force-sensitive children that need to be rescued before the Empire gets a hold of them. You can try to make contact with other surviving Jedis, or train the next generation we need to fight against the Empire." Ahsoka nodded at the thought, and for the first time in over a month, she'd felt a flicker of hope.
"What happens after that?" she asked.
"Let's decide to meet back here in two years, this very spot, this very day. I think that would give us both the time we need, and we can decide a better plan from thereon" he said. Ahsoka nodded in agreement.
"So you'll leave tomorrow?" she asked.
"And spend another day picking those sand dunes for potatoes? I think not" Rex said, smiling. Ahsoka chuckled through her tears, and hugged him tightly.
"Rex, I'll miss you. I appreciate everything you've done for me, and I will do everything in my power to put an end to this. Just promise me you won't get killed, and that I'll see you in two years" she murmured.
"I will do my best, Commander," he replied.
The next day went by more optimistic than the last month had. They ate their breakfast, and Ahsoka walked with Rex to their ship they'd stashed in the desert. Through tears and mixed emotions, they said their goodbyes, and Rex jumped into hyperspace. A deep feeling of worry, hope, and determination flooded over Ahsoka. Be safe, Rex, she thought. Now, as she turned back to look in the desert, she pondered just how the hell she was going to find the surviving Jedi, if there were any.
1 Week Later
What began as optimism a week prior had turned into a torment for Ahsoka. Toiling the field was bad enough, but her attempts to reach others through the Force had proved terrifying. Patience, she told herself, but the Force had changed. What was once a beautiful flow of balanced energy had turned rotten, and every time she'd meditated, a flood of darkness swept over her. Fear. Anger. Hate. Suffering. She shuddered, and could withstand only a few minutes at a time each day, once in the morning and once at night.
With growing desperation to find some sort of hope, one night she trekked out into the vastness of the desert in hopes of finding clarity. Ahsoka sat in the darkness, the stars illuminating her path. She sat on the top of a tall sand dune. Closing her eyes, she began to search the Force.
A swirl of darkness enveloped her, but she remained strong. I need to push past this and concentrate, I need to find the others. Images of fallen Jedi flashed before her. Blood, smoke, screams, and clones firing- it took everything in Ahsoka's will not to break down. She remained stoic and concentrated further. Where is Yoda? Master Windu? Obi-Wan? She searched the force for their fates, but it was only clouded with the dark side. She could feel herself growing frustrated, and the darkness swelled like a great black hole.
"Stay…" a voice suddenly called out to her. Ahsoka's heart fluttered with hope, and she concentrated further into the darkness. Maybe she could recognize the voice, or see who was calling out to her… Minutes passed, and nothing happened. She grew frustrated once again. Suddenly, through the black clouds, to her horror two golden eyes glared back at her.
"Stay where you are…" Maul's voice growled to her again, his eyes flashing with anger. Ahsoka's eyes snapped open, her heart pounding, and she quickly closed the window to the Force. Cold sweat poured down her forehead. Fear trickled through her. Had she made contact with the Sith? Was there nothing left to the Force but darkness? The thought of seeing Maul again filled her with both anger and dread. She shook her head, and began to make her way back to the shed. I'm most certainly not staying, she thought. I need to find a way off this planet, and soon. Her stomach squirmed like an unhatched chrysalis; a cold chill prickled down her spine. Something was making her uneasy, and she did not intend to stay long enough to find out what it was.
Ahsoka quickened her pace, and turned a corner to discover a shadowy figure quickly slipping away above the cliffside she was trekking along. Someone is definitely watching me, she thought with horror. Panic pulsed through her veins, and she turned her swift walk into a full out run. Ahsoka ran for what seemed like an hour. The sound of footsteps echoed through the canyon, and she realized there were multiple sets gaining on her. Faster, faster, fas-
Suddenly, a robed assailant flung their gaderffii into the side of her thigh. She felt bone crack, and the spike dig deep into her flesh. Ahsoka let out a loud cry of pain, to which the assailant retorted with angry bellowing. Sand people, oh no, Ahsoka thought. She forced the Tusken raider back, but more came flooding in through the canyon. Blaster fire shot mere feet from her.
"Get back!" she cried. Ahsoka tried to run to no avail, her shattered leg crumpling painfully beneath her. Another sand person stuck her from behind, and she sent them flying. Two more encroached, one smashing her head sideways with the blunt end of his gaffi stick.
"Help," she cried weakly to no one, her consciousness failing her. The sand people encroached closer, screeching. I'm sorry, Rex, were her last thoughts before the calm wave of death swept over her.