Chapter 47 – Time Waits for No One

Ahsoka had decided on a small pyre as a farewell to Master Koon. They had spent the last few hours with collecting some wood in the forest and piling it up.

Now, the daylight already fading, as Obi-Wan stared into the flames and watched the heat begin to engulf the logs, he felt reminded of Naboo. Only this time, it wasn't Qui-Gon lying surrounded by fire. No, they would probably never be able to find the body of his friend Plo, so they had no choice but to at least commemorate him in this way. And also, not Anakin stood at his side, shaken and confused - but Ahsoka.

None of them had managed to speak yet. The silence hung heavy between them. Obi-Wan was too drained to even attempt to form suitable words. Not like they really existed. It wasn't fair. And never would be. There was nothing he could say that would make it hurt any less. So, for once, he remained silent.

The thought of facing Anakin sooner or later frightened him. Since their last confrontation, he had tried to put this scenario out of his mind, but each time the memory of those hateful yellow eyes staring down at him came back. How his best friend had torn their bond as if it had never meant anything. It still hurt, and Obi-Wan wasn't sure it would ever stop. Palpatine had slammed his fangs into Anakin's head. He didn't know if his former apprentice was still in there - or if he was lost forever. The Jedi Master didn't know how he would manage, especially if Anakin didn't show up alone. The odds were against them.

His stomach cramped painfully, and the longer he stared into the near-blinding flames, the more the migraine he'd been battling for days began to brew again. As a wave of nausea overcame him, he squeezed his eyes shut and jumped a little jerkily to his feet, muttering a barely audible "Excuse me". Padme, Satine, and Ahsoka gave him a worried look, but by then he was already halfway back to the house.

When he reached the refresher, the migraine had already hit him with full force and merely seconds later he found himself on his knees, heaving over the toilet. As the onslaught finally subsided, he dragged himself back onto his feet, wincing as his knee twinged painfully. He steadied himself on the rim of the sink and paused for a moment as the dizziness threatened to bring him down again. Obi-Wan closed his eyes again and tried to breathe through the pain. His migraines had become more frequent since the beginning of the war, but that was no comparison to what he was feeling now. He knew that he was overexerting himself severely. The more he thought about it, the surer he was that he couldn't do this alone. And he didn't want to drag Ahsoka into this any more than necessary. There already was a great burden on her shoulders, considering that she was the last defense if he failed to stop Anakin. Somehow, he knew that his brother was on his way. If it was just a feeling or the Force, he couldn't tell. They had talked about what was to come. Leaving Alderaan had been an option, but then there was the possibility to get caught in space. In the end they had decided against it, hoping that they could use the terrain to their advantage.

Numbly, he began rinsing his mouth with trembling hands. As he wiped his mouth with his palm, he suddenly noticed that it came away bloody. Furrowing his brows, he turned his head up and looked into the mirror. His nose was bleeding.

"Blast," he mumbled and grabbed himself a paper towel, pressing it under his nose. Obi-Wan knew that that was a sign for Force exhaustion. His nose had been healed for days now, so this was the only possibility. Maybe it was a combination with his migraines, but that didn't change much.

From the outside sounded a soft knock on the refresher door. "Obi-Wan? Are you in there?", he heard Satine ask tentatively.

"Yes," he called back, his voice a little muffled by the towel.

It didn't surprise him when she stepped in a few moments later, letting the door fall close behind her again. "Why didn't you tell us you weren't feeling well?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes again, effectively blocking out the still-burning light. "It was rather sudden," he replied defensively, but was too tired to really put bite behind his words.

Satine approached and carefully took the towel from his hand. "Since when do you get nosebleeds?" Her voice was filled with worry and although he still had his eyes closed, he knew she was looking at him through the mirror. Satine had been a witness of his migraine attacks before, but most of the times he handled them on his own. Obi-Wan didn't know if he was comfortable with her seeing him like this.

Absently, he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"Please talk to me, Obi-Wan."

Sighing, he slumped a little. "What do you want me to tell you, Satine?" he opened his slightly bloodshot eyes and met her gaze in the mirror, "I can't do this anymore. That's the plain truth."

Obi-Wan knew she understood what he meant. She had voiced her concerns more than once after he had told her that he was shielding them in the Force. But in the end, they agreed that they would not put the children in unnecessary danger. Even if it robbed him of the last of his strength.

He lowered his eyes again and studied his distorted reflection in the metal of the sink. Another droplet of blood hit the surface and Satine passed him a new towel, which he gladly pried from her hands.

A frown appeared on her face. "Maybe you should lay down," she suggested quietly, "It's already late."

"I can't," Obi-Wan whispered, his hands tightening on the rim of the sink.

Warm hands settled on his shoulders and slowly loosened his iron grip. Gently, Satine turned him to look at her. Although his vision kept blurring due to the stabbing headache that still tyrannized him, he clearly recognized Satine's deep blue eyes that had always seen through him so easily.

Still holding his gaze, she shifted her fingers so that they came to rest on his cheek. "He found us, didn't he?"

"I think so," was all he said, before she crossed her arms behind his neck and pulled him into a hug. Obi-Wan settled his chin down on her head and wrapped his arms around her as well.

Their time was running.

Rex awoke with a gasp as the ground suddenly shook violently beneath him. It took him a moment to regain his bearings and he blinked until the fog in front of his eyes disappeared. His memories came back fuzzy. The chip in his brain. The extermination of the Jedi.

Despite the headache that throbbed in his head, he sat up. He lay on a makeshift bed and when he touched his head with his hand, he felt a bandage there. Rex didn't have time to think about it when another loud bang rang through their hiding place and again chunks of earth fell from the unstable walls. A few moments later, Quinlan came rushing in, eyes wide and frantically looking around. "We've got to get out of here," he pressed out frantically, "They've started blasting the underground."

"What?", Rex croaked a little overwhelmed and began with swinging his legs over the edge if the bed. His vision swam again.

The former jedi crouched down in front of him and put a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Can you walk?"

The captain nodded meekly but was grateful when Quinlan put his arm under his shoulders and helped him up. "Is it gone?", he asked dazed, running one of his hands over his head again.

The Kiffar tightened his grip a little, while hauling him along and followed his movements with a side-glance. "Yes. Master Che was able to remove it. You don't need to worry about that anymore."

They stopped shortly and as parts of his armor were pressed into his arms, Rex only realized now that the jedi had removed the upper part for the surgery. "Put that on. But leave the helmet." Before the captain could say anything, Quinlan had already stepped away again, gathering medical supplies in a bag.

Rex found a dark brown poncho with the things that were given to him, along with a blaster, which he recognized as the one Quinlan had given him earlier. Hastily he put his armor on, hands moving with a precision earned by years of training. After that he slipped the poncho over his head, effectively covering the white plastoid.

The ground shook again and Rex had to jump aside as a part of the wooden structure that held the ceiling up came tumbling down.

'I can't believe they are setting bombs in the middle of Coruscant,' he thought to himself in shock. With swift but shaking hands he grabbed his old helmet. The blue paint was chapped and almost unrecognizable. Rex thought of his brothers for a moment. He had always pictured himself dying somewhere on the battlefields, his comrades beside him. The thought that he would now have to shoot at his brothers made him shudder. Controlled or not, they were still his family. They just had to find a way to get rid of the chips. His fingers tightened around his helmet for a moment before he finally stuffed it away in a duffel bag which he then slung over his shoulder.

Jaw set in a grim line, he caught up with Quinlan who just finished gathering their supplies. The man heaved a bag on his shoulders and shot him a look. "You're ready to go?"

The captain nodded curtly. "Yes. But where are we going?"

There was nowhere to go.

Quinlan stalked forward, ducking his head a little, as the next pieces of dirt crumbled down on them and the ground shook again. "I don't know," he stated grimly, "But if we don't want to get buried alive, we have to at least try to get out."

Both men ran into the main room where Master Windu and Master Che were already gathering the children. Rex let his eyes roam over the group, and it made his blood run cold. There were about 15 children, the youngest maybe just four years old, the oldest barely fourteen. But they all had one thing in common; that hunted look in their eyes that spoke of a trauma they would never forget. He felt sick and for a brief moment he saw himself running through the halls of the temple again, killing every Jedi in his path. Biting his cheek, he pulled the poncho a little tighter around him, trying to further conceal his armor. One of the younger children looked up at him, his green eyes filled with incomprehension and confusion at the whole situation. It did not recognize him. Probably none of the children had ever seen a clone without a helmet. It gave him an anonymity he wasn't sure he deserved. The blood was on his hands.

He had killed children. If Master Che hadn't sedated him for the surgery, Rex doesn't know if he could sleep peacefully with that conscience.

"We need to move," Mace's voice broke through the haze in his head, snapping him back to the present. The Korun master moved behind the children, herding them closer together. "Do we have everything?"

Vokara nodded. "We took everything necessary."

This time, a very loud blast echoed through the underground and a few of the kids started crying, panic written all over their faces. Rex watched numbly how Quinlan and Master Che tried to calm them down again.

This was all wrong.

He knew he couldn't help. It was not his place to do so.

Miraculously, the two actually managed to calm the children down a bit. Master Windu moved quickly to the door that barricaded the entrance and pried it open. "I'll go first and check if the tunnels are still passable," he ordered coolly and began to duck into the crawlspace. A short time later, the signal to follow came. Methodically, they hurried the children through the unstable passage until they caught up with the Jedi Master, who had his hands outstretched in concentration, his brow furrowed. He was holding the ceiling together with the Force, Rex realized. "Keep moving," the man urged tensely, "don't stop until you reach the sewers."

It was cramped and dark, the air stuffy and hot. Quinlan squeezed past the Jedi Master first, followed by the oldest children, behind them Master Che with the younglings. Rex let himself hang back and stopped next to the Korun. "What about you, sir?"

He would not let any more Jedi die today.

"I won't move until the kids are out of the tunnels."

Rex had worked alongside the Jedi long enough to know that Master Windu had willingly signed his death warrant. The man wasn't planning on getting out of here alive. For the sake of the children.

He couldn't let that happen. They all needed him. "Sir, with all due respect, we can't do this without you."

A strained grimace appeared on the Jedi Master's face. "Captain... As soon as I let go, everything here is going to come crashing down. So move out of here now, that's an order."

"No."

The word slipped so easily from his mouth that it was almost automatically. Before the Jedi master could protest, Rex spoke up again.

"I can get us both out of here. You just have to trust me."

He had done it before. It had been a mission with General Skywalker. Along with the rest of the 501st, they would have all been buried in a mineshaft had the general not caught the ceiling with the Force. Rex had led the man out while the Jedi had concentrated fully on holding back the stones. It had been risky. If Rex had taken a wrong step and fallen down - well, at that point neither man had wanted to imagine that scenario.

A short pause passed between them. Although he was not Force-sensitive, Rex knew Windu was hesitating. He couldn't blame him.

"All right," the Jedi then growled, "But don't blame me if neither of us sees daylight again."

A shallow laugh escaped him. "As if that would ever occur to me, sir."

Careful not to disturb the Jedi's concentration, Rex placed a hand on his shoulder and began to gently guide him.

"Duck your head. And your left foot a little higher."

They walked forward slowly. Rex described the path as accurately as possible and guided the Jedi's steps. When the ground began to shake again, the two had to stop, Rex bracing himself against the wall to keep them on their feet.

"How much farther, Rex?" asked Windu, his fingers slowly beginning to tremble with exertion.

"We're almost there." With little grace, the two men squeezed through a particularly narrow passageway and Rex was finally able to make out the small opening in the dark that marked the entrance to the tunnels.

Just a few more steps. Then all they had to do was get through the sewers, evade the army that probably awaited them on the surface, and find a ship to leave this damned planet.

The clone blew out a breath.

Just another day in hell.

They had almost reached the end of the tunnel when suddenly, very close above them, the next detonation sounded. Both of them lost their footing. As if in slow motion, Rex watched as the Jedi Master's grip slipped and the rocks came crashing down on them.

"Blast," Rex cursed, scrambling to get his feet underneath him again. Blindly, he grabbed Windu's shoulder and yanked him up hard. They were too close to fail now. With their last strength they both jumped in the direction of the exit and hoped that it was enough. Rex gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as the first stones hit his back and head.

That was it. This is how he would die.

Rex saw his short life flash before his inner eye. From his training on Kamino, then serving under General Skywalker. How his superiors became his friends. And now, how he faced his own brothers.

The blow that was supposed to crush him never came. Instead, there were suddenly hands on his forearms pulling him forward. Blinking and coughing, he opened his eyes and saw a boy, perhaps 10 years old, pulling him forward with all his strength. Next to him stood Quinlan and Master Che, holding the tunnel together.

"Come on," the boy urged. Rex finally gathered his wits again and turned to see that Master Windu was also on his feet again, a padawan at his side. Together they scrambled out of the tunnel, into the sewage. As soon as the last of them had passed the entrance, the structure caved in, leaving them staring at the now blocked way to the temple.

"You two alright?", asked Quinlan, letting his gaze wander between them.

Rex only nodded, still dazed. Behind him he heard Master Windu mutter an exhausted 'Thank you'.

"We need to move on. Which exit is the closest to the space ports?", snapped Master Che them back to attention.

"I know which one. Follow me," said Quinlan and began wading through the knee-high sewage.

Rex silently fell in line behind him. His heart was still threatening to jump out of his chest. At least he didn't notice the smell that started to worm its way up his nose again.

They trudged through the dirt for a while. They had taken a few of the smallest children on their shoulders, otherwise they would hardly have made any progress. Rex himself had a little girl on his back, clinging tightly around his neck. Her fear was almost palpable, but he didn't know what to do about it.

After a few minutes, Quinlan came to a stop and pointed to an old, rusty hatch in the ceiling.

"Here it is," he muttered, "If I remember correctly, this one leads to a small side alley between two production halls. It's still a good way to the docks." The Kiffar turned to the group. "And risky, above all."

"We have no other choice, I'm afraid," said Mace, eyeing the hatch suspiciously.

"I'll climb up and see if the coast is clear." Quinlan shallowly set the child down and began to climb the ramshackle-looking ladder. At the top, he gently lifted the lid and peered out. "The exit is clear," he called down, muffled, "Now hurry!"

As swiftly as possible, they all climbed up. Once at the top, they gathered the children in their midst before continuing on their way. They were lucky. No one seemed to be following them.

At least that's what they thought. The docks were almost in sight when the group came to a skidding halt.

"Do you feel that?" whispered Master Che, pushing the children behind her.

Quinlan and Master Windu straightened themselves as well, hands on their lightsabers.

The hair on the back of Rex's neck stood up and somehow he knew they were no longer alone. Slowly, he took the blaster from his belt.

A metallic clacking could be heard down the alley.

Master Windu turned briefly to Quinlan. "Take the children and run to the docks. You're the only one who knows the way."

Rex saw a small hint of dissent enter the former Jedi's face, but then quickly disappear. "I'll do my best. May the Force be with you, Master Windu."

"And with you as well."

Before they went on their way, Quinlan glanced at him.

Rex tightened his jaw and shook his head. "I'm going to stay here. It's the least I can do."

The former Jedi placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave a shallow squeeze. "Good luck, Rex."

Rex gave a shallow smile. "I thought jedi don't believe in luck."

Quinlan gave him a short-lived grin. "I am no jedi."

With that the hand withdrew and Rex watched how Quinlan and Master Che together with the children headed off towards the docks.

"You don't have to stay," Mace's voice was cool and focused. The man was ready for the fight that was coming.

"Not a chance, sir, if it weren't for us clones, this dilemma wouldn't even exist. I will not stand by idly."

"None of this is your fault, Rex. We Jedi have been blind for far too long to discover the danger that sat right under our noses. And now we have paid the price."

The metallic clang came closer and both Jedi and clone readied themselves.

They stared spellbound at the end of the alley as the sound suddenly died, leaving only silence.

Seconds passed and Rex tightened his grip around the blaster. Beside him, the Jedi Master unhooked his lightsaber from his belt, but did not yet ignite it.

"From above!" the Korun suddenly shouted, already beginning to move. Too fast for Rex to follow. What he saw, however, was the purple blade springing to life and blocking four lightsabers that had nearly cost him his head. General Grievous. The cyborg who had already killed so many Jedi and some of his brothers. He hadn't been there for the mission on the Invisible Hand at the time, but he had seen General Kenobi's severe injuries in the reports. He knew that the jedi had never really recovered.

Grievous gave a raspy and tinny laugh as he lunged at the Jedi Master. "Master Windu, what a surprise," the cyborg sneered, letting his serpentine eyes roam over to where Rex was standing, "And I see you have company. Tell me, how is my friend Kenobi? I haven't heard from him in so long."

Windu's eyes narrowed and his face contorted into a snarl. "Oh, he sends his regards."

Alright, I heard your call for a good ending :D I think I will decide spontaneously how this story ends. Somewhere I'm also inclined to write the alternative end as well, but that depends on whether you want to read that as well and I can muster the motivation :D
As always I love to hear your thoughts and hopefully we see each other on the next chapter ;)