DESTINY - CHAPTER 08
Rex muscled piece after piece of scrap to the side wall. He was trying to make room on the floor for a project he had in mind. It was also a good workout, the physical exertion keeping the boredom at bay.
As he lifted another hunk of metal he heard the door slide shut behind him and someone clear their throat.
He smiled to himself, looking forward to a break. "I'll be with you in a minute, T'annon," he said. "I hope you brought one of those fruit muffins I like."
Setting the scrap piece down, he brushed off his hands as he turned — and froze in surprise.
It wasn't T'annon who'd come to see him. Instead, the commander stood across the room. Her expression was earnest, her eyes intense and focused on his.
He looked at her for a long time, at a loss for words.
The commander finally broke the silence.
"Sorry," she shrugged. "No fruit muffin."
"I see that," Rex said. "Um … this is an unexpected surprise."
The commander walked slowly across the floor until she stood an arm's length away. Her wide eyes were even more intense up close, her white eye markings scrunched together slightly. She looked worried. Something wasn't right.
A pulse of fear shot through him. "What's wrong?" Rex blurted out. "Has something happened to T'annon?"
The commander held up her hands. "T'annon is fine. I'm not here about her."
Rex pushed out a relieved breath. Then worry for his own well-being tightened his chest.
"Why are you here?" Rex asked.
The commander's eye markings scrunched together tighter and uncertainty ghosted across her face. Finally, she said, "I need your help."
If she'd said she was a Duro bounty hunter he would have been less surprised.
Rex shook his head. "How can I-"
"Ahhhhsooookaaaa!"
T'annon's scream came from the doorway.
"Ahsoka. Do not hurt him!"
Rex was dumbstruck as T'annon raced across the room and jumped in front of him, facing the commander with her hands held up.
"Please," T'annon pleaded.
The commander's eyes widened in shock. She dropped to one knee in front of the girl, bringing their eyes level. "T'annon, what's wrong?"
"Rex is my friend," T'annon said, her voice panicked and raw. "Please, do not hurt him."
"I'm not going to hurt Rex," Ahsoka said, gently. "Now, tell me what's going on."
T'annon struggled for breath and her voice trembled. "I heard Bandrix talking to Jin. He said you needed to make Rex tell you something. He said torturing Rex would be the only way to do that."
"Come here," the commander said, pulling T'annon into a hug and slowly rubbing her back. "Rex is fine. Everything is going to be alright."
T'annon pressed herself tightly against the commander. "Promise me you'll protect him."
"I won't let anyone hurt him," the commander said as she looked up and caught Rex's eyes. "I promise."
While the commander comforted T'annon, Rex let out a long breath. His mind was spinning like a whirlwind. So much had just happened in the last few seconds he was having trouble processing it all.
The commander had come asking for his help. They needed some type of information — information important enough that Bandrix felt justified in torturing Rex for it.
But the commander didn't feel the same way. She'd made a promise to T'annon that he wouldn't be harmed. Rex knew that any promise she made to T'annon, she would keep.
On top of all that, the commander had actually used his name. She'd called him Rex. Not 'him', not 'clone'. But, Rex.
And … a terrified T'annon had slipped and called the commander by her name.
Ahsoka.
A piece of the puzzle that was the commander snapped into place.
"T'annon," Rex said gently. "Is this the Ahsoka that rescued you from the Dug trader?"
T'annon looked at Rex for a moment and then her eyes flew open wide. She gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. She turned back to Ahsoka. "I am sorry. I am sorry," she said, frantically. "I was so scared, I forgot. I am so sorry."
Ahsoka pulled T'annon back into her arms. "It's alright," she soothed. "I understand. I'm not upset with you."
Rex watched Ahsoka comfort T'annon. It was clear she loved the Pantoran girl. Now the strong bond between them made more sense.
T'annon had told him that the Ahsoka who had rescued her was brave and kind. That she was wise and beautiful. He should have figured out long ago that the commander and Ahsoka were one in the same. It had been right in front of him this entire time.
Ahsoka released T'annon and pulled back, catching the girl's eyes. "Feeling better?"
T'annon sniffed. "Yes."
"Good. Do you think you could go help Reesa monitor the communications channels for a while? I'm sure she'd appreciate the help."
T'annon rolled her eyes, obviously catching on that Ahsoka wanted her to leave. But Rex had to give her credit. She didn't complain or argue. She nodded and gave Ahsoka a hug.
Then T'annon whipped around and slammed against Rex, wrapping her arms around him, giving him a quick squeeze. And just as fast, she was running toward the door and out of the building.
Ahsoka watched her go, then slowly stood and turned toward Rex. She held out her hand.
"My name, is Ahsoka. Ahsoka Tano."
Rex reached out and clasped her hand in his.
"I'm Clone Trooper 7567," he said. "Captain Rex to my men and just Rex to my friends."
"What should I call you," she asked, her voice uncertain.
"I'd like it if you'd call me, Rex," he said.
Ahsoka smiled. Rex remembered how much he liked it when she smiled.
He let his hand linger and she made no effort to pull hers away. He took the opportunity to study her in detail. Her montrals were tall and tapered back from her forehead. Long lekku draped luxuriously over the sienna skin of her neck and down her back. Her eyes were an impossibly deep shade of blue. T'annon was right. She was beautiful.
Rex was lost in the simple pleasure of the warmth of her hand in his when another piece of the puzzle snapped into place, jarring him out of the moment.
He knew her name had sounded familiar when T'annon had first mentioned it. And now he realized where he'd heard it before. And with her obvious Force abilities, he knew he was right.
Rex felt his jaw drop and he stared at her. "I know who you are. You're a Jedi."
Ahsoka gasped at Rex's epiphany. She jerked her hand away and stepped back in surprise. A moment later her surprise was pushed aside by anger boiling up from deep inside. She felt the crackling of Force energy in the air around her, wild and untamed.
"I am no Jedi!"
As she spat the words a blast of Force energy burst from her body and slammed into Rex, throwing him back a dozen meters and knocking him to the ground.
Ahsoka stood rooted to the floor unable to move. She struggled to catch her breath as she fought against the confusion that clouded her mind. She stared at Rex sprawled on the floor halfway across the room. Then the realization of what had just happened crashed down on her.
She'd done it again. Her anger had overwhelmed her, the emotion channeling the Force through her with more power than she could comprehend. Normally it took an effort of concentration and will to use the Force to physically move something. Yet, without thinking and with less effort than it would take to swat a fly, she'd sent a ninety-kilogram man flying across the room. And she'd done it without conscious intention, without considering the consequences.
Ahsoka's body began to tremble, terror swelling inside. She looked down at her shaking hands. Was this how the dark side would claim her? Maybe the Jedi had it all wrong. Maybe fallen Jedi didn't embrace the dark side. Maybe the dark side devoured them until there was nothing left of their will to fight against it.
Glancing up she saw Rex had risen to his knees. He was staring at her, eyes wide with fear and confusion. She ached that she was the cause of the pain she saw on his face.
Guilt shot through her. He was right to fear her. She was afraid of herself. Afraid of the power of the Force which she seemed no longer able to fully control.
She held out her hands, wanting to go to Rex, to help him rise, to make sure he was alright. But her feet still wouldn't move.
"I'm sorry," she implored. "I'm so sorry. I didn't … I couldn't …"
Ahsoka searched for the words to make Rex understand. Words that would take away his fear of her. But they didn't come. Perhaps because they didn't exist.
Panic began to rise inside Ahsoka. She needed to get away from Rex to protect him from her — to protect her from herself.
"Forgive me," she whispered. Then she spun on her heels, moving fast toward the door.