DESTINY - CHAPTER 25

Rex climbed through the deck hatch and walked down the gangway to the small galley and dining area. Ahsoka was right behind him and he gestured for her to sit on a bench by a small table. He rustled around several cabinets until he found a blanket which he wrapped around Ahsoka's trembling shoulders. Instead of sitting across from her, he slid in beside her.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide and exhausted. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his side. She slumped against him, resting her head on his shoulder, her montral grazing his cheek. She let out a long sigh.

Rex slowly dropped his mental barriers, allowing more of Ahsoka to reach him through the Force. She was tired, and sad … and grateful. He was pretty sure her gratitude was because he'd shown up.

After awhile Ahsoka pulled back a little and looked up at Rex. "Don't take this the wrong way, but … why are you here?"

Rex chuckled. "You didn't think I was going to let you walk into hell without me, did you?"

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Let me try this again. How is it that you're here? How did you know something had happened? How did you know to come to this docking bay?"

Rex thought for a moment about how best to explain the very strong link he experienced with Ahsoka through the Force.

"After you … resurrected me … for lack of a better description, I started to sense your moods and emotions. It was subtle at first, but over the past several weeks it's grown stronger. It's like when one of the Jedi try to touch my mind through the Force, except it's much more powerful with you.

"I felt your grief and fear. Your anger, too. They practically knocked me down. I knew you were in trouble. So, I jumped ship and started back to the VCX. But the Force pointed me in this direction. I decided to trust it and came here instead."

Ahsoka rested her head against Rex's chest. "I've been experiencing the same thing," she said. "I've never been connected so strongly to anyone through the Force, not even my old master when I was a padawan."

"Does that mean I'm a Jedi master, now?" Rex said.

Ahsoka swatted his chest. "Not funny."

"It was kind of funny."

Ahsoka chuffed as she snuggled into him.

Rex pulled her closer and let out a contented sigh. He liked the way she felt against his chest, one arm wrapped tightly around her. In his arms he knew she was safe and that nothing could harm her. Not while he drew breath.

A comlink chirped and Ahsoka reached into her pocket and pulled it out. "Yes?" she said.

"Commander," came Jin's voice, "Bandrix is conscious."

"Thank the Maker," Ahsoka said. "Help the med techs move him off the ship so he can be transported to the hospital."

"We were moving him through the cargo hold when he woke up. He won't let us take him any further until he talks to you, Commander."

Ahsoka tilted her head up, catching Rex's eyes, her expression as confused as he felt.

"That stubborn Togruta," she growled. "We're on the way," she said into the comlink, then dropped it back into her pocket.

They both stood, and as Rex began to step out from behind the table Ahsoka reached out for his hands and pulled him back to her. Her eyes captured his and, as was always the case, he couldn't look away.

"You came for me," she said.

"If I recall, you did the same for me, once upon a time," he replied. "Looks like we're even."

"You don't owe me anything, Rex. And you don't have to stick around. This looks like it's going to get messy."

For a moment, Rex felt a tinge of sadness. It seemed like Ahsoka was trying once again to get rid of him. But this time he wasn't going to give up so easily. As horrible as the circumstances were, it seemed their destinies had intersected again. Perhaps their destinies had never been meant to separate. Maybe destiny was forcing them back onto the path it had chosen for them both.

Rex placed Ahsoka's hands on his chest, holding them against his heart. "We're Yau Leh'ka," he said. "That means something to me. I won't leave you. Not this time."

Ahsoka nodded. Then she slowly reached up and put one hand behind Rex's neck, pulling his forehead down to rest against hers.

"Home is where two or more are gathered," she said.

Rex's throat grew tight. He couldn't remember having ever heard words sound so sweet and ring so true.

He swallowed, forcing his voice to cooperate. "It is good to be home," he said.

They stayed connected for a moment longer, then Ahsoka pulled back and nodded to him. Still holding one of his hands, she turned and started toward the cargo hold pulling Rex along with her.

Ahsoka climbed down the ladder into the ship's cargo hold, Rex close behind her. Bandrix lay on his back, the med techs hovering by his side. His wounds were bandaged and his arms and legs were immobilized. They'd strapped him to a micro-repulsor lift to move him.

As she drew closer one of the med techs looked up. "He's crazy," the tech said. "We need to get him to a hospital. But he refuses to go until he talks to you."

Bandrix opened his eyes and looked at her. "Ahsoka," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. His breaths came in short, labored pants. His face was twisted into a painful grimace. "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I'm … sorry."

"He's delirious from the pain meds," Rex said.

"No," one of the techs corrected him. "We've used neural transmission blockers to cut off the pain from the wounds below his chest. But he wouldn't let us drug him until he talked to her. He's fully aware, and in a lot of pain from his arm wounds."

Ahsoka knelt beside Bandrix. "Bandrix, you idiot. Let them give you the pain meds."

Bandrix's eyes tracked to Jin. "Give it to her," he croaked.

Ahsoka looked at Jin. "Give me, what?"

Jin held out a small holoprojector disc. "We found this in his hand when the techs started working on him. When he regained consciousness he told me to give it to you."

"What's on it?" Ahsoka asked.

"No idea," Jin said. "I haven't watched it."

Ahsoka took the projector. "I never even looked at his hands," she said, shaking her head. She turned back to Bandrix. "What is this, Bandrix?"

"Play it," he wheezed.

"This can wait," she said. "You need to get to a hospital."

Bandrix shook his head violently. "T'annon … stowaway … play it," he said in between gasps for breath.

At the mention of T'annon's name, a cold breath of fear swept through Ahsoka. She placed the small device on top of an empty crate. She pressed it to activate and a holographic image about two feet high popped into mid-air, hovering above the device.

The silver-blue, monochrome image was fuzzy at first but cleared to show Bandrix laying on the cockpit deck, his side ripped open with blaster wounds. Whoever was making the recording stepped back and the image took in more of the cockpit. A huge Falleen male with dark hair draped down his back in a long ponytail, stood over Bandrix. He pointed a blaster at one of Bandrix's thighs and fired. Bandrix let out a scream of agony as smoke from his scorched trousers and flesh trailed up into the air.

The Falleen turned toward the camera.

"I am Arbordahl, Primary of the Black Sun Syndicate clan of Aeternus Stultus. This is what happens to those who betray me."

He turned around and fired a blaster bolt into Bandrix's other leg. Bandrix jerked and wailed in pain.

Arbordahl turned back to the camera. "A bargain was made but remains unfulfilled. In exchange for sparing the life of the Togruta female and her people, I was to be given the human who killed my brother and delivered my ship and my people to the Republic for imprisonment. The human was not surrendered to me as promised."

Arbordahl turned back to Bandrix. "There is a price for betrayal," he said, and sent a bolt sizzling into one of the Togruta's arms.

Bandrix screamed again, but his voice had grown weaker, his head lolling to the side as he fought to remain conscious.

Arbordahl turned back to the camera. "Now the price has doubled. Not only will you deliver the human, but the Togruta echuta as well."

He turned and shot Bandrix in his other arm. Bandrix's cry of pain was pitifully weak.

Facing the camera again, Arbordahl said, "To ensure you comply with my terms I have taken something of value which I will return once the Togruta and the human have been surrendered to me."

Arbordahl, took a step to the side and reached an arm off camera. He jerked his arm back into view, his fist clutching the white hair of a small, blue-skinned Pantoran girl.

Shock froze Ahsoka's entire body. Then fear exploded inside her, blasting through every nerve ending. "T'annon," she gasped.

"How ironic that this young Force healer has found her way back to me," Arbordahl said. "It was I who procured her for the Zygerrians. I had heard someone had stolen her from the Dug salvage monger they'd sold her to. Imagine my surprise at our … reunion."

"I will break every bone in his body," Rex growled from behind Ahsoka's shoulder.

Arbordahl continued. "Bring the Togruta and the human to Gehenna Prime. If they have not been surrendered within two standard days, this little thing," he looked down at T'annon with a wicked smile, "will be sold as partial compensation for my loss."

Arbordahl glared at the camera. "Then I will personally come for you and the people of your world. And this time, there will be no mercy."

The image faded and the holorecording ended.

How had T'annon come to be here? How had Arbordahl captured her? Bandrix had said something — Stowaway?

Ahsoka couldn't allow T'annon's fate to rest in the hands of that Falleen barbarian. She had to get her back.

Fear for T'annon pulsed through Ahsoka, blurring her vision and numbing her senses. A ringing began in her montrals, drowning out any sound. Pain spiked behind her forehead, down her leeku and arms and legs. Her heart began to pound.

Anger rose from deep inside, swelling and expanding until her body began to vibrate with painful jolts of power electrifying every nerve. The anger overflowed onto itself, rising like lava oozing out of a fissure, until it transformed into a blinding rage.

Raw power flowed into Ahsoka through the Force, unimaginable in its potential, fueled by the rage coursing through her. The pain gave the power focus and Ahsoka felt the rage inside her transform into the need to exact retribution upon those who had transgressed against her — those who had killed her friends and dared to steal away a member of her Yau Leh'ka.

She would go to Arbordahl and bring him to his knees. She would make him grovel and beg for mercy. Then she would exact her revenge with a weapon forged from crystal and metal and magic.

She wouldn't stop there. She would hunt down and destroy every pirate on the planet. After that, she would burn down every vestige of their presence. And then, if the Force would allow it, she would burn the planet to cinders until every remnant of Arbordahl and the Black Sun clan of Aeternus Stultus was erased from the memory of the universe.

As the rage stormed inside her a pressure pushed at the back of her mind, a presence demanding her acknowledgement. As she turned her attention to it, awareness of what was happening began to dawn on her. The seething rage, the thirst for revenge, the power of the Force.

This was wrong. This was all wrong. This was the power of the dark side staking it's claim to her soul. Pushing her closer to its damning abyss.

Fight.

Something was telling her to fight. To fight against the darkness. To turn toward the light. The warm and comforting light. Then words began to sink into her mind.

I am one with the Force and the Force is with me. I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.

In her mind Ahsoka took up the mantra, echoing it over and over.

The rage and pain began to recede. As moments pased she became aware of a pressure surrounding her body, comforting and safe. Then her montrals vibrated with the whisper of the chant only millimeters away.

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me. I am one with the Force and the Force is with me."

She opened her eyes to find her face buried against Rex's chest, his arms wrapped around her, his voice repeating the mantra, soft and steady.

Ahsoka sucked in a shuddering breath, her whole body shaking, as if to shrug off the shroud of darkness that had draped itself over her. The chanting had stopped and she tilted her head up to find Rex looking down at her. Unwilling to leave his embrace, Ahsoka pulled back enough to survey the cargo bay. All eyes were on her. Jin's and Kip's expressions were of wide-eyed amazement. The two med techs were cowering in fear.

Turning back to him, she whispered, "Rex? What happened?"

But she already knew the answer.

Even before Arbordahl's recording had ended, Rex felt the pressure building in the cargo hold. He worked his jaw to pop his ears and flexed his fingers against the tingles of electricity saturating the air. The sensation felt familiar somehow, and he tried to remember why.

A moment later the answer crashed down on him. It was exactly the sensation he'd felt both times Ahsoka had lost control of the Force and physically sent him flying. Rex snapped his head around to find Ahsoka standing rigid as a statue, her eyes rolled back in her head, her fists clenched at her sides, her body literally vibrating with energy. He felt the pressure growing and expanding around them. The power funneling through Ahsoka was palpable and he feared it was about ready to explode.

"Rex," Jin said, his voice thick with concern.

Rex turned and looked where Jin was pointing. Several crates and boxes were beginning to vibrate and rise off the deck. As he watched, more and more items throughout the cargo hold began to shake and float upward. Straps and ropes attached to the deck and walls stretched out and up, as if pulled by invisible strings. Pieces of equipment tied down or stored in cabinets began to rattle against their restraints, fighting to break free.

Jin and Kip were staring at Ahsoka, their expressions a mixture of wonder and fear. The two med techs cowered in terror.

Suddenly Rex began to feel lighter, not unlike the sensation of transitioning from standard gravity to weightlessness when moving from inside an airlock to open space. Realizing he was about to float away, and that once his feet left the ground he'd have no way to maneuver, he threw himself at Ahsoka, wrapping his arms around her and holding on for everything he was worth.

Her body was as hard and rigid as she looked. And she was cold. Freezing.

"Ahsoka," he said.

She didn't reply. She didn't even acknowledge his presence.

He pushed his face into her montrals, his lips brushing their supple skin. "Ahsoka, come back to me."

Still no response.

Ahsoka was submerged deep within the Force. Drowning in it. Rex knew about her fear of being consumed by the dark side. They'd talked about it many times. Frantically he racked his brain for some way to bring her back, because he was afraid that if he didn't, he'd lose her forever.

Dropping all his mental barriers Rex reached out to Ahsoka through the Force. He found her energy, chaotic and raw and powerful. She was like an exploding super nova, blinding and uncontrollable. Her presence in the Force had been bright when she'd found him and brought him back to life, but it had been nothing like this.

The sense of her brightness when she'd saved him stirred a memory. A memory of her voice. Of her voice chanting a mantra.

Suddenly he knew what he needed to do. If it had worked for him, it might work for her. Rex pushed his lips back to her montral and began to chant.

"I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me. I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me."

Rex pulled her closer. He paused his chanting for a moment and whispered, "Fight, Ahsoka. Fight. I won't leave you. Don't you leave me." He kissed her montral and resumed chanting, over and over and over.

Rex wasn't sure how long he'd been chanting when the pressure behind his forehead and in his ears began to lessen. He felt gravity begin to return to normal and he loosened his hold on Ahsoka. He kept chanting as he glanced around the cargo hold. Crates and boxes and people were slowly lowering to the deck.

Rex heard Ahsoka take in a sharp gasping breath and turned back to her. Her eyes were open, recognition slowly registering on her face. She looked around the cargo hold, her expression dark.

Turning back to him, she whispered, "Rex? What happened?"

Rex wrapped his palm around Ahsoka's back lek, gently pulling her head back to his chest. "You got a little lost. But you're back now. It's alright."

She shook her head against his chest. "No," she said, "it's not alright."

"Your fear for T'annon overpowered you. I understand. I'm afraid for her too. She's family," Rex said.

"But I lost control … again. This time, more than any other."

"Of course this time was the worst. Because you've never had so much to lose before."

"If you hadn't been here — to bring me back — I'm not sure what would have happened."

"You'd have calmed down eventually. I just helped the process along."

"Maybe, maybe not. But thank you for coming after me. Again."

Rex chuckled. "Anytime, anywhere, Commander."

Rex held her for a few more moments, grateful she was back and safe in his arms.

"Commander," Jin said.

Rex kept his arms around Ahsoka but turned so that they were both facing the Weequay.

Jin pointed at Bandrix still hovering a foot above the deck. Apparently Ahsoka's little experiment with gravity hadn't affected the micro-repulsor lift supporting his body. He was still completely immobile, but he was looking at Rex and Ahsoka, his lips moving, barely audible sounds coming from his mouth.

Ahsoka rushed over and knelt beside him. "Oh Bandrix, what have you done?" she said.

"I'm … sorry," he said, the words choked and rough.

"You said stowaway. Did T'annon stowaway on the YT?" she asked.

Bandrix nodded.

"When did you discover her?"

"Touchdown."

Rex walked up behind Ahsoka, bending down so his head was next to hers. "Arbordahl talked about a bargain. Me in exchange for leaving Ahsoka and Axalon unharmed. Did you make that bargain with him?"

Bandrix's eyes tracked to Rex. He nodded. A cough racked Bandrix's body and his eyes fluttered in pain.

"We need to get him to a hospital," a med tech said.

Bandrix shook his head. "Let … me die."

"Not going to happen," Ahsoka said.

Both Jin and Kip stepped up to Bandrix's other side.

"How and when would he have been able to make a deal with the Falleen?" Kip said, his expression perplexed.

"Aurore freighter," Bandrix croaked.

Jin looked up at the ceiling and blew out a frustrated breath. "That's how he did it. He was the one who flew the pirates' ship to Republic space where we dumped them off for the authorities. He must have worked something out with one of the prisoners. They could have given him a com frequency to contact Arbordahl and make the deal."

Jin looked down at Bandrix who was looking at him. "Is that it?" Jin asked.

Bandrix nodded.

"So, Bandrix contacts Arbordahl, tells him what Rex did to the raiding party. Makes the bargain to give him Rex if he'll leave Ahsoka and the clan alone," Jin summarized.

"Then all he'd need to do was wait for a time and place to serve me up to the pirates," Rex said. "Cornu Copiae was the perfect opportunity. It's not that close to Axalon and Ahsoka wasn't supposed to be here. Both of those factors would make it harder for the Falleen to pull a double-cross."

"Arbordahl said I'd been promised to him, but I wasn't delivered," Rex continued, putting more puzzle pieces together in his mind. He turned to Ahsoka. "I was supposed to be on this ship, not the VCX. Remember how nervous Bandrix got when you changed the plans? How he insisted that you shouldn't come along and that the crew shouldn't be switched?"

"And he was mad when Michael told him he didn't have to go back to the communication hut for the cargo manifest," Kip said. "He'd probably hoped to send a message to the Black Sun telling them Rex would be on the other ship. When he couldn't, this Arbordahl maniac showed up here as planned, but there was no Rex."

"But the person who made the deal was here," Jin said, pointing at Bandrix, "and someone had to pay. The only reason Bandrix is still alive was to deliver Arbordahl's message."

Ahsoka looked down at Bandrix. "Are we right, Bandrix?" she asked. "Do we have this figured out?"

He nodded. Pursing his lips he drew in a hissing breath and grimaced in pain. "I was trying to … protect everyone," he wheezed. "I'm … sorry."

"How does T'annon fit into all of this?" Jin asked.

"She doesn't," Rex said. "She was never part of the equation. She stowed away on the YT, knowing I'd be on that ship. She probably wanted to say goodbye one last time when I left on the transport. Arbordahl finding her here was an accident."

"The fact that he was the one who originally sold her to the Zygerrians is a cruel twist of fate," Ahsoka added.

"Are we going after her?" Kip asked.

Everyone turned to Ahsoka.

"Arbordahl only wants Rex and me. So, we're the only ones going. We'll take the YT, since it's not loaded." Ahsoka said.

"But, Commander-," Jin started to protest.

"No, Jin. You and Kip aren't going. I need you two here to take care of things and look after Bandrix while he's in the hospital."

"Kip," she said, "finish getting the VCX loaded. Get hold of the contractor and have her send a crew to help cleanup this mess and store the supplies."

"Will do," Kip said.

"Jin," Ahsoka said. "I asked you and Bandrix to start working on a plan to move the clan off world if necessary. What's the status."

"A plan is in place," Jin said. "But we don't have the ships necessary to do it all at once. And with the VCX here and you taking the YT, all we can do is stage for an exodus, but not really go anywhere."

"Haar'chak," Ahsoka cursed.

Rex and Kip looked at each other in surprise and understanding and Rex saw Kip's effort to hide a grin.

"The clan is stranded on Axalon and won't stand a chance if we fail," Ahsoka said.

"Then we won't fail, Commander," Rex said.

Ahsoka looked at Rex and nodded. "No, Captain, we won't," she affirmed.

As Rex watched Ahsoka analyzing the situation, making decisions and barking out orders, he felt a sense of pride in her. She'd just been smacked down, like getting hit with a turbo laser. Yet, she'd bounced back, pulled herself together and took control like the commander that she was.

"You're not just going to surrender yourselves, are you?" Kip asked. "This pirate — Arbordahl — he won't honor his word."

"You're right," Ahsoka said. "No, we're not going to surrender. Rex and I are going to get T'annon and we're all coming home."

Ahsoka slowly looked around at each of them, capturing their eyes, one at a time. "They attacked our world. They killed our friends. And they kidnapped my family," she growled.

She turned to face Rex directly. "They started this. But we're going to finish it."