A MESSED UP DESTINY

A STAR WARS STORY

Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Disney owns everything and I make no profit from this.

Hello there everyone and welcome to chapter 22 of the story! Today we continue from where we last left off, with Rex going off to find someone who can help him clear his head after a heated argument with Cody, but doesn't end up getting much clarity at all.

Also, part of this chapter was supposed to be at the end of chapter 1, but I didn't want to drop spoilers for "In the Grip of a Tyrant" without giving people a chance to read it first. With that said, SPOILER WARNING!

Anyways…without further ado…let's jump right into it!

Confused by and conflicted about his Jedi General's strange behavior, Clone Captain Rex goes to the only person he can talk to about this, seeking advice after being left reeling from an argument with his brother. Meanwhile, Jedi Knight –and former Sith Lord- Anakin Skywalker receives a call from an old foe who claims to be offering assistance in the fight against the Emperor, but will they prove themselves to be a useful ally, or a malicious enemy?

Resolute, Training Room 5, Rex's point of view:

Following my…discussion with Cody, his words kept repeating themselves in my head. We had agreed to disagree when it came to General Skywalker, but the mere fact that there was something to notice in first place was unsettling, and it wasn't like Cody was making things up either.

Confusion and conflicting emotions made their way through my head as I walked into the nearest training room, the one reserved for the General and Commander to use during training sessions, whether they be duels or other exercises. General Skywalker was nowhere to be found, which was unusual, seeing as the man had once spent an entire day in this very room, deflecting sting bolts from a total of exactly twenty men, who had been chosen based on a bi-hourly rotation.

That day had been weird on its own, with the General insisting upon all participants being volunteers and ruthlessly working himself to the bone, and all because he had been forced to stop a blaster bolt with the Force during the battle of Ryloth, less it had hit the Vod standing behind him.

By the time said exercise was over, Commander Fett and Appo -who had recently been promoted to Sergeant- had counted an approximate five hundred thousand bolts deflected –give or take a few dozen-, with a grand total of zero managing to get through his defense. General Kenobi had been informed of the feat later on, and I distinctly remember him shooting a proud grin to General Skywalker on his way to the briefing room for some mission or the other a few days after.

Shaking my head and focusing on the 'here and the now' as the General always advised us to do, sometimes commenting about how a wise Jedi had first said it, I scanned the room and saw that Commander Tano was engaged in a brutal spar with a training droid that the General had brought in from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the darned thing having been set to the highest difficulty.

For a moment I thought that the Commander might be unaware of the fact and contemplated rushing in to help, but I was quickly corrected as she leaped into the air and back flipped above the electrostaff the droid wielded, using her two sabers to slash at its back in a diagonal pattern, causing the droid to register the 'fatal' hit and back off, retreat to the corner and deactivate itself as Commander Tano collected her bearings, still panting after the brutal battle.

I cautiously approached her, not wanting to startle her as I had once done to the General, which had caused me to end up unable to move and with a lightsaber inches away from my throat in the split second it took him to turn around and notice me, as well as thoroughly apologize for the attack mere moments later, clearly disturbed by –in his own words' his 'inability to distinguish my Force Presence', though I still have no idea what that means.

"Commander? Are you alright?", I asked her as I saw that had now sat down on the floor, still breathing heavily.

She then turned her head and looked at me in surprise, just now realizing that I was in the room. Perhaps it was a good thing that I had called out before approaching her then. "Rex!", she exclaimed with excitement evident in her voice. "How's it going?", she asked casually, as if she wasn't still out of breath.

I was a bit confused by what I'm pretty sure was an attempt to hide her fatigue, but I decided to not bring it up unless she did, just to be safe. "Just fine sir. How about you?", I inquired, doing my best to 'initiate conversation', as Cody had taught me back on Kamino, when we were both still in training as Cadets.

Commander Tano seemed to hesitate for a moment, almost as if debating what to reply with, and she eventually just let out a long sigh, clearly either tired or disappointed in someone or something. Had I done something to upset her?

She let out another sigh before finally replying. "Not so fine, actually. Master Skywalker makes it look so easy, but I've been thrown to the floor by that stupid droid for hours now. Had it been a real battle, I'd be dead, over and over again." The Commander looked to the floor, and I figured that she must be disappointed in herself, so I tried my best to cheer her up as she had me when I was like this after Ryloth.

I moved a little closer and smiled at her. "Commander, don't bring yourself down. You were amazing when I saw you fight. And besides, Grand Master Yoda always says that failure is the best teacher. You're still learning, and I also think that this is how we learn. You'll do better next time, I'm sure.", I told her, but she looked at me funny instead of replying. Maybe quoting her word for word hadn't been a good idea after all…

I was half expecting her to be mad, but she suddenly started laughing, filling the room with noise. Not that it was a bad noise, I liked hearing her laugh. It was calming, almost…peaceful in a way. Made the day seem a whole lot brighter than it was. She truly had a good laugh, and if cheering my friend up meant I'd get to hear it, then I was more than willing to do so.

When she composed herself a few seconds later, I was almost sad that I'd take a while for me to hear the sound of her laugh again, but I focused my attention solely on her reply, waiting to hear her response.

"I guess my words really did bite me back this time!", she giggled, making a delightful sound along the way and causing me to chuckle involuntarily.

"Yeah…guess so…", I agreed, not really knowing how to respond to the statement. I would have laughed along if a brother had said the same, but with the Commander, I didn't really know what to say in this type of situation.

"Anyway!", the Commander suddenly exclaimed loudly, jumping to her feet. "What brings you here Rex?", she inquired, trying to change the subject. I wasn't quite sure why she appeared to be disappointed at not doing as well as the General, since he had at least a decade of more experience as a Jedi than she did, but nevertheless, I was glad she was smiling.

She looked eager to listen to whatever I had to say, but I wasn't sure whether the nature of my argument with Cody was something I should share, in this case. Commander Tano was someone who looked up to the General, almost idolizing him in a way, and I didn't want to ruin her perception of him because Cody was being a nutcase after drinking. Then again, if I could trust her to lead us into battle, surely I trusted her enough to ask for advice? After all, she had been the one to tell me about defusing heated situations, so maybe she could help me clear my head.

"Rex? Are you okay?", she asked suddenly, and I realized I must have been staring at her like an idiot. Taking a deep breath, I decided to tell her, hoping that she'd provide the words of reassurance I needed to get my brother's nonsense out of my head.

"Not really, Commander." I confessed to her. "Cody and I…had an argument.", I added, not wanting to be reminded of it by answering questions.

Her eyes went still for a second, and surprise could quickly be seen written on her face, as she probably hadn't expected that to happen given how he and I usually were while joking around or playing small pranks on one another. "You don't have to tell me…", the Commander hesitated, "but why did you guys fight?", she asked in a low voice. "You're good friends from what I can tell.", she then added, doing something I'd heard General Kenobi employ before, trying to not make me feel pressured to answer, which –surprisingly- usually had the opposite effects on whoever Cody's Jedi was speaking to.

A moment passed and I stayed silent. I tried to see if she'd react to me not saying anything, but she just sat there with a patient smile, looking ready to help however she could. I had to stop myself from smiling. That's part of what made her a good Commander. "It was about General Skywalker.", I replied, my throat dry and unsure of how she'd take it.

The Commander looked confused, but then determination sparkled in her eyes as she began to form a sentence I could barely hear, perhaps because of the fear I could feel inside my head, though I wasn't sure what had caused it. "Rex, did Cody…say something to insult him or…was it something else?", she inquired as her eyes examined my helmet, though I could feel them stare into my soul. Was this what others felt when Jedi read their minds? It was horrible.

"Sort of.", I croaked out, my voice cracking as I did so. "He mentioned that he's been acting strangely as of late, one way or the other. Alluded to him hiding something, but I know him. He's been nothing but honest with all of us.", I spoke again, my voice more steady this time, and a sense of pride filling me as I finished my sentence.

The Commander's eyes narrowed in curiosity and I didn't have to read minds in order to see that she wanted to know more about what Cody had told me, so I elaborated. "Cody…uh, noticed how the General seems to be agitated a lot of the time and how he…knows things.", I finished lamely, not daring to look the Commander in the eye.

Knowing I could have done better in explaining the problem, I tried again, this time with more success. "There were times were he just…spaces out for some reason. It's…a bit odd, but there was one time where he just spooked me a lot and…I don't like thinking about how Cody has a point in what he's saying about the General may be holding back against the Seps.", I elaborated, causing the Commander to stare at me weirdly, even shaking her head in a negative at the last one.

Knowing I had to clarify before this got back to the General and he freaked out about it, I didn't give her time to reply and rambled on. "He…alluded to it when we were talking about the operations on Jabiim and Christophsis. I know you weren't there for the first one, but he just annihilated the entire droid army in seconds. Blue thunder rained down on them from the skies like death itself and turned all those clankers into ash, but he said he couldn't do it again on Christophsis, which caused Cody to make stupid assumptions…because there were a lot less droids…", I finished, my voice weak as the implications of what Cody was saying finally set in. It was terrifying to think about, and now I felt bad for dragging the Commander into all of this.

She didn't speak at all for a few moments, which prompted me to lift my gaze from the floor and look her in the eye, only to find her deep in thought. I wasn't sure how, but a passing thought of a lesson on Force Lightning got into my head, even though I had no idea what that even was.

The Commander then cleared her throat, much like General Skywalker did when he was about to begin a lecture on one subject or the other, before finally replying. "I'd heard about Jabiim, but I just thought that everyone was overreacting. Then again, for someone like Master Skywalker…it seems possible. Force Judgement is basically the Jedi version of that Sith power and I wouldn't be too surprised if he knew it…", she mumbled, still thinking about what I had told her, and sounding far more mature than any teenager should.

Seeing as she was distracted by her thoughts, I decided to not trouble her any longer and instead just go ask the General himself, like I should have done from the start. Listening to Cody's stupid ranting had caused enough unnecessary doubts about the General in me and now the Commander as well, all because Cody was seeing things were there was nothing to see. Not that I was trying to pin all the blame on him, since I was the one who actually went to Commander Tano and exposed her to this madness.

Frustrated with him, but also myself, I unknowingly stomped my way to the General's personal quarters –which were as personal as they could get if one excludes the fact that he shares them with a curious teenager- and managed to stop one movement away from barging through the door.

Logically, I knew that I should at least announce myself or even just knock out of politeness and for the sake of protocol, but after working under the man for so long, that word was no longer part of my vocabulary, so I stood there, ready to open the door and confront him with all the might of a confused and –slightly- scarred Cadet fresh out of Kamino, even if it had been almost a year since I had stepped foot in those white halls.

Then…the unexpected happened. I suddenly heard a voice from the inside. It was the General's, followed by another, belonging to someone who sounded like an older male and for a moment I convinced myself that it could be a Jedi he was speaking to, but my traitorous mind had scoffed at enough Separatist propaganda to know who that was.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?", the General's voice asked, in either hesitance or worry, but I didn't know –or care- which it was.

A moment passed before the reply came. "I am certain.", replied the voice of Count Dooku, leader of the Separatist Alliance of all people. "I know the risks, but one cannot gain a high reward without taking some. We both know who is responsible for the Galaxy's state my boy, and he cannot go unpunished for what he has done.", the Sith Lord –as most Jedi called him- continued.

"I assure you Count, he will pay the price of his insurgence when it comes to the Force's Will, but power not what I am looking to ensure. I know enough of the Dark Side as we speak. What I want is an ally, not someone who will stab me in the back the very moment I turn around, and I can't trust you like that. Not yet, at least.", came the General's response, spoken in the same cold and deadly tone he had used back on the Bridge all those months ago.

There was another pause before the Sith spoke again. "Qui Gon believed in actions saying far more than words, and I share the sentiment. When the time comes for you to ask for my support, you will have it.", Count Dooku replied calmly, though I could detect an undertone to that message, as if he knew something big would go down soon.

Oh, who was I kidding! He was the Leader of the CIS, of course he knew what they were planning for us! "I certainly hope so.", the General replied, along with some mention of the Senate, but I couldn't bring myself to listen anymore.

I felt like I couldn't breathe and that the room was spinning wildly. My head was hurting, but I did my best to ignore the distractions and focus in the moment, not sparring even a second to notice the irony. My hands shaking, I grabbed my comm. and sent a message to Cody, praying he would see it as the door to the Generals' quarters opened, the cold coming from the inside ready to swallow me whole. The message read:

"Alert General Kenobi. You were right."

And…there you have it everyone! Chapter 22 of a Messed Up Destiny! This chapter also contained a very minor spoiler for a companion piece to Book 1 titled "In the Grip of a Tyrant", but you'd require context to truly understand it. About the actual plot, a lot of things are happening in a very small timeframe, but the conversations between Rex and Cody, Rex and Ahsoka, as well as Anakin and Dooku are the focus points of this first arc, which will lead to some…interesting things happening down the line as the story progresses.

Anyway, we have a lot to cover for this chapter so…without further ado, let's dive right into the exposition!

Firstly, the Battle of Ryloth. I feel like I have to address this since I haven't written a piece on it, but the synopsis is that everything that happens within the three-episode arc from the episode is the same, with only a few exceptions.

To begin, the first assault on the blockade around the planet went very differently since Anakin just launched all the Republic's fighters at once instead of having Ahsoka lead the first attack squadron, resulting in Axe (Clone pilot from the 501st) surviving the battle.

The ground assault went the same on Obi Wan's side with the notable exception of him saving a few Clones from getting eaten by the animals released by the Separatists as a way to counter his offensive, but the real difference happens at the capital city of the planet. Anakin and Rex lead the 501st along with Master Windu's legion and Rex gets injured, resulting in him being sent to the medical bay.

The aftermath is a Republic victory with fewer losses, but the important thing is a moment between Rex and Ahsoka which is referenced during this chapter as he tries to cheer her up in the training room.

TL;DR, it happened and wasn't all that important so I didn't write about it, but I felt like giving you guys some context so you can better understand what's been happening off-screen.

Secondly, Rex's mindset. During this chapter, everything Rex knows about his Jedi General, one of the only people he'd ever trust with his life, is flipped on its head as Cody's words begin to settle in his mind and he realizes that his Jedi has been acting strangely since…forever, basically. In his mind, the mere thought of Anakin being dishonest, never mind a traitor is unacceptable and that's why he goes to Ahsoka. He knows she's the only person on the ship that will only sing praises for the man respects so much, but as he sees her being skeptical, he still denies the implications of Cody being right.

He blows things out of proportion by coming up with the idea that Anakin is a traitor on his own when he doesn't get the assurance he wants from Ahsoka, and his entire world comes crashing down on him when he overhears Anakin talking to Dooku and specifically planning something with him since, had he heard Anakin tell the Count to kriff off, all would have been well and he wouldn't have had to think about this again, but without the context of a Sith Lord being in the Senate and that Sith being the Republic's Leader, to him it seems like Anakin really is a traitor to the Republic and by extension, to him and that's something Rex can't accept.

Thirdly, Anakin's (mentioned) perfectionism. While I don't devote much time to this little flashback, Rex's memory of Anakin wearing himself down to the bone just because one of him brothers almost got shot means a lot to him, even if he doesn't understand it. This shows that Anakin will go to any length to keep those he cares for safe, even if that someone is an unnamed Clone who was bred to be literal cannon fodder in a War. The fact that Anakin would chastise himself for nearly letting a Clone get shot means something that Rex can't identify, but this is his subconscious basically trying to deny that his General has nefarious goals since it can't be possible after all he's done for the Clones, or at least that's how Rex sees it.

Fourthly, Rex and Ahsoka. To be entirely honest, I wasn't quite sure how to write to between those two for this chapter. It seemed too serious a conversation for the pair, but Ahsoka is also the only person Rex trusts outside of Cody, a select few brothers and Anakin himself, so I couldn't not write this scene.

It highlights how they've both made the mistake of putting Anakin on a pedestal, each in their own way. Rex believes that his General can do no wrong, while Ahsoka thinks she'll never be as good as he is him, because she has seen how powerful and skilled Anakin is, but has no idea of what it took for him to get there and is bringing herself down because of it.

To put this in perspective, Ahsoka battles and defeats a Jedi Temple training droid supposed to mimic Magna Guards, the same kind of droid that Obi Wan and Siri fight multiple of in chapter 16 of this story (Book 1). This droid is the model that trained Jedi Knights practice with and struggle to hold up against on normal difficulty, but Ahsoka, a fourteen year old Padawan has enough skill, determination and perseverance to not only defeat this thing, but win while having set it to the maximum difficulty and after being thrown to the floor by it for over an hour.

After succeeding, she still doesn't think she's good enough because she's –unknowingly- trying to compare herself to Darth kriffing Vader, who has double the years in experience and would consider fighting ten practice droids with lethal weapons a joke because he's been trained by Darth Sidious for five whole years.

So Rex, like the good friend he is, tries to comfort her and cheer her up a bit, and Ahsoka opening up to him about her insecurity is the only reason why doesn't back out and instead tells her about the argument with Cody and subsequently reveals his brother's thoughts on her Master.

Ahsoka starts thinking, which makes Rex nervous and causes him to hightail it out of there, thinking that he's screwed up and that he never should have said a word to her, while finally going to talk to Anakin, but notice how we never see Ahsoka's reaction after she starts thinking about what Rex has said to her. It's left unanswered for a reason, but you'll have to wait before seeing what that reason is.

Lastly, Anakin's conversation with Dooku. The complete conversation will be in the next chapter of the story, presented from Anakin's point of view and I will not be doing an analysis on it here so I don't spoil anything. Take what you will from what has been given, because I won't be delving into this until next chapter.

Next time: As Anakin contemplates his progress in defeating Darth Sidious and bringing Balance to the Force, he receives a call from Count Dooku, otherwise known as Darth Tyranus, who wants to join the fight against his evil master. Meanwhile, Captain Rex, having overheard only part of the conversation, has some misconceptions in regards to its nature, and it's up to Anakin to clear things up before Sidious catches wind of what is happening aboard the Resolute…

That's all for now everyone! Reviews are always welcome, whether it be to ask a question or to chat, and I'll see you all next chapter, but until then, May the Force be with you!