An alarm blared loudly, and a bomb shook the entire base. Hevy stumbled slightly, taking in a sharp breath when he nearly dropped Soph. Gripping onto her tightly, he tried to ignore the blood that was covering his armor.

"Change in plans!" Rex called, running over. He stopped short at the sight of Soph in Hevy's arms and Kix fussing over them even as they ran. His voice shook when he spoke again. "Get to the safe room! Virus leak!"

Hevy picked up his pace, running alongside his brothers into the safe room. He got in first, but the doors started to close. While he gently dropped Soph on a table, Ahsoka held the doors open as the other men jumped into the room. Finally, Ahsoka jumped through the small gap and dropped to the floor. The doors closed, but not before some blue smoke of the virus leaked in.

Once the doors were closed and Kix was back to Soph, Rex stalked over to her. "What the hell happened?"

"She was doing too much," Cutup said quietly. "She protected us, fought back, and watched the Commander. She missed a shot."

"Damn it," Kix cursed. He was putting pressure on her wound again. "I need a bacta patch! Someone needs to get this damn cloak off of her."

Droidbait went for the bacta patch while Rex gently leaned her up and helped to remove the cloak, revealing her scar. Kix did a double take.

"That's-,"

"Focus," Rex hissed. It was all Kix needed to continue working. Droidbait handed him the bacta patch, and he gently placed it on the wound.

"This'll hold her for a bit, but she's weak," Kix said, wiping the blood off of his hands as best as he could. "We need to get these doors open."

"But the virus," Ahsoka said.

"Some got in," Fives said with a sigh. "It's too late."

"Well," Ahsoka frowned. "If we're going to die, we may as well do it trying to help. Kix, stay with Master Sizre no matter what."

"That's the plan, sir."

Ahsoka's comm went off. She sighed and pressed the button.

"Ahsoka, what is going on down there?" Anakin asked, panic lacing his voice.

"The droid released the virus," Ahsoka told him. "We managed to seal the lab."

"And Soph?"

Ahsoka paused. "Not good, Master. And… she's got this…"

"What?"

"This scar," Ahsoka said softly, gaining stares from a concerned Domino Squad. Rex was far too focused on assisting Kix to be concerned. "It- it looks bad, Master."

"How about we worry about the literal gaping wound instead of a healed scar?" Kix muttered. Ahsoka grimaced, and Kix winced at his words. "Sorry, Commander."

"No, you're right," she waved him off. Anakin was quiet for a moment.

"And Padme?"

"Haven't heard from her since the bomb."

"Anakin, can you hear me?" Padme jumped in through her own comm - something that no one knew how she got. "Anakin!"

"Padme, I'm here. Are you alright?"

"Yes, for the time being," Padme confirmed. "Jar Jar and I were in a chamber when the bomb went off. We're wearing protective suits."

"The virus is loose," Anakin sighed. "But Ahsoka has sealed off the facility." They stopped listening to the conversation as the two continued filling one another in.

"I think she's stable," Kix said. "For now."

"Now all we have to worry about is the virus," Echo sighed.

"I don't understand," Ahsoka said, staring down at Soph. "She didn't have that scar before. It looks- it's bad."

Rex tipped his head back slightly. Fives knew what he was worried about - they all did. Soph's secret was too close to being revealed.

"Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?"

"Senator Amidala," Ahsoka held up her comm. "We're trapped in a safe room outside complex B."

"We'll be right there," Padme promised. She paused. "Are you contaminated?"

Ahsoka looked up to see Kix coughing - he'd removed his helmet to take care of Soph. "I'm afraid so."

It took a few minutes for Padme and Jar Jar to get there, but when they did, they opened the door. Padme winced at the strong smell of blood and her friend lying motionless on the table. "How is she?"

"It's bad, sir," Kix said, coughing between his words. "We have to get her out of here."

Padme nodded firmly. "I need some men to go toward the south entrance - I saw some droids headed that way. There aren't many left."

Ahsoka hesitated, but she waved at Cutup and Echo. "Let's go, boys."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Soph was coughing. It wasn't bad at first, but the more she coughed, the more blood she lost. Kix had replaced her bacta patch twice by the time the group got back. They'd destroyed the rest of the droids and ensured that the virus hadn't gotten out, but it left many sick men, not to mention Soph, who was officially in danger of bleeding out again.

They weren't sure how long they'd been down there when Anakin finally got back with the cure. They cleared out the facility before finally unsealing it. A team of medics rushed in to help Soph. Kix had passed out in the middle of giving Soph another injection of blood clotters. He was the worst off out of all of them, barring Soph.

Soph didn't wake up until they'd gotten her to the Resolute. She'd gone in for surgery after they did a scan and found that the shot had nicked her appendix. It was quick to remove it, and she was out for a couple of hours before she woke up. When she did, she found Anakin to her left, Rex to her right, and Obi Wan at the foot of her bed, stroking his beard in worry. "Mm."

"Soph," Anakin's eyes shot to her. "Thank the Force."

"What- what… happened?" she asked. Her throat was dry and she was nauseous. She felt a sharp, consistent pain in her stomach. Taking stock of her body, she knew something bad had happened. Looking down, her eyes widened when she saw the hospital gown she wore. She looked at Rex. "Did…?"

"Yes," he said regretfully. "They saw."

"Question her right now and I'm kicking you all out," Kix warned from his desk nearby. He'd overheard the Jedi discussing the suspicious scar and was more than prepared to throw them out for disturbing his patient.

"Don't worry," Obi Wan told him. "That is a discussion for later."

Soph looked pained. She'd certainly failed in keeping her secrets. She thought back to the last thing she remembered. She remembered the bomb to blow open the hatch, she remembered fighting droids. She remembered protecting her men while they shot at the droids. She remembered Ahsoka flipping over droids. Then, nothing. "What happened?"

"You were shot," Rex told her. "And then you contracted the Blue Shadow Virus."

Soph's eyes widened. "The virus. It- it got out?"

"No," Anakin said. "We stopped it."

She breathed out in relief and winced when it hurt. "Ow. Getting shot hurts."

"You nearly died, Soph," Obi Wan told her softly. "Why did you get shot?"

"I was… trying to keep an eye on everyone," she frowned. "Protecting my men, watching Ahsoka, protecting myself… it's my fault, Master."

"Get some rest," he ordered. "We'll talk when you're released."

"Yes, Master," she sighed. "Thank you."

"Thank me by getting healthy," he said seriously. "We need you here, Soph."

"I know."

It wasn't long before Kix kicked everyone out. He was watching her closely, and when her eyes started to close again, he shooed everyone out and told them that she would be released in twelve hours. He ordered them to get some sleep - they all needed it. When he was told to do the same, he snorted and closed the door.

There was no way he was going to sleep while his General was hurt.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"So."

Soph tipped her head back. She'd been released two hours earlier and had taken the time to carefully shower and get dressed. Rex had gotten her clothes washed and mended while she was in the infirmary. After dressing, she'd made her way with Rex to the office off of the command deck. Obi Wan and Anakin had already been waiting for her. She sat and waited.

"Where did that come from, Soph?" Anakin asked bluntly. "That was a lightsaber wound. That would kill you."

"I know," she held a hand up. "I'm… I'll tell you the truth."

"That would be appreciated," Obi Wan said.

"There's no easy way to say this that you'll believe me," she admitted. She took in a deep breath. "From the beginning, then. The reason that it looked like it would kill me is because it did kill me."

Anakin and Obi Wan stared at her.

"I was killed, and then… I won't pretend that I fully understand it, but the Cosmic Force healed me and took me to Rishi."

"To Rishi," Anakin repeated. "Who the hell killed you? Grievous?"

"No. When I say I was killed, I mean… Force, you're not going to believe me," she glanced at Rex anxiously. "Why was it that you believed me?"

"You know what happened?" Anakin asked Rex with a frown. Rex nodded.

"I was on Rishi when she got there, and I saw the scar," he explained. "I came to the same conclusion that you did - that wound would have killed her. The things she told me… they were confirmed."

"There's no easy way to say this, but… I'm from the future."

There was a beat of silence. "What?"

"I saw the end of this war," she continued. "It was… it was bad. We lost, and we lost hard and fast. I was there when Order 66 was activated. I watched friends die. Master Plo Koon, you, Master, Master Yoda and… and so many more. I saw the holograms as everyone was killed. Just like that, the Jedi Order fell and we lost."

"Then who killed you? Dooku?" Anakin shook his head. He wanted to tell her she was lying, but the absolute shattering pain that was in her eyes had him hesitating.

"Dooku was killed," she disagreed. "It doesn't… it doesn't matter who killed me."

"I disagree," Obi Wan shook his head. "If we know who did it, we can stop it."

"No. I'm handling that myself," she said firmly. "I'm sorry, Master, but I'm not telling you who did it."

Anakin looked frustrated. "How did you see Order 66 carried out? Why were you with… whoever did this?"

Soph looked to Rex anxiously. He offered her a small, supportive smile. "You have the proof, sir, and you risked a lot to get it. The sooner you tell them, the better."

"This isn't going to go well," she muttered. "If…"

"I know your concerns," he reminded her. "If you plan to change things-,"

"Then I have to change them," she agreed. She grabbed her datapad and scrolled through it as she spoke, looking for the information she needed. "I know who Sidious is."

Anakin and Obi Wan's eyes snapped to hers. It was Obi Wan who spoke. "How?"

"While he used someone else to do it, Sidious is why I died," she explained, setting her datapad down. She didn't hand it over yet. "It was on his orders. He watched as…" she trailed off, her mind wandering back to that moment. Anakin's eyes, the click of his lightsaber, the searing hot pain just before-

"Kat," Rex said sharply. She started and tried to blink away the memory. It didn't work. It sat firmly in her mind, playing in a disorganized repeat. It left her with panic in her chest making it hard to breathe. "You're okay."

She heavily disagreed. Sitting in front of Anakin and telling her story was almost re-traumatizing. Still, she knew she had to continue.

"Soph," Anakin said softly. Concern shone in the eyes she couldn't bear to look at. "Are you…?"

She cleared her throat and tried to push it all down. It was something she'd learned to do a bit too well during the war, but she struggled with it at that moment. "He, um, he watched as I was killed. Before that, he killed Master Windu. He activated Order 66. I was… given the chance to join them and when I said no, he ordered me to be killed."

"I'm sorry," Obi Wan bowed his head. He could see the pain in her eyes. "Who is Sidious?"

"I have proof," she said, sniffling and shifting in her chair. She fiddled with the datapad and prepared herself for Anakin's reaction. It wasn't going to be good. "I- I know it was reckless, but I went to Dooku."

"Soph!" Anakin said sharply, making her wince.

"I had to get proof, or this would turn into a screaming match," she shrugged. "And I don't particularly feel like sitting here while you yell at me, Anakin."

"Why would I-,"

"Palpatine."

The men across from her froze. Just as she expected, Anakin's face twisted in anger. "You're wrong."

"I watched him throw Master Windu out a fucking window," she snapped. "Don't tell me I'm wrong. You're not the one he killed."

Anakin winced at the words, but he was clearly still angry.

"Here," she chucked the datapad at him. He caught it and looked down. "Dooku agreed to help me. He gave me everything he had. He's been collecting evidence for a while, ever since he realized Palpatine is using him. He agreed to help under the condition that he will not be arrested."

Anakin's emotions flashed openly across his face. Horror, disappointment, and then a forceful fury. "He… how could… why?"

"There's no better way to win a war than running both sides of it," she said softly. "And as much as I hate to say it, the way he did things, it- it worked. He had us killed and… I don't know what happened after 66, but it- it had to have been bad."

Obi Wan took the datapad from Anakin's shaking hands and looked over it himself. As he read through it, a deep frown covered his face. "This is… how did we not feel it?"

She knew what he meant. How did they not feel him through the Force? It was a question she'd wondered more than once. "I don't know, Master. I think this war has corrupted us. We're losing our way."

"You're right about that," he allowed. "You promised Dooku we wouldn't arrest him. I think this information is well worth that trade."

"All he wants is to be free to live his life," she shrugged. "He asked that his name not be mentioned until after Palpatine is arrested."

"This isn't possible," Anakin said, staring at the table. "He couldn't do that. The Chancellor is a… good man."

"I'm sorry, Ani, but he isn't," she disagreed.

"You're lying."

"You have the proof."

"That can be faked!"

"Damn it," she cursed loudly. "You want proof I'm from the future?"

"Yes."

She turned to Obi Wan. "I know about Satine."

Obi Wan's eyes widened for a moment. "I'm not the one questioning you. I believe you, Soph."

"Who is Satine?" Anakin looked between them.

"A… friend," Obi Wan said slowly. "Why do you know about her?"

"There were issues with Mandalore," she waved him off. "A lot of them, actually. It's unimportant. Anakin, I don't know what you want from me."

"I want proof."

"For Force's sake," she glared at him. Letting out a breath, she shook her head and got up to walk over. She put a hand on both of their shoulders. They knew what she was doing, so they closed their eyes and opened their minds - something that Anakin found extremely difficult with how upset he was.

Soph closed her eyes as well and, using the Force, showed them a memory. She took extra care to ensure that they wouldn't see Anakin. It took effort to blur parts of a memory, but she did it. She knew he wouldn't be able to handle the fact that he'd killed her.

"Execute Order 66," Palpatine said. He turned to look at Soph, but her eyes were firmly planted on the hologram. She saw hundreds of flashes of Jedi being killed, proof sent in by clones of the dead Jedi. Her eyes only snapped to Palpatine when he reached out to touch her arm. She stepped out of his reach, grabbing for her lightsaber. It shot from her hand and into Anakin's - though they couldn't tell it was him. "I will give you a chance, my dear girl."

"How… could you?" she asked softly, horror in her eyes. "How could you?" she yelled at him.

"This war must end," was his simple answer. "Join us, Soph-Katarina. You can help us end this war. You can-,"

"I'd rather die," she spat at him venomously.

"That can be arranged."

The memory skipped a little bit until there was a blurry figure standing before her. "They're killing us. All of us. He's killing us. Help me stop him. We can still fix this."

"You know I can't go back, Soph," a voice said. It was clearly tampered with to keep the person's identity a secret.

"It's okay," she said. "I… I forgive you."

Soph closed her eyes. After a long moment, there was the click of a lightsaber, and then she felt it go through her heart. It took mere moments before she was dead.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the way Anakin was gripping the table like a lifeline. Obi Wan looked sick. She made her way back to her seat next to Rex and watched them.

"I'm sorry," Obi Wan told her quietly. "I'm so sorry, Soph."

She didn't answer him. She knew he was sorry, but she didn't need apologies, not for something he couldn't have done anything about, anyway. She needed change.

"I can't believe he…" Anakin whispered. "We have to arrest him!"

"We will," Obi Wan promised, his own voice shaking. She figured she probably wouldn't be stable if she saw Ahsoka be killed. "Soph, is there… what can we do? What do you need?"

"Fives," Anakin said suddenly. She blinked, confused. "You knew him before, didn't you?"

Soph nodded, sadness filling her eyes. "Originally, only Echo and Fives survived Rishi. I don't really know what changed this time. They went on to become ARCs."

"Which is why you sent them straight to ARC training," Obi Wan understood.

"I wanted my men up to the standard I was used to," she shrugged. "Fives… he found out about the chips when one malfunctioned and Tup tried to carry out Order 66 prematurely. Fives had his removed and tried to- Force, he tried. He tried to tell us, to warn us, but… I think Palpatine activated Commander Fox's chip, because Fox killed Fives instead of stunning him. He was trying to help, to do what was right, and we failed him. I wanted to look into it more, but with the war, I wasn't able to. By the time I realized he was right, I was killed."

"So, what does this mean?"

"We tell the Council," Anakin suggested. Soph shook her head.

"No."

"Why?"

"Krell," she sighed. "He's on the Council."

"And?"

"And he fell," she rubbed her temples gently. She still had a headache from the medicine they'd been giving her, and their conversation didn't help. "He got countless men killed and turned on us."

"And what can we do without the Council?"

"We can give them this proof, for one," Soph waved at the datapad sitting in front of Obi Wan. "Get him arrested. The war would… not end, but it would be incredible progress."

"We'll start there," Obi Wan agreed. "Soph, I assume you've been focusing on all of this instead of fighting?"

"I have been, yes."

"Make that your main focus, but I'd like you to help as much as you can in the meantime," he said.

"I will, Master."

"I can't believe you knew," Anakin told Rex. The man had been quiet, letting the Generals talk it out. He'd really only come to support Soph. "And you didn't tell me."

"It wasn't my secret to share," was all Rex said.

"Let's get working on this," Obi Wan told them. "The Council needs this information as soon as possible. We need to go to the temple."

OoOoOoOoOoOo