No Going Back

3.

After Anakin left the conference room, Ahsoka felt drained. She lowered her gaze and wrapped her arms around herself. Rex immediately approached her and wrapped her in his arms. He gently rubbed her back till she finally drew away. He kept her in the circle of his arms and used a finger to lift her chin.

"I know talking to him wasn't easy for you, cyare."

"No, it wasn't. I just have to hope that us being here will make a difference."

"It will. We've got the advantage this time around."

"Yes, but we can't do this alone. If we're going to stop the war, then we are going to need all the allies we can get. Master Obi-Wan and Master Anakin aren't enough."

"Where do you think we should start? Do you think the Jedi High Council will believe us? More importantly, do you think they'll actually listen?"

Ahsoka rubbed her chin in thought. Rex was right about one thing. The High Council might be willing to listen to their story, but that didn't mean they would change their ways. If there was one thing she learned during the war, it was that the Darkness had already reached the Order. Krell was a mistake that should never have gone unchecked.

"What we need is a network. Sidious is already watching our every move. We need to be able to watch him. What we need a rebellion before the Empire starts."

Rex sat down in one of the conference chairs and mulled over what Ahsoka had said. Establishing a network of their whole was a good idea. Battles could be won with the right intelligence and could help them find allies as well.

"We should use the Clones. I could set up a clone intelligence network outside of the Chancellor's chain of command."

"Yes, but we'd need people outside the GAR as well. I think I can convince Barriss and Master Plo to join our network. Padme could also gain us allies in the Senate. However, we also need allies from the Separatists."

Rex scuffed and said, "That's never going to happen."

"Then, we should push for peace."

"That clearly didn't work, or we wouldn't be in this predicament."

"That was because Sidious was playing us on both sides. It was impossible from the start to achieve peace. We need to figure out how to work around him."

"Easier said than done, Soka."

Suddenly, Rex's comm beeped. It startled him for a moment before he answered it.

"Rex, here."

"Rex! It's Coric. Where the hell are you? The men are ready to get underway."

"I was detained by the General. I'll be there right away."

"Affirmative, Captain."

Rex got up from his chair and put on his helmet. He sighed and his shoulder sagged for a moment before he straightened up and said, "There are a lot of things I don't miss about the GAR. Like the endless inspections and reports."

Ahsoka smiled and said, "Duty calls, Rex."

"Yeah, well what are you going to do while I'm gone?"

"I'm going to start building our network."

XXX

It was weird for Rex to walk around the ship with so many brothers around him. For the longest time it had only been him, Gregor and Wolffe. Yet, here he was getting nods and salutes from his brothers as he walked towards the main hanger to inspect the men. They were lined up in rows at attention. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw Jesse approached him to make his report. He was certainly glad he had his helmet on.

"Captain, the men are ready, and the gear is secure. Here are the reports you requested."

"Right, the men are to rest and wait for new orders to be received. In the meantime, Jesse, Kix and Coric, you three are with me."

Wordlessly, the men dispersed. They were eager for the downtime. Meanwhile, Jesse, Kix and Coric were puzzled by the Captain's request, but obediently followed him as he led them to his office. Rex locked the door after they were all in and took off his helmet and switched off his recorder.

"I suggest you all turn off the comm in your helmets as well."

The soldiers frowned but did as their captain instructed. They watched as Rex placed his helmet on his desk and lean against the wall behind him. He bowed his head and crossed his arms over his chest before raising on of his hands under his chin. He paused when he realized he was clean shaven. It was a small office and there wasn't a lot of space for the four men. Rex paused for a moment as he took in his old office and his brothers. They had been dead for years and seeing them again made his heart tighten inside his chest. He silently vowed that he'd save as many brothers as he could. He knew what was coming and he'd be damned if he let it all play out the same way that it did.

For the three, Rex's silence was unnerving. They watched him mutely run his hand over his short blonde hair before stroking his chin.

Jesse asked, "Rex, what's going on?"

He glanced up at Jesse. He wondered what his brothers would think if he told them the truth. Would they even believe him? Would they think he'd gone mad? It was a pretty unbelievable story, but Rex had learned that he was a terrible lair. Even if he did make up some story, they'd see that he was hiding something. They'd eventually want an explanation for his actions and eventually he'd have to give it.

However, putting it off would probably make things worse. Rex decided that he'd just have to trust his brothers and hope that they'd still want to listen to him.

"I don't really know how to explain it, so I'm just going to come out and say it. I'm a time traveler and I want you three to help me make plans to end the war."

The following silence was deafening. None of the men moved.

Then, finally Coric said, "He's lost it."

Kix said with concern, "Sir, did you hit your head? Have you been getting enough sleep?"

Rex sighed and stoically replied, "Kix, I'm not injured or sleep deprived. I'm serious. I've already explained the situation to both General Skywalker and General Kenobi."

Jesse hesitantly said, "And-they believed you, sir?"

Rex said, "Yes, the Jedi know when someone is lying. I also like to believe that you three know me well enough to know that I don't tell lies."

Coric skeptically replied, "Right."

Rex said, "You can also corroborate my story with Ahsoka."

Kix asked, "Who's Ahsoka?"

Rex recoiled. Kix's question felt like a kick in the gut. Ahsoka was everything to him. She was the bravest, most loyal, brightest, most gorgeous person in his entire life. Yet, he remembered that most of the men hadn't even met her yet. They didn't know her like he did. To them she was just the newly appointed youngling to General Skywalker.

In a professional tone, he said, "Commander Ahsoka Tano is General Skywalker's new Padawan."

Jesse narrowed his brow and said, "If she's new, sir then how can she corroborate your story?"

"She's a time traveler too. It was done by accident. It was the Force."

All three clones groaned. Coric exclaimed, "Of course, it's the Force. Every time something weird happens, it's the Force."

Rex raised his brow and said, "So, you believe me?"

Jesse looked to his brothers and then to Rex and said, "Well, not exactly. You have to admit, it's hard to believe, but you're our brother. So, we'll hear you out."

Rex smiled and said, "Fair enough. First things first, I want to create a clone intelligence network outside of normal channels in the GAR. I don't want any information to be traced. This is intelligence only for us, brothers."

Kix said, "You mean like gossip?"

"Yes, but with an objective. To expose the Chancellor. He's-compromised."

Rex couldn't help but think that this was probably the single most underrated statement he had ever made. Yet, he knew his brothers weren't ready to hear that Palpatine was really a Sith Lord, who had been playing them on both sides since before they were hatched out of their jars.

Instead, he continued, "I want all the intelligence he receives to be monitored. I want you to enlist as many brothers as you can and in every legion."

Jesse straightened up and was feeling the magnitude of Rex's plan. A clone only intelligence network that didn't answer to the GAR was fearsome, but completely feasible. He couldn't help the smile forming on his lips. Yet, it felt wrong to keep something that big away from their superiors.

"Rex, if the Chancellor is compromised than shouldn't he be reported?"

"Not without evidence, Jesse."

Kix rubbed his chin and said, "So, you want us to find evidence. I think we got it now, sir. You need us to keep it under our hats because we don't know who the Chancellor has been in contact with."

Coric said, "OK, you can count on us, Captain."

Rex was relieved that his brothers believed him. He didn't know what he'd do if they didn't. They might even try and report him or find him to be defective. Or worse, he could be found guilty of treason. He might even find himself reconditioned back on Kamino. Speaking of Kamino, there was something he could not overlook.

He said, "Here's my second objective. Kix and Coric there's something else you two need to do."

The men paused as Rex narrowed his brow and said, "The Kamino put biochips in all our heads so we'd have no choice but to obey the Chancellor if he ever gave us orders. Since he's compromised, this can prove to be a problem. I want you two to remove the biochips of every clone in the 501st. In fact, I want you all to make it top priority and to spread the word across the network to have every clone remove those chips."

Kix was about to question the Captain on his decision, but quickly closed his mouth. He had never seen Rex look so murderous in his life. He was dead serious.

"Alright, Rex. Coric and I will work on these biochips."

Rex nodded his head. He was relieved. The sooner the biochips were removed, the sooner the nightmare would end. It had been years from his prospective, but he was still haunted by what happened that day after Mandalore.

Kix noticed Rex seemed pensive and said, "Captain, is there anything else?"

"Yeah, this goes without saying, but keep what was said here confidential. I don't want anyone getting wind that my information is due to time travel."

Jess smiled and patted his back and said, "Trust me, Rex. Nobody would believe us even if we did tell them."

XXX

Ahsoka went to her quarters after she left the conference room. She sat down at her desk. She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for the call she was about to make. She opened her comm and dialed a code she hadn't used in years.

When the signal connected, the ghostly blue holo image of Barriss appeared in front of her. She was sitting with her legs folded underneath her. Ahsoka gave her a watery smile and tried to remember how she used to sound like when she was 14.

"Hey, Barriss. How are you?"

"I am well, Ahsoka. How was it like meeting Master Skywalker?"

"It went well. I'm officially his Padawan now."

"That's great news. Congratulations, Ahsoka. I'm sure you'll learn many things under his tutelage. Though, I heard he can be rather unconventional."

"Yes, he certainly is."

Ahsoka still didn't know what to feel when she saw Anakin. A part of her missed him and who he used to be, but another part couldn't forgive him for what he did. He betrayed her and everything he used to believe. She didn't know if she could save him this time, but if he turned, she didn't know if she was able to face that pain again.

"Is something wrong, Ahsoka? You're being awfully quiet."

Ahsoka shook her head and said, "No, I'm fine."

Barriss said, "Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything?"

Ahsoka had to remind herself that at this moment, that might be true. This younger Barriss hadn't betrayed her. She hadn't bombed the Jedi Temple. She hadn't fought her down in the lower levels. This version of Barriss was still kind and caring. In many ways, Barriss had been right about the Jedi and their involvement in the war. Ahsoka just had to show her that she wasn't alone.

"It's just this war. It isn't right. The Jedi shouldn't be fighting. We should instead be looking for ways to make peace with the Separatists."

Barriss solemnly said, "Ahsoka, I must admit that such thoughts have crossed my mind as well, but I can't see any alternative. The Separatists are in league with the Sith. They do not want peace."

"Barriss, the Separatists are a people and it's the people we need to appeal to and not their leaders. The Jedi no longer protect the people, but the interests of the Senate. We've become so blind by our own fear and hatred that we neglect the innocent lives we swore to protect."

"Ahsoka…"

"Lives are lost, and families are torn apart when we bring war to other worlds. Thousands of men give up their lives for us while we treat them like slaves. We accept their deaths, but we never think about their lives."

"Ahsoka, I didn't know you felt so strongly about this."

"Of course, Barriss. There are no winners in war."

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka but I don't know what we can do. We're only two Padawans after all."

"You're wrong, Barriss. There's a lot we can do."

"What do you mean?"

"We can talk. Barriss, I want you to do me a favor and talk to your Master about this and every Jedi in the Order you can find that's willing to listen. There has be others who feel the same way as we do. We have to get the High Council to listen and know that things have to change."

Barriss' heart was pounding. The Order was full of strict rules and codes of conduct, but what Ahsoka was suggesting was bound to stir up trouble. It was certainly appealing. Though, she didn't know if there were others who believed as they did.

"Please, Barriss, where's the harm in asking?"

"Well, you do have a point."

Ahsoka smiled and said, "Actually, I have two points" and patted the montrals on her head.

Barriss giggled and relented, "Alright, I'll speak to Master Luminara. May the Force be with you, Ahsoka."

"You too, Barriss."

XXX

It didn't take long before they were back in space. Hours had passed since Rex last spoke to Ahsoka, but eventually he found her in the Mess Hall. She was eating her evening meal with a group of clones. It looked like they were getting along well. He smiled. It reminded him of the old days, which oddly enough was now. He shook his head. Time travel was hard to follow.

He took his tray and sat down next to her at the table. He felt exhausted. He never liked paperwork and he hated filling out reports. Though, it was something that needed to be done in order to keep track of what the legion needed. He considered delegating his workload. Maybe get one of his brothers to act as his assistant so he'd have more free time to help get their newly formed rebellion under way. It helped that Rex and Ahsoka had experience. The younger version of him won't have a clue of where to start with a rebellion.

"Hey, Rex. Glad you could join us."

He decided to play the role of his younger-self and said, "Of course, Commander. I see you're getting along with the men."

"Yeah, I feel right at home."

Rex held her gaze for a moment and said, "I know what you mean. Though, I'm sure the food could be better."

Kip laughed and said, "It can't be helped, Commander. Rations is all us soldiers get."

Ahsoka smiled and said, "No, it's fine. It really isn't that bad."

Jesse sat down next to Rex on his other side and softly said, "We've already spoken to most of the men. They're all on board, even Cody and Wolffe."

"Good. Make sure the boys back on Coruscant are on board too."

"Yes, sir."

"And the chips?"

"Kix is looking into it." He then nervously looked at the young Jedi sitting on the other side of Rex and said, "Are you sure the Commander can be trusted?"

Rex said, "I trust her, Jesse."

The Captain couldn't help feeling irritated by Jesse's question. It reminded him too much of what happened that day when the order went out. Back then Jesse couldn't listen to reason. When blind duty override morality and sense. Back when good soldiers followed orders.

"Rex."

He jumped when he felt Ahsoka's hand over his own. He looked at her and noticed his hand had been reaching for his blaster. He wanted to open his mouth. He wanted to apologize. He was losing it, but he couldn't afford to fall apart. Not now.

"Rex, if you've got a minute, Skyguy wanted me to familiarize myself with your reports. Can we go visit your office?"

"Yes, Commander."

Rex was thankful for the excuse to leave the Mess Hall. However, instead of heading towards his office, Ahsoka led him back to her quarters. She turned to him and gestured for him to walk in.

"Actually, there's something I need to tell you in private."

Bewildered, Rex replied, "Of course, Commander."

Yet, the moment the door was locked, she dropped her pretenses. She leapt into his arms and silently began to cry. Rex immediately rubbed her back and hushed her. He brought them over to her bunk and together they both sat down. He gently began to rock her back and forth. He leaned down and planted a feathery kiss over the white marking on her wet cheek. She sobbed and pressed her face against his neck as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

She whispered into his ear. Her voice was barely audible when she said, "This is hard. I never realized how hard it would be to see them again."

Rex blinked away his own tears. He pulled back from Ahsoka for a moment and began removing his armor. He knew it must be uncomfortable for her to embrace his armor. Ahsoka reached up and began to help. It didn't take long before he was down to his blacks. His armor was neatly stacked on her desk.

He laid down on the bunk and she joined him at his side. She snugged into the hollow of his neck and gently began to run her fingers up over his chest. He nuzzled her head and kissed the tip of one of her montrals. Soon her tears stopped.

They laid in silence for a moment. Simply enjoying being in each other's arms. She felt small and wonderful beside him. He felt relieved to be away from so many eyes. It was nice being who they really were and not who they used to be as Captain and Commander. They had come a long way since then.

"It's hard for me too, cyare."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We're working on saving them, remember? You heard what Jesse said."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Jesse didn't know how well Togruta could hear. The montrals weren't just for show.

"Yeah, I heard. Looks like clone gossip has its advantages. Though, I'm not sure how we'll be able to remove all the biochips without Sidious finding out."

Rex hummed and said, "We could try and sneak it in physical exams. Especially after a battle. No one is going to question a clone with a scar after a battle. Tell me how did your day go? Any progress?"

"I spoke to Barriss. I convinced her to speak to Master Luminara and others at the Temple about ending the war peacefully. I know that Barriss disagrees with the Jedi entering the war. I know she's not the only one who feels that way. I believe if she actively seeks others who feel the same way that she won't go down the dark path she did before."

"Maybe, it's a start in the right direction at least."

"I hope so."

Ahsoka enjoyed the feel of Rex rubbing her back. His hands were strong and warm. She got up and moved to lay directly on top of him. She put her ear right over his heart and listened to the sounds of it beat. She purred as she breathed in his scent and snuggled closer. Rex gasped and stifled a moan as she pressed flush against him and certain parts of his anatomy.

"I don't think we should be doing this, cyare."

"Why not? Don't you like cuddling with me?"

Rex smiled at her and said, "That's not the problem, Soka. I like it a little too much, but you're too young. I don't want to hurt you."

Ahsoka fumed and said, "Rex, I'm in my 30s! I think I'm old enough to enjoy more than cuddling."

Rex threw one of his hands over his face and laughed. His laughter caused Ahsoka to lift her head off his chest. She frowned for a moment before pressing her face into his chest again in defeat.

She groaned into his shirt with frustration and said, "It's not fair! We finally told each other how we feel and I'm old enough to do something about it, but now my body isn't. Grrr! Why do you have to be so handsome?"

Rex laughed again and held her tightly against him and said, "Oh, so you only love me for my body. Is that right, cyar'ika?"

"Rex!"

He smiled at her pout and cupped her face with his hands so he could give her a passionate kiss. Ahsoka melted into him and he felt her swoon. He began to rub her back again and lovingly traced her lekku. She shivered at his touch and purred again.

"I can wait, Soka. You're worth waiting for."

XXX

TBC

XXX

Note:

cyare - [SHAH-ray], beloved, loved, popular.

cyar'ika - [shar-EE-kah], darling, sweetheart.