Rex's Nightmare

A.N: Timeline setting: A few years after 'To Take Down An Emperor'

The blaring of the siren, coupled with the dense black smoke awakened Captain Rex of the 501st from his slumber, his head pulsating in agony, a clear sign of a nasty headache.

Groaning, he pushed himself up off of the floor, his hands reaching for his most treasured possessions, his helmet and blaster pistols. Finding his helmet was easy, despite the smoke.

Wait! Smoke? In his quarters? And a siren blaring? Had something happened?

Rex blinked several times after slipping his helmet on, thankful that the smoke was no longer going into his eyes and mouth. Several harsh coughs escaped his throat, which felt dry and scratchy.

The coughs came in a group of three before he finally stopped, his lungs clear. In that moment, he was able to take in the surroundings properly.

These were indeed his personal quarters aboard Admiral Yularen's, but the walls… they were warped out of shape, smoke pouring through various cracks as the siren continued to blare.

He knew that siren. It meant they were under attack! Clearly said attack had done monumental damage.

Reaching a hand to his commlink, Rex opened a channel.

"General Skywalker? Admiral Yularen? Report!"

Rex received no response aside from static, and that sent every bone in his body on high alert.

"Commander Tano? Do you read me? Commander!"

Again, Rex received no response aside from static. Now he was really worried.

'Wait! Ahsoka left! That's why you didn't get a response. But why did Skywalker and Yularen ignore me? Are they in trouble?'

A sense of dread washed over Rex. If both the General and Admiral were wounded, or worse, then command would fall to him, and he wouldn't let anyone else die.

Rex opened his mouth to speak again when a familiar voice called to him across his comm.

"Captain! The target escaped the ambush! We lost seven men, including Ridge! What are your orders Sir?!"

Ridge…was dead? How! Ridge had been there from the start! Since Teth! And now he was gone?

"Jesse, what's your position?" Rex replied as he exited his quarters, stepping into the hallways beyond and barely concealing a gasp of horror at what he saw.

One end of the hallway had caved in completely, and was bathed in fire. A pair of white armoured bodies, Clones, lay amongst the wreckage, crushed and then burnt to death by the consuming fire. Rex was thankful that his helmet filtered the smell out. Burning bodies was a smell he could never get used to.

"Captain, I'm in pursuit of target number one. Target number two escaped the Venator before it crashed. What are your orders Sir?"

"Crashed? What the hell do you mean Jesse? And what targets?"

"Target number two sabotaged the hyperdrive. The ship crashed on a planet, but most of us are still functional. Target number one is still aboard the ship Sir. We need to eliminate it."

The Venator had crashed… on a planet? How were any of them still alive if that was the case?

Something was very very wrong. Jesse was never as formal as this, even during official operations. Yes, he was loyal to the Republic, and to his brothers, but he would never address Rex as 'Sir' constantly.

And what did he mean by 'functional'? Wouldn't 'alive' have been a better term of description? They weren't battledroids after all.

"Trooper… Where are you so I can come and support you?" Rex asked again, turning away from the caved-in hallway and proceeding the opposite direction. The state of this hallway was not much better, coated in thick smoke, sparks flying off the walls, but at least it wasn't caved in.

"Sir, me and a squad of troopers are heading towards…"

Jesse's explanation was cut off by another voice hitting the comm.

"Captain! This is CT-1409! We have confirmed contact with target number one and need immediate support! I repeat! Need immediate support!"

The voice...it was Echo's… But why was he aboard the ship, and why was he referring to himself by CT number?

Something was very seriously wrong! Echo was a by the book trooper, no question, but even he preferred his name over his number.

Besides… wasn't he with the Bad Batch now?

"Echo, talk to me. Tell me about the target!" Rex replied, desperate for information. Whatever target his men were chasing was clearly dangerous and had to be stopped.

The response Rex got from Echo terrified him even further.

"Captain, the target is ARRGGHHHH!"

The scream of Echo, followed by the familiar hum and swing of a lightsaber came across the comm link before the line went dead.

"ECHO! REPORT! ECHO!"

Rex received no response, and knew he had just lost another brother.

Panic flooded Rex. What was going on? Who exactly was the target? If they had a lightsaber… Was it Dooku, or Grievous?

God forbid… Was it another rogue Jedi like Krell or Offee?!

He needed to know.

"Jesse… Report. Who is this target we are chasing?"

This time round, Rex received no response from Jesse.

"Kriff!" Rex yelled aloud as he unholstered his blasters, breaking into a run as he moved down the wrecked hallways, charging through a wall of fire in the process.

The ship shook suddenly, a distant explosion, followed by blaster fire hitting Rex's ears. There was a battle ahead.

Gritting his teeth, he picked up speed, moving through endless hallways as he got closer and closer to the sounds of combat.

Only for them to stop suddenly, with only the sound of the blaring siren and his own breathing to keep him company.

Rex tried to comm link again, trying to raise someone.

Nobody answered. Not Jesse. Not Echo. Not Kix or Skywalker.

He was alone, one a crashed ship, scattered men looking for guidance whilst a monster of some kind hunted them.

Or was he supposed to be hunting this monster? Both Jesse and Echo had called them 'target number one'. Who exactly was this target? And who had been target number two?

Pushing on, Rex reached a corner in the hallway, bracing himself as he pivoted round it, blasters aimed down, just in case.

There was nothing waiting for him, except for death.

Countless bodies, all Clones, lay scattered in the hallway. Blaster markers scorched the side walls, coupled with what looked like lightsaber marks as well.

Whatever had happened had been recently. Rex had missed the combat by mere seconds.

That meant the target would likely still be nearby.

The sounds of boots coming up behind him caused Rex to spin, blasters aiming at the new arrivals.

A trio of Clones, led by Kix.

"Thank the Republic, Kix! What the hell is happening?"

"Sir." Kix began, snapping to attention along with his two companions. "We believe the target is using the ventilation ducts to move around and ambush our squads."

If Rex hadn't been suspicious about Jesse and Echo's behaviour, then he would have most certainly been suspicious now. Even Kix, of all people, was acting off. Usually the Clone medic, despite being ruthless in the med bay, was a warm hearted compassionate individual. He was the one everyone went to when they needed to talk.

But this Kix… The one saluting him and calling him 'Sir' just felt...wrong.

However, there wasn't time to question Kix's behaviour, not now. If…no, when they survived this, they would talk.

"The target must be small in size if they can use the ducts to move around Kix. What else can you tell me?"

"Sir, Tano has killed more than seventy Clones so far. We had hoped the crash would kill the traitor, but somehow she survived. Luckily there are only so many places to hide on this wreck of a ship. She won't leave this place alive."

Rex felt his blood run cold. Tano? They were hunting Ahsoka? They were trying to kill their Commander?

"Trooper?!" Rex began, struggling to keep his disgust out of his tone. "What the hell do you all think you are doing! Commander Ahsoka Tano is our ally. She is our friend!"

Kix's response was the coldest Rex had ever heard him speak. In fact, he would almost call the speech mechanical.

"Sir, you gave specific instructions. As per orders of Darth Sidious, we are to eliminate the traitor Ahsoka Tano, along with all members of the Jedi Order for sedition against the Grand Army of the Republic. Tano is a traitor, and as loyal soldiers it is our duty to execute her."

Never before had Rex wanted to punch one of his own brothers, much less a member of the 501st. Not even Dogma, or Slick, and Slick had left him and Cody no choice!

'Cody! Was he under orders to hunt Kenobi as well?!'

But now, hearing what Kix had to say, Rex wanted nothing more than to knock some sense into his chief medic.

Surely this all had to be a big misunderstanding? Ahsoka would never betray the Republic. Neither would the Jedi!

And who was this 'Darth Sidious', and why were they suddenly taking orders from him? Wasn't 'Darth' a Sith title? Weren't the Sith the enemy of the Republic, just like the Separatists?

"Kix, there must be a mix-up. I never ordered you to hunt down Commander Tano. In fact, I order you to cease your hunt immediately." Rex commanded, hoping it would work. Surely Kix would listen to him, after everything they had been through together?

Rex didn't miss the way Kix's body tensed suddenly, along with those of his two companions.

"Sir, Tano is a traitor and must be eliminated. You said so yourself. You also ordered us to execute any Clone that does not comply with Order 66." Kix spoke, an edge of anger in his voice that Rex had never heard before, not even when people purposely avoided medical treatment.

And what the hell was 'Order 66'?

Something inside of Rex told him this was familiar to him, as if he had experienced it once before. Rex couldn't touch the Force, not in the way people like Skywalker or Tano could, but even now he was getting a very bad feeling about this. His gut screamed danger, yet deju vu at the same time.

He hadn't done this before, had he? Surely he'd remember!

"Kix, I gave you no such order. I don't even know what Order 66 is! As your commanding officer, I order you to stand down at once." Rex tried again, hoping to appeal to Kix.

Kix tensed again, his grip on his blaster tightening.

"Sir… Are you siding with the Jedi traitor?"

Kix's words had a hint of a threat behind them, but Rex would not let himself be intimidated.

"Ahsoka is not a traitor."

With those words, all hell broke loose.

The Clone to the right of Kix opened fire first, his blaster aimed at Rex's head. Instinct kicked in for the Captain as he dodged the blaster, barging past Kix and knocking the attempted assassin off his feet.

The Clone to the left of Kix opened fire next, scoring a hit on Rex's shoulder armour. The blast was not fatal, and merely left a scorch mark on Rex's armour, but it was enough to anger the Captain of the 501st.

Switching his blaster to stun function, Rex stunned the trooper that had shot him, before doing the same to the Clone on the floor.

Once those two were down, he turned his attention to Kix, and found himself staring down the barrel of the medics rifle.

"Kix… What are you…"

"CT-7567 has gone rogue. I repeat, gone rogue. All units shoot to kill!" Kix yelled into his comm link, broadcasting the orders to any survivors of the crash.

"Kix…"

Kix didn't reply, at least not verbally. Instead, he opened fire.

Rex felt the blaster bolt crash into his chest, knocking him off his feet as he fired his own blaster in return, stunning the medic.

Groaning, Rex desperately felt for the hole in his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found the blaster bolt hadn't penetrated his armour. If it had, he'd be dead.

'Generation One armour always holds up.' Rex thought, again struck by a sense of deja vu, as if he had told someone that before.

A voice suddenly came across Kix's commlink.

"CT-6116, what is your status? CT-6116?"

It was Jesse, which meant he was still alive. But why was he referring to Kix by number? What was going on!

Rex nearly moved to answer when he remembered Kix's earlier words. He had brandished him a traitor, and now, quite possibly, every clone aboard the ship had orders to shoot him on sight, including Jesse.

He had to find Jesse, or Ahsoka. He had to resolve this before anyone else died!

A sudden rumble traversed the ship, and Rex forced himself back on his feet, ignoring the ache in his chest and shoulder.

An explosion hit his ears next, followed by a rush of heat as the hallway beyond him erupted into flames, the ceiling collapsing down around them.

Panic set in as he turned and ran, forgetting about the stunned bodies of his allies momentarily. There was no time to help them, not with the speed the corridor was collapsing.

He'd never forgive himself, but right now he had to escape.

Breaking into a sprint, Rex tried to ignore the sounds of metal crashing behind him, or the scream of one of the Clones as he regained consciousness, only to be crushed to death seconds later.

Rex fought back tears as he moved, sliding round a corner, and then another.

"COMMANDER! AHSOKA! WHERE ARE YOU! IT'S REX!" He called as he ran, praying he would find her, or that she would find him. Together they could resolve this problem, he knew it.

Reaching a four way junction, Rex pivoted round another corner to find…

"All troopers, I have confirmed contact with CT-7567 in corridor three thirty two by the mess hall. Proceed to my location and eliminate the traitor."

It was Jesse, backed up by an entire squad of troopers, and they didn't hesitate to open fire.

Instinct kicked in for Rex as he fired a trio of stun blasts towards Jesse's squad, stunning one in the process before coming back to his senses and taking cover round the corner he had just traversed.

These were his men! He had fired upon his men, and they had fired upon him!

Blaster bolts soared past, scorching the walls beyond, pinning Rex down.

"Jesse! Stand down!" Rex called round the corner, refusing to fire on his men anymore. Even if the shots weren't set to lethal blasts, it still didn't feel right, regardless of the situation.

Jesse didn't listen, judging by the way blue energy bolts continued to fly past the junction, stopping Rex's advance.

"Don't make me do this Jesse!" Rex called again, hoping beyond hope that Jesse and the others would snap out of whatever was wrong with them. He wasn't a traitor. Neither was Ahsoka, or the Jedi.

Rex knew that he stood no chance in an all out battle against Jesse and his squad. He might score one of two stuns, but he'd be ripped to shreds seconds later.

Rex has no choice but to run.

"CT-5597, this is CT-0292, we have CT-7567 in sight!"

"Shoot to kill 0292!"

Rex cursed under his breath at the sudden ambush. The four way junction lit up with blaster fire from behind, forcing Rex to take the risk and cross the pathway occupied by endless blaster fire from Jesse and his squad.

Pivoting, Rex opened fire at the Clones that had snuck up on him, catching the leader with a stun blast and knocking him down.

Another bolt crashed into Rex's arm as he back-paddled, stunning another of the new arrivals with one pistol whilst using the other to attempt to pin down Jesse's squad.

The attempt failed. Rex felt a blast hit his leg, knocking him off his feet as it bypassed his armor, burning the skin beneath.

"Target has been hit, move in and…"

Jesse's command was cut off by the snap hiss sound of a pair of lightsabers activating, followed by the screams of Jesse's squad as they were ripped apart by the burning hot blades.

Jesse came charging round the corner, before suddenly finding himself yanked back out of Rex's view, his scream and blaster echoing from round the corner moments later.

Gritting his teeth, Rex pushed himself up into a sitting position, firing his blaster pistols at a pair of troopers that had come with the flanking squad, knocking them both down and out.

And just like that, the chaos was over. From round the corner, out of sight, Rex heard the sound of two lightsabers extinguishing, followed by footsteps coming closer.

Groaning, Rex glanced up as a familiar figure rounded the corner.

"Commander! Thank the Force! Are you ok?"

Ahsoka Tano stood before him, but like the Clones, something was very very wrong. Her face, usually so kind and compassionate, willing to listen and help in any situation, was instead covered by a look of hatred. Rex felt sick at the mere sight of it.

"This is all your fault." Ahsoka spoke as she gestured to the hallways around them both, as well as to the piles of bodies left in their wake.

"Wha… what?! Commander… I…"

"You did this Rex… you killed them all!"

"I don't…"

"YOU KNEW!" Ahsoka… or whoever she was suddenly advanced upon Rex, one of her hands grasping hold of his throat, squeezing enough for Rex to start losing air as she screamed at him.

"YOU KNEW ABOUT THE CHIPS… AND YOU DID NOTHING!"

"Chips?! What chips?" Rex wheezed out to the best of his abilities. What was going on?!

"Fives told you… he told you everything, and you ignored him. You played the good little soldier and did nothing… and this…" Ahsoka's voice ceased shouting, instead returning to the earlier threatening tone, "This is your 'reward' for your cowardice. They all die, because you said nothing!"

Rex didn't understand… not completely. His entire body was locked in terror. Was this all really his fault? Could he have prevented… whatever this was? Saved the lives of Echo, of Ridge, of Kix and Jesse?

Had he failed his men so spectacularly?

"I… I didn't know…"

"Yes… you did know… but you did nothing! And now? Now you will die!"

Rex's eyes widened as Ahsoka released his throat, dropping him back to the floor before igniting her lightsabers.

A pair of crimson blades flashed into existence, terrifying Rex even further. Ahsoka… with red sabers? What was going on!?

"Die you coward!"

Rex didn't have time to reply as a pair of red blades descended upon his head.

Captain Rex of the Rebellion screamed in horror as he shot up from his sleeping bag, images of his closest friend, wielding a pair of red lightsabers, poised to kill him, on a ship full of his own men who were trying to kill them both!

Order 66. The Venator! The day that changed everything! That's what it was… and it was all just a nightmare.

...a nightmare that held considerable truth about it.

He had known about the chips… or at least suspected that they were part of some sort of nefarious scheme. And what had he done with this information?

Nothing more than file a grievance report.

Groaning to himself, Rex felt the warmth of the fire close to him rush over briefly as he pushed himself into a sitting position, his hands coming up to cradle his head, wishing away the images that were burned into his mind. One of his hands moved to cradle his right hand temple on instinct, feeling for the scar he knew he had there.

The scar he prayed he had there!

A few seconds later, Rex breathed a slight sigh of relief as he felt the small bump on his head indicative of the scar tissue left behind.

He had his chip out. He wasn't going to harm anyone. He wasn't going to harm her!

Movement from the other side of the fire caught Rex's attention, making him flinch harshly as he glanced up, his eyes meeting the calm, yet concerned blue of Ahsoka's.

Unlike the version of her he had seen in his dream, this Ahsoka had that look of compassion and kindness on her face that he so easily identified her with. She wasn't running around killing his men in self defense, or trying to kill him. She had simply been sleeping peacefully nearby.

"Rex… are you ok?"

Rex felt another rush of deja vu flood through him. He remembered those words. She had asked him that when…

… when he had chosen to help her. When he had killed his men, so many years ago, aboard that doomed Star Destroyer.

Where he had gotten all of his men killed because he hadn't investigated Fives' conspiracy.

Kix had. He had been brave, even if it had gotten him captured in the end. At least Kix had tried to do something, unlike him.

"Yeah kid… I'm fine." Rex replied, hoping to convince Ahsoka. She wasn't a 'kid' anymore, he knew that. She was a fully grown woman who had an apartment of her own, along with a woman she loved and who loved her.

Still… she would always be a 'kid' to him. She would always be his little sister.

The little sister he had very nearly gotten killed due to not doing more!

"Liar. Tell me the truth Rex."

Rex cursed under his breath. There was no fooling Ahsoka, he knew that. She knew him too well, just as he knew her too well. He doubted she was even using the Force to see his true emotional state.

"It's nothing Commander. I'm fine. Just a bad dream."

"You woke up screaming, I don't think it was 'just a bad dream'. Describe it."

"Commander I don't…"

"Refer to me as 'Commander' again and I'll pull rank on you Captain. As your friend I'm asking you, what was the dream about?"

Rex sighed before he finally relented.

"The Venator."

It wasn't a one hundred percent accurate description of course. The Venator had merely been the setting of the dream, not the actual content of it.

Still, it was enough for Ahsoka to fully understand.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Neither moved for the next few moments, both simply listening to the crackling of the fire between them.

'So much for a nice camping trip!' Rex thought to himself briefly, before his mind fell back into his dream and it's meaning.

He knew it wasn't his fault… not really. Except that it was at the same time. If he had done more, if he had acted faster, resisted harder, then maybe someone other than himself, Ahsoka and Maul would have escaped that ship! Maybe Jesse would still be here. Or Ridge. Or Sterling.

"It wasn't your fault Rex." Ahsoka's soft, compassionate voice hit his ears, clearly trying to ease his pain.

It only made it worse.

"Yes! Yes it was! If I had just done something about the chips beforehand… then maybe… I dunno. I could have saved… someone… just one person!"

"You did save someone Rex… you saved me."

"No…. no you saved me. You didn't have to come back for me. You and Maul could have escaped and left me to rot. I didn't save anyone."

"Well in that case you saved yourself Rex."

"I DIDN'T SAVE ANYONE!"

Rex hadn't meant to shout. He hadn't meant to be the cause of alarm on Ahsoka's face. He just… he just..

He didn't know what to believe.

More movement from Ahsoka occurred, and before Rex knew it, she was by his side, one of her long arms draping round his shoulders, pulling him close to her.

"Rex, I was the one who unleashed Maul that day. I needed him to cause a distraction so that I could find you. If anything, all of those men that died, their blood is on my hands, not yours."

Bile built up inside of Rex. How dare Ahsoka think that!? It hadn't been her fault… not at all! She had done what she needed to to survive, not to ensure the deaths of everyone on the ship.

"No, it wasn't your fault, I…"

"It wasn't yours either Rex! It was all Sidious' doing. He had the whole thing planned from the start!"

"And I could have stopped it if I had just…"

"Maybe… and maybe I could have stopped Anakin from becoming Vader too, but we will never know. If anything, you'd have ended up like Kix, and Vader would have killed me without blinking an eye. We survived Rex… and we survived together despite the odds. What happened that day was no one's fault but Sidious'. Please… don't blame yourself."

Rex considered her words, but wasn't sure if he believed them completely. Maybe it wasn't his fault, not completely.

But again, maybe he could have done more to stop it.

"Yeah." Rex finally spoke, still not fully believing Ahsoka's words. But, if she had faith in him, that was all that mattered. "Maybe. It's just hard, you know?"

"I know Rex. I know." The Togruta replied, pulling him tighter into her side.

Rex sighed, knowing full well that sleep would not return to him, not tonight. If he somehow managed to find sleep again, he knew what his dreams would consist of.

Still, if that meant he had to sit up all night to ward off the nightmares, then there was no one else he'd rather do it with than Ahsoka Tano.

"You get some rest kid. I'll keep a lookout."

"This isn't the Clone War anymore Rex. There aren't any threats around!"

"Still, it doesn't help to be prepared."

"I guess not, but if it's all the same, I think I'll sit up with you."

A warm smile came to Rex's face at Ahsoka's insistence. Even all these years later she was still stubborn to the core. He knew there was no changing her mind.

A brief silence fell over them both for a few moments before Ahsoka spoke again.

"Rex, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about Jesse and the others. I spent my first year in exile breaking down most nights, wondering if there was anything I could have done. Perhaps, if I had been faster, I could have saved more of your brothers?"

"No… Ahsoka… you…"

"Let me finish Rexster. My point is that why it's natural to blame yourself for something like that, there was nothing we could have done to prevent it. Sidious had the whole war mapped out like a carefully crafted Dejarik game. There was no victory for us at any point. If we let what he did get to us, he wins, even in death. We have to accept what happened, accept our roles in it, and strive to be better so that something like that never happens again. There is no point beating ourselves up over something that was beyond our control. We'd just drive ourselves to madness if we did."

Rex contemplated her words, and finally, he understood.

What had happened on the day of Order 66 was not his fault. He had tried to resist, and he had done, and in doing so he had given Ahsoka a chance, a chance she had used to save him.

She could have just as easily gone after Jesse, or Ridge, or anyone else on that ship, but she chose him. And if he spent his life wallowing in his grief and blaming himself for surviving when so many others didn't, then he would be undermining the decision she took to save him.

"You learn that sort of stuff from the Jedi?" Rex quipped in response, hoping humour would help alleviate the dark discussion.

Judging by the small laugh that escaped Ahsoka, it had worked.

"Nah, I learnt it from a stubborn blond Clone I met years ago. Think you would have liked him."

At that, Rex laughed too.

"He sounds like an idiot!"

"Well he did use to follow me and my Master into impossible situations all the time without questioning it. He had a nasty tendency to get thrown around as well."

"I've not forgiven you or Skywalker for throwing me off that wall on Geonosis by the way!"

"It was that or explode! What option would you honestly prefer?"

"I'd take exploding over an impromptu flying lesson any day!"

"Boooorrrring!"

Once more Rex laughed, joined by Ahsoka. Their laughs echoed over the campsite, joining the crackling of the fire as the only sounds that could be heard.

Rex knew he could always trust Ahsoka to cheer him up when he was feeling down, and vice versa. He might not ever fully forgive himself for what happened the day of Order 66, and Ahsoka too might not ever fully forgive herself for leaving so many behind.

But in the end, they had survived, and they would honor those that died to give them the future they now had.

'If you're up there somewhere looking down on us Jesse, I hope you are proud of us. Miss you brother. Miss all of you.'

Author's thoughts

I'll keep this quick. Here is a surprise one shot. I got the idea thinking about how Rex might possibly blame himself subconsciously for not doing more during Order 66 to save his men, both beforehand and during the crisis. Luckily for him, Ahsoka was on hand to remind him that it wasn't his fault, and that he did all that he could with what information and resources he had at the time. All of the Ahsoka blaming him stuff is happening in Rex's head. No way in hell would Ahsoka ever actually blame him for it, but his subconscious manifests the guilt he has by having a dark version of Ahsoka blame him for it. Hope that makes sense.

Hope you guys enjoyed it. Don't know when/if I'll have another one shot for you. Maybe in time. Let me know what you guys thought of it. :)