"Threepio, come on, it's me," Anakin protested, standing in the doorway to Padme's place. "You can let me in."

"I'm sorry master Anakin, but Senator Amidala gave me very strong instructions that she not be disturbed by anyone for the rest of the night." The droid twitched his arms in apology.

"Why? What's she doing?"

"I… well, I believe she's working on a very important proposal," C-3PO said, sounding flustered. "She didn't tell me any details, of course."

"Oh, she's just working? I won't distract her then."

"Very considerate of you. I'll tell her you stopped by. Goodnight master Ana—wait!" Threepio's voice went from pleased to scandalized in the space of a syllable. "Wait a minute, what are you doing? I said I'm sorry, sir, but you can't come in!"

Anakin pushed past the droid with a soft laugh. "Have a little gratitude, Threepio! I'm the one who built you!"

"Yes," C-3PO said, hurrying after him, arms nearly flailing in their brisk up and down motion. "And you are also the one who asked that I serve Mistress Padme to the full extent of my capabilities! I hope you'll forgive my saying so, but I don't see how I can do that when you—"

Anakin put a hand up with an overly serious look. "Stop," he hissed in a stage whisper. "You'll distract Padme."

The droid jutted his head in the silent equivalent of a huff, then walked away jerkily, muttering under his breath about being given conflicting imperatives and "it's a wonder my circuits haven't been tied in knots from all the contradictory information I'm asked to work with!"

Anakin grinned fondly at Threepio's crotchety fussing, and went to the door of Padme's study. As it swooshed open, he caught half a second's glance of her bent over her work table before she looked up in annoyance which quickly turned to surprise.

"Anakin! What are you doing here?"

"I'm tired of being around other Jedi and clone troopers," Anakin said simply. "But I didn't want to sit alone in my room at the Temple, either. I promise I won't bother you if you're really busy."

"It's alright," Padme said, coming to hug him hello. He held her tight, always treasuring the warmth of human contact. He got so little of it from anyone but her. "I could use a break for a few minutes. It's good to see you, Ani. Obi-Wan told me that your mission to Thisspias didn't go as well as it could have."

"Politically, it went great," Anakin said dryly as she released him. "The monarch made us lots of promises that he would root out whoever had a grudge against us. But I don't really feel like talking about that right now. What are you working on?"

"Oh." Padme's brow furrowed and she rubbed at the skin that creased between her eyes. . "It's a proposal… related to the Republic's involvement with Mandalore. It's such an important system, and things have been so chaotic there lately. The Republic needs to be extremely careful in how it relates to Mandalore from this point on, otherwise we could be paving the way for total Separatist control in the Outer Rim." She laughed faintly. "But I don't really want to talk about that right now either. Have you seen Obi-Wan since you've been back?"

"Not yet," Anakin shrugged. "I had to get the surviving clones on my team to the hospital, and then there was a debriefing and… you know how it goes."

"I was just wondering. I haven't seen him or heard anything from him since… well, since Satine was killed." Padme sat down, looking exhausted.

Anakin instantly sobered. He knew Padme had also considered Satine a friend. "Yeah. He hasn't said much to me, but I can tell he's trying his best to put it behind him. Are you alright?"

Padme nodded, staring off. "Mostly I'm just tired. I'm tired of this war."

Anakin sat next to her. "Me too."

"Really?" Padme said, leaning against him. "Sometimes I think you're too well suited to times like this. Would you really know what to do with yourself if we were at peace?"

"There's always something that needs a Jedi's hand," Anakin said. "But this war goes beyond the kind of problems we were meant to solve. I don't like being caught up in all the political plots and maneuvering that goes on behind the scenes. So often it feels like… we do what we think is the right choice, and it has the wrong outcome, because there's too much wrong built into the systems in conflict with each other. We have to tiptoe when we should be shouting." He leaned back and looked down at Padme doubtfully. "Does that make any sense?"

"Yes," Padme sighed. "I know what you mean. Sometimes it seems like you have to do the opposite of what feels best, in order to get the right outcome."

They sat in silence for a little while, and Anakin's thoughts strayed to the last words he'd shared with his padawan. How little he'd expected to be taught anything by an impetuous little Togruta girl. In the beginning, he'd thought he was the only Jedi who could be both passionate and self-possessed, but there had been times, like that last conversation, when he had truly seen Ahsoka as a source of strength. At others, her clear and honest approach to life had been like a warning beacon in the haze of his own private conflict.

He wondered where she was now, what she was doing. At times like this, he still envied her a little for having the choice to walk away from it all. But maybe she hadn't really. Knowing her, she'd already gotten caught up in some wrong that needed setting right. As protective as ever, he didn't want her to put herself in danger, but it still made him feel a little better to imagine her passion for justice finding an outlet somewhere.

Soon, Padme returned to her work desk, and after about an hour of lying quietly, soaking up her presence, Anakin was bored and tired of his own thoughts. He squeezed Padme's shoulder.

"Don't stay up all night," he said, and she smiled goodbye at him as he left. He thought maybe he'd hit up the lightsaber training grounds before he went to bed. He needed to lose himself in action without thinking about the past or the future.

…

Rex sat in civilian clothing, cross-legged in a traditional meditative stance. Eyes closed, muscle by muscle he relaxed.

A soft voice—identical to his own, as if coming from his own mind—guided him.

"Good! Good… now, you feel the helmet?"

"I think so," Rex murmured. A trooper helmet sat on the ground about three feet in front of Rex.

"No, no, it doesn't work like that… don't just think so. Do you feel it or not?"

"I feel it," Rex said.

"If you feel it, then you can lift it. It's simple, actually…."

The helmet wobbled and Rex's breath hitched, but he kept his eyes closed, and slowly, slowly the helmet began to rise in the air….

Anakin rolled over and opened his eyes, confused for a moment to find himself in his room at the Jedi temple, and not one of the many cramped ship cabins he so often woke in these days. A dream clung to the edges of his memory, but only the bare bones of the end. Rex, using the Force? He rubbed his eyes against the dim light filtered through the blinds in his room. His subconscious sure had a weird way of expressing concern for the captain's injuries. And it had been a long time since he'd last been recruited for teaching younglings such rudimentary exercises. Weird, how he could fall asleep thinking about Ahsoka and have a random dream like that.

"Anakin, are you there?" Obi-Wan's voice came from the communicator on the gauntlet lying by his cot. He grabbed at it.

"Yeah. I'm here."

"Oh, good. The Council is requesting another tactical meeting in half an hour."

"Great," Anakin said sarcastically. "I'll meet up with you on the way there."

Anakin washed up and changed into fresh clothes, hoping that the meeting didn't last too long. He was hungry and wondered if, once the meeting was over, he should treat himself to a restaurant meal after so much time eating field rations. Then again, the food in the Temple refectory would probably satisfy him just as well. These days, it all tasted much better than he remembered from back when that was all he'd been eating day in and day out.

When he finally emerged from his room, Obi-Wan was waiting for him near the entrance to the southwestern quarter, as usual.

"Ah, you're almost early." Obi-Wan smiled when Anakin was close enough. Together they began walking down the tranquil, high-ceilinged hallway toward the many rooms they used for strategizing and discussion of war. "Sleep well?"

"Why? Do I look tired?"

"Just a feeling," Obi-Wan said pleasantly. "I hear your last mission didn't exactly go as planned."

"No," Anakin sighed roughly from the back of his throat. "I lost half the troopers I had with me. And we still don't know who set the bomb."

"Mm. How is our unfortunate Captain? I assume he's in stable condition now?"

"Yeah."

"Well, at least there's one bit of good news to start our morning. I'm afraid this meeting might tax everyone's patience."

"Just what I wanted to hear," said Anakin.

They passed under the open door and into the conference room. Master Yoda was already present, along with Masters Plo, Stass Allie, and Windu via hologram. The war had become so demanding that Anakin couldn't even remember the last time they'd had a meeting where everyone attending had been physically present. Right now, the only bodies in the room besides his and Obi-Wan's belonged to Yoda, Rancisis, and Luminara. After they had all nodded greeting to one another, Kit Fisto also entered the room, bringing with him his signature, uniquely relaxed aura. Several other Jedi generals followed after him.

At last, Yoda looked around at them all. "All here now, are we? Then let us begin. Master Windu."

Mace Windu nodded and addressed the group. "As I'm sure everyone has noticed, our forces are spread thin right now. Despite that fact, we're at a tipping point. Now is the time for us to strike hard at the Separatist bases in the Outer Rim. Our intelligence has gathered a list of targets, and the High Council has narrowed down which of these are of greatest strategic importance. From this point going forward, the majority of our troops and generals are going to be deployed on the offensive, starting with the territories you see on the map. Master Luminara, if you would."

Luminara pulled up the holographic map of the Outer Rim. It was speckled with bright flags indicating where they were to strike. Windu went on.

"Those in this meeting will focus their forces in this region. I propose that Ryloth, Ossus, Ord Radama, and New Bornalex be our first major targets, followed closely by Xagobah, Siskeen, Clak'dor VII, and Sluis Van. There will be minor targets we have to clear out of the way first, however—smaller outposts where the Separatists will try to prevent our advancement. Ringo Vinda and two other stations in the Siskeen system will need to be taken before we can mount a full scale assault."

"I see," said one of the other generals, Stass Allie, while studying the map. "The Separatist forces are amassing here." She indicated the last four planets Windu had mentioned. "If it's possible for us to wipe them out before they are ready, it could be a deciding factor in our victory. But it won't be easy. We'll have to pull troops and generals from maintaining the Republic presence on other worlds."

"And we will have to act quickly," Luminara said, looking troubled. "The longer we wait, the closer their armies come to overwhelming us simply through the concentrated strength of numbers."

"How will we minimize civilian casualties on planets like Ryloth?" Obi-Wan asked. "The people there have been struck hard enough by this war as it is. Is there any way we could draw the enemy troops out of those systems and toward the less populous targets? Perhaps if we attacked those first, they would divert their troops to supplement their defense?"

"The Separatists care little for the lives of civilians," Master Plo said. "I have seen it before. If they are pushed out of their outlying bases, they will fall back into civilian areas, knowing we will be disadvantaged by our unwillingness to put civilians at risk. We would save more lives if we make re-taking and defending the cities our first priority."

Obi-Wan looked as if he might protest, but then he hid his mouth behind his hand, stroking his mustache in troubled thought. Anakin understood both points of view. There was no ideal way to wage war against a ruthless opponent.

"In the hands of each leading general, the civilian lives will be," Yoda said seriously. "Trust your judgment, the High Council does."

"I share Master Obi-Wan's concern," said Master Luminara, eyes downcast. "Unfortunately, I am forced to admit that at this point in the war, it seems we will be forced to make a choice between giving too much ground to the Separatists, or else putting innocent lives at risk in order to prevent their armies from spreading to even more populated systems."

"All the more reason to make sure these assaults succeed, then," Rancisis said, folding his arms. "We cannot afford to fail."

"Now is the time to propose modifications to the assault plan in general," said Windu. "Once we have determined that we are in agreement, we will divide up the assignments to each general, and meet again in a few hours to give each of us the chance to propose a more specific plan."

Anakin took a deep breath. Lunch at a restaurant was out of the question now. But beyond that, if they failed at this point, they would almost certainly lose the entire war. Looking around the room, it was clear that very few of the other Jedi were wholeheartedly excited about this plan. Most of what he saw in their faces was grim determination.

But if they won, the war could be over that much quickly. And he always worked best under pressure. Once they got past all this talk, this would be the most challenging campaign yet. Then, he was sure he'd feel the thrill, and not just the dull resignation that hung over them all now. Success was the only acceptable outcome after all their hard work and sacrifice…. There was no way they could lose unless they lost sight of their objective.

…

The Temple refectory was loud with chatter as Anakin and Obi-Wan entered, but the line was thankfully short.

"You should call Masters Tiplar and Tiplee as soon as possible," Obi-Wan advised him as they loaded their trays. "And I need to contact Master Tsui Choi after this as well."

"Why weren't any of them at the meeting?" Anakin asked.

"I heard the sisters were in the middle of a battle when it was called. As for Master Choi, he was discussing an important strategy with his captains and asked to be filled in afterward."

Anakin sighed, looking around for an open table. "Do you ever feel like the entire war effort is one big mess, like we're barely keeping things together?"

"Since the very beginning," Obi-Wan admitted. "But thinking that way isn't going to do us any good. As long as we all focus on our individual duty, the strategy will work."

Anakin took a seat and glanced up as his old master sat opposite. "Is that where you get your confidence in the council's decisions? Because you trust the individual Jedi carrying out those orders to do the right thing?"

"Well, yes. The Jedi Order is, for the most part, made of capable, thinking individuals. Like you."

"Master Obi-Wan," Anakin exclaimed wryly. "You should be careful throwing praise around like that. It might give me a big head."

"I'm only telling the truth as I see it," Obi-Wan smiled. "And it's not like you to be modest, Anakin. Are you still feeling sour about your mission to Thisspias?"

"No," Anakin said bitterly. Truthfully, he had half succeeded in putting it out of his mind until now.

"Master Rancisis tells me he was quite impressed with how quickly you managed to locate the bomb site."

Anakin took a few bites of food without tasting them. "What do you mean? Two other Thisspiasians showed up only a few minutes after I did."

"Yes, but they were native to that city. Even most Jedi find navigating Ramatesh to be difficult. Besides, they have an internal sensor network built into the walls which made it easy for them to pinpoint where the explosion came from. I imagine that comes in handy when living underground, to minimize losses in the event of a cave-in."

"Oh. Of course." Anakin rolled his eyes. "Why didn't I know that? Right… because Master Rancisis didn't see fit to tell me anything about his home planet before we left! Including that our communicators wouldn't work underground, which is the entire reason those troopers died in the first place!"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, in that particular placating way he always said it. "He gave you a compliment. He trusted your capability as a Jedi Knight and as a general, enough to leave it up to you to decide the best precautions to take with your men, and to ask for any information you might need. Would you have preferred it if he had treated you like a padawan, telling you everything just in case you needed to know?"

"My pride isn't more important than the lives of my men," said Anakin dully. "And I doubt he cares so much about either one." He shoveled food into his mouth as an excuse not to say more.

For a moment, Obi-Wan's furrowed brow smoothed in a sad smile. "Always taking things so personally. Unfortunately, even the best of intentions can go wrong. For now, let's just be grateful that your skill with the Force helped you to save a life."

"It wasn't my skill that saved them," Anakin muttered. "It wasn't even skill that helped me get to them faster. I wasn't doing anything consciously, I just… followed my instincts."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; you don't see that that's precisely why you impress people." Obi-Wan glanced at him with mild exasperation, and shook his head. "But of course your talent with the Force is such a natural part of you…it's in the way you can pilot ships in ways that would be suicidal for anyone else… it's in your blood. But the difficulty, always, is in distinguishing between our own impulsiveness and allowing the Force to fully guide our actions."

Anakin barely heard the last sentence. It's in your blood.

The image from his dream came crashing back to the forefront of his mind and he felt a tingle of anxiety. He knew he had a higher than normal midichlorian count. And he had given his blood to Rex. Rex's body had accepted it, and now… What if it was a vision of the future, and he'd somehow made Rex capable of using the Force? That had to be against the rules of the Jedi Order, or at least against the many rules set in place for members of the clone army, and who knew what sort of trouble he'd be in with the High Council if it turned out to be true? And what would happen to Rex?

"And that is why I think we must always be conscious of the actions we take, even if they seem involuntary," Obi-Wan was saying, but Anakin could only fill in what had come before with guesswork based on years of such impromptu lessons.

"Mm," Anakin said noncommittally, wondering how he could discreetly find out whether or not he'd just made a huge mistake… perhaps huge enough to cost him his place as a Jedi Knight. And Rancisis had stood by without warning and let him do it, perhaps secretly delighting in that very thought.

"Anakin… you didn't hear a word I just said, did you? Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Sorry, Master, I was… just thinking."

He couldn't worry about this right now. Agonizing wouldn't do any good, and he had to be focused on creating a strategy for taking Ringo Vinda. He resolved that when he visited Rex this afternoon, he would find answers. And once he confirmed it had all just been a strange and meaningless dream, he could let the matter rest.

Obi-Wan frowned at him thoughtfully, then glanced at the clock. "We'd better hurry. We're running out of time to meet with the other generals before reporting back to the Council."

"Less talking, more eating," Anakin agreed. He was going to need his full concentration to deal with the rest of the day… and the less he let on to Obi-Wan about his concerns at this point, the better.

…

Anakin walked down the sleek gold and silver halls of Coruscant's military hospital, led by a medical droid. The past several hours had been packed full of strategizing and debate, but despite how quickly they had passed, it felt like his conversation with Obi-Wan had happened days ago.

The medical droid opened the door; Rex was sitting up on the austere hospital bed, arm in a sling, dressed in a thin white robe. When he saw Anakin enter, he swung his legs over the side, and the droid rushed to stop him.

"You are in no condition to leave your bed," it scolded dully. "I thought clones were supposed to be more obedient than other humans…."

"At ease, Captain," Anakin said gently, glad to see Rex feeling well enough to try. "I ordered you to rest, didn't I?"

Rex grimaced and lay back against his pillow—drawing his injured leg back up on the bed took more effort than putting it down. "I have been resting, General."

Anakin could tell Rex was uncomfortable being seen like this, and so he forced himself to stay chipper, despite his personal worries and the stress of the day. There was no point in worrying Rex by acting as if anything was out of the ordinary. Anakin glanced around the rest of the hospital room.

"These walls are a little boring to look at, though. Get any good channels here?"

"I wouldn't know, sir," Rex said. "Was there something you wanted to see me about?"

"I just wanted to see for myself that you're making a full recovery. You look a lot better than you did… well… before."

That brought a small smile. "I'm in your debt."

"No, no debts, Rex," Anakin waved a hand, keeping his tone light. "I just did what I had to do. It was no big deal."

"All the same, sir," Rex said. "I won't forget it. And I'll be back on duty as soon as possible. You can count on that."

"Your duty is to be at one hundred percent when you get out of here."

"Yes sir."

Anakin pulled up a chair; Rex seemed startled that he intended to stay.

"So… this is at least your second time being heavily injured on the battlefield. Does it feel any different from the first time?"

"Well, this bed is a lot softer than the table Kix and Jesse put me on back on Saleucami," Rex huffed a laugh under his breath. "And my legs were fine then, it was just my arm. This is taking a lot longer to heal."

"Well," Anakin said, "I actually meant, in here… does it feel any different?" He tapped his own temple with two fingers.

"Not really," Rex said evenly. "I lose men all the time, sir. It's expected."

"Right." Anakin was starting to relax. Rex was either totally unaware of any change in himself, or he was very good at hiding it, which didn't seem likely to Anakin. He'd push a little further, just to be sure. There was some reading material on Rex's bedside. Anakin pulled it over to him through the Force, smiling at Rex's momentary questioning look.

"Reading anything interesting?"

"Just reg manuals, sir," Rex said.

"Reg manuals? Can't you request anything more interesting?"

Rex half-grinned. "I don't plan on being stuck here that long."

"Glad to hear it." Anakin bounced the reading pad slowly from palm to palm, never letting it actually touch his skin. He kept half an eye on Rex's face, but the captain's expression was openly attentive and expectant.

"There's no need to be concerned for me, sir," Rex finally prompted. "If you have some bad news, I'd prefer to know it straight off."

"Bad news?" Anakin blinked and let the console fall into his lap. "Are you expecting some bad news?"

"Have I been declared unfit to return to duty?" Rex said, his face serious.

"Not unless the doctors are keeping secrets."

Rex shook his head. "Last I heard, I was promised a full recovery."

The reading pad twirled lazily in place.

"Am I…" Rex began, "being demoted, sir?"

"What?" Anakin blurted. "Why would you be demoted?"

"We were ordered to stay where you left us. I should have trusted that you had everything under control. I understand if you see fit to have me transferred to another battalion."

"That's never going to happen, Rex. In fact, I'm depending on you to be with me on my next major mission. The council met today to discuss a new wave of assaults in the Outer Rim. We're going to take Ringo Vinda first."

Rex looked relieved. "I'll be ready, General. When do we leave?"

"Not for several days at least. We're still working out the details of how the assaults will fit together. That should give you plenty of time to get back on your feet."

"I could be ready tomorrow, sir, if necessary," Rex said.

"I don't doubt it," Anakin grinned, then sobered a bit. "But like I said, it's better you have time to recover fully."

He couldn't keep sitting around waiting for Rex to react to his subtle prodding, or the captain would wonder what was up. Anakin looked Rex in the eyes and reached out with the Force, searching the captain for any hint of change. He felt subtle ripples of Rex's confusion and concern underneath his ever-present resolve to do whatever was required. But there was nothing at all like what he felt when connecting with other Jedi or even younglings.

"General?"

Anakin stood up and put the reading pad back on the bedside table. "Take care of yourself, Rex. I'll see you when we're ready to ship out."

"Yes, sir!"

…

The tramp of boots on a metal floor. Troopers marching down an unfamiliar hallway. In a dim and fuzzy light, another clone held a rifle trained on Rex, whose hands were up.

It was Cody. "I never thought I would be the one to take you down. But you're not the man I knew."

"You don't want to do this, Commander," Rex was saying. "You've got to stop acting like a mindless droid. You can't just keep accepting their orders!"

"I don't listen to traitors."

Blaster fire rang out, but Rex pulled the gun out of his attacker's hands without ever touching it; an invisible force threw Cody against the wall and Anakin woke up sweating.

The silence of the dark room made his breath loud and startling. He looked over to make sure Padme was still asleep. She was curled up loosely with her back to him. Anakin settled back and took a deep breath, in and out, laying a hand over his rapid heartbeat as if he could force it down that way. But a deep unease still gripped him, before his mind had even formed the words to describe what he'd seen.

He had checked! He had felt no Force sensitivity in Rex, nothing that fit with the prophetic tone of this dream. But it had only been a day since the first one, and now this? He must have missed something during his visit with Rex. Even if the captain didn't have control of the Force now, he would…and if the vision was to be believed, he would not be on the side of the Republic. The Sith were looking for a way to destroy the Jedi from the inside out—corrupting a trusted clone captain would be the last thing anyone would expect. And if they discovered that Rex had the potential to wield the Force, they would not rest until they had him. The situation on Thisspias must have been set up for precisely this purpose. They had known Anakin's weakness and exploited it as the council had always warned. And Master Rancisis had made no effort to curb Anakin's thoughtless response to Rex's injuries—he had to be in on the plot, a pawn of the Sith. It was no wonder he had objected to Anakin's appointment to the Order; he knew of the prophecy. He knew Anakin was destined to destroy the Sith.

Anakin rolled carefully out of bed, feeling smothered by his own shortsightedness. He crept from the bedroom and stood before one of many large windows looking out onto the elegant skyline of the Senate district. How had he become so fond of a clone? As much as he hated to admit it, there were other clones just as capable as Rex. He could have been replaced. Instead, he gave a mere clone a power that was not meant for his kind. He clenched his fists at that. A wiser Jedi would have understood the risks, and weighed Rex's life against the greater interests of the Republic. They wouldn't have given in to attachment so quickly.

He had to tell someone immediately about what he'd done, and about Master Rancisis. A Jedi wiser and more experienced than himself, who would know what to do with Rex and the mistake Anakin had made. Master Yoda would have the authority to make the best decision for the Republic, even if it meant eliminating whatever danger Rex presented now at the source. Anakin swallowed. He wouldn't let attachment get the better of him this time.

…

"CT-7567, are you listening?" the obnoxious medical droid whined.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Load up the shot once a day and stick it in my leg, drink lots of fluids, and send a daily report for seven rotations. I won't leave anything out." Droids. Rex was so tired of droids. It was much more fun to blast them than take orders from them.

"I hope that's not sarcasm I detect."

"You wouldn't even know sarcasm if it blasted you in the face."

"Well!" the droid huffed. "This is the thanks I get for waiting on you hand and foot for days on end."

"You're just doing your duty. And I can't wait to leave this box and get back to mine."

On cue, the door opened, and General Skywalker walked in.

"General!" Rex stood up.

"Captain," Skywalker said, staring at the medical droid.

"I'm being released. I'll be in uniform as soon as possible, sir."

The medical droid shook its head as it stalked away.

"Good. Get dressed, then. We're going to the Jedi Temple." The general still wasn't looking at him.

"Yes, sir. Excuse me, sir. I'll join you outside as soon as I'm ready."

The general left without saying anything. Rex retrieved his service uniform from the storage cabinet. It felt good to be out of hospital clothes, and judging by General Skywalker's mood, they had quite the battle ahead of them.

The door opened onto the brightly lit hallway, and Rex stepped out.

"Ready when you are, sir."

Skywalker led the way out into Coruscant's morning sunlight, and Rex climbed into the passenger side of the general's speeder. They merged abruptly but seamlessly into the flow of traffic, and the Jedi Temple came into view within minutes. Meeting with the Jedi to discuss military operations was a matter of course for Rex, but those meetings were usually held on the battlefield, not here. Something big must be in the works. General Skywalker appeared to be deep in thought as he set the speeder down on the Temple landing pad.

Together they made their way into the building, but instead of heading toward the conference rooms, General Skywalker turned in the opposite direction.

"This is a private meeting," Skywalker said quietly. "With Master Yoda. We need to discuss some of the events on our last mission."

"Do you have a suspect for who planted the bomb, sir?"

"You might say that."

Rex took the following silence to mean that more information would have to wait until they were in a secure location. The general led him down fairly featureless hallways lined with nearly identical doors, until arriving at one which seemed no different from the others.

It opened before Skywalker touched the button.

"Come in. Come in!" Master Yoda's voice came from the dim interior. "Many questions in your mind, I feel. Heaviness, you bring with you."

Rex stepped in behind General Skywalker, and the door slid shut, leaving the room even dimmer than before. Light came in through slats in the window blinds, and Yoda was seated on a round cushion. The old Jedi Master looked straight at him, and Rex wasn't sure if he should look away or not.

"Unexpected, your presence is, Captain Rex."

"General?" Rex glanced at Skywalker.

"Sit, sit, and let us speak freely." Yoda swept two cushions to rest in front of them with a wave of his hand, and Rex and Skywalker sat.

Skywalker took a deep breath. "Master Yoda… I think I've made a terrible mistake."

"A mistake, you say? Something involving your captain, it is?"

"Yes."

A sick feeling crept into Rex's stomach. The general had reassured him that he had done nothing wrong, but apparently he had changed his mind.

"I've been having… visions. I thought it was just a dream the first time, but now I'm certain I'm seeing the future."

"Very careful you must be, young Skywalker," Yoda warned. "Tell me of this dream, and then decide its meaning, we may."

"Alright," Skywalker sighed, hesitating. "Captain Rex was in both of them. And… he was… using the Force."

"What?" Rex gasped. "Sir, that's—" He cut himself off, not wanting to speak out of turn. He was in the presence of two Jedi, after all.

"Agree with the captain, I do. What you saw, impossible it is."

"No, I'm sure of what I saw! The first time it was just practice—with the Force. But in the second vision… he… Master Yoda, I'm afraid the Sith will find a way to strike us from within, and they're going to use Captain Rex to do it."

Yoda looked serious, but not yet alarmed. "Describe this knowledge, can you, in more detail?"

"Yes. I saw…." Skywalker closed his eyes, concentrating. "Commander Cody…. He was pointing a blaster at Rex, talking about… he was telling him he was a traitor. And Rex was trying to convince Cody to stop obeying Republic command. He said he was acting like a mindless droid. And then… Cody tried to shoot Rex, but Rex used the Force to push Cody against the wall. That's when I woke up."

Rex stared at the general, horrified. "This can't be a vision, sir. I would never betray the Republic! And I would never fight against the rest of my brothers!"

"I can't deny what I saw," the general said quietly. "Master Yoda… I need to know how we can prevent this from happening."

"Before we can prevent it, how it will happen, we must first know." Yoda looked contemplative.

Rex spoke up. "If clones could ever use the Force, it would have happened by now. There are millions of us!" He turned toward General Skywalker. "You've worked with me long enough, and in all that time, have I ever shown any kind of… sensitivity?"

"No," Skywalker said to the ground. "But I…."

"Afraid you are, that in giving your blood to this clone, the Force also, you have given?"

"I'm sure of it," Anakin muttered.

Yoda smiled, and laughed a little. Rex and General Skywalker both jerked upright to stare at him.

"Although mysterious, the ways of the Force may be, this much we know to be impossible. Give the Force to others, no one can. Born with it, you must be."

"But," Skywalker said, still troubled. "My visions. How else can they be true? I was sure that we were set up on Thisspias! It would have been the perfect plan to use me… my weakness…." He glanced at Rex.

Rex could only stare back, astounded that of all people, he could have been considered General Skywalker's weakness. Wasn't there someone else who would have been a better target?

"Yes," Yoda said. "Your attachment to others, your greatness weakness it is. Very careful, you must be. But in the matter of this clone, no harm has been done. Saved a life, you have."

"I'm still not convinced that my vision was just a dream," Skywalker protested. "And that's the only explanation I could think of."

"Many and terrible are the ways of the Dark Side. If a vision indeed this is, another way they will find."

"Permission to speak freely, sir," Rex asked tightly.

"Already granted, it was." Yoda smiled.

"This is absurd!" Rex said, punctuating it with a jerk of his arm. "Even if I could use the Force, I wouldn't, and certainly not to betray the Republic! I would rather die! The enemy can do whatever it wants to me, but I would never do anything like what you saw in your dream!"

"So certain, are you? Very persuasive, the Dark Side can be."

"He's right, Rex," General Skywalker said, finally looking at him. "I don't like to think about it either. But I can't just ignore what I saw. Especially not if there's a chance to prevent it. Ignoring it isn't going to help anything!"

"I can't believe it," Rex said simply.

"Think on this matter, I will," Yoda said. "But not worry. Until some evidence of this plot we see, act, we cannot."

"So I should still take Rex with me on missions like nothing's going to happen?" Skywalker asked.

"A reliable captain, he is. Need him on the battlefield, we will, if in this new wave of attacks, we are to succeed."

"If General Skywalker doesn't trust me, sir, wouldn't it be better for me to serve under someone else?"

"No," Skywalker said. "Master Yoda's right. Until something happens… you're still the best captain in the army."

Rex wasn't sure if he should protest or not. He didn't like the idea of working under someone who didn't trust him. But on the other hand, if something was going to happen…it would be better to have someone watching him who knew. Rex didn't like the thought of that at all.

"Now… see you both at the meeting tonight, I will. Much to discuss have we, about the assault on Ringo Vinda."

Skywalker stood and Rex hurried to follow.

"Thank you, Master Yoda," Skywalker said, and they left.

As the door slid shut behind them in the hallway, Rex could barely contain himself any longer.

"With all due respect, sir, what in the name of the Republic was that?! How could I—how could any clone—become a Sith? It's insane!"

"Rex," Skywalker sighed in exasperation. "I wish it were that simple. I don't want to believe it either, like I said! But you don't know how powerful my vision was! Do you think I go around thinking all my crazy dreams are going to happen in the future? This was different!"

"But, sir! Commander Cody? How can you even imagine that I would fight against him?"

"I wasn't imagining it!" The general gestured in agitation. "It was a vision! You don't understand."

"That's right, sir. I don't understand, because I'm not a Jedi. And I never will be! Not in any way, shape, or form!"

"Hey, no need to be insulting," Skywalker said, and for a minute Rex couldn't tell if he was joking or not. The events of the day had put him too off-balance.

"I meant no offense, sir. I just… I just don't see how this could be possible."

"Me either," Skywalker sighed. "But it is… somehow. Hey… as Master Yoda says, the future is always in flux. Maybe we've already changed it by knowing about it."

"Somehow it always seemed pretty clear cut to me," Rex said. "We do our duty… we live, or we die. For the good of the Republic."

"I hope that kind of thinking isn't what makes you an easy target."

Rex frowned. "Me and every other clone, then. General, you know I can think for myself. But you also know that I am loyal to the Republic. And I always will be."

Skywalker said, "What if the Republic was wrong? What if you found out that everything you'd been fighting for was a lie?"

"I still wouldn't turn against my friends, sir."

The general smiled sadly. "Your friends, huh? Do the Jedi fall into that category?"

"A friend is a friend whether they're a Jedi or one of my brothers," Rex said. "You know I consider you a friend."

"I hope that doesn't change."