Chapter 18 – Secret of the Chips

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD

Author's Note: In which Anakin discovers the completed list of orders and some bonding time ensues. :)

~ Amina Gila

"Why does this stupid code have to be so difficult?" rants Anakin, before uttering a string of curses. Obi-Wan snorts quietly, propped against the pillows. He's been conscious for nearly an hour, and based on what Ahsoka told him, Anakin was working on breaking the encryption on the chips for almost two hours previously.

"If it was easy, everyone could do it," Obi-Wan reminds Anakin. He exchanges a look with Rex, the clone captain, who is sitting in a chair apart from the rest of his brothers. Honestly, he's glad that the room is so big, or it would be extremely crowded with all the clones in here. Someone really needs to give them a place to stay, but obviously that someone isn't going to be him. Or Anakin. They're both on mandated bed rest until tomorrow. He wants to complain, but Kix isn't a medic to argue with.

"Here. Try this," Ahsoka suggests, leaning over Anakin's shoulder. Obi-Wan knows that she has no idea what she's looking at, but he can feel her reaching out to the Force for guidance, something that Anakin would do too if he'd been trained as a Jedi.

"Not gonna work," mumbles Anakin, adjusting something that Obi-Wan can't really see. "This might have something in it to destroy the contents, so we need to be careful." Yes. That could prove to be a serious problem, as all the other chips have already been destroyed. This is the only one which they can use to get the list of orders.

Obi-Wan tries not to think too much about Appo; the clone is recovering fine, but he doesn't like to make a habit of Force suggesting people to reveal information. At least he can take consolation in the fact that he didn't do anything he seriously regrets. Through the Force, he got a sense of what the answer was, and considering that Sidious would have been very displeased, it's a good thing that Appo refused to answer. Anakin doesn't even seem to be aware of how much loyalty all the men in the room feel towards him. The 501st clearly consider themselves Anakin's troops, even though he only trained them.

"Well, well, what have we here?" sings out an unfamiliar female voice. He turns to see a bald, female Zabrak striding in the room. Her skin is completely white, and two lightsabers are clipped to a belt at her waist. Her blue eyes narrow as she scans the scene. "I didn't realize that Count Dooku invited guests up here."

"Knock of the nonsense, Ventress," calls Anakin, giving the woman an exasperated look. "You know perfectly well that these men were prisoners. Did you hear about the chips?"

"Behavioral chips?" she queries. "Certainly. I believe I've been updated with the most recent occurrences, and really, Skywalker? What possessed you to openly challenge Lord Sidious in such a manner?"

"Oh great," mutters Anakin, dramatically flopping back on the bed and nearly hitting Ahsoka. "You only came here to berate me. You don't care that I'm stuck here."

"You brought it on yourself," she declares smugly. Watching them banter lets Obi-Wan know that clearly, despite the fake-hostility between them, they're close friends. It's only natural, he supposes, since she must know how Anakin is being treated here.

"Do me a favor will you? Keep the two guest quarters nearest mine for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, but give the rest of these men a place to stay, okay?" Anakin spares her a glance before sitting up and resuming his work. "I need to focus."

"I shan't disturb you then," Ventress promises, turning towards the clones watching her. "Alright. I'm Asajj Ventress, Dooku's personal assassin, so don't mess with me. If you're ready, you can come with me."

Rex looks at Obi-Wan, who gives him a subtle nod in return. He doesn't know Ventress, but he trusts that if Anakin likes her, she won't deliberately harm anyone. She doesn't even wait for a reply, instead turning and walking away. "And give them a tour!" Anakin shouts after her. "We don't want anyone getting lost!"

"Yes, sir!" she calls back tauntingly. "Are there any other orders, my Lord?"

"Shut up!"

"As you wish." Grinning over her shoulder, she sweeps out of the room, all the clones except Appo, who is still unconscious, and Kix and Coric, the medics, following after her. "I hope no one minds sharing." That's all that Obi-Wan can make out, the rest of her words covered up by footsteps and the rapidly increasing distance separating them.

He idly studies the entire room again, taking in each and every detail out of sheer boredom. He could try meditating, but that would only work for so long which is why he's been putting it off. Besides, he'd rather be completely present when Anakin finally cracks the encryption. It could take hours; he knows that much. Maybe meditating is actually a good idea. Sitting up completely, he shifts into a meditating position and slip into the Force.

Calm and quiet. Peaceful and tranquil. The Light Side washes through him, claiming worries and fears, things he'd hardly realized existed. Here, he's free from all burdens. Nothing matters here. Obi-Wan finds that there is a part of him which regrets being here. The Jedi are his family, and they're fighting a galactic war while he stays here with Anakin and Ahsoka. He loves both of them dearly, but he wishes there was something he could do to help. Well, staying here is help enough, because by helping Anakin, he's indirectly helping the galaxy.

If only their end goal was more easily attainable. Right now, it seems as though their striving to reach something that is so far beyond them, it's hopeless. But no. He won't give up hope. Ahsoka needs his help to stay on the Light path. Anakin needs his help to pull him free from the Dark ensnaring his soul. Even if he could leave, he wouldn't. His place is here, with his Padawans, his family.

When he finally opens his eyes again, he feels far more serene than he has in a while. Sidious's torture, excruciating though it was, wasn't nearly enough to break him or make him waver. A glance at the chrono tells him that it's been a little over an hour. Huh. He'd thought it would take longer what with all the repressed emotions and the recent lack of meditating.

Anakin is cursing incessantly, with Ahsoka trying and failing to calm him. "What is it?" Obi-Wan wants to know, turning to look at them.

"I broke through the first layer of protection, but now I'm looking at a second which is even stronger," Anakin complains. "I have no idea how long it will take this time."

"Have patience," advises Obi-Wan. "If you get frustrated, it'll take longer. Besides, at least you have something to do. Once you're done, all I'll be hearing is that you're bored."

Anakin glares, but there's no heat behind it. "He's right and you know it," pipes up Ahsoka, patting his arm. "It's like a puzzle, and once we succeed, we'll have extremely sensitive information in our hands. Look at it that way."

"Fine," grumbles Anakin, scowling, but he inhales slowly, and Obi-Wan can feel some of the tension dissipating into the Force.

"Done yet?" Obi-Wan jumps slightly at Ventress's voice. The woman in question is standing in the doorway, Rex next to her. "Rex wanted to come back here and stay with you." She shrugs as if to say like I know why he'd want that. Leaving Rex at the doorway, Asajj moves to Anakin's bedside and sits down. "Let's see what we have here…"

Anakin immediately starts explaining the situation to her, while Obi-Wan turns his attention to Rex. "How is it?"

"Different." Rex seems to be choosing his words carefully, a sure sign that he's not entirely comfortable with Obi-Wan which is to be expected. "There will be three of us in each room, but the quarters are big. I'm surprised that Dooku is giving us so much liberty."

Obi-Wan's lips quirk into a smile. "I think that Dooku understands, like I do, that your personal loyalty to Anakin precedes your loyalty to the Republic, especially knowing the truth about the war and the Chancellor."

"Yes, sir. That is true," Rex agrees, seeming relieved that Obi-Wan understands and accepts his feelings.

"It wasn't more difficult; it simply required more thought!" Asajj asserts smugly.

"Hold on," breathes Anakin, anticipation hanging in the air. "There… now… got it!"

"Thank the Force." Obi-Wan can almost hear Asajj rolling her eyes. "If I hadn't provided you with that little bit of enlightenment, we would have been here all night."

"Yes, now if you would be quiet, I could actually read what these orders are," Anakin snarks back. He shifts, tilting the datapad in his hands so Ahsoka can see it. Obi-Wan wishes he could see too, but he'll have to be patient.

"Oh, Force," gasps Ahsoka not even two minutes later, falling back into her chair, handing coming up to cover her mouth. She shakes her head desperately. "How? How? He's prepared for everything! Anakin, what are we going to do?"

Anakin's expression is completely blank, and Obi-Wan finds that he hates the mask the younger man is wearing. He can't even gauge how he feels, though there's suppressed fury – and fear – in Anakin's Force signature. "Here," he says stiffly, passing the datapad to Asajj. "Read this. You too, Rex. Give it to Obi-Wan when you're done."

Asajj takes it eagerly, walking across the room to where Rex is sitting in a chair. He stands up to see it, reading over her shoulder. Anakin murmurs something to Ahsoka that Obi-Wan can't hear, reaching out to touch her arm comfortingly. Rex curses, stumbling backwards. "We're worse than slaves!" he spits out. "Our sole purpose is to help in the formation of an Empire! Millions of my brothers are out there – they don't even know!"

The Zabrak – actually, Obi-Wan is beginning to suspect she might be Dathomirian, maybe from the Nightsisters clan – clenches her jaw, wordlessly handing the datapad to Obi-Wan. Turning, she rests a hand on Rex's shoulder. "Come with me." Unlike earlier, her words are gentle. She's not giving him an order. The pair leave the room as Obi-Wan scans the words before him.

He's a Jedi Knight. He's trained for many things, but nothing could have prepared him for the cold callousness that went into planning this. Ahsoka was right. Sidious has prepared for anything. Order 66 is probably the worst, because it calls for the murder of every Force sensitive who is not in open collaboration with the Chancellor except Anakin. Like they'd suspected, there is an order here specifically for Anakin's assassination. There's also one for the execution of every Senator and representative. Another gives the Chancellor the power to have every clone commit suicide or even turn on all surrounding civilians and slaughter them.

By the time he finishes, he feels sick. Looking up, he meets Anakin's steely gaze, and immediately knows that the other feels the same way. "I contacted Dooku through our bond," Anakin informs them. "He's coming here as soon as he can. We need to talk." Obi-Wan doesn't think a truer statement has ever been made.

**w**

Asajj silently leads the clone down the hallways, carefully probing him with the Force to get a read on his emotional status. He's confused, hurt, angry, betrayed. She understands. She's completely sickened by the extent of the orders implanted into the clones' minds, and she knows she'd be feeling the same if it was her. Actually, she'd probably track down the source of her rage and attack brutally. Yes, she'd regret it later, but that wouldn't stop her from doing it.

She pulls Rex into a small side hall which is entirely dark except for light coming in through a window at the far end. It's nighttime now; Anakin spent most of the afternoon either unconscious or cracking the encryption on the chip. Honestly, she's proud of his success. No one else would have been able to do it. That boy is truly a mechanical genius.

"Rex?" she prompts softly. "I know you're upset. You can talk to me. It'll be better than letting it stay there. Trust me. I know."

The clone exhales harshly, and his fists clench. "Was our creation meaningless?" he grinds out. "We were supposed to protect the Republic, but it never needed protecting. They lied to us about why we were training, about everything."

"You were created to unwittingly help Sidious," Asajj grants, touching Rex's arm to keep him grounded, "But that doesn't define you, okay? You're still a person. You can still make your own choices. You have free will."

"Yes, maybe I do," Rex hisses lowly, "But what about all my other brothers? They're still under Sidious's thumb!" At the root of all his emotions, Asajj knows that he's feeling despair. Everything he thought he'd known has been completely demolished. Anakin already told him – all of them, probably – about the Chancellor, but this is different. It's personal in a way she'll never be able to understand.

"Don't worry," she assures him. "Anakin and Dooku will come up with a plan. Even if they didn't care about you – and I know they do – they would still take the chips into account. That means either telling the Republic or doing something to ensure that none of you will be able to be used against them or the galaxy. We have time, Rex."

"Time," Rex repeats, turning towards the window and looking out at Serenno. His breathing is erratic, and she knows that he's struggling to maintain control. The clones were bred – like animals – to be resistant to stress, but they're still human. They still have emotions.

"Just breathe," Asajj whispers. "You'll be alright. We'll figure this out." He might not be having a panic attack, but she knows how to deal with them, and this isn't nearly anything as serious. Anakin had one once, and she'd eventually been able to help him. It was… scary. She remembers the time as clearly as if it were yesterday.

Anakin had been seventeen at the time – she was sixteen. They'd been dispatched on a mission. Though they'd been successful, the ship had crashed and was irreparable. While they'd waited for Dooku to come and pick them up, there had been a violent storm. She thinks it was the lightning which had triggered Anakin, and she'd ended up spending nearly an hour trying to calm him.

"How do you know you won't be too late?" Rex demands, turning to look at her.

"We never know anything in war," Asajj tells him simply. "All we can do is work as hard as we can to achieve a desirable outcome."

The clone slides down the wall to the floor and sits there for many long moments. She doesn't say anything, choosing instead to let him think over her words for a time. "I – I don't even know what I can do," Rex finally confesses without looking at her. "I was trained to fight, but I don't want to fight against my own brothers, and I don't think I can fight for the Republic neither, not with what I now know."

Asajj sighs lightly and sits down next to him. "There is always something you can do," she murmurs. "Life doesn't always go the way we'd expected, and we can only deal with what we're given." She pauses, thinking about her best friend, nearly brother. Anakin has done remarkably well, considering everything he's been through. She's grateful to have met him; she became a better person after knowing him.

"Everything was a lie," Rex repeats, staring off into the darkness. "I don't know what to do." She wonders if he would normally say something like this. Probably not. It's only because he doesn't view her as his superior. He's a soldier, but he must know how to share his problems with others. Besides, it's not as though any of his brothers could help him. They'll all be facing the same identity crises.

"I was born into the Nightsister clan," Asajj finally relates. She can't pretend to understand what Rex is experiencing, but she can share some of her own struggles. "They're a group of witches on Dathomir who use the Force for their own purposes. I was sold as an infant to a criminal – I don't know why. He raised me, and I considered him something of a father even though I was his slave." She shifts uncomfortably, staring resolutely at the floor. She's only shared this once before, sometime after she met Anakin.

"He was killed by pirates when I was a child, three or four, I think, and I was found by a Jedi Knight. He took me as his Padawan, but we couldn't get off the planet." She clenches her jaw as she continues. "The Council abandoned us there, and ten years later, he was also killed. I took revenge and killed all the pirates there. I ran the planet for a while until Dooku found me when I was fifteen. I've been here ever since."

A heavy silence falls between them. Rex doesn't say anything though he clearly is thinking about her story. She tries not to let that make her uncomfortable. "How well do you – do you know Anakin?" the clone finally asks. First name basis. Interesting. They must be closer than she'd initially expected.

"We've spent much of our time together over the past two to three years," she informs him, letting herself begin reminiscing. "He was so bright in the Force, like a star. I was jealous of his power at first," she admits, "But I soon learned how high a price came with it. He's intelligent yet extremely emotional."

Rex snorts quietly. "Yes," he comments dryly, "I know how emotional he can get." He shakes his head slightly, and she's pleased to note that his previous conflict has faded drastically. She'd hoped to distract him; she seems to have succeeded. "Fives once saw him go from pleased to furious and back again in less than a minute."

"That sounds like the Anakin I know," Asajj agrees. "I'd trust him with my life in a heartbeat, and you'll learn to do the same if you don't already." She gives him a pointed look. "I saw how you were looking at him, like there wasn't anyone else you would rather lead you into battle."

She picks up a hint of embarrassment from the other, so she pats his arm reassuringly. "Don't worry. He could use the support. The last couple months have been really rough for him, and he needs people he can rely on to keep him together." She hadn't intended for the conversation to go that route either. It kind of just happened.

"I'll do my best, sir," Rex promises.

She makes a face. "Please call me either Asajj or Ventress," she requests. "The choice is yours."

"As you wish, Asajj." She can feel Rex smiling.

Standing, she plants her hands on her hips and looks down at the man. "You should go to your quarters," she declares firmly. "I'm sure you want to talk to your brothers, and I ought to see what extravagant plan Skywalker and Dooku have concocted to save us." Rex laughs as he stands up. He's no longer on the verge of falling apart, so she considers it a win.