Chapter 69 – Whispers of the Past
Author's Note: Enjoy the little snippet from Vader's head. ^-^
To Guest: I've already said before that I completely disagree with this, and Dave Filoni's assessment of Vader. I don't need to say that again. And as I said before, this version of Vader is different than Canon, and Canon Vader was actually very attached to his past, though he was willing to let go of Ahsoka if it meant keeping her safe and out of Sidious's hands. I feel the need to add that the CW made it perfectly obvious that Dave Filoni does not understand Anakin at all, else he wouldn't have written him as the polar opposite of PT Anakin in every conceivable way. Plus, it's highly insulting to act as though Leia isn't perfectly as capable of saving Vader as Luke. She's literally the lighter twin. Lol. Luke has very obvious inclinations to the Dark that Leia never had.
~ Amina Gila
Vader still isn't sure what to make of this. Ahsoka is still alive, after all these years, and – and so is Theseus. He thought – hoped – their paths wouldn't cross again, because he knew what would happen. He knows what's going to happen, now. He didn't want it to come to this, but he knows Sidious will order him to hunt them down and kill them... or capture them. He prefers that, because they could survive and maybe take down Sidious. Finally. He wants to, but he's not strong enough to do it alone.
He doesn't know which Sidious will order him to do, but he has to tell his master what happened. Either way, he's going to be sent after them. Their presences could easily lead him to other surviving Jedi. For a moment, he thinks back to the two he fought on Lothal. One of them was Caleb; he's certain of it. That he survived is... surprising. But if he keeps fighting against the Empire, with his skill level, he won't last long.
Forcing his mind onto... less risky topics – which is hard when he's delivering news about Ahsoka and Theseus – Vader strides onto the bridge, giving the order for everyone to clear it. As soon as they're gone, he calls Sidious, kneeling on the floor in front of the hologram.
"Lord Vader," his master intones, "Have you dealt with the rebels in the Lothal system?"
"Yes, Master. They are broken," he replies.
"And yet, I sense in you something more to your victory."
Of course, his master would pick up on it. He always does. That's why – "I believe the apprentices of Anakin Skywalker and Kenobi live and are in league with these rebels."
"Are you certain?"
"It was them." He could never mistake their presences, no matter how many years it's been. He's long since mastered the art of controlling what he's thinking about in Sidious' presence, though, so he doesn't let his mind drift beyond that point.
"This is an opportunity we cannot let pass," Sidious hisses, "They could lead us to other lost Jedi."
"Such as Kenobi," Vader states, instantly forcing back any memories that try to rise to the surface at the name. He knows his master is still alive, and that they will someday encounter one another again, and... he is not looking forwards to it.
"Perhaps. If he lives. Be patient, my old friend. For now, dispatch another Inquisitor to hunt them down."
"As you wish, my master." The call ends at that, and Vader stands. If he's sending an Inquisitor after Theseus, he knows just the one to send.
He goes to talk to the First Sister in person immediately. "You summoned me?" Athea asks, yellow eyes regarding him with the faintest hint of curiosity.
"The Emperor wishes for one of you to be sent to hunt down the Jedi spotted on Lothal," he explains, "You our most suited for this task because of your... past experience with them."
"Who are they?" she inquires, voice betraying little emotion.
"Ahsoka and Theseus. The third resembled Caleb Dume."
There's a heartbeat of silence, and he sees the surprise that flits across her face. He doesn't miss the flare of... something like relief in the Force from her, jumbled with a mixture of other emotions. For all that she sees herself as someone else entirely, those she once cared for in her past still continue to affect her.
(Not as if Vader can say any differently.)
"I will deal with them," she replies. She hesitates a moment before speaking again. "It's possible that they could be... assets."
"Perhaps," Vader replies, inclining his helmet ever so slightly.
They drop the matter at that.
**w**
Marr sits in his room, trying in vain to find some measure of calm from the maelstrom of emotions raging through him. He wishes he knew what to do, where to start. Ahsoka is already getting to work, trying to see if she can find any intelligence of any kind about who the Sith might be or just anything about him. So far, it seems like he's nothing more than a shadow, a ghost story, really, though he does have a high position in the Empire's military when he's not... doing whatever he else he does. Hunting down Jedi?
Marr feels sick at the very thought. He doesn't understand how this could have happened, but he needs to find out. He doesn't even have a clue how he'd go about trying, though.
He feels lost again, and he doesn't know where to start. Closing his eyes, Marr delves into the Force again, searching for the one person who might be able to give him some helpful advice in a time like this. Maybe. He doesn't have anyone else to turn to, anyway.
Soon enough, the familiar masked figure materializes in front of him – in a way. "Revan?" Marr asks; he might as well just get to the point. "I – I sensed Anakin."
"I know," the figure replies.
"You knew he was alive? That he's a Sith?" he asks.
"In the Force, I can see all of time, but I cannot reveal what the Force does not desire me to."
Of course. It makes sense. Strange after-death rules that Marr doesn't even care to try and understand. They're not really important anyway, though he knows it's the will of the Force. Once a person dies, they can no longer influence the living anymore. That is the point of death, after all.
"I can't just leave him as a Sith with the Empire, but I don't know what to do."
"Your paths will cross again," Revan replies, "And when that happens, you will know what to do. You can search for him, but remember, for him to be free, you must destroy the Emperor."
'Free'? Marr doesn't like how he worded that sentence. "Of course," he agrees, "I will."
He dematerializes at that, leaving Marr alone. That... actually did help. He has a reassurance now, and some direction. Speaking with Revan has always helped in that way. If not for that, he would likely have never pursued learning more about the Dark Side. He probably wouldn't have gone to learn the Dark Side from Maul either, and even if he had, there's a high chance he would have lost himself somewhere along the way.
For now, Marr can let Ahsoka focus her efforts on trying to find Anakin, while he'll continue doing everything he can to find a way to destroy Sidious.
For a moment, his eyes drift to the Darksaber.
The Force allowed him to get it for a reason. Maybe... when the time is right, he can use his status as the Mand'alor to his advantage. He doesn't know how yet, or what he could do that wouldn't risk getting Mandalore destroyed completely, but he has the barest backbone of a plan starting to form in his mind.
Yes, he'll have a lot to think about.
**w**
Fighting for the Rebellion is... different now. It's with a strange sense of urgency and determination that Marr never felt before. They must find a way to destroy Sidious as soon as possible. His end goal still feels so far away, but he's even more determined now to reach it. He will not leave his brother with the Sith Master, any longer than he has to.
Ahsoka is searching everywhere for more about him, and while she hasn't found much, they'll get somewhere eventually. He knows they will. He hates having to wait for it – after so many years, and finding out Anakin's alive, he wants nothing more than to go find him right now – but he's grown used to the endless waiting. At least he knows that his brother is alive, after so many years of believing otherwise. Even if he's also a Sith.
They need to focus on the most urgent matters at hand, though, because now they don't have a base. "Problem is, none of the potential bases we know of have the tactical advantage we need to protect what's left of our fleet," Hera declares, looking around the meeting room.
"Or aid the nearby systems, suffering from Imperial oppression," Kanan speaks up.
"We can't help others if we can't help ourselves, Kanan."
"I think that's his point," Marr reminds, "There were places back in the Clone Wars which might work, but I don't really remember much about them." It's been so long, and that was hardly his focus anyway.
"I know someone who might be able to help us," Ahsoka declares, "A great military commander with a vast knowledge of the Outer Rim. He could assist us in finding a base, and his experienced leadership would make him a powerful ally."
"How do we recruit this leader?" Commander Sato asks.
"That's the problem," she replies, slowly pacing across the room, "I lost track of him a long time ago. and all my transmissions have gone unanswered."
"Who?" Marr queries, curiously. He doesn't who she could be talking about unless –
"Why don't we discuss this elsewhere?" she proposes.
"We can find your friend! We can try," Ezra offers eagerly, stepping forward.
"Perhaps," she agrees, "There is one other option that I have not yet attempted."
The meeting ends at that, and while the others head for the Ghost, Marr follows Ahsoka, who's saying that she needs to get... something. "It's Rex," she tells him, as soon as they're alone.
"I knew it," Marr exclaims, "I've been wondering what happened to him."
"He promised me I could contact him whenever I needed anything, but he wanted out of all the fighting, after... some things that happened," she replies. "I tried not to contact him unless I needed anything, but I don't know why he isn't answering my transmissions."
"You know where he is? Have you ever tried going there?"
"I haven't. Nothing was urgent enough for that," she replies, "He wanted to leave the fighting, and I wouldn't stop him. But you should go with the others to pick him up. I think this should work to track him down." She pulls out the head of a tactical droid, holding it out.
"You're gonna use one of his old enemies to track him down? I'm sure he'll love that."
She chuckles. "Yeah, I'm sure. Come on, let's go explain this to the others." For a moment, it feels so much like old times, and he suddenly misses Anakin so much he can hardly stand it.
"I don't think Kanan is going to be happy about this," Marr points out, refocusing on the situation at hand, as they head for the cockpit of the Ghost.
"You can explain it to him when you're already on the way," she suggests.
"It won't be easy for him," he agrees, "But he'll... understand." Hopefully, even if he won't be dealing with it very well. "We know we can trust Rex, so..."
Their conversation ends as they slip into the cockpit, explaining the situation to the others. "Last I heard, he was in the Seelos system," Ahsoka informs, turning to head for the door. "You can start there."
"You're not coming with us?" Ezra objects.
"I have something else to attend to." Right. Looking for Anakin.
"The Sith Lord," Kanan says, expression darkening.
"There are questions that need answering," she replies, "And Kanan, if you find my friend, you must trust him."
"If he's all the things you say, we can't afford not to," Kanan answers with a shrug. He has no idea what she means. Marr needs to explain what he's really getting into. He knows how hard it must be for him, especially since he never knew what happened immediately, the same way Marr did. He wasn't as close with the clones either, since he hadn't been a padawan for that long.
"There's something you should know," Marr speaks up, once they've made the jump to hyperspace.
"What?" Hera wonders.
"I know who we're going to find. Captain Rex." He doesn't know how else to explain this, without just getting to the point.
Kanan instantly goes rigid. "What? He's a clone!"
Hera winces.
"Why would Ahsoka send us to find him?! We know we can't trust any of them!" Kanan argues.
Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb all look uncertainty between them. "You know they weren't in control of their actions," Marr reminds, gently, "And Rex's chip was removed."
Kanan doesn't look any happier about the situation.
"What about chips? What's wrong with asking a 'clone' for help?" Ezra objects, "I always wanted to meet one."
"It was at the end of the war," Marr explains, slowly, "The Sith Master gave out an order that activated mind-control chips in the entire Clone Army, and they turned on the Jedi. Very few escaped." He doesn't want to think about that day, but he does, all the time. It's been years, yet he cannot look back to that day without remembering, distinctly, the pain which accompanied it.
A heavy silence settles over the room for a few moments.
"I know this isn't easy for you, Kanan," Marr continues, "You don't have to interact with him if you don't want to, but it's only because of Rex that Ahsoka and I survived. He tried to fight it. I saw. He told us what to do to find the chips, right before he couldn't fight it off anymore."
Kanan still doesn't look happy, but he keeps any further objections, and his obvious skepticism, to himself.
**w**
Of course, something promptly goes wrong with repairs on the Ghost, so they find themselves going down to the planet in the Phantom instead. With help from the droid head, they track down an Old Republic tank, slowly moving across the surface. This must be it.
He's both nervous and excited. It's been so long since he last saw Rex, and though they weren't close, he's undeniably happy at being able to see him again. (And he'll have to explain to him what happened to Anakin. He probably still thinks his general is dead.) He wonders what happened to Cody – if he's still alive and out there somewhere.
Kanan's hand is close to his lightsaber as they step off the Phantom, approaching the tank. After several moments, the door opens, and three clones step out. Rex... looks very different, but Marr still recognizes him immediately. And wait – is that Wolffe?!
For a moment, Rex just... stares at him. "Theseus?" he asks, after a long moment. A flicker of surprise crosses Wolffe's face, though he doesn't say anything, his eyes narrowed as he watches them. He doesn't trust them at all, it seems.
"Rex," replies Marr with a nod. He hasn't seen clones in... so long.
"Why are you here?"
"Ahsoka sent us to find you."
"Ahsoka?" Rex repeats in surprise, "Why don't you come inside?"
Kanan still looks extremely wary – for that matter, so does Wolffe – as they all file into the main room of their home and introduce themselves. Apparently, the other clone here is one named Gregor.
"Hey, you're a big one, aren't you?" Gregor comments cheerfully, taking a seat.
"Bigger than you," Zeb shoots back.
"It's good to see you here, Wolffe," Marr says. He was one of the commanders that he knew a little better, since they often worked with Plo. What happened to Plo? Was he shot down by Wolffe? Did someone else do it? He'll never know, and maybe that's for the best.
He only gives him a stiff nod, then turns away. Did something happen? He has to wonder, because he's acting strangely hostile.
"How is Commander Tano?" Rex asks, turning to them.
"She's doing alright," Marr assures.
"But in need of help," Ezra cuts in, "We all are. Look, we're trying to fight the Empire, but we're outnumbered, outmatched, and taking a beating. We could use your help."
"Well, I'm not sure I'm much help to anyone these days," Rex replies, crossing his arms, "Didn't you hear? The Empire said the clone army had out-served its purpose and retired us. Now we spend our days just telling stories and slinging for joopas."
"This was a wasted trip," Kanan snaps, from the doorway, "You heard the clone. He's not interested."
"Ahsoka said you didn't want to fight anymore," Marr tries, hesitantly.
A shadow crosses his face, and he leans back, crossing his arms behind his head. "My days as a soldier are over."
"I understand that," he reminds. If he isn't ready to keep fighting, there's no way Marr will try to pressure him into it. Not when the three of them here may well be the only clones without chips who are still alive. "You know that's why I stayed behind on Odessen."
"Yes, I know."
"Well, maybe there is one thing you could help us with," Ezra cuts in, "We need a base. Ahsoka said you knew about all sorts of secret locations in the Outer Rim."
Rex hesitates for a moment, glancing discreetly between Gregor who nods eagerly, and Wolffe who discreetly shakes his head. "Well, my memory wasn't it once was, but there are a few spots I never bothered to report to the Empire. Look, why don't you just wait outside, and I'll put together a list of coordinates?"
"Thank you," Marr says gratefully, before he follows the others back into the bright sunlight outside.
"I still don't like this," Kanan grumbles, moving to the railing and leaning against it.
"At least he's willing to help us," Ezra offers.
Only moments later, the door opens and Gregor steps out, asking for their help with a hunting expedition. Marr agrees – because what could go wrong? If it's what they want to do, they have time. They're stuck out here until the Ghost is fixed anyways.
No one is terribly impressed – especially Kanan – that Zeb is the bait, but it works, and the entire thing is exhilarating enough that Marr thinks he really understands why the clones who left have taken to things like this. They can't fight in battles very well anymore, but they can still fight other, less dangerous, things.
It's later in the afternoon – they already agreed to stay for dinner – when Rex comes back outside again. "I've assembled a list of potential bases and clearance codes, and a few protocols the Imperials still use. Should be of some use. They're on our main computer. You're gonna need –"
"Data tapes?" Sabine cuts in, "I got this." She darts inside, and Rex comes over to the railing to join them.
"You were brave today, kid," he comments to Ezra, "You jumped right in there to help."
"I think Vizma would have loved to see that," Marr muses. He'd left her back with the others because he didn't know how dangerous it would be. For some reason, he can't help thinking they're going to run into trouble here.
"Vizma?" Rex asks.
"My daughter," he explains.
"You have a daughter?!"
"Hey, a lot's changed since I left."
"Yes, so I can see," he agrees, "I didn't expect to see you again."
"I didn't, either," Marr admits, "There's... something I should tell you." He was hoping to have this conversation somewhere in private, but this is about as private as it will get. "I... assume you don't know anything about what happened to Anakin."
He doesn't miss the pained look that flashes across Rex's face. "Ahsoka and I tried to see if we could find anything about him, but we couldn't. I assumed he..."
"I did, too," Marr replies, looking away, knowing full well what Rex was going to say, "But's still alive."
"He – he is?!" Rex demands, eyes widening in shock and disbelief. "What happened to him? Where is he?"
"I haven't met him, but... This won't be easy to hear," he warns, "I don't know how it happened, but he Fell. He's working for the Empire as a Sith."
"How – why would he do that?!"
"I don't know, but remember what Maul was saying?"
"Uh, who's Maul?" asks Ezra.
"A Sith I fought, back in the Clone Wars," Marr answers distractedly. They can talk about that more, later.
"Yes, I remember," Rex answers, grimly.
"Sidious turned him, somehow. He was... being groomed." It's sickening to think about even now, but it's what Maul said, and he believes it. "Ahsoka and I are looking for him. When we find him, we'll get answers. I'll... tell you when we do."
Rex nods. "Thank you." He still looks completely mind-blown at the revelation, and Marr imagines it will take him a while to process everything he just heard.
"Are you sure you don't want to reconsider joining us?" Ezra asks.
Before Rex has a chance to reply, the door suddenly swings open and Sabine sprints out, a mixture of anger and fear on her face. "The clones gave us up!" she announces, an underlying note of anger in her voice, "They warned the Empire we're here!"
"Wait, what?!" Ezra demands.
"What?!" Marr hisses. That doesn't make sense! Rex would never betray them. That would be suicide! Not to mention he knows Wolffe, and Gregor wouldn't be here if he was untrustworthy.
"You're mistaken. We would never do that," Rex protests.
"I found the binary transmission to the Empire!" she snaps, holding out a datapad, "And there are messages Ahsoka sent to Rex, and he never answered her!"
"What?! I never got any messages from her," he argues, taking the datapad from her.
"I knew it!" Kanan yells furiously, stalking towards them, "I told you they can't be trusted!"
"Wait," Marr objects, "Rex, do you have any idea what's going on here?"
The captain looks about to say something, and then stops. "Wolffe, what did you do?" he demands, turning to face the other clone.
"I... I contacted the Empire," he admits, pointedly facing his back to them, "If they found out we were helping Jedi, they'd wipe us out!" It makes sense to a point, Marr supposes, why he might do that, but it still stings. He knew Wolffe.
"Sabine, go warn Hera! Tell her to scan for incoming ships," orders Kanan.
"I wanted to protect you guys! Protect our squad!" Wolffe protests, whirling around.
"The war is over! We are free men," Rex argues, "We can't live under fear of the Empire for the rest of our lives. That's not freedom!"
Wolffe sighs, looking away, regret flickering across his face. "You're right," he admits, "They're not our enemies. I'm sorry."
Blaster shots suddenly ring out, and Marr whirls around, sprinting in the direction of the noise, right as Sabine ducks out of the Phantom, dodging the shooting droid. Marr whips out his blasters, shooting at it. It tries to fly away, but several blasts hit it, sending it sparking to the ground. He has no idea how much it saw, but it was definitely too much.
**w**
"If they follow standard Imperial protocol, they'll fly search patterns based on our last confirmed position," Rex points out, as they all stand in the main room of the clones' home. The Empire got here in no time – now Marr really is glad he didn't bring Vizma – and the Phantom is damaged so they can't just take off.
"Or they'll call," Gregor interjects, with way too much cheer, "Incoming Imperial transmission. That's for you, Wolffe."
"They called back?" he exclaims. "They – they never call back!"
"Well, they're calling back this time," Marr replies, "Maybe because that probe was destroyed."
"This is why I don't trust clones," Kanan growls.
"Just get rid of 'em, Wolffe," Ezra advises, as they all step out of view of the screen.
"Yeah, it was my mistake," he agrees, grimacing, "And I'll fix it."
Predictably, the Empire doesn't buy it, and Agent Kallus announces that they're sending troops in. Well, thanks for the warning, anyway.
The ground suddenly shakes violently, and Marr races outside, right as a TIE fighter swoops down low, shooting the ground around them and missing almost every shot. They're all in position barely in time when the TIE swoops around again, shooting, while he, Kanan, and Ezra deflect away all the blasts they can.
Gregor finally fires at it, blasting the thing out of the sky. But it won't be long before reinforcements arrive. "So, what was it like to fight in the Clone Wars?" Ezra asks, sitting in the seat Rex had earlier.
"I don't think the fighting ever got to Lothal," Rex comments, "I tell ya, war was never dull. The general I fought with was among the greatest of the Jedi."
Marr nearly flinches, and he's momentarily grateful he has his helmet back on for this conversation. It was true, so true, and he'll never understand what happened. He has to find Anakin. He must. He owes him that much. Anakin was the one who helped him turn back, and he needs to repay that.
"Anakin Skywalker, right?" Ezra wonders.
Rex nods. "I trusted him with my life more times than I could count, and I tried my best to keep that trust."
Kanan is eyeing them out of the corner of his eye, looking none too happy, but he doesn't comment.
"Alright!" Sabine calls, sticking her head out of the Phantom where she's working on repairs, "With any lucky, we can get outta here soon."
"We can't just leave Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor here!" Ezra argues.
"Well, the Empire is here because of us. We'll deal with the consequences," Rex declares.
"You know what they're going to do, Rex," Marr objects, "You can't stay hidden here after this, and I'm not leaving you behind."
From over the horizon, three walkers suddenly come into view, before Rex can reply. "If we went into that storm, they would lose track of us," Marr muses.
"Right where we're heading," Rex asserts.
"We need to be getting out of here!" Kanan protests, "The Phantom is almost done."
"They're too close," Rex warns, right as laser fire strikes the ground all around, "They're already on top of us."
"He's right," Ezra agrees, "We'll be shot down."
"How is going into the storm going to be any better?" Kanan demands.
"It will scramble their scanners," Rex replies, "We'll all be blind. But a Jedi won't be."
Marr grins. "Good thinking. We can handle them."
Rex nods. "Alright, everybody inside."
They'll only have one chance to shoot the walkers down. Tension hangs almost tangibly in the air, as Marr and Kanan work on positioning the tank in the center of all the walkers. It's their only chance, and if one thing goes wrong... they'll all be history.
As soon as they're in position, Marr heads outside to take a seat at the canon. The storm is whirling violently all around them, and he can't see anything, even with his helmet shielding him, but he doesn't need to. He reaches out with the Force, waiting for the right moment. The walker goes down instantly when he fires.
They take off the rest of the way out of the storm before the other two walkers can hit them.
"Alright, we can leave now," Kanan decides, "Before the walkers get out of that storm."
"What?" Ezra protests, "We can't leave now."
"We have to get the information they gave us back to the Rebellion," Kanan argues.
Marr frowns. "We aren't leaving without Rex."
"We'll cover for your escape," Rex assures, as though that's remotely helpful. It certainly doesn't go anywhere in easing Marr's conscience.
"No," he objects, "I am not leaving you here to die."
He sighs. "Commander, we're soldiers. This is what we were born to do."
"If you come with us now, there will still be time. They'll probably think you stayed with the tank. Even if they do shoot at us, the Phantom has shields," he argues.
"We were born to fight like this," he objects.
"Then this doesn't have to be the last battle you fight," Marr states determinedly, "Come on."
They are running out of time, and they need get moving. Rex exchanges a glance with Gregor and Wolffe, before they finally board the ship.
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