Please be aware that parts of this chapter may be deemed M rated.

Ninety Five

Unbeknownst to Rex, that would be the last time he and Ahsoka would ever speak.

.

Skyguy had done alright.

He never questioned her innocence and had diligently found the truth, hunting down and presenting Barriss to the court to confess her crime.

It took Ahsoka all her strength to continue down those stairs; away from her general, teacher and best friend.

To turn her back on everything she knew was harder than any Separatist battle the young Padawan had ever fought.

This battle ran deep, to her core beliefs, questioning her very existence.

Right then, Ahsoka thought how small and how insignificant she was in the universe.

Proving her innocence to the very Order she spent her life defending.

She had no choice, she had to leave.

It was her only option.

No longer a Jedi, she took one heart stopping step after another until she reached the bottom.

"Commander Tano," Ahsoka stopped, and turned slowly towards the voice, lifting her head and pushing back her shoulders in one final show of pride.

It just wasn't the voice she had wanted so desperately to hear.

"Ahsoka?"

"Representative Gem," but there was none of the usual spark or energy in the young Togrutan's voice.

She watched as the politician moved forward from the shadows, taking in her appearance fully; a long gown that swept the floor, her hair loose and draped over one shoulder. Right then, she could understand her captains fascination with her beauty.

"I believe congratulations are in order?"

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow at the comment. This was not the time for back slapping and celebrations. She was defeated and finished with the Republic for good.

Gem could tell by her stance that she was wary of her presence. Ahsoka unsure of exactly why she was there, ruining her dignified exit.

'She has everything and now, I have nothing.'

Ahsoka was resolved with he relationship she had with Rex. With the knowledge of the pregnancy she was satisfied that she had the best of him; the brilliant soldier on the battlefield and loyal friend.

What she also had was her memory.

'Yes,' she smiled inwardly, 'I had that part of him as well.'

The two woman faced off. It was nothing but awkward.

Gem continued. "I mean, congratulations for leaving the Jedi Order."

"Given the circumstances, I doubt congratulations are appropriate?" Ahsoka wanted to move on, disappear and lick her wounds privately.

"Believe it or not, I understand the situation you now find yourself in. You see, my mother was once a Jedi, but unlike you, she didn't have the strength to leave and stay away."

"I am well aware of your mother's history and I'm sorry, I truly am. But I don't understand what I can do for you now," she looked at her hands in question.

"I want to help," Gem said bluntly.

"I'm not sure you can."

"Here," she held out a small bantha skin purse.

Ahsoka took the black pouch, inspecting the gold letters embossed on one side. She shook her head and asked, "I don't understand why?"

"Why?"

"Why would you do this for me?"

"I think we both know the answer to that."

'Don't say it, please don't say it.'

Ahsoka closed her eyes willing for this meeting to be over. "Thank you."

There they were, the politician and the Jedi, both united by one tenuous, common thread.

A captain, bred to serve, a clone bred to fight and a man destined to be theirs forever.

"Rex will be disappointed that he didn't get to see you again." Gem chose her words carefully.

'No, no, you said it.'

She said his name. Staking her claim, waiting for a response.

Ahsoka couldn't answer, her voice lost deep inside her chest. She felt as though all the air had been sucked from her lungs, with just one word she was physically winded.

Here stood the woman who denied her the one thing she was now free to have.

"I'll send a communique to him before I leave Coruscant."

Gem ignored the comment, "what will you do?"

"I don't know exactly, all I know are these." She intonated to her hips. Her lightsabres would never fail her, unlike her religion.

"Good luck Ahsoka."

She nodded her head and tucked the fine, soft leather under her belt. "Good bye Gem."

She was genuinely grateful for the offer; the extended hand of friendship from an unlikely source, but then again, she had recently experienced help from people she would never in her wildest dreams imagined. Ahsoka wasn't stupid in knowing that she could do without it.

Then she turned and looked up, looked back to see just how far she had come. At the top of the stairs a figure stood alone, the early sunset casting an unusual glow over the white armour.

He raised his hand, not to wave goodbye but to signify the pride and honour of his service to a commander he had the fortune of loving.

Ahsoka reciprocated with a quick nod and left, her step a little lighter but her heart a little heavier.

.

"Do it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I should have done it ages ago. Forgot all about the fekking thing."

"You sure you want me to do this?" Stoyan questioned him again.

"Jeez," Echo breathed through his teeth, "thought you were Jetii? Just do it for feks sake." The former ARC was growing restless with his genetic template.

"OK, OK." He reached forward and took Echo's forearm.

"Wait!" Echo grabbed the bottle of amber fluid and took another swig, a long one.

"On three then?"

"For the love of the universe! You sure you're Fett?"

Echo nodded and steeled himself up against the wall.

They may have looked alike, but in essence they were two, entirely different creatures. Stoyan had grown genuinely fond of Echo. He was proud at how he had picked himself up after the death of Marlo and moved forward, finding purpose when others would have given up. He had turned his life around for the better.

Together they had renovated the small cabin, making it accommodate two grown men, allowing each their privacy but having a communal area for them to share a meal and talk. He would watch him sit by the edge of the lake, throwing in small pebbles deep in thought.

Stoyan had only scratched the surface of this complicated young man, one he would be proud to call son any day of the week.

"Whenever you're ready ner vod." Stoyan looked up to see his eyes peering back at him.

This was going to hurt but it needed to be done.

Removal of the microchip the Republic implanted as the cadets were deployed from Kamino.

Echo knew he could never head anywhere near the core worlds without having it removed. Once he came near any Republic outposts he ran the risk of a signal being picked up and transmitting his status as 'active.' It could have been damaged in the explosion on the Citadel; he would however, never take the chance.

Stoyan worked quickly, Echo fascinated at how fast he incised the skin on his forearm then dug around with a pair of tweezers for the electronic chip. Echo winced as he tugged it free with speed that reminded the ARC of a skilled field medic.

"There, all done," he said as he tipped some of the alcohol over the small square, washing away the blood and taking a closer look. "They put one of these in all of you?"

"Yep, the Republic knows everything from the minute we wake up to the time we take a dump."

Stoyan shook his head slowly as he handed it over. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied before continuing, "Echo."

"Hmm?"

"You once said you had a woman and a child, back on Coruscant. Contracts winding up, any thoughts about what you want to do when it finishes, maybe go find them."

Echo smiled broadly and twirled the metallic disc between his fingers. "She's no longer there. I imagine she had gone back to her family on Corellia."

"Corellia? Isn't that crawling with Republic personal?"

"Why do you think I wanted this thing out."

Stoyan nodded his head and smiled, "mind if I tag along? Never been to Corellia."

.

Jesse knew about it.

He spotted him after Piia was born in the hangar bay on Oriis.

Walking towards the Twilight on order from Kenobi to prepare the craft to return to Coruscant, Jesse had stumbled unknowingly on him in the middle of sating his increasing appetite to disappear, his pain, or justification, just as real as any bleeding man in need of attention on the field.

"Kix, oh, sorry man," he said as he found his brother hunched over in the passenger bay. Then on looking again, he saw it, the tell tale white hypo with the red marker indicating a barbiturate.

Kix had needed another to come down from the natural high of the delivery of Piia.

His head buzzed for hours, the feeling of euphoria coupled with his own lonely existence too painful to bear.

He could function after all, he knew his body's limits and he was in no way endangering anyone around him.

"What? You injured ner vod," Jess asked innocently, "should I get the cap - "

"NO! Just leave me will ya?"

"But Kix?"

"Oh, for feks sake Jesse!"

Jesse got the message loud and clear.

He then realised what was going on.

He knew he should tell Rex. He was now a willing participant to the lie the medic was covering up. He knew it was wrong, but still, he said nothing.

"Kenobi is on his way down, you'd better look lively," and then under his breath, "if that's at all possible."

"Jess I swear - ," Kix started, but his tattooed friend finished it.

"Yeah, yeah. Just move your shebs before he gets here."

Kix was now angry. His immediate high had been compromised and ruined by the interaction with Jesse. Shaking his head for clarity, he stowed his kit in the passenger hold and began to ready the ship for take-off.

Why can't they just leave me alone?

.