Chapter Thirty-Six: Ret'urcye mhi

I knew immediately that I wasn't really in the room I was seeing. There was a haziness to it, blurring the edges of my vision as if I was squinting hard. The room reminded me of the control center on the Republic frigates, with a holographic console in the center. However, instead of rows upon rows of computers and military personnel, the room expanded into a type of amphitheater. Benches encircled the room, rising up to various levels until they ended at doors on all sides. All of which were closed and locked, it seemed.

I was standing a few rows up, looking down at a group of creatures clad in jedi robes. I recognized the clean-shaven head of Windu immediately, watching his brow crease as he spoke quietly with a little green jedi-Yoda.

Others stood around that I recognized only slightly from either brief encounters, discussions with Anakin and Obi-wan, or from reports I read as a bounty hunter. There was a Twi'lek with magnificent blue skin, her expression passive as she eyed the holoprojector as if she were waiting for it to engage. There was also a female Tholothian, who stood beside a Nautolan I didn't know. Still, the smile he gave his companion jarred my memory. I'd seen his likeness painted on a Republic attack shuttle, along with the Auberesh words, "Service with a smile." Fisto. Even bounty hunters knew about him.

The holoprojector hummed to life, revealed more jedi, all standing rather rigid. Some I recognized, such as Plo Koon and Shaak Ti. Others, I didn't. In the end, there were a total of eleven jedi, both physically present and holographically beamed in.

I'd never seen so many jedi in one place before. It actually unnerved me.

My nerves only got worse when a final hologram appeared, revealing Obi-wan, Anakin standing behind him silently. Anakin's face was drawn in worry, as if he was lost in deep thought.

"Obi-wan," Windu started, drawing the attention of all jedi present. "You called an emergency meeting. What happened with Dooku?" My heart stopped at his words. It was a Jedi Council meeting. Something told me, from Windu's words, that the meeting was about me.

Obi-wan fidgeted slightly, glancing back to exchange a sad look with Anakin before speaking to the Council. "He escaped, as he has in the past. But my report is not of how we lost him, but how we survived him."

Yoda hummed lowly, leaning on his cane. "Moved, the Force has. Felt it, we did."

"Yes, Master Yoda," Obi-wan said respectfully. "Anakin and I had been captured, as well as all of our men. Kida kept everyone from being executed, ourselves included."

"How was she not captured with the rest of the army?" Shaak Ti's hologram asked, her accented voice soft, but strong.

"Her ship had been shot down amidst our battle, Master," Anakin jumped into the conversation, seeming almost eager. "She survived the crash and managed to find us on Vandor."

Windu stood silently, rubbing his jaw. "Kida's involvement in your rescue is related to this shift in the Force, isn't it?"

"She saved our lives," Anakin started, practically desperate to speak. "She just needs guidance."

It registered that Skywalker was trying his best to protect me.

"Yes, Master," Obi-wan cut in, giving Anakin a look. "I had known she was Force sensitive, and that she had a powerful Force signature. But I could never have foreseen…" His words trailed off, as if he was hesitating to say anything further.

"What has she done?" Windu asked, his voice harsh. I crinkled my nose at him, almost wanting to go over and hit him. I wasn't really in the room, of course, so I could have at least pretended.

But something whispered in my mind that the Force was enabling me to see this for a reason. And that if the Force was doing it, the jedi could possibly sense me. So I wasn't going to be Force-slapping any jedi masters at that moment.

"Awakened, her abilities have." Yoda wasn't responding to Windu. Nor was he asking a question. He said it like he was merely musing the concept. Like he had been meditating, rather than listening to the report. He opened his wrinkled eyes slowly, gazing sadly to Obi-wan. "Dangerous, she has become. Powerful."

The entire Council turned to watch Obi-wan respond. Only Anakin looked away, his face a conflict of emotions.

"She stood up to Dooku," Kenobi said slowly. "She displayed abilities even I don't have." His face was almost wistful as he continued. "She'd always been connected to the Force-we've all felt that. But there was a moment in that room, when she chose to reveal herself, that the Force seemed to flow through her endlessly."

"I'd never felt anything like it," Anakin spoke quietly. "It didn't feel like when a jedi uses the Force, or when a Sith does. It was entirely...different."

"Untamed," Obi-wan offered.

"Dangerous," Windu countered, crossing his arms. "Far too dangerous to have leading troops in this war."

"Master, she saved our lives. And it wasn't the first time she's put herself at risk for the Republic." Anakin's words were kind, but the other jedi didn't seem as hopeful as him.

"Her actions may be good now, Skywalker," Shaak Ti reasoned gently, quieting the younger jedi. "But someone so powerful with no teaching in the ways of the Force could be tempted easily."

"Obi-wan was giving her lessons," Anakin responded, making my eyebrows raise. I wondered briefly if Skywalker had known before or if that information was just him being filled in after my reveal. "He could continue to teach her."

"She's too old," Plo Koon finally spoke, his voice metallic through his mouth piece. To my surprise, the Council seemed to be bickering as I watched. I'd always imagined their meetings to be quaint and tight lipped. And maybe they usually were.

I had a talent for rubbing people the wrong way, it seemed.

"Masters," Obi-wan said loudly, bringing the discussions to a standstill. "She's already felt the draw to the Dark Side," he confessed, his expression sad. "And caved to it."

My chest got tight as the room remained silent, the Force rippling with their shared concern. The first to make a sound was Yoda, his head shaking as he hummed sadly.

"Too late, we so often are. Clouded, our vision is." His words weren't exactly what I expected.

"She's had a hard life," Anakin added in gently. "A slave. Tortured for years. She's lost everything. Watched her only parent die. All she's known is war."

"As have you, young Skywalker," a Cerean with a white beard said softly. "Yet here you stand."

Maybe it was because my unconscious body was near Skywalker, or maybe it was because he was so intensely strong with the Force that I felt his emotions shift. They twisted and swelled with frustration.

"I've had training. I have the Jedi Order. She's had nothing!"

"Made it difficult to see, this war has. Hidden from us, many children are." I assumed Yoda was referring to the Force-sensitive kids the jedi would take from their homeworlds to come and live in the temple.

"Even you, Skywalker," the Twi'lek said, her voice pleasantly accented. "We would have not have found had Obi-wan and Qiu Gon not had to land there." I wondered if that was due to the darkness of the times or that Tatooine was an outer rim planet. You didn't hear about a whole lot of kids coming in from the Outer Rim to be a jedi.

"The past cannot be changed," Windu spoke in his baritone voice. "We must decide what to do now."

The room was quiet for a moment until Anakin spoke on my behalf. "She's not a bad person. She hasn't fallen yet. She was desperate to save us. That one moment shouldn't be the only deciding factor in her fate."

"Anakin is right," Obi-wan joined his former padawan. "Kida has proven herself again and again. One mistake should not doom her."

"These are dangerous waters we are wading into," Fisto voiced. "She is too old to become a jedi. But her apparent abilities are too strong to be left untamed. Especially in the Republic army."

"They've never been a problem before," Anakin interrupted.

"Admittedly," Plo Koon agreed with a nod of his head. "Her inclination towards the Force may even have saved your life, Master Windu."

Windu hummed lowly, touching his knuckle to his chin. "Admiral Killian has only ever spoken highly of the girl," he allowed. "And we cannot deny the good she has done for the Republic and its assets."

"Perhaps," the Tholothian leapt in. "But then we must not deny the bad. She is a bounty hunter, after all."

"Not all bounty hunters are inherently criminals," Shaak Ti voiced. "Nor should we resort to any possible criminal past to punish her, as we were more than happy to work with her under that pretense before." The Torgruta sighed, tucking her hands into her pooling sleeves. "We must remember that we have bounty hunters within our GAR even here in the training facilities. If we turn on one for her past as a bounty hunter, we could lose them as well."

"Indeed, not to mention that the bounty hunters on Kamino knew Kida well," Obi-wan added thoughtfully. "Many bounty hunters respect Kida for both her abilities and her connection to Jango Fett."

"Not just bounty hunters," Plo Koon said. "But she's done jobs for many crime syndicates, as well."

"And you think they or a bounty hunter would leap to her defense?" the Cerean asked skeptically.

"Likely not," Fisto responded. "But as per your previous reports, she has a close connection with the Hutt Clan. Is that bond close enough that it would jeopardize our ability to travel through Hutt space?" He was addressing Obi-wan now.

"I don't know," the jedi admitted. "But I know that what connection she did have, it was with Jabba himself. He would be the one to determine if our safe travel remained."

"This issue is no longer if she was a bounty hunter," the Twi'lek interrupted. "We are now discussing the threats of what loyalties she holds, should we act against her at all."

Obi-wan hummed while he stroked his beard. "Yes, Kida has quite a reputation, not just in the underworld, but even in the Republic now."

"The men look up to her," Anakin added softly. "And I know there are quite a few senators who consider her a friend."

"Difficult, this decision is," Yoda allowed. "Inside the web of our war, she is tied."

"Obi-wan," Windu said curtly, commanding attention. "Is she or is she not to be considered a threat?"

My friend was quiet for a long moment before breathing slowly. "She is genuinely a good person. She cares for others. That's why she even agreed to join this war. She is skilled. Concise. Practiced." His words tapered off as he looked around. "The last time we discussed this girl's fate, I gave my word that she wouldn't be a threat. That her biology did not make her dangerous."

I sat heavily on one of the benches, knowing he was about to say "but."

"But," there it was. "The way it felt when she used the Force was unlike anything. At first, it was just unruly, but unbelievably powerful. And then Dooku began talking. He got inside her head and the entire room shifted. It was like the Dark Side blossomed from inside her. It overpowered everything in the room. She could have defeated Dooku on her own, had she not stopped herself."

"She stopped herself?" Shaak Ti asked for clarification.

"Yes. She stopped and the darkness faded when she saw me. It seems," Obi-wan sighed sadly. "That our opinion has quite an effect on her."

"That was what Dooku used against her," Anakin jumped in, his voice dark. "He used her fear of what the Council would think. Of what you'd do to her because she used her abilities."

"Dangerous, fear is. A path to the Dark Side, fear is." Yoda hummed in thought as the conversations about my fate resumed.

"We cannot have her in our military. If she turned, she could bring us all down," the Cerean voiced.

"Decommission her then," Fisto offered. "She can return to her life of bounty hunting none the wiser."

"She knew what happened in that room, Master," Obi-wan argued gently. "It's...changed her. I've never felt her afraid like that before."

"We cannot leave her to wander with these new abilities," an Iktotchi male said from the holograms. "It would leave her open to fall to the Dark Side's temptations. Especially with Dooku now knowing her power."

"Prison?" the Twi'lek asked, glancing around the room. "She would be contained. Easily monitored. Her adoptive brother is there, as well. It may even be good for the both of them."

Anakin shook his head, chuckling darkly. "She can be trusted. She doesn't need to be put in a prison."

"Nor do I know if that would stop our worries," Windu allowed. "Should her powers swell like they did against Dooku, she could massacre the prison. Or stage a break out."

"You all sound like you want to kill her!" Anakin yelled, looking around at the placid faces. His own expression fell. "Is that what you're planning to do?"

"It is something we must consider," Shaak Ti said gently. "As a last resort, should she complete her fall. Destroying the Sith is the duty of the jedi."

The Council was quiet as they faced that possibility. It comforted me that they at least didn't seem like they wanted to straight up murder me. Of course, that didn't take away from the sting of the fact that they were considering murdering me anyways.

"Obi-wan," Yoda's voice cut through the tension, drawing my gaze back to his small stature. "Holding something back, you are."

Anakin and Obi-wan both fidgeted uncomfortably, the younger of the two looking away entirely. His face was warped with distress. Sadness. Anger.

"Yes, Master Yoda," Obi-wan allowed finally, heaving a slow breath. "When the darkness within her rose to its peak, Kida spoke words I'm sure she was never told before, since she knows little of the jedi and the sith."

He was hesitating to speak. Even I wondered for a brief moment what he meant until I recalled the horrible voice in my head. And the words it had fed into my mind.

"What did she say?" Windu asked cautiously.

Obi-wan glanced around the room, his blue eyes wide with distress. "It wasn't the whole thing, but I'm sure it's what it was." That didn't answer any questions. The room seemed to feel the same as me, leaning a bit closer to entice the words from Kenobi's mouth. He let out another slow breath. "The Dark Side took over, even if it was only for a few moments, when she recited the final lines of the Code of the Sith."

I bolted upright, my body complaining from the sharp movement. My right shoulder in particular twinged, reminding me of the lightsaber wound I'd received there. A part of me wanted to roll my eyes. Yet another scar to add to the long list.

And then I was jolted back to reality when I felt Anakin's frustrated presence aboard the same ship as me. Near his signature was Obi-wan's, which admittedly, didn't seem to be much more content than his counterpart.

I hadn't been able to hear what decision they'd made. Maybe they hadn't even made one yet. The hairs on my arms stood up as I thought about the last thing Obi-wan had said. I'd recited the Sith Code. The voice in my head...it was sith. Despite that, I was still confused. The voice in my head had saved me. Had saved my friends.

And now the jedi were possibly plotting my murder.

My fear made me hyper aware of the room. A monitor beeped beside me, electrodes slipping under the red fatigues I was dressed in. My armor and weapons, battered as they were, lay piled in the corner. The wide viewport beside my bed showed that we were nestled in a small fleet of Republic ships, the stars looking dim against the bright lights of the cruisers.

I swallowed thickly before swinging my legs over the side of the hospital bed, my body complaining. I turned off the monitor quickly. My energy was sapped, but I was being driven by fear for my own safety.

Despite not wanting to listen to Dooku, I couldn't help but hear his words in my mind as I gathered my things in my arms.

"You're afraid. Afraid of what the Council will do with you."

I swallowed again, pulling the pillowcase loose and throwing my things inside, leaving out my wrist gauntlet. Tugging on my boots, I slung the crisp white pillowcase I'd fashioned into a bag over my shoulder. I'd blend in more in the red fatigues, despite my obvious uniqueness from the clones.

My wrist gauntlet still worked, thank Ka'ra. I tapped it to life, Apex lighting up since I was back in a signal range, aboard a frigate.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, miss," Apex said immediately.

But I had no time for pleasantries. "Exit strategy. Now. And keep it quiet."

"Of course." Thankfully, despite the AI's inclination towards sassy disobedience, his systems were smart enough to know when not to talk back and just do what he's told. The screen on my wrist gauntlet flickered with his calculations as I exited my room silently.

The halls were filled with wandering clones, some in their red fatigues, but most in their armor.

"Afraid of what your friends will think," I heard Dooku's voice say again. His words urged me forward, my eyes on the floor as I passed through the halls.

With no official exit strategy, I didn't realize where my feet were taking me until I found myself entering the corridor filled with officers' quarters. The tickle in the back of my mind told me that Rex was inside his room, trying to sleep. He was restless, though, tossing his body sideways in an attempt to get comfortable.

His rest had likely been an order from Skywalker, considering the clone captain had been electrocuted multiple times that day.

Was it the same day?

I realized I didn't actually know if it was.

I swallowed thickly, hearing my wrist gauntlet beep. It drew my eye, the screen showing the way through a diagram of the frigate. It led to the escape pods.

"I'm not taking a pod," I hissed. I almost wished Windu was aboard, but I knew from my vision that he was back in the temple on Coruscant. I would've enjoyed stealing his starfighter again.

And considering he seemed to be gently advocating for my death, I wouldn't have returned it this time.

"I've dispatched Pinky with your shuttle. She should be there by the time you escape. After you've concluded whatever you plan on doing once you get your ass moving." Ah. The cheek was back.

"Shut up," I grumbled, turning down his volume.

As he quieted towards a total mute, I heard him say, "A thank you would be nice." I didn't give him one, sensing Rex stirring again inside his room. I wondered if he'd heard me outside. It didn't matter. I steeled myself and stepped forward, rapping my knuckles against the cold metal door.

His head shot up immediately, trained to be tense. To be suspicious. To be a target in war. His movements were slow behind the door. Practiced and silent. There was a pistol in his hand as he pressed the button that opened the door.

"It amazes me that you can be paranoid even on your own ship," I said as the door hissed open.

Rex didn't respond, merely staring at me in shock. A million questions swam in his gaze, but he couldn't seem to get any of them out. I rolled my eyes-a faked ease that I was using to cover the terrified trembling in my knees-and pushed past him into his room.

The quarters were small, with a single bed with starched clean sheets, a table for his armor, which was piled neatly upon it, and a night stand where his other pistol laid. A door at the back corner led to what I assumed was the fresher.

"Kida," he said finally, his voice gruff. "You're up."

"How long was I out?"

My curt response seemed to take him off guard. "Not...not as long as we thought you would be. Not even a full day. You were barely responsive at all when we first got you aboard."

I nodded slowly. "You carried me. Thank you."

"You saved my life first." His voice was gentle, but I knew he was itching to understand.

I sat on the edge of his bed-an action which only heightened his nerves-and regarded the man slowly. He was in his blacks, but he didn't seem comfortable at all. He fidgeted in front of me, standing as straight as he would when addressing a superior. His trigger finger tapped endlessly at the side of his pistol.

"You have questions." His golden gaze, which had been fixated on the wall, cut to me sharply. He didn't have to speak, since I could practically hear his growled 'duh.' I sighed slowly. "You already knew I could use the Force."

"You said you couldn't use it like the jedi." He was suddenly defensive. Suspicious. For some reason, his reaction hurt me more than the jedi likely planning my death.

"I wasn't lying, Rex."

"Then what would you call what you did on Vandor?"

"I'd call it saving your life," I bit, my own frustration flaring. Still, I felt that darkness lurking at the edge of my mind. I silenced my rising anger, afraid of what would be waiting for me down that path. "I didn't… I've never done anything like that before. I didn't even know I could."

Maybe it was the brokenness of my voice or the surprising water that was rising in my eyes that made Rex's anger melt away. Slowly, he moved to sit beside me, the bed shifting under me as his weight joined mine.

"That was...incredible," he offered, still in shock.

"It was terrifying," I countered, glancing sideways at him. "And it's ruined everything."

His golden eyes narrowed in thought at my words. "What do you mean? We're all alive because of you."

"Don't tell me you didn't notice it, Rex. I can feel your fear. You're trying to hide it from me, but I can feel it."

The captain grumbled lowly. "Using the Force isn't fair."

"I'm not a jedi," I argued. "I'm a bounty hunter. We don't play fair. Now stop avoiding the subject."

He was quiet for a moment before answering. "I've always enjoyed watching you fight. I've described it to you before that it's almost like you're dancing. But in that chamber on Vandor...something changed."

"Because I used the Force?"

"No." Rex shook his head. "There was a moment when your face just...turned. You weren't desperate to save us. You weren't even trying to save yourself. You were just...angry. Your goal had shifted from saving...to destroying."

"I know," I breathed. "It scares me too."

He breathed slowly. "Have you talked to General Skywalker? Maybe he could-"

"I have to leave, Rex." It hurt me to cut him off. It hurt me to say those words. The look of shock on his face faded to sadness and betrayal.

"Wha- why?"

"The Jedi Council didn't trust me before all of this. They certainly won't trust me now. Even now, they're trying to figure out how to either control me, or kill me."

"Kida," Rex sighed. "General Kenobi would never allow-"

"Kenobi is the one who's been reporting on me to the Council. I'm sorry, Rex but it's true." I paused, glancing down at my hands. "One of their options is to kill me."

"They wouldn't do that."

"I saw it, Rex. I saw them talking."

"How…" his words tapered off. "The Force?" he asked, to which I nodded. "I won't let them. No one is going to hurt you."

"You know you couldn't stop them if you tried, Rex," I said gently. "I need to go. You know this. I need to figure out what this thing that's calling me is. Learn how to control…" I looked at my hands again. "This."

He swallowed slowly, his mind a whirlwind of emotions. "You don't have to run away from this, Cyare."

"I'm trying not to die."

"We can face this."

"Stop it, Rex." He stopped, watching my face carefully at my stern voice. "They will never let me be free. I have to figure this out on my own. Without the jedi's influence. Without the Republic."

"Without me," he completed dejectedly. I'd never heard him speak in such a way before.

"I didn't say that." Rex looked up in shock, meeting my stormy gaze. I wondered if it was the fear that was giving me such courage in a subject I barely knew. "Come with me," I whispered, leaning over to grab his wrist gently.

I let him sit in silence, thinking over my words. They were big. And it would be tough for him. His arm turned over slowly, his long fingers curling around my wrist in turn. A small, hopeful smile came to my face.

"No."

My smile melted, my hand drawing away. His fingers caught mine, though, keeping me from pulling away entirely.

"Look at me," he said softly, tilting his head to try and meet my eyes again. "Please, cyare, look at me." I finally did, seeing pain, but also genuinity on his face. "I can't go. You know that. My duty is here."

"It could be with me," I surprised myself with my words. They were practically breathed out from between my lips, carried with a surprising amount of sorrow.

His forehead wrinkled in pain. "It can't be. You know that. I can't desert."

I looked at my lap again, finally successfully pulling my hand from his grasp. "Right. It was stupid to ask." I stood, stooping to scoop up my pillowcase bag again.

"Cyare," he sighed, moving to stand with me. "Kida," he tried again, failing to make me turn still. His hand grasped my upper arm firmly, turning me to face him by force. "This isn't easy for me."

"You could have fooled me, Rex." I tried to pull away, but Rex's grip was impressively tight.

"Kida you don't understand. I don't call you cyare lightly. I don't take my feelings for you lightly."

They were words I'd wanted to hear for a long time. Since we'd been marooned at Cut's farmhouse. But in that moment, they were almost sour. I'd have preferred he yelled. Preferred he was afraid, even.

I wished that he wanted me to go. That he never wanted to see me again.

This affection, but refusal to go...it hurt too much.

"I have to go, Rex," I said softly, my voice more broken sounded than I wanted it to be.

"Kida," he whispered, drawing closer. His lips were by my ear, his breath tickling the wisps of hairs there. "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum."

My eyes closed, tears leaking out when I hadn't given them permission to do so. I'd never heard those words before. They were beautiful, even in the harsh dialect of Mando'a. But while they were amazing and enveloped me in a warmth, they also stung like daggers. In a burst of emotion, I turned in his grasp, my free hand coming up to grab the front of his black shirt. I pulled his tall frame down, lifting my head to press my lips against his.

He seemed shocked for only a short beat before his other hand came up to rest on my cheek, the first still wrapped around my upper arm. His lips were softer than I would have imagined them to be, considering he was a soldier. Then again, they were fed all of the nutrients they needed to stay as physically inclined as possible. I guess that led to health all around.

The kiss was messy at first as the intelligent man quickly learned the new experience. It didn't take him long to take over, the hand on my arm releasing to curl around my waist. It was inexperienced. Messy. Frantic. Emotional.

And wonderful.

It practically hurt my lips to pull away. My fist, still clenched in the front of his shirt, released slowly to push his chest backwards. Our breathing was a bit shorter as we stood in silence, quiet tears still sliding down my face.

One of his rough thumbs lifted to wipe them from my cheek. I caught his hand, pushing it away as well.

I sniffed slowly. "Maybe you do," I finally whispered in response to his words. "But it's not enough for you to come with me."

The hurt that radiated off of him stung like a whip across my shoulders. I drew away from him, his door opening at the press of my hand. He followed like he was in a daze, stopping only when he reached the threshold of his room.

"Kida," he breathed. I could tell he was desperate for words, but there were none for him to speak.

"Goodbye, Rex," I whispered. "Ret'urcye mhi."

The captain was silent, staring sadly at me as the door hissed closed between us. I angrily held back a sob that threatened to come up my throat before glancing at my wrist gauntlet.

I followed the path Apex had planned for me diligently, my eyes glued to the floor, fingers curled tight around the pillowcase. The escape pods were unguarded, as would make sense since my departure from the medical wing had yet to be noticed.

I opened one, setting my bag inside.

"Kida." I turned at the familiar voice, a part of me wishing it belonged to Rex. I knew it didn't, though.

"Please don't try to stop me, Anakin," I responded gently, seeing the jedi standing outside the escape pod.

"Where are you going?"

I didn't answer his question. "Did the Council decided what they wanted to do with me?"

Anakin's eyes widened for only a moment before he pieced it together. "They're...still undetermined."

"I'm not sticking around to wait for them to decide how to kill me."

"They won't-" he started, but his words faltered. Even he doubted if they would keep me alive. He breathed through his nose. "It's wrong of them not to trust you. You saved our lives."

"Maybe," I allowed. "But they're right in that there's a darkness speaking to me. I need to figure out what it is. I need to learn to control this."

"The jedi can-"

"Not from the jedi, Anakin. You know I wouldn't do well with your...rules."

"Well, neither do I," he argued. "But with us, you can still do good. Like you wanted to." Over his shoulder, a clone in 501st armor appeared, his blond hair buzzed short. Rex. He seemed like he'd been running to catch up, but stopped suddenly when he saw Anakin.

It seemed duty would win out again.

"I can't stay, Anakin," I said softly, looking away from Rex's desperate gaze to meet the jedi's again.

His blue eyes were conflicted, but I could tell the conflict didn't lie with me. "I know," he said finally. "Please…be careful."

I smiled sadly in the doorway, my hand lifting to press the door key that would seal me in and launch me from the port. "You too." With that, the doors hissed closed and the thrusters engaged, sending me away from the frigate and the GAR, towards where I knew Pinky would be waiting to pick me up.

In the tiny viewport, I saw Rex's face, his face drawn harshly with sorrow, shrinking as I put more distance between us.

MANDO'A

Ka'ra- stars (ancient mandalorian myth-ruling council of fallen kings)

Cyare- beloved

Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum-I love you

Ret'urcye mhi- Maybe we'll meet again (Goodbye)