Chapter Sixty-Six: Treason

I didn't want to open my eyes. Because I knew the hands that caught me when I pitched towards the floor in our shared cell, my arms released by my guards.

"What the hell did he do to her?" I heard Jesse yell, as if through water. My mind was still swirling with grief and death. There was no response from my guards as the ray shield engaged again.

"Kida?" It was Fives' voice now. His fingers touched the side of my face gently. "Come on, kid. Wake up."

I opened my eyes slowly, exhausted from the onslaught. It was less now… the fighting had stopped when I was in the tower. At the swell of grief from Rex...when it rippled through his brothers.

Tears burst from my eyes and I lunged forward to bury my face in Fives' chest. He fell back a bit where he sat on the ground, the clone hesitating at my uncharacteristic behavior. I usually….kept it together around them. I held the facade of arrogance and capability. But I couldn't do it. Not now.

Finally, Fives' arms settled around my shaking frame, holding me to him. His cheek touched the top of my head, his jaw shifting my hair when he spoke. "What happened?" His voice was soft, but firm. He needed to know, but he was frightened by how I was acting.

I shook my head, still buried in his blacks. "Krell. I felt something...horrible. So many men dying-" my voice broke, the sound muffled by his shirt.

"Dying?" Jesse repeated, crouching to sit beside us now, his hand touching my shoulder gently. "Who?"

I turned slightly, peering out over Fives' bicep. "I don't know. Not Rex. But he's hurting. They've all done something….terrible." The brothers glanced at each other with worry as I shifted, still needing the comfort of Fives' body near mine.

The ARC trooper shifted a bit, making me sit back for a second so he could look at me. He held me at arm's length, his hazel gaze searching me for physical injury. "I know it's hard," he said when he determined me unharmed. "But you need to tell me everything."

Each breath I took left my shoulders shuddering. But I nodded, trying to speak between the tears. "Krell. He sent our guys out, telling them that the Umbarans were wearing clone armor." Fives and Jesse each held their breath, glancing anxiously at the other. "It was one of Kenobi's units," I sobbed, my hand coming up to cup my mouth as I said the words aloud.

Fives stood abruptly, sending me sprawling until Jesse caught me in his arms. The ARC Trooper paced, pulsing with rage and grief. "They were killing each other," he connected, his fists clenching at his sides. "Krell set them up like animals for slaughter!"

He punched the side of the cell angrily. I jumped in fright, earning a surprised look from Jesse. He slowly eased me against the wall before standing beside his brother, touching his shoulder. Fives shrugged him off.

Jesse turned back to me. "Can you still feel them? Our brothers?" Fives turned at that.

I breathed slowly, gently tapping at the barrier I'd hastily formed against the onslaught of death from the battlefield. I nodded mutely to the clones.

"How many?" Fives asked, his voice low.

I shook my head. "I can't say. Enough." Fives nodded, his jaw tight. I breathed in sharply, feeling a particular thought resonating from my link to Rex. I'd rarely ever heard his thoughts as words, but this was backed by fury and anguish, pushing into my mind like a blaster shot.

"Waxer."

"It was Waxer's battalion," I whispered, tears flowing again with Rex's emotions. I shook my head. "He's gone. I don't know for sure who's alive other than Rex."

"How do you know about Waxer?" Jesse asked.

I shook my head again. "Rex."

"So you have some….special connection with him?" Fives asked, crouching before me. I felt like I was being examined, recoiling slightly. He saw my expression and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Kida. It's not like Jesse and I don't know."

That was fair.

I shrugged. "I guess? I suppose I've felt his Force signature enough that it's easy for me to find him."

"Force signature? Is that what they call it now?" Fives' brows were wiggling with comedy. He was trying to lighten the mood in any way he could.

I slapped his chest, earning a light chuckle. "Not what I meant, and you know it." I chose to return to filling them in as I focused on Rex's mind. My head fell back to rest against the wall while I reached out with the Force, surging over the battlefield to zero in on my captain. I brushed his thoughts like I was touching my hand to his face, earning a spark of recognition from Rex.

I smiled gently, despite the horrible situation. He felt my presence with him… It was endearing to know he recognized me now. And he didn't recoil or build a wall this time. He sat back as he walked through the misty darkness, letting me rifle curiously through his memory.

Rex would flinch slightly when I touched the next painful memory. On those, I would only skim the surface enough to understand, but not enough to see it fully. I didn't want to know, anyways.

I felt his relief at my safety, as he felt mine for his. And then I felt the anger that was bubbling to the surface. I touched his mind more firmly, cooling his temper just enough to tell him I loved him. He returned the sentiment.

And then, with a billow of determined anger that wasn't directed at me, his mind urged me to prepare myself.

I snapped my eyes open, withdrawing from Rex's mind in an instant. Fives' face was close to mine, his gaze intense. "Well?" he asked.

"Rex realized they were shooting their own men and stopped it. There were already too many dead, though," I glanced down at my hands, feeling the grief Rex had felt when he'd looked down at his in that moment.

Fives moved away, running his hands through his hair endlessly. Jesse pinched his nose. "Rex won't let Krell get away with this."

"No, he won't," I answered. "And neither will we. They're coming to get us out." Fives and Jesse glanced at each other in confusion before looking back at me. "They're angry," I explained, glancing away, feeling it wash over me in waves, daring to drown me in my own darkness. "Very angry."

Fives knelt again, his hazel eyes staring into my stormy ones. "And you can feel that?" My gaze cut to him with suspicion, but I nodded anyways. "Kida….can I ask you something?" I swallowed, but nodded again. "Was Krell exaggerating when he said you're dangerous?"

I wanted to tell him that I absolutely was dangerous, because I was a renowned bounty hunter. But that wasn't what he was talking about.

"You don't have to be afraid, if that's what you're asking. I can control it."

"But what if you didn't?"

"Fives," Jesse bit harshly, but his brother would have none of it, waving him away.

"Krell is a Jedi Master. And he has two double-bladed lightsabers. No offense, but you don't stand a chance against him, even with your saber. But Rex told me about what happened on Vandor." Fives shrugged his shoulders, looking a bit sheepish. "Maybe that could-"

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said curtly, looking away.

He sighed through his nose, earning a small smack from Jesse. Fives gave him a look in return. "I'm right and you know it. I trust Kida, don't you?"

Jesse's mouth opened and closed in hesitance. "Of course I trust her…" The clone glanced at me with an apologetic gaze. "He has a point, Kida."

"You guys don't trust me to handle this how I am?" I asked. Still, they both frowned at me.

"Do you?" Fives returned. That was a fair point. I closed my eyes as he spoke, listening, but wishing he would stop talking. "If Rex is coming, we need you to be the most powerful ally you can be. It might be the only way we can take down Krell. You just have to…"

His voice faded between the sound of my breaths, my mind focusing on the thing he was asking me to do. It was dangerous ground. And terribly tempting. I'd pulled myself away from the Dark Side before….but could I do it again?

"It's not like you to doubt yourself."

My eyes snapped open at the voice, knowing in an instant that it wasn't Fives or Jesse. I was no longer in the cell on Umbara. Rather, the walls were strikingly white, the windows contrasting with the dark storm outside. Before me, clad in his casuals the Kaminoans gave him, sat Jango Fett. He was shining his armor, the silver and blue beskar piled neatly on the white table.

I swallowed, finding myself sitting in my usual spot on the windowsill. "I'm not."

"I don't recall raising you to be a hu'tuun." I flinched at the harsh insult, but Jango didn't even look up from his work. When I didn't respond, however, he stopped polishing and cut his eyes up to me sharply.

"You didn't," I replied quickly.

Jango pursed his lips while watching me before shifting to put down his armor and lean on his knees to look at me. "I know I didn't. So what's really holding you back?"

I sighed, glancing out at the storming sea of Kamino. How I missed it. Missed the tranquility of having a home with a family in it. "What if I don't come back?"

"You've resisted the dark before," he reasoned.

I rolled my eyes back to him. "That was different. I was guided out."

"Why do you doubt yourself?"

"You're not here," I whispered. "You're just a memory."

Jango's shoulder lifted slightly. "Your memory." He didn't deny it, as I knew he wasn't coming to me through the Force. Yet...the Force was showing me this for a reason.

"Then why are you here? To tell me I should do this? That I should tap into the darkness within me….and lose control?"

"Who said anything about losing control?" Jango stood, crossing his arms in disappointment at me. "I taught you that control is a bounty hunter's greatest asset. Have you forgotten this?"

"No," I growled, "But how can I unleash this terrible darkness and not lose control?"

Jango smiled at me. "You were always a clever girl. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"No," I said again, looking out the window, "I don't want to do this." I jumped slightly, feeling Jango's knuckles lift my chin to look at him again. His eyes were warm, his expression soft.

"I know you weren't born a Mandalorian, but you're my ad'ika. I raised you to have honor." Jango smiled gently, grazing my cheek with the gentle touch of a loving parent. "Burc'ya vaal burk'yc, burc'ya veman." I swallowed, my eyes tearing up again, but I nodded, leaning my head forward. Jango rested his forehead against mine gently, his voice soft. "You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. Believe in yourself, like I do."

I nodded against him again, my eyes sliding closed. I felt his lips touch my forehead gently, before the feeling of him was gone entirely.

When I opened my eyes again, I was looking into Fives' hazel gaze, rather than Jango's. Fives was watching me intensely, as if waiting for an answer. When I said nothing, he sighed heavily. "Were you even listening to me?"

"No," I admitted, feeling some of my grief already shift towards anger under the influence of the arriving clones. I got up, hearing the door above open and sensing Rex approaching. "But don't worry. I was listening to someone else who convinced me."

The clones blinked at me in confusion. "You what?" Jesse asked.

"Wait, wait," Fives cut in, waving his hands, "Convinced you? So you'll do it?"

I turned to the door as the elevator began to descend, the clones standing at my sides. "I'll do what I can. But you need to promise me something," I turned to them both, staring them in their eyes. "If I really lose control….and I mean being dangerous to you guys," I bit my lip for a second. "You need to promise me that you'll stop me from hurting any of you, no matter what that method is."

"I'm not going to shoot you," Jesse argued with a frown, but Fives silenced him with a hand to his shoulder.

Fives' expression was serious. "You really want us to promise that? You want us to stop you, even if it means killing you?"

"Yes," I answered immediately before swallowing, "Though I'd prefer if you stopped me without killing me."

To my relief, they both chuckled as we all faced the door again, the elevator drawing near our level. "And I'd prefer if you take down Krell and then come back to us," Jesse teased, nudging my side.

I didn't smile as three pairs of boots came into view on the elevator. "Yeah," I whispered, more to myself than the clones, "Me too."

The elevator stopped, revealing Rex, Kix, and Tup in full armor. Rex said nothing as the ray shield disengaged, offering Jesse and Fives each a rifle. The clones glanced at each other before taking the weapons with grins. They stepped past me onto the elevator, Rex watching me through his visor.

I wanted to say something. Wanted to say I was here for him and that I was sorry. But now wasn't the time to grieve. Now was the time to be angry.

And I felt that resonating from him, so I nodded to my captain, touching his arm gently with as much reassurance as I could channel through the small contact. But I said nothing as I stepped past onto the elevator.

Kix engaged it immediately, our group rising past the Umbarans who were jeering at us from their cells. I stood in silence, closing my eyes slowly to reach out with the Force. The command center, where Krell still stood, was pulsating with the Dark Side. While it would be a great route to opening stronger powers, I hesitated to use it. That was all from Krell….I didn't want his influence anywhere near my mind when I let my emotions take over.

"We have your gear ready for you," Rex announced as we rose through the brig.

"What about Kida's lightsaber?" Fives asked, earning a glance from all but me. They were wondering why he asked, rather than me.

"Krell still has it," I responded for the others, my eyes still closed.

Jesse sighed through his nose. "We'll have to figure out how to get that back to you."

"Kida," Rex said hesitantly, "You can't hope to fight him in a lightsaber battle. You couldn't win." He meant it as a realist, and never meant to insult me. I didn't really take it as an insult either; it was damn true.

"She'll be fine," Fives assured the captain, "Right, Kida?"

I still didn't open my eyes, but I could feel the worried glances from the clones who had yet to know the plan. "What am I missing here?" Kix asked. Everyone looked to Fives, but I felt Rex's gaze on me still.

I ignored him, instead reaching out to all the horrible emotions his brothers were feeling. The darkness of death. Loss. Fear. Anger. Hate. Vengeance. I let it feed into me, let my hatred for the Jedi flow. I recalled all the times he'd insulted me. Called me names. Belittled me in front of others. How he tried to have me killed. How he betrayed the Republic and the Order he claimed to fight for. How he murdered my new family with wild abandon.

"Kida took on Dooku once. She can do this," Fives reasoned.

Rex's mind spiked with fear immediately. My heart ached. "Dooku was different. That was...before. Right?"

This was asked to me. Finally, I opened my eyes as the elevator came to a stop, the doors hissing open to reveal our gear waiting. Still, I didn't respond as we exited the elevator and began putting our armor back on.

"Sure," Fives said finally when I didn't speak. "But she can do that again."

Rex grabbed his brother by the arm, stopping him in the middle of gearing up. "Do you realize what you're asking her to do? The place you're asking her to go?"

It occurred to me in that moment that Rex's fear had nothing to do with his own safety, or even that of his brothers. He...trusted me with that. His fear was for me. For the toll doing those things and going to those dark places took on me.

I smiled gently, stopping in the middle of strapping on my beskar. "Rex," I said finally, my voice softer than I expected it to be, considering the darkness building within me. "I agreed to this. We need to stop Krell. I can do this." I glanced at Jesse and Fives, giving them a significant look. They both seemed to get the point: Rex wasn't to know about our little deal.

It would bother him too much. And I didn't want him worrying about me while he should be trying to keep himself from being chopped in half by one of Krell's blades.

Rex swallowed, but nodded, saying nothing more. I felt his distress, reaching out with my mind to smooth over his worries gently. His mind reacted immediately to my touch, his thoughts practically embracing mine. It was like he was trying to bury me into his brain, so he would never have to let me go.

I snapped the last piece of beskar into place, feeling whole again as I holstered my pistols. Well, as whole as I could without my lightsaber. It felt good to put my armor back on, but I didn't feel like I'd earned it.

Not yet, at least.

I withdrew my mind from his, Rex grasping at the tendrils desperately. I couldn't see his face, but I knew the fear that was expressed there. He was afraid for me. Afraid I'd get hurt.

I ignored him, completely blocking him from my mind. Severing our link...even if temporarily...made me feel empty. Alone.

It was enough for my Force signature to darken significantly. It must have shown in the cloudiness of my face, because all the clones glanced at me as we walked to the base of the command tower to meet the others. There were men in 212th gold, too. Waxer's men.

I gave them all a nod in greeting as we entered the tower, the elevator lifting us towards the traitorous general. I was thankful in that moment that Rex wasn't Force sensitive. His mind was screaming at mine even without it.

Also….he'd have been able to feel my fear begin to shift towards confidence.

As the elevator rose, I closed my eyes one last time, breathing deeply. In that breath, I sucked in all of the anger rippling from the clones. I felt their loss and grief. Swam in their lust for vengeance.

And as I sucked it all in, the darkness in me rose to a powerful storm. I kept it contained, though. I would keep control. I could do this.

The doors hissed open, revealing Krell in his usual stance on the observation deck, his back to us. The clones poured out, surrounding the general with guns drawn. I followed Fives and Jesse, my pistols aimed at the Jedi.

"General Krell," Rex announced as he entered behind us, "You're being relieved of duty."

The Jedi turned slowly, all of his hands folded calmly behind his back. His yellow eyes danced over us all with a sinister glimmer. "It's treason, then."

Rex drew his pistols immediately, sinking into a ready stance. "Surrender, General." His words were calm, but both Krell and I could feel his fear.

"You're committing mutiny, Captain," the Jedi informed him, striding forward easily.

"Not a step further," I growled, shifting myself closer to Rex, my pistols aimed at Krell's forehead. The Jedi stopped, giving me a scowl, but ignored me otherwise.

"Explain your actions," Rex demanded beside me. Behind Krell, our clones shifted into the place he'd just left, surrounding him completely.

"My actions?" the Jedi asked mockingly. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't sure why we were even doing this. It wasn't like we expected Krell to surrender.

Rex's anger flared. "For ordering your troops against one another."

"Oh, that," Krell chuckled, touching his chin as if he'd completely forgotten the event. "I'm surprised you were able to figure it out….for a clone." The darkness in me flared at his comment, earning a look when he sensed it. "Oh, you've brought the Sithling along. What fun."

Fives motioned to his brothers, the clones stepping past me to close in on Krell. The ARC trooper brushed past my shoulder gently, urging me to hold back. For now, at least.

"Surrender, General," Rex commanded from beside me. "You're outnumbered."

I sensed the Force moving around Krell before he moved. On impulse, I dropped my pistols to cross my arms over my face. Krell shoved outwards with the Force, sending all of the clone careening backwards. With the Force bracing me, I stayed upright, thrusting my hand forward. My lightsaber detached from Krell's belt in an instant, flying in the air towards my palm.

And then it stopped.

One of Krell's hands was stretched out after the lightsaber I'd stolen, doing everything he could to take it back. Raw power blew past me, threatening to throw me backwards as I struggled to maintain a grip on my saber through the Force. The beskar hilt flitted back and forth in the air, being yanked like a helpless child caught in the middle of a dispute.

Krell was too powerful. I couldn't gain control of my saber, even with the kyber being bonded with me. I glared at Krell, channeling my anger. Still, I didn't lose control. I wouldn't. I wouldn't. I wouldn't. I-

Shots went off, Krell releasing my lightsaber to draw his own. He deflected the fire coming from the clones, who had all found their feet again.

However...Letting go of the saber meant that both it and me went flying backwards. I toppled into Fives, knocking us both back to the ground. "Alright?" he asked, helping me back to my feet. I nodded mutely, silent in my anger. I scooped up my fallen lightsaber, eyeing the Besalisk that was a whirling ball of lasers, deflecting any shot that came near him.

And then he began slicing through clones, tired of this game. "How dare you attack a Jedi!"

My white blade ignited at my side in an instant. I leapt forward, slamming my lightsaber into Krell's just in time to spare a clone's life. His yellow eyes met mine over the smarting of our blades.

"Sithling," he growled, "You are no match for a Jedi Master!"

I screamed, shifting my blade sideways to detach myself from our lock. I spun away as the remaining clones did their best to help. Still, every time I detached from Krell, more clones died.

But we weren't getting anywhere with fighting either.

I tried one last, desperate time. Lunging forward, I went for a quicker attack. Taking from Ahsoka's book, I relied on my speed around Krell, snapping my blade against his in quick succession. He was far stronger than me, after all.

Still, it was no use. I tired quickly against him, even with the help of the clones. And I was unfocused. Even he could feel that. Despite the confidence I'd felt in the elevator, Krell's presence had all but extinguished it. His Force signature resonated deeply with power and darkness.

How could I match that….without losing control?

Krell took advantage of my wandering thoughts, locking my lightsaber between his blade and striking me across the face with his free hand. I careened sideways, my lightsaber being wrenched from my grasp.

The Jedi growled in front of us as I laid at Rex's feet in a pile. Another clone flew over our heads, slamming against the door, his armor smarting with the touch of the lightsaber. "I will not be undermined by creatures bred in some laboratory!"

He was looking straight at Rex, his expression filled with rage. The Dark Side moved around him….a man ready to kill more than he already had. It was like slow motion. As Krell shifted to leap forward, his sabers lifted to strike down my captain, I felt something in me break.

"Burc'ya vaal burk'yc, burc'ya veman," I heard in my mind. It was true. I couldn't defeat Krell without losing control. I was afraid to do that, because I could hurt Rex or the other clones I loved.

But what good was me keeping control if they died anyways?

So the floodgates opened, that hidden part of me, that I had put to sleep long ago, awakening with a vengeance. It writhed with pleasure at the pure power that coursed through me. It was familiar and strikingly warm. Hot, even.

Dangerous.

I screamed as I pushed out with my hands, the Force rushing from me like a tidal wave. It caught Krell in mid-air as he tried to strike down my captain, throwing him across the room and through the observation window.

We all breathed for a moment in the silence, listening to the glass still clattering to the floor. Below, more gunfire erupted; Krell had found more clones to terrorize. We all ran to the window quickly, peering down to see the Jedi slicing through entire squads of clones.

"Come on," Fives commanded, turning to lead the others to the elevator. They stopped, turning to look at me at the door.

"Kida," Rex said hesitantly. I felt his fear. I could feel that I looked different. Through his mind's eye, I saw the woman standing before him amidst the broken window. I didn't recognize her.

While the painted beskar was familiar, the woman stood tall with something more than confidence….power. Her usually pale gray eyes were dark and glinting with anger. She looked at Rex, strands of her dirty hair slipping from her ponytail to hang limply around her shadowed face. She reached out with an air of carelessness, the lightsaber on the ground flashing up to her hand in an instant.

I withdrew from Rex's mind when I felt the beskar hilt hit my palm, frightened by the version of myself that I saw. Still, there was something about it that felt….good. Without my permission, I felt my lips curl into a cruel smile. Every cell in my body wanted to split Krell in half. And I had every intention of doing so. Each death of a clone below spurred me more as I took another step towards the shattered window.

"Kida, what are you doing?" Rex asked again, his hand holding the elevator door open.

I glanced over my shoulder, knowing that dark circles were beginning to form under my eyes. If it was from exhaustion, the Dark Side, or both, I couldn't be sure. "Go," was all I said before I tipped forward and out of the window with reckless abandon, driven by the dark power coursing through me.

MANDO'A

Hu'tuun- coward

Ad'ika- daughter/son/little one

Burc'ya vaal burk'yc, burc'ya veman- a friend during danger is a true friend

Author's Note:

It feels very fitting that this chapter is named "Treason" and it's chapter 66. ('It's treason, then'). Still hurts, especially after the conclusion of the series!

Thank you for the continued support! I'm so glad to see that people are finding some joy in this fic during quarantine. I know it's keeping me sane to write it hahaha!

As always, reviews/reposts/shares/likes are always appreciated and encouraged!

May the Force be with you,

Ryder