AN: A lot of Rex's dialogue in this chapter was retconned by Season 7 of The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, so I'll be going off those and Tales of the Jedi instead of what was said in the episode. This chapter covers The Lost Commanders and Relics of the Old Republic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars Rebels or any related material.

Relics and Remembrance

"One."

Low sweep from the right. Block low. White blades met purple until the wielder pulled them back, readying them to strike again.

"Two."

Low sweep from the left. Block low. Their blades clashed again before the assailant retracted her blades. However, the defender barely had time to catch her breath as her opponent struck again.

"Three."

Single backhand strike. Block far center. Her blade extended out in front of her at a slight angle, stopping the momentum of the downwards strike.

"Four."

Spin and slice to my core. Step back, block over my shoulder. She reached over her back with her blades as they collided with the white ones, her shoto just barely catching her opponent's. Force, that was close.

"Five."

Single forward cut. Block far center. The defender's purple blade matched the single white blade out in front of her as she continued to pant, trying to recover from the assailant's quick strikes.

"Six."

Single high backhand strike. Block high. She turned her body slightly towards the blade and crossed her own blades in front of it, halting the strike in its tracks.

The Togrutan assailant retracted her blades and deactivated them, leading the defender to do the same. "Good work today, Sabine. It looks like you're getting the hang of it. Just remember that your shoto is a much smaller blade than a standard lightsaber. You nearly missed a block because of it."

The Mando Jedi nodded in acknowledgement, too tired to respond, prompting Ahsoka to continue, "That's it for today. We need to attend the briefing starting in a few minutes. Any questions before we go?"

Finally having caught her breath, Sabine asked, "It's not related to what we did today, but when I first found your old lightsaber, it was the same color as Kanan's, but the blue is more faded now. It almost looks green. None of the other lightsabers I know of change colors like this. Do you know why?" She started to notice the change in color about a week after her and Ezra's rescue, when she had begun training with Ahsoka.

The Togrutan answered from memory, "There are only two ways I know of to change a lightsaber's color. A dark side user can bleed a crystal, turning it red, and a light side user can purify a bleeding crystal, turning it white."

"Like your lightsabers?" Sabine inquired.

"That's right," Ahsoka confirmed, continuing, "However, I've never heard of a lightsaber changing color without the use of the Force. There is only one thing I can think of. That lightsaber was originally green. My master changed the color to blue before he gave them back to me, and I still haven't figured out how he did it. My theory is that it's slowly changing back to green because of that. If there's something else happening to it, I wouldn't know."

Sabine just nodded in acceptance as the two made their way out of the Ghost's cargo room towards the blockade runner.

The briefing was boring, as most of them were, but at least the Ghost crew got a new mission. Tristan suggested to Commander Sato to look for a new base, and the Commander agreed. Ahsoka told them about a contact she had that could provide information Phoenix Cell desperately needed. The crew was currently in the cockpit of the Ghost discussing mission preparation when Ahsoka walked in with a large object in her hands. Kanan looked at the familiar item and asked, "Is that the head of an old tactical droid?"

Ahsoka handed the head to Sabine while explaining, "These droids were great at finding things, calculating. Heh, found my master and I a few times when we didn't want to be found."

Sabine was inspecting the droid head when she asked, "How will this thing help us find your friend?"

"He was last seen in the Seelos system," the Togrutan answered as she turned towards the exit. "You can start there."

Sabine noticed her leaving and asked again, "You're not coming with us?"

Ahsoka quickly replied, "I have something else to attend to."

"The Sith Lord," Kanan realized.

Both Jedi noticed Ahsoka's face morph into sadness for a fleeting moment. She knew something that she wasn't willing to tell the two, but as she was the senior among them. They wouldn't push her for the information. "I have a lead on his identity," she half-lied. "I want to confirm my information before I do anything else." She then added, "Kanan, if you find my friend, you must trust him."

"If he's all the things you say, we can't afford not to," he replied.

Ahsoka just narrowed her eyes at him. "Trust him." She then swiftly left the cockpit before anyone could ask anything else.

Sabine looked at Kanan confusedly. "What was that about?"

The older Jedi looked just as confused. "I have no idea." Kanan then took a seat next to Sabine instead of the co-pilot's seat where he normally sat while the rest of the crew, excluding Hera, who was taking the ship out into hyperspace, filed out of the cockpit. Kanan noticed the Mando Jedi's behavior recently, and while she was able to maintain a façade in front of nearly everyone else, he could see right through it. The older Jedi gently asked her, "How are you holding up?"

The Mando girl just sighed, trying as hard as she could to reign in her emotions. "As well as I can be, I guess. It's hard, not knowing when he will wake up. It feels like a piece of me is missing. I've become so accustomed to hearing his voice and feeling his emotions in my head, and now there's just an empty void. Training with Ahsoka has really helped me keep my mind off of it. And hopefully, this mission will too."

Hera responded comfortingly, "I know that none of us can feel what you're feeling, but just know that you will always have us to fall back on."

Kanan nodded in agreement, putting a hand on her shoulder in a show of support. "We're a family. We'll get through the tough times together. There's no reason to keep all the pain inside you. Let us carry some of the burden."

"T-thank you, both of you." The dam finally broke. Sabine jumped out of her seat and wrapped Kanan in a grateful hug, the older Jedi gently returning the gesture while letting her silently weep on him as her emotions finally spilled out after so many weeks of keeping them bottled up inside of her. Once the initial excitement of her rescue wore off, she gradually retreated into her shell. She tried to avoid the subject as much as she could the last few weeks, spending all of her non-training time in the medbay with Ezra. Tristan especially would try and make sure she was okay, but she wouldn't open up to him, or anyone else. Kanan guessed that the only reason she opened up today was because of how exhausted she was. She hasn't slept well since Ezra fell into a coma, and according to Ahsoka, their training session today was the most physically demanding one to date. After Hera set the Ghost on autopilot, the Twi'lek joined the embrace, wrapping one arm around both Jedi while gently stroking Sabine's colorful hair with the other.

Once the Mando girl's sniffles had died down into a silent whimper, Kanan released her from his grip and checked on her. She's already asleep. She must have been very exhausted. He slowly got up from his seat with Sabine in his arms, informing Hera, "I'll bring her to her room. Be right back." The Ghost pilot nodded, making her way back to the controls as Kanan headed out of the cockpit.

When he returned, he plopped down on the copilot's seat with a sigh. "I wish there's something more we can do. She's not handling it well at all, despite what she shows to the outside world."

Hera replied, "Sabine's already very resilient for her age, but this is the first time someone dear to her has come close to death, and no matter what we tell her, she still believes it's partially her fault, even if she doesn't acknowledge it on the surface. And it wasn't just anyone close to her, it was her best friend, her partner, her love. They've been surviving together for so long, even before they became a couple. Pretty similar to us, actually. And honestly, if you were in Ezra's shoes, I don't think I would be any better off."

Kanan nodded in agreement before adding, "Plus, there's the Force side of it. She told us earlier that she feels a piece of herself is missing, and I don't doubt that for a second. Once we Jedi form bonds, we can feel a lot of what the connected person is feeling, unless they decide to close it off. I felt similarly to her when my master went down, a feeling that didn't go away until you came along and saved me from my loneliness. I can't imagine what she's feeling right now."

Hera blushed lightly at his words. Managing to remember some of Kanan's Force lectures from years ago, she asked, "You said a while back that the Force resides in everyone, right?" Her Jedi nodded, eliciting an uncharacteristically shy expression from the Twi'lek as she asked, "So, do you have a bond with… me?" Kanan nodded again and closed his eyes, releasing his feelings through their bond to her. She gasped in surprise feeling the love and affection he held for her flow into her. "Our bond will never be as strong as one between two Force-sensitives, but it's there nonetheless, as proof of how much I love you."

She quickly got out of her seat and straddled Kanan on the copilot's seat, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in for a kiss. The Jedi opened his eyes when he felt her jump onto him before immediately closing them again, passionately reciprocating when he felt her lips meet his. Once they separated, Hera leaned her head on Kanan's shoulder while relishing in his emotions and whispering into his ear, "Can you leave that on all the time?"

Kanan chuckled as he lightly stroked her lekku. "I'll have to take lessons from Sabine to do that, but anything for you." He then picked her up, carrying her out of the cockpit and into their room, where they further explored their passions deep into the night.

"We get all the way to Seelos, and now you tell me the hyperdrive wasn't completely fixed?" Chopper beeped frantically as electronics around the cockpit began to go haywire, leaving a very agitated Twi'lek in his wake. "You finished the important repairs? How did you define 'important'?" Hera yelled, slamming a fist on the dash.

Kanan climbed up the ladder from the nose gun, asking, "What's going on?"

The irate Twi'lek replied, "Chopper and I are staying here. To clean up his mess. Take the Phantom. Hopefully, we'll be ready to go by the time you get back."

The older Jedi just shook his head at the astromech before climbing back down.

When the Phantom made it to the surface of the planet, Sabine activated the tactical droid head, allowing it to scan for a signal. Tristan looked out of the cockpit window and commented, "You could really get lost out here. Just miles and miles of the same thing."

"Maybe that was the idea," Zeb replied. "What if this great commander we're looking for doesn't want to be found?"

The crew contemplated his words until the tactical droid suddenly beeped and continuously repeated, "7567… 7567…"

"It's homing in on something," Sabine informed as the shuttle turned and headed toward its new destination. Eventually, the crew spotted a moving object in the distance.

Once the Phantom got closer, Kanan mentioned, "Looks like an old Republic tank… used during the Clone wars."

However, Tristan had tuned the older Jedi's words out, looking at his sister worriedly. He thought she would have commented on the walker being a piece of art by now, but instead, she was just looking out the window solemnly, no doubt thinking about Ezra. He sighed as the Phantom touched down behind the walker, thinking of any way to get her to open up. Twix stayed in the shuttle while the group eventually made their way outside of it, waiting at the back of the now halted tank for the occupants to come out.

"Sabine, be on guard," Kanan cautioned. She was confused by his warning, but she decided to play it safe, keeping her hands near her sabers. After listening to the wind chimes tinkling away for a few moments, they saw three identical looking old men walked out of the tank, two of whom were dressed in battle-scarred armor while the third was in a tank top.

Zeb scoffed. "It's just a bunch of old geezers."

"Well armed old geezers," Tristan pointed out.

The man in the middle shouted, "What do you want?"

Kanan yelled back, "We're looking for someone!"

"Well, that's too bad, 'cause there's nobody out here," the old man replied.

Sabine remembered the number that the tactical droid was tracking, so she asked, "Does the number 7567 mean anything to you?"

The three old men tensed. The one in the center narrowed his eyes and slightly leaned over the rail while asking, "What did you just say?"

Sabine stood her ground and repeated, "7567."

The old man looked up in remembrance. "I haven't heard those digits in… well that's my birth number."

Sabine and Kanan came to the same conclusion instantly, but Kanan reacted by igniting his lightsaber and moving in front of the group protectively. "They're clones."

"Jedi. They've come for revenge." The clone in the gray armor trained his DC-15 blaster rifle on the Jedi and opened fire. The clone in the tank top was about to do the same, and Zeb and Tristan each pulled out their weapons and aimed them at the identical men. The clone in the middle tried to calm his brothers down, but the male Mandalorian and the Lasat had already begun to shoot back, provoking his other brother into firing. He sighed in resignation, knowing the situation would just continue to escalate. But to his surprise, the female Mandalorian ignited her purple and teal blades, leaping into the middle of the firefight and spinning around while deflecting all the shots to the side. That move looks very familiar. I've only seen Ahsoka pull that off, but she hasn't contacted me for years. Could she be…? Once he noticed the Lasat and male Mandalorian point their weapons away from the girl, not wanting to hurt one of their own, he immediately called to his brothers, "Stand down, NOW!" They did, albeit reluctantly.

"But he's a Jedi. A Jedi!"

"I know. I know. But they weren't the ones that betrayed us. Remember? Wolffe, remember?" The commander eventually lowered his rifle, looking down at his feet.

Once all the firing had ceased, Sabine turned to Kanan with a small glare through her visor. "Kanan, Ahsoka said to trust them." Both Jedi retracted their blades, but the older Jedi was still on guard. They heard the clone in the middle call out,

"Sorry about the, um, weapons malfunction." He chuckled, continuing, "My friend here is just a little defensive. See, we haven't seen a Jedi since, uh… well, it's been a while."

Sabine took off her helmet and stepped forward, introducing her crew first. "My name is Sabine Wren. The other Jedi is Kanan, that's my brother Tristan, and the Lasat in the back is Zeb. Nice to meet you… uh, do you have a name?"

The clone proudly declared, "My name is Rex. Captain, 501st Clone Legion. Meet Commanders Gregor and Wolffe."

Sabine looked at the old man in awe. After hearing about Rex from Master Beq, she did her own research into the clone captain, wanting to learn more about Ahsoka, but instead she learned about all his incredible feats and accomplishments during the Clone Wars, leading her to respect him. Belatedly, she realized she could have recognized him a lot earlier, but his birth number slipped from her mind when the tactical droid said it on repeat. "No wonder Ahsoka sent us to get you."

"Ahsoka Tano?" the aged clone asked. Sabine nodded, prompting him to continue. "I fought by her side from the Battle of Christophsis to the Siege of Mandalore." Tristan perked up at the mention of the latter battle, but opted to remain quiet. The captain continued, "And a friend of hers is a friend of mine."

Once they were all inside the walker, Rex asked, "How is Commander Tano?"

Sabine replied, "In need of help. We all are. We're trying to fight against the Empire, but right now, we don't stand a chance. We just lost our flagship and most of our fighter squadron. We could really use your help."

The aged clone sighed in defeat. "My fighting days are over. The last time I rose up against the Empire, I lost more brothers than I want to remember. We're all that's left."

Kanan groaned as he walked out of the tank. "This was a wasted trip. You heard the clone. He's not interested."

Sabine asked hopefully, "Well, if you're not willing to fight, could you at least provide us with a list of bases we could potentially use? Ahsoka said you knew about all sorts of secret locations in the Outer Rim."

Rex looked around at his brothers, silently asking for their opinions. Gregor nodded in affirmation while Wolffe shook his head. As the tiebreaker, Rex decided to help. "Well, my memory isn't what it once was, but, um, there are a few places that the Empire hasn't managed to find yet. Wait outside, and I'll put together a list of coordinates."

Once the crew filed out of the walker, Rex sat down at the computer while Wolffe and Gregor bickered behind him. He knew he had heard the name "Sabine Wren" somewhere before, but he couldn't remember from where. Eventually, he managed to find an article written by Imperial propagandists explaining her death at the hands of the Emperor's right hand. He called his brothers over, "Hey boys! Come look at this." The bickering clones separated and looked over his shoulders, reading the article with him. "I remember now," Rex explained. "She was supposedly killed a while back. But she's clearly alive, and the Empire made no mention of her being a Jedi. Something doesn't seem right."

Gregor nodded in agreement, adding, "The Empire always brags about Jedi kills. Why not now?"

Rex dug deeper and eventually found an underground broadcast run by rebel sympathizers. He played an old clip with her name in the title that hadn't been taken down yet, hoping to find out why she was such a high profile target.

"This is Arim of Rebel Risers Radio, coming at you with another update. A few days ago, a rebel fighter bravely spoke out against the Empire, making her name known across the galaxy. I urge you to listen to her words, as they have deeply impacted everyone here at the studio. And, Sabine Wren, if you're listening, thank you, for bringing hope back into this galaxy. For giving us something to look forward to. To the rest of you, take a listen."

The audio fizzled out for a moment before a familiar female voice began to speak.

"Citizens of Lothal and any other neighboring systems. My name is Sabine Wren. You may recognize my name as one belonging to a small group the Empire labels as criminals. They may portray us as violent terrorists, but they could not be further from the truth. We don't fight for the sake of fighting and destruction. We fight for something much more important. I've only been living on Lothal for five years, but even in that short period of time I could still remember when the quality of life on this planet was better. The Empire has slowly stripped away our freedom. Our freedom of speech, to speak out against injustices. Our freedom of movement. Freedom of the press. All to prevent us from speaking out against them. The Empire has split so many families, mine included, just because of who we are as people."

Rex noted her minor allusion to her being a Jedi, a clue only those aware of her abilities would recognize. He decided to continue to listen, not wanting to miss anything.

"All for what? They claim they want to make the galaxy a safer place, to unify the galaxy under one banner in the name of security. But in the process, they have taken away so much more. The Empire will not stop on its own volition. It is time for someone to put a stop to their atrocities. I've already lost one family to the Empire. I don't plan on losing my new one just yet. Victory is not free. There will be loss, and there will be sacrifice. However, nothing worth doing is ever easy. In order for change to ensue, we must unite, as one, and stand against the Empire! We must fight! Fight for each other! For our freedom! For a better future, one where your children don't have to live in poverty. Where everyday citizens don't have to live in perpetual fear. I know we may not be able to do much at the moment, but as long as we have hope for a better future, there will be nothing that can stop us from making it happen. All I ask of you is to hang onto that hope, and to be patient, for when the time comes for us to step up and stand strong, we will be ready, as one."

The three clones were stunned by the speech, though each reacted differently. Rex's inner fire may have been snuffed out by the Empire as they brutally wiped out his brothers, but a small portion of that flame was reignited after listening to the Mando girl speak so passionately. He felt something he hadn't felt in years. Hope. He heard Wolffe mention, "This is why the Empire wanted her dead. What do you think they would do to us if they knew we were helping her?"

Gregor just replied casually, "I don't know what they would do to us, but I'm going slinging!"

When the crazy clone exited the tank, Rex immediately began working on the list of bases while Wolffe secretly contacted the Empire behind his back.

"Commander, we've received a binary transmission from an old clone unit on Seelos. Something about a Jedi."

Kallus responded while taking the datapad out of the officer's hands, "That system is remote."

Admiral Constantine asked, "Haven't all the clones been decommissioned?"

"Yes, and while the clone's number checks out, he has a record of calls of delusional distress," the officer supplied.

Constantine addressed Kallus, "We shouldn't take him too seriously." However, Kallus, being as competent as he is, wanted to leave no stone unturned.

"Send a probe to investigate. All leads must be pursued."

The Phantom was now parked in the makeshift landing pad on top of the AT-TE. Sabine and Tristan were currently in the tank talking about the Clone Wars with Rex, with Twix just chilling behind the Mandalorian siblings. Hearing about the Siege of Mandalore intrigued the both of them, so they decided to ask him about it from his perspective. Unknown to them, Kanan was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"After we landed, Commander Tano assigned me to assist Ursa at the docks, wanting to make sure Maul couldn't escape, while Lady Kryze went after Prime Minister Almec."

The siblings' eyes lit up, asking simultaneously, "Ursa?"

The aged clone responded, "Yeah, what about her?"

Tristan replied, "She's our mother. She would always tell us about the battle, but we never had another point of view. I'm pretty sure Ahsoka's the only Jedi she has ever spoken positively about."

Rex took a moment to look at the siblings, noting their facial similarities to Ursa. The old clone captain barked out a laugh. "I should have recognized that earlier, you even gave me your last name! I guess I am really getting old." After telling the siblings the rest of his perspective, Rex got a closer look at Sabine, noticing that her shorter blade was identical to the one Commander Tano used to have. He asked, "Where did you get that lightsaber?" pointing at her shoto.

Sabine grabbed it from her belt and handed it to Rex to inspect. "We had just barely escaped off of Lothal, but I was nearly killed by a Sith Lord. My boyfriend Ezra saved my life, but he fell into a coma because of it. I took him with me and Twix on my shuttle, but when we went into hyperspace, the hyperdrive malfunctioned and sent us into a random moon." She patted Twix on the dome before continuing, "Twix and I managed to fix the sensors, which scanned a large object. We flew to it and found a downed Venator, the one you and Ahsoka were on with Maul. I got Ezra into the medbay and got him hooked up to the life support system, but we didn't have enough power left in my ship to sustain it for long. I felt the Force call out to me, and followed it, eventually finding that lightsaber, along with a couple clone helmets. That's how Ahsoka eventually managed to find us. She felt her old saber through the Force."

The aged clone nodded, her story matching with what he had read on the HoloNet. He knew the answer might hurt him, but out of curiosity, he had to ask, "What did the helmets look like?"

Sabine replied, "One had Ahsoka's face markings painted onto it. The other was mostly painted the same blue as your armor, with a large Republic logo on the front."

Rex looked down sadly, muttering out, "Jesse."

Tristan asked curiously, "Who's that?"

"My second in command at the time. An ARC Trooper, just like me," the clone replied dejectedly.

Sabine noticed his facial expression and asked, "Ahsoka never tells me what happened after the Siege of Mandalore. Every time I ask, she would have the same expression on her face as you and brush it off. If it's not too much, could you tell us what happened?"

The old clone sighed, getting himself ready to tell the two Mandos his story. "Order 66 happened. Under the order, all Jedi were to be branded as traitors and executed for treason against the Republic. It sounds ridiculous, but we clones all had chips in our head." He pointed at the scar on his bald head, continuing, "It stripped us of our free will. I knew exactly what I was doing, but I couldn't stop myself from doing it. Luckily, Commander Tano was ready. She escaped using the same move you used earlier."

Sabine replied, "She taught it to me, in her own words, so I can 'be prepared for anything.' She said that's how her master trained her. I still haven't even come close to mastering it yet. "

Rex smiled in remembrance. "Don't worry, it took her a couple of years to get it done herself. General Skywalker had his men surround her and try to stun her while she tried deflecting everything. At the time, she thought it was stupid, but he wanted Commander Tano to be ready for anything. That training saved both of our lives when we made our escape from the Tribunal."

Tristan asked in confusion, "Wait, weren't you forced to try and kill her though? How did you escape together?"

"I was," the clone replied. "However, before the chip fully took control of me, I managed to tell her a message about a friend of mine, who had figured out the reasons behind the chip, but never got to prove it. She figured it out and got the chip out of me with the help of a few astromechs." He sighed again. "Having to face my own brothers, who were trying to gun down my best friend, was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Especially because they had no control over their actions. Their programming forced them to do whatever necessary to bring the Jedi down, even if it cost them their lives." The two Mandalorians looked down sadly and Twix beeped out a dejected whine.

Outside the door, Kanan had to reevaluate everything he knew about the clones' betrayal. They truly were forced into doing something they didn't want to. Rex is proof of that. And he was strong enough to fight off the chip for a few seconds, while Commander Grey didn't hesitate at all. No wonder Ahsoka told me to trust him. He truly is loyal. I don't think I can trust the others yet, but I can at least try to trust him. The Jedi silently walked away into the Phantom, deep in thought over the clone's tragic experience.

The siblings and Twix made their way outside of the tank to let Rex continue his work. Tristan noticed that Sabine's mood was a lot lighter than earlier on the Phantom. He asked, "You seem a lot better, Sabine. Any reason why?"

The Mando girl responded, "After hearing Rex's story, I realized that I'm luckier than most. Everyone that I've 'lost' is still alive, but Rex lost thousands of his own brothers to the Empire. Ezra's been in a coma for weeks, but at least I can still see him every day. I'm just trying to look at everything positively."

Tristan smiled. "That's good to hear. You've been shutting me and everyone else for a while."

Sabine smiled sheepishly back at him. "Sorry. Although I did talk to Kanan and Hera last night. It helped me a lot."

"And you didn't come to me?" Tristan mock pouted. Both of them knew he was joking, as all he wanted for his sister was for her to be happy. Sabine punched his shoulder and huffed. "Di'kut."

The pair went quiet for a moment, looking out at the miles and miles of nothingness, when Tristan decided to bring up, "I installed the shield generator you snuck aboard the Cavalry to it. Everything else should be fixed now, and I even gave the hyperdrive a slight upgrade. The TIE Defender's hyperdrive was rated as a class 2.0, but I managed to get it down to 0.9 with the equipment lying around the base. I also managed to fit in a small backup class 5.0 hyperdrive, just in case you get lost again."

Sabine punched him again before pulling him into a tight hug. "Vor entye, Tristan (Thank you, Tristan)," she whispered.

Tristan responded quietly, "Kih'parjai, Sabine (No problem, Sabine)." He then pulled away and asked, "So, what have you been up to? I doubt you would just sit in the medbay and do nothing but watch Ezra."

"I've been painting Twix," Sabine responded happily as she pointed to the droid behind her, her other hand resting on her hip. Her expression shifted slightly when she noticed Tristan's reaction. "Have you not noticed it?"

Tristan smiled sheepishly. "Uh, no. I guess I've been distracted by other things." He took a look at the astromech, who now sported a golden-brown semi-gloss finish with red highlights on his main body and treads. His cone-shaped dome was painted a glossy chocolate brown with chromatic gold replacing the previous red stripe around the top of his dome. A cartoonified Twix candy bar now occupied the space of the Imperial Press Corps' badge. Tristan deadpanned at her sister. "Really?"

The Mando girl looked offended. "What? This is my greatest masterpiece to date!"

"I like your armor better," Tristan countered. However, before Sabine could retort, the Mando boy was zapped by the irate droid. Sabine fell to the floor in laughter while holding her sides. "That's what you get for insulting him!"

Tristan would have normally been annoyed, but seeing Sabine in hysterics brought back a sense of normalcy for him. All her doom and gloom for the past few weeks brought down his mood as well, so he was happy to be her punching bag as long as she smiled. When she calmed down, he extended an arm out to her and pulled her back onto her feet. She asked him, "You aren't mad?"

He grinned and replied simply, "You're smiling, so no."

Sabine's smile grew, but before she could reply, Rex came up behind the two. "We could use your help getting this Joopa. Both of you. Come on!" Rex caught them up on the situation as they made their way to the top of the tank. When they reached the main battery, Rex asked, "Either of you know anything about mechanics?" They both nodded. "Great! One of you two, keep an eye on this regulator. The line can overheat and shut down."

Tristan responded, "I'll do it. You should go help out Zeb. Looks like he needs it."

Sabine nodded and hopped down to the front of the tank, where Kanan and Gregor were watching, the latter carrying one electrostaff in each hand. The crazy clone turned to her and exclaimed, "Good, you're finally here!"

Sabine replied, "What do you need us to do?"

"When the line swings around, you'll charge it with the electro-poles. Hit the line with the rod and it'll send a bolt of energy down to the joopa. Do it enough and you should bring it up to the surface," Gregor replied excitedly.

Sabine took one of the poles while the crazy clone tried handing the other to Kanan. "Here's one for you, General."

"Don't call me that. I was never a general."

"Uh, my mistake. Sorry, Commander."

"No, it's not… ugh."

The two Jedi hit the line a few times on Rex's command, but the creature continued to run. Eventually, Rex commanded the walker to full stop, Tristan frantically working on the regulator while Sabine was trying to reach the line. Screw it. Instead of trying to reach it from the front of the tank, she jumped up to the main battery and held on to the barrel with one hand, using the other to hit the line as Tristan got the regulator back under control. She hit the line a couple more times until the creature finally emerged from the ground. Woah, that thing is massive. Poor Zeb. A large blaster bolt being shot from the main battery into the joopa's mouth snapped her out of her thoughts and tossed her off of the barrel, but she managed to land on the railing with a Force-aided flip. The group waited, holding their collective breath for any signs of life from the Lasat. Eventually, he made his way out of the joopa's mouth, covered in slime. "Nice catch, old timers," Sabine quipped, getting a salute from Rex in response while Gregor helped Zeb out.

Rex eventually made his way down to the two Jedi, complimenting, "You are a natural, Sabine. That was some quick thinking back there." The Mando girl blushed slightly from the praise while Kanan turned to the clone.

"We held up our end of the deal, Captain. Now it's time to get us those coordinates so we can go." Sabine noticed that his tone didn't sound as hostile as it had before, but filed that away for later. She swore she could hear a hint of respect in his tone when he said, "Captain."

"I'll get 'em," the aged clone replied. "But you might consider staying for dinner."

Gregor shouted from below, "It's gonna be delicious!"

Zeb added, "That thing tried to eat me. Only fair I get to see how it tastes."

Kanan just shook his head slightly, but Sabine noticed a small smile hidden on his face. He's actually warming up to them. What happened?

"Clones, huh? Ahsoka's always full of surprises."

"Well, don't get your hopes up. They're not coming back with us."

Kanan was currently in the Phantom updating Hera on their situation. The Twi'lek turned away from her work and paid full attention to him. "You sound disappointed, Kanan. I thought you would have been happy if they couldn't come with us. What changed your mind?"

"I overheard a conversation between Rex and the siblings. The clones were fully aware of what they were doing, but they couldn't fight against their programming. It's like being trapped inside your own body with no control. It's a fate I wouldn't wish upon anyone," the older Jedi explained.

Hera didn't look fully convinced. "You already knew that, yet you chose to believe otherwise. There's something else that you haven't told me yet."

Kanan nodded. "Rex fought his chip, long enough for him to get information to Ahsoka to save her life. In return, she managed to get his chip out and escape together. But the part that hit me was, he had to fight all of his brothers, who were all aware of their actions but couldn't stop themselves. The inner strength that takes, to do what's right in that situation despite the circumstances. For that, he has my respect. I understand why Ahsoka trusts him so much. He's loyal to a fault, yet can still act independently to do what's right. He's someone the rebellion desperately needs. It's a shame he won't be coming back with us."

Hera nodded and sighed. "Agreed. He would be a huge morale boost as well." She then turned back to her work. "I gotta get back to these repairs if we're ever gonna get out of this system. Signal when you're en route. Love you."

"Love you too."

The older Jedi just sighed as Hera ended the transmission, but immediately turned around when he heard a step behind him. "So, that's why you were so warm to Rex earlier." Sabine was leaning on the doorway of the Phantom, looking at him in curiosity.

Kanan sighed again and answered her unspoken question as he walked out of the shuttle with Sabine trailing behind him. "Yes, I overheard your conversation with him. Everything I said was true."

Not knowing what else to say, she just nodded as the two made their way down to the tank, where Rex was waiting for them. "I've assembled a list of potential bases and clearance codes and a few protocols the Imperials still use. Should be of some use."

"Thanks, Rex," Sabine replied.

"You're gonna need data tapes," the clone added.

"No problem. I'll take care of it," she said as she walked into the tank, leaving Rex and Kanan alone. Trying to make some conversation, the clone asked, "I noticed your reaction to us when you realized who we were. I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm sorry, for whoever you may have lost."

"Thank you," Kanan replied. "It's so hard to forget. I still have nightmares of that day once in a while. But now that I understand that it wasn't the clones' fault, it might be easier to live with."

Rex chuckled dryly. "Yeah, the war left scars on all of us, no matter who you were. The Jedi, clones, Republic, Separatists, we were all victims of that war."

The two fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments until Kanan asked, "Would you reconsider joining us?"

Before he could respond, Sabine rushed out of the tank with a datapad in her hand, saying, "Someone gave us up! They warned the Empire we're here."

By this point, Wolffe and Tristan had joined the conversation. The Spectres looked suspiciously at the clones, but Rex immediately countered, "You're mistaken. We would never do that." Sabine and Kanan could feel the genuine surprise in his tone and knew he was telling the truth.

"I know you're not lying, Captain, but here's the binary transmission sent to the Empire. And messages Ahsoka sent that were never answered," Sabine responded while offering the pad to him.

Rex took the pad from her while saying, "I never got any messages from Commander Tano."

Both Rex and Sabine noticed Wolffe's guilty expression as the former Wolfpack leader turned away. Rex asked, "Wolffe, what did you do?"

"I… I contacted the Empire. If they found out that we were helping Jedi, they'd wipe us out," Wolffe replied.

Kanan immediately ordered, "Tristan, go warn Hera. Tell her to scan for incoming ships." The teen nodded and quickly made his way to the Phantom while Wolffe continued to justify his decision.

"I wanted to protect you guys, protect our squad."

"We can't live under the fear of the Empire for the rest of our lives, Wolffe. That's not freedom!" Rex replied sternly.

The 104th veteran sighed. "You're right. They're not our enemy. I'm sorry."

Before anyone could reply, Tristan shouted from the Phantom, "There's a probe in here!"

Sabine and Kanan immediately leaped into action, but the probe managed to hit the Phantom's engines before attempting to escape. It was almost out of range when a single blaster bolt pierced through its electronics, disabling it. Rex was on the walker with a DC-15 trained on the probe, but he wasn't the one that fired the shot. He looked up, seeing Sabine holstering a WESTAR-35. He chuckled to Wolffe, "Jedi or not, she's still a Mandalorian at heart," before shouting, "Nice shot!"

The Mando Jedi nodded in thanks, but her face remained impassive as she looked up into the sky. "The Empire is on its way, and the engines are shot. We should prepare for their arrival."

"Tristan, Sabine, how's the engine coming along?" Kanan asked through his comlink.

"Repairs are gonna take a little while longer. The probe hit us pretty badly," Tristan replied.

"We don't have time. There's no telling when the Empire will get here. We've got to get off the surface."

"Well, the Empire's not our only problem. There's a storm coming up behind us," Sabine pointed out.

"If the Empire gets here before the storm reaches us, it will be the least of our problems," Kanan replied.

Just as he finished speaking, Rex got off the computer and handed him a chip. "Here they are, the coordinates of every Republic base, separatist installation, pirate hideout, and smuggler's den in the Outer Rim."

"Plus a few Mandalorian bases that even they've forgotten about," Wolffe tacked on.

"Thank you, Captain. I appreciate the effort. Are you sure you won't come with us?" Kanan asked.

"As much as I would like to fight, I have to take care of my own squad. I'm sure you understand. Oh, and say hello to Commander Tano for me."

The Jedi nodded in acceptance, knowing how much the Ghost crew meant to him. He wouldn't take Rex away from his only remaining brothers. He pulled out his comlink and contacted the Ghost. "Spectre-1 to Spectre-2, give me some good news. Has the Empire shown up yet?"

"I'm a little busy finishing repairs on the Ghost, but Chopper's been scanning. So far, nothing. Wait. Ugh, nevermind. An ISD just came out of hyperspace. Gonna power down so they can't scan me. Once I finish my repairs, I'll come get you. Good luck down there." The transmission then cut out, Kanan assuming it was Hera powering down the ship.

Rex came up behind him and informed him, "If they follow procedure, they'll fly search patterns based on our last confirmed position."

Suddenly, urgent beeping came from the computer. Gregor commented sarcastically, "Or they'll call. Incoming Imperial transmission. It's for you, Wolffe."

"They called back?" the former Wolfpack leader asked in shock. "They… they never call back."

"Just get rid of them, Wolffe," Kanan replied simply.

"Yeah, it was my mistake. I'll fix it."

"CC-3636. Commander Wolffe, is it?"

"Great, it's Kallus," Zeb whispered to Kanan.

The clone replied, "Yep, that's me. What can I do for you, sir?"

"Please transmit your coordinates so I can investigate the Jedi sightings you reported."

"Jedi? What Jedi? I don't remember seeing any Jedi around here."

"This image was taken by one of our probe droids. It clearly shows you harboring known rebels. Now surrender them or be destroyed."

"If it's a fight you want, I hope you brought a better class of soldier than those stormtroopers," Rex shot back, moving into frame.

"They serve the Empire well, and I have a great many of them," Kallus replied.

"You're gonna need all of them," Rex taunted before abruptly ending the call.

"Heh, I like these guys," Zeb commented.

Suddenly, the entire walker rocked, and Sabine came running into the tank. "They found us!"

The small group ran out of the tank and got into battle positions, the AT-TE immediately commencing evasive maneuvers.

As the TIE came around for another pass, Sabine was about to jump at it when Kanan shouted, "Sabine, protect the Phantom!"

"I'm doing exactly that! Just trust me!" she shouted back, leaping off the tank and onto the fighter. She ignited both of her blades and dug them into the back of the fighter, scraping them down the backside of it and destroying its propulsion. She then leaped off of it and back onto the walker as the TIE plummeted from the sky into the distance. Everyone watching just gaped at her. Kanan asked, "Where did you learn how to do that?"

Sabine smirked. "Ahsoka taught me."

"In a cargo bay?"

The Spectres and clones didn't get much reprieve, as they could hear mechanical thudding in the distance.

"Enemy contact, point two-four," Wolffe called out.

Tristan pulled down his rangefinder and added, "Three AT-AT's coming towards us."

The three clones were at the front of the tank, admiring the quality of the inbound walkers. Eventually, they got to work. "Wolffe, set vector two-niner-zero."

The veteran saluted his brother and made his way to the controls. However, Kanan was confused. "You're just going to run? I thought you guys loved to fight."

Rex replied, "I do love a battle, but on my terms. Gregor, drop the joopa. We gotta get moving."

Tristan popped out of the Phantom, updating the rest of the crew. "The Phantom's good to go, but I can't say how far we'll get."

"We need to get going then," replied the older Jedi. However, before he could comm Zeb, Rex interrupted him, warning, "It's too late! The walkers are already on top of us."

"He's right Kanan," Sabine added. "The Phantom doesn't have shields. We won't make it out."

"Alright," Kanan conceded. "But what do we do now?"

Rex replied, "We head into the storm. They won't be able to see us, but we'll be able to find them."

Tristan asked, "How? Won't both our scanners be affected?"

"They will," the clone answered. "However, a Jedi can feel their way through the storm."

"Good thinking, Captain," Kanan replied. "Everybody inside. Let's go!"

"So, what's the plan? We can't hide in here forever," Zeb asked.

"Those things are practically impervious to blasters, but they have one weak point in their armor, the neck. The legs are also a weakness, but we don't have any of the right equipment to capitalize on that one," Sabine explained.

Gregor replied, "One well-placed shot from the main gun should destroy it."

"That's all we might get, one shot," Rex said.

Zeb was at the computer, attempting to get any kind of reading. "I don't know how we're supposed to shoot something we can't see. I don't even know where the enemy is."

"You don't always have to see something to know where it is," Kanan replied, a hand stroking his beard. "I can get us that shot." He looked at Rex, who nodded, so he closed his eyes, feeling the area around him. "Prepare to stop. Now!" he ordered, once the AT-TE stopped, he refocused on the opposing tanks, who now changed to a pincer maneuver. "Commander Wolffe, circle left, double time." Feeling the tank begin to move again, he waited until it was in the perfect position. "Full stop!" After he opened his eyes, he announced, "If what I'm sensing is right, we're surrounded."

"What?" Zeb yelled, clearly confused by his crewmate's actions.

"You put us right in the middle of them," Rex replied. "To get us a shot. It's crazy, but it's probably our best chance."

Tristan reminded the group, "We only get one shot at this. If we miss, they'll know we're here."

Gregor stood up, volunteering himself. "I'll take the shot."

However, Sabine stopped him. "No, I should take it. I've done this kind of thing before."

Everyone looked at her in surprise. Kanan asked, "When did you learn to do that?"

"Ezra taught me how on Empire Day," the Mando Jedi replied. "He learned it naturally on his own back on Lothal, before we met the crew, and only just after we had met. I was still teaching him how to hold and shoot a blaster properly, but he told me every time he went into town alone, he would use the Force to guide his shots to make up for his bad aim. That method is also how I nailed that probe earlier."

She was about to head out to the main battery when Tristan offered, "I'll spot you." She nodded as he caught up to her, the siblings heading out to the gun together.

Once Sabine got settled into the gunner's seat, Kanan commed, "Sabine, there's a walker somewhere around point five."

"Understood. Thanks, Kanan."

Next to her, Tristan said, "You got this, Sabine. Ni urmankalar o'r gar (I believe in you)."

"Vor'e (thanks)."

She hovered her fingers over the trigger and closed her eyes, moving the turret towards the general location Kanan had given her. She tuned everything out, focusing solely on the Force. Gradually, it guided her hands to the right spot, sending her a nudge. She reacted quickly, immediately pressing down on the trigger. A large blue laser bolt met the neck of the walker, resulting in a large fiery explosion. Sabine could hear the walker fall over, the durasteel crumpling and as it made contact with the rocky surface below. "One walker down."

She heard Kanan shout through the comms, "Wolffe, there's your opening. Go for it!" The Republic walker made a beeline for the gap in the formation. The moment they made it out of the storm, the Spectres rushed to the Phantom in an effort to escape. Twix had already gotten the shuttle ready to launch. Kanan called out to the astromech once everyone was in, "Let's get going!" The shuttle swiftly took off, leaving the walker behind.

Inside the shuttle, Sabine was fuming. "Kanan, I thought you warmed up to them! Why would we leave them behind to die?"

"Relax, Sabine. I have no plans to leave them to die. While we may not have any shields, AT-ATs can only shoot forwards. What happens when a ship attacks them from the side?"

Her angry expression morphed into one of understanding. "I get it. But how are we going to take out the walkers? The laser cannons on the Phantom aren't strong enough for that, and those homing missiles Tristan and Hera installed won't do much either."

Kanan grinned. "I have a plan for that too."

"Does it involve you getting knocked out?" Tristan quipped.

"Hey!"

This was it. Their final battle. Rex looked up at the new generation of walkers, closing his eyes and preparing for his end as they trained their guns on him. At least he would die fighting for something he believed in. However, when he heard laser cannons fire, he heard them coming from a different direction. He opened his eyes and saw the Phantom zip by, strafing between the walker's legs and depositing three figures over the second walker.

Sabine dropped out of the Phantom with both of her blades activated. Once she landed on the walker, she let go of both of her blades and controlled their movement through the Force. She spun them in a circle beneath her before calling both blades back to her hands and Force pushing the loose circular piece underneath her, dropping her into the control room of the AT-AT. Zeb and Kanan jumped down behind her, the Lasat casually smashing the two pilots' heads against the dash and tossing them to the side. As Kanan took the controls of the walker with Zeb in the copilot's seat, he asked, "Sabine, where did you learn that from?"

The Mando Jedi smiled sheepishly under her helmet. "From Ahsoka."

"Of course," Kanan realized, joking, "Maybe I should take lessons from her."

He began shooting at the other walker, disabling its shields and allowing the clones to take the final shot.

Back at the disabled AT-TE, Rex was hanging onto the main gun's seat, trying to get back on it to take a shot. He quickly managed to hop back onto it, taking the shot and destroying the second walker. Both entangled walkers went down in a fiery mess, but all three clones came out of the wreckage unscathed, along with Kallus and a couple pilots, who quickly made their escape. The three turned and saluted Kanan and Sabine, the former nodding in acknowledgement while the latter saluted back. The Ghost conveniently hovered over the rest of the Spectres, the Phantom already having reattached with the mothership.

The Ghost crew approached Ahsoka in a hallway of her CR90. She turned around to greet them, but without saying a word, they parted and made way for someone she hadn't seen in years. The old clone walked in front of her and stood at attention. "Commander." The Togrutan walked up to her old friend, getting a closer look at him. "You got old," Rex quipped.

"Had to happen sometime, Rex." She then pulled her best friend into a tight embrace as the Spectres looked on in satisfaction.

"I'm glad you're still alive," the old clone said.

"Yoo too," Ahsoka replied as she let him go from her embrace.

"Well, I wouldn't be if it weren't for these guys," Rex said, moving out of the way to allow them to converse.

"Thank you for trusting my friend," Ahsoka conveyed gratefully.

Kanan chuckled. "It wasn't easy, but I've learned why you trust him so much. And I fully agree."

The Togrutan smiled at her best friend while replying, "Nothing worth doing is ever easy."

Rex raised an eyebrow at her words. "Isn't that a line from Sabine's speech?"

Said Mando girl made her way to the front of the crowd, pointing at her master with a pout. "He's right! You took my line!"

Ahsoka replied defensively, "It was a good speech!"

"Well, it was my speech!"

"Good quotes should be echoed!"

"Plagiarist!"

The rest of the crew watched in fascination as the master and apprentice bickered, having never seen this side of either of them. Rex just snorted. "Yeah, she's back to her teenage self, alright."

After the pair had calmed down, Ahsoka gave the Ghost crew a quick rundown of what happened while they were away as the group headed to the command room. "I finally have a name we can associate with the Sith Lord. He goes by Darth Vader, according to my sources. Also, I have some good news for you, Sabine. Ezra's brain activity has been increasing for the past couple of days. The doctors say he'll be up soon." The Togrutan didn't have time to say anything else as the Mando Jedi dashed away, her droid rolling away behind her.

Tristan was about to chase after his sister when Hera grabbed his shoulder and shook her head. "Give her some time alone with him. She's had a rough few weeks."

Sabine focused on her bond with her boyfriend as she sprinted down the halls of the corvette. She could feel his presence again, so she attempted to call out to him mentally. "Ezra." No response. "Ezra!" Still no response. "EZRA!"

She had just arrived at the medbay when she finally received a response. "'B-bine?"

The Mando girl practically kicked down the medbay doors and rushed over to Ezra's bed, where he had just opened his eyes and began to sit up, propping himself up on his elbows. He barely had time to react as she jumped onto his cot and wrapped her arms around his neck, her weight pushing him back down against the bed. She relished in the feeling of his arms around her as her lips crashed against his, the void in her heart gradually being filled by his love and affection flowing into her through their bond, as well as their connected lips. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she mentally cried out, "I missed you so, so much Ez! Don't you ever do that to me again!"

The previously comatose Jedi responded, "Sorry, 'Bine, but you know I would do anything for you, including sacrificing myself for you."

"But I don't know if I can live without you, Ez!"

"I can't live without you either, 'Bine. That's why I did what I did. You mean the galaxy to me. Nothing in this universe can replace you, so I can't lose you either."

Sabine was about to respond to his heartfelt declaration, but was interrupted by Twix when he rolled into the room, chirping happily at the couple. She slowly detached her lips from her boyfriend's, but remained in his arms, planting her face into his chest while clinging tightly to him. Ezra gently stroked her hair with one hand while patting her astromech on the dome with the other, feeling her smile into his chest. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, save for Sabine's leftover sniffles, Ezra asked, "How long was I out for?"

The Mando girl mumbled, "A few weeks," still keeping her head buried in his chest.

"Well, what happened while I was out?" the young Jedi asked curiously, not too surprised at her previous answer for some reason.

Sabine sighed, but instead of getting up, she flipped around and pressed her back into his chest, her head tucked snugly into the crook of his neck. "It's a long story."

She could feel him grinning into her hair. "We have a lot of time, 'Bine."

"Fine."

The couple eventually grew tired as Sabine wrapped up her tale. She had finally gotten off Ezra to take off her armor, cuddling into his side so he didn't go numb overnight. Ezra had fallen asleep first, still needing more rest despite being in a coma for weeks. Sabine wasn't far behind him, as the mission to Seelos had worn her down greatly. Not wanting anyone to see her without her armor, she grumbled out sleepily, "Twix, guard the door, will ya?"

The droid beeped enthusiastically, rolling off towards the entrance to play bodyguard for the couple. The Mando girl giggled slightly, burying her head back into the crook of Ezra's neck as she drifted off to sleep, one last thought lingering in her mind.

"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Ez'ika."

"Lord Vader."

"What is it, Agent Kallus?"

The ISB Agent had just been rescued from Seelos, immediately contacting Vader to report the urgent news. "I don't know how, but Sabine Wren is alive. I saw her with my own eyes. And to make sure I wasn't crazy, I went back to the probe footage as well, and I can confirm, she's in there, alive."

The air in the room turned frigid, and despite having no connection to the Force, Kallus could feel the rage emanating from the Sith Lord. Luckily, it wasn't directed at him. The mechanical menace replied with disdain, "Unfortunately, my master wants me elsewhere," pausing for a moment before continuing with less hatred in his voice, "I have already sent Inquisitors with Admiral Constantine to track down the other two Jedi. Meet up with him. I will leave it to you to brief them, Agent Kallus. Make sure they know, I don't want her captured. I want her dead."

AN: I mentioned somewhere in this chapter that Rex rose against the Empire once before. In the Bad Batch Season 2, a few episodes showed the roots of a clone rebellion beginning to form. A lot of people theorized that they eventually revolt in Season 3, and that most of them get wiped out in the conflict, leaving just Rex, Gregor, and Wolffe. My theory is similar, but it explains why the clones could still contact the Empire. I'm going with only Rex and Gregor surviving, eventually finding Wolffe later on. There's no way Rex would be in contact with the Empire in any way, shape, or form after being in a clone rebellion he led, but if Wolffe was never involved in the conflict, that can explain why he still had the ability to contact them.

A small dose of Kanera in this chapter. Some sibling bonding too! And Twix finally got a new paint job.

Ezra finally wakes up, and Vader's pissed. Stay tuned!

Oh, one more thing. There's a very minor detail in this chapter that sets up something much larger for an episode this season and Season 3. Let me know if you spot it and I'll give you an internet cookie! c: