Rex ran up to the Jedi Temple with no small amount of anxiety. A guard silently stopped him as he approached the entrance, but immediately stepped aside upon hearing Rex's name. A second guard emerged from the shadows, commanding him to follow him to High Command. Rex gripped his helmet to his hip and stepped into the cool of the Temple.
Rex stared down the long hallway he knew would eventually bring him to the Halls of Healing - to Maelle - but he followed the guard. The best way to keep Maelle safe was to defend the Temple.
The hallway bustled with activity, busier than Rex's visit days prior. He saw no trace of children, only knights and older padawans. No traces of smiles or laughter, only an air of grim foreboding. One of the passing knights - an Iridonian male - sneered at Rex. Rex couldn't blame him.
At least the Jedi believed the threat. He feared the absurdity of their new reality would be an obstacle; Rex himself could hardly believe it. The Jedi… Well, they were family. Aloof, many of them, but family nonetheless. And now…
And now…
Rex clenched his fist, but he held his head high as he strode through the doors to High Command. The holoprojector displaying the Temple schematics illuminated the dark room. Generals Plo and Mundi, standing around the display, greeted him in their quiet way. Rex saluted and joined them.
"Tell us what you know." The gentleness of General Plo's command, so entirely like him, sent a wave of anger through Rex. The Jedi didn't deserve this. His brothers didn't deserve this. But this was not the time for anger.
"This is what I know." Rex laid out the strategy, precisely as Appo presented it. "What are your orders for me, Generals?"
Plo and Mundi exchanged a weighted look. Rex waited for their silent communication to conclude. "I sense the plans have not changed in the wake of your departure," General Mundi said. "Though they will acquire reinforcements." Mundi nodded to Plo.
General Plo continued, "Master Yoda and young Ahsoka Tano are guarding Count Dooku, deep within the security wing. We cannot afford for him to be unleashed upon the Temple. Master Windu, as well as Kenobi and Skywalkwer, are confronting Chancellor Palpatine. We are…hopeful they are able to reverse the Order, but are prepared for their failure. Therefore, report to the Halls of Healing. Your talents are required there. This LEP droid will show you the way."
Rex's brow furrowed, but he saluted. "At once, Generals."
How could he be best utilized in the Infirmary? He was a soldier, not a doctor. Maelle could attest to his rudimentary medic skills. Still, he followed the chirping droid down golden halls.
Rex pushed the doors open. The Halls of Healing burst with activity. Beds were cleared with draped carts nestled between them, ready for use. Healers and their assistants scurried around on tasks he couldn't identify. But there, in the back, amidst a small huddled cluster, was Maelle. Her head snapped up.
Even across the room, her smile blinded him. The joy and hope in her eyes punched him straight in the gut. And wrapped around her curls…the bandana he fashioned for her on Onderon. Pride puffed up his chest. He dashed over, skirting carts and harried MedTechs.
"I'm so glad you're here," Maelle said, still beaming. At him. "I need your expert opinion."
Rex blinked. He stared down at the two beds Maelle and her two companions had turned into a workstation. Metal canisters, medicine bags, and tubing littered the makeshift table. A cart with three puffed medicine bags sat behind Maelle; another cart sat behind the two other assistants ignoring him.
"What's this?"
Maelle held up the medicine bag in her hand, connected by tubing to the canister in her lap. "Grenade!" She said brightly. "Sort of."
Rex stared at Maelle for a moment before sighing and sitting down on the stool beside her. Years of service beside General Skywalker and Commander Tano had prepared Rex for many things.
They had not prepared him for Maelle.
"Well, it's just, I was thinking," Maelle began. Rex's lip twitched. Those words rarely inspired confidence, but they did generally precede a wild ride. "If we could just remove all the inhibitor chips, everything would be resolved. But how? Then I remembered how you complained about the new armor, how budget cuts and bureaucrats resulted in sub-par armor because they-"
"They only filter smoke and particulates, leaving us vulnerable to chemical warfare." Rex finished quietly. He stared at her in wonder. He remembered ranting to Cody about it after the Blue Shadow Virus crisis. He didn't realize Maelle had heard. Of course, that was before he was truly aware of her existence. But Maelle was listening. And she remembered.
"Right," Maelle continued as she twisted the valve and detached the bag. She placed it carefully on the cart behind her. "So I figured… anesthesia grenade! Master Stehl provided the best chemical composition to use. I really need to delve more into the Archives. Did you know that-" Maelle cut herself off. "Anyway," She nodded down at the empty bag she was hooking up to the canister - anesthesia, he gathered. "I first suggested stun guns, but we apparently don't store those here. You always did say Jedi were too reliant on our lightsabers. You were right."
"You're marvelous," Rex murmured, staring deep into her emerald eyes. "I could have used these at the barracks."
Maelle bit her lip. "What…" She ducked her head, rather than finish the question he knew she had been waiting to ask.
"I blew up four transports and showered them with a half dozen grenades as I flew out." Emotion clogged his throat. He hadn't even hesitated.
"Your brothers… They don't want this any more than you or I do." Tears welled in her eyes - but no judgment.
"I'd rain fire down on the whole planet if it kept you safe."
Rex stared deep into her eyes, willing her to understand the depth of his feelings - the utter truth in his words. They were foolish words he would regret speaking later. They were words that barely began to describe how he felt about this beautiful, compassionate woman. They were words he had no right to believe, let alone utter.
But they were the truth.
Maelle's cheeks flushed and her eyes widened. When she spoke, her voice wobbled and she deflected, just as he knew she would. She was wiser than he. "We've made a handful of these, but this is all we can make. I know it won't do much, but maybe we can spare…" She bit her cheek, the way she did to keep from crying. Rex's hand covered hers and squeezed.
"Thank you," He murmured, voice thick. "They'll turn the tide." If the Jedi could steal the trooper's blasters, they could be used against them. Perhaps… Just perhaps… His brother's wouldn't be needlessly slaughtered.
Maelle's blush deepened. She cleared her throat. "These are all done now. Some Jedi have already been equipped with gas masks. At least we have those. When they give the signal, the troopers will be collected and brought back here for surgery. I wish…" Maelle swiped at the tear trailing down her cheek before Rex could do the idiotic thing he wished and kiss it away.
"Truly remarkable," Rex said. His Maelle, desperately doing everything she could to save the men determined to destroy her and everyone she cared about. They wouldn't hesitate to murder even the younglings, yet Maelle…
Rex loved her dearly - more than his own life.
"I'll take them where they need to be," Rex said instead. He jumped to his feet.
"Master Yoda says to split them between the two fronts. I'll take you." Maelle placed the last three makeshift 'grenades' on the cart beside her. "I just hope they work."
Rex's fingers brushed hers when he reached for the cart handle. She trembled. He swallowed the lump in his throat. If a half dozen pairs of eyes had not been trained on them, Rex feared he would do something foolish like kiss her. Instead, he grabbed the cart and gripped it tight.
No time remained for idleness. The 501st would soon be upon them.
They needed to be ready before death descended.
Rex followed Maelle. Neither spoke and, really, that was for the best. Maelle distributed her cart first. General Kolar saluted Rex and thanked Maelle. They jogged to the south entrance. Rex knew their time was nearly up.
General Fisto led the Jedi prepared to defend the southern entrance. He stood at the fore, eyes closed. He lifted his hand and the doors parted: Commander Cody, flanked by Ghost Company.
Rex pushed Maelle behind him with one hand, drawing his blaster with the other.
Cody saluted General Fisto. "Ghost Company, reporting for duty, sir."
Rex trained his sight on Cody, but a trooper pushed his way to the front, hands raised. "It's alright."
Fives.
Maelle gasped.
"They got their chips removed. This isn't a trick."
"How?" Rex asked, wary.
"Let them through," Maelle demanded. Her arm brushed his when she tried to pass him, but he grabbed her hand, keeping her beside him.
Cody shrugged. "I visited him when he was first arrested. He convinced me - him and Commander Tano. Started talking to the men. Had to be real quiet like, under the circumstances. But…" He looked back over his shoulder to his men. "Couldn't miss this party, now, could we?"
Maelle squeezed his fingers. "He's telling the truth," she murmured.
Shame swept through Rex. Why hadn't he done the same? He knew the truth. He'd had his own inhibitor chip removed. He should have done the same. He had intended to do the same. How many men had he killed that he could have saved had he not delayed?
Maelle squeezed his fingers again. He gripped her hand like the lifeline it was.
"Welcome," General Fisto said. "We are honored to fight alongside you once again."
0
"Adrina, wake up!"
Adrina rolled over, grumbling against Padmé's interruption. She tugged the blanket higher as sleep began to wash back over her.
"We're being attacked!" Padmé's sharp hiss dumped a bucket of icy water on Adrina; she jolted awake. "Come on," Padmé urged. Her fingers dug into Adrina's arm as she hauled her from bed. "Security sent the alert. We don't have much time."
Padmé clutched a blaster to her chest, peeking furtively around the corner before dragging Adrina, fumbling for her lightsaber, from the room. Adrina's bag flew into her waiting hand. The borrowed midnight blue nightgown whipped around her legs as Padmé tugged her along. Adrina shoved her long braid over her shoulder.
Captain Typho crouched behind a settee, blaster trained on the lift doors. Adrina sensed the conflict - the lives snuffed - below. The lights in the apartment flickered once, then died. The back-up generators powered on a moment later. But the power failure engineered by their attackers did more than startle Padmé and Adrina - it allowed them to shut down the energy shield protecting the most vulnerable entrance to Padmé's apartment: the veranda.
"We have to go," Adrina whispered.
"Get to the Temple," Panaka barked over his shoulder. "Don't worry about me."
Padmé nodded. "Thank you, Captain." It was not the goodbye they deserved.
Padmé led Adrina through the parlor towards the veranda where her speeder waited. Adrina stumbled over her own feet; Padmé slipped her arm around Adrina's waist.
"Wait." Adrina ignited her saber and pushed Padmé behind the golden archway. A blaster shot seared Adrina's shoulder; she hissed in pain.
Padmé crouched low - still surprisingly limber in her condition - and peered around the column. "Clone troopers?" She gasped.
"That's not possible," Adrina argued. But two troopers surged forward. Padmé shot the closest one in the head. Adrina swung her blade; the troopers' deflected shots landed square in their chest. The troopers collapsed.
Adrina stared, dumbfounded, at the bodies at her feet. But more troopers approached. Adrina and Padmé ducked back behind the column.
"What is going on?" Padmé hissed.
"I have no idea."
Adrina sensed eight more troopers approaching. Padmé leaned around the column to make another shot - another body hit the floor. With her curls falling haphazardly around her shoulders and flowing white nightgown, Padmé was the vision of a vengeful angel, like the deep space pilots' tales.
"I think you missed your calling," Adrina muttered. She slipped back into the warmth of the Force for a moment. "I can get us to the speeder, if you can pilot us out of here." Adrina's body trembled as her strength waned; Padmé would have to pilot.
Padmé murmured her assent and Adrina stepped into the fray, lightsaber swinging. Their assailants shouted and shots barreled towards them, but Adrina refused to falter. "Move your feet! Blade up!" Anakin's training guided her - kept them alive. Body after body, she deflected and sliced their way down the hall. Sweat poured down her back and her body screamed in pain, but she pushed through.
Shots erupted from the parlor. Adrina's head whipped around. She stumbled, catching herself on the wall, when a stray blaster bolt landed on her right thigh.
Padmé shot the trooper that rounded the corner after them. "Let's go!"
"You heard the orders! Kill the Jedi!" The distant shout sent tremors of confusion and fear through Adrina. Was this attack because of her? But she was no traitor, so what was happening. Padmé gasped and Adrina knew she had an inkling. But the next shout only confused matters more: "Capture the Senator alive!"
But this was not the time for rumination. Adrina swept the veranda with the Force and, sensing no life forms, hurried through the final doorway onto the veranda. The trooper's transport docked behind Padmé's speeder. Padmé stepped around Adrina and rushed to the speeder, beginning flight protocols. Adrina crossed the veranda with swaying, faltering steps. She collapsed into the speeder, panting for breath.
Padmé veered away from the docking area and into traffic. She eyed Adrina worriedly, but Adrina waved away her concern, even as the edges of her vision blurred and she bit back a pained moan. How she managed to stay conscious, she wasn't sure. Her entire body trembled. Her shoulder and leg throbbed.
"Just get us to the Temple," Adrina murmured. She leaned back against the cool leather and closed her eyes. If they could just get to the Temple, all would be well. Maybe there they could get answers. Why had troopers - at least two squads - been sent after both of them? Why did they want her dead, but Padmé alive?
Minutes later, Padmé's gasp forced Adrina's eyes wide open. Her stomach plummeted.
Plumes of thick black smoke billowed from the Temple. At least a dozen GAR troop transports surrounded the Temple.
Adrina leaned closer, trying to get a clearer view. She frowned. Odd. "I don't see any Separatist forces."
Padmé kept their trajectory, but slowed considerably. "I don't think there are any," she said slowly.
Adrina whipped her head around. "There have to be." Why else would there be such a high military presence around the Temple as it burned?
Padmé haltingly began her explanation. "Anakin told me about an incident with a clone trooper - Fives - who claimed the inhibitor chips placed in each clone at infancy are part of a grand scheme against the Jedi, that they can be used to control the clones' behavior. What if this is it?"
Adrina frowned. "Fives? When was this?"
Padmé waved her hand. "Right after the Temple was bombed."
Adrina's head throbbed. She massaged her temples. "Get blown up and miss everything," she muttered.
"Could it be possible, Adrina?" Padmé pressed. "For these… chips to turn honorable men into these mindless killers?"
Adrina considered. "Theoretically, it is possible." She sighed. "The circumstances around the original commission have always been murky."
A memory sparked. "Buir only told me he wanted to make the galaxy a better place. He said bad men were getting too powerful, even getting away with snatching children. Someone needed to do something about it." At the time, Adrina thought Boba referred to the Hutts. Now, she had to wonder if perhaps this was about the Jedi all along. If perhaps her father had known exactly what he was doing, taking an order ostensibly from the Jedi Council. If perhaps, all along, her father had plotted the downfall of the Jedi.
Tears burned Adrina's eyes. Anger and betrayal stabbed her heart. Adrina closed her eyes and sank into the Force. She extended outward, outward, outward… Fear shot through her veins. Soldiers marched upon the Temple. She sensed the chaos and panic. Death.
"The Jedi Temple is not safe," Adrina said, voice thick with emotion. "Not anymore."
"We can't just abandon them," Padmé argued.
"There isn't anything we can do," Adrina snapped. She took two deep breaths and continued, "I'm barely conscious. You're heavily pregnant. We are in no position to take on an entire legion. I'm partial to not dying - not when it would serve no purpose. We have to get a better handle on the situation."
Padmé cradled her belly. She tried to hail the Temple, to no response. Neither Anakin nor Obi-Wan responded, either. Padmé attempted to hail others - no one responded. Adrina tried not to think about where Obi-Wan and Anakin were or what they might be doing. She couldn't allow her fear to take hold. Not now. She needed to focus on the present - on keeping her and Padmé alive.
The Force tugged on Adrina's gut. "Left," Adrina hissed. Padmé veered sharply to the left, narrowly avoiding the projectile intended for them.
Adrina twisted around to get a better look, the quick action making her woozy. It was the LAAT - no doubt the one they'd left behind at Padmé's apartment.
"I'll try to shake them," Padmé said, weaving in and out of traffic.
Adrina fought to keep her thoughts coherent. "We need a different vehicle. One that can't be traced to you."
"And how are we going to do that?" Padmé snapped. Adrina didn't take it personally. "The Jedi can't help us. Senator Organa is off-world. We're on our own."
"I have an idea, but I don't think you'll like it."
Padmé rubbed her belly. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep my children safe."
"Get us to the lower levels."
Padmé glanced at Adrina, but nodded. She took a sharp right around a building, then dove straight down and turned left into a tunnel. Adrina nearly vomited. "That should shake them," Padmé muttered.
Adrina kept her eyes peeled for the LAAT as they exited the tunnel, but it seemed Padmé's maneuvers were momentarily successful.
Small blessings, Adrina supposed, were better than none. She could only hope the blessings continued.