A/N: The quality of this chapter is not as good as usual, and I apologize for that. It couldn't be helped. If you've been following my tumblr you might have seen the post about how I'm going on a mission for my church to Ecuador and won't be able to update this story for a little bit. Please know that it isn't being abandoned! I love this story more than anything I've ever written, and I will return to it, but I'll be gone for a little more than a year. Today is my last day to update before I go, and I wrote it very quickly and didn't edit it hardly at all. There are probably tons of cringe-worthy mistakes, but I was more concerned with getting the general idea of what happened across than I was about anything else. Regardless, I hope you'll enjoyed. I'll say more at the end!
They're quiet as they retreat to a safe distance away from the command tent, halfway across camp.
No one knows what to say.
Echo's mind is a terrible whirlwind of fear, doubt, and worry, but most of all, he's confused, and he thinks that they all feel the same way.
They find some empty supply crates and use them as seats once more, setting up camp as they all attempt to process. Captain Rex is still with them, brow furrowed, and helmets get dropped in the dust one by one as they fall into thought.
Echo understands anger. The clones had been angry, too, and rightfully so. The presence of the chips means that someone has betrayed the Republic, and wants to take away what little free will the clones have. Echo had fully expected the General to be angry.
But… he hadn't anticipated so much of it. General Skywalker's fury had exceeded everything Echo had thought possible. He'd never felt the Force feel so violent and dark. It had scared him more than he'd ever admit out loud.
"So…" Cutup says quietly, breaking the long silence and cutting through Echo's thoughts, "that… probably could have gone better."
"Understatement," Droidbait whispers, as if still worried and waiting for an explosion of some sort. "I didn't… I didn't even know Jedi could do that."
"What, the Force thing?" Echo asks, a little confused. Droidbait had seen Jedi use the Force before, but Droidbait shakes his head.
"He just… lost it. I didn't think that was allowed."
"They're supposed to be detached, but that doesn't mean they aren't living beings," Captain Rex comments in a low voice. "They're just as prone to feeling emotions as the rest of us. What I don't understand is why he was so affected. I knew he would be upset, but that was… different."
And that's an interesting thing to think about. There had to be a reason why he was so affected. Echo frowns as he considers Rex's words.
The rage had been excessive. It had seemed like General Skywalker was barely clinging on to some amount of control when he'd ordered them to leave. There has to be other things in play that Domino squad doesn't know about yet. That's the only way Echo can rationalize the General losing so much control. He glances at Fives curiously to see if he has any insight, but the other ARC is covering his face with his hands and doesn't move.
Echo is worried for him, but he doesn't know what to say, especially not with Captain Rex right next to them. He's concerned that whatever is bothering Fives has to do with something from their first life.
"Okay, so now what?" Cutup says, a hint of frustration just audible in his tone. "We have no idea what he's going to do… so what are we going to do in the meantime?"
No one has an answer for him. Echo feels himself start to stress.
General Skywalker is the king of reckless decisions. The entire 501st knows this. Most of the time, Echo appreciates his bold strategies and inventive solutions. Right now, he's worried that that particular character trait will blow their carefully protected secret.
"Force," Fives mutters suddenly. It's the first thing he's said since talking to the General. "This was a kriffing mistake."
Echo bites the inside of his cheek.
"We can't do anything until we find out what he's going to do," he reminds Fives carefully. "Including jumping to conclusions." He's saying for himself just as much as he is for Fives. He has to stay calm about this. Everyone else is panicking, Echo can't succumb to the same thing.
Fives shakes his head.
"I haven't seen the General like that since before," he admits quietly. Echo's heart skips a beat. He tries to open his mouth, but he's too slow, and Fives keeps going. "It… it was never a good sign. He stopped caring, got angry faster. It was all downhill from there, and what if we've started it now? It's too early. We've messed something up, I don't know—"
"Fives!" Droidbait squawks in alarm.
"Whoa, whoa—" Cutup gasps out, sending a petrified look at Captain Rex, who blinks.
"What?" the Captain says in incomprehension. Domino squad freezes.
Oh, Force. That's not good.
Fives' eyes go wide, and he swears viciously in Huttese.
"Kriffing—sithspit. I… I don't—"
He drags his palm down his face, guilt and horror overtaking his expression. Echo's heart thuds in his chest like a drum. Droidbait and Cutup exchange a helpless, slightly panicked glance.
"...What do you mean?" Captain Rex says again, somehow looking even more confused than before. Fives mouth drops open. He looks devastated and horrified and angry all at once.
"I—nothing," he tries to cover, far too late. The Captain is already more than suspicious. When Rex only frowns at him sternly, Fives turns his desperate gaze over to Echo for help.
Which… oh, kriff. Echo doesn't know how to fix this.
"You kriffing idiot, Fives," he says eventually, but there's no real heat to it. Fives is tearing himself apart over the mistake enough as it is.
Captain Rex is staring at them. Waiting. They can't hide the fact that they're keeping another secret anymore.
"I'm… I'm sorry," Fives says, voice soft in disbelief. He turns to look at Domino squad, meeting Echo's gaze. "I didn't… I didn't think at all. I knew he was with us, but I kept talking anyway. It didn't feel wrong, so I just…" he trails off helplessly and clenches his fists, slamming them down into the nearest supply crate in disappointment. "Kriff."
It makes sense, to Echo, that Fives wouldn't mind Rex's presence as much as he minds others outside of their squad. Captain Rex has been a constant source of support and strength to them over both lives, even more so to Fives. It makes sense that Fives would let his guard down around the man, especially after such a startling dismissal from the General. In his moment of weakness and doubt he probably hadn't thought twice about mentioning something classified in front of a man he trusted.
"You're alright, Fives," Echo reassures quietly. "You're fine, I promise." This… might not be a bad thing. They were going to tell Rex eventually, anyway. Fives expression relaxes a little bit, but he still looks terribly disappointed in himself.
"What's going on, you four?" Captain Rex asks slowly. "What are you talking about?"
Echo's voice sticks in his throat, suddenly. He doesn't know what to say. Should they tell him, or not? They've waited for a long time to tell him the real truth, concerned that his judgement would be altered by their knowledge or that he would doubt his decisions. Has enough changed that they can afford to risk that now?
And on that note, what have they changed, really? Little things have been altered, but larger scale events have proven incredibly difficult to alter, much less change completely. The Geonosis campaign had been extremely hard to modify, and they'd barely managed to pull it off. Apart from the 501st knowing about the chips… not that much is different.
If Captain Rex had known about Geonosis, though… he could have changed things more effectively. He could be a valuable ally to them. His help would make things much easier.
Is it worth the risk? Echo falters, struggling to make a decision.
"Why can't we tell him?" Droidbait says out of the blue, making them all jump. "We might as well. Besides… we've done what we can on our own. We've changed a few things, but maybe the next step is to include someone else so we can go bigger. We're not getting enough done on our own."
He has an excellent point. Echo takes a deep breath.
Time is ticking by, and they need to start making power plays. They have millions of men to free and an evil genius to jail, neither of which are easy tasks.
It's worth the risk. Echo makes his decision and offers Droidbait a supportive smile. Now that he's settled on the decision, he feels a trickle of inviting warmth and confidence deep in his chest, solidifying his opinion that this is the right thing to do. It's softer, gentler than it had been in the past, but Echo is certain that it's the Force.
"Should we tell him?" he asks the rest of the squad, just to be sure. He makes sure to meet all of their gazes, watching for any sign of doubt. This is only the second time they're letting someone in on this secret, after all. Cutup seems excited, and Droidbait determined. Fives' shoulders sag a little, and he nods, obviously still annoyed with himself for the slip-up but accepting of the consequence.
Echo glances a little farther on autopilot, searching for Hevy, before he remembers. His heart clenches in his chest at the reminder. He refuses to dwell on it, though, and instead reaches for his communicator.
They all need to be in agreement in order for this to happen.
Hevy picks up on the first beep. He's likely bored out of his mind and anxious for news concerning General Skywalker.
"Everything alright, Echo?" he asks.
"You alone for a few minutes, Hevy?" Echo responds by way of greeting. Hevy lets out a surprised sound.
"Yeah, for a bit. What's wrong?"
"Not wrong," Echo corrects. "Just… we need your input. We're thinking about letting the Captain in on… everything."
"Everything, everything?"
"Yes, everything. We're thinking it might be a good idea. Do you—"
"Kriff yeah, tell him, then!" Hevy interrupts immediately. "Is it the right time?"
"Uhh…" Echo glances at Fives, who offers him the silent ARC sign of sorry. "As right as it'll ever be. So, you're okay with it?"
"Of course," Hevy answers, more serious now. "The Captain is a good man. I think he can definitely help us, if it's finally okay. But why are we mentioning this now? Have you guys spoken with the General yet?"
Echo winces. "Ah, sort of. You know what…" He pauses and glances around. Domino squad and Rex are leaning around him to hear Hevy better, and Echo sighs. "We've got a lot of explaining to do, both to you and the Captain. Do you have the time to listen?"
Hevy snorts bitterly.
"I've got nothing but time."
Echo nods and looks up at Captain Rex. He takes a deep breath.
"Sir… we have a story to tell you."
They tell Hevy about the encounter with the General, and then they tell Captain Rex about their first lives.
Rex is a good listener. He lets them talk, waits as they gather their thoughts and bounce the story around to each member of the squad. He's quiet as they speak. There's a considering expression on his face. Sometimes he starts to open his mouth as if he wants to ask questions, but he always stop shimself, waiting for them to finish. Fives is grateful for his patience and willingness to listen. They have to pause every few minutes as a squad or a random brother passes by, but slowly, the whole truth starts to come out.
Fives is furious with himself for letting their secret slip. It was just so kriffing hypocritical of him. Fives had always emphasized the importance of not telling anyone, but he'd just… messed it up.
He'd been so afraid, when the General ordered them away. It had felt far too much like a dismissal, and Fives hadn't been expecting it at all. He does trust General Skywalker, but he also remembers a time when he couldn't be relied upon, and for a few minutes, his fear that it would happen again was overwhelming.
And Rex… Rex was always someone Fives could confide in. Especially after Echo had died. Fives was so used to his presence that he hadn't even thought about holding his tongue. There were very few secrets among Torrent Company near the end of the war originally, and for a moment, Fives had forgotten that it isn't the same anymore.
If he's being honest, he thinks that he probably would have slipped up sooner had they been around Captain Rex more often off of the battlefield. Rex is always busy, and every time they've interacted with him for extended periods of time have been influenced by something extremely important, like the chips.
He'd worried that Domino squad would be angry with him for the mistake, but none of them had seemed upset. On the contrary, Droidbait, Hevy, and Cutup were enthusiastic about it. Admittedly, Fives is a bit relieved about it as well. Echo had sighed and considered it for a long moment, because they still could have refused to talk, but eventually he'd nodded in agreement as well.
So, all mistakes aside, it's working out now. Rex will help them. Fives is certain of that, so it doesn't take long for his guilt to fade.
If they want to succeed, they need Rex on their side, and he needs to know as much as possible to get the ball rolling.
Echo and Fives are recounting their experiences during the battle of Kamino when the gunship soars overhead, kicking up dust and startling them all a little. Fives' head snaps up to track the ship automatically. He catches a glimpse of orange paint on the side and blinks in confusion.
"212th?" Cutup mutters curiously. They watch it land across the camp, dropping out of sight somewhere near the command tent.
"What?" Hevy asks, still on Echo's comms and listening in. Echo hurriedly describes the scene.
"Odd. I wasn't aware of any visits planned until tomorrow, after the supply drop," Captain Rex says. It's the first thing he's said since they started telling their story.
"Do you… need to get over there?" Droidbait asks hesitantly. Captain Rex frowns, tilting his head slowly as he stares in the direction of the gunship. He pauses for a second, considering, and then turns back to them.
"No, I don't. Please continue, Fives."
Fives takes a deep breath. Rex stares at him intently, ready to hear more, and Fives really hopes he's believing them, because this is a lot, even for the most open minded of people. But Rex hasn't said anything yet, either to accept or deny the story, so Fives just keeps going, and puts the gunship out of his mind for the time being.
They get to the citadel, a while later, and Echo's story ends. Then, it's just Fives, and he talks about Umbara, about the chips, heart in his mouth from nerves.
He needs Rex to accept this. He needs him to understand, to listen to what they're saying and help them fix it. He can't handle another rejection, another brush aside because something seems crazy. He's not sure what he'll do if Rex doesn't believe them.
He talks about the chips. Rex's eyes go wide when Fives tells him about Chancellor Palpatine's treachery, but he still doesn't comment. Fives had thought he would, but the Captain only leans forwards in his seat, steepling his fingers together as he listens to the end of the story.
Fives skims over the details of his own death as he always does. It's better to leave some of those things out—how he'd been hunted through Coruscant's underbelly, how the Coruscant Guard themselves (kriffing Fox) had been the ones to end him. There's no need for them to know how grim things really get, because they're going to change things before that happens. Fives is determined to make sure of that.
He ends it all with a brief description of when they'd woken up in Kamino, how they'd realized that they all remembered everything. He mentions Rishi briefly, talks about the training they'd given to the rookies, and then he stops.
He could go on, mentioning all the things they've attempted to change, but he needs to know if Rex believes them first.
"We're trying to change things from our first life," he finishes up slowly, eyes on the ground. He doesn't dare look at Captain Rex's expression yet. "We know that it really happened, and that we can fix things. We've already tried several times, but it's hard. We'd appreciate your help, if you're willing."
He clenches his fists around the corners of the supply crate he's sitting on and waits, holding his breath. It's done, now. Rex knows everything, and there's no going back.
Rex's processing time is impressively short. He only pauses for a moment before starting to speak.
"That was far too detailed of a tale to be completely made up," he says slowly. "And I don't think you're lying. What reason would you have to?"
"Sir, I know it sounds crazy, but it's all very real," Hevy contributes a bit nervously.
"It does sound crazy," Rex agrees solemnly, and for a moment, Fives nearly starts to panic until he continues. "But I've seen plenty of crazy things. The Jedi, and the Force, have plenty of secrets. This… is very strange, but I wouldn't call it impossible."
"You'd believe that we got brought back from the dead?" Cutup wonders. Rex inhales slowly.
"I'll admit that it sounds far-fetched, but I trust you all, and I'm willing to give this a chance," he says carefully. "It makes sense, considering everything that's happened with you five in the past few months."
Force. Just that statement alone eases Fives' fears. He sags a little in relief.
"Thanks, sir," he manages to force out a bit shakily. He can see the same relief settle over Echo, who leans back on the supply crate he's sitting on and relaxes. Over the comlink, Hevy lets out a tiny whoop of enthusiasm that makes everyone grin.
"I'll… need you to go over all that again, sometime in the near future," Rex says. Fives finally looks up at him—Rex's brow is furrowed. He seems to be deep in thought. "That was… a lot of information. I'd like to get it run by me again, maybe written down if you dare to."
"That's… that's fine, sir, so long as you keep it safe. I'll encrypt it, as well," Echo says. He meets Fives' gaze for a moment, and they share a moment of relief so strong that Fives almost sways.
Rex had been the first person he'd wanted to tell. It's freeing to finally tell him, and for him to be giving them a chance.
This is not going to end like how Captain Keeli and the 64th did.
"I want you men to understand my thoughts, here," Captain Rex tells them, straightening. "I trust you all, and your story is believable. Your knowledge of the chips support this very well. I'm… surprised by a lot of things you said, but I'm willing to believe you. If the Chancellor really is behind all of this, something needs to be done."
"Thank you, sir," Fives says. It comes out sincere and breathless, much less professional than he wanted it to, but he doesn't care. He's too relieved, too happy. Cutup catches his eye and grins in triumph.
"That being said… I'd like to witness this for myself," Captain Rex says seriously. "Which is also why I'd like you to brief me again. It will… be easier to trust you completely if I can see things happen as you say they will."
Fives nods. That's very understandable. He trusts them enough, and the chips are solid evidence in Domino's favor, but Rex wants to see the proof for himself.
"Of course, sir," he replies. "When do you want to go over it again? We could possibly meet—"
Rex's comm goes off. Fives pauses as the Captain reaches for it, holding his hand up to them to indicate that he needed a moment. They wait in silence as he answers.
"This is Captain Rex."
"Captain Rex," the accented voice of General Kenobi greets. He sounds… tired. It's a little odd. "Are you busy? I'd like to ask for your help, for a moment."
Rex frowns.
"No, sir, I'm not busy. What could I do for you?" He sends Domino squad an apologetic look, who wave it off silently. Duty calls, after all.
"I'd like you to come speak with me in the Command tent for a few minutes," General Kenobi says, and everyone tenses immediately.
Fives remembers the gunship a few minutes ago and mutters a quiet curse. He hadn't thought General Kenobi would be the passenger. What the kriff did General Skywalker do?
"I—yes, of course. I'll be there in five," Rex says, a worried expression on his face. He moves to end the call, but before he can, General Kenobi speaks again.
"Captain? Do you happen to know the whereabouts of the Domino squad?"
"Sithspit," Droidbait whispers.
Rex pauses for just a little too long. They all sense it, and they're sure General Kenobi can sense it, too. Finally, Rex sighs.
"Yes, General," he admits, which is probably for the best. Fives doesn't know exactly what's happening, but it's better that they face it now rather than later. He squares his shoulders, and can see the rest of Domino following suite out of the corner of his eyes. It's like they're bracing themselves for a storm.
"Bring them along, if they're willing," General Kenobi says. "I think we have much to discuss."
Rex nods grimly.
"Of course, sir," he says, and then the call ends. Rex looks up at them all apprehensively. "Are you willing?" he asks them. "Do you have the time? Where is the rest of Beta squad?"
"Del, Coric, and Nax are with Commander Tano, assisting Wave Company with cleanup," Echo answers. "They know we planned to tell General Skywalker. They won't worry."
Fives glances around at his squad. They all look back at him determinedly, ready for anything.
"We're willing," he answers for them. "Let's find out what the kriff is going on."
The two Jedi are waiting for them, when they go in. General Skywalker is seated again, head down so they can't see his expression. General Kenobi is standing behind him, arms crossed and a concerned expression on his face. Despite that, he offers the clones a kind smile in greeting as they salute.
"Thank you so much for coming, gentleman," General Kenobi says. "I understand that you brought General Skywalker proof of some… interesting events."
Fives exchanges a quick glance with Captain Rex, whose expression remains professionally impassive. General Kenobi knows, then.
When none of the men comment on General Kenobi's words, waiting to hear what he has to say, the Jedi sighs.
"None of you are in trouble. General Skywalker tells me you wanted to keep this information among those you knew you could trust. Considering the delicacy of this information, we understand that."
"Sir, what do you want us to say?" Fives asks. "We gave General Skywalker this information in the hopes that he could help us. We weren't anticipating him calling you, but it's done now. Everything on the datapad we gave General Skywalker is all that we know, and I'm assuming you've seen it."
"I have," General Kenobi confirms. Said datapad is resting on the holoprojector behind them, looking worse for wear. Fives catches Echo frowning at it in frustration. "It was an enlightening read, to say the least. We—"
"I didn't call him," General Skywalker mutters suddenly. He looks up, and Fives sucks in a nervous breath at the storm of emotions visible in the General's eyes. The fury is still there, but it's dulled by sadness, and immense disappointment. "He just showed up. But I would have told him anyway."
Fives probably should have seen that coming. He nods in acknowledgement. There's nothing to be done about that now, and General Kenobi had always been on their list of Jedi whom they could trust.
General Skywalker takes a deep breath before General Kenobi can start talking again, and Fives tenses in anticipation of his words.
"Did you know," he begins slowly, "that I lived on Tatooine as a child?"
Fives hadn't known that. General Skywalker had, at one point, told the men about his experiences on Naboo when he was young, about blowing up a Separatist core ship before he became a Jedi, but that's all he'd ever revealed about his youth. Hardcase had been particularly fond of that story.
General Kenobi frowns at General Skywalker, but it's more pensiveness than disapproval.
"It was horrible," General Skywalker continues. His voice is… distant, somehow. He stares at the assembled clones, but he isn't really seeing them. "It was always hot, and the sand got everywhere. We didn't own a single thing that wasn't covered in the stuff. Somehow, I always end up back there, even though I'd do anything to stay away."
Fives shares a confused look with Droidbait. Where is this going?
General Skywalker takes a deep breath.
"I was a slave," he says abruptly. Fives blinks in startled surprise. Someone gasps lightly behind him. "Owned by a sleemo Toydarian who implanted us with chips and threatened to blow us up if we so much as dropped a tool. We stopped taking him seriously, eventually, but he could have, if he wanted to. We did everything he asked of us, and barely had enough to eat. When I brought the Jedi home to visit, my mother pulled a week's worth of food from our storage in order to feed them. She could never turn anyone away in need." His voice wavers when he mentions his mother.
Fives can't take his eyes off of the Jedi. He'd never known this, but it makes sense. He remembers how volatile the General had become after the line of missions on Zygerria.
"I was lucky, though. My Master," he spits out the word violently, "loved to gamble. Somehow, I escaped with the Jedi, and my freedom. My mother was not as lucky, but I vowed I would return. I made a promise that when I became a Jedi I would return to Tatooine and free the slaves. I promised her."
His eyes finally refocus, and he looks at Domino squad, who are frozen in shock and disbelief.
"You can't… I don't—" he the General chokes out haltingly, bowing his head again. "I am a hypocrite, and I am ashamed. I have become the thing I swore to destroy."
Fives wants to say something, wants to reassure the General, but he doesn't know what to say. No one else speaks, similarly at a loss.
"Force," General Skywalker swears lowly. "None of you men ever got a choice, did you? Because you were created for war, we assumed it meant you wanted this life. No one ever told us otherwise, and we were to blind and foolish to ask."
His voice rises in volume as he speaks. Fives starts to feel that awful pressure of anger again, buzzing menacingly through the air.
"It's no excuse," General Skywalker growls. "We have practically enslaved millions of men. I'm ashamed of myself for not making the connection sooner, for not seeing what—!"
"Anakin," General Kenobi interjects softly. General Skywalker's mouth snaps closed abruptly, and he clenches his fists.
It takes a moment, but slowly, the pressure lessens.
"I'm… sorry," General Skywalker says once he's gotten himself more under control. "I am… very upset right now."
"Sir," Captain Rex says. "If it's any consolation, while we are aware of our lack of true freedom, we have never felt as if we didn't matter under your control. I speak for the entire battalion when I say that you are an excellent General, and we would follow you anywhere."
General Skywalker shakes his head.
"That doesn't change the fact that ultimately, you don't have a choice," he says sorrowfully. "I can't believe it took the knowledge of the chips to open my eyes to this."
General Kenobi takes a step forwards. His expression is grim.
"General Skywalker and I are appalled at this realization. We'd like to offer very sincere apologies, for all the good it does."
"Thank you, sir," Fives says automatically, feeling a bit numb. Out of everything he could have expected, this was… not something he'd thought would happen.
General Skywalker takes a steadying breath and stands up from his seat.
"One thing at a time," he says quietly, almost to himself. General Kenobi nods at him supportingly as General Skywalker picks up Echo's cracked datapad.
"One thing at a time," he repeats. "We start with the chips. Then we worry about the other things."
"What can we do to help?" General Kenobi asks.
Everyone looks at Fives. Fives stares back at them blankly for a moment, struggling to keep up with the rapid changes, and then he sets his jaw.
This is better than he could have ever hoped.
"Generals. To start, we can't let this information become common knowledge. If the person behind all of this learns that we know of the chip's existence, they could just activate everything now. We'd like to keep this information among people we discuss first. It's too dangerous to spread to everyone yet."
The Jedi nod in agreement. Fives thinks briefly of General Skywalker's relationship with Chancellor Palpatine, but General Skywalker seems shaken up enough about all this that Fives thinks he'll listen to reason.
"How can we find out who is responsible for this?" General Kenobi asks.
"We… don't have an answer to that. Not yet," Echo replies. "But before we go on a manhunt, we need to free as many clones as possible. My datapad should have records of the surgery required to remove the chip. We'd appreciate free usage of medical supplies to get those done as quickly as possible."
General Kenobi nods and reaches up to stroke his beard.
"We can assist with getting the proper medical supplies without attracting undue attention. I will inform the 212th medics of this information. Echo, can you transfer those files to my datapad?"
Echo grins. Fives does the same—he's getting excited. Force, this is amazing. This is the best possible outcome of this scenario.
"Of course," Echo tells him. "I just… need my datapad back, first."
General Skywalker blinks. He glances down at Echo's datapad, in his hands.
"Oh," he says. "I'm sorry, Echo. I didn't… I can repair it, if you want." He hands it back a tad guiltily.
"No need, sir," Echo says. "It still works. Besides, I have backups of this datapad. I'm not too concerned about it."
"This is quite a massive operation," General Kenobi comments pensively. "Two battalions is not a lot, in the grand scheme of things. How will we spread this information to the rest of the GAR? It won't be easy to keep the knowledge a secret, even if General Skywalker and I are assisting you."
Fives frowns.
"I… we can spread the word, eventually," he says. "We're… worried about it, though. Like I said before: we can't afford for the wrong person to hear about this."
"Understandable," General Kenobi says. "And perhaps it's best to finish up here on Geonosis before we pursue this."
"I would agree, Master," General Skywalker says. "We need to be careful. This is too important to mess up."
Holy kriff, Fives really hopes this isn't… some sort of dream. He can hardly believe it. His heart is pounding in his chest.
This is happening. From here on out, they have the support of not one, but two Jedi Generals. So many men will be freed from the influence of the chips, and after that…
It sounds like General Skywalker is planning something, after that. Fives hadn't imagined he'd get the opportunity to fix that, as well.
"We'll need to discuss this in more length later," General Kenobi says. "For now, we'll need to separate."
"The injured who have already had their chips removed will be admitted to the Galactic Hospital on Coruscant," General Skywalker says firmly. Fives exhales in relief. "I was going to send them on the transport Ahsoka and Barriss are taking to the medical station, but we'll organize a separate frigate to Coruscant, now. Is that alright with you men?"
"Yes, sir. Thank you so much, sir," Cutup says sincerely. The rest of the squad echoes him.
General Kenobi sighs.
"I wish we had hours to discuss this, but I am needed back with the 212th. Gentlemen, I will do what I can with the information Echo sends me. It will not leave the 212th. Once this is all finished, we'll figure out how to proceed."
"Thank you, sir," Fives tells him gratefully.
"Thank you for coming, Rex, Domino squad," General Skywalker says. Now he just sounds tired. "You're dismissed, for now. We'll meet once the 501st are back on the Resolute."
Domino squad salutes. It's a salute of gratefulness, of dedication and respect. Fives is nearly bursting with relief and pride and excitement and hope.
And with that, Domino squad leaves the two Jedi Generals in the Command tent.
The truth is out, and things are changing.
Hevy isn't expecting the knock on his door. It makes him jump, and he swears, fully expecting one of Domino squad, or a medic.
Instead, General Skywalker steps into the room. Hevy blinks and straightens as much as he can into a salute.
It's been two days since Domino squad had told the General about the chips. Hevy hadn't expected to see him at all. He gets transported to Coruscant tomorrow.
"Sir!" he says. "Uh—"
General Skywalker waves a hand at him and offers a little smile.
"Hevy. You doing alright?"
Hevy sighs.
"I'm okay, sir. A little down, and annoyed to be leaving, but I'm alright."
"I'm glad you'll be alright," General Skywalker says. "We'll be waiting for you when you come back. Speaking of your trip to Coruscant, though… I have an idea. And I think you can help me make it work."
Hevy blinks.
"Anything, sir. How can I help?"
General Skywalker crosses his arms.
"I'm very good friends with a few wonderful Senators back on Coruscant. As a Jedi, I can't do much to help the clones regain their freedom, especially not with my responsibilities on the front lines. But I think you can."
Hevy pushes against the bed to sit up straighter, eyes wide in excitement and intrigue.
"What do I need to do, sir?" he asks.
General Skywalker grins.
A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much to all of you who've read this story so far! Your support and kudos have been greatly appreciated! I'm so sorry to have to leave you here, but I just want to reiterate, here- THIS STORY IS NOT ABANDONED! I have tons of things planned, and I will come back to it once I finish my mission. Please be patient with me! Hopefully, people will still have interest in this when I get back. I am so grateful to you all! I will see you in a little bit, thank you so much! 3 Until then! :)