Hey everyone!
Happy Rexsoka week! I will be participating. I have seven drabbles/ficlets/oneshots that I will be posting every day in a separate fic. Check my profile for that!
OneLittleSpark18: I'm so glad that it didn't seem off to you! And once again, happy way late birthday!
TragicFiction: How could I not? He's amazing!
Continuation of Ahsoka and Gregor's adventures!
Mando'a translations at the end.
Ahsoka kept checking her HUD for how much time had passed. It had been fifteen minutes since Syv's initial announcement. Forty five before all her men were killed.
Gregor suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Oh, she's clever." He muttered.
"What?" Ahsoka asked.
Gregor shifted, allowing her to see past him into a room filled with monitors. There was one droid staring at the screens. Two more stood with blasters pressed to two clone troopers' heads.
It was Tup and Axel. They'd been stripped to their blacks and they knelt with their hands pressed to the back of their heads.
"Har'chaak." Ahsoka swore in a hiss.
She hated it when the enemy used her attachment to her men against her. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it was bad. She glanced up at the screens. Each room it displayed showed two or three prisoners in the same position. If they attacked, her men would be executed immediately.
"What's the plan?" Gregor whispered.
Tup's eyes widened as Gregor spoke. He glanced towards the vent. Ahsoka shoved her hand past Gregor into Tup's field of view. She made the signs for Commander, two, vibroblade, and distraction.
Tup nodded, a bare tilt of his head. His hands shifted, working something off his wrist. Ahsoka watched as he made eye contact with Axel. Axel immediately gave a loud, fake cough. Both guards looked at him. Tup stretched something between his fingers, mouthed be ready, and released it.
A hair tie flew from his hands into the screens. It made a snapping noise as it hit. All the droids turned to look.
"What was that?" One asked.
"Was it part of the foot- augh!" The droid sitting at the screens buzzed and shorted out as Gregor's thrown vibro blade slammed into its head.
Ahsoka lunged forward as Tup dove to the side. She stabbed the droid's ankle with her vibroblade. The droid squawked and tumbled down. Tup seized its head and yanked. With a twist the head came free. Ahsoka looked up to see the other droid twitching with Gregor's blade in its head.
The Force shouted and Ahsoka whirled in time to take a blaster shot to the shoulder. She cursed and stumbled. Two more droids had come in from the hallway. Tup dove forward and wrapped his arms around the droid who had shot Ahsoka.
"Hey!" It cried as Tup forced its blaster on its companion.
Tup made it fire, then twisted the arm to jam the blaster to the droid's head. Another shot and the droid crumpled.
It was silent for a moment. Ahsoka waited for more droids to storm in. It didn't happen. She glanced at the screens. Her men were still alive. They were unnoticed.
"They were sending an all clear signal every five minutes." Tup said as they were sure no more droids were coming. "The last signal was two minutes ago. Check the logs to make sure it's exactly on time."
"On it." Gregor said.
He stepped to the terminal, removed his helmet, and began tapping. Tup stepped to Ahsoka and started examining the blast mark.
"The armor took most of the damage." Tup said. "You'll just have bruising."
"Don't tell Kix." Ahsoka said. "He won't ever let me live it down."
"Commander, none of us are going to let you live it down." Tup said with a grin. "How long have we been telling you to get armor?"
Ahsoka rolled her eyes.
"How about you?" She asked. "Where did you get that hair tie?"
Tup ran a hand through his growing, but still short hair.
"Force of habit." He said. "You don't want your tie to break in the middle of a siege and not have an extra. Lucky I did, though."
"What message am I sending out again?" Gregor asked.
Tup frowned at him.
"The all clear." He said.
"That's right, that's right." Gregor muttered.
Both Tup and Axel turned to Ahsoka.
"Where did you pick up a Commando?" Axel asked.
"He was just- here." Ahsoka said. "He can't remember how he got here at the moment."
"Got it!" Gregor said. "It will automatically send the all clear signal every five minutes."
"Good." Ahsoka said. "Now we take the command room."
"How are we going to do that?" Axel asked. "We might be an ARC and a Commando, but we only have vibroblades."
"What am I?" Tup asked, annoyed.
"You're the looks." Axel said with a smirk.
Tup raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes.
"Let's take a look at their data." He said. "Might be something useful. If you can find that hair tie, you can use it. You look like you need it." He added to Gregor.
"Oh, er, thanks." Gregor said. He glanced at Ahsoka. "What hair tie?"
Ahsoka found the hair tie and handed it to Gregor.
"There we go." Tup said. "It's a fuel station. They plan on sending some experimental Hailfires soon and they need a place to store the fuel."
"That's right." Gregor said. "I remember now. I was gonna blow this place sky high with that fuel."
"And why didn't you?" Axel asked.
Gregor's smile slipped.
"I er- forgot." He said. "My memory's not exactly reliable."
"How do you forget an entire plan?" Axel asked. "I thought you Commandos were supposed to be the best."
Gregor's brow furrowed.
"You try remembering things after-" He paused, faltering.
Axel glanced at Ahsoka.
"He's had a head injury." Ahsoka explained. "He can still scrap clankers."
"Can we discuss this later?" Tup asked. "We're on a time crunch."
"Right." Ahsoka said. "Blowing the place isn't an option anymore. We need to get the communications back online and get some gear."
"Our stuff should be near the cells." Axel said.
They all looked to the screens. The cells were empty, save for Deck, and a 327th trooper, and their two droid guards.
"That'll be tricky." Gregor said. "The vents aren't positioned ideally down there."
Ahsoka frowned. If only they had a blaster! But maybe-
"I should be able to Force push them hard enough to deactivate them." Ahsoka said.
Tup immediately gave her a sharp look.
"Sir, are you sure-"
"I'll have time to concentrate." Ahsoka assured him. "I'll be fine. Even if it gets to be too much, you should be able to take out the command center without me."
Tup still looked concerned. Gregor and Axel looked confused.
"Is that why you're an ex-Jedi?" Gregor asked. "You can't use the Force right?"
"It's complicated." Ahsoka told him. "Lead the way. We don't have much time."
They had thirty minutes left by the time they reached the detention area. The two troopers looked worse for wear. Ahsoka closed her eyes. She hadn't tried an offensive use of the Force since practicing with Gek. The Force surged around her. She winced. It burned her hands as she stretched them out.
"Be ready to move in when I push." She whispered.
She pushed.
The droids squawked as they were slammed against the wall. Ahsoka grit her teeth against the wave of pain in her hands and head. It seemed she needed more practice. Tup helped her out of the vent as Gregor and Axel checked the area.
"You okay, Nose?" Axel asked his brother.
"Been better." Nose grunted.
"Nothing too bad, sir." Deck said at Ahsoka's glance.
"I found the gear!" Gregor announced after a quick search. "Ka'ra, you really use this junk?"
"We all can't be Commandos." Axel said. "Give it here."
Ahsoka was relieved to see five troopers ready for a fight.
"What do you want to do, Commander?" Tup asked. "Will you come with us?"
"I'd better, if just as a last resort. I've still got some juice left in me." Ahsoka said.
Tup nodded and put his helmet back on.
"Most of the hostages are being held in the command center." Axel said. "Which means more clankers. We'll have to take the ones holding the hostages first, and then hope we don't all get shot."
"Syv will be in there." Ahsoka said. "Gregor, do you know anything about her skills?"
Gregor frowned with concentration.
"Not that I can remember. She's a Falleen, though. Those pheromones might be a problem."
"There's another problem." Tup said. "We don't have enough time to take the command center and save the hostages throughout the base."
Ahsoka cursed. Tup was right. The droids would know exactly when the hour had passed and would immediately execute the prisoners once the time was up.
"We split up." Gregor said. "I'll take the ARC and Commander Ex-Jedi while you three go through the base and get the hostages. The place isn't big. Then rendezvous at the command center to back us up."
Tup glanced at Ahsoka who nodded.
"Hand me a blaster." She said.
"You can shoot?" Gregor asked as Deck handed her a weapon.
"Captain Rex wouldn't let me rest until I could shoot decently." Ahsoka replied. "Let's move out."
Tup nodded to Nose and Deck and they charged out of the detention center. Gregor led Axel and Ahsoka back into the vents.
They had twenty-five minutes left when they split up. Luckily the command center had several different entry points through the vents. Ahsoka peered into the room. At least ten troopers knelt with guns to their heads. At the forefront were Bly and Jesse. Jesse's face was bruised and his eyes lowered in shame. Bly kept his eyes forward, a determined look on his face. Syv paced before them.
"It seems your Commander does not care for you as much as she claimed." She said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she had already fled the base."
"She'd be right to." Jesse muttered.
The droid behind him gave him a whack on the back of his head.
"No talking!" It snapped.
Ahsoka took a deep breath and waited for Gregor to give the signal.
The first bolt flew, piecing Bly's droid in the head. Ahsoka began firing her own blaster. Within seconds two thirds of the guard droids were scrapped. Another blaster shot sounded and a trooper slumped to the floor.
Ahsoka bit back a cry. She let Axel and Gregor keep shooting while she sent blasters skidding across the floor to the prisoners.
Another trooper fell, but the rest had snatched up the blasters. Droids were crumpling. Ahsoka resisted the urge to dive out of the vent and into battle. She could lay down cover fire from here, and she was still weakened from the Force push earlier. She grit her teeth as Ridge collapsed to his knees after taking a blaster bolt to the shoulder.
The droids were nearly gone. The door burst open to reveal a group led by Deck and Fives. It was moments before the last droid fell. Gregor stalked over to the communications jammer and fired three bolts into it. Ahsoka started to relax, but immediately tensed as she realized something.
Where is Syv?
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Ahsoka heard the click of a blaster behind her.
"Stay where you are or your Commander dies." Syv shouted from the rear.
The men in the room froze along with Ahsoka. Ahsoka shifted her head to see Syv wedged in the vent behind her, blaster pointed at Ahsoka's head.
"You're a clever little Jedi." Syv said with a sneer. "But I'm afraid you and your men are far too attached to one another. Move backwards towards me."
Ahsoka complied, quietly slithering backwards.
"I may have lost the base, but I will have you." Syv said. "Preferably alive, but I will work with you dead if I have to."
As soon as Ahsoka was close enough, the woman grabbed her ankle with a vice-like grip. Ahsoka bit back a cry of pain as Syv began dragging her through the vents. Her shoulder jolted painfully as the Falleen yanked her out.
"No funny business." Syv hissed, pressing her blaster into Ahsoka's temple.
Ahsoka nodded and slowly stood up. Syv rose with her and jabbed the blaster into Ahsoka's back. Ahsoka moved forward. Her head was throbbing painfully, making it difficult to think. She didn't think she could win a fight here, especially with her injured shoulder.
Syv forced her into the shuttle bay. Ahsoka felt a jolt of panic as Syv pushed her up the shuttle's ramp.
A blaster fired, and Syv slumped to the floor. Tup was standing in the shuttle, blaster smoking.
"Tup?" Ahsoka asked.
"I thought I saw a glimpse of her when we were rounding up the men." Tup said. "I followed her out of the room and saw her go into the vents. Then I heard her threaten you, and I figured she'd come straight here. Turns out you can get places pretty quick when you're not stuck in a vent."
"Good thinking, and I'm glad for it." Ahsoka said. "Come on, let's get back to the others."
They ran into a concerned group of troopers being led by Fives on their way back. She assured them she was fine and they started back the way they had come.
"Is everyone accounted for?" Ahsoka asked once they got back to the control center.
"Yes, sir." Bly said. "We've lost three troopers and have seven wounded."
"Can they walk?" Ahsoka asked.
"Some." Kix piped up. "But General Secura's on her way and she'll be bound to have some hover stretchers."
"Good point." Ahsoka said. "Jesse, a word."
Jesse limped up to her, his eyes downcast.
"Are you all right?" She asked him.
"Fine, sir." He said. "I'm sorry."
"You got captured." Ahsoka said. "I'd rather that than you dead."
"She used us against you." Jesse sounded pained. "I'd rather be dead than that."
Ahsoka placed her hand on Jesse's shoulder.
"If anything, it's my fault." She said. "I'm not willing to let you go."
He smiled a little.
"You and the others go grab your gear." Ahsoka told him. "I want to be ready to move out when General Secura arrives."
Jesse gave a nod and called the other armorless troopers to him.
"Fives, wait." Ahsoka said.
Fives looked annoyed as he paused and returned to her.
"Listen, I'm sure it's all fun and games for you to have us dressed like this, but-"
"Oh, shut up." Ahsoka said. "It's about Tup. He was remarkable today."
Fives' eyes lit up.
"I'm proud of him." He said happily.
"What do you say to him being an ARC trooper?" Ahsoka asked.
Fives grinned even wider.
"I think that's a great idea, sir!" He said.
"I agree. Go tell him." Ahsoka said.
Fives immediately ran up to Tup, who listened with a stunned expression on his face. The younger trooper snapped his head up to look at Ahsoka. She grinned and nodded. Tup's face took on a look of shock and awe. She could read his lips as he asked 'really?' over and over. Fives was laughing and nodding. Tup squished his ori'vod into a hug. Then the excited trooper trotted up to Ahsoka.
"Thank you, sir!" He said.
He saluted, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Then his face fell.
"That means I won't be around the 501st as much." He said.
"Tup, we'd be missing out if you weren't an ARC." Ahsoka said. "Besides, I think we see plenty of Fives."
"Sir, General Secura is on her way." Axel said. "She'll be here within a half rotation."
"Excellent." Ahsoka said. "See what else you can get from the Seppie computers."
"I can help with that." Gregor put in. "I used to be a pretty good slicer."
"Axel is fine, Gregor." Ahsoka put in. She'd noticed Axel's uncomfortable posture at the idea. "Let's get everyone out."
It was a bit of a hassle getting everyone out of the facility. They had to round everyone back up from getting their gear, move the injured down several stories, and wait for Axel to finish clearing out the computers. They left the dead, which always bothered Ahsoka. She did her best to always collect their identification tags. Rex used to do the same. He wanted no brother forgotten.
It had been two 327th troopers and Rud who had been killed. Rud had been the sacrifice when Ahsoka had been rescued by Gregor. They found his body dumped outside in the mud.
Ahsoka let herself sit down in the dirt as they waited for General Secura.
"Commander?"
Ahsoka looked up to see Bly hovering by her.
"What's up?" She asked.
"Thank you for coming for us." He said, and then paused. "May I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
"There's been some rumors coming from the 501st." He said. "I want to know if they're true."
"About Fives and the rancor?" Ahsoka asked with a grin. "Absolutely-"
"No," Bly interrupted. "I mean about the chips."
Ahsoka immediately sobered.
"Yes." She said. "You can believe those rumors."
"I see." Bly said.
He didn't outwardly react, but Ahsoka got an odd jumble of emotions from him.
"Thank you again, sir." He said.
Ahsoka nodded and he went back to his troops. Ahsoka wondered how many other legions had gotten wind of the chips, and how many had actually taken the plunge and had them removed.
The rest of the 501st and 327th arrived right on schedule. General Secura led the way, though she still limped.
"Commander Tano!" Aayla said as they reached each other. "I'm glad to see you and our men."
"You're a sight for sore eyes too." Ahsoka replied.
Aayla only seemed to be half listening. Her eyes kept flicking to something past Ahsoka. Finally she concentrated at Ahsoka.
"I'd like to debrief you in person." Aayla said. "But not now. Get some rest, as well as your men. I will comm you in a few hours."
Ahsoka nodded and gestured to her men.
"Gregor, let's get your head looked at." She said.
Gregor followed her hesitantly with the other injured troopers to the medic station. They had only field instruments, but maybe they could get some sort of diagnosis.
Ahsoka watched as Kix ran the scanner over Gregor's head. The medic's eyebrows shot up.
"How many concussions have you had?" He asked the commando.
Gregor blinked.
"I-I'm not sure." He said. "A lot. I know at least five. I had that many when I left Kamino. I think I've had a couple more since then though."
Kix stared at Gregor who frowned.
"That would explain your memory problems." Kix finally said. "Kriff, I didn't know commando training was that bad."
"I didn't get them in training." Gregor said.
"How else do you get five concussions?" Kix asked. "We don't do much else on Kamino!"
"You ever heard of Dred Priest?" Gregor asked.
Ahsoka felt cold at Kix's expression.
"Who's Dred Priest?" Ahsoka asked.
"One of the Cuy'val Dar." Gregor said. "He had what he called his Kyr'am Briirud. He made us fight each other. Not like sparring. He wanted us to hurt one another. That's where I got my concussions."
Ahsoka stared at him.
"You said you were trained by Rav Bralor." She said.
"I was Priest's first." Gregor said. "I was four when I- it was an accident- but Priest had made one of Rav'buir's cadets come be part of it. I had already lost a few fights and Priest told me I needed to shape up or else. I was terrified to lose that fight and I-"
Gregor closed his eyes.
"I broke the other cadet's neck." He whispered. "I didn't mean to. Priest didn't bother teaching us how to hold back."
Ahsoka felt sick as Gregor took a deep breath.
"Rav'buir found out and she was furious. I remember her storming in and demanding to know who killed her cadet." Gregor said. "That was the first time I was more scared of someone than I was of Priest. Priest told her and she demanded I be transferred to her, to make up for the cadet I killed."
A ghost of a smile flashed across Gregor's face.
"She threatened him with a lot of nasty things if he didn't. So I got transferred to Rav'buir and instead of hating me like I thought she would, she treated me just like every other cadet."
Gregor stared into space before focusing on Ahsoka.
"You said I could try and contact her?" He asked as if not sure Ahsoka had said that. Which he might not have been.
"Once we get back to the Defiant." Ahsoka promised. "The 501st is only here for a few weeks."
Gregor nodded.
"Thank you." He said.
He seemed to retreat into his own head. Ahsoka leaned towards Kix.
"Is there anything you can do for him?" She asked.
"Not here." Kix said. "Though I honestly don't know what we can do for him. I've never seen a clone with his mind addled like that."
Ahsoka looked at Gregor.
"Well, keep an eye on him." She said. "Maybe this Rav Bralor will be able to provide some options."
She got up to leave.
"Not so fast." Kix said. "I saw that blaster burn. Let me have a look."
Ahsoka grimaced but let Kix examine her.
"If you say one thing about the armor saving my life, you're on fresher duty for a month." She told him.
"I didn't say anything." Kix said innocently as he applied bacta to her bruises.
The smirk on his face let her know that he was thinking it.
Ahsoka finally got to her feet. She didn't exactly feel like resting. General Secura probably wanted the report sooner than later. She nodded to Kix and made her way across the camp to where Aayla's tent was. The clones were in good cheer. Communications were back online with minimal casualties.
Ahsoka stopped short a few yards from Aayla's tent. There were- interesting emotions roiling out from the small structure. Interesting and somewhat familiar. Kriff, if Ahsoka hadn't known better, she'd have thought it was Padme and Anakin in there. But no, it was General Secura and- was that Bly's presence?
Ahsoka suddenly was very aware of how she was intruding on a private moment between Bly and his General. She quickly retreated, making sure she was out of earshot.
Poor Aayla, Ahsoka thought. No wonder she had been so distressed when Bly had gone missing.
Ahsoka wandered the camp. It was interesting. She had no surge of horror at the idea that Aayla was in a relationship with Bly. She remembered the cold pit in her stomach when she had learned about Padme and Anakin. There was nothing like that now, only worry about what would happen if they were caught. Ahsoka was straying further from the Jedi mindset than she had thought she ever would.
It was another half an hour before Ahsoka got a comm from Aayla.
"Have you rested enough to give your report?" Aayla asked.
"Yes. I'll be right there." Ahsoka replied.
Bly was still in Aayla's tent when Ahsoka arrived. He was standing at parade rest next to Aayla, who was sitting on a cot.
Ahsoka began to explain their escapades at the Seperatist base. She kept an eye on Bly and Aayla as she talked. The only thing that hinted at what Ahsoka felt from them was that Bly stood a little too closely to Aayla. One hand was folded behind Bly's back, but the other was centimeters from Aayla's.
Aayla stayed silent as Ahsoka finished the report.
"You acted well." Aayla said. "At least in my estimation. But the council may not feel the same."
Ahsoka narrowed her eyes.
"In what regard?" She asked.
"You chose to risk your own capture for the life of your men." Aayla said. "It could be seen as a dangerous risk."
Aayla studied Ahsoka.
"Let me give you a word of warning, Ahsoka." She said. "You are no longer a Jedi. You are in a position where you can be removed if the Council thinks you are not acting for Republic interests."
A swell of anger flared in Ahsoka's chest.
"And saving their soldiers isn't?" She asked.
Aayla looked at her and Ahsoka was struck with how tired she looked.
"To some, no. You must find ways to be subtle about putting your men first."
Ahsoka glanced at Bly, whose face was impassive.
"I will be honest. I was told to watch you, Commander Tano." Aayla said. "I was told to make sure you were still fit for service."
"What?" Ahsoka burst out. "By who?"
"Elements in the Jedi Council." Aayla responded. "I believe they are uncomfortable with the idea of you remaining in command."
"By elements, you could just say Windu." Ahsoka said with a frown.
Aayla's mouth twitched.
"In any case, Commander, please be careful." She said. "I am fond of you and I admire your dedication to your men. I would not like to see you removed from command."
"Thank you." Ahsoka said. "I'll do my best to stay. Is there anything else?"
"No." Aayla said. "We will rest tonight and move out tomorrow."
Ahsoka nodded and turned to leave.
Right as she left she caught Aayla's voice.
"Bly, for pity's sake sit down."
Ahsoka let herself smile for a moment before what Aayla said weighed her down again. It seemed things were more complicated than she thought.
Aayla had been right. Three weeks later, when she had returned to the Defiant, she got a request to meet from the Jedi Council. From Windu's face when the holos appeared, they were not pleased.
"We received the reports of your mission on Felucia." Windu said without preamble.
"Is there anything wrong?" Ahsoka nearly bit her tongue to stop her from saying 'Master.'
Windu frowned and Ahsoka guessed he had noticed her omission of his title.
"While your mission was a success, there are concerns about your actions." He said. "You placed the mission and yourself in danger for-"
"For the lives of my men." Ahsoka said. "I thought I made it clear when I refused to return to the Order what my priorities would be."
Windu's frown deepened.
"It is understandable to create strategies that minimize clone casualties." He said. "However, risking the mission for the lives of a few men makes the Council question your effectiveness as a leader."
Ahsoka grit her teeth and remembered Aayla's words. You must find ways to be subtle about putting your men first. If sucking up to Windu was what she had to do, she would do it.
"I understand." She said. "I will keep that in mind in the future."
Keep in mind, yes. Follow? That was less likely.
Mando'a:
har'chaak: Damn it
Ka'ra: stars, reference to ancient Mandalorians
ori'vod: older brother, used in this context to refer to a special brother
Cuy'val Dar:those who no longer exist. Elite group of one hundred people summoned by Jango to train the clones, mostly the Commandos.
Kyr'am Briirud: Death Circle. Priest's fighting ring doesn't have a name in the books, so I just gave it one
Rav'buir: Mama Rav
A bit to unpack here. I actually came up with the idea of Tup using a hair tie as a distraction before I remembered I'd shaved his head. But I think it still works, it's a habit for him. And with the way Tup takes down Krell and keeps up with Fives, I have no doubt he would have been an ARC trooper if he had lived.
My explanation for Gregor: many, many concussions. The symptoms made sense. For those who don't know, Dred Priest is a sadistic, horrible trainer on Kamino. He did canonically (Legends canon) run a fighting ring in which cadets died. I liked the idea of Gregor being messed up by him, but Rav Bralor rescued him. I probably make connections to the RepComm books too much, but hey, it's not hurting anyone.
And no, Bly and Aayla are not doing...activities...in the tent. Bly is still injured and Aayla is just fussing over him for the most part. She may or may not like applying his bacta patches herself.
Definitely some tension between Ahsoka and the Council. There are some who don't trust her as a leader as she is not a Jedi, and to be honest, she doesn't have the war's best interests at heart. You'll see what I mean in a few chapters.
A return to Rex next time, and we'll be staying with him for a while.
Anyway, wear your masks, remember to review, and have a great few weeks!