Happy Thanksgiving for my U.S. readers because apparently I have readers in other countries which is mind blowing! And just happy week for my international readers.

nw150 - Thanks so much! And huh. That's a good point. It makes me wonder if my ocs exist across continuities. Like is Prime in this universe? I should probably figure that out. I believe the term is sentient rights.

Okay, I love this chapter. Enjoy!

There is surprisingly no Mando'a this chapter. Huh.

"Get down!"

Ahsoka slammed herself into the nearest trooper, forcing them both into the mud. The cannon shot blazed over their heads and barrelled straight into a line of troopers behind them.

Ahsoka scrambled to her feet, the Force wailing in her head as more men died. Already Kix was directing medics to the impact site. The men in front and behind the spot continued advancing and shooting. Ahsoka batted a few blaster bolts away and fell back.

"Jesse!" She shouted over the comms.

"Here, sir!"

Jesse's armor was covered in mud. The only discerning feature Ahsoka could make out were his double winged pauldrons.

"What's the status?" She asked.

"We're nearly there, sir!" Jesse said. "We just have to get through this last defense!"

"What's left to scrap?" Ahsoka asked.

"Mostly those cannons, though it'll be difficult to get past them." Fives said as he jogged up to them.

"Fives, you and I will go around the rear and see what we can do." Ahsoka said.

She could nearly see Fives' grin as he nodded.

"Negative, sir." Jesse said. "They've holed themselves up well. Scouts report there are organic sensors surrounding those cannons and a dozen commando droids to each."

Ahsoka cursed and turned to Fives.

"Any ideas?" She asked.

"I hate to say it, but it sounds like we've got to take them head on." Fives said.

"No, that's not an option." Ahsoka said. "Give me a bit, I'll think of something."

They had the numbers to take the cannons out, but the cost in lives would be high. Ahsoka guessed that around half of the men would be killed in such an attempt.

"We don't have a bit, sir!" Jesse said. "We can't maintain this position."

Ahsoka bit her tongue to keep from giving the order to fall back. She couldn't just retreat, not with the Jedi Order breathing down her neck.

"You know how a full frontal assault would end up." Ahsoka said.

"In the base being captured. In a victory." Jesse said. "And Force knows that we need one."

He was right. It seemed that every kriffing battle on Anaxes ended in either a defeat or a stalemate. The Republic needed this, especially this base. It was originally a Republic shipyard; the entire siege could hinge on those ships.

But Ahsoka wasn't going to be the one to give them this victory. It was her men that meant the most. However, she couldn't just retreat without a reason the Council would accept, but maybe-

Ahsoka eyed the blaster bolts flying over their heads. She reached out in the Force very carefully and guided one of them. She closed her eyes before the bolt rammed into her shoulder, right where the armor plates met.

"Ahsoka!" Fives shouted as Ahsoka stumbled to the ground.

"Kix!" Jesse was already shouting.

The medic was there in seconds.

"What the hell kind of luck was that?" Kix muttered as he stripped her armor off. "That was the most unlucky shot I've ever seen."

"Just like everything else on Anaxes." Ahsoka said through gritted teeth. "We can't take those cannons without me. We'll have to back off."

Both Fives and Jesse stared at her.

"That bolt looked like it curved." Jesse said.

Ahsoka shrugged, then gasped in pain at the movement. Kix shook his head at her.

"We don't have time for that." Jesse said. "We have to take this place now."

"We can't!" Ahsoka retorted.

"We have the numbers!" Jesse said.

"I said to fall back, trooper!" Ahsoka snapped.

Jesse looked at Kix and gave a tiny nod.

"What-"

Kix jabbed a hypo in her neck. She gasped and jerked away, but it was too late.

Her vision began to fade and she saw Jesse turn away.

"The Commander's out of action! We have orders to take out those cannons at all costs!" He said over the main comm channel.

"No-" Ahsoka slurred. "No-"

Her mind faded.

Ahsoka struggled to wake up. Her lids felt as if they were sealed closed. She crawled her way to consciousness, slowly becoming aware of voices around her.

"-Skywalker at bay until she wakes up. Tell him she's been injured." She was fairly sure that was Fives' voice.

"It's technically the truth." That was Kix. "Kriffing idiot. I've never seen such a display of-"

"Display of what?" Ahsoka mumbled.

She felt distinctly annoyed at the medic. She couldn't quite remember why.

"Lie still, Commander." Kix's tone was apprehensive, as if he expected her to be irritated with him.

"What happened?" She asked.

Her eyelids still felt like durasteel weights.

"We won." Fives said.

There was a touch of defiance in his voice. Why-

Then she remembered the sting in her neck and she forced her eyes open.

Fives and Kix hovered at the foot of the medical bunk she was on. Kix's left hand was thickly bandaged and Fives had several bacta patches plastered to his face. Their expressions were mirrors of each other: an odd mix of defiance and guilt.

Ahsoka extended her senses to the group of men around the medical tent. She felt a hole open in her chest as she felt only a fraction of what it had been before. Ahsoka made herself sit up and her blaster wound screamed in protest. Kix took a step towards her, hand half raised, but Ahsoka shot him a glare.

"No." She said. "None of that. What the kriff, Kix?"

Kix stiffened and focused his gaze above her head.

"It was necessary for victory, sir." He said.

"Victory?" Ahsoka asked. "You wanted to win so badly you disobeyed and drugged your C.O.?"

Then she remembered Jesse's tiny nod.

"Where's Jesse?" She said, interrupting any response Kix had.

Fear plunged into her stomach as Fives and Kix exchanged a glance.

"Where is Jesse?" She repeated.

"He's a few beds over." Kix said. "Sir, please, not right now. He's been through hell-"

"He's about to go through it again!" Ahsoka snapped.

She swung her legs off the bunk and pushed herself to her feet. Kix and Fives both reached out but she glared at them. It was only her shoulder and whatever kriffing drugs Kix had forced on her. She took a few shaking steps and looked around. Her stomach rolled at the sight of the stuffed medical tent. There were at least a dozen injured troopers packed into the area..

"What were the casualties?" Ahsoka asked.

"Sir, maybe after you've rested some more-" Kix said.

"I said casualties, trooper!" Ahsoka said.

Kix looked at the ground.

"Seventy-eight dead, sir." He finally said. "And only around a dozen that weren't injured."

Ahsoka's heart twisted at the news. Almost half of Torrent had been cut down while she had been out of commission. Her anger blazed anew. She finally caught sight of Jesse's bold tattoo three beds down from hers.

She softened at the sight of him. His chest was bare and bandaged heavily and one arm was in a sling. Like Fives, he had bacta patches over around half of his face. She thought he was asleep, but his eyes flickered open as she approached.

"Commander." He said weakly. "How was your nap?"

"Explain yourself." Ahsoka said shortly.

Jesse closed his eyes again.

"You might have forgotten, sir, but there are some things more important than our lives." He said.

"No." Ahsoka said. "There should be nothing more important than the lives of my men."

"You're missing the big picture." Jesse said. "We are glad to lose our lives to assure a Republic victory. It brings us closer to peace and the safety of the Republic."

Ahsoka clenched her fists.

"I don't give a damn about the Republic." She said. "But I do care about what happens to you."

"Stop being selfish." Jesse said. "You might be protecting us, but you're ignoring what we want."

"You want to die?" Ahsoka asked.

"No." Jesse said. "We want to protect the people of the Republic. And if we have to die to reach that goal, so be it."

"So you'll disobey your commanding officer." Ahsoka said.

Jesse looked away.

"If I need to."

"Jesse!" Ahsoka said, but Jesse cut her off.

"You need to work with us instead of just taking control." He said. "Men died today because of your stubbornness."

"Because of my-" Ahsoka was too angry to finish. Jesse was the one who had ordered the men to their deaths.

She tried to turn around but found herself stumbling. Kix was immediately there, helping her up.

"I'll get you a pain shot." He said.

Ahsoka didn't say anything as he helped her back to her bed, but she didn't discourage him either. Her shoulder kriffing hurt and she didn't need to deal with that at the moment. Kix pulled out the hypo and a wave of panic crashed over Ahsoka. She lashed out and knocked the hypo out of Kix's hand.

Kix froze, confusion wrinkling the Force around him. Ahsoka, beyond the panic, was confused too. This was Kix. She had had some trouble with some of the healers, but never Kix. She trusted him.

Except- she couldn't now. Not after he'd drugged her like that. Kix knew what had happened to her. He should have known.

Kix seemed to understand, gauging by the resigned look on his face. He picked up the hypo, sterilized it, and handed it to Fives. Fives blinked, but administered the shot. Ahsoka didn't flinch.

"Commander." Kix said after a few minutes and the pain shot had taken effect. "Are you going to report Jesse?"

"No." Ahsoka said. "You know what would happen to him if this got out."

Kix's shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Thank you." He said. "And- I'm sorry."

Ahsoka didn't look at him.

"Don't ever question me again." She said.

"I can't promise that, sir." Kix said.

Ahsoka jerked her head to look at him. He seemed to wilt under her gaze.

"None of us can make that promise." Fives said. "Ahsoka, we have to do what's right."

Ahsoka glared at him but unlike Kix, he met her gaze. She couldn't hold the stare. His brown eyes, exactly like Rex's, were resolute. Ahsoka found that she wasn't quite sure what was right or wrong anymore.

They had to stay in the captured base for a rotation, waiting for a Republic force to come and replace them. Torrent couldn't hold the shipyard with their decreased numbers, especially since nearly everyone was injured. Ahsoka was relieved that they would be returning to the Republic base. It had been a hard battle, and after what Jesse and Kix had done, she felt exhausted. Hopefully she'd get a rest, and have an opportunity to speak with Rex. It had been too long.

She was also thankful for the bacta tanks waiting for her men at the base. As angry as she was with Jesse, his wounds were severe and she didn't want to watch him, or any of her men, be in pain longer than they had to be.

They were on the LAAT/i, flying back to base. Ahsoka hung out of the side, watching Anaxes' landscape go by.

"Please don't do that, sir." Ridge said. "You're scaring the shinies."

Ahsoka glanced back to see a small group of unpainted clones staring at her. She focused for a moment and felt their fear for her. She smiled at them. That seemed to make them more nervous.

She considered for a moment leaping out of the gunship to show them what she could really do, but her shoulder still ached and she was sure someone would lecture her about it, whether it be Kix or Anakin.

Speak of a Sith. Ahsoka thought as the gunship came in for a landing. Anakin was waiting for her, along with Windu.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin called as she disembarked.

"Hello, General." Ahsoka said. "How were things on your front?"

Anakin scowled.

"It's like they can access our battle plans." He said. "We can't seem to get a win."

"Congratulations on your victory." Windu said. "It was sorely needed."

Ahsoka hesitated before responding. If she had had her way, they wouldn't have taken the base.

"Thank you." She finally said. "Hopefully it's the first of many."

"Indeed." Windu said.

"Kix sent the casualty report ahead." Anakin said as Windu retreated. "I'm sorry."

Ahsoka didn't have a response. She would have said it was okay, but it wasn't. She had a hard time justifying the cost of men to take the base.

"Is the medbay prepared for the troops coming in?" Ahsoka asked.

Anakin nodded.

"I informed them." He said. "Let's get them in some bacta, okay?"

He must have sensed her distress. He was acting more like his old self than he had in months. He was treating her like his apprentice again, which she found wasn't entirely unwelcome.

"We're getting a new shipment of troopers within the next few days." He told her as they supervised the injured being offloaded.

"Great. Just what I need." Ahsoka said. "A new pack of shinies during one of the hardest sieges of the war."

"I don't think they're shinies." Anakin said. "I got the impression they were transfers from other legions."

"Even worse." Ahsoka said. "They'll be as stiff as carbonite when we get them and it'll take weeks to get them to unfreeze."

Anakin looked at her.

"What happened?" He asked. "I know that you lost a lot of men out there, but you won!"

Ahsoka made sure that Windu was out of earshot.

"I didn't give the orders that led to our victory." She said. "It was Jesse."

She quickly explained what had happened. Anakin listened with a frown.

"Don't report them." Ahsoka finished. "They're fools, but I still want them around."

Anakin was still frowning.

"We've always encouraged them to do what they think is right." He said.

Ahsoka was taken aback.

"They drugged me!" She said.

Anakin winced at her tone.

"Maybe they were over enthusiastic." He said, then his eyes narrowed. "But according to Kix, so were you. He thinks you purposefully got yourself shot."

It was Ahsoka's turn to wince.

"It's true?" Anakin stopped in his tracks and stared at Ahsoka, a familiar anger and disbelief flooding their bond. It seemed the only thing that came through was his disappointment or frustration these days. She pushed it aside and returned his gaze with defiance.

"Yes, I did. I knew the only way we were taking that base was if we sacrificed too many men. I thought they'd be forced to retreat if I were injured."

"This is war, Ahsoka!" Anakin said. "Kriff, I thought you understood that!"

"I do!" Ahsoka snapped back. "I've understood for almost four years!"

"Do you?" Anakin asked. "Because if you did, you would know that some sacrifices have to be made!"
"Sacrifices?" Ahsoka said. "Do you know what it feels like now? Every kriffing time one of those men is sacrificed? The Force screams in my head over and over again and they keep dying!"

"They die, yes!" Anakin said. "I'm sorry you can feel it so strongly, but you need to look beyond the battle, Ahsoka! If those men didn't die today, the fight for Anaxes would be longer and more men would die!"

"They shouldn't have died!" Ahsoka said. "They wouldn't have died if they had just listened to me!"

"They know their duty." Anakin said.

"My duty is to keep them safe." Ahsoka hissed. "Because I'm the only one who gives a damn whether they live or die!"

She didn't hear Anakin's reply because she stalked away. She shut their bond down to ward off any parting shots he could send her way.

Why couldn't they understand? The men's lives were worth more than anything, even her own.

The 501st were assigned to stay in the base until their newcomers arrived. Ahsoka hated the time they were there, though she knew it was good for the men. They needed time to heal. She couldn't stay away from the men, even if she was still angry at Kix. Kix walked on eggshells around her. Jesse would have been an issue as well, but he had been in a bacta tank since they returned. Fives was attempting to stay neutral on the matter, but Ahsoka could tell he agreed with Kix and Jesse.

The rest of the men didn't know she hadn't ordered the attack, so she pretended she had. They didn't need to know that Jesse had undermined her orders. She hid her anger and pretended everything was okay.

She hadn't really spoken to Anakin after their argument. She regretted that she was clashing so much with her former master. She didn't know what to do about it. Ever since she had left the Order and revealed Palpatine's scheming, he had been distant. It seemed the only communication they had with each other was relaying information or an argument.

She had also tried to communicate with Rex during their few days of sparse rest. He hadn't replied. He had definitely been getting better, but it made her worry that he might have fallen back into a depression.

"Sir, the new troops have just arrived."

Ahsoka looked up from her Sabacc cards. She was losing, and badly, to Shiv. Jump-up had approached her with the news.

"Good." Ahsoka said. "Ridge, take over for me."

Ridge grimaced but accepted her cards. It wasn't like they were betting real money anyway. Ahsoka nodded to Fives, who handed his own cards to Deck before standing up to join her.

"You don't have to greet every new batch." Fives told her as they made their way through the base. "You're not the general."

"It helps them relax." Ahsoka said. "There's nothing worse than a trooper who thinks he has to be at attention whenever you're within a parsec of them."

Fives rolled his eyes.

"I can think of a lot of things worse than that." He said. "Don't be dramatic."

"This coming from the trooper who declared his life was over when he lost that last round." Ahsoka said.

Ahsoka could see the line of LAAT/i unloading the troopers. She grimaced. She wished they had given more of a warning. She liked to be here when the ships landed.

Something in her mind twinged. Ahsoka stopped in her tracks and let her head turn towards the source.

Two troopers were standing right outside one of the gunships. Their hands were on the back of each other's heads and their foreheads were pressed together. One was Cody. The other-

Ahsoka broke into a run. How had she not sensed him before? How had she not felt him coming?

Rex released Cody and turned to face Ahsoka. His warm brown eyes met her gaze. His lips quirked up into a small smile.

Ahsoka reigned in the desire to throw her arms around him; she knew it would make him uncomfortable with so many brothers around. Instead, when she reached him, she stretched out her arm. He clasped his hand around her forearm. His other hand reached to the back of her head and pulled her forward to press his forehead to hers.

At the contact their bond burst into golden light. Ahsoka nearly gasped at the intensity of his presence. For a moment she just bathed in it, relished how easy it was to feel.

Hello, Ahsoka. His voice echoed warmly in her mind. We meet again.

I told you we would. She replied.

She thought there was a mirror of her own reluctance in his mind as she let go. She took the opportunity to study his face. His blonde hair was longer; long enough to curl slightly over his forehead. A large jagged scar crossed his face now. Ahsoka had hoped that the wound wouldn't leave a mark, but it had. His stance was- off and Ahsoka remembered that he had a cybernetic leg now.

There was a scar he was missing. Ahsoka resisted the urge to reach up and touch his right temple, where she knew the chip was hiding.

She had chosen not to tell him. There was no point; he was too heavily monitored to get it out. And- after his surgery, she had been afraid to. He had been so dark, so fragile. She was sure the news would have broken him.

She looked into his gently smiling face. She should tell him- tell him soon. But not now. He was happy. And they couldn't get it out until they returned to the Defiant.

"Captain!" Fives had arrived. "Good to see you!"

"Good to see you too, Fives." Rex said.

He repeated the gesture of touching his forehead to Fives'.

"Where's the General?" Rex asked as he let go of Fives.

"Indisposed." Ahsoka said.

"Ah." Rex said. "I'll see him in a bit then."

"Commander! Fives! Captain!"

The three turned to see a trooper with shoulder length hair jogging towards them. He had the pauldrons and kama of an ARC trooper.

Fives gave a roar of delight and practically tackled Tup.

Ahsoka hurried to follow him and clasped hands with her trooper.

"They didn't say you were coming back!" Ahsoka said.

"I asked the General to keep it a secret." Tup said.

"Where's Jesse?" Rex asked.

There was a tinge of fear in his voice.

"He's getting dunked." Fives said. "The last battle was a doozy."

Ahsoka felt a surge of anger at his words. It hadn't needed to have been a 'doozy' if they had just listened to her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Rex said.

His gaze flicked to Ahsoka and she knew he had felt her rush of emotion. To her mild surprise, he didn't question it.

"Come on, Captain." Fives said eagerly. "The boys will want to see you."

"I should stay with the Commander." Rex said. "She'll need help corralling all these new troopers."

"I can give her a hand, Rex." Cody said. "I'm all caught up on my paperwork and I don't have much else to do right now."

Ahsoka assumed that was a lie; Cody was a marshall commander and they always had something else to do.

"Go on, Rex." Ahsoka said. "If you don't and word gets out you're back, they'll just come to you."

We can talk later. She added mentally.

Rex gave a sharp nod.

"See you in a bit, Commander." Tup said with a grin.

The three troopers saluted her and Fives began dragging both Tup and Rex behind him. Ahsoka smiled as she watched them go, her worries for the moment lifted. She turned back to the group of new troopers lined up in rows.

"All right men," Ahsoka said to them. "We'll start with your names and numbers."

HE'S BACK BABY. AFTER 93 PAGES REX IS BACK WITH AHSOKA. NOW THIS CAN CONTINUE TO BE A SHIP FIC. I know some of you guys were looking forward to the ARC arc, but I just- didn't write it? It didn't feel necessary. So, I'm sorry for that.

In case you were wondering, Ahsoka is supposed to be over protective here. She's overcompensating for the deaths in the war so much that she is limiting her men's autonomy and wishes. Which is ironic. She's also become rather short sighted. Doesn't help that she feels men dying at lot more potently. Anakin is actually in a decent place here. The distance between him and Ahsoka is actually mostly her doing. Anakin is relying more on Padme now, which is good for his mental health.

And I know, traditionally they should leap into each other's arms, but Rex especially isn't like that. Yet. And he might have purposefully shut their bond down so he could surprise her.

Hope everyone's reactions and such make sense.

Wear your masks, remember to review, and have a great few weeks!