Saga Finishing the Mission (Rex, Jesse, Kix, OCs)

Warning: Contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 6.

Prologue​

"Rex...this...it's bigger than any of us. Than anything I could've imagined."​

–CT-5555, "Fives", tries to warn his brothers before his death.​

​

Rex jerked up out of bed, panting. Tears streamed from his eyes at the memory of Fives' last words. The mission...the nightmares...they're finally over. Rex stood, wiping the tears with his fingers. This was...kriff, it wasn't fair. Fives had been a good man, a good soldier, he hadn't deserved what had happened to him. Rex's fists clenched and he slammed his fist into the wall.

Surprised by the noise, CT-5597, nicknamed Jesse, stirred. Slowly sitting up, Jesse rubbed his hands across his head and stood. Seeing his captain standing there, he straightened slightly, looking around to see if anything was wrong. Realizing none of his brothers had awakened, either, he seemed to relax a bit.

"Sir, is something wrong?" Jesse asked.

"The nightmares again," Rex said quietly. "Fives..."

"Fives didn't deserve what happened to him," Jesse said. "Maybe he was right."

"Right?" Rex asked. "About the Chancellor? The conspiracy?"

Jesse shrugged. "He was right about Krell, wasn't he?"

Rex's face hardened. "Krell was a traitor. The Chancellor is...well, he's the Chancellor. He couldn't betray us."

Jesse shook his head. "I'm not willing to believe that Fives was truly insane. I can't believe it."

Rex looked around. "Let's take a walk, Jesse. No need to wake the others."

Jesse nodded and the two clones walked out into the corridor of the Venator-class cruiser Integrity. Along with General Kenobi's Negotiator, they were headed for the planet Nelvaan, where General Grievous had been reportedly sighted. General Skywalker was getting restless, and Rex figured he knew why. The closer they got to Grievous, the closer they were to ending the war...and Rex was sure he wasn't the only one who'd noticed General Skywalker's "interests" on Coruscant.

"This is off the record," Rex told Jesse. "Anything we say here, you forget after tonight. Read?"

"Read, sir."

"Okay. Even talking about the Chancellor being caught up in a conspiracy is tantamount to treason, all right? You even say that to anyone but me, and maybe Kix, and you'll probably be shot for it. The man's record is spotless and everyone thinks he's the hero of the Clone Wars."

Jesse nodded. "Yeah, I know, it's just...how can Fives have possibly been that far off?"

"Maybe he's not." Rex stopped, looking around to make sure no one was listening. "Maybe there is a conspiracy, and maybe one in the Chancellor's office is involved. Sly Moore, maybe; she's an Umbaran after all and her people tried to defect to the Seppies. But the Chancellor himself? No, you can't ever say a word about it to anyone. Never again?"

"What about that chip Fives kept mentioning? You think he was making that up?"

Rex hesitated. "No."

"You don't? Then why are you just letting it rest?"

"Who says I am? Where do you think Kix goes those late nights where he runs to the medbay?"

Jesse gaped. "You're having him look into it?"

"Yes. I want to know what those aiwha-bait Kaminoans put in our heads. Fives is right, we're not droids, and no one should be able to flip a switch and make us shoot a Jedi like Tup did."

"Yeah, yeah. Makes sense..." His teeth clenched. "What do we do if we find out Fives is right?"

"Then maybe we pass on word to General Skywalker or General Kenobi, see if one of them can't do something with it. Fives wanted to save the Jedi as much as he wanted to save us, Jesse. It would be an injustice to him for us to do anything else."

"Right. So...what now?"

"I think we have about an hour until we reach Nelvaan. Let's gear up and hit the shooting range. We'll need to be fit for combat when we arrive."

Jesse nodded. "Yes, sir."

The two of them walked off together, prepared for the worst.

 

Great beginning with the talk about conspirations

 

Chapter 1​

​

"Look around. We're one and the same: same heart, same blood."​

–Fives, encouraging a squad of clone cadets.​

​

Rex and Jesse clocked out of the shooting range at 0630, ship's time. They went to the mess to eat a morning meal before arriving on Nelvaan. Inside the mess, they found the rest of the 501st already intermingling with some of Kenobi's 212th. Half of Commander Cody's battalion was over here, while the other half of Rex's 501st, under Sergeant Appo's command, were over on the Negotiator. Skywalker and Kenobi had encouraged this intermingling of their troops almost since the war's beginning. Rex, personally, enjoyed the chance to converse with clones from other units.

Rex and Jesse filled their trays with less-than-stellar food and sat down at a table with Kix and Ross. Kix and Jesse traded glances, and Rex knew what had passed between them–they were mourning their fallen comrade Hardcase, who had sacrificed himself on Umbara. Jesse, Hardcase, and Kix had been a threesome since they had decanted from their cloning tanks. His loss had hit Jesse especially hard since he'd been there on the mission with him, and had to watch as Hardcase detonated a missile that would destroy the Separatist supply ship...and him along with it.

"Ross, a minute?" Rex said.

"Sir!" Ross snapped.

He hopped to his feet smartly and walked away. Rex leaned forward so he was within hearing range of both Kix and Jesse.

"So," he said, "find anything out, Kix?"

Kix nodded grimly. "I did. Follow me."

Rex and Jesse dumped their nearly-untouched trays of food and followed Kix out of the mess. In the medbay, Kix quickly dismissed the other clone medics and closed the door. He powered up a nearby terminal. An image projected out of the organic chip Fives had discovered in his brain, and subsequently removed. Rex crossed his arms worriedly.

"The chip does exist," Kix said grimly.

Jesse inclined his head. "Yeah, but does it prove anything, or is it just what the aiwha-bait say: aggression suppressor?"

"Well," Kix said slowly, "I've been running diagnostics. I think it goes deeper than just aggression control. A lot deeper. It's why Tup spazzed out. It's ingrained into his subconscious, making him do something he has no control over."

"And why removing it killed him?"

"I don't think so. Fives removed his successfully and he didn't die, although he did become hyper-paranoid, probably even edging on the verge of a total mental breakdown."

"So what can these chips do?" Rex asked.

"I think that they can override our own consciousness and make us do whatever the sender of the proper signal declares."

"Like killing a Jedi."

"Exactly. The only problem is I'm not sure what triggers this chip to activate, or if it has more results than just killing Jedi. But Rex, this couldn't have been done by the Separatists. It's in all the clones."

Rex's jaw clenched. "Okay. Keep us updated, Kix."

"Yes, sir."

The intercom popped. "All hands, we are approaching Nelvaan. Prepare for ground assault."

Rex pulled his helmet on and activated the 501st's private channel. "You heard him, boys. Everyone down to the hangar bay. It's time to make Grievous pay for all the brothers he's taken from us."

 

Oooh, that indicates it was an intended design feature in lieu of being a fluke or a flaw. Hope Kix finds the control mechanism/trigger soon.

 

Great story! Please add me to the update list for this fic. Would love to see where this goes.

 

@Nyota's Heart, EGKenobi​

​

Chapter 2​

​

"It's when things do not go as planned that concerns me. What then?"
"It's when things don't go as planned that we Jedi are at our best. Trust me."​

–Captain Tarkin and Anakin Skywalker​

​

Rex clenched his teeth as the gunship entered Nelvaan's freezing atmosphere. The wind plowed against the gunship and the troopers inside rattled around. Jesse glanced at him and made a face. Rex chuckled. Kix had remained back on the Integrity in case injured troops needed to be rushed back for full medical attention in a hurry; Sergeant Coric had medical training, at least enough for first aid on the ground.

"This is it, boys," Skywalker said. "If Grievous is here we can help bring an end to this war. He dies and Dooku's the only person standing in the way of victory. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the fighting to end."

Rex grimaced. He and the other clones didn't know anything but fighting. Truthfully, though, he was more than ready for it to end. He wanted to find out what a normal life felt like, or at least one where you didn't have to shoot a battalion of droids every other day.

"So," Skywalker said, "when we hit the ground, everyone form up on myself and General Kenobi. We'll find Grievous and either capture or kill him. Don't set for stun, men. This is the real deal."

"Yes, sir!" snapped the clones in the bay.

"Buckets on!" Rex said. He pulled his own helmet on. "Check comms!"

Clone voices began to cycle over the comm, making sure they all had a strong signal. Satisfied, Rex nodded.

"Weapons check."

Checking his own DC-17 pistols, he shoved them back in their holsters and waited for the ship to land. When it finally touched down, the bay doors slid open, and Skywalker led them out. Rex hissed at the cold air and sealed his helmet, keeping the freezing air out. Kenobi dropped out of the starboard-side bay, followed by two dozen 212th troopers, led by Commander Cody.

"Move out," Kenobi said. "This way."

Four dozen clone troopers followed two Jedi Knights through the snowy woods. A twig snapped and Ross impulsively spun around, his rifle trained on the spot. A small rodent, gray-furred and chewing on some kind of nut, appeared from the bushes. Skywalker chuckled.

"I don't think it's lethal, trooper."

Ross's voice betrayed no emotion. "Yes, sir."

Rex drew his blasters and they walked farther on through the woods. Only Skywalker and Kenobi kept their weapons undrawn. The two Jedi began conversing quietly and Rex tensed. Whenever they did that, it usually meant trouble was soon to follow...no sooner had the thought entered his head than a giant, blue-armored beast charged through the trees. Two Jedi lightsabers snapped to life and the clones' rifles discharged at a rapid rate. The beast slammed down one of its massive front feet, smashing half a dozen troopers.

Rex fired his blasters as fast as his fingers could hit the trigger. The blaster bolts bounced harmlessly off the beast's hide.

"Cover!" Rex snapped.

He rolled aside just as the beast slammed its feet down again, crushing more troopers. Then Skywalker was in motion, leaping through the air. His lightsaber slashed off the front toes on one of the beast's feet, and then he was on its back, running up towards its head, his lightsaber held upside-down, ready to deal the death blow.

"No, wait!" Kenobi exclaimed.

Too late. Skywalker's lightsaber sunk into a weak spot on the beast's brain and it gasped in pain, convulsed, and fell to the ground, dead. Skywalker landed on the ground, deactivated his lightsaber, and clipped it to his belt. He had a smirk on his face, but upon seeing Kenobi's own expression, he froze.

"What?" he asked.

"I don't think you should've done that," Kenobi observed.

Several dozen beings dressed in tribal wraps appeared from the woods, the one in the lead holding a spear. Rex readied his blasters but didn't think he'd need to fire; they were here for Grievous, after all, not natives. The one with the spear began jabbering in an alien language. Rex decided to let the Jedi fight it out while he helped the wounded clones. Much to his dismay, he found that one of the wounded was Jesse.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Been worse," Jesse replied with a groan. "I think...my leg's are broken, though. Might...have some cracked ribs."

Rex nodded. "Well, then, you'll live. Coric will be over shortly." Rex checked his HUD. "He's helping some of the more badly-wounded troops."

"Right. I'll...hang in there."

Rex rose and walked over to the next trooper. Several of them were too far gone and Rex felt a cold anger in his gut. Oh, yeah, Grievous was going to get it. Maybe the beast wasn't his doing, but Skywalker had already ended the beast, so Rex had to find someone else to exact vengeance on for this. Grievous would do just fine, thank you very much.

"Rex," Skywalker called.

"Sir?"

"Turns out I interrupted that young man's hunting ritual. He was supposed to be the next tribe warrior or something. Kenobi's translating; he says it's a confusing language at best. Anyways, they're taking Kenobi and I back to their tribe for judging. I don't expect any trouble; it was a simple misunderstanding. I want you and Cody to take the injured back to the Integrity. We'll contact you if and when we find Grievous."

Rex nodded. "Understood, sir. If we can't get down here before the big show..."

"I know." Skywalker grinned. "Give Grievous an extra blow for you."

"Right."

 

I think laloga as a Rex specialist will enjoy this also.

 

Note that most of that chapter was canon, from the Clone Wars Microseries, but Rex, Jesse, and the others were not there–all the clones in that scene were unnamed so since they were Anakin and Obi-Wan's troops I figured it made sense that it was Rex and co.

 

@EGKenobi, Nyota's Heart​

​

Chapter 3​

​

"General Ki-Adi-Mundi, the troops are ready for deployment."​

–CC-1138, Commander Bacara​

​

​

Rex stood with Sergeant Appo, who'd transferred over from the Negotiator, on the Integrity's flight deck. Appo had a grim set to his jaw and Rex was unsure if he wanted to ask what was wrong. Appo had always been a bit of a hard case, not willing to take guff on anything. He was a good soldier, a good noncom. But as his CO, Rex was concerned about Appo's almost obsessive attitude about completing a mission.

"What's up?" Rex asked.

"Orders came down; 501st's being transferred."

"Transf–" Rex snarled. "The kark? I'm not leaving!"

"Direct orders from the Chancellor's office." Appo gave Rex a longsuffering look. "Sir, luckily for you, you don't have to leave."

"What?"

"I'm supposed to lead a squad of the 501st. To Mygeeto. To amplify General Mundi's men. And...pick up a little something for the Chancellor."

"'A little something' being...?"

Appo didn't bat a lash. "You're not authorized to know, sir. I'm sorry."

Rex fought the urge to pop Appo on the back of the head. "No problem. Then take the men and go. Good luck, Sergeant."

"Thanks, Captain. I'm taking Coric and Attie and their squad. Jesse, Kix, Ross, and the others can stay here."

Rex nodded. "Have fun with that. Good luck, Sergeant. Really."

Appo saluted. "Thank you, Captain."

Rex waited for Appo depart, then turned on his heel and marched for the medbay. He was pretty sure that by now, Jesse would be out of surgery. Kix would be wrapping up with the other injured clones. Rex wanted to talk to Jesse and Kix in private about this private mission for the "Chancellor." Something didn't sit right with him, and he wanted to figure it out.

* * *

Appo popped on his helmet and looked around the compartment. Coric had a set of Airborne Trooper armor on, a sniper rifle slung over his back. Attie was wearing a jetpack. The rest of them were in standard gear, rifles loaded. They all knew the mission. Retrieve a prototype Mygeetan power cell and bring it back to Coruscant. The Chancellor didn't want the Jedi to know about this. And speaking of...

"Commander Bacara, this is Sergeant Appo," he said over his helmet comlink. "Diversionary measures are active."

"Roger that," Bacara replied.

"Diversionary measures" was code for incidentally settling back and letting the droids advance on one flank so the Jedi would be forced to focus his attention there. Meanwhile, Appo and his men would move in on the other flank, with Sergeant Boomer riding the squad's single AT-RT, and capture the bridge leading to the city power core.

"This is it, men," Appo said. He tried to be like Rex, adding in a bit of gallows humor. "Keep your thoughts to yourself boys; don't let the Jedi pick up any signals."

"Yes, sir!" the troops snapped in agreement.

The gunship settled down. Boomer shot forward on the AT-RT, the underslung blaster cannon firing and tearing apart battle droids. Appo jumped out and opened fire. Attie activated his jetpack and shot into the sky, firing an EMP launcher at a super battle droid. Appo led Coric and the rest of the men up to the central tower and quickly had a foothold.

"General Mundi's requesting a landing zone," Bacara said.

"What?" Appo growled. "I thought–"

"Mundi sensed a disturbance in the Force over here," Bacara replied. "He insisted."

Appo sighed. "All right." He gestured to Coric's rocket launcher. "Blow up the AA guns. Attie, Boomer, we're moving out."

A large force gate blocked their path, but Attie easily used his jetpack to blast apart the gate's control box. The remaining troops followed. Soon, they'd reached the power core. A trio of droidekas guarded the core, but with a few droid poppers–EMP grenades–they took care of them with only two casualties. Appo tossed the portable power source to Attie, who quickly returned to the gunships. In minutes, Appo and the others were back at the gunship, as well.

"Wait!" Mundi called.

Appo turned. Mundi, Bacara, and a pair of Galactic Marines approached. Mundi gave Appo a frown.

"Leaving so soon, Sergeant?"

Appo nodded. "Sorry, sir. Emergency back in the Nelvaan system. Skywalker and Kenobi need us." He paused. "Besides, I'd say we pretty much won the battle here for you already."

Mundi hesitated, but then nodded his large cranium. "Very well, Sergeant. And you're right, you did practically win the battle in a few minutes. If I were your commanding officer I'd put you up for a promotion."

Appo smiled under his helmet. "I have a feeling the Chancellor will feel the same way. Thank you, sir."

And then it was over. They'd successfully lied to the Jedi, and the power source was in their hands, not the Separatists'. Except for their two casualties, things had gone of scot free.

 

Interesting there with Appo - serving the Chancelor on the sly at cross/extra purposes from the Jedi. Ominous rumblings of things to come...

 

Love this story and where is it going? Tag please

 

EGKenobi, Nyota's Heart, earlybird-obi-wan

Chapter 4​

​

"General, I'm certain you recall the plans we discussed some time ago, regarding the final stage of the war."​

–Darth Sidious, shortly before the Battle of Coruscant.​

​

Appo and the others had just returned when the alarm went out. Coruscant had been attacked. The entire Open Circle Fleet, including the Integrity and Negotiator, were being transferred back for the battle. Rumor had it that most of the fighting was going on in space, so Rex and the others would have little to do, but they still needed to be there. Hawk, the leader of the 501st's fighter legion, had his men in the hangar, prepping their ARC-170s.

The Integrity came out of hyperspace shortly, and the ARC-170s scrambled, along with Skywalker and Kenobi's starfighters. Rex and his squadron stood on the hangar floor, and Rex wasn't sure about the rest of his men, but he felt utterly useless. His fists clenched. Nothing to do, nothing...his comlink squawked.

"Rex!" a voice snapped. "You going to just sit there in orbit? We need ground forces, the Seppies have droids on the ground!"

Rex's heart rate accelerated and his activated his comlink. "Roger that," he replied. "We're on our way. Into the gunships, boys, we need to get down there!"

They mounted up and the gunships headed for Coruscant. Rex checked the charge on his blasters. All primed. He looked around the gunship. He had Appo, Jesse, Kix, and half a dozen others with him. Rex flipped through his helmet comlink's channels. He heard reports from commando squads, Jedi Masters, emergency units...all of them and more were frantically calling for help from different sources.

"This is Captain Rex of the 501st Legion," he said. "Tell me where we're needed."

"Rex," said the voice from before. "This is ARC Captain Fordo. We need reinforcements in Sector Four–the Jedi had to bail to find the Chancellor."

Right. The Chancellor had been kidnapped. Rex had almost forgotten that little detail.

"Roger that, Captain." Technically, ARCs outranked infantry. "We're on our way."

The gunships shot into Sector Four. Enemy fire poured up at them, and the gunship on their right flank took a hit. Rex's gut flipped. That was Attie and Coric! Luckily, the gunship had not exploded on impact. Even as it crashed, Coric popped the hatch and clambered out, followed by the rest of his men. Rex breathed a sigh of relief. A moment later, his gunship landed. He jumped out and opened fire, his twin DC-17s cutting apart droids left and right. He saw Captain Fordo, red armor gleaming, standing at the base of a statue, firing a rifle in one hand and pistol in the other. The battle didn't last long; those droids that were equipped with rockets managed to fly away, and the rest were cut down in short order.

Rex lowered his blasters. "What's the status of the space battle?"

"This is Hawk," replied the pilot. "Skywalker and Kenobi have the Chancellor but the Invisible Hand is crashing uncontrollably toward Coruscant." Rex looked up at the sky and zoomed in through his visor. Sure enough, he could see the orange flare of the warship coming down. Rex turned to the gunship.

"Hey!" he called. "Give us a lift!"

Along with the rest of the 501st and Fordo, they took the gunship to the crash site. Rex felt his tension ease as he watched Skywalker, Kenobi, and Palpatine, along with Skywalker's Artoo unit, come out of the crashed ship. His general was alive, everything was fine again. Coruscant was safe. Pulling his helmet off, Rex allowed himself a grin. He glanced up at Fordo, who had his own helmet off.

"A pleasure to work with you, sir," he said.

Fordo shook Rex's hand. "Drop the 'sir.' You may not be an ARC but your records prove I've got nothing to pull myself above you. We're equals, yeah?"

Rex nodded. "Yeah, sure thing, sure thing, Fordo." He paused. "And, if you're ever interested in a little conspiracy talk, purely for fun, of course–the 501st barracks are open." He was taking a gamble, but ARCs were more liberal than most troops. If anyone would be interested in conspiracy, it'd be him. "No rush. But it may or may not regard a fellow ARC of yours–Fives–and what really happened in regards to his death."

Fordo considered. "I may just do that, Rex."

 

Great action and seeing ROTS from the POV of the clones

 

Definitely super action ROTS from the clone troopers' vantage point would be compelling indeed. When Rex puts all the pieces together,

 

EGKenobi, Nyota's Heart, earlybird-obi-wan

Chapter 5​

​

"It's been said that the 501st got the best of the war. We also got the worst." ​

–an anonymous 501st trooper​

​

Rex sealed his helmet as the gunship entered Felucia's atmosphere and tried not to be angry. After his "heroics" on Mygeeto and Coruscant, Appo had been promoted to Captain, making him Rex's equal. Rex didn't mind sharing rank but Appo's orders often were at cross-purposes with Rex's, and it ended with arguments that could've been otherwise avoided. Appo was a good man, and he'd always had Rex's back, but Rex didn't like having to contend with him as a rival.

"When we hit the ground, we find a downed AT-TE," Appo said to the troops. "The crew sent out an emergency signal, they need a medevac. Fan out and surround the AT-TE in case there are hostiles."

Rex cleared his throat. "Appo. You mind?"

Appo paused. "No problem, Rex." He gestured to the men. "Go ahead."

"Find the injured first," Rex said, "deal with the hostiles second unless they're an immediate threat. Secura and the 327th will be right behind us, so we'll need to hold the position as long as possible. Attie, I want you to fix the AT-TE if possible."

Attie nodded. "Understood, sir."

"Kix, set up a triage; Coric, help him. Get what men you can standing so they can help us fight. Appo, you and your men can set up a perimeter."

Appo nodded. "Right."

The gunship set down and Rex pulled out his blasters. His booted feet touched the soil and he grimaced. This place stank. He followed a short river to the walker's last known location. He saw the walker ahead. He heard several men fanning out behind him, rifles at the ready. Rex saw no hostiles. Slowly, he advanced. Joc got to the walker first.

"Oh, no, they're all dead!" Joc called, his voice suddenly panicked. "We've got pr–aigh!"

Rex jerked back in surprise. Acklays, giant green insectoid monsters, burst from the jungle, howling a chilling attack cry and swinging their giant claws. Joc's lifeless body went flying through the air. Nax and Attie opened fire on the acklays. Rex rolled aside just as the nearest acklay nearly barreled him over.

"501st, full attack! We've got a problem!"

 

for the cliffie. I like Rex's going-in priority better than Appo's I think. I also don't think it's very good strategy wise or morale wise to have '2' Captains

 

going for the helpless is always a good priority. I like Rex in his decisions

 

EGKenobi, Nyota's Heart, earlybird-obi-wan

Chapter 5​

​

"Cut off, and for all we knew, abandoned by our superiors, our only hope was Aayla Secura, our Jedi commander. Without her iron will, none of us would have made it out of that mess with our sanity… or our lives."​

–An anonymous 501st clone trooper.​

​

Rex grunted as the acklay's sharp claw slammed into his chestplate and sent him flying into a large mushroom. He rolled aside as the acklay continued its charge and its claw slashed through the mushroom's base. Rex fired his sidearm into the acklay's neck. The beast hissed in anger and swept at Rex. He threw himself back and fired again. It took five more shots before the beast finally dropped.

"More of them, coming out of the forests!" Appo called.

Rex whirled and snapped off a shot. Three more acklay had emerged from nearby and were charging. Boro had his arm clawed off before Jesse dropped the acklay attacking him, and Del was cut in half. Eventually, though, Rex and the rest of the men cut down the remaining acklay. Blowing out a breath of relief, Rex lowered his blasters and looked around. Del and Joc dead, Boro critically injured, half a dozen others sustained minor injuries.

"Kark it," Rex hissed. "We haven't even engaged the Seppies yet and we're already down a quarter of our men!"

"Jesse, Zeer, get working on the walker," Appo said. "Kix, help Boro. Coric, give first aid to the other injured. Hil, Ross, take the rest of the men and establish a perimeter."

Rex let Appo give commands. Right now he was too angered by the sight of the slaughter to say anything. He sealed his helmet, shut off all comms, and just screamed. He yelled and cursed the Separatists and the war, and everything that had ever caused his brothers to die. He sat down on the shore of the stream and finally ended his tirade.

"Sir," Ross said, "we've got incoming. Seppies from the northeast."

"Up and at 'em," Appo said. Rex heard a pop and realized Appo had opened a private channel. "Rex...sir. We need you operating on all thrusters, sir. I can't get us through this. Only you can. Please, sir."

Appo's pleading finally broke through. "All right." Rex shot to his feet and opened a channel to all comms. "We've got to hold this position until General Secura and her forces arrive. They're..." he checked his radar, "two and a half minutes. We need to hold the clankers off until then. Read?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the soldiers replied in unison.

Rex drew his blasters. It wasn't long before battle droids charged down the northeast bank. Rex opened fire, cutting the droids down in short order. He watched in detached sorrow as Hil and Nax went down. He just fired. Two other men–Rex couldn't even remember their names, to his chagrin–died, too. Two and a half long minutes later, a wave of gunships landed. The blue-skinned Twi'lek Jedi leapt from the gunship, her blue and green lightsabers spinning, cutting the droids apart. Secura rallied the men behind her, and Rex wasn't sure why, but morale soared.

Rex rallied his men and charged, his blasters cutting droids down with ease. Secura and her forces augmenting the 501st, they quickly disabled the Separatist emplacements. An hour later, it was over, and Rex's men had taken no further casualties.

Appo saluted Secura. The 501st was getting ready to pull off Felucia. Rex frowned as he watched Appo and some of the newer members interact with Secura. They seemed to be guilty about something. Rex didn't know for sure, but he thought that they were avoiding eye contact with her. He wondered why they were acting so guilty.

"What was that about?" Rex asked as the gunship took off.

"What was what about?" Appo replied innocently.
"The way you said goodbye to Secura. You seemed nervous about something."

Appo paused. "Nothing, Rex. Just a...feeling."

 

Tense moments there with the action and the undertones.

 

Great action and like Rex acting like he did sealing himself for some frustrated screaming but getting again in command. Waiting for the next post

 

EGKenobi, Nyota's Heart, earlybird-obi-wan

Chapter 6​

​

"After the Chancellor informed the Jedi Council that General Grievous and the Sep leaders were hiding on Utapau, General Kenobi gathered an army large enough to capture three star systems. When the orders reached the 501st, our morale soared. For better or worse, this would be the beginning of the end."​

–an anonymous 501st clone trooper.​

​

Rex stepped into Kix's Coruscant lab with a little nervousness. Something was going down, he could tell. Kenobi, Cody, and the 212th were off, taking out Grievous on Utapau. In the air of Coruscant there was a sense of foreboding. Dread. It was odd, considering the war should've been over. Everyone was in good spirits. Lieutenant Vill had taken a contingent of the 501st to Utapau to augment Cody's troops, so the 501st would personally have a hand in ending the war. They all seemed happy. But to Rex, at least, something was wrong.

Bad.

Jesse and Fordo were already in Kix's lab, and the clone medic had a worried look on his face. Without asking, Rex sealed the lab door and quickly scanned for listening devices with his helmet. Satisfied, he removed it and placed it on the workbench. Kix's jaw tightened as Rex approached.

"I figured it out," he said.

"The chip?"

"The chip, Tup's glitch, maybe even the truth behind the conspiracy Fives talked about. Everything." He paused. "Right before the Battle of Coruscant, the Jedi were on the verge of discovering this 'Darth Sidious' they believed to be hiding in the Chancellor's office. When the battle started over half the search party was redirected to fight the Seps. The other half kept on...and went out of contact. They haven't returned since; it's been over a week. As to the chip, I analyzed it and it appears to be tied in to the contingency orders."

"Which would explain why Tup went crazy and shot a Jedi," Jesse noted. "One of the contingency orders is to execute the Jedi if they betray us."

"So, the Seps couldn't have had anything to do with this," Rex agreed. "The contingency orders are only known by GAR personnel. Which means the Jedi were right; someone in the Chancellor's office is up to something."

"It gets worse, Rex," Kix said. "Rex, these new clones, the ones that were dropped in our laps after the Outer Rim Sieges started? They're not Kamino-grown; they're Spaarti clones. Trained to be even more loyal and unquestioning than we are." He paused a beat. "Tup was one of the first shipment of Spaarti clones, implanted covertly amongst a shipment of Kamino-bred clones. So was Dogma."

"Dogma shot Krell," Rex hissed. "After Krell betrayed us."

"Seeing a pattern? Krell betrays us, and Dogma, formerly loyal, shoots him. Tup's chip malfunctions, and he shoots a Jedi." Kix's face was red with anger. "Rex, they've programmed us to kill Jedi."

"Kix...if the person in the Chancellor's office is going to move, it'll be soon. Grievous' death will put everyone at ease, the perfect time to make his move. If you can remove these chips from our brains without us dying..."

Kix blushed. "Actually, Rex, I...I already removed mine. Had a medical droid help me with it, then wiped its memory." He held his arms out. "No side effects here."

Rex looked around, as if the walls had ears. "Do ours too. Now. If this Sidious makes his move, then we'll be powerless to stop ourselves from murdering Jedi. Maybe we can reconcile it with the Contingency Orders later, but it will just be that–reconciling. The guilt will kill us."

Kix nodded. "Would you like to go first, sir?"

Rex sat on the operating table. "Have at it, Doc. But do it fast; Fordo and Jesse still need to go, and we need to do as many of the other boys as we have time for. We're on a deadline."

 

Great to see the clones figuring it out. No Stormtroopers. Will they become rebels?

 

EGKenobi, Nyota's Heart, earlybird-obi-wan

Chapter 7​

​

"What I remember about the rise of the Empire is… is how quiet it was. During the waning hours of the Clone Wars, the 501st Legion was discreetly transferred back to Coruscant. It was a silent trip. We all knew what was about to happen, what we were about to do. Did we have any doubts? Any private traitorous thoughts? Perhaps, but no one said a word. Not on the flight back to Coruscant, not when Order 66 came down, and not when we marched into the Jedi Temple. Not a word."​

–An anonymous 501st clone trooper.​

​

Rex shook his head as he awoke. Kix, Jesse, and Fordo stood over him, looking down nervously. Rex reached up and brushed his head; there was a medical bandage patch covering the top of his head. He groaned and sat up. Kix helped him to his feet. Rex searched himself, waiting to see if there would be any negative side effects. He did not feel any more aggressive or paranoid...no, he thought he was normal. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he nodded to Kix.

"Get on with it," he said. "Fast."

Kix did. He performed the surgery quickly on Jesse, and then on Fordo. The four of them glanced amongst each other, preparing to act if one of them should suddenly become hyper-aggressive. Rex checked his chrono. It was just past sunset. The eerie feeling of something big about to happen was still in the air. Picking up his sidearms off the medical table, he swiftly holstered them. The others grabbed their own weapons as well.

"We need to get to the Jedi Temple," Rex said. "Warn them about this conspiracy, if they don't know already."

"Agreed," Fordo replied.

"What about the others, Rex?" Kix asked. "We have to remove their chips, too."

"We don't have time to perform surgery on all of them," Rex replied. "Our best bet is to try to end this conspiracy, fast, and then maybe their chips will never be triggered. Come on."

The four of them mounted an armored speeder car and drove it to the Jedi Temple. They hopped out and ran to the front entrance. The gate guard, a Jedi Master who Rex had met once–he thought his name was Jurokk–stepped forward and held out a hand. Rex noticed that in his other hand, he had his lightsaber, unlit but firmly in his palm. Maybe the Jedi already did know, then.

"What business have you, Captain?" asked Jurokk.

"I need to speak to General Skywalker or Master Windu, now," Rex said.

"Master Windu is...away," Jurokk said. "The Jedi Temple is in lockdown. Can I take a message, Captain?"

Rex's jaw tightened. "Master Jurokk, I think there may be a conspiracy targeting the Jedi inside the Chancellor's office."

Jurokk's eyes widened. "Captain, how did you find out?"

"I...you know?"

Jurokk nodded. "Yes, I know, Captain. That is the thing Master Windu is dealing with. Please, return to your barracks immediately; the Jedi Council will contact you with orders as soon as this Darth Sidious is dealt with."

Rex sighed in relief and gave Jurokk a nod. He turned and walked back toward the speeder, where the other three waited for him. Rex debated on whether or not to tell him all that he'd found out, but eventually decided that he should–they were all up to their necks in this together now, they might as well all have equal privileges to everything Rex could tell them.

"Not to worry," he said. "Master Windu is dealing with this Sidious."

Fordo grinned. "If that man's taking on this Sith, then I think there won't be a Sith left for long."

Rex nodded, and the four of them mounted their speeder and returned to the barracks. Inside, the others in the 501st were milling around, conversing quietly, some reading or cleaning their weapons or watching the HoloNet. Rex sat down on his bunk and pulled off his helmet. It was in his lap when he happened to look inside and noticed that there was a blue blinking "call waiting" light active. Frowning, he pulled his helmet on and blinked to accept the call.

"Captain Rex," a growling voice, which Rex barely recognized as the Chancellor's, said. "The time has come. Execute Order 66."

Rex froze. Order 66. In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor), GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) until a new command structure is established. That was what the GAR Contingency Order said. Order 66. Kill the Jedi. The Chancellor. The chips. Abruptly, Rex realized that this was bigger than he could've possibly imagined. Mace Windu had failed to kill the Sith Lord. The Sith Lord was the Chancellor. He must've been behind everything. The creation of the clones, the chips, the contingency orders...everything. Rex now realized why Fives had been so frantic before he died. He'd been right. It was all so...big.

"Yes, my lord," Rex replied.

He blinked to separate the link and yanked off his helmet. From the sickened expressions on Kix's, Jesse's, and Fordo's faces, he realized they must've also gotten the order. And the reactions of the other clones...they were all gearing up, snapping ammo cartridges into their DC-15s carbines, cocking them, checking the seals on their armor. Going along with it. And all of them completely, utterly silent. The chips. Order 66 must have triggered the chips, compelling the troopers to obey without question. If this was happening elsewhere, and not just Coruscant...Rex felt as sick as the others looked. The Jedi were going to be wiped out.

"You heard him," Appo said. "Gear up, Rex."

Rex turned and looked at Appo. The other captain seemed to be acting completely natural, except for the fact that he'd basically just told Rex he had agreed to go out and shoot up a bunch of Jedi.

"The rest of the 501st are transferring back from Kashyyyk and Utapau, Rex," Appo said. "They'll meet us at the Jedi Temple. We'll wipe out the traitors in one fell stroke."

Rex shook his head. "Appo, stop and think. Do you really believe the Jedi could betray the Republic?"

"It's not my place to question, Rex." He tilted his head, as if talking on the comlink. "Yes, sir. Rex, I have just received a field promotion to the rank of commander. I am now your superior officer. I order you to gear up and prepare to execute the traitors." His blaster was firmly pointed at Rex's chest. "Or else."

Rex nodded silently, grabbed his helmet in both hands...and when it was up to about chest height, he abruptly tossed it forward. It slammed into Appo's helmet and knocked him flat on his back. The other 501st troopers froze, unable to decide between helping their new commander or remaining loyal to the man who had led them through three years of grueling war. Cold fear gripped Rex's gut, because he knew what they'd choose. Then, suddenly, Fordo dropped an EMP grenade, shutting down all the clones' armor, and threw his own helmet at another 501st trooper. Dropping their helmets, Kix and Jesse fled the room, followed by Fordo and, lastly, Rex.

* * *

They didn't stop running until they reached a safe distance from the barracks, somewhere where they could view the Jedi Temple and the Senate tower at equal distances.

"What do we do?" asked Fordo.

"We've just done it," Rex said. "We delayed them as long as we could. We could never stop them from reaching the Temple and killing the Jedi. We can only hope the Jedi will be ready for it."

"So what about us?" Jesse demanded.

"We have to get out of here," Rex said. "The Jedi at the Temple have their temporary reprieve but the ones out on the battlefield are probably being cut down in droves. We need to get to a ship, and get off Coruscant, see if we can help. And then we lie low. For years. Maybe forever. But eventually, someone's going to rise up against that sick scumbag Palpatine, and we'll be there to help."

Fordo nodded. "I'm in."

"Me too," Kix said.

"I've been with you from the beginning, Captain," Jesse said. "We've given our lives to the Republic, and it betrayed us. Now we can fight to preserve its memory."

The four men put their hands together solemnly.

"We're doing this for all the brothers who died for a Republic they believed in," Rex agreed. "Hevy, Echo, Hardcase, Waxer...Fives. Fives knew something was wrong and he fought to change it. We'll help him do that from beyond his grave."

Tears filled Jesse's eyes. "Look, sir." He pointed. "The Temple's burning."

Rex looked. And it was. And he sat down, held his head in his hands, and cried as he had not since he'd been an infant.

 

Oh, that was so wonderfully gripping and heartwrenching, and completely IC for Rex. Superbly done!

 

Gripping action and great to see the four getting away. Now they can continue fighting against that sick scumbag Palpatine