Jedi Fugitive (The Bad Batch)

9

Astera:

"So it wasn't the clones? It was these inhibitor chips?" I poured Rex another drink, sliding the glass down the table towards him. The bar had filled up a little in the time we had been talking, Cid returning from her mysterious errand and disappearing into the back with a grumble. We had taken the table at the back, mostly hidden in shadow, to continue our conversation in private.

"Yeah." Rex downed the glass in one go. The story he had told me had taken a while, starting with Fives, figuring out that all clones had been implanted with a biological inhibitor chip meant to ensure the clones would follow orders when given. He had tried to reveal the plot, until he had been killed to maintain the secret. And it had all led up to that moment in the Clone Wars, when the Emperor had given Order 66, the order that all Jedi were to be killed for treason against the Republic. And because of the inhibitor chips, the clones had all complied, not even able to think anything other of it. As far as he knew, Ahsoka and I were the only ones who survived.

"How did you get yours removed?" All I had were questions, more than Rex had the answers to, but he willingly answered the ones he could anyway, like how Echo had survived (The Techno Union had salvaged him and turned him into a human algorithm until the Bad Batch and Rex had rescued him), Padme and Anakin's deaths (at the hands of Darth Sidious's new apprentice, though he couldn't tell me who it was), and the too smooth takeover of the Empire over most of the Core Worlds and the territories throughout the Rims. I'd heard too much about it all to really be affected anymore, though learning of the fates of Padme and Anakin had sent a twinge of pain through my chest. I, like most of the people close to them, had known of their true relationship, and to know that two of my closest friends were dead... Nearly everyone I knew was now, but it still hurt.

"Ahsoka helped me," he admitted. "All that training General Skywalker put on her paid off. She separated me from the others and got it out of my head before it was too late."

"She survived?" I began the question hesitantly, afraid of the answer.

"Yeah, kid, she survived. I don't know where she is now; we parted ways after Senator Amidala's funeral. I wouldn't go looking for her," he warned, catching the look on my face. "It's too dangerous."

My mouth pressed tight in disappointment. "I know."

His expression softened slightly. "It sucks being alone, I know. I had my 501st brothers, and now they're gone. I would help you find her if I could. But it's safer for the both of you to stay where you are."

I nodded reluctantly. "I know you're right. But when I reached out there, it felt so empty. There used to be ten thousand Jedi. Now I can't feel anyone."

"I wake up everyday, expecting to see Jesse or Vaughn or any one of my brothers standing over me," Rex said, each word bitter, "And everyday I'm reminded of what happened. So trust me when I say I know."

"Yeah." We sat in silence for a moment, remembering our fallen comrades. Rex's fingers were clenched tight around his glass. The memories were painful for him, like they were for me.

"Why did you come here, Rex?" I asked, changing the subject. "How did you even know I was alive?"

"Trace and Rafa told me about Corellia. That Clone Force 99 and a Jedi had helped them."

"They weren't supposed to say anything," I muttered quietly. "No one is supposed to know. Especially not the Bad Batch."

"That's why I came here." Rex leaned forward, his words taking on an urgent edge. "Do you know if they've had their inhibitor chips removed?"

"No. I didn't even know they existed until now."

Rex muttered a harsh word under his breath. "You can't tell them who you are until they've been removed. They could be a danger to us and themselves."