Cejanr (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

55

Rex was walking swiftly back to Anakin's quarters with a datapad clutched in his hand. Echo's reaction to Anakin's brush with Caedus had confirmed his suspicions that he was force sensitive on some level, but the midichlorian count didn't add up. 

Anakin was sitting at his desk when Rex knocked on the door. He waited until he came in before slamming the datapad on the desk and shutting the door behind them, making sure to lock it this time. 

"I have questions." He said flatly at Anakin picked up the device and scanned through it. His mouth became a thin line as he read through it a second time. Rex folded his arms and leaned back against the wall behind him. 

"His midichlorian count is drastically lower than either mine or Ahsoka's, but he seems just as attune to the force as either of us are." Rex said slowly. "Let me rephrase that. Low is an understatement. He is barely above other clones in midichlorians."

Anakin sighed. "This... was not what I was expecting. And it complicates things. A lot."

Rex sighed heavily. "Guessing it's storytime again. Explain, please." He said wearily. Complications were not what they needed right now. 

"I... I've heard things. Echo, as far as I know, is what we call a Wilder. It's... ahg. It's hard to explain. Basically, a wilder is somebody with a low midichlorian count who can sense the force,  let it guide them with practice, but ultimately cannot use it like jedi." Anakin gritted his teeth. "They're more common than jedi, and they grow more familiar with sensing the force as the age. You can sometimes spot them as that one pilot who never gets shot down, or the wise woman who always knows when there's going to be an accident hours before it happens."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Another way a wilder can become accustomed to the force and sense it more freely is if they have a major encounter with it. A rare connection, a powerful force healing, whatever. They can't manipulate the force, like lifting objects or jumping really high, but they can sense the finer tremors in the force. They're hard to spot and harder to train without another wilder to teach them. The only one I can think of that I met personally was an old beggar lady who told fortunes on Tatooine. Always knew when some piece of machinery would break and catch a man's arm or when a sandstorm would come it. Said she could feel it in her bones." 

Rex ducked his head. "Echo said he was there with me on Illum, when I saw him during my trial." He fidgeted a little, pulling off his glove to show the brand on the inside of his palm. "Said he burned himself on  my kyber crystal before I did." Anakin sucked in a breath. 

"Kyber burn would do it. But a brand... let me see your hand." Rex held out the branded hand for Anakin to examine it. "Karkina-- where's Master Ti when you need her. She's the bookworm of the council. Or maybe Fisto if he were here would know something more." Anakin continued to mutter to himself as he released Rex's hand and rubbed his eyes. 

"Brands like that mean something... I think. It's been a long time since I've done any sort of library work. If Echo had one where is it?" He asked tiredly. 

"Somewhere in a garbage chute on Skako with the rest of his arm." Rex deadpanned. 

"Ah. They cut it off. Lovely." He groaned. "I'll... try to look into this. Once I manage to get a nap. Go... call your wife or something. I'll see you at the next briefing in a couple hours." Rex nodded. 

"Yes sir." 

"Anakin, not sir."

"...Yes Anakin."

 Anakin snickered. "Thought we were past that part of the teasing."

Rex gave a wry grin as he tugged on his gloves and collected his datapad. "Me? Teasing a superior officer? Never." He chuckled as he walked out of the room. He first tried to head to the infirmary where they were holding Echo and Cody, but Kix shooed him away before he could see either. 

Sighing, he grabbed the special holocom and ducked into a storage closet, dialing Ahsoka's number before locking the door behind him. 

The hologram lit up, showing Ahsoka in her uniform from work. She lit up as she saw him. "Rex!"

"The one and only, as far as I know." He smiled as Ahsoka rolled her eyes at him, also smiling. "Did you just get back from work?" She nodded. 

"We've been busy lately. I hate to leave when there's so much paperwork, Lotta is the only other one that knows how to fill out a proper report and I'd hate to dump all that work on her." Ahsoka sighed, chewing on the ends of one of her lekku anxiously. The ends were dark and cracked, as far as Rex could tell over hologram. 

"Why are you leaving? Did something happen?" He asked. Ahsoka spat out the end of her headtail and flexed them anxiously. 

"I got a prison call. From Fives. There was a run in and now they need me to break them out." She said. Rex frowned. 

"Break them out? Not pull strings and bail them out? What did they do this time? Which jail? I'm sure Anakin could arrange something in almost any facility in the republic so you don't end up in trouble too." Rex pointed out, not liking this one bit. Ahsoka shook her head, chewing on her headtail again. 

"It's not republic. They delivered a bounty on Oba Diah and it went south after they sealed the bargain. Fives didn't say much, but he and Asajj and one other crewmate that they had picked up are being held there under the Pikes." She said. Rex shook his head. 

"Ahsoka, that's almost worse. They kriffing Pikes? As in the drug dealing crime cartel that controls most of the spice trade?" Rex blew out a breath. Ahsoka smiled wryly. 

"I'll be fine, love. Besides, somebody has to save their sorry carcasses."  Rex shook his head, mentally caressing the bond between them. The bond that told him that she was alive. That she would be ok as long as it remained there. 

"You don't even have a lightsaber." He grumbled, knowing full well he couldn't change her mind. She smiled tightly. 

"A force wielder is never defenceless." She said softly, probably quoting something Anakin had told her at one point. Rex nodded. 

"I know, just... be careful. I miss you." He breathed. Ahsoka chuckled. 

"Me? Not careful? Pfft."  Her face softened as she gave him a lopsided grin. "I'll be seeing you soon, Rexie." 

"Promise?"

"Promise."