Together - A Rexsoka Fanfiction

Chapter 24

The trip was long, almost seven systems away. But they were all used to excursions like this. What they weren't used to, was having a little space to roam and move while they traveled. The Gauntlet Shuttles were bigger than they looked, enough space for a squad of clones to wander.

Cody took up the pilot's seat, his arms behind his head as he dozed off restlessly. Rex had his feet kicked up onto the consol, something the Kaminoans would not be proud of. He stared off into the blazing blue and white streaks of hyperspace, while Ahsoka rummaged through the ship.

Rex stole a quick glance back. "Hey, 'Soka, whatcha doin'?" He mumbled quietly. She was silent for a moment, so Rex turned his attention to her fully. "Ahsoka?" She was standing still, staring into a compartment, the door swung half open. "This is the Tano, right?" She asked. Rex nodded as his chair spun around to look at her. "Yeah? What's wrong?" He asked.

"They moved all our stuff from the shuttle we escaped in, to here." She reached into the compartment and gently pulled out a rough peace of fabric, large enough to cover a whole body, a hood draped over the edge. Her cloak. She brushed her fingers over the soft material, her heart twinging with grief as the familiar covering brought fresh memories and pain. She pulled the cloak over her head and shifted it across her shoulders. Of course it still fit, but it carried an extra weight to it that wasn't necessarily physical.

Rex could do nothing but watch sorrowfully, as she continued to pull things out. The shovel. The shovel used to bury so many of his brother's, dirty and rusted, it's edges coated with dried tears. The old tool kit they'd used to put R-7 back together with. Ahsoka chuckled fondly at the memory of the little droid, now safe with the Martez sisters.

Cody turned his attention to the two, gazing at them in sympathy. He knew what they had gone through, he'd heard the report when he was with the Empire. The Tribunal had gone down on a deserted moon in uncontrolled space, all said to have perished in the crash. Luckily, they were wrong. But for the survivors, a part of them did die after that, never truly to be the same again.

~•~

It had been a long time since Ahsoka had been to Tatooine. It brought back memories tucked away that were close to agonizing to remember. She fought them down, but they were still there. She wondered how Obi-Wan could stand living here. He too had history here. That, and who would want to live in the desert willingly? Ahsoka scrunched up her nose when the sandy planet came into view through the main viewport.

Rex chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to her nose. "Ah, Tatooine. Ahsoka's favorite place." Cody laughed, knowing all to well that that wasn't true in the slightest. Ahsoka shrugged, going along with the joke. "What can I say, I just love endless dunes of sand and scorching heat to make my day." She gritted out. They all shared a laugh. Ahsoka turned to Cody. "Do you know where we're landing?" Cody spun around and faced the consol. He pressed a few buttons, quickly checking his wrist comm, then answered. "The scouts reported some of the generals activity near Mos Eisley. But since then they haven't seen him back in the town. I'm assuming that he has a place on the outskirts. So we'll land just outside Mos Eisley and check in with the scouts before looking for him."

Cody had jumped right back into Commander mode and you could tell he was excited, though a little cautious. Rex smiled at his brother, giving him a reassuring nod. "Alright then. To Mos Eisley." He wheeled around, taking the co-pilot controls and aiding his brother in lowering the ship down. "We shouldn't have any problem getting into the system. The Empire doesn't have post or jurisdiction here. Yet." Cody said, adding the last part in a growl.

Ahsoka nodded. "Should I make contact with the scouts?" Cody responded with a nod of his own. "Yeah, thanks."

As Ahsoka commed the scouts, the boys landed the ship with practiced ease. Cody leaned back for a moment once the ship was down. Rex glanced at him. "You ready, Ori'vod?" Cody shook himself, nodding. "Yeah, yeah I'm ready. Let's go." He stood and lead the way down the ramp. Rex and Ahsoka followed, the Togruta's cloak still draped over her shoulders. She stuffed her helmet on, quickly throwing the hood over the piece of Beskar as they exited the ship. It wasn't ideal in this heat, but she was still a wanted fugitive. The boys both followed her lead, shoving on their helmets as they made their way through the sand.

The town wasn't far. They had landed a safe enough distance that it wouldn't make for a long trek, but where the ship could still be out of sight. By the time they made it to the town, they were all groaning in misery. Sand filled their boots and sweat made their armour that more heavy. The heat felt like a anchor pulling them down into the endless dunes of sand. Rex and Cody both briefly wished to be on Kamino. Only for a millisecond, though. Ahsoka was not having a time of it. Togruta are not built for scorching weather and the heat was taking a toll.

When she had been here at the beginning of the Clone Wars with Anakin, she had hid her discomfort, making fun of it like her and her master always had. But she also wasn't packing around pounds of heavy metal on her back.

As the trio made their way through the busy streets, Ahsoka began to fall back a bit. Her breathing was raged and her head spun. Rex glanced back at her and stopped. "Ahsoka?" He asked, moving towards her. She weakly raised a hand. "I- I'm coming. No need to- to wait." She panted.

Rex reached out and grabbed Cody to stop him from continuing on without them and he spun around. Rex turned back to Ahsoka who had made it a little closer to them. "Ahsoka, are you okay?" Rex asked, meeting up with her. She gave a weak nod, before her knees began to wobble. "I'm fine." She lied, her voice like sandpaper in her throat. Rex gave her a look she could sense without being able to see it, and just in the nick of time, threw out his arms to catch her as she crumpled to the ground. "Yeah right, you're fine." He mumbled as he hoisted her up into his arms, bridal style.

Ahsoka let out a whine at being carried but Rex ignored it. "You cant just let yourself get like this without telling anyone. I know you don't like to ask for help, but you know I'd do anything to help you." Rex reprimanded, pulling her close to his chest. She let her head roll back, letting herself not respond. Cody pulled out his comm, informing the scouts that they were close and would need some medical supplies once they arrived. Ahsoka weakly raised her head to shoot him hidden glare. Though he couldn't see her eyes, he held her gaze stiffly. She reluctantly looked away after a moment and back at Rex.

He wasn't looking at her anymore, but straight ahead. She followed his gaze, her tired eyes landing on a robed figure standing not far off. She felt a weak tingle in the Force and the figure turned around. Their face was masked, but their eyes peeked out of a fabric covering. Those eyes. Bright blue and wise, were wide with surprise. Cody finally looked over to where his accomplices were staring and his breath caught. Before any of them could move forward, the man was gone. In the blink of an eye he had vanished. Cody whipped around in search of the man, his eyes stopping right behind Rex and Ahsoka.

Rex turned to be met face to face with the cloaked man. "Come with me." He said roughly, waving a hand subtly in the direction of the outskirts. Without a word from any of them, they followed. The man led them easily through the town and out into the open desert again. Ahsoka began to pant again as the heat bore down on them with no shelter to protect them. Rex gently knocked his helmet against hers in reassurance, his Togruta still secure in his arms. The man jogged in front of them, Cody right behind not daring to interact with him until they were safe.

They ran for a long while before finally coming upon a small house perched on top of a sandy hill. The man led them inside, scouting out behind them before closing the door. The clones stood there just inside the home, staring at the man as he moved about. Cody removed his helmet, holding it low beside his leg. "General?" He asked hesitantly. The man stopped what he was doing, which was gathering some medical supplies, and turned. His eyes locked on the group and he lowered his face covering. His hair was longer, a burnt look to his umber beard. But it was him.

Obi-Wan gave them a concerned smile. A smile they knew so well, but that was so different since the last they had been together. Before he could say anything, Cody dropped his helmet to the ground with a loud thud. "General, I am so sorry. I gave the order- but I couldn't help it. I tried to fight it off and I scoped out the firing accuracy wrong so we'd miss but-". His rambling was cut off as Obi-Wan raised a hand. Without a word, the Jedi wrapped his commander up in a tight hug. Cody threw his arms around Obi-Wan's shoulders, letting out a soft sob.

"There is no need to apologize, Commander." Obi-Wan said quietly. They pulled away and Obi-Wan gave Cody a pat on the back before turning to the other two. "Let's get her on the bed." He said to Rex, leading him to a separate room. "I'll inform the scouts to not expect us anymore." Cody called after them. Rex and Obi-Wan nodded.

"Good to see you, Captain." Obi-Wan said as the clone lowered Ahsoka down on the mattress. Her eyes had closed, but she was still mostly conscious. Rex nodded. "Likewise, General."