Cadet Captured

23. Good Soldiers

The 501st is on Coruscant, on a short leave between missions. Most have gone down to 79s, the clone bar. I, on the other hand, have no interest in using alcohol to remedy any nightmares or ill memories.

"Blitz, I need you to come with me for a moment," Captain Rex calls, and I oblige, following him to a deserted part of the barracks.

"Is everything alright, Captain?" I ask.

"Everything's... fine," Rex sighs, keeping his voice low. "Look, me and Wolffe are heading down to a private clinic. A no-questions-asked type of place. After the whole ordeal with Fives, well... we're going to get our chips removed."

"Are you crazy?" I question. "We were told not to even think of attempting it. Do you realize how risky that is?"

"Listen, we know our codes," Rex says. "We know what we believe and who we serve. We're doing this because we have no doubts and don't need a chip to keep us on track."

"And you think I don't know my codes?" I question in indignation. "Or any of our brothers for that matter. You saw what happened to Fives after he removed his chip."

"Listen to me," Rex states in exasperation. "It's because you know your codes that I'm telling you this, Blitz. I'm saying, if you want to join us, now's your chance. We're not doing this to defy the generals or the Republic. We're doing this to prove we don't need chips to be good soldiers. Are you with us or not?"

I sigh, sitting on the edge of an empty bunk.

"Rex, anything else and I would follow you," I assure. "I think I've proven that, after Kadavo. But I can't do this. Not after what happened to Fives. I'm sorry."

Rex's eyes soften, and he places a hand on my shoulder. "There's nothing to be sorry for," he says. "I understand, and I shouldn't have pressured you. But if you change your mind, just let me know. We might not be back until sometime tomorrow."

I nod, giving a small smile. "I'll cover for you, if anyone asks."

The next morning, my men and I are waiting for orders from General Skywalker, as usual. He has gone with other Jedi to confront the chancellor, while we have been told to stay behind until further notice. He hadn't really explained the situation. I stand in the center of the group, when my holocomm begins beeping. I open it immediately.

"Lieutenant Blitz," the voice of the hooded figure says, "it is time to execute Order 66. You and the rest of the 501st will march on the Jedi Temple with Lord Vader."

"It will be done, Emperor," I answer.

My mind narrows to one sole focus and purpose. The Jedi are a danger to the Republic, to my men, and to myself. They must be destroyed at all costs.

Good soldiers follow orders.

The newly appointed Lord Vader walks past us, and I motion my men to file up behind him. Something akin to a memory pulls at the back of my mind, but it, like everything else, is clouded, and I push it away.

Good soldiers follow orders.

We march all the way to the Jedi Temple. My men split up, hunting down every last Jedi, padawan, and youngling in the Temple. We shoot without mercy. They are dangerous, and must be eliminated. Even the children are too far gone to be saved. I'm the one sent after the younglings in the west wing, while Lord Vader takes the east.

Good soldiers follow orders.

The children run to me when I enter, excited and scared. They trust me. I've been known to give sweets to the younglings whenever I'm on Coruscant. But today is different. Today, they are traitors. I raise my blaster, and they begin to back away, begging me in small voices.

Good soldiers follow orders.

I've only just finished my job when, suddenly, I crash to the ground, tackled from behind by an unknown, yet familiar force. I fight to see who my attacker is, but they're too heavy to push off while on my stomach. That is, until they flip me over onto my back and rip off my helmet.

"Captain Rex, what are you doing?" I exclaim, shoving him off me and standing. "We have orders! We must follow Order 66!"

"Blitz, what are you talking about?" Rex asks, taking off his own helmet to look me in the eyes. He is angry and confused. "Tell me what's going on. Explain yourself, now!"

"Did you not hear me? Order 66," I insist. "The Jedi are a danger, traitors to the Republic! They must be wiped out. The orders came from the emperor himself."

"Blitz, listen to yourself!" Rex shouts. "What you're doing is wrong!"

Then, it dawns on me. "You're a traitor!" I accuse, lunging at the captain. "You are refusing orders from the highest level of command! You taught me to be a good soldier. Good soldiers follow orders, Rex."

As we roll over the ground, fighting for dominance over the other, his eyes widen in realization.

"Blitz, snap out of it," he says. "This isn't you! This is the chip. The one I had removed. The thing that killed Tup!"

"You're a traitor," I spit, lashing out at the captain.

Rex catches my wrist, holding tight as he rams me against the wall, hitting my slowly healing briuses. I groan in pain, but twist under his arm before flipping him over my shoulder. He gets to his feet and lands a punch to my stomach. I send a rounded kick to his side.

"Snap out of it," Rex tries again. "You killed a child, Blitz. This- this isn't you. I know you, and this isn't it. Snap out of it."

"That child was a traitor to the Republic!" I protest. "She was too far gone to save. And so were the rest!"

Rex seems to be empowered with a new strength and determination, then. Perhaps the dead youngling by his feet. The traitor I had saved the Republic from. Rex turns, and with a roar of anger, tackles me to the ground. We struggle, but he pins me down, my arms trapped by his knees. He uses one hand to hold my head to the side, pushing my face to the cold stone.

"This is gonna hurt, Blitz," he warns, shoving a roll of gauze into my mouth.

Out of the corner of my eye, I recognize a small drill from Kix's medical supply bags. I'm paralyzed with fear as Rex brings it to the side of my head, where- somehow- I know the chip to be. A muffled scream tears itself from my throat as my captain, my brother turned traitor, pulls the chip from my skull with a pair of tweezers, before placing a healing patch over the wound as I spit out the gauze.

The clouding in my mind seems to dissipate as I sit up, but the pain doesn't. In fact, the pain seems to quadruple as the actions I only just committed come to the forefront of my memories.

"Rex," I whisper brokenly as I look at the scene surrounding us.

All across the floor lay eleven small bodies of varying species. All of them small children who have been killed by my own blaster. It was all my fault.

"Rex, I killed them," I cry, choking on a sob. "I- I killed them!"

Rex pulls me to his chest, averting my eyes from the carnage I created. But I will never forget it.

Seconds later, we have to leave. We pull on our helmets and make our way through our brothers, trying our best to remain invisible. I try to make Rex stay, saying we have to help them, but he points out the obvious. We would be overpowered and killed in no time at all. They all believe the same thing I had. That they are saving the Republic. And now there's no way we can save them.

We escape and lay low, eventually leaving Coruscant behind under false names. We meet up with Commander Wolffe and Commander Gregor, two other clones who had removed their chips before the Order. Together, we make it to a lonely desert world, Seelos, where we set up base in a retired AT-TE.