Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.8.2

It was almost time for night shift aboard the 501st cruiser, but Captain Rex was nowhere near getting ready for bed. Where was he instead, you ask? He was locked away in the command center, trying to call none other than Ahsoka Tano.

On his last visit, General Skywalker had gotten her HoloNet address. It was inappropriate for him to use it on anything other than business, but there was nothing that said the clones couldn't call people. It was just that usually there was no one else to talk to. He had handed off the address to Rex a week or so ago, and this was his first opportunity to use it. He just hoped Ahsoka was home.

It finally connected, and Ahsoka's face projected onto the screen. It was a little weird not seeing her in Jedi robes still, but at least he could see her.

She grinned when she saw him. "I was wondering if I was going to hear from you soon."

"I'm just glad I didn't call at a bad time," he admitted. "I don't exactly know your work schedule anymore."

"I know, sorry I didn't pick up right away," Ahsoka apologized, drying off one of her lekku with a towel. It seemed that she had just been in the shower. "I just wanted to make sure it wasn't the Council again." She made a face, and Rex knew there was a story to be told.

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the projector table. "The Council was calling you? I mean, I don't blame them, but that's not typical behavior from what I've heard."

She glared at nothing in particular as she tossed the towel across the room. "You've heard correctly. They wanted me to lead another mission this afternoon. Which is fine, except when the target is a freaking hospital," she complained, gritting her teeth as she spoke.

"I saw that one, actually," Rex remembered. "Would have been nice to see you again."

"Don't get me wrong, I totally agree, but..." she groaned, resting her forehead in her hands. "Why are we attacking hospitals? I mean, seriously? I don't know why we ever did in the first place, but I'm not about to now either. It's not a war base, and all of the Separatist's armies are droids anyway."

He nodded, then thought for a second. "Why did they want to target the hospital? It's a civilian establishment like you said."

Ahsoka crossed her arms. "My thoughts exactly. I may or may not have gone off at the Council earlier when they called."

He raised his eyebrows. "You didn't. Seriously? And they didn't come down and smite you?"

Snickering, she smiled. "Well, someone had to explain to them that civilians didn't deserve to be bombed and since no one else had bothered to do it..."

"I hope we get another mission with General Kenobi," he wished. "I wanna hear about that. Ahsoka Tano, the Jedi Gone Rogue, mouthing off the High Jedi Council."

She promptly dissolved into a fit of giggles, which set off Rex too. After so long of not having her on board all the time, her laugh had become infectious. He was washed over momentarily with a wave of aching, wishing she hadn't left again.

"I think I have a recording of the conversation, actually," she said, controlling herself. She fiddled with the console she was calling on for a minute or so until the image switched from her to the call from earlier that afternoon. The Council was seated in their chairs, frozen for the time being. Ahsoka fast-forwarded the recording to a certain part and played it for Rex to see.

"Attacking a civilian medical center isn't going to help anyone!" he heard Ahsoka explain in a slightly raised tone. "You're not hurting their military forces any, I can guarantee you that!"

"It's not like it's the first time you have attacked a hospital," Obi-Wan objected, but Rex could tell from his voice that it was half-hearted. "I remember a few times when you've done this before."

There was a pause in the audio, and Rex imagined that Ahsoka was glaring at General Kenobi. "Yeah, and do you remember what happened what happened to those systems?"

No response, then General Windu answered. "All five of those systems were purged of Separatist control if I remember correctly. Are you suggesting otherwise?"

"What about now?" Ahsoka challenged.

Again, silence followed.

"All of those systems retreated from the Republic after Palpatine fell," she answered for them. "Every last one. Three of them declared neutrality, and two of them switched to the Separatist Alliance. Care to imagine why?"

The faces of the Council members went red. It was almost comical, and Rex had to keep from bursting out laughing again. Thankfully, Ahsoka paused the recording and switched it back to her, so he couldn't accidentally do something he'd regret.

"I'll bet they're not real happy with you right now," he suggested, and Ahsoka grinned.

"Oh, not at all," she agreed. "I"ll be surprised if they come calling anytime soon. If they do, it better be with a mission worth leading."

Rex pouted, trying to do his best puppy eyes. "Oh, come on. Aren't we worth it?"

He was joking, but Ahsoka gave him the truest smile and sat up. "Absolutely, Rex. Every last one of you, but I'm not about to order you to your deaths if it's not worth sacrificing yourselves for. We got lucky last time, I don't know if I can pull off a perfect mission twice in a row."

The clone captain wasn't really sure what to say to that, but what ended up coming out was: "You could do it."

Once again, Ahsoka was reminded just how close she was to her brothers, and how she really did have a family on that cruiser. Remembering her other brothers on board, she asked, "How is everyone doing? Any progress with the Palpatine complex?

Rather than diving into the specifics of the damage the Sith Lord had put on the clones, Ahsoka and Rex had taken to referring to the problem as the 'Palpatine complex'. It was Rex's turn to look disappointed. "Not much. Definitely not enough. The only time they ever made real progress was when you came."

"I was afraid of that," Ahsoka confessed. "I wish I could visit."

"It's not your fault," he told her, even though he would have loved for her to stop by the cruiser. "You've got to work, and so do we. It's not your fault we're hurting, and it's not your job to fix it."

"But I can help, and I want to," she insisted, staring at him through the console. "Is that so wrong to do?"

Rex shook his head, smiling despite the weight of the conversation. "You've always wanted to, littl'un, but not even you can fix everything. Not by yourself."

Ahsoka stared off to the side. "But what about when the people whose job it is aren't doing it? What then?"

"Well, that's the question, isn't it?"

They both sat in silence, well aware of the moral question they were faced with every day. Ahsoka couldn't help but think that it was a good question about the Force too. A Jedi wouldn't hesitate to jump in where help was needed, even if they weren't called to. A Sith would let the problem play out until it affected them because they weren't responsible for messes other people had made.

An alarm sounded on the cruiser, signaling the beginning of the night shift. Ahsoka sighed, returning her attention to Rex. "You should head to bed, you've probably got another mission tomorrow."

"Stay in touch, okay?" Rex asked her. "Don't go missing for another year."

"I don't plan on it," Ahsoka told him, smiling. "Good night, Captain."

"Good night, Commander," he returned.

"Reeeeex," she groaned, complaining. "You know you can't say that."

He grinned, chuckling. "In my book, experience outranks everything, Commander." He ended the call before she could object again.