Cyare (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

20

They got out of Corascant airspace with minimal issues, despite being an uncleared departure. The news of the chancellor had spread into panic that caused a perfect diversion for their escape. In comparison to the insanity that had been the last hour, hyperspace was quiet. Too quiet.

Rex sat behind Ahsoka and tried not to fidget. Something just felt... wrong. A chill rippled through him, from a source he couldn't see. Nobody spoke for a long, long time. Finally, Cody broke the silence.

"Ok. Aside from the hurried explanation I got as Fives dragged me out of the mess, what the hell happened?" He asked, looking around at each of then in turn. There was a pregnant pause. Ahsoka swiveled her chair around to look at Cavalry.

"Cav, it's your mission. What's your explanation?" Ahsoka prodded at the girl gently. Cavalry hesitated, weighing her options. The clone trooper let out a long breath, either winning or losing the internal argument.

"The Supreme Chancellor of the Republic has been kidnapped." She said grimly, looking at each of them in turn with her solemn grey-blue eyes. "And according to video evidence, the late jedi general Kenobi was one of those who aided in the kidnapping."

Cody's eye widened ever so slightly. He glanced at Rex for confirmation. Rex gave him the slightest nod of the head. Cavalry looked over to Rex, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. She slid the holoprojector out of her pocket just the slightest. Rex raised an eyebrow at her as if to say, 'What are you looking to me for? It's your call.'

She pulled out the holo and set it on the floor in the middle of the room. Every chair was swiveled around now. She turned it on, controlling it from her datapad. She did not, how ever, pull up the video once more. Instead, she pulled up a holomap of the square where the Chancellor was kidnapped.

"The chancellor was standing here." She tapped a spot on the square and a infrared scan of the Chancellor appeared. "We know that Keno... that the General was stationed with a stun sniper rifle." She fumbled over Kenobi's name. She tapped the tower and another warm body appeared in infrared. She tapped another spot.

"This is where the parwan disabled the ray shield, letting the general take the shot." She tapped a spot almost hidden behind a wall. A different, distinctly nonhuman body appeared with energy arcing through it's form. "There were three other hidden kidnappers disguised as guards posted here, here, and here." The map showed their location accordingly.

"As well as a getaway driver waiting here with a speeder." She overlaid the video from the drones on top of her 3d map. She played it again, tracking the motion with red lines of all members of the guilty party. She froze the image of when Kenobi's form flickered, and pulled it up in a broadcast screen above the display of the city.

Cody grew very still beside Rex. The captain turned to look at his ori'vod. A mixture of emotions ran across his face. Disbelief, surprise, fear, sadness, agony, and anger were only a few. Rex could feel the rolling turmoil in his brother.

Cavalry let them all take in the sight of what had once been the beloved general before starting the video again. Rex watched as the sickening scene played out. Kenobi's cruel smile, the ease at which he shot the cameras, but even after the video cut out, the scene Cav had so neatly laid out still played. She showed three of the five bounty hunters making it to the getaway speeder, and the other two just sort of fizzled out into the background. Skywalker, highlighted in purple, gave chase to the speeder.

Cavalry shut down the projection with a grimace. "It is in my suspicions that Cad Bane was a part of this group, if not the leading pawn in it." She said, meeting the other's gazes again. "We can also deduce from the involvement of Moralo Eval that he is in on it as well. And..." She took a shuddering breath. "We know that the General has impersonated Hardeen for some time at this point, maybe even up to moments after his 'death.'" She hesitated, wondering how best to go about this.

"As much as I hate to say it, while there is a possibility that there is a bigger game at play here, we must assume the worst. Our main priority is the chancellor. His safety comes first and foremost, regardless of strategic, personal, or even moral obligation to the general. Shoot to disable for the General." She finished. The others took the hint that this briefing was over.

Cody stood up suddenly and walked out of the cockpit, sliding the door shut forcefully. Cavalry half stood, paused, then sat back down, looking once again to Rex for reaffirmation. He stood up, and made his own way to the door.

"Walk with me, Cavalry." He said gently. The young lady followed him out of the room. They didn't talk with Cody, but he took her down to the medbay on the small ship.

"I'm sorry, sir, if I have blundered and just made a mess of things." Her skin, a few shades fairer than the average clone, did absolutely nothing to hide her embarrassed blush. Her hands were shaking slightly from reaction.

"No, Trooper, you didn't blunder. In fact, you handled yourself rather well back there." Rex said, making his way over to the small stock of medicinal supplies and pulled out a few painkillers. His legs had begun to ache from the stiff muscles.

"I wanted to talk to you about the plan once we touched down." Rex continued, pulling out the correct stim and finding the vein in his elbow. He barely felt the pinch of the needle.

"M-my plan?" Cavalry said, nearly squeaking in panic. Rex gave her a lopsided smile.

"By all official records, I'm still on medical leave. You handled the briefing pretty well, but I want to see where you go from here." Cavalry's face paled in a sharp contrast to her still-red cheeks.

"B-but sir, wouldn't commander Cody be next in chain of command since both you and commander Tano are on leave?" Cavalry was struggling to control her heart rate and breathing by now. It was almost comical. This kid had faced down the umbaran army, Cad Bane, and legions of battle droids in the short time she had been with torrent company, and he had never once seen her falter or panic.

"Perhaps. But we're not doing this military style are we?" Rex asked. "Come up with a plan and run it past me. We have an hour and a half until we drop out of hyperspace. If you need help or a second opinion before it comes to me, talk to Fives." Rex tilted his head back it the direction of the cockpit.

Cavalry snapped to attention. "Sir yes sir." Rex chuckled and made his way back to the room with the others. He sat behind Ahsoka who turned her chair around to face him.

"Rex... is letting her do this worth the gamble?" She muttered, leaning forward on her forearms. Rex leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose as the painkillers kicked in.

"By the force, I hope so."

A/N - Whelp, another chapter done, not much to say. This chapter was more about seeing Cavalry grow a little bit as a character, so not a lot of action. There will be, I promise. RotD: I'm always on the dinner table, but you don't get to eat me. What am I?