#« maul » not beaten down just yet › d. sidious.

[mutatiio]

(s)maul tag update!!

#«   maul   »   always remember   ›   interactions. #«   maul   »   always remember   ›   mirror. #«   maul   »   always remember   ›   musing. #«   maul   »   always remember   ›   inspiration. #«   maul   »   always remember   ›   headcanon. #«   maul   »   always remember   ›   dash commentary. #«   maul   »   always remember   ›   about. #«   maul   »   always remember   ›   dash game. #«   maul   »   i am nothing   ›   v   /   training. #«   maul   »   i am a hunter   ›   v   /   apprentice. #«   maul   »   i am fear   ›   v   /   the clone war. #«   maul   »   i am filth  ›   v   /   after. #«   maul   »   i am changed  ›   v   /   bodyguard. #«   maul   »   i am lost   ›   v   /   rebels. #«   maul   »   i am victorious   ›   v   /   kss. #«   maul   »   i am repurposed   ›   v   /   ‘redemption’. #«   maul   »   a brother to ghosts   ›   savage. #«   maul   »   not beaten down just yet   ›   d. sidious. #«   maul   »   i can feel the soil falling over my head   ›   talzin. #«   maul   »   i am the face of love’s rage   ›   o. kenobi ft. mayxthexforce. #«   maul   »   on some level‚ i think i always understood   ›   feral ft. mayxthexforce. #«   maul   »   i carved out a place in this world for two‚ but it's empty without you   ›   maulkie ft. mayxthexforce. #«   maul   »   when everything stays   ›   feemor ft. mayxthexforce. #«   maul   »   there are times when i still wonder about you   ›   kycina ft. mayxthexforce. #«   maul   »   if maybe i shouldn’t have stayed   ›   k. matako ft. mayxthexforce. #«   maul   »   i'll keep you like an oath   ›   q. vos ft. mayxthexforce. #«   maul   »   cat and mouse   ›   d. judarri ft. mayxthexforce. #«   maul   »   it suits you better   ›   k. vosa ft. wstlnds.

[aces-to-apples]

din’kartay

AO3

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: Gen Fandoms: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars - All Media Types Relationship: CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano Characters: CT-7567 | Rex, Ahsoka Tano, CT-5597 | Jesse, Darth Maul Additional Tags: GFY, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Order 66, POV Outsider, Obi-Wan's Final Message, CT-5597 | Jesse Lives, Grief/Mourning

Part 2 of the king of the damned series

Alone in the middle of space, Rex and Ahsoka try to come to terms with losing everything.

The worst part wasn’t when Ahsoka sobbed into his shoulder for everything they had lost; it was when she stopped. When she took a deep breath and wiped her eyes and hardened her heart against the grief of losing—everything—it broke Rex’s heart to watch.

Little ‘Soka was a soldier, alright, and that was a damned shame. She piloted the shuttle, aimed it toward the Core, and refused to acknowledge that it might be too late. Was too late.

Rex, for his part, had stayed quiet and let her hope. He knew that it was a false hope, knew that his brothers had followed their orders—hadn’t had a choice in the matter—and gunned down their Jedi, but what was he supposed to do? Take the kid’s already broken heart and grind it under his heel, crush it into dust? No, he couldn’t, he wouldn’t.

Instead, he focused on the dilemma they were carefully avoiding: what to do about Jesse.

Ahsoka hadn’t caught their exchange back on the Venator—had only heard his too-loud call to Rex. He’d barely known what to tell her.

I go with Maul-ally. No threat to me, safe Force-user. Acknowledge status change. Meet at F-L-O-R-R-U-M? had been his opening statement, once he’d gotten Rex’s attention.

It hadn’t gotten any better from there, though perhaps JESSE WHAT THE FRIP?! NO! WE ALL GO TOGETHER! had not been the most constructive of replies. The shock of seeing him with Maul, of all people, had perhaps knocked all sense out of Rex’s head; he could be forgiven for it, however, since he’d seen the way Jesse had gasped and shook and cringed after whatever Maul had done to him.

Something similar, no doubt, to what Ventress had done to Rex, once upon a time. If not worse.

But Jesse had scowled and shaken his head, signing an emphatic, NEGATIVE! Not together. No threat TO ME, safe Force-user TO ME. Meet at Florrum. ACKNOWLEDGE, over the head of the Sith in question. Who had done nothing but deflect the attacking brothers’ blastfire away from himself and Jesse, never back at them, and looking closely…

Rex could see the twisted expression on Maul’s face, the miserable curl of his shoulders, the way he darted glances at Rex but never over his shoulder at Jesse. He was afraid, Rex had realized all at once; afraid of what they were saying to each other, what they might be planning, but was pushing it down to do his job, to protect the two of them.

And, damn him, Rex had nodded.

… Status change: acknowledged: Maul-enemy to Maul-ally, enemy Force-user to safe Force-user, no threat to ver’alor-Jesse-vod. Meet at Florrum. It had hurt him, not knowing for sure whether Jesse was doing this under his own power, but. Rex had to trust his brother, now more than ever. He had to trust him with everything… I-N-H-I-B-I-T-O-R chip in vod-brain, organic-biological. Palpatine is D-A-R-T-H S-I-D-I-O-U-S, Supreme Chancellor to enemy Force-user… Acknowledge status change?

He’d imagined he could see Jesse’s eyes flash at the statement, could feel his rage at the conscious realization, acknowledgement, of what it meant. Rex had braced himself for denial, or for Jesse to lash out; maybe he’d even hoped that Jesse might rethink his decision to remain with Maul.

All he’d done was draw himself up like the ARC he was and nod sharply. STATUS CHANGE ACKNOWLEDGED: SUPREME CHANCELLOR TO SITH CHAKAAR, SHOOT ON SIGHT… I accept a debt… Vode an.

Disappointment had beaten its tempo into Rex’s chest, but there was nothing he could have done at that point. And then they were gone. He’d taken his deeces back from Ahsoka, and once they’d reached the relative safety of hyperspace, she’d grilled him on what they’d said.

They’d discussed it as best they could, until they were just talking in circles, and then fell silent to mull it over separately.

Ahsoka was more than halfway convinced that Maul had mind-tricked Jesse into helping him escape, but Rex wasn’t nearly so sure. Everything about the way he’d moved, the way he’d signed, even his baffling shout across the hangar bay, had been pure Jesse. Not just Jesse the soldier, the lieutenant, the ARC, but Jesse as he’d been on Umbara: angry, aggressive, willing to risk execution to spite one hate-filled superior.

She hadn’t been convinced by his argument. Commander Tano had never had cause to meet that Jesse, thank all the little gods, and couldn’t see it. Rex didn’t have the heart to lay it all out for her, and so they agreed to face it later, at Florrum, after seeing to the Jedi Temple.

They never reached it.

General Kenobi had survived—oh gods, Kote—the attempt on his life, and left a message in what Ahsoka called the Jedi beacon. It had spoken of the fall of the Order and the Republic, the rise of the Empire and Sidious, hope and faith and the Force, always.

It was meant, Rex thought, to be both warning and reassurance.

Ahsoka had pressed her hands to her mouth as it played, and when it was done, she’d pressed her face to Rex’s shoulder and broken. That last little bit of hope had been snuffed out, and Rex was almost angry at General Kenobi for it.

Then she’d pulled away and wiped her eyes and hardened her heart, and Rex knew.

The worst was yet to come.

[mutatiio]