#martez sister arc

[miss-musings]

"Can't You See They're Using You?": The Parallels Between Cid and The Empire as Exploitative Employers in "The Bad Batch"

In rewatching "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" after the series finale, I've realized just how many similarities there are between Cid and the Empire as employers for the Bad Batch and Crosshair, respectively.

I know I'm not the first person to point out how badly Cid used and abused the Batch, even from their very first meeting in 1.05 "Rampage." In fact, @xylionet has a great post summarizing just how much Cid took advantage of the Batch's -- mostly Hunter's -- desperation and inexperience dealing with the galaxy's shadier people.

But, beyond that, the show ultimately drew a lot of parallels between Cid and the Empire as employers, from their attitude toward clones to their manipulative personalities. Even the timelines for the Batch's and Crosshair's employment align very well, down to the conditions at which they start working for them and why they ultimately reach their breaking points.

Before we dive in, a few clarifications:

I'll mostly be focusing on Cid in this analysis, as I think the Empire's faults are pretty clear.

And, when I say "the Empire," I mean the Imperial officials Crosshair interacts with and/or takes orders from -- mostly Rampart and Nolan, but to a lesser degree, Hemlock and Tarkin as well.

SHARED TRAITS

Manipulative personalities

From the beginning, Cid did whatever it took to leverage the Batch into working for her.

Once she realizes that they're 1) desperate for information/money and 2) inexperienced/gullible/etc., she very quickly works to get them on her side.

She offers an exchange of information and money if the Batch bring in Muchi, but she neglects to tell them Muchi is a Rancor, probably because she figured they wouldn't have accepted the job if they knew.

As she gives Hunter the information and 30% of the cut, she says that with a bounty hunter after the Batch, they'll need "friends and money -- mostly money." It's objectively not an incorrect assessment, and she offers them more work. Hunter says he'll think about it, and that's when she pulls out the blackmail card. She knows how valuable they are and knows people are after them. If they cross her, she can turn them in.

Cid ultimately uses whatever tactics she has to get the Batch to do what she needs, whether that's sweet-talking or strong-arming or leveraging them (either financially or via blackmail).

Likewise, Rampart especially gets on Crosshair's good side by initially praising him as an experienced clone and elevating him to commander of an elite non-clone squad. He also seems to give Crosshair plenty of clone troopers as well when needed. However, once we get to the Ryloth arc, we see that Rampart is more than willing to threaten Crosshair when he feels like he's underperforming.

Even in Season 2, Rampart continues to play this game with Crosshair by praising him just enough that he still feels valued, while also demoting him and then insinuating that Crosshair needs to continue proving his worth or risk losing his position.

Assigning morally questionable jobs/missions

While this is obvious for the Empire, it's something I don't see talked about much regarding Cid.

Her clients are shady people, and she either doesn't ask her clients a lot of questions or doesn't provide that information to the Batch.

After she strong-arms them into working for her in 1.06 "Decommissioned," she sends them after a tactical droid. The information it has could be useful against the Empire, but it could also lead to the deaths of thousands of clone troopers -- the Batch's reg brothers.

This is something the Martez sisters point out to the Batch, and Hunter says they're "being paid to acquire and deliver," admitting that who the client is or why they want the information isn't a priority. The Martez sisters argue that it should be.

Granted, a lot of the jobs we actually see the Batch doing for Cid are later hand-waved as being a good thing. They deliver arms to freedom fighters on Ryloth, they reunite Ruby with her owner, they free Muchi from slavery, etc. But, there are plenty of jobs we partially see them do or hear about them doing, which could easily have been "bad" things, especially given how shady Cid's clients are.

Arguably, if Cid ever gave them information or the Batch guessed that a given job was a "bad" thing, they could just not do it for her. But, again, she has leverage over them, so I don't know whether they have much of an option.

Dislike of clones

Basically all the Imperials we meet in the show don't like clones.

Rampart pretended well enough in Season 1, but we know from later episodes that he hates them. Nolan is very brazen in telling Crosshair how much he abhors working with clone troopers, saying he "doesn't like used equipment" and that the clones are ultimately expendable. And, obviously we know of Tarkin and Hemlock's hatred for clones.

But, Cid inexplicably hates them as well.

I think she was willing to bring the Batch on because she felt she could use them, but she's very rude Rex in 1.07 "Battle Scars" and apparently didn't like hosting Gregor in 1.15 "Return to Kamino."

She tells Rex and the Batch that she's "done taking in strays," that she's not running a charity, and that her parlor "isn't a clone clubhouse."

She could feasibly have concerns that, if enough clones start hanging out at her parlor, they'd get on the Empire's radar. But, if that was her concern, there were 100 better ways to say that.

We don't get to see her interactions with Gregor, but I don't understand why she was immediately so hostile to Rex. For all she knew, he could've been there to pay her for information or hire the Batch for a job -- something where she would've gotten paid. Shouldn't she have been trying to get on his good side and at least see what he wanted first? But, instead, she immediately and very rudely dismisses him.

Also, Cid has a clone trooper helmet on the wall in her office. (It's on the lefthand side as you look at her desk.) Considering she used to be an informant for the Jedi, I wonder how she got that helmet. Was it a gift? Why would a clone trooper give her a helmet? It seems more likely that it was a trophy of some kind. She seems to have a lot of strange items around her office, but a clone trooper helmet should've been a red flag for the Batch.

Asking a lot & giving little in return

Cid ultimately had the Batch risking their lives for her and her clients, and was apparently only giving them 30% of the payout.

By 1.07 "Battle Scars," they're also in debt to her despite doing at least 10-12 jobs for her. In 1.10, Cid tells them that the Batch needs "a big score for us to be square," and Omega ultimately pays off the debt by hustling people at the strategy game.

So, even if after 1.10, the Batch renegotiated off-screen so that Cid started covering their expenses and that their standard 30% is pure profit, that still seems incredibly low to me. I would think 40-40-20, with the 20% going to cover expenses would be a decent starting point.

But, apparently, they're still doing jobs for her in Season 2 and still only getting 30% -- their standard rate. We're not sure what their success rate is, but they've been able to complete some big jobs for her. They definitely should've renegotiated up to at least 50% or something, especially considering how frequently they were endangering themselves and Omega on these jobs.

With Crosshair and the Empire, he doesn't really have much in the way of benefits, because the Empire ultimately considers all the clones their property.

They were never given a choice on whether they wanted to serve the Empire once it replaced the Republic. They're assigned these dangerous and morally questionable/reprehensible missions. If they question their orders or refuse, they're labeled traitors and arrested; and if they leave, they're branded deserters.

Crosshair at least gets room and board, but he probably isn't getting paid much or at all. Once Senator Chuchi's bill passes in 2.08 "Truth and Consequences," he might be eligible for a retirement/severance package like we see the clones talking about in 2.12 "The Outpost," but he likely wouldn't have a say on when he gets to retire/leave.

Meanwhile, Crosshair and the other clones are risking their lives for the Empire. We see in 2.03 "The Solitary Clone," that the clone troopers are sent in to complete the most dangerous work -- securing Desix and freeing the Imperial governor. But, once it comes to actually occupying the planet, the Empire assigns stormtroopers.

I also always found it interesting that the clone troopers bothered to get Crosshair medical attention in 1.08 "Reunion," but Nolan doesn't in 2.12 "The Outpost." I feel like the clones, at minimum, cared about each other even under Imperial command. But as more non-clones started taking command, they basically said, "Why bother? Clone troopers are a relic of the past, and we have millions of TK troopers who can take their place."

Lack of intel/resources to complete missions

Speaking of 2.12 "The Outpost," we hear about Mayday's predicament: The Empire doesn't provide enough men to defend the oh-so-valuable cargo at the Outpost and doesn't provide the equipment needed to keep their troopers safe. They have to wrap their armor to stay warm; the conditions degrade the sensors; they don't have the tools needed to disarm mines; and so on.

Similarly, the Batch bring up several times in Seasons 1 and 2 that Cid withholds information about their jobs.

Wrecker in 2.11 "Metamorphosis": Limited intel. Huh. There's a surprise.

Maybe sometimes her clients or sources don't give her information as we see in 2.11 "Metamorphosis," but there are plenty of times where she purposely withholds information, like Muchi being a Rancor in 1.05 "Rampage."

Cid was either accepting jobs without much intel because she was getting overconfident in the Batch's abilities, or -- more likely -- she was getting greedy and sending them on as many jobs as possible regardless of the conditions.

The latter seems more likely, especially with how it aligns with how the Empire treats the clones. They're more than ready to put money into the TK trooper program -- and we know from the Original Trilogy that TK troopers are also essentially treated as expendable -- but the Empire clearly doesn't give a crap about the clones, especially after 2.08 "Truth and Consequences."

Ultimately, both the Batch and Crosshair and the other Imperial clone troopers have to make do with the little they’re given, despite putting so much on the line for their employers.

“All you’ll ever be to them is a number”

Something I haven't talked about much yet is how Hunter is so prescient about Crosshair being used by the Empire, but doesn't see how Cid is using him and his family to a similar degree.

This is something @xylionet pointed out too:

It’s rather ironic that Crosshair and Hunter are both able to see each other’s situations for what they are, but not their own.

One of the things that hit me during my rewatch of 1.15/16 was Hunter telling Crosshair: "All you'll ever be to them is a number" referring to the Empire.

Admittedly, Hunter isn't wrong. As we see, all the Imperial officials Crosshair interacts with only call him by his CT number, never by his name. (The only exceptions are fellow clones like Cody, Mayday and Emerie.)

And, in 2.03 "The Solitary Clone," when Crosshair asks Rampart about Commander Cody, Rampart acts like he's never heard the name Cody before in his life. He ONLY knows Cody -- one of the most famous commanders in the entire Galactic Army of the Republic -- by his number. Hell, even EMPEROR PALPATINE knew Commander Cody's name in "Revenge of the Sith."

But, while the Empire being a bunch of assholes makes sense, what gets me is that Cid is the exact same way:

She ONLY ever called the Bad Batch members by her little nicknames.

Cid absolutely knew their names. She would have to if she was ever planning to turn them in, as she eventually does. Maybe she didn't know their clone numbers, but she definitely knew what they called each other.

Yet, even in those moments where they came through for her like in 1.13 "Infested" and 2.04 "Faster," she never uses their names as a sign of respect or gratitude. Hell, even after Tech dies, she still only called him "Goggles."

Now, I'm not saying that nicknames are inherently bad. I have plenty of nicknames for people, and vice versa. But, I think there has to be an established relationship first, and then the nickname should be a sign of affection rather than a way to demean someone.

Cid calls the Batch mostly by their outward appearances or accessories -- Tiny, Muscles, Goggles, Bandana, Dark & Broody. (Note: she uses "Dark and Broody" for both Echo and Hunter on different occasions.) It just indicates how she sees them -- not as people but as objects. She's only looking on the surface because that's all she cares about.

“Blind allegiance makes you a pawn”

It's obvious to see that Crosshair's misplaced loyalty to the Empire ultimately made him one of its pawns, to be used and abused.

But, as I've outlined, the Batch was in a similar position with Cid.

Hunter definitely sees that their "mutually beneficial arrangement" with Cid isn't great, but he doesn't really have much choice. They're on their own; they're deserters/traitors; and now they're in charge of a kid and being pursued by bounty hunters.

However, as I'll talk about more in a second, the Batch had several opportunities to walk away from her and try to find some other ways of "making a living." Yet, they continue to work for her despite all the red flags that they definitely see but choose to ignore. This is partly why Echo eventually leaves, because he disagrees with Hunter's decision to maintain this lifestyle rather than fighting for their fellow clones.

While Hunter is arguably the most at fault for letting Cid use and abuse them as long as she does, Cid takes advantage of Omega's loyalty the most.

Even as Omega is trying to convince Hunter and the others to -- and I can't believe I'm about to say this -- pit two crime syndicates against each other just to get Cid's parlor back ... all Cid can say is, "You tell 'em, tiny!"

Twice she asks/convinces her family to stick their necks out for Cid despite all the risks involved, and yet they get little to nothing in return -- including respect.

Despite all the risks they take for her and all the money they bring in, Cid doesn't give a crap when the Marauder gets stolen and the Batch are stranded on the mining planet in 2.09 "The Crossing." That's when the Batch -- particularly Omega -- finally reach their breaking point.

By 2.11 "Metamorphosis," Tech suggests that they only do this last job for her to ensure they leave her on good terms, because she knows so much about them. But, it's clear Omega and Hunter are fed up with how badly Cid used them, which happens to coincide nicely with Crosshair coming to the same realization about the Empire.

Which segues into the timeline analysis:

THE SIMILAR TIMELINES BETWEEN THE BAD BATCH/CID, CROSSHAIR/THE EMPIRE

Reluctant employees (early S1)

As mentioned, the Batch and Crosshair start working for their respective employers because they don’t have a lot of other options.

Crosshair is, of course, practically abducted by the Empire and forced to do its bidding under the effects of the inhibitor chip. This starts in 1.01 "Aftermath."

Meanwhile, the Batch do the initial job for Cid in 1.05 "Rampage." They do a one-off job to get intel on the bounty hunter(s) after Omega, as well as earn some much-needed cash. The Batch didn't really have much of a choice in either finding or working for Cid, because Cid was the only Jedi informant Echo knew how to find, and they were desperate for the intel.

Then, as mentioned, she subsequently uses strong-arming and blackmailing as needed to get them to work for her in 1.06 and beyond.

Falling into a routine (mid-S1)

By 1.07 "Battle Scars," we can see the Batch has fallen into a routine of doing jobs for Cid. As she said, they need friends and money with bounty hunters after them, and they don't really have any other ready sources of income (as demonstrated in 1.04 "Cornered').

Yet, despite all the jobs they've done for her, they're also in debt to her. Meaning, they can't easily walk away without giving her even MORE reason to turn them in, so they have to continue doing jobs for her in hopes of paying off the debt.

Meanwhile, Crosshair and his ES troopers have been continuing to operate under Rampart, presumably carrying out missions under his command. Granted, we don't see any of these except the Onderon mission in 1.03 "The Replacements," but based on how effective they seemed to be in 1.08 "Reunion," I imagine they were doing missions together off-screen.

The first possible turnaround point (late S1)

If we accept the fan theory that Crosshair's chip was removed or deactivated/damaged around 1.08 "Reunion," then Crosshair has regained his free will by the next time we see him in 1.11 "Devil's Deal."

Yet, despite the Empire hijacking his mind and body and forcing him to do all sorts of terrible things, he continues to work for them of his own free will. He has an opportunity to walk away, but he doesn't.

Likewise, the Batch have an opportunity in 1.13 "Infested," after Cid's parlor gets taken over by Roland Durand.

But, thanks to Omega's misplaced loyalty, Cid's blackmailing and other factors, Hunter decides to pit two crime syndicates against each other to get Cid's parlor back and continue working for her. (I cannot emphasize how stupid of a decision this was!!)

Even after Cid's schemes get the Batch in trouble with the Pykes to the point that Omega is taken hostage, the Batch continue to work for Cid. They're lucky this was a "family show," or the Pykes would've definitely killed them or injured Omega or something else just as bad.

If ever there was a time for the Batch to walk away from Cid, this would've been it -- either before the job or after. But, like Crosshair, they don't take the opportunity to walk away.

The second possible turnaround point (S1 finale)

Crosshair had another opportunity to leave the Empire and rejoin his brothers at the end of 1.16 "Kamino Lost." But, instead he decides once again to double-down and stay with the Empire for a myriad of reasons that might have to be its own meta some day. (I touched on it a bit in my S1 Crosshair/loyalty meta.)

But what might be overlooked is that the fall of Kamino was another opportunity for the Batch to leave Cid.

Again, the reason they sought her out and one of the reasons they started/kept working for her was because bounty hunters were after Omega. The bounty was active through 1.09 "Bounty Lost.” At that point, the Batch learn that Lama Su put the bounty on Omega because she's crucial to their cloning operation.

But, as the Batch see for themselves, Tipoca City is decommissioned and destroyed. The Kaminoan cloning facilities are gone. The Kaminoans aren't in a place where they need Omega anymore, because the Empire has effectively ended cloning (at least for military purposes).

So, they could've left Cid after the events of Season 1. Maybe they could've even left her on good terms after saving her ass in 1.13 "Infested." But, they don't.

Starting to second-guess (early S2)

Admittedly, Hunter was never super-comfortable about their arrangement with Cid, but he persisted because he didn't see a lot of alternatives.

But, Omega (and Tech and Wrecker) clearly start to have doubts about working for Cid during 2.04 "Faster." They once again stick their necks out for Cid by offering to clear her debt with Millegi. And, while Cid is grateful at the time, we see later that her gratitude is short-lived.

Based on what Millegi tells them, especially at the end of the episode, it's clear Omega (and the others) are beginning to doubt whether Cid is someone worthy of their loyalty.

Likewise, Crosshair's experiences in 2.03 "The Solitary Clone" start to plant doubts in his mind. He was stranded on Kamino for a month and comes back only to get demoted and sent on a dangerous and morally questionable mission. And while Crosshair and his squad complete the mission, and Rampart even praises Crosshair for it, we also see that Rampart really doubts Crosshair and the other clones' loyalty.

Ultimately, after his experiences with Cody and their mission on Desix, it's clear that Crosshair is beginning to doubt whether the Empire is worthy of his loyalty.

The breaking point (mid/late S2)

As I've pointed out in another post:

Both the Batch and Crosshair fell into a routine that provided them security and stability in an otherwise chaotic time in the galaxy; and both only reached their breaking points when their employers left them for dead.

For the Batch, this is a combination of 2.09-2.11. The Marauder gets stolen while they're on a job for Cid. They ask for her help, and she doesn't readily or easily commit any kind of assistance. They get the Marauder back on their own, and Cid is more than happy to give them another job, framing it as: "Do you wanna make money?"

It's become clear to them that she views them as tools -- only useful to her, not the other way around.

Meanwhile, at the start of 2.12 "The Outpost," Crosshair sees that the Empire has started to retire clones, but at least he's still getting missions.

But, Barton IV ultimately becomes his breaking point when he sees just how expendable he and all clones are. Based on what he said in 1.15 "Return to Kamino," he thought he was "superior" to the other clones, but as Nolan proves, the Empire didn't care either way.

As Mayday points out, the clones sacrificed everything for the Empire while getting nothing in return. Crosshair and Mayday are essentially left for dead, and when they come back looking like absolute hell, Nolan first yells at them for not retrieving the cargo and then tells them to get to work.

As Nolan blatantly tells Crosshair, he and all the other clones are expendable -- only worth keeping around as long as they're useful.

Not out quite yet (late S2)

By 2.13 "Pabu," we can see the Batch has completely cut ties with Cid and are working with Phee instead. Cid leaves them a message, saying that their absence has cost her a lot of money and she once again threatens to turn them in.

Despite emotionally cutting ties with her, they're still physically at her mercy to a degree. Plus, even once they made it clear they didn't want to work for her anymore, she still wants something from them and she's willing to hurt them if they don't cooperate.

Thankfully, Phee comes through for the Batch and introduces them to Pabu -- their future forever home.

Crosshair, meanwhile, is imprisoned at Tantiss. Despite emotionally cutting ties with the Empire, he's still physically at its mercy.

Hemlock offers him a deal: his freedom in exchange for helping him find Clone Force 99. Crosshair refuses to give up his family, even under torture.

Just like the Batch, despite Crosshair's attempt to "walk away" from the Empire, they still want something from him and they're willing to hurt him if he doesn't cooperate.

The fallout (S2 finale and beyond)

Of course, everything falls together in 2.16 "Plan 99," as Cid sells out the Batch to the Empire. The Batch's and Crosshair's former employers temporarily join forces to screw everyone over in the worst ways possible.

Although it was clear to us from the get-go that Crosshair was wrong to trust the Empire, 2.16 confirms to us the audience just how wrong the Batch was to trust Cid. They came to her in a moment of need, and she betrayed them.

Granted, I think this was mostly Hunter's failing, as they never should've gone back to Ord Mantell. I understand they were hurt and desperate to have AZI heal Omega, but Cid told them multiple times she was willing to turn them in. Plus, they just showed on her doorstep after striking a high-level Imperial compound. They knew -- or at least suspected -- that they were already being targeted based on Crosshair's message, but after hitting Eriadu, they would've been on the Empire's "most wanted list."

Jumping to Season 3, Cid's nature is made even clearer as she gives up the Batch a second time.

It's unclear whether CX-2 bribed or tortured Cid -- probably the latter -- but Cid also sold out Phee. And Cid told the Batch she considered Phee a friend. (Although based on Phee's comments in 2.13 "Pabu," that feeling wasn't mutual.)

For all Cid knew, CX-2 could've tortured or killed Phee to find the Batch, and she still gave up the information.

Once again, the Batch's and Crosshair's former employers work together to screw them over.

One last thing I'll add is how the show gave us glimpses of Crosshair and Cid's true colors around the same time. Crosshair is first bribed and then tortured for information about his family, but he doesn't give them up; meanwhile, Cid sells them out after everything they did for her. And, if CX-2 really tortured Cid in Season 3, it just proves how little she cared about the Batch (or even Phee) compared to how much Crosshair cared about them despite everything that happened in S1.

IN CONCLUSION

I want to state for the record that, as frustrating as it is to see our favorite characters allow themselves to be used and abused by their employers, I don't hate any of them.

These characters are human. They're not perfect, and hindsight is 20/20.

I know several people who were hoping that Cid would come through for the Batch, that she would be a true ally even if she was grumpy and rude (and that's putting it mildly).

If anything, I think this all shows just how similar Hunter, Crosshair and Omega are. They share a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses. Hunter and Crosshair see just how terrible the other's situation is, but not their own; and Crosshair and Omega are loyal to a fault.

They all just wanted some security and stability in what was a very chaotic time for the galaxy and their family. I can understand, to an extent, why they made the decisions they did even if I find them frustrating.

If you want to take any of this meta and apply it to your own lives, by all means. Despite what some folks might think, Star Wars has always been political, and I don't want any of you to end up like our favorite Bad Batch characters.

At the end of the day, "The Bad Batch" is a family show with a lot of morals and lessons about the importance of love, hope and family -- whether blood relatives, adopted or 'found.'

But, it's also a show about the evils of political systems and corporate greed, and how the forces around us will profit off our blood, sweat and tears while giving us little to nothing in return.

[spacelesbiandisaster]

Do you guys think Barriss knew about what happened with Rafa and Trace Martez?

Because I started to rewatch Clone Wars recently to pickup on lore for a fanfic I pretend to write I started to wonder if Barriss was aware of the Martez parents fate and ended up with a headcanon about that.

So, we a (almost) certain that was Luminara the one who changed the trajectory of a crashing ship who end up destroying the Martinez sisters home with their parents still inside. At least the description that Rafa give us mach her almost perfect:

I sure that is a lot of beautiful green skin Jedi with the order, even Barriss fits in that description if we really want to push it, but I think it's already common sense with the fandom that Rafa was talking about Luminara. And I couldn't agree more! Luminara being the one involved in this opens up so much room for potential new stories.

Could you imagine a Tales of the Jedi arc with Luminara fighting in the war and having to make difficult decisions such as that to protect a falling republic? How would she deal with her responsibility was a Jedi when the council is constantly sending away to battlefronts? That would be absolutely perfect! I almost with I could suggest to Filoni personally.

But the way Rafa describe the scene sounds like Luminara wasn't the only Jedi who came see her and Trace...

"Afterwords the Jedi came back and one of them came over to me. (...)"

One of them.

So who are the others?

I believe Barriss must been one of them. Remember this all happened in the beginning of the clones wars while the Jedi were capturing Ziro the Hutt (I believe it was in season 1 or 2). There's is no reason for Barriss don't be around at the time, especially given that she is Luminara's Padawan and they were on curruscant, not too far away from the Jedi temple.

She was with Luminara when that ship start to crash. Maybe she even was the one to made the call to set the ship on the apparently empty house to save the people she saw walking on the street and bc everything was happening so fast so Luminara agreed. And honestly, what other choice did they had? It's not like they knew the Martez parents was inside the house, Jedi don't have x-ray vision, and was their job to save as many life as they could. So the two of them did what they had to do, but later they learn about the orphans girls and pay they a visit. Luminara took the responsibility of talking to the orphans because she was the Jedi master (and probably bc Barriss would had been too shocked to stay put in she situation. She is a teenager girl after all) while Barriss stayed aside watching.

It could had been more Jedi with them, but I believe that is very unlikely given that they were fighting a war. The council couldn't realistic spare 5 Jedi to speak to every orphan the war left, but a Jedi Master and their Padawan seen fit for this quest.

At first I thought that was it: Luminara told the sisters the force would be with them and didn't do anything else about the situation, but analysing further what Rafa told Ahsoka changed my mind:

"(...) Trace and I were left, without a home. Just left there to find our way in their system."

Of course that Rafa could be referring to the republic was the Jedi system and they were left on the street, but being Luminara the Jedi involved I believe she left the girls on a orphanage of sorts and when Rafa become of age she find a place and won the right to bring Trace with her. So they had some kind of assistance after their parents death, but we all know that this kind of system had lots and lots of problems and high chance is they weren't take care properly. Not that Luminara or Barriss could had known such a thing, so they truly believed they were doing good to Rafa and Trace.

But why this is important?, you may ask. What difference does it make if Barriss was that or not?

Well, do you remember what happened to Ziro not long after that?

He broke way from prison!

Jabba paid Cade Bane (and I think Aurra Sing too) to go to curruscant's prison and take Ziro back to Nal Hutta to pay for the crimes he commit against Jabba's son. The show have two whole arcs about it and both together form one of my favorites stories on the clone wars.

But picture this: Barriss up to that point was very careful to not hurt anyone. On the second battle of geonossis she is talking about the importance of saving lives even when it means sacrificing herself going as far as asking Ahsoka to kill her just to prevent some weird mind controlling worms to spread to the galaxy. This same girl unintentional kill two person to same many on that ship crash and couldn't do anything to truly help the orphans that were left behind. All because of some Hutt crime lord the Jedi and the republic allowed to prospect in Coruscant (Ziro had a damn cantina on the lower levels! With bounty hunters and other criminals running around all the time and no one made anything about it until Jabba's son, another crime lord, order they to act). And like that wasn't enough, Cade Bane kill lots and a lot of people during his mission to "rescue" Ziro.

I can imagine Barriss looking at all that and wondering what was the point of sacrificing the Martez parents on the first place if everything just end up returning to the status quo. The choice Luminara and Barriss made didn't make anyone life better. People still died. The Martinez sisters were alone. And both the republic and the Jedi were conducting their actions base on what Jabba the Hutt wanted.

That could had been the moment she realized the number of wrong thing were happening because of the order and how far they had fallen from their old ways. Barriss was a solder when she should have been a pace keeper and there's nothing she could do that made the Jedi realize what they were doing to her, to all her Padawans friends and to the galaxy as a whole.

Well... Almost nothing...

My personal theory/headcanon is the Martinez sisters incident were the thing that let Barriss to her radicalization and to the Jedi temple bombing.

She probably decided to stay in Curruscant to try to help the people who live there even though she supposed to stay with Luminara and ended up meeting Letta and her husband Jackal (I think that's how it's spelled) and Letta start to talk about doing this great act to attract attention of the Jedi and of the people and was Barriss was spending all the alternatives she had to resolve the problem in a pacific way she started to agree.

I also think the bombing didn't work out the way Barriss intended to because the girl were a total mess on the Wrong Jedi arc.

Maybe Letta feed the nano droids to her husband a little to early, or they were never meant to be feed the him on the first place (Can you imagine Barriss Offe planning on using a civilian was a living bomb? The Barriss we knew from the second battle of geonossis would rather eat the droids herself!) either way Barriss definitely wasn't in her right mind. Other wise she could had save both Ahsoka and herself from prison very easily by blaming Ventress for all her crimes and this is how:

In the Wrong Jedi arc Barriss a holo transmission were she both learn that Ahsoka and Ventress were together and tell Ahsoka were the nano droids droids were.

Right after that Barriss proceed to stole Ventress lightsabers and go to the deposit Ahsoka is look for the bomb's disguise was Ventress so she can fight Ahsoka.

But why she does that?

If her intended was to further incriminate Ahsoka she could had just called the guards who would seem Ahsoka in a room full of nano droids and would go like "Yeah, she returns to the crime scene, there's is no way this kid is innocent".

And if her intended was to incriminate Ventress she should had put her in the room while unconscious. Then she could proceed to fight Ahsoka and stage a situation were Ahsoka finds Ventress there and when the guards eventually show up they would shoot at the separatist rather than command Tano.

So yeah, Barriss was spiraling over guilt so hard she couldn't think straight. And I couldn't think of any other reason in cannon that could had sparkle such reaction (I you know of something else I'm begging me to tell me!).

Barriss had to correct her mistake if the crashing ship incident, but the Jedi didn't listen to her, so she plan something big to gain the attention but her accomplice fuck somethings up and everything gotta way out of control so she ends up killing even more civilians and the rest we can imagine from there: She kills Letta because she was freak out about taking all the blame, end up feeling even more guilt (if this is even possible) and on a desperately attempt to save Ahsoka she tries to blame Ventress but fails spectacularly.

This is all speculation, but I'm choosing to believe that the Martinez parents death play some part on Barriss's Arc. It really is a tragic event that exposes all the cracks in the role the Jedi said they perform as well as the failing republic as a whole.

I would love to Barriss reaction to that on screen I totally think could be part of a hypothetical Luminara story on a future season of Tales of the Jedi.

But what do you think?

Like I said I planning to write a fanfic that has a great role for Barriss and would be super helpful to her others people opinions on the character, so feel free to reach me out to share your personal head cannons and theorys!

(Ps: I'm still learning english so please forgive me if that was a hard to read post)

(Also could you imagine how funny/tragic would be if both Ahsoka's ex-girlfriend and ex-mother in lawn were involved in the death of her current girlfriend, that being Trace, parents? That is good lesbian drama right there!)

[clonebrainrot]

So much has been said about the clone wars arcs that never made it to screen or to book or comic so I want to ask which arc that hasn’t seen the light of day is the one you want the most? I am not including SOD, Dark Disciples or Crystal Crisis as we have seen them in some form.

Anyway reblog this around as I feel like knowing how much I post about Boba and The bad batch this will be real biased otherwise.

[rebelscum218]

Sometimes when I think about the Ahsoka series, I think of how much I would have preferred if Sabine was the one who pulls Ahsoka out of her jaded and weary self. The more I think of Ahsoka and Sabine's respective stories, the more I think the show has missed the opportunity of bringing us a fleshed-out and strongly-connected relationship, because there is much these two have in common.

They both share a similar eagerness when they were younger, a desire to prove themselves (Ahsoka to show she's not too young to be a Padawan learner; Sabine wanting Hera to trust her with more details of the Rebellion), they were both survivors of genocide (Order 66, the Mandalorian purge), they both know what it's like to be named a traitor by their family (Ahsoka being accused of bombing the Jedi temple, Sabine being shunned by her clan after creating the Duchess), they both knew what it's like to walk away from home, as well as being a wanderer without much purpose (Ahsoka tagging along with the Martez sisters, Sabine being a bounty hunter with Ketsu), they both have a snarky sense of humor etc etc. The list can go on even longer if we look deeper into their stories in the animated shows.

So to bring these two characters together in the Ahsoka series and not touch on any of that is a pity, because I can imagine the interactions they could've had that would give us much more reason to invest in their relationship. (For example, finding solace and understanding in knowing that they are both relics of a past they could never return to, comparing notes about Jedi and Mandalorian values/training methods, how they reminded each other of previous dynamics with other people while working together, how Ahsoka is not affiliated with the Jedi anymore but still behaving like one is similar to Sabine's own confusion about whether she can still identifiy as a Mandalorian given her new role as Jedi apprentice etc etc.)

And as much as I enjoyed Sabine in the series, I couldn't help but think how it would be like if she was a character that acts as a reflection of Ahsoka's Rebels-era self: centered and reserved, but still forging ahead with a clear purpose. And that she was the one calling the shots during their journey, the one who reminded Ahsoka what it's like to believe in and fight for something again, and how much Sabine represented the youthful optimism she once had, making her realize how much she's hardened and changed, liberating her from the ghosts of her past and returning her to the Ahsoka Tano people once knew. It's difficult to come up with an arc for a character that has been developed for over 13 years already, but by bringing Sabine into play, the depth and dimension of the story as well as the possibilities it could bring are still yet to be fully utilized.

Anyway, these are some stray thoughts I've had from time to time, and it's been on my mind long enough that I feel like putting this out here. Comments and thoughts are more than welcome.

[lightwise]

Clone Trooper X

Okay, since there’s been a lot of discussion around CX-1 from the season 3 trailer, I want to give us all a little refresher on how the original Clone X was revealed to us in season 2, the similarities they’re showing between him and CX-1, and what purpose they might be serving in the story.

This is not meant to engage discussion on whether the helmeted CX paratrooper in the trailer is Tech. We don’t know yet if the helmeted clone and the helmetless, deep-voiced clone are the same, or two different CX troopers. All we know is that the helmetless one who has spoken lines in the trailer, is named CX-1 in the subtitles.

Season 2:

We are introduced to the assassin clone known as Clone X in the beginning of episode 7, The Clone Conspiracy, as he is tracking and firing on two clones who were there during the destruction of Kamino and had been contemplating revealing Rampart’s deceptions. Many people thought this could be Crosshair, but based on his less skillful shooting ability and the faint glimpses of his unusual armor, I didn’t think it was.

We then see him fully via a holocall to Rampart, where the garble of his helmet (again, very different than a regular helmet modulator) conceals his identity as he is told to hunt down Slip and Chuchi. Later he finds and kills Slip and several of Chuchi’s guards, attempting to kill her during a prolonged chase (for an assassin, his shots are noticeably not as precise as Crosshair’s or many bounty hunters are), and Captain Rex as well, who appears out of the fog and saves her. He had been in the area to help Slip get to safety, and ended up stunning CX and bringing him into the Martez sisters’ garage for interrogation.

This of course ends up being the most fascinating aspect of this clone’s arc. Rex undoes his helmet and both he and Chuchi are shocked to find a familiar clone face hidden beneath it. Chuchi wonders why a trooper would be doing this and Rex feels like they’re not a trooper at all, but that he doesn’t know what they are. Once CX wakes up from being stunned, Rex tries to get him to talk and find out who sent him and what his mission is, but he stays stubbornly silent.

Once Rex offers to release him if he’ll just talk, he begrudgingly spits out “no you won’t, Captain Rex,” showing that he knows who Rex is and that he doesn’t seem to be surprised that he is alive, even though Rex’s official records state he died. CX then hauntingly says “You’re fighting the wrong battle, brother—you’re limited.” When Rex asks him what that makes him, he responds even more chillingly “a believer” before biting down on a suicide capsule.

None of this terminology or behavior is normal for clones or imperial troops that we have ever seen before. He appears to have been brainwashed in some manner that is very different than any enhancements or conditioning that Crosshair went through or that other imperial clones such as Cody seem to demonstrate. He has become a tool solely at the disposal of Rampart and whoever else in the Empire is putting him to use.

This seems to be confirmed in the next episode, where in examining his body, Rex had determined that all of his original CT identifications implanted by the Kaminoans had been wiped. Perhaps his mind had been too. CX is said to have been born in the first wave of troopers in 32 BBY, which would explain how he knows Rex, and that he is not a new clone creation but an original CT trooper who has been “repurposed” for this program.

Note that in this season we don’t get an answer on who is actually overseeing his training or brainwashing or anything else related to him. He seemed to be taking orders only from Rampart, but with Rampart off the stage after these episodes, it seemed likely that this CX program was bigger than just Rampart’s department or efforts. Sure enough, season 3 seems to be confirming that.

Season 3 (TRAILER SPOILERS AHEAD):

We see at least one, perhaps two new CX troopers in the season 3 trailer. A clone assassin named CX-1 has voiceover that precedes the reveals of an imperial commando, the bounty hunters we’ll see this season, as well as Nala Se with the words “They are coming…” and then it switches to the visual of his face as he finishes “for ALL of you.” And the visuals then show a quick sequence of the majority of our heroes—Wolffe, Hunter, Rex, Echo, Fireball, and Omega, and Wrecker—the “all of you”. This speaking clone has the same generic face and haircut that CX showed in season 2, as well as the same deeper register but with a honeyed smoothness to his voice that is very different from the rest of the regs or the gravelly pitches of the Batch boys. All in all, he seems like a copy (I know I know) of CX in season 2.

In both instances, it appears the X troopers dialogue comes when they are being interrogated by someone they were trying to hunt down. Beyond that, we still don’t know much about their origin and purpose in the broader shift away from CT to TK troopers mingled with Palpatine’s cloning efforts.

Also, I just can’t stop thinking about both troopers’ voices. Why are they so much deeper? And CX-1’s smoothness compared to most of the clones makes me think that the X-number troopers are clones of CX and much younger? Their voices haven’t had as much usage as the clones who have been through the entire war? I don’t know. It’s intriguing though.

I am fascinated to see exactly how much more expansive of a role the X troopers and potentially their program are going to serve in this season. Perhaps they will remain mysterious and simply be yet another way that Palpatine and Hemlock have twisted the clones’ existence to suit their purpose, and to act as a harbinger for what’s to come. Or perhaps they will be a pivotal hinge of this season in more depth this time. We shall see.

Now go forth and speculate 😁

[writingforfun0714]

So I wanted to wait and let the new Bad Batch trailer sink in before posting about it.

Warnings: Spoilers, some thoughts/opinions will be critical

Alright so I don’t think it’s any secret that I don’t care for the Bad Batch. Even ignoring the horrible, incredibly RACIST clone model, the writing is mid/passable at best and not even watchable for me. Most of S1 and 2 combined is the typical ‘mission of the week’ type of story where only a few Empire-focused episodes stand out. There are also instances of ableism concerning Echo in particular (CF99 are also super dismissive of him in general—going along with that whole fucking ‘superiority over regs’ thing—seriously wtf).

Most episodes were very bland and predictable. S1 had no stakes despite its finale. By Mando/ST it’s clear that something has happened to Kamino. Didn’t really need to see a 2pt ep of the city getting wiped. Plus AZI should’ve been sacrificed. Even Ahsoka learns the lesson that you can’t save everyone in S1 when she disobeys Anakin and Admiral Yularen. TBB S2 had no character development from anyone besides a little bit for Omega (and Tech—but that was always speculated by fans since S1 and he’s dead now so it doesn’t really matter). A lot of the dialogue felt…basic. I think the only thing that TBB does well is the music. It’s really amazing and beautiful along with the smooth, crisp animation/scenery. Shame they ruined it with racist clone models, racist tones with the ‘reg’ dispute in both seasons, and being ableist and dismissive towards Echo.

Which brings me to the trailer. Oh boy. First, right off the bat I noticed how similar the trailer opening is compared to the S2 trailer. I do like that Phee is back. She did take time to grow on me but I do like her character and am curious to see where they will go with her.

It’s interesting we are seeing Crosshair back with the group so soon. Personally I do believe that is Crosshair and not just someone else wearing his armor like some think. I like the idea of Omega and Crosshair escaping early on but Omega gets recaptured/separated and taken back to Tantiss.

I’m interested in Hemlock and his backstory (is his gloved hand robotic?). I wish they’d create more interesting and unique characters like Phee and Fennec Shand instead of relying on cameos of established characters/fan-favorites like Ventress. I loved Dark Disciple and I thought it was a great ending for her.

I know it’s officially said that Ventress’ story will follow Dark Disciple but I don’t see how unless they retcon her death or pull a ‘somehow she survived’. Either way that sucks. Reminder!! DAVE FELONY DIDN’T EVEN FOLLOW REBELS FOR AHSOKA. SABINE IS NOT FORCE SENSITIVE IN REBELS. DAVE RETCONS THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYTHING. I have no faith that they will remain loyal to DD. Anything that will be ‘canon’ will be mid at best because even Crosshair’s arc has been messy (which is due to the weird S1 ‘reset’ the characters go through. Like they totally should’ve appreciated ‘regs’ by the end of TBB arc in TCW S7–there was no need for that awkward food fight scene in S1).

I hate that this show has to rely on cameos to get the viewing numbers. Here is a list of every character cameo we’ve seen so far:

—Rex*

—Tarkin*

—Palpatine*

—The Lawquane Family

—The Syndullas/Chopper

—Nala Se/Lama Su*

—Cad Bane

—Bail Organa

—Riyo Chuchi

—Gungi

—Gregor

—Wolffe

—Cody

—Scorch

—Saw Gerrera

—Martez Sisters

—Kanan/Depa*

—Muchi/Rancor from RotJ

—Taun We/Halle Burtoni

—Ventress

*I consider these important/relevant cameos and am not bothered by them like the others*

What a list right? I might even be missing one. These were just off the top of my head. Some are big players, others smaller and almost not-relevant to the plot. Not counting the one’s I asterisked, it’s 15 characters. There are original characters but a lot of them, especially in S1 felt like one off, not important characters. And I hate Cid so much—glad to see she was absent in the S3 trailer. I’m really starting to love Phee and I’ve always loved Fennec Shand, and Hemlock is definitely an intriguing villain and Emerie feels like a total mystery (though the reveal was not shocking due to the similar design and accent to Omega). Like why can’t they create more characters like these? The rest just feel forgettable. And it’s clear that characters like Saw, Gungi, Scorch, Cad Bane and even the Syndulla and Lawquane families just felt like fan service. The rest kind of make sense that they’d show up but it also feels a bit like fan service.

Moving on..

I know a lot of people think that new weird dark trooper at the 1:40 mark is Tech. While I’m inclined to agree as I think the ‘Winter Soldier’ story is an obvious choice to pick, I also think that Tech is dead. I’ve changed my mind and kind of hope that Tech isn’t brought back.

I hope this is someone new. I also wouldn’t mind if it was a bounty hunter we’ve seen before. Due to the frame and stature, I could almost think of Boba due to him being older than Omega but it’s definitely more likely to be Tech than either of these choices.

It’s interesting a lot of cameo characters from S2 do not make an appearance in the trailer. Bail, Riyo, Gungi, Gregor and Cody are all absent from the trailer. Trailers usually show action shots to avoid story spoilers, but with Gungi, Gregor, and Cody all being capable fighters, I’m surprised they didn’t appear (usually stuff with politics is a story spoiler).

Overall I’m skeptical of the trailer. I don’t like Ventress being alive/in TBB being a Dark Disciple lover. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the story of S3 so I don’t feel like I can give an accurate take on that. I hate how Omega’s longer hair looks. Curly haired Omega is adorable!! The animation (everything but the clone model) is definitely getting better. However, based on how S2 was marketed as a ‘darker story compared to S1’ and was like 80% fetch quest I’m definitely skeptical.

Those of you that made it through this post, thank you for your time and I hope I gave you something to think about. If you wanna learn more about the racism and ableism portrayed in this show, check out @unwhitewashthebadbatch for more info.

[notgonnaedit]

Healer's Heart

Battle Scars

Summary: When Order 66 ushers in a new era, Althea and the Batch must find their place

Pairing: Bad Batch x Teen!OFC (clones being good brothers/dads)

Chapter summary: An old friend returns, surfacing worries that were shoved aside

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, Return of the king, symptoms of anxiety, Althea worrying, scared Omega, paternal Hunter, Wrecker on a rampage, choking, fear, fluffy ending (If I miss a tag LMK)

Master list

The Marauder jerked as Tech did his best to loose the Rhokai fighters on their tail. Hunter shot at them from the gunner's mount. "How much longer until we're in hyperspace, Tech?" He asked, his voice gruff with urgency.

"That depends on when Echo plans on getting the drive back online." Tech replied smoothly.

"I'm working on it!" The ARC growled.

Althea strapped in next to Omega, the creature they stole in a cage between them.

"I don't think Ruby likes this very much." The blonde remarked as the creature squawked angrily.

"You named that thing?" Althea asked.

The ship jolted, earning a grunt from Wrecker from where he sat across from the girls. "What's with these guys?"

"Well, we did steal from them." Omega said.

Ruby hissed as Tech offered an explanation from the cockpit. "Technically, the Rhokai stole the lizard first. We are merely intercepting it."

"They don't see it that way." Said Hunter as he blasted another ship away.

The Marauder shuddered, causing Ruby's cage to fall on to the floor. The door opened, most likely from not being latched properly, and the lizard escaped.

"It's loose!" Wrecker screamed. "It's loose!" 

Ruby climbed on top of him, latching her claws into his face. Wrecker stood and screamed as the lizard clung to him. "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!"

"Calm down!" Said Omega. "You're scaring her."

Wrecker ignored her, opting to run into the cockpit instead. "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" He ran face first into a chair, knocking Ruby off. Althea lept from her seat and took the cage, slamming it on top of the lizard and trapping it.

"Got her." She declared.

"Hyperdrive's online." Said Echo.

Without another word, Tech launched the ship into hyperspace, taking them back to Ord Mantell.

                         •°•°•°•°•°•°•

"That is one strange looking lizard." Cid remarked as she looked in the cage. Althea bit back a snort. Did Cid not own a mirror?

"What's your client want it for?" Asked Echo.

"Maybe it's a pet." Cid guessed. "Maybe he wants to turn it into a stew. Don't know, don't care."

"As long as you get paid." Hunter said. Ever since the Martez sisters, the Sergeant had been questioning Cid's methods.

"Now you're catching on." The Trandoshan replied. "And guess what? That means you get paid too. Bring the lizard in the back." She walked away into her office. Echo grabbed the cage and Tech followed, but Hunter hung back. A cloaked figure near a back booth caught his attention, but it was soon dragged away by three presences behind him.

"Hunter?" Asked Omega as he turned. The Sergeant was faced with Wrecker, Althea, and Omega, all three of them wearing expectant smiles.

"What are you three up too?" Hunter asked.

"The missions over." The yellow eyed girl told him. "Can we go?"

"Again?"

"It's tradition." Wrecker argued. He brought his hand to his mouth and lowered his voice to a whisper. "It makes the kids happy."

Omega looked up at him questioningly and Althea rolled her eyes. Hunter raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Uh-huh." He said unconvinced. "The kids." He sighed. "Don't take long."

The three grinned, all bouncing with excitement as they ran off. Hunter shook his head, a smile on his face. Ever since Wrecker came back to them with Mantell Mix on Coruscant, he and Althea had started a tradition to get the treat after every mission. It didn't matter if it was fresh or a two week old piece one of them had found in their pockets. They would eat it, and now Omega was included.

The Sergeant made his way back into Cid's office, casting one last look at the cloaked stranger before walking in. Something was familiar about them.

Cid opened a case of credits and tossed Hunter a small handful. "All right, fellas, here's your cut."

Hunter checked the amount in his hand. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You said the job paid three times this."

"For me, not for you." Cid closed the case as if ending the matter.

"And just how is this a mutually beneficial arrangement?" Echo asked as Hunter pocketed the money.

"You're breathing, aren't you?" She glanced at her datapad. "Rather generous considering the debt you owe me."

"What debt?" Hunter asked. Cid rolled her eyes and handed the datapad to him. The Sergeant read it, his confusion and anger growing with each word. "Docking fees, port charges, gear, fuel, rations, and –20 cartons of Mantell Mix?"

                               •°•°•

Wrecker smiled as he handed Althea and Omega their cartons before taking his own. "Best part of the mission."

"Mm-hmm." Omega nodded, her mouth already full of the salty-sweet treat. Althea tossed a piece in the air to try to catch it in her mouth, but it merely bounced off of her nose and on to the ground.

"That'll be 14 credits for the Mantell Mix." The vendor said, a frown already on his face. He knew what Wrecker was going to say.

"Uh, yeah....uh, put it on Cid's tab." The demo man said, just as he did every time they got their favorite snack.

                                •°•°• 

"Now, I like you boys," Said Cid as she played with the tip of her staff. "But I'm not running a charity here. You need a big score for us to be square."

"Like what?" Echo asked.

"Like retrieving that tactical droid, but you bungled that op. I suggest you figure something out before you see my ugly side."

"That's not her ugly side?" Tech asked in a lowered voice. With him, it was hard to tell if he was making a snide comment or if he was actually genuinely confused as to the matter of Cid's "ugly side."

The Trandoshan sent a glare his way. "What was that, Goggles?"

Before Tech could answer the sound of blaster fire rang from the main parlor. Hunter ran out with his blaster ready, Echo and Tech not far behind.

Bolo and Ketch were running towards the door in fear. The hooded stranger was standing up, a smoking blaster in their hand.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Cid asked as she pushed past Hunter. "Who are you?"

The stranger set down their blaster on the table before turning to them. They pulled down the hood, revealing the face of the Captain of the 501st.

"Rex?" Said Echo, confusion and surprise apparent in his tone.

"Oh, great. Another clone." Cid griped. "Just what I needed. Well, don't get comfy. I'm done taking in strays. This ain't a clone clubhouse, ya know." She hit Hunter's shoulder with her staff as she walked away. "Unbelievable. Thinkn' they own the place."

Hunter holstered his blaster and stood up straight as took a step forward. "Captain." 

"It's been awhile, boys." Rex said, almost uncomfortably.

"Where have you been, Rex?" Echo asked his old friend. 

"Hmm." A ghost of a smirk crossed Rex's face, as if he was laughing at something ironic that they had yet to understand. "That's a long story."

                            •°•°•°•°•

Echo and Hunter sat on either side of Rex at the bar as he told his story. Tech took a seat next to Hunter after getting a drink for himself and Wrecker when him and the girls came back.

"And when the war ended, I guess you could say I've been keeping a low profile." Rex said, finishing his story.

"Very low." Tech added. "Imperial files have you listed as killed in action."

Rex looked at him, displaying the fresh red mark just behind his temple. "Being dead in the Empire's eyes has it's advantages."

"Well, how'd you track us down?" Echo asked.

"Trace and Rafa Martez. They said a squad of rogue clones helped them on Corellia." Rex turned in his seat, no longer leaning against the bar. "They told me I could find you here. And that you were traveling with another kid." He looked at Hunter for an explanation. "Who is she?"

The Sergeant took a sip of his drink before answering. "Omega. She's a clone like us."

Rex's eyes widened. A female clone was unheard of, but that would explain why she was considered defective.

"Well, look who it is." Wrecker laughed as he crossed the room to Rex. Althea smiled as she followed him, but Omega stayed back.

"Come here, Rex." The demo man picked up Rex in a spine crushing hug.

The Captain strained a grunt. "Yeah. Good to see you too, Wrecker."

Once he was set down, Althea moved to grab Rex's hand in an informal handshake. Rex returned it. "Good to see you, kid. You still taking care of these guys?"

Althea flashed a crooked smile as she pulled away. "Yes, sir. Especially Wrecker."

"I thought you didn't like regs." Said Omega, confusion clear in her tone.

"This one we like." Wrecker told her, giving Rex a slap on the back.

"Omega, this is Rex." Said Hunter.

Rex walked over to the girl, kneeling to her level. "I've met many clones in my time, but never one like you."

Omega leaned closer, squinting at his features. Rex tensed and glanced side to side, unsure of what to do.

"You're a generation one." Omega said finally.

Rex smiled. "Now how'd you know that?"

"From the lines on your face."

Rex couldn't help but chuckle at her bluntness. "Yeah, I guess I've been around."

"You got that right." Wrecker laughed. He groaned suddenly, clutching his head. "Thea, I need one of those med patches."

The medic frowned. "You used the last one. I might have something back at the ship, but it won't be as strong."

Rex stood and faced him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Said the demo man. "It's just a headache."

"Which are becoming more frequent." Echo addressed.

Rex's stance became defensive as he moved ever so slightly in front of the girls. "Is that so?"

"If you're concerned about the so-called inhibitor chips, don't be." Tech said with a quick adjustment of his goggles. "Our deviant nature appears to have impeded their functionality. Except in Crosshair."

Rex narrowed his eyes. "You're telling me you haven't removed your chips?" His voice was dangerously low.

"No, not yet." Tech answered.

The Captain moved his cloak and reached for his blaster, his hand hovering above it as he stayed in front of Althea and Omega.

Hunter hopped down from his seat. "Rex?"

"Those chips make you a threat to everyone around you. Even them." He gestured to the girls behind him, both wide eyed. "You're all ticking time bombs."

Hunter risked a step forward, holding his hands up as if he was calming a wild animal. "Take it easy, Captain."

"What's in your head is more dangerous than you can imagine." Rex continued. Something flashed in his eyes. It was the look of someone who had seen the true horrors of war. "I've seen what happens when the chip activates, and I don't want to bury any more of our brothers. Trust me. It is not something you can control. I couldn't." 

He glanced away, only for a moment, then he was trained back on the rogue clones. "It's a risk you do not want to take."

Hunter looked at Rex. There was something feral in that man's eyes, something that said he wouldn't hesitate to shoot every one of them if their chips went off.

His gaze shifted to the girls. Omega looked to him with worry, asking him with her soft brown irises if Rex was right and if he could fix it. But Althea's expression was not something Hunter expected. He had assumed the young medic would be in a defensive position, ready to stop Rex if he grabbed his blaster.

But instead, Althea's golden eyes shone with fear. She looked at Hunter and Rex, conflicted on what to do. She wasn't scared Rex would attack her family, but of something deeper. Hunter could see how she looked at him with uncertainty, as if she didn't know if she could trust him. 

The Sergeant decided he couldn't risk it. Rex was right, they were all just waiting to snap. Hunter would never hurt the girls, but if he was being controlled....

"How do you suggest we get them out?" He asked.

Rex relaxed instantly. "Good question. I'll be in touch."

                        •°•°•°•°•°•°•

Wrecker bounced his knee nervously as he clutched his head. Tech and Omega were working on a device. Well, Tech was, but Omega was ready to help. Althea was packing her medical supplies, grabbing everything she could fit in her bag. She had never preformed surgery before and, while she knew she had help, it was making her nervous.

"I-I don't like this plan." Wrecker said standing up to pace.

"We agreed to meet Rex on Bracca." Hunter said as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "That's what we're doing."

"He wants to cut open my head." The demo man argued, pressing a finger to his skull.

"All our heads actually." Tech reminded him.

"Not ours." Omega gestured to herself and Althea. "We don't have inhibitor chips."

Wrecker stared at the blonde. It was obvious that Althea didn't have one, but Omega was a clone too. "Why not? Now, that's not fair."

Hunter looked over at Tech's device. "How's the chip scanner coming?"

Tech stood, taking his invention. "Since Rex's chip was removed, I am able to establish a baseline by comparing his brain scan to ours. Allowing for the detection of any cellular anomaly."

Althea took her bag and stood, forcing her nerves away. "He means it's almost finished."

"Do we really have to do this?" Wrecker asked once again.

"If Rex is sure, we should trust him." Hunter said. He would not put any of his squad at risk, especially the girls.

The surface of Bracca was covered in the corpses of Star Cruisers. Rust was the only color around, save for the greyish blue of the sky.

"What is this place?" Omega asked as the Marauder flew over the surface.

"A starship graveyard." Hunter answered. The girl jumped to try and get a better view, causing the Sergeant to move his hand to her shoulder.

"I'm picking up Rex's beacon." Said Echo. He landed the ship on a metal surface. As they exited, Rex walked up to meet them, no longer wearing his cloak.

"Right on time." He said as him and Hunter shook hands.

"How's a junk planet gonna help us?" Wrecker asked annoyed.

Rex donned his helmet. "Follow me."

They followed suit, everyone putting their helmets on, Althea her mask, and following the Captain. 

"Bracca may not be much to look at," Explained Rex. "But it has exactly what we need." He pointed to a ship in the distance. "I had my chip removed on a Jedi cruiser just like that. That's where we're heading."

"Then why'd we land all the way over here?" Wrecker asked.

"Everyone down!" Hunter ordered suddenly. They obeyed, even Rex. They had all leaned to never question Hunter's senses, for they were always right.

"That's why." Said Rex as a tiny craft flew over them.

Tech pulled down his visor. "It's the Scrapper Guild "

"They control this planet." Rex confirmed. "We need to keep out of sight from their patrols. Let's move."

                       •°•°•°•°•°•°•

As they walked to the cruiser, Althea found herself wringing her bag strap in her hands. She could barely focus on the conversation ahead of her, barely catching Wrecker make a joke about Rex's age. 

She knew that there would be equipment to help with the surgery, but she was no surgeon. She knew that Tech would be there to help her every step of the way, but what if she screwned up? Althea was going to be digging into their brains. One wrong move or mistep and their lives were at risk.

The medic had reset bones, gave stitches to bleeding wounds, and even stopped bleeding with her bare hands and nothing else. But she wasn't sure if she could do this. She couldn't lose another family.

They came do a dark corridor. Wires and other random pieces of the ship jutted out of the walls. Rex led them until a steep drop off stop their trek, dark water below. "The medical bay's at the other end." Said the Captain. "Wrecker, grab that cable."

The demo man lifted the heavy cord. "This? W-Why? W-What are you gonna do with it?"

                           •°•°•°•

Rex kept his hand under Omega's back as she reached the last part of the climb. "Nicely done." He said as she hopped down.

The entirety of the team had climbed across the chasm using a cable, all but Wrecker. Althea looked across the gap and found him. "You're up, Wrecker!"

"Uh... Yeah, my head doesn't hurt anymore." The demo man lied. "I'm fine. You guys go one without me."

"You can do it." Omega shouted encouragingly. "Just keep your eyes on the cable."

Wrecker groaned before climbing on. The cable shifted from holding his weight. "Whoa!" He climbed some more and it shifted again, sliding him to the center. "Whoa! That was close." 

The cable broke. Wrecker screamed as he fell. The cable wrapped around his ankle, grabbing him before he fell in the water.

"Are you alright?" Rex shouted down.

"No! It smells awful down here!" Wrecker could be heard gagging, but at least he was safe.

Or not.

Something bubbled beneath the surface. "What's that?" Omega asked, fear evident in her voice.

"Wrecker, start climbing." Hunter ordered.

"Why?"

"Hurry!" Althea shouted.

Tentacles grabbed at Wrecker, their owner roaring under the water. The demo man tried his best to climb up, but the creature was too strong.

"Grab the cable." Hunter ordered. "Get him up." Everyone started to pull him up, Omega keeping an eye on him.

"Faster!" Wrecker screamed. "Pull faster!"

More tentacles grabbed him, pulling him under the water.

"Wrecker!" Rex shouted.

The surface bubbled and Wrecker resurfaced, grabbing the cable. Althea and Echo started to shoot the tentacles and the mouth that appeared as Wrecker made a mad scramble up the cable.

Once he was up, everyone slumped against each other panting. "What was that?" Wrecker asked between breaths.

"Makes you miss battling clankers, doesn't it?" Asked Rex.

Wrecker let out a groan. "Yeah."

                          •°•°•°•

Rex and Tech lifted the rusty door to the medical center. Rats squeaked as the darted into the walls. "This will do nicely." The Captain said as he took off his helmet.

Tech ran his fingers along the wall, scraping up a decent amount of rust. "I would no longer call this medical bay a sterile environment." He looked to Althea, hoping she would agree with him.

The young medic just shrugged. "I've seen worse."

"Do you prefer to use the facility on Kamino?" Rex asked.

"This will do nicely." Tech agreed.

Echo took of off his helmet and walked over to a large machine. "I'll calibrate the surgical pod.

As the machine whirred to life, Wrecker sat on the bed. "Time to get scanned, Wrecker." Tech said as he prepped his device.

"Let's get this over with." The demo man groaned.

Hunter took everyone's gear and began to set it down. He took off his own helmet as Omega walked over. "Hunter," She said as she set her bow down. "Just because the surgery worked on Rex, doesn't mean it's safe."

"It's more dangerous to leave their inhibitor chips in." Rex said from behind her.

Hunter nodded. "We have to do this. It's worth the risk."

"And what if something goes wrong?" Omega asked. "Me and Thea won't have anyone."

Hunter's gaze softened at the curly haired girl. She was scared, and he needed to make it right. He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "We're not going anywhere, Omega. You're stuck with us for the long run. Got it?"

The girl nodded, a small smile on her face. Hunter reflected her smile, but that faded when a clattering noise grabbed his attention.

Althea was picking up the contents of her bag. She must have dropped it. But her movements are jerky and shakey. Hunter frowned. This wasn't like her.

He stood and walked over to her. "You alright, kiddo?" He asked.

She flinched at his voice, like she hadn't realized he had walked over. Althea picked up her bag, squeezing the strap nervously. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

Hunter looked at her, silently demanding the truth. 

Althea bit her lip. "I'm about to do surgery. What if I screw it up?" She swallowed hard. "I can't lose another family." She added quietly.

Hunter felt his heart twist at her words. It was so similar to Omega, yet so completely different. Omega was scared of losing them, the only family she had ever had. But Althea was scared failing to save them and watching her family die all over again.

"Kiddo," Hunter said softly. "I know you can do this."

"And if I can't?" Althea's voice was barely audible.

Hunter took his hand and held her head, giving her neck a comforting squeeze. "Then you'll march down to hell and drag our sorry selves back. Or did I train you differently?" He smirked slightly.

The girl chuckled. "No, I would do that."

Hunter smiled, running his thumb across her cheek gently. "Atta girl."

Rex watched as Hunter interacted with the girls. The tracker had definitely changed since he last saw them, but not in a bad way. He was more patient and shared a bond with each of the girls. It was obvious in the way he spoke to them. It reminded Rex of Cut.

A sudden beeping turned everyone's attention to Tech. "I think I found something." He said. "90 degrees from his right orbital floor, below the parietal and temporal intersection–"

"Get that thing away from me." Wrecker took off the scanner on his head, shoving it into Tech's hands. He groaned, clutching his head.

Omega rested her hand atop his. "Something's not right." She said.

"We need to speed this up." Rex said.

Tech pressed a few buttons on the pod, prepping it. Althea stood by him, her bag on the floor as she helped Tech get ready.

"You boys got lucky." Rex said to Hunter. "Very few clones were immune to the effects of Order 66. It's rare."

Hunter nodded. "When the regs attacked the Jedi on Kaller, we didn't understand why. We couldn't save the General, but at least we helped the Padawan escape."

Wrecker groaned, clutching his head even tighter. Althea handed Tech the anesthesia shot, a frown on her face as she listened to Wrecker's pain.

"Relax," Tech said as he prepped the shot. "This won't hurt a bit."

Wrecker grabbed his wrist suddenly. He stood and grabbed Tech's throat. "Wrecker." He choked out.

Althea gasped and took a step back. Wrecker glared up at his brother. "You're in direct violation of Order 66." He threw Tech into the wall, sending him crumpling to the ground. He grabbed a blaster as Althea ran away.

Hunter grabbed Omega, holding her as everyone ducked behind scrap metal. Rex tried to stun Wrecker, but the crazed demo man knocked the blaster out his his hands.

"He'll destroy the equipment if we don't get him out of here." Said Echo.

"You're all traitors!" Wrecker bellowed.

"We'll draw him out." Said Hunter. "Omega, Thea, stay with Tech." He grabbed a cylinder filled with a smokey substance, throwing it a Wrecker. The demo man coughed as his vision was blinded.

Hunter, Echo, and Rex ran out into the hall, distracting Wrecker so the girls could check Tech. Althea ran over to her intelligent brother, Omega by her side. "Is he okay?" The blonde asked.

The ebony haired girl checked over Tech. He was still breathing and had no signs of injury other than the bruise forming on his cheek. "He'll be okay."

Sound of a struggle came in. Althea looked to the door. She knew what she needed to do. She stood, grabbing her blaster. "Stay here."

Omega's eyes widened. "Althea, don't!" She grabbed the medic's arm to stop her, but they walked out together.

They found Wrecker choking out Hunter in the hall. "Come on, Wrecker." He strained. "Snap out of it."

"All clones in violation of Order 66 shall be terminated." He said. Hunter had never looked so scared.

Althea steeled her nerves and shot over Wrecker's shoulder. He looked at her and Omega before slamming Hunter's head into the wall. The Sergeant crumpled to the ground, but Althea couldn't help him, not when Wrecker was after her and Omega.

Althea and Omega ducked into another med bay, hiding behind a piece of scrap metal as Wrecker searched for them. Althea held Omega close to her, doing her best to protect the girl. 

But it was no use. Wrecked flung away the metal they hid behind. Althea aimed her blaster with a shaking hand.

"This isn't you, Wrecker." Omega said. "It's the inhibitor chip."

The demo man towered above them. "Conspiring with traitors makes you guilty of treason."

Althea's finger neared the trigger. "Please, stop. I don't wanna hurt you."

Wrecker smacked the pistol out of her hand, taking his own blaster and aiming it at them.

"We're your friends." Omega said, tears rimming her eyes.

Wrecker's hands shook. "Good soldiers follow orders."

Althea grabbed Omega, shielding the girl from the initial fire that was sure to come. She held the girl's curls in her hand, doing whatever it took to protect her.

A sudden stun brought Wrecker to the ground. Althea looked behind her to see Rex leaning against the door, panting and holding a blaster.

                              •°•°•°•

Tech and Althea worked furiously at the controls of the surgical pod. Rex and Echo stood to the side. "Is it supposed to take this long?" Asked the ARC.

"I'm not sure." Said Rex. "I've never been on this side of it before."

Althea tapped a few more buttons. "It's done." She said as the bed shifted so Wrecked was out of the pod.

Omega smiled and shook him. "Wrecker." When he didn't respond she shook him harder. "Wrecker! She turned back to Althea and Tech. "He should be awake by now."

Althea felt her heart stop. She failed. Tech looked down at the screen. "He is alive, but his vitals have not yet stabilized." He looked over and saw Althea's expression. He tapped her hand lightly, giving her fingers a light squeeze. "We won't know anything until he regains consciousness."

Rex walked over to Hunter. "This could be a while. Why don't you take Omega topside and get some air." He knew Althea wouldn't leave until Wrecker was awake. It must have been a medic thing, because Kix would do the same thing.

"No." Omega said at Rex's words. "I'm staying until he wakes up." She brought a chair up to the bedside, waiting for something none of them were sure would even happen.

                            •°•°•°•°•

Omega awoke to the feeling of someone running their hand through her hair. She looked up to see Wrecker smiling weakly at her. "Hey, kid. Why....why the long face?"

"He's awake!" Omega said brightly, waking up everyone else. Althea rubbed her eyes from where she leaned on the console. 

Tech sat up immediately, as if he was never asleep. "Oh. You made it."

Hunter rested his hand on Wrecker's shoulder. "Welcome back."

Rex held the device in his hand. "One chip down. Three to go. Who's next?"

The rest of the surgeries went faster, everyone waking up within an hour. Althea stuck a bandage into Tech's head. "There." She said softly.

Hunter placed a hand on her shoulder, his own bandage barely visible under his bandana. "You did good, kiddo."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, looks like I didn't have to march down to hell for you."

Hunter smiled, but his eyes were sad. "Yeah, well we've been through enough of that for one day."

Althea's eyes were drawn to where Omega was beginning to pack up her things. She walked over an joined her, readying her bag. The girls shared a smile, but neither of them were expecting to feel someone's hand on their shoulders.

They turned to see Wrecker as he kneeled to Omega's level. "Listen, Thea, Omega. About what happened..." Omega cupped his face in her hand. "I...I tried to control it. I tried as hard as I could. I just couldn't make it stop."

Althea rested her hand on his shoulder. "We know, Wrecker. It's okay."

"But still...I...I'm sorry." He looked so guilty, like he felt he would never be forgiven.

Omega pulled away from him, reaching into her pouch and pulling out a handful of Mantell Mix. "The mission's over." She said.

Althea smiled. "We can't break tradition."

Wrecker smiled at them. "Thanks, guys."

The three of them sat there munching on day old pocket Mantell Mix. Nothing could have been better.

Outside, Hunter found Rex scheduling a rendezvous. "I figured you weren't out of the fight just yet." He said.

The Captain sighed. "I spent my life fighting for the Republic. Can't stop now."

"The Republic's gone, Rex."

The Captain smiled. "Ah, not all of it. We're here. Others are out there too. Your squad's skills would be a tremendous asset."

"Things aren't like before." Hunter said. "Our priorities have shifted."

"So I've noticed."

There was something about the glimmer in Rex's eyes that told Hunter all he needed to know. "Omega needs us, and I have to do what's best for my squad."

"Which is what?"

"I'm still figuring that out."

Rex nodded. "I guess we all are. When you sort things out, let me know where you land. Tell the boys I'll see them around, and tell Althea she's become a fine medic." He held out his hand to shake.

Hunter took it, nodding. "Stay out of trouble."

Rex smirked. "Funny. I was gonna say the same to you. Well..." He pulled away and put on his helmet. "Take care, trooper."

He walked away, but Hunter stopped him. "Captain,"

Rex turned, ready to listen.

"If you're ever in a bind, you know how to reach us."

Rex nodded, saying a silent goodbye before disappearing into the fog. Hunter watched him go, he had definitely been around General Skywalker a long time.

<- Previous

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[yukipri]

The Bad Batch Season 2 - Mid-Season Eps 7 & 8 Spoilers & Thoughts

Ranted it out on twitter last night and forgot to share here.

LOT of thoughts this time

Major Spoilers beneath cut!

Really trully phenomenal writing, so much more than I expected to be said so explicitly. Open discussion of clones' rights, their futures, their lack of personhood under both the Republic and the Empire, even the threat of decommissioning.

What we always knew, what we wanted explicitly addressed in mainstream canon, stated by the clones themselves. Truly ecstatic about these episodes.

Absolutely loved the confirmation that yes, this is what Rex has been doing all along. We saw it implied with Gregor in S1, but it's so good to see it clearly stated, and to see him in action. It makes me hope he got Cody out too.

It also made me crave a show dedicated entirely to this fight. I once again understand and am okay with the TBB centering solely around the Batch. But it's hard not to be anxious knowing what all the other clones are facing. Which makes me understand Echo even more.

Echo's decision. I knew it would come to a boiling point, trusted it would. I'd hoped that Echo would convince Hunter + co to care, but they have their own priorities. I love Echo more bc he decided he couldn't walk away.

He said that his place was with the Batch, and I like to think that he found some kind of home with them. But unlike the rest of them, he sees the rest of the clones as his brothers too. I hope this isn't the last we see of him, but I know he is loved and respected with Rex.

These episodes were a wealth of nostalgic locations, and seeing each one caused such a beautiful ache. I love all the lush new planets explored in the other episodes, but Coruscant felt like coming home.

The specific locations: 79s, the Senate building, Riyo's room that looks so much liked Padmé's, the Martez sisters' place, the clone memorial, the lower levels, even the star destroyer, the stunning of the troops specifically evoking S7's finale. Everything the same but different.

We didn't get to see all of these places with the new graphics, bc TCW S7 only had 4 arcs and TBB S1 covered a lot of newer locations. But gosh what a treat. It was all so beautiful, both aesthetically and metaphorically. Defs need to rewatch so many times to truly appreciate.

Rampart's fall surprised me, bc I did feel he's the lone Big Bad of the show so far, the true embodiment of anti-clone. He's done a lot of unforgivable things and having Palps lock him up isn't satisfying, even if it was surprising. I unfortunately doubt that's the last we've seen of him, though who knows. I admittedly don't care too much either way, but if he's gone, it'll be interesting to see who steps into the next "main antag" shoes, bc I doubt it's Palps himself.

IAN MCDIARMID.

TRULY THE KING.

(or should I say, Emperor)

RIYO.

I'm so glad to see her again

(also, apparently I've been saying her first name wrong all this time??? Am I the only one who's been saying Ree-yo when it apparently shoulda been Rai-yo?)

Rex had his tiddies uncovered the whole time and I was so concerned he'd get shot. i mean he's the only chara guaranteed to live, and I'm also glad he's got a better disguise, but dear please wear some protection

(but yeah ngl it's nice that we got to see him armorless with the beefier new model. I am still remembering TCW Saleucami and thinking my gosh this man is a STICK he is STARVED they ALL ARE. I am always for adding more beef to clones.)

Really curious where they're going with the chips brainwashing the clones. Both Rex and Wrecker appeared conscious of the whole time they were under, trying and unable to stop and remembering it afterwards.

Yet other clones seem to be gradually "waking up," even though many of them likely should have been equally horrified at the moment O66 went live. Rex and the Batch aren't exceptions being Good Guys, the vast majority of the clones are extremely loyal and honorable.

Makes me wonder if after an extended time under the chip's control, that feeling of wrongness/fighting against it fades, until it seems the new ordinary? But then the more time passes, the Order weakens, and they're able to feel more discrepancies, hence the desertions?

The clone assassin definitely seemed super "under" an Order, extremely Off and not himself, like what I'd imagine a freshly O66 clone to be like. Which makes me further curious that Rampart had him (and presumably more like him) under his control. We'll have to see!

But yeah, to conclude: Cody didn't die! (didn't show up!) Named clones I cared about too much in the few minutes we had them DID die and I am still sad but, it could have been worse.

Also huh, not even a glimpse of Crosshair? (feeling a wee bit bad for his fans, that out of the first 8 eps, he's only in one of them...hopefully the next one will be about him ^ ^; )

[wendingways]

We Didn't Start the Fire, Star Wars Version

Amidala, Nute Gunray, no treaty, trade blockade Jedi guarding, desert landing, Qui-Gon's bet—oh gee Ani’s freedom, Naboo mission, death of Qui-Gon, Zabrak fission Old apprentice, new apprentice, Chancellor Sheev P.

We didn't start the fire It was always burning, since the worlds’ been turning We didn't start the fire No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it

Separatists, death plot, Chancellor, asks a lot Jedi, two refugees, scary mother dying dreams Missing planet, Obi, Republic’s got a clone army Tusken Raiders, Geonosis, galaxy’s in two teams

[Chorus]

First Christophsis, siege weeks long, snippy little padawan Huttling stolen, droids a’ rollin’, lineage snark Ryloth, Duchess troth, Zillo beastie, Quin Vos Mortis, two falls; Rako Hardeen arc

[Chorus]

Pong Krell, slavery, Ventress goes her own way Maul’s a crime lord, Satine Kryze, Temple bombing, ‘Soka leaves Clone chips, Fives caught on, Clovis rising, Qui-Gon Rex’s plans, crazy clan, troubles with the Martez

[Chorus]

Mandalore, Maul again, army splitting, Tano’s men Blue blades, good men die, padawan’s last goodbye Grievous coming, Sheev is gone, tell the Team to come on Skywalker homicide, half a ship’s a wild ride

[Chorus]

Anidala, nightmares, spying games, Sheevie’s snare Lots of lightning, window, arrest is a no-go Vader, Knightfall starts; Padmé, Obi, lacking smarts Strangulation, limbs gone, two new hopes are born anon

[Chorus]

Luke’s new droids, Old Ben, looks like I’m a Jedi then Prison, Tarkin, Alderaan explosion Two old men in one last duel, trash compactor’s not so cool Escape, Yavin, joining the Rebellion Death Star, exhaust port; shooting womp rats, good sport Deadly ray – blown away, what else do I have to say?

[Chorus]

Wampa fight, Echo base, Yoda’s cave’s a scary place Bespin, friend con, carbonite, poor Han Sith Lord, quick sword, Luke’s first duel, parent being really cruel Weathervaned and down a limb, lucky Leia’s saving him

[Chorus]

Jabba’s Palace, sneaking in, death-tight chain around Hutt skin Swamp returns, sister learns, fleet, flight, prisoner New apprentice, Sheev seeks one; Ani’s choice to save his son Empire fractured, ghost encore, Rebels gonna win the war!

[Chorus]

[starplusfourletters]

Oh no disney plus made a list of Ahsoka TanoEssential Episodes and it's Unhinged

"Rising Malevolence" and "Storm Over Ryloth" - actually this is a good take. Good early season ahsoka and anakinandahsoka content

"Padawan Lost" and "Wookiee Hunt" - I mean yeah you kinda have to list those right

and then it just... skips to the wrong jedi arc? Excuse me? This is the entirety of tcw s1-5 we're including here??

The Martez sisters arc wrong wrong wrong this is not essential it is not even very good why does disney want us to watch this

The Mandalore arc which again you kinda have to

All the Tales of the Jedi ahsoka eps which are good but also not essential. They are by definition EXTRA content. released a decade after the content they relate to.

the rebels s1 finale where she has, and this is true, two lines

The rebels s2 2-part premiere where she is also not super present. Could make an argument because of the vader content but that could also be replaced by the next ep they chose which is

rebels "shroud of darkness." yeah good take

Twilight of the apprentice because yeah duh

"wolves and a door" and "world between worlds"... ugh yeah I guess but can we cut it down to one

the mandalorian ep, which maybe could be essential based on what happens in the show buuuuuuuut I feel like it won't be

the book of boba fett ep which is just ridiculous. It is the ahsoka show preview inside the backdoor mandalorian ep inside what's supposed to be a boba fett ep. go home disney intern you're drunk

obvi they want to promote as many properties as possible but have you considered she's arguably the protagonist of one (1) of those properties

[sergeantgoggles]

Title: Everything You Want Ship: Recho [Rex/Echo] Rated: M Summary: Rex needs to leave. Echo needs to just be with him. Warnings: Angst. Lots of it. Mentions of skin attached to metal. Because it's Echo. Alcoholism. Word Count: 1104

For @blazesurrender

“Don’t give me that look. I’ll be back.”

Strong, confident fingers tilted Echo’s chin up to meet his gaze, but the former ARC Trooper still found a way to avert his gaze and look anywhere but Rex’s eyes. He finally caught his attention when he slotted their lips together in what was meant to be a soft, chaste kiss to draw him out of whatever thoughts were going through his mind.

He should have expected it wouldn’t stay that way, but it took Rex’s breath away when Echo deepened the kiss, one gloved, metal hand pressing against his back while his flesh hand cupped the back of his neck and brought him in closer. Their bodies were flush, and Rex was weak man, willing to give Echo anything he needed, so when Echo’s tongue pressed to his lips, Rex was all too happy to let him in.

It wasn’t as though Rex was going to be gone long. He had a pickup off-world that would only take him a few rotations to complete. The mission offered little to no risk and he’d be back soon, hopefully with another brother or two to keep safe at the Martez sisters’ place. There was no reason for Echo to be kissing him like his world was ending, especially when it already had, and they were left picking up the pieces of what remained.

But Echo tasted of bourbon laced with desperation, and the way Echo was holding him and breathing him in between gasps of air was enough to convince Rex that he could spare a few more minutes. His fingers gripped at Echo’s hips and pressed along the seams where flesh met metal gently, drawing out a delicious moan from him that Rex greedily swallowed.

“Take me with you,” Echo begged into his mouth before crushing their lips together again.

For a moment, Rex considered it. There wasn’t really a need, per se, to have Echo with him, but he wouldn’t mind the company after working alone for as long as he had, and if this was any indication on how Echo had planned on passing the time with him…

Rex made a strangled noise as he nipped the pout of Echo’s bottom lip, making his trooper purr. He had half a mind to take him right there, but as much as his body was quickly rebelling against rational thought, he remained steadfast.

“Not this time,” Rex said firmly, if a bit breathless. “I need you here.”

“I need YOU here,” Echo countered with an almost rough edge to his voice that was very unlike him. “Rex—”

Rex halted him from saying anything further by pulling back and putting a soft finger to Echo’s lips. His body screamed to just agree with him so they could continue whatever Echo was asking of him, but time was truly of the essence. If he arrived too late, there might not BE a brother to retrieve, and all of the resources for the extraction would have gone to waste. It wasn’t something Rex was willing to risk, not right now, not even for Echo.

Pressing their foreheads together, Rex could clearly see the upset and disappointment in Echo’s eyes. In that moment he was reminded that Echo was still younger, even if he’d been through hell. He was reminded of a child terrified of being alone instead of the brave, intelligent, amazing soldier he knew Echo was.

Echo trembled in his arms, and Rex could practically taste the venom that Echo wanted to spew at him in his intoxicated state. Rex wondered briefly if he was making the right call leaving Echo when he was like this.

After a moment, Echo pushed his way out of Rex’s arms and turned his back to him. “Fine.”

“Echo—” Rex sighed and tried to catch his arm, but Echo twisted out of his grasp, and something in Rex knotted, making him feel ill.

“Don’t bother. I’ll see you when you get back,” Echo spat, and Rex pretended he didn’t hear the waver in his voice or see him swipe the back of his hand across his eyes.

As Echo stalked away from him, Rex rubbed his hands over his face. Inviting Echo along now would seem pitying, and there was no talking to him after he’s been drinking.

Quietly, Rex turned and grabbed his bag from the floor, but stopped when he heard the unmistakable wail of a brother in need. Glass shattered distantly, followed by a sob that he was sure he wasn’t meant to hear.

“Stop leaving me behind!”

Rex froze. His blood ran cold, and guilt rose like bile in his throat until his chest ached and his eyes burned. Flashes of the citadel mission played behind his eyes, then Skako Minor and the Techno Union, and then Bracca. He could argue that Echo had left him to be with Clone Force 99, but Rex didn’t fight for him, and somehow, he knew that was what Echo had wanted. He’d wanted Rex to fight for him, to make him stay and promise him that things hadn’t changed between them, and instead, Rex thought he’d made the best decision by letting Echo decide. It had been his trauma to deal with, and he wanted to support Echo the best he could, even if that had meant letting him go.

Rex stood. Fuck it.

He didn’t knock when he approached the room Echo had claimed for himself and was greeted with quiet cries as Echo hugged his knees to his chest in the corner like a frightened cadet. Not too far away was a holo of the two of them shortly before the Citadel mission. They had taken a night off and gone out with the rest of Torrent Company, and Kix had snagged a shot of the two of them sharing a romantic kiss with the Coruscant skyline in the background.

Times were simpler then.

Quietly, Rex kneeled next to Echo and tipped his chin up again, this time carefully wiping the tears from his eyes as a thanks for not fighting against him.

“Pack your bag. I’m not leaving you.” Rex ordered softly, and he was relieved when Echo nodded, though Rex could tell he felt guilty about the tantrum he’d had. They could address that later. For now, all Rex wanted was to keep his lover close to him no matter the cost. If he came to regret that, well, he could cross that bridge later. For now, he was happy with the salty kiss Echo stole from his lips before he started gathering his things.

[firefly-fez]

is any other star wars fan out there irrationally obssesed with the implications of ahsoka not having her headress after season 5? According to Legends, the togruta headress is made from Akul teeth, an Akul killed by the young togruta as part of a coming of age ritual. It’s a significant cultural artefact, and we NEVER see her wear it again after she leaves the order. In the Martez sisters arc, she’s wearing a fabric headress, which she replaces with a Mandalorian-style headband in the Seige of Mandalore arc. (Bo-Katan is seen wearing a similar design, so presumably it’s Mandalorian in origin). Her Rebels-era design shows her with a handmade leather/metal blend thing. We don’t see the traditional togruta headress again. (Interestingly, none of the villagers on Shili wear the headress either. Most of the slaves on Kiros don’t either. Shaak Ti does wear a headdress.)

Of course, Ahsoka’s headress is what her padawan braid is attached to, and I think her choice not to wear her headdress is a reflection of her non-involvement with the jedi order, which is why we don’t see her with it after she leaves.

But like… what happened to it? Does she keep it safe somewhere? Knowing her military-raised no-attachments practicality, I doubt she kept it. It was with her when she left, so it’s not something Anakin would have in his quarters. So, she probably got rid of ot at some point. Did she discard it? It’s too culturally valuable to do that, surely. It’s probably worth a fair bit, so she might have sold it to make ends meet and help her get a start on her new life after she left the order. That’s probably the most likely option.

Even though she lets go of the headdress, she keeps the tradition for herself. She doesn’t leave the space empty. She makes herself a new headband, keeping her central diamond theme. She accepts the mandalorian headdress when she serves at the Seige of Mandalore, probably some sort of honour code among soldiers.

It’s like she keeps her link to her people alive, outside of the role she stepped into as a padawan, just like how she kept her link with the force alive outside of the jedi order

[ahsokathegray]

I Bleed the Same || Twenty-Six

Pairing: Rexsoka

Summary: Ahsoka and Rex try and make sense of who and what they are after Order 66 occurs. Figuring out what to do with themselves, they remain together for a period of time before parting in their own directions.

Warnings: slow burn, mentions of Order 66, ptsd, injury, death, and future nsfw situations

Word Count: 5,321

A/N: Rex makes a tough decision and some feelings are felt. A dash of distress and a load of tension. Also, I'm having a bit of writer's block, so I'll see ya'll again with an update on 4/25!

read on ao3! / series masterlist

What went from worry over which emergency the Martez sisters could be contacting him about, quickly ignited into hope. Rex might’ve had to leave Gregor behind for now, but an entire squad of clones — already rogue — had just fallen headfirst into their laps. His mouth went dry, “Where do I need to go?”

“The youngest one said they’re staying on Ord Mantell,” Rafa provided, glancing to where Trace sat beside her nodding. 

Rex attempted to steady his breathing. Did the squad have a cadet with them? He hadn’t even considered how this transition might be playing out for younger clones. He shook his head in confusion, “The youngest one?”

Rafa confirmed, “They were traveling with a kid. A girl.”

So not a cadet. That didn’t make much sense at all. Had they rescued the girl on Corellia? Why would they bring her with them inside of a high security factory? He knew it wasn’t safe for the call to go on for too long, there was only time for a few questions to be answered. 

“What were they doing there?” he asked, his words coming out faster now. 

“Same as us. They were after the head — said their employer had a buyer, but they wound up letting us have it instead.”

The employer part made him nervous, but otherwise, it definitely sounded like his brothers. This squad of clones had just forfeited payment in order to help two strangers. “And you're sure they were clones?” he pressed, needing confirmation.

Rafa nodded, “They were clones alright, but they didn’t quite look all the way like you.”

Clone force 99. Echo. He wanted to ask for names, but knew he couldn’t. Instead, Rex squared his shoulders and gave the girl a nod, “Thank you, Rafa.” The holoprojection then fizzled out in his palm and Rex pocketed the small device. 

Ahsoka shuffled her feet beside him and she fidgeted with her fingers. She chanced another look upwards. The Repub— the Imperial Venator still loomed overhead. “Rex, do you know the clones they ran into?” she asked, something like hope lacing her voice. The deep stir within him was practically visible on his face. He knew something.

“I’m almost certain. Remember what I told you about Echo en route to Mandalore? And the troopers he joined — the ones that helped me extract him on Skako Minor?” he prefaced. 

“You think the sisters ran into Echo?” Ahsoka asked, her features lifting. 

The last time she’d seen him had been on the mission to the Citadel. After his presumed death, she felt far less guilty for having secretly traveled to Lola Sayu without her Master’s permission. The ARC’s passing had an impact on everyone; a core member of the 501st gone. She was elated when the Captain had told her of his survival. She’d even hoped to see him after the siege had come to a close. Hearing that he was alive and well was incredible news then, but hearing that it might still be true after the rise of the Empire was even more uplifting. 

Rex was trying not to get his hopes up, but it proved challenging to suppress the good news. Either way, both missions had been a success. Having a third win wasn’t something he was going to turn away so quickly. “I don’t know, but I suspect so. We should get inside. I’m not sure it’s safe to leave the planet just yet, but we want to be ready in case those transports come back around,” he waved, jumping back into the pilot’s seat. 

“You know, one of these days I’m gonna pilot and you’re gonna sit in the rear,” Ahsoka remarked playfully, climbing in behind him. 

“What are you insinuating about my flight skills?” he tossed, wearing a toothy grin and failing at not allowing the news to sway his mood. 

He almost didn’t think about hurtling through the debris of the Tribunal to save her. 

“Besides the fact that I’m the better pilot, you’re going on almost no sleep, Rex,” she responded, half-joking but mostly serious. He only shrugged. Ahsoka looked up again, hoping that the more she looked at the Venator, the less sick she’d feel. 

As the ship's canopies closed around them, the two shuttles flew back out of the mountain, bypassing where their ship sat under the cover of the trees. A weight lifted off their shoulders. They hadn’t been seen on the way in or on the way out. Then, as quickly as the Destroyer had appeared, it took off, leaving the skies clear and blue once more. 

Rex lifted them back up above the trees shortly thereafter and pressed the ship into Daro’s upper atmosphere. Ahsoka peered out the transparisteel around her, catching the smallest glimpse of the hidden military base below. She shuddered. The mental images her mind was crafting were unkind. There was nothing she hated more than telling Rex they’d have to return… that they’d have to leave his brothers behind and come back at a later date. 

Although she never knew any Commandos personally, it still hurt, knowing this was happening all over the galaxy. The thought of men so loyal, so good, walking into something they were told to trust… It was barbaric. Ahsoka couldn’t bear to imagine Rex in the same position, had she and Maul not survived as intended. She couldn’t picture her Captain in colorless, scrubbed armor, or without the helmet he’d welded together himself. 

Defying this was now his life’s mission, but it had to be delayed, despite being close enough to touch. 

She looked out amongst the stars, waiting for the ship to turn in the direction of the correct hyperspace lane. Rex punched coordinates into the navicomputer and they made the jump to lightspeed. Except, he’d gone in the opposite direction. 

Ahsoka pressed her fingers up against the cold panels in front of her, “Rex? What are you doing? We’re going the wrong way.”

“We aren’t. The Wheel is back this way.”

“But Ord Mantell is—”

“I know…” Rex interjected, “I can’t take you with me.”

The iciness of the panels, as well as in his words, send chills up her arms, “What do you mean?”

Rex’s brows lowered a fraction, pinching together in remorse, “Ahsoka… I can’t bring you into the Mid-rim, not on a planet like Ord Mantell and especially not around a squad of clones. If it is Echo’s men, like I think it is, you don’t need to be anywhere near them.” Her head began to ache near the nape of her neck as Rex continued explaining his decision. “I know earlier I wanted to go into the base and extract Gregor, I still do, but you’re right. We can’t do it alone and you… I don’t know if their chips are still active — if seeing you will trigger something.”

Her breath fogged the transparent barrier between them in small patches, helping her to regulate her breathing. He was going alone. She’d be alone, or maybe alone with the Martez sisters, but she’d be without Rex. 

“Rex, I can handle myself. Let me help you.”

“I’m sorry, Ahsoka. Please try to understand where I’m coming from on this. I’m not willing to risk it. I can’t take you with me, I… I can’t lose you again,” he admitted quietly, almost to himself. 

The gunner’s seat that had felt like it was closing in on her, seemed to return back to its normal size. Ahsoka processed his words. At first, she thought Rex was referring to when she’d left the Order; how she’d walked away without offering him so much as a goodbye. Perhaps that is what he meant. Why she started becoming so analytical over his words, she didn’t know. Did she want them to mean more? The flutter in her chest answered the question for her. Could Rex have meant instead that he lost her for the duration that his chip was activated? 

Ahsoka pressed her mouth into a thin line. He didn’t want to lose her. Rex just wanted to keep her safe. She meant a great deal to him. He felt a responsibility for her safety still, just as she did with his. 

Maybe it was the new galaxy blinding her, or the amount of time she’d spent in such constant proximity to Rex, but she began noticing small differences in his behavior. Again, that could be attributed to what had encapsulated them, the end of the war forcing them closer, or what she’d needed him to do on Jabiim. Ahsoka leaned back, sure that she’d only convinced herself that he reciprocated the foreign feelings that stirred in her heart. 

“Okay.”

~~~

Rex made three trips around the Martez’s unit to make sure he’d not left anything behind that he might need. Each of his possessions were accounted for, as the majority of them never came off of the ship, but he still felt some discomfort in not being able to check the Silver Angel. He couldn’t find his helmet light. 

“I know you want to get there as soon as possible, Rex, but they may not even be back on Ord Mantell yet,” Ahsoka tried to settle him. They were sitting on the mismatched couches in the living area and Rex’s relentless knee-bouncing had yet to cease. Against her better judgment, Ahsoka placed a hand over the knee, “Relax. There’s no need to rush. You need a plan first and the girls are still on their way. And you and I would both feel better if you slept beforehand.”

Outwardly, Rex sighed, but he didn’t know how he was supposed to relax when Ahsoka’s hand was on him, her fingers wedged between the plates of his armor. He could feel her warmth, her skin flush with the fabric of his blacks. He swallowed and leaned further into the couch, the action only causing him to struggle that much more with her touch. He pressed his knees closer together. “I’m sorry. Just knowing that they’re so close… that we’re actually finding them has me a bit on edge,” he confided.

“There’s no need to apologize,” Ahsoka smiled in an effort to ease his mind, “Maybe you should eat something, too.”

He closed his eyes for a brief moment and felt the exhaustion present in his bones. Now that he’d actually stopped for a moment, Rex realized he was rather hungry and hadn’t thought about it until Ahsoka brought it up. The corners of her lips tugged ever higher as she felt the realization wash over him. “Let’s see what they’ve got in the kitchen,” she laughed, standing and leaving him on the sofa. 

Rex allowed his head to lean back as he watched her, finding that the couch was nearly as comfortable as the bed was. No wonder Rafa had opted to sleep there on nights Trace’s snoring got too loud. His eyelids began to grow heavier and he attempted to keep them open, intent on watching Ahsoka prepare a meal — something he’d never seen her do before. It was all so very… domestic… and, as his eyes closed, he decided he didn’t mind it. In fact, he was becoming rather fond of the new roles they’d been forced into.

Next thing he knew, there was a comforting weight on him, pressed into his chest. His eyes were slow to open as he surveyed the room in a sleepy haze. There weren’t as many lights on as before. Something warm and hard was hooked onto his shoulder and he looked down, finding Ahsoka nuzzled into him, her left montral balancing on his collarbone and keeping her upright. Her full lips were parted and pressed against his chest, a small patch of saliva darkening his cloak. Rex couldn’t help but smile and conceal a light laugh.  

A gloved hand cupped Ahsoka’s shoulder and he shook it gently, “‘Soka.”

She mumbled something against him and her eyes squeezed once before they blinked open. Long eyelashes brushed against the brown fabric of his cloak and she lifted her head away. There were nap marks all over her arms and face. Her cheeks flushed crimson as she rubbed the back of her hand; Rex was almost certain her lekku had darkened a shade as well. 

“Sorry. I must’ve passed out at some point,” she said, rubbing her eyes. 

“S’okay,” he whispered and then cleared his throat, “How long was I out for?”

Ahsoka looked off to the side. 

Rex sat up, “How long?”

She pulled one leg under herself and scrunched her nose in thought, “Five standard hours, give or take.”

“Five hours? I’ve slept too long… I — I have to go,” he rushed, suddenly out of breath and attempting to stand. Nimble orange fingers wrapped around his wrist, stilling him. Ahsoka convinced him to take his seat back on the couch with only her eyes. Swallowing, Rex tried to regain his composure. She didn’t even need the Force. With just a look, Ahsoka could compel him to do anything she wanted. He swallowed, finding that he was wound tightly around her finger… and that he wanted to be wrapped around all of them. 

“You still need to eat,” she whispered, “Stay here and I’ll reheat what I made before you dozed off.”

“How long did you sleep?”

“Maybe four of the five hours,” she guessed, sending him a soft smile. 

Rex rubbed his hands over his face, still in disbelief that he’d slept for such an extended period of time. It wasn’t normal for him to sleep for very long at all before the nightmares visited him. He then sat up and was plunged into thought. He’d been nightmare free the entire time. 

It had also been that way the last time Ahsoka had slept so close by. Had she kept his nightmares at bay? Was she getting enough sleep herself?

His thoughts were abandoned as the smell from the kitchen wafted his way, filling his senses. Rex groaned and his feet carried him to where Ahsoka stood behind the bar. He put a few more portions than was necessary on his plate and the Togruta beside him giggled. In the low light of the kitchen, Rex decided he could’ve kissed her then. He could see himself pulling her close and pressing one to the tip of her montral. Rex could picture himself embracing her from behind and swaying with her in the little kitchenette. The adoration in his eyes seemed to not be so subtle, prompting Ahsoka to take a bite of toast and look away. As soon as the food hit tongue, he gave a noise of satisfaction. 

“I’m exiting the bedroom!” Trace called from down the hall minutes later. “Just announcing my presence for no particular reason! I definitely wasn’t sent in here to see if all the moaning was— Oh hey guys,” the younger Martez smirked, leaving up against the food cooling unit. 

Ahsoka grinned and shrugged her shoulders, “Sorry if we disturbed you, Trace. Rex finally woke up and I was getting him something to eat.” She bit her tongue after the words left her mouth, preparing for her words to be twisted into a sexual innuendo. 

“Oh okay,” Trace smiled, glancing at the chrono on her wrist very politely, “Welcome back to the land of the living.” A touch of relief ran through Ahsoka, thankful that her friend had opted not to give her a difficult time. 

Rex was half finished with his meal before he spoke, “You have the droid head?”

Trace’s face contorted, “Yes and no. The head was destroyed actually, but one of the clones copied the contents over to a data rod before it got shot. They were after the head too, for a buyer they knew nothing about. We told them that our employer needed it to help people and Rafa said that the leader guy just gave it to us.”

She grabbed the rod from a mess of factory clothing that sat by the door and placed it in Rex’s palm. He was pleasantly surprised. The mission hadn’t gone as expected, but the sisters had managed to adapt to the obstacles thrown at them. “I’m actually impressed with you girls,” he said to Trace, “Run into any other issues?”

“Well, we couldn’t leave from the original rendezvous, but R7 and the Angel swooped in to save the day. Thanks to Ahsoka for fixing it of course! Oh, and it’s all because the police droids started shooting at us, so I reprogrammed the tactical droid head to command the other droids to take them out! And it worked!”

Rex almost choked on his meal and turned his attention to Ahsoka, who had a knowing look on her face. She’d presumably been awake to hear this story when the sisters arrived back at The Wheel. 

The youngest sister continued on, “It was pretty wizard. We kinda clashed in the beginning, but once we started working together, we made a pretty solid team.” 

That comment caused Rex to think about what it would be like to have a band of brothers at his six again. It was second nature for all clones to rely on one another. He just didn’t want the pain that came with it… the inevitable pain of losing a team member. The idea of clone deaths had always hit him hard, but they struck harder in this new galaxy.  

He thanked Trace for the debrief and for the data rod, to which she smiled and bid the pair goodnight, throwing Ahsoka a thumbs-up as she backed out of the kitchen. 

“We shouldn’t go through the contents of this here. Do you think we can get the data over to your contact?” Rex asked, gathering dishes and removing his gloves to clean them. 

Pressing herself into the counter, Ahsoka agreed, “Yes. I can transfer the frequency over to you and we can sort it out before you leave.”

“So in the next hour or so,” Rex clarified. 

Her expression fell, not yet wanting to be without him, but knowing that duty came first. This was something they’d always done, all throughout the war and ever since they’d known one another. It hadn’t affected her then, but it was like a punch in the gut now. In a way she’d never been able to before, Ahsoka began to sympathize with Anakin, thinking only now how he must’ve felt when he was pulled away from Coruscant… from his wife.. She likened herself to Padmè before ridding herself of the comparison. 

“That should be doable,” she answered, hopping up onto the counter. Her legs swung out of nervousness, waiting for Rex to finish up at the sink. 

He scrubbed their dishes and dried his hands with a pink, floral towel. The small light by the sink and the lower ring’s fluorescents peeked in from the blinds, casting a soft glow onto Rex’s face. He looked so gentle; he was gentle, but in that moment, he didn’t look like a war-hardened soldier. The friend she’d had for so long had grown to be so much more. He looked handsome, enticing, and as if the Force itself had designed him. Ahsoka supposed that in some ways, it had. 

Except, he didn’t look like Jango Fett. He didn’t look like a copy, or like any of the clones she’d come to know over the years. He was Rex and there was only one like him. 

A tanned finger lightly dabbed the healing scar on his head and the fluttering in her chest returned. The pink towel was returned to the sink and Rex stepped closer to where she sat on the countertop. The swinging of her legs ceased altogether as he neared her, his frame towering over her, backlit by the dim lighting. Ahsoka couldn’t help but bite the inside of her lower lip, a desperate attempt at keeping herself still. Her montrals felt warm and her lekku grew hot. Rex pressed his hands onto the countertop, on either side of her. Her pupils were blown wide, locked with his, and intent on being present for every second of this interaction. 

She watched as he swallowed, his throat bobbing. Rex scanned her features and his eyes — darker than normal — lingered on her lips before flicking up to meet her gaze. “I’ll come right back, you know. No matter how this goes, I won’t stay long. I’ll come back to you,” he promised her in a low voice.

Ahsoka inhaled deeply, out of breath and finally allowing herself to reel in from his intoxicating presence. She let her lip go, “I wish I could go with you. But, I agree with your decision. It’s not safe… not yet.”

“When it is, I’m not leaving your side again,” he said firmly. In his pause, that window of opportunistic tension returned. Ahsoka’s hands started to feel clammy. “Now, what do you say we give your Senator friend a call?” His arms fell from their place beside her and she sucked in another breath. Her lekku swayed as she quickly nodded, leaning forward and descending from the counter, following Rex into the guest bedroom. It took her a minute to steady herself on her feet. 

Bail’s comlink was in the bottom of her med pack, underneath Republic-issued ration bars, bacta patches, and beskar armor. She held the device loosely in her hand, knowing everything that came with it. 

Her heart pumped furiously in her chest. There was a time she’d not been so privy to the politics of the war, but once she started paying attention, it was difficult to turn a blind eye to. Everything she’d ever heard Bail Organa fight for in the Senate, was moral and right. It was why he and Padmé were such close friends — they’d held similar views in a galaxy full of credit-blinded politicians. 

Even without her encounter with the Alderaanian Senator at the funeral, one would be foolish to assume that his views aligned with that of the Empire. Of course he opposed it. 

Rex was leaned against the ‘fresher door with his arms crossed when Ahsoka finally turned to him. His jaw flexed and his eyes softened as he held the button down on his own comlink, prepping it to receive Bail’s frequency.

Ahsoka delivered it to him within moments, causing the blinking light on his wrist to change color and then switch off completely. Rex thanked her and Bail’s comm fell limp in her hand, its capabilities feeling both less daunting and yet more so. She returned it to the bottom of her bag. Out of sight, out of mind. 

Meanwhile, Rex had taken a seat on the window ledge, leaving an empty space for her to join him. The air in the room felt too still, almost stale as she took a seat next to him. She much rather preferred the tension that resulted from other moments they’d shared, this kind of tension gave her a bad feeling. 

Her heart would still be in her throat right now from how close Rex had gotten in the kitchen if this wasn’t what followed that interaction. Selfishly, she wondered what kind of conclusion would’ve resulted from it. Surely after a display like that, Rex felt something comparable to what she did. 

Rex noticed her trepidation. “You don’t have to say anything,” he said, dropping his wrist to give her his full attention. “I’d be a fool to not know how you feel about this kind of thing.” Her pulse quickened and Rex continued, “This is… a lot to digest so soon and I understand your position completely.”

All Ahsoka could do was nod and he initiated contact with the Senator. The bedroom grew silent, save for the faint beeping of Rex’s comm. The quiet was so deafening that Ahsoka had no choice but to feel what the Force was telling her. Her fingertips thrummed with the nerves bundling inside of Rex, their hearts beating in unison as his anxiety became her own. She watched as he swallowed thickly and his long fingers twitched. 

Then, the light stopped its pulsing, now illuminating in a steady yellow glow. A scrambled voice responded, “This is a private channel. How did you obtain this frequency?”

“Senator,” Rex started, his voice wavering in urgency, “I was given this frequency by a mutual friend of ours. She saved my life. I believe you can help me.” The Captain’s brows were tightly knitted, waiting for the inevitable rejection as he knew his voice gave him away as a clone. 

There was a hefty pause as, who they could only assume was Bail Organa, processed the answer. He spoke once more, “Who am I speaking with?”

Rex was hesitant to give his name, but reminded himself this was a private channel, “This is Captain Rex, Senator, of the 501st Legion. I survived with Ahsoka Tano. I was with her on Naboo when she ran into you.”

Ahsoka sat in front of him, her legs hanging off the edge of the seat and ankles crossed, one foot tapping in anticipation. She hadn’t been looking at him, but off somewhere, nowhere in particular. She worried her lip, glancing to his comm and then back at him with the utterance of her name. As they waited for Bail’s reply, he reached out and placed a hand over hers, squeezing her fingers softly. The action was a surprise, but not at all unwelcome. He mouthed to her, “It’s okay.”

She believed his words, but didn’t know how she’d ever recover from the feeling of his bare hand over hers. 

“Captain Rex,” came Bail’s voice from the comm, no longer disguised, “I must say I’m relieved to hear that you survived. Is Ahsoka with you?” By the tone of his voice, they could both tell he was disappointed to have not heard from Ahsoka first, and instead hearing from someone she’d shared his contact with. 

The conflicted Togruta opened her mouth and then closed it, the words not coming. She couldn’t find it in her to confirm her presence.

“She’s not, sir,” Rex responded with, offering her an understanding nod, “I was hoping to deliver to you quite a bit of Separatist intel that my team and I were able to get our hands on. There’s a data rod packed with valuable information that I want to offer you. It would be a useful asset in your line of work.”

“I hope you’ll understand my hesitancy, Captain, but would you mind if I asked to see your face?” Bail questioned, keeping his cards close to his vest. All parties involved seemed to know that this was a game of trust.

Rex fetched the holoprojector from one of his pockets, “Not at all, sir.” The skeptical Senator then flickered to life in his palm, blue light waving as the connection was transferred over. Ahsoka pressed herself further into the wall and Rex adjusted as well. 

Bail seemed satisfied and smiled upon seeing a familiar face, “I must ask, why offer me this information?”

“Well, sir,” he began, “I think we both know the answer to that question.”

“Are you sure you're ready to jump back into this, Captain? 

“I’m sure,” Rex answered without hesitation.

The small, blue projection of the Senator crackled as he took time making a decision. He glanced for a minute at the long scar on the side of Rex’s head before responding, “I’ll send you coordinates to a rendezvous point. Ping me when you're ready to meet. I look forward to seeing you, Rex.”

“You too, sir.”

~~~

Rex found his helmet light aboard the Silver Angel and clipped it to his helmet, switching it on and off to check if it worked properly. Ahsoka put a hand over her hip and then crossed her arms, unsure how to conduct herself in this situation. Goodbye was something she and Rex had never done. Everything inside of her body pulled her towards him. She wanted nothing more than to hop into the back of the Y-wing and leave with him for Ord Mantell. She wanted to see Echo again. She wanted to see clones again — alive — after having seen too many dead. Moreover, she wanted to protect Rex from whatever dangers might await him.

He stood in front of her, his helmet tucked under his arm, and a hand went behind his neck. His gaze was unfocused, so far from how it had been just earlier in the kitchen, moving from the crannies of the garage and back to her in a vicious cycle, his usual confidence missing.

A wish of good luck died on Ahsoka’s tongue before she could say it. Her last interaction with Anakin came violently to the forefront of her mind. So much was left unsaid because she thought she was promised tomorrow. Even when she’d had the opportunity to relay a message to her former Master, she’d declined the offer. Too many tomorrows had been taken for granted, too many people — people she’d never get to speak with again. 

Telling Rex goodbye had been unbearable when she’d left the Order behind, so she’d declined that opportunity as well. Goodbye wasn’t something she’d ever been too keen on, and that was before the galaxy did a one-eighty. Rex approached her and she likened herself to Padmé once more. She didn’t like it. 

He didn’t look the way he did when he was normally prepping for a mission. His features weren’t hardened or his mouth in a scowl. The lines in his face were less prominent and his expression was soft, remorseful.

“I want you to know…” he started, “I’ll be back in no less than two standard rotations.”

Rex watched as she lifted her chin a little higher, “I know. Ord Mantell is only a little farther than Daro.”

He shifted awkwardly in front of her, a touch of pink flushing his cheeks, “Being apart from you — Uh, it’s the last thing in the universe I could want right now, but if it means ensuring your protection… I have no choice but to handle this alone.”

Ahsoka’s arms returned to her sides, feeling what Rex was feeling in his chest. Did she dare tell him? Back on Naboo, she promised herself that she would. Was this that time? She held an inner debate, not able to decide if her love for him had evolved into something new.  

She smiled weakly, “Good luck. Not that you’ll need it.”

That relaxed him, causing a very attractive grin to grace his face, “Don’t hesitate to comm me. I’ll rendezvous with you back here if you just say the word.” He pivoted before stopping short, “And don’t forget to scramble your voice.”

She waved him off and laughed, “I know, Rex.”

He sent her a wide smile over his shoulder and made for the ship, tossing his helmet into Ahsoka’s seat. “I still wish you’d take one of these,” he called, fingering the pistol over his right hip. He’d offered to leave her with one after their call with Bail, to which she’d again declined. 

“You’ll need them more than I will,” she called back. A lump formed in her throat as she watched him from the door, a mixture of emotions vibrating inside of her and threatening to bounce free. Something between an embrace and a confession tugged violently at her insides. She hugged her middle and shouted over the low hum of engines beginning to purr to life, “Hurry back!”

Rex threw her a mock salute from the closing canopy of the ship, paired with the same look he’d given her aboard the gunship during their descent onto Mandalore. Her heart seized in her chest as the distance between them grew larger by the second. She continued to watch as the ship backed out into the ring and disappeared from view, no doubt having already made the jump to lightspeed.

[cintakaz]

i dont understand why people hate on the ahsoka's walkabout arc it's literally the funniest premise in tcw. 80 straight minutes of ahsoka trying to pass as a Normal Citizen while the martez sisters go how the FUCK do you know so much

[thecleverqueer]

With this new comphet revelation that I’ve had about the Filoni/ Favreau Mandoverse, another character I worry about is Ahsoka Tano.

I head-cannoned her as gay (or bi-favoring women, even slightly or perhaps asexual), though I always knew that nothing would come of this canonically, despite a pretty significant amount of queer-coding that is/was clearly just bait.

My hope was that Filoni would leave the romantic aspect of her up to interpretation, and would just leave romance out of her story entirely as it’s honestly not important (until it is smeared into your face one way or another). But, at this point… I can’t see that happening. Ahsoka is going to get a boyfriend. But who?

On the one hand, I hate that Filoni axed Nyx Okami in The Clone Wars. Would I have hated the character? Probably. No…. Absolutely. He was kind of an asshole to Ahsoka in his prototype episodes, but Nyx could have turned around, and ended up being a lovable scoundrel like Han Solo. He’s someone that I probably still would have hated with Ahsoka, but I could have grown to appreciate him as a character sorta. I’m also not going to lie… the Martez sisters arc made me question Ahsoka’s sexuality even more so (especially after all that weird shit with Barriss), and I think that Nyx would have tempered my head-canon. I am realistic. The likelihood of any character that I like actually being gay is virtually zero (sometimes sub-zero), and so I generally view all of them as heteronormative until something very obvious challenges that view.

I hate Nyx’s axe more so because now all we have is Lux Bonteri who kinda stayed an asshole throughout The Clone Wars series in his appearances, and Lux is now likely the front-runner for an Ahsoka series romantic interest (that is inevitable). And, when I say this, lemme give you a list of the bullshit Lux pulled:

-Was a general prick to Ahsoka upon meeting her (which the Separatists / Republic thing, I get)

-Gawked at Ahsoka disrespectfully upon meeting (which, granted, Ahsoka invited, but then, acted as if she was off-put by it).

And, maybe, I could have gotten over their first interaction to like him more… But, goddamn, Filoni made the motherfucker so much worse as Lux:

-Pointed a gun at Ahsoka, threatening to hijack her ship, ultimately, stunning her unconscious after she took the gun away from him.

-Kidnapped her while she was unconscious.

-Stole said ship to meet with terrorists with known anti-Jedi sentiments and a history of attacking Jedi.

-Also stole and hid her lightsabers, leaving her defenseless against said terrorists.

-Tried to mansplain why he was right about seeking the terrorists’ assistance in taking out Dooku while Ahsoka attempted to reason with him.

-Kissed her against her consent (which Ahsoka clearly didn’t like or appreciate, and this is, technically, sexual assault).

-Disrespected women in general with the Death Watch clan (who were harboring what appeared to be sex slaves from a local village) while treating Ahsoka like a broodmare (even as a front, gross).

-Nearly got them both killed.

-Stole an escape pod, leaving Ahsoka and showing no real interest in her romantically, still leading her on a bit.

-Led Ahsoka on while clearly dating Steela. He was clearly more into Steela for sure, but he sort of strung Ahsoka along by vaguely flirting with her and toying with her emotions

-Ultimately got Steela killed as he went to “save” her, knowing damned well he was incompetent and sort of just ended up being in Ahsoka’s way. Then, instead of covering Ahsoka’s flank as she tried to save Steela from the ledge, he just sort of stood there and stared in a panic.

So, yeah. Lux is not good enough for Ahsoka.

Ultimately, from a story telling perspective, there’s no tangible evidence that Ahsoka and Lux have even seen each other or been in contact since the Onderon arc (it would seem implausible based on what happened) which would make this pairing insufferably lazy at this point. In fact, canon would indicate that for the past 25-30 years, they’ve been in completely separate spaces doing separate things. Ahsoka was nearly killed, hid for a bit, then ran a spy network for the rebellion. Lux married an imperial woman, and ultimately worked for Saw’s partisans after his passing. So… why!? Why pair them now? Is Ahsoka really lame enough to simp over that half-witted dumbass for nearly three fucking decades!? Lazy. It’s abysmally lazy, and weak.

On the other hand, maybe we’ll see her with someone else entirely. It’s not as if Filoni can’t write great characters. He has written dozens of incredibly likable characters.

For me (and I can’t believe I’m about to say this), the least offensive character he could ship her with that already exists is Rex. I’d be a little uncomfortable with it, just based on the Clone Wars optics… you know, the ones where Ahsoka is clearly a child and Rex is a grown-ass man (never mind the Clone’s accelerated aging.. that’s not relevant, I’m talking optics alone). Honestly though, the Ahsoka/ Rex in Rebels situation isn’t THAT bad. And, to me, Rex is just a great guy and a great character. He’s always treated Ahsoka with the utmost amount of love and respect, and if we must pair her with someone for heteronormativity’s sake… Rex would get my vote. Rex would be a good boyfriend/ husband for Ahsoka. And honestly, I think this is technically the most popular fan-ship (outside of Anakin and Ahsoka which is REALLY gross). Filoni would never do this, I’m afraid, but Rexsoka would make way more sense than bringing Lux back from nowhere to fill this role.

Luke Skywalker is another popular option, but honestly to me, it’d be too much like pairing her with Anakin (if not slightly more gross) because Luke should be more like a nephew to her than a love interest. I know Star Wars likes the incestuous sexual tension, but honestly, this isn’t Game of Thrones.

Din would be okay, but I’m pretty sure they’re going to put him with Bo-Katan Kryze (which is a whole other can of worms I will not get into).

Maybe Filoni could just create her another original, new boyfriend character. It would take a lot of build up, obviously. I don’t think pairing two characters together for sake of doing it is good storytelling. There would need to be good reason, and the character would have to be hella-likable for me to accept it without completely writing it off as bullshit. But, I’d be okay with Jude Law if he’s actually going to be the OC school teacher that he’s rumored to be, and not Lux who, like, four or five mediocre white men have theorized that Jude Law is playing… just because Lux, at best, is a fucking idiot and at worst, is an abusive player.

That’s my take.