Close Call

Twenty One days Post Catalyst

Anakin landed back on the Resolute feeling that sense of accomplishment that having done a job particularly well always left behind. His trip to Coruscant had been particularly productive, for all it had been exhausting, and for once his outburst to the Council had been entirely warranted.

The Jedi Council hadn't had any defense when confronted about Ahsoka's assignment. While Ahsoka was technically an adult by Togutan tradition, Anakin had argued that she'd grown up in the temple and been ill prepared for the mission as a result. Perhaps a Togrutan of the same age who had grown with her people and been exposed to the things Ahsoka had been asked to do would have been acceptable, but with her sheltered upbringing - something none of the Masters could deny - Ahsoka had been particularly ill suited from the start. Jedi techniques and training had done nothing to equip her to deal with men in the capacity required.

Rex's report had served as damning evidence.

That Ahsoka'd accomplished the mission had been nothing short of a miracle and, Anakin had told them frankly, only thanks to the teamwork and trust between Ahsoka and Rex. Despite all that, he told them frankly, that Ahsoka had come out of the mission different. Quieter. He used her unwillingness to speak with him, the new distance between her and Rex and various other signs of the changes she'd undergone during the mission, to make his case.

He was adamant that after he'd been incapacitated, the mission shouldn't even have been considered as a possibility, laying the blame squarely in the lap of the council where it belonged.

The council chamber had taken the brunt of his severely tempered wrath, something Obi-Wan had commented on after the fact as being impressed with his restraint. Restraint he hadn't shown with his old mentor when they'd had a brief, heated discussion via holo transmission outside of the council meeting.

Anakin wasn't sure what he would do the next time he saw Obi-Wan for the simple fact that Obi-Wan could have stopped all of it before Ahsoka had been subjected to such indecency - and had chosen not to. He didn't appreciate his old Master taking liberties with his Padawan and, while he was sure Obi-Wan was aware of it, Anakin wasn't certain Obi-Wan knew just how passionate he was about the subject.

Their next face to face meeting would be interesting.

After his confrontation with the Council, Anakin had been left with a feeling of vindication and headed straight for the Intelligence agency that had passed the mission on to the Council in the first place, having learned that he and Ahsoka had been selected by name as the team most likely to accomplish the required goal.

He'd torn into the building and office with merciless precision, finding the department and then the team and, finally, the individual who had put the mission together. His end result had been to discover that a droid had been used to weigh the variables of the mission and, taking into account the various factors, had presented the solution to the Jedi Council.

The droid wouldn't be making that mistake, or any other, ever again. Its handlers wouldn't be either and a quick call to the Chancellor had ensured that a living being with ethics and a brain, not servos, would be put in charge.

He'd spent his two days on Coruscant dealing with the fallout of Ahsoka's mission and the nights in the arms of his loving wife. One had tempered him for the other and he'd taken his time to show Padmé just how much he treasured her.

With his missions accomplished, and confident of their success, Anakin had returned to the Resolute.

He needed to speak with his Padawan, really speak with her, and not take any of her excuses to avoid him any longer. Anakin also needed to speak with Rex and further discuss his role in the mission, something the report had carefully glossed over. At the time, he hadn't really minded; the report laid out exactly what he'd needed to tear the council's judgement to pieces. For all Ahsoka had changed with that mission, so had Rex, and Anakin intended to find out just how much so he had a better idea of how to handle them.

The hour was early, just shy of oh-three-hundred standard hours, and Anakin was tired. It had taken him longer than anticipated, but not as long as his filed flight plan, to get back to the Resolute and while the Twilight had bunks, he'd not exactly left with a co-pilot.

Rubbing one hand over the back of his neck as he stifled a yawn, he exited the turbolift only to come up short in surprise. He hadn't expected to find his Captain, looking back over one shoulder as he rounded the corner, in the corridors on the way to his quarters.

"Rex?" he blinked and frowned, not able to correlate why Rex would have been in the area. "I wasn't expecting to see you at this hour."

The Clone's head whipped around and Anakin swore he saw Rex's jaw clench before his posture turned rigid and he, too, came to an abrupt stop. "General!"

"At ease," he stifled another yawn and waved his hand to dismiss the formality, "it's the wrong time of day to stand on ceremony."

"Yessir." Rex took up the expected posture, but made no other move and, surprisingly, didn't offer an explanation as to his presence.

"Well?"

"Sir?"

"What brings you to these halls at this hour, Rex?"

"Graveyard shift."

"I see." That still didn't explain what Rex was doing in this particular hallway. "I thought that station was bridge oriented for you."

"The Commander came to speak with me," Rex's gaze wasn't quite meeting his, but Anakin yawned again and barely noticed. "She seemed disinclined to leave unless I walked her back to her quarters."

Anakin arched his eyebrows at his unexpected news, perking up a little. "Ahsoka's speaking with you again?"

"Er." Rex uncommonly hesitated, no longer meeting his gaze, and then nodded. "Yes, sir."

"That's a load off my shoulders, Rex," stepping forward, Anakin slapped one hand on Rex's shoulder. "I'm glad you two worked out your differences while I was away."

"Not all, but we're getting there, sir. It's going to take some time for her to trust me completely again."

"She'll come around," if Anakin knew his Padawan, it wouldn't take long. Then he frowned, belatedly realizing what Rex had said. "What do you mean to trust you again? What did you do?"

"Our… estrangement was my fault, sir," there was a ring of truth in Rex's words that had been lacking since he'd returned from the mission to Ord Mantell and Anakin's tiredness slipped further away as he focused on his Captain. "The mission we were sent on threw me pretty good. I couldn't deal with her after what she was made to do."

"And after what you were made to do?"

Rex nodded.

Anakin could see guilt and remorse in Rex's eyes as they slid away. "That's something we'll need to talk about, Rex."

"Sir?"

"Your role in the mission," the clarification drew Rex's eyes back to his so fast Anakin swore he heard a snap. "Your report explains what Ahsoka did and what she was forced to do, but it's very impersonal. It couldn't have been easy for you, either."

"Mostly, sir," Rex's voice grew rough, "I just focused on keeping her safe and on mission." There was a grim silence between them as they both silently acknowledged what that mission had been. Rex continued after clearing his throat. "How was your mission sir?"

"My mission?" Anakin blinked. "What mission?"

"You trip back to Coruscant. Was it successful?"

"Exceedingly so." He didn't even bother trying to keep the satisfaction from his voice as he squeezed and finally released Rex's shoulder. Another yawn quickly followed, the events of the last week catching up with him. "We'll continue this later, Rex; I need some rack time."

Anakin turned, heading for his quarters as he caught the click of Rex's boot heels as he headed towards the turbo lift.

It wasn't until he'd pulled his shirt over his head and stripped down to sleep, his head already on his pillow and his eyes closing with fatigue as he was drifting off, that Rex appeared in his mind's eye again and gave him pause. Rex, dressed in full armor, but lacking some very specific pieces; Rex hadn't had his helmet or his gloves.

Odd.

It wasn't like Rex to go without either while on duty.

Anakin made to reach for his comlink, but his body was heavy, now prone where it wanted to be, and his movements were sluggish. Already more than half asleep, he dismissed the thought of asking immediately. I'll ask in the morning.

The thought followed him into slumber but, come morning, was nowhere to be found.

Fin