Free Minds

Chapter 1|Most Wanted

Coruscant looked peaceful from the lofty Jedi Temple, proudly standing upon the artificial surface of the planet. The upper towers of the city shimmered sliver in the last light of the day, looking deceptively pristine so high above the thousands of lower levels no natural light ever reached. Anakin however, standing alone at one of the large oval windows along the corridor, felt restless, his mind going through the events of the past couple days, trying to make sense of everything.

It all had started on Ringo Vinda.

Trooper Tup had killed Jedi Master Tiplar, his mind seemingly altered by something, had gotten kidnapped by the Separatists on his way to Kamino, forcing them to stage a rescue. And yet despite their efforts he'd died on Kamino, a necrotic biochip having apparently caused his violent episodes and led to his death, probably due to some pathogen.

And now?

Now ARC trooper Fives, who had stayed by Tup's side, had lost his mind as well and even tried to kill the Chancellor, following the removal of his supposedly healthy chip. The clone was on the run somewhere here on the most populated planet of the galaxy, according to Master Shaak Ti convinced that the biochips themselves were the problem.

But why attack the Chancellor? Was the removal of the chip responsible? The Kaminoans claimed that they kept the clones in check, made them less aggressive than their template Jango Fett. If that was true a malfunctioning or removal would explain unexpected violent actions. Still, what had caused Tup's chip to malfunction? A virus or even a parasite? Anakin had seen what Geonisian worms could do, though why had only one clone been affected?

After listening to Shaak Ti's report the Kaminoans' explanation seemed reasonable, but the meeting had left Anakin with more questions, and that the Jedi weren't supposed to help with the search was puzzling. Why had Tup only been aggressive towards Jedi? Why had he kept mumbling on about orders? It gave at least a little credence to Fives' claim of a Separatist plot.

Frustrated the young Jedi rubbed his temples; this was starting to give him a headache.

This all felt too much like what had happened to Ahsoka not all that long ago. And she had been framed.

Anakin knew Fives and something just felt off. As a Jedi he was supposed to trust his instincts and his told him that there was more to this than what the Kaminoan's claimed. The problem was that everyone was now hunting the ARC trooper, and Anakin doubted they would take him alive. He knew how 'malfunctioning' clones were usually dealt with.

He had to do something, anything. Whatever the truth was, he wanted to hear Fives out, owed him that much; he was still one of his men after all. However that meant finding his trooper first, somehow.

As Anakin considered his options he heard footsteps approaching, and when he turned his head saw Captain Rex, helm under his arm. Judging by his expression the Jedi could tell that the clone was troubled as well, which wasn't surprising. He and Fives had seen many battles together and had saved each other's lives multiple times throughout the war; Rex was certainly not about to abandon his brother now either.

"Any news, Captain?"

"No, sir."

"I suppose that's good," Anakin said, turning back to the city. "Means they haven't found him yet. But we have to."

"And what if we do?"

For a moment the Jedi hesitated. "I'm not sure. I don't buy the story of a virus or parasite. Only one affected clone, seeing as Fives' biochip was fine, when he had it removed. No, there is more to this. We have to question Fives, find out what happened on Kamino, with the Chancellor, but I'm afraid no one else will want to hear it. I'm afraid after what happened they will shoot on sight."

"Then we would have to keep his capture a secret," Rex noted.

Anakin nodded grimly. "Which comes with its own set of problems."

He heard his captain sigh. "And we can't turn to anyone for help."

Help. "Wait, what…?"

"I said we can't turn to anyone for help; right now everyone is out for blood." Rex paused for a second. "The…commander was lucky that she was still part of the Jedi order, when she was on the run. But a clone accused of trying to assassinate the Chancellor himself." He gripped his helmet more tightly. "There won't be a trial."

Anakin clenched his hands into fists. "I know, I know, but maybe there is a chance we can get help." It was a small chance, but what choice did they have? "Come."

"Where are we going, sir?" Rex asked as they headed down the corridor, almost breaking into a run.

"Clones and Jedi aren't the only ones fighting this war. There are freelancers, mercs and others employed to undermine the Separatists and I happen to know a few of them. If we are lucky there is one on Coruscant right now; it is one of the few places they can get everything they need and meet with clients, so there is a chance." It was slim, but he would grasp any straw he could get his hands on.

"Can we really trust them?"

That managed to elicit a mirthless chuckle from Anakin. "Right now I'm not sure whom we can trust," he said grimly. "But the two of us can't get to the bottom of this alone."

Soon they entered the library, all but vacant at this time and with so many Jedi spread out across the galaxy. The young Jedi only saw the librarian at the far side of the vast hall, apparently not having noticed them, as she disappeared between the rows of blue glowing servers.

With no one else in sight Anakin took the first computer they could find, his fingers already tipping before he'd sat down. A validation of his identity later, the screen presented him with a long register of several hundred names, the most trustworthy freelancers, mercenaries and smugglers a Jedi might call upon. Not that that was necessarily saying much. "Let's see what the list says." Anakin went quickly through the roster, trying to find familiar names. He'd worked with several in the past, even before the war, sometimes chance encounters, other times they had been directly employed due to their skills. Never had he expected that he would need one of them in a situation like this. "Off world, somewhere in the Outer Rim, MIA," the Jedi muttered to himself as read the names, until he finally stopped scrolling. "Aha, there is one. The Nexu."

Rex stepped closer to get a better view of the screen. "Nexu, sir?" Knowing of the four-eyed, feline carnivore, he wondered how this freelancer had earned that particular name.

Anakin leaned back in his chair, recalling their encounters. "She and her crew have been a pain to slavers and pirates since before the war. That's when I first met her actually, on a mission with my master. In the past few years they've expanded their list of targets, gathering intel or committing sabotage for us. Remember the droid factory on Laodia Prime?"

"If I recall correctly it was destroyed prior to the Republic invasion," Rex recounted.

"Their handiwork." His eyes went over a few more names, before returning to Nexu. It had to be her. "She herself is reliable. Considering the list, I think she's our best option to save Fives right now."

Once again Rex clutched his helmet. "I hope you're right, sir."

"Yeah, me too."

...

Anakin returned to his quarters in the temple, having sent Rex to get them a speeder. In case the freelancer accepted he wanted to have credits with him should she demand payment up front. He knew he would have neither the time to haggle, nor the patience. It was also a good place to contact her without having someone else listen in.

As soon as the door closed behind him he activated his holoprojector and waited. The next few seconds streched painfully long, before the image of a woman appeared.

She looked the way he remembered her, including her quite long, curly hair; frankly he still hadn't figured out how she got it to fit into the helmet she wore on missions. "Zuri, it's good to see you."

"It's been a while, Skywalker," the young woman said with a polite smile. "What do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

"Can you talk?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm on my ship, if that suffices."

It did; no one but her crew would be there. "I have an urgent job for you here on Coruscant. A life and death situation."

Now her smile faded for good. "Sounds serious. Why are you calling me though? Have you run out of Jedi?"

"Not exactly. Can we meet in person?"

"That serious, huh? Alright, just say where."

Despite the past few years Rex was certain that he would never quite get used to his general's style of flying. However, he had learned to infer the Jedi's emotional state from it and right now, judging by the sharp turns and aggressive acceleration, he could tell that Skywalker was almost agitated, while his eyes showed grim determination. Admittedly, Rex was grateful that the General was so determined to see this through himself, and the clone was aware that the two of them were probably the only chance Fives had of surviving this ordeal.

They were heading straight into the night, as General Skywalker flew further and further away from the temple, purposefully flying a serpentine route, before finally diving into the lower levels through one of the many circular underworld portals. They passed several smaller starships and overtook other speeders, until they reached the end of the massive ventilation shaft.

The underworld was almost like a massive, artificial cavern, with spires reaching into the open space from above like stalactites. Skywalker got them out of the ever busy traffic to a quieter but also darker area. Here only a few signs spread light upon the occasional passer-by, though several more, which were currently turned off, indicated that this place had seen better days.

Eventually Rex spotted a small landing platform up ahead, another speeder already parking there, though he couldn't see anyone around. The general slowed down and set down beside the other speeder.

Instinctively Rex rested a hand on one of his DC's as they left the vehicle, keenly observing their surroundings.

"Easy, Rex," Skywalker told him, before turning to the walkway that led from the platform to the nearest spire that had been build down from the ceiling. "This way."

The clone followed, still ready to draw his weapon at a moment's notice. After crossing the chasm, the two found themselves at the bottom tip of the spire, stepping into a small barren room, the only light coming from a button next to the lift.

They travelled up, stopping again after only a few storey's and entered what seemed to be a circular observation deck, also unlit. Through the windows one could see all the way to the underworld portal, and when Rex turned around he spotted one or two more in the distance past the central tube containing the lift.

"Considering we're below the surface, it's quite a view, isn't it?" a female voice suddenly remarked.

From the shadows to their right emerged a humanoid figure, her features only revealed once she walked into the dim light shining through the windows.

The woman was clearly Pantoran, having near sky-blue skin and snow-white hair, not to mention the yellow facial markings. Rex knew that some Pantorans displayed them as sort of a status symbol, signifying family affiliation and lineage, though he couldn't interpret them. There was a single stripe across her nose and two curved triangles at either side of her face, which started at the hair line above the ears, and ended below her eyes, pointing at them.

Judging by her clothing and the blaster pistol by her side, a DH-17 by the looks of it, she could have been a smuggler. There was also a snap baton attached to her belt and the hilt of a knife was sticking out of her right boot.

General Skywalker smiled. "Captain Rex, this is Zuri Chausiku, also known as the Nexu."

"Pleasure, miss," Rex greeted her, a little stiffer than intended, but he was tense. Time was running out.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice or care, as she merely smiled and nodded. "Likewise, Captain. Now, Skywalker what is this about?" Well, at least she was straight to the point.

"I'm looking for a fugitive and I want him alive. Problem is I'm the only one who really does."

She raised an eyebrow. "Want me to track him down?"

"If possible. More importantly I need someone, who can make him disappear so I can question him and find out what I need to learn."

"Doable," Chausiku promised. "I need a name and description, picture if you have any."

The general took out a datapad and handed it to her. "ARC trooper Fives," he explained as she studied the file. "Something happened to one of my men, he appears to have investigated on his own and now, among others, they say he attempted to murder the Chancellor. We need to find him before anyone else does."

"So he's the one everyone is looking for. I've been wondering about the commotion at the senate." Why had she been there? Clients? The Pantoran lifted her head, giving Skywalker a questioning look. "Are you convinced he's innocent?"

"That's one of the things we need to find out, but we won't if he's dead," he replied grimly. "As far as we know he believes that there is some sort of conspiracy involving the clones against the Jedi, the Republic as a whole. If there is even some truth to that we need to know."

Chausiku's eyes flickered to the file, deliberating for a moment as it seemed. "Point taken," she eventually agreed. "If you want to question him, and perhaps even keep him alive long enough to serve as a potential witness, there is only one thing we can do."

Rex frowned. "And what is that?"

"Fake his death," she calmly told him, before turning back to the general. "If everyone thinks he's dead, you will have all the time in the galaxy."

"And how do we do that?" Skywalker inquired.

The Pantoran tapped her chin. "Well, finding him is going to be the difficult part. Does he trust you?"

The general crossed his arms in front of his chest and sighed. "From what we've heard he's in bad shape right now. Paranoid even."

"That complicates matter," Chausiku noted. "Well, then I guess it would be best if we just stunned him; explaining everything and convincing him to trust us might take too long. Then I get him to my ship."

The clone's eyes narrowed. "Your ship?" Rex already disliked the idea of involving outsiders into this, but handing over Fives to them was going too far.

Chausiku, however, was clearly unimpressed, returning his stony gaze. "We're leaving planet first thing in the morning. Right now, your friend is saver off planet, and once things have calmed down we can set up a meeting. Until then, he should stay with me, unless you have another place to keep him."

"No," Skywalker jumped in, before Rex could open his mouth. "Fine, we stun him, you take him with you, then what?" Did the general really trust her that much? Rex wanted to protest, but he knew that they had nowhere to hide Fives, and smuggling him off-world could prove difficult as well; given their connection to the ARC trooper, there were probably a few eyes on them. Probably one of the reasons General Skywalker had set up the meeting here in the lower levels.

"Well, we need a body to fake his death convincingly, and we have to set up a place; I'm thinking about an explosion, something that will maim our fake enough to make it work," Chausiku suggested.

It wasn't a bad idea, but Rex could see a potential issue with it, aside from causing an explosion on the probably most populated planet within the galaxy. "Problem is they will probably test DNA or at least the identifying code, if they find an arm."

The Pantoran looked at him puzzled. "Code?"

Rex tapped against his vambrace. "Every clone has an identifying code inserted in their left wrist, allowing authorised personal and droids to look into their records."

"A chip I presume?"

"Yes."

She thought about this for a moment. "We can transplant that, I'm sure. We'd have to. And if they find it, there is a good chance they won't bother with a DNA sample, which would actually work in our favour. After all, they don't have a reason to suspect a decoy and all clones have the same DNA anyway." Chausiku looked to the Jedi. "I will need a few of my crew for this though, if you're alright with that. Let me…"

In that moment the general's com started beeping. Could it be…had the Coruscant Guard found Fives? "Hang on," Skywalker interrupted her, before taking the call. "Kix, what is it?"

Dawn had come and casted the first light upon this particular part of Coruscant, though the sun disappeared again from view once the gunship descended to the lower levels. Commander Fox narrowed his eyes, seeing the landing platform of the warehouse they were heading towards just below.

"Touch down in thirty seconds," the pilot told him over the com.

"Check your weapons and keep your eyes peeled," Fox said turning to the men standing beside him. "Remember, we have orders to take out the target should he resist." He didn't want them to hesitate just because they were pursuing a fellow clone, especially as he was clearly dangerous. Somehow he'd already taken out two of his men just before trying to murder the Chancellor, despite having been unarmed. If they had gotten in but a second later… No, Fox wouldn't take the risk, even if he was armed with nothing but a damn knife. Even an upstart ARC was still an ARC.

Ten seconds.

Fox checked again, and the drone that had followed ARC trooper Fives was still on the platform, assuring him that no one had left. Apparently General Skywalker and Captain Rex had arrived not long ago and not told him, which didn't exactly surprise the commander, considering the events surrounding the former Padawan Ahsoka Tano. He started to wonder if there was something wrong with the 501th, from the general to the troopers, not that he would ever openly voice these concerns. Still, they all attracted and caused too much trouble for his liking.

The transporter touched down and the Coruscant Guard jumped out, weapons ready, Fox taking point. He'd hardly taken two steps, when the massive doors in front of them opened.

"Sir, look!"

General Skywalker and Captain Rex came running out, spotting them immediately. The Jedi waved his arms and shouted from the top of his lungs. "Get down, it's about to…!"

He never got to finish his sentence.

Something within the warehouse exploded, blinding waves of fire expanding outwards and leaking through the portal. The shockwave knocked Fox off his feet along with everyone else, as fire engulfed the doors. From the corner of his eye he even saw the transporter shake, as pieces of metal rained down on the platform, smoke spreading like a thick fog.

Getting back up as quickly as he could Fox rushed to the Jedi's side, who was slowly lifting himself off the ground. He seemed a little dazed, sitting down for a moment, probably because he hadn't been protected by helmet and armour. "General, what happened?"

"ARC trooper Fives," he panted as the others joined them, Fox's men forming a protective semi-circle. "We found and confronted him," the general coughed waving the smoke away with his hand. "Shots were fired. He took a hit, we heard a countdown..."

"Sir," Captain Rex interjected, kneeling beside his commanding officer. "Fives was immobilized; he couldn't have made it out."

"We'll search the debris." Skywalker turned to Fox. "Commander, get us some help down here, I want it moved."

"Right away, sir."

…

They had to wait for almost an hour before they could finally enter the warehouse. It hadn't been enough to simply kill the fire, as the hall had turned into an oven filled with boiling steam, but the team of firefighters had also needed to cool down the heated metal. Accompanied by explosives experts they had entered the warehouse first, snuffing out any remaining pockets of embers.

The commander had also called in a few more of the Coruscant Guard to secure the area around the warehouse in the meantime, just in case, though if what the General had told him was true, the fugitive couldn't have made it to the backdoor or a fire exit. Still, better safe than sorry.

Finally General Skywalker and Fox got the okay.

Inside smoke was still rising from some of the debris, droids stabilising the weakened infrastructure to prevent the roof from coming down upon their heads. Nothing else had been changed as this was now a crime scene, though the water had washed smaller pieces away.

Fox's men spread out, as Skywalker guided the commander and Captain Rex to the spot where they had encounter the rogue ARC trooper. It turned out to be near the epicentre of the explosion, which surprised Fox a little; had he been willing to kill himself rather than get arrested? He had been described as unstable…

"General Skywalker, we've found something!"

All three turned their heads and immediately headed over to a pair of troopers, one crouching next to a charred canister of sorts. Despite the explosion Fox had expected to find a body, but that wasn't exactly the case.

The Jedi noticeably stiffened. "An…arm?"

"Sir, you think it's…?" Captain Rex began, only to be interrupted by his general.

"Scan the wrist!"

Trooper Cypher turned the arm around, removing what little remained of the once white vambrace. "ARC trooper 5555, sir," he confirmed, which honestly relieved Fox.

"Fives," Rex breathed.

General Skywalker's eyes narrowed. "Damn it."

"The rest of the body?" Fox asked; there had to be more.

"We found a few more remains nearby, but they are completely burned, sir," the other trooper replied, before pointing to several spots around them. "Given the way they are scattered, they belong to the same subject and were close to the origin of the explosion. We were lucky this one was covered by a piece of debris."

Fox took the scanner they'd used on the remains. "Was there anyone else in here, General?" Unlikely, but protocol required him to ask.

Unsurprisingly, the Jedi shook his head. "No, we didn't see anyone, nor was I able to sense another presence either. What had they stored here?" he wondered aloud, as he looked around the ruined warehouse.

"Perhaps it was a trap, sir," Captain Rex slowly suggested, speaking as if the word weight heavy on his tongue.

General Skywalker's expression darkened. "Then what he'd held in his other hand must have been the trigger. He was…frustrated when we didn't listen to him," the Jedi conceded, before his hands clenched into fists. "If we just could have arrested him. Commander, have this place cleaned up and the remains collected for cremation; there is no point sending them back to Kamino or the science centre in this condition. I have to inform the Chancellor and the Jedi Council that the situation has been…dealt with."

Fox straightened up. "Yes, sir." Frankly he was glad this mess had somewhat sorted itself out. He hadn't liked the idea of dealing with General Skywalker again, not after the whole Ahsoka Tano-affair. But he was right; most of the remains were so charred that the scanner essentially classified them as charcoal.

Meanwhile, the Jedi turned to his second in command. "Captain Rex. Please tell the men; best they hear it from you."

The Captain's voice was quiet when he answered. "Of course."

Zuri Chausiku closed the door of the ship and turned to her friends, taking a deep breath. They'd done it. Maahes and Quin were carrying the still stunned clone between them, the latter also holding a half empty bottle of cheap liquor in the other hand. As to not attract unwanted attention they had pretended to be a group of friends returning from a night at a bar, which had thankfully worked, in part due to the boys' off-key singing and loud laughter, roaring in Maahes' case, since he was Cathar.

Who would look for a fugitive clone in a group of partying civilians, especially since they'd gotten rid of the noticeable white armour, covered the black bodysuit with a long robe and his head with a turban, which were popular with many desert dwelling cultures. Just to be sure Quin had dressed to match.

"So, what have we gotten into?" Maahes asked, his cheerful façade replaced by a concerned frown, now that they were among themselves, his long ears twitching once.

"Political intrigue, attempted murder, general conspiracies," the Pantoran listed calmly, hoping to mask her own doubts. This wasn't quite like previous jobs, they could all feel it.

"Lovely," Quin noted dryly, readjusting the clone's arm across his shoulders. "I hope we're at least getting paid well."

Zuri managed a small chuckle. "I'll have Skywalker compensate us for our troubles, don't worry."

"Glad to hear it," another voice chimed in, and from a corridor leading to the cockpit appeared Kina, an honest smile on her lips, her sniper rifle still hanging across her back. "We're ready to go; Dahro is warming up the engines as we speak."

"Good, the sooner the better," the Pantoran said and turned back to the others. "Could you get our guest to Doc and have him checked out?"

"Will do."

The two women watched as they somehow squeezed themselves with the clone through the doorway, heading straight to the little medical bay they'd set up on-board their small freighter. As soon as the three were out of view Kina spoke. "So you too noticed he was acting funny?"

"Hard to miss," Zuri admitted. "I'm guessing drugs. Someone wanted to make sure that he'd have no credibility or maybe hoped he would get himself killed." Which meant he knew something, otherwise they, whoever that entailed, likely wouldn't have made the effort.

The other woman leaned against the wall, giving the Pantoran a quizzical look, though nothing indicated that she was actually worried. If anything she seemed excited. "You do realize that we are now protecting someone who tried to kill the Chancellor and is probably public enemy number one? Or close to it anyway."

She would have been a fool to not be troubled by that. "I just painted a target on all our backs, didn't I?" Hopefully this hadn't been a huge mistake. But after what she'd heard from Skywalker, the desperation of ARC trooper, who everyone was so eager to get their hands on...now she too wanted to find out what was going on, this was big, though dragging her crew, her friends, into this made her feel uneasy. Depending on how long the clone would be staying with them, they would have to discuss this.

Kina however was smiling again and followed the others deeper into the ship. "Well, then we'll just have to make sure no one finds out he's still alive."

"Yeah," Zuri confirmed somewhat dryly, more to herself than her friend. "Just."

Author's Note:

Fives' death is probably the one that hit me the hardest in the show. I just would have loved to have seen him as one of the ARCs and Commando's that refused to go through with Order 66, like several others in Legends. Sadly as soon as the chips were revealed I knew that wouldn't be happening. Of course, aside from making me really sad, it made me wonder if he could really have changed anything, or if Palpatine's plan had already put him in a near untouchable position.

Currently (that is April/May 2020), I'm still finishing another story, but if you could give me feedback, tell me if you're interested in a story like this, I'll make "Free Minds" my next main project. So let me know what you think, or ask any question you might have, and have a great day.