A cloaked figure appeared on the holotable. Rex stared at him intently. He felt a sudden and unnerving tension in his gut but couldn’t explain why. The figure spoke three words in a low and deliberate gravel tone,
The words hung heavily in the air and rang in Rex’s ears like someone had screamed them. His head began to tingle like thousands of microscopic Krykna were crawling through his brain. The emotion drained from his face, and he nodded,
“Yes, Lord Sidious.” He replied in a low, monotone voice.
As the transmission faded so did the spark in his eyes. The bridge doors opened behind him and Ahsoka ran in,
“Rex! It’s Anakin. I feel like something terrible has happened.” She said urgently.
Rex kept his back to her. The sound of her voice, which he usually enjoyed and looked forward to hearing, now sounded like two pieces of metal scraping together. He gritted his teeth, the urge to hurt her – no kill her welled up inside him.
Something in his mind stopped. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t him. Ahsoka was his commander and one of his closest friends. He swore an oath to protect her with his own life if necessary. The crawling in his head intensified like a dark thing growing and snaking through every recess of his mind. His hands began to shake with a mixture of rage and fear. He felt like his mind was being pulled in two opposite directions; like he was losing control. His helmet slipped from his fingers and hit the floor with a hollow thud.
“Rex?” Ahsoka asked uncertainly.
The other troopers around them turned. A symphony of clicks sounded against the drone of hyperspace as they cocked and trained their blasters on Ahsoka. Rex knew he had to do something to save her.
“No! I’ll do it.” Rex snarled as he hit his fist on the holotable.
“Rex? What’s happening?” she asked again as their gaze met.
He saw the look of pain and betrayal flash in her eyes. She put up her hands and made a motion toward him.
“Stay back!” he yelled as he pointed his blasters at her.
His mind began turning over the same phrase quietly at first but then louder and louder in a monotone voice that wasn’t his own –
Good soldiers follow orders…good soldiers follow orders…good soldiers follow orders! –
His hands trembled and single tear ran down his cheek.
No! I won’t hurt her! he silently screamed into the growing void of darkness.
Good soldiers follow orders…good soldiers follow orders…good soldiers follow orders! –
The crawling in his head a rose to static drone echoing in his skull. Every fiber of his being was telling him to pull the trigger of his pistols, but he couldn’t tear his eyes from the almost fearful look on Ahsoka’s face.
“Find him…..find him….” He gasped. His heart pounded in his chest. All he could hear was the sound of his own blood pumping and the phrase that had become a murderous chant among the static din,
Good soldiers follow orders!
The last shred of his conscious mind finally put everything together and screamed out,
“Fives…..FIND HIM!” He bellowed as his vision dissolved into a red haze and he fired his pistols at his closest friend. His last conscious act was tilting his pistols a hairsbreadth downward to aim away from her heart.
She didn’t miss a beat and ran towards Rex, deflecting blaster bolts and knocking him down against the holotable. She had trained with the 501st firing at her, but she never believed it would really happen.
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