Published: 2024-10-21
CT-7567 walked through the corridor, surveying his men as they searched for Ahsoka Tano. A soldier whose helmet bore Tano's tattoos ran up to him, two others trailing behind. "Sir, we've finished our sweep of the detention level. The prisoner has been executed, but there's still no sign of Tano."
Destroy the escape pods and increase security on the hangar decks," CT-7567 ordered.
"Right away, sir!"
—
Ahsoka snuck through the hallways of the Tribunal. She entered the astromech storage room. She activated R7-A7, the droid who typically flies with her in her Delta-7 starfighter. R7 beeped at her. "Shh! Are-Seven, I need your help. I know! I know! Shh, quiet!"
The other two droids in the room, CH-33P and RG-G1, activated, and the lights in the room turned on. The three droids beeped at her inquisitively. "I don't know. I don't know why the clones are doing this," she responded. "But we might be able to do something about it." The droids beeped excitedly. "Are you sure you want to help? It could be dangerous." The droids beeped affirmingly. "Okay, let's get started. Are-Seven, patch into the central computer. Bring up every secure file on clone trooper Seetee-Five-Five-Five-Five." R7 plugged in and began displaying various files to Ahsoka.
Ahsoka spoke to herself. "Okay, Rex. What am I looking for?"
Eventually, a video hologram played. It was Nala Se, chief scientist on Kamino, the planet where the Grand Army was created from the DNA of bounty hunter Jango Fett. She spoke in her ever-calm voice: "An independent investigation confirmed that the clone trooper Seetee-Five-Five-Five-Five experienced a malfunction with his inhibitor chip. Both the Senate committee and the Jedi Council have accepted these findings. However, a grievance report was filed by Seetee-Seven-Five-Six-Seven." The hologram closed.
"Are-Seven, bring up that report." R7 told her it was sealed. "It's sealed? Try Anakin's passcode. Eight one zero eight."
The passcode was accepted and another holographic video displayed. Rex spoke to the camera. "I already know this report's gonna fall on deaf ears. But I owe it to Fives to record what I saw. I'm not sure I believe it myself, but there's a possibility that the inhibitor chips the Kaminoans put inside us have a purpose... that we don't yet fully understand."
—
CT-7567 was walking through the corridor when an astromech droid—weren't they supposed to be deactivated right now—crossed his path and he collided with it. "Hey. Hey! Out of the way!" Another astromech droid wheeled past, plugging into a wall port and closing the doors around him. "Are you cross-wired?"
The first astromech droid, the one he ran into, displayed a holovid of Ahsoka Tano. "Rex. I think I know what's happening. I saw your report on Fives. It isn't your fault! You were programmed. Your mind was altered to do this when you were very young. I can help you."
CT-7567 pulled out his blaster pistol and pointed it at the droid. "Where is she?" he demanded. The droid beeped, surprised at the threat.
"I'm right here." Tano said from behind him. CT-7567 whipped around to point his blaster at Tano, but he was shocked from behind by that droid. As he lost consciousness, he realized he recognized one of the astromech droids as Tano's old droid, R7-A7.
—
Rex fell to the ground loudly. "Careful! We're trying not to hurt him," Ahsoka reminded to droids. CH-33P beeped apologetically. "Cheep, are all the doors sealed so the way is clear?" Ahsoka asked. CH-33P offered a beeping affirmation. "Okay, let's get him to the medical bay."
She picked up Rex and put him on two of the astromech droids. They began to make their way to the medical bay.