Chapter Text
Rex had lost many good friends in battle, but never had he lost a close friend like this - Ahsoka Tano, his friend and Commander, was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. He had brought over tank lifts to move the rubble but Master Unduli had said that she could no longer detect the force presence of the Padawans and she had ordered the few prisoners taken to be transported to the waiting ships and a general pull back of all forces. His own General, Anakin Skywalker, had heavily protested that she'd not even given him a chance to mount a rescue and that the Jedi Council themselves had given him the mission - not Unduli. There had been an argument, some strong words exchanged and then Skywalker had spat at Unduli's feet before turning and issuing orders to pull back off the planet and return to Coruscant for medical treatment and refitting. Rex had followed the orders but at his own pace in the only way he could to show his disgust at leaving the Padawans buried. Ahsoka and Barriss deserved to be recovered so at least they got a good funeral like the Jedi gave to their dead. Rex didn't understand it, he didn't have to, but Anakin had told him once that the bodies returned to the Force through some sort of vaporisation - at least better then being buried beneath soil and rotting away he'd always thought.
"Rex?"
"Not now, Fives"
"General wants to speak to you"
"Why didn't he comm me?" and Fives looked around before lowering his voice.
"He didn't want this on the record" and Rex blinked several times as he processed it. "He's up in the Officer's Mess with the Admiral and General Unduli's officers" Fives added.
"Gener-"
"Rex, just get up there now" Fives said urgently and the Captain nodded at the demand and hurried to the nearest lift.
"There has to be something here" Ahsoka said, slowly scanning the now somewhat crushed cockpit of the tank she and Barriss had used to destroy the power generator and, ultimately, the entire weapons factory which worked but had buried them under millions of tons of metal and rock.
"What do you mean?" came the calm and measured reply. Barriss was new to her, though she thought she'd seen her around the Temple a few times, but she seemed a good fit to her own attitude, skills and knowledge.
"Droids were supposed to work this, but they designed the controls for any humanoid creature also. That means that if they had to evacuate the tank, they would need a rebreather at least. I bet they packed them somewhere, so we just have to find them and then try and dig our way out"
"Assuming that we can do it" Barriss replied. "However, we may not need to do as much digging as we need to" she pointed to the flickering display. "The lasers appear to still be functional. We could use them to create at least the beginnings of a tunnel and dig up to safety and report in"
"Tunnel?" Ahsoka blinked as she thought about it. She looked at the weakly lit console and tried to guess what would happen if they fired them. "I don't..." she stopped.
"Ahsoka?" Barriss frowned slightly.
"We don't need to tunnel - you can get us out of here"
"I... I can?"
"You memorised the tunnel network to get into this place, right? So, if we can dig down enough to get into the network, maybe we can find out way out of here"
"I had not thought of that" Barriss admitted, "But it should be easy enough to navigate out way out once we are in the tunnel network and have our position" she agreed.
"Well" Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber once more and started to cut through the hull of the tank, "Lets get started"
"Then it is agreed?" Anakin asked. He looked around the table as he had spoken and saw a collection of nodding heads - some more reluctant then others, but a complete series of agreements.
"If General Unduli indeed did what she did, then she has to be relieved of her command" Admiral Yularen was unhappy about the course of action, but even a loyal officer like himself knew that there was always every effort made to rescue troops trapped whilst a chance of life was there. For Unduli to assume command of the mission and order a retreat had sickened him to his stomach and therefore he had agreed to General Skywalker's plan to relieve her of duty and place her under arrest for abandoning the wounded and missing, usurpation of command and preventing rescue operations.
"Master Luminara, are you there?" Anakin pressed his comm.
"I am here. What is the problem, Skywalker?"
"We need you at the Officer's Mess... There has been a change of plans"
"I was not informed of any message"
"That's because it came in through other methods"
"Very well... I shall join you shortly" and the channel closed itself.
"She will not be long" Rex noted.
"Then we need to be ready" Anakin used the Force to calm himself - he had done out of the ordinary before, but this was something that he was not sure about even though he was the man who had suggested it. "Gree, you be ready to put the Force binders on her as quickly as possible. Rex, you and the others standby to fire on her if she tries to resist - stunners only"
"Yes, General"
"Sir, yes, sir"
"Admiral, you should be the one to arrest her"
"Me, General?"
"If the arrest comes from a military officer, it can not be seen as wrong... I mean..."
"I understand" Yularen replied as the door to the Officer's Mess hissed open. As the Mirialan entered, he drew upon the many decades of loyal service to the Republic and its Navy as he stood up and faced her. "General Luminara Unduli, under Article 6-Rulu, Uniform Code of Admiralty Conduct, Section 19; due to a state of incapacitation of judgment displayed in multiple encounters - under stress - I hereby invoke the Transfer of Command and relieve you of duty immediately"
"Is this some kind of joke? If it is, it is in bad taste" Luminara said.
"It is no joke, Master Unduli... You are relieved of your command and remanded to the Brig pending our arrival to base" Yularen stood straighter.
"I do not have time for this. Master Skywalker, please detain the Admiral for mutiny"
"No, Master, I will not" Anakin said simply, folding his arms with a stony look like Mace Windu.
"I require your lightsaber, Ma'am. I would prefer it handed over freely before I have to order the troopers to search you"
"Gree? Why are you doing this?"
"General, you allowed Barriss to die under the debris when there was a chance of saving both her and Padawan Tano. You took over the command from General Skywalker and denied repeated attempts to save the girls..." the Clone Commander shook his head. "Your weapon, General, and your hands"
"I realise that you are upset, but this is not the way of Jedi or Clones" Luminara started to slowly back towards the still open hatch before she was hit by a single stun round and dropped to the deck.
"I am neither" Yularen said. "Troopers, give her a pat down for any other weapons and place her in maximum security in the Brig" and he and Anakin watched as the Mirialan was cuffed, searched and then carried bodily to the Brig. "I hope you are right about this, General..."
"So am I, Admiral" Anakin willed himself to relax, "So am I. I need you to go to the Bridge and order all communications terminated until we reach orbit of Coruscant - the Jedi Council need to know what we did and why"
"And I was looking forward to retirement"
"Cheer up, Admiral" Anakin smiled, "I hear the Military Prison is great this time of year"
"I think my saber is almost out of power" Ahsoka said just as it blinked out.
"I believe you might be right" Barriss attempted to joke as she handed the Togruta her own one to continue the cutting through rock. "I think you might be close to breaking through - the rock and soil is like what we saw in the tunnels. Scanners appear to be either damaged or destroyed, but given the weight and how long we seemed to be tossed through the air, I believe I can navigate out once we're through"
"Good" Ahsoka grunted as she sent a force blast and pushed the last segment down into the tunnel network. A blast of fetid but cold and welcoming air came rushing in and provided much needed air to the Padawans as the hot gas produced by cutting through the Geonosian soil had almost caused them to suffocate in their escape attempt. The pair sat back to take in the cold air before going round the crushed cockpit and taking anything that they could use such as the power cells and a droid's detached head they'd use as a torch.
"I believe these are rations, but I can not account for their suitability for either of us" Barriss held up a foil packet.
"If this was equipped for biological operation then it has to at least be edible" Ahsoka shrugged before taking the packet, tearing it open and trying the corner of a brown lump. "I think we've found something the Seppies have in common with us"
"Oh?"
"Rations whose wrapper tastes better" and Barriss smiled.
"Shall we leave it? We'll be out of the tunnels shortly and then we can obtain real rations" and Ahsoka agreed. After dropping down into the tunnel network and getting their bearings, the eyes of the droid head lit up and the pair slowly made their way through the system to find their entry point and back to their waiting Masters and troops.
"Can you try your comm?" Ahsoka asked.
"I do not have one - it was damaged when we destroyed the power generator"
"Well, not to worry - Skyguy will be waiting"
"Skyguy?" Barriss blinked. "I did nto have the chance to meet that clone - what rank is he?"
"Oh, he's not a clone..."
"Knight Skywalker. Admiral Yularen. Captain Rex. Commander Gree" Yoda looked at them closely. "Luminara Unduli's detention, you will explain"
"We arrested and detained her for the good of the men and of the Republic" Yularen spoke first. They had sent a message out to the Jedi High Council that something had gone badly wrong and that they needed to meet on their ship. "General Unduli took command of the mission from General Skywalker and repeatedly turned down viable rescue attempts and almost abandoned several hundred wounded troopers if not for my sending down every ship that could carry someone. I would have filed a report if not for learning she abandoned two Padawans and ordered General Skywalker and Captain Rex to halt their attempts. After discussing it with the General, Captain rex and Commander Gree amongst others it was decided to detain her due to mental incapacity"
"And Skywalker ordered you to do it?" Windu asked coldly.
"No, Sir, he did not... He offered to do it himself but then we realised that if it came from a military officer then it would be according to regulations"
"Evidence, you have, to show the truth?" Yoda could sense anger from the men before him - anger and also betrayal from the clones.
"Yes, Master" Anakin placed a chip into the holoprojector and pressed the play button. "These are all from the various troopers that were closest to us when we argued with the last two also picking up comm messages from Master Luminara to the heavy lifters to turn them back to the ships" and the Council members watched as the footage and comm messages played and there was an air of unease - even Windu, never a real supporter of Skywalker, had to admit that this was beyond the pale and inexcuseable.
"Address this later, we will. Question Master Unduli, we will. To the Temple, she will go" Yoda gripped his stick tightly and looked at the ones in front of him. "Skywalker, Unduli's troops, look after, you will. Do what you must to help them, you will"
"Yes, Master" Anakin nodded. "Will there be a rescue party sent back to try and find them? Even if they are dead, they must at least be brought back for the right rites"
"I'm sorry, Skywalker" Windu softened his normally serious look. "From what we have seen and know, it would be too costly and too dangerous. Both Padawan Tano and Padawan Offee cared deeply for their men, so they will stay on the planet with them - there, where they fell in battle"
"Ahsoka would have liked that" Anakin replied with a slight bow.
"Commander Offee would think much the same. She would spend many hours off duty helping some troopers to fit in or work out problems they had" Gree spoke, helmet tucked firmly under his arm at parade attention.
"Captain Rex? Do you have anything to add?" Plo Kloon turned to regard the clone.
"I request that myself and Torrent company serve as General Unduli's executioners after she is sentenced for treason" he said stiffly.
"So sure, you are, that being found guilty of treason, she will be" Yoda chuckled.
"You will find out everything when reports are made, General" Rex said, not even looking at Yoda.
"At the very least, she needs to be punished for costing the lives of a number of troopers during her argument with General Skywalker" the Admiral added.
"She will be questioned, you can be assured of that" Plo Koon said sternly.
"Release her to us, you will" Yoda said.
"Of course" Yularen said.
"With your permission, Masters, I'd like to visit the Halls of Meditation. I don't go often, but losing Ahsoka..." Anakin trailed off.
"Go" Windu said. "And Skywalker...?"
"Master?"
"I'm sorry. From what we know, Padawan Tano would have made a fine Knight after your training"