Chapter Text
Anakin has never been so tempted to leave the Jedi Order before. Sure, he's contemplated it many times, and even more frequently throughout the war. But this- this is different. Anakin decides he hates Umbara, hates the war, hates the Jedi Order and the Senate and everything he stands for.
His men are torn apart, broken, and he wants to approach them but knows a Jedi is not what they need right now, even him. The treachery of Pong Krell cut them deep, and it will take time to heal. The Jedi didn't sense that the Jedi Master had turned on them, embraced the Dark Side. Dogma, who only did what was right, and to protect his brothers at that, has had his fate taken out of Anakin's hands, and Anakin is under no illusion what will happen to him. And Anakin was not there for them. His men were in the hands of a monster, and he was safely away on Coruscant with the Chancellor.
He wants to punch something. A nearby wall suffices, but the nervous energy doesn't dissipate. He's angry, and guilty, and afraid. This can never happen again. He will never allow it to happen again.
Darth Sidious is amused. Pong Krell, though only meant to make the Senate doubt the Jedi, has given him an opening. He can tell Skywalker blames the Jedi, at least in part, for what his men suffered at the hands of the traitor. He doesn't understand why Skywalker cares about the clones, but his attachment to them is useful. Now, Sidious can push him farther away from the Jedi than ever, all while tightening his own hold on the boy.
"Yes, and I don't understand why the Jedi gave command of your men to another Jedi, instead of Master Kenobi," he says in his most understanding, concerned voice, the one he always uses around Skywalker. It never fails to bring the boy's defenses down.
Skywalker frowns, as if considering something. "Obi-Wan was there, but his men still died because of Krell. He was there for them, but he didn't protect them." It wasn't a response to anything Sidious had said, or even something he'd planted. Good. He was beginning to doubt Kenobi on his own, without prodding.
"Yes, that is unfortunate," Sidious says, letting sympathy he doesn't feel bleed into his voice. "Perhaps if he'd paid more attention, the damage wouldn't have been so great."
Skywalker is nodding along. "This can't happen again. I need to make sure my battalion never falls into the hands of someone I don't trust. Especially-" the boy swallowed- "especially if I die."
Now, Sidious would never let that happen, but he won't tell Skywalker that. "If you wish, there is a way for you to pick your- line of succession, if you'll excuse the term. I could sign off on it, so no one could question whoever you choose. You could choose anyone, and it would be legal." He knows it won't be Kenobi. Maybe Skywalker's annoying little Padawan. He certainly doesn't trust any other Jedi enough.
Skywalker brightens slightly. "Thank you, your Excellency. I know exactly who I trust with this."
Ahsoka was gone. Anakin watched her disappear, and suddenly the lightsaber at his hip felt so much heavier. How could the Jedi have done this to her? He feels that old pull, the pull to leave, this time telling him to follow her, wherever that takes him. It's irrational, and he wants to listen more than anything.
But he has to tell his men. He has to help them through the loss of their little sister, and she was theirs as much as his. He can't leave them leaderless. Not leaderless, he reminds himself, he knows who would take over if Anakin did follow Ahsoka and he trusts the man with his life. But still, he can't leave them now, as much as he wants to follow her.
He doesn't go back into the Temple. He heads straight for the barracks, for the people who are his family more than the Jedi ever were.
"You have to believe me!" Fives begs. He's standing across from Anakin and Rex, a blaster pointed shakily at them, and while Anakin knows it's on stun he's still careful to keep his hands well away from his lightsaber. He won't hurt Fives, never would hurt any of them, not after Umbara, but Fives is clearly not in his right mind, even if he does know what he's talking about, and he can't trust Fives to know that.
Rex steps forward, his hands too close to his blasters. "Fives-"
The stun blast fires, and Rex slumps to the ground. Anakin takes a deep breath he needs to calm Fives down, before they scare him away completely. "Fives, listen to me-"
Rex has long trained himself to shake off stun blasts quickly, but he's not in time. He wakes up and turns over, only to see General Skywalker fall over the edge, down into Coruscant's underworld, and Fives's smoking blaster. The Coruscant Guard begins to arrive on the scene, blasters firing to kill, but Fives runs. Rex doesn't know what to do. He can't reconcile Fives and the trooper who shot General Skywalker as the same person. There's no way even the General could have survived, if not the shot than the fall, and Rex doubts they'll even find a body. Not down here. He walks forward almost in a daze, until he reaches the edge of the warehouse, where his General fell. Only his lightsaber remains, lying there on the ground. Rex crouches and picks it up, holding it to him as beneath his helmet, tears begin to fall as he mourns another brother.
Rex does not want to be in this meeting. They're talking about General Skywalker's death and the fact that they think Fives escaped Coruscant and he just can't talk about it. It's not his problem, not anymore, because he knows he can't handle it and he desperately needs Generals Kenobi and Windu to change the subject.
"Now, Captain, we need to discuss the new commanding officers of the 501st." Windu sounds- Rex doesn't understand that tone. He assumes it has something to do with the fact that they haven't had a commander since Ahsoka left, Rex taking the work but not the title. He still blames the Jedi for what they did to her.
"I suppose you'll be taking over as General?" Rex asks Kenobi. That's generally been the accepted explanation the 501st came up with when they occasionally brought up the question 'what if the General died?' After all, the 501st and 212th were almost one battalion most of the time.
Kenobi is slightly easier to read- he's just as skilled at keeping his face blank, but Rex knows him better, and he's also mourning. He's confused, and slightly hurt. "Actually, apparently after Umbara, Anakin took it upon himself to specify who, exactly, would be taking control of the 501st in the case of his extended absence or death."
"Can he do that, sir?" Rex asks. He's never heard of anything like that.
"I'm not sure. But the Chancellor was apparently willing to sign off on whoever he chose, and if he did that, really anyone could be legal. He could say Count Dooku would take over for him and the Chancellor's signature would make it valid." He sounds more unhappy about the fact that the Chancellor has that power- and that the General obviously didn't name General Kenobi- than whoever General Skywalker chose, so Rex can assume it isn't Count Dooku. For one insane moment, he wonders if it's Senator Amidala.
Then Windu says, "Congratulations on your promotion. You're now General of the 501st."