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Tup had been acting odd all day, but the very last thing Fives had ever expected him to do was raise his gun and shoot at the General’s chest. A shot that would have been fatal had Jesse and Kix not simultaneously pounced on the young trooper, knocking his aim off of the dead center shot he had had lined up.
The moment after the blaster went off, everything felt like they were in a suspended animation. Anakin’s eyes were huge and horrified, hands slowly raising up to the hole just to the side of his heart. Rex seemed to be moving in slow motion to catch him while Jesse and Kix were sluggishly falling to the ground with a flailing Tup trapped under their bodies. And Fives? All Fives could do was stand there, useless and horrified as he watched the morbid display bloom into an impossible reality.
He was only pulled from his stupor when Kix shouted his name, demanding he take his place in restraining Tup. Tup, who was thrashing frantically beneath him and Jesse, just repeating the same thing over and over again as if his brain was stuck on a loop.
“Good soldiers follow orders! Good soldiers, follow orders! Good soldiers! Follow Orders! Good! Soldiers! Follow! Orders!”
“Fives! Help Jesse with him so I can see to the General!”
Kix’s utterance of his name in such a desperate tone was more than enough to have him jumping into action, arms sliding under Tup’s pits so that he could attempt to secure him against his chest. It allowed Jesse to sit up more and pin the younger troopers arms down while Kix hurried over to Anakin’s side.
“What is wrong with him?” Fives demanded as Tup’s head thrashed back, narrowly missing colliding with Fives’s nose. “He is acting possessed! Or programmed!”
“We’ll find out later!” Rex replied sharply. “For now, stabilizing the general is what is important.”
“Don’t, don’t hurt him.” Anakin gasped out. “Something, something isn’t right.”
“We know, sir.” Kix assured him as he began to strip his chest of his robes. “We know, we will keep him safe.”
“Tell, tell council. Tell was, was a droid. A commando! Tell was a commando droid. Let, let no one touch Tup but you.”
“Yes, sir. Now stop talking.” Kix ordered with an unimpressed look.
“Any way we can make Tup stop talking?” Jesse insisted urgently. “And maybe stop trying to tear Fives and I to pieces!”
“Rex, toss them a sedative and then help me get Anakin to the med tent. You two, get Tup somewhere quiet and away from the others after he is sedated. When the general is stable, I’ll come look at him.”
“Yes, Kix.” All three chorused together, Rex moving to find the sedative and Jesse easily catching it as it was tossed to him. He wasted no time in shoving the needle into Tup’s neck, and to Fives’s relief, the other man sagged against him near immediately.
Which gave him the opportunity to catch his breath now that he was no longer restraining a flailing, desperate vod. Catch his breath and do his absolute best to make sense of what was happening. Only, there wasn’t really any sense to make.
A panting Jesse at his side seemed to agree with that sentiment. His eyes were wide and horrified as he stared at Tup’s prone body. A look that only increased as he and Fives watched the other two carry their general away. It took quite a few minutes before either of them even tried to speak. And it was Fives who forced the words out of his mouth.
“What the ever karking fuck just happened?”
Jesse let out a hysterical laugh and shook his head. “I haven’t a Force damned clue! But, uh, we should get Tup somewhere secure as we wait for Kix and Rex. This is, it's gonna be a Thing. I’m sure of it.”
“Right.” Fives glanced down to Tup’s slack, far too young face and winced. “A Thing.”
He didn’t want it to be a Thing. Hells, he didn’t want it to have happened at all. Sneaking their brother into a secluded tent for his safety while their general fought for his life because of said brother felt all sorts of wrong. The only days he thought could top this horrifying clusterfuck the evening had turned into were Umbara, and of course, the Citadel. And that was only if they were able to see the sunrise without losing them both.
“What do you think will happen now?” he asked Jesse as they sat down beside Tup.
“Kix will fix the general, find out what is wrong with Tup and we will put this all behind us the best we can.”
“You really think so?”
Jesse nodded. “I don’t know how to think any other way, Fives. If I even begin to go down ‘what ifs’ I’ll spiral and we can’t afford that.”
Fives made a choking sound and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, me too.”
It was impossible not to go down those dark roads though. What if Anakin couldn't keep Tup safe? What if Tup woke up and tried to kill them? What if Anakin didn’t make it and there was no way to keep Tup’s, whatever this was, a secret? All those thoughts and so many more kept playing on horrible repeat in Fives’s head. Especially because it felt like an eternity before Kix finally stepped into their small tent.
The moment he did, they both jumped to their feet. And were sagging in relief even before he spoke at the small smile and nod he gave them.
“He is stable. I did what I could for him down here, and Rex took him up to the Resolute to Coric and a bacta tank. He will be just fine.”
“Thank the Force.” Fives sighed, running his hand through his hair as he exhaled heavily. “And Tup?”
“General Kenobi was in agreement that he sounded, as you said, either programmed or possessed. He wants me to do as deep of scans as I can to try and find a physical explanation. But he is headed here to do something in the Force, just in case it is more mystical than anything else.”
“Is Tup in danger?” Jesse asked tightly and Kix shook his head.
“Everyone is in agreement that whatever just happened, it wasn’t voluntary.”
“Everyone?” Fives asked with a frown. “Who all knows?”
“Us, Coric, Hypo, Cody, and Generals Kenobi and Ti.”
“Just Ti?”
Fives’s nervous question was met by a nod. “Just Ti. She is on Kamino, she sees us the most when we are, ah, created. Us medics suggested we ask her. She said she has heard of nothing of the sort, uncharacteristic actions and the repeating of ‘good soldiers follow orders’. But she is going to do some subtle snooping and get back to us with whatever she finds.”
“What do we do in the meantime?” Jesse asked. “Everyone else thinks a commando got the general?”
“The official story is that a group of commando droids ambushed us. The general and Tup were hurt in the attack, Anakin saving Tup’s life and almost losing his in the process. Easy, simple. Realistic.”
“Much more realistic than what is happening.” Fives remarked with a heavy sigh and shake of his head. “So, you’re going to check Tup out?”
“I am going to give him in depth, full body scans. See if anything stands out that shouldn’t be there.”
“Like?” he and Jesse asked together and Kix shrugged.
“Like anything. Help me get him down to his blacks. It will be easier to do so without the armor in the way.”
They immediately nodded and began to shift Tup as carefully as they could to get all of his armor from him. As soon as he was down to just the underlayer, they stepped aside and let Kix do whatever it was he was doing with his scanners. Which meant they were both just hovering behind him, breath held and eyes wide as they waited in heavy anticipation.
When Kix’s scanner beeped, the medic automatically gasped and then let out a string of curses in languages that Fives didn’t know he knew. And it immediately had him on guard.
“What? What is it?”
“I, I think Tup has a tumor?”
“A tumor!?” they gasped and Kix nodded.
“Yes. A tumor.”
“Would that explain his weirdness?” Jesse demanded with a frown and the other shrugged.
“It can? Tumors can apply pressure, change the way cranial blood flow works, and so many other things. They have been known to drastically change people's personalities, interests, actions. Anything the brain controls, really. Which is everything. So it is entirely possible that its responsible for whatever this was.”
“But, so robotically?” Fives asked worriedly and received a sigh.
“I don’t know, Fives. All I know is that I want to take it out. Now. And that can’t happen down here.”
“So, shove the mission and deal with our family.” Fives said simply. “We’re already three down, including our Jedi. And while I have faith in us, I don’t want to chance Jesse and I doing this on our own.”
Kix nodded. “No, I agree. And General Kenobi already gave me the authority to make that call. He said if Tup requires immediate medical treatment, that we should all head back to the Resolute. He said Ghost can take over the mission when they reach orbit.”
“Excellent plan!” Jesse said vehemently. “Let's get off this damned rock and get a tumor out of our brother!”
“I will take care of the tumor.” Kix said firmly. “You two go meet with Rex. We need to make sure all the reports are similar enough without being exact. The less anyone looks into this, the better.”
“Sir, yes sir.” they both said immediately, which just earned them a roll of his eyes.
“I have Tup. You get his armor, and I’ll see you soon.”
They watched him leave and Jesse shook his head. “A karking tumor.”
“I know.” Fives gave a scoff of disbelief. “I had no idea we could even get tumors.”
“I’m sure Kix and Coric can tell you how stupid that notion was.”
“Me too. I’m just glad that it wasn’t something worse.”
“Worse than a brain tumor?!”
Fives shrugged and raised his hands. “Hey, you never know! I’m sure there are worse things than a brain tumor!”
He really, really hated how true that statement was. Because not even a few hours later, he, Jesse, Fives, Rex, General Kenobi and Commander Cody were being told by a grim Kix and Coric that it was indeed worse. So, so, very much worse.
“I’m sorry,” Kenobi said in that posh way that made it clear he really was sorry to be asking, “but did you just say you pulled a chip from your brother’s head!”
“Yes, sir.” Kix said, holding out a small glass cylinder where a pit of metal and plastic resided. “This chip, to be exact.”
The general reached over and accepted it from Kix, a heavy frown on his face. “This, it looks like what we took out of Anakin’s neck as a child.”
“Wait, what?” Rex asked and Kenobi nodded.
“Anakin grew up as a slave. He had an explosive tracking chip in his neck from near birth. A lot of his tissue grew over it, so if he hadn’t told us what it was, Vokara would have thought it was a tumor.”
“Why did Tup have a slave chip in his head?” Jesse demanded and Coric scoffed.
“Because we are slaves,” he replied bluntly. “So it only makes sense the chips come with it.”
Kenobi winced and Rex frowned over at him. “Would a slave chip make Tup shoot Anakin?”
“I am not an expert on the topic.” Kenobi confessed. “But it is not hard to believe that those things can be programmed to do, well, most anything.”
“This is fucking insane.” Fives insisted. “Kix pulls a literal slave chip out of Tup’s head, one that might have made him try and kill someone he sees as not only a role model, but an older brother! I mean, is this actually happening?”
“I believe that it is.” the Jedi replied. “And I am so very sorry that it is. And that I must insist that all of you, Five oh First and Two Twelfth alike, get scanned as well. If one has it, there is a high probability that you all do.”
They all fell silent for a long moment until Cody broke it softly.
“Do you believe that you or anyone else is in danger due to whatever this is?”
“I know without a single question, dear Cody, that you and each of your vod’e are. One thing I know for a fact these things can be programmed to do is blow up. And I am not taking that chance.”
“Should we inform the other generals too?” Kix asked. “Secura, Koon, Windu?”
“I will go and call the Council immediately,” he replied. “For now, take care of your own men. Cody, return to the Negotiator and assist Hypo in any way he needs. Kix, Coric, do you believe you and your medics have everything under control here?”
“Yes, sir.” They replied together.
“Excellent. I will make my call, check in on you Cody, and then return to see how Anakin is faring. Be careful, all of you, but be swift.”
With that, he turned and left the small group of vod’e in a near stunned silence outside of the med bay doors. Fives assumed that they were as all unsure what to say as he was. This whole situation was just far too hard to believe, to come to terms with. And he wasn’t really sure that there were words to describe the nightmare they had found themselves in.
“Well.” Rex said after a long moment. “Fuck.”
Except for maybe those ones. As far as Fives was concerned, they summed up this mess as perfectly as possible.
“One way to put it, Rex.” Cody agreed with a heavy exhale. “I’m going to follow my general’s orders. I suggest you all follow suit.”
“We will, sir.” Kix promised immediately. “And I hate to go against protocol, but I suggest that you have Hypo start with you. We need you and Rex in top shape to handle whatever this is, and whatever happens next.”
Cody nodded. “I agree. Thank you, Kix.”
He too turned on his heel and followed after his Jedi. When he vanished, Rex turned to Kix and gave him a tight smile.
“I suppose you want to cut into my head now?”
“Into all three of your heads, actually.” Coric corrected. “Like Kix said, we are going to need the Command class in top shape as fast as possible.”
“Wait, why are Jess and I included in that?” Fives demanded. “We aren't in command!”
“You’re Rex’s seconds.” Kix said bluntly. “Means you qualify.”
Fives groaned, but conceded. If he were honest, he desperately wanted to know if he too had one of those things in his head. And if he did, he wanted it out as soon as was physically possible. And he wasn’t going to fight too hard to prevent it from happening, even if it meant extensive brain surgery. He just wished he had a bit more time to wrap his head around the whole thing, was all.
Though, when he woke and was handed the small vial containing what was once in his head, he realized that no amount of time would have ever prepared him for this. There had been a chip in his head.A slave chip . In his head! And everything he thought he had ever known about the galaxy was wrong. His perception of life had changed. And nothing was ever going to change it back.