Anakin and Ahsoka were taken to Arrakeen's federal prison.

Underneath the complex, Mon vin Cuss and a handful of armed Harkonnen led the Jedi down a staircase. Made of solid rock, the stairs protruded from the wall in a spiral. With a Harkonnen leading the way with an electronic glow stick, the Master and Padawan couldn't reach the basement of the complex quick enough.

While Obi-wan made the Harkonnen aware he was contacting the Jedi Council, Anakin demanded to be taken to the cells. Mon was unfased by the way Anakin Skywalker leaned close with a murderous glare. With a solid stare and Harkonnen soldiers behind him, the baron's advisor agreed to take them to see their clone captain.

'I hope you know that this is a crime! This is the Republic's army! The Emperor's army, for Maker's sake!' Ahsoka cried, glaring holes through the back of Mon's bald head. She was itching to see Rex and the 501st, but Ahsoka wasn't confident in her ability to keep her emotions at bay. If the Harkonnen had hurt the clones in any way, Ahsoka was prepared to cause a riot, and she was sure that Anakin would, too.

'When Obi-wan contacts the Council, there is no guarantee that Arrakis will be a concern of the Republic's anymore,' Anakin noted in distaste. 'Emperor Palpatine trusts the Jedi Order, and imprisoning a captain is a serious offence.'

'His Lordship is aware of this, Master Jedi. But when on Arrakis, there are laws that need to be followed. Your captain accessed the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen's personal transmissions. There are no exceptions for serious felonies; not even for men of the Republic.'

Anakin fumed at the way Mon barely looked over his shoulder as he spoke. If it hadn't been for the end of the rock stairs, Anakin would have Force-pushed the Harkonnen over the edge. He would have enjoyed watching the infuriating man silently fall; not even breaking his stoic exterior in death.

The light beam-bearing Harkonnen stepped aside. Mon continued down the hallway that was lined with cells. Ahsoka stuck close to her Master as they passed arched cell doors. Bars ran between the rock frames, but in her quick glances, Ahsoka didn't see any prisoners.

This wasn't a comfort, as it solidified the fact that the Harkonnen weren't merciful.

Ahsoka and Anakin stopped when Mon turned to face them. On either side of him, were two cells that were illuminated by a light stick beside their bars. The Jedi didn't bet on an explanation from the advisor, so they split to make their presence known to the cells' inhabitants.

'Maker, am I glad to see you, General,' Captain Rex appeared from his cell's dark corners. Anakin tried to ignore Mon while he took in the sight of his captain's appearance.

Rex was still in his blue and white armour. His helmet was left on the sand of the cell, revealing his sweat-covered face. The prison was hot and the hallway was already making Anakin and Ahsoka uncomfortable in their Jedi robes.

They had rushed to change out of their stillsuits after arriving back in Arrakeen, but Rex had spent however long he had been imprisoned in his armour. They weren't made for Arrakis' climate.

The sight of his captain's droopy eyes and glistening skin angered Anakin even more. The Republic didn't treat their prisoners like this, yet the Harkonnen had imprisoned the 501st in an inhumane and unjustified cell.

'Don't worry, Rex. Obi-wan is speaking to the Council. Once they hear that you've been framed, you'll be out of here in no time,' Anakin said, giving the man the famous Skywalker word.

While Ahsoka let out her frustration to the clones in the opposite cell, Anakin watched Rex's expression falter. With a wavering confidence, Captain Rex tried to keep his general's eye to appear innocent. But with a gulp down his throat and a crease forming on his forehead, the captain wordlessly told Anakin that there was more to his imprisonment.

'General, I... I'm afraid that what the Harkonnen say are true,' he started, making Anakin's shoulders sag.

'What?' Ahsoka exclaimed from behind. Her mortals appeared over her Master's shoulder before she stepped around him to see Rex's face.

The clones in the opposite cell were clueless as to why they were in their situation. They had tried to pry it out of their captain, but he had rested against the cell wall in silence. He would not speak a word of what he had or hadn't done until General Skywalker arrived.

'I... broke into the baron's quarters. I watched his transmissions. His youngest nephew caught me, and I narrowly escaped losing my head, sir. It's all true.'

'Why... why would you do this, Rex? You've compromised the whole mission!'

Anakin could hardly stand up right. Captain Rex was on the other side of the bars with a guilt-ridden face and with a confession. He could barely look between the Jedi and Padawan for longer than a second before he switched to the other. He fooled himself thinking that he would find some relief, but Ahsoka and Anakin were too alike.

There was no sympathy in their eyes; only confusion and betrayal. Rex had never been made to feel condemned. He knew that he was doing wrong when he committed the crime, and felt no less shameless now that it was done. It felt worse to confess to his general through Harkonnen bars, while Mon vin Cuss stood to the side, and his own men were imprisoned behind them.

'Did you wait for us to leave the city so you could do this?!' Ahsoka almost shoved her Master out the way to shout into the cell. She didn't pull back when Captain Rex stepped away from the bars, only reinforcing her exasperation with an angry 'hm?!'.

'General, Commander, if it were my choice, I wouldn't have set foot in the baron's quarters. But while you were in the desert, I received a transmission from Coruscant.'

Rex did his best to keep his voice solid. Any sign of wobble or stutter could put Anakin in an unwilling-to-listen state. Being the general's captain had made Rex aware of how stubborn the young man could be, and one sign of dishonesty could jeopardise Rex's opportunity to coming clean.

'I would be willing to tell you more if the Harkonnen weren't present,' he quickly added, his brown eyes shifting to the man who stood overseeing the interaction.

Through their sense of betrayal, Anakin and Ahsoka managed to follow Rex's gaze to Mon. The advisor had said nothing, only stood waiting for the Jedi to leave the basement. While the other soldiers waited by the stairs, waiting for any sign of hostility in the Jedi or clones, Mon was able to hear every word of confession from Captain Rex.

'Give us a minute, harpy, will you?'

If it had been any other situation, Anakin would have harshly silenced his Padawan. But Ahsoka's insult appeared to do the job, as Mon vin Cuss shuffled behind them and made his way towards the stairs. He remained in the hallway, but was out of earshot of the team's serious discussion.

'You better have a good explanation, Rex. Who contacted you from Coruscant?' Anakin turned back to the cell, where the captain was withering away from guilt by the minute. The Jedi wanted to believe that his right-hand man was framed, forced, or tricked into doing his crime, but his hope was wearing thin.

Rex took a deep breath and prayed that his confession would lift the great weight off his shoulders. His loyalty to his general had made the crime so terrible, and now he had the chance to earn back the Jedi's trust.

'The transmission was from Jedi Master Mace Windu, sir.'

Ahsoka let out a strained gasp, while Anakin's expression hardened.

'On behalf of the Council, Master Windu asked me to investigate the Harkonnens' invasion of Arrakis. From what little information I received, the Council believe that the invasion was made possible by someone from The Core.

I'm sorry, General. I was overruled, and I was told not to tell you. Please, forgive me, sir.'

---

'Can this not be resolved any other way, Master Kenobi?'

'I'm afraid not, My Lord. This situation is now much bigger than Anakin and I.'

The baron's presence chambers were now at the top of Ahsoka's most hated places in the galaxy. It seemed that every time she and her Master entered the depressing room, she was made to feel like they should have never left Coruscant.

Obi-wan took his usual place at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the occupied throne. Without Sidra, the Jedi Master appeared lonely and unsupported when addressing the baron. As he looked up to the ceiling, where the spilling stomach of Vladimir encased the throne, Obi-wan made the grim statement about the Jedi Council's decision.

'Members of the Jedi Council will take over the investigation and our mission here has been postponed. We cannot continue the negotiations while House Harkonnen is being investigated in The Core. I must ask that you release our legion's captain, and we will return to Coruscant when our ship is ready.'

'Is this your clone's way of avoiding prosecution?' Feyd-Rathua, who was standing further forward than he had in previous discussions, said from beside the stairs. 'After the mercy I showed him, he should be facing the law of Arrakis.'

'Your definition of mercy does not match the Republic's, your highness,' Anakin stepped to be beside his ex-Master.

Feyd hid his surprise for the Skywalker's first address, and thought about how the Jedi's head would look rolling on the chamber's floor. At face value, Feyd-Rautha smirked at the way Anakin glared at him from beside his Jedi friend.

'Your clone will go free if you leave Arrakis. But my private transmissions are now in his memory, and I would demand to know what will be done with them in The Core,' the baron ignored his nephew below, and wheezed after a quick breath.

'That is classified information. The Council will be dealing with this internally.'

The baron was angry. Ahsoka could see from her place at the furthest reach of the chamber that his puffy fists clenched. She tried not to yelp in horror as the man rose from his throne and floated down the steep staircase. The spheres of healing mud appeared to pull his inflated body without the need of his deteriorated muscles.

Obi-wan and Anakin took a single step back as the baron was suddenly a metre above them. His feet dangled underneath his black robe and they saw the gruesome effects of Leto Atreides' final goodbye. Boils ransacked Baron Vladimir's face, and his pale, flaking skin was repulsive to look at.

'And what of the rats? What of your student who lives among them? She was seen in the sand learning their ways and killing my men. What will your council think of her when she returns to Coruscant?'

This was new information to the Jedi. Ahsoka's jaw hung open as she watched Obi-wan and her Master exchange looks. They had only seen Sidra over a week ago and she appeared to be enjoying her time with the Fremen. But never had they thought to hear that she was apart of the Spice harvesting problem.

'Two pairs of off-world eyes were seen through desert wraps. One female, and lacking in Fremen-combat skills, and another that is yet to be identified. Maybe an Atreides soldier that escaped Arrakeen. But never the less, a harvester was destroyed and only two of my men returned from the desert.

Your student is now a wanted fugitive in Arrakeen.'

Obi-wan felt his chest crumble.

'You can leave, Master Jedi. You can take your clone with you and leave Arrakis,' the baron retreated, but didn't fly back up to his throne. He merely hovered above the Jedi with his face pulled into a scowl.

'But I will do what I had planned before the Emperor sent you here. The Fremen will be exterminated, and your student won't be spared.'