Chapter Text
No one had referred to themselves with their battalion or legion numbers since they’d come to the future, there wasn’t really enough of them to justify that.
As usual, the 501st was an exception.
It started simple enough, they’d been on a backwater planet on the outer rim and for a moment Rex had lost himself in the moment, surrounded by his vod’e and the sound of a lightsaber deflecting blaster shots as Luke lead them in defending the base while the rest of the Rebellion packed up and evacuated.
He could hardly be faulted for calling out to Torrent, not when almost all of them were here.
Rex saw their Jedi make a sloppy but still readable hand sign, signaling the start of a forward approach.
“Torrent, forward!”
To their credit, his blue painted vod’e took barely even a moment's pause before following orders, and Rex even heard one of the shinies who had joined them recently mutter something along the lines of ‘I've always wanted to join Torrent’
General Skywalker, Luke, had simply raised an eyebrow as he spun his ‘saber around, sending the red bolts back towards the group of stormtroopers.
More and more vod’e joined their group and painted their armor in dark yet bright blue, some had already been there and were coming home, others felt drawn to join them.
It was Kix who remarked to Helix, the 212th medic, after finding Domino Squad, how it was almost like the 501st was having a reunion.
Rex had frozen, and all he could think of was his troops marching up to the temple, following their General because good soldiers follow orders and even if he hadn’t been there he knew what had happened and knew that many of the 501st would go on to serve the Empire, ( Vader’s Hand they’d called them) and it sent Rex’s emotions into turbulence. He’d had to comfort far too many of his vod’e after nightmares of what they’d done under the control of the chip, and for those who had been part of the march on the temple, the after effects of said nightmares was sometimes enough to get them taken off active duty.
General Organa had stiffened as well, and Rex knew that she had been raised with the knowledge of what had actually happened, knew that she knew as well as him why the name 501st was a double edged sword.
It was General Kenobi and Cody, both with identical smirks on their faces, that decided that ‘remaking the 501st’ so to speak was an excellent idea.
Supposedly it was to counteract the Empire’s habits of erasing history, as well as utilizing the fact that the 501st had previously been a symbol of hope, as had many of the battalions and legions, before the Empire came and ruined everything.
Nevertheless, Rex wanted to hit something when Luke showed up to training one day in an outfit not unlike Kenobi’s, darker robes in blacks and browns, and white armor with the Jedi order’s symbol and the Tattooine symbol for ‘Skywalker’ on his right and left shoulder respectively in 501st blue.
Seeing the reactions of the Imps and civies to his General leading them against an Empire outpost was almost enough to make it worth it.
“On your mark General Skywalker” Rex said as he readied his blaster. Luke smiled
“Alright 501st, let’s go!” Shouted their Jedi
“OYA!”