Work Text:
There’s nothing I’ve ever wanted more than to be flying in outer space, now I actually got a chance to do something I’ve wanted for a long time, however, not just fly, but also to be of use to those who needed help.
“Blue 10, we need to disable that weapon” that was Blue leader, never met him in person, but his voice was soothing, I knew no matter what he would have my back.
“On it, handsome”
“Blue 10, watch what you’re doing, your listing”
“Something’s wrong with my stabilizer!” I tried every trick I could think of but nothing seemed to work.
“Come on Blue 10, get it together. We need to disable the weapon!”
“I’m trying!” Panic was starting to build in my throat and chest. Why wouldn’t anything I do work? It was like someone had sabotaged my ship. “I think …”
“What was that Blue 10?”
“I think someone sabotaged my ship!”
“Fix it, Blue 10!”
“I’m trying! I need help!”
“We can’t help you, find a way to get your ship under control! We need your help Blue 10. Without you, we’ll all perish!”
“I’m trying, Blue leader! Help me!”
“I can’t! Focus Blue 10!”
My ship began beeping all over, the shaking was unbearable, I tried to fix it, but I knew at that moment there was nothing I could do, “Blue Leader, I’m sorry! I tried!”
“Blue 10! Don’t give up!”
“My helm’s not responding, my power is cutting in and out. Engine one just failed!”
“Come on Blue 10. Do something!”
“Blue Leader, I’m … I’m sorry…” I saw a bright white light, and a shock went through my body, then nothing.
I opened my eyes to see the simulator reset, the normal lights went back on, “tell me Blue 10, where did you think you failed?” the same voice, the soothing voice that I knew would always be by my side in that cockpit.
“Honestly, Blue Leader, I have no idea. I tried resetting the stabilizer. Tried transferring power. I even took out the fuse and put it back and nothing worked.”
“Did you try turning it off?”
“Blue Leader, if I turned it off, my air would be gone too.”
“Tell me, Blue 10, what is that emergency canister by your leg?”
“An oxygen tank”
“What could you have done, Blue 10?”
“Connected my mask to the oxygen tank, shut off all systems, rebooted the ship, and reestablished the link with the stabilizer.”
“You’re a bright one, when your life isn’t in danger, Blue 10. I’m sorry, but I don’t think you have what it takes to be a pilot.”
“No, please! Give me one more chance. I know I can do better.”
“Blue 10, this is your 26th attempt to complete this simulation, and in each scenario, you have failed to meet the objective. I’m not doing this to be mean, I’m doing this to save your life. I’m sorry.”
“Blue Leader!” the comm went dead, “Blue Leader!” but there was no answer. I took off the helmet and threw it against the dash of the cockpit.
“HEY!” a voice shouted from down below, “other pilots need to use the simulator too, Loth-Wolffe! Get out of the cockpit. Now!”
“Yes, Captain Syndulla.”
I climbed down the stairs hanging my head in defeat, I know I’m not exactly the best but come on, I know I can do this, it’s almost like every time I stepped into the simulator, a new scenario, one crazier than the one before appeared, it’s not possible that I failed every single time.
“Captain,” I stood in front of Hera, “can I ask, who is Blue Leader? It seems as though he has it out for me.”
“Does it matter who Blue Leader is? I assure you he’s not doing it to spite you, he’s doing his job, every recruit has to finish the mission.”
“The scenario keeps changing though, how is that fair?”
“The scenario keeps changing because that’s life, every time you go up there, a different problem could present itself, and you need to be able to handle it. I’m sorry Loth-Wolffe but if Blue Leader feels that you aren’t capable of sitting in that cockpit, then you need to really consider what else you can do.”
I nodded and began to walk, maybe I really don’t deserve to be in that cockpit, I heard my comm beep, I looked down to see a typed message.
7567-34322-83: How did it go, gorgeous?
Ugh! This was not going to be good. I had been receiving these messages from an unknown friend since I joined the Rebel alliance, it started off with a wrong text being sent, we agreed not to tell each other who we are, and just kept it to basic information. I knew it was a he, that he was a soldier, that he’d been fighting for a while, but that was all. He knew that I was a girl and trying my hardest to join an elite squad, he’d helped me with tips here and there, but each time I failed, I felt I was letting him down.
6322-45735-75: Not well, my trainer told me that I didn’t have what it took to be a part of his team, and that I should give up.
7567-34322-83: I’m sorry, gorgeous. Maybe there’s something I can do to help you.
6322-45735-75: Oh really? Whatcha ya got in mind
7567-34322-83: Well if I knew who you were, I would take you for a nice quiet dinner, just us two, and maybe ease your tension, in the best way I know.
6322-45735-75: Lol, you don’t even know who I am, I could be some hideous looking Yuzzum, Gand, or a Hutt
7567-34322-83: Just means more to love and plus I’m sure you have a great personality.
6322-45735-75: Lol. Ouch! Shots fired!
7567-34322-83: Just kidding, gorgeous. I’m sure you’re beautiful inside and out, I don’t need to see you to know that, however, if you were inclined, I wouldn’t be opposed.
6322-45735-75: You know this is bordering way too …
Umph! I was so busy typing, I didn’t realize I had walked straight into someone else. They were basically a brick wall, causing me to fall backwards.
“Hey kid, you okay?”
I was busy rubbing my forehead while I lay on the floor, I looked up to see warm brown eyes, an excellent white beard, an incredibly handsome gentleman.
“Yeah, sorry, teach me, for trying to use the force to walk while typing” I joked. Taking the hand he offered to help me up, his hand was warm, strong, calloused, but not in a way that was uncomfortable against my skin. They were hands that weren’t afraid of hard work.
“Ha! Well next time you're trying to use the force to walk, don’t forget to occasionally look with your eyes too.”
His lips turned into a soft and genuine smile, he was taller than me, and that’s when I realized I probably looked like a mess, all of sudden my shyness started to rear itself, my hair was probably a mess from the helmet, sweat probably was dripping down my face because of the stress of the cockpit.
“Thanks, sir, I’ll make sure to do that” lord I was such a klutz, if I was this much a klutz on two legs, no wonder Blue Leader didn’t want me in the cockpit.
“You okay? You seem troubled.”
“Oh” I looked at him then to the side, “yeah, I just got some bad news today, I was talking with my friend about it, when I guess I got distracted. It won’t happen again, sir.”
I began to walk away, when I heard his warm voice, “it’s Rex”, I turned to look back at him, “sir?”
“My name is Rex, Captain Rex. You don’t need to call me ‘sir’.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Rex. I’m Loth-Wolffe”
Rex’s face looked like there was a realization for a second then his face steeled again, “pleasures all mine, Loth-Wolffe”, he nodded and turned away. It was weird, but ehh, what to do.
7567-34322-83: You there?
6322-45735-75: Yeah, sorry, got pulled into a conversation. Where were we handsome?
One person already probably thinks I’m an idiot, I don't need more to think the same thing.
7567-34322-83: I think we were talking about actually meeting.
6322-45735-75: I don’t know … I’m … I’m just not ready for that; sorry. I hope that’s okay, handsome.
7567-34322-83: That’s fine, gorgeous. Just gives me more of an opportunity to work my way into your heart.
6322-45735-75: Oh you think you can, handsome?
7567-34322-83: I think once you realize how good I am, you’ll never let me go.
6322-45735-75: Maybe I’ve already seen all your good sides?
7567-34322-83: Sweetie, I have no bad sides, especially up close.
6322-45735-75: I’m sure I could find something. I got to go, but thanks for being there for me, today.
7567-34322-83: Of course, do you know what you’re going to do? Are you going to try one more time?
6322-45735-75: Don’t know, the team leader wasn’t exactly impressed with me. I may have to join another squad if I want to continue. Thanks, handsome.
7567-34322-83: Any time, listen I’m going on a mission, might be incommunicado for a while, stay safe.
6322-45735-75: You too, text when you get back. Come back in one piece. You’re one of only a handful of friends that I have.
7567-34322-83: Can’t get rid of me, that easy, gorgeous.
6322-45735-75: May the Force be with you.
7567-34322-83: And you.
I knew it was possible that we could meet, after all, I knew he was a rebel, I probably passed him in the hallway a number of times, but I just wasn’t ready, it just seemed too much too fast. Sometimes my shyness worked, but other times not so much, and I knew via text I could be braver, I could say the things I probably would never say face to face, not right away. If I were to meet him, he would only be disappointed in me, he would see that I was short, he would learn that I failed 26 times to be a fighter pilot, I wouldn’t be what he probably built up in his head. It was better this way, better to keep it via text.
Before I knew it, my feet had directed me to the shooting range, regardless of me freaking out in the cockpit, when it came to hand-to-hand combat situations or even shooting a blaster rifle that I could handle, in fact I was amazing at it. However there was something about the cockpit that I loved, maybe it was the sense of freedom, the sense of just being able to go and explore.
I stood in front of the target, I grabbed my favourite rifle, lined up my shots, and hit each one. As the simulation got more and more difficult, I was able to still line up and hit every single one of them, never missing a target. When I was done running through all the simulations, I laid the rifle down and grabbed the blasters hanging off my hips. I set it to the next difficult simulation, and began firing, again, I ran through all the simulations, never missing a target.
“Damn!”
I turned to look behind me, there was Sabine, I had heard of her, every Rebel heard of Phoenix squad, they were one of the elites, fought side-by-side with Ashoka Tano, before her demise on Malachor.
I smirked at her facial expression, “I take it I impressed you?”
“Dang girl, how are you not on our squad?”
“Been trying to be part of Blue squadron, but I was told today, I’m not cut out to be a pilot.”
“Seriously? From what I just saw, you should not only be a pilot, but also a freaking Jedi! I’ve never seen anyone hit targets like that except for Kanan or Ezra, well and Rex.”
“Captain Rex?”
“Yeah, you know him?”
“Just met him today”
“He’s really skilled with a blaster, rifle, you name it. He certainly knows how to handle his weaponry”
I chuckled at that, her face widened, “oh no! That’s not what … I’m not implying...”
I held up my hand, “it’s okay, it was just funny how you said that, that’s all.”
“You know, I’m a fairly decent pilot, I could help you if you really wanted to become a pilot, see where you’re struggling.”
“Really?”
Sabine nodded, “Hera and the Empire taught me, it’s only right I pass on that knowledge.”
“That would be amazing, thank you!”
“Of course, we gotta be there for one another.”
“Would you care to join me for lunch?”
“That would be great and then afterwards why don’t you show me your last simulation, and I can tell you where you went wrong.”
“That would be awesome, thank you”
- - - - - - - - -
It was several days before I heard back from my friend, but in that time, I spent a lot of time with Sabine. We became fast friends despite the age difference. I was a little bit older than her, closer to Hera’s age, but we got along like the best of friends.
7567-34322-83: I’m back, gorgeous! Been keeping busy?
6322-45735-75: Hey handsome! How are you? How was the mission? You back in one piece? I actually have been busy. Met a new friend, and they’re helping me with my skills to make the elite squad. They’re so amazing, and funny. Honestly, I can't imagine my life before them.
7567-34322-83: I leave for a few days and you already replaced me, gorgeous
I could tell they were joking, but I couldn’t help but feel maybe they were slightly jealous, and sad. Granted, though, how much could you tell from an inanimate object.
6322-45735-75: Jealous, handsome?
7567-34322-83: Not jealous, just curious
6322-45735-75: Don’t worry, you’re not replaced. I need you in my life too. Honestly, you were one of my first friends when I joined the rebels, can’t imagine my life without you too. Alright this is getting too mushy. Did you embarrass yourself at all? Trying to fit into a stormtrooper’s outfit that is slightly too tight for you. Lol.
7567-34322-83: Ha, I knew I should never have told you that, for your information it’s my broad shoulders and well defined hips that made that armour too tight. If they made it for normal sized people, it wouldn’t have been an issue.
6322-45735-75: Broad shoulders, really? You sure it wasn’t just that extra pouch you carry around, where you store all those cookies you eat.
7567-34322-83: How dare you! I don’t eat cookies, I treat my body like a well-toned and exceptional temple. Trust me, ladies never complain about my body.
6322-45735-75: Maybe not to your face, lol.
7567-34322-83: Rude! You know maybe you are better off with your new friend.
6322-45735-75: Lol, so sensitive. Sorry, handsome, I’m sure ALL the ladies just can’t wait to be with you.
7567-34322-83: That’s right!
6322-45735-75: Lol, glad your back, handsome. Gotta go, talk later?
7567-34322-83: Glad, I’m back too gorgeous. Sounds good. Have a lovely day.
“Who’s that?”
“Huh?” I turned to look at Sabine, she had a knowing smirk on her face.
“Don’t play dumb, who you texting, smiling like a kid who found his first candy store?”
“Okay, it’s kind of embarrassing”
Sabine propped herself on the desk, head resting on her closed fist, while her elbow rested on the desk, her eyes were full of curiosity, and she was trying to reign in her giddiness.
“I’m all ears”
“Yeah, I noticed” I rolled my eyes at her, “when I first joined the rebellion and I was given my standard issued comm link, I received a text from an unknown comm, it was a mistaken text, but we started talking. I don’t know anything about him, he doesn’t really know anything about me. I just know that he is in the rebellion, and he’s a soldier. We talk quite a bit, mostly banter, flirting, stuff like that”
“Don’t you want to meet him? How long have you been with the rebellion now?”
“I do and I don’t, about three months” I started counting in my head, “no, actually four and a half months, wow, time flies.”
“So you guys talk all the time?”
“Well if I’m not on a mission, or if he’s not on a mission, then yeah, basically. He was actually just letting me know he got back from a mission”
“Really?” Sabine’s eyes look as though they are connecting some sort of dots, but then she shakes her head, “can I see his comm link, I might know who it is”
“I don’t know”
“Okay, why don’t you want to meet?”
“Oh, there’s a lot of reasons”
“Come on”
“Well alright, first the way I am via text isn’t exactly the same in person. I’m not super flirty or great with banter in person, I’m super shy when I meet someone for the first time, especially a guy. What if he sees me and thinks I’m not worth his time. I know he wants to meet, he’s asked, but I’ve put him off time and time again. I just … I guess I’m scared.”
“I get that, sometimes the dream will never live up to reality, but at the same time on rare occasions, real life surpasses any dream that we might have.”
“True”
“So can I?”
“What?”
“See the comm link”
“Alright, just don’t tell me”
“Deal”
I showed Sabine the link, I have to give her credit, she really tried to keep her face as stoic as possible, but I could see she recognized the link almost immediately.
“You know”
“You said you didn’t want to know”
“Yeah but now…”
“Nope, not saying anything”
“Just tell me, dream or real life, which surpasses”
“Not saying”
“Come on!”
“Nope”
“Fine”
“Excuse me, ladies” we turned to look at the voice behind us, it was Captain Rex.
“Hey Rex” Sabine said, a smile forming on her lips, she clearly held the man in great respect, “how was your mission, you just got back, right?”
I gave her a questioning look, but ignored it. I had no idea what she was trying to imply, “how are you, Rex, been a while since I bumped into you” I giggled, a smile radiated on his face, enhancing his handsome features.
“Still using the force to guide you, while you’re texting?”
“Only way to live”
“Feel sorry for whoever you walk into next”
“You’re just upset, because it’s probably the first time in a while a woman actually pressed her body against yours”
“I think you're confusing your life with mine, either way, I hope you don’t fight the way you walk”
“Okay, that’s just rude, you don’t even know me”
“Ha, well maybe we should fix that, don’t you think?”
My mouth gaped open, wait did he just … all of a sudden I felt so guilty, like I was cheating on my friend, but that’s ridiculous “ummm…”
“What happened, not so talkative now?”
“I … umm…”
Sabine cleared her throat, “well this went from entertaining to awkward, did you need something Rex?”
“Yeah, I need to set up the next simulation runs, so I’m gonna need the computer”
“Sure, not a problem” Sabine stood from her seat, tapping my shoulder, I hadn’t recovered yet, from the impromptu asking out, I couldn’t even look at him, my shyness coming to bite me with a vengeance, along with my guilt. I simply cleared my throat and walked away, I could see that Rex was eyeing me, as I got up and walked away from the desk. It was weird, it was like both of us became super shy all of a sudden, and we didn’t know what to do next.
Sabine just took me by my arm, waving back to Rex, “see you at dinner time?” Sabine shouted back.
“Yeah, meet you guys in the mess hall.”
“Bye, Rex”
“Hey Loth-Wolffe”
I turned to look back at him, Sabine just indicated she’d wait for me outside, Rex and I were alone in the room, he started rubbing the back of his neck, he clearly was nervous, “I … I’m sorry if I overstepped.”
“No, I’m sorry, I just get …” tongue-tied, super shy, embarrassed, name it, that’s probably what it is, “… shy, and I …” lord I couldn’t even look at him, and I really wanted to, his bald head, his glorious beard, his warm eyes, his broad shoulders, it all worked for me.
“I get it, like I said, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay”
“You gonna try out for a squad?”
“Huh?” I finally was able to meet his eyes, his warm, comforting brown eyes.
“You were reviewing your simulations, you gonna try out for a squad?” he motioned towards the computer.
“Oh, yeah I guess. Sabine was helping me to see where I went wrong. It's a bit embarrassing, but I’ve attempted this simulation 26 times and each time I fail. I just … last time Blue Leader said I didn’t belong in a cockpit, and that I should give up.”
Rex didn’t say anything, he simply glanced from me to the desk, he looked like his was resolving something in his mind, “maybe … maybe Blue Leader was wrong, the fact that you’re trying to figure out what you did wrong, shows your determination, 26 times shows your dedication, the fact that you haven’t given up shows your loyalty, and the fact you’re willing to ask for help shows your humble. Those are all excellent qualities for any rebel, but maybe what you are missing is confidence. Being in the cockpit is more than just about knowing what to do, it’s more than just trying to plan for every eventual scenario, it’s about knowing that maybe you might not make it back. Regardless of that you’ll do what needs to be done, because otherwise, those counting on you won't make it back, because they’re too worried about if you can handle being in the cockpit. Being part of a squadron is one of the only times where the group and the individual are the same, you have to rely on each other, but you have to rely on yourself too.”
I couldn’t believe it, as he began talking, his voice was … “wait, your Blue Leader.”
A smirk appeared on his lips, he simply nodded.
“That’s why I failed, because I lacked confidence?”
“I don’t know. Is that why you think you failed? Think about it” he turned to face the computer in front of him, he gave me a lot to think about, something to really ponder and meditate on.
I turned to find Sabine standing by the wall, looking at me, with a knowing smirk, “so… what did you guys talk about?”she pushed herself off the wall and we began walking.
“He was giving me a tip for the next simulation run, did you know he was Blue Leader?”
Sabine’s smirk faltered a little, she looked down and shook her head, “yeah I knew, he’s a tough marker, but he also makes the best pilots. After all he’s been fighting for a long time, he knows what works and what doesn’t, his previous General was the most skilled pilot ever.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s a clone, he fought during the Clone Wars”
“He’s a clone?”
“Yeah, you didn’t know?”
I simply shook my head, I heard about the clones, I had never seen any, what I do remember was my father going on and on about how clones were the most elite fighters he had ever seen. I wish he was still alive, to let him know that I was learning and working alongside a clone, he would have been so proud.
“Is that an issue?” Sabine asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“No, not at all. I was just thinking how proud my dad would be to know I was learning from a clone, he thought they could do no wrong, that they were the most elite fighters in the universe. He always said his favourite battalion was the 501st and 104th. I never knew who they were. When he died, my mom didn’t want to hear any mention of the war or the clone army; she blamed them, wrongly, for his death.”
“Why?”
“There was an explosion in the atmosphere of our planet, apparently a Republic ship had exploded. My father was in a ship on his way to deliver some mining ore from our planet, when he got caught in the explosion. I don’t know, I could never blame the Republic, or the clone army for what happened, they lost men too, and they didn’t ask to be shot at by a separatist fleet, trying to occupy our planet. Their death saved our people from a military occupation. I will forever be grateful to them, regardless of what the Emperor made them do afterwards.”
“You know Rex has a clone number”
“I didn’t know that was a thing, I thought they were just given names.”
Sabine shook her head no, “they gave themselves names, because to the Kaminoans they were simply a number.”
“That’s so sad”
“Agreed. Do you wanna know what it is?”
“No, I feel that would be too personal. Oh, what time is it?”
“1630, why?”
“I have to report to Admiral Sato at 1700, he has an assignment for me”
“Wanna grab food first?”
“Maybe later, I might be too nervous to eat before meeting with him, you’re gonna go to the mess hall right?”
“Yeah should be there around 1830”
“Okay I’ll meet you there then. I’ll see you.”
- - - - - - - - - -
“I don’t understand, Admiral, you want me to go undercover?”
“Yes, we’ve seen reports on your shooting skills, and your hand-to-hand combat, we believe you would be the right person for this type of mission.”
“I see”
“It is up to you to take the assignment, it could be for several days if not weeks, until you get the intel we need”
I nodded, “when do you need to know?”
“Tomorrow, 1300 hours, otherwise we’ll have to ask another less qualified person.”
“Okay, I’ll give you my answer tomorrow”
“Thank you, Loth-Wolffe, dismissed.”
“Yes, sir”
I headed towards the mess hall, I needed to talk this out.
6322-45735-75: Are you free to talk?
7567-34322-83: Of course, gorgeous. Everything okay?
6322-45735-75: Yes. No. I don’t know.
7567-34322-83: Okay, talk to me.
6322-45735-75: I was just offered an assignment
7567-34322-83: Offered? I never knew they offered assignments, what makes you so special?
7567-34322-83: Wait, what kind of assignment is it?
6322-45735-75: Undercover, they said it could be days or weeks, basically until I get the intel we need, I won’t be coming back.
7567-34322-83: Woah
6322-45735-75: Yeah, I don’t know. They said I have the skills they need for the assignment, but I just … I don’t know, if I go, I might not make it back. What if it takes longer than a few weeks?
7567-34322-83: Gorgeous, maybe we should meet
6322-45735-75: What? Why?
7567-34322-83: I don’t want to go another minute without knowing who you are, knowing that this assignment could be a one-way trip, I … I want to know you, gorgeous. Please.
6322-45735-75: Handsome, I don’t think it’s a good idea, what if I disappoint you, what if I’m not what you were hoping for? Wouldn’t it be better to live with a dream of me, then the real me?
7567-34322-83: The real you is better than any dream I could come up with, Gorgeous.
“Hey, Loth-Wolffe”
“Hey, Rex” my face was focused on my comm, my face reading the message again.
“You alright?”
“Yeah, I just got some news”
“More bad news?”
“No, I was given an assignment. Well offered an assignment”
Rex’s face faltered for a second, “what do you mean offered?” His tone was cautious, I thought it was weird.
“Umm… hold on, I just need to send a message back to my friend”
6322-45735-75: You might change your tune, when you actually meet me in person.
The comm in front of me beeped, I didn’t really think much of it, he was a Captain and he was always busy.
7567-34322-83: Somehow I don’t think I will
6322-45735-75: What makes you think that?
Again the comm in front of me beeped.
7567-34322-83: Look up
I was puzzled at that, but I looked up, and that’s when I saw Rex’s face, his eyes were warm, tender, full of adoration.
“Hi, gorgeous” his lips pulled into a giant smile.
“Handsome?” I asked, it couldn’t be, it couldn’t be him.
6322-45735-75: Testing
His comm beeped, and he looked down, laughing, “why are you sending a message saying testing?”
“I needed to make sure, it was you”
“It’s me, gorgeous”
“Ari”
“What?”
“My name, it’s Ari”
He stepped closer, his hand tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, “like I said, the real you is better than any dream, I could come up with”, I blushed at that, leaning into his hand that was cupping my cheek after tucking my hair.
“I can’t believe it’s you. I wanted …” I looked into his warm brown eyes, “I wanted it to be you.”
He leaned down, his lips brushing mine, I sucked in a breath, I couldn’t believe it, this was happening, he looked from my lips to my eyes, waiting for permission, I looked from his eyes to his lips, closing the distance. His lips were exactly what I imagined they would be, his beard tickling my face, but not in a horrible way, it was soothing almost. He moved his hand to my hair, tilting my head back while his other hand rested on my lower back pulling me in closer, my arms snaked around his neck, deepening the kiss.
I pulled away and rested my forehead on his, “we shouldn’t have done this”, it came out before I even knew what I was thinking.
Rex pulled back a little, the smile that was on his lips fading, “I’m sorry, Ari”, he pulled his arms back to his side, taking a step back.
“That’s not …” I placed my hand on his arm, “it’s the assignment, what if I don’t come back, what if …”
“It’s okay” Rex stepped forward again, closing the distance, rubbing circles on my collarbone, just below my neck.
“How can you say, it’s okay? I could be gone for weeks”
“Because, I’m going with you, Ari”
“What?”
“I’m the one who recommended you for the assignment, it’s also partially why …” he moved his hand to rub the back of his neck, “why I failed you, as Blue 10.”
“WHAT!” I pushed him back, “you did what?!”
“Your skills with using a blaster, your hand-to-hand combat, your reputation are known throughout the base, I needed someone with me on this assignment that I could trust, that I knew could handle themselves. I’ve watched all your training vids, read all your instructors reports, and they each say the same thing, including any assignment you’ve handled. You are skilled, really skilled, and I wanted you as my partner, undercover.”
“That first day I bumped into you, though, you acted like you didn’t even know who I was?”
“In fairness, I never saw your face, your back was always to the camera, so I had an idea of what you looked like, all I really knew was your call sign.”
I thought for a second before a smirk appeared on my lips, “does this mean, I am a really good pilot?”
“Good. Kriff, Ari, you’re the best I’ve ever seen. I had to keep coming up with crazier and crazier scenarios for you to fail.”
“I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult?”
Rex stepped closer to me, and wrapped his arms around my waist, “definitely a compliment”
“If I do this assignment, I get assigned to Blue squadron, as Blue 10, deal?”
Rex leaned down and kissed me, “deal” he mumbled against my lips.
That undercover assignment was probably the best assignment I ever had, mainly because it was just Rex and I, acting like husband and wife, we were able to get the intel, even if we did indulge a little longer on the assignment then probably necessary.
When we finally made it back to base after our assignment, Sabine saw us together. We were in the mess hall, I had turned my chair so I could face Rex, while my legs rested on his lap. We were talking about Blue Squadron, and what the next mission would be for us, when she walked up and sat down in front of us.
“Well if it isn’t my second favourite couple?”
“Second, who’s your first?” I asked somewhat annoyed we failed
“Probably Hera and Kanan” Rex answered
“You’re right there, Cap” she responded, “so, how’s life? Blissed out with happiness?”
“You knew, when you saw his comm link didn’t you?”
“Oh yeah, I knew. In fairness, though, Rex had told me about his friend ‘gorgeous’ who won him over, and who refused to meet him in person.”
“Really? I won you over with a few texts?” I looked at him coquettishly.
“Well in fairness, Ari, when you said you were a Hutt, I knew at that moment, all my dreams were answered,” he laughed, squeezing my leg.
“I said a possible Hutt, but the worm guy does it for you, huh?” I quirked my eyebrow
“Yeah! All that slime to love!”
“Ewwwwww!” Sabine and I said in unison laughing at Rex.
“Actually, what caught my attention was one of the first texts you sent me, I was having a particularly bad day, it was just after we lost Ahsoka, and you asked if everything was okay, do you remember that?”
I shook my head, not because I wanted to be difficult, but because I genuinely didn’t remember.
“You spent almost three hours with me via text, asking questions about her, helping me to remember all the good times we had, it helped more than you could possibly know, and I just knew at that moment, I needed you in my life.”
I looked from him to my hands that were on my lap, “I had no idea, it meant so much, I was just trying to be a good friend”
“You were and so much more, gorgeous. More than you realized” he leaned over and kissed my forehead.
“So when did you realize you wanted him in your life?” Sabine asked
“It was about a few months after we had started texting, I was upset because I had failed the simulation, again, and you kept trying to encourage me not to give up, that if this was something I really wanted, I should try again and again and again. He spent quality time with me, via text, he just was always there when I needed him. Still is.” I looked at him with big puppy eyes.
“How did you not clue-in that Ari was Loth-Wolffe?” Sabine directed to Rex
“Well she never told me it was a simulation she failed, she just kept saying she was trying out for an elite squad. I kept giving her tips for shooting and hand-to-hand combat.”
“That’s why you’re so good at it!”
I chuckled, “yeah, I guess so” I realized, I leaned forward, kissing his cheek, “thanks for all the help, babe.”
“Just follow my lead, and you’ll be okay” Rex squeezed my thigh again, his eyes locked with mine and it was as though the world ceased to exist, it was just me and him.
“Hey!” Sabine waved her arms in front of us, we turned to look at her, blinking a few times, “I can tell when I’m not wanted, I’ll let you guys have your moment.”
“Oh no, Sabine, stay” Rex said sarcastically, I swatted his arm.
“Be nice!”
“It’s okay, Ari, I can get him back, or did you forget half the time you’re with us doing runs on the Ghost” Sabine teased, “plus, I can get my hands on your armour, give it a really nice paint job.”
Rex raised his finger at Sabine, “touch my armour, and die!”
“Easy you two” I sat up, placing my hands in front of each of them, “Sabine, you know Rex is very protective of his armour. Rex, you were being mean, only fair Sabine takes a shot at you.”
“Fine at me, not the armour”
“Oh, well then I guess you won’t want your helmet back”
“What did you do?” Rex asked through gritted teeth
I looked at Sabine, maybe our plan wasn’t going to go exactly the way I had hoped, “Rex, it’s not as bad as you think”
“You knew!” he turned to look at me, his eyes held a bit of anger.
“Well, before you freak out” I placed a hand on his arm, trying to soothe him, “why not look at it first.”
He turned his eyes away from me, and shook his head, “I can’t believe you cyar’ika, you know what that armour means to me. It’s all I have left of the boys. I can’t …” he stood and walked away.
“Rex!” I shouted but he didn’t turn around, I turned to look at Sabine, “where is it?”
“In his quarters, and it’s exactly as you requested. He’ll come around when he sees it.”
I simply nodded, thanked Sabine for her work, and followed Rex at a distance. He needed some space, but I wanted to explain when he saw it. I saw him open the doors to his quarters and stop.
I came up beside him, and looked at the armour, Sabine did a nice job, she retouched the old paint, his Jaig eyes were their brilliant blue, the blue on his pauldrons and vambrace were rejuvenated, but his forearm had an additional detail, it wasn’t brand new, but rather restored.
“I wanted to give it a good once over, but we were on assignment, so I asked Sabine if she could do it, plus I wanted to add a little extra.”
Rex turned to look at me, his eyes watery, “what do you mean extra?”
I held his hand and pulled him into his quarters, I picked up his right arm vambrace and held it out to him, on the underside, were all the markings of his 501st. It had the tattoos of all his men, Fives’ five, Jesse’s cog, Tup’s tear, Kix’s tattooed phrase, Hardcase’s line tattoo, and Ahsoka Tano’s forehead design. Rex examined it for several minutes, he didn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped, I know it’s the anniversary of Order 66 in a few days, and I wanted to do something, so you could remember your men and Ahsoka by. If you don’t like it I can ask Sabine to get rid of it. I tried to find an image of all the tattoos but it was hard, if I messed one up, I’m sorry. I know I overstepped, I just wanted to do something for you.”
Rex still didn’t say anything. I probably just messed up this relationship in a way I could never recover from, I let out a sigh.
“I’m sorry, love. I’ll leave you be” I walked past him, when his hand grabbed my arm, it wasn’t a strong grab, one I could break away from, he finally put down the vambrace, and turned to look at me. There were tears in his eyes, he looked shaken, I screwed up. Damn it!
“Cyar’ika”, his voice cracked, this wasn’t going to be good, seeing him cry and in pain, made me start to tear up. How could I have been so stupid! “This…” he motioned to the armour behind him, “is the sweetest, most thoughtful” he moved his hand to cup my cheek, “… I can’t …” he placed his forehead against mine, drawing me in closer, pulling on my arm until he placed it around his back, and moved his arms to my back his hands rubbing circles, “thank you, my love. This is beautiful and the best memorial I could have ever hoped for” Rex leaned down and kissed me.
“You really don’t hate it?” I asked when we had finally pulled away so we could breathe.
He shook his head, “thank you for being you. I love you, Ari.”
“I love you, Rex.