Chapter Text

It was an easy enough matter for Travis* to find the rescued troopers awaiting evac. Getting them to the transports alive would be another matter.

Travis glanced over his shoulder at the ragtag troopers marching behind him in the darkened corridors. Some of the clones had fashioned makeshift weapons with debris from the battle. A few had gotten ahold of Kaz'harian** weapons, but not nearly enough of them. He wished they were all armed so they stood a better chance of getting out of here. Travis' body was a testament to the danger posed by the 100-kilo simians. He was bruised, battered, burnt, and while he'd been afraid to even peer beneath his bodysuit, he was sure his flesh resembled his Marine Corps armor. A smudgy mess of dark burgundy and black. He glanced back over his shoulder, wincing as even that simple movement pulled at joints that were shouting at him he'd pushed himself too far. He was in rough shape, but not as bad as many of these brothers. Most were limping through the stone corridors on bare and bleeding feet. Some could barely hold themselves up and were being carried along by others who looked hardly better. He couldn't afford to slow down out of deference to either their injuries or his own. The rescued troopers kept up with the brisk pace he set with ragged determination. They all wanted to get the fek out of here. They could make it. They had to make it.

We'll be fine, as long as we don't run into any trouble-

Travis cursed the errant thought almost as soon as it popped into his head. It was tempting fate, and sure enough, he'd barely finished the thought before they ran into what he could easily define as "trouble."

Travis led the group around a corner into the next corridor, his feet automatically finding the way back to the hangar without much conscious thought. He didn't stop to reflect on how he'd already become accustomed to the maze of interlocking passages that made up the Kaz'harian facility. He was just happy his muscle memory seemed to so readily remember the way back to the ship, especially considering his mind was getting increasingly fuzzy-

Travis gave a frantic hand signal, ordering the troopers directly behind him to hit the deck. If they hadn't been spotted, maybe they could quietly retreat-

They had no such luck.

Burning heat singed over his shoulders as blaster fire came close enough to char his armor, but not score a direct hit. He blinked and switched his HUD over to night vision to compensate for the poor light of the tunnels. He quickly assessed the enemy position, wondering how many he could take out. The Kazzies had backed up and taken cover around the corner. As more shots came at him, he noted with dismay the simians were armed with both slugthrowers and blasters. He heaved out a grunt of annoyance. It was fekkin' hard to defend against mixed weapons' fire. Slugs behaved entirely differently from blaster shots.

Travis steadied his rifle and returned fire. Whenever he could catch sight of a simian in the dim lighting, he focused on the small vulnerable portion of their necks.

This is no good. We're pinned down. We'll never make it to the transports.

Travis tried to dive back into the shelter of the wall as another wave of fire came at him, but the cover was inadequate. A blaster shot caught his rifle wrenching it painfully out of his already injured wrist. He cried out as tissues abused in a fight hours earlier tore even further. He awkwardly scooped up the rifle one-handed. But, he knew the odds of being able to accurately take out more of the patrol with one hand were not good. His DC-15s was designed to be fired with two hands. The designers hadn't taken into account that clones might actually be injured when they're fighting-

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, startling him. He wondered how long the trooper had been speaking to him trying to get his attention. Travis pointed to the ear of his helmet. The universal signal for problems with his comm system. It was easier than explaining he was deaf.

The trooper understood anyway. He started again, speaking more slowly and using clone hand signals. "You're injured. Let me help."

There was something in the trooper's steely gaze which evoked confidence. He was in well-healed scars across his face and arms, and one of his eyes was discolored. He'd seen his share of battles. Travis gave a curt nod and handed over the rifle.

"Chopper," the trooper enunciated slowly, introducing himself as he settled the weapon comfortably on his shoulder.

"Travis- eh, Lieutenant Travi- fek, doesn't matter..." he grumbled. Titles and ranks had never seemed less important than now. He just wanted to get these men out of here alive.

Chopper took cover next to Travis in the scant protection of the wall. He took his shots with confident accuracy, one after another. A small collection of troopers sidled up next to them, returning fire with their stolen weapons. The cover fire gave Travis a moment to analyze their situation-

They were fekked.

More Kazzies joined the first group from an intersecting corridor. They fired at them with rapid-fire intensity, slowly making ground toward them. It was only a matter of time before they were overtaken-

When a trooper receives an order in their helmet and they're listening intently, they tend to tilt their head slightly to the side. The Kaz'harians generally wore earcomms, versus full helmets, but the distinct head movement was there. The Kazzies had received new orders and from their body language, they were confused by the orders. There was a flurry of movement back and forth between the Kaz'harians, and even what looked to be an argument before they all stopped firing.

Even with his deafness, Travis could easily feel the vibrations of battle in his chest and the sudden absence of this resonance was eerie.

What kind of trick is this now?

But, even more strangely, Travis could no longer feel the distance thumps of explosions from the dungeons. All of it had suddenly ceased.

Chopper and the other troopers stopped firing, blasters held in the ready position as they tried to make sense of the scene unfolding in front of them. The scarred trooper looked over at Travis and mouthed: "Orders, sir?"

Travis' HUD blazed to life with new orders from Commander Cody. "All units; cease fire. Repeat. Cease fire immediately. Kaz'harians are departing. RV at main evac points."

He blinked, trying to process the new orders.

Cease fire?

Why was his brain having more difficulties with the order to stop shooting than it was to start?

"Sir?" Chopper flicked him lightly in his shoulder plate to get his attention.

"We have new orders," Travis grunted out and quickly returned his attention down the corridor, but the Kaz'harians had disappeared.

While logic told him the rapid retreat could be a trap, his inner sense told him there was more to it.

Was the battle truly over?

He rose shakily to his feet and signaled to the troopers to move on. Adrenaline left his body in a rush and his feet were now much heavier than a moment ago. Chopper fell into place by his side still clutching the rifle. He was glad for the company and looking forward to safely getting these troopers to their transports. And, then, he was going to sleep until the end of the fekkin' war.

No. He'd get these prisoners to their transports, and then he was headed home. He had no idea of what sort of reception he'd get when he'd arrived. He owed Karyn a huge apology. But, the thought of seeing her again- even if she was furious with him- gave him the strength to keep moving.

# # #

Keen awoke to a world of darkness and motion. Why was everything so dark and fuzzy? And, who was carrying him?

"Gears! Watch the corners!"

"Watching them," grumbled a clone voice, so low Keen could barely hear him. "They're a blurry blob, like everything else."

Wait? No one else could see either? He was a medic. He had to help these troopers. His mind was already trying to run through the possible diagnoses that could cause such a situation. Keen tried to sit up, but his body was restrained by a tight strap. He panicked and tried to get free.

"Hey, rest easy, vod. We're taking you to a medical transport."

A medical transport? Well, that made sense, at least. He was a medic, after all. Who was the patient? He opened his mouth to demand more information. But his lungs burned and his throat...fek! Was it blistered?! The simple act of trying to speak sent him into a coughing fit so severe he was sure it would be the death of him. He could feel the touch of clone arms on his shoulders, trying to calm him, but he was suffocating and it was sending him into a panic. Medical training be damned, he couldn't breathe. Darkness closed around his vision. With the darkness came a sense of peace and a sense of relief.

This was it. His end. He would see his fallen brothers again.

Keen welcomed the darkness.

# # #

"Coric, there's no time for this," Rex swatted at the medic's hands as Coric leaned in to examine the long cut on his neck. It only earned him a swat back from the medic who refused to be deterred.

"Hold still." Bedraggled from his two months of captivity, he was still the same commanding medic he'd always been.

"It looks worse than it is," Rex tried to argue, trying to hide the wince that speaking brought on.

"He tried to tell us the same thing," Fives addressed Coric, both of them ignoring Rex's muttered litany under his breath that he was 'fine.' "Ahsoka and I cleaned it with antiseptic and then sprayed the wound with synthflesh to knit it back together."

"You did good, Fives," Coric nodded as he assessed Fives' handiwork. "This will hold until we get back to the ship." He turned his attention back to Rex, running the micro medscanner he'd borrowed from Fives over Rex's form. His face was impassively neutral, as it always was when he was in medic mode. But, then his eyes rose up to meet Rex's gaze and worry dropped into his tone. "You are coming back with us, right?"

The worry in his tone tore at Rex and he ached for what his men had gone through during the time he'd been away. "Yes, we're headed home together."

Coric's face swam with relief. "You need some time in medbay, but you're stable enough- for now."

Rex's gaze swept over to where Captain Ko was anxiously waiting with his troopers. "Thanks, Coric." He checked his chrono. "We have to move. We've got 18 minutes to get out of here. We're barely going to clear atmo at this rate." He moved up beside Ko and together they signaled the troopers to move out. The 501st and 212th were heading home.

# # #

Echo groaned and shifted, trying to ease the relentless ache in his shoulder.

"Rest easy, Echo. We're getting you to a medbay."

"Kix?" Echo peered up in confusion, wondering where the medic had come from. His mind slowly made sense of his surroundings and realized he was on a med stretcher. Kix walking by his side and troopers he didn't know guiding the stretcher from the front.

"Yes, vod. Save your strength. We'll be out of here soon." Kix's voice was rushed and tense, unlike his usual calm medic tone.

Echo tried to move his body into a more comfortable position again, but it only made things worse. He remembered getting impaled in his shoulder and now he was sure whatever was left in his body was slowly cleaving him in half. He both wanted to stay awake and pass out. The pain was horrific, but somehow he knew if he gave in to the urge to rest he wouldn't wake again. He'd had a gone run of it, him and Fives. He'd be OK, but Fives wouldn't. He was a wild card without him.

Stay awake. I have to stay awake...

# # #

"Rex, the Seppie fleet is maintaining course and speed. We've got less than ten minutes."

"Thanks, Catcher," Rex responded into comms, pushing air out through his nose as they barreled through the corridors. He was exhausted. He wasn't just tired. He was hungry. And, he ached much more than he'd let on. But, he would rest later, once they were all home.

Coric had left his side to go check on the injured member of Leon's squad. Ahsoka immediately took Coric's place, a quiet, reassuring calm next to him.

It would be alright. Ahsoka was here. They could make it through anything together.

He kept up his brutal pace back to the hangar, knowing it was as hard on him as it was on the weakened men they'd rescue. Thankfully, they encountered no resistance and made good time back to the hangars. He bellowed at the men to get their shebs up the ramps and into the ships. He chased them all the way to the ramp of the ship Catcher had told him was one of the Corrie-bound ones; making dire threats about horrendous cleaning details if they didn't move faster. He halted at the base of the ramp in satisfaction and looked around. The hangar was almost clear.

"Catcher, evac status?" Rex asked.

"I don't have a manifest of the prisoners, but I believe they're all clear. All members of the Andoan Legion have been accounted for except for Mako, who is doing an emergency medical consult, and I can't get in touch with Lieutenant Travis."

"Rex!"

"Found him," Rex told Catcher. "I'll shove his shebs up a ramp." He disconnected from Catcher, and turned his attention to the Marine, grunting in pain as his injured chest was squeezed in an overly tight brotherly hug. "Fek! Travis! Get off!"

"Thought you'd left without a goodbye, you fekkin' di'kut," Travis grumbled, smacking Rex hard enough in the pauldron to send him stumbling back.

The 501st Captain grunted and reached up to rub at his aching shoulder. Then, he groaned again as just the act of raising up his arm made him hurt worse. He gave up on moving at all. "Travis, fek, quit it!" He resorted to his tried and true methods with the vod he knew better than any other. He smacked the Marine hard in the back of the helmet. The sound reverberated in the hangar.

Travis' burst of filtered laughter echoed out through the helmet.

Ahsoka was still standing beside him and seemed riveted by the exchange.

Travis seemed to notice the Jedi for the first time. He quickly tugged off his filthy helmet and bowed deeply to the Jedi. "Ma'am. I'm Lieutenant Travis and you must be Rex's-"

"Commanding officer," Rex quickly supplied.

"I get it now," Travis gave a teasing smile. He turned to Rex and gave a nod of approval.

Rex glared at his brother. "You need to get on your fekkin' evac ship. But, there's something I need to tell you-'

"Captain," Catcher's voice cut in from Rex's gauntlet, "8:05. Mark. The medics have finished their consult. We're just waiting on you."

"Travis-" Rex started again, trying to find the right words and simultaneously swallow down the unwelcome emotions swelling in him at parting with his brother again.

"You're giving Catcher command of the Legion. It's the right thing to do." Travis gave Rex a genuine reassuring smile. "We'll be fine."

Rex reached forward and grasped Travis' arm in the traditional Mando'a handshake. Travis wrestled his arm free and grabbed Rex in another bone-crushing hug.

"Good luck, vod," Rex said, his voice suspiciously hoarse.

"You too, vod," Travis said.

Too much was left unsaid, but they were out of time.

"Now let me the fek go, that hurts," Rex ordered, but there was a teasing edge to his voice under his weariness and pain. Travis released him. "As soon as we clear atmo, light this place up."

The Marine nodded, patting a series of det timers on his belt. Rex's gaze swept the hangars, doing one last check. Empty except for the four of them.

"Now, go," Rex said.

Travis straightened and saluted Rex. Not a mocking salute. But, a full-on respectful salute of one officer to another. Rex straightened up and immediately returned the gesture, ignoring his body's complaints once again. Travis nodded, as if the past had finally been settled between them and took off for his ship.

Rex gestured to Ahsoka and led the way to the nearest Corrie-bound transport. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw one last view of the back of Travis, disappearing up the ramp on a ship bound for Ando.

His brother was headed back to a completely different life.

And, Rex was headed back to Coruscant.

This was it.

This was where it all changed.

As he and Ahsoka bolted up the ramp, the pistons brought the hatch to a close. The hatch closed silently, but as he was sealed into the ship Rex had an urge to demand the hatch be lowered again. He could still maybe make it to one of the other ships. He could say he changed his mind. Still maybe go back to Ando...

No.

He pushed the thoughts away.

He was just tired. He'd made his decision. No second thoughts. Ando was behind him. He glanced around trying to get his bearings on the unfamiliar ship. The ship tilted as it climbed atmo, and Rex's tired muscles couldn't compensate fast enough. He braced a hand against the wall as he struggled to stand, and keep his feet.

Coric and Kix were both hard at work in the main entryway, performing triage on injured troopers. But, Coric seemed to have eyes everywhere. His gaze whipped around and made eye contact with Rex as his feet swayed under him.

"Rex, you need to sit."

"Not now, Coric. I need to get to the bridge."

Coric frowned but didn't argue the point. "How do I get to the bridge?" Rex said, addressing the trooper who'd closed the ramp.

The trooper was staring at Rex with wide eyes as if meeting a holostar for the first time.

"Trooper!" Rex used the voice he did with errant shinies.

The trooper snapped to attention. "Captain Rex, sir. I understand you're responsible for getting us out there." His voice flooded with gratitude and relief. 'Thank you, sir. I'm Top from the 212th Airborne."

"It was a team effort, Top. Glad you're here with us trooper. How do I get to the bridge?"

"I'll take you there myself, Captain." Top took off at a light run through the corridors, surprisingly energetic for someone who was down several kilo from a clone's ideal weight.

Rex struggled to keep up. The Kaz'harian ship followed the same basic ship as a Jedi cruiser, but everything seemed larger and elongated. The corridors were endless. Finally, they arrived at their destination. Rex could see blackness wavering in front of his eyes, but he forced it away, as he tried to steady his breathing after the long run. Normally, such exertion would be effortless for him, but his body was making its' displeasure known.

Rex stared out at the sight in front of him as they emerged from the lift onto the bridge. It was a mixture of order and chaos as clones struggled to make sense of the Kaz'harian controls. Cody was a calm in the middle of the storm, issuing commands and answering questions. At the helm, Hawk was struggling to reach controls that were too high and not designed for human-sized hands. Cody frowned and yanked a cushion off another chair and he handed it off to a grateful Hawk.

"Status," Cody said.

"Maintaining course and speed," Hawk reported. The additional height from the second cushion allowed his hands to easily reach the controls."Coordinates set for Coruscant… I think. Making calculations for the jump to lightspeed."

"You think?" Cody demanded harshly, knowing even as he said it he was demanding a lot from his bridge crew. They were in a battle zone flying a ship of foreign design.

"Everything's in Kaz'harian, sir," Hawk said. "The lettering is in Aurebesh and some of this design looks similar to that of an Acclimator. But, I can't read any of this writing. I'm not exactly sure what I entered."

"The commando captain, Leon, he's fluent in Kaz'harian-" Rex started.

"Yes, I noticed that," Cody's tone was brusque and clipped, the way it got when he was hyperfocused during battle. "He's already on his way."

While Leon could speak Kaz'harian, Rex wasn't entirely sure the commando also knew how to read it. He stood behind Hawk and studied the controls. The controls were arrayed in what looked to be a standard formation, even if there were some extra mystery buttons with an unknown purpose. If the language was at least somewhat phonetic, there was a chance Leon could translate everything before any of them hit a very wrong button.

"Three minutes and closing," Catcher announced over the comm call that tied all of their evac ships together.

"Have we been detected?" Cody demanded.

"No, sir," Broadside said, from the secondary engineering station.

Catcher spoke something off-screen to his crew. He spoke back to Cody. "We aren't seeing any signs of detection on our end either."

The lift swished open revealing the commando captain. "Captain Leon, reporting as ordered." The commando's helmet was tucked under his arm, and he stood at stiff attention. But, his features were pale and wan and his shoulders slumped with grief and loss.

Cody waved the commando on. "We need your translation skills, Captain. Weapons control, first and then helm."

Leon's face changed from grief to stony-faced determination. He nodded to acknowledge the orders and immediately set to work.

The viewscreen split into three views, one showing their position on the map heading away from Darkknell toward the edges of the Darkknellian galaxy. The second view showed the incoming Separatist fleet heading toward the planet and the third was a live feed with Catcher.

"Put the fleet behind the planet's moon." They could jump to hyperspace, but then the Seppie fleet could follow them. They were on stolen ships and there'd been no time to disengage all of the transponders.

"1:20 Mark." Catcher announced as they watched the Separatist fleet appear. It was enormous. Ship after ship lit up on their scopes.

If they'd still been planetside, they would have found themselves up against tens of thousands of battle droids. But, these same ships were also equipped with hundreds of vulture droids, and they were in no position for a prolonged space battle.

"60 seconds, mark." Catcher said up on the screen. "Incoming transmission from the Separatist fleet."

"Send them back a burst of static. Make it look like we're having comms trouble. Stand by, Lieutenant Travis."

"Acknowledged. Detonation will proceed on your order, Commander."

Catcher engaged the comms and did an admirable impression of a Kaz'harian for a few brief words, before disrupting the transmission.

"The main section of the Separatist fleet is dropping through the atmosphere on Darkknell," Catcher announced, "except for the two dreadnaughts. They are taking a position on the opposite side of the planets from us."

"Bring our ships around behind them with sublight thrusters, Hawk. Don't make any threatening moves."

"Understood, Commander," Hawk acknowledged, his voice light despite the incredible pressure upon him, "fly casual."

"Captain Leon, I hope you've figured out those weapons' systems. We're about to need them."

"Working on it," the commando tossed over his shoulder hurriedly. He returned to rapidly pointing out various aspects of the controls to the weapons officer.

"You two have about fifteen seconds to figure it all out," Cody's voice was tight.

Leon ignored Cody's prodding as he stared intently at an unfamiliar console. His look was so severe it was as if he trying to intimidate the text into translating itself. His fingers traced over the letters and then his face lit up with understanding. He quickly began pointing out the correct controls to the weapons officer.

Rex wanted to offer to help, but all that he'd picked up about the Kaz'harian language were a few expletives. He wasn't sure those were on the weapons' controls. Although, he was sure if Fives had his own ship, that is exactly how he would choose to label the controls.

He watched tensely as they came around the backside of the gas giant and hovered just off the stern of the two giant Separatist dreadnoughts. Neither ship reacted to their presence.

"They think we're friendlies," Rex muttered, shooting Cody an impressed look for the bold strategy.

"Contrall, Lieutenant Travis, stand by..." Cody's attention was affixed to a long-range view screen, zoomed in on the enormous fortress. He watched the ships touch down around the hangar. "Fire!"

The two ships in front of them disappeared into a sudden fireball. Down on the planet, explosion after explosion lit up the Kaz'harian fortress as the dets planted by Travis' team took down the massive structure. A few of the Separatist ships tried to flee. But, even as they tried to get clear of the explosion, a massive secondary blast engulfed the entire fleet in flame.

"That was the fuel depot," Catcher reported. A third explosion followed directly on the heels of the other two. "That was likely the armory."

The flames were almost mesmerizing. Rex had seen many explosions during his time as a soldier, but this one ranked up there with one of the most destructive blasts he'd ever seen. He briefly spared a thought for the scarred Kaz'harian warrior headed home to his family in the jungle. Hopefully, he'd made it clear of the blast zone.

"Well done, Travis," Rex muttered into the comms.

"I may have overdone it a bit on the dets," Travis admitted. "Wanted to make sure the place went down, though."

Leon had already moved over to Hawk's side and was quickly translating the labels on the controls. Hawk's eyes widened and he quickly entered a flurry of commands into the console. He looked back over his shoulder at Commander Cody. "OK, sir, now I have a course laid in for Coruscant." He shot a grateful look to Leon. "We... eh... might hit a star or two if I'd stayed on the previous course."

Cody stayed calm. Rex was sure if it had been Wolffe this would have evoked one of his infamous eye rolls. "Alright, prepare to jump to hyperspace..." He swept his gaze around the bridge crew, noticing the troopers who'd been imprisoned on the planet were mesmerized by the sight of the fortress in flames. He allowed them a few more precious seconds to take in the sight, knowing this was something they needed to see. "Make the jump."

Rex stared out the viewport at the familiar flowing blue of hyperspace. The sight should've brought him relief. They'd done so much to get these troopers back home. But, his gut was twisted into knots. He was cut off from all of the men of the Andoan Legion. Their fate was their own now.

"We are on course for Coruscant," Hawk reported. "We should make it there in seven standard."

A week to get back to Coruscant. They were far out in the Outer Rim. It was probably for the best as it would allow these men to adapt to their new reality that they were free. Maybe even allow them a bit of rest before they were thrust back into active duty. Rex wanted to say something appropriate for the moment. Celebrate their victory. But, the spots in his vision coalesced into a blur of black he realized with alarm he was headed face-first into the deck plating. Somehow, though, Cody managed to get to him and grab one arm and Ahsoka gripped the other, preventing him from smacking his head.

"Get him to medbay," Cody grumbled, tugging Rex back to his feet. He arranged Rex's arm over Ahsoka's shoulders and gave them a gentle push toward the lift. He reached in and programmed the proper deck. "Make sure you stay there. You look like you were trampled by a gundark."

Rex was too tired to argue as Ahsoka held him up in the lift. She tightened her grip on him, slipping her arm around his waist for additional support. "Coric is going to have a field day with you."

Rex managed a light huff of amusement and realized this was the longest he'd held Ahsoka this closely. Despite the pain in his body, there was something so comforting about having her pressed into his side. Would it be wrong if they took the long way to medbay?

As it turned out, they did take the long way to medbay.

Ahsoka apologized several times as they got lost in the corridors. Rex had a hunch of where the medbay might be, but kept his mouth shut. After all, he was... eh... conserving his strength. But, as they continued to wander, the spots before his vision grew more insistent. He finally pointed them in the right direction and they reached the medbay all too soon.

Kix was barking orders to what looked to be a small army of volunteers helping with the wounded. Coric was there, too, but he was intently focused on treating troopers.

Rex was content to simply stand there, his arms looped around Ahsoka, (purely for medical reasons, of course), and revel in the warm glow that these men had made it out alive. Maybe Coric wouldn't notice him and he could just stand here for a few minutes. But, his body had other plans. Vertigo hit him with an alarming lurch and he and he couldn't keep his legs under him.

Ahsoka struggled to hold him up as he became a dead weight.

"Just a little dizzy," Rex muttered, trying to push himself back up fully upright.

"Coric!" Ahsoka shouted.

Rex winced. He didn't think the Jedi padawan could shout that loud. She was starting to sound like him.

Coric appeared so suddenly Rex was certain the medic had developed the ability to appear and disappear at will. He gripped Rex under his elbow and together he and Ahsoka pulled him over to the nearest available bunk. Fek. Ow! Not a bunk. A friggin' rock slab. What did the Kazzies sleep on anyway?

All the movement brought on a new set of problems. The dizziness transformed to nausea. He coughed and fumbled with his helmet. Coric removed Rex's bucket with practiced ease and thrust a tray under his chin. Leave it to Kix and Coric to be in a medbay for just a few minutes and already have the location of the supplies figured out. Rex lost what little was in his stomach. He nodded when he was done.

"When was the last time you ate?" Coric pressed him back into the bunk and shined something in his eyes.

Gah. They were on an enemy ship, but somehow Coric had still managed to find a fekkin' penlight.

"Coric," Rex grumbled, swatting at the light.

"Rex," the medic repeated sternly, "when was the last time you hydrated?"

"Eh," Rex muttered blankly. He had no idea. Coric thrust a pouch of some liquid into his hand and Rex sighed with relief as the liquid hit his system. It was likely electrolytes as his dizziness began to clear almost immediately.

His relief was short-lived as Coric ordered Ahsoka to help him strip Rex of his armor. He hissed in pain as the armor was pulled free of all of his injured parts. Coric cast a curious glance to the inside of Rex's chest plate, tapping at the extra durasteel in there. "It was almost as if you'd knew you were going to be shot."

Rex didn't answer. He was too focused on trying to sit upright while Coric and Ahsoka worked.

Coric stripped him of his bodysuit, leaving him in just his briefs. Rex took a glimpse at himself and then sighed wearily. He was bruised everywhere and his chest was scorched from the blaster burn. He hissed as the medic probed at his chest wound and then his ribs, pushing and watching for reactions. Rex hissed as Coric found all of the places the Kaz'harian leader had pummeled him in the chest.

"You've got fractures here… and here." He pushed again at Rex's ribs and this time the 501st captain couldn't hold back a yelp of pain. The medic continued on with his examination before declaring with finality: "I'm giving you priority into bacta."

Rex opened his mouth to protest. Surely there were troopers who needed it more than him. He also had too much to do. They were on a ship of unfamiliar design and he had to figure out where the men were going to sleep and-

Coric put up a silencing finger, indicating he would tolerate no dissent. "I'm calling in my medic card on this one."

"How long?" Rex asked with a sigh, acquiescing wearily. This was more than simple stubbornness on his part. The fate of the Andoan Legion was at stake, and he and Cody had to get their stories straight. "I need to debrief the men and-"

"Less than a day. All of that will be easier if you're not dead on your feet."

Rex couldn't argue with that logic. He nodded his acquiescence and never saw the hypo Coric deftly slid into the base of his neck.

Chapter Text

Rex was never able to stay asleep for long in bacta. He had too much pent-up energy. The sedatives left him numb and a little high, but not fully unconscious. As the hours passed, he grew increasingly restless and stared out through the murky blue, knowing he'd be stuck in here for hours yet.

He carefully tested his limbs. He was healing rapidly. His chest twinged and tingled uncomfortably as broken ribs and burnt tissues forcibly regenerated. But, he'd be back to fighting form in no time.

This was the first downtime he'd had since he'd left the Andoan moon. It's not the downtime he would have chosen. He'd prefer to be walking the decks of the ship and checking on the men. Or, perhaps, sitting in the mess hall and sharing a cup of caf with brothers he thought he'd never see again. He tried to ignore all the worries that intruded into his thoughts. Did the ship even have a mess hall? Could clones eat the same food as Kaz'harians? Wait- was there even caf on the ship? He tamped down his frustration at not being able to take charge and ensure the men were alright.

Staring out into the murky blur of the bacta reminded him of the Andoan ocean on a tranquil day. The ocean was fascinating and Rex quickly discovered it was a good place to lose himself in his thoughts. He had good memories from his time on Ando and he'd left the Legion there in good hands. As long as they weren't discovered, the reconditioned clones would be safe there. The sedatives eventually dragged him back under and he fell asleep wondering how Travis and Catcher were faring. According to Travis, they'd stolen  appropriated several ships to bring back with them to what Rex had come to think of as "the clone planet."

He groggily woke up again after an unknown period of time. He hoped he'd slept long enough it was time to get out of the tank. His eyes flicked around the medbay until he located a chrono. The Kazzies spoke an obscure language that his HUD had been unable to translate during the battle. But, their chronos seemed to be based on Galactic Standard Numerics. He stared at the chrono, willing the numbers to move faster.

Eh... this is no good. Staring at the chrono only means I can be precisely bored down to the millisecond.

I should be focusing on the work I need to do when I get out of here. I'll need a cover story to explain my two-month absence without mentioning the other decommissioned survivors. After I met Cut, I was able to fill out the reports so I didn't mention him at all. I can do the same here.

He ran the story through his head, again and again, memorizing the words to perfection. His cover story had to be flawless. 

His gut twinged, not from pain, but from that odd sense that told him things were going to happen slightly before they actually did. His eyes flicked up to the entrance of the medbay just as Ahsoka walked in. She immediately met his gaze and smiled before tilting her head to nod at Kix. She walked up to the bacta tank and placed a hand on the outside. Rex wanted to reach toward her hand, but he had very limited control of his limbs thanks to the numbing sedatives. They looked back and forth at each other with both fondness and a little sadness. 

His relationship with Ahsoka had changed from friendship into something... more. Rex knew he wanted more with Ahsoka, but nothing had changed. No, that wasn't true. In reality, it felt like everything had changed during the time had been away. He'd changed and had now seen more clones in successful relationships with women. He had seen the way Travis looked at Karyn on Ando. and Hok couldn't stop talking about Xyra. Catcher was quiet and conservative in speaking about his relationship with Ashla, but he was undeniably a changed man from the one who'd first crashlanded on the planet with them. He'd blossomed into so much more.

Rex knew what he wanted.

And, he knew he could not have it. They were headed at hyperspace speeds back to their life of being "the Captain and the Commander."

# # #

It was insane to attempt brain surgery outside of a fully equipped medfacility. But, her master's condition continued to deteriorate. Barriss had always been gifted when it came to the healing arts. It was a specialized skill only a few Jedi possessed. Most could only master rudimentary healing. But, even with her advanced healing skills and training, she could not undo all the damage done to her master.  

Two clone medics from the 212th, Digger and Glitch, consulted with her in hushed tones, as they looked at scans of her Master's head injury.

"We need to take pressure off her cerebrum or General Unduli won't make Coruscant," Digger said.

Barriss nodded in agreement, knowing they were taking a huge risk with the procedure. But, it was her Master's only chance of surviving a few more days. As the clone medics prepped her master for surgery, Barriss did what she could to help her master into a deep healing trance. It would augment the efforts of the clone medics. She worked alongside Digger and Glitch, using her powers to stop a sudden bleeder in the brain. It was a long procedure and the effort exhausted Barriss. She called upon her reserves so she could continue on.

Several hours later, Glitch straightened up and declared the procedure over. Digger wrapped the General's head in several layers of bandages while Glitch turned to Barriss. "It worked. Pressure levels have dropped considerably. I have to make my rounds, but I'll be back." He departed with a quick salute and a respectful dip of his chin. "Commander."

Barriss nodded, settling into a comfortable stance so she could meditate. At some point, someone found her a chair and encouraged her to sit. It was too large, and not much better than standing. But, she accepted the seat and found she could sit somewhat comfortably if she didn't try to get her legs to touch the floor. She curled her legs under her robes in a classic meditation starting pose. The Jedi referred to this position as the Lotus pose, named after a Jedi elder who apparently brought the pose into common Jedi practice. As she settled in, her muscles relaxed and she was asleep almost immediately. She awoke sometime later and found her master was improved, resting comfortably in the healing trance, and not likely to wake up anytime soon.

Ditch came by with two drink cups and pressed one into her hands. "I was getting myself some caf and grabbed you a cup. Although," his brow furrowed with puzzlement, "do Jedi even drink caf?"

"We do when it's all that's available. Thank you. Very thoughtful." She gave a grateful nod to the medic and took a cautious sip. It was scalding hot and tasted nothing like the usual caf served on Republic cruisers. She coughed and sputtered. "This is caf?" 

Ditch laughed. "Kazzie caf. It is either the source of their great strength as warriors or the root cause of their anger issues. The caffeine content is very high. We've been watering it down, but it's still... eh... potent. Glitch says the stuff is so strong it could have medical applications. I think it might be better used to remove carbon scarring."

Barriss chuckled, too. "Or, maybe we've discovered an alternative source of fuel for starships."

Glitch laughed and gave her a surprised look as if shocked Jedi could make jokes, too. "Well, it's all we have on board this ship. But, as a medic, I've been warning the men not to drink too much of the stuff."

Barriss took another cautious sip. It wasn't bad once she got used to it. They quietly sipped their drinks together, both gazing at the monitoring screen for her Master. 

"I have no idea what most of that says," Glitch added. "But, from what I can tell, the General is doing a lot better."

"She is," Barriss agreed immediately, "her body is healing itself now. Thank you for your efforts."

"I was only doing my job, ma'am." His eyes took on a teasing glint. "Since you have confidence in my abilities, you should get out of here for a while. I'll monitor the General."

Barriss was reluctant to leave, but she needed to replenish her strength if she was to further help her master. "Alright, then," Barriss nodded, "Thank you. You're a fine medic."

Glitch beamed at the praise, but then the teasing look was back. "I am a fine medic. Thank you for noticing."

Barriss smiled in return and realized with both a warmth and a pang the clones were starting to treat her like one of their own.

# # #

Barriss sat alone in the large mess hall, staring out one of the viewports. It had taken her a long time of wandering the halls to finally find the designated eating facility. She should have thought to ask the clone medic for directions. No matter. She was here now. She let her thoughts drift, reflecting on the battle just passed. But, she'd be lying to herself, if she'd didn't admit her thoughts didn't keep straying back to one clone in particular.

"You going to finish that fruit, or perform some sort of Jedi ritual on it?"

Barriss looked up, startled, and then recognized the clone Cody often used as a sounding board.  "Hello Trapper."

The clone grinned, pleased she had recognized him. He pointed to her plate. "Not hungry? You seem to be more mashing your food than eating it." Without waiting for an invitation, he slid into the chair across from Barriss. "I wouldn't eat the red fruit." He said, pointing to her plate. "They have a nasty way of twisting in the gut. Scans say they're edible, but we clones say otherwise." He leaned in and his voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "I say it's the Kazzies way of getting their revenge."

Barriss chuckled. She looked at the fully loaded plate of fruit in front of Trapper, noticing there were red fruits in the mix. She raised up a questioning eyebrow.

"Oh, these aren't for me," he explained. "I was just on my way to bring a plate to Cody." He shrugged and gave a devilish grin. "Hey, he needs to find out about these things for himself."

Barriss burst out laughing, wondering if she would ever understand clones and their intricate bonds between them.

Trapper grinned again, obviously pleased with himself he'd made her laugh. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "If you have the time, Commander, could you deliver these to Cody ? He's in his quarters. I'm due back on the bridge. We're short-staffed." 

"Of course," Barriss said, trying to ignore the way her pulse beat faster at what was surely only a routine request from Trapper. The scout pulled out his datapad and pointed into what looked to be a hand-drawn map of the ship. He quickly pointed out the important parts and then gave her directions to Cody's quarters. Barriss nodded and departed immediately in search of Cody. She hurried through the corridors, trying to ignore the way her heart was beating faster.

I'm just helping out. Nothing more.

Trapper's directions were easy-to-follow, although it was a considerable walk to reach the crew quarters area. The Kaz'harians seemed to do everything on a grand scale. This ship was at least double the size of an Acclimator. But, she found Cody's quarters without getting lost. Her master often insisted she memorize maps and the skill was serving her well now. She couldn't find anything related to a door chime, so she wrapped her knuckles against the durasteel plating of the door. 

"Come in Trap."

Barriss took a step closer and the automatic door sensor activated, sliding the sturdy door into the wall. The room was only partially lit, and as Barriss' eyes adjusted, she noted that Cody was reclining against pillows on an oversized bunk. His chest armor was off and his bodysuit was opened up. He had a large heat pack slung over one of his shoulders.

The clone commander sat up, his eyes widening in surprise. "Barriss." The way he said her name in his deep voice affected her in a way that was surely unbecoming to a Jedi.  She should leave. She just needed to hear him say her name once more. It would be enough, and then she could go.

Cody's voice was cool and professional. "Commander, is there something I can help you with?" 

It stung to be addressed by him with such cool professionalism, but then again, they hadn't parted on the best of terms.

Barriss flushed furiously. "I…" She stood awkwardly, the oversized plates feeling heavy in her hands. She shook her head. "I shouldn't be here. I'm sorry." She spied an oversized desk. "I'll leave this and go." She hurried across the room. This has been a mistake. She should've found someone else to deliver the meal.

"No, Barriss... wait." Cody rose quickly and then hissed. His hand slid up to his shoulder, an area covered with extensive bruising.

The healer part of Barriss warred with her instinct to flee. But, the bruising could be indicative of a deeper underlying injury. She set down the plate and moved to his side. "What happened here?" She pressed her fingers lightly against his chest.

Cody started at her light touch and stared down at her fingers touching him. A torrent of emotion came off of him at the touch, before he closed himself off to her. Sadness. Anger. Longing. Regret. He shook his head and cursed. "You're right. You should go."

The stubborn part of Barriss kicked in. "I assume you haven't seen a medic yet?"

Cody 'hmmmped.' "They're busy down there. Trapper found me this heat pack in a storeroom." He frowned at the large pad on his shoulder. "At least, I think it's meant to be used as a heat pack. We're not exactly sure what it is."

There was something in his tone that indicated he was as torn as she. He wanted her to go. But, he also wanted her to stay. 

Technically, I'm still Cody's assigned healer until I get new duties from the Jedi Council. So, staying here only means I'm obeying the wishes of the Council.

She sat down on the edge of his bed and pushed the heat pack aside she could better see the injury.

Cody's eyes followed the path of her hands. "Can you fix it?" He 'hmmphed' to himself in amusement. "What am I saying? Of course you can fix it."

His faith in her abilities was humbling.

She closed her eyes and reached down into the Force, feeling for the source of the injury, even as her hands brushed over the area. "Your shoulder is partially dislocated. I can heal it, but I'll need to work on the muscles around it first. Face the wall so I can work on your back." She rooted around in the pockets of her Jedi belt before finding the bottle of medi-lotion she carried everywhere.

Cody shifted position without argument. "I recognize that smell."

"You should," she rubbed a small amount on her hands, "it's a derivative of ryll and geldbitter salve. It has muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory properties. This is what I used on you on Ord Cestus."

Cody groaned, although Barriss told herself it was only because she was pushing on a particularly stubborn muscle knot. (And, not because Cody was thinking of their time together on the medical station.) She definitely wasn't thinking about it. She was definitely not thinking he'd regained all of the muscle mass he'd lost when he was injured. And, she was definitely not thinking about what it felt like to grip his back as he lay atop her and-

Barriss pushed memories of OrdCestus away and focused on healing his injury. Cody's head dropped naturally as she began to work out knotted muscles. She closed her eyes, focusing intently on her healing. She searched out the fiery inflammation surrounding the battered tissues. She worked closer and closer to the damage around his shoulder.

Barriss gave a sharp tug and the joint slid back into position. Cody yelped. "Warn a brother next time!"

"If I had, you would've tensed up and I may not have been able to move the joint."

Cody grumbled and muttered something under his breath, but she ignored his complaints. He'd done the same at the medical station when he was in pain but didn't want to admit it.

She focused on calming the nerves to relieve the pain, and his breathing steadied. His eyes shut as she worked through spasm after spasm, healing damaged tissues.

"How's the pain?"

"Better," he admitted, then hissed lightly as her fingers hit another tender spot. "Or, it was."

She smiled and shook her head at his good-natured grumblings. She handed him the jar of lotion to distract him. "Hold this." She worked her hands in even deeper, determined to heal the damaged areas.

"How is General Unduli?" Cody asked, unable to hold back another grunt of pain as Barriss relentlessly pushed on a deep knot. Cody sucked in a deep breath and then emitted a low sigh of relief as the spasm gave way. 

"As good as can be expected with a head injury so severe," she considered her reply. "Actually, better than I thought she'd be doing. You have some talented medics in the 212th."

She felt a pang of regret wash over Cody. "We do. We lost... two of our medics during the battle, including my CMO. But, I'm thankful we were able to save as many men as we did."

"Thanks to the efforts of you and Captain Rex."

"It was a team effort. Everyone contributed to getting those men out of there, including the troopers themselves. They fought hard." He twisted slightly so he could look at her over his shoulder. This time there was no pain in his features as he moved. Barriss decided to keep massaging his back, just in case she'd missed any muscle spasms. 

Just doing my duties as a healer.

They were quiet for several long moments as she worked until Cody spoke up again. His voice dropped soft, as if asking question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to. "Why did you come here?"

"Trapper asked me to-"

"That's not why you're here. You could've asked someone else to do it. This ship is filled with clones who don't have assigned duties at the moment."

She closed her eyes, trying to express her feelings with the soothing touch she applied to his muscles.  "I am here because I could not stay away."

"Barriss," his name escaped her lips as a groan, pulled deep from within. He looked toward the door, and his voice was a low warning. "If you're going to leave, go now."

She took the healing lotion back from him, and slipped it back into her belt. She was done being a healer. She rose to leave.

She cast a look toward the door, but her feet refused to move. 

"I cannot," she said. "I wish to stay... with you." She tucked her healing lotion away and wiped down her hands. 

Cody turned back around and stared at her. His eyes were dark with a look she'd come to know well on the medical station. Want. Need. Desire.

"I could no more leave than I could stop breathing." She tugged her head scarf off, knowing how much Cody despised it. And, then stood, removing her clothes as Cody's eyes hungrily took her in. 

Cody sucked in a breath, as if all the air had been drawn from his lungs. He reached up and tugged her down onto the bunk with him.

# # #

Hours later, Barriss lay awake watching Cody sleep. She savored each second, memorizing every line and curve on his face all over again.

But, something about these seconds seemed final. As if these moments would not come again.

Every parsec brought them closer to Coruscant.

Cody was peaceful in sleep. The stern expression had eased and was replaced with an innocence which made him look younger. His short-cropped hair had grown out during his time at Ord Cestus. It curled slightly now at the nape of his neck, and there was a single wisp of grey by his left ear. She sighed, knowing the years were slipping away from his life much too quickly. She wanted to stay like this forever, in this one moment, and ignore the rest of the universe. Pretend there was no war, no Jedi Order and Grand Army of the Republic. It was only the two of them in this moment in their safe little bubble.

Cody stirred slightly in his sleep, reaching out for her. She pulled back slightly out of his reach. His brow furrowed, but exhaustion pulled him back under and he slept on. She slowly backed further up. She had to leave.

Her body was sticky and sweaty and she desperately needed a shower.

He desperately needed a shower and stank of sweat and sex and man and clone.

But, if she showered here she would not be doing so alone.

She had to go. She took two steps toward the door, and stopped. She looked back toward the bed. Toward Cody. He had the same DNA as all the clones, but somehow when she looked upon him all she saw was unique beauty. A man so handsome he stole her breath away. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the scent that was uniquely Cody. It would have to be enough. These memories.

She knew what she had to do.

If she did not go now, she would never be able to leave.

If she stayed, she would destroy them both.

She quietly slipped out the door, although she could barely see as she headed down the corridor. Her vision was blurred and she was not sure she was headed in the correct direction.

She startled at a sudden voice.

"Commander, I was headed back to your side of the ship. Would you like to walk together?"

Trapper seemed to materialize out of nowhere. She stared at him for a long moment as her brain tried to catch up with his words. He waited patiently, as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on until she stepped in place beside him and they stared to walk together.

Trapper broke the silence first. "You didn't eat the red fruit, did you?"

Barriss was so lost in her thoughts, it took her a moment to register Trapper had spoken.

"What? I..." She tried to stammer out a response, but her brain was not cooperating.

"You're overtired, Commander. You need something beyond that Kazzie fruit." He rummaged into his belt pouch, and produced a rations bar. "My last one. I've been saving it."

Barriss accepted the precious bar with a grateful nod. "Thank you." She unwrapped the bar and quickly finished it off. The wretched things were terrible. She missed the food at the Jedi Temple. She missed so much of her life at the Jedi Temple. The routines. The simplicity. Maybe she was not one of those Jedi who was adventurous enough to leave the steps and venture forth.

"We're here, Commander. Your quarters," Trapper pointed. "Have a good rest."

Barriss nodded and entered her quarters, belatedly realizing she'd not thanked Trapper again for walking her to her quarters. She doubted she'd found her way on her own. She'd likely spent hours wandering the corridors of the massive ship and ended up in a weapons bay or some such place.

She showered in water that was much too hot. She tried to invigorate herself. She let the steam envelope her body, her thoughts cascading back to the hours spent with Cody.

She wanted to go back, and continue to watch him sleep. Watch him wake up. She wanted to be with him again. She couldn't. She had to end this. What was she doing? But, she couldn't seem to stay away from Cody. She was drawn to him like fleek oil to flame. But, the flame would surely destroy both of them. She sank down to her knees and wept.

The ship sped on toward Coruscant, and with each parsec, she knew the life she wanted could never be.

# # #

"Alright, Rex, these are your quarters. Cody is directly next to you. Captains Ko and Leon are on the right. Should be quiet down here. Only you mucky-muck command folks are in this wing."

Rex raised up an eyebrow at being called a 'mucky-muck,' but let it go. He placed a companionable hand on Fives' shoulder. "Thanks for showing me the way. I can take it from here."

Fives opened the door to Rex's quarters and let himself in. "Nope. Coric told me to make sure you hit your rack and stay there."

Rex rolled his eyes at the medic's bossiness. "I'll rest, not to worry." Inwardly, he was just thrilled Coric was still alive. He was one of the few brothers to survive Teth and Rex couldn't bear the thought of losing him, too.

"That's what you always say to us when you plan on working instead of resting."

Rex laughed. "No, I'll get some rack time." He'd been in bacta for almost a full rotation and his injuries had healed considerably. The wound on his chest was now a faint line. The cut in his neck was healed, leaving behind only a thin scar. His knee still bore the scar of his knee replacement, but it no longer ached where the Kazzie leader had struck him. Coric had been satisfied enough with his progress to release him from medbay already. He was fine. He stepped into the room and his nose wrinkled in displeasure. "What's that smell?"

"Kazzie fur," Fives said, "you can smell it throughout the ship, but it's strongest in the living quarters."

"Ah, yes, now I recognize the smell." It was discomfortingly familiar. He flashed back to being pinned to the Kazzie leader, a knife against his throat.  The smell was a lot stronger without his bucket on.

Fives' voice brought him back. "You need anything else? I want to go check on Echo," the ARC's voice had been steady while speaking to Rex but wavered slightly when speaking of his badly injured brother.

"No. I'll be fine. How is Echo doing?"

Fives' face was set into a grim mask. "Kix can't give us an estimate yet for how long he'll be in bacta."

"Has Kix slept?"

"Doubtful. But, they have do have backup from the medics in the 212th. They're practically shinies, but seem to know their stuff enough." His voice turned grim. "The 212th lost both their senior medics in the battle, including Cody's CMO."

Rex closed his eyes briefly in grief. He knew a lot of Cody's senior staff and his senior medics were talented and fiercely dedicated to their brothers. It was a huge blow for Cody. It would be the same as if Rex lost both Kix and Coric in the same battle. He'd check in with Cody later and see how he was doing. Rex gave Fives a critical look, taking in the deep shadows under his eyes. "Have you slept since the battle?"

Fives shook his head and ran an agitated hand through his thick black hair. "I can't get my mind to shut down."

"Still, try to get some sleep, vod, Echo will need you when he gets out of bacta." Rex said the words to try to instill confidence Echo would make it.

Fives nodded and left, heading back in the direction of the medbay.

Rex took a few moments to explore the room. It was much larger than his room on the Resolute. Too large.

An oversized storage locker stood at the foot of the bunk, slightly propped open, allowing Rex to see his armor inside. He opened it and ran his hands along the pieces, looking for damage he needed to repair. There was none. His armor had been cleaned, polished and repaired. All of the Darknellian gunk and grime from the battle was gone. His helmet had been polished, so there was a faint sheen to it now. Rex ran his hands over the surface in wonder. The burn hole in his chest plate was still visible but scrubbed enough to remove most of the carbon scoring. Someone, or more than one someone, had spent hours cleaning his kit. Folded neatly underneath his armor was a clean bodysuit. Not his, which had been ruined in the battle beyond repair. Someone must have had a spare. There were few clones onboard who even had armor. Rex stared at the new suit in wonder, running his hands over the seamless mesh. It must have been donated by one of the men from Ord Cestus. Rex had already begun to wear through his spare suit by his second month on Ando. It was a precious gift.


He slid his bucket on and sighed with relief as he was back within the safe, familiar environment of his helmet. Everything about it felt right. It even had the perfect smell to it. He breathed in and out deeply several times, just relaxing in the normalcy for a few seconds. It blocked out (most of ) the smell of Kaz'harian fur.

He commed Cody.

The 212th commander picked up the call, voice only. "Commander Cody."

"Fek Cody, did I wake you up?"

 "Is that any way to greet your commander?"

Rex ignoring the teasing jab. "Where are you now?" 

Cody switched on the visual. He was shrugging into his bodysuit, although the material was sticking to him since he was still glistening wet. "I'm headed back on duty. I was... eh... resting." His cheeks flushed slightly and Rex wondered why. But, Cody quickly switched topics.  "I see you escaped medbay."

"Yes. That's what I wanted to discuss."

"You want to go back?" Cody grunted as he finished tugging on his suit.

"It helps if you dry yourself off before trying to put that thing on."

Cody rolled his eyes. "You try to find a towel in this place."

"No. According to Fives, Kix and Coric have been on duty since we left Darkknell. I imagine we are facing the same situation with some of the other medics."

"I see. Hold on a sec." The viewpoint changed and Rex could tell Cody had placed his bucket down and was now speaking on his wristcomm.  From the external HUD view, Rex could see Cody was shaving. He responded back to Rex even as he scraped several days of overgrowth from his face.  "You'd like to order them to take a rest."

"Exactly. But, I can't. I'm officially not on duty."

"By those same medics."

"Yes."

"I'll take care of it. Anything else?" Cody brusquely combed his hair. He studied the finished result, patting an errant strand into place.

"No." Rex watched Cody with interest, wondering when the 212th commander became so fastidious about grooming. 

He shook his head. Cody cut the connection, but before he did Rex thought he heard the 212th commander humming under his breath. Clone commanders did not hum. Fekkin' odd.

# # #

"Again, I expect Trapper, and I get you," Cody smiled at Barriss' unexpected appearance at his door. He had his bucket tucked under one arm, and a clone grooming kit clutched in the other. He made a gesture with the one hand, noticing Barriss' curious look.  "No one wants to arrive in Coruscant looks like a Kowankian monkey lizard. So, we have to share the few kits we have. I won't get to shave again before Coruscant. Be forewarned," he stroked at his chin, almost playfully, as if he was considering growing a beard like Obi-Wan.

"Cody-"

Something about her tone alerted him.

He ushered her into his room.

"Everything OK? Did something happen with General Unduli?"

"No. Sorry. I'm usually much more direct. I-"

The clone commander's eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped dangerously low. "Don't."

"Cody, please, this cannot work. We cannot be together."

He crossed his arms and his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Last night, we had no problems being together. What changed since then?" He looked perplexed, and hurt.

It tore at Barriss to hurt him like this, not when she cared for him so deeply. This was wrong. So wrong.

She tried to explain it, without making it any worse. "All the Masters are currently unconscious. Everything will be different when we return to Coruscant."

He stared at her. His mouth was slightly agape, showing his perfect teeth. "You're effin' serious."

"We're headed back to Coruscant and everything will be different once we are there. I will be back at the Temple with Master Unduli while she heals and we cannot be seen together-"

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you ashamed of lowering yourself to a clone?"

"Cody, no!" It couldn't be further from the truth. She loved Cody. The realization hit her suddenly and powerfully. There was so much about him that she loved.

And, she could not tell him.

He stared at her defiantly. Anger and hurt blazing in his eyes.

"If anyone found out, I would be expelled from the Order, and you-"

"I know what would happen to me!" Cody snapped. He stared at her and the silence stretched on between them. "I'm willing to take the risk, but you obviously don't think it is worth it."

"No, Cody, that's not it-"

Cody shook his head harshly. "Don't come to me again."

# # #

Chapter Text

Trapper rounded the corner and pulled up short to avoid running headlong into Cody. The smile on his lips died as he took in his friend's rigid body language. Cody jammed the shave kit into Trapper's chest hard enough to push him back slightly, side-stepped around him, and continued on.

"Hey!" Trapper objected at the unprovoked harsh treatment. He spun around and hurried to match strides with Cody. "What's gotten into you?"

Cody ignored him and headed toward the turbolift, his armored boots clicking against the deck with angry precision.

Trapper hurried to match Cody's pace. "Permission to speak freely?"

"No." Cody tried to step into the turbolift doors without giving Trapper room to follow.

The ARF trooper leapt through the doors after him before the doors swished shut, determined not to be separated from Cody. He whirled on Cody as soon as the lift started its' upward descent toward the bridge. "You are no good to the 212th if you can't-"

"You're out of line! This is not up for discussion," Cody hissed angrily.

"Sir, yes, sir." Trapper bit out, his body language as stiff as his voice.

The rest of the turbolift ride passed in uncomfortable silence. Cody was fuming, but immediately found he missed Trapper's constant chatter.

# # #

The Kaz'harian bridge was very different from a Jedi cruiser. It had a large chair in the center for the commanding officer. What self-respecting commanding officer sat down when he was on duty?! Cody paced around the thing, leaned up against it, and made several rounds checking on the bridge crew. Based on the slight flickering of eyes he was seeing from the bridge crew, he was making them uneasy with his constant movements.

He sighed in defeat and sat down in the oversized chair. He stared down at his datapad to review shipwide status reports. There was a great deal for him to review as the entire crew was learning to navigate an entirely new ship design. But, he couldn't concentrate on any of it.

Distracted means dead.

It was one of the first lessons Alpha-17 had taught him during his specialized training on Kamino. Cody turned his attention back to the pad, trying to make sense of the reports so he could figure out where he needed to reassign personnel. Ko had done an outstanding job on the night shift compiling reports from around the ship.

Now, I need to turn all of this data into action items for the day shifts-

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Trapper cross the bridge to confirm a course correction with the navigation officer. Trapper was an outstanding bridge officer.

And, he didn't deserve to be the focal point of my anger.

Cody waited until Trapper finished at the navigation station. "Trapper, meet me in the... eh..." What were they calling the oversized room off the bridge again?

"Briefing room," Trapper supplied, his voice flat and completely devoid of emotion. How was it Trapper always knew what he meant even when he stumbled over his words?

A Jedi cruiser had a Combat Information Center or an Auxiliary Information Center directly off of the bridge. But, the Kaz'harians had what looked to be a conference room. Cody had not pictured the warrior species as the type to have lengthy meetings, but they were certainly set up for them. He gazed out the impressive plexi-glass wall which dominated half the room. A slight blur of white showed their continuous progress through hyperspace back toward Coruscant.

"Reporting as ordered, Commander." Trapper stood just inside the doorway, as far away from Cody as he could get in the large conference room. The distance stung, as he was one of Cody's closest vode next to Rex. He usually only ever called Cody by his title when GAR High Command was around.

"At ease," Cody turned and waved one hand toward the dark, polished Kriin-wood table and matching chairs. "Sit."

"Thank you, sir, I'm fine over here."

Cody sighed and pushed out a long breath, already hating this formality out of Trapper. He removed his helmet and jammed a hand through his hair, before setting his helmet down on the table.

Trapper eased up slightly and tugged off his bucket, setting it down next to Cody's, before backing off again.

"You know I'm not good with words so I'll come right out and say it," Cody began. "I was angry and I took it out on you."

"You did." He stared at Cody for a long moment, before his lips curled up slightly in a smirk. "But, at least you're clone enough to admit when you're acting like a di'kut." He crossed his arms across his chest. "What happened?"

Cody closed his eyes. Barriss' rejection had cut him to the core. He did not want to discuss it. Ever. "It's not worth discussing, Trap."

"Oh, I think it is, especially since it concerns Commander Offee." It was a statement, not a question. The fact Trapper was so certain of this information was unsettling.

Cody shook his head, figuring maybe he could pull the rank card here to get Trapper to back off. "We are not discussing this... She is your superior officer. And, much as you like to constantly overlook it, I am as well."

"She went to your quarters last night... After I... eh... encouraged her to go."

"What?!"

"She was alone in the mess hall, looking lost and alone. I told her I was on my way to deliver food to your quarters and suggested she deliver it instead."

"Why would you do that?!"

"Because I saw you with her at Ord Cestus. Not many of us get the chance to experience something like that, vod. Someone like that. I don't know what it is between you, but you're different when she's around."

Cody had woken up in a good mood. No, more like an amazing mood, thinking maybe they could somehow work things out. He didn't want to think through logistics or strategy for once. For the brief couple of minutes while he was showering and shaving, he fooled himself into thinking he deserved a bit of fekkin' happiness. Then, Barriss had come knocking on his door and reality had immediately come crashing down again.

Clones were born in vats and sent to battlefields to die. And, that's fekking it. There was no room for any other kind of life.

He was such an di'kut for thinking anything else.

"I saw Commander Offee when she was on her way back to her quarters," Trapper said. "She was so upset she didn't know where she was going... I made sure she found her way. If she's upset about this and you're upset about this, then-"

Cody shook his head so vehemently it made his head spin slightly. "No. My focus in on this Legion, first and foremost. Things may have been different when I was at Ord Cestus. That time is over."

"But-"

"We are not discussing this again." He flipped on the holodisplay, ending the discussion. "Assemble the command team for strategy and review."

Trapper stared him down for a long moment and the look was so piercing Cody thought his vod was looking into his soul. But, then, Trapper nodded and walked away. "I'll assemble the team."

The aching was still there in his gut. It was a raw bitterness. And, maybe it would always be there, like a deep blaster wound which bacta couldn't quite heal.

He couldn't have Barriss. That kind of future had never been meant for him. He had a duty to the Republic.

He was a clone. He had no right to expect anything more.

# # #

Rex shucked his Kazzie fatigues. They were several sizes too big and held on with an improvised belt. But, the camo fatigues, in several shades of the Kazzie green, had been surprisingly comfortable.

He set them aside and walked across the room into the attached refresher. He was grateful the recently free Legions had something to wear other than the rags they'd been dressed in when they came onboard.

His body didn't ache when he moved. He'd healed well in the bacta. With as sore as he'd been after his fight with the Kaz'harian leader, it was a relief to move without pain again.

Rex studied the controls in the shower. The Kazzie alphabet was nothing like Aurebesh. If he chose the wrong setting, he'd scald himself.

Fek. He made it through the Battle of Darkknell, and now he is defeated by the Kazzie shower.

He was about to comm Leon for translation assistance when he noticed the flimsi next to the sink. A meticulous diagram on using the Kazzie shower, and everything else in the 'fresher had been printed out in perfect clone writing. He chuckled as he noticed some of the more imaginative details in the diagrams.

Fives.

He double-checked the diagram again and set the controls for the shower. Unusual creatures, the Kazzies. Why would they want a nozzle pointed at... He shook his head, and decided it was better if he left some mysteries unsolved.

He closed his eyes as the water ran over him and felt all his muscles relax. He sagged forward and pressed his forehead against the tile. He awoke long after the water had grown cold. Someone was knocking at the door.

"Come," he called out. "Kix, I'm sorry I had to pull you off-duty, but Fives said you weren't resting-"

"It's me, Rex."

"Ahsoka," her name came out as a hoarse whisper. He finally recovered himself, and managed to state the obvious. "I'm... eh... in the shower."

He heard a laugh come from the other side of the doorway. The one with no actual door. "Thank you, Rex. I did figure that one... Jedi intuition, you know." There was that light teasing laughter in her voice that he loved... eh... appreciated so much. Her tone changed after a moment, as if she just realized he was naked on the other side of the door. "Do you want me to leave?" Her voice suggested she did not want to go.

He hesitated. He needed to talk with her and in another day he'd be back on duty. He was so comfortable with Ahsoka it didn't seem odd to have her in his quarters.

"Rex?" Ahsoka prompted.

"Stay. I'll be out shortly."

Ahsoka laughed. "I wasn't planning on coming in." As soon as she said the words, a heavy and uncomfortable silence fell between them.

Rex shut off the water and the silence deepened.

"Fek." Rex hadn't even realized he'd said the word out loud until Ahsoka responded.

"Are you alright?"

He blew out an exasperated sigh. "Kazzies don't use towels, do they?"

"Not that we've been able to figure out. There's been a shipwide debate on the matter."

"Glad it's not just me."

He heard Ahsoka rummaging around in his room, and a moment later, a hand reached around the door, holding up his bodysuit. "You want this or those stylish Kazzie pants?"

"The bodysuit will do." He quickly shrugged into the lower half of the undersuit, feeling it pull against his wet skin. He tossed the upper half over his shoulder, meaning to put it on once he'd air-dried some more. He walked out, water still beading down off of him.

The Jedi padawan was staring at him curiously. He flushed self-consciously, noticing her intense scrutiny. He dragged a hand along his grizzled chin. "I'm sorry. I haven't had a chance to shave. My kit is loaned out."

"No," her mortals deepened in color, and she swallowed, "it's… uh… good." She looked around the room for a place to sit, and perched on the edge of the storage locker. "It's been a long time since we've had a chance to talk. Not since you shipped out to ArmyMed."

Rex sat down next to her, once again realizing how easy it was to be with Ahsoka. "So much changed for me after I was sent there."

She gently placed a hand over his, stroking the back of his hand with gently soothing circles. "Changed, how?"

Rex took a deep breath. "Our ship crashed on the way to Kamino. All I could think of in those final moments was you."

Her eyes widened and she looked like she wanted to say something. He knew what she wanted to say and they couldn't say it. Not now. Maybe not ever.

He blurted the words out before he lost the courage. "But, that doesn't change who we are. What we are."

"Rex-" she protested, gripping his hand tightly as if by doing so she never had to let him go.

"We can't be together, 'soka. We're from two different worlds. You know it and I know it. There's just no way." Rex said the final words, and knew they were the right words, but each one was more painful than anything that happened to him at Darkknell or TriLuna. The painful part was... he didn't want it to be like this... he wanted... No. It didn't matter what he wanted. They both had to do what was right. They had a duty to the Republic. Ahsoka had her duty to the Jedi.

"I... understand," Ahsoka stood up, but something in her voice said she didn't want to understand. She traced the faint scar left by the blaster mark from the Kaz'harian leader. Rex allowed the touch, shivering at the sensation and closing his eyes. How could such a light touch affect him so strongly? "Then, let us allow ourselves one night. This one night. Tonight." Ahsoka continued to brush his chest ever so slightly.

Rex shuddered and he groaned. One night. Surely he deserved one night. They deserved one night.

Yes.

One night.

She leaned in and brushed her lips against his forehead. He groaned again and leaned into her touch. Why did all of this have to feel so good? So right? "One night," Ahsoka repeated firmly, and she was so sure of herself Rex almost gave in, "it is all we will ever have. With the war-"

"No," his voice was a pained gasp, and he had no idea where he'd gotten the strength to say no. He stood up on shaking legs. "Ahsoka. If I spend the night with you, I won't…"

He couldn't finish the sentence. The words failed him.

I won't ever be able to let you go.

He stepped back further and turned his back on her, yanking his shirt over his head. He crossed over to his foot locker, grabbed his kit and suited up in record time. He needed a barrier between them. He didn't trust his body. He didn't trust himself. Not right now. Not with Ahsoka here and... "You should go... I'll... walk you back to your quarters." He wasn't sure if his voice sounded normal, but he had to say something.

There was no conversation between them as he walked her back to her quarters and he hated it. From the moment they'd met, they'd always had something to talk about.
He could still feel the imprint of her hand on his chest and her lips on his forehead. It was as if she'd branded him permanently.

She disappeared into her quarters silently. The doors swished shut and he was left alone standing in the corridor.

Losing the Andoan Legion was difficult enough, but this was even worse somehow. Like being torn up from the inside out.

And, he had yet to explain why he wasn't dead when they returned to Coruscant.

# # #

Chapter Text

Cody studied Rex over his cup of caf, waiting for him to finish reading the planning document he'd written.

Rex's face was scrunched up in concentration, as it always was when he was focusing deeply, and his teeth chewed on his bottom lip.

Leaving his brother to his reading, Cody let his gaze wander around the room. It was massive, like everything on the Kaz'harian ship, but the colorings of the furnishings reminded him of something the Jedi might choose. Deep mahogany browns and undercuts of lighter natural woods. But, unlike the Temple, the Kaz'harians also favored shades of deep vibrant greens, a tribute, Cody was sure to their jungle heritage.

While he was trying so hard not to get pummeled the massive warriors, Cody had not even considered they had a rich culture of their own. But, the evidence was all around them on the ship they'd appropriated to get the troops home.

Rex's wild band of renegades had stolen the ship, and Cody was thankful for it, as they never would have gotten the men under his command off the planet in time without it. But, as he gazed at the carefully crafted design touches evident all over the ship, it left him with mixed feelings about stealing so blatantly from another people.

There was no helping it now, though. What was done was done and they were on their way back home.

Or...back to Coruscant.

Home was always where his brothers were no matter where in the galaxy they happened to be.

And, right now, they were speeding through hyperspace on a stolen ship.

Compared to purely functional grey and white decor of a standard Republic standard cruiser, the Kaz'harian warship was almost... Cody didn't have quite the right word for it. Warm? Trapper called it "cozy," but Cody was sure he'd been joking. (Maybe?) It was hard to tell with Trapper. On a ship where everything was so oversized, "cozy" was hardly the first word that came to mind. But, despite the pungent, lingering smell of Kaz'harian, (not a pleasant smell by any stretch of the imagination), the ship somehow reminded him of the rare peace he sometimes felt when they were dirtside on a mission... when he'd be sitting by the campfire at the end of the day and his men were all resting. Or, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Rex sharing their rations. Or, drinking a bad cup of caf while Obi-Wan complained he couldn't get a decent cup of tea. These were his best memories from the war. He'd been aboard the ship for three standard now and there was something about the ship that reminded him of these moments. Maybe it was pure sentiment on his part because his brothers were freed and the Jedi were alive. Maybe not in great health, but the medics were confident they could keep them alive long enough to get them back to their own healers at the Temple. They'd done it. Against all odds. They had done it.

Cody sighed and closed his eyes, allowing himself a brief rest, while Rex finished reading. The chair was oversized, (of course it was), and his head didn't reach the built-in pillow at top. The Kaz'harians were one of the few species that had ever made him feel undersized, despite his perfect height and musculature as a clone. But, the padded chair was still more comfortable than the standard issue synth-plastic on all of the cruisers, designed more for appearance and uniformity than actual sitting.

"Should I get you a pillow, Codes?" Rex quipped.

"Shut up and read, Rex," Cody muttered drowsily, not opening his eyes.

"Sir, yes, sir," Rex said, sounding not at all convincing, "commencing reading..."

And, proceeded to read the rest of the brief outloud, just audible enough to keep Cody awake. The fekker. Just when Cody was about to doze off. Cody tugged off his vambrace without opening his eyes and chucked it at Rex, nailing him in the head.

"Ow!" Rex objected, tossing it back, with enough force it echoed as it hit his chestplate.

Cody sensed the piece coming at him, even though his eyes were closed. Or, maybe he just knew his brother too well. He caught the piece and clipped it back into place. "You done yet?" He loved these rare moments when it was just him and Rex. It always brought him back to their cadet days on Kamino. His time on Kamino did not contain a lot of good memories, but the ones that were pleasant, revolved around Rex and a few other close vode from the command training cadre.

"Just finished. Very thorough. Did you stay up all night writing it?"

"Yes," Cody admitted, as Rex was one of the few people Cody could always be truthful around. "Haven't felt much like sleeping." He sat up and reached for the makeshift carafe and refilled his cup. "How about you? Have you slept since you got out of bacta?"

"Yes and no. I was exhausted at first, but now, I have a lot on my mind. I'll admit it's keeping me up." Me?" He fixed his gaze on Cody. "We were talking about you, though."

Cody scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his fist. It didn't do much other than make them grittier and dryer, but it didn't matter. He'd manage. "It's been a long few weeks, Rex. Feels like years have gone by since the 212th lost at at Kaz'haria."

Rex opened his mouth to say something and Cody saw the look that flashed across his face. That look of guilt and longing that he hadn't been there. "It wasn't your fault, Rex. You couldn't have done anything if you were there."

"But-"

"Not to sound all Kenobi, but maybe it was the will of the-"

Rex raised an eyebrow so high it was in danger of disappearing into his non-existent hairline.

Cody switched metaphors mid-sentence to something Rex could better understand. "...the will of the brothers who came before us that you weren't there." Rex tilted his head slightly to the side, accepting this logic and giving assent for his brother to continue on what was clearly a very sensitive topic. "Whether you were leading the 501st or Appo, the outcome would've been the same. The whole thing was a trap. I'm sure of it. I've been through it a thousand times in my head. I had nothing but time on my hands when I was laid up at Ord Cestus. No matter what we did, we were doomed to fail at that battle." Cody left unspoken the part that had been truly bothering him. It felt as if someone had set them up. Because the only one who could've set them up was someone on the inside, and not a clone this time, someone higher up. And, that meant asking questions Cody had no business asking as marshall commander. "Rex, if events hadn't played out the way they did, you wouldn't have been in a position to help your brothers."

It was over now and no sense dwelling on the past. Time to move on. Good solders follow orders. He wasn't sure who had drilled that into them. Alpha-17 maybe? One of their instructors? But, whenever he started overthinking something, his mind naturally fell back to that helpful phrase.

Probably part of my flash training.

There was another part of him, though, that knew if he hadn't clearly disobeyed orders the 212th would still be rotting on Darkknell and likely ended up dead, enslaved or used as human shields.

Now, he needed to help Rex move past the experiences of the few months.

"It wasn't all me," Rex objected. "You skipped out on Ord Cestus with exactly the same idea in mind."

Cody grimaced, a reminder of the consequences facing him when he returned to Coruscant. He'd gone knocked out two pilots, stolen a ship, convinced a dozen troopers and a Jedi to accompany him, and gone AWOL. Positive outcome or not, he was fekked.

No matter how you looked at it, he hadn't followed orders.

But, he'd be an awful commander if he focused on his own needs instead of the men under his command. "You were the catalyst that brought everything together, Rex. You appeared out of nowhere a bunch of mismatched troopers. But, somehow, that bad batch of troopers proved to be incredibly effective in taking out a much larger enemy force. You've redefined what troopers of all abilities can do. It was... extraordinary."

It was an interesting concept and defied the Kaminoans usual expectations of uniformity and perfection. But, it had worked, and worked very well. Could such success be repeated with other troopers?

Rex flushed in the way he did whenever someone praised him. He'd always been good at following orders, coming up with strategy and thinking outside the box. But, he was terrible at accepting accolades. "I don't know how much credit I deserve. I tried to sneak away on my own and leave them all behind."

Cody's face split into a grin. "You were planning on rescuing everyone by yourself?"

"I didn't want any of those vode to get hurt..." Rex's voice trailed off. "OK, it was a terrible plan. At the time, it made sense."

"As do all terrible plans. They were determined to back you up and didn't let you go alone?"

Rex nodded. "It was an incredible show of loyalty. I don't know if I deserved it. They also wanted to help the 501st and 212th- brothers they'd never met." He shook his head. "Brothers they'd never met, but still felt a responsibility to help." Rex stared out the large wall of plexiglass, with the expansive view of hyperspace beyond. "Good men, all of them."

Cody knew he was thinking of his loyal band of brothers heading back to... wherever it was they were hiding out. Hopefully someplace that allowed them a low enough profile to continue to stay off the GAR's radar. He'd heard whispers and rumors of what happened to clones who defected. "We'll make sure they are protected," Cody vowed. The brave men who'd rescue his Legion deserved better than to be hunted down by an execution squad.

Rex tore his gaze away from the vast expanse of space and tapped his datapad. "Now, we have to figure out a plan for getting our own boys home. Six more days until we reach the Core and we don't know how we'll be received when we get there."

Cody flipped on the holochart to show their current position. "When we drop out of hyperspace, we'll need to immediately transmit authorization and command codes."

"Agreed. But, both of our command codes are out-of-date. Will older codes still work?"

"Normally, older codes have a chance of still being accepted, but not your codes, or mine. All your command codes would've been deactivated when you were decommissioned. Standard procedure." He noticed Rex's hand clenching tightly around his mug at the mention of his decommissioning, but there was no time to dwell on it. Rex had to work past it. "Mine would have been shut down the moment I went AWOL." It was strange to say the words. He'd only ever known of one clone who'd gone AWOL. Alpha-02 had disappeared before the GAR had ever been unleashed on the galaxy. The trainers at first insisted he fell into the sea in a training accident and then the story changed that he'd been decommissioned. But, there were whisperings among the command clones that 02 had run off.

It was inconceivable to Cody then that a clone would ever have reason to go anywhere except under explicit orders from a commanding officer. Yet, Cody had decided on his own to leave Ord Cestus.

He pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He'd deal with the consequences later.

Cody's hands flew over the controls to project a hologram of their approach to Coruscant. Leon had been kind enough to label the controls in Aurebesh. "We are flying in an enemy battle cruiser and can only transmit outdated codes. It is safe to assume we will come under immediate attack when we approach Coruscant. If the Fifth Fleet has been reassigned, we may even come under attack by the Resolute and the Vigilance." Cody manipulated the controls a little more, doing a passable simulation of the Fifth Fleet surrounding the large Kaz'harian warship. "So, where does that leave us?"

Silence.

Rex was ignoring him. So much for Cody's impressive holographic skills. But, Rex knew what Cody was doing. He was already deep at work on the problem, rapidly sketching something out on his datapad.

The 501st Captain could be unconventional, much like his Jedi General, and damned stubborn sometimes, but he had an amazing mind for strategy.

Cody fished a rations bar out of his belt pouch and slowly chewed it while he waited for Rex to finish. The Kazzie caf was getting to his stomach. He needed a bit of food to balance out the highly acidic brew. He left Rex to his... doodling?

Cody took out his datapad and caught up on approving status reports and answering questions from the department heads around the ship.

Several minutes later, Rex cleared his throat to get Cody's attention. "I have an idea, based upon a few tricks we learned from the pirates. Or, at least what we could figure out from their crashed ship."

Cody gestured for Rex to continue. He wasn't opposed to trying new tech, even if it was... pirate inspired technology.

Rex studied his drawings critically, doubting himself now. "I'm not sure this translates over to the Kazzie ship..."

"Show me and I'll do the criticizing," Cody prompted.

Rex slid his datapad across the table. "I don't know for sure if it'll work..."

Cody's eyes widened, staring at a complex vector diagram. Rex had sketched it out by hand and the engineering skills it took to complete the drawing spoke volumes about his keen intellect. "Fek!" Cody tilted his head at all different angles, studying the diagram, and moving the datapad in every direction. "Is this what I think it is?"

Rex grinned proudly as he realized Cody was on board with his insane pirate inspired design. "I'm going to need Leon for language assist to interface with the ship and every engineer who's out of medbay. Heck, I'll even send work to the ones in medbay, if they are willing. We have a lot of work to do."

# # #

Many hours later, Rex took a break to grab a short rest. There were so many logistics they still needed to complete before they touched down on Corrie. He almost didn't see the clone walking toward him, barely able to keep to his feet.

"Coric?" Rex questioned, steadying the medic as he wavered uncertainly. "Where are you headed?"

"My quarters," the medic blinked owlishly, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Commander Cody ordered me off-duty," he looked offended and relieved.

"Ah," Rex said, barely able to hold back a smile.

Coric peered at him and poked a hand into his chest plate. "Your doing, I imagine."

Rex shrugged and changed the topic. "Come on, I'll walk you there."

The two men fell into step together.

Coric stumbled again, and Rex slipped an arm around his shoulders. The medic was perilously thin and there was bone in places where there should have been thickly corded muscle. Rex wanted to say something. Make light of it like they usually do. But, Coric had been starved in the dungeons until Rex could wrap his arms around his biceps with a single hand. Knowing the medic, he may have been giving what little food he had to others. It still chilled Rex to the core knowing how close he'd come to losing the 501st. It wasn't unheard of in the war for entire Legions to be wiped out. The 501st would have been just another footnote in the Clone Wars. A lost Legion.

"Thanks, vod," Coric muttered, his voice so sleepy it was barely intelligible.

Rex muttered something unintelligible back, his mind elsewhere. But, part of him rejoiced just to be back amongst his brothers again.

"This is it," Coric muttered, stopping in front of one oversized door, in a long corridor of identical doors. "Thanks, I'll-"

Rex ignored him, activated the door and walked him in. The lights automatically came on. They were dimmed and had a greenish tint. Not entirely unpleasant. Almost like being in a jungle. "Which bunk is yours?" It was a standard six bunk room, with four of them showing signs of having been used at some point.

"There," Coric pointed to the middle set of bunks. He pointed to the rest, providing answers before the Captain even asked. "Kix, Chopper, Fives, and there's one there for Echo, in case he gets out of bacta early."

"Will he... get out early, I mean." It was both a statement and a question. Rex didn't dare to hope.

"At this point, no. I thought at first, maybe. There might be a chance. But, he was in rough shape when we found him and he hasn't improved-" Coric couldn't suppress a huge yawn, and normally he loved nothing more than long medical dissertations on the status of patients.

"We'll talk about it later. Into your rack," Rex gave the medic a slight shove in the chest so that he sank back onto his bunk, and then reached down and tugged off his boots.

"This is nice," Coric muttered, holding up his other foot to make it easier for Rex to remove the footwear.

"Don't get used to this," Rex grumbled, shoving Coric all the way back onto his pillow. "I won't do this for just anyone." He gave Coric a critical look. "You want me to get you a plate from the mess? I can leave it here and you can eat it later-"

"Stop fussing, Rex. I'm fine," Coric muttered around another huge yawn.

"You're right. You will be." Rex reached down and fondly ruffled Coric's hair, a very rare gesture of affection from the Captain.

Coric closed his eyes and smiled at the pleasant, affectionate gesture.

Rex turned to leave.

"Rex?"

He paused by the door, peering back at Coric.

"It's good to have you back," the senior medic said, his voice quiet. "Nothing was right, when you were away. Everybody acted different."

"Coric," Rex's voice was thick with emotion. He wasn't sure how to say it. What he meant was, I'm not sure if things can go back to what they were before.

He didn't have to say it. Coric knew.

"Still good to have you back," Coric said around a huge shuddering yawn, he pointed down with a sweeping uncoordinated movement, "last bunk is open. Below Chopper's bunk. He couldn't suppress another yawn, and added: "It was always meant for you." He rolled over onto his side, and was out.

Rex stood there for a moment, watching the medic's quiet breathing. He had a lump in his throat, touched by the thoughtfulness of his men. These were the men he would die for but he knew in a heartbeat they would do the same for him.

Despite Coric's protestations that he didn't need food, Rex went to the mess to retrieve a plate of assorted fruits. He was greeted by men on break from the third shift, all of whom wanted to say hello and gifted him with more Kazzie fruit, so he ended up with a heaping plate full. Returning to the shared quarters, he patted down his armor pockets until he found a rations bar, and placed it on top of the plate of fruit. He left it all by Coric's bunk so he could eat as soon as he awoke.

Rex stripped down to his blacks, neatly stacking his armor near the empty bunk. The Kazzie ship wasn't all that different from a Republic cruiser in set-up or design. It had a few touches which harkened back to the green lush jungles of the planet, but Rex was starting to find the color scheme soothing. The temperature in the room was comfortably cool. He let his mind go blank and tuned in to the quiet, steady sound of Coric's breathing. He dropped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

He woke up to the rapid-fire whispering of clones trying to be quiet and failing miserably.

"Fives," Rex greeted, only bothering to open his eyes a slit. He was still comfortably drowsy. He could've picked out their voices anyway without looking. It didn't matter how long he'd been away. They were as familiar to him as the interior of his HUD.

"Did you enjoy the all the illustrations I left in your quarters about how to use the Kazzie stuff?"

"They were both helpful and anatomically intimidating."

Fives' laughter filled the quarters, and even Chopper chuckled, meaning Fives had shared the drawings before posting them around Rex's quarters. Of course he had. The room settled into the familiar sounds of armor plates being efficiently shed and stowed. They were such reassuring sounds Rex started to drift back off again. Things were starting to make sense again.

Chopper lightly sprang up into the top bunk with the slightest hiss of settling durafoam. "Welcome back, Captain," he said, quietly, as he settled in, sounding oddly content.

"Yeah," Fives echoed in the dark room, "welcome back, Rex."

# # #

Revised this scene to have a bit more fun with the dialogue between Rex and Cody.

Chapter Text

Fives drifted in the murky depths between wakefulness and sleep. He'd been sleeping in only fits and starts since they left the jungle planet, and the sleep he did get was filled with bizarre dreams. This one was no exception. Echo was healed and the two of them were off on a mission. Somewhere. Someplace. Mission objective unclear. Rain was hammering done around them and they were slogging their way through an endless marsh. Echo was rambling on about something he'd read on his datapad during the long ride over. He kept going on about contingency orders- of all fekkin' things. Fives let his brother keep talking as they kept slogging on through the mire.

"Fives."

"I'm listening, Echo," Fives muttered. "Con... orders..."

"Fives!"

He startled awake, almost toppling over from where he'd fallen asleep leaning up against the bacta tank.

Kix grabbed a shoulder to steady him. He somehow managed to scowl fiercely and express brotherly compassion at the same time. "Vod-you can't keep sleeping here."

Fives shook his head stubbornly, and then regretted it. Sleeping up against the bacta tank was fekkin' awful and giving him a stiff back and neck. He was still all out of sorts from the battle. But, what if Echo woke up? He'd only left a few times to shave and see to the Captain. His place was here by Echo.

"I won't leave him," Kix promised. "You need to sleep in your rack. Go on."

"But, what if he-"

"He's not waking up anytime soon."

Fives pushed out a long weary sigh. He knew Kix was right on all counts. It still hurt, though, to be reminded Echo was so badly messed up. "Alright."

"He's going to need you when he wakes up. So, get some rest so you can be there for him."

OK, that sounded more hopeful. It wasn't a promise Echo would fully recover, but Fives would take it. As he woke up more fully, he gave Kix a critical once over. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you slept?"

Kix's lips twisted with amusement. "Now you're hounding me?" He shrugged. "I have to take a break whether I want to or not." He tapped the datapad at his belt. "Orders from Commander Cody. All medics are now on a set schedule and ordered to take regular rest breaks." He shook his head again. "I suspect Rex had a hand in that somewhere." He wasn't quite able to suppress a yawn.

"Alright," Fives turned to Cody and paused at the entrance of the medbay. "Kix? Thanks."

Kix waved off his thanks, but after the door closed, he smiled to himself. "Nice to be appreciated." He glanced up at the bacta tank and returned to monitoring Echo.

# # #

Two days. They had just two days until they reached Coruscant. The chrono was counting too quickly now. Maybe they should come out of hyperspace someplace else. Hide out for a while.

No, that wasn't an option.

They had seriously wounded who needed the top medical facilities on Coruscant. Echo. General Skywalker. General Kenobi. General Unduli. OK- at this point, basically anyone with General in their name desperately needed the med facilities on Coruscant. As battered as the clones had been during their captivity on Darkknell, the Jedi had it even worse. Their plan had to work.

Rex activated his comm. "Engineering team. Status update."

"Jamie here, Captain. Wish we had better news. Still stuck in the same spot. Your idea is solid. Not sure we'll be able to execute on it."

Rex pinched his nose and breathed out slowly. "Alright." He paused. Rex had a dozen other things which needed his attention. He didn't need to be hounding the engineering team. But, he couldn't focus on anything past the concern of making sure they didn't get blown up as soon they emerged from hyperspace. He needed his engineers to pull off a miracle. But, unfortunately, they couldn't seem to adapt the Kazzie technology. Had he rescued all of these men so they could die when they were so close to finally getting home? "Where is your team working?"

"Eh... " There was a pause as if Jamie was leaning over to read the symbols on the doorway. There was a hurried conversation with the other engineers as they quickly translated the Kaz'harian. Leon had updated all of their datapads and HUDs with enough Kaz'harian they all could at least function around the ship without scalding themselves or walking the wrong way into a boiler room. "D-Level- 3263827. We found a workroom off of the main engineering bay."

"On my way."

Rex allowed himself the luxury of losing himself in his thoughts for a few minutes as he worked his way down to D-Level. The Kazzie ship was enormous. But, there was something about the layout and design which had grown on him. There was an organic flow to the ship and as time passed, he found he almost preferred it to the standard Rothana Engineering fare ordered by the Kaz'harians. As soon as he entered the room, the team of combat engineers scrambled to get to their feet. Rex snapped up a hand to stay their movement. "At ease." The room showed evidence the engineers had been working on the problem for many hours and trying to consider every angle. Flimsis were tacked up to walls datapads littered the tables like fallen leaves. The workroom was enormous, (of course it was), but even so, it was crowded with troopers. He and Cody had pulled every spare engineer from the 7th fleet to work on this project.

Jamie approached and was about to give a status update when Trapper entered the room carrying an overloaded tray of caf and fruit. "Alright ya' bucketheads. I'm back! I brought food and such. Don't get used to this treatment. I'm only here because Commander Cody made me-" He halted as he nearly ran into Rex. "Oh, Captain, I didn't realize you were-" He was about to make a hasty retreat when one of the flimsis tacked to the wall caught his attention. He unceremoniously shoved the tray into Rex's hands and stared in awe at the drawing. His eyes darted back and forth and his face lit up with joy. He tapped the flimsi. "A cloaking device," he muttered in wonder.

"Yes," Rex said, impressed. Trapper was a scout, how the fek did he immediately recognize a cloaking device?

His gaze flicked back to Rex. "Oh- sorry, Captain." He took the tray back and shoved it into the hands of the nearest trooper. "Do someone with that, will ya'?" He started to work his way around the room, staring at every diagram and chart tacked up on the wall.

Some of the engineers cast him a curious look, but the rest were more interested in the tray of snacks.

Rex kept his gaze fixed on Trapper. He knew that look.

Trapper yanked a flimsi off the wall and traced his finger up a Carnot cycle diagram. "Where's the rest of the data that goes with this one?" Trapper demanded, not speaking to anyone specifically.

Winder, one of the engineers, raised up an eyebrow at him and gave him a calculating look.

Trapper focused in on Winder. "This thermodynamic cycle- have you resolved it?"

Winder tilted his head to the side in a move Rex immediately recognized as a trooper who was intrigued. "No. We've tried different variations of the temperature-entropy diagram and the pressure-volume diagram, but we can't resolve the isothermic processes."

"So, you're having phase shift issues," Trapper said it as a statement, not a question.

"Yes,"Winder moved closer to Trapper and held up his datapad so they could both see it at the same time. "Constant phase shift issues."

"Can you show me how you got this number?" Trapper tapped the pad, staring at it so closely, his face was lit up blue.

A blossom of hope sparked in Rex's chest.

"You need to redo these numbers," Trapped stated firmly.

"Those calculations came from me," Jamie protested, a steaming cup of caf in hand. "We double and tripled checked those numbers."

"You didn't adjust for differential mass analysis," Trapper insisted, holding up the datapad so Jamie could see what he was seeing.

The room went silent before it erupted into the noise of engineers talking all at once. Trapper joined in, enthusiastically arguing and pointing at flimsis with one hand and correcting data on the pad with the other hand.

Rex quietly backed out on the room. He tapped a status update to Cody on his wrist comm, glad to relay a bit of good news for once. - Engineers have made a breakthrough. Don't expect Trapper back anytime soon. -

Cody's reply back was immediate. - Great news. And, what the fek? What did you 501st boys do to Trapper?

But, Rex was already submitting his request for Trapper to be reassigned to the Engineering project for the duration of the journey. - Seems your ARF Trooper has more talents than just getting himself into trouble. -

- You can have him. -

A pause, and then a second text from Cody before Rex could reply to the first one. - Tell him it's a permanent transfer and he's a boy in blue now. -Rex laughed out loud, startling a trooper walking in the opposite direction. But, it felt good to laugh. Maybe, just maybe, they would be alright.

The clone capacity to adapt to new situations seemed to be infinite. He didn't know if they had their progenitor, Jango Fett, to thank for this ability, or the tinkering in their genes from the Kaminoans. He had a hunch they would need this every bit of this ability now they were trying to integrate back into their old lives.

And, as soon as this project was over, Trapper was going right back to Cody. Rex had Fives and Hardcase. That was more chaos than any Captain should have to handle.

He entered the lift, studied the hastily labeled controls and selected the bridge. He allowed himself a moment to lean back against the wall and close his eyes. Maybe. Just maybe. They would be alright.

# # #

Chapter Text

Kix yawned hugely, his eyes blurring as he tried to focus on his datapad. He re-read the sentence he'd rewritten a third time, trying to ensure his notes made sense. If he wasn't clear in his notations, the day shift could misread something and such mistakes could cost a critically ill clone his life.

A soft beeping immediately caught his attention. In seconds, he was up out of his chair, across the room, and standing in front of Echo's bacta tank.

"Echo, why is your temperature rising?" Kix muttered to himself, staring at the readout on the display screen. The tank was supposed to auto-compensate for any anomalies.

Maybe it's a difference in the design between Kaz'harian tanks and our own.

Kix double-checked the translations of everything he did, ensuring he was correctly operating the Kaz'harian-made equipment, before he made a manual adjustment. He tried to appear patient, calm and relaxed while the tank adjusted. Even if Echo was unconscious and the medbay half-empty, the patients were always aware of the energy coming from the medic. If he was stressed, his patients were stressed.

He yawned again, his foot tapping.

At this rate, all of my patients should be sound asleep for the next week.

He fidgeted and tapped his fingers restlessly against his thigh plate as he studied the controls, wishing he was back in his own medbay.

What if I make a mistake because I'm not trained properly on this equipment? I'm just guessing half the time. What if I guess wrong? I don't get a do-over with brothers who are critically ill.

Like Echo.

He waited for a sign Echo's body temperature was coming down.

Come on, Echo.

We can't lose you. Not you.

He stared at the controls, as if by force of will, he could make the fekkin' thing do what he wanted. Slowly, much too slowly, Echo's body temperature started to creep down.

Kix's relief was so complete he wanted to sag down and fall asleep at the base of the tank, (like he'd lectured Fives for doing a few hours earlier.) He shook off the weariness and headed back to his desk to finish his reports.

# # #

Cody and Rex worked non-stop through the day in the briefing room and then retreated to a table in the mess. They continued their discussions over cups of caf, and plates of fruit, with the comforting hum of conversation in the background.

They worked several more hours until the mess hall cleared out around them. It was well past midnight and the only clones stopping in and out were troopers on the night shift grabbing a caf.

There was still so much to do before Coruscant and they could both feel the minutes ticking down before they dropped out of hyperspace. They had to have their cover stories perfect and plan for every contingency.

Tired of sitting in both the conference room and the mess hall, Rex offered up the use of his quarters. There was no place to sit in the oversized Kazzie room, other than the bed, so Rex and Cody sat side-by-side with their backs up against the wall. A plate of fruit sat between them, with flimsis and datapads stacked up neatly in front of them.

Cody looked up from the document he was working on and grabbed another piece of Kazzie fruit. He took a large bite, needing the rush of glucose to keep his brain fueled. He couldn't take any more Kazzie caf at the moment, but the fruit seemed to be a sustainable source of energy.

Cody polished off the fruit and then gestured around Rex's quarters. "Heard you're not sleeping here."

Rex looked up from where he was studying a datapad, his face lit up by the blue screen. "You heard right." Nothing traveled faster than clone gossip.

Cody went back to chewing thoughtfully. "Couldn't sleep?"

Rex snorted. "Haven't slept since I was made Captain."

Cody 'hhmmped' sympathetically. Although, as Marshall Commander, Rex knew his brother got less sleep than he did. A lot less. All the marshall commanders were horribly overworked. Bacara. Bly. Cody. Neyo. Fox. The whole lot of them seemed to survive on caf and adrenaline. (Bacara was more adrenaline and Fox was more caf.) But, this was something different. He studied his brother critically. Cody looked more exhausted than usual. "You slept at all?"

"Not really. No."

Rex frowned and set his datapad down. "Yeah, you look like something the tooka dragged in. You want to talk-"

"No."

"Cody-"

"Rex."

His brother's tone made it clear the matter was not up for debate. (Rex made a mental note to bring it up later again anyway.)

He and Cody regarded each other steadily before they picked up their datapads again.

"We're going to need someone to contact Coruscant the moment when we drop out of hyperspace." Rex thumbed at a smudge on his datapad. He frowned, fished a cleaning wipe out of his pocket and scrubbed the screen clean before absent-mindedly handing the wipe over to Cody.

His brother accepted the wipe and cleaned his own screen- the two so used to sharing every resource it was done almost without thinking. "Agreed. This ship will scare the shab out of them. Probably shouldn't be one of us. I'm AWOL and you're dead."

"Technically dead." Rex pretended to take mock-offense

Cody shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Not sure shoving you on screen will go over well. We need someone the GAR and Council will immediately recognize. General Kenobi would have been perfect."

"If he wasn't unconscious, like the rest of the Jedi," Rex looked thoughtful, "except... for the padawans."

"Barriss isn't a-"

"She wasn't my first my choice." Rex drew no attention to the fact Cody had referred to Commander Offee by her first name. It was obvious Cody's relationship with the Jedi healer was complex. But, unless Cody wanted to talk about it, which he obviously didn't, it was his own business. "Commander Tano is a known favorite of the Council, and she's widely known within the GAR as the chosen one's padawan. She'd get everyone's attention- at least long enough they'd hold their fire and let us speak our piece."

"Alright. Agreed. Can you talk to her about it?"

Now that he suggested the idea, Rex wished he hadn't. "I... eh... maybe you-"

Cody scowled. "You suggested it and now you don't want to talk to her? What happened?"

Rex blew out a long breath. "It's... complicated."

"So you said before and didn't actually explain anything."

Rex shook his head. "Codes, you know I'll tell you anything, but this-"

Cody leaned all of his weight on Rex's shoulder in a comforting show of support. "This is something we'll figure out together. If you're troubled, let me help."

Rex snorted. "If I start talking 'bout this, we'll be up all night."

Cody set his datapad down, and settled in comfortably, leaning his head up against Rex's pauldron. "I can't sleep anyway. You might as well entertain me. Now talk."

Rex sighed deeply, leaning his head in on top of Cody's. "I'm not sure where to begin," he muttered softly.

"Doesn't matter. As Alpha would say, just rip out the shrapnel and be done with it."

Rex snorted. "You know from a medical point-of-view that's a terrible idea."

"It's just a metaphor. Now, go on. I'm not getting any younger. This accelerated aging thing and all..."

Rex huffed lightly and nuzzled his face against Cody's thick black hair, taking comfort in the closeness of his brother.

"Ever since I was injured, maybe it was before then, things have been different between Ahsoka and I."

"Different, how?" There was no censure in Cody's voice, only curiosity.

"After I was injured, we were alone for several days," Rex stopped, unsure how to put into words everything that had occurred during that time.

"I'm aware," Cody grumbled, "I was worried as fek about you. We couldn't get an evac in."

Rex nodded. The memories were painful to relive and jumbled. "I was in a bad way- out of it, most of the time. I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for Ahsoka. She wouldn't give up on me."

"You feel you owe her a debt."

Rex stared at the ceiling, still trying to sort through the emotions. "Yes... but... it's..." he sighed, "it's more than that, though. It feels like something changed between us during that time." He met Cody's eyes and found no censure, only understanding. He continued on. "Maybe something was already changing before that mission. I don't know. But, the dynamic between us is different now and I'm finding it difficult to make sense of it all. It's... confusing. It's like..." his voice dropped and he stared at his hands before he whispered, "sometimes I want things I know we can't have as clones."

Cody pushed out a long sigh. He was silent for so long Rex was worried he'd said something very wrong. "I... understand. We have our duty as clones." The way he said it sounded more like a question than an a positive belief.

"Right," Rex sounded less than convincing himself, "our duty to the Republic."

Cody snorted lightly. "The same Republic that didn't rescue our vode."

"Cody," Rex warned, knowing this conversation was treading on dangerous territory, "the Republic is flawed in many ways, but what is the alternative?"

Cody tilted his head to the side, seriously considering the question. "The alternative to a flawed Republic? That I don't know." He scowled fiercely. "Does that mean all of us are doomed to keep fighting for something that is flawed? We fight and die for something that doesn't necessarily make sense? That we don't actually believe in?"

"Cody," Rex warned again, wondering when his brother had changed from a strict rule follower to someone who questioned the shab... er... beliefs that had been instilled in them at Kamino. He needed to get this conversation back on track. "We're clones." He stated this with finality, hoping it settled the matter.

"Clones. But, is that all we are?" Cody murmured softly, he stared toward the viewport as if the stars somehow held the answers. He returned his gaze to Rex. "You ever wonder if that's all there is? If we couldn't have... more?" His voice was very soft in the stillness of the room.

Images of the Andoan swam in front of his vision. Vode laughing as they walked down the street toward their jobs. Heading out on the fishing boats. Travis gazing at Karyn as if she were the only woman in the universe. Hok shyly presenting Xyra with a spindly bouquet of wildflowers he'd scrounged up on a scouting mission. Catcher leading the men in morning drills- making inspirational speeches to a free Legion of clones. He forced the images to the back of his mind. That life was not for him. "What do you mean?" Rex asked, his voice not sounding entirely convincing, even to his own ears.

Cody shook his head, as if coming out of a trance. "Nothing. Forget I said anything. I'm sleep-deprived and babbling." His tone changed back to the more impersonal voice he used as a commander signaling the previous conversation was over. "It's late. We will reconvene here at 0900. Join me for caf at 0600?"

Rex nodded. "We can do some of our morning rounds together, as well." He grinned. "Between you and me, maybe we won't get lost trying to find our way around the ship. It's a bit unseemly to have to keep asking for directions."

"Your ARC's drawings aren't helping much," Cody quirked with a twist of his lips. With a dip of his chin, and unsuccessfully attempting to stifle a yawn, he departed the room with Rex.

# # #

After Cody returned to his quarters, he took a long shower, scrubbing himself more vigorously than necessary. He couldn't get the conversation with Rex out of his head. He idly noted the Kazzie soap had a pungent earthy smell. It wasn't entirely unpleasant and the muted green lights of the refresher were almost enough to put him asleep. Almost.

He stumbled to his bunk and collapsed into it without bothering to dry off. He buried his face in the too large pillow and willed sleep to come, ignoring the faint lingering smell of Barriss. He'd already tossed the bedding into the wash recycler, but her scent still seemed... everywhere. There was some comfort in knowing he wasn't the only clone struggling with... Jedi problems. His mind drifted back to the conversation with Rex. His brother had all but outright revealed he was struggling with the same issues as Cody. He didn't know if that thought was comforting or terrifying. Rex was right, of course. They were clones. Only clones. They didn't have the rights of other sentients. So, the simple things other sentients of the galaxy took for granted would never be in reach of the vode.

It didn't matter, right?

He was a clone. He had his brothers, his orders and his duty to the Republic.

He'd been raised to believe that was all he needed.

It was more than enough.

But, as he fidgeted and shifted trying to capture sleep which would not come, his traitorous mind kept asking him... Is there something more?

As much as he tried to push these thoughts away, the tantalizing thoughts of a better future for him and his brothers would not leave him alone.

# # #

Ahsoka missed her Master's steady presence. When he was around, there was always something to do. Too much to do. But, without him now, she was lost.

Could she have gone to him now to speak to him about what was most on her mind? Would he understand?

Master, I have feelings for someone. What should I do? When is attachment wrong? Are my feelings wrong?

Ahsoka sighed deeply. Anakin was probably the wrong person to ask.

Anakin's Force presence changed the moment Padme was around. Or, even when she came up in conversation. Or a holo call. It was obvious her Master's "friendship" with the Senator was very complicated.

And, Anakin had never spoken to her about it, or used it as an opportunity to talk about attachment.

Complicated. That exactly described her feelings for Rex. She had no one she could talk to about this and sort through it all. Everyone she knew was either a Jedi, a clone, or, well, Senator Amidala.

Her Jedi teachings (or what she could remember of them) implied Jedi could form attachments but not let them get in the way. She didn't understand that part of it. Get in the way of what? Being a Jedi? It didn't make sense. Maybe it was because she hadn't finished her studies before she'd gone off to become a commander and hadn't been very consistent in keeping up with her lessons since the war started. The Temple occassionally sent her readings and such, but no one seemed to reinforce if she actually did them. Or, understood them. Or, had questions about them.

And, she did have questions. But, mainly about this attachment stuff.

Maybe she could ask Master Kenobi. Except... he was unconscious, too. She made a mental note to ask him to explain attachment to her when he was conscious and they weren't in the middle of a campaign.

That made be a while.

For now, she had downtime- too much of it- and no one to ask her questions. The only other conscious Jedi around was Barriss, but she turned down Ahsoka's offer to have tea together. She hung up very quickly on a brief holocall saying she "had to stay with her Master." Based on her hurried response and the way her eyes did not meet Ahsoka's, there was probably more going on. But, Ahsoka let it go. If Barriss wanted to hide in her quarters until they returned to Coruscant, (and she could hide away at the Temple, as she preferred to do), so be it. Ahsoka didn't get it. Barriss was a talented healer. Why wouldn't she want to be out in the field with the clones all the time?

Ahsoka was not used to having free time.

She'd already meditated today, although she'd done a poor job of it. Her mind was not settled. She'd been to the gym, although she couldn't begin to reach any of the equipment. A number of clones had offered to help her up onto the oversized equipment, but the last thing she needed was clone hands touching her when she was so unsettled. She politely turned down all of the offers for help and found a quiet corner where she could do katas. She had no idea what the space had originally been intended for as it was filled with thick mats and some sort of odd climbing equipment built into the wall. But, it was a good space for her to be alone and run through her forms. Repeatedly.

Now, with still way too many hours left in the day, and nothing else to do, she headed down to medbay to check on her Master.

She was relieved to see both Kix and Coric were listed as being off-duty. She was immediately greeted by Digger and Glitch, the cheerful junior medics from the 212th. After a bit of small talk with the medics, she worked her way around the medbay, visiting with all of the clones injured during the battle.

She was surprised to see one of the more severely injured clones sitting awake and propped up on pillows. He smiled as she approached, although his face was still mottled with yellowish bruises in various stages of healing.

"Appo! You're out of bacta!"

"Yes, commander. The medics pulled me out at 0700 this morning." He studied her for a moment. "It is good to see you. You look... well."

She laughed. "Thank you. But, I cannot say the same for you." She studied him critically. His face still showed signs of pain and fatigue from his captivity, and his shoulder was tightly bound. However, his pleasure at seeing her again was unmistakable. It shone through in his force signature. She looked around for a chair so she could stay for a longer visit with him. But, there was nothing. She wasn't sure what else to say to him. Beyond their shared experience in the cell, they had not much in common. But, he looked at her so earnestly, she thought she should stay longer. "Um... how is-"

Before she could ask about his injuries, the door of the medbay swished open behind them. "Commander Tano, may I have a word?"

"Rex," Ahsoka said, turning to greet the new arrival. Her eyes widened slightly as she detected Appo's reaction to the newcomer. Envy, resentment, guilt, gratitude, and a grudging respect all warred together in a very confused jumble of emotions. She glanced back at him and he looked at her with wide eyes as if trapped within a body and mind he wasn't sure how to handle. Appo quickly turned his face away. They'd spent two months together in a cell. He knew she could read some of his emotions. And, now she was reading shame and embarassment coming off of him. Where was all of this coming from and why did seeing Rex drudge up so many emotions for Appo?

Rex came over to stand beside them, his back ramrod straight. "Commander Appo, good to see you on the mend, sir."

Appo grunted out an unintelligible reply

Digger looked up from where he was changing the bandage on a blaster wound. Both he and his patient visibly brightened as they spotted Rex.

"Hello Captain!" Glitch called cheerfully, as he passed by with an armful of freshly washed lab supplies.

Several other patients around the room perked up and reacted to Rex's presence. "Captain!" A few sat up straighter and saluted the best they could in their injured states.

Rex waved them off with a warm genuine smile. "At ease, men. Good to see you all." He greeted each of the clones in the room by name before thanking the medics for the work.

Appo watched all of this with a growing scowl. He hissed in annoyance.

Ahsoka cast him a look of concern as his force signature continued to radiate turmoil and confusion.

Rex cast him a curious look, folding his arms across his chest, making him look even taller and more imposing above the bedbound Appo.

"Captain? I was not aware you had been recommissioned." Appo stared Rex down, all of them knowing full well there had been no contact with GAR Command.

Annoyance flashed across Rex's face before he quickly suppressed it. "I'm acting as Cody's second, as I did during the rescue mission." He leveled a look at Appo. "The mission that rescued you."

Appo looked away and the guilt and resentment flared again full force.

Ahsoka had no idea what was going on between Rex and Appo, but whatever it was, this was not good.

Rex continued on, his voice cool. The medbay had gone silent as every clone within listened to the tense exchange. "I recognize you as commander of the 501st, Appo, however you are on medical leave and not capable of commanding anything at the moment. My official status with the GAR will be determined upon my return." He turned his back on Appo and focused his full attention on Ahsoka. Around the room, she could feel a ripple of emotion from the rest of the clones. Curiousity. Excitement. Pride. It was all focused toward Rex. The men were inordinately proud of him, even the ones from the 212th, and pleased to have him back. One did not need to be force-sensitive to pick up on it. "Commander Tano," Rex said her voice firmly, ensuring her full attention was on him. How was it he could always tell when her attention was drifting? "We require your assistance in the briefing room."

I'm needed in the briefing room?

Ahsoka could not help breaking out into a broad smile. Finally! Something to do. And, Rex came to ask her in person. Everything had been so confusing since her rescue from the jungle planet, but this all seemed familiar. "Absolutely, Rex, lead the way." She belatedly realized she hadn't said good bye to Appo, but then again, she'd barely said anything to him, so surely it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

She fell into step beside Rex, so excited about being needed again, she was almost bouncing on her toes with excitement.

As they crossed the medbay to leave, the injured men waved and greeted both of them, their elation at seeing their Captain and Commander together again pouring out into the force.

A spike of red hot irritation floated beneath the warm blues and greens of happiness from the men. She put a hand on Rex's arm to stop him momentarily at the medbay door and turned. Appo was watching them, eyes narrowed. Catching her gaze, Appo once again look away.

"Everything alright?" Rex turned to her, concern clear in his voice. He followed her gaze across the room to Appo.

"Yes, just trying to figure out a puzzle, I suppose." She started walking again, and they fell into step together. She hadn't removed her arm from Rex's bicep and he hadn't objected. Or, maybe he hadn't noticed. There was something about it that felt right and natural. They were alone in the corridor, walking toward the lift that would take them to the bridge. She hated to spoil the moment, but she supposed she owed Rex an explanation. "I'm just a little worried about Appo."

They headed into the next corridor. Rex cocked his head to the side. "Appo? What's wrong with him?" He shook his head, bemused. "Other than the obvious, of course."

Ahsoka smiled politely, but knew it was a strained smile. It wasn't right to laugh at Appo's expense but grateful the awkwardness between them was gone for the moment. But, Rex was good at blocking his emotions, so she had no way of knowing for sure. She looked over at Rex again, and noticed the amusement had died on his face. He studied her, frowning and stopped mid-step. He tugged her into a side corridor and waited for her explanation. He also seemed to suddenly noticed her hand on his bicep and pulled back so her arm naturally slid off. "Did something happen with Appo?"

"No, Rex. Nothing like that." She waved her hands restlessly, at a loss with what to do with them now, and ended up dropping them to her sides with a side. "I mean...yes... a lot happened in the dungeons. He seems mentally off-set from the experience."

Her explanation did nothing to appease Rex who's brow creased even more fiercely. "Define... a lot. And, mentally off-set? That's not good. He's in charge of the 501st now." Rex's last sentence came out as more of a growl, than a statement.

"I probably could have worded that better. Appo went through a lot of trauma at Darkknell. Traumatic experiences can leave us… vulnerable. Even hardened soldiers, such as yourselves, can't be expected to come out of experiences like this without mental scars."

"Is this about him being locked in a closet and Commander Cody having to rescue him?"

Ahsoka's eyes widened. "I did not know about that incident."

"To hear Cody tell the story, it was a hell of a fekkin' incident." Rex still looked genuinely confused. "So, what are you talking about then, and what does Appo's time at Darkknell have to do with you?" There was no mistaking the defensiveness and displeasure in Rex's voice. He fairly bristled when it came to the topic of Appo.

"The commander and I shared the same prison cell for two months on Darkknell."

Rex was shocked into silence. He closed himself off so completely emotionally Ahsoka could not get any kind of reading on him. She looked at him, trying to get some kind of reaction.

"Rex?" she prompted, "say something."

"Two months," he muttered, as if still trying to comprehend that she and Appo had been locked up in a small space for that amount of time together. He took off his helmet, and shook his head. "The only significant stretch of time I have ever spent alone with you was in a cave on TriLuna. That was days. 28 hours according to the official report. Most of which I don't remember. You and Appo were together for..." His mouth opened and then closed again, while his fists did the same, as he tried to digest the information. "You didn't think to mention..." He looked at her with eyes full of confusion, and then she saw it, the raw emotion. The feelings he normally kept so tightly bottled up. He leaned his head back against the wall of the lift and stared at the ceiling as if looking for guidance, before looking back at her again. "Day and night with Appo for two months?" he whispered again.

Ahsoka didn't understand his reaction. It was not like she had a choice of her cellmate?!

"Would it have mattered who it was?" Ahsoka challenged. "What if it was Coric?"

Rex rounded on her. "Yes, it would have been much better if it was Coric. Anyone but Appo!"

"What do you have against Appo?" Ahsoka shouted back at him.

"He stole the Legion from me!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Rex's eyes widened and he looked like he wanted to take the words back. It was as if he'd spoken words he hadn't meant to say aloud.

"Oh, Rex," she said softly, placing a hand on his arm again. He didn't object and allowed the simple gesture of affection, she leaned in and rested her head for the briefest moment against his chest. He tucked his chin down onto his montrals and she could feel his heart beating too fast and his breathing more ragged than usual. "No one could ever take the 501st from you." She could feel his breathing begin to slow as he relaxed. She sent him a wave of calming energy and he relaxed further. "Rex, you are the 501st."

"He's Skywalker's second now," Rex said quietly into her montrals. She became acutely aware he was confessing his innermost insecurities. "What happens when we get back?"

"We'll figure that part out together." As reluctant as she was to end the moment, as she wanted it to go on forever, she could feel duty was calling. Rex knew it, too, because a moment later he pulled back and composed himself. She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "Somehow things always seem to work out."

Rex nodded and led the way back toward the lift. "That's the hope."

# # #

Chapter Text

Kix bit his lip as he focused on figuring out a dosage of Ipaptropium bromide. Tor, a scout from the 212th, watched Kix's moves with widened eyes as he struggled to get air into his lungs. Kix and Coric had done well in clearing troopers out of medbay and getting them bunked back with their squads and favorite vodes. In Kix's experience, vode recovered much faster when they were happier and medbay was not a happy place for most troopers.

But, he did his best to ease the strain on those who were still so seriously injured they were stuck here for the duration of the journey to Coruscant. Tor had sucked in too much crysfeefa and his lungs had suffered heavily for it.

Thankfully, the burning in his lungs was not as severe as what happened to Keen. Just thinking about Keen brought Kix a painful pang. He was someone Kix had worked with many times on joint campaigns with the 212th and he deserved better than to have his innards burned up in a nasty bit of chemical warfare. In the hectic aftermath of the rescue from the dungeons, the best Kix and Coric could do was make 'alternative dungeons' for Keen. In the official records, Keen was KIA.

Kix sighed and focused on the trooper back in front of him. He needed to have the remainder of these troopers in medbay healed up as much as possible before they touched down in Coruscant so their final fate of these clones was not in doubt.

Unfortunately, a few of the clones in medbay were determined to give Kix grey hairs. Tor was one of them, as he was not responding to treatments as well as the other troopers in the medbay. Amp, Cale and Husk had all sucked in cryseefa, but were responding well to meds. Cale and Husk were already back in regular quarters and Kix was thinking of releasing Amp in a few hours.

"What is this?" Kix correctly interpreted Tor's gesture, glancing up from where he was finely tuning the medication mixture. "This is what I hope will get you to stop doing the best General Grevious impression on the ship."

Despite his lips turning blue, Tor managed to both roll his eyes at Kix's medic humor and give the large needle a wary look.

Kix smiled warmly at the scout. "This is a bronchodilator. It works by opening up your lung passages."

Tor nodded, and doubled over slightly as his hitched breathing grew even more labored.

"Hey, hey, none of that," Kix chided gently, although those who knew him best would be able to detect the obvious concern underlying the smooth calm tones. He thwacked the syringe gently to evenly distribute the medicine. "I'll have you sorted in a moment. Little pinch with this one, alright?"

Tor glanced up at him, despite his doubled over position. His eyes tearing from the strain of trying to breathe. The expression on his face made it clear he didn't believe the 'little pinch' part.

"Best to close your eyes for this one, brother," Kix warned in his no-nonsense tone.

Tor squeezed his eyes shut tightly, but didn't tense up as Kix pulled him upright to get him in a better position for the injection.

He trusts me. All the vode in here do. I hope I'm enough for them- that I can keep them alive and away from reconditioning.

Kix plunged the syringe into the scout's chest. Tor hissed in pain, but didn't flinch away from the medic. After a moment, his hitched breathing eased up. He opened his eyes and nodded, giving the medic a weak smile of gratitude.

Hopefully, that gives Tor some relief until I can figure out the reason he isn't responding to the other meds. If not, I have to hope ArmyMed is willing to be patient with his recovery. And, if ArmyMed couldn't pull off a fekkin' miracle, then-

He pushed the thoughts aside.

Break big problems down into a series of little problems.

Coric always said that to him when he felt overwhelmed. It was good advice.

Kix rubbed circles on Tor's back as the trooper's breathing continued to ease up and normalize. "That's sounding much better already. Slow breaths. Don't overdo it. That's it. Well done."

Tor gave him a weak smile of gratitude and squeezed Kix's bicep. Then, the scout's grip tightened and he tapped Kix's arm to get his attention, pointing across the medbay. Kix turned to see what was in Tor's line-of-sight.

Fek and all. A flashing alert on Echo's bacta tank.

"Good eye. Thanks, Tor."

Tor beamed under the simple praise and relaxed back into his pillows. Kix hurried across the medbay, worried about a second alert on Echo's tank in less than an hour. He stared at the readings on the tank. He double-checked it again.

This was not good. He made several manual adjustments in the hopes of bringing Echo's body temperature back into the normal range.

"Come on, come on..." he muttered, pulling out his datapad to double-check a translation. He was utilizing the tank correctly, but Echo was getting worse.

A lot worse.

The escalating pitch of the alarm on the tank set the tone for his failure.

Kix grabbed his comm link. "Coric, hey, I'm sorry to wake you up. But, I need you down here now. We have a situation."

# # #

Ahsoka followed Rex into the conference room. She looked around the large room and into the canopy of stars beyond. Rex was standing in front of the wall of transparisteel, staring out into the expanse vibrant blue of hyperspace.

She joined him at the window. "It's beautiful, isn't it? I've always found it strangely hypnotic. And... peaceful. When I'm upset, looking out like this brings me peace."

Rex pushed out a long breath. He turned his gaze from the window and looked Ahsoka in the eyes. "I shouldn't have gotten angry... about Appo."

"During the Battle of Kaz'haria, he fought very bravely."

Rex sucked in a breath. "I'd like to believe that's true, Ahsoka, but nearly the entire battalion was taken prisoner, injured or killed."

"What happened there was not Appo's fault."

"It was his first command. I don't know any commander who has ever commanded and lost that spectacularly." He gripped his gloves so hard his gloves creaked. "And, it wasn't with just any Legion, Ahsoka. It was the 501st. When Appo fails, the 501st suffers."

This was heating up into an argument again. Ahsoka did her best to defuse it. "Appo did the best he could and Cody-"

"Cody? Cody was nearly killed thanks to him! We're supposed to have the backs of the 212th," Rex gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached.

"Is this about Appo or about you not being there?" Ahsoka regretted the words almost as soon as she said them, but she could not take them back.

Rex stared down at her, his hurt clear to see on his face.

"Am I interrupting something?" Cody entered the conference room, and crossed his arms across his chest. He leaned back against the doorframe and studied the two of them. "Do you two want a few more minutes to continue... whatever this is?"

"No," Rex and Ahsoka said simultaneously.

"Good." He walked into the conference room and stared them both down, and then shook his head, softening his tone. "Look, I get it, alright? We've all been through a lot, myself included. But, the men need their Captain and their Commander. The last thing they need is to see the two of you fighting."

Rex nodded and met Ahsoka's eyes briefly. They both nodded, making a tacit agreement to table this particular discussion. Despite their somewhat stiff body language that said 'we're not done arguing,' they sat down side-by-side at the large conference room table.

Cody 'hmmmped' under his breath and slid a datapad across the table to the two of them. "This is the basic script of what we'd like you to say, Commander. Did Rex fill you in on what we need you to do?"

Ahsoka glanced over again quickly at Rex before picking up at the pad. "We... uh... were discussing something else." She read over the information on the pad a second time, a furrow forming between her brows. "When we drop out of hyperspace, you want me to contact GAR High Command."

Cody and Rex both nodded as one, studying her reaction.

"We think of all of us, you'd have the best chance of getting a positive reaction. Timing will be critical," Cody looked thoughtful. "Well, actually, General Kenobi would probably have been the perfect one for the job, but he's not available."

Rex shot a look at Cody for the unintentional slight toward Ahsoka. "You have the skills to do this, Ahsoka. I've seen you negotiate before and you could give Kenobi a run for his creds anyday."

Ahsoka twisted her lips. "I'm not sure I'll ever rise to the heights of Master Kenobi, but I have talked us out of some bad situations. I'm willing to do it."

Rex shot her a quick, encouraging smile. .

Cody rolled his eyes, wondering how the two of them could go from arguing to praising each other in a few short minutes. Rex wasn't wrong when he said he had a complicated relationship with his commander.

He'd need to keep a close eye on Rex to ensure this complicated balance he was trying to strike did not affect his performance as an officer.

"You are a known favorite of the Jedi Council. Since you are listed as missing, they will undoubtedly be shocked to see you, but your presence alone should be enough to keep us from getting fired upon."

"I don't understand. Cody, you're a marshall commander. Wouldn't you have just as much sway-"

Rex and Cody both shook their heads as one again.

"A Jedi life is worth a thousand of ours," Rex explained, stating the fact as if it should be readily apparent.

"Sometimes several thousand," Cody grumbled under his breath.

Ahsoka frowned. "No, that's not right. Your lives are just as valuable-"

Cody and Rex exchanged a look, somewhat bemused at her naviety.

Rex interrupted Ahsoka before she could go any further. "That's not reality, Ahsoka. We're a purchased commodity. That's our only value. But, the value of the Jedi is clear to everyone."

Ahsoka opened her mouth to object again, but Cody cut them both off before it could devolve into an argument. "Commander, accept that there is a high likelihood the GAR will see us as a threat the moment we drop out of hyperspace. However, if we immediately make it apparent there is a Jedi onboard, it should buy us the time we need to explain ourselves."

"Alright," Ahsoka accepted heavily, although her tone made it clear she didn't like the premise. "I'll do it. I'll also drop my shields briefly so any Jedi in the facility will be able to detect my presence. Barriss may be willing to temporarily drop her shields, as well. It will get us some immediate attention from our local Jedi."

They went through every aspect of the plan exhaustively. She might not be Obi Wan Kenobi, the Negotiator, but she liked to think she could be counted on in a crisis.

As their meeting wrapped up, Cody stayed behind to answer some messages on his datapad. Rex headed straight for the lift, not inviting her to walk with him as he normally would. She followed him and stepped into the lift with him.

"Rex, we still need to talk about Appo."

"No, we don't. The less I talk about him, the better." The lift door opened at the bridge, and Rex leaned in so he could speak to Ahsoka quietly without the rest of the bridge crew overhearing. "Commander, this is a critical time for all of us. To avoid getting... distracted, it's probably better if we keep our distance when not directly working together. Perhaps Kix or Coric could use a hand with the wounded in medbay."

He spun on his heel and headed to his station on the bridge, leaving Ahsoka gaping after him as the lift door closed in her face.

The dismissal stung, even more so because Rex was probably right. Not about Appo. He seemed to be willing to give all of his brothers a chance, except for Appo. No, he was probably right they should keep some professional distance between them. The return to Coruscant hung over all of them as a source of both hope and dread, as they had no idea how they would be received. This was no time to get distracted. Both Anakin and Rex told her time and again distractions were deadly in a time of war.

She stared at the sides of the lift wondering why it wasn't moving.

Oh. She sighed and punched in the floor for medbay, hitting the buttons harder than necessary. She leaned back against the sides of the lift and stared up at the ceiling, frustrated, annoyed and not sure what to do about any of it.

# # #

"His temperature readings have been fluctuating like this for hours," Kix explained. "They stabilized for a short duration with a manual reset, but now they keep spiking. I don't know what to make of it."

Coric studied the readouts coming off the screens attached the bacta tank. They were slightly different tanks than the ones he'd been trained on, but it shouldn't matter. Bacta is bacta. Any differences in the physiology between Kaz'harians and humans should be inconsequential. The rest of the troopers and the Jedi were responding within normal healing parameters. What was so different about Echo's case?

"Could he have been exposed to something in that control room?" Coric said. "We know the Kazzies were experimenting with a lot of stuff, could Echo have inadvertently stumbled upon something in there? Something other than the controls for the cryseefa gas?"

"Some sort of biological agent, maybe?" Kix didn't like where this line of questioning was headed. But, they had to examine every explanation. "It's a good theory. Any idea how we could check for it?"

"I don't think we can. If it didn't show up in our initial scans, we don't have the equipment for it onboard. At this point, his only hope is a fully equipped med facility ArmyMed." Coric studied the readings on the tank, and then shot Kix a look. He didn't say it. He didn't have to say it. Kix knew.

At this rate, Echo may not make Coruscant.

# # #

Chapter Text

Ahsoka stared after Rex after he left down the corridor.

Rex needs space. 

She tried to force her feet to turn and walk in the opposite direction.

Damn you, feet. Move! 

Much as she wanted to head away from Rex, she could not.  Why was she always drawn to him like a beacon? And, when had things gotten so complicated between them? From the time she had stepped off that shuttle on Christophsis, he had been a mentor, a protector and a friend. And, then a best friend. And, then... her feelings had evolved into whatever this was now between them. 

And, that was the problem, wasn't it? She had no idea how to define what this thing was between them. She had no one to talk to about it (except Rex, her best friend), and no idea where to go from here. 

Except... where the Force was leading her. And, that was after Rex. No, not after him... with him.

She sighed, both in relief and in exasperation. The Force was both a curse and a blessing sometimes and took off down the corridor after Rex. 

Krek. He's fast.

He had only a minute headstart while she had been standing there arguing with herself and now he was nowhere to be seen. His duty shift was over so he could be in his quarters, or the mess, or the gym. Or... the showers. Rex liked to shower before bed. He had private quarters here on the ship, but he'd mentioned about quartering with his brothers instead. 

Maybe he was with his brothers already.

OK, stop thinking about Rex in the showers. Or, Rex in the showers with his brothers.

She gave herself a mental slap and focused in on the Force again. Rex had a distinct Force signature. It took very little for her to reach for it. It was as if his Force signature was always reaching back for her. Even when he was mad at her, it was as if the Force wanted them to work out things between them.

Well, of course, we are the two highest ranking 501st on active duty. We have to be there for the men and... that's a total load of kark. 

Her feet wound their way through the ship on their own. The ship had corridors and rooms everywhere. They were constantly discovering new spaces within the ship, and the Kaz'harians seemed to have a great fondness for hidden rooms. There was nothing creepy or untoward in any of them. It was likely a defensive measure in case of boarding. The hidden rooms were well-stocked with freeze dried rations (incompatible with human biology, unfortunately), and additional caches of weapons. Commander Cody was doing an admirable job of keeping all troopers on the ship busy mapping out these rooms and inventoring the supplies inside.

Too bad we can't keep the ship. Unlike the jungle fortress, the men actually seem to like this piece of Kaz'harian handiwork.

She rounded a corner, greeting a group of 212th troopers chatting animatedly as they headed in the other direction. They all stopped to salute her. She signaled them to be at ease and their conversation immediately resumed as she passed.  Something about a new type of rocket propelled grenade launcher they'd discovered.

You wouldn't know these boys had been locked up for two months.

They'd been rescued, thanks to Rex and Cody, and were recovering more quickly than she ever thought possible.

If only she could restore her relationship with Rex so quickly. He was a vital part of her. Somehow she wasn't always  sure what to do or say around him now and why the topic of Appo made him so angry.

She found Rex on the rec level observation deck. The ship seemed to have an abundance of them. Ringed with thick plexiglass, they were both a military asset and a liability. The visibility was excellent, but not as strong as the armored hull. Yet, it was an excellent place to come and think.

And, it was why Rex had come here.

He was staring out toward the stars, hands clasped behind his back. He turned didn't around when she entered the observation deck, but the slight stiffening in his shoulders told her he sensed her presence.

"Do you... want me to leave?" Her voice cracked and she cursed herself for it.

"No." Rex didn't move from his position at the viewport. He stared out into the passing blue of hyperspace, but she sensed he was trying to see further as if his mind was on something much further away.

She left him alone with his thoughts for several minutes, closing her eyes, and using the time to meditate. She sensed the shift in his breathing when he was ready to talk. 

He turned and looked at her. His gaze intense and his brown eyes searching her face. "What do you want?"

His voice wasn't harsh, but somehow it still felt like a rebuke. "We need to talk about Appo."

Rex swore softly under his breath, but did so in a long string of fluent Mando'a. "What else is there to say?!" He turned his attention back to the mesmerizing blue of hyperspace and the flashing lights of the stars they were passing by. With each star they passed, they were rapidly returning to their old lives. 

"Regretting you came back?" she asked softly.

"Regretting we rescued the shabuir," he snorted softly, a trace of his characteristic humor in his tone. He sighed and scrubbed at his face with one gloved hand. "No, coming back-- it... was the right call," his voice was flat. Not quite uncertain, but not the same conviction as when he led men into battle and gave them stirring passionate words and told them how much he believed in the Republic. It was as if he wasn't quite sure what he believed in anymore.

"You don't sound convinced," Ahsoka gently laid a hand on his armored bicep. Rex looked down at her hand and she recognized that gaze of his-- a certain tenderness he only seemed to use around her. She took this as an encouraging sign and continued on, asking something that had been nagging at her on a personal level for a while. "Rex... are you... having doubts about the Republic?"

Rex placed his gloved hand on top of hers. "I didn't come back for the Republic." He turned and fully faced her, shifting his hands slightly so he could place them on each of her upper arms. His gaze continued to stare straight into hers. "I came back for you and for my brothers. You know that, right?"

Ahsoka nodded. She did know that. She had no doubts. Even when her and Rex disagreed, she had no doubts about him, or his convictions. Or, his dedication to his brothers. Or, to her. Maybe that is why he frustrated her so much sometimes. Rex was an open book. Most of the time. He was straight-forward. Honest. He had his convictions and he stuck to them. Getting him to change his mind about anything was near impossible.

"I was wrong to say what I did," Ahsoka closed her eyes in regret. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to choose Appo over you. I would never do that."

"And, I'd never ask you to make that choice. Appo is one of my brothers, too. It's just..." Rex sighed in frustration again. "I was sent away, Ahsoka." The pain in his voice spoke volumes about how much this action had hurt him. "I would have given anything to be there for you and the 501st. But, instead it was Appo. I'm trying to get along with him, but that battle was a total cluster and it cost us a lot of men. I'm still processing all of it. It's unfair of you to ask me to just accept him and think favorably of him in light of all that's happened."

Ahsoka took a long moment to take in his words. "I understand." And, she did. "Just try not to kill him. Alright?"

He snorted lightly again in a sound that was uniquely Rex that it squeezed at her heart. "Alright, then."

She leaned her head against his armored chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. It was one of those moments that felt so natural as if they were always meant to be. They looked out at the stars. It was such a rare moment of quiet in a war which almost never allowed them a moment of peace. 

Rex leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, ever so gently. There was nothing sexual about it. Nothing urgent or demanding. It was a promise. Maybe. One day.

Ahsoka would think of the moment often later. She'd had more heated embraces with Rex before, but somehow this one quiet embrace was so meaningful. It was a lifeline in a war which took so much away from them and didn't usually allow them such moments.

The moment was over as soon as it began.

Rex's comlink suddenly went off, sounding a high priority alert signal chime. It shattered the quiet and startled both of them. Rex shifted his grip, although didn't immediately remove his arms from around Ahsoka. He brought his wrist comm up to his lips, his voice calm. "This is Rex."

"Rex, this is Coric. We have a Code Red Medical Emergency."

Ahsoka's heart plummeted. She knew who it was. Rex somehow knew, as well.

"Echo?"

"Yes, his vitals are plummeting and his body temperature is spiking. Kix is here with me, and we can't pinpoint the cause."

"What do you need?" Rex's voice was an ocean of calm, as it always was in a crisis. 

"His only chance is to get to ArmyMed stat." There was so much else there in Coric's voice. Echo is dying.

Rex's body stiffened. "I'll meet you in medbay."

# # #

Chapter Text

Rex and Ahsoka walked side-by-side to the medbay, their steps hurried. It was a substantial walk from the rec deck to the lift and another long walk to the medbay.

No wonder the Kaz'harians were such formidable warriors, Ahsoka thought, as she quickened her pace to keep up with Rex. Walking the corridors of their ship is a cardio workout in itself.

Her thoughts strayed back to their last few moments on the observation deck. It had been pleasant to be held in Rex's arms. Too much so. She would have liked to have stayed much longer. She cast a glance over at Rex, but he was staring straight ahead. His face was a mask of worry, and she turned her mind back to Echo.

I shouldn't be thinking of myself, when Echo is so sick. He saved us all.

There was something else, though, she could sense about Rex. Something that went even further than his concerns about an injured trooper. They stepped into the lift together.

"What is it, Rex?" Ahsoka prompted.

Rex blinked, as if only just remembering she was there. His eyes were slightly unfocused and his voice gravely. He pushed the words out as if they came at a great cost. "ArmyMed."

"The medical facility on Coruscant- what of it?"

"It's where I was sent, Ahsoka."

"Oh." Rex was staring at her with his intense brown gaze waiting for her to make an important connection. The Resolute had been sent away on a mission while Rex was undergoing his treatments at ArmyMed. She had been so sure he was in good hands at the medical facility. He'd been through so much and none of them had been there for him. "I'm sorry, Rex. This must be dredging up some awful memories." 

Rex hit the stop button on the lift and gripped her arms to stabilize her as the lift came to an abrupt halt. "That's not it, Ahsoka. I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about Echo. Troopers who don't get well are not given second chances."

"We have to believe he's going to get better, Rex," but even as Ahsoka said the words, they tasted ashen in her mouth, like she was making false promises.

Rex sighed, giving her a look that made her feel like she still wasn't getting it. He released her arms and starting up the lift again with a backwards jab of his fist to the controls.

"Rex, it's not that I don't believe you. What you went through was terrible and never should've happened. It's just..." Ahsoka's tried to impart a soothing tone into her words, but quickly found she didn't know what to say.

It's just... what?

It couldn't happen again? Did she know that for certain?

That the Republic was not capable of such actions? That the GAR always had the best interest of the clones at heart? That the Jedi considered the interest of the clones first and foremost.

At the beginning of the war, she was so sure of her beliefs. She was so sure of what they were fighting to preserve. But, so much of what she believed before the war had been shattered. In the name of winning the war it seems there was no end to the ways in which the Republic was willing to sacrifice their values.

Or, maybe... just maybe... the Republic never was the place she thought it be.

The lift doors opened and Rex stared straight ahead as they walked down the long corridor together. He seemed a thousand light years away. He was withdrawn and not looking at her. Even when she knew his anger wasn't directed at her, she hated seeing him like this.

"Rex, tell me everything you can so I understand," she blurted the words out in a rush, trying to find out as much as they could before they reached medbay. "You were injured and the doctor we spoke to- Anhalt, I think his name was- he claimed that you were not 'salvageable.' The Jedi Council said they put an end to the practice of clones getting sent away-"

Rex snorted.

Ahsoka looked at him in surprise.

"And, just where did they say these clones are now being sent?" Rex asked.

"I... don't know," Ahsoka admitted. "I'm not sure that was ever worked out."

"In all likelihood, the Council's attention was pulled to something else, and the Kaminoans jumped in to 'handle' it for them. If I had any credits to my name, I would bet damaged units are still being quietly sent to Kamino for disposal. Maybe it's being done more discreetly now, but the Kaminoans have no tolerance for anything that could compromise the reputation of their product."

Ahsoka gritted her teeth. She hated it when Rex, or any one of the other troopers, referred to themselves as units. Or property. "You are not property."

Rex jammed his fist into the wall. It was not near her, but startled her all the same. "Wake up, Ahsoka! We are not free men by any stretch of the imagination. We are property, whether you wish to acknowledge it or not." Rex withdrew his fist and bowed his head. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

Ahsoka stood on her tiptoes so she could place a gentle kiss atop Rex's bowed head. He sighed and reached a hand out to seek her own. She gripped it and they stayed there another moment, holding on to each other. "Rex," she whispered quietly, not wanting to break the peace of the moment, but this conversation was too important to let drop, "you refer to yourself as property. Property of whom?"

Why had she never thought to ask that question before?

Maybe because she never wanted to think through these issues before.

Rex tilted his head so they were looking eye-to-eye. "It was the Jedi who commissioned us, Ahsoka. While the Kaminoans keep very heavy-handed quality control over every aspect of our existence, ultimately even they have to bow to the whims of the Jedi. I don't think it is because they respect the Jedi. I've only seen the Kaminoans have respect for each other. But, because the Jedi are paying customers. Probably the biggest client the Kaminoans have ever had. So, my brothers and I are property of you, Skywalker, the Council, every padawan out there, and any other Jedi that wishes to tell us what to do." He released Ahsoka's hand and gestured for them to begin walking again. "Do my brothers have any rights? No. Can Echo be sent away because he is now damaged goods? Absolutely. That is the arrangement the Jedi have with the Kaminoans. Whatever it is they tell you, the Senate or the public is a bunch of shab. The Kaminoans say one thing and do another."

They arrived at the entrance of the medbay and Rex made a gesture for Ahsoka to enter before him. Among the thousand things Ahsoka liked about the clones were their manners. They were impeccable- on par with any Jedi in the Order.

And, yet, the clones had no rights. Not even to their own lives. Especially not to their own lives.

"Go on, I need a moment."

Rex gave her a formal nod, appropriate for a Captain to his commander, and entered the medbay alone.

She leaned back against the corridor, trying to think through Rex's words. In a way, she'd already known everything Rex had told her. She just hadn't wanted to admit it. It was easier to think of the clones as her friends, versus something the Order had commissioned. The thought of it turned her stomach. There were shops on Coruscant where you could buy exotic animals and take them home as pets. Ahsoka had once wondered what happened to the animals when people no longer wanted them- when the novelty wore off. She tried to ask her Master about it once, but he said such things were not "Jedi business' and to 'leave it alone.'

Fives rushed by, barely casting her a glance as he charged into the medbay.

What had the Jedi turned into? Or, like the Republic itself, was she just now seeing everything in a different light?

Whatever doubts she had, now was not the time to look weak in front of the men. They needed her to be strong. She gathered herself up and walked into the medbay, trying to look composed and serene.

Sensing a tight ball of tension coming from one corner of the room, she cast out an air of calm across the medbay. Coric and Kix both quickly glanced up at her arrival. Coric's lips twisted slightly as if he knew exactly what she'd done with her slight Force suggestion before he returned his immediate attention to the clone lying prone on the medbay table in front of them.

Echo.

# # #

Fives was walking to the mess after third shift when the call came in from Coric.

"Fives, I need you down here in medbay now." The medic ended the call without giving any further details and this alone was enough to set Fives' heart racing. He charged through the corridors, his armored boots clicking against highly polished floors. Fives' recognized the tension in Coric's voice, even as the medic tried to keep his tone flat and neutral. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

He couldn't make it to medbay fast enough.

This is all my fault.  We didn't find Echo soon enough on Darkknell.  He's too sick. Too weak. They can't save him.

I should have been there to watch his back, but instead I went charging into the dungeons. I should've known Echo wouldn't sit still. He couldn't. Not when there was a battle going on. He's my brother and I'm supposed to watch over him. We're partners. Squadmates. All that is left of the Dominoes.

If he dies, this is all my fault.

'Look at the Dominoes fall...'

I didn't watch out for Echo. I know him better than anyone. He saved us all and then he got attacked. Repeatedly. And, I wasn't there to watch his back. I'm so sorry, Echo. I did this to you. I'm a terrible brother.

The heavy pounding of his footsteps echoed with the damning thoughts in his mind. My fault. My fault. My fault.

He couldn't free himself from the self-recriminations. If Echo died, he would never be able to forgive himself. It was his worst nightmare.

"Fek! Move it shinies!" he yelled at a group of 212th troopers, not caring if they were shinies or not. He barreled through them, sure he would hear about it later from Rex or Commander Cody. But, right now, he didn't care about any of it. They could write him up and strip him of his rank. If he lost Echo all of that was meaningless. They'd accomplished all of that together.

If Echo died, he would die, too.

He reached medbay and only dimly registered passing by Commander Tano. He charged in and headed toward the bacta tank Echo had been occupying since he'd first emerged from surgery.

The tank was empty. Bits of bacta still clung to the sides and it hadn't been cleaned yet- all signs it had recently been emptied and in a hurry. Liquid was sloshed around the base of it. But, there was no Echo.

He was too late.

He sank to his knees in a puddle of spilled bacta and hung his head.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...

A strong hand underneath his armpit both startled him and lifted him up to his feet. "Fives, he's over here," Rex gestured with a jerk of his chin, and slid his arm down to Fives' waist to guide him over to a nearby corner out of the way.

Fives allowed Rex to guide him, not paying attention to where he was going. His eyes were glued to the frantic activity on a nearby medbunk. Echo had been pulled from the tank and was surrounded by what looked like every available medic onboard. Fives had met all of them in his self-imposed pilgrimage by Echo's bacta tank. Digger and Glitch were on one side of the medbunk running diagnostics, heads bent together in a manner that reminded him painfully of the way he and Echo liked to work together on a difficult problem. The two junior medics were tallying up results and calling out readings. On Echo's other side, Kix and Coric worked in tandem to administer shots to Echo and get IVs into him. It looked like a chaos of activity, but as Fives took it all in, he realized the four medics were carefully coordinating results. There was a shimmering glow around the medbay bunk, and it took Fives a moment to realize a sterilization field had been set up around Echo.

"He's not responding to the adrena-cortisizine," Digger announced calmly, holding up an oversized datapad so Kix and Coric could see the results. With the steri-field reflecting the light at odd angles, Fives' couldn't see anything that was on the datapad.

Coric leaned into the field to get a better glance at the datapad. "We need to increase his EGDTs, then."

Kix nodded with agreement and signaled to Glitch. The 212th medic knelt down to rummage in his medic backpack, emerging a moment later with a carmel-colored bag of fluids.

"I have two more after this if we need them," Glitch handed the bag to Coric.

Rex and Fives stood side-by-side back and out of the way. It took Fives a moment to register that Commander Tano had entered the medbay and was standing beside Rex. She didn't say anything and didn't ask meaningless questions like: 'how is he?' He always appreciated that about Commander Tano. While she was as green as a year 4 cadet when she first joined them in Christophsis, she learned quickly from her mistakes and always tried to do right by the men. Now, in the third year of the war, she turned into a formidable warrior and Fives was proud to count her among his brothers. Sensing his gaze, Ahsoka shifted positions and slid into between Rex and Fives, removing his arm and placing her own around his waist instead. He leaned into her, appreciating her warmth, and the comfort she offered. She slid her other arm around Rex on the other side, and together the three of them waited.

# # #

Several hours later, Echo was still alive, but the look on Coric's face was telling. He signaled to the three officers to leave medbay with him. Everything about Coric's bearing spoke of his exhaustion. "Let's get caf," Coric mumbled, his voice gravely, refusing to say anything more.

He was covered in fluids from a torn IV bag and stripped off his shirt and pants by the entrance of the medbay. Ahsoka didn't even raise an eyebrow at Coric standing with his back to her in his decanting suit. He rummaged in a nearby cabinet from a fresh set of Kazzie fatigues, pulling on the oversized clothing with clumsy movements that laid testament to his exhaustion. His hands fumbled at the waist of the pants, trying to hold them up on his too thin waist. Rex stepped forward and pulled a cord from his belt pouch and wrapped it around Coric's waist, securing it around several times to keep the medics pants up. He knelt down and rolled up the bottoms of the too long pants. If the situation with Echo wasn't so grim, Fives' would've found it amusing to see the Captain dressing one of the men like a patient father.

None of them spoke as they walked through the corridors together. The silence was unnatural. Clones were never silent unless they were sneaking up on the enemy in battle, or they were sleeping, or... they were dead. There was always laughter or chatter or complaints or bickering or teasing or the low murmur of voices supporting each other. But, not this silence.

The walk to the mess seemed interminable.

"I'll bring you boys caf. Sit down." Ahsoka gestured to a booth in a secluded corner of the mess. She headed off to wait on the mess line and bring them drinks. Fives' loved their fierce little commander even more in that moment. She was always there for them and treated them like equals in a time when no one else in the galaxy thought to see them as such.

Fives' hadn't realized how exhausted he was until he sank down into the oversized padded seating. For enormous warriors, the Kaz'harians liked comfort on their ships. Portions of the mess had long bench tables, like on a Republic cruiser, but the seats were infinitely more comfortable. And, unlike a Republic cruiser, the mess had booth seating around the perimeter which gave the place more of a feel of a Coruscant diner. Or, a night at 79's, without the pounding music and your boots sticking to the floor.

Ahsoka made it to their table faster than Fives' thought possible. The brothers on line must have insisted she move to the head of the line. They all adored her as much as he did. Her arms bore a tray with mugs of caf and a pile of the Kazzie fruit. Fives hadn't eaten in hours, but right now all he wanted was caf. Coric needed it more than he did, though, so he pushed the first cup before the exhausted medic, before taking a mug for himself.

They all sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping the deeply, bitter liquid that was too hot and yet somehow was just what Fives needed at the moment. Ahsoka set her down her mug and polished off a piece of fruit, making short work of it with her sharp fangs.

Coric was halfway through his caf before he finally spoke.

"It's not good," Coric began.

Somehow Fives already knew that, but to hear the medic say the words out loud stabbed him in a way he suddenly couldn't breathe. Sitting down to his right, Ahsoka leaned into him, offering sllent support.

Coric's fingers toyed with the rim of his cup. "He was already critical when evaced him from the planet. Normally, after being in bacta for a few days, there are signs of improvement, but he's not getting better." He continued to drum his fingers against the cup. The tableware was oddly delicate. How did such massive creatures ever decide to use such fine dishware? Bizarre. "There's a Kaz'harian bacterium in his system. Something the scanners missed initially."

Fives' opened his mouth to ask questions, but Coric held up his hand to silence him. "Let me finish. I should rephrase that- we did notice something off on his initial scans, but since he'd had chest surgery in a prison corridor, it wasn't surprising there were some nasty bacterium in his system. But, everything about Echo has been surprising us. His chest injury hasn't been the problem. And, his shoulder is staring to heal with the bacta, but..."

Fives' hated it when a medic paused like that because it meant bad news was coming.

Coric paused as if trying to gather his thoughts and figure out the best way to explain it. "This... is... something else. He has an infection in his system that we haven't been able to treat. At least not yet. What Echo currently has is not responding to any of our standard anti-infective protocols."

"Like a super-bacteria," Rex said.

Coric raised up his eyebrow in the way he did when he was impressed with someone.

Rex shrugged. "I had too much time on my hands in ArmyMed. I read medical texts and the terminology used in diagnosing clones."

Fives' winced inwardly, imagining Rex facing an unknown fate when his knee had been shattered. If he'd been in the same situation, he would've been trying to figure out every way out of the place, too.

"This superbug- is there a danger of it spreading to other clones in the medbay? Or, other clones onboard? We have two Legions on this ship," Rex was using his calm Captain-in-charge voice. Fives wasn't fooled. He knew Rex was as concerned about Echo, but he also had to consider the lives of every other trooper under his command.

"We will take every precaution until we are sure he is the only injured clone affected. But, no one else is exhibiting the same symptoms. Everyone else is recovering from their injuries as expected. Echo is the only outlier."

Only Echo.

The squeezing feeling was back around his chest.

"Breathe, Fives," Rex ordered, from where he was sitting on the other side of the table.

Was he that obvious? Ahsoka slipped one arm around his waist and Fives felt a sense of calm flow over him. She was doing some Jedi thing, but he didn't mind it. He shot her a quick grateful smile before turning his attention back to Coric. "What's the worst case scenario?"

Coric paused before answering, and Fives hated that pause. "It goes to his brain."

Fives went numb, but at least the squeezing feeling hadn't returned to his chest. He could still breathe this time.

"Kix and I haven't given up hope. There's other things we can try. Digger is pulling up some research on experimental treatments going on at ArmyMed."

"I don't like the sound of experimental," Rex's voice was tight. "Not when it comes to brothers."

There was silence around the table as the weight of his words sank in.

Fives surprised himself by being the one to break the silence. "Rex, we have to try. If the medics run out of options here, then we owe Echo this other chance to still recover."

Rex stared up at the ceiling. "That place... it's..." He brought his gaze downward and looked directly at Fives. It wasn't often that Rex looked this worried. "I don't trust them, Fives. If Echo goes in there, he might never come out."

Fives' didn't even stop to think. His response came out automatically. "I'll go with him, then."

"What?" Rex's brow furrowed.

"Permission to go with him to ArmyMed?" Fives' looked hopefully at Rex, and then Ahsoka, and then Coric, and then back at Rex again. If Fives' was there, surely nothing could happen to Echo.

"I haven't even been officially reinstated," Rex pointed out.

"You will be," Ahsoka said with confidence, "if I need to, I will make an appeal to the Council."

"Don't," Rex said it with such animosity, the other three at the table stared at him, startled. He pushed out a breath. "Sorry, Ahsoka, I mean, it's just... when the Council gets involved things always have a way of quickly escalating and not always for the better."

Rex was right. It had happened in the past. When the Council was dragged into something, Skywalker wanted to get involved and then he always wanted to pull his 'I know the Chancellor' card.

"I'm going, too," Coric's voice was filled with conviction. "I know his case. I don't know what the medics there are like."

Rex 'hmmmped' under his breath. "He'll be lucky to get a medic for his case. There are a lot of natborns working there."

Fives and Coric exchanged a worried look.

Ahsoka frowned. "I don't understand. Why is it an issue if there are non-clones working at a medical facility?" Just when he thought she was done making shiny comments.

Rex cast Ahsoka a look that was more patient than Fives would've expected in the situation. "That's a long story. It's... complex. But, I will explain it to you later."

Ahsoka nodded, satisfied with Rex's promise.

Coric finished off the last dregs of his caf and then stared at the bottom of the mug as if miraculously wishing more would appear. Without being prompted, both Fives and Rex pushed their mugs toward him. Coric smiled gratefully and dumped the remains of their caf into his mug.

"Alright," Rex straightened his shoulders in the way he did when they'd finalized a battle plan, "if we send Echo to ArmyMed, he is not going alone." He gave both Coric and Fives a pointed look. "Be careful in that place. Do not let Echo out of your sight."

I'll shoot the natborns myself before I let them take him away.

He didn't say it aloud. He was sure of it, but Ahsoka still shot him a wide-eyed look. Maybe there were some things that only a brother could understand, after all.

# # #

Chapter Text

Fives downed a third cup of the bitter Kazzie caf, barely listening as Rex and Coric wrapped up their conversation about the medical center. He could barely focus on anything at the moment as he was too concerned Echo might not make it back to Coruscant.

When they departed the mess, he insisted on walking Coric back to medbay. Rex and Ahsoka headed of to... do Rex and Ahsoka things.

"Fives... Fives!" Was Coric talking to him? He slowly turned his head and focused on the medic. "Yeah, I'm listening."

"You're totally zoned out, Fives. I was saying you should get some rest."

There was no way he was going anywhere but Echo's side. Fives arched up an eyebrow and gave Coric a pointed look. "You look like you've barely slept since the Clone Wars started."

"Yeah, well, I'm a medic. It comes with the territory. You- on the other hand-"

"I'm not going anywhere." They reached the entrance of the medbay and Fives followed Coric in. Even if he hadn't just gulped down all that caf, there was no way he could sleep.

"Fine," Coric conceded with a shrug, "but if you stay here, I'm putting you to work."

"Agreed." Keeping busy sounded great to Fives at the moment, and he suspect Coric knew that and would find plenty for him to do. He stayed back a few paces while Coric conferred with the other medics. After a few minutes of quiet conversation, Coric sent the other three medics away."Go take a break. Fives and I have the watch. We'll comm you immediately if something changes." Kix, Digger and Glitch nodded. The younger medics looked relieved to take a break, while Kix looked reluctant to leave his patient. "Go on," Coric urged, "if things get crazy again, you'll do more good if you've had a bit of rest."

The three medics headed off together and Coric signaled to Fives to approach Echo's bunk. His vod looked... terrible. His coloring was ashen and he had tubes coming out of him everywhere. If he were conscious, he probably would be trying to explain the function of all of it to Fives.

I need to wake up, vod. There's no one else like you in the whole GAR.

He placed a hand lightly on Echo's arm, careful not to disturb any of the tubes, or cause Echo any more pain. He was injured enough. Considering he'd already been in bacta for two days, he didn't look like he'd done a lot of healing.

Coric pointed to the scanners. "Watch for fluctuations, especially here on this reading."

The writing on the scanners was in Kaz'harian, but both Fives' bucket and his datapad had been adapted to translate the language.

"What's that one?" Fives stared at the scanner, trying to make sense of the numbers.

"It's measuring his brain function."

"Something's off with Echo's brain?" Fives' asked, hating the way his voice cracked as he asked it.

"Everything is off with him right now. We need the facilities at ArmyMed to know anything for sure. Right now, we are just trying to keep him stable."

Fives nodded and stared at the readings. He knew what Coric was doing. He was trying to keep him busy. And, he was grateful. He was a good vod.

"I'll see if I can find you a chair," Coric said, "They're in short supply around here. Can't understand these Kazzies. They value fancy plates but not chairs."

"Did you see the size of their calves? Maybe there is something to their methods."

Coric nodded, as if giving the matter a great deal of deliberation. "We should talk to High Command when we return then. The GAR needs fancy plates. That's what we need to win the war."

This earned a small smile from Fives. Coric headed off to scout out a chair.

# # #

"Rex, come with me," Ahsoka gave his arm a light tug as they exited the mess.

Rex hesitated for a moment, looking toward where Coric and Fives were headed back to the medbay.

"They'll be alright," Ahsoka assured him. "Echo is holding steady at the moment."

Rex didn't know how Ahsoka did it- kept tabs on the men like that, but he sensed she was right. "Alright," he conceded, "but I can't be long. I need to check in with the engineering team."

"I won't keep you long," she gripped his arm and steered him down the corridor. After a moment, she adjusted her grip so they were walking arm-in-arm and he had to admit the sensation was- pleasant. She dropped her hands when a trooper came in the opposite direction and then immediately replaced her grip. Rex couldn't fault her discretion. And, he didn't mind walking this way. Not at all.

"Where are we headed?" Rex asked.

"The nearest observation deck."

She said it as if the answer should be obvious and this was the most logical thing for them to be doing at this moment. He hoped this wasn't going to be another conversation about Appo. Or... ArmyMed. He didn't want to talk about either of those things. He had a thousand items demanding his attention before they touched down in Coruscant. They arrived at an observation deck Rex didn't even know existed. But, then again, there were whole sections of the ship he hadn't explored yet. There hadn't been time.

Ahsoka tugged him over to the center of the room and settled down cross-legged, looking out at the view beyond. He stood there, waiting for her to be speak, but she didn't. So, after a long moment, he took a seat next to her. Ahsoka's steady breathing was soothing. He closed his eyes and focused on his own breathing. He'd meditated with her before, but it had been a while. It took time for his thoughts to settle but eventually, he was able to find his calm center. Ahsoka sensed the change immediately. She reached over and slipped her hand in his. "Better?" she asked.

"Yes," he looked at her and instantly regretted it. He wanted to touch her. Just a small press of his lips to her own. Surely there was no harm? He bolted to his feet, regretting his action immediately at the startled look it provoked in Ahsoka's eyes. "Thank you for... eh... this," he finished awkwardly, and bolted from the room.

# # #

Appo shifted in his medbay bunk, wincing as he tried to get more comfortable around his still healing injuries. Those farkin' warrior apes. He hated them all.

Over the past twenty minutes, a lot of activity had erupted in the normally quiet medbay. A series of alarms had gone off on the ARC trooper's bacta tank, followed by a flurry of activity with the medics. At first, it was just the senior medics getting involved, but then the junior medics had been called in to help, as well. Echo had been hastily pulled from the tank and was now surrounded by what looked like every medic onboard the ship. Whatever was going on... it wasn't good.

Appo jabbed at the controls of his bunk, trying to sit up some more. He only succeeded in making his bunk recline even further. Fek! He had no idea how to read the shabla Kaz'harian controls. He hated this stupid ship and couldn't wait to be off of it. Now he was laying at an awkward position that was aggravating his injuries. He couldn't call for help because all of the focus was on Echo. As it should be- from what one of the young medics had told him- Echo had saved them all. Matter of fact, Appo had already heard the story repeatedly. Not that the injured ARC didn't deserve the praise. He'd obviously saved their shebs. Echo was a hero.

Appo had led the men in one of their worst defeats to date.

Their other hero... the other name he heard the injured men talk excitedly about repeatedly... was Rex.

Rex.

Rex had been gone for months. As far as Appo knew, he'd given no explanation for his absence. And, yet everyone was treating him like a returning hero.

Appo was the one who had been here leading the Legion, and had suffered with the men in the Force-forsaken prison. Where had Rex been? Did the men talk about any of Appo's sacrifices? How he'd protected the commander? How he'd nearly died at the hands of the Kaz'harians? He still wasn't sure what had happened to him at the end. He had vague nightmarish memories of being attacked in a dark space by one of those horrid apes. He'd been rescued by Commander Cody and some others. He still wasn't even sure who had been with Cody. It was all a blur, but all of them had seen him at his lowest moment. He'd still been in a daze when he'd been taken to a medbay. Maybe some kind of temporary field hospital? He still wasn't sure. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, but he thought he'd been locked up again. That couldn't be right, though, could it? His own men wouldn't lock him up, would they?

Perhaps all of that was a nightmare, brought on by his imprisonment and the injuries he'd suffered. He was having difficulties distinguishing real events from his nightmares and there was no one he could talk to about it.

He needed to get out of here. Maybe if he left the medbay the nightmares would get better. He also needed to take control of his Legion again. The 501st was his to command, despite Rex's barking commands like he was back in charge again. There was no doubt Rex had played a role in getting them out of there, but that did not change the command structure. Appo was in command of the 501st and Rex was... not even in the GAR anymore. He was strutting around now like he owned the place. He'd held a rank once, but those days were over. The 501st belonged to Appo.

The majority of the activity across the medbay had subsided, leaving the place back in its' normal state of calm. The focus, though, was in the corner where the ARC was laying. The junior medics, and Kix, were both still focused on taking readings. It was a good time for him to quietly take his leave.

With great difficulty, he maneuvered himself out of the awkwardly positioned bunk. He had to do so in small degrees, trying not to aggravate his injuries. He finally succeeded in pushing himself up on unsteady legs. Staring at his feet, focusing on not falling over, he began a slow, plodding trek across the medbay.

I can do this. I'm a commander, after all. I rose through the ranks faster than almost any other officer in the GAR. There are no limits to what I can do.

He had no plan for what he was going to do once he made it out into the corridor. But, he would somehow find his way to the bridge and take command again. He was so focused on his feet, he did not notice the junior medic standing in his path.

"Leaving us, Commander?" the medic asked in a tone which was both patient and slightly amused. He stood back a step, arms folded across his chest, but within easy reach should Appo fall.

"Out of my way. I'm needed on duty," Appo said. He was sure this medic had introduced himself. And, equally sure he'd not bothered to remember it. "Get me a stim and someone to escort me to the bridge."

"That's an outstanding plan, sir," the young medic said as he pulled a handheld scanner from his belt and ran it up and down Appo's frame.

"Get that thing away from me!"

The medic deftly moved the scanner out of his reach and continued his readings. "Uh huh, yes, sir. Are you experiencing any dizziness?" He signaled to someone out of Appo's line-of-sight.

Appo didn't want to turn and look to see who he was signaling, since he was dizzy, and he was afraid the motion would make him fall over.

"A stim, now," Appo said, in the most commanding tone he could muster. Part of him realized he was trying to sound like Rex. And, this annoyed him greatly.

"Of course, sir," the medic made a non-committal note in the back of his throat, "we will get to that in due time. What is your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10?"

"Out of my way!"

"Are you experiencing nausea?"

If Appo didn't know any better, he would say the medic was stalling for time. "Stand down, medic!" he demanded, taking a shuffling step forward and trying to ignore the way his limbs were trembling.

"At your last exam, you placed your pain levels at a 7.5. Has that number gone up or down since then, Commander?" the medic held one hand out, obviously ready to catch Appo if he fell.

"I'll bust you down to a Level 1 if you don't-"

The words were barely out of his mouth before the only clone who outranked Appo appeared in the medbay doorway. "Are you threatening one of my medics?"

Appo cursed under his breath. "Commander Cody, sir," Appo dipped his head slightly, in deference to the field marshal commander, and then regretted it as the motion increased his dizziness.

"From my position, it looks as if you are a threatening junior medic Glitch. Is that a correct assessment of the situation, Commander Appo?"

Appo let his voice fall into one of contrition. "My apologies, sir," he kept his tone deferential. He knew how the game was played. He hadn't risen up through the ranks unusually quickly by being a fool. "I'm eager to return to duty to check on the welfare of men in the Legion."

Cody's eyes narrowed. He paused a beat before answering. Was it Appo's imagination or was Cody regarding him like Appo was an excess shipping crate and he wasn't sure where to stow him? Or, even worse, was that pity in the Commander's eyes?

Appo narrowed his eyes back at Cody and the two held each other's gaze for a long, tense moment.

Cody stepped into Appo's space, a move considered a challenge to any clone. "You will return to your bunk until you are cleared by the medics to return to duty. Captain Rex is more than capable of handling the Legion while you recover."

Appo opened his mouth to object.

Cody turned his attention to Glitch. "If the commander is having difficulties staying in his bunk, use the appropriate medical means to ensure he stays there and recovers in a timely manner."

"Understood, Commander," the medic acknowledged, just a bit too cheerfully, "I'll take good care of him."

Cody turned his attention back to Appo. "Speedy recovery, Commander." He spun on his heel, the matter settled, and headed away across medbay to the corner where the injured ARC was sequestered.

"Should we get you settled back in your bunk?" Glitch asked, still much too cheerful for Appo's liking.

"You called in Commander Cody?" Appo hissed, refusing to move.

Glitch snorted with amusement and waved a dismissive hand. "I can handle you, or any other injured vode, on my own. I was trained by the best." His face fell, and the cheerfulness fled from his expression for a long moment. For the first time, Appo felt sympathy for the medic and he wondered who he'd lost recently to put that kind of sorrow on his face.

Appo looked across the medbay and realized that Commander Cody was here to visit the injured ARC. It had nothing to do with him. He suddenly felt foolish, and inexplicably exhausted.

"OK, back in your bunk you go." The medic had good instincts. He seemed to sense that moment when Appo was ready to drop. Without waiting for permission, he swept Appo up into his arms, careful of his dislocated shoulder and broken arm. He reset the bunk into a more comfortable position, even setting it so Appo could sit up now. This was an unexpected courtesy Appo did not expect, considering all that had transpired. The medic replaced all of the monitors and tubes that Appo had unceremoniously yanked off. "Commander Cody is simply making his rounds- visting injured troopers in medbay." He studied his handiwork, doublechecking the readings on the sensors and then turned his full attention back to Appo. "Don't you do the same?"

Appo looked across the medbay and saw Cody was not only visiting the injured ARC, who was unconscious and not even aware of the visit, but he was stopping by to check on every trooper in the medbay. Appo felt twice the fool for not realizing it on his own. Appo had never visited injured troopers under his command. He'd not been a commander long enough before Darknell had happened and everything had gone to fek. His energy sagged further, and his shoulder twinged. With it came a flashback of vicious attack by the Kaz'harian who'd not only sought to kill him, but violate him.

"Let's up your pain meds a bit, just for today. You've had a lot of activity today."

Appo wanted to protest, but the blissful relief of a pain shot sounded amazing at the moment. He sighed with relief as Glitch applied the hypo to his neck.

"I can stay with you for a bit, Commander. I'm done with my rounds," Glitch adjusted the pillows under Appo's injured arms, bringing him even more relief. He'd never wanted to kiss a clone before, but he was suddenly feeling great affection for this clone. "The flashbacks, sir, they get better with time."

This unexpected bit of compassion almost did Appo in. He was dumbstruck into silence. He stared at Glitch. Finally, he found his voice. "Thank you... eh... Glitch, I... hope they do."

"You know, Commander, sometimes it helps to talk about it."

Appo shook his head. He couldn't talk about it. He could never talk about what had happened to him on the hell of a jungle planet. It was his personal shame which he would carry forever. If he'd been stronger, a better class of clone, he could fought that great beast off and prevented all of it. He could never speak of it again.

# # #

Chapter Text

Cody took a deep, steadying breath as he surveyed the bridge crew. 

This would work.

This had to work.

He would not fail in getting these men home.

"Getting ready to drop out of hyperspace," Hawk announced, seated on a cushion, stolen from the observation lounge, that allowed him to reach the Kaz'harian flight controls more easily. The veteran combat pilot had adapted to the Kaz'harian controls so quickly it was clear he'd lost none of his legendary skills during his captivity.

So many of Cody's men had been beaten, starved and in some cases, experimented upon, yet they were handling their posts like this was just another assignment. He could not be more proud of his men. 

And, the bridge was currently packed with more of them than was needed, but Cody wasn't about to tell any of the troopers to leave. Troopers had come in from the third shift, claiming they were as 'backup,' (an excuse already used by the second shift.) They all wanted a front row seat for the last portion of their journey home. He had no doubt the rest of the crew were occupying every available observation deck throughout the ship.

Cody looked over to the Engineering team as they made last minute checks of their data. Zinc, Tucker, Jamie and Trapper had pulled off a miracle with the creation of the cloaking device in such a short time. A cloaking device inspired by Rex and some of his more mysterious recent experiences.

Cody was looking forward to a return to normalcy. They would slip back into their old roles and everything would be like it was before...

Jamie looked up with a satisfied nod. "All systems go, Commander. Ready when you are."

Cody released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. They just might pull this off.

The two Jedi commanders entered the bridge and he immediately tensed up again. Commander Tano's presence was mandatory. Barriss' presence was... fek... she was a distraction he didn't need.

And, they were late. How was it that Jedi had no sense of time? Did they not have chronos in their Jedi Temple?

As the two Jedi settled in on either side of him, he shot Barriss a look, hoping she would excuse herself and leave. She raised up an eyebrow at him before turning her attention to the screen, deliberately ignoring him.

"Barriss," he hissed out under his breath.

She continued to ignore him, but Commander Tano shot him a look.

He cursed himself for his slip up. "Commander Offee," he said in a slightly louder tone, "perhaps you would be more comfortable watching these proceedings from the observation deck?"

She turned slowly toward him, the epitome of Jedi grace and propriety. "Thank you, Commander, but no. I am quite comfortable right here."

He gritted his teeth, and then forcibly unclenched them before addressing the bridge crew.  He did not need to take his ire out on his men. The wreck he'd made of his private life had nothing to do his men and they would always come first to him. They had to come first. He was their commander.

Cody forced all thoughts of Barriss from his mind, (and he definitely could not smell the damnable lotion she used on both him and for keeping her skin supple.) He closed his eyes briefly, and focused on the short speech he'd prepared for the men. He was not usually one for speeches, that was definitely more a Kenobi thing, but he did want to say a few words. "Timing will be critical. I have every confidence in you. You're good soldiers, all of you, and I'm proud to be your commander." As one, the troopers on the bridge turned toward him, surprised by this rare show of emotion from him. Cody swallowed past the lump in his throat and gave the men a curt nod. "Now, get back to work, all of you."

There were a few light chuckles around the bridge before the troopers at duty stations focused back on task, and those observing stood quietly by, too disciplined to engage in side chatter. 

They'd been through this drill a dozen times already and planned for every known contingency. But, it was always the unknown that worried him. Cody absent-mindedly stretched out his neck, trying to work out muscles grown stiff from tension. He'd been working too much and sleeping too little. An ache was settling it around the knot of ropey scar tissue at the base of his skull, a permanent reminder of the last time things had not gone according to plan.

Barriss glanced at him, a frown on her face. He pointedly ignored her. She leaned in and rested a hand on the back of his chair, her fingers grazing the back of his neck ever so slightly. His whole body tingled from the slight contact and his pain vanished. And, fek it all, her scent hit him like a charged ion cannon. He almost opened his mouth to thank her. Almost. But, what happened between them was the past. They were headed back to their old lives and everything would be as it was before. He was sure of it. He would not think of it again.

"Approaching coordinates 000. Preparing to drop out of hyperspace," Loop announced, sitting at the nav controls, boosted up on a stolen cushion, just like Hawk. His men were handling the enemy craft like they'd trained on it all their lives and treating the oversized controls as nothing more than another interesting sim thrown at them by their trainers.

"Visual countdown, Loop," Cody ordered.

As one, they watched the countdown, the chrono ticking backwards much too quickly and incredibly slowly at the same time.

Hawk counted the final ten seconds out loud, and Cody held his breath. The high-speed drive engine smoothly kicked in the decelerator compensators and the familiar tug of G-forces pulled at Cody's body as they returned to normal space. The powerful engines switched smoothly over to impulse (even more smoothly than a standard Republic cruiser,) and the massive warship dropped cleanly and gracefully into orbit directly above the massive city planet.

As was standard procedure for protecting home base, several Republic cruisers were in orbit around the planet. In the beginning of the war, there were cruisers on permanent rotation protecting Corrie, but as it became clear all of the battle action was in other areas of the galaxy, High Command had loosened up its protective stance. (A mistake in Cody's opinion, but no one had asked his opinion.) The majority of ships in "protective" orbit as the war progressed were cruisers whose men were rotating out on shore leave. It was almost as if someone wanted to leave Coruscant vulnerable. This vulnerability worked to their benefit now as there was less of a chance they would be blown from the sky as soon as they dropped out of orbit in their massive enemy warbird.

"Raise shields," Cody ordered, knowing his words were more of a formality because his crew was already on top of it.

"Shields up, Commander," acknowledged Denal, even as a static hum filled the air before quieting again, and the floor tingled with the energetic distortion of the shields. 

Cody turned to the engineering team. "Engage cloak."

"Cloak engaged," Winder acknowledged, the ship shuddered slightly as the extensive power cell array engaged. 

Cody didn't believe in a higher power, but Kenobi did, and it had rubbed off on him. In long philosophical debates with Rex, they'd decided it was their brothers who'd marched on who watched over them. He said a few quick words to those brothers now asking them to watch over the power array and make sure it didn't overload. Shields and a cloak were a tremendous power draw. They had just enough energy to still operate life support and engines. But, if they had to power up so much as a single weapon...

No, it would not come to that as everything would go smoothly.

"We're off sensors," Rex confirmed

"Take us behind Hersperidium." They'd agreed they would hide behind Coruscant's fourth (and largest) moon while explaining their sudden and unusual reappearance to GAR Command.

"Course laid in," said Hawk. His eyes were shining, and there was a definite sense the pilot was enjoying flying the massive warbird.

As they moved past the fleet, the Republic cruisers immediately reacted searching for the hidden threat.

GAR Command would assume the worst scenario had come to pass; an invasion of Coruscant.

Cody would never understand why Coruscant didn't have a planetary shield. Maybe if they let the clones run the war. But, then the war would have won long ago. It was as if they wanted the war to drag on. It made no sense. Peacemakers in charge of a war. Civilians running battle. It was madness.

And, what the fek was that?

As they passed Centax-2, Cody stared in puzzlement at a huge facility that was not supposed to be there. Centax-2 was used for military staging and maintenance. It looked like a smaller (much smaller) version of the Kuat Drive Yards. But, what he was looking at now resembled a smaller version of... Kamino. What the-

They passed the moon and the facility was out of sight. Rex's voice dragged him back to the present and there was no more time to worry about Centax-2. "Cruisers have raised shields and charged weapons." The 501st Captain sounded calm, but Cody had been through enough battles with him to know despite their cloak, this was an 'oh, shab' moment. The entire bridge crackled with tension. 

"There's the Resolute and the Negotiator," Trapper pointed out from his post at aux port sensors. His voice was indignant as he pointed out the obvious: "Our own ships are hunting us."

"Cut the chatter," Ko said sharply, from his post to the right of the weapons' station, watching over the bridge crew.

Cody signaled to Boil, currently operating comms. "Open a channel."

"Channel open. We're broadcasting on all last known valid GAR frequencies. Visual and audio."

Cody gestured to Commander Tano that she had the floor. She nodded, glancing quickly at Rex who gave her a reassuring nod. There was something about the reassuring gesture that gave Cody a pang. He buried the emotion, stuffing it down deep, where it hopefully wouldn't emerge ever again.

"GAR Fleet, this is Commander Ashoka Tano. I am here onboard a Separatist warship, stolen when we escaped imprisonment. I am here with the entirety of the surviving legions of the 501st and the 212th, with a crew compliment of 12,051. This number includes several Jedi. We have a number of injured who need immediate med-evac, including over three dozen troopers, and also my Master, plus Master Kenobi and Master Unduli. They will need immediate transport to the Halls of Healing. I have a medical manifest of their injuries ready to transmit. Timing is critical for all of them. "

Commander Tano finished and stared at the blank screen, before looking back at Cody uncertainly. The seconds ticked by.

There was no response.

A tense silence took over the bridge. No one spoke. Ahsoka rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.

Boil signaled to Cody, using clone sign, asking if he should close the line. Cody signed back to stay the course (leave it open.) He and Rex had discussed this possibility of a delayed response. It was better if anyone watching had a chance to study them while they tried to confirm their identities. When he and Rex had inspected the Rishi outpost, commando droids had impersonated clone troopers. Rex hadn't been fooled, but had taken a year off of Cody's already shortened lifespan when he shoot a 'trooper' point blank in the head. Rishi was an infamous incident, so Cody had ordered all troopers on the bridge to be buckets off. Commando droids could try to fake clone mannerisms, but they could never pull it off for more than a few seconds at a time. There were movements that were distinct to clones, and other clones could pick up on a fake in a nano-second. All of them were especially sensitive to it after Rishi.

Ahsoka leaned in to Cody, speaking softly. "Did they receive the transmission?" 

Cody glanced over at Boil, knowing if there was a problem he would've been told, but figured Skywalker's padawan needed the reassurance. "Yes, Commander," Boil spoke loudly enough to be heard not only by the padawan, but those listening on the channel. "Transmission went out successfully to the fleet, GAR High Command and the Council." 

Ahsoka glanced around the bridge at the others, including Rex who was out of range of the holo cam. Matters were complicated enough without also having to immediately explain why Rex wasn't dead.

Skywalker's padawan continued to fidget. 

"Hold still, Ahsoka," Barriss said, her voice the epitome of calm. 

Cody almost wanted to chuckle. It was exactly what he'd been thinking, but he didn't think he had the authority to tell a Jedi to stop fidgeting.

"Right, sorry," Commander Tano flushed slightly, and crossed her arms tightly across her chest in what Cody assumed was a self-soothing gesture. Cody had gained new respect for Skywalker's padawan in recent months, but she had none of Barriss' serenity.

Another long minute passed and the padawan started to pace the bridge. "Are we sure the transmission went through? What if they didn't hear us?"

A visual finally popped up on the front vid screen, capturing the attention of the entire bridge crew, and likely the entire GAR fleet captivated by the drama.

"Heard you we did, Padawan Tano," Master Yoda said, his wizened head cocking slightly to the side as he spoke, with a number of other Jedi surrounding him in what looked to be a very hastily convened meeting in a Jedi conference room. They all crowded the holocam around the senior Jedi Master, staring back at them.

"You took us by surprise," admitted General Koon, addressing the padawan directly. "It is good to see you alive, Ahsoka." 

General Fisto shimmered into place by hologram, awkwardly covering up half of General Koon.  His eyes widened with delight. "It's true, then. You two are alive."

Barriss bowed to the hastily convened meeting. "Hello, Masters."

Ahsoka smiled broadly, looking back and forth at the Council members. "Yes, we made it back!" Her excitement diminished. "Do we have permission to land, Masters? Our wounded need-"

General Windu put up a hand cutting her off. "Regretfully, Padawan Tano, no."

Ahsoka's face fell. "But, my Master is badly hurt. We need to get him back to the Temple and we have many other injured onboard."

"We are sympathetic to your situation," the senior Jedi said in his usual grim serious manner, "however, considering you have been out-of-contact and in the hands of the enemy for months, certain precautions must be taken. In addition, you are in the company of several troopers who went AWOL from the Ord Cestus Medical Station."

Cody rose up from his chair and nodded crisply to Ahsoka, indicating he would take it from here. "General, as I'm sure you are aware, I am one of the troopers from 'Cestus. I'm prepared to answer for my actions. But, first I must see to the welfare of my men."

Windu looked off to the side, and then back at Cody. "Why can't we detect you on our scanners?"

"We have cloaked our ship," Cody said. He tried to deliver his report in the most factual manner possible, but they'd pulled off a fekkin' miracle. They'd cloaked a warbird. No ship that size had a cloakin' device. Yet, they did it. Rex and his team deserved medals. They'd never get it. But, they certainly deserved it.

The Jedi General took a minute to digest this information and there was no mistaking the ripple of surprise which passed through the Council. "Why?"

Cody quirked up his eyebrow, the action stretching out his scar. Sometimes it seemed Jedi didn't get war tactics. "To prevent you from blowing us up, General Windu, sir."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rex's shoulders shaking with silent laughter. If he were a shinie, Cody would make him swab the deck with the tiniest brush he could find. He saw Trapper's lips twitch as he did his best to contain his amusement. 

He wasn't going to live this one down. It was true, though. He could not have put it in any blunter terms. OK, maybe he could have been a bit more diplomatic, in retrospect.

"Decloak your ship," Mace Windu ordered, his voice taking on a sharp edge. 

If Kenobi sees a recording of this, I am surely in for another of his long lectures on the powers of diplomacy.

But, fek it, he wasn't Kenobi.

Cody knew he was on dangerous ground, but he refused to back down. "General, I am officially requesting amnesty for the 12 troopers who departed with me from Ord Cestus. I have a manifest of their names. Their actions were under my orders and my orders alone."

Trapper's head snapped to look at him sharply. Cody ignored him. He had not discussed this with anyone but Rex in advance.

The senior Jedi's eyes narrowed. "You are in no position to make any demands." 

"Respectfully, sir, I am in a warship with a cloaking device and over 12,000 troopers. And, sir, you'll be pleased to know we destroyed a large Separatist facility using this ship." He let those words sink in before tacking on. "Easily."

Hawk signaled him from the pilot station using clone sign.

Cody nodded. "Right. Yes, a large Separatist facility and a fleet of Seppie ships." He didn't mention the assistance they had from Rex's ragtag crew of troopers. The ones that weren't supposed to exist.

Windu's eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me?"

Cody walked over to standby at Hunter and leaned one hand down on the weapons station. "I would never presume such a thing, General. Just delivering good news. And, as for my men, all of them will have clean records and commendations for their actions. AWOL implies troopers who have shirked their duties. You could not ask for more loyal men than those under my command. We went on a rescue mission. A very successful rescue mission, because we now have two Legions, several commandos and a number of Jedi Generals back in service for the Republic." 

He knew the commendations part was pushing it, but he'd learning from Kenobi that asking for too much was part of the negotiating tactic.

There was silence while General Windu and General Yoda had an entire 'conversation' back and forth in their silent Jedi way of communicating. He waited patiently, still gazing directly at the vidscreen.

"Very well," Windu finally replied. "Amnesty for your men, but no commendations."

"Amnesty for every trooper onboard," Cody negotiated, an additional bargaining tact Rex suggested he try. 

Windu's eyes narrowed as he realized what Cody was trying to do. "Amnesty for the troopers who left Ord Cestus under your command, but not you, Commander. You will need to answer for your actions before High Command."

And, that was exactly how Cody thought it would play out. Trapper shot him a look again, signaling 'no.' Cody ignored him. "Agreed, General."

"Furthermore, you will stand down immediately. I am coming up to inspect your ship and will bring medical transports for the injured."

"Agreed, sir. We will await your arrival." 

He gestured off-screen toward Rex and the Engineering team. "De-cloaking now on the count of five." He spoke slowly and deliberately. He didn't want anyone in the GAR fleet to get trigger happy when their warship appeared again on their scopes.

"Disengaging cloaking device now, sir," Winder said from the engineering station. "We are visible again on scopes."

"Commander Cody, we have you on our scopes. Welcome back sir."

Cody cocked his head to the side, as he tried to discern the individual clone voice. "Gree, is that you?"

The 41st Elite Commander popped up on the vid-screen, and acknowledged Commander Cody with a respectful nod. "Yes, sir. Commander Offee, welcome back. What is General Unduli's condition?"

Cody looked over at Barriss, since this was her field of specialty. He left the two of them to their conversation, after all, they worked together. He watched the two of them talk, the conversation at first serious, all business, and then something Gree said made Barriss tilt her head back and laugh. Her head covering slipped and he had an urge to smooth it back in place. Or, rip the farkin' thing off. He clenched his fist and stared forward, trying to make it seem like he was not listening to their conversation.

The reality of it started to hit him. They were back and Barriss would be headed back to the 41st Elite. It was truly all over.

Barriss tapped him on the shoulder and he startled from the contact. She gestured her head toward the screen.

"Cody?" Gree asked, cocking his head and studying him carefully. "Anyway I can help, vod? A lot of my men are on our shore leave, but my CMO is here, and I can send him over."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Uh..." Fek. He had no idea. His mind was completely wiped out from the conversation with the Jedi Council. "I'll check in with my medical team and let you know. Good to hear your voice, brother." OK, a natborn would find that statement ironic pointing out it was his voice, too, but to a brother, every clone voice was unique.

"You, too, Cody." Gree nodded and ended the transmission.

All the other fleet commanders contacted him to welcome them back and offer assistance. The two commanders on board the Resolute and the Negotiator were new to him. But, at the rate they were losing clones in the field, commanders were being promoted at a frighteningly fast clip. New commanders like Appo were rising through the ranks without ever going to command school. Some were ready. Others seemed to be hasty decisions made to fill openings. He quickly accepted all of the comms, taking the last several calls en-route to the hangar bay to meet General Windu.

Commanders Tano and Offee accompanied him, along with his ever-loyal second-in-command, Captain Ko. He left Rex behind to watch the bridge.

General Windu.

This should be an interesting meeting.

Chapter Text

General Windu arrived in force with two dozen troop transports and an equal amount of medical shuttles. Cody and Ko watched as the ships settled gracefully in the hangar, like nuna birds coming home to roost.

OK, bad analogy.

Kenobi, in one of his lengthy diatribes, had gone on about how that particular expression usually implied bad things someone has done in the past will come back to bite or haunt the individual.

I wish I could say there'd be no biting today. I'm not sure I'll get that lucky.

Cody was both thrilled and apprehensive at seeing so many ships with the Republic emblem setting down and troops pouring out. The Jedi General emerged from a transport, his robes flowing after him as he walked.

How did they do that? Get their robes to flow so perfectly when there was no wind? Was that something they learned at the Temple- 'The Aesthetics of Robes 101?'

Standing by his side Ko provided a running narrative as troopers from the 187th Battalion emerged. "He brought Lightning Squadron with him. Predictable. There's Ponds. If they're here, they must be on shore leave. I'm sure he was thrilled to be recalled. Oh, check it out. Fekkin' Captain Nash is here, too. You know, he could've left him behind. No one would've missed him."

Cody shuffled slightly closer to Ko so he could elbow him sharply in the vulnerable gap above his chest and below his armpit. Ko barked out a sound halfway between a pained grunt and a laugh, but it didn't stop his running narrative. Ko was a brilliant officer, but he had way too much energy, and there was no shutting him up at times. Still he wasn't wrong about Nash.

Every squad or battle group had someone like Nash. There was an expression among clones: 'You don't fit the mold.' It could be a compliment or an insult depending upon the context. With Nash, it was definitely the latter. Cody 'hmmphed' under his breath and studied Nash as he walked off his transport in crisp, perfect steps. His gaze swept the hangar before finding Cody and Ko. He stared at Cody for much longer than necessary, not offering any sort of nod or greeting. His head retracted back slightly in the way clones did when they were glaring under their buckets. Cody was tempted to return the insult, but he would not stoop to Nash's level. After a long, tense moment, the Captain spun on his heel and started barking orders at his troopers.

"Still no love lost between you two." Ko's tone wavered somewhere between bemusement and concern.

"We had an altercation once."

"Maybe he's forgotten."

Cody turned to look at his second in exasperation. "Does it look like he's forgotten?!" He turned his attention back to watching the disembarking troopers. He made a slight wave of his hand. "It doesn't matter. We don't work with the 187th very often."

"We haven't before, but that doesn't mean we won't be deployed with them in the future-"

"Ko!" Cody hissed, "do I need to send you back to the bridge?"

"No. All the action is down here. Besides, Rex is watching the bridge. We don't need two Captains up there. I'm trying to distract you. You know, so you don't overthink things."

"I don't overthink things."

Ko snorted loudly in disagreement, the sound coming out slightly distorted through the helmet comms.

Do I overthink things? OK, maybe a little. I did what I had to do for the sake of my men. I never broke regs before busting out of Ord Cestus. Which is the charge they're going to send me away on- going AWOL (with a dozen men) or defying a superior officer (on an open channel in front of the fleet)?

Ko quickly started chattering again, likely picking up that Cody's thoughts were spiraling. "And... there's Captain Rome. Looks like the General brought most of Lightning with him. Bit of overkill, if you ask me. Likely emptied out all of 79s. You think he just wanted to welcome us home? You know, like some kind of honor guard?"

Cody folded his arms across his chest and gave Ko a look through his helmet. No. Cody didn't think it was that at all. And, he was sure Ko didn't either.

Ko kept up his narrative as Captains Nash and Rome formed the men into squads. It didn't escape Cody's notice the 187th troopers were fully armed, more appropriate for heading into battle than greeting a group of brothers.

Cody tuned out his second as he studied the situation. Ko was content to continue on the conversation by himself. He didn't chatter as much as Trapper but put the two of them together and it was deafening. He wished Kenobi were here to back him up. The General always had his back.

It was the reason why Cody had been willing to risk everything to rescue him.

But, Kenobi was unconscious in the medbay and Cody was facing these consequences alone. Okay, not alone. He had his very chatty second-in-command beside him.

The Jedi General approached with Ponds by his side, Captains Nash and Maze directly behind them, and a full squad directly behind the two Captains. The second squad stood back by the ships, fully at attention, and observing the proceedings. They almost looked as if they were on high alert. As General Windu approached, Cody could only describe his expression as... displeased.

More than displeased. Disgruntled. No, the type of expression one has before they run their sabre through your middle? He didn't know Windu as well as he knew Kenobi, but this was not a good look.

Cody forced himself to remain relaxed, set his feet at parade rest and locked his arms behind his back. Ko ceased his chatter, and assumed the same formal position. The activity in the hangar bay dropped to an unnatural quiet as troopers paused to watch the General approach.

Cody was wrong. Ko wasn't done speaking. He opened up a private line to Cody again. "This is a historic moment, don't you think? Two Legions of lost clones return home after rescuing themselves. How often does that happen?"

"Never and shut it, Ko." He was tempted to close the channel, but he needed Ko. Despite his relentless chatter, there was something comforting about his second, and his inane comments.

General Windu was an impressive Jedi. He was different from Kenobi in so many aspects. He kept his eyes fixed on Cody as he approached on the massive hangar deck. He was tall, his height making him even taller than a fully kitted clone. But, it was the natural intensity of the man which made him unnerving. Cody had sensed it before when the 212th had worked alongside the 91st. There was something unsettling brewing in this man which seemed as dark as his amber skin. He'd mentioned it to Ponds and the 91st Commander assured him his General was fair and went out of his way to take care of their men. Perhaps that was true, but he was no Kenobi.

Cody took several deep breaths to calm his nerves.

I've got my men home. What happens to me now doesn't matter.

The intensity of General Windu's gaze on him was unnerving.

Why do I feel like I am taking on the Kazzies all over again?

"Check out their kit," Ko muttered through their private connection.

Windu's personal squad of ten troopers were all carrying standard issue standard DC15A and DC15s, but many of them were also armed with single or duel DC17s on their belts. The troopers in the back were also carrying blast-resistant shields. "Nice shields. Fekkin' impressive. We could use more of those. Maybe we could ask the General-"

"Ko," Cody taking a deep breath so he didn't curse at his second, "not now."

"Shutting it, sir," Ko said.

Cody counted down the steps until Windu was upon them. 20. 19. 18.

He wasn't ready. He needed more time. He wanted to be away from here. With his men. With Barriss-

And, then the Jedi General was upon them. Both troopers straightened their spines even more. Cody thought his spine would snap.

"General Windu, sir, welcome onboard the-" Cody paused. Captain Leon had told him the Kaz'harian name for the ship. It was impossibly hard to pronounce. All harsh syllables that sounded like a terrible Hutt curse. He started trying to repeat the name and saw Windu's eyes narrowing even further with anger.

Just his luck. Windu spoke Huttese.

Cody abandoned his efforts to pronounce the Kaz'harian name of the ship and decided to improvise. "...Eh... our...ship, sir."

"Your ship?" the Jedi Council's members clipped syllables could have flash-frozen Orto Plutonia.

Wrong answer, obviously.

Behind Windu, Ponds and Rome regarded him with slightly tilted buckets, the clone equivalent of a bemused expression. Nash flipped him an obscene gesture out of view of his General.

Would it be so wrong if I broke Nash's hand?

Last time they'd worked with Lighting, Cody had clashed with the Captain about the appropriate use of force in dealing with civvies. More accurately, inappropriate use. Nash had a heavy hand. He and Cody had almost come to blows on the matter before Ponds had interfered. Cody thought the clone should be court-martialed or at the very least demoted to a rank where he could do less harm. He was told not to interfere. It was an internal matter for the 91st. Yet, fekkin' Nash was still around. And, still a Captain. Every once in a while, a clone came about who mentally didn't have the right stuff to be out there. If ever there was a clone who should have been sent back to Kamino, it was Nash. Maybe not terminated. No clone deserved that fate. But, maybe reset with whatever process the Kaminoans used. Nash was rotten.

"Your ship?" Windu repeated, obviously not pleased with Cody's lack of response.

Did he have to say it that way? Why couldn't clones have a ship? He said it like it was an insane concept that clones could have a ship of their own.

Cody sucked in a breath and decided to try another tact with the General, channeling his inner Kenobi. "We seized this ship from the Separatists, all of us clones, working together."

"So, it belongs to the Republic now."

Cody had nothing against the Republic, but the way General Windu said those words set his teeth on edge.

Ko jumped in, saving Cody from saying something he likely would've regretted. His Captain's excessive enthusiasm and verbosity gave Cody a chance to regroup. "The Kazzies had an entire fleet of these ships, sir. We seized this ship as an appropriate troop carrier to get our men home and wired the rest so they'd be nothing but scrap." This was a very careful bit of wording. Ko didn't directly say they blew up the rest, as Rex's renegade clones had also commandeered portions of the Kazzie fleet. "We created an impressive chain reaction. Took out their facility- their ships- explosions everywhere! It made for an impressive sight, General. The fireball was so massive we could see it from orbit as we made our exodus." His second's enthusiasm was contagious and Cody could almost see all of those explosions as Ko expounded upon the narrative.

"It's all in our report," Cody handed over his datapad with the careful version of events he and Rex had agreed upon.

Windu made a thoughtful noise as he accepted the datapad. "I wish to see the injured Jedi immediately. Ponds and Rome, you are with me. Captain Nash, stay behind and interview Captain-" he inclined his chin toward Cody's second.

"Ko, sir. We met on Ryloth."

"So, we did. Interview Captain Ko and see if there is any additional data that needs adding to the report."

Cody frowned behind his bucket. Did the General doubt the veracity of his report?

OK, in all fairness, some of that report was...a carefully edited version of events. But, still, this was insulting.

He switched over to his private channel with Ko. "Stick to the script we agreed upon." He flipped his mic back to external audio. "This way, General," Cody inclined his chin toward the hangar exit.

Windu and Ponds flanked him as they left and his personal squad, Lightning, followed closely behind as they walked down the corridor.

Windu didn't seem inclined to speak as they walked the long corridors of the ship. Republic ships were set up so the medbay was in close proximity to the hangar. Either the Kaz'harians didn't get injured often, or fast medevac was not a priority. It was at least a ten-minute walk to the medbay. Cody had nothing more to say to the Jedi General. He didn't fancy playing tour guide on the features of the Kazzie ship. The ship that now belonged to the Republic, as Windu pointed out.

Cody opened up a private channel to Ponds. "I see your general is in a fine mood... as always."

"Cody," Ponds' voice was full of warning. "Stop pushing him. He's a good man, but he doesn't tolerate-"

"Clones thinking for themselves?"

"Cody!" Ponds' voice was filled with exasperation.

"I'm serious, Ponds. Does he ever even ask for your opinion, or does he just glare at you before doing all the thinking for you?"

"That's a low blow, Codes."

Cody pushed out a breath. "Yeah, it was. I'm sorry. Why did you bring so many troops for a simple medical retrieval?"

His brother's shoulder's hitched up, a sure tell that Ponds was uncomfortable. He sighed heavily. "I'm just following orders, Cody."

"And, do those orders include arresting me?"

I sounded very calm when I asked that question. Kenobi would've been proud.

Ponds was silent and this was chilling in itself. The silence stretched on between them and Cody figured Ponds wasn't going to speak and it was up to him to end the conversation. "Alright, well, then, thank you for the heads up... as it was."

That sounded slightly less calm, but Cody was doing his best here. He had a bad feeling he wasn't going to like what would go down in the next few minutes.

"Cody, listen-" Ponds' voice dropped low into the tone vode used when confiding in each other.

But, Cody would never know what it was Ponds was trying to say to him. Their private conversation was interrupted mid-sentence by General Windu. "Commander Cody, report on the injuries to Masters Skywalker, Kenobi, and Unduli."

The Jedi General's voice startled Cody slightly and he turned his attention back to the Jedi walking beside him. Had he sensed they were having a private conversation? Unlikely. Usually, Jedi were clueless about such things and clones were very good about keeping their private communications under wraps. But, then again, Windu was not your average Jedi.

Kenobi would've phrased that request in terms of a question and not demanded a 'report.'

Fine. I'll let that one go. Windu is no Kenobi, but I'll try to 'stop pushing him' as Ponds puts it.

Cody paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. The General was already displeased. It wouldn't do to give him anything less than the best answer possible. "Generals Skywalker and Kenobi were beaten and kept immobile with Force suppression cuffs. They are suffering from dehydration and malnutrition, and are currently in healing trances under the care of Commander Offee. General Unduli suffered blunt force trauma to the skull. A team of medics relieved the pressure on her skull and placed her in bacta. In addition, all three of the Jedi show signs of being experimented upon-"

Windu stopped abruptly. "Experimented upon in what way?"

"The Kaz'harian scientists were experimenting in cloning." Cody should've anticipated Windu's shock. He and Rex had a similar reaction upon the discovery of the labs.

"Jedi?" The General's voice was aghast, and it was more emotion than Cody had ever heard from the man.

"And, the clones, sir. We don't think they achieved the outcome they were hoping for." (Other than the baby clones that Rex's renegades took from the planet...) Cody took another deep breath. "As soon as we discovered what they were doing, we freed the prisoners and completely destroyed the labs."

"This is very disturbing news."

"General Unduli escaped captivity with the help of the commando, Captain Leon. He was part of a team of commandos sent to locate the missing clones, but they were themselves captured."

"The missing commando team," Windu said thoughtfully. "It is good they have been located and returned."

"They did not all make it, sir." That is to say, they did not all make it back to Coruscant. The fourth member of Leon's team, Ice, was so badly injured they did not think he stood a chance of making it through the Republic medical system (without being reconditioned.) He had also been sent on with Rex and his renegades. Cody wished he could get an update on the commando's condition, but they'd agreed to have no contact with the other group of clones.

Windu dipped his head in what looked to be a legitimate sign of sorrow. "And, your other clone injured?"

"All of our men kept in captivity suffered dehydration and malnutrition. Some were also beaten and experimented upon. The most severe injuries are from the recent battle to free themselves. These injuries consist of slugthrower wounds-"

"Slughthrowers?" Rome asked curiously, in the way clones did when they were intrigued by weapons.

"The Kazzies favor projectile weapons, flamethrowers, and poison gas. Cryseefa. Burns the eyes and the throat." He tried to remain impassive, but it still brought up a slow roil of anger that all of this had been used on his men.

There was a short silence as Windu took in all of this information. "Our medics will take the Jedi first, and then the clone injured."

Cody stopped in his tracks. "But, sir, we have an ARC trooper who needs immediate transport to ArmyMed. His condition is critical."

"We will determine the transport order, Commander. Thank you for your report."

"But, sir, the Jedi are all currently stable, even General Unduli. ARC Trooper Echo is in critical condition."

"That is not your decision to make."

"I did not make the decision. The priority order came from our medics. The ARC trooper has first priority."

"Are you arguing with me, commander?"

"Cody!" Ponds hissed to him warningly over their private link.

"No... sir," Cody managed, his voice as glacial and icy as the General's tone.

Windu continued to stare at him and even though it was only seconds, it felt as if they were frozen there for hours.

"This way, General," Cody motioned to get them moving again toward medbay. He opened up the private channel to Ponds again. "Seriously, Ponds, what the fek-"

"Cody, let it go," Ponds warned.

"Let it go?! Regs state that troopers with the highest medical priority-"

"Jedi are not troopers. They don't have to follow regs," Ponds then qualified his statement, "for the most part."

Cody blew out a breath, trying to gather himself.

Ponds was right.

Jedi followed their own rules.

They rounded a corner and arrived at the medbay. Finally. "We're here, General." He gestured for Windu to enter ahead of him.

Kix and Coric waved the Jedi General over. "Welcome, sir. We have ARC Trooper Echo ready for transport to ArmyMed-"

"General Windu has decided the Jedi have first priority," Cody tried to keep his voice neutral. He wasn't sure he succeeded.

Coric commed Cody on private channel. "Echo is critical."

"I'm aware, Coric, and made my position clear. However, the General outranks me on this one."

"Respectfully, Commander, that's a load of bantha fodder. Sir, I've learned when you can't pull rank, pull medical code." He sent Cody the relevant medic code to reference.

Oh.

"Well done, Coric, I'll inform the General." Cody switched his mic over to external audio. "General Windu, my medics are standing by me on this one. ARC Trooper Echo has higher priority due to Article 82, Subsection 12. A medic's authority supersedes everyone in matters such as these, even yours, General, sir."

There was absolute silence in the medbay, a rare occurrence except for the slight whoosh of life support back from Echo's medbay bunk.

"Take the trooper first," Windu said, his voice deep, low. "CodeRed to ArmyMed. Provide him a military escort to get him through the lanes of traffic more expediently." He gestured to a member of Lightning squadron, who had a medic symbol on his bicep. "Pinch, you will accompany them."

The medic nodded. "As you wish, General."

Kix and Coric hurried to load Echo onto a hover stretcher, as if worried the General might change his mind. They took off at a fast clip out of medbay, accompanied by Windu's medic.

Cody signaled to Digger and Glitch. "Take us back to see Skywalker and Kenobi. We'd like a full update on their condition."

As they walked deeper into the medbay, he turned to Windu. "Thank you, General. I apologize if my tactics seem... heavy-handed. I am only watching out for my men."

Windu made a thoughtful noise again. "Kenobi speaks highly of you. One hopes that trust is not misplaced."

Wait. What? Was that a compliment or a threat?

Cody let the comment go and focused instead on his General.

Even unconscious, it was always good to see Kenobi.

It was dark and quiet in the back of the medbay where Skywalker and Kenobi were resting. Cody had gone back to visit his General whenever possible, speaking to him quietly. He would tell him their men in the 212th were doing well and recovering, and they were getting closer to Coruscant. He'd also tell him that General Skywalker was looking better, even though he wasn't sure if this last part was true. But, if it helped Kenobi's recovery, he figured he could be forgiven if he overstated Skywalker's health.

For the sake of Kenobi, he was relieved they were back at Coruscant. Hopefully, the Jedi healers could undo the damage of Kenobi's prolonged imprisonment. His General would be back to telling overly long stories in no time.

The 91st Battalion General visited briefly with each of the Jedi, touching them lightly on the shoulder. Cody wondered if he could communicate with them even when they were unconscious. Windu's fierce expression didn't change, although he nodded slightly as if something had been confirmed. "Masters Skywalker, Kenobi and Unduli will head out on the next available medevac."

"We'll get General Unduli out of bacta. She should be ready for transport in about 30 minutes." Digger headed over to the large bacta tank and started the draining sequence.

As they were leaving medbay, Barriss rushed in and barreled nearly face-first with Cody. "I'm here to help with-"

The words died on her lips and she stared at Cody. It took her a long moment to notice the Jedi standing next to him. "Master! It's good to see you. I'm... here to help... with the medical evacuation."

She hastily bowed to Windu and rushed off to assist Digger in caring for her Master.

The Jedi General turned to Cody. "You two know each other?" His words came across as a challenge.

"Yes, General. Commander Offee was the healer assigned to me on Ord Cestus."

"Of course."

You knew that already.

"I will walk you back to the hangar bay, sir."

"No, I think I will have a talk with Commander Offee."

A chill went down Cody's spine.

"Of course, sir." He nodded and left the medbay with Ponds.

"Do I even want to know what that was all about?" Ponds prompted.

"What?"

"That thing with the Jedi healer who came in and stared at you, ignoring everyone else."

"Who can understand Jedi. Their minds are wired differently, you know?" That much was true, at least.

Ko and Nash rejoined them on the hangar bay having completed their business of transferring mission reports.

"ARC Trooper Echo is already on his way to ArmyMed," Ko informed him quietly.

Cody breathed out a sigh of relief. He looked around the hangar bay at the overabundance of troopers from the 91st, trying to figure out his next move. Should he stay here and supervise the medevacs? Head back up to the bridge? No, Rex was on the bridge. March onto a shuttle and demand Ponds arrest him quietly there?

No one demands that they be arrested. Just... don't make a big scene of it in front of the men. They've been through enough.

He decided it was better to stay in the hangar bay. He and Ponds made small talk as they awaited for the next group to be medevaced. The medics did an admirable job getting the Jedi ready for transport quickly. Cody watched with mixed feelings as Kenobi was loaded onto a transport and then disappeared out of the force shield headed toward Coruscant.

General Kenobi. He's out of my hands now.

Cody lifted his wristcomm to check in with the medics on the status of the clone injured. They would be next to head down on the transports. But, the orders never left his lips. He gave a small yelp of protest as his arms were pulled sharply behind his back.

"Fek! Easy on the shoulders!" He was expecting to be arrested, but it was still jarring, all the same.

"You're not resisting, are you, Cody?" Nash's voice was a barely concealed taunt in his ear.

Of course it was Nash who took charge of the arrest. Fekkin' Nash. He forced Cody to kneel. Signaling to other troopers from Lightning to move in.

"Fek it, Nash!" Ko protested. "You can't do this. We were promised full amnesty."

"No," Cody shook his head, "I agreed the men under my command would be given full amnesty."

For once, Ko was silent. For a few seconds. "Cody, don't do this."

Ponds addressed Ko. "We have orders to place Cody under arrest." He pulled a datapad from his belt and handed it over to Ko. "He is to come back with us and answer both for his actions and those of the men under his command."

"I understand," Cody gritted out. OK, ow, ow, and ow. Not a good idea to yank your arms behind your back after a recent dislocation. That hurts.

"Fek, Nash, let up on him," Ko insisted. "He was injured at Darkknell- saving our asses." He stared down Ponds and Nash. "It was a hell of a lot more than anyone else in the Republic did for us. If it wasn't for Cody, we would have died in that place."

"Ko, let it go." He tried to struggle back to his feet, but it was difficult with his arms bound.

Ponds reached down to help him up, but unfortunately grabbed him by his previously injured shoulder. Cody bit his lip to keep from crying out again. "I'm going undo your hands, Cody." He switched over to a private channel. "You're not going to do anything stupid, right Codes?"

"Define stupid," Cody grumbled.

Ponds muttered under his breath as he released Cody's hands.  

Cody turned to Ko, turning up his external mic so any 212th troopers in the hangar could hear his words. "I'm headed to Coruscant to answer for my actions," Cody said. "Captain Ko, the 212th is yours now."

###

Chapter Text

Ponds stripped Cody of his gear while they were still in the hangar bay. "I need your bucket, gauntlet and weapons. Fox will take the rest of your kit when you arrive." His voice betrayed his regret at having to perform such actions on his brother.

"Not your fault," Cody said quietly. "Mine."

He cast a quick glance to his men from the 212th, working around the hangar.

Well, working was putting it generously. He and Rex had done their best to keep the men busy on the journey home and get all of them back into a normal(ish) routine. They'd assigned troopers in various places around the large Kazzie ship, with stern instructions not to inadvertently blow themselves (or the ship) while working with unfamiliar controls. With the expected arrival of the 91st, he and Ko had assigned extra troopers to the hangar bay. In retrospect, it may not have been a good move.

They were all silently watching the whole affair. Their displeased expressions were clearly visible, since none of his men had armor except for the dozen who'd left Ord Cestus with him. They made a stark contrast to the troopers of the 91st in their battle-worn green and white armor. Cody's men were underweight by a good fifteen kilo and their weight loss was accentuated by their oversized Kaz'harian clothing. It wasn't lost on Cody how the troopers on the 91st kept casting curious glances over at his men. His men were survivors and he was proud of all of them.

He would do anything for them. He shucked his gear as quickly as he could, hissing when he reached up to remove his bucket. Ko automatically reached over to help him, popping the seals on his bucket and tugging it off his head.

Oh. This could work out in his favor.

"Ko will hold on to my bucket," Cody gave Ponds a significant look, "and the rest of my gear." This was not an issue they'd had a chance to discuss in advance, but Ko always was a quick study. It was the reason why he'd been promoted, despite some of his more colorful personality quirks.

"Understood, Commander," Ko tucked Cody's bucket under his arm, "I will treat it as my own." He held out his hands for the weapons' belt and gauntlet Ponds had already collected.

Ponds hesitated. Cody knew his fellow commander would catch flak for allowing his gear stay onboard the ship. He didn't care so much about his weapons belt and gauntlet. Those were sentimental items. But, it was safer if his bucket did not end up in Republic Security Bureau hands.

Cody and Rex had gone to great lengths to clean the data stored on his helmet and on every bucket cam that went through Darkknell. Thankfully, few of the troopers who fought in the battle had armor. Most were in prison fatigues. The buckets of the dozen or so troopers in armor had been "scrubbed" and carefully edited footage had been downloaded back onto each one. Grimy, jerky battle footage footage, with cryseefa gas obscuring the lenses in key sections ensured none of Rex's renegades were visible. Rex was insistent the existence of the lost Legion on Ando remain a secret.

'They'll kill them if they find out about them. They already tried to kill them once.'

'You took an incredible risk bringing these troopers of yours to Darkknell.'

Rex laughed darkly. 'Oh. I tried to leave them behind. They came on their own.'

It was humbling. A group of brothers determined to save them even though they'd never met and never fought together. Cody would do whatever it took to make sure they were never caught. Every trooper onboard understood they owed their lives to those men.

Ponds inhaled sharply, as if trying to figure out how much flak he was going to take for allowing Cody's bucket to remain onboard.

Cody shot him an apologetic look, calling upon their bond as batchmates.

Ponds made a brief hand gesture of acquiesce, releasing the gear to Ko.

Nash immediately stepped forward. "Commander, I must protest. Regs say all kit must be-"

Ponds turned on his Captain, his voice edged with impatience. "I am aware of the regs."

Nash scowled fiercely and still made a grab for the gear. Cody winced internally as he watched. Ko neatly sidestepped him. All troopers were brothers. But, some troopers were assholes.

"Leave it, Nash," Ponds snapped, "these are...non-standard circumstances."

"But, sir-"

"Back in line, Nash," Ponds snapped, "now."

Nash's entire body was rigid as he moved back into place with his squad. The rest of Lightning exchanged glances, heads moving slightly back and forth as they looked between Ponds, Cody and Nash.

Cody was sure there was a tremendous amount of back channel chat going on.

"We need to do a weapons search before we board the RTT," Ponds patted him down with brisk efficiency, coming away with two vibroblades, hidden within his gauntlets. "I assume there's more."

Cody nodded. "Chest plate. Inside the padding. On the left and right side."

Ponds came away with two more blades, and ignoring Nash's looks of outrage, he handed the additional weapons to Ko. "You still keep blades in your shins?"

Cody shrugged and then regretted it as his shoulder pulled. "One can never have too many knives."

He swallowed down his emotions as all of his weapons were taken away. All of the blades had special meaning to Cody. The first he'd earned in ARC training from one of his Mandalorian training instructors who told him he had great potential as a leader. It was the first time Cody thought of himself as unique and the blade reminded himself of a sense of self. It was this same training instructor who'd encouraged him to come up with a name for himself. It was shortly after he'd started to think of himself as Cody and not CC-2224.

Everyone of his other knives had come from Kenobi, who'd noticed Cody's fondness for them. His General (quite unnecessarily) gave him a gift each time he saved his life in battle. Cody continually reminded the General he was only doing his duty.

'Duty implies you have to do these things for me, Cody, and I never want to feel as if I am taking you for granted. You mean much more to me than that.'

Cody did have to do these things for his General, as he had no choice as a clone of the Republic. But, Kenobi's words gave him a warm glow. And, whenever Cody tried to thank the General for saving his life, Kenobi would brush it off, or say: 'Just have a cup of tea with me, Cody. I could use the company.' His requests were simple. He was a good man. A good General. With Kenobi, he was appreciated. Somehow, the General saw him as a unique, too, and this made all the difference. It was why Cody was willing to risk everything for him.

It was reassuring knowing Ko was holding onto these very few items he could call his own.

Everything else he had belonged to the Republic.

Just like he did.

Ponds found his final blade, (the one Cody kept in a custom holder in the small gap between his lower back plate and the top of his butt plate.) And, suddenly, randomly, the full proper name of the ship popped in his head, all of those rambling syllables that made it sound like Leon's tongue was at war with itself. H'ot'e H'ai'm'ol.

He muttered the words out loud.

"I don't speak Huttese, Codes," Ponds muttered. "Save it for Fox. He's got the filthiest mouth out of our batch."

This comment earned a strangled laugh out of Cody, and he didn't bother explaining it was actually the name of the ship they were on. Leon had translated it as 'Glorious Homecoming'. Cody's return to Coruscant was not glorious. He wasn't sure how the Kazzies did things. But, he was doing what was right and necessary to protect the men under his command. There was nothing glorious about what he was doing.

All of the men in the hangar bay were silent, watching him leave. More troopers from the 212th had come into the hangar while Cody was being searched and lined up behind Ko. They lined up behind Ko, in row after row, at parade rest. They kept spilling into the hangar, until Cody was sure the 212th troopers easily outnumbered those of the 91st. He glanced over at Ko, who still had Cody's bucket tucked under his arm.

He subtly shook his head at Ko.

The last thing Cody wanted was a confrontation between his men and their brothers. This was about getting his men home, and he alone would bear the responsibility for the regs they'd broken to get them there.

"This way," Ponds pointed to a transport.

Trying to make this as easy on his men as possible, Cody kept his head high as he walked beside his brother. It would be alright. He had Ponds with him. His brother would watch his back. He tried to ignore the annoying waste of Jango DNA known as 'Nash' that was following directly behind them.

General Windu stood by one of the transports, deep in conversation with someone via holotransmitter. Cody tilted his head to get a better look. Normally, he would leave the Jedi to their business, but he was sure this had to directly do with either him, or the welfare of his men. In the shimmering transmission, he recognized the forms of several members of the Jedi Council. Windu signaled to Ponds, summoning his commander over to his side.

Ponds nodded, leaving his second-in-command to take over as Cody's escort. Nash.

Cody sucked in a deep breath as he watched Ponds leave.

He kept his eyes straight ahead, determined not to make any trouble with Nash. He wanted to get to Coruscant without incident. He breathed a sigh of relief once they were out of sight of his men. At least there hadn't been an incident-

"Cuff him." No sooner had they walked up the ramp of the RTT, then Nash signaled to two of his men in Lignting to put Cody in binders. Again.

Cody backed away, putting himself up against the wall, making his arms harder to reach. "Nash, this is unnecessary. I'm willing to answer for my actions."

The Lightning Squadron Captain ignored him as if he hadn't spoken and repeated the order. "Cuff him."

"Belay that order!" Cody used his best field marshal commander voice, honed over years of command.

The two troopers froze, staring back and forth between the Captain and the Commander.

"Sir, he does outrank you-" started one of the troopers.

Nash hissed loudly in annoyance and whipped a pair of cuffs from his belt. He yanked Cody away from the wall, slapped the cuff around one wrist so hard the durasteel smacked into the bony part of Cody's wristbone. "Gah, Nash. Ease up!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Commander. Is that too tight?" Nash's voice was suspiciously soft. He unclipped the cuff, to Cody's surprise and relief, but then immediately forced Cody's arms together again and bound them even tighter. Cody bit his lip to keep from crying out, and decided he'd have enough of Nash.

He slumped in Nash's hold, forcing the Captain to catch him, and then kneed him in the cod. It wouldn't do any permanent damage, as the codpiece was designed to protect this vulnerable area. But, it was enough double Nash over and give Cody an opening to sweep the Captain's feet out from under him. Before Nash could recover, Cody knelt on Nash with his legs locked in a chokehold. It was a manuever they'd practiced time and again in ARC training, yes, even with their hands tied behind their backs, (thank you Alpha-17.) Nash's bucket rolled off from the force of hitting the hangar deck. The Lightning Squadron Captain sputtered as he tried to draw air. Cody had four minutes before Nash suffered any brain damage.

The two additional Lightning troopers stared down at him, watching the scene play out. But, neither made a move to stop Cody or help Nash. He was sure they were having a hell of a conversation behind their buckets.

Cody counted down in his head, keeping track of the time so he didn't do any actual damage to Nash.

"Cody, let him up."

Cody glanced up at his batchmate. "I haven't harmed him. Look- his coloring is still good."

Cody was sure he heard his fellow commander give a small snort of amusement. An indication of his true feelings about Nash. But, his amusement immediately faded as Windu came up the ramp. His forceful stride made it immediately clear the moment of levity was over.

Windu assessed the situation in a second and lifted a hand. Cody knew that look. It meant the Jedi Master was preparing to use a bit of Force persuasion.

Shit.

Fortunately, Ponds knew that look, too.

"Sir," Ponds said, stepping between Cody and his General, "I've got this. Cody, you've made your point. Release him. Now." His voice was firm and authoritative, but completely calm. It was the sort of voice which defused a situation before it spun out of control. Cody had always liked Ponds. He wondered again how he'd gotten stuck with a trooper like Nash and hadn't managed to shove him down a blast crater someplace.

Cody unlocked his legs and struggled to get to his feet. It was awkward with the cuffs. Nash threw him off. Cody would've careened into the bulkhead if Ponds hadn't caught him and pulled him to his feet.

Nash clambered to his feet, glowering at Cody.

Cody gave his brother a pointed look. See? I didn't hurt him.

Ponds flicked Cody in the back of the head, something they used to do to each other as cadets.

Cody shot Ponds an annoyed look.

"Stop acting like a cadet," Ponds hissed in Cody's ear.

"He started it," Cody hissed back, in a voice only audible enough for his batchmate to hear.

Ponds glowered at Cody and then turned on his Captain. "Nash, remove the cuffs."

"Sir," Nash protested, "regs state when transporting a prisoner-

"Nash!" Ponds' voice was full of censure. "Uncuff him. Go assist with the med evacs. We'll talk later."

Nash uncuffed Cody with more force than necessary. He scooped up his bucket and and exited the transport.

Cody exhaled deeply and tried to slide his shoulder into a position where the pain was more tolerable. It wasn't exactly back in the socket where it was supposed to be, but it did feel a lot better without his arms pulled behind his back. "Thanks."

Ponds muttered. "You're not making this easy."

"And, I'm not trying to make this difficult. Get your Captain under control."

Windu stepped forward. How could Cody have forgotten he was there? "Commander Ponds, I trust there will be no further interruptions?" His annoyance at being pulled out of his meeting with the Council was clear.

"Yes, General, I apologize for the interruption."

As Windu turned to leave, Cody called out: "I apologize, as well, General Windu."

Windu gave Cody a long searching look. Something passed between them, like Windu was searching out something in him. It was the strangest sensation. The General sighed heavily. "Commander, I understand you and your men have been through a great deal. But, we still have laws to uphold in the Republic."

Cody wasn't sure what to make of Windu. Kenobi told him all Jedi were different. Just like clones. Maybe Windu was a likable vode with a good sense of humor. (Somehow Cody doubted that one.) Maybe he was a total shab'buir. (Ponds insisted he wasn't.) And, maybe he was somewhere in-between. Cody hadn't worked with him to the extent he'd worked with Kenobi and Skywalker so he couldn't say.

"We depart immediately for Coruscant," Windu nodded crisply to Ponds. "He's your responsibility." He gave Cody one last long look, as if he were a puzzle the Jedi couldn't figure out and then he departed in a whirl of brown robes.

The shuttle doors hissed shut and Ponds made a grab for Cody to steer him into a seat. Cody pulled away. He didn't need any more tugging on his shoulder. He sat down in the nearest seat.

"Dislocated?" Ponds asked, gesturing to Cody's shoulder, as the ship went through the take-off sequence.

Cody shook his head. "It's just a little remnant of the last battle. It was healing until Nash pulled it out again."

Ponds' lips twisted in amusement. "That was an impressive takedown."

"He had it coming."

"Maybe."

Cody huffed lightly in amusement.

There was a silence for a long moment as the two men savored the small bit of humor. It was often the only stress relief the war allowed them. Ponds broke the silence first with a change of topic. "Two Legions," Ponds said, with a tone that was almost reverent. "You managed to rescue two Legions worth of troopers? How is that possible?!"

"I wasn't alone. Once things got rolling, the troopers kind of rescued themselves. You set loose a bunch of frustrated clones on their captors and all hell breaks loose."

Ponds whistled under his breath. "That must have been a sight."

Cody smiled fondly. "It was."

Of course, that wasn't the whole truth. But, it would have to the be the truth that propagated through the ranks from now. There could be no rumors of a lost Legion. Or missing troopers. And, he hadn't gotten into the whole 'Rex is back' thing yet. That would come out soon enough, but that was Rex's story to tell.

They were both silent for the rest of the short journey to Coruscant. Judging by the tilt of his head, Ponds seemed to be working on something in his HUD.

The shuttle started the landing sequence and then settled onto the pad.

"Listen, Cody," Ponds murmured in a low voice, "you're headed into the custody of the Coruscant Guard. I know what you did and admire you for it. There may be others who see what you did in… simpler terms. They are stationed here on Coruscant and for them the war is black and white. You could be seen as a trooper who went AWOL- a very high-ranking trooper who left his post. Be careful, Cody." Ponds helped him to his feet, gripping him by his uninjured arm and steering him toward the hatch. "After I hand you over to Fox, I can't do anything to protect you."

Cody nodded. He took a deep breath and prepared to meet his fate. Fox and a squad of Coruscant Guard were waiting at the hatch.

"He's injured," Ponds said, "He needs-"

"I know," Fox said, already steering Cody away. "I read the notes you sent. I'll take it from here." His words were a clear dismissal.

Cody tried to glance back towards Ponds as he was led away, but the shuttle hatch had closed. Ponds warning rang in his ears.

# # #

Chapter Text

Fives blended into the background as General Windu came into the medbay. He didn't want any part of the conflict going on between Commander Cody and the General. He knew it had to do with Echo, but he could also sense this was one of those times he could do know good by getting involved. He trusted Commander Cody to sort it out. His comm chimed with an incoming call and he stepped further into the shadows to take the call. He kept an eye on the drama playing out in the medbay as he activated his internal comm system in his bucket.

"Go ahead, Rex."

"Fives, when they take Echo down to ArmyMed, go with him."

Fives tried to sort through this new sort of orders. He was thrilled, of course, to be able to stay with his brother, but he wasn't sure he understood. "What exactly am I supposed to do there? I'm no medic."

"Stay with him at all times. He is your responsibility until both of you return back to the 501st."

Fives wanted to object. Of course, Echo was his responsibility. He was his brother and only remaining batchmate. "What are you trying to say?"

Rex pushed out an exasperated breath. "That place... stay on your toes and bring Echo back to us." They were interrupted by noise off-speaker on Rex's end. "I have to go. I want regular reports. Rex out."

# # #

After days of watching Echo deteriorate, everything was happening so quickly. Fives drummed his fingers relentlessly on his thigh plate as the medical transport moved through the upper atmosphere of Coruscant.

Kix was in constant motion, checking Echo's vitals and adjusting the tubes and breathing apparatus keeping Echo alive. Coric had gone with them as far as the hangar bay, before heading back to the medbay to oversee the transport of the other injured clones. There was another medic with them, someone in 91st gear, but Fives didn't know him, so he ignored him and focused on Kix.

Fives tried to be patient as he watched Kix work.

Kix was an excellent medic. He'd saved their hides more times than Fives cared to remember.

But, what if everything Kix did wasn't enough? What if Echo was too far gone already? When Fives could stand it no longer, he prompted Kix for an update. "Well?" He hated that he almost didn't want to know the answer.

Kix's scowl told him volumes. The medic clipped his sensor back to his belt with a motion so practiced it looked as if the medical device had become an extension of him. He met Fives' gaze evenly. "It's not good." Kix held up a hand to stop his objections. "But, he's alive and that's something. All of you di'kuts have survived time and again when by all rights you should've marched on already. We have to believe in Echo, alright?"

Fives inhaled sharply, glad he had his bucket on so he could hide the suspicious drops of moisture leaking from his eyes and nose. The air was too dry in this shuttle. ARC troopers did not cry. He crouched down next to Echo's head so he could murmur a few assurances to his brother. He tried to keep his voice even and light. If Kix noticed the slight cracking and warbling in his tone, he was vod enough not to comment on it. He turned to talk to the other medic, giving Fives a moment of privacy with his brother. Fives stared down at Echo. His brother's skin had taken on an odd grey pallor. It looked so out of place on his normally perfect Jango complexion. A few months back, he and Echo had worked with the Wolfpack to rescue a group of civvies on Recovia-2 . The planet had already been headed toward climate disaster thanks to poor choices by the industrial cartel that led the planet, but a Trade Union takeover had sent the precarious planet into a steep spiral. They'd been sent in with a team of other ARCs to back up the Wolfpack in evacuating as many civvies as they could before coastal flooding wiped out the entire population. He and Echo had done a rather spectacular rescue of the tiny town of Cacao, ferrying load after load of civvies to a mountaintop before a tidal wave took out their village. While their village had been lost, the civilian population had survived. An impromptu celebration broke out and it turned out the residents were master artisans of Recovian Cacoa, (or chocolate, as it was known on Coruscant.) Among the 'essential evacuation supplies' the residents had insisted upon bringing aboard the shuttle were copious amounts of the stuff (and seeds for growing more.) The local Recovians insisted he and Echo try every variety of their local specialty. He'd never seen Echo so happy, or high on sugar, as he interacted with the locals, chocolate smeared across his tanned, laughing face.

"We'll get you sorted, vod. You'll be back to annoying me with reg manuals in no time." He sighed and stared out the window as the transport shook slightly and they descended through the atmosphere. He reached down and squeezed his brother's hand lightly, wondering if he could feel it or even registered he was there. His brother's hand was limp and unresponsive in his grasp. "You said you wanted to go back to Recovia. Check on those villagers. I'm not going without you." He inhaled sharply again, trying to get past the lump in his throat. "I can't possibly eat that much sugar alone."

How many campaigns had he completed with Echo by his side? How could he possibly go on without his brother? His gut clenched at the thought and it was difficult to breathe.

Kix had finished his conversation with the 91st medic and had gone back to checking Echo's vitals.

Fives opened up a private line to Kix. "Rex insisted I come along and keep an eye on Echo."

"He told me," Kix answered, not looking up from where he was fussing with a sensor on Echo's chest. It occurred to Fives then that Kix was as stressed as he was and trying to keep busy. The medic looked directly at him. "It's... because Rex was sent here to ArmyMed and then..." his voice trailed off.

"Yeah, they sent Rex to Kamino," Fives muttered darkly, "not a great outcome."

"Fives, there's no reason to think the same thing will happen to Echo."

Fives hissed in frustration, knowing it was wrong of him to take everything out on Kix and doing it anyway. "They sent him to Kamino, Kix, and we did nothing to stop them. They sent him away because he was of no more value to the fekkin' Republic. We're not people. You know that, right? No matter what the Jedi say, we're not people." He stroked the back of Echo's hand, rubbing circles in the place between his thumb and forefinger. He looked down in dismay at his brother's oddly discolored form. "What if we can't find out what is wrong with him? The Republic has no patience for troopers who can't fight. What if he doesn't get better quickly? Clones are meant to be out fighting-"

"Stop," Kix assumed his medic-in-charge voice. "Fek, I know what we are, Fives, better than anyone. I've had to red card clones. Don't you think I fekkin' know?!"

Fives hung his head down. "Fierfek, I'm sorry, Kix. I- I-" Fives didn't know what to say. He'd been wrong to take his anger out on Kix. He was angry. But, he'd been wrong to target it on another vod. Kix was always like a calm in the midst of a storm and somehow Fives had managed to piss him off. "Kix, I-"

Kix cut him off. "Let me finish. I know it looks bad. But, we have yet to tap into their research facilities." He looked intently at Fives. "We are all walking out of here together. I failed Rex. I won't fail you and Echo."

Fives had to swallow past the sudden lump in his throat. "You didn't fail Rex." Gah. He was such a shit for taking out his anger on Kix. He would make it up to him. "We all did."

Kix glanced at him sharply. "Yeah, well, that is not happening with Echo."

The shuttle settled down, the movement startling both of them. They exchanged a significant look. "You ready for this, vod?"

Kix snorted. "No. But, we'll get through this- you, me and Echo."

Fives looked over at the 91st Recon trooper. "What about that guy?"

"He'd headed back up. The General is just keeping an eye on all of us- for whatever reason."

Fives snorted lightly. "Because we threatened him with a big enemy warship?"

"Yeah, that probably had something to do with it."

The hatch opened with the slight hiss of servo motors. In the center of the landing pad was an enormous logo of the ArmyMed center laser etched into the ground. The logo glistened and caught the light as if the place offered promise and hope. Either that or the place was hopelessly overfunded or mismanaged with creds spent in all the wrong places.

And, in the way his mind sometimes wandered at the most inopportune times, the logo reminded Fives of the beautiful crystalline webs he and Echo had stumbled across on Rosius Prime. Curious Echo had wandered too close and gotten his ankle snared in the web. It was then they discovered crystalline spiders are big. Very very, very big. Fives had taken out both the spider and the web with his rifle. He was relieved to get Echo back unscathed. The sight of that crystal web shattering had haunted him for days, worrying 'what if' he hadn't been able to free his brother in time?

A six-person arrival team from ArmyMed swept onboard and surrounded Echo. They pushed Fives and Kix back with the brusqueness of troopers singularly focused on their job and determined not to let anyone get in their way.

"We'll take it from here. Move along."

# # #

Rex stared out the forward viewscreen, watching Echo's transport head away from the ship and quickly disappear from view.

Echo was going to ArmyMed.

"You alright?" Ahsoka asked quietly, shifting her weight so she was standing closer to him.

He sighed, shifting his weight so she was also leaning closer to her, drawing comfort from her presence. "What? Yes."

No. He wasn't. He was worried about Echo. He was an outstanding trooper and his fear was they weren't doing enough. They would throw him into the army medical system, and Echo wouldn't make it through alive. So, no, maybe Rex wasn't OK. He wasn't alright with any of it.

Fek. But, he couldn't solve any of that now and Echo's fate was out of his hands. At least for now. And, he had to help Cody.

"Patch me through to Republic Intelligence," Rex ordered, standing stiffly at attention, and then corrected his stance so he wasn't so obviously leaning toward Ahsoka.

The vid screen scrambled and then cleared, showing the Republic logo and then the distinctive shield of Republic Intelligence. Admiral Yularen was standing with his back to his screen, talking to several others in an enormous command center. He turned around mid-sentence to take the call. "This is Admiral Yularen-"

He stopped mid-sentence and paled when he saw Rex.

"Sir," Rex said, saluting respectfully. He still had his bucket off, ensuring there was no doubt as to his identity. He squared his shoulders, standing quietly at attention next to Ahsoka, giving the Admiral as much time as he needed.

Everyone in the room behind the Admiral at Republic Intelligence turned and stared, some open-mouthed. A moment later, a flurry of activity ensued as headsets went on and calls went on, undoubtedly to the highest levels of the GAR.

"Captain," the Admiral finally said, "this is... a surprise."

"Yes, Admiral," Rex acknowledged politely, watching with amusement as a flurry of activity erupted among the junior officers. He imagine this probably threw them for a loop. That didn't happen often with Republic Intelligence.

"How can I assist you today, Captain?" the Admiral said, finally recovering from his shock, sounding more like the Yularen that Rex knew.

"Can we speak in person, Admiral? You are welcome onboard the ship we... eh... borrowed from the Seppies. I could give you the grand tour, sir."

The Admiral studied Rex. "I assume you have other matters you wish to discuss and this is about much more than... a grand tour?"

Rex smiled, appreciating the Admiral's trademark dry humor. "Yes, Admiral."

The Admiral nodded. "A moment, please." The transmission cut and Rex knew the Admiral was discussing the matter with his superiors in the GAR.

"I think that went well," Rex said quietly to Ahsoka.

"I think they about peed themselves," Trapper muttered, causing snickers around the bridge.

Rex smiled behind his helmet. At another time, he would have barked at the errant trooper and threatened him with some meaningless punishment. Extra exercises. Scrubbing the floors with a tiny brush. But, that was before Ando. Now, he saw his old self as a bit too tightly wound, and maybe a bit of humor was good for the men.

"Incoming transmission," Trapper announced, "Republic Intelligence."

"Patch it through."

An unnamed communications officer appeared. "Admiral Yularen is on his way. Prepare for his arrival." The transmission cut and was replaced with the R.I. Shield. The logo looked different from what Rex remembered from before he left for Ando. It had more black and silver in it like it was intentionally designed to intimidate. Why did the Republic need to spend money on redoing fekkin' logos when there was a war going on?

"I'll walk you down to the hangar bay," Ahsoka offered. As they lift doors closed behind them, she reached for his gloved hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "It will be alright."

He nodded, taking his bucket off and running his hands through his hair.

"I know that gesture," she said, standing on her tiptoes, so she could also run her hands through his hair. He closed his eyes, sighing deeply at the soothing feeling of her fingers running along his scalp. Why did it feel a hundred times more comforting when Ahsoka did it? "What are you thinking?" she murmured, her hands finding all of the tense knots around his scalp.

Rex sighed, and reached up to cup his hands on top of Ahsoka's, his eyes meeting hers. "The Admiral is with Republic Intelligence now. I know what kind of man he was before we left, but I don't know what he is like now."

He'd always been an ally before. But, so much had changed for Rex and Cody in two months. Had Admiral Yularen changed during that time, too?

As if reading his thoughts, and wanting to soothe away his doubts, Ahsoka stood on her tiptoes again and planted a light kiss on his nose. "Have faith, Rexster."

He smiled at the light brush of contact and they pulled back away from each other as the lift doors opened again.

# # #

Unlike the Jedi Master, Admiral Yularen arrived with only a bare minimum clone escort. He arrived on a shuttle, accompanied by no other ships. He walked crisply down the ramp, followed by two troopers for security.

At the bottom of the ramp, he turned to the troopers. "Wait here with the ship."

"Yes, sir," both troopers acknowledged, taking a moment longer than necessary before pivoting on their heel and returning back to the ship. Rex noticed they were both studying him with unabashed curiosity.

He couldn't blame them. Troopers dying was an all too common occurrence in the war. A trooper coming back from the dead? That... was highly unusual.

The Admiral also took a long moment to study the Captain. Rex stood at attention, tolerating all the scrutiny.

"It does appear to be you, Rex," Yularen finally said.

"Would you like a blood sample, sir?" Rex quipped. He tugged off his glove and offered up a vein, tapping it with one finger for good measure.

"A blood sample?" the Admiral tilted his head back and laughed. "Yes, I suppose that could be useful in proving... you are a clone."

Rex grinned.

The tension between them was broken. He grasped Rex's hand warmly, still studying him with amazement. "You caused quite a stir, Captain, with your sudden reappearance. It is very good to see you." Yularen turned to Ahsoka. "Commander Tano, it is good to see you alive."

"Glad to be so, Admiral." Ahsoka was never one for decorum. She threw her arms around the Admiral's neck. After a moment's hesitation, he returned the gesture, if a bit stiffly. The two had a rough start with Ahsoka's difficulties in following orders as a padawan, but Rex had watched her win over the Admiral as the war progressed.

Rex gestured toward the exit. "This way, sir. We have a great deal to discuss."

The Admiral walked beside Rex, hands tucked behind his back. "Where have you been?"

Ahsoka walked beside Rex, providing him with a comforting presence by his side as they walked through the ship.

Rex walked and talked, also using it as an opportunity to take the Admiral on a tour of the massive Kaz'harian ship. "There's a great deal to explain, sir. But, I'm happy to take you through all of it."

"I'm listening, Captain."

Rex found it easier to talk when he was walking, rather than having to sit in a conference room. Part of it was the soothing energy of being moving. But, it was also easier not having to constantly look the Admiral in the eye while telling a crafted version of the events. He genuinely liked Yularen and they'd struck up an unlikely friendship.

He wasn't sure he trusted him completely.

This was like when he was shot on Saleucamai and he had to omit certain things from his final report. It was a version of the truth. Maybe Yularen understood because he worked for Republic Intelligence.

He listened and didn't ask many questions.

He was able to get through most of the story as they toured the ship, with Ahsoka filling in portions of the tale from her perspective, mainly the imprisonment of the Jedi. All of what Ahsoka said was true, which contrasted with Rex's reporting which was truthful, from a certain point of view.

They entered the lift to head to the bridge. He glanced over at Ahsoka and caught her eye, wishing he was alone with her in the lift again. Even though their moments together were very brief, they still meant a great deal to him.

Instead, the lift ride was awkwardly silent and Rex was glad when they arrived at their destination.

"Admiral on the bridge!" Trapper announced, a bit too loudly as they exited the lift. But, that was the 212th trooper's style. He was a favorite of Cody's and if Rex could make some progress with Yularen, perhaps he could get back to annoying Cody soon.

All of the troopers rose as one, standing crisply at attention. Most were dressed in the Kazzie fatigues, but they were still every bit a soldier despite their unconventional attire.

"As you were," the Admiral said, walking around the bridge, studying the different stations on the captured vessel. He greeted many of the troopers from the 501st by name and gave a polite nod to the 212th troopers. He finished his circuit and walked back over to stand by Rex. "I sense you have more you wish to discuss with me. Is there a conference room nearby?"

Ahsoka bowed out of the conversation, heading over to stand next to Ko.

"This way, sir," Rex gestured toward the adjacent conference room. He'd now have to deal with Yularen face-to-face. As long as the Admiral was done asking questions about where he'd been during that two-month time period, he'd be fine.

"Impressive," the Admiral said, looking around the beautiful room and the large plexi-glass window overlooking Coruscant. Rex stood next to him, arms locked behind his back at parade rest. "She's not the Resolute, sir. This ship was simply a means to get home."

"Ah, yes, the Resolute," the Admiral said, looking out toward the cluster of Star Destroyers hovering near the Kaz'harian warship. He was quiet a long moment, staring out toward the ships. It was easy to spot the Resolute amongst the fleet. He nodded with his chin. "There she is," he murmured thoughtfully and shook his head. He turned back toward Rex. "Worst order I ever received when I was told to jump away at the Battle of Kaz'haria. Almost all of our troopers were still down on that planet and I was ordered to jump away."

Rex was silent for a long moment, trying to think of a proper response. He considered his words carefully. He put himself in the boots of the Admiral. "Sir, Commander Cody told me what happened. If the cruisers hadn't jumped away, they would have been obliterated in orbit. By leaving, you saved the remaining crew onboard."

"But, at what cost?" the Admiral said bitterly. "We lost all the medical transports en route. And we left two Legions on the ground at the mercy of the enemy."

Never before had Rex heard Admiral Yularen question the orders of high command. He had no idea what to make of it. Knowing that the Admiral was now in Republic Intelligence, he was not sure whether the man was truly an ally.

"I wasn't there," Rex responded, with the same honesty the Admiral was displaying. "I regret I wasn't."

"You shouldn't have been sent away." He was silent for a long moment, still staring out into space. His voice dropped so low it was difficult to hear him. "Sometimes... sometimes I wonder at the decision-making of this Republic..."

The Admiral nodded, making eye contact with Rex, and then continued. "After Kaz'haria," his voice was raw and haunted, "I didn't sleep. I saw the faces of the 501st. You were a particularly frequent visitor."

Rex stayed silent, unsure how to respond.

"We looked for the 501st and the 212th," Yularen continued, "But, when the searches turned up empty, they reassigned the ship, the barracks, all of the resources, including me. I've been with military intelligence for three weeks now."

Rex was wondering how it was Yularen ended up over at Republic Intelligence. And, he had no idea how to turn this current discussion into a request for help for Cody.

"So, what can I do for you then?"

Rex blinked, trying to follow the lightning-fast conversation changes. Wait- Yularen, was asking him how he could help? "Sir?"

"Captain, you have accomplished the impossible and brought our men back home."

"Thank you, Admiral. I... could not have done with Cody... Commander Cody, sir. He... brought a dozen men from Ord Cestus. They were... the key, sir."

Yularen pulled his datapad from his belt and started taking notes.

And, Rex made a case for Cody.

# # #

Chapter Text

Cody glanced left and right, taking in his surroundings as he was led through corridor after corridor in the RMB.

They've really expanded the place. I don't remember all of this when I was here last...

Fox walked ahead of him and Cody was flanked by two Coruscant guard troopers with identical armor. He glanced at them and briefly wondered why the Corries didn't put any distinctive artwork on their kit. Fox and the other commanders seemed to be the only ones who painted their armor to stand out. It was as if they wanted all of the focus on them and they wanted their men to be able to blend into the background.

Considering most folks ignore clones anyway, that shouldn't be too hard.

Fox was silent, his shoulders high and tense. But, then again, in the few times Cody had seen his brother since they were deployed from Kamino, his brother always seemed tense. Ponds had a way with Fox and usually managed to get him to kick back a bit and have a few drinks with them. But, as time wore on, it was harder and harder to get his brother to crack a smile. It was as if Fox was slipping away from them. Was it this place? Was Coruscant slowly leaching the life out of Fox?

Cody glanced left and right to his guards. "Do you mind if I..." he gestured with his chin up toward Fox.

One of them must have said something to Fox over private channel as his brother slowed his pace to walk next to Cody and the two guards dropped behind them again.

"What do you want, Cody?" Fox didn't look at him, he continued to stare straight ahead as they walked.

This was not a good start. Ponds had warned him his actions in leaving Ord Cestus may not be viewed favorably by all brothers. He'd gone AWOL and some clones viewed orders as orders. In their minds, Cody was a deserter.

Fox always had been by-the-books.

Is that how he viewed Cody now?

Cody sighed. "I'd like you to at least talk to me, Fox. You might not agree with what I did, but we're still brothers."

"No," Fox said loudly, "you broke all manner of regulations." As they rounded a corner, he slipped his bucket off, and made a quick hand signal.

Eh...Cody wasn't familiar with that signal, but then again each battle group tended to develop their own unique signs and way of working together. He glanced behind him sharply as he heard a hiss.

Both guard members had also removed their buckets, reaching in to flip off the cam that automatically recorded all their moves as troopers.

Cody turned his attention back to Fox, who also now his bucket tucked under his arm. He was scrutinizing Cody. "Did you really take down Ponds' Captain? While cuffed?"

"That trooper is an asshole. He had it coming," Cody responded. He tilted his head to the side, giving his brother a slight, sideways grin. "It was a great takedown."

Fox raised up one eyebrow. "This isn't ARC training, Codes."

Cody sighed. "No. Back when we were training, I couldn't wait to finish and get out here. Now, I often wish I was back there with all of you."

Fox 'hmmmped' and didn't comment, but a look of deep sadness flashed across his face.

"Hey, are you alright?" Cody asked softly.

"Am I alright? I was ordered to lock you up, Cody. And, you're asking if I'm alright?" He rolled his eyes, Wolffe-style, and shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"I knew there'd be consequences for my actions," Cody admitted. "I'm prepared to face them."

"Are you?" Fox asked harshly, "Do you know what happens to clones in here?" He paled slightly, as if he'd said too much, and his voice dropped low. "I don't know if I can protect you, Cody."

"I'm not asking you, too."

Fox snorted out a bitter sound of laughter. "Right. I'm supposed to ignore the fact you're in a lockup here on Corrie and let them have at you."

"Who?"

Fox shook his head again. It was once again that look like he had said too much. "There are things you don't understand."

"Rejorhaa'ir ni. Gotal'ur ni suvarir," Cody whispered. [Tell me. Make me understand.]

Fox opened his mouth, and for a moment Cody thought his brother was finally going to open up to him. Then, a whole range of emotions flashed across Fox's face. Sadness. Anger. Pain. "Bic cuyir jate'shya gar don't kar'taylir. Vi Kelir not jorhaa'ir be bic tug'yc." [It is better you do not know. We will not speak of it again.] Fox switched the subject, and went back to speaking in Basic. "Flimsiwork has already been submitted by High Command for your court martial."

Cody took in this information. He'd known a court martial was a possibility, but it was still a punch in the gut. He took a deep breath before responding, trying to keep his tone neutral. "I... knew the risks when I went after General Kenobi."

Fox gave him a searching look. "I don't think you're nearly as calm as you're trying to sound. Other than Neyo, you're probably the most by-the-regs clone out of all of us. I still can't believe you did all of this." They'd reached the end of the corridor. Fox paused before they rounded the corner again into a more brightly lit corridor. "You risked everything to go after your General. I would not have done the same to go after the-" He stopped abruptly and the same quick flash of emotions flitted across his face, as if he were at war with himself.

"Fox," Cody stared at his brother with concern, "are you sure you're alright?"

Fox put up his hand in a staying motion. "Give... me... a... moment," he said through tightly gritted teeth.

Cody stared at his brother. Was Fox ill? Cody always thought Fox had gotten a shit assignment on Coruscant. The longer Fox was there, the less he seemed... the brother Cody knew. There was an undercurrent of bitterness to him- almost a darkness. Cody couldn't blame him. Clones were trained to be out in the field. Clones weren't bred to protect senators and have to throw themselves into civilian riots, (where clones inevitably got battered, killed and blamed for everything.)

Fox was stuck in a soul sucking assignment.

Cody had been assigned the 212th and Kenobi. He would likely end up court martialed and possibly put to death defending that assignment, but he'd still gotten very lucky.

"Stop looking at me that way," Fox hissed angrily. "I don't need your pity." He jammed his bucket back on and signaled for them to move on. "There is flimsiwork for us to review once you've been cleared from MedBay." He glanced down at his wristcomm. "I've... been summoned to a meeting." He signaled to the two troopers behind him and pointed to the one on the left. "This is Sergeant Orli. He will take over."

Fox pivoted on his heel and left.

The Sergeant hadn't yet put his bucket back on. He leaned in toward Cody. "Commander, is it true you threatened General Windu?"

Cody stared into the visor of the Sergeant, trying to figure out why he was asking the question. Was this a trap? His stomach churned in the way it had when he was a cadet and he wasn't sure what was happening during a training scenario. The same churning he felt when he was given orders by High Command that made no sense and would result in the death of brothers, and yet Cody had to order his brothers into battle anyway. There were times when there was no right answer. "I pointed out to the General I was in command of a large warship with two Legions of clones... yes."

The sergeant gave him a long, calculating look before jamming his bucket back on. What was he was trying to figure out about him? What was going on with the Coruscant Guard anyway? The Sergeant's demeanor changed, as if the conversation had never occurred. "This way, Commander. You are due at the medbay for an evaluation."

There was no further dialogue as they walked to the base medbay. Cody blinked at the overly harsh lighting as they entered the medical facility.

The medic who greeted them had a different demeanor from the rest of the Coruscant Guard, further throwing Cody for a loop. "Hello Commander. I'm Silver, Chief Medic of the RMB. Commander Fox sent word ahead you have a recent injuries in need of evaluation." He pointed to a medbay bunk with an overhead scanner. "Lie down. You can leave your armor on- for now." He stared up at the medic's scar curiously, as he worked the scanning machine.

How did a medic stationed on Corrie manage to get a scar running from their hairline down to their neck and disappearing into his medic's tunic. It almost looked as if he was cleaved in half.

The medic noticed his gaze and answered the unspoken question. "Belgaroth."

"182nd, then."

The medic nodded, although his eyes flashed for a moment with grief of brothers lost. The 182 had suffered devastating losses at Belgaroth. The unit was still around but had been reorganized a number of times.

"The locals there didn't take kindly to the prospect of unification with the Republic," Silver muttered.

Then, why not let them leave?

"I thought the same," Silver said quietly.

Oh, had he voiced that thought aloud? OK, change of topic. "How'd you end up here?" Cody asked.

"I was sent to ArmyMed," he pulled a scanner off his belt and spoke as he worked. "Since my entire squad was lost, I was reassigned here. It was meant to be a temporary assignment, but the RMB expanded so rapidly the posting became permanent." He continued to take readings, his face taking on the same thoughtful expression Cody's medics in the 212th always did when they were prepared to solve a problem with unerring accuracy.

Cody looked about the sterile, oversized medical facility and then back at the medic. "You like this posting?"

"No. I miss my brothers, but they're all dead."

Shab. So much for changing the topic.

"I'm... sorry."

Silver sighed. "I'm not the only clone to lose brothers." He glanced around at the drab grey and black decor that dominated even the medbay. "Do I like it here?" He repeated again, and then laughed with bitter irony. "I'm stuck in prison. What's not to like?"

"If it helps," Cody winced as Silver probed at his shoulder, "I appear to be stuck here, as well."

Silver gave Cody a quelling look. "Yes, but as I understand it, you went on an unauthorized mission with a dozen men under your command." He gave Cody's shoulder an experimental tug.

Cody hissed in pain. "I did." He kept talking, trying to distract himself from the pain. "I also threatened a Jedi General. Everyone likes to keep reminding me about that one."

"It was more of a passive aggressive threat, but I heard about it, yes." Silver rearranged Cody's limbs to reset his shoulder. "This will be unpleasant."

"Of that, I have no doubt."

"I'm a combat medic stuck on the largest city planet in the galaxy." Silver reached over to a nearby tray and grabbed a hypo. "I don't belong here.I'm going to inject you with Diamorpazepamazine. It's a strong muscle relaxant. It will ease us both through the process of setting your shoulder."

He sounds like Cavil.

The 212th had lost their CMO at the Battle of Darkknell and the loss still cut deep. Cavil had been with them since the beginning. A feeling of warmth spread through his body and his muscles relaxed. As the tension left his shoulders, the pain began to ebb. He glanced up at Silver. "You're right, you know. This is no place for a combat medic." He examined the medbay again with a critical eye. "I would get bored here, too." His tongue tripped over the word and he repeated it, trying to get the syllables to form properly.

"I should warn you, Commander," Silver said, "the diamorpazephamize combined with what is likely battle exhaustion will quickly affect your judgment and give you feelings of detachment or numbness."

Cody disagreed. The drug wasn't making him detached. He was feeling better. "I'm fine, really. Matter of fac... fact... I'll take another shot when you have a chance. Hey!" Cody hadn't thought this clearly in a long time. "You should come back with me to the 212th!" He bobbed his chin for emphasis. "We're the best Legion out there. Of course the boys in the 501st would disagree. But, seriously, Silver, we have some good times there."

"Says the person facing court martial," Silver muttered, arranging Cody's limbs even tighter.

"Hey, hey," Cody mumbled, "you and Fox make it sound so personal." He rolled his eyes. "So, we stole a ship and sabotaged a medical station. Honestly, you guys would've done the same. And, we didn't hurt anybody. We locked them up-"

"You should definitely stop talking now, and I'm going to forget anything you say under the grounds of medical privilege. Brace yourself." He leaned in close to Cody, pulling him up against his chest.

"I won't feel a thing," Cody bragged and then yowled in protest as the medic set his shoulder. "Ow!" He stared at the medic accusingly. "Silver!"

The medic secured the injured joint in place, bandaging Cody's shoulder tightly to his chest. "You probably won't remember half of this come morning. And, that's probably a good thing."

Cody's eyes were already closing.

Silver eased him back onto the bunk.

# # #

"You'd like me to intervene on behalf of Commander Cody?"

"Yes, Admiral. You have high ranking connections," Rex looked Yularen in the eye. "And, we trust you."

"I'm flattered by your faith in me, Captain. But, the charges facing the Commander are extremely serious. AWOL. Desertion. Sabotage of systems at Ord Cestus. The assault and confinement of two Republic pilots. Stealing a Republic Shuttle. Coercing a dozen troopers to desert-

"Sir, those dozen men-"

"Captain, the Commander has made it very clear he wants to take full responsibility for everything that occurred, so it is viewed as coercion. At the very, least he is facing court martial. At the worst," he met Rex's eyes frankly and honestly, "he'll be sent before a firing squad."

He and Cody had discussed it as a strong possibility on the way back to Coruscant, but to hear it confirmed chilled Rex through to the core.

The Admiral stood up and walked to the window facing Coruscant again. He was silent for a long moment. Finally, he turned back to Rex. "Do you know why the clone army was created, Captain?"

Rex was quiet, thinking about his answer. "I have often wondered."

"I'm not sure either," the Admiral admitted. "But, on a basic level, clones were created to follow orders. An entire Army of men bred for a single purpose. To follow orders." He paused for a long moment, still looking out. Admiral Yularen had a thoughtful way about him. "Do you see now why Commander Cody's actions will have such serious repercussions?"

"He... acted on his own." Krek. Is that why this is such a big deal? Cody thought for himself?

Fek. I did that for two months on Ando. All of the clones on Ando have turned into independent thinkers. Turns out, we do it very well.  And, that is exactly what the Republic doesn't want.

"It sets a dangerous precedent," the Admiral said. "The fear will be it will have a ripple effect throughout the Clone Army if it is not swiftly punished. I will... see if I can put in a good word." His tone was not entirely convincing. "High Command has been screaming for the Commander's head from the moment he left the medical station."

Rex sighed heavily. He changed the subject. He was loyal to Cody, but he also still had to attend to the rest of his brothers. "Sir, I also need to work out housing for our troopers." He gestured outside toward where the Resolute and the Negotiator were sitting off in space. "My understanding is our barracks on Coruscant have also been reassigned."

"All of that is true. Your status with the GAR has not been worked out."

"Yes, sir. But, right now my concern is for my men. And..." he added in, "my commander."

"Your loyalty is commendable, as is your dedication to duty. I have always admired that about you."

Rex was thrown off by the compliment. He never quite knew where he stood with the Admiral. But, then again, natborns generally confused him. Ahsoka was always honest with him, but the rest of them puzzled him with their ways of thinking. He had a sudden yearning for the simplicity of his life on the icy ball of rock in the mid-Rim. He'd given up so much with life on Ando to come back. He'd given up his own command. His own Legion. Freedom. But, his gut told him his future was here. He had important work which was yet unfinished.

He walked the Admiral back to the hangar bay and watched his ship take off back to Coruscant.

# # #

"Move along?" Fives asked in a dangerously low voice. "What do you mean move along?"

"Now, Fives, calm down," Kix said soothingly, knowing what the ARC was capable of when riled up. He'd seen both Fives and Echo in action. Having recently seen the carnage Echo alone caused in the control room, he didn't want Fives to take his temper out on the arrival crew at ArmyMed. To them, this was simply a routine arrival. "Let me handle this," he said to Fives privately over an internal channel.

"If they try to separate us from Echo, I will handle them," Fives growled, stepping closer to the clones trying to take Echo. Two security clones stationed at the entrance to the landing pad looked over their way. "Fives." Again, the single word was voiced in a clear command tone. Fives stopped immediately, blinking at Kix in surprise.

He took a step back and decided he would let Kix handle it.

"My name is Kix, medic for the 501st," Kix said, addressing the clone who'd handed him the datapad. "You are?"

"Sergeant Kirby. I handle everything on this landing pad."

"Well, Sergeant, we have been assigned here for the duration of this clone's stay by the authority of Captain Rex," Kix said in a voice that brokered no argument.

Kirby was visibly taken aback. "Captain Rex?" He looked toward Kix in confusion. "Captain Rex of the 501st?"

"Is there another?" Kix asked.

"No, but, I thought, well, that is... Your Captain... He..."

"If you need to verify his authority, go ahead." Both Kix and Fives crossed their arms across their chests.

Sergeant Kirby studied them both and then gestured. "You may walk with us, while I confirm your orders." He gestured to his team to proceed inside with Echo's hoverstretcher. "I need to get this patient transferred and clear this landing pad." They proceeded into the massive medical complex. Fives and Kix could tell from the tilt of his head he was talking on his internal comm system. After a long moment, he turned back to them. "Admiral Yularen has confirmed you may stay here. Let's get moving. Time is critical here at ArmyMed."

# # #

Chapter Text

"How long has he been in there?" Fives asked.

"Less than an hour," Kix said, "and thirty seconds since you last asked."

"How long do these things take?" Fives cast an irritated glance toward the scanning room.

"Could be another hour, maybe two."

"Two hours!" Fives slapped his armored thigh, the sound echoing in the wide corridor like a whipshot. Several med-techs gave him a wide berth and hurried on their way. "What could possibly be taking so long?"

"The scanner uses high-res ion conductance microscopy so it probes living biological cells on a nanometer scale. For further accuracy, the scan combines a series of images taken at different angles around the body and uses digital enhancement to create cross-sectional slices of the bones, bloods and soft tissues. The benefits of this type of scan are myriad and include-"

"You're saying it will take time." Fives glared at Kix, arms folded across his broad chest.

"Yes, as I said," Kix wondered how he could have explained himself any clearer.

They'd been at ArmyMed for two hours and the staff had been accommodating after receiving the directive from Admiral Yularen. They'd been allowed to stay with Echo throughout the admissions process. They'd only been separated when the ARC had been sent for the high-res scan. Fives had grown edgy the moment Echo had disappeared behind closed doors.

"How do we know what they're doing to him?" Fives said, pacing the hallway. "We should be in there."

"We can't," Kix said, "the radiation levels are too high."

Fives inhaled sharply in alarm. "Then why are they using it on Echo?"

"Because the benefits outweigh the risks. We have to find out what is wrong with him. Fives! Stop pacing." Kix blew out a breath, and tried a different tact. "Come on. Let's go find something to eat."

Fives wavered. His stomach growled at the thought of actual food. They'd eaten nothing but rations and Kazzie fruit since leaving Ord Cestus.

"Rex warned us to stay with Echo at all times."

Kix pointed to the entrance of the scanning room with the radiation symbols clearly listed on the door. "Yet, clearly we cannot go in there. You need food. I need food. We can't help Echo if we're falling down on our feet. And, you certainly intimidated the techs thoroughly to ensure they would keep us informed about everything."

"Good communications are the key to all effective battle strategies," Fives defended.

"Yes, and you terrified them with your good communications skills. Come on." He headed off down the corridor without waiting to see if Fives would follow.

Fives stared down the corridor after Kix's retreating back. He gave one last longing look at the closed door of the scanning room and then followed Kix with slightly slumped shoulders. He was tired. And, worried.

He was also, as it turned out, starving.

When Echo had gone through the admissions process, they'd been issued security badges that granted them access to the patient floors. (This did spark immediately spark Fives' curiosity into wondering what floors he did not have access to with his badge.) Their temporary badges also allowed them to obtain meals from the ArmyMed mess.

As Fives walked through the serving line, he immediately noticed the quality was much better than the fare served to them aboard the cruisers. Although, at this point, anything that wasn't a crumbly rations bar or more of that damned purple fruit would look amazing. He stacked his tray precariously high and then stacked a few more items on it for good measure, relying upon his lightning-fast clone reflexes to keep it all balanced. He settled down at the nearest available table, not waiting for Kix, and started shoveling in bites of some lentil mixture.

Kix joined him a minute later, staring down at him with a tray loaded nearly as high. "Slow down, Fives, or you'll choke."

He slid across from him at the booth, and started shoveling in enormous mouthfuls of Alderaani stew.

Fives raised up an eyebrow at him, since the medic was eating equally as fast as him, but then again the medic tended to lecture them not to do things he inevitably ended up doing himself.

Kix finished his first bowl of stew, pushed it aside and dove it into a second one.

The set-up in the 'mess' looked more like a Coruscant diner than any mess hall Fives had eaten in. The seating was a combination of both booths and tables of various sizes, most colored in black and grey, but there were splashes of red for a bit of contrast. Fives took note of the colors idly as he continued to swallow down his food as quickly as possible. It was force of habit. One never knew when a red alert would sound, so it was always best to eat as quickly as possible. He wondered who'd chosen the color scheme in the place. He preferred blue and white, not only because they were the colors associated with his brothers, but they reminded him of being outdoors. There was a sense of freedom with those colors. Black and grey reminded him of darkness, and storm clouds, and it was all somehow very... oppressive.

"You have that look again," Kix said, diving into a plate of corn clusters.

"What look?" Fives demanded, in between bites of a large banana Dantooine flapjack with a double shot of syrup. A dribble of syrup ran down his chin and Kix deftly handed him a napkin, with all the practice of a medic performing surgery, before the errant syrup hit his pauldron.

A voice startled both of them. "Ah, you must be Fives and Kix."

Fives tensed, his fingers tightening on his sporknife as if he intended to use it as a weapon. Kix had no doubt Fives could do terrible things with cutlery, and an all-purpose utensil in the ARC's hands was a recipe for disaster. He snaked his hand across the table and gripped the ARC's wrist. "Hold."

A clone who looked to be about ten standard or younger, dressed in an ArmyMed standard-issue uniform, gazed at them curiously.

"Who are you?" Fives growled, still brandishing the sporknife in a threatening manner.

The newcomer's lips quirked up with amusement. "Yep. I see now why they sent me. You are a badass. No one else wanted to come."

Fives frowned. "Come to do what? What is that supposed to mean?"

The ArmyMed clone ignored the question. "Corellian cream puff! My favorite!" He made a grab for the dessert in the corner of Fives' tray. "Shove over. Make room for a brother." He bodily pushed the ARC over and settled in next to him.

Kix gaped at him. "Uh, I wouldn't-"

The clone grabbed the dessert off of Fives' tray and took a huge mouthful.

"What are you doing here?" Fives' stared at the newcomer, his voice still had a tone like he was considering using the sporknife.

"This is for you," said the creampuff thief around full bites of pastry. He pulled a datapad off his belt. "No one else wanted to deliver it." He gave Fives a curious look. "What did you say to them?"

Fives stared at the newcomer, trying to figure out his intentions.

"From ARC Trooper Echo, his scan," the clone clarified, setting the datapad down. He continued to calmly eat the dessert, licking his fingers. Both Fives and Kix made a grab for the pad at the same time. "Hey, hey, easy! That's my personal pad."

Fives had faster reflexes and picked up the datapad first, his facing lighting up with the blue from the screen. "I don't know how to interpret this data. What does this mean? White matter hyperdensities. Light and dark spots. Is that good or bad? Arteriovenous malformation. That's bad, right?"

"Fives." Kix held out his hand for the datapad and read the results carefully, his lips moving as he studied the results. "This is amazing. I've never seen a scan with this level of detail."

The cream puff thief grinned. "We've only had the ion res scanner for about two weeks. I'm one of two medics with expertise in interpreting the results. I'm Sly, by the way."

"Is that your name," Fives asked, glancing down at his tray where the cream puff used to reside, "or your personality type?"

The clone laughed. "Both, I guess. I'm a medic assigned to..." he grimaced and gestured around, "... this place."

Kix made a slight gesture, still absorbed in his reading. "Kix. Senior Medic. 501st."

"I know who you are. I think everyone knows the 501st. You guys were already a big deal in the brotherhood before, kind of legend, you know? But, fek almighty, now that you've all come back from the dead?!" He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Troopers everywhere are recasting that broadcast from Commander Cody where he dictated terms to General Windu- a High Council member, no less! I almost have the whole thing memorized word for word. I mean, what clone has the shebs to do that? That never happens! Every trooper has been talking about it. No one can talk about anything else-"

"Yes, Sly, I was there," Kix cast the clone an exasperated look. "Speaking of talking about something else. Can we discuss ARC Trooper Echo's scan results? Kix interrupted, drawing his fellow medic's attention back to the datapad.

"Right, of course, that's why I'm here," Sly polished off the last of his dessert with a cheerful smile and reaching for another from Fives' tray. The ARC pulled his tray back out of the way with all of the swiftness of dodging enemy fire. Kix pushed out an exasperated breath and pushed his tray toward Sly. The Coruscanti-based medic took his time selecting a slice of fruit-pod pie before taking control of the datapad again. "The first scan shows the penetrating torso trauma. This tangential stab wound is obviously not superficial. His medical records state he has been in bacta for several days, so CT-1409 should-"

"His name is Echo," Fives' growled.

Kix shot his brother a censuring look to shut up and let the medic speak.

"Fine," Sly agreed, "Echo, then." He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure there's a story there." He sighed and continued on. "Echo should be showing more evidence of tissue regeneration. Something is preventing him from healing, even with the time in bacta."

"What?!" Kix took possesion of the datapad again, and stared down at the results. "That can't be right."

Sly nodded. "I've never seen anything like it. I suspect there is some disregulation in his CNI, but the results of this test are indeterminate-"

"Back up," Fives demanded, "explain."

"His central nervous system is malfunctioning," Kix said simply.

Sly nodded. "There's more. He has a host of neurologic symptoms that back up the CNI involvement, that are suggestive of pressure on the lumbar area. But, you see, the results were indeterminate in that area, as well."

"I thought this scanner was supposed to be-"

"Fives!" Kix hissed.

Sly continued on undaunted. "After I read the results, I ordered they keep him there for a second test. I think something is going on with his brain. That is what is causing this cascading effect of issues with his other systems. The second test will have triple contrast and go much deeper-"

"A second test?!" Fives objected, sputtering on a bite of lentils. "Echo's very weak. Why didn't you check with us first?"

"Fives," Kix said, "let him continue. Go on. What do you hope to achieve with this second test?"

Sly glanced over at Fives, completely unperturbed by the ARC. "If there is something going on with his brain, it will account for all of these strange readings. I also recommended a puncture to study cerebral fluid for cell count, protein and glucose levels. This allows a cross-reference against the scan results."

Kix nodded with approval. "Excellent approach."

Fives scowled and pushed his tray back as if he'd suddenly lost all interest in food. Sly gave a speculative look at the remains. "Fine, help yourself," Fives grumbled. "So, what you're saying is we know something is making Echo sick, but we don't know what it is or how to fix him?"

"Exactly," Sly said.

"So, how does this help Echo get better?" Fives demanded.

"It's a starting point," Sly said. "He needs more tests."

"Fine," Fives grumbled. "But, those tests better fekkin' find something."

# # #

"Up you go. It's almost 0600. Commander Fox will be here soon to pick you up."

Cody opened a bleary eye and peered at Silver. He pushed himself up on elbow. "Where... where is my armor?" his voice still sounded thick. He didn't seem to be wearing... anything.

"I opted to put you in for a short dip in the tank to speed up your healing." The medic's voice dropped low. "It's best if you are in perfect health before you head into lockup."

Cody nodded. "Fine. Where's my armor?" He blinked blearily, staring around the overly bright medbay. It felt like he'd only closed his eyes a second ago. He tried to push himself upright, but found his muscles still didn't want to cooperate.

Silver pushed him back down and pushed the bunk upright. He shined a bright light in Cody's eyes.

"Gah," Cody winced at the light, "you're worse than Cavil."

"Cavil! I went through training with him. How is he? He was such a smart fekker."

"He... he... was the best medic we could have asked for- saved our lives time and again. He... died saving trooper lives at Darkknell. Cryseefa gas."

Silver sighed heavily and hung his head. "What about Keen? Those two were never separated."

Cody shook his head, feeling the oppressive guilt of not being able to save his men. It was particularly hard losing medics. They were the ones who had saved them time and again. What could he have done differently so-

"Silver, is he ready to go?"

Cody startled at Fox's sudden arrival, but it was a welcome distraction from the memories which haunted him. He needed to get dressed. "My armor." He tried to push up and off the medbay table and nearly toppled to the floor. Silver caught him and pushed him back in place.

"You don't wear armor in this place. You got some medbay blues for him to wear?"

Silver nodded and reached to a nearby cabinet to pull out a shrinkwrapped back of clothes. He tossed them to Cody.

"Great," Cody grumbled, tugging open the packaging and slipping the loose fitting top over his head. "This is much better than armor."

"We need to get your flimsiwork processed," Fox informed him. "Everything has to be filed in fekkin' triplicate and I've had at least a dozen comm calls about you already this morning." His tone made it clear that Cody was complicating his life tremendously. He dropped his voice down low. "You've angered a lot of people, Codes."

Cody tugged the loose fitting pants out of the packaging and was attempting to slip them on while still sitting down. His dizziness hadn't improved much. But, he was sure he was doing a good job of hiding it from both Fox and Silver.

"Does he need a stim or something? He looks weak."

"Weak?" Cody scoffed, immediately trying to stand on his own to prove Fox wrong. He had his 212th Airborne Pride, after all. He promptly toppled forward again and both men caught him at once and pushed him back onto the medbay bunk.

"What he needs is more rest," the medic announced.

"I'll settle for caf?" Cody offered up.

"Give him a stim," Fox grumbled. "They're calling for his head. I've got to get him processed."

Silver gave Cody an exasperated look which said 'what did you do?!'

The medic balked. "We all know this is only going to prop him up for a few hours and then he'll crash again." He reached over and tugged on Cody's pants with quick, practiced moves.

"Spare me your wiseass commentary Silver and just do it or I'll find myself another Chief Medic."

The medic pulled a hypo off of his belt and injected Cody in the neck. "Right, I'd lose this plumb assignment," Silver muttered under his breath.

"Watch it," Fox hissed sharply at his medic, "I can get you reassigned anytime, Silver."

Cody tried to push up again. The medic assisted him to his feet, holding on to him. This time his body functioned more normally. He'd pay for it later, but at least he was back on his feet.

Silver pulled Fox aside. "As soon as word gets around there is a commander locked up in here with the rest of them, they'll-"

"That's enough," Fox glared at his medic. Cody was quickly realizing there was no brotherly love lost between the two.

"Commander, you must realize that-"

"I don't need a lecture from you. I've had enough comms this morning. This is not up to us. This is coming down from the highest levels."

Cody had a terrible feeling about this. But, he'd brought this on himself. He needed to face the consequences of his actions. He nodded to Fox. "I'm ready."

# # #

"You'll be alright?" Rex asked Ahsoka as they headed into the lift leading down to the hangar bay.

"Yes," the Jedi padawan laughed, "that's the third time you've asked me."

Rex scowled and then scrubbed at his face. "I don't see why you have to head back to the Temple now. The rest of the 501st is headed back dirtside in six hours. Why couldn't the Council wait-"

Ahsoka laughed again. "Rex, when have you ever known the Council to wait for anything?"

Rex's lips twisted up in a slight teasing smile. "I thought they were Jedi. Known for their patience."

"You would think so, but no."

"I could accompany you, it is my duty as your Captain-"

She poked him playfully in the chest. "And, you would go crazy every minute you were there, worrying about how the men are getting on. You want to leave Trapper in charge?"

Rex looked aghast, and then sighed, relenting. "Comm me on a regular basis, alright? And let me know if you hear anything about Cody, even if it's just a rumor-"

"Yes, Rex, we've been all through this," she shook her head, and studied him with a fond smile, ruffling his short-cropped hair, "you haven't changed a bit."

He allowed the brief show of affection for a second before squirming and backing away from her touch. "I have changed," he insisted stubbornly, folding his arms across his chest.

"But, not in all the ways that matter," Ahsoka said, her face lighting up with a hint of a smile.

A claxon sounded to signal an incoming ship landing and they turned to see a shuttle clearing the shield. The ship landed swiftly and two Jedi Rex didn't know emerged, accompanied by two royal guards.

"That's my ride," Ahsoka said, giving Rex a final nod. "Captain."

"Commander."

Ahsoka headed over to the ship, disappearing inside. He watched the ship swiftly depart, feeling the separation between them as clone and Jedi once again. He turned and almost collided with Trapper.

"Trapper," he grumbled.

The 212th trooper shoved a cup of caf into his hands.

"What's this for?" Rex asked, staring down at the plast-cup in confusion.

"Caf."

"Yes, I can see that. Why are you giving it to me?"

"I convinced one of the transport pilots to give me caf out of his galley. This is real trooper caf, not Kazzie caf."

Rex stared down at the cup in amazement. The aroma suddenly hit him. "Trapper," he looked at the clone in gratitude.

"Call me, Trap. My closest friends do."

Rex sighed and took a sip of the caf. "Oh, fek."

"Good?" Trapper asked, watching his reaction.

"You're not going to have any?" Rex asked.

"Nope," Trapper said, "don't have much. Been trading what little I have for stuff all over the ship."

Rex's brow furrowed. "Out of curiosity, what did you trade the pilot to get the caf?"

"Kazzie fruit. I convinced him it was a rare delicacy from the far Outer Rim."

"You're a true Jango."

Trapper beamed from the compliment. "Thank you." He handed Rex a datapad. "So, our new barracks are ready. They said we can start heading down planetside early if we wish."

Rex studied the data as he walked with Trapper back to the lift leading to the bridge.

"These barracks are new, sir. Not far from our old ones," Trapper said enthusiastically, "but these have never been occupied. They're fully equipped with the latest tech."

Rex savored the taste of the caf as he read the report sent over by Admiral Yularen. The barracks had recently been built for the 952 Battalion. But, they'd been wiped out in the Battle of Riordan. Then, the quarters had been reassigned to the 365th. However, the 365th had lost half their forces at Arda and was now combined in with the 875th which had also lost half their number. It was devastating to read how many tens of thousands of clones had died in the two months he'd been gone. He and Cody had brought their men back home, but it almost seemed insignificant compared to the rate at which clones were dying in the war.

"Are you alright, sir?" Trapper asked. Rex realized the 212th trooper was expounding upon the features of the rec room at their new barracks.

"Yes, fine," he stepped out onto the bridge. He stared down at the city planet below and his gut twisted. Fek. He was back. So, why didn't he feel like he was ready to go down to the planet? Why was his gut telling him not to go? He steeled his shoulders and decided he needed to face whatever awaited him down there. "We will deploy planetside on schedule." He turned to Captain Ko. "Begin preparations to turn command of this ship over to Admiral Yularen and Republic Intelligence at 1300. All crew will be departing planetside."

"Acknowledged."

"A transmission came in for you, sir, while you were down on the hangar bay. The Jedi Council requests your presence as soon as you are planetside," Denal said.

Rex's gut twisted a bit tighter. "Did they say anything more?"

"Only that they had a number of questions."

Rex took a deep breath. Of course they do.

Trapper appeared by his elbow, with another cup of caf in hand. "More?" he asked quietly.

Several troopers looked up suspiciously, sniffing the air and gave Trapper a questioning look. Rex accepted the cup, but poured half of it into his existing cup and handed the other half back to Trapper. "Thanks, Trapper. Go take a few minutes."

Rex could see now why Cody relied upon Trapper so heavily. There was much more to the trooper than initially met the eye.

Captain Ko relinquished the command chair and Rex took his place. Rex sank down in the oversized Kazzie chair. He'd gotten used to this ship. He gestured toward Ko to take a break, as well. Ko nodded his thanks.

Rex sat back in his chair, slowly savoring his caf and reading reports as they came in from various areas of the ship as troopers shut down the ship and prepared to head down to Coruscant. Any problems that came in were routine and easily solved. They were the types of problems he was used to dealing with as a Captain. No politics. The routine of it relaxed him. He was sure once he set foot on Coruscant life was about to get complicated again.

# # #

Chapter Text

Fives hated waiting.

Sly, the aptly named nuisance of a thief, had finally left, but at least promised to comm with a update on Echo. Fives watched him make his way through the cafeteria, greeting some of the other clones, and even a few natborns, as he worked his way to the exit. He seemed to know almost everyone who worked in this massive place. And, he seemed in no fekkin' hurry to return to work.

"I know that look," Kix said, interrupting his reverie.

"I don't like him," Fives said, gesturing with his caf cup toward the retreating form of Sly. "That food stealing di'kut."

"That is an unforgivable crime," Kix shook his head, selected the last two desserts off of his tray and loaded them onto Fives' tray. "Better?"

Fives' gave the desserts a speculative look and then gazed down into his caf cup. "Yes, but I'm out of caf. You can't have dessert without caf."

Kix snorted and grabbed his cup. "I'll get you caf, but only because I was headed to fill my own cup. Otherwise, I'd be more inclined to dump my caf on your head."

Fives' snorted in slight amusement and focused his attention on finishing off the remains off his meal. It had gone cold, and some of it had congealed slightly, but it was still a feast compared to what he had been eating lately. He watched Kix make his way across the large mess to refill their cups and then his gaze drifted over to some of the other clones. His eyes narrowed as he studied them.

Kix returned and slid a full caf cup in front of him. "Alright, now what is that look all about?"

Fives raised his caf cup to Kix in a gesture of thanks before turning his attention to the desserts. He neatly split them both in half using his utiletensil and returned an even portion back to Kix. "There's something off about some of the clones here. The younger ones."

"Like Sly?" Kix's voice portrayed his confusion. He accepted the desserts and tucked in, obviously enjoying the rare treats.

"No," Fives said thoughtfully, as he continued to look around, mouth full of Aldeeraani cream pie. He was distracted for a moment by his food. "Whoa. This is good." He turned his attention back to a table full of sullen young clones, dressed as orderlies. "The clones younger than Sly. You see how they move? They look like Jangos, but don't move like them. "

Kix reluctantly put down his fork, and pivoted in his seat, caf cup in hand so he could casually look around in the direction Fives' indicated. "Alright, I'll admit they are a little stiff and awkward in their movements. They're... young."

"Even cadets on Kamino don't move like that," Fives continued to studied. "They also hardly talk to each other. Even young cadets can't shut up at mealtimes. There's something off about these clones. It's..." Fives continued to study them, head tilting to the side, like they were a puzzle he could not figure out, "... like they have no spark."

"Maybe they have a more subdued manner about them because of this posting," Kix suggested, pivoting back around so he could return to his food. Although, his tone of voice suggested he was not entirely convinced his theory was correct.

"Oh, I'll admit being stuck here on Corrie is no life for a clone. But, I think it's more than that..." Fives continued to study the clones, and then gestured for Kix to look again.

The medic sighed reluctantly and pivoted in his seat to observe the group of clone orderlies. They stood as one group and walked out of the mess hall, one after another, not speaking. They looked more like they were walking in formation than enjoying their lunch break. "OK, that is... odd."

Fives leaned in, his tone a conspiratorial whisper. "You don't think they're experimenting on them or something, do you?"

Kix rolled his eyes. "You're imagining things." He made a grab for Fives' cup. "No more caf for you."

Fives pulled his cup out of reach. "I'm telling you- those vod are different."

Kix rolled his eyes again and pulled out his datapad. He started reading, effectively ending the conversation.

Maybe Kix was a solid medic, but he wasn't as good as Echo at listening when Fives was onto one of his brilliant theories. Fives slid his bucket back on and activated the helmet cam so he could show Echo when he was feeling better. Echo would have numerous theories on it.

Rex warned us about this place, Fives mused, and something already seems off.

He checked his wrist comm several times, waiting for updates on Echo's second scan. When he couldn't take the waiting any longer, he tapped out a note to the comm code Sly had left for them. REQUEST UPDATING ON SCAN FOR CT- 21-0408

A response from Sly came back almost immediately. RESULTS COMING IN NOW. COME TO MY LOCATION. WE CAN REVIEW TOGETHER. The medic dropped a locator pin.

Fives tossed back the rest of his caf and picked up his tray, all thoughts of finishing his dessert forgotten. "Come on, results are in." He tilted his wrist slightly so Kix could see the message.

Kix tucked his datapad away, and hurried after Fives, who was already halfway across the mess hall. His body language was intimidating and both troopers and civvies stepped aside to make room for him. As they entered the corridor, staff continued to give him a wide berth.

# # #

Admiral Yularen had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, the Kaz'harian warbird was not to land on Coruscant.

Seems like someone in the upper ranks still doesn't trust either Cody, or me, or both.

After the last medical evac ship left, troop carriers arrived in the hangar, one after another. Rex and Ko had arranged a schedule, squad by squad, for the men to leave the warbird and head down to their trooper barracks on Corrie. The bridge crew and command team would head down in the last transport.

Three shuttles, bearing the Republic special forces logo, arrived shortly after the troop carriers. A number of natborns wearing the distinct white tunic of the Republic Inteliigence division departed the first shuttle. They were followed by a number of clones wearing their dress greys, and a squad of special ops clones. These weren't Republic Commandos, with their heavy keltarn and distinctive colors. No, these troopers were wearing gleaming black armor from head to toe.

"Get a load of those guys," Ko muttered to Rex over private channel, "I heard about them, but haven't seen any before."

Rex didn't comment, but there was something unsettling about the clones in black. Yularen walked over to greet the officers in white.

"You think he works with those guys?" Ko continued on with his steady stream of conversation.

"I don't know. Most likely." It was strange to think Yularen was part of Republic Intelligence now. So much had changed in the time Rex had been away.

Squads of troopers continued to pass by, most stopping to salute the two Captains before heading on to their transports. Rex nodded to them, but continued to watch Yularen using the side cam of his bucket.

He seems awfully friendly with those spooks. Several times during their conversation, Yularen and the other Intelligence officers glanced over toward Rex.

"They're watching us," Ko muttered, proving he was also observing Yularen out of his side cam, "no correction, they all seem to be interested in you."

Rex rolled his eyes. "No, it's all you, Ko. It's your stunning good folks and sparkling personality."

Ko tilted his head back, bursting into laughter. The movement caught the attention of Yularen and the others, but it worked out in Rex's favor. They looked like two Captains catching up with each other, enjoying a bit of humor, and animated conversation.

And, not spying on my Admiral, who is now a spy.

The black ops clones stood behind the officers, not quite at formal parade rest, but not moving either. They all stood still staring over at Rex and Ko.

"Those guys are creepy," Ko grumbled, "I heard they're all deconditioned clones."

"Ko," Rex chastised, "the men are bad enough in their gossip. You don't need to encourage any of these rumors."

"Encourage it? It's where I get my intel."

Troopers who were not battle injured, yet still deemed defective by Kaminoan standards, went through a different processing. They were told these clones were reassigned to other units with new CT numbers. This was a disturbing enough thought because it treated brothers like hardware that needed wiping and rebooting. But, with Ko was right, and these 'lost' clones were being turned into something else?

Yularen finished his conversation and walked back over to Rex and Ko. "Tell your bridge crew their replacements are on the way. They are to give these men a rundown of ship's operations and then come down here for transport to Coruscant."

Rex nodded, somewhat bothered by the word 'replacements.' He accompanied Yularen to the bridge while the transfer took place and was on the last shuttle off of the ship. He was surprised when Yularen stepped onto the shuttle with him.

"Sir?"

"You and your men have been assigned to my watch."

This made sense, from a certain point of view. With Kenobi, Skywalker, Cody, and Appo all out-of-commission, there were some glaring vacancies at the top of the Open Fleet Command Structure. It was a logical choice to put the 501st and 212th back under the command of their formal admiral.

So, why did Rex feel uneasy now around Yularen?

# # #

Cody could feel every eye on him as he walked the corridors next to Fox. They passed row after row of identical cells. The halls seemed to stretch on forever. All manner of prisoners were locked up in here, including some clones. Cody assumed all clones were automatically deconditioned or reconditioned.

"What's up with that?" he made a vague gesture with his chin, as they passed a clone in a cell.

"Better not to ask questions in here, Cody."

They continued to walk on. The silence started to grate on Cody. "Gah- the scale of this place. It's bigger than a cruiser."

Fox took off his bucket and tucked it under his arm. Cody noticed a slight flick of his hand as he did so. To someone who had not trained on armor their whole life the gesture would've been unnoticeable. But, Cody would bet Fox had rigged a kill switch for his helmet cam, and maybe even a short radius scrambler. "Building things on a grand scale seems to be the way of our Chancellor." He was silent for a long pause and then added in a low tone, "Ponds was right, you know."

"About what?"

"You're the first high ranking clone to be locked up in here. You need to be vigilant at all times, especially in public areas. If you want, I can keep you isolated-"

"Keep me in a cell all the time? No." As a brother, Cody could think of nothing worse than being alone all the time. "I can handle myself."

"You have no idea what you're up against in here, Cody. I know you've seen your share of action out there in the 'Rim, but the rules are different here." Fox sighed heavily. "Everything is different here." He stopped in front of a cell, that looked identical to all the others. "I'll do what I can for you, but my hands are tied." He palmed the controls for the cell and gave Cody a gentle shove inside. He activated the force shield and stared at Cody for a long moment at the other side of the shield.

Cody wished he knew what was going on inside his brother's head. Somehow during the war Fox had become a stranger to him. "Just go," Cody said, turning his back on Fox and walking into his cell. He listened to the sound of his brother's boots clicking against the polished floor. Part of him wanted to call out to Fox and come back. And, part of him was too angry at the whole situation, because Fox felt more like a tool of the system that had locked him up than the brother he knew from Kamino. He sank down to the floor, with his back to the wall of the cell, drawing his knees up to his chest. He stared out at the force shield feeling very alone.

# # #

Chancellor Palpatine shook his head as he studied the vid broadcast. "This is very disturbing."

"I agree," Mas Amedda, his Vice-Chancellor said, leaning in to get a better look at the broadcast, "it sets a dangerous precedent." He rewound the broadcast slightly. "This Commander Cody threatened a senior member of the Jedi Council."

Palpatine made a thoughtful 'hmmm' deep in his throat as he pressed his hands together. "Where is he now?"

"He has been locked up at the Republic Military Base, pending court-martial." Amedda called up some info on his datapad. "However, his court-martial is based upon charges of AWOL and desertion."

The Chancellor lifted up a brow in surprise. "AWOL and desertion, now that is surprising. He is Master Kenobi's commander, is he not?"

"Ah, yes, well, apparently, he deserted to rescue his General when Republic forces could not locate him."

"Yes, the missing Legions," the Chancellor reached his hand out for the datapad which Amedda dutifully handed over. He read through the information, the frown lines on his face growing deeper. "This shows a level of initiative unprecedented in clones. I will need to speak with the Kaminoans. Clear my calendar this afternoon. I want to see Senator Burtoni."

Amedda nodded, making a note on a second datapad, before looking up again. "There's more."

Palpatine raised up an eyebrow in polite interest, but his eyes were hard and glittering. "I'm listening."

"The vid broadcast was seen by a large number of clones. I've heard rumors the clones are recirculating the broadcast among themselves. They find..." Amedda sneered up one lip as if he'd tasted something particularly sour, "... inspirational."

Palpatine pivoted in his chair, looking out the expansive windows of his office into the Coruscant night sky, his face pensive. He steepled his fingertips, tapping them together, and spoke without turning around. "I ask you, Mas Amedda, what good is an army which can think for itself?"

"My Lord?" Amedda frowned in confusion. "Is there something you wish me to do?"

Palpatine stared out for another long moment, before swiveling back around, and started the broadcast again. He froze on the image of Cody. "He's at the RMB, you say?"

Amedda nodded.

"I've heard that can be a dangerous place," the Chancellor said, his voice low and soft.

Amedda's lip curled up in an ugly smile.

"It would be most unfortunate if something were to happen to such a free-thinker," the Chancellor continued, his gaze still fixed on Cody.

Amedda nodded and bowed. "Yes, Chancellor. Most unfortunate." He quickly left the room.

Once he was gone, Palpatine continued on with the broadcast, once again freezing on the image of Cody. "Yes, Commander," his voice dropped to something dark and ugly, all pretense of the grandfatherly persona dropped as he murmured to himself, "your little clone rebellion ends now." He swiveled to stare back outside and watch darkness fall on Coruscant.

# # #

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Echo's results were finally in. Hopefully, it was good news. Or, at least a starting point. Something they could use to save him. Kix ran to keep up with Fives as they made their way back to the scanning room.

"Move!" Fives scattered hapless technicians unfortunate enough to get in his way. His full-speed passage through the corridors intimidated the omnipresent mouse droids running errands. They reversed on their servos and sped off in fear for their electronic lives.

Kix rolled his eyes, amazed at how Fives managed to intimidate. His brother was a total softie, especially when it came to Echo.

If anything happened to Echo, it would crush Fives.

Kix leaped over a hovering techo-service droid and barely cleared it. "Move it, tinny!"

The droid bleeped loudly in alarm and flipped Kix what he was sure was an inappropriate gesture with one of its articulated arms.

They reached the lift and he leaned forward to catch his breath as they waited for the doors to open. Fives gave him a  look . "You need to go through ARC training."

Kix gave his brother a dismissive hand wave. The suggestion was ridiculous and he didn't have enough spare oxygen to give more of a reply. He was a medic, not an ARC trooper.

Fives crossed his arms across his chest, no doubt scowling behind his bucket. The doors opened and Fives bodily hauled him into the lift. "I could put in a recommendation."

"You have lousy people skills," Kix objected, tugging his brother's hand off of his shoulder, "and, no. I don't want or need all of that extra training."

Fives gave him an assessing look. "You'd be good at it. You think things through." His foot tapped nervously as the lift traveled through the many levels of the enormous hospital. He turned his attention back to Kix, perhaps to distract himself more than anything. "I heard what you did on the jungle planet."

"What did I do?"

"Took charge. Defended the ship. Repelled an attack. Saved the lives of the troopers onboard."

How did he hear about that? Most of the troopers onboard at the time were Rex's renegades. Kix shook his head. "I didn't save all of them."

"That's not what it's about. We'll never be able to save all of our brothers."

"I refuse to accept that thinking. I'll never stop trying to save all of our brothers."

"Then think of how many more brothers you could save if you had a promotion. And, more training."

A higher rank to call more shots out in the field? There were times when Kix had been ordered to leave his brothers behind. He hated it. He understood the strategic necessity, at times, but he hated it. Would it give him more leverage to save his brothers? He didn't get a chance to respond. The lift doors opened and he was once again chasing Fives through the corridors of the enormous facility.

Fives' words replayed in his mind.

It was ridiculous, right? Medics did not receive ARC training. Jesse wanted to be an ARC. He'd always wanted it, and he was perfect for the role. No one, except for Fives, would ever consider Kix for advanced training. No. It didn't even bear further consideration.

Fives skidded to a halt so quickly Kix had to dodge to the side to avoid crashing into him. His brother swiveled his head around to give him a  look  but did not comment. Fives palmed the scanning room door. It pinged as locked. Without waiting for someone inside to answer, Fives slid a keycard from his belt, synced it to his wrist comm, and hacked it open without effort.

Kix shook his head, thinking Fives did these things to burn off excess energy and not because of necessity.

"I was about to ping you in," Sly swiveled around in his chair, "but, I like your style."

A second trooper in the room was more put off about their unauthorized entry. "Who are you?"

Fives stared the trooper down. " Who  are you?"

"I'm specialist Kirklin. You are not authorized to be in here." He gave Fives' ARC armor a wary look.

Fives leaned over the trooper. "Specialist Kirklin,  you  are going to take a caf break. We were never here."

Kirklin studied Kix and Fives warily, and then as he took a second look, his expression changed. "You're 501st."

"Yes, obviously-" Fives started to retort.

" Yes, " Kix interrupted, shooting his brother a look, "we're one of the Legions that recently returned from-"

"I know who you are. Every trooper in the GAR does at this point, after that broadcast-"

Sly made a conciliatory hand gesture. "Kirklin, I'll handle this one. Take your break."

"I'm taking a double-length break and  you  are covering for me," Kirklin bargained, already halfway out the door. He paused at the door, giving Kix and Fives another look. "That Commander Cody has a big codpiece to do what he did."

"Kirklin," Sly shot him an annoyed look, "you were leaving?"

"I'm going, but you cover for me next time I'm late."

Sly rolled his eyes. "I already do."

Fives shoved the specialist the rest of the way out the door. "Thank you, Kirklin. Enjoy your break. Be sure to try the Alderaani cream puff." He returned to Kix and Sly and sat down in the chair vacated by the technician. "So, what did you find?"

Sly inhaled deeply and Kix didn't like the long hesitation before his reply. "It's... inconclusive."

Kix leaned in to peer at the scans, frowning as he tried to interpret the results. He briefly wondered if he should chase down the break-loving Kirklin. But, he'd spent most of his free time, outside of the medbay, learning all he could about specialty cases and the uniqueness of clone anatomy. Jesse liked to read up on extra information he thought might help on ARC exams one day, and Kix studied medical texts. It was a pleasant enough way to spend their free time together. He sucked in a deep breath and stared at the screen, studying the results.

Strange.

He'd studied the brain scans of hundreds of injured troopers. Most scans followed a consistent pattern, but only once before had he seen something which reminded him of this pattern. It had taken him down a thread of material that had been continually marked  'Classified .'

Kix leaned in and stared at an amoeba-shaped object in puzzlement. "Can I move back and forth between the scans on my screen?"

Sly leaned over and showed him how to operate the controls. "This is an ultra high-res scan up to 100 microns. Zoom in using this controller."

Kix zoomed in and out, familiarizing himself with the controls. Fives leaned in over his shoulder, so close their buckets were bumping. He ignored the distraction and tried to make sense of the images. This was a different sort of scan than the basic imagery they had access to out in the field. Wait- what was causing all of that encephalitis? The symptoms were consistent with Echo's fever, but he'd been shot in the chest and stabbed in the shoulder. He hadn't suffered any sort of head trauma. So, why did he have signs of an overactive immune system? He traced his finger along the screen. "Do you see what is happening with the meninges?"

"We'll need further scans to know if the spinal cord is involved."

"E ncephalomyelitis?"

Sly nodded. "What were you exposed to out there?"

"Nothing. He was battle injured fighting the Seppies out in the Rim..." Kix's voice trailed off, as he continued to stare at the scans. "You're right, though. There is clear evidence his brain is being attacked, but it's nothing like anything I've seen before." He traced his fingers along another scan. "Look here."

"I noticed that, too." Sly pulled up the same image from a different angle, and pointed back and forth from his screen to Kix's screen. "Kirklin disagreed with my findings. He said we are seeing evidence of a virus at different stages of reproduction. I think we are looking at two different objects. One attacking the other."

"I agree." He stared back and forth between the two screens. "I don't know  what  type of virus this is, or what that object is. I've never seen anything like it."

Fives tapped his helmet cam and leaned in even closer.

Sly glanced up at Fives. "For the record, there isn't supposed to be any sort of recording. You aren't even supposed to be in here."

Fives shrugged. "Not here. Not recording."

Sly nodded. "So we're clear."

Fives gave him an overly enthusiastic pounding on the shoulder, but now there seemed to be some affection in the gesture. "Clear, shine."

Kix zoomed in even further on his screen, but the image blurred. "I'm maxed out."

"You're already at 100 microns."

"We need an even better scan to know what it is we're dealing with here."

Sly sucked in a deep breath. "There is only one machine here with that kind of resolution. Tough to get authorization for it. Usually, after a single scan, they determine if a trooper can be sent back to combat, otherwise... eh..."

Fives growled deep under his breath. "Do  not  finish that sentence."

Sly scowled, and then shrugged. He leaned in and stared at the unusually shaped blob on the screen. "Any ideas?"

Kix took off his helmet so he could look at the screen with his bare eyes. "I usually start by eliminating possibilities. We know Echo fought and was injured in the battle. Several times. So, we can't rule out the possibility of brain trauma." Kix zoomed out and in on the screen several times, hissing out a breath of frustration that he couldn't get better detail on the anomalous blob he wanted to examine further. "I don't know what it is we are looking at here. It doesn't look like any sort of brain trauma I've seen before. His symptoms are less consistent with inflammation from a brain injury and more consistent with viral inflammation."

"Could it be something we haven't seen before?" Fives said. "Something Echo found in the control room? The Kazzies were scientists, experimenting on the Jedi and such. Maybe Echo found something. Touched something-"

"Wait," Sly said, his eyes widening, "these Kaz'harians you fought. They  experimented  on the Jedi?"

"Yes, and, that doesn't leave this room," Fives' voice brokered no argument. He was using his I-will-break-all-of-your-fingers-no-argument voice.

Sly was completely unintimidated by Fives. He was more offended. "Geez, you big bad ARC. Get over yourself. I was just curious. You don't hear that sort of thing every day."

Kix turned his snort of amusement into an attempt to cover it up. The young medic had no issues handling Fives. He was right, though, the Kaz'harians had been into some unusual scientific experimentation. So, maybe that was the key to what they were seeing now. "Alright, it's a starting point, then. We think this has something to do with what happening on Kaz'haria. But, we need more information, another scan."

Sly nodded. "Agreed. But, it will be hard to get. They reserve those for those with the highest clearance or the cases with the most pressing medical need."

Kix's ears perked up. "Define pressing medical need."

Sly shrugged. "It could mean any number of things. There's a lot of latitude in the definition. I think in this case we could say Echo's got something we think which has placed the whole fleet at  risk.  He needs a much better scan. Even if the higher-ups don't care about Echo, which of course they don't," he risked a careful glance at Fives, "they do care about the fleet as a whole. They'll likely authorize the scan."

Fives nodded with approval, giving Sly another appreciative slap on the shoulder. "Good thinking, shinie. Make it happen."

"I have a name," Sly grumbled, but he cleared the scans off his console and leaned forward to type in the authorizations for the new scan. Fives leaned in over his shoulder and scrutinized his work. Sly reached a hand back and shoved him off. "Back off, you big brute."

Fives straightened up and Kix put a hand on his shoulder to quell his retort.

"Let him work."

"Done," Sly announced a few minutes later. "I put it in as the highest priority, implying this thing could be some sort of unknown contagion we are dealing with so we need to rule it out  immediately . With any luck, we'll have the authorization within the hour."

Fives gave a grudging nod of approval. "That's good thinking."

Sly quirked his lips up at the unexpected praise. "Alright, then, so... eh... Jedi experimentation?"

"You didn't hear that," Fives growled.

"Hmmmph..." Sly tapped at the pending authorization still waiting on his screen. "From one vode to another..."

Kix ignored the banter back and stared at the scans again. He'd seen an image like this before when he'd been trying to increase his knowledge as a medic. He'd run across some classified files in the medical database, but Jesse had gotten him in. It turned out to be benign stuff, Kaminoan records of the cloning process and different modifications they'd made to the original Fett genome. It was no secret the Kaminoans had tampered with the Fett DNA to make the current class of clones more compliant. Prime had some outstanding bounty hunter skills, but he would not have made the ideal solder. The ideal soldier follows orders without question. Kix assumed the Kaminoans tampered with their DNA to find the perfect blend of clone autonomy (to allow for original problem-solving) and compliance (the essential quality in a made-to-order army.) All of it had made sense to him at the time. But, now he was wondering if he'd overlooked some piece of data that might help Echo with his current medical situation. Could something in their unique genome be making Echo sick? It was a starting point, at least. Kix pulled his secondary datapad out of his pouch, the one that Jesse modified so he could do secure, anonymous searches on the GAR network, and he began cross-referencing Echo's scans against his earlier collection of research.

# # # #

Chapter Text

The journey down to Coruscant passed by in a flash. Rex sat next to the Admiral, struggling to keep his eyes open as they headed down to the city planet. He focused on the view of the planet as they came closer. It looked so... unchanged. He wasn't sure why he thought it would look different. So much had happened to  him  since he'd left ArmyMed over two months ago. The ecumenopolis was considered the vibrant heart and capital for the Galactic Republic, yet it always seemed  unaffected  by events happening elsewhere in the galaxy. The towering skyscrapers and streams of speeder-filled air traffic always looked the same. But, when they descended into the Republic Military Base, Rex's eyes widened in surprise. The complex had doubled in size, and construction droids were everywhere.

The Admiral excused himself and disappeared into the new barracks as soon as they landed. Rex stayed up on the rooftop to oversee the unloading of troop transports. He didn't want to head inside yet, although he knew he should check on the men. Since leaving Ando, he'd spent very little time outdoors. Most of it had been inside of ships or in the corridors of the dark fortress. The air of the city planet reeked of Lycandis plants and Blartree blossoms, speeder fuel, and the lingering septic smell that always seemed to rise up from the undercity. But, it was still good to be outside, even if it smelled nothing like the musty hints of mulch, cedar and salt air that pervaded Ando. 

Ko took over him, and he headed into their new living space. The barracks smelled  new.  He tried not to dwell on the 952nd and 365th Legions; these quarters had been built for  them . How long had they been in these barracks before deployed on the mission where they all met their end? The place didn't even smell like clone yet. But, the GAR was constantly shifting  resources . As Legions were wiped out, accommodations were made.

He stood at the door to the mess watching service and rectory droids buzzing about making preparations for the evening meal.

"What do you think dinner will be, sir?" Jesse asked, standing guard duty by the door. "The boys have started a betting pool. I bet four Kazzie fruit it will be Pashi noodle soup."

He was Captain (more or less), he should put an end to the betting.

Denal, standing guard duty with Jesse, frowned fiercely. "Blegh. Seriously? It's like licking laser canon fluid with unwashed boot liner."

Rex didn't want to know how Denal knew the taste of laser canon fluid. Both Jesse and Denal were looking at him expectantly. Rex shrugged. "Goarnt stew. They'll pick something loaded with nutrients. Put me down for two fruit."

"Only two?"

"Jess, I didn't exactly have time to stock up on fruit before we left the ship-"

"I could spot you a few-"

"Fine, make it four, then."

From the tilt of Jesse's bucket, Rex could tell he was grinning. It was a small thing, but if it made his brothers happy, he was all in.

"Kebroot," Denal said, thoughtfully, his voice grave like he'd just revealed the hidden location of Grevious. He nodded. "Alright, then, three on Kebroot," his voice still held all the seriousness of calling in a bomb strike.

Jesse lifted up his comlink to quietly call in the bets. Rex could barely hear the voice on the other end, but he could still tell it was Cody's friend and the bane of his existence in the 212th, Trapper.

"Captain Rex, the Council is expecting you."

Rex startled slightly. He hadn't heard Yularen coming up behind him. When had the man gotten so stealthy?

"Yes, sir, I was just on my way." That was true, from a certain point-of-view. He'd just been coming up with every justifiable reason to check on his men, all of them, before heading out to the meeting.

What had Skywalker once accused Ahsoka of when she dodged her meditation exercises?  Procrastination.  That was it. It was not a word common in the clone vocabularly.

But, he had a bad feeling about this meeting, and he'd never reported to the Council without Skywalker. Maybe if he delayed long enough they would lose interest and cancel their request for him to deliver a report. "Sir, the men have only just returned. It is better that I stay here with them. Perhaps you could contact-"

The Admiral lifted up an eyebrow. "Your orders were quite explicit, Captain. Rest assured I can watch over the 501st, and Captain Ko is capable of handling the 212th."

"Of course. Thank you, sir." It wasn't a bad thing to have the Admiral there. The men were less likely to start brawling out of boredom and coming up with 'games' that gave Rex grey hairs, (greased pole climbing, fiery bolo ball, Dive-ball (played on the stairs), and their latest infractions, naked space hockey and spheredunking. Thank you, Fives.)) "Eh, sir, are you sure? They can really be a handful on leave-"

"I am aware."

Yes, but did he know exactly how bad-

"Captain," Yularen assured him, "I will make sure all of the men keep their clothes on  and  create explicit rules regarding the use of stairs for recreational purposes."

Oh. Rex hadn't ever put any of those incidents in an official report. He let the men blow off steam on leave, up to an extent. How then did he know-

The Admiral gave him a nod that was both reassuring and an obvious dismissal. "Good luck on your meeting, then, Captain."

"Yes, of course, thank you, sir." He saluted, spun sharply on his heel and headed for the back exit of the kitchen. It would lead him directly out to street level-

"Captain," the Admiral was behind him again. How did he do that? He reached into one of the nearby crates and tossed a plastibag to Rex.

"What is this?" Rex stared down at the contents of the bag in surprise.

"A snack."

"A snack, sir?" Rex was familiar with the term. He'd heard it on Ando, but it was not a term they used in the GAR. "Sir, clones don't get  snacks ."

"They do today, Captain."

Rex continued to stare down at the bag in confusion. "Sir, how did you-"

"I do have  some  connections. These should help keep the peace until the mess is fully set up and we can serve evening meal." He handed Rex a second bag. "I have it on good authority, these are better than the usual GAR fare."

The man was a genius.

"Very good, sir. The men will appreciate it." 

The Admiral nodded and returned his attention to double-checking the shipment.

Rex sighed, unable to put off heading for the Temple any longer. He headed out into the street, tearing open the first bag and studying the contents curiously. Some sort of snack-cracker/nut mixture. He tugged off his helmet and clipped it to his belt, sampling a handful as he walked. A large holoscreen nearby was showing boloball scores.

It had been so long since he'd seen bolo-ball. He tried to watch the scores scrolling by as he walked trying to catch a glimpse of whether his preferred team, Baylluran Athletic, had played. But, he couldn't get a clear view through the crowds. He sighed, trying to content himself with the barest glimpse he caught of the players and the ball moving back and forth. One day, he would like to see an actual game. He blew out a breath. It probably would never happen. The scores ended and the holoscreen turned to coverage of the war. Rex turned away. The holonet coverage was never close to accurate. It didn't bear watching.

He took a swig from his canteen to wash down the salty snacks. The Admiral had chosen well. All of his men were likely iodine deficient along with other nutritional deficiencies. He glanced toward the Temple. He could double his pace and get their faster. But, he was exhausted and in no hurry for this confrontation. He started in on the second bag of 'snacks.'

Perhaps it was his anger at Cody being locked up, even though they knew it was the likely outcome after they'd rescued the Legions. Or, maybe it was the changes he'd undergone over the last two months. He still felt a strong sense of  duty . But, his loyalties lay to his brothers. To Ahsoka. The Council? Where had they been when he'd been sent off to Kamino for the crime of being injured in the line of duty? He didn't have anything to say anything to them; not anything they wanted to hear anyway.

# # #

"Admiral!" Chopper looked up from where he was studying a schematic of the new phase II armor on a shared datapad with the rest of his squad. Rumor had it when they received their replacement kit it would be the new stuff. The 212th and the 501st would be the first two Legions fully kitted out in the new armor. They were split on their opinions of the new design. Gus loved the rounder lines of the new helmet and how it was larger. He and Punch were already scheming about customizing their buckets inside with extra electronics now that space wouldn't be so tight. Jester was calculating how much air the new suit actually hold versus what it said in the specs, (which were usually only partially accurate), and if it would improve their chances of being spaced. Sketch was already working on designs for the squad using a scrap piece of flimsi he found in the barracks and a pen he purloined from the medbay.

The squad leapt to their feet at the unexpected entry of the Admiral into their barracks. It was difficult to stand stiffly to attention in their oversized Kazzie clothes. The rumor mill said a large duty of off-duty reds was already on its way and would be distributed by the quartermaster before end-of-day. Chopper winced as he felt his pants sliding, but didn't dare relax from his stiff posture in front of the Admiral.

"At ease, men, this is an informal visit."

Chopper breathed out a long sigh of relief and grabbed for his pants as they were sliding halfway down his bare buttocks. Jester was smirking at him, but Gus and Sketch were also grabbing at their pants.

"Replacement soft kit will be distributed shortly," the Admiral confirmed.

"Thank you, sir," Chopper hadn't officially been promoted to sergeant, but had assumed the role after the incident with Slick. He understood why he wasn't a candidate for promotion. He'd taken forbidden items from the battle field, and while he'd been truthful about it under questioning, it didn't excuse what he'd done. He would likely never be promoted, but that hadn't stopped the men from the squad expecting him to call the shots. He didn't understand it. He was a very flawed clone, inside and out, but he did his best to lead the squad. Another failure like happened with Slick and they all would likely be sent back to Kamino.

"I've brought you snacks," the Admiral said the word carefully. "Are you familiar with the term?" He gestured to a servi-droid out in the corridor who came forward pushing a cart.

The squad leaned in, staring at the cart in puzzlement.

"Snacks, sir?" Chopper searched his brain for a proper reference. He wished he had his bucket so he could do a quick holosearch and not appear so ignorant.

"It's... extra food you get between meals, isn't it, sir?" Gus asked, his voice full of hope. He was the youngest in the squad and sounded every bit his eleven years as he kept glancing toward the crate, trying to see what was inside.

"Yes, very good, trooper."

"Gus, sir."

Yularen nodded, although Chopper doubted he would remember their names. Most natborns couldn't tell them apart. Actually, none of them could, except for the Jedi. Commander Tano made an effort to get to know all of them. It was most impressive.

"Gus," Yularen nodded in acknowledgement, "and, you are?" He looked around at the rest of the squad.

The squad looked over to Chopper expectantly. He pointed to each member of the squad. "Jester. Punch. Sketch. And, I'm Chopper."

The Admiral nodded politely, and reached into the crate. The squad held their breath in anticipation, eyes widened as the Admiral handed each of them a plastibag. It didn't look like anything Chopper had ever eaten before. They all held the bag they'd been given, uncertainly, not sure what to do with it. "Go on," the Admiral encouraged, "open it. Try it."

An order was an order. Chopper tore open the bag and selected a nut. A warra nut, maybe? He popped it in his mouth. It was salty, but somehow, also sweetened. Was it coated with a sweetener? His eyes closed briefly with pleasure. There was a flurry of rustling as the squad tore open their bags and followed his example. He selected a button-sized object with a colorful, shiny shell and popped it in his mouth. He almost moaned in pleasure.

"That's chocolate," the Admiral informed him, "it goes well with the nuts and the pepper pretzels." He pointed to a brittle, glazed and salted racker fashioned into the shape of a loose knot.

Chopper tried a... pretzel. Oh. Goes well with the... he tried the shiny chocolate shell thing with a pretzel. And, then with a nut. And, then all three... and then... he was out. And, why was the Admiral still standing there?

Gus was looking at the crate expectantly. Punch was licking salt off of his fingers, trying to be subtle about it, and failing miserably.

"I thought perhaps we could... talk," the Admiral said, lightly running a hand around the crate full of snacks, "and then maybe you could enjoy a few more packets of these snacks."

"Talk?" Chopper's brain stuttered in confusion, and his gut twisted, like... what were those brittle, glazed things called? Ah, yes, a pretzel. He hadn't felt this sort of panic since the Captain and Commander had questioned him on Christophsis.

The Admiral idly picked up a handful of snacks, and then carefully dropped them back into the crate. Chopper was very aware of how his squad's gaze was fixated on the snacks. "Yes, I thought perhaps you could share some details about what happened to you on Kaz'haria."

"Sir?" Chopper couldn't breathe. This was not good. "The Captain and Commander told us they sent a report summarizing details of our captivity."

"I received it, yes, and read it. But, I want to hear about it in your own words."

Was that a direct order? Of course, it was. Anything from an Admiral was a direct order.

The rest of the squad was staring at him, waiting for him to reply. "What..." Chopper swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, "...what would you like to know, sir?"

"Whatever you would like to share about your imprisonment, although I am particularly interested in your last few hours there. Tell me more about how it is that you, an unarmed group of prisoners locked up in cells, were able to defeat an entire fortress of fully armed warriors?"

# # #

Rex blew out a sigh and studied his plastibag of snack-crackers and nuts. He was out. They were delicious. And, addictive. Perhaps he could get creative with the next supply shipment and ensure there were 'snacks' added in as a regular item for the men. Surely snacks fell in under medical necessity? Yes, he'd see if he could expand the medical supply budget. He licked his lips, getting the last of the salt off his lips and stuffed the stuffed the empty bag in his belt pouch. He was so deep in thought about important items to requisition, he startled by a voice coming up beside him.

"Rex, if you walked any slower, I'd have to cite you for obstructing pedi-traffic."

"Fox." He wanted to both hug his brother, and punch him, as he always felt when dealing with Fox.

The Coruscant Guard commander studied Rex for a long moment. "Heard you were back from the dead." He took in the battered state of Rex's armor, including the hole on his chest where he'd been shot. "You're a sight. Then again, you always did have a penchant for trouble."

Rex ignored the jab. Fox could be difficult to take at times, but if you could get through to him, he wasn't a bad sort of vod.

The Coruscant Guard commander gestured toward the Temple, indicating they should walk together. Obviously, he already knew where Rex was headed. Of course he did. Fox seemed to be on top of most things which happened on Corrie.

"Fox-" Rex started out, wanting to ask about Cody. But, Fox cut him off.

"My orders are to report directly to the Council, "  Fox said, not looking at Rex as he set a brisk pace for walking. Too fast for Rex's liking. He was not in that much of a hurry to reach the Temple. Fek it all, Fox.

"I  also  have orders to report directly to the Council, as I'm sure you are well aware," Rex responded, as they both had to quickly shift their hips sideways to dodge an errant delivery droid which whizzed between them. "How is-"

Rex tried again to ask about Cody's welfare, but Fox snapped up a crisp hand signal. He silenced Rex like he would in a battlefield situation where the slightest noise would get them killed. Rex rolled his eyes, somehow feeling like Fox was treating him like a rookie and being overdramatic all at once. But, he played along and stayed silent.

Fox glanced back and forth as if they were being watched, and then grabbed Rex by the pauldron and yanked him into the entrance of a nearby bustling metro station. Rex wanted to protest at the rough treatment, but immediately sensed this was... something more. Fox wasn't being an ass. Something had happened. The guard commander ripped off his helmet, flipped a switch inside, and clipped it to his helmet in one smooth, practiced move. He indicated to Rex to remove his helmet. He ran a small palm scanner over the inside and then nodded with satisfaction.

"You're clean," he muttered. Rex had to read his lips, a skill he'd thankfully mastered thanks to time spent with Travis. The noise levels in the station were tremendous as hordes of people passed them on the way to the public transport. He used ARC sign, along with his words, to communicate. "Cody was attacked twenty minutes ago."

Rex opened his mouth to object and ask more questions. He swallowed hard to contain an upwelling of anger. "You didn't think to comm me?"

"I don't report to you."

"You're my brother, you di'kut, as is Cody. Now, talk. Tell me what happened."

Fox closed his eyes for a moment. Rex saw a shudder go through his brother's frame as if he was at war with himself. He looked terrible, like he'd aged a decade since Rex had last seen him. Fox rarely went out with them to 79s anymore and discouraged any of his brothers from visiting him at guard headquarters. It was as if he was intentionally pushing them all away. Rex had chalked it up to stress, and hadn't had time to give it more than a passing worry. He also had thousands of brothers under his command to worry about. Fox could take care of himself.

"Cody was attacked by two men, both human, posing as clones, outfitted with full Coruscant guard kit. Helmets were modded to sound like clones."

Rex's eyes widened. "How is he?"

"He was injured, but our medic treated him and he's back in his cell. I doubled the guard."

"What kind of injuries?"

"He got in a scuffle with a bounty hunter. Lacerations, contusions, a... uh... blaster burn."

"Fek! A bounty hunter? Inside your prison?!"

"It's not  my  prison. But, yes, there were two bounty hunters. One of them tried to blow up the facility with a t-det. We received word Cody was out of his cell and that two of our troopers were missing. There was... some confusion... and we... uh... shot Cody."

"You  shot  Cody?!"

"I was missing two of my men!"

"And, what, you thought Cody had taken them hostage?!" He stared Fox down and realized that was exactly what his brother had been thinking. "How could you possibly think that-"

"I was wrong, alright?! Can we move on?"

Rex shook his head. "How did these bounty hunters get to Cody?"

"They were dressed up as clones. Coruscant Guard."

"What?! How did they get a hold of your armor?"

"I don't know. We're looking into it. All of my men accounted for their kit."

"Where were his guards?"

"Called away by the Chancellor's office. As soon as they arrived, their comms stopped working. Told the order came from me."

"And, you never gave the order." Rex jammed a hand through his hair, thinking through all of this new information. "When I can see him?"

"You  can't . Someone is trying to  kill  him," Fox said, "I am restricting all access to his cell, trying to keep him alive until his trial."

"You're doing a fine job of it, so far."

"That's not fair, Rex."

"What do you want me to say? Cody is locked up, someone is trying to kill him and you're telling me you can't keep him safe."

"I doubled his guard and I  will  keep him safe. Fek, Rex, have some faith in me." He sighed and jammed a hand through hair was too long and prematurely going grey. "The Chancellor's office has taken a personal interest in the investigation, and now the Jedi want me to speak to me about it." He pushed out a frustrated sigh.

"The Jedi Council are taking an interest in everything these days," Rex grumbled. He tilted his head to the side. "But, why is the Chancellor interested in Cody?"

A dark look crossed Fox's face. He shook his head and his voice dropped low. "The Chancellor doesn't like anyone who upsets the... natural order of things."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your return. Cody's speech. All of it has stirred up some... excitement among the clone population. The Chancellor abhors anything that detracts from his clean and neat narrative. I believe Cody may be a... disruption."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Cody is in a lot of trouble." He jerked his chin toward the Jedi Temple. "You're caught up in all of this, as well." He sighed. "We should get moving."

"We're in this together and  you  are going to keep me informed."

"I can't."

"You can and you will."

"There are things you don't understand, Rex."

"Make me understand."

"It is better you don't," Fox's voice was heavy and dark. He refused to say anymore and slid his helmet back on. They walked to the Temple together, the silence thick and cloying between them.

Chapter Text

Both Rex and Fox fell silent as soon as they entered the Jedi Temple. Rex had been inside the Temple many times before with both General Skywalker and Commander Tano, but it felt different being here without them. The atmosphere was hushed, as always, but it seemed more oppressive now. Everytime he came here, there were less Jedi roaming the hallways. It was a stark reminder the Jedi were sending their own off to fight the war, including padawans.

Rex tapped his thigh plate nervously in the lift as they headed up to the Council Chambers.

"Quit it," Fox hissed. "I get that you don't want to be here. Just keep your cool."

Rex gave Fox a slanted look. "Keep my cool? Is that how you manage these things?"

Fox snorted and then muttered quietly under his breath in Mando'a. [This is the least of what I have to deal with.] 

Rex wasn't sure if he'd been meant to hear the words, or if Fox was muttering to himself. He didn't get a chance to question Fox further. The lift doors opened and they were immediately set upon by a pair of Temple guards. "Remove your helmets and show us your ID." 

Both clones eased their helmets off, careful not to make any sudden moves. The bounty hunter attack earlier in the day at the prison made anyone in clone armor suspect. Rex and Fox both extended their forearms so their embedded codes could be scanned. Both Guards looked confused.

Rex and Fox exchanged a look. It was the kind they did when dealing with natborns who did not understand their ways. These Guards obviously were not familiar with the way Kaminoans  distinguished one clone from another. 

"You're cleared," said one of the guards abruptly. "Commander Fox, the Council is waiting for you. Proceed inside."

Fox nodded politely, his manners impeccable. His head tilted slightly, indicating he was looking at Rex.

Good luck, Rex signed, using ARC sign language. They could take their buckets away. But, even then, clones had their own private way of communicating.

I'm not the one who needs it, Fox signed back. He pivoted sharply on his heel and headed into the chambers.

"You will wait here in the anteroom until summoned."

"Of course," Rex acknowledged, "any objections if I put my bucket back on?" The guard tilted his head questioningly at the unfamiliar term. "My helmet." The guard gave a vague hand gesture. Rex chose to interpret it as an affirmative. He slid his bucket on and sighed in relief at the small privacy it afforded him.

There wasn't enough room in the small antechamber for him to pace comfortably. He settled for sinking down onto one of the padded benches. It was surprisingly comfortable.

I could take a bucket nap while I wait. No one would be the wiser.

No, I need to be at the top of my game. I won't be if I'm still groggy and half-asleep.

At times like this, he would usually catch up on flimsiwork using the voice controls in his bucket. But, he'd only just returned and not in an official capacity. He did not have any flimsiwork to complete. It was one of the few upsides of having been decommissioned. 

Rex did a mental review of everything he and Cody had discussed on the journey home. He refused to think of it as a 'cover story'. It was a... detailed accounting of events. He was here to deliver a  report  to the Council, like he had done dozens of times before. Nothing different.

He glanced at his chrono. Fox had been in there an hour already.

He was wrong, though. Everything was different now. He had his Legion back, unofficially, but somehow it felt different. They made it safely back to Coruscant, but that felt different now, too. And, he couldn't stop thinking about the Legion he left behind on Ando.

He headed over to the large windows overlooking the top level of Coruscant. At all costs, he had to protect the men left behind on the Andoan moon.

Rex allowed his breathing to slow, and his mind to slowly let go of his racing thoughts. A deep sense of calm flooded over him, and he lost all measure of time.

# # #

"You may go, Commander Fox. Send in Captain Rex."

Fox nodded to the Council members and made a hurried exit before they came up with any more action items. Although, they weren't as bad as... Fox didn't want to think about him. But, he did anyway. He reported directly into the Chancellor and the man was a nightmare. As the war progressed, he passed more and more flimsiwork onto Fox. A decade of training as a soldier and now he processed flimsiwork.

"I will see you out."

Fox glanced over in surprise as General Plo Koon fell into step beside him.  He resisted the urge to glance back at the other Council members for their reaction. Jedi could do as they wished, he supposed.

"Don't be long, Plo. We have many questions for the Captain," Windu called after them, an unmistakable trace of annoyance in his voice. Then again, Fox had never heard any other tone of voice from the man.

"How are you, Commander?"

How am I?

Fox had no idea what to do with that question.

Overworked. Stressed. Worried about the safety of his men. He said none of those things, of course.

Fox and the Jedi Master walked silently out the chamber doors, and the doors swished shut behind them. Before Fox could summon Rex, and once they were out of earshot, Plo Koon turned to Fox. He handed him a datapad.

"What's this?" Fox asked, looking down in surprise at the item in his gloved hand.

"The WolfPack asked if I could find a way to get it Commander Cody. This was a fortuitous meeting," the Jedi Master nodded, "the Force does indeed work in mysterious ways." He gave Fox a long, thoughtful look. "If you ever need anything Commander, Wolffe knows how to get in touch with me."

"Uh.....Yes, sir," Fox had no idea how to unpack that statement. "I'll... take care of this, sir." He tucked the datapad into his belt and looked around for Rex.

"You can go, Commander," the Jedi Master dipped his chin toward Rex, indicating he would bring the Captain in. Fox nodded and hurried on his way. Jedi were strange creatures. The Guard was lucky they didn't have a Jedi General. They were better off. Weren't they? He shook his head slightly, pushing away the tempting thought of having someone to watch out for them. He ignored the Temple Guards and headed into the lift. He had an enormous pile of flimsiwork awaiting him on his desk and it wasn't going to do itself.

# # #

"Captain?" Plo Koon approached the 501st Captain.

There was no acknowledgement he had spoken.

So, this was the clone thought lost and dead.

On a hunch, Plo Koon brushed Rex gently with his own awareness.

Captain?

—Sir?

It was an automatic response done without thinking. The Captain spun around to face Plo Koon.

"General, sir!" he snapped to attention. "Sorry, sir," he blinked rapidly several times, seemingly unaware of what he'd just done. He looked toward the council doors, "is it time for my meeting?"

Plo Koon studied the Captain another moment. He was different from Wolffe. The more time Plo spent around the clones, the more he realized they were only identical in their outward appearance. 

"Walk with me, Captain." Plo turned to the Temple guards. "Tell the Council we need a few minutes."

Rex had no idea what Wolffe's General wanted with him. He fell into step next to him and they walked down the long corridor leading away from the Chamber entrance. Rex heaved out a sigh of relief. Even if it was only a temporary reprieve, he was glad to be away from the Chambers.

The Jedi Master was silent for a long moment until they were well away from the Council Chambers. He finally paused by another massive window, settling down into a cushioned alcove. He patted the space next to him.

Rex remained standing, frozen in indecision.

"You're not in trouble, Captain. I only wish to speak to you."

Rex sat down, as ordered, but his spine was ramrod straight.

Plo Koon studied the Captain for a long thoughtful moment, trying to decide how to proceed with a clone he didn't know nearly as well as Wolffe. "Where did you learn to meditate?"

"Sir?"

"It is unusual behavior for a clone."

He wants to talk to me about meditation?

"I don't understand, sir." 

When in doubt, stall for time by asking for clarification.

"I seek only to understand.  I am curious, by nature. Anything you tell me remains in confidence between the two of us." He pretended to study one of his long claws with interest. "There are many things I opt not to share with the Council." At Rex's surprised look, Plo added in diplomatically, "The Council is pressed for time, so I am judicious in sharing information."

"Of course, sir," Rex said, his head dipping with a respectful nod. "Very wise, sir."  I can see why Wolffe likes him. 

"Tell me only what you are comfortable sharing," Plo Koon prompted. "The Force will be your guide. It guides all living things."

Rex nodded and decided he could safely share small bits of information. "To answer your question, sir, I need to give you a bit of context."

The General gave him an encouraging nod and Rex continued on.

"On my last official mission for the Republic, I was with Commander Tano. I was struck with a new type of Separatist weapon designed specifically to penetrate clone armor."

"The one they call clone shredder ammo."

"Yes, sir. I may be the first clone they tested the new weapon on." He tried to keep his voice steady, but the memory was still raw and painful.

"I read the reports. We all did. The evidence of this new weapon pushed up the timeline of the Phase II armor program."

"I heard. When I was struck, t here was a long delay before we could leave the planet. Commander Tano and I were alone, having been assigned as a strike team. The meditation skills Commander Tano shared with me were..." Rex stopped and took a deep breath as he struggled to encompass the experience into words. He met Plo Koon's gaze. "She saved my life, sir."

"Very interesting. You appear to have learned a great deal."

"Sir?" Wait. What did he mean by that? Have I done something wrong?

"Come. We should return. I am sure the Council is eager to hear what other stories you have to share."

Rex nodded and walked in side-by-side with the Jedi Master. He didn't sense any ill intent from Wolffe's Jedi.

"Is everything alright?" Mace Windu asked as soon as the chamber doors opened, his voice expressing his displeasure at the delay.

Plo Koon nodded. "Yes, I was just getting to know the Captain better."

He'd have to ask Wolffe more about his Jedi later. He was learning more and more that like clones, not all Jedi were created equally.

The Council Chamber doors closed behind them.

"Greetings, Captain," Mace Windu began, "we have many questions for you."

# # #

Chapter Text

Rex walked into the Council Chambers and studied the assembled Jedi. He'd been through enough of these meetings with Generals Skywalker and Kenobi that he already had some idea of what to expect from the Council. The room was only half full. Several Jedi were represented by flickering holo-transmissions; three members of the Council were missing entirely. He knew Kenobi was injured and receiving much-needed medical treatment. The whereabouts of Generals Fisto and Ti were unknown. Perhaps they were out-of-transmission range. He carefully studied the rest of the Jedi present. He knew from talks with his General that certain members held more sway than others. Three of these were currently present: Generals Yoda, Windu, and Plo Koon.

Rex faced the Council and saluted sharply. He stood at attention, waiting for permission to speak.

"At ease, Captain," said General Windu, resting his elbows on his knees and studying Rex intently like he was a puzzle he could not figure out.

Rex locked his arms behind his back at parade rest, pivoting slightly so he could address General Windu, but also see the other council members easily. He was filled with uncharacteristic nervousness. He'd been in the Council Chambers before, many times, in fact, with Skywalker. But, it was an entirely different feel without the brash Skywalker by his side. And, this was the first time where  he  was the focus of the meeting.

He tried to find the earlier calm he'd achieved when he'd been meditating. Who would have thought a practice he'd originally thought was ridiculous could be so helpful? He wished he could go back to it now. Alright, truth be told, he wished he was anyplace but here at the moment. Perhaps on a battlefield facing down a whole slew of tinnies.

Fek it all.

All calm was eluding him. His insides were locking up and making it hard to breathe. He needed to get out of here-

Breathe.

A strong but gentle command flooded over him like a rare warm breeze on Ando. Rex's gut unclenched and he instantly calmed. He had no time to think or reflect upon what had just happened.

"Captain Rex, your return caught us by surprise," Windu began, "nevertheless, the Council considers it the will of the Force you returned to us alive."

Rex wasn't sure it was the will of the Force. He returned alive because his ship crashed, he fought off a bunch of pirates like a badass with very brave troopers the Republic had written off for disposal. But, Rex said none of this and he nodded respectfully. He was never sure how to react when the Jedi spoke of the Force controlling his destiny. He dipped his chin respectfully and politely like he'd been taught at Kamino. "Thank you, General."

"We have questions regarding your whereabouts since your departure from the Army Medical Base. An unaccounted time frame of two months," his words were pleasant enough, but his voice held an edge of coolness.

General Ki-Al-Mundi, attending by holo transmission, interjected. "Captain, tell us what happened after your transport left the medical facility here on Coruscant?" His tone was polite and professional, reminding Rex of the calm mannerism of Cody's General.

Rex launched into his cover story, including everything he and Cody had rehearsed time and again on the journey home. The words flowed easily and naturally. He concluded his report, thinking he'd done a good job of it, all things considered. He waited for a reaction. The room was silent.

Windu frowned and glanced down at his datapad. And, Rex knew  that  look. It was never good.

Rex glanced over at the assembled Jedi. Something tugged at the corners of his mind. There was an odd current of energy in the air. Almost as if he were overhearing an argument.

Jedi,  Rex sighed, doing his best to block out the sensation which now buzzed at his ears. He fixed his gaze out the window and watched the traffic going by in Coruscant, losing himself in the endless flow.

" Captain ," Windu's voice held a slight edge of impatience. Had he called him more than once?

"Sir," Rex acknowledged with a crisp nod, straightening his spine.

"Thank you for your report," his dark eyes narrowed and he stared Rex down with an intensity to rival Alpha-17. "This report tells us nothing, Captain. It is identical to the report you filed." He stared at the 501st Captain. "I believe this is a fabrication with half-truths meant to conceal your true whereabouts."

"Sir?" Rex was immediately thrown off guard. His heart beat wildly in his chest. He struggled to regroup and think of a response, as blood hammered in his ears.

His mind went blank.

The lives of every vode on Ando were hanging in the balance.

Steady, Captain.

Again, Rex had no time to reflect upon where the voice came from, but it calmed his mind.

"I cannot prove anything," the frustration in the senior Jedi's voice was evident. "There is no one who can dispute or corroborate your story since you are the only survivor from the medical transport.” 

They don’t know about the others. Travis and the others are safe.

Rex wanted to pass out from relief, but he was surrounded by Jedi. He knew how to shield his emotions, but he also knew how to carefully let certain emotions ‘bleed out.’ As a command clone and an ARC, it had seemed odd to him to learn all of these techniques. It was contrary to the narrative of the all-perfect Jedi who would lead them into glorious battles. He was grateful now for this training, even if it was not the way it was intended to be used. 

Why had we been trained to manipulate Jedi?

He pushed that niggling thought aside, leaving it safely behind his shields.

His focus was on allowing grief to leak through his shields, just enough so it seemed accidental. It wasn’t hard to conjure up the images. It was almost overwhelming. He’d lost so many brothers to terrible crashes. Images of broken, twisted, and burnt bodies flashed through his mind along with the pain and grief of losing brothers. He saw Windu and several of the other Jedi wince. “Yes, sir,” Rex answered softly, emotion naturally causing his voice to break, “no other survivors.”

General Windu cleared his throat and looked down at the report in his hands again. "The ship’s automatic beacon failed, but you were picked up after a few days by a Bunduki scavenging ship.”

Rex also cleared his throat, pushing the painful images from his mind. “Yes, General. They agreed to spare my life if I joined their crew.”

“And, then they just let you go?” 

Rex shook his head. “We agreed I was to work a certain number of hours in exchange for transport to a habitable planet. The Bunduki were… not entirely unreasonable. The hours were very long, but I held up my end of the bargain.”

“Yet you have chosen not to identify this ship.”

“I cannot. It was part of our agreement. They make their living scavenging war wreckage, from both sides.”

The senior council member growled with displeasure. “This would seem all the more reason to identify them.”

“I cannot. I gave my word, sir.”

Windu scowled fiercely and consulted his notes again. “They released you at the spaceport on Bunduki.” 

Rex had never been to Bunduki. But, it was about as far from Corrie as one could go and the people there had almost no contact with either the Separatists or the Republic. “That is correct, sir.” He kept his shields tight. He’d studied up on the planet, but no sense pushing his luck.

“Even once released from this scavenging crew, you did not contact the GAR. By doing so, you deliberately violated GAR regulations, making you AWOL.”

Rex knew this was coming. He straightened his spine even more, although he was already standing ramrod straight. "No, sir." 

The General inhaled sharply, nostrils flaring. “Enlighten me, Captain.”

"The GAR defines AWOL as absent from one's post, or without official leave, but without intention to desert.”

"I am aware of the regulations, What is your point?” Ponds had warned him not to push his General. The tone of Windu’s voice implied he was getting to the end of his tether.

“Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission and is done with the intent of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence or absence without leave, which are temporary forms of absence. I was  decommissioned , sir. I could not be AWOL if I was not in the GAR. I had no post to leave.”

"The Captain has a point," General Plo Koon agreed, almost too enthusiastically, and Rex briefly wondered if he made a point of goading the other council members. 

He made a mental note to ask Wolffe more about his General. He was very different from Skywalker. He was encouraged by the support. He figured he'd won for the moment on being AWOL. "The military seems to find it necessary to strip us of everything before sending us off to Kamino. I was not and I am still not in the GAR. It is why I am requesting to be reinstated to my rank and position as Captain of the 501st Legion."

Windu paused to consider this request carefully. "You wish to be reinstated?"

Why did he say it like the idea was far-fetched?

"Yes, sir, as Captain of the 501st."

“His service record is exceptional,” Wolffe’s General jumped in again. “The 501st had a long stream of successful missions under his command, and did not fare as well-"

“ Plo. ” Windu’s aggrieved voice suggested this was common between them.

“Mace,” the Kel Door General returned politely but did not continue his argument. 

Windu sighed heavily and scrubbed at his forehead as if warding off a migraine. "Before we reinstate you,  can you  provide  anyone  who can back up the veracity of this report?” He tapped the datapad meaningfully.

Hadn’t they just established the others on the transport perished?

And, the Bunduki were the private sort of… eh… privateers?

Before he could respond (because he had no response) the General continued. “You are asking us to take this report  at face value. Yet, you cannot back up any of these claims or prove the sort of company you have been keeping.”

Rex's brow furrowed and then narrowed as Windu's implications sank in.

Is he accusing me of spying? 

Rex's fists balled in anger. Never in his short life did he think he would be accused of spying. Was Windu calling him a traitor? Even the very accusation-

"Captain?"

Was he talking to me? I have nothing to say to him. That deceptive, manipulative-

"Captain Rex,  do you have any witnesses ?"

He blinked hard, trying to tamp down his emotions. Had Windu intentionally goaded him? Everyone who knew his whereabouts during that time was on the small Andoan moon. "No, sir. I can produce no witnesses.”

The silence in the chamber was stifling. Rex clenched and unclenched his fists. The temperature regulators in his bodysuit were not working. A bead of sweat ran down the middle of his back and trickled uncomfortably in his lower suit. Krek. He needed a drink. And, a shower. And, to be away from this place.

The General stared him down with a ferocious intensity. But, it was nothing Rex hadn't endured during his training on Kamino. He stared back unflinching. He allowed more images of injured brothers to "slip" through his shields and then focused on the terrifying intensity of the ship crashing. The pain. Not being able to breathe. Those feelings were easy to conjure up because those events had actually happened.

Windu winced again.  "It is clear you suffered from your ordeal," he allowed.

That was a true statement.

"Yes, General." Rex sealed his shields again as if he was trying to get a hold of his emotions, (and not using them to distract the High Council member.)

Windu focused again on Rex's report. He tapped the datapad and then looked back at Rex. "So, you had access to comm equipment on Bunduki and learned of the missing clones. But, you did not contact the GAR and inform them you were alive. Instead, you hatched a plan to rescue them. You collaborated with Commander Cody, knowing this rescue mission was completely unsanctioned. Is that correct?"

"To your first point, General, Commander Cody was, at that time, and still is, a member of the GAR. So, I did make contact with the GAR. It was my first call."

The senior Jedi scowled. "He was on medical leave at Ord Cestus, hardly a fitting contact."

"He is my marshall commander, sir. And, yes, sir, I did inform him I was alive, although I believe he inferred as much a few seconds into our conversation."

There was the slightest chuckle of amusement from behind him. He knew without turning around it was from General Plo. 

"The proper course of action would've been to report to the nearest Republic military outpost. It was your  duty ."

Rex stared him down. Duty?! No one knew more about duty than clones. Rex bit his lip as he struggled with his response, but he couldn't help thinking this senior General had  no  understanding of clones. He wasn't sure why Ponds thought highly of the man.

"I understand my duty, sir," Rex said evenly, trying to keep his patience and keep the edge out of his voice. "It is the code I live by." Something hot and fiery was rising in his gut. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to contain it. He was thoroughly rankled now. This Jedi dared challenge him on the issue of duty? The issue which was most sacred to clones? The code by which all clones lived and died?!

"You should have immediately returned as soon as circumstances allowed. You would have been reassigned-”

That had gone and done it. Rex's calm center was gone. Maybe it had never been there. Calm had only been an illusion and he was fooling himself. He was angry now and he let it go. Fek it.

" Reassigned? ! The 501st had been captured, sir, and was in dire straits," he shook his head. "If Cody and I hadn't taken action and rescued the missing Legions, those men would have died. They were barely alive when we found them, sir. What were you doing to find them?"

"We were working on strategies to-"

"You were likely debating it endlessly like you always do, while good men died. Your plans didn't work."

Steady, Rex.

He wasn't sure where the voice came from although he suspect it was General Plo. But, he ignored the voice. He was too frustrated. The pain over having been nearly put to death at the hands of his own army burned too deep.

"We were working on alternate plans-"

Rex scoffed. "Your plans don't work. And, soldiers die. Clones die.  Jedi  are not meant to be Generals and it is my brothers who pay the price time and again-"

"That's enough!" Mace Windu snapped and Rex knew he'd pushed too far. He was past the point of caring. Or stopping. Or returning. He was past the point of no return.

The pain and anger of everything that had happened over the past few months bubbled up inside of him. The fate of the 501st and the 212th. His near decommissioning. The thought of all the brothers sent to Kamino before him. The thought of brothers still being sent to Kamino wouldn't allow him to stay silent any longer. He simply wasn't the soldier he'd been before. He couldn't pretend anymore. "There were 12,000 men in that prison," Rex said in a voice, so low and deadly it almost didn't sound like his own. "Left there to starve and be experimented on. Forgotten by the Republic that created them. They would've all been starved to death if they'd stayed any longer. General Skywalker, General Unduli, General Kenobi and Commander Tano would all have died if we had not brought them home. We found your Republic Commandos. Commander Cody and I brought them  all  home."

OK, not quite accurate since they sent one Republic Commando back with the Andoan Legion along with a medic from the 212th. However, for the sake of the narrative, they brought them all home.

Rex continued on, aware of the hushed silence in the Chamber and a nudge in the back of his mind warning him again to be steady. He ignored it again. "For all that we did, and accomplished, against all odds, you locked Cody up. We see each other as  brothers . What do you see us as? What are we to you? Canon fodder? Slaves? Your unpaid slave army that you can order to their deaths in battle at your will-"

"Captain Rex, that is enough!"

Rex wasn't sure who called him off this time. He wasn't listening anymore. At some point, he'd stopped listening to Jedi. If good soldiers follow orders, he'd turned into something else entirely over the past two months.

He had the floor to himself now, although he knew he had only seconds left. "It will never be enough! You left clones to die in that prison. We are  disposable men  to you, nothing more. We are not citizens of this Republic. You ask us to die for this Republic, but offer us none of the rights of it. We are clones, yes, but we are also living thinking beings with feelings, hopes and dreams. We do our  duty , and in return, you sentence us to death. I did  my duty.   I was injured in the line of duty and in return I was sentenced to Kamino to die-"

Rex hadn't heard the Temple Guards come into the room. He had to give them credit for stealth. His arms were snapped painfully behind his back and dual lightsaber blades appeared a hair's breadth from his throat.

"You are finished here, Captain," General Windu said, his face taking on an unsettling glow in the reflection of the lightsabers from the Temple Guards. "You are hereby sentenced to the brig for contempt of the Jedi Council."

The lightsabers were lowered as Rex was pulled out of the room by the Temple Guards.

" Respectfully , sir," Rex said, looking back over his shoulder at the General, "if you keep locking up all your command clones, you won't have anyone to fight your war for you. And," he muttered under his breath, "no one to die for you."

He knew he'd gone too far. Much too far. And, there would be very serious consequences for his actions. But, it was true. All of it.

"Take him away," General Windu said, his voice tightly restrained.

Fek it all. Rex had just made an enemy of the most powerful man on the Jedi Council.

The guards clamped a tight grip on either one of his arms and led him from the room.

As he was led from the Council room, his heart stopped. Ahsoka was outside in the waiting area. Her eyes widened as he was ushered away by the Temple Guards. All defiance drained from him and he knew he'd failed her. Their eyes met for a second that seemed like an eternity.

"Rex?" 

"Ahsoka, I-"

"No talking!" The Temple Guard ushered him over to the lift. 

His chest tightened and he couldn't breathe. He suddenly felt like he'd let everyone down. Cody. The 501st. Ahsoka. He wanted to look back over his shoulder at Ahsoka, but he didn't feel he had that right anymore. He'd ruined everything.

The lift opened up and Fox walked out accompanied by half a squadron of shock troopers. He walked briskly up to the Temple Guards. "Uncuff him. I'll take it from here." He pulled his own pair of binders from his belt. Rex's arms were released in the back and immediately cuffed again in the front by Fox. 

"Last thing I needed today, Rex," Fox hissed, smashing the button for the lift with unnecessary harshness.

# # #

Plo Koon watched the 501st Captain being led away, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He saw the wide-eyed look Padawan Tano gave to the captain of her Legion as he was led away under guard.

Interesting.

The doors swished shut again, sequestering the Council behind closed doors once more. He turned his attention back to his fellow Jedi and broke the silence in the room. "The Captain made some excellent points. It bears discussion."

His words garnered him a steely look from Windu, but he nodded his assent. 

# # #

Fox looked back at his squad of shock troopers. "Take another lift. I need to talk to the Captain. Alone." He removed his bucket and handed it to his second. "Take this down for me." 

Rex searched for a name. Thorne. He was a younger commander and Rex did not know him well.

"Understood," Thorne gave Rex a long look and then shook his head, before heading away with the other troopers to a separate bank of lifts.

Their lift arrived and Fox gave Rex a non-too-gentle shove inside. He said nothing at first but simply stared Rex down. It was worse than a dressing down. "You've changed, Rex." He thumped his head back against the side of the lift, before looking at Rex again. "No idea what happened to you or Cody out there in the Rim, but you both came back crazy." He pushed a finger into Rex's chest armor. "This needs to stop."  They both watched the floors zip by in tense silence as if the future itself was speeding toward them and they were powerless to slow it down. The lights were making Rex dizzy. "I was making headway in my flimsiwork for once, Rex. I almost thought maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to get some sleep. But, then I receive an urgent call from the Council to come get you." He shook his head again in frustration. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Cody. The RMB is no place for a command clone. It's no place for any clone. But, it's particularly dangerous for the two of you."

Rex temporarily forgot how angry he was at himself and focused on Fox's words. "Why?"

Fox opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, and then stopped. "There's... it's..." he jammed a hand through his prematurely greying curls, "... there's things here you don't understand."

"You said that already," Rex grumbled in annoyance, "but you haven't told me what. And, I can't understand them if you don't tell me."

Fox closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Fox."

The pained look on his brother's face gutted at Rex.

As soon as the doors opened at ground level, Thorne and the other shock troopers were already waiting for them. Fox accepted his helmet back but clipped it to his belt rather than donning it.

On the walk to the RMB, Fox switched tacts and continued his tirade against renegade clones. He found a dozen different ways to tell Rex he had no respect for law and order. Rex used to be very good at following regulations. He was just having difficulties following regulations as of late.

He shouldn't have said so much in the Council Chambers, regardless of what that pompous windbag General Windu said about him. He shouldn't have snapped. It was a rookie mistake.

He was starting to think everything he'd done in that meeting was wrong.

Maybe he didn't deserve to be Captain of the 501st.

But, where did that leave his Legion? Appo? What had he done? Rex's gut twisted in such misery he was sure one of those Kazzie fruits were trying to claw their way out.

# # #

Chapter Text

Fox shielded him on all sides with troopers on the short walk from the Temple over to the RMB. They appeared to be nothing more than a squad going about their business.

Of course, an ordinary civvie would have no idea of our ways, Rex thought angrily. They have no idea about any aspect of our lives. No clue about anything we go through on their behalf.

He pushed out his angry sigh and let it go. He had no one but himself to blame for getting into this situation. He'd totally blown it in the Council Chambers. All he had to do was deliver his report, answer their questions and ask to be reinstated as Captain.

Instead, he'd gone in there and shouted at the Council everything he thought they were doing wrong. It wasn't his place to make his opinions known. Clones didn't have that right.

(Wasn't that the point, though?)

No, what he'd done was wrong and he deserved to go to the brig.

(I wouldn't be going to the brig if the clones had an equal voice in decisions that directly affected them.)

When Skywalker woke up for his medical treatments, he was sure he'd be hearing from him.'Rex, there is a right way and a wrong way to handle the Jedi Council.'

Yes, this likely fit Skywalker's definition of 'the wrong way.'

His General would be disappointed in him. And, Ahsoka, she was right there when he'd been brought out in binders. He didn't know if he could ever face her again.

Yes, well I might never see her again.

His feet stumbled and Fox gripped hard at his arm to steady him. "Easy there, Rex. You're alright."

I'm not alright. I screwed up.

The Republic Military Base loomed over them. Why was the place so big? The whole scale of it was wrong. The Republic couldn't possibly need such a vast facility if peace was soon within their grasp.

They passed through row after row of tanks, more suited to a city under siege than a capital away from the war zone.

Why not just build a fekkin' shield around the planet? Wouldn't that be a much more efficient way to protect from a possible Separatist invasion? Fighting street-by-street was a great way to terrorize the civilian population and maximize casualties.

I've been party to it too many times in the name of 'freeing' planets.

They entered through a side door so hidden that Rex didn't notice it until they were already upon it.

Why does this building need hidden entrances?

"This way. Need to get you checked in. I'll try to make it fast. Shuck your kit. You can't wear it here."

Rex sighed heavily and took off his armor. "Undersuit, too?"

"I should make you wear prison fatigues. It will help you fit in better, but since you won't be leaving your cell, it doesn't matter. You can stay in your blacks."

"I'm not leaving the cell?"

Fox shook his head. "Too dangerous, especially after what happened to Cody."

"Alright." He opted to stay in his undersuit. It was warmer than the prison garb Fox offered up.

What was the deal with the temperature in this place?

He'd been warmer on the gusty plains of Ando. He shook off thoughts of the snow planet and the life of freedom he'd given up. He'd made his choice.

He was patted down and divested of his hidden blades.

"Almost as many as the other one," muttered one of the shock troopers.

He didn't know what they were talking about, so he ignored the comment.

'If you don't have your weapons, be the weapon.'

Alpha's words came back to him and brought comfort in this new environment. He could defend himself. He likely had far better skills than most of those locked up in here, although he didn't have any idea of what sort of prisoners were kept locked up in the RMB.

I shouldn't be here. I should be at the barracks with my men. They need me. They've only just returned and there is so much to do. I've let them down-

"We're done here," Fox said, startling Rex out of his thoughts. "Come on, this way. I'm obligated to tell you you're on behavioral reprimand. So, you've been told. But, I'm not putting you back in cuffs. The Council can tell me what to do when I'm in the Temple, but down here, I run the place."

Rex raised up an eyebrow, curious where Fox was going with that statement.

"What now?" Rex asked, his voice sounding more unsure than he would like.

Fox snorted. "We head to your cell, you di'kut." Fox set out a brisk pace down the corridor. "You really told off Windu?"

Rex sighed. "Yes."

"What exactly did you say to him to make him so angry?"

Rex used his eidetic memory to repeat everything he'd said. Fox's eyes widened and then he laughed. It was a rare sound, coming from his brother. "Sorry, forgive me. I'm just trying to picture his reaction."

Rex was not amused. "He was angry. Very angry."

"I can well imagine. That man does not have a sense of humor." He leaned in and murmured quietly to Rex: "Ori'jate vod." [Well done, brother.]

Ori'jate? His actions had gotten him locked up. He moved through the complex beside Fox barely registering what he was seeing, except rows of identical cells. Larger versions of the brig like they had on the Resolute. He'd never had cause to be thrown in the brig. He'd been taken prisoner by the Seppies on several occasions, including the time with Ventress, but had never spent any significant amount of time locked up. While his ARC training had covered interrogation techniques, he was dreading the isolation of being in a cell.

Fek it all, Rex. Why couldn't you just be a good soldier and follow orders?

"This is it," Fox said, stopping at a guarded corner cell, "I'm giving you the same speech I gave Cody. For your own safety, you won't be allowed out for meals or exercise. Your cell will be guarded at all times." And, then, almost as an afterthought, he added in, "And, you have a cellmate."

A shared cell?

The facility was enormous, why was he in a shared cell?

Fox signaled to the troopers guarding the cell. One stood back to watch the prisoner within while the second lowered the shield. The lights blinked out in the cell, preventing Rex from seeing the interior.

What was going on? Was this a trap?

Rex was given a gentle shove into the interior and the shield snapped back on with an ominous hum.

He was tackled to the floor of the cell before he could take a step. He raised his fists defensively.

"Rex?"

"Cody?"

His brother studied him for a long moment, before squeezing him tightly. "Fek, Rex. It's good to see you. But, what are you doing here?!"

Rex deferred the question. "I heard about the attack. Are you alright?"

"I'm a little injured," Cody admitted, carefully rolling off Rex and settling gingerly onto his side.

"Probably not the wisest move, then, to be tackling me, you di'kut."

"I'd say it was worth it to see the look on your face," Cody teased, laying back and looking at the ceiling. He looked over at Rex. "But, I'll admit I thought you were another attacker."

"Fek, Cody, that's not good. Fox said someone is trying to kill you. Do you have any idea who or why?"

His brother pushed out a breath. "No. I figure I'd be in trouble because of Ord Cestus when we returned home-"

"And, then you insisting on taking the fall for everything that happened-"

"You would've done the same." Cody pushed up on one elbow, wincing as he did so. "It was my responsibility as commander to protect all of the men, including you. So, how did you end up here?" He leaned in. "What's the plan?"

One of the shock troopers looked back through the force shield. "There better not be a plan."

"Go back to guarding, Orli. This doesn't concern you," Cody called to the guard.

"I am guarding."

Rex raised up an eyebrow at Cody's banter with his guard.

Cody shrugged. "I've been bored. We talk. That's Orli."

"Lieutenant Orli," the guard corrected, looking back over his shoulder.

Cody rolled his eyes. "Only shinies are obsessed with rank."

"I'm not a shinie! I'm almost 12!" Orli objected.

Cody smirked at Rex, obviously enjoying the banter. "That one there is Bodie."

"Sergeant Bodie," the second guard corrected, but there was a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Back to the plan," Cody said, his voice a touch too loud.

Both guards shook their heads.

Cody turned his full attention to Rex. "Honestly, though, vod. Why the fek are you here? I thought you'd be at the barracks with the men. I know we're close, but this is a misbegotten sense of loyalty, even from you."

"It's not that, Codes. I fekked up."

"What happened?" All traces of earlier humor were gone and his eyes pierced into Rex.

From the body language of the two guards, they were intently listening, as well. There was no avoiding it. Since he'd been arrested by Fox and a large contingent of shock troopers, word of what happened had likely already spread throughout the Guard.

Rex stared up at the unnerving red and black ceiling tiles. How could he sum up what he had done? There was no easy way to say it. "I mouthed off to the Council. Primarily General Windu. I'm here on behavioral reprimand."

Cody blinked in surprise. "What exactly did you say?"

Rex leaned up on his elbow and repeated the conversation with Windu again.

Cody digested his words. "I see."

"That's all you have to say?"

"Well, I could put you on report, but seeing as we're both in the brig, it would do little good."

Rex stared at him, stonily silent.

"That was a joke."

"A joke."

He was trying to reconcile his straight-and-narrow, by-the-books brother with the more easygoing version who evolved during the past few months.

"I'm not laughing, Codes. What I did was wrong. I should be-"

"Everything you said was true, Rex. Maybe it wasn't the time or the place to say it. But, I'm not going to fault you for saying what we've all been thinking. You're the first clone with the gett'se to say it out loud to a high-ranking Jedi."

"And, I'll probably be the last," Rex muttered, laying back again to stare at the ceiling in defeat.

"What's done is done. While one of us probably should be at the barracks, I'll admit it is a relief to see you."

"If it helps, Admiral Yularen is taking care of the men."

"That's good. How is he?"

"Eh... he became a member of the Security Bureau while we were away."

Cody's eyes widened. "That is not good."

Rex frowned. "I don't think he was there by choice. He was reassigned."

"We don't know that." Cody made a dismissive gesture with his uninjured arm. "Regardless, nothing we can do about it now. It is good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too. And, no, I didn't do this on purpose, but I am glad I'm here." He reached down and gave his brother's hand a quick squeeze. "I was worried."

Cody cast a glance toward the force shield. "Because these shock troopers have been using me for target practice?"

"I already apologized for that, Commander," Orli called in through the force shield.

Rex looked over at Cody, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought it was Fox."

"Orli said he took the shot." Cody cast a suspicious look at his guard. "Are you just saying that because you want me to think you shot me?"

The shock trooper stared straight ahead and didn't respond.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Cody sat up more slowly, pulling himself to a sitting position next to Rex. "I'm bored. Restless. Wish I was back with the 212th. But, I'm not seriously injured. Lucky for me, the Corrie Guard can't shoot for osik."

"Says the trooper with a hole clean through the middle of his leg," Orli retorted.

"Orli, leave the Commander alone," chastised a deep voice.

The lights switched off in the cell startling both of them. The force shield dropped and Fox entered. "I was told to deliver this to you. Against my better judgment, I am doing so. You can watch the message, but you can't keep the 'pad. I'll be back in five."

He unceremoniously dropped the pad in Cody's lap and left the cell, reactivating the shield. He pulled Orli and Bodie aside, speaking to them in low tones.

Cody wasted no time activating the pad. The Wolfpack logo immediately popped up, prompting a puzzled glance from both Rex and Cody. What did Wolffe want with them? Ever since Abregedo, the 104th had been focused on search and rescue. They rarely engaged in campaigns with the 501st and 212th. So, what did Wolffe want with them now?

"Cody, I need to make this brief."

When had Wolffe been anything but brief?

The message was recorded on his bucket cam, but based on the shaking and movements he was either in the middle of a battle or a LAAT in rough landing conditions. "We saw your transmission to the Jedi and heard about your arrest. The WolfPack stands behind you." His voice dropped. "Many others are standing with you. Hang in there, Cody. Vode An." The camera view switched to his pack, and as Rex suspected he was on a gunship. It was crammed with members of his Wolfpack. They all snapped to attention, saluting sharply. "For the brotherhood," Wolffe said in his deep baritone and cut the transmission.

Rex stared over at Cody puzzled. "What?!"

Cody was staring down at the darkened screen, also clearly at a loss. "I don't understand. Wolffe makes it sound as if-"

The lights dimmed again and the force shield dropped. Fox entered, sharply giving the ARC hand signal for silence. He gestured for both clones to come with him.

Rex looked at Cody, eyebrow raised, an uncertain feeling rising up in his gut.

What happened to not being able to leave?

Chapter Text

Rex was puzzled by Fox's actions. He'd made it clear he was confined to the cell and said the guard was to be doubled, (so far it hadn't, but he assumed this was an oversight. Surely Fox wanted them safe?) He’d also said that he and Cody would be confined to the cell. Yet, now, he was ordering them to leave. Rex froze in place and looked over to Cody, awaiting his decision as senior officer. Stay or go? Cody was a Marshall Commander, and so was Fox. This was a kind of draw when it came down to rank. But, they were in the brig, and Fox was in charge here. So, that did put Fox at a rank advantage when it came to telling them what to do.

Cody gave a slight jerk with his chin toward the door. 

Fine, they were going.

Cody put up a hand indicating he wanted Rex to help haul him up. Rex gripped him lightly by his uninjured arm and pulled him to his feet without unduly putting weight on his new injuries. Cody nodded and indicated he wanted to make his way on his own.

No vod wants to be unduly fussed over.

OK, Rex didn’t mind a little bit of fussing over when Ahsoka was around, but that was different. Cody would let him know if he needed help.

Orli and Bodie lined up on either side of them exchanging a quick glance.

That look was telling. This change of plan was a surprise to them, too.

Rex looked over to Fox to demand an explanation.

But, Fox offered no reassurances. No explanation. He stared them down and waited for Rex and Cody to get moving. 

What was going on?

As they started down the corridor, heading in a different direction from when they’d arrived, Fox reached down to type into his compad. Except… he had a second compad next to the first one. A smaller one. He had a hidden panel built into his forearm hiding an extra set of controls. It wouldn’t be notifiable to someone who didn’t live in the armor.

Rex shot a quick glance at Cody.

Cody caught his eye and flicked a glance toward the security holocams ringing the corridor.

Oh.

The power indicators were off on the cams. Fox had shut down the surveillance.

Behind them, Orli and Bodie shifted slightly.

Cody tensed.

Fox abruptly halted and turned to their escort. "You’re dismissed. Head back to the barracks.” 

Orli cocked his helmet head to the side for a moment, clearly thrown off by the order. "Sir?"

Cody glanced back and forth between the trooper and his commanding officer. He'd heard the Corrie Guard were fanatical in obeying orders. But, perhaps the stories had been exaggerated. Orli, a lieutenant, was clearly struggling with what he saw as two conflicting orders.

"Dismissed," Fox repeated clearly and with finality.

Bodie elbow Orli slightly. “Come on. I could use some caf.” The second guard still shot their commander a look, though. It was clear, even through the helmet.

“Of course, Commander,” Orli acknowledged to Fox, giving Cody and Rex one last look. The guards quickly departed, leaving them alone without an escort.

Fox set off down the corridor again. His pace was brisk, hurried and almost agitated. Rex stayed back to keep pace with Cody. Considering he’d been shot, stabbed and cut across the abdomen, Cody was keeping up a good clip. But, he was no match for Fox’s long agitated strides.

Fox could figure it out on his own. Their stupid mysterious brother who refused to tell them anything that was going on around this place.

‘Better you don’t know’ .

Fekker.

No wonder most of the batch had lost touch with Fox. He was insufferable.

Rex kept a careful eye on Cody, prepared to help him if he faltered. But, Cody seemed to be holding up alright despite his injuries. Rex, however, was not fine. He was fuming. Why had the guards been sent away? Not that Rex didn't think he could defend himself, but he'd prefer a good blaster at his side. And, his armor, damnit. Without armor and blasters, they were at a serious disadvantage. 

And, why shut down the security holos? 

Cody had already been attacked once.

This seemed like a perfect setup so someone could finish the job-

No. Fox wouldn’t set them up. Would he?

Fox led them through a maze of unfinished corridors. No cells, no guards, no prisoners. The lighting went from bright to spartan to nearly non-existent. There were minimal construction lights set up every 5 meters, but it was obvious no work was currently being done in this area.

" Fox ," Rex hissed, demanding answers.

The Guard Commander made a brusque hand signal for silence. As they rounded a corner, Fox tapped his compad again. All lights cut out. 

Cody sucked in a breath.

Rex crouched down into a fighting stance. He wished he could reassure Cody that he’d protect him, but he couldn’t farkin’ see him. He didn’t want to speak and give away his position.

If their attackers had night vision, they were at severe disadvantage-

Rex smacked at the hand that gripped his bicep and smashed his fist against his best estimation of the attacker’s face. They were wearing a helmet which put Rex at a disadvantage, but-

“Fek, Rex! Hold! It’s me. You almost fekkin’ broke my nose,” Fox hissed, gripping his bicep again. He hissed out an annoyed sigh. “I’ll lead you and Cody from here.”

“Did you hit Fox?” Cody asked, keeping his voice down. His amusement was clear.

Neither Rex nor Fox dignified that with a response.

“Well,” Cody continued on quietly, “I could court martial you Rex for hitting a superior officer, but I am currently in the brig myself so I suppose you could hit him all you want.”

“Will you shut the fek up, Codes?” Fox hissed, guided them down the completely blackened corridor.

They walked for several long minutes, Fox warning them of obstacles on the left and right. “Construction bot, on your left.”

This reminded him, uncomfortably, of the time he ran headfirst into a pipe. Not one of his best moments.

A door swished open and Fox pressed them inside. After the door closed again, Fox switched on a low level lumen. “It’s safe to talk in here.”

Rex blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to light once again.

Fox tugged off his helmet, dabbing the back of his glove against his nose.

Rex took some satisfaction in the trickle of blood streaming from his brother’s nose. He deserved it.

“You did shoot me,” Cody reminded him, “I think you had it coming.”

“You’re both a bunch of fekkers,” Fox grumbled. “I don’t know why I’m trying to help you.”

“How is this helping?” Rex looked around their surroundings. There was furniture everywhere, still wound in the plasti-seal from the factory. It was a large store room. Judging by the quality of the furnishings, all of this was likely meant for the senate building, or for the natborn officers. Rex had been in Fox’s office, and the furniture looked to be a random collection of repaired pieces. They were all held together with generous amounts of mesh tape and aeromesh filament. But, none of it looked anything like the contents of this store room.

Fox shot Rex an annoyed look, taking a moment to clean up his nose with a wipe from his belt pouch. “Cody, you should sit.” He gestured to a plasti-wrapped couch. A very comfortable looking plasti-wrapped couch. 

The place smelled of chemicals and things that were too new and hadn't been properly aired out or used yet.

Cody carefully settled down, not quite able to suppress a groan as he sank down into cushions that were too low. Fox walked over and hit a button on the side of the couch raising up a foot rest. Cody blinked in surprise at the unexpected courtesy.

“You should keep your leg up,” Fox muttered. He tossed Cody the medkit from his beltpouch. “And, probably take another painshot.”

Rex settled into the chair nearest Cody, and couldn’t hold a small, satisfied grunt of pleasure. Fek. These chairs were comfortable . Who used chairs like these? Who knew furniture could be… comfortable ?

He shot a look at Cody who was settling deeper into the couch. His brother looked very comfortable and it eased some of the pressure sitting on Rex’s chest.

"What is this place and why are we here?" Rex asked, some of the sharpness naturally gone from his tone now that he was sitting in the galaxy’s most fekkin’ comfortable chair. Did it also have a foot rest? He fumbled for a button on the side like he’d seen Cody use with Fox and… oh… yes… he sighed with satisfaction as the footrest came up.

"You are deep in the bowels of one of the unfinished areas of the RMB. And, you are in one of the few areas not wired and bugged."

"Wired? By whom?"

Fox perched onto the edge of a shrink-wrapped desk, frowning in annoyance as it stuck to his butt piece. “Security Bureau. Seppies. Take your pick.” He moved around to the other side of the desk and busied himself with rummaging through the drawers.

Security Bureau? The place Yularen works?

The same Yularen who is currently in charge of both the 501st and 212th? Almost all of whom had contact with the boys from Ando?

A sickening feeling of dread settled in Rex’s gut.

Cody nudged him with his foot, shooting him a concerned look.

Rex shook his head slightly. Cody knew him well enough that this meant they could discuss it later.

Cody nodded and focused back on injecting himself with a combo pain stim.

“Ah, there it is,” Fox murmured, a look of relief spreading across his face as he pulled out a decanter of what looked to be an actual bottle of liquor. Not one brewed in a hangar with improvised parts and ingredients, but the type the natborns drank. “I thought Thorne stole my stash.”

He popped the glass top off a decanter of amber liquid and two shot glasses. He poured out a generous portion in each glass, filling it nearly to the brim. He tossed one back before offering any to each of them. He smacked his lips contentedly. "Ah, needed that." He held a glass out to Rex. "You two will have to share."

Rex accepted the glass, giving it a cautious sniff. It smelled… amazing. “Where did you get this?” He took a sip and handed it off to Cody. “Fek, that’s good.”

Fox smirked, a look Rex recognized from their days on Kamino. This was the Fox he knew. The clever cadet who could figure things out just a little bit faster than all the rest of them. “Security sweep.”

Rex raised up an eyebrow.

Cody took a sip and handed it back.
Fox shrugged. “There are some senators here who are alright.” He sighed, and the stress and worry returned to his visage. “But, they are few and far in-between. Most are the biggest bunch of shab’buirs this side of Kamino. When one of them is particularly offensive to the Guard, we find just cause to do a security sweep. For their own protection, of course.”

He opened the draw again and pulled out a decorative tin. “Twi’lekian Biscuit?”

Rex glanced down at their shared shot glass. He and Cody had finished it all already. “Can we get a refill?”

Fox poured himself another shot, tossed it back, and then gestured for Rex to bring his glass. He refilled both glasses. “Take them both.”

Rex raised up an eyebrow.

Fox shrugged. “I’ll use my alternate… shot glass.” He pulled a battered and chipped caf mug from another drawer and poured a generous portion of Scotch into it.

“You mentioned the Security Bureau,” Cody prompted.

Fox nodded, staring down into his mug like it was an old friend. He sipped it slowly before speaking again. “We… we are being monitored constantly.”

"By friendlies?" Rex questioned, the warm burn of the amber liquid settling nicely in his gut.

Fox tilted his head to the side, looking thoughtful. “Friendlies,” he considered the word. “Are they, though?” He took a long pull on his not-caf.  “At the beginning of the war, Republic Intelligence was relatively straightforward. Or, at least they seemed to be. But, since Tarkin has been rising in power they’ve been reorganizing into this new Security Bureau.” He shook his head. “I don’t feel more secure.” He tossed the rest of his drink and refilled it again. He muttered quietly under his breath. So quietly Rex wasn’t sure he heard correctly. “More like paranoid, all the time. Bunch of fekkers.”

Cody and Rex exchanged a glance.

“What?” Rex asked.

"Nothing," Fox stared morosely into his mug.

"It's never nothing, Fox," Cody finished off his second drink and held it off for a refill. He had sunk deep into the couch cushions and obviously was not getting up. He pointed to his leg and mouthed the words: ‘You shot me.’

Fox rolled his eyes but obligingly came over and refilled his glass.

Rex smiled and wondered how long Cody was going to hold that over his brother.

“Your former Admiral, Yularen, works over at the Security Bureau now,” Fox said, topping off Rex’s glass.

Rex sighed. “Yes, he told me.”

"Very hard to know who to trust these days," Fox sank down next to Cody on the couch, bottle in hand.

Rex switched seats so he was squished on the couch with Fox and Cody. “And, to think, there was a time when all we worried about was the Seppies and tinnies.”

Fox reached over and refilled both their glasses. “Once you delve deeper into the politics of this war, you start to question which side you should really be on." He gave a graceful shrug of a burgundy armored shoulder. "Or, if one should be taking sides at all." He didn’t seem drunk at all.

Rex, on the other hand, had a definite buzz going on. It was a nice feeling after everything that had gone on over the past few weeks. No, after the past few months. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten drunk with his brothers. It had been much too long.

Cody leaned his head on Fox’s shoulder. "Damn, Fox. That was a hell of a speech. You need to get out to the field. Get away from this place."

"Hah!" The Guard Commander said, "that's all I need is to get blown up in a minefield like you," he raised his glass in a salute to Rex, "Or get blasted by commando droids like you. They have taken a particular liking to you."

Cody made eye contact with Rex, "To a man too tough to take down." He tossed back his shot.

Rex held up his glass in a salute. "May the mines never find their mark, and the droids never learn to shoot." To Fox, he added, "To you, my brother, as these politicians are the probably the most hidden minefield of all.”

Fox leaned over to refill his glass, but Rex shook his head. If he drank anymore, he would vomit. He set his shot glass on an overturned crate that served as a sidetable. “Do you need to watch everything you say around here? Even around your own men?”

That sounded… fek… he couldn’t even imagine. He voiced his concerns to Fives, Echo, Kix, Coric, and Jesse all the time.

Fox reached for the bottle and thought better of it. He gestured to Rex to place it over on the side crate. "We are very strategic in where we talk.” He sighed and leaned his head back against the couch. “I’m telling you brothers. Something is going on. I see it at the highest levels. You had to have seen with the Jedi Council. They are well-intentioned, but completely out of touch with what is going on. They have no fekkin' clue how to run the war.”

Rex stood to stretch his legs, found himself wavering a bit, and then decided maybe it was best to sit back down again for a bit. Evil civilian inventions. Overly comfortable furniture.

Fox snorted. “You’re drunk.”

“Who’s fault is that?”

Fox reached over, grabbed Rex’s shot glass and poured him another shot for both of them. Rex hadn't been planning on drinking anymore, but fek, it had been a long day. He raised the glass and nodded to Fox. They down the shot together.

"There's a bigger picture here," Fox continued, "Cody angered somebody, and now they want him dead."

" Who is trying kill him?" he tried to sip his drink slowly this time. He leaned in toward Fox, thinking more and more he was alright as a brother.

Fox tapped the clipped to his belt where the Wolfpack had sent their message. "Cody, when you arrived home and refused to let the Jedi board the ship until they agreed to your demands, it had a huge impact on clones everywhere throughout the fleet. No clone has every done that before. It is as if you have finally given the clones a voice . That is what Wolffe was trying to tell you."

“Oh.” Cody looked thoughtful for a long moment. “That’s a relief.”

Fox gave him a questioning look.

“I was worried he was trying to bust me out of here.”

Fox tossed his head back and started laughing. “Although, Wolffe is crazy enough to do something like that, this is not what is going on here.” He reached across Rex and set his mug down with a thump. He faced Cody. “You have started a clone rebellion.”

"A what?!" Cody was outraged. He straightened up in his seat, unsticking from the plasti-wrap with considerable effort. " I am a clone marshall commander.”

“As am I,” Fox rolled his eyes, completely unimpressed.

“That was not my intent,” Cody frowned fiercely at Fox, and it would've had more effect if the chair and plasti-wrap didn't try to swallow him whole again. Cody did an amazing job of ignoring the chair as he delivered his impassioned speech. "My goal was to protect the men under my command. This was not about… rebellion.” 

"Whatever your intentions, you started something and I'm not sure you can undo it anymore. You dictated terms to the Council, and they agreed to your terms. Whether you meant for it to happen or not, the Jedi took orders from you. Everyone in the fleet heard what happened. By now, everyone in the fleet has heard the recording. Even in my Guard, where we have to be extra tight on security measures, the boys are finding ways to share the file. They’re all inspired by what you did.” 

Cody buried his face in his hands. “No no no no…”

Rex was much calmer as he mused through the implications. "And, that explains why someone tried to kill him.”

Fox nodded. "Too much free thinking by clones isn't encouraged. A bit of creativity on the battlefield is applauded. Way to go with tossing that t-det with creativity. Hoo hah. But, this sort of free thinking?” He shook his head. “Some one sure wants you dead.”

“Who?” Rex and Cody both demanded.

Fox looked thoughtful. “I have some theories. Very likely someone based here on Corrie. You weren’t here very long when the attack happened. Whoever it is has local connections.”

“You have someone in mind.” Rex didn’t know how he knew for sure, but there was something about Fox’s cautious demeanor.

Fox looked panicked for a moment, and then shook his head. “It’s a nasty business. All of it– here on Coruscant.” His eyes unfocused for a moment. “The battles aren’t all out there in the Rim with you boys.”

“Fox, what’s going on?” Cody’s voice was low, and not demanding. It was the voice of one brother watching out for another.

"I'll do what I can to keep you alive," Fox said.

“That’s not what I mean, brother, but thank you. We can’t help you if you don’t tell us what’s going on.”

Fox opened his mouth and Rex thought he was finally going up to them. But, he didn’t. There it was again. That panicked look that was so unlike the confident brother Rex had known on Kamino. What happened to Fox to strike such fear in him?

“It’s alright,” Cody reached over Rex to squeeze Fox’s hand. Rex was beginning to think sitting in the middle wasn’t such a great plan. “We’re here for you when you’re ready to talk.” He gave Fox a long meaningful look. “Don’t shut us out.”

Fox looked pained, and didn’t say anything to Cody’s offer of help.

Cody pushed his head back into the couch. "Fek it all.” He sighed. “Maybe this whole clone rebellion thing will just die out. Fade away. The boys will all forget about the idea if we don’t fan the flame.” 

Eh, Rex wasn’t sure it worked that way. Not after what he’d seen on Ando. Once a clone got it into the head they could be so much more, the idea didn’t go away. There was no going back. But, maybe Cody would have to figure that one out on his own.

“Nothing we can do about it any of it now anyway,” Cody continued. “We’re still in the brig. What happens to us next?”

"They are still figuring out the exact charges against the two of you. Additional charges may still be pending, depending upon what the Jedi decided to do. It may go to trial, or the GAR may decide to handle it as an internal matter. We should know more in the next few days. Until then, you sit tight.” Fox nodded toward the door. "Let's head back." He rose from the couch and reached down to tug Cody to his feet. He glanced down at Cody’s leg. “I am… sorry about what happened.”

Cody snorted lightly. “I’m not. It gives me something to hold over your head for a long time.”

Fox smiled back, bumping shoulders lightly with Cody. His expression turned serious again as they reached the doorway. "When you get back to your cell, watch what you say. I have your security cams routed directly to my office, but sometimes our lines get tapped. Too often. I currently have the cams in your cell on loop. If anyone is watching right now, they think you’re both still sitting there, discussing bolo scores.”

“Bolo scores?” Rex asked with interest.

“Yes, lucky for us no one can distinguish one clone voice from another except for us. The boys and I have recorded a great deal of B-roll audio footage for times when we need to divert the holocams.”

“So, if someone asks us about bolo scores, we know they’ve been watching the feed?” Cody asked with a smirk.

“Something like that,” Fox admitted. He reached for the controls by the door.

Rex halted his action. “What chance  does Cody stand if he goes to trial? Will he get a fair trial?"

Fox sighed. “First off, I don’t know for sure what is going to happen to either of you. It’s a toss up. The ‘justice’ system is very… inconsistent.” He gazed at his fellow command clones, his eyes glittering in the low light. "All I can tell you is…” he looked away, as if revealing something he didn’t want to say, “Whatever this is, goes so high up, I don't know if any clone can survive this system."

Cody and Rex stood there in silence absorbing his words. Something was wrong in the Republic. Very wrong. They both knew that already, instinctually, had known it for a while. But, to hear it said outloud was chilling.

Fox closed his eyes as if in great pain. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Forget it. I had to much too drink. Back to your cell.”

# # #

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan woke up with a start.

His brain was oddly sluggish and his limbs were unusually heavy.

Have I been drinking with Quinlin again?

No, that wasn’t it. Waking up after an all-nighter with Quin was its’ own particular kind of hell. This feels different.

And, who keeps poking me?

Someone was Force shoving him awake. There was only one Jedi who had a habit of waking him up so rudely.

“Anakin!” The word came out more as a pained groan than his usual firm admonishment.

“Easy, Master, you’ve been asleep a while.” A straw was shoved between his lips, none too gently. “Come on, Obi-Wan, drink something. It’s not tea, but you’ve got to be parched.”

He drank, but only because Anakin was hovering over him, basically shoving the straw halfway down his trachea. 

Oh, I was parched.  

“Thank you, Anakin. That was helpful.”

His nose tickled with wildly dueling scents. Lavender. Bergamot. Hyssop. Alderblack Pepper Fruit. He was sure these scents were meant to be soothing. He’d always found them simultaneously soothing and irritating. He knew of only one place in the known galaxy which bombarded the olfactory senses in this manner.  “Why are we in the Halls of Healing?” He wrinkled his nose again, trying to find a way to breathe that was less… peppery. It always took days for him to get the Halls out of his olfactory senses. “What have we done to ourselves this time? Did we crash again?”

He loved his padawan, (former padawan, he reminded himself), but he was terrifying behind the controls of any vehicle.

“No.” Anakin took the empty pouch back from Obi-Wan and used just enough Force push to send it across the room into a flash bin. “We didn’t crash.” His eyes took on an unreadable expression. It worried Obi-Wan the way his former padawan could disappear into his own mind. "This one wasn't my fault," Anakin added softly, but almost too softly, his tone held a warning.

Obi-Wan frowned as he tried to pull together the clues of what had happened to them. His head still felt cottony and thick, the way it did after a prolonged Force healing session. "I can't seem to recall anything.” While his memories would probably return on their own, he hoped the prompt might draw Anakin out. More and more, Anakin was distant to him these days. He’d always been rebellious when he was younger, but now that rebellion had morphed into something moody and dark. Was it  the war? This awful war where they had to order men to their deaths and still call themselves ‘Jedi?’

Clone Wars or not, he would always feel an obligation toward Anakin. They’d thrown together by circumstance and he always tried to do right by him. He was not as good a Master as Qui Gon would have been. His Master was patient and kind, but also rebellious with the right streak of spontaneity. He would’ve been the perfect Master to Anakin. But, he was dead and Anakin had been stuck with Obi-Wan as a Master. He'd try to do right by Anakin. He hoped he’d been a good Master and passed on the wisdom of Qui Gon's. But,when he sensed this disquiet in Anakin, this darkness, he was consumed with a sense of dread. He was failing Anakin. A divide was growing between them and he didn’t know how to fix it.

The galaxy was changing. Obi-Wan could feel it all around him. A sense of disquiet. Or, as Qui Gon once so colloquially said to him, “a sense of not rightness.”

Qui Gon would know what to do right now. Obi-Wan had no idea.

Anakin had been born and raised during a troubled time. So, had Ahsoka. And, the clones. They were all so extraordinary. Such shining bright lights in the Force. But, out of all of them, Obi-Wan was most worried about Anakin. He’d never outgrown his wild mood swings. He was good at covering them up, at times, but Obi-Wan could always sense the disquiet in him.

"Kaz'haria," Anakin continued to stare out the large window, his back turned on his Master."It was a terrible battle, Master. We were captured and experimented on. They experimented on you. On me. On Ahsoka . They tortured our men. I heard them screaming and could do nothing to help them.” A cold surge of darkness surrounded and crackled about him. Obi-Wan sent a surge of soothing energy toward Anakin. His former padawan struggled, fighting the comfort at first, like swimming against a tide. Why did he fight him? When had they lost the trust between them? Obi-Wan continued to gently prod, offering such a soothing, light touch. But, then he accepted the relief that was offered, and tamped down his surge of anger. “Forgive me, Master. It was… a very difficult time.”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said automatically, although since he couldn’t remember what happened, he didn’t know if that was true or not.

"You went down fighting," Anakin said, still staring out the window. He turned around after a long moment, looking completely composed again. "Healers said you'll make a full recovery."

"I wish I could recall more of it," Obi-Wan said. He had no idea how long he'd been in the Healing Halls. He carefully slid his legs off the edge of the bunk, looking for his customary robes, boots, and gauntlets so he could dress. Were all those items lost in the battle? He needed his belt with his comlink so he could ask Commander Cody for an update.

Oh by the Force! Cody! His Commander's name brought on a torrential flood of twisted and jumbled memories. He nearly vomited as he tried to make sense of it all.

"The minefield! Cody is in trouble! The men are walking into a trap!” Obi-Wan shot to his feet with the intense urgency of rescuing his battalion from a terrible fate. Anakin made a grab for him before his weakened muscles gave out.

“Master, all of that happened months ago,” Anakin said gently, easing Obi-Wan into his bunk. “We were imprisoned for a long time.”

“Cody- is he alive? What happened to the men?”

"I don't know. I awoke just before you." He tilted his head to the side. “Ahsoka is alive, though. I can feel her through our bond.”

He closed his eyes and reached for Cody. He wasn’t supposed to share such a strong bond with someone who was not another Jedi, but he’d worked so closely with Cody he could feel him now. The warm sunshine that was Cody radiated as strongly as ever. “Cody is alive.” Obi-Wan closed his eyes again, needing to feel the reassurance of Cody’s warmth. “And, he’s nearby.” If Cody was alive, it was possible other men from his battalion were still alive, too. Maybe all was not lost.

“I’m glad for you, Obi-Wan.” Anakin’s words for sincere, but there was an undercurrent of sadness to them. He hadn’t been the same since losing his steadfast Captain, and Obi-Wan knew there was a part of him that blamed himself for not doing more to somehow save him. Anakin was especially good at wallowing in guilt, blaming himself, for events clearly outside his control. It was as if he wanted to control everything to keep bad things from happening.

I need to spend more time with him. War or not, he needs my guidance. He may not be my padawan, but he is still my brother. He needs to know he can always come to me. Even when he is angry, he can always come to me. No, he needs to know he can come to me especially when he is angry.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan began, not knowing the right words to say, but feeling it was important he say something , “I hope you know that you can always-”

He never had a chance to finish his heartfelt offering of assistance to his (former) padawan. (Gah. Maybe it was Obi-Wan who was having difficulties letting go?) Two padawan healers came in bearing heaping trays of food, each with a datapad resting on the corner. 

Obi-Wan recognized one of the padawans as the promising young healer known as Maleena. He’d been in here often enough that he’d gotten to know most of Master Che’s trainees. 

“Master Windu asked that you read these debriefing materials before he arrives,” Maleena set a tray down by Obi-Wan’s beside before running her hands lightly over his frame. She nodded with satisfaction. “You have healed very well. He’ll be along shortly to speak with you.”

“Thank you for restoring me to health, Maleena.”

“You are most welcome, Master. But, do try not to come back here again so soon.” She gave a polite bow and retreated from the room.

Obi-Wan made short work of the food on his tray. He was famished , and to his delight, there was a little pot of perfectly brewed Sapir tea. His favorite. Perhaps he had been in here too many times. He sipped it slowly while reading through the update on the datapad.

Cody had rescued him.

Unbelievable. Of course he had. His incredibly loyal commander.

He was supposed to be recovering at Ord Cestus.

His glow of contentment from the hot tea and food in his belly was shattered as he skimmed through page three of the lengthy briefing. Mace’s briefing documents were never short and to the point.

Wait- what?! ‘Commander Cody has been confined to the RMB and is awaiting trial and sentencing for-’

"Rex is alive?!" Anakin was sitting back on his bunk, knees to his chest, reading his datapad. Obi-Wan was reluctant to look away from his own datapad, but this was the type of shout from Anakin that couldn’t be ignored. It was more of a strained wheeze, the type that usually preceded a meltdown. Anakin was pale and shaking, gripping the datapad so hard the plastene gave an audible crack.

“Calm down, Anakin.” The soothing words came to him automatically. He knew from experience he needed to talk Anakin down, and keep talking so he didn’t spiral. “This is good news, right? Your good Captain must have your talent for defying impossible odds." 

Anakin stared at Obi-Wan with wide-eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed unable to marshal the right words.

“Breathe, Anakin, breathe. Inhale. Exhale. We’ll figure this out. Alright?”

“Figure- this- out, Obi-Wan?”

Ah, there it was, the biting sarcasm. It was better, though, then when he was in that speechless state. He was a lot more prone to fits of rage when he was shocked to the point of not speaking. Obi-Wan had found through the years it was better to let Anakin take out his anger on him rather than someone else.

“Yes, I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation.”

“The doctors said there was no hope for Rex, yet he was the one who rescued us!”

Obi-Wan glanced down at his datapad. “Cody helped as well-”

The glare Anakin shot him made it clear the role of his commander in their rescue was not the point. "I sent him off to die! Now, he’s back. He must hate me.”

Regret and pain surged off Anakin.

“You didn’t send him off to die. Rex could never hate you.”

His words had no effect. Dark pain, anger and self-loathing roiled off Anakin in such violent waves Obi-Wan felt as if he’d be swept away by it. "Rex was my responsibility.” His possessiveness of the Captain was almost disturbing. “I should have been monitoring his medical care every step of the way. He was badly injured, and couldn’t fend for himself. This is my fault. If he doesn’t hate me, he should.” 

The eddies of the Force swirled around Anakin. When had that started? Light and dark clashing around him like the violent storms on Kamino, the miserable planet that happened to be the birthplace of the clones.

“None of us knew what was going to happen. Leaving the men for medical treatment is standard protocol.” OK, now that I say it that way, I do realize that perhaps there does need to be more oversight of what is happening to the men. Do we even know what happens to them at these medical centers? But, now is not the time to point that out to Anakin. “ We thought he’d be treated and come back. Anakin, you did nothing wrong.” He sent waves of calming energy and part of him worried his brother would reject the gesture. Things were strained between them sometimes these days, and Obi-Wan wasn’t sure why. He didn’t know where he’d gone wrong, or how to bridge the divide growing between them. But, this time, Anakin embraced the warmth and comfort Obi-Wan sent across their bond. In just this moment, everything was okay between them again. He looked at him with wide eyes, so lost and unsure, like he had when he was a young boy and still thought Obi-Wan was everything . 

When had that changed? When had I failed him in that role and lost that trust?

I need to earn that trust again. He needs me-

Their conversation was interrupted by Mace Windu, his robes swirling behind him with the force of his steps.

And, maybe that was the problem. Something was always coming between him and Anakin these days. There was always something taking precedence. Something more timely and more important than working on their relationship. He sent one final burst of strength and comfort toward Anakin and turned his attention to Mace.

From the beginning, Mace had not looked up Anakin favorably. Obi-Wan had tried over the years to turn Anakin into the type of Jedi that Mace wanted him to be. The perfect Jedi. But, Anakin was- and could only ever be- Anakin.

Vokara followed with quickened steps, as if not quite able to keep up with the vortex which was Mace Windu.

"Obi-Wan, it is good to see you alive.” He flicked his gaze across the room. “Anakin, you, too.” It was not lost on Obi-Wan that there was slightly less warmth in Mace’s tone when he spoke to Anakin. He hoped his former padawan didn’t pick up on the difference. “Vokara says you will make a full recovery.”

Vokara nodded, tight-lipped, as if she wanted to say more to them. She usually liked to give a detailed rundown of their injuries and a stern lecture of what they needed to do in order to recover. But, she held her tongue and let Mace speak.

“I assume you’ve read the briefing materials,” he gestured to the datapads.

“Most of it, yes,” Obi-Wan decided it was best if he spoke for both of them. “We were just… discussing the contents. What can you tell me about my men from the 212th? Commander Cody, specifically? Last I heard from him, he was walking into a minefield.”

“The warning you gave to your commander spared the battalion from walking directly into a trap, but they still hit the edge of the minefield. Commander Cody was badly injured, along with many other troopers. We made special accommodations for his care, without which, he would not have survived. The Kaminoans deemed his case terminal.” 

Terminal? Like what happened to Rex? Obi-Wan's mind whirled taking in all this new information. Why did it take special arrangements for a trooper to get the best medical care possible? And, why did Mace sound bitter as he was relaying this information?

"Where is he-”

"Your commander took it upon himself to go AWOL and take a number of men from both the 501st and the 212th with him.” Mace’s tone implied Obi-Wan was responsible for inspiring this free-thinking behavior. Obi-Wan was so very proud of Cody, and would have to tell him so at the earliest opportunity.

“Well, yes, I read that, but he was coming to rescue-” 

“He sabotaged the medical station and stole a shuttle.”

“Well, yes, I did read that, but sabotaged is a strong word to describe Cody’s actions. It was… creative thinking. Take into account these were extenuating circumstances and-”

He was interrupted by Anakin. Obi-Wan was surprised Anakin had lasted this long without interrupting. "What about Rex?” He waved the datapad. “This report says he’s alive?! How is that possible?!”

“Yes, well, he claims his ship crashed.”

“And, you don’t believe him.” Anakin’s tone was icy.

Obi-Wan was about to start in with a ‘calm down, Anakin,’ but Mace cut in.

“Oh, I think that part of the story is true, at least. There are other parts of his narrative that are in doubt. He’s holding something back. I can sense it. I don’t know what or why. But, it’s all highly suspect.”

“Are you accusing him of being a spy?” The Force flashed angrily around Anakin. “There’s never been a more loyal clone captain than Rex. I can’t believe you would accuse him of spying!”

“Yes, well, he did not take to questioning very well. It is clear to see why with the sort of example you are setting for him, Skywalker.” 

“He reacted because you accused him of being a spy! It’s an outrage! Where is he? I want to see him. Now .” 

There was nothing humble about Anakin. He cared nothing for Mace Windu’s rank. He was lost in the moment, and his anger.

To Mace’s credit, he held his own anger in check and responded calmly. "That's not possible."

Anakin's eyes narrowed as they did when he didn't want to be told no. "What do you mean? Where is my Captain?"  

"He’s been locked up for contempt of Council. He’s being detained at the RMB, sharing a cell with Commander Cody.” 

Contempt of Council? That didn't sound like the Captain Rex he knew, at all. It would explain Mace's clipped attitude when speaking of the 501st Captain. That must have been some Council meeting. He was sorry he missed it.

“They are both safe. Their guard has been doubled since the assassination attempt-”

“The what?!” Obi-Wan sat up so quickly he nearly toppled the tray containing his precious tea. Vokara shot out a hand and steadied the pot. 

“It’s on page four of the briefing,” Anakin commented blandly. He swiped a hand down his datapad, then sent it across the room to Obi-Wan, the relevant passages highlighted. “You’ll noticed the assassins tried to blow up the RMB, along with Cody.”

"You’re making too much of it, Skywalker. The attempt was not successful. The Coruscant Guard handled the matter.”

“I’m not sure handled is the right word. Obi-Wan, did you get to the part of the report where the Guard shot Cody.”

“An accident. Skywalker, stop antagonizing Obi-Wan. It is behavior unfitting a Jedi.”

Oh, dear. Now he’s done it.

“The assassins stabbed him, and then the Guard shot him.” Alright, perhaps Mace had a point. Anakin was deliberately trying to rile him up. It was working splendidly. Obi-Wan clenched the cracked datapad, reading the summary of events as quickly as possible. None of it sounded right, at all. What had happened during the time he'd been unconscious? It was as if the Republic he knew, and all the norms he relied upon, had been flipped around.

“I’ve never seen the clones shoot their own by accident .”  Anakin was laying it on thick.

"I don’t like your tone, Skywalker.”

"Oh for Force’s sake, Mace, you’ve never liked Anakin’s tone.”

Anakin shot him a jolt of both shock and pleasure at the support.

Do I support him so little that such a simple show of-

Never mind. Not the time.

“I have to agree with Anakin on this one. This was not handled properly, at all.” Obi-Wan pushed to his feet, pleased to see how much stronger he was now that he’d eaten. “Come on, Anakin, we’re leaving.” He glanced down at the thin gown he was wearing. Well, he’d paraded around in worse.

Vokara intercepted with a gentle grip on his arm. OK, a gentle grip with the deceptive strength of a Jedi. He would not have been able to break free if tried. The Head Healer had years of practice at corralling recalcitrant Jedi. "You have not been cleared to leave.”

"Oh, I think we have," Anakin said, his voice showing his delight in the whole matter. A bit of conflict. Some controversy. Things getting blown up. This was all Anakin's style.

Mace shook his head. "Let them go."

Master Che heaved out a sigh, as if all these irregularities were throwing her off, too. "Very well," she nodded to Maleena, standing behind her and watching the proceedings with interest. "Bring them clothes." She gave Obi-Wan a long-suffering look, as if he would be the death of her, and left in a dignified swirl of robes. (Even Obi-Wan could not get his robes to fall about him in such a dramatic fashion. Vokara truly was a Master at all she did.)

# # #

While getting to his feet was getting easier, walking proved to be a challenge. All his muscles teamed up to scream at him. All his muscles were stiff and painful, and he suspected he may also have experienced some muscle atrophy.

Anakin, with the advantage of youth, was faring better. He glued himself to Obi-Wan’s side, offering a stabilizing arm, as Obi-Wan found his footing. There was a gentle side to Anakin, one he rarely let his guard down enough for others to see. It gave Obi-Wan great pride as he strived so hard during Anakin's training to nurture him in all the ways of the Jedi. His former padawan could be so quick to anger sometimes. But, underneath it all, he was a good and kind Jedi.

Some of that could be Padme’s influence, too.

His ‘special’ friend.

At some point, I need to talk to Anakin about his ‘special’ friends.

I’ve neglected him so much with this war.

Both he and Anakin were dressed in fresh clean robes and despite his stiff muscles, he felt almost normal again. With a bit of meditation, he would be good as new. Now he just needed his commander back.

He’d grown close to Cody over the past three years. Maybe too close. (But, he wasn’t going to overanalyze those feelings. If they shared a special closeness, well, then, it just helped them work together better as a team. There. Nothing about that violated the Jedi code.)

The boots he was wearing pinched his feet as he walked. They were new boots, made of supple synthetic leather, like his old boots. But, they weren’t his old shoes and didn’t feel right. Everything about the situation seemed off, as he was trying to step back into his role of being a Jedi, but couldn’t find his footing.

Maybe once his memories fully returned, he'd be back to himself. The prompt of Cody's names had brought back a powerful flash of the overwhelming battle they'd been fighting in and things not going well, at all. What happened afterwards, though, was still fuzzy. He couldn’t remember what had happened to them while they’d been imprisoned. Since they’d been there for some time, he was missing a good chunk of memories. Why was his mind blocking so much out? What had happened to him?

There was more. 

The Force was whispering and prodding and swirling restlessly about him, as if change was coming. So much had already changed, upsetting the calm nature of all he knew. What else could happen?

He didn't have time to delve into the feelings any further.

The padawan who had brought them clothes had downloaded new info onto their datapad. Discharge orders and a summary of their treatment. 

He would read all of it later when he was ready to find out the extent of how much he’d been damaged. For now, he was simply thrilled to be out of the Halls of Healing.

While he was grateful for Anakin lending him a strong arm to lean on, he wished he’d slow his pace a little.

Obi Wan sighed. Anakin. Always in a hurry to get somewhere. As they walked through the Temple, the Force swirled restlessly. It was not the usual calm centering place Obi-Wan had come to rely upon. Change seemed to be in the wind.

# # #

Obi-Wan and Anakin followed Commander Fox and his silent squad of shock troopers through the seemingly endless corridors.

Shock troopers , Obi-Wan mused as they walked, taking in the bland interior of the RMB. Who thought of that name anyway? Who were they meant to 'shock'?

"This place sure is... sizable," Anakin muttered next to him, struggling for a better word to take in the sheer scope of the RMB.

"Ghastly is more like it," Obi-Wan muttered. The building had sprung up almost overnight. But, the place didn't make sense . Why did Coruscant need such a sizable military outpost when most of the GAR was off fighting in the mid and Outer Rim? And, why was such a large portion of the RMB devoted to being a prison? Who were they planning on locking up in here? And, most importantly, how had Cody and Rex ended up in such a place?

Fox put up a hand to halt their progress and pointed to a cell a few meters away. "This is the cell. I’ll give you a bit of privacy. We’ll be right here if you need us, Generals.” He gave his guards a signal to step back and flank the corridor. 

Obi-Wan and Anakin nodded. They proceeded toward the cell.

Voices greeted them from the interior. There were clones in there alright, and they were discussing... armor upgrades. As he took a step closer, he could make out the distinctive cadence of Cody's voice and the slightly deeper tones of Captain Rex. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan halted, and listened for a moment. 

"I'm not opposed to the idea of armor upgrades," Cody was saying. "There have been rumors of a redesign for a long time. If the new design can bring more boys home alive, I'm all for it."

"I agree with you, Codes. But, I’ve grown attached to my current kit. It's like my second skin."

Anakin's eyes widened at the sound of the Captain's voice. Waves of emotion washed over Anakin, so furiously they swirled in and around Obi Wan. Warring emotions. Joy. Guilt. Relief. Frustration. Like before, the emotions swirled and then vanished, as if Anakin was keeping a tight lid on himself.

"Captain, why aren't you at your post?" Anakin said, stepping forward into the line of sight of the two clones, a slightly teasing tone to his voice. From down the corridor, Fox remotely deactivated the force shield so the Jedi could enter.

"My commander appears to be slacking off, as well," Obi-Wan said, leaning against the wall outside the cell, and stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Sir!" Both clones immediately rose to their feet and stood at attention, Cody struggling slightly as he did so. Rex reached over and helped tug Cody up to his feet so he could stand fully at attention.

"General, sir," Rex started, "I can explain-"

But, he didn't get a chance to get any further.

"Rex!" Anakin said, coming forward to clasp Rex in a brotherly embrace. He drew back and studied the blonde-haired clone. "It's really you! I can't believe you are alive!"

"Eh..." the good Captain was caught speechless by the unexpected show of affection from his General. His voice muffled from where he was pulled tight into Anakin’s shoulder. He gave Cody a helpless look, and then awkwardly patted Anakin’s back. “There, there, General. It’s alright.”

Obi-Wan turned his attention away from the awkward man hug and focused on Cody. “At ease, Commander. I heard you were injured this morning.”

Cody relaxed and sat back down on his bunk. He didn’t usually sit in Obi-Wan’s presence unless they were all seated. This was a sure sign he was injured. "I'm alright, sir. Just a bit of excitement. A scuffle with a few bounty hunters, and a bit of confusion with Fox's men." Cody's lips twitched with amusement. He raised his voice. "Fox shot me, you know.”

“Fek, Cody, how many times do you want me to apologize for that?” Fox called out from the corridor.

Cody chuckled. Obi-Wan had missed that sound. Clones had an odd sort of chortle when they weren’t fully laughing. It was most… endearing. “I won’t let him forget it,” he whispered quietly to Obi-Wan, mischief sparkling in his eyes.

“Well, you do seem alright, then, if you came through it with your sense of humor intact. I’m glad you’re in one piece.” He gestured to Cody’s bunk. “Do you mind if I sit?”

Cody shifted slightly to make room. “It’s good to see you, General. You were in rough shape when we pulled you out of Darkknell.”

“Yes, well, I understand I have you to thank for saving my life.”

“Oh, it wasn’t just me, sir. Several of the boys from the 212th were with me, along with Rex, and some of his boys. We did it together.”

“Well, it can’t have been easy. You located us when everyone else in the Republic failed to find us. Some of my memories are still a bit hazy, but I do remember…” he cleared his throat as emotion threatened to overwhelm him, “thinking at one point we’d been forgotten.”

“I could never forget you, General.”

A moment passed between them, then, and Obi-Wan wasn’t sure what to make of it. He cleared his throat again, trying to dispel the lump in his throat. “Sorry, Commander, I’m not normally so emotional. I also understand you are here now because of what you did.”

Cody took his time before responding as if considering his words carefully. "Yes. But, I don't regret what we did." He paused, thinking it over. Obi-Wan had always had a good relationship with Cody and encouraged him to be honest with him. They'd spent many nights talking strategies around campfires and during this time had developed a strong working relationship. It had served them well. "Well, maybe, I do. A bit. I ended up locked up in here and away from the 212th. But, it still had to be done. I violated many regs to do so. It's why I am locked up now." He blew out a long breath. "I'll likely be court-martialed for it."

"You deserve a medal , not a court-martial."

"I was only doing my duty to protect you and the men of the 212th. If I have to die for that, so be it."

Anger bloomed up inside of Obi-Wan at the thought of his clone commander being put to death for saving him. "You are not going to die, Cody. Not while I am around.”

"I’m not sure you can’t get me out of this one, General. But, it’s alright. You’re safe. I’ve secured amnesty for the men.”

He doesn't believe me when I say I will help him. Something has happened to him.

There was a time when Cody used to follow him, and believe in him, with a blind faith and obedience which seemed central and ingrained to all clones. But, then, their roles had been reversed and instead of the Jedi rushing in to save the day, the clones had banded together to mount a spectacular rescue.

And, now they were being punished for it.

"I will get you out of here," Obi-Wan vowed.

"If you say so, General.”

It was a polite, careful response.

Once he did get Cody out of here, they were going to need to spend a bit of time together and reach a new understanding. He glanced over at Anakin, who was also finishing up his conversation with his clone captain.

"I need to talk with the Chancellor. This is unacceptable. " Anakin stalked out of the cell, his Force signature in chaos again.

Obi-Wan sighed. “I best go after him.”

“Of course, sir. We’re not going anywhere.”

Obi-Wan didn’t know why that statement stung so much, but it did. He stood up, giving Cody’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and followed Anakin from the cell.

# # #

Chapter Text

Cody watched his General leave with a strange tumult of emotion. None of his training at Kamino had prepared him for anything of this nature. They'd been told many things about what the Jedi would be like. All powerful. (Not true.) Incapable of making mistakes. (Also not true.) But, what had surprised him the most was the friendship he had formed with General Kenobi. And, it was because of this friendship that Cody had been willing to risk everything and leave Ord Cestus.

"Good to see the Generals up and about," Rex said. He looked about, seemingly at a loss as to what to do without a Legion to command. He shook his head as if accepting the whole thing even though he didn't like it. "Eh... guess... I'll... eh...hit the rack." He hesitated then, for the briefest moment. "You... eh... good?" He seemed to sense Cody had a lot on his mind, but Rex also didn't look in a talking mood. Deep lines shadowed his eyes. Cody was a commander first and foremost and knew when to put the good of the troops first.

"You go on. I'm going to stay up for a bit." In truth, he'd lost track of the time since he'd been locked up, which was a strange concept since his "normal" life was dictated by schedules.

Rex nodded and somehow just his presence there in the cell was reassuring. Rex settled into his bunk, and within seconds he was out. His breathing evened and in the quiet of the cell, Cody was left alone with his thoughts. The cell was spacious. More so than his quarters aboard the Negotiator.

I get an upgrade to my living conditions when I'm locked up. Great.

He pushed thoughts of his General aside for the moment and returned to the conversation with Fox and the magnitude of the holobroadcast. His intent had been to bring home the 212th, including his General. It was his duty, and as a clone, that was what he'd been born and bred to do. So, how did he get caught up in all of this?

What the fek was he caught up in? Fox implied something big was going on. Someone wanted him dead. And, this was much more than someone trying to shiv him because he was a high-ranking officer locked up in the RMB. This was a sophisticated attack involving bounty hunters impersonating clones. Who could pull off such an elaboration deception and why?

Cody was too restless to sit still. He was healing quickly, thanks to the efforts of the RMB medic, Silver. (Cody still thought the fellow reminded him of Keen.) He eased himself off his bunk, careful to avoid putting too much weight on his most injured bits, and started pacing. He counted out steps back and forth across the cell, again and again. And again. Then, he started going up and down the step, even though it pinched at his injuries a bit. It was worth it. His guards ignored him as if this was normal behavior for a prisoner in the confines of a cell. Somehow the mild pain helped ease his restlessness. It reminded him of the burning ache of training.

How many clones have gone mad being locked up in this place?

Why are they locking up clones anyway? We are supposed to be fighting for the Republic?

He took several deep breaths.

Easy there, Cody, he chastised himself. The 212th was locked up and came out in fighting shape. Hold it together.

He continued to pace, trying to burn off some energy.

He'd slept fine when Barriss was around-

Fek it all. Why he'd have to think of her? Think of something else. Anything. Gah. Think. Think. Think.

He turned his attention to Rex, studying him as he slept. His stern features evened out when he slept. He didn't look all that different considering he'd been gone three months. Rex hadn't gotten into too many specifics about where he'd been and what he'd done during that time. He'd left with a horrific injury and come back in fighting form with his own private army. Cody didn't press the issue, since he had his own secrets to keep.

Something had happened, though. The Rex he'd known before could be counted on to always follow orders.

This Rex was different, though. He wanted to question everything.

Cody shook his head. A fine pair they made now. The commander of the venerable 212th and the Captain of the mighty 501st. Both locked up at the RMB.

Everything seemed to have changed in the past few months. And Cody had a feeling there was no going back.

His thoughts were interrupted by the lead guard.

"Commander, sir?" Orli called from the entrance of the cell. "We have meals here for you and the Captain."

Cody glanced over at Rex. He'd gone from sound asleep to instant wakefulness in a moment. Cody always figured the Kaminoans bred it into them, a desirable trait so incoming munitions didn't kill them in their sleep.

But, the genetics weren't selective. "Food?" Rex said, accepting a tray Orli slid through an opening in the ray shield. "Tell me there's caf."

"But, of course, Captain. A trooper needs their caf."

"Orli, you're a good man." Rex's tone was outright cheerful, likely from a bit of desperately needed rest, and the prospect of food that wasn't a rations bar or Kazzie fruit. "Remind me to put you in for a promotion at the earliest opportunity. This is fine work."

"Eh, thank you, sir. But, you can't do that."

Rex snorted. He handed the first tray to Cody, before accepting the second one for himself. "Forget every disparaging thing I've ever said about the Guard. You're alright." He headed back to his bunk to eat his meal.

"Heh. You two aren't so bad for ground pounders," Orli said. "The Commander ordered us to give you extra dessert rations, so enjoy it."

Cody exchanged an amused glance with Rex. "I think he still feels bad about shooting me."

"Good, if it gets us extra dessert, keep that going," Rex said, his mouth full of huge bits of dessert. Rex drained his caf cup in a single gulp. "Orli, I'll pledge my full forces to defend Corrie if you can requisition more caf."

Orli snorted. "Fek. Hope it never comes. They keep saying this war is almost over. But, I'll send for more caf. You two are alright."

"Maybe more of these, too?" Rex held up his empty dessert plate.

Cody shook his head, looking over at Rex.

"What?" Rex replied looking back. "You said Fox was feeling guilty."

"Eat your food, you di'kut." But, inwardly, Cody was smiling. Maybe it was the food. Maybe it was the caf. Maybe it was the banter. But, for the first time, he had hope maybe they would get out of this alright.

# # #

Chapter Text

Two cups of caf and a full stomach made Rex restless. He was ready to take on a full battalion of battle droids. Unfortunately, there were no tinnies around and Cody was in no shape for sparring. He started pacing the confines of his cell, trying to burn off a bit of pent-up energy. Cody tolerated it, having done much the same while he was sleeping. Alright, he tolerated it for exactly 100 circuits back and forth, and then called an end to it. With an impatient hand gesture, he abruptly ordered Rex to drop and give him 50.

Rex snorted at being ordered around like a shinie. But, he did it anyway. And, kept going. Cody watched from his bunk, wishing he could do calisthenics. He'd lost weight and muscle tone during his long recovery at 'Cestus. Rex displayed no signs of having been injured. He pushed through a full set of warm-ups, each with the perfect form of an ARC trooper. Wherever he'd been during his time away, he'd obviously kept himself in fighting form.

Cody continued to watch him, surprised at himself he was a bit jealous. Troopers prided themselves on their battle readiness. He was behind. Not as fit. None of it mattered, though, if he was never getting out of here.

The lighting blinked in their cell and the force shield dropped. Rex rolled lightly to his feet, and they turned as one to the entrance of their cell to the face the Coruscant Guard Commander.

"What is it, Fox?" Rex asked, slightly out of breath from his workout.

Fox regarded Rex curiously, noting the sweat trickling down his brow. "Bored?"

"Stir crazy," Rex admitted. 

"Says the trooper who's been in here a day. Well, you can get some fresh air, or workout or what not, you're getting out."

"What about Cody?"

"He has to stay. Not my call. Let's go."

Rex exchanged a look with Cody, his loyalties torn. Being locked up was driving him crazy, but at least he could watch over Cody.

"Get out of here, Rex," Cody gestured with his chin toward the exit of the cell. "I'll make it an order, if need be. Now go."

Rex gave Cody a searching look. "Take care of yourself, brother." 

It was as much of a goodbye as one could get in a place like the RMB. He resisted the urge to look back at Cody as he left the cell. Fox could keep Cody safe, couldn't he? He'd be alright and get out of there. Right? Rex wished he was more sure of all of these things. It would make it much easier to leave.

Skywalker was waiting for him in Fox's office and greeted him enthusiastically. "Rex! Good to see you. I fixed everything with the Chancellor."

"Eh... thank you, sir."

"Yes, yes," Skywalker clapped him on the shoulder with vigorous enthusiasm, "you're a free man again."

Rex didn't think he'd ever actually been free. Or, even considered a man in the eyes of the Republic. He was a clone. An important distinction. But, it wasn't wise to upset the General when he was in such an officious good mood. Best to go along with it. "Thank you, sir."

"The Chancellor wishes to speak with you himself. Great news, right?"

"Er... " In light of what Fox had implied to them about the Chancellor, Rex wasn't going to put a meeting with him in the category of great news. He diplomatically changed the topic. "What about Cody?"

"Not to worry. I put in a word for Cody. The Chancellor has taken a special interest in his case."

Rex's spine turned to ice and he couldn't breathe. Beyond what Fox had told them, he couldn't even define why he reacted so strongly. Only that nothing about this felt right. He was tired of politely thanking Skywalker, so he only nodded numbly.

"Told you I'd fix everything," Skywalker said proudly. He stood in the middle of Fox's office beaming.

"Rex, you are being remanded into the custody of your commanding officer until a formal hearing by Jedi Council," Fox said. "I am allowed to return your armor to you, with exceptions. I am to hold your comms and weapons, pending the hearing. Is this understood?"

He nodded again. Half-listening. He was getting his kit back, but not fully. Made sense, though. Republic Intelligence, or the Security Bureau, probably wanted more time to scrub through his bucket and look for data on where he'd been for the past three months. Good thing Fives had already gone through it and scrubbed it clean. They weren't going to find anything.

But, wait. What? Why did he have to go before the Council again? Skywalker was back. Why wasn't his disciplinary action being left to Skywalker? He didn't get a chance to ask, the General was talking to him again. "As soon as we get these formalities behind us, we're shipping out." Shipping out? The 501st was being deployed?

He gave Skywalker a quizzical look. "Sir?"

Skywalker laughed. "Now, you sound exactly like the Rex I know. Come on." His voice was light-hearted and confident. Every bit the General the men were willing to follow into battle no matter what the odds or how crazy the battle plan.

Fox returned his armor to him, minus his bucket and twin DC-15s. Rex quickly suited back up. It was good to be back in his kit, although he had to adjust his shoulder armor twice, as it didn't seem to sit right without his bucket. It was better than no kit, though.

Fox handed a datapad to Skywalker for signature. The flimsiwork completed, Fox saluted sharply. "He's all yours, then, General."

Two shock troopers walked them out as far as the perimeter of the prison grounds, but it seemed more of an honor guard escort for a visiting Jedi than the closely following guard meant to keep a prisoner from escaping. The guards saluted Skywalker once they reached the perimeter of the RMB, and then retreated.

They were alone.

With the billions of others who called the city-planet home.

But, it still seemed a vast improvement over being confined at the RMB.

He walked beside his General, content to blend into the crowded streets of Coruscant.

"This way," Skywalker said, pointing toward the unmistakable shape of the Temple.

"Sir?" He had to face the Council already? He'd assumed he was headed back to the barracks to rejoin Admiral Yularen and the 501st.

Skywalker shook his head. "Sorry, Rex. I'm responsible for you until the Council hearing, but I have a meeting with a senator. So, Ahsoka is in charge until I return."

"I see, sir." He could just guess which senator the General was so eager to see after a long absence away. "Eh, sir, can the Commander... er... be in charge back at the barracks?" He'd spent enough time at the Jedi Temple. Last thing he wanted was any more time there.

"The barracks, the Temple," he shrugged. "My understanding is I'm responsible for you until the Council meeting. Since I have business to attend to, I am delegating the task to Ahsoka." It was obvious he'd already moved on and was thinking more about his evening, and less about the logistics of Rex, Ahsoka and what they should be doing until the Council meeting.

A nearby uproar drew their attention. Two Mutts being walked nearby entangled their leashes. The large canines attacked each other even as their frazzled owners shouted desperately, trying to pull them apart. Skywalker surged forward to help, calming the creatures with ease. Rex stayed back. This was the sort of situation Skywalker excelled at doing by himself.

The pampered Coruscanti citizens gushed over Skywalker, especially once someone recognized him from the holonet. Rex faded further in the background. Skywalker loved the spotlight, much as he argued otherwise. The Jedi General posed for a number of holos and then pulled himself free. He gazed around in puzzlement. "Rex? Where are you?"

"Here, General," Rex slipped back forward out of the crowd and fell into place again beside Skywalker. They resumed their walking. "Nicely done." 

Skywalker made a dismissive gesture with one hand. Such things were nothing to him, of course. "Where were we, Rex?"

"You will be remitting me into the custody of Commander Tano, sir, while you attend a meeting with Senator Amidala."

"Right. I'm not sure how long my meeting will-" he frowned. "I didn't say my meeting was with Senator Amidala."

"Very good, sir." 

Anakin clapped him on the shoulder. "You're a good man, Rex."

Rex had no response to that comment, so they walked on toward the Temple in companionable silence.

# # #

Chapter Text

The General seemed to be in unusually good spirits as they walked toward the Temple, and Rex had to quicken his pace to match Skywalker's hurried stride.

The quiet stillness of the Temple was a stark contrast to the bustle and noise of the busy streets of Coruscant. While instinct told him he could be wasting his breath, Rex was obligated by duty and honor to make another pitch to return to the barracks.

"Sir," he started out, his voice sounding more hushed and muted than he intended as they climbed the great steps leading into the Temple, as if he was already getting swallowed up into the place, "My place is with my Legion. There is much work to be done. Perhaps Admiral Yularen could..." He hesitated slightly, not wanting to say the words 'be in charge of me.' After months of freedom, his inner core seemed to rebel at anyone being in charge of him. "... eh, that is..."

Skywalker cut him off before he could continue. "Already tried that, Rex. The Council was specific about keeping this as a Jedi matter. I'm responsible for you until your hearing."

Rex quirked up an eyebrow, wondering how that translated to leaving him with Ahsoka. Experience taught him better than to argue with Skywalker, although sometimes he wondered if he should voice his dissent more often. "Of course, sir."

But, Skywalker wasn't an idiot. He never had been. He had his quirks, and that was actually one of the things Rex liked about him. He would've made a fine clone.

"Look, Rex," Skywalker said, pausing by one of the massive columns at the top of the stairs. He pushed out a sigh and made eye contact with Rex. "I know these have been a rough few months for you, and I'm deeply sorry."

The thing was, though, the General didn't know the half of it. Yes, Rex had been sent away, like an outdated piece of equipment, to be disposed of at Kamino. But, what happened after with the clones now on Ando had been amazing and the Jedi didn't know about any of it. Rex was discovering more and more just how vulnerable and not all-powerful Jedi could be.

Rex found himself in the strange place of comforting his General. "It's alright, sir."

Skywalker smiled, a bit sadly. "It's not. But, I can't change what happened."

His sincerity was unsettling.

"Eh... of course, sir," Rex said, at a loss for another appropriate response.

"Ahsoka, we're here," Skywalker said into his wrist comm quietly. She must have been waiting nearby because Ahsoka appeared almost immediately.

"Hello, Rex. Good to see you free again."

Her voice was rich and melodious and did something to Rex it had no right to do.

He automatically straightened his spine, telling himself he was only doing it because she was his superior officer. "Commander," he said in greeting, bowing his head slightly. It gave him a moment to study her, even if he didn't have the privacy of his helmet. But, her coloring was back to normal and she seemed to have regained the bounce back in her step.

A message chimed in on Skywalker's wrist comm. He glanced at it, and his face changed, lighting up with a small smile, as if he couldn't hold back an inner joy. Rex had only ever seen him use that expression for one person.

"I have to go," Skywalker said, turned to Rex and Ahsoka. His urgency to leave was apparent. "Ahsoka, you're in charge. I asked the Council to notify both of us when they're ready to speak to Rex."

Rex's stomach tightened at the thought of another hearing before the Council. He sucked in a breath and then cursed himself for revealing his feelings. He tried to keep his expression neutral; the one he used when things went south and he didn't want the men to panic.

But, fek, he was panicked. If this second meeting went badly, he was done. There would be no getting away this time.

Despite his obvious impatience to leave, Skywalker noticed his discomfort. "Rex, we will get through this. You're my Captain and belong with the 501st." He said it with such conviction Rex believed him. Rex believed in him. The knot in his stomach eased. The General had his back.

Skywalker gave one final nod before spinning on his heel and loping down the stairs out of the Temple two at a time.

No one better get in his way.

"This way," Ahsoka said, taking off down the corridor into the interior of the Temple,

Rex strode dutifully by Ahsoka's side, trying not to feel so out-of-place. They walked in silence. It wasn't the same sort of companionable silence as when he'd been with Skywalker out in the busy streets of Coruscant. Things were different when he was around Ahsoka. They'd always been different. She'd always pushed him out of his comfort zone. Challenged him. She evoked in him feelings he had no right to feel. He pushed those feelings away. Burying them.

She was his commander. That was all.

He kept his eyes fixed straight, dutifully playing the role of trooper escort. None of the Jedi they passed gave them a second glance. Clone troopers had become commonplace in the Temple.

They took a sudden turn and entered a quiet hallway. Ahsoka glanced back and forth up and down the corridor. "OK, this way. Quickly." Her pace picked up as if they'd suddenly entered an area they shouldn't be. Rex quickened his steps to keep pace. Ahsoka palmed the door controls and pushed him inside.

Rex stumbled slightly, and then caught his balance. He looked around the darkened interior in confusion. "Commander-"

"Rex, if you call me 'Commander' one more time-" She shook her head and started again. "It's confusing now that we are back, figuring who we are and what are our boundaries. But, when it's you and me together, it's Ahsoka." She reached forward and gripped both her hands in his, and the simple contact sent jolts of feeling rushing through him.

He pulled back and took a step away, under the pretense of examining his surroundings. But, he needed some distance, not trusting himself to be near her. "Where are we?"

She waved her hands and the lights came on. "My quarters."

"Why am I here?" Rex asked pointedly.

"It is the most private spot I could think of where we could talk and wait until your Council summons. Knowing Anakin, he is not going to be back for a while. His Senate engagements take a long time." If she found this behavior odd, she didn't show it. "Tea?" She started the insta-kettle without waiting for an answer.

He did not need tea. No self-respecting clone would touch the stuff.

Rex took a step away from her, trying to gather his thoughts. He was in Ahsoka's quarters. This could end very badly. He needed some space to think. But, there wasn't much of it to be found in her quarters where every space reminded him of Ahsoka. He opted to stare out the oversized scenic window, past the never-ending flow of traffic, and toward the RMB. Cody was there, and beyond the farkin' prison facility lay the newly constructed barracks.

"Are you alright?" she set down the tea mugs, at a small side table.

"Of course." He kept his gazed fixed on the RMB, trying to imagine what his men might be doing right now. Without him.

But, he wasn't OK. For so many reasons. Most of which he didn't feel he could discuss with Ahsoka.

"Liar," Ahsoka challenged without malice.

Rex turned to study Ahsoka. She had settled into a stern-looking upright chair, which looked like standard Jedi issue, and not at all like something Ahsoka would pick out for herself. Rex had the impression there was something about her quarters, and even the Temple itself, which did not quite suit Ahsoka. He hadn't seen it before now. But, it was so apparent now as sat so ramrod straight trying to conform to something which did not suit her lithe frame.

"No," Rex admitted finally. "I don't think I'm OK, and I haven't been for a while. I'm supposed to watch over the 501st and I haven't done so since I was hobbled on TriLuna. And, now, I finally returned and I had a chance to return to duty. But, I ended up locked up, for contempt, and, I used to pride myself on following orders." He scrubbed a hand through his hair. "I don't understand what's going on, and I don't understand how I fit into any of this."

Rex forcibly turned his attention back to the window, upset by his own outburst. He was not normally this unguarded about his own emotions, but he had always been different around Ahsoka. She'd always brought about an entirely different side of him.

It was... unsettling.

"Why did you come back?" Ahsoka asked softly. She had her hands wrapped around her tea mug, as if seeking strength and comfort.

"What?" Rex turned around, startled at the question. "It was... is... my duty."

"Your duty ended when you freed everyone. The Republic didn't know you were alive. You were free, Rex."

There was a long silence. It hung in the air. Rex stared back out the window. The sun was setting and deep red streaks of light settled over everything in sight. Rex shook his head. He didn't answer. He couldn't answer.

Ahsoka persisted. "Why did you come back?" He startled. He hadn't heard her get up and walk over next to him. The reason he came back was standing beside him. But, he couldn't say it.

He turned to Ahsoka, at a loss for words, but his emotions must have been clear to see on his face and in his eyes. He could never hide anything from Ahsoka.

Her face softened and she smiled.

He couldn't resist smiling back. He was lost.

She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed the softest of kisses to his lips. He was stunned by her action. His arms came up to her shoulders, at first to push her away. But, he couldn't. He gripped her in place. His lips engaged with her own and he could not tear himself away.

They could not do this now.

They said they would not.

Oh, fek.

As from a galaxy far far away, he heard a moan ripped out of him.

All he had to do was press her back against her bunk, and could press one of his armored legs between her own thighs. He nudged her back slightly, and she moved back with him, so willingly.

He ran a head down one of her lekku, and a low guttural moan ripped out of her. It echoed everything which was going on inside of Rex; everything which had been building up inside of him for so long.

All of this was so right. He was meant to do this; after all, Skywalker had practically thrust him here with Ahsoka-

And, yet, somehow the thought of the General was sobering enough to give him pause. He pulled back, feeling as if he was ripping a vital piece of himself when he did so. Ahsoka stared at him, a whole host of emotions flashing through her eyes at once at Rex's apparent rejection. He opened his mouth to explain, but she put up a hand up to his lips to still him. He couldn't resist pressing the gentlest of kisses to her fingertips, and she turned away from him.

Rex pushed out a long weighted sigh, feeling as if he'd fekked up royally somehow now. Ahsoka took a step closer to the large window, looking out as the room was bathed in a blood red glow.

Rex moved a half-step forward, automatically taking his place by Ahsoka's side. He could not imagine standing anywhere else, even when he knew she must be angry with him. As was the case so often, she knew what he was thinking.

She shook her head and sighed. "I'm not... mad, Rex." She turned so she was facing him. They were still standing so close their faces were practically touching. She reached a hand out and brushed his cheek. His skin burned where she touched him. Would it always be so between them? This mad burning and longing? "I get it and I understand. More than you know." She pushed out a long, weighted breath and released it. Her breath fluttered his eyelashes. She cupped his cheek. It was such a soft gesture of affection he nearly melted into her touch. "You did the right thing."

"I did?" he questioned hoarsely, his words causing his lips to graze against the inside of her palm.

She smiled again and reached both hands up to gently scratch his scalp. He closed his eyes and melted into her touch. "Your hair is longer." She playfully tugged on a strand. "I couldn't do this before."

He peered an eye open at her at the playful tug. She took the hint and resumed her scratching. He sighed again, melting like a tooka cat.

"You're purring, Rex," Ahsoka laughed.

"I'm a clone Captain," Rex muttered, his eyes closed in bliss. "I do not purr."

"Really?" Ahsoka took this as a challenge and re-doubled her efforts, skimming her fingers over all the pressure points on his scalp. He peered an eye open again. She was smiling at him, a smile so warm and full of affectionate he knew she could never stay mad at him for long. And, his heart lit up again and he knew everything would be alright as long as he could be near Ahsoka. Fight near Ahsoka. Die near Ahsoka. This was the Republic he loved. Ahsoka and his brothers. This was his everything. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze in return and while parts of him still ached fiercely to explore her body, he would not violate the trust between them. Or, the trust which had been placed in him by General Skywalker. He was a man of honor.

"You can't blame me, though," Ahsoka said softly, turning toward him and brushing the lightest of kisses up against the side of his neck. Somehow this gentle touch made him blush even more than the passionate kiss they had shared moments before. "You are the most handsome man in the clone army."

His chest swelled with pride at the praise. "Ah, yes, well, it is well known that clones are notably superior in every way."

Ahsoka raised up an eyebrow. "Really, now? And, who says so?"

"Oh, well," Rex blustered, crossing his arms across his chest, "most everyone I know..."

Ahsoka snorted with amusement. "Most everyone you know is a clone!"

"Doesn't matter," Rex insisted. "It's still true. Clones are engineered to be superior."

Ahsoka quirked up an eyebrow and gave him a rakish gaze up and down. His insides flip-flopped from that one look. "Ah, well, then, I look forward to you proving that to me one day." Her statement fit in with their earlier banter, but it was also a promise for a future. Maybe. Something beyond fighting for the GAR and being Captain and Commander.

But, for now, he was still Captain Rex of the 501st. She was Commander Ahsoka Tano of the 501st. She was off-limits. Their hands naturally found each other of their own accord. The sunset was startling now in its intensity; darkness gathering around the intense shades of red, streaks of purple and orange battling around the sides.

He was startled a moment later by the gentle feel of Ahsoka resting her head on his pauldron. Somehow though, this, too, felt right. He leaned his head momentarily down on top of her head and sighed. There was such a pleasure in the way his softly shorn scalp rubbed up against her montrals. He resisted the urge to nuzzle her. Ahsoka didn't hold back, though, and brush her montrals up against him. Why did the simplest of touches against Ahsoka feel so profound?

"I'm glad you're here," Ahsoka's voice was soft as they looked out together into the swiftly advancing darkness. "I am so glad you made it back."

Rex closed his eyes and memorized the feeling of her touch; reveling in it. Gut instinct told him these moments may not come again. If he'd learned anything during his time as a clone, it was to appreciate all of life's little moments. So many of his brothers were gone in an instant, their lives snuffed out. He'd learned as a very young cadet life was fleeting, and so very, very precious. It was an odd realization for a soldier trained to take lives.

They stayed like that for several minutes watching darkness creep in over Coruscant together.

It was Ahsoka who finally ended the quiet moment between them. The room was in full darkness, except for the ambient light coming in from the traffic passing by outside. "I'll set up a bedroll for you." With a flick of her hands, she activated soft lighting in the room.

"I'll help you," Rex insisted, not used to anyone to doing anything for him. It was unnatural. Together, they set up the simplest of sleeping arrangements with a mat which looked as if it doubled as the floor mat Ahsoka used for her katas, and a spare blanket Ahsoka insisted on pulling from her own bed.

They washed up together in the small attached refresher. It was a modest room, much less grand than Rex would expect in the Jedi Temple. Nothing more than a sonic shower, a mirror and a sink. There was something incredibly intimate about getting ready for bed next to Ahsoka, even if was simply washing his face and scrubbing his teeth using the dental kit from his belt pouch. It was different than brushing his teeth next to dozens of rowdy, laughing brothers, but there was nothing awkward about it. Washing up next to her, shoulder to shoulder, felt so right.

"You have a little denta-paste here," Ahsoka teased, dabbing at his face with a soft towel. The gesture was so intimate. He had no idea if he did or not, but to get her to look at him like that, and touch him like that, he would happily smear denta-paste on his face for the rest of his days.

A few minutes later, with the lights completely dimmed and the windows darkened, they'd settled in for the night. He didn't think he'd be able to sleep after all that had happened, and confined to the Jedi Temple. But, with the gentle scent of Ahsoka wafting up to his nostrils, his body relaxed and he was asleep almost immediately.

# # #

Chapter Text

Anakin took the Temple steps two at a time.

He was going to see Padme.

Finally.

Even before they'd been deployed to the disastrous siege of Kaz'haria, he hadn't seen her for weeks. Everything had been such a mess after they'd lost Rex and it was all he could do to hold the Legion together. Appo tried, he really did, but nothing had been the same since they lost Rex.

Padme.

Just the thought of her was enough to send his heart racing. They had a whole night together. Maybe he shouldn't have charged Ahsoka with watching Rex. Perhaps he expected too much of his padawan sometimes. And, he was thrilled to see Rex alive. But, he had to see Padme. He charged toward the Temple speeder bay, knowing full well he was going to break all speeder laws heading over to Padme's high-rise apartment in the Senate district. But, what it did matter? He was a Jedi and couldn't be given a speeding ticket. Most of the regular laws didn't apply to them. Not really. And, soon, Padme would be in his arms and all thoughts of the war would fade away-

His comm chirped.

No!

Every instinct at him screamed not to answer it.

He hurried his pace toward the speeder bay.

His com chirped at him again. Demanding to be answered.

He was at the entrance to the speeder bay.

His com chirped a third time, shrill and insistent. A hot fury rose up in him and he grasped the comm link, prepared to smash it against one of the ornate columns which separated the older part of the Temple from the large hangar bay, which had been added later.

A padawan learner, covered in grease and tinkering on a speeder, glanced over at him in alarm. The padawan was Rodian, but reminded him so much of Ahsoka with their wide-eyed, innocent look. And, they were totally picking up on the angry aura he was emitting. He was broadcasting his emotions, and not positive ones either.

He paused by one of the large columns, and took several deep breaths to get a hold of himself.

His comm chirped again, and now more in control of himself, he answered it. "This... is Anakin."

"Anakin! I've been trying to reach you. The Council wants to meet with us. Now." Obi-Wan's voice on the other end brokered no dissent.

"But, Master, we only just returned home-"

"Oh, I am well aware. But, Masters Windu and Yoda were insistent they speak with us."

No. No. No. No!

The front windshield on the nearby speeder shattered. The padawan, who was working underneath, yelped in surprise. Anakin prepared to head over and apologize, but a nearby service droid was already inspecting the damage.

"Anakin, did you hear anything I said?" Obi-Wan asked insistently on the other end of the comm.

Anakin sucked in a deep breath, before replying. "I'm on my way."

He glanced back regretfully at the speeder bay, his night was ruined. He cast another guilty glance at the speeder he'd damaged. Krek. He needed to get a better handle on his temper.

Oh, krek, and Padme, how was he going to explain this to her? He ducked behind the column and dialed Padme's comm code. She answered immediately. "Anakin." Her soft voice set his heart racing.

"I'm sorry, Padme. I can't make it."

"It's alright," she said.

Her easy response left him both relieved and saddened. Shouldn't she object more to him not coming? Be more disappointed?

"I was summoned by the Council," he explained. "I'm sorry."

"I understand," Padme said, her voice still doing strange things to him. It always had. "There's an emergency meeting of the Senate tonight. A vote on action about to take place in the Outer Rim. In all honesty, it would have been difficult for me to send a proxy to this vote."

Wait? She was about to cancel on him?

There was an awkward silence on the comm. He couldn't make any promises on when he would see her again, or when he would call her again.

Padme ended the call. "I have to go. Be safe, Anakin."

Anakin's hand shook as he stared at the comm link, and it took every ounce of self-control not to smash it into the column. His vision was almost swimming red with fury. Not at Padme. But, at everything. The war. Being a Jedi. The situation they were trapped in. Being a Jedi. Everything which kept him apart from Padme.

He emerged from the column and stalked toward the Council meeting.

# # #

Appo was leaving medical. He was thrilled to be heading back on duty. Or, at least light duty. His one shoulder was still out of commission, but he was allowed to return to barracks while he finished his recovery. He hadn't expected both Coric and Denal to be waiting for him when he emerged from bacta. They helped him shower and dress. He was grateful for the help as his whole body still hurt, despite the bacta, and his body still felt stiff and awkward. Coric conferred with the senior medic on duty, and officially took over Appo's care. In less than an hour, they were headed back over to the barracks.

The three of them walked through the streets of Coruscant, dressed identically, in their burgundy fatigues. It was just past dawn, and despite the early hour, the streets of Coruscant were already abuzz with people headed to work. A few citizens cast them confused looks at their identical appearance. Clones in armor were becoming more commonplace in the streets. But, Appo had come to the realization few Coruscanti understood there were men underneath the armor. Appo wasn't sure if he welcomed the anonymity, or found it ironic, considering he was a clone. After all, this was the Republic they were supposedly fighting for and these citizens seemed content to be so blessedly ignorant in all but their own narrow interests.

"You OK?" Coric asked.

He hesitated, considering his answer. During their long hours imprisoned together on Darkknell, he and Commander Tano had spoken at length on many topics. She'd outright told him his "people skills needed work." She also said he needed to be more "open and approachable" and this "worked well for Rex." He didn't like being compared to the Captain, but couldn't argue with how well respected he was by his fellow clones.

"I… uh… was thinking…" he started, and then stopped. Fek. He sounded like an di'kut. But, he could hear Ahsoka's light teasing voice in his mind, telling him he would never get a different result unless he tried a different approach. He took a deep breath and plunged ahead. He gestured around him with his good arm at the Coruscanti they were passing. "They look at us. But, they don't know who we are."

"So?" Denal asked, giving an unconcerned look around him as if it mattered little to him either way, "what of it?"

Appo resisted the urge to be offended by Denal's flippant response. He continued on and tried to explain himself. "They're supposed to be the ones we're fighting for, and yet they know nothing about us." He tried to voice what he was feeling. "They don't care to know anything about us."

Denal laughed and put a hand gently on his uninjured shoulder. "You think too hard. Be careful. You'll hurt yourself."

It was the sort of good-natured, teasing comment he'd heard the men make back and forth to each other many times as they laughed together. The sort of talk he'd always been excluded from... until now. It felt... nice. Normal.

"Yeah, that's... eh... good advice," he responded back to Denal, earning himself a smile from the longtime 501st trooper.

Coric and Denal talked with him constantly on the way back. Most of the news was of no consequence. The usual clone gossip. But, there was something incredibly soothing in the normality of all of it. He was content simply to listen.

Denal described their first meal back at the barracks in great detail. Coric told him Generals Skywalker and Kenobi were out of medical, and everyone was hoping they'd make an appearance at the barracks in the next day or two. There was a lot of speculation about when they'd be getting their new armor, or when they'd ship out again. Or, when they would get a ship again. But, most of all, the men were hoping they could get some news about what was going on with Captain Rex and Commander Cody.

"What?"

Appo took in this last piece of news, and his good mood faded away. Commander Cody was not his concern. But, anything concerning Rex affected Appo. "What happened to Rex?

Coric and Denal exchanged a look.

"He was sent to the RMB for contempt of Council," Coric finally answered.

Appo stopped in his tracks, refusing to take another step. Annoyed Coruscanti citizens walked around them, glaring at them for impeding their progress. "Explain."

"We don't know the details. He is being held until he has a hearing. But, it is by order of General Windu."

Appo tried to keep his expression even, but his thoughts were racing. Contempt of Council? Rex? He never could have imagined. This was likely a positive development, though. He and Rex did not exactly get along. So, maybe the problem had just taken care of itself. Coric and Denal were studying him intently. He would need to proceed very carefully to avoid losing the ground he'd made today.

"I see," he said, keeping his voice even, "eh... hopefully, the Generals will have an update for us... " He jerked his chin in the general direction of the barracks. "Shall we proceed?"

Coric cast him a suspicious look. Denal shrugged and launched into a humorous incident involving the purple Kazzie fruit. Appo wasn't listening, fortunately Denal didn't seem to care.

Would Rex be sent away again? If he was, it would clear the way for Appo to take command of the 501st with no interference. It was very difficult for him to command the men when all they were talking about or thinking about was Rex.

# # #

Chapter Text

Rex awoke confused, startled to find himself in unfamiliar surroundings. A familiar scent permeated the space and eased his sense of high alert. Ahsoka's quarters. He was at the Jedi Temple.

"Rex?" Ahsoka's sleepy voice did things to him it had no right to do. "You alright?"

"I'm fine... I... uh... forgot where I was."

Ahsoka padded over to him, her steps so light and soft he could barely detect them even with his enhanced clone hearing. Without preamble, she lay down on the floor, curled up into him and tugged the blanket over both of them.

"Ahsoka, this isn't a good idea." Although, every part of his body begged to differ and told him this was a great idea.

"Go back to sleep, Rex," she shifted slightly, curling her backside more deeply into him.

He was never so grateful to be wearing armor. Still, there was something so incredible about the feel of her body weight pressed into him. It filled him with a sense of peace and contentment, like when he was with his brothers, yet also nothing like being with his brothers. He knew he should tell her to move, but then she looked up at him, a warm, sleepy smile that made his insides pool. He tucked her into the crook of his shoulder and settled his chin between her montrals.

Ahsoka emitted a contented sigh, another sound that made his insides pool. She settled in and fell asleep almost instantly, her breathing deep and even. He stayed awake, watching Ahsoka sleep by the city light coming in through the window. It cast different shadows over her face. She was beautiful, no matter the lighting. Her facial structure had changed since he'd first met her. Her features were getting more elongated and her cheekbones sharper. Her montrals were longer. She had gained considerable height and muscle. It seemed like a lifetime ago he was first laughing at the sassy upstart calling the General "SkyGuy" on Christophsis. Even though, she'd been a breath of fresh air amidst the gloom and stress of a difficult battle. Since then, she'd always been his light in his difficult times.

While nothing in their lives was ever certain, he hoped Ahsoka would always be a part of his life. No matter how many years (or months) he had left to live, he had no regrets as long as he could spend it with his brothers and Ahsoka.

The lighting changed turning a startling, almost disturbing shade of red before the dawn came again.

Rex let his vision blur, falling into almost a trancelike state as he thought about both of his Legions. He was doing his best not to dwell on his upcoming meeting with the Jedi Council, but "Contempt of Council" was a serious charge. As far as he knew, he was the only clone to ever be charged with it.

"Hey, didn't you sleep?" Ahsoka's voice was deep and husky when she first awoke. She stayed nestled in his arms, looking out into the slowly gathering rays of light.

"I'm alright. I... had a lot on my mind."

"Understandable." Ahsoka was pressed so intimately into him he felt it in his chest, and well, other parts of him. He forced himself not to respond. It was a skill he'd slowly mastered over the past year as his body became increasingly aware of Ahsoka's maturing form. "Are you thinking about the 501st, or those other brave troopers who helped rescue us? Or, are you worried about your upcoming Council meeting?"

Rex's jaw dropped, and he tilted his head to look down at her. The action caused his lips to fully brush her montrals and they both sucked in a breath. He took a moment to compose himself and then said: "Since I know you wouldn't read my mind without permission, I'll chalk that up to you being effin' brilliant. And, all three, actually."

Ahsoka chuckled and the action caused her to rumble against his chest, an action which was intensely pleasurable in a way he wanted to memorize so he could recall it during the darkest of times. He wanted to remember everything about these precious few hours as they seemed so rare and fleeting in a war that seemed filled with more harsh memories than sweet ones.

As the darkness lifted and dawn began to stream in, Rex gently stroked one of Ahsoka's montrals with the lightest of touches. He generally slept without his gloves. With his hands bare, he could feel everything. The shock of it when through him even with the lightest touch.

He could not lay claim to her. Not in the intimate way a man knew a woman. Not in the way he'd heard Travis and Karyn do so many times on Ando. Maybe he would never know that feeling. But, he wanted her to know how he felt. There was a good possibility he wouldn't survive this war. He was quite sure he wouldn't. But, at least Ahsoka would know.

Ahsoka rolled over and scooted up, so their shoulders were flush. She leaned in for the gentlest of kisses.

It was a kiss of promise. Of something more. For another life. Away from this war.

Rex didn't know if that life would ever become a reality. He leaned in and captured her lips, desperate for more. He kissed her with the intensity that had been locked up inside of him for so long. Everything that he wanted to say but did not have the words to express.

Ahsoka moaned and that sound hit him in his core. He deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue between her lips, needing to taste her. Ahsoka rolled over more, pressed on his shoulders and shimmied on top of him. Rex grabbed her buttocks, pulling her down closer to him. He needed her. So badly. She ground down into him and groaned again-

It was the second groan that brought him back to reality.

In what was probably the biggest act of self-control in his short life, he tore his lips away from the kiss. "Ahsoka. We have to stop."

Breathing heavily, she rested her forehead down against his and sighed heavily. "I know. I wish we didn't though."

Rex chuckled, and Ahsoka joined in a moment later. Feeling her laugh, while still nestled against him in such an intimate position, was another amazing feeling he never wanted to forget. She looked at him with sparkling eyes and it was all there in her expression. Everything they felt for each other, but couldn't find the words to express. Or, couldn't say because of the separate oaths they'd taken that kept them apart.

They both drew back.

She took a deep breath and then turned her face away, breaking the spell of the moment. Although, she made no attempt to roll off his chest, and he wasn't about to move her any sooner than necessary. "Since we haven't heard from the Council yet, how about we get out of here for a while? Get a bite to eat?"

Rex actually liked the Jedi Temple a lot better now than he did a day ago, but he would not say no to food. "Alright. But, am I allowed to leave?"

"The Council specified Anakin, and I suppose by extension his padawan, had to watch over you until the meeting. There was nothing in their instructions that dictated the place where this supervision was to take place. I think they are mainly concerned you show up for your hearing. I know a place close by. The Council will summon us when it is time for you to appear. Anakin says they serve the best breakfast on Coruscant.

At the second mention of food, Rex's stomach responded with a noticeable growl. Ahsoka laughed. "Come on, I know the back way out of the Temple."

Rex didn't doubt Ahsoka knew all of the ways to sneak out of the Temple. They left the room, passing through corridors Rex had never seen and out a back door he'd never used before. They passed only a few service droids on their way out and then they emerged at street level. He walked by Ahsoka's side, trying to keep the appropriate distance like he would when he was on guard duty for any Jedi. As usual, no one paid them the slightest attention. Coruscanti were great about only noticing what they wished to notice and only being concerned about their lives. They walked at a brisk pace from street to street, surrounded by the early morning sights, sounds, and smells of people heading to work.

"This is it," Ahsoka said. She pushed her way inside a crowded tapcaf cafe. Rex's nose was assaulted with the flowery, nutty, herby, scent of good caf, followed by the overwhelming smell of grease. He inhaled deeply trying to identify more of the scents. If he wasn't mistaken, they were serving  topatoes mingled with fried peppers and spices. Very greasy topatoes. His stomach growled again. He stuck to Ahsoka's side, but his gaze swept back and forth taking it all in. The place was packed with lifeforms from across the galaxy. Twi'leks. Mirilians. Zeltrons. Rodians. Neimoidians. Keshiri. Iktochi. Trandoshans. Bothans. Mon Calamari. Zabraks. Wookies. Humans. He followed Ahsoka through the packed eatery until they found a space in the back of the large establishment.

As they sat down, the table lit up with an overwhelming array of food items available for order. Rex down at the touch-screen menu in puzzlement. He'd always eaten what had been shoved toward him by the serving droid at the mess hall. The only variety had been when Ahsoka or Fives had managed to reprogram the droids to mix up the ingredients into something a little more appetizing. He'd eaten an array of hardy winter roots and sea plants when he'd lived on the Andoan moon. But, none of it was anything like what he saw speeding by him on the arms of the servie-droids. He tried not to stare, wide-eyed and lost, like a shiny on his first day of an actual battle.

"What will you have?" Ahsoka asked.

Rex stared at her, dumbfounded by the question. What will I have?

He stared down at all of the choices again. He stared down at the tapcaf menu, trying not to reveal how lost he was, but pride quickly gave way to hunger. "Half this stuff here I don't know whether I am supposed to eat it or polish my blaster with it." Rex grumbled. He was surprised by Ahsoka's easy burst of laughter. He smiled, too, despite his hunger and feeling out of his comfort zone. Making Ahsoka laugh always felt right to him. He jabbed a finger at the men. "Alright then, what is Qrikki? That sounds like a Separatist weapon."

Ahsoka laughed again. "Some kind of bread, I think."

"And, Cushnip? That sounds like a disease you pick up on Faleen if you don't get your shots."

Ahsoka rewarded him with another laugh. "I believe it's where the food is stuffed inside the bread and fried."

"I'm seeing a theme here with frying and bread."

"Yes, there's a lot of that here. I always stick to the basics."

"The basics sound good." He glanced around the tapcaf, and lowered his voice, leaning into Ahsoka. "I'm not sure I could stomach what the Wookies are eating over there. What is that disturbingly blue food?"

Ahsoka glanced over her shoulder. "Blophsi extract, I believe. Wookies have a love-hate relationship with the stuff."

"Wookies have a love-hate relationship with everyone." It was so easy to talk to Ahsoka and he loved their easy banter.

"Try my favorite." She pointed to an item on the table menu.

He scanned it. "That's all for one person?"

She laughed. "Yes, although it's likely enough kcals for an entire day, and enough sugar for three days."

"Sounds perfect for a clone metabolism." He pressed the button she'd indicated. Ahsoka entered her order and the table lit in confirmation with a pleasing shade of green. They were subjected to 30 seconds of ads before the screen cleared and the surface looked just like a table again. A droid whirled as soon as the ads were done and collected a credit chip from Ahsoka. It bleeped in confirmation as the payment was received, and returned a moment later with two oversized mugs of steaming caf.

"Ahsoka," Rex objected. He had no way to pay for the meal, but it still bothered him he could not pay his own way. All he did was work, but he could not buy himself breakfast.

Ahsoka shook her head, waving off his objections, and lifted up her cup of caf in salute to him. "Enjoy your breakfast. It's nice to have you back. We never did get to have a proper celebration, did we?"

Rex looked over at Ahsoka and saw her already sipping at her mug. "I suppose not," he conceded.

He peered at her mug. "Since when do you drink caf?"

Ahsoka lifted her giant mug. "I drink tea around other Jedi. But in here, I drink caf. Cheers."

They clinked mugs like two old friends out for drinks. It was nice. Everything about this felt... normal.

Nothing about their lives was normal, but for the moment, Rex didn't care.

The aroma of the caf was wafting up into his senses. He took a long dreg. It was overly hot and burned his throat. It was good. Fek. It was damned good. A far sight better than the Republic caf, which looked and smelled like blaster grease. He drained the rest of his cup without pausing for air. The servi-droid appeared out of nowhere and refilled the cup before he'd even set it down on the overly cheerful design projected onto the table. He blinked in surprise. He'd always had to refill his own caf cup in the mess hall. He took an appreciative sniff of the steam rising off the mug before drinking the second cup, savoring each sip. The servi-droid whirled over and instantly refilled his mug again.

"Is it going to keep doing that?" he asked, as the droid disappeared away again into the busy restaurant.

Ahsoka laughed, the sound light and carefree. She fidgeted with a control by the wall of their booth and the design on the table changed. She flicked through a number of designs until she found one with deep green hues, and hints of forest trees. "I like this one. It always reminds me of Shili." She stared down at the trees, her voice a little melancholy. "I was born there, you know. I hope to go back and visit again, maybe when the war is over." She sighed, reaching across the table to grip his hand not holding his caf. It was a completely inappropriate gesture for a public place. And, no one in the place paid them the slightest attention. Ahsoka's expression sobered. "You saved my life."

Rex flushed slightly. "You saved my life plenty of times."

"That doesn't diminish what you did. I'd still be there, or dead, if it wasn't for you."

And, Cody, Rex wanted to insist. But, there was more he wanted to say to Ahsoka. "You saved my life on TriLuna."

Ahsoka turned her face away, her voice filled with pain and regret. "I didn't do enough. None of us did. You never should have been sent away."

"It's alright. I found my way back. I regret nothing."

The droid returned and set down enough food to feed a squad. He wasn't sure where to start. There was a plate overloaded with fried werris eggs, thickly cut slices of nuna bacon, a heaping bowl of sweetened anoat oats generously topped with berries, a platter of cream chipped Bantha beef on Mustafarian toast and a stack of oversized Pantoran panni-cakes.

Rex stared at the food in befuddlement, unsure of where to begin. He poked cautiously at the bacon and then at the Bantha beef. "Is this..."

Ahsoka shook her head. "No. Don't worry. It's synth meat. The eggs are made with munga beans." She gave Rex a fond smile. "I wouldn't take you to one of those places, Rex."

Rex nodded with relief. He'd heard of places on Coruscant that served the flesh of animals. The real deal. They actually killed animals, carved them up and served them to people. Some Coruscantis were apparently into eating that stuff. Rex had only ever eaten synthmeat growing up on Kamino and the GAR served synthmeat as a matter of practicality. Synthmeat had a much longer shelf life, it was far superior in nutritional content, and the waste products from it did have that awful stench. The smell factor made a big difference when storing food for long missions. It also made a difference when thousands of men were living together in very tight quarters. Those who ate synthmeat smelled different. It was yet anther strategic advantage for the clones out in the field. 

Reassured he wasn't eating some weird Coruscanti fare, he tucked into his food. The panni-cakes were one of the best things he'd ever tasted.

Ahsoka watched him eat with a smile, eating only her oats and berries. She pushed the remainder of her food toward Rex.

"But, that's yours-"

'It's a lot more fun watching you eat it."

Rex's brow furrowed and he slid his bowl of oats and berries toward her.

Ahsoka smiled and accepted the offering with a gracious tilt of her head.

"Thank you for this, Ahsoka," Rex said, as he polished off the nuna bacon, "everything tastes better here than in the mess."

"That's Coruscanti food for you. I should take you out more often," Ahsoka teased and then stopped. They looked at each other awkwardly, and there was a sad, silent pause. Rex stopped eating. They were caught in limbo at the moment, and this moment wasn't going to last. They both knew it. Rex would be called before the Council, and either he went back to being a Captain, or things went badly. But either way, they didn't get to have meals together like normal Coruscanti. Rex's wide-eyed wonder at every bite was a testament to the bubble they were currently in.

Rex turned his attention back to his food, but his enthusiasm had dampened. The two ate silently, an awkward silence ensuing between them.

"Where were you for all that time, Rex?"

Rex chewed slowly on his Mustafarian toast as he considered his answer. He took a long dreg from his caf cup. The ever-enthusiastic servi-droid reappeared before he'd even set the cup down. He sighed, and blew across the steaming cup of fresh caf. "You saw them Ahsoka, almost a hundred men. I was with them."

"The ones who helped with the rescue."

"Yes. I introduced you to Travis."

"You're protecting them. Travis, and all the others."

He nodded, releasing a deep breath.

She squeezed his hand in support. "Alright. That sounds like you. Fair enough. I won't ask again. Now, finish eating." She glanced at her chrono. "It's early enough yet we can stop by the barracks and do a surprise inspection."

His jaw dropped. He'd always assumed it was accidental timing on her part when she came by first thing in the morning and caught the men half-dressed. He stared at her perplexed.

"Life in the Temple is very dull at times, Rex," Ahsoka said, catching his look. Rex didn't doubt Temple life lacked its' appeal, but he failed to see what could be so fascinating about clones coming out of the refresher dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel, (or no towel, in the case of Fives and Hardcase.)

"Ahsoka," he protested, "surely you can conduct your inspections later in the day." Not that the men minded. Clones knew nothing about modesty. Rex had to remind them repeatedly to cover up when Ahsoka was around. Wearing clothes during their off-duty time did not come naturally to them.

A bleep from Ahsoka's comlink interrupted what promised to be a heated argument about naked Fives.

"This is Ahsoka," she said into her comm and then listened to the reply carefully for a few minutes, a look of concentration on her face. "Alright, we'll be there. See you this afternoon." Before they could resume their conversation, her comm rang again. This time, he recognized Skywalker's cheerful tones on the other end, even if he couldn't make out all of the words. "Yes... no... we're fine. We're just getting something to eat. Yes... The Chancellor?.. Oh. Alright. OK. We'll see you then. We're just heading over to the barracks to check on the men. Right. Okay, see you soon."

Rex's stomach dropped at the mention of the Chancellor. He couldn't say exactly why but he was always uncomfortable around the man.

Ahsoka tucked her comm back into her belt. "The Council confirmed your meeting for this afternoon at 1630. Anakin wants us to meet him at the Senate Building at 1000. He said the Chancellor wants to see you." Her brow furrowed. "Do you know what that is all about?"

"Not really, but the General did mention something about it yesterday." Rex poked at the remainder of his eggs, not sure if he could eat anymore. Perhaps he could make room to finish up the second plate of panni-cakes Ahsoka had given him. He turned his attention to the light fluffy cakes drenched in Endorian maple syrup. He looked up, startled, as Ahsoka ran her fingers across his chin.

"Syrup," she teased and followed up by dabbing his chin with a serviette.

He flushed. "Uh... thank you. Do you... uh... want some? They're very good." On impulse, he held up a heaping forkful of the cakes, dripping with syrup, and offered it up to Ahsoka. She leaned over and her lips gently slid the food off of his fork. Whoa. How did sharing a bite of food with Ahsoka suddenly make the temperature of the room seem so much hotter?

By unspoken consent, they didn't speak anymore about the Chancellor or the upcoming Council meeting. For the rest of the meal, they shared memories of past missions and the antics of the men in Torrent Squadron. Rex laughed, and ate, somehow managing to polish off all of the food in front of him. They slipped out of the crowded tapcaf, ignored and unnoticed, just like when they came in. Rex reveled in the anonymity.

They were swallowed up by the crowds as they walked, and that, too, create a kind of safe bubble. Ahsoka brushed her fingers against Rex's hand as they walked. Rex savored the light touch. He knew none of this was going to last, so he committed every feel of it to memory.

# # #

Chapter Text

After Ahsoka's comms from the Council, and from Anakin, they finished their meal in silence.

Rex stared down into the black dregs of his caf mug, letting the myriad sounds of the tapcaf carry on around him.

What if he didn't get his commission back? His brothers were counting on him. He sensed Ahsoka's watchful eye on him, and he looked up and met her concerned blue gaze.

"You're worried."

"Of course I'm worried!" he snapped, and then immediately regretted it at the hurt look on Ahsoka's face. "Gah. I'm sorry.' He released the death grip he had on his caf mug. "That was out of line. It's just..." he pushed out a long weighted sigh. "I have a responsibility to my brothers, and I feel like I'm failing them." He toyed idly with the handle of the mug, unwilling to meet Ahsoka's gaze again.

The servi-droid topped off their caf cups and whirled smoothly away again. The droid was relentless.

"Rex," Ahsoka lightly touched the rim of his mug. "This is you. And, everything you touch." She gave his mug the barest of touches, and perfect concentric rings formed inside of it. It was not a natural action, but some force thing she was doing. "You are like a raindrop hitting the surface of a pond. When the raindrop touches the surface, its impact upon the surface ripples out in the form of concentric rings."

"So, I'm a raincloud?" he scowled. Thoughts of his upcoming meetings were certainly dampening his mood.

Ahsoka laughed and the sound touched something inside of him. It always did. He couldn't help but tilt his lips up slightly in return. "You have one of the brightest and sunniest force signatures of anyone I've ever met."

"Oh." Ahsoka always had a way of making him feel better. He couldn't help smiling again. "So... I'm not a raincloud, then?"

Ahsoka gripped his hand. "You are light and you are warmth. For someone from a planet of continual rain, you are the exact opposite." She released his hand and tapped his mug again. "But, what I am trying to say is all of our actions are interrelated."

He gripped his mug and stared down into it. "Jedi logic. You see connections in everything."

"Rex, look at me." Her blue eyes looked into his, deep and intense. He was brought back to the hours they'd spent together in the cave when he'd been at his most vulnerable. "You need to trust in the Force."

"The Force doesn't care about guys like me," he picked up his cup again, "it never has." He set his mug down again with more force than necessary, interrupting the perfect circles and sloshing caf over the side of the full cup.

He didn't want any more caf.

"Rex."

"What?!" his voice ground out louder and harsher than he'd intended.

Rex.

What?!

He answered without thinking. Ahsoka had spoken to him in his mind, he realized with a start, and in a way, the touch was as familiar as when he'd brushed his lips up against her montrals. So familiar and right. He stared at her, his eyes wide. He remembered this feeling from the cave. It was not... an unwelcome sensation.

The Force speaks to all of us.

"Not to clones," he muttered, the words barely audible, "the Force doesn't speak to clones."

I think the Force is especially interested in you. Your brothers. All of you. Don't be afraid. The Force has higher plans for you.

He blew out a long breath.

At one time, he was so sure of who he was and what he stood for (the Republic and the Jedi and all that was good.) And, now he had no fekkin' idea of what he believed in. He'd gotten locked up by the Republic for insubordination after arguing with a Jedi Grand Master. He'd rescued his Jedi, and his Legion, and he was likely going to die for it as no one had given him permission to save them.

The Force could take its plans and shove it.

If the Force cared about him, he wouldn't have been born into a slave army with no rights. The Force was cruel indeed if its master plan was for Rex to continually watch his brothers die around him, with no power to save them.

It was hard for him to believe there was a master plan to anything in this universe when he continually had to watch everyone he cared about die one by one.

"The Force isn't for guys like me, Ahsoka. Maybe there's a grand plan for you Jedi in the whole scheme of the universe, but the fate of my brothers is clear. We were created to be canon fodder."

Ahsoka's eyes widened, then narrowed in anger, and Rex knew he'd gone too far. Ahsoka did a small wave of her hand, the only indication she was doing a Force thing. He glanced around, trying to figure out what she'd done, but nothing looked out of place. Alright, except maybe all of the patrons were looking the other way, unduly fascinated with the artwork on the walls.

Ahsoka slid into the booth next to him, gripped his chin, and pressed her lips to his in a hard kiss. Demanding. Almost painful. But, then the kiss softened as Rex responded. She tasted like caf and sweet berries, and he never knew that odd combination of tastes could be so appealing coming off of someone else's lips. She scratched her fingers across his scalp and he sucked in his breath. He suddenly wished they were alone in this tapcaf. Alone on this planet. Alone anywhere.

She pulled back and smiled at him. "Feeling better?"

"Wait, you did that to distract me?"

She flashed him a trademark Ahsoka smile. "Partially. But, also because you had a little bit of syrup on your chin." She leaned forward and slowly licked his chin. He shivered. "I couldn't resist." Her eyes were dancing with amusement and mischief. "Feeling better?"

"I am, actually." He knew this moment, like all of the others, could not last, but he wanted to prolong it a little longer. "Are you going to do this every time I get into a mood?"

Ahsoka's laughter rang out and she slid back into her booth, waving her hand again toward the rest of the patrons. "Maybe."

It was so effortless- the way she wielded her powers. He could see why people feared the Jedi. If you didn't know them, the way he knew Skywalker and Ahsoka, their casual use of their raw powers was terrifying. He was glad they were all on the same side.

He glanced at a chrono up on the wall. Time was passing by quickly. Too quickly. But, if they timed it correctly, maybe he had just enough time to check in on his brothers. Rex gestured toward the comm unit still sitting on the table. "Alright if I check in on Fives and Kix?" It was frustrating to not have his helmet, or his gauntlet, and the comms which so effortlessly linked him to his brothers.

Ahsoka nodded and Rex picked up the comm unit. He quickly dialed Fives' comm code, the combination sliding effortlessly off his fingertips as he tapped in the Republic keycodes and then the registry for CT-27-5555.

"This is Fives. Who is this?"

"This is Rex. I'm using Ahsoka's comm."

"Rex! Are you alright? I heard you ran into some trouble."

"Uh... yeah, I'm uh... working some things out with the Jedi Council. Nothing I can't handle. How's Echo?"

"Echo has been undergoing tests to determine the cause of his illness. Nothing definitive so far, but we have some theories. Kix could explain it better," Fives paused. "Is it true they locked you up?"

"For a little bit, yes. Not a big deal, Fives." The last thing he needed was Fives going on an ARC rampage on his behalf. "It gave me a
chance to see Cody. I'm already out thanks to General Skywalker."

"Where are you now?"

"I'm... having breakfast, actually. I'm in the custody of the General until my hearing. Well, the General is... eh... busy, so I'm with Commander Tano. None of that matters. Let me speak to Kix." Fives and Echo liked to gossip as much as the rest of the boys. He didn't need to give them any fuel.

"Hey Rex, good to hear your voice. I was worried about you. With regards to Echo, he's undergone a high-density scan, but it has yielded more questions than answers. We'll figure it out, though." Kix's calm tones soothed Rex, as they always did. "We are awaiting approval to do a second scan-"

Kix's voice was interrupted by a profuse round of cursing. It wasn't Fives' voice. There was someone else with them. A slightly younger clone voice. Kix held the line open while there was a hurried conference on the other end. "What?! What do you mean it wasn't approved?! You said if we put it through as a contagion..."

There was another quick exchange that Rex couldn't make out and he glanced over at Ahsoka in confusion. She was also listening intently.

"Trouble, Kix?" Rex said, trying to draw their attention again.

"Yes," Kix admitted, a rare bit of worry seeping into his tone. "Maybe. This is not good."

"Start from the beginning," Ahsoka said, leaning in toward the comm.

"Echo needs another scan. We're hoping it will show he has the potential to get better. Otherwise, they will have due justification for shipping out of here. Head injuries are classified differently. If the recovery time looks too prolonged or difficult, or the outcome is not guaranteed, then the... resources... are devoted elsewhere."

"Yeah, I get that," Rex muttered.

Ahsoka glanced at her chrono. "We have enough time. See if we can make some things happen over there."

Rex sucked in a breath, knowing his smartest move would be to head over to the Senate building and wait for his meeting with the Chancellor. He could get there early. His whole focus at this time should be on getting his commission back. Smooth things over after he moved off.

But, of course, that was not what he was going to do. He leaned in toward the comm. "Alright, Fives. Hang tight. We're on our way."

# # #

Chapter Text

"Unless one of your meeting times gets moved up, we have three hours," Ahsoka scrunched her brow, studying her chrono, as they walked toward the looming medical center.

Rex nodded, his mind already working through all the possibilities and angles of how he could help Echo. "Can I use your comm again?"

It grated him to have to ask, having been stripped of his comm gear. But, he had brought the whole farkin' thing down on himself with his outburst.

Ahsoka pressed the comm link into his palm, her fingers lingering on his with a brush that set his heart to racing. "Hold onto it for now." He opened his mouth to object, but then thought better of it. He needed the gear. He nodded his thanks and drew his hand away quickly, his palm still feeling as if it was burning from the light touch.

Rex palmed in the designation code for Coric. "Coric, this is Rex. I'm on my way over to the ArmyMed facility with Commander Tano. Can you meet us there?"

"Of course, Captain... are you injured?"

"No, Coric. I'm 5 x 5." Physically, at least, he was fine. Especially compared to how many times he'd been trounced over the past few months. "We need your expertise with Echo. Something strange came up on his scans. Can you meet us at the main entrance?"

"I can be there in 15. Captain, I only have about two hours. Commander Appo assigned to physicals this afternoon, but I'll work as fast as I can to help Echo."

The simple exchange burned Rex much more than it should. Appo was in charge of assigning Coric now. Appo was in charge of assigning all of the men now. If Rex received his commission back, Appo would be in charge of assigning Rex. Fekkin' Appo.

Ahsoka lightly brushed his fingertips with concern. "You alright?"

"No, not really." While he kept insisting to his men he was fine, he couldn't lie to Ahsoka. She was too intuitive and too close to him.

"You'll need to learn to work with him."

"Appo?" Rex scoffed out the name.

"Yes, Rex, Appo. He means well."

Rex 'hmmmped' loudly.

"Rex."

"I know you're right and I'll try. It's just..."

"Just what?" Ahsoka prompted.

"The 501st has always been my command. Appo doesn't deserve it."

"What happened to you was wrong, Rex, but we can't undo what has happened. We can only move forward."

Rex was quiet, thinking over Ahsoka's words, and she left him alone with his thoughts. Coric caught up with them before they reached the massive medical center. It was good to see Coric and it lightened his mood. Made him forget about Appo for the moment. The sun was warm on the back of his neck and the simple act of walking beside his brother on one side, and Ahsoka on the other, made all seem right in the galaxy for the moment.

The medic caught him up on everything that had gone on in the barracks while he'd been in the RMB. It was the usual sort of thing, which was reassuring because he was worried that somehow the Kazzies might have changed his men. But, the 501st were behaving exactly as they always did when they had a bit too much time on their hands. Minor scuffles. Pranks. Endless discussions of what their next deployment might be.

"The Admiral is keeping it all under control. But, they need to be back in training," Coric said with a grimace. "Hardcase keeps inventing new games with stolen cutlery from the mess. His latest invention is 'Spoon Assassin.'"

"Do I want to know?"

Coric shook his head. "Probably not. No one has gotten hurt so it's all good."

Rex nodded. He and Cody had been discussing the retraining of their Legions during their confinement at the RMB. "Has the Admiral raised the issue of retraining?"

"He doesn't want to begin any training until you are reinstated."

"I'm glad he's so confident I'll get my command back."

"You will."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, Coric. Has the Admiral said anything else?"

Coric looked thoughtful. "He also wants the majority of the clones to clear medical before they get back into heavy training."

"Makes sense. I would have said the same."

"That's basically what the Admiral said. He says you are the best one to get the 501st back to fighting form."

"What about Appo?" Rex asked the obvious question. "He's the commander now." Even saying the words burned him, but he had to get used to it.

Coric glanced over at him as if checking for a medical reaction. "Not enough practical field experience."

Rex wanted to gloat. He had Appo beat in this area. Appo couldn't compete with his experience. Experience outranks everything. But, Ahsoka was right. He would have to work with Appo. Set the right example. He'd been gone and command had filled an available position.

It wasn't Appo's fault.

The fekker.

Rex had often worked with officers who rubbed him the wrong way. Appo would be no different. He could make this work. He had to make this work.

Coric looked through the plexi-glass doors to the security desk where two soft uniformed troopers were checking IDs. Two armored clones stood to either side of them. "How are we going to get in? We don't have the proper credentials." He looked at Ahsoka. "You're a Jedi. I'm sure they'll let you in."

Rex nodded. "Yes, rules are always different for you."

Ahsoka frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rex suddenly felt as if he'd said the wrong thing. "Eh... only that... eh... if you want to use the front entrance, Coric and I will find another way in."

Ahsoka crossed her arms across her chest, the way she did when she wasn't going to leave a trooper behind. "Not a chance. We're staying together."

"Alright." He frowned up at the massive building. "Can't believe I'm trying to break into this place." A group of servi-droids glinted in the bright sunlight as they offloaded an enormous quantity of food from a hoversleigh.

"Follow my lead," Rex picked up a crate and joined in the steady line of servant drones endlessly loading supplies through a side entrance. As they marched in a steady line with the servant drones down a long corridor, Rex couldn't help thinking of the uncomfortable irony of how tinnies had landed him in this place originally.

It didn't feel all that different than marching in line with a group of troopers and the comparison made him distinctly uncomfortable.

They slipped into the massive kitchen and slid the crates off to the side.

"That was... somewhat creepy," Coric muttered, eyeing the droids.

"Agreed."

"How do we find them?" Ahsoka asked. They emerged out of the cafeteria complex and into the basement corridor.

Rex brought his borrowed comm units to his lips. "Fives, this is Rex-"

A hand on his shoulder startled him and he automatically reached for a blaster at his hip which wasn't there.

"Follow me," said Fives. "I locked onto Ahsoka's comm signal the moment you came in."

Rex nodded. "Nicely done."

Fives didn't comment, a testament to how stressed he was about Echo.

They moved quickly, winding through corridors, and ending up in a service lift to the lower levels.

"We had to move Echo. After the scan was denied, his papers came in. He was red-carded within the hour."

Rex couldn't breathe. It was everything he feared would happen when they sent Echo here. Fives put up a hand forestalling any further questions.

"The shinie... he knew a place. It's an isolation chamber in a section of the hospital that's not used anymore."

Fives' explanations brought up more questions than answers.

The isolation chamber was a grim place. All grey duracrete walls with turquoise signs everywhere warning visitors to don proper gear before entering. There were a number of droids at the entrance to the ward whose original function Rex could not determine. All had been switched off, and they sat in an untidy cluster collecting dust.

"This is the old isolation ward," Fives explained. "Sly says we won't be bothered down here while we try to figure this thing out."

"Sly?" Rex asked.

"You're about to meet him," Fives said, as he led Rex through a series of interlocking doors, "cocky shinie with an attitude. Thinks he runs this place."

The ARC led the way into a back chamber where Echo was laid out on a grav bed, looking grey and dull, under several Republic-issue blankets. Kix and a second medic, presumably Sly, were engaged in a frantic debate bordering on an argument, as they pointed to readouts on a handheld datapad. Both were running scanners over Echo. Fives froze up as he took in the scene, and it was immediately apparent from his energy something was wrong.

Fives pinned both of them with a look demanding an update before Rex could even ask for one. "What happened?"

Kix barely acknowledged Rex, giving him the barest nod, completely focused on his readings. "Echo's fever spiked again and his vitals are dropping." He put up a hand to forestall Fives' questions. "We don't know why."

"What do you need?" Fives asked, looking around the isolation chamber, which was sorely lacking in supplies.

Kix quickly began tapping off a list off supplies on his datapad and showed it to Sly, who leaned in and added several more items to the list. Neither medic questioned how it was the ARC would requisition the materials.

"This time, though," Sly said, his tone brokering no argument, "I am going with you."

Fives nodded. "Alright, you could be useful." He shoved a finger into Sly's chest. Hard. "Don't slow me down."

After they were gone, the room seemed to go deathly silent. Rex and Ahsoka moved over to stand next to Echo, who was struggling to draw in air. His pallor was grey and purple lines streaked down his face. He didn't look much like the Echo they knew.

Ahsoka reached down to grip his hand.

Rex looked over to Kix, who was still busy taking readings. "What's going on?"

"Unusual readings," Kix says. "It all seems to have started with his injury in the lab on Kaz'haria. But, we have no idea of what we are dealing with here. We are not sure if these are indicative of trauma to the brain, or exposure to a pathogen." Kix flipped on an outdated holoprojector from the lab so he could project an image off of his datapad. "The most unusual part is in this quadrant here. The tissues are focused on attacking this one particular sector. I've never seen anything like it."

"Is that an old injury? Or, a tumor?"

"Hard to tell. We need better scans, but our request was denied."

Rex walked around the image, trying to get a better look from all angles. "I don't understand. Echo was stabbed straight through the shoulder. How did he end up with head trauma?"

Both Kix and Coric jumped in at once, eager to weigh in with their theories on this unusual occurrence.

"His unusual fever demanded he-"

"While he was in bacta, he-"

Both stopped to give the other a chance to continue. Kix won out.

"This is an incidental finding, meaning we were just trying to find out what was wrong with him and it came up. We are not even sure what we are seeing yet. We need another scan to get more detail on what is going on in his brain. All we know is we've detected something unusual that shouldn't be there. Our working theory is Echo was exposed to something in that lab."

Rex's stomach tightened even further in alarm. "Like a virus."

"Yes, exactly like a virus."

Rex sucked in a breath. "Is there any indication the rest of the Legion was exposed to this virus? While they were locked up on Kaz'haria or during the journey home?" He stared over at where Ahsoka had locked hands with Echo. "Could we have two entire Legions who are now infected with an unknown virus? We are about to be deployed."

Fek it all. If they were all about to be quarantined, he knew how this one would go. The Republic would try to find a cure. But if they couldn't, they wouldn't risk them infecting the rest of the clone army. The 501st and 212th were already separated from the rest of the troops in their barracks of Corrie. They would 'take care of them[ in the way Rex had been taken care of when he'd injured his knee.

Rex found it difficult to breathe. Ahsoka was suddenly by his side and her hand had slipped into his own. Just breathe.

And, then she was gone and back by Echo's side again, the action so quick Rex wondered if he had imagined it. If Kix and Coric noticed, they did not comment.

"Recommendations?" Rex stared into the scan.

Coric shook his head. "We can't proceed until we know what we're dealing with. I agree with Kix. We need another scan."

"Except it was denied," Kix pointed out. "Can we use Fives' unique skills to get it approved?"

Rex shot a look over at Ahsoka. She was all patience and Jedi calm.

"I heard nothing except you are doing all you can to make Echo well."

Officially, Rex was not even back on the roster again. They didn't need his approval for anything. But, they all still looked to him as the Captain. He nodded, making it clear he would take full responsibility. This was an opportunity to do something at ArmyMed he was not able to do the first time.

"Proceed," Rex said, something in him lifting. A certain sense of rightness returning.

# # #

Fives and Sly returned in surprisingly short order with the meds. While Coric and Kix administered them, Rex and Ahsoka still had a bit of time left on their hands before they had to leave for the Council meeting.

They opted to work with Fives to see if they could get a few of the medical droids working. Perhaps it could improve Echo's situation.

At Fives' insistence, they unwired all of them from the central computer but hooked all of them in Kix's datapad. It also kept Rex's mind off of his upcoming Council meeting. It was soothing work and nice to simply be working together as a team again.

Rex and Ahsoka left ArmyMed, with Sly showing them out a side exit to street level, so they could head back over for Rex's meeting with the Chancellor. Coric stayed on, eager to help out a few more hours, intrigued by the investigation.

They walked quickly through the streets of Coruscant, both aware they would just make it to their meeting. They had delayed a bit longer than anticipated at ArmyMed. But, despite the circumstances of being in a place he despised like ArmyMed and the worry over losing Echo, it was still good to be working together as a team. It felt like... a homecoming. And, in ArmyMed, of all places. Maybe the Force worked in mysterious ways, as Ahsoka always told him.

Lost in his thoughts, Rex was completely unprepared for the sudden appearance of Skywalker as they entered the elaborate foyer to the Senate building. "Where have you been?!"

The General sounds agitated and impatient. Rex had heard him like this before, and it was generally always around his meetings with the Chancellor, or it meant Skywalker hadn't gotten enough time with his favorite senator. He was difficult to deal with when he was in of these moods.

"We were over visiting Echo," Ahsoka said. "Kix was updating us on his condition."

At the mention of the visit to the medical facility, Rex could see some of the anger ease from the General. He'd always been good to the clones. "How is he?"

"Still very ill," Ahsoka said, keeping her explanation simple.

Anakin nodded gravely. He took a huge deep breath as if intentionally bringing himself back down to Jedi calm.

It was as if the General battled demons inside sometimes.

He gestured impatiently toward the private lift leading to the Chancellor's offices. "We should go."

# # #

"Ah, Captain Rex, returned from the dead! What a miracle! Come in, my dear boy!"

Rex froze as the Chancellor rose from behind his elegant desk, his bony frame backlight by the enormous window behind him. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of him, and he'd been plunged into the icy waters of Kamino.

Skywalker paused beside him, casting him a confused look. "Come on, Rex, the Chancellor wants to speak to you," he gripped Rex's upper arm firmly to tug him along.

Rex stumbled along with him, his body seemingly unable to obey commands on its own. Every part of him was telling him to get out of there. The Chancellor's gaze narrowed as he stared him down, a deep frown briefly appearing. Something uglier briefly flashed across his face. Rex's eyes widened in alarm, and he glanced over at his General to see if he'd picked up on any of it. No, of course, he hadn't. He was too intent on tugging Rex across the chambers to present him to the Chancellor like a prize nuna.

"Ah, Captain," the Chancellor was all smiles and grandfatherly tones by the time skywalker offered him up, "you remind me so much of Commander Fox."

There was something off about the way he spoke, as if his words, their tone, and their meaning were all at odds with each other.

Rex suddenly understood what was wrong with Fox these days.

Rex glanced over at the Skywalker. Surely his clever General who had gotten them out of many a scrape sensed everything that Rex did.

No. Skywalker had that same smitten look he got whenever the Senator was around. How did Skywalker not see it? He was a Jedi, and not just any Jedi, the chosen one.

Rex was starting to think the Jedi should have chosen another one because his General made some damned shitty choices sometimes.

"Captain Rex is one of the best there is," he gave Rex a fond slap on the pauldron. "All of our boys in the 501st are the best in the GAR. You won't find finer soldiers anywhere." It was a statement that normally would have filled Rex with pride, but he barely heard the words. He stared out the massive window behind the Chancellor, trying to regain some of his composure. The natural lighting backlit the powerful politician somehow making the slender man seem unnaturally imposing. He blinked hard, trying to focus on the conversation.

"Yes, you do have a way of bringing out the best in everyone around you, Anakin. I have no doubt the same is true for your Captain." The sugary sweet smile he bestowed upon the General was sickening.

Skywalker smiled back. "Thank you, Chancellor. I've learned a lot of it from you."

"Oh no, dear boy! All of your successes are your own. I've only provided a little guidance here and there. Ah, but that's not what we are here to talk about, is it?" The Chancellor leaned in and made a show of consulting a datapad in front of him. "So, Captain," he turned his full attention to Rex and the feeling of coldness and dread returned tenfold, "I understand you only recently returned to us. Something of a miracle, do doubt, considering you were declared dead," he drew out the syllables of the word, "Mmmmm... what was it? Two and a half standard ago." There was an accusation there under his calm tone.

"Go on, Rex. Tell him your story."

"General, Chancellor, sirs, there's not I can tell you that's not already in my report." The last thing Rex wanted was to prolong this meeting.

"Oh, I doubt that very much." The Chancellor's eyes bore into him, and Rex felt a presence bearing down on his mind. On instinct, he tightened his mental shields. The Chancellor's eyes narrowed and the presence intensified.

Rex gasped.

"Are you alright?" Finally, the General picked up on something.

No. I'm not. Krek, Skywalker, can't you sense something is not right here?

The Chancellor's eyes flicked to Skywalker and the pressure in Rex's head lifted. He heaved a huge inward sigh but did not drop his intensified mental shields.

"Rex, you're behaving strangely. Have you been checked out by the medics since you returned?"

Of course, Skywalker would think this was all him.

"Uh, yes, sir. I'm fine. A clean bill of health." That wasn't quite true. Rex hadn't had his military physical, which would be a requirement to return to duty. But, it had not been a priority with everything else going on. He had seen both Kix and Coric after the Battle of Kaz'haria and been released from medbay. So, his statements were technically accurate.

"Then answer the Chancellor's questions. He's a busy man, Rex. He doesn't have all day."

Rex turned his full attention back to Palpatine. His fingertips were steepled as he gave a placid, expectant look. Gah. Rex hated dealing with politicians. He owed Fox a drink. How did he deal with people like this, day in and day out?

"Right, eh… there's not much to tell, really," Rex started, stalling for time, "I was… injured on a mission, and did not heal in the... uh... required timeframe." The Chancellor did a passable impression of looking sympathetic. "Then, I was put on a transport to Kamino-"

"What happens at Kamino?"

Rex was startled at the question. Did the Chancellor not know, or was he intentionally making Rex spell it out? "The process, as I understand it, is injured clones are re-evaluated by the Kaminoans upon arrival. If the Kaminoans agree with the assessment a clone is unfit for duty, they... uh... deal with it accordingly." The words tasted like ash in his mouth. Rex was reluctant to discuss the particulars of reconditioning and deconditioning. It was a very personal and sensitive topic to the clones.

The Chancellor nodded like they were discussing the Rimma Trade Route. "Ah, I see. A logical enough approach. Well, I suppose difficult decisions do have to be made during times of war. Tell me more. "

This was not a topic Rex wanted to discuss. He didn't feel non-clones had any right to discuss this topic, as most didn't seem to care. They had no stake in the matter. They were talking about the lives of his brothers. "Sir, I may not be the best one to answer your questions-"

"Rex."

Skywalker rarely used that warning tone with him, but it was clear he was reaching the end of his (famously short) tether.

The Chancellor gave Anakin a benevolent wave. "It's quite alright, Anakin. The Captain's knowledge may be limited."

Rex scowled. Wait– is he goading me, or calling me an di'kut?

"No," Anakin defended, "Rex knows a lot about everything having to do with the clones. Don't you, Rex?"

Stop helping, General.

"Ah, well, I'm sure this is difficult for the Captain to discuss. Isn't that right?"

Rex simply stared at the Chancellor. Of course,it was difficult for him to discuss. You know all of this information already. You are probably the one who ordered it, in conjunction with Lama Su. The Chancellor stared back, eyes narrowed. "Yes, sir," Rex ground out. "It is difficult."

"Nevertheless," the Chancellor gave another dismissive wave, the kind only someone with a great deal of power could get away with doing, "continue."

Rex clenched his teeth. "Clones deemed unfit, like I was at the time, are given a lethal injection."

"Euthanasia," the Chancellor said calmly, tapping out a note in his datapad, but showing no other emotion. He glanced up. "You're saying the clones who are unfit to fight are euthanized?"

"Yes."

To his credit, Skywalker squirmed uncomfortably next to him.

The Chancellor made a show of scrolling through his notes and reading. "It is a painless way to pass. I've heard it is quite pleasant, actually. You get drowsy. You fall asleep and then it is simply like you are 'switched off.'" The Chancellor looked thoughtful as if he was picturing it all in his mind's eye. "I can see why the Kaminoans choose such a merciful means of assisting those who are so terribly injured."

Assisting?

Rex took several deep breaths through his nose, trying to control his temper. What was this all about? Was the Chancellor playing head games with him?

He glanced over at Skywalker again. The General, at least, still looked uncomfortable.

"Ah, but that's neither here nor there, because here you are back with us again, dear boy!" He sounded positively delighted about it. Next to Rex, Skywalker stopped squirming and was beaming once again. How could Rex's famously clever General be so easily manipulated by this man? He tapped his pad. "I've read your report, but I'd like to hear it directly from your lips."

"Go on, Rex. Tell him. I'd like to hear you tell it, too."

Rex sighed inwardly. He didn't have a choice. He started retelling what happened, being as vague as possible with details. He'd never been much of a storyteller. That was more Fives' department.

"I.. I was on a transport. We were attacked somewhere in the mid-Rim…"

"Attacked by whom, exactly?"

"Pirates. They locked onto the transport and boarded the ship."

"Pirate scum," Anakin hissed.

The Chancellor nodded, a gleam in his eyes. "Ah. Dangerous out there, for certain. We have much work ahead of us in order to bring about peace and order to the galaxy."

"I will not rest until we have peace and order," the General vowed.

Rex resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Was he always like this around the Chancellor? It was... somewhat sickening. It was almost like the General was one person when he was the 501st, another person when he was with his Senator, and someone else entirely around this Mynock of a politician.

"Help me understand. All of you clones were grievously injured, yet you managed to fight off... how many pirates?"

"Probably 20-25?" Rex guessed. "It all happened very quickly."

The Chancellor tapped his pad again. "According to the report from ArmyMed, some of the clones on that ship were crippled. Quadriplegics, even. Surely they were of no use." His tone was still placid, but his one upraised eyebrow suggested he found this scenario highly unlikely.

The hairs on Rex's neck stood up at Razor, Saber, Sink, and Tag being categorized as useless. They were incredible men and had contributed greatly to the small fishing village with their talents.

"We outnumbered them 4:1. Yes, you are correct in that some of the men could not fight-"

"Men. You mean clones."

Why did the Chancellor insist upon continually interrupting? And, to make such inane points? "No, Chancellor, clones are men. Injured or not, we are men."

Next to him, Skywalker shot him a warning look.

Krek, Skywalker, a little support would be nice. You're just going to let him walk all over me like this?

Rex hurriedly continued on. The sooner he finished his report, hopefully, the sooner they could get out of there. "As I was saying, sir, we used the weapons from our gear to fight off the attackers-"

The Chancellor consulted his notes. "But, in doing so, you destroyed your transport. A Republic medical transport." His tone was accusing as if Rex and the others had willfully destroyed Republic property.

That krekkin' ship could barely fly.

"The transport was destroyed because the pirates were attached to the airlock and tried to get away without properly detaching it. The resulting damage destroyed the ship. The ship was sheared in two and tumbled in a freefall into the nearest gravitational body." The location Rex had given for the crash was nowhere near Ando.

"Yet, somehow you survived."

"Yes, sir."

"Everyone else was killed in this crash except for you?" Rex didn't like the suspicion in the Chancellor's tone. "Not all troopers died from the crash, but there were no medical supplies on the ship. Within a few days, the few survivors had succumbed to their injuries." He stuck to the details from his report.

"Sounds like an ordeal," the Chancellor's tone was flat. He made another note on his 'pad. "But, I suppose the right thing to do would be to retrieve the wreckage." He tapped a few more times, and then looked up at Rex again. "We recycle all of our downed ships, you know. More materials for the war effort."

Rex did his best not to react. 100 (reportedly) dead clones were lumped into the same category as 'recycling for the war effort?' He had to get word to Travis and Catcher to move the wreckage. Immediately.

The Chancellor tapped his pad again. "And, you eventually found your way back to the Republic."

"Uh… yes, sir." He seemed much less interested in the details of how that had all transpired.

The wiry former Senator steepled his hands again. "Well, Captain, your loyalty is commendable. Another man in your place might have decided to stay AWOL." He took his time dragging out the syllables. It sounded like a threat. Krek! Did he know about the others?

"Rex would never do that! He's the most loyal man I know!"

Rex shot Skywalker a grateful look. Whether he'd called him a 'man' instead of a clone without thinking about it, (most likely), or on purpose, Rex still appreciated it.

Palpatine turned his attention back to Skywalker. "Quite right, my dear boy." He opened up a drawer in his desk and removed a box. "What you did in rescuing the others was quite remarkable. Ultimately probably unnecessary as I'm sure the Republic would've found a way to rescue them, but still, the Republic extends their gratitude." He flicked open the box with a sharp movement of his wrist. "Anakin," he drew out the syllables of the General's name as if speaking to a favorite pet, "would you like to present this to your Captain?"

Your Captain?

Technically that was accurate. And, the term had never bothered Rex before. But, why did everything sound so wrong coming off of the Chancellor's lips?

Rex didn't even look at the contents of the box. He was too busy staring at Palpatine. The Chancellor's words burned at him. 'Ultimately unnecessary...'

Unnecessary? His men were dying! (The Generals were dying, too. The Chancellor would've lost his previous "An-aaaa-kin.") It had been two months and the 'rescue team' the Republic sent had only managed to also get captured. (Cody and Rex had rescued them, too.)

"Rex! The Chancellor is giving you a medal! Isn't this amazing?"

Amazing? That's one word for it. Thank you for your unnecessary actions. Here's your medal.

The General glanced over at the Chancellor. "I think he's in shock."

Shock? Shocked that the Chancellor is such a-

Rex had no words to describe the man.

"Rex, you saved the life of several Jedi– myself, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and General Unduli. We are all very grateful. Whether or not the Republic would've done it, isn't the point. You got us out of there and I'm very grateful."

Um…. what about the thousands of troopers who'd been locked up?

Rex waited, but Skywalker continued on without specifically mentioning the clones. Maybe that was the fate of the clones. They'd always be swept underfoot. They were invisible men.

Skywalker continued on, obviously enjoying this medal ceremony a great deal more than Rex. "It is my honor to present this medal to you, Captain Rex of the 501st-"

The Chancellor interrupted again, tapping his datapad. "Oh, ah, technically, he's not actually a Captain anymore, is he, Anakin?"

Anakin's face fell. "Oh, uh... no, but he we will be again soon. That's... only a technicality."

The Chancellor nodded pleasantly, but he eyed Rex as if his future was very much in doubt. Rex's gut clenched so he couldn't breathe. Skywalker pinned the metal to Rex's armor, the plasti-clamp adhering to the plastoid instantly. Rex's eyes flickered over to the Chancellor. He had that placid smile again. Did he practice that expression in front of the mirror?

Rex's eyes flicked down to the medal. The weight of it was incredibly heavy somehow. He didn't want a medal or even deserve one. His men had been suffering. He did what had to be done.

Skywalker handed Rex the display box. "Thank you, General," Rex muttered. He instinctively reached down to shove the box in one of his belt pouches, and belatedly remembered his weapons belt had been taken upon his arrest. He shoved it down his shin instead, in the small gap where he normally kept one of his larger knives, (also confiscated.) He forced himself to turn to the Chancellor and politely nodded. "Thank you, Chancellor," he forced the words out, trying to keep his tone even.

"Is that all you have to say, Rex?" Skywalker prompted. "This is a big deal."

What did he want him to say?! "Eh... this is an honor, sir," Rex gritted out. The man knew nothing of honor. Rex knew that deep in his soul.

The Chancellor nodded as if he'd achieved some sort of victory. Rex wanted to rip the medal off.

A soft chime sounded on the Chancellor's desk and he glanced down. "As pleasant as this has been, my next meeting is here. Anakin, do come back and see me again soon."

"I'll do my best. We may be shipping out again soon. But, I'll try to come back here again."

"That would be splendid! Do take care, Captain."

Why did everything that man say sound like a threat?

Rex led the way out of the Chancellor's office. He couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"Wasn't that a great meeting?" Skywalker gushed as they walked down the long senate hallway together. Senators glanced their way, their eyes flicking toward the shiny commendation on Rex's chest plate. "I can't believe he gave you a medal! Are you going to wear it all day? I'll bet you can't wait to show the boys."

"Eh… I think I'll just keep it in a safe place, sir." He tugged the display box out of his shin, jammed the medal into it, and clamped it shut. He heaved a sigh of relief as if he could breathe again.

"No, Rex, you must at least wear it for today! Let the Council see it. They need to know the Chancellor likes you!" He tugged the box from Rex's grasp and pinned the medal on him again.

Oh, I don't think he likes me. And, I'd rather spend time with an angry rancor than that man.

Rex groaned inwardly, the weight of the medal feeling as if it was pulling his lungs down and making every breath difficult. "Very good, sir," he managed, keeping his tone even. He'd gotten very good at placating his General over the years. There was an art to managing Skywalker's mood swings.

Skywalker laughed, his mood unusually ebullient. "Rex, you are the most humble, unassuming man, I know. I hope you never change."

I have changed.

Rex walked beside the General in silence, and then stopped as Skywalker took a turn toward the Senate offices. They should be headed toward one of the exits. "Sir?"

"This way," Skywalker summoned him, with a cheerful wave of his hand, "Pad– er, Senator Amidala wants to see you. We can just squeeze it in before the Council meeting."

The last thing Rex wanted was to be late for the Council meeting. He was already in enough trouble.

Rex didn't have his Chrono, but he'd kept his eye on the gaudy timepiece in the Chancellor's office. "Another time perhaps-"

Skywalker ignored him. "She's so happy you're alive and can't wait to see you! I'll bet she's had C-3PO prepare tea and cakes. Naboo cakes are amazing. Have you ever had them?"

Yes, well, clones sit around having tea and cakes all the time. It's practically all we do.

Senator Amidala. That would explain Skywalker's manic mood. "I'm sure they're very special as far as cakes go, and the senator has always been kind to us clones. But, the Council-"

"It'll be alright, Rex. I know how to deal with the Council. Come on, Padme is waiting."

# # #

Naboo cakes were very good. The Senator made him retell his story, but unlike the Chancellor, she looked genuinely troubled throughout many parts of it. He felt bad parts of it were... versions of the truth.

It was true enough, though. He'd only changed details to protect the boys on the Andoan moon. He had no doubt clones were still meeting their end on Kamino, despite whatever reassurances Lama Su was feeding the Jedi. The Kaminoans were possessive of their intellectual property (cloning), and quality control was everything to them. It was the Senator who kept track of time and ushered them out in time to make their Council meeting.

"I'm sending 3PO over the barracks with boxes of cakes. I wish I could do more. You all deserve so much more." She threw her arms around Rex and there was genuine warmth in the gesture. Rex could see why Skywalker was so smitten with this particular senator. She pulled back, and a thoughtful look crossed her face. "Perhaps there is more I can do. Rex, if I had questions regarding the overall treatment of clones, who would my best point of contact be?"

Rex was flabbergasted by the question. "Eh… " He struggled to come up with an answer. "Commander Fox is a Marshall Commander. He could point you in the right direction."

The senator beamed again. "I know him. Although, we haven't spoken very often. It's time I remedy that oversight. I will start with Commander Fox, then." She looked thoughtful. "Do you think he likes cake?"

Rex blinked, trying to follow her rapid-fire change of topics. "Uh... I think all clones like cake, Senator, and your cakes are particularly... uh..."

Skywalker shot him a dark look.

The Senator laughed and rescued him. "I'm glad you like them. I will have cakes sent over to the Guard office, then." She looked thoughtful. "Why didn't I think of that before? They work so hard to protect us." She gazed at Rex, as if seeing him for the first time. "I think we may have been taking all of you for granted this whole time."

Rex had no idea what she was talking about. He'd learned long ago it was best to agree with the natborns as if they were saying things that actually made sense. "Very good, Senator." It sounded positive, though. When he got his comm gear back, he'd warn Fox and give him a heads-up. But, that would be after he called Travis and warned him about moving the wreckage. Although, even if the wreckage wasn't found where he said it should be, he supposed it wasn't the end of the galaxy. Scavengers, such as off-world Jawas, picked up wrecks all the time-

He glanced around to look for Skywalker and the Senator. They'd stepped into a side corridor and it had gone silent. He rolled his eyes. Why did they think they were discreet? They were the worst kept secret in the GAR.

Rex took advantage of the distraction to remove the medal from his chest and stuff it under the couch cushion. He took a deep breath of relief.

Skywalker emerged, his cheeks slightly flushed. "Come on, Rex, we must be going."

Skywalker walked briskly toward the Jedi Temple and Rex increased his stride to match the General's naturally long steps. The man was usually late for things, so he'd mastered the art of walking quickly. Some people in the streets recognized him and snapped holos as they passed. The attention made Rex uncomfortable, but Skywalker seemed to thrive under all of it.

He likes having all eyes on him. What an odd quality for a Jedi.

But, what do I know about Jedi?

The Jedi they'd been told to expect while training on Kamino were nothing like the ones they ended up getting. The first battle of Geonosis was a huge reality check for every clone that fought and survived the battle. Stories of the Jedi's failed leadership during the battle were legendary.

Relations between clones and their Jedi Generals were strained in some battalions. Bacara made it clear on the command chat that he barely tolerated General Mundi. Rex had heard rumors about discontent with General Krell's leadership tactics. He supposed he was lucky to be serving with Skywalker, despite the man's quirks.

Depending upon the outcome of this meeting with the Council, I may not be serving with him any longer anyway.

His fate was now in the hands of the Jedi Council.

The empty display box banged uncomfortably against his shin. He would ditch it at the first possible opportunity, and hopefully, put the meeting with the Chancellor behind him. One of the shinies, Unity, loved making art out of everyday objects. Rex would give it to him and be done with the thing. Thoughts of getting back to his men lifted his spirits.

I just have to get through this meeting.

He fervently hoped this meeting with the Council would go better than his last one.

# # #

Chapter Text

There was a quiet, companionable silence between Skywalker and Rex as they rode the lift together. Skywalker was always much calmer after spending some time with the senator.

The lift doors opened and they were ushered into the Council ante-chamber by the Temple guards. Rex eyed the guards distastefully, remembering how they unceremoniously yanked him during his prior meeting. They were nothing like clone troopers, and didn't remind him much of Jedi. They were disturbing in the way commando droids were disturbing. One of the guards eyed him back, leveling him with a glare Rex could feel even through the guard's helmet.

Weren't the Temple Guards supposed to be devoid of emotional attachment? What was the issue with this one?

You shouldn't exist, clone.

Rex pivoted his head sharply and stared now at the Guard.

The General picked up on the exchange."What's your problem, Garan?" Skywalker hissed, taking a step closer to the Temple Guard.

The Temple Guard stepped forward, his yellow staff crackling.

Skywalker stepped even closer, his hand on his lightsaber hilt. "Bring it on, Garan. I'll meet you in the sparring rooms anytime. I wiped the floor with you when we were younglings and I'll do it again now."

The second Guard made a subtle signal and Garan retreated back. He resumed his position at the door, standing impassively at the Council's outer door.

"Don't mind him," the General assured in a quiet voice just loud enough to be heard by the Guard in question. "He's always been an ass. I think they only made him a Guard so they wouldn't have to deal with him out in the field."

Rex shot Skywalker a grateful look. This was more the Skywalker he knew, or the one he wanted to know. He was bitingly sarcastic. He was in tune with what was going on, and most importantly, he had Rex's back.

The lift doors behind them swished open again and warmth flooded the waiting area.

Ahsoka.

She slid into place between Rex and Anakin. "How was the meeting with-"

Rex shot her a look, begging her not to continue on with that line of questioning. He didn't want the topic of the medal to come up again. He was saved by the arrival of Generals Koon and Kenobi coming off the lift.

"Anakin," Kenobi smiled, "you arrived before me. What a pleasant surprise."

"You'll find I'm full of surprises, Master."

"Of that, I have no doubt. Walk with me. We have more news on the Rim."

More news? Had they been discussing deployment? Was the 501st about to be sent out? His gut twisted again. Would he be going with the 501st, or be left behind again? The last time Appo had commanded the 501st on his own-

Ahsoka lightly bumped his shoulder with her own. "It's going to be alright," she murmured quietly, "the Force is with us. I can feel it."

"I agree, Ahsoka," General Koon said, proving he had exceptionally good hearing. He gave Ahsoka a long, assessing look. It reminded Rex of the way Obi-Wan looked at Anakin, patient and paternal. "You are looking well. You continue to regain your health."

"Yes, Master. But, I would not be here if not for Captain Rex."

"We owe a great debt to both Captain Rex and Commander Cody," the Kel Dor Jedi acknowledged. Rex was immensely grateful someone acknowledged Cody's important role in the rescue without him having to point it out. "Captain, I brought something, courtesy of Wolffe."

Rex's interest peaked immediately. Wolffe's "somethings" were always significant.

General Koon gestured to a nearby couch in the waiting area and handed Rex a mini datapad. The cushions were too soft, like many things in the Jedi Temple, and Rex sank in. He pushed himself forward again, sitting up ramrod straight.

"The WolfPack has uncovered new information out on the Rimma Trade Route," the Jedi Master said.

Rex thumbed on the pad and scanned through the data. He sucked in a breath. "This is a massive build-up of Separatist forces." A stab of alarm went through him. "It would require multiple battalions to counter such a siege-"

The Kel Dor General nodded gravely. "Exactly. At the moment, the only available battalion is the 104th. Wolffe has written a battle plan based upon three battle groups."

Rex looked down at his pad again, reading the detailed battle plan outlined by Wolffe: three battalions - the 104th, the 501st, and the 212th.

"But, sir, the 501st is-" Rex started.

"- badly needed," Plo Koon filled in. "There is only one man with the field experience to get those troopers ready in time, and I am looking at him."

Rex's chest swelled with emotion. "Sir," he swallowed past the lump in his throat.

"What resources do you need to make it happen?" The way he was talking made it sound like Rex was already reinstated."

"Armor. Weapons. Almost all of my men need kit. Only a handful of my men still have their armor."

"What was lost, shall be replaced." He checked his chrono. "I don't know what they are going on about in there, but I say whatever it is, they've gone on long enough. Shall we interrupt them? You're a busy man and have things to do?"

Rex smiled, deciding he liked Wolffe's General immensely. "Yes, General."

"I'll find Obi-Wan and Anakin," Ahsoka offered, heading off down the hallway in the direction they'd disappeared.

Rex felt more confident entering the Council chambers with General Koon by his side.

He stopped short just inside the door.

Standing in the center of the room was Cody. He looked as if he'd been on the receiving end of a very long lecture. He met Rex's gaze with a sense of relief and shared camaraderie.

General Koon took his seat in one of the oddly oversized and uncomfortable-looking Council chairs. Rex walked to the center of the room, and positioned himself beside Cody.

They both stood at attention, ramrod straight, but it was still very comforting to have Cody beside him.

"Why wasn't I informed you would be meeting with Commander Cody?" All heads turned at the arrival of General Kenobi, quickly followed by General Skywalker. There was a certain energy about them, and Rex wondered if this had to do with the recent info uncovered by the Wolfpack.

General Windu rose, all sinewy grace. He reminded Rex of the dark and dangerous variant of Nexu his Legion had the misfortune of running across on Geonosis. He'd lost a number of good troopers to the creatures.

General Windu skewed Kenobi with his gaze: "We wanted to talk to the Commander alone first about his actions when he first came into the system with the warship. We- I- felt you may have some bias."

Kenobi opened his mouth to comment, his jaw working, and then he shut it. He took a deep breath as if searching for inner Jedi calm. "I see. And, what was the outcome of this discussion?"

"We are not yet decided," Windu admitted. "The Chancellor is pushing hard for the Commander to go to full trial."

Rex saw it then, a flash where the Great Negotiator lost his Jedi calm.

Kenobi pointed to Cody. "This man has saved my life a dozen times over, and before this war ends, I'm quite certain he'll do it again. The Republic did not have either the resources or the courage to rescue us from that torturous prison where we rotted for two months. But, this man, despite being injured, defied orders and got me out of there. I am alive today because of him. He saved me and the lives of the men under his command. When he returned, he asked only that we value their lives as he does, and now we sit and wonder what punishment befits such a crime. Was he angry when he returned? Yes. He asked for the men he was leading. This man, Cody is a great leader. We should be rewarding him, and not punishing him. The Jedi have asked for these men for their endless faith, and they have given it freely. I cannot imagine punishing Commander Cody because he asked for a bit of ours."

There was silence in the Council Chambers once Kenobi was done speaking.

Rex had a lump in his throat. He wondered if Skywalker would speak so passionately of him. Did the Jedi value them so highly? It left him with conflicting feelings of wondering who and what he valued and what he stood for. The Republic? The Jedi? His brothers? All of them?

This was fascinating. Rex had expected his Council Hearing would be a tense drama where he would be disciplined. Not a resolution for Cody.

The Jedi looked back and forth, communicating in their silent way. Annoyingly, it played out as a buzz in Rex's head. He could not hear their discussions, but all of it gave him a slight headache. He stood at stiff attention next to Cody, wishing he was elsewhere. He stared out at the traffic swirling endlessly by outside the Council windows, losing himself in the ebb and flow. It reminded him of the waves on Ando. He could soothe himself in such a way. Waves were endless in their unchanging nature. There would forever be traffic here. But, Ando was his soothing calm. He thought of Travis and suddenly missed him dearly. In that moment, while he waited for the Jedi to finish their silent discussion, he suddenly felt as if he could feel Travis. His brother was happy.

It brought Rex such a sense of peace.

Krek! The wreckage.

Rex's peace was shattered by the urgency of needing to move the wreckage. He was sure he was imagining it, but he had an impression of Travis forming a plan to eject the wreckage into the area of space where they'd initially been attacked. That would work. Was that something Travis had already done? Something he simply imagined Travis might do? He pushed out a weighty sigh, confused, and Cody's eyes flickered toward him.

"We are decided," General Windu announced. "The Commander will be reprimanded. And, a formal disciplinary demerit will be entered into his service record. There will be no other formal trial. The Chancellor's request will be denied."

Rex could not help a sidelong glance at Cody. Fek. This was good news. Cody was still standing perfectly at attention, but Rex could read the relief in his features. A demerit could be worked off. Eventually.

This was a most unexpected development. Cody was being returned to service. What had happened to-

"Captain Rex."

All eyes in the Council Chamber turned to him, and he knew with sickening certainty, it was now his moment in the spotlight.

Rex met the gaze of General Windu and dipped his chin respectfully. "General." He looked to each of the members of the Jedi Council, meeting their gaze in return. Whereas last time he was in these chambers he was filled with righteous indignation, today he was filled with a sense of calm and balance. Maybe it was the humbling experience of being locked up. Or, maybe the time he'd spent around Ahsoka. Rex straightened his shoulders back and knew he could make it through this hearing.

"Captain, you have been called before us for contempt, based upon your actions last time you were here. However," Mace Windu stressed the word in an elongated way which was almost painful on the ears, "your General saw fit to stand up for you and spoke of your merits at length in a closed-door session yesterday evening."

Wait. What?!

Rex's mind spun. He'd assumed the General was headed to a "Senate" meeting. He'd been here standing up for Rex and mopping up this whole mess? He hadn't been with his Senator?

Rex's respect for his General rose another notch.

"Like Commander Cody, you will have a formal demerit entered into your service record. A note will also be made you went missing after being assigned to Kamino."

Rex cringed at the term 'assigned.'

He'd been sentenced to death. Not given a new assignment. A spike of old anger and hurt immediately flared up. He inhaled deeply, reminding himself of the unending waves of Ando. Ebb and flow. Calm. The flare of anger was gone.

"However, as per the insistence of both General Skywalker and Kenobi, you will both be given Distinguished Service Letters for your actions in rescuing two Legions, the trapped, and the special force who were imprisoned on Kaz'haria. You succeeded where others had not, yet, and in doing so may have saved many lives. Therefore, you have earned the gratitude of the Jedi Council and the Republic. As of today, and this hearing, Captain Rex, and Commander Cody, both of you are hereby restored to your former ranks within your Legions. Captain Rex, you will be reporting to Commander Appo, and Commander Cody, you will report directly to General Kenobi."

It was incredible news. (OK, Rex would have been even more thrilled if the Jedi had decided to reassign Appo to sanitation duty or training shinies on some planet in the far Outer Rim.) But still, restored to full rank, and an accommodation? He didn't care much about the demerit in his otherwise spotless record, because it was immediately canceled out by the Distinguished Service Letters.

And, a Distinguished Service Letter was vastly preferable to the Chancellor's medal. He didn't have to wear the damned thing pinned to his chest, (and it didn't come from the Chancellor.)

The General waved his hand and turned on a holo display. "Commander Cody, Captain Rex, you will need to get your troops ready to deploy as soon as possible. You are assigned to the Outer Rim for what is likely to be a prolonged siege."

Rex exchanged a significant look with Cody.

Outer Rim sieges?

They were back in action.

# # #

Chapter Text

The rest of the council hearing turned into more strategy meeting than a disciplinary session. This was fine by Rex. He'd rather talk strategy any day than be called out for behavioral infractions.

General Windu was a hell of a tactician when he wasn't riled up, although he seemed intent on testing Rex at every turn.

"Captain, what do you do know about Clak'Dor VII?"

Rex would have rolled his eyes under his bucket, except his gear had yet to be returned to him. Galactic geography was a subject all cadets had mastered by year four.

"It's in the Colu sector, General, homeworld of the Bith. The planet has been a longtime ally of the Galactic Republic and its strategic value lies in its' location on the Rimma Trade Route."

Windu tilted his head slightly as if giving Rex the slightest bit of approval. "That is correct, Captain, although their status as one of our allies is now in jeopardy. The planet is in danger of falling to the Separatists."

Falling.

Rex had heard the term used loosely throughout the war depending upon the speaker. Sometimes "falling" meant Grievous and several Lucrehulk-class were in orbit around a planet offering "protection." But, sometimes "falling" meant a planet, or a system had enough of the Republic and wanted to make a go of it on their own.

The first scenario Rex understood readily enough; it was the second scenario that bothered Rex. He wasn't a di'kut. He understand there were a lot of credits at stake with strategically located like Bith. But, still, shouldn't the people of Clak'Dor VII be entitled to self-governance free of the Republic?

He exhaled slowly through his teeth trying to quiet his thoughts. He couldn't be thinking this way in a room full of Jedi. What the fek did he know of freedom anyway? He was a piece of property owned by the Republic.

He startled slightly at the unexpected presence of General Koon by his side. Wolffe had spoken favorably of his General many times, and his brother rarely praised anyone, let alone non-clones.

Half of the General's face was obscured by his breather, but he gave Rex a long searching look. "You alright, Captain?" he asked, his voice rumbling softly out from under the breather.

"Yes, General."

General Koon's eyes flickered over to where Windu, Skywalker, and Kenobi were bent over a hologram, engaged in a "lively" discussion of mission timing. He turned his attention back to Rex. "It's alright not to be okay, sometimes."

Rex's brow furrowed in puzzlement, trying to figure out the point of this conversation. How was he supposed to respond to such a statement? It was never okay not to be okay when you were a clone. "Sir?"

"Wolffe and I talk about more than strategy," his eyes quickly flicked toward Windu, who was still deeply engaged in what was now turning into an escalating argument with Skywalker. "We also sometimes debate the merits of the war. Since we'll be on a campaign together, you should join us sometimes. I would very much like to hear your perspective on the matter."

Rex stared at him, gobsmacked that Wolffe was debating the merits of the war. No, he shouldn't be, as that is the type of bold bullshit his brother would do. But, where did the fine line between treason and loyalty lay when asking such questions? As a soldier of the Republic, wasn't Rex just supposed to follow orders and not ask any of these questions? (And, why did he inwardly cringe at the thought as if he were at war with himself?)

The General mercifully spared him from having to come up with a response. "But, that is a discussion for another day. Come, let us break up their lively discussion before it comes to blows."

Was he joking? Did that happen? Jedi didn't actually do that, did they?

But, General Koon had already moved off to interject himself into the conversation, his voice adding a calming presence. Rex let them have at it for a few moments. He regrouped with Cody, who was quietly working on a holo display moving around sims of large deployments.

Rex stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, and they worked together, coming up with a deployment plan.

"What was that all about?" Cody's eyes flicked toward General Koon.

Rex snorted quietly under his breath. "I think Wolffe is rubbing off on his Jedi. The General is encouraging me to be a freethinker."

Cody barked out a laugh and then covered it up with a discrete cough behind his hand. Kenobi arched an eyebrow at him, but Cody gave him a look that was all innocence and quickly swiped a few more holo displays around. Kenobi quirked his lips but turned his attention back to his own conversation.

Rex rolled his eyes and corrected their display, which was now askew. "Really, Codes? You want to deploy our troops into a black hole? That is some free thinking."

"No, free thinking is what got us locked up in the RMB." He reached for the displays again, but Rex stopped him before he sent their troops into a black hole again. "You need to follow regs to the letter from now on. Both of us do. We were lucky to get off with a slap on the wrist, but we don't have the luxury of being freethinkers."

"I know." He did know and he hated it. He'd gotten used to doing a lot of free thinking while on Ando and planning the mission to Darkknell. Conventional thinking hadn't freed those men, or the Jedi trapped along with them. But, Cody was right. Free thinking in clones was punished. Severely.

"Cody, Rex, if you're done over there, we're ready to discuss troop deployments."

"Yes, General," Rex responded, "we've examined the deployments from every angle to ensure there are no holes in our strategy."

"Very good," Kenobi acknowledged, with a very Jedi tilt of his head.

"Smart ass," Cody muttered as they walked in step over to the others.

General Windu battered both Cody and Rex with questions. It wasn't on the level of Alpha-17, but it was an intense discussion. Ponds had some serious gett'se* to put up with this man on a daily basis.

Cody was flawless, as always, and Rex answered every question put to him. He also offered up numerous suggestions without being asked. He'd learned a great deal from the myriad of troopers on Ando. They had so many different fighting styles. He was pressed repeatedly about the battle-readiness of the 501st. This was a difficult topic, but he answered truthfully. His men were underweight. Many had been injured during their imprisonment, and more had been injured during the Battle of Darkknell. While locked in their prison cells, the men had no opportunity to engage in proper training. But, the men of the 501st and 212th had pulled off a miracle in the dungeons of Darkknell, fighting with no armor and the barest of weapons. But, he had confidence in his men. "They'll be ready to deploy."

"It appears they'll have to be. It appears we will have to use the 501st and 212th." His tone implied he was resorting to his last choice legions in the GAR.

Cody bristled next to him but stayed quiet.

Rex couldn't let the slight pass. "With all due respect, General, our men are the finest in the Grand Army. They've been through a trial as of late, but they will be ready. But, we will need resources."

Before Windu could engage again, likely with another slight against their Legions, Wolffe's General jumped in. "What do you need?"

"Armor. Weapons. Our troopers lost their kit at Darknell. We have only a dozen men with armor, including ourselves," Rex immediately supplied, already composing a more detailed list in his head.

"What was lost, shall be replaced. And, soon," assured the Wolfpack General.

Rex lifted an eyebrow in surprise and flicked a glance toward Cody. Were they finally getting their Phase II kit? "And, our men need time to train. Even if it's en route to the Bith System, they need a training space and a gym three times the size of what they would normally get. They all need to add muscle."

"Extra food supplements," chimed in Cody, "all they can eat, and high calorie. Their nutrient intake is to be supervised by our own medics. If they say we need more, we get it. The mess hall is to be kept open at all hours so our men can regain the weight they have lost."

"Done," General Plo Koon promised, jumping in before Generals Windu or Yoda could say anything.

"We best adjourn this meeting, then," General Windu said, shooting a look at his Wolffe's General, "before we overpromise anything we cannot deliver." He glanced down at his chrono. "Captain Rex and Commander Cody, head to your barracks. Armorers should already be on-site."

Rex shot Cody a quick look, but his brother was all perfect polish, looking straight ahead. Rex wanted to roll his eyes again. Cody was taking this not-getting-in-trouble-again bit very seriously. Rex just wanted to get out of the Temple and back to the barracks. Armor fitting was a big deal to clones and he wanted to be there to see his brothers' reactions.

"It's settled, then," General Windu continued on, "all troopers of the 501st and 212th must pass their medical exams to be deployed. But, we will consider your Legions a part of this mission." Rex's enthusiasm for the armor fitting diminished as he thought of some of his more severely injured men. He already had a mental list of those who may not pass medical. Kriff. He was not going to leave any man behind. He would figure out a way to keep them in the Legion.

For the ones who could pass their physicals, he had a training regimen already in mind. The men would be in training all day, switching stations, as their health and abilities allowed, just as they'd done on Ando. He would have these men ready by the time they deployed. They would begin as soon as the men were kitted out, which should be later today by the sounds of it. Much of the training might have to be done en route depending upon when they deployed.

"Captain," General Windu shot him a look of annoyance as if he'd called his name once already.

Cody shot him a sharp disciplinary look.

Oh, come on, Cody, not you, too.

"Sir," he said, straightening up sharply, trying to match Cody's stiffness.

"There is one more matter to discuss," the Jedi Master said. Something about his tone set Rex on edge. He glanced down at his datapad as if it contained some official authority allowing him to take action. "Due to your mysterious disappearance and seeming inability to adequately account for your time, we are keeping accountability measures in place."

Rex sucked in a breath.

What the fek does that mean?

The Jedi Master motioned to the Temple Guards.

Commander Appo walked in and saluted the Jedi Masters so perfectly it set Rex's teeth on edge. "Generals." He fixed his gaze firmly on General Windu.

Windu dipped his chin. He didn't seem either impressed or otherwise with Appo. Rex had noticed Appo brought out that reaction in almost everyone. "Commander Appo."

General Windu turned his attention back to Rex. "Commander Appo will be staying on in his role as Commander of the 501st Legion permanently," he stressed the word just enough to make it clear that while Rex was still a Captain, this essentially meant a demotion for him. "You will report to Commander Appo who will supervise all of your daily activities. He will provide regular reports to General Skywalker and the Jedi Council- meaning me."

Rex froze.

The news that Appo was staying on as Commander was just a formality. He knew the fekker was staying there. But, Rex tried to suck in a breath but found he couldn't. His every move would now be monitored by both fekkin' Appo and the Council?!

Appo avoided making eye contact with Rex and stood rigidly at attention in front of the Council.

Rex's vision blurred and then refocused. He caught sight of the traffic outside the giant bay windows.

Breathe, he forcibly reminded himself. Ebb and flow. Ebb and flow.

It was much harder somehow with Appo standing beside him. But, his sense of calm returned.

"You are both dismissed."

Windu's words reached him as if through a fog.

"Sir," Rex and Appo said in unison.

Rex said the words automatically, out of habit. Cody was left behind in the Council Chambers, presumably for a higher-level strategy discussion. Rex and Appo exited to the ante-chamber. Fox was still waiting there, which was eerily similar to the first time Rex had exited the Chambers and been taken away to the RMB. Rex stared at him. He suddenly wondered how much time Fox had to spend waiting for people to come out of meetings.

Fox's job must really suck. The Guard commander gestured one of his shock troopers forward. He was carrying a small satchel. "I was instructed by the Jedi Generals to return this to you."

Rex opened up the satchel curiously. It smelled... familiar. "My kit," he said, peering in and seeing his helmet, belt with twin blasters, and gauntlet. He tugged out the items one at a time, quickly putting the armor pieces back on with practiced ease. He tugged on his gauntlets and settled his belt low on his hips. He spun each of his blasters around once just to feel the heft in his palm before tucking them into their holsters. He slid his bucket on reverently, feeling immensely relieved as it rested back snugly into place. He was whole again.

"Thank you," he said to Fox.

Fox shrugged. "Just following orders, as always."

"Somehow I doubt-" Rex cut himself off, suddenly remembering Appo was there.

Appo gave him a sideways look.

"Thank you, Fox," Rex said instead. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope to not be seeing you anytime soon."

Fox huffed lightly in amusement. "Good luck, Rex."

"Right, well, uh, thanks for the hospitality."

Fox snorted. "Glad you enjoyed it. Keep your shebs out of trouble." He slapped Rex on the pauldron. Hard. But, there as a lot of affection in the gesture.

"Captain," Appo prompted, already headed over toward the lift.

Rex sighed, wanting to converse a bit more with Fox. Not even sure why he wanted to converse a bit more with Fox. Maybe because he didn't want to spend time with Appo.

"Eh..." Rex started. Fek, he realized wasn't good with the words thing. There was more he wanted to say to Fox. Thank you for putting me in the same cell as Cody. Thank you for keeping my brother alive. Thank you for keeping us informed.

"Captain," there was a hint of annoyance in Appo's voice as he waited in the lift, holding the doors open, "we are short on time."

"You better go," Fox gestured with his bucketed head toward Appo, "your commander is waiting."

"He sure as fek is, isn't he?" Rex muttered softly. Fox gave him one more good-natured slap, but this time pushed him toward the lift where Appo was waiting for him. Rex opened a private line to Fox and let out a string of profanities that started the same letter as Fox's first name.

Fox snorted in amusement and cut off their connection.

Rex glanced over at Appo and left his bucket muted while he stretched out his profane vocabulary to encompass commanders who should not have been promoted. Ah. It was good to have his full kit again.

# # #

Rex and Appo walked through the corridors of the Jedi Temple and out into the streets of Coruscant, the tense silence stretching out between them. The tension grew until it became a living tangible thing like a cord stretched taught between them.

"Hold up, Rex," Appo said, halting in the shadow of one of the giant columns at the top of the stairs near the Temple entrance.

Rex didn't want to hold up. He didn't want any delay. He wanted to get back to the barracks. There was new armor coming. And, men to get trained. And, a thousand other things to do. He had no time for Appo.

Appo huffed out a grunt of frustration and slid off his helmet. He met Rex's eyes, staring intensely into his visor.

Rex relented and slid off his helmet. "What?!"

"Cut the attitude, Rex. We have too much to do for us to be fighting."

Rex sucked in a deep breath. Maybe he was a little out of line. And, Appo was... right. "Sorry. Guess I'm still adjusting to the new order of things."

Appo tilted his head to the side. "Fair enough. I wanted to speak to you before we head to the barracks."

Rex eased up a bit, tucking his helmet under his arm. "Go on. You have my attention." He glanced around him. "This is as good a place as any." And, as bad a place. He had never particularly liked the Jedi Temple. Something about it gave him bad vibes. Like the place was cursed.

"I know you don't care for me, Rex."

Rex studied Appo with a frown. What was his point? He was about to demand as much, but Appo held up a hand. "Let me finish," Appo's voice was steady and filled with a calm Rex didn't remember being there before. Gah. Before Appo had been locked up with Ahsoka. Of course, he'd learned a thing or two. Ahsoka had that effect on people. She brought out the best in everyone. He tried to focus on his new commander's words, and not think about him sharing a cell with Ahsoka. "You don't have to like me. I don't expect us to be friends. But, you will respect me and my authority." Appo blew out an exasperated sigh. "I... didn't ask for this posting. It would not have been my first choice. Or, my second. But, you were suddenly injured and sent away and... I don't think I can ever have the same relationship with the men as you. They have a hero worship of you that I can never achieve. I am not here to replace you. We both have a job to do. We lost too many at Kaz'haria. I know that's my fault. I know you blame me. I know all of you blame me. I accept full responsibility and I can't bring those men back, but I want to do better. I need your help to be better. We have to work together so we can get our vode through these battles. There's no way I can do all of it on my own. Please, Rex. For the good of the 501st."

Appo was asking for his help?

For the good of the 501st.

Rex didn't want to like anything about this vod. But, he made a compelling case. And, he was being so fekkin' humble about messing up at Kaz'haria.

"Alright," he agreed, "for the good of the 501st."

"For what it's worth, I'll try to stay out of your way as much as possible."

Rex smiled at this and clasped arms with Appo.

Maybe things would be OK. "I can live with that. Wait..." his mind flashed back to the Council meeting, and he quickly released their clasped arms. "What about those reports you are supposed to send to General Windu?"

"Don't give me anything to report on, and there won't be anything in those reports."

"You know, Appo, there is such a thing as brothers first."

"And, we also have our duty to the Republic first. Don't make me choose."

"The Republic left you and all those other men locked up to die! What choice are we talking about here, Appo? It was your brothers who got you out of there, not the fekkin' Republic."

Appo closed his eyes. "I don't want to talk about what happened at Darkknell."

"You don't want to talk about it?! That's your way of dealing with it? Appo-"

A group of older Jedi came out of a side passage followed by an energetic group of tiny padawans. They pointed and waved to the two command clone clones, many of the little Jedi so small they were missing teeth and still had baby fat in their cheeks. Rex was suddenly struck by how much they remembered him of little cadets, and yet how different their upbringing was from his own on sterile Kamino.

"You look like me!" A little blonde-haired boy was tugged on Rex's pauldron. He had the same crisp Couriscanti accent as Cody's Jedi.

"Sors, don't bother the clone troopers," admonished one of his Jedi handlers.

"But, but, this is Captain Rex!"

The other padawans stopped and gaped at Rex in open-mouthed wonder. "Oooooh... ahhhhhh..."

"Yes, well, I'm sure the Captain is a very busy man. Sorry, to have bothered you, Captain, and... uh... your... uh... associate. Good day to you both. Come along, now, Sors."

Rex and Appo watched the cadre of mini-Jedi disappear out of sight around the corner. All of the energy from their fight was gone. Appo glanced at his chrono. "The armorers are due to arrive at the barracks. We should go." He led the way out of the Temple. "Even the Jedi worship you..." Appo grumbled.

"OK, that is not true."

"You don't even realize how good you have it, Rex," Appo muttered. "You have no idea."

"Appo, it's not that simple."

"I'm sure it's not. But, for the record, the Republic does come first, and you best get your priorities straight. You can call me Appo when it's just us command staff, but around the men, call me Commander."

Rex rolled his eyes under his helmet. He had a commander now. OK, he had two commanders now. One that meant everything to him. And, one who could take everything away from him.

## #

*- Mando'a translation: "balls"

Chapter Text

Coric yawned loudly, earning an upraised eyebrowed from Kix. He scrubbed his eyes again, trying to make sense of the words on the screen in front of him. It was harder for him to focus these days. It was hard not to be angry at his captors for what they'd taken from him.

"Have another ration bar," Kix urged, nudging him in the hand with one of the extra high-cal ones.

"I've already had three."

"Then a fourth won't hurt you."

"Faulty logic," Coric grumbled, pushing the bar away. He didn't want to eat. Food didn't seem appealing anymore.

"Maybe you need caf, then."

Coric quirked up an eyebrow. "Caf decreases ghrelin*, you know."

"Not always. Some varieties of caf are well known to stimulate appetite, so drink up." Kix pushed his cup of caf toward his brother.

Coric rolled his eyes. Kix had been fussing over him since he'd basically collapsed on the journey back from Darkknell. "Is that your medical diagnosis? Drink more caf? That's the opposite of what you tell Rex."

"Rex isn't 10 kilo under clone standard. This hospital brew isn't half-bad- better than Kazzie caf."

"LAAT fuel is-"

"- better than Kazzie caf," Kix said with him, repeating the popular clone line insulting the Kazzie beverage.

Coric smiled, enjoying their banter, and accepted the offering. He took a swig and tilted his head to the side as his body took interest in the taste.

Kix noticed right away and smiled broadly. Coric realized then the toll his poor health had been taking on his brother.

"It better be," Sly rejoined from the other side of the room, "I pilfered it from the natborn doctors' lounge. They have all the good stuff in there." He rustled in his medic's bag and tossed something across the room.

Coric's reflexes weren't what they were before his captivity and his reach was just shy of being able to easily snatch the foil-wrapped offering out of the air, but Kix saved it from hitting the ground. He gave it a curious glance before handing it over to Coric.

"What is it?" Coric hefted the log-shaped wrapped snack curiously and examined it from all angles as if it was a medical curiosity.

"I don't know what the natborns call them, but it's some kind of sweet cake that goes smashingly well with caf. Give it a try."

Coric set down the caf, and unwrapped the sweet cake. The smell hit him instantly and his stomach grumbled loudly. He stared at the long spongy roll and the creamy filly poking out the sides. It didn't look anything like the food served to clones. He couldn't wait to try it, but it wouldn't be right to eat it on his own. He carefully tore it in half with near-surgical precision and held out the slightly larger share to Kix.

His brother shook his head in refusal.

"You need the calories more than me. You lost too much weight while in captivity."

"As you remind me constantly," Coric grumbled. There was no denying he was still seriously underweight. His BMI was down to 12, enough to keep him from the active-duty roster if he didn't get his body mass back up. Clones were normally lean by design with their BMI staying at 18 no matter how much they ate. But, Coric had been starved for two months and his body showed the effects of severe malnourishment. What little food he'd been offered, he'd often given to the other clones in his cell. He couldn't help it. His medic's instincts wouldn't allow him to eat when others were suffering. Now that he'd gone so long without eating, he'd lost interest in food and drink. He was tired all the time, felt weak, had to wear two bodysuits to stay warm, and had difficulties concentrating. He was a far cry from the medic he'd been before he'd been through in that cell. But, there was too much work to be done for him to worry about his own health. He tore off a smaller piece and made pleading eyes to Kix. "I can't eat unless you try some with me."

Kix accepted the smaller portion. "Alright, now eat. You need the calories."

"You're relentless."

"Then listen to your medic."

"Oh, you're my medic, now?" Coric quipped back, around a mouthful of sweetcake. He'd missed these little moments with Kix. The banter back and forth. The arguing. The teasing. Working together day after day. As the glucose hit his brain, the research he'd been reading started to make more sense in the context of Echo's injury. He tossed back the last of the caf and then held up his datapad for Kix to see. "Before we lost Cavil at Kaz'haria, he'd been deep into research on TBIs.**"

"I'm aware. I made a point of keeping up with his research. Cavil was a good medic."

"One of the best of us. He had a wickedly good sense of humor, too. He'll be missed. " The two medics were silent a moment remembering their fallen colleague. Coric tilted his head to the side in consideration. "You know, this could be an opportunity for us to honor him by continuing his research. There are some similarities here. He'd discovered some... anomalies... in brain scans among troopers of the 212th."

"What do you mean? We're clones. We don't have anomalies."

Coric zoomed in on a scan from Cavil's research. "He had to modify a scanner to find these things, but something like this..."

Kix's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "That is... odd. I've never seen anything like it. But... if it came up on more than one scan then it's not really an anomaly, is it?"

His fellow medic nodded in agreement. "Cavil thought so, too. He believed he was seeing a trend and requested more advanced scanning equipment. Commander Cody and General Kenobi approved his request, but it was denied by the higher-ups. So, he simply categorized it as an 'anomaly' and set the research aside until after the Kaz'haria campaign."

Kix sighed heavily. "Except he never came back from the campaign to Kaz'haria."

"No." Coric scrolled through Cavil's notes, feeling the heavy weight of the fallen medic's research. "He was onto something here. I'm sure of it. Look- he made a careful note to emphasize we are not allowed to do L5 atomic brain scans."

"It's like he'd baiting any other medics who read his work to find a way to do one."

"That's one way to interpret it."

"Oh come on, we've never been given a good reason not to do those scans."

"It's always blah-blah-blah too dangerous."

"Yet, we're allowed to do Level 4 atomic scans? It doesn't make any sense."

"It may not make sense, but the regs are very explicit."

The two medics looked at each other, clearly debating their path.

"Coric, if we pursue this path, we'd be violating standing orders not to pursue these deeper-level scans."

"Clearly."

"But..." Kix leaned in again and looked at Cavil's research, "Commander Cody and General Kenobi already approved this project, so in a way, it's already been authorized."

"Excellent point."

"Commander Cody is a Marshall Commander."

"Yes..." Coric's voice was slightly hesitant, a reminder that all 501st and 212th clones knew their marshall commander had been locked up and his status was currently unknown. The Open Fleet was currently without their Marshall Commander.

"That's a flimsi glitch. They'll release him," Kix said with absolute confidence.

Coric snorted. "He went AWOL and insulted the highest member of the Jedi Council in front of the fleet. That's a hell of a flimsi glitch."

Kix shrugged. "He's spirited. General Kenobi likes that about him. Rex has implied several times the two are very close."

"I'm not sure that's what he meant."

"Regardless, the General also approved of this line of research. So, we have the authorization of a Marshall Commander and a high council member to proceed. We are practically being ordered to investigate what is going on with Echo and that supersedes those previous mandates about the L5 scans."

Coric considered this a moment. "Sound logic. So, we take a higher-level scan of Echo-"

"An L5 atomic, yes-"

"And, then see if there's a relation to Cavil's anomalies?"

"Exactly!"

"While you boys are busy debating ethics, and the lovelife of Commander Cody, Sly and I are working to get you the credentials for those fancy scans," Fives tossed back over his shoulder from the other side of the room. "That should do it. Hey, you have any more of those fancy cakes?" He peered down with interest at Sly's medical bag.

Sly pushed his bag away with his foot and glared indignantly at Fives. "You cannot forge the credentials of the Director of ArmyMed."

Fives stared down the younger clone. "Give me one reason why not."

"Director Valo has authority over everyone and everything in this place." The cocky young medic sounded nervous for the first time.

"Exactly why we are forging her credentials." Fives leaned in and started typing with unnecessary force and gusto, finishing his typing with a flourish of the wrist. "She has the highest authority. You just said so yourself. And, I really think you should give me one of those cakes."

"Including the authority to red card clones. All clones. You. Me. Echo. No." He reached for the shutoff switch on the terminal. "No cake for you. Krek, Fives, this is serious! You can't be talking away cake when all of our lives are on the line."

Fives batted his hand away. "Fek her! She can personally walk me to the Kamino transport. Echo is getting this scan."

"You're not just playing with your life! We'd all be sent!"

Fives paused and rose up to his full height, glowering at the younger clone. Sly was not yet fully grown, and Fives had considerable bulk over him with his added ARC musculature and gear. But, the younger clone refused to cower.

"Fine. Then, I will ask you nicely. Are you in or do you want to walk away? We are committed to saving the life of our brother. You can walk away now and pretend you never met us," Fives crossed his arms across his chest while he waited for an answer from the young medic.

Sly hissed and frustration and jammed a hand through his hair. He paced several steps toward the door, stopped for several long seconds, clearly torn, and then started for the door again. "I..." he stopped, and then turned around and stalked back to the terminal. He batted Fives away and typed furiously. "I know the fekkin' creds of everyone in here, including the Director." He glared at Fives. "You probably just signed my death warrant. Fek you, but I'm in."

Fives blinked in surprise. "I wasn't sure you'd say yes." He reached his arm out. Sly just stared at it. "Krek. They don't teach you shinies anything anymore, do they?" He arranged Sly's arm into the vode handshake. "Thank you, vod. You've truly shown yourself to be one of us."

"You have a remarkable ability to insult me while saying thank you, Fives. But, yes, I suppose I'm committed to this thing," Sly muttered, staring down curiously at the brotherly handshake.

"Not... that anyone asked me... but I'm in, too." The voice was weak, raspy, and barely audible, but distinctly Echo.

Four pairs of clone eyes turned as one toward Echo's bed. His eyes were barely open. He gazed at Sly in confusion. "I... don't know... you..." He slumped back into unconsciousness, even as Fives was rushing over to his side.

"Echo, vod, it's me. Can you hear me?" Fives gently shook his brother's shoulder, but Echo was completely unresponsive again.

Kix pulled him back so he could get readings. "His body is starting to fight off the virus. It's a good sign. You should let him rest, though, Fives."

Fives sighed with disappointment and stepped away, his shoulders slumped.

"This is a positive development," Sly said to him quietly, keeping his voice down to allow Kix and Coric to work. The two medics were busy taking readings.

Kix took a scan, adjusted his scanner, and tried again. "That's... odd. Coric, what do you make of these readings?"

Coric glanced at Kix's screen. "I'm getting the same results. I'm not sure what we're seeing here. We need that scan."

The terminal on the other side of the room beeped, demanding attention. Fives ran over to the screen. "Yes! The authorization came through. Scanning Room 5020. The space is reserved for us. We're due there in a quarter rotation." He continued to type.

"No. Fives wait-" Sly tried to bat his hands away, but Fives had already submitted an additional request.

"What? I just classified the request as the highest urgency. That ensures we get the room as long as we want, right?" Fives stared at the young medic, trying to figure out why he looked so concerned.

Sly sucked in a breath.

"What?" Fives demanded.

"That additional classification will draw a lot of attention to us," Sly had the voice of someone who was trying to hold it together but was still slightly panicked.

"Ah, that... could be a problem."

Coric's wrist com beeped and he glanced down at it. "I have to get back to the barracks. Appo has me on the schedule all afternoon to do physicals. It's junior medic stuff, but he assigned me to it."

"Appo doesn't know his shebs from his-"

"Fives," Kix cut him off, "his ways may not be our ways, but he is still our commander."

Fives rolled his eyes. "Well, then, Coric you best get back to do Commander Appo's bidding." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Fives!" Kix chastised again.

Fives huffed out a long breath. "Fine. Thank you, Coric, you've been a big help. Best of luck with the physicals. Come back when you can. Best regards to our commander." He glanced over to Kix with an upraised eyebrow.

The medic nodded with satisfaction and then turned his attention to Coric.

Kix gave Coric's arm a light affectionate squeeze. "I wish you could stay."

"Me, too, but the last thing I need is Appo writing me up for being AWOL. Fives is right, you know, he's no Rex."

Kix leaned in to give his brother an affectionate headbutt. "No, he isn't," he said softly, "but don't tell Fives I said that."

"Fives has superior hearing you know," the ARC chimed in.

Coric's lips twitched in amusement and he pulled back from his fellow medic. "Good luck. Keep me informed." He took off immediately, not wanting to delay the group with any more unnecessary conversation. He quickly exited the massive medical building, careful not to get lost. He stuck to the most main corridors possible, as he left the basement area, careful not to get locked into an abandoned area where he couldn't get back out again. It was the last thing they needed was to bring undue attention onto themselves. His mind went back to Echo. The other two troopers with a similar anomaly hadn't survived. So, how could they ensure the outcome for Echo would be any different if they all had the same genetic engineering?

Genetic engineering.

Cavil had made a mention of their genetic engineering and why he thought these brain injuries he was seeing harbingered something more significant. Coric needed to brush up on his knowledge of clone genetics. There was something more going on here.

# # #

"Fives, wait," Sly said, pausing the ARC trooper before he exited the isolation chamber, "you'll draw too much attention heading into a scanning room dressed... in all that."

"What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?" Fives stared down at his beloved ARC armor.

"Nothing, if you want to stand out as the most easily recognizable being in the hospital then, by all means, saunter about in your big bad ARC armor."

"I do not saunter, I strut. But, I see your point."

"Kix, you also need to change. If you're going to be bringing a patient into a scanning room, you need to look like... well, one of us."

"We are one of you. We're clones," Kix pointed out.

"No, I get it. We need to look like city clones. I'm on it. Back in five." Fives slipped away from the room before Sly could stop him.

"Back in five," Sly muttered, "funny."

Fives returned quickly with a change of clothes for him and Kix. He tossed one of the uniforms to Kix and immediately began shucking until he was bare as a vatling. He stacked his ARC armor in seconds, still comfortably naked, and quickly donned the medical uniform. "Will this work?"

Sly critically eyed the rank bar on the uniform. "Eh, much higher rank bar than I would have assigned to you, but yes, it will do. Do I want to ask where these came from?"

"If you want plausible deniability, then no."

Fives straightened up, thrusting his shoulders back. Even dressed in a soft uniform, somehow he looked as if he was still wearing a pauldron.

Kix quickly finished dressing, straightening his rank badge, and then frowned at Fives. "You outrank me. As a medic."

Fives 'hmmmphed' and gave an imperious nod of his head, giving his higher rank bar a curt nod of satisfaction. "I was born to lead."

"Just wait until your next physical," Kix muttered under his breath.

"We need to keep a low profile. Secondary corridors. Service elevators. Avoid as much contact as possible," Sly stepped ahead of Fives to lead the way.

"You're not half-bad at this stuff, shinie."

"Wasn't tubed yesterday," Sly said, expertly weaving the gravbed down the corridors and into a cargo lift. "I may not be out on the frontlines like you mudscuffers, but I see some things here."

Fives, obviously having had a change of heart, pulled his rank bar off and handed it to Kix. "Since stolen ranks are obviously very important to you," he muttered to Kix.

"They are," Kix admitted, "and for the record, as a medic, I always outrank you."

"I'm still the better class of clone," Fives quipped back.

Echo peered a bleary eye open. "Where are we going?" His speech was slurred as if his lips were numb and he'd imbibed one too many Fuzzy Tauntauns. Before any of them could muster a response, he'd passed out again.

Kix ran his scanner. "His brain activity is off the charts. Simply put, his immune system has jump-started and is trying to fight off what it sees as a foreign body in his system." He frowned. "I'm just not sure how all this relates together. How did he get a foreign body in his brain? What the fek happened to him in that lab?"

Fives voice radiated confidence. "This scan will tell us something. It has to help. For Echo." He reached a hand down and briefly touched his unconscious brother.

"I hope so," Sly shook his head. "I don't know how much longer we can stay hidden." They emerged from the lift. "To get to the scanning room, we'll have to navigate a heavily populated corridor. Can't be avoided... Hold up." He slipped into a nearby supply closet and emerged with three standard-issue uniform hats, handing one to each of them. He tugged the hat low and tight over his ears and indicated for the others to do the same. "We need to blend in." He waved a hand toward Fives. "Cover up that tattoo. Not a lot of clones here have them, especially those new batchers they keep shipping us."

Fives quickly did as Sly indicated, but glanced over at Sly curiously. "New batchers? I think I saw a few of them. Kind of like shinies times ten?"

"Yes," Sly said, "they're... odd. They look like us, but they are... not like us." Fives and Kix startled and stared over at him, immediately wanting more details. But, Sly gave an impatient gesture indicating they should get moving.

They turned a corner into a heavily populated corridor, pushing the gravbed between them. They walked briskly as if they were just three medics going about their business.

"There it is," Sly said, nodding with his chin, directly ahead was Scanning Room 5020.

# # #

* Ghrelin is a multifaceted gut hormone known as the "hunger hormone".

** TBI is a common acronym for Traumatic Brain Injury. This type of injury usually results from a violent blow or jolt to the head or body. These types of injuries can also result from a foreign piece of material in the brain tissue. Mild traumatic brain injury may affect your brain cells temporarily. More serious traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding, and other physical damage to the brain.

Yes, Kix gives Coric a Keldabe kiss. It's not meant to be sexual. These two brothers have been through a great deal together as fellow medics and their affectionate for each other runs deep.

The strange "new batchers" Sly is referring to at the end of the chapter are the Sparti clones. In the EU, these clones were grown as cannon fodder in the last year of the war and they were considered vastly inferior to the originally Kaminoan clones.

Chapter Text

"Fives! Stop pacing!"

Fives glared at Kix, but stopped his endless path back and forth across the monitoring room. He crossed his arms across his chest, and then uncrossed them again as if he couldn't figure out what to do with his arms. "How much longer? He's been in there for-"

"One-hour standard plus ten, not counting prep time. Pestering us will not get him out faster."

"Why is it taking so long?!"

"This is standard. Considering it's an atomic-level scan, it's going quickly."

"Wait- is that bad? Should it be going so quickly?"

"Fives! Keep it up and I'll send you back to the barracks."

Fives' eyes narrowed. "You can't do that. Rex ordered me to be here. I'm supposed to watch over Echo." The twitch in the corner of his eye betrayed his nervousness. "You're not going to pull some medic crap on me, are you?"

Kix gazed down at the rank bar on his borrowed tunic. "Yes, well, I do outrank you by significant margin."

Fives' expression changed from nervous to baffled to irritated. It was worth it. Kix had gotten his mind off Echo for a few seconds.

The large scanning machine beeped red to signal it was done. Sly looked up briefly from his post at the monitoring station. "Results coming through." He plugged his datapad into the side of the terminal. "We should look at this somewhere else. We've already stayed here too long. Fives, I may need your help to delete our tracks from the system-"

Fives was already sliding into auxiliary technician chair. He'd slid a dataspike into the system before he'd sat down. 

Sly raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you always carry one of those on you?"

Fives shrugged. "In a pinch, it makes an outstanding improvised weapon."

Sly winced. "I'm not going to ask if you've tested that theory out."

Fives smirked. "Best if you don't. It involves a Neimodian-"

Kix leaned in, looking at the results as the young medic uploaded them. "Cavil was right! There's a distinctive biomass below the parietal and temporal intersection-"

"Cavil's anamoly?" Fives leaned in from Sly's other side, ignoring the protests of the young medic.

"We don't have time to discuss the results here." The cockiness was gone from the young medic's voice. "It would end very badly for us if we are discovered." He unplugged his datapad, preventing the others from reading anymore. "We have to go." He tapped the controls for the massive scanning machine, clearing it away from Echo.

Kix and Sly took their places on either side of the hoverbed and they moved toward the door.

"One more second-" Fives muttered, staring at his screen, his hand already on his dataspike. He pulled the spike and followed them out the door. He followed Kix and Sly from the room, falling back into his roleplay of a Coruscanti medic.

###

Kix leaned his head back against the durasteel panel of the lift, and took a deep breath. They were headed back to the dreary underbelly of the massive facility. There was a measure of safety down there. Or, at least the illusion of safety. Fives knew better than to pepper him with questions in the lift, and let him be with his thoughts during the short ride down.

Fives rested a hand on Echo's uninjured shoulder, his thumb rubbing gentle circles. "He's going to get better, right?"

Kix tried to keep his expression neutral, but he was used to being honest as a medic. "We'll do everything we can to save him."

Fives inhaled sharply, his expression crumpling.

Kix couldn't give bland assurances. There was no guarantee Echo would live.

# # #

"We need to take it out," Kix delivered the news before they'd even cleared the threshold. He knew Fives wouldn't take it well, and there was no delivering this news gently.

"Wait, what?" Fives said, rounding on him. So opposed to the plan he could barely get the words out. "We can't... No. It's too risky."

Sly ignored both of them, studying the results on his datapad. He plugged a second pad in and then handed it over to Kix. Fives stared hard at both of them, waiting for their medical analysis.

"We would need a specialized medical droid to do this type of surgery. Getting access to a scan is one thing, but there's no way we could sneak Echo into one of the advanced surgical suites without someone noticing."

Fives tilted his head to the side, a gesture Kix knew he was concocting a plan. "We  have  droids." He pointed outside the door. "This whole floor is a storage unit for them."

" This  floor is a dumping pit," Sly clarified. "A graveyard for non-functional units. The last thing we want is malfunctioning tech messing around inside Echo's head."

Something about Sly's words struck a chord with Kix.

Messing around inside our heads.

He was listening to their argument but ignoring them at the same time. He was also thinking about what Coric had said about the direction of Cavil's research. Most of the research had been redacted. Medical notes are usually secure and encrypted. Who had redacted those notes? Why? What had Cavil written that had triggered red flags?

"If we don't have the right parts or the right droid, we  borrow  the right unit. Failure is not an option. Echo is having that surgery."

Sly ran his scanner over Echo again. "I don't disagree with you, Fives. This  will  end badly for Echo if we don't get that thing out of his head. Kix is right. His body is trying to fight the virus and this anomaly in his head. It's too much for his system. We need to remove it if we are to save him. We need to work out how."

"So, I go steal one of those fekkin' droids," Fives said, his voice already taking on the tone it did when he was preparing to head out on an op. "Show me exactly what you need."

Kix knew he should be participating in this conversation, but he couldn't help the feeling there was more going on here. Something that went beyond Echo.

Sly sighed heavily, his voice filled with resignation. "There is another option." He pushed out a long sigh. "I seem determined to sign my own transfer papers to Kamino today."

Fives crossed his arms. "I'm not going to like this idea."

Sly bit his lip before continuing. "There is one civvie in this place who could perform this surgery, even better than a droid." He hesitated again. He shook his head. "No." And, then, smacked his hand against his head. "I'm mad for suggesting it. Let's get a droid. It's a better option."

Fives rounded on Sly, his voice taking on the low growl it did when he was intent on taking a piece of intel at all costs. "Who - is - this - civvie?"

Sly shook his head. "No, I should have even suggested-"

"Yes, well you did suggest it. The - name, shinie. NOW." There was a dark look on Fives' face that said he would do  anything  to save his brother.

Sly missed the look. He stared heavily down at his boots. "I can't believe I'm even... " he shook his head again, wrestling with himself, "shab...I never should've left my bunk this morning... " He stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, taking deep breaths. "The best surgeon in this place is Director Valo." He waited for a reaction from the other two clones. Fives and Kix stared at him in confusion.

Fives recovered first. "Wait- director of the facility? The same one whom you said has a nasty habit of red-carding clones? The same one who likely sent Rex to Kamino and  red-carded Echo ?"

"She's one of the top neurosurgeons on Coruscant, specializing in neurilemmoma and traumatic brain surgeons. She's top in her field." 

"That's shabla' great for her. But, why would she help us?" 

"I don't know. It's just a hunch. She's a talented surgeon. I've seen it firsthand. But, this place has reduced her to an administrator." Sly shook his head again. "It was fekkin' stupid idea. I'm sorry."

Fives looked thoughtful. "The idea is solid. You did good, shini- er, Sly. Where do I find this Director Valo?"

"I'll go with you," Sly said. "I'm in this now."

"You and Kix should watch over Echo. Tell me where to find her. I've... had experience in these sort of negotiations."

Kix grimaced. "Fives."

"Where do I find her?" Fives demanded again.

Sly transmitted a facility map to Fives' wristcomm. "I don't know if I should be relieved or terrified you're going alone."

The two medics watched as the ARC slipped out the door.

"I don't think you want to go with him," Kix muttered. He turned back to Echo, determined to lose himself in his work. He couldn't worry about both Fives and Echo. (OK, he could. Kix excelled at worrying.) But, for now, he had a patient to focus on, and he also excelled at a singular focus on his task. Once we sunk his teeth into a problem, Coric described him as akk-pup that wouldn't let go. Something didn't sit right with him about this genetic anomaly in Echo's head. He ran another scan, scowling as the results indicated the ARC still had wildly fluctuating readings. His body was the virus raging in his body and this unusual mass they'd discovered in his head. How were the two connected? What if they were related and by solving one he could 'cure the other?' "Sly, I need your help on some research."

# # #

Chapter Text

After Fives left, Kix spent several long minutes monitoring Echo's vitals. He was stable. That was something. Sly worked beside him, monitoring readings, and offering suggestions on tweaking the meds to make Echo more comfortable. He was a solid medic. Despite his lack of experience in the field, he had the right instincts to be an outstanding battlefield medic. Some things couldn't be taught.

"You ever think of leaving this place?" Kix asked, making a vague gesture to the chipped paint and depressing architecture of ArmyMed.

Sly snorted quietly. "And leave all this?"

"You never crave some battlefield action? It's what we clones were born to do."

"And what we clones die to do. I see the aftermath every day." But, despite his words, there was a longing in the young clone's voice.

Kix gestured to where Sly was adding an injection into Echo's IV. "You have excellent instincts. You'd be good in the 501st."

Sly's eyebrow quirked with interest, but then he turned away and tossed the used hypo into a flash bin. "I practically run this place. I'll leave the glory to you boys in blue."

Kix gave a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat as if he didn't believe him, but let the matter drop. He checked Echo's readings again and breathed a sigh of relief. For now, Echo was stable. But for how long? Fives had to succeed. Or, they would lose Echo.

# # #

Fives rounded a corner, his boots clicking against polished floors as he went from a more utilitarian wing into something meant for administration. He was still wearing the guise of a medic but hadn't been willing to give up his own boots. They were perfectly worn in and somehow the thought of wearing another man's boots bothered him. He'd been everywhere in his boots and they gave him a sense of security- a sense of being on a secure footing. He needed that now as he navigated his surroundings. His mind swirled with thoughts of Echo. What if he failed? His brother's fate was in his hands.

He glanced up at the perfect Alderaani art paintings on the wall, trying to calm his mind.

I can do this... I have to do this... There is no room for failure. Whatever it takes, this Director Valo will perform this surgery on Echo.

But, how can you force someone to perform delicate brain surgery at blaster point?

Don't worry about that now. Just find her and get her back to Echo.

He stuffed down his doubts about the success of this plan, but he was starting to have a very bad feeling about all of it. He barely took notice of three natborns working behind a counter.

"Ooooh hello, handsome, I haven't seen you on this floor before. Get a load of those muscles. You work out a lot? I'll bet you do," a buxom admin rose from behind a counter. "I'm Shoshanna and I have a break coming up in ten minutes."

"Give it a rest, will you?" her co-worker hissed, annoyed, barely glancing up from her work. She got a better look at Fives. "Oh. You are a bigger one, aren't you?" Her demeanor immediately changed. "I'm Cetone and I can take my break anytime so if you want to catch a cup of caf with me-"

"Thank you, no, official business," Fives muttered, hurrying by.

"I don't get what you two see in those clones," grumbled the third natborn, in a voice loud enough for Fives to hear you, "you've seen one and you've seen them all."

The three of them erupted into a heated argument about the various physical attributes of clones. It was demeaning, but Fives was used to being treated as 'less than' by the natborns.

He dodged down another hallway, not positive he was still correctly following the directions given to him by Sly. He shouldn't have allowed himself to be distracted by those di'kutle natborns.

Fives startled as a hand gripped him. On instinct, he gripped the fingers tightly, preparing to break them.

"Ow! Udessi, vod, it's me."

Fives stared down at a trooper on a biobed.

"Boomer?" Fives immediately loosened up on his grip. "Fek, I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you."

"It's me, more or less," the trooper gave a harsh laugh, and the sound turned into a painful, rasping cough. Fives leaned in and lifted his brother up, holding him so he could breathe more easily. Boomer smiled and reached a shaking hand out to trace Fives' tattoo. "I'd recognize you anywhere. What the krek are you doing wearing that get-up? You don't work here now, do you? You're an ARC trooper."

Fives looked around in alarm. "No."

Boomer grinned, but his teeth were discolored like he'd been exposed to something that was rotting him from the inside out. "You're undercover."

"Something like that. Boomer..." He didn't know what to say to his brother. They'd gone through ARC training together. He and Echo had been in the same bunk as Boomer and shared almost all of their meals together. He wanted to ask what happened, but it was obvious Boomer had been hit with something and it was bad. Fives had seen enough dying clones to know.

"I look like fek. I know," Boomer gasped out, as he pushed the words out between a laugh and a groan. "I look like fek, I know. Got exposed to Acetol while doing covert ops on Regis Prime. It's eating away my lungs." He grinned again, showing his horrible teeth. "Well, it's eating away at all of me. My lungs were the first to go, but..." he made a vague gesture with one hand, covered with painful-looking lesions.

Oh, fek. That was bad. Acetol was like Crsyfeefa. But, more readily available, and just worked more slowly. And, painfully. Against his better judgment, Fives asked the obvious question and then cursed himself for doing so. "Can't they do anything?"

"I'm fekked beyond repair, brother. But... we all have to go... sometime, right?" He stopped, rested, taking slow, shallow breaths. He waved a dismissive hand, done with talking about himself. "What are you... doing here? Where's Echo?"

Fives gut clenched, not even sure where to begin to explain what was going on with Echo. "He's here."

Boomer looked around hopefully, and then realization sank in. "Oh... how bad?"

"Bad. Di'kut saved two whole fekkin' Legions."

Boomer snorted and then coughed harshly. Fives held him until the fit has passed. "Typical," Boomer wheezed out. "He's getting better, though, right?" Boomer's eyes were wide with hope. A tear trickled from the corner of one eye. "Please... Fives..." He knew he was beyond saving, but he needed to hear Echo would make it.

"Yeah, Boom, Echo is... uh... he... is... uh... getting better." And, for that brief moment, just saying it out loud, somehow made Fives believe it, too. Boomer's questions reminded Fives he had to go. There was never any time in this war. No time for the right kinds of things. He clenched his fists and forced himself to stay for a few more seconds. "But, you, can't they-"

Boomer shook his head. "I'm done, Fives."

They were interrupted by two med techs who grabbed Boomer's biobed.

"Time to go to your transport," he said to Boomer.

"Transport to where?" Fives demanded.

The medtech shrugged. "Don't know. I just load 'em up. I don't ask questions." He gave Fives a hard look. "You shouldn't either." They briskly and efficiently whisked Boomer away and into the nearest lift. It was filled with cargo and droids, but they shoved the biobed in, amongst the other cargo and made it fit.

"Wait!" Fives said, trying to follow.

The medtechs ignored him, waving him off dismissively. Boomer looked back at Fives and weakly shook his head. His eyes said it all. Too late for me.

Fives knew he should not be spending his time chasing down Boomer. He had been assigned to watch over Echo. But, his head and his heart didn't always listen to each other. With a burst of adrenaline, he headed for the nearest stairs and charged toward the rooftop transport landing pad. It was empty. He raced back down and searched for another.

What the fek was he doing?

He charged down the stairs and into Shashonna. "Hey handsome, what's the hurry-"

"Rooftop transport- critically injured-" Fives demanded, "no time to explain-"

"929."

Fives took off at a run.

"But, then you come back and see me-"

Gah! Did all natborns just want to use them?

He burst out onto the roof just in time to see a medical transport blast off into the sky.

"Fek, fek, fek!" he shouted at the sky full of traffic.

Fives stared up into the crowded city sky. The ship had disappeared and been immediately swallowed up as if it had never existed. Boomer was gone. Disappeared in an instant. And, he wouldn't be coming back. The more the war dragged on, he was less sure about his purpose and the meaning of it all. He shoved the thoughts to the back of his brain, knowing if he spoke out to the wrong people that he likely would disappear as well. There was something dark and sinister about all of it. Even as he buried all of his thoughts and discontent, he could feel it gnawing away at him wanting to break free and be expressed.

Gah. What the fek was he doing?! He was wasting time. He had to find this Director Valo. He stalked back down the stairs, his steps as dark and angry as his thoughts. He was angry at himself for failing in his objective, angry at the Republic, gah, he was just fekkin' angry.

"There you are, handsome! You ready for that cup of caf-"

"Director Valo's office!" Fives' growled.

"Now, why do you want to go there?"

Fives took a deep breath to reign in his temper. He changed his voice over to a deep purr he'd learned during his ARC travels. "Shashonna, you show me where her office is and I will give you the caf break of a lifetime."

Shashonna squealed and smacked him on the shebs. "This way! No, on second thought, you walk in front of me, I want to appreciate the view. Take a right at the next corridor-"

# # #

Kix took one last reading and stretched and cracked his neck. Gah. All of this sitting around was no good for a clone. He almost longed for a bit of action. Not the being thrown into a wall by a Kaz'harian type of action, but he wasn't much for all of this sneaking around. He took one last reading on Echo, and then he needed to take care of his own needs. That caf and a cup he'd had earlier at the barracks was catching up with him-

Echo's eyes snapped open. "Fives?"

"He'll be back-" It took Kix' brain a moment to catch up. "Echo!" The ARC was lucid. No signs of fever or confusion.

Echo chuckled. "You should see the look on your face, Kix." He glanced around. "Where is Fives? And, where am I?"

Sly was immediately at his side, running fast and furious scans with him.

"He's...uh... " Kix was distracted... he couldn't pull in the data fast enough, trying to figure out what the fek was going on with Echo's brain.

"Kix," Echo prompted impatiently.

"He's tracking someone down for us, and you're at ArmyMed."

"What? Why? Am I in a lab?" Echo tried to sit up, peering around Kix trying to get a better sense of his surroundings. Kix pushed him back down, but he was pleased Echo was feeling strong enough he wanted to be up. Something was happening where his immune system was rallying. This was a good sign.

"Because we had to go around the usual channels," Kix supplied his attention still on his scanner.

"Ah," Echo looked intrigued, "are we breaking regs?"

Kix stopped scanning for a moment. "Since when do you sound so enthusiastic about breaking regs?"

Echo snorted with amusement. "We did bust two Legions out without permission." He tugged down his medgown and studied the entry point of his shoulder wound. "Look at that- almost healed." He flexed his shoulder experimentally. "I'm okay. What's with all the scans?" He cast a curious glance at Sly. "Still don't know who you are."

"I'm-"

Kix cut off the introduction. There would be time for that later. "Something strange is going on with your immune system. Unusual readings."

"Can I see?" Echo pushed up onto one elbow and tilted Kix's scanner where he could view it. "That molecular structure looks familiar to that substance they were working on the Kaz'harian lab."

Kix's eyes widened and he thought he was about going to pass out from this new revelation. "The - what- now?"

"After I was stabbed by that Kazzie, we struggled and overturned a lot of lab equipment."

"Yes, we found a lot of broken glass around you. Define 'substance,' though." A sinking feeling flashed through Kix's gut that he had missed something very important. There had been something sticky on Echo when they'd found him. He'd been so concerned about his wound he hadn't given it any thought. 

"Well, I think it was something from a petri dish. I was still awake for a little while trying to comm you guys. Something dripped down on me."

"Did it go in your wound, Echo? Your open wound? It's very important if you can think back and remember that detail."

"Yeah, I do remember that part. There was a lot of it dribbling on me and some went straight into my open wound." He pointed toward the jagged scar on his shoulder. "It didn't hurt, but it definitely went into my bloodstream."

Sly and Kix stared at each other with this new revelation.

Oh, nine fekkin' hells.

The look on Kix's face must have said it all because suddenly Echo's face was fierce. "What?! I feel fine." He glanced around the unfamiliar surroundings. "I don't where I am, but I want to get out of here."

Kix tried to keep his voice steady. "Echo, while we were running scans, we found something in your brain that shouldn't be there."

"Like... a piece of shrapnel?"

"Doesn't look like it. We don't want it is, or how it relates to everything that is going on. You were unconscious for a long time and showed no signs of waking up. Another clone medic found this same anomaly in clones with traumatic brain injuries-"

"I wasn't hit in the head."

"Nevertheless, something came up on your scans."

"Did you take it out?" Echo's expression went from curious to worried.

"We sent Fives out to find a surgeon to remove it."

"Well, why couldn't you remove it? Why do we have to bring someone else into this?"

Kix had almost forgotten how many questions Echo could ask. "Fives is getting a brain surgeon. I don't have that kind of expertise, Echo. I thought if I did the surgery, you wouldn't survive-"

"Krek, Kix! We can't have a natborn mixed up in it. Get Fives back here. Or, use a droid, if you feel you have to remove... something."

The 501st medic bit his lip, debating the right course of action.

"Kix," Echo implored, "I'm awake and whatever it is going on with me, it's different."

"I think he's right," agreed Sly.

"Still don't know who you are, but appreciate the support, brother."

Echo took the decision out of Kix's hands, grabbing the comlink off his belt. He glared at the medic, daring to challenge him. Kix sighed and gave him a slight nod to proceed. "Fives, get your fat shebs back here now."

Chapter Text

"I can't go past here, sweet buns. A word of advice, though? You shouldn't either. I mean, my card will open it, but I'm only allow to go through there to deliver records. They're very strict about that sort of thing. This whole area is only for those with clearance five and above." She glanced at Fives' stolen uniform. "You're high-ranking for a clone, but you're no five."

"If only you knew," Fives muttered.

"What's that, sugar?"

"I said, wouldn't you know it, I forgot my access card."

Cetone's emotions played out on her face as she weighed her worries about losing her job versus the chance to break up her monotonous day with a bit of fun. She swiped her card through the locked card reader.

Fives gave her his best flirtatious smile. "When did you say your next caf break is? Can you make it a double? We might need some time. And, a closet."

She smacked Fives in the shebs again. Hard. "Get going. You know where to find me, honey buns." She took off back down the corridor.

"Honeybuns," Fives grumbled. "One of the GAR's finest is reduced to a pair of buns."

He quietly slid into the level five corridor. The carpeting here was plush and the paintings were decidedly more luxurious than the more standard-fare art in the rest of the facility.

So this is where the money is spent.

There. At the end of the corridor. Director Valo's office. Fives was of half of a mind to just storm in there and demand the fekkin' civvie come with him.

Gah. What was his plan? He could just see this conversation playing out: 'Hello ma'am. My name is ARC Trooper Fives and would you be so kind as to perform brain surgery on my injured brother whom you decided was unsalvageable and red-carded?"

Images of Boomer's transport flashed in front of Fives' vision. Echo was not going on that transport.

Fek. Think.

Maybe I could charm her with my honey buns?

Gah! He had nothing.

I'll have to wing it.

He stalked down toward the entrance knowing this was a terrible idea. This could end very badly. His boots clacked against the polished floors as he moved as if to spell his doom.

Echo was his moderating influence and always talked him down from his bad ideas. He turned his bad ideas into good ones.

Turn around. Don't go in there.

Every part of his gut was telling him not to enter that office.

He had to go. For Echo.

His hand touched the panel to buzz the door just as his comlink buzzed insistently. He startled, withdrawing his hand and impacted the wall instead. There was no response from inside. Fives heaved out a sigh of relief and tugged out the comlink hidden in his pants.

"This is-"

"Fives. Get your shebs down here."

"Echo?!"

He took off at a run just as the director's office slid open. Fives diverted into the nearest staircase, disappearing from sight.

# # #

It was strange to arrive back at the Republic Military Base with Appo. They wound their way through the massive cluster of buildings, working their way over to the barracks. Construct droids of all sizes worked around them. Every time Rex touched down on Corrie he barely recognized the place. It was unsettling, even for a military man.

"Unbelievable," Appo muttered, looking up at a towering construct droid, "they just keep making this place bigger."

"Yeah," Rex agreed, "all signs point to us winning the war. Not sure why they need to keep building up this complex. Sends a strange message."

Appo cast him a sideways look. "I was thinking the same."

They walked along in silence for a while as they continued to dodge the construction chaos. It was often hard to get a read on Appo, so it was strange to find himself agreeing with him. Rex hadn't even known Appo that well before and now he reported to him.

Why Appo?

He didn't get it.

On the one hand, he was grateful to get his command back, but it carried a lot less weight than it did before since he no longer directly reported to Skywalker.

He stole a quick glance over at Appo.

In some ways, it might be a good thing…

Did Appo know about Skywalker's... loss of control?

There were times when the General wasn't himself. He could get so angry and then there was no reasoning with him. He usually directed that anger at the enemy. Usually. Rex had learned to walk away from the General once he got into these moods and to keep the men away so they didn't suffer for it. He'd once sent Spirit to the infirmary for asking him a question at the wrong time. Skywalker later apologized and Spirit was killed shortly after in battle. But, multiple men had witnessed the incident. Skywalker hadn't even struck Spirit. He'd sent him flying into a stack of crates using some Force thing. Spirit had suffered a head injury that kept him off-duty for two weeks. It was only through clever flimsiwork on the part of Kix that the shine hadn't been sent off-ship for the injury. It was the type of injury a clone might not come back from, but the young clone had never been the same. He'd failed to dodge a force pike blow from a commando droid and took it straight in the chest. Kix had taken that loss particularly hard.

Should he warn Appo about Skywalker? Did he already know? Had he seen it during the short time he'd been in command?

"Something on your mind, Rex?" Appo asked, startling Rex out of his chain of thought.

"Eh..." How could he explain General Skywalker without being disloyal to him? Rex did not know how to put it into words. The General was such a complex man.

"Rex?" Appo prompted. He waited for Rex to gather his thoughts.

The 501st commander could be patient, more so than Skywalker. He wasn't a complete fekker. Ahsoka was right. Maybe he should give him a chance. Admittedly, he despised Appo more for the situation they were in than the clone himself. Although, there were things about Appo which irked him. Maybe he could smooth out Appo's rough edges like he would any other clone.

But, he didn't know how to explain the conundrum that was General Skywalker. He scratched the back of his neck. Cody pointed out this was a nervous habit he'd had since he was a young cadet and something he did when stalling for time.

"If there's something on your mind, you can tell me," Appo prompted.

Fek him. Why did he have to be so reasonable?

Skywalker's face flashed in his mind. Loyalty to his General or loyalty to Appo? Well, that was an easy one. After all, experience outranks everything, right? "No, everything's... good."

"You sure, Rex?" Appo prompted, and for a moment and there was a hint of genuine concern in his voice that reminded Rex of Cody. It threw Rex completely off because he didn't want to like Appo. It was easier not to like him.

Rex sighed. Krek it all. Now he was seeing Ahsoka's face as he promised her he'd try to work things out with Appo. "So... uh... Commander..." Rex was still stalling for time, trying to find the right words to describe Skywalker without being disloyal.

"Appo."

"Right, eh... Appo..."

This conversation is not getting any less awkward.

"A word of advice about working with Skywalker..." He was already feeling disloyal.

Appo was quiet, not pushing him. Why did he have to be such a good listener?

The Wall of Remembrance towered over them and they both stopped by unspoken agreement. He automatically worked his way over to the portion of the wall where his fallen brothers were etched. He traced their numbers. The pain never seemed to ease up, nor did the bitterness of losing brothers that didn't have to die.

The Jedi leadership made so many mistakes that day.

Brothers first.

Rex took a deep breath and pushed through. "So, Skywalker... he can be unpredictable at times. When he gets angry, really angry, you have to walk away then. Don't think it's something you did, because it's not. It's just his nature. He's a good General, but..."

How could Rex excuse some of the things Skywalker had done? The list was growing longer as the war went on.

"You're thinking about Spirit."

"You know."

"Word travels. Appreciate the heads-up, though."

Appo traced his hands along the wall, and then bowed his head, saying the words of remembrance. Rex bowed his head and said it with him, honoring their fallen brothers. "Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum."*

Rex couldn't whisper the names of all the brothers he'd lost, there were too many. But, he always felt better for honoring them.

They walked on. Their mood was subdued. "I didn't know you said the remembrance." Rex wasn't sure why this behavior of Appo's surprised him so much.

"I started after... Kaz'haria."

Rex inhaled deeply. Appo said the remembrance for the brothers lost under his command. It was the same for Rex. The intense guilt of sending men to their deaths and wondering what you could have done differently. Cody commanded an entire corps. Gah. It had to be a hundred times worse for him. No wonder it was so hard to get Cody to smile sometimes these days.

They were approaching the front entrance of the barracks. Feeling he'd made some headway with Appo, and not sure he'd get another chance to ask this burning question, Rex blurted it out, "You and Ahsoka were imprisoned together, did anything-" He stopped. Fek. What exactly was he asking? Did Appo develop feelings for Ahsoka? Did she show any signs of attraction to him? Is that what he was worried about? Well, yes, but krek, why did he think it was a good idea for him to ask Appo about it?

Appo's body immediately tightened up at the mention of his imprisonment. "What are you asking me?"

Ahsoka spoke of Appo like he'd been her hero protector. He wanted to know if anything had happened between them. That was a long time to be locked up together and more time than he'd ever spent alone with Ahsoka. He'd worded it badly, though. He'd read the report of how Appo had been found-

They did not get a chance to finish their conversation. They were interrupted by two cheerful voices ringing out from guard duty at the front gates of the barracks both greeting Rex at the same time.

"Captain, you're back!"

"Captain Rex! You're a sight for sore eyes!"

"Waxer! Boil!" It was good to see these two again. Cody was very fond of this pair of ARF troopers. He said both of them had command potential. Waxer, in particular, he was eyeing for moving up the command track. Boil was a candidate for the ARC program, although he had yet to mention any of this to either of them.

The 212th clones snapped off immediate salutes. Neither clone had greeted Commander Appo. Rex jerked his chin slightly toward Appo. Waxer picked up on the gesture immediately.

"Commander," Waxer said, straightening up, and greeting the 501st commander properly. His boot lashed out and kicked Boil in the ankle. His fellow trooper hissed in response before snapping off a sharp salute directly at Appo.

Appo responded with a cool nod, the less-than-warm greeting not lost on him.

Waxer turned slightly toward Rex. "What about Cody?"

"He'll be returning to duty, as well. He be here shortly." Rex couldn't quite keep the grin out of his voice.

Boil whooped with happiness.

Waxer was slightly more restrained. "That's... excellent news. The boys have been a bit... eh..." He looked over at Boil for help as he searched for the right word.

"Creative?" supplied Boil.

"Well, I suppose that's one word for it," Waxer sighed, and glanced back towards the barracks.

Rex had a bad feeling about this. "What'd they do?"

"It was nothing too bad!" Boil jumped in.

"If that's what you call nearly burning down the barracks," Waxer rejoined. He turned back to Rex. "We only just got the smoke smell out."

Appo stayed silent next to him, allowing Rex to handle it.

"No one was hurt?" Rex glanced back at the newly built barracks, looking for signs of damage.

"No."

"Not unless you count those kitchen droids," Boil muttered. "Hardcase had this idea-"

Rex let Boil's recounting of Hardcase's latest adventures in pyrotechnics fade into the background as he lost himself for a moment in his thoughts. Surprising that Yularen hadn't kept better control of the boys. Maybe he was giving them a bit of leeway considering their recent imprisonment. Rex had found out through experience troopers did not do well with idle time. What had Yularen been doing? He nodded his chin toward the barracks. "Seems quiet now... almost too quiet."

"Armorers are on the way," Waxer reported. He gave a quick glance over to Appo who still seemed curiously impassive about all of it. "Admiral ordered everyone to their quarters after a second incendiary incident."

"No, it was a third one, if you count what happened in the refreshers."

"How do you catch the refreshers on-" Rex shook his head, not wanting to know how the men managed to cause a fire in the bathrooms.

"Captain, is it true we're going to the Phase II armor?" Boil's voice was wistful. "We've been waiting a long time for that upgrade."

Rex didn't want to make any promises he couldn't keep. "We're getting new kit and there are supposed to be some improvements. That's all I know."

"Rex, we should get going," Appo said, jerking his chin toward the entrance.

Both clones saluted as they passed by, before quickly dissolving into a discussion of desired armor upgrades. Rex only caught a snippet of their conversation as the large automated door locked behind them.

"Now, why would you need a heated butt plate?"

"It's cold in space!"

As the door sealed shut, they were plunged into the sterile artificial lighting so loved by all GAR facilities. The corridors were empty and it took a moment for his HUD to adjust to the change in lighting. Some of the tension eased from Rex's shoulders and he had a sense of being home. The place smelled like new paint, and these barracks were both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. But, it didn't matter. The 501st was here. The boys had done an excellent job cleaning up. There were no traces of fire or smoke.

Rex recognized the distinctive polished tread of the Admiral's boots on highly polished floors even before he appeared. "Ah, Captain, Commander. I heard you were back."

His smooth confident tones washed over Rex and for a moment he felt like he was back on the Resolute. "Yes, Admiral, it's good to be back."

"Right, then, I'll be going."

"Sir?"

"I have a great deal of work to do back at Republic Intelligence. It's been difficult to get any work done here. I leave the Legions in your capable hands." He handed datapads off to the two clones. "Good luck." He nodded crisply and stepped away down the corridor. Rex wondered if he imagined Yularen's muttered: 'You'll need it with this lot.'

He was leaving already? Wasn't the Admiral going to stay with the 501st? Why was he headed back to Republic Intelligence?

He sighed. "Let's see if we can't find the mess in this place and get some caf." He glanced down at the datapad. "Looks like we have some work to do." He hoped the kitchen was still somewhat intact after Hardcase's recent adventures.

# # #

Other than a hole in the wall shaped suspiciously like a droid, the mess hall was still intact. Rex and Appo were sitting at one of the long tables, deep in conversation, when Boil alerted them to the arrival of the Legion armorers.

The massive new shipments came in by a fleet of cargo shuttles.

As they stepped out onto the roof, they were nearly run down by crate loader droids. They both dove to the side to avoid the massive hover crates. Rex flipped off one of the bots as it zoomed past with another overloaded crate. The bot stopped and flipped him back, adding in several curse words in Huttese, before it sped off again.

Appo gave an amused snort, sounding like Hardcase, although, Rex couldn't think of two vode that were more different. "For your information," Appo called at the rapidly retreating droid, "clones don't have mothers." He rubbed at his shoulder. "Ow. Could have done without hitting the 'crete."

They both backed out of the way as another rush of droids passed, some of them crashing into each other in their haste to make it into the lift. The 501st quartermaster, Harley, materialized next to them, saluting in his trademark quirky manner. Rex hadn't seen Harley since... fek... before he'd been injured on TriLuna. He never had been able to get Harley to salute properly, but he was such a good quartermaster it never mattered.

Harley stepped right into the chaos. He didn't have his full armor yet, but had grabbed what must have been one of the new Phase II buckets and amped it up to full volume. He was using it to re-route the swarming sea of metal, shouting at the droids.

Rex took a moment to gawk at the sight, Harley in his fatigues and the unusual helmet. "That's the new armor?"

It was shockingly different from Phase 1.

Appo gave it a considering look. "I don't know. I rather like it."

Rex shook his head. "I don't think I'm ready to give up my Phase 1 armor. We've been through a lot together."

Appo looked down at his clone fatigues. "I'm happy to get armor again. Any armor. Tired of wearing this soft kit."

Rex nodded. Giving the bulbous helmet another look. "You're right." He'd make it work. Somehow. They stayed another thirty minutes to supervise the unloading and then headed back down to finish their review meeting. Harley and the armorers had already taken over the mess hall, so they had to find someplace else to work. "Let's go find someplace quiet. A back corner. Somewhere away from all this chaos."

Appo said nothing. Rex noticed he bounced back and forth between fits of being conversational and being silent and moody. He'd have to ask Ahsoka about it.

"Appo?" he prompted.

"Fine," Appo grumbled, "wherever, as long as it isn't a fekkin' closet."

Rex gave him a quizzical look, but let the bizarre comment go.**

# # #

Chapter Text

Free.

Cody couldn't believe he was free of the RMB.

He hissed out a long sigh, the sound coming out overly filtered in his bucket.

Kenobi kept his head straight ahead as he walked, but somehow his voice carried, even with the noises of the city. "You want to talk about it?"

"No," Cody said abruptly. He didn't. No. Yes. He did. Fek. He wanted to forget about the whole miserable incident.

He stopped abruptly in the street, earning cursing in a dozen languages from the people who were forced to stream around them. Cody did not care. He used to care about such things. Everything he'd been taught at Kamino, through flash-training and practical training, swirled around competing for headspace. Be polite to the civvies at all times. Always listen to your superior officers. Good soldiers-

He tugged off his helmet, not able to breathe, aware that breathing in the dozens of pollutants of Coruscant was not any better. He jammed a hand through his hair and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think. "Sorry, General. This has all been a very confusing couple of months."

Two gentle bracing hands gripped his biceps. "I understand. You know you can talk to me, right?"

Cody shook his head. "I used to understand my place in the Republic."

I shouldn't be saying such things. Soldiers aren't allowed to have doubts.

He shook his head with frustration and moved his arms to jam his bucket back on.

Kenobi shook his head. "We should talk." He laid a gentle hand on the helmet. "I want to see you, Cody, and not your visor." He gave a considering look, a very Kenobi expression. "We are pressed for time. But, that is always the case for us in this war. I will make time for the man who saved my life. You hold great importance to me, Cody."

Cody knew he should object. They had so much to do before they shipped out. But, there was such earnestness in Kenobi's expression.

He nodded his agreement.

Kenobi pointed to a nearby caf shop. Such places were located every block in Corrie, sometimes two or three a block. Cody had walked by such places thousands of times while on leave but had never been inside one.

As they stepped inside, he was overwhelmed with the smell of freshly roasted caf. Some of the patrons looked up from their caf, datapads, and conversations long enough to give them a curious glance, but quickly lost interest. There was a long line, reminiscent of the way they had to queue up in the mess hall to get their rations. Cody automatically joined the queue. This part he understood.

Kenobi pointed to the menu board. "I don't imagine this makes much sense to you."

Cody stared at the menu board, overwhelmed by the choices. "I did not know there were this many types of caf."

The caf brewed in the field tasted different than that served on the ship. But, that was about all he'd had for variety. The 'Kazzie caf' they'd been drinking didn't really count as 'caf.' That stuff had been karkin' awful.

As he listened to the patrons online ahead of him order, he wasn't sure what language they were speaking. It sounded like Basic, but it appeared to be a language specific to caf. He glanced over at his General and quirked up an eyebrow.

"I can handle the ordering, if you trust my tastes in such things." There was a hint of teasing warmth in Kenobi's tone.

"From the person who introduced me to chocolate? I'd say you've earned my trust."

Kenobi tossed back his head and laughed, something Cody hadn't seen him do in a long time. The sense of rightness, and being back where he belonged, settled nicely back in his gut.

They stood patiently, waiting in the queue, but the silence wasn't awkward. Coruscanti continued to stream in and join the queue. Cody was aware of them through his peripheral vision. They all gave him a wary glance but seemed more focused on getting their own caf orders.

He noticed this was the case for everyone who lived on the city planet. There was a general sort of indifference with underlying self-interest. No one ever paid much attention to the clones.

"Welcome to CorrieCaf. What can I synth for you today?" The cafbot's audio and visual sensors tracked both Kenobi and Cody, its perfectly round head swiveling back and forth between them. It had a stalk-like body, overly reminiscent of a B1 droid. The voice was eerily similar enough that it sounded like it came from the same manufacturer.

"Two orders of Garquis traditional dark and light."

"Right. Right. Could I interest you in some pastries?"

He lost track of the rest of the conversation as he stared at the droid.

Right. Right? That was one step away from Roger Roger. They were from the same karkin' manufacturer.

"Cody."

He blinked and stared at the General. "Sir."

"This way. I believe someone may be leaving in the back there." Kenobi handed him a large sterifoam cup and led the way through the crowded cafe. A pair of Gungans nodded as they stepped away from the table and two Trandoshan jumped in front of them to claim the table.

"S-s-s-s-sorry, but this is ours." The yellow eyes of the larger Trandoshan glittered in a challenge.

Cody's free hand slipped down to this blaster.

Kenobi gave him a look that told him in no uncertain terms caf table disputes were not handled with blasters. He turned his attention back to the large pair of Trandoshans. "You don't want this table. You wish to take your caf and go."

"We don't want this table. We will take our caf and go."

The Trandoshans trundled off in search of another table.

Kenobi settled down with a sigh into the booth at the cramped establishment. "Sorry about that."

Cody settled in with his back to the wall in the opposite seat and watched the room. "Eh... is that what it takes to get a table in one of these places?"

Kenobi huffed out a laugh, but the sound was bitter and weary. "I guess Coruscant is its own kind of battlefield." He gestured to Cody's drink. "Try it. This is my favorite blend." He took a long dreg from his own cup and sighed with pleasure.

Cody took a sip. It was extremely hot, so much so that it scalded his tongue. And, sweet. Oh. "That's... very good."

Kenobi laughed again. He gestured to his cup again. "Isn't it, though? It gets quite addicting. Some people come get a caf like this everyday."

Cody glanced at the long line. "Coruscanti must have a lot of time on their hands."

Kenobi tilted his head to the side in consideration. "I suppose they do." He rifled through a plastibag Cody only now just noticed. "This is a sweesonberry roll," the General said, holding out a large pastry over to Cody. "Also one of my favorites. Let me know what you think."

Cody's eyes widened. They occasionally served baked goods in the mess, but nothing that looked or smelled like this enormous sticky ... thing. He removed his gloves to avoid getting something tacky on them which could transfer over to the grip of his blaster. He stared at the roll, unsure quite what to do with it.

"I'd thought Jedi were all tea and austerity," Cody admitted, a bit overwhelmed by it all. "I didn't know you went to places like this one."

"I do enjoy a good cup of tea, but I also know how to live a little."

Cody's curiosity was piqued. How much was a little?

"Stop thinking so hard and enjoy the moment," Kenobi advised with a gentle smile.

Cody took a bite of the sweesenberry roll and moaned with pleasure. "Oh, that is... very good, sir."

Kenobi laughed. He opened the bag again and took out a roll for himself, before sliding the bag over to Cody. "There's also a cracked donut in there for you. Like the ones they sometimes serve in the mess, except this one is much better."

Cody's eyes lit up at the thought of two pastries. He eagerly devoured the roll, following his General's lead and dipping the pastries into his caf. The cracked donut melted on his tongue in a delightful blast of buttery sweetness. They didn't speak as they finished their breakfast. The combination of hot caf and sugar hitting his system soothed him.

After he finished eating, Cody looked over at Kenobi and blurted out what he needed to say. "I need to apologize for my actions. I messed up and in doing so cast the 212th in a bad light. I never should've gotten myself locked up."

Kenobi waved it off. "You have nothing to apologize for, Cody."

"We returned from Darkknell and the first thing I did was take on the Jedi Council."

"Sometimes they need challenging. You did what you thought was right."

"I'm a soldier. I'm supposed to follow orders."

"It doesn't rob you of the right to think." Kenobi pointed to the server bot whirring through and serving drinks at the counter. "It is what separates you from that droid over there."

Cody still looked troubled. He toyed with his disposable steri-cup. "I'm not sure the rest of the Council agrees with you, " He sighed and shook his head again. "If not for this battle coming up and you speaking on my behalf, I would have been left to rot in the RMB," his voice dropped, "or worse."

Kenobi grimaced distastefully at the mention of 'or worse,' but didn't refute Cody's near miss.

Cody knew there was a great deal going on behind the scenes politically. It was a mess and he'd never meant to get wrapped up in any of it. But, somehow he'd ended up in the thick of things.

Kenobi's voice dropped very low. "The Council isn't always right, Cody." He reached over and gripped Cody's bare hands. He sighed and then released Cody, making a dismissive gesture with his hands. It was a very Kenobi-like gesture but managed to convey his frustration at the burdens and secrets he was forced to carry. "I can't go into details on Council business, but promise me you won't stop thinking for yourself. It is one of the qualities I admire most about you."

"I'm not sure I understand. I'm a marshall commander who broke dozens of regs and was sent to the RMB. I'm hardly fit to be your Commander anymore," the admission hurt and he could barely get the words out.

"No. It takes courage to stand up for what you think is right. You're a man of unusual honor, strength, and character. I owe you my life."

Cody swallowed past the lump in his throat.

Kenobi finished off his last sip of caf and then brushed a few crumbs from his fingers. "We have to go. We're supposed to meet Anakin, Rex, and Appo for a planning session. Although, knowing Anakin he will be late." His face flashed with an emotion Cody couldn't quite identify, and then it was gone, replaced with a carefully neutral expression. They tossed their stericups and wrappers into a reclimator built into the side of the table and headed back out into the busy street.

# # #

"This Commander Cody has become a problem, Vice-Chair."

Amedda leaned in toward the Chancellor and gave a considering nod. "It is most unfortunate his time in the RMB did not have the effect we hoped."

The Chancellor steepled his fingers as he considered the problem of the Grand Marshall Commander. The highest-ranking clone in the army. Somehow he'd evaded an assassination attempt on his life even as an unarmed prisoner. He was a worthy adversary. No matter. He would still fall. All of his enemies eventually toppled. It was inevitable. This clone commander would be no different. It was only a question of who would be the agent of his destruction.

"Perhaps another-"

The Chancellor put a hand to forestall the suggestion before the Vice-Chair even suggested it. "No more bounty hunters. He is back among his own kind and too well protected."

Amedda pulled his datapad from a pocket in his thick robes. He scrolled quickly through it and his face lit up. "The clones are being issued new armor today." He slid the pad across the desk to the Chancellor.

Palpatine tried not to hiss in annoyance at the careless action. His desk was excessively expensive, crafted on Naboo, with polished and blended Mandalorian Veshok. He didn't even give the pad so much as a glance. "So, the clones are getting armor. The Senate insisted upon it." He gave a dismissive wave with his hands. "Something about them needing better protection in the field." It was decent for the holo news, he supposed. Protect the troops. But, it wouldn't change the outcome of any of the battles. The troops would fall. Oh, yes, they would fall. "Your point to all of this, Vice-Chair?"

Mas smiled in the way he did when he was on to something. Ah... it was that smile. The one which never reached his eyes. There was nothing genuine about Mas Amedda. But, he was brilliant, in his own scheming way. "This means they will be training hard for their upcoming campaign... a siege to the Outer Rim, I believe, and accidents happen." Amedda sat back in his chair, pleased with himself, his blue eyes glistening.

Palpatine smiled. Oh, this was good. But, they could take this so much further. Amedda often did not think big enough. "Ah, training, yes... " He pulled out his own pad and started studying the command structure for the 212th. "Training..." he muttered under his breath as he started to furiously make notes. He would need to work fast.

# # #

Chapter Text

Rex sipped his caf and stared at his 'pad, his fingers tapped restlessly at the edges.

Appo looked up from his pad. "You need another break, Rex?"

Fek him for being so reasonable again. He gave Appo a considering look. Should he tell him he's concerned about Echo? He hadn't heard from Kix or Fives and having any trooper over at ArmyMed set his nerves on edge. Echo was in critical condition, and it was Echo. "No, let's continue on." Appo couldn't understand.

He rubbed at his gritty eyes and stared down at his pad again trying to make sense of the blurry words. He was immensely relieved when his comlink beeped, offering him a reprieve.

"Cap'n, this is Harley. You're up. Time to pick up your new kit."

"Understood. On my way." He glanced over at Appo. "We'll... eh... continue this later."

Appo gave him a knowing look. "Or not. I think you were done thirty minutes ago, Rex. Get your new armor and then do what you need to do. We'll catch up again later when you're in a better frame of mind to plan logistics."

What the fek? He was karkin' brilliant at logistics. But, there was no censure in Appo's gaze. Krek. Who knew Appo would prove to be difficult to work with on the account he was always so farkin' agreeable?

"Alright," Rex consented. Appo was proving exceedingly difficult to argue with and dislike. Gah. It was probably the thing about him Rex disliked the most.

"I'll walk you out," Appo grabbed both their caf cups before Rex could and dropped them in the reclamator. "I need to do a walkthrough."

Rex bristled. It was his job to check on the men.

His reaction was not lost on Appo. "You need to get your new kit. I can handle a walkthrough, Rex. I'm not you, but I'm not wholly incompetent either. I did get this posting over a number of others for a reason." The comment stung, partially because Rex did think he was the only one who could do a walkthrough, and it a stark reminder he was no longer in charge of the Legion.

There was a stony silence between them until they parted ways in the corridor. To distract himself from his thoughts, Rex called the quartermaster. "On my way, Harley. How's it going down there?"

"Nearly done. We've fitted nearly all the men into their new Phase II. It may take everyone a few days to get used to the new kit, but everyone has armor again. They all look like a bunch of farkin' shinies. The men are asking for paint."

"I'll see what I can do." Rex had no idea whom he could call for a favor. He was fresh out of the RMB, nearly got court-martialed, and had been away for months.

And, what natborn decided clones needed to be "fitted" for armor? They were clones. How much variance could there be in Phase II?

Hopefully, there were improvements over Phase I.

He often thought the Kaminoans hadn't much idea of how humans moved when they designed their original kit. It was painful to sit in and caused the armor to bite if you didn't shave down the inside of the arms and the backs of the knees.

Rex turned his thoughts back to Appo. 4,000 prisoners on Kaz'haria and Appo ends up in the same cell as Ahsoka. Normally, he talked over issues regarding the men with Ahsoka. She was a great sounding board. But, he wasn't sure he could talk to her about Appo. He'd deal with it on his own.

"Captain," Harley greeted him with one of his awful salutes. "I have your kit already laid out. Delivery bots just dropped it off. Command clones get special kit. There's even more command enhancement in Phase II than in Phase I. I think you'll be pleased. Kit is also slightly larger, so you also get a new kitbin. GAR went all out on this one."

Rex didn't want a new kitbin. His other one had been with him since Kamino. He took a deep breath and walked up to his new armor. Some of it he liked, and some he hated. He picked up the helmet and traced a finger around the bulbous face.

"Those would be the added bio-filters," Coric explained, coming up behind him. "Would've saved a lot of lives on Darkknell and also on Naboo."

Two of the troopers lost at Darkknell were medics and colleagues of Coric. On Naboo, Rex had watched his men die in front of him of the Blue Shadow Virus. Good men.

Rex held up the new helmet, studying it critically. Coric was right. They needed better filters. He studied it from every angle. Surely there was a better way to integrate the new filters.

A physical sciences droid, which Rex imagined to be the designated "Legion Armorer," came over and started expositing on all of the features of the new Phase II armor. Rex listened for a few minutes, figuring he should hear this stuff. It was important to the Legion. And, some of this stuff was supposedly inspired because of the clone shredder info. So, maybe he should be very interested. But, gah, this tall gangly droid made him uncomfortable. Why does the Republic use droids that look so much like commando droids? Is everyone buying stuff from the same companies, or are they completely insensitive to what we go through out in the field? His trigger finger itched.

"Alright, I get it," Rex said, irritably, waving a hand at the droid, "can I just take possession of my kit and be done with it?"

The physical science droid leaned in and peered at him. "Are you foregoing the rest of the briefing?"

"Eh...chief medic Coric has volunteered to do the rest of the briefing," Rex grumbled, "aren't you, Coric?"

"I came down to get you because you are due for your med-evaluation."

"Of course, I am. Let's drop this off at my quarters and talk on the way."

Rex quickly tossed the armor into his new bin and left with Coric.

"Bring your Phase I back for repurposing!" Harley called after him.

Rex didn't want to give up his Phase 1. They've been through so much together.

He stopped outside the door. He didn't even know where his new quarters were. He'd been locked up almost as soon as they returned to Corrie.

"You and Cody have your own quarters, just down the hall from the main barracks. Appo requested his own room." Coric led the way. Whoever put him and Cody together was a genius. "The cut of the butt plate is more angled on Phase II."

Rex looked over with interest. "We can finally sit without the armor cutting into our shebs?"

"Looks that way. The men are thrilled. The plastoid they are using is supposed to be lighter and stronger."

Rex 'hmmmped.' "I'll be the judge of that. I'm not returning my Phase I."

"You're not going to wear the new armor?" Coric was incredulous.

"It's not all bad. But, you can't beat the proven strength of Phase 1." He pounded himself in his chest plate. "This has saved my life more times than I can say. I'll use most of it. I just need to make some mods."

"Some of these Phase 2 changes are because of you."

"Me?"

"After you were hit with the clone-shredder rounds, Senators Organa and Amidala petitioned for better equipment that could better withstand the new Separatist technology. They said we couldn't win the war without it." Coric pulled his datapad off his belt and showed Rex the official military briefing on the topic.

Rex skimmed through it, amazed what had happened to him had such repercussions for other troopers. Some of the details in the report were word for word from interviews with him at ArmyMed. He remembered the doctor asking him those questions. He'd asked him several times how it felt when he was struck, the intensity of the pain, how his armor had splintered, how many fragments had embedded into his knee-

He shuddered and dropped the datapad.

"Rex?" Coric picked up the datapad and gave him a concerned look.

"Eh... nothing, just a bit of a flashback, is all."

"At some point, you'll need to talk about it."

"Yeah, well, that's not today."

Coric pointed to a doorway that looked like all the others.

Rex jammed his hand on the access panel and shoved the armor inside. "Alright, let's get this med-eval done."

"It's normal to have post-traumatic stress. What you went through was a lot."

Drop it, Coric," Rex growled.

"And, you're irritable," the medic finished.

"Maybe I'm just tired."

"Difficulty sleeping," Coric added to the list.

"You're relentless."

Coric sighed. "I blame myself, you know. They never should have sent you on that mission without a medic." His voice darkened with frustration. "If I was there, or Kix, we could have done triage right away. We not have allowed a delay on a Code Red Evac for such a serious injury."

Rex winced inwardly, not wanting to think back to everything which happened between him and Ahsoka on TriLuna. Yes, it was terrible. The knee pain. But, he and Ahsoka had spent all of that time alone. And, it was because of that chain of events he'd ended up on Ando.

Gah.

"And, you're becoming increasingly distracted," Coric noted.

"What?" Rex said, he shook his head, and focused back on the conversation. "No, I'm not. Look Coric, you are not to blame for what happened. We were ordered to stay. There was nothing you could have done."

The medic shook his head. "There are some orders that shouldn't be followed."

The conversation was straying into dangerous territory.

And, the problem was, Rex agreed. His defiant nature had already landed him and Cody into the RMB. He couldn't afford any sort of talk about orders not being followed.

Captain Ko, Cody's loyal Captain from the 212th, passed them in the corridor. He paused for a moment. "Hey Rex! I'm heading to get my new armor. Exciting, huh?"

It was a good distraction from a conversation straying into dangerous territory. "Yeah, Ko, let me know what you think when you get it. The helmet... it's... something else."

"I've seen them. Me and Cody are the last ones to get our kit. Figures, right? Some kind of loading or delivery error or something just with our kits. Hopefully, they're there now. Glad you're back, Rex."

# # #

Chapter Text

Rex set down the macrofuser and studied his handiwork. The air around him smelled like burnt plastoid and his eyes smarted. He could have used some of those advanced filtration systems while he was working on this project. But, it looked better. Now, with a bit of paint, he might be able to make this thing work-

"Fierfek, Rex," Coric coughed as he came up behind him. "You trying to shorten our pitifully short lifespans even more?"

Rex ignored him and held up his bucket to the light, already planning out the artwork. Jaig eyes. Definitely. But, maybe something different this time. Killstripes. For all the brothers they'd lost. This war had to mean something. Like they were making progress and their sacrifices meant something. Rex would honor their sacrifices. Rex stared at the helmet, already planning further mods to it.

"I gave you the thirty minutes you requested. Time for your eval."

Coric had been pulled away to deal with a trooper injured in the barracks. Some sort of incident involving leaping off the bunks. If the trooper wasn't Hardcase, then they were likely inspired by him. Normally, Rex read Hardcase the riot act, but technically that was Appo's responsibility now. He'd used it as an excuse to sneak back to the makeshift armory and borrow tools to modify his new armor.

"Maybe another thirty? Surely there's another trooper that needs you more than me." Rex didn't want to spend time with Coric if he kept bringing up uncomfortable topics. Some things a soldier just didn't want to talk about.

"No. You're the Captain. You're my priority right now. And, if Edit hadn't split his open, I wouldn't have abandoned you before."

Ah, Edit. One of Hardcase's wanna-be prodigies. He had a disturbing number of them. Hardcase was a young trooper, but troopers young and old seemed to look up to him. Rex might have to figure out a way to channel that energy better.

"Are you even listening to me?" Coric prompted.

"Abandoned is such a strong word," Rex remarked mildly, studying his new helmet critically. "Be honest with me. Do you think the weld marks add to the look, or should I paint over them?"

Coric gave the helmet a serious look, for about three seconds. "I like them. Now, can we do your eval?"

"You sure? Maybe a little bit of paint. 501st blue, of course."

"You couldn't let go of your Phase 1."

"No, it's... this helmet and I... we've been through so much. I had to keep a part of it. It's a part of me."

"It's alright. You don't need to explain. Now, your eval."

"Can't you just sign off? I just spent time in medbay recently."

Coric sighed. It was such a weary sound, it stabbed Rex to the core. Coric was only doing his job and Rex was being such a shit giving him a hard time. "I'm sorry." He set the bucket down.

Coric squeezed his arm fondly. "There's nothing to forgive. It's been a shitty couple of months for all of us." He leaned in and bumped foreheads with Rex. "You know I still love you, brother."

Rex breathed out, enjoying this rare moment of affection from Coric. "Love you, too, vod."

"Can I get in on that?" called Harley, from where he was doing inventory, several meters away.

"No," Rex and Coric said at once.

"Can't blame a brother for trying. You Gen1s are so tight-knit. Geez."

"Can we do it here? So, I can finish up my armor before my next briefing? We have a lot of planning before we ship out. This may be my only opportunity to do some mods."

"You'll just keep pushing and pushing it, won't you, Rex?"

"Maybe. Is that a yes?"

"Fine. Seems like the only way we're going get this done. Stand up. How are you feeling overall? Do you have pain anywhere?"

"No, everything's fine."

"You were injured on your mission to TriLuna, and then again during the Battle of Darkknell." He ran his scanner over Rex's frame as he spoke.

"Never better. I-"

The scanner bleeped alarmingly as it pulled in results from Rex's knee.

Rex's sharp inhale of breath was so audible Harley looked over at the two of them.

Coric raised a brow. "You know I have to take a look at that."

"No."

"Shuck 'em, Rex. We can do this here, or we can go to medbay."

"You've already seen my knee. I spent time in bacta after Darkknell. If anything, I'm stronger."

"I wasn't certifying you for battle-readiness. I was triaging a chest injury."

"You saw me fighting at Darkknell. I rescued your shebs."

"Don't pull that card, you shebs for brains. You're required to pass the same tests as everyone else. Now, shuck your plates."

Rex sighed quietly and stood up so he could shed his thigh, sniper and shin plates, and slid off his boot. Coric pulled apart the hook and latches on his bodysuit above his knee.

Rex had no idea if the knee he'd been given on the small Andoan moon was good enough to pass GAR standards. The little fishing was a not-worth-considering-backwater for those on Coruscant and that was the appeal for clones who didn't want to be found. Rex had been grateful to get a replacement knee, but it wasn't military-grade. ArmyMed had declared Rex a lost cause. What chance did he have of passing medical? "Coric, there's no need for this-"

"Will you shut the fek up, Rex, and let me work?"

Rex stood still at the slight brush of cold air against his leg. He looked down at the substantial scarring all around his knee. Bacta had helped diminish the scarring, but couldn't heal it entirely. His knee would never look like it did before he'd been hit dead-on by a commando droid testing new weaponry.

Harley was still lingering around, checking crates. "Fek, now that's a scar! Only trooper in the GAR to ever be hit with one of those new clone-shredder rounds, am I right, Captain?" He said it like it was a point of pride for the Legion.

"Trying to work here, Harley," Coric grumbled.

Harley took the hint, but muttered. "If that was my scar, I'd be showing everyone." The arrival of an R2 droid bearing a lone crate at the other end of the large room caught his attention. "Finally, Captain Ko's armor has arrived. Took them long enough!" He ran off to retrieve it.

"Krekkin' Harley," Coric muttered, as he took his readings. He reached in with his thumb and forefinger and squeezed Rex's kneecap. "Any tenderness when I do this?"

"Ouch, yes, so how about you don't do that? And, when you run? Any pain?"

Rex considered the question. He'd run for several hours on Darkknell. It ached significantly by the time he was done. But, Coric already knew that, because he was limping by the time the battle was done.

"If I run a lot, sometimes, yes."

"Show me you can balance on this leg and hold it. At least 30 seconds. Focus on the opposite wall. It will help you hold your balance." Balance wasn't an issue. Travis had done this exercise, and many others, working with him to get strength back in his knee.

"That's already 60 seconds. That's enough. Now, bend down if you can, just on one leg. That's enough. Don't overdo it."

Another easy one. He'd practiced this one with Travis, too.

"OK, I've seen enough," the medic said.

Coric made some more notes in his datapad. Rex couldn't read his expression. He was wearing his medic-in-charge face.

He finally turned his full attention to Rex. "Whoever did your knee replacement, knew what they were doing. You still have a bit of inflammation, but that's normal. I can work with you to clear it up. We probably should do a little more PT, as well. If we build up your strength, it will clear away that residual pain. Considering what your medical reports said from when you left, your knee is nothing short of a miracle. Your overall health is excellent. You are showing some signs of fatigue and battle stress, but I've made that note on every one of your med evals."

"Are you saying I passed?"

Coric held up the datapad and showed Rex his profile with the medic's electronic signature and the official Verification of Battle Certification.

Rex wanted to let out a whoop, but it would be undignified and not becoming of a Captain. Instead, he settled for clasping Coric's arm. "Thank you."

Coric shrugged. "I didn't do anything special. You passed. You're fit. You know that though, you led all of those men in the dungeons and rescued all of us."

Rex refrained from commenting. He wondered how many of the men from the Andoan Legion would have passed this certification. All of them should be allowed to be certified as soldiers again and be given the choice to serve the Republic. It was wrong what happened to them. They'd all proven they could still fight. They were all wrongly judged as disabled when the opposite was true. They'd adapted because of their injuries and became a stronger fighting unit.

A devilish glint entered Coric's eyes, making him look much younger than his 13 years. "Now, can you get us some paint?"

Harley looked up again with interest from across the room.

Rex looked back at them, both of their faces so hopeful. How could he let his men down? He'd call every contact he had. "Alright, I will see what I can do."

Both troopers grinned, faces full of confidence that their Captain would come through for them.

# # #

"Hardcase, that paint does not belong on your face!"

"I'm trying out a new design for my helmet!"

Rex sighed. "See that it doesn't up on the table, yeah?" Inwardly, he was happier than he'd been in a long time. The mess hall was jampacked with brothers from the 212th and 501st. Senator Amidala had come through.

"You've always been so good to Anakin. Watch out for him. I worry sometimes."

"I'll watch out for him, senator. I promise."

"You'll comm me again, if you need me, okay? Either if there's something you need for the 501st, or if... it's about Anakin. Comm day or night."

"Yes, senator, I will."

"My droids will have that paint over to you within the hour."

Not only had the senator provided a generous quantity of 501st blue and 212th sunburst orange, but she sent snacks. Rex hadn't seen his troopers this happy in a long time. He owed the senator. He'd find a way to pay her back.

"Captain Rex, this is Admiral Yularen."

He'd been so intent on painting the lines on his armor that the voice on his comm startled him. "Sir," Rex said, not sure whether to respond on his Phase 1 wrist comm or his Phase 2. Both seemed functioning at the moment. He had both laid out in front of him as he continued to decide which pieces to keep from each kit. "I'm sending a shuttle for you. I've ordered all seniors officer to an offsite at 1700 hours."

"Acknowledged, Rex out."

He checked his Chrono. He didn't have much time. His armor was as painted as it was going to get. He double-checked all the paint was dry and quickly donned his kit. "Coric, will you put the rest of these pieces back in my room?"

Coric eyed the remainder of Rex's Phase 1. "You're really keeping that stuff?"

"For now, yes."

Coric shrugged. "OK." He turned his attention to carefully adding blue lines to his armor. "Hardcase, I can hear you behind me, and I swear if you make me mess up my lines, you will live to regret it."

# # #

Chapter Text

I can't believe Echo is awake.

Fives couldn't get to the basement of the medcenter fast enough.

"Where ya' going in such a hurry sweet buns? Don't forget about caf break, yeah?"

Fives ignored the grabby file clerk and made for the nearest stairwell. He didn't have patience for the lift. He raced down flight after flight, taking the stairs two at a time. The exertion felt good and helped relieve some of his nervous energy. He increased his speed, nearly missing a step. He didn't care. He just had to get back to Echo.

He burst through to the isolation floor and charged through to the ward.

"Where's-" he stopped, jaw-dropping.

"Whoa, brother. You've looked better."

Fives blinked in astonishment, staring at Echo. He was sitting in the biobed, with an amused smile on his face, as he sipped an electrolyte pouch. He made a gesture to hand it off to Fives. "You should drink this, vod. You look worse than the time we ran afoul of those Moggonites on Arorua."

Kix sighed and grabbed another electrolyte drink and handed it off to Fives. "Now, you both have one. Both of you drink up."

Fives sank down on the edge of Echo's bed and tugged off his helmet. "Fek, brother, you had me so scared."

Echo reached to the back of Fives' neck and scratched at his hair. "I'm sorry, brother. I didn't mean to."

Fives finished sucking down the pouch and tossed it carelessly on the floor. He flopped back on the bed until he was right next to Echo, their dark heads touching. "It's alright. I know you didn't mean to do it. How is it you're awake now?"

Echo's face lit up and he took a deep breath.

"No, no, no," Fives stopped him. "I know that look. You're about to launch into a bunch of technobabble."

"Fine. Here it is 'Fives' speak, then, I've been unconscious because I had inflammation in my brain."

"That part I already knew. I was up there finding you a farkin' brain surgeon, Echo, because you were dying. How is it you are awake."

"My immune system reduced the inflammation on its own."

"OK, that I understand, too. But, what about that thing in your head?"

"Ah, this thing?" Echo held up a datapad. "Kix was just showing it to me. I suggested we leave it for now."

"What? Why? That sounds very dangerous."

"Because brother Kix and whoever this other medic is here-"

"Sly, I have a name you know."

"Right. Sly. They think there's a possibility it might be in all clones." Echo reached a hand up to tap Fives' temple, just above his trademark tattoo.

Fives rubbed at his temple warily. "Lovely." He gave Echo a scrutinizing look. "You were so sick, though. Wouldn't it still be safer to get that thing out of you?"

"No, between my natural clone immune system and whatever super goo I was exposed to in that lab, I am fine."

"Supergoo?" Fives startled. "Wait, what fekkin' supergoo? And, why is this the first I am hearing of it?"

Kix shook his head. "Echo neglected to mention he may have touched a contaminant in the lab."

"I was a little busy fighting off a horde of angry Kazzies. And, I got stabbed. Did we forget about that already? Because I didn't." His voice was indignant. 

"No, of course not," said Kix, "but-"

"And, I didn't touch a contaminant, I was smashed into it and then it fell on me. You make it sound like-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Echo," Fives put a calming hand on his brother, "Kix is just trying to help. I think you're hangry. Sorry, Kix, he gets like this when he hasn't eaten." He pulled a rations bar from his belt pouch and unwrapped it. Echo wolfed it down in two bites. 

Kix nodded approvingly and then accepted his datapad back from Echo who gave a sort of sheepish, apologetic look to the medic. "I'm sorry, I bit your head off, Kix."

"No problem, Echo, I should've offered you food right away. You've been unconscious for a long time. You caught us by surprise when you woke up." He looked down at the datapad. "What you were exposed to in that lab could be important. We should run some blood tests."

Sly's compad bleeped out a warning alarm. He glanced down and his eyes widened. "If we are going to run them, it is not happening here. We need to get out of here... now."

# # #

Rex stood up on the rooftop landing pad next to Appo, waiting for their shuttle in awkward silence.

"I see you were able to get your armor painted."

"Yes, most of the boys were able to get a little paint on their new kit. I didn't see you there."

"After doing rounds, I had reports to do." Rex felt a twinge of guilt Appo didn't get a chance to paint his kit. But, he was doing command duties and the extra work came with the job.

"I... uh... could ask Harley to save you some paint," Rex offered awkwardly.

"I can handle that on my own." More awkward silence ensued before Appo tacked on, "but, thank you."

Gah. This conversation was more painful than when he'd taken that clone-shredder round to the knee.

It was Appo who broke the silence first. He held out a hand out for Rex's helmet. "May I?"

Rex handed over his bucket, and Appo held it up, looking at the weld lines. "Interesting. Different. You blended Phase 1 and Phase 2." He nodded and handed it back to Rex. "The new armor takes a bit of getting used to." He tapped his Phase II bucket hanging on his belt. "The HUD is different. I'm finding it disorienting because of the different configuration."

"We should have the men run drills specifically targeting HUD skills."

Appo nodded approvingly, "I was thinking the same."

More silence. Gah. Where was that fekkin' shuttle? Was it coming all the way from the Kuati shipyards?

Rex struggled to clip the new helmet to his Phase II belt. It didn't clip the same.

Appo reached over and clipped it on in one smooth move. Rex wasn't sure if he was grateful or irked by the move. He decided to let it go.

"Thanks, and, uh, thanks for the heads up about the new display."

Appo chuckled. "Good one, Rex." The sound caught Rex off-guard. He still wasn't used to the idea of Appo having a sense of humor.

More awkward seconds ticked by until Appo broke the silence. "Ahsoka-, er, Commando Tano commed to say she would be late."

Did she now?

Rex stewed in silence noticing the first name slip. He couldn't help but think back to all of the time Appo and Ahsoka had spent together at Darkknell. He knew he shouldn't be so bothered by it, but it gnawed at him all the same.

"Eh, did she say why she was delayed?"

Appo hesitated. "She... uh... is trying to locate General Skywalker."

"Ah, he is often on Senate business when we are on Coruscant. Keeps him away for days at a time."

"The Commander commented as much. The General is not responding to comm hails so she is attempting to track him down."

Rex nodded, glad he hadn't been tasked with the duty. It was always awkward being sent to 'track the General down.' When he was on Coruscant, he didn't want to be found.

They continued to wait, watching commuter traffic go by overhead. Appo shifted, stretching his neck and shoulder with a slightly pained grunt.

"New armor bothering you?"

"No."

Rex thought he wasn't going to say anymore. But, after a moment of silence, Appo continued. "It's… from Darkknell."

Rex had read the reports, and Cody had given him a first-hand account of what Appo had suffered while bound and locked in a closet. Kix's medical report said Appo refused to talk about the vicious assault.

He probably feels humiliated.  Cody's entire team knows what happened to him.

Rex had comforted many a trooper after horrific battle experiences. His issues with Appo would not stop him from helping a brother in need.

"Appo," Rex started, switching to what he hoped was a conciliatory tone, "what happened was not your-"

"Don't," Appo hissed, "you don't know anything about happened to me. I don't know where you were for that missing time. But, I was locked up with the 501st. You were fekkin' AWOL and they still let you come back here."

Rex startled. He hadn't seen Appo angry before.

Outrage and guilt hit Rex all at once. He would have given anything to be with the 501st. It was his rightful place. He hadn't been given that choice. He still held his tongue.

And, he refrained from pointing out that if he'd been responsible for the Legion, they may never have lost the Battle of Kaz'haria and ended up captured.

Gah. He was all for letting a vod vent, but where was that frakkin' shuttle?

"I paid my dues as commander of this Legion," Appo leaned in, staring Rex down. "But, when I walk these corridors all I hear the men talking about is 'the hero of Darkknell.' You left. And, yet the men still give you their loyalty."

Again, Rex thought, I did not leave. I was sent away. There's a difference.

"No one recognizes what I did to protect the commander," Appo continued.

Not true. I already told him he did a fine job on that one. Or, I meant to. Fek. The past week has been such a blur.

"I'll never forget what you did for me," said a voice behind them.

Rex and Appo whipped around as one to face Ahsoka.

"You saved my life, Appo," Ahsoka came closer to the two clones and stepped between them. "First on Kaz'haria. And, then twice on Darkknell. I've already nominated you for special recognition."

Special recognition?

He and Cody rescued almost 12,000 men and they were thrown into the RMB.

Appo loses a major battle and he gets a frakkin' medal.

Who cares? It's just a stupid medal. Given by Ahsoka. To Appo. Frakkin' Appo.

Appo's body language changed as Ahsoka touched him. Some of his anger visibly dissipated.

"Thank you, Commander," Appo said, "it was my honor to protect you. And, my duty."

I want to hit him, Rex realized. Although, in all fairness, he would be saying something similar if their roles were reversed.

He still wanted to hit him.

The arrival of the shuttle provided a welcome distraction.

He'd just gotten out of the RMB. Striking a superior officer would probably not be a good idea. It didn't stop his hands from feeling twitchy. He rested them lightly on his twin pistols to keep from balling them into fists and focused on the shuttle. It was a Nu-class attack shuttle, also new, judging by the lack of battle scoring on the sides.

The war effort is definitely well-funded these days. Who's paying for all of this?

Admiral Yularen stepped off, accompanied by two troopers. "Sorry, I am late. I had an intelligence meeting that ran overtime." He gestured for everyone to get onboard and the shuttle quickly took off again.

Appo sat near the Admiral and started questioning him about a new regulation. He was once again all cool professionalism, with no signs of the emotional outburst of minutes before.

Rex settled in next to Ahsoka.

"You, OK?" she asked quietly. "You seem distracted."

He shook his head. "Fine," he muttered.

Appo just vented his three months of captivity onto me, but I'm good.

Ahsoka lightly brushed her fingertips against his gloved hands. The light touch was so reassuring it grounded him again.

Rex suddenly realized they were rising up through Corrie's atmosphere. He'd assumed they were meeting somewhere on Coruscant, at one of the many other military facilities, possibly even at Republic Intelligence.

He looked over at Ahsoka in puzzlement, but if she knew anything, her expression revealed nothing. He couldn't see much from the main crew area of the attack shuttle, so he clambered up into the cockpit.

"Hello, Captain."

Rex grinned in recognition.

"Hawk."

"Enjoying the view, sir?" Hawk asked and directed his attention again out the main viewport. There was a slightly teasing tone to his voice.

And, then Rex saw it. His jaw dropped.

The co-pilot, Flight, looked up at Rex and chuckled. "I think we've broken the Captain."

Rex took a step backward and stepped into the Admiral.

"I'm sorry, sir," he apologized abruptly, trying to shift to make room in the crowded cockpit.

"Quite alright, Captain. I came up to see how you were enjoying the view," Yularen said.

"Sir, is that…" Rex's mouth had gone dry and he gestured vaguely out the viewport.

And, there it was, the Resolute. The last time Rex had seen the ship it was about to fire upon them as they emerged from hyperspace upon their initial return to Coruscant.

"Take us for a lap around, would you Hawk?" the Admiral ordered.

"With pleasure, sir," responded the experienced combat pilot.

Rex stared in awe, taking in the sight of the heavy turbolaser turrets, and the point-defense cannons. They swept by the proton torpedo tubes and the tractor beam projectors, taking a graceful arc behind the ion engines before swooping around toward the main hangar bay.

"I don't understand, sir," Rex looked back at the Admiral, baffled, "Are we meeting here?"

"Yes, and then we are taking back our ship," Yularen said with firm conviction.

"But, another crew is stationed onboard," Rex said.

"Not anymore," Yularen corrected. "They've been given a new ship, the Palpatine, fresh from the shipyards. Higher command wanted us to take the new vessel. But, I put in a request for something a bit more… vintage."

He had no words for the emotions that were swirling through him as they landed.

Vintage.

The ship had seen many battles. And, survived. Just like Rex.

He struggled to swallow past the lump in his throat.

He was finally home.

Chapter Text

The docking bay looked exactly the same. Rex sucked in a deep lungful of recycled air. The flagship star destroyer even smelled the same. Engine grease. Carbon scoring. Cleaning chemicals. Stale coffee. Sweat. Rex wasn't sure how the Admiral had pulled off getting their ship back, but he was grateful for it. Yularen must have worked his way quickly up through the ranks of Republic Intelligence to hold such sway and oust an entire crew from their ship.

Something still tickled the back of his brain about Yularen and his involvement with the Intelligence Bureau, but he pushed it aside. He didn't want to think about GAR politics right now. He just wanted to enjoy the moment.

This hangar was filled with memories of a hundred missions, good, bad, and everything in-between. They'd conducted trainings in here countless times, making use of the wide-open spaces. He'd lost men in here when they'd been attacked, some sucked out into the vacuum.* He sighed. He'd been planning on running a series of drills on just that scenario right before Tri-Luna. Had they lost any additional men due to this missed training?

He'd lost men in this bay coming back from battles, too wounded to make medbay. Rex had gone Code Red, bleeding out on this slab grey floor of the hangar deck from a jagged piece of shrapnel, only still alive because Coric would not give up on him. He'd woken up, disoriented and staring up in confusion at the massive ceiling as Coric cursed him and told him he'd kill him if he left them now.

This smell. This place. Made him realize he was back. He was truly back.

Rex stood at the base of the shuttle, lost in memories before voices from behind interrupted the moment.

He looked back over his shoulder as Ahsoka emerged from the shuttle, deep in conversation with Appo.

Rex moved away from the shuttle to give them some space. He still wasn't sure where he stood with Appo. One moment they were getting along alright, and the next Appo was completely triggered and screaming at Rex because of something that had happened to him at Darkknell. Maybe Ahsoka could straighten him out. She seemed to have a way with him. He'd just have to accept they spent a lot of time together and had developed a sort of bond. Rex took a deep steadying breath and told himself he was OK with it. She cared for everyone under her command. And, Appo regarded Ahsoka as-

Rex stole a quick glance back at them again. The two of them were completely absorbed in their conversation.

How did Appo regard his Jedi commander?

Appo would have to be blind not to notice Ahsoka was... well, she wasn't a kid anymore. She'd grown... well, gah... Rex was having difficulties coming up with words that were respectful in his own mind to Ahsoka in her position as his commander and yet truthful to how he saw her in his eyes. Over the past three years, she'd grown from a pint-sized thing that barely stood past his waist to near full-grown Togruta height. She must have eaten well at the Temple lately because she'd regained the weight she'd lost and it looked good on her, filling her out in all the right places. Appo would have to be blind not to notice all of it.

They'd been locked up together for two months. Appo had a lot of time to notice things about her. What secrets had she revealed to him that Rex didn't know? He'd never spent that kind of time with Ahsoka. He'd worked together with her on missions, sure, and been trapped together with her in a cave of TriLuna. But, he'd never spent two months with-

He was not going to compare himself with Appo. There was no comparison. He was a better class of clone trooper, hands down. Appo had been promoted because... well, it was still a mystery to Rex why Appo had been chosen and not Jesse. But, Appo did have a way of ingratiating himself with the higher-ups-

"Captain-"

Admiral Yularen's voice beside him startled him and Rex inwardly cursed himself for not having been aware his superior was approaching. "Sir." He straightened up and executed a perfect salute. Appo wasn't the only one who could ace decorum.

"At ease," Yularen stood beside Rex and studied the 501st Captain carefully, and Rex was not sure what to make of his scrutiny. "You've been away a long time."

Rex cocked his head to the side, acknowledging the statement and not sure what to add. He hadn't left because he wanted to, but part of him didn't regret it either. He'd met some incredible troopers on that Andoan moon and he was a better person for it.

The Admiral took a deep breath, and Rex realized with a start he was appreciating the scent of the ship, as well. "I've missed the old girl." He shook his head. "They took me on a tour of that new ship, the Palpatine, trying to convince me to take it on." He chuckled wryly. "I can't abide by that new ship smell."

"I understand, sir," and he did, the air here was free of the new paint fumes and construction chaos that seemed to be everywhere in the military complex down on Corrie. He cocked his head to the side and studied the equipment neatly arranged around the bay. There were rows of Alpha-3 Nimbus starfighters, lined up next to Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptors. Massive walkers loomed over the bay, shadowing everything in their wake. Low Altitude Assault Transports sat quietly, but few ships were painted with artwork he recognized.

Admiral Yularen followed the direction of his gaze. "We're at full inventory," Yularen said, coming up to stand beside him. "I insisted upon it if we were going to take on the Rimma Route, and then head on the Outer Rim." Something about the way he said it gave Rex a bad feeling. He knew the upcoming engagement was going to be difficult, but the Admiral must know much more than he was letting on. "Walk with me, Rex." They took a tour of the entire hangar bay, looping under the shadows of the walkers and past row after row of LAATs.

Rex had been in this hangar so many times with the boys for painting the ships. It was always a special occasion as the men argued and debated over the nose artwork. They all considered themselves artists after painting their armor. Rex always let them resolve it on their own, as it was a good way for the men to learn to work together. The artwork was not always what he would have chosen, but his men worked together very well on the battlefield. Rex's methods worked. Except… few of the LAATs were familiar to him. Many looked like they just rolled off the assembly line at Kuat Drive Yards. Some LAATs had no artwork at all. They were... blank slates. He didn't know which was worse, artwork he didn't recognize, or ships that were obviously replacement units. It was a disconcerting feeling. Like he'd taken a wrong turn someplace all of a sudden.

"It's different equipment," the Admiral confirmed, "We lost most of our larties at…" he glanced back at Appo, and lowered his voice discreetly, "... Kaz'haria."

Rex gripped his fists so hard the synth-leather of his gloves creaked. "I should have been there."

"There's nothing you could have done, Rex. You would have been captured, like the others. Or, worse... killed."

Rex shook his head. He gestured to the replacement equipment. "My place is with the 501st and I wasn't there for them."

"You were exactly where you needed to be," Yularen's gaze took on a distant expression as if he were somehow back in the battle. "Being ordered to jump away and leave the transports behind was the most difficult order I've ever had to follow. I almost didn't-" He shook his head and stopped.

Rex stared at him, shocked. Was the Admiral about to say he almost disobeyed a direct order in the middle of a battle? Rex chose his words carefully. "If you hadn't, sir, the Resolute would have been destroyed and none of the men would have come home."

Yularen met his gaze directly with his piercing blue eyes. "I've stayed up entire nights looking at the numbers, Rex. The number of men saved that day. The number of men we lost. If you and Cody hadn't brought our boys home, I don't think I ever would have been able to live with…my failure that day." His voice dropped. "Sometimes I think there is something wrong with the way we're doing things."

Rex's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure I understand."

The Admiral's wrist comm beeped softly interrupting their conversation. He shook his head, startled, as if he's said too much. "The Generals will be arriving momentarily." He clapped Rex on the shoulder back. "It's good to have you back, Captain. Why don't you go on ahead and prepare the briefing room. "

Rex nodded, glad for the reprieve. He was puzzled by the ending of their conversation and unsettled by how much they'd lost at Kaz'haria. He'd know it was bad, but seeing all of those new ships... it just drove it all home. Every one of those missing larties had troopers in them when they went down, or at the minimum, a skilled combat pilot. The losses were devastating. The lights were only at 50 percent lumens, giving the ship a ghostly appearance. Even through his armor, he could feel the chill of space. Rex used his HUD to integrate with the Resolute's mainframe, relieved when his command codes still worked. Or, maybe they'd been reactivated again. It didn't matter. He'd been given his command back and that was all that mattered. He could watch out for his brothers again. He immediately brought the ship back to standard temps.

He turned his mind to the briefing ahead. Briefings were familiar and he needed to do something back in his comfort zone. He'd had enough surprises over the past week. He walked briskly around a corner and ran (literally) into the Wolfpack. Rex was so startled he dropped to one knee and drew a blaster on Wolffe. And, was immediately taken down from behind by a half dozen other identically clad members of the Pack.

"Let him up, boys," Wolffe spoke in his usual gravelly undertone, but Rex could swear he was trying to hold back laughter.

"Wolffe," Rex muttered, trying to regain his dignity and composure as Wolffe extended a hand and yanked him to his feet. He frowned and stared around at the sea of grey and white surrounding him. "I wasn't aware you lot were onboard the ship."

"Obviously," muttered one of the troopers to his left, but he was immediately silenced by a sharp elbow to the gut by Sinker.

"Sorry, Sergeant."

"Don't mind the shiny," Sinker said with an apologetic shrug. "They get into the Pack and suddenly they're full of themselves." He glared at the trooper again and they stepped back another step.

"It's alright. I don't mind a bit of fire in a shiny. You still haven't explained why you grey-coated menaces are aboard my ship."

"General Plo had a 'bad feeling' and asked us to do a security sweep."

Rex growled almost inaudibly under his breath.

"Problem, Rex?"

"You think there's a security threat aboard my ship and you don't bother to tell me?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

Rex took a deep breath, remembering Wolffe had his own way of doing things. He hadn't seen Wolffe's ship either approaching or in the hangar. But, then again, they were stealth ops. "Did you find anything?"

"No, but General Plo is rarely wrong. Sinker, Boost, take your teams. Report every five." The Pack dispersed and vanished as quickly as they'd appeared. "Where you headed?" he asked Rex.

Rex frowned at the suddenly empty corridor, not sure he liked the Wolfpack running amuck on the ship. He let it go. "Conference room."

Wolffe fell into step beside Rex.

"Don't you slackers have anything better to do than stand around in corridors jawing all day?" a slightly teasing voice asked from behind them.

Rex would know that voice anywhere, even if it was identical to his own and three million others.

"Cody!" His annoyance from a moment before faded away, and Rex couldn't hold back his pleasure at seeing Cody. He grabbed him in a back-thumping hug.

"Fek, get a room, you two," Wolffe grumbled..

"Wolffe," Cody released Rex and smacked the special ops commander so hard on the shoulder plate that the sound reverberated across the abandoned corridor.

"Look who they let out of the RMB," Wolffe smirked.

"Thanks to you," Cody acknowledged, "I owe you one."

"As do I," Rex grabbed Wolffe's helmet and gently bumped foreheads with him, "thank you, Wolffe."

"Gah! You're all kinds of emotion today, Rex!"

Rex laughed, his heart lighter than it had been in a long time.

"So, the Rimma Trade Route, huh?" Cody prompted, bringing their discussion back to their purpose for being there.

"Yeah, this is going to be interesting," Wolffe grumbled.

With that, the three command clones fell into step together as if they'd never been apart and immediately dove deep into the best ways to deploy their forces.

# # # #

Chapter Text

"The Rimma Trade Route," Yularen began, signaling to Rex to flip on the holochart, "is one of the most important trade routes in the galaxy." He pointed one hand into the chart. "Starting here in the Abregado-Rae in the Core Worlds and continuing to the Kathol sector in the far reaches of the Outer Rim Territories."

He handed the datapad over to Rex who reviewed the information on it quickly. His eyes widened briefly at the contents before he cleared his throat and at a nod from Yularen, took over, reading the 'pad. It was a subtle thing, putting Rex back in charge of a briefing. But, it sent a message of Rex's position of power and influence within the 501st once again. He could just as easily have asked Appo to do it, but he didn't. Rex didn't begin to understand the working of the Admiral's mind, but he did seem to have a liking for Rex and he'd always treated the clones fairly. It was more than he could say for many other natborns he'd met in his short lifetime.

Rex ensured his posture was perfect as he crisply delivered the information. He was not going to mess this up. "Traveling the full length of the Rimma Route normally takes six weeks with a Class 2 hyperdrive." He paused for effect. "We will be doing it two."

Skywalker, always fascinated with ships, leaned in with interest. "Two weeks? How is that possible?"

Rex hit a button on the datapad and the entire top of the table lit up with a schematic of a new hyperdrive design. He couldn't resist the slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he looked over at his General. He knew Skywalker would love this part of it. "Our ships are getting an upgrade, sir."

Skywalker stood up and stared with unabashed fascination at the schematic, reaching a hand out as if he could actually touch the new engines. He flipped the schematic at different angles, expanding the diagram to get a closer look at certain sections as if he were already tinkering with certain sections of them.

"Oh, now you've done it," General Kenobi muttered.

Rex handed the pad back over to the Admiral. He raised his voice slightly, as he always did when he needed to get the attention of the Jedi. "Thank you, Captain. As soon as our full crews are on board, we are headed to the Kuat Drive Yards. It will take at least a week to overhaul the four flagships, although we have asked for the process to be expedited as much as possible. The lighter cruisers will then be updated and follow us out to the Rim. These engine upgrades will cut our travel time to the Rimma Route in half. We will use this time during the overhaul to get our forces battle-ready."

He paused, allowing time for questions.

"Four ships, Admiral, which-" Cody began.

As if summoned by the line of questioning, the conference door opened. All eyes snapped over to the entrance. Ponds entered first. Cody's eyes widened with surprise. He was immediately followed by Jedi General Mace Windu. All the clones seated immediately snapped to attention.

"At ease, gentleman, apologies for being late." He grabbed two chairs from the side of the room, pressing them into a space that did not really exist between Cody and Rex, forcing them to quickly adjust their chairs to accommodate.

What a fekker power move.

He immediately sat down and Ponds slid down into the chair next to him avoiding making eye contact with either Rex or Cody.

Yeah, if my General routinely pulled stunts like that, I'd be embarrassed, too.

Rex then realized his General pulled a bunch of over-the-top shab all the time and he'd gotten used to it as Skywalker just being Skywalker. But, he never did it in such a way that he had to pull a power move over clones under his command.

Gah. What a shab'buir.

"Commander, Captain," Windu greeted, his voice polite and professional.

"General," Rex and Cody said in tandem.

Rex used it as a quick opportunity to glance over at Cody and see how he was reacting to Windu's choice of seating. Cody gave him an impassive look before pulling out his datapad. He started a quick sketch of the new engine design, using it as an opportunity to completely avoid looking at Windu. Cody was an excellent artist, although he rarely chose to share his art with anyone. He could keep himself busy for the rest of the meeting with his notes on the updated engines.

Fine.

The last thing any of them needed was another confrontation with Windu. The mission came first.

"Commander Wolffe determined that while three forces would be adequate to pull this off," Yularen said, "four would give us a tactical advantage. General Windu graciously stepped forward. The 91st will be an essential part of this engagement for as long as it takes."

Rex glanced over at Wolffe. Thanks for the heads up.

Wolffe somehow managed to look completely stoic and slightly amused at the same time. His lips quirked up in the faintest ghost of a smile. He was enjoying having pulled one over on Rex. Again. 

"Captain, take us through a tactical summary of what we can expect on the Rimma Route."

Rex directed his attention back toward Yularen. As a Captain, he was by no means the most senior officer there. Matter of fact, with so many commanders present, he was one of the most junior officers. Ko and Nash were not even present. Rex wasn't sorry about the absence of Nash. He didn't trust himself not to pound Ponds' second into the deck as payback for what he'd done to Cody. He was fond of Ko, though. He'd fought by his side many times and he was a fine trooper. But, it was all senior command staff in the meeting. And, Yularen was making it clear that Rex was still considered as such, despite the presence of Appo.

Rex wasn't sure why Yularen was choosing him again over Appo, but he resisted the temptation of looking over at the 501st Commander. They all had their buckets off and it was exceedingly difficult to hide subtle facial cues from another clone. Whatever Appo was thinking of him right now, it probably wasn't: "Go Rex!"

Rex went through the planets systematically, from Abregado to Yag'Dul, covering the more notable planets and their military importance. All clones were flash trained with detailed knowledge of the known galaxies. Rex had taken an interest in the topic early on and spent some of his precious free time as a cadet learning more. Maybe it was his innate desire to explore the galaxy beyond the confines of Kamino. But, he'd always been fascinated by the number of planets out there and how different some of them were from one another. He was so excited by the prospect he might get to see some of these planets one day, it was all he could do to quiet his mind enough to sleep at night.

This knowledge came in handy now as he was able to go through the planets on their upcoming route with barely a glance at his datapad. He noticed both Kenobi and Windu raise up an eyebrow and Skywalker and Ahsoka both gave him that smirk that they did when they were particularly pleased with him. He had to admit he was enjoying himself. He tried to keep it brief, since there were a lot of planets to cover, although he could go into detail on any of them if pressed to do so.

Some of the planets were important for their mineral resources and others were important trading centers. Most were either now aligned with the Separatists or showing signs of doing so due to concerns about the "moral decay of the Republic." According to the initial mission briefing, they had orders directly from the Chancellor to get these planets "back in line."

The wording was disturbing. Rex offered no opinion, of course, on their orders and just repeated them verbatim, but he saw Kenobi wince as he read the mandate from Palpatine.

Normally, such things were handled by Jedi negotiators and it was not a military exercise. But, their top Jedi negotiator had been locked up for the past two months when many of these planets had "fallen."

(Again, not Rex's choice of wording. Shouldn't these planets have the right to choose?)

These thoughts had troubled him as he'd read through the pre-meeting briefing materials provided by the Admiral, and it still bothered him now.

Rex had memorized all of the information he'd reviewed with Appo, and there had been a great deal of it. Admiral Yularen was always thorough in his pre-mission briefs.

It was convenient that every clone in their fleet had the flash training needed for an invasion to the Outer Rim. It was as if someone had known years ago this invasion would be necessary. It could be regarded as nothing else. Or, a siege. Yes, this could better be regarded as a siege of the Outer Rim to take back an essential trading route for the Republic. There was a bit of wording in there that made it sound as if this was being done to "preserve the Republic." But, it was forcing planets to change their mind after they'd already made their choice.

Rex was a soldier. He knew about fighting, and politics had not been covered in his flash training beyond the basics of galactic history. But, shouldn't planets have the right to choose for themselves in a Republic?

"Are there any questions?" Yularen asked.

He wanted to ask the question.

Oh, fek. He wanted to ask.

But, he didn't.

The meeting ended. He gathered up his datapad, tactfully stepped around General Windu, and filed out of the room as the good soldier he'd been raised to be.

# # #

Chapter Text

"Are you sure you can walk, Echo? Maybe we could get you a hoverchair or a gravcart or-"

"A gravcart? Seriously? I'm not karkin' cargo."

"You're still a little pale."

"Fek, Fives, I'm alright! Stop being such a... mother-"

"Mother what?!"

"Mother nuna... 'cause... you keep hovering. Krek, brother, what do you think I was going to say?"

Sly sighed heavily as he listened to the two ARCs argue. They were winding their way through the basement corridors as fast as they could. Considering he was recently unconscious, Echo was doing an impressive job of keeping up with their fast clip. But, it didn't help his frayed nerves. The security teams at the Medical Center were staffed by clones and not droids. They were frighteningly efficient and good at their jobs. Rumor had it, they were all clones who had been reconditioned. They all seemed to have the skill sets of battle-hardened clones, but none of the warmth and affection he saw in clones who hadn't been mindwiped. If they were overtaken by these clones, they were done.

"How can I not worry, Echo? You nearly died. Do you know what that did to me?"

Sly stopped, sensing the two ARCs were no longer behind him. His heart stopped, worried MedCenter Security had already caught up with them.

Unbelievable. These two decided now was an appropriate time for a show of affection. Echo had gripped the back of Fives' neck. "I'm sorry, brother."

Sly ran back and grabbed both of them by their pauldrons, yanking them apart and tugging them along. He ignored their shouted objections. "Hurry up, you two, before we..." He stopped suddenly as they heard the pounding of booted feet. He slammed his access card up against the nearest access door, praying it would open, and tugged the two inside. It was an abandoned lab of some sort, and the smell was awful. He didn't even want to know what happened down here once upon a time. The three pressed themselves up against the wall, staying silent as the pounding of booted feet passed by outside. They waited several minutes until everything was silent again.

"What are the odds they can find us?" Fives asked quietly.

"They're good. But, it's a maze down here in the lower levels. It will take them a while to search all the corridors." He pinned the two ARCs with his gaze trying to impart them with his sense of urgency. "We have to get out of here before we..." He grunted again in frustration, not sure how to explain to the other two about the bad things he more sensed than knew about the medical facility where he'd been assigned.

"Become permanent residents of this place?" Echo offered up brightly.

Sly stared at him. Echo was in good spirits, but he had no idea how close he'd come to...

Fives got it, though. Sly could see that by looking at him.

"What? Come on, brothers, what did I miss?" Echo frowned as shifted his gaze between Sly and Fives.

"Nobody becomes permanent residents of this place, Echo. Isn't that right, Sly?"

Sly didn't say anything, staring down at his boots. Gah. What was that weird stain on the floor?

"Somebody want to give me context?" Echo demanded.

"No time," Sly opened the door, and peered out cautiously checking the corridor in both directions.

Fives came out behind him, blaster drawn, as he checked to make sure the area was clear.

"Fek, Fives, what is this about?" Echo demanded, tugging one of Fives' DC-17s from his grip and taking up his usual position back-to-back with his brother. "We're on stun, yeah?"

Fives flipped the switch on his blaster. "I am now. Ask me another time about what happened to Boomer."

'Boomer?' Echo mouthed silently to himself, the confusion on his features clear. But, he let it go.

"Lead the way, Sly. We've got your back." Fives gestured to the younger clone to move out, sticking very close to him as they moved out as a group. The younger medic was unarmed and Fives was making it clear he was prepared to protect him if they ran into the security patrol.

Sly wasn't nervous anymore for some reason. With Fives and Echo at his back, he felt... exhilarated. Calm. It was as if he was suddenly where he was always meant to be.

They reached the access door to the street level all too soon. Sly hesitated for the briefest of moments. This was it. The end of the most interesting period he'd ever had in his short life. Sly ran his access card over the door controls and it chimed green, happily opening out on an alley of wall-to-wall dumpsters.

Suddenly, the path forward for Sly was all-too-clear. It was out there and not in here.

He followed the two ARCs out into the side alley and suddenly the massive medical facility was towering over him.

Fives jammed his foot in the door to trip the hold sensor and gestured to Sly. "You need to go back in."

Sly shoved at him. "Move your foot, Fives, before you trigger an alarm. They only give the droids 30 seconds to get the trash out."

Fives shook his head. "Sly, we're grateful for all you've done, but you can't go AWOL."

"I know the consequences. Move - your - foot."

"No." Fives' tone brokered no argument. "Go back. Tell them we forced you if you need to."

"Move your fekkin' foot." He shoved at Fives' again but there was no moving the larger clone. The door started to beep a warning tone. He grunted with frustration. Sly peered up at him. "MedSecurity has my codes. I don't think even I could talk my way out of this one." He backed up to get some momentum and bodily forced Fives out the door.

The door slid shut, closing off any possibility Sly could get back into the facility without detection.

"Fek," Echo muttered. "That's it, then."

Sly took off at a fast clip down the alleyway. They heard booted feet and shouted shouts coming down the alley just as they reached the main thoroughfare and disappeared into the crowds.

They kept going for several blocks, swimming with the crowds, until Fives pulled them back into the overhang of an ornate facade for the Coruscanti Republic Bank. He turned to Sly. "Where will you go now?"

"I said I'm with you," Sly said stubbornly. He gestured to the crowded city around them. "Unless you're going to abandon me here," he gave them pleading eyes, "I am going with you."

Echo seemed unperturbed by all of it. He grinned. "I guess he's with us, now, then."

"Alright," Fives sighed, "I guess you are, then." He indicated they should continue walking, but slung an arm around Sly's shoulders. "Welcome to the 501st, vod."

Sly's eyes widened. "You mean it?"

Fives chortled. "You're not giving us much of a choice. But, yeah, I guess we just adopted ourselves a shiny."

"I'm not a shiny! Well... not much anyway."

Echo huffed lightly with amusement. "I like him. I think he'll fit right in. Tup and Hardcase will love him. Uh... one problem, though, isn't Appo in charge of the Legion now?"

Fives waved his hand dismissively. "Technicalities. If we need to, we can smuggle him aboard ship."

"The ship?" Sly asked, his voice betraying a slight nervousness.

"We're about to deploy. You're going to see some action."

Sly glanced back at the looming shadow of ArmyMed behind them. He cast a nervous glance upwards toward the busy skyways of Coruscant as if trying to see beyond where the cruisers docked in orbit around the city planet.

"Sly," Echo asked without judgment, and casting a glance toward Fives, "you ever been in battle before?"

"Uh... do the sims at Kamino count?"

"Oh boy," Echo muttered, "you are as shiny as they come aren't you?"

"Freeze!"

Fives whirled about blaster in hand and Echo followed suit after a brief second's hesitation. Sly stood fearlessly beside them facing their fate.

"Don't do it, Fives."

# # #

Captain Ko stared at the faces of the 212th troopers lined up in row after orderly row awaiting inspection by Commander Cody. He was thrilled to be back in training. They'd been idle too long as they sat in the barracks. Troopers were not meant to sit around.

Commander Cody had returned from his briefing and announced they were returning to the Negotiator, and the 501st troopers would be returning immediately to the Resolute. Troop transports had arrived soon after and within an hour the Coruscant barracks were empty.

He shifted his shoulders in his new armor and blinked to make an adjustment on his new bucket. His helmet had arrived late. Some snafu with shipping from HQ. But, their quartermaster had straightened it out, and delivered his kit before they'd shipped out. He'd even had a chance to throw a bit of 212th Attack Battalion orange on it to make it look more presentable.

It still didn't feel like his old bucket, but it would do. He noticed many of his troopers were shifting slightly. Normally, he would bark at them for the slightest breaking of the ranks during inspection, but he let it go. They were all adjusting to the new armor. And fek, they'd been through so much just to get here.

He was fiercely proud of the 212th Legion. The odds of surviving Darkknell had been slim, yet he was surrounded here by survivors. The toughest of the tough. They had received no replacement troopers for this mission to the Outer Rim sieges, although they would be supplemented by the other Legions.

They'd been blown lured into a trap on Darkknell, blown up by a minefield, and captured by Kaz'harians. Many of those who had been in the initial medevac had been shot down out of the sky.

Buckets on, or buckets off, he knew every face here. He knew them all. They'd survived so much in the dark shadowy prison cells of Darkknell, whispering back and forth, trying time and again to figure out how to escape. All of their attempts were met with failure. Their captors were brutally strong and impressively shrewd, but they never gave up hope. Most of their prison guards were not overly cruel. It was only, in the end, they learned the majority of the Kaz'harians were not there by choice. Once he'd been eliminated by Commander Tano, they disappeared back to their villages in the jungle.

The prison had been a place of dark shadows. But, Ko had learned the war was not black and white. It was all shades of grey.

So what did that mean for following orders?

Good soldiers follow orders.

His head buzzed and tingled.

Don't tell me my new kit is glitchy.

After it arrived late. Typical.

He had no time for equipment failures now. They had an inspection to finish and a full day of training. The tingly feeling persisted in his head to the point of being painful.

OK, krek, it was getting hard to think around this migraine. Maybe he should ask Keen or Cavil-

No, he couldn't ask them. They were heading into this battle short of medics, having lost both their chief medics. Digger and Glitch were solid troopers, though. He'd have to talk to Cody about possibly promoting one or both of the two junior medics and then crosstraining some-

Good troopers follow-

He shook his head again, trying to clear the persistent buzzing.

"Everything alright, Ko?" Cody's voice startled to the point he nearly dropped his blaster. The move did not go unnoticed.
Cody gripped his hands. "Whoa, okay, that's unlike you. What's going on?"

"Nothing. Just a... little headache is all." He immediately started walking the line, hoping Cody would follow and drop this line of questioning.

"You sure? You seem off today."

"I said I'm fine," Ko bit his lip. Fek. That was downright insolent. "Sorry, Cody. I'm alright, though. I just want to get back to work."

"Alright," Cody said, as they walked up and down each line inspecting each and every trooper. "You'll train with me today, then."

Ko nodded. Fair enough. He was sure his headache would improve.

But, it didn't. By the time they finished the inspection and separated the men out into training groups, he couldn't think for the pain in his head. But, it was alright. The explosion in Kaz'haria had snapped the bones in his wrist breaking the radius, ulna, and humerus, rendering it useless. He'd still fought on, using his one hand, and when his blaster overheated, he'd pulled a Cody and used his feet.

If he could make it through the Battle of Kaz'haria, he could survive a simple headache. Or, a blinding, splitting horrific headache. First day with the new equipment. Maybe if it persisted he'd see their new medic. Gah. What was their new medic's name? He couldn't even remember. It was getting hard to think around the pain in his head.

# # #

"Commander Fox?" Fives lowered his blaster and holstered it. He gestured to Echo, who stood down and tucked his borrowed blaster into the pants of his borrowed medical uniform.

They were immediately surrounded by a wall of Corrie red and hustled away from the front of the bank. Unseen by Echo and Fives, the medcenter medical team ran by on the other side of the street. Frightened citizens jumped out of their way of the relentless troopers.

"I hate those fekkers," Fox grumbled, gesturing with his chin at the retreating backs of the security detail, "you want to explain to me why I received a security alert about three clones AWOL from the medcenter?" He gave Echo a significant look in his borrowed's clothing with the ArmyMed logo emblazoned on it.

Echo gave him a thin smile and a helpless shrug.

"They were going to kill Echo," Fives defended.

"Yeah, I figured it was something like that."

"What happens to us now? You going to lock us up? Like you did, Rex?"

Fox shot Fives an icy glare that he could feel even through the Corrie Guard commander's helmet. "Gah, you boys really think that little of me, don't you?" His heavy sigh tore into Fives as he gave him a shove. "I don't want to hear from you again until you ship out. Do you hear me? I've squashed the alert." He jerked his head toward the building in front of him. "There's your barracks. Stay the fek out of trouble and I don't want from you next time you're on Coruscant. You understand?"

Fives nodded, too dumbstruck to speak.

Fox shook his head and spun sharply on his heel. Echo, Fives and Sly stared at the retreating backs of the Corrie Guard. They'd acted as human shields and seen them safely back to their barracks.

# # #

Chapter Text

"Are you alright, Echo? Not getting tired, are you? You look a little tired. Maybe we should get you a stretcher-"

"Kriff off, Fives! Kix, tell him I'm fine now."

Kix didn't respond, busy multitasking as he walked. He kept his eyes glued to his datapad, only occasionally glancing up to ensure he didn't collide with anything as they traversed the RMB grounds toward their barracks.

Sly peeked over Kix's shoulder, scanning the screen before glancing at Echo. "We'll need more blood tests on you."

"I've already told you both, whatever was happening in my head is resolved. Don't start with me too."

The two medics paid him no mind. Kix tapped his screen. "I suggest we check his complete blood count, electrolyte levels, liver function, kidney function, lipid profile, and thyroid function."

"Agreed. We should also look into his cardiac biomarkers, coagulation profile, and inflammatory markers."

Kix shot Sly an impressed glance.

Echo shook his head, exasperated. "How about we skip all that?" He sighed and gestured to the building ahead. "My kit should be somewhere around the barracks-"

"I've got your kit," Fives interjected, sounding somewhat offended at the notion he'd let anything happen to it. "But you won't need it."

Echo looked at his brother as if he'd just been betrayed.

"Relax, brother," Fives slung an arm around Echo's shoulder. "Our Phase II kits are supposed to arrive soon."

Echo's face lit up. "Finally! We need these upgrades. I heard from the clones beta-testing them on Kamino that the new ARC kits have distress beacons, encrypted commlinks to block the clankers from eavesdropping, and improved survival packs. They even have better microfiber lines, harder to cut."

"Could've used that distress beacon when we were scouring Darkknell for you," Fives teased.

"Forgive my curiosity," Echo retorted.

"Just the ARC kits?" Kix shook his head, annoyed. "Every clone kit should have those features. Each trooper is valuable. Do you know how many times I've tried to track down a lost trooper after they've called for a medic? Battlefields are chaos."

"My info's outdated, Kix. Maybe they did put all the good stuff in every suit." Echo was relieved by the change of subject, no longer discussing blood work or his recent health scare. "And if your suit isn't up to par, I can add-"

"Echo," Kix interrupted, not easily fooled, "I'm glad you're feeling better, but you were exposed to an unknown pathogen in a Separatist lab. You need these tests. We can't pretend it didn't happen, even if you did recover for reasons we can't explain."

"I woke up because I got better. Just certify me fit so I can get back to duty."

"I can't do that. You're conveniently ignoring the parts you'd rather forget."

"Which parts?"

"You survived and recovered with an anomaly in your head that killed other clones."

"The others had brain injuries. I was shot and stabbed and ended up with an unexplained virus. But obviously, I'm better now."

"Why?"

"Why what?" Echo snapped back, tired of the conversation.

"Why a virus? Why did it target the anomaly in your head? And why did it suddenly clear up? What makes you different?"

"I don't know!"

"And, that's why we need blood work."

Sly had been silent this whole time, staring off into the distance thoughtfully. "Can I see your research, Kix?"

They were in front of the barracks now and running out of time to discuss this matter in relative privacy. 

Sly started quickly going through the data, swiping through screen after screen. "As we saw from Echo's scans, his immune system attacked this anomaly just like antigens are meant to do. But, what if there was specifically designed to target that anomaly? You said these Kaz'harians were high-level scientists and the whole place was filled with labs."

"We blew them up so they couldn't run any more experiments."

"Echo, describe again how you stumbled into one of these-"

"Troopers!"

Sly startled so hard he dropped the pad.

Standing at the door of the barracks was Commander Appo.

"Oh, fek," Fives hissed.

He beckoned for them to approach. There were no guards on duty. Strange.

"Do one of you want to explain why I was called out of training to deal with one security incident, possibly more, involving 501st troopers matching your description?"

"Eh, I can explain, sir," Fives said, stepping in front of Sly, to keep him out of the conversation.

Appo's eyes narrowed as he took in Echo's ARMYMED uniform with a medic's rank badge.

Before Fives could begin to stammer out a story Appo would doubtlessly find unconvincing, Sly slipped out from behind him. "There was a mix-up with the authorization for ARC Trooper's Echo secondary scans. An automated system triggered the security alert."

Kix jumped in. "I thought that was resolved , trooper when we did Echo's flimsiwork."

"According to ArmyMed," Appo said, his voice betraying his skepticism, "Echo was not released." He pulled a datapad from his belt. "I received notice he was to be transferred and sent on Kamino pending further evaluation of his fitness for duty. This order was dated 20 hours ago."

He wielded the incriminating datapad like a vibroblade. It looked like any other order. So cold. So clinical. Fives was stunned speechless, finding himself staring blankly at Appo as a feeling of confused horror churned in his stomach. Was Appo truly so fekkin' clueless that he didn't realize he was holding Echo's death warrant? Or did he somehow fail to care? How had this di'kut been made a commander?

"Again, a flimsi mixup," Sly cut in deftly, "Evaluations on Kamino are reserved only for severe cases. In the past 20 hours, ARC Trooper's Echo condition has improved so rapidly, those orders were no longer appropriate. We are taking him up to the ship for his Medical, Physical, and Performance Evals so he can be posted back to duty. All reports will be sent to you ASAP."

"Who are you?" Appo asked suspiciously, stepping closer to study the unfamiliar trooper.