Chapter Text
‘We’re so close, so friendly… they all think there is something more there we clearly cannot see?’
“So, how’s your grub?”
Cade and Slip were having their afternoon meal together like they usually did. That much had not changed since leaving the Empire. Only the food was so much better now made from actual ingredients the cooks had obtained from trading with the farmers of a nearby planet in the same system as the planet which housed their base.
“Mm. It’s quite tasty.” Slip had his mouth filled with the savoury soup made out of vegetables. Something he enjoyed immensely contrary to the concoction Cade liked to eat.
“Can I…?” Cade’s spoon was already headed towards Slip’s bowl before even getting permission to have a taste of it.
It was something the two were used to. Sharing everything. Well almost everything. Because contrary to popular belief, Cade and Slip were not lovers. It wasn’t something they had even considered even if their closeness might have suggested otherwise to the curious onlooker.
But guess after seeing too many friends die in the war and seeing those remaining behind with their hearts broken… Well, neither of them had really wanted to cross that particular line. Not that it had been discussed either. Simply having remained a silent agreement between the two.
They used to snuggle together back in the day during the cold nights when on some Force forsaken planet waiting for the battles to begin. But ever since the Empire, having proper shifts during the daily rotations and not always working together. Well, guess things had grown a bit colder between them in certain ways. Their friendship never wavering though.
Now however with the two of them once again thrown together while even sharing quarters, guess falling back into old habits had been easy enough. Cade and Slip spending the bulk of their time together. Working on the same project which Rex had assigned them both in. The Clone Assassin project. Cade and Slip having first hand knowledge in the matter.
Neither of them was complaining though. Not about the time spent with each other. They had always been joined at the hip ever since their first meeting. And now, since having gotten away from the Empire, the chips removed and their minds their own once again fully Cade and Slip were once again able to enjoy the closeness, the camaraderie, all of it without further hindrance.
Because they were close. Close friends. Right?
“Sure. Is great. You should eat some yourself.” Slip let Cade drop the utensil into his soup and take a spoonful of it to sample the stuff for himself.
Yeah, they really were close.
“Mm. It is good!”
Slip chuckled. “Told ya.”
“Well, maybe tomorrow.” As Cade was somewhat stuck in his ways, maybe more so than Slip.
Cade and Slip might not have realised it but those they had made friends with, those they spent time with on the base had their own ideas as to what the duo just might be to each other.
“So I have some ideas on how we can increase the medical scanner to probe the DNA of our guest to the minutest detail. I checked with Tech and he says it should be plausible.” Cade had worked on improving their medical equipment while Slip had been tinkering with the overall systems with Echo improving upon the technology they had at hand on the base not only to update them but making certain, improvements as the base was old as was the tech despite being sufficient enough for most purposes.
“So, whether our friend is talking or not we could still figure out what makes him tick at least.” As they needed to rig the device to be able to detect these new clones out there. The general consensus being there must've be more than one of them out there doing the Empire’s bidding.
“That is the idea! And if we can catch them all in time then all the better.” The goal for sure, even if they already had one uncooperative Clone X in their care. But the other option? The one of letting them simply roam the galaxy killing other clones and whomever their target might have been was a far worse option.
“Lots of work to be done for sure. But we are making progress at least.”
There was a comfortable silence shared between the two. Finishing their meals, the company, surroundings, their work, their lives in general having become so much better since leaving the Empire.
“We'd better get going. Echo and Tech should be back from their mission by now.” The Batch having gone for a supply run getting their research a few needed parts from a close by system.
“I’m ready.”
“As am I.”
Cade and Slip got up placing their trays away on the conveyer and heading to the lab. Life was certainly good for the two former imperial troopers. The friendliest of friends. That much was for sure.