Crossed Paths Pt. 3 | Captain Rex x Original Female Character

Table of Contents: Chapter 1,Chapter 2

The intruder came after nightfall.

When the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the air had cooled I found myself unable to sit up any longer, my body begging to rest more, vision hazing with a need for sleep. I didn’t hear the door open. Didn’t hear anyone step into the barn.

“Who are you? What’re you doing here?” a voice asked. My eyes opened as I turned my head, looking to see who Rex was speaking to. A shadow stood over the captain. I sat up, quietly bringing my feet to settle against the barn floor. I rose up, the pain in my leg managed enough now, the bones healed enough I could stand without needing to lean against something. I reached for my belt and moved behind the shadow.

“Drop it,” I said as I lifted my saber, activating it, holding it so the blade just over the intruder’s shoulder. Purple light filled the room, and I could clearly see Rex staring at the man in front of me as he lowered his spear, letting it drop to the ground.

“Alright, alright no need to cut me in half. I’m dropping it.”

I frowned at the voice, the familiar lilt of an accent, the low timbre. I looked to Rex and found him glaring up at my captive. A wave of his anger washed over me. Why—?

“He’s a clone,” Rex all but growled.

I looked up and stepped to the side to get a better view of the man’s face. He held up his hands, but didn’t flinch as I pointed my saber directly at his face.

“My name is Cut,” he said with a hard look at Rex, before looking to me. “Cut Lawquane. And I’m just a farmer.”

“He’s a deserter, ma’am,” Rex said next to me, trying to stand. I held my hand out to him.

“Don’t get up,” I told him. I turned back to Cut. “This is your farm then?” I asked. He nodded. “And your family?” The sound of a door slamming closed sounded in the distance.

“Are on their way out here, now,” he said, turning his head as the sound of little feet drew near. With a sigh, I deactivated my saber just as the children tore through the door.

“Daddy!”

Cut turned around, arms open as I waved my hand flipping the light switch next to the door. I turned to Rex as Cut greeted his family. The clone captain was glaring at Cut’s back, a snarl on his face. His eyes flitted to meet mine.

“Ma’am,” he said, his voice full of warning.

“We have nowhere to go, no way to get anywhere, and frankly, Rex, I’m not sure you have enough strength to stand, let alone arrest him, right now,” I said under my breath so Cut’s family wouldn’t hear me. “Be patient.” A little blur ran up to us and Rex and I looked down at Cut’s son, Jekk, in surprise.

“Will you eat dinner with us, please?” he asked, a whine clear in his voice.

Rex shook his head. “No, I—”

I hit his knee with the back of my hand. He stopped talking. I looked back at Jekk, then to the rest of the family. “We would be honored.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It only took 5 minutes for Rex to begin arguing with Cut over the moral implications of cloning. It may have only taken 2 minutes, if I really thought about it. As Cut divvied up the roast nuna and laid out his side of the debate, Rex… did his best to defend his line of thinking.

“I’m part of the most pivotal moment in the history of the Republic,” Rex said, rebutting one of Cut’s many questions.

“Still, I’ve seen the way you look at my family,” Cut told Rex before fixing me with the same look. He jabbed the end of his fork towards me, “The General’s had that same look a few times tonight as well.”

I glanced across the table at the little ones, a twinge of sadness in my chest. “I have thought about a life outside the Order,” I said softly, a quick glance at Rex found his eyebrows arched up in surprise. Looking down at my plate, I kept speaking. “Giving up on the idea of a family — of being a normal person is difficult,” I shrugged my shoulders, “that’s why not everyone is a Jedi, I suspect.” Next to me, little Jekk bit into a piece of meat and chewed. When he noticed my gaze, he grinned up at me, bits of food still in his teeth. I gave him a wink.

“But you get to choose,” Cut said softly, and I looked up to find Suu, Rex and Cut all looking at me. “No one is forcing you into one life or another.”

I raised an eyebrow. Aren’t they?

“Maybe not, but it’s not an easy choice.” I nodded to Rex. “I wasn’t born with an intended purpose like the clones, but I share the same sentiment as the captain. We have a responsibility to the people, to protect them from the oppression they face. If we don’t do our duty, then why should anyone else do theirs?”

“But to answer the oppression of some with the oppression of others — clones,” Cut held up his hands and gestured to himself and Rex, “solves nothing. What happens after the war? Who will the Republic turn these soldiers they’ve created on next? When do the soldiers get to choose what they do with their life?”

Rex set his hand on the table with a thump. “What if I amchoosing the life I want?” he asked, as the room fell quiet. The children glanced at their mother, and with a quick nod from her, continued to eat, but kept an eye on Rex. I took a deep breath as he noticed this and his voice grew softer. He turned back to Cut. “What if I’m staying in the army because it’s meaningful to me?” he asked, and I couldn’t help but note the double edge to his question, as if he was asking for validation at the same time.

“What’s meaningful to you, may not be said for every other person in the army,” I murmured before Cut could say anything. Rex’s eyes flitted across the table to me as I turned to face Cut. There were plenty of ethical questions surrounding not only the creation of the clones, but the way that they were deployed. I bit the inside of my cheek as two pairs of bronze-colored eyes looked to me to continue speaking. “The system isn’t perfect and if it was up to me, I hope I would choose to give everyone a choice. But I don’t make the rules, and without the clones the Republic wouldn’t stand a chance.” Looking down I prodded the food on my plate with my fork. “Is that a good enough reason? I don’t think so, but I hope someday we can repay you for what you all have done.”

“A choice would be a good start,” Cut muttered. Next to me, Rex began to eat in silence as Cut continued to press the issue. “You know—”

“Cut, let them eat,” Suu said throwing her husband a look. I glanced up as he cocked his head with a shrug.

“To each his own,” he sighed. Shaeeah set down her fork down and glanced up at her father.

“What does that mean, Daddy?” she asked.

Cut glanced at Rex and I, then looked down at his daughter. “It means you can do anything with your life that you want to.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Somehow, Cut talked Rex into a game of Dejarik in the corner as the kids played and Suu cleaned up the table. I stood up. “I’ll help,” I said, hobbling towards her.

Suu held up a hand. “Your leg might be healing but you should rest. I’ve got it,” she said as she turned her back to me. Raising my hands I focused on the dishes, and slowly everything that had once been on the table, began to float. Suu gasped. The children dropped the ball they had been playing with.

“Whoa,” Jekk murmured behind me.

I turned and the dishes followed me, smoothly floating through the air towards the sink. I slowly lowered my hands and everything found its place.

“Careful, General, Suu’ll never let you leave if you show her much more of that,” Cut chuckled as Suu shook her head at him a playful smile on her face. The pitter patter of little feet ran up behind me and I turned to find Shaeeah and Jekk staring up at me.

“Again, again,” they chanted. I looked over my shoulder at Suu who was stifling a laugh.

“Go ahead,” she said as she turned towards the sink.

“Could you lift an eopie?”

“I’m not sure that the eopie would like that,” I chuckled.

“What about a house?”

“Never tried. It looks heavy.”

“Could you make mefloat?”

“If you don’t give her some space,” Cut said from his corner of the room, “she’s liable to throw you so high in the sky, you’ll never come down.”

Two set of eyes widened as they turned to me. I held up my hands, but before I could speak, Rex broke in.”

“The general wouldn’t do that,” he said. I looked up to find his watching all of us. Is that a smile? He inclined his head. “She’s too kind.”

I raised an eyebrow, before looking down at the kids. A smirk made its way onto my face. “I don’t know…” I simpered. “It sounds kinda fun.”

With a flick of my wrist, Shaaeh’s feet left the ground and she let out a squeal as she turned around in the air. Jekk clapped his hands begging me to do the same to him. With my other hand, I sent him floating through the air as well, tumbling after his sister. Peals of laughter filled the house as I slowly brought them back down to the floor. I cleared my throat as I leaned back on my hands with a sigh watching as the children scrambled back towards me, already begging to have another go. I smiled.

“I think that’s the best I can do tonight,” I told them sadly. A tingle was making its way up my spine, the beginnings of a head ache starting to prickle along my scalp. I wouldn’t say it aloud, but I may have possibly overdone it.

“Awwww,” they whined. I glanced over their heads as Suu approached.

“You’ve worn the poor woman out,” she chastised.

“But Mama…”

“Why don’t you go play outside?” she asked, glancing at Cut. The kids perked up. Shaaeah followed her mother’s gaze.

“Oh, can we, Daddy?” she asked, scampering towards him. Cut shrugged.

“I don’t know…”

“We did our chores.”

“Alright, but stay in view of the house,” he hollered as the kids ran out the door. The door slammed behind them, squeals of laughter echoing through the walls.

“You have wonderful children,” Rex said, loud enough for both Cut and Suu to hear. Suu smiled, making her way across the room to me as the men went back to their game.

“Have you always lived here?” I asked as Suu sat across from me.

She shook her head. “Not always. I met Cut in the city. He was lost, in more ways than one. Eventually we moved out here,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at the men in the corner. “Your captain,” she began quietly, glancing at me. I cocked my head. “The way he looks at Cut. I’m scared. I should have been out there to stop Cut from going in the barn.”

I kept my voice low and I could tell Rex couldn’t hear by the frown on his face as he watched us. “Rex would be going against his own oaths if he didn’t… this isn’t a situation we find ourselves in often. Most deserters don’t have families like this, willing to help anyone in need even at their own expense.”

“But you do see that we’ve put ourselves at risk to help you,” Suu said.

I bit the inside of my cheek. “Yes.”

“Then are you going to arrest my husband?” she asked. My eyes fell at that. It was hard, to look around and see a family, happy and loving and know that I held the future of that family in my hands. I looked over Suu’s shoulder, light bronze eyes watching from the corner. It wasn’t just me that had that power. It wasn’t just me who would have to make such a decision.

I looked back to Suu. “I… don’t know yet.”

Suu leaned back, her hands shaking, eyes pleading. “I—”

And that’s when we heard the screams. Before anyone could move, Cut was racing out the door, Rex and I following after him. Suu brought up the rear as Jekk and Shaeeah sprinted across the yard, up the stairs into the arms of their parents.

“What is it, Cut?” Suu asked as her husband handed her their son and grabbed his binocs.

Rex and I shared a look, my hand falling to the lightsaber on my belt. I squinted my eyes trying to see what the kids had been running from.

“Commando droids,” Cut hissed. “I count twenty.”

Next to me, Rex immediately took charge. “Everyone inside,” he ordered. I moved past him, holding my hands out to Suu and her children.

“Is there somewhere you can hide?” I asked her as Cut slammed and locked the door.

“Upstairs,” he said behind me. “Suu, take the kids upstairs. Hide them under the bed.”

Without question, Suu raced up the stairs. I turned around as Rex followed Cut.

“What weapons do you have?” he asked. Cut opened a locked cabinet, a rifle, and handguns hanging inside. Rex reached out for the hand gun. “We can catch them in a cross fire,” he said, turning to me. “General, you—”

Cut shook his head. “No, captain.” I looked out the window as he handed Rex a gun. “Respectfully, you’re not in charge here.”

I moved back as Rex, with his back to me, stepped in front of Cut. “I can be useful, just—”

“You’re still hurt,” I said, setting a hand on Rex’s good shoulder. His forehead wrinkled and I readied myself for whatever argument he was going to try to fight me with. “You should be with Suu, protect her and the kids if we can’t.” Rex shook his head, and looked down at my lower body.

“Your leg—”

“The worst that could happen is it breaks again,” I said as I unhooked my weapon, “and it won’t… probably. Either way, I’m not watching you get shot again,” I squeezed his shoulder. Rex turned his head to the side, not happy, not sure if he could argue with me enough to change my orders. I could see it all on his face. “Cut and I can take them,” I said, dropping my hand from Rex’s shoulder to look to the farmer as he pushed the dining table, giving himself more room. “Where do you want me, Cut?”

Reaching over, Cut flipped the lights off and took a knee in the center of the room. “Cover my back,” he said. With a nod, I took my position, Rex following behind me until he had space to move past me. I leaned against the wall as he disappeared up the stairs. The house was silent. The sound of a breeze drifted through the cracks in the walls.

I glanced at Cut. He was just a shadow on the floor in the center of the room. My thumb ready to activate my saber the second anything happened. Cut looked back at me, and I bit the inside of my cheek. Relax, I told myself. Breathe. I closed my eyes.

The door next to me exploded into a spray of splinters and chunks of wood as the droids broke in. My saber hummed to life, purple light filling the room as the other door did the same. Spinning my weapon. I stepped up and jammed the end of it through the breastplate of the droid in the doorway. Blasters fired behind me, and I wasn’t sure who was shooting, Cut or the droids. Throwing out my hand, I pushed the droid on my blade to the floor and swiped out my saber in a long horizontal arc, cutting the next two droids in half. The door cleared, I stepped back, holding my blade with both hands. I looked over my shoulder to find that Cut had dispatched three other droids and was moving to stand back-to-back with me.

“14 or so left?” I murmured as I scanned the open doorways and windows ahead of me.

Cut’s voice answered back. “Give or take a few.”

With a nod, I turned back to my side of the house, listening. Nothing. “Maybe they broke down?” I whispered.

“Shh.”

A soft creak sounded off behind me. I thought it was Cut adjusting his footing, stepping on a creaky board. Then the floor broke open.

“Son of a nerf herder!” I shouted as I slashed at the hands that reached for me. More shots came from Cut’s blaster. I jumped to the side with a groan as a metal hand grabbed at my heels. I looked down as a horde of droids tried to break through the floor, climbing over each other to try and get us. I didn’t notice the ones that were coming in the door until they were on top of me. A sudden, hard force pushed me from behind and I stumbled forward, catching myself on my hands and knees. My bad leg sent a shock of pain through me as my knee connected with the floor. I rolled over onto my back as a metal body climbed on top of me, knocking my lightsaber out of my hand. Steel wrapped around my throat before I could move to catch it. I tried to pry the droid’s fingers away but it pressed it’s weight down on my, pinning me and cutting off any air I might have been trying to breathe.

Cut cried out somewhere on the other side of the room, somewhere I couldn’t see him. “Rex, they’re coming for you!” he shouted. I looked towards the stairs as a group of droids made their way up the steps.

My lungs burned, vision spotting as I turned back to face the droid that was strangling me. I reached up with one hand to pry at it once more. My other palm pressed against its chest. I pushed physically first. Nothing happened. My eyes closed. The sound of drums pounded in my ears. Both hands splayed out against the droid’s chest plate.

With a massive push, I sent the droid flying off me as I found myself finally able to breathe. A crash sounded off as I rolled onto my stomach, coughing and hacking as my throat opened up, gulps of air rushing down to my lungs. Blaster fire echoed from upstairs, the sound of children crying filled my ears.

Don’t stay down, Kit. Get up!

I pushed myself onto my hands and knees, forced myself to stand as I panted rasping breaths. Stumbling, I searched for my saber as something crashed behind me. Whirling around I found Rex on the floor next to Cut, a gaping hole in the ceiling above them. With outstretch arms a commando droid drew ever closer to the two clones, reaching out for Rex. I spun around in circles searching for my weapon. A glint of silver metal shone from beneath a pile of boards and broken furniture. A voice cried out behind me as I reached out my hand, summoning the weapon to me. My fingers met the hilt, wrapping around it. My thumb moved with its own memory, activating the blade. I looked over one shoulder. The droid had Rex by the throat, the troopers boots barely touching the ground. I spun around and leapt forward, bringing the saber’s point just across the back of the droid’s neck.

Power and control unit disconnected, the droid collapsed. Rex fell back, holding his throat as he breathed in deep breaths. Cut groaned on the floor next to him as I turned off my saber. I joined them on the floor in a heap of robes and jelly legs.

“Daddy?” two voices called out cautiously from above. I looked up to find Suu and the children staring down at us, faces filled with worry.

“I’m alright,” Cut called up to them. The three of us looked at one another as Cut assured Suu and the kids he was alive.

I smiled as I laid back on with an exhausted sigh. “Cut, I don’t know if you noticed, but there’s a hole in your floor.”

“You know what, General, I didn’t. Thanks for telling me.”

We cleared the house of droids before calling it a night. Rex and I back to the barn while Suu and Cut stayed with the kids who were just as exhausted as we were. I leaned on Rex as he helped me hobble to the barn. My leg wasn’t completely broken again, but a sharp pain had returned, one that I wasn’t sure I could fix on my own. Rex was covered in dust, a bruise forming along the side of his face where he’d been struck by a droid. As we got to the door of the barn, he seemed to notice the study I was making of him.

“Ma’am?” he asked, voice a bit hoarse from the fight.

I blinked as he opened the door. “Sorry,” I said as I pushed off of him and used the wall as a support instead. “I’m just tired.” Rex said nothing as we moved into the barn. I flicked my fingers towards the light switch, and the room flooded with light as Rex closed the door. “Cut was very brave tonight,” I said softly as I took a seat on a nearby workbench.

“He was,” Rex admitted. He walked past me and I peeked up at him. His face wasn’t so stiff anymore, a soft smile almost beginning to quirk his lips.

He reminds me of you,” I said. The smile disappeared as Rex’s head turned sharply to face me.

“How?” he asked, brow dipping into a frown.

I cocked my head from one side of the other, trying to stretch out the tense muscles along the back of my neck. “You lead from the front. You’d rather be the first one into the fire, than send someone else into do it. He’s the same.”

“I don’t think—“

“I mean can you imagine if you were given the option to leave the military or stay and fight…” I trailed off as Rex looked over his shoulder at me. That’s too much, Kit. You’re asking too much. I shook my head. “You don’t have to answer that,” I said quickly, “I shouldn’t pry.”

Rex shook his head. “It’s a question everyone seems to want the answer to,” he sighed as he sat down on the table, letting his legs swing off the side. “But I don’t know the answer. Even if I live through all the battles to come, my life won’t be half as long as yours, or any other human,” Rex said.

“But it’s a choice between having a life you make for yourself, versus something someone else wants from you.”

Rex sighed. “You Jedi believe that you were born with a duty, a destiny to serve a higher purpose than yourselves, right?”

I cocked my head. “Yes?”

Rex nodded. “Then the only difference between you and I is that your creator never actually told you what your purpose was face to face. Mine did.”

“That’s—”

“Ifyou can follow your purpose based on blind faith, then why can’t I?”

I held up my hands as he finished. “I didn’t mean to offend you, Captain.”

Rex pulled his legs up onto the bench with a groan. “You didn’t offend me. Just…” he shook his head. Limping, I made my way to my bench, and I could feel his gaze watching me. “I can tell that you care about my brothers and me,” he said.

I glanced at him. “Am I not allowed to care about the men I’m serving with?”

“Didn’t think caring was the Jedi way,” he mumbled.

“So, you think Master Kenobi doesn’t care about his men? Or Skywalker?”

“Of course, they do,” Rex shook his head, “but when it comes down to it, they know what the priority is, that when the time comes, if they have to make a choice between their men and the mission, they know that the men might have to come second. They’re prepared to face that.” I crossed my arms over my chest. He looked me up and down. “The way you spoke at dinner, your actions on Rishi, tonight’s fight — I’m not sure you’re prepared to make that choice, and not being able to do that will eventually hurt more people. More clones. Yourself.”

The barn fell silent as that last syllable left Rex’s lips. I blinked. Rex closed his mouth and stared at me. Shaking my head, I looked down at my feet, breathless.

“I…”

Rex’s voice broke through the room as my own dissipated, his formal tone returned, that hard façade on his face once again. The face of a good soldier, the kind that follows orders, that doesn’t question. I ground my teeth at the sight of it. “I never meant to lecture you—”

“No,” I said cutting him off. “You’ve… given me a lot to think about, Captain.” I looked up at the ceiling and peered through the glass windows that made up the roof. Orange light was beginning to highlight the sky. “Your advice is always welcome,” I said as I dropped my gaze. “But right now, I think we should sleep. Debate the philosophical implications of our lives and personal outlooks some other time.”

Rex’s mouth twitched as he laid down on his back. “We’ll discuss it some other time then, General.”

Raising my hand, I willed the light switch to flip downwards, plunging the barn into a faint darkness as I laid down on my side with a groan. I took a deep breath, yawned and slipped my hands behind my head as I glimpsed the sky one last time. My eyes closed.

“Good night, Rex.”

“Good night, Ma’am.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was midday when we finally got a move on. Rex had woken before me, slipped into his armor. When I drifted out of a heavy slumber myself, I found him standing by the door, helmet tucked into his side. He’d removed the sling from his arm and was staring out over the fields. As I sat up with a groan, his head turned like an ebon hawk, eyes sharp. He straightened up as I stood up and limped towards him.

“General,” he said as I rubbed the back of my neck. I glanced at him.

“How’s your arm?”

“Better. How’s your leg?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and raised my eyebrows. “It’s been better.” I dropped my hand with a sigh. “But it’s good enough to travel.” Rex said nothing, just gave a jerk of his chin and seemed to accept that he couldn’t argue with me on this. I may have had only one and a half legs to stand on, but I could be stubborn. I would be stubborn when it came down to it. “We need to regroup with Master Kenobi’s men before they come looking for us,” I said, glancing at the house. I didn’t want to, but for a second I imagined what would happen if more clones were to arrive — if they were to see Cut.

“Cut’s been out already this morning,” Rex said as I stepped out the door. He walked beside me. “Said we could take an eopie.”

“That generous,” I said as we made our way to the house. As we reached the steps the door flew open and Shaaeah and Jekk ran out onto the porch, two plates of food in their hands. They grinned when they saw me.

“Here you go!” Jekk said holding his tray out to me. I took it in hand as Shaaeah handed her plate to Rex.

“Thank you,” we said, voices overlapping one another. My stomach growled at the smell of food and I didn’t wait for anyone’s permission to begin scarfing down the homemade breakfast.

Following out after their children, Suu and Cut met us on the porch. Cut had a black eye, but he still had a jovial smile on his face as he looked us over. “So you two will be heading back to regroup with your men, I suppose?”

I nodded as I finished my last bite. I glanced at Rex, finding him only halfway done with his food. Suu held her hand out to me and I gave her my plate. “Thank you,” I told her as I wiped my mouth on my sleeve. I turned to Cut. “We can’t thank you both enough for your help.”

“I think you helped us just as much,” Suu said as she set the plate inside the house and returned to Cut’s side. I bowed my head as Cut pointed to the nearby eopie.

“The old girl’ll get you where you need to go,” he said.

“We’ll make sure to return her as quickly as possible,” I told him. Rex, still silent, handed his plate to Shaeeah. “Shall we?” I asked him. He nodded and picked up his helmet turning to join me.

“General,” Suu called and we both stopped. I turned to find her holding Cut’s hand, her eyes worried. “Are you going to report my husband?” she asked.

Faced not just with Suu, but her children, I glanced at Cut. He was watching over his wife, a sad but accepting smile on his face. He really loves her. I looked to Rex.

“Captain?” I asked.

He cleared his throat. “General?”

“Did we see anything worth reporting during our stay?” I asked.

Rex stared at me. For a moment I was afraid. Afraid that he wouldn’t take my meaning, wouldn’t go along with what I was silently asking. I was afraid that soldier façade, wasn’t a façade at all. That he really was a hard man underneath, rigid and unyielding. Then he looked at Suu, and Jekk and Shaaeah and Cut. And a smile quirked his lips.

He shook his head. “In my condition, General, I barely remember anything.”

Taglist: New readers, lemme know if you’d like to be added!

@lackofhonor

Crossed Paths Pt. 2 | Captain Rex x Original Female Character

Table of Contents: Chapter 1

Chapter Summary: Kit accompanies Obi-Wan on his search to capture General Grievous. At Obi-Wan’s order she takes Rex and his men to search for the separatist general, but leads them right into an ambush.

The battle had been long. The deaths had taken their toll. It took us three hours to reach the surface of Saleucami where General Grievous’ ship had finally gone down. The troops were on high alert as we began to disembark the cruiser to begin our search for the separatist general. Swallowing a deep breath I made my way down the ramp keeping an eye on the back of Jedi General Master Obi-Wan Kenobi as he spoke to a small holo image. Quietly, I stepped up next to him, arms crossed as I listened in on their conversation.

“Our sensors are picking up multiple crash landings across the planet, you’ll have to pick your search area wisely,” Admiral Yularen said quickly. “General Grievous will have a head start on you.”

“We will find him,” Obi-Wan assured the Admiral with a firm nod before signing off. He glanced over at me. Then without a word he slipped the holo disc into his pocket.

“It’s what happens when we find him, that worries me,” I murmured under my breath before I could stop myself.

Obi-wan stilled as the troops around us continued their way down the ramp, trackers, speeders and walker tanks rumbling along. I watched over them, jaw tense, a painful coil in my stomach. “I sense much fear in you, Kit,” Master Kenobi said softly.

I looked up at Obi-Wan for a moment, then back down at the men. “Grievous has killed Jedi Knights that were far stronger than I am. Smarter too.” I curled my hands into fists, the memories of young, familiar voice crying out through the force. I had felt their pain. A quick look at Obi-wan told me he had felt it too.

“You fear dying, it’s perfectly natural.”

I shook my head. “Not dying. At least that’s part of it but not the most of it. It’s failing, Master Kenobi.” I glanced at him. “Not being strong enough to protect the people around me. That’s what I fear.”

Obi-wan looked me over for a moment. “Facing such a fear aloud does you credit. My advice would be to know your fear as what it truly is. Don’t give into the fear of loss.” He crossed his arms. “Knowing why you are afraid can empower you, but to focus on it can cloud your judgement.”

“So, accept that I’m not strong enough, and just do what I can?” I asked, after a moment of contemplation.

Obi-wan inclined his head and set his hands behind his back before walking down the ramp. “You’re very astute, Kit.” Holding back a sigh, I trailed after him and we made our way towards one of the ground transports tanks, my jaw still clenched, the worry still enveloping me.

That’s still easier said than done, Master Kenobi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“There’s nothing here, sir!” a trooper called up to us from inside the crashed ship. Obi-wan and I shared a look. “But the engines are still warm!”

“Grievous could be anywhere,” I said as I turned on my heel, examining the horizon. Above us two clones scaled their way down the side of the ship. At first glance I didn’t recognize them, but then I noticed the jaig eyes on the helmet under his arm. “Captain Rex,” I greeted giving the man a soft smile as they approached. A look of surprise flashed over his face for a moment, before it disappeared and I bit back a chuckle. Didn’t think I’d recognize you?

“General Tolsim,” he said with a nod before turning to Obi-wan and doing the same. “General Kenobi, the crew compartment is almost entirely destroyed.”

Obi-Wan sauntered up and stood next to me arms crossed. “We need to split into teams.” He turned to me. “Kithrid, take Rex, Jesse, Hardcase and Kix and search that wetland.”

I nodded. “Yes, Master,” I said, glancing at the clones he had pointed to. Raising my eyebrows, I inclined my head and moved past them to begin climbing down from the ship. On the ground we began to jog towards the speeders, Rex taking the lead. I studied him for a moment. He didn’t pay me a second look.

“Battle droids in a wetland would be like throwing a shock grenade in the fresher,” Jesse grumbled behind me, glancing at me when he realized he’d spoken louder than he’d meant to. “Hope you’re ready for a boring swamp tour, General.”

I chuckled and glanced at the, Captain. “The last time I let Captain Rex take me on a tour, it turned out to be quite the opposite of boring.”

Looking over his shoulder, Rex shot me a frown. “It —”

“Oh,really?” Jesse said, his voice teasing. As a group we slowed to a stop everyone taking a speeder. “You’ll have to tell us about that tour sometime, General,” he said, egging his Captain on. Rex stared straight ahead as he readied his speeder.

I thumbed the throttle on mine and edged my way forward until I was just barely ahead of him. Then I looked over my shoulder, smiled and shrugged. “Sometime,” I told Jesse. Then I looked to Rex and gave him a questioning nod. “Let’s move out.” With a lurch my speeder took off, racing forward, leaving the clones doing their best to keep up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesse had a point about the wetlands. Unless Grievous was traveling with amphibious droids, this lower terrain was unfriendly to anything short of a hover bike. There’s nothing here. Peering through a pair of electro binoculars, I looked down from the ridge we had stopped on, sweeping the flat lands below us carefully.

“I don’t see anything,” I said as I handed the binocs to Hardcase. I glanced to the speeder next to me as Rex put his flipped back the scope on his helmet.

“Nothing,” he said, looking over at me. He pointed to the right of our location. “That ridge should give us another good viewpoint to scout from. If there’s no sign of them by that point, I suggest we call it in and regroup with General Kenobi.”

“Agreed,” I said as I thumbed the throttle on my speeder. “Lead the way, Captain.”

With a nod and not another word, Rex took the lead, speeding down the side of the ridge. Looking over my shoulder I maneuvered my bike ahead of Kix, taking the second position in the pack as we wove our way through the brush, over mudholes and washed-out creeks.

I almost ran over Rex when the shot hit. A flash broke on the hill ahead of us. And in the next moment, the captain was flying back through the air. A hard lurch of the controls pulled me to the left just in time to miss hitting him as he was thrown to the ground. His speeder rolled end over end, a cloud of dust filling the air. I could barely see.

“Protect the captain,” a voice yelled. I wasn’t sure whose. Jesse? Hardcase? I turned around, looking over my shoulder to find Kix’s speeder rounding back to Rex’s position. I should have faced forward then. I should have been alert. I should have been ready.

The second shot missed me, but hit my speeder right in the engine. My momentum died, the controls locked in my hands and my hands held on when my mind was screaming to let go. If I had let go, it wouldn’t have been so bad. As it was, I was pulled with the bike as it turned sharply, my weight pulling it further until at one point I found myself staring an inch away from the ground. Then it rolled. My hands finally let go of the steering bars, but not until after my left leg was smashed between the speeder and the ground.

Somehow, someway everything finally came to a standstill. Nothing moved. The world didn’t move. My body didn’t move. Face down on the ground, sprawled out like a baby on a crawling mat, I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

Then the pain hit, and my lungs drew breath instinctively.

“Kriff,” I rasped as my body seized up with pain. I curled in on myself, the crown of my head pressed to the ground, the body’s weight pressing down on my forearms. My right leg pulled up to my chest, but my left leg — no matter how much my body commanded it to move, it stayed still. Blasters fired in the distance, the sound of speeders whirred. Looking down under my body I glimpsed my leg and immediately felt the need to vomit.

Fuck that’s not pointing the right way.

Crying out, I forced my body to turn over so that I was on my buttocks, legs out stretched. My hands flew to my thigh, trying to keep my leg from twisting even worse.

“General Tolsim!” Hardcase and Jesse’s speeders whirred towards me both men jumping off before they had fully stopped. Tears blur my eyes as I fight them back, Jesse and Hardcase moving around me to find some way to help. Just then Kix’s voice comes over our comms.

“Jesse, you better get back here,” he said, his voice ominous.

I grit my teeth and waved them off. “Get to your Captain. Help Kix.” Hardcase moved next to me, putting on my shoulder.

“Ma’am your leg—”

“Isn’t going to kill me. One of you go,” I panted. The two men shared a look, before Jesse hopped onto his speeder and rode off. “Gaah,” I groaned as I collapsed back on my elbows.

“I’m going to stabilize your leg until Kix can get to you, General,” Hardcase said, taking off his helmet. I nodded, breathing hard and fast. Biting the inside of my cheek I force my breathing to slow, and cut my eyes over to Hardcase.

“Do it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Jesse and the others found a place for us to spend the night, I was ready to cut off my leg. It felt like deadweight at the moment — heavy, useless weight. Using Hardcase for support I followed after Kix and Jesse as they carried a still unconscious Rex into the barn the farmer’s wife had allowed us to use. Helping me settle down on a bench along the far wall, Hardcase soon joined his brothers in removing Rex’s armor. I ground my teeth as I got my first view of the hole that had nearly blown through his chest plate. My brow dipped as I focused on the captain, trying to get a sense of what was going on as the clones around him blocked my view. With a slow breath, I finally opened my eyes as I sensed his lifeforce.

He’s alive. Weak, but he’s alive.

Digging through his med kit, Kix brought out a bacta patch and affixed it to Rex’s chest, before giving him a direct injection of bacta. Two seconds later, Rex was awake.

“Wh-what happened?” he asked, trying to set up, before Kix or perhaps the pain forced him back down on the table.

“Sniper shot,” I said through grit teeth. Rex’s head turned, eyes zeroing in on me, before drifting down to my leg.

“General, what— Kix, get off of me,” he ordered, rolling over.” Massive bruising had broken out across his back. “I can’t move my arm,” he said. I wasn’t surprised but I kept it to myself.

“You have nerve damage,” Kix offered.

“Understood, let’s move —”

Before Rex could say more, all three troopers surrounding him had pressed him back onto the table. “As the team medic, when it comes to the health of you and the men… I outrank everyone,” Kix said, quickly. “So, I respectfully order you, sir, to get some rest.”

The room fell deathly quiet as Kix and Rex stared one another down. Finally, Rex gave in. “Very well,” he said, lying back on the table as Jesse draped a blanket over him. Turning his head, Rex looked to me. “Will you give them their orders, General?”

I nodded and turned to Jesse. “Jesse, take Kix and Hardcase and continue the search. Get word to Master Kenobi when you’re in range and let him know your findings and…” I glanced down at my leg. “Let him know that Captain Rex and I are both injured. We’ll regroup with you back at base camp when we’re able.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jesse said with a firm nod. Picking up his helmet, Hardcase mirrored him and followed Jesse out the door.

Kix stepped back from Rex’s table and moved towards me, bag in hand. “I’ve got enough bacta to help your pain ma’am.”

I glanced round the room, eyes falling on the clone drifting in and out on the table. I looked over his chest. That’s gonna take a lot more help before he’s even close to moving. Lifting my head, I stared up at Kix. “Just splint it, Kix. Use what bacta you have left on the captain.”

Kix shook his head, brow furrowing. “Ma’am—”

“Yes, yes, you outrank everyone, I know,” I stretched out my leg best I could, unable to hide a grimace. “But I’m allergic to bacta.” Kix stared at me with a frown, Jesse and Hardcase stood behind him eyes wide. On the table, Rex lay on his back, head turned towards us. His frown was just as bad as Kix’s, if not worse. I ignored it. “I swell up like a gorg in a steam box,” I said. “The best we can do is splint it and let it heal on its own,” I said, as I looked down at my leg. I looked back up at Kix. “So what will it be, Kix?”

With a sigh, Kix knelt next to me, shoving the vial of bacta into his bag. “It’s gonna hurt, ma’am.”

“It already does, I don’t see how it could get worse,” I said, almost missing the look Kix gave me before setting to work.

I was wrong. It hurt. Everything hurt.

By the time Kix was done with me, I was ready to quit. I had found myself eyeing his med bag, where I knew the bottle of bacta was safely stored away. Patience. A voice said in my head. Pain is fleeting.

“You’ll need to keep your weight off your leg until we can get you to a cruiser,” Rex said as he began to pack up his things. I laid back on the bench, the rise and fall of my chest slowing as I finally relaxed. With my leg stabilized, the pain wasn’t nearly as bad. For a few seconds here and there I might have even forgotten it was broken.

I wiped my hand down my face. “I promise to stay off it,” I told him as I crossed my heart. Turning my head, I glanced at Rex, finding him still asleep. “Anything I should know about him before you leave?”

Kix raised an eyebrow. “About the captain?” he asked, voice sounding confused.

I frowned. “What—oh,” I realized where he’d misunderstood my question. “No, I mean about his wounds. How long before he’ll need another dose of pain meds?”

Kix nodded, understanding me finally. He set his bag next on the ground next to me. “He’s already had a lot, should last him awhile. When he wakes up, if he’s hurting give it to him. Better to stay on top of the pain. Once you start really feeling it, it’s hard to catch up.”

I sat up. “Got it. Thank you, Kix. You better head out or they’ll leave without you.”

Kix straightened up to stand at attention. “Ma’am,” he said, turning towards the door. The sound of speeders taking off followed a few minutes later and I breathed out a sigh and shook my head.

“Kriff,”I muttered as I looked around the barn. Rex lay motionless, save for the soft rise and fall of his chest and a soft twitch along his brow ever now and then.

See what your weakness leads to, a voice said in my head and I found myself holding my breath. You couldn’t even take a small group out on patrol without injuring yourself and watching as the group’s leader was blasted off his bike. What kind of leader are you, Tolsim? Worthless—

Reaching up, I wiped my nose on my sleeve. When my voice left my throat, it was small, barely a whisper as I closed my eyes.

“Emotion, yet peace.”

“Ignorance, yet knowledge.”

“Passion, yet serenity.”

“Chaos, yet harmony.”

“Death, yet the Force.”

My hands clasped as I repeated the Jedi Code again and again. Slowly the world began to fade, only to be interrupted by the pain in my leg, the thoughts in my head that belonged to a voice that wasn’t mine.

Focus. I told myself. Look past the pain.Use the Force and be healed.

“Emotion, yet peace…”

~~~~

I meditated until mid-afternoon, the pain in my leg dulled to brief moments whenever I tried to move it. It was better than what I’d hoped for, but still not healed enough for me to stand on it fully. If my focus hadn’t been stolen, I might have healed myself more. As it was, I was brought out of my trance by a moan of pain. At first, I forgot where I was. I forgot that I wasn’t alone. Then another sound met my ears. A whimper.

Looking up, I found Rex still on the table, head rolling back and forth as he slept fitfully.

Time for more meds.

“Ready for another dose of bacta, Captian?” I asked, rising from my seat. I didn’t expect him to wake so quickly, but as soon as I called to him, Rex opened his eyes and peered over at me, wrinkles on his forehead as he tried to stave off his pain.

“Your leg,” Rex said, eyes dropping down the length of my body.

“Is healing.” I raised my hand, and curled my fingers in a soft gesture. “Sit up, please.” Bending down, I grabbed the med bag and brought out the last bacta injection.

“Are you really allergic to Bacta?” Rex asked as he sat up with a groan.

“No.”

Rex froze, and I could feel his eyes scanning my face. “So you lied.”

I shook my head. “It’s not the first time I’ve told a lie in your presence.”

“But you’re hurt too, you should’ve—” Uncapping the lid of the bacta injection, I jabbed the side of Rex’s neck with the needle. Rex smacked his palm against his throat with a hiss as I pulled back. “Kriff, General.”

“I can heal myself, Rex,” I said as I tossed the empty vial into the bag. With a grimace I turned on my heel. “Not perfectly, but faster than a bottle of bacta can.”

“Then why didn’t you just say you could heal yourself?” Rex asked as I hobbled away from him, using the table as a support.

“Arguing with Kix didn’t seem very appealing,” I said as I sat back down, lifting my leg to elevate it on the bench beneath me. Rex relaxed on the table with a sigh and shook his head. Crossing my arms and let out my own sigh. “I’m not great at this healing thing, if I’m being honest,” I said as aches panged and pinged through my body.

“All the more reason you—”

“But I’m in better shape than you, Rex. You were shot in the chest. My leg is mangled, but a little pain isn’t going to kill me,” I said. I ran my hands up and down my thighs gingerly. Rex was silent for a moment and I looked up, expecting to find him asleep. Instead, I found him watching over me, his face almost what I would call relaxed.

“You can’t save all of us, Ma’am,” he said after a moment and the breath in my chest stalled, caught in my lungs.

Shaking my head, I laughed him off. “I didn’t save you, Rex.”

Rex smiled and looked up at the ceiling. “Tell that to my shoulder. Felt like I was being stabbed before you gave me that shot.” I watched as his smile disappeared. His eyes fell and met mine. “I know you felt bad about Heavy, back on Rishi Station. And I’m not saying that’s why you did what you did here, but you’re in command.” My smile cracked as he stared at me from across the room. “Next time, take the bacta, ma’am. You’re needed more than a few—”

“Captain,” I cut him off, an edge to my voice. Rex’s lips stilled, voice caught in his throat as his sentence went unfinished, but we both knew what he was really trying to say.

You’re needed more than a few clones. I shake my head, because I know he is wrong. But I don’t correct him.

“Rest,” I said after a moment of silence. I cut my eyes at him. Please, let it go.

Screwing his mouth into a frown, Rex turned his head and faced away from me. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Shaking my head, I slowly closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and fell back into my meditation trance as Rex’s breathing fell once more into a deep rhythm. Soon, the barn and even the sound of him faded away.

Crossed Paths Chapter 1 | Captain Rex x Original Female Character

So I have been working on this fic offline for a bit, and want to transfer it from my AO3 to tumblr to finish it. Also needed to give it a new title. So I’ll be posting it over the next few weeks. Hope you like it! And yes, of course there will be smut… eventually. Oh, and angst. Cause like you know me. Gotta get that angst.

Summary: How many times does it take for you to know someone? To realize their dreams align with yours? Even if the powers that be will never allow it.

I stared up at the flickering blue light of the holo before me, hands clasped behind my back.

“Jedi Tolsim,” a familiar and deep voice spoke quickly, voice barbed, tone tight.

I bowed my head. “Master Krell, it’s been some time.”

Krell’s eyes narrowed and I raised my head, staring up at him unflinching. “You have been assigned to accompany the Marshal Commander on his inspections. Ensure that our outposts are ready to face any attacks. We’ve tracked several separatist fleets moving in the area.” A frown found its way onto my face before I could stop it. Krell stared at me. “You have something to add?” he asked. I should have known better. He wasn’t really asking. Somehow that didn’t stop the words leaving my mouth.

“Surely, the Commander is capable of assessing his men’s readiness on his own?”

“I see your time on your own has left you more… idealistic that the last time we saw one another,” Krell murmured.

I swallowed a gulp of air and shook my head. Stupid. You know how he feels about clones.

“I only meant—”

“You will accompany the commander and ensure that his report contains an accurate assessment of our troops and outposts. Is that clear?” he ended with a growl and I immediately bowed, bitter thoughts pricking through my mind.

Make sure the clone doesn’t lie to make himself look better. You’re loud and clear.

“Yes, Master.” As I brought my head back up, I found that the transmission had ended. I let out a sigh. “Damn.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Commander Cody, please report to the flight deck. Commander Cody, please report to the flight deck.”

I paced from one end of the shuttle’s ramp to the other, silently scanning the hanger for any sign of this Commander Cody. Something twisted in my gut. Fear? Anxiety? I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I came to the end of the ramp once more. Krell’s orders echoed in my mind and guilt welled up in me. As a padawan, his view of the galaxy had been all I knew. But now, on my own for a year, I knew this was his bias and distrust of clones, more than a true need to ensure the clones were really ready for an attack.

Patience. Breathe. Be calm.

“Ahem.”

With a small gasp, I opened my eyes to find two clones staring at me, hands up in salute. Clearing my throat, I returned the gesture and shifted from one foot to another.

“General Tolsim,” a clone in yellow and white saluted me, “I’m Commander Cody.” I glanced at the identical man next to him, at least identical so much as they had the same eyes, the same face… but not. It wasn’t the scar on the commander’s face or the yellow blonde hair on the man next to him — there was a difference in how they stood, the man in blue tense, on edge. Cody glanced at his companion. “This is Captain Rex of the 501st. He’s my second for these inspections.”

I smiled and clasped my hands behind my back. “Then I’ll round out the party as your third. Shall we?” I jutted my chin to the shuttle behind me. I turned on my heel, but not before Captain Rex raised an eyebrow, glancing at his superior as if asking a silent question.

“Is something wrong, Captain?”

“Inspection crews aren’t usually accompanied… by Jedi, Ma’am.”

“I’m a last-minute addition, I’m afraid. I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.”

~~~~~~~~

I was quiet. Commander Cody and Captain Rex were quiet. The whole ship was quiet. Everything was awkward. With a wince I glanced at the men sitting ahead of me, piloting the ship stoically as if they were afraid to say anything in my presence. At least they had kept their helmets off, so I knew they were quietly talking over private comms. Still, I couldn’t help the itch to speak, to fill the silence with… something.

Crossing my arms, I glanced out the window the glow of hyperspace filling the view. My eyes drifted to the weapons and helmets stowed in the locker beside me. I glanced over it all, not really looking. A bad habit of mine: when there’s nothing else to do, act like you’ve found something to do.

“Huh.” Raising an eyebrow, I looked over the blue and white helmet. “Jaig eyes?” Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the clones giving each other a glance before turning to me.

“You know about Jaigs, General?” one of them asked. I straightened up. When I turned to face them, Cody was focused back on flying. Rex seemed stuck in the middle, curious to hear me answer the question, but trying to seem disinterested at the same time.

I stepped up behind them. “A clone on one of my first missions had them. Said they were awards for courage.”

My senses picked up feelings of pride as Rex turned in his seat and stared out the window. Cody glanced back at me. “Rex was one of the first clones to get them. It’s quite the story actually—”

“Commander,” Rex glanced over at Cody.

I bit my lip. “I’d love to hear it… sometime,” I said.

Rex turned to me. “Sometime,” he replied then shook his head. “We’re coming up on Pastil station.”

Stepping back, I found a seat and listened as they began relaying commands to the outpost in preparation of our arrival. I glanced at the blue eyes on the helmet and swallowed a sigh.

This is going to be a long mission.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pastil was ready for our arrival, the commander and captain taking the lead of our tour. There was an edge to the air as we went about their business, eyes trailing after me and I had to bite back a sigh.

Jedi don’t accompany random inspections. If I’m here they must think something is wrong, I thought to myself. I glanced over my shoulder catching the eye of the deck sergeant before he turned away jittery as a monkey-lizard. I shook my head. Blast it, Master Krell.

“Everything alright, General?” Commander Cody asked, my attention pulled from my thoughts to the two men in front of me. Feelings of worry and anxiety rippled off him, despite the stoic look on his face — but I sensed no dishonesty. He wasn’t trying to hide anything. Rex kept his head turned to the front, but his shoulders were tense.

I put on my best smile. “Of course,” I said as we turned down a hallway. Out of view of the station’s troops I lowered my voice. “I seem to have made everyone on edge.”

Rex and Cody glanced at one another. “Inspections…” Cody trailed off.

“Inspections put everyone on edge,” Rex finished for him. “It’s not just you.”

I frowned. “Well, I’m glad it’s not justme.”

Rex shook his head quickly, and said, “I—”

Cody cut him off. “What Rex means to say is that inspections, for all the purpose of assessing combat readiness and the state of the station’s crew, are also opportunities for the men to let the higher ups know of issues — things that need fixing.”

I nodded. “And with me here, it may appear all is well, even if all is not well.” I glanced at Rex. “It seems I have made your jobs harder. I apologize.” Our party came to a stop in front of the lift as Cody punched the call button. I crossed my arms and looked down the hall behind us, no sign of anyone. “You know, I think I left my saber on the ship.”

Rex glanced down at my belt and I felt the familiar weight of my lightsaber swaying on its clip. “Ma’am…”

“I’ll run and get that now,” I murmured as I stepped back from the pair of officers. I shook my head, a knowing smile on my lips. “I have no idea where I put it. Could be anywhere. Continue your tour without me,” I said as I turned on my heel, leaving the pair behind. The sound of the lift opening and closing echoed behind me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was hours later, when the pair of clones finally arrived back at the ship. I turned around in my seat as they made their way to the flight chairs, setting their helmets aside. Cody glanced at me before taking the first chair.

“Find your weapon, Ma’am?” Rex asked as he passed me by and I would swear he was almost smiling. Almost. I unclipped my saber, and flipped it into the air before catching it again.

“Would you believe it was under the chair this whole time, Captain?” I smirked. Rex chuckled as the ship took off from the hanger. I watched as he took his seat, then turned my attention to the Commander. “How went the rest of your tour?”

Cody glanced over his shoulder. “It went well, General. The sergeant in charge pointed out some deficiencies in the outer defenses. Rex pointed out how to fix them. They’ve also got several requisitions on back order, so we’ll see if we can get them some fresh supplies to help with morale.” I smiled as I studied Cody in the force. No deception, nothing hidden.

“I’m glad you were able to help them,” I said. Crossing my legs, I glanced out the front window, black space and a smattering of stars filled my eyes. “The Rishi station is up next, yes?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” both men replied as we jumped to hyperspace.

“I was thinking…” I trailed off as they both glanced back at me. “I do need to inspect some things for my own report. But would it be better if you two did your inspections first, then I could bring up the rear?”

“That could work,” Rex said, thoughtfully. “If you don’t mind staying on the ship a bit longer?”

Cody nodded. “This outpost has quite a few rookies too so there should be plenty of things that aren’t up to snuff. No reason to stress them out more.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said as I clasped my hands in my lap. “How far away are we?”

“Half an hour,” Cody said, turning to Rex, “dial it in for me?”

Rex gave a quick nod and began typing away. “Yes, sir.”

“Rishi Outpost, this is Commander Cody, do you copy?” Static filled the comm channel. Cody sighed. “I repeat: Rishi Outpost, this is Commander Cody, do you copy?” Still nothing.

“Are our comms jammed?” I asked, standing up and moving up behind Rex’s chair to peer at the screen. Rex shook his head.

“Everything’s clear on our end, they just aren’t responding.”

“Let’s try this again,” Cody ground out. “Rishi Outpost, this is Commander Cody, do you copy? Rishi Outpost come in. Rishi Out post do you copy?”

A flash of annoyance rang through the force before the screen finally flittered and a clone trooper came into view. “Sorry Commander, we’re uh experiencing technical difficulties.” I raised an eyebrow as Rex and Cody shared a look.

“This is the inspection team,” Cody said gruffly.

“Inspection, negative, negative. We do not require an inspection.”

“Well, that’s a first,” I murmured stifling a laugh.

“Everything is fine here, thank you.”

Cody glared at the screen. “We’ll be the judge of that,” he said. “Prepare for our arrival.”

“Roger, roger,” the trooper confirmed before the screen went blank. I cocked my head. Odd.

“Something’s not right here,” I said. Rex looked at me over his shoulder as I stepped back and took my seat.

“I was just about to say the same thing, General.”

“Well, good luck,” Cody chuckled. “I’m putting you two in charge of this one.” He glanced back at me. “I think maybe you should accompany us for this inspection, Ma’am.”

I shrugged. “Whatever you say, Commander.”

The landing pad was deathly quiet. I walked down the ramp on my own, Cody and Rex bringing up the rear, muttering quietly about the state of the outpost.

“Sloppy—” Rex said before cutting himself off. I took a deep breath and focused on the base.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” I said as the base doors opened and a single trooper made his way towards us. Cody moved past me, Rex following behind him. My hand fell to my belt, fingers wrapping around the hilt of my lightsaber. I focused on the trooper walking towards us, waving his hands as he spoke to Cody. Something felt wrong here. I felt nothing. No energy no feelings. All clones had a different aura about them. Rex was like a stone wall, tough but with cracks of light bleeding through it. Cody’s was just as tough, but more fluid, like ice melting in spring. The trooper meeting us felt like nothing.

“Captain…” I said, an edge of worry to my voice. Rex twisted around to look at me, just as a red light exploded in the sky. I looked up and spotted the droid attack flare. I pulled out my saber, purple light igniting as I brandished it, but I was too slow to beat the shot of blaster fire that went straight through the trooper’s head.

Cody yelled as I ran to catch up with them. “General— Rex what the heck are you—”

“That’s no clone,” I said as I skidded to a stop beside them. Rex knelt down.

“Relax, Cody,” he said as he pulled the helmet off the body, the head of a droid coming into view.

“That flare must have come from the survivors,” Cody murmured. Leaping forward, I brought my saber up as red bolts flew towards us.

“Find cover!” I shouted as I deflected one bolt after the other. Rex and Cody dashed to the side, finding cover behind some crates. Shots blasted from behind me. I turned. Droids were on all sides. Detonators were in their hands.

“General, off the platform, now!”

Not needing to be told twice, I dashed to the left, leaping into the air as fire exploded behind me. My body curled in on itself as I fell, hands thrown back as I threw out my mag line. With an oomph I caught myself hanging below the platform, Rex and Cody hanging above me. We looked at each other as flames and sparks and ash rained down from above. Without a word, Cody set his line to lower him. Rex and I did the same.

I disconnected my line as my feet touched the ground and let out a deep breath, peering up at the chaos above us. “Any ideas?” I asked the two clones next to me.

Rex shook his head a wave of anxiety flowing off him. I stepped from one foot to the other, adrenaline making me antsy. “Droids complicate things, General,” Rex said.

“Eh, it’s no worse than that time on Tibrin,” Cody said stepping past us. Out of the three of us, he felt almost normal. He glanced at me. “Glad we brought you with us, General.”

“Glad I didn’t stay on the shuttle,” I said, following after him. I glanced back at Rex as he brought up the rear.

“Glad you remembered your lightsaber this time,” Rex said, the edge and alertness to his voice still there but he felt calmer, and it was if he was trying to help me calm down too.

I turned and followed Cody down the ridge. “Me too. You’ve probably already thought of this, but I’d say our first step is finding whoever shot off that flare. Regroup then try to signal the fleet.”

“If the survivors didn’t signal them already then we’ll have to take the base to find working comms,” Cody pointed out.

I nodded my head. “Taking back a base from new commando droids. Today’s turning out to be so much more fun than just inspecting outposts.”

Rex huffed out a sharp laugh from behind me. “We aim to please, Ma’am.”

~~~~~~

The survivors weren’t exactly the troopers we were hoping for. The minute we’d laid eyes on them Rex went into senior captain mode, resetting the chain of command. The shinies, Fives, Hevy, and Echo immediately fell into line. When it came to the planning though, everyone turned to me.

“Orders, General?” Cody asked.

I shook my head. As a padawan I had seen orders given and had relayed them, but hated doing it. It was too much pressure, too much to put on one person, even a jedi. And in my experience the best plans were a mix of clone ingenuity and Force inspired chaos. Not that any other jedi would call it chaos.

I looked to the shinies. “What’s the quickest way into the base?”

“The front door,” Hevy said, quickly before the others could answer.

“Any other way?”

“We could go back the way we came, through the vents but they’ll hear us before we get to the command center.”

Cody shook his head. “They’re not going to let us through the front door.”

I glanced at Rex as he stood off to the side, staring up at the landing platform. “Captain? Your turn.”

“I have a few ideas,” he said, slowly turning back to face the group. “And they’re just crazy enough they might work.”

~~~~

“This is never going to work,” I muttered as Rex stared into the door camera, trying to convince the droids within the base to let us in. It took everything in me not to laugh as he bent down and picked up a droid’s head and waved it at the camera, like a child with a mangled puppet. The gears within the base began to turn as the doors slid open and I came face to face with a group of droids. If droids could look surprised, they looked double that when Rex stepped up and stood next to me.

“Jedi!?”

Fssssh. With the hum of my saber, I glanced at Rex.

“Roger, roger,” he said and I could hear the grin. Throwing up a hand I pulled the nearest droid towards us, swiping it down the middle with my blade. Blasters fired. Droids fell to the ground, gaping holes in some, pieces missing from others. It was over in seconds.

“Let’s move,” I called to the group behind me, before taking off down the hall. Rex kept pace. “I think that was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” I laughed quietly as we rounded a corner.

Rex said nothing, but I could feel a hint of his pride, as we slid to a halt at the bottom of some stairs.

“Permission to take point, Sir?” one of the shinies asked.

Rex shook his head. “I’m always first, Kid.”

“I think we can both be first this time,” I told him, and he snapped his head in my direction. “Captain, you’ll take the left, I’ll take the right. Everyone else aim for the center,” I whispered. “And go!”

The command center exploded into action as we burst through the entrance. I spied two droids on the top walkway, taking aim as we rushed the room. With a quick gulp of air, I pushed myself off the ground and soared through the air, flipping over before landing between them. A solid swipe of my sword saw them both dismantled and on the floor. Down below the shinies and Cody were clearing the other blast droids out. But Rex was on the floor, a bladed droid standing above him. Reaching out, I wound my hand into a fist and pulled the droid up off the ground. Rex jumped to his feet. With more strength than I think any natural human could possess, he twisted the droids head nearly off and smashed it to the ground as I dropped my hand.

“Room’s clear,” the batch of shinies announced as we regathered in the center of the control room.

“Cody, check the comm’s system,” I said as I clipped my lightsaber to my belt. “See if you can reach Master Kenobi or Skywalker.”

Cody worked at the control system, Fives moved next to him. “We’ve got incoming,” Fives said. I glanced at his screen, a fleet of separatist ships moving into view.

“That’s not good,” I said, shooting a glare at the screen. “Any breaking away towards us, or are they just flying by?”

“Two are entering the atmosphere,” Fives said as the room fell silent.

Rex leaned over the console. “Commander?” he asked, urging Cody to finish working on the comms.

“The relay’s been sabotaged. And we’re broadcasting the all-clear signal to the fleet.” He glanced round the room. “They won’t know the separatists are in the sector until it’s too late.”

“Then we have to stop the signal. Can you turn it off?”

“It’s hardwired.”

“Then we’ll have to blow the base,” Rex said quickly.

“I think we forgot to bring the missiles for that,” I murmured. “A few detonators won’t cut it.”

Everyone fell quiet at that, trying to think their way out of this. An alarm rang, a proximity alert. Fives began swiping at his screen.

“Seppies are two minutes out.”

Stretching my arms above me I cracked my neck and turned towards the door, before heading for it.

“General?” several voices called behind me. I turned around.

“Figure out how to blow the base,” I told them, pointing my thumb over my shoulder. “I’m going to stall our guests and give you all time to clean the house up.” Turning on my heel, I started down the stairs. “Try to be quick about it,” I called over my shoulder. The sound of boots running echoed behind me.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The base — if one could call a burning pile of metal a base— was gone. We’d had no word from the fleet. But the droid ships had taken off the second the base was destroyed. And so we found ourselves on the high ridge, watching the station burn. The shinies were quiet, doing their best to hide their grief over their fallen brother Hevy. If Cody or Rex noticed how much they were hurting, they didn’t show it and I wondered if it might have been a different story if I hadn’t been there. I did my best to give the group space to work through their feelings, thinking that if it weren’t for me, they’d let their pain be free rather than bottled up, waiting to burst out.

Speaking of pain. With a hiss, I finally lowered myself to the ground, unable to stand any longer, turning my back to the group. I leaned back on one hand and looked down at my side, the burning sensation fire spreading beneath my skin.

“You alright, Ma’am?” a clone’s voice said above me, softly. A glance over my shoulder found Rex standing behind me, looking down, the moon shining behind him. I would have jumped if my body had had the energy. I hadn’t heard him at all.

“’m fine,” I told him as I turned back around. He stepped around and knelt beside me.

“You don’t sound fine,” he said, setting his helmet of the ground next to us. He looked over my torso. “You’re hurt.”

“I really wasn’t planning on getting shot today,” I groaned as Rex checked my side. Without asking permission, he lifted my shirt and looked over my skin, and the way he lifted my arm sent a wave of agony through my ribs.

“The wound isn’t deep, but your ribs are most likely broken,” he murmured.

That’s what happens when a battle droid throws you into a wall.

“I am aware,” I breathed as he lowered my arm. “Think I’ll make it?” I asked, smiling up at him softly, already knowing the answer.

“Yes,” he said, matter of factly. I raised an eyebrow and he stammered. “B-but I’m not a medic ma’am so—”

“Rex, I’m just messing with you. Relax.” Taking my words as if they were an order, Rex lowered himself completely to the ground and sat next to me, one knee pulled to his chest. “Any word from the fleet?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Not yet,” he said. “But with how the droid fleet retreated, I’d say General Skywalker and General Kenobi are on their way.”

“Good,” I breathed as I leaned my head back to stare up at the stars. “I’m sorry about Hevy,” I murmured.

Rex’s voice softened. “Ma’am?”

I let my head fall forward until I could look at him once more. “I’m sorry about Hevy,” I repeated. “If I’d known he was still inside I never would have left him.”

“Respectfully, General, if you’d both been in there, you both would be gone right now.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better, Rex.”

He shook his head. “I know. But hopefully it lets you know that no man here blames you. Losing a brother is something we’re born to endure.”

I looked out over the horizon as a flutter of wind and sand rolled by and silence fell over the ridge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Kithrid Tolsim,” a deep timbred voice echoed through the holo comm system, “you’re late.”

Reaching up, I slipped my hood off my head before clasping my hands in front of me as I slowly bowed. “Apologies, Master. The past few days have been…” I clenched my teeth as a dull pain ran through my side, “busy.” Waving a hand, Master Krell dismissed my comment and gave me an old familiar look.

Cut to the chase.

I cleared my throat. “I assume you’ve read Commander Cody’s reports?”

“Of course,” Krell said. “They all seem to have an element of bravado. I read that your second inspection ended with the base in ruins?”

“Droids overran the base before we arrived,” I said with a nod. “But the commander and his captain should be acknowledged for their role in recapturing it. Without them, it wouldn’t have been possible.”

Krell paced, humming so lowly I would have sworn he was growling. “Yet if the clone commander had efficiently done his duty, one might argue the base should have never fallen in the first place. Yes?”

I shook my head. “The new commando droids aren’t to be underestimated. Had it been any other outpost, I doubt that there would have been a different outcome.” I took a deep breath as Krell came to a stop, and glared down at me. “This was a security issue, but one to be blamed on a weakness in the system. Not on Commander Cody or his men.”

“You always did have an affinity for excusing others weaknesses.”

I stared up at the holo. “I saw no weakness, Master.”

Whether we stood there for minutes or hours, I wasn’t sure. It felt like I couldn’t breathe as Master Krell glowered down at me, as if he might walk out of his holo and reteach me all the ‘lessons’ he had taught me as his padawan. Finally, he narrowed his eyes.

“I expect your full report within the next rotation,” he said. Looking to the side, he nodded to someone out of view and the transmission was cutoff.

With a sigh, I leaned forward, resting my hands on the counter in front of me. “As you wish, Master.”

Crossed Paths Pt. 4 | Captain Rex x OFC

Table of Contents: Chapter 1,Chapter 2, Chapter 3

“Anakin Skywalker,”  I said as I stepped up behind my old friend. With a smug grin, my fellow knight turned around from the window looking out over the lower half of the temple. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked me up and down as though he was sizing me up. Just like old times.

“Kit Tolsim,” he said, voice full of his normal teasing bravado. “If the council summoned you too, I must be in for quite the grueling mission.”

I smiled back at him and mirrored his stance. “Who said my missions were grueling?” I asked.

“Captain Rex,” Anakin replied, jutting his chin to motion to someone behind me. I twisted round to look over my shoulder. Walking towards us strode Rex, back straight helmet at this side. I raised an eyebrow.

Stoic as ever.

“Captain,” I greeted, crossing my arms as he stood beside Anakin.

If possible, he seemed to straighten his back more and I wasn’t sure it would take the strain. “General Tolsim,” he said.

“I wasn’t expecting you here,” I said, glancing at Anakin, “either of you really.”

Anakin’s hands fell to clasp behind his back and he shrugged. “The council requested us both specifically. I didn’t know they were bringing you in as well.”

I shook my head. “Not just me,” I said, glancing at the doorway behind me. “They wanted me to bring two of my own along,” I said, turning back to face Rex and Anakin. Anakin’s mouth opened to say something, but Rex beat him.

“You were recently given your own Battalion,” he said, nodding his head. I bit back a smile.

“Careful, Rex, Kit will think you’re keeping tabs on her,” Anakin chuckled.

A look of embarrassment and slight horror passed over Rex’s face as he glanced up at Anakin. “I just—”

“You’re alright, Rex. I took over the specialist corps,” I said, cutting him off before he popped a blood vessel. He fell quiet, eyes glancing from my face to the floor. I continued speaking. “I’m primarily overseeing ARC troopers on special assignment.” The feeling of two familiar presences appeared behind me and I raised my eyes to the ceiling as the door slid open. “They’re quite talented,” I said turning around, “though they seem to struggle with showing up on time.” We watched as two troopers made their way towards us. I couldn’t help the smile on my face as they snapped to attention.

“General Tolsim,” they said in sync.

“General Skywalker, meet Fives and Echo,” I said as I turned back around. “Two of my best. Rex, I think you know each other?” I asked with a quick glance at the captain. “You recommended them personally for ARC training.”

Rex looked… proud? “Yes, I did,” he said, smiling briefly at the two troopers next to me. Under their helmets, I was sure there were identical grins plastered on their faces.

“Well,” Anakin said, glancing at the door leading to the council’s war room. “I’ve got my trooper and you’ve got yours, Kit.” He stepped back and held his hand out to the door. “Shall we?”

Slipping his helmet on, Rex stepped out of the way and joined Fives and Echo as I followed after Anakin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Someone has been kidnapping clones and we’re only hearing of this now?” I asked, arms folded over my chest as Master Koth finished his presentation.

“It took time for anyone to detect a pattern,” Master Koth replied as he turned off the holo projector before facing us once again. “Out of a million units, the amount of desertions and the missing in action reports —”

“No one noticed that a few men were missing here and there after shore leave,” Anakin said next to me.

I glanced at him, a bitter frown on my face as I crossed my arms. Or no one cared. Raising my head, I glanced up at the ceiling. “And these men — do we know where they are?”

Koth nodded his head. “Our investigative teams discovered them in a nerf freeze facility in the undercity.” He paused. “There were… no survivors.”

“And no leads?”

“Not from that facility,” Koth replied. “But we’ve received reports that someone is looking to buy ARC troopers. So far the offer is 75 thousand credits.” Anakin and I shared a look before turning our gaze on the troopers standing at attention along the far wall.

“ARC troopers specifically?” Anakin asked.

“The clones that we found were lower ranking, which is probably why their absence went unnoticed for as long as it did. However, they wouldn’t have had access to the same intel or know our weaknesses as well as an officer—”

“Or an ARC trooper,” I finished for him, finally catching on. I glanced at Anakin. “I’m starting to see why your summons was so specific, Master Koth.”

“Skywalker has a history of undertaking unconventional missions, and Tolsim, your men are some of the best.”

“So, our mission…”

“Discover who is behind this, what they’re after,” Koth said. “And deterthem.”

I glanced at Anakin. “Any ideas on how we do that?”

The knight fell silent for a moment, before turning to look at the troopers along the wall. I glanced around his side, and found Rex still as a statue, Fives with his hands on his hips and Echo with rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. Anakin turned back to me.

“I have a few ideas.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Excuse me, ma’am, but what?”

I held up my hands as three troopers stared at me, Echo and Fives with wide eyes, Rex just as calm as ever, except for the way his eyes flitted from me to Anakin, who was standing behind me. “Don’t get mad at me, Fives,” I said throwing my thumb over my shoulder, “it’s Skywalker’s plan.”

“Hey, Master Koth had the idea first,” Anakin groused. I looked over my shoulder as he shrugged. “I just refined it.”

Echo and Fives shared a look. “Selling us doesn’t sound like much of a plan from where we’re standing,” Fives said, looking at me and I felt as though my skin might explode into flames beneath his gaze. He was always the one that told it straight, and I had a feeling that had he spoken to any other commander as he did to me, he’d be in a hot seat.

“We’re not selling you,” I said, squinting as I waved my hands, searching for someway to make this plan sound better than it was. “It’s more like — like a rental. We are not going to leave you,” I told them both, making eye contact as I said it. “I promise.”

“And honestly, I doubt Kit could sell water to a farmer on Tatooine,” Anakin said, as he moved to stand next to me, “so you don’t really have anything to worry about.”

“Is that a challenge?” I asked, hands falling to my hips. I waved a hand to Echo and Fives. “Because these two graduated at the top of their class in ARC training.”

“So did Rex.”

“ButI have two,” I shot back. I glanced at Rex. “No offense.”

The corner of Rex’s mouth quirked. “No offense taken,” he said setting his helmet down on the seat next to him. “But perhaps we can discuss the mission plan?”

Anakin and I shared a look before he took the lead. Punching in the intel holodisk, he began to speak as a planet with three moons was projected above us. “The coordinates for the broker are on Ajan Kloss. We will meet them there and attempt to complete the transaction.” He looked over the men. “You’ll each be fitted with subcutaneous trackers. When you’re… sold,” Anakin’s voice deepened into a breathy growl for a moment, “we’ll be able to track you. We want to find out who is at the top of these dealings.”

“And what if the trackers don’t work?” Echo asked.

“They will,” I said setting a hand on his shoulder. “That’s not the hard part.” Echo gave me a nod and I let my hand fall away. Across the table, my eyes found Rex watching my hand, his gaze fixed on my fingers. I cleared my throat as I hid my hands behind my back. Rex looked to Anakin who was adding on to my previous statement.

“The hard part is that if we spook the broker at all, the entire deal is off.”

“And because one of us is a little well known…” I looked at Anakin, “having two people trying to make a sale should give the whole ordeal more credence.” Crossing my arms, I looked each man in the eye. “There are a lot of unknowns to this mission. We don’t know who the broker is, or their buyer. We don’t know where they will take you. We don’t even know which one of you it will be.”

“But if we don’t do it, then more of our men could — will end up in a slaughter house,” Rex said, jaw tense, eyes staring up at the hologram. I wasn’t sure anyone else noticed how he pressed his fist against the table.

My stomach lurched at the thought of not only what we were sending these three into, but what the other clones, those missing had gone through. What if one of them had been my men? Or Rex? Always the first one into the fray, I thought sadly as Echo and Fives listened to their brother. Rex was a great leader, and I had borrowed from his playbook quite a bit since taking over the specialist troopers. They needed that leadership now and I wasn’t sure Anakin or I was going to cut it. They need him to lead.

“Not that I get an opinion, as these are orders,” Echo said, drawing my attention off Rex. I turned to Echo as he looked between myself and Anakin. “But I’d do anything for my brothers.”

Fives crossed his arms, but gave a firm nod. “We all would.”

“Then we all understand our roles?” Anakin said, looking us each in the eye. “Kit and I will play the part of trader, and you three will be the goods.”

With stiff nods, I turned to my two ARCs. “Gather you gear and be ready to move out within the hour,” I told them as Anakin stepped to the side to speak with Rex. Echo and Fives gave a quick salute before turning on their heels and leaving the room. Crossing my arms, I glanced at Anakin and Rex before moving to join them.

“I have an errand I need to attend to before we go,” Anakin was telling Rex. “Can you make sure the shuttle is prepared?”

“Yes, sir,” Rex said as Anakin left him, walking towards me.

He smirked. “It’ll be just like old times, Kit.”

“You mean the two of us trying to outdo one another until we create such a huge mess our masters will have to come save us.”

Anakin’s nose scrunched up. “We won’t need Obi-Wan or Master Krell this time.”

I smiled as he stepped past me. “So, a gentleman’s bet then?” I asked.

Anakin scowled. “You’re no gentleman, Kit.”

“Well, thanks for noticing, but neither are you.”

“Whoever gets the broker to take their ARC trooper wins?” he asked. I nodded in agreement. Rolling his eyes, Anakin began making his way towards the door once more. “I can do that in my sleep, Kit. Get ready to lose.”

“You know, Anakin, the loser is always the one to crow first,” I called as he disappeared through the door. A smirk overtook my face as I turned around.

I looked across the room, to find Rex typing away on a data pad, and relaying information through his comms. I approached.

“Ready the shuttle in bay 055-273,” he ordered, glancing at me as I made my way over. “The team will be there within the hour.” Order relayed he dropped his arm and continued working. “Was there something you needed, General Tolsim?” he asked without looking up.

“No,” I said, looking down at the war table, studying the troop lines. “I—“

“Do you know General Skywalker well?” Rex interrupted.

My head snapped up. Something inside me had hoped that when I looked up I would get to see his eyes again, but they were trained on the pad in his hand. Pushing off the table, I shrugged. “We came to the temple around the same time. He’s a few years older than I am though.”

“So, he’s like a brother then?”

I cocked my head. “I… wouldn’t say that,” I said. “Not like your brothers at least.” Raising his eyebrows, Rex looked down at his data pad and set to typing. I looked him over, happy to see that he looked healthy, maybe even a tad more… loose than he was during our stay on Saleucami. Like he had unraveled from a tight ball of string. “You look good, Rex,” I said as I leaned against the table, arms crossed .

His eyes shifted up and I realized what I had said. “Ma’am?”

I shook my head. “You look well. A lot better than you did the last time I saw you,” I amended. A heat raced up the back of my neck as he looked at me, but I ignored it. For the most part.

“I…” he looked down at his data pad for a moment, then back at me. “You look better too, General.”

I smiled softly as he cleared his throat and set down the data pad. He reached up and rubbed his palm over the back of his head. “You’ll want to make your way to the landing pad, Ma’am. The boys might have been late for the meeting this morning but they’ll be there early to set out.”

A soft hum of acknowledgment left me and I began to step backwards. “Don’t take it too hard when Echo, Fives and I beat you and Skywalker, yeah?”

Something akin to a smirk appeared on Rex’s face as he finally looked up and met my gaze for what felt like the first time in forever. “I’m placing my bets on General Skywalker this time, ma’am. No offense.”

I gave a fake gasp as I turned around, setting my hand over my heart. “Oh, I take all the offense, Captain,” I said as I made my way towards the doors. “All of it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Fives, don’t be such a baby,” I said as the trooper lingered by the door. Echo, having just gotten a tracker shot into his side, pulled down his shirt and sat up on the examination table. The med-droid hovered to the side waiting for Fives to take his own seat.

“You heard the general,” Echo called as he sat back on his hands. “Don’t be such a baby.”

“Stuff it,” Fives said as he glared at his brother. Then his eyes flitted to me, “Sorry ma’am, it’s just…” he glanced at the med droid and swallowed. “I’ve got a thing about needles.”

I nodded. “I get it. But it has to be done for the mission.”

Grumbling and with a jaw so tense, I was worried it might shatter, Fives made his way to the table across from Echo. The other clone smirked. “I bet if you ask nicely enough the general will hold your hand,” Echo teased.

“Ahem.” Before Fives could cuss his squad-mate out, and before I could join in on Echo’s teasing someone cleared their throat from the doorway. In sync, all three of us turned to find Rex peeking into the med bay. Fives and Echo straightened up. “General Skywalker asked me to inform you that we’re an hour out from Ajan Kloss.”

“Thank you, Captain,” I said as the med droid forced Fives to lay back on the table, pulling his shirt up. I turned to Rex. “Have you been fitted with a tracker yet?”

Rex shook his head, glancing at the scene behind me. “I… can get one when you’re done in here,” he said jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. “I should get back to the general… uh, General,” he made a face as he turned around and left the med bay.

“Captain—” I frowned, unable to stop him, but twisted back around to face Fives and Echo. The two of them were sharing a look, almost mirror images of one another with eyebrows raised, mouths quirked into half smiles.

“What?” I asked them as I crossed my arms.

Fives shrugged as Echo shook his head. “Nothing, ma’am, just never seen the captain balk like that,” Fives said.

“I thought he’d be smoother,” Echo said, hand under his chin. Fives nodded in agreement as I narrowed my eyes.

“As interesting as this conversation is to anyone else,” I said, stepping next to the med-droid, “We need to get a move on. Lift your shirt, Fives.” The droid moved across from me as Fives groaned.

“Ma’am…”

I fixed him with a look. “Fives, do I need to hold your hand?”

Rolling his eyes, he laid back. His fingers pried up the hem of his black top and he didn’t move, even as the droid drew nearer. It was over quickly, a short jab over his ribs and a hiss as the injector did its job and the droid was soon pulling back readying the next set of shots for our plan. With a scowl, Fives pulled his shirt down and sat up.

“You made it,” I said as I patted his shoulder. “One down, one more to go.”

“Another?” he asked as I retracted my hand. The med droid held up two new syringes’ filled with a golden liquid. Even Echo tensed as the droid chose him as its first victim.

“Qualoquey vaccine,” I said setting my hands on my hips as Echo received an injection to the neck. “It mimics the symptoms of spice withdrawal.”

“Spice?” Echo repeated with a hiss as he set his palm over the injection site.

“All the consequences, none of the fun, sorry,” I said as the med droid moved towards Fives. He tensed but took the shot without a word. “The worst of it should hit you in a few minutes and you’ll be able to function when we land.”

“Is the captain going to be getting one of these too?” Fives asked. I shook my head and the two troopers frowned.

“No one will know I’m a Jedi, right?” I asked them, raising an eyebrow. They shook their heads. “And so, what plausible story can you think of, where little old me took down the two of you?”

They thought for a minute. “We met at a club,” Echo said, wincing as he set his hand against his temple, sweat beginning to prickle his skin. “You spiked our drinks…”

“And now we’ll do anything for another taste of spice,” Fives finished.

“I told Skywalker you two were the best,” I said slapping Echo’s shoulder as I turned towards the door. I swiped one of the trackers from the counter. “I’m going to go get myself ready, see how the general is planning on us arriving at the coordinates, without drawing attention.” Two voices groaned behind me as I opened the door, and twisted round to give them one last look. They had both keeled over onto their sides, Fives holding his stomach. Echo had his legs tucked up to his chest. “The trashcan is in the corner,” I told them. “I’ll buy you both a drink when this is over. Promise.” Turning on my heel, I left the med-bay as boots hit the floor stumbling towards the garbage can. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The cockpit is silent as I enter. Anakin sits in the pilot’s chair going over reports, not reading word for word, but scrolling through quickly, absorbing the important information. In the chair opposite him, with his gaze focused on the swirl of hyperspace, sits Rex. Neither man notices me at first.

“Busy?” I ask and they both flinch, Rex so hard I’m afraid he’ll jump out of his seat and through the roof of the ship. Anakin glances over his shoulder.

“Not particularly. Did you need something?”

I shook my head. “Nothing much besides hearing what your plan is for landing? I don’t think it’s a great idea for us to show up in one ship. Do you?”

“We’ll disembark a few clicks south of the rendezvous,” Rex says before Anakin can speak. “The general and I will enter first, confirm that the meet-up is authentic and then you and your team can move in to make your play.”

I turned to Anakin. “That’s cheating,” I said dully.

He faked a laugh. “What? No, it’s not. I just thought you would appreciate not having to trek through a jungle for once.”

 “Oh of course you were thinking of me,” I said dryly, rolling my eyes as I leaned up. “Well, it sounds like you boys have come up with your plan.” I turned to Rex. “I brought a tracker up for you. Echo and Fives have the monopoly on the med-bay for now.

Anakin frowned. “Rex already has a tracker,” he said. Rex’s head tilted forward as he cleared his throat.

“Actually, I uh, didn’t get one yet, sir,” he said.

“Rex, I sent you down there to get one—”

I quirked a brow as Rex looked between Anakin and me. “W-well, I uh, General—”

I turned to Anakin. “The med-droid was busy with Echo and Fives. I asked Rex to come back here.”

Anakin frowned for a moment then shrugged. With a sigh he stood up and turned towards the door. “I’m going to check my gear and get ready for the drop-off. Rex get your tracker and meet me in the cargo hold. I want to go over a few things.”

“Yes, sir,” Rex said, standing as his general left, the door closing behind him. I set the tracker and syringe on the small work table along the wall as Rex moved towards me. “You shouldn’t have lied like that,” he said. “Not for me.”

“Yes, well you can’t tell a lie to save your life,” I said, turning to face him as he sat down on the edge of the table. I hadn’t realized he was so close until the scent of him — gun oil, standard soap, and his own scent tickled my nose. I shook my head and leaned back, hoping the heat beneath the skin of my cheeks wasn’t showing. “So, I told one for you. And I know Anakin. His teasing would be ceaseless.” I knelt down as Rex stared at me. I looked up at him. “Your shirt?” I asked. Without a word, he lifted the hem, and I couldn’t help but notice the way his cheeks turned a shade of pink as I uncapped the syringe. I wiped the area quickly, watching as his abdomen flinched at the cold swab. His tan skin was warm to the touch. I swallowed as I noticed him watching me and I quickly took aim with the needle in my hand. “Besides, I think I’d prefer to tease you all on my own.”

Rex’s brow furrowed at that. “Ma’am—mmm?” he turned his head as he groaned as the needle pricked his skin suddenly. I placed my thumb atop the syringe and pressed down gently as the tracker was injected. Pulling back, I covered the injection site with a pad and set the needle on the table next to him.

I smiled. “You took that a lot better than Fives did.” I started to rise to my feet. “He has a problem—”

“—with needles,” Rex said, his voice overlapping my own. I swallowed, pulling my hand back from his side as he dropped his shirt. He cleared his voice as I set to disposing of the syringe kit. “You have a good rapport with them,” he said behind me.

I hummed, head nodding. “They’re good men. I want to see them make it through the war in one piece,” I said quietly.

“I’d like to see that too,” Rex murmured. I looked over my shoulder and smiled.

“What no, lecture about knowing when to let go?” I asked.

He tilted his head. “When have I ever lectured you, Ma’am?”

“Oh, I can think of a time or two.”

“Well, people change,” he said, stepping towards the door. I turned around quickly, eyebrows dipping. He reached out and hit the door pad, the cockpit opening to the rest of the ship.

“Have you changed, Rex?” I asked him, before he could set foot over the threshold. He froze. The room was silent again. His jaw was tense and I wasn’t sure he was breathing. His gaze fell to the floor and I looked to his hands, only to find them balled up at his sides.

“I should get to the cargo bay,” he said finally, stepping forward, out into the hall before I could ask him anything else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You two look… horrible,” I said as I entered the med-bay. Echo and Fives looked up at me slowly as though I had just kicked them and stolen their favorite blanket. Their eyes were bloodshot, skin sickly pale, their deep bronze overtones now grey. I turned to the med-droid. “Give them a boost,” I ordered. It set to work approaching Fives first.

He shook his head and moved back on the bed. “Not again,” he moaned and I clasped my hands.

“This will make you feel better,” I told him softly as the droid gave him another injection, “but you’ll still look like you’re strung out for a bit.” Almost immediately, Fives relaxed on the table, letting out a long, drawn out sigh of relief. He turned his head and watched as Echo took his third shot of the day. I tilted my head as they sat up, wincing as they moved. “Better?”

Echo nodded. “Was it just one drink you owed us, Ma’am?” he asked. I smiled.

“Echo, for this, I’ll buy you as much alcohol as you want when we’re done.”

“No alcohol,” Fives protested, holding a hand out to me as he shook his head. “No food,” he cleared his throat, trying not to gag as he sat up. “And no more shots.”

I held up my hand, showing them my palm before placing it over my heart. “No more shots. Promise.” They each gave me their own version of the same look before standing up, a bit wobbly at first, but soon finding their footing. “Now who’s ready to beat Master Skywalker at his own game?” I asked with a smirk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We waited one hour after we left Anakin and Rex at their drop zone. One hour for Echo and Fives to rest. One hour for me to prepare. Jedi. We never owned more than we could carry on our person. Anything I had, usually, was simple, small, inconspicuous, plain, practical.

Which was why the tight leather pants I was currently wearing, were driving me insane. No matter how I moved, walked, stretched — something was pinching, squeezing somewhere it shouldn’t. My bare arms left me cold and feeling exposed and I longed for the warm safety, and modesty, of my robes.

Jaw clenched, I flicked a series of switches, releasing the landing gear of the ship as we hovered over a plant infested landing pad. Through the window, I took in the foliage, the walkway that hadn’t been cleared in who knows how long. The planet was teeming with life. None of it civilized. Ruins and temples lay hidden within the forests of the moon, yet no sentients had walked their halls for hundreds of years.  It was the perfect place for a secret meeting. The perfect place to hide from unwanted eyes, specifically jedi.

Shaking my head, I tried to tune out the overwhelming surge of energy washing over me again and again as I stood up and left the cockpit. My hand fell to my hip, where normally I would find the comforting weight of my saber, but I’d sent it ahead with Anakin in his R2 unit.

Echo and Fives were waiting for me on the ramp. Some color was beginning to come back to their cheeks, but there was a subtle shake to Echo’s hands. And Fives wasn’t standing nearly as tall as he usually did, shoulders hunched, eyes tired.

“Everything ready?” I asked as the ramp lowered behind them. They turned and looked me over.

“Did you change your hair, Commander?” Fives asked, a silly grin on his face letting know that one, he was feeling better, and two, he wasn’t looking really looking at my hair. I reached up and ran my fingers through it.

“I thought a change of pace might be fun.” I stepped between them and looked down the walkway, a protocol droid shuffling towards us. “Play along?” I said glancing back at them as they took their places on either side of me. They each gave small nod and we set down the ramp to meet the welcome party.

“Greetings,” the obsidian droid said mechanically as we approached. “I am SC-7109. My master welcomes you.” The droid glanced at Echo and Fives. “Unfortunately, we are already in talks to purchase another, healthier specimen—”

I waved a hand. “I don’t deal with droids,” I told it. “Your master can tell me himself if he doesn’t want what I’m offering.”

“That’s—”

“Nonnegotiable,” I said tightly, pushing my way past the droid. It stumbled to the side, gears whirring as it righted itself before it hit the ground. I glanced over my shoulder as Fives and Echo lingered on the platform. “Come along, boys,” I called before turning forward and making my way across the bridge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You can do better than that, surely,” a voice drifted from the open doorway. I rolled my eyes. Anakin was deep in the middle of… negotiating, by the time we finally arrived. With one last shared look with my arc troopers, I stepped through the door into an overgrown chamber. The stone walls were covered in vines and the floors carpeted with fallen leaves. A gaping hole in the ceiling and shattered floor to roof window allowed light stream in effortlessly.

“If you don’t like my client’s offer, then you’re free to go elsewhere,” a low, graveled voice answered back as I made my way towards three figures on the far end of the hall. Rex stood with his hands cuffed behind his back, watching just to the right of Anakin who faced off with a slender, dark skinned Twilek male with sharp fangs and bright yellow eyes.

Anakin’s arms crossed as he stepped back, opening his mouth to speak, but not before I did so first. “We’re not too late, are we?” I crooned, smiling as all eyes turned on me. All three men looked me up and down as I came to a stop beside Anakin. I paid him the same gesture, but feigned a look a disgust as I trailed my eyes from his head to his feet. “You’re not the one in charge I take it?” I asked, nonchalantly. Anakin narrowed his eyes.

A huffing laugh left the Twilek who stepped forward. “He is not,” he rumbled, looming over me with sharp eyes that seemed to analyze the path of my neckline with deep interest. “You may call me Kilso.”

“It seems you’re already begun negotiations without me, Kilso,” I said with a pout as I glanced back at Rex. He could afford to take acting lessons from Anakin. His gaze flickered over my face. It was too soft. Too trusting. Not the expression you’d expect of someone kidnapped and about to be sold to the enemy. I turned away.

“Negotiating implies making progress,” Anakin muttered.

“Forgive me,” Kilso held up his hands, “but if I took the first offering that came along, I would never have three clones in one room to choose from.”

“Two of which belong to me,” I said, glancing at the two clones in question as they stood off to the side. Echo was fidgeting and Fives looked as though he might need to find another wastebin soon. Not exactly an inspiring pair when you compare them to Rex.

“Yes…” Kilso agreed, following my gaze. “How did you manage to find them?”

“At the bottom of a barrel I suspect,” Anakin broke in before I could answer. He steps past me, holding out a hand guiding Kilso over to Rex. “As you can see my specimen is in fantastic shape, and a captain. So you can expect his intel will be more… well,” he glanced over his shoulder back at me, “more.”

Rolling my eyes, I moved around Kilso. I came to a stop beside Rex. “Mmm, yes a captain would have more intel, but also more training against interrogation.” Reaching out, I set my hand on Rex’s shoulder and true to his part, he jerked back as if I had stung him.

“You won’t get anything from me,” he breathed out through clenched teeth, turning on all of us with a glare. I almost laughed. Instead I turned to the side.  

“I put a lot of work into snaring these men, Kilso.” My bottom lip pouted out as I turned a smirk flashing on my mouth as I glanced at Anakin, his arms folded across his chest, a frown deepening as I stepped towards him before turning my gaze to Rex. “Why spend time breaking this one when you can have one that’s already cracked open and just waiting for you to pull it apart?” I asked, turning back to face the Trandoshan. I held a hand out to Fives and Echo. “Or two for a small increase in price?”

Kilso turned with me. “What is it that ails them?”

I shrugged. “A simple spice addiction. They’ll do anything for it. Won’t you boys?”

Fives and Echo straightened up as I addressed them. Fives put on his most pitiful face. “Ma’am, please–”

With a wave of my hand, he fell silent and I turned back to Kilso. “You only have to ask and they’ll give you everything.”

Kilso tilted his head to the side, weighing my words, before turning his back on all of us and stepping towards the window. “My employer has very specific needs,” he said lowly, almost to himself. I glanced at Anakin, his face covered in a grim shroud that always hid what he was thinking. But I could feel his excitement. Turning to face us once again, Kilso held out a small holo pad.

“Your employer?” Anakin tilted his head as blue light flittered from the pad. A face came into focus, one I had only ever seen in recordings. But next to me, Anakin stiffens. I start to turn to catch a glimpse of his face but the holo speaks.

“Master Skywalker, how interesting that you’re in the business of trafficking clones.”

I had turned fully now and could see Anakin. But more than that I could feel a deep seeded anger in him. He glared at the holo before uttering one word, a name.

“Dooku.”

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