Gifts
Rex picked up the bracelet and looked at it again. The amber stones cut and set to catch the light of the stall where the jeweler had set up shop in the outdoor market. A trick, Rex thought, to make people think the baubles were more beautiful then they truly were. Rex ran his gauntleted fingers across the bracelet and looked at the owner of the business. A short and stocky humanoid, who looked as greasy and oily as he sounded when he spoke and now he was eagerly awaiting the chance to get at Rex's credits. He could almost see the man's hands rubbing together at the thought of the credits laying in them.
"So 15 for the bracelet?" Rex asked the the filter on his helmet. He had not removed it to use the intimidation of being a soldier as his insurance policy. The last thing a person wanted to do was to upset a member of the GAR. They might get a blaster to the head. The stall owner nodded and smiled a disgusting oily smile.
Rex sighed and pulled the small amount of credits he had managed to save and shuffled out the appropriate amount to the owners waiting hands. Clones didn't get paid. Everything they needed came from the Republic ever since they had left their decanting jars. So Rex had become rather good at playing cards and several of the non-clone crew had lost their pay to him. They didn't know that clones learned very quickly and when it came to Sabacc, they were counting the cards the whole time.
"Wrap it please," Rex said shoving the bracelet towards the owner. The man ran to the back of the small stall and busied himself with garish wrappings and bows. Rex turned to regard the street, although with the wrap around view on his HUD he didn't need to look behind him. Still he was more comfortable with turning physically in the direction he was looking. Although Kaminoans had tried to stop them from making such "human" gestures, it still didn't take with the more independent thinking clones, which Rex was had been part of.
Coming in his direction was another clone, with his armor blazed in yellow. Commander Cody, Rex knew, but checked his display for the icon indicating the commander. Sometimes the armor was close enough that you could misjudge someone who you weren't familiar with and that was embarrassing.
"Did you find something?" Cody asked in a casual tone through the com channel they were now sharing privately in their helmets. There was no need to have a conversation outside of their buckets.
"I did, but I don't get it," Rex said shaking his head. "Why are we doing this again?"
Rex, and other clones for that matter, didn't celebrate the day they were born. They weren't even really born in the sense of a mother giving them life. They were just decanted from a bottle and put on the road towards becoming well trained soldiers. There was never cake or songs, but for some reason, most cultures celebrated the day of a person's birth. Whether they called it life day or a birthday, it didn't matter, Rex still didn't understand the concept.
"All this," Cody said indicating a package he held in his hand, "is for Ahsoka and her happiness."
"I know that it's for her, but what is the point?" Rex said again trying to understand. "I mean should we be celebrating the day our batches came to maturity?"
Cody laughed because he understood where Rex was coming from and Rex was thankful he was there to listen. Cody also was the one who suggested that they get presents for Ahsoka to celebrate her 14th year of life. Rex had been against it at first, but then thought about how he felt about Ahsoka. She was like a sister to him and he wanted her to be happy. So if remembering that she was 14 years old was going to make her feel special, then he was going to make it as special as he could on a cruiser filled with troopers.
"Here is your package," the stall owner said and shoved the package towards Rex. He turned around and took the small box from the man. Rex held it as though it were a fragile egg.
"Thank you," Rex said and looked at the gift wrapping. Ahsoka would be overjoyed. In the middle of war, surrounded by all men except those few jedi masters who were female, and that wasn't many, she would get presents. She would also get the attention of the boys she cared for the most.
Rex didn't remember a day that Ahsoka wasn't working with the clones and spending quality time getting to know their names and different characteristics. She truly enjoyed being the little sister to all of Torrent Company. Something that Rex thought made General Skywalker a little more nervous everyday. Attachment, Rex had heard, was forbidden for the jedi.
"She's lucky," Cody said as they started to walk back to where they had landed the shuttle. Cody had managed to get them some time to come down to this rock and find the gifts. Rex wasn't sure how many people he had paid to make sure that the generals had no idea about the trip.
"What?" Rex asked turning to look at Cody through his T-shaped visor. Faceless, but a face that he knew so well hid under the other man's bucket.
"She has you to protect her, always," Cody said clamping Rex on the shoulder. Rex realized that his affection for Ahsoka was not as well hidden as he thought it was and that more people knew that Rex was protecting her.
Rex smiled under his helmet. He knew deep down that Ahsoka was the reason that he fought harder, struggled through battles and tried even the insane things. She was the only thing that he had ever felt he needed to protect. It was his job. Anakin could take care of himself, but Ahsoka, she was a youngling when she arrived and Rex had never forgotten the look on her face the day she arrived. It had been a combination of determination and pure terror. He knew the look well because it was the same look that shiny new men had on the day they went into their first battles.
"I just hope I'm around long enough to make sure she is safe," Rex said a note of regret in his voice. He knew his job and it was tough and dangerous. He might not always be around to make sure that Ahsoka was alright. There was nothing he could do to control his own injuries and destiny, but he could make sure that Ahsoka got to be a jedi knight. That she lived through the awful time of the Clone Wars and survived. It was the least he could do for someone who had become the bright part of his life.
"I know they can't have possessions," Rex said looking at the box again which was resting in his gauntlet. "but do you think that they will make an exception during war time?"
"I hope they do," Cody said. "otherwise we have some really strange trinkets to remind us of the war."
They both chuckled and entered the shuttle.