Reinstatement

Slick awoke at the normal time and prepared for his pre-breakfast workout. The disgraced sergeant quickly learned that the trick to keeping from going insane, or at least delaying it, was routine. Slick had a tight schedule and he followed it to the letter each and every day. The former sergeant had long since lost track of how long he'd been imprisoned, or what was happening in the outside galaxy. He supposed it didn't matter. For that matter, his determination to stay sane was also futile, but the clone refused to allow his erstwhile brothers the satisfaction.

Just as he was about to begin his normal set of pushups, the draconian guard that brought his meals showed up early and deactivated the force field keeping Slick in. It had been a long time since there'd been any brake in routine.

"Let's go, sergeant," the guard said flatly, "You're being reinstated."

Slick simply stared at guard, baffled and a bit hostile, "Damned odd time to develop a since of humor, brother."

"Do I sound like I'm kriffing joke?" the guard snared, "Get out!"

Sure enough, Slick was led out of the detention hold and up to the hanger. The sergeant simply couldn't allow himself to believe it. The Jedi would never allow a turncoat back into the fold. Perhaps he was being marched to his long overdue execution. But then, why the deception and why wasn't he restrained?

"Hello, Slick," the sergeant looked up and there stood Rex and Cody at the base of a troop shuttle's ramp.

The Sergeant's guard led him to his former officers and saluted. "Sir, as ordered Prisoner 'Slick' has been released and placed under your command."

"So it is true," Slick breathed, "You're bringing me back."

"Stand at attention, sergeant," Cody snapped sternly, "and address us properly. A man in your position can hardly afford disciplinary action."

Slick snapped to his best parade ground attention and saluted, "Sorry, sir. Very grateful sir…Just a bit curious as to why…sir." Rather than answer, Cody and Rex made their way up the steps of the ramp, gesturing for Slick to follow. "Been fun," he muttered to his former guard and followed.

The three clones took their seats and Slick eyed his once again officers expectantly. Finally, Rex cleared his throat. "Order 66 came through, Slick," the captain explained, "…Cody blasted General Kenobi with artillery…and I looked Commander Tano in the eye and shot her."

Cody and Rex weren't sure how they'd expected Slick to react. The amused smirk that spread across his face wasn't it, however. "After all that posturing you two did about my horrid treachery, you did the same thing twenty fold…sirs."

"Can that kriff, Slick," Cody snapped, causing the sergeant to raise his hands in surrender. "You'll be put back in charge of your old squad. You're also on the strictest probation. One wrong move and your back in your cell, got it?"

"Yes, sir. Clear as a crystal, sir. Looking forward to regaining your trust, sir." Slick said with just enough sarcasm to make it infuriating.

The shuttle landed the reinstated sergeant followed the other two into the hanger of a Star Destroyer. Standing at attention, as promised, was Slick's squad, though he noticed two familiar faces had been replaced by new ones.

Slick traveled down the line of his men, noticing they seemed quite uncomfortable with the arrangement. It amused the sergeant all the more. "Bricks, bet you're glad to have your old sergeant back, eh?" the trooper didn't respond as the smirking sergeant patted his shoulder and moved on. "Chopper, old boy, make a new necklace with Jedi fingers, did ya?"

"Slick!" Rex shouted warningly.

Acting like he hadn't heard, Slick took a few steps forward to address the squad as a whole. He spoke slightly louder than necessary, so other nearly trooper could hear as well. "Oh, it's good to be back; to see my brothers again. I know you all think I'm here because at this point you're as bad as I am."

"I'm warning you, Slick." Cody said.

"But there's one thing you need to understand. You're not as bad as me; you're worse." Slick soaked up the looks from the other clones. "What I did was wrong, I admit that now, but I did for you, my brothers, because I loved you. You lot betrayed and murdered the people that led you, fought beside you, protected, and maybe even loved you. Why? Because some old fop on Coruscant you'd never even met said so. I can't imagine a worse betrayal."

Slick held his tongue for a few moments as a guilty silence hung over the hanger. "However," he continued, "What you or I have done or what we think of each other doesn't matter. Because I still love you all, and I'll always love you, my brothers, and I am happy to be back."

The sergeant turned toward Cody and gave the commander the first genuine salute since his reinstatement. "Awaiting orders, sir."