Knowing You

Chapter 1: Rookies and the 'Freshers

*beep beep* The distinctive ringing of a comlink filled the cabin.

Rex turned over in his bed. Please not now…. The rookies had been keeping Rex up all night. They were all completely lost.

"Rex," General Skywalker's voice filled Rex's cabin. So it wasn't just another rookie who got lost looking for the 'freshers. Rex turned over in his bed again and picked up his comlink from the floor.

"Yes sir." Rex answered. His voice was rough and hoarse, and barely recognizable. He cleared his throat. "Yes sir." He answered again, this time his voice was clear and easier to understand.

"Rex, we have a new General coming in. New, inexperienced. They are going to be hanging around us for a while so they can get their groundings." A pause. "I've never heard of the Jedi Knight before. I was wondering if you could do a brief report on them and their captain for me?"

"Yes sir. Straightaway." Rex answered as clearly as possible. Force, didn't this man EVER sleep? Or at least have a sense of time?

"Oh, and Rex?"

"Yes sir."

"Can you have someone paint 'General's Quarters' or something on my door? Every hour I have some rookie opening the door thinking it's the 'freshers. I haven't gotten a wink of sleep!"

"Yes sir. I'll get a maintenance droid on that ASAP." Rex said, smiling into the darkness, suppressing laughter.

"Good….'Night Rex."

"Good Night General." The comlink went dead. Rex tossed it back on the floor next to his armor and rolled over in his bed again, shifting until he found the little nook he had made for his head on his pillow.

It wasn't until he was fast asleep that he realized that the General hadn't given him at ETA for the Jedi Knight… or a name. But his mind clouded over and he was fast asleep before he could give it a second thought.

…

Rex woke up four standard hours later. In Coruscant, it was the next morning. But in space, it was just endless nights.

Drool had gathered in a pool next to his head during the night. Sleep had encrusted his eyes. Rex rolled out of bed and stumbled to the small mirror and sink on the other side of the wall. No one had their own toilet, or shower. General Skywalker did get his own little time to shower alone, and the GAR did make exceptions for the female commanders and generals, if they wanted it. Ahsoka took advantage of the privilege, but Rex had heard rumors that General Secura often bathed with her men around- preferably with Commander Bly.

Rex splashed water on his face, trying not to think about where the recycled water most likely came from. He checked the time. He had 5 minutes until he would have to go on his daily rounds. No time for a shower. He rinsed off as best as he could using his hands soaked with water from the tap. Rex stuck his head under the faucet to wash the top of his head. He had shaved off most of the hair on his head to the point where it was only a couple of centimeters longer than the stubble on his chin. He didn't like the feeling of hair under his bucket, that, and he didn't have the time to be keeping up with the constant trimming and washing of longer hair.

Rex dried off using a small rag that was actually given to clean guns, but worked just as well as a towel. Sighing, he tossed the used rag in the corner and slipped on his bodysuit then snapped on his armor.

Within the minute he was exciting his room, helmet tucked under one arm, swaggering down the hallway, kama swaying in beat.

…

First thing on his list was to find out the name of the mysterious General that was supposed to be arriving… sometime in the future. The easiest way to do that was to find and ask Skywalker. He could always find the docking manager and ask him to dig up the arrival schedule, but that would take much longer.

From what Rex had heard from other commanding officers who worked closely with their generals, they usually meet up on the bridge. That's how things used to be for Rex. But very slowly Skywalker had begun sleeping in and missing several important briefings. Thus, Rex started getting into the habit of waking up General Skywalker a good two hours before his first meeting. While Skywalker was changing Rex stood at attention and recited the people and times of meetings throughout the shift.

Rex exited the tubo-lift and walked down the hallway to the General's room. He knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again louder. He pressed his ear to the door and heard a faint grumbling.

He opened up his comlink channel. "General Skywalker. I'm coming in now!" He said loudly, hoping that he would hear him. He did not need to see Skywalker in his underwear again. Not the best experience he had had in the army.

He pressed his ear against the door again and hear frantic opening and closing of drawers and the rustling of fabric. He pressed a button to unlock the door and stepped inside.

Anakin's bed sheets were pulled back and half on the floor. His clothes drawers by his bed were opened and robes hung out. Rex's gaze finally travelled over to the sink in the corner. There stood the General, half-dressed brushing his teeth with such ferocity Rex marveled at the fact his teeth didn't sink into his gums.

"Awmoust weade Rex." Anakin mumbled through tooth paste foam and a tooth brush. He spit into the sink. "Just let me wash my face and finish putting on my robes."

"Yes sir. Can you please tell me the name of the General that will be arriving? And the ETA?"

"One moment Rex." Anakin finished up putting on his robes. Rex stood by the door, still at attention. "Okay, now what was it you needed Rex?"

"The name and ETA of the new General you told me about, sir."

"Yes. Her name is Anna Shialia. I believe she will be arriving in about 6 standard hours. Tell me what you find on her, will you?"

"Yes sir." Rex slipped on his helmet and opened up a link on his HUD. He scrolled down the list of new Jedi Knights, attempting to find her name. He found it toward the beginning of the 's' category, right under some Knight whose last name was 'She'. He opened up the link and a picture of a blonde and grinning young woman appeared. Her hair was a tangled curly mess on top of her skull. Her cheeks were round, and even though she was in her mid-20s she seemed to have never lost the childish frame of face. She had blue eyes and rounded eyebrows, obviously plucked. Her face was lightly tanned and her pencil thin lips were chapped.

To most people, she would seem pretty normal. Just another young pretty girl living on Coruscant. She wasn't anything special. She wasn't a picture perfect as some of the pinup girls the men put up, or as any of the actresses Rex had seen on the holo-net. But she was beautiful to Rex. She was perfect to him. He just put her down as another pretty girl he met on the job, and continued to look at the data on the screen.

"Rex?"

"Yes sir?" Rex closed the screen and looked at Anakin.

"Did you find anything?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Tell me on the way to the mess. I want to eat before I start the day if you don't mind."

"Yes sir." Rex turned and waited for fully clothed and awake Anakin to walk out the door before walking out behind him. "She's 27. She was Knighted 2 years ago. She chose to continue to study at the Temple but has recently decided to join the war effort. Yoda originally wanted to put her on refugee supply management, but she persuaded him to allow her to lead troops. She was assigned Commander Jett."

"Is that all there is on her?"

"No sir. But I believe the rest is irrelevant at the moment."

"If that's what you believe Rex. I trust your judgment."

There really wasn't much else on her. The rest was Masters she had studied under, her close friends from the temple, and things such as her skill with a light saber and power in the force.

"There is something else on here."

"Well?"

"She's not very confident with a light saber. According to her record, she's not very good with a blaster either. She's mediocre in hand to hand, and has average force strength."

"That's good to know for battles. What do you suggest?"

"Have her train some with a blaster and some exercises with her light saber. During battle I suggest putting her with our best men, we want her with someone who can stand their ground efficiently without a jedi or possibly proper leadership."

They reached the turbo lift. "Very well, Rex. We'll see when she gets here."

"Sir?"

"Yes Rex?"

"When did you say she was to be arriving?"

"6 standard hours. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I sort of-well, forgot."

"It's fine sir." Rex sighed slightly in his helmet. That man was going to be the death of him.

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-Ev