Rex didn't like waiting, the war always had it's downtimes, and these were the moments that he disliked the most. It was the troopers form of boredom. No fighting. No stress. No hiding. Nothing. Just playing the waiting game. The planet they were currently stationed at was dry, and incredibly empty, the intelligent habitants lived in caves, and tunnels underground. The Captain of the 501st, through the protection of his helmet's visor, he traced his eyes across the vast expanse of the horizon.
Ashes waddled up beside him, standing only at his shoulder, he rocked on the balls of his feet, hands clasped behind him.
"What'chu lookin' at Rexie?" Ashes asked, looking at the Clone Captain thoughtfully.
Rex blew out a sigh, his voice buffered through the helmet speakers.
"A whole lot of nothing," Rex said, gesturing towards the desert-like wasteland.
Ashes shook his head, tugging on Rex's close arm.
"No, no, no! You've got it all wrong! Don't think of it so blatantly!" Ashes knelt down, pulling Rex along with him.
Ashes tapped on Rex's helmet lightly, wanting him to take it off. Rex strapped the canteen to his waist, and obliged to Ashes' request. Rex cocked an eyebrow, and gave him a crooked grin.
"Happy now, Rang?" Rex asked coyly.
Ashes smiled at the nickname, and pointed downwards at the ground. Rex's eyes dropped, eyeing the ground precariously. There were some sort of slug-like creature crawling across the ground. It stopped, and almost seemed to look up at Rex and Ashes.
Ashes giggled, looking at Rex with a wide grin. He tilted his head slightly, almost saying 'See?' And Rex did see.
The planet wasn't as empty as he thought it was. Even creatures like these were innocent, and wanted nothing more than to survive and thrive in their home.