Revised: July 10, 2019

Chapter 10

Fives walked Coric back to medbay.

"You should get some rest, Fives," the medic said.

He shook his head. Even if he hadn't just gulped two down cups of caf, there was no way he could sleep.

"Alright, then, as long as you are here, make yourself useful," Coric said, as they headed over to Echo's bunk. He pointed out to the scanners. They were in Kaz'harian, but a datapad had been hooked up to translate the readings. "Watch for fluctuations, especially here on this reading. I'm especially interested in his brain function."

"Something's off?"

"Everything is off with him right now. We need the facilities at ArmyMed to know anything for sure. Just trying to keep him stable."

Fives nodded and stared at the readings. He knew what Coric was doing. He was trying to keep him busy. And, he was grateful. He was a good vod.

"I'll see if I can find you a chair," Coric said, "They're in short supply around here. Can't understand these Kazzies. They value fancy plates but not chairs."

"Did you see the size of their calves? Maybe there is something to their methods."

Coric nodded, as if giving the matter a great deal of deliberation. "We should talk to High Command when we return then. The GAR needs fancy plates. That's what we need to win the war."

This earned a small smile from Fives. Coric headed off to scout out a chair.

# # #

"Rex, come with me," Ahsoka said as they exited medbay. Her tone brokered no argument.

He scowled. He needed to check in with the engineering team.

She sensed his hesitation. "I won't keep you long." She headed down the corridor, not waiting to see if he followed.

They ended up back in the observation deck. A different one this time, as there were decks on each level. "Ahsoka-" he protested.

He didn't have time for any more conversations about Appo. He had a thousand items demanding his attention before they touched down in Coruscant. But, Ahsoka ignored him and settled down cross-legged in front of the plexi-glass. He stood there, waiting for her to be speak, but she didn't. So, after a long moment, he took a seat next to her.

Ahsoka's steady breathing was soothing. He closed his eyes and focused on his own breathing. He'd meditated with her before, but it had been a while. It took time for his thoughts to settle but eventually, he was able to find his calm center. Ahsoka sensed the change immediately. She reached over and gripped his hand. "Better?" she asked.

"Yes," he looked at her and instantly regretted it. He wanted to touch her. Just a small press of his lips to her own. Surely there was no harm? He stood up quickly before he could be tempted any further. "Thank you for reminding me to take care of myself, as well as the men under our command."

He bolted from the room while he still had the strength to leave.

# # #

Appo watched the drama unfolded across medbay around the injured ARC. It was... interesting. He knew Echo. A solid enough trooper. He didn't have much feelings for him one way or another. It was the way he felt about most clones.

Except Rex.

The former Captain was strutting around the ship like he owned the place. He wasn't reinstated, but no one except Appo seemed bothered by this detail. Everyone insisted on calling him by his former honorific.

The 501st is my Legion now. And, Commander Tano is my responsibility.

She'd walked into medbay looking pale and unsure, and stood back from the others. Appo was no expert on emotions. But, the commander looked upset. Normally, such things would not bother him, but they were short on qualified staff with most of the Generals unconscious or in bacta. They couldn't afford to have any more of the qualified command team, like Tano, operating at less than peak efficiency. Rex was not handling matters well. Maybe he was qualified once. But, those days were over. His time was over. There needed to be a better class of clones handling everything, especially until the General was back in charge.

This settled the matter. Appo needed to get back on duty.

He pushed himself up on unsteady legs, and ran straight into an orange-striped medic from the 212th.

"Leaving us, Commander?" the medic asked in a tone which was both patient and slightly amused. He stood back a step, arms folded across his chest, but within easy reach should Appo fall.

"I'm needed on duty," Appo said. He was sure this medic had introduced himself. And, equally sure he'd not bothered to remember it. "Give me a stim and get me back on my feet."

"That's a great plan, sir." He pulled a datapad from his belt and made a few quick notations, while keeping a close eye on Appo, making sure he wasn't in any danger of falling from his slightly slumped position against the bunk.

"A stim, now," Appo said, in the most commanding tone he could muster. Part of him realized he was trying to sound like Rex. And, this annoyed him greatly.

"Uh huh," the medic made a non-committal note in the back of his throat, "are you experiencing any dizziness?" He pulled a handheld scanner from his belt.

"Stand down, medic," Appo hissed.

"Are you threatening one of my medics?"

Appo cursed under his breath.

The only clone on this ship who outranked him appeared next to his bunk. Appo had been so intent on not falling, he hadn't seen him approach. Two more medics appeared out of nowhere, flanking him.

"Commander Cody, sir," Appo said, dipping his head in slight deference to the field marshal commander.

"Is there a problem?" Cody's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it.

"No sir," Appo kept his tone even and deferential. He knew how the game was played. He hadn't risen up through the ranks unusually quickly by being a fool. "I'm eager to return to duty... to check on the welfare of men in the Legion."

Cody's eyes narrowed. He paused a beat before answering as if Appo were an excess shipping crate and he wasn't sure where to stow him. "Captain Rex is more than capable of handling the Legion while you recover." He dipped his chin. "I wish you a speedy recovery, Commander." He turned to the medic. "Glitch, next time, call me immediately if anyone dares threatens you."

His tone made it clear that threatening one member of the 212th was a threat to every member. Cody spun on his heel, the matter settled, and headed away across medbay. He was flanked by the other two medics, already deep in conversation.

Glitch. Right. He'd introduced himself more than once. The name hadn't stuck.

"Should we get you settled back in your back?" Glitch asked.

"You called in Commander Cody?" Appo hissed, refusing to move.

"Called him down here?" Glitch laughed, and this rankled Appo even further. He huffed with mock indignation. "I don't need anyone, especially not you commanders, telling me what to do in medbay." He shrugged. "You're all just fellow clones to me. Vode." He gave an eloquent shrug. "He's here to visit injured troopers in medbay." And, then he studied Appo curiously. "Don't you do the same?"

Appo looked across the medbay and saw Cody making his rounds, visiting injured troopers. Appo felt twice the fool for not realizing it on his own. Appo had never visited injured troopers under his command. He'd not been a commander long enough before Darknell had happened and everything had gone to fek. His energy sagged further, and his shoulder twinged. With it came a flashback of vicious attack by the Kaz'harian who'd not only sought to kill him, but violate him.

"And, back in your bunk you go," the young medic said. In a practiced move, he pressed Appo back and lifted his legs into the medbay bunk. Even if Appo wanted to protest, his body wouldn't allow it. He was exhausted.

"I can stay for a bit. I'm done with my rounds." Glitch said quietly. He gave Appo a knowing look as he moved pillows around to make him more comfortable. "The flashbacks, sir, they get better with time."

This unexpected bit of compassion almost did Appo in. He was dumbstruck into silence. Finally, he found his voice. "Thank you, Glitch, I... hope they do."

"Sometimes it helps to talk about it."

Appo shook his head. He couldn't talk about it. He could never talk about what had happened to him on the hell of a jungle planet. It was his personal shame which he would carry forever. If he'd been stronger, a better class of clone, he could fought that great beast off and prevented all of it. He could never speak of it again.

# # #

Revision notes:

Revised: July 10, 2019. Deleted most of Appo's scene in medbay and added two new scenes. Trying to make his character more interesting. The scene now focuses on the trauma of what happened to him on the jungle planet. He was nearly raped by a deviant Kaz'harian with a penchant for abusing prisoners. Obviously, this is going to leave lasting psychological scars. Like many sexual abuse victims, his way of dealing with it is to not deal with it. Hopefully, this will make him more interesting as a character and explain his bitter, unpleasant personality.

Revised: 6/25/19 Forever fussing with the character of Appo.

Revised 5/19/19 Still trying to get Appo's character with the right balance of angsty dark and a convincing calmness which he would need to be a command clone.

Revised 1/10/15: Still trying to get Appo's character just right. He's a difficult one. In Rex I, I showed a different side of Appo than what was seen in the cartoon series. Appo was presented as a more multi-dimensional character than simply the "snitch" in Umbara. He is an honorable clone whom you could actually see as a viable candidate to have risen through the ranks quickly to commander. I'm trying to reconcile that honorable clone with someone who can get jealous of Rex and also behave like the character did on the show, (which isn't a very likable Appo, at all.)

5/30/15: Revised Appo's inner monologue where he reflects back on the Battle of Kaz'haria. He admits to himself that he might have been so focused on protecting Ahsoka during the battle he may have taken his attention off the battle. There are differences between the way Appo is able to command, and the way Rex is able to command. It will be interesting to see how the two of them run a battle together. Also revised the interactions between Cody and Appo as I see the two of them butting heads.