"This business of burning human beings with napalm; filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows; Of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of people normally humane..."
"Wisdom, Justice, and Love"
Linkin Park
"Candeera and the baby are fine," Kix seemed to sense that the room gathered in front of him was about to burst with a hundred different questions; the medic raised his hands, as if to stem the verbal tide. "She had a little girl. Drali will be out shortly – she's offered to clean up for me. Rys is fine, too, if hungry and Can'ika could use some broth – something bland that will break her fast from last night."
"I'll get that," Ala rose gracefully to her feet and seemed to float past everyone else as she made her way to the kitchen door.
She paused just long enough to put her hand on Kix's shoulder; the two shared a brief, if radiant smile, before she disappeared behind the doorway curtain. The clone medic sighed, as if letting go of a great weight, and ran a hand wearily over his head. Cody was mildly surprised to see that Kix still shaved his hair and that his Aurebesh tattoo still stood out against his skin. The medic's eyes roved carefully over each newcomer and Cody could tell that Kix's instincts were as strong as ever – the former commander could tell that the ex-trooper was taking stock of the crew's apparent injuries.
"Rest, Baar'ur," Orar patted the cushion next to him, but Kix shook his head.
"Looks like I still have some work to do," the medic moved past Orar's offered seat, but he paused just long enough to touch the Arkanian's shoulder in wordless thanks.
"It would seem that your work is never done, eh, Kix?" Sol smiled, but Cody saw exhaustion finally settle across the Mandalorian's thick shoulders.
"Not when you keep bringing refugees to me," Kix murmured as he knelt down by Sheresh's foot.
The clone's strong hands rested gently on the bounty hunter's foot and Cody watched as Kix's fingers probed along Sheresh's ankle. The medic's back was half-turned toward both Fives and Cody, but the former commander could see Kix's profile in sharp relief. There was a thoughtful look on Kix's unshaven face and he seemed to be staring off into space as he let his fingers gather the information that he needed.
"I'm going to guess you haven't taken anything for the swelling, have you?" Kix arched an eyebrow at Sheresh as he shifted his focus up to her face.
"Haven't really thought about. I have to admit I've been in a bit of a daze since I sat down. Though, now that you mention it," Sheresh motioned wearily toward the pack that she had set down on the floor next to her cushion. "I still have the meds that you gave me yesterday."
"Good," Kix nodded to himself.
The medic reached out and decisively grabbed a hold of Sheresh's pack. Without asking once for her permission, he opened a pouch at the front of the pack and pulled it open to peer inside its depths. After a moment's silent consideration, Kix reached in and pulled out a small bottle that rattled cheerfully in his hand.
"Have you had anything to eat?"
"No," Sheresh seemed to realize that it had been hours since she – or any of them – had eaten; her tone was understandably abashed.
"I'll go help Ala in the kitchen," Orar practically flowed to his feet.
The pale Mandalorian's movements were fluid and flawless. Cody couldn't help but be duly impressed by the young male's grace – the clone had rarely seen such agility in a sentient who wasn't a Jedi.
"I think she said earlier that she meant to put some leftover tiingilar in the oven to warm," Tor hadn't moved from beside the main door, but his interest still seemed focused on the interactions taking place within the gathering room.
"I'll see if she remembered," Orar offered his first smile of the evening; Cody usually only had an eye for female beauty, but even he had to appreciate the sudden handsomeness of the Arkanian's good humor. "Our Ala can be quite forgetful."
"And yet she never forgets the things I want her to forget," Tor muttered and Dha startled everyone with a hearty chuckle.
"Females never do, ner vod," the Zabrak's voice was impossibly deep and even richer that Sol's; it was the kind of voice that could lull one to sleep or into a false sense of security.
"And you males never remember the things we need you to remember," Ka'ra countered back sharply, but there was a telling twinkle in her eyes. "So, I'd say our dueling genders are even, husband."
"Take two of these after eating," Kix's bemused voice cut through the banter, as he pressed two small, white pills into the palm of Sheresh's hand. "I'm sure that's not something you'll easily forget."
"Cheeky bugger," Sheresh snorted, but her lips quirked upward in a tell-tale smile.
Kix flashed her an appropriately saucy grin, before getting smoothly to his feet and moving toward Saa. Cody's interest sharpened to something more protective, as he watched the former 501st medic settle back on his haunches in front of the merc's foot.
"Mind if I take a look?" Kix's hands hovered over Saa's boot as he waited patiently for permission to touch.
"Not at all, but I can pretty much tell you what's wrong, ad'ika," if Saa was shocked to run into his fourth new clone in as many hours, he didn't show it.
"And what's that?" Kix quirked an eyebrow.
"Nothing a good, stiff shot of Mandallian Narcolethe won't fix," was the stout reply; Kix looked less than impressed and Cody had to stifle a chuckle.
"No medic in his right mind would prescribe you alcohol -"
"He would if he was Mandalorian," Ka'ra piped up impishly; Kix had his back to her and Cody watched with some amusement as the medic rolled his eyes.
"My training won't allow for that."
"Seems to me that by sitting here in front of me, that you've been doing quite a lot lately that your 'training won't allow'," Saa's observations were as cutting as always; Cody had to hide a sudden smirk behind his hand.
I could definitely get used to this.
"This" being the spectacle of someone other than himself having to deal with the old merc's abrasive personality and jarring commentary. However, some reactions were the same regardless of the clone; Kix rolled calmly with Saa's verbal punches and didn't seem cowed in the slightest.
"I have some options for the pain, if you'll tell me what the extent of your injuries are," Kix's voice was calm and measured, as if he were talking to a wounded trooper in triage. "But, I'm afraid none of those options mix well with alcohol. Especially not Mandalorian alcohol."
Saa gave in at that and Cody suspected that – as usual – the merc had been messing around with Kix in order to get some sense of the man's temperament. The elder Mando's manner could often come across as socially inappropriate, but Cody had to admit that Saa's methods of measuring up others were always effective. And almost always accurate.
"It's an old injury, baar'ur, that wasn't improved by running around with Cod'ika's old general," Saa jerked his chin toward Cody and briefly alluded to the incident on Bellassa, when they had all run afoul of a bounty hunter who's name the former commander still didn't know. "The cold, the wet, and the urgency hasn't helped matters any tonight, but for what it's worth, I always limp."
"Chronic pain?" Kix frowned slightly.
"Eh," Saa shrugged, ever the stoic. "Some times more than others."
"Blaster wound?" the medic continued to needle Saa for details.
"Yes."
"On both occasions?"
"Yes."
"I think some of the meds I gave the good Sergeant," Kix glanced over toward Sheresh, who nodded in response and reached for the bottle that the medic had left by her bag. "Will work well for you as well. I'm afraid we don't have anything too heavy around here," a strange emotion washed across Kix's face, but Cody was unable to identify it. "But, I can at least give you something fairly generic to combat the swelling and the discomfort."
"Thank you, ad'ika," for all of his bluster, Saa sounded genuinely relieved.
Sheresh tossed the bottle in question to Kix and the medic caught it with seemingly effortless ease. He twisted off the top and shook out two round pills into his hand, which he then transferred to Saa.
"Make sure to take these with food, though," the prescription was succinct and professional; Saa nodded silently in understanding.
Kix moved away from Saa and Cody thought, at first, that his brother was moving toward him. But, someone else seemed to have caught the medic's eye and Cody twisted around in his seat to watch Kix make a beeline toward Rowin. The former commander then realized why no one had "heard" from Kil since they had all settled down in front of the fire. The ex-Jedi was curled up on her cushion – almost like Numa and Ka'ra's younglings – with her head propped up on Rowin's thigh as if the Lepi's armored leg was nothing more than a pillow. She had her back toward all of them and her face toward the wall, but the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of her side bore witness to her comatose condition.
Kix took a knee beside her and glanced briefly at the Lepi, as if sensing the rabbit's protective instinct toward the sleeping female. Rowin eyed the medic skeptically for a moment or two, but then nodded his head in silent consent. Only then did Kix lean forward over the spacer's still form and place a hand gently on her shoulder.
"How long as she been asleep?" Kix's voice was so low that Cody almost didn't catch what he said.
"I think she fell asleep 'bout ten minutes after we sat down," Rowin's voice was equally hushed; the Lepi glanced at Sol in something of an apology. "I didn't have the heart to wake her back up, even if it is customary to stay awake with the expecting family. She's been through a lot..."
The rabbit's voice trailed off uncertainly, but Sol just waved his hand briefly in the air, as if to dismiss the Lepi's fears of cultural insensitivity. Even though the Mandalorian didn't say a word, Cody had to agree with the unspoken insinuation – considering the circumstances, Kil could be easily forgiven.
"Has she eaten anything?" Kix's hands moved in professional moderation as he pressed fingers against the side of Kil's throat and against her forehead.
"Not in the last six hours," Rowin shook his head. "I wouldn't be surprised if she hasn't eaten all day. She's a level-headed woman, but stress makes her a fickle eater."
"You might want to see if you can wake her up long enough for her to eat," Kix settled his hand again on Kil's narrow shoulder. "I expect most of us will sleep at least twelve or so hours straight once we all get to bed. It's not wise to let her go almost two whole days without eating."
"Shouldn't be much of a problem. She's been a pretty light sleeper since -" Rowin paused and glanced toward Fives and Cody. "Well...for a while," he finished lamely.
"I'll leave you to it, then," Kix seemed to ignore Rowin's near-mention of Order 66, though a thoughtful look crossed the medic's face as he stood up and finally moved toward Cody.
"You and Fives get in a fight, sir?" Kix raised both of his eyebrows as he settled down in front of Cody and did a visual scan of his former officer's injuries.
"Ah...not quite. The distinction of fighting with Fives would go to Sergeant Par'jain," Cody didn't even realize that he had lapsed into military protocol in the face of what was once one of his junior troops.
In a way, he was surprised that he could even speak intelligently to Kix. Facing Fives was one thing, as the trooper had often operated separately from the 501st after his elevation to ARC. Cody had long grown accustomed to thinking of Fives as his own independent agent; Kix, however, was another matter entirely. Kix had never been anything but 501st, at least so far as Cody knew, and where there was 501st, there was Appo.
And, conversely, Rex.
Cody felt his heart twist cruelly at the thought of Rex. The loss of his best friend was particularly sharp when faced with one of the good Captain's finest medics. Cody almost wanted to ask Kix if he knew what had become of Rex – if, as Cody hoped, his friend had rescued Commander Tano from Order 66. There was a chance – however slight – that Kix might know where Rex was last seen, or if Rex had somehow found the safety that eluded the rest of those who had deserted.
But, Cody couldn't bring himself to ask and his tongue stayed plastered firmly to the roof his mouth. He wasn't yet sure if he could handle Kix's answers – even if they were nothing more than "I don't know." After dealing with Korbin's open animosity and Fives' healthy paranoia, Cody also wasn't sure if he could handle any sort of emotional response from Kix. At the moment, the medic was in his professional mindset; the former commander decided it was wise to leave Kix to that frame of mind until they had all had some sleep.
While Cody struggled with his own inner demons, Kix had shifted his attention briefly to Sheresh. There was even a sense of alarm in the clone's question, as he raised inquiring eyebrows.
"Do you have any other injuries I should know about, Sergeant?" Kix's focus flickered toward Fives and Cody thought he saw something like disapproval in the medic's brown eyes.
"No," Sheresh shook her head; the firelight reflected off her skin and gave her face a rather attractive ruddy glow. "I think my armor took the brunt of the attack," she softened her words by directing a small smile toward Fives.
The ARC harrumphed under his breath, but wisely kept his tongue. He did give Sheresh a strange look, however, and her smile merely turned more winsome in response. Cody caught Kix's eye and the medic just shrugged, as if to say "I have no idea"; the dynamic between Sheresh and Fives was strange and was made only more awkward by the fact that neither one of them had explained why they were so antagonistic toward each other.
It also didn't look like they were going to start explaining themselves any time soon. Satisfied that Fives hadn't done any more damage to Sheresh than scratch her armor, Kix turned his attention back to Cody and frowned slightly at the bruise spreading across his chest.
"Well, if it wasn't Fives, what happened, sir?"
Cody was a little startled to hear the term "sir" again; he sat silent for a few stunned seconds, before responding to Kix's question. The former commander hadn't been called "sir" with genuine respect since Bellassa – since his desertion, he had been among either enemies, peers, or authority figures. It was strange to hear Kix still defer to his former rank – it was also strangely heartening. The medic was not hostile in any way, not even subtly; if anything, Kix treated Cody as he always had, with respect and professional concern.
"Piece of duracrete got thrown by an explosion – hit me in the chest," Cody explained in as few words as he could manage; the pain wasn't getting any better by being left unattended.
"Huh," Kix continued to eye Cody's chest, even as he rocked back on his heels and fished for something in one of his pant pockets.
It was then that Cody realized that Kix wasn't in armor, either. Like Ferro, the clone medic was completely mundane, dressed as he was in civilian clothes. He was wearing a pair of black mechanic pants – identifiable by all of the pockets along the legs – and a dark blue tunic that buttoned up along the left side. Kix had rolled up his long sleeves to just above his elbows and the only hint to his prior military profession was his black leather, calf-high utility boots.
Cody's inspection of Kix's attire was cut short, however, when the medic finally managed to pull a small bioscan out of his pocket. Without much ado, the clone fiddled briefly with some of the knobs on the top of the scanner, punched a few buttons on the front screen, and then held it up in front of Cody's chest. The scanner never actually touched the injured clone's chest, but that was the beauty of most hand-held bioscanners. Even a moderately-trained medic could take stock of a patient's biological condition, by simply passing the scanner over the body and taking note of the diagnostic read-out.
Cody himself had used them before and knew how indispensable they could be – especially on the battlefield, after the blasters had stopped firing. All too often, a bioscanner was all that could tell the difference between the dead and the living; especially when most vital signs couldn't be readily determined through full-body armor.
"No internal injuries, it looks like," Kix delivered his diagnosis after several long seconds; he glanced up from the scanner in his hands and smiled briefly in encouragement. "Though, you'll have one hell of a bruise, sir."
"No broken ribs?" Cody was a bit surprised, especially after how much it had hurt when Ala had touched his side.
"No sir," Kix glanced down at his scanner and shook his head confidently. "Nothing's coming up. Your armor appears to have absorbed the majority of the shock – impressive, really," the medic shifted his attention toward the dented chest plate that lay on the floor beside them.
"And that would be Mandalorian beskar at it's finest," Saa's voice was understandably proud; Cody flashed the older merc a short smile and even Kix turned his head to consider the grizzled Anobian for a moment.
"It certainly holds up to its reputation," Kix's eyes flickered toward Sol, who chuckled and crossed his massive arms over his equally broad chest. "Maybe I should let you teach me how to make some armor after all, Sol."
"It would be the first step to being a Mandalorian," Sol quirked an eyebrow and Kix just rolled his shoulders in a shrug.
"Still haven't made up my mind about that," the medic turned his attention back to Cody and scratched his chin as he considered the extent of his brother's wounds. "In any event...you owe your chest plate some well-deserved gratitude, sir," Kix offered Cody a humble smile. "I don't need to tell you what usually happens on the wrong end of an explosion. You're lucky you didn't even crack a rib."
"Ala thought I might have," Cody reached up tentatively and touched his bare chest for the first time.
He grimaced as he ran his fingers cautiously over his hypersensitive skin. His whole chest throbbed and he didn't need Kix to tell him that it would be several weeks before his bruised muscles had healed. His side especially ached and it surprised him to find out that he hadn't broken anything there.
"Bioscan comes up clear," Kix double-checked, just to make sure. "Not so much as a hairline fracture. Though," the medic suddenly leaned forward and gently grasped Cody's upper arm.
Kix lifted his ex-commander's arm and considered the skin along his patient's ribcage. Cody glanced down himself, in hopes of seeing what it was that had caught Kix's interest. Besides several darkening shades of black and purple along his side, Cody couldn't see any further damage. But then Kix probed a little further back along Cody's ribs and the clone gasped as his medic's fingers found broken skin.
"Looks like your armor bit through your flight suit, sir," Kix lifted Cody's arm a little higher and ducked his head underneath the former commander's bicep.
The medic took a closer look where Cody's ribcage curved toward his back; Cody absently noted that the area that had caught Kix's interest, also happened to be the place where his chest and back plates met. The two pieces of armor were separate, to allow greater mobility, but it seemed that Cody had inadvertently found a flaw in the design.
"But, the good news is, besides that gash along your ribcage and the cuts on your chest, you're fairly unscathed," Kix finally let go of Cody's arm and leaned back with a look of satisfaction. "Your chest is going to hurt like hells, though, for about two weeks. I'll ask Ala to put some bacta patches on those cuts for you, but I'm afraid you'll have to take it easy for a few days. You can probably start moving around like usual in about three days, but don't push yourself until you've given your body about a week or more to heal fully. That's a pretty nasty bruise you've got."
"That's putting it mildly," Cody sighed; normally, he didn't like to 'take it easy' and there would have once been a time when he would have fought Kix's recommendation.
But, truth be told, he was older and wiser than the last time he had been on the receiving end of Kix's expertise. Cody didn't exactly have data to prove it, but he knew, deep down, that it was getting harder and harder for his body to heal itself. He was getting older – and rapidly so. His mind moved, unbidden, to Tay and he sighed again.
No, he wouldn't argue with Kix. Taking 'it easy for a few days' sounded like a very reasonable request at the moment – of course, it helped that Cody was exhausted and wanted nothing so much as a blanket and uninterrupted sleep. And, there was the issue of his aging and Tay – Cody's eyes drifted over toward the sleeping younglings curled up on the cushion next to Dha and Ka'ra. He rubbed his chest again and considered a vague thought that he hadn't allowed himself ever before.
He wanted children. A legacy, perhaps, to leave behind him, so his short life wasn't a total waste. Ignoring Kix's professional suggestions would only shorten his lifespan and at the moment, Cody wanted as much out of the time he had left as possible. No, he'd listen to Kix. He had a female of his own to protect, a home to defend, and a hopeful future for once.
I just hope we have two weeks for all of us to rest and recover, Cody glanced at Sol and then at Saa; that was something he wanted to ask his mentor once they had all gotten a chance to sleep.
How long were they planning on staying at Vecuyan? Common sense dictated that they weren't leaving any time soon – not with Appo combing the streets of Cree'dee and the surrounding countryside for them. But, surely Appo wouldn't stay in such a backwater place for long, especially not if his search continued to prove unproductive. Cody was more than familiar with the efficiency of command and with the calculating mindset of a clone commander. If they were successful in keeping their presence at Vecuyan secret – and if Korbin kept up his end of the bargain, when Appo came snooping into the foothills – then the star destroyer would be forced to return to the larger capitol, if only to refuel and resupply. Cree'dee was too small of a city to sustain a large garrison, much less a whole star destroyer – Cody did hope, however, that Appo didn't push his troops and supplies to their maximum.
Two weeks away from Tay was barely tolerable. Longer than that? Especially without communication? Cody wasn't naive enough to think that he'd be able to contact her; he didn't need to ask Saa to know that they would have to maintain comm silence during their time with Sol and his family. The clone commander privately hoped that they all had enough time to recover, heal, and regroup – but not so much time that months went by without any word or hope of home. Cody didn't think he could bear it; already, he longed for Tay and for her healing hands. He had grown accustomed to her being there – even if only over a holo-com – and being isolated from her was almost as painful as the bruise that currently dominated his upper torso.
"Hey, sir?" someone snapped their fingers right under Cody's nose and he jerked painfully back to the present.
The former commander blinked and refocused his attention on Kix's troubled face. A rueful smile pulled up the corners of Cody's mouth and he rubbed a hand over his face with a low groan.
"Did I zone out again?" Cody asked, bemused, from beneath his rough and weathered fingers.
"Yeah, just a bit," Kix chuckled, as if to soften some of Cody's embarrassment. "No biggie, sir. Just means that you need to get some food in you as soon as possible and into a bed right after that."
"Bed sounds good," Cody sighed almost wistfully; he tried to will himself not to think of Tay - especially not Tay naked and willing in his arms - but his mental self-control was completely shot at this point.
Images and memories from the morning before flickered through his mind and Cody couldn't help but sigh one more time. It really wouldn't be soon enough for him, before they set their sights back toward home and Mydwyth.
"I think bed is my primary recommendation for all of you," Kix glanced around at all of the newcomers, from Saa, to Sheresh, and everyone in between. "But as for you, sir," he turned his gaze back to Cody for a few more moments. "I think you should take two of these for pain," Sheresh's medicine bottle reappeared and was shortly followed by two small pills. "And be sure to finish the rest of the behot tea. In fact, I'd recommend some behot tea at every meal, until you start to feel a little better. It'll help with your energy levels and with any internal infections that might be lurking under those open wounds."
Kix struggled to his feet; exhaustion was deeply etched into the lines of his face and Cody realized with a start that they were all growing old. Lines of worry, stress, and tension were beginning to leave their marks around their mouths and eyes; Kix looked a little more worse for the wear than either him or Fives, though. Cody wondered why that was; he glanced around the small room, at Sheresh, and Kil, and Saa, and thought that maybe he might know why age seemed to be hitting Kix so hard.
The former commander had heard once or twice before that stress could accelerate a clone's aging. Battle, war, death, and chaos didn't lead to quiet lives and Cody had known some brothers from his own batch get gray hair toward the end of the Wars. He eyed Kix's closely shaved head and wondered if the medic was starting to gray as well – the lines around his mouth made him look almost ten years older than Cody himself. The ex-trooper's heart was heavy; Kix had the hardest job of any soldier. It was up to him to see to the physical, and often-times emotional, well-being of any sentient touched by war – be they brother, civilian, Jedi, or enemy.
As Kix moved over toward Fives, Cody realized – for the thousandth time – that a medic's work was never done. If anyone would age quickly because of the weight of responsibility put upon him, it would be a medic. Cody was sure that the things Kix had seen – and quite possibly done – since Order 66 hadn't helped his brother's unnatural biological advancement, either. It brought his own mortality into sharp relief and for a moment, Cody glanced away and tried not to dwell on the uncomfortable reality that threatened to taint the happiness that he had found with Tay.
"So, what happened to you...Captain?" Kix seemed more surprised by Fives' rank than by his injury, as he crouched down beside the ARC, on the opposite side of Numa.
"Got commissioned after Umbara, for exposing General Krell," Fives spoke slowly, as if reluctant to mention a battle that had left a sour impression with many clones in the wake of the Dark Jedi's legendary carnage.
Cody raised his eyebrows slightly – the War had dissolved into sheer chaos after that point, events hurtling ever faster toward Operation Nightfall and Order 66. He had stopped keeping such close tabs on Fives after Umbara – in fact, the ARC had practically melted into the Wars' background, while Cody had been caught in the fervor of a commander's constant responsibilities. Cody had always meant to ask Rex what had happened to the young ARC – who had gained quite a reputation among the 501st for his bold behavior against General Krell – but time had always gotten in the way.
Not to mention...Umbara had altered Rex. Something about Cody's life-long friend had changed by the time the 212st's headquarters platoon had reached the Umbaran airbase that the 501st had fought so hard to claim. It had become harder to talk to Rex after that; for many weeks in the aftermath of the battle, the stalwart Captain had seemed deeply troubled, but had never shared his worries with Cody. The former commander now had time to ponder that change and Rex's puzzling silence; he glanced over at Fives and suddenly wondered if it was the ARC's first act of defiance at Umbara, that had inspired Rex to actions that would place his name on the Wanted Lists.
"I got a field promotion to captain at Felucia, then, about three months before the end of the Wars," Fives paused and took a deep breath; something like anger flashed through his fierce brown eyes and Cody found himself wondering even more about the ARC's post-Umbara life. "It was supposed to be posthumous – the promotion, that is."
"Well, I'm glad to see it wasn't, sir," Kix replied with gentle sincerity as he reached for Fives' injured hand.
"I have two Jedi to thank for that," Fives admitted quietly and some of the ferocity in his face softened; Cody knew that the ARC was thinking of Tay and he wasn't exactly sure how he felt about that.
It was one thing to share Tay with the memory of a dead man. It was another thing entirely, to share her affections with a brother who was still very much alive. At the moment, Cody didn't feel particularly inclined to sharing much of Tay with anyone, but then his eye fell on Fives' "good" hand and something inside of him was humbled.
He couldn't begrudge Fives for his clear adoration of Tay and her goodness. A clone who had lost two whole limbs didn't have much chance of survival in the GAR – Cody knew only too well about the "reconditioning programs" that existed on Kamino specifically to cull the ranks of "defective clones". It was a silent testimony to Tay and her regard for the sanctity of all life, that Fives was even alive to be injured again. The GAR didn't usually believe in prosthetics and rehabilitation.
Kix didn't say anything about Fives' reference to "two Jedi", but Cody caught the medic's profile as he pulled Fives' hand into his lap for a closer look. A memory, in all of its darkness, burrowed into the lines around Kix's mouth and his eyes turned sad. The look lasted for only a brief moment, but it was long enough for Cody to see into the medic's past – Order 66 hadn't been kind to Kix, either.
"Did someone shoot your hand, Fives?" Kix casually steered the conversation toward safer territory – or, at least, territory more safe than the mention of Jedi.
Fives directed his attention toward Sheresh and his expression was positively mutinous.
"Yes."
Kix, who was studying Fives' hand with some amount of concern, missed the look directed over his bent head.
"How long ago was that?"
"Six hours at least. Maybe eight," Sheresh sighed and rubbed her eyes; she purposefully avoided Fives' glowering gaze. "I've honestly lost count."
"This should have been seen to immediately," Kix frowned.
"I'm afraid we were all a little too busy staying alive to worry about a mere flesh wound," Fives bristled, but Kix was singularly unimpressed.
"I can cut your glove off, but it's going to take some skin with it. The good news is, it looks like the bolt glanced off of your armor. The bad news is, it looks like it melted the armor to your glove, which may have then adhered itself to portions of your hand."
"Most of my body has been burned to one degree or another," Fives startled Cody with his blunt revelation. "To include this same hand. I think I'll manage."
Kix chuckled and shook his head.
"You always were a tough one," he muttered quietly under his breath.
"Perhaps you should let him eat something before you start cutting things, ad'ika?" Sol's rumbling voice broke into Kix's musings, just as the medic began reaching into another pant pocket for what Cody assumed would be scissors.
Everyone – including Cody – looked up to see Orar and Ala appear within their midsts, weighted down with trays of steaming bowls. The dishes were made out of the same earthenware as the mugs that Ala had brought out earlier; a particularly pungent smell wafted across the small gathering and mingled with the woody scent of the fire. Cody's stomach growled weakly and it was with no small amount of surprise that he realized how absolutely famished he was. The former commander had been so focused on the events unfolding around him, and on the dull throb in his chest, that he hadn't spared much thought for his own hunger.
"That's not a bad idea, Sol'buir," Kix looked up from Fives' hand and eyed Orar's tray thoughtfully. "It might be a little easier if I use a local anesthetic to control the pain – and having some food might settle any adverse reactions to the medication."
"So...tiingilar for our guest?" Orar picked up a bowl from off of his tray and offered it to Kix for approval.
"Might as well. How long has it been since you've eaten?" Kix reached up and took the bowl from the Arkanian; he paused a moment, though, before handing it to its intended recipient.
"Twelve hours, at least," Fives eyed the bowl with all of the intensity of a starving zillo beast.
"Yeah," Kix didn't hesitate a second longer as he offered the bowl to Fives. "I'll hold the bowl while you eat," the medic nodded toward his brother's injured hand. "I don't want you using your other hand until I've seen to it."
"I'm telling you...it's not that big a deal," Fives mulishly tried to reach out with the very hand that Kix had denied; the medic scowled and pulled the bowl out of the ARC's insistent reach.
"And I'm telling you...that as your medic I outrank you and don't tell me what is or isn't a 'big deal'."
Cody accepted his own bowl from Ala, but for the moment, he was more interested in the drama unfolding between Kix and Fives than in his own food. The former commander watched with a mixture of alarm and amusement as the two brothers faced each other down.
Fives buckled, however – Cody wasn't sure if it was because of Kix's staunch argument, or because the smell of home cooked food finally overrode his pride. In any event, the ARC withdrew his injured hand and laid it reluctantly on top of his armored thigh. Kix offered Fives his bowl again and the wounded clone picked up his fork with a thunderous scowl. He kept his tongue, though, and Cody was thankful for the self-restraint.
Fives had matured into quite a rebellious handful, since his days as a cadet in Domino Squad. Cody wasn't sure where the seeds of dissent had been sown, but he suspected that the hardening of Fives' personality had been a gradual thing, as each member of his squad died over the course of the Wars.
The Citadel was probably the last straw, Cody mused as he watched the ARC swallow his pride and take his first bite from the bowl Kix wouldn't let him hold. Echo always did keep him in line...
The ex-commander had just turned his attention toward the contents of his own bowl, when Fives sputtered and coughed with considerable fuss. Cody looked up just in time to see the ARC give the offered meal a look of considerable uncertainty. He leaned over his bowl and sniffed the steam experimentally; he then grimaced and sneezed twice in rapid succession.
"What is this?" he wheezed around the sudden tears in his eyes.
"Tiingilar," Ala looked almost apologetic as she handed Saa the last bowl from her tray. "It's a rather acquired taste."
"Do you Mandalorians like to taste your food? This is hotter than Kiffu curry!"
"If you don't like it, I call dibs on your bowl," Sheresh didn't even look up from her meal as she enthusiastically shoveled the dubious delicacy into her mouth.
Fives rewarded her verve with a sour look.
"No, seriously, Fives," the former Cuy'val Dar instructor glanced up from her bowl with feigned innocence; the familiarity with which she addressed Fives was not at all lost on the observant Cody. "If it's too spicy for you, I'm sure there's some gihaal around here...somewhere."
"What's gihaal?" Fives asked in the tone of a man who knew he wasn't going to like the answer.
"Dried fishmeal," Sheresh smiled sweetly; even Cody made a face of disgust. "It's very nutritious."
"I had enough fish on Kamino to last me several lifetimes," Fives pressed his lips into a thin and humorless line. "I think I'll burn my nose hairs out instead. No problem."
The ARC took a stalwart stab at his bowl and an equally tenacious bite of the spicy concoction. Satisfied that the drama between Fives and Sheresh had passed for the moment, Cody turned his attention to his own bowl. Like his brother, he took a curious sniff of the tiingilar – and promptly understood what Fives had meant about burning his nose hairs.
The heavy aroma of hot peppers alone threatened to singe Cody's eyebrows. The former commander coughed discreetly, but tried valiantly not to make as much of a scene as Fives. The dish appeared to be a mixed vegetable and meat casserole; it was also more heavily spiced than anything Cody had ever encountered, on any of the many worlds that he had traveled. He dutifully took a bite of the tiingilar...
And promptly reached for what was left of his behot tea.
"This'll...uh..." Cody coughed again as his eyes began to water; he glanced over at Saa, who looked for all the world like he was trying not to laugh into his bowl. "This'll put some hair on your chest."
"I have enough fur there, thanks," Rowin quipped dryly; he, too, seemed a bit uncertain about their generously offered meal.
Sheresh started giggling uncontrollably and Cody quirked a quizzical eyebrow as he tried to muster up the courage for another bite of tiingilar. The female Mandalorian didn't seem inclined to explain what it was that she found so funny, however; she just snickered to herself as she kept consuming her food at a rate that put even Cody at awe.
And I thought us clones were short on the table manners... he marveled, as he watched her eat.
The room fell silent as everyone made peace with their dinner as they were able. Cody discovered that after the first four or five bites, the casserole spices numbed the mouth to any sensation whatsoever. After that point, it was an easy matter to finish off his bowl and he even found himself hoping for a second helping as he passed his empty dish to Ala, to be placed on her tray.
"You should finish your tea, ner vod," the female Twi'lek touched Cody's wrist gently in encouragement as she took his bowl. "Now that you've eaten, you should go to sleep as soon as possible."
"I need you to grab some of that behot ointment and a few bandages first, Ala," Kix seemed to suddenly remember his intentions, as he looked up abruptly from Fives' nearly empty bowl. "He has some scratches that need to be cleaned up before he passes out."
"I can get the supplies," Sol offered before Ala could get to her feet; he held out his hand toward his adopted daughter, to keep her from moving too much from her seat. "You should finish eating, ad'ika."
"Vor entye, Sol'buir," Ala murmured gently as she settled back on her cushion; Cody was oddly touched by the concern that Sol showed for both his guests and for his varied offspring.
He glanced at Saa, thoughtfully. It would seem that the regard for the well-being of his family was a treasured hallmark of a Mandalorian father.
"Do you need anything for Captain Fives' hand?" Sol turned his power chair toward Kix and paused before heading off toward points unknown.
"Uh, yes," Kix eyed Fives' hand yet again and chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "I have some hypospray anesthetic in my spare medkit in the kitchen. I'll need some of our bacta patches, too, and a roll of bandage."
"And all of this is in the kitchen?" Sol lingered for just a second longer, to make certain.
"Yes," Kix nodded and Fives took his last bite of tiingilar.
"I'll take the empty bowls, too," Sol reached forward and offered his hand for the dish that Kix held in his hands.
"Orar, would you like to show our other guests to their rooms, while Ala and I see to these two?" Kix nodded briefly toward Fives and then to Cody.
"We'll wait until they've been tended," Saa interjected before Orar had a chance to move. "We've shared this night together – we can share a few minutes more."
Even Fives ducked his head in respect to the alor's authority. Cody was strongly reminded of the brotherhood that he had left behind him at Bellassa – at the brotherhood that, in all honesty, had been broken at Utapau.
Alpha's deep voice echoed inside of Cody's head; the former commander could hear the legendary ARC's words as clearly as if he were a commander selectee again, struggling through the Advanced Recon Commando training program in pursuit of rank and title.
"We fight together. We eat together. We sleep together. We heal together. We are brothers – we never walk alone."
And now, in a coincidence that eerily hinted at Saa's own experiences with three of Alpha's own ARC brothers, the Mandalorian alor redefined Cody's memory.
"We have shared a Mandalorian meal in a Mandalorian home. Within this circle, Kix'ika, we face nothing alone. The first rule of the Mando'ad is this – we are always one."
A/N: This chapter took forever to write, it seems...and it's a hefty 14-pages long...but I think it's the perfect chapter for our Thanksgiving holiday (for those of us here in the US, at least). And, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Hopefully, you all will feel the same. :) Sol's family is probably what all of us wishes our were this holiday season. LOL
Many wonderful and warm thanks to Codywolf, LongLiveTheClones, Kiana Tavers-Mereel, laloga, and Admiral Daala. You all ROCK for your dedicated reading and reviews. You constantly humble me...and constantly encourage me. This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for each and every reader who has favorited this, who has read, and/or those who have reviewed me. You guys have made this story what it is today and what it will be, hopefully, tomorrow. May the Force be with you all. :)
Love it? Like it? Hate it? Lemme know...!
