Preparations start.

DISCLAIMER:I only own my OC's every other character is owned by Disney, Lucas and everyone else who has ever written anything for Star Wars. This is for entertainment only. My own and anyone who cares to read it.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Rex had been backwards and forwards to the town more times over the past two weeks, than in all the time he had been here. He had finally boosted the Comms tower and enlarged its capacity, with Essie's help.

Jed came by occasionally, although Rex was unsure whether it was more to check on him or to drop the items he had ordered as Essie couldn't bring them. He had also started keeping them updated on the Empire's activities in the capital. Apparently they were looking at reviving the mining industry but on a larger scale; they were in need of large amounts of raw materials and Seelos could still supply some of those with new mining techniques and that was how Raif had been employed again. Luckily they were in an area, that was not in the Empires sights yet. He would need to keep an eye on that.

Jed sat in his customary chair and Rex didn't argue with him but it made Ana smile to herself, as he reclaimed it as soon as Jed left. She handed Jed his Caf and the cookie tin, while Rex sat at the table, with his hologram map displaying. They had found it in her fathers workshop, after they had cleared out her diaries; she had decided to destroy them. They were her past and she was looking forward to a totally different future. She had never even known he had a holomap let alone know how to use it. Rex updated it and they were mapping where the Empire reached on Seelos on the shimmering blue display.

"Is the beacon working ok?" Jed enquired; he had found out about Rex and his brothers. He was ok with Clones, not so keen on droids. His home planet had been attacked by the separatists with a droid army; he'd lost his sister in that attack.

"Seems to be." Rex confirmed between crunching his cookie; anyone who hears it will think it's just some weird noise unless they're Mandalorians. They'd understand it and Clones, especially Wolffe, Gregor and Jessie; they would know."

"What about Stormtroopers?" Asked Jed.

"Not many ARC trained Clones, who are still stormtroopers left."

"No?"

"The Empire was even more careless with Clones, than the Republic."

"I can imagine." Jed replied.

Rex opened his mouth to give an answer but Ana's hand on his arm stopped him; Jed couldn't understand, he never would. Rex needed to let it go.

"I've measured up, you've got plenty of room; we can use timber from the forest there's plenty of it. That should shave some credits off the price but we need to keep it quiet. Only people we trust." Essie helped herself to the Caf and took a long drink. "Why does your Caf always taste better." She directed this to Ana, who just smiled.

"I told you so." Jed agreed. "This Caf is smooth and needs no sweetener, whereas yours…

"I'd stop there, you cheeky chakaar." She jabbed him in the back with her free hand.

There was a round of good natured giggling and sniggers.

"When my brothers arrive we can do a lot of the work ourselves. Felling trees, labouring, mechanical. Give us an instruction manual and we'll soon work it out. We're used to making homes from nothing; we're adaptable even now." There was well deserved pride in Rex's voice, as he said this.

.

Essie followed Ana to the Nuna's, there had been some scrapping between them and Ana had had to move a couple out, until they recovered; Bonnie had been eying them up as prospective snacks until they were now being put back.

"I have to admit, you're looking happier than you have in a long time." Essie opened the gate for her, it was difficult holding two squirming and pecking Nunas.

"I am Essie. I am. I know it's early days but he's …. I don't know how to explain but it just seems so right with him."

"I'm glad. He's not bad after all, and this, what you're both doing is good…..it's good for both of you."

"I hope they agree to stay. There's Gregor and Wolffe, and then someone called Jesse but he seems to spend a lot of his time off planet."

"They can still use it as a base. But it has to be their choice."

"I know. I'm just …"

"Worried Rex won't stay?"

"Yes."

"From the way he looks at you, you have no worry on that point. His eyes follow you around the room when he's not talking to anyone else." Essie chuckled. "I've never seen anyone that much enamoured if anyone."

Ana smiled, "Except you with Tula."

Essie grinned back, "You're as perceptive as your Mother. She knew I preferred women before I'd realised myself."

Ana went very quiet, "You've never talked about her, my mother. What was she really like?"

Essie sighed, "She was the best big sister ever; kind, caring, loved you and your father to bits. You're a lot like her, temper an' all."

Ana shook her head.

"You are." Essie sighed, "It broke my heart when she died."

"Dad couldn't bear to talk about her."

"Tula liked her."

"She met Tula?"

"Yes. Your Dad and I had not spoken in years but she came to New Seelos to see us."

"I thought you had just come back after being off planet."

"No. We only came back here after your Mother died. We'd promised to help look after you if anything happened to her…l'm sorry we failed."

"Aww, Essie." Ana flung her arms around her aunt hugging her.

.

Rex sometimes seriously thought he would wake up from a Bacta induced dream and be back on the Resolute or another vessel as he rolled off Ana and lay on his back. She snuggled close; he liked that part and knew he would soon doze off.

But there was a question Rex wanted to ask; he'd been reticent as it concerned her previous partner. But now he knew more about what happened between them, they had talked even more recently, he now felt he could ask.

"Our first time, Ana, there was one thing you said you had never done."

Ana was silent but he felt her move.

"And yet, you enjoy it….."

She knew what he meant.

"My ex – husband felt it was 'dirty', 'abnormal'. He never wanted it either, he said. He made me feel less than human by suggesting it."

Rex noticed she never called him Raif. "Another way of controlling you." He added.

"Hmm." She agreed and kissed him on the chin.

He felt his eyes getting heavy, when he heard.

"Rex?"

"Yes?"

"Our first time…it was the first time in years that I had been treated like a woman, with feelings, and not like some…piece of meat or made to feel like an animal."

He felt more than heard the sob at the end.

"Hey…..sshh."

"I'm okay, I feel so lucky now."

They finally slept.

.

Ana was sitting at the table with the datapad laying in front of her. She looked up at him and he immediately knew something was wrong, her eyes had filled up with tears; she struggled to keep control, as she pointed to the datapad on the table, he sat down opposite and she gave him a data stick and datapad.

"The data stick was left at the door." He watched her as the data file opened. There was a title page.

'I know who you are Clone'

When he saw what followed, Rex knew exactly what had happened, he and Ana had been there, someone had recorded them making love, at Essie's.

"I'm sorry Rex, but you need to go." Her words hit him like the blaster had on Saleucami, out of the blue, "you need to leave before he gets here, before he brings someone, before they….come for you. I don't care what you've done but you don't deserve to be arrested or whatever he has planned for you."

"I'm not leaving you when he's around. Are you sure it's from him, that it's from Raif?"

Ana showed him the final screen.

'From your loving husband.'

"I'm not leaving you alone, not after what he did to you." Declared Rex, he would never forgive himself if he left and something happened to her. He wasn't going to let her face that bastard alone.

"What did he say to you as we left, when we saw him last?"

"He said he would get me; I thought he meant try to get me back, with him. I told him I was already taken."

"And that was when you were so distant."

"I had to make sure of my feelings and I needed to be away from both of you; away from any distractions."

"And I am distracting." He smiled to himself, at the thought.

"Yes, But please now you have to leave, if he knows who you are he might contact the Empire; especially if there's some kind of reward. He always needs money even if he is working. I know him."

"No, I'm not leaving you."

"Rex, please," she closed her eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath, as if plucking up the courage, "I ...couldn't cope if anything happened to you."

He moved around the table to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on her head; he knew there had to be some way out of this but the one he was thinking about may actually bring more trouble to both of them.

"Nothing's going to happen."

.

Rex finally managed to persuade Ana to go to bed and stayed with her until he was sure she was asleep, he re-set the perimeter alarms, armed himself, crept out of the house and set off for town on the speeder. The road was well lit by the light of the moon; luck was with him he needed to make good time.