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.
Reviews are very welcome.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
In the living area of the Ghost, Rex sat looking at the Dejarik board; it had been left in mid game, when Zeb stormed off. He realised he was losing. Rex couldn't help but smirk. He had used a tactic common during the Clone Wars and it still worked. Zeb didn't realise just how competitive the clones were.
Now it was quiet, Kanan had left before the game ended 'to talk to Hera.'
Hah, that's what they call it now, was it.
A pleasant memory drifted into his mind; he replayed it a couple of times, then locked it away for the future, where it wouldn't distract him but would remind him why he was here.
He wasn't sure about this mission.
An incursion on an enemy ship, with little or no intel.
No one is left behind.
My Code.
Going in blind.
Not a good start.
Sato, Ezra and others are still there.
They need retrieving.
Now it's gone from bad to worse.
I have to wear the Stormtrooper armour.
.
His com pinged and he headed towards the cargo hold of the ghost.
He and Kanan, they avoided each other.
They bickered and that didn't help anyone. It had not helped Ezra and Rex liked the youngling a lot. He reminded him of Ahsoka, back in the day.
Zeb pulled the Storm troopers up the ramp and dumped them. Two piles of ill constructed plastoid, groaning.
This was Hera's fault; if she thought that both of us on this mission together, would make Kanan like me. Then she needed to talk some sense, no knock some into her lover's head first.
And if both of them thought that no one knew what they were up to when they went into her cabin to talk tactics. Well, that was like saying that Stormtrooper armour stops blasters.
Dini'la!
The Empire are cheapskates; this armour feels like and looks like osik, very clean, very bright shiny Osik.
Rex adjusted the shoulder piece
I'm still sure Kanan will never like me.
He pulled at the armour; it was digging into body parts that it had no place even going near.
"You ready?"
Kanas irritated voice echoed through the hold.
"I really hate this armour." Muttered Rex pulling at an offending piece of plastoid.
"Looks like you've gained a little weight."
"No I haven't, they just don't make this armour for real men." he snarled back.
Rex pulled the rear of his armour down again - it felt worse. He muttered something indecipherable, as they headed towards their shuttle. He was sure it the same one as before.
He smiled when he saw his likeness on the back wall of the shuttle, he liked the decoration Sabine had done. She was a good girl, that one. Got her priorities right.
.
They came out of hyperspace and he just knew Kanan was rolling his eyes as he recited the emergency protocols that he and Cody had invented all those years ago.
Fek! I still miss the barve.
He got them in.
The Imperial, in the elevator insulted him.
"I'll kriffing…. Fekking show you. You.. you…back end of a Bantha."
Kanan even played up to the shabuir.
"Commissary?"
.
Ezra did well, shouldn't have had it on stun though.
Then it all went to haran and he knew why Stormtroopers couldn't shoot straight
This was just bound to happen, thought Rex, as he was being dragged by two Stormtroopers to the Admiral. He was proud that it had took at least five of them to take him down.
Fekking toy soldiers.
He wouldn't talk. They couldn't make him. He'd been trained to survive interrogation by Alpha 17 himself and a Null ARC.
Stick that up your Fekking shebs, Admiral.
The jumped up Imperial was talking to him, in that smug accent they all had; it was offering him a training position?
Train what?
"I really hate this armour."
He knew he was shaking, through the pain, his muscles reacting to the continued bombardment of his nerves by the various probes of the Interrogation droid.
He knew he was screaming he could hear himself. Fek he was loud.
So the Fekking Empire managed to improve at least one item. I bet the public transport runs on time in Coruscant now, as well.
He gritted his teeth and thought about the flimzi holograh. He felt his scarf under his body suit. He was ready.
He screamed again. A name. Ana.
.
Jay and the girls were regular visitors and always welcome. Once their initial awkwardness had vanished, the girls stayed overnight, whenever Jay had to go to the Capital for Meetings at the hospital; apparently he still had to be linked to that establishment.
Another Diktat from the Empire.
Jay dropped them off and they helped her with her chores; particularly liking the Nunas and Bonnie. More importantly the Tooka liked them. Ana enjoyed their company, realising how much she missed Rex and how much she hated being alone. But he had made his decision, however much that hurt.
She showed the girls how to sew and repair clothes and once when they stayed she made each of them a top. No one else had one like it. She also taught them to cook meals from scratch; the look on their faces when they saw that. They were amazed that you could actually do it and that it tasted good enough to eat. Tula had once told her they thought all food came from a box
What was their Father teaching them?
At least she could teach them what she knew, it was nothing fancy but useful, especially on Seelos. It was a slow process but eventually she won them over.
.
Ana went to her room to find some material; she was making them something, once they decided what; Mattie followed her in. She looked around, nose in the air, it was the first time she had been in the room and she sniffed, loudly.
"It smells like an old ladies room."
"Well, perhaps I'm old."
"No, you're not, you're the same age as Dad and he's not old, he says so. Who's that." She pointed to a picture of Ana's mother.
"My mum." Ana wondered what she was going to ask next. "She died, when you were young, didn't she?" Ana stared at the picture before replying, "When I was about eleven." This was less difficult now, "she went out one day and didn't come back."
"My mum did that."
"I know." The girl was silent. "And Thank You for saying I'm not old."
"Dad says we've got to be nice to you." Mattie was definitely getting more comfortable with her.
"I'd rather you were truthful."
"Okaaaaay." Mattie drew out the syllables. "You are old, and Dad is but I would never tell him." Ana sniggered. "I won't either, let's just let him think he's young, eh."
Ana pulled out the trunk with all her material in; she hoped there was something in it they liked. She shouted for Meg to come in and have a look; she had been playing with Bonnie and now appeared with the Tooka hanging from her her arms like a rag doll but it was chirruping. She definitely liked the child. She left them alone to choose, not wanting to influence them; eventually they came back with an armful of material each, plus one for the Tooka, which followed obediently behind them.
Mattie had something else in her hand, which she pushed towards Ana saying
"We found this under the bed and thought that you'd lost it, so we pulled it out for you." Her face showed that she was pleased herself and was waiting for thanks. Ana didn't disappoint.
"Ooh, Thank you very much, I'd lost that." She took it and placed it straight into a drawer, as she knew exactly what it was, a holograph of her and Rex; she couldn't bear to look at it but didn't want to upset the girls.
They were getting into the swing of this now and regularly helped her with dinner; Mattie loved drawing and painting, so she always had some materials for her and put the finished ones up around the house. She loved having them with her but it was bittersweet, as it reminded her what she was missing in her life.
.
Jay was away for two days, another visit to the capital, but after this he would be based in Lonlea, the only local Doctor in the area and covering several small towns. He was going to be busy, Medical droids were few and far between and not trusted by most of the local inhabitants.
She helped the girls prepare a meal for their father, who were delighted to be showing off their new skills to him, and he was just as delighted to benefit from those skills.
The meal finished and the girls had got themselves washed, undressed and into bed, well in their bedrooms; Ana was sure they weren't actually in bed. Although they could sort themselves out, they were of that age now; they were probably looking at the Holonet, Jay and herself sat in the living room, a Corellian brandy was ready for each of them.
"So, all cleared up now? No loose ends?"
"None, finally everything is transferred over."
"That's good. Have you got your premises sorted?
They had moved to the parlour and sat with their brandy; the girls had finally finished arguing, after their father had been in to see them. Jay flopped onto the settee, he looked tired, drained almost; Ana could see that something was troubling him.
"A Penny for them."
He turned to look at her his grey eyes full of concern. "Rex who was living with you. Was it a serious relationship?"
She could feel herself tense up.
"Rex? For me. Yes." She said, not really wanting to hash this out again.
"Is it over?"
"It would appear so; he didn't leave a note and I've not heard anything from him since."
"He didn't deserve you, if he couldn't even speak to you face to face about it. I thought he was a better man than that but I only met him for a few hours."
"To tell me what? He wasn't coming back."
Jay shrugged.
"I think I prefer it this way."
She gulped her brandy down so quickly, it hurt her throat as she swallowed. Ana rose to take the empty glass into the kitchen; Jay rose at the same time, stepped in front of her and pulled her into a kiss.
She pulled away quickly, shocked.
It wasn't right.
It didn't feel right.
It wasn't Rex.
"What was that?"
"I'm sorry." He was flushed.
Ana glared at him, swept out of the room, deposited her glass in the kitchen and headed out of the door.
.
She wanted to say it had never even entered her head that their friendship was progressing to something, it had and she had pushed it away; she didn't want it to go there. She heard him come up behind her.
"I'm sorry, I presumed too much."
"Just because I'm alone..."
"I know, I didn't mean…we'll leave in the morning."
She sighed "You don't have to."
"It might be for the best."
"No it's okay." The initial shock had subsided, "So long as you know."
"I just thought…" he paused, debating whether or not to say the next part. "The girls need a mother. You're good with them."
Ana turned to face him, "I can never replace her." She almost spat the words out.
"No you can't, not for me or for them. I know that now."
They were just good friends. They got on really well, she loved the children, they called her Aunt, which she liked. She was happy for them all to stay with her but the house was small.
An idea popped into her head ; she would talk to Essie, get the builder back who could help extend the house and they could continue what she and Rex had started.
Rex had upgraded the perimeter intruder alarm for her, after Raif and it had been useful. She didn't always use it but more recently especially after the visit by the Stormtroopers, she had put it on more and more. Now when Jay and the girls were here she always put it on, just in case; she didn't want anything bad to happen to any of them.