On the Wings of a Hawk

Loyalty In Question

A/n: Don't Own Star Wars.


Rex took a deep breath as they were about to be dropped in the middle of the battlefield. Ahsoka looked up at the older man with worry in her eyes. He felt her eyes on him and turned his gaze to her.

"You okay Rex?"

"Yeah sure kid."

He wondered if Moira was going to show up in the midst of battle and then vanish when she assumed her job was done. The way she acted grated on his nerve. The least she could do is choose sides.

"Are you sure Rex?"

He nodded his head as he looked out over the landscape they'd be dropped into. There was this feeling that something was going to go down that he wasn't sure he was going to like. Reaching up his hand rested over his chest where the medallion that he wore rested. Taking a deep breath he leapt from the gun ship into the battle. In the midst of battle something black flashing in and out of the hordes of droids. Then the flash of a dual arctic blue light sabers caught his eyes. Then she was there charging forward with the rest of them. She almost made it seem easy. Then three more joined beside, her cutting down battle droids and their tanks. It irritated him a little that they came and went as they wanted not taking sides. The soldier in him was questioning the loyalty of those who came in and out of battles like ghosts without taking a side. He remembered General Kenobi saying they were like ghosts. Though, they probably had to be like ghosts to be assassins.

For some reason Rex's gaze kept being drawn to where the Fates fought in the battle. Somewhere in the battle she'd shifted and was protecting his brothers from flying debris. The other's were also helping his brothers when they could. He'd give them points for that but it still wasn't choosing sides. While he was distracted a blaster bolt hit him in the shoulder. It wasn't really painful due to his armor but it stung like hell. A loud yelp and something heavy crashing to the ground drew his gaze to Moira's position. She rose with red eyes and her fangs were bared and her feathers were ruffled. She shifted back in the blink of an eye and drew her sabers and started taking out droids like a Jedi.

Once they were on safer ground and the enemy was pushed back Moira appeared from the shadows with her clansmen. They were helping injured Clones to the medics on hand. They murmured something softly to the Clones they dropped off before turning and heading back out onto the battlefield to return with more injured. After a couple trips they stopped going back out. Moira frown as she knelt down beside a Clone that looked really bad. He couldn't hear her words but she was holding his hand and murmuring to him. Her hand reached forward and brushed her thumb across his forehead. The clone said something before his eyes slid shut and his body went still. She reached up and ran his hand down his face and laid him down and covered him with a blanket. Her wings flexed as she rose. Shaking her head she reached up and brushed something off her face before turning to observe those around her.

Every couple steps one of his many brothers stopped the small group to speak with them. Moira dipped her head at what was being said, but her attention was on him. A nudge against his ribs made him look down at Ahsoka. There was a devious smirk on her face that annoyed the hell out of him. It was a look her master had given him more than once and nothing good ever came outta that look.

"What Commander?" he huffed.

"Lighten up a little Rex."

"We're in the middle of a war there's no such thing as lightening up."

"The Fates are pitching in when they can maybe we can someday soon."

"What do you know of them?"

"Not a whole lot Kali is still teaching me."

"Not Moira?"

"I'm under Moira's protection but her focus is on her One and no one else."

He looked down at the little Jedi wondering at her words. Shaking off what had been said he watched Moira and the other three with her approach where the Jedi and Commanders were gathering. All four of the Fate's pushed back their hoods to show their faces off. He could see the resemblance between Kali, Moira and the male standing beside them. The other female's markings were bright red and seemed to almost mimic fire as she move and the burnt gold eyes narrowed at those around her. It was almost as if she didn't trust those around her.

"Hello Rex," Moira murmured as she stepped towards him.

"I don't even know why these people are here," he heard from one of his brothers.

Moira looked at the one who spoke.

"We're here to help in any way we can," she responded.

"You're assassins. What business do you have honestly in this war, one for which you don't choose sides?"

"You question us?" Kali finally snapped. "We've come to help and you judge us because we were trained as assassins?"

"Kali don't," Moira called to her sister.

"How do we know you're not here to befriend us and get our trust and then have you turn around and kill us all?" one clone asked.

"We don't operate like that we do have a code of honor," Moira commented. "Regardless of our assassin status we will defend our One with all that we are and sometimes that means we help those beside our One."

"What would an assassin like you know about loyalty and honor? You slink in the shadows not picking sides. That mark you bare says that you are brave but I've seen nothing to show me you've earn it," Rex pointed out bluntly. "And what is a One?"

The entire group stopped all conversation and it was almost as if the Fates stilled at his words. Rex regretted what he'd said as soon as he said it not even knowing why he'd said it. The mark wasn't given lightly by the Mandalorian people. She must've done something great to earn the mark. Her eyes narrowed darkly at him. She growled something in her own language and lashed out. He hit a tree hard and she vanished but stumbled a bit as she left like the hit had hurt her.

"Let me at him," he heard from behind him.

Kali was fighting against Kenobi's hold on her. "You selfish brat," she snarled.

"Kali calm down," Kenobi soothed. "He doesn't understand and hurting him won't help matters."

"You talk about choosing sides in this war. We don't do that but we choose to stand beside people not a cause. We are steadfast and loyal to our Ones even if they don't care in the same magnitude that we do."

"Kali," Kenobi started. "He doesn't…"

"He better learn to understand or she'll die."

That sent something reverberating through him like a physical ache that he couldn't explain. Everyone was watching the display with rapped attention. "She sacrificed more than you know to be here now to fight beside you."

"Kali."

Her gaze drifted to the figure stalking out of the shadows like a wraith. The woman pushed back her hood. Her golden eyes landed on Rex and he had to fight the feeling to shrink back from her gaze. There was something in her eyes that promised pain. Two more figures melted from the shadows behind her. The woman's gaze left his and turned to the two behind her.

"Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid you four."

They nodded and vanished. Loud explosions rocked the droid battlefront a good distance away. Buildings in the distance started to topple and there were the distant screams of failing battle droids. Clouds of dust rose up in the air. Kali sighed softly in annoyance.

"I hate when she does that," Kali murmured.

"Do what?"Anakin asked.

"Rush into a fight without thought or care."

Everyone looked at Anakin. Kenobi was smirking at the words knowing that Anakin was exactly like that.

"What?" Anakin asked.

Kenobi shook his head at the people standing around him. Kali turned on her heels and stalked into the darkness fallowing the others of her clan. The newer arrival looked Rex in the eye and shook her head and muttered under her breath in their language. Kenobi stared at the woman in shock as she vanished.

"What did she say?" Rex asked hesitantly.

"It's best that I do not repeat what was said."

"Who is that General Kenobi?" Cody asked his superior.

"The reigning Queen of her entire planet also Moira, Kali, and Ajax call her Aunt Morana."

"You seem to know a lot about their kind," Rex directed at Kenobi.

"When Kali likes to stick around more than necessary you learn and she made sure I learned her language since I was under her protection."

"What does that even mean? Aside from the obvious, protection from what?"

"It's exactly what it says it means. You have protection from her from her clan and in a combat against your enemies."

"Her Clan?"

Kenobi's gaze drifted away from Rex forward. He'd seen something flicker in the older man's eyes at the words. Rex wondered what he'd gone through in order to gain this knowledge of her clan.

"Some of their Clan members do not like the choices there members make so they'll go after their One. Even though it's against their codes to do so. Kali tells me that the Arbitrators have a field day with that kind of thing whatever that means."

"It means the Arbitrators are within their rights to torture or rain down whatever punishment on those who break clan law."

They saw Kali pacing out without anyone following her. "We take the harming of our One seriously especially from our own Clan members."

There was blood on her clothes which all present zeroed in on. Kali's eyes narrowed at their gaze and some had the decency to turn their eyes away from her blood stained form.

"Kali…"

"It's not mine Obi-Wan. It's Moira's blood. She decimated a couple garrisons of droids while toppling that building."

She smirked at Rex. Before flipping her hair over her shoulder. Her wings fanned out flicking dirt and debris every which way. She threw her dark cloak over her shoulder. Ajax reappeared and stood next to her waiting for the word.

"I hope she'll be okay," Kenobi offered.

"She is what she is Obi-Wan she'll be okay. Ajax took her back to home world for healing."

He nodded his head and his gaze drifted to Rex who was silent. Sighing softly he turned his back on the matter and moved towards the others.

"The shows over everyone."

The clones went about what they were doing before the confrontation went down. Kali stood there watching this Clone intently. He took off his helmet and looked at the woman Moira called sister.

"My sister has suffered much to get here to fight beside you Rex remember that before you open your mouth again."

"I don't know you or her."

"She wants to know you, and it would be wise to get to know her too."

"What is a One?"

"Ask her that when she comes next if she decides to stand beside you again in battle."

Kali's wings fanned out throwing debris around him as she shot skyward and vanished with Ajax following her. Sighing softly he turned his head and closed his eyes.

"Are you going to be okay?" Ahsoka asked as she stepped up beside him.

"Not now Commander."

"Get to know her first Rex before you judge her. She's a good person. She only wants to help."

He watched Ahsoka walk away and stood there deep in thought. It would take days before she appeared again. He stood at the tree line staring out in to the dark. He hear twigs snapping. Looking up he saw her in her wolf form standing there watching him. He stepped forward.