Beauty in a Bullet's Shell

by DarkFlameJ

Don't ask her how it happened because she doesn't know. The supervisors at Kamino said it was a glitch in the system that made her the way she is. Clone Trooper 19580, more commonly known as Dagger, is a female clone. Clones were expensive so they trained her and sent her out to the 501st. This is Dagger's story of trying to keep her secret and still be a good soldier.

56. Chapter 56

"Why are you even looking at that? You can't read it," Rex asked, voice husky from sleep. He had rolled over in the middle of the night and found Dagger lying on her back, face illuminated by the light of her datapad.

"I'm not reading the Chagri, I'm reading the documents I from the Duchess about the Kotep'an family," she answered in a matching whisper.

He sat up with a deep sigh, legs falling off the edge of the bed so he could sit at the edge. He rubbed his eyes for a few seconds before clearing his throat, "What have you been finding?"

"Nothing too important, just learning about the different battles and wars that they fought in. The Kotep'an line has gone hand in hand with the Kryzes for generations. The family trees never came together but they have worked for and with each other for a long time. The Kotep'ans were a well respected clan of Mandalorians," she explained quietly.

Rex tilted his head as he looked at Dagger's face. From his vantage point he couldn't see the screen, but he could also see the bags under her eyes. He wondered if she had been able to sleep at all, "A real shame that you are the only one left."

She looked over at him, a sad look in her eyes, "And I'm not even really one of them. Not by blood, just by name and because the Duchess said so."

"Mandalorians don't care about blood relations for the most part, so it counts for something," Rex pressed, "Better than having no one left who cares to know about them. You remember them in the way you know how to, learn about them when you don't really have to."

She sighed and tilted the datapad down to rest against her chest as she stared up at the ceiling. There was barely enough light in the room to see her by. Rex just sat on his bed waiting for her to say more.

Dagger had been tense the past week, ever since Utrost she seemed to always be deep in thought. He hadn't asked her to say more about it, she had told him that she would let him know once she figured more of it out. He could tell that this mission had been taking a toll on her, it had been for him too. The constant fear of not quite knowing what was coming next, not being able to call for backup at a moment's notice.

She had been doing really well, hiding her true identity seemed to come naturally to her. It made him sad to think of the time not so long ago that she had been playing that act and hiding from him. In some ways, she still was hiding, at least from the rest of Torrent. He could only imagine how much that took out of her to hide day in and day out. He wished that she had been able to have the time that she had wanted to tell their brothers who she was before they had left.

"Tell me about Commander Fox," she suddenly asked, then added, "Please."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "He was in Cody's command class, both older than me. We all get together for drinks when we happen to be on Coruscant at the same time."

"But what is he like? You seemed to care about him a lot."

"Of course I care about him, I care about all of my brothers. He helped me a lot when I was first promoted to Captain, even from Coruscant he would send me some of his old datafiles from the command classes that I never took. He used to be the Commander of an attack battalion," he trailed off.

"Something happened, didn't it?" She asked quietly.

He nodded even though he knew that she probably wasn't looking at him, "The first battle of Geonosis. A lot of good troopers were lost that day. Fox was one of the only ones in his battalion to survive. As a result, they gave him a medal and one of the worst jobs in the GAR."

"The worst? Why?"

"The clone army was new at the time. It looked bad that he had lost his entire battalion so they wanted to keep him off the front lines and out of the public's view. H-"

"That isn't his fault!" Dagger exclaimed in a hushed shout. She sat up quickly to face him and her datapad fell onto the bed, illuminating the right side of her body and face.

He held out his hands in a placating gesture, "I know it isn't. That is just what the GAR decided at the time and now he is at the worst non-combat post there is. He has to deal with all of the Bantha shit on Coruscant and never gets to do what he was trained for."

He took a breath, "But that being said, Fox is one of the hardest workers that I have ever encountered. He never leaves a job unfinished and he is always loyal to his brothers."

"So why is he being targeted by whoever has hired these bounty hunters?"

"I've been trying to think of an answer to that question for days. The only thing I can come up with is that there is a bigger plot going on and Fox would be one to stand in the way of it."

"Bigger plot? What, like against the Chancellor?'

"I couldn't tell you Dagger, I'm sorry I don't have the answers, but that is why we are on this mission."

"We will find out who is after our brother," she said it with such conviction that he couldn't help but nod his head. The fierce confidence that they would be able to complete this mission, her words left no room for question and he believed her.

"Are you ok?"

"What?"

"Are you doing ok? I just- it seems like you have been a bit off lately. I wanted to make sure you are ok," he explained.

"Yeah," her voice was quiet as she responded, "I have just been thinking about something Jask said."

"Jask?"

"Yeah, he asked about the clone army and if they are all such good soldiers why was the war still going on? I just can't help but think that he has a point. We were supposed to stop the Separatist army but the war doesn't seem like it is any closer to ending than it was at the start. Why is it that we seem to be in a deadlock with the Seps?"

"You've seen their numbers. There are so many of them and they just keep making more and more droids that we can't keep up."

She hummed thoughtfully, but didn't speak. He looked closer at her, "You think there is more to it?"

"I do."

"How so?"

"I don't know yet, but this mission and this war both seem to have bigger things at play than you or I know about."

He laid back on his bed, throwing a forearm over her eyes, "It is too late at night for this. Nothing we can do about either right now, might as well get some sleep."

She let out a noise of agreement and he heard the bed sheets rustle as she also laid back down. Rex dropped his arm off his face and let his head fall to the side to look at her. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he saw her staring at her data pad again. Her eyes were drooping and she didn't look like she was taking in any information, she just looked exhausted.

"Hey," he called softly and she looked over at him, "It'll be there tomorrow. Get some sleep, Dagger."

She had to put some effort into pulling her eyes open after a particularly slow blink and she nodded. She set the datapad on the dresser, "Ok, goodnight Rex."

He smiled at her sleepy words, "Goodnight Dagger."

~B~

There was a knock on the cabin door that caused Dagger to look up. Rex shot her a quick glance before tapping a button on his vambrace causing the door to slide open.

Azariah stood there with a hand on her hip, a bundle of mismatched fabric under the other arm, "Is it safe to assume that neither of you have formal clothes?"

Dagger and Rex shared a look, then shook their heads. That was certainly something that they hadn't considered needing to bring to prepare for this mission. This was supposed to be a group of bounty hunters, they didn't think that there would have been a need for formal wear. Not to mention it wouldn't have matched up with their cover stories.

She let out a huff, "Of course not. Here take these. They should fit, but if not let me know."

She dumped a bundle of dark clothes into Rex's arms, he had to reach out quickly to avoid dropping them all. Then she handed a shimmery silver fabric to Dagger along with a pair of black strappy heels.

Before she could make it out the door Dagger stood and called after her, "Wait!"

Azariah paused and turned to look over her shoulder, lekku swaying with the movement.

"Why are you giving us these?"

She rolled her eyes, "Aside from the fact that both of your wardrobes are pathetic, I mean really all of your clothes fit in one drawer each, you will need them for our next target. We got word that they might make an appearance at an upcoming ball. You have to at least look the part to get in."

The door slid closed behind Azariah as she left the two of them to try on the clothes. Dagger set the heels on the ground and held up the silver garment, trying to orient it and get an idea of what it looked like. Once she found the thin straps, she held it up to reveal a slim full-length dress. The dress had a shine that shifted and caught the light. The front had a low v neckline and the back scooped down. She hummed at the fabric thoughtfully, considering it.

Rex cleared his throat, "I- I'll go try this on in the 'fresher."

He left the room quickly, Dagger raised an eyebrow at his departure, he hadn't seemed to mind earlier. She took off her armor and slipped the dress over her head. She brushed her hands down her sides to smooth the fabric into place, she was surprised at how well the dress fit. Dagger had to admit that Azariah was a good judge of style and size, it fit perfectly.

She only wished that the back wasn't quite so low. She could feel the cool air of the ship on her exposed shoulder blades and knew that her scars would be on full display. Her hair was still cropped short to her head and for the first time she wished it was longer so that it would cover her back. The scars didn't hurt as much as they used to, but she didn't want to have to answer questions about them either.

She looked down as she alternated bending her knees. Smiling as her right knee emerged as the skirt of the dress parted around it. A long cut in the dress showed her leg up to the mid-thigh. She was glad that it wouldn't be too restrictive and she would be able to move quickly if need be.

Her gaze shifted to the ground, well maybe. There were exactly zero tactical advantages that to wearing heels. She sat on the edge of her bed and slipped her feet into the strappy black heels and closed the delicate clasp around her ankle. She smiled at herself as she wiggled her toes.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered as she pushed up to her feet. The distribution of weight to the balls of her feet was unfamiliar and she took a moment to get her balance. Once she was sure that she was steady she took a step.

"Oh, that ain't so bad," sure it wasn't the best, but it was manageable. She certainly wouldn't be going anywhere fast in the heels but she felt confident that she could at least walk as she practiced pacing back and forth in the small room. Her steps made clicking sounds every time that the heels connected with the floor.

She was still pacing back and forth when the door slipped opened with a quiet swish. Rex stood in the doorway in a charcoal grey three-piece suit. His collar was open and the tie hung loosely around his shoulders. He was fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves as he muttered, "I think this jacket is too small, it feels tight on my shoulders."

Dagger had to stifle her smile at his words, the jacket was rather form fitting up top. She couldn't help but appreciate the tight fit that showed off his shoulders, "I don't think it was made for someone who works out quite as much as you do."

He nodded and went to respond, but when he looked up at her his words died in his throat. He stared at Dagger and she smiled at him. She swung her arms slightly, "You like my dress?"

He tilted his head to the side and a look that she hadn't ever seen before crossed his face. Rex leaned up against the doorframe and nodded slowly, "You look beautiful."

Her face heated up at the compliment and ducked her head for a moment, "You don't look too bad yourself."

He took a step forward and started to reach his hand out, "Dagger, I th-"

"Ah! Good! I'm glad that everything fits," Azariah interrupted, "Come on you two it's time to go."

Rex didn't turn to look at her but his hand dropped back to his side and his shoulders slumped slightly. Dagger's brow scrunched up, "Time to go? You said it was an upcoming ball?"

"Yeah, upcoming like coming up right now. We are about to enter atmo," she explained.

Dagger's eyes widened, "You didn't think to give us a bit of warning? What are we even doing here?"

"We are going after another Senator. She might be here or she might not, honestly, I feel like it is a long shot that she would even be there. You and Rex are just here for support and to be an extra set of eyes. Jask and I are going to be doing the snatching as subtly as possible. Last time we tried to run in guns blazing we lost the target, this time we are doing it differently."

Rex sighed, "Who is the target?"

"Senator Padme Amidala."

Dagger's eyes flickered over to Rex, he didn't react to the name at all. Instead, he asked, "A Republic Senator?"

Azariah nodded, "You sure are good at names, yes. One of the top targets that our employer wants us to pick up."

"Being good at names is part of my job," he paused, "Was part of my job."

Azariah gave him a sympathetic look, "Hey, some things just happen for a reason. We won't leave you behind like they did and that's a promise. But if we wait any longer, we will all be late, c'mon let's go."

Dagger hesitated a moment and Rex stopped just before he went out the door to look at her, "What was it you were going to say?"

He shook his head, "Another time."

She nodded, accepting his words. She couldn't help but be curious about what he was going to say, she still couldn't place the look that she had seen on his face. She walked forward, Rex watched her every move and she couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious. She was not used to people looking at her so closely and actually being able to see her face.

He held out his arm and she tilted her head in question. Rex just shrugged, "It's what the fancy people do when they have dates to these formal functions."

"Am I your date Rex?" she teased lightly, the damned heat on her face once again making an appearance on her face, there was definitely something wrong with her today.

"If you would like to be," he said it like a statement but she heard the question lying underneath.

"I would love to be your date Rex," she answered as she looped her arm into his, and he rested his opposite hand over hers. He acted as her guide out of the Hippo as the ramp lowered. She was glad that she hadn't taken off her dagger and it was still strapped onto her left thigh out of sight. Other than that, she wouldn't be able to bring any weapons with her and that was never a good feeling.

They met up with Jask and Azariah outside the Hippo, both of them wearing formal clothes as well. However, Neems and Raybin were still wearing their normal outfits. Azariah seemed to see the question before she even asked in, "These two aren't coming inside. They decided that they wanted to watch the exits. It'll just be us going in tonight."

"Dagger you are looking beautiful tonight," Jask said with a wide smile.

She rolled her eyes, "Not like I had any warning or heads up."

Jask chuckled as he looked between Rex and Dagger. Then his smile widened into a more devious expression, "Good idea Rex. Azariah if you please."

Azariah scoffed as Jask held out his arm, mirroring Rex. She turned and walked away from him, "Not a chance, Jask."

As they walked down the sidewalk Dagger looked around, she wasn't sure what planet they were on, but this city was a heavily populated one. The buildings soared overhead and she had to crane her neck to see where the towering structures touched the clouds. The group was quiet as they took in the different people and buildings. This city was a lot like Coruscant aside from the fact that the buildings didn't run deep underground.

They talked about the plan on the way to the gala. They wanted to blend in and try to capture the Senator without anyone noticing. So, the group would split up and cover as much of the venue to try and find Amidala. In the end it was a shorter walk than she would have expected.

They all stood outside of an ornate building. Jask let out a whistle at the building and Azariah smacked him, "Will you shut up? We are supposed to look like we belong. Not be gawking at the venue."

"Yeah yeah," he waved her off, "Just remember who has the tickets alright? Here Dagger hang on to these. We are going to go in first. You guys follow us after a few minutes. Rex, here is an earpiece, press this button to activate it and if you see the senator let us know."

They both took the items and watched as Azariah and Jask left to go into the building. Dagger let out a snicker as Jask grabbed her hand and placed it on his arm right as they walked up to the security guard out front. Once the pair was out of sight she turned to Rex.

"I think tonight might be a good time to try and get a message to the GAR."

He reached into his pocket for a moment before pulling out a data-stick out, "I was actually thinking that tonight might be the best time to get this translated."

She raised an eyebrow, "I didn't even know that you brought that. We can split up once we get inside and try to get a message out and try to get it translated. But what are we supposed to do if we do see the Senator?"

"I hope that she doesn't show, but if she does we need to get to her before the others do. She knows who I am and can probably guess pretty easy who you are too. No matter what, we can't let our cover get blown. We take her if we have to, getting to the bottom of this mission is the most important thing."

Dagger nodded along with him. Then he handed her the datastick, "You take this. Try and find a droid or a terminal that can translate, keep it as secure as possible. I'll try to contact Commander Thorne or Fox, give them an update as well as a heads up that someone is going to be trying to come after Fox."

"Nothing is going to happen to him, not if we can help it," she promised. She didn't know if the statement was more for her benefit or for his.

Rex nodded tightly before straightening up and offering her his arm again. She smiled as she took it and they made their way to the building. A small part of her wished that this wasn't a mission. It would be nice to go to a function or somewhere with Rex. They could both get dressed up and do something together. She smiled, going on a date with Rex. Wouldn't that be something?

Maybe if they had been born in a different universe or had been created as different people that would be a possibility. She frowned as she realized that a life like that wasn't her life and wouldn't ever be her life. She was a soldier, created for war and he was her Captain. They had a mission to do and people to watch out for.

The logic in her mind warred with the longing in her heart as they entered the double doors to the building. Through a short hallway was another set of doors and they found themselves in a grand ballroom. The floors were polished stone and the high ceilings glowed with golden light.

She pushed most of her thoughts aside and decided that she would enjoy this night anyway. She was a soldier and all she had ever wanted to be was a good one. Just because she had been given a nice dress and a chance to be with Rex at this ball didn't change that. She still had to work hard to be that good soldier.

Rex walked them around the massive room, seemingly at random, but she could see out of the corner of her eye how he was surveying the entire room, looking for threats, sizing up the crowd and looking for all exits.

"There," he gestured towards a hallway branching off from the room, "You go that way and I will go over there. Meet back around here in twenty minutes, ok?"

"Wait, wouldn't it be a bit suspicious to leave as soon as we arrive. I wouldn't want Azariah to think that we are up to something."

"But we are up to something," he reasoned.

"I'm gonna smack you," she hissed and he let out a chuckle, "We don't want them to know that. Listen if you make an appearance and then slowly fade out of view to sneak off people are less likely to know you are gone. You just have to make sure they see you a bit so that they don't get suspicious."

He looked down at her, "And I wonder why you know how to do that."

She ducked her head, "Listen it works, ok? Now let's go get a snack from that table over there. Then we can keep to the outskirts and the slip off later."

Instead of verbally responding he just followed her words and walked them over to the table to get a snack. The table was one of the most lavish spreads that she had ever seen. Food was piled high on the table. In dishes, on platters, and even stacked high on itself. Everything was bitesize and they picked up the small plates to begin to take various foods. Dagger grabbed everything that caught her eyes until there was no more room on her plate and she was at risk of letting things fall off the side.

There were standing tables around the perimeter of the ball room and they made their way over to one that was backed into the corner. They both stood next to each other, facing the ballroom and watched the crowd.

She popped some circular pastry in her mouth and let out a noise of pleasure. Rex's head snapped to her. She had never tasted anything so good. After she chewed and swallowed, she met his gaze, "You know this place ain't so bad."

He smiled back at her, "I agree."

She found the appetizer that she wanted to try most on her plate and picked it up. It was a small red fruit, probably half the length of her finger which was covered in a hardened chocolate shell. She held the fruit by the green leaves at the top.

Taking a bite she thought that she had gone to the stars. The fresh and sweet flavor oozed onto her tongue as the juices of the fruit flooded her mouth. The chocolate only added to the flavor and she couldn't help but moan at the taste. Her eyes fluttered closed and she didn't see the way that Rex's eyes jumped to her at that moment.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him watching her with curiosity and a light smile, "That as good as it looks?"

She nodded, "Here try this one."

Dagger grabbed the other fruit and held it up towards him so that he could take it. She had expected him to just grab it out of her hand. Instead, her breath caught in her throat and he leaned down and took a bite of the fruit right from her hand.

Her cheeks heated up and she had to look away, but Rex never stopped looking at her. Not while he took the fruit into his mouth and not when he stood back up to chew it. He watched her the whole time, his gaze filled with that same look from earlier.

He swallowed and licked a stray drop of juice from his lips, "That is wonderful."

She nodded, eyes darting back to his, "I-I think that we have been here long enough. We can probably go now."

His face fell and he had to reach out to touch her arm to get her to stop her retreat, "Hey, wait."

She stopped but was still looking down at her plate. He continued, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. At least finish your food then we can go."

"You didn't freak me out," she corrected, "I just-"

He waited for her to finish her sentence but when she didn't, he just dipped his head and ate the rest of the food on his plate. They fell into a comfortable silence for a while. They scanned the crowd as they ate. She spotted Azariah a few times, Jask once, but she never saw Senator Amidala.

He pushed his plate back an inch once it was finished and waited for her to finish her last bite before he spoke again, "So if I didn't freak you out earlier, would you like to have a dance with me?"

"I never learned how to dance," she stated, "But I would like that."

"How hard can it be," he asked with a smile. Both of them remembering the disaster that occurred after asking that question last time.

Rex extended a hand out to her and she placed hers in it, amazed by how warm it was. He led her back around the table and to the dance floor in the middle of the grand ballroom. He beamed at her with a pure happiness that made her heart flutter.

"You know it's a good thing that you said yes now cause this is the first song that I have known the entire time we have been here."

"I guess it is," she agreed. They made their way to the edge of the dancefloor and she faced him. Their height difference was highlighted by how close they were. She had to tilt her head back a bit to make eye contact. She beamed up at him, waiting for him to take the lead as it seemed like he knew at least a bit more about dancing than she did.

He turned her hand in his until her fingers curled over the spot between his thumb and forefinger. He squeezed her hand gently and smiled back at her, then he took her other hand and placed it up on his arm. Her left hand rested against his bicep and she had to resist her smile growing at the warm feel of his muscles under the suit jacket.

Rex hesitated for a moment and she watched as he gently brought his hand to her waist. He didn't fully settle the weight of his arm on her body, instead he hovered over her a questioning look in his eyes. She nodded at him and he pulled her in, his hand wrapped around her waist until his hand rested on her lower back. His fingers were warm against the skin that was barred by the low cut of the dress.

While their bodies weren't touching, she could still feel the heat of his body so close to her. He took a step forward and they bumped into each other before she took a matching step back. He grinned, "There you go, just follow my lead. Back with your right, across with your left, and then close with your right. Good, now forward with your left and out with the right. Perfect."

They moved with his words and she had to adjust her steps, heels clicking on the floor as she did so. He repeated his words as they went through the cycle again. Dagger tripped on her own foot a few times, but every time he held steady and didn't let her get too far. She was never in danger of falling and she trusted him to hold her as she figured it out.

"Great job," he complimented, the smile on his face had only grown and the look from earlier was back. She still couldn't tell what it was, maybe fondness? But that didn't seem to encompass it all.

"So what is this dance called Rex?"

"Well I learned it as the Waltz but I believe that it has a different name based on what planet you are on."

"And how did you learn this? Did I just miss the dancing class on Kamino or is this an ARC thing?"

He chuckled as he twirled her around and through the crowd, "No, General Skywalker actually showed me. He wanted someone to practice with so that he could be better than General Kenobi at an upcoming function. He insisted that I learn so that I could do it with him."

"I can't imagine the General doing anything like that."

"It was quite the sight to see," he looked down at their feet, "You are doing great, Dagger. A natural."

"It's not so different from moving a new fighting stance or sequence. More fun though, I-" she cut herself off.

He tilted his head in question, asking gently, "What is it?"

"I was just going to say that I wish we could do this more often."

"I do too, it's nice to just have a minute," he agreed, "All the more reason to enjoy this moment now."

"I can assure you that I am having the time of my life."

"Mission accomplished then," he said with a wink. She laughed at him and felt her heart soar. She couldn't recall the last time that she had been this happy. Dancing and twirling around with Rex she felt like she was floating across the ground. Honestly, she might be with how light she felt, she giggled at the feeling of him raising her hand and encouraging her to twirl under it.

Rex felt star struck as he watched her twirl under his arm. He reached out and pulled her back in, she pressed up against his body and laid a hand on his chest. She looked up at him and he was stunned by the look in her eyes. He felt as if all if the air had been knocked from his lungs, heart beating so hard that he was sure that she could feel it. His lips parted and he watched as her eyes darted down to look at them for half a second, or maybe he had been imagining it.

"Dagger," he breathed, "You are amazing. I think I'm-"

Her eyes darted over his shoulder and her could feel the muscles in her body tense. She forced a smile over his shoulder as she addressed someone else, "Jask."

He closed his eyes as he held her close for one moment longer. Another time, he would tell her another time. There was time and they still had to complete the mission. Rex reluctantly released her and turned to face the man that he knew to be standing behind him.

"I thought you were supposed to contact us through the comm," Rex asked.

"I just wanted to say hi," Jask beamed, "You looked like you were having so much fun."

Rex huffed, "Well we were."

"Great, great. Any sight of her?"

"Not yet," Dagger answered, "We were planning on going to check the halls in a minute to see if she might be doing something else."

Azariah grabbed Jask by the arm and pulled him back. He smiled at the contact but she flashed an apologetic look at Rex as she said, "We are going to go check the upper levels, you both take your time, as long as we get her by tonight it will be ok."

With that the togruta pulled the devaronian away and they disappeared into the crowd. Rex looked down and saw that he was still holding Dagger's hand. She looked down as well, but didn't let go of his hand.

She gestured to one hallway and then another, "I'll go this way and try to find a way to translate the data. You go that way and try to contact Commander Thorne, they need to know what we know."

He nodded and reluctantly let go of her hand. She took the data stick and went on her way. Rex watched her go before turning and going down a separate hallway. He checked over his shoulder to make sure that no one was following him. Once he was sure that he was alone he ducked into a dark and abandoned hallway.

Rex couldn't help but take a selfish moment to himself. He faced the wall and let his hands tense into fists as he opened his mouth as if to scream. Not a sound came out but he shook in pure frustration. Why did the Galaxy hate him? All he wanted to do today was tell Dagger how he felt and yet at every turn he was interupted and they were pulled away. He knew that they had to dothe mission but couldn't they go bother someone else for a single moment?

Then he unclenched his fists, accepting that he had a job to do and that he would simply have to wait. He took a deep breath, steadying his body and mind. His thoughts focused and he pulled out his comm.

Leaning back into the shadows and keeping his eyes on the entrance to the hall he raised the comm and typed the code for the secure line into it. The device lit up as it started to ring, he waited patiently, hoping that it didn't take Thorne too long to get to it. He also realized in this moment that he had no idea what time it was on Coruscant.

The loud groan that filled the channel when the call was picked up answered that question. Followed by the harsh, "What?"

"Good morning, Commander Thorne," he teased, "Did I wake you from your beauty sleep."

"Rex!" he sounded much more awake now that he had heard his voice, "I mean Captain, it's good to hear your voice. You haven't checked in since I dropped you off a month ago, I was starting to worry."

Rex nodded, those weeks felt like a long time ago now, "We are doing fine, but we have found a lot and you need to get ready for all of this."

"You found the employer?" he asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.

"Not quite, and we are starting to suspect that this is a lot bigger than we thought. In fact I know it is. We captured Senator Voe Atell."

"The separatist?"

"Exactly, then the bounty hunters took her to Utrost."

Thorne interrupted, "Like Utrost right next to Coruscant? That planet?"

"What did you fail your space classes? Yes, that Utrost. Now let me finish and I hope nyou are writing this down," Rex had to shake his head at the Commander's antics.

Then he continued, "On Utrost we didn't drop off Atell with the employer, we took her to a prison. It wasn't Separatist and it certainly wasn't Republic. Dagger downloaded data off of their system and all of the data is in Chagri but I don't know that any of their governments are involved with it. We never even got to see their employer but they are given places and targets one at a time. They are going down a list of targets, kidnapping people one at a time. The lady working at the prison asked if I was ten ten."

Thorne sucked in a breath and Rex continued, "I think that she thought I was Commander Fox. She thought that the bounty hunters had captured him and were turning him in to the prison. Thorne, I think, I'm almost positive that Fox is on their list and that even if it's not soon they are going to go after him."

"I- I don't- what?"

"Listen to me Thorne," he had to hold back from growling at the man, it was a lot of information to take in quickly and Rex had over a week to process it himself, "There is a privately owned prison on Utrost who is holding at least one senator but probably more. There is a list of targets that the bounty hunters' employer gives them. I think Fox is on that list."

"Ok still trying to make sense of all that but I got it," the commander confirmed.

Rex smiled, there was the brother he knew, "Good. Now Dagger and I are at a ball to try and capture Senator Amidala. I only have so much time before I have to go back."

"What planet are you on?"

He paused for a second, allowing the line to go silent. He tried to think of where they were but honestly didn't know, "Somewhere in the mid rim at least."

"Well Senator Amidala is on Coruscant right now, she has a slot to present a bill before the Senate tomorrow morning."

"Good that means that we don't have to worry about actually capturing the Senator."

"Where is Dagger?" Thorne asked.

"She is trying to get the data from the prison translated now and we are due to meet back up in five minutes," he explained quickly.

There was a moment of silence, enough for Rex to look and make sure that the comm was still on. Then Thorne asked, "She?"

Rex froze, Thorne didn't know. Thorne hadn't ever seen that Dagger was not a guy, he just knew that she was different. After this long being able to be open about who she was he forgot that he was even supposed to be keeping a secret.

"He, sorry," Rex corrected, unsure if fixing the situation would do more harm than good but needing to do so anyway, "A lady walked by a second ago, musta jumbled my words."

"Ah ok," Thorne seemed to accept his words without suspicion, "How are the bounty hunters, they causing you any problems?"

Rex let out a frustrated sigh, "Aside from having the absolute worst timing? No, they are even good workers."

"Bad timing?" Thorne laughed, "What happened?"

"I was just trying to say somethin' but got interrupted earlier. Look Thorne I gotta go. I don't know when I will be able to check back in but you need to warn Fox and keep an eye out for him."

"Will do Vod, you and Dagger stay safe. And good luck with whatever you were going to say."

The transmission ended and Rex took a breath to clear his head. That was quite the conversation. He checked the time and realized that he had about a minute until he had to be back in the ball room to meet with Dagger.

After checking the hallway, he emerged from the shadows. He adjusted the sleeves of his jacket and reached for the door. Just as he was about to open it the door swung open at the hand of someone on the other side. His heart started to race as if he were approaching a battle as he came face to face with a man.

The man looked Rex up and down, a predatory smile grew across his face, "Captain Rex."

His voice sounded like a sticky poison and Rex had to suppress a shudder. Instead, he squared his shoulders and looked the Mandalorian in the eyes, "Pre Vizsla, what a surprise."

A/N: Hey everyone, so I haven't posted for over a year at this point. I'm sorry. I haven't given up on this story and in fact I have still been writing a lot in this past year. I have finally finished typing all of this story! So now all I have to do is go back and edit each chapter! I don't know exactly how long that will take but I am hoping to be able to consistently post all of the remaining chapters in the next bit of time. Then the first of two books in this series will be complete. I'm not even sure if anyone is still reading this story but it will get finished so if you have stuck around this long I appreciate it! Thanks for reading!