THE GRAND REVEAL! Finally everyone is back together again and all happy ^^

When I say this chapter was a PAIN, though. This and its twin Ch 6 were stressful, to say the least. Like TtFR, this chapter is on break until at least Jan. However, instead of being on semi-permanent hiatus, this story will be the main one uploaded hopefully two or three times a month until its completion. So lots more Bad Batch and Domino content coming your way!

Rating: 16+ (Language)
Wordcount: 5k

"When will Fives be here?"

"Soon."

"Soon?"

After outfitting him with simple but usable prosthetic legs, the commandos and Shadow had sped off with Echo to the small, nearby town. Well, Sergeant Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker had come. Tech preferred to remain at the cabin and tweak the "official" prosthetic legs, as he called them. The engineer was dedicated to his work, that was for certain. The sniper had taken a table outside the bar to keep watch while the other two men sat inside between Shadow and Echo himself.

The cantina itself wasn't the most glamorous thing in the galaxy, but Echo felt an odd sort of comfort at the lack of neon strobe lights and blaring music. Wooden walls and exposed overhead beams gave the place an ancient, almost archaic feel, as if it predated hyperspace itself. The lights too resembled the fire-fueled lanterns of old, with the wood burning fireplace completing the tavern look. No dancers either, just a pink-skinned Twi'lek playing a pleasant tune on a Naboo flute in the corner while her dark skinned human partner looked on with a loving smile and admiration in her eyes. Despite the old feel, the cantina was clearly the hotspot of the town, with nearly every table filled and the patrons chattering excitedly.

Armor would have made the Batch stand out, but the Batch and Shadow all wore inconspicuous civvies under their cloaks. Nothing indicative of their commando status, just some simple shirts and pilot's pants. They'd also given him some to wear, the pants hiding his prosthetics.

Shadow had also shifted into a human form, startling Echo half to death when the cloud of mist surrounded them before dissipating, taking their furry traits with it. Tech had certainly been right when he said Echo had never seen anyone like Shadow.

Echo just wished they'd stop giving him cryptic answers.

"Hey, he echoed again!" Wrecker said with a laugh, taking a drink.

"Easy on that, I'm not draggin' you back drunk off your ass," Sergeant Hunter grumbled from between Echo and the demolition expert, wearing a pair of noise canceling headphones as he whittled away on a chunk of wood that slowly took the shape of a fluffy feline.

A feline… Echo felt certain he'd seen before. But where? The tail and muzzle were startlingly familiar, as was the mane, but the memory vanished away like the wisps of a forgotten dream before he could pinpoint where exactly he'd seen it.

Maybe Fives, when he arrived, could help.

"Aw, I can't get drunk, remember, Sarge?" Wrecker laughed, elbowing his superior.

Can't get drunk? What kind of human can't get drunk?

"Certainly like to challenge that statement every time we go out."

Wrecker grinned and punched the back of the sergeant's chair, nearly sending him to the floor. "You're just mad you can't drink hardly at all!"

"What does he mean he can't get drunk?" Echo asked Shadow.

The fighter, sitting on the other side of Wrecker, glanced up at the large clone. "Somethin' with his mutation, I reckon." They went back to rapidly stabbing a switchblade between their spread fingers, tongue halfway out in concentration. "Has an advanced healing rate to keep up with all the muscle tears, so I guess his liver also got that boost. The best he can do is buzzed."

"And you?"

"Can't get drunk either, higher healing rate for organs and such." They paused in their game to glance at Wrecker. "Though sometimes these hooligans make me want to."

"As I recall," Sergeant Hunter growled playfully, pointing his own blade at Shadow. "You fell in love with us because we're hooligans."

Shadow shrugged and resumed their game. "Guilty."

Echo glanced around the odd interior again before he cleared his throat. "So, what is the plan? When they get here?"

"Thinkin' they come in, I distract 'em, make a witty one liner, and then indicate you," Shadow said, waving their knife around before pointing it at him. "Could tag team with the wit if you'd like."

Witty tag teaming? He could do that. People always assumed Fives was the practical jokester, but did they really think he came up with all the schemes? Plus, it would help lighten what was sure to be a shocking revelation for his brothers.

Excitement and joy at the coming reunion filled Echo, but seeds of doubt lingered. What if it went wrong? What if Shadow was a double agent? What if-

"Shadow," came Crosshair's rasp over the comm. "Cody brought a friend."

Frowning, Shadow picked the comm off the table. "I told him to bring Rex and Fives."

"They're not all."

Shadow's face darkened. "Don't tell me. He brought the flirt."

The who?

"Yeah."

"Oh, that goldilock bitch."

Did they have any respect for the chain of command?

"You shouldn't talk about the Commander like that," Echo grumbled.

"I've said worse, and said it to his face. I told him I'd talk to the Jedi, but I didn't know he'd spring one on me now," Shadow groaned. "At least it's Obi Kenobi. He's a sweetheart. I'm still mad though."

Wait, General Kenobi?!

Did Shadow just call General Kenobi a flirt?!

"Why did you call him a flirt?" Echo exclaimed.

"Have you met the man?" Shadow snorted with a half smile. "A functional bi, that's what he is. At least around other Jedi, but alone he's a disaster bi."

"You really don't respect authority at all, do you?" Echo had to ask.

Shadow snickered, accent growing thick. "Ye ain't got no idear, boy."

"ETA five minutes," came Crosshair's hiss

"Alright." Shadow hopped over to a table on the other side of the bar. "Showtime. You ready, Echy boy?"

Echo took a deep breath to steady his nerves, heart threatening to rip from his chest. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Good. Pull that hood over your face. Scruff, Shaggs, you too."

As the commandos did as the fighter ordered, Echo tried to steady his breathing as a smile spread across his face.

Hang in there, Fives. Rex. Just a little bit farther. I'm here. I'm alive.

— Captain Rex PoV—

A nice little town. Echo would have loved it.

Following Cody through the dirt streets, a bittersweet smile tugged Rex's lips as he gazed at the old wooden buildings. The man always had an eye for architecture, as opposed to Fives who kept his eyes on the sentients who built it. Rex just liked the pastries in the bakery windows. Especially the cake.

"Cody, where do we go?" General Kenobi asked.

"The bar at the end of the street. That's where they said to meet them, but let me make sure Shadow is here." Cody activated his comm. "Sergeant? Are you at the meeting place?"

"Affirmative. See you there," a rough sounding voice answered after a pause.

Rex frowned. That didn't sound like a brother. At least, not any Rex had been around. What had Cody said? They were an experimental force and the sergeant had Karkadon DNA? Karkadons often had rougher and deeper voices, something about the way their vocal cords evolved. Apparently, the deeper pitch could travel better in water.

"This way," Cody said.

Patting Fives' shoulder, Rex followed the commander through the town to the small cantina.

General Kenobi followed some distance behind them, gazing at the unique architecture. Rex didn't blame him; this hardly looked like the grand and sparkling cities they usually visited. Perhaps that was the precise reason the commandos picked it for their base. A small town, village really, such as this would never draw the attention of the Seppies; their focus if they even managed to get to Naboo would be the grand cities where the heads of power sat. Or, more likely, they'd pull another Trade Federation and blockade the planet again.

Then again, that mad scientist chose the swamps.

Reaching the doors, Cody dipped his head to a man sitting by himself outside and dressed in inconspicuous civvies. "Crosshair."

Crosshair nodded back, but otherwise remained silent. Unruly yet not quite curly silver-white hair had been styled into an undercut, the upper portion of the shaved area dyed red. His appearance certainly suggested the Nexu Cody had spoken of, especially his leaner features and different hair texture. Three jagged scars marred his left cheek, leaving Rex curious as to their origin. He was also curious about whether Crosshair got the tattoo over his right eye before or after he began to call himself Crosshair.

Curiosity aside, he did not like the unfriendly look the man gave him.

What's his deal?

Ignoring the grouchy man, Rex followed Cody inside and pulled off his helmet as he gazed around the crowded bar. "Where are they?"

The commander frowned, looking around as well after removing his own helmet. "Sergeant Hunter said they're here, and that was Crosshair outside."

Rex squinted at the plethora of patrons in the cantina as General Kenobi joined them. No patron with a tail and ears that he could see. Then again, they were a shapeshifter. He could be looking right at them and not even know. The vast array of lifeforms, all different sizes, did not help matters. Varying group sizes also didn't help narrow down the patrons based on the size of the squad.

"Are they the type to ambush?" General Kenobi asked, stroking his beard. "I can sense their presence, even if I do not see them. But I am confident they can see us."

"They are a stealth striker, Hunter tells me," Cody said. "But they wouldn't attack us. Especially not Rex."

The 501st captain still didn't know what to do with that information. He supposed the leverage would be beneficial, especially if they had the rogue tendencies Cody warned about, but how was he supposed to go about this? How did one even talk to a Realm Walker?

Who apparently has the disposition of a Tooka?

Cody's comm beeped. "Ya know, loose lips sink ships, Commander."

They were here then. But where?

"Shadow?" Cody asked, bringing his comm up. "Where are you?"

"Not sure I wanna answer that."

Wait. That voice. He knew that voice. Heard it before. Judging by Fives' furrowed brow and questioning glance, he had too. But when? Where? With all the missions they'd been on, it was impossible to tell where he could have recognized the voice from.

"Why not?" General Kenobi asked, leaning over to Cody's comm. "I do not come with ill intentions."

"Ah, yes," came the reply, thick with dry sarcasm. "The negotiator."

Rex resumed his search for the Realm Walker. They were in here somewhere. Somewhere visible and within hearing range. There were only so many patrons here. He could find them. He'd found harder to spot targets in more populated bars before. At least this target wouldn't have a blaster aimed at his chest.

He hoped.

"I only wish to talk," General Kenobi assured the Realm Walker. "That is all."

"You're a Jedi. You want to get inside this rotten melon of mine and see how I tick. No thanks!"

"There is an urgent matter I must discuss with you," General Kenobi countered. "I do not intend to invade your privacy."

Where could they-

Hold it. There. At a table along the back wall, sitting by themselves.

"It's about the recordin', ain't it? Tech found out pretty quick."

They held a comm in their hands.

Could it be them?

He subtly nudged Fives, indicating the patron with a nod. Fives quickly caught on and together he and Rex began to make their way over to the patron from different angles. In case Shadow did bolt, he or Fives might be able to catch them. If not catch them outright, they could at least slow them down. Then again… they were trying to sneak up on a Realm Walker. Shadow, in all likelihood, knew what they were doing.

They haven't run yet.

"Yes, it's about that," Cody said from behind them, none the wiser. "Shadow, stop playin' games. I did what you asked."

"Games? Ain't the one who decided to surprise the other with a Jedi."

"You promised you'd speak with the Jedi if I brought Rex and Fives."

"Guess so."

Shadow's voice didn't come from behind him as much as in front of him now.

"Where are you?" Cody demanded.

The patron's head turned, giving Rex a look at short purple hair and sharp blue eyes. A small smile tugged their lips. "Ask Rex."

It was them.

"Shadow," Rex greeted, unsure if he should add anything else. How did one even address a Realm Walker?

They leaned back in the chair and held up a peace sign. "Howdy, Cap."

Cody was at his shoulder in an instant. "Why are you like this?"

Shadow shrugged, flipping off their hood and propping their boots up on the table. "Trauma," they replied.

Fives came up from behind Shadow, standing on the other side Cody. "Why did you want to see us?"

Shadow looked over their shoulder and pushed their chair partly out, allowing them to better face the group. A bouncing leg betrayed their unease at being more or less cornered, but they kept their voice even. "Got someone who wanted to see ya."

Reflexively, Rex's hand twitched towards his pistol.

Shadow immediately noticed. "Easy, Cap. Ain't no tinnies here," they assured him, shaking their head as their hands raised. "Had my fill of them for the past few days, anyway."

"Can't be too careful," he said, hand still hovering near the weapon.

"Fair enough."

"Shadow, these men have been through a rough few days," Cody growled. "I myself included. Get to it."

Rex glanced at Cody, somewhat surprised by his hostility. Had Shadow pissed him off that badly? It must have been pretty bad to get the usually calm man so agitated. He mentioned Shadow had different ideals on how to fight the war, but so did General Skywalker. And Cody didn't snap at the Jedi Knight like this.

Shadow's gaze hardened, but they calmed themselves with noticeable effort. "This ain't about me."

"Shadow-"

"It's about Echo."

The name hit Rex like a blaster bolt to the chest. No, the blaster bolt on Saleucami had been less painful than the sheer agony that seized his heart as he recalled the bright young ARC. An ARC who should have been with him now, not lying dead on some distant planet.

It should have been Traken or whatever his name was.

Fives had a similar reaction to Rex, his breath hitching. "Echo is... is dead," he croaked, fresh tears appearing in his eyes as Rex's own eyes stung. "He fell… fell in action at Lola Sayu."

Wait.

Shadow.

Shadow was.

Was on Lola Sayu!

Did this…

Did this mean?

Could it mean?!

Shadow cocked their head to the side. "Dead?" They glanced over to another table. "Shit, man. Would have given you a funeral had I known I rescued a ghost!"

Rex and Fives followed their gaze, the cry leaving the two men simultaneously. "Echo?!"

Sitting at a nearby table with two other men, the figure on the right tugged off his hood. A patchy burn stretched up from his throat to under his nose and wrapped around the back of his neck, and his eyes bore dark circles, but the smile was unmistakable. "Move on that quickly, did you?" he joked, voice hoarse.

It was Echo! He... he was alive!

"Echo!" Fives screamed, vaulting over a thankfully empty table. "You're alive!" Tackling the injured man out of his seat, Fives curled tightly around him. Harsh sobs tore from his throat as tears streamed down his face. "You're alive," he repeated, over and over again as he shook violently.

"I am. I'm here. You're here." Echo gripped Fives' shoulders and buried his face into his brother's shoulder. "We're both here."

Rex quickly joined them, dodging the table and hugging Echo tightly as if the ARC would vanish into smoke any moment now. Tears flowed down his cheeks as well, the usually steady captain violently shaking. He barely heard the cheering of the large man at the table, his mind only focused on his little brother.

His little brother who was back from the dead.

Through the sobs, he looked up at Shadow. "You... but how? When?" he stammered. "How did you...?"

"Was in the neighborhood," Shadow replied, coming over and leaning on the table. Tears shone in their own eyes, a smile spreading across their face. "Reckoned I'd stop by."

"But how… how did you know?"

Shadow's eyes shifted to Cody as he followed them over. "Got a feeling someone already told you how," they said, voice turning hostile. "Huh, Commander?"

Cody groaned and shook his head. "You could have told me about this. About Echo. I would not have reacted so harshly when you called."

"Yeah, right," Shadow retorted. "Like you wouldn't say 'let the Jedi handle this' or some shit like that."

"Working with the Jedi could have saved you a lot of trouble."

"It was the Jedi that ordered him left behind," Shadow growled, crossing their arms and glancing at General Kenobi who still stood a respectful distance away.

In another circumstance, Rex would tell Shadow off for speaking so aggressively to Cody. That was the marshal commander of the GAR, not to mention one of Rex's closest brothers, that Shadow was back talking! To say nothing of how they spoke about General Kenobi. But all he cared about in that moment was the little brother in his arms.

A little brother who…

"Echo," Rex rasped, hyper aware of the rigidity of his brother's legs. He looked down at them. "What…?"

Echo attempted a smile. "Guess when it comes to puns, I don't have a leg to stand on."

Karking hells.

Fives gasped and pulled away before yanking one of the pants' legs up. "Echo!" he gasped, a trembling hand hovering over the metal. "Your…"

"Hey, Shadow saved most of me."

Fives finally looked up at Shadow. "On Lola Sayu. That's why you were recorded on the platform. You were saving my brother."

Shadow nodded. "Aye. I couldn't let him…" Their face darkened as they looked away for a moment before closing their eyes, taking a deep breath, and letting it out slowly. "It's better this way. The bad timeline… well, I couldn't let it happen."

Bad timeline?

Were they aware of an alternative universe? An alternative universe where Echo… didn't make it? Or worse, he did but was taken as a prisoner of war?

Shadow turned their attention to General Kenobi. "For a negotiator, you're quiet."

"I did not wish to interrupt you as you were speaking," General Kenobi said.

"Well, got my attention now."

"I thank you for saving our trooper," General Kenobi said, taking the opportunity to join them. "You risked much to do so."

Shadow rubbed their side. "Tell me about it. But I don't regret what I did, even if I did get recorded."

"I see." General Kenobi gestured towards the door. "May we sit outside to talk?"

"Not if it ends with you taking me from my squad," Shadow growled, stepping back and pressing against the shorter of the two commandos who had half his face tattooed like a skull.

Rex took a closer look at the two men. The largest, presumably Wrecker, had come around the table to stand at his partner's side with a protective look on his scarred face. The shorter of the men, Sergeant Hunter most likely, was standing now as well, eyes narrowed and a hand on Shadow's shoulder. Those headphones must have been to protect his advanced senses.

"Sergeant, Wrecker. Stand down," Cody ordered.

"Easy, Cody," General Kenobi said, then shook his head at Shadow. "I will not take you from your men, I assure you. Your place is clearly with them."

"Damn straight," Shadow snorted, crossing their arms. "But guess I should get this interrogation over with anyway."

"Interrogation?" General Kenobi exclaimed. "I did not come here to interrogate you by any means! As I said, I only want to speak with you. I will not force you to leave with us."

"Well, guess I promised the commander I'd talk to y'all in exchange for y'all bringin' Rex and Fives."

Why did Shadow call Cody Commander but didn't call Rex Captain? Then again, they didn't exactly say Cody's rank with a smile.

"Surprised you'd honor that," Cody grumbled.

"I'm a disrespectful goblin and chaotic as a glitter sharknado," Shadow retorted. "But I don't go back on my word."

Chaotic as a what?

"I am used to dealing with disrespectful individuals, so I do not take your sharp tongue to heart," General Kenobi said, a hint of his charismatic sarcasm peaking through.

A small smile tugged Shadow's lips and they gave an amused huff. "Funny man, eh?" they asked dryly, then swept their hand towards the door. "Well, Comedic Kenobi. After you."

~Shadow PoV~

This was all a massive clusterfuck of hell.

Not that I wasn't thrilled to meet Captain Rex himself, in person. Well, in person for real. The weird mind-warp segment of Fractalis on my first run to Kelusia with the boys didn't exactly count.

But this was… a bit much.

Now outside, sitting at a table with Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, and Obi-Wan as Cody and the others sat at the one next to us, I fought to keep my leg from doing the annoying Anxiety JitterTM. Had I known I would have to face a Jedi this soon, I would definitely have prepared more. Or, about as much as I could prepare. I thought Cody would have understood how bad it was to surprise me with an authority figure, especially considering how our own first meeting went, but apparently not.

At least it was Kenobi, a fellow sassmaster.

"I take it this is another member of your team?" Obi-Wan asked, dipping his head to Crosshair who sat beside me with an arm slung around my shoulders.

"Crosshair," I introduced. "Marksman and a pain in my ass in more ways than one."

"Not so delightful yourself, Furball," he retorted, using his free hand to jab my ribs.

Rubbing my side and pinching his thigh, I continued, "Then there's Sergeant Hunter and Wrecker."

"Cody mentioned there were four genetically modified men," Obi-Wan said, voice steady. "I assume the engineer is…?"

"Back at the cabin workin on some prosthetics for Echo," I replied. "Which reminds me. I need you to give Fives and Echo both a week of leave."

"What?!" Rex exclaimed from beside Echo.

"You heard 'em, reg," Crosshair growled.

Guess he still resented Rex for being my favorite longer than the Batch had been.

He claimed he respected the admiration, and perhaps he truly did. Afterall, aside from the Echo nightmare he hadn't snapped again since that one time a week or two back when he was just having a downright rotten day. But I still saw it; a flinch followed by a scowl whenever Rex's name came up, a clench of the fist, a subtle snarl curling his lip, anger flaring in his eyes before he averted them, the way he always left the room whenever Rex came up.

Crosshair was trying, and I praised him for it, but that jealousy remained strong.

"Got a problem with me?" Rex asked, squaring his shoulders.

Crosshair merely sneered at him.

Oh, for Pete's sake.

I prodded the sniper in the ribs. "Play nice, Twiggy."

"No."

I rolled my eyes. "How'd I guess that response?"

Cody began to speak. "Shadow, you can't make demands like that-"

"Let us hear their reasoning first," Obi-Wan interrupted gently before turning his attention back to me. "Why would Fives need a week off?"

"Because Echo needs more time to heal, and I ain't separating the pair again."

"But our medical facilities-"

"I sure as hell ain't lettin' those tapeworm bastards get their hands on him," I interrupted, a snarl buried in my words as my claws left deep gouges in the worn tabletop.

Obi-Wan frowned. "Tapeworms?"

"Longnecks. Kaminoans. Sun-bleached spaghetti betty rejects." I ignored Cody's drink spewing from his nose. "I don't trust those fuckers as far as I can throw 'em unaided by my powers. Which is kinda far, but still. They can all rot in the deepest pit of hell and I said what I said."

"Tell 'em, sweetheart," Crosshair praised.

"That's our Squeaky!" Wrecker laughed.

Hunter, headphones on the table in front of him, raised an eyebrow at Cody as the man coughed and hacked. "Doin' alright there?"

"Fine," came the hoarse reply.

I glanced over at the trio sitting beside us. Echo was biting his lip and Fives had suddenly acquired a suspicious cough of his own. Rex, meanwhile, found the clouds overhead to be quite interesting as his shoulders trembled.

"That is, quite the sentiment," Obi-Wan commented, yet a small smile ghosted his own face as he reached over and patted Cody's back in an attempt to help the marshal commander.

I'm just a plague on this poor man's existence.

"Ain't it?" I asked. "But my point stands. Give Fives a week off too. I'd ask for Rex too but…" I glanced at Crosshair. "The boys don't play nice with Regs."

"Regs?" Obi-Wan echoed.

"Regular clones. Didn't get treated right by 'em so it took some convincin' just to tolerate two of 'em," I explained.

"I'm not sure a week of leave-"

"Jedi can take leave when hurt," I interrupted, temper flaring. "Why can't clones? Or are you Jedi more valuable?"

"That is not at all our viewpoint," Obi-Wan said, somewhat sternly. "We strive to give our men the best care we can. You are no doubt aware of our many medical bases?"

"Aye," I replied. I remember the Malevolence arc quite well. "But I still don't trust y'all to not ship Echo off to some cold and callous Kaminoan who merely sees them as…"

I trailed off, unwilling to say 'lab subjects' with Crosshair's hand tight on my shoulder and Hunter and Wrecker sitting stiff on either side.

"I understand your distaste of Kaminoans. But I am not them. I am not your enemy," Obi-Wan said carefully. "I would prefer you to not treat me as one."

My glare softened. "You? Certainly not. Gotta admit, got a lot of respect for ya, Kenobi. It's the only reason I didn't make like a chip and dip when Crosshair told me you were comin' in."

"Then why the hostility?" Obi-Wan prompted as Fives stifled a snicker at my odd saying. "If you do not view me as an enemy?"

"Because I know why you're here. It's about my sabers and the fact they were red in that recording."

Rex, Fives, and Echo all gasped.

"Red?" Rex demanded, getting to his feet.

"You're a Sith?" Fives added, humor gone.

Echo, jaw dropped, stared at me. "Is that why you did not want to show me the footage?"

"Yes, no, and yes," I sighed.

"If you are not a Sith," Rex retorted, hands inching towards his blasters. "Why were they red? Only Sith like Ventress have red sabers."

Still hates her for Teth, then. Understandable.

"They… do that."

His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'they do that'?"

I glanced at Cody, who had somewhat recovered from near-choking and held my gaze. Had my sabers turned red on Rishi? They must have; it was the knowledge of them turning red that first tipped him off that I was on that moon. My gaze shifted to Fives and Echo. What did they remember about me? Did they remember I stayed behind with Hevy? Did Rex remember?

But now wasn't the time to ask. Not with Kenobi here. The last thing I needed was a lecture on time travel and altering the past.

"It's… Realm Walker nonsense," I sighed.

Echo did a double take. "You're a Realm Walker?" he gasped.

Rex looked between us. "You didn't tell him?"

I shrugged. "Didn't come up."

"I was rescued by a Realm Walker?!"

"Voice down, and how do you think I knew about you falling in battle at Lola Sayu?" I asked. "I knew what your fate would be. Couldn't allow it."

"And so your sabers," Rex said. "They turn red when…?"

"I get angry. Or protective."

His brow furrowed in thought, but he didn't comment.

What happened on Rishi? Maybe when Fives got hit when Rex and Cody led them to retake the base?

"Knew someone else like that," Fives commented, semi-confirming my suspicions. "Guess we know of two Realm Walkers, huh, Ech?"

Echo looked me up and down. "Yeah."

Oh if you only knew. Which, I guess, you will by the end of the day.

"May I see your sabers?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Sorry, didn't bring 'em," I said with a shrug.

Because I knew you'd want to see them.

Obi-Wan sighed. "That is unfortunate. However, if the Council agrees to grant both ARC trooper Fives and ARC trooper Echo a week of leave, will you bring them to speak to the Council?"

Fuck. Right. The Council. Ughhhhh why did I agree to meet them? This can only end in disaster. But at least I can tell Cody 'I told you so'.

"If it'll get the pair leave," I groaned. "Yeah. I will. I'm gonna complain the whole time though."

"What a surprise," Cody remarked dryly.

I gave him a lopsided frown, unsure if he was joking or not.

"Very well," Obi-Wan said with a glance at Cody. "I will contact them now."

"Shadow," Rex said as Obi-Wan stood from the table. "Can I talk to you? In private."

Crosshair stiffened beside me, and I rested a hand on his thigh. Sharp brown eyes shifted to me before he took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. "Will be here, kitten."

I bumped my head against the marksman's shoulder then stood. "Aye, Cap. You can."

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