The shattered bits of target spheres hit the floor and were swept away by a droid arm, to be reshaped into new targets. Rex hit two more of them at once as they whizzed free of their hidden launchers in the floor. The sound of the pieces hitting the smooth walls in a high-pitched shower was so satisfying.
He jabbed the console in front of him with his sore knee, and locked on to the five new spheres hurtling through the air, calculating subconsciously how to hit them all before they struck the ground. One! Two close together—he spread his hands two feet apart, exploding two more spheres near opposite ends of the ceiling. His left hand jerked down to catch the last one, but his blaster bolt grazed the top of it only a fraction of a second before it hit the floor.
With an annoyed huff, Rex hit the button for another try.
"Rex! I knew you'd be here!"
Rex didn't turn to see who it was. It was only when he'd hit the fifth sphere with a triumphant "ha!" that the footsteps came up behind him and a clone caught Rex roughly by the shoulders and laughed.
"Worried you'll lose your unofficial title as the best marksman in the army?"
"Commander Cody." Rex broke into a grin and turned, holstering his pistols. "You're back from Rendili!"
"Just landed. And you're back on your feet." Cody pushed back to look him up and down. Rex was in his service uniform, and Cody was in his armor, making the contrast between them more striking than it should have been.
"Course I'm back on my feet," Rex said with a smirk. "They couldn't keep me locked up in the hospital another day."
"No permanent damage, then?" Cody circled around him once and Rex laughed. He shifted weight onto his right leg and patted his left knee.
"My leg still looks awful, but the med droids say it won't scar. Even if it does, no one's gonna see it."
"General Kenobi told me about what happened." Cody's usual serious look slid back into place. "I heard it was a close one."
"We lost some good men," Rex sighed. "It was a trap and we walked right into it. I was nearly dead when General Skywalker found me."
Cody frowned so hard his scar wrinkled. "Well…did they catch whoever did it?"
"No. Some kind of local anti-Republic group, I guess. That's what the monarch said."
"Cowards," Cody said bitterly, hands on hips. "Blowing up clones just to prove a point, is that it?"
"Something like that. Anyway… 'sgood to see you. I wasn't sure you'd be back in time."
"In time for what?" Cody's eyebrows went up a bit.
"General Skywalker's taking us to Ringo Vinda. One of the first strikes in the Republic's new assault plan. We leave tomorrow morning."
"Oh." Cody looked disappointed for a moment, but then it vanished into one of his even smiles. "Well then, we'd better get to Seventy-Nines before it's too late."
"Isn't it a little early for a drink?" Rex asked, in a voice he knew full well some troopers called "judgmental".
"Hey. The sooner we go, the longer we'll have to catch up."
Rex gave in without too much hesitation. "Alright. Seventy-Nines it is." He was glad to see Cody. They all knew that each mission could be their last, and lately he appreciated times like this all the more for their infrequency.
Twenty minutes later, they were at a table, and Cody was clinking ice cubes around in a glass of kri'gee.
Rex flicked Cody's glass with his finger. "I thought you said we weren't getting drunk."
"We're not drunk," Cody said loudly over the frenetic music in the background. "Anyway… you'd think they would have kept us out there longer. Everyone knows those cities are under Separatist control now, but General Plo Koon says we can't strike until they come out in the open. And then there's this new assault plan, so we can't keep all our men just waiting when there are other battles to fight. So I got sent back to General Kenobi."
"You were working with the Wolf Pack, right?" Rex asked, his own glass of ne'tra gal barely touched. "How'd you get along with them?"
"Wolf Pack," Cody laughed under his breath. "Yeah… Wolffe's as capable as people say. He planned more of the strategies we used than the general did. I used to think he was just full of himself." Cody took a quick sip. "But he is smart. Really smart. And focused." Cody made a sharp hand motion from his eyes toward Rex's face, almost a salute. "General Plo's lucky to have him." He paused with a rueful smile. "Heh. I can see why some troopers think he's some sort of super-commander. It's a good thing I left when I did, or it might have rubbed off on some of my men. Well… more than it did already, I mean."
"Like who?"
"Wooley." Cody rolled his eyes a little.
"Wooley?" Rex raised his eyebrows. "Last time we talked, you were saying he worships you."
"Yeah, well… apparently my scar's not as impressive as Wolffe's." Cody smiled around another sip of kri'gee. "Yap and Pacer practically volunteered to stay behind. Viper was trying so hard to look cool in front of Wolffe, he nearly got himself killed showing off. That rookie tried to take on a whole group of sentry droids on his own… he could have lost both his legs!"
"He could have lost a lot more than that," Rex added.
"We had to carry that kid all the way back to base, and he was no use to us after that."
"So," Rex said. "You're glad to be done with this assignment. It doesn't sound like you enjoyed working with Commander Wolffe."
"Ah, he wasn't so bad. To be honest… I feel sorry for him." Cody grimaced sadly. "The guy doesn't really have a sense of humor. If General Kenobi had been there cracking jokes like he does sometimes, they would have gone right over his head."
"Was he like that before the Triumphant was destroyed?" Rex wondered.
"I think so. Just how he is. Anyway, for being mostly a reconnaissance mission, it was pretty rough out there. Planet's full of clankers already, even if they're not officially under Separatist control. And even when we found their base, they'd set these traps, right, almost worse than buzz droids." Cody sighed and held his glass up, perhaps startled to see nearly half of it gone. "We lost a lot of men just trying to break in. If they get control of all those ships, we're gonna be in a world of trouble."
"Let's hope that doesn't put a wrench in the new assault plans," said Rex, finally taking a long sip of his drink. It had been a while since he'd visited Seventy-Nines, and the ale was better than he remembered.
"Yeah." Cody fell silent, just looking at Rex thoughtfully over his glass.
"What?" Rex asked.
"Ah, nothing. Just wondering how long this big plan will take."
They both went quiet with unspoken thoughts. The music blared on, but in that moment, it and the energetic patrons around them seemed distant.
Eventually, Rex said, "Do you ever wonder if the Jedi are right, and there's no such thing as luck?"
Cody glanced at him. "Heh. Officially, the Jedi are always right. But if you're asking whether I believe everything happens for some important, mysterious reason… no, I don't really believe that. Why?"
"I was just thinking… how would a Jedi explain why some of us are dead after one hit by a brainless battle droid, and then there's some people like you and me, still alive against all the odds. If I hadn't been exactly where I was when that bomb went off, I wouldn't be here." Rex jabbed a finger at the table they were sitting at. "If…."
Rex stopped short of telling Cody about what General Skywalker had done to save him. And then he wondered why. What was he afraid of?
"Cut it out, Rex." Cody pretended to be annoyed. "Everyone knows if you talk about how many lucky breaks you've had before a big battle, you're gonna jinx yourself."
"I'm sure the Jedi would have a thing or two to say about a superstition like that," Rex said wryly.
"Still, best not to take chances," Cody said more seriously. "Mostly we're alive because we're not careless."
"There are a lot of dead men who weren't any more careless than us," Rex pointed out.
"I know," said Cody. "I know. Maybe… the Jedi would say we were meant to survive so we could play some important part in future battles. But I wouldn't think about it too hard."
"Yeah," Rex agreed, still debating whether to tell Cody about the blood transfusion. Perhaps the moment had already passed. It wasn't really important for anyone to know, especially now that Master Yoda had confirmed there would be no unusual effects.
"Listen," Cody said, quietly because the music had gone softer as well. "You're not feeling guilty, are you?"
"What? You mean because of my men?" Rex looked up; Cody looked a little worried. "No. There's no point in what-ifs. We all did what we thought we had to."
"Okay. Any other reason you're thinking so hard about this all of a sudden?"
"Not really. Just hoping our luck holds out."
"It has so far. So, starting tomorrow, here we go again." Cody smiled and lifted his half-empty glass. "To the future."
Rex clinked his own glass against it gently. "The future," he echoed, wondering again what lay in store for them on the other side of this war. He knew what he hoped would be there—or who, anyway. Some people, it was hard to imagine being absent in whatever future they created, and one of them was sitting right across from Rex, taking a long swig of kri'gee.
Cody laughed when he put his glass down. "Wow, that is strong."
"Maybe we oughtta switch to lum." Rex grinned. "We've still got the rest of the day."
"You know I never drink that stuff."
"Yeah? You also never get drunk enough to have a hangover," Rex deadpanned.
"Oh, come on. That was one time!"
Rex laughed under his breath. "I'm just givin' you a hard time."
"I should be the one teasing you," Cody complained, but he was smiling. "I'm the commander."
"Well, Commander," Rex said, "What say we have a little trade?"
He pushed his drink across the table and pulled Cody's toward him.
"To the Republic," he said, lifting the kri'gee. Cody raised his eyebrows at the sight of his ale in Rex's hand before he lifted Rex's glass with a grin.
"And a swift victory on Ringo Vinda."
The kri'gee burned Rex's throat, but he didn't mind. Cody was right. They weren't careless, and they knew their limits; they could afford to leave some things to tomorrow.
…
Ringo Vinda.
The battle had been days long already. Every time they cleared one section of the station, the droids somehow managed to fill in the spaces they left behind. It was like trying to dig a hole in loose sand. Sleep was a luxury snatched in minutes rather than hours; Rex had stopped keeping track of how many he'd need to make up if they ever got away from this place.
When General Skywalker proposed a new formational strategy to burn a path through the station to Admiral Trench, the feeling was nearly unanimous: everyone wanted to get this over with. Generals Tiplee and Tiplar split off from behind them to clear a parallel hallway, while General Skywalker forged ahead of Rex and his men, deflecting blaster fire with his lightsaber.
Rex advanced steadily half a step behind him, blasting droids right and left in a hyperaware daze. They were almost there, the smaller groups spread out to eliminate any fresh waves of droids from the many surrounding intersections. The rocking of the pistols in his hands and the whirl of Skywalker's saber was a steady rhythm, occasionally punctuated by the grunts or cries of men who got hit behind him. He couldn't turn aside until the path was cleared. This was his job—the others behind him would take care of each other.
Ten steps, ten more, and they were at the door, surging through it while General Skywalker turned to deflect fire until they were all inside.
The hum and whine of the other generals slashing down the last remaining droids dissipated, and then it was quiet. Rex took a deep breath inside his helmet, ears ringing as if the blaster fire was still going.
"Don't get too comfortable," General Skywalker announced. "This battle hasn't been won yet."
As Rex knelt to call up the map of the station, Fives and Tup came up close next to him.
"General Skywalker," said one of the sisters. "We must get to the command post. Admiral Trench has sent for reinforcements. We must take this post before they arrive."
All three generals knelt to survey Rex's map.
"It's time for phase two," Skywalker said. Rex could hear the stress in his voice, subtle under the clear authoritative tone. "We're at this position." The general pointed at an oval convergence of several corridors on the map. "Tiplar, you'll take your men down this passageway. Tiplee, you'll move along here." Skywalker's hand was steady as he pointed out the two parallel passages. "They'll have to divide their forces to counter us, and when they do, Rex and I will press through the middle. If we time it right, we'll all converge on this spot at the same time. The droids won't know what hit 'em."
Commander Doom shifted from where he stood behind Tiplar. His voice was low and rough. "If we're making a run, we'll need back up. My men are severely depleted."
Rex looked over at the handful of green-painted troopers behind Doom. "Severely depleted" was an understatement. Barely any of Doom's men had made it this far, even despite the shields they'd been using. Bodies littered the hallways they'd just come through, but Rex hadn't realized until now just how lucky his own men had been in comparison.
"Fives," Skywalker said immediately. "You and Tup take ten of your best men and support Master Tiplar."
"We're on it, sir!" said Fives.
Skywalker stood. Rex turned off the hologram and followed him toward the doors, signaling those who weren't supporting Tiplar to fall in behind. Not even five minutes' rest. But they had to strike while the passage was relatively clear, otherwise they'd get hemmed in again and lose the ground they'd gained.
As the door opened, the general leaped out in a whirl of blue light, mowing droids down like metal weeds. The end of the passage wasn't as far as it had seemed on the map.
Within minutes of steady blasting and slashing, all three groups had reached their goal; the blast doors opened to a criss-cross of blaster and cannon fire, red blurs coming toward them in a deafening high-pitched chorus as droids swarmed onto the floor from the opposite doors, like ants from a hill.
"Cover me!" Skywalker yelled, hurtling toward the nearest DSD1 dwarf spider droid. General Tiplar was already on top of another one.
"Push forward!" Rex yelled, and heard Fives calling the same to his left. "Cover the generals!"
He rolled through a crowd of clankers to get a better angle on the ones who had their rifles aimed at Skywalker. Three of those fell before the ones he'd landed by turned their guns on him; a moment later he had them tripped, thrown, and smoking from holes in the head. Diving behind a storage cube, he hit two more as Skywalker finished off the spider droid and jumped back into the fray.
"On your right!" General Tiplee cried, and Rex whirled to press both pistols into a pair of droids that had snuck up on him in the chaos. He wasn't sure if the warning had been for him or for Skywalker; the general had just used the Force to topple a wall of droids that had been moments away from filling him with holes.
"Tup, NO!"
Rex turned with a sinking feeling, prepared to see that Tup had just been shot down. Instead he saw General Tiplar crumple to the ground, Tup standing over her with the rifle in his hands.
"Sister!"
For a moment, Rex felt nothing. He wrestled and shot his way through a dozen more battle droids before he could jerk his eyes back to the scene which had been a blur among the chaos of the battle. Just another death in a long string of deaths—the shot that killed General Tiplar had not been distinguishable from the rest of the gunfire raging around them. It could happen that quietly.
Fives was on Tup now. They were both on the ground and Rex still couldn't believe it.
"Hold your position!" Skywalker called.
Tiplee ignored him and ran to her sister's still form. Fives hauled Tup to his feet and dragged him backwards, an arm around his throat.
"Destroyers!" Commander Doom yelled, and Rex pulled himself back into the battle, jumping out of the way just in time to avoid the new onslaught of droideka blaster fire. He grabbed some droid poppers and set about trying to clear a path so they could be accurately rolled inside the destroyers' shields.
He was just about ready when Skywalker called again.
"We've lost our momentum! Fall back!"
Rex rolled two of the grenades before whipping his pistols back out and hurrying backward to fall in place beside his general. Tiplee was carrying her sister's body, and Fives had fallen to a crouch just behind Skywalker; it looked like he was saying something to Tup. His hands were full holding him down. In two quick lunges, Rex shifted position so he could cover Fives from the other side.
In those few seconds, the destroyers formed an unbroken line of ray shielding from one wall to the other—their guns pummeled at the metal shields Doom's men huddled behind. Rex caught himself breathing hard even though he'd been keeping a steady pace for the last few hours. Adrenaline vibrated through him with every squeeze of the trigger.
"Fives!" Skywalker yelled as soon as he'd come close enough to be heard. "I don't know what's going on; you were responsible for Tup, now get him back to base! I want answers!"
Rex stuck by Fives as they fell back, clearing a path for them to the room they'd taken before. Whenever he came close enough to the two of them, he heard Tup muttering something under his breath, but couldn't make it out. The trooper's helmet was nowhere to be seen.
"Tup, what is going on?!" Fives yowled as Tup suddenly lunged forward in his arms. "What is wrong with you?"
Over the sound of the blast door shutting behind them, Rex could only make out something that sounded like "follow orders".
"What orders?!" Fives ducked as a blaster bolt nearly fried his face.
"Just hold tight 'til we get back to base!" Rex yelled, heart racing as he struggled to keep up with the battle droids converging on where Fives and Tup were walking. "You can talk to him then!"
"Right!" Fives ran with Tup in a staggered sideways gait, yelling wordlessly at the handful of droids that were blocking his way. Rex ran behind and blew them away with multiple shots to the chest and head, kicking one straggler down as he passed.
They rushed into the room.
"Guard the doors until the generals arrive!" Rex told his men.
Fives was already pulling Tup into a small alcove. Rex brought out a pair of binders and yanked Tup's arms behind him to snap them on. Tup didn't resist. He didn't look at Rex or Fives—he just stared off when Rex stepped back to take a better look at him.
Fives pushed Tup down to sit on the bench. He crouched in front of him, mouth open in dismay. "Tup, what happened back there? Talk to me!" He shook his friend by the shoulders.
"What's going on?" Kix ran in. "Someone said Tup shot General Tiplar!"
"He did," Fives said in a low voice, straightening. He stared at Tup helplessly. "I…I saw him do it."
"Did he say why?" Rex asked. His heartbeat was slowing now, the adrenaline rush leaving a subtle shakiness behind. Tup's eyes never focused on any of them, and his head rolled forward now, his body slouching over.
"No!" Fives barely took his eyes off his friend, fear written deeply on his face. "He—a few minutes before he… he was acting… weird. He said he didn't feel like himself, and he kept freezing up. I tried to snap him out of it, but…."
Rex looked over his shoulder. The noises of battle had stopped, and General Skywalker had just exchanged words with General Tiplee as she cradled her sister's body on the floor.
"How's he doin', Rex?" Skywalker approached with a grim look on his face.
"I'm… not sure, General," Rex sighed tightly. "It seems like he just… snapped." Rex crouched and shook Tup by the shoulder sharply. "Tup! Can you hear me?"
"Y… yes, Captain," Tup started as if he'd been asleep. He kept eye contact. That was good.
"What happened?"
"W-what do you mean?" Tup stammered. He looked disoriented. And scared.
A dark heat spread in Rex's gut. He shook Tup again, harder "Do you have any idea what you've done?" he half-growled, pointing toward General Tiplar's body.
Tup's head jerked, his eyes widening, and for a moment Rex expected the man to break down and confess, or spit out some wild accusation, like traitors always did. But Tup wasn't even looking at him. His eyes roved from left to right to left, his head lolling slightly.
"Good soldiers follow orders," Tup said in a dark, breathy monotone. "Good soldiers follow orders… good soldiers follow orders…."
Rex stared, the tips of his fingers going cold. This wasn't Tup. He had the distinct feeling that the soldier he and Fives knew was far away, buried—eaten by something completely unfamiliar. He'd heard Cody tell stories about mind controlling worms on Geonosis, zombie soldiers animated by an insect hive mind, and for one wild moment Rex wondered if Tup was dead, had been dead this whole time.
"Good soldiers follow orders… good soldiers follow orders… good soldiers follow orders… good soldiers follow orders…."
There was no change in the tone of Tup's voice. He breathed out each repetition half under his breath, like a rookie trying to memorize the reg manual. Rex folded his arms. He had to get a hold of himself, keep a straight face even behind the mask of his helmet.
"What is he talking about?" Kix fretted, kneeling to get a better look at Tup's downturned face.
"I have no idea," said Rex.
Kix laid a hand on Tup's face, pulling his eyelid up to check the dilation of his pupils. Tup showed no response to the touch apart from a slight twitch in his eyelid.
"Good soldiers follow orders, good soldiers follow orders…"
Was it Rex's imagination, or was the chanting coming faster now? Tup's monotonous voice seemed shaded with desperation.
"Good soldiers follow orders, good soldiers follow orders, good soldiers follow orders—"
Kix waved a hand in front of Tup's face, frowning when Tup stared right past his fingers.
"Good soldiers follow orders… kill… the Jedi…."
Rex jerked forward, but Tup had already bowled Kix over with a feral scream, lunging for General Tiplee. She raised her hand
A strangled cry was wrenched from Tup's throat as she threw him back against the wall and held him there with the Force.
Rex stood helplessly and watched. He braced himself to act—to restrain Fives, to ask the general to stop, he wasn't sure yet which. Tup writhed against the wall, armor clattering.
Skywalker laid a hand firmly on Tiplee's arm. "We have to get him back to the medical bay before he hurts anyone else."
Tiplee's face was pinched with anger, but she nodded. With a horrible gasp, Tup slid down the wall and panted, his breath ragged. Kix and Fives fell to their knees beside him.
"Do whatever you have to, to get him under control," Skywalker said to Rex in an undertone. "It's going to be hard enough fighting our way back to the medical bay."
"Understood, sir," Rex said.
"Tup… Tup, come on." Fives pulled Tup's chin up, tried to make him focus. "Say something."
"Good… soldiers…." Tup rattled.
"I think we better sedate him." Kix pulled out a hypospray with an apologetic look to Fives. "Then one or two of us can carry him back."
Fives nodded, jaw clenched, and angled Tup's head so Kix could get the shot in easier.
"Orders…." Tup slumped against Fives. Fives hefted him up over his shoulders, rising to his feet with a little effort, and Rex reached out to steady him.
"Thanks," Fives said. "Kix, hand me my helmet, will you?"
Kix fetched it off the ground. A moment later they all looked at each other from behind their visors. It was easier sometimes, Rex thought, to face things without their faces visible.
"Let's go, men," he commanded. "We've got a lot of ground to cover."
"Here you go, buddy," Kix said sadly, sliding a spare helmet onto Tup's head. "Don't want those clankers taking any cheap shots."
"They're not getting any while I'm around," Fives growled, shifting his posture so he could hold Tup and his blaster at the same time. "Let's go."
…
The ache and worry was still with Rex when he woke suddenly to the silent walls of the medical frigate. Fives was sitting by Tup, his chin propped up on the backs of his hands, resting on the end of his rifle. The sight reminded him immediately of how upside-down things had turned within the space of a day and the immense effort it had taken to finally get Tup safely on his way to Kamino. And although the days of fighting had been hard, the circumstances of Tup's betrayal weighed heaviest. They were all shaken by seeing one of their own turn so silently and completely, never mind the inexplicable chanting, but Fives was undeniably the most rattled of all. Rex stood and walked over to put a hand on the trooper's shoulder.
"You go on and get some rest, Fives," he offered. "I'll stay with Tup."
A complicated expression moved over Fives' face as he looked up at the captain. "I'm… not sure if I can sleep right now. It's alright. I don't mind staying up."
"That was an order," Rex said sternly. "You've hardly slept at all since the battle started. We'll probably have to return to the front lines as soon as we hand Tup over to the doctors on Kamino. There's no room for slip-ups on this campaign. We can't risk fighting with soldiers who aren't healthy."
Fives looked away and sighed heavily. The longer Rex stared at Tup's inert form, the more tension he felt rising in his gut. Something about this whole situation meant change on the horizon for all of them. Rumors of a Sith virus designed to make clones turn senselessly violent was unsettling to say the least. If something like that spread, how could they possibly keep up the fight?
Rex told himself that it was useless to worry until they had some answers about Tup's condition. For the moment, he only hoped that the doctors on Kamino found the truth.
"I just don't get it," Fives grumbled. "How could a virus do something like this? Tup doesn't have any memory of what he did. It's like he's not even himself! And what's all this 'good soldiers follow orders' thing about?"
"I dunno," Rex sighed. "But I don't like it."
Fives stared hard at Tup. "Maybe the enemy got to him while he was missing? How many rotations was that?"
"Four or five."
"He seemed normal when we found him. I just thought he was tired."
"I don't think the enemy could have brainwashed him while he was stuck in that cave in," Rex said, remembering the explosion that had cut Tup off from the rest of them. "He spent all that time trying to dig free of all that debris… he and Comma were both worn out when we got to them. If there was a way for the enemy to get to them while they were in there, there would have been a way for them both to get out before we found them."
"Yeah… you're right." Fives sighed.
"If we hadn't got pushed back that way, we never would have realized those two were still alive."
"If Comma hadn't been killed by that destroyer, we would know if it happened while they were trapped together." Fives' hands moved in restless gestures. "All I know is, before we got to that room where General Tiplar died, Tup was not acting crazy. We talked to each other whenever there was a break in the fighting, just like we always do. He was fine! How could he be fine one second, and… and kill a Jedi the next? And if it's a virus, how can it just turn off and on like that? It's like something triggered it… but… the conditions of the battle hadn't changed that much." A frustrated noise came from the back of his throat. "I just can't figure it out. Doesn't it worry you? What if this could happen to the rest of us?"
"Of course it worries me," Rex said. It worried him more than he cared to admit. "But like Kix said, we just don't have the ability to figure out what's wrong with him on our own. Our duty is to get Tup safely to Kamino. They'll know what's wrong with him…."
So he hoped. But if this was the handiwork of the Sith, they would have tried to develop something that was incurable or too fast-spreading for the Kaminoan doctors to prevent. Rex could see Fives turning things over and over in his mind. The trooper was going to keep going around in circles until he wore himself down.
"Hey." He shoved Fives to nudge him off the stool by Tup's bed. "Didn't I just order you to go get some rest?"
"Alright, alright," Fives grinned, but it was short-lived. "You'll wake me up if anything changes, won't you, sir? I… I want to be there for him if he dies."
Rex nodded. "I will. Now go!"
Fives gave a weak smile in thanks before laying a hand on Tup's arm. "Hang in there, buddy," he said, so quietly Rex barely heard it.
As Fives' footsteps retreated to the cot in the back of the ship, Rex took his place on the seat by Tup's bed and stared at the sedated trooper. He did not look good. Tup was pale, the teardrop tattoo under his right eye standing out more starkly than normal. His breaths came rhythmically, audibly against the breathing mask he wore, and every so often his arms and legs seized as if even in his sleep he was tormented by a mindless urge to kill. He had looked so scared when Fives had told him what he'd done. Rex had seen men panic before, but not like this… not panic in the face of one's self, strapped down and surrounded by allies.
If this was some plan of the enemy's, to make the Grand Army of the Republic turn against the Republic itself, why was it killing Tup? Rex glanced over his shoulder at where Fives was lying, trying to sleep. The thought that he and the rest of the men could snap like this at any moment couldn't be ignored. They were all the same. What affected one would logically affect all of them the same way. Perhaps that was the enemy's plan—make the clone armies turn against each other and then die off like insects once their use had been fulfilled. It reminded him all too much of how General Krell had lied to them and sent them out into the mists of Umbara to wipe each other out. The sick anger and betrayal they'd all felt that day was still lodged in Rex's throat whenever he thought about it.
He couldn't let that happen. No way would he stand by this time and let himself and his men be turned against their brothers. As soon as they got back, he was going to have a talk with General Skywalker… before something even worse happened.
…
"Welcome back, Captain!" Jesse clapped Rex on the arm, grinning wide.
The trip to Kamino had mercifully concluded without incident, and Rex was pleased to find the battle had been going well upon his return to Ringo Vinda. They had managed to slip past the enemy ships in the midst of a quickly-won firefight, and now all that was left was to clean up the last of the droid stragglers inside the station.
"Where's Fives?" Kix asked.
"He had to stay behind," said Rex, and left it at that when he saw General Skywalker approaching. "Excuse me." He moved past his men and hurried to meet the general. Skywalker stopped and let him approach.
"Hey, Rex! I'm guessing the rest of your flight to Kamino went off without a hitch?"
"Yes, sir. Could I have a word with you in private?"
Skywalker's relieved smile faded quickly. He nodded and turned aside into one of the many empty shuttles in the hangar. They found the cockpit empty, but Rex didn't sit, and the general turned to face him squarely.
"Alright. What's on your mind?"
"Sir. Nala Se—the doctor on Kamino who's taking care of Tup—she asked that Fives be kept behind in case he'd been infected by the virus or… whatever it is that's making Tup act this way. But if Fives has been infected, then so have I. And so have all the rest of the men who were near him. I didn't want to disobey your orders to return to the battlefield, sir, but I respectfully ask that I be allowed to return to Kamino as soon as possible."
The general's expression was thoughtful, but unconcerned. "Did the doctor actually say Fives was infected?"
"No, sir, she just said he might be. But even if he isn't, I probably am, and at least he's under Kaminoan supervision now. I may not seem infected yet, but it could be waiting for the right trigger. Tup seemed perfectly fine before he snapped too."
"What makes you think you're infected?" Anakin peered at him suspiciously. "Are you saying you feel something?"
"No, sir. I feel just the same as always." Rex glanced away a moment, reconsidering what to say. "But you heard what general Tiplee said about an anti-clone virus. Fives and I are the most likely to have had it passed on to us; we've been with Tup the most since he snapped."
"But I need you here," Skywalker said stubbornly. "It's bad enough Fives didn't come back! I need all my best men in case the Separatists regroup to try and take back the station."
"Do you really think that's going to happen, sir? Isn't it better to send us away instead of losing us to this virus first, and maybe—"
"Rex, come on," Skywalker laughed nervously, reaching toward his shoulder. "That's not going to happen. I know this situation's got all of us a little scared, but—"
"I'm not scared of what will happen to me, General!" Rex said, shrugging away from the general's hand and pointing out toward the troopers in the rest of the hangar. "I'm scared of what might happen to everyone else! To you, and all the rest of the Jedi, and my brothers!"
"You're going to be fighting right next to me for the rest of this battle," Skywalker said. "Don't you think I could stop you from anything you might try to do? Unless… there's something you're not telling me?"
"No, sir," Rex repeated. "But I have a bad feeling about this."
Skywalker's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Are you saying you sense something?"
"Of course not, General." Rex had almost forgotten about the general's vision. "Nothing like that. But with all due respect, I think it would be wise to take the situation a little more seriously."
"I am taking it seriously. What do you want me to do?" Skywalker asked, spreading his hands. "Send the entire squad back to Kamino and clean up the rest of the droids myself?"
"That wasn't what I suggested. I'm only requesting that I be sent back to Kamino for now. You managed without me while we were taking Tup home. Whether I show signs of infection first or they find a cure, I'd rather be there instead of here when it happens."
"Hmm." Skywalker did not look happy about that. "I think there is something you're not telling me. You seem awfully sure you're going to end up like Tup."
Rex hesitated. The images that lived in the back of his mind were not something he had ever shared with anyone. They were things never meant to be consciously recalled, and he couldn't put them into words now. So he chose a half truth instead.
"Maybe I'm starting to wonder if your vision was on to something after all."
"Oh." The general clenched his fists and half-folded his arms. "Well, you might have a point, then." He fell silent and Rex waited, letting him work it out on his own. Rex still couldn't really believe he would ever use the Force, or ever try to talk his friends into a betrayal of all they had fought and died for. This vision couldn't really be true… he couldn't believe that. But he had to use whatever he could to get the general's permission.
"I'm sticking with what Master Yoda said," Skywalker said at last. "Until something happens, your place is here." He pointed at the ground right next to him. "That's my final decision."
And that was that. "Yes, sir," Rex said, and was glad to be dismissed.
…
He found Kix and Jesse checking their equipment in a supply room off the main hangar. They wasted no time in asking after Tup and Fives.
"They're just running some tests on Fives," Rex said. "To make sure he's not also infected."
"Did they say they could save Tup or not?" Jesse asked.
"No. Nothing for sure. But they've got their best doctor working on him."
"Poor Tup. I wish I could have done more to help him," Kix sighed. "But I've never seen anything like that before."
Rex took a deep breath, glancing around to make sure none of the other troopers were close enough to hear. "Listen... I need to ask both of you a favor."
Jesse and Kix kept their eyes on him, waiting.
"What is it, Captain?" Kix asked.
"If I show any sign of aggression toward Jedi," Rex said, forcing himself to stare back at them. "Anything like what you saw Tup doing, I want you to shoot me down. Immediately."
"What?" Kix blurted. Jesse just blinked as if he'd been smacked.
"You can't hesitate," Rex continued firmly. "I talked to Fives. He said Tup only started acting strange a few minutes before shooting General Tiplar. There can not be another incident like that."
"But Captain," Kix struggled, almost laughing in his dismay. "Rex, you can't—you're not asking us to kill you? I'd stun you, sure, and take you to Kamino just like you and Fives did for Tup. But I am not killing one of my own brothers—especially you!"
"That is exactly what I'm asking you to do," Rex said in a low voice. "We can't let this virus spread to the rest of the army. Think of what could happen if every clone ended up like Tup!"
"But," Kix went on desperately, "Let's be rational about this. What's the point in targeting you specifically? I mean… how do we know all of us aren't already infected?"
"We don't," Rex said. "But since we can't tell yet who is, the only thing we can do is eliminate the source of contagion whenever it shows itself. I expect you to take down anyone you notice behaving strangely—but since Fives and I spent the most time in direct contact with Tup, I'm the most likely to be infected right now."
Kix opened his mouth to argue.
Rex lifted a hand to cut him off. "I'll make it an order if I have to."
"I'll do it, Captain," Jesse sighed.
"Thanks Jesse. Kix? I need you to promise me you'll do this. For the Republic. And for all the rest of your brothers. I'd rather die quickly by a blaster bolt to the head than watch some virus destroy everything I've fought for from the inside out. And I know you feel the same way. We all do."
Kix took a deep breath and nodded once, looking miserable. "Yes sir," he said quietly. "I promise."