Chapter 5: Bad Blood
Kix trailed behind the group, sadly watching Bly and Aayla walking side by side, talking quietly. But amongst his sadness there was also a bitterness and sense of fear.
Why had I been so slow to tell her? Kix asked himself over and over again, recognizing his fear of Bly. The clone could do anything to him at night... He was in Bly's terrain now.
Kix allowed more distance to fall between himself and the group before looking up and realizing he was farther away than he thought.
Kix sighed and was about to close the gap when a hiss-like screech rent the silence in two. Wait. It had been silent. There wasn't a sound.
Kix stopped in mid-step and swung around to see what was making the noise. His heart nearly stopped when his eyes fell upon a large Acklay, identifiable thanks to the training on Kamino.
He stood, frozen to the spot, watching as certain death loomed upon him, and he silently prayed that it would be quick, release him from the prolonged emotional and mental sadness that continually tortured him.
Bly gave an order and his clones disappeared into the foliage, Anakin calling to the 501st clones that also disappeared after Bly's men, but Kix didn't move.
"Get out of the way you dik'ut!" Bly shouted over the helmet's commlink, but Kix ignored him, just staring at the oncoming Acklay, silently awaiting his death. The Jedi were shouting, but it was unintelligible. But then, one word, spoken by a beloved voice, allowed him to look over his shoulder. "Kix!" Aayla shouted, starting toward him only to be blocked from sight as Bly crossed in front of her, causing Kix to return to his trance and back to his death.
The Acklay was upon him now, and the screeching of it so loud, that Kix was sure his ear drums would explode.
A large, crushing pincher was raised, with one strike it would kill Kix, but still the clone stood, welcoming death that had the ability to crush his tormenting thoughts and regrets. His dreams of Aayla could die with him in silence.
The pincher cut through the air, and Kix closed his eyes when something crashed into him, knocking him out of the way. It was Bly. The clone commander had jumped toward Kix, wrapping his arms around him and pushed off the ground, knocking both clear of the Acklay.
Kix hit the ground and Bly rolled off of him, into the path of a second pincher. The clone commander looked at it and laced his fingers behind his helmeted head, waiting for the blow that never came.
Kix saw a flash of blue and green, and watched as the pincher fell in two pieces around the fallen clone.
Looking up, Kix saw that Aayla was on the back of the creature and stabbing it's back.
Anakin arrived, hacking through pinchers as Ahsoka jumped and used her twin sabres to sever the head of the creature, landing atop it lightly.
Kix rolled painfully to his feet as Bly appeared in front of him, growling about what a dik'ut he was.
"You dik'ut! Don't you know an Acklay when you seen one?" Bly demanded, anger flashing in his eyes, helmet a few meters away, having been knocked clear.
"I do." Kix responded, just as angry. He made sure he left out 'sir'.
Bly's jaw set. "You are dishonouring the clone army. You have dishonoured Jango Fett. You..."
Kix didn't allow Bly to get any further as he lost his temper, striking his superior as hard as he could in the face, following the first hit with a second before Bly could fall backward.
Bly, lying on his back with a look of shock and surprise on his face, inspected the damage. His nose, lip and tongue were bloodied.
Kix jumped onto the stunned clone as they began to exchange quick strikes, Bly uselessly cutting and bruising his knuckles on Kix's helmet.
Clones and Jedi were shouting as they made their way toward them.
"Kix!" Anakin shouted.
"What are you doing?" Ahsoka cried, shock evident in her voice.
"Bly! What's going on! What did you do?" Aayla called, running behind the other two Jedi.
Black and Guts appeared from the foliage, grabbing Kix and roughly pulling him off of Bly, holding him back while Mask, one of Bly's men, helped his commander up.
"You should've let me die!" Kix shouted, struggling against the two clones. "And I wished you had." He whispered, tears forming in his eyes, unnoticed under his helmet.
There was silence, and Ahsoka looked at him with tears in her eyes, Anakin staring silently, and Aayla in shock. Bly's look was one of silence, emotionless.
Kix wrenched himself free of Guts and Black, picked up his gun from where it had fallen and ran off down the path.
"Shab it all! Life, death and love!" He shouted at the stunned group over his shoulder, disappearing behind the foliage.
