Six

Rex walked down the ramp to be greeted by Skywalker and Kenobi storming purposefully through the hanger. Commanders Cody and Ahsoka were walking a respectable distance behind, obviously aware of the two general's anger at the decision to blow the network before the Mandolorian's arrived.

Fives had already warned him on the gun ship ride back that the Jedi were furious and Rex braced himself for the impending backlash.

"What the in Force were you thinking?" Skywalker boomed at his Captain.

Rex stopped mid stride and stared momentarily at his commder.

"Anakin please," Obi-Wan interjected, taking in what remained of the captain's blood soaked clothing.

"Are you injured Rex?"

"No sir."

He glanced quickly over at the frantic activity across from them involving the medical team.

"Is that the young Representative? Will she survive?"

"She is critically injured sir."

Anakin was walking around in circles, head down and shoulders hunched.

He looked menacing.

Rex had seen this kind of behaviour from his General in the past. He waited patiently; there would be the inevitable show of displeasure to come.

"I mean, we had them. An entire ship of Death Watch and you blew it," he seethed into Rex's face.

"I should have known better than to trust a cl -"

He stopped mid-sentence, all the time staring at Rex, who stood perfectly straight, bare chest in a pair of foreign trousers. He felt under prepared for this onslaught of rage from Anakin. He wasn't in his armour and he felt vulnerable.

Rex moved forward a fraction in retaliation.

"Anakin that's quite enough! Yes, it is disappointing, but let's just see what the captain has to say for himself."

"Thank you sir," Rex bowed his head and swung the two light sabres around and unhooked them from his belt.

"Maul and Opress are dead," he said simply as he handed the ancient weapons to Obi-Wan.

Both Kenobi and Skywalker stared in amazement at the swords. Rex had a fleeting sense of satisfaction in seeing the reaction on their faces.

"With your permission sirs, may I be dismissed?" Rex anxiously looked over to the medical team rushing the wounded woman to the med bay. Kenobi was the first to speak.

"Of course captain, we'll expect a full report to the Jedi High Council on return to Coruscant.

"Sir," he nodded his response.

Rex walked on slowly, passed Commander Cody and barely acknowledging Ahsoka. He wasn't in any mood after his dressing down from the generals for her inane banter and myriad of questions.

Not now.

"Fives," he yelled out to the ARC who had been patiently and silently watching the group, "wait up will you?" Together they left the hanger bay and headed towards their quarters on board the Resolute.

He let the water in the refresher run over him, leaning his head forward enjoying the pulsing feeling against the back of his neck.

Rex thought about the comment from the young woman, she was looking forward to having a hot shower, and he hoped that she would still get the chance.

Dressing in his fatigues, Rex headed straight to the Mess hall where he spotted Fives and Jesse, sitting at a table and talking quietly amongst themselves. He looked at the food, nothing looked appealing but he opted for a large plasti-cup of caf and some bread. Turning, he caught the ARC's eye motioning for him to join them.

The two moved forward slightly and Rex out a stop to it there, "at ease," he said sitting heavily down bedside them.

"No news from the med bay?" he exhaled, looking down into his hot drink. Rex knew that Fives being a typical ARC had his ways of finding out the minutia of what was happening on board the ship.

The both shook their heads.

"Not yet sir," Jesse replied.

They sat in silence until Fives cleared his throat and asked the question they were both dying to know. Leaning forward across the table he looked at his commanding officer and implored.

"What happened cap?"

Rex shook his head, knowing the question would be asked sooner or later.

"I can't talk about it now Fives, I have to report to the Jedi Council when we get back to Coruscant."

He saw the disappointment flicker across both their faces.

He smiled a little "I can say though, Maul and Savage won't be bothering us anymore."

"No way?" Jesse was thrilled at the tid bit of information.

The captain looked up and raised an eyebrow "that's not to be repeated Jesse, right?"

"Sir, yes sir," he smiled back.

With a slight hiss the electronic doors to the Mess opened and Kix with one of the Flight Surgeons strode through. They both looked exhausted and were talking amongst themselves when they noticed the captain at the table nearby. Kix said something to the doctor and walked over to his three friends.

"She's alive in ICU Bacta. Splenic haemorrhage. She's lost a lot of blood and is very weak. Still touch and go, but again, she's alive and that's something. She'll do a lot better once we get into Coruscant. Reed's in the tank next to her."

"Well done Kix," Rex stood and shook his hand.

"What the hell happened down there?" Kix still gripping the captains hand asked, again Rex shook his head and sat back down.

"Oh come on cap?" Jesse pleaded.

Kix shot them all a look; he deserved to know what had caused the drama that had consumed the last four hours of his life. He had worked hard on the larty to keep her alive, then sat in on the surgery to remove her spleen. Rex looked at the three men sitting around him. They had been in many a battle together and they were more to him than just his soldiers and genetic replicas. He knew they had known about the incident with the Commander, and yet none of them said anything. They trusted him implicitly and put their lives on the line, over and over again, never questioning his command.

They deserve to know the truth.

Rex ran his hand over his head a couple of times. This was supposed to be a simple mission. Find a plant, deliver it to a doctor, and bug out. Instead he had extracted an injured pilot, blown a Separatist network, killed two of the most wanted Dathomir warriors and almost got his civilian contact killed.

Rex motioned to him to sit down and decided, to hell with protocol, and told his oldest friends exactly what had happened with the young woman and the Sith.

.

It was the medical facility of the Grand Army of the Republic on Coruscant.

She had been moved whilst still in ICU Bacta from the Resolute. Gem had been placed in one of the new bacta tanks for high dependency patients. In light of recent events, the Jedi had decided that she should remain under Military supervision, not knowing the how the Separatist's would react upon the death of the two Sith. She lay perfectly still and had done so for two days after the surgery, her head outside, as the rest of her body lay inside the long, cylindrical tube healing.

She began to want to open her eyes. Everything hurt, especially her throat, she couldn't swallow.

Choking.

Flashes of blue and red, she began to panic only to feel a warm hand placed on her forehead.

"Don't struggle Ma'am. You are intubated and we were just waiting for you to wake up before we removed it."

It was Kix, his voice strangely comforting. He had got along well with the young woman, admiring her ability to keep the pilot alive on that little moon. She tried to speak only to have the tube catch in her throat.

"OK, let's get that kriffing thing out and get you out of the tank. You're on Coruscant by the way."

He leaned forward and told her to relax and it may be uncomfortable.

He stood behind her head and gently massaged her temples, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax when suddenly she felt a tugging sensation and he removed the tube. She coughed a little and dry wretched.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes," she tried to say but eventually gave up and just nodded her head.

"We are now going to drain the tank and get you out; it may feel a little cold. Just relax OK?"

Again she nodded. She closed her eyes and felt a rush of air as the tank lid was lifted and she was draped in a large sheet.

"For modesty," Kix smiled.

A hydraulic sound began and she was moved out of the tank on the stretcher and pushed over to one side where she slowly began to try and lift herself up, eventually being helped by Kix and another medic.

She felt weak, woozy and strange.

"We can get you a chair or would you like to try standing?" Kix said, "we have to get you over to the 'fresher so you can wash the residual bacta off."

"Walk?" she whispered.

Gingerly Gemma placed her feet on the ground aided by the two men. Slowly she put her weight down and stood only to fall sideways into the other medic.

"OK, someone get me a chair, you can be pushed into the 'freshers, and that's an order."

Once in the chair, Kix began to fill her in on the past few days, beginning with the larty ride to the Resolute. The medical terminology wasn't lost on Gemma and she realised how serious and how close to death she had been.

"You have been very popular however," Kix stated.

"The captain has been in every day, twice yesterday and we think Hardcase stole you an artificial flower from the garden outside the Senatorial Building."

She smiled at that comment.

"Fives visited also, you might not remember him, but I think that was really just to check you out."

He seemed annoyed at remembering that encounter.

"Also, General Kenobi came in and spoke with your surgeon. And as you can see," he said as she looked around at all the ubiquitous brown eyes staring at her, "the men here are all interested in the woman they now refer to as the Sith Slayer."

Gemma closed her eyes at that comment, the room began to swim and she felt bile rising in her throat. The image of the two grotesque men that she and Rex had eliminated came to mind.

'It did happen, it wasn't a dream after all.'

She had murdered someone and she immediately hated herself. Blood pulsing loud in her ears, she quickly leaned forward, putting her head between her knees. Kix stopped pushing the chair and swung around in front, dropping himself to her level.

"Just take deep breaths. That's it. Would you like a sip of water Ma'am?" all jocularity in his voice gone.

She was pushed into the 'fresher which was big enough to house the repulsorlift chair.

"Here are some towels and the soap is in the dispenser on the wall. It is temperature controlled, so just turn it on when you are ready. I'll try and get you something other than a sheet to wear. OK?"

She nodded and whispered a thank you but remained seated.

.

"Sir, the Representative is yet to come out of the 'fresher," the junior medic approached Kix as he was discussing another medical case with the surgeon.

"Have you seen whether she is alright?" he replied.

"It's, well, um, she's er, a woman, sir," he stammered out.

Kix got up annoyed and moved towards the fresher that Gemma had been pushed in to.

He listened against the door and heard the water running.

"Apparently woman like to take longer showers than us," he mentioned to the other medic.

"Sir?" the other asked.

"I saw it on a holovid once," Kix replied shrugging his shoulders.

Knocking politely on the door he inquired.

"You OK in there Ma'am?"

No answer.

Banging harder and with a slightly more anxious intonation in his voice he asked again.

He looked at the other medic who had a worried look on his face and slowly opened the door ever so slightly. The sound of the water was louder as he peered in.

"Gemma, this is Kix. I'm coming in."

He opened the door to step through when he saw her. Scrunched up in the corner of the shower recess, Gemma held her head crying. He moved quickly, instinctively grabbing a towel and turning the water off. Placing the material around her naked thin body he helped her to her feet and over to the chair.

"Come on, I think you're clean enough. Let's get the doc to check you over," he said gently.

"I'm so sorry," was all she could muster.

"All I could find are these," he said with a smile handing her the regulation black under shorts and the military fatigues soldiers wore off duty.

She studied them and turned. Clearing her throat she asked, "Reed, Kix, where is he?" Her voice husky from the life saving intubation tube. Kix averted his eyes and quickly mentioned that he was 'around somewhere' and he'll find out 'what ward he had been moved to'.

He walked out of the cubicle, pulling the curtain across before blowing out a hard breath.

Gemma studied the clothes. She slowly dried herself and pulled the black shorts on. The looked small, but they stretched to accommodate any size, male or female. Picking up the clothes, she dressed slowly, drawing in the belt tight around the top to accommodate her small frame. The tunic was too large, but rolling up the sleeves and cinching the waist in with a medical gown tie seemed to suffice and she was finally glad to be appropriately covered. Her hair was damp and she quickly wound it around itself into a makeshift bun on the top of her head.

She sat on the bed listening to the activity going on the other side of the curtain. There didn't seem to be a shortage of patients. Her stomach growled in hunger. She had looked in the 'fresher at the small scar that was the only evidence that she had been wounded. The acta accelerated the healing process both internally and externally. She had heard of its miraculous qualities but was yet to experience it firsthand.

Doors hissed opened and closed and the smell of food cooking was wafting through, making her mouth water. She kept swallowing her own saliva, making her even more hungry and agitated. Finally she opened the curtain and saw two men heading out the doors. One was mentioning caf, the other food.

Without hesitating, she followed them out of the infirmary barefoot.

.

Rex heard his comm beep and he looked at the transcribed message appearing on it. It was from the Jedi High Council, and he knew why he was being summonsed. He quietly changed back into his armour and made his way over to the southwest tower of the Jedi Temple.

Standing, rather than sitting, he waited until Master Kenobi came through the large doors and asked him to join them inside. Taking in a deep breath, he placed his helmet neatly under his left arm and followed the general in.

"Welcome you are captain," Grand Master Yoda said.

Rex had never been into the Jedi High Council before and was taken aback by the austerity of the room. Sitting there were twelve wise and powerful Jedi Masters. He knew them all, having fought alongside some of them on the battlefield. The look on his face must have alerted the Jedi to his feeling of unease, although, he thought, they probably all sensed it. He looked over at his general and nodded acknowledgment. Anakin lowered his eyes; he was yet to earn a Master status, a sore point for the young Knight. General Kenobi was leading proceedings and stood to address the Council.

He bowed and Rex reciprocated by standing at attention.

"You are here today to describe to us the events leading up to your procurement of these two light sabres."

He was formal in his approach, but Rex could sense that this was not going to be a witch hunt; they simply just wanted to know what happened with the Sith.

"With your permission, sir," Rex said and simply began to describe the events as they occurred, from arriving on the planet right up to the moment he shot Maul and the young woman skewered Opress.

He noticed a few of the older Jedi nod at that statement, all the while watching for the reaction from his own general.

He desperately wanted Skywalker to approve of his actions; he prided himself in serving his rank to the best of his ability and never wanted to disappoint his commanding officer.

Anakin moved forward in his seat and asked the question that had been biting him from the moment he witnessed the Mandolorian cruiser jump into hyperspace in front of him on the control panel on board Resolute.

"Why did you blow the tunnels Rex?"

Rex looked down, remembering the split decision he made with the young woman in the tunnel after the episode with the Dathomir brothers.

"General Skywalker," he turned to face him, "I knew that the Separatists would have discovered the bodies of the Sith and would be searching for the people involved. Maul had a blaster wound, so, they would have been looking for Republic troops. We had twenty klicks to run in an hour, giving us just enough time to clear the tunnels before it blew. In hindsight, I should have radioed in and asked for new orders. In reality, I figured that we had dealt a blow to the Separatist's in taking Maul and Savage out. The more pressing issue was getting the young Representative clear and back to Coruscant safely, if I were on my own, or with a unit, I would have acted differently. It's no excuse, but as you are aware, civilians change the playing field during battle."

He was exhausted and figured he had been standing for the better part of two hours explaining that fateful day. He also had heard that she was out of bacta and was eager to see her again.

"I'm sorry sir," he breathed out, "I let, not only you, but the Grand Army of the Republic down."

"I am too," was his only reply. It was like a punch to the chest, and Rex felt his stomach lurch in disappointment.

"I am sorry for the comments I made to you on the hanger bay on the Resolute. I was out of line and apologise for them." Anakin stood and walked over to the captain as he spoke.

Rex felt his face redden as he watched his General approach holding out his hand for his to shake. He quickly removed his glove and standing as straight as he could took the offered hand and shook it hard.

"Congratulations captain," he smiled, "you've achieved something none of us here in this room has been able to, and you should be proud of your actions."

He slapped him on the shoulder and said, "I believe High Command now want to see you."

Rex smiled and sighed, relieved.

The Republic High Command meant another few hours of tedious formalities. He nodded his head, turned and left the room, heading back to the Military Building on Coruscant, glad that one meeting was finally over.

Before the end of the war unbeknownst to him, Rex would return to the Jedi Temple for two very different reasons.