Seventy Seven
The news from ARC Trooper 21-0408 rocked the newly created life Stoyan had made for himself on Scillal.
The Jedi kept his distance; listening to, and deciphering the information the soldier quietly told him over the course of a week.
Together, they had put the pieces together.
The removal from his parents. The brother that Fletcha had mentioned. The voices that filled his head night after endless night.
Brothers, all of them.
He was the identical twin of the notorious Mandalorian Bounty Hunter, Jango Fett.
Why hadn't Yoda told him?
More questions; and still no closer to an answer.
But now, things had changed.
Now, he had family.
Thousands apparently, and that shocked him even more.
Unbeknownst to him, Stoyan was the most powerful man in the universe.
The ARC told him about the battles that had occurred since the beginning of the War, astounded how anyone could be so ignorant of current events.
Stoyan began opening up to the younger clone, telling Echo of the torment that would often consume him. Together they worked backwards, trying to match major military campaigns to the nights when Stoyan thought he was losing his mind and had gone completely mad.
What upset Echo most were the more recent episodes of pain and fear the Jedi had felt; the ones since his incarceration at the Citadel. He knew full well that the Republic must have suffered innumerable fatalities.
The burning question at the back of his mind; was Fives one of them?
Throughout this road of self-discovery, Marlo still hadn't woke up.
The Jedi would stay with her for hours, drawing upon all aspects of his gift to heal the critically injured woman. Echo would sit and watch, until Stoyan fell back exhausted each time.
"She's suffered a head injury. You are well aware of the ramifications of brain trauma?"
Echo didn't want to hear the words.
Of course he knew the ramifications!
It was part of his ARC training to make split-second decisions on the battlefield regarding an injury. He could triage a blaster wound as well as any medic, set a broken leg, and relocate a shoulder.
Fek, he knew what a head injury meant!
"The leg is healing as is the internal bruising. I just can't do anymore for the brain."
Stoyan could see the relationship the young man had developed with the woman. He watched as Echo would wash her face and hands daily, all the time talking quietly about how they had 'got away,' and 'found somewhere beautiful and safe.'
"You have suffered innumerably? Where have you both come from?"
Echo shook his head and explained the events leading up to his demise from the Republic and the heroics Marlo had performed to keep him alive, including the heinous visits from the Warden.
Stoyan, sat and listened before answering thoughtfully. "These Jedi 'generals' you talk of, they didn't think to investigate whether you were still alive?"
Stoyan had inadvertently opened a raw wound, more raw than the flesh that had been blown from his body during the blast that thrust Echo into the most bitter of battles, both physically and mentally. He sensed the soldier's Force signature move through a gambit of emotions from confusion, denial then finally, anger.
"No."
Stoyan shook his head and threw the remnants of his shig into the bushes behind him before standing. "This is why I left the Order. Life, all life, is too precious. Hasn't anyone even considered the inequality of pairing flesh and blood against machines that were created in a factory?"
Echo stood to face him, "we were created in a factory."
"But you're human!" He was exasperated, "you bleed, feel pain, think. You have cognitive thought!"
It was no use preaching to the converted. Echo shrugged his shoulders before looking down at Marlo in her suspended sleep.
"You will continue?" Echo stood over the drifter, changing the subject. He was a couple of centimetres taller thanks to the new prosthetic legs.
"Yes, I will Echo, but you have to face fa - ."
"NO! I won't give up. Ever," he pounded a finger into the Jedi's chest. "She never did. She never gave up on me, not once. Not once ok?"
He was shaking with rage, exhaustion, desperation.
Realisation.
Stoyan didn't reply.
Not this time.
He moved past Echo, patting him platonically on the shoulder and began another session, resolved to make a difference.
.
Rex was pulled out of the tank, naked and healed from the light sabre burn sustained on Scillal.
Coughing and wheezing, he stayed crouched on the med room floor and spat the gelatinous mucous onto the white tiles in front of him. He looked around and nodded at the technician, indicating it was time to lift him to his feet and head to the wash room.
Half way through pulling on the familiar black body suit, he received his new orders.
He grumbled as his armour was delivered to him.
Once there was a time he would race to get back into it. Now, it lay innocently on the bench, waiting for its owner to begin snapping pieces back into place. In it, he felt invincible, until now.
Things had changed.
The war was taking a turn, one that would see them all question the very authority they were bred to defend.
Clipping and attaching the kama, he looked at the new cuisse. White and unmarked, it stood out against the rest of his kit.
Rex clenched his hands.
He had to report to the Hanger Bay immediately.
No time to rest.
No time to see her.
Marching through the barracks, men nodded and stepped aside, and as he rounded a corner, Commander Jet sidled up beside him.
"You look like osik," he said as he took in the captain's appearance.
"Thanks," he mumbled as they continued to walk together, "feel like it as well."
Jet chortled as he looked at an incoming message on his comm. "Kriff! Good luck Rex," he said, preoccupied with his commlink, "hear we're gonna need it." Jet veered to the right leaving Rex standing alone in the corridor.
Just what the fek was that all about?
Annoyed, he continued on into the Hanger area and stopped to look at the group of men assembled, the familiar blue finally bringing a smile to his face.
"All right you lot," he said as he was handed his bucket.
"Thank you Finn," he said slowly, deliberately.
"Good to see you back on your feet Sir." Finn had been with the captain since his commission. He was an excellent quarter master. Professional and discreet when required.
Rex rolled his shoulders as he looked at the men.
His men.
Torrent Company.
He scanned the group, instantly recognising the regulars. He noticed how some of the new recruits had 'marked' their armour, some designs he raised an eyebrow at.
"Atten-shun," Appo stepped forward for the formal handover.
"Sir, Torrent Company reporting in as ordered."
"Thanks Appo," he replied studying the data pad for a second, "they look good. Think they're ready for some Sep action?"
"Yes Sir," he answered crisply. Appo was always overly officious, but Rex had got used to his manner; he was instantly reminded of Dogma.
Dogma.
His stomach churned momentarily.
Umbara.
They had only been back ten days.
Rex handed the tablet back to Appo and cleared his throat before addressing the assembled group.
"Torrent Company," they straightened as they heard his voice, "You ready to get out there and take down some clankers?"
"Sir. Yes sir."
"I'm sure you think you could take on the entire Separatist fleet, and some of you, I've no doubt, could. But shinies, look to your left and right. See those men with more dents in their armour than you have been alive? They, they are the ones you need to listen to. The reason they are standing next to you is because they know they can't do anything on their own. They know they need their squad brothers to watch their back. I suggest you take note and stick close to one." He looked around and saw the young sniper and his vatty next to him, he couldn't help but smile. "We'll be given the green light in 15. Stand tight to await loading orders."
Rex turned and looked at the area around him. The 212th and the 104th also standing in formation with their respective commanders addressing them. The orders hadn't been relayed to Rex, he would find out the minutia of the assignment once on board the Resolute during debriefing. 'Jet was right, something big is going down,' he thought as he made his way over to Cody.
"Koyaci brother," Cody said as he turned to his friend, "I'll expect to hear all about that 'light sabre' injury once all this is over?" Rex shook his head, "you'll be the first I tell the minute I remember what the fek happened."
.
Kix looked over at Jesse.
"We should make amends," he said as they bore witness to the glare from Chopper and Boil standing opposite them while picking up their packs. Jesse nodded and moved forward to the men sporting gamboge.
It's what Kix admired most about Jess.
He would never hold a grudge and he watched as his oldest friend made his way over to Chopper, knowing full well, Jess could talk his way out of just about anything.
"Hey Chop! See you got the bacta facial as well."
"Shut the fek up you slimy - ,"
"Bishwag, yeah I remember. No hard feeling though brother," he said as he held out his hand.
Chopper rubbed his hand under his chin and thought for a second before clasping it. All the credits had been returned to the soldiers that had made the bets in good faith. Chopper held his hand a little longer before drawing him forward hard against his chest armour.
"Next time you pull a stunt like that, it will be your last," he warned.
Jesse smiled slowly and stood firm.
"You're just sore you got beaten by a shinie."
"Always the smart mouth," he mumbled. Chopper could have gone either way, but decided his energies would be best kept for the battlefield.
"I've never seen anything like it," he mused, as he pushed Jesse back a little.
"Good luck Chop," Jesse replied as he looked into the scarred face of his friend.
"Vode An," he replied hitting the blue striped breast plate.
It was a ripple effect.
The initial tapping of armour, followed by the stomping of boots hard and loud on the hanger bay tarmac.
Rex turned and smiled as the Mandalorian chant gathered momentum. The younger recruits watching something they had only ever read about back on Kamino.
Like an Alderaan wave, the men turned and sang, their collective voice gaining strength as they kept time, hitting the brother in front and using their armour as a drum, a perfect war cry.
Then they amalgamated into a kaleidoscope of colours as troopers moved in to join the song of brotherhood.
Gem saw him from the anonymity of the viewing area. She knew he had spent the night in the tank, and that he was being deployed immediately.
She watched as he moved, his voice magnified by a hundred, his voice the only one she heard. In amongst his men there were no ranks; corporals and captains, troopers and commanders, all soldiers, all brothers.
.
Ahsoka knew that he was leaving.
She had been kept on Coruscant as punishment for the 'incident' that rendered the captain in bacta for a day. The young Padawan didn't mind in the slightest. She would use this time to secretly research into the stranger she encountered on Scillal; his face, their eyes she would see every time she closed her own in meditation. No, she wouldn't mind being kept behind if it meant she could get closer to unravelling the mystery of the lone Jedi with the golden blade.
.
"You planning on skipping out without saying goodbye?" Gem froze at the sound of his voice.
"I could say the same of you." She turned to face the man whose child she was carrying and took a step closer before stopping. They were on full view to all who cared to watch in the Hanger Bay. Rex couldn't care less as he moved forward and pulled her into him. "I'm glad you came down," he said honestly, "I didn't have time to see you after I got out of the tank."
"What happened? They said you had a light sabre burn," her dark eyes searching his for an answer.
He breathed out and looked over her shoulder, "if I could remember, I would tell you." It was the truth. The last thing he remembered was walking through the bushes searching for Ahsoka, the next he was lying on the ground in excruciating pain.
Ahsoka saw the two together as she entered the Bay. She had raced down to the infirmary only to find him gone. Standing just behind some munitions crates she couldn't help but watch them, mesmerised by his proximity to the woman in the red velvet cloak.
What she saw next grabbed her in the chest, as sure as if someone had reached inside and pulled her heart still beating from her body. After kissing her passionately Rex pulled back, and with foreheads touching his right hand moved slowly down and briefly cradled her abdomen.
'A child,' she whispered, 'she's having his child.'
That was her cataclysmic moment. She now knew he was lost to her forever.
Without blinking a lone tear ran down her cheek and hung on desperately until she wiped it away.
Ahsoka knew of loss on the battlefield. She was a Jedi and a commander. But no religion, or inner strength could have prepared her for this.
She had lost the one thing she loved most in the universe.
And how it hurt.
.
A/N: Sorry for the delay. Technical difficulties, lack of inspiration, call it what you want but finally I have a chapter to put out, with one to follow quickly this weekend. Thanks Sly, LLTC and the Tarakan clowns, sorry engineers for checking in, offering technical help and prompting me off my shebs.
Ms CT-782