Chapter Six: Visitation

"What you did today really was heroic, Miss Kida," C-3PO exclaimed as he shuffled around Senator Amidala's apartment. I rolled my eyes, keeping my gaze directed out the open walling to view Coruscant's cityscape as the sun set.

"Thanks, 3PO," I sighed, wincing as my wounds pulled with my movements.

"You're still in pain." Padme's voice made me jump-something I wasn't overly accustomed to doing, since I usually was less distracted. Still, since my reflections in the medbay, I wasn't able to get my memories out of my head. Or the clone captain.

I glanced her way, smiling gently at her graceful figure descending the few stairs to her living room. She was clad in a beautiful draping dress that clasped around her neck, the color fading from a rich cream to a deep purple at the bottom.

"Isn't the Coruscanti temperature a bit too cold for that?" I prodded, giving her a teasing glance.

"Oh shush," she responded with a gentle smile, waving her hand at me. "Sure, the Naboo temperatures are warmer, but I've gotten used to it here." She glanced at me as she stood beside where I perched on the edge of one of her luxurious couches. "Have you ever been to Naboo?"

"Sure," I grinned. "But I'm not going to say why."

"Probably because I wouldn't like the answer," she sighed.

I chuckled at her, looking out over the skyline with her. "So what's the occasion?" I finally asked.

"No occasion," she tried. And while I would've maybe believed any other senator known for her fashion sense, I could practically feel her carefully practiced facade. My eyebrow lifted as I went to cast a jest her way, but her door slid open. Despite my tight security systems that only allowed a few to access the doors, my hand settled on my pistol.

"Good evening," I heard the familiar voice speak as he entered the apartment.

"Ah, Master Ani!" I smirked at 3PO's nickname-one I'd heard Padme whisper as well. I turned on the arm of the couch as Skywalker entered the room, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Skywalker," I greeted, unable to keep the mild amusement out of my tone as Padme squirmed under my gaze.

"Kida," he returned. "I'm here to relieve you of duty tonight."

"How kind," I smiled, sliding off the couch and passing the senator. I nodded a final time at the jedi, turning to look back at Padme behind his back. I shook my head at her with amusement mouthing, "No occasion, my ass."

She shook her head, but I could sense her own amusement too. Maybe she finally trusted me to keep her secret.

"Come on 3PO. I need to wire you into the emergency system before you shut down."

C-3PO looked shocked...if a droid could make a facial expression. "I'm sure I'm still needed here-"

"It's alright 3PO," Padme interrupted him, waving her hand. "You can shut down for the night."

"Very well, miss."

I barely forced down a chuckle as I left the room with the droid. He jabbered to me, but I didn't really listen, instead focusing on my job. I wired the droid into the security system I'd installed around the senator's apartment, making it wake C-3PO should any alarms be triggered.

"Alright, you're all set, buddy," I interrupted the yammering droid, tapping him on his face plate. "Go ahead and power down."

He bid me goodnight as I left the room, debating on whether I should go out the main entrance to cast a final remark at the 'secret' couple, but thought better of it. I shook my head at myself, practically hearing Jango scolding me for letting myself get attached, before leaving through a side entrance.

"I can't believe that's the name of your ship," I pouted from my perch on the wide windowsill, a continuous storm raging outside.

"It's just a name," Jango grumbled while cleaning his blaster at the table. I gazed at him for a moment before rolling my eyes and looking back out at the storm. "Cuy ogir'olar."

I pursed my lips. "It is not irrelevant," I muttered to myself.

Despite not looking, I could feel Jango's gaze turn to me. A spark of frustration rippled through the force towards me, but the bounty hunter schooled it down. "I don't sell slaves," he said calmly, still working on his blaster.

"No. Just clones, right?" I spit. He stood up abruptly, his blaster clattering as the table shifted violently. I jumped, my lips immediately closing in fright.

Jango's anger faded as he saw my form curl into itself, a sigh escaping his mouth. "It certainly didn't take you long to get an attitude," he sighed, but betrayed himself with a small smile.

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. "I've always had one."

"You must have been a shit slave then."

"Why don't you go ask your employers? I'm sure they'd be happy to tell you how they liked me." I'd meant to spit the words, but my voice broke a little at the end.

Jango watched me for a moment before sighing again, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He licked his lips before nodding, gesturing to me. "Come on."

My eyebrow lifted. "Kicking me out?"

"Why? Do you want to leave?"

I was silent for a moment, hearing the slight sting in his words. I wasn't sure why it seemed to wound him. Maybe I was just reading into it too much. Finally, I shook my head. "I don't know."

"Well until you decide, let's go."

I stood obediently, but cast my eyes to the doorway to Boba's bedroom. "What about-"

"He'll be fine. He's safe here. Come on." Jango turned to me in the doorway, clad only in his casuals. "I have something to show you."

I breathed slowly before following him from the apartment. He led me down the dizzying corridors, only some of which I had become familiarized with. The Kaminoans weren't very fond of my presence, so Jango often kept me near or in his apartment. I'd only seen his clones once since my initial viewing on my arrival. And that was when I'd followed a sprinting Boba through the halls to greet Jango as he returned from a job.

Jango led me down through back hallways until we reached an area I hadn't seen- a massive hangar filled with prototype and model fighters. I heard yelling coming from somewhere within it, my muscles tensing. Jango must have sensed my nerves.

"Relax. It's a game."

I didn't respond, but my curiosity was peaked. I followed the bounty hunter until we ducked under the belly of a Y-Wing, revealing a mass of bodies. Jango stayed silent, looming on the outskirts to watch the game I didn't understand. I peered through the crowd, trying to see through the legs of the physically adept clones.

Jango chuckled above me, making me look up with a lifted eyebrow. His hazel eyes met mine, surprisingly light and glittering with amusement. He shook his head before turning and climbing up the Y-Wing to sit on top. I watched him go, still not sure why he was laughing. His hand appeared over the side, gesturing for me to take it.

I hesitated a moment before placing my hand in his, feeling the calluses from fighting as he pulled me up beside him. He chuckled again, earning a curious look from me.

"You're a lot like Boba," he admitted through an amused huff of laughter. I was confused, but flattered. He loved his son more than anything. If I reminded Jango of the sweet little six year old...maybe he could care for me too.

I shook off the sentiment, turning my gaze back to the game the clones were playing. My eyes widened as I watched them throw a ball, tackling each other ruthlessly as the others jeered at them. "It doesn't look very fun," I admitted after watching multiple plays and even more men hit the ground hard.

Jango laughed openly now, some of the clones noticing him, but merely giving respectful nods. Maybe he dropped by more often than I thought. "You'd be surprised," he chuckled. "It's called get'shuk. Those goals," he pointed to a set of poles on either side of the playfield. "Are how they score points. They have to get the ball down to them."

"How could they?" I asked incredulously. "They're practically killing each other."

He laughed again. "These boys can handle a lot. They're Mandalorian after all."

I hummed, watching the game play. It didn't take long for me to enjoy it, laughing as Jango cheered with his clones. Maybe he was selling them...maybe they were like slaves. But he treated them like humans. Like men. And while that didn't excuse it...maybe it helped a little?

I couldn't tell. Couldn't wrap my mind around it. So I pushed it away.

In all the merriment, I could feel eyes on me, my gaze casting over the sea of young Jangos. Finally, my sight fell on some younger clones, looking to be in their very early teens. There were a couple of them grouped together, laughing and teasing as they watched the game play out. As I watched, wishing I could join in a longing to have people my own age, one looked up. His eyes were a striking golden color, his hair cropped short and blond. His face was hard despite his age, but a childish curiosity still remained.

It was only a moment, because he quickly looked away and returned to his friends. But it stuck with me...his eyes burning in my memory.

I sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep...and memories...from my eyes, hoping to force them back to the deep corners of my mind. It had been a while since I dreamt about Jango, though it had been happening more often since I'd taken the job for the senator. I'd never been around clones and jedi as much as I had in my time employed by Padme since Jango died. The war couldn't find us in the lower levels...not really.

"Trouble sleeping, miss?" Apex spoke over my apartment speakers.

"I'm fine," I responded, swinging my legs to the side of my bed to touch the cold metal floor. I sighed to myself, rubbing my hand over my short hair before rising. Moving to the kitchen, I pulled out some water and drank it down while I let my mind travel. The eyes from my memory were still floating in my vision, bright and intense. My mind reeled. Could it be possible? The age seemed about right. But wouldn't he have made that connection?

I shook my head, pushing my forehead into my palm before making a decision. "Apex," I called, the small beep in return letting me know he was listening. "Is Rex still in the infirmary?"

"Yes, miss. But the captain was moved from the senate building to the clone barracks infirmary."

I winced at my own slip up of leaving out Rex's title-something Apex hadn't let slide. "Thanks," I called, going back to my room to get dressed. I donned simply clothing-more along the lines of something I'd wear to favor discretion while wandering the underworld of Coruscant, rather than tactical gear.

"Need I remind you," Apex sounded as I donned a long hooded jacket that brushed at my calves. "That it's the middle of the night and you don't have clearance for the barracks?"

I grinned, strapping my pistol and knife to my belt. "I'll improvise."

"Do be careful," he called as I left the apartment, knowing full well he could keep communicating with me through my wrist comm. Still, he kept silent as I found my way to my garage, choosing my sleek black fighter.

Despite being the middle of the night, Coruscant was bustling, the traffic as busy as ever. I navigated my speeder easily, rising from where my apartment was situated a few levels down to the surface. The surface was always easier to navigate than the lower levels. It was one of the reasons I enjoyed working for the Senator of Naboo.

The clone barracks came into view quickly, my speeder dipping at my command to approach the landing pad. As I hovered above the platform, I watched clones donned in red approach, guns raised. I landed, letting my cockpit open as my engines cooled.

"Hold!" A clone called, his voice modulated through his helmet. "You don't have access to this sector."

"Easy," I said back, raising my hands as I stood atop my speeder. "I'm a friend." I drew back my good, giving them all a smirk.

"Stand down," another voice called, my eyes lifting to see the approaching figure of Commander Fox. "I know this one."

"Nice to see you again," I said with a smirk, hands on my hips.

He grunted in response as his soldiers lowered their weapons. "Why are you here, bounty hunter?"

I scowled at how he sneered, but chose not to spit back at him. "I'm here to visit Captain Rex of the 501st. He was injured today. Yesterday? What time is it?"

"You're not cleared for visitation," Fox growled, his hand still on his pistol.

"Listen, I know you don't like me. I'm not a particular fan of you either. But we're not enemies."

"You break the law."

"Only the little ones."

We stared at each other for a few moments, his fingers tapping against his pistol. I knew he wouldn't let me in. I debated fighting them, but was it really worth possibly losing my job with the senator?

"Fine," he said, surprising me. "My men will escort you to the med bay where you can see him. And then you leave."

"Aye aye," I responded, smirking as I hopped off my speeder and followed the group across the landing platform and into the barracks.

Fox stopped me with a hand to my shoulder. "Weapons," he demanded, his hand held out expectantly, the other still on his pistol.

I rolled my eyes, but offered up my belt nonetheless. "Those are custom, so don't damage them, alright?"

He didn't respond, but I could feel the amusement of a few of his men. Okay...so maybe the Coruscant guard was some of the toughest clones, but they were still human. With a gesture of the commander's hand, two of his men led me through the barracks towards the med bay.

I could hear the echoing voices of clones as we walked through the halls, some of the doors open to grant me a glance into their life in war. The mess hall was packed, despite the late hour, clones surrounding tables that sported various games of strength and strategy. Other rooms opened into the long barracks that granted beds for the various companies that were planetside on leave. Another was open to the showers, my eyes darting away quickly as I spotted naked butts and half dressed men. I wasn't shy about nudity...but that was a lot of nudity.

I could feel the gazes turning my way-a woman-from each of the rooms. I heard some whispers. Some about how I'd worked with Rex and Skywalker. Some about Senator Amidala. But mostly about Jango.

I kept my eyes forward for the remainder of the walk.

The medbay doors slid open with a hiss, the two guards in red turning to stay at the door. I left them behind, my eyes casting over the few occupied beds. They all seemed to be sleeping, which made sense, considering the time of night. Still, I spotted the blond head of the captain, making my way to his cot, partially enclosed by the curtain.

I was silent in my approach, watching his still form rest. His monitors read off well, his arm pulled up in a sling and a bacta wrap encasing his wound. His face was peaceful, and for once, I didn't see Jango. Instead I saw a square jaw with sharp cheekbones. Full lips and dark brows.

I shook myself, choosing to move closer and look at the clone. He looked alright. I wasn't surprised. Jango hadn't been lying all those years ago. They were strong. They were Mandalorian, after all.

I'd dragged a chair into Rex's area, leaning heavily into it to sit by the captain's side. I wasn't sure why I felt like I should be there. Maybe I should have waited until morning to come talk to him. To see if he was okay. But something pushed me from my apartment...had chased me from my memories to his side.

Besides, if nothing else, I took some joy in making Fox wait for me to leave.

While I was unable to sleep, I let myself go into a daze, my mind wandering. It wasn't until I felt a ripple of awareness in the force that I made myself aware again. My eyes lifted as Rex didn't move, feigning sleep as he sensed someone near him. His fingers lifted slowly, my own lips drawing into a small smile.

"There's no pistol for you to grab, Captain," I said finally, my voice low. He froze, his eyes opening slowly as he tried to adjust to the fluorescent lighting of the medbay.

"Kida," he said finally, shifting uncomfortably to sit up more. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting. You were hurt." Wow...what a pathetic attempt at playing nonchalant.

He lifted a dark eyebrow at me before glancing around at the other sleeping patrons. "It's the middle of the night." I swallowed, but found myself unable to return with a sassy quip. That was new. The captain examined me for a minute before speaking. "Why are you really here? You're certainly not here to see an injured clone."

"Why wouldn't I be?" I responded, watching him before glancing at all the other clones in medbay. I sighed. "I'm not sure why I'm here."

"Couldn't sleep?"

I didn't have to answer for him to know he was right. It was silent between us for a moment before I mustered the courage to speak again. "I think I've seen you before," I admitted.

"I-I'm not sure what you mean. I've been planetside multiple times since the start of the war-"

"No," I interrupted him. "I mean before the war. When you were just a boy."

Rex huffed laughter. "That wasn't really that long ago, miss."

"No...it wasn't," I responded sadly before shaking my head. "And don't call me miss. It's Kida."

He nodded, his mind clearly searching his own memories. "When do you think you saw me?"

"Almost five years ago. On Kamino." I saw his confusion, so I elaborated. "It was shortly after Jango saved me. I lived with him and Boba for a while before he set me up on my own."

Rex cleared his throat. "We didn't really see Boba often. Or Jango for that matter." He paused as I nodded, looking away. "When do you think you saw me?"

I smiled slightly at the memory. "I'd only been with Jango for about a month," I explained, standing slowly from my seat to pretend to look over Rex's monitors. "I'd started a bit of a disagreement with him."

"I'm sure it wasn't one you won."

I chuckled. "No, not really."

"What was it about?"

He sensed my hesitation, but didn't push, waiting patiently. "I…" I sighed. "I thought it was wrong of him to do the cloning project."

Rex shrugged, wincing at the movement. "In the end, it killed him."

"No, playing both sides killed him," I disagreed, crossing my arms. "I thought it was morally wrong." I could feel the sting he felt at my words. "Not that the clones themselves were wrong," I continued, intentionally not saying 'you.' "But that he was selling them without a second thought."

"We were made to serve the Republic." His voice was stern. Practiced. Filled with honor.

"Exactly," I whispered, looking down at the bed, brushing the starched sheets with my fingers. "And I was made to serve, too," I admitted, pulling up my sleeve to show my brand. He'd seen it before, when I first accepted my job with the senator, but I had a feeling he'd not stared out of respect. Now, however, he looked at it, his face sorrowful. "I found fault in Jango that night," I continued, sighing as I brushed my brand. "He'd granted me the choice to determine who or what I serve...something I'd never had before the moment he turned up at the Death Watch camp." His eyebrows shot up at the name Death Watch, but didn't interrupt me despite the curiosity that rippled off of him. "Yet, he was selling clones like product."

Rex was quiet. "Is that how he felt?"

"No," I answered immediately. "When I called him out, I expected him to be angry, but he was just sad. He was gentle. He took me to see the clones playing a game of get'shuk. We watched for hours. He let me see him interact with your brothers."

I could feel Rex's mind turning in thought, a spark of recognition spiking in the force, making my eyebrows lift curiously. "He was sitting on top of a Y-Wing model. It was gray and yellow. The cockpit window was cracked...so it was in the hangar to be fixed." My eyes widened as he thought, not looking. Finally, he turned, meeting my gaze directly. "A little girl was sitting next to him."

I smiled, feeling a genuine warmth spread through my chest. That was weird. I sat on the edge of the bed below where his hand rested. "I knew I'd seen you. You looked right at me."

Rex didn't smile back, his golden eyes sad as he regarded me. "You've grown."

I couldn't hold back my laugh. "I mean, you're one to talk."

"No," he said, smiling only slightly before it faded. "If you hadn't said something, I don't know if I ever would have connected the dots. You look nothing like that little girl I saw that day."

"I'm not that much older. Puberty changed a lot though," I tried to joke, shrugging, but the captain stayed sober.

"Your hair was long, but didn't look healthy like it does now. You were skin and bone. Not toned and healthy like you look today."

"It's called being fed and cared for. And learning how to defend yourself."

Rex was silent for a moment while he thought. "We made eye contact that day. That's what's changed the most, I think. Your eyes."

I lifted my eyebrow with curiosity, waiting patiently for him to continue.

He shrugged, shifting uncomfortably in his cot. "Well for one, they're not as sunken or...sad. Now they're brighter, but more determined. Sometimes even cold."

"Wow. You really know how to woo a girl," I teased, rolling my eyes.

"There's one thing I don't understand," Rex said, cutting me off.

"Which is?"

"Your eyes look a little like they did all those years ago, but only sometimes. It's only when you look at me or my brothers and only for a moment before you hide it again." He looked deeply into my eyes. "You look sad. Why is that?"

I went to shoot back a snarky response, but I fell flat, my mouth floundering stupidly.

"Is it because we look like him? We all share his face, after all."

I blinked, unsure how to approach his sad tone. "Maybe," I admitted. "Sometimes. But other times is knowing your lives. How you grew up and how fast it was. How any of you could die easily."

"That's the life of a soldier."

I hummed, aware of his sobering voice. "Not unlike the life of a bounty hunter, I suppose. Jango never thought he wouldn't come home after that day."

"I remember that day well. It was our first day actually fighting a battle for a reason. No more simulations or games. Men...my brothers...actually died that day."

My eyes scanned up his body, grazing over the planes of his face that crinkled at his memories. "Were you in the arena?" He shook his head as I sighed, looking around at the med bay. "I was. I got to see your brothers working together for the first time. They were fantastic. Perfectly in synch."

I turned to look back at the clone captain, finding his golden eyes staring into my soul. "We mourned Jango too, you know."

A small smile graced my lips, despite knowing that they couldn't have felt the pain I felt. Or how Boba felt. I was about to respond, when the hiss of the door sounded, followed by a call.

"I heard rumor we had a visitor!" Despite the clones sharing faces, I could recognize this one's voice by the chip in his tone.

I turned, following Rex's gaze to the open doorway. My escorts still stood watch, but between them stood a clone in his blacks, his face tattooed with the sigil of the Grand Republic. "Jesse," I smiled. "I didn't come visit for you."

"Right," he quipped, strutting closer. "You came to visit our brave captain." He was teasing, casting a wink at Rex before setting his glittering gaze back on me. "But I'm sure some part of you wanted to come and see me."

I couldn't help but laugh. "For sure. Who could hold up against that charm?" Surprisingly, Rex joined me in my laughter.

"So?" Jesse pressed with wiggling eyebrows. "Some of the boys and I are drinking...caf...in our barracks. Care to join in?"

My lips pursed. "I'm flattered but I don't think-"

"I think that could be fun," Rex said, surprising us both. "You could finally meet the company."

"And I'm sure the 501st would love to meet the girl who saved our dear captain," Jesse added.

"And knew Jango personally. Especially with those Jaig eyes." I eyed Rex as he spoke, finally sighing.

"Fine."

"Wonderful," Jesse said with a clap of his hands. Rex moved to sit up, but a doctor droid came streaking out of wherever it was hiding to reprimand him. I couldn't help but chuckle as he argued with it, finally consenting to some tests before given medical release.

"Just go on," the captain sighed lowly, trying to appear composed in his frustration. "I'll catch up."

I smiled, going to give a gentle tease when Jesse's arm wrapped around my waist and quickly guided me from the room. "No problem, Captain." We exited the room, the door wooshing shut behind us, only to be met with my red-clad escorts. "I've got her boys."

"Fox clearly said-" one started, but was cut off by my rash companion.

"I know, I know," he said with a wave of his hand. I quirked my eyebrow, since he knew nothing-a fact both I and the clones before us were aware of. "But Captain Rex wanted me to show her the 501st. Listen," he lifted his hands as if he was admitted defeat. "I'll take full responsibility of her, alright? Anything goes wrong because of her? It's on me."

The two clones glanced at each other, before casting me a glance. I gave them a cheesy grin in return. "Fine," one of them said, pretending to care as they walked away. Jesse wrapped his arm around me again, practically dragging me through the halls of peering clones.

"You should stop holding my waist," I advised as we walked, wary of the many eyes and what our positions could imply.

"I'm just guiding-"

"I'll break your arm as easily as I broke your nose."

His hand moved away immediately, the clone choosing to gesture with both his hands as we approached a closed barrack door. I smirked at his immediate reaction. Wise man.

"Why's this door closed?" I asked, naturally a suspicious person. "All the others were open."

"Sure," he laughed, pressing the panel to open the door. "But I lied when I said we were drinking caf." The door stopped moving with a final hiss, a mass of gazes lifting to see me beside their brother. Those that wore armor sported the same blue that I had come to recognize on Rex's armor. In their hands were cups, half empty bottle of amber liquid cluttering the counters.

After a long moment of staring at each other, one clone stood, his perfectly sculpted hair and the red cross on his shoulder letting me identify him. He grinned widely, his eyes bright and a little distant from the booze. "Hey Kida!"

TRANSLATIONS:

Cuy ogir'olar - It's irrelevant/ it doesn't matter

Get'shuk - a game similar to rugby