Oh man, we've made it to chapter 20!
Today's is longer, once again we have two segments that don't really merit their own chapters. Spending time with both Rex and Ahsoka today!
OneLittleSpark18: Lololol I think wow is a good descriptor
venus fly trap: Hey! Thank you so much! And I try to not make things too obvious lol. Most of the time.
Paladin Stormwind: Good old fashioned literary whiplash. To answer your question, yes! I'll think you'll figure out when in this chapter ;)
Here we go!
Mando'a translations at the end!
"So, what exactly were you two doing down there?"
Kal Skirata, while a short man, seemed to loom over Fives and Ahsoka. He'd shown up at their apartment late that morning. He'd brought an entire uj cake and had insisted they both eat a piece before fixing them with a shrewd eye. Ahsoka resisted the urge to cringe under his gaze. Fives just sat sullenly on the far end of the couch.
"You're the one who had us followed." Ahsoka said. "You tell us."
Kal sighed.
"Fine." He said. "Care to tell me why you two have been participating in an undercity fighting ring every night?"
"Stress relief." Ahsoka said.
She would have sworn Kal's lip twitched at that.
"You're an ex-Jedi. You know how to meditate." He said. "Listen, I understand your need to beat the shebs off of people, but you have to think about the risks!"
"What happened last night was a freak accident." Ahsoka protested. "I've fought there hundreds of times and I've never seen anyone stabbed."
"Not the point." Kal grunted.
He pulled out a data pad and showed it to them.
"Have you seen this?" He asked.
Ahsoka's jaw dropped and Fives stiffened. It was a tabloid article entitled Clone Representative KO'd in Ring Fight? There was a blurry photo of the lower half of Fives' face as Ahsoka tended to his wound. The article outlined the events of the night before. Kal raised his eyebrow at them.
Fives stood and made to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" Kal asked.
"I get it, I shabbed up." Fives said through gritted teeth. "I don't need reminders every kriffing day."
"Calm down, son." Kal said.
"Don't call me son." Fives said. "I'm not one of your blessed Nulls or Commandos."
Kal stared at Fives, who glared back.
"Fine, di'kut." Kal said flatly. "If that's what you prefer. You screwed up, sure. We all do. What you need to do is figure out how we're gonna fix this."
"I'll tell you how to fix this." Fives said. "You stop using me as the face for this kriffing movement."
"We don't have a choice." Kal said evenly.
"Absolute bantha osik." Fives said. "You have your Nulls."
Ahsoka was taken aback by the jealousy in Fives' voice. And underneath, self loathing.
"I told you why we can't use them." Kal said.
"Yeah, because they had you." Fives said. "I don't see why I have to solve the problem that was created before I was even born."
A comm chirped in the other room. Fives immediately turned on his heel and went back into his room. Ahsoka glanced at Kal, who had a vein twitching in his temple.
"It's like speaking to Jango again." He muttered. "That boy is just as stubborn as his buir."
"I'll see if I-" Ahsoka trailed off. If it weren't for last night, she would have gone after Fives. She probably could have convinced him to come back and listen to reason. But now there was a breach that she wasn't sure she'd be able to cross.
Kal sighed and shook his head.
"I'll be in touch." He said. "See if you can calm him down."
"I don't know if I can do that." Ahsoka said quietly.
Kal narrowed his eyes.
"We can't do this if you two are having a spat." He said. "Whatever you're going through, you need to get over it."
"Easy for you to say." Ahsoka said.
"Yeah, it was." Kal said. "Did you expect this to be easy?"
Ahsoka blinked. He had a point.
"Let me know when he cools off." He said. "Keep the cake."
He stumped out of the apartment. Ahsoka sighed and went to Fives' door. Kal was right. It wouldn't be easy, but she had to make things right with Fives. She would make him listen. She was about to knock when she heard Fives' excited voice.
"Echo, I'm telling you. It's safe."
Ahsoka couldn't make out Echo's reply but Fives continued in a strained tone.
"Please Echo. Don't bring Omega if you don't think it's a good idea. I just- I can't do this by myself."
Another pause for Echo's response.
"It's not the same." Fives said in a pleading tone. "And we- things are different between us now. I need you."
Echo paused before responding.
"Thank you." Fives said. His voice was dripping with relief. "I'll see you soon."
Ahsoka drew back to the kitchen in case Fives left his room. She didn't want him to find her skulking around. Her mind was racing. Echo. The Bad Batch. They had one more option they had forgotten about.
The first Batcher out of the ship was Omega. She bounced down the ramp and grinned at Fives.
"Hi Fives!" She said.
A smile twitched at Fives' lips, the first in a few days.
"Hey, kid." He said. "Did you come by yourself or-"
"She's just eager." Tech said as he and Wrecker exited the ship.
"And apparently deaf." Hunter said, close behind. "Omega, I told you to wait."
"Fives is out here." Omega said dismissively. "I'm fine."
Fives looked past Hunter, who was scowling, straining to see his brother. Echo finally emerged, holding a small pack.
"She also forgot her stuff." Echo said.
"Oops." Omega said. She rushed back up the ramp to take the pack from Echo. "Thanks, Echo."
Echo caught sight of Fives, grinned and made his way down the ramp. Fives grabbed Echo in a tight embrace, ignoring the metal bits jabbing into him.
"Hey, it hasn't been that long." Echo said.
Fives tried to bring himself to let go and found he couldn't. Echo patted his back.
Fives released his brother and managed a nod to the rest of the Batchers.
"Let's get out of the open." Hunter muttered.
His eyes darted back and forth nervously.
The group made their way down the landing platform. Echo stuck closely to Fives' side. He'd always been attuned to when Fives was upset.
"I thought you weren't coming, Meg'ika." Fives said.
"Hunter thought it would be safer if we stuck together." Tech said. "I must say I agree."
"Woah!" Omega said, peering over the edge of the sidewalk. "Look at that big speeder!"
Crosshair's arm shot out and dragged Omega away from the edge of the sidewalk.
"Watch where you're going." He said before shoving her towards Wrecker.
Wrecker scooped Omega up and swung her onto his shoulders. She laughed in delight and clung to Wrecker's head. It always impressed Fives the chaotic rhythm with which the Bad Batch took care of their young charge.
Hunter was muttering something to Tech as Tech scrolled through his datapad.
"I told Echo, I haven't seen any wanted posters for you or Omega." Fives told Hunter.
Hunter frowned and Tech scoffed.
"You haven't been looking in the correct places." Tech said. "The Kaminoans have been after us for nearly a year now. They know no normal citizen would be able to retrieve us."
"But we're on every bounty list in the Galaxy, and on a few outside it too." Echo said.
"You should be fine here." Fives said. "As long as we stay out of the undercity."
"We'll see." Hunter said.
"Where's Commander Tano?" Echo asked as they crowded into Fives' speeder. "I'd have thought she would want to meet us."
Fives stomach churned.
"She's with Chancellor Amidala." He said. "It is her job."
Echo looked at him.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
Fives sighed. Echo always knew.
"I'll tell you later." He said, fully intending to never tell Echo anything about that night.
Of course, Echo would probably weasel the story out of Fives anyway. His brother was good at stuff like that.
It made Fives feel even worse about their plan. They had explained it to Echo and he had agreed. Fives still felt terrible about shoving some of his job onto Echo, even if it made him almost faint with relief.
"Have you talked to Hunter about it?" Fives asked.
"He doesn't like it, but he said yes." Echo said. "You still haven't told me the details."
"It's simple. You tell your story and get sympathy from the Senators." Fives said.
He almost winced at the idea. He hated the thought of using what happened to Echo in a political way.
"And consequently moving the public eye from your political blunders." Tech interjected.
Fives grit his teeth.
"Yeah. That."
He hadn't wanted to discuss that part.
"I don't think I blame you." Crosshair said, then added with an air of disdain, "Politicians."
Fives whipped his head around to glare at Crosshair, but found no disdain in the sharp shooter's eyes. In fact there was a twisted sort of sympathy there.
"We've had to work with some politicians for a few previous missions." Hunter said.
"Not our favorite." Tech added.
"They kept tryin' to interfere." Wrecker said.
"Sounds like the politicians I know." Fives muttered.
"Chancellor Amidala can't be that bad." Echo said.
"She has good motives. That's all that's different." Fives said.
Echo exchanged looks with his squad mates.
"Speaking of which, Chancellor Amidala wants to meet you all at her office-" Fives started, trying to change the subject.
Hunter was already shaking his head.
"No dice." He said. "The Kaminoan senator's lurking there. We can't risk being seen by her. Every bounty hunter on the planet would have our scent."
Fives was annoyed, though Hunter's logic was sound.
"Fine." He said. "I'm sure she'd be willing to meet us in my apartment."
"Good." Hunter said. "I want to stay under the radar as much as possible. Once Echo does his piece, we're out of here."
Fives' heart sank. That meant he had at most a few weeks with his closest brother. He'd have to make the most of them.
Ahsoka was waiting for them back at the apartment. She greeted the Batch warmly and glanced at Fives with hopeful eyes. He looked past her. He wasn't ready for things to go back to normal.
"I'll call her." Ahsoka said at Hunter's request. "I'm sure we can work something out."
She stepped into the kitchen to make the call.
"Where have you been hiding out?" Fives asked Echo as they waited.
Echo hesitated.
"Cut's!" Omega said from her perch on top of the couch. "We've been farming!"
"Omega!" Hunter scolded.
"Oops." Omega said, wilting.
"There is little harm in Fives' knowing." Tech said. "As it is unlikely anyone will interrogate or torture him for the information."
"I wouldn't put it past the longnecks." Crosshair said. "Seeing as we're property."
"Fives isn't, not anymore." Echo said, clapping Fives on the back. "First free clone!"
"I can see Hunter and Wrecker farming, but what about the rest of you?" Fives said, quickly changing the subject.
"Oh, we find things to do." Echo said. "Tech and I are good with farm implements."
"Crosshair is surprisingly handy with a hoe." Tech said.
There was a pause where Tech stared at them evenly, then Fives burst out laughing. Echo joined him and Crosshair and Hunter rolled their eyes. Wrecker and Omega shared confused looks. Fives' laugh sounded a tad hysterical, even to his own ears.
"I clearly missed something." Ahsoka said as she came back into the room. "If you're done laughing up a lung, I have news."
Fives managed to reign in his laughter, though it took another moment.
"Thank you." Ahsoka said. "Padme and Kal are on their way."
"Kal Skirata?" Hunter asked. "I should have guessed he was involved. He's a meddler."
"The Kaminoans purposefully hid our existence from him for fear he would interfere with our training." Tech put in.
"I'm glad for his meddling." Ahsoka said. "He's been a huge help."
Hunter grunted.
It took another half an hour for Chancellor Amidala and Skirata to show up. As usual, the older Mandalorian tossed a packet of sweets onto the end table as he came in. Fives scowled. Did the man think he could win Fives over with treats?
Fives didn't hesitate from picking up a few candies and popping them into his mouth.
At the sight of Chancellor Amidala, the Bad Batch, except Echo and Omega, stood up. Fives stared at them. If anything, they all looked- flustered. Wrecker's face was sith blade red, Tech was fiddling with his gloves, Crosshair was looking at a spot above the Chancellor's head, and Hunter was standing at exact attention.
"It is an honor to finally meet you, Chancellor Amidala." Hunter said in a stiff tone.
"I've heard a lot about you." Chancellor Amidala said with a smile. "It's a pleasure."
Fives would have sworn Hunter blushed before he sat down gingerly. The rest of the Batch followed suit.
"You gonna introduce us?" Kal asked, inserting a bit of that weird root into his mouth.
"This is Clone Force 99." Fives said stiffly. "That's Hunter, the squad leader."
Hunter nodded to Chancellor Amidala and Skirata. He took over the introductions.
Both Chancellor Amidala and Skirata's eyes bugged out of their heads as Hunter pointed Omega out. She was hiding a bit behind Wrecker. They were both eying the candy Skirata had brought.
"Is she-" Chancellor Amidala started.
"Part of the squad? Yes." Hunter answered firmly.
"That's not what I meant." Chancellor Amidala said. "She's a girl."
"If you are wondering whether Omega is a female clone of Jango Fett, she is." Tech said. "Yes, it is unusual. No, it is not impossible, as every single clone trooper who has met her seems to think."
"She looks just like Arla." Skirata muttered. "Kriff, how did we never find out about this?"
"That's not a nice word." Omega piped up.
"That's right." Echo muttered with a smirk on his face.
"Hunter, does he owe you five credits now?" Omega asked.
"No, Omega." Hunter said, clearly hiding a grin. "That's only for our squad."
"Sorry." Skirata said in a far kinder tone. "I'll watch my mouth."
"It's okay. Everyone forgets. 'Specially Crosshair." Omega said.
"Omega and her late sisters were a- personal project by Nala Se." Tech said. "The only information in the Kaminoan database is under several layers of encryption and are labelled as a janitorial protocol."
"Clever." Skirata said thoughtfully. "I suppose we were too busy looking for Ko Sai's stuff."
Skirata seemed to notice Omega's hungry eyes at that point.
"You can come and grab some." He told her.
Omega looked at Hunter, who nodded. She jumped off the couch and bounded to the end table.
"Thank you." She said politely.
"Take as many as you want." He told her. "Haili cetare."
Omega furrowed her brow and glanced at Echo.
"It means 'fill your boots.'" He said.
"But what does that have to do with candy?" Omega asked. "Is it a Mandalorian tradition to put food in your boots? Oh no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be rude!"
She started tugging at one of her boots. Skirata started laughing and Echo reached over to stop her.
"No, vod." Echo said with a smile. "It just means to fill your stomach. It's a saying."
"Oooh." Omega said. She looked back up to Skirata. "So you're a Mandalorian?"
"Yup." Skirata said. He had that same odd look in his eyes that he had whenever he was around General Skywalker's twins. It was like the jagged piece of transparasteel that was Skirata was ground down into soft sand whenever he was around them.
"Echo is teaching me Mando'a." Omega told him.
"That so?" Skirata's eyes found Echo and Fives wanted to punch the scheming look off the man's face. "You're the one Fives was telling us about."
"No, Hunter here was the one caught in an explosion and held prisoner by the Separatists for years." Crosshair said. "Didn't the robotic limbs tip you off?"
Skirata just chewed his ruik root thoughtfully. Chancellor Amidala took the chance to speak up.
"We appreciate your willingness to come and address the Senate, Echo." She said.
"If it can get everyone off of Kamino, I'm glad to." Echo replied seriously. "There is a problem. All six of us are still technically Kaminoan property. They won't be happy to see us there."
"Technically, you belong to the Techno Union, Echo." Tech said. "They purchased you after being captured, and since we all are technically weapons instead of people, it was completely legal."
Fives' heart clenched painfully. He hated the idea that Echo was still owned by the shabuir'e that had done the horrific modifications to his body.
"Thanks, Tech." Echo said flatly.
"I'm sure Echo feels much better knowing he's owned by a completely different group of war profiteers." Crosshair said.
"That might actually work in our favor." Chancellor Amidala said. "The Kaminoans have shut down all talk of purchasing any more clones after we freed Fives. The new leaders of the Techno Union have been extremely willing to work with us ever since Wat Tambor was deposed."
Omega looked up at all of them with concerned brown eyes. She backed up to the couch and hopped up to sit again between Hunter and Wrecker. She held a handful of candy to Wrecker, who just took one. She leaned towards Hunter.
"Hunter, this sounds a lot like what you were telling me about slavery." She whispered.
"You haven't told her that all her brothers were part of a slave army?" Fives asked.
All five of the adult Bad Batch members glared at Fives.
"We tend not to expound on the ethical and military horrors of the war." Tech said.
"Echo, you said the Republic banned slavery!" Omega said.
"It did." Chancellor Amidala said. "We've been working on stamping it out throughout the galaxy. But we can't be everywhere and Palpatine left a lot of it unchecked."
"We know." Hunter said, folding his arms. "We had a run in with some slavers a while back. Which is why we had to explain to Omega what it was."
"Still haven't given a good reason why the Republic was using a slave army." Skirata said.
Chancellor Amidala gave him a pained look.
"We've been over this, Kal. Palpatine had been manipulating the Republic for a long time."
Skirata snorted.
"Pad'ika, I know you're one of four pure hearted politicians in the history of the universe, but even you have to admit that there needed to be a he-" Skirata paused and glanced at Omega. "Heck of a lot of corruption in the Republic for old Palps to get where he was."
"Corruption I am doing my best to root out, Kal, but currently I am trying to free the slave army that that corruption allowed!" Padme said sharply.
"Udesii, Pad'ika." Kal soothed. "I know you're doing your best."
"I mean, the Republic didn't exactly know about us until they were on the brink of war." Echo said mildly. "They didn't really have a choice."
"Are you seriously defending them, Echo?" Fives snapped.
Fives could see by the confusion and hurt that flashed in Echo's eyes that his words had come out harsher than he intended.
"I'm just saying that there were a lot of extenuating circumstances." Echo said after a moment. "And Chancellor Amidala is doing her best to fix things."
"We need to talk about the matter at hand." Skirata said. "Echo, what did Fives tell you?"
"I'm going to tell my story in front of the Senate." Echo said. "Drum up some sympathy."
"Exactly." Skirata said.
He hesitated and then shook his head.
"It may not be enough." He muttered.
"What do you mean?" Fives asked.
"Clone support is at an all time low." Chancellor Amidala said quietly. "It's not just what happened with you, Fives. The resistance on Kamino is convincing people that the clones are just war machines."
"What about Mereel?" Ahsoka piped up. "Can't he do anything about the uprising?"
Skirata's jaw clenched.
"We've lost contact with Mereel."
Fives stared at Skirata.
"How-" Ahsoka started.
"Kamino has gone dark." Skirata said.
"Can't have." Hunter said. "Tech's been keeping an eye on Kamino. Troops are still being shipped in and out. Somebody's got to be able to communicate with them to make orders."
"They've got a system going; my boys are trying to crack it." Skirata said. "That's part of what worries me. Mereel would have had any code they've been using in pieces by now."
The implication hung in the air: Mereel had been caught.
"Then what do we do?" Ahsoka asked.
Skirata looked at Omega.
"What's more tragic than a brutalized vet?" He asked. "A child."
The room was silent.
"No." Hunter said. "Absolutely not."
Omega looked between Skirata and Hunter, brows furrowed.
"What's the problem?" Skirata asked. "What I'm asking is no different from what I asked Echo."
"I didn't want Echo to do this." Hunter said. "But I wasn't going to stop him; he's a grown man. But Omega is a child."
"For someone who claims to think we're human, you sure use us as tools a lot." Fives put in.
Skirata closed his eyes and chewed more furiously at the ruik root.
"Son," He started.
"Don't call me son." Fives said through gritted teeth.
"Do people ask the tools they use for permission?" Skirata said and turned to Omega. "Omega, will you do it?"
"No, Omega." Hunter said.
"I think she's old enough to make an informed decision." Skirata said.
"What exactly do you need me to do?" Omega asked.
"Tell your story, ad'ika." Skirata said. "Tell them what it's like to be a clone. They'll listen because you're so young."
Omega looked thoughtful.
"If she does that, she'll reveal herself to the Kaminoans." Hunter said. "They would do anything to get her back."
"You were fine with Echo revealing himself." Skirata said.
"The Kaminoans don't want us. The only thing Echo being there tells them is that Omega is nearby." Hunter said. "They know they can't control us, but they want Omega."
"But if we could pull it off, Hunter," Echo said. "We could help free the rest of the clones."
"We don't owe them anything." Hunter growled. "They rejected us for being different. Why would we risk Omega for them?"
"What about Cody and Rex?" Wrecker said.
Hunter paused.
"We could always break them out." Tech said.
"That's not fair." Echo said. "We can't just pick and choose the clones that get to be freed."
"Why not?" Crosshair asked. "They picked and chose who got to be their brothers."
Echo shot him a glare.
"If I do this, and it works, does that mean we won't have to run anymore?" Omega asked.
Hunter hesitated again.
"Yes." Skirata said. "The Kaminoans won't own you."
Omega studied her feet.
"Hunter," She said. "I know we didn't always get along with the regs. But you knew it was wrong when I was stuck on Kamino, so you rescued me. It's the same with the rest of the clones. It's wrong that they're stuck there."
Omega looked at Skirata.
"I'll do it." She said.
Rex.
Someone was calling his name, and a gentle hand touched his face. His eyes snapped open. He could hear someone climbing down the ladder.
Ahsoka? Rex asked.
Hurry, Rex.
Her voice carried into his pod and he struggled to sit up, his movements slow and frustrating.
What's happening? He demanded.
Come with me. She said.
Suddenly Rex was moving through the hallways. Ahsoka was ahead of him, leading him by the hand. Her head was fixed forward.
There was no one else in the halls. No guards, no longnecks. It was only Rex and Ahsoka.
They emerged into a shuttle bay. The Twilight was waiting for them. Ahsoka tugged harder on his hand.
Wait, Rex said as they neared the ship's open door. What about the others?
Ahsoka stopped, her face still turned away from him.
It's just us. She said.
Ahsoka. Rex said.
We need to leave now, Rex. She replied, moving again.
Ahsoka, look at me. Rex pleaded.
She paused on the ramp, allowing him to get closer. He reached out and took her shoulders. He turned her and-
Rex sat up with a jolt. His heart was pounding. He sucked in a breath and leaned his head against his knees.
Not another one. These dreams where Ahsoka came to take him away were becoming more and more frequent. He could never see her face in these dreams. She never turned to him.
He closed his eyes again. The idea of running away, leaving it all behind to only be with Ahsoka both made his heart ache with longing and made him sick with shame. The fact that he even considered leaving his brothers behind in such a selfish act was mortifying.
The worst thing was that Rex did not know what choice he would make if it was presented to him.
No! Rex scrubbed his face with his hands. He couldn't afford to let those thoughts take hold. His focus had to be here and now, with his squad. He didn't want the jumbled emotions each of the dreams left him with.
He- he needed to just forget Ahsoka. Every day the tiny sliver of hope he held shrank a little. Barring a miracle, they weren't leaving. Rex had to accept that.
And that meant he would never see Ahsoka again.
The thought hit him with such force that he felt sick. He leaned over and placed his head in his hands.
Please, he begged the Force, or the Ka'ra, or whatever was listening. I need to let her go.
He needed to let them all go. The General, Chancellor Amidala, the twins. There was no point in clinging to that old life. He had his brothers. They were good enough before, and they could be good enough again.
There was a rap at his pod.
"Squad's ready!" Boil said. "We're waiting on your shebs."
Rex welcomed the interruption. He climbed out of his pod to see his squad, as usual, waiting perfectly at attention for him.
"At ease." He told them.
He'd told them it wasn't necessary to be at attention in the morning, but they had ignored him.
"Sir, we've already showered." Chap piped up. "What about you? It's breakfast time."
"I'll take one later." Rex said, grabbing his armor.
"Ew." Chip said, wrinkling his nose.
"We all smell the same, vod'ika." Rex said.
"Doesn't mean we can't smell gross." Chip muttered.
Rex managed a tired smile. His squad was often a good pick me up from his troubling dreams.
"Is that weird custodial clone gonna be with us today?" Ruus asked as they ate their breakfast.
Rex frowned.
"Don't call him weird. He's been through a lot, that's all. And yes. I've invited him to come and work with us today." He said.
All the cadets shared doubtful looks.
"He's just gonna end up watching us." Chip muttered. "I don't like him. He stares."
Rex gave Chip a look. Chip went back to his food. Rex knew the cadets were uncomfortable around Dogma, but Rex couldn't send his brother away. Dogma had started out barely tolerating a few minutes conversation with Rex, but now Rex could tell that talking with Rex had become a highlight in Dogma's life. From what Rex could tell, Dogma had few good things in his life anymore.
"They have a point, Rex." Boil muttered as they cleared their trays. "He just ends up staring at them and making them nervous. I'm pretty sure he's not supposed to be talking to us either."
"It helps him." Rex said shortly. "And no one's told me to stop."
"But why do you care?" Boil asked. "From what I heard, he wasn't exactly easy to get along with."
"He's a brother." Rex said. "That's enough."
Rex hurried his cadets along. They themselves were progressing well in their blaster skills. Chap especially seemed a natural marksman.
Rho squad was already on the range when Kilo arrived. Vor gave Rex and Boil a nod before turning back to her cadets. The Miralin woman was still friendly to them, though she hadn't introduced the idea of resistance again.
As Kilo assembled their blasters, Rex approached the terminal and tapped the clean-up request. Dogma had been good about being the one to come every time. It was a few more minutes before one of the custodial doors opened and Dogma slipped in.
Rex smiled broadly at him.
"Hello, brother!" He said.
Dogma still preferred to not be called by his name. Brother was just fine for Rex. The cadets all looked over as Dogma carefully made his way over to Rex. His shoulders were still ducked and he still looked at the floor, but it was better than he had been.
"Eyes on the target." Vor called and the cadets snapped back to their task at hand.
Vor hadn't asked any questions about Dogma, for which Rex was grateful. Boil raised an eyebrow at Rex before moving to walk behind the cadets.
"Hello, Captain." Dogma said quietly once the cadets' attention was away from him.
They watched the cadets shoot for a few minutes.
"I think I remembered something else." Dogma said.
"Oh?" Rex said, holding his excitement back so as to not overwhelm his brother. Dogma had been slowly remembering snippets of his former life.
"It's another clone." Dogma said. "He has long hair and a teardrop tattoo. I can only remember him telling me to lighten up."
Rex didn't know whether to smile or not.
"That's Tup." Rex said. "He was one of your squadmates. You two were close."
"Oh." Dogma said. "Is he-"
"He's gone." Rex said.
Dogma looked down.
"Was it my fault?"
"No!" Rex said firmly.
Somehow from his fragmented memories, Dogma had drawn the conclusion that he had caused the deaths of many troopers. Rex could understand why his muddled brain had made that connection, but it was wrong. It wasn't Dogma's fault. It was Krell's.
"Those deaths you remember aren't your fault." Rex said. "It was a traitor Jedi who killed those troopers."
Dogma looked at him doubtfully and then turned his attention back to the cadets. He was quiet for the duration of the first few rounds of shooting before thanking Rex.
"I have to get back." He said.
"I'll see you soon, brother." Rex said.
Dogma managed a small smile before retreating back the way he came.
Rex watched him go. Dogma was never going to be the same trooper he had been, for good or for bad. Whatever the Kaminoans had done to him had broken a part of him. Rex didn't know if he could fix that part by himself, especially in this environment. It didn't mean he wasn't going to try.
Rex focused himself on helping his cadets for the rest of their time in the shooting range. Owl was having trouble with the blaster. His hands still shook despite all the practice and he was only managing around a fifty percent hit rate.
Rex wasn't worried- yet. He remembered his batchmate, Spook, had troubles similar to Owl's early on. He was able to overcome them before the Kaminoans determined it a problem. Rex didn't know how long or how badly a trooper had to perform before the Kaminoans stepped in, but he was confident that Owl was still far away from that point.
It didn't stop Owl from having tears of frustration in his eyes as they packed up the blasters.
"Go on and take them to lunch." Rex told Boil. "I need to have a word with Owl."
Boil took one look at Owl and nodded.
"Owl'ika." Rex said to the cadet. "Stay here for a minute."
Owl looked up and stared at Rex with his large, round eyes.
"Yes, sir." He said softly.
Ruus gave Owl a pat on the shoulder before they left with Boil and Rho squad.
Owl stared at the ground, twisting his hands.
"Hey." Rex knelt down and put his hands on Owl's shoulders. "It takes time. You'll get the hang of it."
"But everyone else is getting it!" Owl protested. "We were made to be good at shooting!"
"We were made to be dark haired, and look at me." Rex said. "Listen, if you want, we can start doing extra practices before breakfast or after dinner, okay? You may just need some more practice."
The tears Owl was holding back began to dribble down his cheeks.
"But what if it isn't enough?" He asked. "What if I can't be a good soldier?"
Rex reached out and wiped the tears off of Owl's face.
"I'll make sure it is." He said. "That's a promise."
He gave Owl a few more minutes to compose himself, before ruffling Owl's hair.
"Come on." Rex said. "Let's go get something to eat, okay?"
Owl gave him a wet smile and trotted after Rex. The rest of Kilo greeted Owl enthusiastically and quickly had him distracted with a contest of water chugging. Rex watched, amused, as Chip choked on his and had to have Boil pound his back.
"CT-7567."
Rex looked up. A helmeted clone had approached them. Rex felt uneasy looking at the trooper. His voice was flat and robotic and his posture was stiff. It was one of the clones left on Kamino after the war was over. A clone who still had his chip.
Rex hated the idea that the Kaminoans were controlling some of their brothers with the things, but there was no other explanation for this group of droid-like troopers who were willing to attack their brothers.
"Come with me." The trooper said.
Rex stood, gave his squad a nod, and followed the trooper. His uneasiness grew. Something was wrong. They hadn't found Prime or Boil out; they wouldn't bother speaking to Rex about it. They would just dispose of them.
"What's your name, brother?" Rex asked the guard as they walked through the halls.
He got no response. Finally the guard opened a door and gestured Rex in.
Nala Se was waiting for Rex. Rex immediately stiffened to attention and looked past the Kaminoan's shoulder.
"CT-7567." Nala Se said. "There have been some concerns regarding your training methods."
That was one good thing about the Kaminoans. No beating around the bush.
"What are those, ma'am?" Rex asked. "Are their test scores not satisfactory?"
Was this about Owl? Rex thought he had more time-
"They are." Nala Se said in her infernally calm voice. "It is your attitude towards the cadets that have given us cause for concern."
"How so, ma'am?" Rex asked.
"You do not treat them as soldiers." Nala Se said.
Rex felt his lips twitch into a brief frown.
"No." He said, caught in a rush of boldness. "I treat them as brothers."
"This is not satisfactory." Nala Se said. "This treatment will hamper their discipline and respect for leaders."
How? Rex wanted to ask. How was treating his little brothers with kindness and compassion going to make them less of soldiers?
"This behavior will change." Nala Se said. "From this point forward, you will conduct yourself as a proper trainer."
A burst of defiance erupted in Rex's chest.
"So you want me to beat them?" Rex said. "Stop treating them like human beings?"
Nala Se merely blinked at Rex.
"Perhaps it would be best if we removed the squad from your care." She said.
Rex almost recoiled.
"No." He said. "I-I'll do what you want."
"Good." Nala Se said. "You will also stop your interactions with CT-4157. You are interfering with his duties."
Rex grit his teeth. He had to do what Nala Se demanded. He couldn't risk anyone else training Prime and discovering what he was. He would have to find a way to tell Dogma goodbye.
"That is all." Nala Se said. "We will be observing you to ensure you make the changes we require."
Rex nodded stiffly.
"Dismissed."
Rex turned and marched out of the room.
He didn't bother going back to the mess hall; it was time for flash training. Rex paced in the training hall until Boil showed up.
"Rex." Boil asked. "What was that? Owl was convinced you were getting reconditioned."
"Things are going to be different from now on." Rex said quietly.
Boil frowned.
"What happened?"
"The Kaminoans told me I'm too soft on them. I have to change the way I train them." Rex said.
Boil shook his head.
"What a bunch of osik." He said. "You're not gonna do it, are you?"
Rex didn't reply. Boil's brow knit together.
"You are?" He hissed. "Since when have you let the Kaminoans walk all over you like a spineless coward?"
"Since I've been trying to keep my brothers alive!" Rex snapped. "If I don't do what they say, they'll take Kilo away from me!"
"So what?" Boil asked. "So Owl's having a little trouble with blasters; every squad has one!"
"What if they get a trainer like their old one?" Rex countered. "They'd shut down and the Kaminoans would kill them!"
Rex tried to communicate that there was more with the glare he gave Boil. He couldn't safely tell him about Prime here.
"Having their good trainer suddenly change would be just as bad!" Boil said.
"Listen, I'm not about to completely cut them off." Rex said. "I just- they can't be brothers now."
Boil ran a hand down his face and shook his head.
"I hate it here." He muttered.
Rex could see the meaning behind the words. Boil still wanted to rise up against the Kaminoans.
"I know." Rex said. "But it's better than being dead."
Boil narrowed his eyes at Rex but didn't reply.
It wasn't long before it was time to go and pick up their squad. As usual, they were excited as they came to meet Rex and Boil, except Prime. Rex guessed he could sense there was a change. He looked at Rex with a solemn gaze.
"Rex!" Chap said. "We learned-"
"We need to discuss something." Rex interrupted.
He didn't think he would have the heart to stop Chap if the little got started on what they learned. Rex loved hearing them chatter about their lessons to him.
Chap deflated and the rest of the squad exchanged looks.
"The Kaminoans have been unsatisfied with my training methods." Rex told them.
"Are they going to reassign us?" Owl said, terrified.
"No." Rex said. "Things are going to have to change."
Four pairs of brown eyes were fixed on him. Prime looked at the floor.
"From now on, I'm your trainer, not your brother." Rex said.
"What?" Chip said. "You're the one who told us we were brothers! You said you would take care of us!"
His voice was rising with anger. Chap's, Ruus', and Owl's eyes all glittered with fear. Rex realized with a gut wrenching jolt that they thought he would be like '17 now.
"It won't be like before I came." Rex promised in a rush. "I swear."
He looked over his frightened brothers, all staring at him with confusion.
"What I told you was right." He said. "We are brothers. Nothing will ever change that."
He knelt down in front of them, looking them each in the eye.
"No matter how I treat you, know that in our hearts and in our blood, we are brothers. Mhi cuyir vod'e darasuum. Remember that."
Rex paused.
"Ni kar'taylir darasuum, ner vod'e." He said quietly
Prime wiped at his eyes. Chip had grabbed Chap's hand.
"Does that mean we can't have the extra practice?" Owl asked in a whisper.
Rex hesitated.
"No." He said. "We still can. Things aren't changing that much."
He could still have a good relationship with them, but as a trainer, not a brother.
Dinner was subdued, but not entirely silent as it had been when Rex had first arrived. Chap gave Rex an enthusiastic report of their lessons that day. Rex couldn't help but smile at his little brother's eagerness.
Then Rex saw the Kaminoan up above. It was Nala Se, watching them. Her eyes were narrowed and when she noticed Rex's gaze, she shook her head.
Rex's heart sank. So that was how it was to be. It wasn't enough to denounce their brotherhood. He needed to be even more distant.
He had to, to protect them.
He listened to Chap's continued chatter without truly hearing. Within minutes Prime stopped his brother.
"Tell it to me, Chap." Prime said. "Not- not to the Captain."
Prime glanced at Rex with a look that said he would explain to his brothers. Rex nodded slightly. Rex for once was grateful for his brother's Force sensitivity.
The mood shifted after that. Chap could tell things had changed and his chatter slowly petered off. They were still sober as they went back to their barracks. Rex's heart hurt at their solemn faces. As they entered, the five looked at each other and then to Boil and Rex expectantly.
"Sir," Ruus said. "What about Mando'a lessons?"
It was another jolt to Rex. Of course the Kaminoans would want him to no longer teach them the language.
"We will no longer have them." Rex told them.
"Yes, sir." Ruus said dully.
They prepared for bed mechanically, without their usual chatter. Afterwards, Prime gathered them to a corner of the barracks to give a quiet explanation. Boil gave Rex a harsh look, as if to say 'look what you've done to them.' Rex looked away from Boil. He knew what this would do to his boys. It was better than the alternative.
"Goodnight, cadets." Boil said pointedly.
They chorused their goodnights to Boil. They all looked hesitantly to Rex afterward, but not one spoke up.
It was strange that the simple omission of a goodnight made Rex's heart ache more. He removed his armor as they crawled into their pods. Rex swore he could hear sniffling as he climbed the ladder to his own bunk. As soon as he was safe in his own pod, Rex put a hand to his head. This was as difficult as when he and Ahsoka were ignoring one another. As usual, the thought of Ahsoka twisted his heart painfully. He sat there for a moment, utterly miserable. Then he forced himself to pick up his data pad.
Rex would be able to work past this; he had to. There were things that would make it easier on himself and the cadets. He put in a request for private quarters and to be assigned a different mess hall than his cadets. He did not want to squash them with his mere presence.
That night, for the first time in a long time, he dreamed of Umbara.
Mando'a
Uj cake - dense, very sweet flat cake made of ground nuts, syrup, pureed dried fruit and spice
shebs - backside
shabbed - I'm not sure if this is the correct way to say it, but effed
di'kut: idiot
osik: crap
buir: parent, referring to Jango here
Meg'ika: affectionate diminutive, means little Omega
haili cetare: fill your boots, eat up
vod: sibling
shabuir'e: mother effers
Pad'ika: affectionate diminutive, means little Padme
Udesii: calm down, be still
ad'ika: kid, little one
Ka'ra: stars - ancient Mandalorian myth - ruling council of fallen kings
vod'ika: little brother
Owl'ika: affectionate diminutive, means little Owl
Mhi cuyir vod'e darasuum: We are brothers forever
Ni kar'taylir darasuum, ner vod'e: I love you, my brothers
All right, we've got some good stuff for some people, bad stuff for others. Fives really just needs Echo right now. Sorry Hunter, Omega's too good of a person to say no to helping people. Also, the Batch totally has a swear jar. Here are the rankings from least swearing, to most swearing: Wrecker (I just see him being like a kid with it and thinking it's bad), Omega (she said Kriff once), Hunter (tries really hard not to), Tech (doesn't care, but doesn't swear a lot regardless), Echo (tries hard, but as we see in Rookies, he has a potty mouth), and Crosshair(doesn't care and has a huge potty mouth)
Annnd things don't go great for Rex. He keeps having sad dreams. Dogma continues to be sad, but less so. And then Rex is told not to love on his brothers! I'm not 100 percent happy with how that goes down, but it's the best I've got right now. Rex just needs a hug.
Anyway, wear your masks, remember to review, and have a great few weeks!