The journey down to Coruscant passed by in a flash. Rex sat next to the Admiral, struggling to keep his eyes open as they headed down to the city planet. He focused on the view of the planet as they came closer. It looked so... unchanged. He wasn't sure why he thought it would look different. So much had happened to him since he'd left ArmyMed over two months ago. The ecumenopolis was considered the vibrant heart and capital for the Galactic Republic, yet it always seemed somehow unaffected by events happening elsewhere in the galaxy. The towering skyscrapers and streams of speeder-filled air traffic always looked the same. But, when they descended into the Republic Military Base, Rex's eyes widened in surprise. The complex had doubled in size, and construction droids were everywhere.

The Admiral excused himself and disappeared into the new barracks as soon as they landed. Rex stayed up on the rooftop to oversee the unloading of troop transports. He didn't want to head inside yet, although he knew he should check on the men. He'd been inside the Kaz'harian cruiser for a week, and before that, he'd been running around in the dark tunnels and dungeons of the ancient Kaz'harian fortress. Even if the air of the city planet reeked, as always, of too many people and too much air traffic, it was still good to be outside.

Ko took over him, and he headed into their new living space. The barracks smelled new. He tried not to dwell on the 952nd and 365th Legions; these quarters had originally been built for them. But, the GAR was constantly shifting resources. As Legions were wiped out, accommodations were made. These barracks belonged to the 501st and 212th now. When they weren't deployed out in the Rim, they had permanent barracks here at the RMB.

He stood at the door to the mess hall watching service and rectory droids buzzing about making preparations for the evening meal.

"What do you think dinner will be, sir?" Jesse asked, standing guard duty by the door. "The boys have started a betting pool. I bet four Kazzie fruit it will be Pashi noodle soup."

He was Captain (more or less), he should put an end to the betting.

Denal, standing guard duty with Jesse, frowned fiercely. "Blegh. Seriously? It's like licking laser canon fluid with unwashed boot liner."

Rex didn't want to know how Denal knew the taste of laser canon fluid. Both Jesse and Denal were looking at him expectantly. Rex shrugged. "Goarnt stew. They'll pick something loaded with nutrients. Put me down for two fruit."

"Only two?"

"Jess, I didn't exactly have time to stock up on fruit before we left the ship-"

"I could spot you a few-"

"Fine, make it four, then."

From the tilt of Jesse's bucket, Rex could tell he was grinning. It was a small thing, but if it made his brothers happy, he was all in.

"Kebroot," Denal said, thoughtfully, his voice grave like he'd just revealed the hidden location of Grevious. He nodded. "Alright, then, three on Kebroot," his voice still held all the seriousness of calling in a bomb strike.

Jesse lifted up his comlink to quietly call in the bets. Rex could barely hear the voice on the other end, but he could still tell it was Cody's friend and the bane of his existence in the 212th, Trapper.

"Captain Rex, the Council is expecting you."

Rex startled slightly. He hadn't heard Yularen coming up behind him. When had the man gotten so stealthy?

"Yes, sir, I was just on my way." OK, that wasn't quite true. He was coming up with every justifiable reason to check on his men, all of them, before heading out to the meeting.

What had Skywalker once accused Ahsoka of when she dodged her meditation exercises? Procrastination. That was it. It was not a word common in the clone vocabularly.

But, he had a bad feeling about this meeting, and he'd never reported to the Council without Skywalker. Maybe if he delayed long enough they would lose interest and cancel their request for him to deliver a report. "Sir, the men have only just returned. It is better that I stay here with them. Perhaps you could contact-"

The Admiral lifted up an eyebrow. "Your orders were quite explicit, Captain. Rest assured I can watch over the 501st, and Captain Ko is capable of handling the 212th."

"Of course. Thank you, sir." It wasn't a bad thing to have the Admiral there. The men were less likely to start brawling out of boredom and coming up with 'games' that gave Rex grey hairs, (greased pole climbing, fiery bolo ball, board surfing on the landing pad stairs, Dive-ball (also played on the stairs), and their latest infractions, naked space hockey and spheredunking. Thank you, Fives.)) "Eh, sir, are you sure? They can really be a handful on leave-"

"I am aware."

Yes, but did he know exactly how bad-

"Captain," Yularen assured him, "I will make sure all of the men keep their clothes on and create explicit rules regarding the use of stairs for recreational purposes."

Oh. Rex hadn't ever put any of those incidents in an official report. He let the men blow off steam on leave, up to an extent. How then did he know-

The Admiral gave him a nod that was both reassuring and an obvious dismissal. "Good luck on your meeting, then, Captain."

"Yes, of course, thank you, sir." He saluted, spun sharply on his heel and headed for the back exit of the kitchen. It would lead him directly out to street level-

"Captain," the Admiral was behind him again. How did he do that? He reached into one of the nearby crates and tossed a plastibag to Rex.

"What is this?" Rex stared down at the contents of the bag in surprise.

"A snack."

"A snack, sir?" Rex was familiar with the term. He'd heard it on Ando, but it was not a term they used in the GAR. "Sir, clones don't get snacks."

"They do today, Captain."

Rex continued to stare down at the bag in confusion. "Sir, how did you-"

"I do have some connections. These should help keep the peace until the mess is fully set up and we can serve evening meal." He handed Rex a second bag. "I have it on good authority, these are better than the usual GAR fare."

The man was a genius.

"That's a brilliant plan, sir." Rex meant it, too. The Admiral was very good with tactics and strategy, (even if he was bribing the men into good behavior with 'snacks.')

The Admiral nodded and returned his attention to double-checking the shipment.

Rex sighed, unable to put off heading for the Temple any longer. He headed out into the street, tearing open the first bag and studying the contents curiously. Some sort of snack-cracker/nut mixture. He tugged off his helmet and clipped it to his belt, sampling a handful as he walked. A large holoscreen nearby was showing boloball scores.

It had been so long since he'd seen bolo-ball. He tried to watch the scores scrolling by as he walked trying to catch a glimpse of whether his preferred team, Baylluran Athletic, had played. But, he couldn't get a clear view through the crowds. He sighed, trying to content himself with the barest glimpse he caught of the players and the ball moving back and forth. One day, he would like to see an actual game. He blew out a breath. It probably would never happen. The scores ended and the holoscreen turned to coverage of the war. Rex turned away. The holonet coverage was never close to accurate. It didn't bear watching.

He took a swig from his canteen to wash down the salty snacks. The Admiral had chosen well. All of his men were likely iodine deficient along with other nutritional deficiencies. He glanced toward the Temple. He could double his pace and get their faster. But, he was exhausted and in no hurry for this confrontation. He started in on the second bag of 'snacks.'

There was a time when an order from the Jedi Council would have him scurrying to do their bidding. He didn't much feel like scurrying anymore. Maybe he was angry about Cody being locked up, even though they knew it was the likely outcome after they'd rescued the Legions. But, he knew it was more the changes he'd undergone over the last two months. He still felt a strong sense of duty. But, his loyalties lay to his brothers. To Ahsoka. The Council? Where had they been when he was being sent off to Kamino for the crime of being injured in the line of duty?

# # #

"Admiral!" Chopper looked up from where he was studying a schematic of the new phase II armor on a shared datapad with the rest of his squad. Rumor had it when they received their replacement kit it would be the new stuff. The 212th and the 501st would be the first two Legions fully kitted out in the new armor. They were split on their opinions of the new design. Gus loved the rounder lines of the new helmet and how it was larger. He and Punch were already scheming about customizing their buckets inside with extra electronics now that space wouldn't be so tight. Jester was calculating how much air the new suit actually hold versus what it said in the specs, (which were usually only partially accurate), and if it would improve their chances of being spaced. Sketch was already working on designs for the squad using a scrap piece of flimsi he found in the barracks and a pen he purloined from the medbay.

The squad leapt to their feet at the unexpected entry of the Admiral into their barracks. It was difficult to stand stiffly to attention in their oversized Kazzie clothes. The rumor mill said a large duty of off-duty reds was already on its way and would be distributed by the quartermaster before end-of-day. Chopper winced as he felt his pants sliding, but didn't dare relax from his stiff posture in front of the Admiral.

"At ease, men, this is an informal visit."

Chopper breathed out a long sigh of relief and grabbed for his pants as they were sliding halfway down his bare buttocks. Jester was smirking at him, but Gus and Sketch were also grabbing at their pants.

"Replacement soft kit will be distributed shortly," the Admiral confirmed.

"Thank you, sir," Chopper hadn't officially been promoted to sergeant, but had assumed the role after the incident with Slick. He understood why he wasn't a candidate for promotion. He'd taken forbidden items from the battle field, and while he'd been truthful about it under questioning, it didn't excuse what he'd done. He would likely never be promoted, but that hadn't stopped the men from the squad expecting him to call the shots. He didn't understand it. He was a very flawed clone, inside and out, but he did his best to lead the squad. Another failure like happened with Slick and they all would likely be sent back to Kamino.

"I've brought you snacks," the Admiral said the word carefully. "Are you familiar with the term?" He gestured to a servi-droid out in the corridor who came forward pushing a cart.

The squad leaned in, staring at the cart in puzzlement.

"Snacks, sir?" Chopper searched his brain for a proper reference. He wished he had his bucket so he could do a quick holosearch and not appear so ignorant.

"It's... extra food you get between meals, isn't it, sir?" Gus asked, his voice full of hope. He was the youngest in the squad and sounded every bit his eleven years as he kept glancing toward the crate, trying to see what was inside.

"Yes, very good, trooper."

"Gus, sir."

Yularen nodded, although Chopper doubted he would remember their names. Most natborns couldn't tell them apart. Actually, none of them could, except for the Jedi. Commander Tano made an effort to get to know all of them. It was most impressive.

"Gus," Yularen nodded in acknowledgement, "and, you are?" He looked around at the rest of the squad.

The squad looked over to Chopper expectantly. He pointed to each member of the squad. "Jester. Punch. Sketch. And, I'm Chopper."

The Admiral nodded politely, and reached into the crate. The squad held their breath in anticipation, eyes widened as the Admiral handed each of them a plastibag. It didn't look like anything Chopper had ever eaten before. They all held the bag they'd been given, uncertainly, not sure what to do with it. "Go on," the Admiral encouraged, "open it. Try it."

An order was an order. Chopper tore open the bag and selected a nut. A warra nut, maybe? He popped it in his mouth. It was salty, but somehow, also sweetened. Was it coated with a sweetener? His eyes closed briefly with pleasure. There was a flurry of rustling as the squad tore open their bags and followed his example. He selected a button-sized object with a colorful, shiny shell and popped it in his mouth. He almost moaned in pleasure.

"That's chocolate," the Admiral informed him, "it goes well with the nuts and the pepper pretzels." He pointed to a brittle, glazed and salted racker fashioned into the shape of a loose knot.

Chopper tried a... pretzel. Oh. Goes well with the... he tried the shiny chocolate shell thing with a pretzel. And, then with a nut. And, then all three... and then... he was out. And, why was the Admiral still standing there?

Gus was looking at the crate expectantly. Punch was licking salt off of his fingers, trying to be subtle about it, and failing miserably.

"I thought perhaps we could... talk," the Admiral said, lightly running a hand around the crate full of snacks, "and then maybe you could enjoy a few more packets of these snacks."

"Talk?" Chopper's brain stuttered in confusion, and his gut twisted, like... what were those brittle, glazed things called? Ah, yes, a pretzel. He hadn't felt this sort of panic since the Captain and Commander had questioned him on Christophsis.

The Admiral idly picked up a handful of snacks, and then carefully dropped them back into the crate. Chopper was very aware of how his squad's gaze was fixated on the snacks. "Yes, I thought perhaps you could share some details about what happened to you on Kaz'haria."

"Sir?" Chopper couldn't breathe. This was not good. "The Captain and Commander told us they sent a report summarizing details of our captivity."

"I received it, yes, and read it. But, I want to hear about it in your own words."

Was that a direct order? Of course, it was. Anything from an Admiral was a direct order.

The rest of the squad was staring at him, waiting for him to reply. "What..." Chopper swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, "...what would you like to know, sir?"

"Whatever you would like to share about your imprisonment, although I am particularly interested in your last few hours there. Tell me more about how it is that you, an unarmed group of prisoners locked up in cells, were able to defeat an entire fortress of fully armed warriors?"

# # #

Rex blew out a sigh and studied his plastibag of snack-crackers and nuts. He was out. They were delicious. And, addictive. Perhaps he could get creative with the next supply shipment and ensure there were 'snacks' added in as a regular item for the men. Surely snacks fell in under medical necessity? Yes, he'd see if he could expand the medical supply budget. He licked his lips, getting the last of the salt off his lips and stuffed the stuffed the empty bag in his belt pouch. He was so deep in thought about important items to requisition, he startled by a voice coming up beside him.

"Rex, if you walked any slower, I'd have to cite you for obstructing pedi-traffic."

"Fox." He wanted to both hug his brother, and punch him, as he always felt when dealing with Fox.

The Coruscant Guard commander studied Rex for a long moment. "Heard you were back from the dead." He took in the battered state of Rex's armor, including the hole on his chest where he'd been shot. "You're a sight. Then again, you always did have a penchant for trouble."

Rex ignored the jab. Fox could be difficult to take at times, but if you could get through to him, he wasn't a bad sort of vod.

The Coruscant Guard commander gestured toward the Temple, indicating they should walk together. Obviously, he already knew where Rex was headed. Of course he did. Fox seemed to be on top of most things which happened on Corrie.

"Fox-" Rex started out, wanting to ask about Cody. But, Fox cut him off.

"My orders are to report directly to the Council," Fox said, not looking at Rex as he set a brisk pace for walking. Too fast for Rex's liking. He was not in that much of a hurry to reach the Temple. Fek it all, Fox.

"I also have orders to report directly to the Council, as I'm sure you are well aware," Rex responded, as they both had to quickly shift their hips sideways to dodge an errant delivery droid which whizzed between them. "How is-"

Rex tried again to ask about Cody's welfare, but Fox snapped up a crisp hand signal. He silenced Rex like he would in a battlefield situation where the slightest noise would get them killed. Rex rolled his eyes, somehow feeling like Fox was treating him like a rookie and being overdramatic all at once. But, he played along and stayed silent.

Fox glanced back and forth as if they were being watched, and then grabbed Rex by the pauldron and yanked him into the entrance of a nearby bustling metro station. Rex wanted to protest at the rough treatment, but immediately sensed this was... something more. Fox wasn't being an ass. Something had happened. The guard commander ripped off his helmet, flipped a switch inside, and clipped it to his helmet in one smooth, practiced move. He indicated to Rex to remove his helmet. He ran a small palm scanner over the inside and then nodded with satisfaction.

"You're clean," he muttered. Rex had to read his lips, a skill he'd thankfully mastered thanks to time spent with Travis. The noise levels in the station were tremendous as hordes of people passed them on the way to the public transport. He used ARC sign, along with his words, to communicate. "Cody was attacked twenty minutes ago."

Rex opened his mouth to object and ask more questions. He swallowed hard to contain an upwelling of anger. "You didn't think to comm me?"

"I don't report to you."

"You're my brother, you di'kut, as is Cody. Now, talk. Tell me what happened."

Fox closed his eyes for a moment. Rex saw a shudder go through his brother's frame as if he was at war with himself. He looked terrible, like he'd aged a decade since Rex had last seen him. Fox rarely went out with them to 79s anymore and discouraged any of his brothers from visiting him at guard headquarters. It was as if he was intentionally pushing them all away. Rex had chalked it up to stress, and hadn't had time to give it more than a passing worry. He also had thousands of brothers under his command to worry about. Fox could take care of himself.

"Cody was attacked by two men, both human, posing as clones, outfitted with full Coruscant guard kit. Helmets were modded to sound like clones."

Rex's eyes widened. "How is he?"

"He was injured, but our medic treated him and he's back in his cell. I doubled the guard."

"What kind of injuries?"

"He got in a scuffle with a bounty hunter. Lacerations, contusions, a... uh... blaster burn."

"Fek! A bounty hunter? Inside your prison?!"

"It's not my prison. But, yes, there were two bounty hunters. One of them tried to blow up the facility with a t-det. We received word Cody was out of his cell and that two of our troopers were missing. There was... some confusion... and we... uh... shot Cody."

"You shot Cody?!"

"I was missing two of my men!"

"And, what, you thought Cody had taken them hostage?!" He stared Fox down and realized that was exactly what his brother had been thinking. "How could you possibly think that-"

"I was wrong, alright?! Can we move on?"

Rex shook his head. "How did these bounty hunters get to Cody?"

"They were dressed up as clones. Coruscant Guard."

"What?! How did they get a hold of your armor?"

"I don't know. We're looking into it. All of my men accounted for their kit."

"Where were his guards?"

"Called away by the Chancellor's office. As soon as they arrived, their comms stopped working. Told the order came from me."

"And, you never gave the order." Rex jammed a hand through his hair, thinking through all of this new information. "When I can see him?"

"You can't. Someone is trying to kill him," Fox said, "I am restricting all access to his cell, trying to keep him alive until his trial."

"You're doing a fine job of it, so far."

"That's not fair, Rex."

"What do you want me to say? Cody is locked up, someone is trying to kill him and you're telling me you can't keep him safe."

"I doubled his guard and I will keep him safe. Fek, Rex, have some faith in me." He sighed and jammed a hand through hair was too long and prematurely going grey. "The Chancellor's office has taken a personal interest in the investigation, and now the Jedi want me to speak to me about it." He pushed out a frustrated sigh.

"The Jedi Council are taking an interest in everything these days," Rex grumbled. He tilted his head to the side. "But, why is the Chancellor interested in Cody?"

A dark look crossed Fox's face. He shook his head and his voice dropped low. "The Chancellor doesn't like anyone who upsets the... natural order of things."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your return. Cody's speech. All of it has stirred up some... excitement among the clone population. The Chancellor abhors anything that detracts from his clean and neat narrative. I believe Cody may be a... disruption."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Cody is in a lot of trouble." He jerked his chin toward the Jedi Temple. "You're caught up in all of this, as well." He sighed. "We should get moving."

"We're in this together and you are going to keep me informed."

"I can't."

"You can and you will."

"There are things you don't understand, Rex."

"Make me understand."

"It is better you don't," Fox's voice was heavy and dark. He refused to say anymore and slid his helmet back on. They walked to the Temple together, the silence thick and cloying between them.

# # #