"Unless one of your meeting times gets moved up, we have three hours," Ahsoka scrunched her brow, studying her chrono, as they walked toward the looming medical center.

Rex nodded, his mind already working through all the possibilities and angles of how he could help Echo. "Can I use your comm again?"

It grated him to have to ask, having been stripped of his comm gear. But, he had brought the whole farkin' thing down on himself with his outburst.

Ahsoka pressed the comm link into his palm, her fingers lingering on his with a brush that set his heart to racing. "Hold onto it for now." He opened his mouth to object, but then thought better of it. He needed the gear. He nodded his thanks and drew his hand away quickly, his palm still feeling as if it was burning from the light touch.

Rex palmed in the designation code for Coric. "Coric, this is Rex. I'm on my way over to the ArmyMed facility with Commander Tano. Can you meet us there?"

"Of course, Captain... are you injured?"

"No, Coric. I'm 5 x 5." Physically, at least, he was fine. Especially compared to how many times he'd been trounced over the past few months. "We need your expertise with Echo. Something strange came up on his scans. Can you meet us at the main entrance?"

"I can be there in 15. Captain, I only have about two hours. Commander Appo assigned to physicals this afternoon, but I'll work as fast as I can to help Echo."

The simple exchange burned Rex much more than it should. Appo was in charge of assigning Coric now. Appo was in charge of assigning all of the men now. If Rex received his commission back, Appo would be in charge of assigning Rex. Fekkin' Appo.

Ahsoka lightly brushed his fingertips with concern. "You alright?"

"No, not really." While he kept insisting to his men he was fine, he couldn't lie to Ahsoka. She was too intuitive and too close to him.

"You'll need to learn to work with him."

"Appo?" Rex scoffed out the name.

"Yes, Rex, Appo. He means well."

Rex 'hmmmped' loudly.

"Rex."

"I know you're right and I'll try. It's just..."

"Just what?" Ahsoka prompted.

"The 501st has always been my command. Appo doesn't deserve it."

"What happened to you was wrong, Rex, but we can't undo what has happened. We can only move forward."

Rex was quiet, thinking over Ahsoka's words, and she left him alone with his thoughts. Coric caught up with them before they reached the massive medical center. It was good to see Coric and it lightened his mood. Made him forget about Appo for the moment. The sun was warm on the back of his neck and the simple act of walking beside his brother on one side, and Ahsoka on the other, made all seem right in the galaxy for the moment.

The medic caught him up on everything that had gone on in the barracks while he'd been in the RMB. It was the usual sort of thing, which was reassuring because he was worried that somehow the Kazzies might have changed his men. But, the 501st were behaving exactly as they always did when they had a bit too much time on their hands. Minor scuffles. Pranks. Endless discussions of what their next deployment might be.

"The Admiral is keeping it all under control. But, they need to be back in training," Coric said with a grimace. "Hardcase keeps inventing new games with stolen cutlery from the mess. His latest invention is 'Spoon Assassin.'"

"Do I want to know?"

Coric shook his head. "Probably not. No one has gotten hurt so it's all good."

Rex nodded. He and Cody had been discussing the retraining of their Legions during their confinement at the RMB. "Has the Admiral raised the issue of retraining?"

"He doesn't want to begin any training until you are reinstated."

"I'm glad he's so confident I'll get my command back."

"You will."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, Coric. Has the Admiral said anything else?"

Coric looked thoughtful. "He also wants the majority of the clones to clear medical before they get back into heavy training."

"Makes sense. I would have said the same."

"That's basically what the Admiral said. He says you are the best one to get the 501st back to fighting form."

"What about Appo?" Rex asked the obvious question. "He's the commander now." Even saying the words burned him, but he had to get used to it.

Coric glanced over at him as if checking for a medical reaction. "Not enough practical field experience."

Rex wanted to gloat. He had Appo beat in this area. Appo couldn't compete with his experience. Experience outranks everything. But, Ahsoka was right. He would have to work with Appo. Set the right example. He'd been gone and command had filled an available position.

It wasn't Appo's fault.

The fekker.

Rex had often worked with officers who rubbed him the wrong way. Appo would be no different. He could make this work. He had to make this work.

Coric looked through the plexi-glass doors to the security desk where two soft uniformed troopers were checking IDs. Two armored clones stood to either side of them. "How are we going to get in? We don't have the proper credentials." He looked at Ahsoka. "You're a Jedi. I'm sure they'll let you in."

Rex nodded. "Yes, rules are always different for you."

Ahsoka frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rex suddenly felt as if he'd said the wrong thing. "Eh... only that... eh... if you want to use the front entrance, Coric and I will find another way in."

Ahsoka crossed her arms across her chest, the way she did when she wasn't going to leave a trooper behind. "Not a chance. We're staying together."

"Alright." He frowned up at the massive building. "Can't believe I'm trying to break into this place." A group of servi-droids glinted in the bright sunlight as they offloaded an enormous quantity of food from a hoversleigh.

"Follow my lead," Rex picked up a crate and joined in the steady line of servant drones endlessly loading supplies through a side entrance. As they marched in a steady line with the servant drones down a long corridor, Rex couldn't help thinking of the uncomfortable irony of how tinnies had landed him in this place originally.

It didn't feel all that different than marching in line with a group of troopers and the comparison made him distinctly uncomfortable.

They slipped into the massive kitchen and slid the crates off to the side.

"That was... somewhat creepy," Coric muttered, eyeing the droids.

"Agreed."

"How do we find them?" Ahsoka asked. They emerged out of the cafeteria complex and into the basement corridor.

Rex brought his borrowed comm units to his lips. "Fives, this is Rex-"

A hand on his shoulder startled him and he automatically reached for a blaster at his hip which wasn't there.

"Follow me," said Fives. "I locked onto Ahsoka's comm signal the moment you came in."

Rex nodded. "Nicely done."

Fives didn't comment, a testament to how stressed he was about Echo.

They moved quickly, winding through corridors, and ending up in a service lift to the lower levels.

"We had to move Echo. After the scan was denied, his papers came in. He was red-carded within the hour."

Rex couldn't breathe. It was everything he feared would happen when they sent Echo here. Fives put up a hand forestalling any further questions.

"The shinie... he knew a place. It's an isolation chamber in a section of the hospital that's not used anymore."

Fives' explanations brought up more questions than answers.

The isolation chamber was a grim place. All grey duracrete walls with turquoise signs everywhere warning visitors to don proper gear before entering. There were a number of droids at the entrance to the ward whose original function Rex could not determine. All had been switched off, and they sat in an untidy cluster collecting dust.

"This is the old isolation ward," Fives explained. "Sly says we won't be bothered down here while we try to figure this thing out."

"Sly?" Rex asked.

"You're about to meet him," Fives said, as he led Rex through a series of interlocking doors, "cocky shinie with an attitude. Thinks he runs this place."

The ARC led the way into a back chamber where Echo was laid out on a grav bed, looking grey and dull, under several Republic-issue blankets. Kix and a second medic, presumably Sly, were engaged in a frantic debate bordering on an argument, as they pointed to readouts on a handheld datapad. Both were running scanners over Echo. Fives froze up as he took in the scene, and it was immediately apparent from his energy something was wrong.

Fives pinned both of them with a look demanding an update before Rex could even ask for one. "What happened?"

Kix barely acknowledged Rex, giving him the barest nod, completely focused on his readings. "Echo's fever spiked again and his vitals are dropping." He put up a hand to forestall Fives' questions. "We don't know why."

"What do you need?" Fives asked, looking around the isolation chamber, which was sorely lacking in supplies.

Kix quickly began tapping off a list off supplies on his datapad and showed it to Sly, who leaned in and added several more items to the list. Neither medic questioned how it was the ARC would requisition the materials.

"This time, though," Sly said, his tone brokering no argument, "I am going with you."

Fives nodded. "Alright, you could be useful." He shoved a finger into Sly's chest. Hard. "Don't slow me down."

After they were gone, the room seemed to go deathly silent. Rex and Ahsoka moved over to stand next to Echo, who was struggling to draw in air. His pallor was grey and purple lines streaked down his face. He didn't look much like the Echo they knew.

Ahsoka reached down to grip his hand.

Rex looked over to Kix, who was still busy taking readings. "What's going on?"

"Unusual readings," Kix says. "It all seems to have started with his injury in the lab on Kaz'haria. But, we have no idea of what we are dealing with here. We are not sure if these are indicative of trauma to the brain, or exposure to a pathogen." Kix flipped on an outdated holoprojector from the lab so he could project an image off of his datapad. "The most unusual part is in this quadrant here. The tissues are focused on attacking this one particular sector. I've never seen anything like it."

"Is that an old injury? Or, a tumor?"

"Hard to tell. We need better scans, but our request was denied."

Rex walked around the image, trying to get a better look from all angles. "I don't understand. Echo was stabbed straight through the shoulder. How did he end up with head trauma?"

Both Kix and Coric jumped in at once, eager to weigh in with their theories on this unusual occurrence.

"His unusual fever demanded he-"

"While he was in bacta, he-"

Both stopped to give the other a chance to continue. Kix won out.

"This is an incidental finding, meaning we were just trying to find out what was wrong with him and it came up. We are not even sure what we are seeing yet. We need another scan to get more detail on what is going on in his brain. All we know is we've detected something unusual that shouldn't be there. Our working theory is Echo was exposed to something in that lab."

Rex's stomach tightened even further in alarm. "Like a virus."

"Yes, exactly like a virus."

Rex sucked in a breath. "Is there any indication the rest of the Legion was exposed to this virus? While they were locked up on Kaz'haria or during the journey home?" He stared over at where Ahsoka had locked hands with Echo. "Could we have two entire Legions who are now infected with an unknown virus? We are about to be deployed."

Fek it all. If they were all about to be quarantined, he knew how this one would go. The Republic would try to find a cure. But if they couldn't, they wouldn't risk them infecting the rest of the clone army. The 501st and 212th were already separated from the rest of the troops in their barracks of Corrie. They would 'take care of them[ in the way Rex had been taken care of when he'd injured his knee.

Rex found it difficult to breathe. Ahsoka was suddenly by his side and her hand had slipped into his own. Just breathe.

And, then she was gone and back by Echo's side again, the action so quick Rex wondered if he had imagined it. If Kix and Coric noticed, they did not comment.

"Recommendations?" Rex stared into the scan.

Coric shook his head. "We can't proceed until we know what we're dealing with. I agree with Kix. We need another scan."

"Except it was denied," Kix pointed out. "Can we use Fives' unique skills to get it approved?"

Rex shot a look over at Ahsoka. She was all patience and Jedi calm.

"I heard nothing except you are doing all you can to make Echo well."

Officially, Rex was not even back on the roster again. They didn't need his approval for anything. But, they all still looked to him as the Captain. He nodded, making it clear he would take full responsibility. This was an opportunity to do something at ArmyMed he was not able to do the first time.

"Proceed," Rex said, something in him lifting. A certain sense of rightness returning.

# # #

Fives and Sly returned in surprisingly short order with the meds. While Coric and Kix administered them, Rex and Ahsoka still had a bit of time left on their hands before they had to leave for the Council meeting.

They opted to work with Fives to see if they could get a few of the medical droids working. Perhaps it could improve Echo's situation.

At Fives' insistence, they unwired all of them from the central computer but hooked all of them in Kix's datapad. It also kept Rex's mind off of his upcoming Council meeting. It was soothing work and nice to simply be working together as a team again.

Rex and Ahsoka left ArmyMed, with Sly showing them out a side exit to street level, so they could head back over for Rex's meeting with the Chancellor. Coric stayed on, eager to help out a few more hours, intrigued by the investigation.

They walked quickly through the streets of Coruscant, both aware they would just make it to their meeting. They had delayed a bit longer than anticipated at ArmyMed. But, despite the circumstances of being in a place he despised like ArmyMed and the worry over losing Echo, it was still good to be working together as a team. It felt like... a homecoming. And, in ArmyMed, of all places. Maybe the Force worked in mysterious ways, as Ahsoka always told him.

Lost in his thoughts, Rex was completely unprepared for the sudden appearance of Skywalker as they entered the elaborate foyer to the Senate building. "Where have you been?!"

The General sounds agitated and impatient. Rex had heard him like this before, and it was generally always around his meetings with the Chancellor, or it meant Skywalker hadn't gotten enough time with his favorite senator. He was difficult to deal with when he was in of these moods.

"We were over visiting Echo," Ahsoka said. "Kix was updating us on his condition."

At the mention of the visit to the medical facility, Rex could see some of the anger ease from the General. He'd always been good to the clones. "How is he?"

"Still very ill," Ahsoka said, keeping her explanation simple.

Anakin nodded gravely. He took a huge deep breath as if intentionally bringing himself back down to Jedi calm.

It was as if the General battled demons inside sometimes.

He gestured impatiently toward the private lift leading to the Chancellor's offices. "We should go."

# # #

"Ah, Captain Rex, returned from the dead! What a miracle! Come in, my dear boy!"

Rex froze as the Chancellor rose from behind his elegant desk, his bony frame backlight by the enormous window behind him. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of him, and he'd been plunged into the icy waters of Kamino.

Skywalker paused beside him, casting him a confused look. "Come on, Rex, the Chancellor wants to speak to you," he gripped Rex's upper arm firmly to tug him along.

Rex stumbled along with him, his body seemingly unable to obey commands on its own. Every part of him was telling him to get out of there. The Chancellor's gaze narrowed as he stared him down, a deep frown briefly appearing. Something uglier briefly flashed across his face. Rex's eyes widened in alarm, and he glanced over at his General to see if he'd picked up on any of it. No, of course, he hadn't. He was too intent on tugging Rex across the chambers to present him to the Chancellor like a prize nuna.

"Ah, Captain," the Chancellor was all smiles and grandfatherly tones by the time skywalker offered him up, "you remind me so much of Commander Fox."

There was something off about the way he spoke, as if his words, their tone, and their meaning were all at odds with each other.

Rex suddenly understood what was wrong with Fox these days.

Rex glanced over at the Skywalker. Surely his clever General who had gotten them out of many a scrape sensed everything that Rex did.

No. Skywalker had that same smitten look he got whenever the Senator was around. How did Skywalker not see it? He was a Jedi, and not just any Jedi, the chosen one.

Rex was starting to think the Jedi should have chosen another one because his General made some damned shitty choices sometimes.

"Captain Rex is one of the best there is," he gave Rex a fond slap on the pauldron. "All of our boys in the 501st are the best in the GAR. You won't find finer soldiers anywhere." It was a statement that normally would have filled Rex with pride, but he barely heard the words. He stared out the massive window behind the Chancellor, trying to regain some of his composure. The natural lighting backlit the powerful politician somehow making the slender man seem unnaturally imposing. He blinked hard, trying to focus on the conversation.

"Yes, you do have a way of bringing out the best in everyone around you, Anakin. I have no doubt the same is true for your Captain." The sugary sweet smile he bestowed upon the General was sickening.

Skywalker smiled back. "Thank you, Chancellor. I've learned a lot of it from you."

"Oh no, dear boy! All of your successes are your own. I've only provided a little guidance here and there. Ah, but that's not what we are here to talk about, is it?" The Chancellor leaned in and made a show of consulting a datapad in front of him. "So, Captain," he turned his full attention to Rex and the feeling of coldness and dread returned tenfold, "I understand you only recently returned to us. Something of a miracle, do doubt, considering you were declared dead," he drew out the syllables of the word, "Mmmmm... what was it? Two and a half standard ago." There was an accusation there under his calm tone.

"Go on, Rex. Tell him your story."

"General, Chancellor, sirs, there's not I can tell you that's not already in my report." The last thing Rex wanted was to prolong this meeting.

"Oh, I doubt that very much." The Chancellor's eyes bore into him, and Rex felt a presence bearing down on his mind. On instinct, he tightened his mental shields. The Chancellor's eyes narrowed and the presence intensified.

Rex gasped.

"Are you alright?" Finally, the General picked up on something.

No. I'm not. Krek, Skywalker, can't you sense something is not right here?

The Chancellor's eyes flicked to Skywalker and the pressure in Rex's head lifted. He heaved a huge inward sigh but did not drop his intensified mental shields.

"Rex, you're behaving strangely. Have you been checked out by the medics since you returned?"

Of course, Skywalker would think this was all him.

"Uh, yes, sir. I'm fine. A clean bill of health." That wasn't quite true. Rex hadn't had his military physical, which would be a requirement to return to duty. But, it had not been a priority with everything else going on. He had seen both Kix and Coric after the Battle of Kaz'haria and been released from medbay. So, his statements were technically accurate.

"Then answer the Chancellor's questions. He's a busy man, Rex. He doesn't have all day."

Rex turned his full attention back to Palpatine. His fingertips were steepled as he gave a placid, expectant look. Gah. Rex hated dealing with politicians. He owed Fox a drink. How did he deal with people like this, day in and day out?

"Right, eh… there's not much to tell, really," Rex started, stalling for time, "I was… injured on a mission, and did not heal in the... uh... required timeframe." The Chancellor did a passable impression of looking sympathetic. "Then, I was put on a transport to Kamino-"

"What happens at Kamino?"

Rex was startled at the question. Did the Chancellor not know, or was he intentionally making Rex spell it out? "The process, as I understand it, is injured clones are re-evaluated by the Kaminoans upon arrival. If the Kaminoans agree with the assessment a clone is unfit for duty, they... uh... deal with it accordingly." The words tasted like ash in his mouth. Rex was reluctant to discuss the particulars of reconditioning and deconditioning. It was a very personal and sensitive topic to the clones.

The Chancellor nodded like they were discussing the Rimma Trade Route. "Ah, I see. A logical enough approach. Well, I suppose difficult decisions do have to be made during times of war. Tell me more. "

This was not a topic Rex wanted to discuss. He didn't feel non-clones had any right to discuss this topic, as most didn't seem to care. They had no stake in the matter. They were talking about the lives of his brothers. "Sir, I may not be the best one to answer your questions-"

"Rex."

Skywalker rarely used that warning tone with him, but it was clear he was reaching the end of his (famously short) tether.

The Chancellor gave Anakin a benevolent wave. "It's quite alright, Anakin. The Captain's knowledge may be limited."

Rex scowled. Wait– is he goading me, or calling me an di'kut?

"No," Anakin defended, "Rex knows a lot about everything having to do with the clones. Don't you, Rex?"

Stop helping, General.

"Ah, well, I'm sure this is difficult for the Captain to discuss. Isn't that right?"

Rex simply stared at the Chancellor. Of course,it was difficult for him to discuss. You know all of this information already. You are probably the one who ordered it, in conjunction with Lama Su. The Chancellor stared back, eyes narrowed. "Yes, sir," Rex ground out. "It is difficult."

"Nevertheless," the Chancellor gave another dismissive wave, the kind only someone with a great deal of power could get away with doing, "continue."

Rex clenched his teeth. "Clones deemed unfit, like I was at the time, are given a lethal injection."

"Euthanasia," the Chancellor said calmly, tapping out a note in his datapad, but showing no other emotion. He glanced up. "You're saying the clones who are unfit to fight are euthanized?"

"Yes."

To his credit, Skywalker squirmed uncomfortably next to him.

The Chancellor made a show of scrolling through his notes and reading. "It is a painless way to pass. I've heard it is quite pleasant, actually. You get drowsy. You fall asleep and then it is simply like you are 'switched off.'" The Chancellor looked thoughtful as if he was picturing it all in his mind's eye. "I can see why the Kaminoans choose such a merciful means of assisting those who are so terribly injured."

Assisting?

Rex took several deep breaths through his nose, trying to control his temper. What was this all about? Was the Chancellor playing head games with him?

He glanced over at Skywalker again. The General, at least, still looked uncomfortable.

"Ah, but that's neither here nor there, because here you are back with us again, dear boy!" He sounded positively delighted about it. Next to Rex, Skywalker stopped squirming and was beaming once again. How could Rex's famously clever General be so easily manipulated by this man? He tapped his pad. "I've read your report, but I'd like to hear it directly from your lips."

"Go on, Rex. Tell him. I'd like to hear you tell it, too."

Rex sighed inwardly. He didn't have a choice. He started retelling what happened, being as vague as possible with details. He'd never been much of a storyteller. That was more Fives' department.

"I.. I was on a transport. We were attacked somewhere in the mid-Rim…"

"Attacked by whom, exactly?"

"Pirates. They locked onto the transport and boarded the ship."

"Pirate scum," Anakin hissed.

The Chancellor nodded, a gleam in his eyes. "Ah. Dangerous out there, for certain. We have much work ahead of us in order to bring about peace and order to the galaxy."

"I will not rest until we have peace and order," the General vowed.

Rex resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Was he always like this around the Chancellor? It was... somewhat sickening. It was almost like the General was one person when he was the 501st, another person when he was with his Senator, and someone else entirely around this Mynock of a politician.

"Help me understand. All of you clones were grievously injured, yet you managed to fight off... how many pirates?"

"Probably 20-25?" Rex guessed. "It all happened very quickly."

The Chancellor tapped his pad again. "According to the report from ArmyMed, some of the clones on that ship were crippled. Quadriplegics, even. Surely they were of no use." His tone was still placid, but his one upraised eyebrow suggested he found this scenario highly unlikely.

The hairs on Rex's neck stood up at Razor, Saber, Sink, and Tag being categorized as useless. They were incredible men and had contributed greatly to the small fishing village with their talents.

"We outnumbered them 4:1. Yes, you are correct in that some of the men could not fight-"

"Men. You mean clones."

Why did the Chancellor insist upon continually interrupting? And, to make such inane points? "No, Chancellor, clones are men. Injured or not, we are men."

Next to him, Skywalker shot him a warning look.

Krek, Skywalker, a little support would be nice. You're just going to let him walk all over me like this?

Rex hurriedly continued on. The sooner he finished his report, hopefully, the sooner they could get out of there. "As I was saying, sir, we used the weapons from our gear to fight off the attackers-"

The Chancellor consulted his notes. "But, in doing so, you destroyed your transport. A Republic medical transport." His tone was accusing as if Rex and the others had willfully destroyed Republic property.

That krekkin' ship could barely fly.

"The transport was destroyed because the pirates were attached to the airlock and tried to get away without properly detaching it. The resulting damage destroyed the ship. The ship was sheared in two and tumbled in a freefall into the nearest gravitational body." The location Rex had given for the crash was nowhere near Ando.

"Yet, somehow you survived."

"Yes, sir."

"Everyone else was killed in this crash except for you?" Rex didn't like the suspicion in the Chancellor's tone. "Not all troopers died from the crash, but there were no medical supplies on the ship. Within a few days, the few survivors had succumbed to their injuries." He stuck to the details from his report.

"Sounds like an ordeal," the Chancellor's tone was flat. He made another note on his 'pad. "But, I suppose the right thing to do would be to retrieve the wreckage." He tapped a few more times, and then looked up at Rex again. "We recycle all of our downed ships, you know. More materials for the war effort."

Rex did his best not to react. 100 (reportedly) dead clones were lumped into the same category as 'recycling for the war effort?' He had to get word to Travis and Catcher to move the wreckage. Immediately.

The Chancellor tapped his pad again. "And, you eventually found your way back to the Republic."

"Uh… yes, sir." He seemed much less interested in the details of how that had all transpired.

The wiry former Senator steepled his hands again. "Well, Captain, your loyalty is commendable. Another man in your place might have decided to stay AWOL." He took his time dragging out the syllables. It sounded like a threat. Krek! Did he know about the others?

"Rex would never do that! He's the most loyal man I know!"

Rex shot Skywalker a grateful look. Whether he'd called him a 'man' instead of a clone without thinking about it, (most likely), or on purpose, Rex still appreciated it.

Palpatine turned his attention back to Skywalker. "Quite right, my dear boy." He opened up a drawer in his desk and removed a box. "What you did in rescuing the others was quite remarkable. Ultimately probably unnecessary as I'm sure the Republic would've found a way to rescue them, but still, the Republic extends their gratitude." He flicked open the box with a sharp movement of his wrist. "Anakin," he drew out the syllables of the General's name as if speaking to a favorite pet, "would you like to present this to your Captain?"

Your Captain?

Technically that was accurate. And, the term had never bothered Rex before. But, why did everything sound so wrong coming off of the Chancellor's lips?

Rex didn't even look at the contents of the box. He was too busy staring at Palpatine. The Chancellor's words burned at him. 'Ultimately unnecessary...'

Unnecessary? His men were dying! (The Generals were dying, too. The Chancellor would've lost his previous "An-aaaa-kin.") It had been two months and the 'rescue team' the Republic sent had only managed to also get captured. (Cody and Rex had rescued them, too.)

"Rex! The Chancellor is giving you a medal! Isn't this amazing?"

Amazing? That's one word for it. Thank you for your unnecessary actions. Here's your medal.

The General glanced over at the Chancellor. "I think he's in shock."

Shock? Shocked that the Chancellor is such a-

Rex had no words to describe the man.

"Rex, you saved the life of several Jedi– myself, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and General Unduli. We are all very grateful. Whether or not the Republic would've done it, isn't the point. You got us out of there and I'm very grateful."

Um…. what about the thousands of troopers who'd been locked up?

Rex waited, but Skywalker continued on without specifically mentioning the clones. Maybe that was the fate of the clones. They'd always be swept underfoot. They were invisible men.

Skywalker continued on, obviously enjoying this medal ceremony a great deal more than Rex. "It is my honor to present this medal to you, Captain Rex of the 501st-"

The Chancellor interrupted again, tapping his datapad. "Oh, ah, technically, he's not actually a Captain anymore, is he, Anakin?"

Anakin's face fell. "Oh, uh... no, but he we will be again soon. That's... only a technicality."

The Chancellor nodded pleasantly, but he eyed Rex as if his future was very much in doubt. Rex's gut clenched so he couldn't breathe. Skywalker pinned the metal to Rex's armor, the plasti-clamp adhering to the plastoid instantly. Rex's eyes flickered over to the Chancellor. He had that placid smile again. Did he practice that expression in front of the mirror?

Rex's eyes flicked down to the medal. The weight of it was incredibly heavy somehow. He didn't want a medal or even deserve one. His men had been suffering. He did what had to be done.

Skywalker handed Rex the display box. "Thank you, General," Rex muttered. He instinctively reached down to shove the box in one of his belt pouches, and belatedly remembered his weapons belt had been taken upon his arrest. He shoved it down his shin instead, in the small gap where he normally kept one of his larger knives, (also confiscated.) He forced himself to turn to the Chancellor and politely nodded. "Thank you, Chancellor," he forced the words out, trying to keep his tone even.

"Is that all you have to say, Rex?" Skywalker prompted. "This is a big deal."

What did he want him to say?! "Eh... this is an honor, sir," Rex gritted out. The man knew nothing of honor. Rex knew that deep in his soul.

The Chancellor nodded as if he'd achieved some sort of victory. Rex wanted to rip the medal off.

A soft chime sounded on the Chancellor's desk and he glanced down. "As pleasant as this has been, my next meeting is here. Anakin, do come back and see me again soon."

"I'll do my best. We may be shipping out again soon. But, I'll try to come back here again."

"That would be splendid! Do take care, Captain."

Why did everything that man say sound like a threat?

Rex led the way out of the Chancellor's office. He couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"Wasn't that a great meeting?" Skywalker gushed as they walked down the long senate hallway together. Senators glanced their way, their eyes flicking toward the shiny commendation on Rex's chest plate. "I can't believe he gave you a medal! Are you going to wear it all day? I'll bet you can't wait to show the boys."

"Eh… I think I'll just keep it in a safe place, sir." He tugged the display box out of his shin, jammed the medal into it, and clamped it shut. He heaved a sigh of relief as if he could breathe again.

"No, Rex, you must at least wear it for today! Let the Council see it. They need to know the Chancellor likes you!" He tugged the box from Rex's grasp and pinned the medal on him again.

Oh, I don't think he likes me. And, I'd rather spend time with an angry rancor than that man.

Rex groaned inwardly, the weight of the medal feeling as if it was pulling his lungs down and making every breath difficult. "Very good, sir," he managed, keeping his tone even. He'd gotten very good at placating his General over the years. There was an art to managing Skywalker's mood swings.

Skywalker laughed, his mood unusually ebullient. "Rex, you are the most humble, unassuming man, I know. I hope you never change."

I have changed.

Rex walked beside the General in silence, and then stopped as Skywalker took a turn toward the Senate offices. They should be headed toward one of the exits. "Sir?"

"This way," Skywalker summoned him, with a cheerful wave of his hand, "Pad– er, Senator Amidala wants to see you. We can just squeeze it in before the Council meeting."

The last thing Rex wanted was to be late for the Council meeting. He was already in enough trouble.

Rex didn't have his Chrono, but he'd kept his eye on the gaudy timepiece in the Chancellor's office. "Another time perhaps-"

Skywalker ignored him. "She's so happy you're alive and can't wait to see you! I'll bet she's had C-3PO prepare tea and cakes. Naboo cakes are amazing. Have you ever had them?"

Yes, well, clones sit around having tea and cakes all the time. It's practically all we do.

Senator Amidala. That would explain Skywalker's manic mood. "I'm sure they're very special as far as cakes go, and the senator has always been kind to us clones. But, the Council-"

"It'll be alright, Rex. I know how to deal with the Council. Come on, Padme is waiting."

# # #

Naboo cakes were very good. The Senator made him retell his story, but unlike the Chancellor, she looked genuinely troubled throughout many parts of it. He felt bad parts of it were... versions of the truth.

It was true enough, though. He'd only changed details to protect the boys on the Andoan moon. He had no doubt clones were still meeting their end on Kamino, despite whatever reassurances Lama Su was feeding the Jedi. The Kaminoans were possessive of their intellectual property (cloning), and quality control was everything to them. It was the Senator who kept track of time and ushered them out in time to make their Council meeting.

"I'm sending 3PO over the barracks with boxes of cakes. I wish I could do more. You all deserve so much more." She threw her arms around Rex and there was genuine warmth in the gesture. Rex could see why Skywalker was so smitten with this particular senator. She pulled back, and a thoughtful look crossed her face. "Perhaps there is more I can do. Rex, if I had questions regarding the overall treatment of clones, who would my best point of contact be?"

Rex was flabbergasted by the question. "Eh… " He struggled to come up with an answer. "Commander Fox is a Marshall Commander. He could point you in the right direction."

The senator beamed again. "I know him. Although, we haven't spoken very often. It's time I remedy that oversight. I will start with Commander Fox, then." She looked thoughtful. "Do you think he likes cake?"

Rex blinked, trying to follow her rapid-fire change of topics. "Uh... I think all clones like cake, Senator, and your cakes are particularly... uh..."

Skywalker shot him a dark look.

The Senator laughed and rescued him. "I'm glad you like them. I will have cakes sent over to the Guard office, then." She looked thoughtful. "Why didn't I think of that before? They work so hard to protect us." She gazed at Rex, as if seeing him for the first time. "I think we may have been taking all of you for granted this whole time."

Rex had no idea what she was talking about. He'd learned long ago it was best to agree with the natborns as if they were saying things that actually made sense. "Very good, Senator." It sounded positive, though. When he got his comm gear back, he'd warn Fox and give him a heads-up. But, that would be after he called Travis and warned him about moving the wreckage. Although, even if the wreckage wasn't found where he said it should be, he supposed it wasn't the end of the galaxy. Scavengers, such as off-world Jawas, picked up wrecks all the time-

He glanced around to look for Skywalker and the Senator. They'd stepped into a side corridor and it had gone silent. He rolled his eyes. Why did they think they were discreet? They were the worst kept secret in the GAR.

Rex took advantage of the distraction to remove the medal from his chest and stuff it under the couch cushion. He took a deep breath of relief.

Skywalker emerged, his cheeks slightly flushed. "Come on, Rex, we must be going."

Skywalker walked briskly toward the Jedi Temple and Rex increased his stride to match the General's naturally long steps. The man was usually late for things, so he'd mastered the art of walking quickly. Some people in the streets recognized him and snapped holos as they passed. The attention made Rex uncomfortable, but Skywalker seemed to thrive under all of it.

He likes having all eyes on him. What an odd quality for a Jedi.

But, what do I know about Jedi?

The Jedi they'd been told to expect while training on Kamino were nothing like the ones they ended up getting. The first battle of Geonosis was a huge reality check for every clone that fought and survived the battle. Stories of the Jedi's failed leadership during the battle were legendary.

Relations between clones and their Jedi Generals were strained in some battalions. Bacara made it clear on the command chat that he barely tolerated General Mundi. Rex had heard rumors about discontent with General Krell's leadership tactics. He supposed he was lucky to be serving with Skywalker, despite the man's quirks.

Depending upon the outcome of this meeting with the Council, I may not be serving with him any longer anyway.

His fate was now in the hands of the Jedi Council.

The empty display box banged uncomfortably against his shin. He would ditch it at the first possible opportunity, and hopefully, put the meeting with the Chancellor behind him. One of the shinies, Unity, loved making art out of everyday objects. Rex would give it to him and be done with the thing. Thoughts of getting back to his men lifted his spirits.

I just have to get through this meeting.

He fervently hoped this meeting with the Council would go better than his last one.

# # #