I can't believe Echo is awake.

Fives couldn't get to the basement of the medcenter fast enough.

"Where ya' going in such a hurry sweet buns? Don't forget about caf break, yeah?"

Fives ignored the grabby file clerk and made for the nearest stairwell. He didn't have patience for the lift. He raced down flight after flight, taking the stairs two at a time. The exertion felt good and helped relieve some of his nervous energy. He increased his speed, nearly missing a step. He didn't care. He just had to get back to Echo.

He burst through to the isolation floor and charged through to the ward.

"Where's-" he stopped, jaw-dropping.

"Whoa, brother. You've looked better."

Fives blinked in astonishment, staring at Echo. He was sitting in the biobed, with an amused smile on his face, as he sipped an electrolyte pouch. He made a gesture to hand it off to Fives. "You should drink this, vod. You look worse than the time we ran afoul of those Moggonites on Arorua."

Kix sighed and grabbed another electrolyte drink and handed it off to Fives. "Now, you both have one. Both of you drink up."

Fives sank down on the edge of Echo's bed and tugged off his helmet. "Fek, brother, you had me so scared."

Echo reached to the back of Fives' neck and scratched at his hair. "I'm sorry, brother. I didn't mean to."

Fives finished sucking down the pouch and tossed it carelessly on the floor. He flopped back on the bed until he was right next to Echo, their dark heads touching. "It's alright. I know you didn't mean to do it. How is it you're awake now?"

Echo's face lit up and he took a deep breath.

"No, no, no," Fives stopped him. "I know that look. You're about to launch into a bunch of technobabble."

"Fine. Here it is 'Fives' speak, then, I've been unconscious because I had inflammation in my brain."

"That part I already knew. I was up there finding you a farkin' brain surgeon, Echo, because you were dying. How is it you are awake."

"My immune system reduced the inflammation on its own."

"OK, that I understand, too. But, what about that thing in your head?"

"Ah, this thing?" Echo held up a datapad. "Kix was just showing it to me. I suggested we leave it for now."

"What? Why? That sounds very dangerous."

"Because brother Kix and whoever this other medic is here-"

"Sly, I have a name you know."

"Right. Sly. They think there's a possibility it might be in all clones." Echo reached a hand up to tap Fives' temple, just above his trademark tattoo.

Fives rubbed at his temple warily. "Lovely." He gave Echo a scrutinizing look. "You were so sick, though. Wouldn't it still be safer to get that thing out of you?"

"No, between my natural clone immune system and whatever super goo I was exposed to in that lab, I am fine."

"Supergoo?" Fives startled. "Wait, what fekkin' supergoo? And, why is this the first I am hearing of it?"

Kix shook his head. "Echo neglected to mention he may have touched a contaminant in the lab."

"I was a little busy fighting off a horde of angry Kazzies. And, I got stabbed. Did we forget about that already? Because I didn't." His voice was indignant.

"No, of course not," said Kix, "but-"

"And, I didn't touch a contaminant, I was smashed into it and then it fell on me. You make it sound like-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Echo," Fives put a calming hand on his brother, "Kix is just trying to help. I think you're hangry. Sorry, Kix, he gets like this when he hasn't eaten." He pulled a rations bar from his belt pouch and unwrapped it. Echo wolfed it down in two bites.

Kix nodded approvingly and then accepted his datapad back from Echo who gave a sort of sheepish, apologetic look to the medic. "I'm sorry, I bit your head off, Kix."

"No problem, Echo, I should've offered you food right away. You've been unconscious for a long time. You caught us by surprise when you woke up." He looked down at the datapad. "What you were exposed to in that lab could be important. We should run some blood tests."

Sly's compad bleeped out a warning alarm. He glanced down and his eyes widened. "If we are going to run them, it is not happening here. We need to get out of here... now."

# # #

Rex stood up on the rooftop landing pad next to Appo, waiting for their shuttle in awkward silence.

"I see you were able to get your armor painted."

"Yes, most of the boys were able to get a little paint on their new kit. I didn't see you there."

"After doing rounds, I had reports to do." Rex felt a twinge of guilt Appo didn't get a chance to paint his kit. But, he was doing command duties and the extra work came with the job.

"I... uh... could ask Harley to save you some paint," Rex offered awkwardly.

"I can handle that on my own." More awkward silence ensued before Appo tacked on, "but, thank you."

Gah. This conversation was more painful than when he'd taken that clone-shredder round to the knee.

It was Appo who broke the silence first. He held out a hand out for Rex's helmet. "May I?"

Rex handed over his bucket, and Appo held it up, looking at the weld lines. "Interesting. Different. You blended Phase 1 and Phase 2." He nodded and handed it back to Rex. "The new armor takes a bit of getting used to." He tapped his Phase II bucket hanging on his belt. "The HUD is different. I'm finding it disorienting because of the different configuration."

"We should have the men run drills specifically targeting HUD skills."

Appo nodded approvingly, "I was thinking the same."

More silence. Gah. Where was that fekkin' shuttle? Was it coming all the way from the Kuati shipyards?

Rex struggled to clip the new helmet to his Phase II belt. It didn't clip the same.

Appo reached over and clipped it on in one smooth move. Rex wasn't sure if he was grateful or irked by the move. He decided to let it go.

"Thanks, and, uh, thanks for the heads up about the new display."

Appo chuckled. "Good one, Rex." The sound caught Rex off-guard. He still wasn't used to the idea of Appo having a sense of humor.

More awkward seconds ticked by until Appo broke the silence. "Ahsoka-, er, Commando Tano commed to say she would be late."

Did she now?

Rex stewed in silence noticing the first name slip. He couldn't help but think back to all of the time Appo and Ahsoka had spent together at Darkknell. He knew he shouldn't be so bothered by it, but it gnawed at him all the same.

"Eh, did she say why she was delayed?"

Appo hesitated. "She... uh... is trying to locate General Skywalker."

"Ah, he is often on Senate business when we are on Coruscant. Keeps him away for days at a time."

"The Commander commented as much. The General is not responding to comm hails so she is attempting to track him down."

Rex nodded, glad he hadn't been tasked with the duty. It was always awkward being sent to 'track the General down.' When he was on Coruscant, he didn't want to be found.

They continued to wait, watching commuter traffic go by overhead. Appo shifted, stretching his neck and shoulder with a slightly pained grunt.

"New armor bothering you?"

"No."

Rex thought he wasn't going to say anymore. But, after a moment of silence, Appo continued. "It's… from Darkknell."

Rex had read the reports, and Cody had given him a first-hand account of what Appo had suffered while bound and locked in a closet. Kix's medical report said Appo refused to talk about the vicious assault.

He probably feels humiliated. Cody's entire team knows what happened to him.

Rex had comforted many a trooper after horrific battle experiences. His issues with Appo would not stop him from helping a brother in need.

"Appo," Rex started, switching to what he hoped was a conciliatory tone, "what happened was not your-"

"Don't," Appo hissed, "you don't know anything about happened to me. I don't know where you were for that missing time. But, I was locked up with the 501st. You were fekkin' AWOL and they still let you come back here."

Rex startled. He hadn't seen Appo angry before.

Outrage and guilt hit Rex all at once. He would have given anything to be with the 501st. It was his rightful place. He hadn't been given that choice. He still held his tongue.

And, he refrained from pointing out that if he'd been responsible for the Legion, they may never have lost the Battle of Kaz'haria and ended up captured.

Gah. He was all for letting a vod vent, but where was that frakkin' shuttle?

"I paid my dues as commander of this Legion," Appo leaned in, staring Rex down. "But, when I walk these corridors all I hear the men talking about is 'the hero of Darkknell.' You left. And, yet the men still give you their loyalty."

Again, Rex thought, I did not leave. I was sent away. There's a difference.

"No one recognizes what I did to protect the commander," Appo continued.

Not true. I already told him he did a fine job on that one. Or, I meant to. Fek. The past week has been such a blur.

"I'll never forget what you did for me," said a voice behind them.

Rex and Appo whipped around as one to face Ahsoka.

"You saved my life, Appo," Ahsoka came closer to the two clones and stepped between them. "First on Kaz'haria. And, then twice on Darkknell. I've already nominated you for special recognition."

Special recognition?

He and Cody rescued almost 12,000 men and they were thrown into the RMB.

Appo loses a major battle and he gets a frakkin' medal.

Who cares? It's just a stupid medal. Given by Ahsoka. To Appo. Frakkin' Appo.

Appo's body language changed as Ahsoka touched him. Some of his anger visibly dissipated.

"Thank you, Commander," Appo said, "it was my honor to protect you. And, my duty."

I want to hit him, Rex realized. Although, in all fairness, he would be saying something similar if their roles were reversed.

He still wanted to hit him.

The arrival of the shuttle provided a welcome distraction.

He'd just gotten out of the RMB. Striking a superior officer would probably not be a good idea. It didn't stop his hands from feeling twitchy. He rested them lightly on his twin pistols to keep from balling them into fists and focused on the shuttle. It was a Nu-class attack shuttle, also new, judging by the lack of battle scoring on the sides.

The war effort is definitely well-funded these days. Who's paying for all of this?

Admiral Yularen stepped off, accompanied by two troopers. "Sorry, I am late. I had an intelligence meeting that ran overtime." He gestured for everyone to get onboard and the shuttle quickly took off again.

Appo sat near the Admiral and started questioning him about a new regulation. He was once again all cool professionalism, with no signs of the emotional outburst of minutes before.

Rex settled in next to Ahsoka.

"You, OK?" she asked quietly. "You seem distracted."

He shook his head. "Fine," he muttered.

Appo just vented his three months of captivity onto me, but I'm good.

Ahsoka lightly brushed her fingertips against his gloved hands. The light touch was so reassuring it grounded him again.

Rex suddenly realized they were rising up through Corrie's atmosphere. He'd assumed they were meeting somewhere on Coruscant, at one of the many other military facilities, possibly even at Republic Intelligence.

He looked over at Ahsoka in puzzlement, but if she knew anything, her expression revealed nothing. He couldn't see much from the main crew area of the attack shuttle, so he clambered up into the cockpit.

"Hello, Captain."

Rex grinned in recognition.

"Hawk."

"Enjoying the view, sir?" Hawk asked and directed his attention again out the main viewport. There was a slightly teasing tone to his voice.

And, then Rex saw it. His jaw dropped.

The co-pilot, Flight, looked up at Rex and chuckled. "I think we've broken the Captain."

Rex took a step backward and stepped into the Admiral.

"I'm sorry, sir," he apologized abruptly, trying to shift to make room in the crowded cockpit.

"Quite alright, Captain. I came up to see how you were enjoying the view," Yularen said.

"Sir, is that…" Rex's mouth had gone dry and he gestured vaguely out the viewport.

And, there it was, the Resolute. The last time Rex had seen the ship it was about to fire upon them as they emerged from hyperspace upon their initial return to Coruscant.

"Take us for a lap around, would you Hawk?" the Admiral ordered.

"With pleasure, sir," responded the experienced combat pilot.

Rex stared in awe, taking in the sight of the heavy turbolaser turrets, and the point-defense cannons. They swept by the proton torpedo tubes and the tractor beam projectors, taking a graceful arc behind the ion engines before swooping around toward the main hangar bay.

"I don't understand, sir," Rex looked back at the Admiral, baffled, "Are we meeting here?"

"Yes, and then we are taking back our ship," Yularen said with firm conviction.

"But, another crew is stationed onboard," Rex said.

"Not anymore," Yularen corrected. "They've been given a new ship, the Palpatine, fresh from the shipyards. Higher command wanted us to take the new vessel. But, I put in a request for something a bit more… vintage."

He had no words for the emotions that were swirling through him as they landed.

Vintage.

The ship had seen many battles. And, survived. Just like Rex.

He struggled to swallow past the lump in his throat.

He was finally home.

Can you imagine Rex and Anakin on a ship named Palpatine? LOL. No