Rex left the task of supervising patrols to Jesse and headed back up to the Resolute to file reports.
As he walked down the long corridor to his office, he let his thoughts wander. After nearly a full rotation down on Bith, he needed some time to think. He was due for a sonic, a meal, and rack time, but was still too wired to eat or sleep. None of what they were doing down on the planet was sitting well with him.
Shooting tinnies makes sense to me. But, this is something else entirely.
They'd easily taken out the paltry droid forces on Bith. Republic Intelligence must have known there was no need to send in four cruisers. So, what was this all about, then? Intimidation? Getting a planet back in line as an example to others?
This was a new tactic to Rex, and he wasn't comfortable with it.
Did the Republic change while I was away, or did I change?
He pushed out a weary sigh and entered his office. He wasn't in the mood for caf, so he slid into his chair and dove straight into the mission report.
He left the door to his office open since he seemed to be the only one who used the corridor. They wouldn't be needing the spare munitions stored in this section of the ship until they pushed deeper into the Rim. He was startled to sense someone at his door several minutes later.
"Hey, Rex."
"General Skywalker," Rex quickly stood up. Skywalker looked tired, and drawn, much the same way Rex was feeling.
Anakin waved off any pretense of formality. "Relax, Rex. Not a formal visit." He glanced around and then frowned. "It's smaller than your last office."
"I don't mind," Rex said. "It's quiet down here." He pointed to the caf dispenser. "Can I get you a cup, sir?"
Anakin put up a hand. "No." His lips quirked. "I'd like to keep the lining of my stomach intact."
Sensing that Skywalker had something more on his mind, Rex pointed to the spare chair in his office. "Care to sit, then, sir?"
Since Ahsoka's visit, Rex had rearranged the small space and scrounged up a spare chair from the storeroom. He was glad for the extra furniture now.
Skywalker nodded and settled into the chair, rearranging it slightly to accommodate his long legs. He sighed, and leaned his head against the back of the chair, closing his eyes.
Rex settled into his own chair and removed his bucket. His General was always much easier to deal with when he was in one of his unguarded moods. In the three years they'd been serving together, Rex had seen him in all his moods. He had a fierce temper, which it wasn't wise to provoke. But, he'd also proven himself to be an outstanding General who cared about the men time and again. Rex was content just to spend time in his company again.
"Things weren't the same while you were gone," Skywalker's voice was still distant as if he were living in both the present and past at the same time. "Everything was just off while you were gone. You are the 501st." He closed the door of the office with an impatient wave of his hand, and Rex knew then the conversation was delving into confidential territory. Skywalker snapped his eyes open, and gestured around to Rex's new office. "I didn't want any of this to happen. When you returned, I asked if Appo could be reassigned to another command posting."
Rex's eyes widened slightly at this news.
Skywalker scowled fiercely. "But, the Jedi Council wouldn't hear of it. Called you an unknown risk now due to your time away," Skywalker shook his head and his expression darkened. "You never should have been sent away. We failed you. I failed you."
"You didn't, sir," Rex said. "If I hadn't been sent away, I wouldn't have been in a position to rescue the 501st."
"If you hadn't been sent away, the 501st may not have needed rescuing."
"I can't say, sir. I wasn't at the Battle of Kaz'haria, but I'm committed to working with Commander Appo now. We'll make it work. Not to worry."'
Skywalker studied Rex for a long moment. "You're a good man." He scrubbed a hand across his face, his expression drawing even more serious.
Rex wasn't good with words, but there likely wasn't going to be a better time to talk with the General. He'd lost so many brothers, he'd learned to never put off important conversations. "Sir, has something been bothering you? I've… eh… noticed it since we left Coruscant."
"Noticed what?" Skywalker looked over at him sharply.
Rex plowed on, knowing he could very well be straying into dangerous territory. "You've been quick to anger lately. I'm not great with words, but I can listen. A distracted soldier is not much good out on the battlefield."
Skywalker peered an eye open at him now. "Am I the distracted soldier now, Rex?"
Rex wanted to deny it, but he didn't have General Kenobi's skills for negotiation. He only knew how to speak his mind. "You're not yourself lately, sir."
Skywalker laughed again, but this time it was a self-deprecating sound. "For someone not good with words, you're doing alright." He didn't say anymore.
"Did something happen on Coruscant?" Rex pushed. He'd had to do this sometimes with his troopers. It was difficult to get hardened soldiers to open up, but it wasn't too much different than any other difficult engagement. You had to stick with it until you pushed through the defenses. And, sometimes even work in a sneak attack. "Was it something with… eh… your Senate meeting?"
Skywalker looked at him sharply again. "How much do you know about me and Padme?"
Rex put his hands up in surrender. "I only know as much as you're willing to tell me. Other than that, I know nothing and I see nothing. Your official role has always been to protect the senator."
"Yes, well, it's more than that now," Skywalker admitted. "A lot more." He pushed out a long sigh and scrubbed at his face. "It's gotten very…. complicated. We became friends early on and then that grew… into something else."
'I think I understand, sir," Rex answered immediately, thinking of his friendship with Ahsoka. Sometimes friendships did grow into something more...complicated.
"You do?" Skywalker looked at him with surprise, his expression puzzled.
Rex sensed he needed to tread carefully. "The Senator is very important to you."
Skywalker looked at him, no anger in his eyes, just trying to make Rex understand. "It's more than that… Padme is my wife."
Oh.
Rex carefully kept his expression calm and neutral. "I have your back, sir. I always will. And, now the back of the senator, too. You can count on me."
"Thank you, Rex," Skywalker heaved out a huge sigh as if telling Rex had lifted a huge weight from his shoulders. "It's forbidden, you know," he said quietly.
Rex nodded. This part he understood clearly, too, from his conversations with Ahsoka. "The Jedi have a lot of rules, and they are very complex."
Skywalker snorted lightly with amusement. "Yes, they do. An insane amount of rules. It could drive a man crazy sometimes."
The words came more easily to Rex now. "But, I'm also starting to understand, sir, rules are not always so clear cut."
Skywalker gave Rex an intense look. "No, they're not. I agree." He blew out a breath. "I feel as if I made a mess of things. I'm not sure how I'm going to make it right."
"From what I see, you always do the right thing," Rex said, putting his feelings into words. It didn't come easily to him, but he thought it was important. "And, sometimes, the right thing to do isn't always clear cut." Rex thought briefly of the clone conspiracy. He had no intention of telling the General about it. He had no wish to add to his burdens, and it was something they were keeping amongst brothers. But, he did understand the complexities of trying to follow rules and regs and still do what was right. "When I first left Kamino, I thought it would all be so simple. Shoot the enemy. Protect the civvies. Watch out for my brothers. I thought all orders I received would fall in line with these goals. But, that hasn't always been the case. There's… a lot of… grey areas sometimes."
"Yes, well, I feel as if I'm mostly in the grey areas these days," Skywalker said, with another self-deprecating laugh.
"Maybe it's not you that is wrong, General," Rex said, with all sincerity.
"Are you saying the Jedi Code is outdated?" Skywalker looked surprised and intrigued.
"I'm no Jedi," Rex put his hands out in surrender. "But, the codes you live by should not be causing you this much stress. The senator is a good woman. She's good with a blaster, and can hold her own against the tinnies."
"You really like Padme?" Skywalker prompted, and Rex could see his opinion mattered to the General.
"Yes, admittedly, she has a tendency to find trouble. But, she's always been good to us clones and treats us like people. She doesn't show fear when situations get tough. I'd be honored to have her along on a mission any day."
"That's high praise coming from you, Captain," Skywalker said, his mood lightening up. He gestured to the datapad and flimsis on Rex's desk. "You about done with your reports?"
"Not yet, sir."
"I can tell you haven't eaten. We'll get those reports done faster if we both work on it and then we can hit the mess."
'Thank you, sir," Rex said, sliding over the flimsi he was working on to Skywalker, and pulling up the next one on his datapad. It was good to work beside his General, even on something as mundane as finishing up the reports on the first portion of the Bith mission. Rex left out the portion about the altercation with Nash. It was a minor incident and not worth mentioning in a report.
They were just finishing up when Skywalker's wrist comm lit up demanding his attention.
The General glanced down at the comm unit, and then sucked in his breath.
Sensing the immediate change in Skywalker's mood, Rex knew something had happened. "Something wrong, General?"
Skywalker closed his eyes a long moment before replying, and then addressed Rex. "We've been ordered to arrest all of the Bith leadership effective immediately."
A/N: Thank you CaptainRexBest35 for your thoughts and feedback on this scene.