"501st!" Fox called out, in the newly formed Protection Corps.
"Sir, yes, sir!" The newly minted Commander Rex answered, stepping forward, in front of his battalion.
He was nervous, everyone was. They were getting their Jettis today!
"Oh!" Fox smirked. "Lucky battalion! You got General Skywalker!"
Rex froze, while his battalion whispered excitedly. Fox continued calling out the rest, but Rex's mind was elsewhere. He just had to get General Skywalker! The Hero of Naboo, who defeated the Trade Federation at nine-years-old. One of the greatest inventors and engineers in the galaxy. The youngest Jedi Knight in history. One that was not newly knighted because of the war, But given to him for his abilities. The wielder of the only actual orange lightsaber.
Kriff! Rex cursed in his head. I can do this. I can be the second-in- command of this legend. I can totally do this… Not!
"Vod'ika, calm down," the warm and comforting voice of his brother Cody was finally capable of breaking through the mist in his head. "Better?"
"Vode... I can't do this," Rex held into Cody. "I can't be in charge of protecting a Jedi Legend He is married to a senator and ex-queen! He is nobility and Naboo will have my head it something happens to him!"
"Not if my Jedi gets to you first.," Wolffe joked, joining his other two brothers.
"Wolffe!" Cody berated him.
"As if your Jetti wouldn't join mine!" Wolffe snapped back snarkily.
"Your Jetti… which were they?" Rex asked, totally lost.
"Wow, you really were out of it," Wolffe whistled.
"Shut it!" Cody snapped at him, before softening his expression when he turned to Rex. "My Jetti is Master Kenobi, General Skywalker's husband. And Wolffe's is Master Koon, General Skywalker's buir and master-teacher."
"Great!" Rex groaned, hitting his head against his vode's chest plate.
"Calm down, you drama queen," Fox chuckled, joining the three commanders. "You won the jackpot and are complaining."
"You did say that," Cody commented suspiciously. "Why? He is a great Jetti, but so is Wolffe's and mine."
"He is the one that masterminded the Clone Decree and it is his money that funded fully the Protection Corps." Fox informed them dryly, earning startled looks from his vode. "See? Lucky!"
"Kriff!" Rex cursed. "Now my own vode that will kill me if something happens to him!"
"Jeez, such a drama queen!" Wolffe laughed.
While the brothers teased Rex, the most famous triad in the Republic were saying their goodbyes.
"What are you doing?" Padmé asked softly as Anakin gave her his wedding ring. This was hard for her, her two husbands will be going to war today... a war she had failed to stop.
"If I take it with me it might fall off during battle, or get destroyed if something happens to my ship," Anakin answered her with a bestowed smile. "So, I am leaving it with you for safe keeping. As a promise of my return. I'll come back and you'll put this ring back on my finger. We can see it as a renewal of our votes."
"You do love your holo-roms," Obi-Wan teased fondly, kissing his husband's forehead while his wife chuckled with tears in her eyes. "Will you keep mine too?"
"Of course," Padmé beamed, tears rolling down her cheers. "I love you!"
"We love you too," Aanakin and Obi-Wan echoed.
With one last hug and kiss they all parted ways. Padmé back to the Senate, Obi-Wan to the 212th, and Anakin to the 501st.
Anakin's breath caught in his throat. These were his men, his brothers-in-arms. They were free now. One of Anakin's biggest regrets was aiding the enslavement of the clones. He had been a slave and then became a slaver...
Then again, I was a slave to the Emperor too... Anakin thought sadly, with a self-deprecating smile. He rapidly returned to his normal smile. He had become quite a good actor on these last few years.
"General!" Rex and his battalion saluted.
"Relax!" Anakin smiled at them. "Good morning Commander Rex, vode," Anakin's smile became sad at the startled looks he received. Even when they are free and citizens of the Republic, they still find kindness strange. "Here in my ship we run things differently," Anakin continued in flawless Mando'a, gaining even more surprised looks. "First, we are a family. Not only the vode, but all of us. If someone mistreats you, you tell me. I'll deal with it. The same goes to you, mistreatment is something I will not allow. If we do not have each other's back, then who will?" The 501st exchanged looks of wonder and hope. "Second, no Jedi or soldier is being left behind. Got it? You are soldiers, human beings, and are not expendable. Not in my eyes." Now some vode had tears in their eyes. "Third, I will not allow for war crimes. You see someone mistreating the civilians we've come to help, deal with it or tell me. The same goes to our prisoners. We let the law deal with them, we will not lower ourselves to their level. Understood?"
"Sir, yes, Sir!" The vode responded, loud and proudly.
"Good, and call me Anakin, I am not old enough to be called Sir," Anakin joked, earning some laughs from his men. "Also, if you allow it my mother would love to adopt you," that earned him a shocked silence. "You are my brothers-in-arms from now on, even if you do not accept being adopted, you are Skywalkers. And Skywalkers wear white and blue, it's our colors. For a fresh start, after years of slavery, and our reliability, as we are going to free others from slavery. Skywalkers, are slaves set free."
Rex looked at his General in awe and pride. Inspired and motivated. He was vode and he was proud of that. Mandalorians are honorable warriors, when they heard of their mission to deal with the Hutts, they were happy. They'll be battling and standing for a worthy cause. Being a Skywalker was the same.
Slaves set free...
Fox had been right, they were lucky.
Rex, Kit, and Jesse stood there, eyes wide in amazement, watching as the troopers suddenly halted. One of them tilted its head, like it heard something far off in the darkness. For a moment, everything went eerily quiet.
Rex felt a wave of danger wash over him, his instincts kicking in. Then, out of the darkness, a brilliant orange light blazed, revealing Anakin Skywalker standing before the small army. Anakin looked calm, ready for the droids to make their move.
Nothing happened at first, and then, the troopers raised their blasters and fired at Anakin. "General!" Rex shouted, ready to jump in, but Kit and Jesse held him back, knowing it would be useless.
Anakin's orange lightsaber moved with hypnotic fluidity, deflecting the blaster bolts with ease. Some of the redirected shots hit the droids right in their weak spots.
It was a sight to behold. Anakin moved like a shadow, deadly and graceful. He took down droid after droid, his mastery over the Force and his lightsaber leaving the clone troopers in awe.
"Did you see that?" Kit whispered, amazed. Jesse just nodded, too captivated to speak.
Anakin's use of the Force was astonishing. Rex watched as he lifted a droid into the air, crushing it with an unseen force. The Jedi hardly seemed phased, quickly moving on to take down more enemies.
"He's unstoppable," Rex murmured, admiration and pride in his voice.
The battle raged on, with Anakin taking down troopers with a mix of lightsaber skill and powerful Force abilities. Every move was smooth, every strike precise, like he was dancing through the fight.
Finally, the last droid fell, and Anakin stood there, catching his breath. "Well, that's all of them," he said with a smile, an almost unsettling angelic smile, as he led the way through the palace, the vode following close behind.
Rex could only stare awestruck at the scene around him. They were in Nal Hutt, home world of the Hutt species... or what's left of them. Droids and severed limbs of bounty hunters were scattered around the palace. The takedown had been easy, especially with General Skywalker taking the vanguard and slaying anyone standing on his way. No one could stand on his way and his lightsaber mastery.
Rex who had lead his role behind the General, felt as if he had been guided by the orange light of the lightsaber. As if it was a light of hope and freedom. The orange twin suns on his general's shoulder, were also illuminated by the lightsaber. It was an inspiring scene. One that made Rex and his vode very proud of being part of the 501st.
"Osik!" Jesse cursed coming to stop next to Rex, as both of them stood in the Nal Hutt's palace's throne room. Their sight was on Anakin, who was sitting on the throne while he listened to the reports from the freedom rebellion in the planet. "Kit just told me that we lost no vode, only some nat-born soldiers perished, and 30 of the freedom rebellion members."
"Kriff!" Rex cursed, breathless. "This must have been the easiest take over ever."
"It will pass down in history," both troopers rapidly turned around raising their blasters startled. "Hello!"
Rex could only stare in shock at the man laying against the pillar lazily. How did he sneak behind them? Past all of them! Was he bounty hunter? An enemy?
"General!" Jesse rapidly saluted, having noticed the lightsaber on the man's waist.
"Relax, I'm a Shadow," the man waved uncaring. "Not a General. I'm Quinlan, I trained Aayla and am that vixen's husband's best friend," he snorted, pointing at Anakin with a nod.
"Byl's General," Rex murmured in recollection. "What brings you to Nal Hutt? Do you need our General?"
"I've been here since the start!" Quinlan snorted. "Way before you guys made it to the planet. The Jedi Shadows and rebel spies have been spewing poison in the ears of the Hutts for months. Why waste resources and lives when we can have them kill each other?"
"What?" Jesse asked dumbfounded.
"We did not take over an united planet," Rex realized. "But one that had just gone through a civil war."
"The planet was never united to begin with," Quinlan scoffed. "The Hutts are criminals that share only their species and their trade in slavery. But by killing a couple of high positioned Hutts and blaming others, their lust of power did the rest- they tore each other apart. What was left to do was pick what's left of them apart and stabilize the planets freed."
"That's what General Skywalker meant by it will be easy and it will go as planned," Rex commented, looking at his General, awestruck.
"That vixen has been planning this for a while," Quinlan snorted. "He has already has picked a democratic body for every planet, composed of 60% freed slaves and 40% free-born. And has already given them films, information packets, filled with trade, law, political, and environmental plans to aid them to become independent."
"Wow..." Jesse gasped in awe.
"Skywalkers sure are overachievers," Quinlan laughed. "Then again, you guys are now Skywalkers as well," he pointed at Tup, who was being checked over by Kit. He had his armor off and showing off the orange twin suns on his shoulder. The same tattoo every vode in the 501st had. Their freedom tattoo. "You might continue his chaotic legacy."