Back at it again, nearing the end of this arc and we got this and one more to go after.
Originally, we were gonna go up to seven but figured we could do volume 7 of Band of brothers at a later time.
So let's keep going.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice day.
Avengers Infinite Wars Chapter 119: Band of Brother Volume 5 Replacements
"Ready… aim… FIRE!"
Over three dozen rifles fired at the same(not exactly) time, riddling a wall with targets. Some managed to hit the targets, be it on the outskirts or even a lucky few being closer to the center.
The rest on the other hand…
"Is that it? Is that all we can get out of you? Are you here to be troopers or sitting banthas, screaming "shoot me, I'm open" at your enemies?"
ARC Trooper Alpha of the GAR stood to the side of these new recruits and gave off an air of pure displeasure.
"Are you here to be soldiers or fodder? Weapons down."
There was a slight fumbling of how the recruits lowered their rifles, further irritating the ARC trooper.
"Five-year clones can handle their weapons better than you."
There was a low murmur from a nearby human that made Alpha spin about and smash his fist into the man's gut. The human doubled over, falling to his knees and coughing heavily.
"Got something to say?" Alpha's tone was deadly and dangerous, causing some to shiver as the Trooper was now crouching down at eye level with the man. "I don't think I heard you quite right."
The man now looked upon Alpha with evident fear, averting his gaze whilst rubbing his stomach. There was a tense silence that permeated the air, many standing rigid, some shaking nervously.
Alpha huffed and straightened out, glaring down at the recruit.
"Get up." He gruffly ordered.
The man moaned, clutching his stomach.
This only served to incense the Clone Trooper further.
"Did you mishear me, cadet?" Alpha growled now, his glare being felt by the man. "Get your ass back up, now."
Fighting against the pain, the man forced himself to stand up straight, wobbling slightly yet managed to keep himself upright. Alpha was back in his face again, the glare emanating from the ARC now cowering this recruit.
Alpha remained in the man's personal bubble, the new trooper keeping his eyes down, shaking until the ARC trooper stepped back and his eyes wandered at the gathered recruits/conscripts/volunteers.
"This?" He derisively sneered. "This is the best the Republic has to offer? This is what I've been sent to mold into ARCs? Either this is a joke or the supposed standards are worse than a rainy day on Tatooine."
Alpha began to pace back and forth, eyes constantly jumping from each individual. Some jolted at his gaze whilst others tried to remain resolute despite their clear nervousness. Only two managed to maintain a level of stoicism that Alpha took note of before addressing the assembled group.
"Do you realize what you need to be to become an Advanced Recon Commando?" He spoke slowly, measuring each word and making sure each one was emphasized and felt by all. "Other than the four-man squads of the Commandos, the ARCs are the absolute pinnacle of the Grand Army of the Republic. We are essentially one-man armies, the closest to Jedi in terms of prowess, efficiency and deadliness. So when I was selected to train a new batch of ARCs, imagine my disappointment when I landed my eyes on you sorry sods."
Some were insulted. Others felt a bit down.
Yet they knew, much as they loathed to admit it to themselves, that despite being considered to be competent and promising soldiers, to hear someone as renowned and as skilled as Alpha tear them a new one was… well it wasn't pleasant.
It didn't help that he was likely or outright telling the truth.
Made them question themselves considerably before getting here.
"You wanna be an ARC?" He questioned rhetorically, inhaling sharply before bellowing out, "YOU GOTTA HATE WHAT YOU'RE FIRING AT! HATE IT! WHEN YOU'RE ON THE BATTLEFIELD, YOUR LIFE WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE LINE! SO PUT SOME KRIFFING BACK INTO IT AND GOD DAMMIT, SHOW ME SOME SPINES, YOU DAMNED COWARDS!"
His voice was like a tidal wave, crashing against the recruits who all shuddered in unison.
Alpha didn't let up, though he did lower his voice.
"You either adapt and grow or drown and die." He sternly said, a tone that brokered no arguments. "Don't think that just because the prospect of a peace treaty with the Separatists means that having such an army is irrelevant. Ultron showed us all what can happen at the drop of a Credit."
It appeared the mentioning of the mad AI had a desired effect on the troopers given how some had their fists curled up, a few twitches of anger and fear and eyes hardening considerably. All of this didn't go unnoticed by Alpha.
"That got your attention? Good. That's the hatred you're gonna need if you wanna be a soldier in the Republic. To be an ARC trooper, you'll have to show me more."
This was all observed by Cham Syndulla and ARC Trooper Fordo.
"He's… intense." The former commented with the latter huffing and shaking his head.
"Alpha was never one to shy away from how he believes a trooper should be for the Republic." Fordo remarked. "But to be an ARC Trooper requires far more than the standard clone."
"I was hoping that Keeli would be able to help here but he already has his hands full with my people." Cham remarked.
"Keeli is better suited for your people, General." Fordo respectfully said. "He was with you when your planet was subjugated and starving. The 71st is the best suited for integrating many Twi'leks from Ryloth into the GAR."
Cham couldn't fault Fordo in his logic.
His wincing disrupted his line of thought upon seeing Alpha Judo slam a Rodian hard on the ground.
"For Kriff sake, Alpha." Fordo sighed exasperatedly. "The Republic wants you to train them not break them. Excuse me, general."
Despite seeing the thrashing, hearing the tone of the other ARC trooper got a small chuckle from the Senator, watching as Fordo "politely" told Alpha that he'll take care of the training from here.
-Scene Cut-
Anakin Skywalker, Captain Rex and Ahsoka Tano walked side by side through the hangar bay assigned to the 501st.
They had just finished coming off of PT with the boys and were currently going through several inspections of those who were not present for training. It wasn't that they were shirking, far from it.
They were assigned other duties, such as maintenance, cleaning, and other priorities for their legion.
One such priority was the guidance, training and initiation of the new conscripts and recruits coming into the 501st.
This wasn't just isolated to them as the many Clone Legions, battalions and corps were now receiving an influx of new troopers.
A large chunk of the recruits were still clones, the last few waves that survived Kamino. They never finished their training since the destruction of their homeworld so many were placed in the GAR, the hope being that the more seasoned and battle-hardened Clones would help in finishing off their training.
It was what a majority of PT was, breaking in the new Clones along with several dozen non-clone troopers who had been assigned to the 501st.
"What do you make of them, Rex?" Ahsoka asked, glancing at the Clone Captain who had been reviewing their performances on a datapad.
"They need work." The Captain answered straight away. "Though it shouldn't come as a surprise."
"They're not like you guys, that's for sure." Anakin commented, rubbing his chin. "Got a few prospects at least. Any catch your attention, Rex?"
The Clone paused in his musings, glancing at the Jedi with an inquisitive look.
"Why do you keep asking me?" He asked. "Aren't you guys supposed to have your own opinions on this?"
"We do," Anakin confirmed.
"It's just that we feel you should have a bigger say in this, Rex." Ahsoka admitted, her master thumbing in her direction in agreement. "You're the best soldier we know so we'll trust your gut for this type of thing."
Well now if that wasn't the highest sort of praise Rex had ever gotten. The Clone looked away, coughing bashfully into his hand, sensing the teasing looks directed at him.
Clearing his throat, Rex focused on the datapad and held it up, pointing at the selected recruit.
"This one here," He tapped on the screen. "Noland Malcom. He's young but he's got potential to be sure. More so than I've seen anyone else display."
"Oh yeah, him." Ahsoka remarked. "He was really gunning for Fives."
"Kids got heart, that much is a given." Anakin commented, recalling the young man in action. "And he's not stupid."
"Adapted on the fly," Rex approvingly said. "No surprise though. Turns out it's in his blood. Kids got quite the family history."
"Oh?" Ahsoka quirked her brow. "What kind?"
"The long, going back centuries, even thousands of years kind." Rex revealed, sifting through the datapad until settling upon the page he was looking for. "Earliest recorded ancestor served the Republic in the Great Galactic War and Cold War. That was only before he became the Supreme Commander during the Galactic War."
"Force me, that far back?" Anakin's surprise was evident to see. "That's over 3000 years ago, close to 4000 even."
"Wow, talk about baggage." Ahsoka muttered.
"He's got potential." The Clone Captain said. "At the very least, not all who are coming in will be lost causes."
Skywalker let out a cringing chortle. "That bad, huh?"
"Not everyone is cut out for war, General." Rex plainly said.
"But one can still be shaped by it." Tano quietly said. "With or without your consent."
There was an awkward silence that followed suit that Anakin was quick to end.
"What's next on our memo?" He asked the two. "Any other recruits of note?"
"One we're gonna see right now." Rex brought up, getting a small 'ah' from his General.
"Ah right, our new lieutenant." The Jedi Knight mused.
"From what the reports on him say, he's a dedicated patriot of the Republic." Rex revealed, holding a tone of clear approval. "And he's an NCO. So he earned his way to that rank."
"Well now, sounds like we got some promising newcomers after all." Anakin said, a hint of relief in his tone and it wasn't hard for Rex to share in that sentiment.
Though it went unspoken, the 501st legion was considered the absolute best legion in the entire Army of the Republic. They were constantly assigned the most difficult and dangerous objectives and missions, many questioning just how they made it out alive.
So for men like Rex and Anakin, they couldn't deny that they would be extra vigilant and selective as to who would join their legion.
Deliah Blue proved to be an exceptional engineer with her skills only expanding after being taken under the tutelage of Anakin and Ahsoka. Plus, due to the proximity the 501st leaders shared with the Avengers, she was exposed to meeting many of the Avengers, particularly Peter Parker who showed her his own engineering genius, adding to her skill set.
Then there was Thrawn.
Brief as it was, he proved to be a tactical genius, creating the plan to take down Ultron at the end of their war against the mad AI. And despite his rapid rise in the ranks, the Chiss made it his obligational duty to remain sharp, both in mind and body. He regularly attended training with the boys in blue, disregarding his rank and ensuring he received the unfiltered, proper instruction he believed he needed.
And now, there was yet another new figure of interest in the 501st in addition, the previously mentioned Noland Malcom.
No doubt unique diamonds in the rough will be surfaced from all corners of the galaxy. It will just take time to see which will be more noticeable than the rest.
Venturing further into the facility, the trio saw a small group of clones around a man close to Anakin's age. Right sleeve pulled all the way up to his shoulder, he was pointing at a noticeably large scar and then he gestured to himself, appearing to disparage himself, getting hoots and hollers of laughter from the clones around him.
"-And I got this baby when using a pillar for cover from heavy fire. I was surrounded, and then I held up my blaster pistol… only to realize I was holding a ration stick." The man said, snickering at what he was about to say. "So when I threw it, I actually got it in the Devoronian's eye, and he shot his friend next to him in the last place any man wants to be shot at."
The clones all guffawed now, some patting the man on the shoulder who was laughing with them.
"There was also the time I jumped from this building and I say this with no shame, I screamed like a child all the way down."
"Oh great, you're crazy." Captain Rex couldn't withhold his dry remark. "Splendid. You'll fit right in."
Turning and focusing on who said this, the one recruit took notice of the Clone Captain, Jedi Knight and Padawan. In a split moment, the man stepped back, expression shifting into one that was more serious and militant and he snapped into a salute.
"Lieutenant Erv Lekauf."
"At ease, soldier." Rex gestured. "Looks like you're getting yourself acquainted with the men."
"Can't exactly lead men I don't know." Erv plainly said.
Anakin smirked slightly upon hearing that and Ahsoka gave an approving nod.
"Heard quite a lot about you, Lieutenant," Rex stated, holding up a datapad. "But stories and a dossier isn't exactly an accurate representation of the man. So tell me, why join up? Why join the 501st? And what makes you think you're worthy of the 501st?"
"We're the best legion in the entire Army." Ahsoka proudly declared. "Arguably, that is."
"And if you're part of us, you've got a high standard to reach." Anakin tacked on.
"So I've heard, sir." Erv states. "However, it's my actions that will define me in and out of the field. And I promise that with my time in this unit, let alone this company, I'll have their back."
"We will see, Lieutenant."
"But if I may," Lekauf made a face of uncertainty. "I heard about all those peace treaty talks and all with the Separatists. I can't help but be a bit curious as to why the Republic is building up more arms than ever."
"You think the fighting's over, do ya?" Rex expectantly said, getting a frown out of the LT.
"Well… I don't know, Captain. Honestly."
"It's that reason why we're still building up our forces." Anakin stated. "After everything we've been through, after Ultron," Skywalker gave the LT a pointed look and he winced, a more solemn and troubled frown appearing at the mention of the mad AI. "We can no longer allow ourselves the luxury of being caught off guard anymore. There's more to the galaxy, Force me, the universe that can come to our homes and tear us a new one. We can't allow ourselves to become complacent. Never again."
Erv sniffed slightly, squaring his shoulders and putting on a determined gaze.
"Then I will do my part, General, Captain. Commander."
"That's all we can ask for sometimes." Ahsoka said, patting his shoulder. "Welcome to the 501st."
-Scene Cut-
"They're ready for you, general."
Cham Syndulla glanced away from Captain Thrawn and gave a small nod toward Captain Keeli of the 71st Legion.
"Thank you, Keeli, I'll be right there."
The Twi'lek Senator made a head gesture in Keeli's direction, indicating Thrawn to follow after him.
"It seems the volunteers are increasing exponentially," Thrawn noted as he and Cham walked after Keeli. "Though I am still unsure as to my part in this."
"You were among the first." Syndulla plainly pointed out. "And you achieved your rank rather quickly but soundly. Let's just say I trust the judgment of a man who has earned his rank through action rather than position and politics. Force knows how many high-ranking admirals and captains gained their positions like that."
Thrawn said nothing, instead opting to remain silent as the three of them soon arrived in a large training room.
Dozens upon dozens of new soldiers were lined up in rows of ten with Clone Commander Bacara of the galactic Marines standing at the head of them all.
The Clone Commander turned to see the new arrivals, snapping a salute at the Twi'lek Senator.
"General Syndulla." He respectfully said.
"At ease, Commander." Cham stated.
Bacara lowered his hand yet remained in his militant posture as he greeted the other two.
"Captain Keeli, Captain Thrawn."
"Commander Bacara. Captain Keeli." Thrawn said with respect.
"Captain Thrawn." The two clones greet the Chiss.
"Are these the men, Bacara?" Cham spoke up, glancing at the lineup of fresh shinnies.
"They are, General." Bacara said.
"Another day, another credit." Says Keeli.
"And we'll need to see if the credit is well earned or wasted." Bacara includes.
Cham only hummed aloud, taking a moment to walk over to the new recruits, slowly going down the line with each soldier getting a momentary, analytical stare.
After a few minutes of going over practically each recruit, Cham went back to the others.
"How are they looking?" He asked the two clones.
"So far… decent." Keeli replied.
Bacara scoffed. "You only say that 'cause you're being polite, Keeli. These mudskuffers wouldn't know what to do in battle better than they would learn how to aim."
"And where is Howzer?" Cham inquired, realizing the other Clone Captain assigned to Ryloth and the training of his people was absent.
"He's with another batch." Keeli revealed. "They're conducting target practice today."
Syndulla nodded, turning his gaze back to the recruits.
He walked over to the corner of the lineup, standing in front of a human.
"Why did you enlist? And I want an honest answer." Cham said, seeing him open his mouth only to close it after hearing the second part.
The human stood there for a few moments, appearing conflicted before answering.
"I had nowhere else to go." He muttered. "I got no one and have nothing in life. So I figured I could at least make the most of it here."
Cham frowned upon hearing this statement. "The life of a soldier is not an easy one, son. Are you certain of this?"
"I have nothing to lose, General." The man admitted. "So I have everything to gain in being here."
Cham said nothing in response, moving on to the next person to him.
"And you? Why are you here?"
"I'm from Mimban, sir." The Rodian declared, head tilting up with a puff of his chest. "I saw the bravery of the Clones and they saved my village from annihilation. I wish to return the favor and fight for the Republic they have bled and died for."
The Twi'lek Senator gazed intently into the man's eyes and after seeing there were no hints of deception or false bravado in them, he nodded in satisfaction and moved on.
He spotted several other Twi'leks, one of which he recognized and internally grinned at seeing his people here. It gladdened the warrior senator to see the effect he has had on his species, knowing that more and more are taking matters into their own hands, becoming soldiers, becoming fighters rather than what most of the galaxy view them as.
Instead of going down the line, Cham opted for the lineup behind the one he was inspecting, singling out a particularly bored-looking, if not smarmy human.
Cham stood in front of the man, eyes narrowed now.
"And you." The general singled out. "Why are you here?"
The man didn't seem all that perturbed, in fact, he was more arrogant than Syndulla initially pegged him to be.
"You tell me, General." The man smugly said. "I thought the clones were supposed to be able to handle this war on their own. You're the one who started this recruitment drive."
Well then… time to get a little strict like he was years ago. He needed to establish the line.
He wanted to unleash hell on this smug prick but instead, he would leave that to the clones. After all, they were the trainers for these recruits. Better to weed out the bad from the good.
First, he needed to address these men and women.
"Listen up and listen well." Cham walked back to the front and began pacing back and forth between them, taking a page out of how he had seen Keeli and Bacara train other recruits. "In my eyes, at this moment, you are all the same: an unorganized mess scraped up from the gutter. However, you are being molded to become better people. Being a weapon in defense towards your fellow Republic citizens." He kept walking through the space and idly focusing on each person. "Because I am hard, you may not like me. But the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard, but I am fair. I may not be leading this unit, but I will not tolerate discrimination between the people. I will not look down on Rodians, humans, Falleen, Calamari and any other walks of life out there. That was what Ultron did. But you are all equally, and essentially worthless until otherwise. Our job is to weed out and beat out those who will be an utter waste of our time. Do you all understand this?"
"Sir, yes, sir."
"I'm sorry, my hearing is not up to par." Cham got in the face of a Twi'lek. "What did you say?"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
Syndulla soon addressed another recruit next to the one Twi'lek. "What's your name?"
"Soldat, sir!"
"Porg-shit. For now on, your name is Private Snowball. Do you like that name?"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"Well there is one thing you'll miss, Private Snowball, is that while you're here, you won't be eating any of the fine meals you had before enlisting in the mess hall."
"Feh, politicians. All bark and no bite."
"Who said that!?" Cham growls out. He rounds over and practically stomps towards where he heard it. "Who the hell said that?!"
There was a tense nervousness now from all the troopers as Cham moved about as though he were a caged animal. In mere moments, he got up close and personal with the one lippy recruit.
"You… Of course, it would be you. We have ourselves a comedian here, huh? One Private Joker, yes? I admire your honesty. Most politicians are indeed just bark. I, however, bite."
To emphasize this, Cham made a surprising move and punched Private Joker in the gut. Said man heaved over and tumbled to the ground.
"You little scumbag, I have your name and number." Syndulla talks down to the heaving recruit. "You will not laugh. You will not cry. You will learn by the numbers as your instructors drill their lessons into your flimsy skull. Now get back on your damn feet!"
Behind him, Keeli and Bacara could barely restrain their smirks and snorts, remembering they used these exact words on many other recruits and volunteers who got lippy or thought they were hot bigshots in their group. Upon hearing the Senator give a recruit a nickname, they were unable to withhold their small laughter.
Even Thrawn's cool and ice-cold demeanor cracked slightly as his lip twitched upwards.
As this went down, Captain Wilhuff Tarkin was passing by the area for an appointment when he noticed the proceedings. He decided to spare some time and watch how this would go.
"I think a proper lesson is needed, General." Thrawn casually said, interrupting Cham's snarling intimidation of the recruits. "Wouldn't you agree, Commander Bacara?"
The Clone nods, knowing where the Chiss is heading towards.
Bacara eyeballed the smug human Cham had spoken with and pointed at him.
"You, Private Joker." The Commander's voice was deathly silent but was heard all the same. "Step forward."
There was a chill shared amongst the new troops as the selected cadet moved to stand before Bacara.
Cham, all the while, rejoined Keeli and Thrawn, the former of whom let out an amused hum.
"So…" Keeli casually checked his gloved hand, looking down just as another man was thrown to the ground by the Clone Commander. "Where'd all that come from, General?"
"I learned it by watching you." Cham plainly answered, getting Keeli to guffaw.
"Can't help but say I'm flattered by the compliment, sir."
"I was tempted to do it like Alpha but I wanted to motivate and train the recruits, not break them."
"Yes, yes, of course," Keeli remarked with a pointed look directed at the Senator. "Leave that to Bacara."
Speaking of which…
"Now tell me, do you have any scars?" Asks the Clone commander. "Answer me, now!"
The lippy recruit began stuttering. "I- I have a scar on my knee, from a grav-ball tournament in school. I-I could s-show you if you-"
Bacara didn't give him any more time as he practically struck him with a quick blow, initiating the spar. Private "Joker" stumbled back, clutching his stomach and before long, Bacara pounced, slamming his palm into the man's chin and tripping him up, sending him sprawling on the ground.
"You're a tad taller than me and younger than many other recruits here today, Private Joker. But you have just one scar. On your knee. From a grav-ball game."
The Private looked positively embarrassed by being so thoroughly bested and the scathing comments only worsened his mood.
"Many of us are here to fight. Us Clones were bred for this. You all came here out of your own free will. You, however, think this is just a joke. Sorry to disappoint you, but being in the army is no laughing matter." Bacara grabbed the man by his shirt and hefted him back up to his feet, shoving him back.
He stumbled, almost falling over but managed to catch himself only to wince from the movement, a hand going to his stomach.
"Our future enemies will not play fair. They will find you a joke if you do not take this matter seriously." The Clone Commander walked away from Private Joker and focused more to the rest of the recruits. "Discipline on this facility will not be perfect, but you are now a part of the Republic army. Each and every one of us are essential for what's to come. It may not be tomorrow, next week, month or even year. But we will have you ready in case another Ultron incident occurs."
That appeared to get a desired effect as the recruits all became more stern, nervous, and shifted about yet there was an unseen, unspoken sense of resolution shared between them all.
Bacara focuses back on the lippy recruit. "This, however, will be your only warning. The next time you step out of line, you will be booted out of the army."
Private "Joker" could only nod, going back into line after Commander Bacara ordered him to do so before calling upon the next cadet.
Cham, Keeli and Thrawn observed from the side as Bacara utterly thrashed every recruit that came up to bat against him.
Most "spars" ended in less than two or three moves, with the rare few that seem to have some experience in fighting having last at least up to five. Regardless of their skills, however, Commander Bacara humbled them quickly and emphatically.
From his spot, Captain Tarkin thought the stupidity and naivety the one recruit bore was too much. But seeing how Syndulla and the Clone Commander worked out "Private Joker" brought a small smirk on his face.
They needed to snuff out any forms of insubordination nor any idea of troopers going against the hierarchy of command.
He had already seen legions such as the 501st and the 212th display a loose sort of command structure and he found it to be distasteful. They may have some of the more well-known reputations within the GAR but that didn't mean all of it was good. Or rather, all of it was celebrated.
'It'll take a while to have this one unit up to snuff,' thought the Republic captain, heading out to another part of the base. 'Being disciplined and refined for my approval if I potentially oversee them in the future.'
-Scene Cut-
"Oi. Oi kid."
A young human, barely out of his teens, turned to see a Clone Trooper with orange-tinted markings and what looked like a kid Twi'lek on his helmet.
"Sir?" The human nervously said.
"Easy kid, not tryin' to scare ya. I'm Waxer. What's your name, kid?"
"B-Blithe, sir." He nervously said.
"Relax, Blithe, we're not in any danger yet." Waxer said, taking the rifle from the Privates hand and turning it around. "Just keep your rifle pointed down and finger over the trigger, not on it."
"Y-yes sir." Blithe stuttered out.
Taking pity on the young man, Waxer opted to walk alongside him.
"So, ya joined up without thinking much about it, did ya?" He conversationally said, removing his helmet and tucking it under his arm.
"I-I just wanted to do my part, sir."
"Did ya? And what part would that be?"
"To… to fight in the war, sir."
"Ease up on the sir, Blithe." Waxer said in amusement. "I may be an ARC but officially, ain't much of a rank."
"It isn't?"
"Sort of." Waxer's head bobbed from side to side. "But let's not get off track. You said you wanted to fight in the war."
Blithe nervously nodded.
"But you look more scared than a Bantha on a shooting range."
Blithe laughed shakily, taking off his own helmet to scratch the side of his head.
"I-I-I dunno sir." He stammered. "It's my first time on the battlefield and… well, we haven't seen anything yet but-"
"Yeah, anticipation can get to ya." Waxer correctly surmised, now realizing what was going through the kid's head. "Don't worry. Even some of us Clones have those nerves and we were bred for this bullshit."
The human could only nod shakily, taking a moment to look around at the other troopers.
Clones were the dominant portion of the unit he had been assigned to in the 212th. The rest were several humans and surprisingly Twi'leks though it wasn't all that surprising given the story that's been told by this point.
How the 212th were among the clone corps and legions that served a direct hand in the liberation of Ryloth and with Cham Syndulla spearheading the Conscription/Defensive bill for the GAR, many Twi'leks are flocking to the clone legions/corps, etc. that served in the liberating their homeworld.
The Twi'leks were openly respectful and very friendly with the clones and the clones appreciated the sentiment, taking a great amount of effort in training and integrating them into the GAR.
"S-Sir?"
"Hmmm?" Waxer had pulled out a canteen, taking a quick drink of water.
"Why are we out here?" He questioned. "Why are we goin' after droids and all? I thought the war with the Separatists was over?"
The ARC trooper grimaced, wiping his mouth dry.
"Wish it was that simple, kid. Some Seppies are still holding that hatred of the Republic and refuse to give in. We may be facing a weaker force, but we can't underestimate them."
"Many of us already know how that turns out." Said a passing trooper.
"Don't scare the shinnies too much, Boil." Waxer dryly said.
The current Operation the 212th had been assigned was relatively simple: take out the insurgent Separatist splinter army on this planet. This is one of many who broke away from the CIS once learning of the peace talks. How they weren't too happy with the main government settling terms with the Republic.
With Ultron having been taken out, despite lingering animosities between both governments, a majority wished to come to a compromise. They had hoped they could repair and rebuild many strained relationships and restore some semblance of peace in the galaxy.
Unfortunately, old grudges are hard to bury so they need to be stomped out.
Many fringe Separatist and even several Republic systems refused peace deals and now need to be dealt with considering their crimes of stealing military equipment and arming themselves to resume the war between both sides.
"Gentlemen." The sound of Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi was heard on the comms. "We've arrived at our destination."
Just as he said that blaster and artillery fire rained down upon them.
"SCATTER!" Commander Cody shouted, waving his arms forward. "HEAD FOR THE TRENCHES. GO! GO! GO!"
Blithe nearly tripped over himself had it not been for Waxer grabbing his arm.
"Come on kid, can't have you dying on us here." Waxer grunted out, pulling him back to his feet.
"The trenches! The trenches!" Boil yelled over the battle. "Head for the trenches!"
The ARC Trooper then ducked as several bolts whizzed over his head and he snapped back up, firing back at whoever or whatever it was that shot at him.
Obi-Wan was with Cody, deflecting all Blaster Bolts that were shot at them until they were forced to go for cover as mortar shells were now being fired upon the battalion.
"I guess this is where the heavy equipment was taken to." Kenobi said in a casual tone, one that made Cody's shoulders shake in amusement.
Over with Waxer and Blithe, the pair had been joined by Boil, Trapper and Gearshift.
"Son of a bitch." Gearshift swore. "Damned bastards aren't giving us a chance to breathe."
"They'll let up eventually." Trapper surmised.
Them "letting up" lasted well into the night until the very next day.
The troopers were gathered around Cody and Obi-Wan, the Jedi and Commander going over what they know.
"We have an idea of what they have," Kenobi said to the assembled troops. "But that's what we know."
"For all we know, they could have other military hardware or even customized weaponry we haven't seen before." Cody added on. "The droid force was held back last night. Seems like they just wanted to shell us into oblivion."
"Our casualties were light." Obi-Wan said. "Only four dead with a dozen injured."
"Fire and Maneuver." Cody announced. "That's the name of the game. Fire and Maneuver. Any questions?"
He made sure to look over each trooper, seeing them all shake their heads. Nodding in satisfaction, Cody pulled out his transceiver and out came a display of the trenches that the 212th occupied.
"These hedgerows and debris will give us some cover and our left flank is gonna be backed up by foxtrot and ghost company until we can get some additional support." Cody said. "What we need is-"
He stopped as a thumping sound was heard from afar followed by whistling from above.
The rest soon heard and one Trooper shouted, "MORTAR!"
They all soon scattered, some diving for cover whilst Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and began deflecting blaster bolts.
"GO!" Boil shouted, pointing at a group of clones. "Lock and load!"
He ran across the line, shouting the same order to all.
"Return fire, return fire!" Waxer yelled. "Keep low and return fire!"
"I want fire superiority, now!" Cody shouted, standing on an elevated portion of the ground, firing at the enemy. "Trapper, Gearshift, take your men and move up the right."
Pandemonium erupted as the battle went from one side firing to both lobbying back and forth with neither getting any ground against the other.
"Keep going! Keep going! Keep it up!"
"FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!"
"Medic! I need a medic over here!"
"Cody," Obi-Wan was now standing by his Commander, pointing ahead. "We need to traverse the crescent of that hill!"
"Sir." Cody ran off, going over to a foxhole with a turret setup. "Concentrate your fire on that hill!"
"Yes sir." The Clones in the foxhole pivoted the turret and began firing at their directed target.
Waxer and Boil had paired up and were firing at the right flank, taking out a number of droids that were now starting to march down the battlefield.
Over with Blithe, the soldier felt a ringing in his ears, feeling himself go deaf as the sounds of the battle overwhelmed his senses. He didn't even register he had been pulled down into a foxhole, looking over to see a Clone trooper appearing to talk to him when the soldier was shot dead.
Blithe sunk into his foxhole, covering his ears as the momentary deafness wore off and the sound of the battle assaulted him at full force. He covered his ears and began screaming, overwhelmed by all the noise, closing his eyes shut as he tried to forcibly tune out the battle.
All the while, the battle raged on, the 212th fighting fiercely with them giving no grounds for retreat.
Obi-Wan and Cody led from the center, slowly pushing forward.
Waxer and Boil were with Malark, Wooley and Burst when they felt the ground rumbling.
Looking around rapidly, it was the former of the two ARCs that spotted the source of the ground shaking.
He spotted a Separatist Persuader-Class Droid enforcer or Snail Tank for short, leading two Hailfire droid tanks with dozens of regular soldiers mixed with over a hundred droids.
"Where the hell did they come from?!" Boil shouted, spotting the oncoming company a moment later.
The Separatist company opened fire and the ARC with the other troopers saw the direction they fired in.
"Ah Poodoo! There goes our left flank." Wooley yelled out.
"Move, move," Waxer ordered. "Pull back. Form a defensive line."
Over with the General and Commander, they received the notification of the left flank collapsing.
"What now?" Cody said in anger and surprise.
"Oh dear." Obi-Wan said, soon spotting the source of their retreat.
"Where'd they come from?" A nearby Twi'lek trooper said in alarm.
"It's an entirely different company." A Clone stated in shock.
"Cody." Was all Obi-Wan said as he and the Commander ran forward.
"Keep firing and stay low!" Cody shouted at the line. "Luz, Malark, Crys, Burst, follow us."
The four named clones quickly ran after their General and Commander as they moved to engage the newly arrived company.
Over with Blithe, the young soldier was writhing in his foxhole, whispering erratically to himself until he felt a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, kid. Get on your feet!"
He opened his eyes, looking up to see Waxer standing over him.
"Get up Blithe." The ARC trooper instructed. "We're in a battle. I don't wanna see you die here. Fire your weapon!"
Blithe was trembling but Waxer's words managed to give the young soldier strength as he forced his protesting body to stand.
"Grab your weapon and fire Blithe, come on." Waxer egged on, shooting his own blaster pistols. "You could do it, Blithe."
Shakily, Blithe held up his rifle, lined up the sites and pressed on the trigger. A volley of blaster bolts came out, slightly startling the shiny until he scrunched up his face and began rapidly firing.
"There we go, Blithe!" Waxer approvingly yelled. "Keep firing! Don't slack off! Come on, Blithe, let 'em have it!"
Blithe did as instructed, firing until his clip was empty, not even realizing it for several seconds.
"Reload and fire, Blithe, you can do it."
Blithe did as he was told and resumed firing upon the enemy, getting shouts of encouragement from Waxer.
"Atta boy, Blithe, keep at it."
All the while, Obi-Wan, Cody and their contingent of clones reached the snail tank, taking out the garrison around it with the Jedi using a powerful Force Push that shoved the tank into a nearby ditch. Cody and the rest of the Clones tossed a dozen detonators atop and around it, the ensuing explosions destroying the tank.
One of the Hailfire tanks was raining down a volley of missiles that tore into the 212th's defensive line.
"Let's go, Wooley, on me," Waxer yelled. "Blithe, check your fire on the right! The rest of you, keep firing."
Wooley and Waxer ran forward, blaster bolts flying all around them until the latter picked their spot.
"Down, Down." The ARC ordered and he and Wooley got down on their knees.
Wooley hefted up a modified rocket launcher with Waxer working on arming it.
"Come on, Waxer, you're gonna get me killed with how slow you are!" Wooley yelled out.
"Hold on."
Waxer slammed the loading compartment shut and Wooley fired, the round slamming into the Hailfire tank but not taking it out.
"I knew you'd get me killed." The clone bemoaned.
"Don't fire until I tell you to fire, Wooley." Waxer ordered, loading in another round. "Hold your fire."
"It's too close!" Wooley said, seeing the Hailfire tank make its way to them.
"Hold your fire." Waxer said, now right next to Wooley, hands on his brother's shoulder and back to keep him steady.
"Covering fire!" Boil yelled from his position, seeing what his fellow ARC trooper was doing.
The Hailfire tank droid unleashed another barrage that Wooley and Waxer miraculously survived. Boil was caught in an explosion, yet he thankfully received light injuries as his adrenaline forced him to get back up and jump back into the battle.
Wooley and Waxer resumed their initial position and when the latter saw the pivot of the Hailfire Tank, he began slapping the former's shoulder.
"Now, Wooley, shoot it now! Fire! Fire!"
The clone fired and this time, his shot rang true. Hitting the section that connected the wheel to the main body, the Hailfire tank fell over, its wheel rolling away from it. It fired one of its rockets in response and due to the angling it faced, struck the ground and blew itself up.
"Let's get outta here." Waxer stated, he and Wooley beelining back to their forward line a second later.
"I've been hit! Get me outta here!" A clone shouted, a Twi'lek and another Clone rushing in to help him.
"We need more ammo over here!"
"Where is that Bacta spray!?"
"Covering Fire!"
"Super Battle droid! Take him down!"
"They're flanking us!"
"It appears this battle isn't going to plan, old friend." Obi-Wan conversationally said, grunting slightly as he deflected a mortar away at the last possible second.
"No sir." Cody gritted out, taking out several droids including regular Seppie soldiers.
It was then that a blue shell came in and smashed into the enemy lines, sending droids and soldiers flying about.
"Where the hell did that come from?" A Clone asked.
They heard stomping a second later, many heads turning to see a line of AT-TE tanks trudging toward them.
"Oh, look at em!" Crys yelled out in jubilation. "Ya beautiful bastards!"
The AT-TEs unloaded a hail of fire that tore into the Separatist forces.
"Pour it on 'em!" Cody yelled out for the company to hear. "Take them out."
The troopers resumed fire, whittling away at the enemy battalion, droids and soldiers dropping left and right.
It didn't take long for the fringe Separatist force to be routed and defeated.
At the end of it all, Blithe was seated on the ground, helmet off and leaning against a tree with his rifle resting between his legs and on his shoulder.
He had a far-off look, eyes trailing over the battlefield, the sight of the damage and death being seared into his mind.
"Blithe."
The young man looked up to see Waxer looking down at him, concern in his eyes.
"You alright?"
He didn't respond at first, instead turning his gaze back to the battlefield, watching as Clones and other Troopers took care of the wounded, counted the dead and spoke with General Kenobi and Commander Cody.
"No…" Blithe admitted after a prolonged silence, gazing up at the ARC trooper. "Is this what you guys have been dealing with?"
Waxer's expression was stoic yet his posture sagged slightly. "It never gets any easier, kid."
Blithe stared at him with sorrow and empathy.
"Then… I won't let you boys down." He quietly declared, earning a bemused smirk from the Clone.
"Let us down?" Waxer let out an amused scoff. "Blithe, you did us proud today. You were scared but you managed to push through and do your job as a soldier at the end of the day."
Waxer then held out a hand for the young man. "Welcome to the 212th, brother."
Blithe blinked upon hearing that and despite his initial demeanor, a small grin of appreciation and gratitude appeared as he clasped Waxer's hand and was pulled back to his feet.
"Now come on," Waxer clapped him on the shoulder. "I hear we've got a fresh batch of MREs from the Avengers. I'm partial to garlic mashed potatoes."
-Scene Cut-
In the area of a large training facility, a gathering of ARC troopers was taking place.
Specifically, the first twelve ARC troopers who were handpicked from the GAR to become ARCs. The men from the 501st, 212th, 327th and 104th.
Ever since they all first made ARC troopers, the twelve maintained a particular bond unique to their group. After all, they were the only ones to attain the position of ARC troopers within the GAR.
They weren't born into it like the first 112 and they weren't like their Commanders and Captains. No, they were ARCs that had to be forged on the battlefield and had to flourish under duress and danger.
"Heard the 212th is gonna be getting a fresh batch of recruits." Hevy of Domino squad idly said, an MRE bag in hand.
"Yeah, a garrison of Twi'leks." Waxer confirmed, his fingers absentmindedly brushing over a design of a young Twi'lek on his helmet that rested on his knee.
"Seem to really gravitate to your corps." Comet noted, casually resting in his seat, feet propped up on a table.
"Well, the tail heads feel like they owe our men a lot." Boil said dismissively, making Waxer roll his eyes.
"Come on, Boil, really?"
"What?" Was his defensive response.
"I mean, I get it." Cutup commented, having a pizza box in front of him. "The 212th was one of the main corps that liberated Ryloth."
"The bulk of Twi'lek allocation is between the 71st and 212th." Echo spoke up, looking through his datapad. "Others are our own legion and General Windu's 187th. The 104th is getting sparse recruits but the 327th is gonna be getting quite the boost given General Secura being a Twi'lek herself. They are gravitating towards the armies that specifically fought for Ryloth during its occupation."
"Figured that for us." Lucky remarked. "Just had our first squadron assigned to us. A mix of people but half were Twi'lek."
"Didn't think the Twi'leks would be so eager to join up, frankly." Boost murmured in thought.
"What makes ya think that?" Fives inquired.
Boost shrugged. "I dunno, just that knowing what their kind goes through and all, I would've thought they would have wanted to avoid joining up in a war."
"I would think the latter." Echo remarked. "To a degree, it sort of makes sense."
"And how is that?" Flash asked.
"For starters, look at the man currently representing them in the senate." Echo spoke with a high degree of respect now. "General Cham Syndulla was a warrior who fought and bled for his people, leading them directly when their homeworld was occupied. Wherein their previous representative remained in the comforts and safety of Coruscant, General Syndulla willingly laid his life down on the line for his people. You can say him becoming the new representative sparked a reform within the Twi'leks, one sorely missing for centuries."
"And how would that go once all the fights are settled?" Cutup inquired, though not disrespectfully.
"Question that we'll have to wait for an answer to." Echo admitted, shrugging at him. "For all we know, it may never end now."
"That's…" Cameron rubbed his chest subconsciously. "That's something I never considered honestly."
"It used to be a lot simpler." Lucky commented. "Just… you're a clone, here's your purpose and if ya die, well…"
"It wasn't that simple." Comet dryly said.
"Ya know," Fives spoke up, rubbing his chin with a deep frown of thought. "I've been thinkin'… after Ultron, after the war with the Separatists… what's next for us?"
"Next?" Hevy repeated. "Whaddya mean next?"
"It's just that," Fives took a moment to gather his thoughts, his face scrunching up slightly. "Ultron showed us how there are threats we can never account for, yeah?" There were smattering murmurs of agreement from the others. "And then there's that team that calls themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy."
"That's a hell of a title to call yourself." Boil wryly said.
"Don't you guys know what they've said about themselves?" Fives asked the group, his brothers all falling silent until Lucky spoke.
"They said," He slowly murmured. "They said that they're not from this galaxy."
"I still can't believe that." Boil said.
"What, so the Avengers coming in through magic portals is A-OK but these Guardians actually coming from outside the galaxy through their own means is hard to believe?" Boost sarcastically asked.
"Guys, guys," Fives called out to them, looking a bit peeved. "What I'm trying to say is this. The Guardians are like the Avengers. We got lucky having good people, literal heroes who came to the galaxy first, right?"
"Uh-Huh?" Was the confused agreement.
"But after the Avengers came Ultron," Fives stressed. "So think about this. We have friendlies out there yeah, but our galaxy shows us how not everything is friendly. We got lucky with groups like the Avengers and the galaxy-"
"But that doesn't mean everything out there is as friendly as they are." Waxer finished off for his fellow ARC, now wearing a matching, somewhat disturbed frown.
"And there's also the Unknown Regions." Comet brought up. "Yes, the Chiss Ascendancy mapped out a good portion of it, but there's still who knows what over there which even has them on edge." This got some looks aimed at his direction. "I asked Captain Thrawn, who was rather vague about it."
"Urgh," Sinker bemoaned. "I really don't wanna think about this stuff. Ultron and the clankers were bad enough."
"We could go for a distraction." Flash suggested.
"What kind?" Cutup said.
As if by chance…
"Hey boys." Said a friendly female voice.
The twelve ARC troopers all turned to see two Twi'lek women approaching them, one green-skinned and the other a deep blue.
"Oola, Vette." Waxer greeted with a smile. "What are you two doing here?"
"We're just goin' around, getting some orders." Oola kindly said, holding up a datapad. "That Dex fella just sent a shipment of sandwiches for everyone here."
"That was today?" Waxer said in surprise. "Oh man, I completely forgot about that."
"Yeah, Commander Cody asked a few of us to go around, ask who wants what to be delivered to the barracks."
"Well, we appreciate the gesture, ladies, right boys?" Waxer turned back to his brothers and saw the amusing sight of several of them being struck speechless by the two Twi'lek ladies.
Twi'leks women were known the galaxy over to have naturally attractive figures and looks and Oola and Vette were among the prettiest that Waxer had met in the 212th. And it appeared they had a more profound effect on his other ARC trooper brethren.
"Boys?"
"Hmm? Oh, oh, yeah, yeah we appreciate it."
"Thank you ladies."
"Yes, yes, thank you."
They all quickly gave their orders and the Twi'lek pair strolled away, leaving the ARC troopers staring until they all rounded on Waxer and Boil.
"Alright, so who the hell were they?" Lucky held an accusatory tone.
"Oola and Vette." Boil said with a dismissive grunt.
"...Once again, who are they?" Flash reiterated.
"They're part of our corps." Waxer said, looking at them in confusion.
"You mean to tell me that you guys have ladies like that walkin' around and you're not doin' anything about it?" Hevy questioned, giving the 212th ARCs a piercing gaze.
"In case you forgot, our commanding officer is Cody and Jedi general is Obi-Wan Kenobi." Boil proclaimed with pride.
"Yeah, well ours is Plo Koon, what of it?" Comet shot back.
"Oh for god's sake, boys, really?" Echo voiced his slight annoyance, now catching on to what the growing intentions were.
"Yes, really." Hevy emphatically said. "If Captain Rex can have someone, why can't we?"
"Oh boy, here we go."
"Then we're in agreement, I take it?" Cameron spoke up.
"Leave me out of it." Echo said.
"Same." Waxer and Boil said in unison.
"I'll opt out of this one." Boost stated.
"Then it's fair game between us." Cutup declared, reaching into his belt and pulling a small plastic package. "Five ration bars."
"I'll see your bet," Comet reached into his armor and pulled out a larger packet. "And raise it one MRE bag. French Onion Soup."
"You're on."
Seeing the few take off right after the two Twi'leks, the rest conversed with themselves.
"They'll crash and burn." Boil idly said, inspecting his pistol.
"Who knows. Not our problem." Waxer commented.
"But it'll be fun to see it happen." Boost admitted,
"...You guys wanna spy on 'em?"
"Yes."
-Scene Cut-
Rex had wandered off, his legs taking him wherever it was they guided, his helmet left behind in the barracks.
He didn't have a destination in mind. He just… he just needed to walk. To do something, anything to process everything that had just been told to him and all the high-ranking Clone officers of the GAR.
He subconsciously ran his hand over his head, stopping at where the Inhibitor Chip was supposed to be.
Inhibitor Chips…
Apart from the first one hundred ARC troopers, every single clone trooper had them in their heads. They were made with the explicit purpose of issuing orders by key phrases that would guarantee absolute obedience.
Or more specifically, particular individuals would be able to enact these orders with all others being none the wiser. How the Avengers learned of this little detail flew over Rex's head. All he needed to know was that these chips existed and that they were in the heads of all his brothers.
Chips that would make him do things such as turning on the Jedi, the Republic, carrying out actions far too unspeakable or vile even to consider. Chips that could rob him and his brothers of all their individuality and personality.
That concept alone made Rex stop in his tracks and shake his head. These thoughts were driving him mad.
Taking a moment to look around, Rex was momentarily lost until he spotted a nearby balcony in the hallway he stood in. Approaching the balcony, Rex peered out to see the clone base built next to the Jedi temple not far from where he was. Letting out a disgruntled sigh, the Clone Captain made his way down there, spotting several dozen clone squadrons. He gave them small, subdued greetings, waving down any who tried to salute him, telling them he was off duty. He didn't see or sense the bewildered and thrown-off looks he received from the boys.
He felt like he couldn't look them in the eyes properly. Knowing what he knew.
The captain soon found a secluded spot near a LAAT gunship and sat down, leaning on one of the side doors. He slowly tilted his head back and rested it on the metal door, exhaling for a few seconds and closed his eyes.
Everything he just heard was still being processed and…
And…
…
…
…
Rex grunted, leaning forward and rubbed his shaved head. He wasn't used to this sort of thing.
It wasn't that he misunderstood what he learned. It was just… how does one process and begin to make sense of it?
It makes sense but at the same time…
Rex placed his head back on the LAAT gunship door with additional force this time, hoping maybe the slight bump could jostle his brain better.
It didn't work of course but it was worth the effort.
He slowly dragged his hand over his face, rubbing his eyes for a few moments until he heard the sound of glass touching the floor. Peeking out from under his hand, Rex saw Anakin Skywalker and Steve Rogers, the latter of whom just placed a bottle of alcohol down.
"Figured you'd at least wanna drink some of the thoughts away." Captain America remarked with strained humor. "That's the usual go-to I've seen for other soldiers."
Rex gave the super soldier a pointed expression, shifting his gaze over to his general. Skywalker could only give him a look of uncertainty, holding up a bottle of his own.
With a haggard sigh, Rex's head hung low, propping his arms on his knees.
"Never was one to drink." Was all the Clone Captain said before snatching the bottle and downing half of it in one gulp.
"Afraid you'd develop a habit?" Anakin calmly asked, seating himself next to his second-in-command.
"Never liked the taste." Rex admitted, his expression conveying the disgust he had for the taste. "Or what came after. Could taste better at least."
"Wouldn't know." Steve said good-naturedly. "Before the serum, my body couldn't handle it. After becoming Captain America, never been able to at all."
"Be he ever so humble." The Clone tiredly said, a smirk that didn't reach his eyes.
Anakin held a far-off gaze for a few moments, shifting over to Rex a moment later.
"I wanted to tell you sooner." He said in a low voice, making Rex slowly turn towards him.
A memory flashed through the Clone's mind, one that happened in this very hangar.
"That was when you found out, wasn't it?" He surmised getting a guilty nod from his general.
"I wanted to tell you then and there." Skywalker stated, gripping his bottle tightly. "But… the Avengers made some unfortunate good pointers about keeping it a secret."
Rex could remember that conversation clear as day now.
"I don't blame you." Steve softly said, crouching down to their level. "Should have seen how he reacted when we told him. Damn near passed out."
At that, Rex snorted, genuinely amused in a morbid way.
"Yeah… not hard to see that."
Anakin grumbled yet amusement danced in his eyes.
There was a brief pause, a shared silence between the three men, the three warriors.
"How… what did…"
"Like a little brat." Anakin said. "Swung my lightsaber around like a child throwing a temper tantrum."
"There's more to it than that." Steve knowingly said.
Rex raised a brow, looking between the two men, rolling his hand. "Like~~?"
The Jedi Knight's cheeks puffed out and he sighed in self-loathing.
"I was a slave when I was a child." Anakin revealed in a hollow tone.
Whatever effects of the alcohol Rex was feeling soundly vanished as he sat up slightly.
"You were… what?" The Clone Trooper whispered, not sure if he heard him correctly.
"Yeah," Anakin hung his head, running his hand through his hair. "But… no, not right now. This isn't about me. I can be a hypocrite at a later time and date. I just wanna see how my friend is doing. We can talk about my misery after yours… are you?"
"What? Miserable?"
"Yes. Or is distraught better? How's about another synonym or adjacent word to use here?"
"Only a few times with him and you're already sounding like Stark." Steve pointed out.
"I actually picked this snark up from you guys." Anakin retorted. "A year of hanging out with you chatterboxes made me realize Obi-Wan was only in the small time of snark. You Earthers eclipsed him in a week."
A laugh was shared between them.
Rex's expression became solemn after a few seconds, idly shifting his bottle between his hands.
"Can you get them out?"
"Tony and Stephen can, yes." Steve rolled his eyes fondly. "They're just debating on the how or how many. They can't decide on one at a time or in one fell swoop."
"All in one feels like a tall order." Rex commented, shooting Steve a look.
Cap frowned in thought and glanced at his shoulder. He placed his hand over the Avengers logo on his pauldron.
"Tall orders are standard in our line of work."
"Part of the menu now." Anakin's lips flapped at the way he breathed out. "Is it too much to ask for a vacation?"
"What even is that?" Rex asked in good humor.
"Something that doesn't involve us nearly dying for a few days." Rogers quipped.
"Oh? Sounds like a novel concept." The Clone remarked, rubbing his chin. "I'll ask Deliah about this "vacation". Maybe she knows a thing or two about it." Rex gestured at the pair. "Can't really trust your words on it. No offense."
"None taken." Steve said, hands raised, Anakin holding up his bottle in agreement.
Once more, the three men were quiet.
Rex took a swig of his bottle, wiping his lip afterward.
"We've been having talks about us." The Clone Captain vaguely said, seeing the confused faces of the pair. "Cody and I. And the rest of the boys. Our ranks, I mean. About the war, about our place in all this. In the galaxy." Rex snorted. "Universe more like it now."
Anakin 'hmphed' in agreement, a sentiment Steve shared.
"And?"
Rex sighed. "I think you both should know that saying "it's complicated" is a bit too easy."
He took a moment to further gather his thoughts.
"Us clones now have mixed feelings about everything that's happened. The war we once were bred for changed and now, it seems like it's over but… call it a gut feeling-"
"Things are likely far from ever being over." Steve cut in with Rex pointing at him.
"At the same time, we can't deny the fact that without the war, we clones would never have existed. Never have gotten the chance to experience life." A slow smile formed on the Clone Captain. "And… finding new ways to appreciate the life we have."
Anakin raised a brow, glancing at Steve. The Jedi gave the Avenger a silent message of "I think I know where that smile coming from".
"REX!"
And as if by divine intervention.
Anakin smoothly stood up and took a step forward just in time for Rex to turn his head and get tackled by his lover.
"Deliah?" Rex stammered out in surprise.
Before he could ask her just what was wrong, he was silenced in the most effective manner possible. An intense kiss, filled with lust, love and passion.
Steve and Anakin nearly laughed at the sight but they knew the moment would be ruined. The latter patted the former on the back, making a head gesture in the opposite direction.
Nodding at his friend, the duo left the couple as Deliah finally pulled back to breathe.
"D-Deliah." Rex was slightly dazed. "Wha-"
His face was cupped by the Zeltron, worry plastering her face.
"Are you ok?" She sounded almost frantic, patting him slightly, not allowing him to answer as she kissed him again.
She pulled back, Rex's eyes now firmly dazed.
"Del-"
She kissed him again.
"Talk to me, Rex." Blue pleaded after separating herself from him. "The boys said you were… you were… you…"
Rex managed to grasp her wrists and gently pried them off his shoulders, taking her hands a moment later.
"What…" The Clone Captain spoke slowly and calmly now. "Did the boys tell you?"
Deliah looked beyond worried.
"Just-just that you looked broken or devastated and the worst and Fives said you-"
"Fives." Rex expectantly said, tone dry. "Let me guess, Domino was in on this."
"Hardcase and Jesse joined in." Deliah added in and Rex let go of one hand to clench his fist tightly.
"Oooooooh~~~~ I'm gonna PT the shit out of all of them for the next few months." The Captain growled out.
"So you're ok?" Deliah questioned making Rex look at her and he smiled, placing a hand on her cheek.
"Not necessarily." He admitted. "Just learned some life-changing information that I'm still trying to process."
"Wh-what is it?"
"Something that's gonna take too long to explain here. Far too long."
Deliah's expression shifted, her gaze now becoming intense as it bore into his own.
"And just what is this about?"
"Something that involves all my brothers. But I need a bit more time to make sense of it and process it properly. It's a bit too early to just go blathering it out."
The Zeltron gave him a heated gaze yet the Captain didn't falter.
"Deliah…" He sat up, his lover moving to straddle his waist. "Do you trust me?"
The 501st engineer was slightly thrown off by this query yet found herself nodding all the same.
"Then I ask you to just be a bit patient." He softly murmured, running a hand through her hair. "I'll tell you all about it soon, I promise."
Blue's eyes somehow became more intense, piercing Rex's soul yet the Clone remained resolute.
"Ok," She whispered, leaning her forehead against his. "Ok, I'll wait."
Rex now had a true smile, pulling his lover closer to him, an electric feeling in his body as he felt hers pressing against his.
"I love you, Deliah Blue."
The Zeltron stilled momentarily, pulling back to convey her surprise when a smile of pure love bloomed in response. She leaned forward to press a loving kiss which he gladly reciprocated this time around.
They had stayed that way for a few moments when Deliah got up and pulled him up with her. There was a look of lust mixed with mischief as she glanced at the gunship they were next to.
"I heard that these gunships were supposedly soundproof."
Rex was completely thrown off by what she just said.
"What now?" He dumbly said.
"I've always wanted to test that theory." She said with a sensual smirk and gyrations of her hips.
The clone Captain soon felt the dots in his head connect and a healthy blush now bore on his face.
"Deliah!" He scandalously exclaimed.
Blue threw her head back and laughed, wrapping her arms around him.
"By the Force, you are too precious, my beloved Captain."
"Kriff's sake, Deliah, have some manner of self-control." Rex managed out, his heart rate slowly calming down after that initial "scare".
She let out that joyous laugh he had grown to adore, peppering his face with small pecks.
"But yeah, no, we're testing it out."
"Wha-" Rex was shoved back into the interior of the LAAT and before he even had a chance to respond, Deliah had already pounced on him, wrapping her arms and legs around him, preventing him from speaking by placing her lips over his.
The gunship's side doors closed a moment later and all that was heard was the sound of moaning and clothes being hastily discarded/torn off.
AN
And there we have it.
Just one more chapter after this one covering Band of Brothers and then onto the next arc, Tales of the Jedi.
Had it not been for personal life issues and work, this arc would have been breezed through but, unfortunately, we can't always have what we want.
So let's get the most important stuff out of the way.
Jebest: We lost someone greatly instrumental in film, stage and pop culture. His voice is practically recognizable nearly instantly.
Right off the bat, many of us can recall him in the roles of Mufasa from The Lion King, a sagely, blind neighbor from The Sandlot, a foreign king from Coming to America and even a conqueror from Conan the Barbarian. There were so many roles he was well known for over the decades, but most of all was perhaps one of his most iconic being Darth Vader from the Star Wars franchise.
FMW: Suffice it to say that his passing, while sad, is not one we should truly weep for. Instead, let us celebrate, sing and praise James Earl Jones for being able to live such a looooong and illustrious life with a legacy few could ever match, his voice and acting leaving an indelible footprint on pop culture and just culture as a whole that shall never be forgotten.
As Jeb listed off, look at the legacy he has left behind. From the King of Pride Rock to one of the greatest, most famous faces in ALL of fiction, Darth Vader. James Earl Jones shall never die as his works have immortalized him now and forever. So long as people watch The Lion King, Star Wars, Conan and all his works, he lives on, he remains, he shall never be forgotten. Rest in Peace, My Lord and King, for you have done your work.
In the next chapter, there will be a proper scene involving the characters of the story reacting to his death proper but in this instance, for now, we shall only give thanks and farewell to James Earl Jones with how we're doing it here.
As for this chapter, main thing I wanted to focus on was the good and bad of replacements coming in to fill in the ranks of the GAR and more fallout with Rex as he tries to process the whole notion of the inhibitor chips and what it would mean if they go off. It's always fun to write scenes between Rex and Anakin cuz they're dynamic is always one of my favorites to write and with Steve, makes it all the more fun.
Plus, having to put Rex in such fun situations with Deliah makes it all the better to write.
But yeah, gonna be wrapping this arc up soon and we'll be onto the next one where we're gonna be having some fun character writing and progression.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.