Rex had fought in many different campaigns and battles. It was what he had trained for his whole life. He hadn't been nervous about this kind of thing since he had been a cadet. But he also hadn't found himself in a situation like this.
He hated Umbara. He hadn't seen much of the planet. It was dark and full of the unknown, but that wasn't what scared him most. What really worried him was what was going on within their ranks. There was trouble brewing, and Rex felt helpless to do anything about it. He felt stuck, forced to watch the tense battle happening between General Krell and Kix.
They had all been reluctant to obey General Krell, but they hadn't had a choice. He may not be their Commanding Officer, but he was still their superior, and he'd been left in charge in General Skywalker's absence. That should have been the start and end of any of their defiance and doubts. They may not like his orders and decisions, but he was in charge, and it was their job to obey him.
And then Hardcase called.
He said that General Krell was dangerous. That he would just lead the clones to their deaths pointlessly. That he saw the clones as nothing more than tools to be used and thrown away as he pleased.
Rex had grown tense at those words. He'd asked Hardcase for more details, and what he got was confusing at best. Hardcase wasn't reporting from experience, but from a second-hand account. It was an 'I-heard-someone-say' situation, and Rex didn't know if rumors were enough of a reason to not do as they were told. Especially not rumors that were so unbelievable.
Hardcase talked about a Demonstration. A cruel and torturous experience that apparently the Coruscant Guard were put through somewhat regularly, where they were forced to do unthinkable things all in the name of getting more funding for the war.
It made no sense. Rex had heard Senator Amidala rant about the funding and budgets for the military enough to know that they didn't get their money through the methods that Hardcase was talking about. Surely they would know if Senators and Jedi were using the Coruscant Guard to put on twisted shows for investors. It wouldn't be covered up like this, because it didn't have to be. Rex knew as well as anybody that nobody would bat an eye about clones being treated questionably.
And even if it wasn't public knowledge, Rex knew that Fox at least would have told them about this kind of thing happening. Things may be tense between the guard and the GAR, but they were still brothers. They were still vode. If the Demonstrations were actually a thing, and if they were actually as bad as Hardcase was making them out to be, then Fox would have told them about it. He would have asked for help.
At the very least he would have used this as evidence that the Coruscant Guard was not as safe and cushy a job as they all teased him for. But Fox hadn't said anything, so things must not be that bad. Right?
While Rex had his doubts about the Demonstration, especially since neither Tup nor Hardcase would give him the names of the clones involved, Kix had no such issues. He believed them. He saw Krell as a threat, and he wasn't going to let the General get the chance to hurt anybody else.
General Krell tried to send them out on another mission that they all knew would be another suicide mission. They were going to get needlessly slaughtered, and Rex hated it because he knew that if they did things just a little more carefully then the sacrifices wouldn't be necessary. But this wasn't his decision to make. General Krell was in charge for a reason. He was recognized as a great and successful general. It was his duty to make the tough decisions.
Rex thought that they would have no choice but to obey and do what they were told. Kix didn't accept that, and he had the insane idea to do something about it.
As the medic in charge Kix had the authority to override most decisions but most any superior officer. If Kix thought that somebody wasn't fit for the field, they weren't going out onto the field, no matter how much they might be needed. In extreme cases, if neither Kix nor their Commanding Officer was backing down, they would take the matter to the Jedi Council.
That was what Krell was threatening to do now. Kix had announced that Umbara was a dangerous and unfamiliar environment, and for all they knew the planet was full of toxins and poisons that were slowly seeping into their bloodstream. Kix insisted that until he was 100% sure that the planet was safe in that sense, nobody was going out onto the field, which meant that General Krell had nobody to send on a mission.
The General was furious. He threatened to have Kix court martialed if he didn't take back his decision. He threatened to have all of them court martialed if they didn't go against the words of their medic, even though at the moment Kix was the one with the final say. General Skywalker wouldn't have been able to overrule him, and General Krell, who was just substituting in the absence of their Commanding Officer, certainly couldn't.
The Jedi had said that because of Kix' paranoia and laziness the 212th, who they were supposed to be providing support for, would all die, and did he really want the death of his brothers on his conscience?
Kix had held his head high and looked the general in the eye. "No, I don't." Kix had said. His tone had been the kind of thing that Rex hadn't heard from him very much. It was dark, and stubborn, and a clear reminder that just because he was a medic didn't mean that he couldn't fight for what he thought was right. "And that's exactly why my decision stands. We're staying right where we are."
Rex could feel a fight approaching, and it had nothing to do with the Separatists. He was caught in the middle of General Krell and Kix. The General wanted him to twist Kix' arm and get him to back down. Kix wanted him to realize how dangerous Krell was, but still wouldn't tell him just why he was dangerous aside from a supposed Demonstration that they barely understood.
The days passed tensely, and Rex was sure that any minute now the other shoe was going to drop. General Krell was on edge, and his hands were always lingering too close to his lightsabers for Rex to be comfortable with it. None of the clones knew what to do, and they were all just waiting for this stand-off to end. Because one way or another, it would end. Kix was just stalling. For what, they didn't know. They didn't know if even Kix knew. But they all hoped he would hold out long enough for whatever it was that they were waiting for.
What none of them had expected was for a very familiar ship to land in the capital without a word. General Krell strode over to the ship, but his confidence and temper seemed to ease back when he saw who came out of the ship.
"General Skywalker." General Krell said. It was odd to hear the respect in his tone. It contrasted so much with the way he'd been speaking to all of the clones, and that made it clear to Rex just how little the Jedi thought of the clones.
"Krell." General Skywalker glared at General Krell as though he had personally offended him. Rex felt like he was missing something. "What have you done to my men?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." General Krell said.
"I'm sure you don't.' General Skywalker nearly growled. He sounded fiercely protective. He usually got like this when it came to Senator Amidala, General Kenobi, Commander Tano, and those droids of his. It wasn't unheard of for him to be protective of his clones, but Rex still wasn't used to it.
Skywalker leaned close to Krell. "I know what you did to Dogma, and I'm not going to let you turn any more of my men against each other for your own amusement."
Rex stiffened. The Demonstration. Hardcase, Jesse, and Tup's absence for the past few weeks. Someone in the Coruscant Guard had apparently been forced to shoot one of their brothers. Dogma was in the Coruscant Guard now, and he was one of the few brothers that Rex could think of who would actually be able to be convinced to shoot another clone, or allow himself to be shot, just because a Jedi ordered it.
Was Dogma hurt? If he was, why wouldn't they have just told him? If this was the reason why the others were gone, Kix should have just said so. Rex would have understood. He would have allowed it. He probably would have wanted to go to Coruscant to check on Dogma himself. Just because they didn't serve together didn't mean that Dogma wasn't his brother anymore. Did they think that Rex wouldn't care?
He was concerned and stressed at just the thought of something bad having happened to Dogma, and his brothers not saying a word to him about it. General Krell on the other hand just crossed his arms and gave General Skywalker an unimpressed look.
"Who?" General Krell asked. Skywalker just seethed. General Krell didn't scoff, but he very nearly did. "If you think I offended any of your men, it wasn't personal. I'm just doing my job, just like you."
"I'm not like you." Anakin shouted, because he really was Anakin right now as opposed to the great Jedi General. He was too emotional. Too personally invested. And Rex didn't understand why he was getting like this about Dogma. He shouldn't even know who Dogma was, let alone care.
"Tread carefully, Skywalker." General Krell said in a patronizing way that wasn't too different from the way he spoke to the clones. Rex fumed on behalf of his General. "You're letting your attachments show."
"Good." Anakin said defiantly, even though he usually got so defensive and upset when other Jedi implied that he was too attached and unprofessional to be a Jedi. Now he somehow seemed proud of it. "I'd rather be attached than be the kind of person that my men only follow because they have to. I'm not a master." He said this word the same way he might say the word 'monster'.
"No, you are not." General Krell said.
The two Jedi stared at each other, looking like they were wanting to start fighting, and Rex hated being in the middle of it. He felt lost. He'd seen the Jedi disagree before, but not like this. This was too blatant. Not passive aggressive enough. Not patronizing enough. Not that Rex thought that the Jedi were patronizing, but Anakin did. He always got defensive around them, but not like this.
Anakin wasn't defending his pride. He was a protector and guardian right now, and that was when he was at his most undefeatable. He wasn't going to take no for an answer, even from the Jedi.
"I'll be telling the Council what you've done." Anakin said. He didn't clarify what he meant. Rex assumed he was talking about whatever that Demonstration had been with the Coruscant Guard. Now he was considering that it wasn't just a rumor.
"Rex, catch me up on anything that's happened." Anakin said. He wasn't even looking at Krell anymore. "I'll be taking things over from here, General." He nearly spat out that last word, like it was an insult. Rex never would have dreamed of walking away from Krell without being dismissed first, but Anakin didn't have those issues. He turned his back on Krell and just left. Rex followed behind him.
Anakin's posturing went away when they were out of sight of Krell, but he didn't relax. Anakin was still incredibly tense. It was more than a little concerning. Something was wrong.
"Is everything okay, General?" Rex asked.
"No." Anakin said. His steps slowed slightly. Rex wondered where they were going. Did Anakin have a destination in mind? Or did he just feel the need to walk and move because he just couldn't hold still?
"How long has Dogma been in the Coruscant Guard?" Anakin asked. "He seems so young." Most of the Jedi didn't really pay attention to the age standards of clones. To them a nine year old was the same as a ten year old. Their age didn't matter. Just their experience did. Anakin didn't quite see it that way. He could always tell when a clone was a little older or a little younger than the others. He had noticed immediately when the batches they were being sent from Kamino were getting younger and younger.
"He's the same age as Tup, Sir." Rex said. "They joined the 501st together, and he was transferred to Coruscant shortly after."
"Why?" Anakin asked. "Were there issues? Was he hurt?"
"The Guard were understaffed." Rex said. "Commander Fox asked for some more men. I thought that Dogma would be well-suited for the guard."
Anakin gave him an odd look. He always seemed to know when Rex wasn't quite being entirely honest with him, and it didn't have anything to do with the Force. Rex internally sighed.
"Dogma had a difficult time fitting in with Torrent." Rex said. "He was frequently at odds with Jesse and Fives."
Anakin frowned slightly. "Jesse and Dogma don't get along? But Jesse was so protective of him."
Rex' mouth thinned. "He's been like that since Dogma's transfer. Some of the men haven't been too happy about the decision. I may have been a bit hasty in choosing Dogma. I genuinely thought the guard would be a good fit for him. From what I hear he's doing fine there, but things have gotten tense in Torrent."
"I've noticed that." Anakin said slowly. Rex wasn't surprised. Anakin noticed a lot. He had probably thought that they could deal with their own internal conflicts. "Is this what Jesse and Fives have been fighting about?"
Rex nodded. "It was Fives' suggestion to transfer Dogma. He thought…he thought he wouldn't be missed too much." Saying it out loud just reminded Rex how cruel that was, as well as untrue. The others clearly wanted Dogma back, but even if they didn't it still wouldn't have been fair to send him away just on that basis. They were supposed to be professional soldiers who could put aside their childish differences. Cadets knew better than to act like this.
There was a fire in Anakin's eyes as that protectiveness reared its head again. The General was going to have some choice words for Fives when he next saw him, that much was clear. Rex cleared his throat.
"Sir, why do you care so much about Dogma?" Rex asked. "You didn't even know him."
Anakin was quiet for a long minute. He took a deep breath and seemed to steel himself. "There's something you need to understand about life on Tatooine. Money wasn't the most important resource there. Power was, because if you had power, then you had control."
Rex didn't know where Anakin was going with this, but he listened carefully. He could count on one hand the number of times that Anakin had willingly talked about Tatooine. He hated his home planet.
"There were hierarchies of power. The slaves were at the bottom, of course. So low that they weren't even considered to be worth thinking about." Anakin scowled as he always did when somebody mentioned slaves. "But even among slaves there was still a hierarchy. Slaves who are given the job of taskmaster are at the top. As far as free citizens are concerned, they're worse than the sand under their feet. But to the other slaves, the taskmasters are practically nobility. They have power and influence, even if it's just a little bit. If you anger a taskmaster they can make your life hell, and you can't do anything about it."
Anakin looked at Rex, a sad and calculating look in his eyes. "Do you know what happened to the slaves at the bottom of the hierarchy?"
Rex wished he knew, but he really didn't know that much about slaves. It wasn't the kind of thing that the Republic openly talked about, and Anakin was shut off about it as well. If he was talking about it now it was for a reason.
"Were they given the worst jobs? Rex asked. "The most dangerous and humiliating ones." That was how it had been for the clones on Kamino. The few who were considered as 'less than' were given all of the undesirable jobs. Rex knew that Kamino wasn't anything like Tatooine and the lives of the slaves there, but it was the best basis he had.
"Actually, no." Anakin crossed his arms. "Those people were low on the ladder, don't get me wrong, but they were at least on the ladder. The other slaves still considered them to be like them."
Anakin grew tense and Rex could see his hands shaking. He was getting upset. "The slaves at the bottom were the loners. The ones without friends. If a slave house was too full and they were out of resources and space, those were the ones who were 'forgotten'. They're the ones who just 'disappear' one night, because they didn't have someone to speak for them, and they didn't have the power to speak for themselves."
Anakin had continued pacing up to this point, but he stopped now. The hall was abandoned, but it felt weird to be talking about something so personal out in the open.
"No disrespect, Sir, but what does this have to do with Dogma?" Rex asked.
"He couldn't tell me what Krell did to him." Anakin said. "So I looked into his mind, and it was…horrible. Dogma saw Krell the same way that a slave would see their master."
Rex grimaced. "But Dogma's not-"
"I know he isn't." Anakin growled. "He's not supposed to be. None of the clones should be slaves. But that's how Dogma feels, and not just about Krell. He saw me the same way, and Shaak Ti. Whether Dogma knows it or not he sees himself as a slave, and that's…that's not okay."
Rex felt like he should be surprised, but he really wasn't. It made sense. He didn't know where Dogma got this mindset from, but it explained so much about him. Why he saw the words of the Jedi as law. Why he was so insistent on obeying the rules. Why he had such a hard time even comprehending the idea of doing things for himself.
And they had sent him away. Rex had sent him away, justifying it to himself just because it was the most convenient choice. Dogma deserved better than that. Especially after what Anakin had said about the slaves on the bottom of the social hierarchy. Clones were brothers. They were supposed to stick together, because they didn't have anybody else but themselves. In that one way they were similar to slaves.
Except apparently slaves were willing to turn a blind eye and 'forget' about one of their own, just to make their own lives a little easier. But clearly clones were more than capable of doing the same thing.
"I-I didn't know." Rex said. It wasn't an excuse. It wasn't even an explanation or reason. It was a confession, because he should have known. He should have known there was something wrong with Dogma. He should have made it clear to his men that they could talk to him if there was something going on. He didn't want his men to feel the need to keep secrets from him because they didn't think he would approve. And he definitely didn't want his men to feel like they were slaves who didn't have the right to voice their concerns.
He needed to do better. For Dogma. For all of his men.
"Is Dogma okay?" Rex asked. He'd told himself that Fox would take good care of Dogma, and he knew he probably had, but there was only so much he could do. Commander or not, Fox was still just a clone.
Rex tried to ignore the voice in his head that told him that Fox was like the taskmasters that Anakin had mentioned. Clones weren't slaves, no matter how many uncomfortable similarities there were. Dogma wasn't a slave. Fox wasn't a slave. None of them were.
"I don't know." Anakin said. "I want to get to the bottom of whatever's going on with him, but I needed to make sure you were all okay first. He's at the Jedi Temple, because I thought the masters could figure out how to help him. But if he sees them as masters…" Anakin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The Jedi wouldn't hurt him, but I don't think Dogma knows that. Maybe I shouldn't have sent him to the Temple, but it was the only way I knew for sure that he would be safe until I got back."
"Dogma will be fine." Rex said, even though he was second-guessing himself. "He's strong." Even if being around the Jedi would make him nervous, Dogma would get through it. And if Jesse was there to keep an eye on him then Rex couldn't imagine him as anything less than fine. The two of them had never gotten along great, but Jesse had been fiercely protective of Dogma since he'd joined the guard. If he was willing to fight Fives for Dogma's sake, he'd be more than happy to take on the Jedi.
Anakin gave him a very small smile. "I know he's strong. It takes guts to storm into the Chancellor's office because you think that what you have to say is more important."
Rex blinked. "Dogma did that?"
"He was determined to not let Krell do anything to the 501st." Anakin said. "Even though I know he was terrified of being punished." Anakin looked both proud and sad. "It's a shame I didn't get the chance to serve with him before. He's a good soldier."
"He's a good brother." Rex said. He just wished that he had seen it before.
Anakin put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. We need to secure the planet. The sooner we're done here the sooner we can get back to Coruscant and figure out what's going on."
"Sounds like a plan, Sir." Rex said. Now that Anakin was back Rex was sure that Kix would be more than happy to announce that he deemed the planet relatively safe, and they could resume their missions. They would help the 212th, hopefully with less casualties than he was sure they would have faced under Krell, and then they could put this battle, like so many others, behind them.
It would be hard to focus on what was going on on Umbara though. Now that Rex had just a small idea of what was going on with Dogma he didn't know if he could concentrate. He would have to though. Rex still had a job to do. When they were done here, then maybe he could take a break from being a Captain and just be a brother, at least for a little bit.
It had been far too long since he had just let himself be a brother. He hoped he still remembered how to be good enough. He couldn't let his brothers down again.