Most days, Cody spent his time by himself.
Such had been his routine for the past ten years. Although to him, the number did not matter because today might as well have been yesterday, which he knew would be no different from tomorrow. He would wake up in the unchanging dark vacuum of space, switch on his ship, and then patrol the Outer Rim for lost spacecrafts or wreckage survivors. Occasionally, he ran into a few unlucky refugees looking to change their identity, after which he would guide them into Wild Space. Somewhere they could easily be forgotten and take on an identity. Lost souls, not unlike himself. None of them ever volunteered information about who they were, and likewise they did not ask any questions of him. He preferred it that way, keeping his face and voice hidden under an unidentified helmet with vocoding. It allowed him to forget who he was as well, if only for just a moment.
The last memory he had as a living man...as a free man...was sending off his General. After that? Everything blurred into a haze, only cut off by brief moments of sheer horror and inability to move. He could recall flashes of himself running, ducking and hiding while being pursued by the Empire. His survival was merely by chance, only operating on instinct. The only way he could ground himself was by breathing hard and looking at his hand, reminding himself that he was real, that he was alive, and that he was still surviving.
Only recently, though, everything had changed.
"Wake up," the familiar voice startled and roused him from the darkness of slumber. Confused, Cody stared bleary-eyed up at Rex's familiar figure.
For a second, just the smallest second...it felt like they were back in the thick of the Clone Wars again.
"We're leaving now," Rex nudged him, pulling back the blanket. Cody groaned and rubbed his eyes, forcing himself to sit up. It felt like they were back in the military again. "We've got a long journey ahead of us, best get on with it. Earlier in, earlier out."
Cody frowned. "Who's the Commander now?" he asked snarkily.
His voice sounded unfamiliar, a shadow of his former self. Or even one of his brother's. It pained him to try and remember what they sounded like. It hurt him so much, knowing that he would forever exist in their image, yet someday he might still forget their essence. Others might have said that as long as the voice and face were the same, there was no difference between them. But Cody knew better.
Rex just shrugged. "You are, sir," he said simply. Cody rolled his eyes and sat up. "Come on," Rex did his best to smile at him. "It'll be like old times, just the two of us."
Cody looked at his offered hand and hesitatingly took it. "Right," he swallowed. "Old times."
It pained him slightly that they wouldn't be able to say goodbye to the General and his Padawan. He could also tell from Rex's body language that he regretted not being able to say goodbye to the Organas. However, they had a mission and a limited timeframe to accomplish it. Cody did his best to straighten his back and followed Rex out of the cold white chalcedony room into a dimly-lit porcelain white hallway lined with nacre. As he looked up for the fiftieth time at the tall ceilings which reached so high that no servants could ever possibly clean them, he noticed a faint iridescent glint coming off of the pearly walls.
It's almost like a seashell, he thought to himself.
Although they did their best not to make any noise, their footsteps echoed as they shuffled across the smooth pearly white floors. It was not yet morning, and none of the huge fireplaces in the main foyer were lit. It was cold enough for their breath to form small clouds of fog, but the chilliness didn't seem to bother Rex. Resolved to not fall behind, Cody took deeper breaths of the cool air and did his best to get accustomed to it.
The doors to the Royal Palace were heavy and even taller than the both of them combined, but they managed to push them open with a little gruntwork. As they did so, the cold mountain air immediately came spilling in. The wind whipped cruelly at their faces as Cody blinked, temporarily blinded by the white light that was overtaking his senses. As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he also became aware of the crystallized snow crunching beneath his feet. When he looked down and lifted his boot, he could see an indentation that was more than seven inches deep.
"Our ship is parked over there," Rex gestured. "They've been keeping it in an underground hangar so the engines wouldn't freeze. But I got them to bring it out just for us."
Cody looked back up and noticed the small two-person spacecraft. "Right," he said, swallowing nervously. "Looks good." He didn't want to say it, but it looked almost exactly like the one he had used for years to smuggle refugees. "Let's go, then."
Together, the two of them trunched through the heavy layer of snow and made their way over to the spacecraft. Rex kicked at the opening hatch several times, growing visibly frustrated as the frozen door refused to open. Finally, Cody managed to pry it open with glove-covered hands, and the two of them climbed belly-first into the tiny spacecraft. "It's unregistered and discreet," Rex explained. "It'll be perfect for this mission."
Cody nodded, attempting to remember his old personality and how he should have responded to this information. He tried for several minutes but kept coming up with nothing. "Do we have enough fuel?" he found himself finally asking.
Rex grimaced as he started to tug at the ignition. The brake lever refused to move, and it took the both of them to yank it into position. "Enough to take us to Kamino," he replied. "From there on...it's up to us to find a ride back."
Cody nodded again, processing this information. Back then, he would have started to panick silently. Now...well, he was essentially a walking dead man. He had already died many years ago. Technically, there was no such thing as bad news anymore. "Alright," he said slowly.
Rex raised an eyebrow but did not question him. Together, they began to puzzle over the controls. The navicomputer whirred to life after some nudging on Cody's part, and finally the spacecraft's repulsorlifts began to hum powerfully.
"Where did all this snow come from?" he found himself asking. It was a dumb question, but it sounded like something the old Cody would have said. Maybe.
If his facade was failing, Rex did not seem to notice or care. "Snowstorm last night," he grunted irritably. "Quite the setback. Had to warn the General about it," he nodded.
Cody spun around, half-expecting to see Obi-Wan and Ahsoka standing there waving at them. But there was nothing; just the glittering Royal Palace with its towering, shell-shaped spires. Only this time, they were all covered in a heavy layer of snow that was as thick and white as the creamy frosting on the cake smelling of orange and ginger that Breha Organa had served them for dessert last night.
"It's been a good run here, on Alderaan," Rex said wistfully. "Shame we have to leave so soon."
Cody looked back down at his hands, thinking of the warm nights they had spent lying by the fireplaces. Of the countless cups of hot Mocoa that Breha Organa had pushed onto him despite his constant refusals. Of the little princess, chatting eagerly with Rex and riding in the General's repulsorlift chair.
Throughout his entire time, he had not spoken much to any of them...in fact, he highly doubted that any of them would remember him beyond a faint impression and perhaps the name he gave them. But he would remember them.
"Yes," he found himself saying. "It's too bad."
As they rose higher and higher, he watched the tall spires of the Royal Palace grow smaller and smaller. He could now see the full city of Aldera in its entire beauty; the tall snow-capped mountains, the beautiful lush emerald-green forest with trees that looked as if they had been dusted in powdered sugar, even the placid silver lake which had frozen over and transformed into a magic mirror. He found himself thinking deep down that he would miss this planet and its strange beauty.
"Alright," Rex said, tightening his seatbelt. "Preparing for transition to hyperspace."
Cody nodded, adjusting himself as well. "How fast can she go?"
"Well, that's a good question. She's a small dinghy, with no travel restrictions and no extra cargo," Rex said thoughtfully. "Our engineer estimates about a 1.8. That's pretty good, you know. Means we could be there within a matter of weeks."
Cody gritted his teeth. "This is a Class 0.5, at least."
Rex raised an eyebrow. "The Stellar Envoy wasn't even a Class 0.5," he reminded him. "And it was the fastest ship the Republic ever owned."
"Trust me," Cody replied simply. "It will be."
And with that, he reached forward to push the hyperdrive lever as far as it could possibly go.
"Wake up. We're here."
Rex opened his eyes and blinked, straightening himself.
The first thing he noticed was the slight up-and-down bobbing movement of their ship. He sat up, letting the loosened seatbelt fall from his shoulders. As he slowly rose in his seat, he gazed out the transparisteel vitrine.
Outside of their ship, he could only see water. The sun was low in the sky, casting the world with faint pink and turquoise light just shy of the horizon.
All around them, waves of deep blue and cerulean bathed their ship while gently rocking it back and forth.
"We're on Kamino," he said, half in awe and half disbelief.
Cody nodded silently.
"Welcome home, Captain."
Rex gazed open-mouthed, taking in as much as he could. As far as he could see, there were no signs of life. No Kaminoans riding aiwhas into the clouds. No buildings on stilts. No floating biodomes connected by glass transportation tubes. No Tipoca City or its famous underwater nuclear generator.
"Everything looks so different," he mumbled.
I don't recognize where we are, he thought to himself. I wonder if Dr. Se is still in charge of making clones, or if they fired her when Order 66 was put into effect. Does Prime Minister Lama Su still control Tipoca City? If so, did he join the Empire or was he replaced with a new puppet Prime Minister?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of liquid splashing. As he looked down, he noticed that his boots were wet. As he lifted his foot in confusion, water dripped from it. It was then that he noticed that he was standing in approximately two inches of fluid.
"Oh, no," he muttered.
Cody chuckled roughly. "We're going to have to bail her out later. I'm surprised you were able to sleep through the whole landing," he muttered. "It was quite an ordeal...I thought we were going to die."
Rex sighed and kicked at the puddle. "Must have been hyperspace-lag," he replied. "I was completely knocked out. I'm sure it wouldn't have been half as bad, if only..."
He glared at Cody who just shrugged as if to say he had absolutely no regrets.
"We got here in time," he said simply. "And we're both alive. You should be thanking me."
"Ha, ha," Rex said sarcastically. "Thank-you, Cody."
"You're welcome," Cody replied. "And that's Commander Cody to you."
"Oh, suddenly we're pulling rank again, are we?" Rex grumbled.
Still, he allowed Cody to pull him from his feet. Together, they trudged through puddles and climbed up a ladder to the roof of their spacecraft. As the rusty metal door swung open, Rex was instantly hit in the face by a wave of cold sea air. The bitter, salty taste whipped at his eyes and made them water. Rex swallowed drily, struggling to keep his eyelids open. At the moment, all he could see was the bottom of Cody. He followed him all the way from the lowest rung of the ladder to the top of the ship where they both peeked out of the porthole curiously.
The sun had risen a bit higher in the sky. He could see its light reflecting off the water like a bright, shiny mirror. He breathed in the strangely chill sea air and exhaled slowly, trying to familiarize himself with their surroundings.
"Where...where are we?"
"We crash-landed," Cody said. "I kept trying to find somewhere to dock on the navicomputer. It said that this is where Tipoca City was supposed to be... Hey!" he exclaimed after seeing Rex's face. "I swear it did! But the navicomputer kept showing error messages and trying to re-calibrate. So instead, I just picked the place which seemed safest and did an emergency landing."
"Well, you've made quite a mess of it," Rex said sardonically. "It seems General Skywalker taught you well."
The two of them went silent, having grown unused to hearing the sound of General Skywalker's name in years. Suddenly the awkward tension hung over them like a thick, overbearing tar. Rex swallowed nervously, trying to think of something to change the subject to.
"I always wanted to come back," Cody said suddenly. "I wondered what happened to everyone."
"...Yeah," Rex said slowly.
"I wanted to know what happened to them," Cody murmured. "The rest of our brothers...Master Shaak Ti...Dr. Se..."
Rex winced. He had not thought about Master Shaak Ti or Dr. Se in many years, but all of a sudden the memory of her made him ache.
If he tried hard enough, he could vaguely recall being in Dr. Se's presence. Nala Se was a tall willowy pale-faced Kaminoan with large black eyes who oversaw their production, not unlike a commander. She was probably the closest thing they had to a mother, especially since they grew up before Master Shaak Ti traveled to Kamino and became involved in the process of raising clones.
All he had were vague memories. Being watched by her. Nervously fiddling with his hands as she took notes of his health and physical condition.
He also remembered briefly being forced to return to Kamino after a particularly bloody battle, during which time Dr. Se saw to his injuries. He spent most of that time either unconscious or in a dream-like haze. In the midst of his strange, stressful hallucinations, he recalled sitting up and seeing her standing across watching over him.
"You can go back to sleep, CT-7567," Dr. Se had said. "We will not be conducting any more tests today."
"You'll be alright, Rex," Master Shaak Ti told him, much to his shock. He did not expect her to remember his name. "We've got you, you'll be all good to go in no time."
A small drop of saltwater ran down his cheek. Rex shook his head, hiding it away from Cody.
It's just the ocean breeze, he thought to himself. Brings unwanted moisture with it.
"I appreciate the fact the atmosphere is breathable," he noted with a faint note of bitterness. "Don't need an envirosuit to breathe here. Can't say the same for some other worlds."
"When was the last time you came here?" Cody asked, and he turned to face him. He awkwardly shuffled slightly, trying not to bump too closely into him.
"Ten...ten years ago," Rex breathed.
Cody nodded slowly.
"Did you meet anyone?"
"I had some people coming with me," Rex confessed slowly. "Our brothers." Cody nodded without making eye contact with him.
He was afraid to list names that Cody didn't recognize. He was also afraid to not list the names that Cody wanted to hear the most.
"They had someone with them...a child. A deviant."
"A deviant?" Cody asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, all of them were deviant in some way," Rex scratched his head. "Omega was different, however."
"Different how? Was he dysfunctional?"
"No," Rex replied. "Quite the opposite. Omega felt...right," he said slowly. "She was the first one of us who I ever met that didn't have age acceleration."
Cody stared at him, wide-eyed. Rex coughed and looked down, trying to adjust to the rhythm of the gently-moving sea.
"She was also the first Clone who we had to hide for other reasons," Rex swallowed. "We already knew that it could endanger her if the Empire found out that Dr. Se commissioned another one of us. But there was something else about her. She had abilities."
Cody's eyes grew even wider.
"Abilities like General Skywalker's?" he asked, shocked.
Rex lowered his eyes.
"A clone Jedi," Cody said incredulously. "I don't think I've ever heard of that."
Rex nodded slowly.
"What happened to them?"
"We...well, we removed our chips," Rex said, trying to recount his memories as best as possible. "Wrecker didn't go down without a fight, I'm afraid."
Beside him, Cody chuckled drily. However, he could tell from his body language that he was still tense.
"He survived," Rex assured him. "So did the others. Wrecker, Hunter, Tech, Echo, Omega. They all survived." Cody smiled faintly, although his expression betrayed doubt. "I saw it with both of my eyes. We removed the chips and everybody got off-planet."
"Ah, I see," Cody nodded. He had gone back into full serious mode. "Wrecker," he repeated hollowly, as if trying to cement the name in his brain. "Hunter. Tech. Echo."
"And Omega," Rex said encouragingly. "The Jedi."
Cody did not respond.
"And you? Did you see anyone we know?" he tried hopefully.
He knew that he had already asked this question. Cody knew he had already asked this question. The last time he asked, Cody had told him no.
Cody just narrowed his eyes. Rex sighed, preparing himself for the same response.
When he finally spoke, it was so quiet that Rex almost missed it.
"Crosshair," Cody murmured.
Rex's eyes widened.
"Crosshair!" he gasped. "I didn't know he was with you!" He went quiet for a moment, remembering their conversation from many years ago. Back when Crosshair had chided him for leaving Echo behind. "I'm...glad," he muttered, relieved. "I don't think he would be very pleased to see me. But I know the others would be happy to know that he survived."
"Yeah," Cody said darkly. His tone was strangely doubtful for reasons that Rex could not comprehend.
"Well, at least we all made it," Rex said slowly. "I know it's not easy. I'm sure it must be tough for you, now that you don't have your chip anymore." Cody tensed up. "I know I was pretty disoriented even after I removed my chip for several years. I can only imagine what it must have been like for you... But I can promise you this, I know that you made the right decision."
Cody refused to make eye contact with him. Rex sighed and turned away, gazing at the horizon. The sun had risen and Kamino was lighting up in a sea of blue and green waves. Everything seemed calm, if a bit dull. And everything was eerily silent.
Too silent to be good.
"Cody," Rex said slowly. "You said you tried to find the cloning base?"
"Yeah," Cody scratched his head. "The one in Tipoca City where Master Shaak Ti lived. I think all the water is messing with the radio signals, but the navicomputer says it should be here-"
"Cody," Rex said desperately. "The navicomputer is relying on graphical coordinates. if the computer says that Tipoca City should be here, then that means..."
Both clones turned towards each other with looks of horror.
"Get back in the ship!" Rex shouted, and Cody immediately complied. As Cody frantically scrambled down the ladder and back into the sloshing pit of water that had slowly accumulated in their ship, Rex hurried after him.
Before, the water level had only come up to the toes of his boots. Now it was high enough to lap at his ankles.
"We need to get out of here fast," Rex inhaled sharply. "Plot a new course!"
"The water is messing with the charting," Cody gasped. "I'm having trouble geolocating Tatooine-"
"Forget about Tatooine!" Rex shouted and Cody turned towards him with a shocked expression. "Any planet will do. Any asteroid or moon, just get us off right now before-"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was immediately cut off by a loud cry.
As he turned to his left to look through the transparisteel vitrine, he immediately froze as the sight of a jaw full of sharp, bony teeth came charging at him. As Rex watched, transfixed, Cody yelled and pushed him out of the way. A strange greenish-blue creature with dark, mottled scales covering its serpentine body came roaring at them and rammed itself into the glass. The vitrine instantly shattered, causing water to pour in by the tonne. Rex only had a second to think before he was being yanked away, watching as the creature scrabbled furiously at the hole it had just created, using both its tail and flippers to break the window down.
"That wasn't no damn aiwha," Cody hissed, his voice trembling with panic.
"You're damn right it wasn't," Rex panted as he tried to regain his breath. "That's a saberjowl, the Kaminoans-"
"I don't care what it was!" Cody shouted. "We need to get you away from it!"
The sound of water flooding made them turn their heads. The saberjowl had already stuck its entire head through the broken window and was now snapping its jaws at them. Behind them, a wave of water the size of a man came rushing at them. Both Rex and Cody ducked, allowing the sharp cold seawater to wash over them. Rex tried his best not to lick his lips afterwards, knowing it would only make him thirsty. Both of his eyes stung from the salt residue coating his skin.
"What is it doing here?" Rex wondered as Cody grabbed him and started running for the exit.
"I don't care about that!" Cody yelled again. "Where's the stupid escape pod? We need to get out of here, now!"
"Don't you get it? There is no escape pod," Rex explained. "This dinghy was built to prioritize speed only. That means no extra attachments-"
"Then how the hell are we supposed to escape this?" Cody asked desperately.
"Simple," Rex said, reaching into the emergency compartment and pulling out an envirosuit. Cody immediately sprinted over, pushing aside massive splashes of ocean water as he did so. After suiting up Cody and making sure that his suit was set to deep sea pressure, Rex pulled out an envirosuit of his own and immediately switched on the oxygen tank. As he looked back up, breathing heavily through the tube apparatus, he made eye contact with Cody again.
Just a minute ago, the water had been as high as their knees. Now it was up to their waist.
Rex motioned at Cody to turn on the commlink attached to his helmet. When all he received was a confused look, Rex grumbled and reached out, switching it on himself.
"Can you hear me?" he asked. When there was no answer, he decided to shout it as loudly as possible. "CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
A second later, Cody smacked him upside the face (or, really, his helmet). Rex fumbled backwards and tripped on himself, landing with a loud splash in the water. At this point, the water level had risen so high that he was completely submerged. All he could hear was the loud sound of water rushing around him. After a moment, a pair of hands appeared and yanked him back to his feet. Rex panted, his shoulders heaving with effort as Cody reached up and clicked something on the side of his helmet. Instantly, the sound of rushing water disappeared and was replaced with the sound of Cody's commlink.
"WHY DID YOU JUST YELL AT ME?" Cody shouted. "I CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE, YOU KNOW!"
"Stop yelling at me!" Rex cringed, covering his ears instinctively even though they were completely hidden underneath the helmet. "You're the one that didn't respond when I asked if you could-oh," he realized with embarrassment. "My hearing attachment wasn't on, so I didn't hear your response."
"Hmph!" Cody grumbled.
"Remember to reprogram your jetpack attachment," Rex said, feeling slightly guilty. "The usual one won't work underwater, so you have to set it to-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, carbon dioxide jettison," Cody rolled his eyes. "I wasn't born yesterday, you know." With that, he stuck his head through the porthole and squeezed through.
Rex narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling petty. "You may not have been born yesterday, but we are still part of the same batch!" He yelled back.
"And yet, I still outrank you!" Cody reminded him.
"I know that, you don't have to rub it in every five seconds!" Rex glared.
The sound of them flailing around alerted the aquatic reptilian to their location. The saberjowl instantly turned its head, using its tail to twist its body back around, but both Rex and Cody activated their jetpack attachments and launched themselves far away just in time. As the saberjowl roared and howled behind them, they swam out of its grasp. At Rex's signal, both of them switched off their hearing attachments and turned on their comlinks to emit a shrill high-pitched noise. Immediately, the saberjowl howled and squirmed uncontrollably in agony.
Once they had lost its trail, Rex nodded at Cody and he turned his noise emitter off. Now that they were in the clear they both switched on their mobile navicomputer interfaces.
"The entire planet's made of water, so ley lines may have shifted a bit since the last time we were here," Rex called out over the comlink. "However, one thing that never changed about Kamino is..."
"The quadranium fusion generator," Cody nodded. "It's the biggest structure made out of off-world metal on this whole planet."
"Our suits should have built-in metal detectors made for alerting the wearer to the presence of droids," Rex said. "If we can find out a way to turn them on, we should be able to-"
"Got it!" Cody exclaimed.
Confused, Rex stared at him.
"We're looking for a giant hunk of metal, right?" Cody asked. "I just carry a hyperspace compass with me everywhere, just so I can remember where I am. Follow me."
Rex blinked, surprised. After a moment, he turned and swam after Cody. Together, using a combination of their own strength and their jetpacks, they slowly descended into the depths of the ocean.
Kamino was indeed a strange place. Some might say that it made no sense for such a planet to become the largest purveyor of clones; after all, cloning took resources and Kamino had nothing but water. Everything else needed to be shipped in from other worlds.
However, what such naysayers failed to take into account was that water was Kamino's best resource.
The secret that all Kaminoans worked hard to guard closely was that beneath its surface, there was a monster far bigger and greater than any of the saberjowls or aiwhas that populated the upper layer of water. Underneath the glass city and its corollary settlements, there was a large metal dome that concealed the source of Kamino's entire business. Without it they were nothing. But with the nuclear generator, they were more than just another isolated water planet. They were a force to be reckoned with.
Every day, the nuclear fusion generator used its own intricate and incomprehensible machinery to convert the surrounding seater to hydrogen fuel. It did so within a matter of hours, but the results were unspeakably impressive. All it took was a few tonnes of water to power the entirety of Tipoca City. Additionally, the infinite ocean surrounding it functioned as a cooling medium for all of the nuclear tanks.
As Prime Minister Su had once put it, "We get free power and all those who provide us with their resources get excellent products. Everybody wins."
Those products being, naturally, clones.
Like me, he thought with a shudder.
As they swam deeper, he began to feel his stomach filling with dread. The thought of being deep down underwater was not what scared him - he had done this many times before already. However, something was just not right.
A city like that doesn't just vanish, he thought to himself.
"I have a theory," Cody said. "I know from reports that Kaminoans had more than one way of living on this inhospitable ball of water."
"Yeah?" Rex asked, distracted. "How?"
"One way was living above the ocean in their stilt-houses," Cody replied. "And the second way..."
He gestured below them vaguely.
"...is to live underneath it," he finished.
Rex squinted and jetted closer.
After some time, it became clear what they were looking at. They slowly approached what appeared to be a mass of transparisteel structures, enormous clear tubes that had all been interwoven together. Rex's jaw dropped for the second time that day, awestruck. There was no clear end in sight; all they could see was the mass of infinite glass tubes that tangled together and ran all the way down. Cody also slowed down next to him, turning off his jetpack and turning to face him.
Together, the two of them surveyed the tube system in silence.
"I knew they used these for transport, but I didn't know they had them underwater as well."
"I think we saw some similar ones on Naboo," Cody shrugged. "You know, back when General Skywalker decided to visit Senator Amidala. I always wondered why they spent so much time together-"
"What do you mean? They didn't - oh, yes, I remember," Rex flushed, coughing into his fist. He was instantly thankful for the tinting of his envirosuit helmet. "Yes. Um. I remember that trip, much war strategy to talk about."
Some secrets were just best kept to oneself.
"Anyway," Cody said. "Let's swim closer, see if there's anyone who can help us with our predicament."
Perhaps Dr. Se is there, Rex thought to himself. She was smart.
She probably wouldn't be happy to see them...if anything, she would probably just regard them as stolen property that had finally been returned. But if there was one thing he knew about Dr. Se, she was extremely intelligent. She had brought him to life and patched him back up together several times. She had kept the entire cloning operation running successfully for many years and even evaded the notice of the Jedi Council (up until General Kenobi decided to investigate her, naturally). She also knew secrets about the nuclear generator that no one else was privy to and could easily run it without any assistance.
If there was anyone with a great enough knowledge of general science to keep a hidden underwater civilization running, it was definitely Dr. Se.
Then again, it might not be her waiting down there for us, Rex thought grumpily. It could also be Prime Minister Su.
Prime Minister Su had a penchant for prioritizing money over actual clone wellbeing. He had many great aspirations, none of which Rex was terribly fond. His plans for Kamino and its citizens were foolishly hubristic and vague at best...and as a clone himself, Rex did not particularly approve of them.
I really hope it's not him, Rex thought sullenly to himself.
Then again, Prime Minister Su was known for being extremely covetous. It wouldn't surprise him if he had decided to hide the entire population of Kamino underwater in a desperate attempt to escape the Empire.
"Do these suits protect against radioactivity?" Cody asked nervously.
"Of course they do, they protect against everything. They are meant for every environment...toxic gas, deep sea, planets that are too close to their respective sun..." Rex trailed off, stopping in his tracks as he saw something red flash at the edge of his vision. "What is that?"
"What are you talking about?" Cody turned around.
"Watch out!" Rex yelled.
It was now his turn to launch his jetpack and violently push Cody out of the way. Cody spluttered, flailing blindly as Rex angled his jetpack and switched directions. The two of them were thrown sideways as the red light followed them, hot on their trail.
"What is that?" Cody gasped.
"The turbolaser turrets!" Rex hissed. "They were never turned off, they're still here!"
"What?" Cody gasped. "But-"
The two of them immediately swam in different directions, attempting to divert the deadly laser's rays. However, it was useless. Red lights shot after them in both directions, forcing them to swim back upwards frantically.
"I thought you said this suit could protect us from anything!" Cody shouted.
"Anything natural," Rex said exasperatedly. "I didn't mean man-made laser rays!"
Eventually, they managed to swim high enough that the lasers stopped targeting them. Cody panted, exhausted. By his side, Rex reached out and awkwardly patted him on the back. The envirosuit was extremely bulky and outdated and did not really lend itself well to the task. However, after a few seconds Cody seemed to breathe easier.
"We have to try again," Cody panted. "How did they even sense us?"
"The lasers operate on high-energy gas," Rex frowned. "That must mean the hydrogen reactor in the nuclear generator is still working. But how..."
He puzzled over it for a few minutes before Cody loudly interrupted his thoughts again.
"I'm going back," he declared, turning on his jetpack.
"What?" Rex demanded, flabbergasted. "You can't! We just-"
Within seconds, Cody was gone. Exasperated, Rex turned on his jetpack and followed after him.
As they descended further underwater, Rex kept his trigger finger on his jetpack switch, ready to launch himself away at any moment. However, nothing seemed to happen. They got close enough to one of the transparisteel tubes they Cody was able to land on it. He immediately got to work screwing open the manhole door attached to it. Rex looked around nervously, not entirely convinced that they weren't walking into a trap.
"The turbo-lasers are made of thorilide shock absorbers," Cody murmured. "However, they are programmed not to shoot at anything made out of the same material."
"And what do you have that could possibly be made out of that, huh?" Rex retorted.
Cody stared at him for a moment then lifted his hand.
To Rex's horror, he realized that Cody had removed his glove, revealing a brand-new cybertronic prosthetic arm that he had never noticed before. Right in the center he could see the glint of something bright and crystalline.
"Cody," he whispered quietly, his voice suddenly hoarse.
"It doesn't matter," Cody muttered, putting the glove back on. "We're out of the turbolaser's detection range. We can begin infiltrating the city now," he nodded at the glass tube. "Coming?"
Rex stared at him silently, unable to move.
He hadn't noticed that Cody was missing an arm.
What else was there that he didn't know about the man?
As they swam closer to the manhole, Rex helped Cody to turn it. Together, they pulled the manhole cover off and quickly squeezed into the glass tube.
Once inside, they panted and covered the entrance back up. Some water had gotten in, but they still had enough air to breathe. Rex did not remove his envirosuit, however he did open his air tank just so it could refill itself with more oxygen. After some time adjusting, they stood back up and began to walk across the glass tubes.
It felt eerie, traveling through the pathways that he had once taken all those years ago. He had been so sure that he would never return here.
"Who do you think became their leader?" he asked, deciding to make small talk. With their helmets off, they could talk freely without needing any commlinks. "Dr. Se or Prime Minister Su? If it's between the two of them, I'm hoping for the Doctor."
Cody made a noncommittal grunt.
They continued to walk down the glass hallways for quite some time, with nothing to see except the dark murkiness of the see outside of them. Every now and then they would make contact with the occasional saberjowl. However, they were quite easy to deal with - with the help of a few blaster bolts and good old jumping down the glass slide, they managed to escape them.
As they descended deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of man-made tubes, Rex couldn't help but feel a horrible sinking feeling. Despite all his attempts at dissuading it, the nagging feeling kept returning until he could ignore it no longer.
"Cody..."
Cody stopped walking and paused in front of him. Neither of them spoke for quite some time.
"What if...what if they didn't survive?" Rex muttered hoarsely. "What if this is just it? What if the Empire decided to retaliate against the Kaminoans and sank the entire city...? What if there is no more Tipoca City and all we are standing upon is just an enormous graveyard? What if our brothers realized they were free, only to sink into the dark waters with their first and last breath...thinking they were being made to serve honorably in war...but instead, perishing cold and alone?"
Several minutes passed. Cody did not answer him.
Rex turned away, too upset for words.
Cody lowered his gaze and sighed. "If they blew up the nuclear generator, the foundations would be gone," he said simply, "There would be nothing left. No laser turrets, no transportation system, nothing. Whole planet's core would collapse. Everything would be disintegrated into spacedust. I've seen it happen dozens of times."
Rex closed his mouth.
The foundations were still standing. That at least was a consolation. A meager one at best, but a consolation nonetheless.
However, as to how Cody knew something unfamiliar like this when they had spent all those years together during the Wars...
"Cody..."
"What?"
"You...you've been keeping some secrets from me, haven't you? Not just what happened between you and General Kenobi," Rex narrowed his eyes. "You know something I don't."
Cody finally turned to face him.
"Cody, how long did you actually stay with the Empire?"
Silence.
"How long?" Rex asked frantically, feeling his face grow hot as he stepped forwards in a wild frenzy. "Didn't you ever realize that at some point, what you were doing was wrong? Did you question it? Did you do it because they made you? Or were you just following orders...?"
"Captain..."
"Did you ever even remove your inhibitor chip?"
A few moments passed. For those moments, all Rex could hear was the sound of Cody's and his own breathing.
"No," Cody whispered, and from the look in his eyes he knew that it was true.
Rex's heart finally broke.
It split into a million pieces. The pieces fell down and shattered themselves on the thick transparisteel floors of their glass prison. Each step that Cody took away from him, they only ground themselves further into dust. Rex felt as if he had become a glass man, all covered in glass dust with glass shards in his chest.
"Was it all a lie?" Rex blurted out, his knees shaking. "Is Crosshair even alive?" he demanded accusingly, the hurt permeating through his voice as he took another step forwards.
Cody eyed him wearily and sighed, closing his eyes.
"No."
"No?"
"He's dead. I'm sorry."
With that, he turned his back to him and continued to trudge forwards.
After that, they stopped speaking to one another. Cody did not dare to look at him and kept his face turned either away or behind him. As for Rex, he stopped using their comlinks and opted to wear his helmet without the hearing attachment on. There was nothing they could say to each other to fix the awkward tension.
As they turned a corner towards one of the central hubs, they began to hear some noises. Curious, Rex fastened his helmet just in case it was another saberjowl and began to jog towards it.
"Rex, no!" Cody yelled.
He was immediately stopped in his tracks by a loud, drawn-out scream.
A human-like scream.
All that Rex registered was a blur of confusion as he was suddenly yanked forwards and came face-to-face with a pallid humanoid creature. Before he could move to push it off, the creature open its mouth and screamed again. Suddenly, he could not look away. All that he could do was continue to stare with wide, terrified eyes as the creature snarled and tightened its grip on him.
Is this what the Kaminoans have transformed into? he thought, horrified. Is this what the radiation has done to them? Mutated them beyond recognition into starving, mangled shells of their former selves?
Cody immediately sprinted forwards and rammed his head into the creature's side, trying to shove it off. It roared loudly and threw him away easily. Rex watched helplessly as Cody flew through the air and banged his head against the side of the glass tube. Without his helmet, he was completely knocked out. Rex watched as the commander rolled over lifelessly and opened his own mouth to scream but no noise came out. Instead, he found himself being grabbed and hoisted into the air by the creature.
"Mine," it seemed to snarl. "Mine...hungry...eat..."
Rex desperately fumbled with his jetpack, switching it to terrestrial mode and pointing the jet directly at the creature's empty black eyes.
The creature let out a loud gasp as the flames hit it and let go, dropping him. Rex crumpled to the floor with a loud oof! Just as he struggled to scramble to his legs, he heard the sound of someone yelling.
"Leave him alone...! Hold on, I'll get it! Don't move!"
Cody? He thought deliriously, swiveling his head around. The bulky envirosuit made it hard to move and the tinted helmet was even harder to see through. Blinded, he crawled in what he hoped was the right direction.
Just then, two blaster bolts flew through the air and hit the creature directly in each eye with impeccable precision. It howled and crumpled in on itself, covering its face. Just then an invisible force shoved it roughly to the side.
"Stand back!" A female voice yelled and Rex craned his neck curiously. All he could see was a pair of legs belonging to what seemed to be a humanoid female.
She's pretty short, surely she can't be Dr. Se, he thought confusedly.
Yet the voice still sounded so familiar for some reason.
Ahsoka? He thought confusedly. She should be on Tatooine... What is she doing here?
He tried to sit up but his legs gave way. Instantly, he felt strong arms circling his waist and pulling him up from behind. Another person quickly walked over and placed their hands on his, gently helping him forwards. Rex felt a wave of gratitude wash over him as he tried to form the words to thank them. However, all he could focus on was his brother and the strange creature that had attacked him.
"Cody? Is that you?"
"I'm afraid not."
Although it could easily be mistaken for Cody's, there was something just slightly off about the voice. A minute lack of warmth, a slight inflection, the smallest deviation that made all the difference.
Rex straightened his back and dusted himself off, turning to face his savior.
"Hello sir," he said politely, bowing slightly to the male clone. "Thank you so much for saving me. I owe my entire life to you."
The male clone's mouth twisted slightly in displeasure. "You're welcome," he muttered sullenly. "Always rough on survivors when they come across their first mutant. But they're all the same. I expect that in a few days, you'll get used to it."
Rex squinted, trying to figure out what that voice reminded him of. Just then, he felt himself being squeezed from behind. Turning around, he found his vision was blocked by a head of short, fluffy blonde curls.
"Rex," a female voice gasped. "You're back!"
Rex's lungs began to wheeze in protest, but then the girl finally let go of him and stood back. He now found himself face-to-face with a young woman approximately the same age as Ahsoka. Although he did not know who she was, her face still lit up with recognition.
"You survived, Gen 1," she smiled. "I knew you were a fighter, old man."
Rex opened his mouth to say something then narrowed his eyes.
"Omega," he said, finally recognizing her. "What are you doing here?"
"I could say the same thing to you," she retorted. "Although I will say, you didn't do too bad for a reg."
"For a-" Rex bit his lip. "I mean, thank you for saving me too," he groaned. Omega smiled faintly. "And...your companion is?"
Omega looked up at the male clone. He looked back down at her, dumbfounded.
"Er..." the clone coughed. "Echo."
"Echo?" Rex said, feeling his heart thrum with excitement. "I'm so glad to see you again!" he exclaimed, stepping forwards as the male clone stepped further back into the darkness. With the tinted helmet it was hard to see what his face looked like, however something about him seemed different. "Where are your cybernetic implants? Where's your armor? Did you-"
The male clone opened his mouth to respond when suddenly, an arm reached around his neck and started strangling him. Rex looked around wildly trying to locate the mutant Kaminoan, but its unconscious body was still lying on the floor.
Cody, however, had disappeared.
"REX, GET BACK!" Cody yelled, squeezing the male clone's neck tightly. Both Omega and the unidentified male clone's eyes bulged wide with fear before Omega acted quickly, making a pushing motion with her arms. Cody yelped as suddenly he was pushed back and then lifted into the air by the Force.
"Let go of him!" Omega growled.
"No, don't hurt him!" Rex begged. "Cody, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?"
"I know who he really is!" Cody howled furiously pointing at the male clone. "I've seen that man, worked with him, stood by his side for years! He is no brother of ours-"
"Cody, what are you talking about?" Rex asked desperately, his voice cracking. "He just saved us!"
"He DIDN'T!" Cody roared. "Can't you see that he isn't who he said he is? You know what Echo looks like, Rex. This isn't him. This is an agent of the Empire!"
At those words, Rex's blood immediately ran cold. He slowly walked towards the male clone as if transfixed. The male clone ducked away, still trying to hide his face in the shadows, but Rex reached out and yanked him forwards. The man he was staring at had no cybernetic implants, no prosthetic limbs, nothing.
However, he did have a very recognizable scar on his left eye.
"Crosshair," Rex gasped. "But...you told me he was dead!"
"Worse," Cody snarled, forcing himself back onto his feet and stalking towards Crosshair like a predator. "I died the very day that the Empire decided to activate the chip in my head. I died that day and I've never been the same man since. I've been struggling with it for years and years, trying to force myself to fight against my nature, telling myself that it wasn't all in my blood. But this one here... this non-reg..." He nodded towards him, his face contorting with disgust. "He had it in him, all along. Chip or no chip. It was all him."
Crosshair turned back to face Rex and instantly he felt his stomach curl. He wasn't a Jedi but he could feel things. The darkness surrounding the man he had once called his brother was so great, it made him physically stumble backwards in horror. Crosshair reached towards him and he fell back, paralyzed with fear. He was saying something, and Cody was yelling something, but Rex didn't hear either of them. He just covered his face with his hands and fell down, squeezing his eyes shut.
We're doomed, he thought to himself. We're all doomed. There is no way out.