#captain rex x ofc

[wild-karrde]

In Command - Part 20

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A/N: An update while on vacation? Sure why not. As always, thank you to the phenomenal @teletraan-meets-jarvis for beta-reading for me!

Chapter Rating: E (18+ minors skeedaddle)

Warnings: explicit sexual content (PiV sex, oral sex, cum eating, fingering), language

Word Count: 8.5k words

“That cake was AMAZING!”

“Wrecker, we’re all honestly surprised you tasted it at all with how fast you ate it,” Hunter teased.

“Yeah, I think you’ve scarred some of those service droids for life,” Senna joked.

“Did you see the one? Wrecker almost took his arm off!” Echo was laughing so hard tears were pricking at his eyes now, and Senna joined him, doubling over in the middle of the hall as they walked back to their rooms. Maybe it was the wine or just the relief of being safe with full bellies, but either way, the mood had lifted significantly among the group. Even Tech was smiling and engaging in conversation rather than ignoring everyone in favor of his datapad. 

Wrecker shrugged. “I was hungry, and they were in the way.”

“Perhaps you should keep in mind that they are also responsible for preparing your food, Wrecker. Threatening them may not be the best idea,” Tech pointed out, and even Rex snorted in amusement at that. 

“Was that a joke, Tech?” Senna teased. 

The goggled clone blinked at her, and Senna swore he was trying to stifle a grin. 

“Take it as you wish.” 

Their laughter echoed down the halls as they returned to the wing of the palace they were staying in, dying off as they all bid each other good night and returned to their rooms. 

“Try to get some sleep,” Echo murmured to Senna, and she shoved him, her face heating. He chuckled, moving off down the hall to his door. 

Rex leaned against the wall as she punched the unlock code into the keypad for their room. “What was that about?”

Senna shrugged, blowing her hair out of her face as the door slid open. “Just Echo saying good night.” 

She didn’t look at him, but she could hear his huff of a laugh, could practically feel his smirk as he slipped his hand into the small of her back, gently ushering her into the room. 

Senna strode to the center of the bedroom, suddenly nervous for reasons she couldn’t understand. She turned to watch Rex lock the door behind them before he met her eyes. The only sound was their breathing as they stared at one another, seemingly unsure of where to start, paralyzed by choice with nothing inhibiting either of them this time. 

Where do I even begin? There’s so much I want. 

And nothing will stop me from taking it. 

It was strange to think that Senna had been afraid of having this, having the person she’d wanted so desperately with all of her feelings reciprocated. The rest of the galaxy fell away outside of the door, and Senna’s entire universe shrank to the size of the bedroom with Rex at the center of it all. 

Fuck, I love him so much. 

Mercifully, Rex moved first, closing the gap between them with a measured patience that sent need coursing through Senna. He cradled her face, and she felt herself melt into his touch as he smiled down at her with darkening eyes. 

“I believe I made you a promise,” he rumbled. “And now I have all night to fulfill it.” 

Senna felt herself tremble with excitement as he leaned down to kiss her, working his lips gently against hers as his hands slid to her waist. It wasn’t until he slipped his hands under her shirt, his calloused palms grazing her skin that she finally felt some of her wits return to her, enough for her to not let him take the lead entirely. Her tongue grazed his bottom lip, and he groaned, permitting her entrance as his grip on her tightened. Senna allowed him to back her against a wall, letting out a small grunt when her shoulderblades bumped into the hard surface. Rex made no apology, instead slotting his knee in between her legs as he pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it somewhere to be forgotten. Senna ground against him desperately as her fingers dug into the back of his neck. She whined as his lips left hers, moving along her jawline to her neck. He left one mark, and then another, sucking bruises into her skin where her clothing would cover as his hands worked at her breastband, removing it as well and flinging it aside. 

His hands were immediately on her breasts, cradling them before tugging gently on her nipples just enough to make Senna gasp. She felt his mouth curl into a smile against her skin at her response, and for whatever reason, some of her competitive edge resurfaced. She pushed him back from her, relishing in his confusion before she spun him against the wall, effectively swapping places. 

“You are far too clothed,” she rasped, pulling at his shirt eagerly. Rex’s grin returned as he helped her slip the garment over his head. 

“Can’t have that now, can we?” he teased. 

“I think I made you some sort of promise too,” Senna whispered as she nipped at his collarbone, her fingers tracing the bandage on his chest. “If it’s not too much.” 

She felt Rex shudder slightly under her touch. “I don’t recall you promising anything.”

“Then let me refresh your memory,” she whispered directly into his ear, nipping at the lobe before she trailed kisses down his neck and chest, sinking to her knees in front of him. Rex inhaled sharply, and when she met his eyes, they were blown wide. 

“What is it?” she asked. 

“I… would you believe me if I told you I dreamed about this?” 

Her fingers found his belt, undoing the clasp as she kept her eyes on his. 

“Sounds like I’ve got a lot to live up to.” 

He cupped her chin, his thumb pushing against her lower lip as he frantically helped her undo his trousers with his other hand. 

“You’ve already exceeded it in every way, Sen.” 

She kissed the pad of his thumb, blushing under his gaze. Rex caught his lip between his teeth as she freed his cock, stroking it a few times. She adjusted such that the head grazed against her bare breasts, dragging her thumb over the head and spreading the precum leaking from the tip over the flushed skin. 

“I’ve dreamt of this too,” she whispered, pressing closer so that she could kiss Rex’s bare hip teasingly. His muscles flexed as he jerked towards her with a sharp inhale. “Wondered what you tasted like, how you’d feel against my tongue, what sounds you’d make.” She blew against the tip, and Rex whined. 

“Senna, please.”

She grinned wickedly. “I thought we had all night.”

Before Rex could retort, she wrapped her lips around the tip of his cock and sucked gently, savoring the taste and warmth of him as she flicked her tongue against any sensitive spot she could find. Rex’s head thunked against the wall as he unleashed a curse, his hand still gently cradling her face. Senna smiled, running her tongue along the bottom of his length, tracing the vein she could feel there. 

“Fuck,” Rex groaned. 

Slowly, Senna worked Rex further into her mouth, fighting against her gag reflex and the ache of her jaw as she took him deeper with each bob of her head, her fingers wrapped around the length she couldn’t yet reach. She’d never taken anyone as large as Rex in her mouth before, but the way he was sweating and moaning was addicting, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever tire of the sight of Rex, muscles flexing, jaw clenched, eyes locked on her as she allowed him deeper each pass. When her nose finally met the curls at the base of his cock, she swallowed, and Rex’s hands flew to her head as he gasped. 

“Maker alive, do that again. Oh gods, please do that again.” 

Every thought she’d have of taking her time flew from her mind as she heard his plea. She wanted to shatter Rex. 

Tears streamed from Senna’s eyes, but a thrill shot through her at seeing her lover doubled over, gasping and whining and begging for her. She obliged, fighting harder against her gag reflex, practically choking herself on him. Rex’s fingers tightened in her hair, but he didn’t hold her down or press her further. His control only made her want more. Senna pushed her face against Rex hard enough to pin him against the wall, and she drove his cock so far into her throat that she knew she’d be hoarse in the morning, but it was worth hearing Rex whimper and feel his control finally start to slip. 

“Sen, I don’t want-”

Senna released him with a gasp, panting as she pumped him quickly. Strings of saliva connected her lips to him still. 

“Rex, I want to taste it,” she rasped. “Please let me taste you. Give it to me.” 

He swore again as she took him to the back of her throat once more before she began to bob up and down, swallowing when she was able to. Her cunt was screaming for attention, and she slid a hand between her legs as her lips went numb around Rex’s length. She glanced up at him through watery eyes and almost came from the sight of him alone.

The captain was wrecked. Sweat slicked his skin as he did his best to focus on her through hooded lids. Broken curses and stuttered praises poured from between his lips as he watched her, and she relished in every second of it. His abdomen flexed in front of her eyes, and she felt his cock twitch against her tongue. She knew she was close to claiming her prize. 

“S-Sen, I-I…”

She wrapped her hand around him, twisting firmly as her knuckles followed her lips, her fingers growing slick with her own saliva. 

“Oh, f-fuck, Senna.”

Rex came hard, coating Senna’s tongue in warm stickiness. She swallowed everything he gave her, flicking her tongue over the tip of him to clean him off until he shuddered.

“S’too much,” he mumbled. “T-too much.” 

Rex leaned down and kissed her, sinking to the floor along with her, but never releasing his hold on her face as he practically pulled her into his lap, panting against her lips. She kissed him back fervently, grinding her soaked cunt against his thigh again, desperate for any friction. 

“That was… so fucking good,” Rex gasped. He pulled her against him, resting his forehead against hers as he fought to regain his breath. His fingers stroked her bare spine. “Was it ok?”

She giggled against his mouth. “It was perfect. I told you I wanted to taste you like that. From the source.” 

Rex’s eyes had darkened again. 

“Well, it’s only fair that I return the favor then.” 

With a strength and swiftness that drew a surprised whoop from Senna, Rex scooped her into his arms, nearly tackling her backwards onto the bed in three strides. His hand cradled her head as she fell against the mattress, panting as his mouth worked down her body, anticipation sending shivers down her spine. His fingers hooked into her trousers pulling them and her undergarments off in one swift tug. He kicked the rest of the way out of his pants, kneeling at the edge of the bed as his lips reached the inside of her thigh. In between panting breaths, he scooped under Senna’s ass, hauling her to the edge of the bed and pulling one leg over his shoulder. Senna shuddered as his breath hit her warm, wet cunt in a huff that almost felt like a sigh. 

“Beautiful,” he breathed. 

Senna’s skin broke out in goosebumps as he nuzzled the inside of her thigh, biting softly against the tender flesh until she whined. 

“Don’t tease,” she gasped. 

There wasn’t a single glimmer of mercy in Rex’s gaze as he looked up at Senna from between her spread legs. “I thought you said we had all night, love.” 

Senna couldn’t tear her eyes away from Rex as he stuck two fingers into his mouth, keeping his eyes locked on hers as he gently withdrew them, running them along the soaked lips of her cunt. She whimpered again, her fingers gripping the duvet hard enough to drain the blood from them. Rex smirked. 

“I’ve looked forward to this.” 

“Well I wouldn’t want you to deprive yourself any longer,” Senna gritted out, her brow furrowing as she tried to bite back another whimper. 

Rex grinned triumphantly before leaning down and licking into her. Senna’s back arched off the bed as his fingers slid into her, immediately finding the spongy place inside her and pressing against it. Rex’s other hand gripped her thigh, holding her firmly in place as his mouth explored her. Sometimes he removed his fingers, using them to instead apply pressure to her clit as his tongue prodded into her. Then, as her orgasm built, he’d swap back, leaving her huffing in frustration until he plunged his fingers back inside of her, sucking at her sensitive bundle of nerves. 

His mouth was heaven, and before long, Senna found herself grinding back up to meet his tongue. Rex relaxed his grip on her hip, groaning into her as she clenched around him. 

“You going to cum for me, pretty girl?” he mumbled into her folds. 

“P-please. Please let me, Rex.”

“I want to taste it.” 

He redoubled his effort until it felt like every nerve ending in Senna’s body was stretched taut, ready to snap. When she glanced down between her knees, electricity licked up her spine. Rex was stroking himself as he devoured her, his cock hardening again in his hand as he worshiped her on his knees. 

“Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease,” she begged. “Don’t stop. Right there.”

The wet smacking sound of Rex devouring her echoed between her pants and moans, and finally, Rex gave her what she wanted, snapping the tension as Senna came with a scream that poured out between her clenched teeth. She rode out the aftershocks, drifting through her haze until Rex’s damp lips pressed against hers once more. 

His knees were pressing hers further apart, and she wrapped her legs around him. 

“Tell me what you want, Senna,” he whispered against the shell of her ear. “I’ll give you anything.” 

This time, Senna had a response. “I want it all, Rex. Everything. I want you. I need you inside me.” She kissed him back, tasting her own release on his tongue. “I love you. Fuck I love you.” 

He rested his forehead against hers as his cock caught at her entrance. Calloused hands cradled her face as he pushed into her, slowly stretching her to accommodate him. 

“I love you, Senna. F-fuck. You feel so good. So good for me.”

Senna’s fingers wrapped around the back of Rex’s neck as she buried her face in his shoulder, sighing into his skin as he bottomed out inside of her. 

“All for you, Rex. All yours.” 

“And I’m yours.” 

Rex pulled her apart slowly, adjusting his hips and noting how Senna whined and writhed beneath him. She should have guessed he’d be meticulous, but his patience drove her wild. Desperation clouded her senses, and she couldn’t understand how he fucked her so methodically, so patiently, carefully crafting her orgasm while she clawed at his back. She came again, trying to muffle her screams in his shoulder, but Rex was having none of it. 

“I want to hear it all, Senna.” 

“B-but what about the others?”

“Door’s got a soundproof setting when locked,” he rasped. “I’m selfish. I want all of your sounds just for me.” 

That was all the encouragement Senna needed as Rex put his hands behind her knees, folding her in half and driving his cock back into her, bringing her another orgasm in a matter of minutes. She had no doubt he meant to make good on his promise as he moved her again, molding her malleable body to his liking. All of the possibilities that had overwhelmed her had also apparently been bouncing around in Rex’s mind, and he seemed intent on checking every box in one evening. He took her on her side with one leg hooked over his hip, he lifted her into his lap as though she weighed nothing, spearing her on his cock, and when she felt as though she couldn’t possibly orgasm again in this lifetime without spontaneously combusting, he rolled her onto her hands and knees, taking her from behind. 

Her cunt was swollen and she knew she’d feel sore in the morning, and her throat felt raw from crying out Rex’s name. Sweat slicked both of their skin, and the sheets stuck to them, damp from their bodies. Even still, she couldn’t get enough of him, and she wasn’t about to tell him to stop. 

“One more for me, Sen. I know you’ve got one more in you,” Rex grunted from behind her. 

“Rex… I…” Senna wasn’t even sure what plane of existence she lived on at this point, floating between bliss and some other world where ‘pleasure’ was an inadequate word to describe anything she felt. And yet, somehow, she felt the coil tightening in her gut again as Rex’s fingers dug into her hips, pulling her back into him. She felt her ass rippling with every thrust, a wet slapping sound coming from between her legs as Rex fucked her.

“You can,” he growled. “Touch yourself for me, pretty girl. You’ll give me one more.” 

Senna slowly adjusted, her body feeling gelatinous, but somehow she managed to prop herself up on one elbow, her fingers finding their way to her swollen clit, rubbing with a practiced pressure that immediately pushed her towards the edge. Her forehead stuck to the sheets, and suddenly, she felt Rex brush the hair off of her shoulder before his fingers gripped her, pulling her up against his chest with one of his arms draped across her collar bone, holding her up. 

“Look at how gorgeous you are,” he whispered into her ear, and Senna’s eyes fell on the mirror in one corner of the room. 

Her hair hung in loose waves, sticking to her sweaty body and Rex’s chest. One hand gently cradled her throat while the other tightly gripped her hip, guiding her along his length. Her breasts bounced with every snap of Rex’s hips, and she could see his cock disappearing inside of her with every thrust, his balls swinging forward to slap against her clit. But the thing that set her entire body ablaze was the way Rex was watching her in the mirror, his dark eyes focused on her face and expressions. He looked hungry, enamored, in charge and at her mercy all at the same time, as if he was taking everything he wanted but would submit at her word. 

His hand slipped from her hip, finding her clit and pressing with just the perfect amount of pressure, as if he’d been touching her like this all of his life. 

“Cum for me, Senna.” 

She nearly passed out, screaming as she soaked the sheets beneath them with her release. Rex’s arms held her up as the room around them disappeared around them in a haze, and she sagged against him, wrung out and undone in every way. 

“I’ve got you,” Rex gasped in her ear as he held her close. Gently, he lowered her down onto the pillows, leaning over her and brushing away the hair that was stuck to her face. Sweat trickled from his brow, but his expression was softer, more tender as he stared down at her. 

“Are you alright?” he asked. 

“No,” she replied. Rex’s brow furrowed with concern. 

Senna planted her palms against his chest, pushing him onto his back and clambering on top of him clumsily. 

“Your turn,” she gasped, pushing her hair back out of her face. 

Rex rested his hands on her thighs, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles. “Sen, you don’t have-”

“Shhh,” she insisted. “I want to.” She felt his cock twitch against her ass with interest. 

“Are you sure you’ve got the stamina for it?” he asked teasingly. 

She glared at him before angling her hips and sheathing him inside of her in one smooth motion, sitting up on his hips and grinding down until she felt him bottom out inside of her. Rex groaned, his grip on her tightening, and Senna huffed with victory. 

“Pretty sure,” she laughed, rocking her hips against Rex and enjoying the way his chest heaved beneath her fingertips. 

She teased him for a while, allowing herself to catch her breath as she slowly raised herself, letting the cool night air hit Rex’s slick cock before dropping herself back down to meet his hips, relishing in his grunts and groans of pleasure. Finally, when her head was a little clearer, she picked up the pace, bracing her hands against his shoulders as she rode him, finding pleasure when the head of his cock brushed the place inside her that had her seeing stars. 

“Senna.”

She hadn’t realized she’d closed her eyes, but snapped them back open to look down at Rex. His lips were parted slightly as he reached for her, cradling her face and running his thumb along her lower lip. She kissed it. 

“You’re so gorgeous,” he whispered, resting his other hand on her hip to slow her. Senna took her cue from him, whining when he began to meet her slow grinding with his hips. 

“C’mere.” He pulled her down so that their foreheads rested against one another. Senna braced herself on either side of his head, dropping to her elbows so that she could graze her nose against his. Her hair hung down, curtaining the two of them in together so that all she seemed able to focus on was his eyes, locked on hers. He groaned quietly into her mouth as he met her hips again. 

“Just like this,” he rasped. “I want to finish just like this. Looking at you like this.” 

“Ok,” was the only response she could muster. Her body felt heated again, burning under his touch but needing more of it. Her breasts rested against his chest as she pressed her lips against his, whimpering into his mouth. 

The room was quiet except for their soft gasps and whines and the rustling of the sheets, and something about the quiet intimacy of it all almost made Senna cry. 

“I love you,” Rex whispered, his voice slightly more strained. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too, Rex.”

“I-I never… fuck… I never thought I-I’d feel like this… with anyone. B-but here you are. I never stood a chance.” 

She laughed quietly before he punctured it with another gasp when he began guiding her hips to grind himself deeper into her. It felt as though his cock was reaching something so deep inside of her, somewhere no one had ever touched, and Senna cried out.

“I want it all with you, Senna,” Rex continued. She’d never heard him talk like this, but fuck if it wasn’t unravelling everything in her. “I d-don’t ever want to be without you again. I wanted this for so long. So long. And I don’t think I can lose you. Ever.”

“Rex.” 

“Senna.” 

“Rex, I-I… I’m gonna-”

“I know. I know. Me too.” 

“Don’t stop.” 

“I won’t. I won’t ever stop.” 

Rex gasped, swearing as he came, and his grip on the back of her neck tightened. The warmth between her legs drew a stuttering, breathy cry from Senna as her orgasm met his. The two of them rode out their highs, sighing and panting into each other’s mouths until Rex eased Senna down on the pillow next to him. Her leg remained draped over his hip as he kissed her tenderly, cradling her face. 

Finally, Rex relented, laying back on the pillows and pulling the covers over the two of them. They lay facing each other, the sweat still glistening on their foreheads as their panting finally calmed to a normal rate of breathing. Senna traced her fingers along Rex’s neck and collarbone as she looked into his eyes. 

“Well, that was a pleasant upgrade from a cave floor,” she grinned.

Rex let out a deep breathy laugh, letting his fingers intertwine with hers. “I couldn’t agree more. And this bed is better than the one at the inn.”

“Yeah.”

They lay in silence for several more moments as Rex traced patterns on the skin of her hip and she shivered under his touch. Pulling the sheet up to cover her abdomen and chest, she scooted closer to him, resting her forehead against his as his hand drifted across her waist and pressed into the small of her back, pulling her closer.

“Did you mean what you said?” she whispered after a few moments. “About never being without me again?” 

She was glad he didn’t answer instantly, that he took a moment to think about it before smiling at her, stroking her cheek. 

“Yes. I do mean that.” 

Senna hesitated for a moment. 

“How do you think our story ends?” 

It was a question that had been sitting in the back of her mind ever since she’d first considered the possibility of being with Rex. What would their future look like? How would it all end? With the two of them married? With children? It seemed like they should be on the same page in terms of the end goal, but if she was honest, she had no idea what she hoped for. 

Happiness, I suppose.

“How do you want it to end?” Rex asked, rubbing his thumb along her lower lip to deter the nervous chewing she’d started.

Senna sighed. “I don’t know. I want to be happy.”

“Are you happy?”

“Of course. But there are many ways to be happy with someone that you love.” 

Rex laughed softly, letting the thought hang between them for a few moments. “Would…would you want to get married?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Senna met his eyes, her azure irises boring into him. It was something she’d considered of course, but hearing Rex say the words out loud only solidified her desire for it in her mind. She wanted to be bound to Rex in any way she could. Of course, it would take time to be sure. She wasn’t that impulsive. 

In fact, marriage wasn’t something she’d really thought of as a possibility for herself, even after the war. It seemed silly to consider that path when she was so focused on survival and keeping herself hidden. But then Rex had come along, and something about him had always made her certain it was a thing he’d desire if he was with the right person. When she’d first met him, she’d just never thought that she would be that person for him. 

Senna leaned into his touch and nodded. “Yes, I suppose I would. If that’s something you’d want as well when the time comes.”

Rex smiled widely, seemingly giddy in a way that Senna had never seen. “That is very much something I’d want after this is over.” He hesitated, suddenly appearing a bit nervous. “Although…I’m sorry I have no surname to give you.”

Senna giggled. “What makes you think I’d take your name anyway?”

Rex huffed before throwing an arm around her and squeezing her playfully, digging his nose into the spot near her collarbone that he’d clearly noted was ticklish. Senna wriggled in his arms until he finally released her, bumping his nose against hers. 

“Good point, I suppose.” He let his thumb run over her cheekbone, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “I…I’d have no issue taking yours. I kind of like the name ‘Aven’.”

Senna’s smile faltered slightly. “I don’t think I’d want to keep that name. I’m no longer that person anymore. In my mind, Senna Aven didn’t survive Order 66. I mean, I did, but-” 

“I understand,” Rex tried to reassure her. 

“It’s just…” The words escaped Senna, and that frustrated her. Her teeth dug into her lip once more, and again, he soothed her nerves again with his thumb, trying to keep her from bloodying her own lip with her nerves. 

“If you don’t stop doing that, I’m not going to have anything left to kiss.”

She smiled. “Sorry. It’s a habit when I’m thinking.”

“When are you not thinking?”

She huffed and rolled her eyes, but couldn’t muster any argument. Instead, she let her hand drift to his hip as she met his eyes. 

“What if…what if we chose our own surname? Something that was meaningful to us and kind of symbolic of us starting over? A new beginning.”

Senna could see him thinking the suggestion over. 

“I chose my own name when I was a cadet,” he said slowly. “So in a sense, it’s a family tradition, I suppose. But this seems so much more important than picking ‘Rex’. It’s something I’d share with you.” He met her gaze. “The person I love.”

She watched him quietly as he thought for a few moments, and then his eyes widened slightly. Rex intertwined his fingers with hers as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. 

“There’s a word in Mando’a, atiniir. It means ‘to endure’ or ‘to tough it out.’ It’s a word I heard the trainers use when I was a cadet, and I think that kind of describes the both of us.”

Senna turned the word over on her tongue, considering it. 

Atiniir. 

Endurance was definitely a word that felt right for her and Rex. They’d endured the war, the aftermath, hell even each other before they’d fallen in love. After a few moments, she grinned at him. 

“We don’t have to decide now. It was just a thought,” Rex said, suddenly nervous. 

Senna smiled at him, and the worried pinch between his brows vanished. “Well, then I wouldn’t have to worry about changing my initials,” she joked. Leaning more into him, she captured his lips in a kiss, and he tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her to him. Parting her lips from his, she rested her forehead against his. 

“If we last long enough to get married, I’d be honored to share that name with you, Rex. I love it.”

Rex smiled, stroking her cheek as he held her close to him. 

“And I love you,” he murmured softly.

—

The following morning, Rex awoke to an empty bed, but this time, everything felt decidedly different from Lothal. Senna had gotten up an hour ago, trying to not wake him. He’d felt her watching him sleep for a few moments before she leaned down and kissed him, and after all of her effort to let him sleep, he figured it would only be rude to let her know he was awake. After the main door had hissed shut behind her, he’d managed to drop back off for a little while, dreaming of the night before, of her smile, her laugh, and the way she looked wrapped around him. But now, the dreams were no longer enough, and he was ready to track her back down and feel her in his arms for real. 

Rolling over and opening his eyes, he immediately noticed a metallic glint on the pillow next to him. Rex picked it up, turning it over in his hands and examining it. It was a piece of metallic tubing a few centimeters in length that had been bent at a right angle. It had a small nozzle on either end and in the middle of the bent line, two spacers seated along the tubing that spun as he turned the piece over in his hands. He could see that they’d fused together, which he assumed wasn’t good, but beyond that, he wasn’t sure what the hardware was for. 

What’s she playing at? he thought, his mouth curving into a grin despite his confusion. 

Rex dressed quickly with some clothes he found in the room’s wardrobe that seemed to be the right fit, slipping the piece of metal into his pocket before stepping out into the hallway. He stood still for a minute, straining his ears to catch any clue of where Senna might have gone. After a few moments, he was rewarded with the sound of quick footsteps and a familiar grunt from further down the hall, and he strode off towards the source of the noise.

After wandering through a few corridors, he came upon a wide open room with massive archways that opened to the outside. A cool morning breeze was blowing, whistling slightly through the archways and tugging at the corners of Rex’s shirt. The room appeared to be some sort of training center, with targets at one end of the room, weight training equipment at the other, and in the wide open space in the middle was Senna, her lightsaber humming as she parried an invisible opponent. The cerulean sleeveless tunic she wore rippled like water as she spun, and Rex could see the back of it was soaked with sweat. Her hair was tied back in a long braid that whipped back and forth as she turned on her heel and struck another blow at her imaginary assailant. She grunted and yelled as she attacked, and he realized that was the sound that he’d been hearing from down the hall as she moved through the same sequence again. Rex leaned against the edge of the archway, watching her until a quiet voice next to him made him jump.

“Seems like she’s getting her stuff back,” Echo whispered. “Or at least she’s certainly trying to.”

Rex glanced sideways. Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech stood behind Echo, Wrecker munching on some kind of bun he’d likely gotten from the kitchens. The clones were out of their armor and wearing lightweight clothing clearly meant for them to work out in.

“I think that encounter with the Inquisitor shook her up a bit. It’s been a while since she was challenged on that level, and trust me, she hates to lose,” Rex said under his breath.

“She didn’t lose though. She survived,” Echo replied.

Rex smirked. “She won’t see it that way.” He glanced back at Senna. “I’m not sure her using that lightsaber out in the open is a good idea though.”

“Organa’s aide assured us no one would come down to this part of the castle,” Hunter replied. “We were feeling antsy and were assured this would be a safe place to blow off some steam.” 

“Are you all going to stand there like mynocks on a power cable, or are you going to come over here and make yourselves useful?” Senna called from the middle of the room, her back to them.

Rex snorted and Echo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as they all stepped further into the room. Senna finally turned to face them, the tiny wisps of hair that had come loose from her braid sticking to her face and neck. She smiled at Rex, her eyes roving over him. He realized it was the most well-rested she’d looked in a long time despite the hours they’d spent wrapped around one another the night before. The sudden image of her on her knees in front of him invaded his mind, and his cock threatened to noticeably stiffen in his pants. He tried to subtly adjust himself, but Senna’s sharp blue eyes flicked down to where his hands were trying to hide an erection, and her lips curled into a mischievous grin. 

“Something on your mind, Captain?” she asked under her breath, bumping her shoulder against his.

“Oh, just the fact that you seem to be walking just fine,” he murmured into her ear. 

She winked at him. “I suppose I am, even if I am a bit sore. Voice is definitely hoarse if that’s any consolation.” 

He smirked at her. “Guess I’ve got more work to do.”

“If you’re up for it,” she teased. Turning to the rest of them, she raised an eyebrow. “Anyone wanna spar with me? I could use the practice instead of shadow boxing.”

“Only if you put the lightsaber away. Otherwise it won’t be much of a fair fight,” Hunter joked, walking over to grab two of the wooden staffs that were leaning against some of the weight equipment. Stepping forward, he tossed her one and she caught it above her head, giving it a few experimental spins to test its balance.

“Deal,” she said, a sly grin spreading across her face as she deactivated her blade, clipping her hilt to her belt. Rex and Echo took a seat against the nearest wall while Tech stood at the edge of the padded flooring and Wrecker sat on a weight bench. Senna squared her feet, taking a ready stance as Hunter let the staff dangle at his side, stalking around her confidently.

Rex leaned over to whisper to Echo. “Care to make this interesting?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I’m betting he doesn’t land a hit on her.”

Echo shot him a skeptical look. “Not a one? I think that’s a little overconfident. It is Hunter, and you know how competitive he can get.”

Rex nodded. “Twenty credits?”

“You’re on.”

Just then, Hunter lunged at Senna. She easily sidestepped him, and his swing flew by her. The sergeant tried to redirect his momentum, swinging the staff backhanded towards his target, and again, Senna lightly stepped back and out of the way.

Rex raised an eyebrow at Echo. “Still feeling good about that bet?”

Echo grinned. “He’s got time. He’s testing the water still to see what she’ll do. I’ve got faith in him.”

Hunter was walking slowly around Senna again, and a smirk was tugging at her lips. She squared her feet once more as Hunter stalked behind her. Her eyes drifted over her shoulder, and she swung her hips to the left just as he stabbed at her midriff, releasing her staff with her right hand to wrap her fingers around his wrist and pull him towards her. Hunter stumbled, off balance as she spun him and stepped forward, knocking him on the floor. His weapon clattered away from him as Senna knelt on top of him, pressing her staff to his throat. 

“Got ya,” she teased, tongue poking between her teeth.

Hunter’s face was blank for a moment before the confident glint returned to his eyes. Shifting his weight, he bucked his hips upward, knocking Senna forward. She flipped over the top of him and onto her back as Hunter whirled away from her to grab his staff. Kicking herself back up into a crouched position, Senna brandished her weapon outwards. 

“Is that all you’ve got?” she mocked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not even close, sweetheart,” Hunter rumbled, and he charged forward. His footwork was no longer sloppy and he had adapted to her parries as he pressed her. She retreated backwards, blocking his blows as he continued his advance.

“See, now he’s got her figured out,” Echo whispered. “He’s matching her footwork and fighting style.”

“We’ll see,” Rex said.

They watched as Senna and Hunter sparred, dancing around one another and testing the other’s reactions. Echo was right; Hunter had adjusted, but Senna still had one or two tricks up her sleeves. She was more focused than Rex had ever seen her, more determined. 

“She knows this is just practice, right?” Echo asked after a few minutes. 

Rex glanced at him. “I told you she doesn’t like losing.”

“Is that all this is?” 

“What do you mean?”

Echo leaned closer, lowering his voice. “It seems like there’s something else here. Not just a friendly competition. I don’t know that Senna’s just fighting Hunter right now.” 

Rex sighed. “The Inquisitor caught her off guard.” His mind drifted back to how frustrated she’d been the night Fisk had tried to assault her, anger crackling in his chest despite the months that separated him from that moment. “And she doesn’t like it when… when someone gets the drop on her.” 

“Who else then?” Echo pressed, sensing Rex was holding something back. 

“An Imperial named Fisk. He was on Lothal. She underestimated what he was capable of. And she almost paid dearly for it.” 

He could tell Echo knew him well enough to pull the pieces together, and he saw a similar anger flare in the eyes they shared. His brother’s jaw clenched as he sat back, watching Senna with a very different expression. 

“I’m surprised you let him live.”

“Oh, if I had it my way, he’d be at the bottom of the darkest hole I could find,” Rex gritted out, his fist clenching reflexively. “But she insisted the mission came first.”

“Damn her sensibility,” Echo joked mirthlessly. 

“Yeah,” Rex agreed. “She’s very protective of me. Perhaps too much so. She was willing… to do far too much to keep me safe.” He picked at a cuticle on his index finger. “She almost wouldn’t be with me because she was afraid it would put me in danger.”

“Danger has a way of finding you, Rex,” Echo chuckled.

“That’s what I told her.” 

They fell silent for a few more moments, letting the clacking of Senna and Hunter’s staff echo around the room.  

“I’m glad she wasn’t harmed,” Echo said quietly. “And I’m also glad someone is looking out for you.” 

Before Rex could respond, a frustrated growl from Senna drew his attention back to the sparring session in front of him. Hunter was still pressing Senna towards the edge of the mat when she suddenly dropped to her knees, rotating back behind him. From her kneeling position, Senna went to hit Hunter in the back, but he leapt into the air in a backflip, striking at her as he passed overhead. She reached up and grappled his wrist again, shoving him back farther than he’d anticipated for his landing, forcing him to tuck and roll upon impact. Spinning on her knees to a standing position, Senna advanced. Hunter was still kneeling as she struck at him, the wood cracking together loudly in the quiet of the room. The sergeant was desperately trying to get back to his feet, but Senna’s relentless flurry of blows kept him off balance until finally, he stabbed at her out of desperation and she dodged it, bringing her arm down to lock his sword arm in place while she brought her staff to his throat again and pressed forward, trapping his kneeling leg underneath him. There was no escape this time, and Hunter grinned as he dropped his staff and raised his other hand in surrender. 

“You got me.”

Echo sighed as he fished around in one of his belt pouches before slipping the credits into Rex’s outstretched hand.

“I saw that,” Senna called over her shoulder as she helped Hunter up. “It wasn’t really a fair fight though. I’m going to bet that style of combat isn’t in the training manuals on Kamino.”

“You would be correct,” Tech said from where he’d been standing. “However, some of us did take it upon ourselves to learn the skill.” Setting his datapad on the ground near the wall, he walked over and picked up a staff, twirling it lightly with his wrist.

“You, Tech? Really?” Hunter asked.

“Yes. Why is that shocking?”

“I guess…you know what, nevermind. It’s not. Have at her.” He walked over to slump against the wall and slid down into a seated position next to Rex, wiping his face on the edge of his shirt. “She’s something else.”

Rex bit back a proud grin, some of the tension leaving him as he caught Senna’s eye. “Indeed, she is.”

Tech mirrored Senna with his stance, tucking one hand behind his back as he brandished the staff in front of him. The two slowly circled each other until Senna feinted left, testing Tech’s response. He seemed unphased as he sidestepped her, maintaining his balance and parrying her test strike. Stepping back, he resumed his defensive position, waiting for her next move. She imitated Hunter, stalking around him with her staff hanging at her hip. Tech maintained his defensive position, waiting for her attack. This time, Senna raced towards him, leaping into the air and swiping at Tech’s off shoulder as she flew over him. Tech dropped to his knees, rolling away from her slash and spinning to face her as she landed. Their battle went on for several minutes as they tested each other, Senna poking and prodding at Tech’s defenses and Tech managing to block every blow. Finally, Senna went for a feint and then charged Tech, swinging as he parried her attack. She continued to press forward until Tech suddenly dropped low, kicking her legs out from under her. Senna let out a surprised curse as Tech changed his momentum, stepping forward to grasp her sword arm as she toppled to the ground. He locked his staff with hers, twisting it so she was disarmed and the wooden rod flew across the mat. Holding her arm to his chest, he knelt on her ribs, panting. 

“I do believe I win,” he said evenly. His expression was neutral, but his eyes were glinting triumphantly behind his lenses.

Rex chuckled to himself. 

Oh, she’s going to hate that.

Sure enough, Senna’s hand that Tech had captured by the wrist twitched, and his goggles wiggled on his nose as she tugged at them with the Force. 

“Don’t you dare,” he warned, standing up and releasing her.

“Oh, come on, just a bit of fun,” she teased as he helped her up. To Rex’s surprise, she gave him a light, playful shove. “Well fought, Legs.”

Echo glanced at Rex. “Does she take instruction?”

“At your own risk,” Rex replied. 

“Yeah, well I want her to be prepared too. For Inquisitors or the next sleamo she encounters,” Echo muttered, pushing himself to his feet. “Would you like to know what you did wrong?” he called out.

Senna turned, cocking an eyebrow at him. He shrugged. “I am a strategist. It’s what I do.”

Her face split into a wide smile, and she bowed dramatically. “Enlighten me then, Corporal.”

Echo stepped out onto the mat, his spine straightening and his scomp arm drifting behind his back while he gesticulated with his biological limb. Rex had to fight back a laugh at how serious his little brother became.

If only Fives could see him now. He’d have teased him relentlessly.  

“You shifted your weight too early and got too close to him,” Echo told Senna, who to her credit, was listening attentively. “He’d clearly been waiting on you to do that the entire time, but you just hadn’t gotten overly eager until that last point. Also, you have a tell for when you’re going to step within proximity. It’s slight, but you shift your weight to push off your left foot more so than your right, and you lean your hip outwards.”

“Giving away all my secrets, Echo?” Tech joked dryly, wiping sweat from his brow on his sleeve. “He is correct though. That was exactly my strategy.”

Senna nodded. “Let’s go again then.”

Rex smiled to himself. 

Atta girl.

—

Senna and Tech went for another half an hour before she bested him, and in another hour, she was beating him consistently. At that point, the clones switched things up, having her fight Tech and Hunter at the same time, and when she won those battles, they had Wrecker start chucking small sandbags at her during combat to just add one more thing to dodge. Echo and Rex gave feedback from the sidelines, providing minor corrections to make her less of a predictable fighter, and Senna took each bit of feedback in stride.

I won’t get surprised again. And it’s been a long time since I felt this… right.

Her blood roared in her ears and her muscles burned, but she loved it. She hadn’t sparred, really sparred since her time at the temple. She’d kept herself locked away for so long, and there was clearly rust there, but her progress was evident. Now, when she reached out, she could feel everything around her without having to strain. She wasn’t completely attuned yet, but what had been a struggle a few weeks ago now felt natural again. 

With time. It’ll come back with time. Just gotta be patient.

By the time the sun was starting to sink lower in the sky, Senna felt her stomach rumble, and called a halt to the combat. They were all drenched in sweat, and she could feel blisters starting to form on the bottoms of her feet, but she felt satisfied. Tossing Hunter the staff she’d been working with to be replaced on its rack, she strode up to Rex, wiping her face on her shirt.

He beamed at her. “Well done.”

The compliment made her face feel warm, and she was glad she was already flushed so he couldn’t see its effect. “Thanks. Still not sure I’m where I need to be.”

“But you’re in a better place than you were this morning,” he insisted. 

“I suppose,” she conceded. 

Reaching into his pocket, Rex pulled out the trinket she’d left on his pillow. “By the way, what is this? I found it on your side of the bed this morning.”

It had been a silly, spur-of-of-the-moment idea, and now it felt even more childish with Rex’s confused expression. Senna ducked her head bashfully, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Well, last time I left while you were sleeping, I don’t think I uuuuh made my feelings very clear. I know it was silly, but I wanted to leave something so you’d know I was thinking of you. In case you got worried.” 

Rex chuckled. “I wasn’t worried. But what is it?” 

Senna took the metal from him, turning it over in her palm. “When I mess up something during a build or repair, sometimes I keep the scrap. Don’t know why, but I kind of like having the mementos. This was a piece of fluid line from the speeder bike on Lothal.” She poked at the ruined metal. “I accidentally fused the two spacers together and messed up the tubing bend a bit, so I just kept it. It was in my pocket the night we had to leave.”

Rex took it back from her, turning it over in his hands with a look of newfound appreciation. He met her eyes. “You’re a bit odd, you know that?”

Senna tipped her head back and laughed at that. “You knew what you were getting into.”

“I did,” he confirmed with a grin. 

Slipping her arm around Rex’s waist, Senna turned to recommend they all go get food, but before she could utter a word, Bail Organa walked briskly into the room with his head aide and two guardsmen. Senna stiffened at his appearance. The senator was nervous and winded, as if he’d half-run here. Rex noticed too. She felt his hand rest protectively on her shoulder. Organa glanced around, clearly glad they were all in one place before he spoke. 

“I’m afraid we have a problem.”

Tag List: @redheadgirl @cyarbika @witchklng @djarrex @arctrooper69 @sleepingsun501 @ladytano420 @rexxdjarin @echos-girlfriend @zoeykallus @leftealeaf @galacticgraffiti @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall @ariadnes-red-thread @goblininawig @merkitty49 @fives-lover @ladykatakuri @runforrestr @baba-fett @daimyosprincess @obihiddlenox @bucketbunny99 @fordo-kixed-rex @nerdika @amish---paradise @arctrooperechy

#Karrde Writes #in command #star wars #the clone wars #tcw #captain rex #captain rex x oc #captain rex x ofc #captain rex x original female character #OC Senna Aven #the bad batch #echo #tech #wrecker #hunter #slow burn #friends to lovers #angst #whump #fluff

[rexxdjarin]

Captain Rex Works

~~Fics~~

Captain's Log ✨ Unwritten - The Captain's Log Prequel ✨ Captain's Log!Reader (Mari) x Rex headcanons Captain's Log!Reader (Mari) x Rex fluff Captain's Log!Rex and his son fluff

~~One Shots~~

Under the Same Night Sky Captain Rex x OC: Mari Vontas oneshot A Little Night Off

~~Asks and Thots~~

Rex tries to keep you quiet in the barracks (+ bonus comments)

Rex finds out he likes light choking

Rex finds out he likes choking pt II thots

Practicing your squats distracts gray sweatpants Gym!Rex (+ bonus comments)

Rex with his newborn

Going to sleep and waking up together with Rex

Rex slips it into the wrong hole

Rex Non-Sexual Intimacy Headcanons

Long-term Relationship Stuff with Rex

Rex’s Wedding Vows (+ bonus music!)

Desperation (Waking Rex up for sex ficlet

Rex knows you don't want to drink tonight ficlet

Rex finds out you're insecurities and reassures you ficlet

Rebels!Rex Just Friends? Smut prompts ficlet

Rebels Rex x Reader x Rebels Wolffe threeway ficlet

Post-Zygerria Arc Rex Smut Prompts ficlet/thot

"Beg for it." Sinday Asks prompts with Rex thot

Rex & Holo Net News Reporter! Reader Go Public thot

How Rex & HNNReporter!Reader Meet thot

Rex & HNNReporter!Reader Define the Relationship fluff

HNNReporter!Reader & Rex Break the Tension thot

Sloppy Toppy thot

Affectionate Asks with Rex fluff

Coming Home to you fluff

Shower Blowjobs thot

Rex's First Time Headcanons

Blowing Rex while on a holocall with his COs thot

When Rex loves you fluff

Edging Rex thots

Rex and Mari Affectionate Prompts

Cockwarming Rex thots

Rex Eating You Out thot

Rex as a Dad headcanons

Rex burying himself in you thot

Giving Rex a massage thot

Desperately Horny Rex thot

~~Art~~

Tempting, huh? NSFW art

#captain rex fanfiction #captain rex fanfic #captain rex x reader #captain rex x you #captain rex x ofc #captain rex x oc #captain rex #tcw rex #rexxdjarin writes #rexxdjarin

[book-of-baba-fett]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 21

Captain Rex x OC

Previous Chapter

Chapter Summary: The battle for Anaxes has reached its breaking point. As the Republic and Separatist forces face off, will Rex and Talia be able to get past their history or will the rising tension between them lead to further broken hearts.

Chapter Rating: E (18+)

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Smut, Oral (f receiving), PiV, creampie, canon typical violence, mentions of death.

A/N: Thanks for your patience with the wait on this one. It's a long chapter, but I in no good conscious could split it in half and make y'all wait (which for me, who loves good cliffhangers, is saying something.) Thanks to my darling @galacticgraffiti for beta reading, and for being with me on this journey for TWO YEARS. Won't be much longer for the next chapter.

Ao3 Link

Series Masterlist

19 BBY - Anaxes

The Republic suffered heavy losses on Anaxes, something that Rex couldn’t help but feel a bit of guilt for as he walked through the medical station at camp. Given the chance, he wouldn’t do anything differently, he would always go back for Echo; but he couldn’t ignore the nagging thought in the back of his head that he should also have been in the field for the rest of his men. It was hard for him to not feel like he had the responsibility of the war on his shoulders. After so many years of command it was impossible to not feel that burden. Part of his mind told himself that he should be used to it by now, that this was the way of war. But the other part reminded himself that he was feeling that guilt because he was human. 

Echo had been in medical care since they arrived back on Anaxes the night before, and Rex hadn’t seen him since. He had to get caught up on the siege and was also encouraged by Kix to give the medical team some time, and Echo a chance for much needed rest. But Rex came as soon as he had a moment, he wanted Echo to know he had someone there for him. As soon as Rex walked in to see him, he was greeted by the sound of raucous laughter. 

“-and that’s not even all of it,” Jesse was saying as he stood in front of Echo, a grin overtaking his face. Kix was leaning on a table to the side, shaking his head but smiling along, Echo sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands as he shook with laughter. “You know how Hardcase could never say no to anything. So, when he was dared to try a sip, he downed the whole bottle-”

“And the whole barracks regretted the dare with how much he puked that night,” Rex added, remembering the story Jesse was sharing as he walked in. Jesse and Kix laughed at the memory and Echo smiled along. “We were lucky to be shipped out the next morning: I feel bad for the cleaning droids that had to deal with that.”

“I’m sure the 501st is responsible for half the contraband rules in the GAR,” Echo joined in, the smile on his face making him look livelier than he had the day before. Jesse and Kix said their goodbyes, giving Rex a chance to talk to Echo alone. 

“How are you feeling?” Rex asked tentatively.

“As good as I can be,” Echo replied simply with a small shrug. “Medics say I’m fine, I’ve just been getting some nutrients and solid food for the first time since…well, since it happened.”

Rex nodded, glad to know that there weren’t any flags raised. Echo would still have to go through some conditioning and a psych eval before going back to combat, but there was some relief in knowing Echo would be ok. Echo shifted his seat, a frown creasing on his lips as his face scrunched in thought. He glanced at the door where Jesse and Kix just walked out, then back at Rex. 

“Fives is dead, isn’t he?” 

Rex exhaled heavily. Of course, Echo was too smart to not figure out why Fives hadn’t come to see him yet.

“I’m sorry. That’s one of the reasons I was coming to talk to you today.” 

Echo nodded, his head tilted down, so he was looking at his hand and the scomp link the Techno Union had attached. “The last thing I remember was him calling my name. Next thing I knew-”

Echo’s words choked in his throat, but he swallowed whatever he was trying to say. He glanced back up at Rex and forced a smile. “Figured he would have been on the mission with you guys, that’s how I knew he was gone.”

“I’m sorry,” Rex repeated, because once more guilt was taking over him. It felt too simple just to say ‘sorry’. That one small word couldn’t encompass all the guilt he was feeling, and how it connected to Fives.  He forced a low chuckle, thinking of a different world.“Fives would have been the first volunteer, and he might have single-handedly taken on the Techno Union if he’d seen what they did to you.”

“How did it-” Echo started to ask but a knock sounded on the door. Rex and Echo glanced to see Talia standing in the doorway. A pit formed in Rex’s stomach at her sudden appearance; he hadn’t spoken to her since their conversation on the Havoc Marauder. 

“Sorry, I can go if I’m interrupting,” Talia quickly said, her eyes flicking once in Rex’s direction before locking on Echo. “I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“It’s fine. I was just leaving, General,” Rex said quickly. Echo’s eyes darted between the two of them, but he smiled politely at Talia. In truth Rex did have to leave - he was supposed to be in command for a briefing on his next assignment. And Cody was still injured, so he was going to stop by his quarters to see him after checking on Echo. He was also being selfish, because he hadn’t thought of how he would explain how Fives died to Echo before he stepped in. Everything around Fives’ death was painful, and he didn’t want to cause Echo any more potential stress. It was just another burden for Rex to carry. 

Since Cody was out of immediate danger, he was allowed to rest in his officer’s quarters and attend briefings, but much to his chagrin, he wasn’t cleared for combat. When Rex entered Cody’s room, the commander was out of the bed, sitting at his desk with a datapad in front him. Rex knew no medical orders could keep his brother from work. Cody didn’t look too bad anymore, he was just bandaged around his chest; it was probably precaution more than anything that kept him on rest. Cody looked up as Rex entered and offered a mumbled greeting.

“How are you feeling?” Rex asked, sitting on the edge of the bed that Cody had abandoned.

“I’m fine,” Cody grunted, uncharacteristically grumpy. He sighed and looked at Rex. “I should be cleared for duty already. It’s ridiculous being cooped up here.”

“I’m sure Kenobi has things under control, and wouldn’t want you to rush yourself,” Rex offered. Cody grunted again.

“You’re right. Hell, he’s probably the one ordering the medics to keep me here no matter how much I try and pull rank,” Cody’s tone had lightened a bit. “Still, I can’t imagine I’ll be out of action much longer. I heard things went well on Skako.”

Rex nodded. “Echo’s still being looked over. He seems to be holding things together well, after everything he’s been through.”

“That’s good to hear, he was always a good kid,” Cody said. He sighed as he leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. “Never deserved for that to happen to him.”

Rex nodded. He couldn’t think of anyone who would deserve what the Techno Union did to Echo.

“How’ve you been holding up?” Cody asked. 

“It’s not easy to see brother in that state, or  to know I’m partially responsible for him being left behind-”

“You’re not,” Cody interrupted. “You know you can’t think like that. It was a mission from hell, and we couldn’t have known what would happen to him.”

“Still doesn’t make it any easier.” Rex replied darkly.

Cody seemed to accept that and nodded. 

“Still, that actually wasn’t what I was talking about,” Cody said slowly, as if Rex was missing something more obvious. Rex just stared at him in mild confusion. Cody put his datapad down and fixed Rex with a serious stare. “You looked like you saw a ghost when you saw General Riva the other day, Rex.”

“I don’t see what that has to do with anything.” Rex frowned and shook his head.

“Rex, we aren’t going to sit here and act like you haven’t been a miserable piece of shit since you two ended things.”

Rex scoffed at that, “Bold of you to call that out.”

Cody sighed and pushed his chair back. “Honestly… seeing how you’ve been since and watching you two dance around each other in command meetings this past week, I’m surprised no one else called either of you out before.”

“There’s nothing to call out, we ended-”

“I know it’s over,” Cody waved him off, “But Rex, come on. You look at her like the stars shine out of her ass. How the hell did I never see it?”

Rex stared at him in disbelief. “What does it even matter now?”

Cody sighed and fixed Rex with an imploring look. “I’m saying you do everything you can to look after the 501st, all of our brothers. Maybe I was wrong to call out the one thing you did to look after yourself.”

“What, suddenly I have your blessing or something?” Rex scoffed. 

“I don’t give a shit what you do. All I care about is that you take care of yourself. We’ve lost so much. All of us. And we need to fight for something that we believe. Not because we were trained to fight for it, but because we chose to fight for it. It’s what makes us human.”

Rex frowned and looked at his hands, already warring with himself. He opened his mouth to try and find a reply, but nothing came out. He was rescued by his comm beeping - General Skywalker ready to brief him on the next assignment already. Rex sighed heavily, and glanced back at Cody who was still giving him that frustrating, knowing look. If he hadn’t been injured, Rex would have had an urge to slap it off his face. And yet once again, Rex was leaving Cody’s room after a conversation that would stick in his mind.

The air around the base was tense. One didn’t need the Force to sense that something was about to finally give in the battle for Anaxes. They had been stuck in this stalemate for too long, and now both sides were getting ready for a final push. Rex trusted Echo’s plan to feed false information to the Separatist forces, even if Rex was worried Echo was pushing himself back into action too quickly. Rex would also stand by Echo, no matter how much the Batch seemed wary of his intentions, worried that he had spent too much time working with the Separatists to truly be on the Republic’s side again. Rex knew Echo, knew he’d had no choice in what his mind was used for. But now, he did.

The Batch and Anakin had already boarded the Havoc Marauder, and as Rex turned to join them a voice called out, “Wait a second!”

Rex turned as Talia was running over, a little out of breath. She halted in front of him as Rex stood next to the walkway.

“Aren’t you leading the 412th into the assembly complex?” Rex asked bluntly. Talia frowned, but shook her head.

“Storm has it under control. I figured you all could use some extra support here,” Talia’s tone turned stiff. “Is that going to be a problem for you?”

Rex couldn’t ignore the slight crack in her voice. He sighed and shook his head, “It’s not my call what you chose to do, General.”

Talia pursed her lips but nodded, “Then we best get on our way.”

She sidestepped him and boarded the ship, leaving Rex looking on as he once again found himself berating every little action he took. Just like when they went to Skako Minor, he knew her help was always an asset. And he didn’t want it to be this way, but he was still thinking about his conversation with Cody, and what had happened on Skako.

It wasn’t his place to question her, especially not anymore, but Rex could still feel the terror-filled awe that had overtaken him when he watched Talia take down the tri-droids with lightning. He had seen many incredible things done by the Jedi, but to see that amount of raw power coming from someone he cared about… it was mesmerizing, inspiring, and terrifying all at once. He had always known how powerful Talia was, even when she doubted it herself, but this was beyond anything he could ever have imagined. And what had scared him the most was that Talia didn’t seem to care about the cost it took on her. He saw how the lightning lit up her body, encasing her in a frightening glow, only for her to fall weak to her knees, exhausted and drained instantly after. Rex was a practical man, and Talia was right that a power like that had its use. He just didn’t think it was worth risking anything that could cause her pain.

As he contemplated this, he was only left more frustrated afterward, unable to convey his worry as anything more than irritation.  Especially when it seemed like there had been a chance for normalcy between them again with how they had talked on the mission.

He didn’t want to hurt her, that was never something Rex desired. But he couldn’t resist throwing her words back at her, because even though Rex knew Talia hadn’t meant to be cruel, she had to know how horrible it made him feel. But now he felt even worse for the pain he saw in her eyes, seeing that she obviously felt guilt for the way things had ended between them.

And then there was what Cody said. As frustrated as Rex was by his brother’s sudden change of tone, Rex couldn’t go back on his decision just like that. For all he knew, Talia wouldn’t even want him anymore. Rex had surely done enough to keep her at arm’s length in his own misguided sense of duty, but he also worried he may have lost his chance. Crosshair’s teasing remarks to Hunter still rung in his ears, and he thought of how comfortable she seemed with the Sergeant. It hurt to think that she might have moved on so quickly, but Rex couldn’t fault her for doing what made her happy. In fact, the only thing he wanted for her was happiness.

If only there was time to work out this mess between them before it complicated things on missions even more. But Rex couldn’t ignore the rushing feeling around him, that the galaxy was heading in a certain direction and couldn’t be stopped. He, his brothers, and the Jedi were caught in the middle, ready to crash when this all ended.

Sneaking onto the Separatist dreadnought went almost too smoothly, something that kept Talia’s nerves on edge. They didn’t encounter any droids on the way to the comm vault, aiding their plans for a stealth mission - even if Wrecker seemed to be tired of all their sneaking around. The vault was a small, circular room lined with wiring and electrical lights, and a tall console in its middle that Tech was rigging an interface in so Echo could safely log in. Anakin was checking to make sure there were no other entrances to the vault, ensuring that they couldn’t be attacked by Separatist troops. Talia held her blade in her hand, twirling it in her hand, ready to ignite at a second’s notice.

Talia was playing things close to the chest with this mission. Storm had already sent her a message conveying that the other Generals were not so understanding of her decision to abandon the plan that she should lead the 412th into the assembly complex, and that she had left Storm to command in her stead. But Talia’s mind was in too many places, and her judgment told her this was the place she needed to be. She could deal with the council later, even though she could guess that she would be under criticism for her rash decisions. 

Once Tech gave the go ahead, Echo scomped into the mainframe, instantly accessing all the data. He intercepted a request from Admiral Trench, which Tech pointed out they would need to reroute the message to make it seem like the call was still coming from Skako Minor.

Talia stepped into the corridor that was leading to the mainframe, giving some space from the small room. They were lucky to have been undetected this long, but Talia knew that luck would eventually run out. She tapped her foot, glancing around as she tried to keep her mind focused.

“You doing alright?” Hunter’s question cut into her nervousness as he stepped up beside her in the corridor.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Talia shrugged off, her voice more curtly than she had intended, earning a raised brow from Hunter. She exhaled, and attempted to sound more at ease. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’ve just noticed how…tense you get whenever the Captain’s around.”

Talia stopped in her tracks and turned on her heel to face him. “Your enhanced senses can’t work like that.”

Hunter snorted at how she didn’t even deny it, a grin curving on his tattooed face. “They don’t. Anyone with any sense can see it.”

Talia cursed under her breath. “Here I thought we were always good at hiding it.”

“You probably were before,” Hunter shrugged. “But whatever happened between you two…it’s still hanging in the air.”

Talia huffed a laugh at that, it was such a simple observation, but she couldn’t ignore the truth behind it. “You don’t even know half of it.”

“Well, I know one thing; even if you had never told me you had a history with a clone, I would have still known you were in love with him by the way you two go back and forth. In battle, and in conversation,” Hunter stated as simply as if he were recounting a mission. He made it sound so obvious, , as if it were the most natural thing.  “Hell, even the way you look at him when you think no one else is noticing. Same for him.”

Talia let out a mirthless laugh at that, “I think we’re long past the days where he looked at me that way.”

She berated herself for letting that slip. She had already overstepped with Hunter in too many ways to count, but he just looked at her with a somewhat exasperated look. “He’s doing it now.”

Talia frowned and glanced over her shoulder, just to see Rex’s head turn the other way. Talia’s cheeks burned and her heart ached, she couldn’t give herself that hope, even if Hunter was trying to make it feel better.  Shaking her head, she mumbled, “We should check what’s going on.”

Walking back into the room, Rex’s eyes flicked in her direction once more, to Hunter, then back to Talia. His lips flickered to an almost imperceptible frown, something anyone but Talia wouldn’t have noticed. She must be imagining it, though. Interrupting her musings, Tech made a confused noise as he looked at his datapad.

“I’m intercepting a transmission,” Tech said, suspicion in his voice, “Trench is ordering all his troops to the assembly complex.”

“All right, Echo, what are you trying to pull?” Hunter asked doubtfully.

“Don’t worry, that’s what I told him to do,” Echo answered with an assuredness only an ARC Trooper possessed.

“But our troops will be vastly outnumbered?” Rex deduced doubtingly.

“Not when I send the feedback pulse that shuts down all the droids,” Echo explained.

“How do we know that’s what you’re really going to do?” Hunter asked suspiciously. Both he and Tech were sharing a doubting look, as if they had been expecting this all along.

“We have to trust him,” Rex jumped in, frustration mounting in his voice as he tried to placate Hunter and Tech.

“Rex is right,” Talia joined, knowing that nothing would be accomplished if the squad was arguing amongst itself. “If Echo says the plan will work, it’ll work.”

“We’re counting on you, Echo,” Anakin said as he lifted his wrist to call General Windu, warning him that things were going to get a lot heavier for the troops in the assembly complex. Echo returned his focus, and Hunter and Tech seemed to accept that if it was a good enough plan for the Jedi, it was good enough for them, even if Talia could still feel the lingering suspicion on them. Rex on the other hand, didn’t waiver in his trust. In fact he seemed grateful that the tension had dissipated.

“We should be on guard,” Talia said aside to Rex, “With what I know of Trench, he’ll probably be suspicious the second things don’t work out as planned.”

“You’re right,” Rex agreed, glancing down at Echo, “I hope he didn’t play his hand too strong.”

“Keep an eye on things here, I can patrol outside and be ready at the first sign of trouble,” Talia ordered, already turning to the exit.

“What?” Rex asked, following her, “Let one of the Batch do it, I know Wrecker is itching for a fight.”

“And that’s a surefire way for us all to be discovered before anything happens,” Talia joked, earning a light huff of laughter from Rex. “Don’t worry: they won’t see me until it’s too late to do anything about it.”

Rex nodded as Talia turned away, her hilt in hand and ready for action.

“Talia,” Rex called, and she stopped; she had almost forgotten how sweet her first name sounded off his lips. She glanced back at him, his hands clenched at his sides, his brow furrowed as if he didn’t know why he called for her in the first place. He exhaled softly and met her eyes, “May the Force be with you.”

Talia nodded in return, a warmth settling in her, “May the Force be with you.”

The eerie calm of the ship was something that might have unsettled a younger Talia, new to war and battle. Hell, even a few hours ago she would have been more unnerved by the prospect of sneaking around, waiting for the calm to break. But she had to be prepared, she knew this calm would not last. It never did. She hid in the ventilation shafts, out of reach of any droids who passed by on patrol, waiting for any sign or signal that would propel her into action.

Talia’s comm chirped and she answered quickly, hearing Rex on the other side.

“Talia, they know we’re onboard. We’re going to have to make a quick evac,” Rex said rapidly.

“Got it, I’ll clear a path for you,” Talia answered. Sure enough, the sounds of clanking footsteps were starting to fill the corridors. Talia kicked open the grate beneath her and dropped below, landing with a thud and ignited her saber. She held the blade in front of her, the glow lighting the corridor as the steps approached. Talia stood still, breathed in and out, and waited for the first droid to round the corner.

Once they turned, they immediately fired, but Talia was ready, redirecting their shots effortlessly with her saber. The hall was narrow, preventing more than two droids from lining up side by side as they approached. Talia sprinted forward, her momentum carrying her up the side of the wall, and she leapt in the middle of the group of droids. Before they could turn back to fire at her, she tossed her saber at the front group, slicing them in half before calling it back. She twirled her blade rapidly, redirecting the shots the second group was firing at her, slowly pressing forward to make it to the end of the hall.

Blaster fire echoed down the corridor; more droid forces must have corned the rest of the squad. Still, Talia pushed forward, hoping that her presence as a Jedi would call more of the droid troops to her position. 

She sliced droids in half, used the force to crush them into the durasteel walls of the ship. Their shots danced around her, narrowly missing her as she carved a path through them. Her comm beeped, but she ignored the sound as she focused on the droids. Rapid metal footsteps behind her proved her plan worked, as a pair of commando droids stormed towards her. She held up her hand and slowed them with the Force, still using her blade to take out the droids closer to her. As she lost her hold, they sprinted toward her, but she moved quicker, sliding to the ground on her knees and slicing the droids at their calves, making them crash to the ground. The disassembled droids tried to push themselves up, but Talia Force-pushed them backwards, into the pile of miscellaneous droid parts her fighting had caused. 

Talia ran forward down the hall, getting closer and closer to the port the squad had used to enter the ship. Blaster fire still sounded, and she hoped the squad had made it back unharmed.

Another squad of droids found her, and Talia had to give their programming credit for their tenacity. A few more, and this might even grow to be a challenge for her. She raised her blade, ready to strike again when a small round device rolled towards the droids from behind her.

The droid popper went off and the droids crumpled to the ground from the shock. Talia’s blade disengaged as she turned in confusion to see Rex standing behind her, one hand holding a blaster that pointed at where the droids previously stood.

“The rest of the squad is already on the ship, we need to go,” he explained shortly.

“I had it under control,” Talia answered irritably; she didn’t need to be rescued from a handful of battle droids. Rex sighed as he turned.

“You weren’t answering your comm,” Rex said as he stepped away. “And I wasn’t going to leave you.”

Guilt wrapped in Talia’s gut for how harsh her tone was. She quickened her steps after him and grabbed Rex’s forearm. He halted his steps, his helmet locked on where her hand grabbed him as she said, “Thanks…for having my back.”

His helmet lifted and she stared into the back of his visor. “Always will.”

Talia didn’t know what to say. She just nodded, and finally released his arm when she realized she was holding it for far longer than she should have. Rex nodded and turned back down the hall, his blaster raising once more.

It didn’t take them long to reach the Marauder, which dislodged from the dreadnought as soon as they were safely on board. Anakin handed a detonation device to Wrecker, who let out a loud cheer as the dreadnought exploded, and Talia internally echoed his joy: after so much back and forth, it was good to have a victory that meant this siege was over. She stepped out of the cockpit, going to sit in the back of the ship for the quick trip back to base.

“Talia,” Rex’s voice called from behind her, she turned to find him approaching her, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Talia flicked a simple grin back at him, ignoring the way her gut flipped as he came up.

“For the record,” he started, and Talia tensed, preparing for some other fault he had suddenly discovered in her. But to her surprise, Rex;s hand was scratching the back of his neck, his tone more apologetic as he continued. “I know you could have handled those droids. I wasn’t trying to overstep-“

“You were trying to show off,” Talia interrupted, deciding humor was the best way to dissolve yet another moment of tense awkwardness. To her relief, Rex smiled. “I meant my thanks. You know more than most how stubborn I can get.”

Rex laughed at that, then asked, “So, what’s next for you?  I’m assuming the 412th will be shipped out pretty quickly.”

“I’m sure I’ll be getting orders from the council as soon as we land,” Talia shrugged, not letting herself feel hope at the twinge of something akin to sadness she felt coming from Rex as he asked her, “That is, of course, if I’m not grounded on Coruscant again.”

Rex raised a brow at her, and Talia sighed, biting her lip before continuing, “I kind of went rogue to join you guys here. Storm covered for me, and things ended up working out, but I can bet I’ll be getting an earful about recklessness.”

“Why would you do that?” Rex asked. His brows were cinched as he tried to read her face. For such a smart man, he could be truly oblivious at times. Talia was sure the same could be said about herself.

Talia glanced around the ship, making sure the Batch and Anakin were still otherwise focused before she met Rex’s eyes. “Look, Rex, I know things are complicated between us right now. But I still care about you, and I was worried.”

Rex didn’t say anything, his brows still furrowed as he listened. Talia gulped and couldn’t hold back the words spilling from her mouth.

“It’s just, I can tell how much stress you’ve been under, and I know I haven’t helped with that, but when you went to Skako I had to be there for you in case things with Echo didn’t turn out as well. And today, I was just still so nervous that something would go wrong, and even if you didn’t want me here I had to make sure-“

Talia’s words were cut off as Rex’s lips pressed into hers, her eyes widening in shock but fluttering closed as she melted into the kiss. His hand was placed against her lower back, holding her close to him; Talia had weirdly missed the uncomfortable way that plastoid pressed into her as her body was against his.

Rex pulled back slowly, his eyes drifting open, that soft, warm brown that still made her gut twist in the best way. For a moment, he looked content, then his eyes widened, and he removed his hand from her back.

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-“ Rex shook his head softly but the way he looked at her told Talia that he didn’t believe a word he was saying.

Talia opened her mouth, trying to say a million things back to him. It’s ok. You have no idea how much I wanted that. I missed you.

I love you.

“We’ll be landing shortly, everyone should get seated,” Tech called from the cockpit. Rex pushed away from Talia, returning to the cockpit. She was frozen, still feeling him on her lips and cursing herself for not saying more, terrified that she had lost her last chance.

Some people hated goodbyes, or at least Rex had heard that in sayings tossed around by natborns. But Rex had always felt differently, mostly because he couldn’t count the number of people he never had the chance to say goodbye to. He couldn’t let himself linger on it, it wouldn’t help anything, but sometimes he found himself wondering what he would say with one last word. But Rex was beginning to understand what the sayings meant, as he watched Echo leave.

He knew it was the right call, that Echo knew where his place really was. It just felt like Rex was saying goodbye to a part of him, even though Echo hadn’t been back for long. But Echo was something to hold on to from the early days of the war, ever since he was that overeager shiny from the Rishi Moon. Just a kid when he joined the 501st, now he was a man forged by the harsh clock of war. And with him left one of the few things that tied Rex to an older version of himself he could scarcely remember.

Rex informed the generals that the Bad Batch had already departed, not being the types for the ceremonies of the medals they had earned. The generals didn’t comment, and Rex stood tall as General Windu handed him the medal he had earned. It sounded egotistical to say, but Rex couldn’t count the amount he had gotten in the last three years. He kept them of course, but he never knew what to think of them. At first there was an honor that came with them, and he still felt that, but now he couldn’t ignore the way he was shrouded by a bit of jadedness. After everything that had happened, this was just another campaign to add to the countless he had been in. He saluted as Windu gave him the medal, but the one thing on his mind was Talia, and wondering why she wasn’t there.

Dusk had quickly settled over the encampment, its golden glow and the harsh shadows casting over the men who already worked to pack up equipment. A small force would remain on Anaxes, as was protocol, but the cog of GAR couldn’t slow down, and most of the forces would be quickly redistributed to wherever else in the Galaxy they were needed. Rex had assumed the 412th would be one of the first groups to set out, something seemingly confirmed by the amount of troops wearing black and gold armor that still hustled around the base.

It was reckless and stupid for Rex to kiss Talia, not just because they were in plain view of Anakin and the Batch, but because he had done it without thinking. His feet carried him across the compound, somehow more determined than his own confused mind as they led Rex in a direction with no idea what course of action he could even take.

  Three heavy knocks pounding on her durasteel door shocked Talia out of her meditation, or more of her attempt at it. She should be packing; she was heading out first thing in the morning, but when she got back to her room she couldn’t focus on anything. Not the report she needed to fill out, not the fact that she was clearly in trouble with the Council from the tone that Windu and Kenobi had used with her. The only thing she could think about was how she could still feel Rex’s lips on hers, could still feel the pressure of his hand against her lower back, the remnants of his essence tattooed in her memory. She practically bolted to her room after speaking with the other Jedi, trying to rid the confusing moment from her mind to no avail.  So when the knocks sounded, in the way that only he ever did, she stared at the door as if that would will it to open, for she was frozen to the ground and unsure if she could even handle being in a space alone with Rex.

Slowly, she rose from the ground, approaching the door with heavy steps before opening it.  Rex stood on her step, his helmet clutched tightly in his hands, doubt and questioning etched into his face. His eyes met Talia’s, and for a moment she half expected him to excuse himself and turn away, instead he blurted, “Can I come in?”

 With a lump in her throat, Talia nodded and stepped to the side, allowing Rex to enter, quickly shutting the door behind him. It was strange how easily he fit into the room, she was so used to sharing spaces with him that she hadn’t pinpointed how empty her quarters felt without him until this moment. His eyes scanned over the room, shifting his feet uncomfortably as he fiddled with his helmet in his hands. He exhaled, and set it on Talia’s desk, before returning to face her.

“Echo left,” he said with measured words. Whatever he was going to say, that wasn’t close to what Talia expected, and she sensed it was not what he planned on saying first.

“I’m sorry,” Talia offered sincerely, knowing how conflicted Rex must feel about it. “I’m guessing he joined the Batch?”

Rex nodded. “I told him to go, and said that if it was where he felt his place was, then that’s where he belongs.”

“Not everyone’s path is the same one they started on,” Talia said sagely, “After everything Echo’s been through, I’m glad he’s able to choose his own way.”

“You know, it’s funny,” Rex said slowly. “’Choice’ was never something us clones would have thought of. From the moment we’re created, our whole plan is set ahead of us. We train, we fight, and then we die for the Republic. Or atleast, that’s what I used to think. Once I got out here, once I lived, I knew nothing could be so simple, no matter how much my training tried to tell me there was just one goal for me. In fact, the longer I’ve survived, the more confusing it all seems.”

“That’s living,” Talia mused softly, “Even the wisest seers in the Order can misread the future. That’s because there’s no accounting for how people grow, how they can change their minds and their wants.”

“Or how they can be pushed in different directions,” Rex added. He shook his head, then glanced back at Talia. They stood in silence, just the low thrum of the air running through the vents of the quarters, the faded sounds of the camp outside the walls.  Rex shifted his stance, and took a breath before addressing Talia again.

“I had to see you before you left,” Rex started, his words weighted and heavy. “I owe you an apology-“

“Rex don’t-“ Talia interrupted, crossing her arms and avoiding his gaze. She gulped. “Emotions were running high, and that can be confusing enough for anyone.”

“That’s not-, I’m not here to apologize for the kiss,” Rex took a deep breath, “I mean...yes, if it upset you, I’m sorry for that. But I’m not sorry I kissed you.”

Talia’s heart pounded, “It didn’t upset me.”

Rex was trembling slightly as he approached her, as if the weight of all the burdens he had been carrying of late were finally releasing from him.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Rex said softly, his voice rough and sincere. “That’s the thing I want least in the galaxy.”

“I didn’t mean what I said,” Talia pleaded, the gap between them closing. “Rex, you know I think so much more of you, of all of you, than that you’re just soldiers-“  

“I know that, “ Rex offered, “I know you too well to think you meant it. But at the moment, it hurt.” 

“I regretted it the second I said it,” Talia continued, “But you left and I realized I ruined everything.”

“You didnt-” Rex took a deep breath, shaking his head as he insisted, “I was the one who fucked it all up.”

“What a pair we are, huh?” Talia forced a laugh before toying with her lip. She glanced back up at Rex, and hesitated before admitting. “We had everything, but it fell apart so fast.”

“We knew it was too good to last.” Rex muttered, but he knew he was lying to himself, trying to comfort the guilt he was feeling.

“Did we? I think I was so blinded, I couldn’t see anything other than you. But then you were gone and…I realized how much of a fool I was…” the words were beginning to roll off Talia’s tongue, faster than her own mind could comprehend what she was saying to hold herself together. “I realized how much I held back and wished I didn’t. How much more we could have had if I hadn’t been such an idiot. Now, when I think of you I’m in pain; because I had something perfect, something amazing. And I lost it because I felt like I didn’t deserve it.”

Rex was silent, and fear crept into Talia that she had admitted too much. That she was speaking to a lost cause, that he had lost any ounce of feeling he once had for her and this conversation was doing nothing but making him pity her. 

“I’m the one who pushed you away,” Rex offered, cutting through Talia’s thoughts. Rex avoided her eyes, as if the piercing gaze would be too strong for him to face as he searched for his own explanation.  “All because I got scared that we could never have what we wanted, that no matter what I felt, it wasn’t possible. You called me a coward, and you were right. Just… after you got hurt, I was so terrified. I couldn’t deal with the pain of losing you like that. And when Cody confronted me, I gave in. Almost as if I felt that if we weren’t together, that it would hurt less than the fear of losing you.”

“Rex,” Talia said softly, lifting a hand to his face. Rex tensed at the contact, and Talia almost retracted her touch, but his eyes met hers and they were those same soft, warm eyes that she loved. She lost her train of thought, any words of reassurance or doubts of herself that she was about to say we lost as she looked into his eyes. Instead, she blurted out words she should have said long ago-“I love you.” 

 Her heart pounded as the words escaped her lips, fear and doubt creeping into her mind as she worried if she lost her mind for even saying it now, the same fear that had kept her from saying it before. But now it was out there and couldn’t be taken back. 

 “I know,” Rex replied softly, stepping so close to her now that barely inches separated them. “I’ve always known. Just like I’ve always known I’m in love with you.”

Talia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, whether to keep spouting her feelings, dating back to all the times she should have said it before, but she just did the thing that felt most natural to her, which was to pull Rex closer and kiss him. 

Rex’s arms were around her in an instant, holding her tightly against him, his grasp so tight it was clear he had no intention of letting her go. Talia’s hands wrapped around the back of his neck, fingernails scraping against that small patch of skin not covered by his undersuit or armor as their kiss deepened, hard and needy. Rex pushed her back into the wall, the cold durasteel firm against her back as Rex’s armor pressed into her front. She gasped as they pulled back for air, at first overwhelmed by the closeness, but when she saw Rex in front of her, she just felt comfort and longing. She pulled him back in, desperately seeking his lips, moaning into his mouth as his thigh slotted in between her legs. 

The noise awakened something in Rex, and he rushed to start taking off some of the armor from his upper body, his fumbling hands unlatching the pieces as Talia held him for the kiss. He needed to be out of his armor, needed to feel the warmth of her body against his. Talia realized what he was doing and pulled back, freeing her hands so she could help. But Rex’s lips found hers once more as they both clumsily grasped at the armor, dropping pieces of plastoid without a care to where they landed, only separating for air. 

“Wait,” Rex gasped once as they pulled back, his lips swollen but a confused look on his face, before he hesitantly asked. “What about Hunter?”

“You know about Hunter?” Talia asked, guilt and apprehension filling her. 

“I do,” Rex swallowed and nodded. “I’m not upset…at least not with you. I let you go, and that’s the biggest mistake I ever made.  If he’s what you want, I’ll step away now. You’ll never hear from me unless you want to. I’m sure he could make you happier than-”

Talia shut Rex up by stepping up on her toes, cupping her hands on his cheeks and catching his lips with hers. Rex's eyes bugged wide, until they fluttered closed, his arms wrapping around her once more, holding her, taking comfort in the soft warmth of the curves of her body she pressed against the grooves of the remaining parts of his armor.

 “I just told you I love you,” Talia reminded him with a slight, teasing giggle. Her face softened as she caressed his cheek with her thumb, “I slept with Hunter, but it was just so I could try and forget you for a moment.”

“I - really?” Rex asked. Talia could almost laugh at how surprised he was, as if he had already accepted the worst. His face then became more serious. “I…you should know. I slept with someone else too. It was just a one night thing, I haven’t contacted her since.”

“It’s okay,” Talia nodded, ignoring the hypocritical way she was hurt. “It doesn’t matter, we don’t have to talk about that now. Just…shut up and keep kissing me.” 

“More than happy to follow that order,” Rex leaned in with a smirk and kissed her with a renewed hunger, his hands tightly gripping the curve of her hips. Talia groaned into Rex’s mouth as she pressed as close to him as possible, her hands fumbling for the latches on his chestplate. Rex pulled back to help her lift it away, and dropped it to the floor with a loud clunk. With only his lower armor still on, Talia’s hands ran up Rex’s chest, feeling the firm muscles and warmth of him in her grasp. Her fingers clenched around the fabric, using it to pull him to her once more. Rex’s hands slid down her waist, gripping under her thighs and picking her up, making Talia yelp in surprise. 

They stumbled to the desk, Rex clumsily setting Talia on the edge of it, their lips barely separating for air. They were frantic, needy, desperate, as if they were afraid the other would disappear if they stopped. Rex pulled at the wrappings of her tunic, exposing Talia’s heaving chest. His mouth only left her lips then, trailing to the soft skin of her neck, his teeth nipping along the exposed skin and down to the breasts about to fall out of her bra. Talia moaned  as Rex slid her bra cup to the side, and sucked at her now exposed nipple. His other hand slid under the other cup, groping at the soft flesh. The cold air left goosebumps over her skin, contrasted by the warmth of Rex’s hands and mouth. Rex could spend hours like this, slowly exploring the body he knew so well yet hadn’t been able to appreciate in so long. In fact there was little else on his mind at that moment besides what he wanted to do to her just in this state of undress, except he had other ideas in mind. 

Rex lowered to his knees, kissing down Talia’s stomach and dragging his hands down her torso, relishing in the sweet gasps for air that were leaving Talia’s lips. Rex’s hands stopped as he began to tug her pants down. Pink scars lingered  on her hip, trailing down her leg from the flame licked path. He paused, his fingers caressing the slightly raised skin, Talias breath hitched, Rex’s eyes flicked to her face, searching for any sign of discomfort. Talia’s eyes had squeezed shut, enough for Rex to push himself up from where he was kneeling. Talia’s eyes opened.

“I’m fine,” Talia reassured quickly, but Rex was still frozen, searching her face. She pressed a hand to his cheek, “Really, I’m ok. I just didn’t think about them.”

“I didn’t either,” Rex explained, “I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” Talia leaned in to peck his lips, then checked, “Are you ok? We can stop if you want.”

Rex shook his head, “I’ll only stop if you want me to.”

“Please don’t,” Talia said quickly, earning a smirk from Rex for how desperate she sounded. His fingers toyed along the waistline of her pants where they rested on her thighs. 

“Someone’s needy,” Rex teased lowly, his voice thick as honey, slowly pulling at her pants. “Tell me what you want.” 

Talia leaned back resting her elbows on the desk, offering up a sweet look, “I think you know what I want. And I think you want to do it.”

Rex offered a low noise of agreement, but taunted, “That some Jedi instinct?” 

He slowly pulled the pants down a little further. Talia wiggled her hips, trying to shrug them off, but his hand held her firmly in place. She let out a frustrated noise, but Rex just smirked. 

“Use your words, princess,” Rex ordered lowly. Talia’s cheeks burned, and she felt the pit of desire grow in her gut. She was half tempted to curse him for teasing her, and for how well he knew to play her. But she didn’t want to drag this out, they didn’t have time for a back and forth. 

“Please,” Talia started sweetly, only to get slightly desperate as she ordered, “I want your mouth on me.”

“Hmm, I could ask you to be more specific,” Rex murmured, to which Talia made an indignant noise when he smirked, tugging her to the edge of the desk, making her squeak and falling to his knees. “...But I’m not patient enough today.”

Rex tugged her pants and underwear down with one swoop, wasting no time to press his face between her legs, his tongue swiping over her slit. He groaned at the wetness already there, and Talia moaned as his tongue flicked over her swollen clit. One hand held to the edge of the desk, the other leaping to the back of his head. It took everything in her to not hold him still as she ground against his face; she knew he wouldn’t have minded. But Rex licked at her like a man possessed, like she was the best thing he ever tasted. His hands held her firmly against him, grasping at the top of her thighs as he positioned her where he wanted her. He may have been the one on his knees, but he was the one in control. 

It was surely a talent of Rex’s to have barely started but to already have Talia a whimpering mess. Her tunic was still half undone, her chest still half exposed as a red flush settled over her pale skin. She was biting her lip, trying to restrain her noises in some way but she would fail as Rexs tongue flicked over her clit, eliciting louder moans from her. And all he would do was grin up at her, his eyes almost taunting, before he continued his work. 

His grip was tight around her thighs, nails practically digging into her skin as he held her in place. His tongue slid up and down her slit, teasing her by flicking at her clit in between each swipe. Her breaths hitched higher each time, her body reacting so easily to the simplest touch. Rex knew how to set her off, and there were few things he loved more than making her fall apart with just his mouth. He could feel every twitch of her thighs in his hands, hear how she failed to keep herself quiet, and taste just how aroused she was. He wanted her to feel good, wanted to feel her let go, and he worked as if he had something to prove, that he needed to remind her that only he could make her feel this way. 

He circled his tongue around her clit, then wrapped his lips around it and sucked, sending jolts of pleasure up Talia’s spine. The wet heat of his mouth was intoxicating, Talia could hear herself begging him not to stop. Her arms shook so much she struggled to hold herself upright. But her gaze was locked on Rex’s face and how he devoured her. She couldn’t look away, even as tears sprung in the corners of her eyes and her whole body trembled. It was impossible to tear her gaze away, she was fixated even as she was falling apart. It was almost embarrassing how quickly she was coming undone, but she couldn’t help the way her body was lit aflame from every swipe of Rex’s tongue. He was precise, practiced, as dedicated to bringing Talia pleasure as he was in every other aspect of his life. He didn’t let up as her breath quickened, as her body tensed and he didn’t stop even as she cried out his name and quaked, coming from just the quick work of his mouth. 

Talia’s moans faded, but her breath was still heavy as Rex rose from the ground, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He leaned in and kissed her, pulling her off the desk as he did. Talia’s legs were like jelly as she stumbled with Rex to the bed. Her knees hit the frame of the bed and Rex gently nudged her back, causing her to land with a soft flop against the mattress. 

“Take your clothes off,” Rex ordered gruffly, his own hands tearing at the strips holding his remaining armor on. Talia pressed herself up on the bed, still breathless and flushed, but not moving quickly enough for Rex’s liking as he glanced over her, his heaving chest bulging through his undersuit. “Take them off before I rip them off of you.”

“You would just be finishing what you started,” Talia quipped as she gestured to the state of her tunic, still loose around her torso. Rex’s eyes flashed as she still played with the edges of fabric. He stalked to the bed, slowly taking his shirt off; Talia’s mouth went dry as she glanced over his chest, taking in the scarred and muscled form.  He lowered himself to the bed, and slowly crawled on top of Talia. Her heart pounded in her chest as his hands ran up her sides and found the edge of her robes. Talia cocked an eyebrow in a challenge as his eyes met hers. Rex rolled Talia over roughly so she was on her stomach, and her hands braced herself against the mattress as Rex’s hands at the top of her tunic’s back and tugged. With a shredding rip, the fabric pulled off her back and slipped off her arms, leaving Talia in just her bra. She half expected Rex to tug that off as well, but instead his lips met the back of her neck, kissing her softly as his hands deftly undid the clasp. Talia sighed as his lips traveled down her skin, the stubble on his face tickling her. 

For a moment Talia thought Rex would take her like this, that he would shuck his pants off and roughly enter her from behind, pounding her into the mattress as she sheets muffled her cries. And she wouldn’t have minded; her body was coursing with need, prickling with the desire of his touch. But Rex instead gently flipped her over, opposite of the man who had moments ago torn her clothing to shreds. Rex’s lips met hers as soon as her back hit the mattress, a soft, exploring kiss, the moment slowed once again, as if savoring the moment before they delved back into their pure need. But this was what Talia loved about him, how there could be both sides when they were together. The tender with the tough, the smooth against the rough. She could see the switch flip in his eyes whenever they made love, see how his own desire kicked in. But he was always there for her, reading what she wanted and adjusting off her energy. 

The kiss deepened, grew more hungry as they pressed against each other; Rex’s body pining Talia down as she squirmed beneath him, trying to angle her hips so she could relieve some of the tension settling back in her core. Rex ground against her, his still clothed, hard cock pressing against her pussy. Rex groaned into her mouth as he felt how wet she still was, dampening the fabric of his pants. Talia’s hands ran up and down his back, feeling the way Rex’s muscles flexed as he moved against her. Her hands slid down to his waistline, as she tried to nudge down his pants. Rex’s hands met hers as he helped pull them off, rushing to remove them so he could finally have her again. Once they were off, he pressed down against her again, the flame reignited as their naked bodies pressed together, already sweaty and burning with want. Rex’s cock pressed against Talia’s stomach, weeping with precum as he rutted against her, their tongues meeting as they moaned into each other’s mouths. 

“Rex,” Talia whimpered between breaths, “Please. I need you.”

He pulled back slightly as he readjusted, a thin line of spit connecting their mouths. Rex was panting, his eyes blown out as he looked down at her. But he spoke with such an assured, put togetherness as he said in his rough voice,  “Anything for you.”  

Rex entered Talia quickly and forcefully, her breath hitching and her legs spreading wider to ease his access. Rex waited until her body relaxed and her eyes opened, then Talia nodded her head and Rex began to thrust. His hips slammed against hers, his cock thick and hot as it stretched her cunt, her walls gripping around him and practically pulling him in. Rex’s eyes rolled back from the warmth of her, ready to be lost and never come back but he had to last longer, he didn’t want this feeling to end. 

His arms wrapped tightly around her, squeezing her against him in a near crushing grip. Her nails were marking his back as she whimpered beneath him, her breaths punctuating every move of his hips into hers. The room was filled with the loud smack of flesh on flesh, the squelch of their bodies meeting, and the moans and grunts leaving their lips in near unison.

This wasn’t the way this should have gone, it was rushed and needy, with no time taken to care about the little details. They were still dirty from the mission, but the time taken to tidy up might have raised more uncertainty between them than either could stomach just yet. But yet this rushed state was perfection, pure desire coursing through and guiding them, an unstoppable force pushing  them together. 

Talia cried out as Rex’s cock hit a spot deep inside her, making her head bend back in ecstasy. Rex did it again, wanting to see the way her face contorted in pleasure.

“It feels good, doesn't it?” Rex said, continuing to thrust. 

“Yes!” Talia quickly responded, her cheeks flushed. “So good.”

“Who’s doing this to you?” Rex asked, a cocky possessiveness creeping in his tone. 

“You are.” Talia gasped, her eyes meeting his. Rex’s hold around her loosened, and before Talia could whine from the change of pace, Rex’s hand gripped under her thigh and pulled her leg up to rest on his shoulder, his other arm still wrapped around her. His dedicated pace resumed, each thrust like a promise, punctuated with gasps, moans and words escaping lips like a prayer. 

“Who’s the only one who can make you feel this good?” The possessive side of Rex was coming out stronger, as if he had something to prove, or that he needed to hear Talia’s response as much as he knew what it was. 

“You are!” Talia answered. She swallowed, her breath heavy as pleasure crested within her. “I’m yours, only yours.”

“That’s right, you’re mine.” Rex echoed, firm and unyielding. He pounded into her harder, a renewed surge of need running through him. “Mine.”

Rex’s pace continued, hitting Talia right where she needed him. Each thrust was a jolt of pleasure that licked up her gut, so deep she could practically feel him in her throat. She was twisted around him, and he was all encompassing. Their skin was dewed with sweat, their chests almost clinging together as they pressed into one another. Talia would give him anything in this moment, ready to sacrifice all of her as long as he brought her that sweet release. 

“Fuck Rex, don’t stop please.” She begged, cheeks burning and eyes watering. “ I love you.”

“Say it again.” Rex ordered, his pace unfaltering and his chin set, gritting his teeth as if he was barely holding himself together. 

“I love you.”

“Again.”

“I love you!”

Tallia cried out as she came, her breath ragged and her body tensing as Rex lost what last bit of self control he had and he released inside her, hot spurts of cum filling her cunt. Rex’s thrusts slowed, exhaling as he hilted himself inside her. Their foreheads met, sweaty brows and panting breath meeting as their lips barely touched. After a moment that they wanted to last a lifetime, Rex pulled out of Talia and fell to the side, their bodies squeezed next to another in the tiny bed. The space was as small as they were used to sharing, but somehow there was a rightness in the way their bodies fit next to each other, even after all this time. 

“This doesn’t change anything, does it?” Talia asked, still breathless. The air shifted, the calmness that had settled between them now filled with the unknown. Rex tensed, and exhaled a large breath. 

“I don’t see how it can,” was all Rex could think to say. A lump formed in Talia’s throat, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes as she nodded. She rolled over to her side, already pulling off the covers to slip out of the bed and pull her clothes on. Rex’s hand gripped her arm, preventing her from leaving. “Wait, I don’t want-”

“What do you want, Rex?” Talia snapped, “I can’t do this again. I can’t let myself think there’s a chance for something just for you to change your mind. I’m not strong enough to hurt like that again.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Rex repeated for what felt like the hundredth time that day. He meant it, but he knew he had failed that promise in the past. And he didn’t want to mess this up again, to cause her any pain, but he didn’t know what promises he could offer her. Rex sat up, still holding Talia’s arm as he tried to work through this.. “I…I know that things haven’t changed in our situation, but I also know ending things was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made. I want you, Talia.” 

“I want you too,” Talia sighed, leaning back against the headboard. They sat in silence, stuck in the same moment as a million thoughts rushed through their heads. Talia knew there was only one answer to this, at least only one that had a chance to  make them happy. 

“What if I left the Order?”

Rex shook his head, “it was wrong of me to ever ask that of you, it’s not fair-”

“You’re not asking it of me - I’m suggesting it. Rex.” Talia said softly. She looked down at her hands, wringing her scarred wrists as she worked to the realization that has been hidden from her for so long. “I’m not happy. This war has taken so much from me. The Jedi were the only thing I knew, and the only possibility I saw for a future. But Rex…I know so much more now. I know you, that you’re what makes me happy. I can’t lose that again.”

“But you could have so much more than me.” Rex insisted. His hand rested on her face making her meet his eyes so he could make sure she wouldn’t lie to him just to make him happy. “ You could be a Master Jedi, could go on to do great things.”

Talia silenced him by leaning in to kiss him, she pulled back and didn’t let her gaze falter. “Rex - you’re the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me - there’s no more that I need.” 

“But still-”

“Being a Master was never in my cards.” Talia cut him off before he could go on about plans for a different future for her. “ I had a vision about it once, but I think I understand it now. I was always on the outside looking in, never quite fitting in with the rest of the order, or what the council expected of me. But I can find my own path without them. When the war ends, I’ll leave the order. And I’ll be yours, if you’ll have me.”

“You’ll always have me.”Rex answered quickly, a firm promise. “But, what about now? Our situation hasn’t changed.”

“Now is…more complicated. We need to be more careful than before. So. Not really together but…” Talia’s voice trailed off, still not sure what guidelines they could set. Because it was too complicated. She wanted Rex with everything in her, but she couldn’t abandon her men and leave while the war still raged on. And being with Rex while she was still in the Order was too risky now, they’d had too many slip ups already, too many chances that they would be exposed. “Now just…Just hold me, for a few minutes more and we can pretend like everything is okay.”

“We’re not pretending.” Rex said as he pulled her into her arms. His lips brushed against her forehead, lingering there as he continued. “It’s not perfect, but it’s something. I’ll wait for you, whenever you’re ready to leave. I know it’s a big thing.”

“It is, but I think it’s the right thing,” Talia answered. They settled back lower into the bed, a strange kind of peace laying between them. “This mess has to be over soon, so now we have something to look forward to once it’s done.”

“What do you want to do first?” Rex asked tentatively, allowing himself to think of an ‘after’ the war for the first time in a way that wasn’t dimmed by darkness. 

Talia hummed thoughtfully, her lips pursing in before a grin curved on her lips. She glanced up at Rex, a twinkle in her eye as she said, “We should go back to the island.”

Rex huffed out a light laugh, “Better prepared and without the crash landing this time, I hope?”

“Duh,” Talia mocked. She wrapped an arm over his chest, her fingers tracing along the edges of his scars like she had done that first time on the very beach they were talking about. “It’s where we began, it’s where we can start again.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Rex mused, a lazy half smile on his lips, “How about we meet there, once it’s all over.”

“Sounds like a plan, captain.” Talia pressed her lips to his again. “Or a promise.”

 “Have I told you how beautiful you are?” Rex murmured, his hand cupped on the side of Talia’s face.

Talia thought her cheeks would ache from smiling, that they were burning from the blush that lingered on them. “You might have mentioned it sometime.”

“Not enough, I daresay,” Rex offered with a sly grin. He leaned closer to her, the coarse hairs of his scruff grazing along her neck in a way that sent shivers down her spine even in her exhausted state. He pressed a kiss in the curve of her neck, trailing up to her ear where he whispered once more, “You’re beautiful.”

“I love you so much,” Talia sighed.

Rex huffed a low chuckle. “So that’s all it took? Me calling you beautiful?”

“It’s a fair trade, I think,” Talia teased, lightly smacking his arm. But she set her face straight as she met his eyes again. “I mean it. I love you, Rex.”

 “I love you too.”

He leaned down to kiss the spot just below her ear, repeating his words once more. He trailed his kisses, followed by his adorations up her neck, to her jaw bone, as if tattooing the words upon her skin to leave his mark evermore. His lips traced to the end of her scar, pausing when Talia slightly flinched from the contact against the slightly sensitive skin. His eyes scanned  hers, waiting for Talia’s nod that it was ok, and he leaned in, tenderly kissing over the raised skin, “I love you, Talia.”

Talia sighed, a warmth of contentment filling her she hadn’t been sure she would ever feel again. She curled against him, feeling the warmth of Rex’s skin beneath hers, listening to the thud of his heartbeat. Her lips grazed the scar in the center of his chest, from the bolt that just missed his heart all those years ago. They laid together under that rough spun blanket, in the far too small cot, their arms wrapped around each other, their skin clinging to each other as they didn’t want to leave the others grasp. They fought off sleep, savoring the small moment they had with one another. It had been so long without the other's touch, but that absence only created a craving, a burning desire for the other’s comfort that would never be satisfied. They didn’t have the answers, not completely anyway. This simple impassé would be enough to hold over, to bridge the road to repair what they’d had before. There was the promise of something stronger, the unknown path of destiny and fate a sweet calling. What further doubts they had were buried beneath the surface, vanquished at the broken walls of their greatest barrier. As she drifted off, Rex’s hand brushed over Talia’s back, fingers grazing over the scars she received at the hand of the Zygerrians. The soothing action propelled her into sleep, no nightmares to be had tonight. Her dreams were filled with contentment and comfort, something the promise of a future with Rex held.

--

Next Chapter

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[sleepingsun501]

Rex and OC Mari Vontas from Captain’s Log by @rexxdjarin

UPDATED: 03/21/2023

🌶 Full spice here (Ao3)

MINORS DNI

Julie, babes, thank you so much for letting me draw these two!! I love them with my whole being 💙💙 They’re so perfect together, and I can’t wait to see where your stories take them!!

#sleepingsun501 art #captain rex #oc: mari vontas #captain rex x ofc #wip captain’s log #captain's log #captain rex smut #star wars fanart #star wars fanfiction #nsft #nsfios

[ariadnes-red-thread]

The Last Word: Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE: LOOKING TOO CLOSELY

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter [coming soon]

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Fives/OFC

Chapter Summary: Mal settles into the 501st, but running into a familiar face in a clone army is the last thing she expects

Chapter Warnings: Some swearing (mostly in mand'o), Mentions of Umbara/past trauma and past sexual situations

Chapter Word Count: 3.9k

Recommended Listening: Looking Too Closely by Fink

A/N: Whoops, so maybe by "Coming Soon", I meant 14 months later. Sorry, I was crippled by self-hatred, perfection paralysis, and fears of my own incompetence. I'll try to be more cool writer girl next time. Thanks to everyone who connected with Mal and with my writing, and reached out to remind me that this might be a story worth telling. I love and adore you forever.

Ao3

Taglist

“Welcome to the 501st.”

Rex extended his hand out to Mal. For the briefest moment, she stared at his gauntlet, decorated in blue and white. The gap between them felt lightyears apart, and she was almost surprised at how quickly her hand closed the space. Taking his hand, she turned her eyes up to meet his and smiled, trying to reflect the Captain’s own warmth back at him. Mal gripped his hand firmly as she tried to shut out the hundreds of soldiers marching around the 501st’s hangar. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her discomfort. This was an opportunity, and she was grateful for it. It just felt odd, like putting on someone else’s clothes. The size was right, but the fit was all wrong.

Calling it the 501st’s hangar wasn’t entirely true. In a day or so, this battalion - her battalion, Mal quickly reminded herself - would ship out, off to a different star system, and another troop would take over this space for their leave. But for now, it swarmed with blue and white troopers. This system was designed for convenience and space-saving, but it gave Mal, and all transfers, an advantage. She already knew where everything was, from the medical supplies to the fresher. Still, after a briefing on protocols (all of which she learned a long time ago), Rex insisted on giving her a tour.

As he led her through the stacks and pointed out where the medical supplies were being kept, Mal had a feeling he was trying to distract her and that her feeble efforts to mask her unease hadn’t gone far with the blonde clone. She wasn't surprised.

Mal spent most of her life taking care of other people. It had taken a long time for her to get used to the way the Wolfpack watched over her. But she smiled, realizing that all the ways they had helped her made her softer now, more ready to let someone else in. So she tried to relax as she followed Rex, letting him point out where the extra gauze was stored, which fresher to use, and where to find the ration bars if she needed a meal.

Despite herself, Mal soon found herself feeling almost at home. Wolffe was right. Rex was the best. She watched as he would stop occasionally to check in with a passing soldier.  He would slide an arm over their shoulder or rest a hand on the pauldron. Sometimes the check-in would be wordless, just a nod between the two men. Sometimes, Rex would mumble a bit of mando’a, and his brother would smile. Just as quickly, his attention would be back on her. There were a couple of moments when she thought she might have seen a shadow pass over his face as his eyes lingered on a soldier for a moment longer or as he scanned the crowd, looking for someone he couldn’t find. She might have imagined them, though, because, in the next breath, he would turn back to her with a charming grin and point out where someone named Jesse had hidden more snacks.

As Mal peered over his shoulder while he rifled through a med-pack and showed her the simple, familiar contents, the tension started to leave her shoulders, and a wave of ease settled onto her brow. There was comfort in the sameness. And comfort made Mal curious.

“So, who am I working with?” She turned her attention from the med-packs back to the throngs of troopers scattered across the platform.

Rex followed her gaze. With battlefield precision, he scanned the crowd, searching out his medic. The Captain spied his target in split seconds.

“Oi, Kix!” Rex’s voice boomed over the thunder of boots on durasteel.

At least two dozen men jumped to attention as their commanding officer’s call echoed off the soaring walls of the vast space. There was a clattering of dedlanite as a trooper dropped a container of DC15Ss. Across the bay, a clone with a medical sigil on his shoulder peeled off from a group of soldiers. A collective sigh went up through the troopers as they each realized it wasn’t them who was being summoned by their CO.

The medic, Kix, jogged across the hangar to where Mal and Rex were standing with only the lightest sense of urgency. Mal eyed the medic as he got closer. Crux was clinical and quiet, a man of science born from science. Their only heated battles (recently anyways) came when he felt like she was acting on her gut rather than evidence. Kix didn’t appear to be cut from the same cloth. His helmet was tucked under his arm, and she could see how brightly he smiled as he threw greetings and quips over his shoulder at brothers who whistled and cat-called as he ran by. His appearance was as bold as his crossing, with hair closely shaved into intricate lighting bolt patterns and an Aurebeseh tattoo on the left side of his scalp. When he got close enough, Mal could finally make out the writing, ‘The only good droid is a dead droid’. Mal couldn’t help the smile on her face. It was a sentiment she could get behind. The 501st medic came to a halt next to Rex.

“This is Kix.” Rex clapped the medic on the shoulder. “You’ll report to him. There’s the CMO Coric somewhere too but you’ll meet him later. Kix here is the head medic for Torrent Company and the most dedicated medic I’ve ever met. We’re lucky to have him.”

“Aw shucks, Captain.” Kix laughed at Rex. He shifted slightly under Rex’s grasp, just a little further from the Captain. “Nice to meet you…”

He held out a gauntleted hand as he waited for a name.

“Mal.”

“Nice to meet you, Mal.”

Rex watched for a moment before he began to shift from foot to foot. He wasn’t a man who sat still for long, Mal noticed. She wondered if he’d always been like that or if this came from being burdened with so many responsibilities. Wolffe was the same way, his attention jumping from task to task, somehow always simultaneously present and attentive, but still somewhere else.

“I’ve got a meeting with the generals.” Rex finally said as he clapped his gloved palms together. “Kix, you mind helpin’ her get settled?”

“On it, sir.” The medic replied, brightly.

“Thank you, Captain.” Mal turned to Rex. "I feel very settled in."

"Wolffe wouldn't have let me live it down otherwise." He said, waving away her gratitude.

“Come on, I’m starving. Let’s go to the mess.” Kix motioned for Mal to follow him, already spinning on his heel. “You can meet some of the men.”

“Good luck.” Rex cheekily yelled after them.

“I can handle the 501st,” Mal called back over her shoulder, “I put up with the 104th for years.”

Rex laughed and nodded as though she won a hand of sabacc. With a small salute, he turned in the opposite direction and disappeared into the gears of the GAR.

“He’s just being dramatic.” Kix rolled his eyes as Mal caught up to him. “The boys are all good fun.”

She fell into step beside the clone as Kix started to make his way down the long durasteel hallway to the mess. Mal lost track of time while Rex was showing her around, but it must have been getting close to dinner because most of the other clones were starting to head in the same direction.

“You get the full tour?” Kix raised an eyebrow as he flashed a knowing eyebrow.

“Captain Rex was very thorough,” Mal smiled back, instantly at ease with the small gift of an inside joke.

Mal watched the medic out of the corner of her eye as they walked. He nodded to every soldier that passed, but the ones with decorated armor got a verbal greeting or a pat on the shoulder.

“How long have you been with the 501st?” Mal asked, curious about her new CO. 

It had taken a long time for her and Crux to warm up to each other. They started at the same time, joining the decimated 104th as it was rebuilding. Crux wasn’t thrilled to be serving with a civilian, and Mal had her own grudge, which was no fault of Crux’s. She knew it was irrational to dislike him for not being Tye, but she couldn’t help it. Still, once they stopped yelling at each other, they found that they worked well together. Crux’s strength was in his analysis and his textbook memory. Mal’s came from her quick thinking, calm under pressure, and her well-trained gut instincts. They came at problems from different routes, but almost always ended up at the same answer. Another ache passed through her as she realized their last mission working together would be just that. For now anyways, she tried to reassure herself.

“Just after Teth. Got assigned to Rex after that disaster, and he’s been grumpy about it ever since.” Kix flashed a cheeky smile at Captain Rex’s expense. “I’ll be honest, this is the first time we’ve had a civilian medic.”

Mal shrugged. It wasn’t surprising. There weren’t many civilians in the GAR, and even fewer were medics. The government official that helped her at the recruitment office had tried to talk her out of signing up in at least fifteen different ways as she was filling out the dataforms. 

“How about you?” Kix asked, “How long have you been with the 104th?”

“I joined after Abregato,” Mal answered. It wasn’t a lie.

“Hmm, I remember that one.” Kix frowned as he rubbed the back of his neck with a gloved palm. “I helped take care of Wolffe and the other two when they got back. Commander Tano still talks about it sometimes. Rough stuff. Glad that was before your time.”

Mal had heard a lot about Commander Tano, and even seen her from a distance on the Venator a few times. The Togruta Jedi padawan was hard to miss and liked to visit General Plo when she could. Boost, Sinker, and Wolffe spoke about her in hushed, grateful tones. Mal supposed that she did too. It wasn’t surprising, given that the whole of the 104th would have been wiped out if not for Commander Tano. Mal knew exactly to whom she owed her friends’ lives.

“You must have started with Crux, then.”

Mal looked back at the clone to find him watching her with a glance that was trying to appear more casual than it was. He must have seen something in her face change at the mention of Abregado. The clones in the 501st were good at distraction, Mal was starting to notice, but she was grateful for the change in subject.

“You know Crux?” Mal tried to match the Kix’s bright tone.

“Yeah, we went through medic training together,” Kix said. “Crux and I shipped out after Geonosis. Both the 501st and the 104th had hard times of it. Trained with Tye, the first CMO for the 104th, too, but he would have been before your time.”

Mal’s spine stiffened at his name.

A flash of a smile.

“You deserve to be happy.”

“Yeah,” Mal agreed, even as her heart clenched. “Before my time.”

“Heya, Kix.”

A clone with a large Republic cog in the middle of his helmet fell into step beside Kix. He elbowed his friend as his helmet tilted towards Mal. She could feel his eyes as they looked her up and down before he spied the medical sigil on the shoulder of her jumpsuit.

“Rex finally get someone to replace you?” The clone elbowed Kix again.

“You’d be dead without me,” Kix replied without missing a beat. “Mal, meet Jesse.”

“Hi!” Even through the modulator, the man’s greeting was warm.

The clone named Jesse stripped his helmet from his head. He tucked it under his arm as he flashed Mal a sideways smile. The cog that had decorated his helmet matched a tattoo that covered most of the upper half of his face, spanning from just under his left eye to the top of his clean-shaven head. His smile stretched across his face, bringing a glint to his eyes and wrinkling the edge of the cog.

“Nice to meet you.” Mal couldn’t help but smile back. “Nice tattoo.”

“You like it? I lost a game of sabacc to Hardcase, but I’ve grown attached.” Jesse ran a hand over his clean scalp as he grinned a little wider. “Spotchka may have been involved.”

“It suits you.”

It did. The clone had an animated face, his expression written all over it, and the tattoo emphasized every look. Mal imagined he wasn’t very good at sabacc.

“I like her.” Jesse turned to Kix with an air of grievance. “You never compliment me.”

“She doesn’t know you yet.” Kix chuckled.

“You’re just mad you’re not the prettiest medic in the 501st anymore.” Jesse snapped back.

Mal winced at the comment. She had a feeling Jesse was just kidding and that the joke was more at Kix’s expense than hers, but it was irritating all the same. Mal had never met a clone who thought less of her expertise because she was a woman. Still, there were plenty of civilian mechanics and medics who did. Any other day, the comment would probably have rolled off her. Instead, Mal thought of the clone from the night before. Would he think less of her if she ever had to treat him? Would he trust her? She quickly pushed that thought aside. No point in considering it. In an army of a billion clones, that wasn’t something she would ever have to worry about.

“Hard to compete with Kix.” Mal quickly spoke.

Just like that, the worry was gone, and Jesse was reaching around Kix to slap her on the back.

“I like you,” He let out a belly laugh as he repeated his approval.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t make me regret introducing you two already.” Kix rolled his eyes before they suddenly flashed.

Mal followed his look down the hallway. Just ahead, two troopers walked with their helmets pressed close together like they were strategizing. One was dressed in clone trooper armor, and the other wore the unmistakable kit of an ARC trooper. His kama swayed around his hips as he walked, arm over the shoulder of the other trooper. They seemed to catch Kix’s attention.

“Now, these two, you definitely need to know. Gotta watch them closely.” Kix spoke, his voice raised and playful. “They spend more time in the medbay than the rest of the battalion combined.”

They stopped and turned at Kix’s words, the sound of mocking modulated laughter coming from their helmets. Kix and Jesse paused with them, forming a small crowd in the busy hallway, like rocks in a river.

“This is Mal, our new medic from the 104th.” Kix gestured.

The clone troopers pulled their buckets from their heads. The first man smiled sweetly, a contrast to the single teardrop that decorated the lower lid of his left eye. Mal barely registered him, though. She was too busy gaping at his friend. The second man flashed a knowing, familiar grin. Even without the temple tattoo, Mal would have recognized him anywhere.

Fives.

The first thing Fives saw as he rounded the corner into the mess hall was Jesse’s face. His vod immediately looked annoyed and that put an extra spring in Fives’ step. Nothing like the sheer pleasure of irritating Jesse without even having to put in the effort.

“Ah osik, I bet Tup 5 credits you’d miss roll call.”  The lieutenant frowned at Fives over two steaming paper cups of caf.  

“Come on, Jess.” Fives grinned at his older brother. “You know me better than that.” 

Fives picked up the two cups before he turned, seamlessly slipping the drinks out from under his vod's nose. Jesse leapt up and yelped but, short of leaping over the table, there was no stopping Fives.

He kept moving down the hall, practically gliding, as Jesse’s swears faded behind him. He hummed, sipping on the black caf that Jesse had poured for himself, and savoring each jolt to his taste buds. Fives meandered his way through the maze of the base, nodding to brothers that greeted him. Faces, armor, and haircuts were all distinct. He recognized them all but most of the names escaped him. It was becoming harder and harder to keep track. There were so many, and they came and went all too quickly. It made him feel old in a way that an eleven year old probably shouldn’t. Was it eleven? Or was it twelve now?, he wondered. Who could keep track of decanting days anymore? That was Echo’s job and, without his twin, he wasn’t ever in the celebrating mood. Finally, Fives slipped into one of the main supply rooms, where he paused before a large supply shelf. It was pressed up against the durasteel and tucked in the back of the dark storage space. 

“Hey, Tup. You there?” Fives called.

“Roger, roger.” Tup called back.

The long-haired clone popped his head over the edge of the fourth shelf, about eight feet off of the floor. He perched there for a moment, chin resting on his hand as he smiled down at Fives. Fives grinned back up at his vod. Tup found the empty shelf the first day after the Umbara deployment, and he dragged a mattress up there to turn it into a getaway. Fives didn’t ask why he wanted one and Tup didn’t volunteer the information. Instead, Fives just helped him redirect several blankets and a mattress from shipping to an “ARC training mission” and, in a comical heist that involved General Skywalker nearly catching them, assisted Tup in smuggling the large bedding into the supply room.

“So, how was the night, vod?” Tup winked.

“A gentleman never tells,” Fives smirked up at his brother.

“Well, luckily, you’ve never been a gentleman.” Tup laughed as he swung down from the shelf, landing gracefully beside Fives.

“Hey! I brought you caf and everything.” Fives held out the second cup to Tup, who took it without hesitation.

“Ah yes, three creams. Just how Kix takes it.” Tup chortled as he sipped on the warm liquid.

Fives smiled back at the younger clone. Losing Echo left a hole in his heart that he knew would never be filled, and it had been a long time since he had felt a connection with one of his brothers like that. Tup was different though. He reminded him of Echo in some ways. He was quietly smart. A little nerdy. But he could still merk a Seppie in seconds and without hesitation. He was clever, more clever than most people realized. Fives was still impressed with the plan Tup came up with to capture General Krell. While he knew he could never replace his twin and he wasn’t looking to try, he felt a little more whole lately when Tup was around.

“Now, come on vod.” Tup threw his other arm around Fives, “Tell me about the night.”

He filled Tup in on a few of the details while they made the walk to roll-call. He skipped the feeling that she had given him when he made her laugh or the way he wished someone would bottle up her scent. Instead, he talked about the other stuff, like how great her tits were and how hot the sex had been. Tup dutifully listened to all of it with a small smile on his face. 

They made it to roll-call right on time. Jesse glared at Fives over a fresh cup of caf. Fives gave his fuming vod a wave just as Rex called them to attention. The Captain marched down the line, inspecting his soldiers. He paused in front of Fives.

“Nice to see you made it back,” Rex muttered, cocking an eyebrow at the ARC.

“No idea what you’re talkin’ about, Sir,” Fives smirked at his old friend.

Rex let out a familiar sigh of exasperation as he shook his head and continued back down the line.

It was Fives' least favorite kind of day. Drills, strategy meetings, and more drills. The drills drove him crazy. It was all pretend. There was no room to be creative or stakes to make the shineys take it seriously. It seemed like they were getting sloppier and sloppier, and nothing he said would get through to them until the blaster fire was real. The strategy meetings weren’t bad, but it was all a lot of talk and pretend. He knew it was important. Fives got that. But there was never a day that he didn’t want to be out there, in the fight, instead of planetside doing drills.

“We’re gonna have to reconsider how we’re using our resources holding Felucia,” Tup was still thinking about their last meeting as the day wound down and they made their way to the mess. Fives was only half-listening, having had his fill of strategy talk for the day, but Tup kept going, his enthusiasm obvious though his modulator. “Focusing on hyperspace lanes instead of the planet itself could help us protect the whole system. We keep fighting these high-cost, low reward battles on the planet’s surface.”

“S’not a bad idea.” Fives heard enough that he looked his vod up and down.

“It’s a great idea.” Tup looked back at him and Fives knew, even through the helmet, exactly the teasing look his vod was giving him. “Don’t you run to Rex and steal it.”

Fives snorted and wrapped an arm around Tup’s shoulders.

“I would never dream-” Fives started to protest before a voice rose up behind them.

“… these two, you definitely need to know. They spend more time in the med bay than the rest of the battalion combined.”

Fives barked out a laugh. Tup joined him as he tilted his helmet at Fives. He rolled his eyes at Tup and knew, in the same way that Tup knew what expression he was making; Tup was rolling his eyes too. They paused their walk and turned towards Kix's voice.

He was glad he had his helmet on. Standing there, walking with his vode, was the woman from this morning. Her form was now hidden behind a civilian medic jumpsuit, and her long red curls were pulled back away from her face, tied back into a low bun, but he knew her in moments. 

He knew the light in her eyes as she laughed at Kix’s words. He recognized the smile that danced on those soft lips. He knew the smattering of freckles he could map out on her nose and her cheeks. He knew the way her skin would feel if he were to dig his fingers into those hips, barely hidden by the bulky jumpsuit. Maker, he knew the way she smelled still and could taste it in the air. Or maybe that was just him and the way she lingered on his skin.

Pull it together, Fives. He warned himself. His heart wouldn’t slow, though. He couldn’t believe his luck as he took in the blue markings on her jumpsuit. She was here, and she was theirs. 

“This is Mal, our new civilian medic transfer from the 104th.” 

Fives barely heard Kix as he stripped the bucket from his head. He waited for Mal to squeal, to laugh, for the joy to spark in her eyes like it had last night.

“This is Tup.” His heart threatened to beat out of his chest as Kix droned on, “And this is Fives, our resident ARC.”

“And resident pain in the ass,” Jesse added loudly.

Fives ignored Jesse as he pressed his lips together in a knowing smile. She knows, you di’kut, he wanted to shout, but Mal spoke first. 

“Nice to meet you.”

#please don't murder me #i know you waited a year for this #and i give you THAT ending #i said it was a slow burn! #arc trooper fives #fives #fives x ofc #arc trooper fives x oc #tcw fives x ofc #oc: mal darroch #the last word #WIP: the last word #WIP: TLW #TLW #captain rex #tcw rex #CT 5555 #clone medic kix #tcw kix #clone trooper oc #tcw jesse #the clone wars #tcw #star wars tcw fan fic #slow burn #clone wars #clone wars fives #clone trooper tup #tcw tup #fan fiction

[dystopicjumpsuit]

Stars Beyond Number - Chapter 1

Remember Us

Rating: T (rating varies by chapter; mature content will be tagged; regardless of rating, minors DNI)

Pairings: Echo x Riyo Chuchi; Gregor x OFC Cerra Kilian

Wordcount: 2.8k

Warnings: minor angst

Suggested Listening:

Summary: Soldiers. Heroes. Deserters. Traitors. They've been called many things. As the Galactic Empire rises from the ashes of the Republic, a small group of clone troopers and their allies will find a new identity: Rebels.

Echo, Rex, and Gregor are on a mission to save as many of their brothers as they can. The task is daunting, and their friends are few. But from these small and desperate beginnings will come a spark of resistance that will set the galaxy ablaze.

A/N: This story shares continuity with Martyrs and Kings and "Do It Again," but all three fics can be read as stand-alones.

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Remember us—if at all—not as lost violent souls, but only as the hollow men.

—T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men”

The Marauder pushed off the landing platform with a roar of thrusters and rose through the underworld portal until it disappeared in the swirl of air speeder and starship traffic. The repair shop where Rex had set up his base of operations was deep in the lower levels of Coruscant, and Echo knew the ship would keep ascending long after he lost sight of it before it reached the surface. His decision to part ways with the Batch had seemed very straightforward and logical as he’d discussed it with Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech, but in the face of Omega’s tearful farewell, his resolve had nearly crumbled.

He knew that the rest of the Batch would never let any harm come to the girl; her safety was their only priority. But Echo needed to do more to help his fellow clones, and with Rex, he would finally be in a position to do so. And so he merely watched as the ship departed, bearing his brothers and sister back to Ord Mantell and Cid’s endlessly questionable jobs.

He turned to rejoin Rex and Senator Chuchi. They had been conversing discreetly, giving him privacy and space as he said his goodbyes. The senator watched him now, her luminous eyes soft.

“It’s very brave of you, Echo, to stay behind and join our network after everything you’ve been through,” she said.

“Thank you, Senator,” he said, “but I’ve never been one to back down from a fight.”

“Please, call me Riyo,” she said.

Echo nodded as Rex clapped him on the shoulder.

“Come on, brother,” his old captain said. “I’ll show you around.”

The tour didn’t take long. The repair shop apparently belonged to Trace Martez, the young thief Echo had encountered on Corellia. Rex had taken over the shop when Coruscant got a little too hot for the Martez sisters’ comfort. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement: Rex needed a home base, and Trace needed someone to make sure the shop didn’t fall victim to the seedier elements of the underworld. Rex had set up a kitchen, a temporary barracks, and a small training gym at the back of the shop. There was a tiny room that served as a makeshift office and command center, and finally a communal refresher with two open shower stalls, an enclosed toilet, and a small sink. The garage contained few creature comforts; mostly they just used crates for furniture, though there was a broken-down old sofa with a holotable set up in front of it.

The accommodations were spare and shabby, which was familiar to Echo, but he was struck by how out-of-place Riyo looked in the shop. With her elegant clothing and elaborate hairstyle, she looked far too delicate and fine for her surroundings. Still, she didn’t display either judgment or discomfort at the sparseness of the shop. Echo stole occasional glances at her, admiring the soft curves of her face, the graceful line of her throat, the way her wide, intelligent eyes took in everything around her, missing not a single detail. He wondered how to describe the exact shade of her hair. Was it mauve? Or maybe violet was more accurate. Her gaze shifted to him, and he looked away quickly.

The unmistakable whine of a speeder bike landing on the platform outside interrupted his train of thought, and soon footsteps echoed through the shop.

“Rex? You here?” a woman’s voice called.

“Back here, Cerra,” Rex replied. “I have someone I want you to meet.”

The woman strode into view, faltering a little when she spotted Echo.

“Echo, I’d like you to meet Cerra Kilian,” Rex said. “She handles logistics. Very good at getting things clones aren’t supposed to have.”

“Nice to meet you, Cerra,” Echo said.

The woman clasped Echo’s hand in a reserved greeting and nodded at Riyo. “A pleasure, Echo. Senator, it’s good to see you again.”

“And you as well, Cerra,” Riyo replied.

The contrast between the two women could not have been more stark. Riyo was lovely, with her wide, golden eyes, azure skin, and glossy lavender—no, lilac—hair. Everything about her was soft and feminine and fragile, almost ethereal. Cerra was taller and more solid, her face more angular, and everything about her spoke of practical decisions, from her buzzed head, to her faded mechanic’s coveralls and sturdy boots. More striking, though, was the difference in their expressions. While Riyo’s face was gentle and easy to read, Cerra’s guarded eyes revealed nothing of her thoughts. 

“Got a lead on that electro capsule the clone assassin used,” Cerra said.

“What did you learn?” Rex asked.

“It isn’t underworld tech,” Cerra said. “At least, not as far as any of my contacts could tell. More likely military-grade.”

“Then it probably was Rampart’s work,” Rex said grimly. 

“Hard to say,” Cerra said. “We know somebody was pulling Rampart’s strings. I’ll keep looking.”

“I hope I don’t sound selfish, but I can’t help wondering. Do you think I might still be in danger?” Riyo asked.

Cerra looked at Rex, wordlessly deferring to him.

“It’s difficult to say,” Rex said. “For now, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for your guards to take additional precautions.”

“I can take a look at their security protocols and offer a few suggestions, if you’d like,” Echo offered.

“Thank you,” Riyo said, gazing up at him with gratitude in her eyes. “I would imagine that someone as accomplished at infiltration as an ARC Trooper would be the best person to find weaknesses in security.”

“Former ARC Trooper,” Echo said, wondering what else Rex had told her about him.

“I don’t think anyone could forget ARC training,” Rex said with a quiet laugh. 

Cerra’s eyes flickered to the front entrance of the repair shop, and Echo turned automatically, preparing for a threat. Instead, he recognized a familiar face.

“Didn’t realize we were having a party,” Gregor said as he strode into the room and clasped Echo’s forearm in greeting. “Good to have you with us, Echo.”

The commando nodded at Rex and Riyo, then draped his arm casually over Cerra’s shoulders and handed her a travel cup. The woman pushed him off with an indistinct grumble, but she took the cup with the barest hint of a smile.

“I got some intel on a clone in the 41st Elite Corps who wants to get out. Name’s Fireball, do you know him?” Gregor asked.

“I’ve met him,” Rex said. “Good man. Good soldier.”

“Is the 41st still on Kashyyyk?” Echo asked. “I was there recently. Rex, it could get ugly.”

“It’ll take some time to plan,” Rex said noncommittally.

“That’s not the only thing we’ll need to plan,” Gregor said. “If we’re going to be extracting clones, we’re going to need a way to get the inhibitor chips out of their heads. AZI took mine out on Ord Mantell, but we don’t have a medical droid of our own.”

“Karthon chop fields,” Cerra said. Riyo and the three clones all turned to her. “I’ve been looking into it. My source says there are at least three downed Venators slated for decommissioning on Karthon. We can pull the surgical pod from one of the med bays and set it up here.”

“It’s risky,” Rex said.

“Not as risky as Lotho Minor or Bracca, now that the Empire has stepped up security after your adventure there last year,” Cerra said. “I can get it, but I’ll need help. Gregor, you in?”

“I’d like Echo to go with you on this one,” Rex interjected.

Cerra didn’t react except to nod. “It’s going to take a few days to get the supplies together.”

Over the next few days, Echo began to get a feel for the small group living in the repair shop. Rex was right: his organization was spread thin. Echo wasn’t exactly sure how many others were involved, but at the moment, the only people besides himself who were at the garage were Rex, Cerra, and Gregor. Any others were either deployed on missions or based elsewhere. The three of them were run ragged. Rex looked even more exhausted than he had during the war. Cerra was quiet and remote, keeping to herself and rarely instigating conversations. Gregor was the only one who still seemed to have a sense of humor. 

In addition to running missions with Rex, Gregor was the self-appointed quartermaster and chef of the group. He was a surprisingly good cook, and when Echo complimented the food, the commando grinned.

“It’s nice to be the one in charge of the kitchen instead of just washing dishes,” he said.

“If I start cooking, does that mean I can skip dish duty?” Cerra asked.

“No thanks, I’ve tasted your cooking,” Gregor laughed, his eyes bright.

“Rude, but fair,” Cerra acknowledged.

It was the night before Echo was due to travel to Karthon with Cerra. The group sprawled around the holotable, chatting quietly as they ate Gregor’s spicy yobshrimp stew. Echo was jittery. He wasn’t nervous about the mission itself; he’d completed hundreds of missions. But they were always with his brothers or a Jedi. This was his first time with a civilian. Still, Rex obviously trusted Cerra enough to send her after the surgical pod, so Echo tried to quiet his nerves.

“I can take KP tonight,” Echo offered, looking for a distraction.

“You’re on,” Cerra said immediately.

“Sucker,” Gregor giggled.

The kitchen was a spectacular mess, and it took some time for Echo to finish cleaning up. By the time he did, he could hear music blasting from the training gym, and he went to investigate.

Gregor leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, as he watched Rex spar with Cerra. Her face was flushed with exertion, and beads of sweat speckled her forehead and dripped down her temples. Echo could tell that Rex was holding back, though Cerra had surprisingly good form. She clearly had training, but it wasn’t enough against an opponent who was taller, stronger, heavier, and had been trained literally from birth to be a killing machine. Gregor occasionally tossed out a dispassionate suggestion or command, focusing on techniques specifically for fighting a larger combatant.

“Pull guard, Cerra, just like we practiced,” the commando coached.

Cerra grabbed Rex’s forearm and took him to the ground, locking her legs around his waist. Echo immediately recognized the move; he’d practiced it often enough during ARC training. He hadn’t sparred with anyone in ages, and he wondered if his prosthetic legs were agile enough to do it. He suspected so; though they were not quite as dexterous as his legs had formerly been, they made up for it in durability and strength. A single kick would be strong enough to snap a limb or break a spine.

“That’s better, Cerra,” Rex praised. 

“Next time, rotate your foot to the outside,” Gregor said, unimpressed. “Unless you want to break your own ankle or get your leg pinned.”

Cerra slapped Rex on the back of the head. “Stop taking it easy on me.”

He grinned down at her. “Sorry, kid. Gotta walk before you can run.”

“First of all, I’m twice your age, and secondly, a real opponent won’t pull their punches,” she said.

“That’s why you have a blaster,” Rex replied calmly. “Want to go again?”

She nodded, but Gregor intervened. “You need to rest up for tomorrow’s mission.”

Cerra released Rex immediately, and he stood to his feet, then extended a hand and pulled her up from the mat. She was breathing hard, and Gregor tossed her a towel to dry off. She spotted Echo and acknowledged him with a jerk of her chin.

“Maybe Echo can teach me some sweet ARC moves while we’re en route to Karthon,” she said.

“Didn’t Fives show you any?” Gregor asked.

Rex winced, but Cerra mopped her face and arms with the towel.

“A few,” she said.

“You knew Fives?” Echo asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m going to hop in the shower.”

“I can’t believe we’re taking that rust-bucket to Karthon,” Echo said.

The rickety shuttle was practically an antique. The sublight drive rattled alarmingly when it started up, and even the hydraulic struts for the ramp only worked about half the time.

“It’s old, but it still has some tricks thanks to Trace,” Rex said. “It’ll get you there and back. Besides, it’s the only ship we have with a cargo hold big enough to transport the surgical pod.”

“She’ll fly all right,” Cerra said as she joined them. “Not fast. Hopefully she won’t leak like a sieve.”

Rex was holding two travel mugs of caf, and he handed one to Cerra.

“You’re a god among men,” she said, taking a blissful sip.

“Is the other one for me?” Echo asked.

“Kark no,” Rex said, chugging half the liquid in one go. “Get your own.”

Cerra strode up the ramp and flopped into the co-pilot’s seat. “Don’t worry, Echo, we can stop at Starcups on the way out.”

Echo pulled a face. “Starcups barely qualifies as caf. More like syrup and blue milk that once heard a rumor about caf.”

“Still gets the job done,” Cerra shrugged. “Let’s roll.”

In the slow, dilapidated old shuttle, it was a full day’s jump to Karthon. Cerra was mostly silent once they entered hyperspace, tinkering with the electronic guts of a clone armor cuirass that she’d modified heavily. Echo, accustomed to Wrecker and Omega’s raucous banter and Tech’s spontaneous infodumps, found the silence deafening. He wished Gregor had come with them on the mission. The commando’s relaxed attitude and cheerful personality seemed to pull Cerra out of her shell in a way that Echo had not yet figured out how to do. He was no sparkling conversationalist, but he didn’t enjoy silence and solitude—not any more. 

It had only been a few days, but he missed the Batch. He missed Tech’s monologues as they copiloted the Marauder on long hyperspace jumps. He missed Omega’s endless questions and cheerful commentary. He thought of the way the tears had welled in her eyes as she hugged him goodbye, and his chest ached at the memory.

The cuirass sparked, and Cerra flinched and cursed.

“Need a hand?” Echo offered.

Cerra sighed and dragged a hand across her eyes. “I think I fried one of the connectors when I heated the plastoid to reshape the chestplate. The control unit fits, but I can’t get it to sync with the HUD.”

She passed the cuirass to Echo, who inspected it closely. She was right; there was a tiny scorch mark on one of the connectors.

“We’ll have to salvage another chestplate to get replacements,” he said. “Decent chance we’ll find some on Karthon.”

“At least it’ll give me some protection for now,” she said. “I’ll just have to go without a helmet until I can get it fixed.”

“I can help with the modifications, if you’d like,” Echo offered. “I have some experience with armor mods.”

“So I see,” she said, eyeing his custom suit. “I figured your armor wasn’t exactly off the rack.”

Echo chuckled. “Not exactly. My squadmate Tech helped me with my first set of armor after Skako Minor, but this set I modified myself. I added some extra features. Aside from the obvious.” He gestured to his scomp.

“What kind of features?” she asked.

“Electrical surge prevention,” he said.

She nodded. “Kix told me you got a hell of a jolt at Anaxes.”

“You knew Kix as well as Fives?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “He’s gone, too.”

Darkness flickered across her face, but she took a deep breath and her usual stoicism slid back into place. Echo reached out to lay his hand on her shoulder, but something about her posture made him think she wouldn’t appreciate the gesture. He faltered and dropped his hand back to his side. After a time, he broke the silence.

“So,” he said. “How well did you know Fives?”

“Pretty well,” she said flatly. “So how about those sweet ARC moves?”

He wanted to push, wanted to know more. Rex had given him the bare-bones account of Fives’s death, but there never seemed to be enough time to actually process it. Cerra was the only person in Echo’s life other than Rex who had known his twin, but her walls seemed to be made of durasteel, reinforced with beskar. And the last thing he wanted to do was scug her off right before he headed into a mission, trusting her to have his back.

“Rex went through ARC training, too, you know,” Echo pointed out. “He knows all those moves. But I can show you a trick or two that I learned from Clone Force 99.”

---

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[rexscanonwife]

I’ve been a bit depressed lately and I wanted to draw something super soft and self indulgent and...went a little ham with the lighting ngl! but sometimes instead of getting up and going to some mission debriefing you just wanna stay in bed with your lover ♡

#artfarts #self insert art #self insert #self ship #self shipping community #self insert community #self insert x canon #star wars the clone wars #captain rex #💙 oh captain my captain 💙 #i have been...quite sad #i dunno being sick and being isolated has really taken a toll on me #i keep in touch w close friends online ofc but you know #its still hard #especially since ive been alone on christmas and ill still be alone on new years *peace sign* #but drawing this was really comforting!! #ive been dealing w a bit o art block lately too #so im very pleased that it came out pretty nice :'3 #and rex is just my EVERYTHING #he makes everything better seeing him is just the biggest serotonin boost #i just wanna feel his arms wrapped around me and his warmth and run my fingers over his scars and kiss him!!!

[fives-lover]

Chapter 24: I Know from Experience

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Finished with the final portions of the pre-mission briefing, Wolffe sought Rasha out. He decided, after she left the bridge, that he wanted to see what she was made of before they arrived. He wanted to see her skill sets in person beforehand rather than just relying on a personnel file and his brothers' stories. Plus, he figured that it would be the best way to see if she was a typical civilian Officer. 

Eventually, he found her in the barracks reading, “Skohl. Training in thirty.” 

She jumped and started to answer but he was already gone. 

Rasha was the first one to the room and silently watched as Wolffe pressed several buttons to bring the blocks in the walls and floors to their desired positions. She didn’t recognize the layout but didn’t think that it would matter. She figured that they, whoever her squad members were going to be, would know the presets and how to act better than she would. Several minutes passed before the rest showed up and the session began. 

Wolffe was pleased with how quickly Rasha had integrated herself into the chosen squad. They worked as a team the second the session began. She let the clones lead and learned what each was best at before taking control, with them switching to follow her as quickly as they would follow him. She observed, planned, and acted in mere seconds - exactly what was needed in most situations on a real battlefield.

From working with so many in the past, Wolffe had learned that civilians tended to force their way through, not caring who was better at one skill or another. They would push their ideas and failing plans through his men’s skulls like a battering ram. Then he met Captain Rasha Skohl. The 501st’s lead medic and translation specialist. One of the two medical civilians working with them that were talked about almost nonstop.

Brothers told insanely exaggerated stories about her of things she may or may not have said and done. Some were told in a drunken stupor while others were completely sober. They had told him “how amazing she is” and that he “needs to meet her immediately.” Wolffe had always rolled his eyes at most of the stories and inside jokes he wasn’t privy to. And he only half-listened when a conversation with Rex or Cody somehow made its way to one of the two women.

When he had read what information had been available about the mission upon the assignment, he simply skimmed over her name and got to the other details of the mission. He thought that he’d be able to figure her out fairly quickly. Most acted the same, even down to how they carried themselves through the hallways and how they looked at him and his brothers. But it didn’t happen quickly, and, if he was being honest with himself, he still hadn’t quite gotten a complete grasp on her. He finally read more of her file the night he met her and the ship was finally in hyperspace because he didn't know what to make of the peculiar situation; he had expected her to be uptight and carry herself like she was above all of them just because they were clones. 

Instead, she carried herself with an air of confidence - whether it was actual confidence or a facade, was yet to be figured out - yet none of his men seemed to feel disrespected or put off by her presence. They never gave any dirty looks or made snide comments under their breaths when she walked past or entered a room. They were cautious and watched her just the same as he did; everyone wanted to see how she would act, who she was, and what kind of attitude she had. Wolffe saw her first interactions with Boost, Comet, and Sinker from a few tables away in the mess on her first day aboard the ship and watched, waiting for her to get up. He waited for the poorly hidden looks of disgust and sneers, but they never happened. She didn't say much at first but eventually, she warmed up to the three troopers that had interrupted whatever she had been reading during her meal. By the time Sinker left, the group was laughing and she seemed to genuinely be enjoying herself. Everything went the exact opposite of what he had expected. 

Reading up on and watching her, Wolffe wished he would've listened to some of his brothers’ stupid stories about her better. He couldn't believe that there was any way that the 501st would have been lucky enough to find someone kind and genuine enough for any of their stories to be true. Let alone have two civilians like that.

Turning his attention back to the room in front of him, he heard the squad’s communications. Quick and professional. Wolffe waited to hear the insistence from Rasha that her plan would be the best, ignoring all suggestions and new problems, and for her to force her way through. He still waited for her to be like a typical civvie; there had to be something about her. The arguments he expected never occurred. Just the simple disagreements that would happen in real situations that were quickly resolved. 

“We’re a little stuck over here, Cap. Where did you two go?” Boost asked urgently

“I’m not sure how far away we are from you guys.” She paused and looked around the small path she and Sinker had been stuck in for several minutes. Wolffe watched her shoot at several droids and duck behind a wall she had been using as cover while trying to come up with some semblance of a plan. “Hey, Sinker, can I get you to cover me? I’m going up,” Rasha calmly asked through the chaos throughout the room.

He snapped his attention to her from the other side of the path. “Up? Up where exactly?!”

Wolffe scanned the room and saw the tower Rasha planned on scaling next to her toward the back corner. 

“That wasn’t part of the plan, Cap!” Sinker insisted. 

“Neither was us getting separated while they got surrounded. I can’t see enough to get a good shot and you don't really have anything to climb on. Or do you? I can't tell.” Comet chuckled but didn’t make any jokes for once. “I know you’re a good shot, but,” she grunted and tried dodging a blaster bolt, “unless you can find a way out or would rather have the other two stay pinned down… I’m open to other ideas but I’m not seeing any.” 

Wolffe watched as Sinker looked around and answered her with silence. A small groan eventually sounded from him and Rasha took it as an agreement and started climbing, picking droids off so the others to recover when she got to the top.

She made her way back down to help Boost after she was satisfied. Nothing in any of the training weapons could potentially kill someone, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt like hell or knock the air out of you if you got hit. Boost had been shot in the leg and Wolffe knew, from experience, that he wasn’t feeling too good and that it would more than likely be numb for a few more minutes. He also knew Boost most likely didn't need any medical help but was pleased that she had quickly made her way over when finally possible, just in case.

Wolffe powered the droids down several minutes later, having been satisfied with the results. “Be back in one hour.” 

Wolffe wanted to try out some presets he had been tinkering with during their next round of training. The dummy droids would act closer to his men than the training dummies on Kamino or the clankers. He was curious how the situation would pan out and if his tinkering had made much of a difference. They would work on programming nowhere near any of the standard run-throughs that everyone had become accustomed to. The last session had shown him some of what his tinkering had done, but now, he wanted to see the full extent. 

The arena had been set to a new layout before everyone had come back. Once communications were reestablished and the group was armed and ready to go, Wolffe activated the droids and watched them, still paying particular attention to the only person in the room wearing blue-painted armor again. 

“What are these damn droids doing?!” Sinker called out, “Did you do something to these kriffing things, Wolffe?!” 

The droids dodged, shot, and “thought” like Wolffe had hoped they would, leaving the squad initially confused and forced to adapt. The group was forced to think and act how they would during a real mission, which was what he had been going for. He wanted his men to train and he wanted them to train hard. He didn’t want them just going through presets they had run hundreds of times - he wanted things to be different each time, whether the layout in the room was the same or not. 

Shots continued flying left and right as Wolffe watched the squad’s plans fall apart and reform. He still waited for the civvie to force her ideas onto the group. He waited for an argument that could prove detrimental to their exercise and possibly indicate how she may act on the ground. But it never came. He only heard the continuation of information and orders thrown around as needed; no arguments or hard-headed stubbornness from Rasha. She even began suggesting and asking about changes to their current plan based on the evolving problems and agreed to ones that might work better than her own. 

Ducking around one of the walls, Rasha disappeared from Wolffe’s view. “I, uh… I-” she was breathing hard through the comms moments later, “guys, I need some help over here!” 

“On my way, Cap” Comet acknowledged.

A beat, then Wolffe heard Rasha gasp and shout repeatedly, “No, no, no!” Each word was punctuated by the sounds and sight of a dummy being shot multiple times.

“You might wanna get down here, sir! This doesn't look good!” 

~~~~~~

Chaos and noise filled the air, barely clearing the pounding of Rasha’s heart in her ears. Blaster bolts flew in every direction over her head and lightsabers swung to counter them.

Blood-covered hands rushed between her pack and the soldier’s wounds. She wouldn’t lose him if she could help it, but she was running low on supplies and time. More men fell around her as they tried to protect her, civilians, and their injured brothers.

Ahsoka called out, "get up, Rasha! This doesn't look good!" 

But the area was becoming overrun by clankers. Civilian soldiers and clones alike were falling back. Orders were yelled and mechanical voices were getting closer. Soon Rasha would be exposed and vulnerable.

She had a difficult decision to make.

Her patient was slowly fading with more blood flowing than she could catch. She apologized as he took his final breaths and retrieved his helmet. 

Shooting back as she ran for cover, she could barely breathe. With the clone's name repeatedly running through her head, she forced herself to keep pushing. 

~~~~~~

Lashing out, Rasha didn’t know where she was or who the person on the other end of her rifle was. Tears streamed down her face as she lowered her weapon, thinking that it was Fives anchoring her to reality like he did the last time she needed to calm down and breathe again. She saw hands try to remove her helmet and she squeezed her eyes closed. Those same hands rested on her shoulders shortly after and she barely heard a familiar voice trying to get through to her. 

Opening her eyes, she saw grey-painted armor - not the familiar blue she knew and squeezed her eyes shut again. It wasn't the blue covering her own armor. Not the blue painted in so many different patterns that it was too hard to count, yet she knew each one by heart. She didn't see anything familiar; nothing from the boys that quickly took her in as part of their family. She didn't see anything to do with the men who had found a place in her heart, filling a previously unknown empty space.

Instead, she saw a grey helmet and started backing away desperately again but the man’s hands held her firmly in place until she stopped squirming and could finally focus on her surroundings and listen to who was talking to her. 

You're not Fives or Echo. What's going on? 

——————

Once Wolffe was alerted and Comet briefly reported what he was seeing, the rest of the squad stayed on the other side of the room, giving her space when he turned everything off and all but sprinted down to Rasha's location. 

“She's not-” Sinker began. 

“I know she's not hurt," Wolffe snapped, "you three need to go stand over there. I'll take care of this.” 

None of them said anything and they were already in the area he had pointed to, having moved over upon seeing how urgently their Commander had come down the stairs. They didn't say anything amongst themselves. All three knew what was going on with Rasha, having experienced similar situations themselves, and silently agreed not to say anything to anybody who didn't need to know. Not that any of them would have to begin with, but each glanced between each other with a mutual understanding of one another's thoughts. The only thing in the room that hadn't moved was the block Wolffe found her leaning against, arms and legs moving like she was trying to get smaller and fit between it and the floor. She looked like she was trying to crawl inside of it if she couldn't get under it.

Crouching down, Wolffe softly called for her, “Rasha. Everything is off. Nobody is hurt.” He gently touched Rasha's shoulder to help bring her back to the present and waited for the panic to subside before saying anything else. Instead, it seemed to trigger something in her and she pointed the training rifle at his chest, hands shaking. Wolffe raised his hands in surrender until she slowly but willingly lowered it. He removed her helmet and, after several attempts, she finally decided to open her eyes and keep them open, blurrily looking at him through tears with fear still gripping her. 

Eventually, Comet came over and offered Rasha her discarded helmet and motioned to Wolffe for them to move to a different room before others came in for other training. After she put it on, the two helped her up and guided her to the door, with Wolffe keeping a hand on her shoulder as they entered the hall. 

Rasha blindly followed him as he directed her to a random room, praying that he wasn't going to report her to General Plo for something she wasn't sure even happened. She didn't think she did anything wrong after joining the Wolfpack. Trying to remember everything she had done since her arrival she couldn't think of what he could even want to talk to Plo about and held her breath when he stopped at an unmarked door and entered the code with it quietly sliding open shortly after. The first thing she noticed was that Plo wasn't in the room. Next, she noticed that it had to be someone's living quarters. 

Had Wolffe taken her to his room? Did he want to reprimand her for what had happened during that training? She had too many questions and worries racing through her mind to realize that he was still behind her waiting to enter the room. 

She stood close to the door after entering and looked around, avoiding eye contact with him. She looked at pictures of him and some of his men on several different planets. Some included the people they had helped, others were just him and a few other troopers. He was smiling genuinely in each one that he wasn't wearing his helmet in. It was a smile she had never seen on the man across the room before. Beaded jewelry and strung-together shells hung around the room, presumably gifts from locals or items he had found and decided to keep. Extra armor was stacked neatly on one of the two beds. Paperwork was on the table in the back where she would keep her drawings on The Resolute. Every second she was in the room was another second she felt like she was intruding. Whether he had been the one to bring her to the room or not. 

“Well?” Wolffe asked, interrupting her thoughts. 

“I- I can explain.” 

“I asked if you were going to sit down or not,” he repeated, gesturing to the empty bed.  

Opting to sit as far away from him as she could, she started rambling. “I'm sorry. I can explain. I- I can still run this mission. Just please don't take me off and keep me on the ship when we get there. I can do this. I-” 

He shook his head and held up a hand, effectively shushing her. “I'm not taking you off.” 

“You're not?” 

“No.” He pulled a chair closer and sat down, “are you feeling better?” 

“I- what?” She took a few deep breaths before trying again, “I guess so. I don't know.” 

“I understand. Probably more than you realize, Rasha.” 

Hearing him use her first name rather than Captain, Skohl, or the two together sounded weird for some reason. She had heard everybody calling her Rasha multiple times a day but he never did until just then. 

“I probably realize more than you think I do,” she chuckled dryly, earning her a small smirk. “I know that all of you go through it too. I've heard some of your boys during the night and others getting up to calm whoever it was down. Mine do it too.” She finally looked at him and searched his expression. “And I know that you don't get help calming down in here unless you go looking for it because you're alone. I also know,” she shifted, getting more comfortable on the stiff mattress, and took another long breath before continuing. “that you won’t go looking for that help. Whether you need it or not. That you sit in here and try to force yourself to break out of it and calm down. That you tell yourself over and over that none of it is real. You whisper quiet comforts to yourself in hopes that it’ll work but it rarely does.”

She looked at some of the pictures behind him and felt him staring. Rasha felt like a hole was boring through her skull from the constant gaze. She could feel the confusion radiating off of the man before bringing herself to look at him again and saw him searching her expression like she had done with him not long before. She saw him looking for answers to questions he wasn’t going to ask. 

“I especially know the last part from personal experience,” she softly added just above a whisper and pulled out her necklace to mess with it, running the crystal up and down the chain like she had so many times before. 

“You told the General that you’re comfortable sleeping just about anywhere when you first joined us, correct?

“Um, yeah," she raised an eyebrow, "why?” 

“Get your stuff and bring it back in here.”

“Why? I’m just fine out there with the rest of the men. I don’t really need to go anywhere.” 

“Because you’re going to be sleeping in here for the rest of the mission. You don’t need to be alone when you get like you just were.” 

She looked around the room more, confusion only growing. “I’m not alone in there-” 

“Rasha-” She relented and stood, turning to leave the room but stopped at Wolffe’s pause. “-I’ve seen how some of those shinies look at you. Don’t need them getting any ideas.” 

She chuckled and shook her head, finally doing what she was told, and made her way to her bunk.

Let me know if you want to be added to a tag list for future posts!

@cdblake1565 

#new members #fives and rex #fives and echo #arc trooper fives #arc trooper echo #echo clone wars #tcw echo #captain rex #commander cody #obi wan kenobi #anakin #ahsoka tano #fives x ofc #echo x ofc #501st shenanigans #501st legion #the clone wars #star wars #anakin skywalker #fives #kix #hardcase #501st #clones #domino twins #echo and fives #501st battalion #Rasha Skohl #Ari Nierre #Allaria Nierre

[clonemedickix]

Rating: M

Word count: 6.9K

Pairing: Commander Neyo x OC General Lara Lin

Warnings: implied clone warfare, dark humor, snarky banter

Excerpt Summary - Part 2 of the Neyo vs Lara chapter. Using the intel Neyo and his group collected, the Dragon Company is sent to find General Grievous. Neyo has met his match if he thinks he can bully General Lin into fearing him.

If you would Iike to read the full chapter on AO3, click here WARNING - full chapter is NSFW, MINORS DNI, UNDER 18 DNI

If you would like to see more fanfic posts, click here

@blueink-bluesoul @523rdrebel @anxiouspineapple99 @dystopicjumpsuit

Excerpt:

Lara walked to the ramp of the Talon, escorted by Fives, Rex, and Cody. While she couldn’t take Rex with her on the mission, they had at least seconded Fives to their group for this trip to the small Outer Rim backwater Neyo had given them as the location for Grievous. Pausing at the foot of the ramp, she looked up at her sleek flagship, its black and red paint with gray hues giving the onlookers the impression of dragon scales. Lara was proud of the detail Anakin, Kenobi and Rex had paid when getting the ship outfitted for her, taking the time to put an intimidating paint scheme on her, befitting the Dragon Company.

She glanced over at Rex and Cody and said, “Well, guess I’ll see you when I see you. Hope this doesn’t turn into a wild goose chase.”

Cody smiled at her and said, “Neyo and his group are usually pretty spot on with the information. There will definitely be something there, though whether Grievous still is - that’s up for debate. You and your lunatic Dragons be safe, General.” He reached out his hand for hers, and she answered by grasping it, skinning the fingers and giving him a firm fist bump.

“We’ll be fine. Keep Rex out of trouble,” she said with a smile. Rex smiled back into Lara’s eyes, and they repeated the little handshake, though they lingered a bit before giving each other fist bumps. They couldn’t say goodbye properly with a whole ship full of clones watching, as well as all the dock workers.

Lara turned to look at Fives and gave him a little nod with her head, gesturing to the ship, and the two of them started up the ramp. “Gonna be just like old times, General,” Fives said with a chuckle.

“I do hope so, though it’ll be a bit less sunny with Neyo skulking around.” She looked up at the large hangar when they entered the ship, watching all the crew members moving to and fro, getting ready to sail. “I wonder if I can contrive to stuff him in a broom closet for the duration of the flight, so we can continue on our merry way?”

Fives snorted. “You know the scary thing is - I know you’re actually enjoying baiting that guy, and looking forward to however else you can dig the claws in. You’d better be careful around him - he’s known for being able to sniff out all sorts of dirt on everyone.”

“Eh, I wouldn’t call the knowledge of me and Rex so much ‘dirt’ at this point. Everyone knows. They just pretend they don’t.” The pair headed for the lift that would take them to the bridge. Lara and Fives were a striking pair - the rakishly handsome ARC Trooper in his full kit, carrying his helmet under his right arm, and the stunningly beautiful, tall General in her shining enameled, bejeweled armor and chain mail, her great sword’s hilt peeking over her shoulder while her short sword and dagger swung at her hips. Her mane of curls draped over her shoulders and down her back, bouncing slightly as she strode down the hallways of the Venator with her friend at her side. Fives was more than just a friend, though it was difficult to pin down a definition of his place in her life. There was only ever the thinnest layer of control between them, keeping them from ripping their armor off and finding a broom closet of their own.

When the door of the lift opened on the bridge of the Talon, heads turned to see the General step out, Fives one step behind on her left. She proceeded gracefully across the room, acknowledging the welcoming nods of the clone staff, her head high like a queen entering her throne room. She saw Admiral Shepherd standing before the great expansive windscreens, Primer and Neyo on either side of a holo table, watching each other with very guarded expressions.

Neyo saw the General arrive on deck and was actually rather taken aback by how changed she was in her armor. Only a completely blind fool would have thought she wasn’t beautiful, but her whole demeanor was different from the day he’d met her. She carried herself like a queen, head high, back straight, a composed air about herself that immediately snapped one to attention, knowing a leader was approaching. The clone commander watched her silently as she moved forward to speak to Admiral Shepherd, greeting him with a warm smile. He felt the eyes of both Primer and Fives watching him, sizing up his reaction to their General, both men perhaps a little nervous for her sake.

“Well, Shep, what say you to getting this ship off the ground? We’ve got a fairly long journey ahead of us.”

Admiral Shepherd smiled back at Lara; he truly admired and respected her as his partner in crime after having worked so closely with her Company. He knew her quirks and manner of leadership now without any question, and had gotten used to her insistence on blaring music everywhere they went over the loudspeakers. He no longer minded it and had long ago realized that the crew worked somewhat better, able to focus around the noise in a way that seemed sharper and more relaxed. He turned to address the room and said “The Dragon Rider is aboard, men. Admiral has the con.”

The Chief of the Boat replied “Admiral has the con!”

“Helmsman, right full rudder, come to heading 060, quarter steam, make our course hyperspace lane 151.” Shepherd gave the commands easily, watching as the crew moved to quickly and smoothly carry them out, their replies sharp and succinct to indicate their receipt and understanding. The Talon started to move, pulling away from the pier of the GAR space port. Lara stood before the large windscreens, watching silently as the towers and skyscrapers of Coruscant started to slide by, then dwindle as the ship gained altitude. “No music today, General?,” Shep asked her quietly.

Lara’s head came up, a small smirk on her face. “When we get out of atmosphere. I’m not sure Marshal Commander Grumpy Pants would approve.” She didn’t even look at him, but her voice carried to the clone behind her. Lara didn’t see Fives purse his lips in amusement, looking down at his boots quickly, nor Primer’s quick glance at her back. Neyo himself shot the other two a look. Lara turned, pulling a small rectangular disk from her pocket. She stepped over to the COB’s station and handed him the disk and murmured, “I’ll let you know when the time is right.”

“Very good, General,” the COB replied.

Lara stepped over to Primer to make small talk about the Company, whether all the small details were sorted. He answered in the affirmative, filling her in on some relatively unimportant information, assuring her that everything was ready for their mission. Meanwhile, the ship picked up both speed and altitude under the command of Admiral Shepherd. Once they were in the void of space, outside of Coruscant, Lara pulled her phone from the thigh pocket of her breeches, and thumbed through the screens to the music app. Without looking at the COB, she said “Alright Chief, it’s time. Let’s have some tunes.” The COB plugged the disk into a port and punched a button, activating the shipboard speaker system. Lara picked a first song and hit play. The opening chords of “Remember the Name” started streaming from the sound system and everyone aboard seemed to mentally move into a different headspace, ready for the mission, relaxed but anticipating the action to come.

Neyo watched the proceedings quietly, taking note of the easy manner in which the crew interacted with each other, the Admiral and the General. They seemed to be a well oiled machine, all confidant and well practiced in their roles. And it was clear that everyone there both respected and loved their leader. He’d seen nothing of the flighty, almost unprofessionally bubbly woman he’d met the day of the planning committee.

The ship’s crew got them into hyperspace, safe on their journey, and Lara nodded to the Admiral. “Alrighty then, Shep. I’m going to retire to my quarters. Gimme a holler if you need something.” She stepped over to Primer and Fives and said, “For my part, boys, you’re dismissed. Come get me if you need anything.”

Everyone murmured acceptance of her parting words as she made her way off the bridge, heading for her quarters. Suddenly she heard a voice call her back. “General Lin, what are my orders?” Neyo actually wasn’t all that interested in what she wanted him to do, but he was rankled that she’d ignored him the entire time he’d stood there.

“Oh, Commander Neyo…” her tone laced with a layer of amused loathing. “Forgive me, I did not see you there.” Everyone knew she’d seen him there, and she saw Fives reach up to cover a smile on his face, turning into a bit of thoughtful stroking of his goatee. “I don’t particularly have any orders for you; we have a guy over cleaning the toilets already.” She saw Primer’s head snap toward the windscreens to hide a laugh. “Maybe you could get a bucket of prop wash and go clean out the fallopian tubes in the engine room?”

Neyo’s neck started to creep with a dull red of annoyance at her sass. He was well aware of what she was suggesting; he was no ignorant rookie. “I mean a real assignment, General. I could perhaps update you on the latest information we have obtained, or be dismissed to my own devices,” he fairly snarled in a clipped voice, the strain of not biting back with insults evident.

“Perhaps when we get closer to our destination, Neyo. I have some very pressing, highly interesting paint to watch dry in my quarters and I’m afraid I just can’t spare the time for you right now.”

Neyo stared back at her, fury flaming in his hard brown eyes. “Very well, General. I will be sure to report to your quarters at the top of every hour, just to check in on the most appropriate time for an intelligence update.”

Lara let that veiled threat sink in, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes a bit. “Fine, Needo. Come on. Walk and talk.” Lara turned on her heel, striding purposefully for the lift; she punched the button to call it, smashing it like she imagined she was gouging Neyo’s eye out with her thumb. She heard him follow behind her quickly, almost running to catch up at the last; he felt sure she’d love nothing more than closing the elevator door in his face and leaving him to wait for the next ride. He heard Lara sigh a little disgustedly when he turned to stand beside her, shooting Primer a look of displeasure at the last moment, as the door slid shut on the pair. She muttered, “Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate,” in a dramatically low voice as the elevator descended to the level of her stateroom. Neyo had no idea what language she’d just spoken in, but he could at least understand that the tone indicated a distinct lack of enthusiasm for her company.

The lift door opened on the hallway; her quarters were at the end of the corridor. “So do you actually have an update or are you here just to haunt my steps like a ghoul?”

“General, I assure you, I could find all manner of things I’d rather be doing than remaining in your presence. For both of our sakes, I will make this quick.” Neyo didn’t look at her as he spoke, carefully concentrating on the approaching gray door.

“Very good, Commander.” She reached out and punched in the code for the door, stepping across the threshold when it snapped open. The clone followed her in quietly. Lara immediately walked over to the clothes tree standing against the wall, lifting her great sword, bow and quiver off over her head and setting them to lean against the bulkhead wall. Looking back she said shortly, “Have a seat Commander. You can start the briefing.”

Neyo took a seat at her desk, watching as she removed the layers of her armor, finally stripping off the chain mail shirt and hanging everything neatly on the clothes tree. She shrugged her shoulders a bit to relax after unloading the weight of her armor, then turned to step over to the desk. She was wearing the thin, translucent shift she customarily wore beneath the mail to prevent chafing; the clone took in the form of her curves and the dark shape of her sports bra through the gauzy material. Lara pulled the chair back and plopped down in it, leaning back and propping her boots on the edge of the desk, her hands folded over her abdomen, her snapping blue eyes fixed on him coolly. For a brief moment Neyo wasn’t sure where to begin, and couldn’t form words.

Lara raised an eyebrow, watching him stare at her. “I’ll remind you, Needles, I have many other incredibly uninteresting things I could be doing, rather than watching you sit her and glower at me. Tick tock.”

Neyo cocked his head a little at hearing her mispronounce his name - again - then started to speak. He reached into a pocket on his belt, removing a holo disc, and placed it on her desk, activating it. He moved through the briefing quickly, updating her on the new information blandly, watching as the General listened attentively, silently. When he was done, he removed the disc from her desk and stood. “If the General has any questions, I am at your disposal.”

“Oh, to be sure. Thank you, Commander.” Lara sat up, putting her feet on the floor again. She stood, turning her back on him, assuming he would show himself out. When she realized he was still standing before her desk, she turned around, her look askance.

“Am I dismissed, General?,” he asked in a cool voice.

“Very. Buh-bye, Nemo.” She turned away from him again, her whole posture dismissive. Get the point and leave, she thought to herself in an annoyed manner.

“I am at the General’s service,” he said with a little bow.

“Duly noted, Commander.” She was rifling through a drawer beneath the bunk, looking for a comfortable shirt to change into. As she pulled a baggy sweatshirt out of the folded clothes, she caught sight of the persistent clone still in her room. Lara stopped, turned to face him full on, and stood to her full height. “Neyoda. What the hell do you want? You’ve been dismissed. I’ve told you bye. I’ve turned my back to you in as clear a motion of ignoring you, as I could contrive. Why are you still here?!,” she asked, exasperation clear in her words.

“I have yet to hear you say ‘You are dismissed, Marshal Commander Neyo.’” There was a little gleam of amusement in his eyes as he delivered the reply; she was going to use his name correctly if he had to stand here and stare at her for an hour. Lara stared back at him, her face a bit blank at this challenge, then she ducked her chin a little and glared at him from under her lashes.

“Try this on for size, then. Get. Out. Marshal Commander Newman.” Of course he wouldn’t know what she meant, but she could completely envision the curl of Jerry Seinfeld’s lip as he snarled the name out.

“That is not my…” His words were cut off as she stepped around the desk and forcibly grabbed his shoulders, turning him and hustling him toward the door. To his surprise she was every bit as strong as any clone, and he had no choice but to move with her. She shoved him into the hall, half hurling him. Neyo quickly stood and turned, ready to finish his comment, but saw her raise her hand and shake her head at the same time.

“Don’t you dare, or you’ll be doing a FOD walk on the hull in hyperspace,” she said imperiously, pointing her finger at him. “Now, shoo.” Lara hit the button to close the door between them and then made a face behind it that he’d never see. What a pain in her ass, she thought. The door snapped open and she whirled, thinking she was going to absolutely lose her shit if Neyo was trying to come back for round two. She froze in surprise at seeing Fives and Primer, and relaxed visibly. “Oh, thank god, it’s you two.” She turned away and walked back to her bunk, quickly pulling the hooded sweatshirt over her head and arms while the two clones traded amused looks.

“Neyo get the better of you?,” Primer asked with a little chuckle.

“He did not. I was just warming up.” Lara rolled her eyes a little and bent to rifle through her bag for her iPad, then she came back to her desk and plopped back into her chair. “What can I do for you two gentlemen?,” she asked smoothly.

Fives sat in one of the chairs opposite her, leaning back and sprawling his legs out in relaxation. Primer took the other, sitting comfortably but less messily than Fives. “We were bored, and came to see what you were up to, and to know if you needed backup. Or a cleaning crew to disappear the murder we felt sure was coming,” Primer drawled out with a grin.

“Murder won’t be necessary. I can handle ole Ney-ewt there. He’ll make it back to Coruscant alive and in one piece, I promise.” Lara looked at her two friends - subordinates yes, but both so much more than that at this point in the war. “We’ve got what? Two days on the Talon until we get to wherever this place is? We can get in plenty of training between now and then with the men. Send out a general message and tell them meet up in the hangar in a couple of hours.”

Primer nodded and rose to leave so he could spread the order. Fives remained sitting in his chair. As soon as the door closed behind Primer he looked at Lara flatly and asked, “You do know Neyo isn’t a guy to be messed with, right? If you start a war with him, you better be able to finish it.”

Lara smiled and shook her head, rolling her eyes lightly. “It’ll be fine. He’s just a guy I love to hate at the moment, complete entertainment. Besides, under all that ice, I think he’s all bluff.”

Fives shook his head at her, eyes wide. “I don’t think so, Lara. I’m pretty sure that man was created without a soul.”

“Well, he’s no ginger, and he’s got something stirring around in there, else he wouldn’t have taken the time to have someone tattoo his name on his face. A man who’s got pride, has spirit, and therefore some kind of soul. It might be a thoroughly rotten one, smelling of death and bad cheese, but hey it’s there.”

Fives laughed. “If you say so. Just, be careful around that guy. Spooks can’t be trusted.

“A truer statement there never was. I’ll make a bet with you - 100 credits that he’ll show some form of actual human activity before the trip is out.” Fives thought about it and then nodded, reaching over to shake on the deal. Lara sat back and asked, “Okay, my friend, what are we watching today?” The two of them settled in at her desk and flipped through her extensive library of movies and TV shows. Fives was working his way through the Marvel series, and so this time he requested Thor: Ragnarok. They watched the movie, laughing along at the funny parts and sass until it was time to head for the hangar for physical training with the Dragon Company.

Two days’ flight brought them to the mysterious Outer Rim system Neyo had designated as the current lair of Grievous. Admiral Shepherd kept the Talon in the region but far enough from the planet to shroud their presence, while they worked through what scans of the surface they had available. On the bridge, Shepherd, General Lin, Neyo and his two spy buddies, Fives and Primer worked to come up with a plan for getting to the surface and moving on the structure the rogue cyborg general was supposedly hiding in. Lara stood back, watching the information on the holo table critically, while listening to the team hash out suggestions.

The team came up with a workable plan, and got to the surface to carry it out, but as with many best intentions, there was no Grievous present on the surface to capture. The facility was empty save for battle droids, which was a complicating factor but not over all a bad thing. The men got to blow them up, the dragon got to incinerate some, and it seemed everyone went home happy. Except for Neyo.

His intel had proved incorrect, and the mission had in fact turned into a wild goose chase. He could see that General Lin and Primer weren’t overly upset about it; in fact they seemed quite content with the day’s work. But Neyo felt the cold hand of shame creeping up his neck, knowing he would have to answer for being wrong, dragging a battle group out to the middle of nowhere, burning precious fuel reserves and supplies, for what amounted to target practice.

Baiulus landed a short distance away from the Venator as the ramp dropped, and Lara watched the progress of her troops from his back, keeping an ever mindful eye out for any droids that might appear. On the whole, the trip was a waste of fuel, but good practice for the men. There were only a few wounded casualties, and Volte assured her they would be perfectly fine by the time they got back to Coruscant. When the last of the clones boarded, leaving only Fives, Neyo and Primer on the ground, Lara dismounted the dragon and patted him on the jaw, murmuring praise to him and dismissing him back to wherever he went. The dragon turned in a lumbering circle and took off, disappearing into the distance. Lara turned to her escorts and nodded towards the ship, moving to climb the ramp herself.

“Well Commander Neyo, that was a fun little side trip for literally nothing. I may be forced to start calling you Commander Null-o.” She didn’t spare him a look.

The man blushed a dusky red color in embarrassment and annoyance. “That’s just how it works sometimes, General.” He was actually mortified that there had been no sign of Grievous at all. If the cyborg had been there, it hadn’t been very recent. Rather graciously, the General said nothing more and simply headed for the bridge while making small talk with Fives. Neyo was alone with his shame, wondering how they could ever live this down.

She was also kind about the situation on the bridge, when she updated Admiral Shepherd. He’d watched their approach to the windscreens and holo table, and asked rather lightly, “No Grievous, I see?”

Lara shook her head. “No Grievous. Just battle droids. Cyclops was able to pull this off the central data computer though.” Lara held up a disc with the information imprinted on the memory chip. “Maybe it will have useful information.” She handed the disc to a staff officer, who plugged it into the holo table and worked to decode the information. Looking up, she dismissed Fives and Primer, thanking them for their work and praising their efforts that day. Neyo saw them leave, and realized she hadn’t dismissed him. Perhaps the shoe was about to drop after all. “When you get the information decoded and ready, let me know. Commander, please come with me.” Lara turned and breezed off the bridge, heading for her quarters. Neyo followed quickly, knowing he was about to get dressed down by the General, after all the bravado he’d been fronting.

As soon as the door closed to her stateroom, Neyo saw Lara turn to stand behind her desk and face him. “I don’t really have to say anything; I know you’re wishing you could find a rock to crawl under at this point. You better hope there’s good intel on that disc we pirated.” Lara folded her arms over her armored chest and gave him a piercing look. “You and your guys need to go over that stuff and see what we can glean for our benefit.”

Neyo stood waiting for real chastisement to come from the General, and when she finished talking, his eyes kind of flickered in realization - she wasn’t going to rebuke him. Instead she was watching him with a curious expression of understanding and patience that was totally unexpected. Neyo’s mouth opened in his surprise, and for a moment he forgot how to speak. “General, I am… sorry for this whole affair. I cleared that intel and verified it to the Jedi - it’s my fault we are here.” He stopped talking, staring at the desk top.

Lara didn’t speak for a long time; rather she watched Neyo as he worked to salvage the shreds of his pride. She didn’t want to watch the man struggle, so she decided to throw him a bone. “Honestly, Commander, I liked you better when you were an asshole.” His eyes snapped up to her face at hearing her. “You screwed up. It happens. Nobody died, and we got to incinerate some droids. As far as the Dragon Company is concerned, it was a good day at the range. Now, you best scuttle off and go over that intel with a fine toothed comb.”

Neyo stood tall, realizing she had basically wiped the slate clean for him, and given him an invite to continue on as they had been before. He studied her with a look of appraisal and newfound respect. The clone commander snapped a perfect salute and turned to head for her door. Before he could leave he heard her voice. “Oh and Neyozle. It’ll be our little secret.”

“What secret, General?,” he asked, completely confused.

“That under that whole shell of tough guy, cute animal torturing, cold as a frozen dead fish exterior - there’s an actual honest to god soul.” She gave him a little devilish grin. “Fives and I had a bet going. Granted, it’s a small soul. A shriveled little thing, but it’s there.”

Neyo’s eyes narrowed but internally he laughed ruefully. “I’ll send you the bill for my next shipment of tookas, General. And I hate fish.” He turned to leave and called out, “I’ll update you as soon as I have a report on the decrypted intel.” He didn’t see the small amused smile on Lara’s face as the door shut behind him. She knew she’d won the man over, though he’d probably never admit it openly.

The pirated CIS intel contained some highly valuable information, thankfully. It did prove Neyo and his spies correct - Grievous had been using the random, isolated facility as a base for some Outer Rim activities. He’d last been there a couple of weeks before their raid. The biggest find though, was the information it contained concerning other hidden CIS bases, their armament, and which leader frequented them. Neyo was vindicated, quite by luck and Lara’s quick thinking to steal information from the computers in the building, and the mission was deemed a success. The flight back to Coruscant was relaxed and triumphant, and Neyo was privy to watching the rather secretive Dragon Company’s downtime routines on their ship.

It was really quite vanilla - they trained, they played a game called basketball which the General had taught them, and also lounged around listening to the music which was always playing over head. Neyo had seen the General play a few games of ball with her men, her easy laughter and camaraderie readily apparent with her troops. She was sassy, laid back, approachable, knew every single clone by face and name. She was a leader that men loved to serve and would fight for with their very lives. She saw Neyo standing by the basketball court at one point and turned, chunking the ball at him unexpectedly. He flubbed catching it, suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

“Come on Neon, catch the ball!” She was wearing the biggest smile, and had her hands up ready to catch the ball. She expected him to throw it back to her.

“That is not my name, General,” he said in a slightly bored tone.

“And yet you answered. Hmm. How about Neil? Neidermyer? Noodles? Ney ney? Come on, I like Ney Ney.” She kept floating silly names while Neyo shook his head, his expression getting more and more stony. But beneath that painful frown, Lara could see his eyes were lit with internal mirth - it was all he could do to keep the angry look up. Lara sighed. “Fine. Neyo…Nono.” She’d seen his posture relax the tiniest fraction and then stiffen back up at the second half. The men around her were all snickering with laughter at the General bugging the Commander; she had no compunction whatsoever to behave. “You disappoint me Commander. I thought we could be friends and I could have some really cool nickname just for you. Ah well, guess it just goes to show beauty and fame can’t buy everything.” She gave him a grin and turned to get back to the game.

Neyo kept watching, trying to understand the rules, but also just admiring the General’s athleticism and bubbly nature. She talked a lot of smack to her troopers, handling the ball well on the dribble and driving to the basket to score frequently. She wasn’t afraid to slam herself into their bodies to physically move them out of the way, and they gave it right back to her. At one point a player blocked her so hard she ended up on her butt on the floor, laughing ruefully and rubbing her sore cheek. “Nice hit Falco. Gonna pay for that though!” The game went on with varying results; Lara’s team came up one point short and the winners made a lot of noise about their loss. The men enjoyed rubbing it in her face, watching her smile sheepishly and make big promises about how the next game would go.

A command staff lieutenant ran up to ask Lara to report to the bridge. He turned to Neyo and said, “the message was for you as well, Commander.”

Lara passed the ball off to the clones so they could continue playing and turned to walk with Neyo to the bridge. As they got in the elevator, Lara took a sideways glance at the stiff clone beside her. “You dating anybody, Commander?” Her open frankness always caught him off guard.

Neyo stared straight ahead and didn’t speak for a moment. “No one in particular,” he grumbled. “You applying for the role?”

“You mean you can’t find someone with that bubbly personality of yours? I’m so shocked.” Lara huffed out a laugh.

“They don’t like all the body parts in jars in my foot locker. No one understands the value of being able to go back and study things in detail, at leisure.” He said it so smoothly Lara’s eyebrows shot up and she stood regarding him with her mouth open for a moment. He heard her close her teeth with a snap and snort a little.

“I can imagine eau de death isn’t a fragrance most girls want to smell.”

“Do I smell like death, General?,” Neyo asked her with an arched eyebrow.

“I’ll give you that much, Neeman - you don’t smell half bad. Should I feel honored that you washed up for me?” Lara smirked at him playfully.

“It’s Neyo… and I wouldn’t dare put you in a position of having to choose between myself and your Captain.” His voice smoothly purred that last out.

There was silence for a moment. “If you recall, I already told you there’d never be a choice in your favor. Remember - cattle prod, artificial insemination… I like you Neyo (yes I do know your name but since it annoys you so much, I’ll probably keep finding ways to change it). But you aren’t Rex. And, while I generally never have to resort to threats, I will say that if you try to throw Rex under the proverbial sky bus because of my relationship with him, I may be inclined to use that cattle prod sooner than the end of the world, and in ways you’d find surprising.” She shot him a hard glance with her glowing blue eyes and he stared back stonily.

“What if I enjoyed the cattle prod?” He watched her with a very flat look.

“I’m not above stuffing you in a footlocker and hiding you on a lonely planet, either. You can tell whomever you like there, as long and as loudly as you like. Besides, I know I’ve already won you over to my side.” She gave him a small conspiratorial wink as the elevator finally reached the level of the bridge and the door shot open. The pair walked forward to the holo table, behind which stood Admiral Shepherd, Fives and Primer. General Kenobi was present via holo, waiting for them to arrive so he could relay his message.

“Ah we are all here now. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend, General,” Kenobi said dryly.

“But of course, Obi Wan. I was teaching Marshal Commander NoNo the finer points of the use of a cattle prod on Earth. It was a riveting discussion.” Lara leaned her weight back on one foot and folded her arms over her chest, an incorrigible smirk on her face. Neyo looked at her like he’d never seen such a creature before, while Kenobi worked to decide if she was serious. He finally decided to just carry on with the reason for his communication.

“We have been able to verify the intel given us from your data piracy, and we are moving forward with plans for sending officers to those systems to see if the CIS leaders can be captured. The Jedi Council is thankful for the assistance of Dragon Company in this matter, and to you Commander Neyo, for your work in getting us there in the first place. When you return to Coruscant, you will be given new orders for your Reconnaissance Corps. Any questions?,” Kenobi asked, looking at the attendees around the table. Most of the heads shook in the negative; they understood and had nothing further to add. “Very well. We will see you when you return to Coruscant. Thank you again, General Lin.”

Lara smiled and gave him a lazy half salute with two fingers. Looking up to address the group around her, Lara said breathily, “Whelp, looks like that was the official kudos and blessing to be off the hook Commander. Attaboy, Noodles,” she said with a dramatic clap. Fives and Primer both grinned at her insistence on screwing with Neyo’s mind. Lara knocked her knuckles on the table a couple of times and then stood to leave. She was heading back down to the basketball game if they no longer needed her.

During their two day flight back to Coruscant, Neyo found small excuses to hang out in the vicinity of the General. If he was honest with himself, it was because he found her entertaining, and enjoyed the little battle of wits between them. The man was far from personable; after leaving Kamino with his birth squad he’d become frightfully solitary and taciturn. Few wanted to put up with his surly, isolated ways. He was friends with Commander Bacara, who was a similarly lonely shark, but in all honesty, Neyo stayed aloof among clones, dated when he felt the need to pick someone up for a one night stand and otherwise moved from mission to mission. He found General Lin a breath of fresh air that made him … feel… inside. Not so much attracted to her - he just found her a comforting presence, perhaps even someone he liked. It was a novel feeling for him. Regardless, she’d proven he didn’t intimidate her in the least, and that she found his gruff nature something of a challenge to conquer. Neyo had developed respect for her indomitable spirit, her battle skills and leadership acumen, and secretly he felt Rex was a truly lucky man to have won the love of this General.

As the Talon pulled back into port on Coruscant, he joined General Lin on the bridge of the ship. Admiral Shepherd was busy with the tasks of bringing such a large vessel into her berth, so Lara had the area by the windscreen by herself. She was watching the high rises and sky scrapers of the metropolis rise before her, as the Venator sank lower to the ground. Lara glanced over at her company briefly, and back out the windscreen. Neyo had become something of a skulking shadow the last couple of days, and while she didn’t mind, others had watched in amusement to near concern; Lara was notorious among the GAR and the Jedi for her antics, and none of the Dragons wanted to see her get into trouble. Outside the ship, standing on the pier, Lara recognized the familiar shape of a clone in white armor with blue accents, with a blue pauldron over the left shoulder. Neyo snuck a glance to see her wearing a little private smile on her beautiful face, her eyes shining happily at the sight.

Lara suddenly took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. “Well, Commander, it’s been a ride. I hope you enjoyed your time with the Dragon Company.” She shot him a little sideways look and grin.

“I have never been more miserable in my entire, short life. You and your Company are the biggest bunch of renegade, order refusing, nigh unprofessional soldiers I’ve ever traveled with. It’s no wonder you have the reputation you do within the GAR.” He stared back at her flatly, watching her reaction. Lara had blinked and drawn herself up, her expression one of slight befuddlement.

“Really, it was all that? Well then…” Lara pursed her lips and nodded a little to herself.

“Actually General, I would say this is the most interesting mission I’ve been on in a long time. The level of teamwork and respect between you and your men is unequaled in any of the other Companies I’ve served with. Your men love you and would follow you into any battle.” He paused and then said a bit hesitantly, “And I think I see why, now.”

She’d perked up quite a lot at his sudden change of tone. “Oh, Commander? Why is that, pray tell? Wait, wait, don’t tell me - it’s because I’m so beautiful and fantastic and irresistible that even you cannot resist my charms, isn’t it?” She delivered it with a giggle and a teasing tone.

Neyo’s ruggedly handsome face split into a smile - quite shocking for him. Lara wondered if his cheeks hurt from the stretch, and his teeth ached from the exposure to sunlight. She was shocked that they weren’t filed into sharp points. He didn’t answer immediately, trying to formulate the best reply. “I’d say it was more the lack of fear and loathing you showed me. I think most people really do think I torture small animals for entertainment, and survive off blood straight from the source. But you - you treated me like a man, no better or worse than yourself. And you didn’t let my manner insult you nor hurt your feelings. I’m not sure I’ve come up against a Jedi General of your … personality, before, and I’m impressed. If we ever get forced into another mission together, it won’t be the worst thing I’ve had happen.”

Lara accepted his words for the high praise it was, coming from this particular clone. “Wow Neyo, that was… Do I need to call someone to come check you out? You having any chest pain after all those feelings? Head spinning? I’m not gonna give you mouth to mouth but I’m totally down for foot applied CPR.” Her smile lit the room, as she laughed.

Neyo grinned back at her and put his hand over his chest. “You know General, the fact that you believe there’s even a heart to show concern over it more than most would believe. But no, all is well, I’m not having a seizure, and this was no hallucination. I will live another day to put the fear of the devil into someone.” The clone watched as General Lin turned to leave the bridge; the Talon had finally docked and taken on the mooring lines. She wanted to get to the pier to see her shore party. As she moved away, Neyo called out, “Don’t give away my secret though, General!”

He heard her laugh, and Lara turned back to face him as she kept walking backwards. “Oh don’t worry Needles. No one would believe me if I tried to tell them you have a soul in there. Your secret is safe with me. Catch you on the flip side, Commander!” She disappeared into the lift and the last Neyo saw of her was her slim form breezing down the ship’s ramp to greet Captain Rex. Her secret was safe with Neyo, as well.

#worksbyclonemedickix #clone thirsting #clone smut #original female character #captain rex x oc #captain rex #commander neyo #commander neyo x ofc #letthesnarkflow #snarkbattle #starwars fandom #starwars the clone wars #the clone wars fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #my fanfiction

[wild-karrde]

In Command - Part 19

Master List | Previous Part | Next Part

A/N: DESIGN REVIEW IS DONE, SO HERE'S A NEW CHAPTER TO CELEBRATE. As always, thank you to the wonderful @teletraan-meets-jarvis for beta-reading for me!

Chapter Rating: M

Warnings: language, mild sexual content

Word Count: 5.8k words

As the mountains of Alderaan rose into view through the purplish haze of the twilight atmosphere, Senna felt her breath catch in her throat. She'd heard of the beauty of this world, but seeing it in person was something else entirely. It was a ludicrous idea to come here, but without any other options, she’d found it hard to argue with Senator Organa’s plan. In spite of her misgivings, some of the weight seemed to lift off of her shoulders, and she finally felt like she could slip free of some of the worries that had been languishing in her mind since they left Lothal. 

Tech gently coasted the Marauder into the hangar that had been designated for them, bringing the ship down with a light touch on what appeared to be a private landing platform. The first gust of air that rushed in through the hatch when it opened made it very obvious to Senna how stale the air inside the ship had become. She inhaled deeply, trying to ignore how self-conscious she suddenly felt about her appearance. 

Rex was leaning against her heavily as she helped him limp down the Marauder’s steps. He’d insisted Wrecker not carry him this time, but it was clear he was still in plenty of pain, pride be damned. His face was drawn with effort, but Senna could see he was also relieved to be planetside again. 

Safe. At least for now.

Bail Organa and several aides were waiting for them on the tarmac. While they were familiar with one another through a few common friends from before the war, it was the first time Senna had ever met the senator in person, and she was struck by the kindness in his eyes. He smiled at them, opening his arms as if he were greeting old friends. 

"We're so glad you made it," Organa said warmly, clasping Hunter's arm in greeting. Senna slowly walked forward, firmly holding Rex's arm as he favored his injured leg. The senator’s eyes roved over the two of them, lingering on Rex’s leg and Senna’s half-hidden lightsaber. She pulled her cloak over it nervously. 

“You’re among friends,” Organa stated, seemingly sensing Senna’s apprehension. “Everyone here is trusted, and we have kept knowledge of your arrival fairly quiet.”

“Should we move our ship somewhere more discreet?” Tech offered.

The senator shook his head. “This is my private hangar. Only my most trusted staff have access to this facility. No one will know you’re here.” 

“With all due respect Senator, how much of your staff do you trust?” Echo asked, one of his eyebrows raising skeptically. 

Organa dipped his head in acknowledgement. “I understand your concern. However, I could not do the work I do if I did not have staff that I’d trust with my life, with my family’s life. I assure you they’ve all been vetted and in our service for decades. You will not encounter traitors here.” 

Senna felt somewhat comforted by Organa’s reassurances, but she noted that Rex felt tense. While the others had seemingly relaxed, Rex still felt as though he was still on guard, ready for a threat to emerge at any moment. She caught his eye, but he shook his head, refusing to answer the question that lingered in her gaze. 

What’s got him wound so tightly?

"Anyhow. We welcome you. And you two," Organa said, apparently not noticing Rex’s tension, "We owe you a great debt. Your work has proved incredibly valuable to our cause. Please allow my medical droids to take a look at the captain's injuries, and take some time to rest and recover here.” He smiled. “You have all earned it."

Senna was hesitant to allow Rex out of her sight again so soon, but he gave her arm a reassuring squeeze before allowing two medical droids to maneuver him into a hovering medchair. 

"I'll see you in a bit," he said, giving her a wink. 

Senna withdrew her hand from where it had been resting on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around herself and nodding as she forced a smile back at him. She internally chided herself at her nerves, but in reality, Rex and she had never been separated during the entirety of their mission without knowing where the other was. No matter how many reassurances Organa made, it still felt wrong to allow him to just be taken away to some unknown place. 

You’re being silly. 

Turning back to the group, Senna noticed that Organa was watching her, but if he had any opinions on the slight show of intimacy he'd witnessed, he didn't share them. "Please allow my aides to lead you to your quarters. I hope you find them comfortable and are able to rest and recuperate.” 

With that, the senator spoke a few hushed words to his staff before turning and departing, taking the same route Rex and the droids had taken.

A shower would be nice, Senna thought, still fighting down the worries in her mind. I’m sure I smell like a bantha pen. 

Senna and the clones followed the aides out of the hangar and onto a private skyway with transparisteel walls that gave a breathtaking view of the area around the palace. Alderaan’s single sun was setting behind the mountains, and the lilac and pink clouds sharpened the last of the lingering light into golden, brilliant rays that reminded Senna of the temple guard lightsabers. The shadows cast by the snow-capped peaks that surrounded the palace stretched out in long purple tendrils that triggered lamplights across the valley to flicker on, casting everything in a soft, warm glow. One of the aides was explaining to Tech how the transparisteel windows could be frosted via a control panel if more discretion was needed or if the sun warmed the passage too much. Senna pressed her fingertips against the surface, relishing slightly in the chill against her skin. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Echo murmured next to her. 

“It is,” she agreed, giving him a small smile. “Have you ever been?”

“Once or twice. And after the last few places we’ve been staked out, I have to say I’m enjoying the change of scenery.” 

“Hard to complain,” Senna said quietly. 

“But?”

She glanced over and met his eyes, his brows furrowed with concern. Rex had always said Echo was quietly observant, picking up on things others didn’t. To her surprise, Senna didn’t feel unnerved; rather, it felt nice to be understood by someone she trusted without having to put her emotions into words. 

“Aren’t you nervous?” she asked. 

He chuckled. “Of course. But what I’ve found is you sometimes have to take a leap of faith and trust the ones around you. We rely on people to do this work, and worrying about everything that could go wrong rather than focusing on what’s actually happening around you makes you more prone to mistakes. Better to live in the moment and worry about the variables you can control if you ask me.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “Besides, what if everything goes right?”

Senna laughed. “That’d be a first.”

“First time for everything, Senna.” 

She sighed, blowing a stray hair out of her face. Echo smiled. 

“Come on. Rex is gonna get himself taken care of and cleaned up in whatever med center he’s being taken to. You don’t want to still smell like that when he gets done.”

“You’re no spring rose yourself,” she countered, walking to catch up with the others. Echo fell into step beside her. 

He leaned closer with a mischievous grin tugging at his lips. “Maybe not, but I’m counting on sleeping alone tonight.” 

Senna felt her face warm, and she shoved Echo, who huffed a laugh as they sped up to catch up to the others. 

As they approached the doors of the palace, Senna tipped her head back to get a better look at the sparkling towers looming overhead. The spires reached into the clouds, looking like crystals standing amongst the mountains that surrounded them. After passing through the large, arched doorway, Organa’s staff quickly led them down a long hallway that looked out over a series of gardens, and Senna found herself thinking about walking between the trees with Rex. It was silly and romantic, but the thought warmed her slightly. She smiled to herself.

Live in the moment. Like Echo said. Maybe he’s right. 

The staff members led them down several more corridors, seemingly further away from the central part of the palace. Senna was certain she’d get lost in the halls, no matter how much she tried to map their route in her head. Finally, they paused in front of a series of closed doors. The young man Senna had guessed was the one in charge smiled at them, gesturing at the doors. 

“These will be the quarters for the duration of your stay here. Please make yourselves at home and relax after your journey. I must ask that you do not go wandering beyond this wing without an escort. You can summon one from the control panel in your room. Clothing and other items have been provided, but should you require anything else, please don’t hesitate to comm one of us.” He paused a beat, as if anticipating questions. Senna glanced around, and aside from Tech, who was still punching away at his datapad, they all looked dead on their feet and eager to land face-first into whatever accommodations they’d been provided. Wrecker was watching Tech warily, and Senna could see he’d put his brother in a headlock if he asked a single solitary question that would keep them from rest. Fortunately, Tech didn’t have any queries, and the aide nodded at the silence. 

“Very well. I will send someone to collect you when dinner is ready.”

With that, they were left alone in the hallway, alone. Wrecker was already poking his head in one of the rooms and grinning. 

“These are huge! We get our own bunks and ‘freshers!”

Echo smirked. “Good, at least I won’t have to listen to you snore for a few nights.”

Wrecker grunted something Senna couldn’t quite understand, and they all seemed too exhausted to carry on the conversation further, each of them moving to whichever door was closest without any argument over who got what room. 

The room wasn’t extravagant by any measure, but it was perfect to Senna. A wide bed sat invitingly against one wall, but Senna passed it by, moving towards the refresher. She knew if she sat on the bed, she wouldn’t have the energy to get back up again, and a cursory sniff of her underarm cemented the fact in her mind that she was long overdue for a shower. Kicking off her boots, and peeling off her socks, she wiggled her toes against the soft rug, glancing around at the desk against one wall and the large window opposite it. A full-length mirror was tucked into one corner next to a door that she guessed led to a closet of some sort. 

The refresher itself contained a large tub that Senna considered for a moment before opting for the shower. She turned on the water and stripped out of her torn and dirty clothing, dropping it on the floor to be dealt with later. She inspected her healing injuries in the mirror before her eyes finally met her reflection. Large bags and dark circles framed her eyes, and she released her hair from its bun, rubbing at her sore scalp with a sigh. 

Safe for now.

She inhaled sharply when the first drops of the shower hit her skin, but when she grew accustomed to the temperature, she washed her hair and body quickly before resting her forehead against the glass wall, allowing the hot water to beat against her shoulders and back. Closing her eyes, she let some of the tension slip away with a deep exhale, her shoulders dropping away from her ears. 

I hope Rex is alright. 

Exhaustion settled into the place the stress had vacated. Senna got herself dried off and found some clothes in the small closet that were mostly the right size before collapsing into the bed. She fell asleep before her head even had time to warm the pillow.

—

Rex was so lost in his own thoughts that he almost didn’t hear the slightly-hurried footsteps approaching from behind him. Senator Organa fell into step next to the chair, hands clasped behind him. Rex was quiet as the medchair hummed along, uncertain of what the senator wanted. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but an escort down to the medbay wasn’t it. Organa and he had met a few times before, but never outside of the capacity of captain and senate member. He certainly wouldn’t classify them as friends, and if Rex was honest with himself, he preferred it that way.

Bail Organa had never given him a reason to be mistrustful, but Rex had always struggled with trusting politicians, particularly after Palpatine’s turn. Granted, he’d never fully bought into the former Chancellor’s professed selflessness and altruism, but he still wasn’t sure he’d ever have predicted the plans that had been put in place to allow him to seize power. Even now, he was certain he didn’t grasp the full extent of the plot, of all the ways in which Palpatine had bent the galaxy to his will. He would never be fooled like that again, especially by those that painted themselves as trustworthy. 

“I see you and Master Aven have developed quite the rapport,” the senator commented, breaking the silence. Rex glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He hadn’t missed the fact that the senator had used her Jedi title.

“You knew her then? Before the war ended?” he asked.

“We had a few common friends. I’d never met her in person until today, but yes, I was aware of her various skillsets.”

“You only ever mentioned half of them,” Rex grunted.

The senator stopped walking. “Please speak plainly, Captain.”

Rex took control of his chair and swiveled it to face Organa, trying to keep his emotions in check as he searched for the words. He didn’t like being deceived, and it certainly felt like he had been. “You knew what she was, and you didn’t think it was important that I know that?” 

Organa’s mouth drew into a thin line. “I apologize, but I did not feel that information was mine to share. I assumed that, with time, if the two of you grew close, that she’d open up.” 

Rex huffed a mirthless laugh. “That was a hell of a gamble on your part.”

“How so?” One of the senator’s eyebrows was raised inquisitively, but a corner of his mouth was quirked upward at an amused angle that annoyed Rex slightly. 

“I’m a clone, Senator. We don’t have the best history with someone with her abilities,” ‘Rex replied flatly.

Organa smiled grimly.. “Perhaps, but based on both of your histories and mutual friends, I felt that things would work themselves out.” 

Rex sighed, allowing one of the droids to take back over piloting the chair as the senator began walking again. The silence stretched out for a few more moments before the senator spoke again. 

“Speaking of mutual friends, have you heard from our young Togruta friend recently?” 

Rex’s nostrils flared with anger. This was one sore spot he had with the senator, and Organa seemed to have no issue pressing on it. 

“No,” he lied. 

“I see.” He couldn’t tell if Organa believed him or not, but frankly he didn’t care. “Should you hear from her, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know.” 

“She’ll reach out to you when she’s ready,” Rex growled. 

This time, Organa stepped in front of the chair, and Rex was annoyed that the droid piloting it kept chair from at least bumping the senator in the shins. 

“Believe it or not, Captain, I too am invested in her safety.” 

“Of course you are. Someone with her abilities is always valuable in this fight,” Rex sniped. He was too tired to put on a polite front and well past caring about it.

Organa heaved a frustrated sigh. “Master Skywalker and Senator Amidala were my friends too, Captain Rex. I know what Ahsoka meant to them, what she means to you. I want her safe as much as you do.” 

Rex glared at him for a moment. “Is that why you gave her a commlink at Senator Amidala’s funeral?” 

It had always bothered Rex. Ahsoka had been insistent to go to Naboo, to be there for Padmé’s funeral in spite of his concerns. He’d offered to stay with the ship as she slipped into Theed, offering up some flimsy excuse about needing to stand guard. In reality, he’d been afraid, too cowardly to see one more brother under the Empire’s influence, beyond his help, like Jesse had been. And so he’d let her go alone, and that’s when Organa had cornered her, giving her a commlink. Ahsoka had promised him that the senator’s intentions had been to protect her, but Rex had been angry. At that point, he’d admittedly been angry at just about everyone and everything, every politician that had allowed Palpatine to seize power, every person that had made a decision to rob him and his brothers of their agency. In his mind, Organa was just another powerful individual that hadn’t done enough to stop Palpatine’s plan from succeeding, another bureaucrat bogged down with decorum and the “proper” way of doing things. 

He only grew a spine after it was too late, Rex had internally seethed as Ahsoka slept in the back of the bomber. And now he wants her help picking up the pieces and fixing the mistakes he and his colleagues made. 

After sitting with it for a year, he knew that the truth likely was somewhere between the two extremes, but he still felt like Organa crossed some unspoken line with Ahsoka. Of course, he’d wanted her to stay too, but the choice was hers, and he didn’t want anything to change that. But if Rex was sure of anything, it was that Ahsoka, like her master, was driven by a sense of duty and honor. And Organa giving her that commlink, giving her a way back into the fight and impressing on her how much she was needed in the fight without saying the words, had absolutely planted a seed in her mind. He had to have known that the commlink would serve as a reminder of how needed she was, of how much the galaxy needed the remaining Jedi to fight for it. And Rex knew, without a doubt, that Ahsoka would one day come back because of it. 

He just wanted her to have time to grieve, and he was glad she was taking it, as much as he missed her and worried about her. Rex also thought Ahsoka would one day return to the fight, but the last thing he’d ever wanted to do was influence that decision, not after everything she’d been through. And on the off chance he was wrong, then he’d have found a way to be fine with it. This was a decision she was entitled to make on her own, without any guilt or convincing, and in Rex’s mind, Organa had tipped the scales, even if unintentionally. 

Bail Organa was looking at Rex with an expression he couldn’t quite interpret.

“I just wanted her to know that she’s not alone. That she still has people out there that will help her if she needs it.” His eyes fell to his feet for a moment, and he swallowed hard before raising his gaze back up to meet Rex’s evenly. 

Rex watched the senator for another half a beat before settling back in the chair. “I just want her to have a choice,” he said quietly. “And I don’t want her to feel pressured to do anything.” 

Organa nodded. It was clear he had one more lingering thing he wanted to ask, and Rex could guess what it was, but he was still going to make him ask. 

“Is she… have you heard…” For once, the normally well-spoken politician seemed to be struggling to find the words, and Rex couldn’t blame him. 

There’s no nice way of asking someone if they’re a liar. He knows I’m covering for her. 

And he does care. And trusts us enough to bring us here, where his family is.  

“She’s safe,” Rex said, conceding slightly. “She reached out a little while ago.” 

Organa dropped his eyes to the ground again, nodding. He exhaled hard, as if letting go of a weight. 

“Good,” he said softly, and Rex could hear a trace of emotion in his voice. Without another word, the senator stepped out of the path of the chair, and the droid started pushing Rex again. The senator didn’t call Rex out on the fact that he’d initially lied, and to the captain, it felt like some sort of agreement or at least understanding had been reached as Organa fell into step next to him again. Rex decided that was going to have to be good enough for now. 

“So how good are your medical facilities here?” Rex asked after a few minutes of silence, hoping the unprompted question served as enough of a peace offering. 

“State of the art,” Organa replied with a slight upturn of his mouth. “Should have you back in top shape in a few hours. It looks like you were about as well taken care of as you could be up until now.” 

Rex smirked at that. “I was.” 

—

Senna wasn’t sure how long she slept, but she was awakened by a weight shifting on the bed. Her eyes flew open to find Rex sitting on the edge of the mattress smiling down at her, one of his hands resting on her shoulder. 

“You were snoring,” he teased.

Senna rocketed to a sitting position, her hands pulling at the buttons of his shirt to inspect the wound on his chest. She found it freshly bandaged and looking significantly less red and angry around the edges of the patch. Rex grunted at her poking and prodding, and she withdrew her hands before glancing down at his leg. 

“You walked in here?”

“All on my own,” he said with a smile. “It’s a wonder what a soak in a bacta tank can do. Well, that and access to more than just first-aid med supplies.” He winced slightly as he shifted, but Senna could still see that he’d drastically improved. 

“How long has it been?” she asked, rubbing at her eyes. 

“A few hours. Took me a bit to find my way here.”

“How’d you know what room I was in?”

“I didn’t, but Wrecker was more than happy to redirect me when I disturbed his nap,” he joked. Leaning forward, he pushed some of the hair out of her face. Senna leaned into his touch for a moment before flinging the blankets off of herself and climbing into his lap, wrapping her arms around him. She buried her nose in his neck, inhaling deeply as she cradled the back of his head. Rex relaxed in her embrace, and she felt his arms wrap around her waist, holding her close. 

“Is this alright?” she whispered. “I’m not hurting you?”

“Not one bit,” he chuckled, readjusting and hugging her harder to him as if to reassure her. 

Senna sighed against him, realizing she hadn’t hugged him like this in a while, not really. She’d wanted to, but there hadn’t been time, and then he’d been injured, and everything falling apart around them, but now, here she was, able to wrap her arms around Rex uninhibited, to feel safe and warm and loved in his embrace. Of course they’d kissed and made love and everything in between, but there was something about how tightly and yet how gently he was holding her, as if he never wanted to know what it felt like to not have her in his arms. She found it hard to tear herself away from his warmth, from how he smelled, from the comfort that was inherently Rex. 

“How are you feeling?” he murmured into her shirt. 

Senna stroked his head, nuzzling against his throat, and she felt him shudder slightly. 

“More rested than I’ve been in a few rotations. This bed is so comfortable, and I’m not just saying that because I was sleeping on the Marauder’s floor most of the time.” 

“Is that so?” Rex asked playfully, raising his head to meet her eyes. Senna could see a mischievous twinkle in his brown irises, one she found irresistible. Leaning down, she kissed him gently, but Rex had other plans. Senna found herself sighing as he worked his lips down her cheek to her jawline, pulling her shirt aside to gain access to her neck. “Do you think we should test out how comfortable it is?” 

“Are you sure you’re up for it?” she asked breathily, her hands already working at the buttons of his shirt. 

“I’d say this is what I’ve looked forward to most in the last few days,” he teased, biting at the soft place where her neck met her shoulder.

Senna grew impatient then, shoving his fumbling hands aside to get her shirt off. 

“Well then, I’d say you made some grand promise about the both of us not leaving this room until we were hoarse and walking funny.” 

“And I intend to make good on that promise,” Rex chuckled, his palms sliding around her waist and pulling her warm core against his hardening length. Senna groaned as Rex trailed kisses across her collar bone, his hands moving to cup her ass and pull her even closer. She let her head tip back, her eyes closing as she focused on the way Rex’s mouth felt on her skin. 

A sharp knock at the door made them both freeze. 

“Dinner is ready,” came the familiar voice of Organa’s attendant that had guided them to the rooms earlier. Senna let out a frustrated huff before replying, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. 

“We’ll be right out.” 

That seemed to satisfy the attendant, and Senna could hear Wrecker grumbling from down the hall when the message was delivered to him a few doors down. 

Rex sighed against her skin, and she chuckled quietly, resting her forehead against his. 

“We’ll have to pick this back up later, I guess.” Her stomach grumbled loudly, seemingly agreeing that dinner should be the priority. 

“Oh, we absolutely will,” Rex agreed. “And there’ll be no interruptions then.” 

Senna kissed him deeply one more time before clambering out of his lap. She couldn’t help but giggle as Rex adjusted himself in his pants while she pulled her shirt back over her head. It was a little big, but she didn’t mind. Rex was watching her hungrily as she stood in front of a mirror that was tucked into one corner of the room, pulling her hair into a messy bun on top of her head. 

“What?” she asked. 

“I just don’t understand how you’re so beautiful,” Rex breathed, and Senna rolled her eyes to hide her blush. 

“Please, this is hardly the nicest you’ve seen me look. I don’t recall you swooning when I was in all of my finery on Empire Day.” 

Rex stood, closing the space between them to wrap his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. “I had a lot on my mind then. Mainly, how the kriff I was going to keep from kissing you all night.” 

Senna smiled at his reflection in the mirror. “Well good news. No one’s stopping you now.” 

Rex spun her around by her hips, leaning down to press his lips to hers as he shuffled her towards the door. “No one could stop me if they tried.” 

—

The dining room, like the rest of the palace, had a simple elegance to it that Rex found stunningly beautiful. Vaulting, graceful ceilings curved towards a large window at the end of the hall that looked out over the soft glow of the city. While sometimes simplistic architecture and design could feel cold, there was something about the entire space that felt warm and inviting. The room was bustling when Senna and the clones arrived, with servant droids swarming the table, laying out food and drinks on beautiful blue and purple tablecloths. This particular area was clearly meant for more private dining affairs, smaller than what Rex would expect for a state dinner or other government function. 

I’m honestly surprised they let us eat outside of our rooms at all. Organa really does trust his staff. 

Wrecker was eyeing every dish that came out as if it were the last food in the system. Rex stood next to him and nudged his shoulder. 

“Calm down there Wreck, or the droids are going to think you want to eat them.”

Wrecker looked at the captain with mock indignation in his eyes. 

“All we’ve had are ration bars for weeks. Now, we get real food. Almost brings tears to my eyes. Almost.”

Rex laughed, moving towards the table. There were no visible place assignments, but there were more chairs than he’d expected. He noted Senna had gravitated towards a seat towards the one end of the table, and he stood next to her, placing his hands on the back of the chair next to hers.

“Subtle,” she muttered with a hint of a smirk.

“Wasn’t trying to be,” he teased back quietly.

Suddenly, Rex felt something slam into the back of his legs, caving in one of his knees as he let out a surprised grunt. He regained his balance and spun around to see the culprit, a toddler with brunette curls, clinging to his right calf and staring up at him with soft brown eyes and a wide grin. He chuckled, turning and squatting down to be on her level. 

“Well, hello there, little one. And who might you be?” 

The toddler reached out and wrapped her pudgy hand around one of his fingers, steadying herself between his outstretched hands. She was staring at him with a look of interest, as if sizing him up, and something about her eyes was eerily familiar to Rex. He was certain he’d never met this little girl before, but something about her expression made him feel as if he was meeting an old friend after a long time apart. The little girl babbled at him with only a smattering of words he could somewhat make out, and he laughed. 

“Is that so?” 

He looked up at Senna and saw her watching him with unmistakable adoration and amusement. Trying to hide the way her gaze made his insides flutter, Rex shot her a lopsided grin before the toddler babbled loudly, clearly trying to refocus his attention on her. He obliged with a soft laugh, turning back to his tiny compatriot. 

“You have my undivided attention. I promise.” 

Suddenly, a beautiful woman with sharp features and dark hair swept into the room. Rex had never met Breha Organa before, but he immediately recognized her by the pulmonodes that were glowing softly through her gown’s fabric. Her eyes scanned the room before landing on the toddler and widening. 

“Leia! There you are!” 

She rushed over and picked up the little girl who squealed in delight, reaching towards the woman’s braids and taking one in her hand. 

“I’m terribly sorry. She’s just learned to walk, and we can barely keep up with her anymore,” the queen huffed in exasperation. 

“It’s quite alright. She was just introducing herself,” Rex assured her.  

Breha heaved a sigh before turning to hand the child off to an awaiting nurse droid. 

“Please put her down for the night in our room. I’ll tend to her after dinner.” 

The droid turned and left the room with the babbling toddler, exiting down the hall the queen had entered from. Leia waved a pudgy hand at Rex, and he returned her wave with a smile, which only made her giggle loudly before disappearing around a corner.

Turning back to face them, the queen smiled, brushing the disturbed braid back over her shoulder. 

“I apologize again, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Breha Organa.” 

She extended a hand to Rex, who took it, bowing his head slightly.

“Your highness.”

She smiled back at him. “You must be Captain Rex, and you,” she said, turning to Senna, “must be Senna Aven. It’s a pleasure to welcome you both to our home.”

Senna mimicked Rex, bowing her head slightly. “I’m terribly sorry for the risk we bring with us, my lady. We are forever indebted to you for allowing us to stay here.”

Breha smirked and her eyes twinkled. “Nonsense. After the service you two have provided to our cause, it’s the least we can do. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go introduce myself to the infamous Clone Force 99 before we eat. Please, have a seat and we’ll start dinner once my husband arrives, which should be any moment.”

Senna and Rex both bobbed their heads again as she turned to place a hand on Hunter’s shoulder and extend him a greeting. 

She lives up to the legends, Rex thought as he pulled out Senna’s chair for her. She rolled her eyes at his sense of chivalry before sitting down. 

As he slipped into the chair next to her, Senna leaned over and whispered, “I’ve heard so much about the queen, but I have to say, she’s even more impressive in person.” 

Rex couldn’t stop himself from grinning at the apparent awe that sparkled in Senna’s eyes as she watched the queen speak to Hunter and his brothers. He couldn’t deny that he felt some of that same awe himself. He’d heard of the queen through political channels, but there was something about seeing her in person, pulmonodes proudly on display, that just made her admirable in his eyes as a soldier and a leader. She wanted her people to remember her dedication to them, how she’d sacrificed her body to claim her right to lead them on her Day of Demand. From what little he’d heard, that set of trials was no walk in the park, and the extent of the queen’s injuries confirmed that. The act of displaying her scars so visibly wasn’t something he’d expect out of the stuffy politicians he’d met during the war. She was a warrior.  

“I didn’t think the queen was capable of bearing children due to her condition,” Senna whispered. 

“She can’t,” Rex replied under his breath. “She and her husband adopted that little girl. Right after the war ended.” He huffed a laugh. “Seems like she’s quite the handful. But I’d have a hard time saying ‘no’ to that face.”

“She’s adorable,” Senna agreed. “And Leia is such a pretty name.”

“Yeah,” Rex replied, still trying to pinpoint what it was about that little girl that was tugging at something at the back of his mind. “Yeah, it is.”

A/N: Pulmonode Breha Organa Supremacy. That is all.

Tag List: @redheadgirl @cyarbika @witchklng @djarrex @arctrooper69 @sleepingsun501 @ladytano420 @rexxdjarin @echos-girlfriend @zoeykallus @leftealeaf @galacticgraffiti @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall @ariadnes-red-thread @goblininawig @merkitty49 @fives-lover @ladykatakuri @runforrestr @baba-fett @daimyosprincess @bucketbunny99 @fordo-kixed-rex @nerd-ika @amish---paradise @arctrooperechy

#karrde writes #in command #star wars #the clone wars #tcw #nsft #lemon #lemony lemon #captain rex #the bad batch #tbb #echo #hunter #wrecker #tech #OC Senna Aven #captain rex x OC #captain rex x ofc #captain rex x original female character #slow burn #angst #fluff #whump

[rexxdjarin]

Rex and Mari’s Date Nights on Coruscant

Date nights on the underground levels are some of Rex and Mari’s best memories together 🥺💙

Post on ao3

ps can you tell that I have brain rot over them and am totally and completely obsessed with their love 🫣🫠🥰😍😩

#captain rex x oc: mari vontas #captain rex x ofc #captain rex x oc mari vontas #captain rex x oc: mari vontas art #wip unwritten #rex and mari🥺 #oc: mari vontas #rexxdjarin art #rexxdjarin fanart #captain rex fanart

[sleepingsun501]

A little artwork inspired by @rexxdjarin’s OC: Mari Vontas, and this line from her amazing fic Captain’s Log:

I tipped my forehead to his, staring into the guilt brimming his eyes. Even though he was happy, he was still sad. Profoundly and a little hopelessly sad. “I know. We never leave each other. Love never dies, Rex.”

#sleepingsun501art #wip captain’s log #rexxdjarin #captain rex #oc: mari vontas #captain rex x oc #captain rex x ofc #captain rex fanart #fanfic inspired art #star wars #star wars fanart #my art #original work

[sev-on-kamino]

Key:

🍭= fluff

🔥🍭= spicy fluff

🌋= smut

🌋🖋️= smut with a plot

❤️‍🩹= angst

💭= headcanon (🔥💭= spicy headcanon)

🎥= in progress/on going

🎞️= complete

💡= coming soon

🛠️ = under construction

Requests are: Closed

Request Guidelines are: Here

If you wanna join the taglist, here’s the form to do so 🥰

Links under the cut 😎

The Bad Batch

Headcanons Pt. 1 💭

Focus (Crosshair) 🔥🍭

Distractions (Tech) 🔥 🍭

Accidental Hand Touching (Wrecker) 🍭

Looking at their lips as they talk (Tech) 🍭

Sharing a blanket when it’s cold (Echo) 🍭

Discovering common interests (Echo) ❤️‍🩹🍭

Asking them about their family (Tech) 🍭

The Bad Batch Reacts to a ticklish S/O 🍭

Remind Me of Us (Echo) ❤️‍🩹🌋🖋️

How would Echo propose? 💭🍭

The 501st

Admiring them from afar (Fives) 🍭

Exchanging secret smiles (Dogma) 🍭

Exchanging gifts for the first time (Tup) 🍭

Visiting them at their place of work (Jesse) 🍭

First conversation alone (Hardcase) 🍭

Kiss and Tell Them You’re Mine (Dogma)🎥 : part 1 🌋🖋️

Captain Rex HCs part 1 💭

Kix thots part 1 🔥💭 part 2 💭

Reacts to a drunken ‘I love you’ 💭

Cody & the 212th

Eye contact across a crowded room🍭 (Cody)

Fly The Night 🍭 (oc Blizzard)

Wolffe & the Wolfpack

Fox & the Corries

Fox Thoughts/Thots Pt. 1 💭 and 🔥💭

Fox Day HC: pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3

Fox Kisses pt. 1/? 🔥🍭

Thorn HC pt 1 💭

Bet on Red 🍭 (oc Flicker)

Rebels

Dating Kanan and Hera part 1 💭

The (New) Rebel Romantics 💡

Absence//Fonder 🎥

part 1 ❤️‍🩹🍭

part 2 🍭

part 3 - Hunter 🌋🖋️

part 4 - Crosshair 🌋🖋️

part 5 - Tech 🌋🖋️

part 6 - Echo 🌋🖋️

part 7 - Wrecker 🌋🖋️

part 8 - ??? 👀

In Pieces 🎥

The Hype 🌋 🖋️

Pressure - one shot 🔥🍭

(Never Had A) Friend Like Me 💡

Right to Love Matchmaking AU 🎥

Thorn 🎥: part 1, part 2, part 3

One Call Away (Fox x Daria Trace-ofc)🎥: part 1, part 2, part 3

#seven writes #seven speaks #seven’s masterlist #posting now but it’s still under construction

[ariadnes-red-thread]

The Last Word: Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO: THE WOLVES

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Fives/OFC

Chapter Summary: Flashback to a week before, Mal is faced with a big decision that could alter her life drastically. But is she ready to leave the safety of the Wolfpack and face the hard questions that she’s been hiding from?

Chapter Warnings: Some swearing and mentions of Umbara/past trauma

Chapter Word Count: 5.4k

Recommended Listening: The Wolves by Ben Howard

A/N: No Fives this time, but lots of our other favorites, I promise :) Thank you so much for all of the support on Chapter One! I never could have imagined how loving and positive the response would be. Excited to share more of this story with you all! As always, comments, likes, feedback, and reblogs are always so appreciated!

Ao3

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The transfer talk had started a week earlier. Four Venator-class Star Destroyers lingered as a fleet in the Expanse Region, the armies recollecting while their generals strategized and regrouped. Mal kept busy organizing the medbay. She and the 104th’s clone medic, Crux, worked in silence as they tried hard not to think about why they were all gathered in the depths of space and not on their scheduled leave.

The first sign that something was wrong had been Plo Koon. The General, normally extremely patient and even-tempered, even by Jedi standards, stormed onto the bridge with a thunderous call to attention. He pulled Wolffe away for a meeting that lasted hours. The first anyone heard from them was a crackling summons for Sinker and Comet. The venom in Wolffe’s voice, clear even over the comm, sent a chill down Mal’s spine. She’d never heard him like that, not even after Abregado. The officers disappeared, and the meeting dragged on for even longer. Mal waited with Crux, Wildfire, and Boost. They crouched around a communicator listening to the rumors that began to trickle in from other ships over private lines; stories of brothers killing brothers under orders, horrors that the clones couldn’t imagine. 

Mal, on the other hand, felt her heart begin to race as they listened. She knew horrors like these. They were the ones that haunted her nightmares and sometimes her waking moments, like ghosts that hung over her shoulders, their weight ladened with guilt. She never imagined terrors like this could reach her - or her friends - here, in the Republic army, far from the Separatists and surrounded by an army of brothers. She gripped the edge of the seat to stop her hands from shaking. When the comms finally went silent, no one spoke. 

Before anyone could find the words, the meeting adjourned, and the officers were back on the deck. It seemed whatever fury had been burning before had subsided. They all looked heavy now, older. It was the oddest on Wolffe. Though he usually chose his words carefully, the stoic quietness that had overtaken the usually grumbling Commander was new and darker. Sinker barked the orders instead. The Jedi cruiser immediately made its jump to the Expanse region to gather with other Republic ships. 

Three days passed before Mal saw Wolffe again. He locked himself in his office and didn’t respond to comms. Mal checked on him through Sinker, who made sure that he was eating for her. Satisfied that Sinker was doing his best to pester the Commander into taking care of himself, Mal found boredom creeping up on her without anyone to patch up. She and Crux did their best to stay distracted. The medbay had never looked cleaner. When Mal wasn’t restocking med packs or refilling bacta containers, she was organizing games of sabacc. Sabacc had always been a source of comfort for Mal, and it had been a downtime staple of the 104th since she joined. With the minimal stipends the clones got, Mal never let them play for real credits. Usually, they used ration bars or scraps of flimsi. It made it more fun anyway. There was more laughter and teasing, with nothing really on the line. Nothing on the line was a nice change of pace.

This afternoon’s game came about during a lull in after-lunch chores. Mal, Comet, Wildfire, Sinker, Crux, and Boost were huddled in a circle in the men’s barracks. Mal was in the middle of a roll when Wolffe called. The dice tumbled from her hand just as the comm on her wrist beeped, its final notes drowned out by a collective groan at the numbers she rolled. When Mal answered, Wolffe’s voice met her ears and brought a smile to her face. It was back to being its recognizable gruff timbre.

“Mal, get in here.” He snapped before he cut the call.

The message was short and to the point, as his comms always were. Mal knew she’d find him in his office, and before she could wonder why she was being summoned, the other clones began to make low whistles.

“Someone’s in trouble!” Comet chuckled.

“What the fuck did you do this time?” Boost shook his head at her with a paternal smile.

“Don’t worry, ad’ika. We’ll have Crux ready the medbay for after your chewing out.” Sinker elbowed the medic next to him, who quickly shuffled his cards away from the trooper and glared.

“The Jedi are probably finally giving me a medal for putting up with you all.” Mal sighed as she threw down her own cards.

Sinker leaned over the table, abandoning any pretense of subtlety, to stare at her hand before his gaze snapped back up to Mal. His jaw hung open, and betrayal was written all over his face.

“You’re a liar!” Sinker called out.

“It’s called bluffing. I know you’re not familiar with it.” She winked at him before she turned, leaving the rest of the soldiers to tease their brother about his bad sabacc face.

Mal wound the dark halls of the Venator until she reached Wolffe’s office. As the blast door slid open, she knew she’d find the Commander bent over a desk covered in flimsi, holos, and datapads. Mal had offered to clean it for him time and time again. Still, Wolffe always rolled his eyes at her and said it was organized to him, usually throwing in some colorful adjectives along the way. Mal wasn’t expecting an unfamiliar clone to be waiting with him. 

The new clone, a captain according to the rank on his chest, sat in one of the two chairs across from Wolffe, his left hand resting on the chair arm and the right laid on the helmet that was perched atop his knee. Mal quickly saluted the familiar yet unfamiliar man. She wasn’t officially military, not like the clones. Civilian medics were a subset of the GAR, but she held no rank, and the field training had been practically shameful. The role was created so there would be extra hands to help the clone medics and the medical droids in the medbay and the medbay only. 

Though she might not be officially GAR, Mal didn’t mind the military aspects of the job. The structure and the order of everything had seeped into her blood quickly. A part of Mal loved it. Craved it even. It felt safe. She just couldn’t stand being told what to do, not since Takodana. Luckily, Wolffe never minded if Mal took a little creative license with her scope. From the beginning, he had encouraged Crux to take her with him into the field. He respected her experience, and she also suspected that Wolffe knew she liked the intensity and distraction of it all, even if they never talked about it. It was one of the ways they were similar.

The captain smiled as Mal paused in the doorway. He had close-cropped blonde hair and brown eyes that twinkled even in the cabin’s dim light. She found that she liked the man right away. He radiated kindness, not a meek, differential kindness, but the warm kindness that comes from a confident, caring heart.

“Yes, sir?” Mal lingered at the entrance in case she had misunderstood the summons. 

“You’re suddenly all polite in front of company?” Wolffe winked his cybernetic eye at her, his brown one bright with glee. Mal instantly relaxed. “Have a seat. Captain Rex and I were talking about you.”

“You must be the Captain Rex talking about me.” She flashed a smile at the man as she settled into the third chair. “Nice to meet you.”

“My vod always had a talent for introductions.” He grinned at his brother, bringing a familiar scowl to Wolffe’s face. “I promise it was only good things.”

Mal glanced back and forth between the officers. When neither of them spoke again, her curiosity got the better of her.

“So, what’s going on?”

Rex’s eyes flicked to Wolffe. When the Commander didn’t speak, his brow seemed to set in determination. He turned back to Mal, facing her fully.

“I was asking the Commander if you might be open to a transfer.”

A black hole could have opened up and swallowed her at that moment, and she wouldn’t have been more surprised. Mal’s eyes flitted to Wolffe, hoping to see some sort of anger or shock that another battalion was trying to steal her away, but she saw nothing. That stung. She always knew Wolffe was less openly emotional about his attachment to her than the rest of the 104th, but Mal still thought their relationship meant something to him. She certainly never thought he’d push her out.

“I’m sorry to ask.” Rex quickly added, reading the shock on her face. “I wouldn’t like the idea of leaving my men either. Truth is, my troop is short on medics. I promoted my man Coric to CMO, leaving my Torrent Company with only one primary medic. And uh, frankly, we’re a little too reckless for that.”

Mal pulled her attention from the cool commander and back to the captain with the soft eyes. She could deal with Wolffe later.

“Wolffe brags about you all the time to the other COs. Figured if I was gonna go searching for a civilian medic, I might as well try to get the best.” Rex drummed his fingers on his helmet as he spoke.

Mal blushed at the statement before she quickly searched the Captain’s face. She was looking for flattery, but his smile was unwaveringly genuine.

“I promise you I’ll think about it,” she assured Rex. It was a lie, and Mal felt a pang of guilt after seeing how earnest he was.

“All I can ask.” Rex stood, tucking his helmet into his hip. “I need to get back to my ship. Can’t leave those di’kute unsupervised for too long.”

He let out a half-exasperated chuckle to himself before he nodded to her and then saluted the Commander. Rex turned on his heel without another word and marched from the room. Mal waited until the door was sealed shut behind him.

“What the hell, Wolffe?” She snapped as she spun back to him. “You’re trying to get rid of me?”

Wolffe leaned back in his chair as he raised an amused eyebrow at her, the corners of his lips turning up into a smirk. It was the look he always gave Mal when she got feisty with him. He enjoyed her hot-headed nature and entertained it the same way a loth wolf would tolerate the play-fighting of a pup. His lackadaisical response to her fury often made her laugh and soothed her, but sometimes, it irritated Mal, especially when she was really pissed off. This was one of those times.

“After everything, you’re just gonna ship me out?” Mal felt her voice start to rise as fear bubbled in her chest. She shifted to the edge of her seat, the world suddenly a little unsteady. “You’ve got to be kidding. This is bantha shit.”

“Settle down, ad’ika. I’m not kicking you out.” Wolffe crossed his arms, his voice even. “I’ve already found that you’re impossible to get rid of.”

“Fuck you.” Mal fired right back at him before she paused. His little quip helped temper the panic, but frustration still seethed from her. “Then what the hell?”

“Look,” He leaned forward, his voice dropping a half an octave. “Rex is with the 501st.”

Mal gasped, despite herself. Everyone in the GAR had heard of the 501st, the famously brave and infamously bold legion that fought under the command of General Anakin Skywalker. Stories of their more creative battle plans were told over shots of spotchka. In the last week, however, their name had been uttered in hushed tones and horrified whispers as the stories of what had happened on Umbara last week spread throughout the GAR.

“He was so…” She thought about Captain Rex’s smile. “... kind.”

“Always has been. Rex is the best of us.” He spoke without affection as though it were a fact. “The bravest, the most creative, the boldest. Even while he’s hurting right now, he’s only thinking of his men. For better or for worse. I think you can relate to him. In more ways than one.”

Wolffe settled back into his chair as he let the inference in his words sink in. The already small durasteel office seemed to shrink, closing in on Mal as she shifted in her seat.

“From the stories, they were tricked on Umbara.” Her heart began to pound at the implication.  “Not controlled.” 

“Didn’t say it was the same, ad’ika. Just said you might be able to relate.”

Mal’s frown deepened. Finally, when she didn’t speak, Wolffe rolled his eyes and sighed. She knew it was at her refusal to admit he might be on to something, but when he started again, his voice was softer than she had heard in a long time.

“Look, I know I don’t say it a lot, but I don’t know what we would have done without after….” Wolffe trailed off. Mal knew what he meant. He coughed. “You rescued Sinker, Boost, and me way back then.”

A silence filled the room for a moment as memories overwhelmed them both. The war had felt like years, but the weight of those early days never felt less heavy, especially if they looked directly at them.

“You rescued me first,” she quickly replied, giving him a small smile.

“Us finding you was luck, Mal.” He said firmly. “You came back, and you brought mirjahaal with you.”

Mal knew what he was implying. She had worked hard in the days and months after Grevious’ attack to make sure that the remnants of the 104th healed or at least knew that they would eventually heal, inside and out. It was the least that she could do. They had done the same for her not long before. And it seemed like Wolffe thought she could do the same for the 501st.

“I don’t know them.” She frowned.

“But I know you, and I think you can help them.”

“How can you ask me to leave you? To leave Sinker and Boost? After everything?” Her voice was starting to rise again.

“Because I owe Rex that. We all do.”

Mal didn’t say anything. What Wolffe was asking her - to leave the only family she had left- was impossible, and he should know it.

“It’s not just about the 501st, though. There’s another reason I think you should at least consider it.”  Wolffe’s eyes narrowed, the white and amber iris each focused on her. Suddenly, the air was tense, and Mal felt bare before her old friend. “I didn’t say anything to Rex, but this is also your chance for answers… if you still want them.”

Answers. She hadn’t thought about answers in a long time. Defense bubbled up in her chest. Of course, she still wanted them. Wolffe had to know that. She looked at him, half-pleading. His scar. Before Khorm. That was the last time they had talked about this. Before Khorm. Mal’s heart began to sink as she realized that it had been almost a year since she had looked into any of her leads. She didn’t realize it had been so long. What had happened to her family was easier to push down and push aside while she busied herself with making war. She pretended that fighting the Separatists was enough. She had ignored her oath to find out why everyone was dead, and she was ignoring the debt she owed them. She’d gotten comfortable. The oxygen was suddenly scarce as Mal tried to inhale. Cadex and Tynan’s faces flashed before her, their green eyes staring blankly into hers. 

Wolffe cleared his throat again, pulling her back to the present. Breath flooded her lungs as Wolffe waited. She mustered up the courage to respond. 

“I do.” Mal finally answered.

“Then take the transfer,” Wolffe repeated. “I will follow General Plo until I die, but his methods are slower… more precise. Skywalker will get you where you want to be.”

She didn’t say anything, the flame of defensiveness wetted by her guilt. It had been over two years, and she hadn’t gotten any closer to finding out what had happened or why. Mal had brought her story to General Plo Koon after she had first been rescued. The Kel Dor listened with interest and promised he would help. She knew he meant it, but the war raged on, and nothing had come of it. Wolffe was right. It was time for answers, and she needed to find a Jedi ready to help. She needed a Jedi who would be a little reckless.

“The decision is up to you.” Wolffe shook his head, finally breaking eye contact for a moment, just enough to let her breathe again. He brought his hands down to the desk, a tell-tale sign that he was closing the subject. “But you should know I wouldn’t give up my favorite medic unless I had a reason.”

“I’ll think about it,” Mal said as she stood.

This time, she meant it. 

Mal tried to think about it as she made her way to the mess hall, but the annoyance that had dissipated under Wolffe’s gaze was beginning to bubble up again. How dare he try to talk her into leaving? This was her family, the only one she had anymore, and she belonged here. A feeling of betrayal settled like a rock into the pit of her stomach as she collected whatever slop the GAR was serving. She sought out her friends quickly.

Mal spotted Crux first. The clone medic stood out with his shaved head, the practical choice he once told her, and the GAR medical sigil tattooed on the back of his neck. Sitting with him were two other unmistakable heads, one of silver and the other decorated with two long, maroon strips.

“Why the long face?” Boost asked as Mal set her tray on the table and plopped down on the bench across from him.

She told them about the transfer. She gave them Rex’s offer and Wolffe’s logic, and then she told them all the reasons she was furious. This was her home. Her family. She waited for them to be mad for her. She waited for the cries of outrage. They never came.

“‘S not a bad idea.” Boost rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced over at Sinker.

 Mal followed his gaze to see Sinker nodding. She snapped her head to her fellow medic, looking for support, but next to her, Crux shrugged in agreement.

“What is this?” She threw her arms up in the air. “Is everyone trying to get rid of me?”

“No one’s trying to get rid of you, ad’ika.” Boost quickly tried to assure her.

“Yeah, that’s impossible. We already tried.” Sinker snickered.

“That’s what Wolffe said, too,” Mal grumbled, shooting a glare at Sinker as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Neither of you are funny.”

“Look, be mad all you want.” Boost answered as he dove back into his meal, the shock of the news immediately wearing off in the face of a rapidly cooling dinner. “But Wolffe is right. If you want to be in the middle of the action, if you want answers, and you want ‘em quickly, the 501st is the place to be. And a spot with them isn’t going to open up every week.”

“You never know with their casualty numbers.” 

Sinker chuckled again as Boost shot him the glare this time. Boost shook his head at his brother before he turned his attention back to his meal. He sliced a piece of his protein cube off and found it with his fork before he turned back to Mal, waving his skewered food like a lightsaber.

“It’s your call to make, but the fact that Captain Rex asked for you is a compliment. You’re a damn good medic, and you’ve worked hard to get here. Done a lot for us clones in the 104th along the way. Now it’s time to get what you want. Don’t you think you deserve that?” 

You deserve to be happy.

“Tye would have told you to do it,” Sinker added, his joking tone suddenly gone.

Mal didn’t respond to that. She didn’t even look at Sinker. Instead, she turned to Crux, trying to ignore how her skin was starting to crawl.

“What do you think?”

The 104th’s medic was quiet, momentarily assessing as he always did.

“It makes sense.” Crux finally spoke. “Will we be short a medic for the time being? Yes, but the 501st has far higher mortality numbers than we do. Strategically, they need you more.”

“Aw shucks, just saw you’ll miss me.” Mal elbowed the stiff medic.

He grinned back.

“Well, that goes without saying.”

The conversation quickly turned to other subjects, but food quickly disappeared, and the meal wound down. As they gathered their trays and empty cups, She and Crux said their goodbyes to the other two before they started to wander back to the medbay.  Mal waited until they were in the empty halls to broach the subject again

She and Crux hadn’t always seen eye to eye. Their first few months together had been particularly rough. He didn’t trust her as a civilian, and she resented him for… well, for not being Tye. But it had been a long time since then. His even temper and logic in the face of blaster fire and carnage were a perfect balance to her emotionally charged reactions. He was the only one besides Wolffe who would know what the right answer was.

“Really, what do you think?” She slid her hands into the pockets of the grey jumpsuit as she prodded the stoic medic again.

“You really want to know?”

“I asked.” She shrugged, her long gently red braid bouncing on her shoulder.

“Yeah, well, I’ve fallen into that trap before, Mal.” Crux chuckled, and Mal knew that one of any number of memories of heated arguments was on his mind. “You don’t usually like being told what to do.”

“I just want your advice,” She said, “as a friend, not as my medic CO.”

“Alright.” Crux sighed before he spoke. “I think that, despite what it feels like right now, this war isn’t going to go on forever. You have to take the opportunities you’re given. Take it from a clone.”

Mal stopped in her tracks. Crux continued a few steps, not realizing he was leaving his companion before he looked to his side and found the space empty. He paused and turned back to where his words had stopped her in her tracks. Shame burned her cheeks. Here she was, oscillating over choices that gave her a power in her future that the clones rarely saw.

“I’m sorry, Crux, I-” 

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for, Mal.” He shook his head as he quickly cut her off. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just offering a different perspective. I don’t want to see you miss your chance to change your path.”

Mal bit her lip as she nodded, digging her hands further into her pockets. Crux gave her a small smile.

“Go get some rest, Mal. I’ll finish up in the medbay.”

Mal didn’t realize how exhausted she felt until she stripped off the jumpsuit, let her hair loose, and pulled on sweatpants and a sweater. It had sunk into her bones and laid heavy there. Still, neither rest nor clarity found Mal when she crawled into bed. As the lights flickered off on the living quarters of the Star Destroyer, Mal lay in a lonely lower bunk in the small and otherwise empty civilian barracks. The idea of a transfer had taken root in her head, and it was sprouting. She wished she was back on Coruscant, something that she rarely felt. Still, Mal missed the dingy local pool that she and Tye had found on the 576th level the week after she had moved into her off-base apartment. She wanted to swim. The future was always clearer in the water.

Instead, Mal stared up at the dim metal of the top bunk. The thought of leaving the 104th still made her pulse quicken and her breath rise. Leaving this battalion would be more than a transfer. It would be losing her family again. She owed her life to Sinker, Boost, and Wolffe. She had been with them when they had to rebuild. The idea of not having their back or them not having hers was devastating. Who would patch them up? Who would make sure that Wolffe ate something or that Comet slept?

Mal turned on her side, eyes looking out into the impenetrable dark. It was overwhelming. She was usually grateful that she didn’t have to share the bunk with anyone. She didn’t have to worry about upsetting them when the nightmares came, and she had always appreciated solitude. Tonight, Mal would have liked someone to talk to, though. She thought about comm-ing Wolffe or Crux, but a growing part of her realized that the one person she really wanted to talk to was Tye.

Tye. In the span of a lifetime, she’d only known him for a fraction of it, but he had a clarity and purpose that she’d never seen in anyone. She could use that clarity right now. The last time she remembered having it was when she made the decision to join the GAR as a medic so she could help the 104th. She had needed to give something back to all of the Wolfpack, but her debt to Tye weighed heaviest on her, and it was one she couldn’t repay. Not anymore. He was a corpse floating somewhere out in the Abregado system. All she could do was look after his brothers and hope it was enough. Now Wolffe was telling her his brothers needed help. Maybe this was what she needed to do to keep repaying that debt. 

And then there was the promise of answers. Wolffe was right. Mal had pushed that quest aside for a long time, focusing on the day-to-day battle instead of the questions always in the back of her mind. If this was the chance to finally find out what happened to her family, she had to take it. She owed it to herself and them, another debt to the dead. A hand wandered up to her temple and traced a familiar path into her hairline until it found the raised skin that lay beneath her auburn roots. Mal ran her fingertips over the small incision, long since healed and hidden. It had been hidden long enough. It was time for answers.

Sleep crept up on Mal like a nexu, springing out at her from the darkness and wrestling her mind into the abyss. She didn’t have any nightmares that night.

Mal woke up the next morning feeling rested in a way she couldn't remember being since before the war when rainy nights on Takodana would turn into bright mornings where the sun-kissed dew would fall from the overgrown canopy. Those mornings when she would take her boat to the lake and patrol the waterways were the last time she remembered having this kind of purpose. Despite the uncertainty ahead, it was fortifying.

Mal took a quick sonic shower in her private fresher before she braided her hair and pulled on her gray jumpsuit. She glanced in the long mirror as she ran her fingers over the 104th's emblem on her chest. She traced the aurebesh numbers and the small wolf emblem. With deft fingers, Mal took the pin from the fabric and pocketed it.

She stepped out of the fresher, and immediately went to see Wolffe. The hallways were filled with familiar faces and greetings, and she savored every one of them. Wildfire met her with her morning caf. They took it the same - one sugar, one cream - and after continuously switching cups in briefings, he finally just started to bring Mal her own, with an M on the lid. She surprised him with a hug as she took it and promised she would meet him at breakfast in a little bit.  There was something she had to do.

The caf tasted even sweeter today, and Mal smiled as she sipped on on the warm drink. She clasped her hands around the cup as she found herself stopping before Wolffe's office again. The blast door loomed before her for a moment. She knew that there were things on the other side that she might not like. There were no answers that would save her from her sins. One hand left its grip on the cup so she could run her fingers over the cool durasteel, tracing the fine lines until she found the control panel. Mal typed in the code she knew by heart, and the door slid open.  An affectionate smile crossed her lips when she spotted Wolffe. He was sitting behind his desk as he always did, behind a mound of flimsi and nose buried in a datapad. She realized she would miss his messy desk.

“I’ll do it,” Mal quickly spoke, not giving herself even a second to change her mind.

Wolffe kept typing.

“Our leave next week overlaps with the 501st. We’ll make the transition then.”

“You already talked to Rex.” She huffed. It wasn’t a question. 

He finally looked up from the datapad with a sly grin.

“I knew you’d say yes.”

Mal shook her head at the Commander as she rolled her eyes and sighed at his arrogance. The annoyance didn’t reach her eyes, though. With nothing else to discuss, Mal turned to go. Before she could make it to the door, Wolffe spoke again.

“You made the hard choice, Mal,” Wolffe called. “He’d be proud.”

Mal stopped in her tracks. She could ignore Sinker when he brought up Tye, but she couldn’t ignore Wolffe. Mal turned to him with an attempt at a smile, even though she knew it likely looked like a grimace.

“I know.”

“They all would be. Your father, Cadex, and Tynan too.”

Mal’s eyes widened as the names left her friend’s mouth. Wolffe never mentioned her family directly. Even though he knew more about her than anyone else alive, he’d always respected her privacy. Bile began to rise in Mal’s throat. Could she still make them proud? She tried to nod to Wolffe. She stiffly lowered her chin just a little before she spun on her heel and double-timed her way back to her barrack. All along the way, a voice chased her.

You deserve to be happy.

It wasn't until she reached the mess hall that her ears stopped ringing, the noise of the hungry clones a reprieve from the thunderous voices in her head. Wildfire waved her over to a table, and Mal pushed aside Wolffe's final words. No one knew what she deserved, but she was ready to find out.

When Mal finally stepped onto the hangar of the 501st battalion, the morning’s distress had evaporated along with any remnants of a hangover. She had closed the book on her mistake. The clone, Fives, was a mirage now. He was nothing more than a memory at this point, a reaffirmation of her rules, and eventually, once the shame wore off, an embarrassing story for her to tell Sinker and Boost the next time she saw them. Mal had real things to worry about now.

Though the hangover may have been gone, the headache seemed to come right back as she stepped into the sea of blue and white troopers. Her new blue jumpsuit, swapped for her old grey one, matched the armor of the men who marched by her, but there were no signs of recognition. They swarmed around her, looking at their datapads, at each other, looking anywhere but at the nat-born who had just entered their realm. There were no greetings or hugs. There was no Boost to slap her on the back, no Sinker launching an airborne assault of loving insults in salute, no Wildfire with her morning caf. She shifted, all alone amid the Grand Army of the Republic. For the first time in a long time, the machine of the GAR ground on around Mal.

“Mal!” A friendly voice called out from behind her.

She spun immediately, thirsting for anything familiar. A vague feeling of disappointment settled in her gut as she realized the voice was attached to a pair of rapidly approaching jaig eyes.

Stop it. She chastised herself. You agreed to this. Time to make the most of it.

So Mal tucked away the ache and waved at the approaching man. He pulled his helmet from his head, revealing a sideways smile. Captain Rex held his hand out to her before he chirped over the din of the GAR’s machinations.

“Welcome to the 501st.”

Taglist: @twistedstitcher27 @sleepingsun501 @kaminocasey @baba-fett @wild-karrde @rexxdjarin @hugtherocks @lunaastars @clonecyaree @thefact0rygirl @wizardofrozz @jesjestraverse @fordo-kixed-rex @padmeromanoffs​ @xopancakeox @shellshooked​ @writingbylee​ @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamonds

#the last word #the last word series #wip!the last word #star wars the clone wars #tcw fanfic #fan fiction #fives #arc trooper fives #clone trooper fives #tcw fives #fives x ofc #fives x oc #star wars oc #tcw ofc #oc: mal darroch #medic oc #captain rex #tcw rex #commander wolffe #wolffe tcw #clone trooper sinker #clone trooper boost #clone medic oc #clone oc #oc: crux #oc: tye #sinker tcw #boost tcw #plo koon #501st legion

[dystopicjumpsuit]

Stars Beyond Number - Coming September 3

Soldiers. Heroes. Deserters. Traitors. They've been called many things. As the Galactic Empire rises from the ashes of the Republic, a small group of clone troopers and their allies will find a new identity: Rebels.

Echo, Rex, and Gregor are on a mission to save as many of their brothers as they can. The task is daunting, and their friends are few. But from these small and desperate beginnings will come a spark of resistance that will set the galaxy ablaze.

Hey friends! I'm very excited to share that I'll be sharing a new longer fic very soon! Stars Beyond Number is set between episodes 8 and 14 of The Bad Batch season 2 and follows Rex's resistance cell. This fic shares continuity with Martyrs and Kings, but they can both be read as stand-alone stories. The tone overall is darker and more action-oriented, but ultimately hopeful (because it's Star Wars).

Join my tag list here to get notified when each chapter drops. I'll be posting a chapter every Sunday.

Overall Rating: Mature/18+/Minors DNI (rating varies by chapter; mature content will be tagged)

Pairings: Echo x Riyo Chuchi; Gregor x OFC Cerra Kilian

Overall Warnings: angst, smut, violence

May the Tumblr gods smile upon my taglist: @secondaryrealm @blueink-bluesoul @spicy-clones @wings-and-beskar @523rdrebel @merkitty49 @anxiouspineapple99 @sinfulsalutations @arcsimper5 @starrylothcat @clio3kantarella @cloneloverrrrr @goblininawig @ladytano420 @arctrooper69 @wolffegirlsunite @sunshinesdaydream @mandos-mind-trick @littlemissmanga @stunkbiggu @starqueensthings @clonemedickix @marierg @idontgetanysleep @moonlightwarriorqueen @dudewhynotthis @sleepycreativewriter @tcwmatchmakingau

#sw tbb fanfic #tbb rex #tbb echo #tbb gregor #echo x riyo chuchi #captain gregor x ofc #stars beyond number #dystopicjumpsuit writes

[fives-lover]

Chapter 1: Out and About

Masterlist | Next

Rasha paid the driver and stepped out of the speeder, immediately hit by the overpowering smell of alcohol and deafening volumes of music coming from inside. She was forced to find her friend in the sea of clones and civilians after she had immediately run inside, leaving Rasha to shove her way across the room by herself. 

“What the hell, Ari?! We’re supposed to be here together so stop running away from me like that!” She yelled over the music 

The purple Twi’lek swung one of her lekku back behind her shoulder with a long-suffering sigh. “You always take so long! At least I grabbed the last table!” 

“I was paying the driver! Come on,” Rasha groaned and set her jacket along the back of one of the chairs then forced her way through the room again to get drinks. “I’m not letting you flirt with everyone in here and leave me by myself again.” 

The two women moved out of the way once the droid finished making whatever cocktail Ari had ordered for them. It was pink, blue, and sour at first but slowly spread into a sweet aftertaste. She made a face at the first sip and Ari began laughing. 

“What do you think?” Ari called out, vaguely gesturing somewhere. 

“I have no idea.” 

“Not the drink! All the guys in the booth right here?” 

She glanced over and saw bottles and glasses piled up, some still waiting to be finished. The men were squished together worse than the walkways outside and looked really uncomfortable. Several wore different colors so she just figured that they hadn’t seen each other in a long time and this was the best way for them to catch up. “That they’re loud and really not funny.” 

“I hope you’re not talking about us,” someone leaned against the wall next to Rasha, making her jump and almost spill some of her drink. 

“Sorry about my brother,” the other one rolled his eyes, “I’ll get him out of your hair.” 

“Hold on.” The first one shoved his hand off of his shoulder and went back to leaning against the wall, “what are a couple of pretty ladies doing just standing in the corner?” 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ari stepped closer, lightly pushing a finger into his breastplate, “maybe ‘just standing in the corner’ like you said.” 

“See Fives, I told you that they wouldn’t want to talk to us. Let’s get back to the boys.” The second one pointed his thumb over his shoulder to another booth overflowing with clones and a mountain of bottles and glasses mounting in the center of the table. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. We only just got here! It’d be rude to leave already!” Fives complained.

“It’d also be rude to stay here when they obviously don’t want us to. Come on.” 

“Hey, break it up.” Ari put her hands in the air and stepped forward, “time-out. No need to fight.” Rasha crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Ari was going to play the two men in her game all night long. “Neither of you is being rude, nobody is forcing anybody to stay or to go.” 

“Shut up,” Rasha jabbed, “you’re not anybody’s mom!” She leaned closer to Fives’ ear, covered her mouth from the side, and whispered, “she’s just trying to play hard to get and sucks ass at it.” 

Ari’s eyes widened and shot back and forth between the two as Fives’ laughter got louder. “What’d you say? You can’t keep secrets from me!” 

“Sure I can. It’s nothing bad!”

The Twi’lek rolled her eyes, “fine. So this is Fives, who’s the one that seems to be so eager to get away?” 

“I’m not trying to get away. He was just being rude by barging into your conversation.” 

“Echo, take a breath. Obviously, we’re fine if we’re still here and they’re not complaining.” He rolled his eyes, “who’s the one who just whispered some horrible stuff to me just a minute ago?” 

“What?! No, I didn’t! Maybe I won’t tell you my name now since you’re going to be so mean.” 

“Shut up. This is Rasha, and I’m Ari.” 

“Pretty names for pretty ladies then. I like it.” Fives grinned. “Does anyone want another drink since we’re right here?” 

Rasha opened her mouth to speak but Ari jumped in and cut her short, “yes, we’d love some more!” The two left with Echo still scolding Fives. “So, Rasha,” Ari put her arm across her shoulders, “what do you think of them ?” 

Rasha rolled her eyes, “I know what you want me to say.” 

“What’s that?”

“That they're the hottest people ever and that I should hook up with one.” 

“What?” Ari dramatically pressed her other hand against her chest, “I would never, but since you said-” 

“No.” 

“Why not? They’re cute!” 

“I don’t even know anything about them except their names! ‘Sides, Echo seemed to be staring at you and just about started drooling. I’m sure you can get someone, you always do.” 

“I know it’s been a while since you’ve talked to someone - well, anyone actually - but come on! Loosen up! There’s a thing called questions for a reason! We’re here to have fun!” Ari chided. 

“Somebody say something about having fun?” Fives shoved his way out of the crowd, two drinks in his hands, followed by Echo with two more. 

“Yes! Let’s get to it! We missed you two so much! I’m so glad you didn’t leave us to die of thirst!” 

Oh shut up already Ari. 

“Well, then you’ve got us all night if you want us.” Fives leaned closer to Rasha and whispered, “and I hope you do.” He stood back up and acted like nothing happened while Rasha froze and began turning red.

Ari led everyone back to the table that she had snagged earlier and the four made themselves comfortable. They talked and joked as if they had known each other for their entire lives. Jokes that weren’t funny to anyone sober kept getting thrown around, alongside exaggerated stories and normal conversations. 

Fives stared at Rasha throughout the majority of the conversation, only occasionally looking at Ari or Echo, and she didn’t know what to think or do, so she ignored the looks the best that she could. Fives only wanted to get her attention long enough to have an actual conversation that didn’t involve one of the other two changing the subject at random points or interrupting him. He settled on waiting for a chance to either get them to go away or to get her alone somewhere else. He wanted to find out every small detail she would let him know about her. 

“This is my favorite song!” Ari interrupted his thought and whoever was talking. “Come on!” She grabbed the closest person, conveniently it was Echo, and ran out to the dancefloor. 

Finally. If only this song would’ve come on sooner! 

He leaned closer, keeping an eye on the dancefloor in case they came back over. “Is it hot in here or is it just you?” 

That was stupid! Really?!

“Yeah, it’s a little hot in here,” Rasha shrugged and went to take a drink but paused, fully taking in the rest of his question, and glanced at the stupid smirk plastered across his face. “Wait, uh, um.” She shot back to watching Ari, hoping he didn’t notice that her ears were red again. 

He chuckled and picked up his drink to hide behind the cup. “Sorry, that was stupid.” 

“No, uh, you’re fine.” She started playing with the pendant on her necklace. 

He dragged his hand down his face and groaned, “Well, um…” He looked around, “where’d you get that necklace?” 

“Oh, this?” She pulled it further out to show off the crystal, happy to talk about anything other than her looks, “it’s a family heirloom. I have no idea where it originally came from and there are a few stupid stories that my Mom and Grandma told me about it. Apparently, it’s got ‘powers’ or something.” 

“That’s really cool,” he leaned closer to get a better look, “what’s one of-” 

“We’re back!” Ari squealed in excitement. Echo trailed behind, red from embarrassment, knowing that he would never be able to live that down. “You two were talking all about us, weren’t you?” 

They jumped apart from the sudden interruption, not having realized that the song had finished and how close they had gotten. “Yep! Everything we just said was completely about how much of an idiot you always look out there.” Rasha answered hurriedly and shifted away from Fives more. 

After a brief awkward silence and another hour or so of drinking and joking, a slower song came on.

“If this one doesn't sound as stupid, maybe it’s our turn to dance?” Fives asked softly, leaning close so only Rasha heard. 

He patiently waited for her to decide. When she nodded, he guided her out to where only a few couples were left, as the bar had mostly cleared out already. Ari looked stunned that she had accepted.

Fives lightly grabbed her waist and pulled her in closer so no one could attempt to cut in and started swaying to the music. His eyes were glued to her own as if taking in every little speck of color and shade of brown that was there. They danced around her entire face, making a map of every freckle along her cheeks and forehead. He glanced at her lips every so often but didn't want to push anything, especially not after what had happened earlier. She felt herself doing the same, feeling like they were the only two people in the room. She never wanted to leave. 

She raised an eyebrow, “what?”

"You’re just so pretty." His hands tightened on her waist slightly.

She looked away and pressed her head into his chest so he couldn’t see that she wasn’t used to getting compliments and she always felt the complete opposite of what he just said. She never felt that she was ugly, per se, but definitely not pretty in the way he was looking at her all night. 

Ari stared at her as they made their way back to the table.

“What?” Rasha felt even hotter, now that she remembered that they had watched the whole thing.

“Oh, I don’t know, just that I didn’t know it was that easy to get you to go out there again! I would’ve had you hooked up a million times already!” 

And there goes the moment. Thanks, Ari. 

Rasha grabbed her jacket off the back of the seat and put it on, “well, Ari, you’ve had too much to drink again. It’s been fun, but we have to be up early for a new job and last call is gonna be coming up soon. Thank you for the drinks. Hopefully, we’ll be able to see you around again sometime.” She moved to help Ari get up but her hand got smacked away. 

“I’m not that bad! You’re only just a little blurry,” Ari giggled and Rasha rolled her eyes again, “you two should come with us.” 

Rasha took a deep breath to keep herself from strangling the drunk Twi'lek. “You really don’t need to. She likes to invite everyone to her place but it’s up to you I guess.” Ari got up and started walking for the door so Rasha leaned over the table to Echo, “she was mainly inviting you.” 

“Oh, well, when you put it that way…” He got up to follow the women and noticed that Fives was staring at them leaving. “You coming Fives?” 

“Oh, uh, yeah.” He snapped out of his trance and quickly caught up. 

Ari slipped in and just about fell as soon as Rasha entered the code and the door slid open. Rasha caught her and ushered her to the couch with a glass of water. 

“She wanted you to come along but you don’t have to stay. She’ll just have a headache that she’ll complain about all day.” 

Echo sat next to her and cautiously stared, “I, uh, I think I’ll stay. We don’t need her getting hurt before you two start your new job.” 

Rasha bustled around the small one-bedroom apartment to make accommodations for him with practiced ease. “The fresher is in her room and to the left. The kitchen is right in there. And obviously, you know where the couch is.” She handed him an old pillow and blanket which he set to the side. “I’ll set out some medicine that she should take in the morning so that I won’t have to hear her complain too bad.” She looked down at her friend curled into Echo’s side and fast asleep already. She looked peaceful and content. Knowing what the two were most likely in for, this would be the last time that she was going to able to sleep so soundly for a while before heading for the door. 

“You sure you want to stay?” Fives asked quietly. “We’re leaving in the morning too.”

“Yes. I’m sure.” 

Rasha and Fives stepped into the hallway outside of her apartment and headed to her own in awkward silence. 

Rasha hated going up what felt like thousands of stairs to her meager apartment, knowing that the lift would never be fixed, but she always reminded herself to be thankful she had actually gotten the place. Housing was hard to get ahold of in a city planet like Coruscant, no matter how run down and ugly everything was. There were just too many people. 

Broken steps and ugly stained wallpaper lined every stairway and hall throughout the building and there was always a weird smell that never went away. She tried to convince herself that she had gotten used to it until she stepped into the hall or opened the front door and had to force herself not to wrinkle her nose or gag. The smell was worse on some days and mildly tolerable on others. It seemed to be one of the milder smells this time. Fives didn’t mind; he’d been through several warzones already. There weren’t very many sights or smells that would make him flinch anymore. He did have to admit though, none of it was nice so he avoided breathing through his nose if he could help it. 

She was winded upon reaching the door and nervously input the code several times so he gently put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “I can go back to the barracks if you’re really that nervous around me.” 

“No. I just… Let’s just say that it’s been a while. Ari is really the only one that comes up here with me. Ever.” She finally got the door to slide open and quickly stepped inside. “Sorry about the mess.” 

He was immediately entranced by the view outside of her window. She didn’t see why he was so intrigued by it. All she ever saw were the same boring buildings that always looked like they needed repairs that would cost too much for the owners to ever make happen, illuminated in several colors of flickering neon lights. She always thought it was mundane and, honestly, fairly rundown everywhere she looked compared to other parts of the city. 

Fives saw it differently than her, apparently. His eyes jumped back and forth between buildings, taking in every crack in the walls, every color of the lights shining, watching one finally flicker and burn out. He watched the speeders racing past at different speeds and the people on the walkways below. He didn’t seem to want to look away; like he just wanted to stay in that moment for as long as possible.

She craned her head around to see his face, “you okay there?” 

“What? Oh, uh, yea. I’m good.” He glanced at her, “just looking. You see this every day?” His eyes were wide when he finally turned from the window fully. 

The room suddenly looked too small to be able to fit the both of them. Especially while he still had his armor on. Rasha felt like a bug on the wall compared to him and started shrinking even more but took a deep breath and raised an eyebrow, “um, yeah? I thought you’d been to Coruscant before?”

“I have. Several times. I just never get to see it like this.” He rubbed the back of his neck, “79s isn’t exactly somewhere you can get much of a good view without being outside, even then all you really see is the few buildings across from the bar and next to it. The barracks and the Jedi Temple are fairly closed off, so no one can really look around at the city from there either.” He shrugged, looking back out the window.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense. This is all I’ve really ever known around here. I’ve never been anywhere near the temple so I wouldn’t know what that’s like.” She looked out the window when he turned to her again. “I’ve only ever been around the middle levels really. Except when I stayed at the University during the school year, I didn’t really go outside though. I always had too much homework.”

“Yeah. It’s beautiful there with the little bits I’ve seen. I can definitely see how someone can relax enough to meditate there.”

“That sounds nice. Do you mind if I get out of this dress and everything? Didn’t realize how uncomfortable and sweaty I was getting.”

“Go ahead. I’m not going anywhere. Unless you want me to?”

“No, you can stay. If that’s, uh, okay with you?” She rushed back to the room and started freaking out before he could answer. She’d never had someone as attractive as him in her apartment. Especially not alone - not in a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Uncomfortable and sweaty? Really?! Of all the excuses to get away and breathe, that’s what you go for?!” She scolded herself after double-checking that the door had closed. “And he’s hot, and you just blew it!” She groaned loudly and headed to the fresher to wash her face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fives went back to the window hearing her muffled self-chiding and chuckled. He had basically done the same thing early that night and couldn’t blame her. He was in her space after all and, even if she was nervous, she let him in and said that she wanted him to stay. 

She came back out of the room in her sleeping clothes and made her way to the kitchen. “Do you want any water? I’d ask about snacks but I’ve had to skip going shopping since Ari and I will most likely be going off-planet soon.” 

“Water is fine by me.” He followed her to the kitchen and leaned against the counter, “what job did you two sign up for? If you’re alright with me asking.” 

“I, uh,” she kept her focus on the glasses she found laying on the counter, “don’t exactly know what we’re going to be doing for sure actually.”

Just breathe. He’s just another human being and he seems nice. You haven’t scared him off yet and he’s trying to keep a conversation going!

"Well, that's not much to go off of. All I can really say is good luck with that." 

She couldn’t believe whether he was real or not and was certain that the cup would fall and shatter on the floor when he gratefully took it from her hand. The two made their way to the couch and made more awkward small talk. 

Rasha stared at the carpet in front of her, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, holding the glass tightly, she wanted him there, but she didn’t know what to do. Setting the cup on the table, she played with her hair and shifted her gaze to different areas of the room whenever they made eye contact. 

“You have a nice place,” Fives reached to start an actual conversation. “Have you been here long?”

She shifted, finally looking at him for longer than a few seconds. “Yeah. I’ve never left Coruscant.” Auburn hair fell from her shoulder, covering her face from Fives’ view when she turned, looking back down at the cup. 

He leaned closer, put his arm along the back of the seat, and brushed her hair back, behind her ear. “This is a nice place, but you’re nicer. Not to mention prettier.” He commented, giving her a small smile. 

Heat crawled up her neck even faster. “Oh, um… uh, thank you.” She couldn’t bring herself to look up into his eyes again but he felt safe to be around, even if she had only just met him several hours earlier. 

“Are you okay? You look like you have something on your mind. I know we just met, but you can tell me anything. I won’t judge.” He was speaking softly into her ear, just above a whisper. 

“Oh… Uh, I think that’s part of the problem… You see, um…” She trailed off until she could think of the right thing to say, “You seem really nice, I just… I don’t really like not being able to see whoever I open up to ever again. And we did just meet. I think I’m just tired. I’ll need to get up early anyway.”

“Oh. I understand. I can get a taxi back to the barracks.”

“No, you can stay here.”

“I’ll sleep here on the couch then, it’s okay.” 

“No, you don’t have to. I don’t have any extra blankets or anything,” she lied, “you can come and share my bed with me if you want,” she started talking fast and playing with the necklace she never takes off, “it’s a lot comfier and warmer anyway… But, uh… you can stay out here if you want to.” She was feeling herself getting hotter with every passing second again.

They made their way to the room, and she crawled into the bed, just about hiding under the blankets. He took his armor off and chuckled softly to himself before he laid down next to her. 

Her alarm went off obnoxiously next to her, startling her. She rolled over and turned it off, jumping when she noticed there was someone behind her and almost fell out of the bed. She remembered who was next to her and what had happened the night before in time to not hit the man laying next to her. 

Once dry and dressed, she stepped out of the fresher to find Fives sitting up rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

“Do you need any help with anything?” He yawned. 

“Uh,” she glanced around, “no, I don’t think so. Thanks though. The freshers open if you need to take a shower or something,” she adjusted the stiff collar of her jacket and turned back to the duffel she had barely begun packing the day before. 

He stepped closer and handed a shirt that had fallen out to her. “If you need any help just let me know and I’ll be right back out.” She nodded and continued folding the clothes she hadn’t put away yet hoping he would let her breathe by closing the door. “Oh, and…” 

Her brows scrunched together, “what?” She asked, finally turning to look at him. 

Fives gently took her chin between his forefinger and thumb and lifted her head to get a better view, “I might start having a thing for women in uniform if they all look like this.” He released her face and locked the fresher behind him.

She finished packing and zipped her bag closed right when her datapad lit up with her new orders. 

CAPTAIN - SKOHL, RASHA

ASSIGNMENT: 501ST LEGION

MEET AT MILITARY DOCK 3A AT 09:00. BOARDING SHIP WILL LEAVE AT 10:00

She felt Fives peek over her shoulder as she read it over and jumped at his gasp. "What? Is something wrong?" She quickly turned and took in the room. Everything was normal. 

"You're going to be in the 501st under General Skywalker!"

"And?" 

"And that's where Echo and I are assigned too!" 

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