Cejanr (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

24

Rex sat on his bed with his hands folded, forearms resting across his knees. His kit was left on his desk as he stared blankly into space from his rooms on the Resolute. He knew he had stuff to do, things to get done before they dropped out of hyperspace. He had to take inventory of munitions and call in to the Adamant, a secondary cruiser given to General Skywalker to support his larger than normal battalion. The Adamant was now under Cody's jurisdiction, answering to Skywalker, of course.

He knew he had his orders, but all Rex could do in that moment was sit and stare at the wall, feeling every light year that separated him from his wife. A knock came at the door, and finally he was able to force himself to move. He staggered to open the door, leaning heavily on the doorframe as he found Kix and Whiteout standing there.

"Is there a problem?" Rex asked. Kix hesitated.

"We-ah.. need to speak with you, Sir. It's important." He fumbled for words, shifting his weight from foot to foot. To see Kix on edge meant something serious was happening. Rex stepped back and let them into the small room, which became a little more cramped with the three of them.

He turned to the medic. "Alright." He sighed. Kix chewed his lip.

"Fives." He said. Rex frowned a little. "He's alive, isn't he."

"The lieutenant is dead, executed for treason against the republic." Rex said stoutly, hoping his lying skills had improved somewhat.

"With all due respect, Captain," Whiteout spoke up, "We know Fives. This isn't something he would do in a million years. Either he was framed or he learned something. And he was closer to you than anyone else from the old guard who still lives. You know this better than anyone."

Rex's shoulders slumped a little. "He and I were close, yes. What are you getting at though? I watched his execution." He hedged.

"Blaster shots are survivable, if you have the right necessities to treat them. Like an ex-jedi." Kix's voice was outright accusing now. Rex's spine stiffened.

"I don't like your tone, Kix. I repeat, what are you getting at." He growled. Kix pressed his lips together.

"Two small bacta rations, some civvies, two pairs of blacks, and a DC-16. Minor enough that they wouldn't have been noticed unless you were looking for it. We covered the missing supplies as clerical error, it'll take them years to sort that out if they even find it and by then they won't even care anymore." Kix said quietly. "We know you wouldn't let him die, Captain. We've covered every track you left no matter how miniscule. Just tell us, is our brother alive." He asked pleadingly.

"The Jedi did something, and Fox missed. The bolt hit his lower stomach, his plackart absorbing most of the shot. We took him to Commander Tano's home, which wasn't far from the site. We got him stabilized and treated with what supplies she had, but it wasn't enough. Infection set in, and it nearly took him. Those first few days were the worst." Rex said, sitting down on the bed with a heavy sigh.

"He was targeted because he learned something about the inhibitor chips, which caused Tup's..." He clenched his jaw. "Malfunction and eventual death. They drugged him, and he doesn't remember what specifically was so important. Last I saw he was in the care of our Commander and her roommate, relearning how to walk and balance while rebuilding his abdominal muscles, which were all but destroyed from the blaster shot. Saved his intestines, though." He said woodenly.

"We're looking into the chips already, after your... little adventure we've been doing our homework. This just proves there's something we're missing." Kix muttered. "Thank you, sir, for not letting them kill our vod. Any orders on how to proceed with our research?" He asked.

"Keep it quiet. Find out everything you can on cerebral implants. And Kix, you may want to brush up on neural surgery. It may come to removing the chips completely." He said softly. The other two clones nodded.

"Understood, sir." They answered together. Kix glanced at Whiteout, who nodded and left the medic and captain alone. Kix turned back to Rex.

"Well, now that the absolute slagstorm of the last few weeks are over, I wanted to ask about your... extra abilities." He asked. "If it's ok with you, I'd like to establish a baseline for what you can and cannot do, as well as have you answer some other questions about the less physical aspects."

Rex gave a lopsided half smile. "You're just using me as a way to answer your curiosities about the Jedi, aren't you." He said rhetorically, half teasing. Kix opened his mouth, then deflated a little.

"Yeah. Yeah that's what I'm asking." He admitted. Rex laughed.

"Alright then. I could use the distraction. Worrying is doing me nothing, so meet me in the jedi training room at 1600 standard." He agreed. Kix's face lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes. Should I bring my lightsaber or no?" Rex asked with a small smirk. He forgot for a second that Kix had never seen his gold plasma blade.

"The training blade?" Kix asked. Rex shook his head. He motioned for Kix to step aside, clearing the way to his kit on the desk. Rex held out his hand and concentrated on using his latest bit of knowledge in pulling his black, chrome, and blue hilt to him. He winced slightly as it smacked into his hand a little harder than he intended. Kix's face was neutral, but his eyes were shining. Rex held the hilt out to him.

"Careful. It's dangerous." He cautioned. Kix hesitantly took it from him feeling the heft.

"It's heavy for such a small thing." He said after a second of tilting it this way and that. He gingerly passed it back to the other clone.

"Yeah. The hilt is heavy but there's no weight in the blade." He said, standing to slide it into it's inconspicuous container at his hip.

"So how do you not cut off your own limbs with it?" Kix asked. Rex couldn't resist. He wiggled his fingers at his brother.

"Magic." He stage whispered. Kix cracked up. "Seriously, though, I'll explain later. Bring a datapad, preferably with an encryption or lock of a sort?"

"Of course. Notes are always important. I can't wait!" He exclaimed, practically jumping up and down before he got himself under control. His coming beeped and he glanced at it, immediately slumping a little.

"If you'll excuse me, sir, I have some patients who wouldn't understand the term 'bedrest' if I tied them to the gurney." He said, glancing towards the door.

"You're dismissed, Kix. At least it's not me this time." Rex. He barely caught the 'Yeah, thankfully...' his subordinate muttered as he stalked out of the captain's quarters with an agitated huff.

Rex just shook his head and grabbed his datapad. He still had to check in with Cody after all, and inventory wasn't going to do itself.