The Cadet Raised His Head, The Blond Curls Cut Short Enough That They Couldn’t Really Be Called Curls

Rex, Pint-Sized Battlemaster

(Ben and Luke, Ahsoka, Rex, and Leia, Chrono)

Intensely on my mind right now: Rex’s weird role as just That Mando Kid Wandering The Temple in the Uncle Ben and Little Luke verse

He walks in on padawan strategy classes, looking all of ten or twelve years old, and just sits in the back. He waits. He audits. When someone complains about how they don’t need battlefield strategy classes, that they’re Jedi and there hasn’t been a war in so long, when the teacher is just exhaustedly explaining for the fifth time that Jedi are regularly called in to warzones, to negotiate ceasefires or extract Senate representatives, when the teacher tries to impress upon their students that reading a battlefield is important even if you don’t expect to lead a battle…

Rex just sets a dejarik board in front of the padawan, who’s twice his size and can tell that Rex is about as force-sensitive as a barely-more-than-null brick, and says, “If you can beat me, you can claim that you’re good enough at reading a battlefield to skip this class. If you can’t, you’re sticking around. Understand?”

The teacher didn’t agree to this ahead of time, but has seen Rex pull this on other people, including experienced knights and masters, and just. Gestures for them to go ahead. Fuck it! The weird Mando kid is capable of outmaneuvering highly-ranked masters, Force or no! Clearly he knows his shit!

Rex, seasoned battle commander that he is, with literal decades of training and experience, wins easily. The padawan is very upset. Rex doesn’t care, because in his mind, the padawan’s behavior was going to get brothers from Kamino killed fifteen years down the line.

And he just keeps on doing that, to the point where all the masters who run those kinds of classes on war and strategy and tactics just reach out to Ben like “Hey… is this kid legit or just hyperfocused on the subject or–” “He grew up in a military cult.” “…” “For reasons I cannot disclose, yes, he’s legitimately more experienced in this field than most field-ready Jedi masters. Just be glad the military cult in question wasn’t Kyr’tsad, honestly.”

Fic Masterlist

This is so that they’re all in one place on tumblr! These aren’t in any particular order other than the one that I thought of them in as I was writing out the titles in this post. The links and summaries are below the cut! I hope this is helpful! As I write more, I’ll be sure to keep this updated.

Multi-Chapter Fics:

What Died Didn’t Stay Dead — The 501st suffered a devastating blow on Umbara with the loss of Captain Rex at the hands of Pong Krell.

Rex doesn’t understand why he’s still around after having died, but he realizes that he might be able to use this to the advantage of all of his brothers.

Or: Rex is a ghost, and he’s just as confused about it as everyone else is.

Mars AU — A role-reversal AU in which Rex gets caught in the explosion at the Citadel and is experimented on by the Techno Union, and Echo is promoted to Captain of the 501st. This series explores what would be different and what would stay the same.

Losing Track (of What We’re Fighting For) — the first installment, which spans from Rex’s rescue through Order 66

Cool Clone Commanders (+ a Slightly Less Cool Captain) — A series of missing scenes and brotherly shenanigans during Losing Track (of What We’re Fighting For)

Brand New War Begins — Order 66 has been executed and the galaxy is in shambles. In an attempt to pick up some of the pieces, Rex and Echo split into groups on missions to save those who may have survived. Meanwhile, two lost souls run into each other and the future of the galaxy is drastically changed as a result.

One Shots:

Golden Heart — Kix has always wanted to help his brothers; that’s why he’s always wanted to be a medic. One day, when he’s first starting his medical training, he helps a blond cadet with a concussion. Years later, after the war has begun, history repeats itself.

A Bit of Tin — Echo notices a familiar medal on display in the Bad Batch’s ship and asks them about it. It leads to a conversation about their old batchmates.

When You Let it Leave, it Can’t Hurt You — The Bad Batchers find a holopic in their barracks when they return to Kamino after a mission. It holds nothing but bittersweet and painful memories for Echo, but he eventually learns that just because it hurts doesn’t mean he should forget.

Promotion — When Anakin Skywalker is Knighted, Rex is given a promotion as well, much to his surprise.

Homecoming — After the Clone War ended with the reveal of Chancellor Palpatine as a Sith Lord, Fives and Echo get the reunion that they deserved all along. The rest of Domino Squad joins in on the fun.

Comfort — Kix has been awake for nearly 24 hours trying to save as many brothers as he could. A breakdown was inevitable. Luckily, Echo is really great at comforting brothers who are hurting.

Tackling Grievous — Cody tackles Grievous yet again, and Rex comms him to give him a piece of his mind. Obi-Wan’s enjoying this far too much for his own good.

Keep Your Eyes Open — Cody gets a concussion during a battle, but luckily Rex is there to make sure he stays awake.

I Know You — “This is not who you are. I know you better than that.”

Anakin says these words to Ahsoka on Mortis. Years later, Ahsoka says them to Anakin on Malachor.

What’s in a Name — Fives has been in ARC training for 2 weeks when he runs into Clone Force 99, who are preparing to ship out of Kamino for their first mission.

Or: Fives meets Clone Force 99 and accidentally gives them their other name.

Where I Confess My Doubt — A supply run takes Ghost Crew to Umbara. Everyone’s worried about Rex.

A Great Man — To Rex, Fives was a great man, and great men deserve to be remembered. *Ao3 link here*

The One Left Behind — In which Death watches a particular clone captain repeatedly lose, and still continue to fight.

Only Time Will Tell — The clones wake up with memories of their lives up to their deaths only a few weeks before Kenobi was due to arrive on Kamino in the original timeline. Rex stays strong for his brothers— he has to. But who will stay strong for him? *will likely end up being a series of oneshots*

Curses, Cocoons and Clones part 1

Prologue here: https://alienficsoutofspite.tumblr.com/post/677031338403151872/curses-cocoons-and-clones-prologue

Im aware this part is short but things are going to get busy for me soon and I’m trying to relax when I can so I’ll be slower with updates but in the meantime, please enjoy.

“Sirs…the floors are glowing.”

Hardcase who was supposed to scouting the building with Dogma while the others used the rain to rinse off all the muck off was poking at loose piece of wood. It was slightly hidden by a pillar in the back of the room. Rex barely contained a sigh. Ahsoka peeked at said lose floorboard and gently pried it open. “Wizard! It looks like a cave system.”

“Maybe the people who lived here used it as a means of escape.” General Kenobi suggested

“Or to hide spice.” Rex grumbled. He was NOT in the mood to find some weird cave that may or may not have something that they weren’t supposed to find. Suddenly he was glad that General Skywalker wasn’t here. He was currently on Coruscant spending time with his secret wife as the Chancellor summoned him for some meetings of some kind. Anakin Skywalker would have gone in went no plan and would probably need a rescue.

Unfortunately, Kenobi although more cautious was curious. With Ahsoka on the team Rex was sure they were going on an spontaneous adventure again.

“What do you think Commander Cody?” Asked Kenobi.

Rex prayed that he would say to ignore it and focus on the task at hand.

To Rex’s dismay, The commander took off his helmet and peered down “I think we should check it out in case the Separatists left something important.”

The cave system was thankfully not a maze but it certainly was a complicated one. Rex it reminded uncomfortably of the labs on Kamino. Some of the other vode must have the same thought as their shoulders were stiff like they were being watched by the trainers. The only source of light were these weird bulbs that grew on the stalactites of the cave.

Cody suddenly stopped in front of large opening. “Cody?” Rex was almost afraid to ask

He waved his hand “Sorry I thought…. Nevermind.” He hurried over to Kenobi. Rex and Fives exchanged looks. Even though the helmets they knew how to read a vode’s body language. Something was definitely wrong. Rex turned to the opening. “Want to check it out?” Asked Fives.

“Let’s see what this place is really about.” muttered Rex and walked further into the cave.

“There was more of the weird glowing eggs things in here.” Rex mused to himself. There was, with them growing thicker and bigger clusters. Rex’s eyes wandered to the centerpiece in the middle of the room. It was a small object on a pillar. It was round and porous with vines and flowers growing in the tiny holes. Fives reached his hand towards it-

“Wait!”

But it was too late a thick pollen erupted from the object covering the room in the stuff.

“Fives!”

“Uhhh…..sorry sir?”

Rex groaned it was bad enough being covered in mud.

Rex felt the beginnings of a headache “let’s just go back to the men.”

“Yes sir.”

Fives didn’t argue and as they slowly walked to the others Rex felt his headache worsening. By when he saw Commander Ahsoka and Cody he felt like his entire body was being crushed.

Cody shouted when Rex collapsed. Distantly he was aware of Fives doing the same. The last thing he saw was Ahsoka’s and Cody’s worried faces.

Prompt: sleepy Captain Rex

That’s all. Short and sweet. Maybe a little Fives thrown in for fun. 😁

I have made vod fluff 🤷🏽‍♀️ Sorry if you wanted X Reader stuffs anon 😬

these were just some feels that came up... (I blame @lifeofclonewars for encouraging my clone cuddle pile headcanons)

Complete mental and physical exhaustion. There wasn't much else to it. After a long... rotation? (give or take a couple hours) of sorting through mission reports, requisitions... oh hells, when's the last time he ate something? Doesn't matter. He's got about an hour until Kix was heading to the barracks to... actually Rex didn't know if the medic even slept anymore... but he would be coming to the barracks. And maybe two hours before Echo and Fives stumble in from whatever place they're drinking at tonight. He removes most of his armour, placing it on the rack near the entrance to the small barracks room. His feet dragging along the floor as he tries to remember which bunk is his. That doesn't matter either, apparently, as he suddenly trips over something on the floor.

Kix entered the barracks, ready to spend the next couple hours going over patient reports, planning out treatments, and reviewing procedures. Placing his boots and helmet on the rack, he notices the sound of heavy breathing from... the middle of the room? He flicks on the light on his vambrace to see Rex flopped across some matresses that were on the floor for whatever reason. His mind tiredly jumping to how he, Rex, Jesse, and Hardcase used to sleep out in the field. (It always felt safer, leaning against a vod.) He rolls Rex off his stomach, only mildly surprised the when Captain doesn't wake at all. Sitting him up to where he could lean against Rex's back, Kix sat in the position they'd taken up countless times on missions. Fully expecting to sit awake, skimming his data pad until someone comes to help him move the dead-to-the-world captain.

Fives stumbles into the barracks, followed quickly by Echo who is (loudly) shushing him, telling him not to wake anyone. They both stop at the same time as they become aware of light snoring and a dim light in the middle of the room.

"You didn't put the mattresses back?" Fives hissed at his twin.

"I'm not the one who wanted to see how far he could jump off the bunks." Echo shoved Fives' shoulder.

Fives squints in the low light of Kix' data pad. Seeing the Captain and the medic sleeping against each other's backs, heads rolled back on the other's shoulder. He smacks Echo's chest with the back of his hand. "I told you we weren't the only squad to sleep like that."

"Di'kut, I'm not the one who disagreed with that." Echo slurred slightly, as he went to the right side of their sleeping vode. Leaning low so his head wasn't in Rex's face. Fives just shrugs, taking up the left side, making sure his hair wasn't going to brush against Kix if he shifts too much.

Angstober Day 21

Can’t Save Everyone

Spoiler: This is an excerpt from Sea Shadow

He exchanges a look with an equally desperate, confused looking Ahsoka. It’s reminding him so much of Mortis suddenly, of when the Son was controlling her and she attacked him. He doesn’t want to have to face that from Rex too, only months later. Everything that happened there still haunts him sometimes.

“Rex, it’s doing something to you,” he says, “Remember what I said about it influencing minds?”

Rex blinks, staring at him. “Yes. But it’s not here. This is…”

One of the Gungans yowls and jumps at them, half-blindly. It hits Ahsoka, and they tumble to the ground, rolling through the grass.

Why is he attacking her?

What’s happening to them? It’s like they’re all being mind-controlled, and he doesn’t know what to do, to stop it. Probably, they have to kill that thing.

Anakin yanks the Gungan off her with the Force, sprinting over to position himself between them and her. They’ll never be able to take everyone with them, either way. They’ll have to take Rex now, and come back for the others, as much as he doesn’t want to leave anyone else behind. There’s no choice. That doesn’t make him loath it any less, how it feels like he’s abandoning all the rest to their fates.

“Rex come, we need to go,” Anakin urges. Distantly, he can hear loud splashing. This is bad. The creature must be coming. “We have to leave now.”

“I can’t do that, sir,” he objects, though he takes a few steps closer.

They don’t have time to wait. If they don’t get out now, they won’t. And he doesn’t want to get Rex to the ship like this, but there’s no other choice. He picks him up with the Force, pulling him closer, setting him down lightly in the back, before he and Ahsoka Force-jump after – She obviously picked up on the same level of urgency.

The Gungans are snarling in noises Gungans shouldn’t even be able to make, starting towards them.

Blue sounds like a beautiful color

A blind Leo AU one shot

...

One day like others in the deepest of the sewers,the ex-world champion Lou Jitsu, which real name is Hamato Yoshi,was preparing for another one exhaustin day with his four blessings, Raphael the big brother,Donatello and Leonardo,the "twin" brothers,and Michaelangelo the baby brother,they now have 4,3 and 2 years respectively.

Despite being of different species and ages,the poor old rat has a bad memory and very often mistake their names,he had the idea to put them nicknames based of their shells but this was a bad idea because Raph hate being named like "Snapping one" and Donnie like "Soft one".

"They need a colors code" think to himself

While they were taking their nap,Splinter took the oportunity to go outside the sewers and take a lot of colorfull clothes for his babies.

"Sleep well my sons..."He said while climbed the sewer stairs

Hours later,that afternoon,the kids was very playful,Raph crush every fruit of the fridge with his feet to make smoothies,Donnie destroyed the TV, again. His sole defense was to see how it was made, Mikey was painting on all the walls and Leo, he had a lot of fun listening to the chaos his brothers caused but he wanted to be apart of it.

"Leo!! Come here and paint with me!"

"Sure Mikey!" Leo likes the sensation of have paint between his fingers so he just lends Mikey choose the paint and he put his hands on it

"You always let me choose the colors,what color do you like more?"

"Ummm"Leo paused briefly "I don't know,what's your favorite color?"

"Oh!! This one!!"Then Mikey grabed a can of orange paint " It's orange!"

"Like the fruit?"

"Yes!!"

Then the red eared slider began to smell every can of paint "Ugh! everything smells bad!" said,covering his nose

Mikey only laughted "The paint does not smell good, you have to see the colors to differentiate them"

"What is "see" Mikey? Why you can "see" them but I can't?"

"You don't know what is "see"? See is...You know!! See! When you wake up and open your eyes,watch TV,see the music!"

"That's only for you Mikey,You have synesthesia" Said the purple one,who was approaching them

"Oh right!"

"Donnie,You are a nerd,what is "see?"

Then Donnie,very exciting,went for makers and a whiteboard,then procced to explain "The vision or visual perception is the ability to interpret visible light information reaching the eyes which is then made available for planning and action. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, or simply sight adjectival form: visual, optical, or ocular"He said while painting "any other question?"

"Yes,what is perception?" Asked Mikey

"So the see thing is relationated with my eyes?" Asked Leo

"Correct!,but you said you cannot difference the colors or...maybe you can't see the colors"

Mikey gasped with fear "Thats horrible!! You can't see none of them?! The rainbow colors?! Red,orange,yellow,green,blue,purple or pink? or more? black or white?"

"Technically, black is the result of the absence of color or the complete absorption of visible light" said Donnie "You're not helping!" screamed Mikey "You neither!!"replied the spiny softshell

"Guys!! What's the problem? I made a lot of smoothies for all of us!" said Raph

"Raph...is is something wrong with me?"asked Leo with tears in his eyes "Why I can't see? Why is so important? I'm sick? i'm a weirdo? Am I a b-bad b-brother?" Asked covering his eyes

The other three brothers don't know what to say...but they know what to do...one by one they hugged him

"We don't know if you're sick" said Raph "We don't think this converts you in a weird"said Donnie "But we know that you're not a bad brother!" Exclaimed Mikey "did you remember when the lair had a blackout and we were so scared to the dark? You're not! You were very brave! and you hugged me all the time!"

"And you can smell when Splinter puts a wrong or spoiled ingredient better than us" said Raph "And maybe you're the worst to hidding after Raph,but you're the best seeking us" said Donnie

"...Thank you guys,that means a lot!,and maybe I can't see,but I can know how you are" then Leo proceeded to touch the face of each of his brothers"Raph, you're the strongest and big of us and you have a lot of thorns...Donnie,you have a big forehead,maybe that's why you're the smartest...and Mikey,your face is always full of fresh paint,I like it!"

"Je,thanks big bro!" Said the box turtle

Then the four turtles kept playing,this time making things that Leo could do.

Later,Splinter came back with a big bag in his back "Oh childrens~!! your father brings you something!"

"No way!! Did You stole Santa's magic coat?!" Asked Mikey very exciting

"What? No,no Mikey,steal is bad for you,anyway,come on here!" He said while opened the big coat with a lot of kids clothes

"Woahhh~!!!" Gasped Raph,Mikey and Donnie

"What?,what is?"asked Leo very exciting

Splinter just smiled and put on a beautiful blue t-shirt on he "Do You like it?"

Leo procced to touch it"Is...soft,and warm,like your clothes...I like it!! can I have more!?"

"Of course,it's enough for all"

"The big is perfect for me!"Said Raph,putting on a big red football shirt

Mikey took a lot of clothes,especially the orange clothes"Everything is awesome!! I can't decide-"

"The purple clothes it's mine!!" Said Donnie, putting on a purple sweater "Purple like atomic lass~"

"What color would you like,Leo?" Asked Splinter

"Dad! He can't choose, he's blind"

"Yeah,I knew Donatello,but you can help him to decide"

"Mmm~ it's very hard,there is a lot of colors"said Mikey "What's the color of My shirt?"asked Leo "Oh!, it's blue!"answered Donnie

"How is the blue color?"

"Is a great color! It's the sky color,the sea color...your eyes color!"said Mikey

"Really?!"

"Yes!! And your shell color too!" Said Donnie

"Then I want it!" Exclaimed Leo very happy

"...My sons,I think you can use all the colors,but maybe...this looks better in only each one of you" said Splinter,tying a mask to each of them"

That's how Slinter begun to differentiate them... unfortnunately,this made he forgot his real names a lot of times,but well,at least Leo has one thing more in common with his brothers.

...

I hope you like it,sorry for grammatical errors,english isn't my first language

Thanks to @simplyfornardo for help me with the errors

❤️💜💙🧡

Based off a little line in time travel fic where Elphie introduces Glinda to pecan pie! (and bc @c-rose2081 said Oz could possibly have invented epinephrine🤷🏻‍♀️)

///

“Do you like it?” Elphaba asks, watching carefully to make sure Galinda is actually eating. She figured appealing to the girl’s sweet tooth would do the trick- Galinda nods happily and digs in for another bite. 

“It’s great!” she mumbles around a mouthful. Galinda blushes at her own excitement, and Elphaba can’t stop the fond grin from spreading across her face. Cute.

Galinda only eats about half her actual slice, but she keeps pulling the pecans out from the center to nibble on, so Elphaba will take it as a win. Nuts are relatively healthy, right? Even coated in sugar? 

“I’ve never tasted anything like this before,” Galinda says, licking her lips happily. She coughs lightly and clears her throat. “It’s tingly.”

Elphaba’s brow scrunches in confusion. “Tingly?” She’s eaten pecan pie for years and never once would she describe it as ‘tingly.’

Galinda coughs again, turning her head away to tuck her mouth in her elbow. She nods, waving her fork in the air as if trying to find the right words. “Yeah. It’s sorta…fizzy.”

What? 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Elphaba says, laughing lightly. Leave it to Galinda to totally stump her like that. The blonde had a habit of thinking so far outside the box that Elphaba could barely keep up with the logic. 

Galinda rolls her eyes, clearing her throat again and setting her fork down. She slides the plate toward Elphaba. “You try and describe it then. Tingly is the best I’ve got.”

Elphaba dutifully picks up the fork and takes a bite. She’s had pecan pie several times before, of course, but maybe the cooks at Shiz made it differently or added a special ingredient. Some spices like cinnamon or such could…almost be described as ‘tingly’ if you weren’t used to them. 

Galinda has to turn her head away to cough again, this time nearly doubling over from the effort. Elphaba frowns at her as she chews and swallows quickly. The pie tastes totally normal, but Galinda is starting to worry her. 

“Wrong pipe?” Elphaba asks cautiously. Galinda opens her mouth to say something but gets caught in another round of coughs that turns her face red with effort. She groans lightly, rubbing at her throat. 

“Sorry,” she croaks. “Yeah, probably just went down wrong.” She nods toward the pie on the plate in an effort to distract from the way she’s got tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. 

“What did it taste like to you?”

Elphaba shrugs, not really interested in the pie anymore. Galinda’s face is growing paler by the second and there’s sweat starting to bead on her temple. She clears her throat again and her next few breaths are slightly wheezy. 

“It just tasted like nuts to me,” Elphaba says dismissively. “Are you okay?”

Galinda freezes, staring at her with wide eyes. “Nuts?” she asks. 

“Um, yeah, the pecans. Seriously, Galinda, are you alright?”

Galinda takes in a few shaky gasps, hands starting to tremble as she rubs her throat again. She blinks several times in quick succession as her gaze falls to the pie. “Oh,” she whispers, swallowing hard. 

“I think I’m allergic to nuts.”

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, CT-7567 | Rex, Obi-Wan Kenobi Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Episode: s04e13 Escape From Kadavo, Implied/Referenced Torture, Whipping, Caretaking, Platonic Cuddling, Protective CC-2224 | Cody, CC-2224 | Cody Has Issues, CC-2224 | Cody Needs a Hug, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, CT-7567 | Rex Whump, Hurt CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody has PTSD, Clone Trooper Mistreatment (Star Wars), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Slavery, Exhaustion, Aftermath of Torture Summary:

Cody and Rex after Kadavo.

The Truth Lies (In An Unmarked Grave)

On some days, Rex is certain the grief is going to kill him. There's only so much a person can take, and he reached that limit long ago-- reached it, then vaulted straight past it. Echo is alive, and that's fantastic, but... Fives isn't, and he's only the most recent on the long list of people Rex has failed to save. On some days, Rex is convinced that he's just walking wounded, that it's only a matter of time before his injuries catch up to him and put him in the ground.

That's... not what happens. Instead, Rex wakes up with Fives, and General Skywalker years in the past, back before Fives' death, before the Citadel, with their memories of the future intact. Instead, Rex finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place as he tries to save his family, with the constant threat of the Chancellor hanging over his shoulder.

(Ao3 Link)

Chapter 1

After working with The Bad Batch– after finding Echo and losing him again, after punching Crosshair and forcing himself to work with him anyway– Rex finds himself sitting on a log, staring at the bonfire in front of him.

The roaring fire illuminates the darkness of the night sky, and Rex can feel the heat from it on his face, warming up his knees. Despite that, his fingers feel cold around his beer bottle as he stares down the flames, a shade short of tipsy, not quite tipsy enough.

[[MORE]]

He feels… almost isolated, with the way the sky stretches out above him, vast and endless, twinkling stars bright against the darkness of the night. But he’s not alone– far from it, in fact– Jesse’s sitting on his right, and Kix is on Jesse’s right, and Ridge on Kix’s right, and Sterling on Ridge’s right, which brings him all around to being on Rex’s left.

They’re a lively bunch. It’s not quiet around the campfire– far from it, in fact. If Rex felt a little less detached, he knows he’d be right there with them, laughing and joking. But the events of the last few days, months, years, weigh on him, and it’s easier to let himself be mesmerized by the crackling flames than putting in the effort to be engrossed in conversation.

Jesse, however, is not one to be upstaged by a firepit. He leans forward, grins, waves his hand in front of Rex’s face. “Hey Cap,” he says, ignoring Kix’s facepalm. “How do you know if there’s a member of the Bad Batch at your party?”

Rex sighs, looks up at the sky. Prays for some sort of divine intervention.

No divine intervention arrives. Rex sighs, loudly. “How, Jesse?” he asks, half certain he already knows the answer.

“”They’ll tell you,” Jesse replies, and despite the fact that Rex had been expecting that exact answer, he still finds himself snorting at the accuracy of it. “Hey, how would the Bad Batch kill a space snake?”

Rex sighs again, louder this time. He definitely knows where this one is going. “How?”

“They make contact with it, ignore all Judicial Department directives and build a rapport with the snake, train it to kill other snakes, then return to Kamino to file a requisition of GAR resources form and take in the snake.”

Rex… shouldn’t ask. They’re all feeling weird after their last mission, every single Forcedamned clone is a raw nerve at the moment. He really shouldn’t ask.

Kriff it. He might as well ask. “Is the snake in this metaphor meant to be Echo?”

“Of course not sir, Echo was– is about as sneaky as a reg manual to the face.”

“Big words coming from you,” Kix chimes in, taking advantage of Jesse’s temporary distraction to steal his beer and finish it off.

“Kix, I’ll let you know that I’m an ARC trooper, actually,” Jesse defends. “I absolutely know how to be sneaky.”

“Well, since you’re a high and mighty ARC trooper, I guess that means that you’d just kill our metaphorical space snake by accident, and it would turn out that this metaphorical snake was sacred to the people there, and the natborns would then demand the removal of Republic forces from the planet.”

Rex chokes on his beer, coughs as Jesse sputters. Kriffing hell, someone decided to go for the throat today. “Oh, kark off,” is what Jesse eventually says in response, and Kix shrugs, looking all too smug with Jesse’s bottle in his hand.

After he finishes restoring the air to his lungs, Rex finds himself looking down at his hands, letting the conversation fade to a dull roar in the background. He looks down at his right hand, forms a fist with it, frowns. Unrolls his fingers one by one, flexes them once, then twice, then three times. The memory of punching Crosshair is all too present in his mind, as is the memory of liking it. Of wanting to do it again.

For all that he knows that he was made for killing, Rex has never thought of himself as an inherently violent person. But right now, there’s a part of him saying otherwise, a part of him that’s determinedly whispering what might even be the truth in the back of his mind.

He’s realized recently that he’s changing. And it’s because of the war, yes, but it’s also because of other things, and that… worries him. Scares him, almost, though he’ll never admit it out loud. Rex is a clone. He’s not made for change– the opposite, really. He’s been designed not to evolve past his programming.

But Crosshair had said that they should’ve left Echo behind, and Rex had seen red. For a second, all he’d been able to think about was Fives’ anguish at the Citadel, Fives’ grief in the aftermath, Fives’ rapidly cooling body in his arms, and–

Yeah, Rex had punched him. The shabuir had deserved it– deserved worse, an insidious voice inside him whispers.

(Rex at the beginning of the war never would’ve done that. Rex doesn’t know if his past self would even recognize the man he’s become now.)

Anyway, General Skywalker may not have liked that punch, but Kix and Jesse were on his side, and that was good enough for Rex. It had to be.

He glances down at his fist once more, sighs, and picks up his beer again, finishing it off. He probably should get started on those reports and finish filling out Echo’s transfer forms, so Rex opens his mouth to excuse himself when General Skywalker comes out of his tent, holding something strange and triangular, something that’s glowing red, and suddenly–

The world tips sideways.

Dimly, Rex hears alarmed shouts of his own name, feels the beer bottle slip from his hands, but all he can focus on is the nauseating roil of his own stomach, and the way that General Skywalker seems to have lost his balance too, and is clinging to a tree for support. Rex blinks, tries to focus, tries to marshal his thoughts into something coherent, then–

Nothing.

Cadet-Napping

AKA Forced Adoption

Cody trudges into the room tired and pissed. He’s had enough of this day already and he can already see Bly’s stupid karking smirk. It almost makes him turn around. Almost. If it wasn’t for the ever growing weight on his back he would’ve about-faced and said kark it. His burden grumbles as his steps falter when Bly’s smirk sharpens. He knows the comment is coming, he knows, and if his arms weren’t full he would be preparing to deck him.

“We’re not keeping him, huh?” 

“Shut up Bly.” A verbal jab is all he can do without jostling the cadet on his back. He strides past him to set their bleeding vod’ika on the bench. 

“Not two hours ago you were saying he had to stay with his own squad. What changed your mind so fast?” Bly hands him a clean cloth and some gauze. He gets to work with a huff.

“His squad jumped him again.”

“They really don’t like that he’s blonde that much.”

“Apparently.”

“Wait. Why were you even heading back that way to begin with?”

“I looked him up. He’s been transferred thirteen times for infighting. It’s a wonder that the Kaminiis haven’t decommissioned him yet.”

“You were going back to grab him anyway.” 

The statement is said with so much barely contained glee. He feels his eyebrow twitch twice before he can stop it and finishes wrapping up the cadet’s wounds. Heaving him back into his arms he strides past his infuriating brother once more. There’s no way to answer Bly’s statement, not without making the bastard even more smug. Besides he has to figure out how to get his vod’ika into a sleeping pod and then convince Alpha that the kid should be transferred into their squad.

“Kark you’re so kriffing soft. Who would have thought it possible. Kote has gone soft.”

“Shut Up Bly!”