Captain Rex: Never a Time

Chapter 6: Aayla

After the battle of Christophsis, I didn't get to see Rex. Instead, a gunship came to pick me up. I was assigned to assist Aayla and her fleet with sending supplies to allies of the Republic. After Padme's close friend, Onaconda Farr, nearly fell to the Separatist side due to lack of supplies, the Republic was trying to help those who were struggling. I had wanted to talk to Rex before I left, but the 501st were packing to head to their new mission. I boarded the gunship and headed towards the 327th Star Corps.

Once aboard, Aayla filled me in on the systems we would be visiting. This was going to be a boring mission. Helpful, yes, but very boring. I figured this would be a good time to get to know Aayla. I walked with her to the mess hall so she could introduce me to some Clones. Bly was already there. The moment he saw her, I could feel his emotions shift. It was warm, comforting. I knew he loved her, but did she love him? We went over and I spent some time getting to know everyone. She hid her feelings well, but she needed to teach Bly. If anyone else could sense his feelings, he could get into trouble.

Afterwards, she showed me to my room. "Do you need anything else?" she asked gently. I wanted to ask about Bly, but I decided it was too soon. I wanted to befriend her first.

"No, thank you for your kindness." After she left, I went to meditate. Maybe some time away from Rex and the 501st would do me good. I didn't want any attachments forming. I calmed down then got some sleep. The next morning, I went up to the bridge. We were about to land on our first planet. A few hours later, and we were delivering supplies. The people thanked us, and it was a warm feeling. It felt good to help in this time of war without needing to fight. The next few days continued like this. Going to different systems, dropping off supplies, and hanging out with Aayla. She was a very sweet person, but dangerous if angered. The Clones had plenty of stories to tell about her abilities in war. Especially Bly, he was always looking for a time to flaunt her abilities. The other Clones would smirk and glance at each other whenever he would start on about her.

It was out twelfth system that I discovered them. Most of the men were asleep or in the mess halls and the corridors were empty. Maybe that's why I could easily sense something off. I went to investigate. There were strong emotions emanating coming from a corridor that led to the engine room. I rounded the corner and found Aayla, leaned against the wall, Bly resting against her, kissing her. Her hands were tangled in his hair and his were around her waist. She must have sensed me because she pushed him off then spun to face me. I froze, not knowing what to do.

"Commander," Bly said, surprise on his face. He started straightening his armor.

"It's not what it looked like, I swear," Aayla said her hands in front of her like she was calming a wild beast. This snapped me out of my surprise. I smiled and let out a chuckle that turned to a sigh.

"You know, you really need to work on Bly's emotions. I could tell back on Maridun this was going on. Well kind of." I put one of my hands on my hips. Bly looked to Aayla, guilt on his face. She sighed.

"We have been trying to work on it," she said, "but to no avail. Clones have very intense emotions unlike the Jedi."

"Aayla, may I speak with you in my room? I promise I won't keep her long." Aayla nodded then followed me. Once inside, I motioned her to sit on my bed. "I had some questions about this."

"Please, don't tell the Council. They would take him, and who knows what they'd do to me."

"Aayla, I'm not going to tell anyone about this. I promise that." I watched as she sighed, relief on her face. "I see you as a close friend. I would never do anything to hurt that. But I may need some advice." She perked up to this. She pulled her legs in and sat with her legs crisscrossed, excitement on her face.