When the Cavalry Comes.

XIV

Static crackled through Cavalry. She came to awareness slowly with a soft groan. Her head ached and her mouth tasted like ozone from the stun shot.

She was laying on a bed in the infirmary. Kix was working quietly nearby. He noticed as she groaned and sat up.

"Let me guess, Neon brought me?" She grumbled, swinging her legs over the edge of the cott.

"No, actually. Fives did. Said he felt bad." Kix grunted. "Let me guess. He was going to do something stupid and you found out." Kix gave her a flat look. "Then you wanted to join him and he said no and stunned you."

"...This has happened before, hasn't it." Cavalry asked. Kix shrugged.

"He's ARC Fives. You know how fame works on Kamino." Kix sighed. "Some shiny attatches themselves to him and he pushes them away. He hasn't really been the same since Echo died. You're... different, though." He hedged. Cav glared at him.

"What gave it away. Was it the hair? Maybe the lack of male genitalia?" She folded put her hands on her hips and stood up. Or, tried to. Her ankle wobbled and gave out from under her, and would have sent her tumbling to the floor if Kix hadn't caught her.

He sighed and picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder. Cavalry growled a bit in pain and frustration. Just because Kix was a medic doesn't mean he wasn't as strong as any other clone. Possibly even stronger, having to carry wounded men and supplies around all day.

He set her on a counter and worked on getting her boot off her injured foot. She hissed in pain. Kix grumbled under his breath in a language Cavalry didn't recognize. Huttese, maybe?

"I told you you need to try to keep off of this thing." Kix said, feeling around her swollen ankle.

"You said it wasn't that bad!" She exclaimed.

Kix gave her a deadpan stare and flicked her foot, making her stifle a yelp.

"It's a broken ankle, Di'kut! Not bad doesn't mean 'sure, go run around on it and pretend it's fine!'" He scolded her, wrapping her ankle tightly. There was a pause, before Kix shook his head and sighed.

"You're now written in as a walking wounded until further notice." He sighed. "And I'm issuing a set of crutches to you. You will use them until you can walk without damaging your ankle any farther." Kix pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can you tell me what Fives was doing when he stunned you at least?"

Cav sighed as she took the crutches and hopped off the counter. "He was going to blow up that big supply ship."

Kix paused. "He kriffing what?"

Cav shrugged, taking a few experimental steps with the crutches. "The supply ship in orbit. The one with the missiles? That Krell told us not to attack?"

Kix stared at her, open mouthed. Whatever he was going to say was lost as an ear spitting explosion echoed around them. Kix rushed out of the infirmary, Cav close at his heels.

Well... the explosion made for a good lightshow at least.

"He's insane." Kix whispered.

"You're just now noticing?" Cav grumbled back. "They'll be court marshaled for sure."

"Nah. The Captain won't let that happen. Fives is his Vod'ika and Jesse has been with them forever. I'm surprised he's not ARC yet, and I don't know how they think they're going to contain Hardcase." Kix sighed. "But they'll be taken to the brig for sure." He rubbed at his eyes tiredly.

"Mess hall?" Cav suggested. Kix nodded.

"Mess hall." He agreed. "I need something to eat before they call me to check over the prisoners." They made their way to the mess.

"Hey Kix?" Cav said quietly, Kix glanced back at her. "Thanks. For not treating me like a kid."

"You're welcome, Cav." He gave a small smile. "You and me are a lot alike, you know." Kix glanced at her. "They always underestimate us. Try to protect us. Me because I'm a medic and therefore 'weaker' than all the other clones, and you because-"

"I'm fragile and small, compared to everybody else." She finished for him.

"I was gonna small, but that works too." Kix chuckled. "Echo was like that too. Everyone underestimated him because he was built smaller than the other clones."

"He was?" Cavalry asked. Kix laughed.

"Sorry. I forget you never met Echo in person. Under that armor he was tiny. At least compared to Fives." He amended. "He was smart too." He shrugged as the came up to the mess, grabbing ration squares and finding a table. "That's partly why Fives is so..."

"Overbearing." She supplied. Kix was silent for a second.

"...sure. You remind him of Echo. How did you-"

"Finish your sentences? I don't know." She shrugged. "It just kinda-"

"Happened." Kix said for her. They stared at each other for a second. "That's freaky."

They both burst out laughing. The sound seemed to ripple through the too quiet air of Umbara.

"How did we do that?" Cavalry asked.

"Maybe you're a jedi and reading my thoughts." He said. Cavalry wheezed.

"Me? A jedi? How many painkillers are you on, Kix?" She asked. Kix gave her a rare grin.

"Enough." Cavalry decided that Kix was a lot more fun when he wasn't in the stuffy infirmary all day. His wristcomm beeped at him and he sighed, lines of stress reappearing as he answered.

"Kix here." He answered, shoveling food into his mouth as fast as humanly possible.

"ARC 5555 and CT 5597 have returned from the escapade. Cell 2187. Medic to look them over before court marshal. Dismissed." Krell's voice crackled over the comm without even a waiting for acknowledgement.

Kix snapped back to the overworked medic faster than Cav could blink.

"I'd best be going. Painkillers are limited, so only use them sparingly on the ankle. Avoid soaking it in hot water and don't take off the wraps." He sighed. "I have idiots to attend to."

He was gone before Cavalry could blink. She smiled a little, making a new personal goal to get Kix out of his shell more often.