Captain Rex: Never a Time

Chapter 16: Loss

I was asleep in my bed. We were almost to the Saleucami system when I was shook awoke. A deep pain ran through my chest, I could sense something was wrong. Something happened at the Citadel. I slowed my breathing, trying to calm down. I reached out, desperate to make sure Rex was alive. I felt his life force which took a weight off my chest. But something was wrong. I could feel his anger, sadness. He had lost someone. I knew Echo, Fives, and Cody were with him. If any of them died, I don't think he would ever recover. I was awake now; I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. I went to work, going over our inventory, assessing what weapons we had. The new intel revealed that this wouldn't be but a day's fight. Just reenforcing the troops already there. I went over our tactics and plan with Jessie. We arrived as the sun was rising. As we thought, the troops just needed back-up. With a few new cannons and the extra guns, the enemies were destroyed by dawn the next morning. We were loading up the cannons when Jessie came over. "Looks like we're ready to head back. From the intel I have, seems we'll get there the same time as General Skywalker. And a certain Captain." I could hear the playful tone in his voice, but I could still feel the pain from the other night.

"Let's get out of here." We finished loading up and we were on our way. We landed in Coruscant as the sun was setting a few rotations later. "Jessie, could you- "

"Yeah, yeah I'll finish up here. Go have fun." I was thankful he didn't ask questions. He could be annoying, but he had a kind heart. I walked into the Republic base, asking around to see if anyone had seen Rex. Turns out he was in a room off one of the higher floors. It was like a hotel for Clones, a place they could stay when their cruiser was gone. I went up to the room, trying not to draw attention to myself. I got to the room Rex was in and knocked. It was a while before there was a response. He opened the door. He was in his blacks, but he looked awful. I had never seen him look this tired.

"[Y/N]? What are you doing here?" He moved aside so I could come in. He glanced around to make sure no one was around then closed the door behind us. I turned to ask him about the pain I felt but he wrapped me in a hug, it felt like he was putting all his weight on me.

"Rex, talk to me." He pulled himself off then grabbed my hand and led me to the bed. We sat on the edge and he placed his head in his hands. He sighed deeply.

"We lost Echo." I felt my stomach sink. Echo was a good friend. They would often sit up and work on plans together.

"I'm so sorry."

"He died bravely. Trying to secure our ship. But they just blew it up. It was quick." I could sense his sadness, his loneliness. I rubbed circles on his back. He had seen death daily, but when it was someone close, it always hit deep. There wasn't anything I could do to take his pain away, it would just take time, but I could ease it. I took a deep breath in and placed my hand in the center of his back. Using the Force, I sent a wave of calm into him. I could sense a shift in his emotions. His shoulders sagged, then he sat up. "I don't know what you did but thank you."

"Let's get some sleep. We've both had a long few days." The bed was small, so we had to curl up tight with each other. Even if we had a larger bed, I still think Rex would've held me like he did. He feared losing those he cared for, and those fears came to life. Watching his friend die in front of him was hard. I kept using the Force to emit calm, helping him sleep. It wasn't long before I dozed off as well. The next morning, we had to figure out how to get me out of there. Leaving his room this early in the morning would raise eyebrows, but I was starving and there wasn't any food here.

"Ok, I'll leave first, and if the coast is clear, I'll knock on the door. Then, if anyone sees us, they won't know you were even in my room."

"Uh huh. And what if the coast isn't clear?"

"We'll figure it out when we get there." He was in a much better mood this morning. I knew he didn't get sleep at the Citadel, and the nights following he was mourning. This was probably the first night's sleep he had gotten in a week. He walked out and a few moments later he knocked. I grabbed my bag and walked out of his room.

"So, your plan worked after all."

"You doubted me?" He raised an eyebrow at me. I laughed and we both made our way down the hall to the elevator. We had taken maybe a step out when my comm-link went off.

"[Y/N] speaking."

"Long time, no see," Anakin toyed. "I trust you have my Captain. Meet up at the cruiser. We're heading out." He ended the call as quickly as he started it. I looked up at Rex and smirked.

"Looks like we'll have breakfast on the ship." He went back up and put on his armor and grabbed his bag, then we were off. 

***Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the hiatus. I had finals and the last week I've been relaxing. I will be back to weekly posts as normal. Thank you to all the new readers! Your support means a lot!***