Clone Wars One-Shots *Humor*

I. Rex and the Baby Bantha

     The steady hum of the cruiser flying through hyperspace was a stark contrast to the loud conversations from the clones' barracks.  Rex dutifully paced up to the door which read, "501st Legion - Barrack 2."  The familiar sound of arguments and ramblings emanated from behind the door - the voices all sounded the same.  Rex lightly sighed before reaching for the button, and entering the room.

     A yellow hue radiated from light tubes going vertically down the length of the room, illuminating the gray walls.  White helmets with blue paint of different variations lined one of the walls.  A group of the troopers huddled together by the holo game table in the centre of the room, shaking their fists at the two clones playing against each other.  The small gathering of clones swiftly ended their conversation, turning their eyes towards the captain.

     "At ease," Rex commanded, nodding as he continued through the room.  He soon reach the bunks and began briefly checking them for the 'after-mission' inspection before the proper inspection would start.  His thinking was that if anything was amiss with his division, he would find out before the general inspection officers, leaving his squad with the best record, both on and off the battlefield.

     His eyes glanced from bunk to bunk.  After conducting a thorough search, he left to move on to the next room.  As he turned, a noise sounded from behind the bunks, like that of an animal.  He raised his eyebrow suspiciously as he poked his head closer.  Again, the animal-like groan sounded.  Immediately, Rex moved to the end of the bunks.  On the ground, a boxed crate lay, barely covered with a brown blanket.  

     As Rex reached his hand to move the blanket, the lid popped up.  Rex quickly grabbed the lid, pulling it off the crate.

     Two gigantic brown eyes stared up at the captain as the little creature belched once again.  Rex instantly recognized the furry creature - from its curled horns and big mouth - as a bantha, a baby bantha from their recent mission to Tatooine.

     Captain Rex, in a state of shock, reached for the tiny creature.  Its toothless mouth soon chomped down on his hand.

     "Gah!" he exclaimed, retracting his arm.  Rex stands, cocking his head towards the clones.  "Who did this?" he questions, his voice firm.

     All the clones stopped, turning towards one clone at the far corner of the room – Hardcase, who was cleaning his gun. He gradually looked up from his weapon, lowering it to the floor. "Oh, that..."

     "This is unacceptable - you know the rules!" Rex snapped, pointing towards the bantha. "This is a serious offence – taking habitation from an unauthorized planet, smuggling it aboard this vessel!"

     "I know, I know, but it was looking at me," Hardcase replied, "It wasn't gonna make it on its own."

     "What are you going to do?" another clone questioned.

     Rex stared down at the baby bantha in the crate. On the one hand, the creature could not stay here, on a star cruiser. On the other, where else could it go? The fleet was in hyperspace back to the Republic. If word got out that a bantha was in the 501st, Rex would never hear the end of it. His entire platoon's reputation would be in question – over a bantha no less.

     "I'll...handle it." Rex responded unenthusiastically. He reached down, grabbing the bantha box by the sides. Captain Rex waddled to the end of the room. As he began to leave, he turned back to Hardcase. "I'll deal with you later."

     Rex crept around the corridors, careful not to draw attention. He returned to his quarters, carrying the box inside as the door slid open. The room was quite basic – a plain bed, armour stand, and a raised metal slab for a bedside table with a holographic photo of him and his friends. A transparent window was carved out of the far wall, overlooking his bed; the blue and white streaks from hyperspace made it impossible to see where he was in regard to planets and stars.