Back From the Future: Episode VI The Clone Wars - Ariel_Sojourner

In Which Captain Rex is Deeply Troubled and Having a Very Hard Month

I.

Captain Rex could see the flash of lightsabers in the distance and hear the screams of dying clones. Jedi General Pong Krell slashed into everyone he could find, killing Republic troopers indiscriminately. The whole kriffing mission had gone south the second General Skywalker has been recalled from the field. If Dogma hadn't found out that Krell had destroyed the transmitter, he wasn't sure what would have happened.

The 501st had to get to the capital city and Fives still wanted the go ahead for his plan to attack the supply ship in orbit before the troops were committed to another suicide mission. Instead of doing that, they were watching their Jedi General betray them after forcing the clones to kill their own brothers from the 212th! They needed to get back into the fight or the whole campaign would be lost, but as good as the 501st was they couldn't take on a Jedi.

Good soldiers follow orders. That was all that kept pounding through Rex's head with every beat of his heart as his men were slaughtered around him. Good soldiers follow orders, good soldiers follow orders, good soldiers follow orders, goodsoldiersfolloworders, goodsoldiersfollow–goodsoldiers–goodso–

And then it wasn't brothers screaming, it was Krell. A flash of red illuminated the ever present darkness of Umbara.

"Sith, SITH!" Tup yelled in warning.

Rex peered through the darkness anxiously. He could hear the ominous low hum of a saber, see it blood red against the night. He could barely make out who was wielding it. It looked like a towering black shadow, its edges illuminated by Krell's sabers as Krell desperately fought back. There was a glint of armor and a hint of cloth that could be a cloak. It wasn't the witch Ventress and it wasn't Count Dooku. Rex didn't recognize him which meant there was a new player on the field. Rex groaned internally; just what they needed when they didn't have General Skywalker with them! The Sith gave no quarter; he hacked and slashed and Krell lost one saber and then an arm.

"What do we do, Captain?" Fives called out from where he was braced against a nearby tree. "Do we defend Krell? Do we stop the fight? I thought Krell was working with the Separatists!"

Krell was the enemy and the Sith were also the enemy. Good soldiers fought the enemy. Rex brought his guns to the ready.

"No wait, Captain!" an unfamiliar voice called out. The troopers as one whirled around weapons raised and ready to fire. There before them stood a Jedi, green lightsaber in his hand but angled low, not in an attack position. He was human and young, but obviously knighted wearing no braid or beads.

"Sir?" Rex asked cautiously, not lowering his blasters.

The Jedi moved forward putting his weapon away which had all the men relaxing a little. "Pong Krell has fallen to the Dark side and has declared his allegiance to the Sith Master behind the war. He has chosen his fate. We will leave him to it." He watched the lightsaber fight (torture really at this point) for a moment and then turned his attention squarely back to Rex. "I think you and your men have a plan to take out the supply ship in orbit, Captain. We should help the wounded and move quickly to see it done."

The clones looked at each other, bewildered. "You-you're just going to leave General Krell to the Sith?" Hardcase asked.

"Sir, I will need to see some identification and confirm command codes before we move forward," Captain Rex demanded.

"Of course, Captain," the Jedi stepped closer and handed over his code cylinders. Rex pulled out his scanner and verified them. The Jedi had full access and even had General Skywalker's personal confirmation codes authorizing him to take command of the 501st. The only name given to this new Jedi was Luke. No last name was provided. He had heard of General Krell before Umbara but he hadn't heard of any Jedi general or commander going by the name Luke. Perhaps that was a good thing, Rex thought, given how Krell turned out to be a kriffing murderous skrag.