I'll Fix You

The 501st

After his breakdown, Anakin felt quite content. Or at least as content as he could feel. He decided that he wanted to talk to Rex. It had been awhile since he had spoken to his old friend.

Ahsoka was asleep on her top bunk, so when Anakin left he did his best to be quiet. He did not wish to disturb her by waking her up. She had lost enough sleep over him already.

Anakin searched the base until he found Rex outside the perimeter of the base. Rex was sitting on a fallen tree trunk. He seemed deep in thought. Anakin debated wether or not Rex would appreciate him disrupting his peace and quiet, but Anakin had spent quite some time looking for him. He decided to talk to Rex.

"Hello, Rex," Anakin said, making his presence known.

The former clone captain turned around to face Anakin. "General, I... it's good to see you. Do we have a new mission?" Rex asked. Anakin shook his head, a slightly nervous smile on his face. "No. I just wanted to talk to you. It has been awhile since we have actually talked to each other," he said.

Rex smiled back. "It has... Sit down," he offered, patting a space on the trunk next to him. Anakin smiled awkwardly before he did as Rex had requested.

They both sat there, both of their gazes fixated on the orange-pink sky. Anakin was the first to say something. "Do you ever think about how if in the Clone Wars, all of the suffering and death was for nothing?" Anakin asked. "So many civilians and good soldiers died on both sides just for neither of us to win. It was all Sidious' game. We fought each other so that he could come out on top."

Rex sighed to himself, nodding. "I think about that all the time," he said. "But I suppose that the clones died for what they believed in, even if their deaths were never really given justice. I can't speak for all of the civilians that died in the crossfire though." Rex paused, collecting himself. "I mean, we all lost so much, so it's hard to say it was all for nothing."

"Sometimes I miss the war. It was the only time when all of us were together. The 501st, me, you, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Fives, Echo, Padmé," Anakin whispered. "It was the last time that things felt like they made sense. Sure, the battles were gruesome, but at least we had each other. Now we still do, sort of, but we're all broken. Whether we admit it or not, we are, and I hate that."

Rex looked at Anakin, a deep understating in his eyes. "I lost so many brothers in that war, but I find the aftermath is far worse than the actual war ever was," said Rex. "During the war, I had motivation. I had something to fight for; the Republic. But after, I realized that my efforts only helped fuel the rise of the Sith. Even if we were all being deceived, it was easier living a lie than the harsh reality of the galaxy now."

Their conversation was paused when Ahsoka came towards them, walking casually. Rex smiled at her, but Anakin frowned. He had tried to be quiet when he left their shared room, but apparently he hadn't been quiet enough.

Anakin spoke first. "Ahsoka, you should be sleeping right now—" Anakin began, but Ahsoka quickly cut him off. "Anakin, I'm not your Padawan anymore. You don't need to be constantly fussing over me." Her words were sharp, but her tone was gentle. "I can handle myself, alright? I can also handle my sleep schedule well enough. I may have lost some sleep in the past couple of days, but the Force can sustain me."

Anakin nearly wanted to roll his eyes at his former Padawan. She was far too much like him. "Ahsoka, that isn't healthy. Right now we have the time to catch up on sleep we have lost. I suggest you take advantage of this luxury," he told her.