Cuyanir (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

18

Umbara was a dark and misty planet, Rex couldn't even see the ground through the thick vegetation and mist to the ground. It was too much like his nightmares about the trandoshan jungle for him to be completely fearless. He felt one last time at the blasters on his hips, shifting in his phase two armor. He had opted to modify his armor instead of completely replacing it. His helmet still smelled faintly of exposed metal, the plastoid and metal compound in his armor making it the best available. 

He felt something crinkle in his pocket, and pulled out a small paper note. One of Ahsoka's. the thought had warmed his chest that she had found a way to talk to him when she was on the other side of the galaxy, and he wasn't allowed access to off-world comms. 

Rex~
          I know that you're headed to Umbara, and that I cannot come with you. For that I'm sorry, I know how much it's like your nightmares from yours and Cavalry's descriptions. I wish that I could be there with you, I really do. Being stuck on Corascant is incredibly boring, but Padme has promised to keep me company for the next month. I pray that it only lasts that long, but I know that these campaigns can last forever, up to three months at a time. Please, Rexie, hurry back.
            Cuyanir. Survive. Please, no matter how bad it gets, survive. I've had some bad dreams about Umbara, but I don't know how many are my imagination playing a trick on my anxious mind, or how many are the force warning me. Please, come back to me soon. 
              I love you.
                                  ~Ahsoka.

Rex was glad for his helmet, because it hid his suddenly watery eyes. He folded the paper up and slid it into a small pocket on the outside of his holster that held about twelve other notes that he had found over the last few days, even before he came to Umbara. Suddenly, the LAAT shuddered, and Anakin stumbled from his position by the panels. 

"We're in the atmosphere, and we'll be coming in hot." He yelled as the roar of blaster fire and enemy ships reached a bone-rattling peak. Rex gripped his blasters tightly, sliding them increasingly further and further out of his holsters. He caught a glimpse of Cavalry's tiny figure at the front. He couldn't see her face, but her hands were steady on her slightly smaller blaster. The first shot made the shuttle lurch violently. 

With the second shot, smoke began to fill the red lit hold. The panels on the sides opened as we neared the ground, the emergency repulser lifts keeping us from all but crashing. We tumbled out, getting our land legs as fast as humanly possible. Skywalker pulls out his wrist comm and pulls out a holo map of the area, before letting out a string of very un-jedi like curses in huttese.

"Kark tah echuta an tytung bu sleemo matmanu. We overshot the landing sight by about three klicks to the north. Right through the enemy lines." He grimaced. Rex suppressed a flinch. The other troops formed up on them, fanning out around the general. Scatter got the troop transport up in the air and was providing what air support he could. It didn't last long as the transport went spinning out of control exploded over a ridge to the east.

Rex gritted his teeth. Scatter is dead, but he has other brothers to look out for to make sure they don't suffer the same fate. He was firing at anything in front of him that wasn't a clone or his general at that point. He heard screams, and he saw brothers fall. This was the first time he had seen Cavalry in a fight. He shuddered, and made a mental note to never cross thirteen year olds with a blaster and two long knives. An umbaran tackled her, seeming to come out of nowhere as it knocked her flat on her back. 

Rex returned the favor, and left him lying in a shallow depression with several blaster shots to his chest. He nodded at Cavalry, who returned the gesture. 

"COME ON!!!!"Yelled General Skywalker as they made a desperate charge up the hill They were nearing the landing zone. General Kenobi's forces were seen, and jumped into the fray to help what was left of the 501st. Rex's helmet was straining to filter out the smoke from the blasters, but the filiters did nothing to stop the smell of blaster shots and the smell of plastoid armor burning. To a clone, it's the smell of death. 

It was almost like the flora and fauna were doing their best to slow the progress of Torrent Company as they charged up, clearing the final ridge to the landing site and seeing the small, ex-Umbaran building that was the current base of operations. General Kenobi's voice crackled over the secure comm channels.

"We need a perimeter put up, NOW" Came the General's voice. Rex made it to the building, where Kix was setting up a sort of an emergency medcenter. Kix nodded at Rex, the closest thing to a salute he could give while rushing around. Something whistled toward them, and Rex turned and shot the genade out of the air. How he knew it was there, much less been able to hit it was a mystery to him. He made his way along the loosely defined perimeter, taking the wounded back to Kix and pick off what was left of the Umbarans. They hadn't defeated them, not by a long shot. But they suddenly seemed to disappear, living up to their name as the Shadow People as they apparently vanished into the mist that clung to the terrain around them

And suddenly there was no more blaster fire, aside from the clones firing into the empty air where the enemy was only a few minutes before. Anakin seemed to materialize beside him. "All troops, calling for an emergency census and casualty report." He said into his wrist comm. The order echoed through Rex's helmet. 

Rex followed the General to the building, through the makeshift medical ward and up to the top of what seemed to be a communications tower. General Kenobi's face looked grim as he watched the casualty reports from the 212th scroll across a holotable in the middle of the room. On the holotable there was a map of the Umbaran Capital pulled up, with several different routes highlighted. Kenobi rubbed his eyes.

"Anakin, finally. What took you so long?" He asked. Anakin gave him a slight grin.

"Overshot the landing sight. It took us a while to fight our way through." He said, trying for his usual tone of arrogance and failing. His voice shook a little. 

"Rex, Torrent Company casualties." He said, giving up on the arrogance and just sounding tired. Rex pulled up the file to his HUD, and winced as he read it allowed.

"We lost Scatter, Scythe, Weasel, and Rush. Whiteout is in critical condition. Cavalry, Fives, Axle, Jesse, and Neon are injured to some extent as well." He said, his face hidden but his tone gave away its ashen color. His hand absently tracing the small pocket where Ahsoka's letters were hidden. 

Anakin muttered something in huttese that Rex didn't catch. This was the first day of a potentially three month campaign. I'm sorry Cyare. But I don't know if I'm going to make it home this time.

A/N ~ May I present the first chapter of the next big part of my story. Oh how I've been looking forward to this. I can't wait to finish it. Thank you to @Bekwii and to @AmythystKreis for the follows and support. RotD, The more of me there is, The less you will see. What am I?