Cuyanir (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

21

The stillness was erie. Rex could see wind, and feel it. But it made no noise as it moved like a ghost through the trees and mist. There was no sound, none but the dull thud of the soldiers' boots, and the creaking from the scout walkers. 

"I don't like this." Hardcase muttered from behind Rex. Rex couldn't blame the kid, after what had happened the first day there. Rex didn't like the quiet either. Cavalry limped along next to him, dragging her injured foot ever so slightly. 

An explosion, which seemed both deafening and muted in the silence, rocked the world. It was quickly followed by another. "Mine, everybody freeze." He dropped to the ground, getting as much cover as he could. They waited, but nothing more exploded. Slowly, Rex got to his feet. The others followed his lead, carefully making their way over to their fallen comrades. 

"Oz is down."

"So's Ringo." Rex gritted his teeth. This was a terrible plan. They now had to make their way through this minefield without losing anymore men. 

"Can you sweep 'em?" He called to Fives. Fives nodded. A few stones highlighted themselves in the light of the scanner. It was a miracle that they hadn't all been blown to kingdom come yet. 

"The whole road is trapped." Fives growled. "This is what we get for-" He was cut off as a whistle came through the stillness, clear and shrill. 

"Move!" Rex roared as a rocket hit close by. They all dived for the ground, and prayed that no one hit another mine. Then, the stillness erupted into blue and green fire. 

Ahsoka woke up screaming. She sat up in her bed, clutching sweat-soaked blankets to her. Anakin burst through the door seconds later, the clone temple guards with their blasters drawn. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Ahsoka was alive and untouched. He dismissed the clones with a wave. Ahsoka was trembling like a leaf when her master came over and sat next to her. 

"Sorry master. I had a bad dream." She whispered, staring into nothingness. Anakin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"In my experience, most dreams have a ring of truth." He said, gently. "Wanna tell me about it?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "I can't make sense of most of it. Rex, he was marching down a road, but it was mined. He had a chain around his neck pulling him forward. Where Rex goes, the rest of the battalion followed. The couldn't turn back, until all of them were dead. And then Rex was running through a jungle, trying to stop the 501st and the 212th from destroying each other and..." She trailed off. Anakin rubbed soothing circles on her back as she calmed down.

"Someone's thoughts lie with her captain." Anakin remarked. Ahsoka blushed.

"No, I just... yeah, I have been thinking about him." She admitted. Anakin laughed, and she elbowed him in the ribs. "Be quiet."

"Go back to sleep, snips. I'm sure it's nothing" Anakin whispered softly. Ahsoka put her head in his lap and drifted back into the would of dreams. She felt that connection, the pull that held her and Rex together. It woke her up in time to save him on the trandoshan fortress, and it let her feel his apprehension when she left for Mon Cala. Now, it told her that he was in trouble. It wasn't like her bond with Anakin, that was a training bond strengthened by friendship. This bond was different. It never seemed to be happy until she was curled up next to him. But it would all be ok in the end, right? 

"Gah! They're everywhere. We have no cover!" Tup yelled. Rex was cutting them down, one by one as he fought Umbarans. The rocket mortars would slam into the republic troops, and then the Umbarans would overwhelm them, forcing them back, away from the capital. 

"Eat heat seppie scum!" Roared Hardcase, his heavy rotary gun spraying into the shadows on the roadside. Two more mortars slammed into the ground nearby, sending up a spray of green fire. This was hell. If the moons of Iego, the home of the angles was heaven, then Umbara was hell. 

He had to take the capitol. Those were his orders, and he had a duty to follow him. Duty. How much trouble had that word caused him, when he would forsake his duty as a soldier to his duty to his brothers. Of vise versa. He looked around, and saw his brothers falling like dominoes around him.  

"We have to pull back. If we can draw them out, then we'll both be without cover." Fives yelled to him. Rex had his orders. He was to take the capitol. He had his brothers. He was to protect them. He keyed up his unit comm. 

"All units, pull back. Draw them out from cover, and we'll have a fighting chance." He said grimly. They followed his orders, pulling back. The Umbarans followed, and the clone battalion forced them to run. More reinforcements came, helping them drive the enemy back. And then, in the same suddenness that Umbarans were infamous for, they were gone. 

Rex let out a sigh of relief, turning to see the condition of the remaining men. He spun around only to come face to face with the general himself. Krell was not happy.

"CT 7587, do you have a malfunction in your design?" He roared. Rex flinched. "You pulled back your men from taking the capitol!" Rex stared at the general, his mouth open behind the helmet in shock. Fives noticed his captain's plight and stepped in. 

"With all due respect sir, Captain Rex just saved this platoon!" He yelled, stepping towards the bezalisk. Krell pulled out one of his lightsabers, still folded, and activated one end of it. The brilliant green end was dangerously close to Fives's helmet.

"ARC 5555, Stand. Down." He growled, his voice dangerously soft. 

"Sir. Yes. Sir." He snarled back, mimicking the general's tone. Krell put the lightsaber away, and turned back to Rex.

"Sir," Rex began, tipping his visor up to meet the jedi's eyes. "I followed your orders, even in the face of a plan that was in my opinion, extremely flawed!" His voice rose. "I have a duty to follow your orders, but I also have a duty to my brothers. We lost men today, not clones," He tore his helmet off and stared the general right in the eyes. "Men! Men that I swore to protect when I took the captains pauldron on my shoulder."

Krell didn't seem surprised, to his credit. He scoffed. "I suppose your loyalty to your men is to be commemorated. Well, Captain Rex, your bold disregard for my orders seems to have struck a chord with them. Dismissed." He spun on his heel and marched away, leaving Rex standing there. 

"I think he almost complimented you." Fives mocked, glaring at the general's distant form. Rex shrugged tiredly.

"Who can tell anymore." 

A/N ~ Clone Wars season 7 episode 11 came out today. My heart, my poor, poor heart. I won't spoil, but the feels broke me for a couple hours. Nnnnnggggg. Love you all, thx for almost 2K reads!! No riddle of the day today, sorry.