BATTLE SCARS [✓]

× Chapter Twenty Five: Ready ×

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"Are you sure?" He asked as Mal looked at him and nodded slowly. "You're my closest friend. Right behind Ahsoka. And I think you should know. It wouldn't make sense for you not to know."

"But, I'm nothing special. I'm just a clone. Stuff like that you should share with Commander Tano." Rex said as Mal shook her head. "You know, Rex, I get that you're a clone, but you're also a human being. Don't sit here and say all these things about yourself. I know there are some that think as such, but not me. Not Master Anakin. Not Ahsoka. And not Master Aayla. We value your lives as a human being, not a lab rat, not a clone, but as a soldier, as a man." Mal blurted out before she looked towards the fire. Rex noticed how her voice had cracked up in the end and he furrowed his eyebrows slightly.

"I...I lost a good friend of mine. His name was Jax. He was one of the most cockiest of all and he was stubborn as hell, but he was like my older brother. He died at the hands of the Separatists. More importantly, Count Dooku. Master Kenobi was a Padawan at the time and his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, had came to bring Dooku down, but they didn't know he took a hostage. Jax ended up dying that day, right before my eyes. His head sliced clean off his body. He was an innocent 17 year old. He use to babysit me and my other sister, he use to teach us how to read and write even if my parents didn't allow it. One day, my parents walked in on him teaching me and my younger sister and they kicked him out. That was also the same day that they tortured me. They didn't do anything to my younger sister because I told them I would take it. But they went too far and gave me a scar. One that I can't show. You might judge me." Mal said while crossing her arms.

"Mal, does it look like I'm judging right now?" Rex asked as Mal looked from the fire to him. "No, but nobody understands what it's like to hide my scar! To be afraid that another person is going to look at me and degrade me because of it!" Mal exclaimed while tears began to well in her eyes.

"But, I think I do. My scar is being a clone. You get people that will think of us as such. Nothing we can do to change that. But you shouldn't be embarrassed by your scar. Think of it as your battle scars." Rex assured as Mal looked from him to the fire.

"Maybe. But for now, I'm not ready. I'm not ready to display it to everyone. I'm going to need some time." Mal admitted while hugging her knees to her chest. "I understand. Whenever you're ready, Commander Tano, Wolffe, General Skywalker, General Plo, and myself will be here with you. Never forget it." Rex said while placing his hand on her shoulder plate.

"Thank you, Rex."

"Anytime, kid. Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll keep watch." Rex assured as Mal nodded, lying her head down on a log nearby and falling fast asleep.