Cyare (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

51

Rex stood at the firing range, refusing himself not to let the force steady his hands. He was still iffy when it came to actually hitting a target, but he was getting better. Ahsoka was with the Rebels, making a strike against the military power plant in the city.

He hoped she was ok, but he didn't want to keep checking the bond to feel for her because he didn't want to distract her. He noticed Jaiscon watching him from the shadows, but pretended not to. A self satisfied smirk played across his face as he hit the ring just outside the center of the target and he lowered his 17's. He turned to the kid.

"Can I help you?" He asked, picking up his cane and moving to where his towel and water pouch was. Jaiscon gave a start, realizing that the soldier was talking to him.

"No, sir. Just watching. I finished my chores and maintenance and thought I would come see who was at the range, sir." He said, shifting uneasily.

"Well you saw me. Is there anything else?" Rex asked, trying not to be short with the kid. He wasn't interrupting much, but with Ahsoka gone in the night he was a little unsettled.

Jaiscon hesitated. "What's wrong with you?" He blurted, then flushed at his words. Rex quirked at eyebrow at him. "I mean, the cane and the hands." The kid looked down and kicked at the dirt under his feet.

"The cane came from my being 'a stubborn, self sacrificing captain with no preservation of self'" He made air quotes around what Kix had called him. "Or that's the censored version. The original contained a lot more mando'a oaths that I shouldn't repeat." He took a drink from the water pouch and sat on the wall.

"The hands is nerve damage from an infected lightsaber wound on my back." He said with a grimace, knowing the next questions and preparing himself to tell his tale.

"Lightsaber wound? Did your Jedi commander miss?" He asked. Rex glared daggers at him.

"No. I have never known Ahsoka Tano to miss. Ever." He growled. "Me and the other ARC trooper were searching for the bounty hunters that kidnapped the Chancellor a few weeks back. A sith... er... an evil jedi with a red lightsaber almost cut him in half. I pushed him out of the way and got a glancing blow to my upper back. Said sith then proceeded to kidnap me and the commander and torture us psychologically for days on end until we were rescued. Next question." He stared at the kid who had gone very, very pale at Rex's tone.

"Oh." He said in a small voice. "I...um... did it leave a scar?" Jaiscon stammered. Rex snickered darkly at that.

"Yes. A big one from where my armor melted into my skin." The poor kid went from white to green in a few seconds. Rex realized that he was probably scaring him a bit, so he backed off.

"Want to know something though?" He said, standing up and stretching. Jaiscon nodded, still looking like he was going to be sick. "When you called up to me the first day, called me broken, you were right, kid. I am broken. And that makes me all the more dangerous." He smiled down at him.

"So... broken is good?" He asked hesitantly. Rex burst out laughing at that. Soldier humor, Jaiscon supposed.

"No, kid. Broken is never good." Jaiscon's face fell as Rex continued to chuckle. "But it means I'm human. Which is more than those tinnies can claim." The poor kid looked even more confused than before. Rex lifted his free hand and patted the rebel on the shoulder. "Thanks, kid. I needed that." Rex finally managed to bring his mirth under control.

"Jaiscon. Please." He asked plaintively. Rex nodded.

"Ok. Thank you, Jaiscon." The captain picked up his 17's and loaded a fresh charge. The ki- ah Jaiscon sat down on the wall opposite of where Rex had set his stuff and watched the clone as he fired round after round into the target and the area surrounding it. It was still early (ish) morning, but the sun was rising high over head and heating up. Rex's white shirt was sticking to his back.

When his blasters ran out of charge again he stopped once more for water and to change them. Jaiscon was still there, watching him. Analyzing him, more like it. Rex scrubbed at his face with the towel in the climbing heat, then glanced at the rebel. After debating within himself, the pressing heat won out and he peeled his sweat-soaked shirt off his back and tossed it aside, revealing the scars.

"Oh..." He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him as he moved to fire again. This was his last charge, and good thing too. Once he was done he could go inside for more pin board work. Or maybe he would be balancing metal nuts on their sides this time. He would have to check the sheet Kix had given him.

Before he could start though, Jaiscon spoke up.

"Are those whip marks too?" He asked, slightly awed. Rex flinched as he remembered Zygerria.

"Yes." He bit out, firing a few rounds at the target.

"Were you a slave?" Jaiscon raised his voice to be heard above the blaster fire.

"I'm a clone. We're all glorified slaves."

"Do they whip you in the army?"

Rex paused and shot a bewildered glance over his shoulders. "Not normally, no. What would make you think that?"

"Your commander had marks on her arms and back."

"She was on Zyggeria with me."

"Oh. So you're close?"

"..." Rex didn't know how to really answer that. He hoped Jaiscon would take the redness in his ears for exertion. "Yes." He said eventually. He started firing again, and more of his shots were hitting the target now.

"How long have you been with her?"

"Two years."

"I mean as a couple."

Rex stopped firing. "I don't know what you're talking about." He avoided the question.

"You guys really aren't that subtle. Also, I happened to pass by your door the other night, during the celebration." The young rebel stood and dusted himself off, looking smug. "She was in your rooms."

Rex grumbled some particularly nasty words in mando'a under his breath. "Neither of us like loud noises." He tried. 

"Ok. Say what you will, but I know what Cyare means."

Rex forced himself not to throttle the young rebel. He let out a long breath and put his blasters away. He walked over to his stuff and grabbed his shirt that had dried stiff in the sun.

"I have work to do, kid." He growled, stalking off back to his rooms to start on the more tedious work of rehab.