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Rex has made a damn good Legion for himself, Alpha-17 thinks as he steps of his ship into the main hangar of his littlest’s Venator, taking off his helmet to smile at the man himself as he walks over. Rex salutes him with a grin he no doubt got from Wolffe, which causes 17 to roll his eyes with a scoff, “‘Nuff of that, kid.”
“It’s good to see you,” Rex says warmly as they begin walking, taking the long way towards the bridge. “My squad’s been real excited to meet you. They should all be here soon, Echo’s still pulling in, and his crew couldn’t be on time unless it was a matter of life or death.”
“The one with Clone Force 99, yea?” He asks, and Rex nods. “Little troublemakers. Never trained them, but heard plenty about him. Hope the 501st crazy is paying off with your man.”
“Should be,” Rex agrees, “He loves it there. He says it’s because it gives him peace from his twin, but naw, he genuinely enjoys it. They’re good men. Little young around the edges, still got the shiny wildness, but they’re good at what they do. Vicious too. Surprised Cody’s the one who picked ‘em up, not Wolffe.”
17 laughs, clapping Rex on the back, just as they reach the bridge. Two men are lounging around as they enter, the both of them shooting up out of their chairs as they enter, smiles on their faces. “Rex!” they say in tandem.
Rex tips his head at them, an indulging smile on his face. “Boys, this is Alpha-17, my trainer.”
“Nice to meet you, Sir!” One of them says brightly, sticking out his hand. 17 tries not to stare at the massive republic cog tattooed over the side of his face, glad Rex had sent forewarning. It’s very…patriotic. “Name’s Jesse! That’s Fives.” He hooks a thumb to his friend, who, lo and behold, had a 5 tattooed on the side of his face and a goatee that 17 can’t quite form an opinion on. The man smiles brightly.
“Jesse’s my second in command,” Rex says, circling the table and popping up a hologram. “Fives and his twin, Echo, are 2nd Lieutenants. There’s also Hardcase–he’s not officially an officer, despite being an ARC, but everyone treats him like one. Fives, do you know when Echo’s getting in?”
Fives shrugs, but his answer comes quickly. The door slides open behind him, and 17 doesn’t even make a full turn before Fives is shrieking out, “Echo!” and barreling into the waiting trooper's arm with a laugh.
Echo nods at 17 as he passes, fist-bumping Jesse as he settles at Five’s right like it’s the only place in the world for him. “Sir,” he says to both 17 and Rex, who just rolls his eyes with a huffed laugh.
“Good, we’re all here,” Rex says, displaying a map on the holotable. “Alpha-17 will be helping us with this leg of the campaign. Any orders he gives should be taken as mine, and I want you three to make sure your men take that into account too. Now, here’s the plan–Echo, if you have any comment, I’m open to suggestions…”
The five of them quickly fall into a pattern of talking through their next battle, which, if all goes well, will help alleviate a planet of a group of seppie-rebel's control. Echo is brilliant, really, with Jesse and Fives not far behind, but it’s clear that Rex and he are the main masterminds behind the legion's success.
Halfway through talking about which manoeuvre they should use in the fjords, Echo’s comm line beeps. His brows furrow as he glances down at it, mumbling, “One sec,” as he opens the lone. There’s a beat of silence, then a sickly sweet voice comes over the comm.
“Echo.” Jesse begins snickering, as Echo’s face drops just a bit, a strange sort of panic settling over his features. Rex’s eyes narrow at the Lieutenant.
“Kix.”
“Care to explain why someone just told me they saw you arrive in the hangar, but you aren’t in my medbay? I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to come here before anything else. Pretty sure the Cap made it an order, Echo. And I severely hope you’ve just gotten sidetracked and you’re actually coming over.” Rex’s eyebrows shoot up in an all too familiar expression of utter disappointment. Echo winces. The man, Kix’s, voice is sweet, bordering on furious.
“I have a planning meeting, Kix,” he says, almost whining, “I’ll be down soon.”
“Don’t know if you’ve noticed recently, but you are missing most of the lower half of your body, Echo. If you are not in my medbay in the next five minutes, I will hunt your sorry ass down, tie you to a bed, and make you strictly adhere only to Master Che’s eating plan your entire stay. Now.”
“You’re a tyrant,” he mutters, “Look, I’ll be down in a few. Promise. I’ll make Jesse bring me down, sure you wanna see him.”
“If Jesse gets within five feet of my medbay I’m considering it a miracle, and then socking you in your face because he’s an ass and I don’t want him here while I’m trying to work. Not working, Echo. Get here now.”
“Wow, thanks.”
“Come on, Kix, please, I gotta be here.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Rex buts in, having circled around Echo and putting a hand on his shoulder. The man's eyes widen as he realises he’s been caught, looking at his Captain who just shrugs at him with a smile. Your fault, he mouths. “He’ll be down in two, Kix.”
“Rex, you traitor,” he pleads, dragging his name out with a bit of a whine, “Come on, I just got here. I’ll head over the second this meeting’s over. Promise, come on.”
“Kix ain’t wrong, Echo, and you know the rules, and why they’re in place. You. Medbay. Now. Or you’re on Shiny Duty for two months. I don’t want to see you until dinner, okay? That’s an order. Get.”
The man departs with an eye roll and a huff, shoulder-checking Fives as the man grins cheekily at him, mouthing something 17 doesn’t quite catch. Rex meets his eyes with an amused sigh, “Were we like that?”
“Worse.”
17 ends up walking out with Fives, who seems surprisingly relaxed around him. He heavily suspects the guy doesn’t really give a damn about the reputation of the Alpha Class, beyond knowing they outrank him. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy to really get hung up on those things.
17 only realises that Fives is heading to the medbay when they pull up to it, a brief flicker of amusement taking him as he realises. Twins, man. Can’t ever keep them apart for too long, or they get antsy or suicidal or both. Fives makes a beeline for where Echo is still pouting on a cot, a mechanic leaning over one of his legs.
“Looking for someone?” A voice asks, and 17 turns to see a medic, his hair cut in precise bolts of lightning, tapping away at a datapad, not really looking up at him as he writes something out. 17 can barely make out a sticker on it with a medical cross on it. Probably the CMO, if the guy's general expression is anything to go by. They all have the same look about them.
“Just visiting,” 17 says pleasantly, and the guy finally looks up at and registers him, one of his brows arching at the sight.
“Oh, you’re the Alpha. 17, right? Rex’s trainer from way back when?” 17 nods. “Cool. I’m–”
“A TYRANT!” Echo cries from where he’s sat.
“Thanks, Echo. I’m Kix. Sorry if you had to overhear the comm, Echo’s got the self-preservation of skills of a bomb.” (NO I DO NOT! Echo cries, offended.) Kix sighs, rolling his eyes and calling right back, “You know, I miss when I thought you’d marry the regs if given the chance.”
He ignores the Lieutenant as he splutters, the other one bursting into laughter at the sight. The guy grins though, and it turns bashful as 17 says, appreciation in his voice, “You run a tight ship here, I’m impressed. Not always easy to wrangle people around.”
“No, it’s not,” Kix says, his ears flushing red just a bit. It’s pretty endearing if 17’s being honest.
“I’ll leave you to it. Have a nice day!” 17 says with a wave, turning on his heel and heading out of the med bay, and back up to the hangar. His ship is still there, and he’d like to get an idea of where they’ve parked it. However, what he sees as he approaches his ship is not what he expected.
Jesse, Rex’s second, seems to be circling it, taking notes about it with another ARC at his side. 17 has a sneaking suspicion about who it is as he approaches, both of the men’s faces lighting up as he does. “Hello!” Jesse says, “Hardcase and I were just looking over your ship, it’s a thing of beauty.”
“Thanks,” he says, “What caught your eye?”
Immediately, the Lieutenant dives into a discussion about his little fighter, and the other ARC sculks away, probably to do some other mischief. He’s heard plenty of Rex’s 3 AM rants about ARC Trooper Hardcase to have an idea of the guy's temperament. Eh, he’ll catch him later.
But anyways, Jesse seems like one hell of an impassioned guy. He’s pretty funny, too, 17 has to admit, even if the jokes aren’t always all that good, but they’re just plain old ridiculous. But his laughter seems to make the Lieutenant preen stand a bit taller at the approval.
He’d been worried Rex’s kids would try and straighten up for him, and be a little more serious due to his reputation as an Alpha. But they seem to be unconcerned with impressing him, at least outwardly. They seem to be acting the same as ever, but it hasn’t gone unnoticed that every slip of praise he gives makes the boys smile and stand a little taller. It’s pretty damn endearing.
He does indeed catch Hardcase later. Catch him in the act of doing something he’s not sure he wants to know about, that is, and instead of looking like a guilty cadet, the ARC just smiles crookedly at 17 and says, completely causally, “Nice night.”
“I thought Rex was exaggerating about you,” 17 says plainly.
“Heh,” Hardcase laughs, “Everyone always thinks that. Then they meet me and they’re all like, ‘Why’s he like that?’ or ‘Hardcase, you need to calm down’ or ‘Hardcase you’re insane, man. The good type of insane, but insane.’” The man laughs again, tying two ends of a rope together, humming a tune under his breath.
“The kaminoans said I had a leak in my growth chamber, and that’s why I’m like this if that helps at all,” he adds pleasantly, and 17 shakes his head with a smile.
“How’d you escape command, ARC?”
“A particular amount of finesse, some damn fast sprints, and being smarter than Jesse. He tried to weasel out of it as well, ‘cause he’s all like ‘Being an officer scares the shinies, Hardcase, and I don't wanna scare them. I want them to think I’m cool.’ Too bad for him though, he’s not cool, not like me.”
“He told that to Rex–you trained Rex, yeah?–” 17 nods, “Heh, cool. And Rex was like, ‘Jesse I don’t care. You’re the only other capable ARC because our other two are either dead or almost dead.’ I mean, Echo was alive, right, but even after there was no way he was being Rex’s second while he recovered. Kix would have killed him.”
17 can’t help the incredulous laugh, finally caving and asking, “What are you working on?”
“Booby trap for Jesse. He pranked me last weekend and Imma get back at him. Wanna help?”
“I probably shouldn’t. Not a good look.”
“Ugh. Commanders. No sense of adventure.” He glances sideways at 17, smiling again, “No offence.”
“None taken. Happy trails.” Maybe it’s better if he just doesn’t get involved.
“Can I join you?” 17 asks as he approaches Lt. Fives. The man nods silently, sipping at a flask, as 17 sits next to him in the officer's bridge, silently watching the stars. He lets the silence hang for a few moments before finally caving and saying, “I hear you’re the one we owe the republic to you.”
Fives exhales noisily, taking another long sip of his drink that 17’s beginning to suspect is alcoholic in nature. “Yeah. Don’t wanna talk about it though, if that’s what you’re here for.” There’s an edge to his voice now, his dark eyes haunted as he stares out into the vast expanse of space.
“No,” 17 says honestly, “Just wanted to get my people straight. I don’t like men who spend all their time harping on and on about their achievements. You are a fresh breath of air, if you will, Lieutenant.”
“Fives,” he says, “Please just call me Fives. Lieutenant makes me feel like a stuck-up Nat-Born or a Kaminoan. I’m just Fives.”
17 nods, and asks, “What’s the story?”
“My CT number is 5555. Figured it was appropriate. Whole squad thought it was stupid. Echo damn near had an aneurysm because it was against the regs,” his smile turns a little sad. “He used to care about those things so much. Would repeat every order he got, that’s how he got his name. Hated that too. He cares less now, not that I blame him. You get tortured and suddenly rules don’t seem all that important, eh?”
“I suppose so,” 17 says, glancing back down at the flask. “Are you supposed to have that?”
“Nope,” Fives says primly. “Everyone’s convinced I’m an alcoholic. Kix’ll hang me if he sees me drinking, but who gives a shit anyways? It’s not even that strong.” Fives eyes cut to him, appraising and assessing him, his voice dropping down desperately. “Please don’t tell him. He’ll freak out, and Echo will too, and I don’t like when that happens.”
“I won't. I swear on my command batch’s life, that I won’t,” 17 says after a moment. “But your medic and twin ain't wrong. A bottle doesn’t fix anything much, kid. Just gives you a hangover and a dependency.”
“I know,” Fives insists. “I’m trying, it’s just…It’s two years today. Since we got Echo back. Two and a bit since the war ended. And so much has happened, and it feels like so much has changed, but also nothing at all. It’s not easy, knowing my brother’s hurt for life, and it’s partially my fault. I catch myself thinking, over and over again, what I could have done differently, how I could have prevented it.”
“You couldn’t have,” 17 says with a shrug. “From what I know, it sounds like Echo made his choice. You can’t force people to do things, yeah? And I’m sure as all hell he doesn’t blame you, and wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.”
“Yeah, I know,” Fives says, glancing down at the flask. With a sign, he puts it aside, crossing his arms and letting the pair of them sit in silence, staring out at the stars.
“You’ve got some good men with you, Rex,” 17 says warmly, clapping him on the back. Rex blushes a bit, a hesitant laugh falling out of him. 17 smiles at him, at the hesitancy he’s had forever and has clearly imparted onto his men, in some form.
“You tease,” he accuses lightly, but clearly not quite sure how to actually handle the praise.
“No, I’m being serious. All of this, Rex’ika, it’s impressive. You’ve done so much, kid, you know that? If someone had told me back then that the blonde little CT my CC’s picked up would become this, I don’t know if I’d believe them. But if they told me my Rex would become this, I think I would have. You’ve always been one of the best, Rex, you know that?”
Rex blushes a bit, rubbing his hands together, “17, come on, I haven’t done anything really all too special. I’m not a Commander, I’ve lost plenty of battles–”
“But you’re still here, and kid, you know that means more than anything else. What’s it I always said?”
“Experience outranks everything,” Rex repeats dutifully, his eyes shining with the warmth of a good memory attached to the saying. 17 nods, looping Rex under his arm for a hug, smiling as his littlest kid’s breathing evens out slightly, making himself comfortable in his hold.
“I’m so proud of you, Rex. So damn proud. You’re the best of all of us, really. Not everybody could handle those ARCS of yours and still shape them into good men. Not everybody could be a Clone Captain with the duties of a Commander. But you did.”
Rex laughs lightly, his hand reaching to grab the hand not wrapped around him. 17 takes it, rubbing his thumb between Rex’s thumb and forefinger gently, doing it until Rex closes his eyes and damn near falls asleep in his arms. For the briefest second, he thinks they’re back on Kamino, a lot younger and more naïve than they are now. The rain is pounding. They’re both falling asleep, family all around, a war on the horizon…