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The building is drafty. Most of the windows are either shattered or have fallen out of their frames altogether. There are cracks in the walls from shrapnel and holes from blaster fire - long cooled down by now. Thankfully, Rex has a convenient heat source nearby. He tugs Cody’s arm tighter around him and wriggles until his back is flush against Cody’s chest. There’s a little whiff of air against Rex’s neck, the brush of a pair of lips. Cody smiles, and so does Rex.
This place is far from an ideal hideout, but it was all they could do in a pinch when Imperial forces descended upon the town. Their little squad of four barely managed to evade the Imperial troops conducting what appeared to be a grid search. Reese tried to hack into their comms to find out who or what they were looking for but no luck. Echo might have been able to, but he’s not here. This wasn’t supposed to be a high risk mission anyway - they were just here to pick up some communications equipment for a clone-friendly rebel cell. Granted, said equipment was stolen from the Empire, but that hardly warrants an invasion, in Rex’s opinion.
Then again, the Empire does nothing half-assed.
They had little choice but to hunker down in this abandoned building and wait out the stormtroopers that roamed the streets outside. There is a corner room with a decently protected view of the street below where Reese and Pincer are keeping watch right now, while Rex and Cody catch some much needed shuteye.
The bed they’ve commandeered is skewed, and the mattress is damp and smells of mold, but it’s better than the cold, dusty floor. Natborns might find this uncomfortable, but Rex has slept in much harsher conditions. Also, Cody is there, which makes this one of the better sleeping arrangements in Rex’s life.
Despite Reese and Pincer on watch duty, they sleep in increments, alternating. Cody rubs Rex’s chest, letting him know it’s his turn to sleep. Rex tucks Cody’s arm under his and sighs as he lets the tiredness take over.
It doesn’t take long before his eyes fly open at a sound from next-door. At his back, Cody is wide awake too. Rex shoots a glance over his shoulder, catching Cody nodding. That was the sound of a body falling to the floor.
And then another.
Rex’s hand is on his blaster in an instant. It’s not fast enough. Something hits Cody in the back and he slumps against Rex, the blaster falling from his grasp. Rex doesn’t allow himself to be shocked. Instead, he lifts his blaster over Cody’s limp body, firing at whoever dares to come near. He hears two troopers cry out in pain and sees them wobble before something hits him. It’s not the sharp, agonizing sting of a blaster shot, but rather something encompassing - like getting slammed full body into a wall. Rex blinks his eyes, desperately trying to stave off the creeping unconsciousness. His arm becomes too heavy to aim properly and his fingers lose their grip on his weapon. He grabs Cody by his jacket and pulls him closer as best as he can with his senses fading. He is not letting go. If they want to take Cody they are going to have to pry him from Rex’s grip.
At least, that’s the plan. Rex isn’t sure he succeeds because his vision blurs. It becomes darker and darker around the edges until he can barely feel Cody against him. He takes a shuddering breath and his brain shuts down, hurling him into a black void.
Rex tastes dirt. He inhales some of it and starts coughing before he is even fully aware of his surroundings. He forces his eyes open, wincing at the sudden spike of light. Everything is fuzzy. Even so, he can tell that the world is somewhat sideways. He is lying on the ground, multiple feet stomping by him in irregular intervals. There are lights, too bright to be street lamps. Floodlights.
Something tells him that’s not something the locals would set up. He hears voices, barking orders. Rex turns his face into the ground and groans. He tries to get up but realizes his hands are bound behind his back. So, no getting up.
He looks around, focusing on any shapes on ground level. Anything further up is certainly Empire and that’s not who interests him. He searches until he makes out a figure on the ground just a few paces from him; the suggestion of a face, framed by dark hair. If Rex concentrates real hard he can make out the scar on Cody’s dirt-covered face. There are no obvious wounds on Cody, but with his vision impaired, who knows. Rex’s heart races as he waits for Cody to move, any sign of life.
Cody is flanked by two stormtroopers, and so is Rex, as it turns out. He gets hauled onto his knees none too gently. He shoves at the gruff hands and cranes his neck to keep Cody in his sights. He lets out a breath of relief when he notices Cody shifting. He gets the same treatment as Rex, landing heavily on his haunches. Cody shakes his head - probably in an effort to get rid of the dizziness that follows a stun shot.
But why stun them? It would have been much easier, not to mention, much more in line with the Empire’s policy regarding traitors, to blast them on the spot. Perhaps they mean to interrogate them. Rex scoffs at the thought. Good luck getting anything from either of them.
Rex leans forward, seeking to catch Cody’s attention. He doesn’t dare call Cody by his name. It’s unclear whether the Imperials that have caught them know who they are. He is not going to compromise Cody by yelling his name in a street swarming with stormtroopers. So, he makes do with a long, questioning look. Cody finally responds with an almost imperceptible nod. He’s fine. He’s okay. Rex attempts an encouraging smile but Cody’s gaze travels to something further away.
Rex turns his head and nearly keels over. There, by the corner of the building, lie two familiar bodies. Rex can tell they are just bodies and not the men they came here with due to the smoldering holes in both of them. Nevertheless, Rex calls out their names, knees scraping over the ground as he tries to get to them.
Reese and Pincer don’t stir. Unyielding hands land on Rex’s shoulders and sit him back down. He thrashes and screams at their captors to get their hands off of him. Needless to say, they don’t. They push him down every time he tries to get up as if they were droids working an assembly line.
Meanwhile, Cody just sits there, all quiet and calm. Rex wants to shout at him, urge him to get angry already, but Cody shoots him a warning glare. It persuades Rex to sit back, albeit with prejudice. He steeps in his resentment while Cody studies the stormtroopers guarding him.
“So,” Cody says, “what exactly are we waiting for?”
And that’s when it hits Rex. They’re out in the open, caught, with dozens of stormtroopers setting up shop around them, yet somehow, miraculously, they are still alive. Nobody is preparing to herd them onto a transport or some other holding facility. They’re sitting in the middle of the street… waiting.
This is not a good sign. Usually, if the Empire holds off on killing you they have something worse in mind.
“None of your business,” the stormtrooper to Cody’s left snarls.
Cody inspects the floodlights and the general flurry of activity. “If you’re turning this into a landing pad, we’re kind of in the way. So that does make it my b–”
The stormtrooper smacks Cody across the face and Rex is up before anyone can stop him. He launches himself at the offender. He doesn’t get very far though. The stormtroopers tackle him to the ground, pressing the side of his face into the dirt while their greaves dig into his back. Rex writhes and spits curses, promising bloody retribution to anyone who so much as breathes in Cody’s direction.
It’s ridiculous. He knows it is, but he’s angry and desperate and, yes, he’s scared. He doesn’t know what’s coming and he’s afraid of losing Cody to the Empire again. But he’s just one clone against too many stormtroopers and they haul him back onto his feet and slam him against the wall of the building, knocking the wind out of him.
Rex struggles onto his knees, coughing. His shoulders ache and the restraints are digging into his wrists but he doesn’t care. He looks for Cody, who is still in the same spot but watching him intently. Rex can see how tense he is, the muscles in his thighs poised for a surprise attack. Rex would love nothing more than to get into a fight with these guys - together they might make it out of here. But Cody remains seated. He relaxes when Rex meets his eyes, blinking a slow confirmation that he’s all right.
There’s a bloody scrape on Cody’s cheek where the stormtrooper’s gauntlet plate caught on his skin. Rex seems to be more irritated about it than Cody though. They are too far apart to communicate with words so Rex raises his chin at Cody in an open challenge. Come on, get angry. What are you waiting for? I’m with you.
Cody scowls at him, his lips a thin line, pleading for Rex to calm down. Rex snorts and falls back against the wall. Fine, so they’ll wait. He can wait. What for is anyone’s guess.
Rex is just about to rearrange himself into a position that goes easier on his legs when a formation of TIE-fighters passes overhead. And suddenly the whole street is awash with activity. Stormtroopers are scrambling to pick up their weapons, crates get shoved out of the way in a hurry, and whoever had nothing to do up until now is standing to attention.
The TIE-fighters make a wide turn and approach the impromptu landing platform. Rex recognizes the design of two of them - he’s been chased by the Empire often enough - but the one in the lead looks different. Black, with clipped wings. The escort suggests someone important so Rex leans forward, hissing at Cody, “Hey, who is that?”
But Cody is unresponsive, watching the fighters touch down in something akin to horror. Rex averts his eyes when a cloud of dust rolls through the street. He tries again, more forcefully this time, “Cody, who is that?”
Cody doesn’t get scared. Ever. Up until now that was a fact of life as solid as Rex’s blasters. But what Rex sees on Cody’s face when the pressure seals release clouds of white is chilling to the bone. Cody’s eyes are wide and he swallows hard. He tears his eyes away from the disembarking pilots and looks at Rex. Maybe it’s the stark contrast of the bruise on his cheek, but he seems pale all of a sudden.
“Vader,” Cody breathes.
Rex’s heart jumps in his chest. He’s never met the man but there is not a single soul in this galaxy who hasn’t heard the stories. Ruthless and without mercy. Not many people who have made Vader’s acquaintance went on and joined the rebellion, and those who did told horrifying tales. Darth Vader was a distant problem until now. Rex didn’t think that a bunch of lowly clones doing a bit of crime were at the top of Vader’s shitlist. But Rex realizes with a start that he is not as far removed from Darth Vader as he previously thought. There is only one degree of separation between them and he is sitting right across from Rex.
He wants nothing more than to get over to Cody, but the stormtroopers hold him in place. Rex is forced to watch as the imposing figure that is Darth Vader slowly walks up to them. Vader comes to stand between them, looking from Rex to Cody, as if trying to decide which one of them to crush first.
Cody is perfectly still, eyes locked on a spot somewhere in front of Vader’s feet. It hurts to see Cody like that. Proud, fearless Cody, who could make an untrained farmer walk confidently into battle with just a few words of encouragement. Rex tries to shake off the hands holding him down, which is a grave mistake.
Vader’s head whips around and now his attention is on Rex. Even the air around Rex gets tense; it’s as if the atmosphere itself is pressing down on him. Rex works hard to keep himself upright on his knees. He is not going to give into fear. If Vader wants to kill him he will do so no matter what. It helps no one to be afraid of it.
So, Rex keeps his chin up and his eyes on Vader as he approaches. He pauses right in front of Rex, blocking out the floodlights. It makes him look like a featureless shadow, pitch-black and inhuman. For a few moments, Vader’s cape is the only thing that moves.
And then he leans down. Rex doesn’t mean to but he flinches and falls back onto his ass. He suddenly realizes that there are no more hands holding him down. His heart races and it’s getting hard to breathe. Rex’s mind shrieks at him that this is Vader force-choking him, but in reality it’s just plain old panic.
Has anyone been this close to Vader and lived? Why is he so damned close? Vader’s helmet is a grotesque imitation of a face. Big, black eyes, teeth bared like a skull. It’s just air filters, Rex reminds himself. The man needs to breathe, after all.
The way Vader studies him is unnerving. Rex doesn’t know where to look. Vader takes up his entire field of vision. And it gets worse. When Vader reaches out Rex can’t keep the pleading sound from escaping his throat. He tries to twist out of the way but something is holding him in place - and it’s not the stormtroopers, who are watching on impassively in their blank buckets.
Vader’s gloved hand catches Rex’s chin and Rex squeezes his eyes shut. This is not the last thing he wants to see. He wishes he could look at Cody. If nothing else, he would like to see Cody one more time before he dies. But it’s all Vader, occupying all his senses.
Rex startles when Vader’s thumb rubs over his jaw. It’s not the touch of a Sith Lord getting ready to snap someone’s neck. It’s almost… gentle.
“Leave him alone.”
Rex’s eyes open at the sound of Cody’s voice. All he sees is Vader’s uncanny imitation of a face, but somewhere beyond Vader’s looming figure Cody has managed to escape his guards. He sounds closer than before. Rex heaves from the effort of not moving. The pressure is gone but his muscles are still locked in a state of rigidity.
Vader’s labored breathing doesn’t change as he rises, finally allowing for a view of the street. Rex’s breath hitches when he sees Cody standing behind Vader, hands still bound behind his back, but every bit the strong, unyielding soldier Rex knows and loves.
“Commander,” Vader states. It’s impossible to tell if he’s surprised, angered, or amused. The vocoder of his helmet distorts his voice too much. His voice has no echo either, which makes it sound like it’s coming from a place with no air.
“Sir.” Cody stands tall but Rex can tell he is holding on to his nerves by the skin of his teeth.
Vader takes another step towards Cody. “You were saying?”
Cody’s gaze briefly travels to Rex, who can do nothing but stare on in awe. Cody rights himself and looks Vader square in the face. “I asked that you leave him alone, sir. It’s me that you want.”
Vader cocks his head to the side - a movement that would look oddly comical if it didn’t come with a wave of dread. He has his hands on his hips so his elbows spread out his cape, making him look like a black wall, obscuring Cody from Rex’s sight. “You seem awfully sure of that, commander,” Vader muses. He doesn’t quite turn around but his helmet tilts ever so slightly over his shoulder.
Rex’s hands grow cold all of a sudden and he shudders. Vader can’t be here for him. He’s nothing. A dead man, nothing the Empire, let alone Darth Vader, would ever worry about. But Vader turns and throws Rex a look that has the potential to stop his heart. He definitely knows who Rex is. How does he know? Rex would remember if he’d crossed paths with a seven feet tall Sith Lord. He would absolutely remember if he’d done anything to piss that Sith Lord off.
Cody seems just as confused. He opens his mouth to retort but Vader holds up his hand, which is enough to shut up a rancor. “You are not wrong. But it is fortunate that you are both here.”
Rex sees Cody’s brow crease in a frown. This is heading nowhere good. Rex scrambles onto his feet, but the stormtroopers grab his arms before he can step into the street. He doesn’t like the way Vader starts circling Cody.
“The Empire is young,” Vader goes on, “and we are laughably lacking in capable officers.”
Rex’s eyes go wide in disbelief. This can’t be happening. He’s hallucinating. That is not Vader insinuating that they join the Empire. Re-join it, in Cody’s case.
“That sure is a problem, my lord,” Cody agrees, which is about as ballsy a reply as one can give.
Vader comes to stand before Cody once again, towering over him by a full head, but Cody is standing his ground. “You were capable,” Vader says. It’s neither praise nor a joke, just a simple fact.
Rex would laugh if this weren’t so surreal. What the Seven Hells is this? A job interview? Vader can’t possibly believe that Cody will take him up on this offer. Cody defected. He left the Empire for a reason and a lot of that reason was Vader and everyone clinging to the lapels of his cape.
Cody moves barely a muscle when he replies, “Thank you, sir.”
Vader nods solemnly and resumes his walk. “I was disappointed when I heard about your… departure.” He straightens up and clasps his hands behind his back. The material of his suit creaks ominously with the movement. He observes Cody keenly when he says, “I am glad to have found you again.”
Darth Vader is glad. Nothing in this galaxy has ever been more perplexing. Or terrifying. Rex is pretty sure anything Darth Vader is glad about is bad news for everyone else.
Cody doesn’t respond so Vader goes on, “I am willing to offer you your commission back. With a few limitations, of course. But I am willing to give you a captain you can depend on.”
It takes Rex a moment to realize that Vader is referring to him. “You can’t be serious,” Rex blurts out. “What makes you think we would ever–”
Vader holds up his hand and Rex can’t help but shut up. “Before you decline,” Vader turns back to Cody, “consider this.”
Rex holds his breath, certain that this is the moment he gets force-choked by Vader. But instead, every blaster safety in the vicinity clicks, and when Rex looks around he has a dozen weapons pointed at him. He relaxes. This is not how you get Cody to agree to anything. They were prepared to die for the idea of the Republic; for each other. Cody knows Rex’s heart. Vader is a fool if he thinks Cody will blink first.
The air in the street is thick with anticipation. Cody doesn’t move for a long time and neither does Vader. Rex isn’t happy about the fact that Cody hasn’t told Vader to shove it yet. He searches Cody’s face for a sign that he’s about to unload the mother of all rejections on Vader, but Cody’s expression is frightfully blank.
“Cody, come on, no,” Rex huffs. He tries to wriggle out of the hold the stormtroopers have on him but it’s no use.
Cody still hasn’t replied and Rex is getting worried. He struggles harder. “Cody, no. Don’t you dare!”
But Cody’s carefully curated expression turns sorrowful. His eyes rest upon Rex, as if he wants to commit every single feature to memory. Meanwhile, Rex fights against his captors with everything he’s got. He howls and kicks and elbows. Vader doesn’t stop him. He could easily choke Rex into silence but instead he lets Rex thrash about like a wild animal.
“Cody!” Rex screams. “No! No, don’t do this! It’s not worth it. Don’t let him have this!”
Cody inclines his head, a smile on his lips that only Rex can tell is there. Maybe Vader can tell too. Maybe he takes malicious delight in playing them off each other. Rex rages when he realizes it’s working. He almost dislocates his shoulder trying to break free. Cody’s name is a litany dripping from his lips like blood. He pleads and begs but Cody goes to his knees in front of Vader regardless. His head is bowed as if offering his neck for the deadly blow of a lightsaber.
“No!” Rex’s voice is hoarse. “Please, Cody, not for me.”
Cody doesn’t answer him. His tone is low and steady when he says, “My lord. I am at your service.”
Rex gasps and goes limp in the stormtroopers’ grasp. There’s nothing to fight for. Cody surrendered. He surrendered them both. Rex looks at Cody, on his knees, in the dirt, far too small in front of Vader’s looming presence, and he feels hot tears running down his cheeks. His mind races to come up with something to get them out of this. Some last resort, something outside the box, but it’s too late.
Vader gives a satisfied nod and turns to Rex, eyeing him for a moment, before looking back at Cody. “You will be responsible for each other,” he intones, “one of you steps out of line, the other will suffer the consequences. Understood?”
Rex is out of breath so Cody answers in his stead, “Yes, my lord.”
“Good. I’ll be looking forward to working with you again.” Vader’s cape billows as he turns away from them. He pauses and glances at Rex, but says nothing. Instead, he makes a dismissive gesture and addresses the nearest stormtroopers. “Get them cleaned up and to my ship. I expect them to be armored up within the hour.”
The stormtroopers acknowledge with stiff salutes. Vader leaves with the same swiftness that he appeared. He came out of nowhere and leaves nothing but desperation behind.
Rex wrestles free of the stormtroopers, who seem just as relieved to see Vader go as everyone else. He stumbles over to where Cody is still kneeling, head hanging low. Rex slumps to the ground next to him, not quite knowing what to say. He’s furious. Furious that Cody broke down; that he sold them both out to the Empire. And he’s sorry, endlessly sorry, because he is Cody’s weakness. He’s the reason Cody caved.
And Vader knew it. He played with them, knowing the outcome right from the start.
How do you fight something like that? Rex doesn’t know. All he can do is worm his shoulder under Cody’s head and rest his chin on the crook of Cody’s neck, whispering, “It’s all right. We’ll get through this.”
Rex taps the black plastoid of the armor that hangs on the stand in their quarters. Their quarters. Rex’s head is still reeling from the fact that Vader appears to have ordered this particular room cleared out for them. It has a proper bed, not just a bunk, a bed. It’s broad enough for two people to lie comfortably next to each other. There’s even a ‘fresher and a small window.
The blue lights of hyperspace dance across the shiny surface of his new armor. He doesn’t like it. The black color seems to soak up any semblance of warmth. It’s not a color that can be easily painted over. The only splash of color is the red pauldron. Rex scoffs at it. As if that made it any better.
There’s movement behind him. He gives the armor another disdainful look. “They really expect me to wear this–” He turns around and freezes.
Cody is clad in the same black armor, looking for all it’s worth like a walking void. The black helmet tucked under Cody’s arm is oddly reminiscent of Vader’s. It sends a shiver down Rex’s spine.
“I’m afraid they do,” Cody says.
Rex crosses his arms in defiance. “Well, I’m not gonna.”
Cody lets out a long-suffering sigh and puts the bucket down on the bed behind Rex. “Consequences, remember?”
“What are they gonna do? Make you wear two sets of armor?”
“I don’t think it’s gonna be that comical.”
Rex grouches but he recognizes the dangerous truth behind Cody’s words. Whatever punishment Vader might think up for any sort of insubordination will be brutal and probably more creative than either of them can conceive. It pains Rex, but he doesn’t want to be any more of a burden to Cody than he already is.
“Fine,” Rex concedes and yanks the blacks from the hanger. “But I’m going to get some luminescent paint and do something upsetting to it.”
“Rex.”
“He’ll only see it in the dark.”
“You don’t know that,” Cody points out.
Rex flings the garment into a corner in a fit of rage. “Well, I can’t just do nothing! You can’t expect me to function like this is the GAR.” He gestures wildly. “I can’t take orders from them. Cody, you know what they do. You know.”
Cody gives him a forlorn look. “I know. But this was the only–”
“You should have let them shoot me.” It’s out of his mouth before he can stop himself. Rex’s chest heaves from barely contained anger but he doesn’t know how to take it back. He’s not sure he even wants to.
Cody doesn’t say anything for a long time - long enough for Rex to feel a pang of guilt. “And then what?” Cody asks.
Rex throws his arms up in frustration. “I don’t know! You could have gotten away. Or you could have joined and shot Vader in the back of the head without having to worry about me. Anything!”
Cody gives a slow, contemplative nod. “True.”
Rex’s shoulders sag. “Then why did you do it? Why did you let him–”
“Because I’m selfish,” Cody interjects. Rex gives him a doubting look. He doesn’t object to Cody putting his arms around him, however. It doesn’t feel all that different from when Cody used to hug him after a successful mission. Maybe a few more scratches in his armor back then. More color. But the warmth is still there.
“I’m selfish,” Cody reiterates, “because I’m not going to give you up. I lost you once and I am not going to let that happen again.”
It would be sweet if it didn’t put them in this terrible situation. “And now he’s using me against you,” Rex grumbles and scratches at Cody’s breastplate. Perhaps he’ll feel better if he manages to make a dent in the pristine surface.
“And you against me.”
Rex slumps backwards. “Right. I forgot this is mutually assured destruction.”
Cody’s arms tighten around him. “It doesn’t have to be.”
Rex perks up. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that if we play this right, we might be able to do some good.” A smirk forms on Cody’s lips. “Who are they going to punish if we both act up?”
“Uh,” Rex glowers, “somebody else?”
“Then we’ll have to be discreet about it.”
Rex scoffs. “He’ll expect us to try something.”
Cody gives a sage nod. “And we will. Obviously.”
“You are talking about double-dealing against Darth Vader,” Rex balks.
Cody shrugs. “He already knows we care about each other. He’s played his hand. There is nothing more for him to gain from this. Any emotional response he might sense can be easily explained by what he already knows.”
“He’ll sense when I throw up in my bucket.”
Cody laughs. “You don’t do that.”
“I might,” Rex mutters. “This is insane.”
Cody hums in agreement. “But worth it.” He squeezes Rex briefly. “Come on, I can’t do this without you.”
Rex lets his eyes roam over Cody’s face. As pitiful as he looked down there, on his knees, beaten by the galaxy’s most fearsome adversary, it’s impossible to keep Cody down. He’ll get back up, as long as Rex is there, and maybe that’s not a weakness at all. They’ll continue to hold each other up as long as they’re alive. That’s what Vader doesn’t get - you stick them together and they are going to be twice as bothersome.
“All right,” Rex smiles and leans against Cody’s armor, “I’m in. But I’m getting that luminescent paint. Just to spite him.”