The Unknown

I just thought of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad au where during Umbara it’s Rex that’s injured and he’s begging Kix to leave him behind so Kix can keep outrunning the tanks. And Kix still tells Rex he sounds like General Krell but he’s more frustrated and afraid than angry. Kix manages to group Rex with the rest of the wounded and Rex orders Kix to leave them behind and initially Kix is like no Fucking way I’m leaving you all out here but Rex reasons with him that he’s the only medic with the company right now and he had to keep moving with the group and Rex would keep an eye on and defend the rest of the wounded. At this point Kix knows he’s right so he leaves with them with a bunch of supplies and keeps going with Torrent. At the end of the battle when their recovering everyone’s like oh Kriff where’s Rex?! Did we loose him?! Is he dead?! And Kix speaks up and tells them he’s with the wounded, which spurts Fives and company to try and go back and look for them but in the name of progress and sacrifice Krell forbids it. He temporarily promotes Jesse to captain because i think at the time he was Rex’s lieutenant but mostly because Krell liked Jesse’s attitude more than he liked Five’s. The rest of the arc continues the way it originally did but with Jesse and fives at the lead. Meanwhile, Rex and like 25 other troops are lost in a foreign environment in the center of hostile territory on a planet far from any republic system, dwindling rations and medical supplies trying their best to live off the land for weeks. Rex had found a cave for the men to hide out in and made a camp there. Since he’s the captain and one of the least injured he goes out trying to locate and contact the gar while finding food and supplies. Between encounters with natural predators and Umbaran squads he always comes back more injured than he left. At this time Anakin gets back and he’s also like umm where’s Rex?? When the 501st tells him what happened he’s pissed and immediately goes out into the jungle to find Rex. And he does, just in time too because Rex had gotten his legs caught in a trap and was too injured to walk or fight and was surrounded by enemy Umbarans. Rex and the others wounded are rescued and get shipped of to a medical station for a while. When they get back hella comfort ensues and torrent is never letting Rex out of their sight again. Over the next few months however it’s clear that Rex has developed a significant amount of trauma and ptsd from the experience and is finding it hard to integrate back into and function within the gar.

Rex, trying to give a motivational speech but then it evolved into him casualty talking about his really really fucked up cadethood:

“-I mean yeah all the other kids bullied me, hated me even, and no one liked me or even came near me. Come to think of it I did get shuffled around a lot, but that’s just because my entire original batch was decommissioned. And yeah I did have a lot of near death experiences, but I only needed to be resuscitated a handful of times. Ha, there was that one time a trainer threw me off a platform because they were sick of dealing with all my paperwork, but I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and hauled myself out of the ocean. You know what they say; you want something done you gotta do it yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you! I think I came out the other side just fine and I’m stronger because of it! :)”

The entire 501st: “…whAT THE FUUUUUCK!”

Deadcember Day 17: Dark Night

Ever since he was a cadet fresh out of the tube, CT-7567 has been different.

Yeah, the blond hair is a pretty obvious indicator, but there’s something else. Something below the surface.

CT-7567 was always slightly faster, slightly stronger, slightly smarter than his batchmates. He has the best scores in training. Sometimes he knows which one of them was about to sneak up behind him, even if they weren’t making a sound. All of these inexplicable things added up to an anomaly that the Kaminoans just barely missed, despite them keeping a very close eye on him because of his “cosmetic defect.”

And there was the Voice.

The Voice isn’t his inner dialogue or anything—CT-7567 knows that. He can’t explain how or why, but he just knows. The Voice helps him, will tell him to take a left instead of a right to avoid being caught if he was out past curfew, will tell him when to dodge in order to avoid being shot during a training sim.

During one sim, something went wrong and CT-7570 is killed. The Voice seems to scream in pain and it’s almost as if ’67 feels CT-7570 die.

Such an explanation seems ridiculous, but he can’t think of a better one, and it just fits.

CT-7567 knows that his… quirks are strange and unique (are dangerous, are defects) when he asks one of his closest batchmates about it.

“When ’70 was killed, did you… feel anything? Like, pain or something?” He asks CT-7583, who taken to calling himself Keeli.

Keeli looks at him strangely, as if he had suddenly grown a second head (CT-7567 has heard rumors of such defects, though if they ever existed, the Kaminoans would decommission them at the first sign of abnormality). “No,” his batch mate responds. “Did you?”

“N-no. I just… I felt bad after, I guess.”

Keeli wraps his arm around ’67’s shoulders, pulling him close. “Me too.”

Then Keeli pokes ’67’s side, and they devolve into giggles and roughhousing, the day’s events forgotten.

%#%#%

Sometimes, the Voice is less of a Voice and more of a Feeling, like the day the War begins.

By this point, CT-7567 has received a nickname—Rex. He was also bumped up to the command track. He felt slightly out of place, but CC-2224, who likes to be called Cody, took him under his wing.

Over the past two days, there have been whispers of a Jedi on Kamino. Rex knew they were true: he felt the Jedi as soon as they entered the atmosphere. They glowed, brighter than all of his brothers.

Though no one is exactly sure why the Jedi came, they all knew what it meant—the War was here.

The day they are deployed, Rex wakes up feeling tense, as if he’s in a training sim. There’s this sense of foreboding, and Rex wants to prepare, but he doesn’t know what to get ready for, let alone how to do so.

He’s walking back to his barracks after midday meal, his head pounding, when the announcement comes in.

They’re being deployed to Geonosis. This is not a drill.

Rex turns around and runs to the hangars.

%#%#%

On Geonosis, Rex dies countless times.

He’s never felt so much death, so much despair, and it takes everything he has to keep his blaster up and remain on his feet. He keeps fighting, even as brothers and Jedi alike are shot down right in front of him.

He knows his purpose, knows he was bred to fight and even die for the Republic, but he’s not sure he can take it.

%#%#%

Somehow, Rex had been made a captain—he even earned himself some jaig eyes (no matter how undeserving he felt of them) and was assigned to the recently-knighted Anakin Skywalker. They’re headed to their first deployment when General Skywalker pulls him into his quarters.

“I have a question for you, Rex,” General Skywalker begins. Rex isn’t sure what’s about to happen. Did he already do something wrong? Is he going to get decommissioned?

The General continues. “Have you… ever noticed anything different about yourself? Like you know someone’s about to come through the door even if you can’t hear their footsteps, or you can dodge faster than those around?”

Oddly specific questions, but he’s not about to lie to a superior. “Y-yes, sir?”

General Skywalker exhales and smiles. “Cool. I was like 90% sure that I was right, but I had to check.”

“Right about… what, sir?”

“Ok, what do you know about the Force?”

Rex stares.

“Nothing. That’s alright. The Force is like… an energy field. It flows through the entire universe, from the biggest galaxies to the smallest womp rats. Some, like the Jedi, are Force-sensitive, which means they can sense and use it. So basically, um… congratulations, you’re Force-sensitive!”

What.

What.

On Kamino, they learned about the Jedi, how they wield swords made of light and can move objects with their minds. The Jedi sounded mythical, god-like.

And here Rex is, learning that he’s got those same powers.

Oh kriff.

This is it. He’s done for.

“If you’d like, I’d be happy to teach you some stuff. Basic shielding, Force usage, and maybe even some saber training. How does that sound?”

Rex looks at General Skywalker. The man is grinning from ear to ear, not a hint of disgust or deceit on his face.

Trust him, the Voice says. Trust him.

…So he’s not getting decommissioned?

Rex considers the General’s offer. “Do… are you going to tell anyone?”

“No. If you wanna tell people, that’s on you, but I figured, well, if you didn’t know you were Force-sensitive, then it’s not normal for you guys. I don’t want you… getting in trouble or anything. And no need to call me ‘sir.’ Just ‘Anakin’ is fine, at least when it’s just us.”

Rex isn’t quite ready to do that, yet.

After all, he still needs to process that he can potentially move things with his mind.

%#%#%

The war goes on.

Brothers come and are just as quickly caught in death’s chilling grasp. The deaths don’t hurt as much, though, since General Skywalker Anakin taught him how to shield his mind. He’s also learned some basic Force applications. He’s not great at it yet, but he pretty much has the basics down.

He excels at lightsaber training, and enjoys it more than the other things he’s learning. Upon expressing this to Anakin, the Jedi smirks and admits to being much the same.

Despite his protests, Anakin is assigned an actual Padawan, a sassy togruta by the name of Ahsoka Tano. She’s fresh and far too young in Rex’s opinion (like he can talk), but she’s a fast and eager learner. She grows on him and the 501st far faster than he’d like to admit, and for all his initial reluctance, it’s clear that Anakin adores her.

While the Jedi is obviously largely responsible for teaching his Padawan, Rex imparts some of his expertise. Rex learns from her, as well; upon discovering his Force-sensitivity, Ahsoka eagerly contributes to his knowledge and training.

He forges bonds (figurative and literal bonds. Yet another thing you can do when you’re Force-sensitive, apparently) with both Anakin and Ahsoka, which strengthen with every battle fought. It reaches the point where their efficiency and effectiveness are almost unparalleled.

They win battle after battle with minimal casualties. On one memorable occasion, Rex has the opportunity to use his new lightsaber skills, to the shock and awe of his troops.

The tide is turning in the Republic’s favor, and an end to the war is in sight.

Rex isn’t sure what’ll happen to him and his brothers after the war, but he finds himself filled with hope.

And then Ahsoka leaves.

%#%#%

Rex fights battle after battle. He’s lost track of the planets they’ve been on, the brothers he’s lost.

Anakin is more irritable, more prone to giving in to his anger.

Coruscant is attacked.

Count Dooku is killed.

The war is nearly over.

And then—

“Execute Order 66.”

Good soldiers follow orders.

“Yes, Lord Sidious,” CT-7567 replies.

The Jedi are traitors, and they must be dealt with as such, and—

A piercing pain erupts to life on the right side of his head. He staggers, gripping his head. The Force screams and the pain grows and grows and grows—

It explodes in a flash of blinding white light.

%#%#%

CT-7567 Rex wakes up in… a medbay, though he is unsure where he is, exactly. The pain in his head has decreased to a dull throbbing.

His General returns with a new name, confined to a suit because of his former Master’s betrayal. The Jedi attempted to assassinate the Chancellor, Anakin Darth Vader tells him.

The Republic no longer exists and has instead been rebuilt into an empire. The Empire.

Some things stay the same, though. Rex remains at his General’s side, both on and off the battlefield. Vader continues to teach him about the Force, but his methods are far different.

The Force feels twisted and dark, but Rex ignores the unease stirred within him.

After all, he’s right where he should be.

%#%#%

One day, Rex tells Vader of the strange experience he had prior to waking up in the medbay.

“My Master attempted to enslave you,” Darth Vader growls. “Not to worry. One day, I shall possess the strength and skill to strike him down and take his place as Emperor, as is the way of the Sith.”

On the third anniversary of the Empire’s birth, Darth Vader does just that.

Unfettered by his Master’s demands, Vader cracks down on slavery, his justice swift and sure.

He rules with an iron fist, stomping out any signs of dissent, tolerating nothing less than complete loyalty and absolute perfection.

Rex remains by his side, as he always was.

%#%#%

Darth Vader becomes complacent.

Complacency is what gets one killed.

Darth Vader’s problem is that he never suspected his loyal captain, his eager apprentice.

Darth Adenn uses the Force to shove Darth Vader’s body off the throne, stepping on it as he ascends to his rightful place.

Even as the Force plunges ever deeper into the Dark, Emperor Adenn’s eyes glow like the rising sun.

[Adenn= Mando'a for "merciless"]

Cramps

It's Alastor's "time of the month", and he's afraid that people will find out. Of course, it's just his luck that his pad leaks... and Lucifer is the one to notice.

(This may be OOC, as it's based on our Alastor and Lucifer fictives)

Pairing: Radioapple (can be read as platonic, queerplatonic, or romantic)

Warnings: menstruation, internalized transphobia, T slur (said by a trans person + author is trans), smoking weed

this is the first fic we've written in a long time, apologies if it's bad lmao

-

Alastor sighs as he steps out onto the roof of the Hazbin Hotel. He leans against the wall and lights a cigarette, staring out at the city.

His smile slips ever so slightly as yet another cramp shoots through him.

"Ugh..."

Alastor quickly masks his pained expression as he hears a footstep behind him. He immediately recognizes the click of those heels.

"Hello, Lucifer." He turns to face the King of Hell.

Lucifer raises an eyebrow. "Alastor. I didn't take you for a smoker."

Alastor takes a drag from his cigarette. "Well, I am."

He turns away, wishing Lucifer would just leave him alone. He's in no mood to talk.

He silently curses as Lucifer leans against the wall next to him.

"You look even more tense than normal."

"And you're being even more annoying than normal." Alastor's annoyance is clear in his eyes, despite his unwavering smile. "Would it be too much to ask to be left alone?"

Lucifer raises an eyebrow. He recognizes the discomfort in Alastor's voice.

"Fine, then." He starts to leave, then turns back to say something else... but something catches his eye.

Alastor glances over at Lucifer. "What are you staring at?"

Lucifer clears his throat. "You, uh... got a little something."

Alastor's eyes widen when he realizes where Lucifer is looking. He immediately takes his coat off and ties it around his waist. "Leave me alone."

Lucifer nods and leaves.

Alastor is mortified. He tosses his cigarette and disappears into his shadow, appearing in his room. He goes straight into the bathroom and strips his pants off. His pad is entirely soaked.

"Damn it..."

He quickly fills his sink with cold water and dunks his soiled pants into it. He sprays some hydrogen peroxide on the stain and gently washes it out.

Alastor puts on some clean pants and a fresh pad. He's hanging the wet pants on the shower rod to dry when he hears the door open.

"So this is why you've been so pissy."

Alastor immediately shoves Lucifer out of the bathroom and locks the door. "Get out!"

Lucifer is too caught off guard to fight back. He just stands there, staring at the door.

Alastor leans against the door and sinks down to the ground, feeling humiliated.

---

That night, Alastor curls up in bed, unable to sleep. He's cramping too bad, and the painkillers he took aren't doing anything. He just lays there, in a fetal position, hoping he'll just conk out already.

A knock sounds at the door, and Alastor groans. He gets up, takes a deep breath, puts on a smile, and opens the door.

"Lucifer. I should have known."

Lucifer pushes his way into the room. Alastor simply collapses back down onto the bed, too exhausted to argue.

"Alastor, when are you going to learn to ask for help?" Lucifer sits on the bed next to Alastor.

"...I don't need help. You worry even more than your daughter does."

Lucifer sighs and pulls the blanket off of Alastor's face, revealing his pained expression. "The tears in your eyes tell me otherwise."

It's true, there are tears welling up in Alastor's eyes. He curls up completely, as if trying to hide in himself.

Alastor suddenly feels something being pressed against his abdomen. He flinches slightly, but then he realizes that it's... warm?

"What is this?"

Lucifer sits back down. "A heating pad. It'll help the cramps."

Alastor lays there for a moment, feeling that the heat is indeed helping. He's realizing how caring Lucifer is being, and it makes him feel... safe.

"...thank you."

Lucifer gently rubs Alastor's arm. "I just don't get how someone can be so stubborn that they just suffer in silence."

Alastor weighs his options. Should he trust Lucifer with his feelings?

"...fine. You want to know why I don't trust anyone?" He sits up and looks at Lucifer nervously.

Lucifer nods slightly.

Alastor takes a deep breath. "Do you have any idea how much power I would lose if people knew what I'm really like?"

"Alastor, what are you-"

"I only have power because I'm feared. Do you realize how many people would just look down on me if it came out that I'm a tranny that can't handle a period cramp?" Alastor stops as he realizes he's crying.

Lucifer gently takes his hand. "Take a breath. I'm not going to tell anyone you're trans, okay?"

Alastor hiccups and takes a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Why wouldn't you? Plenty of people would jump at the opportunity to take me down like that."

"Alastor, you should know by now that I'm not like that. Sure, I fight with you a lot, but I'd never out you like that."

Alastor just pulls the blanket back over himself and curls up with the heating pad. The hormones from his period are making him emotional, but he's already overwhelmed by how vulnerable he feels.

Lucifer just sighs. He snaps his fingers, and in his hand appears a blunt.

"Here. This'll help the pain, and call you down."

Alastor looks at it, taking a breath. "...well, alright..."

The two of them share the blunt, and Alastor quickly calms down.

"Thank you, Lucifer... I think I might be able to sleep now."

Lucifer gently tucks Alastor in, pleased that he managed to help him.

"Sleep well, Al."

It’s been a while, but I finally got a new chapter out! I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Summary: Wolffe tries to build his lightsaber, “tries” being the operative word. Rex tries to figure out how to deal with Anakin after their startling conversation a few days prior.

Work Summary: The 501st suffered a devastating blow on Umbara with the loss of Captain Rex at the hands of Pong Krell.

Rex doesn’t understand why he’s still around after having died, but he realizes that he might be able to use this to the advantage of all of his brothers.

Or: Rex is a ghost, and he’s just as confused about it as everyone else is.

what's your favorite gelphie fic?

OOF just one is so hard. here's a few of my favs. though more than being my favorite fics these are my favorite gelphie authors so assume i love everything they've posted!

The Love Club by OrkButch. just delightful. extremely queer and extremely heartfelt. and it has my favorite things ever like grief, healing, learning to be in a relationship, and nuanced portrayals of elphaba & nessa's dynamic. very formative to my perception of book!elphie, i learned a lot about her with this fic even if it's a modern AU!

Wiretapped Life by tinyace. another fic that has aaaaaaall of my favorite things like grief, healing, learning to be in a rel--- you get the gist. also it has nor! more fics should have nor! no but seriously this fic is incredible and has some of the best explorations i've seen on asexuality, aromanticism, gender, queer platonic relationships, and how to navigate a shitload of trauma in a cruel world when you have so much love to give. the gelphie dynamic is so nuanced and the worldbuilding is so intriguing and well done and glinda is a poor little meow meow and agh. could talk about this one forever. also if you've read attrition you will like this one, it has so many similar themes sam and i are always joking our brains are the same lol

The Last True Eminent Thropp by Ridiculous Mavis. ask any gelphie fan who was here before november 2024 for their favorite gelphie fics and they will probably mention ridiculous mavis. read everything on her page, seriously. yes even if it's ff dot net. do it. do it right now. this one is my favorite of hers!

Per Aspera Ad Astra (Through Hardships Towards the Stars) by show_me_the_universe. this one is still unfinished but i have enjoyed it so much! gelphie are so cute and so teenagers and they go through so much and their dynamic with each other is the sweetest thing. also has great dynamics between the charmed circle which it's also one of my favorite things :)

Aftermath by narta_shall_survive. another one where glinda is a poor little meow meow. i read this fic like a year ago and brother it has stuck with me. i love the way glinda is written and it has my FAVORITEEE glinda & crope dynamic. also it blends musical and book in such a smooth way and the prose is so crunchy.

and my saint, she is dancing by Mayverix. this one is extremely clever and soo well written. i adore this author's prose so much. made me ache in the best way possible. the way book!gelphie is captured here is just superb.

oh and of course i love the classics aka gretchenmaurice's works. all of them from the long ones to the most recent ones :)

now!!! i haven't read too many movie fics (yet) but here are two that stuck with me and that i love and have very much informed the way i see and write the movieverse gelphie dynamic.

the faint of heart by Verannode. vampire!galinda. and if that wasn't enough she totally thinks she's in some sort of romcom while elphaba is in a supernatural mystery or something. it's just the best thing ever. the dialogue is so whimsical and hilarious and galinda is incredibly delusional and dramatic and i love her. i've reread this a bunch of times it always makes me laugh.

PERENNIAL by anaphoruh. no joke this fic is one of my favorite ones ever. it's just so. i can't even explain it the way its written scratches my brain in the BEST way imaginable. the prose is so elegant and smooth i want to study it. it's the perfect blend of book and MOVIE which i didn't think was possible. the descriptions are so fun and engaging. the gelphie dynamic is delicious. galinda is insanely rich and elphie is her sugar baby in the most lowkey way possible. i adore it.

now not related to the movie at all. last but not least. there is Emerald City Lies by Beta Nova. listen to me. i would never recommend a fic on ff dot net that was last updated in 2016 if it wasn't worth it. i started reading this fic on a plane and it was so good i literally had to stop reading it so i could savor it. made myself read only one chapter a day and yes it's unfinished and yet i reread it once a year. it's so good.

anyway! thanks for asking <3

Okay so idea for angsty fic with Fiyero actually shooting Glinda in the cornfield. Meanwhile Elphaba doesn’t know that Glinda is hurt and is casting the spell trying to save Fiyero who manages to escape (he’s traumatized). Glinda is declared “dead” becomes a martyr. But, somehow Elphie’s spell affects her and Morrible works some magic that has surprising effects on Glinda

I know this nose art is for the Bad Batch, but I can’t help but imagine another Clone Unit with a stronger claim on the Senator as a mascot. (And how much Anakin would FLIP THE FUCK OUT)

— Morale Booster

“REX!”

… And it looks like the paneling repair will have to wait, as his General’s boots appear next to his head beside the transport’s landing gear. He pushes himself out from under the machine on a dolly, flat on his back.

“Sir?”

“What is THAT?!” his fearless leader yelps, pointing dramatically, emphatically upwards and towards the nose.

He scoots out farther, past General Skywalker’s legs, and props himself up on his elbows to take in the three-quarters-finished pinup Hardcase has been taking such pains with for the last four hours.

“Morale booster, sir. Couldn’t do something clever like the 104th and their Plo’s Bros or anything, so–”

“So you chose SENATOR AMIDALA?!” Did his voice just crack? It did.

He shrugs. “Sure. She’s been through enough hell and high water with us.”

“She’s a SENATOR!”

“And she’s a keen eye with that blaster,” he reasons, jerking his head up to the painting, and the flawlessly detailed replica of the Senator’s favored sidearm, primed to fire and held at a jaunty, confident angle. He even got the chipped paint over the trigger guard right.

“Got the looks for it too!” Hardcase yells down from where he’s shading in a long bare stretch of thigh, pausing to vigorously shake his can of spray paint. “We might finally be able to give the 327th a run for their money, with General Secura and all.”

“GENERAL SECURA is half naked on the nose of a transport?!”

“What? No!” Of course not, that’s just tasteless.

There’s a clatter from up above as Hardcase puts his paints down and leans over the scaffolding, a hand wobbling skeptically. “Well… Technically…”

“She’s in her usual outfit, y’know, with the–” Rex explains, and zig-zags a finger down from his head, mimicking the General’s lekku straps. “–and the leather pants.”

“It’s just a little leg, Anakin, I don’t see what you’re so upset about.”

Oh thank all the stars and little planets. Backup. General Kenobi steps up beside his former Padawan to admire the paint job himself. “Excellent work on her hair, Hardcase,” Kenobi continues, tilting his head.

“Thank you, sir. Run a probe with some white and a little metallic gold through the wet paint, gets it to streak so the shine looks real.”

General Skywalker is starting to do that thing where he puffs up like an angry coppi lizard and splutters furiously while he tries to think of something else to be upset about. He can hear Fives rolling his eyes from the opposite side of the transport. General. Honestly. If you’re trying to keep a relationship secret, openly displaying your klik-wide jealous streak is not how you do it.

“The 212’s is worse, anyway,” Kenobi muses idly, as Hardcase carefully adds the supposedly “very distinctive” freckle high on the Senator’s hip, just below the split in her modified favorite Council dress. Skywalker starts to go wide-eyed at that, because his sabacc face out of genuine combat is complete sleenshit, and startles when his master continues.

“She’s on the 212th transport too?!”

“Of course not, don’t be ridiculous. We can’t have duplicates, that defeats the purpose,” Kenobi says, in that too-reasonable tone he takes on when he’s deliberately fucking with his former Padawan.

“'Cept Master Ti,” Echo yells, from somewhere inside the paneling he and Rex had been working on.

“Except Master Ti, yes,” Kenobi agrees, and shrugs. “But that’s to be expected. Rather like how so many people have that arm tattoo of a heart with the ribbon that says ‘Mom’.”

Rex personally knew of at least eight other clones that had that exact tattoo, though the ribbon was usually striped like Master Ti’s headtails, and nods agreeably. That seems to have sufficiently diverted Skywalker, or at least confused him.

“Then how is it worse?” Skywalker asks, a little desperately, then his face lights up completely with slightly malicious anticipation. “Is it the Duchess?!”

Oh boy. Rex looks up at Hardcase, who is biting down on his paint-splattered fist to keep from laughing, as General Kenobi gets that look.

“Certainly not,” Kenobi says sternly, and waits a full beat to drop his bombshell. “It’s me.”

Skywalker just stares.

“Though I’m reasonably certain Duchess Kryze had something to do with it, given the way I’m half falling out of my robes.”

Now he looks vaguely green.

“Or it’s some perverse joke of Master Windu’s. It seems his style. Cody refuses to tell me.”

And before Skywalker can come up with anything else to protest, Kenobi adds:

“Besides, Senator Amidala loves it. Hers, I mean. I haven’t asked her about mine.”

Apparently even Jedi can choke on air when sufficiently surprised. But really, where did he think they’d gotten the preliminary sketches from?

Curses, Cocoons and Clones part 1

Prologue here: https://alienficsoutofspite.tumblr.com/post/677031338403151872/curses-cocoons-and-clones-prologue

Im aware this part is short but things are going to get busy for me soon and I’m trying to relax when I can so I’ll be slower with updates but in the meantime, please enjoy.

“Sirs…the floors are glowing.”

Hardcase who was supposed to scouting the building with Dogma while the others used the rain to rinse off all the muck off was poking at loose piece of wood. It was slightly hidden by a pillar in the back of the room. Rex barely contained a sigh. Ahsoka peeked at said lose floorboard and gently pried it open. “Wizard! It looks like a cave system.”

“Maybe the people who lived here used it as a means of escape.” General Kenobi suggested

“Or to hide spice.” Rex grumbled. He was NOT in the mood to find some weird cave that may or may not have something that they weren’t supposed to find. Suddenly he was glad that General Skywalker wasn’t here. He was currently on Coruscant spending time with his secret wife as the Chancellor summoned him for some meetings of some kind. Anakin Skywalker would have gone in went no plan and would probably need a rescue.

Unfortunately, Kenobi although more cautious was curious. With Ahsoka on the team Rex was sure they were going on an spontaneous adventure again.

“What do you think Commander Cody?” Asked Kenobi.

Rex prayed that he would say to ignore it and focus on the task at hand.

To Rex’s dismay, The commander took off his helmet and peered down “I think we should check it out in case the Separatists left something important.”

The cave system was thankfully not a maze but it certainly was a complicated one. Rex it reminded uncomfortably of the labs on Kamino. Some of the other vode must have the same thought as their shoulders were stiff like they were being watched by the trainers. The only source of light were these weird bulbs that grew on the stalactites of the cave.

Cody suddenly stopped in front of large opening. “Cody?” Rex was almost afraid to ask

He waved his hand “Sorry I thought…. Nevermind.” He hurried over to Kenobi. Rex and Fives exchanged looks. Even though the helmets they knew how to read a vode’s body language. Something was definitely wrong. Rex turned to the opening. “Want to check it out?” Asked Fives.

“Let’s see what this place is really about.” muttered Rex and walked further into the cave.

“There was more of the weird glowing eggs things in here.” Rex mused to himself. There was, with them growing thicker and bigger clusters. Rex’s eyes wandered to the centerpiece in the middle of the room. It was a small object on a pillar. It was round and porous with vines and flowers growing in the tiny holes. Fives reached his hand towards it-

“Wait!”

But it was too late a thick pollen erupted from the object covering the room in the stuff.

“Fives!”

“Uhhh…..sorry sir?”

Rex groaned it was bad enough being covered in mud.

Rex felt the beginnings of a headache “let’s just go back to the men.”

“Yes sir.”

Fives didn’t argue and as they slowly walked to the others Rex felt his headache worsening. By when he saw Commander Ahsoka and Cody he felt like his entire body was being crushed.

Cody shouted when Rex collapsed. Distantly he was aware of Fives doing the same. The last thing he saw was Ahsoka’s and Cody’s worried faces.

I just thought of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad au where during Umbara it’s Rex that’s injured and he’s begging Kix to leave him behind so Kix can keep outrunning the tanks. And Kix still tells Rex he sounds like General Krell but he’s more frustrated and afraid than angry. Kix manages to group Rex with the rest of the wounded and Rex orders Kix to leave them behind and initially Kix is like no Fucking way I’m leaving you all out here but Rex reasons with him that he’s the only medic with the company right now and he had to keep moving with the group and Rex would keep an eye on and defend the rest of the wounded. At this point Kix knows he’s right so he leaves with them with a bunch of supplies and keeps going with Torrent. At the end of the battle when their recovering everyone’s like oh Kriff where’s Rex?! Did we loose him?! Is he dead?! And Kix speaks up and tells them he’s with the wounded, which spurts Fives and company to try and go back and look for them but in the name of progress and sacrifice Krell forbids it. He temporarily promotes Jesse to captain because i think at the time he was Rex’s lieutenant but mostly because Krell liked Jesse’s attitude more than he liked Five’s. The rest of the arc continues the way it originally did but with Jesse and fives at the lead. Meanwhile, Rex and like 25 other troops are lost in a foreign environment in the center of hostile territory on a planet far from any republic system, dwindling rations and medical supplies trying their best to live off the land for weeks. Rex had found a cave for the men to hide out in and made a camp there. Since he’s the captain and one of the least injured he goes out trying to locate and contact the gar while finding food and supplies. Between encounters with natural predators and Umbaran squads he always comes back more injured than he left. At this time Anakin gets back and he’s also like umm where’s Rex?? When the 501st tells him what happened he’s pissed and immediately goes out into the jungle to find Rex. And he does, just in time too because Rex had gotten his legs caught in a trap and was too injured to walk or fight and was surrounded by enemy Umbarans. Rex and the others wounded are rescued and get shipped of to a medical station for a while. When they get back hella comfort ensues and torrent is never letting Rex out of their sight again. Over the next few months however it’s clear that Rex has developed a significant amount of trauma and ptsd from the experience and is finding it hard to integrate back into and function within the gar.