Chapter Text
Rex seethed.
He stood still at the bulkhead as the shuttle shuddered through the energy field into the hangar, and he seethed. As the landing sequence engaged and the heavy legs of the gunship set down on the durasteel floor with a solid thunk, Rex took in a single steadying breath before he was moving. Without a word to the 4 other troopers on the ship, dirty and tired like him, he moved to the door and slammed his palm against the exit panel before the safety lights even had the chance to flick to green.
He was on the floor of the hangar before the ramp was and before anyone could hail him down or stop him for something arguably unimportant he was off. Rex marched across the busy hangar, his fury radiating off him, troopers stopped their post battle chatter and tripped out of the way of his trajectory. About 30 meters from his goal he lost the last remaining drips of patience and barked out,
“Skywalker!”
The hangar fell into hush at a record breaking pace, the general, who until this point had been desperately trying to escape the hangar despite being stopped every other step by officers and shines alike, stopped mid step and turned to regard Rex from the corner of his eye.
His face was painted with guilt, Rex finally made his way to him and Anakin opened his mouth ready to start spewing his sorrys but was stopped by the sharp clack Rex’s armour made as he brought up his hand in a Halt. Grabbing him by the elbow Rex dragged them both out of the stunned silence that had become the crowded hangar.
It took the pair 5 minutes of silent marching to ascend the 6 floors of Resolute and finally step into the briefing room situated conveniently close to the bridge. Rex may have been radiating his rage so aggressively it could be felt through walls but he wasn't about to be bad at his job. He let go of his general’s arm as they crossed the threshold to the private room, turning sharply and activating the door lock and then walking, almost painfully slowly, around the long table to the other end of the room. He pulled his helmet off and put it on front of him without looking up, he set his hands on the table in front of him, let out that steady breath he had held onto in the gunship and then looked up. Glaring hard eyes into the jedi who now stood across the room from him, a great jedi knight, a general and a soldier, a friend to the vode of this ship.
Anakin Skywalker could not bring himself to return Rex's gaze.
“How many..”
It was not really a question. Anakin knew, Rex knew he knew. He would answer anyway.
“78.”
They eyes met for a single broken second before he looked away again.
“I'm s-”
The clacking Halt sounded out again, less of a room stopping echo this time but Anakin snapped his mouth shut again.
“We were on the surface for 2 hours and 34 minutes, we lost 78. 2 Lieutenants, my CMO, a Corporal and 74 troopers. This was a relief mission…”
Their eyes finally held.
“General what happened?”
The despair on his frame, the faintest echo of tears in Skywalker's eyes and the quiet of the room was Rex’s breaking point. Anakin practically fell into the chair beside him, his arms coming to cradle his hand in his hands as the words which had been waiting impatiently for almost 10 minutes messily tumbled out.
“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It was so loud Rex, I didn't hear them, I swear I didn't hear them-”
“They were calling for you General! They were begging you to wait! You have a duty to these men, Skywalker!”
It was the second time Rex had called him Skywalker ever, it was also the highest ratio of deaths they had ever had and it was the angriest Rex had ever been at the man in front of him, who now begged for his forgiveness.
“It was so loud Rex, it was so loud! I couldn't even hear myself, all I heard was the force begging me! It was screaming at me to move Rex! I'm sorry..”
Anakin now had real tears in his eyes, threatening to stain his cheeks and spoil his sleeves. Rex strode around the table before he could change his mind, helmet abandoned just as much as any sense of decorum, he forcefully withheld the real speed at which he wished he could round the table and instead came to stand next to Anakin mere second slower than he could've, reaching out as he stopped and pulling him into his arms.
“I know.”
Rex cradled his jedi General in his arms like a cadet, furious at him and oh so sorry for him. Only 19, only a boy, young as his youngest and a planet's weight upon his shoulders.
“This can never happen again General, I am here for this reason. I will be louder. When you need me, I will be louder.”
Rex pulled back, looked down at Anakin and snapped him a sharp, almost perfect salute before returning to his helmet and clipping it to his belt, walking to the door and unlocking it, freeing the pair from their sorrows but forcing them back into their responsibility. Anakin opened his mouth to apologise once more but was halted again not by the harsh clack of Rex’s armour but by his quiet words,
“I will accept your apology when you don't need to give one.”