The Lie (Captain Rex)

(V) - Secrecy

(Part V.)

(Clone Wars announcer voice™️)

A deadly extraction! After the events of last night, Generals Skywalker and Kenobi prepare for the mission in the morning--an extraction of Jedi Master Piell from a high-security prison. Meanwhile, the Padawan seeks out Skywalker to bid him good luck on his mission, and seek advice on their mixed feelings.

* * *

Watery morning light shone through the windows of the Jedi Temple in panels of gold on the carpeted floor. To your relief, the hallway was fairly empty when you hurried through it; you did not have the energy for compulsory small talk. Sleep had evaded you the night prior.

Don't be late, don't be late, your mind reeled as you sped through turn after turn in the hallways. You'd woken up very early, earlier than even Kenobi, in order to catch Anakin before he could fly away on that special mission. You needed to talk.

But to your dismay, when you rounded another corner, Master Windu appeared, walking in the direction opposite you. You had to force down the little scream that your treacherous heart gave out, when you neared him and he met your eyes.

Your mouth went dry.

Maybe you were imagining things. Seeing what you wanted to see. But when you met his eyes, his steely glare felt suspicious, probing. Like a pair of cold, metal pincers that would unravel your brain, smear it out across the floor, and pluck out the secrets within, if you weren't careful enough. Just look calm. Just pass by. He doesn't know. There's nothing to know. He never liked you, anyways.

Your heart pattered a frantic rhythm against your bones. The moments where you passed him by felt thick, too slow, somehow; they seemed to drag on for whole minutes rather than seconds. Your mind won't betray you. He doesn't have any way of knowing, so just stay calm. If you let yourself feel fear EVERY time you think someone's catching on, then how the kriff do you expect to keep secrets in a Temple swarming with Jedi?

In truth, you could not quite discern what your relationship to Rex was. A lover, maybe. A good friend. A Commander from a different legion. But whatever it was, you knew damn well that attachment came with it. And, from Mace Windu's worldview, Jedi did not form attachments.

He doesn't know.

It was an immense, almost crushing relief when you left Master Windu behind you, leaving your worries there with him. You shook out your head to rattle the thoughts inside. Time to find Anakin. He's not in his own quarters, maybe he's with Obi-Wan.

* * *

Anakin was indeed with Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan wasn't quite with Anakin.

"Shhhh. I'll go in first," Anakin said, leaning over you to rap one-twice-thrice on the door to Obi-Wan's quarters. He pressed a listening ear to the door and gave you a sly look.

You'd found Anakin just as he had reached Obi-Wan himself. You decided to let him go see Obi-Wan, and then wait to talk. Your questions could wait.

Anakin waited for the briefest moment. Nothing.

"What's he doing in there?" you muttered.

"Well! I'm going in. I'm sure he's had enough sleep, anyways," Anakin said.

"Are you sure we should-" you began, alarmed, but Anakin barged in regardless. You trailed after him with a sigh.

Anakin stood smack dab in the middle of the barren quarters, scoring them with an assertive sweep of his gaze. Hands on hips.

"Obi-Wan?" he called, even though the room was very obviously empty. He raised his eyebrows at you. "Nope!" he said cheerfully, starting to walk away. "Nobody here."

"Yeah, I wanted to tell you, about, um..." you trailed off.

But then you spotted it, and Anakin spotted you spotting it, and you both simultaneously stopped dead in your tracks. Anakin sharply put a hand over your mouth. "Uh. Don't talk. Stop. I can sense that you wanna say something. Don't."

You shoved his hand off your mouth. Your wide eyes fluttered. "Is- is that- is he-" you stammered, pointing a finger at the other bed, where a snoring figure lay. "Why is Cody- Marshal Commander Cody- why is he sleeping in the same room as Master Obi-Wan?"

"They're roommates," Anakin enunciated, giving you a wide-eyed, meaningful look. He turned you to the door, steering the both of you to leave the quarters. "They're roommates..."

"Uh-huh," you said, arching an eyebrow at him. "And I'm a Mandalorian."

And with that, you left to meet Rex on the landing platform.