In Command (#1 Post-Order 66 Series)

In Command - Part 3

She's really selling this well. He smiled back down at her, and it felt less tight in his cheeks.

"We drifted apart when we began our studies, but ironically, the war brought us back together. We both opted to serve as civilian logistics specialists and ran into each other on Coruscant for training. We were lucky enough to get sorted into the same team and were always stationed together after that."

"Oh my, did you ever see any action?"

"Not much. We were fortunate in that respect. Much of our work took place at outposts well away from the battles, and for the most part, the locations were quiet and boring. That left us with a lot of down time to...reconnect." She winked at Zea and the two women giggled together.

Rex gave her a little squeeze smirking down at her. They had spent a lot of time going over their cover story, and she had done an excellent job filling in the missing pieces. He had stressed that a little bit of truth in her lies would help sell it, so when she had proposed Naboo as their home planet, he had agreed. He supposed he shouldn't be shocked at how quick on her feet she was with the conversation, but he had never observed her in a social setting before and had been anxious to see how it played out. As it turned out, she was significantly more personable when their lives were on the line.

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The city center was quite a sight to behold. The large dome was illuminated with soft lighting around the statues and columns that stood outside. Imperial banners were draped above the windows and entrances with large floral arrangements of native Lothal greenery placed along the drapery and the path that they had now been funneled onto. This must have cost a good chunk of credits, Rex thought. As they approached the building, stormtroopers lined the streets and Senna felt Rex stiffen slightly next to her. Slipping her arm around him, she pressed her lips against his ear and smiled as if she was whispering something wicked. Rex saw Zea and Brak shoot each other a look of adoration at the sight of what they interpreted as two newlywed lovers sharing a moment.

"It's going to be alright. Just breathe and stay calm," Senna breathed into his ear. "We'll get what information we can, stay as long as is polite, and then leave. You were a Captain of the Grand Army of the Republic, and this should be a walk in the park for you." She ran her hand up over the back of his neck as he pulled back to look at her. She had that star-crossed look smeared onto her face, and it was incredibly convincing. He noticed Zea and Brak still staring at them, so he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips.

"Yes ma'am," he whispered back, attempting to ignore the slight tingle that ran up his spine as he smelled her skin. As they stepped to the front of the line, the spot on his hip where his blaster was normally holstered felt abnormally light and just wrong, and his fingers twitched for a trigger that wasn't there at the sight of the stormtroopers surrounding them.

She winked at him as they stepped forward to present their chain codes to the stormtrooper checking everyone in. She felt her heart skip a beat as the trooper took their disks, slipping them into the scanner. She smiled as engagingly as she could when the trooper looked at her face through the cold, blank plastoid. They'd only had to use their chain codes a few other times, but it never seemed to get more easy or less terrifying. After what seemed like an eternity, the trooper nodded, handing Rex back the disks.

"Enjoy your evening Mr. and Mrs. Cardell."

They bobbed their heads in thanks and began climbing the steps towards the dome. Senna let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and she felt Rex relax slightly next to her. They shot each other a look and she slipped her arm back into his as they entered the hall.