In Command (#1 Post-Order 66 Series)

In Command - Part 17

"No, no it wouldn't be easy. This is a fight I actually get to choose to believe in, not like the war. But...in the same breath, if they're not going to listen to what I have to say, then I don't see the point in continuing to risk it all." His mind drifted to Umbara, where he'd been repeatedly ignored by the fallen Jedi master Pong Krell, who had intentionally placed his clone soldiers in harms way in order to have them killed and undermine the Republic. Of course, this situation was very different. He truly believed the rebellion leaders had good intentions and weren't purposefully sending people to their deaths like Krell, but if the results were the same, needless risk and deaths, then did their intent really matter?

He looked down at Senna, who had a faraway look in her eye. "I don't disagree," she said finally, "but I have to believe I can drive change by being part of the rebellion. I can't give up on it yet."

Rex brushed some hair away from her face and she looked up to meet his eyes. "I respect that. And that's one of the many reasons I love you."

Senna propped herself up on her forearms, leaning up to capture his lips in a kiss. "I love you too, Rex." Sitting up, she reached over to grab her clothes, slipping her shirt back over her shoulders. Rex leaned over to place soft kisses on her spine as the fabric fell down her waist. "You're going to have stop that or we're never going to get packed up."

He growled playfully, pulling her back against him and pushing her hair over one shoulder so that he could kiss the skin on her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She giggled as he pressed one final kiss on her forehead. "I thought you were all about efficiency," he teased.

"Oh, I am," she smiled, pulling him into a long kiss before pressing him gently back down onto the bedroll. "But I prefer to take my time with you."

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The emergency beacon comm buzzed as Echo's voice piped up on the channel. "Rex, we're approaching your location now. You should see us in a moment." Rex handed Senna the beacon as he pulled his shirt back down over his freshly changed bandages. The wound in his chest was looking significantly better even with just a day's worth of healing, but his leg was still greatly limiting his mobility. Senna had already packed up everything into her bag, including her back-up disks and the bed roll they'd slept on.

Grabbing her macrobinoculars, Senna stepped to the mouth of the cave, carrying the beacon with her. She scanned the horizon until she finally picked up the approaching ship. It was an Omicron-class attack shuttle that looked like it had been to hell and back. The shuttle landed carefully about a hundred meters from the cave entrance. "They're here," she announced, stepping out to meet their rescuers.

The shuttle door opened, and clone troopers in armor unlike any she'd ever seen stepped out, walking to meet her at the cave entrance. Echo was the first one to her, his scomp arm giving him away even before he removed his helmet. Senna walked over and gave him a big hug. "I'm so glad you're here. We were in a pretty bad jam."

"You'll have to tell us all about it once we get you loaded up. There were some Imperial scouts we spotted on the way in, and I don't want to wait around too long."

She nodded. "Care to quickly introduce me to your friends?"

The second clone was lean with black armor that was accented with red. His helmet gave off a particularly menacing impression that wasn't alleviated when he removed it to reveal a face that was tattooed in the pattern of a skull on one side. He wore a red headband that also had a skull depiction, and it was becoming clear to Senna that skulls were kind of a running theme on their armor. The clone's voice was surprisingly gentle as he extended a hand to her. "Hunter ma'am...er, General," he corrected, glancing down at her lightsaber.