Star Wars: Loyalties Series

Severed Loyalties: Part 3

"Boarding pass," the droid said.

Rex held up a datapad showing his pass and the droid let him on to the ship. A humanoid, his face hidden by a cloak, watched Rex. Even though he walked more stealthily than Rex's brothers, it was similar enough to the way Rex's brothers walked for him to know the figure was a clone. At least one of them had been tailing him ever since he went through the market. So far, Rex had stayed in public, where they couldn't kill him without making a scene. Had the one following him realized Rex knew he was being followed?

The assassin boarded the ship after Rex and sat a few rows back from him. Rex pretended to read on his datapad.

A message appeared on it.

T following with Mav. I'm onboard behind Sneaky. Don't look. Signed D

Rex didn't look toward where he guessed Dogma sat. With two to one odds, he hoped they'd be able to take the assassin if he decided to attack, but since the pair split up, he guessed they were going to wait until he got off the ship on Tatooine. This is going to be a long trip.

Rex stepped off the ship and under the double suns of Tatooine. He suppressed a yawn. Even though Dogma said he'd stay awake while Rex took a turn sleeping, Rex couldn't sleep with an assassin sitting behind him.

Rex rubbed his eyes. Back when he'd been in the 501st, he never had this much trouble staying awake if he missed a little sleep. After working on the farm, he'd become used to sleeping through the night. I'm really out of shape. The thought sent a chill through him. If it came to a fight, he was out of practice. Were Dogma and Tusker prepared for a fight? Most likely, they were. They'd been working as bounty hunters, not as a farmer.

The assassin loitered at the spaceport, doing a good job of not watching Rex. Dogma stepped off the ship. Rex walked away from the ship, looking at the other ships resting nearby. Tusker stood next to one of them, but the clone knew better than to pay much attention to Rex. A red-armored Mandalorian fidgeted next to Tusker. Rex guessed it was Mav. Though Mav was the same height as Tusker, Rex wondered if Mav was another clone or not. The way he fidgeted wasn't very clone-like.

Rex glanced over his shoulder. The assassin was behind him, pretending to examine a stand that sold weapons, rather than fruit. Was it the same assassin who had boarded the ship or was it the other assassin? To Rex's horror, he realized he couldn't tell the pair apart. He'd always been able to tell his brothers apart. Those aren't my brothers. The thought comforted him a little. At least he wouldn't be killing his brothers.

Time to end this. Rex ducked into an alley and hurried down it. He crouched behind a collapsed wall and drew his blaster. A chill shot up his spine when he realized he was planning to gun down a clone in cold blood. It's a clone, not a brother.

The alley entrance stayed clear. No one came toward Rex. Where did he go?

The hair on the back of Rex's neck stood on end. He spun. A blaster bolt burned through the rubble he'd been behind a second before.

Rex ran sideways and fired at the clone. One shot hit the assassin in the shoulder, but it didn't stop him from shooting at Rex. Blaster bolts burned through the air around Rex as he leaped onto the top of the rubble, hoping to get behind it. The rubble shifted under his feet and he stumbled.

The assassin aimed his blaster at Rex's head. Rex couldn't dodge the shot so he lifted his blaster, hoping he was fast enough.

Rex fired, hitting the assassin in the throat. The assassin fell in front of Rex, still clutching the blaster.

Rex stood, his legs shaking. A blaster bolt tore through his thigh. Rex fell on the rubble, rolling onto his back to see where his enemy came from. Blaster bolts burned through the rubble around Rex. One grazed his side, burning like a hot knife. Rex rolled down the rubble pile and saw the second assassin standing in the alley entrance, his blaster aimed at Rex.

Blaster fire echoed down the alley. The assassin stumbled, then fell. More blaster bolts burned into his body. Ignoring Rex, Mav stalked to the body and proceeded to remove anything he appeared to find valuable.

Tusker and Dogma ran to Rex.

"You're hurt," Dogma said.

Rex sat up and grimaced. "I've had worse."

Tusker worked to bandage Rex's wounds. "Sorry about that. We lost those two in the crowd. Should have got here sooner."

After collecting valuables from the assassin the trio had shot, Mav came to look down at Rex. He took his helmet off. To Rex's surprise, he was a young clone. "Looks like he's a little rusty in the fighting department."

"Mav, shut up," Dogma snapped.

Mav put his helmet on. "At least we got some excitement and decent loot out of this deal." Mav went to the other assassin and began stripping valuables off him.

Rex stared at Mav. What is wrong with him?

"He's pretty odd, that one," Dogma said, as if he'd read Rex's mind. "Hasn't shot any of us in the back yet. I think he likes trying to hunt down clone assassins."

Tusker finished bandaging Rex's injuries. "You want us to take you back to the farm?"

Rex looked at the three clones. "What do you plan to do after this?"

Dogma looked at the assassins' bodies. "I think I might try to see if I can help any more of my brothers desert without getting these guys on their tails."

Rex looked at Tusker.

Tusker shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"Maybe I'll come with you." Rex tested his injured leg. The bacta patch was already working but it would take time to heal.

Tusker helped Rex to his feet. "What about you, Mav?"

Mav grimaced. "You can leave me out of your crazy schemes. I'm going to find some decent bounties."

Tusker chuckled. "Suit yourself. We'll be helping our brothers."