A few months had past since Roxy's parents showed back up and messed her up. She'd been trying to put all that behind her, and was partially succeeding. She was now walking to the temple to talk with the Jedi, they had some, as they said 'Very important business' to discuss with her. She reached the steps of the Temple and saw Obi-wan waiting for her, she walked with him to the council room. She greeted all the Jedi with the formal, "Generals." and a nod, she took off her helmet and stood so she could see them all.
"Thank you for coming this early, Corporal Roxy." Mace Windu acknowledged, "Of course, uh...what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" She asked, slightly nervous. "Well, as you know the Clones all age differently, so it's more efficient, and well, since your not actually a Clone, and your a one of our best soldiers, we have to ask.." Plo Koon trailed off, "If you would want your aging process slowed, so you would live longer and be able to fight along side the men longer.." Obi-wan finished.
Roxy thought a moment, "I...don't know. I don't wanna live forever but, I also don't want to lose my place in the GAR." She started, "I guess I should think about it, I'll get back to you later on that Generals." She said, they nodded, "Take your time Roxy, we know this is a difficult decision." Obi-wan replied, Roxy nodded and left. She walked back to the Barracks and stopped outside the building, she took a breath and walked in. She was greeted by a water balloon to the face, she looked for the one who threw it, it was a shiny named Porter, "Oh, shit! Corporal, I'm so sorry! Fives said to do it!" He apologized profusely, Roxy smirked and grabbed a water balloon and threw it at his face.
"Fives, I'm gonna kick your ass!" She yelled, and wiped her face dry with her gloved hand, she turned and saw Rex on his Data pad, probably figuring out the next mission or something, she took a seat beside him. "Hey kid, what's up?" He asked, not looking up from his work, "Uh, well I went to talk with the Generals this morning-" "What did you do?" Rex cut her off, "Nothing! Geez, thanks for having faith in me." She laughed, "No, but I talked to them and, they asked me if I want to slow my aging process, like you guys.." She said. Rex set down his data pad and looked at Roxy, "What did you say?" He asked, "I said I'd think about it...what do you think I should do?" asked Roxy, "Well if you say yes, then you'll keep aging, slowly but still age, and look nineteen for a longer time, but if you say no, then you'll keep aging, and probably be forced to retire by the time your in your fourty, if the war goes on that long.." He replied.
"So, yes is the better option, slow my aging process and look like a kid for a longer time?" She questioned, "I...guess so? But that's up to you." He said and went back to work. Roxy went to the cafeteria and got some caf, she saw Ahsoka sitting at a table reading a book, "Hey, mind if I sit?" asked Roxy, Ahsoka nodded, "Yeah, I'd love the company!" she replied cheerfully. Roxy sat and took a sip of the hot cafinated drink, "I can sense your thinking, what's wrong?" Ahsoka asked, "Well, I think I'm going to slow my aging process.." Roxy said, Ahsoka looked at her with confusion, "I have to, to be able to keep fighting for longer, depending on how long the war goes on for. If I slow my aging, I'll look like this for a couple years longer but I'll be older then I really am, kind of. If I don't once I'm around fourty I'll have to retire from the war and what not, again, depending on how long it goes on for." She explained.
Ahsoka nodded, "What are you going to say to the Council?" She asked, "I'm going to say yes, being with the clones is the best thing that's ever happened in my life, so I have to stay as long as I can, their my family. So I'll slow my aging and stay longer." She replied simply. Ahsoka nodded, "That's probably the right decision. I know the men care for you as their sister." Ahsoka replied. Roxy finished her caf and walked back to the Jedi Temple. She went into the Council room and told them her decision. They took her to the med bay and had the syrum inserted, she felt a slight pain, then a numbness in her arm, after the numbness was gone, they let her go back to the barracks.
"So, your a freak like us now?" Jesse asked, "I wouldn't call you guys freaks, but sure. I'm gonna look young for a long time." She said. Rex smiled at her and handed her a beer.
*Time skip to a few months later on Onderon*
"Why do we get stuck with training a bunch of 'rebels'" Roxy asked, and mocked the word rebels, "Well, one of the leaders is a 'kind-of-friend' of Ahsoka's and she wants to help out, so Skywalker agreed and now we have to go and train 'em." Rex told her. They boarded the gunships and flew down onto the planet, they met up with the group of rebels and began work. "Alright, Captain Rex and Corporal Roxy will help with the explosives training, Ahsoka and I will help with the hand to hand, close quarters stuff. Any questions?" Anakin asked, no hands raised so they began.
Roxy and Rex both demonstrated how to blow up a tank, and they worked seperate, but had the trainees work in pairs, after the first few pairs tried and failed, Roxy leaned over to Rex and muttered, "This is gonna be a long day." Rex chuckled and nodded. After a while they started to get the hang of it, once they could blow up a tank, they worked on rolling explosives into the shield of a rolling death ball droid. "Alright, if anyone needs help or needs me to explain again how this works, just ask." Roxy said and stood to the side, "I could use some help." Said a young man, "I was just lying, dammit." She whispered to herself.
"Alright, what don't you get?" She asked, "It won't roll under, how do you do it?" asked the young man who introduced himself as Lux Bonteri, Roxy already hated him. "Take it, slow your breathing and concetrate, and roll. That's all that's to it." She said and showed him how to do it, again. He tried again and failed, "Keep trying." She said and took off her helmet, it sure held in heat and she was beginning to sweat.
She set her helmet to the side and looked to Ahsoka to see how she was doing with teaching Saw Gerarra how to roll the explosive, he was getting better then Bonteri. Steela came over to Roxy, and asked for more explosives, she started helping Lux, she had gotten it perfect by now. After training was done for the day, everyone was sat around a fire, eating a small supper and sharing stories. Rex sat by Ahsoka, Roxy smirked and took a sip of her drink, Lux looked at her with an odd look. "How did you get to be in the GAR?" Steela asked Roxy, "Well, uh, Rex found me when I was a kid, saw something in me and kind of kept as a little sister. I went through the same training and once i saw like...sixteen? I became a member of the 501st and was soon ranked Corporal." She explained with ease, she was used to this question.
"What's it like being the only woman soldier?" Saw asked, "Only a bit different, but my Vod treat me no different." She replied, speaking a bit of Mando'a, Rex smiled. Somehow Lux and Saw started arguing about something, Lux was stating how he's better and all that, then they started a 'fair brawl', no face hits. Rex rolled his eyes, and Roxy watched as Lux got his ass handed to him, he sat back down and didn't make any eye contact, Roxy looked at Rex and said, "Ori'buyce, kih'kovid." and nudged towards Lux, Rex laughed and Ahsoka asked what she said, Rex whispered it in her ear and she laughed.
The next day, during training, Lux approached Roxy and started flirting, "So, do you wanna sit together tonight at the fire?" He asked, "Not a chance, Bonteri, now back to training!" She ordered and he left. "He'll flirt with anything that has legs won't he?" Roxy asked Steela, she laughed and nodded, Roxy showed the trainees how to shoot correctly and how to avoid being killed. Once they were battle ready, they took back Onderon, with only some difficulty and the loss of Steela.
Lux was back in a place of power and Onderon was safe. Rex, Roxy, and Ahsoka went back home. "Man am I glad to be back home!" She said with a smile, but that smile was cut short when they learned of a new battle on a much more dangerous planet; Umbara.
*Time skip to after Umbara, and coping with what happened*
Everyone took it differently, Rex took it hard, feeling it was his fault, he had nightmares, as did everyone, Roxy took it pretty bad too, something wasn't right about everything that just happened. It shouldn't have happened. Roxy sat in her dark room and stared at the wall, counting back the number of her own Vod she killed, thinking they were Umbaran's, as Krell had said. She started breathing heavy and closed her eyes, "This isn't right, we should have known." She said quietly, and let a few tears escape. She dried her eyes and looked at her scars, she looked in the mirror at her black eye and healing split lip.
She headed to the med-bay as Kix had ordered, she walked into the bright room and sat on the table while Kix checked her vitals, "Have you been sleeping alright?" He asked the routine question, "Do you want me to lie or-?" "Roxy." He said sternly, "Fine fine, I haven't slept for a couple'a days." She said honestly, "Here, take one of these every night, it'll help with your sleeping and the PTSD." He said handing her a bottle of pills.
She left the med-bay and went to the living room where Anakin was talking to Rex. "Ah, there you are Roxy, I need to ask you a few questions as well, reguarding the events of Umbara, Krell and Dogma." He said, Roxy cringed at his name, and nodded slowly. Anakin asked his questions and didn't get very good answers from any of the men or Roxy, "I know that what happened was horrible, I understan-" "Don't." Roxy stopped him, "Don't you dare say you understand because you don't! We killed our own vod, you have no fucking flue what that was like for us!" Roxy yelled, Anakin looked taken back, but let it slip, figuring it was the stress. Figuring they'd be back to normal in a few days.
They were never the same after what happened. That day would stick with them for a long, long time. It's one of those things they so badly want to forget but can't, they push it back and repress it, but it still reappears in their dreams, their nightmares, it lingers there, constantly torturing them in their sleep. That day was never forgotten by the men and Roxy.
*To Be Continued.....
A/N: I really wanted to write about Roxy, I might even update this again today, I have time, Ideas and motivation for once so I hope you'll all enjoy! I didn't go through everything at Umbara because you guys know what happened, so just put Roxy into and have her agreeing with Fives and Rex about something being wrong, and being disrespected by Krell for being a female soldier. Well, enjoy this chapter and hopefully I can update again today!
Mando'a-
Vod-Brother or Sister Ori'buyce, kih'kovid-All helmet, no head-All bark no bite.
Expect more Manod'a later on! :) ~Emilypeej