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questforgalas · 1 year

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You call that a plan??

Summary: Rex and Anakin meet for the first time

Notes: This is so self indulgent. I HC that Rex and Anakin both thought they had to be super serious with each other and were nervous about their first meeting, but soon realized they're both the same brand of crazy so anyway, here's my self indulgent tale of that

Word count: 2.4k

Warnings: None

Tay's Masterlist

On AO3

10 years had led to this moment. 10 years of simulations. Of strategy training. Of honing his playbook to near perfection. 10 years of hearing, “You’re soldiers. You will protect the people of the republic.” 10 years of hearing about the jedi, the best warriors in the galaxy - according to everyone except the Mandalorians. Force wielders who’ve never heard a call they can’t answer. 10 years of listening to legends as a young cadet who called stark white walls, rain slicked platforms, and a dark grey battle simulator home.

Rex felt this odd twisting in his gut as he waited on the landing platform of the GAR base on Coruscant. The time had finally come to meet his general, and he was surprised to find himself nervous. He’d never met a jedi, and his knowledge came from the few stories the trainers on Kamino told them. These beings that could manipulate the energy around them to do everything from lift small objects to influence the mind. Not to mention their skill with an ancient weapon powered by kyber. One trainer in particular, Kal Skirata, was fond of filling their time with vivid tales of jedi warriors he’d encountered through the galaxy. They were blurs of light. Still as statues. As Ferocious as a Gundark. Gentle as a loth cat. Never expect a direct answer from them since they only spoke in riddles and philosophy, but they could cut you down with their words as swiftly as they could with their lightsabers. In Rex’s mind, they were magnificent.

That strange twisting feeling in his gut kept gnawing at him. He didn’t want to acknowledge it – he was captain of the 501st legion for Maker’s sake. Not once in all his years of training could he remember feeling this way, but ten minutes on this platform waiting to meet his general had his stomach in knots. He wasn’t suddenly questioning his skill or if he was up for the job. Not at all. Cocky wasn’t an adjective used to describe Rex, but confident certainly was, and he was confident in his ability as a captain, a tactician, and a brother. It was humbling, but he knew he was up for the task. No, that nagging knot was coming from another of Rex’s traits.

One of the reasons why Rex’s playbook was undefeated was because he thought outside of the box. The Kaminoans caught it early on, around when he was 5 and first started strategy simulations. They’d give him orders, and he’d follow them, but as he did, he’d identify weaknesses and holes that could cost unnecessary lives. At first, he brought this up to the trainers. Surely, they’d want to know where a plan could be fortified. To his surprise though, Rex was told to run the order again, no changes. So, instead of going through the strategy like last time, he’d quietly add his tweaks as the simulation ran. Soon, Rex’s outcome numbers were surpassing his brother’s three years ahead of him. The Kaminoans couldn’t ignore that.

Then came the battle simulators. Orders would come through, and Rex would have the weakest points identified within 7 seconds of the alarm sounding. So, he’d make his adjustments. Would it be the strategy the Mandalorians told them to run? Not exactly, but it got the job done in record time. When questioned why he made the changes, Rex simply answered, “The plan was flawed. I found an alternative that saved time and lives.”

As he grew older, Rex developed a reputation as the free-thinking clone who could change a strategy flawlessly in a second. So, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when he was tapped for ARC training and then again for command training. Rex wasn’t a fool – he knew the only reason he wasn’t disciplined or even decommissioned was because his plans worked so well, but that didn’t stop him from giving the Mandalorian and Kaminoan strategists subtle headaches now and again.

None of that seemed like a problem to Rex until now. Of course, it would take facing a jedi for him to question his very nature. He wouldn’t call himself rebellious per se, and certainly not a slacker. He just refused to be constrained by protocol if it meant better results for his men. But for 10 years he heard about the strict jedi who adhered to their code like it was imprinted on their souls. If anyone was going to expect him to follow protocol, it’d be his code living general. The more Rex thought about it, the more that knot in his stomach twisted as he counted down the minutes.

“I can do this. I can support my general’s strategies without modifications. Nothing to it,” Rex repeated to himself like a mantra. It was exactly 0859 – his general should be here any minute. Something in the corner of Rex’s eye caught his attention, and he turned his head to see Commander Cody walking towards him from the base.

“Cody, what brings you here?” Rex greeted as he clasped his brother’s forearm. Cody copied the gesture.

“Thought I’d try to catch you before your meeting. Finished up with mine a few minutes ago,” Cody answered.

“How’d it go? The jedi live up to everything we’ve heard?” Rex eagerly asked.

Cody didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared out at the Coruscant skyline as if pondering Rex’s question.

“Yeah. They’re uh, they’re something that’s for sure,” Cody responded in time. “You and I will probably see a lot of each other. My general, General Kenobi, is your general’s old master. Word on the street is the two of them are inseparable. Apparently, your general, General Skywalker, just went through their graduation ceremony the other day, so he’s young. About 19 I think. General Kenobi talked about him with a smirk but also a fondness in his eyes, so I don’t know what to make of that.”

Rex groaned, “I’m not a babysitter Cody. I’m leading a battalion. I can’t keep our brothers alive if I’m also watching over a kid.”

“Rex, you’re 10,” Cody quipped back not holding back his smirk.

Rex rolled his eyes. He had a retort on the tip of his tongue but it was stopped by the distant groan of a ship approaching the platform. They both watched a ship touch down just under the cover of the hangar ceiling. Rex wasn’t sure what to expect regarding jedi transportation, but it certainly wasn’t a Corellian G9 light-freighter that looked like it was one bumpy landing from completely disintegrating.

Before the gangway lowered, Rex shot a look to Cody who took the hint and made his way back to the GAR base, shoulders shaking with laughter knowing Rex’s need for good impressions. One last glare thrown at Cody’s back, Rex quickly put his bucket on and swiftly stood to attention as a figure made its way down the ramp. He was taller than Rex expected, even at this distance. The person, General Skywalker apparently, strolled over to where Rex had been waiting with no sense of hurry in his gait. Rex didn’t need the force to feel the smug energy radiating off of this one.

“Oh great,” Rex groaned inwardly. “A kid and an ego.” Kid or not, Rex still felt the knot of nerves in his gut twist as the jedi got closer. When they were within 4 steps of him, Rex shot into a salute.

“Sir! It is a pleaure to meet you, sir. I’m CT-7567, captain of the 501st, and it is an honor to be serving under you,” Rex rattled off when the jedi came to a stop in front of him. This close it was easy to take in the details of the person he was about to go into battle with. Short, shaggy soft-brown hair topped a long, soft face. Blue eyes took in the clone, and a smirk seemed to live on the general’s lips like he was in on a secret no one else knew. Rex hoped for Skywalker’s sake that the short stub of hair tied in the back was a jedi requirement and not a personal choice. Hidden behind his helmet, he took in the rest of the general as he eyed him up and down, and that’s when he caught it. Slightly concealed by the long, dark sleeve of a tunic was a cybernetic hand.

Groan number three made its way through Rex as he realized he was looking at the jedi padawan who lost his hand to Count Dooku. Rex heard the reports. Impulsive. Reckless. Those are the conclusions Rex came to about the jedi in front of him before today. Taking in the permanent smirk on Skywalker’s lips, Rex felt fairly confident with his conclusions.

“What do I do to get you to stop doing that?” Skywalker’s odd question jerked Rex out of his thoughts.

“To stop doing what, sir?” Rex slowly answered.

“Stop standing like a statue. Not even Obi-Wan is that stiff when he’s meditating,” the jedi answered. Again, at a loss for words, Rex didn’t know exactly how to respond. Was he simply looking for Rex to go at ease? Did he know nothing about standard procedure? Was Rex expected to go to into battle and keep his brothers alive with someone who didn’t even know protocol? Maker, save him.

“Uh, you can tell me to go at ease, sir. Then I can address you more casually,” Rex suggested.

“Ah ok. Then, at ease CT-7567. Any chance that also means you can remove your helmet? Figured I should know what my second in command looks like.”

Rex couldn’t tell if that was an attempt at a joke. He was a clone. They all looked alike. The general just simply had to walk into the base behind him, and he’d see what he needed to. Granted, Rex’s blonde mutation made him stand out a little easier, but the face was all the same. Rex stayed silent as he took in the general. That smirk had softened a bit, and his eyes held a genuine curiosity that had Rex reaching for his helmet.

“Not much to look at, sir. A base full of me just behind us,” Rex attempted to joke back. He must have delivered it wrong though, because Skywalker’s eyebrows suddenly furrowed and he looked insulted at Rex’s statement.

“Not to me, captain. You’re not just clones. Neither of you are the same in the force, and each one of you is a man I’m responsible for. I don’t take that lightly,” Skywalker said sincerely. “CT-7567 is a bit of a mouthful. Any chance the Kaminoans were fans of names?”

A light laugh passed Rex’s lips, “Not the Kaminoans, sir, no. But my brothers and I took it upon ourselves to gives us some identity. The name’s Rex.”

“Rex. I’m Anakin Skywalker. I guess I’m your general,” Anakin stretched out his cybernetic hand in front of him. Rex grabbed it with a strong grip before giving a brief shake and letting go. “I’ll be honest Rex, I’m a little out of my depth here. General of an army isn’t exactly part of jedi training, but I already have a few tricks up my sleeves I think you’ll be impressed with.”

“Eager to hear them, general. We’re to report in the hangar at 1400 to make our way to Christophsis,’ Rex supplied.

“Plenty of time for us to go over my plan. Here’s what I was thinking.” For the next five minutes, Anakin didn’t take a breath as he rattled off the mess that he was calling a plan. Rex was in disbelief. When Anakin had started, he’d let out a soft chuckle because he thought the jedi was joking, but Rex realized Skywalker wasn’t stopping. This was genuinely Anakin’s idea of a plan. He could appreciate out of the box, but this. Rex didn’t have words to describe what he just listened to. The words “impulsive” and ”reckless” made their way back to the front of his mind as the minutes passed. It was easy to tell Anakin was eager and dedicated to his men, but it was also clear he didn’t possess a tactical bone in his body.

“My general’s worse than a shiny,” Rex thought.

Granted, Anakin may be rough around the edges, but he had the raw potential to become a great leader. He just needed some polishing here and there. Lost in his thoughts, Rex hadn’t realized that Anakin stopped talking and was now looking at him with eyes similar to those of an eager Loth pup awaiting praise. Rex kept his face neutral as he responded.

“Well sir, I understand better how you lost your hand if that’s what you call a plan.”

Of all the moments to not have a camera. Anakin’s mouth fell and his eyes went wide. Rex did his best to keep his face straight, but the longer he looked at Anakin, the harder it was to keep his laughter in. Eventually, the laughter won. Anakin blinked once, then twice, and then joined his captain. Maker, Rex couldn’t remember the last time he laughed this hard, and he felt the formal tension between him and the general fade into the Coruscant air.

“If I may speak freely sir, that plan leaves a lot to be desired. I see the overall picture you’re trying to put together. If you’d like, I could make some adjustments to fortify the weak points and add in some surprises the clankers may like,” Rex offered.

“Sounds like a deal, Rex. Could you do me one favor though? If Obi-Wan asks, tell him you thought it was a good plan. He’d never let me hear the end of it if my captain ripped apart my first ever battle strategy,” Anakin asked with a sheepish smile taking over his usual smug smirk.

“Not a problem, sir. Wouldn’t want the 212th getting cocky now. I’m happy to go over some strategy basics with you once we’re onboard, too. This stuff I’ve been learning since I came out of the tube. Could say it comes naturally.”

That softness from earlier returned to Anakin’s eyes as he rested a hand on Rex’s shoulder, smug smirk back in place. “Well, let’s go then. We have a war to win.”

#tay writes #the clones wars #captain rex #anakin skywalker #rex and anakin

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