Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Inspecting the Troops	By : Snootiegirl Category: +S through Z > Star Wars: The Clone Wars Views: 30967 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I own none of these Star Wars: The Clone Wars characters and make no money off the writing of this work. Star Wars is owned by Disney.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Author's Note: Ok, this baby is spiraling out of PWP territory. I guess I can't just write meaningless (or even meaningful without plot) sex. This installment introduces Fives to our mix. Let's see where that takes us. This WILL be continued.

Chapter 4
"We lost Echo," she repeated once more for the record. Ahsoka's report to the Council wasn't as important as her Master or Grand-Master's reports, but she still took it seriously. She was also upset by the loss of Master Peel, but if she were honest with herself, she knew Echo better. He would leave a more lasting emptiness in her life.
And not just in hers.
She sought out ARC trooper Fives where she knew he and Echo had always sat to eat together. She found him slumping over his caf. She approached slowly and made sure she made enough noise not to startle him. The seat Echo usually occupied was across from Fives. She sat next to him instead.
"Fives," she started. He grunted in response. "I'm so very sorry. I know you were close." She placed a small, sienna hand on the ARC's shoulder armor. She couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Thanks, Commander," Fives replied. He had always been one of the Clones with the firmest grasp on small talk and social interactions. She knew that other troopers would just stare at her or make some comment denying the connection completely. The troops were wary of showing emotions to their commanders, Ahsoka had noticed. Something they learned on Kamino to avoid being classified 'deviant' or 'deficient' and sent for reconditioning.
But Ahsoka tried to create closer relationships with her men--especially the ARCs and other command troopers. They were the most intelligence-enhanced Clones and worked most closely with the Jedi. She saw each man as an individual, not a copy of a copy of a copy. They needed human interaction as much as any other human being, in her humble opinion.
She left her hand on his shoulder as he continued to sip his caf, expecting him to share more. When several minutes had passed and he just sat silently and stared far away, she patted the shoulder and rose to leave. He turned to her as she left, and she read his true gratitude in his eyes. She nodded slightly and left him.
----------
Fives lingered in the barracks the next morning, waiting to have a private word with Captain Rex. He respected the Captain's opinion--after all, he was the man who had elevated Fives and Echo to ARC trooper status just like he and his squad mates had dreamed on Kamino during their training.
When there were only a few stragglers left in the room with the two of them, Fives approached the Captain. "Sir?" he began. "Permission to make a request." He decided to resort to protocols before posing his more unconventional question.
Rex turned toward the ARC with his usual stoic face. "Of course, Lieutenant," he replied.
"Sir, I'd like to be reassigned to Torrent company, sir, if you have an opening," he stated. He knew there were channels to go through to formally request a move, but he also knew the Captain well enough to think he'd appreciate the informal forum, trooper to trooper. In a lot of ways, it was like asking to join a man's family. Asking him to put his life in your hands as you offered him yours.
"Submit your request, Fives. I'm sure the General would be glad to have the help. And so would I," Captain Rex added the last part as an afterthought. He knew that Fives and Echo had come out of Kamino together. For his own part, Rex had lost track of his fellow squad members as they were sent out to the various command positions. Command troopers didn't get the luxury of being assigned to the same posts together.
"Yes, sir," snapped Fives with a crisp salute. He turned on his heel and went off for his duty shift.
The Captain was glad to have him aboard Torrent.
---------
Over the next few weeks, Rex saw more and more of Fives. His request for transfer was expedited by the Captain's private request of the General. If a Jedi asked for a certain trooper, they were not typically denied.
One afternoon, Rex was just finishing up his workout in the trooper gym when Fives approached him.
"Care for a match, Captain?" he asked, indicating the wrestling mats with his left hand. He had already gathered a few other men around for an audience. The lure of the Captain sparring with an ARC was irresistible.
Rex hesitated for a second. He had just spent an hour exhausting his muscles. Did he have anything left for this? But he felt he needed to make a good show for his men. "Sure, trooper. Let's go," he answered with as much enthusiasm as he could fake.
Rex followed Fives to the very center of the room. By the time they arrived, the word had spread to every set of ears. The Captain and the ARC were taking each other on. The noise in the room faded to murmurs as men jostled for position to be able to say 'I was there'.
Fives shed his fatigues down to his shorts to match the Captain. Rex was already slick with sweat, giving him a slight advantage he surmised. He would be slippery in the ARCs grasp. He began to assess what he knew of Fives to determine the best way to attack him. He was sometimes impulsive, quick with a joke, and often cocky. Rex smiled tightly to himself. I can work with that, he thought.
They sank into defensive positions before lurching for each other. They grappled for a few minutes to test each others' brute strength, carefully avoiding giving away too much about their arsenal of moves. No since in throwing all your tricks out on the mat from the very beginning.
Once Rex felt he had a bead on the best way to slip under Fives' defenses, he deliberately gave the other other man an opening. Fives couldn't resist the easy take-down. But Rex was anticipating his impulse and met him head on with the strength and the moves to capture his opponent quickly and easily. The crowd erupted in cheers.
Fives tapped out, and Rex helped him to his feet. The last thing Rex expected was the broad smile on the ARC's face. He thought there might be some sore feelings for such a quick end to the anticipated match. But Fives was thrilled to have had the opportunity to interact with his Captain.
"That was thermal," he said as he congratulated the Captain amid other admirers, thumping his superior officer on the back repeatedly. "Nice moves, sir." He continued to smile in a way that almost unnerved Rex, stoic and reserved as he usually remained.
Rex turned to gather his discarded fatigues and caught Ahsoka's eye. She had entered the room just before the beginning of the match and kept herself back and out of Rex's eyeline. She didn't want to distract her man while he was enforcing the male pecking order.
She raised her white-marked eyebrows at him and a ghost of a smile crossed her lips. He knew what she was thinking. The new kids wanted to take on the old man. He smiled ruefully as he walked toward her.
"Commander," he greeted her. "Enjoy the match?"
Ahsoka lowered her voice below the hubbub around them. "Fishing for compliments, Captain? That's not like you," she giggled at her own tease.
Rex flushed at the insinuation, but he was pleased she had seen his little 'demonstration'. He didn't often get the opportunity to show off for Ahsoka. He knew she didn't need it, but it was a guy thing.
He brushed past her, and she inhaled his scent deeply, enhanced as it was by his workout and the match. Suddenly, he stopped and turned back.
"Did you need something, Commander?" he asked, politely enquiring what she was doing in the guys' gym.
"Oh!" she almost squeaked. "Yes. I was here to get you, Captain. The General wants us in the SitRep room in ten. Should be enough time for you to shower." She smirked in his direction, thankfully the opposite direction from the rest of the occupants of the room.
It was Rex's turn to raise an eyebrow, this one an invitation. She nodded very slightly, and their plans were made to meet up in her 'fresher for a few stolen minutes.
-----------
"Captain!"
Rex heard a voice so much like his own and the other men surrounding him, but he knew who was calling to him despite that. Fives. Again.
The ARC trooper caught up to the Captain on his way to the mess.
"May I join you, Captain?" Fives asked, out of breath from running to catch up with the other man. "I wanted to talk about that new attachment to the deece. I've had a chance to take it to the range. It's going to peel back some droid heads!" he ended enthusiastically, slapping Rex on the back with a hearty laugh.
"Uh, yeah," was all Rex could fit in edgewise before Fives was again extolling the virtues of the new weaponry. Rex tried not to look too annoyed. It seemed that Fives was his shadow lately. Popping up at inopportune moments--which amounted to most moments for the Captain.
"Sure," Rex replied. "But we'll be joining the Commander as well." Rex wasn't going to disappoint Ahsoka for Fives. They grabbed their nerf steaks and sat down.
"Fives!" Ahsoka greeted him brightly. "Tell Rex that story you were telling me the other day about you and Echo. The one where you had an eating contest." She started laughing despite herself.
For the next ten minutes, Fives held forth about his misadventures with Echo, beginning with the eating contest and ending somewhere around repurposing pieces of armor for practical jokes. Rex worked hard to keep from rolling his eyes, but Ahsoka remained engaged. She giggled and snorted. Growing up in the Temple had never been that fun!
Despite Rex's apparent disinterest, Fives kept leaning toward him across the table, virtually ignoring Ahsoka even though she was enjoying the tales much more. He sought out Rex's eye contact and even slapped his hand on the Captain's hand a few times.
As soon as he reasonably could, Rex made his excuses and stood up. He had more important things to attend to than coddling a trooper. Ahsoka had tried to get him to be understanding about Fives losing the last member of his training squad. He was like an orphan, she said. They needed to adopt him into their family now. But she was forgetting that Rex was responsible for hundreds of other Clones. He couldn't give this much attention to one family member at the expense of the safety and well-being of others.
Fives would understand, he had told her.

----------

Two days later, Rex and Ahsoka met up in a secluded corner of the hangar bay. They were just beginning to embrace when Ahsoka saw Fives coming toward them. She tapped Rex on the shoulder and pointed. He turned and let out an exasperated sigh.
"Not again," he muttered. Fives had obviously been following them--or at least Rex--since he had no business in the hangar bay at that time. Rex had checked the duty roster.
Ahsoka was a lot less exasperated. She bounced in front of Rex, between the two Clones. "Hi, Fives," she greeted brightly. "Looking for me?" She figured she should run some interference. Rex had confided in her about Fives' insistent company the past few weeks. She knew he was about to break protocol and lose his cool with the ARC.
"Uh, no, Commander, I was looking for the Captain," Fives replied hesitantly, narrowing his eyes just a bit at Ahsoka.
"Ok," she returned with the same brightness, trying to keep the tone friendly. "Have you been making new friends here on the Resolute?" Darn it, she was going to be nice and make sure he was adjusting okay.
Fives looked from Rex to her as if she had distracted him from something else. "Yeah. I mean, yes, Commander. The boys have been really welcoming. Thanks for asking." His gaze returned to the Captain's face. He looked so eager to be out of Ahsoka's presence that she took pity on him.
Turning to Rex, she said, "We'll discuss that engagement again later, Captain." And she winked at him. Rex was unmoved in his frustration with Fives. He stood with his arms crossed and his feet planted.
As soon as Ahsoka was out of earshot, Fives stepped closer to Rex and whispered, "Geez, I thought she'd never leave." He elbowed Rex in the side good-naturedly.
Rex cleared his throat to get the ARC to look him straight in the eye. "Was there something you needed, trooper?" he asked.
Fives smiled. "No, just looking for you. Thought we could head down to the practice range and use up a few clips. Echo and I used to do it at least twice a week. Good to keep the aim sharp." He waited expectantly for the Captain's assent.
When Rex lingered with his response, studying the ARC's face intently, Fives actually shuffled his feet and dropped his gaze for a few seconds. When it returned to Rex's face, he was still smiling, but it had faded a little.
"No, thank you, trooper. I have duties to attend to. Paperwork," he explained. Before Fives could begin his cajoling, Rex did an about-face, slapped on his bucket, and headed for his office.
On the way, he thought back on the last few weeks. He had tried with Fives, really. Ahsoka said it was important for commanding officers to keep in touch with the emotional state of the men under them. And he had tried to do so with this ARC trooper. But Fives seemed to have latched onto him like some sort of Mon Cal mollusk.
He was constantly tripping over the guy, whether on the cruiser or in the field. Fives seemed to check in excessively when they were in battle. Rex had actually wondered if there was a way to restrict Fives' comm from contacting him more than a certain number of times in a minute. Rex didn't want to be Fives' new best friend. He couldn't be.
He was the Captain. He had to retain a certain distance.
He shook his head in annoyance as he rounded the last corner toward his office. He noticed the door swishing shut on his approach. She had beaten him here, the little minx.
His step hurried just a bit, and his helmet concealed his unabashed smile.

--------
"Oh, Rex," she moaned into his neck. He continued to lick her lekku as he slid her clothing up her thighs. Then he hitched her up onto his desk. She lay back, spreading her legs for him. He knelt down before her and used his thumbs to part her outer lips. She was like a blooming flower before his eyes, all beautiful red and sparkling moisture. He leaned in for a first sniff of her bouquet.
Then he was tasting. She was like nothing else. And he never got enough. Her low moans and thrashing of her head told him she was enjoying his new tactics. He was mixing it up on her between licking and sucking. Then he explored her core with his fingers and combined that with the sucking. Her sound level was beginning to rise. That was how they both missed the door opening.
Fives stopped short just inside the door. He had been working up a head of steam on his way to the Captain's office. The brush-off from Rex had seemed unnecessarily harsh given the circumstances. And he was determined to know just what he had done to deserve it.
He found himself looking at Ahsoka's face, upside down and flushed, draped across the Captain's desk with her eyes closed and her mouth agape. The Captain was only partially visible from the bridge of his nose upward. But the sounds were unmistakeable. He knew the sound of pleasure when he heard it.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he waited to be acknowledged. It took a few more seconds and a clearing of his throat to grab the couple's attention. Ahsoka squeaked and rose from her supine position, scuttling behind Rex, who had stood up. She frantically pulled her clothing back down to cover herself. But the Captain refused to adjust anything on his person--not even to wipe his face clean of its sheen.
Growling, Rex demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"
Fives frowned and answered in the same tone, "I was about to ask you the same thing. I deserve an explanation of why the two of you are together." Rex was growing more pissed off by the second. He had an uncomfortably confined erection behind his armor, and he didn't appreciate the cock-blocking.
Ahsoka, sufficiently covered now, but still very embarrassed by being caught by one of her men, stepped forward to join the conversation, "It's ok, Fives. The Captain and I are very close. We enjoy each others' company . . ."
She trailed off as Fives huffed and turned slightly away from her. "I know what you were doing, Commander. I'm no shiny. I just didn't realize that you two had sex together is all. I thought . . ." and here he trailed off and his whole demeanor changed to a much more timid and dejected version of his usual bravado.
Ahsoka walked around the desk and laid a small hand on his bicep. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea about you and me, Fives," she said placatingly. Another one, she thought. Just like Kix. Maybe she should wear different clothing around the men as Rex had suggested.
Fives' head snapped up and looked between her and the Captain. "No, no, that's not . . ." and he began pushing her hand off of him. Oh, what the hell, he thought.
As quickly as he could, Fives walked around the desk the opposite direction from Ahsoka, wiped across the Captain's mouth with his gloved fingers, grabbed the back of Rex's neck, and planted a kiss firmly on his lips.
Everything after that moved in slow motion. Ahsoka lifted her hands to cover her mouth in astonishment; Rex placed his hands on Fives' shoulders and shoved backwards; Fives grabbed both of Rex's hands in his own to prevent losing contact.
"But I thought . . ." Fives whispered.
"No," was Rex's gruff response. "Not without my permission," he amended.
Ahsoka dropped her hands to her hips. What? she thought. What does he mean by that?
But the Captain was handing out orders now. "ARC Trooper Fives. You will meet me in the gym at 2200 hours. Alone. We'll discuss this further between the two of us then. Dismissed." He pointed at the door to further make his point.
Fives collected what was left of his dignity after his rejection and saluted his Captain. "Yes, sir," he said crisply. Then he was gone.
"What?" Ahsoka asked Rex, shaking her head in confusion. "What just happened?"
"You didn't know Fives and Echo were lovers, did you?" Rex asked her as he drew small circles on the top of his desk. For all of her efforts to get to know the troops, she was still very naive about some relationships. And now they had a situation.
Ahsoka clasped her hands in front of her, and replied meekly, "No." She looked at the floor. Dumb, dumb, dumb, she thought. She should have seen it.
Rex ran a hand over his head and sat down in his chair. "I was afraid of this. This is why I have to remain detached, sweetie. I don't want to encourage false hope."
Ahsoka rounded the desk again and curled up in his lap. She tucked her montrals against the side of his face, shivering as his stubble scratched her slightly. Rex wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her cheek.
They were silent for a few moments, their ardor lost in the ensuing scene. They simply took comfort in one another's presence, Ahsoka reflecting on how bereft she'd feel if she lost her Captain.
Suddenly she remembered the order Rex had given Fives. She sat up straight and turned to him. "What are you going to say to him tonight?"
He rubbed her back thoughtfully and replied, "I don't know yet. But I have a few hours to figure it out."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "And what are you going to give him permission to do?" She enquired, more intrigued than aggravated now but trying to cover.
"Nothing that will interfere with us," he assured her. "Now, get your sweet shebs back up on my desk."
----------

Dressed in off-duty fatigues, Rex entered the gym precisely at 2200 and swept his gaze around for Fives. The ARC appeared from some shadows in a corner of the darkened room.
"Captain, I'm sorry--" he began but Rex held up a hand from where it had been resting i his hip to cut him off.
"Fives, I understand that you lost more than a brother. I want you to listen to me, and that's a request. Not an order." He waited for acquiescence.
Fives nodded briefly and swallowed hard.
Rex continued, "I know you loved him, and I'm flattered that you admire me and trust me enough to approach me. But anything I can offer you right now isn't going to fill in this hole." Rex placed his hand over Fives' heart. He kept his gaze steady on Fives until he saw the tears well up. "Sex isn't love, and you don't love me."
Swiftly, he gathered Fives into his arms and said, "Let it out. You need to let it out so that it doesn't eat you up from the inside."
It took no time at all for the dam to break.
"It's not fair!" Fives roared and thumped on Rex's back with his fists. "He was all I had left. Now there's nothing. Nothing familiar and mine." Great racking sobs gripped his strong frame, and Rex found himself supporting most of Fives' weight as the trooper broke down completely. But it was what he needed.
Rex used one hand to ruffle through Fives' hair at the base of his skull. He was surprised at how soft it was. His own hair had been more bristly. That was why he shaved it. Their bodies were exactly the same size of course, and with their fatigues on, Rex realized for the first time what Ahsoka must feel when she held him. The solid wall of muscle and man. It wasn't unpleasant at all.
He waited until Fives quieted a bit, making soothing noises he had no idea he was capable of. When Fives pulled away to see the tear streaks on Rex's shirt, he began mumbling another apology that Rex cut off again.
Looking in Fives' eyes, he held the man by the biceps not quite arms' length away from his body. "I understand loss. I understand comradeship and brotherhood. I know desire and intent. Now there is grief, and I know that too. Your pain is personal but not alone. Don't rush yourself to diminish his memory. You both deserve more than that," Rex said in his softest voice.
Fives searched Rex's visage. "What if there isn't time to take my time?" He asked as his hands slid up Rex's arms to rest on either side of his neck. His pleading look was the complete opposite of all the posturing and covert seducing he had been engaging in with his Captain lately. He looked young--he was young. They all were.
Rex took in a deep breath. He was going against his instincts of command by taking so much of a personal interest here. He had thought it would resolve itself. Fives wasn't the first Clone to lose someone he loved. But he was turning into a special case. He seemed worth some extra effort on Rex's part.
Because of these thoughts, Rex slid a hand behind the other man's neck again, pulling him back in. He looked down at Fives' lips, exactly like his own. Their earlier kiss had just been a smashing of skin. There had been no tender emotion behind it--Fives being frustrated and Rex being surprised.
Now, Rex had the control, and he would take charge. He stopped just short of touching his lips to the ones before him to check with Fives' eyes. If he saw anything there that looked like fear or hesitancy, he would pull back. But all he saw was trust and sadness. The sadness was what he was hoping to chase away for just a moment.
Their lips touched, and Fives inhaled in surprise this time. Rex was the first to move, to deepen the contact. He parted his lips slightly to take Fives' lower in between his. He had no intention of going any further than a kiss. He had meant what he said about not rushing the grieving man. But he knew that supportive and comforting contact wouldn't hurt for a moment.
They continued for another brief few seconds. Then Rex pulled his lips away and their foreheads together.
"Anything more, and I'll need the Commander's permission," the Captain said, and a smile ghosted across his mouth.
Fives coughed out a laugh. "Yeah, I understand," he said and smiled a genuine smile. He heaved a big, ragged sigh. "Thanks, Rex," he addressed his superior officer by his first name. "For everything," he amended.
Rex simply nodded. "Rack time," he pronounced. They parted ways outside of the door.
TBC
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Inspecting the Troops