#thiyo

The drew up the cloak on his back a little tighter around himself as another group of people rushed past them, and then turned into the alley the door was marked to be in on the map.

The roofs of the buildings on the both sides of the alley didn't let the winds through so much, which gave Nemec the opportunity to come closer to speak to him.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked quietly. "The Senator has been a great help, but things have been a little too convenient, as of late."

"And you are voicing these concerns now?" Rex asked back. "It's a little late to turn back now."

He nudged his head towards the entrance of the alley, beyond which the road and houses had started to disappear behind the wall of dust. Stepping in it would hurt, even with their armors on.

Nemec shrugged.

"Maybe because it is a bit too late to turn back now", he said. "We're pretty much boxed in."

"I know", Rex said. "But like you said, Senator Chuchi has been a great help to us. She wouldn't betray us, or let us walk into a trap, if she could help it."

He put all of his conviction into those words, and it seemed to satiate Nemec, who fell back into step with Howser and the rest behind them.

The correct door was the third last on the alley. A shade of rusted red, with a number eighteen welded onto it. Rex knocked at it, two timed briskly, and then three more after a few seconds had passed.

Fifteen seconds later, the door opened.

It was another clone on the other side of the door. Rex recognised him as one immdiately, from the height and from the build, even with his face covered with a simple mask. He could see a brief glimpse of familiar pair of eyes behind the goggles, before the clone stepped aside and let them in.

Senator Chuchi was sitting by a metal crate, that had chairs and smaller boxes arranged around it, so it could serve as a table. She was dressed in a bit more casual set of clothes, in a simple pair of dark red pants and a dark coat over it, her hair pulled back into equally as simple ponytail. They all made her look younger, Rex thought. More close to her actual age, than what the carefully chosen outfits and professionally done hairdos of a Senator made her look.

She tood up from her chair as they stepped in, and smiled as the clone at the door closed it behind them.

"Captain", she greeted Rex, and extended her hand for him. "It's so good to see you again."

Rex couldn't help but to smile back at her. She had always been their friend, and it was always nice to see a friendly face.

"It's good to see you again, as well, Senator", he said, grabbing her hand. "How have you been?"

She looked a bit tired, even when smiling. Not that Rex didn't feel tired, either.

"Busy", she said. "As I can imagine you have been as well. Please, get something to drink, and sit down. I'm sure you've had a long day."

"Thank you", Rex said, and motioned for his brothers to come closer. "First, though, I must thank you again. The way you've managed to set up new cells of clones, and handled things at Coruscant and at the Core in general...we really, really can't thank you enough."

"It has been my pleasure to help", Senator Chuchi said. "And besides, I cannot take all the credit. Your brothers have been a greater help to you than I ever could've been."

She glanced towards the other clone in the room, then, reminding Rex of his presence. Well, reminding everyone in the room of his presence, if everybody also turning to look at him was anything to go by.

The clone had made his way closer to them as well, after carefully latching the door shut. He was wearing parts of an armor underneath the long coat he had on, but any color that could mark him as part of any particular battalion had been sanded and painted away.

He had a reason to remain unrecognisable. For safety, most likely, Rex thought. His, or someone elses?

"Why don't you introduce us?" Howzer asked. Rex could see him and the rest eyeing the clone warily from the corner of his eye.

He couldn't blame them for it, even if he thought it was a bit excessive.

"Oh, I'm sure you know each other already", Senator Chuchi said. She did turn properly towards the clone, who had made his way wordlessly behind her shoulder. "Could you...?"

He nodded at her, and then reached for his mask.

"We've met, certainly", he said, as he took the mask off. "Captain."

Rex felt his shoulders tense before he could stop it.

"We have", he said. "Commander."

Thire nodded at him, and then at everybody else, before his eyes returned back to looking at Rex. They were sharp, and if there was any of the same exhaustion in him that Rex certainly felt, it was nowhere to be seen.

It had been a long time since Rex had seen him. He still remembered Thire, how he had been during the war. The youngest Commander of the Guard, always dutiful, smart and loyal, keeping his hair neatly cut and his armor in order, usually better than most of them, no matter the still clinging baby-fat on his face and his wide eyes still regarding things with wonder.

Most of it was gone, now. He had gotten older, which had taken some of the softness off his features. He had let his hair grow longer, and some of the curls made their way to his forehead now. He was sharper all around, not just for the look in his eyes, and to Rex, he looked a bit like-

No, it was better to not think about it.

"I agree with Riyo", Thire said. He clipped his mask on his belt. "It is good to see you. There are few brothers I could rather have leading parts of this operation."

He said it all very matter-of-factly, and he did not extend his arm for Rex. He did sound sincere enough when he said it, though, in contrast with the still remaining, sharp look, that had not moved away from Rex again.

Rex tried not to be bothered by it.

"This is an effort by us all", Rex said. "I don't lead by myself, and cannot definitely take most of the credit for myself. Especially now, as I'm taking it that you have been handling things in the Core?"

"I have", Thire nodded. "I was the only Commander remaining of the Guard, by the time I had my chip removed. Most of the knowledge from the workings of the inside I had has remained intact until now, and the change in structures has been slow enough for me to adapt to them."

Rex tried not to let the sting he felt for the words the only Commander remaining show.

"It has all certainly been of great help", Rex said. "I have to thank you too, for continuing to put yourself at risk. Dealing with the Core is not an easy task."

"It certainly isn't", Thire said. There was a tone in his voice, now, that was different from how he had been speaking just a moment before. "Things there have never been easy, and have only gotten harder after the Order, and what came after it."

He took a step forward. Senator Chuchi raised her hand, like she was going to grab at him, but she ended up simply drawing her hand at her chest.

She did look a bit nervous now, though.

Thire took another step forward, forcing Rex's eyes to snap back at him.

"I believe that", Rex said. "I really do."

"That's nice to hear", Thire said. The tone was stronger now, a full warning. "Would've been nice to hear before it was too late."

Rex noticed his raised fist by the time he noticed him draw it back. He took a step back, but Thire followed, faster than Rex could retreat, and his fist collided hard with the side of Rex's face.

Rex had been punched by other clones before, and his body adjusted to the hit before his mind could. He stumbled back, but his feet moved to keep him upwards, the rest of his body stabilizing itself for his head, that had snapped back with the strike, and then braced itself for a second one.

The second one didn't come.

Instead, there was commotion, and multiple pair of hands on his body.

"What the kriff?!" It was Nemec yelling the loudest, and Rex saw him and two others, from his slightly blurred field of view, lunging towards Thire. "What do you think you're doing, you-"

"Stop!" Rex shouted. "Everyone, stop, now!"

The room went still. Awkwardly and tensely, but everyone did stop, frozen to their places.

Rex brushed the hands off of himself, and tapped at his face. It certainly stung, and he knew that he was going to get a nasty bruise on it, but it was certainly not the worst he'd ever gotten. Far from it.

Rex shook his head, and looked at Thire. Thire, who did not look at all phased by the fact that multiple people had been trying to rush him just a moment ago. Thire, who just looked back at him, with calm, sharp eyes.

He looked so much like Fox.

Rex breathed in.

"It's alright", he said. "We're good."

Howzer scoffed.

"You can't just let him-" he started, but stopped when Rex raised his hand.

"We're good", Rex repeated. He had not moved his eyes away from Thire. "Right, Commander?"

Thire nodded.

"Right", he said. "Captain."

Rex nodded back.

"Take a drink and then a seat, everyone", he said. "We have a lot to discuss."

Everyone did move on, slowly and certainly warily. Senator Chuchi finally put her hand on Thire's arm, and Thire finally turned to look away from Rex, in order to look at her. It was impossible not to notice the way his eyes softened instantly as they met hers, and how careful he was when he lifted the same hand he had just punched Rex with, and laid it on top of hers.

It all at least confirmed who he was protecting with the featurless armor. A Commander of the Guard could be far too easily be traced back to the one Senator who was outwardly vocal about the rights of the clones.

"Captain", Howzer called, quietly. "Here. One for the face."

He handed two cold hydropacks for him, and Rex did press the other one on his face. It wouldn't help with the swelling too much, but some, still.

"Thank you", Rex said. Howzer kept looking at him, frowning.

"Are you sure you're good?" He asked. His eyes drifted towards Thire and Senator Chuchi, and Rex glanced at them too.

Senator Chuchi had let go of Thire's arm, but was now holding his hand instead, their fingers laced gently together.

"Yes", Rex said. "Now take a seat."

Howzer nodded, and turned towards the table. Rex followed him, after one last look towards Thire.