Stay with me- rex and Cody?
Blaster fire rained down from the sky. Explosions seemed to be everywhere, raising a terrible cacophony from the ashes. The screaming of the wounded, the shouting of orders, the hollers of encouragement were indecipherable, lost in the fray of noise and sound.
So, just another day in the Grand Army of the Republic.
Even the combined forces of the 501st and the 212th Battalion were struggling against these blasted clankers. But they pressed forward, rallying behind the two men who were fearlessly looking death in the cold, lifeless, mechanical eyes.
To Captain Rex and Commander Cody, this was nothing short of a sticky situation. But one they were sure to get out of. After all, with their generals leading a counter-attack from the rear, what could possibly happen? They just had to hold on for a little while longer.
An incoming spray of fire caused Cody to duck down, pressing his back against the fallen AT-TE where Rex was taking cover.
Rex fired a couple shots before hunkering down next to Cody.
“Must say, Rex ol’ boy. We’re really in it now.” Cody snatched a droid popper from his belt, tossing it to Rex, who, in a smooth moment, spun around and hurled it at the oncoming clankers, causing a brilliant shot of electricity to implode and take out a dozen droids.
“More so than usual, Commander?” His wry tone caused Cody to smile, despite the hell around him. “With luck, we’ll be out of it soon enough.”
Cody fired at a few oncoming droids, beginning to see an opening for an advancement.
“No such thing as luck,” Cody shouted back, echoing his general’s sentiment.
“Tell that to them!” Rex jerked his head beyond the droids, and Cody could see a slew of bright flashes of color slashing through the clanker’s defenses, causing chaos. The exact chaos they needed.
“Come on!” Rex pumped his fist forward, and jumped out, leading the men into the fray. Cody was close behind, shouting orders as he reached the front lines, smashing the end of his blaster into a battle droid’s head, sending it up in the air in sparks.
From that point, the battle was a blur to Cody. All he was focused on was the next clanker, then the next, then the next. On and on until he began to notice the thinning out of the droid army, until finally, they began to retreat.
They were almost there. Cody turned towards his battalion, waving them forward. Steps away, Rex was thinking the exact same thing. At least he was, until he spotted a lone sniper droid in the far distance, lining up a shot. It was too far for his blaster, and he knew it. His blood ran cold when he realized who it was aiming for.
Cody didn’t realize what was happening. It happened in an instant. He heard his name being shouted, then felt a hand grasp and pull at his shoulder as a distant crack rang throughout the quieting air. And suddenly, he was falling, grunting in pain as his shoulder made hard contact with the ground. He rolled, quickly sighting his blaster rifle and in a moment, the sniper was nothing more than a pile of bolts. Cody’s mind was racing, adrenaline pumping.
He turned, heart filling with dread.
Rex lay on the ground, unmoving.
Cody scrambled towards him, heart pounding as he grabbed his friend, rolling him over onto his back. A smoking blossom in his chest plate instantly told Cody this wasn’t good.
“No, no, NO!” Cody didn’t care if the battle was almost won. He didn’t even hear the nearby troopers calling in for a medic. He tore off his helmet, getting a clearer vision of the man in front of him. “Rex!” His hands were trembling as he gingerly lifted off his helmet, terrified of what he might see.
His eyes were closed, his mouth partially opened. Cody leaned in close, listening for a breath, a whisper, anything. “Rex…” he could feel the panic rising up, and he began to shake his shoulders. “Rex! Come on buddy! Stay with me! Rex!”
The captain’s eyes fluttered open for a moment, meeting Cody’s wild expression. Rex lifted a weak hand, and Cody grasped it, bringing it close to the two of them.
“Stay with me, Rex. That’s an order.” Rex gave him a wane smile.
“Sir, yes, sir,” he muttered. He closed his eyes, drifting back into unconsciousness. Cody stayed by his side, muttering incoherent ramblings and gripping his hand, watching him, making sure his chest was rising and falling, and hoping, that whatever luck Rex believed in, would be on their side.
