After the horrors of Umbara, Rex needs comfort. Usually, he would go to Cody when things get too harsh even for him, but his brother is still mourning the men he lost in the battle; most of them killed by Rex and the 501st. Even if he was deceived by Krell, the captain can’t face Cody, not after what he’s done.
He considers asking Bly or Wolffe for help, but they have both been sent out on missions, so that’s out of the picture, which leaves him with only one option. So once the 501st is back on Coruscant, Rex seeks out Fox.
He can tell the commander of the Guard is surprised to see him, even from behind his helmet. The war has put a strain between the vode on the front lines and those stationed on Coruscant, after all. And as much as he regrets it, Rex didn’t have much time to visit Fox often in between missions.
“Ori’vod…” He starts, but his voice breaks before he can add anything else.
Rex hates how he sounds like a frightened shiny just straight out of Kamino, how this proves just how bad Umbara affected him. However, the moment he hears him, Fox’s behavior changes immediately. He puts down his datapad, his whole attention now centered on Rex. His batchmate leads him to his private quarters so the whole Guard won’t be listening in on them. Once there, Fox removes his helmet and asks him in the softest of tones:
And Rex starts telling him. He speaks of what he’s been forced to do by Krell and how he hates himself for it, of all the soldiers he lost, of how powerless he felt under the orders of the rogue Jedi. He starts crying and shaking, but he can allow it, since Fox is the only one here to witness it.
His ori’vod is quick to pull him into a hug. He strokes his back in reassuring motions and lets Rex cling to him. In front of his troops, the captain always has to be strong, but here, with his batchmate, Rex knows he’s allowed to break, because Fox will be here to pick up the broken pieces.
“It’s okay, Rex’ika, just let it all out. I’ve got you.” Fox whispers.
And it’s what Rex does. He doesn’t hold back his tears, doesn’t hold back anything. He confesses how he feels like he’s failed Dogma, how it hurt to have Hardcase sacrifice himself so the 501st could survive, how some part of him broke when Waxer died in his arms. Fox doesn’t say much, but he holds him tight, and it’s what the captain needs at the moment.
It’s only once Rex has calmed down and his tears have started to dry out that his ori’vod starts talking. He offers to integrate Dogma into the Guard so he won’t have to be decommissioned, and Rex can’t thank his ori’vod enough for taking that weight off his shoulders. However, he is not ready for what comes next.
His eyes grow wide in confusion when Fox starts giving him advice on how he should act if he ever gets an abusive superior again. On how to minimize losses even when being given unfair orders. On how to forge documentation to protect his troops. On how to cope when being forced to kill other vode. All the examples Fox gives him are way too precise to be only theoretical.
Rex doesn’t want to acknowledge the truth that’s slowly being laid out in front of him, but only a fool would ignore the dark circles under Fox’s eyes, the hair greying at his temples or the hollowness of his stare. He quickly puts his own problems aside, suddenly certain that his ori’vod needs more help than him.
It doesn’t take much digging to discover some of the horrible treatments the Coruscant Guards are subjected to. Even worse, Fox talks of it as if it’s nothing but ordinary. It turns Rex’s stomach. Krell was supposed to be an exception, just a lone traitor, so to discover that his Coruscant brothers are all exposed to the same kind of cruelty on a daily basis… It breaks his heart.
He’ll have to tell Cody, Bly and Wolffe. General Skywalker and General Kenobi, too. They’ll help, he’s sure of it. Despite everything that happened, Rex stays persuaded that their friendship towards him and his vode isn’t faked. The more Fox talks, the more his faith in the Republic wavers, but not the one he puts in his Jedi.
There were many men Rex couldn’t protect on Umbara, but he can still save Fox and his brothers. And he will.