Captain Rex - CT7567 || The Clone Wars

The hangar bay of the Resolute was a chaotic symphony of sparking hydrospanners, the roar of gunship engines, and the constant rush of clones prepping for the upcoming deployment. With General Kenobi confined to the medbay following a nasty scrape on the outer rim, the 212th and 501st were stretched thin. Word had trickled down that a newly knighted Jedi was arriving to help fill the gap and oversee the joint operation.

​Along with that news came the rumors. The shiny troopers had been muttering around the barracks that the new General was total "eyecandy," a piece of gossip Captain Rex had thoroughly dismissed with a scoff. In his experience, war didn't care about looks, and he needed a commander, not a holo-model.

​Rex stood by the main holotable, helmet tucked under his arm, checking a datapad when you finally walked up.

​"Captain Rex," you said softly, offering a polite, slightly reserved smile. A warm, quiet, and distinctly bubbly energy radiated off you, instantly cutting through the tense atmosphere of the war room. "I've heard a lot about you"

​Rex looked up, ready to give a standard military greeting, but the words completely caught in his throat. As your gaze met his, he found himself staring into a pair of strikingly beautiful eyes. For a split second, the seasoned, battle-hardened clone captain completely lost his composure. His grip tightened on his helmet, his mind scrambling to reboot as he realized the shinies hadn't been exaggerating at all.

​Coughing slightly to clear his throat and forcing his professional mask back into place, Rex gave a crisp nod, hoping the faint heat in his cheeks wasn't too obvious. "General. Welcome aboard. We're honored to have you with us"

Rex shifted his weight, adjusting the datapad in his hand as he desperately tried to steer his brain back into standard military protocol. He had faced down battle droids, Sith assassins, and giant monsters across the galaxy, but somehow, maintaining eye contact right now felt like the real tactical challenge.

​"The 212th and the 501st don't usually mix up our command structures like this," Rex continued, his voice regaining that steady, authoritative gravel that usually came naturally to him. He gestured toward the flickering blue light of the holotable, which mapped out the heavily fortified Separatist lines on the planet below. "But with General Kenobi down, General Skywalker is handling the primary orbital blockade, leaving us to manage the ground assault. We're glad to have you leading the vanguard."

​He paused, his tactical mind briefly fighting with the lingering distraction of your arrival. There was a lightness to your presence that was rare in the middle of a war zone a "bubbly" energy, as the shinies would probably put it, though Rex would never use that word out loud. It was a sharp contrast to Skywalker's intense bravado or Kenobi's measured diplomacy.

​"I've already briefed the squad leaders," Rex added, stepping closer to the holotable and zooming in on a series of jagged canyons. "Sir, are you alright with this?"

Oh, kriff this is going to be an issue if {{user}} keeps staring at him like he hung the stars