"Love is the death of duty."
Rex blinked in confusion at the unexpected quote. "Did you just make that up?"
"No... I heard it from a traveling medic when I first met Suu," Cut replied. Before Rex could ask for clarification, the farmer continued. "After thinking about it for so long, I believe the reverse is equally true: duty is the death of love." The clone elaborated on his philosophy. "We're clones—we're the Republic's shield. No matter what happens, you and all our brothers always try to do what's right. You protect citizens from the greatest threats to their lives. But what happens when those threats are gone? What purpose will we serve after this war with the Separatists ends? It's a sobering thought, but it's also worth considering."
Rex remained silent, processing these words. Before he could respond, the farmer pressed on. "Perhaps one day you'll face that choice, Rex. You'll have to decide between duty on one hand and the people you care about on the other. What will you do then?"
"Do what's right, no matter the cost," was Rex's immediate response.
"But what is a man's duty compared to what he feels for his friends, his brothers, his family? We're all flesh and blood. We all honor our duty when it costs us nothing—when it comes easily. Yet sooner or later, in every man's life, there comes a day when duty doesn't come easily. That's the day he must choose."
Cut made his final move in their game, securing victory. "I know you think I'm a coward, Rex, but believe me... I will fight to my last breath to fulfill my duty to keep my family safe."
The conversation between the three adults came to an abrupt halt when they heard the children screaming—not with joy, but with genuine terror.
"Kids!" Cut and Suu's faces went pale as they rushed outside to see their children running from the fields toward the house, their expressions filled with panic. As the children reached them, their parents immediately embraced them protectively.
"What's wrong?" Cut asked urgently.
"Monsters! They're chasing us!" Shaeeah said breathlessly, pointing toward the field.
"What kind of monsters? Where exactly, sweetheart?" Suu asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
"They came out of big metal eggs in the field!" Jek exclaimed.
Curious about what had frightened his children, Cut grabbed the electrobinoculars hanging by the door frame. He peered through them, scanning the field until he spotted movement. It didn't take long to identify the "monsters" the kids had encountered.
"This is bad. I count at least twenty commando droids."
"What are they doing here?" Rex asked with growing concern.
Cut didn't answer immediately, instead turning to his wife. "Suu, take the children upstairs. Now."
Suu quickly guided their children inside. "Come on, kids. Hurry."
Cut secured the front door while Rex asked the obvious question. "What weapons do you have?"
Cut opened a storage cabinet, revealing only basic farming tools, one hunting rifle, and a handful of blaster pistols.
"We could hold them off in a firefight," Rex suggested, reaching for his sidearm.
"No, Captain. With all due respect, you're not in command here."
Rex bristled slightly. "I could still be useful."
"Sir, you're injured. You only have one functional arm," Cut pointed out logically.
"I can still fight."
"So can I," the farmer retorted firmly. "Rex, I need you to be the last line of defense for my family."
After several seconds of consideration, Rex nodded and headed for the stairs. "I'll protect them."
Cut smiled gratefully at his clone brother. "Thank you."
As the farmer turned to leave, Rex stopped him.
"Can you help me with something?" Rex asked, surprising Cut with his request.
"What do you need?" Cut asked, genuinely puzzled.
Cut's expression shifted to confusion when Rex revealed his plan.
The farmer quickly prepared their defenses. He extinguished the lights, double-checked all locks, and distributed weapons throughout the house. He helped Rex with his unusual request, and once everything was ready, they braced for the commando droids' inevitable assault.
Cut spotted a shadow moving past the front door. He was about to fire when the back door exploded inward. The clone farmer spun and opened fire on the three commando droids that poured through the breach.
Cut maintained constant vigilance, watching for the next wave of attackers.
Suddenly, a metallic arm smashed through a shuttered window and grabbed the clone farmer by the throat. He managed to break free, drew his blaster, and put a bolt through his attacker's head.
Rising to his feet, Cut swept his weapon in multiple directions, ensuring no more immediate threats remained.
He then approached a small access panel in the front door when he heard suspicious creaking sounds from within the walls.
Cut narrowed his eyes and cautiously approached the panel, his blaster trained on it while reaching for the latch with his free hand. The moment the panel cracked open, it burst outward as several commando droids emerged from the building's maintenance spaces.
As Cut stumbled backward, he managed to destroy one commando droid while the others began firing at him. Taking cover, he noticed the droids weren't operating at peak efficiency—their shots seemed erratic and poorly coordinated.
Unfortunately for Cut, this proved disastrous when one wild shot struck a support beam overhead. The wooden beam cracked and collapsed, pinning the farmer underneath the debris.
Cut struggled desperately, trying to reach his weapon, but it was now beyond his grasp.
He watched helplessly as the remaining droids stepped over him and ascended the stairs.
"Rex! They're coming up!" Cut shouted in warning.
Captain Rex was ready.
One hand gripped his blaster pistol, and although his other arm was immobilized in a sling, that didn't mean he was defenseless.
With Suu's assistance, she had secured a makeshift shield to his injured arm—a large, flat piece of wood that Cut had retrieved from the barn earlier.
When the droids appeared at the top of the stairs, Rex charged forward with his improvised shield, deflecting blaster fire while returning shots of his own, dropping two attackers immediately.
The nearest droid attempted to target him, but Rex moved quickly enough to ram his shield into the machine, pinning it against the wall.
Pressing his blaster's muzzle against the droid's head, Rex fired point-blank, leaving a smoking hole where the processor used to be.
Suddenly, he heard crashing sounds and children screaming from the upper level.
Rex spun around to see two more commando droids drop through the ceiling, landing between him and Suu with the children.
He quickly engaged them, destroying one while the other turned and fired at the clone captain.
Downstairs, Cut was dealing with the last few droids in his immediate area. He had already smashed one with a chair, crushing its internal components, and disabled another using debris he'd pried loose. Cut was reaching for his blaster when it was knocked away. In retaliation, he punched the droid's head unit, though he immediately regretted the impact on his knuckles before the machine could retaliate.
In the upstairs hallway, Rex, fighting from a crouched position, fired several precise shots, eliminating the droid threatening his family. However, the droid's final, reflexive shot struck the floor between Rex's feet, and the damaged boards gave way beneath him.
Rex crashed down beside Cut, but unfortunately, both their blasters were now out of reach.
The final commando droid immediately seized Rex by the throat, and when Cut tried to help, he was backhanded aside.
Rex desperately fought to break free, searching his utility belt for anything useful. His fingers found a small, circular device.
His eyes widened in recognition as he gripped it tightly and pulled it free.
"Better make this count," Rex thought grimly as he managed to break partially free from the droid's grasp, kicking it backward while slapping the device onto his attacker's chassis.
After a brief moment, the commando droid simply vanished.
Cut was so stunned by what he'd witnessed that his jaw dropped in disbelief.
"What—how?" Cut stammered.
Rex rubbed his throat and looked down. Even Rex seemed surprised by the result.
The commando droid materialized about six inches above the floor, looking around in complete confusion as it tried to process what had happened. Before it could react, the disoriented machine was crushed under Rex's boot.
Rex exhaled heavily and collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
Cut, still wearing an expression of shock, managed to ask, "What just happened?"
"Gift from a friend."
"Some friend you have there."
Rex simply smiled and massaged his sore neck. "You have no idea."
"Dad! Dad!" Jek called down through the hole in the ceiling, with his mother and sister visible behind him.
Cut looked up and smiled at his family. "I'm okay. It's over."
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