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Anakin Skywalker would much rather not be here. But the Council had insisted that he was 'too attached' to Senator Amidala- and he knew Obi-Wan had something to do with that- and had sent his master to protect the Senator while Anakin was sent to track down the bounty hunter Jango Fett. Maybe it was for the best. After all, he was on a solo mission, chasing a bounty hunter across the galaxy, and besides, he was doing something to actually help Padmé, instead of just being sent off to Naboo with her. Besides, she was a Senator. What would she want with an awkward Jedi Padawan like him? (Or at least, that was what Obi-Wan called him. He was not that awkward! He just... didn't really get people, or know how to act around them. That was no reason for Obi-Wan to make fun of him!)
But what he hadn't expected from this mission was to find that the bounty hunter that was trying to kill Padmé also had an army being cloned from him- and for the Republic, at that!
He hadn't been interested at first. After all, why would the Republic need an army? Padmé would stop the Military Creation Act as soon as he stopped this bounty hunter, and then the Kaminoans would be out of a job, anyway. And who was this Master Sifo-Dias? Anakin had never heard of him, although he hadn't told the Kaminoans that. He was a Jedi, and that was what mattered. Even if he wondered what kind of Jedi would order an army.
But then the Prime Minister had felt the need to mention that the clones were superior to droids, and Anakin hadn't been able to stop himself from muttering, "They're not droids." Having sentient beings like the clones- and they were sentient, no matter what the Kaminoans seemed to think, they were people, they were not products- compared that way always made him angry. Honestly, Anakin had done 'side jobs' to fund droids' rights campaigns too, so he didn't particularly like having droids referred to that way either, but that was not the problem here.
Especially since the Kaminoans were now looking at him, and he froze. Right. Not what he was here for. "I mean, if we wanted droids, we would have ordered a droid army," he attempted to joke. The Kaminoans didn't seem like creatures with any sense of humor, but at least they went back to their tour, so Anakin thought he'd handled that pretty well.
For now, he needed to keep his mouth shut, and get back to the Council about this army. He had a lot of questions for them about that. Although, why should he tell the Council? The last thing he wanted was to give them any ideas. He certainly did not like these Kaminoans. The way they talked about the clones- Anakin almost growled thinking about it. It was slavery, just under another name. He should be working to help the clones, not telling the Council their army was ready for combat or whatever the Kaminoans thought he was there to do.
Honestly, at this point, he didn't even care about meeting Jango Fett. "I'd like to observe them up close," he told the Kaminoans.
"Of course," the Prime Minister said. "I'm sure we can find a simulation tomorrow for you to join. We would like to see them work with a Jedi." Well, that would do.
"Thank you," he said, and let himself be escorted to a room for the night.
The next day, he was led to a training area. He only had a limited amount of time to discuss with a clone before the Kaminoans returned to begin the simulation, but he'd take what he could get.
He approached the leader of the group. "What's your name, soldier?"
"CT-7567, sir!" the trooper answered, saluting. Anakin frowned. That would not do at all. He was not calling a single one of these men by a Kaminoan-given number.
"I'm not a Kaminoan, trooper," Anakin promised. "I would like to know your real name, if you have one." He knew from his time in slavery that most masters did not call their slaves by their name. A name was for the slaves to share with each other. He hoped the clones had names. If not, he would make sure they had that option, at least among each other. And maybe, they would share those with him.
The clone hesitated, but answered, "...Rex, sir."
"Well, Rex, I'm Anakin. And I'm going to tell you a secret. I have no idea what's going on here." He could feel a mix of confusion and amusement from Rex, so he took that as encouragement, and continued, "I'm- well, I don't know how much you know about the Jedi, but in army terms, I'm- lower ranked, I guess, so I'm not in on the secrets of the people who did order this army. I'm here looking for a bounty hunter, but I don't care anymore. I don't like this- not giving you a choice but to fight for a Republic you've only ever heard of- so I'm going to do something about it, and I'd like you to help me."
"What are you going to do, sir?"
Anakin smirked. "I suppose you could call it a mutiny."
Rex leaned in. "I'm listening."
The Kaminoans were close. He could sense them. "Not now. But once this is over with, we can talk."
Rex wasn't sure why he trusted the little Jedi. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was because he was so young, even though nat-borns aged differently than clones, and he was probably older than the oldest of the clones. Maybe he was just so open that it was hard to imagine this was a test. Maybe he just didn't act like what Rex had been told to expect from Jedi- he was most certainly not aloof, if anything a little mischievous.
Cody would kill him if he found out what Rex was doing. Cody didn't need to know, though. Rex liked the little Jedi, and he trusted him, and he was going to go along with whatever- probably crazy- scheme he was plotting.
The simulation was going pretty well. While it was clear the little Jedi- Anakin, he'd given Rex his name and probably wanted him to use it, even if they were calling him 'Commander Skywalker' in front of the Kaminoans- was new at leading troops, he also had a tactical mind, and while he was pulling some pretty crazy stunts, he was also pulling them off, and Rex was ready to follow him. It also helped that his tactics tended to keep them alive much more than the Kaminoans' did. He'd heard one of them asking him about it, and the Jedi had hesitated, like he'd wanted to tell them off, before settling with, 'It's easier to win battles if I have the men to do it with'. Clearly not what he'd wanted to say, but also not the worst strategy. At least it shut the Kaminoans up.
Once the simulation had ended in victory- and had gone much better than any Rex had done before, under Kaminoan orders- Anakin had to talk to the longnecks, but was soon back.
"So, what's the plan-" Rex smiled, his helmet now off so Anakin could see it- "General?"
Anakin laughed at that. "Well..."
It was almost too easy. The Kaminoans, dependent on the clones' loyalty, put up no fight when their army suddenly turned on them. The bounty hunters and other trainers fought more, but they were up against and entire army and a (probably ex-) Jedi Padawan. The clones packed up their supplies and anything needed to continue cloning onto the giant Venators and prepared to leave. Jango Fett didn't even bother to show his face, probably already gone to who-knows-where.
With Rex at his side, Anakin walked onto the bridge of the Venator whose clones had claimed him as their own, and nodded to the clones around him. "To freedom."
Someone pulled the hyperspace lever, and the clone army disappeared from Kamino.