So my third (fourth?) favorite character in Clone Wars is Denal. Why, I don't know. It probably has something to do with that innate human love for ciphers we can graft our desired traits onto. Needless to say I was about as traumatized as one can be by a children's cartoon when my second (first?) favorite character offed him. Seriously, I haven't felt so conflicted about my loyalty to fictional characters since Karla and George Smiley had that mad role swap at the end of Smiley's People. (Boy, doesn't that say something about me?) Anyway, this is not a "fix" story. I just wanted someone to react to Denal's punk-ass demise. So I made him up.

Hollo cursed his injury; he cursed every battle droid ever built and every planet in the Confederacy of Independent Systems. It made not the slightest bit of difference. Short of getting a new foot he was confined to the med-bay for at least another week. He was seconds away from collaring a med-droid and attempting to bully his way into a confinement to quarters order just so he could be near his brothers when the door slid open to reveal Koho and Denal. Hollo tried to leap to his feet before the vicious stab of his half-healed wound knocked him over. Koho laughed while Denal hurried closer, frowning.

-- Stay down Hollo, if you pull those tendons out of position you'll be out for another month.

Koho slapped him roughly on the back.

-- Yeah, what'll we do without you around to make us look better for that long eh?

Hollo grinned and punched at his friend's unprotected face, making the other clone jump back into a passing droid. Koho yelped in shock and cursed while the astromech trilled venomously. Even Denal had to crack a smile at that. Koho regained his footing and rubbed his bare scalp ruefully before continuing.

-- Don't be too down Hol, this'll be an easy one, in and out with one bounty hunter; duller than a patrol through the Alderaan Sector.

Denal didn't look convinced. Hollo waited for his assessment. As the second of their remaining quartet to receive promotion Den was generally more realistic, not to mention better informed than Koho. Hollo was grateful that he chose to be so open with his hatch-mates. Denal sucked on his teeth for a moment longer, and then spoke.

-- This bounty hunter has a Sep-cruiser at his disposal and has managed to capture a Jedi, so don't get too cocky Ko.

Hollo had to ask.

-- Do you really think it's going to be that tough Sarge? I mean, not all Jedi are the same, it's not as though this barve captured one like Kenobi or Skywalker.

Koho was nodding sagely. Denal considered for a moment before grimacing reassuringly.

-- That's true but better safe than sorry.

Hollo could almost hear Ko rolling his eyes as he spoke.

-- Fierfek Sarge, It's not as though I'm going to leave my blaster behind or go in there without my pants.

All three of them burst out laughing at that image.

-- Whatever Koho just said about that Zeltron waitress, he's lying.

They all tuned to face Captain Rex. He leaned against the open doorway, arms crossed over his chest plate, a wide grin on his face. Koho pantomimed injured rage as the captain came to stand next to Denal.

-- How's the foot Hol?

-- Feels much better Cap. I should be back on duty in a day or two.

Rex ignored his overly sunny assessment, opting instead to snag the medi-chart from the foot of Hollo's bed.

-- Right, Hol. Look, how about I convince the tinnies to shift you to bridge duties tomorrow? That is, if you behave yourself for the rest of the day.

-- I always behave myself.

Rex half smiled as he replaced the chart.

-- On that trooper I choose to remain dubious.

They pulled up a storage locker and an unused gurney for seats and passed a pleasant hour teasing and reminiscing and telling wild lies about places they had never seen and females they had never touched. They pretended they were back on Kamino, pretended that they were all just grunts training for some mythical day when "the real thing" would happen, pretended that Ten and Acel and Farkas and Vas were simply occupied elsewhere. They made the return trip to reality grudgingly when the signal for evening mess sounded. Koho rose first, slapping Hollo again. Denal gripped his right hand tightly and shook it. Rex merely rubbed the top of his head. Hollo watched them leave and felt the familiar, painful compression under his diaphragm that always accompanied the end of these sit downs of theirs'. It got stronger and stronger as their numbers dwindled. He shook his head. There was nothing to worry about for this mission; they had faced worse, much worse. He focused on the promise of getting out from inside these softly glowing walls and back into some kind of action tomorrow.

Hollo woke immediately as the hum of the hyperdrives died away. They were here. He lay in the dark, eyes open, waiting for the klaxons directing the off-duty to stations. They were taking their time this morning were the commanders. Maybe they were hoping to sneak up on that bounty hunter. Finally, unable to feign sleep any longer Hollo pushed himself upright and began to look around for something to use as a crutch. He wanted to be on the command bridge as soon as possible. He was having no luck on the crutch front when he heard the door open, hopping in a tight circle he saw Denal. The other clone was holding a mug of caf and a set of crutches.

-- I thought you'd be too impatient to actually wait for the droids to boot up and bring you anything.

He didn't sound at all angry. Hollo looked down slightly embarrassed to be caught out so easily but then Denal had always been able to read him better than anyone else.

-- Thanks Den.

-- Don't mention it. Let's get you into some proper kit for your illustrious new assignment. Can't have those Fleet jockeys thinking we white boys are all just armored up savages.

Hollo sat back on his bed, cradling the mug and sipping while Denal produced a set of grey dress fatigues from his omnipresent pack. He shook them out and carefully laid them across an unoccupied cot next to Hollo's, inspecting them for wrinkles while wearing his most ferocious Sergeant frown. Hollo looked on amused.

-- You going to make that blouse drop and give you twenty then?

-- Keep it up trooper and I'll start a press-up tab for you to be paid back upon recovery.

Hollo was almost certain Den was joking but on the off chance he wasn't he decided to occupy himself with his caf. Draining the mug he reached for the trousers only to have his hand slapped away by Denal.

-- I do have to actually put them on you know Den, can't just look at them all day.

-- Not before you eat something.

Denal was holding a ration bar toward him. Hollo sighed and took it.

-- I'm not going to get crumbs all down the front.

Denal smirked. Feeling self conscious Hollo bolted the bar as quickly as possible without choking. Standing he looked at Denal who was leaning comfortably against the storage locker left from the night before; eyes closed, chin almost on his chest.

-- Permission to dress Sarge?

Denal looked up slowly. He ran his eyes up and down the other clone as Hollo fidgeted. Stepping closer Den smiled gently and brushed non-existent crumbs off the front of his friend's fatigues. Nodding, satisfied he motioned to the clothing.

-- Permission granted trooper.

Shaking his head Hollo shucked his fatigue shirt and reached for the grey blouse.

-- Maybe you should see Kenobi or something Sarge. I think you're cracking up.

Denal didn't respond. He didn't even breathe Hollo realized belatedly as he closed up the garment's fastenings. Alarmed he looked at his oldest friend. Denal's chin was on his chest again but his eyes were open and staring at the floor blankly. Hollo reached over and grabbed his forearm tightly.

-- Hey, I was joking Den, take it easy.

He wasn't sure the other clone had heard him. His eyes didn't focus and he didn't respond to the physical contact for a long time. Hollo finally stood directly in front of him, forcing Denal to acknowledge his presence. He did, with a slow, rasping breath. His eyes swiveled painfully upward and locked with Hollo's. He couldn't remember Denal ever looking that lost. It scared him stupid. All he could think to do was wrap his free hand around the other's neck and press their foreheads together. He tried to think of something soothing to say but failed; having to content himself with gently massaging his friend's neck with his finger tips. Denal's hands came up to hold his skull in a similar grip. They stood like a statue for minutes. Finally Denal dropped his hands and stepped away. He spoke while rubbing his face harshly with his palms.

-- I'm sorry Hol. I didn't mean to scare you like that. It's just…these past couple of months…ever since that mission to Skytop…

Hollo just nodded. He remembered that mission, or at least the aftermath. Denal had hardly spoken for a week. Hollo had pretended not to hear the soft, sick sobs coming from the 'freshers late at night. He and Koho had worked hard to bring Denal back with their banter and affectionate abuse after that. They had never talked about it. No one in the 501st ever talked about those missions from which only a meager handful of the clones deployed came back.

-- It's nothing Sarge, really. You're not a droid; you're allowed to be…

He didn't have the words for what Denal was allowed to be. He stared miserably at his feet, wishing he could think of something really useful and brilliant that would make what happened to Denal, to all of them, alright. There weren't any words; they hadn't been invented yet and maybe they never would be. Denal sighed.

-- Thanks Hol.

The awkward silence stretched and stretched. It was so quiet in the med-bay that Hollo jumped slightly when Denal cleared his throat.

-- Say Hol, were you going to put on those pants or are you trying to take a leaf from Koho's book?

Hollo felt the skin of his face heat to the point that he worried his ears might singe his hair. He scrambled for the trousers, yanking them roughly over his tight fitting under-shorts. He wanted to be angry at Denal but seeing the almost smile in his eyes shut down any smart remarks he might have ground out. He settled instead for fussily checking the hang and drape of the unfamiliar clothing. By the time he was finished Denal was really grinning.

-- Everything in good order there Hol?

-- Certainly is Sarge.

-- Excellent.

He held the crutches out.

-- You'll be needing these though.

Hollo glared at the offending bits of metal. Denal stood calmly as though he had nothing else to do but wait his stubborn buddy out. He won in the end, he almost always did. Heaving a put-upon sigh Hollo slid the crutches under his arms and tried an experimental swing on them. As much as he hated to admit it they helped, a lot. By the time he had made his second full circuit of the front section of the med-bay he was moving almost as quickly as he would normally. Stopping crisply in front of Denal he leered at him.

-- All good Sarge. I think I'll report to the command center early and avoid the rush.

-- Very good trooper but I think I'll go along with you. Just in case there's any stairs.

They left; moving swiftly through the ship, chatting companionably about nothing at all and enjoying the novelty.

Listening to the progress of the disastrous skirmish aboard the cruiser nearly drove him mad. The worst part was that there was nothing, nothing, he or anyone else could do. It was all up to Skywalker and Tano. Grinding his teeth hard enough to make them creak Hollo began to understand the frustration of Command with those two. When you were in the thick of things they seemed like geniuses, willing to risk all for their mission. From up here they looked cavalier and reckless beyond all belief. He had to bite the inside of his cheek until it bled when Skywalker refused to abandon the clearly doomed ship in favor of one more pursuit.

Finally, finally Skywalker sent the transmission he should have twenty minutes before.

-- We're evacuating.

Hollo keyed the code to open up the force fields protecting the landing bays as the ship came home. He let out a gusty breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as it crossed the threshold and set down. There was no way yet to tell who was, and wasn't, on that Lartie but he was reasonably certain that Rex was among the survivors. He was sure Skywalker or Tano would have been a lot less calm if he'd been left behind. As for Denal and Koho they'd be checking in soon enough. He refused to let himself believe anything else, concentrating on the pre-jump systems checks for the bays. That ate up about seven good minutes but he couldn't stretch it any further and found himself idle. Giving in to temptation he keyed the code for his in-screen view of the security cam in the bay.

He swore softly to himself as he watched the paltry few armored figures hobble out and away. The image was too grainy for him to be able to pick out Koho but he felt a knot in his gut unclench as Denal, with his distinctive blue cheek slashes, limped out at the end of the pathetic queue. Hollo's brows suddenly drew together. Where was Den going? He was making for the docked fighters; exactly the opposite direction he should be heading in. How badly was he hurt that he was so disoriented? Why wasn't anyone doing anything about it? Where was Rex? Where was Koho? Hollo was on the verge of comming one of them and chewing them out for ignoring a brother in need when he noticed Tano coming after his friend. Good, at least somebody cared. But why was Den hurrying away from the Jedi like that? Did he not realize she was trying to help him?

Then he saw Rex appear in the open rear of the transport with his right hand in the air as though he were trying to show someone something on it. Tano turned; Denal broke into a limping run. Hollo felt his entire body go slack with horror. Skywalker was upon the fugitive almost immediately, grappling with him but not-Denal made it into the cockpit of a fighter. Skywalker leapt at him one more time, knocking the helmet free, but he was too late. The cover slid shut and the fighter rushed out and up toward the hyper-space rings. Hollo heard Yularen screaming at someone to shut down all the hyperspace rings. They were too late. The bounty-hunter vanished into the void.

Hollo felt strange. It was difficult to breathe. The command bridge started the whirl red and black. That was odd, it should be blue; hyperspace was blue, wasn't it. He realized suddenly that he was standing. He shouldn't be standing. His foot was injured. If he made it worse Denal would be very angry. He should get back to the med-bay before Den caught him up and about. Yes, back to the med-bay and then everything would be alright. Hollo lifted his leg to take a step and collapsed.

Hollo opened his eyes to four softly glowing walls. He was in the med-bay, good. He hated having those nightmares. They came more frequently and more vividly when he was by himself. He couldn't wait to for his foot to heal so he could get back to his proper bunk. When the dreams came there he had Koho nearby to shake him out of it and if they were too bad he could always sneak into the Sergeant's quarters and let Den hold onto him until he felt well enough to go back to his own bed. He looked to his left and tensed at the unexpected proximity of Captain Rex. The other clone was slumped in a chair, dead to the world. Hollo hated to disturb him but he couldn't help but notice that his friend was filthy and pretty banged up looking. He reached out and shook Rex's knee gently. The other clone started awake immediately with a grunt. He cast about blearily for a moment before focusing on Hollo. Rex reached out and laid a hand gently on his head.

-- Hey Hol, how are you doing?

Rex's voice was very, very mild.

-- I'm doing better Captain. The foot's almost totally healed. I should be back on duty in a day or two.

Rex's eyes were too bright and full of an awful softness.

-- That's good to hear Hol.

Hollo struggled into to sit upright. Rex helped him. What was the matter with the Captain?

-- Sir, are you alright? You look done in.

-- I am. I am. I just wanted to make sure you were…

There was a vicious headache lurking behind Hollo's eyes. He tried to fight it off because he knew there was something even worse wrapped up inside it. Why was Rex here, looking like he hadn't even bothered to clean up after a mission? Where was Koho? Where was Denal? The headache crested; broke over the levies in his mind that had contained it whilst he'd been unconscious. He was almost overwhelmed by nausea.

-- I wasn't dreaming was I?

-- What?

-- Ko…Den…

-- I'm…They went after that bounty hunter by themselves. We…I thought Den had gotten him; dropped him and caught the transport out. I was wrong.

Both of them, both lost on a mission that was supposed to be an in and out affair. He didn't recognize his own voice.

-- So that's it then. Just you and me eh?

-- Hol.

Rex reached out to grasp both of his shoulders. Hollo flinched away. He was still wearing the dress greys and for some reason he didn't want Rex wrinkling them.

-- Hol, come on brother. The med-droids have approved a return to general quarters for the rest of your recovery. Come on back.

Hollo didn't move. He couldn't look at Rex.

-- Hollo please. Don't do this. They knew what they were doing. We'd have done the same thing in their position. The mission comes first, remember? That bounty hunter murdered the Jedi he had. He nearly killed Ahsoka. They saw an opportunity to get him back and they took it.

-- Too bad for them then huh?

-- No−

-- But it is isn't it? Skywalker and Tano could have pulled out once they realized that Ropal was dead. That was the mission; save Ropal not get the bounty hunter.

-- Skywalker wanted−

-- Skywalker…wanted…What exactly did Skywalker want? Another piece on the Holo-Net about his heroism, capturing the evil theif of holocrons and murderer of Jedi single handedly? But he doesn't do all that single handedly does he?

-- I don't like your tone trooper.

-- And I don't like having my brothers sacrificed so that The Hero with No Fear can feel good about himself.

-- We were bred for this, or hadn't you realized that?

-- We were bred to fight as units in a campaign. We're supposed to be subject to a chain of command, to a large scale strategy. We aren't supposed to be thrown into the grinder by little boys angry about having their spot-light nicked.

Rex took several deep breaths. Hollo tried to bring himself to worry about the fact that Rex was clenching and unclenching his fist. Some part of his brain knew that he was lashing out unjustly. Rex had not caused Denal or Koho's death. Rex had come here, neglecting any other duties and personal needs to be with him, to make certain that his hatch-mate, his last hatch-mate, was not left alone. Rex was certainly in pain and guilt-wracked, he always was when he lost men. Hollo knew all of this but he could not make himself stop. Rex's voice was dangerously tight.

-- You're upset trooper; you don't know what you're saying.

Hollo felt a bitter laugh crawling up his throat. He locked it behind his teeth as Rex continued.

-- I'll overlook you insubordination this time.

He stood stiffly, bending down to retrieve his helmet and crushing it under one arm against his side.

-- You should try to get some rest.

-- I want a transfer.

-- What did you say?

-- CC-1138 is reorganizing the 21st Nova Corps. He's called for volunteers with experience in varied environmental combat−

-- I know what he's calling for. You're not transferring.

-- On what grounds are you denying my request...sir?

-- On the grounds that you are making the request while emotionally compromised! Listen to yourself Hollo; you want to leave the 501st because our brothers died? Do you think it'll be any different in the 21st, in any unit?

Hollo wanted to tell Rex the truth; that it would be different because he wouldn't care. That Bacara wouldn't be anything but his commander; there would be no requirement for him to love his leader, only to do what he was told. He didn't tell Rex that he didn't think he could look at Skywalker and view him as a hero now or even as a competent commander. It would break the Captain's heart.

-- I'll go to Appo.

Rex staggered back as though he had been struck.

--Hollo!

-- Let me go Rex. Let it go.

For the first time in his life Rex became someone Hollo did not know. His voice was a stranger's.

-- I'll put in your request immediately trooper. Is there anything else?

Hollo shook his head. Rex nodded crisply and replaced his helmet. Spinning on his heel he marched out of the med-bay as if he were on a parade ground. Hollo felt nothing until the door slid shut behind the other's perfectly straight back. Then he began to shake uncontrollably. He stuffed his fist into his mouth and bit down until he tasted blood to stop the pathetic sounds that threatened to escape. He felt like he was drowning and falling and about to quake himself to pieces. His eyes clenched shut and burned. He fought against the sensations for a minute or two and then let them overwhelm him; sweeping away first Rex then Koho then Denal and finally Hollo; leaving only CT-1022.

1022 opened his eyes, flexed his still painful foot and lay down to wait for his transfer to go through.