Chapter One: Stranded

The tall, twisting roots spiraled high off the ground, burrowing back into the skin of the planet. The tall, thick trees draped their branches low, vines and tangles of pine-thin leaves dangled close to the ground. Thick blankets of fog rolled into the area, wrapping everything in a thin white vale. It clung to the trooper's armor as he walked by, pistols raised carefully as he took cautious steps across the terrain.

Captain Rex had clicked on his helmet lights and night vision a long time ago; it hadn't helped. The atmosphere was just too thick on this planet. No matter how much he strained his eyes, he couldn't see more than a couple of feet in front of him. Dropping down behind a large tree, he pulled out his binoculars, trying to make out whatever lied beyond the massive fog and trees.

Off in the distance he thought it looked like a mountain range, but he wasn't sure. Clicking the communicator on his wrist, he spoke, "General, there's nothing out this way. A possible mountain range, but no life forms."

"No life forms?" His general asked, disbelief evident even through the thick static on the comm.

"Yes, sir."

There was silence and the heavy static on the other end before a sigh could be made out. "Get back to the ship, then."

"Yes, sir." Rex's finger clicked off the communicator as he stood himself up and carefully made his way back. Even with his extensive training, he was still breaking a sweat travelling through the rugged terrain. As he made his way back slowly, he reached a small drop off. Sliding down it carefully, he landed next to the ship and his General.

'Ship', of course, was a generous term for it, the Captain thought. 'Mangled wreckage' suited it much better. They'd crash landed on this planet a few hours ago, after the hyperdrive went haywire and shot them past their original destination by several clicks. They'd hurdled right into the planet, the only reason they were still breathing was his General's piloting skills and quick manual breaking of the hyperdrive. The landing wasn't soft, not in the least, but a small amount of the crew survived. That's when Rex had been sent on recon, heading northeast. Fives, an ARC Trooper and Rex's acting Lieutenant, had headed southwest. The few remaining troopers stayed to protect the make-shift base they'd set up. The two Generals and the Commander had stayed as well, working to plot out some kind of possible location.

Rex figured that went about as well as his recon.

"Welcome back, Captain." His general smirked, "How'd the terrain treat you?"

Rex grimaced as he removed his helmet, sweat gleaming on his face. Tucking the helmet under his arm, he used his free hand to wipe at his brow, as if making a point. "Let's just say it isn't as easy as I make it look." The man before him smirked wider.

"Always the funny one, aren't you Rex?"

"Got to keep up the moral." He gave a playful smirk back.

Heading into the small camp area, half a dozen soldiers were lying on the ground, helmets and armor removed as Kix worked over their injuries as best he could. He was having trouble keeping up with the demand, though; most of the medical supplies has been destroyed in the crash. The few who could manage to stand were defending the small perimeter, guns pointed and at the ready. Standing by a small fire in the middle of the area was General Obi-Wan Kenobi and Commander Ahsoka Tano. Their eyes raised when the Captain and General walked towards them.

A weary smile covered Obi-Wan's face. "Good to see you, Captain. Anakin told me about your recon."

Rex returned the smile. "Good to know the General is on top of things."

For a fraction of a second, Obi-Wan's smile widened, then his face dropped to its usual professional demeanor. "So, no life forms." A hand went to stroke his beard. "Unpopulated planets aren't uncommon, though that means our escape plan is going to need some work."

The Captain heaved an internal sigh. The crash hadn't just completely destroyed the durasteel ship, it'd demolished all of the systems inside. Circuits were fried to a crisp and crushed, communication devices were pulverized before being set ablaze by the electrical fire-ultimately, it was a mess.

Anakin spoke up, "How long do you think it'll take the Jedi Council to realize we're missing?"

"Honestly, Skyguy, they've probably already noticed you're missing." Commander Tano's comment painted a sarcastic smirk on her young face and earned a playful scowl from Anakin. "I mean, seriously. Master Windu has to notice the peace and quiet." The Jedi Knight and his Padawan had developed quiet the relationship. Rex related it to the relationship he and his fellow brothers had-the bantering and playful rivalry-which he supposed would make his General and Commander one thing: siblings. They got along fairly well, considering. Anakin, in Rex's opinion, could best be described as a free spirit, one very ready to do things his own way. Ahsoka, on the other hand, was a little more set in the ways of tradition, though she'd become a lot more spontaneous in the past two years upon working under Skywalker.

Thankfully, Obi-Wan stepped in before the two could escalate their bickering. "Why don't we wait to see what Fives has to say? He hasn't reported in yet."

"Alright," the younger General added. "Should be any minute now, anyway."

As if on cue, Anakin's comm blinked and clicked. "General, do you copy?"

"Copy you loud and clear, Fives. What have you got? Any life forms?" There was a sort of tension in the air as they all waited for an answer. Even he men on the perimeter seemed to stiffen as they waited for the ARC Trooper to respond.

A crackle and a pop, and Fives' voice spoke, "No life forms, sir," there was a pause, "but there's something you've got to see." They all exchanged glances.

The younger General furrowed his brow, "Not that I want to spoil the surprise or anything, but care to share, Fives?"

"It's mountains, sir. It's better for you to just see them for yourself." Rex raised an eyebrow towards the communicator but said nothing as he dawned his helmet. Anakin gave an affirmative answer. All but Captain Rex, another clone named Kidd and the Jedi would stay and watch the injured, waiting for further orders. The travelling group geared up with the little supplies they had and moved out quickly. It sat in Rex's gut uneasily, the way Fives has spoken. He'd sounded spooked. Rex of all people knew how hard it was to bother a clone trooper. The chemical that releases fear into a human's system was inhibited inside of them, still there but barely functioning. It was shut off to keep them from going AWOL. So if one of them was actually scared, it must have been something truly creepy.

Just as with the trek before, Rex could feel his body aching. The tall roots tangled at their feet, even the Jedi tripping occasionally over the vastly overgrown wilderness. He heard General Kenobi mumble something about the force but the captain widely ignored it. He wasn't in tune with the Force, so their constant babbling of it went in one ear and out the other. He'd tried to listen to the Jedi, to understand them, but it all went over his head. Force or no Force, this terrain was even bothering the Jedi who were treading it. That's all he needed to know.

By the time they were a klick away from Fives' position, the foliage cleared to flat, dry ground, the foggy outline of cliff faces spreading out before them. "I can't even see Fives," Ahsoka spoke, furrowing her eye marks. She glanced towards her master, who hummed in agreement. His face was still in concentration, probably trying to sense something. It didn't take a Jedi to feel the unease in the air. Rex turned is head this way and that, the trees all stopped in perfect lines, as if parted by a comb.

What stood before them seemed to start in the same place as well, all uniform and in line.

The small group continued forward, Kidd speaking through his helmet comm. The comm system between clones was complicated. Using the HUD-or Heads-up Display-, clones could pull up maps and schematics, check air composition, read a trooper's identification number in their armor-which allowed for pop-up name tags to appear above their heads if needed in combat-and it allowed them to communicate one-on-one or through their helmet just through a simple flick of their eyes in one direction or another. It wasn't uncommon for them to speak through their helmets to each other, bypassing any surrounding Jedi. Rex figured it was for privacy purposes, since Shinies used it the most to get reassurance from their officers.

Kidd's voice was dry as it reached the Captain's ears only, "Shouldn't we have seen ARC Trooper Fives by now? Do you think he's lost?"

Rex smirked into his helmet, the premise of Fives being lost almost comical. "Calm yourself, rookie. Fives doesn't usually get himself into messes he can't get out of." Umbara came to the front of Rex's mind. Not that it was a pleasant memory, counting Fives had gotten himself Court Marshalled and then nearly executed, amongst other issues that'd nearly gotten him sent home in a box, but it served as a reminder of the man's often times dumb luck and reckless valor. Rex had to admit, the man was headstrong in every sense of the word. He'd been driven to near madness by Fives so many times he'd almost pulled his blasters on the guy. Of course, the Captain always regained his cool before that could happen.

"If anything," Rex added, not bothering to hide his amusement, "Fives is probably poking his nose where it doesn't belong. We'll find him shortly, Kidd, don't worry."

By then, they'd crossed the distance to the tall stone standing before them. Fives wasn't anywhere to be seen, though that was the least of their concern as they looked upon what stood before them. Tall mountain walls stood before them, the entirety of it carved into large intricate faces, some mouths open and carved through, leading through the mountain range. Heads spanned every bit of the surface, no casual rock face or plant life marred it's pristine, chiseled surface. There was, however, something smashed into a cluster of skulls beside them, shattered pieces of what Rex recognized as durasteel cluttering the ground and the stone heads.

Anakin had his communicator up to his mouth instantly, "Fives, where are you?"

"I take it you've made it to the mountains, sir. I'm inside the crash site."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Anakin asked, "Why didn't you wait for us?"

"Because, sir," Fives spoke, and then the clatter of something falling behind him came through the static. His voice dropped to a whisper, "I saw something come inside. I decided to check it out."

"Stay where you are. We're coming in," the younger General said before clicking off his comm. His feet set to take him over to the wreckage but Rex's hand shot out and grabbed ahold of Anakin's shoulder. "What?"

Rex recognized the look on his General's face, one of pure determination. He was worried about Fives being inside an unknown craft with an unknown entity wandering about. Especially after Rex's recon had pegged this planet as uninhabited. "Sir, we don't know the situation inside. Let Kidd and I head in first. We'll send you the all clear once it's safe."

A retort was forming on the General's lips but Obi-Wan stepped beside him. "I think that'd be best. We'll be ready at your command, Captain."

Giving a salute and a nod, Rex turned and motioned to Kidd, the two heading towards the wreckage, weapons drawn.

They approached the remains carefully, feet gently lifting them further and further to an access point as they climbed the wreckage. Kidd scanned the ship with his HUD. "Several heat signatures inside. The engine is still hot, too. It couldn't have crashed that long ago."

Rex didn't like the sound of that. "Type of ship?"

"S-Class supply ship, sir. Republic."

"What's one of these doing way out here?" Rex's own HUD screen scanned the area as he glanced left to right. The nose of the ship had been partially broken, the majority of the inner workings had been bent badly, parts of it twisted down into the rock. The ship's exterior was shattered and beyond repair. The internals of the ship, however, appeared to have stayed mostly intact-at least from the looks of the outside. "Looks like all those fancy add-ons helped cushion its fall."

Kidd looked towards his Captain, "If by cushion you mean kept it from being completely shredded, then sure." Rex was glad to hear Kidd had a slight sense of dry humor. He hadn't gotten time to work with the Shinies yet. They'd been recently assigned into the Torrent Company and Rex had the privilege of seeing to their training. From there, they'd be assigned to battalions. Rex was hoping to find a diamond in the rough, another man or two who'd add to the 501st already impressive list. Maybe Kidd was one of those diamonds.

"Well, the inside appears to be stable enough," Rex said as he put away his pistols and peeled back some metal, finding a busted doorway. It'd been badly dented but it was still big enough to crawl through. Ducking down and stepping through, he turned on his helmet lights and readied his pistols again. Taking a quick sweep of the hallway, he spoke, "Clear." Allowing room for Kidd to come in, the two headed down the thin walkway carefully, the groans and creaks of the unstable structure reminding them to be quick on their feet.

Aside from the moans of the metal around them, the ship was eerily quiet. Rex felt unease settle into his stomach. Fives had mentioned seeing someone come on board. Friendly? Was it one of the men who worked on this ship? Or was it something else? Rex hadn't found anything when he was scouring the area previously. That didn't mean the planet was empty, but it was odd he hadn't even run into an animal of some kind.

So it had to be someone who'd survived the crash, then. Right?

"Take a look at this, sir." Rex's attention jumped to Kidd, who dropped down and ran his hand along the ground. It was faint, but Rex recognized it regardless. Blood.

It was a dry trail, smeared and scuffed. "Something dragged the body off…" The Captain's eyes followed the trail, his helmet lights illuminating the dull crimson as it rounded a corner. "How come I've got a bad feeling about this?" Knowing he couldn't waste any time, he clicked his wrist comm and spoke through the static, "General, we've definitely got something in here. It appears to have dragged off the bodies of the crew."

"You're sure, Captain?"

"Positive," the distant echo of rattling made its way down the hall, causing Kidd to stand and straighten his stance. "Whatever it is, it's still here. I think it's what Fives followed inside."

There was a pause on the other side, the static almost unbearable as the connection waned. "We're coming in. Whatever it is, it might be dangerous." Just then, the scrap of metal scurried over them, the sound growing loud quickly as it made its way towards them. The two threw their gaze upwards.

Nothing.

"Rex...?" the comm spoke. The Captain put his back against Kidd's, each one facing either entrance of the hall. "Rex, what was that?"

"It's here, sir." Rex's voice was barely above a whisper.

"We're coming," the communication link ended, the static shushing. Silence lingered in the hall, suffocating them. Rex could feel his nerves crawl. They were being watched. By what, he wasn't sure.

Kidd fidgeted with his gun, the sound echoing harshly in the silence. "Where is this thing?"

"Keep your calm, Shinie." Rex leveled his DC-17s at the end of the hall and waited. He'd gone through this several times before. His pulse vibrated in his ear, the tip of his weapon, no matter how much he willed it, wouldn't stop shaking. His eyes trained on their location and he took deep, steady breaths. It was as close to meditating as Rex ever got, and he only did it when he was about to pull the trigger. He could hear the rookie behind him shuffle slightly on his feet, hear his unsteady breathing. He could also hear the faint groan of metal coming from deeper within the ship. Just where was this thing?

Rex felt it in his gut then. Turn around.

Twisting his head to the side, he could see Kidd had his gun outstretched but he wasn't firing. "Kidd?" Bells and whistles started banging in the Captain's head, he turned completely around while holstering a pistol, grabbing Kidd's shoulder to try and pull him back. The rookie wouldn't move. His eyes were fixed into the darkness that lied just beyond his helmet lights. "Kidd, what are you-"

Every ounce of oxygen left Rex's lungs as Kidd lifted his own rifle to the edge of his chin, eyes still fixed in the blackness. The Captain dropped his second blaster as both hands went to pull down the extended arm. No matter how much he pulled, Kidd's arm wouldn't budge. "What are you doing, Kidd! Snap out of it!" Rex could feel the rookie shaking, could feel his desire to stop and yet, for some reason, he wasn't. Clones didn't do something like this, not even in the worst situations. They were hardwired to keep fighting until the bitter end, even if the odds of death were high. So why?

Rex couldn't let one of his own men do this. Kidd had barely started working, he'd barely gotten to see his own potential, and yet, no matter how hard Rex pulled, the clone's arm wouldn't move. "Stang, Kidd, get ahold of yourself!"

"Cap…tain." The strain in Kidd's voice, the terror, and a second later, it didn't matter anymore. A bright blast of blue light seared its way through Kidd's skull, body becoming limb and collapsing to the floor. The arm Rex had been holding slipped effortlessly from his fingers, tumbling into a heap on the ground.

"Kidd!" How many men had he seen fall in battle? So many he couldn't even keep count any more. Yet, he'd never seen one take his own life and seem so damn set on not doing so. Rex didn't have time to mourn, he never did. He needed to contact the General, needed to find Fives and then get out of the ship. Whatever was here, he got the sense it'd somehow had a hand in Kidd's death. The Captain didn't know how, but if his years of hardened experience had taught him anything, it was to trust in his intuition.

He lifted his wrist comm to speak when Kidd's body suddenly jerked like a blanket being pulled by a child. Rex's eyes looked all over. Nothing.

"What the..." Bending down, he reached a tentative hand out to Kidd only for the body to suddenly be yanked out of reach. It was making its way down the hall, the rookie's body being dragged like an unwanted toy by an invisible hand along the metal floor. The body quickly disappeared around the corner and Rex followed after.

His DC-17s were in his hands before he rounded the corner. His eyes trained ahead, he watched as Kidd was yanked behind another corner. "Hey!" His legs propelled him forward as he dashed to catch up. Corner after corner, turn after turn, Rex would only catch sight of an arm or hand before it disappeared ahead of him. As Rex rounded yet another turn, ducking under a broken out panel, he watched as the body was dragged up the wall and through a busted vent. The body wouldn't fit, Kidd was too big for the hole, but whatever was dragging him was trying to pull him through. "Let him go!" Rex ran over, guns being put aside as he grabbed ahold of Kidd. He tugged with all his strength, but whatever had grabbed his comrade had an iron grip.

Giving another forceful tug, Rex barely felt something wrap around his ankle. He was pulled from his feet, head slamming the inside of his helmet as he hit the ground with a thud. The breaking of bones came from above as Kidd's body was broken apart, made to fit through the vent. It disappeared out of sight, the body armor rattling its way through the ventilation system and deeper into the moans of the ship.

The Captain's head was spinning as he sat himself up. His HUD screen had gone wonky, multiple menus covering his vision. He blinked the close command and everything shut down, leaving him with a clear view of his surroundings. "Stang," he mumbled, getting to his feet. His eyes travelled to the vent and he mentally cringed. "Just what was that?"

Kidd's body was gone, whatever had killed him was gone and now Rex was lost inside the ship. He needed to find Fives and the General. Something about this made his stomach turn. What had just happened wasn't just surreal, it just wasn't right. A solider killing himself was one thing, being dragged away by some unseen force was another. Just thinking about it made Rex's body go numb. Shaking the feeling off, he clicked his comm to life, static filling the silence. "General. We've got a problem."

A/N: Welcome to "Upon the Goliath"! Thanks for taking the time to check this story out and give it a read. Things are only going to get more mysterious from here so prepare yourself for that. This story is all about the twists and turns, so if you're game for a crazy ride, stay tuned. Again, thanks for the read! I'll see you next chapter.

Emil Lime, out.