AN: I haven't written a real story in a very long time, and this is my first ever Star Wars related one; so forgive me if I make huge mistakes. I've done a lot of research and hope to learn more about these characters as time goes on.

Please tell me what you think!

The steady sound of battle droids moving past the 501st was like an itch that had to be scratched, or in this case; shot. Captain Rex was hunched down behind a boulder, a giant rock formation hanging above him and his men as they prepared their ambush. Clankers moved past them in a stead line, two tanks bringing up the read of the squadron.

Rex nodded to Jesse once the droids had passed, motioning for the men to retreat out of the canyon with his DC-17's in hand. The clones moved with surprising speed and agility, white and blue soldiers walking with a wave-like grace. Pride filled the clone as he watched his men move in sync, these moments of harmony being few and far between. "Alright Jesse, Let's blow this thing." Rex shouted over his comm, watching his second in command press the detonator with barely-restrained gusto.

Dust whipped through the canyon as the entire arch trembled and cracked. The droids began to scatter as they realized their impending doom, attempting to flee. Rex raised one DC-17, his blaster bolt frying the nearest tinny.

The Five-Oh-First was quick to eliminate any runaway clankers, pausing to study their handiwork as it came crashing down. The once beautiful arch had been laced with explosives, and once the men had cleared the blast radius Jesse had sent the whole mountain crashing into the canyon. Smoke wafted out from between the boulders, several smaller explosions still rumbling through the earth. Regardless of the dust the clone troopers were enjoying their victory, and they whooped and hollered in triumph; some even dancing around with their vode.

Rex grinned; it wasn't often that ambushes went as planned, especially on Ryloth.

The Separatists had once again tried to retake the valuable planet, and the Republic had dispatched General Skywalker and Kenobi to eliminate the Separatist threat looming over the war-torn system. The 212th was with General Kenobi, taking a more direct approach at destroying the droid army's new base, whereas the Five-Oh-First was tasked with eliminating stragglers and transports.

It would appear to be a very good plan; General Skywalker was in the air, General Kenobi and the Clone battalions on the ground. The only thing that didn't make sense was the objectives presented to each group. Cody and his men were far more adept at sneak attacks and ambushes, while Rex was used to running headlong into the fray, supported by his men.

The men understood why they were taking the lesser end of the stick though. They were achingly aware of why the General didn't entrust them with destroying the droid base... Why they were viewed with pity.

Fives.

One clone who had earned the trust and appreciation of every soldier in the Five-Oh-First. The former ARC trooper had been one of Rex's closest friends, and his loss was like an open wound in the Captain's side. A fresh hurt in every vode' mind.

Why couldn't they just move on like they did with countless brothers? Because Fives hadn't had a choice. He was shot down due to a parasite that had short circuited his implant. It had taken the Fives everyone knew, and had made him do things every clone knew was treason. But had he been unsalvageable? If there was anyone that could have recovered it was Fives. But no one had time for an ARC trooper who was defective.

Rex's hand clenched in a sudden burst of anger. He closed his eyes, looking at his men. They were strong, and would move on. They could have handled the droid base. Jumping when a hand landed on his shoulder, the clone drew his arm back to elbow the offender in the gut, instincts taking over.

"Whoa! Rex, it's Kix." The medic dodged his attack, moving over to stand at his captain's side. "We did good. No casualties..." The soldier's bucket tilted towards the captain

Rex noted that his friend had switched to a secure frequency; only Rex was meant to hear what Kix was about to say. "It's kinda hard to lose men when the tinny's don't even know where to shoot." He said under his breath, eyeing the motionless brother beside him. Just get on with it Kix...

"The men need you to be strong Rex. They're taking this whole assignment very personally. They don't think that the General trusts them... If you could request that he says something to them..." Kix trailed off, leaving the idea to brew in Rex's mind.

Sitting down on a nearby boulder Rex unholstered one DC-17, "I am taking this assignment very personally. He doesn't think I am capable to lead the men now that Fives is... now that he is gone."

Kix sat next to him, clasping his hands in his lap. "The General does trust you. He just wants to take it slow. Jesse isn't used to having this responsibility, and the men aren't used to taking orders from him. They need time to adjust, we all do."

"We don't have time to adjust!" Rex hissed, glaring at the medic through his t-visor. A feeling of shame crept through Rex as his brother crossed his arms and looked at him unwavering. "I'm sorry... It's just, we're at war Kix."

"We aren't machines."

So many of the men Rex appreciated most had that opinion, including Fives. The trooper stood, replacing his blaster where it belonged. "Alright men!" He switched his comm to an open channel, ignoring Kix's comment. "We've managed to kick droid ass indirectly just as well as Commander Cody and the 212th!"

Choked laughter filled the channel, many of the men still comparing the wreckage to the 212ths demolitions. Rex allowed them their moment of companionship, watching Torrent Company as they milled over the 'battlefield'.

"Okay, so now we are gonna go make sure that no one unfortunately managed to avoid the rocks. We don't want to leave the job half-done." Rex then proceeded to get as far from his medic as possible, climbing through the rocks as fast as he possibly could without looking like he was avoiding something. Kix was a good brother, and knew just how to get you so frakking angry that you would spill whatever was bothering you. It was a medic thing.

The men made quick work of searching the wreckage, most barely taking the job seriously when they'd see a half-crushed tinny trying to wield a blaster. Compared to most of their battles this was a battle drill on Kamino for five-year-old shiny's. Sure, it wasn't too long ago that Rex himself had been taking those assignments, but hands-on experience out ruled everything he'd been taught on Kamino. The Kaminoans could dream up test battles as long as they wanted but nothing compared to the real thing.

Once the battlefield was cleared Rex commed the General, his helmet hiding the frown that spread over his face when the jedi appeared. How am I supposed to explain to this man that the men need his support and trust without sounding biased? "General Skywalker, we have eliminated all transports and scouts that were discussed in the briefing. Shall the men and I search out any stragglers?" Well, you effectively avoided that conversation.

The Jedi's hologram wavered, and the man gripped onto the control panel he was in front of. They're getting hammered up there. This was supposed to be a small battle... Rex's frown deepened, concern for his general making him clench his jaw. "No. General Kenobi and the 212th are locked in combat and aren't making any progress on that base. They need back-up but I can't send air support. You and the men need to get to their position ASAP!" The holo-image wavered again, "You guys did a good job, but I need you down there. I know you won't let me down, Rex. Skywalker out."

Sucking a breath through his teeth Rex mentally calculated how long it would take for him to get to Cody and the General's position. "Alright men! Listen up! General Kenobi and the 212th are getting hammered and General Skywalker wants us to go and back them up until air support is available. Let's load up into those drop-ships and move out!" The men had scrambled to attention at the authoritative tone of the captain and set to work like a well oiled machine. The drop ships were loaded in record time; the sound of blaster charges being slammed into their proper places snapped over the roar of the engines, a familiar clatter before men when off the battle.

DC-17s reloaded and put back in the holsters Rex scanned his HUD, downloading the newest information of Cody's situation. The two had trained together in command school, both quickly growing to trust each other with their lives. Cody was a fantastic leader, and knew how to motivate his men when they were overcome with grief for their lost vode. If the clone commander couldn't handle this with all of the 212th behind his back and a Jedi in front then their intel on the droid base was very unreliable.

"Sir, we'll be at the drop zone shortly."

Rex nodded to the trooper beside him, his pauldron adjusting as he raised his left arm to grab the bar over him. Anti-aircraft sounded around them, and he took deep breaths as the smell of artillery powder filled the air. His right hand clenched and unclenched around his DC-17, the clone eager to get two feet on the ground.

The shuttle groaned and veered to the side, shouts sounds over the comm frequency. Are we going down? Righting herself just in time the aircraft scuffed along the grown, the sound of metal tearing filtered out by their buckets. The drop-ship doors opened and Rex and Torrent Company poured onto the Rylothian rock, blaster fire ringing around them.

"We'll form a protective circle around General Kenobi and what's left of the 212th! Move out! Go, go, go!" Rex hollered, unholstering both blasters and aiming them at the nearest droids. In a flash he had retrieved a droid popper of his kama and had hurled it at the nearest cluster of droids, the electricity arcing between the metal before subsiding. The droids fell to the ground, more taking their place.

His men pushed onward; the brothers that fell being avenged by their comrades. The familiar glow of a blue light saber penetrated the field of smoke, and Rex heard General Kenobi giving orders. The 212th had been pushed to the landing platform, and were trying to hold their ground behind and upturned drop ship.

Rex heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar hooded visor of Cody, his friend's armor scuffed and stained, but intact. At first I thought I'd be walking into another nightmare... Men of Torrent Company and others from the Five-Oh-First took up defensive positions around their brothers and the General, the unexpected arrival of another battalion stumping the droids. Jesse and Boil made quick work of a tank, the machine groaning before erupting into flames. The two battalions were familiar with each other, and hope surged through the clones.

"Nice to see you decided to drop by." Rex had made his way over to Cody, his brother's identical voice holding a smile. Cody grasped Rex's forearm mando'an style; the two sharing a quick moment before resuming their fight.

Grinning behind his visor Rex glanced over at Cody, "Well, you know me... Had to visit once you invited me."

"I never would have invited you, Rex." Cody chuckled, breathless from exertion as he traded positions with the captain. "You're too stiff for this kinda party... too many pretty girls."

That's rich... Coming from the king of spinsters.

"That's why I came. Have to make sure you actually loosen up." Two more droids fell; smoking holes in their chest plates. Their friendly banter ceased when a blast knocked them off their feet, the two scrambling back to their positions before the smoke cleared. Blaster fire had ceased, the comm frequencies loaded with questions and calls for first-aid kits from Kix and Coric. The smoke screen was clearing, the droids still not visible.

Readjusting his grip on his blasters Rex eyed Cody, his jaw clenching. It was quiet; far too quiet considering that the battle wasn't even close to being won. Where were the droids?

"Grenade!"

Troopers ducked behind ammo crates, and Rex pushed Cody out of the way before tossing himself behind the up-turned drop ship. Beep, beep, beep, BOOM! Rex held his arms over his head as the blast echoed around him. His ears were ringing' his helmet filters not quite sufficient to shield him from the blast. Pain rippled across his shoulder, the shoulder armor battered with metal fragments. His vision was unsteady, and he took deep breaths before crouching. The smoke had cleared, and clankers had retaken the field, brothers and droids falling in heaps on the landing platform.

Tic marks added to his HUD as each vod fell, and he clenched his jaw. He refused to search the list for familiar CT numbers; his resolve hardened. They would end this. A pain hypo numbed the shoulder, and he retook up his previous position.

A sigh escaped him when he spotted Cody's familiar bucket next to General Kenobi, the two holding their position against another wave of droids. I'm gonna introduce my blaster to whoever fed us this info... His men were holding out, slowly pushing the droids back into the base. A quick scan of the base revealed that most of the droids had come out to flood the troopers, and the base was now manned by two command droids and a squad of Roger Roger units.

Once the landing platform was cleared the fight would be easily won.

A blaster bolt scraped his chest plate, the captain wincing as it took a large chunk of plasteroid with it. It had narrowly missed melting through him, his side still burning from the graze. Ignoring the swelling pain he took another hypo out of his kama, injecting the medicine into the burned area. The shot stung before going numb, the clone now able to focus clearly on the task at hand.

Another blast went off, blue-striped troopers flung away like they were weightless. Two more tic marks added to his screen, the third following shortly after Kix arrived to address the man's injuries.

"We're gonna need that air support from the general soon. These droids are putting up a hell of a fight." Coric shouted over the comm, the medic's voice clearly agitated. One look told Rex all he needed to know; the man Coric had just patched together had bled out.

We're not machines.

A commando droid sprung past it's slower counterparts, leaping over the ammunition crate and grabbing Rex by his pauldron. Flinging him against the drop-ship it advanced, not bothering to give Rex a chance to get up. The rough landing jarred his already injured shoulder, the captain forced to settle for only using on hand to shoot. Raising one DC-17 Rex fired; the droid slowing at he melted it's circuits together.

His entire chest was on fire, and warmth spread down Rex's chest like bacta. Looking down the captain heard a disembodied gasp as he viewed the mess that was him. His breastplate had cracked into his sternum and collarbone, white bone sticking out of the wound. Crimson blood dribbled down the white plasteroid, time speeding up just as the pain hit him. Agony rippled through him and he cried in anguish, tears slipping down his face as the red-hot fire spread throughout him; nerve endings firing.

Gritting his teeth together he stood, holding one arm over his chest while he fired at the oncoming droids. There was just another twenty clankers, their fellow droids lying in smoking piles around them. Most were firing at random, screaming when General Kenobi cut them down.

Rex's arm was starting to slip from it's protective position on his chest, a crackling feeling making his bite his tongue to keep from crying out. Okay, just let it hang there. All useless... He heaved in a shuddering breath, the lack of moisture in his breath a relief. No punctured lungs... definitely some broken ribs. He grimaced, his bucket hiding his pained expression. Just a couple more droids.

The squad Rex's HUD had detected flooded out of the entrance to the base, blaster-fire filling the air with renewed vigor. His grip on his DC-17 was unsteady, and one shot just grazed a droid's leg, the owner turning it's fire on him.

A blaster bolt melted through his armor like it was nothing, hitting the injured shoulder and coming out the back. "Gahhhhhh!" Falling to his knees Rex dropped his weapon, screaming as he knelt.

"Captain's down!" Coric was at his side in an instant, cursing in mando'a as he unbuckled Rex's chest plate in record time. No longer held together the piece of armor split into two halves, the back part sticking to his skin before coming off with a tear. "K'uur." Be quiet The medic snarled before softening. "That blaster bolt melted it to your skin... Let's just say some Rex came off with that piece of armor." The shoulder piece followed, resembling a mottled fruit.

Rex barely registered when Cody knelt next to him, worry scrunching up his face. "Hey, Rex. We got 'em all." He removed the captain's bucket, the clone commander eyeing his friends pale pallor worriedly.

"Mar'e!" At last! Rex spluttered, smiling weakly. "At least we got to get those shabla tinnies. That sneak attack in the gorge-" He yelled when Coric snapped his collarbone into place, his vision going white before he felt a smack on his face.

"Tell me 'bout that gorge." Cody still had one hand holding his head off the ground, his other hand clenching and unclenching.

Groaning he looked away, "It was exhausting."

Coric pinched his right hand, earning him a glare. "Gotta make sure you can still feel it, mir'osik." Rex huffed, rolling his eyes. If he didn't know Coric better he'd be offended at the foul name his friend had used on him, but at the moment he was just glad that his two friends had survived.

"Headcount?"

Cody rolled his eyes, "Always focusing on the battle... Let's just say we won. You don't need to worry about that."

Frowning Rex looked between his two vode, trying to gauge how injured he was. Their behavior insinuated that he was in bad shape. Coric had said that he had to make sure he could still feel his arm, suggesting substantial nerve damage. He didn't feel too good. "Ner vod, take care of my men." He directed the comment to both of his brothers, earning a shocked glare from both.

"Gedet'ye, you aren't going anywhere. Besides... I wasn't cut out for the Five-Oh-First." Cody said breathlessly, his gaze locked on Rex's eyes and refusing to look elsewhere. Frak, it's really bad then.

He whimpered when Coric placed a bacta patch over his collarbone, groaning when he realized that the sound was audible. "K'atini!" Suck it up! Coric said, rolling his eyes. A forced smile was on his face, occasionally transforming into a grimace when the bacta patch refused to stick onto his weeping shoulder and chest.

Kix sat next to him, his helmet already off. He frowned at Coric, the two sharing a look before making room for each other over the injured captain. "You're looking a lot better than some of the men I've seen today, captain." the other medic said lightly, mopping up the blood with an already stained rag. The pressure was insufferable, and Rex barely noticed the blood leaking out his mouth from his busted up tongue. "Open up." The clone obeyed the field medic, nodding in appreciation when a stick was placed between his teeth. It splintered under his bite, but didn't crack.

"Captain Rex." The clone didn't have to open his eyes to recognize the calm voice of General Kenobi. The Jedi knelt beside him, a hand placed on his uninjured shoulder. The pain lessened, Rex sighing in relief as he was shielded from the pain. "That is all I can do for now... We need to get him and the other men on the drop ships."

Rex faded out as the medics talked with the General over him, his battered body begging him to sleep. He grimaced when he was lifted up, his shoulder jostled by the movement. "He's unstabalizing... Get him to that ship ASAP." The clone couldn't tell if it was Coric or Kix speaking, his ears ringing and muting out everything else.

He was laid on a cold durasteel floor, the ground rumbling and shaking before his stomach churned at the familiar feeling of flying. The flight was surprisingly quiet before the sound of a space battle filled the ship. "We've exited the atmosphere... Heading for the Resolute..." The Resolute? No... I don't want General Skywalker to see me like this. I still need to ask him to speak to the men...

The drop ship lurched to the side, the captain sighing as he was grabbed by strong hands. They didn't explode so Rex assumed that the ship was just knocked off course by a stray blast, his mind wearily trying to stay aware of the situation. "C... Cor..ic?" He asked softly, reaching up to grab the other clone's arm. He opened his eyes, frowning when he realized that it was a medic for the 212th, and neither Coric nor Kix.

The ship landed smoothly, white light flooding into the stomach of the ship and the slide doors opened. He was loaded up on to an anti-grav bed, the med from the 212th handing him off to the Resolute's medic. The red garbed men whisked him away, chattering as they went. The sound of blaster fire was muted now that they were inside the ship, but Rex couldn't help but grimace when sirens sounded through the ship. The hull shuddered as another volley of missiles battered the exhausted shields. Rex's head lolled to the side as the starship jolted, and struggled to keep his eyes open against the suffocating pain in his chest.

Warmth was still gushing over his arm and neck, the smell of blood filling his flared nostrils. He had to breath; memories of breathing exercises took over, the old information giving him something to focus on other than the smell and feel of his own blood.

"Just hold on sir, we'll get you patched right up." The tightness in the medic's voice was a clear indicator that Rex might not be able to hold on long enough.

Why should I hold on? The warm blood moving over him was surprisingly soothing, and past the pain was a numbing peace. He could feel it washing over him. His eyes drifted shut, and his breathing slowed to a whisper.

His lungs cried for air, the burning feeling not quite surpassing the agony in his chest. Was this how Fives had felt? Was this how it felt to die?

#

He barely registered the conversation of the two doctors over him as they decided what would become of him.

One's words were hushed and urgent, "He is not hopeless! If we put him into a bacta tank he may be able to recover."

"His collarbone is broken, the sternum cracked, and the right scapula is shattered, and due to his previous injury in this area the nerve damage is irreparable. We should put him into a coma and let him go peacefully. He'll never use that arm again." The other spoke with disinterest.

"He may be able to recover if we replace the..." His words faded out, his voice to soft to make out over the pounding of Rex's heart.

"There are other more important patients. Salvageable patients! We have no place for clones who can't shoot a blaster!" Their conversation faded out, their words no longer meaning anything to Rex.

The words hopeless, nerve damage, and irreparable stuck in his mind. Nerve damage was one of the few things that bacta couldn't reverse. Was he the one with nerve damage, or was he overhearing a conversation about another patient?

He knew what happened to soldiers with nerve damage.

Am I irreparable? Ahsoka would have yelled at him for thinking like that. But the little togruta wasn't there with him, and she couldn't yell at him anymore. He couldn't even drag up the memory of what he'd last said to her. Hopefully it was something she could look at with a smile.

Cold appendages stripped him of his armor and bodysuit, placing a re-breather between his clenched teeth. His entire body was numb, his head pounding from the battle he was putting up against the drugs.

He can take more. Was that his thought? Or the voice of the medical droid inserting a syringe into his neck. He couldn't feel the needle as it passed through his skin, or as it exited. But he could almost taste the extra sleeping agent in his system. Sleep pulled at him, dragging him down as he was placed into the cool embrace of the bacta.

Most of his dreams were of black water; washing against a barren shore. The sounds of blaster fire rang out through the night, staining the horizon orange, blue, and red. Blood. He was continually drawing that conclusion, realizing that the blood of his brothers was lapping at the beach rather than water as it appeared. The ones that occurred between this dream and the silent blackness were those of him and his men, marching to battle:

They were led by a robed figure, their footsteps keeping time with his own as they marched up the steps of the Jedi Temple. In unison they drew their blasters, heads facing straight ahead as they approached the mouth of the temple.

There were no words spoken among the men, no questions about the mission. Every man there knew their purpose. Rex knew what his mission was.

Eliminate the Jedi.

An elderly knight approached them, confusion clear on his face. As he opened his mouth to speak blaster fire filled the air. Smoke rose from what was left of the ancient force user, his body one of many to be trampled under the feet of hundreds of armored boots.

The 501st worked through the temple quickly, slaughtering all jedi; young and old. Rex was left in the corridor, pouring over the hallways to search for stowaways. Slight footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned, blaster aimed at the padawan in front of him.

Ahsoka paled, looking at the massacre around them. Her eyes were red, tears streaming down her face. He hesitated, arm falling to his side as he looked at her. "What happened to them?" She wailed, unaware that her fellow Jedi's demise was in front of her.

Rex raised his DC-17, "This is what happened."

AN: Tell me what you think :)