Anakin stilled his legs and feet for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. Calm. Obi-Wan said to be calm… Only, he couldn't seem to stop tapping his feet, to keep his legs from flexing or shuffling back and forth. Nervous was not the word he'd use to describe these movements, no matter what his young Padawan might say.

Anxious fit the bill a bit better. As did worried and cautious.

After all, he had some idea of the shape his men would be in when they disembarked, but there was always room for surprises.

And Anakin hated these sorts of surprises.

"It's going to be all right, Master," Ahsoka whispered beside him.

Will it?

In his heart, he knew eventually Ahsoka's words would come true. But as he watched the dozens of gunships land at the edge of the hangar, Anakin couldn't seem to keep his chest from constricting.

Breathe… Breathe…

But that simple, unconscious task grew difficult as the gunship doors cracked, then slid open entirely.

Breathe… Brea—

His eyes scanned the disembarking soldiers for Rex. Oh, kriff… Despite their steady appearance—seasoned troopers back from a victorious campaign—Anakin knew how to read his men better than the average eye.

They stood tall, yet he could see a slight slump in their shoulders. They were confident in their step, yet slow. Weary.

And every last one of them still had their helmets on. With a sharp pang, Anakin recalled a tipsy Jesse confiding in him one night about that particular piece of armor. He'd said something about the helmet protecting him from more than just stray blaster bolts…

The memory had Anakin wondering if Jesse wasn't the only soldier who felt that way. After all, the proof was standing right in front of him.

"Master?" Ahsoka's small voice was the catalyst that finally forced him into action.

I'm no good to them just standing here like an idiot.

Though his feet moved, his body felt as if it were floating, gliding through the air into a new chapter he wasn't sure he wanted to open yet. It's now or never…

Rex… He needed to find Rex. There was Jesse with Fives. By the way they moved their heads, Anakin could tell they had a private conversation going within the safety of their helmets.

Then his eyes fell on Kix, who looked more worse for wear than Anakin had ever seen the medic. And there was Coric, Appo, Checkers, and Tup, all going about their own business—though Tup didn't appear to know exactly what that was. He looked… lost. Even with his helmet on, and Anakin's heart went out to the young soldier.

Though there was still no sign of the 501st captain, Anakin knew he had to at least make a start in the right direction and approached the private with the teardrop tattoo.

"General!" Tup was saluting before Anakin had come within six feet of him.

"At ease, Tup. The campaign's over."

"Yes, sir." And while Tup's hand went down, he remained standing at attention.

"I said, at ease," Anakin pressed with a smile. "That means relax."

"Oh. Oh, yes, sir."

Fully aware of the Padawan at his heels, Anakin gestured at Ahsoka, careful to keep his smile in place even though he felt like retching his guts out.

"Could you help Ahsoka spread the word throughout the ranks that I want everyone to go to the rec room, the barracks, or the mess hall to get some well-deserved rest? I'd use my comm, but I don't have it on me."

Tup nodded, his confusion bleeding into his relief. "Of course, sir. But, there's a lot of supplies to unload…"

Anakin waved a dismissive hand. "I'll have that taken care of. For now, I want you to rest. That's an order, private."

Another nod, this one lighter than the first. "Yes, sir!"

"Come on," Ahsoka said with a forced enthusiasm that sounded far more realistic than Anakin's.

Then, they were gone, wasting no time in spreading the word from trooper to trooper and charging each soldier they came across with the same task.

Now. Anakin scanned the exhausted crowd once more, using the Force to help him locate his missing captain. Onto the real battle.

It was only after he'd asked three troopers if they knew the whereabouts of their captain that Anakin found him.

Rex was in the middle of giving out orders, motivating Torrent Company to get the gunships unloaded in a timely manner. And the second Anakin stepped within range of his friend, he felt what Obi-Wan had been trying to explain to him so many hours ago.

The captain's Force-signature was very… off.

Dangerously so.

To his credit, Rex was playing the part of a well put together very well. Almost too well.

"Rex!" He hailed warmly as he approached the small group of hard working clones. "There you are!"

And to this day, Anakin likes to pretend that Rex most definitely did not stiffen at the sound of his name.

"General," Rex began, turning to join Anakin.

"It's good to see you," Anakin said, smiling.

Rex nodded. "You too, sir."

The silence that followed was the very definition of uncomfortable.

"Look, Rex," Anakin began after clearing his throat, "Obi-Wan filled me in on what happened…"

And what? What else did one say in a situation like this? Heck if I know.

"It's all right, sir," Rex replied a bit too quickly.

"No, it's not. I should've been there. I should've—" Anakin paused and glanced around, now fully aware of the attention he was receiving. Lowering his voice, he focused on Rex. "Is there somewhere else we could talk about this?"

"If that's what you want, sir." And something in Rex's voice told Anakin that it was the opposite of what his captain wanted.

And as badly as he ached to know the gritty details of Umbara, Anakin held his tongue. This can wait. It can all wait.

Rex needed rest, not an impromptu debriefing session.

Speaking of which…

"You know what, that can wait until later. I instructed Tup and Ahsoka to tell the men to go get some rest. Don't worry about all the unpacking," Anakin continued when Rex opened his mouth to protest, "I'll get some else to take care of it. Right now, go do what you want. There's no rush for the debrief. We can get to that later."

"About that, sir," Rex began, a bit of hesitation to his tone as he snatched a datapad out of the pack at his feet. "I actually have my debrief right here."

Blinking, Anakin accepted the offering with the same hesitation Rex had in retrieving it.

"It's all there, sir," Rex continued. "All the details of the campaign from start to finish."

"Uh… I hate to tell you this, Rex, but this is a report, not a debrief."

The captain cocked his head. "Then, I'm reporting by debrief. In written form," he added after a second or two.

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, Rex."

"Can't there be an exception?" The way his captain's voice came out at that moment cut Anakin's heart in half. "Just this once, sir?"

Just this once…

If there was ever a time for a slight breach in protocol, it was now.

The sudden urge to embrace his captain was overwhelming. But he doubted Rex would appreciate such a scene taking place in front of his men. Now more than ever, Rex needed to appear strong and put together.

Not weak as he melted into a heartfelt embrace.

Admitting you're hurting is not weak, Anakin argued with his own mind.

If that's true, why didn't you accept Obi-Wan's help when your mother died?

Anakin pushed the thought away with a rough mental shove. Boring conversation anyway…

At last, Anakin nodded, tightening his grip on the datapad. "All right. I'll accept this. For now. But we'll still need to talk about this later."

"Understood, sir," Rex said with a tight nod and Anakin felt his stomach flip.

There were so many things he wanted to say, wanted to know. And he doubted Rex had put any personal touches in his "written debrief." No, he had full confidence that the report would be very cut and dry. No nonsense, no intimate details, none of the things Anakin really wanted to know.

But it's a start, he realized. It's definitely a start.

Anakin cleared his throat with an air of finality. "Now, why don't you go get some rest."

"But, sir, there's still—"

"That's an order, Captain." Yet, despite his good-natured tone of voice, Anakin noticed the way Rex stiffened. Again. "And that goes for all of you. This can all be taken care of later."

Several troopers sagged in relief, while others chose to finish their current task before heading out of the hangar.

It wasn't long before only Rex and Anakin were left standing in front of the gunship.

Neither moved at first, Anakin still trying to get a feel for his captain's current mood. His emotions were all over the place, making it difficult for the Jedi to get a reading through the Force.

"Sir," Rex began finally, "I don't see who you're going to get to unload all these supplies with the entire 501st having been dismissed."

"Trust me when I say, don't worry about it, Rex," Anakin said gently. "I'm sure I can scrounge up a few droids to do it."

"Sir, it just doesn't seem—"

"Rex, just rest, okay?"

It took a moment, but Rex finally nodded. "If that's what you want, sir."

"It is. Now, go! Before I drag you off to the barracks myself."

That seemed to do that trick and soon, Anakin found himself staring at the back of the reluctantly retreating trooper.

Just before Rex's slightly slumped frame disappeared completely, Anakin felt Ahsoka come up beside him.

"How is he?" came her small whisper.

Anakin shook his head. "It's bad, Ahsoka. But that doesn't mean it can't ever get better," he added hopefully at the sound of her muted whimper. "Trust me, we're going to help them get better."

I promise, Rex.

I promise.