(A/N: Thanks y'all for your patience I appreciate it. And I hope my tired brain edited out any bad grammar issues. I'm trying to get on top of that. I promise y'all I can do this! Enjoy!)

(Geonosis, Present Time)

Kai had never realized how hot and loud a battlefield really was.

She knelt on the ground, holding the trooper in her arms when her shoulder was touched, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"We need to go, now." Another trooper, Jay by the looks of it, urged her and she felt her hold on the dead clone tighten.

"But I can't…I can't leave him." She argued and he sighed and hung his head for a moment and he crouched down to her level.

"If we stay, we'll be the same as him. We need to go with the General and Commander Tano. There's a barrier to our west that we have to get over, but we need to leave." He urged, and she hated that she knew he was right.

If they stayed where they were, the enemy would move in and sweep the area, killing them all.
But it felt so wrong to leave him, to leave all of them, to just leave their bodies in the hot sun.

She slid the trooper's helmet back on gently and lowered him to the ground. She grabbed her rifle, and swiped at her eyes angrily as she stood. It was just the dust, of course. That was why her eyes were burning. It had nothing to do with the death she had just witnessed.

"Why would it bother me? I've seen death my whole life. This is nothing new." She thought to herself.
He put his hand on her shoulder and silently helped her up after a moment, and when General Skywalker gave the word they emerged out of their cover, and began running.

They entered a small canyon with steep walls on each side, and the sounds of their boots echoed in the confined space.

She saw General Skywalker come to a stop and they all took a moment to stare breathlessly up at the wall. It was a lot taller than she had thought it would be, and there were turrets all along the upper edge. Turrets that were currently pointed right at them.

"Careful, careful!" She heard a trooper call out, just as a rain of laser fire shot down at them, forcing them to split and run for cover, a couple of the clones falling to the ground before they made it to safety.

Kai dove for her own cover and stared at them helplessly at fire rained down next to them.

It couldn't be like this, every single time, could it?

She crouched next to the general, the commander, and a few clones including Rex.

"Well this is another fine mess you've gotten us into." Commander Tano spit out sarcastically to her master as she looked back out over her shoulder.

"What?" General Skywalker shot back, having the audacity to sound surprised and it made Kai raise an eyebrow as she stared at Rex's visor for a moment. "It's not my fault. You were supposed to study the holo-maps."
"I did!" Ahsoka argued back, and Kai couldn't believe they were arguing a time like this. And the clones, including Rex, acted like it was normal. It wasn't normal to her, but she had to admit it was amusing.

"Remember, when I reminded you about the giant wall" Ahsoka gestured at the object in question, "and you said "Don't worry, Snips. We won't be anywhere near that." She leveled a gaze at her master and Kai bit back a small smile.

Skywalker just rolled his eyes and pointed to a nearby rock wall. "Just get ready to climb."

Kai looked up at the wall and over at Rex, and gave a small amused grin.

She and another clone got Skywalker and Ahsoka the bags of explosives and Skywalker instructed Rex on what to do as he slid the pack on.
They were to lay down cover fire and be ready when the Jedi took down the wall, and Kai crouched in anticipation and readied her gun, and began firing up at the droids and turrets as the Jedi ran for the wall.

The shots vibrated through her gun, the dust thick in the air, and once again, she couldn't help but remember the clone that had died right in front of her.

She hadn't even known his name.

She heard a shout of pain and saw a clone stumble back, his shoulder armor smoking, and she swung her gun onto her shoulder and jumped out briefly into the laser fire to drag him back. She laid him on his back and she slid off her backpack, opening the clasps.

Kriff it, she was going to be able to help this one. She wouldn't allow any other option this time.

She grabbed a bacta patch from the kit and inspected the wound. It looked like the plastoid of his armor had melted slightly and the black's underneath were singed.

She had him unclip his breastplate for a moment and she slipped a bacta patch over the wound after she tore a larger hole in his blacks. "This is going to have to do for now. Hopefully your armor will hold it in place." She kept a careful eye on the battle and turned back to the trooper.
"Thank you." He said, his voice still carrying strength and she nodded as he picked up his blaster, heavily favoring his uninjured arm.
After a moment of observing the battlefield again, she realized she no longer saw Rex and she searched the ground with her breath held. But as she looked she realized she couldn't see him.

"Where's the captain?" She yelled out to another trooper and he gestured with the butt of his gun at the wall.

"He went to help the generals." He responded and she squinted, not seeing him but trusting the clone's words.

Apparently, they were to just keep firing and she focused the majority of her shots on the wall turrets.

She watched with her breath held however, as the Jedi jumped off the wall, Rex with them and she felt herself panic.

None of them had a jetpack, and the landing would be too far. It would kill them all of them.

They must have left the explosives in one place at the top of the wall because she saw the explosion blossom out from one spot, and massive pieces of rock came crashing down, stopping the battle completely. She coughed and shielded her eyes, but dust still made it in and she swiped at them with a piece of her shirt.

She was very confused yet extremely relieved when she saw them and the three of them were standing and talking and all seemed well. She shook her head, confused on how they survived but grateful none the less. She'd have to ask Rex about it later.

She was surprised at how grateful she was that he was alive. Did one conversation with him in the hallway really change that much about how she felt about him?

That was unfortunately something she couldn't focus on right now. Since they'd managed to breach the wall, they could now travel to Obi Wan's position and she adjusted her backpack and came up to a clone with seemed to have a lagging step.

"You alright?" She asked, as put her arm around his waist and helped him walk. She could feel him breathing heavily and he automatically leaned on her.

"Nah not really, I took a blaster shot to the leg, and it's burning something fierce right now." He complained and she immediately looked around and found a boulder for cover near the other side of the wreckage and she knelt and commed Rex.

"I need to patch this trooper up and we'll be right behind you, I promise." She explained and his voice came through her comm. He sounded tired, but in control and confident.
"Get him fixed up as quickly as you can. I'll leave a few men behind. You will need to hurry, but if you can't catch up, here's the coordinates we will meet at." He told her and she nodded and turned to the clone's leg as her gauntlet flashed orange, indicating his sent message.

"What's your name, soldier?" She asked and slid off his helmet, a well-trimmed standard haircut greeting her.

"CT- 4444." He said and she smiled and shook her head as she opened her pack and went to work unclipping his leg armor.
"No, not your designation, your name. You have one, right?" She asked, and lifted the plate and saw the burns and she winced a little at how deep it was. She set the plate on the ground and got into her pack's pocket and pulled out bacta gel and a patch and cut his blacks away from the wound. She worried about the chafing that might occur but she was making do at this point.

Her movements made the clone gasp in pain and he gripped the rock next to him. She carefully treated the area, and gave him a shot for pain in the neck. "That should help." She said quietly and he gasped and shook his head at the medication. "So, a name?" She pushed and looked up at him.

"Don't…have a name yet. Don't know when I'll get...one." He ground out, his jaw clenching and unclenching as the pain reliever took effect.

She smiled and gently put the leg plate back in place and held his hand, smoothing her thumb over the back of it as she thought. He relaxed at the touch, just like Ash had and he watched her with a calmer expression.

"Hm, what about Char?" she asked, and ran a finger over his shin plate and gestured to his breastplate with a sooty finger. "You know, like when you use wood for a fire, and there's black dust all over the surface? You have enough soot on your armor to earn that nickname, and you're going to have an impressive burn scar on your leg."
He seemed to think about it, and his eyes flicked back and forth at his surrounding brothers, before he grinned. "Heh, char. That's not too bad you know that? But I want two r's, not just one. You were talking about just one, right?" He pushed and she smiled back.
"Yeah, I think I can manage that." She waved another trooper over and grinned as she recognized Spark.

"Hey, can you help me with Char with two r's here?" She asked and he came over and handed her his blaster rifle and scooped up Charr and lifted his arm over his shoulder, and they started walking.

"Charr huh? That fits pretty well, vod." He complimented, making Charr smile and she tossed him the helmet. He caught it and slipped it on but she caught how proud he was.

"Thanks brother." He said quietly and fell into step with them and a couple other clones she didn't quite now yet. They introduced themselves as Panik and Trigger and she smirked at their chaotic names and wondered how in the galaxy they'd landed those ones.
"So, do all the generals the names you chose? I know Anakin does, but if they're not your commanding officer…." She trailed off and Spark shrugged as they walked through the rocks.

"From what I've experienced, yes. We introduce ourselves first with our designation and then sometimes our names, and then they seem to use our names if given the option." He explained as they walked and Kai hummed and thought.

She'd never thought about what it would be like to have to earn your name, or be given one. She'd just had her name that her parents choose from the time she was born and she'd never given in a second thought.

But the names meant so much more to the clones and she felt like she understood why. It made them feel different, and unique. It made them stand out from the rest of their brothers that walked, talked and looked like them.

They managed to make excellent time, and they finally caught back up to Rex and the rest of the squadron just as they broke into a trot and she threw back a glance at Charr. "No rest for the weary...or the injured." she teased and she saw him take a few test steps on his own and he waved her away. He started running as well and he seemed to be doing fine.

"Eh, go tease someone else. I'm ready to fight and not injured at all." He protested and she snorted and rolled her eyes just as she heard General Skywalker's lightsaber ignite, a relatively new sound for her. It took some getting used to, but it usually signified danger.

She looked beyond everyone and up the rise, several flying figures fell to the ground below in flames. They were locals of the planet, and she was confused until she saw the blue lightsaber of General Mundi. Ah, so he had taken a detour through the caves, obviously to meet them in this position. Now everything was making sense.

"Master Mundi, do you read me?" Skywalker asked through his comm, his voice hard and rough.

"We are here, Skywalker. We took a detour that put us out of communications for a bit." Mundi responded and Anakin laughed a little before responding.

"Today has been a day for detours, Master." And Kai had to agree as she listened. She had been informed of the plan like the rest of the troopers before the missions started and so far, everyone had landed in different spots than they meant to, except for Obi Wan and Commander Cody. Walls had been breached, and caves traveled, so yes, today was indeed a day for detours.

She listed to Mundi's instructions along with Skywalker and he relayed to them he could now see the landing zone. He warned them that the area didn't all too good and they would need to proceed with caution.

Kai took the short time they had for a break, to guzzle down some water and she cracked open a ration bar she had stowed in her back and chewed with a sigh.
She felt hot, sweaty and covered in sand, and she desperately wished for a shower, but that didn't look like it was going to be anywhere near in her future.

If Ozan could see her now…she shook her head fondly. He was probably just resting easy in the prison, lifting weights and catching up on all those naps he used to complain that he never got.

Either that or he was going stir crazy and would find some way out of there sooner rather than later. Maybe when he did, she could ask the Jedi and the Chancellor to pardon him of any crimes, and let her work with him. She missed just the two of them doing what he'd taught her. She was dragged out of her thoughts as they started to move again. They had contacted Admiral Yularen for air support and he had managed to give them the one squadron he had available, which improved their chances.

They joined forces with Mundi's platoons and ran across the hot dry ground until they reached Obi Wan's position and her gaze was immediately pulled to all the injured troopers on the ground and she pulled away and ran up to a medic. She recognized the symbol but not the armor but she asked anyway.

"Do you need help with the wounded?" She asked, talking loud over the sounds of the battle and he seemed grateful.

"Yes! I need them out of harm's way and behind tanks or in gunships." He replied and she got to work.

The air support took the majority of the heat off of them, but the battle was still intense, and the ground rumbled underneath her feet as she worked by his side. She hurried to get them patched up and she learned on the fly how to treat battle injuries, and the learning curve was kriffin' steep.

Thankfully, his voice was calm despite what was happening and she saw the calming effect on his brothers. Surely that was a medic thing, and she wanted to learn how to do that.

She bandaged large cuts that were in between armor plates and learned how to hold let the troops hold onto her in pain, and how to maneuver them. She learned how to splint broken limbs and how to apply bacta more efficiently than she had her entire life.

She learned the difference between chunks of shrapnel you could pull out and those you didn't.

She learned a medical term for things she'd seen her entire life, like blast lung or crush injuries, which the latter was from pilots stuck in their cockpits while the former happened if troopers left their helmets off or had them knocked off.

She learned that despite the helmets, sometimes the pressure of being close to a blast caused internal ear and eardrum damage, and she learned to treat it.

She learned the signs of head trauma and internal damage, and her head felt like it was swimming by the time the fire lifted from overhead and they were able to plan the next stage of attack. She thudded onto her backside and sat on the ground, and leaned her head against some crates, taking some deep breaths, the left-over adrenaline making her hands shake.

She saw a trooper walk up and take his helmet off and she smiled at Jay. "Hey." She said quietly.

He smiled and handed her a hydro pack and she sucked it down without a word and hummed her thanks when she placed it on the ground.

"Ray said you did a real good job patching the boys up." He said, his brown eyes watching her as he tilted his head.

She smiled and felt her cheeks light up a little bit and she waved him away.

"I'm pretty sure I was just more in the way than anything else but I appreciate it. My head feels like soup now. I thought I knew everything about split second decisions, but I guess it makes a world of difference if your goal is to end the person or to save them." She shrugged and he sat down next to her and placed a hand on her knee, his silver hair catching the light.

"No. You did good. Ray doesn't compliment many people, but he knew you had limited experience. The most important thing is that you wanted to help. Just accept the compliment, okay? You did good." He lectured and she rolled her eyes and looked away to where multiple gunships were taking off.

"Alright, alright." She conceded and he grinned at her, a rare sight, before the sounds of a briefing reached them and they turned and listened.

They would combine their forces to complete their main objective thus far, which was taking out the shield generator. General Skywalker would take a squad through the shield and then take out the gun emplacements and jam the signal going out, so that Mundi's tanks couldn't be targeted.

The wounded were evaced via gunship and the rest of the squadrons and platoons formed up and joined with their tanks and headed in their respective directions.
She found Ray and stopped him and look up into his helmet. "Thanks for teaching today. It was very kind of you." She told him and he put a hand on her shoulder and nodded.

"Don't thank me. The boys needed more help than I could give. You saved lives. So, I should be thanking you." With that, he turned and walked away and she thought about those words on the way back to her squadron. She had saved lives today. She had seen too many troopers fall during the firefights and she hadn't known what to do. Somehow the sting of losing the few that she couldn't save was lessened by being able to help the ones she could.

After reaching the planned position, all they had to do was wait for General Mundi's command and when he gave it, she ran after Ashoka and dodged incoming fire. She saw a blast coming and grabbed the trooper's arm and dove to the left, and she felt the heat from the impact.

"Thanks!" He called out as they kept running and she shouted back, tasting sand.
"You're welcome. What's your name?" She asked and he tossed back the answer after firing off a couple shots.

"Names Tagg. You're Kai, right?" She nodded in response and as they split to run around a boulder she grinned as she saw him meet up with her again.

"Let's do this, Kai." He cheered and she laughed at his energy and the surprising spring in his step. Wasn't he tired?
"You first, trooper!" They made it up to the gun emplacements and the Jedi tossed up droid poppers, or EMP grenades as she knew them, and it shorted out the scanners. When that happened, she watched as heavy fire from the tanks took out the guns and lifted the shield generator, toppling the disk along with the spire.

It was a mess of boulders and crashes and thuds, that shook her entire body.

"You now, if someone had told me that battle was this loud," Kai shouted "I would have worn some ear plugs."
Tagg laughed and knocked on the side of his helmet where his ears were. "Why do you think we were issued these?" He talked over the sound of the gunship. "Looks like it's time for you to get one."

When the gunship landed they were able to surround the remaining enemy forces and this part of the battle ended.

She leaned against a rock and watched as the rest of the wounded were loaded on stretchers and the gunships Mundi brought in were heavily loaded with troopers. The generals Obi-wan and Mundi went with their troops, their injuries warranting a well-earned rest.

She unzipped her jacket and slid it off, shaking off the dust and sand. It created quite the impressive cloud and she dropped it onto a rock.

She placed her rifle to the side alone with her backpack and she frowned at the diminished supplies. As she stared at the bag she heard footsteps walk up and she titled her head at the clone.

She grinned a little, recognizing the helmet and he smiled back with a wave.

"Hey Fives..." She replied tiredly. "Where's Echo?"
He gestured behind him. "He's right behind me. You're looking a little pale. You ok?" He asked, and she shrugged before sliding her jacket back on, even though it was hot enough to fry a steak outside.

She had gone out drinking to the clone bar, alone one night, and she met up with two of the 501st best soldiers. She had started training with them and she sincerely enjoyed their company and hadn't expected to become friends, but it had happened anyway.

Fives was witty and smart, and a massive flirt with most of the girls he saw, herself included but he also said he knew she like the captain. How he knew, she had no idea, but he wouldn't accept her denial no matter how straightforward she was.

Echo was just as smart and sarcastic as his brother but his humor was quieter, subtler. You had to watch for it, but often times it was more drastic than his squamate's.

They also made a fantastic team on the mats. They had come from Domino squad, they told her, so they were more than used to fighting side by side, and she could see how close they were.

As she thought back to that night, she remembered getting drunk, just enough to loosen her tongue, and they had talked about a lot that night. Their conversation ranged from her job to why she had joined the GAR in the first place. They talked about their experience as troopers and what it was like for them in a civilian crowd and she remembered feeling angry at the treatment they'd received.

So, due to the conversation that had lasted into the night and subsequent conversations late at night after reports or eating at the mess or standing in the hallway they had become closer.

She enjoyed being around them and they were easy to talk to. She had seen them before the mission had started but had never managed to say hello or see how they were doing and they had gone in a separate gunship.

Such was the way of battles it seemed. She was just surprised at the shock of relief she felt at seeing his face and knowing his brother was alright too.

"I don't know, Fives." She said quietly and shook her head and looked down at her hands. Everyone seemed to be taking a short breather, eating rations and getting hydrated, the Jedi included so she felt fine to talk. "I signed on for this job because I thought I'd just be training you know? I thought I could just work with you guys, fly some missions and I don't know..." She breathed out heavily. "I don't know what I was expecting, what I signed up for. I should have asked, and I should have gotten more details. I just know I didn't sign up for…. this." She gestured to the last gunship taking off, loaded with wounded.

"It reminds me of what happened to my village and it hurts. Everyone was just killed and I couldn't do anything, and now troopers get shot right in front of me, "She gestured with her hands. "And all I can do is fekking watch." She spat out and felt her eyes burn and she frowned up at him.

"There was trooper at the very beginning, telling me it was going to be ok and he was killed before I could say a word in response. We've had to leave troops out there" she gestured with her hand. "and they are going to die, alone." She shook her head.
"I don't know what I signed up for, but it wasn't this." She finished angrily and swiped at her face.

He sat down next to her and fiddled with his helmet. "Why do you stay then?" He asked, and she looked over with a frown. "What?"
"Why do you stay?" He repeated and set his helmet down. "I'm sure you could find a job, somewhere, and avoid the Republic, not get arrested. You're smart. You could leave, and live your own life. But you don't. I think you accepted this because they promised amnesty and all you had to do was fight fort them and teach some shinies how to throw some better punches. So why don't you go?"
Kai felt the sweat drip down her neck but she thought about how to answer.

"Because I don't want to be alone." She said quietly, knowing within a second what her answer was, and she was surprised at how insightful Fives really was. "I don't think I could go back to being alone again." She shook her head.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and didn't realize Echo had joined their conversation. "Well, it's a good thing that you're not alone. You're with us. You're going to make it, Kai. I promise."
She saw Rex walk up as they talked and she immediately in habit looked at Fives and gave him a tiny glare and he smirked back.
"We're moving out, men let's go" Then he paused. "Are you ok, Kai?"
"What in galaxy's name does my face look like, if everyone keeps asking that" Kai wondered to herself.

"She's just struggling with first battle troubles." Fives offered and she tried not to glower as he outed her.
Apparently, Rex understood and he slid his helmet off and stared down at her and extended a hand to help her stand.
She heard Fives made a small sound of approval and she ignored him and took it, her legs protesting for a moment. "You were right Captain, you do lose a lot." She sighed and his eyes narrowed a bit with sympathy and he clenched his jaw and looked back at her.

"It's not always this bad. This was just a massive invasion and those…" He took a deep breath before continuing. "are never easy. They always come with a cost."

She picked up her bag and waved for Fives and Echo to join her and she walked next to Rex and looked up at him.
"And are you alright?" She asked, as she thought about what he said and he shook his head a little and pulled himself out of his thoughts.
"I'll just be glad when this battle is over." He told her with a small smile and his hand brushed hers lightly as they walked.
She felt herself smile a little wider and she brushed his hand back and he looked at her in shock. Was he serious? Surely, he hadn't done such an action on accident.
"What?" She shot back with a tiny smile. "If you want to hold my hand, you know you can just ask."
She heard Fives snicker behind her and Rex glared at him which only made him laugh harder, and she heard Echo trying to quiet him, probably trying to get out of cleaning the refresher for the next rotation.

"You know, I have an idea." Kai offered and Rex inhaled before looking down at her. He looked like a man facing a rabid loth cat and it made her chest lighter.
"Please, do tell." He grit his teeth with some embarrassment and she stepped closer and tapped his chest plate with a burst of newfound confidence, the plastoid solid under her finger.
"Let me take you out for a drink when we get back. It'll be my treat. A date, as the civvies call it" she replied, well aware she was viewed as a civilian herself by the clones. She held her breath as she waited for him to respond. Rayfe had always told her confidence paid off, but that didn't make this any easier, didn't make the moments of silence any easier.

She watched his cheeks redden just a touch and then he gave a nod, and she heard Fives give a gasp like they were in some sort of holo-soap opera.

She turned her head and stuck her tongue out before looking back at Rex. "Really, Captain?"
"I'd love to." He clarified simply and she smiled before removing her hand from his chest plate and walked backwards. He watched her for a moment, his brain a mess of thoughts but then he felt himself give her an unplanned, yet real smile. He slid his helmet on and turned to walk away, feeling her eyes on him.

She watched him go, still in shock that he'd actually said yes. She had no idea, that he felt the same. She had thought he'd say no, that he had too much to do, or that he didn't have the time, but he'd said yes.

She still hated the fact that they had lost so many men, and that this whole campaign wasn't over yet, but talking to Fives and Echo had helped and seeing that her attraction to Rex wasn't just one sided made her heart just a little lighter.

Maybe that was the secret, looking for the small good things in life.