(CW: Fighting, injuries (I don't think anything too horribly serious) And thank you to all the kind dears who gave suggestions. I appreciate y'all! Some of the suggestions will be in the next chronological chapter.)

(Current Day)

Their orders were to attack the factory in less than an hour.

Kai was standing near a tank when a trooper close to her swayed on his feet and held his head.

She put her pack down and walked closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, his shoulder plate dusty.

"Trooper, are you alright? What's wrong?" She asked, feeling very concerned at his sluggish movements.

"Ss-okay" He mumbled and when he swayed again, she grabbed him by the waist and pulled his arm over her shoulder.

"Easy, soldier. Let's get you over here." She walked him to a boulder, his legs trembling slightly and once he was down, she called out to Ray who was standing close by. "Hey I need a medpac. Something's wrong with him."

Ray brought the pack over with him and slid off the soldier's helmet which caused him to hiss as light hit his eyes.
"K-kriff..too bright." He closed his eyes and groaned and Kai immediately cradled his head to her shoulder, so he didn't have to hold it up himself.

"Hush. It's alright, we're going to take care of you." She said softly and was surprised at the amount of care and affection she felt for this soldier. When had this happened? This was just a job. She wasn't supposed to feel this way about the people she was working for. But over time, training with them, spending time with them, hearing them joke in the dark when they couldn't sleep, made her feel oddly close.
Ray fished out bacta spray and a scanner and ran it over the soldier's head with a practiced movement. "You got a real good hit on the head, Risk."
She heard commotion, probably the sounds of soldiers getting ready to move out, but she focused on this trooper. "Where's the rest of his company? Were they hit as well?"
Ray slid off his own helmet, his amber eyes full of thought. "You're right. We need to check them. They'll try and play it off, but if they go into combat it will not only jeopardize their fighting ability, but the company's mission. Can't believe I didn't think to check the whole squad. Nice catch." He tapped some things into his comm link, and he got up and jogged over to Anakin and explained what was happening.

Skywalker seemed to agree with whatever Ray was saying, and they were able to single out the rest of the soldiers in Risk's squadron.

Ray walked back over to her with the men and looked at her intently. "I need you to stay here with them. I'll take over the medical care for the rest of the company. Can you handle that? There's a slight chance the bugs will come back, and you'll need to be prepared for that." Ray explained, and the General came up behind him with a kind look on his face.

"Thank you." He told her honestly and it made her pause and stare up at him. He thanked her. A Jedi and a General in this army. "Ray said without your quick insight we wouldn't have been able to catch this in time, and a lot of men would have died. Their concussions were taking time to settle in. Thank you, again."

Kai nodded and grabbed out an extra magazine and slid it into her blaster. "I'll protect them, Jedi. I promise. I'll do everything I can."
Ray came over and put a hand on her shoulder before he walked away. "They'd usually ask for your skills, but as of right now, we have both Jedi, and enough to give the front of the factory a fight. You just keep them safe."
Kai nodded as he said that and she turned to look at fifteen other men who were in various degrees of pain and nausea.

Once Ray and the rest of the company started to head out, she put herself on the outer edge of their group and checked over all of them from where she sat. They were there for about an hour, maybe more when one of them finally spoke.

One of the clones named Mark leaned over to her a little, holding his head in his hands, but his helmet stayed on. Apparently, it was darker that way. "You really made us…miss out on the action, didn't you?" He said, with no real heat in his voice and she rolled her eyes and fixed her jacket cuffs.

"Listen here, if I didn't, you all would have been hurt badly or even killed. You still want to hit up 79ers when we get back right?" She teased him and a couple others gave small laughs.

"I don't know about you boys, but just thinking of the noise and lights is making me want to throw up." Risk complained and a couple others gave a tired half salute.

Kai smiled as she stood up and scanned the surrounding area. After the battle that had just occurred her nerves still felt like they were on edge, warm feeling in her chest aside. She knew that had to do with the impending date with Rex, but she had other things to focus on. Things like keeping them all alive.

She scanned the tops of the ridges, her eyes picking out a couple puffs of dust off to the west about a half a click. She holds her hand out behind her to the trooper closest. "Let me see your binocs." She felt the heft of them as they were placed in her hand and she lifted them to scan the ridgeline. Still just dust…so why was the hair on the back of her neck standing up?

She heard a tired but determined voice behind her. "What do you see?" She heard the sound of all of their blasters being readied and she knew they were just as ready as she was.

"I'm not sure yet. It's just too quiet for me to be comfortable." She scanned the line one more time and lowered the blaster and took a step back.

Just in time.

A green blaster shot hit the ground in front of her, throwing up sand and dust and she yelled and scrambled backwards, reaching for her pistol, as she saw the other clones take a knee and scan the area.
"Where are they?" One of them yelled and she squinted and looked at the surrounding area, and she saw a cloud from the west grow bigger as several Geonosians flew and two others sped at full speed on speeder bikes.
"Take out the bikes!" One of the clones yelled and she aimed for one of the weaving targets and pulled the trigger, the shot hitting home. Of course, it did, Ozan had taught her nothing less. The second bug was taken care of on the speeder, which left about a dozen Geonosians hoping to get easy kills on a group of wounded soldiers.
But they were bred to be the best, and that much was evident even if they were concussed, some severely. She backed up to block the two of them from fire, so they could fight from behind.
They were not dying. Not on her watch. Enough had died today and she wasn't taking any more losses.

And they seemed to want to live as well. But they weren't completely invincible. A trooper went down, shot in the leg, right in front of her and she moved to the front of him.

She fired over and over again, and suddenly she found herself on the ground. She spit out dust and sand and blinked as pain erupted in her leg.

Kriff, she'd been shot. She growled angrily and pointed her pistol at the few remaining Geonosians and fired off a few shots and the rest fell to the ground under the group's onslaught.

A clone came up behind, one of the newer ones and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright? Where were you hit?"
She gestured vaguely to her leg, even if it was throbbing and she gave a smile. "It's alright. I'll fix it up really quick, and we'll be on our way. Any updates?"
One of the clones looked at his comm and nodded. "The factory has been destroyed and they're trying to extract the padawans."
So that was why the ground had seemed to shake during the firefight. She knew it wasn't just due to laser fire, but she had been too busy to register it. Leave it to the Jedi and the rest of her 501st to blow the building sky high.

"Lovely. Tell them to pick us up soon. It's too hot and I need a shower." She complained as she pulled out a bacta patch and some cloth.

He gave a dry chuckle, but typed something and she finished up with her leg, the wound stinging as she placed the patch on.

She slid over to another trooper and got to work on his leg plate, and she raised a brow as she saw the plastoid in a bit of a melted state around the entry wound. She hadn't seen this before really. Was it the distance from the lasers being fired from?

She unclipped the plate and went to lift it when he cried out and his hand gripped her wrist. "Don't, it's stuck! It's gotta wait until we're back on the ship. They can take it off there." He explained frantically and she nodded and placed and clipped the leg plate back on.
"Alright, alright. It's back on." She reassured him. "I didn't know it melted like that. Is it just due to proximity?" She asked, almost at the same time she remembered that they all had concussions. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer!" She said quickly and one waved his hand tiredly from where he was. "S'okay. Closer range usually melts the armor. Gotta leave it on until bacta."

She placed her gun back into its holster and looked around at her small group. She checked her chrono and sighed and waited.

They had to be done soon. These men needed to be back on the ship, in the med bay healing, not out in scorching heat. The light was dimmer due to the sunset so she supposed she had that to be grateful for. Her leg throbbed quietly as she checked around them all. When were they going to be done?

It was almost as though Anakin heard her, because a few moments later she got a call from him. She answered and his face popped into view. "Our part of the battle's over. We're sending a gunship your way."
Kai breathed out in relief and nodded, her throat dry as she spoke. "Thanks...We need it."
He tilted his head and his eyebrows furrowed. "What happened? Are you all alright?"
She shrugged. "Just a group of bugs circled back around for a second round while we were stopped here." She explained.
He shook his head, but didn't seem surprised. "Any causalities?" She shook her head and smiled.

"No, surprisingly not, but I don't think we can take another hit like that. Some of the men are getting worse."
He nodded and spoke to someone out of his view. "Expect the gunship in less than ten minutes." He instructed and when she nodded, he hung up and she walked over to her bag, limping as the wound zinged. She zipped it up and slid her rifle comfortably onto her back and slid the bag on as well over it.

True to his word, they heard a gunship approach and when the doors opened, two medics jumped out and began to help men onto the ship, the more severely wounded being put onto stretchers.

The doors closed once they were all in and Kai leaned against the door while holding onto a strap in relief. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes, the act making them burn.

Maker, she was so tired. She felt like she could shower for a week and sleep for two. But she was sure there was something they'd all have to do when they got back.

She adjusted the patch on her leg and when they entered the ships hanger, she peeled her eyes open and stepped out, the wounded being taken to the infirmary, splitting around her slow walking form like a river.

She walked down the hall and into the bunk room, so familiar yet still so foreign and heaved a heavy sigh as she put her bag down. She leaned against her bed, sitting on the mattress and raised her head when a few men came in. Not a lot of them were back yet, and she wondered where they all were.

She also wondered how Jesse, and Hardcase and Fives were all doing. She really wanted to shower, but for some reason, she really wanted to make sure they were doing ok.

She stood up with a long groan and made her way to the door and walked down to the hall, and made it to the mess hall and immediately scanned the area for her familiar faces. She finally found them and walked over, but they seemed more somber than usual. It probably had to do with the the battle. They were tired, just like her.
She sat and Fives gave her a smile and a warm side hug. "Hi guys. What's going on?" She asked and Jesse sighed and slid a pad over. "We just got the casualty list in and well, it's never easy to read."
Casualties, Right.

It had been a battle, and she knew that men had died. She really didn't want to look at that list, but she knew she had to. She had to know.

Whose face was she not going to see when she went to bed tonight?

She brought the screen closer and stared at it, holding her breath as she scanned down, recognizing a few numbers and the names that were added in as notes.

Charr. He hadn't made it. His wound must have been too serious and made him a target. She wished she could have protected him, maybe.

Wave. Heavy artillery. How had he not survived? He told her he was going to live as long as he could and the sheer force of will that man carried always shocked her. But maybe his time was shorter than they both had thought.

Tagg. No…not Tagg. By now she wasn't registering the looks of concern or the tears going down her cheeks. She remembered how energetic he had been when she'd met him, as he'd sprinted towards the factory, made sure she was doing ok. She remembered complaining about the helmets and his laugh when he responded. And now he was dead.

One name in particular made her breath hitch and she failed to hold in the rest of her tears as she placed the pad down with a bit more force than normal. Shiner, Ash's best friend.
She had to find Ash, wherever he was, see how he was doing. He couldn't be doing well.

She wiped her face and stood, her face hard. "I…have to go find someone. Thank you. I'll be around in a little bit." She looked at them all and Fives nodded to her with understanding.
"We'll see you around." He reassured her and she walked out of the mess hall, her jacket tight around her.

Charr. Tagg. Wave. Their names echoed with her footsteps as she pressed on the comm and Kix's tired voice came through. "Kai?"
"Is Ash there?" She asked, and she waited a moment for his response.

"Yeah, someone will show you to his bunk. Is that all?" He asked, and she knew he was rushed.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm coming in." She told him and he responded with a quick "Alright" and hung up. She knew he was busy so she didn't take the short answer personally and she made her way inside the med bay.

After asking a few medical personnel she was directed to where Ash lay. His leg was to be wrapped in bacta and bandages for the next couple of days. She stepped up next to him and he turned his head and saw her.

Oh, and when he did, his soft eyes began to shine with tears and his lip trembled. "Kai." He said quietly and she sat down next to him and she held onto his hand with both of hers.
"I read the list. Ash, I'm so…-" To say sorry felt so surface, so inadequate, but she couldn't help it. She really didn't know what else to say. "I'm so sorry."
He looked up at the ceiling and tears flowed down his cheek and into his hairline as he stared up. "He…he got shot right in front of me. Three shots to the chest. And we were on the run, I couldn't even stop to help him." His chest heaved with a sob and she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. It was another trooper, from what battalion she had no idea, but he had a look of sympathy, a look of knowing.

She looked around and found a table with some soft gauze pads on it and she grabbed one and sat back down, gently drying the tears off of his face, blinking back her own.

Why was she crying? She'd only met them a few months ago. Surely it couldn't be that intense of a connection already. There was no way. She was just a bounty hunter, who lived day to day. Sure, she was kinder than most, came from a good family but these men were just…soldiers, right?

But they weren't. Why did it take a battle and losses for that really to sink in? It had hit her a little bit on the battlefield, seeing how senseless and quick the deaths were, the fact that most bodies couldn't be retrieved, whole transports going down in flames.

But why did it have to hit her so hard here, in the medbay, surrounded by the wounded, her hand in Ash's, her friend?

He shook his head. "I don't want to do this without him. He was the last from my squad. I feel so alone now." He whispered. Kai knew something of that, of feeling alone.

She smiled down at him the best she could and smoothed a thumb over his knuckles. "I know that feeling. I lost my mom when I was eleven and the man I call my father is now in the Coruscant Prison. Sad thing is, I don't know that me working for the GAR is a good enough reason to get him out. And…." She couldn't think about this now, but the thought came uninvited, seeing those sightless eyes staring up at her. "I lost the man I loved to something I couldn't stop almost a year ago. He was shot and there wasn't anything I could do, but leave because I knew he didn't want me to die. And I felt alone," She felt a tear slide down her cheek and she brushed did away. Ash watched her carefully, his amber eyes still shining, but clearer, more intent. "until I came here. Until I met all of you. It's crazy and it's hectic, and I despise the loss of lives you all have endure. But you're not alone Ash, and you never will be. Even if you had no one left in the entire army, you'd still have me. I'll still be your friend, and I'll still be here for you, ok?" She asked and she saw him nod, and that made her feel a little better. "Promise me you'll remember that." She urged and he nodded his head his head more fervently as he blinked heavily.

"I-I will. I promise. Thanks, Kai. You know, what the republic officers say about people like you, is wrong." He frowned and she laughed a little at his stern face.

"Oh, I know exactly what they say about my kind of people, and unfortunately they're not always wrong. But I try to be different. You can tell them that." She patted his hand and laid it back down. "Now, why don't you try to get some sleep, alright? You've been through a lot. You and I and the rest of this battalion will help each other through this."
He laid his head back completely and sighed heavily but leaned into her hand when she brushed her hand over his head. "Alright. I'll see you later." He said quietly and she smiled and got up and walked out, her feet heavy but she got on her comm as she remembered something. She bit her lip for a moment as she contemplated what to say.

~I could use the drink tonight if you're free.~

Her comm pinged back a couple minutes later, just as she was making it to her bunk and she sat down heavily, the muscles in her thigh quivering. She supposed it was time to fish out her personal bacta collection and actually treat her wound.

~If you give me another hour and a half, I can be ready. Do I meet you at your door?~

Wait, he was asking her that? That was such an oddly phrased question. Why was he asking her that? Then it struck her. This was a completely different situation that it had been with anyone else, that particular anyone else being Rayfe. He had known what to do, and he'd told her that he'd dated before, that he'd gone out with other women

But it hit her that the captain didn't have that experience. All he knew was war and being a soldier. She laughed dryly to herself as she realized this. They probably didn't give their military much time to date and meet other people.

So of course, he didn't know if he was supposed to pick her up tonight. She tapped back a message with a smile and set her comm next to her and grabbed the towel she had stowed under her bunk. The freshers were empty right now and she took some comfy lounge clothes with her to change into. Time to clean off the evidence of the battle and keep moving forward.

~Sounds good to me. I can't wait.~