I'm going to be a bit naughty here and play with the timeline a little. Although this story takes place early in the CW I'll be using the design of the phase two armour for reference as I'm not really a fan of the phase one. Also, Kix's look in this one is inspired by a piece of fan art I saw but I'm afraid I can't remember the artist for credit. Think Howzer but with Kix's trademark patterns. I'm basing CFRS on a structure where firefighters and paramedics can dual role similar to the American model. It's not a model that's used here in the UK so I'm not wholly familiar, however it works for where I want this story to go.

Here is chapter 2. I hope you enjoy and as always (constructive) feedback is always appreciated.

Shy

Chapter 2

Introductions

Crew Commander Brighid Leigh couldn't suppress an impressed gasp when she first set eyes on the looming Venator class cruiser through the observation port of the transport. She leant her shoulder against the cool metal and gazed at the approaching behemoth. It was like a space going city and although she was aware of the military fleet, she had only ever seen the craft from a distance. With the GAR having their own fire teams, CFRS had been told that they would not be required to respond to any emergencies on GAR bases or craft and therefore she and her colleagues were not familiar with the giant destroyer.

"Five minutes until docking Ma'am"

She turned her helmeted head away from the window towards the voice. The pilot, an older man with grey streaking his mousy brown hair and kind blue eyes, had turned slightly from the controls to look at her over his shoulder as his co-pilot, a sullustan, busied himself with the landing procedures.

"Thank you"

She pushed herself upright and gave the duffel at her feet a quick shove with her boot to tuck it further beneath the bench she was sitting on. The pilot continued to watch her thoughtfully.

"You volunteer for this?" he asked. She shrugged one shoulder, thankful for the helmet that hid the contemptuous twist of her lips. She had shoved the high viz orange bucket on her head to hide her teary eyes as she'd left Station 04, walking away from her closest friends and colleagues and hadn't taken the thing off since,

"Kind of"

"Well, you have my admiration as well as my respect" he gestured to her uniform, "Which you already had anyway"

Brighid nodded and shifted uncomfortably on her seat, awkward as always with open praise. The sullustan glanced sideways at his colleague and rolled his huge eyes before prodding him to get him to return his attention to docking their craft with the Venator.

"You know where you're going or who to ask for once you're on board?" the pilot asked, spinning back to face forward in his seat.

"No idea where I'm going but I've a few names to ask for" she called up the info on her HUD, "A Captain Rex or a Lieutenant Bliant…failing that, last option is a Marshall Commander Cody"

The pilot gave a low whistle,

"The Marshall Commander eh? That's way up the chain"

"I figured. Think I'd rather deal with the Lieutenant" Brighid said, nerves beginning to coil in her belly as the huge bay doors slid open to admit the tiny transport craft, the co-pilot chattering over his head set to the controllers aboard the cruiser.

"From what I've heard he seems like a good cove, never met him though. That Captain on the other hand, he's a good man, a little intense at times but talented and very well respected"

"He's a clone?"

"Yep. Both of'em are. Not sure about this Bliant though, not heard of him but in an army this size that's not unusual" he flicked a few switches on the control panel as the transport began to drop into the cruiser's flight deck, "When we drop you, just ask one of the guys in white. They'll point you in the right direction"

The transport settled softly on its dampers with a hiss. A few more flicks of switches and pressing of buttons and the pilot turned again,

"You're clear to disembark" he said, watching as she stood and retrieved her bag swinging it up onto her shoulder. She extended a hand, and he took it,

"Thanks for the lift" she patted the sullustan on the shoulder, "Nice flying pal"

The co-pilot gave her a non-committal thumbs up over his shoulder by way of thanks, his attention on his log. The pilot remained more engaging,

"You're welcome and Ma'am?"

Brighid stopped and turned as the ramp dropped behind her,

"Good luck"

She dipped her head, "Thank you"

She turned and made her way down the ramp, coming up short as her boots hit the deck.

"Ask one of the boys in white" she muttered, "Yeah? Which one?"

Before her a veritable sea of white armour spread out across the vast hangar deck, undulating as the wearers moved back and forth about their tasks. Some armour was splashed with flashes of colour, rich royal blue and burnt golden orange amongst the plain standard white and black. Each figure was topped with a helmet similar to her own and as her gaze racked over the moving mass, she began to notice smaller details. Like how they were all the exact same height, almost identical in build and moved with an eerily similar gait. But what struck her most was the noise. The deck was far from silent, the sounds of drives whirring, boots thumping, and other various mechanical tasks echoed around the space but it was the complete lack of the buzz of conversation that struck her as odd. If these men were talking, she couldn't hear a word. So, this was the infamous Clone Army of the Republic? Clones were a rare sight on Coruscant outside of the barracks and she'd only ever met two…the ones that had shown up with that wet wipe of a Second Lieutenant the day she 'volunteered' and even then she didn't know what they looked like behind the t-shaped visors. Her life so far had been filled with colourful and varied characters. Could she really work with a group of men that were carbon copies of each other?

With a sigh muffled by her helmet, she approached the nearest armoured figures with as much confidence as she could muster. Two of the men wore pure white, the third was marked with blue. Their positioning and body language hinted at senior and subordinates. The blue one, with his back to her, was clearly talking, the animated movements of his hands and subtle movements of his head in contrast to his complete silence.

"Excuse me, er…trooper?"

She dumped her bag by her feet and removed her helmet, clipping it to her belt as the blue trooper turned to face her. The two white troopers visibly started at her appearance, snapping straight whilst the blue's visor tilted almost imperceptibly down and back up again. There was a soft click then he spoke,

"Yes ma'am?"

The voice was low in pitch, with a succinct, clipped tone and slight accent that she couldn't quite place distorted slightly by the modulator built into the bucket. She held out her data pad to him which he took in a gauntleted hand,

"I'm Crew Commander Brighid Leigh, CFRS. I've been told to report to a Captain Rex or Lieutenant Bliant. If you could point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it" she said, flashing a quick smile at the two plain armoured men whose heads jerked back upright from where they'd been peering around their blue colleague. After a quick scan, Blue passed her data pad back to her.

"Lieutenant Bliant is currently not on board but the Captain is. If you'll excuse me a moment"

There was another click as he switched to an internal mic. He was silent for a few moments, leaving her to cast her eyes around the deck again, noticing a few more visors turning her way. Her navy blue and high viz orange armour in stark contrast to the mostly white around her. That soft click brought her attention back to blue,

"The Captain is expecting you. If you'd care to follow me Ma'am, I'll take you to him"

At a sharp nod the other two troopers turned and double timed away then he gestured to her bag. She scooped it up, hoisting it onto her shoulder again,

"Got it, thanks" she said, falling into step slightly behind him as he moved with long, ground eating strides that forced her to hurry to keep up with him, her shorter stride unable to match his.

###

Rex stood in the Ops rooms, scanning the plans on the holotable before him. He'd been staring at them so long that his eyes were beginning to itch, information rattling around his brain and slotting into place in perfect order.

"What d'you reckon Cap?"

He glanced at Hez then rubbed his eyes,

"It'll work if we can keep out of here" he gestured at an area on the map where a natural embankment ran parallel to a reinforced wall forming a natural bottle neck where troops would be too easily pinned down, "It's the more direct route to the objective but this way…" he drew his gloved fingers through the hologram, "Is safer. I just have to run it by the General first"

Hez smiled,

"So he can change the entire plan halfway through the Op again?"

Rex shot the Sergeant a halfhearted glare, a hint of a knowing smile curling the corner of his lips, but he didn't disagree nor admonish his squad leader. Skywalker was young and still finding his feet as a commander and as such had a tendency to be reckless on occasion. Rex had been chosen as his 'wingman' as a good balancing act to the young Jedi. At times the two men could be very similar, both brilliant, intelligent and brave but at other times they were parsecs apart. Rex's comm chirped.

"Rex here"

"Sir, I have a Crew Commander from CFRS here, says she's been told to report to you or Bliant. Paperwork says she's a med volunteer"

Rex's head tilted as he wracked his brain. Med volunteer? A personnel record flashed to the front of his mind attached to a report from Hale…ah, that Med volunteer. For some reason the female bit had failed to register though. He'd obviously filed the whole thing away under 'thing's I can deal with later but aren't really that important right now'. He'd yet to have time to filter through that particular mental filing cabinet.

"She?"

"Yes Sir. A human female. Brighid Leigh"

Rex glared at the holotable, holding his wrist comm just under his chin. The Resolute and its army contingent was due to move out this evening. The ship was alive with activity and with Cody tied up in a bureaucratic briefing that could go on for the rest of the day and Skywalker yet to make an appearance, Rex had a prep list as long as his arm that he had to get through before the ship's drives were kicked out of idle. He didn't have time to orientate a newbie.

'And now I've got a quarters issue to sort too' he thought, pursing his lips slightly. Couldn't have a non-clone female bunking (and washing) with the boys…add that one to the list Rex ol'boy.

"Take her to Bliant, I'll introduce myself later"

It was improper of him. This woman had been assigned to the five-oh-first and he should be the one to meet her and induct her into the unit, but he just didn't have time. Cody often remined him that one of the privileges of rank was the ability to delegate. Time to use that privilege.

"Sorry Sir but Bliant is off ship on a supply run"

Rex sighed and ran his palm over his shaven blonde hair,

"Fine. Bring her up to me"

"Yes Sir"

He quickly pulled up Leigh's file and scanned over Hale's report again. Although a 'Commander' the female fire officer was classed as a junior officer within the Fire and Rescue rank system and during her time with the GAR she would be designated a Corporal. In her late twenties she had joined the Service young and had gained a lot of experience in a relatively short amount of time both on Coruscant and as part of an intergalactic rescue and relief unit. Her record was practically flawless with a commendation for bravery, an award for exceptional performance and an obvious talent for her job. There was one black mark, an accident investigation in which she had been cleared of any misconduct. He studied the holographic face looking back at him and 'hmm'd gently in the back of his throat. Hez and a couple of other squad leaders were watching him with interest, the rest of the personnel in the Ops room going about their business with their usual efficiency.

"New Medic Sir? I didn't realise we were taking volunteers"

"She'll be shipboard or FAP only Hez. None combatant and it's a temporary fix until we can get more of our own Medics trained up"

The Sergeant was also studying the file. He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped one finger against his chin.

"Fire and Rescue eh? She might be useful, that useless bunch of droids that we have is a sorry excuse for a ship fire team"

Hez was right. It was another corner that had been cut to get the ships into service as fast as possible, the argument being that the cruiser's automatic detection and suppression systems should be more than adequate to deal with any fires that should break out on board. So far, they hadn't had to test that theory.

"We could dual role her but let's let her get settled in first Hez"

He flicked the record off the display just as the door hissed open behind him. Denal strode in, a familiar female at his heels and Rex saw her eyes quickly sweep the room then widen slightly when they settled on him as he turned to face her. He slid into parade rest and took her in in one quick glance. The top of her head just reached Denal's shoulder, that head topped by dark red hair that was shaved short underneath but longer on top and fell to the right of her face in loose curls that ended just passed her ear, each of which sported a number of piercings, the small sliver rings catching the light from the holotable. Her face was angular with high pronounced cheek bones and a strong jaw, compact, slightly upturned nose and big, bright, almond shaped dark green eyes. He wouldn't describe her as a delicate beauty, but she wasn't unattractive. More handsome than pretty. That lack of delicacy continued to her body, not stocky but certainly well built, with an air of athleticism that leaned towards strength over speed. The navy blue and orange armour she wore, the edges and strategic markings picked out in reflective silver accentuated that look of strength, the harsh angles hardening the softness of the female body beneath. Two sliver stripes marked each shoulder bell, the markings mirrored on the helmet clipped to her belt. She dropped her bag at her booted feet and held herself with an air of pride and confidence. But Rex, having learned long ago to read the small expressions in a sea of near identical faces, could see the nervousness behind her eyes.

"Thank you Denal, I'll take it from here"

Denal snapped to attention with a sharp clack of plates that almost made the red headed woman jump. She halted the trooper with a gesture that stopped just short of touch as he turned to move past her,

"Thanks for the escort, Denal"

Denal nodded with a clipped, "Ma'am" and strode out of the door. Rex took a few steps forward trying to keep his expression and demeanor a little softer than usual.

"I'm Captain Rex, second in Command of the five hundred and first. Welcome aboard The Resolute"

"Thank you, Captain. Crew Commander Brighid Leigh or Briggs if you like" she gave him an openly appraising look, edged with a slight but understandable wariness, "So do I have to salute you, or will a handshake suffice?"

Rex raised one eyebrow fractionally then held out his hand. She took it and his gloved hand enveloped hers, her grip firm but not overbearing as if she had to prove a point and she looked him straight in the eye. That in itself was unusual outside of other clones and Jedi. Her eyes moved a little to the side then focused on something behind him and he felt her fingers tighten slightly. She'd spotted Hez and the other helmetless squad leaders waiting patiently and silently behind him, and it dawned on him then that she might be seeing the faces of clones for the first time, or at least a group of them together. He dropped her hand and that brought her attention back to him.

"Some of my Squad Leaders, but there'll be time for introductions later. For now, I'll take you down to the Med Bay"

Before she could react, he picked up her bag,

"Hez, go back over the plans until everyone is happy then you're all dismissed" he said, heading for the door and gesturing for Brighid to step in front of him.

"Yes Sir…welcome aboard Ma'am" Hez called after them. Brighid smiled over her shoulder as Rex guided her out of the door.

Once out in the corridor Rex turned right and fell into step beside her. Brighid noticed that, unlike Denal before him, Rex measured his step so that she could easily keep pace with him. Now out in the brighter light of the corridor she observed him out of the corner of her eye. Tall, broad shouldered, trim waisted and long legged the clone Captain moved with a grace like that of a predatory cat. He gave the impression of a coiled spring, that gracefulness given a slightly hard edge by his military demeanor. He walked with his head held high, shoulders squared and spine ram rod straight, the kama hanging low on his hips accentuating his confident swagger. Now she could see he had shaven blonde hair, an angular face with a strong brow and jaw, a regal aquiline nose and honey amber eyes that looked far older than the young face they were set in. The hand that wasn't carrying her bag rested on his belt in the curve of his lower back thumb running over the pads oh his gloved fingers.

"How much have you been told about your role with us?" he asked, nodding a quick acknowledgement to a salute that was thrown his way by a passing trooper.

"Not much" she admitted, dragging her eyes away from the Captain to take in her surroundings, scanning the details of the corridor and the faces of the passing personnel.

"While you're here you'll hold the rank of Corporal as an acknowledgement to your civilian rank. You'll work with our Med team but as a noncombatant, predominantly here on board ship or in Surgical Units planet side. At a push you may be put in a Forward Aid post but ideally, you'll be kept away from the front line. You'll be expected to work to our timetable and in the first instance you'll be answerable to Lieutenant Bliant or in his absence Sergeant Coric, but ultimately the buck stops with me. The Medics are a close and cohesive unit, its up to you how much you want to integrate but do anything to disrupt that and we'll have a problem. I advise you address clones by their name, not their number and anyone of a senior rank to you as their rank or Sir" he glanced down at her, making sure to tilt his head so that he wasn't looking down his nose, "Make sense so far?"

He could see the question in her expression but she didn't voice it.

"Yes Sir"

Quick learner. Good.

"Our General isn't aboard at the moment, but I'll arrange the introductions when he arrives"

"A Jedi?"

"Yes, Anakin Skywalker"

Brighid nodded, "I've heard the name"

Rex had expected more than the noncommittal acknowledgement of his General's name. Most people he'd come across so far reacted with a degree of awe and wonder but not this woman. Heroic reputations obviously didn't impress her.

"We work closely with the two hundred and twelfth so make yourself familiar with their Medics and Officers. Same goes if we cross paths with any other units. Once you get settled we'll get you measured for uniform and some armour just incase" he reached out and tapped her shoulder bell, "I'm assuming this isn't combat rated?"

"It'll withstand high temperatures, blast concussion waves and falling debris but I doubt it'll stop a blaster bolt. Its for fighting fires, not wars"

"Noted, it'll do until we can get you some GAR clobber"

They reached a lift and he gestured for her to step in before him. Brighid's lips curled at the show of good old-fashioned manners.

"You'll soon pick up on how things work, and the boys will keep you right. If we go to battle stations, stick close to one of them and follow their directives. Any questions about anything, just ask. I'm afraid there hasn't been any quarters assigned to you yet, but I'll sort that before lights out"

She looked up at him,

"Won't I just be bunking with the men? Surely my rank doesn't require private quarters?"

Rex's eyebrows raised. It wasn't her rank he was thinking about.

"Would you be comfortable with that?"

"I'm happy with it as long as the men are. I'm used to sleeping in a mixed dorm, although a separate fresher would be preferable"

"Of course, I'll see what I can do"

They stepped out into another corridor, similar to the last but not as busy. They walked in silence for a moment, Rex watching the red-haired firefighter in his peripheral vision. Her face was set in a thoughtful expression, brows pinched slightly together. Her green eyes were distracted and although she tried to walk with an air of ease, he could see the tension across her shoulders. Rex knew that 'volunteer' was a very loose term for what had happened to her and whilst essentially, she hadn't been conscripted, her hand had been forced. He felt for her. Plucked from the life she had crafted so perfectly for herself to be dumped with a bunch of identical soldiers and thrust into a war that so far, as far as he could tell, had only affected her as far as the HNE news broadcasts. This was her lot now, like them she had no choice, but he needed to make sure that she wasn't going to be dead weight. Front line or not, they couldn't afford to carry her or for her to get in the way. There was no point in trying to reassure her, she was intelligent enough to know it was a well-meaning but empty gesture.

"Bliant will want to assess you when he arrives"

"That's fine"

"And there'll be some training you'll have to do, introduction to our gear etc"

"Expected"

"Corporal?" Rex stopped walking and Brighid pulled up beside him, belatedly registering what he'd said,

"Briggs please…Sir"

"Briggs…there's a lot of pressure put on the Medics. The sheer numbers of casualties during conflict can be overwhelming and you may have to make decisions or be witness to ones that you don't like"

She looked up at him and gave him a small, wry smile.

"I know what it takes to make a difficult decision Captain. I've made them plenty of times before. I may never been in active conflict, but I've dropped into relief efforts. I've run mass casualty incidents. I've had to decide who takes priority in a rescue and sometimes that decision has cost a person their life. I've had to deploy my men and women into situations that I've been unsure if they'll survive but the benefit matches the risk, and I've been scared shitless in similar situations myself. I may not be a soldier, but please don't think that there aren't similarities between our experiences. People are a precious commodity; it hurts when you lose one"

"It's different with clones"

She frowned, "I don't see how"

Something akin to pity flashed across the Captain's eyes but he didn't say anything, instead he gestured to the door beside him.

"We're here"

The door slid open revealing a bright and sterile medical bay similar to any hospital ward. Beds, all vacant at present, separated by privacy screens lined the walls with doors leading off to private examination rooms, the bacta chamber, surgical suite and Chief Medical Officer's office. It smelled of disinfectant, bacta and…coffee? In the center of the ward was a Medic's station and draped in various positions around and on it were five clones. Three of them were dressed in crisp white medic uniforms whilst two were in black fatigues, the tops of which were long sleeved and skintight, the sleeves hooked over their thumbs, a GAR roundel in the center of their chests and each was nursing a steaming cup in their hands. As one they snapped to attention, eyes going first to Rex then straying to the newcomer with thinly veiled interest. Brighid faltered slightly as she took them in, each practically a mirror image of the next. They were darker than Rex, with black hair and deeper coloured eyes, their skin a slightly darker, richer tone. Apart from a couple of variations on haircuts they were identical and despite this being the second lot of helmetless clones she had encountered, it was still rather disconcerting. But one stood out slightly. Dressed in black fatigues, he'd been leaning comfortably against the high station desk, elbows perched on the spotless surface and a wide grin on his face as he listened intently to something one of the others had been saying. His black hair, like hers, was longer on top, teased into non regulation messy tufts and shaved underneath, a pattern of lines and lighting bolts cut into the shorter hair, but it wasn't his ostentatious hair cut that drew her attention. It was his eyes. Like Rex they were slightly lighter, a rich amber that shone with kindness and danced with good humour despite the serious expression that had fallen across his face at the appearance of his Captain.

"At ease men. Coric?"

One of the clones in white stepped forward,

"Sir?"

"This is Corporal Brighid Leigh, the volunteer assigned to this unit. Make the introductions, give her the guided tour and carry out induction training" he put Briggs's bag down by her feet, "Once her bunk is sorted escort her there. Assign a mentor if you feel it's needed"

Coric nodded, "Yes Sir"

Rex turned to her, "My apologies for not doing all of this myself but I have to get the unit ready before we move out this evening. My Medics will look after you"

"Thank you, Sir"

With that he turned on his heel and with a flap of kama was gone.

The clones and firefighter stood and stared at each other for a moment, then Brighid smiled and stepped forward, one hand behind her back, the other proffered to the Sergeant.

"Sergeant Coric, right?"

"That's correct Ma'am" he said, briefly glancing at her hand like it might bite then getting a hold of himself and taking it in a firm grip. He stepped to the side and gestured to the men behind him.

"This is Jayr, Heka, Faust and Kix" he said, and she stepped forward to shake each man's hand in turn. Jayr and Heka were formally polite, and Faust gave her a twisted smile that whilst not unkind didn't feel wholly genuine and his dark eyes glittered.

'Watch that one Briggsy'

Kix's smile was genuine. It was gentle and subdued but meaningful and up close she could see the green flecks in his amber eyes.

"Ma'am" he said softly.

"Please, call me Brighid or Briggs. It's not that I'm not used to formalities, I'm just not keen" she said, stepping back to take them all in again. In Rex's absence they had resumed their previous positions. Still not feeling entirely comfortable she placed her hands behind her back and took a deep breath,

"So, where do we start Sergeant?"

Coric had tilted his head slightly to one side, watching her with an assessing gaze. His eyes moved slowly over her, top to toe then back again before settling on her eyes. She returned his gaze, holding it steady…

An alarm blared just before the door slid open and two armoured clones burst in pushing a third on a gurney. Coric and the others burst into action leaving Brighid standing wide eyed by the Medic station.

"Sit rep?" Coric barked. The clone on the gurney was grey, writhing in pain, eyes glassy as he clutched his left arm protectively across his torso. Unlike his armoured counterparts he was dressed in a dark grey jumpsuit, an open-faced helmet with clear visor at his booted feet.

"Unwitnessed collapse. Found on the flight deck. Presenting with shock, left sided pain centralized in the arm and nausea. Obs are elevated"

"Injuries?"

One of the armoured clones wrenched his helmet off and laid it aside, "Not that I've found yet" he said as Jayr, Heka and Faust slid the unwell man from the gurney to the bed. Kix was preparing the monitors and tossing instruments and hypodermics into a tray. Coric put an oxygen mask over the patient's face then reached for his left arm. As soon as he touched it the other clone nearly leapt off the bed, crying out in pain as he wrenched his arm away.

"Steady Axel, u'dessii brother. Tell me what happened"

Axel just groaned and rolled his eyes. The fingers of his left hand looked swollen, the nail beds turning blue, and the cuff of his jumpsuit look too tight. Brighid moved to stand at the foot of the bed, listening and watching whilst being careful not to get in the way.

"Any ideas?" Kix asked her as he strode by, grabbing a bag of IV fluid and presenting it to her to check the date.

"What does he do?" she asked, nodding at the correct date.

"Mechanic"

"I have a few"

"Go on then" he said, inclining his head with a small smile. Briggs took a few unsure steps forward and imposed herself at the side of the bed.

"May I?"

The armoured clone turned sharply to her, his face a mask of displeasure at the interruption, mouth forming a snappish retort. Then recognition settled across his features, and he calmed and took a step back,

"Go ahead"

"I need to see this my friend, hold still now" she said in her most soothing tones. Axel flinched away from her, but his eyes came around, searching out the owner of the unfamiliar voice. She smiled at him,

"I'm Briggs and I need to look at that arm of yours" she flicked her eyes up to Jayr standing opposite her, "Can we get some analgesics into him and a light anesthetic please"

She gently pulled Axel's arm towards her, holding his sleeve as opposed to the limb. Axel complained but didn't pull away. There was a stain on his sleeve that darkened the grey material and she leant down to sniff it. She recognized the acrid smell. Reaching into her belt she removed a set of trauma sheers and took them to his sleeve, slicing the material open from wrist to shoulder. The skin of Axel's arm looked flushed and stretched and as the painkillers took effect she examined the limb closely, gently running her fingers over his skin. She found what she was looking for on the heel of his hand.

"There" she said, straightening up and pointing to the tiny red pin prink in the skin, "You work with hydraulics Axel?"

"Ys'm" the mechanic murmured, eye lids fluttering as the drugs in his system began to take hold.

"Hydraulic injection injury. The limb is starting to compartmentalize. The pressure needs relieving and the wound debriding or he'll lose his hand. IV anti-tox and flush"

She pulled off her gloves and replaced them with a synth skin pair from the trolley beside her, tightened a tourniquet around Axel's bicep then fished a scalpel from the tray.

"Up his anesthetic and stand by with saline and swabs"

Absorbed in her task, she didn't notice the looks exchanged between the clone Medics around her. Her tone had become more authoritative, issuing directives succinctly but quietly. This wasn't the place to bark orders. She looked up at Jayr who was monitoring Axel's obs and at his nod, she pressed the scalpel to the mechanic's skin. Axel whimpered but didn't move as she drew the blade through his swollen flesh. Kix appeared beside her with the requested items and began to flush the wound as she cut Axel's arm from elbow to fingertips, a viscous, yellowish fluid dripping from the damaged tissue mingling with dark, congealed blood. An acrid smell rose from the wound, tainted with the sour stench of tissue beginning to die. When she had cut back enough flesh to expose muscle and tendon, she motioned for Kix to place a tray of the floor and draped Axel's arm over the side of the bed, allowing gravity to help the wound drain. Even when she loosened the torniquet there was surprisingly little blood, the flow cut off by the swollen tissues.

"That's as far as my skills go, I'm afraid. He'll need surgery asap to debride any damaged tissue before it goes necrotic but until then it needs to drain and flush through. Once it starts to bleed, tighten the torniquet a bit" she said, stepping back and peeling off her gloves before dumping them in the med waste bin, "I'm sure between that and a quick stint in one of your tanks he'll both survive and keep full use of his hand"

The armoured clone that had removed his helmet was learning against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, watching her. He was what she had quickly come to think of as the standard clone model, black hair cut high and tight with the beginnings of a flash of grey at each temple and a scar that marred one dark brow. He looked a little older than the others and his eyes held experience in their deep amber depths. He pushed himself upright and wandered over, examining her handy work before exchanging a glance with Coric over the bed. The Sergeant's eyebrows twitched up but he remined silent.

"Impressive Corporal" the armoured one said, turning to her. It was then she noticed the Medics insignia on his shoulder and the pattern on his armour looked somewhat familiar, "Nice quick diagnosis and correct and adequate intervention. Neat work, tidy procedure…well done"

Briggs pulled her navy, uniform gloves from her belt and pulled them back on, eyeing the clone carefully,

"Thank you, but I wasn't aware I was being assessed"

The clone smiled, "It wasn't planned but a good opportunity non the less and I'm please to say that that performance was more than adequate. I'm Lieutenant Bliant, welcome to the Republic Medical Corps, five-oh-first contingent"

"You were at the station with that snotty RO" Briggs said, taking the proffered hand. Bliant gave her an apologetic look,

"I was" he confirmed, scooping up his helmet and tucking it under his arm, "I'm happy to say you shouldn't be meeting him again"

Briggs feigned disappointment, "Aw that's a shame"

Faust snorted whilst the others smiled. Bliant cocked a brow, a smile curling his lips.

"Faust, comm the surgical team and get Axel prepped. Heka, flush a tank through incase it's needed and Jayr, make a start on the paperwork. Briggs here can complete it and sign it off but for now…" he said turning her with a hand on the small of her back,

"How about a nice cup of caff?"

Briggs grinned, catching Kix's wink as the Lieutenant guided her past,

"Thought you'd never ask Sir"