They looked across the corridor at each other, their view obstructed by laser bolts being fired from the super droids. Echo and Dagger took turns laying down cover fire. If they didn't come up with a plan soon they would be out of options and dead. The droids were getting closer and closer. They couldn't retreat back down the hallway without leaving their cover, surely they would be shredded by blaster fire.

"Dagger I have an idea. This base has a lot of tunnels in the walls for ventilation or wires. Use your cutter and try to get a hole in the wall behind you, we can sneak out that way," Echo explained.

She nodded and got to work with her plasma cutter. Echo covered her and she could hear him shouting that the droids were getting closer. She quickly relayed a message through the comm channel of their position and their situation.

The only response she got back was that everyone was occupied with the base on high alert. There was no one to come and help them. They were on their own.

"I made it through Echo! It's a tunnel going straight down," she shouted to him.

"Cover me!" he yelled. She did as he asked, about to question what he was doing. Before she could even get the question out he was sprinting across the hallway and diving into her little corner of shelter.

"Echo! You idiot!" she screeched, "the fuck did you just do?"

He looked up at her from where he laid on the floor from his sliding hault, "what? I'm here now, not dead."

She could hear the smile in his voice and she was raging with worry on the inside, he could have gotten shot! The droids were right there! She set her jaw, "good thing too, cause if we get out of this alive, I'm going to kill you."

With that comment she pushed him into the hole that she had created in the wall. His laugh was cut off abruptly with a shout of concert, "Dagger!"

Dagger laid down more cover fire at the droids that were too close. After a few seconds she dove into the hole as well, hoping that whatever was at the bottom wouldn't kill them.

She was falling for a good few seconds, then the chute opened up into a small room. Dagger tilted her head in confusion before only seeing white landing with a thud in something.

"Oof," was the breath that was forced out of her on impact. She was dazed and just laid face down in some sort of large container. Afraid to even move at the moment, she tried to catalog her body, was she injured anywhere? She couldn't feel anything except the violent pounding of her heart.

"Echo?" she called into the room, "You okay?"

She heard steps above her, it sounded like boots in sand. Then she felt herself being lifted by her underarms out of whatever substance she was in. She was placed on her feet and she looked up to see Echo, without his helmet, smiling down at her. She shook her head in confusion.

"Rice, Dagger, we found rice!" he was so excited.

She, on the other hand, was so confused. She looked around and saw that they had in fact landed in a giant vat of rice.

Once he was sure that Dagger was secure on his feet, Echo kneeled down and pulled out a drawstring bag from his pack and started shoveling rice into it. Dagger's eye started twitching, "What the hell are you doing? We have droids looking for us, a red alert to disable, and a team to support and you are taking the rice?! The fucking rice? What the hell wrong with you?"

"Are you kidding me? This rice is as good as currency! It would be stupid to leave it here," Echo explained as if it was the most logical thing.

Dagger grabbed him by the top of his chest plate and pulled him away and out of the vat of rice, "we have a mission to complete. If we survive, the rice falls into Republic hands and needs to be given to worlds who need these rations to live."

As she tugged him, he slipped on something and fell, crashing out of the vat and to the floor. Dagger rolled her eyes, leaving him to pick himself up. She made her way down to the floor more gracefully. He quickly scurried to his feet, "eww, what is this slime?"

Dagger looked back at him and saw that parts of his armor were covered with light green goo. She huffed, "I don't know Echo, but can we continue? I'm sure you have seen or been in worse."

He nodded and they both exited the room, blasters up, on high alert for droids. Their path was unimpeded, the hallways seemed deserted.

The unit had seized the compound and the red alert was shut off. The hallway that Dagger and Echo were occupying was plunged into darkness and silence. A stark contrast to the screeching red alarms that had been sounding just moments ago. They both switched on their helmet lights.

Echo radioed the Commander asking for a status update. They had won the battle, the base was now in Republic hands. Rex's company was on their way currently, they were going to occupy the fortress for the remainder of the mission. They needed to stay with the supplies until they could be taken to their original destination to be sure that the Separatists didn't return. Echo and Dagger were to report back to the rest of the group as soon as possible.

"See, we should have got more of that rice," Echo said with a smile in his voice.

Dagger shook her head and started to walk back in the way that she guessed would lead them to a lift of some sort to get them back to their team. She didn't quite let her guard down, she was worried that there were more droids on the base and had to stay on high alert.

The trek back was uneventful and quiet, neither had much to say or wanted to say much coming down from the adrenaline high of the battle. By the time they arrived at the platform, the other company had arrived and everyone was getting debriefed by the Commander and Captain.

Echo and Dagger stood at the back of the group and listened. Echo leaned back on the busted machinery left over on the platform. Dagger heard an electric spark from the broken thing and Echo let out a quiet yelp. She shook her head, this boy did even more stupid stuff than she did.

"Sir, I have an issue," he said to the officers, interrupting their debriefing.

"Not now Echo," was Rex's response as he tried to scan the group looking for the Arc trooper.

"Even if I'm on fire sir?" he responded, voice cool and steady as ever.

"Holy shit Echo, you're on fire!"

"I know Captain, that is my issue," Dagger's head whipped back to her friend and her eyes almost bugged out of her head. His whole chest plate was on fire. She ran at him and tackled him to the floor. Working quickly she undid his shoulder and side buckles whipping the burning armor off his chest and stamping out the flames with her boot.

He sat up and looked at the smoldering armor, then at Dagger. He took off his helmet and gave her a lopsided smile, "thanks Dagger."

She kneeled down next to him, "you ok?"

He nodded, by now there was a circle formed around them now of brothers. Rex held out a hand for Echo to help him up. As he lifted the man he chuckled, "always one for the dramatics."

"Sir, I don't know if that one is my fault."

~B~

Cody watched his troopers as they finished clearing the fortress and started setting up their equipment. He kept his eyes trained on one man in particular, Dagger. He didn't trust him completely before, but now he had a reason that confirmed his distrust.

Dagger had gone against orders to not fire his weapon unless it was absolutely necessary. He killed a one off droid out of nowhere. This had revealed them to the separatists and put the droids on alert which endangered his brother's lives.

He didn't understand why the clone would do that. Why risk the mission? To kill one droid? Could it be that Dagger was just that shiny that he didn't know better or was he something worse. He never took off that helmet so could Dagger be a spy?

Cody was lost in his thoughts, spiraling deeper and deeper into the implications of Dagger's actions. He didn't even notice Rex walking up to him and following his line of sight, "so why are you staring daggers at Dagger, Cody?"

The Commander shook his head as if to physically dislodge the thoughts, maybe he was overthinking everything. No way would a brother betray them. He took in a deep breath, "I'm just thinking. Something isn't adding up."

"We live in crazy times, I'm sure you will figure it out vod, but for now we have work to do." Rex asked.

Cody nodded.

~B~

"Yes sir, right away sir," the communicator shut off with a finality to it. The sun was starting to set on the forest planet and everyone was in their tents in the fortress courtyard. Dagger looked up at Echo who was watching her with a raised brow.

"I have to go talk with Commander Cody," she explained before rising from where they had been sitting, "I'm sure I'll be back soon."

Within a few minutes, she was standing in front of the Officer tent. She wasn't quite sure where to knock. So she ended up deciding on the metal pole. A few seconds later the tent flap was pulled aside and the Commander beckoned her into the tent.

Dagger remained silent, trying to gauge the Commander's mood. To be honest, she really didn't know why he called her in. Everything had gone well today in her mind. Cody seemed tense, like he was struggling with something internally. He motioned for her to sit on the rug across from where he sat.

"So, how did today go Dagger? First mission in the field, I just wanted to gage how you are feeling," Cody explained. He did genuinely care about how everything had gone and he did care for his brother's safety. But he also wanted to try and deduce if Dagger had any ulterior motives or he simply made a mistake during the mission.

Dagger nodded thinking for a moment, "I think it went well. High stress, but I think it was overall successful. We did our job, the fortress is ours now."

"High stress is what we do," Cody said.

"I know Commander, I was just so worried about messing up when there were lives on the line. Missing a shot or not being fast enough. This isn't training anymore and I will not be the reason for losing a brother," she explained.

The Commander silently studied the helmeted clone. The words he said did not match the thoughts that had been swarming in Cody's mind. With a storm in his mind he dismissed Dagger and went to sit by his bed roll. He sat there facing the wall, pondering the brother that was Dagger.

It just didn't add up to him. Everything was going well during the mission, then out of no where Dagger shot a droid that another could have incapacitated much quieter. Then everything after the mission had gone smoothly, as well as it could have. There had to be a reason that Dagger had shot that droid. Maybe he would ask Rex for his opinion. He needed answers dammit!

"Are you ok? Your face is getting red," Rex said suddenly, startling Cody

"Nothing!" he exclaimed in surprise.

The Captain let out a chuckle as he removed his helmet, "Nothing? I don't think that answers the question brother."

Cody let out a sigh and settled back into his spot turning to face him, "I mean yes I'm ok. I've just been thinking still and I actually wanted to ask you a question now that you are here."

"Alright, but just know that I had nothing to do with Echo being on fire."

"I figured that since you were with me at the time. But I wanted to ask about Dagger."

"Good kid, even if he is a bit shiny."

Cody nodded, "I know, but something from the mission isn't sitting right with me. I gave my company orders to not fire unless absolutely necessary. Everyone was following as they should, then out of nowhere Dagger shoots down a droid from clear across the room. Why would he do that if someone closer could have taken it out and would have been quieter?"

"Lets sketch it out, see if we can't solve the mystery. Since you obviously weren't going to ask Dagger about it. I saw him walking out of here before I came in," Rex said as he sat next to his brother, pulled out a stylus to draw in the packed dirt and handed it to Cody, "what did the area you were clearing look like?"

Rex gave Cody prompts to try and lay out the scene. The environment, where every trooper was, and maybe most importantly where the droid in question was and the direction it came from. In the end they had a complete picture.

"So everyone was moving in this direction. When the droid came around this corner it was in a blind spot to everyone in the unit except Dagger and I. But I was scanning the other way when the shot went off, so I didn't see it," Cody explained while gesturing with his hands along the picture.

Rex used a stick as a straightedge, "Cody look at these trajectories from its hiding spot. Did it have its weapon up?"

Cody thought for a moment, a realization slowly dawning on him. He was slow with his reply, "it did. And the only target it could hit was me."

The Commander looked up at the Captain, "Dagger saved my life. That's what he was talking about missing a shot. If he hadn't taken out that droid it would have taken me out."

Rex nodded and nudged his shoulder, "and you doubted him. He's got more fight and sense in him than most shinys."

He was practically sulking by now, but he nodded in agreement. Cody knew that Rex was right. He trusted Dagger, he was just upset at himself for being blind to the attack. Blind to the threat. Blind to the fact that Dagger saved his life. Blind and questioning Dagger's motives.

Cody decided he would make it up to the kid. Nothing crazy, but he would make sure the kid was taken care of. Most of all he would make sure that he didn't question him again.