Silence, there was so much silence. It was unnerving. Dagger kneeled on the matted floor of her training room. She had done this so many times before and was waiting for it to happen again. She waited and waited, her ears strained against the silence of the room.

It was stifling, she couldn't hear anything. There was nothing to be heard and yet she knew that she wasn't alone. Her spine tingled with the sensation of being watched. Someone was with her. She could only assume that it was the Madam, she would punish Dagger yet again for some mistake that she had made. Something so small and insignificant that Dagger had forgotten about it.

With every second that passed her anxiety rose. She could feel the sweat run little paths down her temples, dampening the hair. She was there, behind her, watching her. She was waiting for Dagger to do something to make it worse, give her more reason to hurt her.

Dagger clenched her fists, resisting the urge to turn around. She couldn't turn, she wouldn't turn. No matter how much she wanted to.

She felt her spine stiffen as she flinched at the singular footfall behind her. Not the sound that the Madam's feet usually made. A bootstep.

Dagger forgot her resolve and whipped around to look at the being behind her. It wasn't the Madam. It was a Mandalorian. Had Jango gotten new armor?

"Jango?" she asked, startled at his appearance.

"No," his voice was low and had a certain edge to it.

"Who are you?" she shot to her feet and drew her dagger from the holster in her thigh. The familiar grip was now foreign to her. The GAR issued blade that was no longer her weapon of choice and yet here is was in her hand.

Her head whipped up to look the armored man in the vizor. He lifted a dagger in response, her dagger. He held it expertly, she knew he could hurt her if she let him close

"I'm coming for you," he growled.

Pure terror raced through her veins. A cold rush of adrenaline that set all of her nerves on red alert. He lunged and she tried to scream. She tried to dodge, she tried to defend herself. She tried to do so many things. She couldn't move and he got closer and closer. He was right in front of her when everything went black.

~B~

Rex had been sleeping peacefully, until a sharp whimper snapped him out of it. He was awake in an instant, sitting up quickly. His body was tuned to wake up at the slightest sound or feeling of danger. A cry in the night filled that classification.

It only took him a fraction of a second to realize that he was not in his bunk, but in a bed in a different type of barracks. It took him another second to realize that the noise was coming from the person in the bed next to him. It was Dagger.

She was sitting up in her bunk, he could see her chest heaving from labored breaths. The sound was ragged and uncontrolled in the quiet of the room. A nightmare. He threw off the covers and tip toed closer to the soldier, kneeling on the bunk in front of her.

"Dagger," he called softly. No response, either her eyes were closed or she was staring out and unable to see him.

He tried again, this time putting a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Dagger wake up."

She jerked as soon as he touched her and one reached under her pillow. There was no doubt in Rex's mind that she was grasping her weapon tightly under her pillow. He was glad, however, that she did not brandish it towards him.

It was too early to get into a fight with a combative soldier who had just woken up from a nightmare. Rex remembered all too well what had happened when he woke Hardcase up from a nightmare that one time. He had a black eye for a few days after that.

"You're safe Dagger, safe. It was just a nightmare," he said, he could feel her trembling beneath his hand. Must have been quite a dream.

"Rex," she panted, relieved to see his familiar face.

He nodded reassuringly up at her. He still kneeled on the floor as she sat up fully. He rested a hand on the top of her thigh, thumb rubbing soothing circles over it.

Dagger rolled her shoulders to relieve the tension which started to fade. She took a deep breath and slid off the bed. She landed on the floor without a sound.

He looked after her in concern, "Are you ok? That seemed like a pretty rough nightmare."

"I'm fine," she replied quietly. She started to walk away.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes, it was two in the morning. Wakeup call was at eight.

"I'm getting ready," she said it like it was obvious, but Rex could see the exhaustion in her form. Her back was tight and her shoulders drooped so low that he could practically see the weight on them.

"Get back here. You are not keeping me or anyone else up at this hour, you are going back to sleep."

She pouted but turned around, always following orders even if they were not expressly stated. Dagger shuffled her feet as she made her way back to her bed. Rex settled back down on his own bunk and closed his eyes with a sigh. Stubborn troopers.

Dagger mirrored him and laid on her side. She could tell the moment Rex passed back out by the way his breathing lightened. His face was slack and she felt herself slowly start to calm down from the fight or flight response of the nightmare. She watched his face for a long time.

It was relaxing to see him at peace. She matched her breathing with his, the slow rise and fall of his chest. Watching him sleep she felt a deep longing in her own chest.

She wanted to hold him, she wanted to kiss him, she wanted so many things that she couldn't have. She knew that she could physically get up and touch him right now, but she was hesitant. Who even knew how many boundaries that would be crossing?

Dagger already couldn't believe how lucky she had gotten with his reaction the other day. She wouldn't push her luck any further and ask for anything more than what she was given. He hadn't been angry, he didn't mind what she was. He hadn't treated her any different because of it. He had always been protective of all of their vod. If she were to bet he was acting protective because of her injuries more than the fact that she was female.

In her hazy mind, she remembered the way that he had kissed her back. His intentions clear in the way that he hadn't touched her with anything other than his lips. He hadn't wanted anything more than what he had. He had been so gentle she could barely comprehend it. The memory was a pleasant one, it calmed her enough to be able to recall a kind touch of someone she cared about.

She eventually drifted off to sleep again with the phantom sensations of his lips on her back. She didn't wake again until morning.

~B~

"So you all are exactly alike," Miaan asked.

"Yes," Dagger answered in monotone.

"So you are all brothers?"

"Yes."

"But you don't take off your helmet?"

"No."

He looked at her through squinted eyes, "But you look the same. Why?"

"Personal reasons."

"Like what?" he pressed.

Dagger rolled her eyes, she almost wished that she could go back to how they were for the most part of the previous day. Back to when she and Miaan had just stood next to each other and not talked.

Dagger bit her tongue to keep from grumbling as she heard Miaan take in a deeper breath of air, obviously about to ask another question, "You get to travel all over the galaxy to go fight in really cool battles right?"

"Cool battles?" Dagger asked.

"Yeah like you get to fight a whole bunch of droids and blow stuff up with your ships and stuff. We don't get to do anything like that, always just following the Duchess around to protect her."

"Get to?" she asked, stunned by the comment, "You do realize that we don't have a choice right?"

"What?"

She just looked at him and he asked, "So you don't get to pick what job you want or where you go?"

"I don't think you understand the whole part of where we were created for this war and not anything else."

"Oh," his hand came up to rub the back of his neck, "I'm sorry."

She made a noncommittal sound, "It's ok. I guess it is pretty fun getting to shoot a bunch of droids. There are plenty of worse jobs in the galaxy. I wouldn't want to be anything other than a soldier anyway so it works out fine."

"Have you ever been shot?"

"No," she replied honestly. Her lips snuck up in a hidden smirk.

"I got shot once, right in the shoulder," Miaan said.

She let out a little laugh, "I was in an explosion."

He broke his stance of watching the gathering to gawk at her, "You what?"

She just chuckled and nodded. He shook his head, "Damn, I guess that's pretty badass."

~B~

Dagger laid out on top of the roof of the Naboo palace. She was hidden in the shadows created by the warm glow of lights from below. She had a thin mat underneath her as she set up the sniper rifle she had been issued.

Just as she was finishing up with her rifle she heard a bag drop next to her. She looked up to see familiar armor. A brother with grey armor, she couldn't tell exactly who it was by the markings, but she gave him a polite nod as he unrolled his own mat and laid it next to her.

"Hey! Is that you little loth wolf?" he asked. He pulled off his helmet to reveal a familiar face.

"Boost?" she asked with excitement.

He let out a little chuckle before settling down next to her and pulling his own rifle out of a case he had been carrying. Unlike the bag he had thrown down, this case was set down with care.

"Commander said he had seen you last night. Came back real excited to the barracks talking about how you were here," he explained.

"Awww, big brother was excited to see me?"

He laughed, "I think we all were excited to hear about your adventures since Coruscant. The Wolffe Pack has been a bit low on excitement since we were on leave."

"Ryloth was fun, I guess. But it really hasn't been that long since I have seen you boys," she replied, scanning the gathering crowd below through the scope of her rifle.

Boost settled into position on her left, but gave her a hard look, "Commander Wolffe said you got yourself blown up."

She let out a hum of agreement, "He also said that you died."

Dagger huffed, "Only once, and I'm fine now."

"We've all been there kid," he laughed, "Any one who is dumb enough to fight Commander Wolffe is tough enough to survive dying. Besides, who else would I pick on tonight if you weren't here?"

She rolled her eyes, "I'm sure you would find someone."

Boost adjusted a few things on his scope and shrugged, "This is easier. These damn conventions are always so boring. Nothing ever happens and we have to listen to all these politicians talk and talk. I mean really how could they possibly have that much to say."

"What I don't get is why they make everything so complicated," Dagger replied.

"I'd drink to that."

"Maybe later, but right now we have a job to do Boost."

He let out a sigh and dropped his head into his arm for a moment. She laughed at his grumbling, but continued to survey the people below. She spotted General Skywalker talking with a Republic Senator by the buffet line. Commander Wolffe was walking just behind the one she recognized as Senator Organa.

She kept looking and scanning for one person in particular. She found him standing at the side of the mass of people in the center of the courtyard. He stood shoulder to shoulder with another man and watched the room intently.

Rex stood next to Captain Keb. He wore his dress uniform, black shoes shined to perfection. A streamlined pair of pants and a sharp dress coat adorned with medals of accomplishment, a blue cord hung from his left shoulder to signify his leadership within the 501st.

Dagger had to admit that the uniform looked amazing. Even from that distance she could see the slight distortion of the jacket where his dual blasters were concealed in shoulder holsters. She raised an appreciative eyebrow at the entire outfit.

She shook her head, she had more important things to do than stare at her Captain. He would not appreciate getting killed because she was not watching for threats.

With one last look she continued her scan. There wasn't much going on aside from all of the people milling around. Making connections and deducing which way everyone was planning on voting at the final meeting tomorrow morning. Fake smiles flashed just as readily as the wealthy jewelry on necks of the politicians.

For the second time that day, Dagger was glad that she was made to be a soldier. It was unlikely that she would have made it as a politician or a diplomat. She was a soldier down to her core and while she might not be the best one in the GAR, it was all she knew how to be. It was simple this way, more so than navigating the battlefield that is a debate amongst the intergalactic senate.

Just as she was about to move her scope to continue to survey the perimeter a flash of metal and not the kind that is made from any jewelry. She trained her sights on the flash, "Boost, I think I have something along the southwest wall."

She heard him shift as he focused on what she was looking at. The barrel of a blaster, shiny and most definitely out of place was being held by someone around the pillar.

"I have eyes on the weapon, not the suspect," he responded.

"Contact Cody immediately, they might not be alone," as she spoke the blaster was lowered. Then to Dagger's dismay something small and round was lobbed into the center of the crowd.

"We're under attack," Boost yelled.

The device let out a loud bang and a flash of light, stunning everyone who was close to it. Above the screams of terrified senators, Dagger lined up the sight on the attacker. As soon as they poked their head out from behind the pillar she pulled the trigger. Not today scumbag.

The being, what species she couldn't tell, fell to the ground and she knew that there was no way they would ever get up again. However, even with the threat eliminated the shrieks from the crowd had not stopped.

Dagger looked around frantically to see what was going on. It was getting harder and harder to see. Why was smoke billowing out of the vents like that?

She called Rex on the comms, "Captain Rex, get out of there right now!"

"Affirmative, taking the Duchess to security point Gamma. If you don't have a clear visual from the roof get down to the main level and find out who is attacking."

"Yes sir!" she answered before turning to Boost, "We gotta go!"

He stood quickly and snatched his rifle off of its stand. Dagger followed suit and nodded as he said, "Let's go get these bastards!"

They raced down the stairs as fast as they could go while still clearing the building. There was no one in the stairwell and Dagger took the time to sling the rifle across her back using the strap on it.

She glanced down at her dagger, her first thought was to pull it out and use it as her primary weapon. Then reason kicked in and she grabbed her blaster, a better weapon to use in the close range of the palace halls. Keeping Boost in her peripheral vision she saw him do the same.

Boost spoke to her through the comm system, it was direct communication and kept their outward noise level low as possible, "Commander says that it is a small group of insurgents."

"Copy that," she poked her head around the corner that led to the left and just as quickly leaned back out of sight, "Uhhhh Boost?"

He was braced against the wall behind her and tilted his helmet down in question, "What did you see?"

Dagger just opened and closed her mouth. That was not a small group of insurgents. It turns out that she didn't even have to say anything as the harsh and rhythmic clanking of metal feet announced the presence of the battalion of droids just fine.

He winced as he realized what that sound was, "How many are there?"

"In that hallway? About thirty B1s and 20 B2s."

Boost let out a groan, "Shit! Commander said it was a team of bounty hunters. Either the hunters are working with the droids or we are being attacked by two separate enemies."

"We can worry about why later, what are we going to do about the droids?"

"I just told Cody where we are. He is sending backup. We have to hold this position, can't let them get to the inner halls of the palace, that's where all the senators are. We are holding a defensive barrier at points Echo and Foxtrot as a last defense. If these tinnies get by us they are going to be walking straight into there."

Dagger nodded and surveyed the short corner, analyzing how far away the droids were. They hadn't been seen yet. If she could be quick enough she could probably get across the hallway into the cove on the other side. She wouldn't have an escape route other than going back the way she came but it would be a better angle on the droids.

"Stay here," she said, grabbing a grenade from her pack.

Boost had no idea where she planned on going, but he nodded his acceptance of her statement. His eyebrow raised in surprise as she darted forward across the corner and towards the little alcove. She lobbed the grenade to her left and dove into the cover.

She tucked herself against the wall as the grenade detonated in a fiery blast. The B1s let out startled yells after a few of them were taken out in the explosion. Dagger's heart raced, there were so many of them. She just had to hope that their backup would be there soon.

She kneeled down, still behind the wall but facing the droids. Boost did the same and they both raised their blasters. With a nod shared between them they leaned out in a synchronized move and opened fire on the droids.

"Ahh! Boss!" came the shrill cry from one of the battle droids, "The clones are attacking us!"

"Fire back you idiot," the apparent commanding droid ordered.

Dagger had to duck back behind the wall to avoid being blown to bits by the droids. She looked over to make sure Boost was still safe. She found him looking back at her and heard him over the comm, "What now? Any more grenades? Droid poppers?"

She slung off her pack and looked around for anything that could help, "Two more grenades and three poppers."

"Well don't wait on my account. You throw and I'll blast them in the confusion."

"Right, let's just hope I don't get shot when I do that," she grumbled the last part under her breath.

She grabbed another spherical grenade, tossing it up into her hand and catching it lightly. Dagger took a deep breath, her thumb pressed the button and she stepped out and threw as accurately as she could. She aimed to get as many of the supers as she could, they were always harder to take out anyway.

She dove back as all of the blaster fire was aimed at her. One blot wizzed a bit too close to her helmet for her liking. Boost got off a handful of good shots, but the window of opportunity was narrow and he was only able to take out three of the droids.

There were too many of them. They were just two soldiers, if there was a jedi here there would have been no problem. Dagger had to fight to keep herself from panicking, there would be no jedi to come and rescue them today, it was up to them to save themselves. She took another deep steadying breath, they could do this. She wouldn't give up on Boost and she wouldn't give up on herself. This is what they were trained to do.

She picked up one grenade and one droid popper. Dagger forced some humor into her voice as she pretended to weigh them in her hand, "Which one do you think the tinnies would look better in? Electric shock or an explosion?"

Her joke was rewarded with a burst of laughter, "Try the popper, I think they would like it."

She stepped out once again, heart still pounding, and hurled the sphere into the mass of droids. This time they were stunned long enough for her to get a few blaster shots in as well before they returned fire. The droids were getting so close.

"Where is that backup? I don't know how much longer we are going to be able to hold them back," she asked from the safety of her corner.

Boost started to reply but was interrupted from a scream behind him. Both soldiers tensed, that was a human scream. Their heads snapped to the side to see a senator being dragged away by other humanoids.

She was kicking and yelling, while she was being half carried and half dragged down the hallway, "You won't get away with this! I am a member of the intergalactic senate and representative of Naboo! Release me this instant."

"A Senator!" Dagger exclaimed. Boost looked between Dagger, the direction the droids were coming from, and where the bounty hunters were taking the senator.

"Boost you gotta go! I can't get across this hall again without getting shot, you have to go save the senator!"

He shook his head, "I can't just leave you here! We are going to be overrun at any moment! You are gonna get shot if you stay here!"

"The Senator is more important and you know that! I will hold them off until reinforcements arrive. They can't be far away now."

Boost let out a hefty breath of air, he hated how logical the argument was. He hated that Dagger was right. He had to go save the senator, "You stay under cover ok? I will be back for you."

"I know you will, now go!"

And he did. Boost sprung to his feet and chased after where he had seen the small group go. Dagger's panic threatened to overtake her again as she saw his retreating form run down the hallway away from her. The only other form of backup she had was going to save someone else.

She shook her head, that was the way it had to be. She didn't need anyone else to save her. With hardened eyes she gripped her blaster tightly and grabbed another droid popper. All she had to do was survive long enough to kill all the clankers.

She smiled to herself with a forced confidence, telling herself in her mind that she could do this. Two droid poppers, a nearly full blaster, and the best dagger in the galaxy. Those droids wouldn't stand a chance against her.

~B~

A/N: Hello everyone, sorry for the long delay between chapters, university has been trying to kick my ass. I hope you liked the chapter!

So I have been writing a few things for this story that don't quite fit into the main story line. A few of these are What-if type chapters (some are NSFW and pretty smutty but not all of them) with the characters and would be like individual chapters that didn't actually happen in the story but I wanted to write them anyway. Also, I have a few ideas for missing scenes that just didn't fit into the story with the timing of everything. Would anyone be interested in reading these if I were to post them? (They would most likely be posted on AO3 on my account there so I wouldn't have to worry about them getting taken down for being above the ratings on this site.) If you would be interested in reading any sort of missing scenes or what-if scenes please leave a comment on what you would want to read. I would really like to write more stuff like that and if anyone is interested that would be super cool. Let me know what you think in the comments. Love y'all!