*Rex*

The Clone Captain is walking down the corridor of the Ghost, past the bunks. The almost silent sound of sobbing fills his ears. Clearly whoever is crying doesn't want it known, but, unfortunately the whole ship is too quiet to hide it. Rex presses the button, the door sliding open easily.

Keen looks up as the door opens, immediately wiping the liquid from under her eyes. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" she asks, sniffing. Her legs are pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around her pillow.

"I knock, most of the time. I heard you crying. Are you okay, General?" the Clone barely steps through the door, standing just inside the small room.

"Me?" she laughs, slightly frenzied. "Of course I'm alright."

The Captain strolls further into the room, sitting down on the bunk. "Tell me what's bothering you."

The Jedi sighs, glancing over at him. She drops the pillow, setting it beside her on the bed. Keen crosses her legs, dropping her face into her hands. "Honestly. I feel guilty."

"Why?"

The Jedi lifts her head from her hands, staring at Rex's face, imploringly. "I should have seen it coming, Rex. The whole Order murdered by the Chancellor. I should've done something, anything. But I didn't," her face looks so dejected, she looks like she's in so much emotional pain, that it causes the Clone's heart to pang for her.

"Tell me, what could you have possibly done? No one knew. You did everything you could, and you survived."

"But, why? Why did I survive? What good can I do the Galaxy?" her hands flail about, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

The Clone turns, looking the Jedi Master straight in the eye. He places a hand on knee, comfortingly. "For one, you're already helping train the next generation of Jedi."

She just sighs, looking down dejectedly. "Rex, I don't deserve to train anyone. I don't deserve to be alive!" she says it with such conviction that for a moment the Clone Captain is taken aback.

"Ar'iabel," Rex says, grabbing both of her hands in his own. "You survived the Purge for a reason, that Force of yours, it's got a plan for you. Doesn't your code tell you to trust? So trust that you survived for a reason."

She takes a deep breath, as tears leak out of her clenched eyes. "Rex-" she starts, but the Clone is nowhere near done.

"This is called survivor's guilt. I saw so many of my brothers deal with it during the War, and after Order 66, after their chips malfunctioned, there was survivors guilt there, for the ones who weren't killed at the beginning of the Empire. So many of them, they turned their blasters on themselves, Keen. I don't want that for you."

Her eyebrows furrow, looking at him sadly. "Rex, I'm so sorry. I don't mean to burden you with this, it's my problem, not yours."

"General, I want you to burden me. Your Code may expect you to not have any feelings, but that is Bantha Poodoo, and you know it. Everyone has feelings, whether you push them into the Force, like General Kenobi always told General Skywalker too, or not. You need to talk to someone, and if this old soldier is the best person for you to talk too, then so be it." He may not be the best at advice, but his friend is in pain, immense pain, and he can't bear to see her that way, and he'd do everything he could to help the Jedi to feel better.

"Rexy, I'm glad you survived. I don't know what I would have done had you not walked in right now. You are officially my new best friend. Don't tell anyone, I don't want them to worry," she smiles at him, even with the tears still on her face.

He smiles back at her. "You have my word, Keen. Just, take good care of yourself, and be careful out in the field."

It shocks the Clone Captain when the Jedi Master leans over, wrapping her arms tightly around him. Quickly recovering from the shock, he returns the embrace. The two sit on the Jedi's bunk, hugging for a few moments, until Keen pulls back, once again wiping her tears away. A small grin crosses her face. In the eyes of Rex, it's clear that she feels immensely better than when he entered the room.

The Captain stands to his feet, patting Ari'abel on the shoulder, as he heads for the door. Stepping out into the corridor, he shuts the door to her bunk. As soon as the door is fully closed, the Clone leans against the wall, letting out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. His friend is hurting, and he will do everything he can to help her.