... I wonder if I should say anything about me wanting to quit on this story. Figured I would, maybe it'll help. Maybe it won't. Whatever.
I just want to say that, I've lost a lot of will to continue writing this, mostly because of the utter lack of response from readers. Across three places (FanFic, Ao3 and Tumblr) I get a combined total of four reviews per chapter (chapter I work on for a week) so, I imagine you may understand why I saw it as a lost cause.
And yet here I am, throwing out another chapter. I tell myself it's because I'm suborn as hell, and actually like the story. But maybe it's because of those few loyal readers, who I don't want to disappoint. It might even be both. I guess it doesn't really matter..

In any case, to those who still bother reading this - here's the new chapter.

Andrew: Glad to hear your brother's doing alright. Hopefully he gets back to himself soon.

Guest: Hah, thanks mate... It seems you came at a bad time though - came close to it. Still, I appreciate it

Elizaguana: Something like that, yeah

Chapter 7

Rex found them in the barracks, getting ready for some proper sleep. He was still thinking over just how to tell them as he walked in and saw all eyes on him.

"What did the General say?" Jesse was the first to ask, hopping down from the bed.

"He gave us the go ahead," the Captain said, forcing a smile. He doubted many would notice and he himself felt chills at the lie. So, that's how he'll do it…

"Seriously?" Hardcase looked at him with eyes wide, a glint of excitement in them.

"General Krell, actually agreed to our idea?" Fives had his arms crossed as Rex walked to a table and sat on it.

"It… took some convincing but… yes," the blonde saw their belief faltering and sighed. "But only if you learn how to fly before we need to march off." The added lie was what seemed to make them really believe it because it sounded like something the Besalisk would say.

"Well, we better learn," Jesse shrugged, looking at the rest. "You two managed to fly – it can't be that hard," there was a playful grin on his face.

"You're gonna eat those words Jess! But I'd be willing to teach you a bit," Hardcase smirked and raised his chin as the rest laughed.

"You know Jesse, there's nothing wrong with admitting you're scared of heights when you're up there," Fives added, the boys snickering.

"But there isn't time… We'll be blasted out of the sky before we get anywhere," Tup was still skeptical, looking down from atop the bed.

"That's why we'll be in their fighters. No one's gonna be shooting at us!" the ARC grinned, pleased that for once, they have an actual plan.

"Then this just might work…" Rex said quietly, almost to himself, but Fives heard him and looked slightly puzzled. It was the tone that threw him off. Something wasn't right… A second later, the doors opened and Dogma walked in, looking confused.

"Ah, what's going on?" Dogma asked, standing next to the Captain.

"Uh, nothing," Tup scratched the back of his head, but couldn't help the small smile as it came to his lips.

Rex stood up and started walking towards the door, when Fives felt something tingle up his spine. Like it was giving him a push or something. The bad feeling in his gut grew and he quickly stepped after the blonde.

"There's something else, isn't there," Fives asked once they were both outside the barrack. "Something you aren't telling us."

"Fives-," Rex started off, but the ARC stopped him before he could get too far.

"He didn't agree to the plan, did he?" the younger man only just realized it and looked in disbelieve. "Were you going to tell us?" his expression turned to anger and even betrayal as he took a step back from the blonde.

"…No," was the simple answer as Rex still stood calmly, but there was guilt in his eyes.

"You-!" Fives' eyes turned to sadness and sorrow as he realized what the Captain had planned to do. "No. Rex, no!"

"Fives," Rex's steady voice and the arm on his shoulder brought him out of it. "You are under my orders, to fly those ships. No one else can know about this," his eyes burned with assurance and promise, and the ARC felt his chest tighten. "Do you understand, Fives?" there was sadness there now as the hand squeezed a bit tighter.

"Please, don't," Fives swallowed, voice coming out weak and low. "Don't take it on yourself. If Kell finds out-!" his voice broke slightly by the end.

"If, he finds out," there was a pause as the two only looked at each other. Their expressions said more than words ever could and Rex hung his head.

"We can't lose you, Rex. You're the only one still keeping this battalion together!" the younger man struggled for words, for something to say because this couldn't be happening.

"You worry about flying those fighters, and I'll worry about the General," with a final squeeze and a nod from the man, Rex turned around and left.

"Do you require escort, sir?" Thorn asked as the ramp was lowered and they walked down. They could see the Senate Building, hear the engines of the aircrafts around them and smell the change in air. Coruscant was always a wonder to see.

"No, thank you Commander. Get some rest," Anakin bowed his head before his eyes dropped and he spoke more quietly: "And hope for your brothers."

"Thank you, sir. If you need anything, contact us," Thorn gave a salute before turning back to the ship and giving instructions to his men.

Skywalker looked up at the Senate Building with a sigh, still hating how he had to leave his men behind. But there's no turning back now. So with a deep breath, he walked forth into the building. In the back of his mind, he sensed that this wasn't right – that he should be with his men back on Umbara. But he moved onwards anyway.

"Anakin?" he paused at the call of his name and turned to see Padme standing there, a look of surprise on her face.

"Padme!" the Jedi smiled, moving closer to her and pulling her into a warm embrace.

"What are you doing here?" the Senator asked, looking up at him, arms still on his forearms.

"What, not happy to see me?" Skywalker raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Of course I am!" she shook her head, a smile on her lips. "I'm just wondering why you're here. You said you'd be away for a while because of a new assignment…" her eyes turned to worry as she looked up at him.

"The Chancellor has called for me," Anakin answered, his eyes downcast and taking half a step away from the woman.

"I see… I hope it's nothing serious…" Amidala gave an assuring smile, before giving the man a peck on the cheek.

"I'm sure everything's fine," Skywalker smiled more truly, before walking up the stairs to get to the Chancellor's office.

"Everything alight?" Jesse asked as Fives walked back into the barrack, a look of worry and concern on his face.

"Y-Yeah, yeah, it's fine… But we need to start early with the flying," Fives looked up, running a hand over his head.

"Good, 'cause some of the boys are getting eager," Hardcase grinned, glancing at the few gathered in the barrack.

"…Do you really think you can do it?" Dogma asked, sitting on the bed and looking at the ground. He sounded… worried and fearful.

"We have to believe," Fives said, looking at him. "We have to at least try."

"…You're not going to sell us out, are you?" Jesse asked and everyone tensed up. Some gave him looks of disbelieve while Dogma dropped his shoulders.

"…N-No, no I won't…" he answered, taking a deep breath before standing up, looking at the older brothers with determination. "I want to help."

The looks turned to amusement and pleasant surprise now, as Tup put a hand on his shoulder. Fives and Jesse gave him nods and Hardcase grinned. The rest stepped closer as well, as they each shared a look.

"If we're all in agreement then, let's go."

"Fives," Dogma said, trying to reach for the man as the rest started heading towards the hanger. "May… I ask you something?"

"Sure?" Fives hasn't seen the rookie so nervous or scared before. It was puzzling, but he had a small idea of what it may be about.

"…Who are the 112th?" at that question, the ARC felt chills up his spine and took in a shuddered breath. So it was Dogma who overheard the conversation… Damn.

"Are you sure you want to know?" he asked carefully and saw the fear in the younger man's eyes. "Trust me, Dogma, it's better if you don't know…" By the tone of his voice, it was clear the rookie didn't really want to know.

"I-I understand, sir… S-Sorry for asking."

Dooku sat at his table and looked down on the communicator. Krell's call had made him doubt the Besaliks could truly handle the 501st – they were Skywalker's after all. But then again, having information on them could prove to tip the tide. He decided to call someone who would have the most access to any file.

"Admiral Trench," the Sith said, sounding as bored as ever.

"Lord Tyranus," the Harch greeted back, chattering his teeth together. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" the Admiral was already implanted with cybernetic and was working off in a remote section of the Outer Rim.

"I need you to access information about the 501st Legion. As much as you are able, and transfer the data to one of my agents," the Count informed, seeing the spider's eyes widen.

"Oh, how interesting," his teeth chattered again, as he almost smiled. "I will get it soon, my Lord. Though it might… take a bit."

"Do not disappoint me, Admiral," Dooku ended the conversation, not caring for excuses or anything like that.

Rex was walking outside, the cold air refreshing him as he wandered. He saw a few of the men sneaking into a hanger and allowed himself to smile, before letting out a shuddered breath. This is it. Whatever happens, is on his head. He can live with that.

He turned his eyes up, to the tower, and could see the silhouette of Pong Krell, looking at the cube-projector. Normally, he'd be worried the Jedi could sense what they were up to, but he doubted Krell would check on the boys in any way. So that gave them an advantage in hiding and buying time.

A part of him was enjoying this, actually. Rebelling against the General – it felt good. Showing him they're more than mindless droids for him to throw into battle. And even if it might end in his decommission, he'll know he stood up to a bastard. Because if the 112th couldn't, he will.

They got into the hanger easily, and even told the ones guarding it what they plan to do. No one said anything, but they promised to inform them should Krell arrive. And if they were worried, then they hid it very well.

"Alright, let's get started!" Hardcase was the first to try and get into the fighter, when Kix and Jesse both grabbed one of his shoulders.

"Hey, take it easy, alright? We don't know what these things can do and we don't want you getting hurt," the medic said, looking with concerned eyes.

"…Yeah, I promise I'll be carefully," the hyper brother assured as he was released and slowly climbed into the fighter.

"Don't push random buttons either!" Jesse called after him, smiling and shaking his head.

"Aww, but that's half the fun of it!" Hardcase pretended to pout before laughing.

"That may be true, but if Krell finds us here, he won't think so," Fives said, walking over to the other fighter.

"Maybe we should keep to one fighter for now? You know, have one get the hang of it and then do the rest?" Dogma suggested, looking at the older brothers who seemed impressed he sounded so sure.

"Might be for the best, yeah," Tup agreed, giving his friend a smile.

"Alright then – Hardcase is gonna be our teacher then," Jesse laughed as his brother grinned, activating the ray-shield on the pod.

"I'll do easy on you Jess, promise."

Hardcase moved his arms around as Kix finished attaching the last parts of the ship. Fives gave the fighter a quick scan to see if everything was in working order, before nodding to himself and turning to Hardcase.

"Okay, now, try that out. It should be a little easier," Fives grinned as the blue glow of the bubble lit up the area around them as the ship started to float.

"I got it," Hardcase assured, keeping it surprisingly steady as his brothers watched. But, as soon as he tried to move forward, his steadiness was gone and he went spiraling all over the hanger, knocking over crates and nearly hitting the others.

"Hardcase, what're you doing?" the ARC yelled, worry gripping him. This was far too loud – if Krell hears them, they're all dead.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be doing it!" the hyper soldier responded, a look of panic in his eyes as he tried to regain control. He still swirled around the hanger, knocking over more crates as the rest tried to find a way to calm it down.

"Great… This can't get much worse," Fives muttered, gripping the control panel for life, when he heard a strange beeping from behind. Turning, he saw Nitro looking back, trying to stop a signal from leaving the hanger.

"It just got worse," he stood there, a wave of horror coming over him as Hardcase managed to smash into a wall.

Fangs saw the screen blipping red and hesitated to call out to the General.

"Sir, there appears to be a disturbance in hanger 9-4," Krell walked closer and forcefully shoved the tech expert out of the way to access the control panel.

"Trooper, what's going on down there?" the Jedi asked, extending his Force sense towards the hanger, but all he got was confusion and worry.

"Here, here, I got this!" Fives moved quickly, his body shaking slightly as he pushed Nitro away to get at the controls.

"Trooper! Report trooper!" came the Besalik's voice from the other side as the ARC watched the ship fly around, smacking into walls and other ships.

"Um…" he started, not sure what to say, when he felt himself be pushed away.

"Everything is fine, sir," Dogma was standing by the controls, eyes wide and a death grip on the controls, but his voice was steady. He even remembered to lowered the audio, so the disaster happening in the background was limited.

"Then why have the alarms been triggered?" the two could almost see the Jedi's eyes narrow at the tone of his voice.

"Security malfunction, sir. We triggered an alarm when reprograming the central control panel," Dogma continued to speak clearly, calming down and taking silent breathes. Fives and Nitro only stared at him, not even hearing the shouting in the back ground.

"I thought we had all of the security systems synchronized by now!" the three nearby cringed and shared a look.

"Hardcase, if you do not land that fighter right now, so help me, I'll put you into a kriffing comatose state and feed you rations through an IV!" Kix yelled as everyone slowly backed away from him and Hardcase threw his hands in the air, effectively making things worse.

"Damn it Hardcase, I thought you knew how to fly this thing!" Jesse yelled, hiding behind some crates as the ship came around again.

"Maybe I should try-," the would-be pilot started, already looking around the bubble.

"Don't touch random buttons!" Tup reminded, covering his face as a crate came flying by.

"…Right, best not…" the hyper soldier nodded, but fear was in his eyes.

"C'mon brother, focus! I know you can do this!" Jesse called as he saw the distress on the man's face. "Think of how Spots and Ober are laughing their shebs off right now at what you're doing!"

"…" there was a pause in movement as Hardcase let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. The rest got scared that something big might happen, but instead, the fighter leveled itself.

"Got it! I got it!" Hardcase smiled, looking around. "It's easy! Just level your hands…" he slowly started to descend and landed, not too gracefully, but much better than other times.

"Everyone, the General is on his way here!" they heard Fixer call as he moved inside, looking quite panicked.

"…How are we supposed to clean up this mess?" the boys looked around and saw the disaster that was the hanger.

Rex had heard something was going on in the hanger, but refused to go. He figured Krell would pick up on it as well and try to see to it personally, so he had to wait.

"General!" he called, seeing the Jedi leave the tower, looking even grumpier than before.

"Captain," Pong didn't even stop as he stomped past the blonde, towards the hanger.

"Is something wrong?" he played innocent, glancing with worry at the building. His gut was twisting in all the wrong ways.

"Do you mean to tell you haven't heard the catastrophe going on in here!" the Jedi glared at the Captain, before opening the hanger doors and showing what was inside.

There were crates all over the hanger, some other fighters scattered on the ground. Some of the boys were trying to clean up, some were talking, Kix was checking some for injuries and Dogma looked like he might have a heart attack. As soon as they saw their superiors in the doorway, they tensed and stood at attention. Even Fives, though there was a flash of fear in his eyes as the two walked closer.

"What happened here?" the General demanded, folding his arms as the Captain's mind ran through ways he could explain this.

"As we said, sir," Hardcase stepped forward, Dogma standing near him to the left. "Security malfunction. It left a bit of a mess, but nothing we can't handle. Sir."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Krell frowned, glaring at the gathered men. "Why is that fighter completely fine then?" he pointed at the one Hardcase had landed previously.

"We started cleaning as soon as things got under control. That is simply the first ship we managed to set up, sir," Dogma spoke up, sounding as curt and proper as always, even looking past his superiors into a wall.

"Tell them to stop lying! They were trying to fly!" Pong turned to Rex, fire in his eyes and a finger pointed at the soldier.

"…For all I know, they are telling the truth," the Captain gave a small shrug, eyes glancing at the boys and seeing them give him winks and nods. "It's not unusual for things in this Battalion to… get out of hand."

"Pathetic! You think I don't what you are doing?" the Jedi turned, eyeing each soldier he could see.

"And what would we be doing, sir?" Jesse asked, barely keeping his cheeky smile in check. "After all, you forbade us from flying these fighters. We would never go against orders," he saw Rex giving him an angry look, for pulling a stunt like that.

"…All hangers will be on lockdown from now on," the General hissed and was about to turn around, when Rex spoke.

"Actually, sir, that isn't allowed," the slow turn Krell made, his head just glancing over his shoulder, made the men think he'd slice the Captain in half.

"What?" was the simple and annoyed question, laced with hatred.

"Protocol says that, during wartime in an enemy base, no doors must be locked. In case of an attack, soldiers must have room to maneuver, defend and retreat. That includes all hangers," most of the boys had to cover up their faces to stop the laugher at seeing the blonde's smirk as Pong started taking deep breathes.

"As our substitute General, you cannot change the protocols that simply. You'd likely need to ask the Council or Senate for permission. Sir," the last bit earned a small and mocking bow of the head.

"This is not over, clones! Mark my words, by the end of this campaign, all of you will be court marshaled and decommissioned!" was the Jedi's last threat before he turned around and stomped out of the hanger.

"Cannot wait…" Jesse muttered before the doors closed and all of the men let out sighs of relief. Dogma, Tup and Kix actually sat down, Hardcase started laughing, Jesse rubbed his face, Fives seemed to shake it off and Rex looked at all of them.

"That must have been the most reckless things you've done so far," the Captain just shook his head. "And that's saying something."

"Hey, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?" Hardcase grinned, the others giving him looks of amusement and disbelieve.

"…How did you know Krell didn't authorize the fighter flight?" that's been bugging the blonde since he heard Jesse say it. And looking at Fives, the ARC put his hands up in innocence, saying he didn't tell them.

"C'mon Captain, give us some credit! We're not as dumb as we look," Jesse laughed, while someone muttered something along the lines 'Not by much though.'

"We figured out Krell didn't agree and that you just… didn't want to tell us. Wanted to take the blame for yourself – as always," Kix had a knowing look in his eyes as the Captain sighed.

"Well then, I have to commend you. You managed to lie your way out of a very, very bad situation."

"Hah, it's mostly thanks to Dogma, actually," Fives spoke up, nodding at the said brother who smiled back. Heck, he even looked slightly embarrassed. "He made a pretty good lie."

"Better him than you – you can't lie for your life."

"Hey! I can!"

"Aha, sureeeee."

As the idiots started bickering to lighten the mood, Rex stepped closer to Dogma, putting a hand on his shoulder and feeling he was shaking.

"It's alright Dogma. You did good," he said quietly, as the rookie looked up at him.

"I was – I was just… so scared… But I – I couldn't let him hurt my brothers…"

"I know, I understand. You don't need to justify yourself to me, or any of us."

"C-Captain, can…" there was a pause, with the yells in the background turning to white noise. "Who are, the 112th?" he looked up, scared, but determine.

"…Krell's Battalion. We… don't have much contact with our brothers there, we just know it's bad…" Rex didn't have the heart to say more. Not yet.

"…We won't become the next 112th sir. I promise," Dogma has never sounded so sure and confidant in his life and it made the veteran smile.

"That's my promise to keep, rookie. Also, hasn't anyone ever told you not to eavesdrop on superiors having conversations?" the younger man looked in slight panic, until he saw the smile on the Captain's face.

"…Bad habit, I suppose…" Dogma admitted, giving a small chuckle.

"We all have those. Though, given how many times they've saved our lives, I don't think they can be considered 'bad' any longer."

"So, back to training?" Hardcase asked once the hanger was cleaned up. Others had come to help when word got out, and those keeping an eye out said that Krell was back at the tower.

"Yeah, but you all better be more careful. Krell is going to be paying attention and you have about six hours left," Rex said, seeing the gathered brothers.

"…Are you really planning on marching off?" Fives asked, staring at the Captain. There was concern in his eyes as others mirrored his look.

"We won't have much of a choice… But we'll be counting on you to take out that supply ship by then," Rex gave them a steady look, as the boys nodded.

"We won't let you down. Promise," Tup seemed slightly anxious, but his voice carried confidence.

"I know you won't," the Captain smiled, patting the rookie on the shoulder. "Just don't get yourselves killed out there, alright? That's an order!"

"Sir yes sir!" they saluted, smiling. This just might work. No, it will work. It has to. Everyone is depending on them. They have to do this, for everyone.

Krell was livid. He was growling silently as he walked up to the room he had picked and heard the slight cracking of metal and crates as the Force responded to his anger. He didn't come across any clones, and good for them. He would have killed them on the spot.

These clones were getting vastly out of hand. They've gone over and beyond what he thought possible of such creatures. His eyes narrowed as he added a mental note to take matters into his own hands, before they have a chance to do so.

"I underestimated them, I admit…" he said to himself, walking to the table. "But it's time I rectify that mistake." He saw there was a file waiting for him, from Lord Tyranus and smirked. Just what he needed. But it was actually a message from the Sith.

General Krell – the information you require cannot be transferred to Umbara. So, we are sending a way to access it all to you. It will arrive in a Republic transport ship with supplies. Be sure to receive it before any of the clones do.

The General was confused as to why this was an issues, but didn't want to ask. Instead, he checked when the Republic ship was due to arrive – a bit before the attack on the capital. Wonderful. For now, he'll simply have to deal with the clones on his own. Thinking about it, he actually frowned. He had hoped that fool – Dogma – would be following orders blindly. But apparently, he had chosen to stick with his brothers. And the ARC was still scared, he could sense it, but when his brothers were around, he wasn't as much. That is something to keep in mind.

Cut! *Sigh* This one was... well, I'm not sure - I feel like it gives you insight into what happens, but not much. You'll see for yourself if you're right in guessing how it turns out - some of it, anyway.