Hey, hey, people! Sorry for the delay - stuff happened and I was busy ^^" Hope none of you died from stress in between!
This one... might not be much better than the last, but next one will kinda, take the stress off? Maybe? I don't know. Also, note since there's A LOT of reviews, I'm going from oldest to newest so y'all will be able to find your own faster

Guest: Hah, yeah, true - and I regret nothing!

YetAnotherGuest: Correct on all counts! Glad you liked it! =D

Andrew; Heh, thanks and I'm proud of how my English is but yeah, always room to improve. And that's nice that you have a fanfic club! I kinda wish we had one

Guest: *laughing on the floor* I am so sorry, I just- I can't even xD Good god, the reactions really are some of the best this time around xD

Lady K Guest: Hah, glad you liked it! And we'll have to wait a bit longer to see what happens =P

Oceanera12: Oh, I should feel so bad, but I can only laugh - I'm sorry xD (and that I apparently kept you in a state of panic for so long)

Guest: Heh, sorry for that yeah - hope it wasn't too bad!

turbolesbian3000: Seems like everyone is xD

DeathGoddesses: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

OakyTheOaktree: Glad to hear it! Hope you like this one as well! =D

Oh, mates, reading all of these was so much fun! I can't even- Thank you all! I really hope you keep enjoying the story!
Read, review and enjoy~

Chapter 10

Cold. He felt cold. And… fear. Horror. Terror. Disgust. Anger, hate, disbelieve, numbness. It was everywhere but nowhere at the same time. He couldn't breathe. He was choking on nothing and all he could see was someone kneeling next to a box. He tried calling out, but his voice was gone. He tried to move, but his movement was slow and sloppy. What was this?

"You have seen too much." He knew that voice. He knew it and he hated it.

"Why?" he couldn't see, but he knew who spoke. Which brother. And it felt like he was shaken to the bone.

"Someone like you would never understand." Then it all happened in a blur – everything seemed shrouded in mist as the only thing he could distinguish was the blue and green color of a lightsaber.

And just like that, it ended. Darkness again. Still couldn't speak, but he felt… something. A sensation. He couldn't place it, but before he knew it, a bright light blinded him. He saw the Umbaran supply ship explode in beautiful colors, and saw he was floating in space as fighters fought left a right. And then, he saw three Umbaran ships descending with high speed, one leaving a trail of smoke.

Next thing he knew, he was falling. The world was passing him by quicker than he could fathom and he could see the ground closing in. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact that never came. He waited a second before daring to open his eyes, and saw the airbase being attack and overrun with Umbarans are brothers died left and right. The sound of lightsabers drew his attention as he saw red clashing with green and yellow.

"You will not harm them!"
"And who is going to stop me? You?"

He knew both of who spoke, but he still couldn't do anything. Just as he turned, he saw one of those spider tanks taking aim. His eyes opened wide, reflecting the turquoise color of death, before it fired and he took in a choked breath of air, gasping and choking on it as he shook on something hard and flat.

As he lapsed on whatever surface he lay, he couldn't see. His breathing was harsh, ragged and he still choked on it a bit as he fumbled in the darkness.

"He woke up!" he heard someone call and froze because that was a clone. But not like one he's heard before.

"About time… I thought we were going to lose him," he was panicking as the voices came closer. The dreams, vision – whatever he saw – was blurring with his memories and he couldn't remember what was real anymore.

"Hey, hey, easy there ARC! You're no in condition to be moving!" he felt arms on his shoulders forcibly setting him back down.

"W-Wh-?" he could hardly even open his mouth, let alone form words.

"You're safe right now, but badly injured. You need to be still and rest."

"Hey, I heard he woke up? Oh man…" a new voice came and quickly turned into a whisper. "An ARC? Are you serious?"

"Why don't you grab a stimpack? And some water."

"R-Right away!"

"…I can understand where he's coming from… I never thought we'd see the day when we'd meet a 501st soldier, let alone an ARC."

He was still fumbling with everything going on, before hearing the third brother coming back. He was given the stimpack, which calmed him some and the water allowed him to breath, catch his breath and speak.

"W-Why can't I see?" he asked, unable to really feel much yet or even sit up.

"Bandages – you got burned in your crash," the second one – who he assumed was the medic around here – said.

"Crash… Crash! T-There were two others!" another wave of panic came over him as adrenalin allowed his body to move.

"Neither of you is dying – not today. Your brothers would want you to live, remember? And you can't do that to Kix. So get a grip and help me!"
"…Right."

"…Thank you."

"Let's hope Kix doesn't murder us for this stunt."

He used his hands to find the edge of whatever he was lying on, but he was too weak and his arm gave up on him. He lost his balance and tumbled down, falling face-first into the ground and hearing the panicked calls of those around him.

"I – I need to- They can't- Not again!" he wasn't even thinking as he gripped the dirt, ready to crawl to where his brothers were.

"Hey! Cut it out!" strong arms gripped his shoulders and set him back down on the thing he was before. "Your brothers are alive!"

That simple sentence, said with assurance, made him stop struggling and repeat it in his head. They're alive. They're alive!

"But they're in just as bad, or worse, shape than you," and the little hope he managed to cling to was ripped out of his hands as his body felt cold again.

"Hey, you look tired… Get some rest," that wasn't directed at him anymore, but he still found himself listening to it.

"…Yeah, might as well while I can right? Who knows when he'll be back…" the medic sighed and sounded as tired as Kix. Kix…

"I can watch him, no problem!" the one who brought him water sounded young but… broken. He couldn't place it…

"You sure? Wouldn't want you going all fanboy on him," some humor, but it felt forced. Like they've seen it done before and are trying to replicate it now.

"Won't, promise!"

There was some more shuffling and talking before the older two left, and the younger one let out a deep breath. He had a sudden urge to try and cheer the boy up, but he couldn't even speak properly.

"Hey," the kid whispered, sounding nervous. "Is… Is it true? That you have a name?" the question sent chills up his spine as he could hardly comprehend it. What was-?

"Can… Can I know it? We… don't have names here…" his heart was beating so fast he thought it might break through his chest. No, not here. Not with these-

"I've always wanted one but…" a pause, everything was still. "We're not allowed."

"…Fives," his voice was low and weak, shaking even as he tried to keep the emotions in check. "My name… is Fives."

"A number? Haha, kinda ironic… Mine is a number – 5352, of the 112th Battalion."

"You're Krell's men…"

"That should be the last the of them," Broadside sad as he finished a lap around the battle zone. "You boys clear?"

"Found some stragglers on the edge but took care of them. All clear now," Killer chimed in, sweeping above the others.

"None got away on our end – all clear," Fiddle added as he and Hopper joined them.

"Any news on the Commander?" Skydive asked as he flew closer.

"She hasn't checked in – maybe their coms are still down?" Eagle suggested.

"They are," Cody cut in. "We haven't been able to establish a link," there was short break between the chatter before he spoke again: "We're done here for now, return to your hangers."

"Yes sir!" the pilots started coming in, checking off and doing casualty counts. Fewer than they expected, more than they'd like. Still, they took satisfaction in the ruined and destroyed ships floating around.

"How are the men?" Obi-Wan asked, stepping next to the Commander.

"Tired, but managing. This battle… it took a lot out of them. They've been in battle since we started," Cody said with a sigh, rubbing his face. "They deserve a break."

"And they'll get it. We've taken this field – we will be able to assist those on the ground and take the capital."

"Sirs! Incoming fighters!" the yell of Algo made them both turn to look out the window and saw more Hyena Bombers and Umbaran Fighters coming their way.

"Everyone – battle positions! It's not over yet!"

"There's too many of them!"

"Where did they even come from?"

"Watch your flank Jumper!"

"I can't get around them!"

"We need more fighters in here!"

"I'm hit!"

Cody and Kenobi could only watch in horror and disbelief as soldiers got shot down and destroyed before their very eyes. These reinforcements were fresh, ready and rested, while their men were already exhausted. There was no chance.

"Damn it! We don't have enough manpower for this!" the Commander cursed and turned, ready to leave the bridge and join the fight.

"Cody, wait!" Kenobi called and made the soldier stop. "Rushing in will not accomplish anything. We need to think about this."

"What do we do then?" Cody was barley keeping his cool as he turned back around.

"Can you tell where they came from?" the General turned to the tech experts.

"Scans show they arrived from… General Tiin and Krell's sectors…" Algo's voice dropped a bit as he read the scans. "All of them."

"They're focusing on this point? Why?" Obi-Wan didn't understand as he rubbed his beard.

"We may make it yet – if we wait for the others to come here as well, we'll be able to take them all out," the Commander spoke, feeling a bit of hope now.

"Indeed, but we must hold. I'll join the battle – Cody, you coordinate from here."

"…Understood."

"You're Krell's men…" as soon as the words left his mouth, Fives felt cold. Of all the people to run into, it had to be them.

"Yeah," the boy said weakly, nervously even. "But he's not here right now… W-We don't know where he went, but thank whoever… We can actually breathe now."

"…" the ARC didn't want to say that the 501st got stuck with Pong instead of them. He just cursed in his head that that bastard was even allowed to be a General.

"Do you think I can take off the bandages?" he asked instead, hating how he couldn't see anything right now. And the fact he had no real idea what happened to Jesse or Hardcase didn't ease him at all.

"Probably not… You got burned bad. I'm surprised all of you even made it."

"Burned bad? How bad? I can't feel my kriffing face…" the older man mused to himself, biting his lip in frustration.

"Where are the other two?" he asked instead, needing something to keep his mind off things he really didn't want to think about.

"Well, the one with the Republic tattoo is in the tent across you, still out cold, with a few broken bones. The other one, with all the face tattoos is probably still getting surgery."

"Surgery?" the word was low, quiet and weak, almost a whimper.

"Yeah… he – he was bad. I'm still not sure if he'll make it through… 9112 is our best medic and he's working on your friend right now but still…"

"Damn it… Damn it all!" Fives couldn't control himself as he yelled, feeling something wet across his bandages. Crying. He was crying…

"Is this the first time you've lost a brother?" 5352 asked, and the ARC could feel him shift next to a chair or something.

"No," the answer came almost unbidden as Fives let out a shuddered breath. He could clearly relive Echo's death like this, staring at the darkness.

The kid seemed to go silent, before he yelled: "4334!"

The 501st soldier winced, feeling sick that these men referred to themselves by their numbers. It was wrong on so many levels.

"What?" a new brother arrived and even if Fives couldn't see him, he knew he was staring.

"Is the Captain up yet? The ARC woke up."

"I'll go check. He's been asleep for almost five hours now."

"Thanks!"

The other man left and the rookie seemed a bit more excited now. "Hey, I'm gonna go get a medic and see if they can take those bandages off. Don't go anywhere!"

Before he could even say anything back, the ARC heard the running of boots and let out a tired sigh, leaning his head back on the medical table he was probably on. Things were still crazy and he isn't sure what's going on, but he knows he's somewhat safe here.

He felt hands on his chest and jerked awake. When did he fall asleep?

"Easy there," that wasn't the same medic as before – this one was older, more tired and clearly more experienced. "I was told your name was Fives?"

"Y-Yeah," came the weak answer as he felt the man checking his vitals.

"Okay, good, your healing better than the others… You came out the least wounded, but I can't say it's pretty."

"Can I finally take off the bandages?" there was some fear and worry in his voice.

"Hmm… I think so. But you probably shouldn't go slamming your head into things," for once, the humor didn't seem forced, but it clearly wasn't meant as a joke.

"Right…" Fives gave a weak nod as he felt hands around his head.

"Might take a minute…" they came off slowly and a bit painfully, but Fives ignored it. When his eyes were met with light, he winced and closed them, it being too bright.

"Sorry, guess I should've warned you about that…"

He tried a few times before finally being able to see. His eyes burned a bit and his head hurt, but he could see and that was all he needed at the moment. And then, for a few seconds, he wished he couldn't.

There were three clones standing next to him, one younger, one wearing the medic mark and the third wearing a kama and a pauldron. The medic and Captain had some marks of a deep brown color on their armor, while the kid didn't have anything. But what got him, were the eyes. They were tired, dead and almost empty – especially the kid's. He's seen those eyes in the mirror or when looking at Rex, but it's strange seeing someone like that with eyes such as those…

"You must be Fives," the Captain spoke, clearly checking the ARC over. "I'm Captain Reeve."

"…You have a name?" that was the first thought that came to Fives as he stared at the man. But, he's heard none of them have it?

"…Yeah, one of the few. It would look strange of Krell called me by my number while others were present."

There was a pause as Reeve seemed to stare at Fives, his eyes going to his forehead with something like pity in his eyes.

"Why don't you two grab some food. I'll talk with our distant brother here," the Captain turned to his men, giving a small nod.

"Right…" the other two said slowly, eyes still on the ARC. It was then that Fives saw they seemed to be… admiring him? He wasn't sure.

"…They look up to you. All of you," Reeve said when the two were gone. "I guess we all do…" he added more quietly.

"…" he wasn't sure what to say. What can he say? He never expected to come across the 112th and now he was sitting in their makeshift medical wing. But before he could say anything, yells and shouts were heard from a tent across them.

"Well, the one with the Republic tattoo is in the tent across you, still out cold, with a few broken bones." He recalled what the kid said and instantly opened his eyes wide.

"JESSE!" the yell was ripped out of his throat as he nearly fell over from where he managed to sit up.

"Hey, hey, can you hear me?"

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to see if he conscious yet."

"Stop that! When he comes to, we'll know."

His head was pounding and he couldn't really feel his body, so this argument going on around him didn't help him at all. A groan escaped him as he tried to sit up, only to find himself unable to move his legs.

"Oh, he's awake," the two suddenly had their attention on him.

He finally managed to open his eyes and grunted at the sudden light. He saw brothers looking down at him, but unlike any he's seen before. Even their color, a dark brown, was one he hasn't come across.

"W-Where am I?!" he nearly yelled, looking around the small tent quickly. His breathing was still rapid as he tried to move again, but his body wouldn't listen.

"Hey, don't try to move yet!" the medic – judging by the mark on his shoulder – said and tried to keep him lying down.

"I – I need to! I can't-!"

"If you try to move, you won't be able to walk again!"

Everything stopped. He couldn't breathe, didn't hear any of the other two speak anymore and he could have sworn his heart stopped beating. Can't walk anymore? No, no he – he can't! That means he'll get decommissioned! A crippled soldier is a dead one.

"AGHH!" the scream came without his prompting and it scared him. He was shivering and shaking, trying to get oxygen in his lungs.

"He's having an attack – get the stipmacks!"

"Crap! On it!"

He was struggling against the one holding him down, still yelling and screaming something, he didn't even know what. But he felt a prickle on his neck and managed to breathe normally again, nearly losing consciousness again.

"Okay, we got him… And I don't think he moved too much. We should-"

"JESSE!"

All three, two more able than the third, managed to look out the entrance to the tent and saw more brothers coming. One was barely walking, so he was assisted by their Captain.

"Jess!" the ARC by the looks of him called, shaking as he tried to move closer faster.

"…" Jesse blinked up at him, head still fuzzy but there was something else…

"Fives? That… you?" he managed to ask weakly, as Fives finally arrived close enough.

"Y-yeah, it's me, we made it…" the ARC was giving a weak and broken smile as they got him a crate to sit on.

"What… What happened to your face?" Jesse couldn't stop staring at him. It was… wrong.

"What do you mean?" Fives asked in a weak chuckle, a nervous smile on his face. He couldn't really feel his face, true, but why-

"Your… tattoo. It' gone."

Fives sat frozen, staring at his friend, before looking up at the 112th men. Reeve had his eyes closed and shook his head, the others just ignoring looking at him. In a moment, the ARC was looking for some surface which would reflect his face, and the new medic offered him a small mirror.

"No… No!" Fives gritted his teeth and had to force himself not to cry as he saw the burned and scarred tissue on his forehead. His 5 tattoo was gone completely, replaced by scars and burns, as well as his hair and a portion of his cheek.

"…I need to know now," Reeve gently took the mirror from his hands. "Why you three were flying Umbaran fighters and how come you crashed?"

Cut! Heh, this was fun! And, as far as I know, no one has done Krell's men, so they all kinda, belong to me? I got some headcannons for them on my blog (brothers-all) and you can find them under the "112th" tag - feel free to check them out! If any of you have questions, do ask here, or my tumblr blogs! I'll be happy to answer! =D
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and if you did, do review! I love to hear your thoughts!
Till next time~