So, hey, guess who's still alive? Hah... I am... fully aware of how long it's been and I honestly can't and won't blame anyone if they've given up on this story by now. But life sometimes just, kicks you in the face and I had a lot to deal with, lost my motivation for writing anything for a while and well... ya know. General stuff.

But I got a few reviews for this story, some really heartwarming ones and I saw people still seemed to be interested in it and I myself, actually really liked it. So I figured I'd go for it again. See if there's still anyone out there who would read it. I hope I hadn't disappointed too many of you, but hey, I'm trying, right? xD

Either way, here's a new chapter for all you... amazing and incredible people who are still willing to give me a chance. You have no idea how much that means to me. So thank you, for all the previous support and for any and all incoming support as well. I love you all 3

As he hung there, arms growing numb, Rex tried to collect himself and think rationally for once. Tried to take in as much of this place as he could and formulate an actual plan that would help everyone. But he had to figure a few things out first. Like how to get out of this? Who even was still alive? Did anyone even know Krell had betrayed them? Who would come looking for him? Those questions spun all around his head, trying to figure it out. And during his musings, he heard footsteps – unfamiliar, and a language he didn't understand.

"Umbarans," he thought closed his eyes, letting his body go lax. Maybe they'd think he's asleep or something…

But nope, he felt a poke in his chest. And when at first he didn't react, another one and he slowly opened his eyes, only to be met with the helmeted face of an Umbaran soldier. They were talking… something, he couldn't understand. Another poke and he grunted.

"I can't understand," he muttered, followed by a sigh, before seeing the three soldiers share a look. And the one in front, who had been poking him with their weapon, taped something on their wrist communicator and spoke again.

"Better?" it was static and robotic, but he understood it.

"Maybe," he grumbled, clearly displeased. That earned him another, rougher poke.

"You are the Commander of this trope?"

"Captain."

They turned back among themselves, speaking quickly, before back to him. "Tell us your secrets."

At the request, Rex had to make a double-take. Did they seriously just… ask for them?

"No," he said because, at that moment, his mind couldn't come up with a better reply.

"Yes."

"No!"

Another shove of the weapon and he grunted weakly. "Tell us or we shall take it by force."

"Go right ahead you di'kute," he glared, bore his teeth and saw them share a look. If these bastards think he's just going to lay over and die, then they're seriously mistaken.

He was breathing hard as he hid where he could, away from the patrolling groups and spider tanks. And his mind was spinning. What he had seen… Umbarans taking his brothers and then Krell – the bastard! – helping them! He had no idea who was where, how many were alive, taken or managed got away. But he saw a few bodies still laying on the ground. He had gone to check each one, just in case, just hoping that maybe, maybe, one would have a pulse. None did. Kix was alone as he snuck across the airbase, questioning where to go next. Who to look for. He had tried to go back to the hanger, but it was barricaded and Umbarans were swarmed around it. The Tower maybe… Maybe he could get some communications there? Contact someone? Anyone!

"I need to find Rex," he whispered to himself, before wincing a little. Right… last he and the Captain had words, it didn't end well. And then a spike of fear. Where was Rex? Was he captured? Or dead? Were the last words between them a fight? He hoped not… Shaking his head, he took a deep breath, exhaled and repeated with a mantra: "Up the ladder, free fall down… Up the ladder, free fall down…" until he calmed himself. Deciding his best bet was the Tower, he started making his way there. Slow and steady, but he'd rather not be found and killed or captured. He just hoped his brothers could hold out a bit longer…

Entering the tent, they saw Reeve already waiting for them, perking up just a little. Jesse had to lean on Fives, but they seemed balanced enough that no one was too. worried.

"You came fast," Reeve said, giving a nod. Behind him, the two could see smaller, divided beds and medics moving all around. One of them, older than most they've seen here, was asleep in a chair, while another soldier carefully put a blanket on him.

"That's 9112," the Captain said when he saw the two staring. "He saved your friend."

"Remind us to thank him when he wakes up," Fives nodded gratefully, before looking over to the beds. "Where is he?"

"Follow me," the Captain motioned with his hand, nodded and started to walk. Slowly enough for the two to easily keep up, but with a purpose that had everyone seem to stay out of the way. He led them to the last bed and pulled at the screen keeping it private. And when he did, all three saw Hardcase, head heavily bandaged, sitting up on the bed, looking very lost.

"Hardcase!" Jesse was the first to react and the ARC barely had time to move with him to not lose their balance.

"Jess!" the trooper gave a wide grin. "Man, glad to see a familiar face! I have no idea what's happening? Where are we? No one told me anything!"

He didn't really get an answer before Jesse had his arms around him, holding him into a hug and only then did his shoulders lose some of the tension.

"You're alive… Oh, you're alive…" he breathed out, leaned out and laughed a little helplessly, checking him over. "And you remember me…"

"Of course I do! You're my brother!" Hardcase smiled before his eyes went to Fives, who was standing there a bit awkwardly. Looking at him closer, he needed a few seconds, but the hyper soldier slowly nodded: "Fives… I know you. Somehow."

"Hey, glad to see you're alive," the ARC nodded in relief and saw Reeve pull the screen back and leave, letting them have some privacy. "A lots happened."

"Clearly… I, don't remember much… And my head hurts…" Hardcase gently put a hand on his bandaged forehead, wincing a little.

"Yeah… You got hurt. Badly. We – We uh…" biting his lip, Jesse wasn't sure how to proceed.

"We'll, catch you up on it," Fives nodded, setting a hand on the bald soldier.

"Right… What's the last thing you remember?"

"Oh man…" the hyper soldier let out a breath, raking his brain to recall. "We were off a lot… Ashoka was lost for a bit, and then General Fisto needed some help…" it was clearly hard to remember for him, even as he focused.

"…Do you know where we are?" the ARC asked, carefully, a hand on his shoulder.

"No… I've never even seen these brothers before."

"…This is Umbara." Jesses swallowed before he spoke. "And we're in a camp with the 112th."

"Huh…" There was just a spark of recognition in the man's eyes before he shook his head. "D-Doesn't ring a bell…"

"What about General Pong Krell?" at that, the bald brother sent Fives a glare, but the way Hardcase's eyes widened, meant something.

"That name…" he actually shivered, putting his left hand across his chest and holding his right shoulder. Looking at the two, he was confused and scared and his next words were whispered: "I – I don't know why… but it scares me."

The two only shared a pained look, before turning back to their brother. Taking a deep breath, they decided to slowly try and explain the situation to him. If possible, they would skip the most brutal of things, but maybe… maybe they could jog his memories? One could hope…

There were screams and shouts all around her as the Umbarans' attack came. They were scattering, fearing what grouped together would do to them if those cannons fried. And when her lightsabres lit up, she felt fear in almost every single one of them. Only for a moment though, before panic and the usual hardness of their soldier ways took over. She covered them, even as Appo yelled for them to run and retreat. But even so, even though they tried so hard, brothers were falling. The enemy had the upper hand, they hadn't just run away from their one safe spot, with the knowledge that so many of their own were dead. And soon, they were surrounded.

The clones formed a circle around each other, as the enemy stopped the onslaught. They were cornering them, forcing them together into a group. With Ahsoka in the middle, her dual sabres at the ready, head-spinning, twitching to each one side, ready for anything. What no one was ready for, was that one of the Umbarans held their hand up, and stepped forward. Some blasters were aimed at them, but then they spoke in a robotic but understandable language.

"Surrender and you will not be terminated!"

"As if!" one yelled back, and they all didn't know what to do with this. Since when do they speak? Take prisoners? …back at the base. They were taking, if possible.

"Surrender!" the order came again, and weapons were aimed at their small group of remaining soldiers.

Everyone paused, held their breath. And then they turned to Tano and Appo as if asking. Questioning. The two shared a look, before nodding. And Ahsoka, with a bitter smile, said in a calm voice: "It has been… an honour, fighting alongside you all. My brothers."

The rest just nodded curtly, but she could sense them at peace almost… accepting this. They would not live as slaves – as captives. They would die on their feet, fighting, blasting and taking as many of them out as they could.

"For the 501st!" she screamed, one sabre raised.

"For the 501st!" the others yelled along and stood ready to face their enemy head-on.

Throwing all they could against the hanger door, they imagined it wouldn't be much longer. There were already Umbarans there, smacking and knocking against it. But so far, so good.

"Where do we take the wounded?" Fixer asked, looking around the place. They had decided to try and make a stand here, those who could. But for those who couldn't…

"I don't know…" Scar shook his head, taking breaths. He was anxious, no two ways about it.

"Can't we hide them?"

"Where?"

A pause as they shared pained looks. There were far too many wounded here to put up a proper fight. They'd only get themselves killed.

"Hey…" one of the less hurt soldiers, Vex, came up. "This is a hanger. We have fighters and weapons here…"

The trio looked at the ships still docked here and back to each other.

"Could be our one shot…" Fixer took a breath, a nervous smile on his lips.

"Yeah…" Scar actually laughed a little, shaking his head. "It's one way to go out fighting."

"How much time do you think we have?" they all knew what it'd mean – they would probably all die. But this way, maybe even those who were wounded and wanted to go out swinging could do something.

"Not much… Best tell them all now before-" Scar's words were cut short when there was a commotion by the hanger door.

"No, they couldn't have suddenly gotten in…" Fixer's eyes widened as the trio moved closer there.

The doors were creaking a bit, and then, moved. As if they were being shifted by some powerful force. Panic rose among them all and those able, readied themselves for the battle to come. More creaking from the door. Brothers moving and getting into hiding spots. It was opened a bit. Some standing by the door, just to be the clear target. A bit more. No one could see anything outside, the fog had set in and darkness was everywhere. Everyone held their breath, quiet and ready. Waiting. And then-

"General Krell?" one of the closest to the door asked aloud, unable to keep the disbelief from their voice. The sudden news made everyone pause and stop what they were doing.

"Hello, clones," Pong grinned as he saw them gathered. And behind him, Umbarans, pouring in, yelling and giving orders. "Be good soldiers and surrender." The first targets of the enemy were the wounded who were unable to hide well. "We wouldn't want unnecessary casualties now would we?" he smirked, seeing their horror and fear on the clones' faces.

Following the trail of bodies was… disturbing. There were so many. Cody was glad he hadn't taken any rookies with him – this would've been too much. It's almost too much even for the veterans who have all seen some shit.

"It's a massacre…" Jetstream whispered, swallowed as he carefully stepped over another body.

"I've heard of the casualties Krell has but this…" Boil shook his head, standing up from where he had kneeled down to check on a body.

"It's going to take a while before the 501st is back to what it was…" Waxer added, closing the eyes of one of the fallen brothers.

"They'll never really fully recover…" Cody spoke up, grim and distant. "From something like this? I don't think anyone ever recovers… not really."

They all knew he was right in some way. A grim reality, but their reality none the less. Things like this… they've all gone through similar. And they know what it did to them, how it changed them. This is no different.

"Let's find them before they lost any more," at the Commanders words, everyone nodded and picked up the pace. That is until Jetstream stopped.

"I'm picking up something…" he worked with the transmitter a bit more, before looking off towards a direction. "It's close… And big." And that's when they felt the ground shake. Not much, but still nearby. And in the distance, they could see faint flashes of light.

"…A battle is happening! Move!" Cody commanded them and they all broke into a run for the east. They weren't sure what was happening or what they would find, but they were ready for the worst. And when they neared, they saw the worst.

There were Umbarans all around, surrounding and firing at, what appeared to be, a small group of the 501st soldiers. And amongst them stood out a certain Padawan, her twin lightsabres slicing and blocking incoming enemies. And the 212th arrived just in time to hear the booming voice yell "Surrender!"

Stopping, Cody made everyone stay hidden. They had the element of surprise. Just a few more moments and they could help. And then they saw their brothers ready for the final fight. So before any of the two sides could make a strike, Cody shot first. That threw everyone into surprise and panic and more yells and shouts were along the battle. The Umbarans were confused, frantic and suddenly fearful, shooting even there where no enemies were in fear of being surrounded. And that, those few moments and distraction, allowed the 501st to make a break for it. They scattered mostly, best they could but grouped, with Cody's own group pulling back, leaving the Umbaran's confused and lost. Following protocol, they managed to run far enough away and hide amongst the plant life of this world. Waiting, watching… They could feel the ground shake with each movement of the tanks, could feel the electricity in the air of their cannons, saw the lights of the Umbarans. And they hid more, waiting. Holding their breath.

Ahsoka had gone on her own and could see some of the hiding spots her brothers had taken. And she knew some weren't as hidden as they thought. She only had a few seconds to decide, but decide she did – and then she activated her weapons and called out: "HEY light heads! Over here!" and took off. Nearly all the enemies gave chase, aware she is a Jedi and aware she is a threat. And she did her best to avoid incoming weapons, using the environment to her advantage as she danced and moved across it, leading them away from her people. This, she could do. Be a distraction, and let her men get to safety. She just hoped it was enough. There was a blast near her that threw her off and she landed and skid across the ground. Needed a moment, but she got back up and moved again. Grit her teeth through the pain and moved. She had to. After all of this, she wasn't going to let these bastards take more from her. Not if she had the ability to help. She would find them later. When they had a moment to catch their breath. Still had to thank Cody.

Having managed to get to the front of the Tower, Kix held his breath. Guards. Of course, there were patrolling guards… Kriff. Biting his lip, he moved back and back, trying to find a different angle. A new way to get inside. And as he moved, his eyes caught something. An Umbaran with a broken helmet was making their way into one of the bases. He couldn't tell off the top of his head what it was. But they seemed alone… Holding his breath, Kix moved closer, slowly, quietly. He got up to the door and peeked in. And what he saw, made him smile, just a little.

It was an armoury of sorts. But not just weapons. There were suits as well, as Umbaran's were at constant risk of getting it damaged. Ducking back out when he saw this one had done what they wanted, he waited until the coast was clear before moving in. Taking it all in, he nodded to himself.

"This will do…" and looked around quickly. He had to be fast. Not telling how much time he had. When the next person would walk in.

They watched as another two brothers were pulled out of the cells, forced to kneel and had those… bugs put into their collars. And both fell over, dead. Fear was getting to them and Tup had tried to cover his ears when they'd scream. Some of the older ones were cursing and trying to find ways out of this, to make them pay, calling and goading them. Nothing worked.

"Hey, hey," Dogma kneeled next to his friend when he winced as another brother died screaming. "W-We'll be okay."

"Will we?" Tup looked up, lost. "I – I don't mind dying. But – but not like that!" the way his voice broke and his eyes glassed a little broke Dogma's heart and he swallowed. What is he supposed to do? He never- nothing like this. Ever.

"What are they even trying to do…" his own voice was small and whispered.

"I don't think I want to know…" Jigsaw muttered, lead low, but watching the outside. His hands hurt from beating against the door.

And then another one was pulled out – an older one, Polo. He needed to be restrained, he was struggling so much, but they got him on his knees. He cursed and tried to fight them even as they readied the bug. And when it was put down, he screamed and yelled as everyone else. Except this time… he didn't stop. It only slowed, going from screams to grunts and huffs. He was panting hard, leaned over, shaking. But those near him saw. His eyes. The pupils had dilated, strongly and he was still, except for the slight rising of his chest. He was staring off into nothing, not even really reacting.

The Umbarans instantly started muttering to themselves, quickly and harshly, but they seemed… pleased. Apparently whatever they wanted to have happened, happened. And then one ran out, and everyone knew he had gone to inform Krell. But what worried most, was what had happened to Polo. What had they done to him?

"Polo? Hey man, wake up! Are you okay?" one of the ones right in front of him called, worry clear in his face. And Polo finally looked up, even if his gaze was still distant and away.

"Good soldiers… follow orders…"

Cut! (Ha, had to look up how I usually ended it to be honest xD) I'll admit, not my finest, but I'm also jut getting back into it. Not as long as I'd have liked it but I clearly need to work on my stamina again. Despite everything, thank you all who decided to read and pick this up again! Really! And I hope you enjoyed the story! Let me know what yo thought (of the story and my long ass absence, feel free to scream and all that) and I hope to see you all for the next one?

Till next time, stay awesome and take care!