FYI- The cover photo is not mine it is by .com

Fifty feet of scaffolding. That's all Rex could think about as he climbed. He wasn't sure how they'd gotten into the mess they were in. One moment they were chasing a commando droid, the next he was following Cody up this janky thing. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he knew he'd need a medic and some tweezers with all the iron shards sinking through the palm of his glove. This was a training mission, but Fett said catch the droid, so here they were.

"Rex'ika! Let's go!"

Rex rolled his eyes, chasing Cody up the side of the scaffold. Bly was close behind him, Rex could feel the vibration of his feet on the rungs, but didn't dare look down.

"Ke'pare!" Jango's warning echoed from the ground, his blaster firing on clankers beneath them. The three men paused, the wind whipping by them and shifting the beams beneath Rex's shaking hands.

The commando droid appeared above them, aiming his rifle at Cody's helmet. Rex gasped, trying to think, his peripheral vision aware that Cody was trying to maneuver around the scaffolding to get beneath the droid. When he realized it was too time consuming, Cody fired, but their position to the droids was no contest. A metal overhand before the platform the droid was sitting on ensured the clanker's safety.

Rex fired his blaster, trying to distract the droid. The droid fired on Cody, missing his head and hitting his shoulder. Cody cried out, his blaster tumbling to the battle below. The droid quickly fired on his other shoulder, and Cody lost his grip. Rex grabbed Cody's hand, the man's weight nearly pulling Rex free of the beam, it groaning beneath him. He felt his shoulder pop, and Cody cried out in pain.

The droid readied another shot, and Cody shook his head.

"Let me go, Rex'ika!" He called, "it's alright!"

"No!" Rex replied, twirling his feet around the beam to secure himself. "I'll never let you go!"

He released the scaffolding, hanging from the beam by his knees, the blood already rushing to his head. He aimed his pistol at the commando droid, who took a shot at Rex's knee. He grunted, a piece of plastoid flying into his face. But the way he secured himself with his feet, he wouldn't fall even as a dead man.

Another droid was firing on bly from the ledge, and Rex fired, sending it's blaster barreling toward the ground. Fett was engaged in his own battle, surrounded by commandos. While it was distracted by its falling comrade, Rex fired on the aggressor directly above them, sending him in pieces towards the ground. Bly climbed up to meet them, trying to help Cody get his hands on the scaffolding.

"Kriff Cody, you need to stretch more." Bly chuckled, trying to maneuver him around to face the bar. Before Rex could retort, a knife was at his neck, the commando pulling him away.

"Fire and he dies." It cooed monotonously. Cody's hand was still in his, but Bly had his other hand, and a jetpack.

Rex looked to Bly, and he bobbed his head in understanding. It was good enough for Rex, and he let go of Cody. But Cody grabbed his wrist.

"Don't."

Rex punched Cody in the face, sending him and Bly both careening toward the ground. Bly's jetpack ignited, however, and they landed, aiming their blasters up at the commando. But the commando pulled Rex away from their fire, beneath the scaffolding. The beam creaked, and Rex looked up. The screw was letting go of its hold, stripped and rusted. Rex threw his weight into the beam, sending it soaring out over the ground where his comrades stood, little more than figures so far below. The commando droid fell toward them, shattering on impact. Rex held onto the swinging beam, his fingers cramped and straining. But the other end of the beam had different plans, breaking free and sending Rex toward the ground after the droid.

When Rex was younger, the physical age of 14, he'd begun asking questions. Their culture classes had only touched on society; employment, expectations, family, relationships. But he wanted to know more, and importantly, he wanted to know why. In hindsight, he was surprised Jango didn't strangle him. "Why do people get married? Why do people have wars? How do fights start? How is falling in love different than friendship? What happens after we train? After war? After dying?"

He knew now that Jango didn't have the answers to nearly all of those questions. Rex knew now that Jango and the others who helped train them were told not to indulge in fantasy with the boys- that in reality a vast majority of them would die, and encouraging otherwise was bordering on cruelty.

But he did answer a few.

Rex remembered it well. It was after a training session, and the others had gone and Rex had stayed to help clean as was his chore for that week.

"Jango, we talked about marriage, school, families… when do we get to go out and do those things?"

Jango had sighed, setting down his blasters.

"Rex, I don't know. When the war is over perhaps. But even then, I'm not sure."

"When the war is over, why would they keep us?"

"I don't know. I don't think anyone knows the answers to those questions just yet. Everything is very new and strange, the war, the clones…" he'd put his hands on rex's shoulders, still struggling with the question. "Rex, you have love here, with your brothers. You don't have to worry about finding a place to sleep or something to eat, you're taken care of and you're protecting innocent people at the same time. There's little more anyone could ask for. There will come a time where you're out in the world on your own, but for now, enjoy the security you have here, hmm?"

Whenever Rex let his mind wander to what could be, what he was missing out on, he thought of that. In the game of life, he had a lot of boxes checked. If he could keep himself from getting killed, he could live his life smooth sailing and retire. Right?

Waking up in the med bay, he wasn't so sure. His vision was blurry, and the bright sterile white of the room made it even worse, his eyes trying to adjust. But through the fog he could see machines and droids buzzing and beeping around him, all kinds of tubes and things sticking out of him. His leg was wrapped in heavy bandages soaked in blood, but he couldn't feel any of it. Everything felt like it was wrapped in bandages; his arms, his chest, even his mouth felt lax and fuzzy, like something was restricting him. He tried to move, but a sharp pain squeezed the base of his spine, making him moan.

The droid lit up, and before long a healer was before him. Through the fog he could tell she was human, but not much else.

"Rex? It's ok. Don't struggle, you're badly wounded, but you're going to be ok." Rex tried to speak, but his mouth wasn't forming what he wanted, like the road from his mind to the rest of his body was broken.

"Rest. You're okay."

Rex woke periodically, for certain treatments or for people speaking. He woke once in the dark to another medic, this time a male.

"You're wasting time and resources on this clone. He won't live, and even if he does, he won't be the same. Look at his knee-"

"I didn't ask for your advice, thank you." He heard the woman's voice bark, before a cold rushed through his neck, another stim.

When he woke next his head was clear, but along with it came strong, pulsating pain in his ribs, his legs. He groaned, trying to bring his hand to his head, but the tubes and wires stopped him. "Kriff" he murmured, and a laugh bubbled from beside the bed. The woman leaned over the rail, adjusting a tube in his arm.

He reddened, "I'm sorry." He murmured, his throat raw and hoarse.

"Don't apologize. It's nice to see you awake."

"How long have I been out?"

"About a week," she said, sitting on the end of his bed with a small smile.

"Cody, Bly-"

"Are both fine and have come by every day." She said gesturing to the table of sweets.

"I'm your medic, Kaleera." She introduced.

"Kaleera," he repeated, the dark brown of her eyes warm.

"Whats happened?"

"You've broken a few ribs, dislocated your shoulder, and twisted your knee up fairly badly. Your face is fairly banged up but you'll be fine."

Rex looked down at his knee, black and blue peaking out from beneath the brace. Panic settled low in his chest.

"Will I be able to go back?"

She leaned forward, adjusting a wire behind his head. "I think so. It certainly looks that way."

He looked over at her, watching the monitors by his head. "A bacta tank-"

"You were having a very hard time breathing in the tank, so we pulled you out. Your lungs are delicate at the moment so we didn't want to chance it."

"What will happen if I have permanent damage or something-"

She stood before him, her hand over his own, adjusting the various needles and monitors.

"Rex, you'll be back on the field. Whatever comes of all this, we'll figure it out, ok?"

He nodded, the warmth of her hand on his making him redden.

"Try to take it one day at a time."

Thanks so much for reading! Please review