NOTE- THIS CHAPTER HAS GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE AND TORTURE

Kaleera joined the 501st for many missions. She stayed behind the line, if she was on the ground at all, and Rex's concerns were pacified. Even if the line did break, Rex could make it back to them in time. It seemed that Kix's concerns were also smoothed, he was able to be by her side. Kix had a strange love for Kaleera, different from arguably all the other clones.

She was like his mother.

Once young clones had finished their basic training, they diverted to a concentration. Those who diverted to medic were given to the medical team on Kamino to train. Kaleera cared for all the young clones, including the youngster, Ash, Rex had met during his time in the Kamino med bay. It was the best training for them- on Kamino there were minor injuries from training, and also those far more severe that were sent back to Kamino for the best possible care. Therefore, all the cadets learned a variety of skills.

Kix saw Kaleera as some sort of god. She'd taken him under her wing, seeing his potential, and pushed him to go far above and beyond any standard cadet could on his own. She believed in him, and for that, Kix would always admire her. There were others of course; it took an entire team to train the cadets, but Kix had fixated his gratitude on her. If there was anyone else Rex could depend on to protect her, it was him.

"Gentlemen," Anakin now called to the group, the desert behind them whipping up sand into their faces. There were only ten of them assigned to this stealth mission. They were to rescue three clones being held by a local village that aligned with the Separatists. The problem was that the clones had vital information, and they were being tortured, as proven by the holo that was taken by a clone who had managed to keep his comm on him, before he was discovered and it was destroyed. These clones were trained as well as any in resisting torture, but the council decided that the info was too critical to be left to chance. Anakin would continue the fight on the front lines to keep the separatists' troops there, and they would sneak behind.

"Rescue them, do everything you can to do so. But worst case, they cannot be allowed to live if they are in the hands of the separatists."

Rex shivered. Kill his own men?

"Doctor Kaleera will be joining you on your mission, so be aware of your surroundings. She'd be a critical loss to the 501st." Anakin said and gestured to her.

Rex stiffened. Why Kaleera and not Kix?

"Thank you," She said to Anakin. She was in clone armor, her helmet on her hip.

"I wanted to talk to you all about what we're going to see."

The silence was deafening.

"I'm aware none of you are new to death and pain, especially amongst your own, but this will be different. These men will not be dead. There are very high odds they will be mutilated, burned, and in horrific pain, both physically and mentally. For this reason, General Skywalker and I have opted to fill as many positions with non-clone troopers as possible. You all see enough horror, we can take some of the brunt of it. Beside myself, we have captain Dobbs and Commander Rayn among us as well. The three of us will take care of the hostages, the rest of you are needed to neutralize the separatists, and cover us while we work. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!" They echoed, and she put her helmet on. They were riding two to a speeder, three of the five speeders with stretcher attachments on the back.

She climbed on the back of Jesse's speeder, him starting the engine and taking off. Two speeders were in front of Kaleera and Jesse's speeder, one beside, and Rex in back, Fives behind him. Those behind had their blasters drawn, scanning for droids.

Rex was staring at Kaleera's back in shock. His heart was pounding over the chatter of Fives in his ear. Faces, blood, screaming, his mind applied it to her, imaging her being shot down before his eyes, her blood stained on his armor, his skin. Her eyes frozen open in death. He gripped the speeder handles, trying to focus. It would be come reality if he didn't pay attention, didn't protect her. He swallowed.

"Rex." Fives murmured in his ear. "You good?"

"Affirmative." Rex murmured, accelerating.

They approached the village, rectangular metal containers in the field, in the beating sun. Rex already felt nausea rising, grateful for Captain Dobbs and Commander Rayn. They all got off their speeders, blasters raised and scanning for danger, a trap, a sniper.

Shots rang out from a mixture of droids and a species unfamiliar to Rex, tall, black and gray reptilian species with white fur on their faces. Dobbs, Rayn, and Kaleera made their way to one of the containers, plasma sawing it open.

They neutralized a vast majority of the separatists before Dobbs and Rayn carried the first clone out of the container. He was naked, bruised and covered in blood. Both of his eyes were swollen shut, moaning.

One of the clones cried out at the sight of him, and Rex grabbed his shoulder, turning him away.

"Focus so we can save them."

The clone nodded shakily, firing at the seps.

All of the separatists were neutralized before they got to the second container with the second prisoner in it. The clones sat in the field away from the speeders, watching in horror.

They carried out the second, one of his legs held on by a few tendons and no more. Most of his fingers were missing, and he was beaten badly. The men carried him over to the second stretcher laid out beside the first, Kaleera between the two. She was working frantically, her helmet beside her. They opened the third, backing up.

"Uh, Doc?"

She looked over, "yes?"

"Can you come see this?"

"I'll be right back," she said to the clones quietly, running over. Rex was cleaning his blaster, trying not to look.

"Close it up. There's nothing we can do now, we need to focus our energy on the living."

Rex made the mistake of looking over. A dozen clones bodies were stacked within. The rest of the company.

The men were watching Rex for a reaction. He had none. He wanted to bury them, but his men had to come first, and from what they'd seen so far, he'd do nothing but traumatize them by making them do so. He imagined that was Kaleera's thought as well.

She walked around the container and over to the men. "Can you make a perimeter?"

Rex nodded, barking orders as he looked over to the hostages. Dobbs and Rayn carried over the last of them, their captain. One leg, one arm, both hanging by a tendon, the side of his head was all caked blood, slashed and bruises down his body. How he was alive, Rex didn't know. The captain. If Rex had vital information, that would be him, looking like that to protect his men, men he didn't know were already dead.

Rex approached Kaleera, the appearances of the hostages already weighing on his mind. They smelled of dead bodies, shaking, and thin as a human could possibly be.

"Yes?" She asked softly, her voice not giving away any of the haste of her movements.

"Can I help? Please?"

She looked up at him. "Are you sure?"

He nodded.

She pointed to the captain, "Water, if he can get it down, and a sheet over him so he doesn't burn in this damn sunlight." She said, irritated.

He knelt beside the captain, draping the sheet over his destroyed body. His eyes were swollen shut, and he was panting rapidly.

"My name's Rex," he said awkwardly, "I'm helping the doctor."

The captain turned his head slightly. "My men-"

Rex looked to Kaleera and she shook her head. "We're looking, Captain, don't worry about them, lets focus on you. Rex is going to help you drink some water." She called.

The captain swallowed, "alright."

Rex put his hand behind his head, helping him sit up enough to drink from the canteen. He was excruciatingly slow, Rex's forearm cramping, but he drank most of it, lying back. Rex looked over at Kaleera. She had all sorts of tubes sticking out of the other two already, seemingly unconscious. She crawled over to them, her hand on the captain's chest.

"What's your name, Captain?" She asked gently, moving the sheet to take in the extensivity of his injuries.

"Ry."

"Ry, she repeated, digging through her box of various instruments, "I'm Doctor Kaleera, I'm going to take care of you, so you just rest, you deserve it."

"Doctor, I can't rest, my men-"

Rex's heart ached.

"Ry, you can rest knowing that you've done everything you could to protect them. The rest is out of your hands. I will let you know about your men as soon as I can, ok?"

He nodded, and she stuck a needle in his arm. He grunted, and she put her hand on his chest.

"I know, this one is going to help, though," she promised, pushing some liquid from the syringe into his veins.

"You're going to be ok," she said softly.

"They'll terminate me, if that's not what you're doing right now."

She closed her eyes. "I'm not giving up on you and neither should you. They won't terminate you, I promise."

Rex remembered hearing her say the same thing to him, with far less extensive injuries.

"Sergeant Jay is right beside you, Captain, sleeping, but beside you."

He took a shallow breath, "Thank you."

She stood, adding a few other tubes of liquid into his IV before he fell asleep.

"We need to get back to the ship. They need everything we have."

"They will terminate them."

She shook her head, "Haven't lost one yet."

Kaleera walked over to Dobbs, seeing if they'd found any other survivors, and Rex looked back at Captain Ry. How lucky Rex had been.

A droid appeared from behind one of the containers, taking Dobbs and another taking Rayn. Two of the reptile creatures popped out, grabbing one of the clones. Another rounded the corner grabbing Kaleera by the hair and holding the blaster to her head. The others stood, drawing their blasters.

"Release them! You're outnumbered!" Rex shouted, his heart pounding, blood rushing in his ears. "Now!"

The reptile smiled, "For the clones you stole from us."

"No," Rex said, looking back at Ry. He couldn't.

They cannot be allowed to live if they are in the hands of the separatists. Rex wouldn't let these men suffer anymore.

"Its ok, Captain," Ry sputtered. "Swap us."

Kaleera shook her head. "Rex, listen to me…"

He shook his head, he knew that tone. "I'm not leaving you here!" He shouted.

"I'm not gonna make it anyway!" Ry argued.

The reptile shot Dobbs in the head, tossing him aside. "I'll shoot them all."

Rex shook his head, blocking out Ry and Kaleera's calls. He had to think.

He looked to Fives, and Jesse "Vod."

They looked over.

"Pirunir sur'haaise*."

They nodded and there was an unspoken count to three.

Shots rang out.

It was a clear shot to the droids eye mechanism, and in his mind it would free Kaleera and he'd hopefully take down the droids and reptiles before him quickly. It worked, Rayn and the clone were freed before the seps could react. But the reptile didn't release Kaleera, instead pulling her down with it. Upon impact to the ground it's blaster went off, Kaleera crying out.

Fives ran over, dropping his blaster. "Doc?" He inquired, and Rex stared in horror. He did that.

"It's only my side." She said, and Rex took a breath. She was ok.

"Kriff, doc, you scared me." Fives said and hauled her to her feet. She hissed and clutched her bleeding side.

Fives stared. "Sir- I could carry you-"

She laughed and nodded, "I think you'll have to."

Fives lifted her into his arms, his arm under her knee and her back. She put her arms around his neck to help support herself, groaning a bit at the burn of moving the wound. Her head was on his shoulder, her blood dripping onto the sand from his knee. All Rex could hear humming in his ear, was that it was his fault. Any further over and she'd be dead, and it'd be his fault. Her scream echoed in his mind, the sight of her blood dripping down Fives' shin plate making his stomach turn.

Fives pulled his helmet off and Kaleera took it, setting it in her lap. He was sweating in the sun, and she was looking gray.

He set her on the speeder, and the group took off.

Her head lolled over Fives' as they approached the speeder, Fives slowing, looking down at her.

She sat back up, and Fives rushed to the ship. He stopped his speeder, carrying her the rest of the way to the ship.

"Ok, come on." He breathed, mostly to himself, and began to jog. At the ship, a mortified Kix took her from Fives, who sighed in relief. Anakin had his arms crossed.

"How'd that happen?"

"Accident, sir, we were ambushed. Rex saved her from a hostage."

Anakin nodded, "I'm impressed. Well done."

They brought the hostages with them to the medical bay, and Rex crouched in the sand, sweat dripping behind his armor and down his spine.

Fives crouched beside him, his hand on his back. Kaleera's blood was dried to his shin plate.

"You ok?"

Rex didn't answer. He didn't know.

"Everyone's ok, Cap. You did everything right."

He sighed, "It doesn't feel like it."

"I know, but it is. Come on."

He pulled Rex to his feet.

Rex paced all night, dreading lights out. How could she forgive him? She'd given him an order, he defied it, and nearly got her killed.

Once the lights had turned out, he walked up to the med bay, and Kix was at the desk, eyebrow raised.

"She's sleeping, Captain. It's late."

"I know, I just... wanted to see if she was ok."

Kix nodded. "She's fine. Didn't even need stitches. She'll be out of here tomorrow, she just needs rest and fluids."

"It wasn't bad?" Rex asked.

"No, it just bled as much as it did because of all that movement. She's fine."

Rex nodded, tears pricking his eyes.

"Did something else happen?"

Rex shook his head, "it was my fault."

Kix cocked his head. "How?"

"I jumped the gun, shot the droid holding her too quick, it shot her."

Kix shook his head. "Rex, that's not your fault."

"No, it's not." Kaleera walked around the curtain, her walk a bit more ginger than usual.

"Kaleera," Kix rolled his eyes.

"I woke you again." Rex said quietly.

"No I was already up." She winked. "I heard you being stupid so I had to interrupt."

"Kaleera-"

"You saw a window and you took it. You were saving my life. That's the end of it. The dummy's ricochet isn't your responsibility. I had a plan, and if I tried to actually enact said plan I probably would've died so, thank you, Rex."

He stared at her, and at Kix, who got the hint and walked away.

"You could've died, if I'd waited-"

She shook her head. "If you'd waited that could've been my head. You are tired. Exhausted. You're not thinking clearly. You're going to make yourself sick if you keep doing this." She murmured.

"I can't help it." He whispered.

She shook her head. "You can't see the future, you can't prevent people from getting hurt. It pains me to see you torment yourself."

He smirked, "here I am whining and you're the one hurt."

She smiled, "you're not whining and I'm not hurt. I wasn't even going to stay, Kix made me."

She pulled him toward her and held him firmly against her chest. He melted against her, letting her warm hands rub his back.

"It's ok. Really and truly. It's not your fault." She said, rubbing the back of his head. He closed his eyes. He was so tired. Tired of being afraid, of living in constant peril. He felt safe with her, until they returned to the field and he worried all the more.

"I don't think I can make it if something happens to you."

He flinched. He didn't mean to say it aloud. He'd let his guard down.

She looked at him, searching his face.

"I'm sorry." He looked away.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Kix returned.

"Captain Ry, he's freaking out a bit."

She looked at Rex, dropping her arms, "this conversation isn't over."

He swallowed, and her gaze softened, "I'm not angry, but lets talk later."

She stopped in her tracks. "Why don't you come? He seems to like you."

Rex swallowed, "alright."

He followed her into the room, and Ry had tears streaming down his cheeks, his breathing labored.

"You said I wouldn't be terminated."

She cocked her head, "You aren't to be terminated."

He turned his head, and she wiped his eyes with a tissue, sitting beside him. His arms were loaded with needles and tubes.

"He just told me I'm going into surgery tonight, to remove my leg and my arm." he cried, and Rex looked at the sheet, the shape of his leg visible. Rex knew it was all but entirely falling off.

"Yes, we have to," she said.

"I can't remain part of the army with one leg and one arm!" he cried, turning away from her. His arms were strapped to the side of the bed, but she took his good hand.

"I promised you that you wouldn't be terminated, yes?"

He nodded.

"You won't be. I'm not going to just toss you to the side once you're done here. We're going to make sure you and Jay and Cobalt are given appropriate assignments. Not some random one in a basement, but one worthy of you."

He nodded, and she wiped his eyes again, "don't worry about that. Focus on getting well again."

She embraced him gently, "don't be afraid to call me if you need me, ok? I'll be back in a few hours, the surgeon is on his way to do the surgery, and you'll be in bacta for a bit, then we'll get you moving again, hmm?"

He bobbed his head and she stood, "I'll be back."

Rex stood awkwardly beside the bed, the captain sniffling.

"Captain, I spent months in Kaleera's care, and she made me the same promise, and here I am."

He looked up at him, "I don't think I'll recover quite as well as you."

Rex looked away. That much was obvious. "You'll still have a full life, she'll be sure of it."

He stared at Rex, "They told me about my men."

Rex nodded, "I'm sorry. I can't imagine that pain. But, I know your determination to protect them."

Ry nodded, "I keep going. For them."

**make their eyes water (slang for kill, injure or defeat)