The Twi'lek ran into the docking bay, where a blue-striped fighter sat, scorched and lopsided, a wing now twisted metal, in between the carefully arranged ships on either side.

'At least it made the crash landing right side up,' thought Orian, comming Piotr and telling him to come and help. Piotr lumbered in from the droid bay, limping slightly, steadying himself with his four arms. The Besalisk made his way to the fighter, and, giving a grunt, handily ripped the cockpit roof clean off with his bare hands. A whoosh! of air as the vacuum inside was filled, and the unconscious clone fell limp, his back against the seat.

"Look at all that blood! We'd better get him into the second bunk in the medbay, put some bacta on that," exclaimed the Besalisk.

Orian helped him hoist the limp clone out of the dead fighter and they took him through two corridors to the medbay. Once Piotr laid the clone down, they worked to strip him of his blue on white armour, the black flight suit underneath soaked in sweat and rain. Across his head was a large gash, slightly congealed and flowing blood, which they quickly and liberally applied a strip of bacta. His ankle regions were swollen purple; checking with a scanner they found that the bones were cleanly broken and the blood vessels ruptured.

"Do we have any bacta injection cuffs? That'll help heal the internals and knit the bone structure together." Piotr got up and rummaged through a crate in the corner, returning with a pair of metallic rings. Taking them, Orian opened them up and then clamped them over the swollen ankles. Putting her fingers to the clone's neck, she felt a faint pulse.

"I think he's lost too much blood, what are we going to do? The only human around here who can transfuse him any would be the captain, assuming he's even compatible. Besides, the captain is--"

"Hook me up, I'm compatible."

Orian whipped her head around to see Daxius looking over, his face still pale from exertion. With a weak grin he extended an arm and pulled back the sleeve.

"Hurry up and get it over with, I don't like needles."

Orian started to protest, but Daxius assured her he could handle it. She took out the equipment and began the transfusion. Daxius followed her form with bleary eyes. Coughing slightly, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Did I miss much? It's just that... where did... Manda'beskar'gam dar... Gedet'ye... Ni ceta... to nayc'bajir verd... re'turcye mhi, Jango'vod..."

Daxius trailed off, lapsing into sleep, still murmuring. Orian watched over the two unconscious humans in silence.

'I remember.'

'I remember my home. The grass in the wind. The sun on the plains.'

'A face looks down at me. I'm lifted, up, up, taken outside.'

'I'm given to a man. He takes me away. I can make out stars. Billions upon billions of them.'

'I'm older, now.'

'My home is different. My family is bigger.'

'The Room of a Thousand Fountains. The tap of a Master's gimer stick as he strolls through the halls. I'm led to a room, and we put the helmets on. With a crackle of energy, we play with the robots, catching sparks of light. I see it in my mind. My eyes are still shut, but I can see.'

'I've won another duel. I try not to feel too good; Master Tahl says pride is a bad thing. I feel satisfied now. My partner did well. Everyone is finishing off; is it over already? Now I'm starting to feel a little disappointed, but I take a breath, hold it in, and let it go. There. All better. I'm the last one to leave, 'As usual,' chuckles Master Drallig. I nearly bump into a Jedi on the way out, 'Sorry'. I look up to see who it is; I don't recognise her. She smiles at me, a pretty smile. She bends forward slightly, and we're at eye level.'

''How would you like to be my Padawan?' she says to me. Her eyes, clear, tell me all that's important. I accept.'

'KL-335. ARC Trooper. That is my designation, my identity. My Life.'

'I train with my brothers all. We are assigned positions, so that Fett will know us immediately. Will I live up to his expectations? I glance at my brothers next to me; these two will be my closest companions in the days to come.'

'HR-113. LX-113. Funnily enough, they have the same numeric. Odd quirk. Fett is inspecting our section now. Almost subconsciously I stand up a little straighter, my chest puffed out. He makes eye contact with me for a split second. Approval.'

'I'm running drills with the rest of my brothers all, in the back row. I trip, stumble, steady myself as quickly as I can and then continue with the run, but I know they all knew. I can hear my steps off-beat; the sprain in my ankle is hurting, but I push the pain away. I am amongst my brothers; give it all I got.'

'I meet the med staff during down time. No sense in not being one-hundred percent. Turn's out I pulled my Achilles' tendon, but the kaminii helper fixes me up quicksmart. Another ARC passes me by; I hear he had a twitch in his deltoid region. He chuckles when I mention it, and by the time we arrive at the kai'tome yamika, those are our chosen names: Achilles and Delt.'

'Delt was killed in action during Geonosis. Stray missile from a hailfire droid. I only heard about it a couple days after.'

'And my brothers. What were their names? Somehow they were the same. I know this. Don't I? My friends. HR-... How are... Who? Where am I?'

'What am I?'

'To whom it may concern, you are not where I will not be in the sense of...'

'...'

'...'

'...who am I?'

'I can't remember. My designation. My identity. My Life.'

'Who am I?'

'I feel a little strange. Whenever I am around my Master. Her name is Sienn. 'Master Sienn,' I correct myself. She is young to have a Padawan, apparently; only seven years my senior, at twenty standard years of age. It's the same relative age between humans and Twi'leks. Her skin's a Rutian hue.'

'She's looked over at me. Oh no, caught staring again. I avert my eyes, open my mouth to make conversation.'

'Why me? I ask. What made you pick me?'

'She thinks for a moment, then gives a little shrug. I don't know, she answers thoughtfully. happen the Force willed it.'

'She looks over at me again as we march up the stairs to the Archives. Then again, she adds, maybe I thought you were cute!'

'I look up in dismay, my face colouring a little. Her eyes are twinkling with laughter, and she gives me a playful nudge. Don't be so bashful, she tells me. I have a feeling that we'll not only be Master and Padawan; we'll be good friends, too.'

'We share a smile. In the years to come... it would come to be our smile. Ours.'

'White. All around me. Glowing. It doesn't hurt me. It comforts me. It comforts me while I sleep.'

'I'm small. Small and alone. Alone and not alone. I am one of many. We hang here, in our homes of water, we hear each other and the voice that croons to us.'

'Welcome, little one. This is your first day... We expect great things from you. You have been born into dangerous times. A sharp mind will be the key to survival. But as often as not, it will be your inherent physical traits that win the day...'

'We're somewhere else. Us. The GAR. Gar? That means 'you'. We are the you? We are yours. That sounds better. Take us, we are yours.'

'A helmet. On my head. It feels like it was made just for me.'

'It was. Is. Will be.'

'Show me off like a dog.'

'All men covered in blood, never touched them but they're drowning in it.'

'I don't know what I'm saying.'

'I never know what I'm saying.'

'Achilles?'

'Yes... that is what they used to call me.'

'That is my name.'

'No!'

'Not this memory!'

'I can't bear to go through this memory!'

'She's so light in my arms.'

'So light, like her spirit's flying away.'

'Her eyes flutter open.'

'She recognises me. I can see it in her eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes.'

'Her mouth opens. My heart wrenches at the pain I can feel in her.'

'She says, I... I lo...'

'She's fallen limp. Her spirit is gone. And it's taken a part of mine with it.'

'I cry, right there, kneeling in the dust, her body cradled in my arms.'

'She was my Master.'

'My friend.'

'My love.'

'I have no family.'

'The path of the Jedi is one I will never follow.'