Three

They walked fast, heading along the track past the two graves and then deep into the native vegetation. Rex felt uneasy having to follow, being the captain; he was used to walking in front, leading rather than following. He let out an exasperated breath.

"Going too slow for you captain?" Gem turned and looked at him as she spoke.

"Not at all Ma'am, just not used to bringing up the rear."

"And that's such a bad thing because?" her eyebrows raised and a smirk fell across her face.

He had noticed her rear, especially in the tight tan coloured pants she was wearing. Same black boots but a white short sleeved shirt instead of the black she wore the day before. Her hair had been tied at the nape of her neck with an elastic device he noticed.

It swished like a tail when she walked.

"It's going to be a long six hours if we have to persist on formalities. We didn't get off to a good start captain, and for that I'm sorry. You boys were the first contact we had in over five months. Reed and Mav were the first soldiers my father and I had ever seen."

"We're just glad we could oblige, Gem." He intonated her name, and it sounded pleasant.

"Thank you, Rex," she said with a slight bend of her head.

Very diplomatic.

With the ice somewhat thawed they headed down further until she stopped and announced they were at the opening to the 20 klick tunnel.

"Mark this point and send the co-ordinates back to the ship, this is where we'll need to be picked up in exactly five and a half hours."

Rex sent through the coordinates and made sure the waist band on the back pack was pulled tight. He moved to tighten Gemma's, but she had watched him and had done the same to hers.

"Race you," she said and jumped into a fast pace.

He just smiled, a 20 klick run was a warm up for a soldier but he let her have a few seconds advantage until he silently broke into a rhythm beside her.

She was setting a cracking pace.

If only the boys could be so energetic during training.

Sweat was beginning to trickle down his back, absorbed by the unfamiliar material of the tunic he was wearing. He noticed a trail of wetness down the back of her shirt and after 10 klicks at the same pace, he pulled her up, noticing they were making terrific time.

"Stop for a drink," he breathed out. It wasn't a question.

She bent over and put her hands on her thighs, breathing a little harder than normal.

"This bag is heavier than I thought," she admitted as he handed her the water container. She drank from it thirstily. She ran her right hand under her ribcage.

"You have a stitch?" The Captain tilted his head in question. She nodded. Rex closed his water container and placed it on the ground in front of him.

"Here," he said, "press your hand just below the pain, like this," his large brown hand seemed as big as her entire torso as he angled it just under her right breast. She watched it as he continued.

"This should raise your liver up, relieving the strain on the ligaments. Now, breathe in and out slowly."

He pressed down gently but firmly as she inhaled and exhaled and slowly she nodded, the pain was abating.

He looked up from what he was doing and her eyes met his.

Quickly he removed his hand from her body.

"Let's rest up; we have made great time, give you a chance to recover." Very staccato like in his speech, as he undid his backpack and opened up a ration bar.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes. He caught her looking at him and smiled.

"Ma'am?" He questioned.

"Is it true you were bred to be soldiers?" The question was blunt, to the point and it made him smart; he was caught unaware.

If it wasn't for this raging war with the Separatist's, he would never have been born.

Sometimes it made his head ache when he tried to rationalise his existence.

Cut had tried to philosophise the war with him on Suleucami. He shook his head and smiled at her innocence.

"Yes, Ma'am, sorry Gemma. We are genetically engineered soldiers." She looked thoughtfully.

"My father said that you age twice as fast as other humans. How old are you?" She looked eager for a reply.

"Biologically I am 23, in human years I am eleven and a half." He said with a slight smile.

"But the war hasn't been going that long. If that is the case, then the Republic must have wanted a war years before they declared it?"

Rex merely nodded his head and raised an eyebrow.

"I hope you're not going to ask questions of that nature in the Senate?" He laughed at her, and she smiled in return.

She opened her mouth as if to ask another question, but he quickly added.

"Enough of a break. How's the stitch?"

Forgetting her question, she nodded and handed over the water container he had given her earlier.

She watched as he put it away quickly, her thoughts in another galaxy.

He then lifted her pack back up onto her shoulders and she shrugged them to familiarise herself with its weight.

He swung around in front of her and pulled her waistband in and tightened it.

"You know," he said while he was pulling the synthetic material in place, "we may have been bred to be soldiers, but we believe in the cause that we are fighting for."

She looked at him. His eyes were a lighter brown than her own.

"You seem older than your years."

With a wry smile he replied. "War makes you grow up, in some cases too fast."

He grunted as he lifted his own bomb pack on.

Within seconds they were back to the gentle rhythmic pattern of running, each lost in their own thoughts.

Rex was impressed with the way Gemma had labelled the corridors leading off the main tunnel.

She was a highly intelligent, efficient woman.

He had met few women over the course of the war, but only one other seemed as capable.

"I couldn't afford to get lost," she stated plainly.

"This way to the ammunition depot."

Rex stopped her and opened up her backpack and pulled out what appeared to be a switch.

Slunk!

He attached it to the wall.

Quickly he began typing in some numbers until it beeped and a small light went on green.

"This is just in case we run into any trouble and have to self-detonate the bombs. If anything happens and I'm not around, just hit this switch and run as fast as you can."

"What do you mean, if you're not around?" her voice rising slightly.

"Contingency Ma'am, that's all," he replied as he moved past her.

.

Once they were in the small area under the first store, Rex noticed the size of the shoot in which he would never have been able to get through.

He took the back pack off and opened it up, pulling out several little spheres with red lights.

"OK listen up," then he remembered he wasn't talking to one of the 501st. "I mean, let me show you how these things work," he spoke quietly but quickly.

"I'm no bomb squad specialist but I do know that these things require a gentle touch and nerves of steel. We have plenty of time to do this right. I just wish I could get a visual of the layout up there," he muttered the last sentence more as a matter of frustration.

"I'll activate them now; they will be on a radio controller that General Skywalker will set when he feels the time is right. They are safe as long as they don't detonate while we are still in the tunnel. All you have to do is place the devices around the perimeter in this room. Make sure they can't be seen though. We should only require four. Once they are detonated the ammo inside will do the rest."

At that point he smiled. "Come on, you ready to go up?"

"I guess so," Gemma swallowed hard, she had done this time after time during the past five or so months, why did it feel so different now?

Rex unloaded one backpack completely then placed the four activated bombs back into it.

"OK, we're good to go." Gemma put her foot squarely inside his hand, and grabbed both his shoulders.

"On three," he said with a wink. She nodded and tried to force a small smile.

Gem bounced off the ground on three and he quickly lifted her up so she could grab the edge of the hatch.

She slowly moved it open and scanned the area inside.

All she could hear at this point was her own breathing.

A quick look around and she scrambled through, the backpack easily thrown up to her waiting hands.

The door falling silently behind her, Rex knew, she was completely on her own.

.

It seemed like the longest ten minutes of his life. Suddenly the hatch opened. First an empty bag appeared, followed by a set of slender legs as she continued through.

"One down, three to go."

The second chamber he knew contained the droids.

The hatch was lower to the ground which meant Gemma didn't need to be lifted through like the first.

He also could get his head up to have a look.

He was stunned with what he saw.

Commando Droids littered the space along with the regular B1's.

"Kriffing clankers," he muttered and returned down to Gemma. "This room will be a little different. The clankers, I mean droids, are hanging in formation sets, we need to set the bombs on top of the holding canopies so that they are completely destroyed. That means you have to climb up and place the bombs carefully at intervals."

He activated 8 bombs. Gemma looked concerned at the thought of having to climb up in amongst the enemy soldiers.

"Whatever you do, don't press anything that could be considered an activation button on the sets. We don't want these guys woken up. You'll be fine," he whispered in her ear as she crept through the opening.

She looked around the room and felt sick.

The sight of all these menacing mechanical soldiers made her feel scared and the thrill of placing the bombs around the first depot had well and truly worn off.

Row upon row of droids hung in suspended animation.

She noticed a small ladder on the end of each rack and alighted, first making sure the backpack was securely in place.

Carefully she made her way across the first line of metallic soldiers. She placed the bomb in the middle of the array.

As Gem was adjusting delicately the sixth bomb, a door opened.

She held her breath and peered down onto two different looking droids, praying they wouldn't look up.

They were in the depot for more than twenty minutes. Rex had heard the voices and knew there was nothing he could do to help. He hoped that Gemma would just remain still until they left.

As the door closed behind them she placed the last two remaining bombs before making her way to the hatch.

Soaked in sweat and trembling Rex helped guide her through and onto the floor of the tunnel.

Finally the importance of this little jaunt had registered.

She could easily die or kill them both.

She wasn't a soldier and she felt angry that she had put her hand up to be responsible for the success, or failure, of this mission.

"Just take deep breaths, you did a great job," his voice was low and soothing. "In and out, that's it, just take your time."

"I don't think I can do this," she shuddered as she spoke, her hands supported by her knees.

"Sure you can," he said, "it's just an adrenaline rush, it will pass. The next two warehouses are just food and beds, pakod."

He rubbed her wet back with his hand in slow circles. It reminded her of her father and she shrugged him off. Rex stood aside and offered her his canteen of water.

"I'm sorry I can't fit through these damn hatches," she could sense his frustration, "this is no job for a woman."

She roused at the last comment.

She swayed a little, and he steadied her.

"Thank you captain."

"Come on," he looked at his chrono, "we are ahead of time, let's take it easy to the next one."

"No way, keep to the schedule. I want to get off this planet as soon as possible. I'm looking forward to my first long, hot shower in almost six months."

He laughed.

"You do know they have timers on the showers aboard the Resolute?"

Finally they were somewhat relaxed in each other's company.

She asked him questions about the war and his life as a soldier.

She was fascinated about General Skywalker and was particularly interested in General Kenobi. He told them about the battles that they had fought in together.

Rex asked about the crash and what had happened immediately after it.

She filled him in on how she pulled the crew members out of the destroyed ship and how she dug the grave first for the pilot, then the one for her father just days later.

"You and Reed?" Rex enquired, "seem close?"

"There was no romance captain if that is what you are implying? He is a special person for sure, but he has a friend on Coruscant. I image she will be glad to have him home." A silence ensued before she continued playfully, "what about you Rex? Some beautiful lady waiting for her soldier hero to come back from war and sweep her off her feet?"

She was mocking him now and he just smiled.

No, not anymore.

"Ah, silence from the stoic captain. There must have been someone once," she teased. "You are a bit of a mystery aren't you Rex?"

Rex continued on in silence, his jaw set tight for a second and Gemma took the hint.

Her little fishing expedition had payed off.

The next chamber was straight forward and Rex had activated another six bombs for her to place around the depot. She hid them in amongst the crates, well out of site. Rex could pop his head through and strain to see where she was during the time it took to place them all.

They were making great time and headed towards the last corridor at a relaxed pace, with nine bombs left to plant.