Five

She ran as fast as she possibly could, faster than she had ever done in the past, this time her life depended on it. Gemma quickly realised that the Captain could do it easy and was being held back by her.

"Run ahead and radio in," she screamed at him.

"No, we go together," he yelled back.

"I'm holding you up Rex, you can make it."

"Quit talking and move it Ma'am," was his rough reply.

She was coughing and wheezing and the stitch that had plagued her initially was biting at her sides.

But she kept up.

They could see the light at the end, when they heard the noise. It was rippling from behind, but it was enough to spur them on in the last ditch effort to reach the exit. Rex had grabbed Gemma and was practically pulling her out of the tunnel where he shoved her hard into the ground for a second time.

"Keep your head down," he yelled as the shock wave from the explosion and the debris of soil and durocrete came funnelling out on top of them. He lay protectively over her, clutching her head into his chest, the noise deafening.

Then the smoke.

She coughed and struggled to catch her breath and was covered in grey dust, but alive. He quickly rolled off her in one fluid movement. She looked to her left dumbfounded to see the captain already using his wrist comm to send through an immediate evacuation code. He closed his eyes and wiped his hands over his face a few times before he looked at her.

"Well done Ma'am," he looked exhausted, but elated.

"What just happened?" Gemma shook her head as she talked but Rex was interrupted by a beep on his comm.

"We've located you sir and will be ready to air lift you in approximately fifteen minutes. Are you in an area level enough for evac?"

Rex surveyed the area, his eyes squinting through the dust,"that's a negative. We'll move one klick south east for easier access."

"Affirmative sir, we'll await your coordinates. Shadow Two out." The voice sounded friendly and Rex smiled.

"Come on, nearly there," Rex helped Gemma up.

They made the final push to a better RV point.

"Captain this is Shadow Two over?"

"Go ahead Shadow Two, this is Rex."

"You have uninvited visitors twenty metres to your west, closing in on your location. We suggest a fly by with some fireworks to welcome them?"

"Copy that Shadow Two, I see them."

Rex turned and looked over a boulder to see a small patrol of Commando Droids in the distance. He reached into the backpack and retrieved his pistols, checking the charge he looked over at Gem.

"It's not over yet. When I give the word you head over to the path in front and run as fast as you can to the clearing. The gun ship will be waiting for us there ok?"

Gem looked over at where he had indicated and nodded.

"Shadow Two, how long to the show," Rex looked up and heard the familiar sound of the larty before he saw it.

"Good afternoon captain!"

On second glance a V-19 Torrent star fighter soared past them. He knew that pilot's voice well.

"Thinking of throwing a party without inviting me?"

"Broadside, if you get us out of this one I'll throw you a party," Rex laughed.

"You ground hogs boys don't know the meaning of the word. Let me see if I can save your sorry shebs yet again."

"On my mark captain?"

"Affirmative Broadside. Copy that Shadow Two."

Gemma was amazed that in such a tumultuous situation, all three men appeared calm and composed when all she wanted to do was scream, and if it wasn't for the fear, she would have.

"Mark."

"Go Gem go," he yelled and she pushed herself up and over the boulder onto the path and ran again.

She heard him yelling at her to continue from behind, the gun ship above blasting the area to her right. Somewhere else she saw a flash from another smaller fighter speed past.

"Keep going," he yelled as he over took her turning and firing at the wall of metal beings.

That was when she felt it, the burning sensation hit her in the side and she fell awkwardly onto the ground. Rex had continued to keep the pace, looking forward at the larty and the soldiers spilling out to greet them.

"Keep it up, almost there," he turned, expecting her to be just behind.

But she wasn't.

"NO!" Rex turned quickly and skidded. Scrambling back off the ground he raced back to where she lay.

Gem was still conscious but with a large wound on her left side. She was holding it calmly with her right hand, watching him run and yell words at her as if in slow motion. On his knees beside her, he removed the backpack and placed his precious hand pistols down, looking around to ascertain any remaining Sep activity. Satisfied that the immediate threat had been dealt with, he turned his full attention to the wounded woman. Without thinking he pulled the tunic over his head, folding it and placing it carefully on the area covered in red. She sucked in her breath as he began wrapping the material around her, using the long sleeves to tie the make shift bandage in place. While he was tending to her, she slowly moved her right hand up to the left side of his face. Now, not only could he see the blood, he could smell it; taste it.

"Rex," she said softly, "we did good, didn't we?"

He stopped for a moment and looked at her, "Yes, we did Ma'am."

He was still internally struggling with calling her by her first name.

"Those men, they were bad weren't they?"

He lent into her hand, briefly closing his eyes.

"The worst kind, Sith."

"Please Rex," she said quietly, "leave me here. Let me be with my father."

She wanted to be left behind to die. He shook his head firmly, retreating back into his Military upbringing.

'I'm not losing another person to this fekking war!'

"Can't do Ma'am," he grunted out as he lifted her up into his arms, "we never leave anyone behind."

She cried out in pain as he did and he pressed her left side into his abdomen hard, trying to quell the flow of blood, and took off towards the men in white.

"You have to let her go sir," the familiar medic yelled, "Sir, sir, you have to let her go," screaming over the noise of the gun ship. He held her and just looked at Kix as if he was speaking another language. Clarity returned and he placed the wounded woman on the stretcher in front of him. Guided into the gun ship by an ARC, Rex started barking orders.

"Get this ship on the Resolute double time pilot. She's a personal friend of the Chancellor."

Kix was already working frantically on the critically injured woman. Injections for pain and coagulants had already been administered as he unwrapped the shirt to reveal the full extent of the damage.

"She's bleeding out," he stated simply. "How long till Resolute?"

"Seven minutes max Kix."

"We don't have seven, sir, we maybe have four," he yelled back.

"Get us there now lieutenant!" Rex screamed, his voice hoarse and foreign.

Kix looked over at the captain. He was shirtless and covered in her blood. He then looked up at Jesse and over at Hardcase.

"She's hypovolemic, where's it coming from?" he mumbled.

Jesse looked up, apprehension flicked across his face as he stated. "Blood pressure dropping, tachycardia Kix, wait no, no pulse."

The medic had to think and fast. He dropped the repulsorlift stretcher down onto the floor and sat astride the woman. Right then and there, gender didn't matter, a life needed saving.

Grabbing scissors from his medpac he cut her shirt straight up the middle. Two perfectly round white breasts were released.

"I am beginning compressions. Start bagging Jesse." His right leg held hard against the wound in another attempt to apply pressure.

"We are running out of time Lieutenant." He voice rising as he pumped his clenched hands into the young woman's chest.

"I'm on it medic," his voice level and the ship shuddering under the speed.

"Radio Resolute and have a crash team ready on the deck."

"Affirmative."

Fives had placed a silver blanket around his former Captains shoulders. He looked forlorn, worried, exhausted. Rex nodded his appreciation before opening the backpack and retrieving the two light sabres.

"What the. . ?" Hardcase was the first to notice them.

"Not now," the Captain warned as he turned them over in his hands before locking them onto his trouser belt.

"The generals are furious captain," Fives said, standing and swaying above him as he held onto the bulkhead strap for support.

Rex didn't reply, all he could hear was the screaming of the larty's engine and the methodical 'one, two, three, breathe' from the team medic.

The small ship landed with no time to spare. The team on Resolute yelling obscenities at the reckless pilot as he disobeyed orders and landed the craft roughly in the hanger. Once the hatch was opened, the stretcher was raised, and with Kix still on top doing compressions, Jesse and Hardcase rushed it down the ramp to the awaiting medical team. Rex got up slowly, thoughtfully and looked at Fives and the pilot.

"Thank you gentlemen for getting us back safely."

"You are very welcome sir," was the flight lieutenants answer.

"You need a hand sir?" Fives looked at Rex with concern in his eyes.

"Stay close will you?" was all he said back.