Twenty One

Rex skidded over to the body lying on the ground.

The bomb and subsequent blast had come out of nowhere. He had managed to pop the Geonosian responsible, the satisfaction of smattering the insect's brains into the red soil fleeting.

'No, no, no, no, no.'

All he could hear as he ran to the injured soldier was his own rapid breathing magnified in his bucket.

"Kix! Man down, man down!" he was ascertaining his injuries.

"Medic, Coric get here now!" He ordered down the comm.

Coric ran, stumbling in the russet dirt as he quickly lowered himself to ground level.

The blast had knocked Kix four metres into the air, and he had landed awkwardly.

Moving fast, together they removed pieces of the injured medic's armour, starting with his helmet.

"Kix," Rex took a breath and calmed his voice. "Hold still."

He was conscious.

"I can move my toes, I don't think my spine is injured, but my hips hurt. I think my pelvis may be broken?" His brown eyes searching the two men staring down at him for confirmation.

Coric administered a shot of Morpha and gently removed a hip plate.

"Argh!" Kix cried out, "Sorry Sir," he added.

"Nothing to be sorry about soldier," Rex was worried but managed to keep his voice level and controlled – for the time being anyway.

"We need a stretcher over here now," the Captain turned and quickly scanned the immediate area. The three were in the open and vulnerable to another attack.

A stretcher glided over to them silently and as it was lowered, Kix grabbed Coric's arm.

"Coric, the Sarge over there took a blaster bolt to his back, treat him as SCI, he's already had two shots, he's stable though. The other trooper next to him has third degree burns to both his arms. Don't remove any of his armour OK? I think it's melted onto him. He's unconscious, which is just as well, he should be evac'ed first."

Even when injured, his thoughts were for the men under his charge.

"I'll be the judge of who gets off this rock first medic," Coric stated. He had agreed with Kix's self diagnosis.

A broken pelvis. Either way, the campaign was over for this medic.

The Captain helped get him onto the stretcher and rushed it towards the awaiting larty.

Out of the corner of his eye, two troopers were racing towards them full pelt. Rex recognised the familiar blue markings on both sets of armour.

Jesse pulled off his helmet and, turning to Hardcase shouted. "Heads up," as he flung his DC-17 at his friend. Hardcase caught it with ease, not breaking stride.

"Kix!" Jesse was breathless as he stopped hard and grabbed his friend's hand. Hardcase pulling up seconds later, scanning for enemy as the other two talked.

"Hey Jesse, I'm OK. Heading back to med bay though." His voice was a little slurred due to a combination of the pain and medication.

"We'll see you back on Coruscant OK?" Jesse's words were light but his eyes were heavy with worry.

"Be careful you two, I don't want to wake up and see either of you in the tank next to me. You got that?"

Hardcase stepped forward. "I was supposed to have your back ner vod, I'm sorry."

"Easy Harcase," Kix said,"you were busy saving Jesse's shebs the last time I looked. Kix attempted a smile but the Morpha was taking a hold and keeping his eyes open was a battle, the second one he had fought for the day. He was tired and finally gave in to the pharma's and closed them peacefully.

"OK, get him back to Resolute, double time Lieutenant." Rex ordered the pilot as he was placed into the full to capacity gun ship. The wounded men looking with dismay at the man that had just patched them together lying unconscious on the stretcher in front of them.

The three of them stood and looked at the chaos surrounding them.

Coric was already over treating the other two wounded that Kix had been working on when the bomb was insidiously thrown at them.

Rex stared scanning the scene. White streaks littered the red ground, more men down, more brothers lost.

'Fekking Geonosis,' he thought to himself as he checked his charge on his blaster's.

"Jesse, Hardcase. You're with me." There was anger in his voice and Jesse could see the jaw set hard on his Captains face. He was going to keep a close eye on the two of them from now on. Jesse swept down and picked up his helmet. Without a word, they collected spare DC's from the fallen and marched forward, back into battle.

Hardcase caught sight at a closed comm message blinking in his HUD and switched through to the channel. With their buckets on, the soldiers could escape from prying eyes and indulge in some personal time alone if they wanted.

"Hey Jesse, you OK ner vod?"

Jesse was silent, unable to talk, Hardcase did it for him.

"It's OK Jesse. Kix will be fine, he's off this shabla place and in the best hands, even if it is a B1 Med Tinnie," he joked, trying to lighten his brother's mood. "Just keep this link open Jess, listen to my breathing OK, deep breaths, in and out OK." Hardcase really wasn't such a hard case after all, he too had his moments.

He too felt the loss of his brothers.

He just kept going and right now, another brother needed him.

He knew Jesse liked to listen to his breathing, so, concentrating on that, he continued on, in and out, over and over again until the sniffing stopped and Jesse's breathing returned to normal.

They were completely formidable.

All three with renewed purpose. Running and deflecting enemy fire, weaving their way back to the main unit, and their General. The three almost a Company on their own, anticipating each other's moves and knowing one another all too well in the face of an enemy.

"Glad you could rejoin us Rex," Ahsoka had no levity in her tone. The green aura from her light sabre casting an unusual glow against her skin.

"Kix was injured Commander, I had to see him triaged and lifted off." Rex was still angry at his medics injuries and wasn't in any mood to take a snide remark from anyone.

"Is he going to be alright Captain?" Anakin had overheard the short conversation between the two.

"Sir, we believe so."

"Alright men, regroup, we're going to take that wall. Ahsoka, try to keep up," baiting his young Padawan.

Rex sighed, Cody and Jet were right.

He saw a brief smile cross his General's lips. He was enjoying this campaign. All the fighting and death, it was a game to him. Rex seeing it all with clarity, as if for the first time.

Finally.

###

Kix was rushed into med bay aboard the Resolute then headed immediately to Saccoria in the Corellian sector, along with a transport full of broken and injured brothers.

The planet had a medical facility purposefully built to accommodate the growing casualty list of Republic soldiers.

He had spent two hours in surgery followed by time cooling down in a tank. Slowly he was made conscious and lifted out of the bacta. Cold and shivering, covered in the glutinous suspension he was aided to a refresher to wash away Geonosis.

He watched the bacta run off his body and down the drain along with the sterile medical wash that he had used to clean many men before him, and thought, 'so this is what it feels like?' He was weak, tired – 'how can that possibly be?' – and looking at the man holding him upright, he simply said "thank you," his voice unfamiliar to even himself.

Kix had been injured during battle in the past, but had never required such a long dip in the tank, this time had been for days and he was curious as to how it felt coming back from such a lengthy period in suspended animation.

##

"Fives, we've had a distress call from Geonosis and won't be able to get you back to Coruscant. You'll be transferred to the med facility on Seccoria." Bly smiled all the time looking at the ARC, he still gained enjoyment at the elite troopers expense.

Bruising from his fall had begun to develope and Fives was constantly being fed through a tube in an attempt to quell his metabolisms incessant need for nourishment. He felt miserable and alone.

'Eek,' he grumbled into his wired jaw.

###

Arriving at the facility, Fives followed the same route that the 501st medic had done.

Surgery, cool down and then wait for medical clearance to return to active status.

Being walked slowly back into the ward, he was delighted to see a familiar face.

"Kix? Kix, is that you vod?"

Kix swung his head around and looked guilty, thinking he was being sprung again by the med team on the ward. He was tending to another brother in need of a 'fresher in the bed next to him.

"Well, well, well, look what the Strill dragged in? Gentlemen," he addressed his fellow bed ridden brothers, "we are in Republic royalty. ARC trooper royalty no less! What they get you here for ner vod? Another nasty little infection picked up on leave?"

He walked over to the stunned ARC, with just a slight hint of a limp.

Fives grabbed his arm and brought him into him. Foreheads touching together briefly, Fives beamed a perfect smile, and said, "it's good to see you too brother."

And he truly meant it.

###