Hello, everybody! Sorry for the lateness, there was some editing and rewriting that needed to be done. But I am very happy with the result.

nw150: There's a deleted scene that I need to implement later that might have something to do with that...

OneLittleSpark18: Of course he would! Also, happy late birthday!

ofchaos: Yes, he is. He, uh, might make some misguided choices based on that goodness...but he's still a good person! And I mean, they've been being bought and sold their entire lives. The Republic just had a very long contract.

a venus flytrap: I...I'm sorry...

Timber Wolf of Purity: I couldn't resist. I adore the Skiratas and the Commando books. It sucks that they were made Legends, but you can really tell that the spirit of the clones were born in those books and that Dave Filoni channeled it in the Clone Wars. I'm glad you're enjoying!

Once again, two sections of story that didn't merit their own chapters by themselves.

Mando'a translations at the end!

Fives sprawled on the couch, feigning sleep. He was pretty good at it. He used to trick Echo into thinking he was asleep in order to sneak out of the barracks. Fives wondered if Ahsoka would be able to sense if he was awake.

He had to know where she was going every night. He had to know why she was coming back with bruises like she'd had when she'd come to live with them. He also had to get a distraction from his torturous day life of parties, Senate meetings, and people telling him he just thought his emotions were real. He was getting this close to decking someone.

Ahsoka came into the room. Fives could feel her gaze on him. He let out a convincing snore. She walked over and pushed him off the sofa.

Fives let out a very un-ARC-like yelp as he crashed onto the floor.

"Nice try, Fives." Ahsoka said. "I assume you wanted to follow me?"

"You are disappearing every night." Fives retorted as he got up. "I was worried."

"Or jealous that I have something to do." Ahsoka said with an arched eyebrow.

Fives frowned. That was a low blow.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

Ahsoka snorted.

"Now, why didn't you try that from the beginning?" She asked. "I'd tell you, but I don't think it's a place for a Senate representative."

"Yeah, well, I don't care." Fives said, folding his arms. It probably wasn't the best attitude for a Senator, but Fives wasn't convinced he should have the job. "I'll be following you regardless."

Ahsoka groaned and looked at the ceiling.

"I guess it'd be better if you're with me." She muttered. "But we have to disguise you. The media had a fit when Padme went down a few levels into the undercity."

"And let me guess, this place is more than just 'a few levels.'" Fives said.

Ahsoka nodded.

"Well, all we have to do is cover up my tattoo." Fives said. "Boom. Can't prove it's me."

Ahsoka gave him a withering stare.

"Being an average clone would be much worse." She said. "Do you want to be kidnapped and sold to the Kaminoans?"

She was right. Fives and the Nulls were practically the only clones left on Coruscant. Fives sighed.

"I think I got a bounty hunter helmet somewhere." He said. "Don't ask where I got it."

In no time at all Fives was following Ahsoka into a dirty transport, dressed in his oldest civvies. That wasn't saying much. Ahsoka was still worried he'd stick out. She seemed unremarkable in her old clothing: plain greys and browns with only a few splashes of color.

She glanced at him with her piercing blue eyes. He was wrong. She could never be unremarkable.

"As hard as it'll be for you, let me do the talking." She said. "Even your voice is distinctive."

"Yes, sir." Fives said.

She rolled her eyes and checked out the window.

They got out at level 1313. Fives started wondering if this was a good idea. He could take care of himself, and so could she. But that didn't mean they wanted to kick the shebs off of creeps.

She still walked as confidently as ever through the grimy streets. There were less leering stares than Fives would have expected. Ahsoka led him to a building guarded by a Karkadoan. The hulking beast nodded to Ahsoka but stared at Fives.

"Who's this, Ashla?" He growled.

"A new potential." Ahsoka said. "Don't worry, Bul, we can trust him."

Bul grunted and stepped aside. The hallway past him was lit dimly with exposed plasma bulbs. Fives could hear the sound of fighting: grunting and the sounds of fists against flesh. He followed Ahsoka down the hallway.

"Down here, I'm Ashla and you're Sinko, got it?" Ahsoka said in a low voice.

Fives nodded. They emerged into a grimy dark room. The only well lit place was the round arena in the middle. Right now a Zabrack and a human were duking it out. The place was decently filled and the crowd cheered as the human kneed the Zabrack in the stomach. Ahsoka walked confidently into the mass of people and Fives hurried to follow her. He remembered the bruises.

"Commander, you weren't a fighter down here, were you?" He asked her.

"Call me Ashla." She hissed back. "And if I was? If I am?"

Five nearly stopped in his tracks.

"You are?" He asked.

"Listen, half of my life has fallen apart." Ahsoka said. "You can't blame me for wanting to punch something."

"I suppose not." Fives said. He felt the same way. "When you said potential earlier, did you mean potential fighter?"

"Do you have a problem?" Ahsoka asked. "You're the one who made me take you down here."

"No problem at all." Fives said with a grin. "Who do we got to-"

He froze. Ahsoka was leading him to a hulking figure with four arms. Green and blue lightsabers seemed to flash before his eyes.

"Hey." Ahsoka said, noticing him stop. "What's wrong? Is it Grif?"

Fives swallowed at the sight of the Besalisk.

"Yeah. He's not your boss, is he?" He managed.

"He is, but don't worry. Grif is a lot like Dex." Ahsoka promised.

Fives again swallowed the urge to bolt or tackle the Besalisk. He followed Ahsoka.

"Ash!" The Besalisk boomed. "You're almost late."

"Sorry." Ahsoka said. "I was picking up a new friend."

Fives tried not to shiver as the Besalisk looked at him.

"This is Sinko." Ahsoka said.

"And you want to fight?" Grif asked.

Fives nodded.

"What're your rates?" Grif asked.

"Same as mine." Ahsoka cut in. "We're not in it for the money."

"You're the oddest fighter I've ever met, Ash." Grif said cheerfully. "And so's your friend. How good are you?"

"Good enough." Fives said in a growl. He ignored Ahsoka's sharp look.

"Here are the rules, Sinko." Grif said. "Number one: no killing."

Then he gave a broad grin.

"End of rules." He said. "Don't worry about setting up matches or anything, that's my job. Though if you have a request I'll see what I can do."

Fives nodded. Dirty fighting. He could do that.

"Who are we against today?" Ahsoka asked.

"Gurk's crew." Grif said.

He nodded towards a rough looking Ugnaught on the opposite side of the room.

"I remember him." Ahsoka said. "He's got a couple of decent fighters."

"Nothing you can't handle." Grif said.

There was an audible crack and the Zabrak let out a scream. Both Ahsoka and Grif winced.

"Ah, poor Pez." Grif muttered.

The scrawny Zabrak, despite his arm hanging at an odd angle, remained standing.

"Tap out, you idiot!" Grif growled. "Before you get really hurt!"

"He's tenacious, I'll give him that." Ahsoka said. "But I've never seen him win. Where'd you find him?"

"I took him on as a favor to Pol. He's her nephew." Grif said. His eyes were still locked on the ring, where the human was staring at Pez. The Zabrak beckoned to the human in challenge.

"Kid's trying to get off spice." Grif went on. "Pol figured this would be a good outlet."

Fives winced. He knew a few troopers who'd gotten hooked on spice. They didn't last long in the army.

"I'll see if I can't show him a few moves." Ahsoka said. "Once his arm mends."

"That would be appreciated." Grif said.

Pez took a fist to the face and crumpled. Thankfully, he stayed down.

"If you'll excuse me." Grif said. "Gotta get him to a doctor. Ash, you're up next. The usual handicap."

"Got it." Ahsoka said.

Grif lumbered off and Ahsoka turned to Fives. She held out a length of fibercord.

"You mind tying my hands behind my back?" She asked.

"What?" Fives sputtered. "That's your usual handicap?"

"It's the only way to get me fights. I keep beating everyone."

Fives took the fibercord. Ahsoka turned around and wiggled her fingers at him. He stepped forward and looped the fibercord around her wrists. Why were his hands shaking? He'd tied knots like these dozens of times.

"Of course, some idiots still like to take me head on." Ahsoka went on. "But I've only had one or two fights where it was a challenge."

Fives finished the knot, trying very hard not to brush her skin with his hands.

"You're good to go." He said.

"Thanks." Ahsoka said. "Looks like my opponent's waiting for me."

She winked at him and jogged with surprising grace up into the ring. A burly green Twi'lek was waiting for her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our next match!" The referee, an Ithorian with a translator, announced. "Ashla versus Boc!"

The crowd hooted and catcalled. Fives' blood boiled at some of the shouts directed at Ahsoka. She stood calmly amidst the filth being spewed. The Twi'lek looked her up and down and scoffed.

"You belong in my quarters, not in the ring!" He spat.

Fives clenched his fists.

"Then you're fine if I fight you without a handicap?" Ahsoka asked.

The Twi'lek seemed to consider it.

"No, I want this to end quickly." He said. "I wish for you to be in good shape when I-"

The bell rang and Ahsoka cut Boc off with a roundhouse kick to the face. It wasn't nearly the strength Fives knew she could put into it, as Boc only stumbled. The Twi'lek snarled and lunged for Ahsoka. She twisted easily around him and Boc nearly fell. Fives was mesmerized by her movements. It was a dance for her: an easy, dangerous dance. She neatly dodged the Twi'lek's increasingly rash blows. She seemed content with tiring the man, merely spinning away from Boc's attacks.

With a shout she leapt. Both of her feet smashed into Boc's face one after the other and she landed with the litheness of a Loth-cat. Boc staggered and Ahsoka neatly swept his leg. He fell with a thud. Fives couldn't help but gasp as Ahsoka kicked him sharply in the head. The count began, but Ahsoka seemed unconcerned. She stretched as the count reached ten and the bell rang again.

Ahsoka grinned in Fives' direction. He grinned back, but there was something off about her expression. It morphed from a smile into a baring of teeth, as if she were in pain. Her eyes were dark with unhappiness. It was only for a moment before she leapt over the side of the ring and came to his side.

"You were going easy on him." Fives accused as she reached him.

"I had my hands tied behind my back, of course I was going easy on him." Ahsoka said with a roll of her eyes.

"You could have knocked him out with that first kick." Fives said adamantly.

"Well, you heard him. I wasn't going to miss out on the chance to humiliate him a little."

"A lot. You humiliated him a lot." Fives said.

Ahsoka shrugged and turned her attention back to the ring, where two new opponents were squaring up. She and Fives watched the next few matches together. Grif's team was well trained, it seemed. They won two out of the next three matches.

Grif reappeared during the third.

"You're up next, newbie." He said. "Against the Aqualish. Think you can handle him?"

Fives peered over Grif's shoulder to see an averagely built Aqualish watching the current match wind down. He didn't look particularly savage. Fives felt confident he could hold his own, so he nodded.

Eventually one opponent didn't get back up and Fives made his way to the ring. He hoisted himself up into the blinding lights. The Aqualish joined him.

"Our next match!" The Ithorian referee shouted. "Sinko versus Lurta Boga!"

Fives once again looked the Aqualish up and down. His opponent's four large dark eyes bore down on him. Lurta growled. Fives shifted his body into a familiar stance. Sparring nearly everyday with his brothers had prepared him for most kinds of brawls.

The bell rang and Fives moved first. He jabbed upward and his fist met a soft, squishy orb.

Ugh. Fives thought as the Aqualish squealed. His fist was covered in a wet residue. He ducked under a clumsy swipe and brought his knee up into his opponent's stomach. Lurta doubled over, coughing. Fives stepped back and waited for the Aqualish to regain balance. It was the wrong move.

Fives was used to fighting brothers, where it wasn't serious. The Aqualish lunged forward and tackled Fives. They fell together to the floor and Fives' head cracked against it. Stars flashed before his eyes. The Aqualish raised a meaty paw and smashed it into the front of Fives' helmet. Fives grunted under the force. He twisted under Lurta's weight and got his legs under his opponent. With a roar he heaved the Aqualish off of him. Lurta stumbled and Fives leapt to his feet. He took no chances now. He dashed forward and pummeled the Aqualish's head with his fists. It felt good. He aimed again for the eyes and imagined the dark orbs were the cold eyes of the Kaminoans. Every time his fist connected he felt a surge of triumph. A final right hook sent Lurta to the ground. Fives stood, breathing heavily, and waited for the count to finish. As soon as the referee reached ten, Fives jumped off the ring and went to find Ahsoka.

"Good fight!" She said with a grin. "I think Grif will want to keep you on. You can come with me from now on, if you want to."

It had felt so good to release his anger and frustration. He grinned at Ahsoka.

"Definitely." He said.

They left soon after Grif congratulated them on matches well fought. Fives had nearly panicked when the Besalisk had patted him heavily on the back. Now they were walking back to their apartment from the transport station.

Ahsoka's eyes were trained on the sky as they walked. Fives found himself watching her. The white of her lekku and montrals seemed to shine in the semi darkness.

He hadn't noticed how beautiful she was before. No, not beautiful. Mesmerizing was a better word. Graceful. Stunning.

She helped him. He'd- struggled ever since the war ended. It was better when he was around her.

What would it be like to hold her hand? He nearly reached out and grabbed hers when he remembered Rex.

Rex was in love with Ahsoka. There was no doubt in Fives' mind about that.

But Rex isn't here, he argued with himself. He doesn't have the chance. I do.

Immediately Five's brain was soaked in self-loathing. How could he even consider that? Rex would be by her side if he could. It wasn't his choice to be locked away by the Kaminoans.

Though if Rex was here, was he nehutyc enough to make a move? Fives didn't know. Rex was unbelievably brave on the battlefield, but in personal matters the Captain was as confident as a shiny in command.

If Fives had the initiative, shouldn't he be able to make his move?

"I'll be honest, I'm glad you found out." Ahsoka said, cutting into his internal struggle. "I've been kind of lonely going by myself."

"I'm glad to help." Fives said. "I'm also glad to stop spending my evenings alone."

Ahsoka winced.

"Sorry. I just needed a place to vent. I didn't want you to get in trouble, either." She said. "I've been having a hard time ever since everyone was taken."

"I know." Fives said. "Trust me, I know."

Ahsoka smiled at him and he eagerly smiled back. Then her face fell.

"I miss them all." She said. "Especially-"

She didn't finish the sentence, but Fives knew who she was talking about. He had forgotten. Fives had suspected Rex's feelings weren't one sided and the pained look on Ahsoka's face drove that point home.

Fives' heart sank in his chest but he kept the corners of his mouth up.

"We'll get them back." He said. "You'll see."

"Well, this is a first." Ventress said as she stepped onto the LAAT/i.

None of the clones accompanying her answered. It wasn't out of distrust and loathing, as it would have been with many of the other clones. No, these were 'chipped' as Kenobi had put it. Something to do with erasing their will. She preferred them this way. Less- conflicting feelings.

The clone Commander made a signal and the gunship took off, following the swarm of ships heading for the capital. This was their first major assault on the city with the clones in tow. Kenobi had asked Ventress to lead a small platoon alongside the Commander. He had hand picked the group, as to make sure no clone tried to murder her, which was a distinct possibility with the older clones. Kenobi had tried explaining that her clone killing days were over, but many of the clones still stared at her with undisguised hatred.

They travelled for several minutes in complete silence. Ventress was used to this. Battle droids weren't huge conversationalists. In fact, just like she used to, Ventress was getting a little bored.

The gunship swerved sharply and the sound of anti-aircraft turrets reached Ventress' ears.

"Ah, here we go." Ventress said.

She watched as the pristine line of gunships scattered into chaos to avoid the fire. A few were hit, careening to the desert below.

Ventress swore as one gunship spiraled out of control, hurtling towards their own ship. She flung her hands out, pushing the ships away from each other. Then a blast hit the other side of the ship and threw Ventress forward. She vaguely heard a sharp crack as she crashed into the side of the ship, and she knew no more.

The next sensation Ventress felt was a pounding headache and the feeling of being dragged over sand. There were shouting men and just above her, someone was yelling orders.

Ventress opened her eyes to see the clone commander above her. He was tugging her along. He let go and beckoned to someone Ventress couldn't see. Another clone interrupted her view of the sky. He began checking Ventress over.

"What is her status?" The commander asked.

"She is stable," the new clone, who Ventress assumed to be a medic, said. "She has no lasting damage."

The commander nodded.

"Get back to the gunship and-"

An explosion ripped through the air. Ventress forced herself to sit up. Their crashed LAAT/i had erupted into a fireball. She could see several limp forms scattered around it, seemingly thrown from the explosion. The commander stood stock still for a moment.

"Gather the remaining troopers." He said. "We need to move out."

Then, against his own orders, he walked towards the explosion.

Ventress got to her feet. Her head was clearing. It was just a knock to the skull and she had endured far worse. She looked around. The medic was collecting the troopers. They had come with a full ship, maybe thirty clones. There were around ten left.

Ventress chose to ignore the uncomfortable feeling the thought gave her. She waited for the commander to order them to move, but he just stood over one of the fallen troopers. The medic was watching, too.

All was still, except the burning remains of the ship.

"Aren't you going to go get him?" Ventress asked the medic.

"He is my superior officer. I cannot give him orders." The medic said flatly.

Ventress rolled her eyes and made her way to the commander.

He was standing frozen over the trooper. His helmet was tilted down, staring at the corpse. The dead clone had lost his own helmet. Half his face was blackened, and his eyes stared.

"Ni su-"

The commander was whispering, the same word over and over again. Asajj felt immobile. She couldn't interrupt what the trooper was doing.

"Ni su'cuyi-"

Sometimes he would manage to get out the next part of whatever he was trying to say, but he always came back to the first word. He put a hand to the right side of his head, gloved fingers pressing into the plasteel.

"I can't remember the words." He finally said.

Ventress recognized the tone in his voice. She had felt that heaviness when her Master had been murdered.

Then he turned to her.

"Sir. We need to move out." He said briskly.

Ventress nodded, distrubed by his sudden change in attitude. A truth she had been holding back nudged at her mind. These things really were sentient, weren't they? Even when controlled by some biochip in their heads, as Kenobi had told her, they grieved. Or at least attempted to.

"Did you know those troopers?" Ventress asked.

The commander, Eon, if Ventress remembered right, paused in his determined walk back to the others.

"I knew all of them." He said. "I trained with them."

Ventress hesitated.

"Then why did you save me first?"

"Our orders are to always prioritize the lives of our commanding officers." Eon said flatly.

"You could have saved some of the others if you hadn't saved me."

"I understand that." Eon said. "Good-good soldiers follow orders."

Ventress felt the Force, the urges of which she had been trying to ignore, shudder at his words.

"We need to get to the rest of the Legion." Eon said.

He walked away from Ventress to the waiting medic. Ventress looked back at the trooper lying on the ground. She stooped and closed his eyes.

It was a half day of walking before one of the gunships returned for them. Ventress couldn't resist a smile, not a smirk, a smile, as she saw the wild haired figure leaning from the open side of the ship. Quinlan leapt from the ship before it touched down and sprinted the rest of the way.

"Are you hurt?" He asked when he reached her.

"Perhaps." Ventress said. "I think I'll need you to look me over in detail."

"Asajj." Quinlan said with a furrowed brow. "I'm serious."

Oh. Asajj thought. He was actually concerned. And instead of feeling derision, her heart seemed to swell at his worry. Interesting. Maybe Kenobi was right.

"I'm fine." She assured him. "Just a crack to the head."

He frowned and glanced at the small group of clones boarding the gunship.

"Figures, when we trust our safety to clones." He muttered.

Ventress narrowed her eyes.

"Now that's not fair." She said. "What if I told you one of them saved my life?"

Quinlan blinked at her.

"Oh." He said. "I suppose I'd have to be grateful."

"Let's show that gratitude by being a little nicer to them, hm?" Ventress said as she ran a hand down his arm.

He looked at her strangely.

"You don't like them any better than I do." He said.

Ventress shrugged.

"I guess I'm just getting used to them."

Ventress would have liked to just slip away with Quinlan when they returned, but he insisted she get her head looked at.

So Ventress shook off his guiding arm and made her way to the already set up med tent. To her surprise, Kenobi was there, along with Gilamar and Ti.

"Ventress." Obi Wan said. "I'm glad to see you in one piece."

"It would take more than a crashing gunship to kill me." Ventress said airily. "I don't suppose you're all gathered here to give me a warm welcome."

"I'm afraid not." Kenobi said.

Ventress smirked at him and went to the nearest Mandalorian medic; she wasn't sure if any of the clone medics would help her.

"I do not know if this is the best time for this." Ti said.

"It's not ideal." Gilamar said. "But we need to start somewhere."

"But Eon is only seventeen." Ti said. "Perhaps one of the older clones-"

"I would prefer if my Commander was under his own control." Obi Wan said.

Ventress frowned. What were they planning for the Commander?

She watched with interest as Eon himself stepped into the tent. The clone went straight for Kenobi.

As the medic scanned her head, Ventress listened to their conversation.

"You called for me, sir?"

"Yes, Eon." Kenobi said, stroking his beard. "There is a quick inoculation we need to give you. Please sit down and remove your helmet."

Eon did so and Ventress raised an eyebrow. The clone was obviously younger than any she'd seen. A teenager. She supposed his voice was different from the other troopers, but she had thought maybe the Kaminoans had taken to castrating their clones. But no, this was a boy leading the clone armies.

Gilamar approached the boy with a hypo.

"This'll sting, son." He said.

He applied the shot in the clone's neck. Eon didn't flinch.

Ventress' medic finished applying bacta while she watched the others wait. She decided to stick around and see what this was really about.

A bolt of fear suddenly shot through the Force. The boy's stoic expression slipped for a moment and it was obvious from whom the terror had come. The clone quickly regained his composure, but the fear remained. What had they done to him?

"Eon?" Ti asked. "How are you feeling?"

The boy had gone pale and he fixed his stare on Ti.

"I- begging your pardon ma'am, but what did you do?" Eon asked.

"We got rid of that inhibitor chip." Gilamar said. "The Kaminoans can't control you anymore, son."

Eon continued to stare at Ti.

"General, is there a way to put it back?" He whispered.

"What?" Kenobi asked. "Why would you want that?"

"We cannot, Eon." Ti said gently.

"Oh." The boy swallowed hard. "Oh."

Then he slowly bowed his head into his hands. His shoulders began to shake. His fingers tightened in his hair.

Ventress was surprised that was all the boy did. From what she could feel, the boy was shattered. She realized she had stood, half intending to see what she could do.

Ti beat her to it. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to talk quietly to the trooper.

"Kix." Kenobi said.

Ventress realized that most of the clone medics had gathered into a flock to one side of the tent. They were all fixated on the young clone.

One broke free at Kenobi's instruction and hurried close.

"I believe Eon will need the support of his brothers." Kenobi said. "Can you see that he gets it?"

"Yessir." The medic said before bending over Commander Eon. "Udesii, vod'ika. Come with me."

The medic led the trembling clone out of the tent.

"What the hell was that, Kenobi?" Ventress asked harshly.

Ti, Gilamar, and Kenobi turned their heads towards her. Kenobi looked shocked at her tone. Ventress herself was surprised at the anger boiling in her core.

Once again, the fact that they were sentient hit her. And damn the Force, she cared.

"That boy just lost two thirds of his squad and you decide now is the right time to experiment on his brain?" Ventress asked.

Kenobi blinked.

"Clones are made to be less affected by grief, at least right away." He said. "I didn't think-"

"That was obvious." Ventress said.

"We made a mistake." Ti said softly. "They must have used the chips to replace some of their emotional training."

Gilamar stood as if stunned, then swore under his breath.

"First battles are hard enough on them." He muttered. "The poor ik'aad."

Kenobi finally lowered his gaze.

"I could not imagine that freedom from the chip would badly affect them." He said. "It seems I was wrong."

Ventress snorted in derision. She could still feel Eon's echoing distress in the Force. She stood, and stalked off to go find him.

Kix led the shaking Commander back to where the 501st veterans gathered. There were only around a dozen of them in the new 104th. Even fewer were at camp. They were preparing for the next stage of the assault. Ridge was there, which was good.

"Kix?" Ridge asked as he saw Kix and Eon come closer. "What's going on? Is that the Commander?"

"Commander Eon here just had his chip removed." Kix said. "He's finding the transition a little difficult."

Ridge furrowed his brow. They were all uneasy around the young, overly strict commander. Kix was willing to place the blame on the chip. Eon seemed quite the opposite of what he'd been a few hours earlier.

Kix was relieved when Ridge came closer and patted Eon's shoulder.

Eon flinched at the touch. He wasn't crying, but that was normal for shinies after their first battle. The tears would come, along with the first layer of the shell each trooper built against the horrors of war.

"You got any batchmates or squadmates around?" Ridge asked.

Eon shook his head.

"He's a CC." Kix reminded Ridge. "They're probably all Commanders of the legions."

"Oh." Ridge said. "Right. Got any other close brothers around?"

"A-a couple are left." Eon said in a nearly non-existent voice. "Vax and Brisk. But they're- like I was."

Kix felt his insides twist at Eon's phrasing. A couple left. He'd heard the Commander's ship had gone down. The poor kid must have lost some of his close brothers in the crash.

"Ah." Kix said. "I'm sorry, vod."

"We can take care of you." Ridge said. "We're all brothers here."

"It doesn't matter." Eon said in a flat tone. "You'll die too."

Ridge and Kix shared a look.

"I know it can seem that way-" Kix started.

"Maybe not this battle, or even this campaign." Eon said. "But the Kaminoans are just going to keep sending us out over and over until we're all- gone."

His voice broke on the last word and the inevitable tears came. Kix instinctively pulled Eon's head into his chest. Eon stiffened, though his breath kept coming in hiccuping gasps.

Kix wondered when the kid was last touched out of love. He ran his hand up and down Eon's back.

The tears were good, though no clone liked to admit it. Eon was releasing his emotions. It wasn't good to keep them bottled up, like the Captain did. Rex had been the most stubborn di'kut about shoving his emotions in.

It had been something Kix had known for years, but he'd been so pleasantly surprised when they'd taught the same thing in his training to be a doctor.

A lump came to Kix's throat at the thought of what he'd left behind. He had been well on his way to becoming a doctor. Someone who could be more focused on helping people rather than deciding who was worth saving.

But now he was back on the battlefield, holding a brother overwhelmed by war.

It was a long time before Eon's sounds of grief subsided.

"It'll be all right, vod'ika." Kix said.

Empty words. Eon was right. Kix had a hard time thinking of any way to get them away from the Kaminoans. And Wooley had said that General Kenobi didn't know how to help.

"Why did they get rid of it?" Eon whispered.

He was still letting Kix hold him, but Kix thought it might be because it was the path of least resistance.

"Get rid of what, vod?" Ridge asked.

"The chip."

Kix and Ridge blinked at each other. Neither had personally been under the control of the chip; in fact Kix didn't know any clone that had been, excluding those left on Kamino. Kix didn't imagine that it would be pleasant being under mind control.

"You didn't like being controlled by it, did you?" Kix asked.

Eon shook his head.

"But it made it so I could do my job." He said. "It made it so I could handle everything. But now, there's just too- too much."

He began shaking again. There was someone standing over them. Kix looked up and felt an odd and rather violent surge of revulsion. The harpy herself. Ventress.

"What do you want?" Ridge snarled.

Ventress glanced at him only briefly with her nearly colorless eyes before focusing on Kix. No, not Kix. Eon.

She didn't say anything, but her brow became furrowed in concentration. Kix recalled Commander Tano looking like that when she used the Force. Kix felt Eon's tense muscles relax a little.

"What are you-"

"Shut up." Ventress said through gritted teeth. "I-I'm not good with this sort of thing."

Kix stared at her. Was she soothing Eon? Commander Tano would do the same after particularly hard battles. But the Commander had done it with such ease, walking among the men and helping a couple at a time. Ventress' bald head was shiny with effort with just the one.

And it was for a clone.

Kix and Ridge sat rigidly as conversely Eon became more and more relaxed. Eventually his breathing evened out completely and he was asleep.

Ventress reached out. Kix flinched, but she only placed a hand on Eon's face for just a moment.

"Poor little wretch." She mumbled to herself.

She turned her unnerving gaze to Kix.

"Send for me if he gets bad again." She said.

Kix was about to bite back that they knew how to calm their own brothers, thank you very much, but she was already leaving.

Kix and Ridge shared a confused look.

Maybe General Kenobi wasn't totally insane for trusting her.

Mando'a:

shebs: backside

nehutyc: fiesty, gutsy, basically did he have the guts

Ni su'cuyi: I am still- First part of remembrances

vod'ika: little brother

ik'aad: baby, young child

vod: brother

di'kut: idiot

A lot to unpack here. Firstly, it is now confirmed, Fives very much does have feelings for Ahsoka. And he is very aware of how Ahsoka and Rex feel about each other. Which is a problem.

The Zabrack that gets his arm broken, Pez, is actually not my OC! He belongs to my sister and her own Rexsoka fic. She'll hopefully be able to start posting that soon. I help her edit and I can tell you it's very good. I'll let you guys know when it's out.

And here we are with Ventress. She is now coming to the uncomfortable conclusion that the clones are people and she might actually care about one.

Obi Wan and Gilamar kind of screwed up here, but don't think too badly of them. They're in a crappy situation and the first thing they can think of to do is get rid of the chips. Unfortunately for them, Eon is seventeen and just had a very bad day. The Kaminoans are starting to cut some corners.

And a little bit of brotherly love. Because I cannot resist.

Welp, wear your masks, remember to review, and have a great few weeks!