The ride back to base was silent. Rex was deep in thought, as though his mind had shut down after finding out Echo could be alive. Shadow still sat on the floor of the transport, Hunter sitting beside her as Scarlett and Crosshair piloted. Her shoulder ached, the bruise blossoming into a larger, more angrier mark. At this point there was no way she could get her pauldron armor back on. She kept a straight face the whole time, even though the pain was starting to get to her. She was trained to not show pain, to act as if it didn't bother her. It was the Mandalorian way.

The base soon came into sight, Crosshair flying up to the main hangar. Once they landed the others got off the transport, but Hunter stuck with Shadow. He saw Kix walking over to Rex and he waved his hand at the medic.

"She is wounded." He yelled to Kix who jogged over to the Mandalorian. She glared at Hunter for making a big deal out of what was probably nothing but she went with Kix with no complaints. She followed him to the medical bay, where she saw Cody laying on a bed.

"How is he?" She asked softly as Kix led her to a bed not far from Cody.

"He is healing. Been awake more. Probably another week or so and he will be back up and kicking." Kix told her. He stepped in front of her and had a slight tint to his cheeks. "I uhhh… need you to remove the top part of your armor… and shirt. So I can have a full display of the arm…." He trailed off as his embarrassment ascended. Shadow smiled slightly at him and began to remove what armor she could.

"I grew up in a clan with a male doctor, Kix. I'm no stranger to having to only be in my chest wrap for wounds to be treated. Help me remove the pauldrons please." She turned so he could reach the clasps of the armor and slide them off her body. Once her armor was removed she slowly pulled the shirt off, never showing pain. Soon she was down to her chest wrap, and looked up at Kix. He gently took her arm and started to scan her shoulder for breaks. Shadow sat there like stone, never moving or showing pain.

Kix looked up at her and then back at her arm. "It's okay to say if it hurts, you know." He said quietly. He saw her roll her eyes playfully and sigh.

"I was trained to never show pain. To show pain is to show defeat." She said matter of factly. She heard him sigh and then he gasped lightly. "What?" She turned to face him. The shock on his face was clear. She looked down to her shoulder to see that her bruise had faded, going from nasty and black, to faded yellow and green. She slapped a palm to her forehead, groaning as she dragged it down her face. She grabbed her shirt from the bed and swiftly pulled it on, hiding the bruise.

"What the Kriff?!" Kix exclaimed as he looked up at her wide eyed.

"Shut up Kix!" She whisper-yelled at the medic. "Just… stop okay?" She sighed and looked around to see if anyone else in the room heard him. Once she saw it was clear she let out a breath of air.

"You want to explain this to me?" He said pointing to her arm. She rolled her head to the side and let it hang, shaking her head.

"No really, but I'm guessing you'll make me tell you." She looked up at the still shocked medic as she spoke.

"The fact that you started to heal while I was touching you is not normal Shadow! I've only ever seen Je-" Kix trailed off and snapped his head up to lock eyes with her. She rolled her eyes and nodded her head to confirm what he was saying.

"Kriffing Hell! You're a Jedi!" He whisper-yelled as he threw his hands up in the air.

Shadow felt like trying to explain this to him was a lost cause at this point. She slapped her hand over his mouth and shook her head harshly. "Shhhh!" She said looking him dead in the eyes. "I'm not a Jedi." He pushed her hand off his face and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Then what are you?"

"I'm just Force Sensitive. And before you ask...NO ONE knows. Not even Scarlett. So keep your trap shut or I'll make sure you never talk again Kix." She threatened, glaring right into his soul. The medic swallowed hard and nodded his head not knowing she didn't really mean her threat. She sighed and pushed herself off the table and finished strapping her armor back on. She went to grab her helmet when she heard his voice barely over a whisper speak up.

"Why can't anyone know?"

She stopped in her tracks and felt the weight of his words settle on her heart. She hung her head before squaring her shoulders and turning to look him in the eyes. "My clan is part of Death Watch. They HATE Jedi. They made it their mission to make Mandalore what it once was. We are already outcast in our clan, but if they found out what I was…. What I could do… they would kill us both to spark their warriors into a larger fight for the Sith who sits on our throne." She said to him in a tone that bled with power. Her voice was unwavering, it held dignity and rank in it as she stood tall. She was not ashamed of who she was or what she was, but she was not about to have others pay the price for her. She took a deep breath and relaxed her gaze.

"Please Kix. I have to protect her. What I am… It may be a blessing to others but to her, it could be a curse." Kix watched her for a moment more before nodding his head. He could see how important this was to her and he would honor her wishes.

Shadow nodded before slipping her helmet back on and walking out of the medical wing, her kama silently flowing around her legs. She felt the clones watching her as she walked past groups of them. She knew she was a rare sight to see, not many getting to see a Mandalorian that often. She made her way into the main hangar where Hunter and Rex were talking to Anakin and Obi-Wan about the mission and what they found out. Rex still had a look of shock on his face but he kept himself together. Hunter heard her enter before the others and gave her a side glance before turning to face her fully.

"Why are you out of bed, Lieutenant?" He asked as he crossed his arms. Shadow rolled her eyes under her helmet at him and tilted her head to the side a bit. "Did Kix let you out of the Med wing?"

"Easy, Sergeant. The wound was not as bad as you thought. I'm fine. Now can we get down to business?" She said before pulling her helmet off her head, wisps of blonde and black hair falling around her face that fell from her braid. She felt his eyes on her for a bit more before he turned back to Skywalker. She rolled her eyes again and bit back a smile. She knew he meant well, but she wasn't used to having someone fuss over her. It wasn't how her clan had worked.

"With the information we found, we have reason to believe that they either have Echo held alive and got the information out of him somehow, or… he died… and they found ways to access his memories." Rex said, his voice cracking a bit as he talked about his fallen younger brother. She saw Anakin cast him a sympathetic look before sighing and turning to look at Obi-Wan. She could feel Anakin and Rex's pain for their fallen comrade. She knew he meant alot to them.

"I already know what you are gonna ask Anakin, but I need to talk to the council first. Make sure we can do this mission. We don't know what we are walking into."

"My sister and I will go with them." Shadow spoke up. She saw Rex give her a small smile and she nodded her head at the Captain.

"The Batch will go as well. I can't say I believe this Clone is alive, but we'll help find out what's going on." Hunter said a few seconds later. Obi-Wan nodded at the soldiers before he and Anakin turned and walked off. Shadow picked up her helmet from the table she set it on and turned to face Hunter.

"Thank you. For tending to me when I was shot." She said with a slight nod of her head. She felt his eyes drift to her shoulder before locking with hers once more.

"Of course." He said with a slight smile before picking up his helmet and walking out of the hangar. Shadow sighed and rolled her shoulders before tucking her helmet under her arm and walking back out into the sunlight. She took a deep breath as she let the sun's rays hit her face. She watched as ships took off and landed, clones marching to and from ships, moving crates around the landing docks and droids running around, making sure things were in working order. This was a life she chose, one she thrived on. Not just because she was a Mandalorian and was bred and trained to live in a highly disciplined lifestyle, but because she favored the feeling of having a purpose. That she was helping those who couldn't help themselves, and that her training and abilities were being used for the right reasons. She loved how the rush of adrenaline felt in her veins in a fight, the air burning and flowing through her lungs when she run or sparred in a fight. She may not be a Jedi but she believed that she was meant to do what was right, that she was made to protect those around her. And she lived for that. She took one last deep breath before pulling on her helmet and walking off to find some food.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Scarlett loved heights. She loved being up above, having a full view of everything around her. She was climbing up the wall of the cave the main base was inside of, scaling her way to the top. She climbed higher and higher until she could see for miles and miles all around her. While her twin was the born leader, better with words and up close and personal fight, Scarlett was the quieter of the two, preferring to take on the fight from a distance. She could hold her own in a hand to hand, up close and personal fight, but that wasn't her style. She was the polar opposite of her twin in many ways. They both had their strengths and weaknesses but they balanced each other out. Shadow had been named the heir to their clan when they had been 'born', being 5 minutes older then Scarlett. She didn't mind though, she didn't want to lead the clan, or play diplomat. She wanted to train the warriors. She wanted to be the next warrior leader of the clan, like her father was. But that was all before their mother died when they were young, before Shadow could take her claim for leader, so her aunt took over…. and banished them around the same time the Duchess had been killed. Once Maul took over Mandalore, the Twins left all they knew and joined the Republic like their mother always wanted to do. They joined up and did training on Kamino, where they had been born. They soon were sent out to help Plo Koon and then later Obi-Wan where they met Cody. The twins stayed off a lot of people's radars, normally doing stealth missions where they could stay in the dark. They worked better that way. She sat down and watched the sun rise higher into the sky. She saw ships taking off and landing, clones walking and running from place to place. She took a deep breath of air, letting her shoulders relax.

"Enjoying the view?"

Scarlett jumped, pulling out her knife facing the person who dared come up behind her. Crosshair stood there, toothpick in between his lips, a smirk playing across his face. He stood leaning more on his right leg, his left leg bent slightly as he looked her up and down as she pointed the blade at his chest.

"What the hell Crosshair?!" She hissed as she slipped her knife back into its holster on her chest. She pushed some of her red hair behind her ears and glared at the sniper. She huffed and turned back around sitting back down, her legs hanging over the cliff edge. Crosshair rolled his eyes and sat down near her, letting his long legs hang over the edge as well.

"You always a sneaky, grumpy asshole?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at him. He huffed and threw his toothpick over the cliff.

"Are you always a snarky, little bitch or is that just around me?" He shot back. They stared at each other a few more seconds before a smile broke out across Scarlett's face. She shook her head and smiled, letting the wind blow threw her hair as she turned her face into the wind. Crosshair watched her, letting his eyes roll over her body before looking down at the base below them. He ran a hand through his short silver hair before leaning back on his hands. The silence around them was a welcome one and one that made this moment feel comfortable. It was not a weird silence, but one that said more than words could. These soldiers almost never had a moment to enjoy the silence, to listen to the wind blow around them, to let their mind stop for just a moment.

"Do you ever hate being different?" Scarlett's voice was just above a whisper, as if she was afraid someone below would hear her. Crosshair glanced over at her before leaning back onto his elbows.

"Why be a Reg when you can be like us? They never understand who we are, but we are the type of people who will win this war." He answered after a few seconds. Scarlett looked at him before sighing and letting her body lay back onto the ground behind her.

"Not so much that I'm different as in enhanced… but a clone. Like don't you wish sometimes you weren't made in a tube? That you were just…. Normal?"

Crosshair knew what she meant. He felt it a lot growing up, feeling as though he was already different enough from the rest of the Galaxy by being a clone, but then being enhanced made him all the more different. He knew what was said behind their backs about them, how Nat Born looked down on them for being Clones. For being like everyone else in the army. Yet he didn't want a different life. He didn't want to be like Rex or Cody. He liked being who he was, even if it meant he spent most of his time alone.

"When I was younger… yes. But now. Now we are the type of people who will make it out of this war. Being a clone, or enhanced… doesn't make us the problem." He said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out another toothpick, slipping it between his teeth. Scarlett smiled slightly at him and nudged his leg with her boot.

"Look at you being all soft." She joked. He huffed and pushed her foot away but a smile tugged at his lips. They felt peaceful sitting up high in the cliff's edge, watching the hussle and bussle of the world below them. Two People, normally so cold and dark, not ones to show emotion, felt calm next to each other. It was as if an invisible rope tied them together, pulling them closer. They both felt different from the Galaxy, they both wanted to be accepted, yet at the same time they both wanted to be who they already were. Scarlett felt like herself, balanced even around Crosshair. Like how she felt with her sister. After sitting there for a long time, the pair of snipers finally made their way down the cliff wall, back to reality. Scarlett let her boots touch the dirt below and she stood tall, turning to face the sniper in black.

"See ya around Toothpick?" She asked with a wink.

"Mmm… just maybe." He answered with a soft smile to his lips before giving her a two finger salute and walking away to find his band of brothers. She walked back inside of the cave and went to the small room they gave Shadow and her to sleep in. She opened the door and stepped inside, letting her rifle rest against the wall. She started to undo her armor, stacking it on the small table. She saw that Shadow had left her helmet and some of her armor in the room, only wearing her chest plates in and her bracers it seemed. Scarlett tugged off her boots and threw herself onto the mattress, letting her body sink into it. She sighed and let her eyes drift shut, a soft sleep taking over her body.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Shadow had been in the mess hall eating when Rex had found her. He sat down across the table from her and ate a small meal himself. The two got into a light conversation about the war, different battles and some fighting styles.

"No really I'm telling you hand to hand is a great way to fight." Shadow laughed as she tried to get Rex to agree with her on fighting styles. The blonde Captain shook her head with a smile and leaned back in his seat.

"No way. I'd rather blast 'em than fight hand to hand."

Shadow gave a dramatic sigh and leaned back in her chair, rolling her eyes playfully. "Captain, a Mandalorian is known for fighting hand to hand. Yes we use weapons and jetpacks but we are known for our agility and martial arts skills. You are Mandalorian, you have this in your DNA."

"I still like my blasters in a fight." He smirked at her before taking a sip of his caf. Shadow went to give him a snarky remark when Jesse stepped in and glared down at her.

"Any of us could beat you hand to hand I bet." He said. Everythings about him screamed arrogance. Jesse stood tall, a grin on his lips, his hand on his hip. Shadow raised an eyebrow at him and cocked her head to the side a bit as she clicked her tongue against her teeth.

"Oh you think so pretty boy?"

"Oh I know so. Just because you are Mandalorian doesn't mean you are better than a trained soldier of the Republic."

Shadow cast Rex a look and saw the Captain shrug his shoulders before giving her a grin. She looked back up at Jesse and pushed her chair back, standing up. She leaned forward across the table a bit and looked him in the eye.

"Alright hotshot. Let's dance, you and I."

Jesse gave her a grin, his eyes flooding with mischief. He leaned forward and met her gaze. "Bring it, Mando."

The two stood up straight and he waved his hand towards the door. She gave him a wicked grin before going out the door and down the hall. She heard boot falls behind her and knew many of the clones were coming to watch this sparring match. She went outside to the one landing platform that was empty and started to move crates out of the way, making a makeshift ring of sorts. Jesse joined her and helped her build the sparring ring before taking off the top part of his kit, going down to his blacks. Shadow took off her chest plate and vambraces and laid them on a crate beside her.

"Any rules, Mando?" Jesse asked in a cocky tone.

Shadow tilted her head to the side and smirked at him. "No hits or kicks that will break bones or leave us unable to fight. We have a point to prove, but a war to win so let's leave the injuries to a minimum." She said before throwing her braid over her shoulder. Someone turned on an upbeat song to play in the background, Rex, Kix, Cody and about 3 dozen more Clones filled around the platform. Even Anakin leaned against a crate, standing near Rex. Jesse and Shadow stepped into the middle of the makeshift ring and they shook hands before taking positions. Shadow got into a fighting stance, legs spread a bit wider than shoulder width with one leg behind her, her hands up at shoulder level. Jesse made the first move, throwing a punch towards her midsection but she blocked it with ease. She grabbed his arm, pushing it downwards before bringing her knee up into his belly. She turned her body slightly before taking her elbow and jabbing it into his ribcage. He grabbed her leg and pulled it out from under her, but she was quick to turn her body so her arms went around his shoulders and she pulled herself over his back, flipping him over so that he landed on his back with a thud. She smirked down at him as he laid there in the dirt.

"Will you yield?" She asked, hoping he would say no, because she was having too much fun.

"Never, Mando." Jesse growled before jumping up, throwing his body into hers. His shoulder into her chest, his arms going around her midsection. He pushed her backwards before kicking her leg out from under her, letting her fall to the ground. The crowds around them were cheering and yelling, enjoying the sparring match. Shadow groaned before pushing herself up. She did a roundhouse kick to him, going over his head before sweeping low with her leg to his knees, taking him down. He reached out as he hit the ground on his knees, trying to grab her leg but she did a backwards flip in the air, landing out of his reach. He stood up, letting out a growl before trying a roundhouse kick on her but she ducked down, spinning on her knees before jumping up, wrapping her legs around his shoulders. She gave her body a twist as she moved her left leg to his midsection, twisting his body with her. She used all her weight to throw him to the ground while doing a handspring, letting go of him as he hit the ground face first, landing on her feet. She turned to face him as he pushed himself up. He was dripping in sweat and his breath was labored but he charged her once again. He threw a punch, hitting her low on the belly, and tried to grab her arm. She deflected his hand, pushed it downwards. She opened her hand to hit him in the chest kicking him backwards before taking her elbow to his rib followed by another flat handed punch to the gut, knocking him back onto his ass once more. He laid there bent back on his elbow, trying to hold himself up as she held his left hand up.

"I yield!" He cried breathlessly as he panted. Many of the Clones groaned at his defeat, but a few cheered for Shadow as she pushed some of her flyaway hairs off her face. She reached out her hand to help him stand up patting his shoulder with a smile as he glared at her.

"Better luck next time Trooper." She said, with some humor in her tone. He rolled his eyes and stuck out his hand for her to shake.

"I don't know what they teach you on Mandalore, but good fight I guess." He said before giving her a smile and going to get the top half of his kit that was on the crate. Shadow chuckled with a smile and shook her head before grabbing her armor as well. Rex, Cody and Anakin walked over to her as she slipped on her chest plate.

"Let me just say, I'm glad you are on our side." Anakin said with a smirk as she crossed his arms over his chest. Shadow laughed and buckled the straps to her armor.

"Yeah I bet you are Skywalker."

"If they train soldiers like that on Mandalore, I hope we never have to go to war against your homeworld." Cody said as he leaned against the crate. Rex no odded his head and gave her a smile as she slipped on her vambraces.

"Let's hope that Death Watch never makes it into this war." Shadow answered. They all nodded in agreement, going to war with Death Watch and whoever was leading them was the last thing they needed in this war.