Cool wind blowing through her thick black hair as she hung her legs through the balcony rings at the top of the spiral on the Troop Center. Life never stopped moving on the busy world, speeders and transports filling the sky in a constant sea of movement. City lights shone for as far as the eye could see. It was here that she called home now, this world made of metal. It was a far cry from the Jungle and mountain world she once knew, but now the Clone barracks and Jedi temple were her home.

She closed her dark purple eyes and let the wind blow over her face. It was freeing being up this high, alone with the nighttime air. Her cheeks were stained with tears, red from wiping them away every few minutes. The past few days had been unlike any other. She felt a tremendous loss in her heart and mind. Everything she once believed in now seemed wrong. The people she trusted for as long as she could remember now made her question everything she knew. A long sigh slipped past her lips as she ran the back of her hand over her cheeks once more to wipe off the tears off her soft sunkissed skin. She let her hands fall back to the railing and rested her right cheek onto her arms. Her eyes remained closed, listening to the city, the planet go on about its busy way. Life could be so cruel sometimes, especially now with the Galaxy in flames in a seemingly unending war that was tearing even the Jedi apart.

At age 20 Calica Tarver never thought she would see so much death and despair in her young life. She had been a Padawan of Plo Koon's since she was 14, but the past few years of her life has been less about being a Jedi and more about being a soldier. And now, even her own Order was untrusting of one of its very own, one of the best of them. Ahsoka Tano was close to Plo, and Calica has grown up watching the young girl turn into a young woman before her eyes. She grew close to the young Togruta as time went by, seeing her as a younger sister. But after the explosion and the investigation the young girl found innocent, left the Order after those she trusted hunted her down and tried to call her a murderer. Her own men had died, Clones she loved and fought beside. No one in the 501st believed their leader was capable of doing what had been done. In the end the real terrorist had stepped forward, and Ahsoka had been set free, but in turn left the Order to find her own path. To many it had set the Jedi Order ablaze with doubt, especially in those who were close to Ahsoka. And Calica was one of them.

With a sigh, Calica opened her dark purple eyes and looked out over the city. The wind picked up as a Star Destroyer flew overhead heading to dock. She watched it as it headed to the docking platform. Soon she would be back on one of those with her Master and her troopers. Men she saw as equals. Taking one last look into the night sky above her, the feeling of the wind on her skin filling her with a bit of freedom she pushed herself into a standing position and headed for the door at the end of the balcony. Waving her hand in front of the door it opened with a slight whoosh and she stepped inside. Taking the lift down to the base of the spiral she walked out into the dim lit hallway. It was well into the night, most troopers asleep at this point. She walked down the halls with silent steps, her dark brown robe blowing around her feet with each step. Calica held her head and shoulders regal like, moving with a grace about her. She moved farther into the barracks, moving past the mess hall where a few Clones were getting a late night meal after just coming back from the Destroyer. She felt a soft warm presence filling

the air around her. Calica smiled softly to herself, and followed the warm river of calm down the halls. As she arounded a corner she smacked into the hard chest plate of armour.

"Ouph!" She groaned as she rubbed her head after smacking into the hard armour. A soft chuckle filled her ears and she knew right away who she ran into. Looking up to find the gray and white armour she felt a steady hand on her arm.

"You okay, Vod'ika?" Commander Wolffe asked as he gave her arm a light squeeze. They were both Commanders for the 104th. Calica handled more of the political and research side of the mission planning, learning about the people and the planet before Wolffe would then make up the battle plan and squads based on her Intel. They worked well together and Wolffe took her under his wing, acting as her big brother most days. "You smacked your head pretty hard on my armour, Little Wolf."

Calica looked up at the Clone Commander and gave him a shake of her head. Around most Wolffe seemed hard and unapproachable, but to Plo, his pack and her, he was a teddy bear. From the day they met, Wolffe and Calica became brother and sister and had always had each other's backs.

"I'm okay, Vod." She told him. As she looked down at his hand she noticed his holopad was out and glowing. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Last minute report I needed to get done."

"Oh I see."

"Why are you up at 1am in the morning?"

Was it really 1am in the morning? Calica ran a tired hand down her face. She could still feel the river of calming peace floating around the barracks and she reached out to it for a moment, letting it fill her mind and relax her. Taking a deep breath she looked back up at Wolffe.

"I couldn't sleep. So I went up to the spiral balcony." She said sheepishly. It wasn't forbidden for the Jedi to be at the barracks during the night, at times Generals came down here for late night planning before a mission. But most Jedi didn't wander the halls because they couldn't sleep. Wolffe placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer till his chin rested on top of her head. She wasn't short, but she stood a few inches below Wolffe's 6' frame. She tucked herself against him and let her arms wrap around his waist. His arms falling around her upper back as he sighed.

"Vod'ika, are you still hurting from what happened at the Temple? There was nothing you could do. She made her choice Little Wolf, even if it didn't seem fair, she made her choice." Calica knew he was right. Ahsoka made her choice after the Council let her down. And Calica knew

that choice wasn't easy, that it came with a cost to both sides. Didn't mean it still didn't hurt to lose a friend and someone she called sister.

"I know, Wolffe. I know." She whispered into his armoured chest before letting out a shaken sigh. Pushing herself back, she stood up straight and closed her eyes for a second before looking up into his one brown and one white. She thought about when he lost his eyes. That day had been so hard on her and Plo. Wolffe had tried to protect his men, when he was struck down by Asajj Ventress losing his eye to her lightsaber. Calica has jumped in, standing over the fallen Commander's body protecting him from being killed. She fought hard against Ventress, winning in the end and getting Wolffe to safety but he had become harder on himself and his men after that day. He really was only soft around Plo and Herself, and a few of his men that really earned it. Since then Wolffe and Calica have become closer.

"Vod'ika?" His voice broke her from her thoughts as she looked back up into his eyes.

"Sorry?"

Wolffe sighed and placed a hand on her arm. "I asked how long were you up in your tower? Have you slept at all lately?"

Calica just shrugged. She honestly wasn't sure when the last time it was that she slept. Between the front lines and coming back to find the Temple in an uproar her mind has been racing in 20 different directions. She hung her head and reached back out into the Force, letting the light ripples of calm wash over her. She felt her mind relax as the warm mind touched her through the Force and she gave a silent thanks.

"Calica, Vod'ika, come on. I'll take you to my barracks. You need to sleep and I have to finish these reports for Plo'buir. I don't want to leave you alone right now." Too tired to fight Wolffe on it, she nodded her head and followed him down the halls of the Clone Barracks. They walked the halls in silence, their soft foot falls the only sound. As they walked they came to a hall where a lone woman was slowly walking down the hall, her hand outreached towards the doors as she went by. Her pale tan robe moved with each step, her white to blue hair hung in loose curls down her back. The warmth Calica has felt was coming from the Jedi before her.

"Do you know who that is? I've seen her in here before at night, walking the halls but never spoke to her before." Wolffe asked softly as to not disturb her. Calica nodded her head and looked from the woman to Wolffe.

"That's Master Asha Imber. She's not around much, her team is an elite special Ops, but when they are planet side, she comes here to use her powers on the men."

"Her powers?"

"Her kind are empaths. It's not a Force sensitivity, it's a thing they just do. They can feel all emotions and they can even push emotions onto others. It's a very powerful gift outside of the Force. We all can feel emotions with the Force, but for her, because of her species, it's more powerful for her."

"So what is she doing here?"

Calica waved her hand at the Jedi Master as she looked over at the two and gave them a soft smile before softly rapping on a door. A clone opened the door, his face tired, sunken in, and tear stains on his skin. They watched as he took one look at Master Imber and broke down. The tall Layothan woman wrapped him in her arms and gently rubbed his back, his breathing soon evening out as her blue eyes glowed in the dimly lit halls. The clone soon seemed to be asleep on his feet and the Jedi walked him into his room and laid him on the bunk and pulled the blanket up before placing a hand on his head and closing her eyes over him.

"She comes here to help soldiers find peace. To be able to sleep. That man is a shiny, he saw his first battle the other day and lost his batchmate. He's been having nightmares since he got back, according to Spark." She looked up at Wolffe to see a soft look on his face. "She does it for all the men. No matter how little or long they have been in the war. If she can, she pushes calming emotions onto them, helping them turn away bad dreams and feel safe and comfortable."

Waffle nodded his head towards the Jedi as she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Her eyes, still looking as though they glowed, were somehow warm and kind. She gave the pair a nod before moving to the next room with her hand outreached, feeling for the next man that needed a sense of peace. Calica and Wolffe turned and went down the right corridor towards his barracks leaving the Jedi Master to her task. Wolffe opened the door once they reached the room and he placed a hand on her back, letting her walk through first. Calica had been here a handful of times, helping plan and prepare for battles, many times both falling asleep at his desk before the night was over. With a flop, she face planted onto the bunk, letting her worn body sink into the mattress. Wolffe chuckled behind her as he shut the door and sat down at his desk. Reaching into the top drawer of his desk he pulled out a ration bar and tossed it at her head. He was doing everything he could to make her smile, or comfortable in the least. The bar thunked off her head, falling to the floor and Calica turned to glare half-heartedly at him before using the Force to bring the bar to her hand.

"Lazy." He chirped before turning to pull up the reports Plo needed done for a meeting in the morning. Calica stuck out her tongue at him before ripping open the package and biting into the green color bar. It was one of the better tasting ones, not as blended as some of them. Wolffe kept a stash of the good ones in his room since they were harder to come by. She quickly downed the ration bar and threw the wrapper into the waste bin. Calica wrapped her rope around herself tighter before laying back down on her side, watching Wolffe type away on his holopad. Her eyes soon began to droop as she watched him type away and before she knew it her world went dark as sleep took over her.

It was early morning when a light rap on the door woke her from her slumber. Choosing to ignore the tapping she rolled over and pulled her robes tighter to her body. Calica heard Wolffe stir and the sound of his chair moving softly backwards on the floor. He moved silently, his footfalls not making a sound. She felt his eyes on her back before opening the door and giving a soft "shhhh" to whoever was waiting outside. After a few seconds the door slipped shut and muffled voices came from the hallways but she was too tired to care, letting sleep pull her back under.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wolffe was surprised to have someone come knocking at his door at 0500 in the morning. The briefing wasn't supposed to be until 0900. He didn't think Plo would be looking for Calica, he knew she sometimes crashed with Wolffe. He didn't figure any of the Jedi would be looking for her in all honesty. At least not at this hour. So when he opened his door and saw Rex standing outside of it, he was surprised. Pressing his finger to lips he quickly shushed his younger Vod before stepping out into the hallway. Rex glanced at the sleeping form on the bed before giving Wolffe a questioning look.

"Is everything okay Vod?" Wolffe asked after the door slipped shut.

"Just got back from the Temple with General Skywalker. Saw the light under the door so I thought I'd just in." Rex said in a hushed tone. He tapped his head towards the door that was closed behind Wolffe. "What's that about?" He couldn't make out who the sleeping form was and he never knew Wolffe to bring anyone back to the barracks. He watched as his Vod cast a glance at the door and rubbed a tired hand through his hair.

"Commander Tarver." He said with a wave of his hand towards the door. His other hand found purch on his hip as he glanced back at Rex. "The whole banthashit show at the Temple has her on edge. I don't think she's slept since we got back. I didn't want her alone." He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before looking at Rex. The Captain gave his older brother a knowing look, one of understanding.

"Skywalker hasn't been the same the past few days either. I've been trying to be there for him as much as I can. He's the closest thing to a brother a natborn could be to me." Rex said as he leaned against the metal wall. Even through his armor he could feel the cool steel. "This whole thing has set everyone on edge. Loyalty means everything to the us Clones and over the years I've learned loyalty means just as much to the Jedi. For them to do what they did to Comma-, er, Ahsoka, it really punched a hole in the fabric of things at the Temple."

Woffle nodded his head before leaning back against the wall beside his brother. "Everything is just off right now. All we can do is be there for our leaders and support them." Glancing back to Rex he noticed how tired and worn the young Captain was. "How are you handling it all?"

Rex huffed a sigh as he let his head thunk back against the wall. His eyes were red rimmed, bags under them from lack of sleep. His skin a bit paler than normal. Anyone could see the

Captain was tired. But there was more under that. He rolled his head to the side, looking into the eyes of his brother.

"I'll be honest, it hurts. Ahsoka became so important to the boys and me. To Skywalker. She is family." Mist filled his eyes as he spoke, becoming glossy as he ran the back of his gloved hand over them. "I understand why she left. But it feels like another death to the 501st. I'm not sure any of us are going to be able to shake this Wolffe. It's throwing more than just my unit off. Even General Kenobi seems harder than normal." He felt the heavy hand of his Vod fall to his shoulder and grasp it tightly. Rex wasn't normally one to show so much emotion, hell none of the Clones were. But when something really shakes them up, it was normal to find brothers holding brothers in the dead of night as they tried to pull themselves back together.

"You need to sleep Rex. Maybe find Kix, get some downers and sleep. I'm sure the Generals would understand if you missed a day. Jesse or Appo can fill in for you for once. The war can wait a moment." Woffle offered his counsel as he squeezed his shoulder. The hard, stoic commander put aside his training and duty for a moment to offer not only his Commander but his brother a moment to stop being soldiers but humans with emotions. Rex just nodded his head and placed his hand on Woffle's before pushing off the wall. He cast a glance towards the closed door wondering about the woman behind it. He had never met Calica Tarver, but heard Ahsoka talking about her over the years. Somehow their paths never crossed and yet his heart broke for the woman. He looked back into Wolffe's eyes before tipping his head at the Commander and walked down the hallway towards his barracks to try and find sleep that seemed to have avoided him for days now. Or maybe he had been avoiding it, knowing that once he laid down he would fall victim to his own mind that hadn't stopped racing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her arm was asleep.

That's the first thing she noticed when her senses came flooding back to her as she woke up. She had been sleeping with her right arm tucked under her head since she fell asleep. And at this point Calica had no clue when that had been. Rolling onto her back she stared at the gray ceiling of the barracks for a moment, rubbing her left hand over her arm trying to get the blood flow back to it. Wincing at the painful tingling in her arm she swung her legs over the side of the bunk and rolled her head side to side to pop her joints. Glancing to the now empty chair where Woffle has once been she realized his datapad was also missing.

Calica sighed and pushed herself up onto her feet and let her back pop back into place before taking a step towards the desk. There on Flimsi was a note waiting for her. Picking up the Flimsi, she looked down at the clear handwriting of Woffle. Plo and himself had decided to let her miss the briefing to sleep. He told her to meet up with him at the hanger once she woke up and they would grab food. Grabbing her twin bronze and silver lightsabers and clipping them to her belt, she made her way out of Woffle's room and down the long halls of the barracks. Her long raven hair fell loose from its braid, so as she walked her finger combed her hair, letting the thick waves

fall down her back. Calica pulled herself together, cleaning up her face and putting in a regal air, she walked the halls like the Jedi she was. She passed Troopers as she went, giving them nods in return to the salutes they gave her. She respected these men and in return they respected her. She never saw them as anything less than equal.

Making her way down the twists and turns of the barracks Calica found herself at the front doors facing the Jedi Temple. The temple was already in repair, droids and workers fixing the walls that had been blown apart in the bombing. Just the sight of the charred walls made her stomach twist. Glancing away, she looked back down at the pathway below that led to where the speeders and transports were housed on the Clone Barracks trying to catch a glimpse of Woffle's armor in the sea of plastoid that moved about. As she walked heard some clones in either a heated or spirited and loud debate once she entered the hanger. Looking around to find the owners of the voices she saw Boost holding Comet in a headlock, Warthog and Sinker howling with laughter as the young clone thrashed around. He slammed his fists into the leg armor of Boost, trying to break free from the grip of his older Vod. Calica crossed her arms over her chest and leaned more on her right foot as she watched it unfold. Comet got a solid hit to Boost's stomach, making the older clone loosen his hold slightly, enough for Comet to break free, shoving him backwards into Sinker who growled at the contact. He took a swing at Comet who ducked in time, only for Warthog to take the blow. Soon all four clones were yelling and shouting, fists flying as they jumped each other.

"Oi! That's enough!" Calica shouted, clapping her hands together to get their attention. The four clones pulled themselves apart, slight shoves here and there as they stood tall.

"Commander!" Sinker said with a salute, trying to hold onto any scrap of dignity they had left.

"What the kirf is going on here?" She questioned, looking each one in the eyes.

"Well you see-"

"Comet decided that-"

"You shut up, you weren't-"

"I will punch you again-"

"That's not what happened-"

"Say that to my face you-!"

Calica threw her hands up in the air, using the Force to push the clones apart. "Enough! Forget I asked." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she shook her head. The four hung their heads, Boost kicking his foot out, Comet cleaning imaginary dirt from his chest.

"Sorry Commander." They all said in unisecent shyly.

"Do any of you know where Woffle is?" Asked Calica as she looked around the hanger. Before any of them could speak a deep booming voice spoke up from behind.

"I'm right here." Woffle's expression was hard, yet a hint of humor lingering in his eyes. "Someone had to file a report on a gun torrent that somehow malfunctioned early this morning while Boost and Comet were on guard duty." He continued, giving the two troopers a pointed look that made Calica chuckle softly. That's when she noticed the hint of a bacta patch poking out from under the collar of Comet's blacks and Boost with a small patch at his hairline above his left eyebrow.

"Maker above, what did you do, blow up with the torrent?" A roll of her eyes followed a dramatic sigh. Their cheeks turned a bright red, comet rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced at Boost.

"It's just a scratch Vod'ika." Comet spoke first.

"Don't worry over it. We're fine." Boost finished with a wave of his hand. Woffle gave them a grunt, clearing not believing but didn't say anything. He laid a hand on Calica's shoulder, trying to turn her towards him and away from his brothers.

"One day, you two will be the death of me." She joked before Woffle grabbed her arm, pulling her a few steps away from the men.

"You can yell at them later. I'm hungry and I want to go to Dexter." His grumpy voice called to her as he tugged her along. Claina laughed, really laughed for the first time since the bombing, and allowed Woffle to pull her away from their group in search of the wonderfully greasy food that only Dexter's could offer. Getting into her speeder, Woffle in the passenger seat, she flew them off to Dexter's. The wind whipped around them as she drove, Calica throwing her worries to it so she could enjoy this morning with her Vod.

"Did you sleep okay?" Woffle's voice cut into her thoughts. Claica spared him a quick glance before looking back at the traffic.

"I slept well enough. Thanks Vod." Woffle only hummed in response instead of pushing further. Silence filled the speeder again as she drove, a question pulling at her though until she finally gave in.

"Who came to the door last night?"

"Rex." Was his one worded answer.

"The Captain of the 501st?" It wasn't really a question, she knew of Rex through Woffle and Ahsoka, but never had the chance to actually meet him. But Woffle nodded his head regardless as he replied.

"The very one." Realizing she would want more information he pressed on. "This whole thing, losing his Commander, seeing his General lose his student… well, let's just say you and Rex are more alike than I thought."

Glancing at him quickly with a raised brow before looking back at the traffic, she quickly spoke up. "How do you mean?"

Woffle turned so he was looking at her, even though she couldn't look him in the eyes as he spoke. "You both care for others without question. Even if it means becoming hurt in the end. It doesn't stop you… either of you."

His words hang heavily between them. They set on her heart like a stone, unsure if it weighed her down or brought her comfort. She knew others, some maybe more so than her, hurt from the happenings of the past few days. But she released the Captain came to his older brother's door last night looking for comfort, for words of encouragement or peace and Woffle stood by him even as he stood by her in her time of pain. Pulling into the parking lot at Derek's, she shut off her speeder and laid a hand on Woffle's arm before he stepped out of the vehicle.

"You care too, even if you don't truly want to admit you do."