Despite what his men sometimes seemed to think, being Captain was not a glamorous position. Rex was usually proud of where he was, because he had worked hard to get here, and he liked working side by side with General Skywalker. Other times though, he loathed his rank, because it meant that he was the one responsible for making tough decisions. More often than he wanted to think about, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Situations where there was no right choice, and he had to live with the consequences of what he chose.

Rex sighed and once again read over the message he had received a week ago. Usually he was happy to hear from his brothers, even when it was bad news, because at least he knew what was going on. Ever since the start of the war though, Fox had become the exception.

Fox had never been one for initiating small-talk. Even back on Kamino. When they would all sit and unwind to just talk about nonsense, Fox would sit to the side and listen, contributing when he was directly addressed. They'd all accepted that about Fox, and understood that it didn't mean that he didn't care. He was just more serious and quiet than they were.

When they were younger, that hadn't seemed so bad. Since they'd joined the war, something had changed. Maybe it was Fox. Maybe it was the rest of them. Whatever had changed, Rex dreaded hearing from Fox, because it was only ever bad news. If he wasn't comming him because his men were in the drunk tank and causing a scene, then Fox was sending a group message to let him and the commanders know that the senate had decided to cut their funding again.

Rex would take that kind of bad news any day over the notice that he had received a few days ago.

Brothers, I know none of you probably want to hear from me, so I'll keep it short. The Coruscant Guard is understaffed, and we need more men. Because of the nature of the work we do here, we need experienced soldiers. I'm asking each of you to spare some of your experienced men, for them to be transferred to the guard.

Fox' message went on for a bit with specifications. Not only did he want some soldiers to join him and his pencil-pushers, but he would prefer ARC troopers or men with certain qualifications and training. Rex knew that Coruscant had to protect the senators and deal with the occasional prison riot, but he couldn't imagine why the guard would need so many men, and why Fox thought he was entitled to the specified training. The Coruscant Guard were a glorified security force. As far as Rex knew, half of their job was to stand there and look intimidating. Shinies from Kamino were just as capable of that as experienced soldiers were.

Rex wanted to ignore Fox' message, but he didn't know if he could again. This was the third or fourth time that Fox had requested some men from Rex and their other brothers. He didn't think that Fox was exaggerating just for the fun of it. Not only was it not in character for him, but when Rex was on Coruscant he couldn't help but notice how few guards were around, and how often he saw the commanding officers in the Coruscant Guard doing menial jobs like manning the drunk tank. Commanders wouldn't be doing such jobs if they had the men to spare.

Rex, Cody, Wolffe, Bly, Ponds, and Gree had all ignored Fox' first request, but when they were asked again, they got together and talked about it. They all agreed that Fox wouldn't ask for no reason, and even if they didn't understand it, they were still brothers, and brothers helped each other. So some of them reluctantly sent a man or two.

Ponds and Wolffe, who had always been closest to Fox, had taken the hit first, with each of them sending two of their own men to join the Coruscant Guard. They sent soldiers that had been injured in recent battles, and would need time off duty anyway, but they still sent experienced soldiers.

When they got Fox' request again, Gree and Bly sent some men. And now it was happening again, and Rex knew that it was his turn. It was only fair. He didn't want to give up any of his men though, let alone the two or three that Fox was asking for.

How was he supposed to choose which men to send? They were all created to be soldiers. They were trained to fit in a war. Not to sit behind a desk and occasionally play the role of an escort. Did he choose shinies who had yet to see battle? Did he send men who worked more on the technical side of things, who knew how to work behind the scenes? Did he give Fox exactly what he wanted with his trained men?

He'd been agonizing about this decision for days, and he was running out of time. He'd already told Fox that he could spare a man or two, and they had planned to meet up when the 501st returned to Coruscant for a short leave. It was in just a few days. He needed to make a choice by then.

A part of him wanted to ask General Skywalker what he thought, but he knew what would happen if he did. General Skywalker was possessive of his men, and he didn't let any of them go easily. And he didn't have any love for the Coruscant Guard. He would put up a fight and a fuss, and possibly get Fox in trouble, and Rex didn't want to do that to his brother.

They had all agreed to keep these transfers just between the clones. Which meant that this decision was Rex' and his alone.

"Sir?" He heard a knock on his door. He turned just as Fives let himself in. "Kix wanted me to tell you that if you miss dinner again, he'll come here and force something down your throat himself."

Rex knew that Kix wasn't kidding either. Their main medic was very persuasive when he wanted to be, and forceful when he needed to be. And of course, he could always drag Jesse into helping him if he needed another set of hands. Rex knew better than to try to go against Kix' orders.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Rex sighed. He followed Fives out of the room and towards the mess hall. "How are your appointments with Kix going?"

Fives' shoulders tightened ever so slightly. "They're fine." Rex gave him a look of disbelief, and Fives gave him an unimpressed look in return. "I'll tell you what's going on with me if you tell me what's going on with you." Fives probably thought that Rex would drop it. He didn't like to burden his brothers with his issues, be them personal or work related.

The thing was, Rex had been handling this on his own for days, and it wasn't getting any better. Maybe what he needed was a second opinion. Fives wasn't exactly his second, but Rex trusted him. He'd been chosen for ARC training for a reason, and not just because of his physical prowess.

Fives was a good soldier, and he had the capabilities of a great leader, because he cared for their brothers. He didn't always do what was wisest, but he did what he thought was best for not just himself, but the vode as a whole.

"Alright." Rex agreed. Fives looked startled and a little nervous. "Commander Fox has reached out. He requests that some of our soldiers join the Guard."

Fives made a face that was just shy of being disgust. "Seriously? It's not enough that he gets the cushy job, but he wants to take the men he doesn't even need away from you?"

Rex didn't know if he agreed that Fox didn't need the men, even if he was also bitter about it. The feelings were slightly conflicted, but they were both there, and they were both valid.

"We don't have a lot of men to spare." Fives argued.

"I know." Rex said. The problem was, all companies were short on soldiers. They'd just got a new batch of clones fresh off Kamino a short time ago, and General Skywalker had already needed to request more.

"I don't want to let anybody go, but it can't be avoided." Rex said. "Commander Fox asked for multiple men, but the only way we can afford to do that is if they're shinies. Or I can send just a single man, someone who is capable and experienced. The hope is they'll last in the Guard, and maybe it'll be a bit longer before they'll ask for a transfer."

Fives was still tense. He almost seemed a little anxious. "Who were you thinking? Please don't tell me it's going to be me."

Rex smirked ever so slightly. "It briefly crossed my mind, but it would just make you miserable, and you would make it your life's goal to make it everybody else's problem. As entertaining as that might be, I think it would be better if the Guard remains intact, so you're stuck here." "Honestly, I was leaning towards Hardcase." Rex thought that Hardcase's loyalty would make him a good fit for the Guard, and his rebellious nature and love for fun could be good for the guard. Maybe he could get them to ease up already.

Fives stopped in his tracks right in the middle of the hall. Rex paused and looked back towards him. Not only was Fives tense, but there was a very slight heaviness in his breathing. Most people wouldn't even notice it, but Rex knew how to recognize the subtle nuances. Fives was upset and anxious.

"What's wrong?" Rex asked quietly. Fives took a deep breath and almost looked back to normal, but there was still a nervous sadness in his eyes.

"With all due respect, Captain, I don't think Hardcase is the best choice." Fives said.

"Why not?" Rex crossed his arms. He knew this was going to be an emotional argument, not a logical one, but he'd kind of known that from the start. Fives usually thought with his heart, not with his head. But this seemed like a little much, even for him.

"He's one of our best men." Fives said. "He fits in great with the way we do things, but the Guard aren't like us, are they? They crush and kill any individuality they can get their hands on until they're all a pack of meat droids."

"Just because that's how we see them doesn't mean that's how they are." Rex said, though he wasn't entirely convinced. He loved Fox, but since he'd been put in charge of the Guard, Rex had noticed that his brother was less patient of innocent fun, and he always seemed to be working.

"Who are you kidding?" Fives leaned closer to him and lowered his voice, even though they both knew he didn't care if they were overheard. "The Guard are insane. When they notice that Hardcase won't, or can't, conform to their stupid rules, they'll probably send him back to Kamino for reconditioning or something."

"They wouldn't do that." Rex said, his voice just shy of a growl that Wolffe would be proud of. Everybody in the GAR had heard rumors of reconditioning going in with the Guard, but it was supposed to just be a stupid joke. Something for them to jokingly blame when the Guard acted too stiff and rule-abiding.

"We don't know that." Fives said. "We don't know anything about the Guard."

"But I know my brother." Rex insisted. "He's not like that, and I don't like the implication that he is."

Fives seethed, but he nodded. "Sorry, Sir." He still sounded furious, but he wasn't fighting anymore. He knew how to choose his battles. Especially when he was in the middle of trying to convince someone of something.

"I just don't want something to happen to him." Fives said quietly. "I-I just lost my vod. I can't lose another."

Rex felt his chest tighten. Echo. It hadn't been too long since they had lost him at the Citadel. It was so recent that Fives was still required to see Kix every few days to make sure he was adjusting well. Fives didn't like to talk to any of them about it. This was the closest that Rex came to talking to Fives about what had happened.

"Someone has to go." Rex said. It hurt, but this was a war. Sacrifices had to be made.

"I know." Fives said, and he sounded like he understood. Not the reason why. He would probably never understand why the Guard needed their men. But Fives understood and accepted that this was just one of those things that had to happen, whether he wanted it to or not. "I know a brother has to go, but does it have to be a vod?"

Rex narrowed his eyes at Fives. All clones were brothers, even though most of them were complete strangers. The ones who were truly family though, the ones who felt like an extension of oneself, those were vode.

"I can't just pick someone just because you aren't close to them." Rex said. This was bigger than just Fives.

"I know." Fives said. "I'd never ask you to, but I'm not just talking about me." Fives sounded calm and more in control of his emotions. Rex recognized this tone from him. This was how Fives sounded when he had a stupid plan, and he knew how to get what he wanted.

"We all have vode." Fives said genuinely. "I couldn't choose to sacrifice someone else's vod just to save mine."

"So you can appreciate the impossible task I have ahead of me." Rex said. Fives grabbed his arm and gave him a meaningful look.

"What if you send someone who isn't vod?" Fives hissed. "Someone who could handle the rules and structure of the Guard, and probably thrive there. He'd be happier, and none of us will have to give up a part of ourselves."

"There isn't someone like that." Rex said. "You said so yourself. Everybody has vode."

"But some people have more than others." Fives said. "If someone is vod to just one soldier, just a single soldier who has other vode to support him, maybe it's the lesser of two evils."

Rex wasn't so sure. If he sent away the soldier who had just one vod, then he would be all alone. His vod would grieve him, but with support he'd eventually move on. They all would. But what support would the single vod brother find in the Guard?

Then again, anybody he sent would be separated from their support, whether they had just one vod, or dozens. It would be difficult for anybody to adapt. And maybe Fives had a point. Maybe it would be easier to move on from losing a single vod than from losing multiple vode all at the same time.

"I assume you have someone in mind?" Rex said. A small amount of tension eased from Fives' shoulders, but there was a guilt in his eyes.

"Dogma."

Rex started. He stared at Fives, expecting him to smirk and say that he was just kidding, but the other looked completely serious.

"We can't send Dogma." Rex said sternly.

"Why not?" Fives raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sending a shiny to Coruscant." Rex nearly growled. As tempting as it was, he knew that Fox wouldn't be happy about it, as the whole reason why he was doing this was because he didn't want shinies. And it would be difficult for anybody to adjust to being transferred so suddenly, but especially someone so young and inexperienced. They wouldn't be able to understand that this wasn't a punishment, or because they weren't good enough.

"He's not a shiny." Fives insisted. On a technicality, he was right. Dogma had been on several missions. He had proven himself to be capable, even if he and the others were sent out at a younger age than Rex thought soldiers should be.

But a part of Rex still saw Dogma as a shiny, in a way that he didn't view Tup or the others. It wasn't because he was naïve and oblivious to the horrors of the war. It was because Rex could tell that Dogma didn't let himself open up to them. It felt like the kid saw them as fellow soldiers and comrades, but not necessarily brothers, and especially not vode.

That was part of the reason why Rex had pushed them into being part of Torrent Company. They were a tight knit group, and he hoped that if he gave Dogma a smaller group to trust and rely on, then he would relax and let himself be part of the group.

At this point Rex was starting to see that Dogma didn't just act stiff and, well, dogmatic, because he was nervous and still had tension from Kamino. This was just how Dogma was. He genuinely cared about the rules and regulations above anything else.

There wasn't necessarily anything wrong with that. Rex knew the rules were there for a reason. But Dogma's attitude didn't help. Even though Fives, Hardcase, and Jesse all had far more experience than him, Dogma was just as stubborn about sticking to the rules as they were about bending them, and he could go toe to toe against them in an argument and passionate debate on the topic.

Not many soldiers with Dogma's experience had the confidence to stand up to their peers and superiors. It took guts, and that was a trait that Rex admired. But at the same time it made it very hard for others to like them beyond just a mutual respect.

Rex wanted to disagree with Fives. He wanted to point out that Dogma couldn't possibly be somebody who had just the single vod, but he couldn't. Dogma had Tup, but that was it.

Oh, the rest of them cared about him, and they got along with him fine. Rex thought that Dogma had the potential to be a great soldier, and he was a better brother and teammate than anybody, including Dogma himself, gave him credit for. But he didn't see Dogma as a Vod. Not like he saw Cody, and Wolffe, and even Fives.

Jesse barely tolerated Dogma. Kix cared about him, in the way that he cared about all of them. Kix saw them all as brothers, but because of his work as a medic, he only let himself consider a handful of brothers as his vode.

Hardcase, as far as Rex knew, cared about Dogma, and he had fun with him, and maybe someday they'd be vode, but they weren't nearly there.

As for Fives, Rex had hoped that he would be the one to really get past Dogma's barriers. He probably could, but he kept Dogma at a distance while he welcomed Tup with open arms. Rex knew that it wasn't because Fives didn't like Dogma, it was because he was scared to let him get close.

Dogma and Tup had joined them just after the Citadel. Fives had just lost Echo, and then all of a sudden there was a shiny who wouldn't shut up about the regulations, just like Echo used to. Oh, the two of them were completely different, but they were just similar enough, and the loss of Echo was still fresh enough that Fives was the one who put his guard up around Dogma. Rex had hoped that time would get Fives to see Dogma for who he was, and help him to give the kid that last push he needed to really become one of them, but apparently not.

"It's not that I don't like Dogma, or want to get rid of him or something." Fives said, and Rex knew he meant it. Fives could be selfish sometimes, but he wasn't cruel. "But if we're just sending someone to the Guard, it has to be someone who can live without any of us."

"And who all of us can live without." Rex said quietly. Fives looked pained at his words, but they both knew that was what he meant, and that it was true. They were still soldiers. After their leave in Coruscant, they had more work to do. Another fight to win. They all knew from experience that they couldn't be at their best if they were grieving or missing their vod.

"Tup isn't going to take it well." Rex said. He and Dogma were attached at the hip. Tup may be more open with the others than his vod was, but he still stuck by Dogma's side, even when they disagreed.

"I'll talk to him." Fives said. That was one less thing that Rex had to worry about. Still, it was his job to give Dogma his assignment and make sure he understood why he was being sent away. It wasn't because he wasn't wanted, or unneeded. This was just one of those sacrifices that needed to be made in the war.

He was sure that Dogma would understand. He was so practical and logical. If anybody could accept the necessity to sacrifice one for the good of all, it would be Dogma.