"You'll have to command the space battle while Rex, Cody, Lyra and I head to the surface." Obi Wan told him the plan for our next part of the battle against the separatists.

"You sure you can handle this on your own?" Anakin teased lightly.

"I think I can manage." my master smirked back at him.

The shuttle landed in the hanger and we all rushed off to prepare for the next mission. Rex helped Master Koth off the shuttle so that he could receive medical attention as soon as possible.

"I'll get Master Koth to a medical frigate." Gallia stated as Rex handed him over to a medical droid.

"You all took a great risk rescuing me." Koth reminded us all with thanks.

"You're welcome, Master Koth." My master nodded to him and I followed with a simple nod.

"Since you divided your forces, Grievous is still at large. I would have gladly given my life if it meant bringing that monster to justice." Koth told us strongly.

"Well, at least we all live to fight another day." Anakin looked to the bright side. Master Koth was taken away as we joined Rex and Cody to prepare for the surface battle.

"Captain, we leave in ten minutes. Have your men on the ships and ready to land" I ordered the 501st captain as I walked past the group.

"Yes sir!" He called after me.

"Did you tell Rex we are leaving?" Obi Wan questioned as I joined him on the ship.

"Yes Master" I nodded gracefully.

"Good" he nodded back before turning to prepare everything.

~~~

"Instead of scattering our troops looking for all the escape pods, we shall head towards the wreckage of the landing transport first." My master started, walking off the ramp with Rex and I. We watched as the tanks were loaded off of the ship and started to march across the planet. "After you" Obi Wan pointed as a tank stopped beside us. I pushed myself off the ground and landed on the top of the tank, riding it into the unknown.

"What's that?" I looked through my binoculars. "Master do you see that?" I pointed out to what seemed to be a ship wreckage.

"Seems we have found what we are looking for" he commented proudly.

"General Kenobi! Sir, the cruiser's returned to orbit. Any sign of Grievous?" Rex sped his bike towards us, the whole March stopping it's advance.

"I believe we've found Grievous' ship." Obi Wan reported to the Captain below us.

"Let's go search it!" I ordered out, pushing the battalion to continue marching forward into possible danger.

"Be careful Lyra!" My Master reminded with a stern call as I jumped off of the Walker onto the dirt below.

"Aren't I always master?" I smirked up at him.

"Why did I put in for another Padawan?" He shook his head with a slight sigh.

"At least I'm calmer than Anakin" I pointed out.

"Yes, that you are" he joined me on the ground and we moved towards the ship to supervise the search.

"Thermal housing intakes are still warm. This couldn't have happened too long ago." Cody called up to us from the inside of the ship. I stood beside Kenobi while the commander below spoke his findings.

"The crew compartment's almost entirely destroyed." Rex explained as Jesse and him joined us. I turned to face the two clones from the 501st and smiled kindly upon seeing them.

"We'll split into teams." Kenobi stated. "Lyra, Rex, take Jesse, Hardcase and Kix and search those wetlands." My master told us our orders.

"Yes, sir." Rex waved us off.

"Cody, you, Crys and I will pick it up from here." We began to walk off while my master continued. "And, Rex, if you get a visual on Grievous, contact us before you engage." The three of us stopped our walking to listen to the rest of his instructions. Rex nodded in response before placing the helmet on his head and leading us off once again. Each of us hopped on a speeder and took off into the wilderness.

I sped with the others, just behind Rex as he lead us through the planet. I felt as though something was off and kept my eyes on the lookout, a bad feeling settling in my gut. Suddenly Rex was thrown off his speeder and I panicked while speeding past him with Jesse and Hardcase.

"Captain!" I shouted out with worry.

"Protect the Captain!" Jesse orders out. I looked to him with a thankful smile as he took charge and gave out instructions. Kix sped back around to his Captain and kneeled next to him while the rest of us continued on to find who shot him. I noticed two droids running in the distance.

"Jesse, 1 o'clock!" I shouted out, ordering him and Hardcase to shoot down the droids.

"Commando droids." Jesse noted as the three of us paused for a moment to survey the area once the droids were dealt with.

"Lyra, you better get back here." Kix reported from his spot with Rex. We all looked to each other before rushing back into our speeders and returning to our injured clone. I immediately jumped off the speeder and raced towards Rex.

"How bad?" I knelt next to the team medic and our wounded man.

"Pretty bad." He sighed in response, helmet off. "I need to remove his armor to see the full extent of the damage." Kix began to explain what he needed to do to fully asses the damage done to the Captain.

"Those snipers might have called for backup. Unless we want to start getting picked off one by one, we should find better cover first." Hardcase pointed out, looking to me as I was in charge and currently had no help from the Captain.

"Mmm-hmm." Jesse agreed with his brother. I heard a noise from beside us and spotted two animals eating the grass calmly.

"Wait a minute. Those critters are domesticated." I examined with a cheery tone.

"Sir?" Kix looked to me with confusion at my point.

"I think we're on farmland. And where there's a farm, there's usually a farmer. Let's find his homestead." I told the men, moving to help Rex onto a stretcher. Jesse and I lifted Rex up as Kix placed a stretcher under him. I lead the team to find the farm and soon we arrived at a small homestead. We came to a slow outside of the door when a pink Twilek woman busted open the door and pointed her shotgun at us. My men followed as I raised my hands carefully in peace.

"We want no trouble here." She spoke sternly yet gently. I nodded along and allowed Jesse to talk to her and explain our situation.

"Easy with that weapon, ma'am. We're here as friends." Jesse removed his helmet and held it at his side.

"State your business." She urged, pushing the gun closer to me which made Jesse a little uneasy.

"Our captain's been hurt. We need—" Kix started to explain with urgency.

"I'm no doctor, so just—" she started to wave us off again.

"We have a medic, ma'am. We just need a place to tend to him overnight." I explained gently to her when suddenly two kids ran out giggling.

"Mommy, who's—" the daughter started with excitement, standing beside her mother.

"Get back inside, both of you!" The woman instructed her kids, earning groans of complaint.

"Oh!"

"Mom!"

"Look, there are some benches out back in the barn. It's the best I can do." She nodded us in the direction of a small hut.

"That'll be fine, ma'am. Thank you." I smiled kindly. The woman lowered her gun and I lead the boys back to the barn.

"Help me get him on the bench" Kix instructed Jesse and Hardcase as he pulled the stretcher to a stop in front of the doors. The men followed as the medic instructed and moved their captain onto the table.

I sat off to the side, looking out of the small window to see the small farm and house set up. Kix had begun cleaning Rex's wounds immediately while the other two men took a moment to rest from the action.

"What... What happened?" Rex awoke as Kix placed a Bacta patch on the middle of his bare chest.

"Commando droids took a potshot. That would've gone straight through your heart had it been two inches to the left." Hardcase began to explain.

"I can't move my arm." The captain groaned with struggle, his men standing around him with worry.

"You have some nerve damage." Kix told him simply.

"Understood. Now patch me up, and let's get on with it." Rex attempted to sit up straight on his own.

"Sir, you're in no condition. It will heal, but it will take time." Kix warned.

"We're getting underway, Kix." Rex seemed to grow frustrated with the medic. "That's an order." Rex finished. At those words I turned to protest with the Captain but Kix had already taken the lead.

"Sir, as the team medic, when it comes to the health of the men, including you, I outrank everyone. So I respectfully order you, sir, to get some—" Kix started to get Rex to lay back down on the bench.

"Excuse me." The woman from earlier cleared her throat as she stood in the doorway. "If there's not enough..." she held out a tray full of fruits for us.

"That's plenty. Thank you, uh..." I began to thank her, making my presence known to Rex. The Captain looked over with confusion written on his face as he watched me converse with the woman.

"Suu" she finished for me. "I told you to stay in the house." She groaned as a child ran in to catch a ball.

"I couldn't help it, Mom. It got away." The girl shrugged as she picked it up from under the table Rex laid on, reminding me of Ahsoka with her curiosity. I watched as she stared intently at Rex who looked back at her with fear and confusion. Stiffing a laugh I watched with amusement as the child spoke up.

"You look like my daddy." She told him straight forward. My eyes shot wide at her words before my brows furrowed in thought of what she meant.

"Shaeeah, don't bother the soldier. Now get inside with your brother." Suu scolded her daughter.

"Yes, Mom." She sighed and walked off the way she entered.

"My husband is away delivering our first harvest. Do you require anything else?"

"No. Thank you, Suu." I took the tray with a smile.

"Mmm." She hummed walking out again.

"Commander" Rex nodded to me respectfully while I moved to set the tray aside.

"Captain, how are you feeling?" I questioned him. Hardcase took a blaster and set it beside Rex on the bench for protection.

"Resume the search without me." Rex told the group, ignoring my question.

"Captain" I urged. "We can't just leave you here" I reminded him.

"Lyra, you're in command." He reminded me of the mission at hand. "You boys listen to her orders. I'll be fine" Rex told us all in his usually stern tone.

"Let's move out then" I reluctantly ordered those who were left.

"As I was saying before Captain, you need to rest. We will send you our coordinates in the morning" Kix told Rex as he packed up his med bag.

~~~

"Lyra, come in, please." Obi Wan commed our group while we speed through the planet once more but with more caution this time.

"Yes Master" I replied.

"What's your status?"

"We had to take a bit of a detour, Rex was injured" I explained the situation.

"What's his condition?" My master questioned with worry for the trooper.

"He'll be fine. But we had to find him shelter for the night." I explained some more.

"Grievous is on the move. We're headed to the west. Swing around and we can meet up at the final escape pod. We're going to need all the firepower we can muster." Kenobi commanded.

"Copy that, Master. We're speeding towards you now." I said with a nod before ending the comm. My shoulder burned with a sudden pain as I was thrown off my speeder like Rex.

...........................................

Question of the day: who is your favourite member of the original 501st? (Jesse, Rex, Kix)

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