"You don't have to stay you know," Thire said with a sigh from, glancing to the occupied seat beside his bed.

"You cried so hard you passed out vod'ika," Jesse said quietly.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Thire said with a shrug and Jesse winced.

"H-How are your ribs," he asked.

"Fine. I've had worse," Thire said with another shrug. Jesse frowned and clenched his hands into fists, letting out a breath to settle his emotions. After Thire's initial reaction to seeing him, he had passed out and since he woke up an hour ago, he has been cold and closed off. But that was to be expected and it was his own fault, not Thire's. He has every right to act how he is and Jesse has no right to be angry with him.

"I'm sorry Thire, for how I've treated you," he said quietly.

"You were no different than anyone else," Thire said with a snort.

"I know, but I'm your batchmate, your ori'vod and you're my vod'ika," Jesse said sadly.

"Why does that make a difference? I don't talk to any of the others either. Fox was named dar'vod by his own batchmates and your Captain almost killed him. Thorn doesn't talk to his batchmates either, not even Doom and they were basically twins as cadets. Stone doesn't talk to any of his batchmates either-. Actually you know what, that's not right, I'm saying that wrong. Our batchmates don't talk to us, they don't care. So don't worry, it's nothing different to everything else," Thire said angrily.

"Thi-."

"No, just go away. It doesn't matter, just leave me alone like you have since I was stationed here," Thire yelled. Jesse went to calm him down but the curtain was moved to the side and someone hobbled in.

"Ori'vod, are you okay," they asked, their attention on Thire. Thire's head snapped towards him and his eyes widened.

"Kark, D'ika. D'ika Jesse is here," Thire said quickly. Jesse was confused at the fear in Thire's voice and went to reassure the new Guard that he didn't need to be scared of him but then he met their eyes and his heart stopped. He new that face, that familiar V tattoo. But it couldn't be, he was taken away for killing a jedi and committing treason.

"Dogma," he whispered and the said Clone stiffened but Thire growled.

"You say one bad thing to him and I will never talk to you, ever again," Thire spat and Jesse reeled back in shock. Dogma wasn't sure what to do, he didn't think he'd be faced with anyone from his old battalion, let alone one of the two people he wronged the most, that hate him the most.

"Wh-Why would I say something bad? I don't-. Dogma, everyone think you're dead," Jesse said quickly. Dogma didn't say anything, didn't lift up his head but Jesse noticed his hand reach of for Thire's and grasp it tightly. It shocked him because Dogma was always so stiff, rigid and always averse to touch. So it was just as much of a shock to see him seeking out touch than it was to see him still alive.

"How are you still alive? You were taken to be court-martialled," Jesse asked, his eyes not leaving Dogma.

"Fox didn't cast him away like you guys did but we're not talking about this. Do you care about me," Thire asked quickly, squeezing Dogma's hand tightly.

"Wh-. Of course I care about you Thire, I love you," Jesse said.

"Good, then you won't tell anyone that Dogma is alive," Thire said firmly.

"Are you kidding me? Thire we were all devastated when we realised there was nothing we could do to save him. Everyone thinks Dogma is dead," Jesse said with a frown.

"And we want it to stay that way. Look, D'ika is fine here, happy even, I hope. Do you want to take that all away from him when he isn't ready, when we're already going through it," Thire asked and Jesse sighed.

"They deserve to know," he said quietly. Thire growled and threw off his blanket, sliding out of bed to face Jesse.

"You don't deserve anything. None of you do, but Dogma deserves to have peace for once, not to be tormented by all of you," Thire said angrily.

"Tormented? Thire everyo-."

"It's okay, it's bound to happen at some point," Dogma said, cutting in with a sigh.

"Plus I deserve it," Dogma whispered as he walked over and stood in front of Jesse with his head down. Thire shifted quickly, putting himself between his vod'ika and batchmate.

"Jesse isn't going to touch you, not unless he wants to go through me. I should probably mention to you that Dogma just woke up from a one-month coma and isn't even supposed to be out of bed right now. So if you attack him, yo-."

"For force sake, I'm not going to touch Dogma. I'm happy you're alive. I would hug you right now because I'm relieved that you aren't dead but I know you hate being touched," Jesse said quickly. Did they both actually think he would hurt Dogma?

"But, you hate me. I-I tried to have you killed," Dogma said quietly as he stepped closer to Thire's back, glancing over his shoulder.

"What? No you didn't," Jesse said with a frown and Dogma raised an eyebrow.

"Um, I put you and Fives before a firing line," Dogma pointed out.

"Oh, that's what you mean. That wasn't you though, that was Krell," Jesse said and Dogma winced.

"But I did what he asked. I would have let you be killed," Dogma said, frowning in confusion.

"You were following orders Dogma. Sure, I was angry at you then but Kix and I talked about it and he was right. Krell was a traitor and didn't care about us, he probably would've done something to you if you hadn't done as he asked," Jesse said with a shrug.

"B-But still. Y-You always hated me," Dogma pointed out.

"No I haven't. I mean sure we didn't talk a lot but you only really talked to Tup, and well, you know-. Anyway, I never hated you," Jesse said quickly.

"So you're not going to hurt him," Thire asked, raising an eyebrow. Jesse felt hurt by the fact that his own vod'ika thought he was capable of hurting a vod. Well, technically he has but that's just in bar fights.

"No, I'm not going to hurt him. Why do you both keep ignoring the fact that this entire time I've been saying I'm happy he's alive, I even cried when he was taken away," Jesse said. Dogma was surprised by that and he tapped Thire's shoulder to get him to move to the side. Thire did so, but he still watched cautiously.

"You cried," he asked slowly.

"Sure, we didn't get along but that's just because you're a stickler for the rules and I'm more, wild and a rule-breaker. But you're still my vod'ika, or I'd like to think you are. The way you were on Umbara, while I don't exactly agree with it, I can't fault you for it either. You weren't in the wrong and it's not something I'd ever hold against you. Plus you killed Krell and I think that would make up for everything," Jesse pointed out. Dogma winced and flinched at the reminder of what he had done. But Jesse wasn't holding it against him, in fact he was happy with it? Dogma spun around quickly to face Thire so he could sign to him.

Do you think he would let me hug him?

"Do you want to," Thire asked with a raised eyebrow and Dogma nodded. He loves the family he found in the Guard, they helped him to understand that rules aren't there to be followed to the letter, they're open to interpretation. They also helped him get better with physical touch by easing him into it and not forcing it on him.

"Okay, then just ask him," Thire said with a shrug. Dogma turned around and glanced at Jesse nervously who was watching him with a frown of confusion. Dogma went to ask but froze and quickly backed out. Jesse said he didn't hate him but that didn't mean he wanted to hug him and Dogma didn't want to see his face of disgust if he actually asked. Thire could see the hesitation and rolled his eyes.

"He wants to give you a hug Jesse," he said and Jesse's eyes widened.

"Seriously? Sure," he said. He went to move forwards but Thire quickly stepped forwards in front of Dogma who had flinched back.

"First of all ori'vod, if you want a hug, then let him hug you, not the other way around. He didn't just miraculously become fine with touching people. We built a trust with him and made sure he was the one initiating everything and helped him ease into it," Thire said sternly.

"Oh, right. Yeah, okay. Uh, is this better," Jesse asked, just holding out his arms. Thire hesitated for a second before moving to the side with a nod. Dogma moved forward slowly, shuffling over until he was pressed against Jesse.

"Is it okay if I wrap my arms around you or are we just going to stand here like this," Jesse asked quietly. It was a little awkward because they were pressed against each other but both were stiff and neither was actually hugging the other.

"Okay," Dogma whispered. Jesse glanced up at Thire, who was watching him closely. He went slowly, wrapping his arms around Dogma. He went to squeeze but Thire quickly shook his head so he settled for just resting his arms around Dogma's waist. He's never hugged Dogma before and he's only ever seen two people hug him, but there's always time to change. He felt his heart skip a beat as he felt Dogma's arms come up to hug him back. He couldn't help himself and he hugged him a little tighter.

"I thought you were dead," he whispered.

"Fox saved him. We messed around with some numbers and got him lost in the system, then we had him transferred here and helped him bend in. He's actually Fox's favourite," Thire said and Dogma relaxed a bit more in Jesse's embrace.

"I'm pretty sure you're his favourite Th'ika. Word gets around and I here you're the Marshall Commanders ad'ika," Jesse pointed out.

"That's true, but you're also hugging his other ad'ika," Thire replied and Jesse's eyes widened.

"Fox named Dogma his ad," Jesse exclaimed. Dogma tensed up, waiting for Jesse to get angry at him and push him away.

"Holy kark, that's amazing. I'm so happy for you D'ika. A-Are you okay if I call you that," Jesse asked softly.

"You're not mad," Dogma asked quietly.

"That you've found yourself a Buir, no. Why would I? I mean my favourite vod'ika is his ad'ika as well," Jesse said with a slight shrug.

"Favourite," Thire asked with a raised eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes, favourite," Jesse said, looking Thire directly in his eyes to prove he wasn't lying. Thire faltered slightly and quickly looked down as he uncrossed his arms.

"You sure didn't act like I was your favourite," he said with a scoff. Jesse saying he was his favourite hurt, a lot. He's been trying hard to mask his sadness with anger after his embarrassing breakdown earlier but Jesse's actions hurt him because they were pretty close as cadets.

"We misjudged you all. We had unfounded prejudices and we were awful, I know that. K-Kix told me what happened, in the alley," Jesse said sadly.

"You think that was bad," Thire snorted and Dogma tensed up, burying his head in Jesse's neck.

"I'm sorry, I should have been there but I wasn't. I still tried to see you though, not that it counts for much," Jesse said with a wince.

"You tried to see me? How? By getting yourself thrown in the drunk tank," Thire asked, rolling his eyes. When Jesse didn't reply, he glanced up to see his cheeks were red.

"Oh my force, you did not," Thire groaned.

"I didn't know how to talk to you. The GAR and Guard were clashing so much and I said some shitty things at one point and then I kind of, panicked," Jesse admitted.

"You panicked and decided starting fights and bumping heads with the Guard so I would arrest you and lock you up, was the way to talk to me," Thire asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, kinda," Jesse said quietly, turning his attention to Dogma in embarrassment. His hair was longer than it was when he was in the 501 st so Jesse turned his attention to running his fingers through it. Dogma flinched at first so Jesse went to pull away but Dogma quickly relaxed into it so he continued.

"That is the stupidest thing you've ever done and that's saying something because you're a di'kut ori'vod," Thire said with a sigh, rolling his eyes. Jesse glanced up hopefully, his eyes landing on Thire once again. Thire called him ori'vod earlier but he was upset then, he hasn't called him his big brother since.

"I'm sorry Thire, I really am. And I would do anything to make it up to, whatever you want me to do," Jesse promised.

"I don't want you to do anything Jess, I just need you to be my ori'vod and to have my back, which you didn't," Thire said quietly.

"I know, but I do now, I promise. I will protect you vod'ika," Jesse promised.

"I don't need you to protect me Jesse, I can protect myself," Thire said, walking forwards.

"I know," Jesse said with a nod.

"Good. And for the record, you're not fully forgiven but, just enough for now," Thire said before he huddled up against Dogma's back and hugged both him and Jesse.

"I'll take it," Jesse said with a grin.

"Oh, and by the way, you still can't tell anyone about Dogma. At least not yet," Thire said.

"B-."

"Gedet'ye Jesse. I know I haven't done anything to be able to ask for a favour from you but I can't face them, not yet anyway," Dogma said quietly. Jesse sighed but nodded.

"You killed the dar'jedi, that's more than enough in my book D'ika. Plus, it's not my place to say anything. I just hope you know everyone would be happy, ecstatic, especially Tup when he gets better. But there's no rush in it," Jesse said softly.

"Gets better? What happened to Tup," Dogma asked worriedly. Tup was his first proper friend. They weren't batchmates but they had known each other as cadets and Tup was always nice to him.

"He's going to be okay but his inhibitor chip malfunctioned and it caused him to kill a jedi. I guess in a way we have to thank him because that's what got Fives investigating and how he found out about the chip and about the Chancellor being a Sith Lord. He had his chip removed and there were some side-effects but he's recovering well," Jesse reassured him quickly.

"Chip," Thire asked with a frown of confusion.

"Yeah, haven't you guys heard? Every clone has a chip in our brains that can be used to make us do whatever Palpatine asked of us. Turns out he was planning on using it to have us kill the Jedi when the time came. But luckily Fives figured it out before too many people got hurt and he didn't actually get to use them," Jesse explained. Inhibitor chips? Is that how the Chancellor was making them do his bidding? Is that what their blackouts are? Could he have made the entire Clone army go through that? Made them do what Fox had so often had to, made them kill theirs brothers, the Jedi, anyone?

"THIRE." Thire gasped and snapped back to attention, realising his chest was heaving as he struggled to suck in breaths. He had moved back from where he previously was but there was a gentle hand cupping his face.

"Breathe Thir'ika, just breathe. You're safe, the Chancellor is dead, he won't ever be able to use them, he won't be able to hurt anyone," Jesse said gently as he ran his thumb over Thire's cheek to try and soothe him, calm him down.

"Again," Thire whispered, his eyes welling up.

"What," Jesse asked in confusion.

"He won't be able to use them again, to hurt anyone again," Thire whispered as a tear slipped down his cheek and Jesse's stomach dropped. He gasped and tugged Thire back into his arms, hugging him tightly, his hands grasping desperately at Thire's blacks, thankful his upper armour had been taken off.

"We never knew how he did it, we just kept having blackouts, missing time," Thire whispered.

"Ni ceta," Jesse said sadly.

"He'd hurt Fox all the time, h-he almost always chose him. Fox w-wouldn't let us see him alone unless ab-absolutely necessary or he requested for us. I barely had any blackouts but Fox had heaps and Thorn had quite a lot as well. We didn't know how he was doing it," Thire cried.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there but whatever he made you do, it wasn't your fault. The inhibitor chips were implanted before we were even decanted. There's nothing anyone could have done to resist them, they took away your free will. I-Is that what happened with Fives," Jesse asked quietly.

"Fox was ordered to kill him. He somehow managed to just hurt him but not kill. He didn't realise until later but the Chancellor had him beaten almost to death," Thire said shakily.

"I think I owe him an apology as well. I may have gone off on quite a few people from the Guard and called him a lot of shitty things," Jesse said with a sigh.

"That's something I don't even have to forgive you for. Fives is your best friend other than Kix, you had every right to be angry. Especially because you didn't know what was going on at the time," Thire said, pulling away and wiping his eyes quickly.

"I did think Fox could've used stun, but there's nothing he could have done. I guess I should actually be thanking him for keeping Fives alive despite the order he was given," Jesse said.

"Everyone should be thanking him for a lot more than that. You guys have no idea what he went through to keep everyone safe and protected, not just the Guard," Thire said quietly.

"Then I guess we have a lot of making up to do. I'm going to start by spending time with his two ad'ika's, catching up and making sure you're looked after. Now come on, both of you back in bed, I've got some fun stories to tell," Jesse said with a grin. Thire rolled his eyes but a soft smile slipped onto his lips.

"You heard him Ma, let's get into bed," Thire said, waving Dogma along so they could both crawl back into the very warm and soft medical bed.

~~~~~

"So what exactly is it that you're going to be telling the public Sir," Fox asked slowly as he glanced at General Plo. After he and Thorn had been requested to meet with the other two Commanders and the two Jedi, they had come into the room to see there were other Jedi on a holo-call. Fox had immediately tried to send Thorn from the room but Wolffe and Bly were able to reassure them that everything was okay. General Plo had told them that questions were asked about why the Jedi missed the important meeting and the Guard disappeared so they had told the council what had been going on and the treatment of the Guard. Fox was originally concern and felt a little betrayed but the entire council was on their side and had even apologised for some unknown reason. Turns out the reason why they were talking was because they were about to go public with what had happened and the Chancellor's misgivings as they couldn't hold it off any longer. They were asking permission to release the information about the treatment of the Guard as well, which would reach back to the GAR quickly as well.

"We will tell the public that Chancellor Palpatine was a Sith Lord and a traitor, working against the Republic and feeding information to the separatists. We tried to arrest him however he fought back and was killed in the ensuing fight. We will also advise the public that more information has come to light and we have been made aware of the treatment of Clones from the Grand Army of the Republic that have been stationed on Coruscant and due to that, you have all been evacuated until further investigations have been made," General Windu explained. Thorn frowned and nudged Fox with his elbow to get his attention. Unfortunately it wasn't just Fox's attention he gained.

"Commander Thorn, please feel free to speak up. You will not be punished for having an opinion, in fact we would like to have the input of you and Commander Fox as you have been on the frontlines with this issue for years," General Kenobi said. Thorn glanced at Fox nervously but his brother gave him a nod of reassurance.

"Investigations into what Sir? We aren't sentient beings so what has been happening is not illegal," Thorn said.

"Failed you, we have Commander Thorn. Make up for it, we will, by protecting you now," General Yoda said.

"Master Yoda is right, we have had a severe oversight with the Guard and we will work to rectify that. Even if it is not technically illegal, it is still morally wrong, especially for Senators and we will work to find out who the main perpetrators are and notify their home worlds. I believe there are currently a few Senators working on a Clone rights bill and the Jedi will work with them to move that forwards quickly. The public will not know the specifics, however with your permission we would like to make the GAR aware of your situation and the circumstances of your evacuation," General Windu said.

"Is that really necessary Sir. What are the GAR going to do? We don't exactly get along," Thorn said.

"That is exactly why we believe they should be told. I will admit I have heard passing comments from my men in regards to the Guard, about how easy they thought your posting was. It's always been an issue between you men so I have never said anything but I believe you all are owed the respect and understanding from the rest of your brothers. You have all endured so much, you don't deserve to have those passing comments, you deserve to be left to heal in peace," General Kenobi said. Thorn was glad he had his helmet on as it was able to hide the frown on his face. The General was right, his men deserved that, but he wasn't looking forward to some outcomes that could stem from it.

"If consent to it, you do. Let them know, we will," General Yoda said and Thorn couldn't help but let out a snort. Fox quickly smacked the back of his bucket, making him yelp and whack the Commander back. Wolffe smiled fondly, happy to see them more relaxed around the Jedi.

"Is there a problem," General Secura asked.

"No Sir, I apologise. We aren't usually asked consent for anything so it's just a surprise to us," Fox said. He quickly flicked on his internal comms.

"Vod'ika, shut the kark up," he said, hearing Thorn snigger in the internal comms back to him.

"That is something that should not be foreign to you and I apologise for what you have been forced to endure without any help. But know that we will go at your pace and only divulge what you allow us to. The decision is in your hands Commanders," General Kenobi said.

"This is so weird. All your decision, your consent, blah, blah, blah." Fox tried to ignore Thorn's yapping through the comms but he couldn't help the smile that slipped onto his face under his bucket.

"That you General, we appreciate the consideration. You are right, my men deserve better so I would like for you to let the GAR know," Fox said with a nod.

"Fox." Fox turned his head to glance back at Bly in confusion.

"You deserve better as well, not just your men," Bly said firmly. He didn't reply but gave a sharp nod before turning back around.

"You know what, I'm actually starting to like Bly, maybe I won't accidentally push him off a cliff with Rex and Cody," Thorn said and Fox glared at him briefly. Wolffe noticed the action and shifted closer to Bly to whisper to him.

"They're talking on internal comms," he said quietly. Bly glanced over to see Fox discretely hip check Thorn lightly as Thorn's shoulders shook slightly.

"They don't seem tense so hopefully they're saying how happy they are to have help," Bly said as they both glanced at them again.

"I'm thinking maybe we feed them to a Gundark, that's a creative death. Plus there would be no evidence," Thorn said. "I am not letting you feed my batchmates to an overgrown bat Thorn," Fox said.

"Okay fine, we can throw Cody of a ship and feed Rex to the Gundark," Thorn said with a disappointed sigh. Thankfully they had said their part and the Jedi were talking amongst themselves.

"You know what, I'm going to set Neyo on you if I can get in touch with him," Fox said.

"You wouldn't dare," Thorn said with a gasp.

"Oh I so would. You mess with my batchmates and I mess with yours," Fox said with a smirk.

"I thought we were closer than that Fox, I am hurt," Thorn said.

"No but seriously, don't say anything to Neyo, I don't want to talk to him," Thorn added quietly and Fox sighed.

"You're going to have to talk to them one day Thorn'ika," Fox said gently and Thorn stiffened.

"No, I don't. None of them have made any effort to talk to me in over a year so I certainly don't have to give them the time of day," Thorn said firmly.

"Th-."

"I'm not discussing this anymore," Thorn said before quickly switching off the internal comms. Fox sighed but left it at that. There's no use trying to force anything, especially with Thorn.  

A/N

Translations:

Ori'vod - Big Brother
Vod'ika - Little Brother
Ad'ika - Child
Di'kut - Idiot
Gedet'ye - Please
Ni Ceta - I'm Sorry

Sooo, another batchmate forgiven, another Corrie with more support. Whose turn is next I wonder? And which batchmate shall it be?