It's as if a powerful hand is pushing his back, square between the shoulder blades. It knocks him off his feet, shooting him through the air. Fear stabs through him. It's not the loss of autonomy that scares him. When his general uses the Force in this way, he's usually doing something self-sacrificing, reckless, borderline idiotic. It's a last ditch effort to save his men, dooming himself to the consequences.

The crash of the Hyena Bomber creates another ripple, throwing him forward again. The impact is without precision or care, tossing him over the target trench with no qualms for bodily harm. Rex hits the ground hard, tumbling until he smacks into a rock.

The dust is beginning to settle when he comes to. The captain groans, stiffly dragging himself to his feet despite the screaming pain. He tastes blood.

He jogs to his men. The limp in his right leg gradually fades as he works the muscles. He collapses onto his knees and peers into the trench. A sigh of relief escapes his lips at the sight of his brothers waving the dust cloud away, coughing, living.

  "Everyone all right down there?"

  "Fine, sir," says Jesse. His plastoid armor is coated in dust, hardly white anymore.

  "Is General Skywalker with you?"

  "No, sir. I thought he was up there with you."

  Rex scans the battlefield. The dust cloud is still dispersing, the haze obscuring Rex's vision, even with his helmet's optics. "What about the commander?" She must be frantic.

  Jesse shakes his head. "She's not here either."

Ice cold fear crushes his chest. Rex searches the area again, hoping for a glimpse of the Jedi pair—for a glimmer of hope that they're alive.

His general and commander are practically inseparable. The bond between master and padawan Rex didn't—and would never—fully understand. Despite their insistence on no attachments, Jedi are hardly alone. They're a tight knit family of their own making, working together with a camaraderie and subtle affection unique to them. Rex observed it between Anakin and Kenobi, then he watched it develop between Anakin and Ahsoka. They rely on each other, and they protect each other to the point of sacrifice.

So of course, Ahsoka was at her master's side helping him instead of being safe in the trenches where Anakin and Rex would've liked her to be. They could both be dead.

  "Rex?"

The captain snaps out of his daze. Jesse is looking at him expectantly, waiting for an order. His order. Rex clears his throat and tells himself it's the dust.

  "Spare any able-bodied man you can find for a search."

  Jesse's helmet bobs in acknowledgement. "Yes, sir."

* * *

The impact changed the desolate landscape only slightly, giving Rex and his men piles of dirt and rock to search within and around. As time stretches, Rex tries not to think about how their Jedi superiors should have emerged by now—dirty and hurt, but alive and grinning crazily as if they had just taken a joyride instead of nearly dying. He tries not to picture their mutilated bodies crushed beneath rock and machinery.

The Hyena bomber had left a shallow dent in the ground. The droid itself is nothing more than a twisted mess of parts, hardly recognizable. They found nothing at the heart of the crash, giving Rex a splinter of hope. The search party pulls away to the edges in the chance the Jedi were able to jump free with the aid of the Force.

Rex lowers his rangefinder and scans the area for what feels like the hundredth time. He can feel the morale of his men waning. Too often searches like this yield the unwanted result. Yet devotion and loyalty to their Jedi keeps them going.

He almost misses it. A tiny ping on his rangefinder catches his eye as it skims over a mound. He jerks back to it, and the ping becomes stronger. A lifeform. Hopefully two.

  "Here!" Rex gestures towards the rubble. As he approaches, familiar dark cloth catches his eye. He had wondered why Jedi prefer to wear soft robes as opposed to full body armor. When he asked, Anakin explained that Jedi robes were not only traditional, but also liberated them to move fluidly. Full armor weighed them down and constricted their limbs, which made it more difficult to swing a lightsaber or do those flashy flips. Rex has never been more happy to see those robes.

He sprints forward, sliding on his knees beside what he hopes is a Jedi. He's been doing too much hoping the last few hours. He reaches out and touches the cloth. He feels flesh beneath it. Anakin.

  Rex waves his men toward him and stifles the impatience from of his tone. "I found the general! Hurry! We need to dig him out."

His words spark a flurry of action. His brothers surround the pile of rock and metal and start to dig around the lifeless form, taking care not to upset anymore debris onto their general. Slowly, Anakin's back is exposed as they uncover his neck and shoulders.

  Kix kneels beside Rex and places two fingers on Anakin's neck. He waits for three agonizing seconds before he nods and sits back on his heels. "I have a pulse. He's alive."

Relief washes over Rex. Knowing that his general is living and trapped urges him to work more quickly. He tosses aside a rock and finds Anakin's head. His face is tucked within himself, hidden from view. Rex's fingers tear through blood-matted hair as searches the skull for cracks. He's not as skilled as a medic, but he detects nothing serious aside from a few cuts, still oozing sticky red. Luckily, the bomber's wing had protected his head from being crushed. Despite his prodding, Anakin doesn't stir.

  "Does anyone see the commander?" someone asks.

There's silence. Vibrant orange, blue and white are difficult to miss. If she isn't with her master, then...

  "Wait! I think I see her!"

The shout comes from Anakin's legs. A third, smaller boot accompanies the larger pair. The general isn't curled in on himself: he's shielding someone.

Having removed enough of the weight, they drag Anakin out. In the open, Rex can see the blood staining the man's clothes, how joints and bones are out of place, and the ghostly paleness of his skin. Even hurt and unconscious, Anakin's limbs are locked around his apprentice in a tight embrace.

Kix is the one to gently free Ahsoka. She's also unconscious, but thankfully less hurt than her master. After feeling for a pulse, the medic announces she too is alive. He swiftly taps into their comm channel. "I need two stretchers over here, stat!"

In medical emergencies, medics are known to take charge even in the presence of a superior officer. All rank passes on to them, and Rex is often grateful for it. Despite his training, he finds himself at loss for what to do. The last time his Jedi general was so wounded, Ahsoka and General Aayla Secura were there to command. Last time they were a small squad. Last time all he had to do was follow orders.

This isn't like last time. This time, there's an army looking to him. This time, they're up against something bigger than themselves.

This time, he's alone.