Despite knowing that the vision playing out around him was a dream, Rex didn't want to take any unnecessary risks by putting himself in danger- which meant when Molindi raced past, Rex followed right on her tail as she and Bren ran for their lives.

It wasn't long before the dirt beneath Rex's feet turned to stone and the three emerged from the jungle onto the top of a rocky cliff-face. They barely had time to slide to a complete stop before reaching the edge, peering down at the sudden drop-off. Raging waves crashed against jagged boulders seated at the base of the cliff like the teeth of a sea-monster nearly two-hundred yards below.

"This way!" Rex whipped his head around just in time to see his brother grab onto Molindi's hand and lead her along the edge of the drop-off, barely a foot from falling into the churning waters beneath. One quick look showed the clone commander that the cliff-face extended for miles before curving and disappearing inland, revealing a large, flat expansion of black stone that inclined to a mountainous peak with a chimney of gray clouds pluming from the tip. "We can cut them off at the geysers!"

Though the sound of the cannibals shrieking hadn't lessened and the air was gradually beginning to get harder to breathe, Rex kept pace with the woman he knew and the man he'd never met.

"Where's Archer?" Lindi questioned her fellow-soldier. Rex couldn't see her eyes but he could tell from her tone just how horrified she was. The way her voice quivered and her pitch rose, it was almost too obvious that she was near hysterics.

"We got separated!" Bren's answer didn't do anything to put her nerves at ease. "We'll meet up with him and Klondike back at home base!"

'Archer? Klondike?' Molindi hadn't said much before about her old squadron-members, which made this whole situation even more uncomfortable for the commander of the 501st. He was used to being in danger; cannibals were a first, but danger nonetheless. What he wasn't used to was violating the personal privacy of someone he respected.

He wasn't doing it intentionally of course, he was asleep as far as Rex was aware. But it felt wrong to find out about Molindi's past without her blessing. As much as he wanted to believe this was all a figment of his imagination, he hadn't seen enough or even heard enough to fabricate something like this on his own. And the cannibals...

Nothing in his usual nightmares had ever disturbed him as much as the insatiable beasts closing in on their tails.

Rex could feel the ground beneath his feet rising in temperature, growing unstable as thin sheets of steaming water began to appear scattered across the stone. Bren hadn't been kidding when he mentioned geysers; narrow holes and crevices sent small tendrils of water vapor twirling into the sky, sending a fresh smell through Rex's nose that masked the disgusting sewage of the lunatics pursuing them.

"The tide is coming in! Hurry!" As if on cue, a strong rumble shot through the rock and seemed to vibrate a low, monotonous tone through the stone and channels that had formed under its surface thanks to the geysers that had littered its exterior. The ground was alive with building-tension; the little tendrils of vapor had turned into full pillars of billowing, blistering-hot air and Rex could feel the heat radiating off of the clouds whenever he stepped a little too close.

The perturbing blood-thirsty cries from the cannibals behind them began to die down, shifting from something of animalistic origins to a confused cacophony. The deeper they delved into the treacherous terrain, the more their lust for human flesh turned into fear and regret as the broiling-hot steam seared their skin. Rex had his armor, as well as Molindi and Bren, but the cannibals were exposed.

It was then that the ground quaked so hard the trio were knocked from their feet. The gray clouds from the mountaintop gave way to a column of water taller than the trees on Kashyyyk. Screams of hunger turned into screams of pain; Rex looked over his shoulder and witnessed the conglomeration of psychotic killers sprinting in the opposite direction as the smaller geysers burst, sending streams of water so hot it burned the remaining skin from their bodies. Although they were still yards away, the clone could see their flesh turn white and fall from their bodies, leaving trails of melted skin in their wake.

"Rex."

He quickly turned around to see who had addressed him, who had suddenly seen him in a vision he'd never truly been part of, and was surprised to catch sight of Bren. Molindi was gone, like she'd vanished into thin air, and the tension in the atmosphere disappeared. The temperature dropped from sweat-worthy to shiver-inducing in a millisecond and Rex felt the air be choked from his lungs.

"You can see-?"

Before he could finish his sentence, his brother clamped his hand with an icy grip onto Rex's shoulder and glared into his eyes with a rage he'd never witnessed before.

The rage of a man protecting his partner.

"WAKE. UP."

***

He didn't know how late it was when the clone soldier woke up and realized that Molindi wasn't sleeping beside him. A quick glance at the window across the room told him that it was still nighttime with no sign of dawn approaching yet. Whether that was supposed to make him feel better about the situation or not, he didn't know. But regardless of the hour and just how tired he felt, Axel scooted to the side of the bed, careful not to wake Rex or General Skywalker, and quietly made his way to the kitchen.

He found who he was looking for immediately and the wave of nerves that had begun to build up in his chest were put at ease. Commander Rino, dwarfed by her over-sized white shirt, sat at the kitchen table with her head propped up on her palm, her only present company being a lantern she'd lit to cast a low glow across the room. He could still see the tired bags beneath her eyes, the sickly pale shade of her cheeks and hands from the day's worth of trauma, and the distant look in her eyes as she gazed stoically at the glowing yellow light on the tabletop.

"Can't sleep?" Axel made his presence known and Molindi's far-off concentration broke at the sound of his entrance. Though his words were barely a whisper, it was enough to catch her attention and she gave him an exhausted, somewhat sheepish smile, then nodded. "A credit for your thoughts?" He asked and sat down in the seat across from her own. All she could do was shake her head.

"There really isn't much to tell," She sat a little straighter in her chair and began to fold her arms over her chest before wincing in pain, then gingerly set her hands in her lap. "Today was bat-shit crazy. Just trying to wrap my mind around it all."

"The last two days have been bat-shit crazy in ways I'm not entirely used to," Axel agreed with her and the two chuckled quietly to themselves. "I can certainly say I've never been on a mission like this before."

"Having fun?"

"Oh loads of it," he rested an elbow on the edge of the table, a sarcastic smirk sitting comfortably on his lips. "Spent the night under the same roof as a cannibalistic matriarchy, almost got eaten alive by a creature the size of a small planet, then was almost eaten again by tall, walking noodles with eyes and the strength to crush a gunship in their arms. All things considered, I'd say this is the most interesting vacation I've had from the typical clanker-infested battlefield."

"Well I'm glad at least one of us is enjoying the chaos," Lindi grinned and rolled her tired, but hopeful, eyes at him. The sense of humor was appreciated and it seemed to dull the pain in her chest for a while. After a moment of comfortable silence passed, a small sigh escaped the woman's lips. "I just hope JC is doing alright. She's probably worried sick about me by now."

"I'm sure she's fine," He tried to put her mind at ease, though it seemed to only half-help her nerves.

"But she gets so nervous without me around. Her stutter is endearing to me but when she's around other people, it gets worse," She couldn't hide the panic in her voice. "I probably should have programmed her to be calmer but she always told me her anxiety kept her prepared for anything and-"

Despite being more than capable of rambling on about her concerns, Axel reached out and gently put his hand on her wrist, making her pause and take a breath. "She is going to be fine, Molindi. What we need to focus on right now is getting back to her in one piece, okay? She's safe with the rest of the guys and they won't let anything happen to her no matter what. She's one of us now. Breathe."

Axel had a point and the logic behind his words, how the rest of the guys had sort of accepted JC into their pack, made a bit of the pressure on Molindi's shoulders lessen. Doing as he told her, the woman closed her eyes and took a few slow, deep breaths. Axel didn't hesitate to join in as well; there was no harm in keeping himself centered too. Once they'd reached a relaxed state, Molindi turned her gaze to the clone and smiled as he removed his hand from her arm.

"Thanks, I needed that."

"Don't mention it," He sighed and lowered his eyes from her gaze. "I wish there was something more I could do to help."

"Yeah, me too," She replied, then chuckled. "At least we're doing better than the townspeople, though." Axel raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He asked, genuinely wondering how these folks were in a situation worse than their own. Yes, the Republic spies had accidentally walked-in on their celebration and caused up a bit of a stir in the middle of town, but that seemed docile in comparison to the shit-show the four of them had been going through. She sighed one last time.

"Right now, the Chitauri are in the process of celebrating a sacred holiday. I don't know how long it lasts, but they don't pause for sleep. The only time they rest is on 'the nights of the dead', where the souls of their ancestors return to this realm to communicate. The villagers drinking outside? They don't want to sleep because they don't want to be visited."

"Don't want to be?" Axel thought over Molindi's words carefully. At first, he wondered why someone wouldn't want to speak to a loved-one who'd passed on. But then he considered his own backstory and bit his tongue. "That's...unfortunate." Then the puzzle pieces fit together. Yes, the past few days had been a constant shift in motion, but with her past... "That's why you can't sleep: you don't want to." Molindi shrugged her shoulders, but kept her gaze from meeting his own.

"I woke up before any contact could be made with anyone. One problem at a time. Plus it's not like this is the only time I could try it; the nights of visitation are spaced every two days. If I..." She paused, gathering herself. "If I want a visitor, I can do it then."

Axel just nodded in understanding, knowing all too well how she felt, and sat with her the rest of the night in thoughtful silence.

***

Hey guys, sorry for the delayed updates. Things have been hectic but now that my school has shut down due to the corona virus, I'll try and have things be a little more frequent. I know everyone is concerned about it, I hope that some updates might help you guys get your mind off the issues of the world right now. Please be safe and wash your hands everyone. Love you guys.

~Madness