"Is it just me or have Commander Rex and General Skywalker been acting strange?"

It was a question that didn't surprise Molind; she'd been catching on to the general's antics when he'd split the woman and Axel up. It was a small detail, but when considering the excitement that radiated from the jedi whenever the commanders seemed to be getting along well, it didn't take a rocket scientist to realize what he was up to.

As Molindi and Axel began to gather stones from around the cave entrance, each one ranging in size between as big as a skull and as small as her fist, the clone figured now would be a good time to bring it up with his leader since the other two men wouldn't be back for a while. And if that awkward moment him and General Skywalker walked into meant anything to both Molindi and Rex, then he couldn't help his own curiosity.

Molindi reached down and grabbed a couple stones, then shrugged.

"I don't know what's up with them, but then again this is our first mission with the two so we don't actually know if-"

"Commander." He'd set his own stones down outside the cave with an unceremonious thu-thud sound, leaving his arms free to fold and he raised an eyebrow. He wasn't stupid enough to fall for that crap and she knew that, but there was no other response she could think of that would've made the situation any less awkward. Axel sighed and closed his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Molindi could remember her father doing something similar and a small smile worked its way to her face. "Look, I know we weren't on the best of terms before, but-"

"You really want to talk about this?" She smirked and set down her own stones next to his with a heavy thunk. "You really want to talk about General Skywalker trying to get Rex and I alone? You aren't grossed out by that at all?"

"I never said I wasn't grossed out, because ew," Molindi let out an amused laugh and Axel chuckled to himself as well before letting out another low sigh. "But we're friends. And friends should be able to talk about stuff like this with each other. Right?"

He had a point. They were getting along so much better now. She had a feeling the rough patch between them was finally over and if they were going to keep taking steps in their friendship down a personal path, opening up about personal stuff was a good way to keep the ball rolling and building up each other's trust. Especially since she'd be seeing less and less of JC with every new mission she'd be sent on with her new guys. Molindi had grown much closer with JC than she had with anyone before; it was time for the woman to allow other friends she could count on in her life.

It was time to break free of the past and look ahead to her future.

***

Anakin pounced the second he was sure that Commander Rino and Axel we're out of earshot. Like a cat, the Jedi immediately leaped into what he believed to be the drama between his second in command and his second in command's perfect match.

"Soooo," Rex tried his best not to roll his eyes at the Jedi who was wacking down small trees and tree branches with his lightsaber. "What was that?" Rex sighed and knelt down to the pieces of wood that fell at his feet.

"I don't know," He responded. Anakin scoffed and chopped down a tree branch as thick as his arm.

"I know what that was; that was what I like to call 'love magic'." The Jedi then proceeded to pull back an arrow on an invisible bow and shoot it at Rex's chest like a cherub whose only job was to make people fall for each other. "She definitely likes you."

"I..." The commander paused and ran a stressed hand over his head. "Do you really think so?"

"Oh buddy, if I know anything about women, it's that they don't look at other commanders the way she was looking at you." He smirked and hacked off another branch before slicing it into smaller pieces.

"Then how do I keep going from here?" Rex questioned desperately. "What do I do next? Do I even do anything at all?" It was embarrassing how uptight he was becoming, but the clone couldn't help it. He'd never felt this way before and he never thought he ever would in his life. All of a sudden the scenario was becoming real in his eyes and he struggled not to have a panic attack.

"Oh Rex," Anakin laughed. "Rex, Rex, Rex, Rex..." He lifted his lightsaber up for one last majestic thwack of a log, the evil grin on his face giving him a somewhat sinister glow. "Leave that to me."

***

"Look..." With a heavy weight in her chest she'd grown accustomed to whenever she thought of her life before Ganta Nego, Molindi took a seat on the ground and gestured for Axel to do the same across from her. He did as she instructed and crisscrossed his legs before placing his hands on his knees. "Before we get anywhere near the topic of Commander Rex and General Skywalker, I need to explain some things first. Get some things off my chest before we even consider poking that bear."

Axel nodded; he gave her his full attention and waited patiently for her to continue.

"Back before the clone wars, when the Republic military still consisted of drafts and volunteers, the protocol in regards to relationships between soldiers was strict. My parents were both highly decorated leaders in their fields and weren't even allowed to get married until my mother became pregnant with me."

"Sounds a bit harsh to be honest," Axel folded his arms. A small laugh escaped Molindi's lips and her gaze fell to the cave floor.

"Yeah, but I understand why they were so high-strung on the matter," She sighed. "They didn't want to risk losing their most valuable assets over accidental pregnancies or have the loyalty of their troops sway over to each other rather than stay true to the greater good of the Republic."

Her words were calculated, thought over before they left her lips in a way that kept the scene as far from her own personal memories for fear of succumbing to a wave of sadness she couldn't push away. Axel knew she was trying to distance herself from the matter, but kept his mouth shut and continued to listen patiently to her story.

"They remained in the Galactic Army of the Republic for fourteen more years after I was born, til they were killed in an explosion a year after I joined the Academy near the southern pole of Coruscant."

Axel had read countless stories about Coruscant's prestigious military academy- not many other people in the galaxy had. The only reason he recognized the place Molindi spoke of was because of an old file he'd....borrowed...from one of the Kaminoan databases he'd stumbled upon in his free time. It explained why she was so gifted with a weapon and light on her feet; only the greatest warriors could get through the intense training in one piece.

The type of drills and teaching methods the Academy was rumored to use had been highly controversial at the time with stories of children losing limbs in exercises and actually getting shot in simulations streaming through the holonet like a disease. When the Kaminoans introduced the clones to the public, the place had been shut down entirely and the remaining students sent home.

"That explains a lot, considering your abilities. I've heard a lot of their training tactics were barbaric."

"They were nothing compared to-" She stopped herself, closed her eyes, and shook the rest of that sentence from her mind. "After graduating, I climbed my way up the rank-ladder and became a commander when the Clone Wars began. When the army began to kick the lower ranked soldiers out and bribed the generals and other commanders to retire early, I told them to shove it." Her voice was steady, but Axel could see her hands shaking as she glared at the ground. "All my comrades, all the soldiers I'd trained with growing up- they were volunteers. They were willingly giving their lives for a cause they believed in because they'd assessed the war and both sides for what they truly were. The clones...you guys... This is all you've ever known."

"And you think that's a bad thing?" Axel questioned.

"No, I'm not saying..." She didn't want to upset him, especially when she was being so open to him. But she wasn't going to lie to her friend either. "You know how I see things, Axel. You guys weren't given any options. Yes, you have been engineered to fight and be obedient but fighting and following orders aren't what life is all about. You and your brothers aren't droids, you are worth so much more than what they tell you." He remained silent and turned his own gaze to the cave floor as well, mixed emotions rushing through his mind like a dam had been broken as he continued to listen. With a hopeless exhale of breath, she proceeded.

"When I was assigned my squadron, I didn't see your brothers as expendable. I saw them as family. Each one of them."

It hurt like a hot knife drilling through her chest, like someone was grabbing her heart in an iron grip and trying to rip it from between her ribs. Her men...her boys... Those precious, stupid, beautiful men she called her own. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and the moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes, but her voice remained steady.

"I fell in love with one of them," She squeezed her eyes shut as the warm sensation of tears began to drift down her cheeks. The pain continued to grow and blossom in her torso like a poisonous flower, but she couldn't stop now. No going back. "His name was Bren, and... and I..."

Before she could speak further, two arms suddenly wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace, a grip that pressed her entire body against his and cradled her close. As soon as the warmth enveloped her, the fight she was trying to put up crumbled like a house of cards.

She didn't know how long they both sat there on the ground, holding onto each other as she cried into his leather armor and he tried to show her just how much he meant it when he said she was his friend, how grateful he was for her perspective of him and his brothers that no one else seemed to see.

It was in that moment of sheer vulnerability that Axel made a decision he never thought he'd have to make. A decision that would shape his story for better and worse.

A decision that would be his death in the end.

—-

Sorry again for typos, this chapter was on my phone as well. Let me know what you think of the story so far! Thanks again for reading! :D