The Captain has this day marked as "bad" the very second he's woken up by his Troopers yelling and arguing with one another. Locuna's life star is barely a line of light over the trees and he already knows something's happened. The arguing automatically snaps Rex into Captain mode and he springs to his feet. He doesn't allow his men to argue. They fight together, not each other.

Rex starts scanning the area for the source. But he isn't able to find it before Hotshot reaches him, out of breath from running.

"What is it Trooper?" Rex asks, already halfway to fight mode. He doesn't think they're under attack. He would've woken up much faster if they were, that's a whole other instinct. The Clone seems a bit shaken up though. Rex waits for Hotshot to catch his breath. Behind him, Fives shoves Echo awake and Kix shows up out of the blue. They join the group behind Rex to hear what Hotshot has to say.

Wren is nowhere to be seen, but that's not really a concern at the moment.

"Sir," Hotshot breaths. But before he says anything else, Rex's gaze shifts past the Clone and to the tank in the distance, where the arguing is coming from. Panicked Troopers buzz around it, waving their arms like a bunch of crazed Jar-Jars. The Captain can't tell what exactly because he doesn't have his helmet on, but somethings on the tank, little white dots crawling all over the shell.

"They ate the food," the Shiny says.

With those four words, Rex knows exactly what happened and breaks into a sprint towards the walker, the others close behind him. More and more people are waking up as the word spreads, causing the road to become increasingly crowded.

The scene at the tank almost looks like it's from a horror/comedy holo-vid. The white creatures cover the top and sides of the shell, all startled by the Clones. They run around at lightning speeds, jumping for overhead branches and tree trunks to escape. Some even brave touching the ground for a couple seconds to run for freedom. But the numbers don't shrink, for every one that gets away, two more come out through a torn hole in the shell, only to run around and repeat the cycle.

Rex's men work to get them out of the walker by banging on the sides and yelling. Hardcase leads the effort, hammering against the mettle with a thick rusty rod to make the most noise. He's probably doing more damage than good.

Dex stands at the back with his small crew, tapping away at the outer panel which for some reason won't let them open the rear hatch.

Rex takes charge immediately, yelling at stationary Troopers to make themselves useful and positioning them to get the best results. The General and Commander appear a minute later and dive into the effort. They use the Force to try and make the animals leave. Skywalker has some success in scattering the creatures. But the trick appears a little too advanced for his new Padawan to master.

"How's the hatch coming?" Rex asks Dex when he's close enough and doesn't have anyone to yell at.

"Almost have it," Dex mumbles, more to himself then to the Captain as he taps the last few sequences into the panel before, Pop! The hatch flicks open like a can of rotten rations.

Creatures start pouring through the new exit at blinding speeds before the hatch even opens all the way, like water out a flood gate. Clones yell and hit the sides even harder, glad to have progress.

It takes about twenty seconds to empty the tank, and about five seconds to truly realize how much damage has been done. The first thing that hits Rex is the smell. The walker reeks like animal droppings, opened rations, burnt plastic, and a few other things he can't place, and doesn't want to.

The second thing is the sight after his eyes unblured themselves. All the crates have been knocked over and torn into. Ration cans and wrappers litter the floor, every one opened, every one wiped clean of food.

"Blast," the Captain mumbles.

Rex steps back and watches everyone's reaction as Fives and a few other men run past him to sort out what's left. The General speaks to a shaken up soldier not far away. A Shiny by the looks of him, his bucket and blaster forgotten on the ground.

Commander Tano tries to keep the people calm, but there's too many for that. They've formed around the tank. Rex can see the recent news spreading outward as they mumble to each other, some even yelling as the fear already starts to break them down.

The Captain can hear the Locunian baby crying somewhere nearby, but he can't see it or the mother.

Gefar eyes the walker grimly while he whispers to a tight lipped Locunian next to him. Rex is half expecting him to give a speech, but he doesn't.

Wren stands off to the side, hidden a little by the crowd, no one notices her at the moment. She calmly watches the Clones as they roll destroyed crates out through the back, empty cans falling out on all sides as they go. She has no fear in her eyes like the rest. Other kids her age cry by their parent's sides, but she doesn't shed a tear.

Rex can't tell for sure if Wren understands what's happening at the moment with how calm she looks. But he feels she does, and that she knows acting out like the others won't solve anything. Rex, (like the Jedi and many of his seasoned men) is taking this as a cold hard fact. Like a lot of things in this war, they just need to move on. Maybe Wren is thinking the same. The food is gone, simple as that. Now, what are they going to do about it?

The General has them moving after a brief inventory check and skipping the morning ration hand out. They have exactly half a crate of cans and two handfuls of bars left, which is about one can per person and half a bar for each kid on top of that. Rex doesn't know how far that will get them though. His men can go days running on empty, but the people? That's a different story.

They try everything; none of the Locunians brought any real food, all they have are spices, herbs, things to sell in markets. General Kenobi doesn't have supply ships to spare. And somehow not one Locunian there knows how to hunt or scavenge in this forest. Blindly walking into the woods without a skilled guide is a waist and a death wish, they could end up hunting something with poisonous flesh or something could end up hunting them. The cart pulling animals are inedible, apparently. And Rex has yet to see any tasty looking plants, which is a whole other problem if they actually find something and it turns out to be poisonous as well.

The first few hours are hard, not because of hunger but because of the people's negative and loud attitudes. They calm down after a while though, eventually realizing there's nothing they can do. So they devote their energy to walking. That's when the dead silence comes back.

Rex walks among most of his men behind the tank. They've kept the formation from yesterday, but are focusing a little more man power in the middle now that the walker is experiencing some technical difficulties.

Dex and his crew have been in a bad mood all morning. Apparently the creatures did more than just eat and crap in the tank, they chewed wires, punctured pipes, scratched circuits and force knows what else. So now the tank is in even worse shape than ever. All six of the small canons are offline. The walking speed has been cut in half. And the back hatch won't close all the way, no matter how hard they try to force it. Not to mention the unhealthy grinding sounds coming from every joint.

Their first concern is still getting the main cannon up though. And the crew are close, at least Rex thinks they're close. Two Clones are still riding on top of the tank to work on the actual cannon. It seems they found the main problem, and there's a lot less arguing between them at the moment. But that's as far as Rex can tell. What the problem is he doesn't know, and what they're doing to fix it he doesn't know, but as long as it's fixed soon, he doesn't care.

The Clones aren't the only ones on top of the AT-TE today. Wren lays down on the walker's rear, where the metal shell is the flattest. Using her bag as a pillow, she rests her arms behind her head and watches the clouds float by. The mechanics don't mind since she's as out of the way as she can be.

It's funny because Rex didn't see Wren climb up. They all looked down to hear a com message and next thing they know she's on the tank as if she's been there for hours. Rex thinks of getting her to climb down, but decides against it, figuring it would only spark a Rexing spree.

At least she's saving her energy up there, which is smart of the girl to do.

"How the force does she do that?" Fives mumbles to no one in particular, removing his helmet for some fresh air. "Every time, you look away for a second and poof, there she is."

"Well, her people are probably called the Forest Ghosts for a reason," Echo says.

"And they're a warrior clan too. It makes sense," Kix adds.

Rex almost stops walking. He forgot about that and it shocked him for a second.

The Leader called them a warrior clan, their leader was even a General. And if that's true it explains some things about the girl, like her speed and climbing skills. But the Captain still has questions. Where are they? A warrior clan wouldn't have left their own knowing the way these people would treat her, would they? Did someone get to them?

What Rex wouldn't give for a Locua speaking protocol droid right now. He doesn't trust the people enough do ask questions through them since he can't tell the honest ones from the dishonest. Oh well, he'll be able to find some form of translation when they get to the city. Right now all he can do is wait and hope Wren's family is safe wherever they are. Rex has already seen enough orphans made in this war to last him an unaccelerated-lifetime.

The men must have been thinking the same things because a minute later Fives launches a conversation on where Wren's clan could be. The Captain stays out of it though since they're really just going over what he's been thinking himself. He tunes them out and watches the forest on their left as they walk.

Since the Captain is busy being vigilant like the highly trained, sharp eyed Clone that he is, he completely misses Wren as she suddenly shoots upright in her spot on the tank. Her head whipping around to look behind them and into the forest. Her eyes wide and alert like they've been so for hours instead of seconds.

Hotshot is the first to notice. He elbows Fives to get his attention and points her out. Rex is faintly aware of his men mumbling behind him, but he doesn't look up or back, just at the forest.

Wren stays in her state for only a few seconds (slightly resembling a small, twitchy creature scanning it's habitat for predators) before breaking her gaze and scrambling to her feet. Throwing the bag over her shoulder, Wren scales down the back leg and runs right to the Captain, repeatedly jumping and yelling "Rex!" as she goes, snapping him out of his vigil trance.

Alarmed, Rex whips his head around and quickly spots her as she pushes past and dances around Clones. When she reaches him she immediately tries to push him back the way they've come and slightly to the left, the same direction she was looking earlier.

"Wren? What're you doing?" Rex asks, looking down at her, unaware that his men have stopped to watch. She ignores the Captain and puts all her energy into pushing him. Of course he doesn't even budge, shes quick, but not too strong.

Rex's frown deepens. She's panicked, frightened by something. He doesn't have a good feeling about it.

"Wren. What's gotten into you?" He knows she doesn't understand, but hopes his tone will carry the question anyway.

Instead of an answer, Wren runs around the Captain and snatches his hand to try and pull him this time.

"Lmbo geena fel opmi!" She grunts, digging her heels into the dirt in the effort to rip Rex's arm off. Not enough, her feet slide right out from under her. She then tries to outright run, but she isn't going anywhere with the Captain as a living anchor. The kid pads over the dirt like running on a treadmill.

Rex was too confused to act right away. But he finally pulls her back from the pointless running and kneels down in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders so she stays still and looks him in the eyes, or at least the helmet's visor.

"Wren, what's, wrong?" He asks as clear as possible. She calms down a little and tries talking, but her words come out faster than it seems possible.

"Hido nodata opmi songo-" Rex shakes his head. Wren stops talking and grunts, frustrated by the language barrier. She pushes hair out of her eyes and points a little finger in the direction she's been wanting to go before yelling "Opmi!"

"No, Wren. What's opmi?!"

She grunts, blowing more white strands off her darting eyes. Finally, an idea seems to come to her. Wren stops pointing and looks right at him, her eyes glowing again.

"Roger, roger," She says, slowly, clearly, and carefully.

Rex freezes.

"Roger, roger," the girl repeats.

The General chooses that moment to look back at what's happening, but as he does his gaze automatically shifts to something in the forest.

"Roger roger" Rex repeats slowly, realization and grim alertness taking over. He looks past her, into the forest, deep, deep within, past the branches, trunks and vines. He spots movement, stands straight, and draws his blasters. "We got clankers!"

Rex should have seen this coming, they all should have. But with the attention on the orza, he almost forgot about the other threat currently on this planet: Separatists.

Droids often have no use for roads. As long as the ground isn't too rocky and the space isn't cramped they can walk through anything. This forest is perfect for them, they can walk right through it. B-line to wherever they need to go. The Captain's seen it happen before. And he's been ambushed like that before as well.

It's not long until droids start pouring onto the road and blasting, not long at all. Luckily, Wren's warning bought them just enough time to smarten up. The people are already being herded further up the road and out of the way. But even with their effort, the body count still climbs.

Rex and his men group together and move to meet the droids coming up the road. Joining the Commander as she and a few Troopers hold them off as best they can without risking casualties.

Rex strains to try and count the enemy's numbers but fails, clankers are still leaking out from the forest. It could be a small recon sweep, or the entire army for all he knows. At least they don't have tanks, no tank could make it through these trees.

The General joins them not long after the fight begins. Bringing with him the rest of the Troopers. He wordlessly springs forward and takes point, deflecting and bullseyeing blaster bolts into droid heads every time. His Padawan does the same, but lacks the same precision. Rex and his men blast from wagon cover, and. It's a decent formation, but not perfect.

As more droids come, the line is slowly pushed back. The tank is still shorting out, the turrets are still down, and the main cannon is still being worked on. Rex argues with the tank crew over the com as he takes cover behind a cart and tries to get Wren to sit still beside him.

The girl refused to retreat with the rest of the Locunians, even bit Hotshot when he tried to pick her up. They didn't have time to do anything about her, so the next best thing was keeping her close and out of the way. Luckily she wouldn't leave Rex's side, or she wouldn't leave his vicinity at least. Rex tries to keep her out of the line of fire but she keeps running around with no apparent pattern and for no apparent reason. It only makes the Captain's job even harder.

"Wren! Stay where I can blasting see you!" He yells as he moves and crouches behind another wagon, glancing back at her as he reloads.

They're being pushed closer and closer to the walker, and Wren's getting antsier, running into more open space and getting further away from him each time. She may not be frozen up like before, but this is just as dangerous.

Rex finally gives up and grabs Wren by the back of her shirt when she runs close enough. Lifting her right off the ground, her bare feet still going in the air.

Rex drops her behind the wagon he's using, shes so short she doesnt even need to crouch down.

"Stay," he says, as stern as he can. Wren can't use the language barrier excuse because he taught her that word. She doesn't move, but she clearly wants to. That's good enough for him.

Rex goes back to blasting droids. Taking down one after the other with clean headshots. Wren watches through gaps in the wood planks, her mouth agape in wonder.

The last of the droids have finally cleared the trees. It's not a full army, but they're outnumbered ten to one. Their best chance is the tank's repair now.

The line of the defense is dangerously close to the walker. The Commander stands on top the shell, exactly where Wren was lying not long age. The Padawan deflects almost all bolts aimed at the tank while the Clones frantically work to fix it.

Rex listens in on the Troopers' progress. Step by step they get closer to a working weapons system. The closer the droids come the more they bicker with each other.

"No! The recoil charges are all wrong! We need to move them before reconnecting the sparkers."

"But the recoil charges won't fit anywhere else."

"Oh, right, well in that case we'll just leave them right where they are and blow everyone up, great plan."

"Troopers!" Rex bellows over the com. The men shut up after that, and apparently manage to work out the problems in silence because it's not long until they come back onto the com.

"Right, nearly done, just need to reconnect the primary power cord to the base," the Trooper's voice is strained by whatever he's doing.

A few seconds of silence, during which Rex and his group are forced back a couple of meters, at this rate they have four minutes, tops.

"Blast! I can't get in!"

Rex looks back to find one Trooper lying flat at the base of the walker's main cannon, apparently trying to jam his arm into the gap that separates said cannon from the tanks outer shell. The second Trooper crouches next to him.

"Well try harder! It's not that small a space!"

"You wanna give it a shot?"

"hmm I would, it's just, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but our arms are the exact same blasting size!"

No matter how hard they try, the men can't plug the cable in. The Commander can't help, if she leaves her post they'll easily be picked off.

Rex is halfway through formulating a plan C, but as he counts men, his head drifts over to find Wren has left his side, again.

Wren noticed the commotion on the mettle spider because Rex kept looking back at it. He seemed concerned to her. So she decided to go see what was happening.

Scurrying back when he wasn't looking, she quickly climbs up the first leg. Narrowly avoiding a red bolt aimed at her head. She looks closely at the smocking mark it left on the spider and turns towards where it came from. Giving the shooter a good hiss before climbing up the rest of the way.

Rex didn't spot Wren until she was already on the walker, his blood ran cold.

"Why does she do that?" He complains to himself, forced to turn back around and return fire.

The Clones on the tank notice her as she inches closer to them. Their first thought was to get her off the biggest target on the road, but their second was a bit more ideological, and dangerous. The Clones look at each other, both wondering how the conversation with the Captain would go if she got electrocuted on their watch.

Wren already figured out what's going on before they saw her. When they do, she steps forward.

"Blast it we don't have time!" The one kneeling finally says, ripping his shock proof gloves off and handing them to the kid. She puts them on as the other gets out of her way. They're big on her, gigantic, but they'll also protect her from getting zapped.

Wren takes the giant cord and slips her arm through the gap with ease. Peeking down with one crimson eye as she struggles to reach the socket at the bottom. Her nose scrunches to the smell of burnt mettle.

"Take aim Dex" a Trooper says over the com, "on our word."

"Right." Wren feels the cannon shift next to her, pointing towards the oncoming enemy.

Wren clenches her fangs and stretches her arm as far as it will go, too focused to hum for comfort. Just a little more, but she can hear the battle approaching, men fighting and people dying. Just like before.

Wren hears a sharp metallic click and breaths. The circuits around her light up in rich blues as new systems come to life. A Trooper yanks her out of the gap and yells "blast'em!"

And that's exactly what they do. The droid numbers plummet with each loud bang. The last few are quickly picked off with sabre and blaster.

The death toll is surprisingly low this round, with only a couple carts severely destroyed by the cannon. So all that's left to do is keep moving before more droids came, or the orza appear.

It's a rough start to the day, and the people are already showing signs of hunger. Their pace is slowing as a result. They'll have to give out the last of the rations soon.

All Rex could do was rub his forehead when he heard of Wren's assistance on the walker.

"It was dangerous, but she didn't care," He mumbles.

Fives only smirks. "Remind you of anyone?" he purrs. Rex doesn't even look at the Clone.

"Don't, start."

Fives chuckles as Echo peers into the forest. "Good thing she spotted the clankers though. Or there would've been trouble. It's amazing she even saw them, even from on the walker."

Hotshot pipes in from behind them. "Yea, did ya see how she shot up and looked right at them?" The Shiny shakes his head, "it's almost like, she just, knew."

Rex skips a beat of reality, stumbling on absolutely nothing. His men don't notice, they walk past him as his pace slows.

She just knew. Rex thought, watching Wren happily skip ahead of them, making her own fun. It can't be. He drops the thought immediately, dismissing it as a coincidence. A lucky coincidence.

But the Captain finds himself wondering; and because of that another thing occurs to him. Something else that he should've picked up on immediately.

Roger Roger, she said.

How did Wren know those words? Rex didn't teach them to her.

Has the kid encountered Separatist battle droids before? The question is bitter when its clear she has.

Wren, what happened to you? The Captain thinks to himself.

Wren chooses that moment to stop skipping and look back at him. The people around her don't notice and wander by, neither do his men. Her face is blank, and her eyes admit a faint red glow.

Sorry about the dullness of this chapter, it'll pick up.

But look at who's been writing lately! You can't see but I'm pointing at her (it's me.)

Now shhhhh, or my writer's block will wake up again.

Fic recommendations: Go read hypnosis by AL0LT0 (the same author who wrote 101 things they don't teach you on Kamino.)

It's short and sweat. Basically Hardcase figures out how to hypnotize people.

And I haven't been telling the authors of these fics that I've been recommending them, so how about EVERYONE just reviews the word "fiddlesticks" for Hypnosis and see how many people we can confuse, yea? ... I'm bored.

Wow fiddlesticks is a fun word. I need to use it more often. Fiddlesticks fiddlesticks fiddlesticks.