"Did you hear about what happened on Felucia?" Slate asked Mars as he woke him up.

The war had started just about a year and a half ago, as did Bravo Squad's training under Walon Vau. The Mandalorian often told them stories of what was currently going on in the battlefields, or they heard through other troopers. The boys of Bravo Squad had nearly completed their training. As a matter of fact, this was to be the day of their final test before being shipped off to their first mission. The squad was both nervous and excited for this, as it was the day to see if their hard training had actually paid off.

"No, I was sleeping." Mars answered Seven-Six, yawning. "Where are Jem and Sunny?"

"Right here, Oh-Nine." A voice responded from behind the other clone. "Get out of his face, Slate."

The young to-be trooper moved out of the way. "Sorry."

"You can tell me about Felucia when we go eat in a minute." Oh-Nine told his brother, giving a small smile to show that he forgave him. He climbed down the ladder from his bunk and reached back up to tap the retract button. It slid back inside the wall. Sunny leant against another wall, offering a smile of greeting. Jem sat on his own bunk, arms crossed, as he waited. Slate stood beside him as well. Their squad leader looked at them amusedly. "Bravos, who's hungry?"

*X*

"So, Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, his padawan, Commander Cody, and Captain Rex went to Felucia. Apparently the clankers there killed most of the other clones. Apparently the padawan took a trio of vehicles with her on a patrol. The others dominated the droids and had them pinned, but-" Slate was cut off.

"-But reinforcements arrived." Jem guessed, taking a bite of something from his tray.

"Hey, I'm telling the story!" Seven-Six frowned before continuing. "The patrol was too far away to help, so they sent in another Jedi by the name of Plo Koon, or something like that. He and his men- the Wolf Pack- weren't even on the planet. So they had to fight through a blockade. They got through and landed the gunships. They got in them, but they were still missing the padawan. They had to land in front of her to keep her from staying to shoot down the rest of the droids!" He laughed, before becoming somber. "She and her gunner boarded the ship, but the men in the other vehicles that had been with her were killed. We lost the battle from what I heard. Also heard that they're keeping that padawan strictly reading Jedi archives for awhile."

"Good." Mars growled as he finished eating. "She got some men killed! I'm telling you, some of these Jedi are reckless."

"Yeah." Jem agreed, swallowing a sip of water.

"But what about the one that saved the rest; General Plo Koon?" Sunny asked. "He saved some of the best men that the Republic has! Imagine if Captain Rex got killed!"

"He said some Jedi, not all Jedi." Slate interjected through a mouthful of food. "But you know what's worse? They wiped out the medical center over the planet."

"You're joking?" Eight-Three frowned.

"Not one bit." The other clone shook his head.

"You know how much they put into those things?" Mars asked, angered slightly.

Sunny got up and began to collect their trays. He dumped them in a trash bin nearby and began to head towards the return area. "A lot." He answered.

"More than we'll ever know." Jem sighed.

"You know what? When I get my armor, I'm gonna paint it blue." Slate declared.

Jem snorted. "Slate blue?"

"No." Seven-Six shook his head. "Darker, like the Five-Oh-First."

"Why do you want to look like the Five-Oh-First?" Oh-Nine asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"To show that I- we're better than they are." Slate answered. "We could've kept Felucia under the Republic's control, but they didn't send us. They didn't think we were ready."

During friendly competition, it's fine to say that you're better than someone else. But when you despise them and say it when they did the best they could, that's something else; and it's one of the things that angers Mars. "They did the best they could! Look, our training isn't complete yet! We shouldn't compare to whole battalions, especially when we're still in training! Yes, we're supposed to be better than them, but we aren't supposed to brag about it. Yes, we're commandos and they're regs, but we don't need to act better, even if we are. As your squad leader, I order you to watch your mouth, Seven-Six."

The Bravos had learned long ago that if they were called by their number instead of their name, Oh-Nine was either enraged with or embarrassed by his squad. Usually both.

Slate looked away and swallowed guiltily. "Yes, sir, Squad Leader."

"What happened here?" Sunny asked, having seen the solemn expressions upon approaching his squad.

"Seven-Six was bragging again." Jem simply told him.

"Ah, so nothing new?" Two-Seven asked, clearly disappointed.

"Nope." Eight-Three shook his head.

"Bravos, let's go get armored up and meet Vau by the training room." Mars ordered, standing up. "It's time to complete our training."

*X*

Oh-Nine glanced at his helmet, spinning it around on his hand.

"Mars?" He glanced up at Slate. "Do you think we'll pass?"

"No." Jem answered for him.

"Of course we'll pass!" Sunny argued. "We're commandos, we can do anything!"

Mars gave him a warning glare and turned back to Seven-Six. "Vau trained us the best he could. Mandalorians are pretty strategic and everything, and having learned from one, we should be the same." He paused, thinking for a moment. "I'm confident in all three of you. Slate, you're an excellent slicer. Sunny, your mind is always on finding ways to blow things up- good thing you're our explosives specialist. Jem, you are the sniper. Just remember what you're best at, brothers, and do just that. We will pass. I promise you all that much." He put on his helmet. "This isn't just for us, but for Vau."

Sunny grinned. "I like the sound of that."

Jem and Slate nodded in agreement.

"Bravo Squad!" Oh-Nine turned towards them. "Let's show them what we've got."

"Sir, yes, sir!" The other three commandos chanted together, putting on their own helmets.

*X*

"Bravo Squad, as you are aware, this is your final test." Vau stood before the four clones. "This is going to test everything you learned- from basic training and what I taught you. If you really learned anything, you'll show it today. Remember, the droids' blasters are set to kill. Don't get shot or you'll either die or slow down the whole squad. Use your resources wisely." He paused for effect. "Are you ready, Bravo Squad?"

"Yes, sir!" The boys shouted.

"We'll see." He nodded at the, before turning to his comm link. "General Ti, is the arena ready?"

"Yes, Vau, the arena is ready. The droids are set to start firing five seconds after Bravo Squad enters." The Jedi's voice came back.

"Good. I'm sending them in." He replied. He turned back to the clones one last time. "Remember everything I taught you. Good luck out there, Bravos."

"See you on the other side, sir." Sunny told him, good-naturedly.

A small, fatherly smile tugged at the corners of Vau's lips. "I'm trusting the four of you not to die."

"If they die, I'll kill them for you." Jem promised mockingly.

"Quit the chatter, Eight-Three." Mars ordered. "Boys, let's take out some clankers."

The door before them slid open. Oh-Nine cocked his gun and raced in, the other three behind him. The arena was a jungle, similar to Kashyyyk. After a very short delay, the droids opened fire. The squad fired back, droids clattering to the ground. They were quickly replaced by more.

A bullet whizzed past Mars' head and he instinctively ducked. He heard the concentration of his brothers and felt the tension in the air. He knew that they needed to make a path through the droids, so he pulled out a thermal detonator, triggered it, and threw it towards the droids. The grenade exploded and flaming bits of metal flew every which way. He pointed through the middle of the droids with two fingers and was satisfied his message had been received by the other three when he heard a prompt,"Yes, sir."

He waved the other three before him, taking up the rear. He heard a cracking noise, but he didn't register what it was until he saw the tree falling between him and Slate. It was thick trunked and he knew that he wouldn't be able to clear it after it had hit the ground. He tried to quicken his pace, but he couldn't because of roots tripping his heels. The tree hit hard, a mere few centimeters before his face. He pulled back eyes wide. He'd been trapped with many of the droids. Turning his back to the trunk, he opened fire on the clankers.

"Mars!" He heard one of the others shout.

"I can't climb over it!" He called back, keeping his attention on taking out the droids. "I'll find another way around!"

"No, wait! Jem's gonna demo it!"

"WHAT?!" Mars shouted in disbelief. "That's gonna get me killed!"

He turned back towards the fallen tree just in time to hear a faint beep. The loud sound of an explosion rang out and the orange before him burned him eyes. The force of the bomb's explosion sent him flying backwards, scathing parts of him armor black. His head slammed into the ground and he grunted. His ears rang. His eyes had closed briefly and he opened them again, looking at the fiery destruction. Burning droid and tree debris laid all around him and he wondered vaguely how he was still alive. He forced himself to get up, his limbs groaning in protest. He grabbed his DC-17m blaster and began firing again, backing through the new opening towards his brothers.

"You glad he blew it up now?" Slate asked mockingly.

"Stay focused on taking out the clankers, Seven-Six!" Oh-Nine snapped.

The young clones stopped talking, their fire focusing on the droids before them. So far, all four of them were in relatively good condition so far. Slowly the droids began to force the clones back- more like forward, in the needed direction.

"Why don't we just turn and run?" Sunny asked over the gunfire.

"Because they'd shoot us!" Jem growled.

A cry of pain pierced the air and Mars looked to see Slate fall to the group, an obvious bullet wound straight through his shoulder. He didn't move; either unconscious, dead, or playing dead. The droids continued to advance. The squad leader would had liked to switch to his anti armor attachment, but he knew he'd risk killing Seven-Six for good if he did. And one of the biggest rules was to never leave a squad member behind. The injured clone got swallowed up in the swarms of droids.

"Squad, clear a path to Slate! Now!" Oh-Nine shouted over the gunfire. He let out a scream as one of the Super Battle Droids hit him hard and catapulted him into the side of a tree. It shot into his left thigh and he cried out again, leaning back against the tree. As if to reassure Sunny and Jem that he's okay, he calls,"Get to Slate!"

"Yes, sir." Jem responds, taking the lead as he and Two-Seven start clearing a path to their fallen brother.

Mars watched them as they complete their orders successfully. Sunny dragged Slate back, while Jem covered him. Two-Seven pulled a bacta machine, using it on the incapitated Seven-Six. Within moments, the other soldier was getting back to his feet, reloading a clip for his DC-17m. He quickly helped the squad leader to his feet, though the latter stumbled on his injured leg, gasping.

"You alright, Bravo Lead?" Jem asked, glancing back as he fired at the droids.

"Fine." He hissed in pain, reloading his blaster. "Keep firing on those droids. Throw some thermal detonators if you can."

"Yes, sir!" Slate replied, following the order immediately.

Sunny threw a thermal detonator into the middle of the droids. Through the rows of them, Mars could see the explosion. Apparently there weren't as many droids left as he'd though. He was instantly relieved a little.

The clones used the trees to duck behind for cover as the battle raged on. After that, the droids began to fall much more quickly. Within another ten or so minutes, the last droid had been shot down. The squad pulled to one side of the forest, knowing the path likely to be a trap. They continued alongside it, a feel layers of trees deep. Oh-Nine couldn't keep from limping, his leg refused to work right, the pain pulsing through it constantly.

They stopped at the edge of the trees, near a new clearing. Mars could see quite a few droids, though not nearly as much as before, guarding the area. He glanced around and saw the staff they had to retrieve, high up in a tree. The top of it shown a red light, marking that it had yet to be grabbed.

"Do you see it?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah." Oh-Nine answered. "It's up a tree. Squad, we have some climbing to do after we take down those clankers."

"Wait, wait, wait." Slate spoke up. "What if you and Jem climb, while Sunny and I take down the clankers?"

"Yeah, they definitely won't shoot us." Jem grumbled sarcastically.

"I agree with Jem. It's not safe." Mars took a minute to think. "But, we're going to have to do it. We spent far too long taking out the first of the droids."

"You can't be serious!" Eight-Three looked at him, in clear disbelief.

"I am." He responded. "When I say go, we go. Sunny, Slate, you boys'll go out first to draw their fire. We'll come out right behind you and head for the tree."

"Don't you think there'll be clankers up there, sir?" Sunny asked.

"It's possible, but doubt it." Oh-Nine responded, scanning the tree briefly for signs of movement. "I don't see any." He was silent for a moment. "Get ready, boys."

Both he and Jem strapped their DC-17m blasters to their backs, making sure their hands were free for climbing the tree. Sunny and Slate quickly checked the ammo on theirs. None of the boys said anything, waiting for their leader's next command. A droid passed by the edge of the trees and they all froze, waiting for it to pass. It did.

"Go!" Mars whispered loudly.

Sunny and Slate raced out into the clearing, opening fire on the droids immediately, who returned it. The squad leader nodded to Eight-Three and they raced out after them, charging towards the tree. They successfully avoided getting shot along the way. They reached the tree and Mars immediately started climbing it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jem climbing past him. His brother was a natural at climbing. Then again, his injured leg didn't help. Maybe he should've sent Sunny or Slate in his place. Too late now.

Jem was well above Mars within the first few seconds of climbing the tall Kashyyk tree. For a long moment, he was convinced that the plan would work without difficulty. Mistake. A scream came from above him and he glanced up sharply, seeing his brother falling back towards him, a droid standing up by the staff. Sunny was right. Jem fell past him, speed growing.

"JEM!" He shouted.

He watched the other clone slam into the ground with such force that dust flew from under the grass. Mars was torn between continuing and going back to check on him. It took him a moment to remember that Sunny and Slate were down there and could help him. He forced himself to keep climbing, though he worried for Jem.

He turned his mind to wondering how to take care of the droid from this angle. It had the high ground, giving it the advantage- clearly, by what had happened to Eight-Three. He'd have to climb over it and drop down. He'd have the element of surprise on his side. He knew without a doubt that it was the only way.

The gunfire slowly grew fainter as Oh-Nine climbed higher. He looked up. He was so close! His body ached in protest at every movement, and he ejected the wrist knives on his armor, using them to help him keep a strong grip. He got a foothold on a small branch and paused to catch his breath. Sweat coated his face and the back of his neck, threatening to spill into his eyes. He took a moment to go over his plan. The only flaws were his injured leg and the droid suspecting it and pushing him off; none of which he could do anything about.

Praying to himself, he resumed his climb. He made it to the small hole in the trunk in which the staff and droid were. He moved to the left so the droid wouldn't see him, climbing up around the side of it. He side climbed right, positioning himself over the opening. He retracted the knives back into the armor and prepared to drop. One wrong move and he'd end up lying next to or on top of Jem, down on the ground.

"For Jem." He whispered sharply to himself.

He released, letting himself drop down. He quickly snapped his hands shut on the edge and swung himself into the tree's cavity. He landed crouching and sprang at the droid, catching it off-guard. He ejected the knife on his right wrist and stabbed the machine until it fell motionless. Retracting the knife, he stood up to the staff. He grabbed it and pulled it free, victory flowing through him as the red light turned to green. He stepped up to the edge and held the staff in his right arm.

Too overcome by pride, Mars didn't notice the droid getting up. A couple of gunshots rang out and a sharp pain pierced his back. He cried out, falling forward over the edge, staff tightly in his grasp. He could hear the gunfire below getting louder and the woosh of air in his ears. Another quick, brief moment of pain and everything went black. The last thing he heard before he passed out was his brothers shouting his name.

*X*

"Hey, hey, Mars! You okay?" Sunny was the first thing he saw when they revived him.

Oh-Nine's vision was blurred. His brother's yelling made his head hurt. His leg and back hurt too. In fact, he hurt all over- but those few spots were the most excruciating. He attempted to get up, but slumped down onto his stomach instead, groaning painfully.

"Bacta…" He gasped, in too much pain to move again or say anything more.

"Sorry, Bravo Lead." Two-Seven's voice was apologetic. "We used the rest of it up making sure Eight-Three was okay."

"Jem…" Mars murmured, remembering watching his brother fall.

"He's okay, don't worry about him." Sunny assured him. "Slate's alright too. He's holding onto the staff for you."

"Help me up." He demanded in the strongest voice he could muster.

"Sir, I don't think that's a good-"

"-Now, Sunny." He growled, his voice wavering again. "That's an order."

"Yes, sir." Two-Seven responded. "This is gonna hurt."

He grabbed Oh-Nine's arm and put it around his neck, helping the other clone to get his legs underneath him. He assisted him to stand up and led him towards the others. Mars could see the shapes of Slate and Jem slowly begin to form and become clearer as they moved. They reached the two boys a few moments later.

"Are you alright?" Slate asked him.

"The fall's not fun." He answered weakly.

Jem agreed. "You can say that again."

"Bravos, let's head back." Mars ordered, voice unsteady. "Remember to keep a look out for any clankers on the way. If anyone gets incapitated, we have no way of reviving you until we get out."

"If anyone gets incapitated, it'll be either you, me, or Slate, sir." Jem pointed out. "Two-Seven's got it easy."

He rolled his eyes beneath his helmet. "Let's move out, boys."

"Yes, sir!" Jem and Slate responded.

The squad started heading towards the way they'd entered the arena, Slate holding the staff- the key- to the exit. Jem took the lead, his blaster ready to fire upon any droids. Sunny and Mars made up the read of the group. A realistic burning smell tinted the air where the digitally generated fallen tree had been. The ground was charred black as well.

They reached the exit point within fifteen minutes. Slate inserted the staff into the slot, twisting it like a key. The door slid open. The tension between the brothers seemed to evaporate as they realized that they were safe once again.

Two figures awaited them on the other side.

"Well done!" General Ti smiled at them.

"Did we pass?" Slate asked hopefully.

"We'll tell you the result, but only after your squad leader gets medical attention." Vau answered. "Looks like he might need to be in a bacta tank for awhile."

Oh-Nine felt the eyes of the others on him, but he was too weary to say or do anything. The only movement -which the others couldn't see- was his eyes flicking around to glance at the Jedi, Vau, and his squad. Yes, some bacta would be nice, sir. Practically dying on my feet over here.

"Mars?" Sunny gave him a light shake.

Pain coursed through the latter's body and he groaned weakly. He could've sworn he had more strength a couple of minutes ago. Vau took a couple paces forward, now right in front of him. The usually strict man had a tone of gentleness radiating off of him. He carefully took off the clone's helmet. Mars' wavering eyes met the gaze of his superior. The man had a look of uncharacteristic concern in his eyes as he gazed at him.

"Mars? You alright, son?" Vau asked.

"Yes, sir." It came out as a whisper, laced with exhaustion and pain.

He gave a thoughtful nod. "Two-Seven, take him to the medical wing."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

*X*

Oh-Nine opened his eyes some hours later. The excruciating pain had vanished. He was somewhat shocked, having never been in a bacta tank before. He gazed through the glass of the tank and at his brothers, who sat on benches, waiting. He kicked his legs, surfacing at the top of the tank. He removed the mask covering his nose and mouth, as his brothers looked up at him.

"Mars!" Sunny exclaimed, a grin alighting his face.

"Bravos." He gave a fond smile back.

"You son of a bounty hunter." Jem shook his head, his lips curled upwards. "You survived the highest fall I've ever seen without and bacta for twenty minutes. Hella lot stronger than I am. If they hadn't used up the rest of it on me, I would've died for sure."

"Some of those clankers certainly are a lot smarter than they look, eh?" Mars replied, pulling himself over the lip of the bacta tank and dropping to the floor.

"Glad I stayed on the ground." Slate spoke up.

"What? You afraid of heights now?" Jem asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I am now." He joked.

Oh-Nine put on his red cadet uniform, stretching his muscles. "It's so good to not hurt."

"I can imagine so." Sunny agreed.

Without warning, the door to the room slid open. Vau entered, looking as unemotional as he ever had. General Ti wasn't with him. The squad looked up at him hopefully.

"Bravo Squad." He addressed them all. "Well done out there today. Because of Slate's ingenious plan, you passed."