Rex and the rest of the clones were in the mess hall when Anikan approached their table.

"Captain, we've received word of a seperatist ship in the outer rim that is harboring political prisoners. We have someone on the inside and we think their identity has been compromised. We've been tasked with capturing the ship and rescuing the political prisoners. We leave in five minutes."

Rex looked towards his men and said, "You heard him. Let's go!"

They all grabbed their helmets and blasters and ran towards the turbo lift to take them to the docking bays.

Anikan's expression was hard to read as Rex stood next to him. "Do we know anything about the agent we have on the inside, sir?" Rex asked.

"Not really. We know they have been working for the separatists for a while and then was promoted to be a personal assistant for one of their generals. We don't know what they look like so we need to keep the casualties to a minimum."

Rex nodded his head in agreement.

There was the usual banter and pre-mission talk as the men of the 501st readied themselves for this mission.

The ship they were on easily blasted it's way onto the docking bays and were met with strong resistance from the droids.

Obi Wan was also with them and he and Anikan split up. "Rex, you're with me!" Anikan called.

They worked their way through the ship, defeating the droids and capturing the seperatist officers who surrendered. They made their way to the detention level and checked all of the cells. They released the political prisoners and Kix and Rex came through checking their health status as they left the cells. One older prisoner told Rex, "Check the last cell. I don't think she will survive the night."

With a sense of urgency Rex raced down the hall. He blasted the lock on the door and opened it. What he saw made him angry. The female prisoner was suspended by electronic manacles and her body was limp in the air, her long dark hair covering her face. He walked over to the console and turned it off. He grimaced as her body fell to the floor. He kneeled down next to her to check her vitals when she struck him with her fist. It was enough to knock him off balance and she ran out of the room before he could stop her. "Wait! We're with the Republic!" He ran out of the cell after her, but she was too far down the hall. She pushed past a guard and kept turning down other corridors and no one knew where she went.

Rex called Anakin on his comms. "Sir, one of the prisoners escaped. She seems pretty scared and doesn't realize we're here to help her."

"Set your blasters to stun and track her down. We're on a time crunch here and need to leave."

"Sir, yes sir!" Rex answered.

Rex called a few other clones: Kix, Tup, Fives, and Echo to inform them of the escaped prisoner. Rex began his patrol, spiraling out from the detention level. Fives called him on his comlink, "Rex, the prisoner that escaped is the contact the general was looking for. She might have headed back to her room."

"Thanks, Fives," Rex said.

Rex took the turbo lift to the upper levels where the living quarters were located. The lights were damaged and flickering along with the warning lights, casting eerie shadows in the halls. He crept quietly as he could as he checked each of the rooms. When he came upon the captain's quarters he heard some noise from inside. He set his blasters to stun and jumped into the room. "Put your hands where I can see them!" he yelled at the person in the room.

Very slowly, the prisoner stood from her crouched position and raised her hands, turning to face Rex. "What's your name?" he asked her sternly.

"My name is Kayla," she said with a fierce gaze at him. Her eyes were a light blue like cornflower and her dark hair was wild and messy. She had markings along her hairline that trailed along her face and went down her neck and under her tattered clothes.

"I'm with the republic and we're here to rescue you, so please don't run," he said.

"I don't know you and I don't trust you. You could kill me right here. Why should I believe you?" she challenged him.

Rex stood silent for a moment and then lowered his blasters to the floor slowly. He made a show of moving slowly and removing his helmet so she could see his face.

"I'm under orders from General Anikan Skywalker of the Republic Army to rescue political prisoners from this ship." He held his gaze steady as he saw that she flinched when he said the general's name. Her heart was racing as she wasn't expecting him to be so handsome. His light brown eyes looked trusting and almost innocent.

"Ok," she said and then lowered her hands and gathered a few datapads she had been rifling through. She opened a closet and gathered a cloak and small bag of belongings and wrapped herself in it before heading out the door. "Where is the general?" she asked as they walked down the hall.

"He is probably on the Resolute already. We are ordered to destroy this ship once everyone is evacuated," he told her. He couldn't help but notice the bruising on her face and how she walked with a limp. Her bottom lip had a cut on it and her knuckles were bruised and bloody. "What happened to you? I need to take you to the medical bay," Rex told her as they walked the long hallways.

She furrowed her brow as she shot him a warning look. "I'm fine," she said sternly.

Rex furrowed his brow and shook his head at her stubbornness. Why were all the leaders so stubborn he wondered.

Kayla found a corner of the transport to sit in with her back against the wall. She watched as all the clones and a few political prisoners boarded and took seats or stood. She wrapped the robe around herself tighter and clutched the data pads with a death grip. The ship shuddered as it took off and Kayla began sweating and breathing quickly. Rex was standing nearby and said, "Don't worry, it always does that on takeoff."

Kayla huffed and looked away from Rex, pointedly trying to ignore him. Rex wasn't offended by her behavior since she had just been rescued from a prison cell. Once on board the Resolute Kayla asked for General Skywalker. "I'll take you to him," Rex said.

It seemed Kayla wouldn't be able to get rid of Rex that easily. Once they were on the bridge Rex took a step back and leaned against the wall with his helmet resting on his hip. He watched as Kayla furtively looked around the room, panic hiding just below the surface. "Anakin, it's good to see you although I wish it was under different circumstances. Here is the data I was able to gather from the captain. There are battle plans, spice trade agreements, and private correspondence. I hope you will be able to use these to our advantage."

"Thank you for your service, Kayla. I'm sure this data will be useful in defeating the separatists. Have you been to the medical bay yet? You look like bantha fodder."

"I'm fine, sir," she said in an aggravated tone.

Anakin just raised an eyebrow and turned to Rex. "Make sure our guest goes straight to Kix before you take her to her quarters."

Kalya hung her head in frustration and Rex just smirked as he said, "Yes, sir", with a little too much enthusiasm.

He gestured for her to exit first and then walked beside her down the hallway. He kept his pace slow since he knew she was injured. "You're not a jedi or an officer. Why are you fighting for the Republic?" Rex asked as they turned a corner.

"I was visiting a Republic planet when Separatists took over my home world. They killed my family and took our land and farms. My family had connections in the Senate and Jedi Council; it just made sense at the time," she said as she looked down.

"I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," Rex stuttered.

"It's ok. I'm on my own and doing what I can," she said solemnly.

"Here we are. Kix, this lady needs medical attention and don't let her tell you otherwise," Rex said with a dashing smile to Kayla.

"Are you always so stubborn?" she asked him with a weak smile.

"Only when it's for the best reasons," he answered. "I'll be waiting out here for you when you're done."

Kayla entered the medbay and Kix scanned her body, adding patches of bacta where she needed them. She had several bruised ribs and a swollen knee. Kix didn't comment on the many healed fractures and broken bones he saw in the scan. He gave her a vitamin shot and then warned her about a sleeping aid. "You need rest so I'm giving you a sedative. You have five minutes to get to a bed before you fall asleep." He grinned at her as she scowled at him. "I can take care of myself!" she said to him but not with much anger. She stormed out of the medbay and Rex asked, "Where are you going? Your quarters are this way."

With a huff Kayla turned around and followed Rex down the hall.

"Your medic drugged me and he said I have five minutes before I fall asleep, so you better hurry," she said to Rex. Rex laughed and walked a little faster to get Kayla into a bed.

The faster he walked, the slower she became. "Captain Rex," she called out to him. She had stopped and was leaning against a wall while trying to stand upright. She was fading fast and slipping down the wall. Rex quickly stepped forward and picked Kayla up bridal style which was easy to do since she was so small.

"Rex...I can't... stay... awake..." and then she was asleep. She closed her eyes and was leaning against Rex's chest. He had a warm feeling spread through his chest and then he was blushing. He didn't know why she was affecting him this way. He made his way to the guest quarters and laid her gently on the bed. He found a blanket and covered her with it and then left the room.