A/N: Welcome to Ando! This story picks up immediately after the end of "Whatever Happened to Captain Rex?" (a.k.a. "Rex I.") Ando is a collaborative effort between Reulte, laloga, Impoeia and Longlivetheclones. We've each called "dibs" on certain characters and will be writing their character plot lines consistently throughout Ando. Since multiple authors are contributing to each chapter, you may notice different writing styles. If you've read our fics before, you may be able to discern which of us contributed each of the sections.

Ando

Chapter One

Travis did his best to suppress a wince as Mako wrapped the compression bandage around his hand. The medic had a gentle touch, but the pain was worse than when he'd stupidly taken on a frozen Andoan tree.

"Mako, I won't be able to use my hand at all if you wrap it like that," Travis objected, scowling as the medic continued to apply the stiff bandaging material.

"Exactly," Mako said, fixing the Marine with a stern look. He gestured to the combat engineer sitting in the co-pilot's chair. "Put Gavex to work."

Gavex shrugged. "Not that I know the first thing about flying. Being a combat engineer doesn't mean-"

Mako shook his head, and cut Gavex off. "You can do it." He turned his attention back to Travis, who was already getting ready to argue with him. Travis hadn't even gotten a word out before the medic had already shut him up. "You seriously injured a limb that was barely healed. You're close to having irreversible nerve damage. You don't want to lose use of your hand." He held up the stump of his wrist.

Travis tried to figure out an effective counter-argument. But, after a long moment of studying Mako and the determined look in his eyes, he conceded. The medic also looked exhausted. Now was not the time to give him flak. "Alright."

Mako nodded with satisfaction. "I have to head back to medbay. I'll be back to check on you when I can."

"I'll be fine, Mako. Go on."

"I know you will." His response suggested he was talking about much more than Travis' hand. A look of sadness entered the medic's eyes. "We all will… in time."

Travis curled his fingers around Mako's wrist. "You did good today."

The medic shook his head, pain shadowing his face. "We lost brothers."

"We did," Travis acknowledged, "but we also saved thousands of our vode in the 501st and 212th. We did what we set out to do."

Mako stared out the viewscreen, his eyes slightly glazed. Travis could tell he was working through emotions and after-battle stresses. It would take all of them a while to recover, physically and mentally. The medic's eyes refocused and he turned and left the cockpit.

Travis turned his attention back to the controls. "Give me a nav-coordinate reading."

"A what now?" Gavex asked, glancing around at the myriad of controls.

Travis snorted and pointed with his good hand. "That one, vod."

"Got it," Gavex said, and immediately started reading off numbers.

Travis sighed, and felt himself relax slightly as he double-checked numbers against the nav-computer. They were finally going home to Ando.

# # #

"Mako," Tank called gently to not disturb the resting wounded, "if you like, I'll take your notes."

Mako shook his head. "Karyn will need these as soon as we land. I need to get them done."

"Of course, Mako," Tank tried again. The medic was exhausted after working non-stop for the past 12 hours to stabilize all of the injured men. Mako's energy levels had been near frenetic as he worked to address everyone's injuries. He'd been going non-stop since the start of the battle. Tank could see the medic was wavering on his feet, and showing signs of collapse. "Why don't you just rest a moment, reciting them for me? And I'll write them down?"

"I'm fine," Mako objected, his words coming out slightly slurred from fatigue. "I can do this."

"I didn't mean to imply any different." Tank thought of another tactic. "We'll all need you when we land. Karyn will need you in surgery. She'll need you rested and ready to assist or take over." Tank held out one hand for the stylus and flimsi, his other tapping the pull-down bunk at his side. "She'll need you more than she'll need the notes."

Mako cast a worried look toward Hodges, the most wounded man not in a bacta tank. The trooper hadn't been stable enough after surgery to be put into bacta and had to be monitored at all times. "But, Hodges-"

"I'm on it, Mako. You've shown me how to track his vitals. Five times already, vod. Clank is with him now. Somebody will be with him at all times until we reach Ando, as per your instructions."

The exhausted medic sighed. "I'll lie down for a moment. But, I'm not going to sleep."

Tank nodded solemnly. "Understood." He patted the bunk. Mako finally nodded and relinquished his work.

The gunner nodded with satisfaction. He'd learned a thing or two during his time in medbay. He'd not only assisted Mako in surgery, learning how to use a sonic scalpel and laser cauterizer, but he'd also mastered the basics of the sample analyzer, flex-clamps, synth-flesh, spray hypos, and bone stabilizers.

"Rest, Mako," Tank said firmly, again, when it looked like the young medic was going to rise up again.

The former bomb technician finally lay down in the bunk and began dictating notes. "Alright, Tank, write this down. Worst case, Hodges; multiple slugs to chest and abdomen. Trooper sustained initial battle blast injury and was treated on-site by Commander Offee, and then injured again by slugthrower fire..." He yawned widely. "Initial treatment upon arrival onboard ship was..." Mako yawned, and started again. "Treatment was... " The medic dropped off into an exhausted slumber.

# # #

"So, Hodges, that's why I switched to working on the docks," Clank spoke softly to the unconscious man, a quiet murmur in the near silence of the med unit. He glanced up and wondered why wounded men didn't snore. There was a barely audible whistling sound from Mako's breathing as he slept and the scratching of stylus on flimsi as Tank wrote notes from his memory of the wounded men. He would occasionally stop and shake his hand as if trying to get cramps out of his fingers.

Clank rubbed his own wounded leg. The anesthetic was wearing off from where Mako had removed two slugs. Numbness was retreating before a slight tingling and the cold of the bacta patch. From experience Clank knew he had a while before he would need another painkiller. He glanced at the med-fluid line attached to Hodges, making sure it was flowing correctly.

He looked over to the four bacta tanks and thought back to the first hours after they'd left Darkknell. Ice, the commando with the head injury, had been placed into bacta as soon as he'd been brought onboard. The snipers, Ven and Huii, had both been hit with multiple blaster shots during their crucial role in the beginning stages of the battle in the dungeons. However, they were already recovering well in bacta. Blaze had wanted to share piloting duties with Travis, but Mako felt his burns warranted going into bacta right away. He'd suggested Gavex assist in the cockpit instead and ordered Blaze into bacta.

Hodges had taken a blaster burn early on in the battle protecting Commander Offee, and had gone on to the continue fighting in the dungeons. Toward the end of the fight, he'd taken a spray of slugthrower fire while throwing his armored form in front of a number of unarmed vode. He'd saved his brothers, but was now barely clinging to life. Mako had been pale and tense throughout the surgery to remove three slugs from Hodge's torso, assisted by Tank. He'd been on edge ever since, worried he was going to lose another brother before they reached Ando.

# # #

Scythe rested quietly on his side. It was easier to breathe and, although the bandage was tight around his chest - compression pressure for the slug wound he'd taken that Mako thought might have nicked his lung - Scythe actually didn't feel bad at all. Maybe the painkiller was the cause of that or maybe it was the thought of going home to Ando.

It was quiet in medical; Mako breathing quietly as Tank continued to write up notes for the exhausted medic, and Clank whispering softly to Hodges in the next bed. He could barely hear what the other trooper was saying, but several times Clank heard entreaties for Hodges to stay alive. They were almost home.

Scythe closed his eyes. Bad idea. Images of the battle kept replaying in his mind. He buried his head in his arms, his fists tightly clenched in frustration. The battle was over. Why couldn't he stop thinking about it?

There were dead vode. They weren't going home. There was something very wrong about it. Scythe decided he was suddenly very weary of war.

# # #

Hodges wandered in and out of the gray shades of consciousness. Sometimes he heard Clank's quiet voice telling him that he'd left his host because she was a wonderful woman and he wasn't sure he deserved her. Sometimes Hodges heard Till talking about his lovely Shersti and how he'd never leave her again.

Till? Something tickled at the edges of his brain. Hadn't something happened to Till?

Hodges didn't have a woman. He'd gone to the bar once with Ax and Red who promised to find him a woman. Hodges had an enjoyable time at the bar. His vode taught him a new skill they called "learning to flirt." It was not something they've covered in training at Kamino. But, none of the women seemed right.

It wasn't how they looked. Hodges cussed himself all the way back to his host's house with the knowledge that he could have gone home with that lean, elegant brunette with jade-colored eyes. He told himself he was a fool for declining the invitation from the curvy blonde with the sweet smile. He'd been appalled at his refusal of the bold redhead who had reached down and let Hodges know exactly what she wanted.

Hodges had gone back to his host who, with wide surprised eyes, told him she hadn't expected to see him for another day or two.

Hodges had shrugged. "I didn't find anyone I really liked."

She had laughed, shaking her head. "You are one picky man."

He had glanced at the floor then into her eyes with a worried look. "Is that bad?"

Her expression had gone gentle. "Not for this, Hodges. You wait until you're sure; until you are absolutely positive you've found the right one."

# # #

Shab, Keen thought with a scowl. Cavil's snoring again.

Honestly, it was ridiculous. How the fek was a man supposed to get any kriffing sleep? Normally Keen could sleep anywhere, regardless of what went on around him, but for some reason the droning buzz of his medic vod's snores always woke him up.

The worst part was that Cavil slept like a dead man, and no amount of prodding, punching or kicking would wake him up. Let an alarm go off, or a clone patient make a tiny grunt of discomfort, and Cavil would spring to his feet like a crinking jakrab, ready for action. Keen sometimes wondered if the other medic had trained himself to ignore Keen, or if Keen was special.

He thought about saying something, but he was tired. Exhausted, really. Plus his brain felt like it was covered in molasses. Maybe he could ignore the noise.

Keen tried to fall back asleep, but the buzz only seemed to get worse. Actually...it didn't stop. How the fek was Cavil snoring like this without even taking a breath? With a sigh of annoyance, Keen urged his eyes to open so he could kick his vod in his bunk and tell him to shut the hell up. If nothing else, it would make him feel better.

When his eyes opened, there was only darkness.

His damn head still felt sluggish, so it took him a few moments to register the fact that he was not in a bunk, but on a ship of some kind. The buzz was that of an engine; he could feel the bulkhead vibrate beside his arm. An inhale brought the scent of bacta, durasteel, and unwashed clones. But he couldn't make out a damn thing.

Where the fek am I?

"Is he waking up?"

"He shouldn't be. I gave him enough meds to keep him out until we reach– "

The first clone shushed the second, who replied in a slightly exasperated voice, "There's no one else here, Tank. We don't have to hide any more. We're all going to the same place."

The second clone sighed. The sound was almost lost behind the buzz of ship's engines. "Yeah, I know, Mako. New habits, I guess."

To an outsider, their voices would have been indistinguishable from one another, but Keen picked up on the subtle differences between each. The first speaker's voice was deeper, and his words held an edge. The second clone sounded younger, but calm. Almost medic-calm.

Keen took a breath and tried to push past the thickness in his head. If a medic was monitoring him, then obviously he was injured. That would also explain the mugginess; the feeling was consistent with a hefty dose of symoxin, a standard analgesic. There was also a little tickle in his throat, sort of like he had to clear it, but the muscles felt thick and filmy, and he couldn't do more than swallow.

Was Cavil hurt, too? Keen tried to twist his head to the side to find his brother, but a steadying hand braced itself against his chest. "Calm down there, vod. Just take it easy."

Keen rolled his eyes. Like he wanted anyone to kriffing tell him what to do. He opened his mouth to give this other fellow a piece of his mind, but the other clone cut him off. "We will put you in a bacta tank, if you don't stay still."

Fek you, Keen thought, ignoring the other medic. From the sounds of it, this Mako guy was a kid, barely vatted. Like hell he could give Keen – a senior medic – orders of any kind.

So he forced himself upright. Blood rushed through his body, threatening to disorient, but that was expected and Keen had prepared himself for the feeling. He took a few deep breaths and turned to look for Cavil again.

He saw nothing.

But it wasn't because there was nothing to see; his senses told him that he was in a ship, surrounded by other clones. It was that he couldn't kriffing see anything.

Son of a fekking nerf herder. Am I fekking blind?

He wasn't even upset. Angry, really. How the hell was he supposed to do anything if he couldn't see? Thinking back, he tried to remember what could have caused this. It took him a second, but he vaguely recalled an osik-ton of flash-bangs going off around him.

Just my kriffing luck. It would likely be temporary, though. Flash-blindness usually was. In fact–

"I'm not going to say it again: Lay. Down." That Mako character pushed his chest again, directing him back down. The kid had a medic's touch, alright; gentle but firm. Keen reluctantly allowed that realization before he gave the chuff-sucker a piece of his mind.

"And stay there," Mako added. Keen felt the press of a hypo against his neck, but the meds were not pushed into his bloodstream. "Feel this? Two hundred milligrams of symoxin. I will use it, if I have to."

Keen exhaled, but did not get up again. It wasn't because he was tired, either. He simply didn't want to waste his time arguing with some little twit. Ugh, Cavil would probably love the crinking guy, though. They were probably already best friends; Cav always had that way with folks. Everyone loved Cavil.

Too bad Keen was blind. He suddenly had an urge to put his eyes on his brother, just in case.

The other clone spoke before Keen could ask where Cavil was. "He's stubborn. That's a good sign, right?"

"Medics are always stubborn. They make the worst patients." Mako paused, and Keen heard the quiet beep of a heart-monitor, then a heavy, heavy sigh. "And they're the hardest to keep alive."

"How's that?"

"They're always in harm's way, and they never pay attention to what's going on around them. All they think about is saving lives."

"That's kind of the point..."

"I know." Mako sighed again. "But they get so busy saving the lives of others, they don't think about their own."

Keen frowned at the worry he'd picked up in each man's voice. A flicker of unease moved through him, but he pushed it aside. A little flash-blindness never killed anyone...unless they were dumb enough to stumble near a cliff or something.

"How long before we get to Ando?" Mako asked after a moment.

A pause, then the other clone answered. "Not long. Only about six hours."

"He'll need another dose before too long," Mako said. "That first one's probably starting to wear off."

No. Abso-kriffing-lutely not. No way was he getting shot up with any more painkillers. Yeah, his throat tickled a bit, but it wasn't anything worthwhile. Certainly nothing worth shoving him full of pain meds. Fek, he could hardly think clearly as it was.

Keen formed these words in his mind, but when he opened his mouth to say them, there was nothing.

Nothing. Not even a croak. He tried again; same result. Again. Again. His kriffing mouth flapped open and closed like a fragging gooberfish, but nothing happened. He made no sound. He had no voice.

What. The. Fek?

Panic grabbed his chest and squeezed. It woke him up. The fuzzy haze in his mind began to clear, and his memories seeped though. Battle. There was a battle. Gas of some kind. A burn in his throat, a shout, a spray of blood. Dread rolled into a tight, icy ball in his gut. His annoyance with Mako fell away, and Keen tried to sit up again, because he had to find Cavil. He had to know his vod was safe.

"Kriff, he's coming to," Mako said, and Keen felt the other clone's hands press against his shoulders, urging him down. "Help me, Tank."

"Right."

Another set of hands joined the first, but Keen fought against them both. He struggled, twisted. His body screamed at him, using pain to tell him that he needed rest, but he ignored it. He ignored Mako's stern voice that held a pleading edge, ignored Tank's call to "lay the fek back down." None of it mattered. None of it was anything.

Where was Cavil?

But he knew.

The memories that flooded his brain revealed it all. Darkknell's poison gas. A battle in the dungeons, in the darkness. Cavil and Keen, fighting side-by-side to save every clone they could, just like they'd always done, before they were taken prisoner.

A shot. Just one. It seemed so odd, really, that one little bolt of energy could do so much damage. Funny, in a sick, twisted way. Just one shot.

It'd been enough. Cavil had fallen. Keen could still feel the spray of his brother's blood upon his face. No. Not you. Please, not you. You're the nice one. No one ever liked me if you weren't there, too. You weren't supposed to die.

It should have been me.

Keen felt the metallic press of a hypo to his neck, then a sting as the meds were pushed through his skin to his waiting bloodstream. He felt his limbs relax – against their will – as the meds took hold. The thick-as-molasses feeling in his skull returned, and he wished to the Force or some fekking god or another that he could curse aloud.

"Easy, easy," Mako murmured as the hypo lifted away and the darkness began to descend. "It'll be okay, buddy."

No, it fekking won't.

# # #

A/N: Updates to Ando will be on Fridays. As the story progresses, we will meet more members of the Andoan Legion (thank you to everyone who contributed names) and more people and places in the town.

Welcome to Ando!

Character Guide

Timeline: The story takes place directly after "Whatever Happened to Captain Rex?" (Rex I) and runs up until Order 66. The timeline of Ando will run concurrently to Rex II. The clones of Ando are still in their Phase I armor, since this is what they were wearing when they were sent to Kamino.

Ando is a planet somewhere in the backwaters of the Outer Rim, located between Coruscant and Kamino.

Clones of the Andoan Legion (original characters):

ARCs:

Catcher - ARC Captain. Originally 327th Star Corps. Leader of the Andoan Legion after Rex leaves to return to Coruscant. Originally decommissioned due to an injury to his spine, he has regained mobility thanks to a pioneering technology that integrates braces on his legs, with implants in his spine. While he originally considered himself an "experiment gone wrong," he mastered the technology and functioned very well during the Battle of Darkknell. Hosted by Ashla, an Andoan with a talent for technology and a great passion for ARC Captains.

Dart – ARC trooper. Decommissioned due to hip injury. His belligerent attitude causes him to challenge Rex on the initial flight to Kamino. He is subsequently surprised when Rex picks him for the elite commando team on the Darkknell mission. On Ando, he saves the the life of a young girl, Genna, and later falls in love with the widowed mother, Aen.

Marines:

Travis- Long-time friend of Rex who has known him since command school on Kamino. Fully deaf in both ears, and unlike the scouts, has been successful in recovering any hearing. Has an excellent grasp of technology, and also an interest in politics. Passionate, fiercely intelligent, but not always in control of his emotions.

Torch- Decommissioned due to an eye injury that caused blindness in one eye. Has a scar running down the side of his face. For a brief time, Torch was Rex's second in command, but suffered a head injury during the initial crash landing on Ando.

Lance- A medic from the Marine Corps. See medics.

Regular troopers:

Ax - 55th Mechanized Brigade. Decommissioned due to head injury and leg injury. Injured in the same explosion that sent Drax to Kamino.

Drax - AT-AT Gunner. Sent to Kamino for severe hand injury. Wears the traditional burgundy striping of the 55th Mechanized Brigade.

Hodges- Cheerful, helpful good-natured clone who helps Rex out when they first crash-landed. 55th Mechanized Brigade. Came from same unit as Ax, Drax and Tek.

Tek- 55th Mechanized Brigade. Distinctive brown armor. Has a talent for fixing anything of a technical nature. Knew Hodges, Tek, Ax and Drax prior to Ando.

Clank - a clone that Mako tends to in the battle

Det – Decommissioned due to leg injury . Hosted by Kat.

Gavex - Helpful clone that likes to feed everyone.

Gears - 182nd Legion. A visually-impaired clone who is gifted with mechanical things; was ship's mechanic and mechanic on all trades on Ando. Mainly white armor with stripes of light blue down his arms.

Griff - One of the wounded clones with Lance, Kix, Tek, and Gears on the pirate raider when the Kazzies attack.

Price- He was "head of inventory" after the ship crashed on Ando. Good with organizing things.

Quinn – Decommissioned for head injury/seizures. Demolitions engineer. Hosted by Maya.

Red - Legion sniper with nerve damage.

Shred- Decommissioned due to gas-seared lungs.

Storm- Rex has a run-in with this clone on the initial journey to Kamino. Remarks on this clone's unstable temperament.

Sparks- 203rd Division. Wears green armor. Escorts Kix to and from the pirate raider.

Till- a combat engineer from the 38th Armored Division. Killed early on in the Battle of Darkknell. Mako is devastated when he is unable to save him. Till was an even-tempered trooper, well-liked by his brothers, and known to be very much in love with the Andoan woman, Shersti.

Heavy Gunners:

Shadow- Decommissioned due to hip injury. One of four heavy gunners in the legion (a rotary gunner) and considered the leader of the heavy gunner squad, although he holds no rank above the others. A highly-competent leader, but considers himself a 'shadow' of the man he used to be due to his injury and subsequent dismissal from the GAR. Prone to bouts of depression, although he hides both his physical and emotional pain from his brothers always putting up an outwardly show of confidence and competence.

Hopper - A quad gunner in Shadow's squad. Initially decommissioned due to nerve damage in hands. Like all the clones, he has the unique ability to adapt. During his time on Ando, he has learn to fight again as a gunner.

Tuck - a quad gunner in Shadow's squad who isn't afraid to speak his mind. Known for his outspoken opinions on a variety of subjects, and now that he is decommissioned, even challenges Commander Tano about her viewpoints during the Battle of Darkknell.

Edge - a rotary gunner in Shadow's squad. Known for his flirtatious nature. Ahsoka describes him as a "Fives in the making."

Tank- a one-legged trooper in the Andoan legion. Lost his leg from the hip on down. Assigned housing with the widow, Sia, and her two children, Nikka, and, Tinkrik. He is a chain gunner, but declined an invitation to join the heavy gunner's squad due a preference to working alone.

Medics:

Lance - Chief medic of the Legion. Sent to Kamino for burns and nerve damage. Beloved by all in the Legion. A Marine, but from a different division from Torch and Travis.

Mako - Lost a hand while working as a bomb squad technician. Now retraining as a medic. Considered a junior medic to Lance. When Lance is injured on Darkknell, Mako has to take over all the medic duties on the flight home to Ando.

Keen- a Medic from the 212th Legion. While treating his wounded brothers in the dungeons, including his best friend and fellow medic, Cavil, he is hit with a full dose of poisonous gas. Suffers blindness and gas-seared lungs. Kix, Coric and Mako decide his best/only hope is Ando.

Paralyzed clones:

Razor- Originally a pilot. One of the five who was in a biobed on the original voyage to Kamino. Lives with Killtric and Tiruna on Ando. Paralyzed from waist down, he has regained limited use of his hands. Has a brilliant, visionary mind and many ideas for the future of Ando.

Saber*- Originally from the 41st Elite under Commander Gree. In a biobed on the original journey to Kamino. Limited use of his legs. Poor coordination in his hands.

Sink- The most seriously injured of all the clones in the Legion. Originally a scout. One of the five who was in a biobed on the original voyage to Kamino. A quadriplegic. Assigned to live with Auset on Ando.

Tag- A member of the 41st Elite under Commander Gree. Dismissed from the GAR due to paralysis.

Pilots:

Chance- a combat pilot with a calm, reserved, even temperament. Sent to Kamino because of a leg injury. Flew for 91st Reconnaissance Corps. Best friend to Odds. Dies on Darkknell.

Odds- a combat pilot sent to Kamino because of the loss of his right arm at the shoulder. Known for his wise-cracking sense of humor. Quickly becomes a womanizer on Ando. Used to fly LAATs for the Lancer Battalion. Seriously injured when the ship is raided by Kazzies, and Chance is killed. Blames himself for his brother's death.

Republic Commandos:

Ice- A member of Leon's RC squad. Suffers a serious head injury after being brutally clubbed by a Kazzie. Kix and Mako make a quick decision on the landing pad at Darkknell to decide Ice's fate. With the blessing of Leon, they send the critically-brain injured clone to Ando.

Blaze- Instrumental in training fellow clones while on Ando. Helps Catcher in the early days when he needs motivation to get his shebs moving again and off to therapy. Together with Viper, they literally carry him down the steps everyday until he is finally tired of being carried and learns to walk the stairs himself.

Viper- Senior most Republic Commando on Ando. Innovative tactician and highly skilled at coming up with training drills. Best friend to Blaze. Killed on Darkknell.

Scouts:

Hok- Leader of the scout squad. Sent to Kamino for deafness. First member of the Legion to come into contact with anyone from Ando. He is also the first deaf clone to regain any portion of his hearing.

Jagger- Decommissioned due to deafness. a scout in Hok's squad. Second in command of the scouts after Hok. Originally fully deaf, but eventually regains partial hearing. Known for his preference for being outdoors. Named for the jagged scar down his left cheek. He is the geography and terrains expert on the team and has a deep, abiding respect for the land.

Sabre*- Decommissioned due to deafness. most cynical member of Hok's squad. Like the other three scouts, he was originally deafened in an explosion, but eventually regains partial hearing due to successful treatments on Ando. Resentful of Xyra and her relationship with Hok, feeling she "took away" their squad leader. He decides not to "waste any energy chasing down women" like his brothers.

Flex- Decommissioned due to deafness, a scout in Hok's squad. Originally fully deaf, but regained partial hearing. Still self-conscious about his disability, despite having regained some hearing. Reluctant to talk to women. Earned his name due to his love of dancing. Works down at the docks. Assigned housing with an elderly woman known as Henna.

Snipers:

Kinks- the lead sniper in the Andoan Legion. Originally from 566th Company. Trooper who painted the ship "Spirit of Ando."

Huii- Sniper. Seriously injured during the early stages of the battle in the dungeons.

Trail- Sniper of the Andoan Legion. Killed during the Battle of Darkknell.

Box- sniper

Ven- Sniper. Seriously injured at the same time as Huii.

Scythe- sniper

Snowtroopers:

Tomm- 313th Legion. Vision-impaired in one eye from a snowspeeder accident on the planet Asuin. Carries a DLT-20A.

Hugh- 313th Legion. Missing a hand. Sent to Kamino from the same accident that injured Tomm. Carries identical weapondry and kit to his brother.

THE PEOPLE OF ANDO:

Aen and Genna – originally hosting Mako, but as Mako moved more into Karyn's as her apprentice and making friends with Olan and Ciri, Dart began keeping Aen and the little girl company especially after saving Genna's life.

Ashla- Captain of the "Manifest Destiny," a research vessel that ends up holding the key to the nerve damage many of the clones have, including Captain Rex. Host to Catcher. Had a little brother who was a paraplegic.

Auset- Friend and neighbor to Rosetta. Considered a "fallen woman" by the people of Ando. Takes in Sink, the most critically injured quadriplegic of the clones.

El'la- Owns a caf and sandwich stand down at the docks. She has a love for music and dance, and plays music while she works. Flex watches her and describes her as having: "hips that never stop moving. She dances while she works. She seems to have a music inside that cannot be quenched." Flex is fascinated by her but too painfully shy to ever speak a word to her.

Ewan - Elderly gentlemen. One of the few male survivors of Ando. Neighbor to Ashla. Brings food and folksy wisdom to Catcher before he gets "back on his feet." Adopted father to Kor, a young boy still traumatized by the war.

Kor- Adopted son of Ewan. Fascinated by Catcher, his new neighbor, but painfully shy. Interested in anything having to do with the clones and their crashed ship. A child of the war. Has many psychological issues from losing both parents during the war.

Henna - an older Andoan woman who acts as host to Flex. She has some skills with tools, but is tool old to do the work herself. So, she passed on her knowledge to Flex who was able to get repair work down at the docks. Henna jokingly refers to young Flex as her 'stud.'

Mrs. Hibbins (deceased) - an elderly woman briefly mentioned in passing. "Mrs. Hibbins" apparently decided not to have her knee replaced, thereby making a prosthetic knee available for Rex.

Ian and Ka'te - An elderly couple that owns a guapa ranch. Shy snowtrooper Tomm is fascinated by their herd of guapas, and this interest eventually wins out over fear of interacting with "civvies." He is eventually hired to work at the ranch.

Jade - Sister to Xyra. Not as much as her older sister, the respected scientist, or her cousin, the captain of the Manifest Destiny. She works on her cousin's ship, but has a talent and passion for art. Before the great Andoan War, she a typical, out of control teenager with dreams of going off-world to study. a university. Resents the smashing of her dreams and rebels against her sister's attempts to provide her with direction. Would like to be in a stable relationship, but makes bad choices when it comes to men.

Jade "Rose" (a.k.a. Lance's "Rose") – Andoan woman who ends up in a relationship with Lance after she is quarantined by the medic. First of the Andoan women to get pregnant by a clone.

Karyn - Strong-willed warrior leader of the Andoan people. Has held the 500 residents of the town together while the rest of the planet crumbled around them. She has been holding the dual roles of town leader and chief physician, even while undergoing great personal tragedy. During the Great War, she lost her husband, and then her twin teenage sons to the fighting. When the clones first arrived, she was originally attracted to Rex, but ended up in a passionate relationship with Travis.

Tiruna- Wife of Killtric, the older couple who acts as host to Razor, a paralyzed pilot.

Killtric- Taciturn, older Andoan male who acts as a strong father figure to Razor.

Olan- Retired tailor. Takes an instant liking to Mako and finds purpose in his retirement, making clothing for the new arrivals.

Ciri- Wife of Olan. After Mako helps repair their home, she develops an instant-liking for the soft-hearted clone and starts instant he eat meals with them whenever possible. Having lost their three boys in the war, Olan and Ciri start thinking of Mako as a son.

Rosetta - Wise, older rancher who is one of the first to meet the clones. (She offers to show Rex around town, and he makes a positive impression on her.) She has ample room on her ranch, so she offers to take in four of the five paralyzed clones, (all except for Catcher.) (Sink and Razor end up getting different host families later on.)

Xyra - Chief Scientist of Ando. Dives into the ocean to save Hok from the grips of the Oppee, (a massive sea creature with an apparent appetite for clone scouts.) It is love at first sight for the scientist and lead scout, despite the attempts of the other women on board to also get their grips into Hok.

OTHER CHARACTERS IN THE STORY:

Leon- Leader of a squad of commandos. Reports into General Unduli. Assigned to seek out the location of the two missing legions. They are close to Darkknell when they are also captured by the Kaz'harians. Leon's squad is thrown into the dungeons, while Leon and Unduli are taken to the labs for experimentation. (Ice is a member of Leon's squad.)

More Facts About Ando:

Ando experiences a thawing in late spring and summer, with milder temperatures. But, the melting snow turns everything turns to a muddy slush. Winters are long. Darkness comes early and severe storms are coming, often lasting for days.

The planet is undergoing change in weather patterns due to the Great Andoan War five years prior. Severe atmospheric damage is causing the winter storms to worsen each year, roughening the seas and dropping temperatures.

Ando Town, (also called Andoville and "Ando" since no other towns survived the war), lies in a naturally protected semicircular bay. The surrounding waters are somewhat heated due to underwater volcanos and thermal vents. These natural conditions attract all manner of ocean creatures who thrive in the waters off Ando Town. For centuries, fishing has been the mainstay of Ando Town and remnants of the town's once enormous fleet still survive.

The town has further natural protection thanks to mountain ranges on the north and south. The mountains also block the worst of the winter winds and storms, making it a comfortable place to live even on a planet with a rough climate.

Most everyone lives within the township itself and abides by a mutually agreed upon set of laws and rules. Times have been tough since the war and shortages are becoming more frequent. But, the people within Ando Town have shown a willingness to work together for their mutual survival.

However, there are some who live far up in the hills. They insist upon living by their own set of rules, and scratch out a substandard living without the benefit and support of those in the township. Due to their violent nature, these mountain people are known simply as "the outlaws."