Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, or any specific names, places, things, or events that are recognizable. I also don't own the band Skillet. I do own the plot, and all the original characters.

Blood and Ashes

All I see is shattered pieces/ I can't keep it hidden like a secret/ I can't look away/ From all this pain in a world we made!

Skillet—'Rise'

Krant, Peche City, 22 BBY

Kiera Jodell took a deep breath, and her lungs spasmed, wanting to send her into a coughing fit; but she slowly took another breath, trying to ignore the smoke in the air, and the smells of ozone, blood, burnt flesh, and fouler things. The Jedi Padawan had smelled such things before, but never before at this large of a scale. Bombings and skirmishes weren't unusual for the young human, but battles that left dozens dead and wounded? This was her first time.

This used to be a suburb, before the fight between the Confederacy holding the planet and the Republic forces trying to take the planet back spread from the nearby weapon's factory into this housing complex. Standing in the middle of the street, Kiera could see the ruined Separatist factory rising above the houses on the right. At least, they used to be houses, but now red flames licked the rafters, and even as she watched, a burning tree fell across the road, sending smoke and sparks flying. The fire had mostly burned itself out, leaving a few isolated flames blazing in the ruins. No one would be living in these homes again.

White armored clone troopers moved back and forth, cleaning up after the battle. The wounded groaned and screamed, while the dead lay, broken. Here and there a lone blaster shot echoed as a trooper made sure the enemy battle droids were nothing but scrap. Tired, sweaty, and emotionally exhausted from recent events, Kiera turned her thoughts to the clones, rather than to the aftermath of the battle. Kiera and Master Trael Zanin had spent the month after the start of the Clone Wars mostly undercover, uncovering information about the Confederacy to send back to the Republic. This had been her first time working with clones. And she didn't know what to think about them.

They were cloned from the human bounty hunter Jango Fett, bred and trained on Kamino specifically for war. Kiera had been told that former Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas had ordered the creation of the army, but she couldn't understand how a Jedi could do such a thing. Weren't Jedi supposed to respect life and the Force? How did having millions of men made just for war do that? And how did Sifo-Dyas know that a war was coming, anyway? Unfortunately, Kiera and Master Trael left Coruscant before her questions could be answered. But with Sifo-Dyas long dead, she wasn't sure there were any easy answers.

For a while, however, news of the clone army was a popular topic among civilians and the media. Popular opinion seemed to be that since clones were genetically modified for increased loyalty, aggression, and discipline, and lessoned independence and fear in combat, that they weren't really people. Kiera had heard them called 'flesh-droids,' and worse. She sincerely hoped no Jedi thought such things. But it seemed the rest of the galaxy had made up its mind, and then changed topic, as the media often did. It had been weeks since Kiera had seen anything about clones in the holonews.

The eighteen year old felt lost, not knowing what to do next. The fighting was over in this part of the city, but Kiera could hear blasterfire in the distance, and the Force still rolled in protest at the destruction and death that war left in its tapestry meant for life. When the Jedi had been on missions before, during a fight she would usually follow her Master's lead. But this? This battle was not a couple of Jedi and cops fighting a criminal organization. This was War. The Republic was at war. And to make it worse, Kiera had been separated from Master Trael during the battle. She wasn't sure where he was. And her comlink had been damaged in the fighting. She could fix it, but she didn't think she would have the time, and it wouldn't matter anyway—the Separatists had communications jamming in place, and until that was taken down, the Republic forces could only communicate over short distances.

The midday sun and heat from the dying fires pulled Kiera out of her introspection. Maybe she should help the clones with the wounded. Kiera put her lightsaber back in its shoulder holster under her nerfhide jacket, and took a moment to thank the Force she was wearing civilian clothing preferred by mercenaries. Despite the heat, concealed armor, military boots, and a leather jacket were much more practical than traditional Jedi robes.

She took a couple steps over cracked gray duracrete and headed toward the nearest group of clones. The padawan stepped around a crashed civilian speeder, its red paint scratched and burned. Then she froze, blue eyes falling on what lay behind the vehicle. The speeder's passengers had been a family of Bothans, and from their baggage, it looked like the furry aliens had tried to flee the fighting that started yesterday. Kiera could feel her mind trying to deny what she was seeing, but then the warm wind shifted direction, and carried to her the sickly sweet smell of those who had been long dead.

Kiera gagged, and quickly turned her back on the bodies. Bending over and resting her hands on her knees, she took a deep breath, then another. Don't throw up. Don't throw up. The Jedi reached to the Force for calm, and after a minute her stomach settled.

The Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers, not soldiers. Kiera and Master Trael were Jedi Investigators, and specialized in tracking down criminals. She had seen dead bodies before, but nothing like this. The bodies were barely recognizable, but she thought some of them had been children. The very thought almost made her feel nauseous again.

She felt a presence approach her, and out of the corner of her eye saw a pair of dirty white boots stop a few feet away.

"Sir? Are you alright?"

Slowly Kiera stood up, still feeling a little shaky, and squinted against the intense glare of the summer sun. The speaker was a clone captain, identified by the red markings on his armor. The paint was scratched, his white plastoid armor was dented, and he was covered in dirt, ash, and blood. They had been fighting droids, so none of the blood would be from the enemy. Kiera didn't think it was his own, either, although the captain did seem to be favoring his right leg. Standing a few inches over Kiera's five foot seven, even in the armor it was obvious he was well built.

"Yes, I'm ok," Kiera said. She wasn't, not really. Then her thoughts snagged on something the clone said, and she frowned, glad to think about something else. "But why call me 'sir?'"

The captain's head tilted to the side, and Kiera noticed some tally marks scratched on the right side of the helmet, just over the red lined visor. "You are a Jedi, yes?" Even through the helmet's voice projector, his voice sounded confused.

Kiera had to admit that she didn't look much like a Jedi at the moment; she wasn't wearing the traditional padawan's braid, and was still in her undercover clothes. She even had a blaster strapped to her hip, but she almost always wore that. She nodded. "I'm Padawan Kiera Jodell, apprenticed to Jedi Master Trael Zanin." She pulled some auburn hair behind her right ear out of her ponytail, and started braiding it, fingers working with familiarity. The captain watched her, a feeling of almost childlike fascination permeating from him. "But what does that have to do with calling me 'sir?' In my experience, women are called 'ma'am.'"

The clone shrugged. "I don't really know, Commander. We were just trained to call officers 'sir.'"

Kiera finished the shoulder length Padawan braid and tied it off, thinking. That's right. Since the war started, most Jedi have become officers in the Republic Army. Masters and Knights are generals, and Padawans are commanders. Which means I'm a commander. Well, blast it… "Well, that's odd, but now I know. Umm…" Kiera eyed the clone, curious, and wondering if now was her chance to find the answer to some of her questions. If she had to be an officer, at least she could pull rank to learn more about those she was leading. Technically, the 315th Legion was under Jedi General Lindi Morr's command, but as far as Kiera knew, Jedi Knight Morr was miles away dealing with another weapons factory. The clones here could afford to indulge a new commander's curiosity. "Could you take your helmet off? Please?"

The clone hesitated, then reached up, elbow bumping against the blaster rifle slung over one shoulder. He took his helmet in both hands, and slowly pulled it off. For the first time, Kiera looked into the eyes of a clone. He had short cropped black hair, and low set eyebrows over dark honey brown eyes. His naturally tanned skin was unwheathered, and his angular features gave him a strong, almost handsome look. He looked younger than Kiera thought he would be, and his slightly embarrassed expression was very Human.

"What's your name?" Kiera asked, distantly feeling that this was important, somehow.

The clone straitened to attention, helmet tucked under one arm, and saluted. "Captain CT-8848, sir," he said briskly. As if he's just a product, Kiera thought, horrified. She tried to keep her face blank, but the captain must have seen something, because his expression softened. "That's my number, but Commander Syhr named me Ari," he said, almost smiling, eyes gleaming with pride.

Kiera felt a surge of relief. Thank you, Arvil. She had been friends with Padawan Arvil Syhr for years, and was glad the female Cathar had named Ari. Although, she didn't think Ari would appreciate learning that he was named after a popular holostar that performed in both action and musicals. But then again, maybe he wouldn't care. The way he said his name, as if it's something special… Kiera felt something cold uncurl inside of her at her realization.

"Your creators, the Kaminoans," she blurted out. "They don't name you?"

Ari shook his head, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "No, sir, they just give us numbers. Some clones find names for themselves, but most…" he hesitated, ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair, and sighed. "Well, a lot of Jedi have started naming us."

As if that makes it okay. Kiera realized her fists were clenched, and forced them to relax. She took a deep breath, acknowledged her anger and indignation, then let them go as she breathed out. Anger led to hate, and anyway, there was little she could do herself, except give names to those who needed them.

"Commander? Can I ask you a question?" Ari asked, breaking into her thoughts.

Kiera blinked, a little bemused. His feeling in the Force was discomforted, but his expression was thoughtful as his firm eyes studied her. Whatever his question was, it was serious. "Ask away, Captain Ari."

"I don't mean to pry, sir, but is this your first battle? You're the highest ranking officer here, and I need to know." He didn't finish his thought, but he didn't need to. His tone of voice and expression filled in the blanks. Ari was asking if Kiera was experienced enough to know what to do if something came up, or if he should keep in touch with his general who, while elsewhere, wouldn't ask him to do anything stupid.

Kiera let out a breath, and spoke honestly. "My Master and I have worked undercover for most of the past month, so no; I haven't been in a battle of this scale before, and none since the start of the War. You're the first clone I've ever really talked to, in fact. Hopefully, Captain, you won't have to rely on my leadership skills alone, but if you do I'll ask your opinion. You'd know better than me, anyway; you've trained for this, I haven't." Ari blinked, and through the Force Kiera felt his surprise and newfound respect. She shifted in place, a little embarrassed, and continued.

"Speaking of which, have there been any news from Masters Zanin and Morr? Has someone taken out the communications jamming yet? I wouldn't know," she said, waving her ruined comlink in one hand.

Captain Ari nodded his head, one corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile. "The Separatist communications and jamming tower has been taken, Commander. Which means we have communications back. In fact, that's originally why I came over here, to tell you, sir."

Kiera made a face. And instead of giving me a report, he caught me almost throwing up. "And I asked you silly questions, instead of letting you give your report. Sorry about that."

"It wasn't urgent, Commander. The fighting's over in Peche City, and things are going well for us planetwide. General Morr wants my company to support the temporary field hospital on the edge of the city." The clone raised a gloved hand and pointed north, where a bridge over a river connected Peche with its neighboring city, Theenes. Lowering his arm, Ari eyed Kiera. "Your General Zanin is with General Morr, mopping up resistance in Theenes."

The young woman sighed, relieved. Through their Force bond, she had known her Master was alive and well, but it was still good to hear. "Thank you, Ari. Could I borrow your comlink? I'd like to talk to him."

"Of course, Commander," he said, removing his comlink from his gauntlet and handing it to her; as he did, his gloved fingers brushed against her bare hand. His glove was covered in grime, but Kiera didn't mind; they were both filthy, and smelled of sweat, ozone, and other scents Kiera knew she would always associate with battle.

Kiera smiled at him. "Thank you again, Captain."

"You're welcome," Ari said, ducking his head. As he turned away, Kiera thought she saw him blush, but he put his helmet on before she was sure.

What she was sure of was a tightening sensation that came from him, as if the clone was locking something away. He liked seeing me smile, but because of who we are, he's ignoring it, Kiera thought, a little touched in spite of herself. She knew it was highly unlikely there were any humanoid women on Kamino, where Ari was raised. Am I the first human women he's really talked to? The thought made her sad.

The Jedi Padwan pushed those thoughts away, and turned her attention back to business. Calling her Master with Ari's comlink, Kiera learned that all was indeed well on his end, and that the battle would most likely end soon.

Master Trael also asked her to accompany Captain Ari's company to the field hospital. "I know there will be more wounded then you are used to," the Falleen Jedi told her. "But you've done battle field triage before, only this time I won't be with you. Stay with Captain Ari; I believe the clones can teach us a lot. Observe, Kiera. I want a report on what you've learned when this mission is over."

"Yes, Master." Kiera eyed the captain as he walked among his men, and got the feeling that both of them would learn much, more than they had already. She had only talked to a clone for a few minutes, but that discussion, she knew, would change how she saw clones from now on.

Over the comlink, Kiera heard her teacher exchange a few words with someone else, although she couldn't hear what was said. Then Trael spoke to her again. "Our scouts report a group of battle droids and Geonosians headed your way. Six Geonosians, maybe ten droids. Not enough to be a major threat; I doubt they know you're there, but if they engage the men they could be a problem. There are a lot of wounded at your position."

"Understood, Master. I'll keep an eye out for them," Kiera said.

"Of course you will, my padawan." Kiera could hear the smile in Trael's voice. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you."

~#~

For the next few minutes, Kiera and Captain Ari worked out the logistics of their next few steps. As they decided on a plan to take out the Separatist stragglers headed their way, the other clones put their wounded comrades onto gunships headed for the field hospital.

Two of Ari's men were shadowing the droids and Geonosians, and there was little chance they would simply pass the Republic's forces. In fact, the scouts reported back that two Trandoshan mercenaries hired by the Separatists had joined the stragglers, and had loudly bullied the head Geonosian tech into helping them with a suicide mission, rather than be captured by Republic forces. Ari suggested ambushing the Separatists, and while Kiera knew most Jedi wouldn't like the idea of fighting if the confrontation could be avoided, she would rather keep the enemy away from the wounded.

Which led to the young women crouched under the blown out window of an abandoned house, with Captain Ari at her side. Other troopers, three squads worth filled this and other buildings on either side of the road. Overkill, perhaps, but Kiera had a bad feeling about this.

Helmet facing her, Ari said softly, "The Seppies aren't scouting ahead; it appears they're just traveling this road, planning to attack the first Republic forces they see."

Kiera shook her head and drew her blaster. "I don't like it. It seems too easy."

Ari nodded. "Commander, this may be a trap. If the lizard mercs are planning on killing as many of us as possible, they might have brought along some friends."

Peeking out the window, Kiera's blue eyes glanced over the houses and yards, still in good shape despite the raging battle that had been fought nearby. The fires hadn't gotten this far, still some stray cannon fire had hit a few houses in this neighborhood. A few houses were nothing but rubble, while others, like the one Kiera, Captain Ari, and half a squad found themselves in, were in pretty good shape. It's windows were shattered, and broken pottery and electronics were strewn about the carpet, but it was still livable. If it survived the upcoming skirmish.

Kiera reached out with the Force, getting a feel for the area around her. All the squads were in position, feeling ready for the upcoming fight. The Jedi had made a point of asking if any of them had names; two of the sergeants did—Caden and Steel—as well as a few of the others, but most of them didn't. By the end of the day, Kiera wanted to name at least a few of them. It wasn't right, for sentient beings to not have names.

The sound of marching metal feet echoed off the buildings as the battle droids started walking down the block; carefully peering out the living room window, Kiera could just barely see them come into view.

"Steady," Ari said softly, his helmet lowered slightly; Kiera got the feeling he was talking to his men, more than to her. "Wait until they draw even with us."

The Jedi could feel several presences among the droids, all alien, and a few felt hard and dangerous, like soldiers. "Ari," she whispered. "Can you confirm that there are Tranies and Geonosians with the droids?"

There was a pause as he talked with one of his men on his comlink, than Ari nodded. "Yes sir. Two Tranies, six bugs, just as the scouts reported." He eyed her, as if feeling the 'but' that sat on the edge of Kiera's tongue.

And yes, there was a 'but.' Kiera realized with some surprise that other presences were lurking nearby—too close for comfort, in fact. She chastised herself—she should have noticed them earlier. Feeling her eyes widen, Kiera shouted "Behind us!"

Kiera, Ari, and the other two nameless troopers in the room turned as one, blasters raising to point at the enemy. Already, blasterfire in the kitchen could be heard, as the rest of the squad was surprised by their attackers. At the moment, however, there was nothing Kiera and the others could do for them.

Two reptilian Trandoshans and a swarm of Geonosians entered the room; even as she drew her lightsaber with her right hand and shot a bug with the blaster in her left, Kiera distantly wondered how they got past the perimeter guards. Then there was no time for thought, just action.

Kiera and the clones took cover behind an overturned durasteel table, but that small amount of cover wouldn't last long. The clones' blue blasts shot several Geonosians, while Kiera focused her attention on a large Trandoshan who entered the room firing. He was large, more than 2 meters tall, covered in green scales and wearing brown armor and pants. Unlike the Geonosians, who sought cover for themselves, he charged straight for the clones' fragile barricade, letting lose with a warbling cry of excitement.

The Jedi fired her blaster, hitting the green lizard twice in the chest, but the blasts didn't penetrate his armor. One of the clones went down with a cry—she didn't know which of the enemies hit him, but Kiera realized, grimly, that this was going to be a close and personal fight. The room wasn't that large, and already the Trando was too close for comfort. Holstering her blaster, Kiera vaulted over the table to meet him.

Ari let out a shout of surprise. "Commander!"

One leap took Kiera across the room, and she landed lightly in a crouch on the dirty floor. She was just feet away from the head Trandoshan, who jerked to a stop at the sight of her. He wasn't expecting a Jedi, and Kiera was close enough to be hit with a spray of Tranie spit as he snarled in surprise. She ignited her lightsaber and brought her arms up and at an angle, the indigo blade slicing through armor and flesh from hip to shoulder.

The Trandoshan's life faded, like a star dying out. A pair of blue blaster bolts shot past Kiera's left, knocking a flying Geonosian out of the air. "I've got your back, Commander!" Ari shouted.

For what felt like hours, but was really only seconds, Captain and Commander waded into the enemy, covering each other. He shot Geonosians left and right with his twin blaster pistols, while she blocked and cut with her lightsaber.

With a high, grating shriek one of the tan insectoids came at the Jedi, wings and multi-jointed legs splayed in all directions, force pike raised. Kiera ducked under the spear, reaching out with her left hand to grip the metal pike on one of its insulated grips, far from its electrostatic point. Using the forward momentum of the flying Geonosian and her grip on the spear it was holding, Kiera tugged the bug forward and impaled it on her lightsaber.

After the Jedi had killed two more Geonosians, she realized with a start that the uninjured trooper was in trouble.

He was wrestling with the last Trandoshan on the ground. Considering the average size of a Trandoshan, that was never a good idea. The lizard had a death grip with both hands on the clone's neck, but even as Kiera batted aside a blaster bolt, she realized the clone wasn't done yet.

The clone had somehow gotten ahold of the mercenary's own knife, and he stabbed it into a weak part of the lizard's armor. The Trando let out a cry of pain, but instead of releasing the man's neck he just moved one of his hands and held down the clones' arm holding the knife, claws digging into the joints of the clone's white armor.

Kiera finally broke away from the Geonosians, and darted across the room. With a flick of her wrist, she beheaded the mercenary, whose body slumped onto the clone, its massive bulk effectively pinning him down. The Jedi let out a sigh of relief; she could still sense the clone in the Force. She had got there in time.

As she knelt beside the clone, Kiera realized the shooting had stopped; the fight must be over. With both hands, she pushed the dead Trandoshan off the prone trooper, who dropped the mercenary's knife, and jerkily pulled off his helmet. As the clone pulled in lungfuls of air, Kiera held her hands a few inches over him, reaching in the Force to search for any injuries. She wasn't a healer, not by any stretch of the word. But she could do the basics, and on the battlefield that could be the difference between life and death.

The trooper's injuries were minimal, she was glad to see. A bruised throat, and a couple nasty gashes in his arm from the Trandoshan's claws that would scar, but he would be fine. A shock of disquiet ran through Kiera, however, as she studied his face. He looked exactly like Captain Ari. Of course, they're clones. But still… weird.

A shock of sadness, grief, and anger rippled in the Force, and Kiera turned her attention away from the clone who was still catching his breath, to the source of those strong emotions. Captain Ari was kneeling on the blood and ash stained carpet, his gloved hand on the shoulder of the clone who had been shot during the fight. Kiera reached out, and found no life in the white armored body; the trooper was dead. The young Jedi felt a sense of unease, as she realized that Captain Ari, a clone made for war, was grieving at the death of a fellow clone.

"Thank you, Commander." The quiet voice of the trooper, slightly harsh from his injuries, drew Kiera's attention back to him. She noticed that the trooper's voice was softer than the Captain's, and looking at his face again, she could see that the clone's nose was a little crooked, as if it had been broken once.

The padawan gave him a small smile. "You're welcome."

Across the room, one of the Geonosian warriors fluttered a wing, and they all jerked their heads in that direction, tense. Kiera started to stand up, thinking that a prisoner would be useful, if the Geonosian would live. But she wouldn't get the chance to check on the warrior. Before she had completely stood up, Captain Ari was on his feet, one of his blasters in hand.

The clone captain felt like a tightly controlled ice storm; surprised by his cold anger, Kiera hesitated, a move she would later regret.

Ari methodically fired twice at the Geonosian, his anger as cool as Hoth's snow covered surface. One blue bolt hit the insectoid's shoulder, causing it to screech like a stuck roba. The second shot burned a hole in the Geonosian's head, effectively cutting off its cries; and with a flutter of delicate looking wings the alien fell one last time.

Captain Ari stood still for one long moment, his white and red armor as stained by war as the former living room he stood in. His blaster was still raised, and Kiera, shocked by his sudden violence, wondered if he would continue to shoot, even if his enemy was dead. When he finally holstered the DC-17, the spell was broken. Kiera rose to her feet, and her lips found words again.

"Captain, what the hell was that?" Kiera snapped. "We could have taken him prisoner. He was injured, and of no threat to us."

The captain's helmeted head jerked back, and Kiera could sense he was surprised by the vehemence in the Jedi's voice. There is no emotion; there is peace may be part of the Jedi Code, but a lot of Jedi Sentinels, including Kiera's Master, didn't take that as literally as most Jedi did. At any rate, it was hard to truly stay detached and emotionally removed when one spent most of their time side-by-side with millions of beings, living with those they protected.

"Sorry Commander," Ari said, his flat voice a direct contrast to the indignation that mingled with the grief and anger Kiera could still feel in him. "But that's not how we were trained on Kamino."

Kiera studied him, feeling that he wasn't telling the entire truth. But the moment was broken when Sergeant Steel entered the room to report that the skirmish was over. They had won, but Kiera couldn't help wondering if the Jedi could truly win, in a war like this. If Kiera Jodell, as a Jedi Sentinel, one who was frequently exposed to the worst of galactic society, was troubled by the direct impact full-out war had on the galaxy, the participants, and herself… then what about the Jedi Consulars—who as a whole spent most of their time in upperclass society, or the Jedi Guardians—who rarely dirtied their hands to get a job done?

Could the Jedi Order stick to its principles in this war that turned friends against each other, when it had already compromised by commanding a clone army?

~#~

"The Captain holds a grudge against the Geonosians." The trooper Kiera had saved, newly named 'Knife,' was helping the Jedi care for wounded clones while they waited for surgery. Knife carefully cradled an injured clone's head in one hand, while he held a water bottle to the man's lips with the other. Apparently, the clone Kiera had saved was a medic; he seemed to think his name was appropriate, and not just because of the Trandoshan incident.

The temporary medical center was set up next to the river running to the north of Peche, in a large clearing surrounded by pine trees. The area was beautiful, the grass still green in the middle of summer, a cool breeze from the nearby ocean offsetting the heat of the sun. If it was any other day, Kiera would have loved to take a walk in the woods, to smell the musty scent of damp earth and rotting vegetation, to rest in the cool of the shade.

But the meadow, like the city, had been transformed by war. The smell of grass was overwhelmed by the scent of blood, the cries of the wounded louder than the sound of the river. The buildings for surgery and recovery had been set up to one side, next to a landing pad. As the wounded came in, clone medics did triage, marking the wounded according to their chance of survival; this also determined who received treatment first, as there were too few surgeons to deal with the large amount of injured.

Kiera looked up from the clone she had been comforting, and eyed Knife, puzzled. The comment had come out of the blue, and completely out of context; it took the young woman a moment to place the reason for such a statement. Then, remembering Captain Ari killing the injured Geonosian, she nodded. "Yeah, I noticed." Kiera stood up to move to the next injured trooper. "But why tell me?"

"Well, sir…" Knife hesitated, a peculiar expression on his face. When Kiera reached out with the Force, she could feel that the trooper was nervous, and concerned. Knife took a deep breath, and continued. "I just want you to understand, Commander. The Captain was on Geonosis, and he lost most of his first company there, including his closest brothers. He was promoted, but he hasn't been the same since. Commander Syhr has been helping him." Kiera's eyebrows drew together in a frown, and Knife shook his head, alarm written on his face and in his emotions. "He's not defective, sir. Just…angry." He raised his hands in a shrug.

Kiera wondered what Knife meant by 'defective,' but pushed that thought away as Knife continued, "You can talk to the Commander about it if you want, sir." The trooper knelt beside another clone, this one with a gaping wound in his chest. Apparently the conversation was over, or Knife thought this clone's wound needed immediate attention.

She almost wished he would have kept talking, but that was a purely selfish desire, on her part. If she was going to be completely honest, the sheer amount of wounded in the meadow was overwhelming her, in more ways than one. Kiera was having trouble focusing, her senses bombarded by the agony, pain, and loss that seemed to rise from the very ground she stood on. The Padawan felt lost. True, she had helped with the wounded after skirmishes between police and criminals, or in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. But never had she been in a place with this many people who had been so violently wounded. Her Master must have known what a temporary medical center on a battlefield meant. So why did he send her here?

Kiera, Captain Ari, Knife, and the others had arrived at the field only ten minutes ago, and already Kiera could feel her mind trying to detatch from her surroundings. Most of the injured were clones, and in a way, that made it worse. Seeing the same face with so many different injuries, with broken bones, burns, blast wounds… it was surreal.

This was the first galaxy wide war in almost a thousand years. What did it mean for the Republic? For the people? How long would this death and suffering last?

Kiera looked to the Force for answers.

But all she could smell was blood and ashes.

~#~

A/N: For all of you who have been waiting for a Sentinel update—sorry! Real Life has struck with a vengeance. The last couple months have been crazy. First, family vacation to Hawaii over Thanksgiving. Then my grandpa died… then I had class finals and projects, that I really didn't care much about at the moment. Then Christmas and New Years, and all that entails… then the memorial service… yeah.

Add to all that a new story idea that bit my butt and wouldn't leave me alone. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Anyway, I'll be going back and forth between that and Sentinel. Promise. Kiera and the clones have a very special place in my heart, and I won't abandon them!

Blood and Ashes has been sitting in my files for a while; it was a possible prologue to Sentinel, but it just didn't fit, so it's now a prequel oneshot instead. Kiera might seem a little harsh on the Jedi Consulars and Knights, but I've been going over what I've written, and it seems to be a character flaw of hers. Fascinating. If the Sentinels, Consulars, and Knights are a little confusing, look it up in wookieepedia. It's interesting.

Anyway, please review! It would totally make my day.