Su'cuy, valued readers! Welcome to book 4 of the Galactic War series! Unlike the first three books, I'm not going to publish the whole book all at once; instead, I'm shooting for publishing a couple of chapters a day. The story is already complete, I'm just not publishing it all at once because there's quite a lot of chapters. Anyway, read and (most importantly) review! I appreciate the feedback!
Okay, Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. Just in case any of you were wondering...
✶Time period: + 21 BBY (One year into the Clone Wars)✶
Chapter 1
One year since he had been home. One year, stranded out on a Mid-Rim post with nothing to do but hack down droid armies all day. One year into the Clone Wars. One year of protein cubes for dinner. One year since the battle of Geonosis, when it had all began. One year since his Master had died. One year since Adriaan ell Talaan, youngest Jedi Knight in the Galactic Republic, had become his new Master.
One year with Aedan Kenobi, the record-holding Apprentice for being the most annoying kid in the universe.
Now, everything in Kan Enik's present life was to change. For today, the Republic troops had finally driven out the CIS presence from the Hai system. Thanks to cooperative efforts of Commander ell Talaan and her rising elite force, known as the Shadow Squad, the enemy had been vanquished.
It was time for the 503rd legion and their Commander to move on to a different system, where they would do virtually the same thing all over again ––– struggle to survive longer than the droid threat.
"Can't wait to ship outta this wasteland, kid." A massive, grayish-skinned shapeshifter said as he plopped down next to Kan. Klamin J'Oli was a rare Shi'Odo shapeshifter species that Adriaan had found on their previous assignment in the Syleeto system. He was only one of the fifteen Padawans that formed the Varactyl Clan ––– the nickname given to Commander ell Talaan's Padawan Pack. Normally, a Master was allowed to instruct just one Apprentice at a time, but the Council had wondered whether they should change that. So they had asked Adriaan to test their idea out for them.
"Where's Adriaan?" Kan asked Klamin.
The Shi'Odo stopped in the middle of downing a pound of protein pellets. "Eh? The Commander? She's out with the boys, having some sort of victory party. Usually it's just something the clones do among themselves, but they invited her to go this time."
"Oh." Kan didn't know that the clone troopers had victory parties. They didn't seem to get very excited about anything. "Aren't you worried about her being out so late?"
Klamin's eyes widened, and he shapeshifted into a Jawa in surprise. "Utinni! I mean, of course not," he said, resuming his present form. "She's with the clones, who will look after her if there's any trouble. Not only that, she knows how to take care of herself. You worry too much."
Kan could see his point, so he just shrugged. "I'm just surprised they invited her to their little 'party' What do you think they're doing?'
"They went to a local cantina," Klamin said. "I'm not particularly surprised that they've let her come to one of their exclusively clones meetings; they've really taken to her."
"Adriaan almost treats them better than she treats us," Kan said. "She almost never trains the Clan anymore. Haven't you noticed? She's always out drilling her precious elite platoon, leaving Kay Lee to teach us as best as she can."
Kay Lee was the elected "assistant trainer" of the Padawan pack, since she was an elite Apprentice that would be taking the trials in a few years. Adriaan had chosen an assistant because she felt that with fourteen other Apprentices, she would definitely need help.
"Hey, don't you think getting bossed around by a seventeen-year-old Padawan all day is worth seeing Adriaan smile and having fun once and awhile?" Klamin asked. Then he frowned. "Well, now that I've said it out loud, I guess it doesn't sound like such a great deal."
"I like to see her happy," Kan said. "But if she's only happy around her troops, I think something must be wrong."
"With us or her, though; that is the question," Klamin answered.
Suddenly the encampment comm system sounded, and Kan stood up and pressed the button that opened the comlink channel. "This is a restricted military frequency. Who is this?"
"One would think Commander ell Talaan would show more respect to her superiors." The voice of Mace Windu, the second greatest Jedi Master in the galaxy, said sternly. Kan clapped a hand over his mouth, scandalized. He had just spoken rudely to a Council Member!
"I think you should work on how you answer communications," Klamin whispered, stepping forward. "Master Windu, this is Klamin J'Oli of the Varactyl Clan filling in my Master's position. She is unavailable at the moment…"
"J'Oli, I hope you still realize that the Council does not recognize you as an Apprentice, or as a member of the alleged Varactyl Clan," Mace snapped.
Klamin went red in the face. No one spoke of it, but everyone knew the circumstances of Klamin's Apprenticeship. Adriaan had had a big blowout with the Council over not letting him becoming a Padawan, and in the end, she had left the Temple in anger, outrightly disobeying her mentors and Jedi teaching by Apprenticing him anyway. The Council was still kind of touchy about that.
"Furthermore, why is Commander ell Talaan unavailable?" Mace Windu asked. "I hope it is for a good reason."
"Oh, it is," Klamin stammered. "She's, uh…she's at a party with all the clones," he blurted.
There was a moment of silence on the other end. Kan looked at Klamin and made a cutting motion with his throat.
"Um…she'll contact you when she's off…I mean on-duty again," Klamin said, and broke off the transmission. He looked at Kan's shocked face. "What?"
"You had to tell him where she was."
"Hey! Didn't you ever hear Adriaan warn us not to lie, especially to a Jedi Master?" Klamin asked. "Seriously, what was I supposed to tell him?"
"Not something so black and white, that's for sure," Kan answered.
"Man, you're in a foul mood today, aren't you?"
"Did somebody say something about a foul mood?" Twelve-year-old Jordin Skraps ––– a tall, lanky, redheaded girl with a gift for gab ––– flung herself down on the ground and looked at Klamin and Kan expectantly. "I was once in a foul mood it was quite terrible everyone asked me to leave them but since I was in a foul mood I wasn't going to and eventually I had to have one of those 'talks' with Master Windu. I said 'talk' sarcastically because it seems that whenever I have one of those with a Jedi Master, I never get to say anything. They expect me to just stand there and listen to them prattle on about my bad behavior and I'm not allowed to say a word in my defense. Well, after that, 'talk' with Windu I was too embarrassed to be in a foul mood again so if I were you –––"
"––– Stay in WICKED foul mood!" Nine heads popped out of nowhere and were followed by nine skipping, jumping, hyperactive bodies. Jordin, Kan and Klamin immediately groaned. Over half of the Varactyl Clan was composed of an Apprentice group that was referred to as the Wicked Club. Headed by the annoying Aedan Kenobi, the club's number one priority was to spread what they called "wickedness" ––– anything radical or dangerous or fun ––– across the galaxy. Things they hated were "good", but the confusing part of it was that"goodness" in their lingo meant bad things like the Separatists, the Sith, and taking baths.
"Foul moods are on the WICKED list," Aedan ––– a ten-year-old youth with dirty blond hair and sparkling blue eyes ––– informed Kan.
"I am not in a foul mood!" Kan protested.
"Ooh, somebody sounds GOOD today," The newest Wicked Club member, Nic, said.
"Goodness is ethical and is to be acclaimed in a being." The person who said this was Andora Kenobi, Aedan's twin sister. No one would have ever guessed the two to even be distantly related, for not only did Andora have dark waves of almost-black hair instead of Aedan's blond, she acted completely the opposite of him. She didn't approve of fun, had a ridiculous vocabulary unnatural for a ten-year-old to possess, and a diplomatic attitude that even the greatest politician would envy.
There were two other Varactyl Padawans with personalities that distantly resembled Andora's. These were Marya Yon, a fourteen-year-old Zabrak with incredible combat skills, and Minir Voss, a Wicked Club member that Aedan had ironically named the "comedian"
"GOODNESS sucks," Minir told Andora disgustedly.
"Then that must mean that we all suck," Marya said. "Because Jedi are considered the good keepers of peace and justice in the galaxy."
"Goodness, child, where did you learn that crass and offensive vocable?" Andora asked Marya, shocked.
"GOOD! Jedi are WICKED!" Terry, Aedan's second-in-command, shouted.
"Saying that something sucks isn't offensive," Marya said. "Furthermore, why are you calling me 'child' when I'm four years older than you?"
"I was not alluding to your physical age," Andora said primly. "I was denoting to your rudimentary cognitive age."
"Are you telling me that I have an undeveloped mind? Who was the one who came up with the genius strategy that helped the clone legions break through the CIS wall?"
"To my recollection, it was Commander Lee that formulated that brilliant tactic," Andora said.
"No, Kay Lee did not; it was Marya," Jordin said. "I have a sharp memory, so I never forget anything, so I know that it was Marya, not Kay Lee. Marya is intelligent and forgetful and brave and easily scared and kind and ruthless and talkative and withdrawn and –––"
"Jordin, what you are saying doesn't make any sense," Kan pointed out.
"Like anything that old GOOD says makes any sense," Aedan sniffed. "Why can't you all speak WICKED Basic so that we can actually understand you? You're dialect is primitive and unintelligible."
"Then how come you can understand us, WICKEDS?" Klamin asked, sarcastically emphasizing the word "wicked"
"How come I am never allowed to finish what I'm saying?" Jordin said indignantly. "Kan I find your constant interruptions offensive and I wish you would stop doing that because if you'd only listen to me once and awhile you'd hear something worth hearing and Klamin stop eating all the protein pellets even though I don't like them I'm still hungry so stop eating you've had enough and…"
"ROAR! You GOODS are going down for interrupting my WICKED beauty sleep!" A strange being with glowing red skin stomped out of a tent and stormed over to the group. It was Heatrian, the Pyronite. He was an odd and rare species; the only one left of his kind. Consisting entirely out of volcanic material, he had been enslaved on his homeworld, Zylxx, because the inhabitants had argued that since he was not made out of organic material, he was not a sentient lifeform.
'We're not GOODS!" the Wicked Club screamed as their Pyronite friend charged toward them, eyes blazing and mini-bursts of lava shooting out of his head. Everyone shrieked in terror and scattered as the Pyronite broke into their midst.
"Stupid GOODS! Stop arguing so that I can get some WICKED sleep for once!" he yelled.
"WICKEDS don't need sleep!" Aedan shouted recklessly. The Pyronite turned on his Wicked King angrily and picked him up by the collar of his tunic.
"Heatrian, it is inimical to the Jedi modus vivendi to implicate a contretemps of gratuitous militancy,"Andora said.
"Can you WICKEDLY stop speaking in long, GOOD sentences?" Andre asked, holding his head. "My WICKED brain hurts whenever you talk."
"Heatrian I know how you feel I remember one time I wanted some sleep and my rude friend Kan woke me up because he said it was breakfast time but I didn't believe him and told him so and I went back to sleep and that horrid Kan caused me to miss breakfast but I did not throw a tantrum like you Heatrian because that is the wrong thing to do I just cried and pouted which is much different and –––"
"Heatrian! Stop choking Aedan and bashing his head into the wall!" Klamin shouted, barreling Jordin over as he tackled the angry Pyronite. Kan stepped forward and helped Jordin up, who had not stopped talking even when she had fallen down.
"Kan why did you help pick me up am I not capable of picking myself up? I am so tired of everyone thinking I need help with everything because I don't I can do things myself. Klamin that was very rude of you to push me over that was very mean and my shins are bruised now and Heatrian will you stop making a racket I am trying to complain –––"
"If you hadn't been in a foul mood, none of this would be happening," Marya told Kan.
"Oh, so this is all my fault?! Why don't you keep your trap shut, Miss Grumps?" Kan asked nastily.
"Trap shut? I'm the one who never protests, never complains, never says anything. You're the one that always complains about the rations, you big fat moron –––"
"Take that back!" Kan shouted. "I'm not big or fat, or a moron, and you know that!"
"Yeah, the big fat moron is me," Jahn Pal said, picking his nose.
Sai'wer removed his finger from his mouth. "Really? And all this time, I thought the big fat moron was me all along! Jahn Pal, how could you be so deceptive and treacherous to me, your own cousin? I ought to wring your little –––"
"Whoa, whoa, chill, guys; this is serious, if even the 'geniuses' are fighting," Klamin said, coming between the arguers. "Why don't we all just sit down and have a nice dinner of –––"
"––– Protein pellets? Thanks, but no thanks," Marya said acidly. "I have more of an appetite for getting into a bloody fight."
"Yeah, thanks for interrupting the WICKED fight, Klam," Aedan sneered. "Now you've made us GOODLY forget what we were arguing about."
"We were WICKEDLY gearing up for a brawl, too," Nic whined.
"Let's get him!" Andre roared. The group all went for the giant Shi'Odo, who despite his size nimbly dodged their attacks with a lazy ease that only infuriated them even more.
"Stand still so that we can hit you!" Kan yelled.
"Yeah, you GOOD!" Kien screamed.
"Kick his GOOD butt!" Nic cackled.
"Hey! If this is Intergalactic Kick Klamin's Butt Day, why didn't anyone tell me?" Kay Lee asked, emerging from one of the tents. She had hastily pulled her red-blond hair back into a ponytail, which gleamed brightly against the dark navy blue of her pilot suit. She was not particularly tall for seventeen years old, but she made up for it with her great sense of leadership, intelligence, and agility. She was an able assistant Jedi trainer.
"Come on, Kay, join in the brawl!" Klamin shouted, grinning and waving as a mob of Wicked Club members climbed up his back and began hitting his head with their tiny fists. He laughed. "Stop, Nic, you're tickling me! Ah…hah hah! Hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah! Kay Lee ––– bah hah hah ––– he…hee hee hee STOP! Help!"
Klamin disappeared underneath the mass of angry Padawans as he succumbed to his laughter.
Kay Lee scratched her head. "Hm, I would have never guess that Klamin's head was ticklish," she said. "I'd better save that information…it could be useful when Klamin misbehaves."
She smiled at the thought of finally having ammo to use against Klamin in their constant verbal battles. Then she jumped wholeheartedly into the midst of the fight and began to punch and kick left and right, not really caring who she hit, because at some point or another they had all aggravated her.
"Ow! Kay!" Kan rubbed his nose.
"Oops, sorry," Kay Lee said, doing a back kick straight into Klamin's gut.
The Shi'Odo's face contorted in agony, and he actually stopped giggling for a few microseconds as he recovered from the unexpected attack. "Whose team are you on?!" he screamed.
"Not yours, that's for sure," Kay said, doing a backfist into Andre's face.
"GOOD Kay! If you aren't on Klamin's team, why are you hitting the WICKEDS?" Andre choked.
"I just missed, that's all," Kay Lee said. "I thought that the Wicked Club believed that girls always miss what they're aiming for."
"You purposely missed! GOOD!"
"Discontinue this unjustifiable spectacle of pugnacity, please!" Andora begged.
"What's that? I didn't hear you," Kay said, boxing Andora's ears. "Can you repeat that?"
The gullible Andora opened her mouth. "I said for you to discontinue this unjustifiable spectacle of –––"
"Passivity? I agree." Kay Lee executed an axe kick into Aedan so that he went flying three meters away.
"Kay Lee knocked my tooth out!" Aedan said when he sat up, wiping the blood from his mouth. He looked with awe at Commander Lee. "She's WICKEDER than I thought," he murmured. "Note to WICKED self: Stay away from WICKED Kay if I value my WICKED teeth."
"Yeah, Aedan, imagine what it would feel like if she knocked out all your teeth," Jahn Pal said, grinning so that it showed a gap in his mouth where his front teeth used to be.
"If you had no teeth, you wouldn't be able to WICKEDLY bite people," Andre whispered.
"NO!" Sai'wer gasped.
"I've heard that people who lose their WICKED teeth…" Minir lowered his voice to a low mutter as he dodged one of Klamin's gigantic fists. "They…they have to…"
Aedan started to chew on his nails with fright.
"They have to drink food through a tube!" Minir finished breathlessly.
Andre and Aedan screamed and held each other to keep themselves from shaking.
"Stay away from GOOD Kay, WICKED King!" Andre yelled.
"I will, I will!" Aedan shouted. "I don't want to end up like GOOD old Jahn Pal and have no front teeth to WICKEDLY tear my food to little GOOD pieces…"
"Huh? But I haven't lost any teeth," Jahn Pal said, confused.
"What? Then why are your front teeth missing? Did Kay Lee knock them out of you?" Andre asked, peering into Jahn Pal's mouth curiously.
"Oh, those?" Sai'wer asked cheerfully. "Silly Andre, those are sugar cubes, not teeth!"
"Sugar cubes?!" Andre asked incredulously.
"Yeah…sort of indigestible, though," Jahn Pal murmured. "They don't taste like sugar, either. I think they're supposed to be sugarless sugar cubes."
Andre and Aedan looked at each other and shrugged.
"Hey! Looks like Aedan is thirty seconds overdue for getting beaten up!" Kay Lee crowed, advancing upon them.
"No! No! Don't knock out any more teeth! They're worth nothing to you!" Aedan screamed, backing up.
"Yeah, don't take our sugar cubes! They don't taste very good, anyway," Sai'wer said informatively.
Aedan and Andre rolled their eyes.
"Whoo-ah-yadee-ah-ay-yah!" Klamin shrieked, doing a body slam right on top of Kay Lee. She yelled in anger and pain and began to thrash wildly on the ground.
"Get off of me you great big slab of worthless shapeshifting flesh I am going to crispa uba once I get a chance to make a fist, you –––"
"Then I guess I'll just sit on you forever, so you'll never have a chance to fry me," Klamin said easily, taking up a sitting position on her back. She started to kick him in the spine.
"Varactyl Clan! Unite!" she screamed. "Attack the Shi'Odo!"
Everyone backed away as Klamin shapeshifted into a Krayt dragon.
"Um, no thank you; I don't specialize in monster hunts," Marya said, shuddering.
"And you punched me in the nose, so why should I help you?" Kan asked.
"Because I am your Master."
"Technically verbalizing, you are only our surrogate instructor," Andora pointed out.
"Way to get all specific," Kay Lee muttered. "Come on, don't you guys want to keep fighting?"
They all looked at each other.
"As a matter of WICKED fact, we do," Aedan said. He balled up a fist and punched Jahn Pal in the head.
"Ow! Who just hit me! Oh…oh! Boohoo!" Jahn Pal wailed, holding his foot. "Who just stepped on my toe?"
"Look at the idiot! Hah hah!" Aedan chortled.
"Aedan, how dare you!" Jahn Pal said, grabbing the boy by the collar. "I've just been punched in the foot, and you're just standing here doing nothing!"
Aedan sighed. "I WICKEDLY hit you, you GOOD imbecile," he said.
"Oh."
There was a moment of silence.
"Well, aren't you going to WICKEDLY do something?" Aedan asked finally.
Jahn Pal shrugged. "Nah, that's all right." He sat down and began to suck his thumb.
Aedan yelled and did a sidekick into Kan's shins.
"Ow!" Kan swung his fist at Aedan and hit the boy on the jaw. The Wicked Club screamed with rage and surged toward Kan, and the brawl started all over again.
When the fight was about five minutes in, Kay Lee felt that she couldn't take the Shi'Odo's weight any longer so, summoning all her strength, she jerked her head backward, Force-pushing him off of her so that he flew several meters and crashed into the 503rd just as they marched back into the camp.
"Ow! Klamin, get your great shapeshifting hide off of me! I haven't been gone that long!" Adriaan said from underneath him. She kicked him off of her and stood up, dusting her tunic off as she surveyed the Varactyl Clan, who had stopped fighting and were staring at her sheepishly.
At seventeen years old, Adriaan ell Talaan didn't look like a very impressive Commander. She was of medium height, and though she was the same age as Kay, the experiences of the war had hardened her, making her look older. Her hair was at a practical shoulder-length, with long sidebangs which hung over one eye, giving her a rakish appearance. She used to wear drab brown and black colors, but lately she had resorted to wearing deep maroon or even bright red robes and armor. What really made people look at her was her eyes ––– a strange, deep blue color with yellowish flecks around the pupil ––– and the way her mouth quirked into a sarcastic grin that the Padawans had learned to beware of.
That was the smile she was wearing now as she looked them over, taking note of Kan's black eye, Aedan's missing tooth, Kay Lee's rumpled hair, Klamin's torn up shirt, Andora's bruised cheek, Marya's bloody lip, the bruise swelling on Andre's forehead, the scrapes and cuts on everyone…except Heatrian, who was the only one of the group that appeared calm and undamaged.
Adriaan looked at them for a long time. "Well, it seems like you guys had a good time while I was gone," she said pleasantly.
"You can say that again," Minir muttered. "GOOD time is right."
"Kay Lee ate the sugar cubes that grow in our mouths!" Jahn Pal and Sai'wer wailed.
Their Master was probably taken aback at this unusual statement, but she was careful about keeping her facial expression neutral. She waved a hand, and a clone with blue streaks dyed in his jet black hair stepped forward.
"Sir yes sir!"
"Comet," Adriaan said, addressing the clone. "Go back to the Cantina and order five dozen bantha burgers with the usual condiments and root chips on the side…oh, and get Jawa juice too…an extra-large for the Pyronite and the smallest size possible for the Shi'Odo."
"What?!" Klamin looked shocked. "Why does Heatrian get a bigger drink than me? He doesn't even eat or drink what you're ordering!"
"I gave him the biggest because he was the only one not fighting, as I can see by the results," she said, pointing at Klamin's torn clothing.
"But I did WICKEDLY fight," Heatrian said sullenly. "Klamin just sat on top of Kay Lee."
Adriaan's jaw set stubbornly. "Fine. Get a big rock for the Pyronite, and nothing for Klamin."
"But why?" Klamin asked.
"Sitting on Kay Lee is the greatest offense ––– you're lucky that I'm not beating the life out of you right now," Adriaan said. "I leave for twenty stinking minutes to go to a victory party, and I come back to find the entire camp in chaos! I really expected more from Padawans of your age and skill. The only reason Comet is getting food for you is because I know you're all tired of the protein pellets. This should be a day to celebrate ––– not get into a fight."
"Sir, if I may correct you, we were actually at the cantina for three hours," Comet said.
Adriaan was silent for several moments. "Thank you, Comet; I stand corrected. You may go."
"Sir, yes sir!" Comet saluted, smiled sympathetically at the Varactyl Clan, and ran off to carry out the objective.
Klamin looked at Adriaan with puppy dog eyes, but puppy dog expressions never softened Adriaan up. She glared at Klamin and turned to Kay Lee.
"Assistant trainer Lee, were there any messages while I was gone?"
"Ree, there was an urgent communication from Coruscant," Kan said. "The Jedi Council wished to speak to you about…something."
"Kan, I know that I wanted you to call me 'Ree' in the past, but I'd prefer that from now on, I am addressed as Commander ell Talaan or just Master," Adriaan snapped. She walked over to the communications relay and contacted the Jedi Council. "Commander ell Talaan reporting. Do you have need of me?"
A hologram of Master Yoda, Obi-wan Kenobi, and Mace Windu appeared. Master Windu folded his arms and drew his brows together in a frown.
"Commander ell Talaan, it is not customary for a Jedi Knight to keep the Council waiting."
"I am very sorry, Master Windu," Adriaan said, bowing. "I was with the troops at a local cantina, celebrating our victory at Hai. I thought it very important that I acknowledge the sacrifices my clones have made to complete the mission."
"Understandable, that is," Yoda said, nodding. "But careful not to over-celebrate, you must be."
"Yes, Master." She bowed again. "I actually find this communication unexpected; I have lost contact with the Temple for the past year. I was beginning to think you had all forgotten me."
"Forget a disobedient Apprentice, the Council does not," Yoda said.
"I am not an Apprentice, though you are right about the disobedient part," Adriaan said smoothly. "Now, I know the Council has many more important things to do other than lecture a maverick Jedi, so could you come to the point?"
"Dangerous times, we are in," Yoda said, tapping his gimer stick on the floor. "The Jedi killer, General Grievous, has been sighted."
"General Grievous?" Adriaan scoffed. "He's half droid, all moron. Why should we even care about him? He's just one of Dooku's bootlickers."
"Because he has caused many Jedi deaths all over the galaxy," Mace Windu said sternly. "I warn you not to underestimate Grievous, for you may have to face him."
"Right." Adriaan did not look impressed. "So what do you want of me?"
"Though agree with your decisions, we do not, valuable, you still are," Yoda said. "The recapture of Hai, a great accomplishment, it was. Rewarded, a perseverant Commander should be."
"We are sending more clone legions to your sector," Mace continued. "They will arrive within the hour. You must prepare LightningStrike to leave the Hai system immediately. You must track down this despicable CIS General at all costs. Call for Jedi or clone reinforcements as needed."
"Do you really think two frigates are necessary for a dumb droid General?" Adriaan asked.
"Once again, underestimate Grievous, you must not…General," Yoda said, and then the hologram faded.
Kan scratched his head. "Were my ears deceiving me, or did he just call you General?"
"He said it, all right," Adriaan said. Then she rolled her eyes. "Typical. Sending us on a blue milk run. They must be paranoid." She sighed and turned around. "Ember! Rez!"
"Reporting for duty, Commander!" Ember and Rez said, stepping forward and removing their helmets ––– a custom Adriaan had incorporated into her legion.
"Change in rank, I think," Adriaan said. "It might have been a slip in speech, but Yoda called me General."
"It's not like Master Yoda to make a mistake like that, General," Rez put in.
"What are our orders, sir?" Ember asked.
"Retire for the night," Adriaan said. "We'll break camp and leave at dawn."
"But, sir ––– I mean, Adriaan," Kay Lee said, stepping forward. "You promised a training session at dawn tomorrow morning, remember?"
"Oh." Adriaan's face twisted up. "I moved that appointment all the way back to tomorrow afternoon; I promised to train Shadow Squad in the morning. But I guess all training sessions will come to a halt until further notice."
"But, Adriaan ––––"
"You're Master has spoken," General ell Talaan said sternly. "Goodnight."