Crest

"Now there's never gonna be an intermission,

But there'll always be a closing night."

Everyone told Crest that he talked too much.

Unless he happened to be annoyed he was inclined to agree with them, though he rarely allowed himself that luxury. It wasn't his business if others wanted to act like idiots; Crest had long ago learned that he operated at peak efficiency as long as he kept the negative thoughts in check. Not that he didn't have them – everyone did – but they never helped, never served any purpose besides weighing him down, so he failed to see the point in getting angry.

It was not an easy lesson.

Crest didn't really remember his first battle all that much; mostly it was a blur of blaster-fire, his own burning muscles, shouts and screams in his ears, and a whole lot of dirt. In any case, he supposed it wasn't more notable than any of the countless other battles happening at the same time. The second one was much the same, except there was less dirt.

The third battle that he took part in...well, that was the interesting one.

Initially it was the decided lack of chaos that stuck out in his mind. Himself and two other clones – Stark and Rush – were tasked with the delicate mission of sneaking behind enemy lines, placing the detonators and then beating a hasty retreat, a task that he found to be rather nerve-wracking. While up until now Crest's experience in battle had been frenetic and wild, this time was completely different. Steady hands were not his strong suit, though on a mission like this they were essential.

It was supposed to be done quickly.

In and out.

Simple, really.

"How's it coming?" He and Stark were covering their Sergeant, Rush, as the elder clone was focused on setting up the charges at the critically weak points in the Separatist structure. Stark was impatient.

The incongruously named Rush ignored him as he unspooled a length of det tape from his kit and placed it along the edges of the door where they'd paused. His movements were controlled and careful; Crest noticed how he didn't waste any time, how every motion was designed for maximum efficiency. Catching the newbie's glance, Rush nodded to the slender line of tape. "That's how it's done, shiny," he said, rising to his feet. "Can't be too precise when dealing with explosives."

"No, but you can get blown to tiny pieces if you take forever," Stark replied, lifting his Deece and looking through the scope behind them. "Aren't you done yet?"

"That's aren't you done yet, Sarge," Rush said. "And yes. I am. Thank you for phrasing your question in that very respectful manner." Crest heard the Sergeant's sigh through the comm before he indicated that they should move on to the next point. The trio continued in this fashion for perhaps another half hour before they reached the second-to-last spot. As Rush knelt to set the charge he paused and looked at Crest. "Want to give it a try?"

Stark made a sound of irritation. "Seriously? You're gonna give this job to the shiny?"

"Ignore him," Rush replied, handing Crest the device. "Makes life easier."

Grinning behind his helmet, Crest took the charge and began to place it, ensuring that it was even and properly aligned, as he'd seen the Sergeant do. But either this charge was stubborn or his hands were shaking, because it refused to go down evenly and he found himself having to pull it up and replace it a few times. "Sorry, sir," he murmured as he lifted it for the third time.

Rush was kneeling beside him, though his attention was on the landscape at their backs. "Take your time, Crest," he said. "You've got all the time in the world."

"No, he doesn't," Stark replied, pointing. "I've got some SBDs approaching at one o'clock!"

Crest felt his hands starting to shake worse and he nearly dropped the charge – which would have been very bad at this point – but then he felt Rush's hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid," he said, his voice calm. "We've got your back. Stark," he added, turning away from Crest. "Get a few EMPs ready...we need a distraction while Crest finishes the job."

"We're out of them, sir," Stark's voice was tinted with fear. "Used the last of them on the way out here, remember?"

Rush stood and raised his Deece. "Well then," he said. "We'll just have to find another way to keep the tinnies occupied, won't we?" He glanced back at Crest, who was still attempting to set the charge. "You gonna be okay for a few minutes?"

"I've almost got it..." His hands were shaking so hard he thought it was a miracle that he hadn't set the damn thing off already. "Just another second..."

"Shiny's gonna blow us all up before the clankers do," Stark muttered. They could hear the super battle droids' approach now, the ominous sound that gave the droid army their nickname growing louder with each moment. "I swear, newbie, if you screw this up-"

The Sergeant's voice was conversational as he replied. "Hey, Stark?"

"Sarge?"

"Less talk, more blasting. In case you forgot, we're at war." With that, Rush turned and leaped away from their position, firing on the droids as they came into view. Stark spared Crest one last look before he followed, though thankfully he said nothing.

It was difficult to focus with the sounds of his brothers fighting in his ears, but by some miracle Crest was able to finally set the charge. "Got it," he said with a sigh of relief. "You guys want some help?"

There was only the sound of blaster fire and heavy breathing for several moments before Rush replied. "Nope. You have the last charge...I need you to go ahead and set it up, Crest old boy. We've got you covered." In the background, Stark shouted obscenities as he fired on the clankers.

Crest felt a stab of apprehension slice through his gut, but he nodded. "Aye, Sarge." He stood up from his crouch and hurried to the final point; as he knelt beside the durasteel frame, his hands started shaking again and he was certain that he was going to blow himself up right along with the section of wall. As it was he dropped the charge twice before he even got out enough tape to place it. Behind him, Crest could hear his brothers fighting still and part of him wanted to just forget the stupid charge and go help them.

As if sensing his hesitation, Rush's voice sounded in his ear. "Hey Crest, how's it going?" The Sergeant's voice was punctuated by a grunt as he fired on another droid.

"Er, not bad..." Crest replied, reaching for the charge and brushing the dirt off.

"You doing okay over there?"

Crest swallowed and began to place the device, ensuring that it was aligned. Damn! He cursed to himself as it fell to the ground again.

But Rush's voice was calm, almost pleasant. "Don't worry about it, vod," he said. "We're good here...just having a philosophical discussion with the tinnies..." He paused and Crest heard his breathing grow labored before he spoke again. "Seems that they're confused between the difference between metal and 'mettle.'" He chuckled to himself. "Get it?"

Despite himself, Crest laughed. "Good one, Sarge." He took a deep breath and set the charge; it held. Now just have to calibrate it.

Stark's voice sounded then. "I swear, you and your jokes...they'll be the death of us all."

"Not the best thing to say on the battlefield, Starkie," Rush replied. "Morale and all that."

Crest held his breath as he entered the code that would synchronize the device with the others and the detonator that Rush held. Come on...Despite the temperature-controlled settings of his armor, he felt sweat bead at his forehead as he concentrated.

It was then that he heard Rush give a shout of pain; Crest whirled around, lifting his blaster and rising to join his brothers, the device forgotten. "I'm good," he heard the Sergeant say after a moment. "Just make sure you get the job done. I've got a bet going with these clankers...they don't think we can do it."

"Sarge..."

"You've got this, Crest," Rush replied, though it was as though his teeth were gritting. The sergeant gave a hiss of pain when he spoke next. "Come on, now. Don't prove Stark right...his head's big enough as it is."

"I resent that." Stark sounded nervous, though he was still alive at least.

"Glad to hear it."

Grinning to himself, Crest took another breath and finished calibrating the charge. The moment he was done he stood up and lifted his weapon. "Got it," he shouted. "I'm on my way." Silence. Then he heard the sound of approaching droids and felt fear clutch at his gut. "Sarge? Stark?"

"I'm here," Stark replied. "Come on, let's go. This place isn't gonna be around much longer." His brother's form appeared at his side and they began to sprint.

"Where's...?"

Stark huffed as they ran, but made no reply. When they were clear, he called the others who'd remained behind. "The Sarge is down...requesting remote detonation." A brother answered in the affirmative and in the next moment Crest and Stark were thrown to the ground as an explosion shuddered through the air behind them. Through the comlink he could hear cheers and whoops of victory as the Seppie base went up in smoke and flame.

But he found it hard to cheer at that moment until he looked up to see Stark holding out his hand to help him get to his feet. "Good job, Crest," he said. "Come on...let's rejoin the others."

Crest nodded, though he couldn't find his voice for a few minutes. When he did, he looked back at the wreckage of their mission and smiled to himself. Thanks, Sarge.

It was a lesson he never forgot.