The Story of Talon Chapter 36 Family
Echo Battalion frontline, Bloody Ridge
"Should have seen it, sir," Cliffjumper chuckled. He clapped a trooper in the back. "He dropped his helmet and tripped over it the next second." The troopers around laughed. The target laughed with.
"God that was embarrassing," he admitted.
"The bounty hunter that trained our batch was less than impressed," Cliffjumper said. "He just looked at him with a glare and shook his head."
"It took a lot not to laugh our asses off," a trooper named Jumbo grinned.
"Of course we did that later," Cliffjumper said.
Another trooper clapped the victims shoulder.
"He was red from ear to ear, he was, melted under the bounty hunters glare."
Talon laughed with them, listening to the details her men shared with her. The troopers was sitting with her, eating field ration packages.
"We should call you unlucky because you are one unlucky bastard."
Talon stopped drinking from her canteen. She was returning to Fort Harvey soon, but she ate with her troops first. Seeing them having fun and being happy made her happy. After all that had happened, she felt a large boulder lift from her shoulders.
"Wasn't the last time you messed up either. Remember the life firing exorcise incident?" Cliffjumper asked.
"Oh no," his brother buried his head in his hands. "Not that. Let's talk about something else."
The others laughed.
"What happened during this exorcise?" Talon asked intrigued.
"Nothing sir, really," he tried.
She arched an eyebrow.
"Not buying it. Sorry."
Jumbo laughed. "Come on Cliffjumper, spit it out," he encouraged.
Talon saw Edge and Ghost approaching.
"Right, so we were on this training and-" Cliffjumper started. "-and he, get up and throws a grenade, but…he dropped it on the floor. He dropped the damn grenade. Thankfully it wasn't ready to blow up yet, so nobody got hurt." He looked to his brother. "The bounty hunter got jumping mad at him. Snapped at him in front of all of us. Almost felt sorry for him right there. That is… if I wasn't standing beside him and almost got blown the hell up." He patted his brothers back. "This guy was a bad luck charm on legs."
Talon hadn't laugh this much sense before…well, Jade. Sense before she died. It felt as if a giant boulder rose from her shoulders. Her mind travelled to Mace. It had been long sense she actually met him in person. She missed him. his handsome features and his cool and calm demeanor. He was always the calmness in the eye of the storm. He had a rather calming effect on her. Not to mention that a very young Mace had found her and brought her to the temple. She wondered what would have happened if they hadn't both been jedi. Would anything have changed? Maybe they could have been happy together under different circumstances.
She broke from her thoughts when Cliffjumper coughed at the same time as he drank. She saw Spartacus coming towards their little gathering. She stood up.
"Excuse me boys."
"I'll keep ya seat for ya, sir," a trooper told her.
Talon met Spartacus halfway.
"Talon," he said, adding a subtle nod. "Abyss needed you at HQ."
"What's wrong now?" She sighed. There was always something.
"Droid reinforcements just arrived," he explained. "At least three Divisions of them. They're pointing the majority of those guns at the 81st."
She sighed again.
"Well, we're better off than the others, so maybe that's for the best. If we're lucky supplies should arrive in a few days." Spartacus nodded slowly. "Assuming the droids don't overrun us. Artillery's asked permission to cut down on bombardments. They want enough munitions left for an offensive or a defensive action."
"Frack it," she cursed. "Sure. I just told the Council we're not in any immediate trouble."
"We didn't know they were throwing thirty-thousand droids at us then."
"Why's everything going so badly sense, Jade…" she didn't finish the sentence. She started at Spartacus for a moment before looking away and crossing her arms over her chest. She scratched the back of her neck with her left hand.
"She would have been a create jedi," Spartacus said sympathetically. He kept his own emotions on the issue in check. "The galaxy's a much smaller place without her, Talon."
Talon just nodded and closed her eyes. "I guess I should get back to HQ." she turned back to him after a pause. "Stay here, ok? I need you here. There gonna go after Bloody Ridge for sure. It's an important position."
Spartacus snapped a salute. "Sir!"
Walking towards a gunship that just arrived to take her to the Headquarters for the 81st Legion, she saw someone she had been expecting for some time. The woman wore a red Mandalorian armor, with helmet under arm. The woman was Chiss, with red eyes and blue skin. She looked right at Talon, spotting her immediately. She started heading towards her. Her black hair was shaped into a ball behind her head. Several strains hanged in the way of her right eye, messing with her field of view.
She stopped in front of Talon and grinned.
"General lady. Sephire reporting."
Talon reached her hand out and Sephire accepted.
"I'm glad to see anyone willing to assist us here," she said smiling.
"It's my pleasure to get paid to aid you," the Chiss woman said grinning still. "Call me, Seph."
"You're staying here for now. Report to Chief Spartacus," Talon nodded to the giant that stood looking over the defensive position of a blown apart bunker he stood by.
"Oh. Boy one. Wonder if he's as big downstairs as I hope. I'll see you around general lady."
Talon smiled and let her hand go. Seph was surprised when the general lady gripped her wrist hard and pulled her in. her face was ten centimeters from hers. Talon narrowed her eyes on her.
"First, I read your file, Seph. If you pull any of that 'play both sides' crap like you pulled with Anakin and Obi-wan, I'll kill ya. I won't arrest you, I won't put you in court or a military tribunal, I'm just gonna kill you. And secondly you will refer to me as General or Knight T'racen, ma'am or Jedi Master. Am. I. Clear?" her voice were dark and menacing.
Seph had dropped all her chipper attitude. She swallowed hard, her eyes trying to dart away from Talon's sharp lilac ones.
"Crystal clear ma'am."
Talon let her go and continued walking towards the gunship.
Gear and Ghost sat the ruins of a bunker. The roof had been blown off during their bombardments before storming the ridge. Ghost fiddled with his sniper rifle. he enjoyed the silence. It was strange. It was much quieter with Slime gone. Still, it was a bit empty without him around. He had to admit that, to himself at least. He wouldn't admit it to anyone else. Perhaps General T'racen, but no one else.
"Think Slime's gonna be back soon?" Gear asked.
Ghost sighed and looked up from his rifle.
"I don't know. He got badly hit. Probably take a while in a bacta tank. Little bath in one of those I'll do him good. Should get rid of the smell of him anyway."
Gear chuckled lightly and tilted his head back against the stone.
"You got nothing good to say of the guy, after he almost died?"
"Many almost died. Many did die," Ghost reminded coolly.
"Hmm," Gear mumbled somberly. "Rest in peace brothers. And sister."
Ghost looked silently at him. he knew he referred to Jade. He lowered his head.
"Rest in peace little one. We'll give them a bloody nose for you."
Gear smiled. "Or worse." They both grabbed each other's hands firmly and nodded.