A.N. ~ this is the final chapter. I hope you have all enjoyed Sea of Faces. The months it took to get this far went by quickly, because I enjoyed writing for others (and writing, period ;). I'm sorry that this isn't one of the longer chapters, but please enjoy it!
NO P.O.V.
"Nyaaaaaaaa!" Droids went flying as yet another of Twitch's detonators unleash havoc. She was very glad no one else was out there with her.
The drying mud in the sun was slippery, making it that much worse for the machines as she dove and rolled around to avoid weapons fire.
She was working from the right to the back of the droids' ranks, getting on their nerves by blowing groups of them up and trying to get behind them.
Fives was chuckling to himself as he watched the fiery explosions light up the stone-dotted plain. He could see Twitch weaving around, tossing thermal detonators in ways that seem random, but were clearly planned, judging by the damage dealt when the explosives went off.
"She's one haran of a verd. Pyromaniac." Strings muttered.
"That she is. You should try sparring with her." The ARC replied.
"Now that's an embarrassing way to go. Killed by someone half my age and size." The medic laughed at a particularity loud and pathetic wail from a droid as it was thrown into the air.
"This is Twitch we're talking about. There is nothing embarrassing about losing a fight to her."
"Speak from experienced?"
"Mine and several other brothers'."
"All troops, move in." Their General ordered.
§ § §
TWITCH'S P.O.V.
I'm still running around throwing bombs while dodging fire as everyone else shoots the droids. My reaction time is slowing down due to fatigue. As soon as I think there are few enough clankers left, I stop blowing things up and start fighting the droids up close.
The only ones left are B1s and a pair of commando droids, so I just end the fight quickly, though I'm really tired. As soon as the last droid goes down, I sit down and lean back on my hands, hanging my head back as I take in deep, greedy breaths.
Someone walks over and sits next to me. I look at Fives with a smile, though my mouth is still open as I gulp in air. Pyro Squad sits down with us among the wreckage.
"Soon as we catch our breath, wanna do that again?" I grunt. Fives chuckles, then the others start. I join in and soon we're laughing like maniacs, finding humour in the insanity that is our lives.
§ § §
We finished off the last five battalions over the course of a week. One week of a couple ration bars a day (on a good day), gruelling battles, and plenty of good humour between my squad, Fives, and I.
Now that our twelve-day-campaign is over, we just have to wait for the last planetary scan to be done, and then head back up to the Triumphant, whose fighter pilots have been in space combat for a while now.
Or were, until they eradicated the Separatist fleet that was sent to end us. I'm perched on a jutting rock formation that reminds me of coral, just relaxing as a brilliant blue sky pours down warm sunlight.
As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but muddy ground and grey rocks sticking up.
Why were so many Separatist droids here in the first place?
I grumble under my breath, muttering about how droids always waste our time.
"Our pick up will be here in half an hour. Be ready to leave by then." Wolffe says over the comm. I start at his sudden interruption of my thoughts.
"You're jumpy. Please tell me that's just you calming down from the fighting." Fives clambers up beside me.
"I think so. Of course, even I don't know all the reasons for why I'm twitchy."
"Hardcase would be so jealous." I cock an eyebrow.
"What does that mean?"
"You're more hyperactive than he is." I display mock indignation.
"I am reasonably cautious."
"Paranoid."
"And guess what? I'm still alive."
"Two years." He reminds me. I narrow my eyes.
"We do not speak of years eleven through twelve. They never happened. And we definitely don't bring up arachnids." He chuckles and I shove him.
"Okay, I know it's justified, but still, spiders?"
"Yes! Small red ones that induce hallucinations made up from your deepest fears. Are we happy yet?"
"Heh, yeah, just...Arachnophobe."
"Claustrophobic!" I shoot back.
"Short." My mouth gapes in fury at one of the most painful insults he could throw at me.
"I'm taller than most women!"
"And still five inches shorter than me."
"You just give it a few years!"
"Assuming you don't blow up before then?"
"Assuming you don't get killed by pirates before then."
"Two. Years."
"Didn't. Get. Rescued. I recall, I saved myself, whereas you, ner vod, had to have Rex drag your shebs out of there."
"I was tortured."
"And you think I wasn't? I had arachni-therapy every other day!"
"Shocked within an inch of my life."
"Same. Ever tried it with Force-Lightning?"
"Ever raided the Citadel?"
"Ever had experiments and painful tests conducted on you for years?"
"Ever lost a close brother?"
"Rex, for a while, and I lost Dinger, who was my responsibility, so yeah, I've lost brothers! Ever had to severely verbally thrash your ori'vod and commanding officer so they would focus and not die?"
"No, but have you had to watch your little sister screaming on a bed, crying from hallucinations after being bit by a poisonous spider?"
"No! And one moment." I pull out an active comm from the side facing my body of my left holster, planted, no doubt, by my squad. "You boys better get your shebs moving before I reach the ground, because I am in a bad mood and just found out you're eavesdropping. Start running." I see six troops dashing across the camp. I crush the machine in frustration. "If you'll excuse me, I have some heads to knock together. Thank you for the pity party."
I hop down and stalk towards my squad, all of whom are trying to blend in to a group of other troops. I stand over them, arms crossed. "You six, follow me, now." I order, walking away without looking back, trusting my tone to ensure their obedience.
I lead them to a place out of earshot of the camp and glare daggers at them. I give Tail an especially disappointed look, holding up the broken com link. "So, either one or a few of you planted this on me and dragged everyone else into this, or all of you were involved. One of you tell me which it is." They shift uncomfortably under my intense gaze, no one piping up.
"Wait, you mentioned two years and torture, not to mention Fives calling you his little sister. You're the one who should be explaining." Bark says boldly, stepping forward and pointing an accusing finger at me.
I look at his arm cooly before grabbing his wrist and wrenching his arm behind his back with lightning speed, pinning him against a nearby rock that towers over us.
"You best drop that attitude, shiny. And you don't need to know about my past." I sweep my eyes over the rest of my squad. "None of you do. As for Fives calling me his sister, I chose my family. Now, whose idea was it to eavesdrop?" Bark sighs, Wing sags in defeat.
"I was joking that it would be interesting to know what you were talking about with Fives. And what a strategy meeting sounded like, if we got lucky." The care free rookie admits.
"And I'm the one who decided to try eavesdropping." Bark says. I let him go and he massages his arm, head bent in shame.
"The rest of us knew, but agreed to not say anything." Tail added, looking guilty. I scowl, trying to decide what to do with my six charges. I change my expression into disappointment.
"This I would expect from them," I tilt my head at Bark, Wing, and Fritz, "but you three, I thought knew better." I look at Tail, Jax and Decker. "I'm disappointed with all of you. This is behaviour cadets would be playing at, not men who've finished training. How can I trust you on the battlefield when you act like children?" I try to ignore the irony. They stare at the ground, shamefaced.
"You can't." Tail quietly murmured, looking guiltier than anyone else.
"Well, I hope I can trust you lot to complete a full week's worth of mech scrubbing once we return to the Triumphant." I get a round of halfhearted yes, ma'am's before they walk away, knowing that they are dismissed.
For a moment, I wonder if I was too hard on them, but set my jaw and shake my head. No, they were out of line, and Bark needed some respect beaten into him. I check myself over for more com links, but find none.
§ § §
The entire squad has responsibly kept up with their astromech cleaning duties for three days. The Triumphant isn't flying itself or the troops on it into battle for another five days. I've been catching up with school and writing the math test I missed. Darys is talking to me as ELA plays out.
'How was the campaign?' He sends.
'Didn't lose any of my squad members.'
'Did it really last for thirteen days?'
'Twelve, actually. I was busy with after-battle discussions and stopping by the med bay for the need-to-check-you-over-in-case-you're-dying thing.'
'Okay...so how is your squad?'
'Scrubbing mechs for another four days. I caught them eavesdropping on me and Fives.'
'Fives and I.'
'Sorry?'
'So long as we are in ELA, you use proper grammar. It's Fives and I.'
'Ha, ha. Fine. Fives and I. I'm surrounded by shinies.'
'I know. *troll face meme*' I glare at the screen in aggravation.
'Have a younger sibling?'
'No. Is that what taking care of rookies is like?'
'Yes. Except these guys are considerably smarter than children...sometimes.'
'This coming from a child?'
'Yes. I am very much aware of the irony.'
'And I will continue to mock it.'
'Could you not? Fives has been enough of a di'kut lately.'
'What did he do?' The reply comes almost instantaneously after I send.
'Oh, he's just pushing my buttons. If I really want him to shut up, I can.'
'I get the feeling it's not a nice way.'
'It isn't, but he knows better than to push me too much.'
"Hi, Twitch."
'Speak of the devil.' I glance up at him.
"Hi, Fives. What's up?"
"You forgot lunch. Again." He teases. I check the time.
'Gotta go eat something. Be back sometime later.'
'You really don't are about school.'
'Nope. Bye.' I turn off and put away the datapad without waiting for a reply and hop down beside the ARC. We start walking to the Mess.
"I don't know how you keep track of six shinies when you can't even remember lunch." He jests. I hold up an active comm with a smirk. Voices filter through. He laughs.
"Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you." I chuckle. I cock my head when I hear another conversation starting.
"Tail, will you stop moping already? Twitch was mad, she yelled at us."
"We eavesdropped on her private conversation and you accused her of lying. Of course she was mad." Someone else points out.
"You yelled at them?" Fives asks.
"Do you know any other female sergeants who were eavesdropped on?"
"Good point."
"She's right. We were acting like cadets." I start paying more attention.
"It was supposed to be a harmless prank. How were we supposed to know she'd get into things like torture and two years of imprisonment?"
"We weren't. Just be quiet and scrub your mech."
"Who made you corporal?"
"No one. I just figure we'll finish quicker if we aren't talking." I turn down the volume as we enter the Mess Hall. I'm busy muttering to myself, using different bits of languages to fill in for Basic every now and then.
"Something's got your wheels turning. What is it?" Fives says.
"Still wondering why there were so many droids on Braxis. What was so special about a mud-and-stone planet?"
"Good point. And for once, it isn't paranoia." We sit down and I start checking his head. He jerks away. "What?"
"Do you have amnesia, or did you simply forget that every time I predict something bad will happen, you credit it to paranoia and someone gets hurt?" He sighs.
"Technically, the pirates didn't know we were coming."
"Okay, then I'll just remind you of the Trandoshan, Plytunon, and the caves on Krovell."
"Remind me why we're arguing? Look, the point is, you're right about Braxis. Those droids were there for a reason."
"Cortosis? We know they've been looking for it."
"None showed up on the scanners. Diversion?"
"There are plenty other free battalions. Distracting us wouldn't do them any good. Other rare materials?"
"Nothing important showed up on the scans, period."
"Okay, I don't know what Grievous is up to. Definitely not something to make our day improve."
"No doubt." I sit there, puttering through my food at a slow pace.
What's Grievous up to?
A.N. ~ don't worry. There's a sequel. I hope you liked this fic. The sequel's name is 'The Lies Continue', and it will be up within 48 hours. Well...this is a bittersweet moment...
I honestly don't have anything to say, except a request that anyone still reading this will review. Write whatever you like, because wether you offer encouragement, criticism, rejection, denial, praise, or anything else you wish to call it, I will read it, I will be grateful, and I will keep your words in mind as I work on my writing.
Until the next story...
~ Aranar'ven Angel
