A/N: The Clone Wars is getting a new season, and it lit up the spark of inspiration for me to work on this story again. :)
"We got this," a young Mirialan boy with triangular tattoos on his chin said in his huddle with three others. The group were connected by their arms, facing each other. They were in a circular silver room with one windowless door that was they way they entered. Their orange suits with pads and helmets with a yellow visor stood out against the neutral greys of the carpeted floor. "We've been training for this for weeks. We will pass," he assured.
The light green Rodian shook her head and pointed out, "On computers, Patu! They are going to use real fire against us. It's going to be nothing like those stimulators."
"Stop worrying Dela," the Pao'an to her right nudged her. "They wouldn't set the blasts to fatal. And we got to practice aiming our blasters for a couple days. Plus, you are the assigned medic." Dela rolled her shiny black eyes, but lifted her shoulder up to realign the straps of her large white backpack.
"Erick, you didn't hear?" she asked him. "This is the ultimate test to determine whether we will be recruited as cadets." The boy shrugged and glanced back at his heavy barrel blaster that was strapped to his back; his favorite weapon of choice.
He smiled, "Whatever. Just watch me charge in with this thing. And there's the plan!" Dela blankly gave him a look with her circular lips in a frown, and Patu cringed. "Right Alexia?"
Alexia was rolling her amber eyes, "Really?" Her long dark ponytail moved with her as she faced him. "That is not going to be our plan."
"Well, you're our assigned commander for this so let's hear it," Erick said, crossing his arms. Patu and Dela eagerly waited for Alexia to share her tactics, but Alexia's mind was completely blank. The pressures of being appointed the commander of the small squad were now teasingly pinching her nerves.
She had never asked to be in charge, nor wanted to. All of the positions: Dela being the medic, Patu with special armory and explosives, and Erick as heavy artillery, were assigned by the program on the computers. It judged their last minute decisions in certain circumstances and preferences that appealed to personality in order to organize them
in specific groups. To her dismay, she received leader.
Alexia's silence led Erick to continue, "You may talk now." She glared at him, and he chuckled. "My plan it is!"
Patu groaned, "Your plan will make us to fail." Dela nodded in agreement and Alexia kept her gaze to the ground. Her heart was beating out of her chest; they were fully depending on her to pass the placement exam solely based off of the results from an online test. They hadn't even reached the course and she felt like she was already failing them.
Erick scoffed, "At least I have a plan. She can't come up with a simple procedure." If she had one, Alexia would have argued. She bit her lip when the harsh truth dawned on her; she was primarily focused on keeping her friends safe and not any offensive strategy. They were the only family she had, and the trial was going to include potentially life threatening scenarios. Keeping them from harm had to be her priority, before the mission goal. Without completing the objective, however, failure would be guaranteed. It was the dilemma that had been raging inside her for the past few days.
Patu took a breath, "Alexia." She was about to answer him when the circle around them began to be highlighted with a neon red hue and sing a low grinding sound. The ground beneath them began to shake and they separated from the rest of the floor, the circular platform spinning slowly up. Patu held his rifle blaster in a ready stance, and Erick lifted the heavy machine to his arms. Thanks to his great strength, partly from his particular species, the gun gave him no trouble.
Dela gasped, "It's starting! And we don't even have a plan!" Alexia brought her dual blasters from their holsters, her fingers twitching in anticipation. There was a part of her excited to finally be in action, but going into a fake battle with no plan whatsoever began to overpower it. Before, in the orphanage, there was no military preparation. The only worries of the house maidens were to get the children homes in a wounded society that was missing adults. After the Imperial Recruiters raided all the orphanages on Coruscant, she found her life suddenly endorsed with new experiences like shooting a weapon and simple battle strategies.
She made her way in front of her squad, "Get to cover as fast as possible." Closing her eyes, she felt a familiar surge of warmth in her veins and saw a spray of blue, with dark shades around. Switching off the safety lock of her weapons, she warned, "There's going to be open fire as soon as we get up so get ready for it."
Erick cocked the gun and scoffed, "How do you know?" The children stumbled as the circular cement platform began to lift them up. The ceiling above them twisted open, revealing a white grid with turquoise blue horizontal and vertical lines. There was a tint of iron in the air that did nothing for the nerves.
"I don't see any bolts," Erick rolled his eyes. "What made you-" The moment they reached the top and the panels locked, cylindrical machines aggressively spat out lightening blue colored bolts at the group before they could study their surroundings.
Patu, after rolling with Alexia to the right flank behind a grey shield gate, shouted, "You were saying?" Erick and Dela had went to the left, with Dela using the block ahead of Erick. They were at the far side of the rectangular grid, and in front of them were steps, hills, and a vast expense before thirteen foot high blocks with a green flag; the goal. Above was a black screen where the administrators would be judging their every move.
Alexia began to aim and shoot for the tops of the machines, and shouted, "Erick! Now's the time to use it!" He nodded and took a knee, and a fire of red met the water blue. Many of the steel prototypes were destroyed, but a few remained firing. She sprinted ahead, shooting the bots, with Patu covering her.
He pointed, "We need to find a way to the top of that. And I don't know how unless Erick lets us climb up his back. After all, only one of us need to touch it."
Alexia moved forward once again, only a couple inches from the last machine. Patu, on his way, hot a perfect shot and it puffed grey smoke and wilted. "First level," Alexia assumed. Dela and Erick catch up, and Erick was gleaming with a wide smile.
"I told you guys!" he sneered. "Didn't need- " A rumble threw them off balance and Alexia pushed Erick away to the ground, where a small blast would have exploded beneath his feet. Alexia, who was thrown several feet in the air from theminitaure explosion, landed cleanly on her feet like a feather. Dela and Patu watched in fascination, and Alexia motioned to Erick who was lying on the ground.
"Dela, check him," she ordered. Her eyes caught the black prism above and she gulped. In her imagination, there were three middle aged men with deep frowns judging her every misstep in a grey uniform. It sent chills down her spine, and dread as she thought back to her actions. Criticism began to ring in her head when Dela's footsteps echoes.
Dela rushed to Erick, "You OK?" The Rodian kneeled down, checking his vital signs by pressing his top left wrist.
He sat up, grim at the smoke, and stared at Alexia with a newfound sense of interest laced with fear, "How long were you able to do that?" Dela wanted answers as well, but not a word escaped her mouth. Alexia felt as if she was shrinking under everyone's gaze, and she was confused on what they were talking about. Assuming it was a minefield, how did they not see who was standing on one?
Patu cleared his throat, "We have to get out of here or there will be more mines." The two stood, eyeing Alexia with question.
"He's right, and we can either keep discussing this while those judges fail us," Alexia said, starting her way up the rocky terrain. "Or follow Patu, who has a scanner to detect the mines. Come on." Her tone at the end surprised her. It came out a lot more commanding than she had thought, but if anything was to get done it was required.
With a small scanner that was attached to a retractable thick antenna, Patu carefully led his team through. Large boulders began to surround them, and Alexia couldn't help but feel suspicious. The stones were perfect for cover- but what to get cover from was the question. The nudging at her mind came again, and she found herself hurtling to the left.
"Alexia?" Dela exclaimed. Before Alexia could warn them, battle droids had sprung out beneath pebbles.
"Get cover!" Alexia yelled. Like flies, the droids buzzed and their numbers grew at a bolting rate. The blaster fire was more intense than before, and everybody struggled to find any openings. Erick was unable to place his gun at a steady good angle from behind the rock. It made him enraged that this was the perfect time, but not the ideal place.
Patu, slightly ahead of Alexia, grunted as he threw explosives at the battalion. The droids on the frontline locked up and cluttered to a mess on the ground, but more came. They were getting closer, and Alexia felt the bolts getting warmer on her skin. Something had to be done, and soon.
"Cover me!" Erick pleaded as he began to charge from the left flank. As they turned to him, Patu launched more bombs and Dela tried to shoot the ones closest to Erick. Alexia was about to shoot, but noticed them spawning for every one that was knocked down.
"They're not stopping!" Alexia told them. The scream that came from Erick made her heart drop to her knees. He clutched his shoulder as he went down, and Patu threw a smoke bomb to grab Erick and take him behind cover. Dela unzipped her medical bag and took out gauze with a speed that could not be challenged.
Patu looked at Alexia, who was still on the other side, and pointed to the flag waving. Alexia dipped her chin in understanding; to stop the droids she needed that banner. She took several deep breaths, clutching her twin weapons. This would determine their safety and future with the Empire.
Her legs were sprinting hard before she got her torso in rhythm with it. As she went, she sometimes rolled and shot unaimed bolts that mysteriously still met their targets. The end was edging closer and closer, and the wall seemed to get higher as well. When she reached it, she placed her hands on it and looked up. It was easily fifteen feet up, the perfect height for making children climb on each other- or jump. She could make it, and she knew it. Another shout of agony coming from her friend made her back up and focus on the energy inside her.
In the air, her limbs were waving around uncomfortably to help her land where she wanted. As she came down, she held out her hands to touch it as soon as possible. The cold pole met her palms, and a buzz rang. The dismantling of the droids brought her comfort, and a tsunami of excitement coursed through her body. Almost shaking with joy, she leaped off the pedestal, meeting with her friends.
A stormtrooper with distinct orange markings on his shiny pearl amor turned from the view of the final group of potential cadets, "Who are they, Sergeant Howe?"
The man next to him, in a neat black uniform, typed in his keypad. "They are Group 408, Commander. The last one from the Coruscant orphanages." Howe noticed the Clone Wars veteran focus on the sole human child again as he turned to face the screen. "Do you see any fit for your famed 501st legion?"
The Commander grunted and asked, "Can you tell me the personal profiles of each of them?"
The capped man clicked and cleared his throat, "The Pau'an boy, Erick. Specialty: heavy artillery. The Mirialan boy, Patu. Specialty: explosives and tactical strategy. The Rodian, Dela. Specialty: medical and anatomy. The human, Alexia. Specialty: tactical strategy and acrobatics."
"Sergeant," the commander said, making the other flinch, "What is her nationality? Are you not in possession of her blood test results?"
Howe joined him at the window, where the group had just passed level one. The Pau'an was right above a landmine, and the Commander's face stayed neutral despite violent flashbacks from the Clone Wars. He had seen too many men make the same mistake the Pau'an was to make.
As he waited for it to be triggered, the joints in his fingers tightening, the human girl pushed the boy from the blast and was thrown in the air from it. It reflected the seamless actions he had seen his traitorous general and the other Jedi. He turned to Howe in disbelief, "Get Vader."
Howe pressed a couple of buttons, "Commander Cody... Check this out."
The girl executed flawless shooting and leaped about fifteen feet into the air to get the flag. Howe was mesmerized, with his eyes wide open. "A Jedi child?"
The Jango Fett clone kept a monotone face, but shook his head. "Call Lord Vader. This is for him to deal with."
Cody observed how the girl celebrated with her team, and how well she seemed as a leader. Reckless, but her priority was definitely to her squad. It struck a sore string inside him, reminding him of an old friend from the Clone Wars. One he hadn't seen in years, or heard of. The last words they said to each other weren't really even sentences.
In a way, the veteran missed how it was. To be with all of his vod. The death was not something to remember, especially from orders of the corrupted Jedi generals- although he hadn't gotten much of that from General Kenobi. Things were very different now, for the best. There were no major battles that caused millions to die, but only to get planets in full control or hunt Jedi down. Even then, it was not remotely the same.
The Empire had decided to quit cloning and go with recruiting children to go into the Academy. The Imperial Academy is what they called it. It made Cody glad that they stopped using the Kaminoan technologies, and many clones were getting to an age that they were retiring from the Army. Cody saw himself spending the rest of his life in Naboo, in the calm countryside. He wanted to rest after fighting all of his life, but he had about a year left.
Howe typed a Holomessage to send to the Sith lord, and frowned after a couple of seconds, "She's... going to get killed, huh?"
Cody snapped out of his memories from fighting grand battles in the Clone Wars, "I don't know. But it isn't our business."
He didn't want Howe to keep talking, but the man must have been starting to feel bad for the youngling, "It's too bad. It'll be quick I assume."
Softhearted was the way Cody would describe Howe. Howe was one of the new recruits that the Republic had hired near the end of the Clone Wars. He was insanely smart, and had helped the Republic gain intelligence from the Separatists. Darth Vader had decided it be useful to use him as an Imperial.
He agreed, "She would have been perfect for my legion. But, anything with her now lays in Vader's hands. Separate her from the rest, and have the rest join the others. Don't show any of this footage or speak a word of this to anybody. It is an extremely fragile situation, captain."
Howe pushed down the lever, "Yes sir." He spoke into the Comm systems, "Sergeant Runo, get the human girl and escort her up to the viewing center."
"Yes sir!" Runo replied on the other line.
Cody studied Alexia closely, "She Mandalorian?"
How shrugged, "I really don't know, Commander. We had received orders from Vader himself not to run any tests on this last batch."
"Why?" One of the stormtroopers had entered, and gestured toward Alexia. She looked afraid, and had her mouth opening. He couldn't hear a single word, but he could assume what conversation they were having.
"No reason. We were instructed to do it without explanation. No questions asked sort of thing. Most likely, she's some street dancer's unwanted kid. That's how it is for most of them on Coruscant."
Something was there, and Cody knew it. It was at the back of his head, annoying and persistent.