A/N: This chapter is the longest thing I have ever written. Hope you enjoy!
Lena left the command center, stopping briefly at the makeshift med station to grab an emergency medpack for her mission. Even if Sparx and Admiral Yung were still alive, she had no idea what state they were in physically. She was sure the Separatists wouldn't have made their well-being a priority, and they had been in a crash before their capture. Lena wanted to be prepared for anything. She thanked Chip, the 394th's medic, before crossing the landing zone to join the visiting squad at the speeder bikes she had pointed out to them earlier.
As Lena approached the group, she could sense a variety of emotions coming from the troopers. Hunter and Crosshair in particular seemed to be vibrating with annoyance, making her believe that she had just missed an argument between the two. It appeared the brotherly conflict was a universal thing among clones, no matter how "defective" they may be.
"Everything alright?" she asked, placing the medpack in the bag attached to her speeder bike.
Hunter turned to face her and gave her a nod.
"Nothing to worry about, General. Just making sure everything is ready to go. We're ready when you are."
Lena glanced around the group, her eyes darting from one face to another. Other than Hunter, none of them met her gaze. She wondered what had been the topic of the argument she had missed. The uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding them at her arrival led her to believe that she may have been the subject of discussion.
"I know you guys are used to working on your own, so I understand if my presence on this mission is a sore subject."
A wave of embarrassment came from the entire group. Lena knew she had been right in her assessment of the situation; her presence was unwelcome.
"I'll do my best to stay out of your way and let you do what you do best," she said, giving them what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
Hunter cleared his throat and nodded his head towards the bikes.
"I'm sure everything will work out. We'll just have to make some adjustments," he said. "If we want to check out the base while there's still daylight, we should get going."
Lena nodded in agreement. She gave the group another once-over glance, her gaze lingering on Crosshair as he was the only one to return her eye contact. His narrowed eyes widened slightly as they met hers before his face returned to a neutral expression, and he put up a front of disinterest again. The corner of Lena's mouth quirked upwards at his quick shift in expression. She could feel the unknown emotion from before rolling towards her in waves, almost as if he was projecting it at her. Pushing her curiosity aside, she turned away from him and climbed onto her speeder.
"Follow me boys!" she called before speeding away.
The group of them traveled at a slow pace, the dense forest making their trip difficult. Lena cut down a few small trees that blocked their way with her lightsaber, allowing them to pass to a relatively clear section. A beep on her communicator signaled that a member of the squad wanted to speak with her. Slowing her speeder to a stop, she turned and looked at the group of clones that stopped beside her.
"I'm not sure how efficient this method of travel is," Tech spoke up. "Surely there must be a better way to reach the base?"
"Unless you feel like walking, I'm afraid not," Lena replied.
"You could cut down some more trees like you did before," Wrecker suggested.
Lena laughed softly at his suggestion.
"We'll be doing enough damage with the attack on the base; I don't want to chop down a bunch of trees unnecessarily on top of that. We're almost to the small mountain near the base. We can stop there and climb up to get a better look."
The group nodded in agreement before they began to carefully make their way through the trees again. Once they reached the mountain Lena had mentioned, they parked their speeder bikes in a dense grove of bushes to hide them from prying eyes. Then, they began their ascent, making quicker progress up the side of the mountain than they had through the forest.
Lena leaped from a lower ledge to a large flat spot above her. As she waited for the rest of the group to reach her position, she looked around. A small outcropping on the side of the mountain created a sheltered area to her left, while an extended ledge was on her right. Lena walked slowly to the edge and looked down the side into the forest below. She could see the base in a large clearing a few klicks from the spot they had left the speeders.
"You know, you move pretty fast for someone your size," a voice said behind her.
Lena turned from the edge to see Crosshair standing behind her. He had reached the top before his brothers, likely due to his long legs and affinity for high places as a sniper, Lena guessed.
"Gotta make up for my lack of vertical advantage somehow," she joked. "Not all of us are built like you with long legs made for climbing."
Crosshair glanced down at her, his visor impassive, but Lena could sense his amusement at her comment. He stepped forward to stand at her side, peering over the edge as she had. Flipping the sensor on the side of his helmet down, he scanned the area.
"Doesn't look like there are many droids outside the base. It should be easy to sneak in. What lies inside is another story."
A loud groan sounded behind the pair, causing them both to turn. Wrecker lay flat on his back in the middle of the ledge.
"As long as we don't have to climb anymore, I don't care how many droids are anywhere," he huffed, pulling his helmet off his head to allow himself to breathe.
Lena walked over and stood at his side, smirking down at him.
"What's the matter, Wrecker? Can't handle a little climbing?"
Lena's smirk faltered as she felt the embarrassment flood from him. His gaze shifted away from her as he sat up.
"I don't do so well with heights," he muttered.
Lena squatted down next to him and placed her hand on his large shoulder.
"Well, in the morning, you can close your eyes, and I'll lift you down the ground, so you don't have to worry about climbing back down."
Wrecker looked back at her in disbelief.
"No offense General, but how are you going to do that? I'm quite a bit bigger than you," he said, holding his hand over her head to emphasize the difference in their sizes.
Lena laughed at his question.
"I forgot; you guys don't usually work with Jedi."
Standing from her place next to Wrecker, she turned to the mountain face beside them. Finding a large boulder, she effortlessly lifted it with the force, holding it suspended in the air. Wrecker's eyes went wide as he looked from her to the large rock in amazement.
"Showoff," Crosshair scoffed from his place at the edge.
Lena's smile faded as she realized that he was probably right. She let the boulder fall gently down to the ground. She knew lifting rocks wasn't a significant accomplishment, but hopefully, it alleviated Wrecker's apprehension about the climb back down in the morning.
"I'll let you guys scope out the base from here and come up with some sort of plan," she said. "We'll be staying up here for the night, so I'll jump back down and grab some supplies from the bikes."
Lena walked over to the edge and jumped back down to the ledge she had ascended from, and began her trip back down the mountainside, leaving the clones to discuss amongst themselves.
"Must you always make situations uncomfortable?" Hunter asked Crosshair as soon as he felt Lena was out of earshot.
"Yeah!" Wrecker added. "I thought her little trick was cool! Why'd you have to go and make her feel bad?"
"If my little comment hurt her feelings," Crosshair bit out, "maybe she should find a new line of work. The warfront is not the place for people that soft."
Despite his words, Crosshair did feel bad for his comment. Lena's smile touched something deep inside him every time it graced her face, and to see it disappear because of something he said churred his stomach. To tell the truth, he had been impressed to see such a small woman lift something that made Wrecker look small with such ease.
He turned away from his brothers to look back down at the base, scanning the area with his visor. He may as well do the thing Lena had told him to do, as he certainly wasn't going to win any points with her otherwise. Once he had done a thorough scan, Crosshair relayed what he found to the squad.
"I'll go with the General, Tech, and Wrecker into the base," Hunter said. "We'll have to figure out exactly how to get in once we get there. Crosshair, you find a perch on a ledge or a tree nearby and keep an eye out for any surprises that may come from the outside. If we find the Admiral and reg in there, we'll likely need to make a quick exit, and I don't want any surprises waiting for us as we try to make our getaway. Hopefully, the droids will be preoccupied with whatever distraction the padawan and regs are causing outside and not worry about us."
"Sounds like a good plan to me," Wrecker said. "Should we blow up the base while we're in there? Show the regs fighting outside and the Seppies what we're capable of?"
"I'll leave that decision to the General," Hunter replied, his gaze lifting to the edge of the cliff where Lena had reappeared with a pack on her back.
"Ugh, quit calling me that," Lena said as she approached the group. "The only people that call me 'General' are Master Windu, Admiral Yung, and Chip when he's mad at me."
Crosshair raised an eyebrow inquisitively. He hadn't heard someone insist on not using their title before. Most people were offended if you didn't address them properly.
"Well, what do you want us to call you?" Hunter asked.
Lena seemed to think about it for a minute before answering him.
"You can call me Lena. Or if it truly bothers you not to use formalities, you can call me ma'am. I'm sure you'll come up with your own nicknames for me. My own boys certainly have. Now, what is the plan, and what decision do you need me to make?"
Crosshair let his gaze linger on Lena's face as Hunter informed her of the plan. She seemed to be listening intently, but he saw her eyes shift to him, meeting his gaze for a second before looking away again to focus on Hunter. He wondered if she could sense his confusing feelings about her. He didn't know much about Jedi powers, other than that they could sense things, lift rocks, and jump really high. She seemed to keep searching him out as if she was looking for something, but then again, he could be paranoid. Or was it wishful thinking?
Once everyone had agreed on the plan, they settled in to wait until morning. Lena had contacted her padawan to fill her in before bidding her goodnight and good luck. It had begun to rain as the sun sank below the horizon, creating a chill in the air. Lena had pulled out a warming rod from the pack she had retrieved, placing it in the center of the small, covered space they took shelter in for the night. They all sat as close to it as they could without encroaching on each other's space.
Wrecker and Lena made casual conversation, while Hunter and Crosshair sat silently together on the opposite side of the lit area. Tech sat at the edge of the covered space away from the group, keeping watch for any unsuspected visitors that may see the small amount of light and come to investigate. Every so often, Lena would laugh at something Wrecker said, causing Crosshair to glance up at her to watch her smile cover her face. He could feel his own lips quirking up slightly at the sight. A nudge against his right arm dragged his attention away from Lena to look at his brother beside him.
"You alright?" Hunter asked quietly.
Crosshair raised an eyebrow at the question.
"Yeah. Why?"
"You just seem tense, and your heart rhythm is all over the place."
Crosshair turned away and flicked the toothpick he had been chewing on away from him. He should have known it wouldn't be long before Hunter would pick up on something.
"Stop listening to my heart. It's creepy," he said. "I'm fine. This mission isn't as bad as I thought it would be."
He glanced back in Hunter's direction to his brother's face twist in confusion for a second before softening in realization. His eyes lifted to the Jedi across from him before shifting to meet Crosshair's, a slight smirk on his lips.
"You like her, don't you?" he asked in a voice quiet enough that only Crosshair would hear.
Crosshair's eyes widened in surprise before he quickly turned away from Hunter's gaze. He wasn't sure if he "liked" Lena or if he simply thought she had a pretty smile. In the few hours that had passed since he met her, she had seemed like a decent person. She didn't treat them like rejects and had even smiled at him directly with no hint of malice or forced politeness. Also, if he was honest with himself, her smile wasn't the only thing he enjoyed.
"Don't worry. I won't tell her," Hunter said, nudging him again, the playful smirk still lingering on his face. "Although you should probably stop staring at her, or you'll give yourself away."
Crosshair elbowed Hunter in the side, earning a small huff of laughter from the Sergeant.
Lena glanced across the warming rod at the sound she heard from the other side. Hunter seemed to be amused by something. Her gaze drifted to the man beside him, and she swore she could see the hint of a smile on his face. She thought that tiny quirk of his lips improved his image enormously. It suited him much more than the scowl he had been wearing since his arrival. As she was observing him, his eyes lifted to meet hers, and for the first time, he held her gaze rather than quickly looking away. That moment of eye contact sent the curious emotion she had sensed from him flooding towards her. Lena tilted her head slightly and raised her eyebrows at him in a silent question, wondering what it was that he was feeling.
The moment was disturbed by Tech walking back into the light from his position at the edge of the space. He gestured to Wrecker before sitting down next to Lena.
"Your turn for watch, Wrecker," he said, nodding towards the darkness. "I didn't see anything, so hopefully, the night will pass without any excitement."
Wrecker groaned as he stood from his position on Lena's other side. He left the group and disappeared into the darkness. Lena watched him go, pitying him for having to leave the warmth of the light. She wasn't looking forward to her watch.
Lena pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them at the thought of the cold air seeping through her robes. Her hand brushed against her collar bone in this position, causing her fingers to catch on the necklace she worse under the edge of her collar. Reaching in, she pulled it out from its hiding place and grasped it gently. As she stroked her finger softly over the beads, she felt her mind fill with worry.
"Are you alright?" a soft voice at her side asked.
Lena turned to look at Tech, whose goggled eyes stared back at her with concern.
"Yeah, I'm just worried about my friends, that's all. I'm fully confident that we'll get them back, but you never know what could go wrong. Whenever I reach out to them in the force, I can feel they are still alive, but I know that Admiral Yung is in extreme pain. I worry about what they might have done to him."
Tech seemed surprised at her concern for the Admiral. His eyes widened briefly before narrowing back in on the datapad in his hands.
"You consider the Admiral your friend?" he asked, uncertainty clear in his voice.
"Well…friend may be pushing it, but I do care about him and his safety. Why do you ask?"
Tech tapped a few things on his datapad before bringing up a file. Then, he showed her the screen, pointing at a specific line. Lena leaned forward and read the words he was pointing to. It was a statement from Admiral Yung that had been added to her personnel file about her leadership. She had seen it before and was aware of his feelings on the matter. She glanced back up to meet Tech's gaze again.
"Yes, I know about that. But that doesn't change how I feel about him. He is still a member of my team, and I respect him greatly, even if we don't agree on some things. I don't leave people behind."
Tech shrugged and pulled his datapad back into his lap, seemingly satisfied with her answer.
"Do you look through the file of everyone you work with?" Lena asked.
Tech nodded, pushing his goggles back up from where they had slid down the bridge of his nose.
"We like to know who we're working with beforehand. We go all over the place, so we don't have the chance to get to know people. We bounce around too much."
Lena turned away from him and looked back across the space to where Crosshair and Hunter were sitting. They had been silent during the conversation, and she could tell that they were listening in. The fact that they had read her file made her concerned about what they thought about her.
"What else did my file say?" she asked.
The three brothers shared a look of uncertainty before Tech spoke up again.
"It mentioned that you didn't have an active part at the beginning of the war. That you refused to fight. It was a topic of conversation before we arrived," he said, his gaze falling on Crosshair as he spoke.
Lena scoffed and shook her head.
"I suppose it does make me look like a coward," she said softly.
"Personally, I found your reason admirable," Tech said. "Most people think of us only as tools. Granted, on the surface, that is our true purpose, but it is rare for anyone to see beyond that."
A small smile appeared on Lena's face.
"I still feel the same way about the use of clone troopers against their will," she said, "that will never change."
"I'm more curious about what changed your mind about participating yourself," Tech said. "It is strange to me that you would take such a firm stand and then change your mind. Why did you join the war?"
Lena's fingers returned to the necklace around her neck, lingering on a particular bead. An orange one with a blue stripe. She shook her head sadly before meeting Tech's gaze again.
"Ryloth. When the Separatists attacked innocent citizens, I could no longer ignore the fighting. Before that, I had stuck to relief missions. But when I arrived on Ryloth and saw the destruction and pain that had been caused, my mind was made up. My padawan Keebo lost her young nephew in one of the attacks, which drove her to support my decision. We officially entered the war after that."
Silence followed her revelation. Tech didn't seem to have a follow-up question. Then, sensing that her somber tale had brought an end to the comfortable atmosphere, Lena stood from her spot on the ground.
"I think it would be best if we all got some rest. Tomorrow is a busy day."
Lena walked away from the light and settled down against the back wall of the space, wrapping her arms around herself. She knew it would be warmer by the rod, but she needed some time to herself. She crossed her legs and closed her eyes, reaching out with the force to the base below the mountain.
Searching until she landed on Sparx's force signature, she touched his mind. She focused on him and sent a wave of encouragement to him through the force, hoping it conveyed the message she wanted.
Stay strong. Help is coming.
A/N: There was originally more than this for this chapter, but it will have to wait until next time. Please review and let me know what you think!
