Chapter 6: Itoll Oc
MGX-93776
"Sir, he is getting angry," Itoll growled. His fur was flat. "Whenever I say Wyoorgghraeshnay in Basic instead of 'Stomper of Puddles' he gets very angry."
"STOP MUCKING AROUND!" Ekos screamed. He lowered his hand towards his lightsaber threateningly.
"Sir, I am so sorry," Itoll yelped. "The Wookiees… they… they..." his voice died. He was panicking too hard to explain himself to the angry Padawan.
In the darkness, the Republic Troopers encountered three Wookiees. These Wookiees were like none Itoll had ever met. They spoke Shyriiwook with very strange accents and—
"—Shyrii oh ma nama huma Mashikh!" [Speak my name in Basic!] Stomper of Puddles roared.
"He's telling the truth sir," Fojo croaked nervously. "Stomper of Puddles is what Woorgghraeshnaymeans, and he gets very angry when Itoll says Woorgghraeshnay in Basic. These Wookiees must come from a different culture. You Jedi must learn of other cultures, right?"
"Yeah but… ugh. Fine Itoll, I am sorry," Ekos said, removing his hand from his lightsaber hilt and placing it on the Bothan's shoulder. "I am sorry for letting my anger get the best of me. It isn't the Jedi Way. I should not be causing you distress like that. What does Stomper of Puddles say?"
"Stomper of Puddles says this is his mate, Roarer of Yowls," Itoll growled nervously, closing one eye as if afraid of being physically struck. "This is his brother," he pointed to a light-brown furred Wookiee, "Thrower of Plastisheet Craft?"
Stomper of Puddles roared angrily.
"All right," Itoll yelped. "Thrower of Plastisheet Spacecraft."
A few of the Clones began roaring with laughter.
"Your stupid nicknames aren't much better," Ekos scoffed. "Real rich coming from you, 'Pebbles.'"
"My apologies sorry sir," Pebbles stammered.
"Sir," Hopper muttered nervously. "We are getting very loud. There is a significant chance the Separatists heard us or the Wookiees."
"You're right. Stomper of Puddles, can you show us the way to our friends?"
"Uma," Stomper of Puddles moaned serenely.
"He says 'yes,'" Itoll explained.
o-o-o
Itoll, Pebbles, Ekos, and the three Wookies walked at the front of the group.
[Bothan,] Thrower of Plastisheet Spacecraft moaned, [you can call me Thrower of Plastisheet Craft if you like—]
[—But you make only Spacecraft!] Stomper of Puddles roared furiously, shoving the other Wookiee.
"Can you tell them to shut the hell up?!" Ekos yelled in a whisper.
[We need to keep it down,] Itoll growled nervously in Shyriiwook. "Also Commander," he added in Basic, "these Wookiees can all understand Basic."
[I don't make only spacecraft], Thrower of Plastisheet Spacecraft muttered bitterly. [The Plastisheet Amphibious Interstellar Assault Transport can go on water].
Roarer of Yowls retorted with a catlike yowl of disapproval. [No, it can't. Like everything else you craft, it is made of Plastisheet. Plastisheet does not go on water.]
Tops any stupid argument I have ever heard, Itoll thought with a scowl. His fur swirled as he endeavoured to be more discreet.
"What in the blazes are they talking about sir?" Pebbles asked Itoll.
"I am worried if I say it, Ekos will think I am fooling around," Itoll croaked nervously. "Sir I promise—"
"—Ensign, I believe you. This is crazier than I could have fathomed."
"All right," Itoll sighed. "Well they are arguing about whether or not Thrower of Plastisheet Spacecraft makes other craft or not, and whether those craft can survive water."
Pebbles groaned as the Wookiees continued their hushed argument.
"Wait," Ekos groaned. "I sense… danger."
"How many Clankers?" Hopper asked crouching down.
The Wookiees stood still, appearing confused at Itoll, Fojo, and the Clones beginning to crouch into tactical poses.
"I don't know," Ekos muttered, closing his eyes.
"Who goes there?" a droid asked from the other side of the tall grass.
"SHHH!" Ekos whispered harshly to the Wookiees. "I sense—" he suddenly ignited his lightsaber and jumped through the grass. The silence was suddenly filled with the sound of robotic screaming, lightsaber slashes, and metal parts landing on the soft grass.
Itoll stood up and lumbered forwards with Fojo's assault pack dangling awkwardly off his chest. "All clear!" he whispered once he reached Ekos's position.
Anticlimactically, Ekos had paused in meditation. Itoll knew better than to interrupt.
"Sir," Hopper muttered, "what are—"
"—shh!" Ekos whispered harshly. A few stones and loose blades of grass lifted off the ground.
"What is he doing?!" Fojo whispered.
Itoll wondered for a moment whether he wanted to speak with Fojo yet. I guess I do. "He's meditating. Probably to figure out whether or not we face more clankers up ahead."
"How do you know so much about Jedi?" Pebbles asked with deep suspicion.
"It's personal Sergeant," Itoll muttered.
Fojo snorted. "That's one way to—"
—Itoll punched his shoulder.
"Ow!" gasped in shock.
"Shhhh!" Ekos whispered angrily. A few of the floating blades of grass had fallen onto the ground.
[Fojo,] Itoll whispered in Shyriiwook, facing the Wookiees to make it look like he was speaking with them. His fur stood on end. [If you ever do anything like that again to me, I will beat the shtak out of you. I might beat the shtak out of you as it is.]
[That's…] Fojo began protesting, but then grumbled [I'm sorry.]
[There's a lot of shtak I've done that can get me killed Fojo. This isn't funny. Kev Rel'skar attacked me in my apartment. Yeah, Ekos would probably go to prison for killing me, but I'd be dead.]
Fojo exhaled sharply. [I am sorry. Very sorry. I wouldn't have done that had I known.]
[Well,] Itoll growled, flashing his teeth. [Now you know so don't ever do it again.]
Ten minutes of meditation later, the Padawan was content. "All right, they've moved on," he said. "Lead the way Stomper of Puddles."
o-o-o
It was nearly morning when they finally arrived at their destination. With the sun just below the horizon, the sky was lit with an eerie dark-blue hue accompanied by both a dark and light ultraviolet hue.
Before them sat a series of hills covered with vehicular wreckage. Crashed LAATs and Separatist gunships sprinkled the top, while, at the base of the hill sat several pummelled AT-TEs. Beyond those the Wookiee and Republic defenders had set up a few turrets.
[Right over there,] Stomper of Puddles yowled unnecessarily.
"He says up there," Itoll panted, exhausted from carrying 44 kilos of his own gear, and another 20 of Fojo's.
"All right everyone, we'll go up there, and see how many hours of shuteye we can get before Operation Seesaw begins," Ekos said in a hopeful tone.
