Chapter 25: Itoll Oc
MGX-93776
Republic forces now controlled Azagor and its shield generator. Most of the city's population was majority Koorivar with a small Twi'lek, human, and Nemoidian minority. After two days of intense urban warfare, Azagor also had a new Wookiee minority.
Most importantly however, the Republic had dropped a prefabricated shower complex onto the Republic military base on the city's outskirts. In a curtain-less wide communal shower room, Itoll, Fojo, and dozens of Clones were now showering. A dozen different conversations in Clone accents echoed off the walls into the steamy air.
"Kriff that's gross," Itoll groaned as he found a beetle in his chest fur. He flicked it from his fur to the floor then stepped on it with his bare foot, instantly regretting the decision. He quickly stuck his foot directly into the shower stream.
Fojo chuckled, shaking his head. His green and purple Rodian frills jiggled under the shower water.
"It is great to be away from the Wookiees," Itoll mumbled, sticking his head back in the shower stream.
"You're telling me sir," Pebbles groaned. "If I have to work with another kriffing Wookiee, I am gonna scream."
"I think we're stuck with them," Fojo said with a shrug.
"Yeah," Itoll agreed. "The Republic is putting them in charge of the whole planet. We're stuck with 'em until we push the Seppies out of here and everything calms down."
"If you ask me—HEY!" Pebbles shouted. "THIS IS THE MEN'S SHOWER!" he yelled indignantly, covering his crotch with his hand.
Roarer of Yowls moaned impatiently, standing in the door.
"HOLY SHTAK!" Fojo yelled, covering his crotch too. "Oh awa ahuma!" [Get out!] he roared in Shyriiwook, pointing at the door.
More Clones started yelling angrily.
Itoll thought for a moment: do I care if she sees me nude? Nope. "Calm down guys. It's not her fault she was born without a—"
"—TELL HER TO LEAVE!" Scalp screamed, throwing a bottle of shampoo across the room.
[The women's shower is full,] Roarer of Yowls muttered bitterly in Shyriiwook, stepping into one of the empty showers. The smell of wet Wookiee filled the air as grime and mud streamed off her fur onto the floor.
"She says the women's shower is full," Itoll said with a toothy grin, enjoying how uncomfortable all these humans were.
"That doesn't make any sense sir!" Pebbles exclaimed, shaking his head angrily. "There are like five women in the entire Navy, zero in the Grand Army, and one of the five women is still on that hill."
"Oh yeah!" Itoll growled. "Sey'les. I wonder when the General is going to let Sey'les and Wulf come down."
"I am going to tell Archard," Fighter muttered under his breath as he grabbed a towel. "These Wookiees have gone too far this time! It's not right! A woman in the men's room!"
o-o-o
Lir Sey'les
Today, thick white overcast clouds hung over the savannahs and Azagor City. Atop the hill, Sey'les, Wulf, and the Clones were getting very bored. It was the longest time Sey'les had spent outdoors since her last year at the Bothan Martial Academy. In the Republic Judicial Academy, she never had an outdoor experience like this.
"General, I am requesting permission to head into town," Sey'les said professionally. "Azagor City is completely in Republic hands, the nearest Separatists are over a hundred kilometres away, and—"
"—Captain," Prococia huffed into the comm, "this is the fifth time you have asked in two days."
Calm down… calm down… "I am sorry sir," Sey'les growled cautiously, her fur standing on end in fury, "when can we expect exfil from this hill?"
"Are you requesting more supplies Captain?" Prococia asked.
"No sir," Sey'les sighed. "We have plenty of rations. Another week of supplies."
"May I speak with him, Captain?" Dub asked.
"Sir, Lieutenant Dub wishes to speak with you if that's all right," Sey'les growled wearily.
"Put him through!" Prococia said cheerily.
Sey'les passed the ruggedized comm unit to Dub and stared down hopelessly at the city below. I could be there. We could all be there… having… well more fun than this.
"General, I don't see any strategic value in us remaining here," Dub said crossly. "If you ask me—" he paused for a moment as Prococia interrupted him, then yelled "LEARN A LESSON?!"
"Give it to me Lieutenant," Sey'les snarled. "Sir!" she growled into the comm, "this is a war. I don't think it is…" Intelligent? Appropriate? Smart? Nice? Yeah, not nice! "I don't think it is nice to leave us up here on this hill."
Dub groaned in frustration.
"You don't think it is nice Captain?" the Caamasi's sing-song voice asked incredulously.
"I… no sir. I don't," Sey'les stammered, her fur swirling nervously. "General, it is not nice. Could you at least drop us a barracks or a shower unit?"
"Drop you a shower unit!" Prococia yelled. "Do you really think it wise to drop a shower unit, outside of the city shields. May I remind you, Captain, the Commerce Guild is bombing the hell out of the planet."
"Uh… well when you put it that way, no sir," Sey'les admitted.
"So, you want me to drop you a shower from orbit and make you a potential target, so you can take a shower? Is a shower more important than the safety of you and your men?"
"No sir," Sey'les stammered, her fur flat in fear. "We're fine up here with our ATTE. It looks damaged and won't be a target. I agree with your strategic assessment."
"Good," Prococia scoffed. "I'll tell you when you can come into town. We aren't ready to have you yet, Sey'les. It is a bit too hectic here as it is. Still setting up new barracks and finding places for the POWs to sleep."
"Will it be soon sir?" she growled hopefully, her twitching with anticipation.
"Yes Captain. I will order your team to return soon. Not today though."
"Thank you, sir," Sey'les yipped excitedly, beaming brightly. We get to return soon! It felt like a major victory.
Dub swore furiously once Prococia hung up. "I can't believe this!"
"Well, at least we get to go down soon," she changed the frequency to the ATTE's. "Grath?"
"Yes ma'am?" Grath asked.
"I need you to relieve me a bit early," Sey'les said professionally.
"Very well, ma'am, on my way out."
"Ma'am, are you going on reconnaissance again with Wulf?" Dub asked, then remarked innocently. "I could accompany instead if you like."
"That won't be necessarily Lieutenant," Sey'les growled impatiently. Not quite bored enough to want to kriff you, she thought, chuckling to herself. Maybe in a week or two.
"What's so funny?" Dub asked curiously.
"Nothing," Sey'les sighed. "Wulf!" she yelled, banging the side of the tank.
"Recon?" the Ardennian asked excitedly, dropping his deck of cards.
"But I was winning!" Skipper sputtered in a fury. "You can't just quit now!"
"Sorry Skipper," Wulf said, adjusting his green Naval pants as he stood, "duty calls."
Wulf put on his patrol cap as he stepped out. The uncovered bits of Sey'les's fur on her neck and face danced excitedly. They walked around the ATTE, then bounded quickly towards the secluded crater a hundred meters away.
"Ma'am!" Dubs yelled in the distance. "You forgot your blaster!"
Sey'les swore under her breath, turning around. "Thank you," she snarled, walking back towards the ATTE.
o-o-o
Itoll's fur danced with excitement as he stood at attention. Jedi General Prococia Olgar'kla held a single blue rank pin, pacing back and forth in front of Itoll. The Bothan struggled to stop from smirking.
"Itoll Oc," Prococia started, "I have been very impressed with the empathy and common sense you have displayed during Operation Seesaw."
His ears perked up. He expected a compliment, but not those particular compliments. Very Jedi, he thought. Jazal might say something like that. "Thank you Master… uh General," Itoll stammered.
"As such, I am promoting you to Lieutenant," Prococia said with a smirk, sticking the blue pin next to his other blue pin.
"Thank you, General," Itoll said brightly.
o-o-o
On his way out, Itoll read the warnings plastered on the inside of the command module's door.
On Authority of Jedi Master Prococia Olgar'kla, Acting General, Twelfth Army:
· We are now in a sustained peacekeeping operation.
· Do not roam Azagor alone. Always travel with a battle buddy.
· Inform your chain of command where you are going.
· Absolutely no unauthorised travel beyond the perimeter of Joint-Base Golshten-Myyydril after 1900 hours.
· Be polite, courteous, and professional.
· Always remember: any one of the locals can kill you at any time.
Another evening in paradise, Itoll thought wryly to himself as he put on his patrol cap. He stepped down from Prococia's command module onto the cracked permacrete. Like every other prefabricated structure here, the command module had been dropped onto the highway leading out of the city.
Piles of destroyed droids, spent artillery shells, and burnt out vehicles lined the edges of the highway. Every few meters, a gap in the scrap piles served to allow pedestrians to cross. Ten meters away, where the highway reached city limits, six Clones manned a checkpoint with barbed wire on either side.
Fojo stood up yawning, then looked down at Itoll's chest. "Shassa!" he gasped.
"Shassa sir," Itoll growled wryly.
"Damn," Fojo said. "I thought Prococia hated you."
"Eh…" Itoll muttered with a Spacer shrug. His fur swirled nervously as he wondered whether the Caamasi could hear Fojo. "Let's go back to the barracks."
The two walked on the highway, looking down carefully to avoid tripping on the rubble, potholes, or craters. They walked past Prococia's durasteel command module, past the armoury, past dozens of parked AT-TEs, past the shower module, and finally towards the rows of dozens of barracks.
Joint-Base Golshten-Myyydril was a long thin base, constructed on the permacrete highway leading beyond the city limits and eventually into the countryside. This allowed the Republic and Wookiees to control everything that enters and leaves the city without having to occupy any local structures. It allows us to starve the Koorivar's out if they resist, Itoll thought grimly.
Dropping the base onto the highway, however, also gave the Republic freedom to drop buildings in whatever configuration they desired, provided that configuration was as thin as ten lanes of traffic and a median.
Five lanes of traffic were mainly occupied by buildings dropped for the Wookiees, while the other five were mainly occupied by Republic forces.
In the muddy highway median, a group of thirty Wookiees were chanting and roaring. Two Wookiees were wrestling on the ground.
"Think giving this planet to the Wookiees was the right call?" Itoll asked quietly.
"Hell naaah," Fojo gargled wittily in half-Shyriiwook.
