On top of the podium, Mliss silently observed the scene as it played out. It was the first batch of clone trainees of today and so far- they were doing well. Makeshift squad. Not too good nor too bad. An average batch of clones.
Suddenly, a strong wave of emotion emanated from one of the five troopers making her eyebrows raise a fraction in surprise. Already searching deeply into the Force- she could feel every wave of Pain, Hunger, Guilt and outright terror from one of the Troopers in the squad. It was so strong, it would have knocked her off her feet had she not quickly retreated from that area of the force. Brows now furrowed slightly, she tentatively reaches out again, proving to find the source of this large disturbance.
El-les watched curiously as the mysterious Jedi master stepped closer to the observatory window, before lowering her head in a gesture that suggested concentration of a sort. As long as El-les has known Mliss , which was long before she actually was one, he has never been able to read her. Most of the time, her expression was one of pure peace. It was helpful in times of chaos, but one could sometimes find it annoying. Like this time. Not having eyes helped immensely with this feat. Really, the only way to get answers out of Mliss, was to ask.
"What do you see in them?"
M'liss had always liked El-les, having met him when they were both in their youth, he had helped her out of a tight spot at their first meeting. As an Arkonan, he liked being part of a group so he treated the clones with compassion. A trait rare in bounty hunters though much welcomed by every clone in his command. She stayed silent for a second before answering.
"CT-4690...Something is wrong with him." She said slowly, not wanting to get the wrong signal across.
Both bounty hunters peered over the edge, but to no avail . When no explanation followed, Brik spoke up, baffled.
"He looks like any other clone in this squad."
M'liss mused briefly on his short sightedness. Him, like most brainless beings, thought of clones as things. That was messed up in more ways than Mliss cared to count. Each clone was an individual. But there was no point arguing that to him now.
"No," She replied simply."There's something different about him."
Halfway there, Halfway there.
The new mantra played joyfully around in Planks head.
Stay on your feet, he ordered mentally to himself.
Plank chuckled as he realized he was talking to himself in the middle of a battle. He jumped over a few bullets and rolled to the first set of cover. Grinning wider- he realized that the adrenaline had forced the hunger away.
"We're going to make it!" he said disbelievingly, not daring to hope that they would complete it.
"As long as you walk straight Plank."One of his brothers said but the grin was obvious in his voice.
He grinned with more confidence than he thought he could ever muster. The others ran to the next set of cover, calling to him to join them. He glanced around and spotted a droid coming up on his right. Rising, he raised his blaster- aiming. Then everything went wrong.
The hunger that haunted him came back with an army at its side. He heard the droids blaster being cocked. He heard his brothers continuing on without him, oblivious to what was happening. His whole body froze and it suddenly felt like his body was gnawing at itself. Dizzily, he was vaguely aware that the voices of his brothers were growing frighteningly distant. He could barely breathe, barely think.
If Plank wasn't so terrified of getting caught, he might have doubled over and fallen to his knees in the utter anguish. Only fear kept him standing.
Shifting his weight as his genetic modelling told him to go down fighting, everything started to blur as the droids blaster was being raised.
Panic rose in his chest but the edges of his vision began to dim. The droids shot found its mark but was muffled by the hundreds of other shots that rang around it. As Plank hit the floor he blacked out. The last thing Plank heard was his brothers cursing his clumsiness. Why me, he almost cried out, Why me.