Chapter 5: Day Off (Bonus Chapter)

"I've finished my report to Master Yoda, so we have the rest of the day to ourselves," Jiana said as she and her squad strolled through the halls of the Jedi Temple. "You boys are free to do what you like. The Vorpent leaves at 0500 hours tomorrow, so be back before then."

"I can already tell where Noctus is going," Patches muttered to Rhino. "He's going to go back to the Vorpent and sit there all alone because he doesn't know how to have fun."

Said commando shot a dirty look at the medic but stayed silent. "Alright, squad dismissed," Jiana said, the clones saluting and splitting off. "Have fun!" the Zeltron Jedi called. "Uliia, what are your plans for the day?"

"Me, personally?" Uliia glanced down the hall. "Making sure he actually enjoys himself." Following her Padawan's gaze, Jiana caught sight of Noctus peering out a window, as if he were checking for a sniper. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Are you sure you can handle that? You know him better than any of us; he wouldn't willingly have fun if I held my lightsaber to his throat."

"Lucky for me I've got two," Uliia said, winking as she jogged down the hall, signaling for the clone to follow her. Watching the duo turn a corner and disappear from sight, Jiana sighed, shaking her head with a smile.

"Oh, she's got it bad."

GAR Weapons Depot 1138

The inventory droid glared at Falcon, disdain hidden behind its impassive metal face. "Don't tell me you broke your rifle again. I won't get you a new one."

"I didn't!" the scout argued, holding his rifle out to show the droid. "I just feel like it's not as effective a weapon as I want it to be!"

The droid gave him a look, then turned to Trigger. "And why are you here as well?"

He shrugged. "Want a bigger blaster."

The droid sighed, then beckoned the two to follow him as he walked back through the warehouse, hundreds of rows of shelves full of all types of weapons and ammunition. He turned down a row of longblasters, scanning the dozens of blasters. "For a long-range weapon, we have this selection here. A popular option for clones in the Outer Regions is this one," he said, picking up a long, narrow blaster. "The IQA-11. Quite a long range with decent accuracy from distances of up to seven kilometers. This example was equipped with a barrel extension that dramatically raises the muzzle velocity and has a multifocus scope."

"No, no," Falcon shook his head, brushing past the droid. "I need something big, something powerful. I need a tank buster."

"Then I have the perfect blaster for you." The droid set the rifle down and walked further down the aisle, struggling under the weight of the blaster it retrieved. "This is an NT-242, modified with a disruptor shot. Capable of punching through a Separatist AAT from six kilometers and annihilating a super battle droid from nine. Of course, you have to be able to actually be that accurate to do so, but it is capable of doing such feats. It is very slow firing, and one ammo pouch holds enough charge for ten shots."

Falcon took the rifle from the droid, staring it up and down in awe. Nearly two meters long and with a scope the size of a carbine, it weighed almost twice as much as his previous blaster. It was a heavy, unwieldy, ungodly slow rifle. It would take an absolute idiot to want to use it as a scout.

"I love it!"

"Very well, I shall add the cost to your squad's total. And what about you?" the droid asked Trigger. "What kind of blaster do you desire?"

"I want something that can shred any droid down to scrap metal," the trigger-happy clone said. "It has to be able to deal a lot of damage in a very short amount of time."

The droid thought for a bit, then beckoned the two to follow him. "I will take you to the testing range," he explained. "There is a prototype blaster that you might like. We have been looking for test subjects." Passing through a set of doors, the droid picked up a small, blocky carbine. "This is a new weapon in development for Special Forces. It is called the TL-50 Heavy Repeater. Feel free to take it for a test."

Trigger took the weapon from the droid, feeling the immense weight of the object. Stepping forward to the firing range, he shouldered the blaster and took aim at a deactivated battle droid. His finger tightened around the trigger, and a hail of blaster bolts shot forth, decimating the dilapidated droid in under a second. The recoil from the burst jerked his shoulder back, his right foot automatically sliding backwards to brace himself. His finger slipped from the trigger, a tendril of smoke wafting up from the barrel. Trigger glanced down at the blaster, unconvinced.

"Sure, it's got an incredible rate of fire, but the bolt spread is about as big as Falcon's ego." Ignoring the glare from the sniper, Trigger held the blaster back to the droid. "It's terribly inaccurate, it drains all its ammunition in like three seconds, and-"

"Do you see this button here?" the droid interrupted, pointing to a button on the front grip. "Press it and pull the trigger again." Trigger raised an eyebrow, sighing as his raised the blaster to his shoulder once more. Pressing the aforementioned button with his left thumb, he took aim at what little was left of the battle droid and squeezed the trigger.

For a moment, there was a high-pitched whine as a bright blue orb of plasma swelled from the muzzle of the blaster, then a burst of energy as the projectile shot forwards, arcing upwards before slamming down to the ground in a bright flash of light, the resulting shockwave nearly knocking Falcon and Trigger off their feet. A sharp hiss emerged from the blaster's vents as steam swirled lazily upwards. Trigger lowered the blaster and turned to the droid, a maniacal grin stretched across his face.

"Hell yes."

79's

The dark atmosphere and flashing lights did nothing to ease Noctus' tension. Neither did the thumping of the bass, or the scantily clad women dancing with the other clones. His glare was locked onto the flustered Padawan sitting at the bar beside him, dark blushes streaking her cheeks and the tips of her lekku as she avoided eye contact, staring down at the glass she gingerly held in her hand; for the better part of an hour, neither one had moved, nor talked.

"You ready to give up now?" the commando said. Uliia flashed him a frown before her blush intensified and she averted her gaze once more.

"I'm staying here because I know if I leave, you'll leave. Go out and have fun with your brothers."

Noctus raised an eyebrow, unmoved. "And leave a fifteen-year-old Twi'lek alone in a bar full of drunk men? Not happening."

"I can handle myself!" Uliia finally made eye contact with the clone she'd been awkwardly avoiding, her annoyance far outweighing her embarrassment. "I'm a Jedi, for crying out loud! They won't do anything to me."

Noctus leaned forward until his face was just inches from hers, unblinking. "Do you even know where you took me? 79's is a bar for clones to get drunk and fool around with gorgeous women. To them, you look the same as those dancers." He gave her minimalist outfit a once-over, eyes narrowed. "They'd probably think you were another kind of service here."

Uliia's mouth dropped open and she was about to argue back when she paused, mulling over his words. Damn it, he's right. Uliia was no fool- she knew exactly what kind of reputation her species had. The fact that of the dancers mingling with the clones, almost a third of them were Twi'lek didn't help either. She sighed, folding her arms on the bar and resting her face in them.

Hearing Noctus' armor clack together as he moved, she tilted her head to the side to see the commando staring down a trio of clones who were leering at her. He motioned to her lightsabers, then slowly shook his head, glaring at the clones. The clones took another look at Uliia, this time seeing the sabers on her belt and the braided beads hanging from her headdress. Nodding in apology, they ventured back into the throngs of people around the dance floor, vanishing into the crowd.

"I don't need you hovering over me all the time," she mumbled, turning her face away from him once more.

"I have my orders from the General. Like it or not, I won't leave you alone in a place like this."

"Yes, you will."

"No way in hell."

"Yes, you will!" Uliia argued, glaring at the stubborn clone.

"Perhaps I can be the tiebreaker," a sultry voice piped in. Noctus abruptly stood up at attention as Aayla Secura sat beside Uliia, smiling. "At ease, soldier. It's been quite some time, Uliia."

"Hello Master Secura," the Padawan said as she straightened up. "I thought you were still in the Outer Rim."

"We ship out for Felucia tomorrow," the older Twi'lek said, holding up a hand to flag down the bartender droid. "The Confederacy has blocked off the Perlemian trade route, so the 327th is being sent to retake the system. I figured I'd give the boys some time to relax and enjoy themselves."

"That's what I've been trying to do with this one," Uliia groaned, lazily pointing a thumb at Noctus. "He just doesn't know how to have fun."

Aayla looked Noctus up and down, thinking. "Republic Commando… with that black armor, you must be part of Omega Squad, correct? I don't recognize you."

"I served with the Shadow Troopers before I was transferred to Commander Nodulu's force," Noctus said. "I have worked with some of your men before in the Ryloth Garrison after the Liberation." Aayla's eyes lit up.

"Oh, do you know Lieutenant Umbra? He served under Master Di before he died and was transferred to the 327thafter he was made an ARC trooper." Noticing the recognition in the commando's eyes, Aayla turned in her chair. "Umbra, come here! There's someone I want you to meet!"

Two clones came to them, one clad in shock trooper armor and staggering slightly and the other wearing black armor with yellow stripes down the arms and legs, and a yellow skull decal painted on the black helmet he held in his arm. Noctus stood as the two black-clad clones shook hands, grinning. "Good lord, I cannot believe you ended up in 79's!" Umbra joked. "How'd the most antisocial clone in the GAR end up here?"

"Not like I had a choice," the commando said, nodding his head towards Uliia, who gave the ARC a polite wave. As the clones went on about old battle stories, Aayla gave a knowing smile towards the younger Twi'lek.

"I would say it is unbecoming for a Jedi and a clone to have such a close friendship, but I am in no position to say anything." A flurry of panicked emotions crossed Uliia's face, and the older Jedi laughed. "Oh, relax. I won't say anything to your Master, assuming she hasn't noticed by now."

Uliia averted her gaze, the tips of her lekku blushing a deep purple. "N-noticed what?"

Aayla leaned closer, taking Uliia's hand in her own. "I have a very similar relationship with Commander Bly. We have each other's backs at all times; we protect and save each other… But things like that don't seem so special, no?" Aayla flashed a glance at the Commander in question, speaking with Commander Fox near the door. "It goes much deeper than just fellow soldiers. We are best friends; nothing can split us apart." She straightened up, taking a sip of her drink. "To be honest with you, it's not that uncommon. Master Kenobi and Commander Cody are good friends and have repeatedly trusted their lives in the other's hands. Master Skywalker trusts Captain Rex almost as much as he trusts that astromech of his. Padawan Tano…" she trailed off for a moment, lost in thought. "From the very moment they met, she and Rex were nearly inseparable. I've seen the way those two interact, especially on Quell and Maridun. In many ways, I saw myself in her, just as I see myself in you."

Uliia was silent for a while, staring down at her hands. "Is it really so bad?" she finally asked, looking up at the older Jedi with hurt in her eyes. "Is it wrong for me to be so close to Noctus? To want to be friends after this war is over?"

Aayla rested a hand on the distraught teen's shoulder, glancing around for a moment before leaning close. "I don't see it as a bad thing. Neither does Bly. I'll let you in on a secret, Uliia. But you can never tell anyone else about it, alright?" The serious look in Aayla's eyes sobered Uliia up a bit, and she nodded, leaning closer. "After the war is over, I'm leaving the Jedi Order."

"What?" Uliia gasped, a little too loud. Ignoring the raised eyebrows from the clones, she continued in a hushed voice. "Why would you leave the-" It dawned on her as she paused, recalling her entire conversation with the older Twi'lek. "Bly…"

Aayla nodded. "I'm leaving the order, and Bly is going to leave the Army. If he can't legally leave by then, we'll run away together. The both of us have been fighting too long. Everything… the battles, our feelings, it's all been so long. We suspect that our assignment to Felucia will be our last. Separatist forces are wearing thin and evacuating nonessential positions all across the Outer Rim. Once we're done fighting, we'll both resign from duty and run away."

Uliia's head was swimming. Never in her life had she expected Master Secura of all Jedi to leave the order; she was one of the greatest role models for the female Padawans at the temple, alongside the former Ahsoka Tano. The whole reason Uliia dressed the way she did was inspired by Aayla's athletic abilities, unrestrained by traditional Jedi robes. Being Twi'leks, they had an innate connection, a unique language only they could understand. Sure, she loved her own Master, but there were some problems that only a fellow Twi'lek could help. "Where would you go?" she finally asked, trying to brush away her shock.

"We don't know," Aayla admitted. "I have friends in Coruscant that are willing to loan us a shuttle so we can escape, but that would only be a temporary solution. Perhaps we could move back to Ryloth someday." She chuckled, glancing up at Noctus, who was still talking with Umbra. "Did you know that clone there helped save my village during the firebombing?" Seeing the shocked look in Uliia's face, Aayla gave a sigh. "He doesn't seem the kind of person to talk about that sort of stuff. Truth be told, I didn't know it was him until he mentioned that he knew Umbra. They helped take care of my friends and family and protect them from the droids."

"Ryloth is the reason he's so distant," Uliia admitted. "He saw things there that hurt him, deep inside. I've felt it. The pain in his heart every night, the fear… It's overpowering through the Force." She rested her hand on Aayla's, letting her emotions flow through her and into the older Jedi. "I want to help him. I can't stand seeing him hurt like that. But I don't know what I can do. I don't know how to heal him."

"Healing from a wounded soul is very difficult, Uliia," Aayla said softly. "Unfortunately, you can't do anything about it. Your caring can temporarily distract him from his suffering, but it will still be there. To heal a broken spirit, it takes time and acceptance. Do you know what exactly hurt him so?"

Uliia racked her brain, thinking back to the few times Noctus truly opened up to her. "During the bombings, he came across a little girl sobbing over her mother's body. She had protected her daughter, shielding her from the blast, but was killed by the bomb." Aayla's eyes widened in horror as Uliia shivered. "He said that the sight of that poor girl haunts him. Covered in her mother's blood, weeping and holding the broken body of her, the suffering of this poor innocent girl… She was a Rutian Twi'lek, just like you. Like me. Every time he looks at me, all he can see is that little girl kneeling in the wreckage…"

Aayla was silent, a burning pit sinking through her stomach. Now that she knew what she needed to look for, she reached out through the Force, finding Noctus' signature easily. With a short breath, she closed her eyes, entering his mind.

The surge of emotions nearly flattened her; the helplessness he felt during the Battle of Ryloth, the agony of the little girl's tear-streaked face, the devastating scent of death and decay as the bombs detonated through the villages, the searing wail of the Hyena bombers as they pulled around for the finishing strike…

But there was something else there. Aayla hadn't felt its presence in any other clone besides Bly. Rising over the pain and torment, there was an overwhelming tide of loyalty, of love, of protection, all curling over the ball of hatred and misery… with a single wisp flowing through the Force, swirling through the universe until it merged with a second, coiling through the vast sea of emotions and encircling the young Twi'lek sitting before her, protecting her from the terror and darkness within his mind.

Aayla cut the connection with the Force, feeling the tears threatening to run down her face. Forcing them to stay, she squeezed Uliia's hand, giving her a faint smile.

"I'm certain he can be saved. More than he already knows. But to do so, he would have to suffer. He would have to go back to where it all began, to the place where he lost all hope. Only once he finally forgives himself will he be free of his torment."

"Back to Ryloth?" Uliia asked. "Maybe once the war is over, we can run away… like you and Bly. I know how much he hates Ryloth and refuses to speak about it, but I know I can convince him."

After about fifteen minutes of conversation, Umbra finally realized he never introduced his drunken companion. "You remember Captain Cyclops, right?" he asked Noctus. The shock trooper's head perked up on hearing his name, revealing a deep gash down the left side of his face and directly through his empty eye socket. "Back when that Zillo beast thing got let loose?"

"I put that monster down," the drunk clone slurred, grinning. "Took my damn eye though. That son of a bitch was tough."

"I was lucky enough not to be here when it escaped." Noctus' words fell on deaf ears as Cyclops' sole eye caught sight of the two Twi'leks at the bar, a drunken grin spreading across his face as he draped his arms around their shoulders.

"What are a couple of beauties like you two doin' in a place like this?" Uliia scrunched up her nose as the scent of alcohol overpowered her. This clone was drunk, so much so that he couldn't even recognize the lightsabers on their belts, or that he was hitting on the General of one of his friends.

"Sorry," Aayla said, removing the Captain's arm from around her. "We're busy, thank you." Cyclops frowned, rearing up to his full height as he gave a disgruntled shove to their shoulders, storming away. But not without giving them a few parting words.

"Fuckin' tailheads."

Uliia couldn't see who threw the first punch, but in an instant both Noctus and Umbra were on top of the drunken clone, the quarreling trio crashing into tables and other clones. A gang of shock troopers jumped into the fray upon recognizing their Captain, and it didn't take long for a few clones from the 327th to join as well. Uliia and Aayla shouted at them, pulling at the soldiers to break up the fight, but to no avail.

"What in the fuck is going on here?" a voice roared from behind them. Bly and Fox pushed past the Jedi, throwing clones left and right until they got to the three in the middle, ripping them apart. "What in the name of Fett are you doing?" Bly yelled, locking his arms around Umbra's throat to pull him away from the fight. Uliia rushed forwards to pull Noctus away, pushing him back until he stopped trying to get at Cyclops.

Fox tore his helmet off, glaring down at the dazed Captain. "Someone, I don't care who, better tell me what the fuck happened here before I court martial every single one of you," he snarled. No response. Fox pulled his pistol from his holster. "Start talking or I'll start stunning."

Uliia stepped forward. "Captain Cyclops was drunk and thought Master Secura and I were dancers. When we rejected him, he shoved us and called us- called us a slur. Noctus and Umbra didn't take too kindly to that."

Now it was Umbra's turn to hold back Bly, keeping the irate Commander from stomping on the downed Captain. "Bly," Fox warned, pistol twitching. "Don't make me do this." The yellow-armored clone stopped struggling but kept his furious glare on Cyclops.

"Don't you ever speak like that to my General again," he growled. "or else I'll be the one kicking your ass."

"Bly, that's enough." Aayla placed a hand on her Commander's shoulder, the clone visibly relaxing. "Come on boys," she called to the rest of her clones, "you're all done. Go back to your barracks and rest up before we ship out." The 327th clones saluted and began filing their way out of the trashed bar, throwing dirty looks at Cyclops.

"I'd suggest you two leave as well," Fox said to Uliia with a stern look. "I'm not afraid to arrest a Jedi or a Commando."

With one final kick at the downed clone, Noctus turned and stormed outside, followed closely by Uliia, who gave an apologetic smile to the shock trooper. As Noctus stomped off towards a transport, Uliia grabbed his arm and yanked him to an alley beside 79's, arms crossed. "Start talking."

Noctus didn't look at her, still frustrated. Uliia's eyes narrowed, and her hand reached out to his chin, forcing the stubborn clone to look at her. "Now."

"You know exactly why," Noctus grumbled, seizing her wrist and pulling her hand away with just enough force to let her know he wasn't in the mood to talk. "It doesn't affect you."

"It affects you, and therefore it affects me." Noctus leaned forward, glaring at her in a way she hadn't seen since they first met over a year ago.

"You don't own me. You aren't me. You have no reason to be affected by my own problems."

Uliia sighed, reaching up. "Yes, I do." She planted a soft peck on his cheek, the tips of her lekku dark purple. Ignoring the shocked expression on the clone's face, she walked out of the alley, taking a deep breath. "Come on. We should head back to the Vorpent. We leave in five hours, and we need our sleep."

The Vorpent, 0730 hours

Quint entered the deck, nodding to his fellow clones as they huddled around the holoprojector.

"We received an urgent assignment from Republic Intelligence," Jiana was explaining. "A Republic planet has reported a Separatist battle station in orbit. Our intelligence has confirmed the station is active but could find no signs of droid starfighters anywhere. No ships of any kind have been seen approaching or exiting the station, but scanners have detected objects entering and leaving hyperspace in the vicinity."

"Our mission today," Uliia added, pointedly avoiding a certain clone's gaze, "is reconnaissance. We need to figure out what that station is doing and destroy it if necessary."

"Alright, one problem." All eyes fell on Noctus. "You never told us what planet we're going to."

Jiana and Uliia were silent, avoiding eye contact with the commando. He narrowed his eyes, sensing something was amiss. "What planet are we going to?" he repeated.

"General, we're dropping out of hyperspace now," a crew member announced. As the bright white and blue of hyperspace faded away, the surface of the planet coming into view, Noctus' eyes widened and his grip on the table seized up. He knew exactly where they were. It was a place he hoped never to see again. A terrible, scarring place. His breathing came shallow and rapid as he found his voice.

"Ryloth…"

Author's note: well, it finally happened. I think we all knew Uliia was going to do it sooner or later. Noctus certainly wasn't going to make the first move. A few things I'd like to mention:

1. The short scene with Falcon and Trigger is actually important to the story, I swear. I didn't give them a weapons upgrade for no reason. Also, not-so-subtle 1138 reference.

2. The next chapters will be a three-part arc, obviously taking place on/over Ryloth. They will be the final three chapters in the story, with the exception of the epilogue.

3. I would like to give a very big thanks to all the readers who made it this far. Every comment, every favorite, it all makes me very happy.

4. It gets thrown about a bit in The Clone Wars, but in my head canon "tailhead" is the Twi'leks equivalent of the n-word. Naturally, the 327th didn't take too kindly to hearing such a slur used against their General, and Noctus certainly wasn't going to let it go. Moral of the story: don't say mean words about others.

5. Finally, I would like to promote a story that really inspired Aayla and Bly in this chapter. It is "More Than Just a Clone (Not Just a Copy of a Man)" by LongLiveTheClones. It is a phenomenal story and, while I won't spoil anything in it, I believe that Aayla and Bly deserved each other. Maybe it was just the story, but there was something about them that really pulled my heartstrings.

Thank you all for reading and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter!

EDIT:

Well, this is awkward. For all of my attempts to make this integrate smoothly into canon by only using OC's for the main characters and having them off-screen during events shown in the movies/TCW, I messed up. Aayla Secura and the 327th did not ship out for Felucia until after the Battle of Coruscant. Thus, I have altered the timeline in which this story takes place. The Battle of Coruscant occurred while Inferno Company was on their multi-hour hyperspace trip back from Alzoc III, and they arrived just after the Separatist Navy retreated.

Not only that, but there are about 2-3 days between the Battle of Coruscant and Order 66. Therefore, I will have to substantially alter my script for the Ryloth Arc. Chapter updates will be slowed down while I rework my draft.