Hello again! Sorry about the wait but this part of the story isn't quite done. I decided to split it into two chapters because of how long it was taking (and I thought the first part was long enough anyway).

It was quite fun writing this. I had a lot of fun in Commander Pillow fleshing out different clones and looking back I realized that Waxer and Boil hadn't gotten as much love as I had hoped.

So I started writing Obi-Wan's recovery and figured I'd plug them in here for some character development... which somehow gave way to things I never thought of. So I hope you enjoy!

Commander Pillow: Slaves of the Republic: Chapter 4: Progress

It took five seconds from the time Cody appeared in the mess, Obi-Wan by his side, for most of the 212th to instantly gravitate towards the commander and Jedi.

It was lunchtime, and the clone had managed (barely) to convince the general to come with him to the mess to get something to eat. The list that Stitch sent out of allowed foods had been received by every clone. Which meant before the two even properly sat down, three trays full of food had been placed in front of Obi-Wan.

The table was filled in seconds, with Waxer and Boil sitting across from the General and Wooley on the other side. Several other clones stood behind trying not to crowd Obi-Wan but still be close. The Jedi didn't look tense or panicked, so Cody left the crowders alone, picking one of the trays and beginning to eat his food. Anyone sitting followed suit, making a few jokes here and there.

Obi-Wan didn't move, just staring at the two full trays in front of him.

Cody frowned at the sight, waiting patiently to see if Obi-Wan would do something eventually. But after half of his own meal was gone, it was clear the Jedi needed some prodding. "General," He gently said, keeping his voice low. "You need to eat."

Obi-Wan tensed at this, pursing his lips, but said nothing, nor reached for his tray.

The commander took a breath. "Sir, really, you need to eat."

This time the Jedi tensed up even more and eyed the food with something akin to suspicion and fear. Cody blinked. Stitch had mentioned that his food might have been poisoned. Or it was just bad. It might explain why his General wouldn't touch his plate.

The clone gently wrapped his arm around the general and began to gently coax, "Sir, do you want to try eating something from your tray?" The Jedi shook his head slightly, leaning into the clone's embrace.

Cody tightened his grip a little. "I promise it won't hurt you."

Obi-Wan flinched.

Definitely the problem.

Cody reached for the tray, scooping a scoop of the soft food into his spoon. He made sure Obi-Wan was watching as he swallowed it. "See?"

Obi-Wan took a shaky breath. "Very well, Cody." His movements were slow and cautious and the bites were small. Twenty minutes later, Cody was slightly disappointed with how little the Jedi ate, but at least he ate something.

Dinner was a very similar situation. Cody waited for the General to make the first move, but found he had to do a little convincing. And still, the food consumed was a very little amount.

After dinner, the General would not go to his quarters to sleep. It wasn't so much him saying as such, more of him coming up with reasons why he could not do such a thing yet. "I have a lot of paperwork I need to catch up on because of my time in the medical bay." "I think a light walk around the ship would help me get some strength back." "I would like to do some meditating in one of the training rooms." On and on the excuses came until it was very late and Cody was now very grumpy at his General.

"General Kenobi, I am exhausted. Can we please go to bed?" Cody asked, forcing a yawn to stay in his throat.

"But Cody, I-"

"No!" Cody shook his head and his voice came sharper than he intended. General Kenobi actually flinched at the outburst and took a small step away from his "babysitter". Cody sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "General, if you don't want to go to your quarters, can we at least go to the barracks? I'm sure we have an extra cot or one that is currently not being used by the night crew." Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh. But to be fair, The Commander was exhausted and too tired to process exactly what he was saying.

Obi-Wan finally admitted defeat and followed his Commander to the clone barracks. Everyone was already asleep (much to Cody's annoyance). There was an empty cot near Cody's and the clone assured his General he could wake him if there was a problem.

Then Cody passed out, determined to sleep as much as he could before the next cycle started.

Waxer had no idea who put him on General duty, but he was a little excited to spend the entire morning with his General. It was a little known fact to most of the clones, but Obi-Wan was actually quite the trickster. And Waxer could not wait to start pranking people.

Unfortunately, when he woke up, he found Obi-Wan sitting on one of the cots in the barracks, wide awake, and looking quite exhausted.

So much for his plans. Waxer rolled off the cot, stretching his arms out and smiling at General Kenobi. "Morning, sir."

"Good morning, Waxer."

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Waxer asked as nonchalantly as possible.

Obi-Wan didn't answer. Waxer sighed. At least the Jedi wasn't trying to lie about it. "Come with me, sir."

The General looked surprised. If he had been expecting a lecture, then Waxer wasn't the one who was going to give it. The clone had sat through enough of those to know they did very little to help… at least when it came to him.

The mess hall was pretty empty this morning. Waxer found himself grateful for the fact and told Obi-Wan to go sit in a corner while he got the food.

The General picked at his food, but at least he didn't need Cody's assurance to eat it. Waxer waited until the tray was half eaten before speaking.

"So, what's the plan for the morning. General?"

Obi-Wan put down his fork. He thought about the question for a minute or so then slowly answered. "I need to review some reports from the Council and a few new policies passed in the Senate yesterday."

Waxer's face fell at that. An entire morning of paperwork was not an activity he happily anticipated.

Obi-Wan must have noted the clone's expression because he rushed his next words. "There's no need for you to join me in that Waxer. I can handle paperwork just-"

"No, sir. It's fine." Waxer quickly assured. "I just wasn't expecting that. Let's get to it."

Obi-Wan did not look convinced. "Waxer, you can go to the training room or I can do something else. There is no reason to burden you-"

"It isn't a burden." Waxer's voice grew harder. "I promise, sir. Whatever you need to do, I'll be there. It's the least I can do."

"But-!"

"I insist, General. Let's go do some paperwork." He went to stand but Obi-Wan grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

He sighed heavily and shook his head, "Waxer that is very kind of you but really… I'll be fine on my own for an hour or two."

Waxer sat in silence for several minutes, unsure of how to respond. His thoughts swirled in a storm before clearing. He began to speak softly. "I… I lost my squad pretty early in the war."

Obi-Wan looked shocked and confused by the subject change

"Don't get me wrong," Waxer quickly interjected, "It wasn't all at once. It just started with one member… then followed by another. Then another and then another and suddenly… it was just me." Waxer looked down at his hands. "After that I… I stopped caring about a lot of things. My new squad never saw me, I acted out of line, I stopped eating as much and did a few things in battles that some might consider suicidal."

He poked at his now empty tray with his fork, unable to look his General in the eye. "The jokes, pranks, everything was just a cover-up. I laughed, made everyone else laugh or get angry but the entire time… I felt nothing." Waxer chuckled. It sounded empty. "One time I thought it was the end. Clankers from all sides, no help in sight, and I felt… glad as the darkness claimed me." He shook his head. "Then I woke up in the medical bay, Stitch standing over me with that concerned look of his. He said that I'd be dead if some clone named Boil hadn't drug my sorry butt back here."

Obi-Wan's eyes widened. "But I thought-"

"Boil was my batchmate?" Waxer asked. "We get that a lot. Reality is different from ideal though. I never met Boil until after I was released from the med bay. He was standing in my barracks, hands on his hips. I was expecting a lecture." Waxer smiled. "Which I got… but it wasn't the lecture I was expecting. No talk of recklessness or being stupid. Instead, he looked me in the eye and said: 'If you ever do something like that again, then I'll kill you myself.'"

General Kenobi looked confused. "What?"

Waxer laughed. "That's what I said! You know why they call him Boil?"

The Jedi shook his head.

"He sits on his feelings and emotions until they finally grow too much. Or boil over, if you will. Well, apparently, Boil had been watching me for quite some time. Somehow, what everyone else saw as harmless jokes and undisciplined behavior, he saw right through. And he had enough of it. So he told me right then and there that he wasn't leaving me alone for a single second until he said so." Waxer shook his head. "I didn't believe him at first. Then I woke up and he was in the bunk next to mine. We went to mess together- he made me eat- then went to training and whatever else we had to do. When the day ended, we went back to the barracks and fell asleep. The next day, he was still there. And the day after that, and the day after that, on and on until… well, never."

Obi-Wan frowned. "He isn't here right now."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong, General," Waxer jerked his thumb behind him, "Boil is sitting three tables behind us. He's pretty good at not being noticed."

Obi-Wan turned around and sure enough, Boil was at a table, chatting with another brother. Nothing he did hinted that he was watching Waxer, but the Jedi had no doubt the clone was doing just that.

Waxer continued, "On the rare occasions when he has to leave, he grabs some random clone to watch me." Waxer shrugged. "So here I am: alive and happy."

Obi-Wan didn't look convinced. "I can talk to the Jedi about a mind healer if-"

"I'm good, General. Have been for quite some time," Waxer smiled. "Boil helped with that. But he still watches over me like the good (and stubborn) brother he is. And we're watching over you, General."

And suddenly Obi-Wan found himself at the end of a lecture.

"We're here for you, General. So don't you worry bout a thing. Paperwork is nothing." Waxer pointed at the half-eaten plate. "But first, I'm going to do what Boil did to me, and I quote: 'If you don't start eating I'll force-feed you. So finish your kriffing plate'."

Obi-Wan chuckled, despite the threat. Then he picked up his fork and began to slowly eat the remaining paste in front of him, a little more quickly than a few minutes ago.

A few days later, Boil picked up General Kenobi from the medical bay around noon. He had arranged for Waxer to have a standard check-up with Stitch… which would last three hours. The same amount of time Boil was assigned to watch his General.

"Hello General," Boil nodded to the man. "Ready for some exercise?"

Obi-Wan looked surprised. "Aren't you going in to see Waxer?"

"No, sir," Boil frowned. "I'm going to take you to the training rooms."

"But I thought…" Obi-Wan's voice died off. "I mean, Waxer told me you…"

Boil raised an eyebrow. "What did he do this time?"

Obi-Wan looked hesitant, "I thought… you watched him." He replied weakly, unsure of how to word this. Maybe Waxer had just told him some story to get him to finish his breakfast?

Boil frowned, his brow furrowed in confusion. It cleared as suddenly as it appeared. "Ah, now I see." That was what the two had talked about in the mess hall. Boil had been curious what Waxer had said to get his General to eat that morning. "Stitch will be with him for the next few hours. I'll come to pick him up when we are done."

Relief swept across the General's face. "Oh. Lead on, Boil."

"Yes, sir."

Boil had arranged for one of the training halls to be empty. He thought it best to not have any distractions to the General. Especially for the activity, he had in mind.

"You want me to do what?" Obi-Wan gaped at the two blasters Boil was holding.

Boil resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Target practice is not that hard, General."

"But… it's so…" Obi-Wan stopped himself. How to put this without being offensive? After all, a blaster was the main choice of weapon for a clone trooper. "Barbaric" seemed harsh.

Boil waited patiently, watching his General's desperate thoughts fly back and forth.

"Uncivilized," he finally decided upon.

"Uncivilized," Boil repeated.

"Yes."

Boil tossed the blaster to the Jedi, "Well then, let me teach you these 'uncivilized' ways."

Obi-Wan winced at the word. "I'm sorry, Boil, I didn't mean-"

"General," Boil interrupted. "I've heard worse. Besides, the day I see a Jedi wield a blaster as a main weapon… well, I would say is the day the Republic dies." He smiled to show Obi-Wan he wasn't offended then pointed at the targets. "We'll start with stationary then move to moving. Now how much do you know about blasters?"

Obi-Wan stared at Boil for a moment, then raised the blaster, aimed and hit the first three targets with ease.

It was now Boil's turn red. "Uh… good shot, General."

"We are taught basic blaster safety and use in the temple. Desperate times can call for some… unorthodox methods."

"I believe the word you were looking for was 'uncivilized'."

"I am never going to live that down, am I?"

"No, General Kenobi. I'm afraid not." Boil grinned. "Now, I bet fifty credits I can beat you in an accuracy contest."

"I'll take those odds, Boil."

The next hour consisted of mostly blaster fire and resetting targets. Obi-Wan was admittedly, quite good. A little too good. Boil had a feeling it had something to do with the Force, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it. But the General had let him keep his credits, so perhaps that was admittance enough.

The hour mark brought a break for some water. And conversation.

"So Waxer told you about his stupid days, did he?" Boil swigged back some water from his canteen.

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "You don't mind, do you? After all, it did include you."

Boil shrugged. "I didn't do much. If anything, Waxer helped me."

At that, General Kenobi frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"What did Waxer tell you exactly?" Boil asked.

Obi-Wan filled Boil in. Boil listened carefully, nodding along with the information. "Alright, so you heard Waxer's side. Now let me tell you mine."

"Alright. You've got my attention." Obi-Wan put down his canteen, eyes forward.

Boil collected his thoughts for a moment before speaking. "Growing up on Kamino wasn't what I would call easy. There was this constant fear that you wouldn't make the cut and find yourself on maintenance crew: or worse. But strangely enough, I never really worried about it. But my squad? Oh, you should have seen us as cadets. Always wanting to please, be the best soldier. And I… well, I just wanted to keep my brothers safe. And once you figured out Kamino, that was pretty easy." Boil's voice died. "Then came the war. Suddenly, it's a lot harder to keep track of four clones. And then you find yourself switching between them. Next thing you know, one's dead because you didn't see a grenade. The next one is shot down by a sniper. The last two blow up on a transport that you were pushed off because of weight capacity."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and breathed deeply to still his emotions.

Boil waited until his General opened his eyes again before continuing. "I came to a training room every day after that. I practiced shooting and hand-to-hand combat for hours upon hours. I didn't really care about anyone because no one really cared about me. I mean, they're your brothers in arms but batchmates… squadmates… there is a special bound there. You know how they think, what they'll do. They know how you think and what you will do. Having to learn that again is… painful, sometimes. At least it was for me. When I did start to open up to my new squad, most of them were wiped out by a tank." Boil shook his head, eyes closed. "Then we were split up. After being on my own for a few weeks, I met Waxer. Well… kind of."

Obi-Wan looked confused.

Boil smirked, "Remember when Waxer released some harmless bugs in the mess hall? Well, I got there during the peek of chaos. Saw Waxer dash out the side door, that stupid grin on his face. But… I don't know. Something else about his expression made me pause." He sighed, "I started keeping an eye out for him. That slowly turned into checking on him every day, then twice a day, then every hour then… I don't know, I just started to follow him around. Nothing too crazy and I kept my distance. I just thought he looked…" Boil trailed off. "Wrong."

Obi-Wan cocked his head to the side. Boil couldn't read the expression but he suddenly felt embarrassed.

"When I saw him go down, I think that was when I really put the pieces together. Something inside just seemed to snap and the next thing I registered I was hauling his sorry butt into the med tent." Boil shrugged. "I couldn't watch everyone but… I could watch one. And I just happened to latch onto someone who needed watching."

The Jedi nodded slowly. "The Force works in mysterious ways."

Boil raised an eyebrow. "Sir?"

"Never mind, Boil. Thank you for telling me." Obi-Wan got to his feet again. "Would you like to run through another round?"

"It would be my pleasure, sir."

I remember texting my Padawan and telling her that I somehow gave Waxer depression. She just smacked her face and asked how this happens to which I replied with, "I don't know." So I have no idea how this happened but I think it worked.

Do you think it doesn't? Did you like Boil and Waxer taking care of their General? Can you think of anyone else of the 212th who deserves some character diving? Next up is Stitch but I kind of want to add another... and not an original clone. Maybe Wooley? What do y'all think?

Feel free to leave suggestions in the reviews and May the Force be With You!