To be one of two people in a barrack that was obviously meant to contain eighty people was a little eerie. Forcing herself not to look at the lockers that according to Lip still contained the possessions of dead clones she sat cross-legged on the floor, right at the foot of one of the beds she found slightly less creepy than the lockers next to them.
At least the place was well lit by the light strips built into the corners of the ceiling, lights that effectively eliminated all shadows. Further off she could see the door that lead to the frustratingly open bathrooms where you practically had the shower right next to the toilets, making privacy impossible. Still, with only the two of them there it would be no problem.
Opposite her, at the foot of the bed by the opposite wall, Boc Fac sat, the embodiment of calm. Even after having given her one of his stern talking to and then received her less than great report on what she'd learnt about their clones he looked as if nothing had happened, actually he was smiling slightly. As always...force it was frustrating!
Taking a deep breath Weela calmed herself, the strain of her legs telling her that she was tensing up by her thoughts, it would do no good if she was trying to centre herself...hell it would be awkward if she had to ask Boc to help her get up...again! At times she wondered why he had chosen her as padawan...
"This planet is rife with life." Boc suddenly muttered, his eyes still closed.
What did he mean by that? Did he wish her to...oh to hell with it. Closing her eyes Weela stretched out her senses, forcing herself not to think about how that might advertise her presence, Boc wasn't worried about it after all...she grimaced at what she found. "And death."
"The glass is always half empty with you isn't it?" Her master chuckled. "Is not death and life simply two sides of the same coin?"
Ugh, not this again. "Master, I don't believe we are welcome here."
"Oh?" Again, a small chuckle. "Did you need your powers to tell that or were the glares searing through those visors enough of a hint?"
At times Boc wanted her to answer the oddest of questions, this was probably not one of those times though... "I just find it worrying that clones aren't welcoming us honestly, they aren't...predictable as they should."
"Clones are not droids." Boc replied, as she knew he would. "Have you not seen that on many of the ships and planets we've been on that the clones act differently? They have their own little sub-cultures and even philosophies...I actually find it quite fascinating, like an experiment in social sciences."
"I suppose." Weela disagreed, but knew better than to voice her opinion on that. "But these ones are hostile master, it could jeopardise the mission or even our lives. Even if they as Lip said are programmed..." She grimaced. "...to follow our orders their reluctance in the manner might be a hidden danger. I just don't see how we're supposed to work with them."
"I would not worry about that."
"With all due respect master...we don't really need the commando's, they would be no help in capturing count Dooku anyway."
"That is true, we are the ones who will have to handle Dooku, but how would we get there?" Weela frowned, finding the question a little odd, were they not jedi? Was he worried about a little jungle? "Stealth is important here my padawan, that is why I will teach you to hide your presence in the force, so that Dooku won't notice our approach. However, you will find the concentration needed to uphold such a shield draining at best...and our powers will be horrible weakened, at the point of making simple blaster deflection difficult."
"I see...we will need the escort since we cannot resort to our powers to push forth..." Weela frowned, trying to come up with some way of arguing her point. "But we both have training in survival master...surely even without our powers we could push through on our own?"
Boc laughed. "I thought you'd realise by now that there is an immense gap between theoretical knowledge and practical experience. These clones have fought here for ages, they know every trick, and will be able to fight stealthily in a way we cannot without alerting our target of our presence."
"You make it sound as if they're better then us."
Displeasure hit her, making Weela regret her choice of words. Boc's voice was still calm though. "No one is better than another padawan, shame on you. But in a strict military sense I suppose...you could say we have different uses. I assure you, the commando's will show themselves highly useful."
"My apologies master." Weela opened her eyes, seeing Boc look at her with a slight frown. "I know I may sometimes be...somewhat crass." The frown smoothed. "Especially around the clones, they....worry me, I don't know why. It feels as if there's something wrong with them...or...I don't know. I don't like them."
"Explain." Uh oh...Boc talking in short sentences, bad...
Still, one was supposed to be honest with their master, and Weela trusted him. "It's just...they're a product master, yet they're people...yet they have programming...yet they express and have feelings...as warped as they might be." Weela made a gesture of frustration. "It's contradictory!"
"Not really." Boc shrugged, watching Weela with compassionate eyes as she struggled for words. "The clones are people Weela, you must never doubt this."
She bowed her head, cheeks burning with shame as she realised what she'd implicated, well she really didn't think of clones as people...she didn't like where that lead. "I...know master, my apologies." She forced herself to give voice to her doubts: "Master...if they indeed are people...why do we have them as our army? Is that not slavery? And if so...why not go with droids as the confederates in that case?"
"Ah, you've been thinking." Boc nodded, smiling slightly. "For one I understand that we didn't have much choice in the matter..."
"I thought you said one always had a choice."
"Oh hush." He chuckled. "What I'm trying to say is that clones are indeed alive, and feel the pain of the war like anyone else, which we are putting them through." Weela bit her lip, forcing herself not to speak up as she waited for him to continue. "They suffer along with us. This makes us aware of the price of war, to the horrors of the battle. Would you prefer to have droids in the army? No suffering until the army reaches the cities and civilians? I see the use of clones as a reminder, so that the consequences of our actions and orders are felt at every corner, so as not to distance ourselves from the conflict."
"I...see." Weela frowned, pondering his words. She understood...yet it sat wrong with her for some reason. "And here I thought we were supposed to distance ourself from the present...look to the future."
"But not at the expense of the moment, nor the suffering of others."
"Okay...and the slavery part?"
Boc hesitated, almost looking pained by the question. "Sometimes...practicality wins out over ethics. But remember, without the war they would not even have been born...and sacrifice for a good cause is not a bad end for a life."
"Perhaps but...the sacrifice is not chosen by them, it is thrust upon them." Weela grimaced. Not really sure why she was arguing for the clones sake of all things. Perhaps merely out of a wish to 'win' over master Boc for once? "Even if their end is noble...it's not noble of us to force it upon them without a choice. Am I making sense?"
"Unfortunately yes." Boc's shoulders dropped and he looked away. "And I cannot give you a satisfactory answer except the one already given, sometimes one needs to be practical."
"That...does not sit right with me master."
"Neither me, but we must do what is needed to be done." Boc grimaced, as if his own words had a bad taste to them.
"If you say so master..."
