Hey everyone!
CHAPTER 30 LETS GOOOOO
OneLittleSpark18: Spitting facts over here. That's my plan, to bring the hope and light back even after the darkness I've written. It'll just be a little bit.
IrishDrunk14: Thank you! I'm glad I'm able to brighten your day a little!
aqua regia: I mean, I kinda had to get the internship if I want to graduate college. It's nothing too big. But anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying! Some more familiar faces in this chapter!
A little more angst and some more sweet, though a lot of it is bittersweet.
There is a section based on the Republic Commando novels. It's mostly for myself and the few people who've read them, but those characters will show up later. This bit isn't necessary, but I like to think it's cute regardless.
Mando'a translation at the end!
After a few hours, Ahsoka forced herself to go and help Masters Plo and Aayla. The extraction was going well and Ahsoka ran into many clones she knew. The excitement and joy she felt at their reunions was overcast by Rex's condition.
"Ahsoka," Plo said as they watched over the clones streaming into the ships. "How is Captain Rex?"
Wolffe, who was standing at Plo's side as if afraid that Plo would disappear if he wandered too far, perked up and looked to Ahsoka. He had greeted Ahsoka more warmly than she had expected, giving her one of his rare smiles. He now looked at her with a combination of fear and concern. Ahsoka knew that fear had kept him from asking after Rex himself.
"They-" Ahsoka started.
"They reconditioned him." Prime said.
He was also standing very close to Plo, his eyes dull as he spoke. Wolffe hissed out a sharp breath.
"How?" He demanded. "He doesn't have his chip!"
"There are other ways." Ahsoka said. "More- more intense ways."
"They hurt him." Prime supplied. "Until he changed."
Ahsoka glanced at the boy. He seemed resigned. How much had he felt of Rex's reconditioning?
"Oh, 'Soka." Plo said. She found she couldn't look at him as he put his arm around her shoulder. "Is there hope of his recovery?"
"I don't know." Ahsoka said. "It's too soon."
"I want to see him." Prime said.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Ahsoka said. "You've felt him. He's not the same."
"I want to see him." Prime repeated, his face taking on a familiar look of stubbornness unique to the clones.
"Prime." Plo said. "Perhaps it is best to wait."
Prime glanced at Plo and nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Wolffe had gone quiet, staring off into the distance. Ahsoka could feel anger and impatience snapping off of him.
The hours dragged on as they directed the clones. Every clone Ahsoka met and embraced, from Ridge, to Appo, to members of the 212th and Wolf Pack, asked after Rex. Ahsoka quickly grew exhausted by the horrified looks in their eyes when she told them. Some had even cried at the news. Others just shook their heads and muttered awful, but justified things about the Kaminoans.
Ahsoka jumped when her comm went off. She hurriedly stepped away and answered it.
"He's waking up." Kix told her.
"What?" Ahsoka asked. "It's only been a few hours! He should have slept for a rotation!"
"I know." Kix said. "But- well, he's awake."
"Is there any change?" Ahsoka demanded, though she knew he would have told her right away if there had been.
"Not that I can tell." Kix said.
Ahsoka swallowed the bitter disappointment.
"I'll be there in a minute." She said.
She slipped away without telling Plo or Wolffe where she was going. She had a feeling that Wolffe would insist on accompanying her. She didn't know if that would be good for Rex.
She hurried back through the city, occasionally guiding stray clones towards the landing bays.
"Hey, 'Soka!"
Ahsoka stopped in her tracks to see Kal Skirata heading towards her, a squad of commandos trailing after him.
"Just who I was looking for." He said. "The commandos are just about packed up. Thought I'd take care of that for you."
"Thank you." Ahsoka said.
Kal frowned at her.
"Have you found your Rex yet?" He asked. "I want to thank him for what he did for Mereel."
Ahsoka stiffened and Kal narrowed his eyes.
"He's still alive, isn't he?" He asked.
"Yes." Ahsoka said. "They tried to recondition him."
"Tried?" Kal asked with a raised eyebrow. "Even without the chip?"
Ahsoka nodded.
"They have other methods of reconditioning apparently." She said.
"How far did it go?" Kal asked.
"Pretty far." Ahsoka said. "But we're not certain."
She managed to keep her voice mostly even.
"Kriff, I'd rather die than have that happen to me." One of the commandos said aloud.
Almost immediately he was smacked on the back of the head by his brother.
"Nejohaa, Corr!" The other clone said. "We're not using our comms, remember?"
Ahsoka's insides writhed at the clone's words. Would Rex rather be dead now? Kal stared at her.
"I'm sorry." He said, voice soft. "What did they do to him?"
"They recorded it." Ahsoka said with a shake of her head. "You can take a look at those."
Kal nodded solemnly, his expression darkening.
"You four go wait in the ship" He told his squad. "I won't be long."
"Yes, buir." Their leader said.
He signalled to his squad and they moved away.
"There are snacks in my quarters!" Kal called after them.
One of the four whooped and they quickened their pace. Kal looked at their retreating forms fondly.
"Kal, I don't think this is a good idea." Ahsoka said.
"I've dealt with hurt clones before." Kal said. "Maybe I can help.
"Maybe." Ahsoka said, though she wasn't hopeful.
"Commander!"
Ahsoka looked down the hall to see Wolffe and Prime jogging to catch up.
"Wolffe-" Ahsoka said. "This isn't a good time-"
"You're going to see Rex." Wolffe said. "I'll be damned if I'm kept from my brother if I want to see him."
Ahsoka grit her teeth.
"You, maybe, but Prime?" She hissed.
"I need to see him." Prime said, insistent.
"Let them come." Kal said. "If it'll give them some sort of peace."
"Fine." Ahsoka said. "But don't say I didn't warn you.
Rex was once again standing at parade rest when they arrived at the recovery wing. His stance was steadier and perhaps there was a little more color in his face. His eyes were as blank as before.
"Rex?" Prime ducked out from behind Ahsoka.
He looked up at Rex with wide eyes. Rex actually responded, his gaze moving to land on the boy.
"Cadet CT-7001." He said. "Why are you not with your squad?"
"I came to see you, Rex." Prime said.
His voice was trembling now. Ahsoka guessed he had tried reaching for Rex and had been repelled like Ahsoka had. Before Ahsoka could stop him, the boy rushed forward to wrap his arms around Rex's legs.
Rex looked at the boy and raised his hand. For a moment Ahsoka thought Rex was going to put his hand on Prime's head.
Rex backhanded Prime.
The boy's head snapped to the side. Ahsoka jumped forward and pulled Prime away from Rex as Kal and Wolffe swore. Kal stepped forward, hands balled into fists, but Jesse and Kix had immediately grabbed Rex and tugged him backwards.
"Stand down!" Cody bellowed. "What the kriff, Rex?"
"CT-7001 violated the code of conduct." Rex said. "I am well within my rights as squad leader to punish him for his infractions."
Cody stared at Rex, horror in his eyes.
"No, Rex!" He whispered.
Prime had shrunk in on himself. The Force around him wept, though the boy's eyes were dry. Ahsoka could almost hear the promise Rex had broken, though it had been spoken to another cadet.
I'm not going to hurt you.
The shards of that promise dug into Ahsoka.
Ahsoka put a hand on his shoulder. She felt blank, as empty as Rex's gaze.
"It's not his fault." Ahsoka said, desperate for the words to be said.
"No." Kal said. "The Kaminoans did this."
"I know." The boy whispered. "They hurt him and he's broken."
He looked up at Ahsoka and in his eyes she could read the words his broken heart was screaming. But he promised.
Ahsoka was afraid as she looked back to Rex. His eyes were still empty. There was no shame, no regret, no horror. He looked at his shocked brother with no emotion.
Ahsoka remembered the aftermath of Umbara. Rex's tears as he told her what had happened. How sick he had been after harming his brothers.
Now he looked at a child he used to love with nothing behind his eyes.
Ahsoka glanced at Wolffe. His eyes were wide with shock and he looked sick.
"Take Prime back to Master Plo." Ahsoka told him.
Wolffe turned to look at her and Ahsoka saw anger growing in his eyes. It wasn't long before he looked murderous. But he nodded and picked up his younger brother.
Ahsoka watched them go. She didn't want to turn around to look at Rex. Instead she saw Kal staring at her. His jaw was set and he was radiating rage.
"We should have just gutted them all." The older Mandalorian said. "Kriff politics, kriff what's 'right.' We should have just wiped them all out."
Ahsoka bit her lip, trying not to agree with him. Wouldn't it bring balance to destroy a people that had brought about so much suffering and darkness? She again attempted to release the feelings into the Force with difficulty.
Genocide is not the Jedi way. She thought.
But she wasn't a Jedi. She still struggled with that fact. Her instinct was still to release those emotions, but wasn't it okay now to feel them?
"'Soka." Kal said. His voice had softened. "One of my ad'e, he has experience with this kind of thing. He might be able to help."
Ahsoka didn't want the hope he offered. She was scared of it. When she looked at Rex and remembered what they did to him, she saw no hope.
"Maybe, but we need more information." Ahsoka said. "We need to see how deep it goes."
Kal nodded and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm going to head back to my boys. Contact me if you need anything."
He left and Ahsoka returned her gaze to Rex.
No, it wasn't Rex. This thing that wore his body, it was not Rex. And Ahsoka found that she hated it.
The Venator was familiar to Plo, but not so to Prime or any of his squad. They stuck in a tight group and looked around as Plo spoke to the Republic officer in charge.
"Are we ready to depart, Admiral?" Plo asked.
"Just about, Master Jedi." The woman, an Admiral Hul, replied. "We're just waiting on a final shuttle."
Plo nodded and turned back to the squad of cadets.
"Would you like to see where you'll be staying for the trip?" He asked.
They all nodded. Plo led them to the barracks where the cadets of the squad's age were gathered. Plo had not tried to separate Prime from his brothers, not yet. In reality, he had no desire to. It made his heart ache to see the love between brothers the clones shared and to know that the Jedi Council would forbid Prime from it. How would Prime react?
Little 'Soka had no family when Plo had found her. She had been abandoned, so Plo had little reservations about taking her. But there had been other younglings, ones that cried for their mothers and fathers during their first few nights at the temple. There had been the parents that wept even as they handed their children over to the Jedi. Ahsoka had spoken to Plo about young Skywalker's struggles with leaving his mother behind.
Plo once again questioned the Jedi's stance on attachment.
Boil guided the cadets into the barracks and gave a nod to Plo.
"I'll keep an eye on them, sir." He said.
"Thank you, Boil." Plo said. "I will be on the bridge if you need anything."
He turned and began to make his way back to the bridge. He paused at the door of another set of barracks. Wolffe was within, with his own squad of older cadets. Wolffe glanced up as Plo stepped in. Then he immediately looked down.
"Wolffe." Plo said. "May I have a word?"
He would not leave his son to wallow in his own self pity.
Wolffe nodded, muttered something to his squad and followed Plo out into the hallway. Plo quickly found an empty armory and beckoned Wolffe in.
Wolffe kept his distance from Plo as he entered. He was stiffer than usual and his jaw was clenched. Plo wondered at the strange feeling coming from his son. It was different from Wolffe's normal anger.
"Wolffe," Plo said. "Come here, son."
Wolffe twitched at the term.
"I'd rather not, sir." He said.
Plo compromised by taking his own step forward.
"How are you?" Plo asked. "How were you treated?"
"I'm fine." Wolffe said shortly. Plo was reminded painfully of after Wolffe had lost his eye. "We were treated how we were normally treated on Kamino."
"They had you work with the cadets." Plo said, trying to prompt Wolffe to speak further.
"Yes." Wolffe said. "All Command clones were assigned a squad."
He spoke as if giving a report. Plo resisted the urge to reach for Wolffe's mind. After his experience with Ventress, it was more likely to cause him to panic rather than help.
"It must have been difficult." Plo said. "I am sorry you have had to go through this."
Wolffe did not answer, but his hands had balled into fists.
"Wolffe?" Plo asked.
"It's nothing, sir." Wolffe said. "I'm just- tired."
Wolffe did look exhausted. Plo could feel how upset he was.
"It's all right." Plo said in an attempt to comfort him. "You did nothing wrong. We are going home."
Wolffe shrugged.
"Are you sure they won't just take us back again?" He said.
Plo was taken aback by the bitterness in Wolffe's voice.
Oh, Wolffe.
Plo's son had been hurt more deeply by this experience than Plo had expected. And it was not himself that he blamed.
"We will not allow it." Plo said.
Wolffe looked up, his eyes suddenly flashing.
"Why did you let them take us in the first place?" He said. "You said that you would protect us! You said you'd always be there! You said- you said you loved us!"
Wolffe's accusatory stare bored into Plo. It had taken so long to convince Wolffe that Plo would not abandon them, and that it was all right to be loved. Plo would never abandon them.
But Plo had abandoned them.
"I guess the Jedi's dikut'la rules were more important than the lives of your so-called sons!" Wolffe snarled. "Well, twenty-seven of us are dead because of you! They died because the Kaminoans sold them to fight some karking war while you played politics!"
Every word Wolffe barked at Plo cut into him with its sharp truth. Why had he let the Jedi control his actions? He had not attempted to come for the clones because he knew the Jedi Council did not wish it, even though Plo knew them to be wrong. The Force had told him to help his sons. He had ignored it.
Wolffe- Wolffe was crying now. Tears streamed down his face as his clenched fists shook.
Plo drew Wolffe into an embrace. Wolffe did not move, rigid in Plo's arms.
"Why did you let them take us?" Wolffe asked again in a quiet, rough voice.
"I do not expect you to forgive me." Plo said. "I have failed you. I will carry those who died with me for the rest of my life."
He took a deep breath, feeling the weight of those twenty-seven lost sons settle over him.
"I will promise now that I will never hesitate to protect you again, regardless of the Jedi Council's wishes." He went on. "You are my sons. I swear to never forget that again."
For a moment, Plo thought that Wolffe would push him away. He did not. Slowly Wolffe raised his hands to embrace Plo back.
"Buir." He said softly, his voice cracking. "I want to go home."
"I know, son." Plo said. "I know."
Plo held Wolffe until his son took a shuddering breath and let go.
"I-I should get back to my squad." He said, then quietly added. "Thank you, buir."
"Thank you, Wolffe." Plo said. "For your forgiveness and for helping me make a difficult decision."
Wolffe looked confused, but shrugged. They left the room together. Before they parted, Plo placed his hand on his son's shoulder.
"Things will return to normal." He said. "I swear to you."
"Might not be up to you." Wolffe said. "But I appreciate it."
Plo nodded and turned back to the barracks where he had left Kilo squad. The three year old cadets were still hesitantly exploring their new environment. Plo quickly identified Prime, who was talking seriously with his brothers. Prime looked up as Plo came in. He got to his feet and came immediately up to Plo.
"Prime." Plo said before Prime could say anything. He knelt, putting his hands on Prime's shoulders. "You asked me if you could see your brothers again after you became a Jedi."
A quick thought of how the council would react flitted across Plo's mind, but he banished it. He had promised Wolffe, and now he would promise Prime.
"You will be able to see them again." Plo said.
Prime's face lit up and Plo knew that he had made the correct decision. He did not care how many rules he had to break. This child would not be torn from his family.
Rhys stood at the sink and scrubbed at the dishes. How long had it been? How long had it been that the Republic had sent ships to bring the clones back? Four days. They were due back today.
It felt like years had passed since she had gotten up. Years where she simply stood there, grabbing dirty dish after dirty dish, and scrubbed them until her hands were raw.
"Rhys!"
Someone grabbed Rhys' wrist and she looked up. It was her mother.
"Love, those are clean." Her mother said softly. "Why don't you sit down?"
"Clean?" Rhys repeated and looked at the dishes she was grabbing. "Oh, they-they are. Funny, that."
"Come sit." Rhys' mother repeated.
"Is there anything else you need me to do?" Rhys asked.
Her mother shook her head.
"I'll get your tea, love. Please, sit down." She pleaded.
In a daze Rhys let herself be led to one of the booths. They had closed today. Maybe in celebration. Maybe in mourning. As of now, Rhys had no idea if Jesse was alive or dead. He could have been decommissioned or killed in action. He could be gone and Rhys would have lost the second love of her life.
She sipped at the scalding tea her mother handed her. She focused as hard as she could on raising and lowering the cup. It wasn't until the third cup of tea's dregs were cooling at the bottom of the mug that Rhys' comm chirped.
"Hello?" She gasped.
"Rhys?"
Oh, that voice. There were millions like that voice, but she knew who it was.
"Jesse." She breathed.
He laughed a little and she could see his smile in her mind.
"I only have a minute. We're about an hour away from Coruscant. I'm in transport 107. We'll be landing on platform 3 near the GAR headquarters. Can you- Can you make it?"
"We'll all be there." Rhys promised immediately.
"You don't have to bother the whole family-" Jesse started.
"We'll all be there." Rhys said firmly, and then, "I love you."
"I love you." Jesse replied. "I'll see you soon."
Rhys could swear she heard tears in his voice.
An hour later Rhys stood on the platform with her family. Her sisters, Bryn and Nesta, held her hands. Her father held Gia, and her mother had her hand on Rhys' shoulder. There were a few other people, more than Rhys had expected. It was perhaps a couple dozen. Still, it was a heart wrenching idea that this was all that was there to welcome the clones home.
She saw the gunship and tightened her grip on her sister's hand. Within minutes the ship had landed and clones began hesitantly trickling out. Rhys frowned. They all had the same haircut. That was wrong.
A young man standing nearby gave the first cry of recognition. A trooper rushed into his arms and clutched him tight. Another clone ran ahead of the crowd to the waiting arms of five little children while an elderly matron watched on.
Rhys turned back to the crowd of nearly identical men. She smiled at those whose eyes she met. They looked very tired.
Then-
A trooper's eyes lit up as she met his gaze. Half a circle covered his face and it looked strange with a full head of hair. He broke into a run. Rhys let out a sob as Jesse pulled her into his arms.
"Cyar'ika." He whispered into her ear. "Ner cyar'ika."
He was laughing, too, while Rhys just wept against his breastplate. She felt tears fall on top of her head.
"Jesse?" A young voice asked.
"Come here, Gi'ika." Jesse said.
Rhys was suddenly brought to her knees as Jesse stooped to accept Gia's hug. She kissed his cheek and she felt him smile. He returned the gesture before pulling both Rhys and Gia's heads to his chest.
"Are you staying, Jesse?" Gia asked. "Do you have to go away again?"
"I'm staying, ad'ika." Jesse said. "You're not getting rid of me."
They were forced to stand again when Rhys' family came to greet Jesse. Jesse kept his arm around Rhys as he shook hands with her father and gave side hugs to her sisters and mother.
"Jesse, what about Kix, and Rex? I know Fives is back-" Rhys asked as Jesse picked up Gia again.
Jesse's face fell and he turned to look at the shuttle. Rhys followed his gaze, heart sinking. A group was leaving the shuttle: Ahsoka, Kix, and a scarred clone she didn't recognize all guiding Rex along. They were still a fair distance away, but Rhys could see the change in Rex. He seemed blank and walked stiffly.
"What happened to him?" Rhys whispered.
Jesse continued to stare at them.
"They broke him." He finally said. "He broke the rules, so they broke him."
He was clutching Gia to him.
"If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be here." He said. "But- he's not in pain, I don't think."
Rhys watched Ahsoka. The young woman's face was impassive, but Rhys could see pain in her eyes.
"Poor Ahsoka." Rhys said softly.
Jesse nodded, watching the group make their way to them. He pulled Rhys closer. Rhys returned his embrace with equal force. Jesse had been returned to her unharmed. Not everyone had been so lucky.
Darman was nervous. For him his separation from Etain had felt like days at the most, but Kal had told him it had been months. A lot could happen in a few months. And Kad- how had his son changed? What had Dar missed?
Atin was just as agitated next to Darman. Niner and Corr were a lot calmer, speaking quietly to Kal. Their ship was one of mostly commandos, but Omega squad still stuck together. They really weren't close to any of the other squads, except maybe Delta. But it had been Fi and Sev who had been friends, not the rest of them.
Darman glanced at Delta, who was hovering nearby. He didn't know why they were nervous. As far as he knew, they didn't have anyone waiting for them. Maybe they were afraid that Vau was going to lay into them for getting captured by the Kaminoans. Dar certainly would be.
"'Scuse me, Sargeant Skirata." One of the other commandos had approached them quietly. He gave an odd giggle before continuing. "Do you know if Rav'bu- I mean, Sergeant Bralor is going to be meeting us?"
Kal looked the clone up and down. Dar knew that one of the first things Kal had done was contact the sergeants that cared about their boys and told them to get their shebs'e to Coruscant.
"She'll be there, son." Kal said. "Don't worry about it. You're Gregor, right? Rav's told me about you. Quite the miracle, aren't you?"
Gregor nodded and laughed.
"If you can call surviving an explosion a miracle, sir." He said.
"I do." Kal said. Dar knew he was thinking about Fi. "Go tell the rest of Rav's boys that she'll be waiting for you."
Gregor grinned and saluted. He trotted back off into the crowd. A few other commandos swarmed him, clearly asking for info.
"How much longer, Kal?" Dar asked.
"Still about an hour." Kal said patiently.
"You asked literally a minute ago." Corr said. "I checked."
"Shove it, Corr." Atin said. "If you value your arms, that is."
"Hah! Go for it. I love wasting Republic resources."
"Cut the chatter, both of you." Niner said.
"Udesii, Ner'ika." Kal said. "It's not a mission."
"They've been snapping at each other for two days, Kal'buir." Niner said. "And mission or no mission, we're supposed to be a squad."
Dar looked at Niner oddly. He was still surprised that his brother had decided to leave the GAR in the first place. Could Niner live without his regulations and missions?
Kal seemed to be thinking the same thing. He beckoned to Niner, bringing him aside to have a whispered conversation with the squad leader.
"So." Corr said in the following silence. "What're you two going to do first when we get back?"
Atin and Dar stared at Corr.
"I don't know," Dar said. "Use your imagination."
Corr made a face and shook his head.
"Should I have called ahead and gotten you rooms at the Honeymoon Suite at the Coruscant Towers?" He said.
Atin smacked Corr on the back of the head.
"I mean right when we get off the ship. Get a drink?" Corr said.
I'm going to get off this ship and kriffing hug my wife and son. Dar thought.
"What are you going to do?" He said aloud.
"I'm gonna find the Kaminoan Senator and-"
"Get yourself arrested." Atin said flatly. "And I'll make sure Kal doesn't bail you out."
Corr rolled his eyes.
"I have had no dating prospects for months and it's her fault." He said.
"You've been frozen for months." Dar said. "Don't act like you remember most of it."
"Says the man mooning over his wife, which according to that logic, you only saw a few days ago." Corr shot back.
"Nejohaa, Corr." Dar said, turning away from his brother.
Kal turned his head towards them.
"Leave it, Corr."
Corr huffed, but fell silent. That left Dar alone with his thoughts. Days were still a long time to be separated from his wife. He missed her. He missed Kad. He wanted to see for himself that they were all right.
He stewed quietly until Kal tapped his shoulder.
"Come on, Dar." He said. "We're loading up the shuttles."
Dar perked up. He resisted the urge to push his way through the crowds of commandos. They wouldn't just leave him on the ship. He'd be able to get on the shuttles.
And he did. Kal led both Omega and Delta squads onto a shuttle. Dar's anxiety had shifted towards excitement. He was going to see Etain and Kad. He almost couldn't believe it.
He knew that the shuttle ride was realistically ten or fifteen minutes at most, but his heart, calm in dangerous situations but pounding painfully in his chest now, made it seem like hours.
The door of the shuttle cracked open and Dar searched desperately for a short, red-haired figure. And there she was, she was somehow managing to sprint at him while holding Kad. Dar stepped forward, catching her and relieving her of Kad.
"BOO!" Kad's yell was sharp in Darman's ear.
Dar swallowed a lump in his throat and held his son tightly to him. Kad had remembered his nickname for his father. Tears pricked at Dar's eyes. He looked down at Etain. Then his jaw dropped. She smiled a little as Darman let go of her to place his hand over her rounded belly.
He looked up at her, meeting her eyes. She nodded.
"How long-?" Dar managed.
"Five months. A little longer than you've been gone."
Darman dropped his gaze back to her belly.
"She can hear you, you know." Etain told him.
Dar blinked, trying to think of something to say to his unborn daughter.
When he opened his mouth to say hello, he burst into tears.
Etain wrapped her arms around him and he could feel her sobs joining his. The soft touch of Kad's little hand patting Dar's face in a comforting manner made Darman cry harder. Darman pressed his lips to the top of Etain's head and his tears dripped into her hair.
It was a few minutes before Darman was able to get a hold of himself. He looked up and around to see how his brothers had been received. Atin and Laseema were so interlocked with each other that Dar could only tell who was who because of their skin colors. Fi was laughing, arms around both Niner and Corr and Bardan talking with them enthusiastically. And Delta squad was being berated by Vau.
"I trained you to be better than this!" Vau hissed. "You get shab'la tricked and taken by regular troopers! I should have fed your shebs'e to Mird!"
Dar winced at the harsh words, but remembered what Kal had told him. Walon Vau cared very much about the clones under his command, he just had no idea how to express it. Dar privately thought that Vau could learn a thing or two from watching Kal.
Dar looked back at Etain. He smiled at her, reaching for her belly again. He leaned down a little, to make sure the baby could hear.
"Hello, ad'ika." He said. "Papa's back. I promise I won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
Etain touched his face as he started to rise again.
"The Kaminii'se didn't do anything to you, did they?" She asked.
Dar shook his head.
"Just kept us frozen." He said. "I got lucky, I think."
"Good." Etain said.
"What would you have done if they had?" Dar said with a smile.
Etain shrugged.
"Kal had a pretty good idea about glassing the place." She said. "I think I could have worked with that."
"Et'ika, you're a terrible Jedi." He said.
"There's a reason I left, Dar." She replied.
Dar smiled again and pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. Kad laid his head on Dar's shoulder, gripping onto the neck of Dar's blacks. Darman silently thanked the clone that had sacrificed himself, the one who had been manually reconditioned. Because of him, the Skirata clan was complete.
Boil never thought he'd be grateful for the old barracks on Coruscant. He was now, as they gave his squad of littles a roof over their heads now that they were back on Triple Zero.
They were different enough from the barracks on Kamino that it made Kilo Squad nervous. Owl especially was glued to Boil's side as he showed them around and then had a sparse dinner of rations. Chancellor Amidala had said they'd get better supplies in, but for now, the boys had their first experience with ration bars.
Even Chap had stayed silent throughout most of the day. Boil didn't blame them; this was a huge step. Normally they wouldn't have left Kamino for years. Boil did his best to calm them, but being cheerful and reassuring had always been Waxer's specialty. Boil would have done anything to have his vod'ika back.
It wasn't until Boil was getting them settled in the unfamiliar, dusty bunks that Ruus finally asked a question.
"What's going to happen to us?" He asked, eyes uncharacteristically round and scared.
Boil shoved his own apprehension aside and placed a hand on Ruus' head.
"Chancellor Amidala promised she'll take care of us." He said. He had no idea what that entailed. "We'll be okay."
"When can we see Prime?" Chap asked. "Or Rex?"
Boil swallowed. He had gotten into contact with Cody. Rex was alive, but in no condition to see the squad.
"I don't know." He confessed. "But I don't think it'll be long. Let's just get to sleep, yeah? We'll figure more out in the morning."
Four pairs of brown eyes stayed fixed on him. Boil swallowed as Chip began to sniffle. The rest of the squad followed suit.
"I want to go back to Kamino." Owl whispered.
"It wasn't safe there." Boil said, confused. Why would they want to go back? "Trust me, things are better out here."
"But I want to be a soldier!" Chap said as he fought back tears. "How am I gonna be a soldier here?"
Boil didn't have an answer. He didn't know what would happen to these boys. Would they be separated? Sent to other planets? Kept here in the barracks?
"It'll be better in the morning." He said lamely. "Listen, let me show you what we'd do after hard battles."
'Clone piles' as the nat born affectionately put it, wasn't an activity learned on Kamino. Boil had seen plenty of shinies be bewildered by the practice. So all four of his littles looked confused as Boil scooted them out of their beds, dragged the mattresses to the floor, and threw a bundle of pillows and blankets on the raft of beds.
"In." He said, pointing.
It took some settling, but it wasn't long before the four were tangled together, fast asleep. The sight managed to tear a smile out of Boil. It was a rare clone that didn't take comfort from his brothers being close.
Boil settled down on his own bunk and watched them sleep. He loved his squad of brothers, but was he expected to keep watch over them until they were grown? Where would he get the resources? He massaged his head and silently cursed the long-necks. It was their fault, somehow.
"Boil?"
Boil glanced up to see Wooley poking his head into the barracks. Boil put a finger to his lips and made his way to his 212th brother.
"What's up?" Boil asked.
"Cham Syndulla's here." Wooley said. His brow was creased in confusion. "So's his family. They've asked for you. They're out front."
"Me?" Boil asked.
He wouldn't be surprised if another Twi'lek family had asked for him, but the Syndullas? He'd barely met Cham, let alone the rest of the family.
"Get going." Wooley said. "I'll watch your littles."
Boil nodded and made his way from out of the large barracks building. There were a bunch of Twi'leks waiting out in the front. Boil quickly recognized Cham Syndulla and his family, gathered around another clone. The clone had a scarred face and was somewhat familiar to Boil. He was probably one of the legion that was sent to serve under Syndulla. The clone was being embraced by a green Twi'lek girl.
Boil swallowed at the sight. He couldn't help but think of-
"Nerra!"
Boil snapped his head around. A teal blur was rocketing towards him. Boil instinctively caught the running child. Arms were wrapped around his neck as he lifted them.
"Numa?" He whispered.
Her little head nodded into his shoulder.
"I'm glad to see you, nerra!" She said in heavily accented Basic.
She had grown so much, not much younger than the Syndulla girl. Boil found tears sparking at his eyes.
"How'd you find me?" He asked. "How'd you know-?"
"Numa has been asking all these years to find you." An older man who shared Numa's skin tone said. Numa's father? "Chancellor Syndulla and Representative Minx have been keeping an eye out for you."
"Waxer is gone?" Numa asked, looking up at Boil.
Boil's throat tightened and he nodded. He lowered his head and Numa's grip tightened around him.
"Oh." Numa said. "But you're still here."
"Yeah." Boil said hoarsely. "I'm still here."
What he would have given for it to have been the other way around. Waxer deserved this reunion far more than he did.
Mando'a:
Nejohaa: shut up
buir: parent, papa in this case
ad'e: children
dikut'la: idiotic
cyar'ika, ner cyar'ika: sweetheart, my sweetheart
Gi'ika: little Gia, affectionate
ad'ika: little one
sheb'se: butts
Udesii: calm down, be still
Ner'ika: little Niner, affectionate
Kal'buir: Papa Kal
shab'la: effing
Kaminii'se: Kaminoans
Et'ika: Little Etain, affectionate
So uh, some of you guessed that there would be a Peeta strangling Katniss type scene. Well, kinda. Nothing like child abuse to show how far someone's gone. Don't worry, it is not permanent.
Hooray, Wolffe gets to vent and Plo gets to further understand that what the Jedi are doing is trash! Wolffe in my mind is kind of brittle. He's strong, but the right thing can easily hurt/break him. Kamino was one of those things.
Finally, Rhys is back. I personally love this scene. A glimpse at some other clones' newfound families and FINALLY Jesse gets to be happy. HE DESERVES IT SO MUCH.
Like I said, the RepCom scene isn't for everyone, but I needed it. And my mom. She also needed it. Though, everyone should enjoy clones having loved ones. (note: Corr has robotic arms, so that's what the joke about wasting Republic resources is about)
And what happens to the rest of Kilo and Boil! Some more clone piles, cause they adorable. Boil trying to be a dad. AND YES HE GETS TO SEE NUMA AGAIN. IT NEEDED TO HAPPEN. WHY CAN'T I EVER SAVE WAXER OR HARDCASE?
Anyway, stay safe, remember to review, and have a great week!