Dogma didn't know what to expect after Umbara but he's fairly certain a hug from Rex, a small lecture that included rule-breaking and loyalty, and newly assigned weekly check-ins with Fives is not standard procedure for a clone who killed a Jedi and betrayed his brothers.
Then again, he doubts there was even such a procedure to exist that didn't include immediate transportation back to Kamino with plans for decommissioning, or if he's super unlucky, reconditioning.
Dogma's…working with it. He's not really been one to adapt when rules don't apply (rules always applied) and now it's…it's bit of a struggle working with Torrent.
Does he talk to them? Does he avoid them? Do they hate him?
He wouldn't blame them if they do. Being a good soldier didn't mean he was a good vod, and Dogma's strong enough to admit that.
Regardless, he's grateful for Rex's decision and hopes he can do better by the man.
As he walks down the hallway to the designated meeting area he and Fives agreed to, Dogma notices the eerie silence that comes about, only broken by his footfalls.
Weird, he thinks. He always sees at least two to three troopers on his way here.
Dogma continues on, though he rubs his arms as goosebumps spread across them.
When did it get chilly? Dogma thinks. He should be used to the cold by now but even then, he's wearing his blacks that were thermo-relegated.
A breath of cold air hit the back of his neck and Dogma flinches away. His nerves tingle from the air and Dogma resists rubbing the area as he turns around.
No one was there but Dogma swore someone blew on his neck.
"Who's there?" Dogma calls out as irritation fills his body. He clenches his fists as well as his jaw in frustration. He thought by now the pranks would stop. "I'm not fucking around."
Dogma glances back and forth between the hallway, but no one appeared. He shook with anger as he rubbed his neck.
He gets it. He gets the pranks that occurred after Umbara and the insults thrown. He gets it. He deserved it but by hell, at least they had the nerve to do it when he was around people and not when he was alone.
Dogma can control the urge to fight when there are other people watching, when he knows that he's outnumbered. But when he's alone, he won't hesitate to fight back. He may be a coward, but he's not an idiot.
Dogma speeds up his pace that quickly turns into a run when he heard the floor trembling with footfalls. His breath hitches as he recognizes the footsteps. Krell.
Krell is here.
Dogma full on sprints as he tries to escape the chasing, barely avoiding running into a wall as he turns a corner.
Krell's dead, he thinks yet refuses to look back to check. His boot hits a nick in the floor, pulling him down. He throws his hand out to stable his fall, but his inertia throws him past what he estimated, and he hears a crunch as he lands.
Pain bursts through his wrist and Dogma grits his teeth, pulling his hand to his chest, forgetting for a moment who he was running from. "Shit," he whispers, squeezing his eyes shut as his nerves fire up from the pain. Tears prickle his eyes and Dogma can't help the sob that escapes his mouth. "Shit," he repeats. The pain in his wrist is almost enough for him to ignore the pain from twisting his ankle. Almost but not quite.
Dogma lays there for a couple more minutes before he finally opens his eyes and gets up. He looks around the hall, but the eerie feeling of isolation has left the area. He can hear a couple of his brothers speaking down the hall and feel the engines under his feet. He glanced back at the feeling of eyes on him, but just like the last time he looked, nothing was there.
Dogma limps forward, cradling his hand as he tries to stop the whimpers from leaving his mouth. He'll definitely have to go to the medbay after his meeting with Fives.
-b-
"What the hell happened to you?" was the first thing Fives could think of saying after Dogma enters the room. Dogma was skinnier than when he met up with him last week, which means…Dogma's skipping out on meals again, Fives thinks. Tup isn't going to like that. But that wasn't his main concern. Dogma is cradling his right arm to his chest and limped in like a colt barely learning how to walk.
"Nothing," Dogma replies, and Fives raises a disbelieving eyebrow. "I tripped," he adds as though that explains it all.
"You tripped?" Fives can't quite keep the skepticism out of his voice but since he's known the meticulous clone, Dogma has never injured himself in such a way without at least the help of some brothers. Fives grimaces. If this was another prank on Dogma, he's going to have words with whoever was bold enough to actually injure the vod. First his armor and now this. The pranks are getting out of hand and Fives knows Jesse's going to be pissed at those who dared to continue them after his lecture. Dogma glares at the man and Fives raises his hands. "Fine, whatever. You tripped." He then wraps an arm around Dogma, ignoring the tension he can feel in his shoulders and directs them towards the medbay. "Let's get you to Kix. He'll fix you right up." Right after he yells at me for not catching the perpetrators, Fives thinks to himself.
Dogma clenches his jaw and Fives is surprised he can't hear the grounding of teeth with how hard he's clenching. Dogma mutters, "What about our check-in?" and Fives is surprised about his concern over the stupid meeting. It's not supposed to mean much, at least that's what Fives have treated it as. Sure, he and Rex agreed Dogma needed some supervision to ensure he's not going to betray them again, but Fives understands why Dogma did what he did. He doesn't like it and sure as hell doesn't agree with it, but the Kamonians have ingrained into them to be obedient little soldiers and Dogma took that to heart.
Wayyy into his heart, in Fives honest opinion, but if that's what you have to do to survive Kamino, then so be it. But that doesn't mean he can't unlearn it out in the real world and that's mainly what the check-ins are for. They're for Dogma and hopefully, one day he'll realize what it means to be loyal without being obedient.
"What about it?" Fives can feel the glare on the side of his face, but he refuses to acknowledge it. "We can walk and talk, can't we?" Dogma sighs and Fives grins, glad his brother has at least stopped with the regulation talk. His smile quickly falls when he notices his vod's hand, still cradled to his chest. From what he can see, bruising has already started to appear and spread around the front of his wrist and up his palm towards his thumb. He grimaces and squeezes Dogma closer to him, hoping he'll accept the comfort Fives is offering.
"So…besides the broken wrist, how's your week been? Still getting nightmares?" Dogma doesn't answer and Fives takes that as a yes. Fives closes his eyes briefly as he sighs. He understands; who hasn't had nightmares of Umbara but it's been two months since the campaign and he figured the dreams would at least become less frequent for Dogma as they had for him. Then again, he didn't kill a Jedi. Maybe it was time for him to enact Plan D. "Dogma."
"They're getting worse."
"What?"
Fives feels Dogma shift uncomfortably underneath his arm and shrug. He doesn't speak for a few minutes and Fives is tempted to break the silence when he speaks. "The nightmares. They've been…it's been getting worse."
Fives mutters out a curse. This is not good. This is the opposite of good. How can Dogma overcome the trauma of Umbara if the nightmares aren't letting up? Fives stops in front of the medbay and looks down to his younger vod. "Have you talked to Kix about them?" he asks and knows his answer when Dogma avoids his gaze. Dammit Dogma, he thinks.
Dogma mumbles out a small "no" and Fives squeezes his shoulder. He doesn't feel like starting a fight but even he knows that keeping everything bottled up isn't going to help him.
"You can't keep living like this, Dogma." Dogma flinches at his harsh tone and Fives tries to soften up a bit. "You gotta take care of yourself, too."
"I'm fine," Dogma automatically replies, and Fives can only sigh.
"You always are, huh?" He can't help but say and internally cringes as Dogma leans out of his touch, bristling.
The younger vod quickly rebuttals with a "And what does it matter? It's not like I'm supposed to be here anyway." And Fives can only clench his jaw as sorrow fills his body. This isn't how this is supposed to go. The check-ins are supposed to help. Why can't Dogma see they love him?
"Dogma-" Fives doesn't get to finish as Kix pops up, opening the door.
"Why are you two standing out the medbay like some lost di'kuts?" Kix interrupts and Dogma takes it as his cue to raise his hand.
"I tripped," he states, and Fives can see the medic's expression of disbelief spread across his face.
"Over what? A corpse?!" Kix quickly yet gently grabs his hand and slowly runs a finger up his palm. At the sound of Dogma's pained hiss, Kix ushers Dogma in. "Go to the bed near the wall. I'll be right in."
Dogma slinks on in and Fives moves to follow but Kix blocks the way. "Kix-" he starts to argue but stops at the medic's expression. "I just want to help."
Kix sighs. "You're pushing too hard, Fives."
Fives bites the inside of his cheek, resisting the urge to say But he needs it! He knows Kix knows best, but he wants to help. He can't…He can't fail another vod. Not after Umbara. Or the Citadel. He knows Echo's the one who brought Dogma into Torrent and knows that if he was still here…if the Citadel never happened, Echo would have been the one to help Dogma. Fives knows this but Echo isn't here, and Fives is determined not to let down his late vod's wishes. It's all he has left.
"I just want to make sure he's okay," Fives whispers and he's surprised that Kix heard the answer when he whispers back with a "You can make sure he's okay after he's out of the medbay."
Kix turns and Fives watches him enter the medical area. He stands outside the door for several minutes before turning away. Maybe he can catch Tup in the mess hall. He knows the younger vod will appreciate hearing an update about his batchmate.
-b-
Dogma grunts again as he tries to find a comfortable position in the bed he was assigned. Kix had deemed it necessary to keep him for the night after fixing his wrist and ankle, saying he wants to make sure the bone heals correctly but Dogma isn't stupid. He knows it's Kix way of watching over him without hovering. He only wishes the older vod wasn't so obvious with his concern for him. He doesn't deserve it.
Dogma settles down on his right side, facing away from the other sleeping vod. Looking at them reminds him too much of the vod who weren't able to come back from Umbara. The vod who fought against the enemy that turned out to be a lie. The vod who should have been here if only…
Dogma hears a creaking sound and turns his neck towards the sound. He scans the room, eyes roaming over each vod in the beds. The same creaking sound goes off near the other side of the room and Dogma sits up. He shivers as the sheet he was using as a blanket slipped down, goosebumps rising on his skin.
He swears if it's another prank…
Dogma didn't care about the pranks. Sure, they were childish and annoying but damn, they have recently gone from being harmless teasing that he could brush off to deliberate cruelty.
First it started with his armor. Some shabuirs had gone and got ahold of his armor one night and when he retrieved it the next day, the paint has been completely covered in white.
It pissed him off to no end but at least that time they were nice enough to paint it completely white in a clear way. The second time someone messed with his armor wasn't even a day after he finished painting his marks back over when they decided to spill white paint all over it as it was drying, messy white spots and lines splatters against the paint.
When he returned from dinner that night and saw the mess, Dogma couldn't contain his fury. It was probably the first time he yelled at his brothers since Umbara.
"Who did this?" Dogma stood in front of his bunk, watching the white paint slowly drip down on his armor, half covering the completed details he just finished an hour ago. He glared, eyes scanning around as though he could identify the culprit. "Which shabuir did this?"
Dogma glanced to Tup and Fives who pushed their way to the front. "Oh my god," Tup says, raising his hand to his mouth. He could see the anger getting ahold of Fives as the older vod clenches his jaw. He snaps his eyes to Dogma and Dogma sees the fury line his face.
Dogma could barely speak due to his shaking, fists clenching, and Fives slowly approaches him. "What happened?"
"I just…I just finished painting it-it back again when some shabuir" and here Dogma glared around the room "decided to ruin…ruin the piece right as it was drying." Dogma knew he stuttered his wording as he had to pause to breathe several times to stop himself from yelling.
"Again?" Fives asks and Dogma couldn't hold the snap in.
"Yes, again!" Dogma breathes deeply, closing his eyes for a brief second before staring back at Fives. "It was painted white the other night-"
"What?" Jesse interrupted and Dogma bites his tongue to resist saying something he knows he'll regret.
"If you would let me finish-" Dogma should have expected Jesse interrupting again with a "When did this happen?" but it doesn't mean his irritation to the older clone didn't rise and Dogma just snaps back, "If you'd just shUT UP FOR ONE SECOND, I CAN FUCKING EXPLAIN!"
Dogma breathes in deeply at Jesse's shocked look, ignoring the smirk Fives has on his insufferable face. His body continues to shake, and he bites his cheeks to stop his teeth from chattering.
Luckily for him, he didn't have to explain as Rex steps up.
If it wasn't quiet in the barracks before, it sure was now and Dogma tried to regain his composure in front of the captain. He doesn't need to as Tup comes up and hugs him, ignoring the flinch he surely can feel from his batchmate.
"Who did this?" The words barely left his mouth before two soldiers stepped up. They straighten up as Rex folds his arms before his back, waiting for an explanation.
The first vod with a scar down his cheek spoke. "We painted his armor last night. It was just a joke but we didn't think…"
His friend comes to his aid. "We didn't think anyone would do the same prank again and not in a way that was…so messy."
Dogma can at least put a face to the culprits who painted his armor the first time but "That doesn't explain our current situation." Rex states and the two vod lower their gaze to the floor.
Rex looks around. "Who did this?" Several brothers shake their head, with gazes to the floor, mutters of "no" and "not me" going around.
Dogma feels tears prickle his eyes in frustration. "So what?! A ghost did this?" He scoffs and feels Tup squeeze his arms tighter around him. He can't keep the tears from slipping down his face as he just clenches his jaw tighter, feeling pain in his chin at how hard he grounds his teeth. Cowards, he thinks. They're all fucking cowards!
After that incident, Rex had put out an order that forbids the vandalization or destruction of armor, which Dogma didn't think needed to ever be put out in the first place but then again…
Dogma reaches for the sheet, curling his hands underneath. He's never felt this cold in the medbay before; then again, he's never had to stay the night here either. Dogma trembles as he scans one last time across the room. The noises have stopped for now and Dogma isn't too keen to actually get up to check where they came from.
He'll just let Kix know in the morning. After all, if vod are risking to prank in the medbay, then they should suffer the consequences from the medic himself.
Dogma lays back down, turning again to the wall. He squeezes his eyes shut, hoping for unconsciousness to take him. He finally evens his breathing out and can feel himself slipping closer to the edge when he feels puffs of air on his face.
The pungent smell hits him before he can open his eyes and Dogma feels his throat seizing up with the urge to gag. The heavy smell of rotting meat fills the air, a tangent of sickening sweetness mixing in to create perhaps the worst smell Dogma has ever encountered and he's overwhelmed by the fact that he knows, oh god he knows, it's right in front of him.
He almost refuses to open his eyes out of sheer determination to ignore the damn prank but with the heavy breathing on his face matched with the increasing unbearable smell, he's forced to give in.
Half a skull is the first thing he sees, with pieces of rotted, mangled muscle barely hanging on to the zygomatic bones. One eye is completely gone from the skull, darkness unending in the wound and the other is dripping with fluid and blood, following a small trail down the cheek, no doubt leaving small drops on the floor that will surely stain in the morning. Dogma can barely tell who the corpse is until he looks down to see the lines running up the sides of the scorched armor. Lines that were similar to…
"Hardcase," Dogma whispers and broken, yellow teeth are revealed in a sick, decayed imitation of a smile at the name. Dogma stays frozen in the bed for barely a minute before finally grasping control of himself and the situation.
He recoils back from the corpse of the vod he used to know and slides off the bed in a tumble of sheets. "Dogma," the corpse rasps, the sound harsh and ugly. "Dogma, why did you leave me?"
Dogma flinches at the question, struggling to unwrap his feet from the sheets, kicking around as the sound of his heartbeat pulses loud in his ears. His fingers tremble as the corpse climbs over the bed, repeating the same phrase over again, and Dogma scratches his legs in an attempt to tear the sheet before giving up and using his hands to crawl back. "This isn't real," he whispers as he hits the back end of another bed, still staring at Hardcase…no, that's not Hardcase. He screws his eyes shut as he mutters, "It's just a nightmare. Wake up." He buries his nails into the side of his forearm, squeezing down. "Wake up, Dogma. This isn't real." He stills, though when he hears no rustling occurring.
Slowly opening his eyes, he watches as the corpse on his bed tilts their head. "Not real?" they mutter. "Not real!" Their voice raises at the words and Dogma has barely any time to wonder why none of the vod'e in the medbay aren't waking up when the corpse leaps towards him.
Dogma screams as the dead man's hands land on his face, their skeletal fingers tearing his muscles open with just a scratch. Dogma can feel the slick of blood dripping down his face as they screech, "Not real!" Tears slip down Dogma's face, mixing with the blood as he pushes at the concaved breastplate of the monster on top of him. "Aren't I real, Dogma?!" they shriek out. "DON'T I FEEL REAL?!"
Dogma can't stop the sobs from leaving his throat as he cries out. "Help me!" His fingers scratch against their armor, grasping for a hold to shove them away. "Kix! KIX!" He chokes as the hallucination that must be what it is! Just a hallucination. Just a dream. He's not really here. Hardcase died on Umbara! It's just a DREAM! wraps his hand around his neck and squeezes.
His lungs contract as he struggles for air, his head feeling lighter and lighter by the second. Fingers pull against the bony limb, hoping to weaken the apparition's grip but this only causes the hand to squeeze tighter. His gaze blurs from the tears and light-headedness that the younger vod can barely see the corpse of his brother. Whispers and gasps escape his throat in the form of pleas, mouth forming only one word. Please. He gags as a decomposed cheek touches his, dragging down towards his ear to whisper, "Such a fool, Dogma."
Always the fool in the end, he can hear Krell's voice in his mind and he wishes that this sick prank would just end already. PLEASE! Dogma feels the rush of unconsciousness reach up and he closes his eyes, tempted to meet the darkness halfway.
He's shaken quite literally from this desire, feeling hands on his shoulders and he cries out. He doesn't want to be here anymore. He just wants to wake up. Wake up. Wake up! Wake up, Dogma!
"Dogma!"
"What happened to him?"
"He's hyperventilating!"
"Don't move him!"
"Twitch, grab the bacta!"
"Breathe, Dogma!"
"What happened to my vod?"
"I need you to stay back."
"Twitch, I need that bacta now!"
"Dogma! Let me see him! He's my brother."
"Breathe with me, Dogma. In and out."
"Twitch!"
"Out of my way! Medic coming through!"
"Dogma!"
"Let me through!"
"Can you hear me, Dogma?"
"In, 1. 2. 3. 4. Out. 1. 2. 3. 4."
"I need you to stay back."
"Get out of MY WAY!"
"DOGMA!"
-b-
"-cameras?"
"We can't let this happen again. Who knows who else it might be happening to."
Dogma hears the vague sound of conversation going on, senses finally coming back to him as he awakes. He opens his eyes despite how heavy they feel and breathes in shakily at the sight of a bunk above him. Wasn't he at the medbay last night?
He gasps upward, shuddering as the memories come back. His breathing quickens and it's only due to the soft hushes and gentle hands on his shoulders that he starts to calm down.
"Hush, Dogma. You're safe here." Dogma glances towards the voice, Kix coming into view. The medic continues to shush him as he pushes Dogma down to the bed. Dogma can't help but reach up a hand towards the medic's own, reassuring him that he's real.
Real and alive.
"What happened?" he croaks out and Kix lets out a sad smile, holding a small cup of water that he graciously sips on through a straw.
"You were attacked." Dogma's eyes glance over to Jesse, who sits on the bunk across from him, Fives sitting beside him. He notices Tup leaning on the frame and feels a pang of guilt for making him worry. Haven't you done enough, his mind sneers. He clenches his jaw and forcing himself to look at Jesse, away from his best…former best friend. It's embarrassing enough for him to have you as a batchmate but the least you can do is-
He cuts off his thought process with a "Do you know who it was?" He watches as Fives and Jesse share a look and he can feel Kix still in his check-up, hands barely hovering over the bandages on his wrist.
"Dogma," Kix whispers and Dogma refuses to acknowledge the pity he hears in his voice. He doesn't want it.
Surprisingly, it's Tup who answers the question. "We thought you could tell us."
Dogma's breath stutters as he thinks. He can't tell them. They wouldn't believe him. Hell, he doesn't believe it himself, but he can still feel Hardcase's…no, that wasn't Hardcase. Hardcase was loud and sometimes blunt but never…he was never outright cruel to Dogma. Right?
Dogma's fist clenches as he can't remember. It's only been two months and he's already forgetting Hardcase's mannerisms. He already forgetting Hardcase's personality. What kind of brother is he to forget one of the best men he's known?
But this was after Umbara. This was Hardcase after he died. Does he know what Dogma did? Has he been watching this whole time? Dogma lies. "I didn't see his face." Dogma is a bad liar. He knows this. Tup knows this. Jesse and Fives and Kix, they all know this.
So why does Kix nod in understanding, saying, "It's okay."? It's not okay. It will never be okay. Dogma bites down on his cheeks to resist the urge to scream. He stares off, missing the concerned looks Kix throws to Fives and tunes out the whispers they share.
It's not okay, he thinks. It's not. Have you seen what I've done, vod? Have you been watching my sins? Is this my punishment?
Dogma feels like he's cried too much the past couple of days and yet, he feels the familiar burn of tears in his eyes. I'm sorry. His jaw clenches. I'm sorry! A tear slides down his cheek. You were right, Hardcase. His breathing hitches. You were right. I'm such a fool.
A hand grips his chin, turning him back to look at Kix. Kix who's eyes are hardened in resolute. Kix whose voice never wavers as he speaks. Kix whose words were adamant but fallacious. Biased in his belief in Dogma. "You're not a fool, Dogma."
Dogma tried.
He tried not to let the words out. Not to show them how he's really been. If they knew, they'd coddle him. Tup wouldn't let him out of his sight. He can't…he can't allow them to do that.
They are worth something. More than what he'll ever be.
He tried to swallow the words, but the confession leaves him as soon as he thinks it.
"I'm always a fool."
He's knocked down by one of his brothers and it takes him a few moments to realize it's Tup. Tup whose arms are wrapped around Dogma in a tight hug. Tup whose tears Dogma can feel on his neck. Tup who still cares for his batchmate despite all that he's done.
Dogma hugs back, tears slipping down.
Dogma feels another set of arms wrap around him and opens his eyes to see Fives encasing them in a group hug, Kix and Jesse joining on the sides.
They still care.
Why do they care?
Dogma cries harder, hiding his face in Tup's shoulder.
"Let us take care of you, vod'ika," Dogma hears Fives whisper. "Please."
Dogma gives no answer.
-b-
The pranks seem to have stopped for the next couple of weeks, as they house several Jetti on board. Kenobi, Commander Cody and the 212th were one of the first to stay aboard before heading for Scarif. Windu, Ponds and their battalion stayed after them, which was beneficial on the captain's part, as Dogma saw him hug Ponds one day as he walked past the brig. General Skywalker has opened his ship for battalions to stay, as a way to avoid a campaign right after Umbara. He cares about the 501st, Dogma has no doubt, but the inevitable will come. The General leaves for missions but in charge is Rex, who stays to host the battalions. Dogma appreciates the break.
The war's wearing down on all of them but Dogma can't help but get the feeling that something big is coming.
His nightmares have gotten worse, to the point where Dogma won't sleep some nights. He stopped roaming the ship after the one time he almost got caught by General Windu. He doesn't mind them; he knows they are not like Krell, but he can't help to think…well, they never saw Krell's betrayal.
For all their talk in trusting in the Force, they always end up blindsided by the actions around them. It's what stops Dogma from reaching out to one of them on his dreams.
Dreams? Nightmares? They all blur together.
At first it was just Umbara. His actions, the firing squad, the killing shot. They would be dreams where he didn't listen; dreams where the firing squad did their job. Dreams where he was on the receiving end of the firing squad.
But then it's switch to different places. Different planets. They come to him in pieces, barely pulled together in a cohesive narrative. Jesse. Pointing his blasters at Rex and Ahsoka. Ahsoka who is much older. There's an explosion. Ahsoka is on the run. She's the same as he saw her yesterday. She's working with Ventress. Rex is trapped, General Skywalker at his side. Stand down! Fives is running. Commander Fox shoots. Fives drops. General Tiplar is in his place. Tup's hand is shaking, blaster up. He's on a table; he's sick. He's dying. General Skywalker's eyes flash yellow. Mustafar. He fights Kenobi. The lightsabers clash. General Yoda. Beheading two clone commanders. Rex. A mission. Clones that don't look like them. Clones that are…defective. Jesse and Kix, sitting by a fire. A chamber. A tortured clone hooked up to wires. General Depa. Her troopers shoot. She blocks. Her padawan runs. The clone with the rifle fires. It's now Commander Bly. General Secura lays dead at his feet. No, it's General Skywalker. He's holding to the ground, limbs cut off. He screams. It's Kix. He's alone. He's never alone. A vod can't stand being alone. He fights. It's a Coruscant Guard Commander. He's surrounded. Droids' attack. He's hit six times before he falls. A creature falling with him. He hits the water. General Kenobi swims away. It's Ahsoka. She walks away from the temple. General Skywalker watches. A trial. A Mirialan Jedi is guilty. This Republic is failing! A pilot clone trooper. His comm turns on. Execute Order 66. He fires. General Koon. Crashing in a building. Clones climbing the steps to the temple. Younglings slaughtered in a flash of blue. A small version of Yoda. A baby Yoda. Hiding in the vents. Commander Fox holding his head. Chancellor Palpatine in his office. Something's wrong. Something is wrong! Commander Fox. Commander Fox! Palpatine turns to him, eyes yellow. He grins.
Dogma wakes.
-b-
He pads silently to the bathroom, careful not to wake his brothers. The barracks were crowded with extra vod from the 41st Elite Corps, some brothers sharing a bunk, but most were in a vodpile. He could hear Jesse snoring as he closes the door behind him.
The tile underneath his feet were cold and seeps warmth from each step he takes to the sink. Turning on the faucet, he rinses his face, hoping for the water to clear his head.
The nightmares…what do they mean? Do they mean anything?
Dogma sighs, glancing in the mirror before flinching back.
The corpse smiles. "Hello, Dogma," he rasps out and Dogma turns behind him but there's nothing there.
He turns to the mirror and the corpse tilts his head. Dogma's hands tighten on the sink, breath quickening.
"Who are you?"
No answer. Stupid question.
"What do you want?"
Still no answer.
Between the pranking, the stress of keeping Fives and Tup at bay, avoiding Kix, doing his duty, and the lack of sleep he's gotten, it doesn't take long for Dogma to crack.
He punches the mirror, fracturing it. His right hand throbs from the pain, but it didn't hurt as much as when he fell. "What do you want?!" He yells, ignoring the fact that his brothers are barely a couple feet away sleeping. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?"
Blood gushes out the corpse' mouth as he grins maniacally. A horrid wretched sound comes out and it takes too long for Dogma to realize he's laughing.
He's laughing.
He's laughing at him. Dogma's fist clenches.
He goes for another punch when the corpse's hand stops his. Up to the wrist, the hand is past the mirror.
He can feel the nails digging into his skin, the bones wrapped around his knuckles in an embrace, squeezing.
Squeezing.
It's too much and Dogma tugs back away from the pain but the hand holds on.
Nerves start to burn as he feels his bones creak. He grabs the wrist with his left, hoping to pull it off as the hand continues in its pressure. He can't hold back his screams as first his middle finger breaks under the strain, his index and ring finger following not a second after. His throat burns as he shrieks when the corpse' other hand grabs his left, squeezing the palm and breaking several carpal bones.
He barely registers the words the corpse is saying over the agonizing burn in his hand, pain muddling his thoughts.
He's got to get out. He's needs to get out!
He tugs away from the corpse, only for his head to slam down on the sink. Dogma hisses as he hears the crunch of his nasal bone breaking, white sparks filling his vision for just a second. Blood drips down from his nostrils, the metallic taste filling his senses as he licks his lips.
That's a way to stop the screaming, Dogma thinks hysterically.
"Dogma," he hears. "Open the door, Dogma!" He can hear a thumping on the door. "Dogma!"
"Dogma," the corpse repeats, and Dogma draws his eyes back to the corpse….
No. Dogma gasps and struggles against the grip holding on to him. This isn't possible. This isn't…
Standing before Dogma is the General.
General Krell.
The dar'jetti Dogma swore he killed.
"You're dead," he gasps, words tumbling out of his mouth. "You're dead. I killed you!"
Krell throws him to the floor, the clone hissing as he pulls his hands to his chest. Dogma just knows Kix will demand an answer on how he broke both of his hands, and Dogma knows he's a shit liar that he won't be able to not tell the truth. But that's a worry for future Dogma.
Right now…
Right now, Dogma can only watch as the former General materializes out of the mirror.
This isn't real, he thinks but that thought is banished from his mind when Krell stomps on his ankle, no doubt crushing the tarsals in his foot. He tries to muffle his screams with his hands, but judging by the thumping intensifying outside the door, Dogma knows he failed.
"I gave you a vision, Dogma," Krell speaks, and Dogma squeezes his eyes shut, pieces of nightmares flying past. "The future of the Republic." He laughs maniacally, walking closer, sneering. "The future of clones." Pressure builds in his head as Krell continues. "You're slaves to the Sith." Dogma whimpers as he shivers from the cold that wraps around him, his pain escalating from the pressure that threatens to overtake him. "A means to an end." He sobs as cords of the Force twist into his mind, pulling his restraint away, wrenching his control out of his grip. "I have gifted you the knowledge of truth, Dogma," Krell declares as though the nightmares weren't a torture. As though Dogma should be grateful for the visions of his brother's death, both physical and mental. "It is only fair that you gift me something in return."
Dogma shakes his head and howls when Krell destroys his other ankle. " You are a fool, Dogma!" Krell shouts as he turns away. "You will only ever be a fool!" His hands throb as he holds them above the ground, using his forearms to crawl away. Tears pour down his face as he wails, mind shattering against the pressure of the Dark Side. "You can't escape me!" Krell's voice has gotten smaller, less intense, and Dogma barely registers the door bursting open, Kix and Fives at his side.
"Dogma, o my god, Dogma!"
Dogma grabs ahold of Fives, his forearms trapping the hand that was reached out towards him. He stares straight at Fives, hoping he'll understand. "He's back! He's back!" Fives tries to shush him, but he shakes his head, his whole body shakes as he cries. "He's back!"
"Who's back, Dogma?" Fives asks, trying to comfort his vod'ika. "Who's back? What happened?"
Dogma ignores the muttering of clones, of the small Jedi whose kneeled down beside him, helping Kix with his injuries. Dogma ignores the prodding at his ankle, the shared whispers Kix and the Jedi are partaking in. He ignores Jesse and Tup, who's herding the other clones away from the bathroom. Dogma ignores everythingnand everyone except for Fives.
Fives.
The only brother Dogma can trust to believe him.
After all, he's the only one who'll be believe him about his nightmares.
He knows.
He saw.
After all, this is the curse of knowledge.
"He's back, Fives. Krell is back!"
