"So, tell me again why we're being sent to Kamino?" Domino asked as he escorted Naira to the designated transport, "Not that I mind going home every once in a while, it's just that it's not exactly my first pick for shore leave."

Naira shrugged. "The orders weren't exactly clear," she said, pulling up the message on her datapad, "and they're not exactly 'orders' either, more like a strongly-worded suggestion. Look at this: they are 'asking' select generals and their battalion commanders to 'visit' Kamino for a 'gathering'… half of the damned thing is just air quotes as though it's some sort of conspirator's letter."

Domino shook his head as he slipped his bucket on. "You'd think the brass would have a handle on how to communicate by now," he said, "The whole thing could have been summarized to 'meet on Kamino; classified.' Short, sweet, to the point, no questions required."

"Can't be that lucky all the time, Dom," Naira laughed as they approached the hangar.

It had been a little over a month since Naira had taken full command of Clone Battalion 77, and in that time, the affectionately nicknamed Lady Luck Battalion had successfully ended two separate sieges in record time. This solidified a secondary reputation for them as covert bunker busters in siege warfare and earned the whole team two weeks' shore leave. Unfortunately for Naira and Domino, shore leave for them was a "purely voluntary, but not really" trip to Kamino for as-of-yet unknown reasons. Neither of them were big fans of the cloak-and-dagger approach Intel liked to use on seemingly mundane orders.

The two were greeted by a pair of clones who introduced themselves as the captain and flight lieutenant assigned to transport the Jedi and their companions to Kamino. When asked if they knew what this was all about, both men showed they were just as in the dark as their passengers.

"Such rancor piss," Domino cursed, "Can we at least get access to the crew and passenger manifest?"

"Yes, sir," Captain Steele answered, punching a command into his datapad, "that's about the only thing that isn't classified on this tour. There you go; General Raadii should be receiving it now. If there's nothing else, we should get underway."

"Thank you, Captain," Naira nodded to him and then his copilot, "Lieutenant. That will be all."

The clones saluted. "Yes, sir," Steele spoke for both of them as they tended to their preflight duties.

Domino and Naira looked over the information, hoping the "guest list" would give some sort of clue as to what was going on. No such luck. As for crew, most of the flight staff were stewardess droids with the exception of Captain Steele and Lieutenant Gearhead, and the passenger list was even less helpful. It was far too small for the size transport they were taking. It read: "Clone Unit CC-12345; Domino, Commander – Cone Battalion 77. Clone Unit CT-33; Charlie, Captain – Clone Legion 313. Clone Unit CT-32; Dozer, Lieutenant – Clone Legion 313. Jedi Knight Naira Raadii; General – CB 77. Jedi Padawan Kale Sindal; Commander – CL 313. Jedi Master Garo Madoon; High General – CL 313." The incredibly short list was strange enough, but the name at the end of that list made Naira visibly cringe.

"This just keeps getting stranger," Domino said, not registering his general's apprehension, "Why such a large transport for only six pass—General?" He finally noticed the annoyance on Naira's face. "What?" he asked, only mildly worried that he may have been out of line, "What did I say?"

"It's not you, Dom," Naira rolled her eyes as they waited at the bottom of the loading ramp, "it's—"

Naira was interrupted when a human male approached them. "Naira!" he greeted, somehow sounding both surprised and bored at the same time, "Long time, no see! What's it been? Five? Ten years? And already a knight! Good for you!"

The words came out in rapid succession, leaving Naira no chance to get a word in edgewise. The man came off incredibly disinterested despite the energy and pep he put into the welcome. He was a man of average human height, probably about the same as Domino, give or take a centimeter or two in one direction or the other. He had short, messy brown hair as though he were just roused from sleep, and a midday shadow was creeping along his angular jawline. He looked about halfway between a reputable gentleman and "harried hobo." This look was emphasized by the flask holstered on his belt next to his lightsaber. If not for the very traditional and fairly well-kept Jedi robes he wore, this man could easily have been dismissed as a clown or ruffian.

"Master Madoon," Naira managed to sound respectful through slightly gritted teeth as she bowed her head to him. Domino noted with some offense that his general had not been afforded the same courtesy from this "Madoon," but he held his peace as Naira continued: "This is certainly a surprise."

"Hardly," Garo waved dismissively, "Playing escort to my fellow Jedi is commonplace for my Padawan and myself when not on the battlefield."

The fact that Garo Madoon was even allowed on the battlefield was a mystery to Naira as she found the older Jedi a little too lackadaisical both in personality and action. Hell, she wasn't even sure how he managed to rise to the rank of Master with his laissez-faire attitude. Even so, she was genuinely shocked to hear that he was assigned as escort detail for just one Jedi Knight and a clone. She stopped and did the math. No, she thought, there are four names besides mine and Domino's. Why do we need four escorts? What the kriff is going on at Kamino?

"Escort?" Naira repeated, trying to maintain an appearance of indifference, "You weren't invited to whatever this 'special event' is, Master Madoon?"

"Naira, please," Garo chuckled derisively, "there's no need to stand on ceremony with me. I'm fully aware that the Order doesn't exactly hold me in the highest regards." As he said this, he took a long, deliberate pull from his flask then went on: "Not that I blame them or even take offense, I'd just rather not keep up with the pretenses to the contrary, especially between friends."

Naira raised a brow at him. She didn't dislike the man per se, but she never really considered them "friends" either. He had about ten years on her, and they had only interacted a handful of times after her participation in the Gathering. Garo had been the Padawan escort for her and five other younglings when they traveled to Illum to find their lightsaber crystals. Naira was roughly seven or eight at the time, but she recalled the human's demeanor to be equivalent to a jester rather than a Jedi. He liked the younglings well enough, she remembered, but his refusal to take the Trial seriously left a negative impression among all of them. The few interactions she had with him afterwards always seemed one-sided.

"Now that that's out of the way," Garo continued before Naira could say anything, "no, I wasn't invited to the super-secret party on Kamino on account that I allegedly can't keep secrets. Can you believe that? Me? Accused of being a security risk? Hah! Ludicrous, if you ask me, but no one did."

Domino looked at Naira, and even though she couldn't see his face beneath the bucket, she could tell he was annoyed. "Uh, permission to pour acid in my ears, sir?" he requested, "I think I'd rather be deaf than listen to this guy talk all the way to Kamino."

"Denied, Commander," Naira stifled a laugh, "If I have to suffer, then so do you." She spoke up a little and said: "Domino, meet Jedi Master Garo Madoon. Garo, this is my Battalion Commander Domino."

"A pleasure," Garo responded with almost genuine sincerity, "Now, if you'd be so kind as to board the transport and take your seats, we can be on our way."

Naira nodded as Garo gestured for her and the clone to go ahead of him. Halfway up the ramp, Naira turned to Garo.

"Garo," she said, whispering conspiratorially, "if you aren't invited because you can'tkeep secrets, would it be too bold of me to assume that you have at least a little intel on what's happening on Kamino?"

If there was one thing Naira knew well about Garo Madoon, it was that he didn't much like being snubbed. He probably didn't actually care about what was going on at this gathering, but he was very good at getting information he otherwise shouldn't have. It was a strange dichotomy that he had the diligence to be knowledgeable while also not giving a damn.

"My dear Naira!" Garo gasped in exaggeration, placing his hand over his heart, "Contrary to the reports, I actually can keep secrets! I don't know anything about the training of a secret elite shadow squad of black-ops clones, and I certainly have no idea about them wanting the opinions of renowned battle tacticians. You should be ashamed of yourself for asking."

"My apologies, Master Madoon," Naira smirked, giving a slight nod, "it won't happen again."

She continued on up the ramp where she was met by two other clones at the top. They presented arms before turning to face each other to let Naira and Garo pass by. Naira was then greeted by a young human boy dressed in a sleeveless, brown Jedi tunic and sporting a thick head of brown, curly hair save for a tuft of dyed pink covering his forehead.

"Padawan Kale Sindal," he said, giving Naira a respectful bow, "at your service."

Naira returned the bow. "A pleasure," she smiled, "I am Jedi Knight Naira Raadii, and this is Commander Domino."

"Well, I'll be damned," one of the clones said as he and the other moved to Kale's side, "if it isn't Lady Luck herself."

The Togruta chuckled, slightly embarrassed by the nickname bestowed upon her not just by her men, but by the same military analysts that dubbed the 77th as "Lady Luck's Battalion." She looked over at Domino. "Guess I'm officially stuck with that one, aren't I?" she asked jokingly.

"'Fraid so, General," Domino answered with feigned and exaggerated dismay, "As long as you have the audacity to keep all your men alive with the barest minimum of injury, that name will continue to haunt you the rest of your days."

"Ah, woe is me, then," Naira chuckled then faced the boy, "Padawan," she addressed him, "it is customary for commanding officers to introduce their entourage to visitors."

"Oh, right, sorry," Kale responded sheepishly before clearing his throat, "This is Captain Charlie, and this is Lieutenant Dozer. You've already met my master, Garo Madoon."

Naira was about to say something apologetic about that arrangement when she realized Garo hadn't actually boarded the vessel with the rest of them. She turned to see him still standing at the entry hatch as though he'd been waiting to finally be noticed.

"Well, I believe you can handle it from here, Kale," Garo spoke rapidly so no one could speak over him, "I have absolute faith in you, my very young Padawan! Safe journey, and may the Force be with you and all that! I'm going to leave before you can process this!"

He did an about-face and all but sprinted off the loading ramp as the hatch sealed shut. Naira would have been furious if she didn't know the man. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head as she took her seat.

"How typical," she said, "he hasn't changed a bit in seventeen years."

"I take it this happens often, then?" Domino asked.

"Yeah, we're used to it," Charlie confirmed, "It's alright, though. We got the LC; he's got a good head on his shoulders and makes up for a lot of General Madoon's shortcomings."

"The tosser is in way over his head," Dozer said, sounding indignant, "but then, what Jedi isn't?"

"Can it, Dozer," Charlie said, then addressed Naira, "Don't mind him, General. We're pretty sure he was dropped on his head at birth."

That was enough for Naira to gauge these two clones' personalities. Charlie was fairly upbeat and optimistic, letting negativity roll off his shoulder like water off a pelikki's back. Dozer reminded her of 8-Ball and his vocal cynicism, except this lieutenant seemed to genuinely dislike his disposition rather than simply reacting from behind a clever façade. This knowledge made it easier for her to interact with them individually.

"I take no offense, Captain," Naira assured them both, "but being over one's head is no excuse to shirk one's responsibilities. Garo pawning his off onto his student is negligence at best."

"I don't really mind that," Kale admitted, taking a seat across from Naira, "I can definitely handle a soft mission like this on my own. I only wish my master would just answer my many, many questions about the war, the clones, and the many questionable practices of our politicians."

Naira had to stop herself from laughing at this proclamation. Garo really hadn't changed. Truth be told, as annoying as she found the behavior to be, Naira couldn't help but empathize with Garo. In a way, she understood why he was the way he was, and this war had no doubt compounded it to the point that he came off as uncaring or even oblivious to current events. She couldn't bring herself to be all that angry, seeing as Garo was able to shed some light on the purpose for this trip, but she couldn't condone this conduct, either.

"Kale," the Togruta addressed the human, "a good friend once told me that we shouldn't justify the poor behavior of our masters just because they are our teachers. As a Padawan, it is your duty to protect your master, and that includes calling him out when he effectively abandons or disregards his duties. Don't just be 'okay' with one good morsel but then excuse the rotten bits. He is your teacher, and he needs to be teaching you. Remember that next time you see him. If all else fails, just tell him you understand if he can't answer your questions. Always use 'can't'. That tends to ruffle his feathers.

"For now, we have plenty of time before we reach Kamino, so feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I can't promise I'll have all the answers, but I may be able to impart a few."

The Padawan didn't even hesitate, excited to be getting at least some proper mentoring. Naira had some difficulty keeping up with the speed of Kale's questions, but she managed to give answers to what she knew, advice and resources for what she didn't know or wasn't certain about, and even turned to clones regarding questions about them. Naira never once pretended to have an answer for everything, and Kale seemed to really appreciate that. All in all, the two Jedi found they had a lot in common when it came to their opinions on the war and the clones as a whole, and at some point, the conversation turned from Kale's curiosities to an exchange of stories between the Jedi and their clone companions.

"…and then Charlie says: 'Congratulations on the promotion, Commander,'" Kale spoke with exaggerated hand motions, "and I practically yell: 'I'm twelve!' And do you know what Charlie said to that? With all the patience of Master Sinube, Charlie says: 'And I'm six.' That's when Master Madoon ran and hid on the ship."

Naira was splitting at the sides listening to Kale's many attempts to get answers out of Garo. "Kid, I'm going to need you to stop," she wheezed, "This is such an undignified way to die!"

"Sorry, Master Raadii," the boy grinned sheepishly, "I know it seems funny now, but you have to admit, the whole thing is plain bonkers…and kind of sad. I mean, it's bad enough they're fighting and dying for people who barely even notice their existence, but they quite literally have every aspect of their lives cut so short to the point that even if they survive the war, their chances of living past the age of thirty are almost none. No childhood. No future. No choice. That's the thanks they get for their service."

"It's an unfair situation," Naira opined sadly, "and I've yet to see any viable solutions either in the Senate or even among our fellow Jedi. It saddens me to think that I will have kept my men alive to the end only to have discovered there's no safety net for them. Maybe I'm wrong, and they are working on something that will be ready by then. And maybe I'll teach a Rancor how to speak basic, who knows? Either scenario is about as unlikely as the other from where I'm standing, but I'll fight for them either way."

She went silent, fidgeting with the ID tags around her neck. House's words ran through her mind: "Our lives are short, Naira…" He hadn't been speaking in regards to the injustice thrust upon him and his brothers by their Kaminoan creators, but the meaning behind the words still rang true.

Kale didn't know much about Clone Battalion 77 and their exploits, but he knew enough to see that this conversation brought forth sad memories for the elder Jedi. He decided to change the subject.

"So…" he hesitated, "is it true you remember every single clone you've ever met?"

"Now that's a rumor I've never heard before," Naira smirked, "Where did that one come from?"

Kale raised his index finger and took in a breath as though he were about to give a grand speech on a scientific discovery, but when he went to speak, he stopped short. His face went from excitement to confusion to pondering before succumbing to a sudden bout of ignorance. "Actually," he said with slight embarrassment, "I have no idea how it started…"

"I can help with that, sir," one of the clones, who had been sitting just outside the Jedi's line of sight, spoke up.

"By all means, Charlie," Naira acknowledged without facing him, "I've gotta hear this."

"Like that," Charlie laughed, "That's how it started."

Now it was Naira's turn to be confused. "Wait, what?" she asked, turning in her seat to look at him, "You lost me."

"C'mon, General, think about it. You didn't even look back to check which one of us was speaking. You just knew it was me simply by my voice even though the squawk boxes in these buckets makes us all sound even more identical than speaking naturally. Kriff, you didn't even hesitate! You didn't mistake me for Dozer, Domino, or even the guys piloting the ship. Most people need to actually see our faces or read our numbers to tell us apart. Many more don't even care to try, because that would make us a little too sentient to them…allegedly. But you? You've barely known four of us for a couple of hours, and you already know who's who. That kind of thing tends to get noticed real quick along the ranks."

"Being able to tell you apart is not the same thing as never forgetting you, though," Naira pointed out, "and treating you with respect and common courtesy shouldn't be this rare—especially among Jedi. However…I suppose I can see how such a rumor can get started. That being said, it's not entirely untrue, now that I really think about it. I can't possibly remember every single clone I've ever met. As much as I'd like to believe otherwise, I am neither arrogant nor dishonest enough to perpetuate that claim. Now, if we're talking every clone I've served with, every single one is remembered, but besides the six hundred plus in the 77th, I've only ever had the honor of serving with Commander Wolffe and the Wolfpack as well as Commander Cody from the 212th."

"Well, I doubt that will change the legend, General," Charlie shrugged, "though I think 'humble' may find its way into it."

Naira shook her head and smiled. "I'll try to not let it inflate my ego," she chuckled.

Shortly thereafter, Steele came over the comm. "We've entered Kaminoan space, General," he said, "We'll be landing at Tipoca City within the hour."

As the ship began landing procedures, the clones rose to their feet and took up positions beside their respective leaders.

"So," Naira said as they waited at the boarding hatch, "where are you boys off to after this?"

"Back to the Temple for me," Kale answered, "The guys are technically on shore leave; that's why we were asked to escort."

"Does nobody respect the sanctity of 'shore leave'?" Domino lamented.

"Guess not," Naira sighed then turned back to Kale, "What's going on at the Temple?"

"Oh, I'm supposed to meet Anakin Skywalker."

Naira almost erupted with laughter. "Good luck with that," she snorted, "He's…not what you'd expect, given his reputation." Without explaining further, she addressed Charlie and Dozer. "It's been a pleasure, Captain," she said, nodding to each man respectively, "Lieutenant. I hope our paths cross again someday."

The two clones presented arms in lieu of saluting as Naira and Domino departed the craft to join the Kaminoan delegation waiting for them outside.

Charlie turned to Dozer. "See?" he said, nudging his brother with his elbow, "Told you they weren't all bad."

"A Jedi is a Jedi," Dozer responded indifferently, "one 'nice' one out of the bunch isn't going to endear me to them…uh…no offense, Commander."

"None taken, Dozer," Kale said absently as he stared in the direction the Togruta had departed.

"Something wrong, LC?" Charlie asked with concern.

"I don't know. I'm not great at reading people, but Master Raadii seems so…sad. She looks and acts happy, but it just feels like a fragile mask. There's…something hurting her. It's hurting Domino, too, and even though I don't know what it is, it was making me sad, too."

"It's probably nothing, kid," Dozer said, "Once we're back on Coruscant, you won't have to worry about it anymore. I'm sure 'Lady Luck' has a busy schedule; we're not likely to run into her again."

Kale doubted that, but he kept it to himself as the transport departed back for Coruscant.