CHAPTER VI: Back to Work

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Vrm Vmmm. Vrm Vmmm. Vrm Vmmm.

The clone cadet's eyes struggled to open as he could feel the thin mattress of his pod push outwards.

"It is 0400."An automated voice spoke accompanying the hum of his alarm as his eyes adjusted to the bright light of the barracks. Inspection at 0405."

Vrm Vmmm. Vrm Vmmm. Vrm Vmmm.

0400 already? The cadets fists clenched as he struggled to sit up, the muscles all over his body burning with soreness and his mind still fatigued. Only three hours of sleep…

The previous day had been a three-day training exercise in the environmental battle simulation which supposedly mimicked the conditions of a planet called 'Mimban'. The goal each squad was given was to avoid capture until they could be exfiltrated out of the combat zone.

The constant slog in the rain and mud had done a number to his legs and exhausted the men of the squad greatly, and nearly falling into several mud-pit traps had been an experience in its own right, but it was a walk in a part compared to having to deal with several simulated ambushes, improvised explosives, and other natural hazards.

A few squads thought it would be a good idea to band together, but it proved to be their undoing as they were swarmed by hordes of 'insurgents' and battle droids.

Eyes looking to the row of empty bunks next to him, he shook his head.

Squad Osk had been one of the luckier commando squads who had not taken casualties this time around.

Still lying down, he could see down the line the bustle of activity. Some of the cadets were more active than himself, and others were still lying in their bunks, in worse shape than himself. Resting his forearm on his face, tried to go back to sleep.

"Oh-Five, get up." A voice marginally different than his own got his attention from the rack above. "We're all tired, but just one more day right?"

It was the voice of his squad's medic, RC 02/099.

"Just another minute." He replied, closing his eyes again. "It'll give me three minutes to get everything done."

"I know your aching but if you don't get up, we're going to be in a lot more pain when Reau'ramikad gets here."

"Alright." The mention of their Training Sergeant was more than enough incentive to get him to sit up, no matter how much pain he was in. "I'm up… sitrep?"

"Three minutes and thirty seconds to get everything done." 099 began to climb down the ladder, soon following suit. "Oh-Five-Two and Oh-Six-One are already getting ready."

"Alright" As they reached the floor, they could see his squad mates already at their designated lockers. "Oh-Five-Two and Oh-Six-One."

"Morning lead." "Su cuygar."

052 and 061 nodded as they put on their training armor, which was marred with damages and battle scars from the many training engagements from the Killing House and the Environmental Battle Simulations.

From the way they moved, it was quite clear that they were still suffering the effects of the exercise the day prior, and struggled to gear up as quickly as they could.

The cadet limped over to his locker, and began to gear up.

"You two, help each other, and Oh-Nine-Nine, get over here." He gestured to his squad mate. "We'll get our gear on faster."

With efficient teamwork, the four of them managed to get their armor. They were in the process of beginning a weapon check when the doors opened up.

"On the line!" The steely voice of their Training Sergeant echoed throughout the barracks. "On the line!"

A cacophony of footsteps echoed throughout the large barracks as each and every commando cadet rushed to the line. Squad Osk did the same, weapons holstered on the sides of their survival pack via magnetic locks, and their helmets under their arms.

All of them had the same weapon: The DC-17m Interchangeable Weapons System, yet each one was unique to each of its users.

RC 02/105's DC-17m had the single fire option removed in favor for faster rate of fire.

RC 02/099's was stock standard. To him, it was perfect the way it was.

RC 02/052's sniper rifles holo-scope was custom programed to suit his desire

RC 02/061's grenade launcher attachment had most of its safety precautions disabled and allowed for custom payloads to be deployed.

"Cadets. Today is an important day for each and every one of you." Walking down the line, her 'T' shaped visor looking each of them up and down. "Today is your eighth year of life, which means that you've grown enough to finally be receiving your first real armor set."

Many of the holoprojectors on the walls proceeded to show a set of armor that was similar to their training armor, but different in so many more ways.

From the specs he could read off, he saw that this 'Republic' was equipping them with an armor set that had to be worth at least fifty times worth in equipment. The armor was made of duraplast, and its undersuit was to be completely sealed and armored. Their boots would be able to walk in any terrain with little issue and even have magnetic soles for Zero-G operations.

And their helmets: They would have the latest in the interactive heads up display technology which would allow for them to make the tactical decision on the fly, and the environmental rating was top tier, being able to survive even the harshest conditions.

All in all, they were being equipped with the whole nine-yards.

"After morning chow, all commando units will report to the Kaminoan Armorsmiths Foundry. All members of Senth Company should have their armor by 0800." The holoprojectors turned off. "At 0830, all members of Senth Company will participate in an intercompany training exercise with Trill Company."

While none of his squad moved, he could tell that they were all thinking the same thing.

That they and their brother company were being dragged into the most recent of 'friendly' competitions between Reau'ramikad and Priest'ramikad.

The two had this strange rivalry, where they would do everything in their power to one up the other, a common occurrence where they found themselves pitted against their gene-brothers in competitions of martial prowess and skill.

Sometimes it would be as simple as the two top squads are pitted against each other in a marksmanship contest, and other times it has been brutal all-out brawls between the two companies, where the last man standing would be claim the win for their company.

How the two Training Sergeants have managed to keep this out of the eyes and ears of the aiwha-bait was unknown, but they've managed to keep these 'extracurriculars' out of view.

"Priest thinks that his commandos have shaped up since the last quarter, so I've bet half a years-worth of tihaar I had brought in a month ago." She paused as she stood in front of them. "Commando 02/105, as the Cadet Sergeant of the top performing squad of this quarter, how do you think your men would fair against their top squad?"

"Priest'ramikad's forces are tenacious and well disciplined, but not much else." The commando replied remaining still. "From what recon my squad has done, they have yet to master even the fundamentals of what you and Priest'ramikad desire us to be. We will not lose no matter the circumstance."

"You're confident, but we will see if you speak truthfully. Your squad will be the first in The Circle. You will fight their top squad." After looking him up and down, before looking up the rest of them. "I'll double my wager, and when you win, you and your squad will receive its rewards."

Without waiting for response from him, she was already walking down the line, continuing her brief inspection of all the other commandos.

That however, was not the concern of their squad. While all of the commando's in this barracks would die to get their hands on the rewards such as an additional two hours of sleep, the four commandos who were given the task were only focused on the unspoken antonym of that word.

The last squad that failed to rise to Reau'ramikad's expectations found themselves in the med bay for two whole weeks, and afterwards they were denied food and water for the following two weeks, being forced to scavenge.

To make matters worse, Reau'ramikad had put standing orders that any squad caught aiding them during their punishment would face the same punishment.

05 would not let his squad suffer such indignity, especially when their foe was as weak as they were.

"Form up by squads!" Reau'ramikad's voice rung out throughout the entirety of the barracks, her inspections finally finished. "You know where to go."

"Yes Reau'ramikad!" The clones under her command acknowledged her order as they rushed to their positions. "Osk, you've heard Reau'ramikad." Putting on his helmet, he grabbed his gear. "Lets get moving."

"Yes Sarge." "Lead." "Looking forward to it."

099, 052, and 061 all followed suit, following the column of clone commandos.

Osk squad was honored by their leader to be the first to represent the superiority of her training.

They would not bring shame to Reau'ramikad. They would not bring shame to their squad. They would not bring shame to their company.

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[15: 5: 01 ArS]

05's eyes opened groggily, raising his hand up to his face as he tried to block out the light.

Yet it didn't matter, as the brightness of the blue H.U.D. within his helmet forced him to squint his eyes.

"Where…" Once his eyes managed to refocus, he saw from a quick look to get a feel for his immediate surroundings. "Oh."

The Republic Commando no longer found himself in Tipoca City's military complex on the water world of Kamino. He was no longer standing at attention in the sterile barracks of the military complex nor was he marching down the pristine halls of one of the finest military instillations of this galaxy as a green cadet on his way to receive his first armor set, eager to prove this Training Sergeant that his squads effectiveness was worthy of her recognition.

The Republic Commando designated 02/105 was aboard the Kappa-class shuttle in which he had crash landed in months prior. He was on a strange feudal world in some strange dark zone of galactic communication and was stranded until he could find his way back to the war effort that threatened the very ideas and institutions that the Galactic Republic was founded on.

Yet as of now, his sole job was to survive until he could rejoin said effort.

Shaking his head, he did his best to get a better idea of his surroundings.

What was odd was that he did not awake in the makeshift room with the cot, rather he found himself lying on the ground in the speeder bay, underneath the BARC Speeder he had been repairing. In his grip, was the fusion cutter which he had been using to mend wires and other important pieces to function condition.

He checked the charge on the fusion cutter, and once he confirmed that it still had enough charge for his tasks, he continued his work on the speeder bike. As the hours ticked by, he steadily adjusted himself to be in a better position to do his repairs.

Once he was certain he was done, he pushed himself out from underneath the speeder.

With a rumble from his stomach, it didn't take him long to find his survival pack and primary weapon.

Moving to it, he pressed one of the four buttons on the outside, to release the seal that kept everything within in perfect condition, reaching in and grabbing some jerky made from the boar in the week earlier.

Taking off his helmet first, he set it off to the side with great care, before unwrapping the meal. With a bite. While it had a leathery texture, the taste of this meat was refreshing to his palette, and if there was any one thing he could be thankful for his situation was the food he got to eat.

He wondered if he would get to eat the sweets of this world?

Focus. This is no time for such matters!

Shaking his head, he recollected what tasks had been completed.

The first matter on his mind was that of Fencer Squire.

It had been a week since he had spoken with the lady known as Fencer Squire. He was unsure what to make of her, but his instincts told him that she would be at the very least an asset. Saving her life and sharing some things with her was likely more than enough to ingratiate her to him, and that meant she would be amenable to providing aid should he ever need it.

Maybe that was why he decided to let her keep the commlink despite protocol dictated that he should take back the technology and clothing given to her.

Or maybe he had decided to let her keep the technology because it would be both a benefit to maintain contact with a potential asset.

The Republic Commando was somewhat surprised to discover that the Frontier Town was within range of commlink transmitter range. Yet he had to inform Fencer Squire on numerous occasions that the communication line was not for mundane communications, but for urgent messages only.

Sure she had complained, but he had promised that the two would speak again in person again, sooner rather than later, and that changed her tune.

Fencer Squire was a strange individual.

Finishing up the food, he washed down the meat with water before putting his helmet back on. With a final seal, he tapped a button on the side. It would be best to inform the medical droid that he was now awake.

"IM-6. Are you active?"

Almost instantly, the droid responded.

"Good morning!" The droid spoke with its chipper tone. "Did you just awaken?"

"No, I awoke roughly…" Quickly lifting his vambrace, he checked the time. "Roughly two hours. I am finishing up repairs on the BARC Speeder."

"I see. I must remind you that it is important that you get proper sleep whenever you can." The droid began one of its lectures. "You pulled two all-nighters in the past week and both times you were asleep on the floor."

"I'll take better care of myself."

"Do you intend on doing that or are you simply saying that to pacify me?"

"I plan to do a test on the speeder soon."

"Do not change the subject."

"I will try." The commando sighed at IM-6's persistence. The droid was picking up on his mannerisms much quicker than he would've liked, but he didn't entirely mind it. "Will you be back soon?"

"I can be back shortly." The droid responded. "I am currently collecting berries. I thought it best to stock up for the cold season."

"I see. Thank you." The commando thanked the droid. "I will keep you informed with my test."

"Very well. I will see you soon."

With the conversation over, the commlink cut out.

Strange droid. The commando thought about all the medical droids he had been in the presence of and he had yet to meet one with such a personality as the one he was stuck with droid. It had to have developed this one over the past few months. Is this why they get wiped often?

Looking over the engine one last time, he removed some parts and replaced them with salvaged parts of the other speeder, making sure to take time and care with their installation. If he messed this part up, it might result in a fatal accident.

"Alright. Let's see here…"

With the speeder secure on its rack, he did a number of pre-flight checks before finally sitting in the seat.

Pressing the ignition button, the antigravity generator came to life as the craft began to float to its optimal height, the speeder hovering at few feet off the ground. This in itself was a good sign, as that meant the antigrav repulsorlift was still functioning proper, and even better since the engine had not caught fire.

Flicking a switch which was the equivalent of a parking brake, the speeder hovered in place.

"Moment of truth."

Slowly applying throttle, the speeder began to hum in place. The low hum slowly began a loud roar and after ten seconds of uninterrupted throttle he stopped the stress test and allowed for the thrusters to stop.

With a nod of satisfaction, he continued to keep a close eye on the speeders functions.

"Things are looking good."

"I am glad to hear RC-02/105." Turning around, he could see the IM-6 Medical droid hovering there, a small basket of berries in hand. "I just arrived."

"I see." Turning off the speeder, it lowered into its rack, allowing for him to hop off of the repulsorcraft with ease. "Anything of note when you were out?"

"Most of the berries we've been collecting have stopped growing." The droid picked one out to show him. "Yet there are a number of bushes with unripe berries, perhaps they are seasonal?"

"Note down their locations." 05 nodded as he turned back to the speeder. Crouching down, he began to put a number of tools into a roll. "The location of food sources is always important."

"I already took the liberty to note them down. I will transcribe them onto a piece of parchment or something for your viewing later." The droid nodded as it hovered around him. "What are your plans for the remainder of this day?"

"First I will continue the diagnostics on the speeder." Putting a number of tools into the roll, he stowed them within the roll before standing back up. "Once done, I intend on going into the town to investigate the Guild mentioned to me by Fencer Squire." Walking towards the exit he continued to speak. "The bike should make the trip to the town much quicker.

"The Guild? The one in the town?" The droid tilted its head as he gave a nod in the affirmative. "Is that wise?"

"There are no active hostilities between the Galactic Republic and this feudal planet." The Republic Commando began, moving past the bot and to the main hallway. "Saving the young lady has put me in a positive light of her and most likely their adventurer guild here. It would be best to nurture that into more positive relations." Pushing a button, the door to the storage bay opened up. "It will grant us easier access to raw materials such as food and crafting supplies, and fabricated goods such tools and medicine."

"I understand." The droid could not find fault in his logic. "If that is the case, it would be greatly appreciated if you could acquire more of those 'Health Potions'?"

The Medical Droid had taken a great interest in the red liquid. According to its analysis, it was a 'bacta-like' substance and when he had consumed it on the request of the droid, it did exactly what Fencer Squire had said it would do.

His fractured ribs were mostly mended over the span of minutes, his bruises and some of the electrical scaring in half an hour, and all of the pain from the associated injuries had been completely gone within the hour.

A full examination from the Medical Droid confirmed its effectiveness, and thus, it wanted more to experiment with.

"I'll see what I can do."

"That would be most appreciated." IM-6 looked over to him. "You intend to travel by speeder? Do you plan on taking it into the town?"

"No, I plan on hiding it in the shrubbery." Picking out some new tools, he attached them to a strap on his greaves. "I have a camouflage tarp set up."

Gesturing to the tarp, the droid looked.

"Oh!" IM-6 flew over to it. "That what this was! I thought you were interested in arts and crafts."

The commando simply stared at the droid.

"Right! Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Just stay nearby in case something goes wrong with the speeder diagnostics."

"I will take inventory of what we have." With a salute, the droid began to take stock of everything. "Contact me if you need anything."

With a nod, the commando took the tools and moved back to the hanger bay. Looking over the speeder bike, it was currently in deployable condition, yet he was in no rush to go to this Guild. It wasn't like the town was going anywhere.

And besides, it would be most unfortunate if he didn't double check the repairs and all the functions and it exploded underneath him while in transit.

Removing the protective plate from the engine, he began to review the machinery.

Back to work.

Unholstering the fusion cutter, he did his best to complete this work within a reasonable timeframe.

»»-¤-««

The receptionist with hair that bordered blonde sat at the desk, sitting straight up in a presentable and approachable manner.

The morning rush had been easily manageable, and with winter right around the corner, not many individuals were looking to become adventurers. That rush would occur in the spring-time and another wave of adventurers would appear around the end of the spring months.

The large oak doors opened, and a familiar sight graced her.

There was a middle-aged man, in simple jerkin and well-worn trousers, patchwork covering the length of both legs. From the way he looked around this hall as he approached the counter, she could tell that he was from out of town, and this was likely one of the few times he left the green of his hamlet.

While the days had gotten cooler, there was sweat on his brow and a concerned look in his gaze as his eyes darted around.

If she had to guess, this man was here to place a request for adventurers.

"Um. Excuse me miss." The man spoke as he stopped near the counter, his accent clearly of that of the frontier she had come to know well. "Is this where we request adventurers?"

"Good afternoon!" The Guild Girl greeted the man. "Normally you'd need to fill out a sheet that's on that counter over there." She directed her gaze to a desk with a stack of 'quest requests', and once the man turned to look she spoke once more as she maintained a professional smile. "However since it isn't busy, I can process your request directly."

"That's good to hear." A sigh came from his mouth as he moved closer to the counter. "I need the help of some adventurers."

"Just one moment sir." The blonde receptionist pulled out a form, and a fresh quill from a small holder, standing up, she handed the sheet and quill to him. "Do you know how to read and write?"

"Eh… only a little?" His hand gestured 'more-or-less'. "Will that be a problem?"

"None at all! The Adventurers Guild understand that not everyone can read and write." Pulling the sheet back, she prepared her quill. "If you tell me the details, then I can transcribe the information for you."

"Ok. Yeah. That sounds good." With a nod, he waited for her to finish setting up and once she was done, he spoke once again. "What do you need to know?"

"Please tell me why you are here and the nature of your request."

"Our hamlet needs help of adventurers." The man spoke, voice slightly nervous as he began. "A home on the outskirt saw a goblin or two… the mans two sons went out to check it out." The villager looked down as if he was trying to remember something. "They haven't been back."

The receptionist felt a small frown.

"Oh no! It looks like you need an exterminator then." Maintaining her professional demeanor, she scribbled down what she had heard. "Where is your village located?"

"Its, uh… maybe a day out if you travel north east… yeah the upper northeast bridge."

"I see!" The young receptionist nodded as she wrote down the location. "Anything else of note?"

"Ah… we saw them at the south east of our town. We can have someone show where when they arrive."

"Ok…" With a few more scribbles, the senior receptionist nodded. "Do you have your payment with you?"

"Yes I do." The man unclasped a fat pouch at his waist as he set it down on the table. "The town got as much as we could."

Emptying the pouch onto the counter, she began to count coin each coin individually.

The majority of the coins were copper coins, and there were at most a handful of silver coins covered in grime and in generally poor condition that they could be mistaken for copper or bronze and a single gold coin within.

Once she finished counting, she quickly did some mental math, writing down the reward value after guild fees. She bit her lip in concern as she looked at the number written in.

Yet she could not tell him this.

"Alright. It seems that everything is in order." Golden eyes looked over to him, she hid her concern behind years of experience in this profession. "Your request has been confirmed and an adventurer will arrive for the extermination in a couple of days."

"That's good to hear." The man let out a breath as he looked at her. "Thank you miss, please get them to hurry."

"I will do what I can." The blonde honestly replied. "The Adventurers Guild wishes you the best."

The man bowed and began to walk off, and once he had left the building, a frown appeared on her face proper.

Another goblin extermination. She sighed as she moved around the counter and to the board, putting up the goblin slaying quest next to two other ones which had not been taken today.

Like the other two, this quests reward totaled up to less than ten gold pieces, while slightly above the average for a goblin extermination, it was certainly not enough to get proper adventurers.

Returning to her post, she sat back down and after seeing two or three parties look at the quest and move on, she rested her head against the desk.

There had been a sharp decrease in goblin activity at this time, but if years prior were to be any indicator, their local specialist would be bogged down for the weeks to come as he dealt with many of the goblin nests.

I wonder where he is now. The receptionist sighed as she fiddled with the end of her braid.

It had been around four days since hehad shown up.

More goblins are bad. The stoic silver adventurer had told her while reviewing a small stack of goblin slaying quests both claimed and unclaimed by adventurers. I will deal with them.

The receptionist did not know how he managed to decide which extermination quests he should go on first, she could only hope that in his experience he was doing his best to save as many lives as he could.

Yet she knew that the reality of his situation would be to pick and choose which areas could be saved and those that would be avenged.

There was only so much he could do, since he was only one man.

"Stop that." The voice of her junior spoke up. "You're doing the face again."

"I am?" She put her hand up to her face and she felt the furrows on her brow and soon sighed. "I am."

"What's got you so down?" Eyes of azure did not look towards her as she continued to fill out paperwork. "Another goblin slaying quest?"

"Yes?"

"Low pay?"

"Mhm."

Both the Guild Girl and the Inspector knew this song and dance.

A hamlet is threatened by goblins. They collect all the funds of their village in hopes of hiring an adventurer party. The guild would process the request and then if adventurers would take the quest, then they would go to the hamlet and deal with the threat.

It was a roll of the dice whether or not the hamlet would be saved or if the party would perish.

Closing her eyes, she thought about how the Guild combated the goblin threat in the frontier.

Their main way of dealing with this threat to send in fresh and untrained porcelain parties to deal with them. If the first party succeed, they would gain the experience but never do a goblin quest again. And if they died, then the Guild would hope that the second or third one would handle it.

At the end of the day, it got dealt with, and that's all that mattered… or so she told herself.

"Its rough, but it'll get done eventually." She finished the paper she was scribing before pulling another sheet and beginning to work, dipping her quill into the inkwell. "Do you think—" The Inspector cut herself off as something caught her attention as she nudged her shoulder. "Hey look."

The Guild Girl sat up, looking to the entrance of the guild hall.

The doors of solid oak closed with a loud creak at the hinges, and what she saw was a large imposing figure, cloaked in a heavy patchwork cloak made of hunted animals, seemingly scanning the main hall.

Comparing the height of the individua to some of the regulars, they were not as tall as the Heavy Warrior, but they were most certainly a bit taller than the blue armored Spearman.

As she looked him up and down, she could not see a single piece of him that was not covered in cloth or fur. Even their face was covered in a strange wrap that covered the entirety of their head, and she swore she could see a faint blue hum peering through the slit where their eyes were.

While it looked very much like a sword or falchion, it was unlike any other blade she had seen.

It was made of a strange silvery metal that she had not ever seen before, and the sword mounting at the base of the blade was so finely engraved she wondered how such a blade came into the possession of such a rugged individual.

A number of the people within this guild hall looked at him, and while fewer gazes lingered, the stranger took no mind to them as they began to move up to the counter, their stride with precision and tempo that could only be described as 'military', each step as heavy as a person in plate.

It was clear that they were approaching the counter… hers specifically.

Her eyes nervously followed the stranger, yet she gave this individual her best working smile.

"Is this the Adventurers Guild?" The voice asking sounded masculine, and had an unfamiliar accent to it.

"Y-yes this is it." She entered her professional mode as her eyes looked for a tag of the guild she worked for. "Are you from one of our affiliate branches across the continent?"

"No."

"Then how may I help you… sir?"

"One of your members advised I come here when I had the time." He gestured with his hand, revealing to her a silvery white knuckeplate with a blade peaking out of it. "I had the time."

"So it seems?" She tilted her head, first eyeing the blade before looking back at him. "Which member?"

"Fencer Squire." The name rung a bell. "Young woman, Five-two, pale complexion."

With a blink, she recalled the young lady which had taken a Sapphire Ranked Goblin Extermination. And if she told him to come here when he had the time, then that meant…

"You are the 'Republic Commando' that she spoke of?"

"I am."

"I-I see…" Looking over him once again, she hadn't expect this. "Fencer Squire had described you differently… so I had expected someone different."

With no response, she coughed into her hand.

"Regardless thank you for taking time out of your day to show up." Pulling out a form pertaining to quest reports, she grabbed a quill.

"You wished to speak for an accurate report?"

"That is correct." The Guild Girl nodded. "Please explain the events to the best of your recollection. I know its been a number of days, but please try to be accurate."

With a nod, the 'Republic Commando' began to speak of the events of that night, starting at investigating the source of a disturbance. Then how he found Fencer Squire in 'less than favorable' conditions, and aided her. After a day, the two of them returned to the forest, and when the Adventurer proved unable to continue, he finished the quest on his own describing it in vivid detail.

It was clear that a few of the members nearby were off put by his recollection of events and either had faces of concern or disgust and either went to a different line or simply decided to return at a different time.

While she was unaccustomed to reports of this vivid description, it was something that she had to be ready for, so she was less perturbed than the others.

"I see." Scribing down the final lines, she turned the sheet to him. "And this is a correct recollection of events from that night?"

Taking the sheet, he read over it for a moment before he returned it to her, nodding in the affirmative.

"Very well, sign here to confirm that all statements made here are accurate."

Taking the quill, he signed.

"Is that all?"

"Paperwork wise, yes." With a nod, she set the sheet to dry. "However I would be remiss to not ask if you would be willing to consider membership with our Guild."

"Why is that?"

"The guild is always looking for new prospective individuals to join." Guild Girl began, looking at him. "From what I've heard, your abilities and skill set would be a perfect fit for the Guild."

"I was lightly briefed on what Guild Membership entails." The man stood there, much like a statue. "This institution is state funded, but not bound to the state itself?"

"That is correct. While oftentimes the interests of the state and the Guild align, there are many treaties between nations and the guild that allow our members to act as neutral members."

"Like an independent contractor."

"That's one way to put it."

"If I have pre-existing obligations, will I be able to resign at any time?"

"Of course!" With a nod, she looked through the book before looking back up. "Many young soldiers and adventurers' nobility have signed on with our guild, only for obligations of state or of family to arise. Rest assured we will not raise a fuss about resignations for matters such as that."

"What are the benefits of membership?"

"One of the primary benefits of membership is exclusive access to our smith and shop, and easier access to adventurer quality gear."

"Adventurer quality gear?"

"Adventurers on quests may find magical items that do not suit their need, and our guild processes them and sells them back to members at a rate that many outside our guild considers unfair." With a smile she continued. "Merchants also sell high quality gear to our guild so we can sell them at favorable rates compared to independent blacksmiths and apothecaries." To sell the point, she pulled out a health potion, to which his gaze was locked on to. "In local apothecaries, a potion of this grade would be roughly five gold pieces, but here we're able to sell it for around one."

"I see…"

"And on top of that, only members of our guild are permitted to undertake quests on our board here." She gestured to the board, while mostly barren still had a few quests adorned on it. "The guild prides itself with providing accurate information on quests and providing the space needed for adventurers to collaborate on how to complete said quests."

This Republic Commando's gaze was now looking on the board, and thanks to her experience with dealing with individuals who hide their face, she believed his focus was specifically locked onto a single type of quest.

She knew which one it was.

"I see." Looking back to her he spoke. "And the rules of membership?"

"Rules are quite simple. Complete your quests, don't steal other peoples quests, don't lie on official reports, and if at all possible, avoid killing other members of our guild." She rubbed the back of her head. "If you and another Guild member end up in a lethal confrontation, our Inspectors have a proven track record to discovering if the altercation was justifiable."

"Good to know."

A couple of seconds passed as he looked at the board once more.

"I will join this adventurers guild."

Maintaining her professional demeanor, she nodded and pulled out a form for new members.

"Very well. You can read and write?" When he nodded in the affirmative, she continued. "Please move to one of the tables… there and come back when you've filled it out."

Another nod, he took the quill and ink and moved off to the side.

As he moved away, she could see that a small line had began to form behind him.

"Next Adventurer!"

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

RC 02/105 had faced no complications entering the town and reaching the guild, only having to ask a young man if the building he was about to enter was the Adventurers Guild.

Now he sat at the table he was directed to and began to fill out the paperwork needed to join the guild as a proper member.

He was familiar with bureaucracy such as this, and this was a welcome change when compared to the piles of after action reports he would need to fill out after a classified mission that maybe twenty-five people tops would read.

Looking at the sheet, he was pleased to see that everything was in near perfect Aurebesh, only a few minor changes to certain characters, which is probably the local script.

Filling out the first section of information, it read as follows:

Name: Republic Commando | Age: 24 | Race: Human | Sex: Male |

He had initially been planning on being forthcoming about his age and race, however he decided against it once he considered that they wouldn't believe him being only twelve and being a duplicate of a now dead man.

Filling out a bit more physical information, he soon reached the 'skills and proficiencies.

Taking a number of minutes to first think of the many skills he was taught and those that he was allowed to list, he decided to only write skills that would be viable on a feudal world. Beginning to write, he started off with the basic non-classified skills such as reading, writing, and a few other academic skills, slowly moving up to the more martial skills such as survival training, marksmanship, close quarters combat taught to him as a cadet, before finally reaching the list of skills he had learned over the course of the Clone Wars.

Despite cutting off a large majority of the skills he had been taught, didn't take long for the piece of parchment to be completely filled up, and allowed a bit of time to pass before flipping the sheet over and continuing to write.

He wasn't certain how long he had took to write, but with one scan over, he nodded his head in satisfaction.

Looks good. Dipping the quill back into the inkwell, he picked up the items given and began to move back to the desk, waiting in line behind a number of individuals of different species.

Like before, he got a few stares, but no one acted on his cloaked appearance.

"Republic Commando, you've completed the sheet?" Taking the sheet and the ink from him, the receptionist began to read over the paperwork. "My… that is a lot of writing."

The clone simply stood there and observed the receptionist as she reviewed his work.

"Everything here looks in order." She stamped the sheet, and the red stamp hummed with a strange energy. Pulling out a strange white tag, she tapped it the stamp, the light humming onto the tag itself. "Here you go. This will show your status in the Guild."

Taking the tag, he could see the same information that was inscribed on Fencer Squire's tag, except personalized for him.

"There are ten ranks within the Guild. From highest to lowest: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Steel, Obsidian, Porcelain." Raised a finger for each rank, the way she explained this hinted at practiced procedure. She must have done this a thousand times by now. "This is a Porcelain Rank tag. The lowest of the ranks that you will see in the field. The highest rank you will see in the field will be Silvers."

Rubbing his thumb over the surface of the tag, he could feel through the body glove that this item was engraved. Whatever happened here must've been the work of 'magic' as once mentioned to him by Fencer Squire.

"Good to know." He took the tag and it disappeared into his cloak. "Is it also an identification tag if I fall in battle?"

"Very observant of you." She nodded in the affirmative. "These tags are nigh impossible to destroy so long as they are in the possession of the individual they are attuned to." She tried her best to say that with a smile, but there was only so much one could sugar coat before the implications were obvious. "Do you have any additional questions?"

"What are the rules pertaining to taking more than one 'quest'?"

The blonde raised a brow, but she replied earnestly.

"While the guild is completely content with an adventurer taking more than one quest, many adventurers consider it… frowned upon to take more than one quest."

"So no official sanctions? Only social?"

"I suppose that is correct." The Guild Girl nodded. "The Guild's top priority is that the quests are posted and completed legally."

"Right." Putting a hand up to his chin he thought about what to ask next. "Limitations on quests?"

"While most adventurers are free to take on quests within their ranking, oftentimes lower ranking members will join together in parties to take on higher difficulty rating quests." Pulling out a handwritten chart, she gestured to a section pertaining to porcelains. "In theory, two porcelains are equal to a single obsidian, and two obsidians would be equal to a steel ranked adventurer."

"I see."

"Any other questions."

"None at this time. Thank you."

Turning away, he immediately moved to the board. Looking for the quest he saw earlier, his head moved left to right.

Where is… there it is. Walking up to the three quests he saw earlier. Taking them from the wall, he moved back into line, and waited for his turn again.

Institutions like these really liked their lines and forms, but this was a different type of battlefield that he didn't need to complain much about. This was much more orderly than a line to the quartermaster's office, and requests much more easily processed than the requisitions orders.

So, for the third time this past hour, he was face to face with the blonde receptionist, who once again greeted him with that professional posture.

"Oh hello again." Once more, she greeted him. "Have you selected a quest you wish to undertake?"

"These are the quests I wish to take." Putting each one down, he gestured to them. "I will deal with them."

"My, that was quic—" She cut off as she looked at each quest, and while she hadn't got pale, it was quite clear that her professional demeanor was cracked. "Ah- eh?"

"I will do these."

"I-I see." She steadied herself as she rubbed the back of her head, clearly not expecting this. "Do you intend on getting a party?"

"No."

"What?" She stood up for a moment, surprised, however she quickly inhaled as if to calm herself down before sitting back down. "I would advise you start off with a different quest then." She put her finger up as if attempting to scold him. "I know how dangerous goblins can be for a single combatant, and I know you did the Guild a great service with helping us that one night, but there is no reason to be overconfident in your abilities."

"I am not overconfident." He responded. "My skill set is built to clearing areas that are considered tight spaces." Gesturing to a section of his membership sheet, she read over it. "I will exhibit the caution necessary to deal with these monsters."

"Still I think you should wait—"

"Goblins are an immediate threat." 05 stated as a fact, due to what he had learned about them both from his first contact and from the report given to him by IM-6. "If I do not deal with them now, they will cause more problems."

"While that is the case, might you reconsider gett—"

"No." His tone was final. "These are all Porcelain Ranked. I will do them."

It seemed that her frustration had reached its peak, as her professional façade had been mostly broken and she had been anxiously fiddling with the lock of her hair that rested on her shoulder while attempting to talk him into what she believed to be a more measured or cautious course of action. This left her hair in a frazzled mess and a bit of the braid had been undone.

Soon realizing how unkempt she was she looked to her brown-haired co-worker.

"I'm taking my break." Scooting out of her chair, she walked into the back room. "Please process his quests."

"Oh ok! One moment sir!" The sapphire eyes co-worker looked to him as she cheerfully agreed as she scooted to the main receptionist spot, and after a brief moment of looking at a map, she pointed out locations. "These three quests happen… here… here… and here!" Giving a reassuring smile after pointing at locations at a map, she nodded. "Any questions?"

"Relatively close to one another…" The commando put his hand up to his chin. "I will go now."

Turning around he began to walk away.

"Ok then!" He could hear the brown-haired receptionist call out after him. "Good luck Republic Commando!"

As the oak doors closed behind him, he began to make his way to the exit of town.

If he was quick, he could complete all three of these quests within the next eight hours and be back for a night's rest.

Blinking a number of times, he deactivated the annunciator so that he could speak without being heard.

"IM-6. Do you read?"

"I do RC 02/105." The Medical droid responded immediately. "Is something wrong?"

"I'll be back late." The commando continued to walk to where the BARC Speeder was stowed. "I have joined the local Adventurers Guild and taken a few jobs."

"I see." The droid sounded a bit displeased but didn't try to argue. "Do you have an estimated time you'll be gone?"

"Roughly eight hours." The commando stated with some certainty. "Plan with the possibility that I might be earlier or later."

"Very well. Remain safe and inform me of any injuries you have sustained when you return."

"Copy. Over and out."

It didn't take much longer for him to reach the BARC Speeder, still hidden underneath the tarp he put it under.

Rolling it up and putting, he stowed it away and got into the seat.

Turning on the ignition, the speeder hummed to life as he slowly hovered upwards as his speeder pointed in the direction of his first destination.

The sooner these jobs were done, the better things would be in the long run.


Hey everyone! Long time no see!

Its been almost eight months since I posted a chapter for this story. Yes I did have a block, but that wasn't the main reason for why this chapter took so long.

I originally had a chapter halfway done in around Late February and Early March, and I told myself 'I could use some inspiration! Let the Bad Batch Season 2 finish and then I'll get around to the end of the Mandalorian!"

That was a mistake.

While I enjoyed S1 of the BB, I was overall disappointed with the second one, the only episodes I loved being those with Crosshair and those that actually called into question what would become of the clones and how their future. It also stung that the Clone Commandos shown in BB were basically glorified stormtroopers now, and that stung given that I love the Republic Commandos (who could've guessed!).

Yet I wasn't willing to let that dampen my mood entirely. I was like 'Alright, that could've been better, but surely the Mandalorian S3 will make things better despite that Book of Boba Fett mess, that'll give me some inspiration!'

And it didn't.

It had the opposite effect. I was so disappointed that the whole season failed to tell any meaningful story that it put me off Star Wars since April. I haven't touched Ashoka, and the other series I had intended on catching up on were put out of my mind.

I even avoided reading any new Star Wars Fics (only reading those that I had been already following), and even made a new Fic (Hinokami's Blessing on this Wonderful World) because I didn't really want to think about Star Wars.

I was even considering either abandoning this fic or putting it on hiatus until the next season of Andor in hopes that could reignite my love for Star Wars, because of how frustrated I was with the state of Star Wars of late.

Then I remembered that Goblin Slayer Season 2 was coming out this year, and so I waited for that to come out, same thoughts as before 'It'll give me inspiration' and sure enough it did.

While the anime likes to rearrange the order of events, I felt that spark return to work on this as our stoic hero returned and all of his companions were together once again. The ideas began to flow, the potential character interactions and over the past couple of days, I've been typing like a madman, refreshing my Star Wars lore and reading the articles about the old lore, reevaluating what I want this overall story to be about.

While this chapter might not be my best work, its definitely progress in the right direction.

So thank you for being patient with me, I hope to get another chapter out by the end of this month, or the beginning of next month.

Until next time.