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Hardcase was a very anxious lad, he always was, so some nights he didn't sleep at all, staying up late with some other troopers, exchanging battle stories or talking about their favorite weapons and all the different details.
When everyone in the Torrent went to bed with the alarm set at 06.00, he stayed awake hoping that sleep would come for him too, but it was no use.
Being out there was peaceful and a nice breeze often calmed his nerves. There was no one around, except for a few others on guard duty.
He knew he had to rest at least a little, but these moments were for him and him alone, the only part of the day when he was truly himself and not another killing machine. He loved doing his duty, but sometimes it was tiring.
Eventually, going back to his bed, he used to fall asleep, lulled by silence. But it didn't last long, about 3-4 hours, but for him, it was enough and he didn't feel the least bit tired.
He was always one of the first to get up, almost, because he was convinced that the Captain would also get up early. It was about 4.30 in the morning and his body was already fully functional.
He got up and, still in his blacks, went out to admire the city below, still shrouded in the night and relatively quiet. Being planet side on Coruscant, however rare, it was truly beautiful.
- Find peace whenever you can, war is already cruel on its own - Sounded like something a Jedi would say but, instead, was Kix that once told him that, and he tried to stay true to that thought almost every day.
The battles were exhausting, but every day he tried to have a little fun wherever he was, at home, lost on a planet in the mid-rim, in training... everywhere.
After 30 minutes of being outside, it was time for a shower to wash away what little sleep he had left, the place was already getting more crowded around him.
To avoid waking up his brothers he took his full armor with him to the common fresher, so he could do everything in one place at once.
He quickly stripped and literally threw himself under the shower. It was cold but it was for the better, he had to wake up properly.
It was rather quick, he didn't want to waste so much water just because it was rationed every day and the others needed it too.
The next step was to check if he needed a shave.
Grabbing his personal bag from his locket, he quickly looked at himself while brushing his teeth.
“Kark’, that's disgusting…” he suddenly cursed, making a face at the horrible toothpaste that was GAR property. It was a new stock and unfortunately, that's what everyone had and it was functional, but it still remained awful.
- maybe breakfast won't suck so bad this morning - he asked himself, still with that terrible taste in his mouth while he was putting away what he didn't need.
Checking his face one more time he saw the shadow of a stubble, but for now, it was tolerable whilst his head was still neat.
Time to find a couple of unused blacks, he still had to change and put on his armor. He searched in his locket only to find a shirt that was still fresh for the last laundry shift.
Well, time to go to the supplies room and get some of the new ones.
Still only wearing nothing but a towel, he went to the next room and was lucky enough that no one was there in the first place. He searched for a few minutes until finally, he found some clean pants.
Once back, he put them on immediately and threw the others in the laundry bin nearby.
05.30 - well, that was fast, I still have plenty of time - a quick thought crossed his mind, looking at the old-fashioned clock on the wall. The barracks and the adjacent freshers weren’t new per se but still comfortable.
Wearing his armor and putting his stuff away he went out into the corridor, waving to some shinies who were passing by whom he spoke with last night.
- those guys have a bright future ahead - he thought almost envying them but still with a smile on his face. He went straight to the mess hall since it was surely already open and he was damn hungry by now, he passed his barrack for a moment to see if anybody was already up, but only Dogma and Kix were awake and getting up slowly. This meant that later he would have a double ration with them as well.
Today felt like a really nice day after all.
After his first cup of coffee and a few random chats, he came back only to find everyone awake and Fives already up to his usual antics. He stood there by the door for a while watching all of them have fun.
He felt really lucky to be here, to have found a lovely family in this chaotic mess.
“Hardcase” he heard then someone calling him.
Turning around, he saw one of the new guys who arrived three days ago for field training, what was his name? Oh right Guide, because in his squad he was the reliable one, much like Echo, knowing every map by heart, or so he told him.
“Hey kid, 'morning” he replied, leaving his older brothers to have their fun.
"Would you like to have breakfast with us? So you can tell us one or two more stories," the young soldier asked.
“Sure...let's go..” he said smiling
That made Hardcase happy, someone who actually listened to him.
On the way to the mess hall, once again, he walked past a sleeping Tup. The younger brother rarely wore his hair down and seeing him like this was a bit of a shock.
“Hey, Tup, who combed your hair? A grenade?” He joked and the other one just smiled.
Yes, today was a very happy day. Wishing tomorrow would be the same.