Chapter Text
– CORUSCANT-
TRAINING ROOM
– 0600 –
“AGAIN,” Skywalker barked.
Ok’sana Rue flicked her sweaty hair out of her eyes as they threatened, once again, to roll back into her head. Leaning on her staff, she raised a hand and caught the water Ahsoka threw her way- not even turning her head.
“You do know I usually do this training alone, right?”
Anakin Skywalker smiled,
“I do, but Master Plo says you have a tendency to get… distracted," Ahsoka snorted behind her.
Well isn’t that the quacta calling the stifling slimy.
Ok’sana merely nodded and settled back into her stance. Endurance training was never fun exactly, but in the midst of battle, there was no time for a stitch in her side or water breaks. Skywalker wasn’t even dueling her, he was just having her run the same drill over and over.
The bastard.
Ok’sana threw down her staff to pull herself over a wall, using the Force to give herself a boost. Sweat dripped into her line of sight as she hopped from pillar to pillar, using her saber to block small blaster shots from the training droid, and she her fingers wrapped around the orange flag just as she heard,
“TIME!”
Huffing out a laugh, Sana looked down at Rex and Master Kenobi standing beside Ahsoka in the doorway. She flipped forward off the pillar, landing in a soft crouch. Tossing the flag in Skywalker’s face, she nodded to the two newcomers and smiled,
“Master Kenobi, Captain- come to watch the show?”
Obi-Wan smiled, “As impressive as it was, I’m afraid not. Anakin, Ahsoka, you’re both needed. Ok’sana, Master Plo said to cut training short today.”
“I think she beat your record today, Master,” Ahsoka teased.
“Let’s get moving, my little Padawan.”
They walked away with Rex, who nodded to Sana and began rapidly briefing them.
“Everything alright, Master Kenobi? I sense you are.. Uneasy,” she was given a distracted bob of the head as his eyes drifted around the room.
“You’ve been briefed on the upcoming Republic event we all must attend, yes?”
Maker, not this.
The Republic politicians had decided that in the middle of this damned war, as if the boys and the Jedi were not putting their lives on the line everyday to keep their worlds safe, that what they really needed was a party. An over expensive display to the Separatists that the powers of their democracy were at ease,
Even though they aren't.
So they were having a ball. And for Force sake, they were requiring that every available member of the Grand Army of the Republic be in attendance- including Jedi.
Who knows how many cities could fall during this one night. How quickly the Separatists could rally forces against them if they were all in one place. Or how many civilians could die while they sat around sipping spotchka! Not like we’re in the middle of a war or anything, oh wait!
“Temper, Ok’sana, temper”, she could practically hear Master Plo’s voice in her head.
She cleared her throat, “Yes sir, I have been-”
“How many times have I reminded you? You may call me Obi-Wan, Ok’sana.”
She grinned at him and nodded. Master Kenobi said he had a debriefing to attend to, and congratulated her with another soft smile. Handing her the data pad with her times for the morning. Ok’sana allowed herself a short moment of triumph. She actually had broken Skywalker’s record- by a millisecond, actually.
Sana stared after them all, remembering her brief crush on Captain Rex as a Padawan. Wolffe and the pack never let her live it down. They used to send her with the most insignificant piece of information to deliver to the man, just to see her come back red and stuttering.
Apparently done for the day, she showered and walked to the barracks where the 601st was resting- awaiting their next assignment. Plo and half his men were en route to Coruscant, and as their most recent mission wasn't enough to require one whole, let alone two battalions- Ok’sana and Baz had been sent to help extract some Republic allies from Seperatist forces on Bespin.
“General!”
“There she is.”
“We got a mission, ‘ave we?”
So many voices at once, at this hour of the morning? Force helped her.
She held up her palms to placate them, “At ease, boys. Nothing yet,” they deflated a bit, both Quinn and Karma sinking back onto their bunks.
“Bored already?”
Prince grinned up at her from the floor, “Maybe..” Sana had to laugh at the disappointed looks all around her.
They'd just gotten back last night, barely held together by bacta patches and dirty gauze- but already they were antsy to get back in it,
These boys had to have been hand picked for me, we’re all too similar.
“Where's Baz?” Some of their faces slackened a bit, and she felt their energy dim.
Their Commander, CC-9316, or Baz, was severely injured last night trying to carry three men at once while Ok’sana held droids at bay. Right before the explosion, she’d thrown those men onto an escape shuttle and gone to try and move Baz out of the line of fire; only for the idiot to throw her to the floor and shield her from the brunt of the impact. He’d had some pretty bad burns, even through his armor- but once they could move again she’d carried him on her back and cut down anything in her path and raged for a medical droid once they were back aboard the ship. The 601st hadn't been under her command for long, but the way she’d grown close to them so quickly it both warmed her heart and worried her.
It's not a romantic attachment, it's fine, Ok’sana.
But that's not what she’d been taught, and she knew it.
“He is patched up and ready to ship out when you are, Sir.”
She threw her arms around his neck blindingly fast, and just as quickly let go when she heard him hiss in pain,
“Sorry.”
Baz kept an arm around her shoulders though. His cropped hair was a little singed in places, a brace around the left wrist, and a patch peeking over the collar of his blacks. He was still chuckling a little at her outburst, as were the rest of the men.
“You're really alright?”
“Droids said so, and both Renn and Ravel gave the rest of my burns a look this morning. Couple more bacta patches and I’ll be back to-”
“Don’t.”
Baz blinked, “Don't what?”
“All of you listen to me. I'm only going to say this once,” her voice was deadly calm, “Anything like that happens again, and you throw yourselves in the line of fire for me, I’ll report you to the higher ups for insubordination and get you assigned to a desk job. No battles, no field missions, not even a blaster at your hip. The next injury you get will probably be a paper cut, you understand?”
Quinn started, “Ok’sana-”
“Am I understood?”
None of them would meet her eyes, and Baz dropped his arm around her. She turned back to him, “You could've died, Baz. You could have died,” her voice broke as she gave him a slight shove in the chest.
This is what kept her up at night. What partially distracted her from those damn training sessions. Thoughts of what would happen if she couldn't keep them safe on missions, of the look of betrayal she would get visiting the barracks if one of her men fell to the Separatists. Deep down she knew no one would hold her responsible, but what if her boys did? What if they stopped trusting her? What if?
No attachments, she reminded herself.
Shut up.
“Dying is what clones do, Ok’sana," Prince was sitting up now, all humor having left his face. He was the “shiniest” among them, and she softened her gaze.
“No. Fighting is what you were trained to do, just like anyone else on the battlefield. You live and fight in this war, but you don't die willingly or any easier than any of us.”
“Here comes her Clones Rights lecture!” one of them yelled. The tension broke a bit and she breathed a little easier. General or not, Jedi or not, no one was going to die on her watch- and especially not in her place. Baz met her gaze,
“You’d die for us,” it was a statement, not a question, “which means we’d do the same for you.”
“No-”
“Yes,” they all chorused. Her face went a little red, both with anger and surprise. Sana bit the inside of her lip to keep from arguing.
“If we aren't fighting for each other and the Republic, then we’re wasting our time.”
None of them spoke for a bit. This was a common enough argument amongst soldiers, and she knew almost for a fact Ahsoka had had this one with the boys in blue. They were all fighting for the same reasons, to help preserve peace amongst the Republic, across the galaxy, and keep civilians safe. But so many lives were being lost along the way, And it weighs on us all. A corner of Baz’s mouth lifted and he lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. Talking about feelings was something most of the clones were not used to, especially when they viewed themselves as soldiers and nothing more- especially Baz. He preferred to bark orders and save big speeches or affectionate gestures for “the sappiest of civvies”.
Ok’sana narrowed her eyes as his shoulder hitched ever so slightly at the movement.
“You're lying,” he blinked in surprise, but it quickly faded into embarrassment.
“It's just- uhm, it clicks,” Baz admitted, “My shoulder, I mean. It clicks when I lift my arm. Droids say there's nothing wrong with it.. But I can feel it.”
She lifted a hand, the sleeves of her robes falling back a bit, “May I?” he nodded. Placing one hand over the other, she focused her breathing and closed her eyes.
The Force flows through us all.
Every living thing.
Living or dead.
The rage of the seas or the clearest sky.
Balance. Balance. Balance.
I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.
Ok’sana felt her mind go blank, and her heart slowed. She smelled meilooruns and sunshine. Heard voices of distant memories that both tightened her throat and filled her with a happiness she’d never know. Her brown eyes snapped open, and straight to Baz’s as she lowered her hands, “Try it now.” He didn’t question her, just raised the arm- and she watched his eyes brighten at the feeling.
“What did you-,” a hand shot out to steady her as the world dimmed a bit.
“General?” Quinn.
“I’m fine. Just takes a bit out of me to heal others, but I’m fine,” a smile, and then she croaked, “Just.. How about from now on we take turns getting blown up, okay?” Baz gave her a real smile as the men laughed and clapped her on the shoulder, making her promise to get some rest. Sana ruffled some hair while she made her way out of the barracks- nodding to those who saluted her along the way. She called back to them,
“If no mission comes in I expect to see you besom at that damned ball in those adorable Republic issued suits!” Protests and groans followed her.
Ok’sana could sense the hesitation of the man behind her, and slowed her pace the slightest bit. She didn't turn around though, just gave him a chance to catch up.
“General Rue, if you are not currently in the midst of some other pressing task, I was wondering if we could have a word,” she sighed, ignoring the skip in her breathing.
“Ok’sana, Tech, I told you boys to call me Ok’sana.”
END OF PART 1