Work Text:
CT-7183, known by his brothers simply as 'Bot', steps out into the humid bog alongside Jedi Padawan Diago Martez and Jedi General Sazli Kharr. He hears Captain Jaws sidle up to the Jedi and briefly rediscuss the plan. They had landed on Dathomir, a notoriously unfriendly matriarchal planet that did not hide its contempt for the Republic. Under normal circumstances they would not have risked landing on the planet without an invitation, but there had been a rumor that General Grievous had decimated the population. The Chancellor had asked the Jedi Council to send in representatives to see if there were any survivors from the attack who could be persuaded into joining the cause against the Separatists. The entire idea made Bot feel uneasy but it wasn't his job to question the Republic - it was his job to follow orders.
Sprout, the medical clone on their command squad, elbows him lightly.
"Don't look so glum," the other clone says lightly.
"Why do you think I look glum? You can't even see my face, I'm wearing my helmet just like you."
Though he can't see his brother's expression, he knows that he is most certainly wearing a shit-eating grin underneath all the plastoid.
"Yeah, but I know you, Bot. You're definitely scowling," Sprout responds.
"That's stupid - I'm always scowling."
"Exactly!"
His brother laughs, placing a hand on his shoulder. Captain Jaws looks back at them and signals for them to quiet down, they're about to head out. They both straighten up and Bot takes his place only a few steps behind the Jedi. Diago looks over his shoulder to give a reassuring smile at the grumpy ARC trooper before turning his questing eyes forward. Beside him, Sprout is sandwiched between himself and ARC Trooper Xand.
Jedi General Sazli leads the small team forward into the gnarled overgrowth, Diago and Jaws keeping step with her. There's seemingly a red-hue to every plant, rock, and reedbed they pass. Even the atmosphere and sun have a red-tint to it.
They continue to push forward, taking care to not step into any sinkholes or disturb any of the twisting carnivorous plants. They march on with no evidence of life beyond a rustle of small animals hiding in the undergrowth and the occasional bird taking flight when spooked.
The Togruta Jedi does not slow her pace, her steps sure and eyes scanning. Diago follows her display, shoulders set and head high. Bot feels a misplaced sense of brotherly pride at how much the skittering and nervous padawan has grown in the past 1.8 years of service together. He had been Sazli's apprentice before the Confederacy of Independent Systems but war had taken a toll on his psyche in the beginning. Now he marched forth into the foray as if death and violence was an old friend of his. His heart squeezed painfully while he momentarily grieved for the young boy's innocence. Fifteen was far too young of an age.
"Master?" The young Jedi's pace falters.
"Yes, I feel it, padawan." The Togruta stops next to her apprentice, her eyes scanning. "A great tragedy has befallen this place."
They had stumbled upon a clearing in the swamp, where dark stains still marred gnarly tree trunks and plants had been uprooted and trampled. Bot doesn't feel things the same way the Jedi do. He can't feel the ghostly imprints of a tragedy like those gifted with the Force could. Still, he can feel the danger and anguish that permeates the air.
Xand moves from his place beside Sprout and walks up to a large stone in the middle of their pathway. It appears to be an altar-like table. Upon it lies three dried, disconnected fingers of varying shades of paleness, a husk of a native flower, and a dried smear of dark green. Xand doesn't look back before reaching out to touch the stone.
"Wait!"
Diago's warning is too late as Xand reaches down to pick up one of the fingers. A pale and thin hand reaches up from the stone in response and latches onto Xand's wrist tightly. The ARC trooper gives out a strangled cry and tries to wheel backwards, only succeeding in dragging the body attached to the pale hand up from her resting place inside the alter.
In front of him the Jedi light their weapons, an alluring shower of periwinkle and gold lighting up the swampy darkness. Captain Jaws calls for Xand to fall back but it's useless. The creature that has latched itself to Xand crawls forward on top of the stone, her shoulders clicking into place and empty eye sockets darker than the night skies. She opens her mouth, a battle-like cry emitting from her torn throat and lime green mist pouring out from the open orifice. Xand emits his own scream when the mist touches his helmet, melting the plastoid to his skull like acid.
"It's a trap. Retreat back to the ship!" The Jedi General commands.
All around them more undead nightsisters crawl out of twisted tree trunks and emerge from the dark brackish waters of the swamp. Diago turns to retreat back to the ship, Sprout and Bot hot on his heels as he leads the way. His purple-blue lightsaber arches in the air as he lights their pathway. The undead lunge from them at all sides but Sazli's lightsaber slash through them, dissipating them only for a moment before they're back.
Angry war-cries fill the air.
"Run!"
The command is unnecessary as they follow Diago through the threatening wilds. The captain and general take up the rear while Bot and Sprout try to protect their sides. Bot does not spare a thought he cannot afford to look towards Xand, his brother who had long since stopped screaming behind them. A nightsister reaches out and grabs Sprout's ankle, pulling him off his feet and dragging him towards his watery doom.
Captain Jaws is there in a flash, shooting directly at the creature's head, giving him enough time to drag Sprout back up by his armor and pushing him to continue running. Diago's lightsaber cuts through vines and low hanging branches as they hop over overgrown roots and dodge pale hands that reach out to grasp them. Behind him, Bot hears Sazli and Jaws fighting with the undead.
They reach the end of the swampy path and are in line of sight of their ship when Jaws finally succumbs to one of the nightsisters. Sazli leaps into the fray to try to save him but she is too late and his arm is ripped from its socket before he is bodily tossed into a sink pit.
"Start the ship and do not look back, Padawan!"
The young Jedi only hesitates for a moment before listening to his Master's wishes. He's scrambling his way into the cockpit and starting the engine before the clones reach the entrance. Bot pushes Sprout up the ramp into the ship ahead of him, turning around to blast at the ghostly apparitions. He is just barely inside the ship and off the ramp when Sazli is pulled down into a mess of writhing nightsisters. He aims his weapon at the mass but he cannot get a clear shot. He watches as her lightsaber's blade is extinguished and her yells are muffled. The ship's railing starts to pull within itself as Diago lifts the ship off the ground.
One of the nightsisters notices and charges at them full speed. Bot shoots at her but it does little to deter her as she leaps and latches onto the edge of the rail. He unloads shots onto her, aiming directly at her head. She gives out an inhuman scream as she's forced to let go but not before some of the green mist from her mouth seeps into his left shin, melting the plastoid past the protective black body suit and into his skin. Bot screams in agony as he feels his skin give away and his bone weaken. He feels the strong hands of his brother pull him farther into the ship and away from the railing.
He's manhandled into the ship's small med unit, his teeth clenched to keep tears from escaping without permission. Whatever they had just done to him hurt like a son of a bantha. He felt more than saw Sprout tugging his armor off and carefully cutting his body suit away so he could access the putrid skin. Bot is only half awake when his brother stabs a needle into his thigh, the pain repressent medicine pulling him under into a dreamless sleep.
*
When Bot awakens again, it's alone in the med unit, his shin covered in medpatches and his mind foggy. He smacks his lips together as he gathers his bearings. His helmet has been removed as well as the rest of his armor, replaced now with a standard medical gown. He struggles to sit up, pain following his movements.
His bare feet hit the cold floor of the ship and he takes a deep breath as he stands slowly. Not too unbearable, he remarks to himself as he makes his way to the cockpit. Sprout turns to look at him from the co-pilots seat, giving him a half-smile before standing up to greet him. He's pulled into warm arms that seem to relax once they realize that Bot is really alive and going to be okay. He hugs his brother back gently before they separate and Sprout moves out of the way before disappearing deeper into the ship.
Bot takes his brother's place in the cockpit and glances sideways at the Jedi Padawan occupying the pilot's seat. Diago's young face is set in an impenetrable mask, his emotions carefully locked away as he navigates them to the closest Jedi outpost so he can report on what had occurred on Dathomir's surface. The clone is unsure if he should reach out and grasp the boy's hand in comfort or if he would find it weird and awkward. Before he can finish considering what to do, the Jedi faces him, dark brown eyes meeting his own, and speaks.
"Why did they send us into a trap?"
Bot doesn't have an answer for that. He wasn't made to question the Republic - he was made to follow orders.