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RC-1328, RC-1370, RC-1405 and RC-1432 sit in their barracks on Kamino. Their Mandalorian trainer, Ka’raya Tranyc ordered them to report to the training rooms in twenty minutes. RC-1432 yawns widely, swinging his legs from where he’s perched on the top bunk. "Wish we didn’t have training today. I wanna sleep." He says, his eyelids heavy. RC-1405 snorts. "Well, he have a schedule to follow. One more year, and we’re out of here!" He says joyfully, nudging his older brother, RC-1370. '32 groans. "I know, but…would it be so bad if they let us rest for one day?" He complains, rolling his eyes in exaggerated way, and RC-1328 smiles. "I wish we could, but…I’m afraid we have to go, vod’ika." He says affectionately to '32 and gets up himself, stretching his arms. They already have their training armours on, so they can quickly get to the commando’s training sectors of Tipoca City.
*****
"Lambda Squad. You’re late." The human female, wearing Mandalorian armour marked with various shades of turquoise and blood-red says, as RC-1328 leads his squad into room. He winces under the helmet. Well, technically, she’s right.
"But, Sir, ma’am, it’s…only a two minutes!" RC-1432 groans and Ka’raya turns to him, cutting the distance in three fast strides. "Let me tell you of the importance of being on time. On the battlefield, every second matters! Your vod’e know it already, but you…" She drops her sentence, taking her helmet off. She’s scowling, her dark brown, nearly black eyes are blazing with anger. Her long, black braid sways in her back, its roots dyed in the same blood-red color as pieces of her armour.
"It would be good if you remembered this, RC-1432. All of you, actually, Lambdas." She says calmer, putting her buy’ce back on. "Get ready in the platform." She commands, taking the lift to the control room. They’re left alone, but the platform that they stand on whirrs and goes up. It’s a standard simulation, a bit harder version of one’s that CTs are going through.
But then, training droids appear. Commando Droids, RC-1328 judges, though the room is dark, so he can’t see them clearly. But they surely can, and start shooting at him and his vod’e.
"Move, move! Find cover!" He calls out, ducking behind a short barricade. RC-1405 is with him, while RC-1370 and RC-1432 are behind other barricade, on the other side of the passage.
"We have to reach the other end, and download the file from that console!" '28 yells on comms, and RC-1432 replies.
"We’re pinned down, Lambda Leader! We can’t break through!"
"What should we do, Two-Eight?" '70 asks, his voice trembling. RC-1328 sighs, gathering his thoughts. "Y-you…you two go forward, and Oh-Five and I will provide cover fire." He says, trying to sound like he’s certain of his plan.
"Copy that, Lambda Leader." Three-Two says and they run out, shooting. '28 raises his blaster as well, aiming at the enemy droids…but those aren’t droids, but vod’e, sent against them, those are other commandos. He gasps and his hands shake. The other commando’s hands, though, don’t. They shoot, live rounds, and '28 watches, frozen in place, as one of them hits RC-1370 in the stomach, other sends RC-1432 down on the floor, after burrowing itself in his right shoulder blade. He can hear their painful screams and sobs on the comms, but he can’t move.
"Two-Eight! Ori’vod! We’ve got to move!" RC-1405 shouts, but it feels like it’s coming from far away.
Suddenly, the lights turn on, and the commandos…stop in place. On the lift in the middle of the room, stands Ka’raya Tranyc, her cold eyes sweep the floor. '32 lays, curled tightly, his painful sobs audible even without comms. '70 isn’t moving, but he’s alive, his chest rises and falls, so he must be unconscious. Ka’raya marched to '28, her lips pulled into a thin, white line. She pulls the enemy commando’s helmet off, revealing…a face plate of a droid. RC-1328 feels sick, it was all just…a lie, those weren’t vod’e, and now…his vod’ike…
"RC-1405, take your wounded vod’e to the medbay, I’ve already called for stretchers. They can’t be allowed to die. It would only be a waste of resources, surely you understand this, RC-1328." She says, and '05 salutes, trying to gently haul their injured vod’e on stretchers hovering above the floor. '28 turns around, ready to follow '05, but Ka’raya’s sharp voice makes him freeze. "RC-1328. I didn’t let you go. I want to talk with you." He shudders, but turns again to face her. She swiftly slams him into the wall and '28 yelps, tears filling his eyes. She keeps him pinned, her vibroblade blade, extending from her vambrace hovering inches from his throat.
"If you did something like that in battle, you’d all be dead already. You’re unworthy of a name, you should be a number forever." She hisses and Two-Eight flinches instinctively, but Ka’raya lets him go and he crumples to the floor.
"You’ll come with me, do you understand?" She asks coldly and RC-1328 nods.
"Y-yes, Sir." He chokes out, pushing down his panic. "If it was up to me, you’d be decommissioned. However, that needs to be consulted with Kaminoans." Ka’raya adds, without looking at him. '28 looks down, biting his lip under helmet.
*****
RC-1328 glances at the Kaminoan above, blinking fast. The scientist is looking at him coldly, but it’s more bearable than Ka’raya’s. "RC-1328. Your trainer insisted that you’d be decommissioned for your performance in training. However, I disagree." The kaminiise says and he looks up hopefully. "It was she who insisted for this type of training, with your armours." She continues, and pulls out a datapad.
"One of deployed squads, Delta Squad deployed on very first day of the Clone War, needs a new squad leader. It’ll be your assignment, Ka’raya Tranyc agreed." She says and '28 shudders. Why? I-I can’t replace someone like that! I can’t replace a dead Commando with so much experience.
"Is there a problem, RC-1328?" The Kaminoan asks again, her cold eyes drilling into him.
"N-no, just…my squad. Can I see them?" '28’s voice is quiet when he asks the question and the Kaminoan hums. "Your old squad is in the medbay. They will stay there for a few days, so, no." She replies coldly and gestures him to leave.
*****
Ka’raya Tranyc sighs. Lambda Squad was already given their replacement and RC-1328 is on his way to Delta Squad. She scoffs at the thought. He should be killed for it, putting his vode in danger. She fills his form, typing in his reassignment.
She hums, her finger hovering above 'save file' button. She adds one line, and saves the file.
«Trainer’s note: "Some clones only learn the hard way, when it’s live or die. He’ll either learn, or die.»
*****
RC-1328 stands in front of medbay’s door. He was told that Delta Squad is inside, with their injured vod. He didn’t yet entered, but he can hear raised voices from inside.
"…expect us to greet him, with joy and warmth?!" Someone inside yells, and '28 flinches. It’s clear that it’s about him. But he wouldn’t argue with this opinion. That’s the truth, after all.
He braces himself and walks inside. Two commandos are perched on a bed, in which there’s a third, laying down with an IV line connected. RC-1328 takes a deep breath and takes off his helmet. "So...um...you're the Delta Squad?" He asks shyly, looking away. "I...heard a lot about your squad. I mean...this squad...my squad? I don't know…" He stammers, flushing. He can feel tears gathering in his eyes and he fights with them with all his strength.
"I'm sorry about your brother. I hope he went down honourably. I mean...I wish he didn't, I shouldn't, I don't deserve to…I don't know how to lead…" RC-1328 mutters, rubbing his shoulder, eyes fixed on the floor. He takes a step back, clearly they don’t want to see him, but one of them, with bleached blondish curls falling on his forehead stops him.
"Wait, vod'ika. It's...it's not your fault." He whispers, outstretching his hand to '28.
"I'm sorry, Sir, I don't know what I should..." his voice is barely audible, the ending of his sentence lost completely. "You shouldn't really refer to us as 'Sirs', kid. Technically, we should refer as 'Sir' to you." The other says, rolling his eyes. '28 sits on the edge of an empty chair, fidgeting with his fingers.
"You've got a name, vod'ika?" Blonde Commando finally breaks the silence, and '28 flinches, startled. I might have had…few ideas… "N-no, not really, I...my trainer told me I don't deserve it, so..." He says out loud, looking away. "...she said I'll always be a number." He whispers, and wounded clone bristles, the blonde one gets up. "No, vod'ika. You'll get it, don't...don't worry. Why did your trainer say it?" He asks softly. RC-1328 flushes, looking down. I-I can’t tell them why. They’ll hate me even more, think I’m danger to them, they don’t want me, but their dead brother…
He flushes. "I don't...I don't want to talk about it." RC-1328 mutters and one of unwounded, not the blonde one, sighs.
'28 shifts uncomfortably in his chair. They clearly don’t want to see him here. "I'm sorry, I'll just go...
He mutters and stands up, leaving. This time, none of the Deltas stop him, for what he’s grateful. He strides through the corridor fast, helmet pushed back on his head, tears glistening in his eyes, blurring his vision.